Volume 1 - CH 3

With the magical power I currently possessed, I couldn't acquire all these Destinies. In that case, all I had to do was steal magical power first.

[Checking for Destinies to acquire!]

[Gained some magical power!]

[Gained some magical power!]

I could feel a newfound surge of powerful magical energy coursing through me like never before. As I swiftly absorb magical energy, I was simultaneously acquiring Destinies as well.

[Acquired the ability ‘Blooming White Flower’!]

[Acquired the ability ‘Hidden Form Technique']

[Water attribute resistance has increased!]

[Acquired sensory abilities…]

Overwhelming amounts of messages flooded into my mind, almost making my head exploded, and I then vomited violently, blood spewing from my nose and mouth. Feeling like I was about to lose consciousness, I bit my tongue hard. I couldn't afford to lose consciousness under any circumstances.

Hundreds of messages echoed relentlessly in my ears before gradually subsiding, leaving behind a moment of blessed silence.

[Acquired the Destinies of 421 people!]

My awareness seemed to have drastically increased and I could feel a surge of immense power within me. With this much Destinies, could I kill Baek Young? It’s uncertain, but I couldn't back down.

As I staggered to my feet, Baek Young turned to look at me, and asked,

"Are you Seo Gangrim?"

I remained silent, offering no response. Baek Young wouldn't have needed an answer either.

The moment my eyes met hers, she lunged at me.

-Chaeeng!

As I regained my composure, I found myself instinctively raising my sword to block her attack and the sound of swords clashing echoed through the cave.

[The ability 'Battle Frenzy' is activated!]

[The ability 'Master of the Sword' is activated!]

[The ability 'Reflexes' is activated!]

Upon seeing my response, Baek Young's eyes slightly widened, but her second attack soon came. She once again aimed for my throat and stabbed, but I could see the trajectory of the attack.

[The ability 'Hawk's Eye' is activated!]

It felt as though the abilities were controlling my body rather than me wielding them, and all I needed to do was go with the flow of my abilities.

-Kachang!

Once again, the sound of clashing steel resonated through the air. Unfortunately, I couldn't completely block her attacks with my sword, and with each close brush of her sword against my body, numerous notifications of activated abilities resounded in my ears.

[The ability "Heavenly Muscle" is activated!]

[The ability "Golden Budha" is activated!]

[The ability "Harden" is activated!]

With each passing trajectory of Baek Young's sword, wounds were etched and blood was shed. I was barely able to hold on thanks to the automatically activated abilities. I had hundreds of abilities at my disposal, but I didn't have the time to fully understand and utilize all of them. Fortunately, my honed skill in swordsmanship proved to be a life saver.

-Kang, Caang!

I could sense her attacks growing weaker with each strike. Maybe with this I might be able to defeat her.

[The ability "Fly" is activated!]

I jumped up in the air and stepped into Baek Young’s blind spot. Her back was empty.

But then she swiftly turned her body and blocked my attack. The moment when her sword collided with mine, my sword was bounced back helplessly and it broke. The sword scattered into fragments, like broken glass. In the midst of it all, Baek Young's cold eyes bore into me. And with a mighty force, her fist plunged into my abdomen.

“Ugh..!”

As I spewed blood and collapsed, numerous physical enhancement abilities screamed in my ears.

The sheer destructive force of her bare fist was beyond belief, and under normal circumstances, I would have died. Even though it was just a single punch, it felt like my internal organs had been completely devastated. It's only thanks to my newly acquired abilities that I was able to hold on.

[Pain resistance is activated!]

[Fear resistance is activated!]

Regrettably, they fell short of fully alleviating the pain I suffered, and despite commanding my body to move, I found myself helplessly sprawled on the ground, face planted firmly against it. In the midst of all the pain, the sound of Baek Young's footsteps reached my ears.

"Your weapon seems subpar considering your skills."

In the midst of frantically defending against her attacks, I hadn't realized that my sword had gradually become worn and battered. The grade of my weapon was indeed far from exceptional. It was alreadu a miracle that I had endured the onslaught of Baek Young's sword with my own weapon up to this point.

I couldn't afford to die, not until I had killed her. I gritted my teeth and rose to my feet. If my swordsmanship wasn't effective, I had no choice but to resort to my magical abilities.

"Why are you trying to kill me?" I asked her to buy some time.

In response, Baek Young simply looked at me in silence. Despite the number of people she had killed, there was no sign of her being shaken. She also didn't display any anger towards me nor showed any satisfaction at the possibility of killing me. She appeared detached and composed, as if she were simply going about her business in a professional manner.

"You won't understand me if I tell you," she eventually replied.

As soon as those words left her lips, a chilling aura swept over the surroundings in an instant. As I looked up, I was greeted by the sight of countless ice blades forming in the air. The very same thing that had taken countless lives just moments ago.

The moment the ice blades started pouring down, I tried to move and change my position, but the lingering pain of the powerful punch I just received still remained. My reaction was delayed, causing an ice blade to impale my left leg and firmly embed itself into the ground. My leg remained completely still, as if it had been pinned in place by a colossal iron spike. 

With trembling hands, I managed to remove the ice blade, albeit barely, and blood streamed from the wound, staining the ground. I was once again forced to collapse on the ground, helpless like a wriggling insect, my breaths coming in shallow gasps. Step by step, she advanced towards me, and she raised her sword still wet with my blood, poising to strike.

"So, your arms are also quite strong," she looked down on me, and remarked. Her gaze seemed to be sympathetic. Even if it were me, I would likely pity and laugh at myself.

I indeed had the Destinies of 421 individuals, but I was clueless about how to utilize them effectively. Hence, despite my numerous abilities, I found myself unable to end Baek Young's life. I really didn't know anything. I was utterly ignorant and had no proper understanding of all these abilities.

Except for one.

There was an ability that I was well aware of.

[The ability ‘Way of the Forest’ is activated!](1)

Countless thorny vines sprouted from the blood-soaked ground beneath me. Shin Sooah's ability. After closely observing it for a long time, I had become familiar with at least one way to wield it effectively.

Hundreds of thorny vines shot forth like whips, and lashed towards her. Unlike with Shin Sooah, the quantity of vines now was significantly greater.

[Magic power is rapidly being consumed!]

After pouring the massive amount of magical power I recently acquired into the ability, the number of the thorny vines multiplied correspondingly.

A momentary confusion washed over Baek Young's face. But she was able to regain her composure, and she swung her sword to cut through the vines, but the void left behind was quickly filled by another set of thorny vines. The thorny tendrils then surged towards her, covering her like a relentless tidal wave. Unfortunately for me, Baek Young's dazzling swordsmanship was formidable enough to quell even the surging waves. The seemingly unending barrage of thorny vines started to wane.

And in that moment, when a faint glimmer of relief appeared on her face, I jumped at her.

- Fu-wook!

The blade pierced through Baek Young's neck. She looked at me with eyes filled with disbelief. The ice blade that had been lodged in my leg just moments ago was now piercing through her neck.

[The ability 'Fatal Strike' is activated!]

[The ability 'Blessing of the Sword' is activated!]

[The ability 'Fatal Wound' is activated!]

The cold blade sliced through the artery, causing blood to gush out profusely. I then swung the blade across, and her hot blood splattered everywhere. But even with this, her machine-like demeanor still remained. And with her inscrutable gaze fixed upon me, Baek Young stared for a moment before finally collapsing.

-Huff, huff…

Ragged breaths escaped from my lungs, accompanied by the scent of blood mingling with each breath. I gazed down at the stream of blood flowing from my abdomen. When I thrust the ice blade into Baek Young's neck, she also swung her sword at me in return. There was no escaping it. 

I might have managed to bring Baek Young down, but my entire body was in disarray. Among the stolen abilities, there might have been some related to healing, but I had no desire to utilize them. My magical power was also nearly depleted at this point. I just fell forward, gasping for breath, barely able to muster the strength to keep going.

Everyone was dead.

Flying Tiger Sect, Shin Sooh, and even Baek Young.

"...That's why I told them not to recruit me."

When I had my fortune told as a child, the shaman said,

“You have a complex fate, filled with both a little blessing and a lot of hardships. Your life will be intertwined with numerous struggles and you are destined to lead a life plagued by misfortune.”

True to those words, I lost my parents at such a young age, and I've been involved in various incidents and accidents. The people around me had also experienced both major and minor misfortunes. 

Because of this, I tried to leave the sect. I had a very unfortunate fate. Nevertheless, they welcomed me, and now it was because of me that they met their tragic end.

I should have stepped up right when Baek Young was looking for me. If I had done that, no one would have died. If I had been the first to die, then everyone else would have been unharmed. 

Regret flooded over me. If only I could turn back time, I would have confronted Baek Young right away when she came to find me…

As I was engulfed in nothing but regret… I suddenly opened my eyes and looked at the corpses. No, there was a solution, and it's right within reach. Amidst my fading consciousness, I forced myself to rise up, but with no strength to walk, I dragged my body laboriously towards Baek Young and I activated my ability towards her lifeless body.

[The ability 'Destiny Theft' is activated!]

[The destiny of the target 'Baek Young' is acquired!]

There's only one thing I need right now.

[Acquired the ability ‘Regression’!]

This was my only hope.

There was no other choice but to go back, even though I couldn't determine the exact moment of time when I’d return.

[The ability 'Regression' is activated!]

As soon as I confirmed the activation of 'Regression', everything went dark before my eyes. I couldn't see anything around. There were no signs of corpses, weapons, or the remains of demons.

[... On the hands... … … … … ]

It seemed like something was speaking, but I couldn't understand what was being said.

As if sinking into a deep sleep, my consciousness was gradually fading away.

I closed my eyes.

_________________________________________

Translator's note:

(1)    Changed "Way of the Leaf" to "Way of the Forest"