The next day, Chi-Woo went to see La Bella as Byeok instructed him. He unlocked the two abilities in his user information that he had sealed: synesthesia and extrasensory perception. At first, Chi-Woo didnât know why those two were the abilities he was to unlock. But after returning to reality, he was hit with a strange feeling. It was as if he was wearing clothes that didnât fit him. No, rather than that, it was as if he was forced to wear a couple layers of mismatching clothes. His extrasensory perception and synesthesia that he shared with Ru Amuh seemed to be interfering with the new senses heâd awakened this time.
âHow do you feel?â Byeok asked.
âItâs strangeâŚâ Chi-Woo didnât know how to answer and spoke as he felt.
âIâm sure it is,â Byeok said knowingly and nodded. âThen, do you think you can tie up all your senses into one?â
Chi-Woo contemplated deeply over this question and shook his head.
âItâs difficult.â
âWhat is difficult?â
âHmmâŚI think something is lacking.â Chi-Woo chewed on his lip. âBut I donât know what it is. I just need one more puzzle piece, but I think Iâm missing thatâŚâ
Byeok was a bit surprised to see Chi-Woo struggle.
âHe did say he had a good intuitionâŚâ Byeok planned to scold Chi-Woo if he had tried to forcibly combine all his senses and didnât expect him to take a step back by himself.
âThen you must fill up what you lack,â Byeok smiled at Chi-Woo and said. âThis is where your test begins.â
Chi-Wooâs eyes widened.
âI will control the image representation from now on. You must showcase a true battle.â
It was quite a vague condition.
âLet me seeâŚyes. Once is too little, so I will acknowledge your success if you manage to make two effective hits.â
Though he had his objections, Chi-Woo calmly accepted her condition. He was already used to the way his master taught by now. Byeok wasnât the type to carefully explain everything to him in detail and spoon-feed him new information. She gave him simple guidelines and explanations about the general situation, leaving him to figure out the rest.
âI can do it,â Chi-Woo thought. He might have felt fear or hopelessness in the past, but that wasnât the case anymore. After becoming unified with his surroundings, Chi-Woo changed. He now had the confidence to accomplish anything no matter how difficult and arduous they were. He didnât have to rely on pure motivation anymore but could trust in himself. Yet reality always surpassed his expectations, and Chi-Woo was stunned to see his opponent.
âH-Hyung?â
Chi-Hyun had suddenly appeared.
âNo, wait. Are you really telling me to fight my brother?â
Even though he had made amazing progress recently, his current opponent was someone who had far surpassed such an achievement. He was the worldâs best hero. It was obvious someone like Chi-Hyun wouldâve accomplished becoming one with the universe ages ago, and it was unimaginable how far he had climbed since then. Thus, it was nonsensical that Chi-Woo would have to fight someone like that.
âDonât worry too much,â Byeok said leisurely as if she had expected the response. âThis is just an image representation of him. And Iâve imposed suitable restrictions for the fight.â
âAh, really?â
âYes. You both are prohibited from using mana and weapons. You both must only fight each other with pure martial arts alone. This would make it possible for you to deal with him.â
Chi-Woo thought that did change things. He looked at Chi-Hyun with a perplexed expression. ââŚâ Seeing Chi-Hyunâs haughty eyes stare back at him stirred up the pent-up rage in Chi-Wooâs heart. He could still remember it as clearly as yesterdayâthe attitude that Chi-Hyun showed him and the way he slammed the door fiercely in his face.
ââŚShe said it was a mental image.â Perhaps this was his chance.
âMaster,â Chi-Woo said.
âHm?â
âIs this really an image?â
ââŚHuh, yeah? Why?â Byeok stammered at Chi-Wooâs unexpected question, and Chi-Woo raised his tightly clenched fists.
âThen I suppose it wonât matter if I beat that bastard to death,â Chi-Woo said confidently, but he gasped when he heard another voice. Looking vexed, Chi-Hyunâs image shouted, âWhat did you say, you bastard!â
Byeok laughed at Chi-Wooâs unexpected declaration and glanced at Chi-Hyun.
âHow dare youâŚto your older brotherâŚâ Chi-Hyun heaved, but when he saw Byeokâs signal, he calmed his breathing.
âHow is it? Doesnât he feel just like the real thing? I paid special attention to it,â Byeok said.
Chi-Woo nodded. Chi-Hyunâs image responded so realistically. For a moment, he thought his master had colluded with his brother to trick him.
âSince youâve cast away your doubts now, start. Itâs up to you whether you kill this image or not.â Byeok then added, âif you can.â But Chi-Woo had already stopped listening to focus all his senses on his brother. The atmosphere changed, and silence circled around the two. A suffocating tension that felt like it would blow up in an instant built, but a small smile soon formed on Chi-Hyunâs face. It looked like he was smirking. Chi-Woo didnât know why Chi-Hyun was smiling, and then he suddenly had a feeling that something was wrong.
Boom! Chi-Woo hurriedly tilted his head back, and simultaneously, there was an explosive sound in the air.
His bangs swayed from the shockwave, and between the hair strands, Chi-Woo saw his brother look slightly surprised. It appeared Chi-Hyun hadnât expected Chi-Woo to evade the attack. Chi-Woo didnât even have the chance to confirm how powerful the hit was when Chi-Hyun suddenly rushed forward. Chi-Hyunâs right foot aimed for his temples. Chi-Woo hastily raised his arm and blocked the kick, but powerful hits quickly aimed for him in succession. Though Chi-Woo arched his torso and evaded the attack, he didnât have the luxury to catch his breath. As soon as he tried to straighten his back, he felt a fearsome punch fly towards him.
âAt this rateâŚ!â Chi-Woo extended his fist. He planned to make a counter-strike and change the trajectory of his brotherâs punch, but ended up hitting only air. It appeared Chi-Hyun had read his intention and stopped his attack. And when Chi-Hyun saw Chi-Woo miss, he moved his arm again and swung his fist down hard. Chi-Woo hurriedly backed away when he felt the terrible blow coming.
âAre you going to keep backing away?â
Chi-Woo heard his brotherâs voice. Simultaneously, he felt his balance crumble. Something struck his legs. Chi-Hyun had spun his body around with his hands on the ground and tripped Chi-Woo. Chi-Woo looked like he had no idea what was happening.
âWhat is he trying to do?â Though he couldnât see all his brotherâs attacks, he could sense most of them. And yet he was struggling to follow up with them. If he was moving like the flow of water, his brother was moving likeâ
â!â
It was then Chi-Woo felt Chi-Hyunâs strike from above and below simultaneously. Though it didnât seem possible, that was what Chi-Woo clearly felt. Chi-Woo arched his body instinctively and felt a strong current sweep past his back. And with his head lowered, Chi-Woo saw Chi-Hyun's knee move up.
Thud! Chi-Wooâs nose stung. He arched his head back from the pain, and in his defenseless state, he felt a strong kick to his chest and ended up slammed to the ground.
âKuh! Cough, cough!â Chi-Woo coughed and heaved. Though he tried to get up, his body didnât listen to him, and all his nerves seemed frazzled.
âHowâŚâ Even in his dizzy state, Chi-Woo couldnât hide his shock. Before, he wouldâve easily accepted that his brother wasnât an opponent he could deal with, but the current Chi-Woo couldnât do that. He could now see his brotherâs attacks clearly and see how unbelievable Chi-Hyunâs moves wereâeven if they were just quick punches and kicks. Chi-Hyun didnât allow Chi-Woo to move in a flow. Even when Chi-Woo tried to grasp an opportunity, his brother pierced through the gap and broke his flow; then he forcibly dragged Chi-Woo into his pace. Chi-Woo raised his head in a dazed state.
His brother was staring down coldly at him like he always did. Ch-Hyunâs cold eyes seemed to be asking Chi-Woo, âis it already over? Was this all he had?â Seeing this, Chi-Woo gritted his teeth and pulled himself back up.
âJust nowâŚâ For some reason, the disharmony he felt after unlocking two of his abilities disappeared when he thought about his brotherâs movements.
Soon afterward, Chi-Hyun rushed at him in an instant. Chi-Woo couldnât tell which attack Chi-Hyun was going for firstâa punch or a kick. But that wasnât the important part.
âJust nowâŚ!â Chi-Woo didnât back away this time. He pushed forward, and Chi-Hyun looked slightly startled. Chi-Hyun extended his fist just in case and saw Chi-Woo turn around to evade it. Though this could be considered progress when battling someone like Chi-Hyun, Chi-Woo was still far below the standard he was trying to reach. Chi-Hyun sighed and was about to strike Chi-Wooâs turning back whenâ
Bam! Suddenly, a heavy thud struck his cheeks. It was an unexpected counterattack.
Unbelievably, the legend Choi Chi-Hyun was sent tilting to one side. Though he tried to regain his balance, he couldnât withstand the force and fell to his bottom. Both Chi-Hyun and Byeok became speechless and blinked hard. Chi-Woo hadnât only attacked. He had abruptly twisted his body around to get into an escaping and attacking posture simultaneously.
âYou are alreadyâŚâ Seeing his brother, Chi-Hyun murmured and closed his mouth again. Then his lips curved into a smile.
âI see. This must be the effect of the Golden Ratio,â Chi-Hyun thought. Who wouldâve thought Chi-Woo would be able to grasp this so fast?
âThatâs pretty good,â Chi-Hyun smiled and got to his feet. âThat attack just now was pretty good.â Though Chi-Hyun complimented Chi-Woo two times, Chi-Woo didnât respond. But it was fine since Chi-Hyun didnât expect a response anyways.
Chi-Woo got back to his stance and looked to be losing himself in focus. In his head, stimulations of the battle were circulating so fast that it was probably catching fire. Though Chi-Wooâs movements were impressive even in Chi-Hyunâs eyes, it was still incomplete. Chi-Woo knew this better than anyone else. He had managed to become one with his surroundings, but there was a strange sensation that made him feel like they werenât truly one. This was probably a result that Byeok had intended, but Chi-Hyun didnât like this part.
Was there really a skill that didnât appear in oneâs user information? It was a complete lie. Whatever oneâs ability was, it had to come out in their user information. How could an ability of a mortal not appear on the system when an ability from the gods did? Even if there was an ability that the system couldnât process or define, it should still manifest as an ability in some way, just like the one censored with question marks in Chi-Wooâs user information.
Though Chi-Hyun agreed with Byeokâs belief that âOne must only receive a power that they could be held responsible forâ, he wanted his brother to be an exception to this rule. And Chi-Hyun hoped that Chi-Woo would achieve complete unification rather than an imperfect one.
âDo it again,â Chi-Hyun said. âProve to me that the move just now wasnât a coincidence.â
It was then Byeok realized what was going to happen. She contemplated the flow that Chi-Hyun directed just now and the movements Chi-Woo showed.
â!â Her eyes widened. âYou!â She immediately jumped from the porch, but it was too late. Chi-Hyun rushed to Chi-Woo like lightning after glancing at her. He pretended to attack but dived deeper, wrapping his arms around Chi-Woo and lifting him up. Though Chi-Hyun attempted to throw Chi-Woo, he lost his balance again when Chi-Woo wrapped his legs around Chi-Hyunâs neck and twisted it. The two brothers fell to the ground. No, it appeared that Chi-Hyun would fall along with his brother, but his neck was released. Instead, Chi-Hyun felt a strong impact on his shoulders like they were being used as step stools. It was too late when Chi-Hyun realized this and looked up.
Chi-Wooâs two feet spun in the air and struck Chi-Hyunâs stomach exactly. This whole process was instantaneous.
âStop!â Byeok hurriedly intervened, but the situation was over by then. Chi-Woo landed on the ground. Though heâd managed to knock down Chi-Hyun twice, he didnât appear overjoyed or cheered. Indescribable feelings overwhelmed him as he stood back up.
âFlowâŚflowâŚâ
There was a gap, space, or interval in his flow. It was the gap between movements and what connected two flows together. Chi-Woo thought he had worked hard until now to narrow the gap between his movements and maximized efficiency. But with his recent battle with his brother, Chi-Woo realized he had been thinking the wrong way the entire time. Though he wasnât entirely wrong, there wasnât only one path. Combining split thread strings could be seen as creating one string, and one could attach the strands one after another or intertwine them to make one. The latter was a much more efficient process as long as he could do it.
âAhâŚ!â Realizing this, Chi-Woo let out a gasp. He had been stupid, so foolish. Though he turned round and round and emphasized oneness, unconsciously, he was differentiating between his flows. No wonder he was unable to keep up with his brother.
âNo wonder the flow broke.â Now that Chi-Woo looked back on his actions, his movements were going on different trajectories.
âChi-Hyun mustâve purposefully aimed for thatâŚhuh?â As soon as Chi-Woo thought this, he looked a bit stunned. âBut no way. Byeok said this is only an image of my brotherâŚâ
Chi-Woo turned around and saw Chi-Hyun still on the ground. Surprisingly, Chi-Hyun was smiling with a satisfied expression. Chi-Woo felt perplexed by the smile, but he couldnât pay more attention to it as alarm bells rang in his ears.
[User Chi-Wooâs innate ability, âExtrasensory Perceptionâ evolves.]
[User Chi-Wooâs special ability, âSynesthesiaâ evolves.]
[User Chi-Wooâs special ability, âUnknown Insightâ evolves.]
All the abilities related to his senses were disappearing one by one. They werenât getting erased, but melting, mixing, and gathering into oneâas if they were one from the beginning. Chi-Woo closed his eyes, and his body trembled. He felt it then. The faint disharmony he felt in his movements completely disappeared, and a new world opened up before him.
ââŚyes.â Byeok clenched her teeth and asked, âAre you satisfied now?â
âI simply created the situation,â Chi-Hyun replied. Byeok knew what he meant. Creating an environment for her disciple to figure things out on their own was the method of teaching she favored the most. But this method had been too bold and explicit. She didnât know why Chi-Hyun had to go this far considering his personality.
âThis was what you planned to do from the beginning.â She was played by Chi-Hyun because he knew people too well.
âEven if you didnât go this far, I wouldâve taught him this one day!â
âMaster, you wouldâve taught him at the time you wanted and in the direction you wanted.â Chi-Hyun picked himself up. He smiled blandly and asked, âBut is there really a need to wait for that? You are the one who said we had no time.â
âDo you think thatâs applicable to this situation?!â Byeok shouted. Though she sounded very angry, Chi-Hyun didnât heed it. âI think my heart is a little bit more at ease now. Heâs now at a level where he can escape without dying pretty much in any situation.â
âYou damn bastardâŚYou know why Iâm so angry, but thatâs all you have to say?â Byeok gritted her teeth, but Chi-Hyun looked a bit bitter.
ââŚI know what youâre worried about, master.â Chi-Hyun bowed. âI apologize for acting on my own and going too far.â
âI donât want to hear it.â Though Chi-Hyun apologized sincerely, Byeok cut him off. âLeave. Donât think about showing up in front of me for a while.â
Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
At her icy command, Chi-Hyun didnât protest anymore. He glanced at his brother once. Chi-Woo looked like he was tasting infinite freedom, and then Chi-Hyun disappeared. Byeok glared at the spot where Chi-Hyun used to stand and looked conflicted when her gaze shifted to Chi-Woo. The fact that there was one more ability on Chi-Wooâs user information meant one thing: as a hero, he could raise the ranks of that ability.
Although there was, of course, a balance system, he could raise an ability to its peak with the growth system. In other words, depending on the ability, he could even do the unbelievable. As mentioned before, there were two types of Celestial heroes. There were the traditional heroes who underwent considerable hardships and training to reach higher ground. Then there were the modern heroes recruited by the Celestial Realm and given the growth system to become stronger. Byeok didnât favor one type of hero above the other, nor did she care for their differences. It was because she knew the real deal would naturally set themselves apart.
Very rarely, there were people like that. Geniuses who worked hard and knew how to utilize the cheat-like tool known as the growth system. And thus, they reached incredible heights through adept use of the system, and Chi-Hyun was an example of such an unbelievable result. As someone who cultivated heroes, Byeok wasnât pleased with these happenings. It was because the more such cases emerged, the more risks there were.
For instance, what would happen if Chi-Hyun suddenly decided to raise havoc on Liber and go against the Celestial Realm? It was truly terrifying. There had been instances in the past where similar things happened. Byeok recalled one past memory and bit her bottom lip hard. Yet there was nothing she could do. What was done was done.
ââŚâ
In the end, she could only stare at Chi-Woo with mixed feelings.
Sponsored Content