Chapter 27

The Great Strength Vajra Hand originated from the Shaolin principle, the Hidden Exemplary Technique, and the Great Strength Vajra Hand was one of the top skills within this principle. Moreover, Yongno had mastered this skill, as well as being a user who’d understood and opened his Ren and Du Meridians and had unlocked a special skill in comprehension. Not only was he able to condense his learning curve, but by adding his special comprehension ability, Yongno was able to absorb and utilize martial arts incomparably quicker than other users.

Even so…

Bam!

‘Damn it! I guess five years wasn’t enough!’

Despite temporarily increasing his internal force, Yongno only had a minuscule amount left. It seemed that his strike was largely ineffective against the giant shrimp, which was circulating its internal force using a self-defense technique.

Clank!

It seemed the giant shrimp had sustained some damage as it momentarily stopped its tail attack. However, the shrimp seemed to be recuperating rapidly. Its outer shell was somewhat damaged, but only by a small degree. Without any hesitation, Yongno made a hasty retreat. He soon found himself up against the ice wall, with the shrimp quickly pursuing him.

Boom!

The giant shrimp launched its tail forward to strike at Yongno. However, since the shrimp was previously hit by his attack as it reared its tail back, this particular assault wasn’t as deadly. Yongno felt he could defend against it with his strengthened body.

Boom!

‘Ack! This bastard, it changed its strategy!’

Boom!

As the shrimp sent out consecutive Ultrasonic Punches, Yongno could feel his insides vibrating alarmingly. After realizing that a massive Ultrasonic Punch wouldn’t work, the shrimp decided to send out consecutive smaller punches. Furthermore, Yongno didn’t have any internal force remaining to launch a counterattack. If nothing changed, he’d be beaten like a defenseless sandbag. It would be game over for him.

Swish.

“Agh, you bastard… thrashing about so wildly.”

Using his water affinity attribute, Yongno melted into the ice wall once more to take cover. Like the last time, the shrimp continued to attack the ice wall futilely.

“The main issue is that I spent too much internal force on the giant clam. I’ll just rest here a bit and replenish my internal force. Once I regain my internal force, I’ll launch a single, powerful attack and then run away as quickly as I can back to the surface.”

If Yongno were to launch an attack at full power, he would be able to take care of not only this problematic shrimp but also foes a few levels higher than it. The specific method that Yongno used to control his internal force was more suited to short-term battles rather than long, drawn-out combat. Hence, this ice wall was a lifesaver and a haven for him.

Boom! Boom!

Yongno took a breath as he heard the banging coming from the other side of the ice wall. He wasn’t concerned that the ice wall would fail. If Yongno recalled correctly, the middle-aged man had referred to it as an unbreakable ice wall.

“But it’ll take some time before my internal force is regenerated. What should I do in the meantime? It would be nice if the Golden Pill Immortal Technique had some sort of dantian strengthening exercise like a Macrocosmic Orbit.”

A Circulation Technique was the practice of circulating qi throughout an individual’s body to rejuvenate themself and any treat injuries they may have. However, it was also used to open one’s dantian to take in the world’s natural qi. Within martial arts, there were thousands of different Circulation Techniques.

There were so many different techniques that it was impossible for any individual to know all of them. However, the techniques could be categorized into three primary groups: Microcosmic Orbit, Macrocosmic Orbit, and Whole-Body Orbit. The more advanced a cultivation technique is, the closer the user is to Whole-Body Orbit. In other words, one’s dantian was usually strengthened and developed from Microcosmic Orbit to Macrocosmic Orbit until it finally became Whole-Body Orbit. Essentially, circulation techniques sought to develop and release each and every cell’s potential energy and ultimately allow one’s entire body to become a complete qi entity.

Of course, many martial arts practices did not seek to reach the level of Whole-Body Orbit, so most of their Circulation Techniques allowed a practitioner to reach the stages of Microcosmic Orbit and Macrocosmic Orbit. This was because Microcosmic Orbit and Macrocosmic Orbit were considered the foundational basis of Circulation Techniques.

Yet, the Golden Pill Immortal Technique did not utilize or develop the Macrocosmic Orbit. In an unconventional manner, the Golden Pill Immortal Technique went from developing one’s Microcosmic Orbit directly into Whole-Body Orbit. Although the Golden Pill Immortal Technique’s effectiveness was somewhat impacted by not having a Macrocosmic Orbit portion within its Circulation Technique, this omission was because the Golden Pill Immortal Technique sought to develop one’s cultivation base through the completion of golden cores within one’s body. Thus, unlike other cultivation methods, the Golden Pill Immortal Technique lacked the option of a speedy recovery through seated meditation. In other words, despite lacking the Macrocosmic Orbit, the Golden Pill Immortal Technique made up for it by allowing its practitioner to constantly exercise and operate the technique at any time.

In addition, practicing another cultivation technique on top of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique would cancel out the effectiveness of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, as the fundamental basis of the skill would be defeated. This was why Yongno had to entirely ‘transform’ his internal energy when he utilized the Dark Northsea Divine Technique. He had no other choice since the two techniques were essentially different.

“I’ve only just reached half capacity. It seems like I’m recovering about three years every minute.”

Overall, the Golden Pill Immortal Technique’s natural internal energy replenishment and magic gathering speed were relatively high compared to other cultivation methods. However, this somewhat powerful replenishment speed was because the Golden Pill Immortal Technique operated non-stop. In terms of short-term, instantaneous replenishment, other cultivation techniques were able to restore internal energy and magic gathering at least five to twenty times faster than the Golden Pill Immortal Technique.

After reaching moderate success in the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, Yongno was able to recover at a rate similar to many other cultivation techniques. However, if he were to consider how challenging it was to practice the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, the efficiency of the technique was horrible, as it would probably be considered a third-rate cultivation technique. Yongno had stuck with the Golden Pill Immortal Technique because it was the only technique that he knew of, and it was the one he initially used. If he had known of other options, he probably would have chosen a different skill.

“Okay! I’ve recovered ten years. I have five years left, right- huh?”

Whoosh.

In front of Yongno, at the dungeon’s small entrance, a well-built young man appeared. His body was chiseled as if he were a Greek god, and it glowed with a slightly bluish hue. The young man possessed pupil-less white eyes and long, purple hair. Yongno wasn’t aware of this fact, but this young man was a Level 13 guardian who secured the entrance to the Seadragon’s Temple. He was also known as a Mermaid Hero.

[… You’re weak.]

“Huh? A mermaid?”

Yongno took a step back when he noticed the mermaid’s presence. The Mermaid Hero looked at Yongno with a calm, piercing gaze. Normally, the Mermaid Hero would have immediately initiated an attack on any intruder, but seeing that Yongno was so weak, the Mermaid Hero was momentarily at a loss on what to do.

While the Mermaid Hero was classified as a monster, he was also an experienced and developed swordsman, as he was a practitioner of the Celestial Divine Draconic martial arts. Fighting a weak enemy did not seem to fit his swordsman code.

[Too weak- how absurd. How could such a weakling appear?]

The Mermaid Hero was contemplating what he should do. In his mind, the existing rules, regulations, and orders were screaming at him to execute his duty and eliminate the intruder before him. Yet, how could he kill such a weakling? Slaying such a feeble opponent would only bring him ‘shame.’ He briefly glanced downward at the Shadow Blade that hung on his belt.

‘He’s dangerous. I can’t win….’

Yongno broke out into a cold sweat as he felt the overwhelming killing intent emanating from the Mermaid Hero. It was as if he were a helpless mouse in front of a large cat, except his situation was much direr. To be more realistic, it was more akin to a defenseless ant fending against an anteater; Yongno was entirely helpless and could not avoid whatever was to come, as the difference between their power was incomparably large.

“Uhm… hey there, mermaid guy….”

[Weakling. I do not want to dirty my Shadow Blade with your worthless blood. Though it’s futile, I must execute my duty.]

Whoosh!

An intense force materialized atop the palm of the Mermaid Hero’s right hand. With Yongno standing near the unbreakable ice wall and the Mermaid Hero guarding the dungeon’s entrance, they were still 15 meters apart. However, it did not seem that this distance mattered to the Mermaid Hero.

[Die.]

The powerful force that swirled in the Mermaid Hero’s hand soared towards Yongno. The Mermaid Hero didn’t deploy a specific technique to launch the attack. Actually, the Mermaid Hero did not possess any method to fire a magic or projectile attack in the first place. The powerful force was simply a bundle of his qi, and so the attack was quite an inefficient way to utilize one’s qi.

“Ugh…?!”

Yongno didn’t have time to assimilate back into the unbreakable ice wall. The oncoming attack was not as fast as a speeding bullet, but it was faster than any flying arrow. Even though Yongno possessed the water attribute, he couldn’t just enter and exit the unbreakable ice wall whenever he wanted. It would take him at least two seconds to re-enter it. In other words, there would be a delay. If he foolishly entered the ice wall without preparing himself beforehand, he would instantly die in the midst of the attempt.

‘I need to block the oncoming attack. Or, at the very least, I need to deflect it….’

Even if Yongno converted the ten years of internal energy in his Gold Core into 20 years and exploded it out to parry the oncoming attack, he doubted that it would have any effect.

“Ah…!”

Yongno instinctively yelled and swung out with his right hand.

Boom!

[… What?]

With a questioning expression, the Mermaid Hero stared at the empty hallway in front of him. Although everything happened in the blink of an eye, the Mermaid Hero possessed a high level of sensory perception, so he understood and knew what had just occurred.

[He deflected my attack upwards and escaped by instantaneously exploding a hand attack?]

Rather than being shocked at the improbable outcome, the Mermaid Hero made an exasperated face. This was because he knew that the amount of power that Yongno had just released should not have been possible, as Yongno’s hand attack was pitifully lacking in strength. Furthermore, his opponent had entered the unbreakable ice wall. This was like an ant atop a marble floor that deflected an oncoming rock with one of its front feet before burrowing into the marble floor – the scene was completely incomprehensible.

[That makes no sense.]

At a loss, the Mermaid Hero stared at the ice wall. If he wanted, he possessed enough power to shatter it. Though the ice wall could sustain most attacks, if the Mermaid Hero utilized the Celestial Divine Draconic martial arts special skill called Splitting the Heavens, he could have easily shattered the ice wall in front of him. Yet, he decided not to take such an action.

[It’s useless.]

The area outside of the dungeon was not one that he was authorized to enter. Whether there was an ice wall in front of him or not, he was confined to a certain, designated area. This space was the entrance hallway of the Seadragon’s Temple to the first room of the temple. Since he wasn’t a monster that resided in DIO, he would disappear and lose any memories of what happened in this place when he dispersed and dematerialized. When another user entered the area, he would rematerialize and appear.

[…]

The Mermaid Hero continued to stare at the ice wall. Despite this physical barrier standing in his way, he could still sense Yongno’s aura on the other side of the ice wall. The Mermaid Hero was skilled and powerful enough to attack anything within 30 meters around him if he unsheathed his sword.

[Hmm. I feel so unsatisfied as if I’ve been tricked by a mere weakling. If he ever returns….]

He broke out into a smile and turned around.

[I’ll definitely take out Shadow Blade and cut him to pieces.]

The Mermaid Hero was an existence that kept his word.

***

/Your Internal Force has fallen to dangerously low levels! Your Diving skill is inoperable!/

/Warning! The immense water pressure is starting to inflict critical damage on you!/

/Your condition has changed to ‘Seriously Injured!’/

After just emerging from the ice wall, Yongno was inundated with a flood of texts. His condition was critical. Yongno’s internal energy was scraping the bottom of the barrel, and he was currently 1,000 meters below sea level on the deep sea floor. He was starting to suffocate. Even if he faced no other external influences, it was likely that he would die before reaching the surface.

/Currently logging out. You are not able to move for 30 seconds while the log-out is processing. If there are any enemies in your immediate surroundings, we recommend that you cancel the log-out and take appropriate precautionary measures. 30, 29, 28, 27…/

Seeing the log-out procedure counting down, Yongno sighed in relief. Though the water pressure was deteriorating his body condition, he wouldn’t die in 30 seconds. He was skilled enough in Diving and had developed his physical body to the point where he could withstand this much. And while he was lacking internal energy, he possessed a sliver, which was enough to operate his water attribute characteristic. It seemed that the water attribute characteristic could be used to some limited extent with little to no internal energy. Of course, if his Golden Pill Immortal Technique and water attribute weren’t constantly operating, he would have already been crushed like a plastic bottle from the tremendous water pressure of being 1,000 meters underwater.

‘Phew, I guessed I lucked out. Once I log out and log back in, my internal energy will be entirely replenished. Then, I can make my way back to the surface safely.’

He was starting to think coolly and logically. But at that moment….

Swish.

Nothing ever went as planned for Yongno.

Bang!

Yongno felt his insides twist as an Ultrasonic Punch hit him. His log-out was forcefully canceled, and he let out a whimper. He could feel the lack of air dulling his senses. His night vision was no longer operational, so he couldn’t even make out where the giant shrimp was.

‘Ugh… my internal energy!’

His internal energy, or lack thereof, was the main issue. He had used up his internal energy to contend against the Mermaid Hero’s attack. If it were any other user, they probably wouldn’t have even been in Yongno’s position, as they would have already died long ago!