Gong Chan-ho—
Gong Chan-ho was not the kind of user I was dealing with now.
I never saw him as some grand idol or hero from the first round. In fact, I’d never even spoken to him or crossed swords with him before. At most, I’d just caught glimpses of him fighting a few times.
But even with that little exposure, Gong Chan-ho left a lasting impression on me—one that stuck in my memory for a long time.
A long time ago, when an alliance was formed solely to kill Gong Chan-ho, and they finally succeeded in trapping him in a deadly ambush—
Even though he was surrounded by tens, even hundreds of enemies, far outnumbering his own followers, Gong Chan-ho didn’t flinch.
No, he even smiled. A sly grin tugged at the corner of his mouth as he looked around with clear, unshaken eyes and said,
“Yeah. This is the kind of challenge worth facing me. Ha ha ha!”
What followed was an intense battle. The renowned users of the time all charged at Gong Chan-ho, and he faced them alone.
In the end, they managed to bring him down somehow, but I remember the alliance’s losses were beyond imagination.
After that battle, Gong Chan-ho left no further mark on the whole plain, but anyone who fought that day never doubted his strength.
A user who built an undefeated legend in one-on-one combat, hailed as peerless under the heavens.
Yes. The Gong Chan-ho I remember was a user who truly knew how to fight.
But now—
What the hell?
Who is this pathetic figure sprawled on the ground?
I can’t accept this as the peerless warrior I once knew.
Disappointment has long since passed; now, a sudden surge of anger wells up inside me. I don’t even know why I’m angry. It’s just a baseless fury.
Still, I once thought he was at least someone worth fighting alongside…
“You bastard! Don’t think you won just because it’s by this much! This is only round two!”
Crazy. Is all he can do now is play with numbers in a situation like this?
Unable to hold back the flood of rage, I charged straight ahead with all my might.
Gong Chan-ho faltered. That meant he couldn’t properly read my full-speed rush. I leapt about two meters before him and struck down like the glory of Victoria itself. His face twisted in pain from below.
Klang!
The grating clash of steel pierced my eardrums. In a split second, Gong Chan-ho raised his Surama spear horizontally to block my attack. He still had good instincts, but that was all. This was all he could manage.
If this were the Gong Chan-ho of the first round, he would have not only blocked but countered in a way I never expected.
He took a step back. But I wasn’t about to let him create distance or find an opening. I immediately launched two more strikes aimed at his head—one to the left, one to the right.
Klang! Klang!
Gong Chan-ho was blocking with all his might, his face strained. But those initial attacks were just a feint to keep him from retreating. I quickly slipped in close and delivered a knee strike straight to his exposed abdomen.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
For a moment, he bent over as if the air had been knocked out of him. Somehow, he regained his posture and lifted his head, opening his mouth wide.
“Enough already!”
Whoosh!
Was he trying some kind of unexpected angle attack? A cold breeze brushed over my ribs. But it wasn’t a calculated move based on reading my attack—it was just a wild slash out of frustration from getting hit.
I clicked my tongue and bent low, almost touching the ground, then kicked his ankle hard and swung my sword upward with all my strength.
Smack!
“Ah!”
Almost simultaneously, Gong Chan-ho’s foot twisted awkwardly, and the Surama spear soared high into the air.
The spear flew nearly five meters before spinning and embedding itself deep into the ground. Gong Chan-ho tried to steady himself, but his foot caught in a crack, and he fell flat on his backside—tripping over the very ground he’d shattered.
“Hah.”
I calmly stood up and took a step forward. Gong Chan-ho, still sprawled on the ground, flinched and curled up slightly. Without realizing it, I stopped in my tracks.
His vacant expression and trembling eyes—anyone could see the fear etched on his face. Seeing that, my eyes narrowed involuntarily. Now, beyond disappointment and anger, I felt a hollow emptiness.
I once thought he was someone I might want to fight alongside. Someone like Gong Chan-ho could at least have my back. But that was my mistake.
One thing was clear: the Gong Chan-ho of round two showed none of the prowess of round one.
Why? I don’t know. What changed between rounds to turn him into this mess, I can’t say. But right now, Gong Chan-ho was nothing more than a strong meat shield. Nothing more, nothing less.
As I watched the broken Gong Chan-ho for a while, he suddenly bowed his head deeply. Then, in a low, simmering voice, he muttered,
“Why… why do you look at me with those eyes again…?”
I didn’t understand what he meant. But now that I’d confirmed he was no longer peerless, I didn’t care anymore.
I slowly moved toward the Surama spear lying far off.
When I reached the spear, buried deep in the ground and radiating an ominous aura, I closed my eyes briefly.
“Get up.”
“Don’t order me around!”
Gong Chan-ho shouted. As I opened my eyes, I kicked the spear hard. With a dull thud, it spun widely and landed precisely in front of Gong Chan-ho.
I spoke quietly.
“I don’t want to hear you say you lost because you had no weapon or tripped. So, no more excuses—get up.”
Gong Chan-ho still sat with his head bowed.
Then, suddenly, he snapped his head up and shouted,
“That arrogant look! That look like you know something! Don’t look at me with those eyes!”
His voice was almost a howl. I stared, wondering what nonsense he was spouting, as he clutched the Surama spear desperately.
“Who the hell do you think you are, looking down on me? Who the hell are you to judge me however you want? Who, who the hell are you to look down on me like that?!”
He sprang to his feet, gripping the spear tightly and unleashing a fierce roar of rage.
“I! I’ve done everything alone until now, breaking through every obstacle in my path! All by myself! And yet some bastard who only managed to take down the Shadow Queen comes here and claims—”
“…”
“That bastard claims to be the true owner of the Surama spear?! I won’t accept it! The true owner of this spear is me! Gong Chan-ho!”
“…?”
Suddenly, a terrifying aura surged violently from Gong Chan-ho’s body. This sticky, ominous dark energy was unmistakably the energy of a Surama.
It was an aura not to be underestimated, but I felt no stir of emotion inside. Maybe it was because of my keen sight. Or perhaps because of Hwajeong. Or maybe just because I no longer cared.
I instinctively prepared to summon Hwajeong’s power but stopped myself, quietly raising the Glory of Victoria in defense. I sighed softly and shifted my sword slightly. Gong Chan-ho’s face twisted in fury, and he charged at me like a madman.
His momentum was impressive, no doubt. But his attacks were nothing more than brute-force spear strikes. In other words, he wasn’t using his user information effectively—he was relying solely on his strength and the spear.
Like an enraged bull, Gong Chan-ho charged. I calmly controlled my breathing and watched him. The moment his spear was fully drawn back, I slashed my sword vertically in a wide arc.
Thang!
A heavy impact. The Surama spear spun wildly through the air again, and Gong Chan-ho’s gaze followed it skyward, missing his weapon once more.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
The spear spun helplessly. Was he angry? Or just in disbelief?
Gong Chan-ho’s face, still fixed on the sky, had become grotesquely distorted beyond description.
I calmly extended my left hand to the side. The Surama spear fell exactly into my palm. And then, nothing happened. No rejection, no resistance like before.
A brief, quiet stillness settled. All eyes that had followed the spear’s flight now fixed on the spear resting in my hand.
And then—
At the moment I confirmed the spear showed no sign of reaction—
“Ugh…!”
Thud!
Gong Chan-ho let out a burning groan and dropped to his knees.
I opened my hand and let the spear fall. But he wasn’t even thinking of catching it. He just stared at me with a lost expression. I shook my head slowly.
“Enough. This isn’t fun anymore.”
As I transformed the Glory of Victoria back into an earring, Gong Chan-ho’s eyes widened in sudden realization.
But I turned away immediately, searching for Jin Soo-hyun somewhere nearby. It was a good opportunity, and I saw no reason to expect anything more from Gong Chan-ho. Continuing here would only waste time. I wanted to focus on something far more valuable now.
I soon spotted Jin Su-hyun sitting slumped to one side, mouth agape and utterly drained. Without hesitation, I moved toward him.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re going? Kim Su-hyun! The fight—no, the sparring—isn’t over yet!”
From the look of it, he wasn’t sitting down by choice; he seemed unable to move. Judging by his feet, he might be injured. Well, considering he’s only in his second year, it’s understandable that he might still lack experience and finesse. More importantly, he’s a user with high potential for recruitment.
“Hah! You’re not seriously thinking of running away, are you? Just because you’ve won a few rounds, you think it’s over? Ha, ha ha…!”
Anyway, the angels wouldn’t have raised him carelessly, so his user profile should be solid.
“Ah, ah! Hey, Kim Su-hyun! You asked if I was giving it my all earlier, right? The truth is, I wasn’t! Up until now, I was just warming up! Alright, now let’s get serious!”
By the time I reached Jin Su-hyun, I quickly composed myself. Calmly, I extended my hand and asked, since this was our official first meeting and I wanted to make a good impression.
“Are you feeling okay? You look like you might be hurt.”
“Huh? Ah… yes. Thank you.”
I activated my third eye, and after blinking a few times, Jin Su-hyun reluctantly responded. Just as we were about to shake hands—
Suddenly, Jin Su-hyun’s eyes snapped wide open.
“Kim Su-hyuuuuuun!”
But his gaze wasn’t on me—it was fixed behind me.
I realized I was too late.
“Kim Su-hyuuuuuun!”
Like a madman, Gong Chan-ho charged recklessly forward. Kim Su-hyun, however, ignored him and kept his hand extended toward me.
Watching the two, Jin Su-hyun looked momentarily helpless. Instinctively, he glanced at Kim Su-hyun, who still didn’t move.
Did he know what was coming? Or was he completely unaware? Should I warn him? No, was it already too late?
Just then, Gong Chan-ho was almost upon us. If this continued, the man reaching out to me would surely take a heavy blow.
As Jin Su-hyun panicked and stammered, suddenly, a faint sigh echoed nearby.
“Seriously… so annoying.”
And then—
“Ahhhhhh!”
The moment Gong Chan-ho lunged aggressively, Kim Su-hyun’s body vanished. Or rather, it turned completely transparent—an abnormal transformation.
Jin Su-hyun gasped sharply. Just moments ago, Kim Su-hyun had been right in front of him, eyes unblinking.
Yet he failed to read the split-second move. At his current level, he couldn’t comprehend this top-tier ability he was witnessing for the first time.
All he could see was one thing.
Gong Chan-ho’s body suddenly suspended mid-air.
And Kim Su-hyun was still watching Jin Su-hyun. Without even glancing back, he dodged Gong Chan-ho’s attack and grabbed him by the collar.
Moments later, Kim Su-hyun hoisted Gong Chan-ho’s arm up and forcefully flipped him over his shoulder.
“Such a nuisance!”
He shouted loudly, slamming him down with all his might.
With one hand, he executed a flawless shoulder throw.
Bang!
The impact of Gong Chan-ho hitting the ground sent a tremor through the earth.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Here’s another foreshadowing for you! It’s a setup for the upcoming appearance of XX XX. Hehe.
By the way, readers, come here for a moment. I’ll give you a kiss. / (^3^) / Mwah! I won’t say why—just because. Hehehe.
Oh, and I want to clarify something I misspoke about yesterday. Some of you misunderstood the 10% win rate of prime Gong Chan-ho against Kim Su-hyun. Think of it this way: if they fought ten times, Gong Chan-ho might win once. And that’s without using Hwajeong.
Now, let’s have a quick Q&A session.
Q1: If prime Gong Chan-ho’s win rate against Kim Su-hyun without Hwajeong is 10–20%, does that mean Kim Su-hyun is far stronger than prime Gong Chan-ho? In Kim Su-hyun’s flashbacks, prime Gong Chan-ho is depicted as a monster who even defeated the combined forces of Cha Seung-hyun, a top-tier warrior before the regression, and the insane Banda-hee. So, does that mean there’s no one on the whole Plain who can match Kim Su-hyun one-on-one (assuming Hwajeong isn’t used)?
A1: Yes. Among users, there’s currently no one who can beat Kim Su-hyun one-on-one. There are users who might have a chance, but generally, no one can defeat him at this point.
Q2: I have a question for the author. Please answer this one! This chapter mentioned the rarely discussed Ihwa Jeopmok. Su-hyun said it wouldn’t be surprising if power flowed back. Does that mean Ihwa Jeopmok is an ability that absorbs some of the opponent’s attack power and redirects it back at them?
A2: More precisely, it’s a new ability based on the principle of Ihwa Jeopmok. It lets some power flow through, some is absorbed and dispersed, and some is reflected back. It’s definitely a high-level ability.
Q3: I guess the 10–20% win rate includes Hwajeong. Without Hwajeong, what’s the percentage?
A3: Hwajeong can’t really be quantified. It’s an extraordinary power. To put it in perspective, even angels and demons fear it. Currently, there’s no power stronger than Hwajeong. Only three powers are set at the same level, and I’ve established some that can somewhat counter it.
Thanks for reading!