Jang Moo-geuk’s gaze deepened.
So that’s how it is.
If Seo Ye-in had mastered Ghost Dance, then what had just happened made sense to some degree.
He had no complaints about the fact that she had learned it.
In the first place, it was only because of Kim Ho that he was able to reach the illusory demon’s formation and even retrieve the statues from there.
How it was used was entirely up to Kim Ho’s discretion.
He and Wang Cheon-sam had paid the price to earn their opportunity, and he assumed Seo Ye-in must have done the same.
But he was still curious, so Jang Moo-geuk fixed his gaze on Kim Ho and opened his mouth to speak.
“I’d like to ask you something.”
“What is it?”“Our sister-in-law…”
Jang Moo-geuk cast a brief glance at Seo Ye-in before continuing.
“…How many times did she fail?”
“How many attempts did it take for her to succeed?”
“That’s right.”
“……”
Perhaps because the question felt so trivial compared to his serious tone, Kim Ho’s expression momentarily grew strange.
Still, he seemed to think there was no harm in answering and gave a short reply.
“Once.”
“……!”
Jang Moo-geuk’s face froze in shock.
He glanced subtly toward Wang Cheon-sam who wore a similar expression on his face.
Even someone as confident in their movement technique as Jang Moo-geuk had barely managed to clear the Illusory Demon’s trial on his second attempt.
The same had been true for Go Hyeon-woo and Dang Gyu-young.
But to hear that she had succeeded without even a single mistake on her first try was shocking.
“How did you do it?”
“……?”
When Jang Moo-geuk asked that, Seo Ye-in simply tilted her head in confusion.
Her reaction was as if he had asked her, “How do you breathe?” or “How do you drink water?”
It was as though succeeding on the first try was only natural for her.
She’s worthy of being paired with him.
Jang Moo-geuk suspected there must be a reason why Kim Ho had chosen to pair with Seo Ye-in instead of Go Hyeon-woo for the duel battle.
From what he had observed so far, Kim Ho was meticulous and calculating by nature.
Even if she was their sister-in-law, he wouldn’t have chosen her out of personal attachment.
And just now, Jang Moo-geuk had caught a glimpse of the reason. It was Seo Ye-in’s extraordinary talent.
If that was the case, then perhaps it was time to act, even if it was a bit early.
It’s time to make my move.
In reality, ever since Seo Ye-in had countered their trump card of Ghost Dance with the same skill, their options had become extremely limited.
Ghost Dance provided a powerful stealth effect, making it almost impossible for the opponent to detect or respond to an attack.
Yet Seo Ye-in had seen through that stealth, seized the briefest moment, and successfully evaded.
What this meant was clear.
She has another skill.
It was clear that some sort of utility-type skill or trait was at work.
And that skill, in all likelihood, had a cooldown similar to Ghost Dance.
If it were any shorter, there would be no reason for her to save it until now.
In conclusion, the moment the five-minute cooldown reset, Seo Ye-in would not only regain Ghost Dance but also have a definitive countermeasure ready.
On the other hand, they had no such advantage, meaning they needed to make their move before the situation became even more unfavorable.
“…….”
Wang Cheon-sam seemed to sense this as well. When Jang Moo-geuk sent him a glance, he responded with a slight nod of his chin.
Having worked together for so long, they could understand each other with just a look.
– Can you do it?
– At least once.
[Wang Gon: 64%]
Wang Cheon-sam had taken a direct counter and suffered huge damage.
Even now, he was barely holding up.
Still, he could handle one final effort, enough to support Jang Moo-geuk’s decisive move.
Whoosh—
Meanwhile, as the blizzard continued to rage, Seo Ye-in hunched her shoulders against the cold.
She then spoke to Kim Ho in a tone that sounded like a complaint.
“It’s cold.”
“Yeah, let’s wrap this up.”
As if she had been waiting for permission, Seo Ye-in immediately took aim with her assault rifle.
Ratatatatata!
Jang Moo-geuk and Wang Cheon-sam split to either side and exchanged another look.
– I’m going in.
– Anytime.
The energy of the two suddenly surged, only to disappear as if it were extinguished.
Of course, it hadn’t truly disappeared. It had just been compressed to an extreme, so it looked like that.
In that state, they slid forward with practiced movement technique and rushed toward Kim Ho and Seo Ye-in.
Kim Ho immediately stepped in to block Wang Cheon-sam.
Watching this, Jang Moo-geuk’s eyes gleamed.
As expected.
Kim Ho’s main goal in this duel battle was to build Seo Ye-in’s combat experience.
That’s why, in most encounters, he focused on restraining Wang Cheon-sam while attempting to pit him against Seo Ye-in.
Now was no different.
The only thing Kim Ho sent his way was the dark clouds.
Though they were bothersome, the dark clouds were manageable, and once they were cleared, an opportunity would surely arise.
Ratatatatata!
Despite Seo Ye-in firing continuously at closer range, Jang Moo-geuk advanced with a steady movement technique.
Along the way, a couple of magic bullets grazed him, leaving minor injuries.
This much, I can endure.
He adopted the mindset of sacrificing flesh to strike bone.
The moment Seo Ye-in entered Jang Moo-geuk’s striking range, the first technique was unleashed.
[Soul Chasing Snake Slash]
Swish!
The blade lunged forward with fierce precision, aiming directly for her heart.
Seo Ye-in used Feather Step and stepped back diagonally to avoid it.
Even so, Jang Moo-geuk’s blade twisted like a snake. It was relentlessly pursuing her heart.
The dark clouds sent by Kim Ho swept between them and disrupted the blade’s trajectory.
But that too was part of Jang Moo-geuk’s plan.
Now’s the moment.
Sensing the opportunity, he unleashed the next technique.
[Life Snatching Lightning]
Flash!
The longsword in his hand pierced Seo Ye-in’s chest like a streak of sharp lightning.
After nullifying the opponent’s evasive and defensive techniques with the Soul Chasing Snake Slash, he would finish them off with Life Snatching Lightning.
Using this combination, he had defeated countless foes before, and this time was supposed to yield the same result.
[Activated ‘Distortion’.]
If only the longsword hadn’t twisted like a piece of taffy.
Jang Moo-geuk and Wang Cheon-sam’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.
“Wh-What the hell?!”
“…….”
While they were frozen in shock, Seo Ye-in continued the battle without so much as a change in her expression.
Magic bullets rained down from her assault rifle.
Ratatatatata!
“Ugh.”
Even in his momentary panic, Jang Moo-geuk twisted his body just enough to avoid taking more than a hit or two.
Wang Cheon-sam was not so lucky however. Magic bullets lodged in his body, triggering a chain of explosions.
Boom-boom-boom!
“……!”
He couldn’t even scream before collapsing onto the snowy ground. He then got ejected from the arena.
[Wang Gon: – %, Jang Oh: 81%]
Jang Moo-geuk looked back and forth between Seo Ye-in and his bent sword. He was completely dumbfounded.
There were countless skills and traits in the world, but how could a sword bend like taffy?
This is no ordinary monster.
His Ghost Dance was dodged, his ultimate attack was deflected by inexplicable skills, and the match had now all but been decided.
“… Let’s stop here for today.”
Though he still had some strength left, he couldn’t afford to reveal it all.
And even if he revealed everything, there was no guarantee he could break through that mysterious skill.
To make matters worse, Kim Ho was still perfectly fine. So this was a two-on-one situation.
“We lost.”
“You fought well.”
As soon as Jang Moo-geuk acknowledged Kim Ho’s words of respect, he turned his back and walked toward the exit.
For some reason, his mouth tasted bitter.
I need to improve myself too.
One day, he would face those two again.
If he wanted a different outcome then, he would have to devote himself to relentless training.
[Kim Ho, Seo Ye-in: Win]
vs
[Wang Gon, Jang Oh: Lose]
***
I watched Jang Moo-geuk’s retreating figure and thought to myself.
He’s so composed.
Even in a two-on-one, he could have kept fighting a bit longer, but as soon as he judged his chances were slim, he declared his surrender without hesitation.
It meant he wasn’t attached to his score.
Though the match felt incomplete, Seo Ye-in must have learned a lot from it, so my goal was accomplished in the end.
“Let’s head out.”
“Mhmm.”
The snowstorm was still raging mercilessly, but we could talk once we were outside.
With that, we stepped through the teleportation portal one by one.
The moment we exited the arena, warmth and lively chatter rushed in from all directions.
As I warmed my body and turned my gaze to Seo Ye-in, I saw that she wasn’t in her hooded human mode like in the first match.
It was probably thanks to the elemental resistance being raised to S-rank.
I held out my hand.
“Give me one hand warmer.”
“Mhmm.”
When Seo Ye-in handed me a hand warmer, I fiddled with it and asked,
“They’re strong, huh?”
“Strong.”
Seo Ye-in, of course, would already know that.
If I hadn’t granted her the distortion skill, she would have been the one collapsing under Jang Moo-geuk’s ultimate technique.
Moreover, in a one-on-one situation, even the dark clouds wouldn’t have been there, and the outcome might have been decided even faster.
Perhaps that was why Seo Ye-in seemed subtly provoked.
The cold and sleepy look she had earlier mostly disappeared, and a competitive spirit now burned in her eyes.
Then she stepped closer and looked up at me intently.
“Kim Ho, special training.”
“Sure, should we do a special training session after a while?”
“Mhmm.”
“Let’s go right now.”
Seo Ye-in, this human sloth incarnate, usually only trained when I forced her.
But now that she was showing rare enthusiasm, it was best to make the most of the opportunity.
As we walked together toward the training center, I pulled up my quest window.
[Side Quest: 14th Week Duel Battles] (Completed)
▷ Objective: Complete 2 duel matches (2/2 Wins)
▷ Reward: Random Rank Up x2
Currently, I had collected seven stamps.
Including the random rank up I received from Jeong Soo-ji, I had now three random rank ups. Using them all would complete the stamp coupon.
There was no reason to drag it out.
Might as well get it done right away.
Since random rank ups weren’t influenced by external factors, the results would be the same no matter where I used them.
So, as we walked, I began using the random rank up scrolls one by one.
Fwoosh…
[Rank Up failed.]
[Stamp Coupon (C)]
▷ Stamps: 8/10
“Of course.”
“……”
Since I hadn’t expected much to begin with, I naturally moved on to the next random rank up, and Seo Ye-in watched the process with curious eyes.
Flash!
A magic scroll lit up brightly.
But, as expected, the light quickly faded before scattering like dust.
Fwoosh…
[Rank Up failed.]
▷ Stamps: 9/10
“Just one more to go.”
I used the final random rank up scroll and showed the stamp coupon to Seo Ye-in as I explained.
Flash!
“When you fail ten times, this lets you exchange it for something else. I’m going to use that to rank up a C-rank skill—”
Flaaaaaashh—!
At that moment, the random rank up emitted an even brighter light, and the radiance surged into my body.
[Rank Up succeeded!]
[The rank of ‘Monarch’ has increased: C → B.]
“—but it actually succeeded.”
I hadn’t expected it to work at all.
The odds of advancing from C to B were ridiculously low.
Moreover, Monarch was a trait that couldn’t grow through conventional means. It required a rank up scroll to progress eventually.
This was like hitting the jackpot twice.
“……”
Seo Ye-in stared at me blankly for a moment before echoing the words I often said to her.
“That’s cheating.”
“Right. Totally cheating.”
What a huge win.
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