BXBX NOVEL Chapter 275: Parallel Lines (4)
The name of the second technique was already decided.
‘Made by One Heart and Soul.’
It meant that everything was created solely by the heart and soul. There is nothing absolute in the world. Just as the distinction between good and evil is meaningless, everything changes according to one’s heart.
Whoosh-!
“…”
If it was possible that the first technique focused on, this emphasized belief. Made by One Heart and Soul. Hot or cold, dirty or clean, heavy or light, slow or fast. It all depends on your belief.
Just like Yoon-seok in the past.
—The loser bastard.
In the past, he couldn’t do anything after hearing that because he thought he couldn’t. He set his limits, and that became his reality. On the other hand, what happened after Yoon-seok entered the Tower and met Cheon-ma?
—I can do more…
—A guy who can’t even speak properly?
He exceeded those limits countless times. Yoon-seok did things that he could not have dreamed of if he had been his former self. How was that possible?
It was for a simple reason. He started to believe he could.
—This is how you breathe…
Seeing the extraordinary warrior known as Cheon-ma, he vowed to reach the same level as her someday. Without that resolution, he would never have reached this position today.
‘Maybe then my limits were set anew.’
Now, it was necessary to overcome the limitations engraved that day. The path he wanted to go on from now was his own that no one had ever taken before.
“Let’s not think that I can’t do it.”
Yoon-seok instilled his Natural Energy to match the sword.
And he swung it.
Whoosh-!
It was an ordinary slash without anything like a pattern. It was too plain compared to the first technique, which was the pinnacle of splendor. However, Yoon-seok thought it was rather good because of that.
There was only one thing that the second technique sought.
‘Going beyond one’s limits.’
Of course, the limit was a very vague term. However, Yoon-seok smiled as he looked at the muscle cocoon restraining his foe.
‘Isn’t it supposed to stop the unstoppable?’
There were definite limitations there. He didn’t know how long it would take, but Yoon-seok was convinced.
“Hmph, hmph…!”
The moment he cut that cocoon off, the second technique would be complete.
* * *
[Victory.]
How long did it take?
A very familiar phrase popped up, and the duel (?) ended.
‘Until here…’
The second technique wasn’t completed. If so, another message would’ve appeared.
[The cause of death is exactly in accord.]
Yoon-seok was looking forward to this because his foe’s ranking was higher. Did it mean that mental strength and ranking were unconnected? The Bloody Sky Delusion Sword died earlier than Carpbenny, the owner of b Treasure Hunter}. It took about five months until then.
“…”
Yoon-seok smacked his lips with annoyance. Even if given one or two more months, it would have been impossible to cut the muscle cocoon. He swung his sword without breaking for five months, and it didn’t even feel like it was getting any better.
‘Is it only the system that can oppose the system?’
Maybe the approach was wrong? Yoon-seok shook off those thoughts.
“No, that can’t be true.’
Doubt is poison. The reason why the second technique wasn’t completed was probably that doubt remained in his heart.
‘This isn’t the first time…’
Yoon-seok turned his focus to other things.
He would only be putting the cart before the horse if he threw away something else in his pursuit.
[The unique skill {Treasure Hunter} is activated.]
[You can choose one of three treasures.]
Three options appeared. However…
[The target’s equipment score is 0.]
[The rank of selectable treasures is fixed to F-rank.]
Corroded Royal Sword. Faded Necklace. Elixir of Strength. All of them were useless because his foe wasn’t wearing equipment. Even if it wasn’t inside the Tower, Yoon-seok wanted to know what kind of Ranker would wear no gear…
‘Ah, he was caught and imprisoned by the Sword Sovereign.’
Come to think of it…
After making a quick selection, Yoon-seok finished selecting the rest of the loot.
[Acquiring the unique skill b Specific Heat}.]
[Randomly looting one of your opponent’s equipment.]
[There is no equipment to loot.]
[Absorbing Magic EXP.]
[Acquiring the unique ability Blazing.]
They didn’t even have time to fight, so Yoon-seok didn’t know his abilities. He was happy, though.
“…”
His choices were made, Yoon-seok’s vision went dark.
When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by a dark dungeon and Namgoong Jin-jin.
‘What was wrong with her?’
Due to the time gap, the situation didn’t immediately connect. No, wasn’t that the problem?
“…Please forgive me for not being able to accept your kindness.”
‘What the hell is she talking about?’
It was the same before entering the Duel. Something about challengers and bearing children?
Namgoong Jin-jin said something that he couldn’t understand at all, and while trying to ask about it, he touched the Bloody Sky Delusion Sword’s cheek. Coincidentally, that development wasn’t much different even after returning from the Duel.
“Forgive you? What are you talking about…”
Yoon-seok stopped mid-speech, and he grabbed Jin-jin’s arm.
“It seems that the League Master has noticed.”
A massive presence was quickly approaching them.
‘He said something about a ban. Is it that why he noticed it as soon as that guy died?’
Yoon-seok didn’t know for sure, but it seemed unlikely the Sword Sovereign would let go of him after killing their prisoner.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Yoon-seok hugged Jin-jin and fled the dungeon. They returned to the annex and awoke So-so, who was still sleeping.
“Wake up.”
“Gege… huh, Sister? What the hell…”
Namgoong So-so, who was rubbing the sleep from her eyes after seeing Yoon-seok, freaked out upon seeing her sister stained with blood. However, there was no time to explain.
“It is still a long way from dawn, but we will leave earlier than planned. We’ll tell you as we go.”
Yoon-seok picked up Namgoong So-so and left the annex. He stepped into the air, leaped up, and sprinted away.
“Which way should I go?”
“T-that way…!”
They were quickly putting distance between them and the Sword Sovereign. However, it was too early to feel relieved.
“H-Hey! Where are we going now?!”
As Jin-jin explained the situation to her confused sister, Yoon-seok moved with all his might. At the same time, he spread his mana and read for the Sword Sovereign’s presence. For some reason, he was just standing still in the dungeon.
‘Why doesn’t he follow us? Could it be that he didn’t feel us leaving?’
Whatever the reason, Yoon-seok was glad he didn’t follow.
‘But let’s keep the pace for now.’
Yoon-seok moved silently without letting his guard down.
About half a day passed following that. After crossing dozens of mountains, a friendly manner appeared below them. But unlike when he arrived in the past, it was burned and half-collapsed.
“Just in case, it’s better to hurry up and do your business, then we leave.”
Yoon-seok, who landed in the middle of the manor, dropped off the Namgoong Sisters. He felt a bit uneasy, so he asked them to hurry.
“So, where is the Azure Dragon Energy?”
“It’s right here.”
When asked by Yoon-seok, Namgoong Jin-jin pointed to the pond. Then she briefly explained the family’s history.
As a wandering warrior saw a dragon soaring into the sky from the pond, he had a sudden realization, which was the beginning of the Namgoong Family. It was a good story.
“Anyway, if I understand correctly, it will be here. So-so, I will enter the pond, so go around the manor, pack your things and set those that can’t be brought on fire.”
“All right.”
As Jin-jin jumped into the pond, So-so moved to do her own thing. There seemed to be no room to help, so Yoon-seok lost himself in thought.
‘Azure Dragon Energy…’
It felt weird. Now, 50% of Moorim’s warriors were challengers. However, the Namgoong sisters visited this place even while fleeing the League to recover their secret.
‘They must believe that one day the world will return to normal.’
It wasn’t misguided. Whether the Queen died or not, one day, the world of fakes would come to an end as it had before.
‘In Seheranbad, it’s called the Blank History.’
In the end, the records related to the Tower disappeared as if they never existed.
‘That’s how it resets. Until a challenger who can kill the Queen appears.’
Like the ancestors of Ragna, people told the story to future generations by word of mouth. After 500 years or so, it became a fairy tale.
—Real and fake. Think about what separates the real from the fake.”
Suddenly, what the Sword Sovereign said yesterday flashed through his mind. It still seemed like a Zen Riddle, but now Yoon-seok felt he knew a little why he said that.
‘Real and fake…’
If they had to be divided, the Azure Dragon Energy, in which one warrior attained enlightenment and passed it on to future generations, would be true. The stats raised by points or the abilities learned in the Tower were fakes that would disappear someday.
‘Maybe that’s why there’s a sense of incongruity between the challenger’s magic and true Inner Qi.’
But Yoon-seok thought something was wrong with this dichotomy. After all, nothing was permanent in this world. There was only a difference in the time it took. The Azure Dragon Energy would eventually become ash. This was the same for the Queen and the Tower, which were nothing less than divine beings.
If Yoon-seok succeeded in achieving his goal, they would be erased from this world forever. Then, were all of them fake?
‘…Maybe the Sword Sovereign didn’t mean to say that.’
If the Sword Sovereign were in front of him, Yoon-seok would ask about the purpose behind those words. Of course, it wasn’t important enough to go back all the way, just a curiosity…
Was he speaking of the devil?
“I wondered where you were going so quickly in the night, but you must have come a long way.”
The Sword Sovereign rose from the ground like a ghost. He wore a blue robe and had a long sword tied to his waist. He looked the same back then, and his soft voice hadn’t changed. But his eyes regarding Yoon-seok were cold as ice.
Yoon-seok gulped.
‘I wondered why he didn’t follow us, but he did it to find our destination.’
Yoon-seok hadn’t noticed him at all. As expected, he wasn’t an easy opponent.
‘I think I can understand why the Heavenly Buddha said he was reluctant…’
Yoon-seok was already prepared to fight.
“It’s upsetting. I thought I did a favor to the young Co-Sect Leader, but this is what comes back.”
“As you may have guessed, I was the one who killed the Bloody Sky Delusion Sword.”
“You must have a special relationship with the women of the Namgoong family. Seeing you trying to protect them like that.”
“I’m just telling you the truth.”
Well, it would be a lie if he didn’t think that it would be better for him to receive the Sword Sovereign’s wrath than the Namgoong sisters. It wasn’t wrong, though. However, the Sword Sovereign didn’t show much interest in whether it was true or not.
“Then let’s say so. I also feel sorry for the Namgoong family’s situation.”
“Looks like you need someone to hold responsibility?”
“If you’re not punished for disobeying the League laws, who will try to keep order?”
It was the right thing to say. But to say the right thing, power was necessary to enact it.
“So, are you saying you should punish me?”
The Sword Sovereign’s lips pressed into a thin line.
“Didn’t you try to overlook the incident with the Black Alliance? Hearing that, I thought that the young Co-Sect Leader wasn’t one to confuse. I think I was wrong this time.”
“As you know, I am still someone from the Demon Sect.”
Yoon-seok immediately nodded. But was this the first time such a brave and bold statement had been made?
“Haha… yes, even though you’re a human from the far away dimension called Earth, you’re still a Demon, too…”
Sword Sovereign burst into laughter. However, Yoon-seok could feel it on his skin.
“Heheheheh…”
He was very upset right now.