The Martial God who Regressed Back to Level 2

Chapter 715

[Translator - Asura]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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Side Story 44

"You want me to defeat both Infinite and the Transcendent...?"

Seong Jihan weakly questioned Dongbang Sak's words.

Dongbang Sak's suggestion was sound.

As the Martial God, one should naturally solve everything through martial prowess.

Overcoming both Infinite and the Transcendent with his own strength was fitting, but...

'Is that even possible?'

Even Jiang Shang had unconsciously completed Infinite.

And the Transcendent encompassed the entirety of the power of light.

To overcome not just one but both of them.

The goal seemed infinitely distant.

No.

Could he even see it?

Was reaching that goal possible?

To be tasked with overcoming both Infinite and the Transcendent together...

Where should he begin to find the path?

"...How could that possibly be done?"

"I cannot help you."

"......"

"Because you must find the path yourself."

Swoosh.

Dongbang Sak stroked his beard and continued speaking.

"I don't know how to overcome them either... Even if, by chance, I did know. If you proceed according to my instructions, that is not the path of a Martial God. You will never be able to surpass me."

"That's..."

Seong Jihan understood what Dongbang Sak meant.

To become the pinnacle of martial arts, the Martial God.

He had to break through the final gate with his own power.

If he followed Dongbang Sak's teachings here as well,

He would be crushed under Dongbang Sak's weight for the rest of his life.

And with such a mindset,

'Overcoming Infinite and the Transcendent would be impossible...'

Until now, Dongbang Sak and Ashoka had guided Seong Jihan through numerous challenges.

But this time, without the help of either,

'I have to solve it myself...'

But... how?

The Transcendent was the source of creation crafted by Mitra, the greatest genius among the Clan of Light.

Infinite was the final stage of martial arts completed by Jiang Shang, who, unrestrained by the Martial God, unleashed all his talents at the last moment.

To overcome not just one but both of these...

Was that even possible?

As hopelessness clouded his vision,

"However, I can give you a small bit of help."

Dongbang Sak said, looking around.

"In this space where countless Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams are superimposed, time flows extremely slowly. You will have ample time to delve into martial arts. As long as you don't give up first."

"You're saying time is sufficient."

"Yes. Moreover, any external interference will be thoroughly blocked. Even Mitra or the Transcendent cannot observe this place."

So this was the perfect place to seclude himself and train.

He had similar training experiences before using the Void.

This time, Dongbang Sak seemed to have prepared a stage through the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams.

But...

'Before I find a way to overcome them, I might give up first...'

In fact, he was already half-defeated.

Infinite and the Transcendent.

He had no clue what solution could possibly overcome these two.

Would staying here and training continuously produce an answer?

Still.

'...I have no choice. I must do it.'

A new third method that emerged from his binary choices.

Although the possibility seemed slim, if he succeeded...

It was the best method where he could save Yoon Seah and fully maintain the real world.

Since Dongbang Sak had prepared things up to this point,

How could he not take on the challenge?

"I'll accept your help. No matter how long it takes, I'll find a solution."

"That's a good attitude."

Dongbang Sak smiled and nodded.

"Then, I'll be on my way."

"...You're leaving?"

"Yes. If I stay during your secluded training, I'll only be a hindrance."

Swish...

As Dongbang Sak's body gradually became transparent,

His presence began to fade.

"I hope you will overcome me. And completely extinguish me..."

By finding a way to overcome both Infinite and the Transcendent simultaneously,

He wanted Seong Jihan to defeat the 'Martial God Dongbang Sak.'

Dongbang Sak disappeared, encouraging Seong Jihan.

"......"

Seong Jihan, gazing at the spot where Dongbang Sak had vanished with complex feelings,

Squirm. Squirm...

Noticed the Taiji's Lost Souls.

He sighed as he saw the fragments of himself from different time axes relax and move again.

Especially.

"Defeat Dongbang Sak..."

"That's... impossible."

"I know myself. I'm not a genius... How many times have I ever created something from nothing?"

"Seong Jihan... What you've achieved mostly came from what Dongbang Sak or Ashoka taught you, didn't it? Even 'Stat Blue' was ultimately Ashoka's legacy..."

"Defeat the Transcendent? Even in the Ark, your victory was merely a desperate attempt not to be swayed by the Transcendent..."

The Taiji's Lost Souls, who had entered Seong Jihan's body via the Void and knew his journey, regarded his chances of success as extremely low.

"Even if you train for a thousand years."

"Even if you train for ten thousand years."

"What's impossible is impossible..."

Fragments of his own being, steeped in despair.

As their negativity reached him, Seong Jihan frowned.

Even training in a quiet place made finding an answer difficult.

But to have fragments of 'himself' jeering from all directions...

'Hah. I feel like burning them all...'

He had a sudden impulse.

But Seong Jihan suppressed such feelings.

These entities had also suffered, bearing his emotions in the Ark.

Even if they poured cold water on him, he'd show them through his abilities.

Seong Jihan began to assess his own capabilities.

'Blue and the White Light... I have to use both now.'

The Transcendent and Infinite.

To overcome these two, he could no longer hold back his abilities.

Seong Jihan closed his eyes.

And began training to find a method.

In the depths of the Abyss.

Yoon Seah, crouched where the Witch of the Void had been,

Even when her mother disappeared to make a request to Seong Jihan,

She continued staring at the ground without any movement.

'...It's all useless.'

There's no way Uncle would save a fake like herself.

Especially not in this ragged world.

He wouldn't abandon the real world just for her.

'He even left Mom like that, as a statue...'

Her mother, Seong Jiah, whom she saw through sharing senses with Seong Jihan,

Looked just like she remembered.

A world of difference from her current statue form, buried in the Void, lacking proper facial features.

Even though Seong Jihan was omnipotent, he continued to leave her mom like that.

'Probably because this place is fake...'

As Yoon Seah thought this and lowered her head,

Drip...

She felt the sensation as if the world had stopped again.

'...Did I log out again?'

Had she returned to the happy reality, unlike this unfortunate other world?

['You have obtained a fragment of the 'Lost Soul.']

['You are sharing senses with 'Seong Jihan.']

As Yoon Seah read the system messages, her heart sank.

Ssshhh...

"Huh...? This place is..."

The scenery before her wasn't the familiar Sword Palace.

"It's the Abyss?"

A horrifying scene where countless fragments of Seong Jihan were scattered on the ground, wriggling like worms.

There, Dongbang Sak, who always appeared in the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams formations,

Was conversing with Seong Jihan.

She couldn't fully understand their conversation.

'...So I was real?'

Realizing that she had a significant influence on Seong Jihan choosing a new path instead of a binary choice.

She realized she had a big impact.

And then,

The scene of Seong Jihan training at the bottom of the Abyss was vividly etched in her eyes.

[Translator - Asura]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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"It's a useless effort..."

"Why can't he realize?"

"For someone like me, it's impossible..."

Even as the fragments of Seong Jihan repeatedly told themselves it was impossible,

"Tsk. That's why you lost."

Seong Jihan threw a remark back at the fragments and immersed himself in training.

Boom!

At times, parts of his body exploded.

Slash...!

He even cut his own body with the swords he created.

His training was reaching extreme levels.

"Just how long is he going to train like this?"

At this point, it wasn't training but almost self-harm.

Watching Seong Jihan, even the fragments who initially declared it impossible were gradually falling silent.

Seong Jihan's training was filled with such intensity

That others couldn't dare say anything.

"......"

The scene was the complete opposite of the happy reality she'd seen before.

Yoon Seah thought this fake world was like hell.

But in reality, it wasn't.

The real hell was that place.

In a space with nothing but his own body, having to train relentlessly toward an unseen goal while listening to jeers from himself.

It was hard just watching indirectly.

How must Seong Jihan, actually training there, be feeling?

"This... isn't right."

At this rate, it seemed only a matter of time before he would break down.

As Yoon Seah began to genuinely worry while watching Seong Jihan,

[Child...]

A deep voice echoed in her ears.

"You've already observed ten years. If this continues, you will become a wreck."

Ten years?

Ten years had already passed?

"Stop watching."

With those words,

Swoosh...!

Yoon Seah's senses returned to normal.

Before her eyes were

"Seah..."

The Witch of the Void and,

"Are you alright?"

The Martial God Dongbang Sak, gazing at her.

"How did you... find me..."

"I just now sensed that you possess the Lost Soul of Taiji. What happened?"

"Well... that's..."

"Answer honestly. It's for everyone's benefit."

"...Understood."

The Martial God Dongbang Sak, who had been friendly toward Seong Jihan.

Trusting him, Yoon Seah slowly recounted how she had shared senses with Seong Jihan.

"It's Mitra's mischief. He tried to monitor Seong Jihan's actions through you."

Dongbang Sak quickly grasped the situation.

"Through... me?"

"Yes. So remove the 'Servant of the Martial God' title. I'll reintegrate the Lost Soul of Taiji."

As Yoon Seah hesitated at his words, Dongbang Sak spoke sternly.

"He is trapped in there for your sake. Are you intending to show him that you've become a wreck?"

"...No."

At his admonishment, Yoon Seah obediently removed the 'Servant of the Martial God' title.

Then,

Ssshhh...

A stream of void energy extended from her body,

Swish!

And entered the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams engraved on the Witch of the Void.

The formation grew slightly larger than before.

But.

"...It's a bit smaller than when I first saw it."

"Seong Jihan is the Blue Administrator. We can't let him continue training by distorting the flow of time."

Dongbang Sak pointed to the formation engraved on the Witch of the Void.

"As time passes, the dissolution of the formation will accelerate... When it's completely gone, Seong Jihan will be forcibly released."

"...Uncle will come out? From that hell?"

"Yes. At the longest, perhaps in about a thousand years."

A thousand years?

He'd have to endure 990 more years in that place, where anyone would go insane?

As Yoon Seah's face turned pale,

Swoosh...

Dongbang Sak stroked his beard.

"Of course, Seong Jihan will likely emerge before then, so you don't need to worry too much."

"...I don't know much, but over ten years, Uncle tried all sorts of training, but there didn't seem to be any progress."

Yoon Seah pointed to herself.

"Wouldn't it be better if I... just died? I feel like I'm burdening Uncle too much. I was destined to die anyway..."

"......"

Dongbang Sak listened silently.

Swoosh...!

He extracted another stream of void from Yoon Seah's body and inserted it into the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams.

"There was one more hidden fragment."

"Oh, yes..."

"And to answer your earlier question."

Tap. Tap.

Dongbang Sak pointed to his mouth.

"Practice smiling."

"Practice... smiling?"

"Yes."

Dongbang Sak gazed steadily toward the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams.

"Seong Jihan would prefer to see his niece smiling rather than with a sullen face."

"......"

Even after hearing that Seong Jihan had been struggling for ten years, Dongbang Sak still held unwavering trust in him.

Seeing his gaze, Yoon Seah felt ashamed.

Even the Martial God believed in Seong Jihan so firmly.

She had concluded too quickly that it would be impossible for him after just witnessing his ten years of wandering.

"Yes... I'll practice."

Twitch. Twitch.

As Yoon Seah twisted her lips, trying to force a smile,

"You'll need a lot of practice."

Watching her, Dongbang Sak smiled contentedly and stroked his beard.

Meanwhile,

Inside the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams,

"So that's how she found out."

"Yes."

Through the newly integrated Lost Soul of Taiji,

Seong Jihan was hearing vividly how Yoon Seah had come to know about the 'fake Seah' and learned about 'reality.'

[Translator - Asura]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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