-Omm, uh… Subara sera…
A phrase which the AI recited in this unknown language. Even Seol-Hwi, who thought he had mastered many languages, could not understand it.
It was not the language of China he learned in the library.
Korean language? Like God of Thunder?
At least he had a couple words in there which he understood. Were the other words not meaning to stop time?
He had questions but was soon able to understand.
Lightning bolt which is swift. Wonderful…
If you come fast extremely like lightning or a lightning bolt, would it not be no different to stopping those around them?
And just like that, the prediction came true.
-Now!
At the cry of the AI, Seol-Hwi felt his movements slow down significantly.
Wheik
Looking around slowly he could even see the dust in the air shining, and everything around felt very still.
Euk
Ugh.
But his body was strangely heavy. Like he was put underwater, as if he was trapped in there with this sticky substance which one could move with only enough force applied, but the more he did the harder it felt.
Crack!
Crack!
Well, under the pressure, he moved five or six steps with the internal energy and hit a nearby rock.
Crack!
And as if moving this heavy statue, very slowly, light came from the inside of the rock with a strong vibration.
What is this…
Crack!
The moment he was thinking of what the explosion was—
Crack!
“…!”
The rock shattered, and the debris bounced around and disappeared with sparks.
Afterwards, the sound of startled birds and the sound of wind began to move through his body.
-How is it?
At the question of the AI. Seol-Hwi looked at his body.
Brrrr.
His entire body trembled, and the sensation which briefly paralyzed his body began to turn normal.
“Ugh…”
His entire body felt so numb, and this heavy pain echoed through his body like someone hit him.
“This… isn’t this a martial art which stops everything?”
-Yes. Unless you become a God, you cannot halt the flow of time. How is it?
Martial arts which sped up the body and movement beyond the limits of any thought — In terms of usefulness, it was definitely the best.
This alone made him faster, but the shock to the body was enormous.
“It is good, but to keep using… can my body handle it?”
-Ugh. Of course you must have thought of it. With the knowledge I have and the martial arts I prepared it would work out.
“…”
Seol-Hwi sighed.
The AI, he certainly was amazing, and every time he reveals something, he could not help but pretend to be proud.
“What is that one?”
-White Hair Demonic Arts.
“White Hair Demonic Arts…?”
Just like before, it was a demonic art technique he had not heard about before, and this “White Hair” portion made him think of an old man.
The AI explained it.
-This is a martial art which is said to be created from the White Haired Demon God, three hundred years back. It is divided into eight steps. And when it reaches its peak, your hair turns white. And it is said that the body’s strength and efficiency increases several times.
“Strength…?”
When he thought that far, it was like a simple body strengthening art.
Well, to the extent of making the body better, to cover the shortcoming of the martial arts.
-White Hair doesn’t mean the person’s head is white. It is said to be inspired by the white, drooping webs of spider monsters.
“Spider webs… aren’t they too weak?”
-Usually you wouldn’t be wrong. But the White Haired Demon God found that the strength of a spider web is close to 8,000 times that of steel. Isn’t that shocking? That is a single strand from the tail which is said to be tougher and harder than iron.
“…Really?”
-If you experience it, you will realize it, right? Well, the human body is also connected with numerous strings inside, muscles, fibers, the blood vessels, the veins, and all. White Hair Demonic Arts is a technique which makes the lines and strings hard. If it is casted with the Nine Yin Demonic Arts, the effect of it will enhance the body, making it harder than steel.
“Amazing…!”
Seol-Hwi was shocked but equally excited.
With swift movements and a body of steel, just listening to it made it feel like he would turn invincible. He would become a monster using just the two of those, with speed and a solid body.
In particular, considering that most of the internal energy had become stronger at his level, Seol-Hwi had already surpassed the normal Profound Demon state.
If he thought about the strength of the martial arts which could be linked with the two, it would increase dozens to hundreds of times. At this point, was it like being a divine existence?
“Umm.”
So this question came up.
-What?
“If you lost to a player with these abilities… how strong should he be?”
Everytime he felt stronger, he always remembered how he had heard the AI complain about being so far away. If he was right, an enemy who defeated the AI who had the strongest skills, then what martial arts did he have?
What kind of monster was this Heavenly Demon and the player after him?
-Hmmm.
The voice of the AI felt heavy. It felt like his confidence was brought down.
How should it be said? It felt like a man who took the exam, by taking it all for granted, collapsed after failing the most major question.
-Well, it isn’t that weird. Because there was a time when I thought I would never lose. But well… after all… everything has an equal counter.
“…Counter?”
-Well, to explain it, the sutra I said a while back, you must have felt time stop that instant. It was an effect which caused your physical body to speed up in an abnormal way, making things around you look slower.
“Hmm.”
-But ‘the player’ has complete control over time itself. To put it simply, if you end up with just five breaths of time then his can be an infinite amount.
“…But does it make sense?”
As the answer was absurd, Seol-Hwi chuckled.
He was not the ruler of this world, then how could the player have such power? No. Then the player is a God. So how can he deal with a God?
-Funny, true… but it is just one of the many martial arts he has. For now you realize that I used the Four Absolute Supreme Demonic Arts, but it was just a small scratch on his clothes. I guess he’s just the guy who knows it all when we just know the basics.
“Ah…”
Seol-Hwi shook his head.
He had heard of how strong this player is, but he never thought too much into it.
That was because no matter how much he tried, he would look lacking compared to the AI. At this point, the AI who did not give up any battle was amazed at this player.
-Still, the martial arts I said should be enough to fight him. As I will tell you later, there is one more weapon which can do a good amount of damage. And your role is enough to do it.
“In the end, it has to be the Earth Demon who puts the stake through him?”
-Yes. There were times when the force of the Heavenly Killing Star was beyond my imagination.
Then…
After listening to the AI, Seol-Hwi thought that it was not just once or twice this guy fought along with the Earth Demon.
And it was possible to understand how the strength had changed each time.
-Right. For your idea, the more you and he stick together, the bigger the frustration. The strength of his is beyond any limit and that is why it is important for you to be with him. The deeper your affection the stronger he is.
“Hmm…”
Now he understood what the AI was meaning to say.
And how much hope was put on the Earth Demon. It made sense to say that the Earth Demon was the core part of this fight. So this felt a bit frustrating too.
“Everything is fine, but why are we talking about this now? If you had told me in advance, I could have become something else with the Earth Demon right?”
-Because this is something I need to tell you now. Would you have believed me if I mentioned this before?
“…”
-It has to be these three. Despair, desperation, or no trust. To be honest you are a special case to me and no matter how many times I say it, it is rare for someone like you to come this far.
“Well… I get it. So what is the next thing?”
When Seol-Hwi asked, the AI said,
-Pretty obvious you know. From now on, you will learn the three martial arts which I displayed earlier and also pass on the technique I have to give you better experience. You might already have it registered clearly in your mind, but knowing it with the head and feeling it with the body are different things.
“So how long?”
He was worried because they were strong martial arts. Usually, the higher the skill the longer it takes to get used to it.
But the AI said some shocking words.
-Fortnight at the earliest. It is expected to be completed in around 20 days. And also depends on how you perform.
“…I see.”
Seol-Hwi nodded his head as he made up his mind.
Unless he had another way to reach the supreme position of Profound Demon. It was best to learn these martial arts for now.
“Huk… huk. Huk…”
And so, the AI led the training day in day out.
After getting into Profound Demon, even though Seol-Hwi faced no lack of internal energy, these words came from his mouth,
“W-won’t I die like this?”
-Try to not die.
In just a few days, thousands no maybe he practiced this for tens of thousands of times.
Beyond just performing the technique, it took him around three days of time to even get it started the way he wanted to.
And it took 15 days precisely to use the different martial arts and combine them.
By the time he turned into an almost dying state, the AI looked impressed, and then he was allowed to return to his place.
“…Is there some problem?”
Seol-Hwi was surprised to see the people who came.
Cheon Miryo, Ack Bi, and Cho Ah-ran all had a frown on their faces.
“It is a huge problem. What we were worried about happened.”
Cho Ah-ran let out this long sigh as she said.
“What? How…”
“The movements of Black Demon Warlord and Bloody Death Warlord are so unusual. The rumors around the sect are turning into too much.”
“Uh?”
The warlords, the moment the names of the two got mentioned, Seol-Hwi felt anxiety spread in him.
It reminded him exactly what he was worried about but chose to ignore until now.
“What are the rumors?”
Cheon Miryo answered his question.
“Forces which lost their Lord. Units which followed the First Disciple, Second and the Third until now. The two warlords are choosing who follows them.”
After she said that he understood.
The two warlords who joined recently. They say that now that the succession was done, they were waiting for their reward while waiting for the Earth Demon to rise to the position of sect leader.
But, why suddenly? The word spread that Earth Demon would be the sect leader and the current sect leader came out of recluse and took his post.
It was when he thought things were strange, new odd rumors began to spread in the sect.
The body of the Fourth Disciple—
Stronger than anyone but destined to die.
Because of that, it can be said that the current position of sect leader was not handed down to the disciple.
“Hmm…”
It was not known if it was baseless.
The rumor had truth to it and it would look possible to anyone. And Seol-Hwi who heard this now felt so shaken because the pressure the two warlords will have would be beyond imagination.
In the end, the two people who could not handle their own anxiousness caused this new mess for him.
