Chapter 24
Seong-jun Lee's brow furrowed.
'What's this?'
It felt different from a typical gate.
The moment he stepped forward after finishing his mental preparations, a strong current pulled his body into the interior of the gate.
At the same time, his field of view went completely dark.
Just as Seong-jun Lee, feeling puzzled, was about to urgently expand his senses...
Whoosh-!
A powerful force of attraction grabbed Seong-jun Lee's body.
And in that moment, the scenery before his eyes transformed, revealing an ochre-colored sand desert.
"How strange."
Slowly looking around, Seong-jun Lee's eyes narrowed.
The sudden change in climate was something he had experienced every time he entered a gate.
However, oddly enough, the exit of the gate he had just crossed through was nowhere to be seen.
"Hmm..."
The sensation of being swept away by something, along with the suddenly vanished gate exit - there was no room for doubt.
Though it was his first time actually experiencing it, it matched perfectly with the accounts he had seen on the internet.
'...So this must be what people call a special gate.'
Since he had originally come to clear a normal D-rank gate, this could be considered a completely unexpected situation.
However, Seong-jun Lee's expression remained utterly calm.
After all, nothing would change even if he panicked.
In situations like this, it was best to calmly assess things step by step.
'First... I should confirm what kind of gate this is.'
A desert - despite the wide open terrain, not a single monster was in sight.
However, the sunken sand pits nearby indicated that there were formidable monsters inside the gate.
As he carefully gathered information while surveying his surroundings, Seong-jun Lee nodded to himself.
'It's likely a Frenzy Gate.'
A smile curved Seong-jun Lee's lips.
'This actually makes things easier.'
In the case of Frenzy Gates, there were no tricky conditions like bizarre monsters, forceful constraints, special changes, or traps.
Simply defeating the boss monster would make the exit door appear, allowing one to leave the gate.
It meant he just needed to hunt one boss monster, without wasting energy on unnecessary things.
'The odds are overwhelmingly in my favor.'
A C+ rank boss monster.
Even if it had enhancement buffs that could increase its stats, it wasn't a monster that a mere level 30 hunter could hunt alone.
But Seong-jun Lee dared to be confident in his victory.
This was because he possessed a power that could surpass levels and stats.
That power was martial arts.
He could wield the mighty force of inner energy drawn out through the Blood Shadow Asura Divine Technique.
Moreover, Seong-jun Lee had the experience and skill to use it efficiently.
Even with the same stats, he was bound to be overwhelmingly stronger.
And Seong-jun Lee himself was well aware of this fact.
There was no way he would even consider the possibility of defeat against a mere C+ rank boss monster.
"The problem is that I have no idea where the boss monster is..."
However, just standing around here wouldn't lead to any clever solutions.
In the end, Seong-jun Lee scratched the back of his head and slowly began to walk.
* * *
After wandering the gate for about an hour.
Seong-jun Lee, who had been walking non-stop, was finally able to encounter the boss monster he had been so eagerly seeking.
"I've found it at last."
Boom!
Seong-jun Lee gazed at the massive insect kicking up sandstorms at the edge of his vision.
A giant body stretching 3 meters long, brown-colored skin, countless teeth lining its muzzle -
He could easily identify the enemy's identity, as it had been frequently mentioned during safety education sessions in the past.
'Earth Worm.'
Despite being a boss monster, it didn't seem to have any visible armor covering its body.
'Does it have some special ability?'
Questions arose, but there was no way to confirm them immediately.
So Seong-jun Lee boldly erased the doubts that had sprung up in his mind.
Instead, he checked his own physical condition.
'My condition is at its peak.'
The battlefield was also excellent.
There was only one enemy, with nothing else to worry about.
It meant he could pour all his strength into fighting just this one opponent.
'Now I can truly test the extent of my power.'
Seong-jun Lee smiled as he looked at the Earth Worm that was over 3 meters long in the distance.
Ding-!
[Strength, Agility, and Stamina stats increased by 5 for 10 minutes...]
Feeling power surge through his entire body, Seong-jun Lee clenched his fists and infused inner energy into his legs planted on the ground.
Pat-!
Seong-jun Lee's body leapt forward, kicking off the ground.
Seong-jun Lee and the Earth Worm rushed towards each other.
The distance between them closed in an instant.
"Keeeeek-!"
The Earth Worm let out a shriek, opening its mouth wide to reveal rows of sharp teeth, charging forward with fierce momentum as if to swallow Seong-jun Lee whole in one bite.
'Ghost Shadow Step.'
Seong-jun Lee's form blurred before the Earth Worm's eyes, then suddenly reappeared at its flank.
'Internal Organ Destruction technique is too risky.'
He could use it if he wanted to, but he didn't know the locations of the Earth Worm's vital organs.
No, even if he did know, the amount of inner energy he currently possessed was insufficient to penetrate the outer skin and destroy the organs of the massive Earth Worm.
'I'll have to crush it directly.'
Blood Steel Fist, a martial art capable of denting even thick iron, struck the Earth Worm's flank.
Crack-!
With a dull sound, the brown-colored skin caved in.
But that was the extent of it.
'Not deep enough.'
He hadn't managed to inflict any significant wound.
Rather, he had only instilled a sense of danger in the Earth Worm.
"Keeeee-!"
Shrieking, the Earth Worm plunged its head into the ground and disappeared into the sand.
Watching this scene, Seong-jun Lee's eyes narrowed.
'It hides underground?'
This ability wasn't among the known characteristics of Earth Worms.
'...It must be a unique ability gained from becoming a boss monster.'
While he was organizing the newly acquired information in his mind, the Earth Worm's gaping maw suddenly burst up from beneath his feet.
Pat-!
Hastily evading, Seong-jun Lee's brow furrowed.
'It's quite tricky.'
Not only did it have a hard shell that didn't dent even when hit by the Blood Steel Fist, but its evasion and ambush abilities were also exceptional.
For ordinary hunters, this would have been quite troublesome.
However, for Seong-jun Lee, who could freely manipulate inner energy, it wasn't much of a problem.
'Even if it can hide its body underground...!'
It couldn't completely conceal its aura.
As he spread his inner energy through the ground, he could sense the Earth Worm's presence not far away.
It was prowling around, looking for an opening.
'Should I wait for the right moment?'
Having reached the realm of a first-class martial artist, there was no need to go to such trouble.
"No, I'll make it come out on its own."
With a smirk, Seong-jun Lee placed his outstretched palm on the sand.
'Heaven-Destroying Blood Technique.'
A powerful destructive martial art that only true Blood Sect members - those who lead the disciples as great masters among first-class martial artists - can learn.
Of course, no matter how threatening a martial art might be, it would be meaningless if it couldn't reach the Earth Worm hiding underground.
However, since the Heaven-Destroying Blood Technique is a martial art learned by first-class martial artists who can materialize qi, there existed a move that could inflict damage even without direct contact.
'Bloody Flower Frenzy.'
A martial art true to its name, where flowers of blood dance wildly.
It's a move that fires multiple qi projectiles to annihilate enemies before one's eyes.
Ordinarily, this move could only be performed by those who had reached at least the peak realm.
But Seong-jun Lee was able to execute it using the experience and knowledge etched in his memories, along with the power of the Blood Shadow Asura Divine Technique, a mystical art that only Blood Demons could learn.
Bang-! Bang-! Bang-!
Of course, since it was merely an imitation, the power was somewhat lacking and insufficient to break through the Earth Worm's tough shell.
But it was enough to provoke the Earth Worm.
Indeed, the Earth Worm that had been hiding underground was now writhing in pain, causing the earth to tremble.
Rumble-!
Suddenly, the Earth Worm burst up from beneath Seong-jun Lee's feet, its maw gaping wide.
Having already anticipated this attack, Seong-jun Lee lightly jumped to avoid it, then immediately used the Soaring Immortal technique to gently land on top of the Earth Worm's head.
"Keeeeeek-!"
The Earth Worm twisted its body wildly, trying to shake off Seong-jun Lee standing on its head, but it was a futile effort.
'Sticky Foot technique.'
In the past, when he was active as a first-class martial artist in the Thousand Continents, he had once crossed a cliff battered by fierce winds to complete an order from the Blood Sect.
'Compared to that, this is laughable.'
Moreover, his senses were even sharper now than they were back then.
Although it had been a while since he had materialized and used qi, it felt as natural as breathing, having used it for so long in the past.
As a result, there wasn't even a trace of awkwardness.
By now, Seong-jun Lee's cold gaze was fixed on the Earth Worm's head beneath his feet.
'I can finish this... in one strike.'
The Heaven-Destroying Blood Technique wasn't a Blood Sect martial art for nothing.
Like the martial arts of sects that could be called evil, it could draw out power so strong that there were no equals at the same level.
Of course, a commensurate price had to be paid.
'Most Blood Sect martial arts drive the user's mind into madness with each use.'
In other words, they turn the user into a lunatic or a madman.
It was truly a terrifying price to pay, but the benefits were equally certain.
If one could master the Heaven-Destroying Blood Technique, its immense power would belong solely to the user.
'Actually, it's not that difficult.'
The method itself could be considered simple.
'Just don't get greedy and intoxicated by the power of the martial art.'
Using power appropriate to one's level was the safest and most efficient way to use Blood Sect martial arts.
Of course, with this safe method, he wouldn't be able to take down the C+ rank boss monster Earth Worm in a single strike.
'I need to accept all the madness emitted by the Heaven-Destroying Blood Technique and control it with my will.'
By doing so, even if only for a moment, he could draw out power from a level higher.
It would be enough power to defeat the Earth Worm with its tough skin.
There was no need to worry about possibly becoming a madman.
After all, how could someone who had risen to the position of Blood Demon and Evil God be consumed by the mere madness emitted by the Heaven-Destroying Blood Technique?
'I tried to avoid using it if possible because it could strain my body, but...'
To definitively penetrate the Earth Worm's tough skin, he had no choice but to push himself a bit.
Having made his decision, Seong-jun Lee kicked off the Earth Worm's head he had been standing on and soared into the air.