Chapter 139
Yeah.
There was no way Delilah’s trials would stay smooth.
The start of Stage 2 at last.
Compared to Stage 1, it was hell.
“Fuck!”
Someone shouted.
And then—
“It’s raining arrows instead of spheres!”
“This is going to hurt a lot if it hits, isn’t it?! Damn it—at this rate, even if you want to slack off and get eliminated, you can’t!”
“Vladimir! Is that really the time to say that?!”
The team started screaming.
Swoosh! Swoosh-swoosh!
Arrows.
Fired from the wall devices, they narrowly grazed the team members.
The ease vanished from their faces.
“Aaah! Aaaargh!”
“Goddamn it! Is this Aranvalon’s soldiers, round two?!”
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Of course, the speed and power weren’t on the level of the bolts those soldiers fired.
But these arrows meant something else.
Back then, you could block them, and the angles were consistent.
Now, you had to dodge, and the angles varied wildly.
“Hey, Team leader! Do something! Training or not, at this rate we’re all getting eliminated soon!”
“Mm.”
I frowned.
Swoosh!
I twisted my waist, and an arrow sliced through the gap.
A brutal speed.
‘Damn it.’
Twenty-four hours had passed.
If we were meant to be trained—
then only one thing came to mind.
‘Elder.’
[Skill, ‘Legacy of the Ten Thousand Arts’ (S-rank) activated.]
[20 Energy consumed.]
[‘Master of Ten Thousand Arts’ has appeared.]
I had to admit it.
I relied on the Elder a lot.
“Hmph.”
A white-haired Elder appeared in midair.
– You brat… you only ever call me in emergencies. What is it this time?
‘Sorry, Elder. But what can I do when every day is an emergency?’
I ran the Supreme Azure Mind Method and spread my energy.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The arrows were fast enough that tracking them purely by sight was tricky. Borrowing the power of energy made dodging tighter and cleaner.
‘Besides, isn’t this exactly the kind of situation you like? It’s a situation where my Ten Thousand Arts can grow.’
Honestly, lately—
I hadn’t been receiving massages or lessons in Ten Thousand Arts.
Normally, he would’ve grumbled nonstop.
But the Elder didn’t say much.
If anything, he seemed pleased.
He must’ve judged that this situation was far more helpful than the training he’d been doing.
– Tsk. Let’s see.
Watching my movements, the Elder calmly crossed his arms.
– At a glance… it looks like each person is dealing with different arrow momentum.
As expected.
Was that what absolute perception looked like?
The moment he appeared, he grasped the dungeon’s core.
– About fifty percent of each person’s limit, and it keeps getting faster. The moment you dodge one, a higher-level arrow comes next.
‘Fifty percent of my limit? This?’
I frowned.
I didn’t say it out loud, but my body was already frantic.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
I was moving nonstop just to keep up with the arrows cutting through the air.
And this was only fifty percent?
– Yes.
The Elder nodded.
– Don’t underestimate human potential. Especially you. Your potential is higher than the others. That’s thanks to Ten Thousand Arts training. Naturally.
‘That sounds like good news, but it’s not good news.’
I muttered inwardly.
Because potential or not—
this was already exhausting.
– First, this is perfect.
‘Pardon?’
– Perfect. I had footwork I was going to pass on to you, and now you’ve got the ideal environment.
‘Pardooon?’
In this situation?
Training again?
‘Elder, this is real combat.’
Swoosh! Swoosh!
If an arrow even brushed your collar, you were eliminated.
This wasn’t a situation suited for “fail and adapt” training.
– Ten Thousand Arts does not draw a line between training and combat. That is why it is Ten Thousand Arts, and why it is the strongest.
‘Is… is that so?’
– The technique I will pass on this time is called Unrivaled Supreme Footwork. A footwork style I created—one with no equal under heaven.
‘What kind of name is that?’
Just like the Supreme Azure Mind Method—
this too felt like…a pile of impressive words slapped together.
– Hmph. Why does the name matter? Whether it’s third-rate footwork or second-rate footwork, if it reaches the extreme, it becomes the same. Names are just decoration.
‘Ah, yes. Sure…’
Fine.
– Now.
The Elder moved into my field of view.
– From this moment on, copy what I do. Slowly.
Step.
He placed his foot.
To me, it looked a bit clumsy.
‘Really?’
– Hmph. You insolent brat. Do you have so little faith in your teacher?
‘Y-yes, sir.’
I was confused, but I did as told.
Either way, the Elder was using me to resolve his own regrets.
If this benefited me, it was only a gain. It wouldn’t become a loss.
– Good. Keep following. You must dodge using only this step. Later, it will become the foundation for turning in any direction you want with maximum efficiency.
‘Understood.’
I moved as the Elder did.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Dodging was harder than before.
But I had to focus.
For me, a mistake meant elimination.
And elimination was no different from death.
“Team leader?”
The team members all turned toward me.
Some looked confused, others desperate.
“Hoon? Are you okay?”
“What are you doing? We’re dodging somehow, but if you go down first, we’re all going to panic! You know that, right?”
“I know.”
I answered quickly.
“We don’t have time, so handle it however you can! If you’ve got the spare capacity, try copying my steps!”
“Those steps…?”
“Yes. I won’t force it! Only do it if you can!”
“……”
They all looked like I’d lost my mind.
Fair enough.
Even I wasn’t sure this was right.
‘So.’
I gave them a choice.
Learn if you want. Don’t if you don’t.
Ten Thousand Arts is passed to one person in full, but—
this was just one art out of ten thousand.
Even if someone learned it, it was only one ten-thousandth.
And learning one thing wouldn’t make them master everything.
‘Also.’
No matter what you learn, if you reach the extreme, it becomes the same. That was the essence of Ten Thousand Arts.
What mattered wasn’t the technique.
It was the learner—and the teacher.
That was why the Elder had desperately searched for a genius.
Taat! Tat!
The Elder stepped through the footwork and nodded.
– Your comrades are good people. If you teach them, teach them sincerely. Living has taught me this: you cannot be happy by hoarding everything alone. You receive help and you give help. That is life. You cannot give them everything, but you can afford this much flexibility.
‘Yes, Elder.’
I nodded.
‘Only for those who keep up.’
Because this—
without real trust, no one would ever follow something that looked this ridiculous.
“…Hm.”
The team narrowed their eyes.
“It looks weird as hell, but…”
“If Hoon says to do it, we do it.”
“I don’t know! If I get eliminated doing this, don’t blame me, Team leader!”
And then, one by one—
they started copying my movements.
One step. Two steps.
They tried to follow, even a little, while dodging the arrows.
“…?”
I didn’t expect that.
They were actually following?
If so, they were qualified.
Just like me—
they were the kind of people who would do anything to get stronger.
“Haa… haa!”
And so the strange performance of seven began.
Swoosh! Sliiice!
As the rain of arrows grew faster,
our breathing grew rougher.
“Haa… huff!”
We followed the movements the Elder led.
– The stronger you become, the more important movement is. Even a single step must always be ready for an ambush, and you must hold a posture that can launch an attack from anywhere at any time.
The Elder’s stances were ten in total.
Eight directions.
And up and down.
The most efficient posture to move from your current position into that direction.
– Watch.
The Elder walked.
Everything he’d taught so far fused into one.
– Once you have the fundamentals, you can, with minimal movement and efficient use of force, evade attacks from all directions.
Step.
He continued walking.
And that footwork was not ridiculous at all.
It was ordinary.
Ordinary and natural.
But the result was anything but ordinary.
‘Ha.’
A movement that forced admiration.
He slipped through the rain of arrows with unbelievable ease.
Even the arrows fired at me and the others—he simply walked past them.
– From now on, you will learn this step until you surpass your limit.
Thump.
My heart pounded.
A shiver ran through me.
Yeah.
Elder!
You should’ve shown me this from the start!
They say style matters.
If I wanted to be strong, maybe looking strong mattered too.
Because my passion was burning even hotter now.
—
[Ding!]
[Skill, ‘Unrivaled Supreme Footwork’ (C-rank) acquired.]
[This skill has room to grow.]
“…Huff! Huff!”
About three hours passed.
My entire body was soaked in sweat.
My muscles were screaming.
The Elder had disappeared two hours ago.
I moved while recalling his afterimage.
“Huff, Team leader…?”
“Hoon? What is this? Unrivaled Footwork? I just copied your movement, and this popped up!”
“Mine just says Supreme Footwork… huff… huff!”
“I only got Footwork. Still, it pairs perfectly with my Supreme Fragrant Sword.”
One. Two.
The team members started gaining skills too.
The odd thing was that none of them had the full name I did. Each had something missing.
Was the system distinguishing the difference between me—who saw the Elder’s form directly—
and the others—who followed my rough imitation?
I didn’t know.
The Elder didn’t know either.
Only the system would know.
“Keep going! It’s only C-rank!”
I shouted.
“Until your body hits the point where you can’t move anymore. Don’t stop until you reach what you think is your limit!”
This was still Stage 2.
I didn’t know how many stages this trial had—
but I was certain it didn’t end at Stage 2.
Because—
‘It’s starting to feel easier.’
The footwork the Elder taught was incredible.
Even though the arrows were getting faster, moving became easier.
I could dodge without forcing my body.
So I couldn’t drop out yet.
“Of course, if it’s too much, you can quit first. I’ll endure anyway.”
At my mutter, Vladimir snorted.
“Hah. As if. This is a team game in name only. It’s basically a solo run, right?”
That was right.
This wasn’t a team match.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t even a solo match—it was just training.
But if there was an opponent—
it was the version of yourself that wanted to give up.
“Huff… huff!”
Olena breathed raggedly.
“Yes! If we give up, it won’t be now! Huff…!”
Yeah.
This was a fight against ourselves.
“Right! Everyone, keep it up! Let’s endure together to the end—fuck! It’s not like it’s worse than dying!”
“That’s right! Think about the fight with the dragon. Compared to that, this is manageable, isn’t it? Haa… huff! Even if it feels like my heart’s about to burst…!”
The team members shouted encouragement.
I smiled.
‘Yeah.’
A march is easier with company than alone.
Just walking together becomes comfort.
That’s what comrades are. That’s what brothers-in-arms are.
Their presence was clearly a positive effect.
Normally, I would’ve been worn down by now, but somehow I had more strength.
And so we kept moving.
[Ding!]
[Skill, ‘Unrivaled Supreme Footwork’ (C-rank) has been upgraded.]
[Skill, ‘Unrivaled Supreme Footwork’ (B-rank) acquired.]
[This skill has room to grow.]
“Huff… huff!”
When ten hours passed, our skill reached B-rank.
[Ding!]
[Skill, ‘Unrivaled Supreme Footwork’ (B-rank) has been upgraded.]
[Skill, ‘Unrivaled Supreme Footwork’ (A-rank) acquired.]
[This skill has room to grow.]
When a full day passed—
“Huff… huff!”
As the skill grew to A-rank—
[24 hours have passed.]
[Transitioning to Stage 3.]
Finally.
The rain of arrows stopped.