50. Omnipotent Rune (3)
“Huh?
Explosive Dragon Art ‘Flame’?
What now, some kind of universal Flame theory?
Does everything work as long as it’s Flame?
“The Tower of Trials was like that too, and now it even cures illnesses….”
—My lord. It is not only about healing. We may perhaps obtain an even better fortunate opportunity.
“What? A better fortunate opportunity?”
—I do not know why, but information on countless S-grade summons related to this illness is surfacing in my mind.
“Really?”
—Yes, from Hua Tuo to the Heavenly Demon, Bodhidharma….. And even Zhang Sanfeng. It did surface before when I was teaching Aso, but now it is coming to me more deeply and more clearly.
“......Oh.”
The Heavenly Demon, Bodhidharma, Zhang Sanfeng.
All of them were figures placed in the position of founding patriarchs of famous martial sects.
He had never summoned them personally, but while raising Aso in the past, he had naturally learned about them.
‘Aso is….. a heaven-sent body for martial arts.’
Because she was a genius among geniuses who could master all of their martial arts.
This illness called severed meridians of some sort was a disease so rare it might not even appear once a year. Yet inside that little girl’s body was power so immense it could burst open enough to topple an entire nation.
“Ugh…. hnnngh.”
The pale cold air flowing from the girl’s lips made the space turn frigid.
‘Is that what you call a human air conditioner?’
Ahem.
‘Enough weird thoughts.’
“So how exactly is Explosive Dragon supposed to gain a fortunate opportunity with Flame?”
—Ahem.
HunGyo cleared his throat once and began to explain.
—First.
For five hours, Explosive Dragon Wave had to be accumulated to the limit, producing yang energy equal in amount to that yin energy.
After that, the two energies had to be combined and neutralized, but…...
At that point, one problem would arise.
The moment the two energies merged, tremendous energy would be generated!
If that could not be controlled, a catastrophe greater than a nuclear explosion might engulf this city.
—In order to prevent that, what is really needed is an incredible divine art capable of handling yin and yang energies simultaneously. Things like the Heavenly Demon’s Heavenly Demon Divine Art, Bodhidharma’s Peerless Great Ability, or Zhang Sanfeng’s Pure Fragrance Limitless Art.
However.
HunGyo was not Aso.
He could not even learn such things, and even if he somehow did, it would be meaningless unless he reached the highest mastery.
Because of that, HunGyo searched for another method.
Then, in that moment, one demonic art came to mind.
‘Resonance Demonic Art.’
It was a peculiar mental cultivation method that allowed one to smoothly control any kind of energy in exchange for offering one’s life.
A forbidden demonic art kept by the Heavenly Demon Cult once ruled by the Heavenly Demon.
It was even easy to learn.
“Wait, don’t tell me.”
As he listened, Baek Jinwoo snapped his fingers.
Smiling, HunGyo nodded.
—That is correct, my lord. I am a summon. Even if I die, I will merely be unsummoned. It is the perfect demonic art for me.
“Then….. You’re saying you’ll absorb that energy?”
Would that be acceptable?
How novel.
It was also a realm that had never even been attempted in Battle of Summoners.
“What are the chances of success?”
—I do not know the chances of success, but at the very least, I can say for certain that we will be able to cure that girl.
Hooh, is that so.
“Okay.”
Let’s give it a try!
* * *
“I-is that really true?”
After finishing the examination, Jasim tightly grabbed Baek Jinwoo’s hand.
The way his hand trembled violently showed just how excited he was.
“Can you really cure my daughter? Truly….?!”
“Yes. It will not be an easy process, and it may take some time····. But in any case, it is not impossible.”
“Huhhhh!”
He could not believe it.
How much time and money had he spent until now?
He had invited world-renowned doctors and even brought in famous rankers.
But every single time, they had all shaken their heads and withdrawn.
Even when they used healing overflowing with mana, even when they poured in blessings overflowing with divine power.
No method whatsoever had been able to remove that merciless curse.
And yet.
The illness was called Nine Yin Severed Meridians?
An icy force powerful enough to freeze an entire city had clogged up his daughter’s meridians?
Jasim instinctively felt it.
That the player before his eyes was speaking the truth.
“Please, please heal my daughter! I will reward you more than generously!”
“No, five Omnipotent Runes as originally promised will be enough for me.”
Baek Jinwoo answered cleanly.
The heart of a father who loved his daughter was moving, yes.
But more than anything, if what HunGyo said was true, the gains from this treatment would far exceed imagination.
‘This might even be a chance for Aso and HunGyo to form a dual-carry setup.’
HunGyo might be EX-grade now, but originally he had been only E-grade.
That meant his stats were extremely low.
So no matter how good an art he was given, it was hard to bring its effects to the absolute extreme.
But if he absorbed that vast amount of energy and brought about some kind of change?
Then things might become very different.
“For now, please give us a room to stay in for a bit. It would be even better if there’s an open area I can use as a training ground.”
“Of course! I’ll prepare it at once!”
Having finally grasped a thread of hope, Jasim moved briskly.
* * *
“Explosive Dragon.”
—Yes, Jinwoo.
“I don’t want to put pressure on you, but your role here is huge.”
—It’s a bit tight, but I’m doing my best!
Fwoooosh!
As she sat in place and circulated mana, flames surged around her body.
As for Flame, there was nothing HunGyo could teach her.
All she could do was chew over memories of the past and turn them into a skill!
Going to a nearby normal dungeon would have worked too, but they decided to train in the empty lot instead.
HunGyo did not remain idle either.
Even if Resonance Demonic Art was easy to learn, a demonic art was still a demonic art!
Sitting cross-legged, he struggled desperately to sense qi.
‘HunGyo is outstanding at teaching, but it’s not like he’s exceptionally talented at learning things.’
He would probably have to work several times harder than the other summons.
Baek Jinwoo decided to stay in Dubai until things were resolved.
The national team call-up had been postponed, and with Jasim’s cooperation, he did his weekday dungeon runs in Dubai’s player zone.
Yoo Jia stayed with him for about two days before returning.
Well, she was the representative of Yoobaek, after all, so she could not leave the company unattended.
And so, about two weeks passed.
—Jiiiinwoo!
Explosive Dragon came running at Baek Jinwoo, who had just returned after doing his runs, and threw herself into his arms with a sudden hug!
“Hm?”
—I learned it! Flame!
“Really?”
But Explosive Dragon—
Had she always been this lively?
She had never been the type to hug him so casually.
“First, calm down.”
—Ah, I’m sorry, Jinwoo-nim!
“It’s fine. Let’s check your info first.”
Pulling Explosive Dragon away, he examined her status.
[Summon: Explosive Dragon Sorcerer]
[Race: Human]
[Grade: EX-grade (Isolated)]
Isolated due to the discovery of balance-breaking elements under certain conditions.
[Level: 45]
[Stats Held]
Strength: 20, Intelligence: 88, Stamina: 20, Agility: 20
HP: 22,000, MP: 500
Critical Chance: 55%
Critical Damage: 185%
[Skills Held]
Wood Dragon Wave: Spews dragon-shaped flames forward.
Explosive Dragon Art ‘Link’: Makes it possible to accumulate Explosive Dragon Wave.
Explosive Dragon Art ‘Transformation’: Makes it possible to alter Explosive Dragon Wave.
Explosive Dragon Art ‘Flame’: Makes it possible to detonate Explosive Dragon Wave all at once.
“Heh, it’s real!”
She had mastered all three of the secret arts of Explosive Dragon Arts except for Ruination.
That meant she had now become the same Explosive Dragon she had once been during Battle of Summoners.
‘She still hasn’t unlocked the latent ability Devour, though.’
“HunGyo.”
—Yes, my lord.
As if he had already known, HunGyo nodded and walked over with a grave expression.
—I am ready as well. We should be able to begin immediately.
Finally!
After two weeks, were they finally going to break through the Nine Yin Severed Meridians?
Let’s do this, let’s go!
* * *
“Y-you’re finally beginning?”
Jasim nearly screamed. He was trembling.
“Yes. Would you be able to leave the room for us again this time?”
“Of course!”
“This may take some time, and there may be loud noises. Maybe even…. some of the furniture in the room could get damaged.”
Even though HunGyo had learned Resonance Demonic Art, this was still his first time using it.
All of this was, in the end, just HunGyo’s own theory. No one knew what would happen.
“If it can save my daughter, I do not care even if the entire house collapses.”
“Good. That’s the right mindset.”
“Then….. I leave it in your hands.”
Jasim left, and the stage was set.
“HunGyo. Explosive Dragon.”
—Yes, my lord.
—Yes, Jinwoo!
“Let’s begin.”
—First, please remove my rune and equip it to Explosive Dragon.
“Okay.”
It was to maximize Explosive Dragon’s yang energy.
A rare top-grade Omnipotent Rune would be far stronger than an upper-mid-grade miscellaneous rune.
Baek Jinwoo quickly swapped the rune.
He had also re-summoned Explosive Dragon, securing five full hours.
—Now…. all she has to do is accumulate as much Explosive Dragon Wave as possible.
—I’ll try.
Fwoooosh!
Explosive Dragon’s energy began to surge from the staff.
Thanks to the Omnipotent Rune, the cooldown of Explosive Dragon Wave had been reduced, and her MP recovery had become tremendous.
While Explosive Dragon gathered Explosive Dragon Wave—
Swish.
HunGyo grabbed the girl’s wrist once more. He did so to feel her pulse and locate the blocked meridians again.
‘The passage is narrow.’
And because it was narrow, it was dangerous. Whether drawing out the yin energy or pouring in yang energy.
But that was fine.
Because HunGyo intended to bear all of that dangerous process himself.
If this were the original martial world as set in the lore, it would have been impossible even for the divine physician of the martial world.
But.
What if they used the special nature of a summon—one that did not truly die, but was merely unsummoned even after death?
‘It’s worth trying.’
Of course, he could not die immediately. He had to endure for as long as possible before dying.
Because if he died in a normal area, it would take another five hours before he could revive.
Time passed.
The room, once filled with cold energy, was now full of scorching heat.
Inside Explosive Dragon’s body, overlapping Explosive Dragons writhed.
—I’m getting more and more short of breath. How much longer do I have to gather?
Even Explosive Dragon seemed to be nearing her limit as she panted.
The accumulated yang energy was so powerful that if her concentration broke for even a moment, the gathered Explosive Dragons would scatter and fly off.
—Not yet. You haven’t gathered even half. You need to keep going for two more hours.
—Hhk!
—Can you endure it?
—I’ll try for now!
Explosive Dragon gritted her teeth as well.
Watching her, Baek Jinwoo could only stomp his feet anxiously. There was only one thing he could do.
Cheer on his summons!
—My lord, I have finished identifying the pathway.
“Really?”
—The moment yang energy equal to that yin energy is gathered, I will become a single passage.
A passage?
“A passage connecting Explosive Dragon and that girl?”
He would connect the two sides and attempt to absorb that destructive force with his own energy once it entered his body.
“Will you be okay?”
What a strange demonic art.
To control energy by offering up one’s own life.
‘I really can’t tell what kind of intention its creator had.’
—I will do my utmost, my lord.
Another two hours passed.
—I-I can’t hold on any longer.
Explosive Dragon cried out, cold sweat pouring down her face.
—Good enough. You can stop accumulating now.
—Hahk, quickly…. I want to get rid of it quickly!
—My lord.
“Yes.”
—Would you perhaps be able to re-summon me?
“Okay, just a second.”
HunGyo had not died.
As long as he did not die, he could be dismissed and summoned again immediately without any cooldown.
It seemed he was trying to reset the timing of being unsummoned.
Sssst!
HunGyo appeared once more and tightly gripped the girl’s arm with his right hand.
“Ugh.”
A painful groan escaped the girl’s lips.
—Explosive Dragon! Bring your staff here!
—O-okay!
With his left hand, he grabbed the tip of Explosive Dragon’s staff.
—Preparations are complete. Now convert all the power you gathered with Transformation and pour it into me!
—Here it goes!
At Explosive Dragon’s urgent cry—
Fwoooosh!
Explosive Dragon Art. Secret technique- Flame.
All of the accumulated Explosive Dragon Wave began pouring into HunGyo’s meridians.
Gush gush gush gush!
—G-ghaaaargh!
As his left arm burned with unbearable pain, HunGyo activated Resonance Demonic Art.
At the same time—
KWA-DRRRRK!
From the girl’s side as well, an immense yin energy began flowing up through his right arm.
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