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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Given the synergistic nature of these abilities, the already high difficulty of the strategy skyrocketed.
‘Eliorus can no longer be considered an A+ rank boss monster.’
It wasn’t an exaggeration to call it an S-rank boss monster. Song Seung-jun grimaced.
‘If this is the case…’
At this rate, even sensing Eliorus’s movements would be difficult. It meant they couldn’t earn contribution points from the boss monster, Eliorus. Their initial goal of aiming for first place was now out of reach.
‘What should I do?’
He wasn’t anxious, just contemplative.
‘If I use my full power, I can definitely secure first place.’
However, he shouldn’t be blinded by immediate gains and competitiveness.
‘…I must endure. Remember Master’s advice.’
A true master, a true powerhouse, always concealed half their strength.
‘Only then… can I survive in the hunter’s world, where danger lurks around every corner.’
And the circumstances were perfectly aligned.
-Clang! Clang!
Despite Eliorus maintaining stealth, Lee Seong-joon was successfully defending and counterattacking. It looked tough, but there was a chance of success. Even if Lee Seong-joon failed, it didn’t matter.
‘I can step in and take over then.’
Song Seung-jun had nothing to lose. This was a precious opportunity.
“Keep your heads down!”
-Crash!
Kim Hye-young and Jeong Yun-ho were also gaining the upper hand against the dark elves, despite the fierce battle.
There was no need to divert their attention elsewhere. He could finally witness Lee Seong-joon’s true strength, something he’d been curious about.
‘I’ll see it all, Lee Seong-joon. Your true skills.’
Having made his decision, Song Seung-jun narrowed his eyes, focusing on Lee Seong-joon’s fight.
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Lee Seong-joon’s eyes were filled with interest. The reason was simple: Eliorus was stronger than expected. He’d encountered a worthy opponent in this seemingly tedious raid gate.
-Clang! Clang!
In the continuous exchange of attacks, small cuts were accumulating on Lee Seong-joon’s body from Eliorus’s daggers. This was a proper fight, something he hadn’t experienced in a while.
As a martial artist who revered combat, even before becoming a Blood Demon and a demonic god, this was exhilarating. A smile spread across Lee Seong-joon’s face.
‘This is fun.’
With stealthy, agile movements and dazzling dagger skills, Eliorus was a formidable opponent. But Eliorus also possessed the unique ability to erase their presence.
If Lee Seong-joon had to rely solely on his senses, he wouldn’t be so relaxed. In other words, he wasn’t just tracking Eliorus’s movements with his senses.
‘Cloud-Distant Blood Trace.’
A Blood Cult technique that tracked the location of anything stained with blood. Through their exchanges, blood had stained not only the daggers but also the armor.
Even with stealth erasing their presence, Eliorus couldn’t escape the Cloud-Distant Blood Trace. Thanks to this technique, Lee Seong-joon could easily read and counter Eliorus’s attacks, despite their stealth.
“Quite disconcerting, isn’t it?”
Although there was no reply, the pause in Eliorus’s relentless attacks was answer enough.
“…”
Eliorus, still cloaked in stealth, frowned. Even with their presence erased, this human hadn’t missed a single one of their movements.
It was surprising, to say the least. But that wouldn’t change the outcome of the battle. Even with stealth rendered useless, their body was still intact. Eliorus narrowed their eyes and swung their daggers fiercely.
-Boom!
A deafening roar, disproportionate to the swing of daggers, erupted, creating a small crater in the ground. However, Lee Seong-joon, using the Wind-Thunder Step, remained unharmed.
Instead, the Diamond Dragon Strike filled his vision. The sharp dragon claws tore through the black energy surrounding Eliorus, closing the distance. But Eliorus’s eyes didn’t waver.
Watching Lee Seong-joon approach, Eliorus swiftly crossed their daggers, blocking the incoming fist.
-Bang!
With a thunderous roar, Eliorus was thrown back like they’d been hit by a truck. Though not a decisive victory, Lee Seong-joon had demonstrated his superior strength in the brief clash.
Yet, Eliorus’s fighting spirit remained undiminished. A smile naturally formed on Lee Seong-joon’s lips.
“You still have more to show, I see.”
“…”
Eliorus responded with a smirk and drew upon their inner strength. Their earlier confidence wasn’t unfounded bravado.
Eliorus hadn’t become a boss monster solely because of their stealth. As a martial artist, they possessed physical abilities rivaling those of Transcendent masters, and they wielded the power of Qi, known as inner energy, with great skill.
This meant they could imbue their daggers with sword Qi or enhance their body beyond its limits.
Whoosh! Eliorus charged forward with speed far surpassing their previous movements. But Eliorus wasn’t the only one concealing their strength.
Ding!
> Activating Strength, Agility, and Stamina Enhancement for user ‘Lee Seong-joon‘.
> Activating Earth’s Blessing and Wind’s Protection for user ‘Lee Seong-joon‘.
> Agility stat increased by 22.
> Strength and Stamina stats increased by 15 each, significantly increasing physical durability.
As Lee Seong-joon’s fist, empowered by his unleased strength, clashed with Eliorus’s daggers…
-KABOOM!!
The building shook violently, and cracks spread across the marble floor like spiderwebs. As their eyes met in the midst of the chaos, Eliorus vanished in the blink of an eye.
-Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Eliorus’s rapid movements created afterimages, but thanks to the Cloud-Distant Blood Trace, Lee Seong-joon knew they were all real attacks.
He didn’t retreat from the onslaught, instead extending his fist as if waiting for this moment.
‘Thousand Transformations Blood Martial Arts, Blood Martial Arts Second Transformation, Blood Explosion.’
-Woooong!
The red energy, the blood Qi, surrounding his fist resonated. As Eliorus finally closed in…
-KABOOM!
The blood Qi unleashed a series of explosions. Eliorus was caught in the blast. The force should have torn flesh and shattered bones, yet Eliorus merely stumbled.
They’d mitigated the damage by channeling Qi throughout their body at the moment of the explosion. But Lee Seong-joon had anticipated this and closed the distance.
Twisting his body, he aimed a punch at Eliorus’s face. However, Eliorus swiftly raised their daggers, blocking the blow.
Clang!
A tense struggle of strength ensued, with no clear victor. The shockwave from the impact pushed them both back. But the exchange continued.
As they retreated, Eliorus threw a dagger at Lee Seong-joon’s head. But Lee Seong-joon wouldn’t allow such an attack. He raised his left arm, deflecting the dagger.
Simultaneously, he flicked the fingers of his right hand.
-Thwack!
A red streak pierced the air, striking between Eliorus’s eyes. It was a concentrated attack aimed at shattering their skull, yet Eliorus’s head merely shook slightly.
“Not bad.”
Lee Seong-joon smirked and flicked his fingers again.
-Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Thousand Transformations Blood Martial Arts, Blood Martial Arts First Transformation, Bullet, shot out relentlessly, striking Eliorus’s body.
“Ugh!”
A groan finally escaped Eliorus’s lips. The black energy surrounding them crumbled under the barrage of Blood Bullets, causing significant internal injuries.
“Gah!”
A fountain of blood erupted from their mouth, and excruciating pain surged through their body. They should have collapsed, but Eliorus remained standing.
Their eyes, fixed on Lee Seong-joon, burned with an intense fighting spirit. There was a clear glimmer of hope. Thanks to their armor, their last line of defense, they hadn’t sustained any fatal injuries despite the continuous attacks.
They were wounded and exhausted, but so was Lee Seong-joon. His body was covered in cuts from their exchanges. He didn’t look to be in good shape, and his attacks had ceased. This was a chance for a comeback.
As Eliorus, fueled by the desire for victory, gripped their daggers, Lee Seong-joon pulled out the dagger embedded in his left forearm and slowly spoke.
“…I guess that was your full power.”
His voice was calm and bright, showing no signs of fatigue. The tone sent shivers down Eliorus’s spine.
“Well, it was somewhat entertaining.”
In the past, when he was hailed as the Blood Demon, he possessed exceptional martial arts skills and a vast amount of blood Qi, earning him the title of the Greatest Martial Artist of All Time.
But his blood Qi wasn’t infinite. In fact, it was always in short supply. As the enemy of the Blood Cult and the martial world, he’d waged countless wars against various factions and martial artists.
The Blood Demon, Lee Seong-joon, fought one against a hundred, no, one against a thousand, in every battle. Even with the power to slay dozens of martial artists with a single blow, when faced with thousands, even his vast reserves of blood Qi would eventually deplete.
Once his blood Qi, the equivalent of inner energy, was exhausted, even the Greatest Martial Artist of All Time, the Blood Demon Lee Seong-joon, was destined to lose.
But the Blood Demon, Lee Seong-joon, always emerged victorious. It wasn’t luck. There was a reason.
‘Infinite Blood Demonic Return.’
As the name suggested, it was a technique that allowed him to recover spilled blood. For an ordinary martial artist, this ability would merely prevent bleeding to death during combat.
But for members of the Blood Cult, blood replenished their blood Qi, the equivalent of inner energy for martial artists. The recovered blood flowed through his veins, quickly reaching his dantian.
‘20%.’
That was the amount of inner energy replenished by the recovered blood. It wasn’t enough. But there was no need to worry.
‘What’s lacking…’
could be supplemented by the blood remaining in his body.
-Thump! Thump!
His heart pounded, directing blood through his veins towards his dantian.
‘…!’
His vision momentarily blurred as blood rapidly drained, but the effect was undeniable. A full 50%, half of his inner energy, was restored.
The foundation for unleashing the martial arts of his prime, when he was hailed as the strongest Blood Demon, was now in place.
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