Login in to Alandal

[Orcs are pig-headed monsters with cruel personalities. They are nocturnal, prey on humans, and often force themselves on the weak...]

"What are you doing?"

The Heavenly Demon rattled off facts while I was hunting Orcs.

[This is the knowledge of the Orcs in your memory. Now I know why they crawled out in the evening.]

"I'm in the middle of a fight right now."

[Careful!]

"Chwiiik!"

Swoosh-

An axe passed dangerously close overhead.

[By the way, why don't you use the three moves of the second half?]

The Orc’s attack continued, so I cut off his legs with the Demonic Dragon Grief.

"My inner power keeps running out when I go from the first half to the second."

Even though I had become a Peak master, there was a difference from when I trained in the mental world.

My inner power didn't naturally lead into the second half of the moves. I had to embody them first before that could happen, just as he said.

[You only understand it with your head… It seems that it’s challenging for you to use in practice.]

"I just want to cut without thinking."

[You can do that. What's wrong with that?]

"I don't know either."

[Wait and see.]

The Heavenly Demon assessed my body.

As he did that, the hunt proceeded smoothly.

Of course, Orcs weren’t typically strong monsters. In a 1v1 situation, even a rookie hunter could quickly deal with them.

However, Orcs were intelligent and attacked in groups using weapons, making it difficult to hunt them alone.

I was just an exception now.

They were an easy opponent, given I was above level 70 in basic abilities.

I didn't even have to use Martial Arts skills. But to become stronger, I had to get used to them.

The Heavenly Demon then proceeded to state his findings.

[Your body can't keep up with your mind. You are slowed by that disharmony.]

"I see."

[Lend me your body.]

"Now? Is that possible?"

[Your body has learned my martial arts, so I can manipulate it. I will open the path, so follow it.]

In other words, he would fix the unfamiliar flow of inner power with his cram lessons.

Ah, well, I was used to that style of education. Korea's education system had taught me to work under tremendous pressure. There was no reason to refuse.

"This body is used to learning under pressure."

I emptied part of my consciousness and gave it to the Heavenly Demon.

"I have reserved a seat for the elderly."

[Do you think that's funny?]

The Orcs pressed their assault, but as the Heavenly Demon took over my body instantly, there weren’t any openings for them to take advantage of.

"Watch. This is how martial arts are used."

It was odd and kind of amazing hearing my voice spoken by someone else.

[By the way, why are you holding the bone? You told me to only use swords.]

"Weapons don't mean much to me. Let me enjoy this feeling, it’s been so long. Kukuku."

[That one is very satisfying. Kukuku.]

"I told you not to imitate me!"

As soon as the Heavenly Demon finished speaking, my body rushed toward the Orcs.

[You shouldn't use my body recklessly. Remember, it isn't yours.]

"Be quiet and remember the flow of inner power."

Shhhhh-

Pow!-

“Kwuweek!”

“Kwuik!!”

The Heavenly Demon started a blade dance, no, a bone dance, and the Orcs’ screams echoed through the gate.

Although it was the same technique I used, the Demonic Dragon’s Eight Blade Style performed by the Heavenly Demon was on a different level.

He skillfully mixed the five moves from the first half with the last three moves to maximize his power, but the consumption of inner strength was minimal compared to the destructive force he unleashed.

The inner power moved freely under the Heavenly Demon’s guidance.

I memorized that flow bit by bit, putting my experience at school to good use.

[So, this is how it works.]

"Did you memorize everything? Then this..."

My body started to move faster because of the Heavenly Demon until the Heavenly Demon Replication manifested.

Swiiiiiiiiiish-

As I felt the air swirling around my body, the Heavenly Demon began to cut the Orcs down with the bone.

“Kwueeeek!”

“Kwyiik!”

“Krrrr….”

Their heads and limbs shot up into the air in bloody eruptions.

"…is a gift for you!"

He annihilated the remaining Orcs in the span of a single breath.

[How can you cut them with bones?]

"It's a gift."

Since the system couldn't keep up with the speed at which the Heavenly Demon slaughtered the Orcs, only later did the notifications start to scroll like crazy in front of my eyes.

<SYSTEM: Critical Hit!>

<SYSTEM: You've killed an Orc. You gained 415 experience points.>

<SYSTEM: Critical Hit!>

<SYSTEM: You've killed an Orc. You gained 415 experience points.>

...

[I need to rest.]

The Heavenly Demon, with a voice filled with regret, handed over control of my body back to me.

He was pushed back to one side of my consciousness, and I regained control.

"Thank you."

[Did you memorize the flow of inner power for the Heavenly Demon Replication?]

"Yes. But what was that last move?"

[The gift? Kukuku, that's also one of the Demonic Dragon’s Eight Blade Style.]

"That wasn't on the moves list."

[That's the ultimate version. It transcends all the other moves.]

"That sounds hard. And what about cutting them with a bone?"

[I cut them with Qi. If I had used a blade, it would be called Blade Energy. Should I call this Bone Energy, then? Since your body has memorized it, if you don't neglect your training, you'll slowly learn it.]

"That faint light was a manifestation of your inner strength, then. Now I know what Blade Energy looks like."

[It's amazing that you understand that. But where is that guy called Twinhead or whatever?]

"Orcs live in villages. I must look for that. That's why I said I didn't have time."

[Can you take care of him before the sun goes down?]

"I have to try. No, I must."

Titles and artifacts were important, but that massacre also had to be prevented.

I didn't want to see humans becoming food for monsters ever again.

***

<SYSTEM: Critical Hit!>

<SYSTEM: You've killed an Orc. You gained 415 experience points. Your experience points are full.>

<SYSTEM: You leveled up. Your basic stats have increased, and the status window has been updated.>

<SYSTEM: Skill 'Enhancement' has reached level 3.>

-Ability to strengthen the user's body. Skin will become tough and hard. Increases defense by 15%.

[User: Lee Byeong-gi Lv. 20]

[Title: One at a Time, Relentless Hunting]

- Title Effect: (One at a Time) Increases critical strike rate by 10%.

- Title Effect: (Relentless Hunting) No effect.

[Vitality: 76 (+10), MP: 80]

[Skill: Lv. Max Insight (Passive), Lv. Max Mana Drain (Passive) Lv. 3 Enhancement, Lv. 4 Mana Shield]

Although I had levelled up, my vitality and mana only rose by one.

The improvement in my stats from levelling up was undoubtedly less efficient than training.

In any case, thanks to the Heavenly Demon's teachings, I could freely perform the five moves of the first half of the Demonic Dragon’s Eight-Blade Style.

I also had no problem using the second half in tandem with those five.

However, even with my mana value exceeding those at level 70 and the Mana Drain passive skill supplementing my energy, I struggled to use them collaboratively.

By that fact alone, I could see that the Heavenly Demon, who performed those techniques in the Martial World freely, was excellent.

And although it was still weak, I could use Blade Energy from time to time. Thanks to this, I could hunt Orcs with greater ease than before.

While hunting the Orcs in the fourth village I encountered, I succeeded in levelling up again, bringing me up to level 21.

There were between two hundred and five hundred Orcs in each village, so I had hunted around two thousand Orcs thus far by myself.

If any other hunter had seen it, they would definitely have called me an 'unbalanced character.'

Time passed, and the sun inside the gate began to set.

When I completely wiped out the fifth village, the system notification I was waiting for appeared.

<SYSTEM: The Orcs have been wiped out.>

<SYSTEM: You've met the conditions to summon the Boss monster ‘Twin Headed Orc.'>

<SYSTEM: 30 seconds left until summoning.>

<SYSTEM: 29 seconds remaining.>

[The end is finally in sight.]

"Right."

[If he's at your level, you can finish him in one shot. You'll have to work hard to get the title without killing him in one go.]

"Then, I'll try to face him with the Perished Soul’s Eight Fists this time."

[You should use what you learned. Anyway, I hope you change your weapon quickly.]

"I didn't get it at first, but slowly, I’ve felt it. Swords do not fit the techniques you’ve taught me.”

[And yet you’ll perform them with a bone?]

"I didn't do it today. But I need to practice Blade Energy too. Also, why would you say that when you like to use the bone?"

[As I showed you earlier, I can use any weapon to exert the power of the Demonic Dragon’s Eight Blade Style. But you aren’t there yet.]

"Then, is it possible to use a bow or a whip instead of a bone?"

[Ha! What do you take me for? It’s possible.]

"I can't imagine what it would be like."

[I'll show you later. Kukuku.]

While chatting with the Heavenly Demon, the timer expired.

<SYSTEM: 0 seconds remaining.>

<SYSTEM: The 'Twin Headed Orc' has been summoned.>

"Kuooooooooh!"

It appeared with a weird cry.

[It's weird. He has two hideous faces!]

"I guess that's why the title is 'Two Hearts.'”

[Don't you want to get that title and play soccer?]

"Is that a joke?"

[You're blunt about strange things.]

"Don’t take it personally."

[It’s personal, isn’t it?]

Baaaang-

The Twin Headed Orc swung at me, so I dodged back.

He wielded a sword and shield, unlike the other Orcs who wielded axes and two-handed swords.

Although the method of attack was the same, after experiencing the Heavenly Demon's martial arts with my body, it was easy to deal with him.

But first, I checked his condition with the Insight skill.

[Twin Headed Orc Lv. 45]

[Category: Humanoid Monster, Attacks First]

[Status: Alert/Angry]

[Skill: Lv. 2 Fatal Blow, Lv. 2 Lucky Blossom, Lv. 3 Berserk]

-Fatal Blow: Dashes in with sword raised to attack. Damage is increased by 10%.

-Lucky Blossom: Performs a powerful smash attack after two consecutive hits with the shield. 5% chance to stun the target.

-Berserk: Triggered when anger reaches its peak.

I could identify when he was enraged through the status window, and I just had to watch his attack skills carefully.

But to get the title, I had to activate his Berserk Mode. I couldn't kill him in one hit.

[Practice controlling your inner strength using the Perished Soul’s Eight Fists. It will feel very different from holding a weapon.]

I had always used a weapon while hunting before my regression.

My magic power consumption was greater than the amount of damage I could inflict on enemies, since I had no special attack skills or artifacts. If the level difference was significant, there were cases where I couldn't inflict any damage at all.

I was curious to see how it would be now, with such a large disparity in abilities in the opposite direction.

[Think of this as training.]

I immediately stored my weapon in my inventory and attacked the Twin Headed Orc with my bare fists.

I dodged his attack skills with Heavenly Demon Replication and began to unleash the Perished Soul’s Eight Fists.

It wasn't easy to adjust my fist's strength, so I didn’t kill him outright, but I gradually got used to it as the fight went on.

He let out a loud squeal.

"Kwai, kwaweeek!"

His enraged shouts reverberated in my ears, and my fists throbbed from pummeling him. But he had finally entered his Berserk Mode.

"It's not as good as using a bone, but it's satisfying too."

[You and that satisfying feeling... Just kill it already. It's too noisy.]

"I think my ears are bleeding."

When Berserk Mode activated, I grabbed my sword and stabbed it into his heart. Because of the Heavenly Demon's education which I had crammed, I could make out faint Blade Energy around it.

"Demonic Dragon Flash!"

Whoosh-

The Twin Headed Orc fell, blood pouring from his chest.

[Now you've got the shape of the Blade Energy. But do you have to shout out the move's name every time? You're not even fighting another martial artist.]

"Doesn't that make me look cool? It's like a skill."

[Is that trauma from not having an attack skill?]

“…”

<SYSTEM: You have defeated the Gate Boss 'Twin Headed Orc.' You gained 322,570 experience points.>

<SYSTEM: Obtained the 'Orc Breastplate' as a reward for defeating the Gate Boss. You can find it in your inventory.>

<SYSTEM: You cut the heart out of the enraged 'Twin Headed Orc.'>

<SYSTEM: Acquired the title 'Two Hearts.'>

<SYSTEM: When your magic power is exhausted and reaches '0,' it will recharge (Cooldown time: 24 hours).>

<SYSTEM: You wiped out the monsters in the Gate alone.>

<SYSTEM: Acquired the title 'Shining SOLO.'>

<SYSTEM: The title effect increases EXP gain by 30% when hunting solo.>

<SYSTEM: The Gate disappears when the 'Summoning Stone' is destroyed.>

A bonus appeared after defeating the Boss.

"There wasn't just one Hidden Piece!"

[Huh, you're lucky!]

"Now I have one more reason to hunt alone. 30% extra experience is massive."

[This title is quite familiar.]

"What are you saying?"

[I'm just saying that if you destroy the Summoning Stone now, you can get everything you want.]

"Sure, but before that, I'll check on Choi Yoo-seong and Na Sehun."