Chapter 95 – Contamination Facility (1)

<Kraken’s Core>.

It was an item discovered after blowing up the creature’s stomach. It was shining alone in the dead creature’s stomach so he took it out, and it’s similar to the imugi’s neidan. Giant spiritual creatures might each have one.

Sun-woo put the Kraken’s core in his pocket.

Having suffered near-death agony when eating the neidan, he had no thought whatsoever of eating it carelessly. He decided to carry it until the end of this mission and decide at the end.

If it really didn’t work out, he planned to spend points to make it into an item.

“Did you finally unite your martial arts into one?”

When Sun-woo put away his phone, Nan-seol who was walking beside him asked.

“Is that what uniting martial arts into one means? Seven Star Steps changed into a martial art using the internal energy I possess, so all my martial arts became one flow.”

At Nan-seol’s question, Sun-woo brightened. If she hadn’t asked, rather Sun-woo was thinking of asking her.

Because Nan-seol was the only person he could ask about his sudden change and growth.

At Sun-woo’s words, a small smile appeared at Nan-seol’s lips. To talk openly about his martial arts situation… It was something not easy unless you were someone truly trusted.

“Martial arts originally start as one, change into many things, then gather into one again. Starting as one martial art, they spread several branches like internal energy, sword technique, footwork, divine technique, palm technique, etc., then form one again as the martial art that becomes their center.”

Nan-seol explained to Sun-woo in as much detail as possible in response to his trust.

“Martial arts aren’t divided from each other. Just as internal energy must exist for various martial arts to unfold, and sword technique and palm technique need footwork and divine technique, all martial arts are connected to each other. But Sun-woo-ssi had those martial arts separated from each other.”

As Nan-seol said, Sun-woo only had simple sword technique and divine technique from wandering the streets, then met a fortuitous encounter and obtained the peerless martial art <Wheel-Turning Divine Demonic Art>. Right after, sword technique underwent change and could become one with Wheel-Turning Divine Demonic Art, but he had been using the simple <Seven Star Steps> for divine technique until now.

“I knew they didn’t match each other, but since there was no method, I couldn’t tell you. There wasn’t enough time to discuss it separately either…”

At her somewhat apologetic appearance, Sun-woo shook his head. Even if he knew, there clearly would have been no method. It was better not to bring up stories that would only cause worry.

According to her words, thanks to Sun-woo’s increased internal energy and enlightenment, the simple <Seven Star Steps> melted into the internal energy’s flow and became one with it, and thanks to that, martial arts of the same lineage resonated with each other to complete proper martial arts.

“Probably the internal energy Sun-woo-ssi learned contained enlightenment comprehensive enough to encompass all martial arts.”

Nan-seol was accepting Sun-woo’s growth very naturally.

“Having even undergone the legendary body transformation, martial arts unification would certainly be possible. Probably you’ll continue strengthening rapidly from now on.”

After saying that much, she tilted her head for a moment.

“But it’s mysterious how you underwent body transformation. Is it because you’re a summoner from another world?”

Fortunately, she didn’t seem to recall the imugi’s neidan. Sun-woo’s mouth was itching, but he ultimately said nothing. There was no need to unnecessarily bring it up first and make things bigger.

“Does your world originally have monsters like that living in rivers?”

“No way. The monster we met is called a Kraken, a monster living deep in the ocean. It’s a monster you can’t see even in coastal waters, so I didn’t know it would appear in such a place either.”

To Michael’s question, Hayden shook his head.

It seemed this world was running strangely after becoming contaminated.

Hayden had seen many beasts transformed into monsters by contamination, but it was his first time seeing a monster that left its place like this.

“At this rate, we won’t know what monsters we’ll encounter ahead.”

“I’ll verify as much as possible. Fortunately, since we won’t meet rivers again, I should be able to know in advance.”

At Sun-woo’s words, the party made relieved expressions. They could trust Sun-woo’s ability that had found safe paths until now.

Then, Nan-seol opened her mouth with a worried expression.

“Then, will the team that went the other way be okay?”

The party looked at each other with serious expressions.

***

Same time.

The black knight and gravity ability user were fleeing through contaminated humans in a completely injured state.

The black knight’s armor was dented in several places and the gravity ability user’s one arm had turned bloody. Moreover, another person, gunslinger Seo Jung-hyun’s appearance wasn’t visible.

Unlike Sun-woo’s party, they had run through contaminated humans via official roads. Numerous contaminated humans pursued them, but it was difficult to chase three top-level summoners.

They just had no choice but to use abilities and bullets excessively to shake off pursuit.

They could approach the objective rapidly, but leaving one low mountain, they couldn’t advance further.

Unlike other places, it was a place where the soil of the area crumbled like a desert, and the moment they entered there, a giant earthworm popped out and gulped down the gunslinger.

It was an outstanding summoner’s absurd death, but the remaining two people had to flee without even time to be surprised at his death.

Attacks starting from underground were difficult to block movement with gravity, and the knight’s sword couldn’t inflict major wounds on the giant earthworm’s body.

They didn’t know, but the earthworm that ate the gunslinger was a Sandworm, one of the giant monsters in this dimension.

The apex of the desert food chain, it was also the main reason humans couldn’t live in this dimension’s deserts.

The soil of the entire area changed to resemble desert because the Sandworm turned the area upside down.

It was unknown how the Sandworm living in distant deserts appeared here, but gravity ability user Diane realized they couldn’t face it and began fleeing with the knight.

Fortunately, since it wasn’t a desert region, the monster couldn’t follow once they left the area the Sandworm had turned upside down in advance, but instead contaminated humans who had been pursuing them blocked their front.

The two people began fleeing through contaminated humans. The two people who couldn’t block enemies from a distance with the gunslinger gone could break through the encirclement at the end of numerous injuries.

“Let’s go in the direction the other summoner team went. The road to Stuttgart where the underground city is also doesn’t know what monsters might appear. At least the direction the summoners went should have them cleaning up to some degree, so there’s possibility remaining.”

Even while frowning from pain, Diane decided the direction the two people should go. Her mental strength and stamina that had gone to the bottom was gradually slowing her steps, and the distance with contaminated humans chasing them was gradually narrowing.

Shortly after, Diane couldn’t run anymore and the black knight dismissed his sword summon, then lifted her up.

Simultaneously, the knight’s two eyes inside the helmet reddened hotly, and the knight’s body holding Diane shot forward like lightning.

At much faster speed than before, the distance with humans chasing behind gradually widened, but Diane embraced by the knight looked at the knight’s helmet with a pitiful expression.

The two people continued running like that in the direction Sun-woo’s party went.

***

When the party arrived at one territory south of the Empire that was the objective, a day had passed.

Fortunately, as Hayden said, rivers didn’t block them after that, so they could avoid contaminated humans and monsters as much as possible with Michael’s sixth sense and Sun-woo’s sorcery.

In between, situations arose several times where they had to break through, but then Michael’s gun shined for the first time in a while.

Michael succeeded in sniping monsters or contaminated humans that Sun-woo informed him of in advance through the scope.

Michael hadn’t just been playing around either. He too had grown abilities using points.

The party that rested in underground caves Sun-woo made at night as usual had no choice but to harden expressions with tension when arriving at the territory said to have the facility.

Because even without Michael and Sun-woo, everyone could feel an ominous energy flowing from ahead.

“People who left to investigate here didn’t return, so I wasn’t 100% confident, but fortunately the rumors don’t seem wrong.”

Hayden opened his mouth while looking at the village in the distance, and the party also nodded at Hayden’s words.

All the ominous feelings the party felt flowed from the center of the quaint village visible in the distance. There, the lord’s mansion ruling this territory towered up looking down at the party.

It was a considerably large village. From the appearance of people moving here and there, it didn’t look easy to go to the central mansion without being discovered.

“By any chance, can’t we go underground?”

To Daniel’s question, Sun-woo shook his head. It was a village built on hard bedrock. Places close to the ground were covered with soil, but that made moving underground impossible.

“Then we’ll have to break through.”

The party began checking weapons and loosening their bodies with hardened expressions. Daniel and Nan-seol who hadn’t participated in fights until now prepared for battle even more carefully.

But the party’s preparation became useless work.

When the party carefully approached the village, contaminated people in the village began exiting the village like ebb tide.

“What’s going on?”

They clearly should be rushing at the party, but rather at the appearance of avoiding them as if terrified, the party had no choice but to be bewildered.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but this is an opportunity. There’s no creepy feeling either, so it doesn’t seem like a trap. Let’s move!”

Michael stepped forward first. Since he said nothing caught on his sixth sense, the party had no choice but to enter the village following him.

The village was truly desolate.

Not having to fight contaminated people, the party all breathed sighs of relief.

Even if there were many people, if there were no ability users, now the party could sufficiently handle it. But even if they could kill them all, killing ordinary people couldn’t be comfortable.

The party was keeping in their hearts that they caused many people to die in the fight that broke out the moment they crossed to this world.

Sun-woo’s senses also felt numerous personnel fleeing far from the village. Nearly hundreds of personnel were hastily leaving the village.

“What’s really going on? Don’t tell me you gained another new ability?”

At Michael’s out-of-nowhere question, Sun-woo had no choice but to give a bitter smile. Because when Michael asked, all the party looked at Sun-woo with expectant expressions.

Thanks to Sun-woo’s activities until now, when something unknown happened, the party reflexively came to find the cause in Sun-woo.

“No way. I can’t learn skills that easily.”

Sun-woo shook his head. Unfortunately, not having bought a skill slot, he didn’t obtain a skill even when killing that giant monster.

He only obtained something similar to the imugi’s neidan.

‘No way? This thing called Kraken’s core?’

Come to think of it, no monsters were visible at all around the monster. He thought they fled because the monster caused a commotion, but this core might be the cause.

Sun-woo who pondered briefly soon shook off that thought. Whether this core was the cause or there was another reason, it was an opportunity for the party.

“There are still people remaining in the mansion.”

“Well, that would be natural.”

The party approaching near the mansion heightened tension again at Sun-woo’s words, and the party began carefully entering the village’s central plaza.

The mansion that went beyond quaint to gloomy positioned in the plaza center seemed to glare at Sun-woo’s party approaching toward it.