Chapter 82

Chapter 81. Late-Rising Talent (1)

On the 29th day, Jeongsong returned.

"I got something quite useful. Actually, I had been in contact with a place for a long time and had already placed an order for a small sword there. But then, strangers suddenly burst into the shop. They seemed to be local gangsters, so I investigated a bit and found some pretty decent stuff."

Seohui was a bit slow to understand the implications of Jeongsong's vague statement.

He meant that he had beaten them to death, stormed their base, tortured them, and then stolen their goods.

[Jeongsong obtained the Gyeonryeongpa (乾靈牌) and the Gwisogyeom (鬼小劍).]

[Jeongsong's combat power increased by 22%.]

'A shield?'

While a small dagger like the Gwisogyeom made sense, the Gyeonryeongpa clearly looked like a shield.

Usually, protective gear mainly consisted of armor worn on the body, but Jeongsong had brought back a handheld defensive item.

Despite his bulky build, it did seem to suit him.

'Using what he wants, huh...'

Seohui tried to understand the emotion Jeongsong felt when he saw his combat power increase.

It was clear that he had the right equipment for himself.

While it remained to be seen how this would be utilized in the future, he accepted it for now.

On the 30th day, the only remaining squad leader, Yorim, returned.

He looked extremely excited and immediately started talking to Seohui.

"I'm so thrilled. Meeting a blacksmith from the Yang family was a huge stroke of luck. I never expected to obtain such a high-quality spear."

A spear? Could Yorim use spear techniques?

Seohui saw a different side of Yorim, who usually used a sword.

Not only that.

[Yorim obtained the Beolryeokshingun (霹靂神槍).]

[Yorim's combat power increased by 44%.]

'Wow!'

Seohui's eyes widened.

Just by obtaining a single weapon, his combat power had increased explosively.

Indeed, that was the case.

A weapon that suited one's hands could maximize one's abilities.

And each squad leader pursued their own preferred weapons.

This time, he learned a new fact he hadn't known before.

And finally, the last disciple and servant, or porter.

Eummoo also returned on the 31st day.

He, too, had a bright face, and Seohui secretly looked forward to it.

"Haha. Leader! The 31 days were really enjoyable."

"......"

For a moment, Seohui had a bewildered expression.

"Did you bring anything back?"

After a brief silence.

Eummoo answered cheerfully.

"Yes, of course. Instead of visible items, I brought back valuable information about people with excellent character."

"......?"

Confusion gradually turned into unease.

And at that moment, Seohui saw this.

[Eummoo obtained the 'contact information of beautiful maidens in the Sichuan region'.]

[Eummoo became famous as the 'Yugansheng (玉顔書生)' in the Sichuan region.]

"Huh...?"

Seohui struggled to understand what he was seeing.

Or rather, he was trying hard to suppress the urge to kill in anger.

It was also the moment he understood why Elder Baekhun had entrusted him with this guy.

"This is it. It's not something easily obtained. Only I can do it. Really. So, if you want to make contact, I can arrange it for you anytime."

"Eummoo..."

"Ah, are you worried about the people? Haha. Of course, they exist. Here are the portraits I drew..."

That was as far as he got.

If Seohui hadn't been forced to experience the flow of time, Eummoo would have been completely destroyed, but unfortunately, he wasn't there at the moment.

It was the 31st night.

Time stopped at Seohui's residence.

* * *

Seohui was repeating simple movements in the courtyard of his residence.

He had made several attempts to use the highest secret technique, Pungshin.

However, after obtaining the shoes from Elder Baekhun, everything changed.

He just demonstrated it once.

Rumble!

A storm of energy shook the surroundings and soared high into the sky.

The speed was so fast that it was almost as if there was no time gap.

An overwhelmingly powerful strike.

Moreover, a technique that required no internal energy consumption.

Pungshin (風神): → ↓ ↘, A<4.5x speed>

Just by removing one neutral move, it could be activated so easily.

The shoes given by Elder Baekhun truly brought about an incredible stroke of luck.

'If I had a sword in this situation...'

Click.

Seohui drew the Yeohoeum from its scabbard.

He confirmed the abilities of the new weapon again.

<Basic Abilities>

70% increase in destructive power when using ordinary martial arts

50% increase in destructive power when using extreme yin martial arts

50% increase in destructive power when using extreme yang martial arts

30% additional increase in destructive power when using the Four Great Extreme Demon Arts

<Additional Abilities>

Increase in combat style abilities (turn-based, AI, simulation)

<Special Abilities>

Chuhoongi (追魂氣) (sealed curse)

All abilities increase by more than 50%, and the destructive power of Pungshin increases by a full 30%.

Seohui wanted to see the reaction again when Pungshinquan turned into Pungshinjeom.

Boom!

A massive storm of energy manifested again in front of Seohui.

Seeing it, Seohui could directly notice the difference.

The wind spread out like a whirlwind, becoming as sharp as a blade, and it was even stronger.

Moreover, there were moments when the power of lightning was added.

'There's such a difference when using a fist.'

When using Pungshinquan, it spread out quite widely, shaking the ground.

Not only in front, but also to the sides, the wind pressure pushed the opponent away.

In contrast, Pungshinjeom was sharper and stronger but not as wide.

Additionally, it was not as easy to execute with his hands.

"With this, I can use it whenever I want. If I increase my combat power a bit more, I can fight anyone..."

Seohui was satisfied.

Just by lowering his head and then pushing it forward while running towards the opponent, he could implement it.

If he could use Pungshinquan or Pungshinjeom freely like this,

he felt he could take down someone stronger than himself without any problem.

If he continued to grow like this, he would eventually be able to defeat the Taehwanggakju.

'But why... do I keep feeling uneasy?'

One of the things Seohui had been pondering recently.

He was gradually getting stronger.

With various abilities and strokes of luck, he felt he could now confidently fight anyone and win.

Yet, the more he grew, the more he felt a sense of emptiness.

A growing sense of unease, a feeling that he was missing something.

"Am I on the right path?"

He couldn't know.

He didn't have a proper master, let alone anyone to guide him.

He had only faced the reality in front of him.

Hadn't he only fought for survival?

'Can I become like AI Seohui?'

So he thought.

In fact, this sense of unease had arisen after seeing that guy's fights.

AI Seohui always exceeded his expectations and overcame impossible battles.

Especially, his movements at the right moments gave Seohui a higher level of combat.

That's why he was troubled.

What kind of training did he need to become that strong?

How did he acquire the combat abilities he had?

'For now, this is the best. I'm too busy grabbing the luck in front of me.'

Still, the reason Seohui didn't worry more was because of the reality of life.

At any moment, he could die.

He lived in constant fear of missing an opportunity.

However, he felt he would need to deeply ponder this issue someday.

Now that he had improved his subordinates' abilities, he felt it was time to move forward.

He needed to become stronger, regardless of the means or methods.

If he did, he would eventually see things he couldn't see now.

* * *

The next day.

<Set the schedule for January 98 CE. (28/36)>

In front of Seohui, the schedule for this month appeared.

Roughly calculating, there were nine monthly executions.

That would complete the schedule.

After that, if his prediction was correct, he would receive a heavy mission from Gonma.

If that happened, he wouldn't be able to use this residence or record time.

Before that time came, Seohui thought he needed to maximize his abilities.

▷ Squad leaders and mission execution [Receive Gonma's mission]

▷ Set subordinates' schedules

▶ Receive mission

▷ Complete mission

Thus, he chose the third option.

He chose one of the methods to become stronger.

<From whom would you like to receive a mission?>

▶ Gonma (Fourth Disciple of Cheonma)

▷ Heukgu (Eunyoungdan Leader)

▷ Jeoppa (Eunyoungdan Education Leader)

The fourth option, which was originally available, was Doctor Hong, who had treated Seohui.

He had lost his life twice just because of his request.

While he did