Chapter 154 Space Captain (1)

Like the Eight-spoked Dharma Wheel Urna, all his stats had increased, though the conditions were different from the dotted Urnas. There were no restrictions, and it focused only on becoming strong. He didn’t know what the system defined as a constant amount, but his stats would increase if he kept killing and killing.

“Thank you. I got something really good.”

“What do you mean good… this is nothing to me.”

When Yoon-seok bowed sincerely, Cheon-ma replied as if it weren’t much. However, he sensed that she felt quite awkward with the current situation.

“What are you planning to do for the rest of the day?”

Cheon-ma changed the subject and asked about his plans. Before answering, Yoon-seok’s brow furrowed as he checked the time left.

‘I can’t believe there’s only this left….’

About 13 days left before he returned to the Tower. The next duel would begin two days after his return, so he had about 15 days left. Was it because he went into Cheonma-dong? It felt like less than five days had passed since he came to Moorim, but it had been weeks.

“Cheonma-dong has also collapsed, so I’m going to spend my time training alone.”

“Training… I’m sure you have a lot to organize in your head.”

As she said, he watched a fight between the two humans closest to the sky. Although he could not break through Cheonma-dong, it appeared that he would grow further if he meditated on that fight.

“Good. I have nothing to do anyway so I will help.”

He didn’t dare to ask for it, but he hoped. Yoon-seok, who was disappointed that time had passed too quickly, suddenly brightened.

“Now you’re getting more lively. Are you so happy that I wanted to help?”

“Yes.”

“Cute.”

“What?”

“I didn’t say anything. Speaking of which, let’s start right away. Hold up your sword.”

In that desolated mountain, their thirteen days of training began. The efficiency was leagues above when he trained alone, and there was no need to meditate. He could receive answers when he had a question, and if he was still confused, he could learn by swinging his sword.

“I’m craving spicy food today.”

Both Cheon-ma and Yoon-seok maintained healthy bodies without having to eat, but they enjoyed meals regularly. Although he felt like it was a waste to split their time to train in such a place…

“…Then today, I will pay, so you just focus on training.”

Cheon-ma said she would buy it by herself every time, but he couldn’t refuse. Furthermore, he was curious about Murim’s food. He didn’t know how far she went, but it never took long for her to return.

“This is Sichuan food.”

An hour at most.

“What do you think? Do you like it?”

To be honest, it was spicy, salty, and fragrant. He thought it would be nice if there was a bit of sweetness as well, but…

Yoon-seok raised his thumb as always.

“It’s delicious.”

“Huhu. I heard it was a famous restaurant in Sacheon, so I guess it wasn’t a false reputation.”

Cheon-ma wasn’t someone that could be judged just from the surface. It was hard to notice as it was hidden by her overwhelming energy and presence, but affection was hidden just beneath her hard shell.

“I’ve had enough. You can have everything that’s left.”

Though she was clumsy, she was a human being who could feel the joy of breaking something and the joy of giving. The image of her being the head of the demons wasn’t everything.

“How old were you when you went to Cheonma-dong?”

“Well, I don’t know my age and don’t know when, but it was probably before I was even ten.”

“…I see.”

Suddenly, he wondered. If she hadn’t entered Cheonma-dong, she might have grown up normally and become someone’s wife. Of course, he didn’t say it out loud because he thought it was impolite.

“By the way, I heard a strange story in Sacheon today. He used to be a sailor, but he said he saw a Tower or something in the sea.”

She mentioned it while he was rushing to finish his food and resume training. As soon as he heard it, he could guess what it was.

“It must be the Tower of Truth-seeker.”

“…Do you know about this?”

Cheon-ma looked at him curiously. Yoon-seok explained what he knew. Then, unexpectedly, she lost interest.

“I thought there would be a mystery. I’m not curious about what’s going on there.”

That seemed to kill the mood. Then, she excitedly spoke about the dragon-shaped rock that she had seen in the mountains before.

“This means that dragons existed in Murim. Can you believe it?”

He wanted to say something realistic: it was coincidentally cut into that shape by rain and wind, but he buried the thought.

“Now, let’s start again.”

“I’ll be in your care.”

“Come on.”

Eventually, they arrived on the last day. Before returning to the Tower, Yoon-seok finally dueled with her. They would only rely on their pure sword skills, excluding the skills of the Tower. Yoon-seok lost after about 200 seconds. That was only possible because Cheon-ma went easy on him.

“It’s still lacking, but your Black Cloud Perforation technique is sharpening.”

“It’s because I have a good teacher.”

“Teacher? You didn’t even bow to me yet.”

“Should I bow now?”

“…Forget it. Why are you suddenly my student now?”

The fourth technique, Sword In Heart, was too much, but he had mastered the other three to a decent level. Since he received the Demon Body And Soul Cleanse and a new technique, he felt it was worth it to take his trip to Moorim.

“Thank you so much.”

“Are you going back to the Tower now?”

“Yes. There are about five minutes left.”

“Don’t die… if you learn from me and you fall to some petty punks, the world will laugh at me.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

“What concern…?”

Cheon-ma smiled awkwardly as she faced Yoon-seok. It was a strange look, making it hard to read the emotions entangled inside, but it felt warm. Cheon-ma said nothing further as Yoon-seok quietly faced her.

The Heavenly Demon, Jeong So-wol. He was very grateful to her. Perhaps if he hadn’t met her, he wouldn’t have come this far.

“Then, I’ll see you later.”

“Yes, call me from time to time.”

He didn’t know what it meant to call her, but…

「Ticket (Rank E) has expired.」

「Move to the waiting room on the 20th floor.」

It was time to return.

「Until the next duel, 41:37:24.」

First of all, Yoon-seok checked the timer upon his return. There were about two days left without. Then, what would be the most efficient way to use the rest of his time? While still thinking, he heard a voice coming from behind him.

“I… y-you’re here.”

It was Namgoong So-so. Even though the duel tower closed and the trials were changed, it seemed like they were still using the same waiting room.

“I heard you healed me. Thank you so much… ah, ah, don’t do it! I’m talking right now!”

Namgoong So-so, who was thanking him, suddenly began to scream. It was because of Asura, who also returned to the waiting room.

“…Sura must have followed you.”

“What? Yes! Since my sister brought it back to the family, I’ve been taking care of it… ah, ah! Okay. Glad to see you too. Since it’s nice to see you… no more!”

He was acting cute, but to be honest, he could only see it as an attack, perhaps because he looked like that. But why was he not even glancing at his owner, seeing how they hadn’t seen each other for a month…?

Anyway, he couldn’t let his summoned beast behave like this any longer, so he was going to order him to quit.

「Lady of Liberation is calling you.」

「Would you like to accept it?」

Elle called Yoon-seok.

「Lady of Liberation is calling you.」

「Would you like to accept it?」

「Lady of Liberation is calling you.」

「Would you like to accept it?」

「Lady of Liberation is calling you.」

「Would you like to accept it?」

He didn’t know what was happening… but he was being spammed with calls.

“I have to go for a while.”

“What? What do you mean…?”

Yoon-seok couldn’t hear Namgoong So-so, as he already pressed accept. He opened his eyes, smelling a familiarly sweet scent.

“You’re here, mister?”

The cozy cabin he’d been to several times. Elle welcomed Yoon-seok. She called him ‘Mister’ without permission, but Yoon-seok couldn’t say anything.

“…”

He felt an unknown pressure from Elle’s gentle voice.

“How was Moorim?”

He couldn’t read the intention of the repeated question, so Yoon-seok answered honestly for now.

“I was satisfied.”

He couldn’t clear Cheonma-dong, which was his initial destination. Other than that, he gained a lot that would be a great help for the upcoming duel. However, after hearing this, Elle’s atmosphere grew strange.

“…Satisfied? You must have had a lot of fun.”

He couldn’t see her eyes because of the eye patch, but she was smiling. Nevertheless, he felt a sense of threat. At first, he thought it was his imagination.

Looking to the side, Asura was posing at attention.

“…It was a meaningful time to become stronger rather than having fun.”

Was that the correct answer? He didn’t know, but Elle sighed deeply.

“Sure, because that’s who Yoon-seok is. I’m sorry. I was mean. You said I was your wife….”

“What? What did you just say?”

He heard until ‘I was mean,’ but her last murmur was so quiet that even Yoon-seok couldn’t hear it properly, and her pronunciation was strange. Elle flinched and shook her head.

“No, I didn’t say anything. Now sit down.”

“…”

Yoon-seok followed her command and sat at the table. Now he saw it; it wasn’t the usual refreshments on the table.

“What’s all this…?”

“I just prepared a little bit.”

Anyone could see that the word ‘a a little’ was an understatement. The table was so packed with food he was afraid it would break. It was enough to serve at least twenty people.

Elle rested her chin in her hands and looked at Yoon-seok as if she wasn’t planning on eating. Feeling a little burdened, he started to eat, and Elle asked for his opinion.

“What do you think? I did everything myself! It’s better than what she bought for you, right?”

“Yes…”

His answer was sincere. The scent wasn’t very strong nor salty, but it was exquisitely harmonized with sweetness, perfecting it for Yoon-seok’s palate. He didn’t know she had this talent. It was the moment when his evaluation of Elle slightly increased.

“Why are you suddenly asking me this…?”

“Mister, you just have to say thank you.”

Despite his anxiety about the sudden change, he received an irrelevant answer. Yoon-seok decided to follow along.

“Thank you.”

“What? Of course.”

Elle wore a triumphant smile, finally slipping back to her familiar atmosphere. Yoon-seok finished the meal while they chatted.

“Then…”

“I know. You need to go now, right?”

“Yes. I have to prepare for the next duel.”

“I’ll send you right away. Ah, can you wait a moment?”

“Okay.”

Elle stood and approached Asura. And when she touched his forearms, he began to purr.

“Will you come down for a moment?”

When Elle tapped his wrist, Asura bent over. Then Elle lifted to her tiptoes and whispered something into Asura’s ear. He couldn’t hear what she said. However…

“…”

Asura suddenly stiffened, and as before, he put his six hands together and hurriedly nodded several times. Looking at Asura, Elle stroked his head.

“So kind.”

“…What did you say?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“…”

“I’ll send you home right away. See you next time?”

Elle roughly glossed over it and quickly sent Yoon-seok to the waiting room. Because of that, he didn’t know what she said to Asura…

“Oh, Sura?”

“Growl.”

“What’s wrong with you?”

Asura firmly stopped Namgoong So-so from approaching.

“Grrrrrrrr.”

It seemed like he was telling her not to come close to him.

Two days passed by quickly in the waiting room. He took a quick trip back to Earth, briefly reported to Ashton, and began to wait for the next duel.

「Get ready. The duel will begin soon.」

It had been a while since he fought in the arena. It was different from usual. First of all, he wasn’t alone anymore, as Asura stood beside him with a determined gaze. And the second…

The second was the overwhelming size of the arena. If it weren’t for the huge outer wall located far off on the horizon, it would have been a desert. Does it mean that they prepared the stage according to the level? The countdown began while he was smiling at the Tower’s consideration.

「Countdown is starting.」

Yoon-seok looked forward. As the arena grew and the starting distance increased tremendously, the opponent looked like a far-off dot. But he had no problem seeing them. Even if he didn’t use magic, Yoon-seok’s eyesight had already easily exceeded that level.

‘By the way, since I’m human…’

As he reached the 20th floor, 12 more dimensions were added to Moorim, Kilian, Seheranbad. Given the distinct individuality of each dimension, it wouldn’t be surprising if the challengers of the added dimensions looked like a dinosaur or some alien creature. But this time, his opponent was human.

A human wearing a uniform-like outfit and no other equipment at a glance.

‘Is he from Earth?’

He had that impression but was soon proved wrong.

「3.」

A third eye opened on his forehead.

‘Three eyes… interesting.’

An appearance not belonging to either Kilian or Seheranbad. His opponent in this match appeared to be from one of the 12 newly added dimensions. But now that he had checked their appearance, it was time to look inside.

Yoon-seok looked through his opponent’s energy. But…

「2.」

The Heavenly Demon and Heavenly Buddha. He didn’t feel a huge presence like when he saw those two. At first glance, he appeared to be an ordinary human. Therefore, Yoon-seok raised his guard even higher.

「1.」

He couldn’t believe a challenger who reached the 20th floor would be normal. Wasn’t this a million times more dangerous?

「START!」

To start, Yoon-seok registered his opponent on the list using

u0007b Death God}. Then, he hurriedly read the words written in the gray book that rose from the air. Weakness would reduce the target’s stats all by one level. This was good, but that wasn’t the only advantage.

「Jaximus Meisterhorn Vignumus.」

Additional information, including the target’s name, was posted. His nickname was Space Captain, and his dimension was Taklan.

‘Space Captain…?’

Yoon-seok soon realized their identity. Come to think of it; this nickname was set at 9,999th. That is, it belonged to a challenger who reached the 20th floor one step faster than Yoon-seok.

Of course, he didn’t know their ranking in the other rating orders, so it would be foolish to measure combat power with that alone.

「Would you like to appoint the cause of death?」

Since it wasn’t very important, Yoon-seok roughly appointed it as death by explosion. Next, a pop-up appeared to set a date and time.

“Commander, call.”

The opponent chanted a command. Was it a kind of transformation like

u0007b Demonify}?

Creakkkkk. Whing. Clank. Clank.

With a mechanical sound, the opponent’s body quickly disappeared into a robot over 5m tall.

‘He is a space captain. Is it that kind of world…?’

Yoon-seok drew his sword. He would have to find out on his own, and too many things had happened so far for him to be scared over a 5m tall robot.

Whoosh!

Yoon-seok’s sword greatly shook with black energy. At that moment, a dark shadow cast over the vast arena.

Whoooooooooosh-!

There was a sound like a rocket engine coming from somewhere. Yoon-seok raised his eyes blankly. The huge flying object that covered the sky… no, the space battleship came into view.

“…”

What is that? While spacing out for a while, the lower part of the spacecraft opened, and a huge shell appeared.

And…

“Nuclear Plasma.”

Nuclear rays fell as the bombardment began.