‘“Imitation,” new skills, my understanding of martial arts and martial techniques, and what I can do with all of it…’
Amid all sorts of thoughts cluttering his mind, Hugo, standing in the middle of the training ground, slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
It had already been several months since he had remained alone in the Ganghwan Realm.
And during that not-so-short span of time, as he steadily consumed the Elixir of Growth and repeated his training with the help of “Super Recovery,” his condition had undergone a considerable number of changes.
-Individual Name: Hugo
-Common Traits: “Mind Hub,” “Persona,” “Super Recovery,” “Still Water,” “Monstrous Strength,” “Hyperesthesia,” “Insight,” “Xenoglossy,” “Underwater Breathing,” “Subspace Storage,” “Limit Break,” “Imitation”
-Individual Traits: “Versatility,” “Strong Bones,” “Qi Circulation and Breathing,” “Qigong Martial Arts,” “Introduction to Basic Medicine”
-Special Notes: You have become able to handle the qi accumulated within your body more skillfully. Through steady training in external arts, “Toughness” has evolved into “Strong Bones.” During internal energy training, growth is further accelerated under the influence of “Qi Circulation and Breathing.” Due to the influence of the “Elixir of Growth,” an additional growth correction is being applied to all actions.
The Hugo of now was no longer the novice who had entered the Ganghwan Realm with only a single skill to his name.
The stacking of all kinds of corrections, including the effects of the elixir, combined with “Versatility,” which helped him rapidly gain proficiency up to a certain level in anything he learned.
That synergy had been more than enough to grow him into a fine martial artist in just a few months.
‘Studying medicine alongside it turned out to be the best move. At first, I only started learning it because I thought it might help me analyze how martial techniques worked.’
From the very beginning, martial arts and the body were inseparable, so it was not such a strange choice.
Though acquiring a skill called “Introduction to Basic Medicine” in the process had been a result beyond his expectations.
‘A pleasant miscalculation.’
The level of medicine provided by the Zhuge Family, the anatomical knowledge possessed by the Immortal King Hans, and Harley’s understanding of living beings must all have had no small influence.
As a result, he had come to understand more clearly the physical changes that occurred when an opponent used martial arts, and that alone meant he could gain quite a bit when using “Imitation.”
‘…No, in truth, the most decisive factor in using that skill isn’t something like that.’
As his thoughts reached that point, Hugo let out an involuntary chuckle.
Yes, the most important thing still remained.
Wasn’t his greatest advantage and secret actually something else entirely?
‘The fact that I am never alone, no matter when or where.’
Originally, understanding and analyzing something was far easier with many than with one, and easier still when looking down from a higher place.
And the fact that there were no fewer than five transcendents whose minds were connected and who could communicate in real time…
And that among them were combatants such as Heinrich, who possessed martial-type skills like “Path of Martial Arts” and “Logia Sacred Combat Art,” Harris, who had mastered the peerless divine art called the “Wuyou Bagua Secret Art (Revised),” and Harley, who had not only mastered the body but also instinctively grasped his prey—
It was, so to speak, no different from taking a middle or high school exam while accompanied by university professors.
Even if their fields of specialty differed somewhat.
‘And Hubert’s “Analysis” should help indirectly as well.’
Hugo thought of the merchant avatar who had greatly helped him in acquiring martial arts and slowly nodded.
Naturally, his case was different from that of the high elf Harris, who had already reached transcendence.
Unlike Harris, who had been able to learn a peerless divine art from the start, he had to train mainly in basic arts of rather mediocre performance in order to lay his foundation from the ground up.
However, considering the future, this too was a process he absolutely had to go through.
No matter how fast his growth was, he could not ignore every necessary step.
‘Besides, among the martial arts manuals I have on hand right now, none are all that satisfying. …To use “Imitation” properly, I feel like the main focus should be an internal cultivation method that emphasizes stability and receptivity rather than one with a strong specific inclination. Is there anything good somewhere?’
He had read several martial arts manuals through the Zhuge Family, but the level of manuals they would readily provide at a guest’s request could not possibly satisfy him.
Perhaps there were secret manuals in the family’s archives that would satisfy him, but such things were not something he, a mere guest, could easily access.
“Hmm.”
As he fell into such contemplation, wicked thoughts naturally began to creep up.
‘…Should I just force it?’
It was not as though there were absolutely no methods.
In such a chaotic world, no one could say it was strange no matter what happened.
For example, a mysterious Demonic Cult expert leaking demonic qi could lead a host of jiangshi and launch an attack.
Or the chances of a vicious Blood Cult minion secretly infiltrating the family and plundering the archives were by no means zero!
Thus, wicked thoughts circled in his mind and tempted him.
‘Tsk, let’s watch a little longer after all. It’s not urgent right now.’
In the end, his judgment was to put the matter on hold for the time being.
‘If I carelessly mess with them and ruin a force I’ve built up goodwill with until now, it would actually be a loss. It would make things uncomfortable for me while I stay here too, and if I’m really going to do something, it’d be better to rob somewhere else altogether.’
There were plenty of candidates anyway.
The Wudang Sect was nearby, and if he went a little farther, there were the Shaolin Temple, the Mount Hua Sect, and the Nangong Family, weren’t there?
‘…Should I prepare a scenario in advance?’
Having been lost in such thoughts, Hugo roughly sorted them out and unconsciously gripped the hilt of his sword.
Creak—
Then, from the muscles swollen by “Monstrous Strength” and overwhelming stats, a fierce power was transmitted.
It could not even be compared to true monsters like Harley or Heinrich, but even this much would be recognized anywhere as external cultivation.
At the sense of satisfaction blooming deep within his chest, the corners of his mouth gradually rose.
“Ah, now that I think about it, it’s already this late.”
In the midst of that, he suddenly came to his senses, checked the position of the shadows, hurriedly gathered up his training sword, and set off.
The Shen hour (3–5 p.m.) was slowly drawing near, so if he wanted to make it to his appointment on time, he had to quickly wash off his sweat and get ready.
‘If I’m late again, who knows what I’ll hear.’
After tidying up the messy training ground, Hugo headed along the now-familiar path to the lodgings assigned to him.
And of course, the next destination he headed to after finishing his preparations was also a place he had frequented constantly over the past few months.
***
Paaat—
The gentle energy that had been brightly illuminating the room slowly subsided.
At the center of it, the girl sitting in a chair with her eyes softly closed stealthily opened them and smiled brightly.
“Is it over? Thank you for your hard work, Young Master Ha. I’m grateful again today.”
With that came a clear voice.
Afterward, the girl… no, the cherished jewel of the Zhuge Family, Zhuge Huimei, began chattering energetically in a voice that held not the slightest hint of darkness.
“Ah, would you like to try this first? It’s a new snack the kitchen made this time, and it’s savory and delicious. Of course, if you liked the last one better, please tell me anytime… Ah! You’ve already finished your tea. I’ll pour you something to drink first.”
At the stream of chatter that poured out without a moment’s pause as usual, Hugo awkwardly raised the corners of his mouth and only nodded.
He had become accustomed to this place and to the current situation, but he felt he would never get used to that chatter.
And right now, there was something else he needed to think about separately.
‘It’s strange after all. It was like this when I visited last time, and today too. Recently, even immediately after treatment, there doesn’t seem to be much improvement.’
The place they were in now was the reception room prepared within Zhuge Huimei’s residence.
It was a space that had been used as a substitute treatment room ever since she became able to move around on her own after several rounds of treatment.
Also, the treatments that had initially been carried out every day gradually became less frequent as her symptoms improved, and now they were done almost like a regular checkup once a week.
Of course, even that was only possible because she had recovered enough to wander around the estate as she pleased—
‘Could it be that this is the limit of what can be treated with divine power?’
For Hugo, who had been no different from Zhuge Huimei’s attending physician over the past few months, he could not help but feel uneasy about her condition, which had not been completely cured but had remained “almost” cured all this time.
On top of that, he had enough knowledge of medicine to have acquired “Introduction to Basic Medicine.”
Yet the fact that even he still had no clue as to the cause of the abnormality…
At that moment of contemplation, Heinrich, who had grown a step further after acquiring “Great Blessing: Wings of Radiance,” put forth a new hypothesis.
‘…No, the feeling is different after all. This isn’t because of an illness… It seems like a problem related to the theology of this world. Of course, it would be most certain if Heinrich saw her in person.’
The incident in which the leader of the Beoncheon Society stole the Dragon Heart had occurred twenty-two years ago by the time of the Ganghwan Realm.
She had been born at the time when the world had just begun to fall into chaos.
And she had lost her mother not long after she was born.
Because of that, how much had she blamed herself, saying she was a cursed child?
‘But I can’t summon Heinrich inside this family estate. If I’m not careful, it’ll only deepen misunderstandings for no reason.’
There was no way the Zhuge Family would fail to notice someone who suddenly appeared in the safe zone within their headquarters.
And they would quickly realize that the energy he carried was the same as the one with which “Ha Seunghun,” who had been with them as a guest until now, had healed Zhuge Huimei.
He could not predict how the relationship between them would twist afterward.
‘The people of the Zhuge Family seem especially obsessed with formations and the safe areas built with them.’
Then again, they had no masters of the Transcendent Realm, let alone the Profound Realm, so it could not be helped.
The fact that they had been able to put on such airs and keep other forces in check even under these circumstances must all have been thanks to that.
Because of that, they had no choice but to focus on protecting and defending something, and that showed itself as an obsession with their territory.
If their security were breached and they lost an area, there was a high possibility they would never regain it.
‘How should I create an opportunity?’
Just as Hugo was briefly caught in that conflict.
Zhuge Huimei, who had continued chattering away without concern for his bland reactions, brought up another topic.
This time, it was new information that even he could not help but find intriguing.
“Ah! Young Master, have you heard? They say an invitation came from the Shaolin Temple in Henan this time.”
“…An invitation, you say? At a turbulent time like this?”
“Yes. It’s something that has continued every few years all this time. They want to arrange a place where not only we, but also all the major former members of the Murim Alliance can gather and talk, something like that.”
“I heard the Murim Alliance was dissolved long ago…”
“Exchange between each other is absolutely necessary, after all. Especially in a situation like this.”
Indeed, no matter how long it had been since everyone had taken the path of survival on their own, it was not that strange for those who were at least acquainted to gather together and form a minimal fence.
Even aside from that, enemies were swarming all around them.
“You can think of it as slightly increasing the scale of the exchanges that nearby forces like our family and the Wudang Sect have been doing. There’s no particular binding force, and it’s literally just, let’s see each other’s faces from time to time… that sort of feeling?”
Zhuge Huimei, who had been excitedly opening her bag of stories, shrugged.
Certainly, it was not a sentiment that suited her, as she had lived her entire life only within this family estate, and all the acquaintances she knew were people living inside it.
‘The whole continent is in chaos, but broadly speaking, it was said to be divided into three types. Is it a social gathering to maintain that fence?’
Those who had already taken over dragon veins and settled there, those who were trying to steal them somehow, factions seeking to grow their power by obtaining more dragon veins, and forces desperate not to lose what they already had.
Broadly speaking, they could be divided into the righteous factions, the unorthodox factions, and the warlords, but the current reality was that even among themselves, they bit and fought one another.
Add to that the Demonic Cult, said to be the strongest single force, the Blood Cult hiding in the dark and scheming, and all the other minor sects and factions…
‘Mm, well. It would actually be stranger if there weren’t meetings like this.’
Perhaps similar factions had already formed among the unorthodox factions, warlords, and minor sects as well.
“But in times like these, is it possible for envoys from each force to gather in one place? If they move around for no reason and get attacked by hostile forces along the way…”
“That’s true. So until now, there has never once been a time when every force gathered. Especially places far from the host site.”
Also, in such a situation, attending after breaking through perilous roads would properly display a force’s power.
Of course, there would surely be no few cases where they lost their strength for nothing and ended up worse off than if they had never gone.
“Our family will definitely participate this time. This time’s host site, the Shaolin Temple in Henan, isn’t very far from here. Hmm, the Murong Family in Liaoning and the Kunlun Sect in Qinghai will probably have a hard time. I wonder if they even received the message in the first place?”
As Zhuge Huimei continued speaking and then tilted her head by herself, Hugo sat before her and stroked the area around his mouth with a serious expression.
At the unexpected news he had suddenly encountered, his mind began spinning rapidly.
‘I had been worrying about how to move from here on out, and this is perfect timing.’
For such a fine event to occur just in time!
Before doing anything, gathering information was essential.
In that sense, being able to naturally go out into the wider world and face many people was undoubtedly an opportunity.
On top of that, the people attending this time would be those who wielded considerable power in their respective domains, would they not?
And if he also considered the attacks that would inevitably occur along the way…
‘A buffet…! It’s a buffet!’
To him, that was no different from a sumptuous feast.