Chapter 773: Package Tour (2)

She could not get the answer she wanted, but enough chatting.

Dang Gyu-ri decided to show the results they had achieved so far.

The shadow beneath their feet rippled, then took form one after another.

The Research Director and the Blood Cult elder series, a huge serpent covered head to tail in feathers……

And last came a rabbit the size of a large dog.

A pocket watch hung from its back, and it held two clock hands like twin swords.

It was the Clock Rabbit Grand General—Gyu Eater.

“……What do you think?”

At Dang Gyu-ri’s question, the gothic young lady nodded as if she found them commendable.

Then she gestured and summoned shadow undead of her own.

Unlike usual, when she would draw out an entire legion, this time there were only three.

Judging by their appearances, they seemed to be a heavily armored knight, a mage, and an archer.

Dang Gyu-ri thought,

She’s going to fight with just those three?

Then this was doable, wasn’t it?

Their grade as a shadow user was still far beneath hers, but they took a certain pride in their undead.

They were elites Dang Gyu-ri had collected one by one while traveling with Kim Ho.

But that did not seem to be the gothic young lady’s intention.

When she folded her parasol and swept it elegantly through the air,

The shadow undead, which had all been different, transformed into heavily armored knights.

The moment Dang Gyu-ri saw that, their heart began pounding with anticipation.

Finally!

She was teaching them!

According to Kim Ho, the skill’s identity was [Uniformity].

It had the effect of changing all summoned undead into a single type.

It’s about time I learned it.

Their [Shadow Extraction] slots had increased, and as the undead registered in them grew more varied, the points of frustration had been getting larger as well.

For example, the Feathered Serpent was a large boss monster and a rare flying type, so it served as an excellent means of transport and performed very well in aerial combat.

However, it was awkward to bring out in ground battles, because its huge size actually got in the allies’ way.

The same had been true during the rabbit Grand General raid.

In that way, some undead had their efficiency drop sharply depending on the situation, or had no opportunity to be summoned at all.

It was a problem that would occur more often the more their slots increased and the more varied the undead they registered became.

But if I have [Uniformity]?

Not only would there be no wasted slots, they would be able to fight with only the undead optimized for the situation.

For example, increasing the flesh-golem Research Director to seven units and using them to build a wall.

As Dang Gyu-ri burned with motivation, the gothic young lady slowly raised a finger.

Then she floated three pitch-black numbers above it.

Before Dang Gyu-ri had time to wonder what that meant, the numbers squirmed and changed.

……Ah!

Only then did Dang Gyu-ri inwardly exclaim.

It seemed she was trying to let them grasp, through simple numbers, the way [Uniformity] manifested.

Soon, Dang Gyu-ri raised a finger just like the gothic young lady and drew up their shadow.

Then they changed the numbers in the same way as they appeared.

8, 1, 2.

8, 8, 8.

For Dang Gyu-ri, it was not especially difficult.

They had long since known how to control shadows finely enough to write letters.

Perhaps because of that, however, they still could not get a feel for [Uniformity] itself.

The problem began after that.

1, 6, 8…… a star, 3, and a diamond…….

Not only did the numbers keep increasing, symbols and letters began to mix in as well.

On top of that, she gave them almost no time.

Whenever Dang Gyu-ri tried to follow along, the display would often change with a rapid flutter.

Before long, something almost like a cipher was floating over the gothic young lady’s finger.

1, 8, 2……. Diamond, 8.

Four 1s, spade, another 1—no, wait—

The next cipher appeared at once, then the next after that.

Dang Gyu-ri frowned.

……Am I doing something wrong?

They did not think the gothic young lady was doing this maliciously.

Either way, Dang Gyu-ri had come here as a guest who had accepted an invitation, and the gothic young lady was sincere when it came to teaching.

It was more accurate to assume the problem lay in the way Dang Gyu-ri was trying to follow.

First of all, it doesn’t seem to have much to do with proficiency.

If this were a matter of getting used to it through repetition, she would have given them enough time each round.

She would not have suddenly mixed in symbols and letters either.

Then that means there’s something else.

What was she doing that made it so fast?

Dang Gyu-ri observed the ciphers the gothic young lady floated with greater care.

The numbers, symbols, and letters were quickly changing into identical ones.

……No, rather than changing…….

Was it closer to being overwritten?

Starting from the front, one after another, like a row of dominoes falling.

Dang Gyu-ri put the idea that had occurred to them straight into action.

Once again, a cipher appeared above the gothic young lady’s hand.

8, ★, and J, with the feeling of overwriting…….

The next moment, the cipher the gothic young lady had floated changed into the same numbers, symbols, and letters.

The same was true of the ones Dang Gyu-ri had floated.

They clenched their fist.

I got it!

They felt like they understood the principle of [Uniformity] a little now as well.

It was not a method of changing other shadows, but of overlaying the base shadow onto the others.

Sure enough, the gothic young lady no longer floated any ciphers.

She had probably judged that this was enough to pass.

Instead, she summoned the three shadow undead she had summoned just before.

The knight, the mage, and the archer slowly took shape.

In response, Dang Gyu-ri withdrew all the Gyu-shadows except for three.

Even if they had gotten a feel for it, applying [Uniformity] to undead would be incomparably harder than doing it with things like letters.

Let’s take this step by step. Step by step.

As Dang Gyu-ri steadied themself like that, the gothic young lady smiled faintly and waved her parasol.

Then the shadow knight was overlaid onto the mage beside it.

*****

Go Hyeonwoo gazed at the man across from him.

He wore a pitch-black robe, and waves of conquering energy and demonic energy poured from him in streams.

The Heavenly Demon.

Most of the time, when Go Hyeonwoo came to the inner world, he was the one who appeared, likely because their martial arts shared many similarities.

Even just the point that they unfolded sword energy in the form of wind was similar.

Thanks to that, Go Hyeonwoo learned a great deal every time he sparred with the Heavenly Demon.

So this time as well, he was about to offer formal respect and take a battle stance.

But at some point, he sensed the presence of someone else in the space he had thought contained only the two of them.

When he turned his head, he saw an elderly man standing there.

In that instant, a thought crossed Go Hyeonwoo’s mind.

He is like a single pine tree…….

The old man’s overall impression was gentle and mild, but at the same time he possessed a firmness that did not seem easily shaken.

For some reason, he also carried something of a Daoist atmosphere.

Perhaps the Daoists of Wudang are like that.

Considering that, the old man’s bearing, and the outstanding skill he must possess to exist within this inner world……

He was probably someone who could be called a Daoist Adept of one sort or another.

But why now?

Why had he appeared just as Go Hyeonwoo was about to spar?

The answer to that question soon came.

For some reason, Go Hyeonwoo felt as though the adept was smiling at him.

He also felt as though the man were asking him this question.

……I am.

His next challenge for sacred relic inheritance was just around the corner.

In the meantime, he had received help from Kim Ho and Han Somi, and he himself had not neglected his training, so he was confident his skill had improved considerably.

However, it was still unclear whether he would succeed in the inheritance.

In the previous challenge, I did succeed in reaching it.

He had distinctly felt Wind God touch the tips of his fingers.

But immediately afterward, a compressed wave of force had exploded outward, and he had failed to endure it and been blown away.

The result, of course, was failure.

If the results of my training fall short of the force wave’s power…….

This inheritance would also end in failure.

Once his thoughts reached that point, Go Hyeonwoo’s eyes flashed.

He had realized why the adept had appeared.

Are you going to show me?

The clue to crossing the final wall.

At that, the adept nodded as if in affirmation.

Then he lightly extended a hand, and Go Hyeonwoo’s body slid backward.

It was an instruction to stay out of the way and watch from a safe place.

No sooner had he made room than,

Conquering energy erupted from the Heavenly Demon’s body.

Then he charged at his opponent and thrust out a fist.

It was a simple punch, but Go Hyeonwoo could not even begin to guess how much terrifying power was contained within it.

Even if he borrowed [Wind God]’s power to block it, the damage would be considerable.

On the other hand, not the slightest sense of danger could be felt from the Wudang adept.

He simply drew his sword and lightly swept it through the air.

Then the fist strike split into several streams and flowed past him.

Like running water flowing around trees and rocks.

So easily……!

As Go Hyeonwoo watched the scene with his eyes wide,

the Heavenly Demon’s offensive continued.

When he stretched a hand overhead, the palm force that shot upward drew a massive character for “heaven” and came crashing down.

And just as it was about to crush the adept below without leaving a trace, the man’s sword seemed to move slowly.

The “heaven” character was sliced strand by strand and scattered away.

The exchanges that followed were similar.

Every time the Heavenly Demon thrust out a fist or struck with a palm art, conquering energy burst out as if exploding.

As if exploding…….

Just as [Wind God] had done near the end of the inheritance.

And the Wudang adept was resolving every one of those attacks without difficulty.

Softness can overcome hardness…….

Was that not how the saying went?

It was a maxim so familiar it had become almost trite, but now it came to him in a fresh way.

In the meantime, the two had briefly stopped exchanging blows and retreated.

The adept looked at him, seeming to say,

It has helped more than enough. I thank my seniors for your efforts.

Go Hyeonwoo bowed with the utmost respect.

However, the spar between the two did not seem to be over yet.

An even more conquering energy began pouring from the Heavenly Demon’s body.

As if saying that, until now, he had only been matching the other side roughly.

In addition, there was now a sword in his hand, and he seemed about to use his own martial art in earnest.

Soon, a wild wind like a storm raged through the space.

At that, Go Hyeonwoo thought again.

Hardness can sever softness.

Softness could indeed overcome hardness, but hardness, too, could sever softness.