Chapter 203 |
Yahum’s black gloves activated their effects.
[The chances of an Awakening remain the same even if your opponent is weaker than you.]
[The odds of Awakening increase massively while in combat.]
[New skills created from Awakening have their proficiencies set to ‘Adept’ immediately.]
A bunch of skills, all ones created through Awakening, began activating at once.
Nevertheless, whether the effects of the gloves were beneficial or not held little significance at this moment.
What truly mattered was that Seol was moments from facing Yahum, the master of the Ghost Door.
Baaaaam!
“Urgh!”
As Yahum waved his hand, Yeo-myeong and Filia were sent flying away.
“Let’s leave the flies over there, and…”
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Twelve ghosts brought out four giant pillars and planted them into the ground, positioning them around Seol and Yahum.
Hummm….
Bam!
Bam!
“Hyung!”
“Snowman!”
As barriers slowly erected around him, Seol simply tilted his head.
‘Is it like a ring?’
It appeared that the pillars were intended to prevent interference from those outside the barrier.
‘Well… I prefer that anyway.’
Yeo-myeong and Filia likely couldn't offer much help in his fight against Yahum anyway.
Though stating this felt a bit rude, they would only end up getting in his way.
The only people actually useful to him right now were obviously Karen and Karuna.
Fwirl!
Fwirl!
Seol summoned both of them immediately.
Fwooooosh…
The energy the three radiated made Yahum flinch slightly.
“There are… three arrogant humans? Then… I should match the numbers as well. Manda!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Huhon!”
“Yes!”
“Get in here!”
Fwooosh…
Two of the twelve ghosts from earlier slipped past the barrier to enter the fray.
“Aren’t there any rules around here?” Seol scowled. “You’re just doing whatever you want.”
“Hehehe… Losing confidence now, are we?”
“Not particularly, but… are you eventually going to bring in the rest of your goons as well?”
"I… can understand why you would feel that way. Very well! Henceforth, no ghosts shall interfere in our battle. I, Yahum, shall ensure it!"
It was quite an underhanded tactic.
After all, Yahum was a dokkaebi who did not know anything about the phrase ‘fair and square’.
Despite Yahum holding all the advantages, Seol felt a sense of relief knowing he had managed to at least pull out one promise from him.
Seol immediately focused on the next task at hand.
‘Yahum is a cloud ghost. I need to be careful of that.’
The sun, moon, stars, and clouds.
Those were the four most common Daoist spells the powerful ghosts of the East used.
Of those, Yahum specialized in cloud spells.
Fwooooosh!
“It’s a bit crowded here, why don’t all of you get lost?” said Yahum.
He began swinging his club to gather energy, and as white smoke started to envelop it...
Baaam!
Yahum slammed the ground, dispersing the smoke everywhere.
In an instant, Seol was completely surrounded in a white fog.
[Yahum used Cloud Daoist Spell: Dokkaebi Path.]
[Everyone within the fog becomes lost.]
* * *
Fwoooooosh…
“.......”
“Hehe… It’s finally quiet now.”
Karen and Karuna both disappeared into the fog right before Seol’s eyes.
However, the two ghosts who appeared earlier also disappeared.
‘Still, it’s clearly worse for me.’
It was clear that Yahum separated them because he recognized that as well. Though the two ghosts did seem strong, they paled in comparison to Seol’s summons.
“How dare you try to leave after taking my items? I won’t let you,” said Yahum.
“Don’t they normally give you benefits if you admit to your crimes?” asked Seol.
“The punishment for your crimes is just that severe!”
“Then I should just give up on turning myself in and finish the job.”
Seol then smirked.
“Give me everything you’ve got,” laughed Seol.
A strange, unnerving sensation came over Yahum as Seol continued to remain calm.
“You arrogant human… So you won’t repent for your crimes? Fine! I shall start by destroying that flippant mouth of yours!”
Fwooosh…
Fwooosh…
As Yahum began to swirl his club once more, glaring down at Seol, the latter also began to prepare his own plans.
‘Ur, could you dismantle that?’
- This is… also different from shamanic spells. I’ll need time.
‘And I can’t summon you either, right?’
- If you want to summon something useless, go right ahead. However, I sincerely doubt it would improve this situation. Besides, as long as I can't stop his spells, I'll just be a walking target too.
‘...Then I’ll leave it to you to dismantle it.’
- Got it.
Seol began to draw out how the combat would go in his head.
‘It’s a matter of time. I won’t need to worry about Karen or Karuna, but… I’ll be…’
With just Night Crow, Seol had to face Yahum, who had already covered himself in clouds.
However, if someone were to ask Seol if he was afraid, his response would be this:
Definitely not.
“Jamad.”
- I’m ready as well.
Fwip!
After all, Seol, in the Night Crow form, was a monster with nothing to be afraid of as well.
[Debauchee's Movements activates.]
[Dodge rate increases by 10%. Accuracy increases by 5%.]
Yahum scoffed after seeing Seol’s movements.
“You’re quite skilled, but…”
[You used Kick the Sky, Kick the Ground.]
[One of two skills will activate.]
Yahum was completely unafraid even after seeing Seol’s unpredictable movements.
Fwoooosh!
Yahum raised his arm, blocking Kick the Sky.
However, Seol had already anticipated this with his Eyes of Foresight. He quickly followed it up with another attack.
Fwoosh!
Fwip!
Yahum was considerably fast for his massive size. All of Seol’s attacks missed.
The two were simply gauging each other’s skills, with neither taking a clean hit.
However, Yahum began to prepare a large, risky attack.
“Die!” shouted Yahum.
Yahum swung the spiked club in his right hand sideways, aiming for Seol’s chest.
Fwoooooosh!
‘His attack was too big!’
Fwip!
‘An opening!’
Seol ducked, and as he was trying to come up with his next move…
“Get in there!” shouted Jamad.
Seol immediately stopped thinking and began running in.
Baaaaaam!
Yahum struck the ground with his left hand, trying to crush Seol, but missed.
In the end, Jamad’s advice and Seol’s quick reactions were what created this opening.
“For now… Take this!”
Seol pulled his arm back before unleashing a massive attack onto Yahum’s chin.
Baaaaaaaaam!
‘It worked—Shit!’
[Yahum used Cloud Daoist Spell: Mirage.]
[It was an illusion.]
Seol was shocked by the next move he saw with his Eyes of Foresight. Even so, he managed to prepare himself for it.
BAAAAAM!
Yahum’s hand appeared from the fog, swatting Seol away like a fly.
“Hrgh…”
Crush!
Crush…
Seol bounced off the ground a couple times before regaining his stance.
“Haah…”
Blood dripped down from the corners of his mouth.
Seol quickly attempted to regain his composure. However, upon seeing this, Yahum began to mock him.
"Hehehehehe! You shouldn't believe everything you see... That's why I hate humans! Have you seen the souls of the countless items here?"
Swipe…
Seol wiped off his blood.
‘If I… didn’t have the Eyes of Foresight right there…’
Seol could have died.
Yahum continued, elated by having the upper hand.
“In truth, I’ve only made a few of the items here in the Ghost Door. But do you know why I was able to gather so many items regardless? It is all because of your greed.”
“I think I remember hearing before that greed was good, though…” murmured Seol.
“That’s only when you can control your own greed. Have you understood now, mortal?”
Seol slowly managed to return to his cool, expressionless mask.
“That… pissed me off a bit,” said Seol.
He then asked Ur a question.
‘Would you be able to dismantle that as well?’
- It's going to take some time. Damn it... Even though they originated from the same roots, they’re all twisted and entangled in strange ways. I'm not sure whether I should decipher Daoist spells first to dismantle both of them together, or…
Ur needed more time.
Seol immediately gritted his teeth, readying himself for combat.
‘I need to concentrate!’
Fwip!
Clench…
Rumble rumble…
Crackle crackle…
[You have changed to the Rain of Fire Stance.]
[All attacks will spread flames.]
[An explosion will occur at the impact point of each attack.]
[Thunderbolts will spread at the impact point of each attack.]
[Passive: Moving Flames is applied.]
[Passive: Heat and Warmth is applied.]
[Passive: Static is applied.]
Seol slowly began to grow flames as he charged toward Yahum.
Sensing that the situation was more dangerous than he had initially thought, Yahum prepared his means as well.
[Yahum used Cloud Daoist Spell: Billow.]
[The clouds grow thicker.]
Bam bam!
Seol leaped up from Yahum’s leg, spinning in the air to land a kick on Yahum’s chin.
Baaaaaam!
Seol felt it properly land this time.
‘It’s the real body! But…’
Once again…
Seol’s Eyes of Foresight showed him the future.
[Yahum used Cloud Daoist Spell: Mirage.]
[It was an illusion.]
“For it is aloof…”
The first thing Seol heard was Yahum’s voice.
Fwoooosh…
The clouds cleared up, revealing Yahum’s club.
All of this was within Seol’s expectations, though.
Fwip!
Seol redirected the club, then used the opening to punch again.
Baaaaaam!
‘Damn it… It’s definitely his real body, but…’
Why does it continue to only show such awful fates?
[Yahum used Cloud Daoist Spell: Mirage.]
[It was an illusion.]
“And unimpeded, high in the sky…”
Once more, Seol allowed Yahum to attack him with his hand.
Baaaaaam!
“Krgh…”
Seol began coughing up blood, then proceeded to vomit it out completely.
He rolled on the floor a couple of times from the pain.
“Hehehehe! Welcome to Dokkaebi Yahum’s territory!”
“Haah… Haah…”
Though Seol had allowed two abrupt attacks, he still did not fall, thanks to the Blood of Origin.
‘His Daoist spells… Mirage is the most troublesome one…’
Though he had left it in Ur’s hands, Seol wasn’t the type of person to do nothing while waiting. He was, and always will be, a man of action.
‘Is it not his real body then?’
Jamad answered in response.
- No, it’s definitely his real body.
Jamad, who was sharing bodies with Seol, had the same question on his mind during combat.
‘The feeling I get when we hit him… and the fact he’s sneakily trying to prevent us from hitting his vitals…’
‘Yeah, there wouldn’t be a reason for him to dodge if he was invisible.’
‘If his spell really was invincible, there would be no reason for Yahum to stay in a dingy little place like this… Has anything about him changed since we began combat?’
Jamad and Seol both thought for a second before coming to a realization.
‘His mana!’
‘Definitely his mana. It’s decreased.’
Seol began trying to recall Yahum’s expression through his head.
After a few moments, Seol realized that Yahum had grimaced. It was definite proof.
‘This… isn’t an illusion at all. This is his real body.’
‘Yeah.’
‘Then if that’s his real body… then the mirage… it should be a reversal-type skill that reverts the owner back to their original state!’
Seol received new messages with that revelation.
[Awakening! You have awakened a new skill.]
[You have awakened Nightmare.]
[Nightmare is affected by Sudden Appearance: Creation’s Skill.]
‘This is…’
Seol smiled after quickly reading through his new skill.
“Why are you smiling?”
Yahum didn’t like to see Seol smiling after being beaten down so much.
“First, since I’m in a bad mood… I'll crush you until you turn to dust.’
Bam!
Seol quickly closed the distance between him and Yahum once more.
“And you’re temperamental too! I don’t like a single thing about you!” shouted Yahum.
Fwoooosh…
Like before, Seol dodged Yahum’s club and countered.
Baaaam!
Yahum grimaced for a second.
However, like before, Yahum’s hand emerged from the clouds.
Flinch…
Seol readied himself for the attack once more.
Baaaaaaaam!
Even though Seol had prepared himself, Yahum’s attack was too powerful for him to absorb entirely.
Bwaaargh…
Seol vomited blood once more.
‘Why… Why didn’t it work?’
Even though Seol used Nightmare, it didn’t properly activate.
Wobble…
Seol's head spun as he slowly rose to his feet. Despite being severely damaged, Seol continued to think.
‘I got it… so that was why…’
Seol wiped the blood off his mouth once more.
“Hey, Yahum.”
“You can take quite the beating, huh?!” laughed Yahum. “Beating you down feels quite nice, hehehe!”
“Yahum!”
“Why are you calling me now?”
“This time… I’ll crush you.”
Yahum showed a shocked expression before quickly replacing it with a furious face.
“I am tired of playing with you now! I’ll end it!”
Seol then pulled out every last ounce of strength he had for the final confrontation.
Craaaaaackle!
[You use Lightning Primal Power Shamanic Spell: Hedgehog.]
[The area is filled with fierce energy.]
[Passive: Static’s damage increases by 500%.]
The Lightning Energy Seol had extracted from Lamu.
Seol resolved himself while adorning himself with it.
Craaaaaackle!
Yahum looked confused after looking at Seol.
“What is this familiar smell… Sniff… This smell… Lamu?”
Fwip!
Seol shot out a ball of lightning at Yahum.
He then continued to think while quickly moving around.
The reason why Nightmare, his new skill, failed.
‘It clashed with the Eyes of Foresight when I was trying to activate it.’
The Eyes of Foresight predicted his opponent’s next attack. As it essentially showed him the future, it was easy for Seol to end up relying on it greatly.
‘But because I saw the future… I became afraid of it and hesitated.’
Nightmare was a skill that could change the immediate future. So why would someone wielding such power be afraid of what lay ahead?
If Seol kept worrying about dying… he would never be properly able to utilize it.
‘I won’t die.’
Fwooosh!
“Die!”
Wooooosh!
Yahum’s club headed closer and closer toward him.
However, Seol faced it head-on.
And then… he saw something beyond that.
Baaaaaaam!
Yahum’s club landed directly on Seol’s head for the first time.
It had been a while since Yahum felt an attack land so perfectly, he couldn't help but laugh.
“Hahahaha!”
However…
Though Seol should have been nothing more than a corpse, Yahum heard his voice echoing all around him.
“Do you only believe what you can see with your eyes? This is exactly why I like you.”
[You used Nightmare.]
[The damage you took recently is transferred to your creation.]
Crumble…
Caaaaw!
A murder of crows appeared where Seol was before scattering.
This skill seemed extremely similar to the Mirage skill that Yahum was using. Yahum felt a chill run down his spine, but… it was fine.
He still had Mirage on his side as well.
However, Seol wasn’t lying when he promised Yahum he would crush him.
“It’s over.”
- Dismantling complete.
[Ur, the Sealed’s Wizardry activates.]
[Devour Magic activates.]
[Ur, the Sealed, is consuming Cloud Daoist Spell: Dokkaebi Path.]
[Ur, the Sealed, is consuming Cloud Daoist Spell: Mirage.]
Fwooosh!
The thick fog disappeared in an instant.
Staaab!
Staaab!
“K-Khrrrgh…”
While two swords immediately stabbed Yahum’s back,.
The two swords belonged to Karen and Karuna. The ghosts they had slain were missing their heads. They were rolling around on the floor, tongues sticking out.
Yahum turned around from the pain. Then, he saw his future.
It was a horrifying, dreadful dream.
Seol’s fist landed squarely on Yahum’s face.
BAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!
Craaaaaaaaackle!
The sight of a large ghost being struck down by a bolt of lightning reminded those around them of divine punishment raining down from the heavens.