The Player Who Stands Above All

Chapter 115

The dungeon the three entered was a top-tier LV.2.

Considering the current average of Players, the dungeon boss would be strong enough to require a fierce, close-fought battle even if a party of Players prepared thoroughly.

"Die."

"You're in the way."

Swoosh--!

However, it was no match for Alpha and Beta, who were half-mad with rage.

Lee Shin watched them dispatch the Mole Mongoose in a single blow and let out a small sound of admiration.

"You two have gotten quite a bit stronger since I last saw you."

"Isn't that obvious? It's been a while since then…"

Beta's voice was still gruff.

However, at Lee Shin's unexpected compliment, she unwittingly softened her demeanor slightly.

Lee Shin mentally noted her unexpected weakness to praise and asked again.

"What are your levels now?"

"Both Alpha and I reached LV.3 about a week ago."

"Is that so…"

Alpha and Beta watched the muttering Lee Shin and slightly distanced themselves.

They could roughly guess what intention Lee Shin had in asking this question.

This place was for checking their skills and also for practicing so they wouldn't make any mistakes on the stage Joker had prepared.

It was obvious how Lee Shin would go about it.

"Well, seeing your movements just now, it seems you have the basics down, so we can skip the minor stuff."

Looking at Alpha and Beta, two individuals who would cause a stir in the Korean Player industry if they revealed their true skills, Lee Shin muttered in a calm voice.

However, Lee Shin possessed the skill to back up such words.

Whoong-

"Alright, then let's play around within a range that won't interfere with the operation."

Lee Shin took out the spear he had bought at the department store earlier and aimed it at the two of them.

Sreung-

In response, Alpha drew two black swords from her waist.

Whir-

Beta faced Lee Shin with three pure white batons held between her fingers.

"Come at me."

Taking Lee Shin's words as a signal, the two rushed towards him.

***

'Are they coming at the same time?'

Lee Shin watched the two of them charge, splitting off to the left and right.

Kuuung--!!!

It was Beta who signaled the start of the real fight.

Beta stomped her foot hard, like a martial artist performing a ground-shattering step, and released her aura.

Jjeojeojeok--!

From the spot where Beta stomped, pure white ice covered the floor.

No, not just the floor.

The ice that covered the floor continued to spread, covering the cave walls and ceiling.

"An ability to control ice, is it?"

Lee Shin showed a flicker of curiosity at Beta's ability, which he was seeing for the first time, and moved his spear.

"The reason for covering the floor with ice is to create an environment favorable for your ability and… to make it easier for Alpha to approach the target by masking her presence, right?"

Lee Shin's spear whipped like a lash, attacking Alpha who was approaching from behind.

In response, Alpha flexibly bent her body, dodging Lee Shin's spear.

Lee Shin's spear grazed the tip of her nose.

Simultaneously with dodging the attack, Alpha, with glinting eyes, kicked off the ground once more and entered the spear's range.

Alpha's eyes, burning with heat like the sun, and Lee Shin's eyes, curved like a crescent moon, clashed.

In that state, Alpha's swords flashed like shattering sunlight and swung towards Lee Shin.

Two blades.

Four blades.

Sixteen blades.

Alpha's swords continuously created numerous sword images, as if leaving shadows in their wake.

The opening moves of the [Light and Shadow Sword Style], which she had been practicing continuously since receiving it from Kim Jaehyun, unfolded towards Lee Shin.

Facing it, Lee Shin smiled lightly with satisfaction and moved to dodge each and every sword image.

And he was satisfied.

The current Alpha wasn't trying to find an opening, but to create one.

She wasn't aiming for a single blow but was calculating her moves and thinking about how to act.

He could tell she was different from before.

When he first met her, the term "assassin" suited Beta better than "martial artist."

That was the result of the training Alpha had received at [Dawn] and her experiences in the Pantheon merging into one.

Of course, Lee Shin didn't particularly think that an assassin's martial arts were cowardly.

In the end, if you die, it's over.

But separate from that, it was an undeniable fact that Alpha was weak in a direct confrontation.

But now it was different.

Through sparring with Lee Shin, she had realized how to handle dual swords, and with the help of [Wonderland], she had obtained a martial art for it and built upon it one by one.

Hoo-woong-

The current Alpha was a dignified martial artist in her own right.

"Revenge… revenge for the department store…"

'Well, separate from the results of her training, it seems there are some personal feelings mixed in.'

He decided to just let that part slide.

Just as Lee Shin was dodging Alpha's swords and calmly observing her growth.

Sreureuk-

Beta, who had been sliding across the ice as if skating, approached Lee Shin.

She had noticed that Alpha alone was not enough and was about to join in.

"Die!"

Click- clack-

The three batons in Beta's hand combined, transforming into a single long staff.

Her unique movements using her awakened ability, her body enhancement using aura, and her weapon handling weren't bad.

'But it's simple.'

Tuk-

Lee Shin lightly blocked Beta's staff, which was swinging at his back, with the tip of his spear.

It was a move possible only by perfectly grasping the opponent's movements.

It was a single move meant to rebuke Beta's actions.

Grin-

However, far from being surprised, Beta smiled calmly as if she had expected this and raised her aura.

Jjeojeok-

Simultaneously with the staff in Beta's hand freezing over, Beta pulled the staff she was holding strongly, as if using a saw.

In response, Lee Shin lowered his body to dodge the pure white ice blade that grazed his head, then jumped up from that spot to avoid the ice skewers that shot up from the floor.

"Tch, you're quick to notice."

"If you feel the movement of aura with your senses, you can roughly grasp it."

Beta clicked her tongue softly and retrieved the scythe she had swung at Lee Shin.

Looking at Beta, Lee Shin smiled.

"Creating weapons that fit the situation with ice, how interesting."

"Then just let yourself get hit quietly!"

Beta detached the end of the scythe handle and lowered it slightly.

Kkudeuk-

Simultaneously, the ice on the floor rose up, forming a blade, and merged with the baton in Beta's hand.

The ice sword thus created was swung towards Lee Shin's chest, and the even larger ice scythe trapped Lee Shin's movements.

It was a blow meant to completely block Lee Shin's escape route, but it was utterly straightforward.

However, being straightforward didn't matter.

Kkudeuk-

Beta's weapon could change its form according to the situation and attack the enemy.

Seureuk-

On top of that, the real attack was separate.

The moment Beta's ice attacked Lee Shin, Alpha, who had been continuously looking for an opportunity, swung her sword.

A strike that pierced the gap in the prison of ice.

"Not bad. At this rate, as long as the stage is set well, there won't be any particular problems."

Hwareureuk-

Lee Shin, who had easily escaped it all using the Flame Leaf Step, evaluated their joint attack.

The two, upon realizing their attacks had cut through empty air, once again swung their weapons at Lee Shin.

Watching them, Lee Shin nodded his head.

Both Alpha and Beta had developed their own fighting styles, as if to say they hadn't reached LV.3 by luck.

'Well, it's not like there's nothing I can do for them, though.'

If he had given up on teaching others at this level, Lee Shin would not have been able to show Eun Yeonwoo and Lee Hyunseok the hell known as training.

Pajijik-!

Having decided what would be good to do for the two, Lee Shin unfolded the Lightning Flash Step, dug in between them, and swung his fist.

"Keoheok!"

"Kuhluk!"

The two, struck in the solar plexus and abdomen, coughed violently from the impact and were sent flying.

"Alright, now that I know what your level is, let's start for real."

Lee Shin spoke calmly and retrieved the spear he had briefly tossed into the air to clench his fists.

The blade of the spear held in Lee Shin's hand glinted sharply.

"From now on, come at me with the intent to kill me."

"Smile?"

"What, what do you mean by that?"

Alpha and Beta, startled by Lee Shin's words, asked back.

However, Lee Shin, without a word, lightly swung the spear he was holding horizontally towards the two.

It was a simple motion, not even an attack, without generating internal energy, neither fast nor heavy.

"Heup."

"Heok!"

But the moment Lee Shin's spear swung, the two saw a vision of their own necks being cut by Lee Shin's moving spear and falling to the floor, and they gasped for breath.

What Lee Shin did was simple.

He just emitted killing intent, swung his spear in the air, and genuinely thought about killing the two of them.

At that, the two saw themselves die.

Having experienced their own death for a moment, the two's bodies trembled.

"Smile… explain."

"You… what is this all of a sudden."

But contrary to their frightened bodies, the eyes that held their spirits were shining sharply.

Looking at the two, Lee Shin spoke in a calm tone.

"The purpose of this spar was to make sure you don't make mistakes in the operation. I thought a bit about how I could help with that, and there's a simple way."

Lee Shin said that and stared intently at the two.

"If you feel a greater pressure than you would in the actual operation and get used to it, there's no reason to feel burdened during the operation, right?"

At Lee Shin's ridiculously simple words, Alpha fell silent, and Beta protested.

"I understand what you're thinking, but we've already overcome this kind of thing. We've been having realistic spars with the team leaders of [Wonderland] and the guys from [Underworld]…"

"No, what I'm about to do is completely different from that."

Lee Shin replied to Beta's words and raised his killing intent once more.

As if there was a hole connected to the deep sea, the continuously flowing killing intent encroached upon the boss room.

The killing intent that filled the boss room made Alpha and Beta's entire bodies feel as heavy as if they were laden with lead.

"No matter how realistic it is, a spar is a spar. Then your minds and instincts won't be stimulated."

"But…"

"Or have you ever felt the sensation you felt when I swung my spear at you just now in a spar with those guys?"

"…"

"…"

At Lee Shin's words, Alpha and Beta couldn't say anything.

Certainly, when they sparred with [Wonderland] or [Underworld], they had never felt a threat to their lives like they had just now.

They noticed their hearts were pounding loudly and erratically, more than usual.

Their lives had been stimulated by a stimulus they couldn't feel during a spar.

Looking at the two frozen in place, Lee Shin's pupils glinted with a deep killing intent.

"Alright, then let's get started."

"W-wait, give us a moment to adjust…"

Beta hurriedly tried to stop Lee Shin, but he ignored her.

"I'll give you a handicap. I won't use [Flame] or [Lightning], and I won't use any skills."

At those words, a certain Mad Dragon, whose eyes had been shining brightly, grumbled, but Lee Shin ignored this as well.

"Lastly, if you manage to land even a single scratch on my body, it's your victory."

With those final words, Lee Shin unleashed his full killing intent and swung his spear at the two.

"Ugh!"

"Damn it!"

At that, the two, with the sole thought of danger, quickly rolled on the floor to dodge Lee Shin's attack.

Watching the two struggle to move within the deep killing intent he emitted, Lee Shin smiled faintly.

'Just struggling with all their might in this kind of pressure will be a good experience.'

In fact, Eun Yeonwoo and Lee Hyunseok had become incomparably stronger than before through this method.

Though in the process, they had seen their lives flash before their eyes several times while covered in wounds.

However, this method was a time-honored one in its own way.

Isn't it a common occurrence in anime? The protagonist, in the midst of despair, doesn't give up and fights, desperately wracking their brain and struggling, and as a result, grows amidst the crisis.

Lee Shin moved slowly while cornering the two.

Lee Shin's role right now was not to win against the two.

Pressure.

He would give the two immense pressure, make them struggle, and then repeat the process of crushing their struggles one by one.

That was what Lee Shin had to do now.

'Well, if we do this until evening, they'll probably find a clue to breaking past their limits.'

Lee Shin thought lightly and swung his spear, imbued with killing intent, towards the two.

(End of Chapter)