The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

Chapter 264

[Adventure 33-(Special). ‘Back Then’

You have found yourself in a peculiar situation.

Through the powers of Mi Ah, a member of the Soul Eyes Tribe, you have been transported into the world of a drawing.

But this is all part of your plan.

You are now in an ancient past, before the mysterious Luminous Bell became a legend. Here, you have met a younger Mi Ah, knowing that she will eventually discover the Luminous Bell.

Your mission is to find the Luminous Bell in this world.

Objective: Find the Luminous Bell.

Caution. This Adventure is very dangerous.

Caution. This Adventure can change at a moment’s notice.

The word ‘spar’ was never mentioned in the Adventure. In fact, Hye Myeong’s name wasn’t mentioned, either.

In other words, sparring with Hye Myeong was not necessary to complete this Adventure.

Step…

Even so, Seol continued to walk toward Hye Myeong.

In fact, this was more important for him, personally, than the entire Adventure.

He had an opportunity to test how far he had come compared to Hye Myeong.

Although Seol recognized that the difference between Hye Myeong now and the Hye Myeong who challenged Ascension was the difference between heaven and earth, he was still the same individual.

‘I need to test it.’

Sensing Seol’s fighting spirit, Hye Myeong smiled as well.

“I can already tell I’m going to break a sweat. Mi Ah, could you back up a bit more?”

“Even more than this?”

“Yeah, you’ll need to get much farther away.”

“...Okay. Is it okay… if I draw it?”

“Hm…”

“Was that a yes? I want to draw!”

“...Sure.”

“Hehe…”

Normally, Hye Myeong disliked it when Mi Ah drew anything, aware of the dangers of her power.

His concerns were not unfounded either.

After all, Seol’s party arrived at the exact moment he caved to Mi Ah’s demands and allowed her to draw a picture.

“I knew it the moment I met you,” said Hye Myeong.

“What are you talking about?” asked Seol.

“You’re hiding your powers.”

“.......”

“Haha! At least you’re not denying it. You really are something special, huh? My opinion of the Artifact Association has changed because of you. I used to think you were just a bunch of antique-collecting weirdos, but it turns out, there are people like you.”

“Do we need this long conversation to spar?”

“Ah, you’re right. Mi Ah, give us the signal.”

“Okay, then…”

Inhale…

That wasn’t the sound of Hye Myeong inhaling the air.

It was the sound of him reabsorbing the energy he had released back into his body.

“Begin!” Mi Ah shouted.

Hye Myeong immediately went on the offensive with the signal.

“Let’s start off easy…”

Fwip!

[Hye Myeong used Afflictive Hindrances.]

[Whenever you use a skill, an afterimage is created, mimicking your movements. These afterimages can deal up to 10% of your damage.]

Woooosh…

In an instant, it looked as though Hye Myeong had split into multiple people.

[Hye Myeong used Samadhi.]

[You enter a deep state of concentration, releasing ki that deals fixed damage.]

Fuuuu…

Hye Myeong’s eyes then shone with a golden aura.

“Haah!”

Fwirl!

He immediately thrust his staff, aiming for Seol’s chest.

Fssssss…

Bam!

“Wha! I can’t believe it changed into a sword!”

Before Hye Myeong realized it, Agony had transformed into a sword and deflected his staff.

Fwirl…

Seol then entered the Night Crow form.

His aura expanded instantly, becoming utterly massive.

“...This might be a bit too much,” said Hye Myeong.

“You’re overreacting.”

“No, seriously.”

Baaaam!

Woosh…

As Seol swatted away Hye Myeong’s staff again, he stamped its end on the ground and unleashed a powerful kick with all his weight.

Baaaaaam!

Since Seol was also trained in hand-to-hand combat, he blocked the kick without using his sword.

“Not bad!”

Hye Myeong’s movements shifted.

[Hye Myeong used Link: Bell Ring.]

[Abnormal Status: Stunned is applied if the target blocks your attack.]

Hye Myeong was quite confident in this combination of his skills. Not only was the ki flowing out of him perfect for tricking his enemies, but even if they managed to block his attack, they would suffer a bigger penalty.

However…

Fwoooosh…

“You dodged that?”

Tricks like that were pointless before Seol’s Eyes of Foresight.

Baaaaaam…

“Krgh…”

Seol knocked Hye Myeong’s staff aside, sending him sprawling.

Fwoosh… fwoosh…

“Hye Myeong! Are you alright?” shouted Mi Ah.

“Mi Ah, haha… move a bit more back for me, would you?”

“Hye Myeong?”

“Now.”

[Hye Myeong used Four Noble Truths.]

[Store a portion of the damage you take for a set duration. If you are unable to deal the same amount of stored damage to your opponent, this effect will expire. If you succeed, take only 50% of the stored damage.]

Kieeeeeng!

Hye Myeong’s staff emitted an eerie sound.

“I bet you can’t block this.”

“......”

[Hye Myeong used Exceptional Skill: 108 Hindrances.]

[You command 108 doctrines, which together form a stream. Once you fire all 108 doctrines, you will temporarily enter the Prajñā state.]

This was the first Exceptional Skill Hye Myeong acquired.

In fact, it was a skill he created even before acquiring the Golden Divine Statue.

‘It’s a troublesome skill…’

It was a skill difficult to stop once it got going.

Even if Seol did stop it, Hye Myeong could still continuously use it throughout its duration, leaving Seol with no reason to try.

‘He paired it with Afflictive Hindrances. It’s exactly how I used to do it.’

The combination Hye Myeong just used was one Seol used to enjoy in the past. Now, on the receiving end, Seol felt its full ferocity.

‘Still… I’ll try to take it on.’

Seol could have easily overwhelmed Hye Myeong’s attacks by using Night Sea into Darklight, but he chose not to.

He had a reason for holding back: he wanted to learn everything he could about Hye Myeong.

Seol wanted to compare his current strength to his past achievements.

“This might be a bit tough, but… try your best to block it, hahaha!”

Whirl…

Fwoooooosh!

The ends of Hye Myeong’s staff began to glow as he spun it rapidly, making it appear as though the ends had ignited.

Whiiiiirl!

Baaaam!

Baaaaam!

As Hye Myeong continued to move, his doctrines began to flow out like a flood.

Baaam!

Baaaaam!

Seol did not forget to take care of the afterimages while also deflecting Hye Myeong’s doctrines.

Before long, even Hye Myeong’s afterimages were creating golden wheels with their staves.

‘...This was the annoying part.’

Hye Myeong continued to pressure Seol, not giving him a moment to breathe.

And with no other options, Seol also powered up.

Gloooooow!

[You have entered the 3rd Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Full Moon.]

Baaaam!

Bam!

Seol simply absorbed Hye Myeong’s attacks without deflecting them.

After all, Asura’s Sixth Sense allowed him to pinpoint the exact locations of any attacks that could actually pose a threat.

Bam, bam, bam!

Baaam!

Hye Myeong’s attacks continued to crackle like hot oil on a frying pan, but even amid his relentless assault, he couldn't help but be in awe of Seol’s skill as he effortlessly handled the onslaught.

“Hahaha! You’re incredible! Why…”

And just then, his 108 attacks ended.

However, at that exact moment, his body erupted in a golden light, his hair flowing wildly as if it were caught in a fierce wind.

This was the beginning of the true strength of Hye Myeong’s skill.

[Hye Myeong enters the Prajñā state.]

[All stats increase by 50%, and your domain is enhanced. The chances of an Awakening or a Flash are greatly increased.]

“Haaaaaaaaah!”

Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam!

His staff began dancing wildly.

Hye Myeong’s robes fluttered in the wind as his movements grew more frantic.

As a result, Seol could no longer afford to take the fight lightly.

[You have entered the 4th Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Blue Moon.]

[All stats increase by 20%. Elemental damage you deal to your target increase by 30%.]

Gloooooooow!

Seol’s sword swirled through the night air with a black and blue aura.

Bam, bam, bam!

Bam, bam!

Clang, clang!

Claaaang!

Sparks began to fly as the two engaged in a vicious battle back and forth.

“St-stop…” muttered Mi Ah instinctively.

As the fight began to grow fiercer, it woke up even Chi Woo and Seol Hong.

“Wh-what are they doing…”

“Is this…”

Clang, claaaang!

Claaaaaaang!

As their two weapons clashed, it almost felt as if the entire world around them was fading. The two moved expertly, almost as if they were dancing with each other.

“Hahahahahaha!” guffawed Hye Myeong, his attacks becoming even more fiercer.

But then… his movement was slightly too big.

Seol caught that opening perfectly, throwing a punch to his ribs.

[Awakening! Hye Myeong’s stage increases.]

Fwooosh!

Seol’s fist failed to take advantage of that opening.

‘Damn it, Prajñā!’

[Flash! Your next move is enhanced.]

Fwoooooosh!

An intense golden light gathered in Hye Myeong’s palms, then quickly flew toward Seol, reminiscent of Buddha’s hands.

Craaaaaackle!

Seol gathered blue energy and black waves into his fist, attempting to deflect Hye Myeong’s palm strike.

And then… the two collided.

Crackle…

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

“Krgh…”

“Bwargh!”

The explosion sent both of them flying, and with that, their sparring match ended, leaving a massive scar on the plateau.

“H-Have you lost your mind?!”

“You must be insane!”

Mi Ah darted to Hye Myeong, as Chi Woo and Seol Hong did Seol.

Stand!

Fwip!

However, it seemed as if their worries were for nothing. The two quickly stood up as if nothing had happened.

“Haah… Haah… Haaaaah… Man… Haah…”

Hye Myeong laughed as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Fuu… Fuuu…”

However, Seol had also expected that response from him.

Hye Myeong had never once met an opponent who could actually test him.

Although some enemies had been troublesome, he never had to fight this hard before. Thanks to Hye Myeong’s monstrous growth, he had been able to defeat any opponent with just a bit of time.

“What… What the hell are you?”

Seol was undoubtedly different from the enemies that Hye Myeong had fought so far.

Even though Seol couldn’t use all of his strength, Hye Myeong must have been completely astonished by the abilities he demonstrated with Karuna.

“You’re hiding more, aren’t you? Fuu… I feel like I’m going to throw up… Bwrgh… L-Let’s fight again later.”

Hye Myeong quickly covered his mouth and ran off.

With that, their sparring match came to an end.

* * *

“I won, right?” said Hye Myeong.

“It wasn’t me who threw up.”

“You must’ve done something to the food. No wonder my stomach was…”

“If we ate your rotten corn porridge, we would’ve thrown up way before the fight.”

“...You’re right, I’ll admit it.”

- LOOOOL You’re the loser if you threw up, Hye Myeong~

- Back in my days, it was whoever nose bled first.

- The winner in a battle between experts is decided by who throws up first.

- I don’t want to be an expert then…

- It’s alright. You won’t ever become an expert if you do nothing at home all day.

- Phew! That’s a relief!

Hye Myeong's face had turned pale by the time he returned, having thrown up.

“Haah… Man… How does this make any sense?”

Chi Woo then appeared to mock him.

“So, Hye Myeong, you lost?”

“...I didn’t lose, though.”

“Mhm… Sure. That seems right.”

It seemed that Chi Woo had an exceptional talent for annoying people.

“Did you beat him, then?” asked Hye Myeong.

“Me?”

Chi Woo stole a glance at Seol.

“I… have infinite potential.”

“What the hell are you saying?”

“I haven’t fought him yet.”

“Then fight him right now.”

“No! Do you think I’d be satisfied beating Kang Seol right now? He’s clearly tired. I can’t fight him under such unfair conditions. Seol Hong, you agree, right?”

“...Yeah.”

Still, it seemed like Seol Hong was on Chi Woo’s side.

For the first time in a long time, Seol felt relieved.

His expectations for his 10 strongest pieces were already high, but they skyrocketed after encountering Finn Modria’s copy.

He had only managed to defeat it by sacrificing an arm and Toki’s soul.

‘...I’m going the right way.’

Although Seol knew he would struggle against Hye Myeong once he received the Awakening from the Golden Divine Statue, he also recognized that Hye Myeong was much further along in his journey. Seol was confident he could reach that level as well.

He was doing well.

He wasn’t wrong.

Having this moment to return to the past and confirm this with Hye Myeong was a tremendous help to Seol.

In fact, it might even be more valuable to him than the Luminous Bell.

“Kang Seol,” called Hye Myeong.

“Yes?”

“I felt something while sparring with you, and…” Hye Myeong scratched his head, unsure how to put it into words. “What is that inside of you?”

“...Inside of me?”

“Yes, it was black and heavy… it kind of felt like you were stuffed with something.”

“Ah.”

The void.

Hye Myeong was likely referring to the void.

Still, Seol was shocked that Hye Myeong could sense that; Seol couldn’t get a sense of Hye Myeong’s powers at all.

“Is it fine to leave it alone like that?”

“...What?”

Bathump…

Bathump…

Seol then looked down at his chest.

“It’s still beating, right?”

Thump… Thump…

Crackle…

“Urgh…”

A piercing ringing filled Seol's head as he heard someone’s voice.

- …Open the door, Seol.

Thud…

Thud…