WHOOSH!
Even though a single misstep could send him plummeting into a thousand-fathom drop below, Shin-hyeok’s steps held no hesitation.
The environment did not allow him to use proper footwork techniques, but his steps were as light as could be.
Reaching Elder Cheok, Shin-hyeok thrust his sword forward.
He did not have the slightest thought that Elder Cheok would be in danger.
Even if Shin-hyeok thrust with all his strength, he was not confident he could leave even a scratch on Elder Cheok’s skin.
At Shin-hyeok’s full-power thrust, Elder Cheok smiled faintly and extended a hand.
It was slow, yet fast; simple, yet profound.
If things continued like this, Shin-hyeok risked losing his sword at the very beginning. But without changing his expression, he displayed his technique.
“Twisting Thrust.”
“……!”
Choi Shin-hyeok Style, First Form—Twisting Thrust.
Like a snake moving off-beat, the thrust slipped past Elder Cheok’s hand and slyly drove toward his heart.
Elder Cheok showed a faint hint of surprise at the attack that flowed past his hand like water and flew toward his heart.
CHANG!
Of course, that did not mean it had succeeded.
The palm that had somehow smoothly turned back blocked the sword tip precisely.
It was a contest between a Unique+ Grade sword made with Unique Grade material as its main component and Rare Grade material added to it, and a body made of flesh.
Anyone would have expected the former to win.
But, surprisingly, the result was the complete opposite.
“Cough!”
Shin-hyeok, whose sword had collided with Elder Cheok’s palm, suffered a severe internal injury.
It was an internal injury caused by the rebounding force of Elder Cheok’s incredibly sturdy body.
In contrast, not even a hairline wound remained on Elder Cheok’s palm.
More precisely, there had been injuries even smaller than that, but they had disappeared before one could even blink.
At that, Shin-hyeok retreated a short distance and recovered from his internal injury.
In the brief instant that he did so—
“This time, I shall have a go.”
“……!”
Elder Cheok, who had just received Shin-hyeok’s attack, approached with a smooth movement like drifting clouds.
The moment Shin-hyeok realized it, Elder Cheok was already beside him. Shin-hyeok gritted his teeth and launched a palm strike.
Naturally, Shin-hyeok remembered what had just happened, so he did not directly collide with Elder Cheok’s body.
Using his Mana, Shin-hyeok struck the empty air and pushed Elder Cheok away.
Elder Cheok was pushed back only a tiny distance, but that earned Shin-hyeok a moment of time. As he watched Elder Cheok’s hand fly toward him, Shin-hyeok held his sword at an angle.
“Blade-Spine Hook.”
KRAK!
Choi Shin-hyeok Style, Third Form—Blade-Spine Hook.
It was a technique that used the spine of the blade to guide an incoming attack away at an angle.
There was a sound and impact that were impossible to believe had come from colliding with a hand, but Shin-hyeok endured it.
First, he had already experienced it once and could prepare for it.
Second, Blade-Spine Hook had diverted as much of the impact as possible.
But it was impossible for there to be no impact at all, so Shin-hyeok staggered backward and widened the distance between himself and Elder Cheok.
“Are you trying to run? But this place is not so wide. How long can you keep running—”
SWISH!
Elder Cheok, who had been closely pursuing Shin-hyeok, flinched at Shin-hyeok’s sword flying toward him.
Elder Cheok was the Martial God.
Naturally, as a martial artist, he could not help flinching when Shin-hyeok sent his weapon flying without hesitation.
That was why he responded one beat late to Choi Shin-hyeok Style, Seventh Form—Weapon Throw.
THUNK!
The sword struck the back of Elder Cheok’s hand, bounced away, and rolled across the ground.
Any other player would have been horrified, but Shin-hyeok did not give the sword rolling on the ground even a glance. He immediately took a bow and arrows from his Inventory.
That was not the end.
“Undine, Kasa, Sylph, Gnome.”
The four low-grade spirits appeared at Shin-hyeok’s call.
They infused their power into Shin-hyeok’s bow and arrows.
With the spirits’ help, the Normal Grade bow and arrows temporarily gained power comparable to Rare Grade equipment.
Shin-hyeok’s archery, empowered in that way, targeted Elder Cheok precisely.
FWEET! FWEET! FWEET! FWEET! FWEET!
Firing more than ten arrows in an instant, Shin-hyeok’s archery was more than worthy of being called divine.
Choi Shin-hyeok Style, Fourth Form—Rapid Fire.
That was especially true because every arrow targeted only Elder Cheok’s vital points.
The joints of his legs and arms.
His glabella and philtrum.
His chest and abdomen.
Even his groin.
It was enough to leave Elder Cheok dumbfounded as he watched arrows fly toward his groin.
But apart from that, Elder Cheok’s defense was perfect.
THUDTHUDTHUDTHUD!
As though he were the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara, Elder Cheok’s hands seemed to multiply in an instant and caught every arrow flying toward him.
It was a divine hand technique that went beyond defense, turning the attacks themselves into nothing.
Though his attacks had come to nothing, Shin-hyeok’s eyes still burned fiercely with fighting spirit.
At that, Elder Cheok let out a hearty laugh that did not suit his appearance.
“Ha ha! Come! I shall receive all of your full strength!”
It was the heart of a senior facing the sincerity of a far younger junior.
As though answering Elder Cheok’s shout, Shin-hyeok took suitable weapons from his Inventory and charged.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Weapon Throws flew at a speed too fast to see.
Swords, spears, axes, daggers, and more.
A wide variety of weapons flew through the air toward Elder Cheok, while Elder Cheok knocked them aside with hands that were either soft or unyielding.
During that time, Shin-hyeok vanished.
Behind me!
Elder Cheok had lowered his level to meet Shin-hyeok, but the Martial God’s instincts had not gone anywhere.
He felt Shin-hyeok preparing a cold attack behind him. Elder Cheok lightly turned to prepare for it.
Then he saw Shin-hyeok clenching his fist.
A fist?
At the same time—
THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!
Choi Shin-hyeok Style, Sixth Form—Soul Thrust unfolded.
Soul Thrust unleashed with a fist.
It contained the principles of Force Emission and Fist Wind.
Fist Wind ensured that Shin-hyeok did not strike directly, while Force Emission was used to shake not Elder Cheok’s sturdy exterior, but his interior.
Since the attack was unleashed from extremely close range, even Elder Cheok could not block every strike this time.
After allowing several hits, Elder Cheok grinned.
“It is heavy. Are you not being too harsh on this old man?”
“You were the one who said you would receive my full strength, Elder Cheok.”
“Ahem, but…… If this is the end, it is rather disappointing…….”
“I expected that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Be careful. Since you have lowered your body to my level out of consideration for me, it might hurt a little.”
“……Kahaha! Good! Very good! Come!”
Elder Cheok was greatly pleased that Shin-hyeok had not only noticed he was adjusting himself to Shin-hyeok’s level, but had even warned that it might hurt in that state.
He returned to his original stance.
One hand behind his back, the other extended as he waited for Shin-hyeok’s attack.
At that, Shin-hyeok made the Mana throughout his body run wild.
RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE!
“Hoho!”
Elder Cheok immediately realized what Shin-hyeok was trying to do and exclaimed in admiration.
Despite the Martial God’s admiration, Shin-hyeok did not care and brought out his final move.
“……Overlord.”
Choi Shin-hyeok Style, Tenth Form—Overlord.
It was a secret art that caused the Mana throughout the body to run wild, temporarily pushing the body beyond its natural limits.
But if one made even a slight mistake, the Mana pathways could twist or shatter completely, so it was not something just anyone could do.
And in his previous life, Shin-hyeok had been a player who handled this technique better than anyone.
“……I am coming.”
All preparations were complete.
His body, which had only barely reached Gold Tier level, instantly rose to Platinum Tier level.
And the final move Shin-hyeok would display in that state was—
“Heaven-Shattering, World-Destroying Style—Heaven-Annihilating Roc Fist.”
The Martial God Elder Cheok’s martial art.
Heaven-Annihilating Roc Fist of Heaven-Shattering, World-Destroying Style.
Heaven-Annihilating Roc Fist had appeared while clearing the waves as well, but the one Shin-hyeok showed now was completely different from then.
His greatly enhanced physical ability.
Mana boiling like lava.
The Heaven-Annihilating Roc Fist created from those was more than enough to be called wholly different from before.
“……It is truly beautiful. Then I cannot remain idle either.”
It was like showing off wrinkles before a caterpillar, using the technique before Elder Cheok, its original source.
But Elder Cheok was satisfied instead.
And Elder Cheok’s satisfaction soon took form.
Formless flying blades created by mixing and compressing air and Mana.
Holding those in his hands, Elder Cheok smiled and spoke.
“Heaven-Shattering, World-Destroying Style.”
“……!!!”
Heaven-Shattering, World-Destroying Style directly displayed by the being called its originator and original creator.
Shin-hyeok had already seen it once in the past.
The Heaven-Shattering, World-Destroying Style he had witnessed then was Heaven-Annihilating Roc Fist, the First Form, First Section.
And the Heaven-Shattering, World-Destroying Style he would see now was absolutely not Heaven-Annihilating Roc Fist.
Just as one sky could not tolerate two suns, only one roc had risen.
But like the god who had shot down the sun, Elder Cheok aimed his formless flying blades at the roc that annihilated the heavens.
When Elder Cheok saw the roc fly toward him, he spoke.
“Heaven-Annihilating Ultimate Thunder Flying Blades.”
“……!!!”
PING!
Though dozens of formless flying blades were fired, only a single sound of air being torn apart was heard.
It was an attack of unbelievable precision and speed.
Those were flying blades containing the mightiest thunder that annihilated the heavens.
Heaven-Annihilating Ultimate Thunder Flying Blades.
-……!!!
As he watched the massive roc that could annihilate the heavens get struck by dozens of formless flying blades and fall with a sorrowful cry, Shin-hyeok lost consciousness from the backlash of Overlord.
[You have acquired Skill: Heaven-Shattering, World-Destroying Style [B].]
[Skill: Fist Arts [E] has been absorbed into Heaven-Shattering, World-Destroying Style [B].]
The message window Shin-hyeok saw just before losing consciousness was more than enough to make him smile.
“You are not yet worthy of becoming my disciple, so it would be better for you to become a temporary disciple. I shall give you one more gift suitable for that.”
[You have acquired Title: Disciple of the Martial God (Temporary).]
[You have acquired Skill: Great Ultimate Divine Art [D].]
Elder Cheok’s gifts, as generous as a grandmother’s holiday table, were an added bonus.