Chapter 315

Chapter 315
## Chapter 315

Reconnaissance (1)

The recently acquired skill 「Mimicry」, gaining insight into martial paths and tactical styles, and the potential ways to employ them…

Deep in contemplation, Hugo stood squarely in the middle of the courtyard training grounds, shutting his eyes to draw a deep breath.

A number of months had passed by since he initially set foot in Ganghwange.

Throughout that period, he had undergone an immense physical and technical shift, driven by the steady ingestion of the “Growth Elixir,” the constant backing of 「Super Recovery」, and his own relentless practice.

* Individual Name: Hugo
* Common Traits: 「Mind Hub」, 「Persona」, 「Super Recovery」, 「Clear Mind」, 「Super Strength」, 「Hypersensitivity」, 「Insight」, 「Xenoglossy」, 「Underwater Breathing」, 「Subspace Storage」, 「Limit Break」, 「Mimicry」
* Individual Traits: 「Jack-of-All-Trades」, 「Tough」, 「Circulation of Energy」, 「Ki Martial Arts」, 「Basic Medical Knowledge」
* Special Notes: Demonstrates heightened competency in directing Ki. 「Sturdiness」 has progressed into 「Tough」 as a consequence of unyielding external martial arts training. Internal energy development is heightened via the sway of 「Circulation of Energy」. Currently gaining added development incentives from the active attributes of the “Growth Elixir.”

He could no longer be likened to the greenhorn who had stepped into Ganghwange relying on a solitary skill.

The combined force of the elixir, his various enhancement buffs, and 「Jack-of-All-Trades」—which granted him the capacity to rapidly achieve baseline mastery in any chosen discipline—

…had reshaped him into a highly capable martial artist in a matter of months.

‘Focusing on medical texts was an outstanding choice. I originally took it up to break down the anatomical impacts of martial arts forms… ’

It was a logical path to take, given how inextricably linked martial arts are with human biology.

Unlocking the specific skill 「Basic Medical Knowledge」 had been an unexpected bonus.

‘A highly favorable miscalculation.’

The healing lore of the Zhuge Clan, the surgical insights of Hans, and Harley’s innate grasp of living organisms had undoubtedly all converged to make this happen.

Consequently, he possessed a much finer grasp of the biological shifts triggered by utilizing specific combat arts, which would prove immensely advantageous when activating 「Mimicry」.

‘…No, that isn’t even the primary benefit.’

Hugo offered a quiet grin.

There was a far more critical factor at play.

His ultimate edge, his hidden trump card.

‘I am never operating in isolation.’

Deconstructing and evaluating any concept becomes vastly simpler when multiple viewpoints are involved, particularly when looking down from an elevated perspective.

And having five highly advanced entities, their consciousnesses intertwined, exchanging their concepts and real-time perceptions continuously…

Moreover, within that group, Heinrich possessed the battlefield expertise of 「Path of Martial Arts」 and 「Logia Holy Fighting Technique」, Harris had fully integrated the peak style 「Gentle Eight Trigrams Secret Art (Modified)」, and Harley retained an instinctive grasp of physical thresholds as an apex predator…

It was equivalent to having an entourage of university scholars assisting him with foundational primary school tests.

Even if their exact areas of expertise diverged slightly.

‘Furthermore, Hubert’s “Analysis” plays a significant role.’

He brought to mind his merchant persona, whose analytical trait had significantly boosted his physical conditioning, and gave a slow nod.

Unlike Harris, who had crossed into transcendence prior to this, he had been forced to start from zero, practicing basic forms to forge a baseline foundation.

Yet it remained an indispensable phase for his enduring advancement.

Accelerated learning or not, he could not bypass the foundational prerequisites.

‘The combat manuals currently in my possession are rather mediocre… To truly optimize “Mimicry”, I require a highly stable, completely neutral internal energy method, rather than one fixed on a specific alignment. Where exactly am I supposed to track one down?’

He had reviewed several documents offered by the Zhuge Clan, but they fell short of his needs.

Doubtless, far more valuable records were locked away in their private vaults… but as an outside visitor, he lacked the leverage to explore them freely.

“Hmm.”

As he weighed his current prospects, a dark, playful idea crossed his mind.

‘…What if I just… take it by force?’

The notion wasn’t entirely outside the realm of possibility.

In an era as volatile as this, absolute chaos was the norm.

To illustrate, a phantom practitioner of unholy arts, radiating a foul presence, could suddenly descend upon the compound trailing a horde of jiangshi.

Alternatively, a bloodthirsty infiltrator from the Blood Cult might slip through the defenses to plunder their archives!

‘Tsk, I should hold off for now. There is no immediate rush.’

He chose to shelve the idea for the time being.

‘I have no desire to fracture my standing with the Zhuge Clan. It would only complicate my current living arrangements. If I intend to stir up a storm, I might as well pick a different target.’

He wasn’t short on alternative options.

The Wudang Sect was situated nearby, and moving further across the landscape, one could find the Shaolin Temple, Mount Hua Sect, and the Southern Palace Clan.

‘…Perhaps I should begin mapping out a script?’

He found himself tightening his hold on his training blade, entirely absorbed in his thoughts.

Crack—

A wave of raw force, multiplied by 「Super Strength」 and his massive base attributes, rippled through his tensed muscle tissue.

He hadn’t reached the terrifying physical scale of Harley or Heinrich, but his muscular power alone was sufficient to brand him an absolute master of external disciplines.

A profound sense of accomplishment rose within him, leaving a small smirk on his mouth.

“Ah, time has slipped away.”

Catching sight of the sun’s low angle, he quickly returned the practice weapon to its sheath.

The day was already slipping into dusk. He needed to wash up and get ready for his scheduled meeting.

‘She will certainly lecture me if I show up late again.’

He restored order to the training pavilion and walked back toward his private rooms, his steps gliding naturally along the path.

His upcoming stop, once he finished tidying himself up, was a setting he had visited repeatedly over these past few months.

—

Whoosh—

A delicate, soothing current of energy, which had filled the chamber with a comforting radiance, slowly ebped away into nothingness.

The young lady, who had been resting quietly with closed eyelids, offered a gentle expression as her eyes parted.

“Is the session complete? I am deeply grateful for your continuous care, Young Master Ha. Your efforts mean a great deal to me.”

Her tone was vibrant and bright.

Zhuge Hyemi, the treasured daughter of the Zhuge Clan, spoke with an upbeat resonance that carried no trace of suffering.

“Oh, would you care to sample this? The kitchens just prepared a fresh batch of pastries. They are wonderfully sweet. Though, if you still favor the treats from before, do tell me… Ah! You have already cleared your cup. Let me pour you some more tea.”

Her relentless stream of chatter, true to form, left Hugo offering an amused, slightly overwhelmed nod.

He had adjusted to this room and this routine, but her unending talkativeness was something he doubted he would ever truly adapt to.

Furthermore, a different concern weighed on his mind.

‘Something is off. Despite multiple rounds of treatment, her underlying state remains largely unchanged. And today… ’

They were seated within the parlor of Zhuge Hyemi’s private compound.

This space had transitioned into his regular medical station once she recovered her ability to walk.

The treatments, which began as a daily routine, had spaced out as her acute problems stabilized, settling into a weekly checkup.

Naturally, this pacing was only viable because her overall vitality had recovered dramatically, granting her full mobility…

‘…Could this represent the absolute ceiling of divine healing arts?’

Functioning as her primary caretaker, Hugo felt an undercurrent of worry regarding her halted progress.

He wasn’t entirely ignorant regarding medicine either, especially now that he held the skill 「Basic Medical Knowledge」.

The reality that he couldn’t even pinpoint the core origin of her sickness…

As he turned the puzzle over in his mind, Heinrich, who had recently grown far more formidable after mastering 「Grand Blessing: Wings of Radiance」, put forward an alternative theory.

‘…The nature of it feels distinct. This isn’t a typical illness, but rather… something tied to the spiritual laws of this world? Heinrich could provide an absolute answer if he were able to inspect her firsthand.’

The historical theft of the Dragon Heart, executed by the leader of the Heaven’s Turn Society twenty-two years prior in Ganghwange chronology.

She had entered the world during that exact period of upheaval, right as the global order began to fracture.

Furthermore, her mother had perished almost immediately after giving birth to her.

She had carried that burden ever since, viewing herself as an ill-omened child…

‘Yet summoning Heinrich to this location is out of the question. It would instantly trigger a crisis.’

The guards of the Zhuge Clan would never overlook the unannounced arrival of a powerful entity inside their inner sanctum.

They would also immediately deduce that the spiritual signature he projected matched that of ‘Ha Seung-hoon’, the visiting healer tending to Zhuge Hyemi.

There was no telling how they would handle such a revelation.

‘They place an extreme, almost paranoid emphasis on their security arrangements and defensive barriers.’

It was a rational stance, considering they lacked any transcendent masters, let alone experts of the Mysterious Realm.

They kept their sovereign status purely on the strength of their tactical formations and mystical seals.

If their central fortress fell, it would mean total ruin for them.

‘How can I engineer a suitable opening?’

While Hugo remained deep in thought,

Zhuge Hyemi, who had kept up her lively monologue despite his quiet demeanor, unexpectedly shifted the conversation to a fresh topic.

A specific detail that instantly grabbed his focus.

“Oh! Young Master Ha, have you received the news? A formal summons has arrived from the Shaolin Temple in Henan.”

“…A summons? Under the current global circumstances?”

“Indeed, it is a traditional gathering. They host it every few years. It brings together delegates from the primary branches of the Murim Alliance to deliberate over… well, various continental crises.”

“I was under the impression that the Murim Alliance had completely dissolved.”

“Even so, maintaining lines of dialogue remains vital, particularly during an era like this.”

It was hardly unusual for former confederates to preserve basic diplomatic ties, even if their structural coalition had ceased to exist.

This was doubly true in a landscape where lethal hazards loomed around every corner.

“In essence, it is an amplified version of the regional conferences we regularly hold with neighboring factions like the Wudang Sect. It carries no binding legal weight or formal duties; it is simply a platform to… exchange perspectives.”

Zhuge Hyemi gave a slight shrug, her tone carrying a sudden note of emotional distance.

It felt somewhat out of character for someone who had spent her entire existence sequestered within the walls of the Zhuge Clan, her world restricted to her immediate bloodline and retainers.

‘The territory is completely fractured, yet it remains anchored by three primary power blocs. A strategic gathering to sustain their networks?’

The factions that had seized the Dragon Veins versus those plotting to reclaim them, the forces seeking to expand their domains by capturing additional spiritual points versus those desperately fighting to secure what they currently held…

They could be broadly labeled as orthodox, unorthodox, and unaligned… but the ground reality was a chaotic free-for-all, with everyone constantly plotting against one another for dominance.

Then there was the Demonic Cult, standing as the single most powerful faction, alongside the Blood Cult operating from the darkness, and countless minor sects…

‘…Hmm, honestly, it would be far more surprising if a summit like this wasn’t being arranged.’

The unorthodox syndicates, neutral parties, and lesser schools surely maintained their own discrete pacts as well.

“Is it truly feasible for envoys from all these scattered factions to meet safely at a single location nowadays? What protects them from being wiped out by rivals along the roads?”

“Well, you are correct. Because of that danger, full attendance is something we never see. This is especially true for the organizations located far across the borders.”

Consequently, making the treacherous journey to show up at such a council served as an undeniable demonstration of a group’s current military might.

Of course, there were times when such a gamble turned disastrous, culminating in devastating losses along the route.

“Our household will absolutely send a delegation this time around. Traveling to the Shaolin Temple in Henan isn’t terribly far for us. However, the Murong Clan based in Liaoning or the Kunlun Sect over in Qinghai… they will encounter extreme dangers. I find myself wondering if the notices even managed to reach them.”

Zhuge Hyemi tilted her head to the side, a reflective look washing over her features as her voice drifted off.

Hugo rubbed at his chin, his expression turning sharp and focused as he digested her words.

His intellect operated at high speed, breaking down the unexpected development.

‘I had been debating my next course of action… This presents an ideal path.’

What an incredibly well-timed scenario!

Securing intelligence before launching any major operation was paramount.

This provided a direct avenue to broaden his worldview, interface with significant figures, and experience the wider layout of the land.

Furthermore, when taking into account the inevitable ambushes and skirmishes that would break out along the journey…

‘…It is a massive feast! An absolute banquet of Karma!’

It promised a spectacular array of opportunities, a true wealth of possibilities.