Arena

Chapter 123 – Becoming a strong one (Part 2)

“Ho, impressive.”

Having been flung all the way to the wall, Odin got up in a shaken fashion.

“Are you okay?”

“I am. But without a sword, I don’t think I can get close to you.”

Probably.

I didn’t know myself that I was this powerful.

If I wrapped my body in a strong whirlwind, no one would be able to get close to me.

‘Should I try it?’

Hwiiing!!

Paaaat-!

The power of nature moved and expelled outwards and a strong gust encompassed me.

With me as its center and about 3 m in height, a whirlwind was created.

‘Interesting!’

Sylph’s abilities harness themselves how I want them, there is no bigger surprise.

‘What would happen if I turn the whirlwind into a wind dagger?’

The thought alone is dreadful. It could rip everything around me into shreds.

I desynched with Sylph and then summoned Kasa.

“Kasa, let’s synch.”

-Bark!

With excitement, he hurled himself at me.

Hwa lu lu lu! (swoosh)

My entire body lit up in red flames.

Thankfully, my clothes didn’t all disintegrate in the flames.

The flames moved exactly how I commanded them to move in my head.

Having created all kinds of shapes by molding the flames like clay, I was satisfied and nodded my head.

“This is really nice.”

“I want to use my sword and really fight you now.”

“Haha I politely decline.”

Eventually, Odin’s sparring never really came to fruition.

But I was able to verify the power of the superior level spirit summons.

After that day, I lingered at the Nordic exam group headquarters and tested my spirit summons.

First off, I tried to see if I could synch with Sylph and Kasa simultaneously but that was impossible.

If I synch with Sylph, Kasa gets kicked out and if I do it with Kasa, Sylph gets kicked out.

Eventually I had to stop the two of them from bickering over wanting to synch with me.

The combination of the superior spirit summons and shooting wasn’t all that great either.

In the synced status, the guns didn’t really help much.

Derek used his sword to create Armageddon, but I have to pull the trigger to shoot a bullet so I can’t replicate him with that.

Its actually better to swing my arms covered in flames, so there isn’t really a need to use bullets.

‘Still, the guns aren’t completely useless.’

Even if I’m not synced, Sylph and Kasa have grown more powerful by becoming superior leveled.

Kasa’s power and control over the explosive power of the gunpowder let him push out the bullet much faster, Sylph was able to rotate the bullet and increase the penetration power.

Thus, the spirit shooting ability greatly increased as well.

The ammo revision mastery also meant the Neilson H2 I shoot can no longer be called a handgun, that’s how powerful it is now.

I think it could penetrate the shell of a tank so its pretty much done and dusted.

The anti-material sniper rifle AW50F plus with the power of the spirit shooting has become unspeakably stronger.

Honestly, its confusing whether the AW50F should still be called a rifle or a bazooka!

“A bazooka? There’s a gun like that.”

Said the guns expert Neilson to me.

“There are several anti-material sniper rifles that use a 20mm caliber bullet but at that level, they’re basically bazookas. If you have a beast like that, it is no different than you walking around with a missile.”

At the mention of 20mm, I was at a loss for words.

The 12.7mm of my AW50F already boasts a monstrous level of power.

So then how much is 20 mm?

“I don’t think I am in immediate need of such a crazy sniper rifle. I am plenty satisfied with the AW50F I have now.”

“I’m sure that’s true. For a guy who can get a wyvern with a revolver, you probably don’t need a 20mm. Not like you’re going to try and get a dragon.”

So, I established my fighting pattern.

Long distance shooting with the AW50F.

Majority of the shooting with the two Neilson H2.

One on one fighting with spirit synchronization.

Especially in regard to the spirit synchronization, I discovered a specialty factor.

When I am synced with Sylph and using the Divine Protection of the Wind, the amount of power I can use has doubled!

The Divine Protection of the Wind is essentially rooted in a spirit, so I think the synergy was created from both of us being combined together.

Currently, my Divine Protection of the Wind was intermediate level 1.

The similar skill, Divine Protection of Fire, was entry level 1.

‘Both of them are synthesis skills that don’t require a lot of karma to raise levels. With these, when I am synched, I get twice the power, that’s an incredible gain!’

First, I checked to see how much karma I needed to raise the intermediate level of Divine Protection of the Wind to mastery level.

-Divine Protection of the Wind (synthesis skill) the karma needed to raise to the master is being shown.

-Divine Protection of the Wind (synthesis skill): stir up wind with your body. It is influenced by the user’s concentration and skill level along with the spirit’s skill level.

*Master: 3 hours a day

-Will use 4,100 karma to reach mastery.

-Remaining karma: +5,600

‘4,100 karma……’

I have 5,600 karma now so I have more than enough to raise it.

If I master it, I could get 3 hours a day with no cool time, I like that.

‘Okay. I’ll raise the Divine Protection of the Wind first.’

I shouted at my board.

“I will master Divine Protection of the Wind!”

Pat!

The light shone out of the board.

-4,100 karma used to raise Divine Protection of the Wind (assist skill) to the master level

-Remaining karma: +1,500

And then I could sense the energy of nature much more than before ago.

I will probably need Sylph more than Kasa, so I invested focused in the Divine Protection of the Wind

‘I’ll have to test it once again.’

As I got in position and synched with Sylph, I tried out the Divine Protection of the Wind.

And right over my hand, I created a tiny gust of wind.

But,

Kwak kwak kwak kwak kwak kwak!

The gust of wind spun around crazily like a drill.

‘Woah.’

I only generated a tiny bit gust of wind but it has this much power.

Through the Divine Protection of the Wind’s exponential power, it’s strength has now been raised by 3 times.

‘If superior level 1’s power is 3 times as strong, I should be able to harness more power than Derek.’

The only downside is that in the synced state, I have to fight without a weapon.

A long-distance weapon like a gun is meaningless and I’ve never wielded a weapon before, so I won’t use it.

The boxing I learned at the very beginning or the games of tag I played with the elves, that’s the only kind of “fighting” I’ve used so far.

Of course, even if I were to fight haphazardly, my body movements are that of a legendary martial artist. Thanks to the reflex skill at superior level 1.

‘During this break period, I’ll have to polish my kickboxing skills.’

I think I’ll learn it from Cha Ji-hye.

***

I returned to Korea with Marie and Cha Ji-hye.

We had to go through Switzerland so we could set up Cha Ji-hye’s bank account.

She had the gift of the wyvern’s majeong I gave her so she sold it to the Nordic exam group, and received 470,000 swiss francs. In our currency, its about the equivalent of 5.3 billion won. (5 million USD)

When we came into Korea, Cha Ji-hye had to go through the foreign entrance with Marie.

I felt bad for Cha Ji-hye, who had lost her identity and country. Even though she didn’t seem to care.

“You have the money now, should you look for a place?”

“I don’t necessarily see the reason for such.”

“…… hm?”

“I am very comfortable at your place Mr. Kim Hyun-ho. Or do you find living together uncomfortable?”

“Um, no, of course not.”

It almost seemed like she was saying ‘I died because of you, am I a nuisance now?’ so I quickly shook my head no.

“Then that’s that. I thank you for the arrangement for a while.”

“Um, sure.”

“Hyun-ho, what about me?”

Marie suddenly asked.

“Stay a couple days and then go home.”

When I answered while I stroked her hair, Marie looked peeved.

She thoroughly expressed her disappointment, but having already increased my tolerance to Marie, I was able to easily ignore it.

We took the taxi home and I felt emotional.

My home, that I’ve returned to after such a long time.

But a minor problem had come up.

Since Cha Ji-hye was using the guest room, I was wondering where Marie should sleep.

“I can sleep with Hyun-ho.”

“……”

I immediately turned on my computer and went to an online furniture site and ordered a small bed. In return for paying double for delivery and set up, I was promised it would be delivered today.

Thus, like a flash of lightening, the study room I used was set up with a bed. Marie looked even more disappointed.

That evening, to commemorate Marie’s first time in Korea, we went around a few places.

We were touring around Gyeongbokgoong (Gyeongbok Palace), Marie kept sticking to me and making things complicated.

“Oh my, your girlfriend is foreign.”

“I’ve never seen one of our guys dating a white girl before.”

“But who is that other girl next to them?”

On my left was Cha Ji-hye and on my right was Marie. With such an accompaniment going around the palace, everywhere I went I became a sight.

Both women were very beautiful but it was actually due to the very clingy Marie.

I got tired and we got dinner at Korean table d’hote restaurant and returned home. Marie actually used her chopsticks, which she’d never used before, very well.

But then that night……

Ring, ring.

Reflexively looking for my comm device, I belatedly reached for my smartphone in my pocket.

Its mom.

“Hello?”

-Son, so you’re alive?

“Yep, alive and well. How about you mom, are you well?”

-Son, I’m so lonely and dying. I think I’ll die alone.

“What are you talking about, dying alone. You have a sturdy noona by your side.”

-Hyun-joo, she may as well be not here. Except for the bare necessities or me telling her to come for a marriage set up/blind date, we don’t talk at all. She doesn’t ever open her mouth.

“……”

Without me or Hyun-ji, I can see how mom is lonely.

And noona’s specialty is making the people around her lonely.

-Anyway, son, I heard you were travelling internationally lately?

“Yea, I got back today.”

-So, you’re in Bucheon right now?

“Yep.”

-Where in Bucheon exactly is your home?

“Do you know where Hyun-ji’s studio is?”

-I do, I’ve been a couple times.

“It’s close to there. It’s a quick walk.”

-Oh, really?

She sudden sounded very happy.

This tone was very similar to when Hyun-ji puts me in a pickle.

I felt a sense of uneasiness.

“Mother.”

-What is it, son?

“I will ask one thing of thee.”

-Go ahead, ask.

“Are you, by any chance, at Hyun-ji’s right now?”

-Ho ho ho, how quick witted of you.

‘I’ve been tricked!’

All this time, I blocked my home off extremely well so that my family could never come by, but I’ve been properly deceived by mom today.

“Oh, but I have to go out for work pretty soon……”

-Ho ho, excuses won’t work, son.

“Kuk!”

Mom laughed capriciously.

-You said it’s a quick walk son, so I’ll head out now.

“But, but……!”

-Hyun-ji hasn’t even been to your house either, but I’ll see why you’ve been hiding it from us today.

“Well right now I have some work……”

-See you later. I verified your address yesterday off the family register.

Then she hung up.

“……”

My face went pale.

If they know I live in such a splendid penthouse, they’ll have a lot of questions.

Then what will my explanation be?

And Cha Ji-hye and Marie are here too?!

I quickly called both of them to the living room.

“Please spend tonight at the hotel! Please!”

“Why?”

Marie tilted her head. I told her my mom is going to be here soon.

Marie’s eyes twinkled.

“I want to meet your mom!”

A feeling of hopelessness began to settle in.