Chapter 274:

Chapter 274:

The World Association revealed the existence of the Shredder to the world.

They broadcasted the footage captured by drones on the internet, and people all over the world witnessed the scenes of the Mental Realm being torn apart by the Shredder.

Of course, they edited out the parts where the collectors collapsed afterwards.

They didn’t want to lose face by showing that.

However, even if they had shown those scenes, the reaction of the people would have been still heated.

The fact that the Shredder could destroy even those dangerous phantasms with ease gave a sense of relief to those who were afraid of possible threats.

“This was totally unexpected.”

Shena Lynch, the main shooter of Unleashed, was frustrated by the five-fold Mental Realm incident and the appearance of the Shredder that played a huge role in resolving it.

It was a Mental Realm created by using three medium seeds and two low seeds.

But, a secret weapon that appeared out of nowhere ruined their entire plan.

“Captain. What should we do about this?”

Shena asked, but Jin Cheong-woon didn’t seem too flustered.

Rather, he had a faint smile on his lips, as if he had predicted this situation.

“...Did you know about this from your prophecy?”

Jin Cheong-woon nodded, and Shena asked incredulously.

“Wait. So you did this knowing that we would fail?”

“No. We didn’t fail.”

“We didn’t fail? We did cause some alarm, but we didn’t inflict as much damage as we expected...”

“No, Shena. Look at this reaction.”

Jin Cheong-woon said that and showed her several screens on a large tablet.

Shena stopped her complaint as she saw the various scenes on the screen.

“This is...”

“Protests by the citizens.”

People were gathering and shouting loudly.

And this was not happening in just one place.

The protests were a common phenomenon all over the world.

Shena couldn’t understand why this happened.

Shouldn’t they be happy that they survived a dangerous situation?

“You don’t seem to understand why they are angry.”

“Well, that’s...”

“Shena. And you guys. Look carefully. Why do you think these people are angry?”

None of his subordinates could answer his question.

They didn’t consider the thoughts of ordinary people at all, so they couldn’t understand why they were angry.

“It’s rage.”

“Rage? Why?”

“Specifically, rage towards the collectors.”

Jin Cheong-woon explained kindly to his clueless subordinates.

“This Shredder was something I already expected. It was in my ‘prophecy’ after all. This Shredder literally shreds texts, so it can erase any Mental Realm we create, no matter how twisted it is.”

But, there was a big drawback to this Shredder.

“Only collectors can activate it. But collectors who are swept by its aftermath lose a significant portion of their power. The Shredder is a powerful weapon, but who would want to use it?”

“If it’s a Mental Realm that requires using the Shredder, then it must be carried by a high-level collector who can enter it. That means at least an upper-class collector. Can they carry it alone? Of course they need someone to assist them. Shena. Do you think those people are willing to sacrifice their power?”

This was the hottest debate in the collector industry lately.

No collector wanted to become weaker.

Especially upper-class collectors, who had put in countless efforts to gain their strength, tended to be more obsessed with their power.

They were asked to sacrifice their hard-earned achievements. Who would accept that easily?

Naturally, upper-class collectors argued that they needed to think more calmly about this matter.

The mid-class collectors also agreed with them to some extent. They also weren’t sure if they would be affected by carrying the Shredder. Of course, there were some exceptions.

The problem occurred after that.

The lower-class collectors who hadn’t become strong yet were actively in favor of introducing the Shredder.

For them, they wouldn’t be affected by it anyway, and even if they lost some of their power, it would be easy to recover.

They also had some malicious hopes that those above them would become weaker and fall down because of jealousy.

They were even more enthusiastic about introducing the Shredder.

“What is it?”

“Why don’t you just make it into a story and give it to me?”

That was what Yu-hyun had been wondering since a while ago.

All skills in this world can be used by buying stories. But Seo Sumin stubbornly taught him everything one by one in person.

It seemed rather inefficient, no matter how he looked at it.

So it was just a question, but maybe it touched Seo Sumin’s nerve, as she crossed her arms and snorted.

“So, you’re saying you don’t want to accept the kind teacher who is trying to teach you kindly? A pretty and cute girl like me is offering to teach you?”

“No, that’s not what I meant. And why are you bringing up being pretty and cute?”

“Right. Let me put it this way. Let’s say you can use all the skills you learn for the first time with the power of stories. But do you really think that’s your own power?”

“...”

Yu-hyun couldn’t answer rashly.

The skills obtained by stories cannot be activated when the stories are lost. Because they are not really their own power.

Even if you get a skill, if you can’t digest and master it as your own, it’s practically no power at all.

Power that is not your own, but borrowed from outside.

There is no ability more unstable than this.

“If you truly want to awaken your skill, you must build a solid foundation from the basics. You can only build a proper house if the base is well laid. It’s like renting a house and saying you bought one. It’s not entirely yours. Don’t you know the structure of the house, the size of the rooms, the materials used? You have to know everything to call it truly yours.”

“...You’re surprisingly good at metaphors.”

“Listen well. You never know what will happen in the future. There may come a time when you can’t handle the story. The world is full of dangers. Then you’ll realize how helpful my teachings were.”

“I understand. I understand. I was just joking. You seem very busy these days.”

“Ugh. Did you know?”

Seo Sumin was visibly flustered. She must have tried her best to hide it, but she couldn’t fool Yu-hyun’s keen eyes.

“You have something on your mind, right?”

“...It’s just my personal problem.”

“I know. I can’t say anything about that. Not just you, but Hye-rim and Jia too. They must have realized something.”

Yu-hyun didn’t bother to mention who was behind it.

Seo Sumin pouted her lips.

“That’s enough. Even if you say so, I won’t allow you to reduce your time here out of consideration for me. You have to know that. I teach thoroughly when I teach. This is a matter of my pride.”

“I understand.”

“...That’s enough.”

Seo Sumin left the training ground as she was.

She was always teasing her, but she got teased back and gave her an excuse to be embarrassed.

She looked like a typical person of her age on the outside.

Yu-hyun chuckled inwardly and recalled the formula she taught him.

‘Seven Demon Black Sky Divine Skill. One Demon Disaster Flower.’

Yu-hyun remembered the fight between Chulapantaka and Seo Sumin.

A fight between two people who had reached their limits. Even though they both fought in a weakened state compared to the transcendent level, they shook the world.

‘More than that, they used other skills too.’

It was a variation formula, a skill that changed the existing formula and unfolded it in a new way.

Among them, the one that pierced Chulapantaka’s heart, the Flower Point Piercing that gathered nine whirlpools into one and stabbed the center.

Yu-hyun recalled it and took his stance.

‘The energy is controlled to a minimum, and what I’m imitating is the overall flow of the formula. It doesn’t have to be exactly the same. What I’m trying to do now is to see how well I can do it.’

He muttered to himself as if to reassure himself, and Yu-hyun unfolded the formula that he had only heard from Seo Sumin.

Knowing something by mouth and actually unfolding it with your body was literally a different dimension of problem.

Just like knowing something in your head and actually doing it with your body are different, this too had to be repeated countless times to master it.

Yu-hyun knew that too, so he didn’t expect much.

Swoosh!

Very small, nine tiny whirlpools that sprang from the tip of his right hand.

They merged into one and scattered into thin air.

The moment he saw that.

Yu-hyun couldn’t help but be surprised.

‘What? Why did it work?’