Chapter 148 Heavenly Buddha (3)
“C-crazy bastard…”
This was what the old man said. For Yoon-seok, it was nothing new. If anything, he heard it so many times before he was sick of it.
“Is that your will?”
However, perhaps he suddenly wanted to leave another will behind, as the old man tried to open his mouth again. Yoon-seok didn’t allow him the opportunity.
Slash.
A promise must be kept when the chance is given. Yoon-seok collected his sword and shook off the blood.
‘Should I have asked which floor he stopped at?”
Well, he couldn’t revive the dead. Yoon-seok shifted his attention elsewhere. This place wasn’t far from the outskirts, where a bloody battle was still raging.
‘He wasn’t wrong, though…’
The old man called Yoon-seok crazy before he died, and that might be true. Yoon-seok felt his blood burning hot.
‘It’s been a while since I felt this way.’
He didn’t have a monstrously strong body now. He could no longer regenerate, so if he sustained enough injuries, he would perish. In contrast to that peril, Yoon-seok felt adrenaline rushing through him. His mind was filled with a strong sense of survival, and all his senses were sharpened as a result.
How long had it been since he felt this? He felt alive once more.
Thud. Thud.
Yoon-seok entered the center of the fierce battle like an addict looking for a larger thrill, facing off against others of a similar mind.
Flesh was torn off, cut, and punctured as bodies pressed against each other. Enemies were everywhere. If you hesitated at least once, it would already be too late. Like the duels he experienced in his early days in the Tower, Yoon-seok was driven by his instincts.
Whik-!
To protect himself. To take the life of the enemy. To survive and win. He cut his foes down again and again.
“Huff, huff.”
Yoon-seok gasped heavily. How much time passed, and how many had he killed? He didn’t know, but he didn’t see any more enemies around him. He took a while to regain his breath, still drenched in blood.
Then-
「Current entry 50.」
The number of remaining survivors appeared. He tilted his head.
‘There’s still this many left?’
Yoon-seok, who was stalking through the forest like a beast, knew there was nothing left there. Nothing except the dead and the cloying stench of blood. So this meant…
This meant the wild dogs were waiting elsewhere, hiding their breath.
“…”
Yoon-seok checked his physical condition. Even empty words couldn’t describe him as being in good condition. His steps felt heavy, and countless minor injuries were marring his body. His blood-loss had also dulled his reflexes. However, it wasn’t a major problem.
Thud.
Yoon-seok moved to leave the forest. Then, he suddenly stopped. He felt like someone was watching him.
“H-he noticed us!”
“Now! Kill him!”
Warriors waiting in the trees, bushes, and even under freshly dug soil popped out from all directions, all with one common purpose. Killing Yoon-seok.
‘Did they team up?’
He didn’t know that many people like the Jeonchang Sect old man were left even after the trials. Perhaps it was a natural habit of humanity, choosing not to ascend on your own but to head down together.
Slashhhhhh-!
Yoon-seok swung his two swords as one, cutting deep into two approaches. Unsatisfied, he immediately spun around and butchered another approaching from behind. He hit the ground with his foot and crushed the head of one hiding in the ground. His movements were neat as if they were filming a choreographed scene.
Without being able to even scratch Yoon-seok, four people died in two seconds.
“This is crazy….!”
“How does he still have this much power…?!”
Those who were rushing in next faltered, unable to understand. Their physical conditions were the same, and Yoon-seok was exhausted. So how did this ridiculous gap still exist? There were a lot of factors, such as practical experience, technique, and understanding of the weapon itself.
But, Yoon-seok also knew the biggest difference between them.
‘Mindset.’
They headed into Cheonma-dong because they were told that they could gain great strength within. They were not prepared. In other words, they didn’t trust themselves. So, they couldn’t throw themselves into the frenzy and instead joined forces with like-minded individuals. He didn’t intend to argue that it was right or wrong, but he could say one thing clearly.
These people would never go beyond this test.
“What are you all doing? If we don’t kill him, we won’t have a future!”
Someone shouted from afar, but the warriors hardened in place surrounding him. No, when Yoon-seok took a step forward, they stepped back. Even if they rushed in with the determination to die with Yoon-seok, they gained nothing. Protecting themselves until they were the only ones left was their real goal.
‘Sloppy.’
They were walking along the path of none other than Cheon-ma. But with such a clumsy mindset, it would never be possible.
Whikkk! Slashhhh-! Plorkk!
Yoon-seok began to attack in earnest, choosing to face the dozens of them head-on. If all of them had come together in actively confronting him, Yoon-seok would have had to change his method, but as things remained…
“Damn it!”
“Arghhhhhhhh!”
There was no way that they were properly united. As the battle continued, those who gave into fear emerged. This place offered nowhere to escape to, so they escaped reality.
“…”
Yoon-seok welcomed it with open arms, but he didn’t like it. Although he was competing with dozens of people at the same time… unlike the bloody battle in the forest, it was bland. Yoon-seok swung his sword like a machine as if his desire were unfulfilled.
It didn’t take long.
“…”
Silence returned to the forest once again, and only one person was left.
“Argh! Arghhhh!”
With one leg missing, he crawled on the ground to try to escape from Yoon-seok. Yoon-seok slowly approached the man and put his blade through his head. Then, the notification came again.
「Current participants 20.」
They were rapidly approaching the end, but Yoon-seok’s eyes were filled with boredom.
’20 people…’
Hide and seek wasn’t Yoon-seok’s cup of tea. This would prove tedious.
「Killed all competitors.」
「Certification completed.」
「Entering Heavenly Sword Cave.」
There was no satisfaction to be found in completing the trial. But, putting that aside, Yoon-seok looked around casually.
‘It’s similar to the starting point.’
It was a stone chamber that was no different from the 1st level. With one exception, there was a rock several times bigger than the gemstone he first cut through. Even for Yoon-seok, it would be too much to break this with his bare body.
「All powers, stats, and skills will return to normal.」
His lost powers returned. And along with this, the goal of this level appeared. But…
「Use Natural Energy to break the Heavenly Demon Gemst&#%!」
Something was wrong; part of the last word was broken. Of course, even without it, he could understand, but he had never experienced this phenomenon before, even in the Tower. Yoon-seok paused, pondering. Then, a new message appeared.
「Error occurred.」
Fortunately, it was one he had seen before. This message appeared since Yoon-seok had already completed the process of creating the celestial body. He wondered if that was the cause again this time.
「An intruder has entered from outside.」
「This space will be canc@#$.」
The stone chamber began to tremble. An intruder? Exterminating the space? It was unusual, to put it mildly. Yoon-seok drew his swords and filled his entire body with Skywrath Energy. Then, he waited.
‘…Something’s coming.’
A massive source of energy formed on the other side of the stone chamber wall. When he sensed it-
“Palm of Paradise.”
Along with that echoing voice, a palm-shaped blast of energy punched through the stone chamber. At the same time, a golden glow of sacredness flowed in. In contrast to the brilliant light, when Yoon-seok glanced through, he saw a person sitting cross-legged.
‘What the heck is this…?’
Yoon-seok felt dizzy even after regaining all his power. That was how strong this new person was. Yoon-seok immediately instilled Skywrath Energy into his blades and activated his Natural Energy. He didn’t know who this was, but he wouldn’t let them off easily.
No, he had to kill them right away.
Whoosh!
Although he hadn’t reached the state of moving at will quite yet, it was safe to say that his will and action happened nearly simultaneously. But…
“So the Devil is stuck in your head.”
A sword containing a sincere power blocked him. No, it was not right to say that it was blocked. Somehow, it missed.
“Don’t be afraid.”
While he prepared for a counterattack, instead, a golden glow wrapped warmly around Yoon-seok.
“It’s an evil guest, but it is not my duty but destiny to come to you today.”
Yoon-seok was speechless. Devil? Evil Guest? Destiny? What kind of nonsense was he speaking after he suddenly broke down the wall? He frowned, but the unidentified man continued to speak profoundly.
“It is human nature to be shaken and anguish because one is weak, so you have taken the wrong path for a moment.”
“So, who are you?”
“Pajin.”
He looked like a monk, so it must be a Buddhist name, but it sounded familiar somehow. Where did he hear this before?
“Anyway, don’t be afraid.”
Of course, he didn’t know why he kept saying not to be afraid. Yet, as Yoon-seok prepared to talk back-
“…”
Suddenly, he remembered The Big Four of Murim, explained by the Sword Demon. It was said that there were two skies above the Three Gods and Four Rulers. One was the Heavenly Demon, the lord of the demons, and the other was…
‘Heavenly Buddha.’
An absolute person who became a living Buddha transcending the seductions of the world
‘Oh man, I thought I heard it somewhere…’
The name of the Heavenly Buddha was Pajin. ‘Pa’ to break and ‘Jin’ to suppress, so Pajin. For reference, it was said that the name was given to him to fill his deficiencies.
—If you meet him, please run.
As the truth grew clear, the Sword Demon’s warning came to mind.
—A living Buddha? He’s just a crazy monk who gained enlightenment by suppressing his urges.
Boom-!
“I will guide you.”
Looking at the Heavenly Buddha, Yoon-seok intuitively sensed it. He didn’t know why the Buddha suddenly appeared in Cheonma-dong…
But that wasn’t an empty promise.
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