Chapter 17 of 100

Chapter 17

7 min read1,868 words

Chapter 16. The Best Choice (1)

▶ Start from the beginning.

▷ Continue from where you left off.

▷ Load a saved point.

The pain was not long.

As my vision spun, the same message appeared as before.

Seohui didn't hesitate this time.

[Which point would you like to return to?]

▶ Year 95, Chapter 2. The Three Lives Offered by Gonma

[Empty save slot]

Naturally, he chose the first option.

[Year 95, Chapter 2. Rewinding time.]

As the white light faded, his vision began to clear.

A room with large windows.

Beside the endless bookshelves, a splendid young nobleman was looking at him.

It was Gonma, the disciple of the Heavenly Horse.

"Choose one of the three."

With his question, the selection window appeared immediately.

▶ Become Gonma's core warrior.

▷ Become Gonma's bodyguard.

▷ Become Gonma's secret agent.

Seeing this, Seohui recalled that he had saved the time at this point of decision.

This choice?

He would take the same path as before.

[You have chosen 'Become Gonma's core warrior.']

The process continued.

"That's good too."

Gonma nodded and continued.

"However, there's only one night left until the initiation ceremony. I'll inform the official on the first floor, so wait in the underground storage of the Thousand Days Hall. You can take anything useful from there."

Everything was the same as before.

The tone, the gaze, and even the gestures.

He didn't forget to add that there was a book called "Samsu Wonjosa" in the underground storage.

With that, Gonma left.

Seohui, like before, headed for the corridor to move to the underground.

That's when it hit him.

"Wait. I have a tool box, don't I?"

Seohui remembered the tool box because this was Gonma's room.

If his thoughts were correct, the items in the tool box could be permanently carried.

That meant he could take something from this room without it affecting his next life.

Just in case, he opened the tool box, and sure enough:

[Tool Box]

<Herbs>

Yangyang Geng 1 (one bite eaten), Jin Chang Yao 2, Iron Blood Poison Antidote 1

Shengqi Sujinduan 1, Qingli Qulian 1

[Weapon] Dan Ying Jian 1, Yue Xiang Fei 1

Yinxing Faguo (This secret technique will disappear after one day.)

Since he had already mastered Yinxing Faguo, it didn't matter if it disappeared.

Regardless, the fact that the items he had obtained in his previous life were safely stored was a significant gain.

"Plus, I killed Oma and gained another life."

Seohui turned around and re-entered Gonma's room.

Seeing the mirror on one side, he stood straight.

The symbol floating above his head.

It was particularly bright today.

Coin 2 [Two Chances]

Squeak, squeak.

Seohui passed the mirror and began to examine the bookshelves.

A fear that someone might be hiding and watching him arose, but he tried to remain calm.

In his previous life, he had spent almost half an hour in this room, and he hadn't sensed anyone's presence then.

"I need to find something useful here..."

This place, which could be considered Gonma's office.

He carefully examined each bookshelf, but none of them showed any phenomena like the "Samsu Wonjosa."

There might be excellent secret techniques if he looked more closely, but there were too many, making it difficult to decide which to take.

"Well, it doesn't have to be a secret technique."

Seohui's gaze shifted to Gonma's study.

A desk made of elm wood.

In the corner of the wall, there was a wardrobe, a storage cabinet, and a drawer.

Seohui moved over to them.

Swish, swish.

His actions became bolder.

He opened the storage cabinet and the wardrobe without hesitation.

"Nothing much here?"

After searching everything, he found nothing useful.

A few silk clothes, writing materials, sealed wooden boxes, and wrapped items.

The only thing that piqued his curiosity was a document that looked like a secret letter.

Just as Seohui was about to close the wardrobe, he noticed something like a lock or a ring behind the clothes.

He touched it without much thought, and suddenly a message appeared.

[Absolute Secret Technique, Sida Jima Gong (Four Extreme Demon Arts), Wind, obtained.]

"Whoa!"

Seohui's eyes widened.

It seemed he had touched something in a sealed space, just like in his previous life.

"Wait, Sida Jima Gong?"

Seeing the content of the status window, he was immediately amazed.

Sida Jima Gong is a martial art granted only to the immediate disciples of the Heavenly Horse.

How could this suddenly appear before him?

[Would you like to view the details? Accept/Decline]

Seohui didn't hesitate and accepted.

[Sida Jima Gong]

Description: A martial art granted by the Heavenly Horse to his immediate disciples.

It is the culmination of nearly two hundred years of martial arts, the essence of demon arts.

Sida Jima Gong is classified into four attributes: Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind. Gonma was given the Wind attribute of the Extreme Demon Art.

"A... A..."

Seohui felt goosebumps all over his body. This was not just any secret technique.

It was one of the top martial arts in the Demon Sect, granted by the Heavenly Horse.

It had come into his possession.

"No, I can't waste time."

Seohui quickly opened his tool box.

He couldn't afford to repeat the same mistake as before.

[Items safely stored in the tool box.]

He checked the contents of the tool box again.

[Tool Box]

<Herbs>

Yangyang Geng 1 (one bite eaten), Jin Chang Yao 2, Iron Blood Poison Antidote 1

Shengqi Sujinduan 1, Qingli Qulian 1

[Weapon] Dan Ying Jian 1, Yue Xiang Fei 1

Yinxing Faguo (This secret technique will disappear after one day.)

Sida Jima Gong Wind

"Yah!"

The item was safely stored in the tool box.

The status window even marked it as an absolute secret technique, recognizing its importance.

Seohui quickly tidied himself up and ran.

Honestly, he didn't care if he was caught and killed for stealing.

The fact that he had a spare life.

That was an incredible stroke of luck.

So, this crazy act was possible.

* * *

The first thing Seohui did when he walked to the underground storage was to check his status.

Health 118/120

Internal Energy 250/250

"Really, there's a difference compared to those guys."

His stats were truly pitiful.

Compared to those he had fought in the Wu Guan Dao, this difference was even more pronounced.

"I should ask for the Biryong Dan this time."

The Bisa Dan he received when entering Wu Guan Dao had increased his internal energy by 2,000.

But the Biryong Dan was a much better medicinal herb than the Bisa Dan.

If he could receive it, there would definitely be a significant difference from now.

"By the way, the Dan Ying Jian is in the tool box."

At the time, one of the three choices was the Dan Ying Jian, and it was now in his tool box.

He wondered what the first disciple, Sejak, the bodyguard, would say when he came.

"That's something to see when it happens."

Seohui opened his tool box.

He selected one from the list that appeared.

[Would you like to use Shengqi Sujinduan?]

After dying futilely in his previous life, he felt he understood something.

Acting safely and cautiously didn't always lead to the best results.

The treasures in Wu Guan Dao would greatly influence one's fate depending on who claimed them first.

Especially to pass the test by fighting high-level experts, he needed to prepare accordingly.

That meant he needed to challenge himself to become stronger, regardless of the means.

In that sense, using all the medicinal herbs he had was the right choice.

[Shengqi Sujinduan used.]

Health 1,118 (↑1,000)/1,120

Internal Energy 260 (↑10)/260

Seohui also applied Qingli Qulian.

[Qingli Qulian used.]

Health 1,318 (↑200)/1,320

Internal Energy 1,300 (↑1,040)/1,300

"Wow!"

The results exceeded his expectations.

His health and internal energy were in the four-digit range.

Not only the numbers, but his body had also changed.

His arm muscles contracted and relaxed, swelling and then becoming more compact.

He seemed to have grown a bit taller, and when he touched his face, he felt he had lost some weight.

His vision seemed to have improved as well.

He could even see the titles of books from a distance.

"Now I need to put them to use."

Seohui recalled the martial arts he had learned. Now, he needed to study how to use their power in different situations.

"Let's do it."

Hope and anticipation filled Seohui's expression.

* * *

Seohui devoted himself to practicing martial arts for a week.

He had a good grasp of their power and when to activate them.

Xiaoxi Demon Art.

He could use basic sword techniques, fist techniques, and footwork.

It was best to use them in daily practice or to respond to an opponent's reactions.

Jieshuma Demon Art's Jieliezhang.

Its destructive power was higher than the Xiaoxi Demon Art he had imitated in the past.

Now, it seemed to be about the same or slightly lower?

The power seemed to decrease as the distance from the opponent increased.

Chaojima Demon Art's Bao Lie Gong.

It had the strongest destructive power.

A single strike could kill even a high-level expert from the Hongma Yuan he had met in Wu Guan Dao.

Naturally, the more internal energy he had, the greater the power.

So, it would be better to focus on increasing his internal energy.

He couldn't test the stealth technique without a target.

"Is this something I can't use yet?"

Seohui looked down at the secret technique in his hands.

Sida Jima Gong.

He desperately wanted to see this absolute martial art of the Heavenly Horse.

[Sida Jima Gong Wind mastered.]

But he had already mastered it.

When he selected the absolute martial art from the tool box, a message asking if he wanted to master it appeared.

Seeing this, Seohui let out a scream as if he were about to die.

The numerous afterimages of martial arts techniques appearing before his eyes.

He could manifest the Tan Zhen Gong with just his fingers, or destroy buildings with a powerful strike.

The demon arts of the wheel that continuously emitted Xiaoxi Demon Art. It was hard to believe even with his own eyes.

But the joy was short-lived.

A message about the restrictions appeared.

[Cannot use!]

He needed a minimum of 30,000 health and 50,000 internal energy to use it.

Seeing the numbers 30,000 health and 50,000 internal energy, they seemed impossibly far away.

But unlike before, he had other abilities.

If he used them, he might be able to achieve these requirements somehow.

"The problem is this..."

Seohui focused on the detailed view of the Xiaoxi Demon Art.

The most concerning thing.

The Da Bo Jian.

Da Bo Jian (Great Boat Sword): ↓↘ → ←, B

If he could unlock this secret, most of his problems would be solved.

At the time, there was no context, but thinking about it now, it was a special ability that could summon sword energy and not deplete internal energy.

It was the best ability among all the lucky breaks he had received.