What exactly are you competing for…?

Damn it, I don’t know either. If I lose the fight, I lose this place for a day.

This place was almost exclusively Cha Sehyeon’s hunting ground. She had been hunting here for months and had claimed it.

But to lose this place?

She would have to re-enter the dungeon the next day, or hunt cautiously by moving around the periphery.

Perhaps it was fortunate that it was a remote area, so hunting ground competition wasn’t severe.

Whatever it was, it was quite bothersome for Cha Sehyeon.

What? He hunts without a Thread? Isn’t he from the Mount Hua Sect?

Whether he’s from the Mount Hua Sect or some other rupture, he really does hunt! It’s infuriating. He doesn’t even need points.

While they were talking, the old man quickly approached.

He seemed to be walking normally, but the distance closed strangely fast.

Heh heh, there are three of you today. One became two, and now three, indeed.

The old man, who had already drawn near, said.

“Grandpa. Go, please. Before I break your staff.”

Cha Sehyeon waved her hand with an annoyed expression.

Of course, the Old Man didn’t even frown. It was natural. The Old Man was the one tormenting her, and Cha Sehyeon was the one being tormented.

“Shall we see whose breaks first? My staff or your patience?”

“Oh, I don’t know, I don’t know. Brother, stall for a bit. I’ll just quickly fill my quota first.”

Cha Sehyeon flew off with Maria, leaving Kim Songcheol awkwardly alone with the Old Man.

The Old Man watched Cha Sehyeon’s retreating figure.

Kim Songcheol stepped into his line of sight.

…”Greetings, Elder.”

The Old Man’s deep, clear eyes turned towards Kim Songcheol.

…

The Old Man smiled and remained silent for a moment.

Then, at a certain moment,

“What is your name?”

“It’s Kim Songcheol.”

“Your aura is exceptionally pure. You are clearly a Sorcerer… yet most Taoist Masters wouldn’t even come close.”

“Is that… a compliment?”

“It is a compliment.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem. You must be used to compliments. What difference would adding a grain of sand to Sand Island make?”

“That’s too much praise, but.”

“Hmph. You don’t seem to be her lover, so are you something like her older brother?”

He was referring to Cha Sehyeon.

“You could say that.”

“Then will you try to stall for time according to that child’s wishes?”

“I intend to do my best, but…”

“Hmm… It might be good to have a chat with you. That child refuses to listen, tsk tsk. She’s as stubborn as a mule.”

The Old Man grabbed his staff with both hands and pulled. A sharp, blue Sword Blade was drawn from inside the staff.

Kiiing…!

A clear sword cry flowed from the narrow blade.

“Didn’t you say we were going to talk?”

He hadn’t heard that the staff was a sword. It meant he had never drawn it in front of Cha Sehyeon.

“I’m old-fashioned, you see. I prefer to converse with a sword. Besides, you… can’t you handle this much?”

The moment the Old Man gave a benevolent smile, his body blurred and suddenly appeared behind Kim Songcheol.

A Lightfoot Technique almost akin to Shapeshifting Displacement.

The Old Man’s sword aimed for the back of Kim Songcheol’s thigh.

Kaang!

But a suddenly appearing Pentagonal Shield blocked the sword.

Kim Songcheol launched himself forward using Applied Flight Magic, trying to put distance between himself and the Old Man.

He moved 50 meters in an instant, then looked back.

The Old Man was still standing there, nodding with a pleased smile.

“Is it better to have some distance? Hehe.”

The Old Man casually drew his sword in the air from afar. It looked like he was just playfully swinging it, but a sharp Slash Attack shot out at an incredible speed along the sword’s trajectory.

In the past, this would have been an attack that required him to use Blink immediately.

‘…I can see it.’

Kim Songcheol merely twisted his body slightly. The Slash Attack then grazed past the tip of his nose and his lower back.

The rewards he received were not just an Adaptive Nervous System. His body was also strengthened to an unbelievable degree for a Mage, and he could consistently exert a speed equivalent to Haste.

Even so, it was still negligible compared to a Martial Artist, but it was enough for him to slip through the gap of a lightly launched Slash Attack.

“Oh…”

Witnessing this, the Old Man let the arm holding the sword droop. It was completely unexpected.

The Old Man had assumed Kim Songcheol would naturally use Blink. Cha Sehyeon normally evaded with Blink.

But he clearly ‘saw’ it and ‘reacted’ with his body.

From the Old Man’s perspective, it was as astonishing as if he had shot a BB gun at a kitten, and the kitten had dodged the BBs with the Divine Art of Shapeshifting Displacement.

“You…”

The Old Man was speechless.

He couldn’t think of what to ask.

Kim Songcheol gave an awkward smile and pulled his gloves on tightly. The mark of passing Stage 5, the Pentagram Castle, was tattooed on the back of his left hand.

Setsu had a faint Pentagram Castle on her back, and Celestial Spirit Maiden had one on the inside of her arm. Kim Songcheol, unfortunately, had it on the back of his hand, meaning he couldn’t take off his gloves.

“What on earth is that? Since Chi didn’t move, it’s definitely not Magic Arts.”

“Well…”

“Ah, I overstepped. Even a Sorcerer shouldn’t ask about internal power so easily. If it’s something that needs to be kept secret, you don’t have to disclose it.”

“Then I won’t disclose it.”

“Good. Shall we have a more serious conversation then?”

The Old Man seemed even more excited after seeing Kim Songcheol’s abilities.

For Kim Songcheol, his excitement was not a welcome thing.

“I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“No, you can do it. Try to parry it rather than avoiding it if possible.”

The Old Man swung his sword slowly but quickly. A Slash Attack shot out following his cheerful sword strike.

Kim Songcheol first blocked the front with Defensive Magic, while simultaneously casting Thunder Shock.

It seemed his hands would be too busy with Third-Tier Magic to parry that.

Kagagagang!

The sound of the Slash Attack striking the Defensive Magic seemed to urge him on.

‘Just a moment, Elder…”

Kim Songcheol once again surrounded himself with Defensive Magic.

This was to buy time for casting.

“Your shell is too tough.”

The Old Man’s hand, wielding the sword, gained a little more power.

A Slash Attack, uncharacteristic of an Inner World Projection, tore through space and exploded against the defensive Magic.

Rupture spear!

As expected, the defensive Magic was shattered.

Rupture shhh shhh shhh!

Red Electric Shocks discharged around Kim Songcheol, showing off their might.

Subsequent Slash Attacks were right in front of him.

Kim Songcheol began to unleash Electric Shocks like a whip to bat away the Slash Attacks.

Rupture bang bang bang!

The sound of Electric Shocks and Slash Attacks colliding and disappearing echoed loudly.

“Good. Let’s begin.”

The Old Man smiled. The years on his face deepened further.

He swung his sword exactly three times.

Three Slash Attacks flew at him.

“…Huh!?

Kim Songcheol, who was swinging his Electric Shock whip to bat away the Slash Attacks, was startled.

He thought the speed was fast, but within his reaction range. But it wasn’t.

When he batted away one, the second appeared, and after batting away the second, he realized. There was no time to bat away the third.

Kim Songcheol had no choice but to use Blink to respond.

The Old Man wasn’t using a trick. He wasn’t suddenly speeding up the Slash Attacks mid-flight, or hiding a Slash Attack within a Slash Attack.

There was nothing like that.

The secret lay in the Slash Attack itself.

They were just three attacks, but when the three were combined, they produced a certain effect.

The first and second Slash Attacks were Feints.

They naturally diverted his gaze to create a blind spot.

The third was the real attack, penetrating the gap in his diverted gaze, the blind spot, through Rupture.

Kim Songcheol merely judged that there was no time to bat it away, but that was a misconception.

Because it penetrated through the blind spot with Rupture, it was no different from having the time to bat it away stolen from him.

“That is what is called a Martial Form.”

He looked up and saw the Old Man’s broadly smiling face.

Only then did Kim Songcheol give a bitter laugh.

He felt completely defeated.

To think he couldn’t even bat away just three Slash Attacks.

“There’s no need for you to be like that. I’m also releasing all the insights I gained in my later years to match your level, heh heh.”

The Old Man said, as if he himself was embarrassed.

To penetrate the blind spot of Kim Songcheol, who had the same dynamic vision as a Martial Artist of equal rank, with just three simple Slash Attacks.

It wouldn’t have produced such an effect if it wasn’t the culmination of a lifetime of insights.

And when considering the entire Mount Hua Sect, the Old Man wasn’t even that strong a Martial Artist.

“Now, I’ll go a bit more comfortably.”

He had only just uttered a single word about what Martial Form was Nothingness.

The Old Man’s story had not even begun yet.

The Old Man first raised his sword and took a Preparatory Stance.

He gently lifted the sword held in one hand. His hand looked so light that he seemed about to drop the sword at any moment.

A wind blew. The Old Man’s collar trembled.

In response, Kim Songcheol deactivated Thunder Shock and cast Lucentem.

A new, round Magic circle scattered. And in its place, a golden Octahedron appeared.

It was then that the unmoving Old Man moved.

Every time the Old Man swung his sword, each Sword Aura flew clearly.

The Old Man merely wielded his sword from where he stood.

It was entirely up to Kim Songcheol to bear the consequences.

Kagagagagang!

Kim Songcheol intercepted the Sword Aura with the light of Lucentem.

As if swords were clashing, Sword Aura and light collided, creating an explosion in the air.

In terms of exchanging one move after another, this was less of a fight between a Mage and a Martial Artist and more akin to the secret techniques of Martial Artists.

‘Hmm?’

Kim Songcheol tilted his head. What else was he going to talk about?

One of the Sword Auras he had just tried to intercept with light suddenly vanished without a trace. It simply disappeared into thin air.

Kim Songcheol continued to intercept other Sword Auras while not letting down his guard.

If he focused only on the one that disappeared, he was likely to be hit by another Sword Aura.

But that wasn’t the end of it. Not only did Sword Auras disappear, but they also suddenly split into two.

His vision began to blur.

If he tried to intercept one, it would suddenly swerve its path and fly over his head, or sometimes just uselessly plunge into the ground.

‘Feint?’

Kim Songcheol had just learned about Feints and Threads.

He hadn’t heard the words directly, but he understood the concept.

‘What is the real attack?’

Kim Songcheol began searching for the opening.

Meanwhile, the Old Man’s attacks kept changing, making Kim Songcheol’s hands busier and busier.

As a result, Kim Songcheol had no choice but to retreat.

He felt that he needed to create some distance to buy time.

But that was the trap.

A slash attack, which had already reached his side.

It was the opening.

He had intended to find the opening, but by the time he did, he was already in an unavoidable position.

Time, position, speed.

Everything was perfect.

The reason it could be so perfect was probably because Kim Songcheol had moved exactly as the Old Man intended.

…Ah.

Kim Songcheol, realizing the situation belatedly, used Blink once again.

That is what is called Illusion.

The Old Man’s calm voice spread out.

Is Illusion simply moving chaotically, or is it forcing the opponent into a position where they cannot help but be hit?

At Kim Songcheol’s question, the Old Man’s eyes widened.

…Indeed, most Taoist Masters wouldn’t even come close to this.

The beginning of Martial Arts is how to strike an opponent, and Martial Form is how to strike effectively.

The intricacies of Martial Arts are also similar. They are all constructed as methods to strike the opponent well.

The essence of Illusion is to confuse the eyes and exploit openings.

However, sometimes the focus shifts, and the sole purpose becomes confusing the eyes, often stopping there.

But the Illusion that the Old Man envisioned was different.

Ultimately, Martial Arts is a way to strike an opponent effectively.

If so, isn’t the true essence of Illusion to confuse the eyes and ‘force the opponent into a position where they cannot help but be hit’?

The Old Man’s lifelong realization on this was the ‘Three Illusion Strikes,’ a mere three sword strikes.

Have you ever thought about becoming a Taoist Master?

The Old Man suddenly asked.

No.

At that firm answer, the Old Man chuckled.

Indeed. It would be ridiculous for a young Sorcerer who has achieved such accomplishments to become a Taoist Master. Now…

The Old Man raised his sword once again.

From here on, it’s the main point.

Sword Aura began to fly towards Kim Songcheol.

But it was different from before.

The rhythm was different, perhaps.

An unnecessary pause was felt.

What is he planning now?

Kim Songcheol, who was blocking the attacks, realized one more thing.

The form of the Slash Attack was similar to the 6th Circle Slash Attack Magic, Phantom Cleave.

‘Ah.’

That was it.

The unnecessary pause was the moment of Casting, and the Slash Attack the Old Man was firing was Phantom Cleave.

He was currently imitating Cha Sehyeon.

The moment Kim Songcheol realized that.

“You’re quick on the uptake, hehe.”

The essence of Illusion began to be incorporated into Phantom Cleave.

The story the Old Man wanted to tell was how to incorporate the essence of Illusion into Slash Attack Magic.

And that was organized into three Martial Forms, a total of 17 sword moves, and flew towards Kim Songcheol.