Episode 102. The Spirit of Moorim (3)

Before the match, I disabled Access to Information and Outstanding Insight, which I usually activated around the clock. At the same time, I settled down the mana floating around my skin.

Now I was no different than a moderately trained civilian, apart from my Status ability-reinforced body.

This was in order to spar the Moorim way. All I was using in this match was a small amount of Ki I accumulated in my Danjeon, the Mugong in my head, and my innate analytical skills.

“Are you ready?”

Asked Kim Young-hwan. He had also settled down all his mana and skills he accumulated as a Hunter. Nevertheless, the intense pressure I felt from him did not diminish. This was probably because most of Kim Young-hwan’s power was that of Moorim.

Once I erased my mana, I could clearly see how massive the Ki swirling inside Kim Young-hwan was.

“Yes, I think so.”

I rolled up my loose sleeves and replied.

“Then let’s get started.”

And with that, we touched our fists together once in the center of the training facility and backed away. And we stopped when we were about 10 meters away from each other.

It was somewhat of a wide distance, but still way too close for me to fight him. A person like Kim Young-hwan could cover this distance and land his fist into my vital parts before I could notice. historical

[Do you think you won’t even stand a chance?]

The Traveler’s voice rang in my head.

[Of course, you think so. You have declared that you will seal off your powerful weapons, your many skills and Characteristics, and even Mirage, which is your best weapon against a combat fighter.]

“.....”

[But I think you have a chance at winning.]

Sweep.

Kim Young-hwan’s ankle twisted slightly to the side.

[Your true weapon is not your Characteristics or skills.]

“Whoo.”

[Outstanding Insight? Sure, it’s a useful ability. But even without it, I think you would have succeeded greatly as an Analyst. Your true talent is your sharp eye that even fascinates the Akashic Records.]

Because I observed Moorim for a week, I could tell. The movements have a pattern. The moment I saw him, I followed suit.

[Your talent of uncovering things hidden under the skin, and then digging up everything about your target and consuming it.]

“.....”

[Instinctively detecting weaknesses and destroying your targets? That’s not something an ordinary person can do. It’s not easy to grasp things that are beyond common sense just by observing them. It’s a talent that cannot be earned by studying.]

Thwaack!

“Hmph!”

But it was already too late when I acted after seeing him. Kim Young-hwan’s fist dug into my side and turned my insides upside down. It didn’t feel like a simple bruising. It felt like his hand punched a hole in my stomach and was stirring my insides. It was the distinct unpleasant feeling that came from Mugong that used Ki.

Swoop!

I belatedly swung my hand, but Kim Young-hwan was already not there. Crrrack, with the sound of bones breaking, my vision shook. Lowering his posture, he kicked my ankle and was about to punch my chin upward as I fell.

[Don’t consider training Mugong as your objective. Mugong is a means. A means to take you to the top. If you change your perspective, that man whose entire goal is Mugong will seem very small.]

The Traveler’s words confused me. But I heard one thing loud and clear. Mugong is a means. With those words, I broke away from the formalities embedded in my body.

I twisted in a funny position and immediately rolled over the ground and fell. It was a movement that didn’t exist as any Mugong maneuver. But it was the only way to avoid Kim Young-hwan’s fist.

Swoop.

Kim Young-hwan’s fist cut through the air, cutting through the wind. Still on the ground, I rolled again and stood up.

“You have good posture, but your achievement is still low. But you certainly have good judgment. It took me three years to act instinctively without being tied to Mugong maneuvers.”

He was smiling as he slowly approached me. Kim Young-hwan was never in a hurry. He applied pressure casually and with ease. But as his opponent, I could not afford to be at ease. It felt like a huge fortress made of steel was slowly narrowing in from all sides.

“I’ll fight properly now. Remember what you said earlier? That since Mr. Zhang Wei can heal us, you’ll fight until either one of us is too injured to continue. I like it. I’ve never fought anyone that hard.”

The horrible Ki that was hidden inside Kim Young-hwan slowly revealed itself.

-Dance of the Four Guardian Gods-

It was the first maneuver of his Mugong, with a name worthy of the Four Guardian Gods guild. I squeezed my Danjeon and drew out my shallow Ki as much as possible. Once we clashed with one another, my Ki would scatter, but I needed it to resist even a little.

[Do everything you can. No matter how small your Ki is, your opponent is human. Even a healthy adult male dies if a child stabs him in his vital parts with a pick. You can overcome every ordeal. There’s always a way out of any situation.]

Once again, Kim Young-hwan’s ankle twisted. The moment I blinked, he was standing in front of me.

My side again? Or my chest? My eyes move. The angle at which Kim Young-hwan’s elbow moves, the trembling of his bulging muscles, the part of my body that he looks at, and his convulsing Ki.

The small elements assemble like a puzzle to produce an answer. That instant, I saw a blurred path. Kim Young-hwan’s arm reaches forward and hits my lower abdomen.

Crrraack!

“..Hmmph.”

It was the right answer. My hastily lowered elbow blocked Kim Young-hwan’s fist. But it could not fully withstand the damage. Sharp pain rose from my joints, and I lost feeling in my right arm for a moment. It was because my timing was a little late.

Thump.

I could not block Kim Young-hwan’s following attacks. His leg crashed onto my knee. It was my leg with my already hurt ankle, so I lost my balance.

Crack.

As soon as I was about to fall, his hand grabbed me by the collar. Holding my sleeve to fix me in place, he threw a punch into my side.

I almost lost consciousness. I felt like I was about to throw up. One more punch flying towards me. This time headed for the temple.

Thud.

I lifted my elbow to block it. But I was late again. Pain overcame me because I couldn’t match the point of attack.

Crack! Crack! Thwaaack!

I blocked every attack while still caught by my sleeve. My shallow Ki gradually collapses in the face of his dense Inner Ki.

The huge fort slowly gnawed away at the small wall. It never showed any weaknesses and thoroughly attacked.

His Dance of the Four Guardian Gods was a technique that was ranked lower than the Mugong I learned, but the man using it was not my subordinate. The technique that was improved over decades to suit Kim Young-hwan perfectly shone brilliantly in his hands.

“Whew.. Hua!”

I never closed my eyes as I blocked his attacks. Resisting the pain, I stared at his every punch and kick.

Kim Young-hwan was slowing down minutely. Was he tired? No. My eyes were adapting to his movements. The individual named ‘Kim Young-hwan’, who I had analyzed in the past, is reconstructed in my mind. By directly undergoing his attacks, I tear apart his strength and techniques even more thoroughly.

“Are you going to just stay on the defense?”

Oblivious, he reaches out with his fist again. It was a bold attack. The fist aimed precisely at my chin. If it hit me, my mind would be blown away.

At that moment, Kim Young-hwan’s movement slowed sharply. It was as if the surrounding world was frozen. The messy puzzle pieces in my head of the individual ‘Kim Young-hwan’ have completely become whole.

The young hero Kim Young-hwan who remains in my analysis records. The middle-aged Kim Young-hwan, who I observed in person. The old Kim Young-hwan, who actively hunted with his weak body just before his death. And the Kim Young-hwan I fought myself after coming back in time. All of my experiences whirled inside me.

I saw a path again. This one wasn’t blurry. It was very clear and exact, as if I had grown another arm. My shoulders twitched along with it. My lifeless, flailing hand precisely pushed away Kim Young-hwan’s approaching wrist and dug inwards.

If you reach the height of your technique, you don’t need much strength. The perfect point of attack. The exact stabbing action. The two combined to destroy the powerful man who was, by far, my superior.

Kim Young-hwan’s face stiffened. My other hand moves precisely dug into him. A gap appeared in the solid fort. Through the crack, I stabbed my spear in without hesitation.

It was a sensation that I had never felt before. My hand flew very lightly.

“Ugh.. Ughhhh.”

However, the spear that I poked into the gap in the fortress was too short.

My stretched-out arm dropped to the floor. At the same time, my body lost its balance and collapsed. I fell helplessly. It was because I had exhausted all of my Ki. My muscles felt like they were melting, and gravity seemed stronger than usual.

“.....”

Beyond my distant mind, the last thing I saw was Kim Young-hwan’s cold face blankly staring down at me.

[You’ve grown stronger again today.]

Hearing the Traveler speak, I blacked out.

I lost the match, but I didn’t feel discouraged. I climbed up another stair today.

* * *

“It’s time to eat.”

With a rattling sound, a nurse opened the hospital room door and came in. From inside the room came a mixture of strong smells. It was because the woman staying here hated a certain smell. Now used to the smell, the nurse put down the food she brought.

“..What are you watching today?”

It was a spacious single hospital room. The nurse asked the woman who was lying on the large bed, gazing indifferently out the window.

“The sky. The sky is so beautiful at this hour.”

The nurse turned her head. Her face turned bitter soon. The sky was not in the least beautiful. In the aftermath of numerous Rifts, the blue sky was cracked, and there were even holes in it. A blue and pretty sky only existed before the Disaster.

“..Yes, you’re right.”

The nurse had heard that the patient could not let go of the pre-Disaster world and was trapped inside. She couldn’t see her surroundings properly and was lost in her own world.

The nurse glanced down. Seol Ah-rin. She saw the patient’s name. How did a young woman end up like this? The nurse sighed. The patient had such a pretty face, but her eyes were blurred like a blind person.

“Whew.....”

On the one hand, she envied her. Wouldn’t it be better to be trapped in a peaceful world when the real world was in such a mess? She had thought about it before. The nurse slowly stood up from her seat. And then.

“But the sky is a little strange today. Something....”

Seol Ah-rin, who was looking at the sky stupidly, muttered to herself.

“I think a person.. No, people are coming down from the sky. Is it a cloud? It looks weird for a cloud. Heh heh, that’s amazing. Are they filming something..?”

It was hard to understand her. The nurse smiled bitterly and left the hospital room, thinking that Seol Ah-rin’s condition still had not improved.

It was natural to treat it as nonsense.

Because no one knew.

“..But it looks like a real person.”

That what she—who had been talking only nonsense up till now—had just said, would be reported as breaking news on the 9 o’clock broadcast that day.