Chapter 159 : Chapter 159

Chapter 159 - The Test (4)

The world is a huge bundle made up of a collection of various dimensions.

There are demons, spirits, the material world, and the ‘tower.’

There was still some time left until the tower fully revealed its meaning, but nevertheless, the Guardian, the administrator of the tower, was always busy looking over all the dimensions.

In that sense, the current situation was nothing short of a nightmare for her.

If the two much more powerful dimensions than the material world were to pick a fight at any time, her work as the ‘mediator’ would increase exponentially.

The demon world was as quiet as ever, but the Spirit Realm was a crucible of chaos.

And there was one ‘culprit’ who was creating such a scene.

In the video that the system was showing, a man in the depths of the Spirit Realm was grinning triumphantly.

-…What on earth is that guy doing over there?

The Guardian muttered with a voice mixed with an absurdity that even felt like anger.

She had been checking because it kept sending a red alarm saying it was an emergency, but what on earth was this man doing, what kind of trouble was he causing, that she hadn't seen before?

-The World Tree, seeds… Ah, I see. The Hero’s Test?

She sighed, rubbing her temples.

It was a crazy thing to do, but that man could probably get out with his life. I don't know about passing the test, though.

That man was a human who had been beaten up by her proud knights on numerous occasions.

The guardians that appeared in the Hero’s Test were not easy opponents, but that guy could probably do it somehow.

That's what she thought.

Until she saw Kim Gyu-sik shatter all three seeds at the same time.

-…Heh?

Unconsciously letting out a strange sound, the Guardian rubbed her eyes.

If someone had been nearby, it was a dazed look that would have even felt like horror, but she couldn't help it.

Strange.

Isn't it a method of fighting one by one?

Didn’t he hear the explanation from the World Tree? Did that one skip it out of negligence?

While she was having such absurd thoughts.

No. Because.

-…

If she were to face all three guardians at the same time.

Even she would not be confident.

Even she, who could be said to be the pinnacle of the material world, if she were to face them with pure skill, it would be absolutely impossible.

But there was no way that man would have walked into it on his own.

There must be some kind of mistake…

-..

-..!!

-!!!!

And as soon as she saw the mana raging inside the stadium, the Guardian gritted her teeth and shot up.

-A mistake, my ass…!

That was a mana reaction that could only be confirmed when all three guardians were summoned at the same time.

The entire building was screaming, even the spirits who were used to energy storms were being crushed by the mana, and the screen that the system was showing was even filled with static due to its overwhelming mass.

-That crazy bastard, that crazy bastard, really…!

Then she began to operate the system with a sense of urgency.

She didn’t have the authority to interfere with other dimensions, but at least it was possible to put in a tight ‘request’ to officially get that person out of there.

The system administrator on that side was definitely…

“Right. This is just right.”

And as she was continuing that action, a lazy voice reached her ears.

“You guys look better than you did in the textures. You’re looking great.”

-…

Still.

Even against such an overwhelming enemy.

It was the voice of a human whose smile had not been erased from his lips.

-…That, guy. Really…

As the Guardian’s words trailed off with an emotion she herself couldn’t describe.

The three guardians and the man began to move at the same time.

-…Huh?

And the subsequent scene, as was the case with all situations involving that man.

This time, too, it lightly surpassed the Guardian’s expectations.

***

Come to think of it, in the works of the past, there were quite a few where the protagonist showed an absurd power curve.

The protagonist who had been beaten to a pulp by the villain just the night before would suddenly become stronger for some reason and beat up the villain.

And the villains who were subjected to such absurd cheating would usually throw out this question in a fit of rage.

-No, this is impossible! How on earth did you become so strong?

That’s because the protagonist is receiving a ton of corrections from the author.

Of course, the protagonist, who couldn’t honestly admit that he had cheated, would usually give reasons like ‘the friendship with my comrades…,’ ‘my beliefs…,’ ‘justice…,’ and so on.

In contrast, top-tier veterans like me have a very clear answer to that question.

-No, this is impossible! How on earth did you become so strong?

-Because I devoted my life to this, you idiot.

-…

Yes. There is no clearer answer than this.

Of course, it’s not like top-tier veterans don’t have a tendency to find an ‘easy way’ and get by, but that’s because they have the skills to do so.

The overwhelming experience accumulated by burning their lives is the most powerful weapon that makes top-tier veterans look like top-tier veterans.

Pattern memorization. Correct movements accumulated in the body to the point where the body reacts before the mind. And insight into all possible variables.

And if those things are accumulated in the hundreds of thousands of hours.

This kind of thing becomes possible.

-…!

Divine Bird of Thunder and Lightning.

A huge bird covered in blue energy spewed lightning at me.

The condensed mana was enormous. It would probably hurt even Cornelius quite a bit if it just grazed him.

“Lightning response. 3 seconds.”

I sidestepped with quick steps. I dodged the lightning that grazed past my head with minimal movement.

The pattern ended in 3 seconds. And what followed was a body slam wrapped in lightning.

It was the exact pattern I remembered.

But before the divine bird could charge, another guardian next to it roared and rushed at me.

Scarlet Flame Wolf.

A wolf spewing fire from its whole body swung its front paw, engulfed in flames. This one’s attack was also terrifying enough to kill me in one hit, but.

“Sweeping. Duck for 2 seconds.”

Muttering, I ducked my upper body. 2 seconds later, the wolf’s front paw grazed over my back with a chilling sound.

And the wolf’s front paw, which had grazed past, collided head-on with the divine bird that was rushing towards me.

-!!

--!!!

A huge impact passed, and the two guardians who had collided with each other looked at each other in bewilderment.

It was a look that said they didn’t know what had just happened.

And on top of that, the attack of the last remaining guardian approached.

Divine Lion.

A spear created by a lion covered in a dazzling light that was painful to the eyes rushed towards me.

Looking at the position it was summoned from and its frighteningly curved trajectory, it seemed to have a homing performance.

“Holy Lance 12-shot. 2 seconds. Two steps.”

Again, two steps back.

My position was adjusted as if I was hiding behind the much larger wolf and divine bird, and thanks to that, all the spears of light that flew at me were embedded in the wolf and the divine bird.

-…!

-…!!

The wolf and the divine bird, who were in great pain, looked at the lion with eyes full of anger.

The lion also flinched at the look that said, ‘Can’t you aim properly?’ and changed its position again.

“What. You guys are the ancient war gods or something? Is that all you can do?”

-!!

-!!

-!!

When I subtly provoked them, the three guardians simultaneously became enraged and distanced themselves from me. It seemed they were going to attack with a different pattern this time.

And at that sight, I smirked and adjusted my steps again.

Well.

They were probably looking down on me a little on the inside. Because there was a desperate spec gap where I would be turned to dust if I was hit by just one of their attacks.

“…Heh.”

So.

I was also a little curious about when these guys would realize it.

What they were swept up in.

***

“…I knew it, but.”

Seo Ah-in opened her mouth with a voice that was choking.

“That person really isn’t human, right?”

No answer came back.

It wasn't because they didn't agree with her opinion, but because everyone was overwhelmed by the scene unfolding before their eyes.

When did everyone realize what was happening?

-…!

Was it after the wolf was pierced three or four times by the lion’s light beam?

-…!!

Or was it after the lion was swept away by the storm of lightning summoned by the divine bird?

-…!!!!

Or it could have been after the divine bird was burned by the stream of fire spewed from the wolf’s mouth.

A fly-like human who could be killed in one hit by the guardians was never caught.

Like a mirage that was there but not there.

A few light steps, a duck of the head, a slight turn of the body.

All attacks were casually nullified by slight movements.

Instead.

All the attacks that the guardians were pouring out were all hitting ‘each other.’

“…”

“…”

[…]

[…]

And the entire audience, who was silent, knew the reason why such a phenomenon was happening.

The man who was dodging attacks with light movements at that moment was not just doing that, even though he was already performing such a feat.

At every moment, with every attack.

By changing his position, he restricted their movements as if he was ‘controlling’ the divine beasts.

As if he knew in advance what kind of attack they would make. As if he had grasped how the attack would fly and how it would hit.

No matter how the guardians attacked, it only came back as a dagger that ate away at their own flesh.

This strange form of battle would probably continue until they collapsed.

“…”

[…]

And, at some point.

Everyone instinctively realized it.

It was a realization that was so absurd that it sent a shiver down everyone’s spine.

“So.”

This time, it was Seo Ah-in who materialized it in the form of a sentence.

“Three monsters that can only be found in mythology. Monsters that even if everyone here rushed in, we might not be able to win against.”

An absurd voice echoed through the area, which was covered in silence except for the sound of fighting.

“A human who would die if he was just grazed, and he’s not using any mana himself. He’s not even attacking once. He’s just moving a few times in place and making them all self-destruct? What on earth is that guy made of?”

[…I-impossible, impossible, impossible…]

Seo Ah-in suddenly turned her head towards the Spirit Queen, who was trembling nearby.

Seeing her teeth chattering, it seemed she was really shocked.

Ah, it’s a good thing she’s nearby. As an experienced Kim Gyu-sik experiencer, she could comfort someone on their first trip.

“Hey, it’s okay. You’ll get used to it to some extent if you stay with him.”

[…Th-that kind of thing? In-in the first place, what’s the reason for doing such a crazy thing…]

Reason. Hmm.

Seo Ah-in narrowed her eyes and rolled her head.

The Gyu-sik empathy accumulated through her experiences was activated to its limit, and she soon came to a conclusion.

“Because it’s easy and fast?”

The queen looked at her with a look that said, ‘Are you really saying that right now?’ but Seo Ah-in just shrugged.

Well, it’s true, so what can I do?

“It’s faster to have them hit each other than to hit them himself, since they’re stronger. It’s not wrong, is it?”

[…Th-then what about it being easy…?]

“It’s just walking a few steps and moving your body slightly, it’s not particularly hard, is it?”

[…]

At the sight of the Spirit Queen, whose mouth was just agape, Seo Ah-in shrugged again and continued.

“Well, you’ll get used to it if you stay with him.”

No.

You’re not sane either.

Such a thought flashed through the minds of everyone there.

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