Jeok Seong returned on the second half of the 29th day.
“I got some pretty useful items. In fact, there was a place I’ve been patroning for a long time, and I put in a request for a short sword—but all of a sudden, some strangers came into the store. Judging by their looks, they were local bandits… So I did some research and found some pretty interesting stuff.”
It took Seol-Hwi a moment to realize what Jeok Seong meant by “I did some research…”
He invaded their place, beat the shit out of them, tortured them, and then stole all their stuff.
[Jeok Seong has obtained the Dry Spirit Armor and Ghost Short Sword.] [Jeok Seong’s combat power has increased by 22%.]
Neither object lived up to its name, though. The short sword looked like a dagger, and the Dry Spirit Armor was obviously a shield. It would be handy for Jeok Seong, given his fairly large build.
Well, using what you want is… It was certainly helping them, but Seol-Hwi was worried about how it would work out in the future. For now, though, he was happy.
On the 30th day, the last remaining member, Yorim, arrived.
“I’m so excited. By pure chance, I met this blacksmith from the Yang family. I never thought I’d ever have such a great spear.”
A spear? Yorim uses spears? Seol-Hwi had always seen him with a sword by his side.
[Yorim has obtained the Thunder God Spear.] [Yorim’s combat power has increased by 44%.]
Wow! Just one weapon made his combat power explode. It really was perfect for his skills. And no doubt, there were similar weapons for all of his members.
And his last disciple—or porter, maybe—Imugi, returned on the 31st day. His face was bright like Yorim’s was, so Seol-Hwi was looking forward to it.
“…Did you get something?”
“…Yeah,” Imugi brightly replied. “Of course I did—but I brought valuable information from great people, instead of what you normally see.”
A note of anxiety began to creep into Seol-Hwi’s confusion.
[Imugi obtained “Information of a Famous Maiden” in Sichuan.] [Imugi has made a name for himself as a scholar in Sichuan.]
“Hah…?” Seol-Hwi was struggling to understand what he was seeing. Or rather, he was struggling to control the urge to kill Imugi.
It was no wonder Elder Baekhon wanted to get rid of this idiot.
“So that’s what happened. It’s not hard, but only for me. Seriously. So, if you want me to contact them, captain, I can arrange it at any time.”
“Imugi…”
“Oh, are ya’ worried about your face? Hehehe. That must be it. Makes sense. Here’s—”
He kept talking. He just kept blabbing. If time hadn’t fast-forwarded right then, Seol-Hwi would’ve taken down Imugi. Unfortunately…
It was the last day of the month, and Seol-Hwi was moved back to his residence.
Seol-Hwi practiced simple movements in the yard. He used to spend a lot of time attempting to learn the Wind God, but after getting those shoes from Elder Baekhon, things changed.
He only needed one try to pull it off now.
He sent a storm of energy in all directions that roared into the sky. The time it took him was negligible, even without paying attention to his speed.
The attack itself was overwhelmingly powerful. On top of that, it didn’t consume any of his internal energy.
Wind God: → ↓ ↘, A<4.5 speed>
The change from deleting only the “neutral” made it astonishingly easy. Elder Baekhon’s gift was incredible.
If I can use my sword at the same time… He drew the Sword of Reverence its sheath and examined it.
<Basic Abilities> - 70% increase in destructive power during normal attacks. - 50% increase in destructive power during martial attacks. - 50% increase in destructive power during martial arts techniques. - 30% increase in destructive power when using Four Peaks Demonic Martial Arts. <Additional Abilities> - Increased combat mode (Turn-Based, AI, Simulation) switches. <Special Abilities> - Soul Chasing Qi (Sealed curse)
All of his attacks were at least 50% stronger. The Wind God would be a whopping 30% stronger when he was wielding this sword. Seol-Hwi wanted to see just how strong that was.
An enormous qi storm appeared before his eyes once more—but he could see and feel the difference. Normally, the Wind God was so explosive it made the ground shake. Even opponents on the fringes were tossed around.
In contrast, the Wind God with the sword was sharper and stronger. The winds were like a cyclone of razor blades, and it even flickered with lightning.
The only disadvantage was that it wasn’t as easy as doing it with just his hands.
“I can use this anytime. If my combat power was a little higher, no matter how I fight…” While he was closing on his opponent, he could aim it at their head; that way, he’d be able to use the Wind God technique with either his fist or his sword. Seol-Hwi would be able to defeat a stronger opponent with no problems—at this rate, he may even take down the Supreme Pavilion Lord.
He was very pleased.
But… Why am I still anxious? He’d spent so long worrying over how to get strong; now, with his abilities and talents, he had the confidence to win a fight. Still, it felt like something was missing. It was gnawing at him.
“Am I really doing this right?”
Seol-Hwi had no idea. He had no one to guide him, let alone a proper master. All he knew was what he could see.
But he’d fought with his life on the line before.
Can’t I become like the AI? Actually, most of his anxiety came from watching the AI fight. It always exceeded his expectations and overcame the toughest battles. Its movements and carefully chosen attacks dramatically improved Seol-Hwi’s chances of living.
So that was why he worried. What kind of training did he need to become like that? Could he have those skills?
This is fine for now, though. I was in a rush to catch up on strength. He didn’t worry about it too much because he had to take care of his life. Could he die right now? Maybe he’d miss an important chance, but he couldn’t spend all of his time worrying about that. He had other issues to take care of.
Now that he’d improved the abilities of his subordinates, he had to take care of his own growth. Whether it be weapons or pills, he had to get stronger.
And then, someday, he would see what was beyond the horizon.
<Please set a schedule for month 1 of year 97. (28/36)>
So he had nine months left, and then he was done. He knew the Earth Demon’s mission wouldn’t be a simple one; if he took it, he wouldn’t be able to come back here for a while. Before that time came, Seol-Hwi needed to develop his abilities as much as possible.
▷ Perform Missions with Team [Receive the Earth Demon’s mission] (New) ▷ Schedule for Subordinates (New) ▶ Take a Mission ▷ Warrior Training <Who would you like to receive the mission from?> ▶ Earth Demon (4th disciple of the Heavenly Demon) ▷ Heukgu ▷ Jeokpa (Hidden Truth instructor)
Doctor Hong, the man who had healed Seol-Hwi, no longer appeared on that list. Seol-Hwi had died twice because of his greed during that mission. He got his new weapon out of it, but it was an important time to him now.
He’d raised his subordinates up, didn’t he? He was determined now.
▶ Jeokpa (Hidden Truth instructor) <Would you like to receive the mission from Jeokpa?>
Seol-Hwi agreed right away.
<Will you move with your subordinates?> ▶Together ▷Alone
This was new, but Seol-Hwi wasn’t worried. His subordinates would be helpful in many ways, especially with millions of combat power. He’d have a lot less issues with them along.
<You have selected “Together.”>
His vision flashed, and then Seol-Hwi saw Jeokpa.
[Jeokpa]
“There you are. I wanted to tell you something.”
[Seol-Hwi]
“Please, tell me.”
[Jeokpa]
“Do you know where our group’s funding comes from? There are three places, but the largest is from the main hall in Sichuan. That’s where the Hidden Truth gets most of the finances for its activities.”
[Seol-Hwi]
“But…”
[Jeokpa]
“Well, there’s a problem. I didn’t bring it up in front of the Earth Demon because it’s not that serious, but we’ve still got an issue. A person on our side, Geum Man-Jung, was lending money to us through big business and rentals—but there’s a guy who’s been threatening him with his position lately.”
[Seol-Hwi]
“Who is he?”
[Jeokpa]
“We still have to investigate, but his name is Baek Yang-Chun; apparently, he’s the Blue Dragon Sect leader. He’s famous in the area these days, and he already has around 300 warriors under him.”
[Seol-Hwi]
“What do we need to do?”
[Jeokpa]
“I’ll give you two months. First, contact Geum Man-Jung. Find out the situation and whether it can be resolved through negotiations. We can tolerate a certain amount of taxes, but… if they ask for too much, there’s nothing we can do.”
[Seol-Hwi]
“Well, if we can’t…”
[Jeokpa]
“I mean, get rid of them. Quietly.”
[Seol-Hwi]
“…Got it.”
[Jeokpa]
“Be careful. I trust you, but they are formidable opponents, and their martial arts are good enough to be considered one of the Seven Dragons of the Latter Peak level. Do you understand what I mean?”
With that, Seol-Hwi’s vision brightened again. He found himself surrounded by nature.
Hm? He looked around, surprised.
<Moved to the largest guest house in Chengdu, Sichuan.> <Six days pass.>
He was at a food-laden table with his four subordinates by his sides.
