192. Mugeuk Seonin
At that moment, the air grew heavy.
HunGyo, sword in hand, stared at Aso with serious eyes, while Aso’s expression was somehow calm by comparison.
It did not even seem like any strength had gone into the wooden sword she held.
Silence.
And then, in that instant.
—Hup!
Sensing a faint flow in space, HunGyo recoiled in shock and twisted his sword.
Clang!
Aso clearly had neither moved nor thrust out her sword, and yet...
There came the sound of metal striking.
Did that even make sense?
—Hoh!
HunGyo exclaimed in admiration.
Heavenly Sword.
Even without thrusting, the sword of the heavens could stab and cut down an opponent with intent alone.
Though her proficiency was still low, Aso was clearly taking her first step into that realm.
The stage of turning one’s will into reality.
A realm that advances toward godhood.
—Yes, that’s it exactly, Aso.
—Aso, tired...
From Baek Jinwoo’s perspective, he had no idea what had just happened between the two.
But still.
HunGyo was acknowledging it, and Aso looked as if all her energy had been drained away.
Stagger, stagger.
She walked over to Baek Jinwoo, then.
—Dad!
Thud.
She collapsed against him, hugging his leg and going limp.
“Yeah, yeah. You worked hard, Soso.”
Whatever it was, she must have trained unbelievably hard all this time.
It also felt like one of the first times he had ever seen HunGyo react like that.
Baek Jinwoo ruffled Aso’s long black hair.
In case you forgot, I should mention this: her real name is Soso.
Murim girl, Soso.
“HunGyo.”
—Yes, my lord.
“How is she?”
—To have already learned Heavenly Sword up to 2-star... it is truly talent beyond belief.
“Then are we moving on to the next stage right away?”
—I believe that would be possible. However, the process will be difficult. Even I cannot perform this martial art myself.
Still.
Was HunGyo called the Training Instructor for nothing?
He was EX-rank precisely because he could teach even what he himself could not do.
—Aso.
—Mmmhm.
—Starting tomorrow, I’ll teach you properly.
—Okaaaay......
* * *
The next day.
—Aso.
—Mm!
Having regained her composure, Aso was once again sitting properly in a lotus position.
Sssup, hoo!
With the breathing method of the Clear Heaven Heart Technique, she kept both body and mind clear and pure.
At the same time, internal energy circulated naturally with the beat of her heart, constantly amplifying her qi.
—Rise. As promised, we will begin training.
—Ooooooh!
Aso’s eyes sparkled.
The martial arts of Mugeuk Seonin.
The absolute peak of all martial arts, said to be far above everything she had learned in the past, even above the Heaven-Breaking Divine Art!
They said that mastering just up to 2-star would make one the greatest under heaven in the entire world, and mastering 3-star would make one the greatest of all time.
To begin with, it was not a martial art for humans.
It was the martial art of an immortal sage.
That was why it was not simple.
Humans focused on power, while immortals focused on surpassing limits.
—First of all, the martial arts of Mugeuk Seonin that I know can be divided into three categories.
—Mm.
—First, the Clear Heaven Heart Technique. The one both you and my lord are learning through breathing.
That was right.
—For now, it was only being used to shake off fatigue and increase internal energy, but... as more and more of that clean internal energy accumulated, it would turn the body into one capable of transcending human limits. For reference, I myself have not learned that breathing method.
What HunGyo had learned was the Resonance Demonic Art.
A strange mental cultivation method that let one handle any sort of energy smoothly, at the cost of one’s life.
A forbidden demonic art kept by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult once ruled by the Heavenly Demon.
Of course, because HunGyo was a summon, he could avoid the worst penalty of that mental cultivation method.
—Right, the Clear Heaven Heart Technique. It’s an incredibly good mental cultivation method. I can feel it too.
—Indeed. Next is the Mugeuk Heavenly Sword Art.
—Mugeuk... Heavenly Sword Art?
Mugeuk Heavenly Sword Art.
A sword art with the arrogant name of having surpassed all limits!
This was the core sword art of Mugeuk Seonin.
Because of that, it imposed no limits whatsoever on swordsmanship.
—If something came to mind at that very moment, that itself became a skill...!
It was a profound and bizarre sword art.
—It is also a sword art that requires spiritual training more than physical training. If mastered properly, one can create fire with the sword, distort space, cut the sky itself, and create thousands of spiraling illusions from a formless sword and rain them down. Also... this is only a scene I can see in my mind, but there seems to be a technique called the Chaotic World Sword... one that absorbs the energy of the entire world into the sword and then releases it.
—Ghk.
Aso, who had been listening, coughed.
—Just hearing that sounds incredible! Is that even possible?
—That is why he is Mugeuk Seonin. A transcendent being who cast off human limits and became an immortal.
—He really must have been an amazing person. If there are three categories, what’s the last one?
—Azure Sky Footwork.
—Footwork of the blue sky?
—Correct.
He must have really liked the sky. Same with the Mugeuk Heavenly Sword Art.
Azure Sky Footwork.
The name was bright and elegant, but the techniques within it were terrifying.
—... Azure Sky Footwork is the same. Thousand-Mile Meteor, Wind Dance, Dimensional Sprint, One-Step Lightstride...... Judging by the look of it, those are not metaphors. You can literally become those things.
—You mean......
Aso frowned, then
—Pfft.
She smiled.
Master HunGyo!
That joke is way too much!
—What kind of footwork crashes down like a meteor and crosses a thousand leagues, grows as light as the wind and leaves no trace at all, runs across dimensions, and moves at the speed of light?
—It is not “like”.
—Huh?
—You literally become a meteor. You literally become wind, move across dimensions, and become light.
—What does that even mean?
—I do not know either. That is probably why I cannot learn it.
—Keh.
Aso coughed.
—And now you’re saying you’re going to teach something that ridiculous to me?!
—Do not doubt me. Of all the knowledge I have dug through, the techniques of Mugeuk Seonin are the ones that suit you best.
—Hmph.
That was probably true.
How many latent abilities had HunGyo unlocked by now?
Countless summons of the SKY Guild had passed through HunGyo’s hands, and they were all growing splendidly.
And at that moment.
In the gaze of Baek Jinwoo, who had been sitting far away watching the training scene.
[Emergency Quest Triggered!]
[An emergency quest has arrived for ‘Aso’ (EX-rank)!]
[Would you like to open the quest?]
[Y/N]
The system window appeared.
“What?”
He sprang to his feet.
Why is this appearing?
Wasn’t the condition that Aso had to master one martial art to completion?
That was why I thought it was still a long way off.
“Yes! Open it!”
For now, just read it.
[Emergency Quest!]
[Learn the martial arts of Mugeuk Seonin (???-rank)!]
[Text corrupted... There are almost no beings capable of harmonizing with and mastering the martial arts of Mugeuk Seonin! But Aso has that potential.]
[Learn three techniques of Mugeuk Seonin up to 1-star! (1/3)]
[There is no restriction on type!]
“Hah.”
Baek Jinwoo let out a sigh.
This was the first time he had seen it.
Not S-rank, not EX-rank...
???-rank?
What the hell is that?
Is it a rank above that?
Or is it because the system cannot even display it properly, since it is such an overwhelmingly high rank?
There was no way to know.
Even here, he could feel it.
Just how absurd an existence Mugeuk Seonin was.
‘For even a genius like Aso...it was only telling her to learn 1-star.’
And that was supposedly the condition for unlocking her latent ability.
And out of countless skills, only three in particular.
But then?
(1/3)
She had already learned one.
It must be the Clear Heaven Heart Technique.
“Aso!”
When Baek Jinwoo approached,
—Mm, Dad!
Aso threw aside her wooden sword and clung to his thigh.
‘I had been noticing it since before, but our Aso was actually quite affectionate.’
Yoo Jia liked that about her too.
Whether she was simply perceptive or it was instinctive, who knew.
She always called her Mom.
“Let’s just learn two more of Mugeuk Seonin’s techniques.”
—That is correct, my lord.
HunGyo nodded.
It was as if his latent ability, Instructor, was telling him so.
—The skills of Mugeuk Seonin themselves are probably Aso’s hidden latent abilities.
“Huh, really?”
—It will be a difficult path. But if it is only up to 1-star... I will somehow make sure she learns them.
“Right. You’ve got a lot on your shoulders.”
—Not at all, my lord.
HunGyo raised his right arm horizontally and bowed his head deeply.
That fellow’s expression looked more vivid than ever before.
He was happy.
Just the fact that he would get to train those absurd skills made him happy.
He really did live up to his name.
“Aso, you heard him, right? You have to work hard, okay?”
—Mm, Dad! I think HunGyo is saying some weird nonsense again! But I’ll still do my best!
Come on, weird nonsense?
It was probably all words that would become bone and flesh for us in the end.
—Aso.
HunGyo opened his mouth.
—Mm?
—If you master those skills I just mentioned to a certain extent, even Explosive Dragon Sorcerer won’t be a match for you.
—Hwaehh.
Aso stuck out her tongue.
At the present moment.
The strongest summon in Baek Jinwoo’s ranks!
Explosive Dragon Sorcerer.
She would be able to overpower her?
Suddenly, motivation welled up inside her.
‘Dad likes strong summons.’
If that happened, maybe she could win back some of the affection that had gone to Explosive Dragon Sorcerer.
—HunGyo! What should I learn first?
—First, the footwork. Wind Dance.
—So I become the wind?
—That’s right. Let’s first master that to 1-star. Take your stance and close your eyes.
The real training began.
* * *
A project PBC had ambitiously prepared!
<Challenge of the World’s Strongest> had already aired up to Part 3 and was enjoying explosive popularity.
And now.
A new documentary had been produced as part of the Baek Jinwoo series.
Its name?
<Conquest of the Demon Realm>
This too was a trilogy.
You could indirectly see what the 51st and 60th floors of the Tower of Trials looked like, and this time there was even a special guest appearance!
Rachel appeared in it.
“Wow.”
First of all.
When Yoo Jia received the file requesting her review of Part 1, she was amazed.
“I don’t think even a movie could be made like this.”
The opening on Floor 51.
Starting from the ruined laboratory, the scene itself felt overwhelming.
And from this point onward, the summons openly spoke.
Part 1 was structured neatly up to Floor 53, before meeting Rachel.
And the final scene was the highlight.
Kyaaaa!
Kyaaaaaaa!
First, the camera captured a scene in the distance where savage spirits were swarming and tormenting someone.
Anyone could tell at a glance.
That was Rachel.
“Let’s go.”
Baek Jinwoo muttered, and the summons now called Baek Jinwoo’s ranks charged forward all at once.
Fwoosh, fwoooosh!
Explosive Dragon Sorcerer started breathing fire, and in an instant the spirits began to die off.
At the very end, Part 1 ended with them discovering Rachel collapsed and asleep.
Yoo Jia immediately made a call.
Directly to the director at PBC.
- Have you watched it? If there are any parts that need fixing, please feel free to tell us!
“This is way beyond just liking it.”
- Pardon?
“When can you give me Part 2?”
- The experts are working through the night on it right now, but it will still take a little more time. There’s simply too much raw footage.
“It’s too polished. Honestly, I feel like locking up the whole documentary team and feeding them nothing but military dumplings.”
- Hahaha, I can only be grateful for such high praise. The one slightly worrying part is the scenes where the summons talk... it should be okay to air that, right?
“Of course.”
Yoo Jia smiled.
At this point, was there anyone in the world who still did not know about that?
She was certain.
The moment this video spread, Baek Jinwoo’s brand value would skyrocket.
Until now, there were still many people who thought Baek Jinwoo was only on equal footing with Rachel.
Because publicly, all that had happened was that Baek Jinwoo had barely won in the World League finals.
But?
The moment people saw this video, it would be settled.
The unshakable world number one!
They would understand why, among the old monsters, he was jokingly called One Heaven.
“I think you can proceed just like this.”
- Hahaha, thank you....... Then.
The director and Yoo Jia discussed the detailed plans a bit further.
Things like various marketing strategies and profit distribution.
Naturally, the mood between the two, standing in front of such an obvious smash hit, was warm and cheerful.
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