Chapter 94: The Union of Body and Demon

Episode 94

The moment Kim Jinsung finished speaking, the dark energy that had enveloped the area began to rapidly absorb into his body.

The ‘Space Dominated by Dark Energy’ that had surrounded them vanished as if it had never been there.

At the same time, the thin layer of dark energy that had covered Kim Jinsung’s body completely disappeared.

It was an understatement to say it had disappeared. It wasn’t gone; it had been completely absorbed into his body.

‘…What?’

Han Mir tilted his head, confused.

He understood the dark energy being absorbed, but he couldn’t comprehend the dark energy covering his body being absorbed as well.

To use mana, you had to draw it into your body. This was the first step you realized after awakening.

In other words, Han Mir couldn’t see any sign of Kim Jinsung using mana.

‘But… why do I feel this unsettling feeling?’

Han Mir couldn’t relax, feeling an inexplicable sense of danger from Kim Jinsung.

He wasn’t emitting any aura, so much so that he couldn’t even feel his mana, but… why did he feel even more dangerous?

“…What?”

“Why did he suddenly return to his normal form?”

“He looks so weak… ?”

The audience murmured, looking at Kim Jinsung with confused expressions.

Some of the VIP guests, realizing Kim Jinsung’s state, stood up in shock.

Baek Jun and Jang Seungwook, who were among them, couldn’t take their eyes off Kim Jinsung and spoke.

“President… that’s it, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

Baek Jun nodded, his face filled with surprise, at Jang Seungwook’s trembling voice.

“He’s reached the ‘Union of Body and Qi’ realm.”

A realm where the body and mana become one.

It was the stage where you could use mana most efficiently and to its fullest potential, allowing you to even inflict damage on other dimensions.

Kim Jinsung had just entered the most basic stage for survival in the New Continent.

“H, haha… He’s reached the ‘Union of Body and Qi’ realm at that age?”

“Amazing. This is completely unexpected…”

Even Oh Byeong-guk and Kang Gyeong-gwon, the masters of the four major clans, stood up, unable to hide their surprise.

Hong Hyeonjin, who was nearby, was shocked.

‘No way… He’s reached the realm I just achieved at such a young age…?’

Hong Hyeonjin was one of the top prospects in South Korea, one of the top five.

The fact that she had reached the ‘Union of Body and Qi’ realm in her mid-twenties was enough to prove her exceptional talent.

But Kim Jinsung had achieved it before he even turned twenty.

‘And he did it without anyone’s guidance…!’

Hong Hyeonjin was the eldest daughter of a major clan. She had received top-notch training from masters in the clan since childhood, constantly managed her mana and blood, and consumed the best elixirs. That’s how she had reached this realm.

But Kim Jinsung, at a much younger age, had achieved the same realm on his own, without anyone’s help.

Kim Jinsung, the one who had surprised all the masters watching, was looking at the notification that had appeared before him.

—

▶ You have entered ‘Union of Body and Demon’ state.

▷ Union of Body and Demon: Your body becomes one with dark energy. All abilities using dark energy are significantly enhanced in proportion to your stats. You can attack other dimensions.

—

Kim Jinsung felt as if every cell in his body had transformed into dark energy.

‘I tried to imitate Shin Woong, and it was easier than I expected.’

After the second preliminary round ended, Kim Jinsung had immediately searched for videos about Shin Woong.

He had easily found analytical videos about Shin Woong on Itube, and every channel concluded that he had reached the ‘Union of Body and Qi’ realm.

After that, he had researched the ‘Union of Body and Qi’ realm and discovered, through research, that it was a state where mana was completely absorbed into the body.

He had trained relentlessly in the training room for the remaining week before the third preliminary round began, and finally, he had succeeded in reaching the desired realm.

Although it was a different realm called ‘Union of Body and Demon.’

‘The mana-related traits I got from killing Seol Daun were definitely a big help.’

If he hadn’t had Seol Daun’s ‘Mana Controller’ trait, he wouldn’t have been able to reach this realm in such a short time.

‘Let’s see how strong I am.’

Kim Jinsung swung his sword towards Han Mir.

A giant black crescent formed from his ordinary-looking sword, which wasn’t emitting any mana.

“……!!”

Han Mir’s eyes widened.

The crescent forming from Kim Jinsung’s sword was already flying towards him.

How fast was it? Even in ‘Buster’ mode, Han Mir couldn’t react.

**Boom!**

“Kyaagh…!”

A massive explosion erupted from Han Mir’s right arm.

He felt immense pain and grimaced, looking at his right arm.

The mechanical arm of the Abyss Suit was gone. Instead, a deformed human arm, covered in blood, met his gaze.

The sturdy Abyss Suit, which had protected him so well, had been shattered in one attack.

‘No way…!’

Notifications appeared on Han Mir’s screen.

[Severe damage to right arm.]

[Current ‘Buster’ mode prevents repair of damaged areas.]

Han Mir’s eyes flickered as he saw the notifications.

He finally remembered that the suit couldn’t recover in Buster Mode.

‘If it can’t recover, I have to dodge everything from now on?!’

Han Mir felt a surge of despair.

He couldn’t even react to the previous attack. How could he dodge the next one?

‘…Ugh!’

Then, he saw Kim Jinsung swing his sword again.

Han Mir, seeing this, threw himself to the side with all his might, but…

**Boom!**

“Aagh!”

He couldn’t dodge completely and was hit in the side.

Blood poured from his side, where flesh was torn.

Kim Jinsung, without any change in expression, continued to swing his sword, launching black crescents as if he were a machine.

**Boom! Boom! Boom!**

Three more black crescent attacks hit Han Mir, causing explosions.

Han Mir, who had been hit a total of five times,

“…Ugh…”

He groaned, lying on the ground, covered in blood.

The Abyss Suit was nowhere to be seen. Only a few mechanical fragments stuck to his body remained, evidence that he had once worn the Abyss Suit.

Kim Jinsung nodded at Han Mir.

“As expected.”

He prepared to swing his sword again to finish him off.

**Swoosh.**

With a clean slicing sound, Kim Jinsung, who had hardly moved until now, instantly appeared on the other side of Han Mir.

At the same time, the audience saw Han Mir’s body split in two.

“Wow…!”

“It ended so abruptly?”

“It’s so different from the intense fight at the beginning… ?”

“Tsk tsk… Can’t you see? Kim Jinsung was holding back at the beginning!”

“No, if he can beat someone wearing a suit like that so easily, who can stop him now…?”

The audience was not only surprised by Kim Jinsung’s level but also worried about the balance of the tournament.

The two masters in the VIP seats, Oh Byeong-guk and Kang Gyeong-gwon, were having a conversation, as if it were obvious.

“There was no way he could win against someone who had reached the ‘Union of Body and Qi’ realm, even with the Abyss Suit.”

“The Abyss Suit is just a tool. It needs a user with the right level to make it work.”

Not only them, but all the masters around them who had surpassed the ‘Union of Body and Qi’ realm had similar expressions.

“At this point, the chances of recruiting Kim Jinsung are zero.”

“Hahaha… That’s right.”

Kang Gyeong-gwon agreed with Oh Byeong-guk, laughing.

Why would someone who had reached the ‘Union of Body and Qi’ realm at such a young age work under someone else? Even if it was the four major clans.

Kim Jinsung had two choices.

Go to the New Continent or start his own clan and stay in South Korea.

‘He’ll probably go to the New Continent.’

Hong Hyeonjin, who was sitting nearby, thought to herself, looking at Kim Jinsung.

Talented individuals who reached the ‘Union of Body and Qi’ realm at a young age usually had grand ambitions and headed to the New Continent.

Hong Hyeonjin had thought the same when she had first reached the ‘Union of Body and Qi’ realm.

‘That’s why he’s even more tempting. I want to get him, no matter what.’

Hong Hyeonjin’s eyes sparkled again as she looked at Kim Jinsung.

No matter how she thought about it, Kim Jinsung was the best, the ideal candidate to elevate the Baekdu Clan to the next level.

* * *

At that moment.

Baek Jun was on the phone, his expression more serious than ever.

“Deploy all the remaining Hunter Bureau agents to the arena. Don’t let them relax until they’re shackled. Don’t even think about being careless. It’s a big deal if you make a mistake! Remember that.”

He gave instructions in a tense voice, looking down at the arena.

He saw the Hunter Bureau agents surrounding Kim Jinsung.

Soon, one of them cautiously approached Kim Jinsung with shackles. Baek Jun relaxed when he saw Kim Jinsung shackled without any problems.

‘Whew… This is crazy.’

Baek Jun unconsciously frowned, feeling a headache coming on.

It was already difficult to keep a close eye on Shin Woong, and now Kim Jinsung had also reached the same ‘Union of Body and Qi’ realm.

The current number of guards wasn’t enough.

‘I’ll have to request another general-level guard.’

Baek Jun had no choice but to find Tak Namgyu’s contact information and press the call button.

To safely guard a participant who had reached the ‘Union of Body and Qi’ realm, they needed a guard at the same level.

The problem was that those who had reached that level were at least generals.

* * *

Time passed, and it was late evening.

Kim Jinsung, who had fought the first match, had already returned to his suite at the Colosseum Hotel.

He was watching TV, comfortably seated, while eating a hamburger set he had ordered through room service.

[The winner of this match is Shin Woong!]

The announcement of Shin Woong’s victory echoed through the TV speakers.

Kim Jinsung, putting the rest of his hamburger in his mouth, muttered to himself.

“As expected, he’s no match.”

Shin Woong had defeated his opponent within a minute of the match starting, as expected.

Shin Woong, who was at a similar level as Kim Jinsung, but his opponent had received little sponsorship and wasn’t even wearing top-tier equipment like the Abyss Suit.

The outcome was decided before the fight even began.

‘I just need to check who my opponent is for the third round and then turn it off.’

Kim Jinsung stood up to clean up the remaining trash.

As he was returning from the bathroom after brushing his teeth,

[…Now, let’s announce the pairings for the third round of the third preliminary round, which will be held tomorrow!]

“Oh.”

Kim Jinsung immediately rushed to the TV, hearing the caster’s voice.

The TV screen displayed over 60 pairings.

Kim Jinsung scrolled down, looking for his name.

His gaze stopped at the last line of the pairings.

– Match 61: Kim Jinsung vs. Shin Woong.

(TLN: i will be kind of dispointed if it doesnt end as a draw)

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