Chapter 173

An immaculate white void.

A boundless, snowy landscape extended outward, erasing any discernible boundary between where it started or where it concluded. Indistinct elements, blurring the line between pure illumination and dense mist, saturated the mysterious territory.

He found it impossible to spot his own feet.

To speak precisely, the very notion of having ground beneath him was entirely vague. It was a realm of infinite whiteness, completely devoid of up or down, left or right.

Right at the center of this void, Dong Bongsu remained standing.

Yet, with no landmarks to indicate a beginning or an end, he could not truly verify if he occupied the center at all. He merely existed, maintaining a tall, calm posture within the vacuum.

This landscape was almost certainly the domain Ak Bul-jin had described beforehand—the Conceptual Space belonging to whoever owned the Spirit Root Stone. The System had undoubtedly categorized it as a fresh mode map.

He chose to simply wait.

Every game operates under structural parameters. While he recognized that this reality was no mere game, every existing world functions under its own unique laws. Just as the physical world dictates gravity, chronological progression, and the mechanics of cause and effect, this place required a sufficient amount of time to properly materialize.

He stayed in that exact position for what felt like endless hours, unable to measure the actual passage of time. He remained completely motionless, never even blinking his eyes, resembling a carved stone monument. Reflecting on the previous sequence with Kaiji, time in the physical world outside was likely suspended or moving at a microscopic pace.

Perhaps only his eyes were functioning at an ultra-accelerated speed.

Whoooosh-

Suddenly, a tempest containing every conceivable shade imaginable tore through the environment that had previously known only stark whiteness.

Crimson manifested first.

A gale as dark as fresh blood swirled through the emptiness, coating the space in its hue. Immediately after, shades of blue, yellow, white, and black mingled together in rapid succession. The five distinct pigments twisted into one another, forming a colossal, spinning vortex.

Rumble-

A massive elevation erupted upward. Out of the pale void, dark brown soil surged high. It commenced as a minor mound, but it expanded continuously until it transformed into an immense, towering mountain range.

Gush gush gush.

A waterway burst into existence. A tiny rivulet originating at the highest crest of the mountain cascaded down the rocky valleys, swelling into a powerful, rushing river.

Sprout sprout sprout-

Vegetation flourished rapidly and thickly. Greenery broke through the exposed earth, trunks shot upward, and a dense forest blanketed the terrain.

Dong Bongsu observed the entire transformation without intervening.

Everything was unfolding through sheer generation. Or perhaps “programmed rendering” was a superior description, as this was not true genesis from absolute nothingness. It was highly probable that these features already existed in memory and were now simply being re-manifested.

How many additional hours slipped away during this process?

The environment reached completion.

He discovered himself positioned upon a massive, flat rocky platform situated at the peak of an incredibly steep, towering precipice. Solid granite lay right beneath his soles, while all around him, peculiarly formed boulders jutted sharply into the air. The multi-colored gale that had previously upended the void had completely dissipated, and the environmental generation it triggered had ceased entirely.

Absolute quiet followed. A flawless tranquility took over, devoid of any breeze, avian cries, or the movement of water.

And then, a voice broke through.

“You’ve arrived.”

At the distant boundary of the massive rock platform, which spanned thousands of square yards, a lone silhouette materialized at the absolute lip of the thousand-foot drop.

A mature man clad in deep red light armor stood enveloped in an overwhelming aura of combat readiness. His hair burned with the intensity of wild fire, and his gaze was as piercingly crimson as fresh blood. He appeared to be the literal incarnation of an open flame.

Clutched in his grip was a highly unconventional weapon that Dong Bongsu had never encountered before.

A red umbrella.

At its topmost point, where the supportive ribs converged, a massive saber blade jutted outward like a sharp horn. When kept shut, the implement functioned as a saber; when spread open, it would likely serve as a defensive shield.

The moment his eyes locked onto it, Dong Bongsu identified the exact identity of the soul attached to the initial Spirit Root Stone he had ingested.

“So it was Na Hang.”

A martial artist who, up until roughly a decade ago, was recognized as one of the twenty supreme combatants within this newly emerged Jianghu. They called him the Red Umbrella Lord Saber, and the specter standing before him was an absolute, unexaggerated manifestation of that title.

The lingering spirit of Na Hang offered no verbal acknowledgment, choosing instead to casually rest the umbrella across his shoulder. At that precise moment, the surrounding atmosphere experienced a drastic spike in temperature. It felt akin to positioning oneself right before an open smelting furnace.

His stance wordlessly conveyed a challenge: “Are you the challenger attempting to consume my essence?”

Simultaneously, Dong Bongsu was able to immediately decipher the underlying rules governing this domain. It was impossible to miss, given how a dense, bloodlust-laden crimson energy was slashing violently against his entire frame, threatening to tear his physical form to pieces.

The concept was basic.

Succeed in battle, and I absorb him. Suffer defeat, and I transform into a monster. He lacked specific knowledge regarding what such a monster entailed, but it was irrelevant. He possessed no desire or requirement to discover it.

Fwoosh-

Dong Bongsu lunged directly toward Na Hang without a moment’s hesitation.

‘The sole objective is victory.’

Pak!

The red umbrella of Na Hang snapped open instantaneously.

The moment Dong Bongsu’s fist slammed into the taut fabric of the umbrella, a blistering, kinetic counter-force discharged, driving him backward through the air. It was far more than a basic protective barrier. Scorching fire qi erupted outward in a violent wave.

‘A defensive Qi Curtain, modified with an intense fire property.’

As his frame drifted backward from the impact, Na Hang collapsed the umbrella, reverting the weapon into its saber configuration. The crimson edge slashed through the air in a flat horizontal arc.

Shwoook!

Dong Bongsu moved backward to evade the trajectory, yet the rolling tongues of fire projecting from the steel managed to scorch the edges of his vestments. It was a methodology centered on directly infusing pure fire-attribute energy straight into the weapon’s edge. This clearly formed the foundation of the legendary Red Umbrella Lord Saber Art.

Na Hang snapped the umbrella open once more.

This time, the weapon began revolving at an incredibly high velocity. Intense heat wrapped around the outer tips of the structural ribs, whipped outward like lashing cords, and quickly materialized into a massive, spinning wheel of pure flame.

Whirrrr!

The rapidly rotating umbrella, fully engulfed in searing flames, propelled itself forward like an automated, spinning drill bit.

It was the Sixth Form of the Red Umbrella Lord Saber Art: Revolving Sun Wheel in the Rain.

Fwoom-!

[Faith Arrow]

[Basic Magic]

[Projectile]

[Linear]

• When personal conviction manifests physically, it transforms into a localized light that pursues the adversary.

Concentrated, unadulterated magical energy is gathered and discharged as a radiant projectile. Should it become reinforced by the collective devotion of individuals who place their trust in the user, it gains homing capabilities to track its intended target. Although it represents the most fundamental magic available to a Hero, its latent capability scales infinitely based on total devotion.

Mana Cost: 10 MP

Casting Time: Instant

Cooldown: 0.5 seconds

Effective Range: 30m

Base Damage: 100 (+Faith Bonus)

To begin his counterattack, he launched a [Faith Arrow].

In contrast to the adversaries he had dealt with the previous evening, this specific phantom appeared to be an excellent training partner to test his ‘What is Hero’ capabilities. Although his experience in this current world was brief, he deduced that this environment contained significantly more top-tier masters than the realms he had previously navigated. He needed to hone every accessible asset to its absolute maximum until his execution became second nature.

From the tips of Dong Bongsu’s tightly extended right index and middle fingers, a concentrated beam of brilliant light discharged straight toward the spinning umbrella-saber of Na Hang.

Curiously, a nearly imperceptible, faint ribbon of light descending from an indeterminate point in the upper atmosphere was channeling additional power straight into the traveling [Faith Arrow].

‘Is this the practical application of the faith bonus?’

The mechanic required empirical verification, but he felt reasonably certain of his hypothesis.

Mana (MP) | 90/100

Paang-!

The glowing projectile and the rapidly revolving weapon collided head-on.

Because his current level remained low and his accumulated ‘faith’ was practically nonexistent, the [Arrow] was summarily swatted aside by the rotating framework.

Na Hang pushed forward in a sudden assault, leaving a bright red streak in his wake that resembled a passing comet. Within a mere split second, Na Hang manipulated a mechanism on the umbrella mid-stride. The fabric collapsed instantly, shifting the weapon into a flawless, glowing Flame Saber.

The umbrella’s structural frame served as a heated furnace capable of turning objects to cinders upon contact, while the blade protruding from the front mirrored a strip of superheated iron forged in solar fire.

Without warning—

Swish-.

The weapon swung downward with such terrifying velocity that it appeared to warp the very distance between them. Concurrently, torrential waves of flame spilled over from the blade’s edge.

Despite facing an immediate threat to his life, Dong Bongsu’s gaze became remarkably steady and focused. His cognitive processing speed shifted into overdrive. Within an instant, he identified the pathways of survival and strategic retreat.

The elemental flame’s dispersal pattern blanketed nearly all primary directions; calculated time until impact was 0.3 seconds. The single zone of absolute safety comprised a small area with a radius of approximately 60 centimeters, situated between 33 and 35 degrees toward the left flank.

Woong-.

Immediately following the activation of his [Qi Circulation Art], which simultaneously enhanced his offensive output and defensive resilience, he shifted his physical frame to a position precisely 33 degrees to Na Hang’s left.

Kwa-gwa-gwang!

The fiery umbrella-saber struck the floor with a cataclysmic boom, liquefying the surrounding granite surface in a single instant.

Save for one precise location.

The exact coordinates where Dong Bongsu had repositioned remained entirely untouched by the thermal backwash. He had meticulously analyzed the erratic movements of the flames and their overall output, flawlessly charting the directional vector of the strike. While he was unable to prevent some of his hair from getting singed, such superficial damage meant nothing to him.

He swiftly pulled the [Wandering Warrior’s Sword] directly from his storage matrix.

Did a mere spiritual echo possess the capacity for irritation?

Finding his primary strike completely evaded, Na Hang escalated his offense against Dong Bongsu with even greater ferocity.

Clang! Clang-clang!

Blade met blade in a rapid, continuous rhythm.

The ambient thermal energy radiating off Na Hang’s burning umbrella-saber was potent enough to intensely scorch Dong Bongsu’s body and put immense strain on his weapon. Had it been any ordinary combatant in Dong Bongsu’s place, or any standard weapon other than the [Wandering Warrior’s Sword], they would have been reduced to a pile of cinders and blown away by now.

Yet, as the duel persisted, Dong Bongsu found himself growing increasingly comfortable. The intricate patterns of Na Hang’s Red Umbrella Lord Saber Art were already becoming deeply etched into his mind, given that they had already traded dozens of individual strikes.

Fwoosh-.

He visualized the Third Form of the Red Umbrella Lord Saber Art within his consciousness: Umbrella Blossom.

He attempted to map out a matching movement pathway utilizing the Wandering Warrior’s Sword.

The execution was unrefined. It proved impossible to perfectly replicate the rapid expansion and contraction of an umbrella structure using a standard straight blade. Unsurprisingly, this display only seemed to agitate Na Hang further, prompting the spirit to unleash the genuine Umbrella Blossom.

The red weapon snapped open and shut in a flash, launching dozens of compressed, fiery qi spheres.

Dong Bongsu systematically neutralized them using [Faith Arrow]. The luminous projectiles and the explosive fire spheres smashed into each other mid-flight, detonating harmlessly.

Mana (MP) | 60/100

Na Hang initiated another advance.

This time, Dong Bongsu reconstructed the specific footwork patterns Bukgung Ri had displayed the previous afternoon. He recalled the visual of light illuminating beneath the man’s feet, resembling a mapped constellation.

Activating his Super True Qi Field, he directed his feet to trace the structural layout of the Big Dipper.

The technique was far from polished. Nevertheless, a faint, rhythmic glow began to spark beneath his soles. While it was clearly distinct from the authentic Formation Dao utilized by Bukgung Ri, he possessed the capacity to construct a functional facsimile. Eventually, he might achieve an equivalent level of mastery, or perhaps even eclipse it entirely.

Utilizing these self-styled Pseudo Seven Star Immortal Steps, Dong Bongsu instantaneously closed the gap, repositioning himself directly at Na Hang’s unprotected flank.

Pak!

The pommel of the [Wandering Warrior’s Sword] drove solidly into Na Hang’s ribcage.

It was an impromptu martial application that fused the subtle frequencies of the Super True Qi Resonance with the revolving mechanics of the Sun Wheel style he had just observed. Even though it was an unpolished amalgamation of Super True Qi and raw fire qi, the impact caused Na Hang’s physical form to lurch unsteadily.

Whoosh-.

The umbrella whipped around in a expansive, defensive sweep.

The maneuver naturally created separation between the two combatants. Na Hang, working to regain control of his unbalanced frame, hoisted the umbrella high into the air. Every ounce of stray fire qi that he had previously let loose across the arena was forcefully pulled back into the weapon’s core.

Shortly after, an immense crimson lotus materialized above the umbrella, splitting into hundreds, then thousands of individual burning blossoms.

It was the Eleventh Form of the Red Umbrella Lord Saber Art: Flame Rain of Red Lotuses.

The solar-hot floral masses began their descent. The area of effect was entirely unevadable, possessing sufficient destructive force to blanket the entirety of the rocky platform.

Woooooong~.

Mustering his complete internal reserves, he expanded his Super True Qi Field to its absolute maximum threshold. Simultaneously, he channeled the immense energy of the Super True Qi Field straight into [Faith Arrow] and discharged the spell.

Pyu-pyu-pyu-pyu-pyum

Mana (MP) 0/100

Because his magical capacity remained restricted, he could only manifest a minimal quantity, but the radiant arrows imbued with the specialized Super True Qi Field were orders of magnitude more devastating than their standard counterparts. In this state, the [Faith Arrows] raced upward to challenge the descending red lotuses.

Kwa-gwa-gwang!

The opposing forces slammed together, yet the burning red lotuses continued their downward trajectory unabated.

He put away the Wandering Warrior’s Sword and pressed his palms together.

He projected his Super True Qi Field outward, covering the entire expanse of the stone platform. A clear yet distinctly crimson fire qi collected rapidly within both of his hands.

He sprang into the air.

He vaulted straight into the path of the descending red lotuses.

The accumulated red energy collided directly with the floral barrage.

Ssssssssss.

There was no deafening detonation, nor any concussive shockwave. Dong Bongsu’s Super True Qi and fire energy were simply consuming and assimilating the energy signature belonging to Na Hang.

Ultimately.

His physical form overlapped perfectly with Na Hang’s position.

An unvoiced, titanic crimson shockwave erupted outward, threatening to consume the entire rocky plateau—and indeed, this entire psychological realm. The environment appeared completely submerged in a sea of fire.

The phenomenon endured for what felt like several two-hour cycles.

Eventually, the thick crimson smoke dissipated.

Despite his entire form bearing severe burn marks, Dong Bongsu remained upright on his feet. Na Hang had dropped to his knees before him.

The vivid illumination within his crimson gaze was gradually dimming, and his physical manifestation was growing increasingly transparent. The residual consciousness was fading away.

Na Hang raised his chin with the last of his remaining strength.

• How did it strike you?

The inquiry materialized without physical voice or direction.

Dong Bongsu parted his lips.

“It wasn’t bad.”

Did the response provide some form of closure? Even though he was merely an echo of past consciousness, a brief spark of genuine life flickered within Na Hang’s eyes one final time. It could have been a trick of the mind.

Sss

Na Hang—or the memory of him—disintegrated into fine ash and blew away.

In tandem with his departure, the entire simulated world began fracturing and dissolving into grey remnants. Debris of every imaginable color drifted through the air, pulled irresistibly toward Dong Bongsu’s physical form. The particles entered through his skin, through his respiration, and through every open pore on his body.

A blistering thermal current surged directly through his circulatory system. The raw fire qi traveled down to his Dantian, spinning rapidly before locking into a stable position.

In the manner of liquid iron settling into a casting mold, a completely new source of power solidified within his core.