Chapter 165
“I never thought you’d teach him that move, father.”
Kwak Chun-sam swallowed hard as he looked at his father, Kwak Chun-sik and at the tragic scene in front of him but then he couldn’t help but wonder.
He realized that the look in his father’s eyes as he looked down at Eugene was not much different from his own.
“Heh, what do you mean, I’ve taught him less than you so far.”
The answer that proved it wasn’t an illusion.
Kwak Chun-sam’s head began to spin as he listened to his father’s words.
“Are you saying……that this kid reached that level by himself?”
“Yes, he should be at that level to be called my apprentice, hahahaha, that’s my discernment after all, hahahahaha!”
But when he saw that his father was genuinely pleased, even clapping his hands as if he didn’t care, he sighed and turned his gaze back to the child standing alone on the training grounds.
He heard he’s still a cadet at the academy, a first year, and he’s already at that level…….
Could that be it? If it weren’t for his sense of martial arts, he could tell that he had political talent as well, based on what he had just seen.
‘He’s frustrating, but he’s a…… genius.’
He suddenly remembered when he succeeded his father.
It was a struggle for him……because he didn’t have both of those talents. Still, it took a lot of hard work to get to this point.
‘I’m sure the poisoned wine at the end was intentional.’
It was a performance to nip in the bud any doubts others might have about him.
In the presence of so many people, he was demonstrating his talent to solidify his position.
‘Never doubt again, or you will be like this,’ he said.
‘What kind of child did my father take as a disciple?’
Kwak Chun-sam’s mind was racing.
The techniques and movements were certainly from Aura Formula, as he knew them but he was too fierce.
The all-consuming, all-encompassing look was even more alien when combined with the distinctive red aura color.
He had been handling most of the administrative work since his father’s retirement, but now he was worried about how to tell the outside world about this.
‘Oh, I just want to retire.’
I can see why his father entrusted him with the family business.
At that moment, a thought flashed through his mind.
‘Wait a minute, then. Shouldn’t I be able to do the same?’
The true heir to the Aura Formula had just appeared in front of him and he even proved his skills in front of everyone.
‘If so, I’ll raise him a bit more here and leave him in charge of the Budokan……and I’ll buy a mansion in a retreat with my wife and daughter…….’
“You bastard!”
“Ah, yes, yes?”
Kwak Chun-sam suddenly came to his senses at the sound of Kwak Chun-sik-s voice calling him.
“What are you doing, bring me the deer antler right away.”
“Ah, yes!”
Of course, given the circumstances, that would be a long way off.
* * *
The presentation of the reward took place in front of everyone.
“The winner, forward.”
The old man declared in a solemn voice and I slowly approached him, wondering what this was all about.
“Couldn’t you have just given it to me?”
After standing in front of him and speaking in a whisper, Kwak Chun-sik replied in a whisper as well.
‘I can’t just give it to you, you bastard……!’
His lips don’t move an inch as he smiles and talks, as if he has a talent for ventriloquism.
“……You can talk about the details later, and give it to me quickly, old man.”
I feel dizzy.
He seems to recognize my state of mind and nods, handing me the box in his hand.
“Alright.”
Finally, it’s in my hands: Kirin’s Antler.
The box is ornately engraved with all sorts of inscriptions, as it was the real deal.
“You used Solitary Youth as a show-off for the others, right?”
He asked as he stared at the antler in my hand, his face even more reminiscent than usual.
“I was doing my duty to my master, who prepared the kirin antler.”
“Hehehe, is that so? I thought your technique was a bit lacking for filial piety…….”
He was evaluating the technique I used painstakingly with a completely relaxed expression.
Of course, in his eyes, I was at a disastrous level, but considering my recent level, it was a great improvement.
“You’ve only taught me the basics and demonstrated it a few times, what do you expect, did you teach me properly?”
“I said you’d die if you used it properly at your level, and look at you now! You look like you’re about to recoil and die!”
“Are you……t?”
“You can fool the ghosts, but not me……sit here for a while. I’ll help you eat it after the ceremony.”
Items like the Kirin Antler contained a great deal of energy, and if I ate it without permission, my body would explode.
That’s why it’s important to have someone by your side to control your energy.
It was the same reasoning as when Parnello helped me when I consumed the Thousand Poisonous Pills in the past.
“Then, do me a favor.”
With that, I dragged my exhausted body and sat down where I had been sitting.
I glance around and notice that the other’s stares have changed.
First curiosity, jealousy, and fear, and now awe and respect.
I definitely preferred the latter to the former.
Clang───
With a resounding gong, Kwak Chun-sam stood up from his seat and shouted to the surroundings.
“The competition between the disciples, which can be called the flower of the gathering, is over! The masters of the various branches can gather the wounded and take them to the treatment room, then gather in the congress hall!”
Simultaneously with his shout, the convoy of people injured in the previous duel began to arrive, crowding the hall.
At this point, the old man stood up and grabbed my hand.
“Let’s get going, there’s nothing else to do.”
“What? Aren’t you going to a meeting in a little while?”
If Kwak Chun-sam is right, it’s a meeting of most of the masters.
If so, it must be quite important…….
“Son of a bitch, I’ve been retired for a while now, so why would I participate in such a thing? My son will do a good job. Isn’t that right, Chun-sam?”
Kwak Chun-sik’s words made Kwak Chun-sam turn his head and nod with a sagging expression of resignation.
“See, let’s go.”
Eventually, Kwak Chun-sik walked away with me. And a man……. was left behind.
For some reason, unlike the first time, I felt pity for his slumped shoulders.
“Hey, aren’t you coming?”
“I’m coming.”
So Kwak Chun-sik and I moved to a dark room in the back of the Budokan.
“Where is this place?”
“This is where I used to train. It’s the only place I can think of where we won’t be disturbed by the outside world.”
Certainly a room of this size couldn’t be easily accessed from the outside.
“Why don’t you check your things first, you’ve been clutching them tightly in your arms.”
At his words, I turned my attention back to the box in my arms.
The security imprint that had bothered me earlier. I’d need a code to unlock it…… Huh? Wait, this?
“No way. I have to crack it with Aura?”
“Ho-ho, did you realize that just by looking at it?”
I was simply referring to a security practice he had often used in the past, but he took it to mean something else.
Well, that’s a good thing.
“I don’t think anyone but you can open it, so why don’t you unlock it first?”
“Okay, okay, I’ll open it in a second.”
Kwak Chun-sik lightly placed his hand on the box as if he were holding a child’s head.
Click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click.
At the same time, the sound of a lock being released from the box was heard, and the security imprint was deactivated.
“There you go. Why don’t you check it out?”
I nodded at his words, swallowed hard, and slowly opened the box, a bright blue light leaking from the opening.
“Ah.”
My treasure, finally revealed.
[Name: Kirin’s Antler]
[Rank: Semi-Mythical]
[Type: Elixir]
[Description: A divine beast from the legends of the ancient East. It is the antler of a Kirin. Upon ingestion, it transforms the consumer musculature into an optimized form, greatly increasing mana affinity.]
After picking up the kirin’s antler in the box with a glowing blue light, Kwak Chun-sik smiled in satisfaction.
“What do you think, isn’t it beautiful?”
“Yes, it’s beautiful.”
In terms of grade alone it’s one of the best elixirs, comparable to Vivian’s Spring Water.
As I stared at it with my mouth watering, I suddenly had a question.
“But old man, how am I supposed to eat this?”
“What?”
“No, usually kirin antlers are made into juice and eaten. How do I eat this?”
In the game, I could just press the consume button, but now that he was in real life, he had no idea how to eat the antler.
Kwak Chun-sik laughs in disbelief.
“There’s no such thing, kid. Just chew on it.”
“You mean this?”
No matter what, chewing kirin antlers is a bit──
“If you don’t like it, I’ll eat it.”
“I’ll eat it.”
I chewed and swallowed the antler as quickly as I bit into a chocolate bar.
The time it took me to shove it into my mouth without even taking a breath was about 10 seconds.
It looks really hard, but I tease my mouth with it and it crumbles into little pieces. No, this is chewy.
To describe the taste, it’s like chewing on a hardened lump of soda-flavored sugar. I’m relieved to find that it’s not as gross as I thought it would be.
I can feel the kirin antler moving through my esophagus and into my stomach.
I close my eyes to prepare myself for the waves to come, and then──
Quang───!
A sound like an explosion echoed in my stomach, and the pain was unbearable.
“Ugh!”
A gagging sensation hit my esophagus at the same time.
I can taste the bitter taste of blood and feel it squeezing my stomach, but I hold it in.
There’s no way I’m going to spit out what’s in my stomach right now……!
“Hold on!”
I feel Kwak Chun-sik’s hand on my back from behind and I could tell that he was slowly adjusting the energy that was rushing through my body but that didn’t mean that the pain had decreased much.
Quang──! Quang-quang-quang! Quang-quang-quang!
Wouldn’t it feel like this if I was hugging a bunch of grenades?
I wanted to wriggle and scream in pain as if my insides were exploding, but I gritted my teeth, trusting in my attributes [Hitman] and [Natural Healing (A).]
The Ancient Berserker’s Ring begins to emit a ghastly red aura, indicating how much blood has been spilled inside my body.
It’s a sign that it perceives receiving the elixir as damage.
The elixir increased my physical abilities and reduced the pain, making it more bearable.
It was an ironic situation, reducing pain by shedding blood, but I’ve never been more grateful for the Ancient Berserker’s Ring than I am now.
“Think of it as absorbing power with your muscles and bones!”
Hearing Kwak Chun-sik’s voice behind me, I focus a little more on my body and add the image of dissolving the energy that continues to emanate from my stomach into my muscles, my bones and my organs.
I keep repeating the thought of absorbing all the energy.
Woosh──
A terrible sound was heard, accompanied by the pain of twisting bones as my muscles and bones were beginning to change.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
The pain continued to come from my knees, then my ankles, then my shoulders, then my back.
My lips are stained bright red with blood from my clenched gums, but the ring seems to find this delicious, absorbing it and replacing it with my own power.
I don’t know how much time passed like that but as I open my eyes I realize that the pain is slowly fading and my body is getting warmer.
“……That hurt like hell.”
It was the kind of pain I never wanted to experience again and just thinking about it made me shudder.
“At least you didn’t die, grunt, so how are you feeling?”
His disciple was bleeding profusely in front of him, but Kwak Chun-sik smiled and patted my shoulder as if he wasn’t too worried.
At that, I stood up and looked around.
“I don’t know if anything has really changed, but I’m pretty sure the Aura movement is a bit faster…… huh?”
Something……Something was off.
“Sir.”
“Huh? Why is that…… huh?”
“Were you always that small?”
The crown of the old man’s head was visible, where it shouldn’t have been.
……Am I taller?
