BXBX NOVEL Chapter 246: Penalty (1)
“You’re here.”
The King of Steel didn’t seem surprised as he muttered.
“How did you do it?”
The King of Steel smiled with joy at Yoon-seok. How did he do it? Yoon-seok couldn’t give a specific answer to that question. Just a few seconds ago, he had given up, thinking there was no other way. But, as soon as his fist struck Lee Su-yeon’s abdomen-
Whoooosh-!
There was a circular gap between the bars. And beyond the gap, the arena. Yoon-seok pushed himself through the hole without having time to process what happened.
「An abnormal being’s approach has been detected.」
「An abnormal being’s approach has been detected.」
「An abnormal being’s approach has been detected.」
Like a computer with a system error, those phrases kept popping up over and over again.
’An abnormal being’s approach…’
The iron bars separated the cage and the arena. Since he broke them and intervened in someone else’s duel, it wasn’t wrong to say he was an abnormal being. But how was that possible? Even Yoon-seok didn’t know, though he had an assumption.
’What was that earlier…?’
Just before a gap appeared between the bars, he felt a form of energy he’d never felt before. It was not from the lower abdomen or the heart but the brain.
’Is it just dimensional interference?’
He couldn’t be certain, but that was the only explanation that made sense. The only new ability he gained recently was b Devil}, which was the only thing he hadn’t checked. Of course, even if his speculation was true, it still seemed like a bit of a stretch. He tried experimenting before the duel, but why was it suddenly working now?
‘…That’s not important, right.’
“You must have no intention of answering. Well, it doesn’t matter. Let’s have fun.”
The fact that Yoon-seok broke into the arena. The King of Steel didn’t care much about the repeated notifications. He was just happy that the time he thought would happen later arrived sooner.
Swish.
Yoon-seok lifted his sword slowly. Compared to the King of Steel’s monster-like body, his was too thin…
Whoooooosh!
There was no anxiety or fear in him. No, rather, he was full of belligerent energy asking the King of Steel to bring it on.
“…That’s a familiar look.”
The King of Steel felt a strange sense of déjà vu. But it would be funny to take off the mask now and introduce himself as the swordsman from then, so Yoon-seok remained.
“You’re not coming?”
Yoon-seok urged him. Perhaps the King of Steel found the question unusual as he tilted his head.
Whoooosh-!
Skywrath Energy produced black swords through the air. Of course, they couldn’t hurt the King of Steel. It was just to raise his stats a little bit more.
「20 swords are being used. Magic increases by +1.」
Yoon-seok quickly scanned through the messages Lee Su-yeon sent from top to bottom. He couldn’t see it earlier, but his vision was filled with messages sent until the moment she was about to die.
Save her or don’t want to die… not a single thing of that nature was mentioned. Instead, they all contained information about the opponent Yoon-seok might have to fight someday.
Whikkkkkkk!
Yoon-seok’s sword streaked toward King Steel in a flash of light. It didn’t contain magic, as a matter of course. Magic attacks didn’t work on King of Steel in their past duel, and today would undoubtedly be the same.
But what if it was not magic but the Natural Energy in Middle Qigong?
Whoooosh-!
The sword energy Yoon-seok fired left behind after images of green-colored energy. The King of Steel, who could never have his Middle Qigong opened, murmured as he saw it.
“That’s a unique energy.”
Was it not that threatening? Or did he think he shouldn’t be intimidated from the start? Yoon-seok didn’t know, but the King of Steel chose a head-to-head match.
Clench.
Instead of avoiding it, he extended both hands forward and caught the blade. As a result, blood dripped from the King of Steel’s palms, but that was all.
“Blood… it’s been a while.”
The King of Steel blocked the blow containing Natural Energy with his bare hands. In the process, he suffered some minor injuries, but even those had already begun to heal.
’As expected, b Decapitation} doesn’t work.’
b Decapitation} had an unhealable option. Because of this, Yoon-seok had always been able to gain an advantage in far proximity battles, but the effect was nowhere to be seen. No, most of his skills and power couldn’t benefit him.
“Do we have no choice but to enter a dogfight?”
Even Lady’s Commandment was useless, and the nuclear rays of Lynn were equipment. Unique Skill b Devil} could be tossed out. He had acquired so many skills, but it was the same in the end.
There was only one way to win against the King of Steel.
‘Interesting.’
Before, it was Yoon-seok who broke first. As he said that day, he was a tiny bit lacking. What about now?
‘At least I have more advantages than back then. Now I have Natural Energy.’
Of course, even Natural Energy could only inflict minor injuries to that monstrous physique. However, albeit weak, it meant Natural Energy worked.
Whoosh-!
The King of Steel let go of the blade he caught and threw a punch like a lightning bolt. Although it was so fast that even Yoon-seok couldn’t see it…
Thud.
He didn’t need to see it to avoid the blow. This was also different from then. Yoon-seok had accumulated enough experience to feel his opponent’s presence as easily as breathing and could naturally predict what they would do just from their shoulder muscle movements.
‘…That was close, but this is doable.’
The moment when Yoon-seok leaped into the air, a fist bearing terrifying speed and power passed below.
“It’s a little annoying.”
The King of Steel clicked his tongue.
“Why don’t you keep the girl far away from here?”
“…?”
“We can’t play properly if I’m going to accidentally kill her!”
At first, he thought it was an indirect threat. However, the King of Steel, eager to fight, would never make such a threat. He was more concerned that Lee Su-yeon would get swept up, and the duel would end.
‘Does he think that Su-yeon was holding me back…?’
It wasn’t even funny. That the other party was making such a proposal, he had to control that fist just now in case she got hurt. However, Yoon-seok complied.
“I-I can go on my own…”
Yoon-seok, who carried Lee Soo-yeon to the outer wall of the arena, returned to the center. He wasn’t nervous, but he felt a little strange.
’If he controlled his strength earlier… how strong is he when he’s serious?’
He had never seen a high-ranker like the King of Steel fight with all his might. Of course, there was Cheon-ma, but the way they fought was so different that it was ambiguous to compare.
’Well, I’ll find out when we fight.’
“You start first.”
The King of Steel pulled back his right arm behind his shoulder, acting a little flustered. As Yoon-seok knew, he didn’t use magic. But, he recited a command.
“Wind Strike.”
However, he couldn’t detect the movement of magic.
’What is this? What kind of skill is this?’
First of all, it wasn’t the name of a skill sold in the store. Yoon-seok focused all his attention on his opponent.
And then-
Vroooooooooooom-!
A roar similar to a jet engine hit his ears.
Boom-!
When he came to his senses, Yoon-seok was stuck in the outer wall of the arena. Something invisible and as hard as steel hit him from the front.
Yoon-seok was shocked. Rather than the fact that he was knocked out because he got hit defenselessly…
‘This is Wind Strike…?’
This skill didn’t contain magic or Natural Energy. No, if his prediction was right, it wasn’t even a skill, to begin with. He just pushed the air forward with his palm. There was no other unusual skill mixed within.
‘Common sense doesn’t work on him.’
Yoon-seok shook off the dust and stood up. He was just a little surprised, but the damage wasn’t great, just a few cracked ribs. To this extent, he could recover instantly with magic.
‘I’m sure. It’s not a skill.’
Yoon-seok was convinced. It was closer to the techniques employed by the Heavenly Sword. Although that made him wonder why he recited it like a skill name…
“Hard Wind Strike.”
Smiling at Yoon-seok, who rose unharmed, King of Steel recited the second command (?). Should he call it an upgraded version of Wind Strike? Even so, the only difference was that he used both hands, not one. Of course, the power doubled accordingly.
Thud.
Yoon-seok never fell for the same attack twice. Yoon-seok lowered his posture and slid under the wave of wind.
The King of Steel shouted his third command.
“Step on the Ground.”
Like the vaguely named skill, the action that followed was also straightforward. The moment the King of Steel’s leg hit the ground-
Boooooooom-!
It sounded as if a bomb exploded. However, the ground hit by that ruthless kick remained intact. On the surface, nothing seemed to have happened.
’What…?’
He questioned it for a moment. Suddenly, at the tip of his toes touching the ground, he felt an absurd rebound, and his body was thrown up.
Yoon-seok didn’t understand. He stepped on the ground from afar, but it bounced him off? If it wasn’t a Tower skill, it was an unexplainable phenomenon.
’How can he do that without magic?’
Considering that Lee Su-yeon was still sitting against the outer corner unharmed, that meant he aimed the attack. Perhaps this boxer had similar techniques to the principles Yoon-seok learned?
Vroooooooooooom-!
Anyway, did he get tired of reciting commands? The King of Steel fired wind pressure as he saw Yoon-seok rising in the air with both his hands but opted not to shout out a command this time.
Whoosh-!
Although it was a tremendous blow, Yoon-seok had long transcended such limitations. He easily stepped through the air and jumped up one more time to avoid the palm wind.
But had he aimed for this moment from the beginning? He couldn’t see the King of Steel, who should have been below.
“…!”
Yoon-seok instinctively turned. The King of Steel, a gruesome shine in his eyes, was right in front of him.
At that moment, Yoon-seok realized.
“Crash.”
Instead of shouting out a skill name, it was something the King of Steel had come up with at the moment. Also, even though he’d been smiling as if he was having so much fun, he was seriously only thinking of killing him.
“Last Command.”
Well, Yoon-seok was no different.