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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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At Kim Ki-joon’s bewildered expression, Lee Sung-joon chuckled inwardly.
‘This is absurd.’
Possessing abilities befitting a first-class martial artist, Kim Ki-joon was indeed quite fast.
But that was all.
He showed nothing exceptional.
If anything, what seemed to be a unique skill specific to an Awakened, was quite peculiar, but not difficult to handle.
Frankly, it was almost a waste of that movement ability, presumably his unique skill.
‘Too clumsy.’
Had he never experienced a proper fight?
His movements were too straightforward, and his attacks lacked a refined killing intent. He was practically telegraphing his attack methods and locations.
‘…Is this inevitable?’
The difference in experience was overwhelming.
From the first nameless third-rate thug he fought, to Jung Chun, who sat in the position of Murim League Lord, to Baek Mu-hak, who was called the best of all time in the Thousand Continents, to the Primordial Heavenly Lord, who was praised as a lofty god.
Before ascending to the position of Demon God, Lee Sung-joon had fought countless battles against all sorts of humans and gods.
It was only natural that the movements and judgment of the Shadow Brothers, who had only experienced a few dozen fights at most, would feel clumsy.
‘I was curious about the skills of Earth’s Hunters, so I watched… but I just wasted precious time.’
They weren’t worth checking out.
Kijun Kim and Kiyeol Kim, both were just half-baked individuals who gained excessive power through the boon of the System.
Further judgment was pointless.
Now it was time to make them pay for their presumptuous attack.
Lee Sung-joon’s eyes flashed for a moment.
‘Ghost Shadow Step.’
Lee Sung-joon’s figure, which had been clearly in front of him just a moment ago, began to blur.
The flustered Kim Kijun rolled his eyes repeatedly, trying to escape, but it was a futile struggle.
Right in front of him, at close range.
‘There’s no room to escape.’
Lee Sung-joon had spread his energy in a wide circle around his feet.
It was only about 5 meters in diameter, but Lee Sung-joon’s nerves read every action that took place within this space.
This space was completely Lee Sung-joon’s domain.
It seemed like an incredible ability, but in fact, it wasn’t unique to Lee Sung-joon.
‘Any martial artist who has learned martial arts knows this, even if clumsily.’
However, at first, the area was too small to be used properly, and after reaching a certain level of mastery, some neglected it, thinking of it as a simple sense.
But Lee Sung-joon, who honed his martial arts and rose to the position of Blood Demon and Demon God, knew clearly.
He knew what he would perceive if he wrapped this sense in the form of energy and pushed it outwards.
‘Air Superiority.’
Naturally, whether or not one possessed Air Superiority made a world of difference.
It was no exaggeration to say that everything from breathing to gaze, and ultimately even movement, was being read, making fighting within this space extremely disadvantageous.
Therefore, Kim Kijun could never escape this domain.
Perhaps Kim Kijun also vaguely realized this fact, as his eyes shook violently as if there was an earthquake.
“N-No way…!”
Overwhelming.
There was no need to even mention his physical abilities.
But what surprised Kim Kijun the most was Lee Sung-joon’s technique.
‘He’s reading everything.’
There were clearly places where his defense seemed weak.
But when he actually tried to exploit those openings, they were instantly filled.
No, on the contrary, he was countered as if Lee Sung-joon had been waiting for it, and ended up being overwhelmed.
In fact, except for the initial surprise attack, he hadn’t even touched Lee Sung-joon’s body once.
‘Strong.’
Lee Sung-joon wasn’t a fool who relied solely on his strength.
‘Looking at physical abilities alone, A+ rank.’
But what if you added combat experience and senses to that?
‘…He’s easily on par with an S-rank Hunter.’
The request itself was a mistake from the start.
Once he honestly acknowledged Lee Sung-joon’s skill, the current situation became clear.
‘I have to escape as soon as possible.’
Normally, he wouldn’t have been able to escape Lee Sung-joon’s grasp.
But Kim Kijun had an excellent skill called Shadow Movement.
‘…Based on the data I’ve collected so far, if I just create distance, I can escape.’
His technique was excellent, but his speed wasn’t so overwhelming that he couldn’t react.
And fortunately, his younger brother, Kim Ki-yeol, had created enough distance just in time.
Having finished all his calculations, there was no reason to hesitate.
Kim Kijun immediately used his skill.
‘Shadow Movement.’
But immediately after, a chilling sensation ran down his spine.
No, it wasn’t just a sensation.
‘Is he smiling?’
In his vision, a faint smile played on Lee Sung-joon’s lips.
“You finally used it.”
He might have been caught off guard the first time because he was unaware of the ability’s existence, but he had no intention of being caught by the same ability twice.
That’s why, from the moment Kim Kijun first used that unique ability, he immediately began to analyze it.
‘The ability is movement through shadows, and there seems to be a condition, as consecutive use is impossible.’
The information he had obtained so far wasn’t much, but it was enough of an achievement.
‘The important thing is, this means he can’t escape for a while.’
Of course, there could be unexpected variables, but it didn’t matter.
Since the difference in skill was overwhelming, he could overcome any variables that arose.
The moment Lee Sung-joon’s eyes flashed and his body moved, Kim Kijun’s urgent voice rang out.
“Run! We have to get as far away as possible!”
Having said his piece, Kim Kijun turned his back and quickly started running.
Having felt the overwhelming gap in their abilities, he had completely abandoned the idea of fighting and decided to run.
But there was no way Lee Sung-joon, who had fought countless battles, wouldn’t have considered such an escape method.
‘I won’t let him escape.’
It wasn’t misplaced confidence.
Unintentionally, Lee Sung-joon had a hidden trump card.
‘Buffs.’
Among them were those related to speed and agility.
Ding-!
> Agility Enhancement, Wind’s Protection is applied to user ‘Lee Sung-joon’.
> Agility status increases by 22.
While hunting the Blue Tiger, he hadn’t used buffs related to agility in order to efficiently use his internal energy, as the hunt required prolonged combat.
Furthermore, the Shadow Brothers were weaker than expected, so there was no need to use them.
‘But I never thought it would be used as a trump card like this…’
The resulting effect was tremendous.
The distance, which had been over 100 meters, instantly shrunk to just over 50 meters.
Kim Ki Kijun ‘s eyes naturally widened at Lee Sung-joon’s movement, which far exceeded his expectations.
‘His speed increased even more?’
This meant that his previous calculations were now skewed.
‘What… what should I do now?’
It was at that moment, while questions swirled in his mind,
The distance between him and Lee Sung-joon had already narrowed to a little over 10 meters.
Lost in thought was a luxury.
‘First, I’ll block this attack and then reassess.’
He had chosen what he thought was the best option, but it was a clear mistake.
Lee Sung-joon’s body had already become a weapon through the Diamond Iron Body External Qi Technique.
There was no way he could successfully block the attack.
‘Diamond Iron Body External Qi Technique, First Form, Iron Mountain Tiger Strike.’
BOOM-!
With a loud roar, Kim Ki-Kijun’s body was pushed back, leaving a mark shaped like the number one (一) on the ground.
“Cough-!”
A fountain of blood spurted from his mouth, and his legs trembled like aspen leaves, but Kim Ki-Kijun’s body still hadn’t collapsed.
The look in his eyes, yearning for life, was still burning intensely.
“Not bad.”
However, at this point, having lost his mobility, the match was decided.
There was a reason why Iron Mountain Tiger Strike was classified as the first form of the Diamond Iron Body External Qi Technique.
‘Iron Mountain Tiger Strike is a technique for breaking down the opponent’s defense.’
The real attack started from the second form, after the defense had crumbled.
“Let’s see if you can withstand this too.”
Lee Sung-joon’s expression hardened as he closed the distance to right in front of Kim Kijun.
‘The feeling is… sufficient.’
There was no reason for it to be lacking in the first place.
Overwhelming talent that allowed him to be praised as the Blood Demon and Demon God after being dropped alone in the Thousand Continents without any information or abilities.
That Lee Sung-joon had hunted for five hours using the Diamond Iron Body External Qi Technique.
There was no way his proficiency hadn’t increased.
‘Focus the power precisely on one point.’
The muscles in his clenched fist swelled tautly, adding strength.
He condensed it hard, like the muscles of a beast.
Finally, the moment the concentrated power reached the limit his body could withstand,
‘Now.’
With a glint in his eyes, Lee Sung-joon thrust his clenched fist forward.
‘Second Form, Diamond Strong Dragon Strike.’
It was immediately after that the momentum of a dragon (龍), a legendary beast and the strongest creature, was unleashed.
KABOOM-!
An explosive sound erupted, like a bomb detonating.
The powerful dragon’s foreleg, launched forward, smashed everything that stood in its way.
Rumble-!
The surrounding area was utterly devastated.
The wind pressure released along with his fist shattered and broke the nearby trees, turning the area into an empty space.
Naturally, there was no way Kim Kijun, who had received this overwhelming power head-on, could be safe.
Thud-!
Where the sound of something collapsing came from, Kim Kijun ‘s body, so damaged it was beyond recognition, lay sprawled on the ground.
His first kill on Earth.
But for Lee Sung-joon from the Thousand Continents era, killing people was commonplace.
It wasn’t a choice, but a necessity for survival, so he had no regrets.
This time was no different.
Lee Sung-joon felt no emotion even when looking at Kim Kijun’s completely crushed corpse.
He simply proceeded to his next task calmly.
‘He ran quite far.’
Kim Ki-yeol, his ability itself wasn’t that impressive, but while Kim Kijun was on the defensive, he had diligently run away, creating quite a distance.
‘Well… it doesn’t matter.’
Martial arts weren’t just about defeating enemies.
There were also movement techniques (輕身法) that allowed one to move their body quickly.
Moreover, the movement techniques Lee Sung-joon knew were classified as divine arts.
No matter how much Kim Ki-yeol struggled, there was no way he could escape Lee Sung-joon’s grasp.
‘Wind and Thunder Steps.’
Hyeok Chun-man, one of the Eight Great Demon Lords, and infamously known as the Wind Devil Lord (風凶魔宗) for assassinating numerous leaders of the Murim League during the Righteous-Demon War.
The transcendent movement technique he used unfolded through Lee Sung-joon’s feet.
Naturally, the effect was truly remarkable.
The moment he kicked off the ground, concentrating the power circulating within his body into his thighs and legs, the distance between him and Kim Ki-yeol, who had been at the edge of his vision, closed in an instant.
“H-Hiek-!”
Kim Ki-yeol’s face turned pale at the sight of Lee Sung-joon, who had become a gust of wind and caught up to him in an instant.
“S-Stay away!”
He brandished the dagger he held fiercely, but such an attack, without proper form, couldn’t possibly reach Lee Sung-joon.
Whoosh-!
Lightly dodging Kim Ki-yeol’s dagger with a tilt of his head, Lee Sung-joon extended his clenched fist.
Thump-!
With a dull thud, Kim Ki-yeol’s body crashed into a nearby tree, and white foam started to come out of his mouth.
‘Good.’
Since he needed to find out who had requested the assassination, he couldn’t kill him, so it would have been rather troublesome if Kim Ki-yeol had resisted while conscious.
‘Subduing someone is harder than killing them.’
Fortunately, due to the fear ingrained in his mind from the previous fight, he couldn’t even use his full abilities and collapsed unconscious after a single blow.
‘…It’s over.’
His first fight against people on Earth had concluded.
But not everything was over.
Rather, it could be said that it was just the beginning.
‘Through Kim Ki-yeol, I will uncover the mastermind who requested the assassination from the Shadow Brothers.’
He had a hunch, but without clear evidence, he couldn’t be certain yet.
Therefore, he would confirm it through Kim Ki-yeol.
After that, there was nothing more to say.
He would make them pay dearly for picking a fight with him.
With cold eyes, Lee Sung-joon slung Kim Ki-yeol over his shoulder and walked towards the gate’s exit.
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