Chapter 15 of 100
Chapter 15
10 min read2,393 words
Chapter 14. The Three Lives Kownma Proposes (4)
When Seohui leaped, Jegho did not even turn around.
Only when she was almost within striking distance did he react.
"Who... cough."
Those were his last words.
Seohui's sword pierced his back precisely, and Jegho's end was just a short scream.
"Haa. Haa."
Jegho died on the spot.
He died without even properly seeing her face.
"I... I finally... ."
A strong thrill ran through her fingertips.
The pleasure of taking down such a person without any harm.
An exhilarating sensation spread throughout her body.
Strength 98/205
Internal Energy 1,220/2,250
She glanced at the transparent numbers floating to the right and thought,
"Oops. I don't have time for this."
Seohui examined Jegho's fallen body.
As she searched thoroughly, she was surprised again.
"Five of them..."
There were a total of five body bamboo pieces. They must represent the number of lives he had taken while moving together.
That wasn't all.
[You have obtained 1 Heavenly Silver Body Armor.]
[You have obtained 1 Moon Fragrance Dagger.]
[You have obtained 1 Black Iron Sword.]
[You have obtained 3 Wound Healing Pills.]
[You have obtained 1 Iron Blood Poison Antidote.]
"Amazing."
Equipment and medicinal items fell one after another as she searched the body.
The Heavenly Silver Body Armor was the armor the youth had worn.
The Moon Fragrance Dagger was a dagger.
It wasn't just a simple throwing weapon; the blade was sealed in its sheath with a black liquid at the tip.
"So this is the Iron Blood Poison."
She had heard about it a few times. Once infected, it becomes a nerve poison, causing instant death.
Even if she didn't know, the presence of the Iron Blood Poison Antidote made it easy to guess.
"This sword Jegho used must be the Black Iron Sword."
[Do you want to open the tool box?]
Seohui picked up the equipment and medicinal items without hesitation.
She hesitated for a moment about taking one Wound Healing Pill but decided to take everything.
Except for the Black Iron Sword.
[Tool Box]
<Medicinal Items>
Yangyang Jelly 1, Wound Healing Pills 4 (3↑), Iron Blood Poison Antidote 1 (New)
<Equipment>
[Armor] Heavenly Silver Body Armor 1 (New)
[Weapon] Dan Yeong Sword 1, Moon Fragrance Dagger 1 (New)
[All items have been safely stored.]
'The display has been organized for convenience.'
Seeing the items neatly categorized, she felt that the tool box had a system.
And another thing.
She wondered how much it could hold.
'Should I try this time?'
Seohui touched the Wound Healing Pill.
[Do you want to use 1 Wound Healing Pill? Accept/Decline]
She had put all the Wound Healing Pills in for this reason.
Like the herbs she used earlier, they had this effect when taken out of the tool box.
'I will use it.'
Seohui indicated her agreement to the question.
[Using Wound Healing Pill.]
Strength 205 (↑107)/205
"Ah!"
As expected, an immediate change occurred.
The moment she felt the surroundings brighten, her strength increased instantly.
"The pain is completely gone."
And the numbers immediately reflected the reality.
When she touched her back, the wound was almost completely healed.
"Can I equip this right away?"
[Do you want to equip Heavenly Silver Body Armor? Accept/Decline]
Seohui immediately accepted.
At that moment,
"Haha. Hahaha."
Seohui laughed without realizing it.
In the blink of an eye, the Heavenly Silver Body Armor had been perfectly attached to her body.
There was no process of putting it on.
"An incredible stroke of luck. This tool box."
Seohui couldn't believe it even when she saw it with her own eyes.
She couldn't believe that such a stroke of luck had come to her.
And she decided to change her mindset.
From now on, she would call these things a stroke of luck, not a curse.
Isn't it a unique ability that no one else in the world has?
"Should I try the Black Iron Sword? After all, the Dan Yeong Sword is in the tool box."
The tool box allows detailed viewing.
At a glance, the sword Jegho used seemed better than the one she currently had.
"Right. Let's try this once..."
Just as she was about to open the tool box, she sensed something strange and turned her head.
But her head wouldn't turn.
Because of the status window.
[Warning! An unknown enemy has detected a weakness in Seohui. How will you respond?]
▶ Counterattack
▷ Defend
▷ Flee
9...8...
'Oh no!'
The situation had reversed.
In her excitement, she had failed to be vigilant, which was the root of the problem.
▶ Counterattack
▷ Defend
▷ Flee
'Maybe I can open the tool box?'
Seohui quickly looked at the faintly written tool box in the upper right corner.
But there was no response.
It seemed that this option was not available in such a disadvantageous situation.
'Right, when the enemy detects a weakness, there's an option to use a tool. That means you can't use tools in a crisis.'
6...5...
Time was passing, and Seohui had to make a choice.
To counterattack.
Or to defend or flee.
▷ Counterattack
▶ Defend
▷ Flee
'Counterattacking is a bad move.'
No matter how she thought about it, counterattacking was too reckless.
Even if she fled, she might suffer a serious injury like before.
'I'll defend.'
If the opponent was strong, it might be a meaningless action.
But she wanted to try.
Fortunately, the Heavenly Silver Body Armor was protecting her neck and chest, but more than that.
She wanted to know the results of all possible choices as much as possible.
[You have chosen to defend. I will inform you of the enemy's position, so please focus.]
'Inform me?'
Seohui, thinking this might be an opportunity, regretted having such a thought for a moment.
The moment she noticed something flashing, it was already close to her.
Pah!
The opponent's sword struck Seohui's chest.
"Ugh!"
Seohui's body was pushed back. The force was so strong that the wall behind her was shattered.
"Did you underestimate me? The sword doesn't seem to penetrate?"
A figure landed gracefully where Seohui had been.
A middle-aged man, who looked over 40, tilted his head in confusion.
"Kuh!"
Seohui spat out blood.
The moment she felt a sense of relief at being alive, she glanced up to the upper right.
She had to check, even in the midst of intense pain.
Strength 39 (↓166)/205
Her strength had rapidly decreased.
Despite this, Seohui's mind was working quickly.
'Blocking the attack was tough.'
The enemy was even closer than when she chose to flee.
No, the enemy attacked even faster this time.
The only difference was that choosing 'defend' allowed her to gauge the enemy's position.
Wearing the Heavenly Silver Body Armor was a small comfort.
"Ah, you're wearing something."
The opponent looked relaxed.
He was qualitatively different from the man who had ambushed her when she first entered the Wu Guan Dao.
Relaxation.
And the reason for this relaxation soon became clear.
[Status]
Oma [Red Demon Academy, Asura Heaven Team Leader]
Physical Condition: Normal
[Statistics]
Strength 4,505/4,650
Internal Energy 6,020/6,220
'Damn! He's much stronger than anyone I've faced so far.'
For some reason, the status window of the man in front of her appeared.
His strength and internal energy were far superior to hers.
It made sense, as the Red Demon Academy, unlike the Tai Huang Pavilion which received orders from above, was a core branch of the Devil Sect.
A team leader from the Red Demon Academy.
Even if the Black Moon Captain Jikmyeong and the Black Transformation Captain Jegho had attacked together, it would have been a close fight.
'Why now of all times...'
<Life + 1>
Even in the midst of confusion, her eyes were drawn to the moving text above her head.
But a question arose.
How can someone with this level of ability have only one life?
"What are you staring at? You're going to die anyway."
Oma tapped his neck with the large sword he held.
Perhaps because of his high stats, Seohui didn't find him arrogant.
'I've worked hard in this life...'
For some reason, a sense of injustice arose.
A continuous cycle of death and resurrection.
At least in this life, she had done her best to survive within the given environment.
She had worked tirelessly to make the most of the limited time.
"What are you mumbling?"
Oma's expression turned unpleasant, and Seohui smiled.
"Just thinking it's a bit unfair."
"..."
"Even with an opportunity, why is there such a gap? It's maddeningly unfair."
"..."
"You're going crazy before you die?"
"Yeah, I'm crazy."
Seohui glared.
If she was going to die, she wanted to show something.
"You rich brat!"
Pah!
Closing the distance in an instant, she unleashed the sword technique of the Xiao Xi Martial Art.
Her breath turned white as she quickly swung her sword.
"Idiot."
Oma, sensing the movement, raised his sword to defend. As their swords clashed, he opened his eyes wide.
Zing! Bang!
The clash of internal energy pushed both men back.
Or rather, Oma was pushed back.
'What?'
Seohui's eyes wavered.
She had just drawn on her familiar Xiao Xi Martial Art, but the opponent was pushed back.
The opponent's stats helped her realize this was real.
[Statistics]
Strength 4,055 (↓450)/4,650
Internal Energy 5,380 (↓640)/6,220
Despite just a clash of swords, the opponent's strength and internal energy had dropped significantly.
"Exactly what is this martial art..."
Oma's face turned pale.
Seeing this, a strong thrill and a voice spread through Seohui's body.
It was 'won'.
And before it, the word 'victory' naturally fit.
* * *
There was something called the Xiao Shu Martial Art.
A martial art that uses extreme cold, it is the strongest martial art that only the elders of the main hall can perform.
As it deals with extreme cold, it is more suitable for women than men.
But because it is so powerful, men and demons also wanted to learn it.
This led to the creation of derived martial arts.
Martial arts derived from the Xiao Shu Martial Art, modified for different uses and roles.
Seohui thought the Xiao Xi Martial Art might be one of these.
Otherwise, it would be hard to explain how she, who did not have an extreme cold constitution and had not cultivated such a style, could perform it so easily.
"Grgh..."
Oma's expression twisted seriously.
Despite just blocking the attack, his face was covered in white mist, clearly showing he was shocked.
Internal Energy 910 (↓310)/2,250
Seohui's condition was not good either, despite her success.
Her internal energy had dropped significantly.
But it was good.
She knew her efforts had not been in vain.
"Ugh!"
This time, Oma attacked.
His footwork was unique, as if he was using some kind of movement technique.
Seohui did not just stand there.
'I can see it.'
With renewed confidence, the enemy's movements became clear to her.
Of course, it was still difficult to keep up with the enemy's speed.
Pah! Pah!
She just dodged and looked for an opportunity.
'I'll decide the outcome in one move.'
Given the enemy's strength, she had to bet everything on one move.
Pah.
Oma, seemingly angry at the opponent dodging, charged recklessly.
He intended to decide the outcome in a frontal battle.
But his strategy of cornering the opponent gave Seohui another chance to use her martial art.
The characteristic of the Xiao Xi Martial Art, which freezes anything it touches, slowed Oma's movements.
Taking advantage of this, she activated the Xiao Xi Martial Art.
Zing!
"Ugh!"
Despite this, Oma did not retreat. Instead, Seohui was pushed back.
Strength 19 (↓17)/205
Her strength was almost depleted, and her breathing was very rough.
She didn't even have the strength to stand.
"You've lasted longer than expected with that little skill."
Oma smirked as he examined Seohui's condition. But his eyes were not relaxed.
Maintaining a safe distance was proof of this.
'Huh?'
Seohui's eyes, filled with despair, were drawn to something.
<Xiao Xi Martial Art proficiency has increased.>
Imitation ▶ Beginner Level
'What is this?'
It didn't give her more strength or improve her health.
Out of curiosity, Seohui looked at the 'Martial Arts' list in the upper left corner.
[Martial Arts]
<Xiao Xi Martial Art> Sword & Movement & Fist (Beginner Level)
<Xi Shu Martial Art> Heat Palm (Imitation)
<Chao Ji Martial Art> Explosive Technique (Imitation)
Pfft.
Seohui dashed forward.
To Oma, who was in a defensive stance, it seemed like a reckless move.
Before they clashed,
Clang!
"Ugh!"
Oma, who had been blocking several times, took his first step back.
Stabbing. Dodging and swinging again. The movements were several times faster than before.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Several flashy moves tore their clothes and skin.
"Roar!"
"Zzzz-!"
A large movement, gathering internal energy in mid-air, clashed with their weapons.
Zing!
The outcome was not clear.
But Oma did not think so.
Anger at Seohui's sudden and dramatic increase in physical ability surged.
"How did you do that! How! Wh, what?"
"..."
But Oma's eyes showed confusion as he continued speaking.
The blade of the large sword he held.
Sss.
The middle of the blade was splitting.
Perhaps because of this,
[A Perfect Opportunity! A weakness in Asura Heaven Team Leader Oma has been detected. How will you respond?]
It appeared.
▶ Attack
▷ Use Martial Art
▷ Use Tool
Without time to cheer, Seohui immediately moved down.
Even if she chose to attack, she wasn't sure she could kill him.
▷ Attack
▶ Use Martial Art
▷
Use Tool
She chose this.
And another text appeared.
[You have chosen to use a martial art. Here is the list.]
[Use Martial Art.]
▶ Xiao Xi Martial Art (Not Available)
▷ Xi Shu Martial Art (Available)
▷ Chao Ji Martial Art (Not Available)
Three martial arts appeared, but the Xiao Xi Martial Art and Chao Ji Martial Art were not available.
Probably due to internal energy.
Right now.
Then the choice was the Heat Palm.
Use Martial Art ▶ Xi Shu Martial Art ▶ Heat Palm (Imitation)
[Do you want to use Heat Palm?]
Seohui chose without looking back, and at that moment.
Bang!
Seohui's hand, out of control, struck Oma's chest directly.
"Ugh!"
When she realized time had returned to normal.
"Ah!"
Seohui saw.
Oma's head was smashed into the ground.