Chapter 32
[Twenty-Five] [Twenty-Six]
As he put the two numbered tokens in his robe, Jaseong once again recalled the entry requirements for the Dark Path Duel Banquet.
'... I just have to take ten tokens from other participants, right? A smooth start.'
He had obtained two tokens in an instant, just as the tournament began.
Now, during the ten days and nights, he only had to seize eight more.
If he did that, he would place at the Dark Path Duel Banquet and would be able to complete the Fourth Mandate of Heaven's Mandate from the Celestial Realm: "Accumulate Prestige."
But simply placing wasn't all that Jaseong sought.
'... The supervisor said it. The winner who gathers the most tokens in this tournament receives a special reward from the Dark Path Duel Banquet. If that reward is a spiritual elixir... my internal energy would multiply at once.'
The supervisors had repeatedly pointed out Jaseong's meager internal energy.
And even if they hadn't gone out of their way to do so, Jaseong himself felt the shortage of power acutely.
Just now, after barely using the Celestial Gate Opening Art for two breaths, a third of his internal energy was gone.
Therefore, Jaseong absolutely wanted to win the Dark Path Duel Banquet's champion's prize.
With that, his overall strength would skyrocket compared to now.
It was then.
Srrrustle―
Someone emerged, pushing through the brush.
Immediately, Jaseong re-tensed his relaxed body and reached for his sword's hilt.
However, it quickly became apparent that there was no need to draw his sword.
It was the aura of Chief supervisor Wolryong.
"......"
Wolryong, who had appeared, regarded Jaseong with a strange gaze.
Then, he approached the unconscious siblings from the Haesa Clan who lay collapsed.
Papapapat!
He swiftly checked their acupoints, staunching their bleeding and finishing emergency treatment.
Originally, it was the rule that an supervisor never intervenes no matter what happens, but because the Haesa Clan girl had handed her token to Jaseong and declared surrender, their lives had been spared.
Once the first aid was finished, wolryong slung the siblings over his shoulders—one on each side—and turned his gaze back to Jaseong.
He still looked at Jaseong with that mysterious, unreadable look.
'Why is he looking at me like that?'
As Jaseong knitted his brows, wolryong suddenly spoke.
"The Haesa Clan siblings you just defeated are certainly experts at a high level. But there are far greater powerhouses in this tournament."
"...?"
"Especially among the participants with single-digit numbers, there are those incomparable to them. Powerful enough for all of us supervisors to acknowledge."
Why was he saying this all of a sudden?
Jaseong was puzzled, but he couldn't solve that question.
Sssak!
With those chilling words as a farewell, wolryong vanished beyond the undergrowth.
"The experts with single-digit numbers... Is he giving me a warning?"
Leaving his uncertainty behind, Jaseong entered the cave.
Then, until nightfall, he circulated the Heaven Evading Breathing Technique in the cave, recovering his internal energy lost from using the Celestial Gate Opening Art.
Unfortunately, he wasn't able to get a proper sleep.
There was always the risk of a surprise attack.
He had to keep his senses on edge at all times.
So he slept lightly, and when morning came, Jaseong prepared to leave the cave.
'I need to diligently search the forest for opponents. Only then can I gather the most tokens.'
However, there was no need for Jaseong to actively seek out opponents.
The moment he was about to leave the cave, the enemies came to him on their own.
"There you are, hiding, number Eighty-Eight! Dirty little rat! I searched the whole forest for you! Heh heh heh!"
The first to arrive was no peer of Jaseong, but a man at least in his mid-thirties.
It was odd for someone well past the prime age for martial growth to participate in the Dark Path Duel Banquet, but regardless, Jaseong drew his sword.
"I'll be kind and just cut off one of your arms!"
Despite the blustery shout, the man was pathetically defeated by Jaseong.
In just five moves.
And all Jaseong used was the Samadhi Eyes—he had sealed away the Celestial Gate Opening Art.
"H-how did you... kuh!"
The man spat blood, having not witnessed Jaseong's fight with the Haesa Clan siblings the night before.
Had he seen it, he would not have been so bold.
[Sixty-Nine]
The fallen man carried the token labeled "Sixty-Nine."
After that, more enemies seeking Jaseong's tokens came to the cave.
Most were mid-to-lower-tier participants in the thirties to sixties or eighties.
They targeted Jaseong, the supposed weakest, thinking to easily gain a token.
Unintentionally, Jaseong had ended up "pretending to be the weakest", but it was to his benefit.
Easy prey was coming into his territory of its own accord.
Furthermore, these lower-tier contestants served as excellent training dummies for Jaseong.
'This time, let's try winning without using Samadhi Eyes.'
Because of its side effects, the Samadhi Eyes could not be maintained for long.
So, naturally, Jaseong had to learn to fight without using them.
Of course, it was risky.
Fighting while sealing away a familiar skill is never easy.
Chuaaak!
"Keh!"
But when Jaseong voluntarily sealed away the Samadhi Eyes and started fighting, he surprisingly crushed his enemies within fifteen seconds.
'... Easier than I thought. I can handle enemies at this level without Samadhi Eyes.'
And so, Jaseong gradually mastered fighting without the Samadhi Eyes.
Of course, the Dark Path Duel Banquet was by no means easy, and danger still found him.
On the afternoon of the second day of the ten-day tournament,
a single-digit expert came to Jaseong's cave.
[Five]
* * *
A young man with a single, long eyebrow entered Jaseong's cave, a long saber in hand.
Possessing the token labeled [Five], he was among the very highest-ranked of all eighty-eight participants.
The moment he faced him, Jaseong recalled Chief supervisor Wolryong's words.
'The single-digit participants are in a league of their own. Powerful enough for all of us supervisors to acknowledge.'
Gooooo―
Just as he said, number Five looked genuinely formidable.
Moreover, unlike all previous opponents, he showed no signs of underestimating Jaseong, despite his low number.
"... I remember. The one with the smallest internal energy, the one who got the last number... Kid, sorry, but even a lion does its best when catching a rabbit."
With that, number Five charged directly at Jaseong.
True to his word, he attacked from the start at full force.
Kaang! Kaang!! Kaaaang!!!
Bolts of energy rippled along the young man's saber as it slashed like lightning.
It was saber energy, a skill usable only by mid 1st-rate experts or above.
Because of it, each time Jaseong clashed with him, his wrists rang with shock.
'... This is on a whole different level compared to all my previous fights.'
Furthermore, the young man showed off an odd saber art rarely seen in the martial world.
"Ghost Cloud Saber's secret move—Heaven Sweeping Ghostly Wails!"
Suddenly, his saber created dozens of afterimages raining down on Jaseong.
Those afterimages twisted like snakes, targeting every part of Jaseong's body.
As a result—
Chuaaak!
Jaseong's left forearm was slashed by Number Five's saber.
Fortunately, the wound was not deep.
He had swiftly activated the Samadhi Eyes, finding the retreat that would minimize the damage.
Still, it was enough to make his heart pound.
'... If I'd misstepped just a little, my head would've flown.'
That he tried to save the Samadhi Eyes against such an expert....
It was too careless a plan.
As tense as Jaseong was, number Five was just as surprised.
"... You dodged a fatal slash... Why did you get the last number? Were you hiding your skill?!"
Instead of answering, Jaseong activated the Samadhi Eyes to the fullest.
Within the slowed world, he gazed at the threads of energy radiating from the young man.
'Found it. A fleeting gap.'
Immediately, Jaseong darted through the opening like lightning.
Of course, the young man attempted to counter, exuding more saber energy than before.
But at that moment—
"?!"
Jaseong's body suddenly split in two.
Thanks to Heaven Evading Phantom Step, he created a doppelganger-like mirage.
'What the...?!'
For an instant, seeing two Jaseongs, the young man couldn't help but be thrown off.
So, in the next moment—
Chuaaak!
"Kgh!"
Jaseong's sword sliced deep into the young man's right shoulder.
"Now we're even, one blow each."
Jaseong said in his characteristically expressionless voice.
The young man asked, flustered,
"... What is that bizarre footwork?"
"Would knowing change anything?"
Jaseong replied curtly and charged again at Number Five.
Just as he had before, he used Samadhi Eyes to spot fleeting gaps,
continuously creating phantoms with the Heaven Evading Phantom Step, driving the young man back.
Kaang! Kang! Kakakang! Chuaak! Chuaaak!
Because of Jaseong's mysterious footwork, the youth was overwhelmed, his body cut all over.
The young man tried to retaliate with saber energy, but Jaseong's own wounds were no more than shallow scratches.
As the exchange continued, victory began to tilt towards Jaseong.
However, he didn't look pleased.
'... If I drag this out, the noise will draw more enemies—especially those targeting the last number like me. I'd better end this quickly.'
Muttering inwardly, Jaseong immediately activated the Celestial Gate Opening Art.
'First Gate. Opening Gate—open.'
'Second Gate. Resting Gate—open.'
'Third Gate. Life Gate—open.'
'Fourth Gate. Wounds Gate—open.'
KWAHH!!!
This time, Jaseong opened up to the Wounds Gate.
He guessed he could have won just with the Life Gate as before, but to end the fight as quickly as possible, he had to open the fourth gate.
"What—what martial art are you using...?!"
Shocked by Jaseong's utterly transformed aura, the young man's eyes widened.
He hurriedly channeled all his internal power in defense but—
KWAA! CHUAAAAK!!!
The next moment, a fountain of blood erupted from Number Five's chest.
Jaseong, using both the Celestial Gate Opening Art and Samadhi Eyes simultaneously, cleaved Number Five in a single breath.
"Keheok!! W-who the hell are you...?"
The fallen young man's face resembled that of Hae Cheonlim, eldest daughter of the Haesa Clan, from the other day.
He wore a blank look, as if unable to follow how he'd lost.
Regardless of his expression, Jaseong focused only on collecting the spoils.
But then—
"?"
Something strange happened.
No matter how Jaseong searched the young man's belongings, there was no token.
'... With skill like this, he should've collected several tokens, shouldn't he?'
In fact, even Number Five's own [5] token was missing.
"What is this, you?"
Jaseong looked down at the young man with a puzzled face.
He gave a self-deprecating smile and said,
"... No matter how high you fly or how well you crawl, 'that guy' cannot be beaten.... 'That monster' has power on a completely different level... It's only been a day and a half since the tournament began, but he's already gathered ten tokens...."
... There's already someone who's collected that many tokens?
Could it be "the madman" that Hyang-I warned me about?
"But... even after gathering all ten tokens, that monster is still wandering the forest, hunting for more...
He intends to eliminate everyone in this tournament...!
Numbers Two and Three, and several other higher-rank experts teamed up against him but... kehk!
In the end, I had to hand over all my tokens just to survive...."
... Even higher-rank experts joining forces couldn't overcome him.
Jaseong wanted to know more about that one's identity.
But unfortunately, the conversation ended here.
For with those last words, the young man passed out.
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