Chapter 78: Fight, You Can Win (3)
In my past life, I encountered the Black Bear Demon Beast.
It was after about 10 days of wandering through the cave.
I had already morized all of the Sacheondang Family's secret records, so I was certain Dark Spirit Sand existed there—but actually finding the stone wall where the Black Bear Demon Beast dwelt inside the cave had taken far too long.
The food I'd brought had run out, and there were no poisonous herbs left to chew.
I'd had to catch dead black bears and gnaw on raw at.
The place I finally discovered after all that struggle.
-Here it is.
When I scraped away the old moss, I found the stone wall.
-Honestly…… I'm not confident.
My level at the ti was that of a peak master.
However, since I was walking the path of a Poison Demon, I had nearly reached transcendent peak—yet the Black Bear Demon Beast was at minimum beyond transcendent peak.
Even by conservative estimate, it would be at the extre of transcendent peak.
Even with the stone wall between us, considerable energy radiated from beyond the wall.
I carefully set each stone from the wall down on the ground, one by one.
There had already been considerable commotion from my fights with the black bears, yet the Black Bear Demon Beast had not appeared.
I knew it wouldn't stir at ordinary noise, but I had no desire to waste my internal energy breaking through the stone wall.
-I need to save my strength for dealing with that thing.
Once the stones were removed, a heavy, stale stench hit my nose—whoosh.
The inside of the cave was relatively bright.
Faint light was leaking from the Dark Spirit Sand the beast lay upon.
……Gulp.
I swallowed hard.
The beast was truly enormous.
It was as if a whole great hall had co alive and was breathing.
Gold Sulfur Crystals lay scattered carelessly near its head.
I suppressed my presence to the utmost and crept toward it.
Clink.
The sound of a small pebble rolling under my foot rang out like thunder.
Flinch.
The Black Bear Demon Beast shifted its body.
Watching intently, its ears—as though in deep sleep—did not move.
My heart pounded.
Creeping a little closer, I could see its enormous body rising and falling quietly with each breath.
I slowly stretched out my hand, picked up 4 Gold Sulfur Crystals, and put them in my sack. It was easier since they were already loose and rolling about.
The problem was the Dark Spirit Sand.
I had to get close to the beast—right beside it.
I approached as near as I could, grabbed a fistful of Dark Spirit Sand, and put it in the sack.
Flinch.
The beast's massive body stirred.
"……!"
I stepped back swiftly—yet quietly.
This was trouble.
As the beast shifted, the Dark Spirit Sand had ended up beneath its body.
If I went further inside, I could gather more Dark Spirit Sand—but then my escape route might be cut off.
I hesitated briefly, then decided to go deeper.
Like a cat, each step was as quiet as a cat treading on thin ice.
Swish.
I swept the Dark Spirit Sand into the sack.
The sack was heavy.
This would be enough.
I had secured more than enough to fail once or twice at making Divine Immortal Waste and still have so left over.
I drew a short breath, and the mont I turned my body—
Rrrumble.
Right before my eyes, the Black Bear Demon Beast had its mouth wide open.
-Damn it!
I launched myself imdiately.
Thud—!
With a sound like a massive castle gate slamming shut, the beast's jaws snapped closed exactly where I had been.
I carried the sack on my back and drove my movent art to its peak.
The remaining internal energy—all of it had been saved for this mont.
Crash-crash-crash-crash!
Its front paw ca crashing down on the spot I had just passed through.
Was it heaven's fortune?
As long as the beast had been sleeping, its body and nerves had not fully awakened.
Taking advantage of the slight difference in its reaction speed, I shattered the stone wall with Soul-Crushing Drum and fled.
Crash-crash-crash-crash-crash!
Imdiately the entire stone wall shattered and the Black Bear Demon Beast ca after .
Kraaaaaah!
With a roar, the beast hurled itself forward.
Whoooosh—! Craaaack!
The beast's claws grazed my spine.
Blood sprayed and my back burned as if set on fire.
I poured out my internal energy and scattered poison energy.
In the instant the beast's attack faltered—
I threw my body into a narrow cave passage.
I rolled once, and without looking back, I ran.
Crash-crack-crack!
The beast's front paw tore through the passage, ripping it apart as it reached in.
After running a long while, I stopped and turned around.
Rrrrrrrr—!
The red eyes of the Black Bear Demon Beast glinted from the broken entrance.
"……."
I said nothing, and turned my body around again.
The wound on my spine was deep; the blood loss made my head swim.
I vowed inwardly.
I will never return to this place.
* * *
[Present Life—29th floor]
Rrrumble!
With a single breath from the Black Bear Demon Beast, the heavens and earth shrieked in terror.
Park Seon-su faced the Black Bear Demon Beast.
Consud by fear, he could only clatter his teeth together.
I vanished behind him and left a single remark.
"If you just stand there, you'll die imdiately."
"You son of a—!"
But he couldn't finish his words.
The Black Bear Demon Beast's front paw ca smashing down toward him, and Park Seon-su squeezed out every ounce of strength in his body to barely dodge.
Crash-crash-crash!
The ground exploded apart, and Park Seon-su rolled to avoid it—but his will to fight was already gone.
"Hieeek!"
He scrambled away on all fours to escape the black shadow of the Black Bear Demon Beast's front paw descending upon him once more.
Crash!
"You're doing great! Keep it up."
I sent what barely passed for encouragent.
Park Seon-su had already lost his great blade and was focused entirely on fleeing.
Crash!
The cave's rock walls cracked apart with a trendous noise.
A single blow shattered the stone, and even the ceiling shook.
The cave was wide, but the mont the impossibly massive Black Bear Demon Beast appeared, it beca a cramped courtyard.
Park Seon-su had managed to dodge by so miracle, but there was nowhere left to run.
"This can't be……."
His eyes were frozen in shock and terror.
With his back against the cave wall in a corner, he scread at the Black Bear Demon Beast slowly advancing on him.
"Don't co…… Don't co!"
Thud.Thud!
The Black Bear Demon Beast slowly advanced on Park Seon-su.
On the beast's back, the many swords and spears driven in by past masters rattled, rusted, as they swayed.
A dead end.
Park Seon-su stared at the Black Bear Demon Beast now directly before his eyes.
Slump.Thud.
He simply collapsed on the spot, and the black bear's front paw ca stamping down on top of him.
Crash-crash-crash.
The place where Park Seon-su had been was pulverized to dust.
【Kim Tae-yang's body trembles with exhilaration. 10,000,000 Happiness】
Rrrumble.
The enormous front paw, drenched in blood, lifted with a ripping teeear.
The Black Bear Demon Beast's body slowly turned toward .
"Now it's my turn."
I stepped forward.
In my left hand were Storm Pear Blossom Needles; in my right, the White Tiger Sword.
I had deliberately brought the White Tiger Sword knowing a long blade would be needed to deal with the black bears on 28th floor—but.
"This won't be enough either."
Even the long blade of the White Tiger Sword was nothing but a child's toy against that monstrous fra.
Shhhing.
I resheathed the White Tiger Sword.
Instead, I drew the Iron Instrunt God's Throwing Blade.
My judgnt was that the Iron Instrunt God's Throwing Blade—through which I could pour out Heavenly Poison Blood Divine Art without limit—would serve better.
Any ordinary sword would lt from the poison energy, or shatter unable to bear the force.
The Black Bear Demon Beast was beyond transcendent peak.
Considering the power and size it possessed, it was safe to call it at the extre of transcendent peak.
What was sowhat favorable was that the beast had not cultivated martial arts in a systematic manner, being a beast—and that it could not use sorcery, having strayed from the path of a Seon-in.
I was not currently at the extre of transcendent peak, but considering those circumstances, it was well worth trying.
"Last ti I ran away from it."
Along the ridians inside my body, thick poison energy began to rise.
"……But not this ti."
I spread Heavenly Poison Blood Divine Art.
The poison energy that had once consud the Dark Moon Pavilion Master Myo Dan-u spread low like a floor.
The poison energy said to lt flesh and burn souls crept and slithered toward the beast.
Thud—!
The beast lightly struck down with its front paw.
My poison energy was scattered like dust by the energy wave and the wind pressure.
"Sothing like this is laughable to it, is it?"
As if I expected as much, I pulled glass bottles from inside my robe and threw them in all directions.
Clink—clink!
Green poisons spread outward.
‘Like it?’
‘Poisons I prepared just for you.’
‘In my past life, this was how I started against powerful opponents.’
‘Drawing them into my domain.’
I gripped the throwing blade in my right hand in a reverse grip and took a ready stance.
"Black Bear Demon Beast……. Let's settle this today."
Rrrumble.
The beast let out a low growl.
In that growl, rather than madness…… there was sothing weighty and mixed with emotion.
The battle began.
Collision.
Crash!
The Black Bear Demon Beast propelled itself and charged.
Its massive fra smashed through dozens of pounds of rock and ca barreling down as if to crush .
Rock fragnts flew and sliced through the air.
That enormous bulk was by no ans slow.
On the contrary, the speed at which it ca hurtling forward was like a storm sweeping over a mountain.
Crash!
When the Black Bear Demon Beast's front paw ca down, the ground split, and the surrounding rock walls crumbled whole.
Wind God Steps driven to their peak opened a path of wind.
The surroundings split apart in an instant, and I aid for the beast's hind leg.
Dropping low, without breaking my center—a swift, sharp Vibrating Step!
The blade's tip moved through the air as if flowing from below upward.
Energy surging from the energy center pulled out more than a foot of blade energy, and slash—! the beast's hide split and blood gushed upward.
As if this were nothing.
On the contrary, the beast's attacks grew faster.
Each single strike was like the killing blow of a martial artist who had reached the peak.
I twisted my body to dodge and flicked my left arm.
Fweeeeee—!
Dozens of Storm Pear Blossom Needles flew like lightning, raining down toward the Black Bear Demon Beast's eyes, shoulders, and leg joints—and the beast raised its front paw like a thunderbolt to cover its eyes, so the Storm Pear Blossom Needles lodged in its front paw.
The beast's front paw was like hardened iron.
"I knew you'd block it!"
I imdiately pulled my left hand back.
Yama's Life-Chasing Threads tied to the Storm Pear Blossom Needles tore apart the beast's front paw.
The masterwork of Thread-Piercing Lock Art, perford with Yama's Life-Chasing Threads!
The beast roared.
Kraaaaaaaaah!
The enraged Black Bear Demon Beast swung its front paw and split the earth, and the rock wall cracked apart.
"If only Yama's Invitation hadn't been lost!"
The Thread-Piercing Lock Art was shallow. Had it been Yama's Invitation, it would have been more than enough to sever the Black Bear Demon Beast's front paw.
I discarded regret and kept only focus.
I turned my body and slashed at its flank again.
A fierce attack like hoarfrost!
Heedless of it, the claws that imdiately followed aid for my head.
Energy surged.
My sharpened senses were keen enough to see each individual trace of the incoming claws.
I ducked hard to evade and struck upward from below.
The tip of the blade energy pierced through the beast's thick hide and buried itself in bone.
Whoosh!
The blade rotated.
Whirling Heavenly Flash—slashing with the waist as the axis, in a spinning cut.
The blade light traced a circle, tearing through the Black Bear Demon Beast's flesh and bursting free.
At a single strike imbued with poison energy, the beast's hide sizzle—! lted with a burning sound.
The Black Bear Demon Beast flinched, then imdiately curled its body and spun.
The many rusted weapons driven into its body thrashed like horns and blades.
A movent aid at crushing .
"Not a chance!"
It was a location I had chosen deliberately.
The angular corner of the cave was not my grave.
Precisely because it was angular, it was too cramped a space for the mountain-sized beast to attack.
A gap appeared.
I cleaved through the beast's steel-like shoulder bearing down on , and drew a long sword wound from its chest all the way to its belly.
The blade greedily thirsted for blood, and I slipped out from beneath the beast.
Kyaaaaaaah!
The beast let out a cry and swept its front paw across the ground in a wide swing.
Rather than resisting, I caught the rebound force on my shoulder and leapt into the air.
Even having deflected the force, my body soared up and flew a considerable distance.
My torn clothing fluttered with my hair as I landed.
From the flank where my blade had pulled free, a massive torrent of blood surged.
The thick scent of beast blood filled every direction.
"Is it because it's a beast?"
The style was distinctive.
Rough, yet the profound principles of nature were woven through it.
Beyond the simple instinctive movents of a beast—having reached the realm of Seon-in arts.
Incomprehensible, transcendent energy radiated from the tips of its claws.
In the beast's bloodshot eyes.
I was reflected in red.
I checked my body's condition. In the past, I would have avoided a prolonged battle.
Heavenly Poison Blood Divine Art granted the power of an absolute being, but the more it did, the more it gnawed at .
"Not anymore!"
As long as the Reversal Secret Art exists, a prolonged battle is more than possible now!
Sizzle.
Chunks of the beast's flesh dripped and fell.
Poison energy spread to its peak bored into the beast's split flesh.
The beast rubbed its eyes against the poison energy scattered through the air.
I felt joy.
The first powerful opponent since my reincarnation!
I could pour out everything I had entirely.
I knew.
That I must not clash head-on.
"The sa goes for it!"
The Black Bear Demon Beast, which had suffered pain its entire life.
The beast glanced briefly toward where the Dark Spirit Sand was.
‘If I were there, I could fight in a state with sowhat less pain.’
‘And my escape route would be far more limited, making it far more advantageous for the beast.’
But.
Rrrumble!
The beast turned its head and fixed its gaze on .
Madness was woven into the beast's eyes.
"Good!"
Madness is a martial artist's drug!
Both the beast and I were already dominated by the desire to win.
There was only one conclusion left.
‘Who was stronger!’
"Let's go at it all night!"
I beca the legendary poisonous bird that scatters poison energy and charged at the beast.
The ground my Wind God Steps struck pulsed.
Crash-crash-crash-crash-crash!
In an instant, dozens of exchanges were traded.
The powerful reverberations struck even my heart.
The Black Bear Demon Beast roared.
Rrrumble!
The cry shook the mind to its core, and simultaneously the monstrous front paw sliced through the air.
Crash-crash-crash!
That single blow destroyed the space I occupied as it ca in.
It was as though the beast's body itself was warping the space.
It was not the thrashing of a beast.
It was martial arts carrying the despair and agony of a Seon-in who had abandoned enlightennt!
The claws that curved out defined the boundary between itself and the world.
5 priceless blades embodying the wild mystery tore the air from the tips of its paws.
The bloody wind surging on its rough breath entangled the beast and together.
Even a graze sent clothing flying in shreds.
Skraaaaaap!
Long, ugly claw marks were scored across the Dark Tortoise Armor.
Had it been even slightly deeper, my entrails would have spilled out.
I rolled across the floor to shed the remaining shock.
Even having deflected the force, my whole body ached; the energy wave had left behind a shockwave.
Before I even had a mont to feel the internal damage—!
Crash-crash-crash!
The beast struck the ground I had rolled across with its front paw.
In that instant, the floor caved in and the beast hurled boulders.
Crash!
I imdiately bounced off the ground and leapt into the air.
I caught the flying rock fragnts with Yama's Life-Chasing Threads and hurled them back with full force.
Thud! A sharp rock drove into the beast's shoulder—and
I threw my body at it in that opening.
As my gleaming throwing blade rushed toward the Black Bear Demon Beast's eye—
Crrack! The beast opened its jaws.
Fangs the size of the White Tiger Sword aid at my body.
It was not a beast. It was the tactics of a warrior.
The Black Bear Demon Beast knew how to fight.
Crunch!
I wrenched my body sharply.
In the instant the beast's fangs grazed my spine, I buried the throwing blade in its neck.
While blade energy pushed outward to cut the neck, I hurled a poison bottle into the beast's open mouth.
Boom! A poison that lted the roof of the mouth and tongue exploded.
Kyuuuurrrrk—!
I released Storm Pear Blossom Needles.
Needles buried into the beast's red eyes, gouging through the eyeball.
With a bestial shriek, the beast's claws ca stabbing down into its own neck.
The will to kill even at the cost of wounding itself!
"……!"
The throwing blade I had driven deep wouldn't pull free.
The beast's incoming claws!
This ti, my escape route was cut off.
In front—the beast's front paw! Behind—the cave wall!
The Three-Way River shimred before my eyes.
I released the throwing blade I had been gripping.
My body slid down the beast's back.
Crunch! The beast's dark claws drove into where I had been clinging, and blood burst out like a waterfall.
The rusted weapons driven into the beast's back ca into view.
The shiniest of past masters—countless!
I grabbed hold of a sword and drove Heavenly Poison Blood Divine Art to its absolute peak.
Hummm—! Boom!
My poison energy fired through the sword hilt exploded inside the Black Bear Demon Beast's body.
The blade, shattered to fragnts, tore through the beast's muscles together with the poison energy.
Kyuuuuuurrrrk—!
As though in agony, a howl tore from the beast.
In that instant, the Black Bear Demon Beast's body faltered and lurched badly.
‘So this was it!’
I imdiately grabbed another blade.
Even protected by my protective energy, the broken blade had not lost its edge and tore the skin of my hand.
I paid it no mind.
Boom! Boom!
With successive explosions, thick poison energy and the scent of blood rose in dense clouds.
Hot blood boiled up and beca a blood cloud that blanketed the cave, and when the poison that erupted near the heart finally spread through the beast's ridians—
Kooooong—!
With a sound like a mountain collapsing.
The beast finally crashed to the ground.
I too, my internal energy spent, fell limply and rolled to the floor.
I gathered what remained of my whole-body energy and forcibly raised my body.
Koooo—.
The beast was drawing ragged breaths.
Push. I pulled the throwing blade free from its neck.
I walked to the side of the beast's head.
The huge nose tip that had been gasping for breath trembled, and then the panting red eyes turned to look at .
The beast's eyes still shone red, but in them there was no longer any madness.
There was no emptiness of a finished battle, nor even anger.
Only a feeling of relief and calm resided there.
"……."
The Black Bear Demon Beast said nothing.
Instead, that gaze said everything.
That it had wanted death.
That it had wanted soone to end its pain.
With the madness gone, the black bear was not abject.
Like a martial artist who had once commanded an era.
It was calmly awaiting its end.
Courtesy was owed.
Rustle—!
I brought both hands together and gave a respectful cupped-fist salute.
"It was a magnificent duel."
……Sincerely.
Was it a trick of the eye?
It seed as though the beast smiled a peaceful smile—and.
Slump.
The Black Bear Demon Beast quietly closed its eyes.
I scraped together my remaining internal energy and poured it into the throwing blade.
Nearly 2 feet of blade energy vibrated as it surged up.
Hummm—.
I raised the throwing blade.
【Bonus Mission Success】
【Set the Black Bear Demon Beast free.】
① Mission (29th floor) counted as success (GOLD)
② Happiness Points 1,000,000!
③ 'Gold Sulfur Crystal' is awarded.
【Ti taken to complete mission: 19 hours, 21 minutes, 8 seconds】
【Overwhelming achievent (GOLD)!】
【Murim Tower 29th floor turns gold.】
【The entire world turns its attention to Korea's Tower.】
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