Chapter 42: Secluded Training (3)

Two months of training in the Sanctum had passed.

A deep, resonant vibration shook the barren temple as a streak of silver light tore through the air.

Boom!

“Kugh!”

Kwon Oh-Jin gritted his teeth and lunged after the flash with his spear.

Azure Lightning.

Crackle!

Lightning spread out like the blades of a fan, sweeping the area in front of him. However, Riarc, who had been charging at him from the front, now towered right behind him.

“You know that won’t work, don’t you?”

“Hup!”

There was no time to think. Kwon Oh-Jin stretched his right arm up and bent his wrist to activate his wire shooter.

Bang!

Pouring mana into the wire that had lodged itself in the ceiling, he shot upward as it retracted.

“Impressive. If there’s one thing you’re quick at, it’s running away,” Riarc sneered. “But, you can’t win a fight by turning tail.”

Riarc crouched and launched himself off the ground with tremendous force.

Thud!

“Damn it!”

Kwon Oh-Jin’s face turned pale. His movements were limited while airborne, and Riarc was rocketing toward him like a missile.

“T-Timeout!”

“Do you think timeouts exist in battle?”

Riarc smirked as he raised his fist. Just as he was about to punch the man hanging off the ceiling like a bug—

“Of course not.”

—a grin spread across Kwon Oh-Jin’s face.

“... What?”

Riarc's face violently twisted.

Crackle!

The wire embedded in the ceiling spread out like a net, ensnaring him.

“Explosive Lightning!”

Zap! Zap!

Intense jolts of electricity surged along the wire in rapid explosions, leaving Riarc convulsing momentarily. However, Riarc didn't stop his trajectory even after the destructive shocks.

“Your cheap tricks are useless.”

Whoosh!

Riarc sliced through the air with his claw, shooting an arc of lightning toward Kwon Oh-Jin.

“Hup!”

Kwon Oh-Jin took a sharp breath and twisted his torso, channeling mana into his legs before launching himself off the ceiling.

Thump!

“Too slow,” Riarc coldly remarked, 'stepping' on the blue lightning flaring around him. He landed before Kwon Oh-Jin could.

Their eyes met as Riarc raised his fist.

Now...!

Using the momentum of his fall, Kwon Oh-Jin raised his spear. He had come to accept that Riarc was far more agile, so he had to predict the wolf's moves accordingly.

Lightning Strike!

The attack, now stronger than it was two months ago, surged toward Riarc.

Crash! Crackle!

A storm of roaring lightning swept through the area.

It worked!

Kwon Oh-Jin smiled. However, Riarc's voice echoed out.

“Weak.”

“Kugh?!”

Emerging out of the storm, Riarc grabbed Kwon Oh-Jin by the neck and swung him like a baseball.

Wham!

“Argh!”

Kwon Oh-Jin bounced across the temple floor like a skipping stone.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Sharp pains seared him all over.

“

Ugh...

Damn it. I thought I'd finally landed a hit for once.”

He sighed, struggling to get up. Song Ha-Eun’s laughter echoed in the background.

“

Khaha!

Look at you bounce! Are you a fucking bouncy ball?” She came up and placed an ice pack on his head. “Is your head okay?”

“No. It fucking hurts.”

“Come here. Your favorite Ha-Eun will blow on it to make it better.”

“Ugh.”

“Huh?”

“Maybe it’s cause I rolled around too much, but I want to puke.”

“Motherfucker,” she called out and gave him a light smack on the head.

“How long did I last this time?” he asked, rubbing his sore head.

Song Ha-Eun tapped her phone screen.

“Fifty-two seconds.”

Damn it. How come I can’t even last a full minute?

“Tsk.”

Two months ago, he had been utterly crushed in just three seconds. He'd made decent progress but had hoped for more after two months of sparring with the same opponent.

That dude is seriously strong.

He let out a deep sigh as he glanced at Riarc, who hadn't even been using his full strength. The Star Spirit was holding back to match Kwon Oh-Jin’s level but was still far too overwhelming.

Song Ha-Eun sat next to him and teased him. “

Haha!

You wimp. How come you’re always getting your ass kicked?”

Kwon Oh-Jin narrowed his eyes and asked, “Why are you here every day, anyway?”

At first, she only came to visit once or twice a week, but now, it was like she commuted to the temple daily. She had even spent the night a few times.

“I came to feed my dear Oh-Jin~”

She hummed as she opened the square lunchbox she had prepared. Inside were rice balls crammed together like cursed totems, as ominous as a concoction made by an ancient demon for humanity’s downfall.

Fuck. How on earth do you cook up something that hideous?

“Come on~ Try one!”

“...”

He looked up at her, pleading with his eyes, but she didn’t budge. He took one bite of the rice ball.

“

Huh?

What the hell?”

“

Hehe,

how is it?”

“It’s actually good.”

Despite the awful presentation, the flavor was surprisingly well-balanced with a mix of savory and spicy.

She really could improve, huh?

“Right? Tastes good,

huh?

”

Song Ha-Eun grinned. Seeing her act so smug made him want to tease her, but he held himself back.

Anyway, I’m still not sure if all this training is paying off.

Kwon Oh-Jin frowned and took another bite of the rice ball. Over the past two months, his physical abilities had improved, and both Azure Lightning and Lightning Strike had leveled up, but that was it. He didn’t feel the same explosive growth as before.

Maybe just sparring isn’t enough. I might need something more intense. Ugh.

As Kwon Oh-Jin fell into thought, Riarc watched him with a heavy gaze.

Vega floated to Riarc’s side and crossed her arms.

“How has it been, sparring with him for two months?” she asked with a soft smile.

“What do you mean?” he responded.

“Isn’t he remarkably talented?”

Riarc fell silent as memories of the past two months flashed through his mind. Though Kwon Oh-Jin didn’t seem to realize it himself, he had improved considerably. However, Riarc still shook his head in disapproval.

“I can’t agree. It’s true he has remarkable control over his Stigma for a human, but that’s all.”

Riarc didn’t see him as their hope to avert the end of the world.

“Is that so?”

Vega patted Riarc gently on the back as he returned to his wolf form. He averted his gaze from hers.

“Do not rush, Riarc. In time, you will see what I mean.”

“... I still don’t understand why you hold this human in such high regard, Lady Vega.”

“

Haha,

it’s just my intuition,” she said and shrugged. She glanced at Kwon Oh-Jin, her gaze filled with unwavering trust. “That child has the power to change fate.”

“...”

Riarc scratched the floor, still appearing puzzled. Vega gently scratched his chin, smiling softly.

“And who knows? Maybe being with him will show you a way to break through your own

wall

.”

“That’ll never—”

“Even I admit it’s a far-off chance. Still, don’t be so pessimistic, alright?”

Her gentle touch brushed Riarc’s snout, and he let out a low purr, flicking his ears happily.

***

Ten minutes later, Riarc walked over to Kwon Oh-Jin, who had just finished eating his last rice ball.

“Are you done resting up, human?”

“

Huh?

Oh, yeah, I’m finished,” Kwon Oh-Jin replied. He chugged the water Song Ha-Eun had brought and stood up.

Riarc stared at him, lost in thought.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Kwon Oh-Jin cocked his head in confusion, but the wolf didn’t reply. Riarc shifted back into werewolf form with a loud snap.

“Then let's get back to sparring,” he fiercely asserted.

“Wait a second.”

“Hmm?”

Kwon Oh-Jin tapped his spear on the ground and asked, “Is there any way we can do this more like an actual fight than a spar?”

“What?”

Riarc scoffed in disbelief. He could barely last a minute in their regular spars, yet he wanted an actual fight?

“I know it’s a ridiculous request,” Kwon Oh-Jin said and laughed bitterly. “But I want to get as close to real stakes as possible.”

No matter how much he focused, sparring didn’t feel the same as a real battle. A small part of him kept thinking,

“It’s just practice, after all.”

“Hmm.

There is a way,” Riarc confirmed and chuckled as he crossed his arms.

“

Oh

, really?”

Kwon Oh-Jin’s eyes sparkled.

“Absolutely not,” Vega gravely interjected.

“

Huh?

Why not?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked, confused.

Riarc looked back at her and remarked, “Isn’t it possible if you were to open up the Sacred Ground?”

“You’re being quite bold, aren’t you?”

“Lady Vega, aren't you the one who said this human has the power to change fate?” he retorted.

Vega bit her lip, glaring at Riarc.

What’s going on?

Kwon Oh-Jin could barely follow their conversation. Sensing his confusion, Riarc elaborated.

“Inside the Sacred Ground, Lady Vega can manipulate the laws of the world as she wishes.”

“So that means...”

“That’s right. Even if you were to die, she could instantly revive you.”

“What?”

Kwon Oh-Jin’s jaw dropped. Something like that had to be impossible, even for a Celestial.

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

“Of course, this is only possible because we’re inside the Sanctum and you’re an apostle of Lady Vega like me.

“

Hmm

.”

If Vega could really create a space where Kwon Oh-Jin would instantly revive, then he could spar with real combat conditions. He turned to Vega with a hopeful look, but she shook her head firmly.

“No.”

“Why?” he asked.

“Resurrecting you is possible, but I cannot erase the pain and trauma of death.”

“...”

If the agony and shock of dying couldn’t be removed...

“There is a risk your mind won’t be able to endure it.”

He now understood why Vega refused so firmly.

But still...

He clenched his fist and looked at Riarc, feeling an unknown thirst within.

“Please, Vega.”

“But...”

“If I can’t take it, I’ll tell you at once.”

“Haa...”

Vega sighed. “If it looks dangerous, I’ll put an end to it immediately.”

“Okay.”

Kwon Oh-Jin nodded with a smile.

“It'll take time to prepare, so wait a bit.”

Vega closed her eyes and started muttering an incomprehensible incantation. After about an hour, the temple lit up with a brilliant silver light.

Woong!

A strange, mystical sensation washed over Kwon Oh-Jin. In awe, he touched the gently glowing walls of the temple.

So this is what the Sacred Ground refers to.

“Are you ready for the real fight you've been looking for?”

“Yeah.”

Kwon Oh-Jin lowered his stance and tightly gripped his spear.

Riarc’s mouth twisted into a cold smile.

“Well then... let’s see how long you can hold out for, human.”

Rumble!

The entire temple shook as an explosive, murderous aura gushed out of Riarc.

“Kugh!”

Kwon Oh-Jin could barely breathe. His vision blurred, and his legs felt weak. On top of that, his heart pounded wildly.

Thump, thump.

The terror of actual death crawled down his spine, threatening to consume his mind.

Riarc watched, amused that Kwon Oh-Jin couldn’t get himself together.

“Haa, haa!”

Kwon Oh-Jin gasped for air. Just standing was exhausting. His mind blanked, overwhelmed by the crashing waves of murderous aura. This was Riarc’s true power.

“Haa, haa!”

This was on a completely different level from any of the sparring sessions he had experienced before.

This is real.

Riarc genuinely intended to kill him this time.

“Haa, haa, haa!”

Cold sweat ran down his face. His heart pounded like a giant drum.

Thump, thump, thump.

Heat spread through his head as if a red-hot iron spike had been driven into it. An overwhelming terror engulfed him, and he felt as if his blood was drying up in his veins.

I’m scared. I’m scared. I’m scared.

And yet, he felt an odd, irrepressible thrill.

“Haha, hahaha!”

An insane rush of excitement heated every nerve inside him.

“Haa.”

He extended his tongue and licked his lips.

“Why aren’t you coming at me?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked Riarc. “Fine then.”

With a firm grip on his spear, he launched off the ground.

“I’ll come at you first!”

Bang!

A wire shot toward Riarc like a bullet.