Chapter 63

Chapter 62. Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Guanyin (3)

The scenery changed rapidly.

The faster he ran, the more spears he deflected, and his breathing gradually quickened.

Still, the fact that he could stand and endure without collapsing was probably thanks to the 'shallow breathing' technique he had copied beforehand.

His preparation for a prolonged battle paid off here.

Right at that moment.

"……!"

Jinhyuk swung his dagger widely.

Bang!

He deflected another spear that came from the front. The spear spun in the air.

This wasn't the end.

Swoosh!

Spear after spear filled the sky, each adorned with a mandala that boasted of being a fatal strike.

The sky turned dark as if a storm cloud was approaching.

Ha ha, what is this...

'They're not giving me a moment to rest.'

Despite the desperate situation, Jinhyuk lifted his head.

At first glance, the wide-area technique (廣域技) seemed irregular.

However, there was a rule to these attacks.

The rule was to aim for the target's vital points.

In an instant, Jinhyuk grasped the trajectories of the incoming spears.

There was no need to be afraid.

He had done this countless times before.

'Remember the rhythm from back then.'

Jinhyuk relaxed his entire body.

Lightly, yet smoothly.

'Recall the experience from back then.'

Whoosh!

The black aura on the dagger burned even more fiercely.

The sound of cutting through the air was heard.

The spears came so close that they almost touched his hair.

'I'll deflect them all.'

Right at that moment.

Clang!

A brilliant spark erupted.

The sound of metal clashing with metal repeatedly struck his eardrums.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Jinhyuk stood in place and swung his dagger wildly. From left to right, from right to down, and then up again.

Bang!

Bang!

As if he had memorized where the attacks would come from, Jinhyuk didn't miss a single spear.

It was an unbelievable, almost divine performance.

The cry of the Thousand-Armed Guanyin was heard right then.

"Damn... How about this!"

A spear aimed not at Jinhyuk's body but at the ground right in front of him.

Using the uneven ground to create an unconventional route.

This was the technique called 'Picking and Bouncing' (挑彈).

It was hard to detect as it mixed in with the rain of spears, and reacting to it was even more difficult.

But it seemed as if Jinhyuk had anticipated this.

Bang!

Jinhyuk caught the spear shaft that bounced off the ground with his bare hands.

"Y-You blocked this too?"

The Thousand-Armed Guanyin stuttered.

Being blocked on a critical strike was bound to be shocking.

Moreover, the hands that had been holding numerous weapons were now mostly empty.

"Now, I think you've shown me everything. If you don't have anything more creative and interesting, I'll end this soon."

Jinhyuk took a step forward.

His steps were light and brisk.

[And one thought crystalizes like an icy blast.]

And just then, the final part of a song played through the broadcast system.

As if saying it was time to decide the outcome of this battle.

Was it the calm tone that irritated him?

A voice filled with anger erupted from the Thousand-Armed Guanyin.

"The only one who can decide when this fight ends... is me!"

[The Thousand-Armed Guanyin pulls out the 'Manji Spear' (卍䪂槍)!]

"Die!"

The Thousand-Armed Guanyin extended a golden spear, which he had manifested the mandala to its limit.

Despite its bulky appearance, the spear moved as fast as a bullet.

Bang!

The spear pierced Jinhyuk's body.

Or so he thought.

"An... illusion?"

The Thousand-Armed Guanyin's face, which had been twisted into a sinister smile, contorted in shock.

The visual effect caused by the reflection of ice and the诱导 at close range made it impossible not to be deceived.

When he thought it was dangerous.

A chilling voice came from under the Thousand-Armed Guanyin's chin.

"This time, I'll hit you back."

He was tired of just defending.

It was frustrating and suffocating, to say the least.

So.

Just once, hit me properly.

Jinhyuk threw the small Merlin's staff into the sky.

At the same time, he stabbed the dagger into the ground.

[Ice Sculpting 'Heaven's Sword' activated!]

Ice pillars descended from the sky and.

[Ice Sculpting 'Earth's Sword' activated!]

Ice pillars rose from the ground, meeting in the middle.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

A thick mist of steam was emitted due to the intense cold.

"Argh!"

Trapped inside, the Thousand-Armed Guanyin's body instantly froze.

No matter how powerful a named monster, the intense cold that bound his entire body made it impossible to move even a finger.

"Grr... Do you think this... will contain me?"

"No."

This is just to buy some time.

There's still one thing left to do.

Crack, crack, crack.

Jinhyuk began to create something out of ice in front of the Thousand-Armed Guanyin.

Here, it should be thick and long.

Here, it should be smooth and gentle.

The shape of the ice gradually took form.

After a few seconds,

[Ice sculpting complete.]

As the snowstorm cleared, the finished product was revealed.

'Excellent.'

Jinhyuk nodded in satisfaction.

A giant middle finger made of ice stood tall.

It was large and beautiful, and even dignified.

A perfectly crafted sculpture. Of course, a sculpture that perfectly mocked the opponent.

"T-T-This... This damn human! I'll lock you in the Avici Hell and make you suffer for eons. I'll make you reincarnate as a worm thousands, tens of thousands of times! Aaaah!"

The Thousand-Armed Guanyin shook his body violently within the ice.

It must be unbearable, being so hot and trapped.

This should be enough.

[Conditions met.]

[Unique ability 'Mandala (S)' copied successfully!]

[Mandala (曼茶羅)]

Acquisition difficulty: S

Description: A unique ability that players who have learned Buddhist law can use, similar to sword energy or holy power, to imbue weapons with special abilities. Additionally, through meditation, it can predict the direction of the opponent's attack.

[The copied skill is stored in 'World's Memory'.]

Achieving all sorts of bizarre conditions, he finally obtained the new unique ability, Mandala!

'So, let's... try using it after a long time.'

Jinhyuk carefully manipulated his mana.

Whoosh!

A warm and gentle aura.

It felt as if the life force of all living things was in the palm of his hand.

"Grr... This... this ice..."

In the midst of this, the Thousand-Armed Guanyin twisted his body violently, trying to break free from the ice.

Golden sparks flew due to the Mandala, but it wasn't enough to shatter the ice.

Tsk, tsk.

It's pitiful to see.

Why does it hurt so much to see fools who can't properly use their treasures?

"Don't waste your strength. You won't be able to break free no matter what."

"Nonsense! There's nowhere I can't escape with my abilities."

"No, it's impossible. Mandala is a good unique ability, but you're using it completely wrong."

"What?"

"If you opened the 'gate' through meditation, you should maintain that calmness. You're still overwhelmed by anger and can't control the flow of your mana, right?"

So you can't even use half of your full power.

"How dare you speak so freely? What do you know about this ability!"

What do I know?

At least more than you, who has wasted tens of thousands of years.

The essence of this ability.

And the value it holds, all of it.

So I'll show you.

How to use the ability called Mandala.

[Unique ability 'Mandala (曼茶羅)' activated!]

Crack, crack, crack!

An indescribable mist was created.

Suddenly, a golden lightning bolt appeared in Jinhyuk's right hand.

"H-How can this be? How did you learn that ability!?"

An earthquake shook the Thousand-Armed Guanyin's pupils.

An ability he couldn't understand.

The ability he used was being recreated.

And it was being done with much higher completion and perfection.

"This... This is impossible."

How could a human learn Mandala?

It was something even high monks who practiced for decades couldn't achieve.

But no matter how much he denied reality, he couldn't deny the dazzlingly burning aura of Mandala.

This was undoubtedly reality.

"Enough, disappear now."

Jinhyuk pulled his lightning-holding hand back sharply.

His forearm muscles rapidly expanded.

"W-Wait! Just a moment, just a moment!"

The Thousand-Armed Guanyin shouted frantically.

And at that moment.

Swoosh!

The lightning that left Jinhyuk's hand pierced the Thousand-Armed Guanyin's body.

***

Sizzle!

Water dripped from the melted ice.

Naturally, the Thousand-Armed Guanyin inside was charred black and lifeless.

[Level up.]

[Level up.]

[You have obtained the 'Key to the Statue'.]

The status window appeared one after another.

Thanks to defeating a named monster, he gained two levels.

"Is it over?"

Jinhyuk frowned, breathing heavily.

The intense pain from his entire body was hard to bear.

'I pushed myself too hard.'

After hunting Cadric and the undead, and then immediately facing the Thousand-Armed Guanyin, his remaining mana was barely enough.

He needed rest.

Of course, he had to take care of some things first.

Jinhyuk activated his personal status window.

——————————————————

Name: Kang Jinhyuk

Gender: Male

Age: 27

Level: 21

Strength 16 Agility 16 Vitality 16 Mana 41 Gaps 100 Luck 10 Adaptability 10

Available stat points: 6

Available coins: Additional settlement in progress.

Occupation: None

Unique abilities: Fusion (融合), Tomb of Swords, Blessing of the Stars, Anubis' Judgment, Blood Demon Energy (血魔氣), Mandala (曼茶羅)

Skills: Lv5 'Fire Element', Lv4 'Greed's Eye', Lv3 'Empathy', Lv3 'Soul Flame Brand', Lv3 'Feast', Lv3 'Shallow Breathing', Lv1 'Ice Sculpting', Lv2 'Daylight', Lv1 'Giant's Grip', Lv1 'Soul Chaser (追魂劍)'

——————————————————

The newly acquired abilities and stat points stood out.

'I need to invest in mana.'

Considering the possibility of prolonged battles like this, he needed to focus on increasing his mana again.

[Mana increased from 41 to 47]

As he increased his mana, the swollen blood vessels quickly subsided.

'I feel a bit better now.'

The last use of Mandala to throw the lightning was really intense.

But the results were more than worth the effort.

Thanks to completing Merlin's staff, he learned the advanced version of Ice Sculpting, Glacier Sculpting.

He also managed to copy Mandala from the Thousand-Armed Guanyin.

And with the level-ups, this raid was nothing short of perfect.

A truly ideal conclusion.

Now, all he needed to do was find a suitable place to rest and recover from the accumulated fatigue.

Yes.

That's what he should think.

That he would rest when the night came.

'They'll come before the night gets too deep, won't they?'

Jinhyuk's gaze turned towards the forest.

At this very moment, the assassins of the Mine Association were watching him.

They would think this was the perfect opportunity for a surprise attack.

But...

A completely different future awaits them.