Vol 2. Chapter 30: Dragon Devouring Ghost Blade, and His Brother II (5)
I wasn’t angry or anything. Just dumbfounded. What were these idiots talking about?
They're the successors of the fine-bred household. They're all young.
'Young, my ass. They're all hyungs and noonas to me, okay?' I scoffed. They all had youthful faces, but that did not signify their real ages. The people who stood in my way looked to be in their early to mid-late 20s. In other words, they were youthful men and women who roughly had the appearance of college students. They looked like a bunch of kids who were still in the midst of learning to be a member of society, but were actually legal adults who could drink and smoke.
"Ha-seok, you shouldn't say that. What era do you think we are in for you to say that kind of thing?"
"I'm sorry, Teacher. I think I was too worked up given the situation."
"Yes, he was an outsider who lived in the surface world until not too long ago. Don't pressure him too much, especially when his degree of comprehension regarding his identity is still low."
The group of people who were discreetly talking amongst themselves were dressed and armed in the same manner. The figure-hugging outfit was made in a unique way in which the belt passed through the square loop and the blade handle was back-facing, so the end of the sheath of the blade was placed in a way that stretched forward and downward. It seemed to be made in such a way that it was not necessary to attach the blade on the waist, and they could use the belt to affix a saber on it. This guaranteed that there was no inconvenience when retrieving an arrow from the quiver hanging on the back.
'A bow and a sword, huh... Besides that, they have standardized attire and weapons... Are they some sort of special forces unit or something? They seem too unrestrained and disorderly for that though.'
The sole fact that they had standardized attire and weapons was considered a great strength. In particular, the strength of the unit would be maximized just by being proficient in the standardized abilities and combat methods. Although the versatility would drop in that circumstance, they weren't a party of adventurers exploring the dungeon to defeat the demon king, but a military unit that had not much need for versatility and individuality.
They're soldiers, huh, but they look like kids.
They're not just kids, they look more like newborns. They only have the guise of a soldier, but have neither the experience or determination of one.
One of the younglings who had no clue as to how they were being evaluated came forward. "Nice to meet you. I'm the Commander of the Little Cloud Brigade, Lee Seong-hwan."
"Ahh, yes,” I replied with a nod and walked past him.
"What the?!"
"Hey, t-that! That bastard!"
I could hear furious voices behind me, but I didn't really want to pay them any attention. I wasn’t purposefully ignoring or making fun of them, but I just found no value in spending time with them.
That's ignoring them.
Isn't that what humans commonly say when they ignore others?
I ignored the two artificial intelligences, but I couldn't ignore the hyungs and noonas who stood in my way again.
"Stop!"
"How dare you ignore us!"
"How fearsome..." I clicked my tongue and stared at the youthful people who stood in my way. The titles above their head started to materialize.
First Small Cloud Brigade
Level 5
Military Arts Expert, Lee Seong-hwan
His level was so-so. The bandage trio that previously attacked me was Level 6, so he was one level lower than them. Hence, there was no need to say anything more.
'Can they win?' I wondered. My current level was Level 5. In fact, I had the same combat power as one of them just based on levels alone. I could judge that if I faced off against dozens of these superpower users in the same class, I would have no chance of winning. However, I knew the fact that if a battle actually took place, the outcome would be completely different. My main body's combat power was only Level 5, but I actually defeated a Level 5 Shadow Wolf in one fell swoop when I was Level 1. Needless to say, I had no enormous talent or enlightenment, but it was simply just a matter of specs.
They're not at the level of winning, because you have Napoleon's Iron Heart inside you.
It was just as Ares said. My current Mana, Magical Power, Magic Resistance and Mana Regeneration was well over 700 points. Considering that 900 points was the line where one crossed over to the realm of the transcendents, I had an outrageous amount of Mana that went beyond a decent High-rank wizard. Moreover, the Mana I had was the soul energy that had an absolute superiority among the Mana types!
I could only use those powers in the form of Ability, but just by having a mighty spiritual energy, it would strengthen my other spiritual powers.
In fact, my Life Energy had gained transcendental recovery capabilities based on my soul energy alone. The evidence was that even if I unreservedly used the Qi of the Brilliant Heaven Seven Lights, which other same-level practitioners would use sparingly, I would be able to recover all of it just by replenishing my calories. Even if Life Energy was based on the body, it was the same in which spiritual abilities used Mana.
"Follow the instructions, newcomer! The Lee Family is currently standing on a critical turning point. We can't let outsiders, whom we don't know the background of, to move as they please during this critical time."
Baffled by Seong-hwan’s words, I questioned, "But that turning point was brought about by my hyung though. If it weren't for hyung, wouldn't the Lee Family have been ruined and devoured by China?"
"That arrogant!"
"Don't look down on our Lee Family! Even if the representatives of the Chinese were strong, the warriors of our Lee Family would have been able to win! Who would dare give the right to represent the Lee Family to someone whose background was unclear?" He exclaimed in a fit of rage, while some others even put their hands on the saber worn around their waists. It wasn't an exaggeration, but it seemed as if they were genuinely infuriated by the fact that Yeong-min-hyung represented the Lee Family.
"Did you say you would have won without hyung? Are you serious?" I let out a scoff without realizing it. I was simply too dumbfounded. "A ragtag band like you guys?"
"What did you say?!"
"That greenhorn brat!"
Chwaaaaang! Chwanggg! In the end, blades were drawn from all over the place. An intimidating bloodlust started to surge densely. However, was there any reason to be afraid of them? I was tortured by the violent demi-humans who saw humans as food, but I had managed to endure that as well.
"This is the last warning! You should obediently let us take you."
"You guys." I slightly warmed up my body. 'Whooooong', and my entire body was vibrating. "You've decided to sell out your country, haven't you?"
"Grab him!"
Piiing! Phwingggg! Piiiing! Phwiing! Four arrows flew towards my knees and shoulders almost at the same time. It was an outrageous rapid-fire that was almost as fast as a bullet! Taak taak taak thakkkk! All the arrows hit the mark.
I didn't avoid the attacks. No, I couldn’t. I recklessly went around when I killed the Shadow Wolf, but to be honest, my reflexes weren't that great. If I did not predict it, I would not be able to properly respond to the arrows, much less a bullet. Therefore, my reflexes weren’t any more outstanding than a regular person.
However, my reflexes didn’t matter. In the first place, Brilliant Heaven Seven Lights, the martial arts style of Howard's Duchy, hardened the body like steel and made it sturdier in a shorter period of time. It was not a martial arts style that could restore a sliced-up body, but was more similar to magic or a superpower. It was the kind of ability that had a different path and trained all the existing Life Energy.
The power of the Green from the Brilliant Heaven Seven Lights enveloped around my body. Thud thuckkk. The arrows that struck me feebly fell to the ground. Aside from my body being sturdy, the Green power that was used for defensive purposes converted all external energy into vibrations. That was why the arrowheads were not crushed or smashed, but simply fell to the floor with their sharp edges intact.
Just like what happened to the arrows just now, Green power did not just convert kinetic energy. If I became skilled in it, I could possibly change heat energy, electric energy, and even light energy into vibrations. Moreover, it was said that the practitioners of Brilliant Heaven Seven Lights who had reached the peak could even change the potential energy (though I couldn't possibly imagine how it would be yet) into vibrations. Their existence itself ignored physics and they could be said to be an incomprehensible existence.
Whooooong!
"He's a sturdy guy! Don't worry about it and just attack him! Just don't kill him!" Along with the scream, five or six blades struck me all over. Taak taak taak thakkkk! I could hear the sound that was akin to lightly flicking my skin with my fingers. The expressions of the Small Cloud Brigade members who swung their blades changed in a strange manner.
"…This feels weird."
"This… What is this? What is this feeling?! Damn it!!"
Taak taak taak thakkkk! Taak taak thakkkk! They violently struck me, but I didn’t have to resist. I simply defended my face with my arms, so I wouldn’t get stabbed in places like the eyes.
"What the hell is this? Commander-nim! Something's off!"
"Is this shock absorption? They said he's a Life Energy practitioner though."
"What nonsense are you talking about?! If he is not putting up any resistance, then just grab him!!"
Along with the impetuous order, the members of the Small Cloud Brigade pulled out the golden rope that was worn on the opposite side of the sword and threw it. I did not know whether it was a magic item or a special skill, but nearly a dozen strands of golden rope wrapped around my entire body. Starting with all my limbs, it was like a living creature.
"We got him!"
"Pull him down! You arrogant bastard! What?! You said we were selling out our country?! How dare an impudent brat who has nothing to do with the Lee Family...!" The members of the Small Cloud Brigade snarled, but I did not care. I just focused my mind and concentrated on the Brilliant Heaven Seven Lights. Perhaps because I still did not have enough hands-on experience yet, I did not have the leisure of replying to this and that.
Blue converted internal energy into vibration, while Red accumulated all the vibration in addition to externally inflicted vibrations. Then, the moment the vibration reached the climax… ‘Brilliant Heaven Seven Lights. Orange.’
Roarrr----!!!! Thunder rumbled without any light or lightning. The golden rope that was used to suppress and constrict my whole body lost its strength and fell to the floor.
"Keokkk!"
"Ughhh?!"
Along with a shrieking scream, all the members of the Small Cloud Brigade collapsed with droopy eyes. There weren't any fatalities. No matter how kid-like they appeared, they weren't weak enough to die from this kind of range Qi. Instead, they had an internal concussion and, perhaps because their skull was shaken due to the violent Aura, they drooled. They scattered all over the place.
"Phew." I looked at the terrible sight around me and took a light breath. I was nervous because it was my first time emitting vibrations throughout my whole body. It was fortunate that it seemed to go well, since I was the only one standing.
"You, you bastard... What is this…?"
"Ah! A traitorous leader is still a leader. It seems you didn't faint, huh."
"You..."
I laughed at the Commander of the Small Cloud Brigade, Seong-hwan, who was the only one who still got a hold of himself. Still, he looked like he was about to pass out at any given time.
To be honest, I did not care whether Seong-hwan sold out his country or not. The relationship between countries on Earth did not mean anything to me anyway. In other words, whether he betrayed his country or not, I did not criticize him for being a traitor because I thought such values were particularly vital. I chose to use such words because they were the most infuriating and provoking to him, so…
Swhhooook.
Humans would usually jump when they were stabbed.
"Why, are you still going to say you didn't?"
"..." Shadows rose from here and there. He was not a demon, since there was no reason for a demon to hide his face with a mask and lie in waiting.
"Wow~ It's a Chinese person."
Central Plains
Level 8
Swordsmanship Master, First Sword
Central Plains
Level 8
Swordsmanship Master, Second Sword
The swordsmen were named in the manner of First Sword, Second Sword, Third Sword… As many as eight swordsmen surrounded me on all sides and approached. It was a calm and composed situation that suggested absolutely no carelessness.
Whooooong! I awakened my soul energy. Then, I synchronized with it, my whole body convulsing along with the violent energy of Life Energy. Since I did not absorb external vibrations like I did before, I would consume an outrageous amount of calories as I exerted them with the highest output from my body. However, even so, I would at most lose one to two kilograms.
Whoooong! There was a red wave rising around my body. The power of Red accumulated the vibrations, and once the color was dyed in the sunset glow… Brilliant Heaven Seven Lights. Orange. Kwareukkkkkkk----!!!! A wave that was five or six times stronger than the vibration that was previously emitted gushed forth head-on. That was the full extent of my power that I could exert in an instant!
However, the enemy’s reaction was surprising. Chiiiiiiing! Along with a metallic sound that was reminiscent of a gong[1] being gently hit, a line was drawn in the air. The swordsman that was at the front warned in an ever so slightly low-pitched voice, "Vibration! This bastard uses the power of vibration, so be careful!"
"Yes!"
Swhhooook!! With a knife-like spirit, the encirclement, which had been loose, began to tighten up. Strong pressure was transmitted just by standing in a fixed position because they had practiced a particular battle formation.
"Wow," I let out a deep exclamation at that sight. As expected, I wasn't a match for them. They were a bunch of powerful people who were on a different dimension from the younglings I faced before this.
"All attacks are permitted in the premise that he is not killed."
Did they feel at odds because of my easygoing appearance? The Aura of the swordsmen became more intense. I would be in big trouble if I recklessly endured it any longer. "Target Designation, Yeong-min-hyung."
"Capture him!"
The swordsmen charged towards me with a formidable force! As I looked at the sight of them, I said, "Teleport."
1. ??? (kkwaenggwari) in Korean, and it is a round, brazen, Korean musical instrument, held in one hand and hit with a stick to make a sound. It looks similar to a gong.
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