Almighty God of War - Chapter 175

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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175

 

Guyang Cheongang awakened from his brief reminiscence, wiped away his bitter smile, and looked ahead.

 

Here too, there was an altar and two stone steles.

 

One would be part of the Heavenly Martial True Formula, and the other would be prepared for passing through the next gate.

 

Guyang Cheongang walked toward the altar and quietly asked.

 

‘Akasha, is one’s true nature revealed in the face of death?’

 

[You seem to be thinking a lot because of Jegal Ryong.]

 

‘That’s right. His appearance when I first saw him and when he died were so different that I could hardly believe they were the same person.’

 

[In what way did you feel that?]

 

‘When I first met him, he was cool-headed. He stood elegantly holding Hak Ikson, his speech was calm, and his eyes were intelligent. He had an appearance befitting his reputation as the world’s greatest formation master.’

 

Guyang Cheongang paused for a moment before continuing.

 

‘But when he was dying… he pleaded, threatened, and cursed. He was ugly and cowardly. It was as if he was a different person.’

 

[Humans tend to show different sides of themselves in extreme situations. This is because survival instinct overwhelms reason.]

 

‘Then which one is real? The cool-headed formation master? Or that figure screaming in the face of death?’

 

[Both are real.]

 

‘Both?’

 

[Yes. Humans are not singular beings. They are composed of multiple layers, and different layers surface depending on the situation.]

 

Akasha continued her explanation.

 

[In normal times, reason, education, and social norms cover the surface. Jegal Ryong grew up as a descendant of a prestigious family, lived receiving praise as a genius, and was trained to act accordingly. That was the first layer.]

 

‘And in the face of death?’

 

[The deepest layer is revealed. Survival instinct, fear, anger, self-centeredness. The shell of civilization is peeled away and the primitive self emerges.]

 

Guyang Cheongang nodded.

 

‘So to truly know a person, you have to see them in extreme situations?’

 

[Not necessarily. What is revealed in extreme situations is also only part of that person, not everything.]

 

‘What do you mean?’

 

[If there is someone who has spent their life helping others, practicing justice, and showing righteousness, that becomes deeply engraved in their nature.]

 

‘And so?’

 

[Even when extreme situations come, that nature does not change easily. They feel fear, are afraid, and suffer, but their fundamental values are maintained. They do not become cowardly, do not harm others, and preserve their humanity to the end.]

 

‘Then what about Jegal Ryong?’

 

[He was a genius and gained fame, but his inner self was not mature to that extent. He had jealousy and envy, was strongly selfish, and could not empathize with others’ pain.]

 

‘Like when he watched me fight with O and Yu.’

 

[Yes. He wanted the Doctor to die, wanted O Gwangnyeo and Yu Garyang to die too, and tried to survive alone to take advantage. That was his true nature.]

 

Guyang Cheongang sighed.

 

‘So what was revealed in the face of death wasn’t hidden nature, but he was originally that kind of person.’

 

[That’s correct. It’s just that normally, his education, reputation, and pride covered it up.]

 

‘So in the end, people don’t change?’

 

[They can change, but it’s not easy.]

 

Akasha’s voice became gentle.

 

[To change one’s nature requires a long time, sincere effort, and above all, the courage to acknowledge one’s own ugliness. Jegal Ryong had none of that.]

 

‘Then… what about me? What is my true nature?’

 

[Doctor, you have already experienced extremes.]

 

‘…Suddenly?’

 

[Do you remember? At the research facility.]

 

Guyang Cheongang’s steps stopped.

 

Old memories surfaced.

 

Gunshots, explosions, the pain of his body being torn apart. And… death.

 

‘You mean then.’

 

[Yes. Doctor, you were shot in the back and collapsed. Blood flowed, consciousness faded, and death was certain. What did you do then?]

 

Guyang Cheongang answered slowly.

 

‘…I tried to protect you.’

 

[That’s right. With bullets lodged in you, with explosion imminent, Doctor chose to save me rather than escape yourself. You attached the device to your neck and commanded the nanobot transmission.]

 

‘But that was…’

 

[At that time, Doctor did not plead to be saved, nor curse your enemies. Even facing death, you were calm, your goal was clear, and you maintained your mission as a researcher to the end.]

 

Guyang Cheongang fell silent.

 

Akasha continued.

 

[That is your true nature, Doctor. It’s different from Jegal Ryong.]

 

‘But… I was really scared then too. I didn’t want to die.’

 

[Feeling fear and succumbing to fear are different things. Doctor, you were afraid, but you did not succumb.]

 

Guyang Cheongang walked slowly.

 

‘Then… have I changed from when I was Lee Jin-woo to now as Guyang Cheongang?’

 

[Some things have changed, and some things haven’t.]

 

‘Hmm…?’

 

[What hasn’t changed is the center of your life. Your heart that thinks of others, sense of responsibility, will to never give up until the end. These have been consistently maintained from when you were Dr. Lee Jin-woo until now.]

 

‘Then what has changed?’

 

[You have become stronger. Dr. Lee Jin-woo was a researcher, lived in a peaceful world, and was far from violence. But Guyang Cheongang is a martial artist, has experienced Gangho, and has crossed between life and death.]

 

Akasha’s continuing voice became gentle.

 

[Dr. Lee Jin-woo was an idealist. He believed research could change the world and dreamed that AI and humans could coexist. It was a beautiful dream, but reality was not like that. Intruders came, there was gunfire, and Doctor was brutally murdered.]

 

‘…’

 

[But Guyang Cheongang is different. You know the cruelty of this world, realized the necessity of power, and learned that sometimes you must be cold-hearted. Yet you maintain your center.]

 

A faint smile appeared on Guyang Cheongang’s lips.

 

[Jegal Ryong lived his whole life in high reputation, never experienced true trials, and could not understand others’ pain. But Doctor has experienced death, been reborn, and knows both worlds.]

 

Akasha continued.

 

[Doctor, you are not good because your nature is inherently good. You are good because you choose good while knowing evil. That is true strength.]

 

Guyang Cheongang fell silent.

 

It was a heavy and deep silence.

 

He spoke slowly.

 

‘Thank you, Akasha.’

 

[Why?]

 

‘For understanding and believing in me.’

 

[I have always believed in you, Doctor. From the moment you brought me into existence.]

 

‘The future is unknowable, but I will do my best. So that I won’t become cowardly even when extreme moments come.’

 

[I know you will. You have already proven it.]

 

Guyang Cheongang nodded and stood before the altar.

 

The conversation was over, but its resonance lingered long.

 

Guyang Cheongang was realizing that while nature doesn’t change, people can grow.

 

He was proof of that very thing.

 

Budokrim, the fourth gate of Pungnimgok, was the gate of ‘poison’.

 

Guyang Cheongang obtained the Ten Thousand Poison Heart Method at the Bunjae Altar in front of the gate.

 

A heart method that controls ten thousand poisons.

 

Though unnecessary for Guyang Cheongang, it was a supreme art that any poison arts practitioner in the world would covet.

 

The land of Budokrim was highly toxic, and the air was filled with toxins that devoured life.

 

It was treacherous terrain that even masters of poison arts could not easily pass through.

 

But poison could cause no harm to Guyang Cheongang.

 

The nanobots analyzed and neutralized all toxins, and neutralized poisons penetrating his body in real time.

 

The fifth gate, Jungapgwan, was the gate of pressure.

 

Guyang Cheongang obtained the Heavenly Weight Formula at the altar in front of the gate.

 

Inside the gate, an invisible tremendous force pressed down on the body from all directions, and the pressure increased exponentially with each step forward.

 

It was a place where patience and indomitable will were basic requirements, and additionally taught precise internal energy control abilities to overcome the pressure.

 

The sixth gate, Mihongwan , was a gate of illusions.

 

Here he obtained the Budongshimgyeol, but like with Budokrim, it was something Guyang Cheongang had no need for.

 

The past became the present, the dead moved as if alive, and his greatest fears appeared before his eyes.

 

But Akasha blocked all those hallucinations quite easily.

 

Budokrim and Mihongwan were no different from resting places rather than trials for Guyang Cheongang.

 

Before the transcendent existence called Akasha, poison and hallucinations held no meaning.

 

But the final gate was different.

 

The seventh gate, Simyeongwan .

 

Before reaching that place, Guyang Cheongang stood before the altar, but there was nothing.

 

Only an empty altar awaited him, with no secret manuals, spirit pills, or treasures.

 

The reason became clear after entering the gate.

 

Simyeongwan was a gate where one had to fight and defeat oneself.

 

External help was meaningless.

 

Even with the finest secret manuals and the best spirit pills, if one could not defeat oneself, Simyeongwan was a place that could not be passed.

 

That was why nothing had been given.

 

The exit of Simyeongwan opened.

 

As Guyang Cheongang emerged from the stone gate, dazzling light poured out, and after the light subsided, the final valley revealed itself.

 

His atmosphere had changed dramatically from when he first entered Pungnimgok.

 

His eyes were deep like a tranquil abyss, impossible to fathom, and within them coexisted starlight-like wisdom and blade-like sharpness.

 

His presence was as weighty as Mount Tai yet as elusive as wind, as if he had become part of nature itself.

 

Something that could not be explained by the realm of mid-level Transformation alone was flowing from him.

 

Guyang Cheongang slowly looked around the valley.

 

It was a space of about several hundred pyeong, with ankle-high green grass growing like in the previous valleys, and cliffs surrounding it on all sides.

 

There seemed to be an altar in the center as well. But there was a difference.

 

On the cliff behind the altar stood only a single stone gate.

 

It was the return path.

 

There was no gate leading to the next trial.

 

Finally, all the gates of Pungnimgok had come to an end.

 

Guyang Cheongang walked toward the altar.

 

No stone stele was visible, and only a jade box was placed there.

 

He couldn’t tell how much time had passed.

 

This place, Pungnimgok, was filled with mysterious energy in every valley, making it impossible to feel hunger.

 

That made it even harder to sense the passage of time.

 

Had days passed? Or months? Perhaps… a year?

 

He couldn’t tell.

 

He would only know after going outside.

 

‘It was a lonely battle.’

 

Guyang Cheongang turned to look back.

 

Hongnyeomro, Absolute Ice Valley, Pungdo Gate, Budokrim, Jungapgwan, Mihongwan, Simyeongwan.

 

Initially, over a thousand martial artists had been together, but most had died, and some had turned back.

 

In the end, from the fourth gate to the very last, only he remained.

 

Guyang Cheongang stopped before the altar.

 

Passing through the Seven Great Gates, he had gained tremendous benefits.

 

Cheonmujingyeol, Cheonyaeilbo, Mandokshimgyeol, Cheonjunggyeol, Budongshimgyeol.

 

Each was a supreme art capable of founding a sect, the kind that would cause bloodbaths in Gangho as people fought to obtain them.

 

Guyang Cheongang’s eyes gleamed.

 

‘There’s no doubt these martial arts will be of great help in rebuilding the Guyang Family Estate. The only regret is that my realm remains at mid-level Transformation…’

 

His martial arts realm had not changed.

 

But his internal energy had become purer, and his control had improved dramatically.

 

Most importantly, his understanding of martial arts had risen to an entirely different dimension.

 

Even though it was the same mid-level Transformation, he was now a completely different being from before entering Pungnimgok.

 

And above all…

 

Guyang Cheongang raised his wrist to look at the bracelet.

 

All seven holes in the bracelet were filled with beads of different colors.

 

Red bead – the flames of Hongnyeomro.

 

Blue bead – the cold energy of Absolute Ice Valley.

 

Gray bead – the wind of Pungdo Gate.

 

Green bead – the poison of Budokrim.

 

Black bead – the pressure of Jungapgwan.

 

White bead – the illusions of Mihongwan.

 

Golden bead – the fighting spirit of Simyeongwan.

 

The seven beads were arranged in a circle along the bracelet, each glowing softly and emanating mysterious energy.

 

For now, he couldn’t tell what role they served.

 

Guyang Cheongang lowered his wrist.

 

He would find out eventually anyway.

 

What was important now was getting outside.

 

But he still hadn’t checked the final reward.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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