Seol-Hwiâs vision gradually changed, and then it shook like he was experiencing an earthquake. As quickly as it began, the shaking stopped.
âPhewâŠâ
The old man, Gu Yeom, was smiling.
Other than a tingling feeling in his muscles and tendons, he would be ready to fight Seol-Hwi again.
âWow, reallyâŠâ
Seol-Hwiâs mind was blank. Even when he did his best, he got pushed back and wasted his health and internal energy.
The opponent seemed a lot stronger than before as well.
âNow then, letâs start.â
âHold on! Letâs talk firstâŠ!â
Naturally, the old man didnât listen to what he had to say.
In the blink of an eye, Gu Yeom came close to Seol-Hwi.
Seol-Hwi used fire energy to defend himself and to make sure the damage wasnât too high, but soon he had another thing to worry about.
The old man was preparing his sword for another attack.
As Seol-Hwi learned, it was the Deadly Chain of Three Immortals Sword, one of the three main techniques of Mount Hua.
Kwak!
The fire energy around his body protected Seol-Hwi from the beam of light that came from his opponent. Seol-Hwi even used the Ice Body Armor for defense.
Still, the attack managed to pierce his left shoulder. And it didnât end there.
Kwaaak!
This time, the old man went for Seol-Hwiâs leg, slashing it from the bottom to the top.
Swish!
Gu Yeom was relentless.
After one attack, countless more were carried out. And in the midst of all this, there was one thing on Seol-Hwiâs mind.
The sword and shoesâŠThose two should be in the toolboxâŠ
But they couldnât be used.
The tool box canât be opened during battle.
ââŠ!â
While he hesitated with such thoughts, his opponent was approaching him at a tremendous speed.
Seol-Hwi could no longer withstand it.
Gu Yeom landed a blow that wouldnât be possible to recover from.
âDie, you trash!â
The last thing Seol-Hwi saw was the grin on the old manâs face.
That AI jerkâŠ
<Two chances left.>
He lost his life.
Seol-Hwi saw a familiar text box appear.
â¶ Start from the beginning
â· Continue
â· Recall from saved point
Damn it! The sword, and shoes I got from Baekhon!
The Windwalker Demon Sword he received from the Earth Demon, and the shoes from Elder Baekhon. Those two items could have helped him in this scenario, and in future situations as well.
So Seol-Hwi thought.
â¶ Continue
A choice he had never made until now.
No, he tried to make it, with Goo Jong-myung, but at that time, the system said it was impossible to continue.
It canât be helped.
He couldnât go back to the past for the sword and the shoes, but he needed them, so even if it meant putting his life in danger, he was going to choose this.
<You have selected âContinueâ. >
Seol-Hwi felt nervous.
If he was returning to the moment where he barely survived, then wouldnât this mean he was going to die again?
But then a window appeared, and it said,
<Turn-based, AI, and Simulation are available now. >
<All wounds are healed. Your health and internal energy are restored to maximum capacity. >
<The enemy's stats will be shown. >
<Elder Gu Yeom [Mount Hua township head] >
Beginning of Godly State
Health: 1.2 million/ 6 million
Internal energy: 2.02 million/ 9.9 million
Life Coin 1
Combat power: 15 million to 23.33 million
That combat powerâŠ!
If it was like this, he wouldnât have been able to win either way!
Meanwhile, the Coin, aka the number of lives gained by killing enemies, drew Seol-Hwiâs attention.
<Last chance to unleash a 100% attack! Internal energy will not decrease. How would you like to proceed?>
â¶ Use martial arts
â· On your own
I can attack Gu Yeom�
Seol-Hwiâs mind felt clearer after seeing this.
âContinueâ wasnât just about bringing his body back to its best condition. It would also give him a chance to damage the opponent.
The best martial arts I have isâŠ
Two martial arts came to mind.
â¶ Select martial arts
â¶ White Light Body Demonic Martial Arts
After choosing, bright light filled Seol-Hwiâs vision. Despite not being able to see what was happening, he could feel himself being revived.
âWhatâŠ!â
Gu Yeom was startled.
He saw a man, who he had killed, suddenly brought back to life.
Seol-Hwi used the strongest technique he had. In addition, as the skill level rose to advanced, balls of ice were created.
Gu Yeom was hit by the devastating attack.
The old manâs body was frozen, and then shattered into pieces.
That was the end.
Gu Yeom disappeared, just like that.
âThis power is terrifyingâŠâ
The White Light Body Demonic Martial Arts, which had risen to the advanced level, radiated a force which made even Seol-Hwi doubt it.
Since he was using a familiar technique, he knew it would be good, but this was too crazy!
âContinueâŠâ
For the first time, Seol-Hwi learned what this choice meant.
A chance to overcome the most difficult enemy, at the cost of oneâs life. That was âContinueâ.
While Seol-Hwi was contemplating this revelation, the bookshelves rose from the floor. They were returning to their previous positions, as the person who controlled them had died.
âI need to get out of here quickly.â
Seol-Hwi disguised himself as Myung Kang, and then left the building.
A house built in a place overlooking the village.
Normally, it was a resting spot for people to relax, but today, people with completely different purposes had gathered there.
This was the location where Seol-Hwi had decided to meet with his team.
âCaptain? Youâre here.â
âNothing happened, right?â
Seol-Hwi was greeted by his subordinates. They had already arrived, and had been waiting for him patiently.
âThe research?â
âAll done,â Yorim responded. In fact, it wasnât very difficult for them to investigate the terrain.
The âvillageâ wasnât as big as an actual village, and everyone here was from Mount Hua.
It was possible to stand on a hill, and examine everything with just their eyes.
âBut⊠one member seems to be missing?â
âAh. Imugi said that he might be a little late because he had something else to do.â
âIs that so?â
Seol-Hwi nodded at Yong Jinâs words, and looked toward Jeok Song.
âThe terrainâs been identified. Let me hear what you all have learned.â
âYes. Here, Captain.â
Jeok Song took out a parchment, and handed it to Seol-Hwi.
A map was drawn on the paper. The houses, the exact locations they were in, and the topography of the land were all carefully recorded.
In fact, maybe this was the most important thing.
Their mission wasnât just to find Ma Taryong; it was also important to return to the Demonic Sect after obtaining information about Mount Huaâs secret hideout.
Jeok Song opened his mouth to speak.
âThere are four buildings that appear to be typical houses on the diagonal part of the village. From what we were able to find out, it seems that the Elders live there. But we didnât have time to figure out what they looked like.â
Seol-Hwi learned the four attached buildings on the map had a purpose.
âThere are ten first class disciples. And as for the second to third class disciples, there must be around a hundred.â
Yorim continued the report.
âOn the road leading to this village, members of Mount Hua keep coming and going.â
âThatâs right. Those who have completed their training here will get replaced by new disciples.â
Seol-Hwi clenched his fist at this. The treatment of the powerless was the same everywhere.
Be it a knife for survival, or a knife for enjoyment, the weak ones die.
âIs there a suspicious building where Ma Taryong could be kept?â
Jeok Song answered this time.
âThe northeast building. It looked like security was the tightest there.â
âBut given the size of the building, it seems unlikely to have an interrogation roomâŠâ
âWe should still look into it.â
âYes.â
Seol-Hwi nodded his head, and Yong Jin replied,
âIn the end, we need to go inside to find out.â
âWell, thatâsâŠâ
Kiik-!
The door suddenly opened, making everyone present on alert.
ââŠ!â
ââŠ!â
ââŠ!â
A man with an unknown face and outfit had appeared.
âMe! Itâs me!â
Just as Seo Ryeong was ready to throw her dagger, the man waved his hand and his face began to change.
âUgh! You scared us!â
âCrazy bastard!â
Everyone complained at Imugiâs actions, while Yong Jin said to Seo Ryeong,
âYou pulled out your dagger?â
âShould I throw it now?â
âIsnât it too late?â
The two exchanged words, grumbling about the situation. Meanwhile, Seol-Hwi asked Imugi,
âDid you finish your investigation?â
âI found it. The location.â
âWhere?â
âThe northwest building.â
âNot the south?â
When Jeok Song questioned him, Imugi nodded.
âHow can we believe that?â
âI went in and checked it out.â
Jeok Song didnât respond any further. He had experienced Imugiâs skill before himself, so what else could he say?
âGood work.â
âBut, Captain, we have a problem.â
When Seol-Hwi congratulated him, Imugi spoke with a worried expression.
âWhat problem?â
The others were curious as well. Imugi sighed, and answered,
âThey set up a protection circle.â
Yong Jin asked,
âWhat kind of protection circle?â
âI donât know.â
âIf you donât know, then how can you say itâs a protection circle?â
âBe quiet!â Seo Ryeong snapped. It was because Seol-Hwi had remained silent during the commotion. After a while, he revealed his thoughts to his team.
âTo hide someone like Ma Taryong, they have to use everything they can.â
âThen what do we do, Captain?â
âIt wouldnât be a normal protection circle⊠Can we even destroy it?â
âOf course thereâs a way.â
Seol-Hwi spoke with a confident expression. Because he chose to âContinueâ, he could now access his combat methods again. And one of them wasâŠ