The Automatic Rooting Range Is Too Wide - Chapter 194

—————

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

—————

Auto Looting Range Too Wide Episode 194
Fire
Episode 194: Martial Arts Realm (3)
The girl and the Old Man began to engage the pursuers in combat.
Though the pursuers vastly outnumbered them, they could not quickly subdue the pair.
It was because the Old Man’s martial prowess was exceptional.
Each time he struck the warriors using his entire body, a tremendous sound erupted.
The warriors who took hits from the Old Man struggled to rise again.
“Damn it, who the hell is that old man!”
“He’s a master! Don’t approach recklessly!”
Yet as time passed, the situation grew increasingly unfavorable for the two of them.
“What, the girl isn’t much of a threat.”
“Everyone, target the girl first!”
The girl’s skills were inferior compared to the Old Man.
Because of this, the Old Man had to overextend himself protecting her.
As a result, wounds began to accumulate on his body.
“Oh, they’re fighting pretty well.”
Mincheol remained hidden in the Thicket, observing the situation.
Though the two were gradually being cornered, Mincheol stayed still.
From the start, there was no reason or need for me to intervene.
All I needed was the Jangbodo Fragment.
So I waited for the moment when the pursuers would subdue the two and seize the Jangbodo Fragment.
Once the Jangbodo Fragment appeared, I planned to confirm its appearance with my eyes and activate Auto Looting.
That way, I could acquire all the Jangbodo Fragments ‘without anyone knowing,’ exactly as I desired.
“Wow, you can even strike people with your back.”
“What kind of martial technique is that? It’s quite unusual.”
“The pursuers aren’t weak either, are they? With that level of skill, they seem like they’d become Middle Layer Awakened.”
So Mincheol waited leisurely for the battle to end.
The problem was that no matter how much time passed, the battle showed no signs of ending.
“Moon No-ya!”
“Miss! You did wonderfully!”
The girl began to gradually display her true abilities.
Simultaneously, as the burden lessened, the Old Man’s true power began to reveal itself.
“Come on, finish this already.”
It was while Mincheol watched the two with anxious anticipation.
-Master, I’ve figured out who those two are!
Bokdol-i spoke through the communication device.
“The woman is Wi Ji-yeon! The man is Moon Yu-baek! They’re both successors of the Demonic Cult!”
“What?”
Mincheol cried out in surprise.
In the Martial Arts Realm, the Demonic Cult was a force that wielded a terrifying reputation.
However, a hundred years ago, it suffered catastrophic damage at the hands of a united alliance of orthodox and unorthodox sects, and now it had completely vanished from sight.
Whether it had been destroyed or was quietly gathering strength, no one knew.
Only its past infamy remained, enough to strike fear into the hearts of martial artists.
“Wi Ji-yeon and Moon Yu-baek… they’re the residents the Qiuchuan Alliance deemed useless, aren’t they?”
The Qiuchuan Alliance in China had once staked their reputation on collecting all the pieces of the Heavenly Treasure Map.
They had investigated most of the ‘big names’ that could be encountered in the Martial Arts Layer.
Wi Ji-yeon and Moon Yu-baek received particularly intensive scrutiny because they were descendants of the Demonic Cult.
The conclusion: useless.
Moon Yu-baek’s martial arts were exceptional, but not enough to change the game.
They had wondered what role the two might play in Cheonma’s secret hidden on the Heavenly Treasure Map.
But since collecting all the pieces of the map was impossible, they couldn’t even verify it.
However, in my case, there was a way to collect all the pieces of the Heavenly Treasure Map.
That meant the two might actually be useful.
-Master, what are you going to do?
I felt my head growing complicated.
After collecting all the pieces of the Heavenly Treasure Map, everything became uncharted territory.
Perhaps these two would play an important role.
Especially since Wi Ji-yeon was the last descendant of Cheonma.
‘Rescuing the two wouldn’t be difficult…’
The problem was that too many eyes were watching.
Rescue them in this situation?
I couldn’t help but draw the attention of other factions.
The difficulty might skyrocket.
I was still struggling to reach a decision when it happened.
-Master, this is bad! Peak masters are converging on your location!
Bokdol-i cried out urgently.
According to the Qiuchuan Alliance’s investigation, peak masters were as strong as Upper Layer Awakened.
They were powerhouses I couldn’t defeat even if I died and came back to life.
-Master, you need to make a decision fast!
Forget it, I’ll figure it out as I go.
I used the Black Horn Bullet Form to leap upward.
I pushed off the branches and soared even higher.
Reaching a great height, I hurled my weapon down.
Volcano’s Wrath fell between the two and their pursuers.
【’Flame Explosion’ activates.】
Boom—
Flames erupted with the explosion. The pursuers quickly retreated backward.
A wall of fire separated the two from their pursuers.
I leaped through the inferno and landed before the two.
At Mincheol’s arrival, the eyes of the two people widened in shock.
“Follow me.”
Mincheol commanded the two of them.
But they refused to obey his instructions willingly.
“Who are you?”
“Don’t you dare approach the lady!”
The two of them didn’t trust Mincheol and only drew their weapons.
“This isn’t the time for this. Masters at the peak are heading this way….”
“Do you think we’ll hand over the fragment just because you say so?”
“Miss, come this way!”
To make matters worse, the two tried to distance themselves from Mincheol.
-Master! If you go in that direction, you’ll run into a big shot!
To make matters worse.
The direction they were fleeing was also problematic.
Mincheol felt like his frustration would burst out of him.
-Master! Use Life Absorption! Then the two of them will follow you!
At that moment, Bokdol-i shouted.
“What nonsense is that….”
-Hurry!
Mincheol decided to take the gamble and activated Life Absorption.
【’Life Absorption’ is activated.】
The reaction erupted immediately.
The martial artists nearby cried out in great alarm.
“A nosebleed? Why is blood suddenly pouring from my nose?”
“My head feels… dizzy….”
“Ugh, ugh….”
Some collapsed, unable to withstand the Life Absorption.
The martial artists realized the situation was taking a sinister turn.
“Could this be… the Demonic Suction Technique?”
“This, this can’t be! That horrifying demonic technique is revealing itself again!”
“The Demonic Cult wasn’t destroyed after all…?”
The martial artists stared at Mincheol with faces filled with terror.
Wi Ji-yeon and Moon Yu-baek were equally shocked.
“The Demonic Suction Technique… could you be a descendant of Tamhyeolma?”
“I heard that to master the Demonic Suction Technique, one must drink fresh blood drawn from over a thousand hearts….”
At their words, the martial artists began trembling with fear.
“Tamhyeolma! Wasn’t that the terrible demon who sealed the Cheongseong Sect!”
“Even the demonic beings themselves would shake their heads at the mention of it….”
“A demon! The demon has appeared again!”
Mincheol was at a loss for words at the absurdity of it all.
“I apologize for earlier!”
“We will trust Tamhyeolma’s words!”
Wi Ji-yeon and Moon Yu-baek spoke toward Mincheol.
Unlike moments before, they now trusted him.
-As expected, they believe in Master this way!
Well, this…
Mincheol tried to say something but held it back.
Right now, escaping was the priority.
“Both of you, follow me.”
“Understood!”
“We will trust only Tamhyeolma!”
Somehow, Mincheol’s title had become fixed as Tamhyeolma.
“Tamhyeolma is fleeing!”
“Don’t let him escape!”
The martial artists who had regained their senses chased after the three.
While running, Mincheol threw a hand axe backward.
“Gack!”
“Kkwak!”
One person at a time.
The pursuers collapsed with hand axes embedded in their chests.
“H-how dare you throw such a crude weapon at people!”
“H-how can your techniques be so brutal!”
The martial artists were so shocked they abandoned the pursuit.
Mincheol let out a dry chuckle at the sight of them.
“They’re being overly dramatic.”
Martial artists possessed exceptional vitality.
An embedded hand axe wouldn’t kill them.
Having thrown hand axes frequently, Mincheol could be certain of this.
However, the two running beside him interpreted his words differently.
“So wounds of that caliber aren’t even worth mentioning?”
“They say even demons fear Tamhyeolma’s disposition… Indeed!”
Mincheol glared silently at the two.
* * *
-Master, there’s no one chasing us anymore!
At Bokdol-i’s words, Mincheol stopped running.
“There’s no one following us now. Let’s rest for a moment.”
“Huff, huff, I… I understand.”
Wi Ji-yeon answered breathlessly.
She was already at her limit.
She collapsed onto the ground and caught her breath.
Moon Yu-baek supported her with a worried expression.
A moment later, Wi Ji-yeon spoke to Mincheol.
“I never expected Tamhyeolma to have left behind a successor. I thought the lineage of the Bloodsucking Demon Art had been severed by the joint assault of Kunlun and Wudang.”
“I, too, didn’t know that Cheonma’s descendants still existed.”
At Mincheol’s words, Wi Ji-yeon’s eyes widened.
“To think you knew even that… You truly are Tamhyeolma’s successor.”
“The Bloodsucking Demon left us a great gift. With this, we’ve taken another step toward rebuilding the Demonic Cult.”
The two of them gazed at Mincheol with affection brimming in their eyes.
Of course, Mincheol felt no particular emotion.
‘I’m not a demon, though.’
But he couldn’t reveal that fact now.
From this point forward, Mincheol had to coax and appease these two until he reached Cheonma’s secret chamber.
“What about the Jangbodo fragment?”
“I have it here.”
Wi Ji-yeon pulled out a torn fragment from her bosom and handed it over.
She showed no suspicion of Mincheol whatsoever.
It was the moment Mincheol received the Jangbodo fragment.
“Heh heh, I never expected to encounter the dregs of the Demonic Cult.”
An unfamiliar voice echoed from nearby.
Mincheol and the two others startled and turned to look beside them.
A distance of merely three meters separated them.
There stood a middle-aged man.
‘What is this?’
Mincheol couldn’t help but be flustered.
Bokdol-i hadn’t detected him approaching this close?
What was even more peculiar was the man’s aura.
Though he stood right before my eyes, his presence was hazy.
As if he had become nature itself.
-M-Master! I’m sorry! He didn’t register on my sensors!
Even Ramakan’s cutting-edge detection capabilities couldn’t catch him.
It meant the man had moved with such speed.
And at such a velocity…
-Dok-an-gwi! One of the Hundred Greatest Masters under Heaven!
Yeon Sa-hyeok, the Poisoned Eye.
A supreme master always mentioned as a person of concern in the Large Guild’s records.
Was he strong enough to belong among the Hundred Greatest Masters?
In terms of martial prowess alone, Yeon Sa-hyeok was actually among the weaker supreme masters gathered here.
The problem was his temperament.
As his epithet “Poisoned Eye” suggested, Yeon Sa-hyeok was a cruel man.
If anything displeased him even slightly, blood would spray forth.
Among the Awakened who had challenged the Martial Arts Layer, many had nearly died at his hands or lost their limbs.
‘Why did I have to run into this maniac?’
Dok-an-gwi was nothing short of a living bomb.
Even Mincheol couldn’t help but tense up.
“…Do you also need a fragment of Jangbodo?”
“Is there anyone among the martial artists here who doesn’t need a fragment of Jangbodo?”
Dok-an-gaek chuckled at Mincheol’s question and spoke.
Just from his laughter, he sounded like a kindhearted middle-aged man.
“…I’ll hand over the fragment, so let us go.”
“That’s not acceptable!”
“Tamhyeolma, how could you make such a decision!”
The two shouted in alarm.
But Mincheol’s resolve was firm.
First, I had to survive.
“I’ll leave it here.”
Just as Mincheol was about to set the Jangbodo fragment down on the ground.
“But I’m in a foul mood now.”
Huh? What is he talking about?
Mincheol looked puzzled.
“Not only did you dare to probe my intentions, but you make demands without permission? You’re quite presumptuous, boy.”
Mincheol’s expression turned bewildered.
No, he was getting angry over such a trivial reason?
I’d understand more if he said he’d kill me because I’m from the Demonic Cult.
‘Is this guy truly insane?’
Dok-an-gwi drew his blade.
It seemed he genuinely intended to kill Mincheol.
Never had there been a madman quite like this.
Aside from his bewilderment, Mincheol quickly calculated.
‘What are my chances of winning in a fight?’
None.
‘Then can I endure?’
Enduring would be pointless.
A situation I cannot resolve with my abilities alone.
Mincheol whispered toward Bokdol-i.
“Bokdol! Location!”
Since Dok-an-gwi was listening too, I couldn’t speak in specifics.
Fortunately, Bokdol-i immediately grasped my intention.
-Just run north from here! If you cause a commotion, they’ll come running right away!
The moment I heard Bokdol-i’s words, I activated the skill.
【Skill ‘Kaecheon’ is activated.】
【All stats increase.】
【Consumes 30 mana per second.】
【Consumes a small amount of health per second.】
A vibration erupted from deep within my body.
At that sound, Dokangui froze.
“Huh? What is that?”
Mincheol didn’t bother answering. Instead, he swung his hand toward Dokangui.
A large spike shot out from his empty palm.
Dokangui raised his blade and lightly deflected the spike.
“How dare you throw a projectile at me!”
Dokangui’s eyes blazed a vivid crimson.
By any measure, they were not the eyes of a normal person.
Mincheol activated Black Horn Bullet Form and bolted northward.
“Kkwak, buff!”
A tempest fell from the sky.
My body grew light, and my speed surged dramatically.
In the blink of an eye, I traversed the Forest.
“Inoooom!”
Dokangui pursued Mincheol.
Mincheol had clearly departed first.
Yet Dokangui caught up to him in a single bound.
“First, I’ll sever your legs!”
Dokangui raised his blade to strike.
Mincheol summoned a hidden dagger he had stored in his Mystical Universal Gloves.
Then he hurled a projectile toward Dokangui.
“Futile!”
Dokangui deflected the projectile with ease.
But Mincheol’s projectile was not alone.
【Kaela Marbenia activates.】
【210 mana is consumed.】
【Please designate an item from your Inventory.】
Two hand axes flew in addition.
“What?”
Caught off guard, Dokangui took the hand axes squarely to his chest and abdomen.
Crash—
Yet the hand axes dealt no significant damage to Dokangui.
They ricocheted away with a sharp metallic ring, as though striking steel.
“…Using such strange sorcery, you must be a demonic cultivator! As a martial artist, I will never let you live!”
As if someone who kills people as casually as eating had any right to lecture.
Mincheol found it absurd, but he had no time to scoff.
Dok-an-gwi closed the distance at a terrifying speed, catching up to Mincheol in mere moments.
All the ground I’d gained became meaningless.
‘My opponent is a master at their peak. Kaela Marbenia won’t work again.’
In that desperate instant.
Bokdol-i cried out.
-Master, they’re right nearby!
Before the words even finished, two figures burst forth from directly ahead.
Both wore martial robes, with long swords hanging from their waists.
The moment Mincheol saw them, Dok-an-gwi’s expression darkened as he shouted.
“Geom-seong? Gunja-geom? What are you two doing here…?”
Mincheol hoisted the Jangbodo Fragment high and cried out.
“Dok-an-gwi! I’ll hand over the Jangbodo Fragment just as you wished!”
“What?”
Mincheol hurled the Jangbodo Fragment toward Dok-an-gwi.
Dok-an-gwi caught it reflexively.
In that instant, Gunja-geom and Geom-seong locked their gaze upon him.
“Damn it all!”
Dok-an-gwi spun around and fled.
Gunja-geom and Geom-seong swiftly pursued him.
Left alone, I exhaled a breath of relief.
The three vanished from sight in an instant.
Truly, they were masters of the highest caliber.
After considerable time had passed, I activated Auto Looting.
【All ‘Jangbodo Fragments’ within a 1.2km radius are acquired.】
【13 ‘Jangbodo Fragments’ are acquired.】
In a moment when thirteen Jangbodo Fragments—pieces that had been nearly impossible to find individually—came together.

—————

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

—————