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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Although he had expanded his influence by signing contracts with the Korean Hunter Association, Baekho, and Bulsae, it was merely for show.
‘It’s not that there are no competent individuals, but…’
There were no combat personnel with the strength and power to instill real fear.
Even with his memories and experiences as the Blood Demon, who had once conquered the Thousand Continents, there was a limit to what he could do alone.
‘One hand cannot cover ten.’
To walk the true path of a ruler, the path of an emperor, he needed to place the right people in the right places, not just a large faction.
Of course, leaders like Taehyun Ko, Lee Ye-rin, and Oh Kyung-hyun had some potential for growth, but they were not enough to compete on the world stage.
But just then, Park Sun-woo, born with a Lightning Spirit Demon Body, had come to him on his own.
An individual who could be recruited as a much-needed combatant had appeared.
A smile spread across Lee Seong-joon’s lips.
“Not bad.”
“Yes?”
As Park Sun-woo tilted his head at his sudden words…
“I’ll teach you a few special techniques.”
“Really?!”
Although there was no direct answer, Lee Seong-joon’s unwavering expression was enough to show that it wasn’t a joke.
Unable to hide his excitement, Park Sun-woo bowed his head repeatedly.
“Thank you! I will serve you as my master!”
“I will pass on the martial arts, but I am not your master.”
“What do you mean…?”
It wasn’t difficult to explain about Han Ye-baek, the Lightning Spirit Demon Lord.
But a simple answer wouldn’t clear up all his doubts.
He would surely be bombarded with questions about Han Ye-baek.
Normally, he would have had to answer them all for a smooth transmission of martial arts, but Lee Seong-joon didn’t need to go through such trouble.
Because blood, which was his very essence, his energy, could contain a vast amount of information.
Of course, simply containing information wouldn’t be very useful.
But if he had mastered the secret techniques of the Heart Demon Lord, Bi-hyung, it was a different story.
‘(Dream Blood Seal).’
As the name suggested, its ability was to forcibly imprint the information contained in blood into the opponent’s mind.
Naturally, directly imprinting information into the brain was no easy task.
It required a high level of blood energy control that ordinary people couldn’t even dream of.
But for Lee Seong-joon, who had been hailed as the greatest Blood Demon and Demon God, it was no problem.
It meant that with a single gesture, he could transfer a vast amount of information about Han Ye-baek, the Lightning Spirit Demon Body, and the Thunderclap Cloud Echo Divine Art to Park Sun-woo.
It meant he wouldn’t have to answer his bothersome questions one by one.
“This might hurt a little.”
Lee Seong-joon’s hand shot out.
“……?”
Before Park Sun-woo, who was wide-eyed at his sudden movement, could ask a question, Lee Seong-joon’s palm landed on his head.
At that moment, Park Sun-woo felt a strange sensation, as if a hot energy was piercing his entire head.
“Gasp—!”
At first, he was bewildered.
But his bewilderment soon vanished, replaced by astonishment.
It was only natural.
Information that would answer all the questions that had been swirling in his mind was pouring in.
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Park Sun-woo, clutching his head, was in a state of confusion due to the influx of information.
“Wh-What is this…?”
It was unbelievable.
As the hand of Han Ye-baek, the Lightning Spirit Demon Lord, swung, lightning bolts tore through the sky and struck the ground.
The tightly packed martial artists fell like autumn leaves, and the flat ground was gouged out, creating huge craters.
It was a disaster that couldn’t have been caused by a mere human.
Even among hunters, only a few could display such power.
Even the so-called rankers who could display such destruction could be counted on one hand.
‘…I can wield such power?’
To be honest, it was such a dreamlike story that he couldn’t believe it.
But the information imprinted on his mind undeniably showed him the reasons why it was possible, and the growth path and process he had to follow, making it impossible to deny.
His doubts melted away like snow, replaced by a sense of certainty.
‘I-I can become a ranker too!’
It meant he could wield the power of his master, Han Ye-baek, the renowned Lightning Spirit Demon Lord, who had just appeared in his mind.
Considering his struggles just yesterday, stuck at the A+ rank, it was an astonishing transformation.
But what surprised him most was Hunter Lee Seong-joon’s ability.
‘To directly transmit information to the mind…’
He had been a hunter for a long time, from his teenage years to his current age of 25, so he knew a lot of information.
But he had never heard of a skill being transmitted in this way.
‘How much precise control over qi is needed for something like this?’
Even Sandra Bullock, the most sensitive to qi, a so-called Archmage, couldn’t perform magic that directly affected the brain.
The ability Hunter Lee Seong-joon had just used was literally unprecedented.
It was an ability that would have been astonishing even if it had been achieved by one of the world-renowned mages, and yet, Hunter Lee Seong-joon was a martial artist who wielded martial arts.
‘If the fact that Hunter Lee Seong-joon has such an ability becomes known to the public, the world will literally be turned upside down.’
A spark appeared in Park Sun-woo’s eyes.
‘I knew he was a great person, but…’
Since he was a martial artist, he had thought his abilities would be somewhat limited.
It was only natural and common sense that the abilities of martial artists who wielded martial arts were all focused on combat.
But Hunter Lee Seong-joon had easily shattered that common sense.
‘Hunter Lee Seong-joon is someone who can overturn even existing common sense!’
Even his auxiliary abilities easily surpassed common sense.
Then what about his main ability, his combat ability?
‘He’s on a completely different level.’
Without a doubt, Hunter Lee Seong-joon would soon become a wondrous being who would shake the entire world.
Naturally, his feelings for him went beyond surprise to awe.
But Lee Seong-joon himself spoke in a casual tone.
“I’ve imprinted it on your mind, so you’ll never forget it.”
Lee Seong-joon, still with a stoic expression, looked into his eyes and spoke again.
“I’ll give you 60 days, two months. After you reach the third star of the Thunderclap Cloud Echo Divine Art, prove your ability.”
Having delivered his unilateral notice, Lee Seong-joon turned his back without hesitation and left.
Park Sun-woo knelt before his retreating figure.
“Thank you! Thank you! Master!”
He knew from the information filling his mind that his master was Han Ye-baek, the master of the Thunderclap Cloud Echo Divine Art.
But the one who had transmitted the Thunderclap Cloud Echo Divine Art to him was not Han Ye-baek, but Hunter Lee Seong-joon.
As someone who had received his teachings, how could he not serve Hunter Lee Seong-joon as his master?
“Although I am lacking, I will do my best to live up to my master’s expectations!”
Lee Seong-joon’s figure didn’t stop at his loud voice.
But Park Sun-woo’s actions didn’t stop.
He bowed his head and prostrated himself in the direction Lee Seong-joon had left, showing his respect to his master.
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Lee Seong-joon, walking towards his original destination, the gate, was thinking about the unexpected encounter.
‘…That was an unexpected situation.’
The Lightning Spirit Demon Body, such a rare constitution that even Han Ye-baek, the Lightning Spirit Demon Lord, couldn’t find a suitable person despite decades of searching.
‘To think that such a person existed on Earth.’
And he had come to him on his own.
On the surface, it seemed like a great stroke of luck.
But he couldn’t just show him favor.
‘I don’t know Park Sun-woo well enough.’
He had passed on the general knowledge of the Thunderclap Cloud Echo Divine Art because he was born with the Lightning Spirit Demon Body, but he hadn’t yet finished assessing him.
‘All I know for now is that he has a personality worthy of being called a good person.’
He didn’t know how much talent he had and how much effort he could put in.
He couldn’t be sure if he was a person worthy of being his closest subordinate, like the Eight Great Demon Lords.
Therefore, he had given him the task of reaching the third star of the Thunderclap Cloud Echo Divine Art within 60 days.
Of course, with his excellent comprehension and the Lightning Spirit Demon Body, the probability of failure was slim.
‘……At most, less than 10%.’
It was just a selection process to rule out a one-in-a-million chance, so it was safe to say that his passage was a foregone conclusion.
This meant that the path of a ruler, which was his current goal, was being completed.
The safety of his family, which he had always been concerned about, was somewhat secured.
It was a very satisfactory situation.
But he had no intention of resting on his laurels.
‘It’s always harder to protect what you have.’
It was one of the wisdoms he had learned while reigning as the Blood Demon and Demon God in the Thousand Continents.
In fact, in the past, when he was aiming for the position of the Blood Demon, he only had to deal with the enemies in front of him.
But after he became the Blood Demon, he had to deal with enemies coming from all directions.
He never knew where or when an enemy would attack.
This meant that to protect what he had achieved, he had to deal with countless enemies.
‘And each one will be a strong opponent, incomparable to the previous ones.’
Now that he had reached SSS-rank and had clearly proven his abilities to the public, the small fries wouldn’t even dare to challenge him.
But the so-called rankers and guardians wouldn’t be intimidated by this.
On the contrary, they would prepare more thoroughly, plan more meticulously, and try to bind him.
They would approach him with absurd greed.
‘To deal with them without any trouble, like before…’
He would need much more power and authority than he had now.
He had to reign as an overwhelming ruler, the greatest martial artist of all time, and a revered emperor.
“I’ll have to move busily, without a moment’s rest.”
As he was planning his new goals, a gate emitting a red aura came into view at the end of his sight.
“……Shall we start hunting today?”
Lee Seong-joon, having lightly stretched, stepped into the gate without hesitation.
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