Chapter 93 : Chapter 93

Chapter 93: Duel (3)

Jangpa.

A hand, raised as if to hook the elbow, exploded on Aaron’s jaw.

[ Blessing of the Cheonryongpo - A bonus is added to all stats during close-quarters combat.]

My stats and this guy’s stats would boast a gap of several times over, but I was in a position to receive support from a unique piece of equipment for close-quarters martial arts.

Combining the martial arts knowledge accumulated in my body with the Observation skill meant that landing an effective hit wasn't that difficult.

“Wh-what? Aaron went flying?”

“Did anyone see what just happened...?”

The audience murmured from all around.

Anyone would be flustered if the guy who seemed to have an overwhelming advantage just a moment ago was suddenly sent flying.

“...Hmm.”

And in the audience seats, I found the guy I was paying attention to.

Edgar, observing me with his arms crossed.

His eyebrow twitched when he saw Aaron go flying just now.

“...”

Ah, right.

This situation itself was nothing but trouble for that guy.

There were various reasons why Arklight, which never revealed itself officially, attended this Guild Grand Unification Event, but considering their actions in the game, they attended with a certain ‘resolve’.

It was probably something that could escalate into a major incident.

At a time like this, an executive-level member like Aaron retiring?

There would be nothing more annoying than that.

“-”

So, I grinned at him.

Hey, buddy. If you like to use your head.

You should have properly distinguished between opponents you should attack and opponents you shouldn't.

No matter how much you were pushed into it, you shouldn't have made a hasty decision.

As a price for that, I plan on showing this guy something quite interesting.

“...Tch. There won’t be a second stroke of luck. Just prepare to die!”

Aaron, who had been knocked down by my fist and got up again, shouted at me triumphantly.

The surrounding audience also responded fiercely to his appearance.

“O-of course!”

“Sword Dancer! Finish him quickly! I bet a lot on you!”

It seemed there were some guys with a bit of personal stake mixed in.

“Hup!”

Again, with a kiai, Aaron’s body accelerated.

Compared to Cheetah, whom I had beaten up before, his speed itself was slower, but his balance was far superior.

Back then, Cheetah would be knocked out as soon as I grabbed him and hit him with something strong, but with this guy, there was no way to break him other than to block or parry his attacks and counter.

In other words, a ‘fair fight’ was the only way through.

‘That’s why I like it even more.’

Basically, except for the tutorial, Conqueror was a very unfriendly game. Most of the data had to be figured out by the user, picking it apart one by one.

It wasn't for nothing that I had used developer tools to dissect the entire game.

Of course, even excluding severe veterans like me who went as far as studying programming to delve into the game, the in-game values were extremely important.

And the one who was most helpful in organizing the data values that could be collected in such practical battles was Aaron, who was now fighting me 1-on-1.

Moderately superior specs, moderately excellent combat skills, and moderately easy-to-break patterns.

He was the perfect opponent for a somewhat skilled user to test various skills while beating him up for practice.

That’s how he got the nickname ‘Training Dummy’.

As I thought that, I dodged Aaron’s sword, which had rushed right in front of me, by just slightly turning my head.

“What?!”

Smiling wryly at the astonished Aaron, I pulled my arm back.

Thanks to the passive [Qi Accumulation] from the special job [Qigong Master] and the passive of Cheonryongpo, my Qi management was already much smoother than before. The power of my martial arts must have also increased significantly compared to before.

Now.

Let’s pull some data on how much stronger I’ve become.

[ Yeonhwangyeok ]

A short, fast, but precisely delivered series of punches. But the power contained in each blow was enough to shatter rocks and crumple steel.

Philtrum. Jaw. Solar plexus. Adam’s apple. Solar plexus.

Struck in all his vital points at once, Aaron staggered back without even being able to scream.

[ Yeolchuk ]

I pursued him with footwork. A follow-up mid-sweep kick. The impact, which even the high-end armor Aaron was wearing couldn’t block, shook his internal organs. I could see blood gushing from his mouth.

I planted the kicking foot on the ground, changing it to a pivot foot. I rotated my entire body once and prepared my elbow.

[ Myeongbongik ]

[ Critical Hit! Damage Amplified! ]

[ 3x damage is applied due to the effect of Cheonryongpo! ]

An elbow wrapped in yellow qi exploded right on Aaron’s nose. The feeling of bone crushing immediately shot up my nerves.

“Keok...!”

After being hit this far, Aaron, unable to even properly maintain his balance, flew away, spraying blood everywhere.

“...Huh? Huh? What?”

“What just happened?”

The sound of murmuring echoed from the audience seats, who couldn't even properly follow my movements.

To them, it must have looked like Aaron was just spitting blood and flying away on his own.

“...That. Don’t tell me he can’t get up?”

“D-don’t be ridiculous! He’s going to lose this pathetically?”

Urgency mixed into the voices of the audience, but Aaron’s body just twitched on the ground where it had fallen.

Hmm, he’s a goner. He's probably at a level where he’ll need to be hospitalized for a few months.

‘...It’s more useful than I thought.’

I too was marveling at the power of the martial arts I had just used.

Even so, to be able to take down Aaron, who had even taken a strengthening potion, in just a few seconds meant its power was far stronger than I thought. Even if I was getting an assist from a unique piece of equipment.

It seemed that ripping out all the martial arts-related memories from the Martial Arts Alliance was paying off handsomely.

Qi-infused martial arts were treated almost as a joke build in the game. The reason was that the difficulty was too high compared to its actual performance.

How foolish would it look to run around throwing punches with a reinforced bare body while guns, swords, magic, and spells were flying around?

“...”

But.

True romance is all derived from foolishness. Anyone who doesn't understand that isn't a man.

Of course, more than that reason, it was because there were various things that could be unlocked by seriously using martial arts.

“...Uh, keok, keuheok...! Kak...!”

While I was thinking that, Aaron, whom I had judged as unable to recover, staggered to his feet.

Ah, come to think of it, this guy had taken a drug.

I had forgotten that too after he got pummeled by a single combo.

“Hey, you bastard! Sword Dancer! Get it together! It’s a disgrace if you lose here!”

“Yeah! Think of the reputation of the Arklight Guild!”

And at that sight, the audience, who were still overheating their hopeful circuits, all started cheering for Aaron in unison.

‘...I wonder.’

In fact, if you looked at Aaron, he had stood up, but he didn't look sane.

His bloodshot eyes were darting around, and there was no trace of reason. His mana control was also strange.

Telling a guy like this to get it together. Are you guys in your right minds?

Gambling is this scary.

‘Ah, it’s that thing.’

The strengthening potion must have been received from Edgar, and at this point, the type and route of the potion he would have been supplied with were obvious.

And that... caused such side effects when the user received extreme damage in a short period of time. They lose their sanity.

Instead, their physical abilities and the absolute amount of mana would double. In other words, a berserk state. I think it had pretty good regeneration too.

“Keok, kahak! Ki-kill, kill him, diiie—!”

Aaron, unable to even complete a proper sentence, charged at me as if having a seizure.

His attack before was quite powerful, but the one flying at me this time was truly ominous. Just a graze would inflict a fatal wound.

But.

From a veteran’s perspective, I welcomed it.

Yeah.

A training dummy in practice mode automatically recovering its health is a standard rule, right?

“Lucky.”

Yes.

I can hit him more.

***

“...”

Chang Meirin covered her mouth, her face pale.

Of course, as a Climber, she was quite used to most forms of violence, but the scene unfolding before her eyes was still shocking.

Aaron’s roars, which at first contained hostility, had at some point turned into cries filled only with pain.

He was clearly unleashing attacks with tremendous physical ability and corresponding regenerative power on Kim Gyu-sik, but.

They didn't connect. They missed every time. And every time an attack missed, a deadly counterattack slammed into Aaron.

-!

His arm was bent in a grotesque direction by a joint lock. As it tried to regenerate and return to its original shape, it was bent once more, and the bone tore through the muscle and protruded.

-!!

Then, Kim Gyu-sik’s fist, clad in the Cheonryongpo gauntlet, exploded on the screaming Aaron’s jaw. Because it slammed into him while his arm was bent by the joint lock, his already tattered arm was completely torn off and began to dangle.

Like a broken rag doll.

And seeing that state, Kim Gyu-sik smirked and briefly moved away from Aaron.

As if waiting for him to regenerate.

And when Aaron, having fully recovered his body, charged again with a scream, it was a repeat of the same process.

He ravaged him without batting an eye, beat him to a pulp, and then waited for him to get up again.

“...”

“...”

Now, only silence filled the surroundings.

The people who were initially angry or expressing bewilderment were now completely speechless at the sight unfolding before their eyes.

One of the faces of the renowned Arklight Guild.

Was being toyed with and ravaged by an Eastern Climber whose name no one even knew until yesterday.

The man who was ignored by everyone just a moment ago was playing with a member of the group everyone looked up to like a toy.

“Ah, aaaahk! Aaaaaahk—!”

In the end, Aaron, whose limbs were completely twisted in strange directions, was just screaming on the floor.

It seemed his regenerative ability had finally run out, as his wounds were no longer healing.

The sight of him, thoroughly shattered and unable to even stand properly, felt as if he had been stripped of all human dignity.

But, the very person who created such a scene.

“...Huh. What. Already?”

He was just tilting his head, wearing a genuinely surprised expression.

Truly. As if he couldn't believe he was this weak.

It was an expression that even felt a hint of disappointment that he had collapsed at this point when things had just gotten started.

“That bastard... a monster... no, what kind of devil is he...?”

Such a murmur flowed from the audience seats.

Mr. Kim Gyu-sik is not a devil, Chang Meirin retorted inwardly.

Yes. He sometimes seems eccentric and bizarre, but he is undoubtedly a good person. It was clear considering the feeling derived from her experience with him so far.

“...”

But.

Just as before.

The thought that she should never make an enemy of him struck her mind hard.

‘...Let’s do my best.’

From now on, she would have to put in a lot of effort to get along with him even better.

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