Chapter 63
Wooong-!
The energy emanating from Jo Se-hyeok's hands spread out, emitting a resonant sound and creating a spherical barrier that cut off the space from the outside world.
'Binding Arena.'
Although he knew about it beforehand from the information provided by the Association, the Binding Arena surrounding the area showed performance beyond what he had expected.
'At least a peak... Only a martial artist at the entry level of the supreme realm could break through this if they went all out.'
It was showing an amazingly sturdy durability.
No, considering that the skill's effect was simply to create an arena and it was ranked as high as S+, this level of performance was to be expected.
As Lee Seong-jun looked around, examining the Binding Arena, a sinister smile spread across Jo Se-hyeok's lips.
"Five minutes. Most couldn't even last five minutes before dying here."
As Jo Se-hyeok spoke, white and transparent ice began to rise around his body, starting to fill the arena.
Naturally, as cold air filled the arena, the temperature dropped rapidly.
"Let's see how long you, the so-called super rookie, can last."
Despite Jo Se-hyeok's crazed smile, Lee Seong-jun's expression showed not the slightest hint of agitation.
He simply went about his business silently.
Tak-!
Lee Seong-jun immediately moved his feet to approach Jo Se-hyeok, but having experienced this before, Jo Se-hyeok didn't allow it easily.
Whoosh-!
Jo Se-hyeok, dashing fearlessly across the slippery ice, quickly widened the distance between himself and Lee Seong-jun.
He was clearly intent on avoiding engagement and dragging out time.
But Lee Seong-jun couldn't have failed to anticipate such a shallow tactic.
With a relaxed smile on his lips, Lee Seong-jun drew upon his inner energy. At that moment, a fierce wind began to howl in the enclosed space.
'Wind Thunder Step, Ultimate Move, Typhoon Immortal Sprint.'
The martial art that could be said to have made Wind Fiend Demon Clan's name, with speed that could contend for first under heaven, was about to unfold from Lee Seong-jun's feet.
Whoosh-!
Unlike the original Wind Thunder Step, he wrapped his entire body in gale-force winds that could be called a typhoon, not just a simple breeze.
This alone would allow him to close the distance with Jo Se-hyeok immediately.
But simply closing the distance wasn't enough.
He needed to clear away all the obstructing ice that was blocking his view and path.
Ding-!
[Strength, Agility, and Stamina Enhancement are used on user 'Lee Seong-jun'.]
[Earth's Blessing and Wind's Protection are used on user 'Lee Seong-jun'.]
[Agility status increases by 22.]
[Strength and Stamina status increase by 15 each, and physical durability greatly increases.]
Feeling the power welling up in his body, Lee Seong-jun stepped forward without hesitation, unleashing the Typhoon Immortal Sprint.
Kwagwagwagwang-!
The ice formations in the arena couldn't withstand the wind pressure from the Typhoon Immortal Sprint. They scattered, shattered, and finally rained down as small fragments.
"What...?!"
As Jo Se-hyeok's eyes widened at this overwhelming sight, Lee Seong-jun, who had closed the distance in an instant, unleashed the Diamond Dragon Strike with his clenched fist, aiming for Jo Se-hyeok's abdomen.
"Hup!"
Jo Se-hyeok, who had swallowed empty air, hurriedly used Millennial Ice Formation to create an ice wall, but having been hastily made, there was no way it could fully mitigate the impact of the Diamond Dragon Strike.
"Kuhup-!"
As his airborne form slammed into the energy membrane of the arena, red blood trickled from beneath Jo Se-hyeok's lips.
At this unsightly scene, a mocking laugh escaped Lee Seong-jun's lips.
"Millennial Ice Formation, was it? It seems you're handling a skill that's quite beyond your capabilities."
At first, when he saw Jo Se-hyeok's attack, he thought he was applying Millennial Ice Formation to some extent.
But as they exchanged blows and he began to understand the capabilities of the Millennial Ice Formation skill, he realized this wasn't the case at all.
'He's barely using 30% of its potential.'
From what he had observed with his own eyes, Millennial Ice Formation had enough power to alter the terrain itself.
Moreover, there were no special restrictions or conditions on handling its power, and judging from how he recklessly expelled cold energy earlier, there was no worry about being overwhelmed by his own power.
Despite this, Jo Se-hyeok's attack pattern using Millennial Ice Formation was too monotonous.
"This truly is a case of pearls before swine."
"Shut up!"
Seeing Lee Seong-jun's mocking smile, Jo Se-hyeok angrily unleashed Millennial Ice Formation again and again.
But Lee Seong-jun avoided and blocked the barrage of attacks as if he knew exactly what form they would take.
"It's too one-dimensional."
This wasn't just a taunt.
If one could handle a specific power freely without restrictions, there was no need to use hands or feet as starting points.
"You need to handle it more diversely, befitting its power."
With a relaxed smile, Lee Seong-jun spread his hands wide and released his blood energy into the air.
At the same time, his pupils turned an alluring red.
'Thousand Transformations Blood Martial Art, Blood Martial Intense Change, Exploding Blood Rain.'
Wooong-!
The blood energy scattered in the air began to emit hundreds of resonant sounds, then exploded, emitting an intense red light.
Kwagwang-!
"Kup-!"
Jo Se-hyeok's eyes shook violently as he saw the ice surrounding his entire body helplessly shatter.
But Lee Seong-jun's offensive didn't end with the Exploding Blood Rain.
'Thousand Transformations Blood Martial Art, Blood Martial Transition, Dark Blood Demon Fusion Technique.'
The blood energy that had exploded outwards with a boom once again responded to Lee Seong-jun's call, becoming sharp hidden weapons shot towards Jo Se-hyeok.
Faced with attacks pouring in from all directions, Jo Se-hyeok hurriedly raised ice walls and threw himself to the ground, rolling.
"Like this, you see."
It was no exaggeration to say he was being toyed with. Jo Se-hyeok's face contorted at his own pathetic state.
"It seems you got the alias 'Rookie Slayer' not because you slaughtered rookies, but because you could only slaughter rookies."
In truth, Jo Se-hyeok's skill in handling Millennial Ice Formation wasn't bad.
It was a level not lacking for an SS rank. By the standards of the Thousand Continents, it would not be inferior to the top-tier supreme realm martial artists.
But his opponent was just too formidable.
Lee Seong-jun had fought countless strong opponents in the Thousand Continents and encountered all sorts of martial arts.
Moreover, he had reached a level worthy of being called a Demon God.
With his innumerable experiences and knowledge, it was natural that Jo Se-hyeok's way of handling Millennial Ice Formation would seem lacking.
In other words, the reality unfolding before Jo Se-hyeok's eyes was bound to be utterly bewildering from his perspective.
'This kind of battle is possible?'
As his SS rank indicates, Jo Se-hyeok too had been called an outstanding talent.
But even he couldn't handle power without direct contact.
The reason was simple.
To handle energy scattered in the air in the desired form at the desired time, one had to constantly be conscious of those energies.
This meant that even while exchanging potentially lethal blows, one had to continuously be aware of the scattered power.
This alone required considerable mental strength.
Moreover, to directly manifest power, one had to be conscious of each and every scattered energy and implement its form.
It meant having to think of dozens to hundreds of things simultaneously in an instant.
No matter how superhuman a hunter might be, it was impossible to possess such cognitive ability.
That's why most hunters only handle power through their own bodies or through mediums in direct contact.
Yet the Lee Seong-jun before him was realizing this as if it were nothing.
'He's a real monster...'
Jo Se-hyeok's eyes were filled with doubt and shock as he stared at Lee Seong-jun.
But his fighting spirit wasn't lost.
Rather, his eyes were emitting a more intense will to fight than ever before.
'No matter how extraordinary he is, his physical abilities are still at a rookie level... In the end, I'll be the one laughing last.'
Of course, this wasn't baseless hope.
Due to their continued exchange of blows and conversation, about five minutes had already passed.
Thanks to this, the cold energy of Millennial Ice Formation had completely filled the Binding Arena.
'In about three more minutes, even moving his body will become difficult.'
No, there was no need to even wait three minutes.
The surrounding temperature had already dropped below -130°C.
This was 30 degrees lower than when he had handled Millennial Ice Formation in the past.
This meant that all the countermeasures prepared beforehand would have become useless.
In reality, Lee Seong-jun's expression, which had been relaxed, began to harden.
"...I heard -100°C was the limit, but this is unexpected."
Seeing Lee Seong-jun's lips turn blue in an instant, Jo Se-hyeok let a sinister smile spread across his face.
"How does it feel, the terror of your entire body freezing?"
Jo Se-hyeok, now full of confidence, shouted at the top of his lungs.
"You must be afraid! You can't help but be afraid! Scream in your own helplessness and die!"
Of course, it didn't take long for Jo Se-hyeok's arrogance to crumble.
Because Lee Seong-jun's outstretched fist had struck Jo Se-hyeok's face hard.
Kwajik-!
Jo Se-hyeok's eyes widened at the sudden pain.
"You moved?"
It wasn't just that he moved.
He was moving at the same speed as before.
It meant his body wasn't freezing.
"How...! Even a hunter shouldn't be able to withstand this... How on earth...!"
Lee Seong-jun smirked at the desperate cry.
"That's right, an ordinary hunter wouldn't have been able to endure."
It was an incredible cold that couldn't be blocked just by wrapping oneself in an energy membrane. In fact, he had felt his entire body freezing for a moment.
But Lee Seong-jun's method of maintaining body temperature wasn't limited to just an energy membrane.
"But... I'm a bit special."
Being able to handle the blood, the blood energy within his body, meant he could control his body temperature as he wished.
Using a kind of double insulation system meant that simply lowering the temperature couldn't freeze Lee Seong-jun's body.
Of course, Jo Se-hyeok, who couldn't possibly know this fact, was unable to accept the situation.
"Im-impossible...!"