Mercenary Black Mamba

Churi sul was a kinetic power. It was a mentally challenging skill of a different class compared to psychokinesis, where you bent spoons or balanced plates. It would be impossible for him to do it even if he died and was reborn again.

Crash—

Pebbles rained over Mu Ssang's head. Even the all-powerful Mu Ssang could not avoid the pebbles that were following him around like a motion-detecting missile. It was not a one-time attack but an ongoing one.

Tudadak—

Puk puk—

The heavy stones took a toll on the man's delicate body.

"Ack!"

His screams shook the mountains. Mu Ssang tried to avoid the stones that were chasing after him by jumping from one place to another. Unfortunately, the water that had come up to his thighs made it difficult for him to maneuver. Instantly, he was continuously hit on the head, body, and limbs.

Schwoop—

Mu Ssang shot out of the water like a cannonball. The rocks chased after him from behind. He was trembling from fear, but he didn't have time to give it any attention. The impact of the falling stones was no joke. The rocks left holes everywhere as they landed into the ground.

Pak pak—

Every time he changed direction, the dirt and grass beneath his feet came flying up. With one false move, he would have been done for. He had used all his effort to make sure he didn't get caught by the stones that were chasing after him.

"Oh no, it's a rabbit hole."

Mu Ssang's face turned yellow. Once he came back to his senses, he realized he was at a rocky slope.

On top of Mt. Chung Saeng, there was a large area of rocky slopes. Boulders and rocks followed the curve of the mountain and were stacked high and wide. Rocks ranged from the size of a seedling to those as big as houses. Only small blades of grass or shrubs were found growing in between the rocks as large trees could not inhabit the area.

Mu Ssang was in dismay. Looking around, he was surrounded by boulders and rocks. His teacher could turn everything around him into a weapon with his churi sul and use it against him. It was like handing a magazine to an opponent using a machine gun.

Puang—

Puang—

As expected, rocks the size of soccer balls came flying toward him. The rocks flew at him with such incredible speed that he almost wet his pants.

"Oh!"

The surprised Mu Ssang jumped around like a shrimp inside a frying pan.

Crash crash crash—

Every time he moved from boulder to boulder, another stone came crashing into it.

There were remnants of destruction everywhere he looked. It was as if bombs were going off. Its power was as strong as that of a grenade. Mu Ssang tensed up. If his teacher went into training mode, he became a monster. There was no such thing as half-assing in his books.

"Ah!"

Mu Ssang's eyes grew wide. Several fist-sized rocks were floating in the air above the rocky slopes.

Schwah—

The sound of a summer rainstorm could be heard. The floating rocks flew up into the air.

"How...how is that even possible?"

In the early spring morning, a hailstorm rattled the earth like thunder. The rocks started falling one by one.

"Teacher, are you trying to kill your apprentice?"

Kwarur boom boom boom—

His screams were drowned by the loud crashes. Mu Ssang ran as fast as he could to get out of its way. The gravel falling onto the rocky slopes left a cloud of thick, rising dust in its wake.

The rocks continued to fall on him. At this point, the rumbling sound and the flashing sparks made it seem more like a natural disaster than a man-made attack.

"Ahh!"

"Ack!"

Screams escaped one after another. Even the grandfather of martial arts could not have avoided all the falling rocks. He was relentlessly pelted on the head, arms, legs, and body. The pain that had penetrated his bones made him scream in reflex.

That was not the end.

Whoong—

The rocks started to move on their own. Mu Ssang's eyes flashed as his body stumbled. It looked like another wave of rocks was about to rain on him.

Schwaah—

The fog circling the mountain swirled around him.

"Ack!"

Puang—

Mu Ssang jumped in surprise as he kicked off a boulder and ran away from the rocky slopes. To avoid the onslaught, he had no other choice but to hide in the ground. He picked a relatively softer portion of the land and used his resonance to dig a hole.

Kwa ruru—

Mu Ssang's body slowly sunk into the ground. It was the digging skill he had gained in Sahel.

Swoosh—

The sky turned black.

"Ahh, that's cheating!"

He felt rushed. He had only dug up until his thighs.

"Not a chance."

Running out of time, Mu Ssang lifted a large boulder over his head to block the oncoming attack. It was a rock wider than the size of a front door.

Kwa dadadang—

Objects weighing over 10s of kilograms slammed into the surrounding boulders with immense force. This time, tree trunks and roots were included. Mu Ssang staggered, unable to control his shock. His head became numb, and his knees started to throb.

Mu Ssang screamed, "Teacher, you said you would beat me at night!"

The fog wavered, and the sound echoed loudly past the stream.

"Haha, your voice is loud. Child, do you know about Song Yang?"

His teacher's voice was annoyingly calm. He spread his spatial awareness like a spider web, but he could not register his teacher's location.

"Why are you talking about a stupid China man in this situation?"

Trying to find his teacher's location, he continuously made conversation.

"My apprentice's head is so empty. It's making it difficult for me to attack you. Now, there's no reason for me to give you an opening, right? I have to make do with whatever damage I can give."

At his teacher's teasing, Mu Ssang became highly agitated.

"Teacher, let's do this for real. I've grown a lot too."

"Child, what do you mean by that? Do you think you have become a warrior now that you can pull off a couple of tricks?"

"I almost forgot!"

Mu Ssang slapped his head. He did not expect the resonance to come spinning at him like a drill. As his teacher had mentioned, his head must have turned into stone while only his body had become strong.

"Dumb child, cover up that dangling thing. Are you protesting in front of your wrinkled teacher?"

"Ee kee!"

Now that he thought about it, he had looked pathetic. This was the day that the Sahel's Azrael, Black Mamba, was going to meet his ruins.

"Nimi Ddugural, it's like coming to a gunfight with a bat. If the old man keeps using his churi sul skills, then there's nothing I can do."

Mu Ssang tried to find cover as he muttered to himself. His entire body was full of bruises. There were five bumps on his head. His arms and legs were numb, and his back was sore. His teacher had focused his beatings on his head, arms, and legs.

"Child, I can hear everything. I, at least, am giving you time to dress because I am your teacher."

"Ha, is that why you were trying to obliterate your apprentice with a rock?"

"Please, if you were one to be squashed by a boulder, you would not have come back alive as the Sahel's Kanma. That body of yours is one good product. Hahaha. Should I start playing with my apprentice now?"

Shh—

His teacher suddenly popped out of nowhere.

"Do you see it now? This is the difference between one who has superpowers and those who learn to utilize their full human powers. Those who have come to realize their true potential will only grow stronger as their mind widens, and they can move as they please."

"That's unfair. Without moving a finger, you can hide in the air using stealth powers and throw rocks at your apprentice. How can your apprentice defend himself against that?"

"So, is that why? What was it? You were planning to use your Dragunov to shoot at your teacher?"

"Well, an apprentice can't do that."

"Ha, are you planning on hand to hand combat? Alright. We have to conserve the natural environment. Come to the rocky slopes."

Monk Dae Woo hit the ground with his cane.

"Oh! It's a scam."

Mu Ssang's eyes grew large. His teacher had dissipated like a fog. In a single moment, his opponent had disappeared. Even his stealth skill did not allow him to melt into the air. He could not even anticipate the cards hidden up his teacher's sleeve. Now, he could understand how FROLINAT had felt battling him as an opponent.

Swish—

Mu Ssang's body got sucked into the air as if he was a floating leaf.

Mu Ssang realized deep in his bones that there was a large skill gap between his teacher and himself. He was out in the open while his teacher was nowhere to be seen. His sensory skills and spatial awareness skills were useless. He could do nothing but be entranced by the natural environment.

He could not tell when and where his teacher would appear. The only thing he could try was to actively use his resonance.

Whoong—

He emitted his resonance in all directions, which made him dizzy. The air trembled.

Got you!

He was confident when he could compensate for anything by using his body.

Pak—

He kicked off the ground and shot up like a bullet. His speed allowed him to penetrate through the air. The fog split in half.

"Oh! Pretty good!"

Monk Dae Woo jumped in surprise. His apprentice had figured out the disappearing skill. The air wavered. The thin old man appeared out of thin air.

Pak—

Pak—

Schwing—

Schwing—

An amazing battle scene broke out. Mu Ssang's body swung like a wheel and simultaneously shot 36 attacks.

Ddu dadadak—

Hands overlapped with hands and feet overlapped with feet. A rock's shard could not withstand their fight and revolved around the two fighters.

The first incredible battle ended. The rocky slopes and the place where the battle had taken place were left in ruins. A boulder was pulled out as it flew and flipped over, landing back on the ground. Mu Ssang looked like a mess. His clothes were tattered, and his body was bleeding profusely.

The attack split his skin like a sharp blade. On the other hand, Monk Dae Woo looked completely fine as if he had just come out for a leisure stroll to sightsee. The difference they had was their abilities to limit physical contact.

"Ahh!"

A roar echoed through the air like thunder. Red lasers shot out of Mu Ssang's eyes.

"That's right. Now, we will begin."

Monk Dae Woo was very anxious to the point of exploding. The deeply hidden monster was awakening, which marked the beginning of the battle.

Upon meeting a strong opponent, the sleeping Paranthropus had been awoken.

Boom boom—

The sound of drums rang in his head. His vision turned into the color of blood. Kill him! Rip him apart! Blood and murder filled his mind. Only this time around, he could maintain his sanity. He was in a state where both his entities existed at once.

"Keu, ah! Teacher, are you intentionally testing me?"

"Yes, I am. You should never let go of your concentration. Attack as much as you would like."

"Be careful, teacher. Ack!"

Mu Ssang flew like a grenade.

Hoo ang—

The air shook.

"Hup!"

Monk Dae Woo's hand split the air.

Bang—

The sound of a bomb exploding was heard. At the immense power, Mu Ssang was tossed into the air and flung several feet outward.

Boom—

A pine tree that had been standing in its way exploded. Even after obliterating through a pine tree, it still maintained incredible power. He continued to roll until he collided into a boulder.

Thud—

"Ugh!"

Mu Ssang yelled as he jumped off the ground. Monk Dae Woo shook his head back and forth. He was the Asura that he had expected.

Boom—

Boom—

Boom—

The teacher and apprentice fought with increasing intensity. Small pebbles were flung into the air by their tornado-like power, and boulders split when their hands and feet missed each other. Mt. Chung Saeng's rocky slopes were thrown into chaos.

The attack of the Paranthropus who had retained the mentality of a Homo sapien was terrifying. His battle skills had increased tenfold from that in the Sahel. With the combination of Ohgeumgong's wild strength, it was difficult for Monk Dae Woo to compete with him.

Monk Dae Woo's attack was like splitting firewood.

Crack—

Mu Ssang's neck bent 90 degrees upon being hit. He shot the back of his feet into Monk Dae Woo as his body bent over. It was a back kick.

"Ee Kee!"

Monk Dae Woo's upper body swooped out of sight. It was like magic how he could quickly make his body disappear.

Boom—

An incredible blast swept past the place where they had been. Monk Dae Woo's clothes split in half as if cut by a knife.

In that instant, Monk Dae Woo's feet split the air in front of him.

Thump—

An incredible force collided into Mu Ssang's chest.

Chwing—

When he bounced off, the opponent swept past Monk Dae Woo's chest. Mu Ssang hovered back like a leaf flying through the wind.

"Ho-oh! Your skills have increased greatly."

Monk Dae Woo was flabbergasted. Again, he couldn't inflict critical damage. Due to the counterattack, he had been unable to get close contact. His intent to destroy the opponent and his menacing battle skills were both terrifying.

Monk Dae Woo flew down with his ripped clothes disheveling in the wind. The attack had broken apart the seams of his clothes. If he had not defended himself, his chest would have been broken open. It was terrifying. If he had gotten the full blast of the attack, he would not have survived it either.

Boom boom boom—

The apprentice and teacher battled again. His initial attack had already lost its meaning. Mu Ssang charged onward—punching, kicking, headbutting, and shouldering his way in. Monk Dae Woo calmly evaded all his oncoming attacks. They looked exactly like an angry bull and a defending bullfighter.

"Ack!"

With a yell, Monk Dae Woo twisted his upper body like a pretzel and charged inward.

Thud—

Mu Ssang's back kick landed on his target. When he defended against the attack coming over his head, the other foot lashed out like a whip and aimed for the back of his head.

Monk Dae Woo dropped one bead of cold sweat. What kind of person had joints as flexible as that of an octopus? It was hard to anticipate his moves with his senses. It was getting progressively difficult to defend against the attacks of his free moving hands and feet. Plus, even after throwing continuous attacks, his strength did not seem to dissipate at all.

Schwang—

Ddudung—

Monk Dae Woo's fists continuously swung at both of Mu Ssang's temples.

"Ah!" Mu Ssang yelled as he was pushed back by several steps.

It wasn't the exclamation of pain but anger.