Chapter 19: The Root Of All Evil

Flash!

A blue light condensed and remained on my hand as I willed.

 [The power of the moonlight resides in you.]

The extreme Yin and cold qi condensed.

'This is as intended.'

This is the power that could replace or be layered on top of the Sword Qi.

The Moonlight faithfully kept to that.

'With this level of Yin and cold energy, I could send quite a few to their graves, couldn't I?'

The power was quite to my liking.

"It's dangerous!"

I heard Yoo Eunchae's voice.

Seven evil spirits were already surrounding me.

-Hehe, it's alive!

-How shall we kill it? Skin it alive?

-Kill it! Just kill it!

There was no intelligence in their conversation. Only the dead, seized by evil, were present.

'No, that's not it either.'

They're just repeating what the evil spirits had been saying.

-Die. Die. Die!

The evil spirit swung its hand mightily at me from behind.

'It's clumsy.'

Slightly tilting my head to the side, I reached out with my hand wrapped in Moonlight towards what was approaching from the front.

Crack!

-Kieeeek!

I pierced right through the torso of an evil spirit. The body froze with a crackling sound and turned into ashes as if it had been burnt to nothing.

'This.'

Suddenly, an interesting thought occurred to me.

Ice Realm, a direct copy of Abel's Blood Realm ability. Though I modified it, it retained most of Blood Realm's powers. Wrapped in the power it holds and Moonlight, something quite interesting could be born.

But I didn't bother to use it now since this is a fight to show how a martial artist who has reached a higher realm fights.

'Actually, it's not that difficult.'

Avoid the opponent's attack with minimal movement, and kill them directly. Then the inferior one will die. Of course, once you reach a certain level, it becomes a bit more complicated than that.

'For now, it's at least showing some potential.'

While lost in thought, evil spirits surrounded and attacked me. They took positions from all sides and swung at me. Each attack was threatening.

Tsk.

I clicked my tongue quietly.

Since my body was not fully formed, each of these attacks was fatal. Quickly ducking, I reached out towards the hands of the evil spirits flying at me from three directions.

"I'll show you the way of the warrior's fight."

The fighting methods of a genius, an expert, and a dullard who learn martial arts are all different.

A dullard is just busy blocking or dodging.

An expert tries to break through.

And a genius,

-Kieek?

He lets the hand of the evil spirit slide off and decides the direction to let the hand slide. The hand of the evil spirit heads straight for the heart of another evil spirit.

Paaht!

My Moonlight thrust its young grip directly into the heart of the evil spirit.

Hiss…

Just like that, the evil spirit turned to ash and scattered.

"Huuuu."

I took a deep breath.

And then, I concentrated the qi and blew it into the evil spirit's hand that I'm grabbing.

Crack!

The evil spirit's body was instantly frozen.

I had done one thing before that.

'Moonlight.'

Swoosh.

A blue light inhabited the evil spirit, and it turned into an ice statue.

Boom!

Ice shards flew in all directions.

They precisely tore apart the cores of all the evil spirits.

"This is…"

"The finale was a bit flashy, but this is somewhat how fighters fight."

"This is what you call somewhat fighting?"

"That's how it was in my time."

During the era of the Blue-Eyed Martial Emperor.

That was when all sorts of new masters emerged.

Those from the outside of the Central Plains, those from the orthodox sects, and those who dwell under the rule of the Four Evil Overlords.

Usually, people don't mess with the Young Master of the Namgoong Clan, but those new masters will and are fully capable of beating the Young Master as if they don't care about his name.

"No, that's not it."

"You have to be at least this good to say you've put some effort into martial arts. It's not that hard."

"…"

Yoo Eunchae glared at me as if cursing me with her eyes.

But this is the truth.

'But there's the power of the system here, after all.'

Focusing on developing a sense of combat isn't a bad idea.

"Then, shall we move on to the next?"

"You want me to fight just by watching this once?"

"Because you learn much more from actual combat than from practicing ten times."

That's my theory.

No matter how much you practice, swinging a sword all day in a place without variables will only stiffen your thoughts.

The same goes for magic.

Being able to recite spells from the back doesn't make you a mage.

Doing such a thing would only earn you the nickname of a spell hoarder, among others.

"Originally, wizards are supposed to use shields and only cast spells."

I silently looked at Yoo Eunchae with eyes full of pity.

"It won't do. You need to be managed more specially."

"Hehe, have you finally realized how precious this disciple is?"

"In this fight, wear this iron ring and fight."

"Eh."

Yoo Eunchae's pupils trembled.

I gave her a slight smile.

"Really?"

"Of course, it's real. But don't worry too much. If it's really dangerous, wouldn't I step in?"

"Why is that a question…"

"And one more thing."

"No, what more do you want me to do here?"

"Kill your consciousness."

"…My consciousness?"

Yoo Eunchae tilted her head in confusion.

"Yes. It means to kill the mind and engage in battle."

"How can you do something like that…"

"The more you get agitated, the bigger the gap in battle becomes. So, consciously killing your emotions and acting like a killing machine is the most ideal way to fight."

"Then, has the master been…?"

I just smiled silently.

"This is the boss room ahead."

"It's simpler than I thought."

"After making me suffer all this time, you say it's easy?!"

Ignoring Yoo Eunchae's scream, I walked forward.

There was a giant evil spirit in front.

-Kuoooooo!!

Roughly 3m in size, it had a vivid appearance, but it was difficult to see the core without any aids.

"That's the boss."

"Really?"

This would be tough for the current Yoo Eunchae.

'Her stamina has also dropped.'

I'll have to deal with this.

"You take a little rest."

"Yes! I will watch my master fight with my own two eyes."

'You sure talk a good game.'

I approached the spirit casually, as if on a leisurely outing, my hands loosely clasped behind my back.

Whooosh!

A circle within my heart began rotating, awakening the purest qi of the Great Sky. Then, my magic formula activated. While releasing my hands, the evil spirit looked at me as if reacting.

-Keheheh.

"What are you laughing at?"

The evil spirit laughed. Its mouth was torn wide, filled purely with malice. A laugh that could drive ordinary people mad just by hearing it.

Before it becomes master of this place,

'I'll kill it.'

Glacial Heavenly Moon.

'Ice Realm.'

Chwararararak!

Threads made of ice filled the surroundings. Ice threads indiscriminately fill every direction.

They began to take control in all directions.

"Ice Realm!"

"What do you think?"

"About what?"

"How similar is it?"

"…Compared to before Abel's Unique Traits evolved, this seems better."

I was momentarily surprised.

'Does she really have a talent for magic?'

Since then, I've come up with a new method for the Ice Realm and evolved it.

Crack!

The Ice Realm spread in all directions, freezing everything and entwining the evil spirits.

-Grrrrr!

The evil spirit tries to rampage.

The Ice Realm is a magic that covers all directions. Therefore, its intensity is weak.

'But I don't really care.'

No matter how much it struggles, the Ice Realm is designed to bind the evil spirit even more tightly.

And here.

'Moonlight'

Flash!

The blue thread shimmered with moonlight.

The Ice Realm covers all directions.

The evil spirit seemed to sense something and looked desperate, but.

'It's already too late.'

Crack!

Frozen in ice. The ice, now also imbued with moonlight, completely froze the evil spirit in its tracks.

Glacial Heavenly Moon.

Ice Pillar.

Creeeak!

A giant ice spear revealed itself.

A giant ice spear, over 3m in length.

It flew like an arrow and pierced through the evil spirit's core.

Crack!

Along with the sound of something breaking, a transparent spear was reflected in my retina.

[Dungeon Clear!]

[Reward: Stat Magic Power +2 Added!]

[Reward: Core of the evil spirit.]

So this is how rewards are given.

Not bad.

[The core of the evil spirit.]

This is the remnant of power left behind after the evil spirit's death.Holding this orb while you sleep might lead to something special...?It is condensed with malice.

"The harvest is good. The stats are pretty decent too. The core of the evil spirit is somewhat coveted in the magical world for research."

"Really?"

"Yes, we were quick on the attack this time, maybe we're the dream team?"

"I'll drive the bus. Is there another dungeon we need to go to?"

"…Hehe."

Yoo Eunchae tried to defuse it with a laugh.

"How much is the core of the evil spirit?"

"Usually about 5 million won. But this one's a bit bigger, so 8 million won?"

"More expensive than I thought?"

"The core of the evil spirit is on the rarer side. So it's a bit expensive for its grade."

Yoo Eunchae had said up to that point and then exclaimed, 'Ah-!'

"Just to let you know, you shouldn't sleep with the core of the evil spirit."

"Why?"

"It might not be much of a problem for a master, but it could cause nightmares."

"Nightmares?"

"Yes, up to that point there's no issue with the facts, but if you thrash about in a nightmare, you might encounter beings you shouldn't meet right now."

Well, that's intriguing.

I looked at the core of the evil spirit.

"No, it's really dangerous! Nightmares are things that call the queen."

"Is that so?"

The more you say, the more intrigued I become, but of course I won't use it.

"Just keep it safe for me."

As I tossed the evil spirit's core, Yoo Eunchae's eyes fluttered.

"Th-this precious thing?"

"Is it precious?"

"No, not at all! But you trust me and entrust it to me?"

"Of course."

Her manners and such may not be reliable… but I trust Yoo Eunchae's other desire.

'The desire to become stronger.'

As long as that exists, it's almost sure she won't betray me.

After leaving the dungeon, I entered the lodging.

I've left the motel life behind. Abel provided a separate dormitory for the professors.

I never imagined that space alone would be close to 100 pyeong.

"I told you. We make tremendous investments in our instructors as well."

"Not bad."

"…Starting tomorrow, you can wear these clothes."

Abel said, showing me a corner of the wardrobe.

Each piece looked ordinary, but the material was very high quality.

"Oh, the clothes are better than I thought?"

"Because it's what you requested."

Abel smiled brightly, but his voice trembled as if he was a bit angry.

Seriously, who else but a novice would try to draft a contract one-on-one with me?

'I was the one who along with the emperor, the chancellor, and 15 others, managed to take 30% of the empire's wealth.'

It was a mistake to come alone, indeed.

I flopped down on the sofa, finding it surprisingly comfortable. Soon, I found myself buried in its cushions.

"Where is the textbook?"

"It's over there."

I looked where Abel pointed. There were quite a lot of textbooks. Using telekinesis, I pulled the book with the most basic magic.

Seeing that, Abel remarked as if spitting out,

"You're neat."

"This?"

I laughed hollowly at Abel's compliment.

I just did the most basics of magic.

I examined the books.

First, the basic application of mana. I opened the book and rested my chin on my hand to look.

'What is this.'

And I wondered.

"Haha, it seems you like it. Our school's textbooks, not only do we invest more than 10 billion annually, but they are also considered the best textbooks from all sorts of scholars…"

"Damn."

I cursed involuntarily after reading about 200 pages of the textbook.

"What?"

"You invested 10 billion in this? Do you have money to burn?"

"No, what on earth do you mean…"

I cursed while looking at the basic textbook.

I looked at the martial arts manual—"Advanced Martial Arts Manual: Seven Dragon Internal Arts."

Seven Dragon Internal Arts?

Although it was an Internal Art I was seeing for the first time, I was more curious about how it could have been creatively ruined than about its novelty.

'The basic mana application is written so terribly.'

The Internal Arts had some semblance of dignity.

"How advanced is the martial arts manual?"

"It's a power used by those among the active heroes who are considered upper class."

Upper class.

In this world, being called upper class usually means either a top-notch master or someone who has woven together 6 circles, meaning the 6th Circle.

"…And those guys learn this?"

My head throbbed.

Clearly, in this world, there are mages living in a fantasy world.

And there are warriors who have come over from the martial world.

And Yoo Eunchae learned the Brilliant Blazing Fire.

But how can the level be so inferior…

「Damn insect bastard. You're really unlucky. If you had attacked me elsewhere, you could have lived. But now that the Empire's butcher is in the Purple Tower, I have to take you.」

「You dishonorable scum. Let's die together.」

In my second life, I put everything into the Purple Tower to kill the Demon King.

In my third life, I set a volcano on fire to kill the old monsters that stood in my way.

How many of the righteous martial arts forces died then?

It is safe that at least 30% was cut down.

'…I'll have to teach diligently.'

I smiled faintly.