The Automatic Rooting Range Is Too Wide - Chapter 200

—————

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 200
Fire
Episode 200: Dok-an-gwi (1)
* * *
“Hwa-shin truly seems remarkable,” Wi Ji-yeon whispered.
As they wandered through the Heavenly Demon Tomb, Wi Ji-yeon murmured to Moon Yu-baek.
“After such an intense battle, he shows no signs of exhaustion whatsoever.”
“Perhaps it’s because he’s maintaining the meridian channels through the Absorption Technique. That could explain it.”
The two exchanged hushed words while observing Mincheol walking ahead of them.
Of course, Mincheol’s true thoughts were entirely different.
‘God, I’m exhausted.’
Despite consuming potions and food that aided physical and mana recovery, the fatigue refused to dissipate.
‘The Mana Engine is powerful, but… it doesn’t seem like a skill I can use recklessly.’
Now that I thought about it, Michael Alzen had said something similar.
-Fuck! Don’t get cocky just because you learned the Mana Engine! It’s not a universal solution!
-The Mana Engine is a short-term decisive battle skill! You should only use it when you’re certain of victory or when attempting a reversal!
-You know that movie line? With great power comes great responsibility!
-But you idiots can’t understand even when I explain it in such detail.
His words had been spot on.
While it dramatically increased the probability of victory, failing to finish within the time limit would inevitably push me into a desperate situation.
It was like burning all my bridges behind me.
‘Hmm, something feels like it’s on the tip of my tongue.’
I recalled the sensation from when I used Gaecheon.
My mind tingled like it did just before Seonggwangbicheon leveled up.
-Master, I’m afraid this won’t work.
Bokdol-i called out to me.
“What’s wrong?”
-The structure of the Heavenly Demon Tomb is becoming increasingly complex. At this point, recording it is a waste of effort.
I retraced my steps back the way we came.
The corridor was silent—so much so that it was hard to believe it kept changing.
“You said it was because of a formation array, right? Is there no way to break it?”
-I’m sorry. I investigated the formation array, but I don’t know how to break one of this caliber. Even other guilds don’t have that information.
Bokdol-i’s voice grew quieter.
I reassured him it was fine, then asked Moon Yu-baek.
“Moon Yu-baek, do you happen to know how to break a formation array?”
“I’m afraid I’m unfamiliar with formation arrays, sir.”
Moon Yu-baek lowered his head as he answered.
It was unavoidable. Formation arrays were among the most secretive knowledge in the Martial Arts Realm.
Even martial artists rarely possessed proper understanding of them.
“However, I do have some secondhand knowledge.”
“What is that?”
“When encountering a formation, I’ve heard that discerning its intent should come first.”
“Intent?”
Mincheol recalled the path he had traversed thus far.
It was as intricate as an ant colony.
Rather than extending in straight lines, it twisted and curved, forcing one to circle the same location repeatedly.
As this thought crystallized, Mincheol arrived at a hypothesis.
‘Could it be designed to make martial artists encounter one another?’
Complex as it was, the structure ultimately looped back to its starting point.
With such a design, continuous encounters with other martial artists were inevitable.
‘But something feels off. Only chosen individuals can enter this place.’
Yet the formation had been constructed with multiple people in mind.
‘What on earth is this?’
No matter how much I pondered, no answer emerged.
I ceased my deliberation and spoke to my companions.
“Let’s keep moving for now.”
Standing idle would yield no answers.
The group resumed their advance.
After walking for some time, the narrow passage opened into a vast cavern.
Thud— Thud—
The moment they entered the cavern, a strange sound reached their ears.
It resembled the sound of meat being pounded in a mortar.
The source of the noise came from the center of the cavern.
Corpses whose forms were unrecognizable lay scattered across the ground.
“Die! Die!”
A middle-aged man was trampling the bodies.
With each stomp, blood sprayed outward. His lower garments were already drenched in blood and flesh.
“How dare you look down on me! I am not someone of your ilk to be taken lightly!”
Abruptly, the middle-aged man’s movements ceased.
He turned his head and fixed his gaze upon Mincheol.
“You are?”
“Who are you?”
Mincheol and the middle-aged man.
Both recognized each other immediately.
They could not have failed to do so. Less than a day had passed since their enmity was forged.
“Dok-an-gwi Yeon Sa-hyeok?”
Though ranked at the lowest tier, a master who confidently held a seat among the Top 100 Masters of the World.
The man who had attempted to seize a Jangbodo fragment from me stood before my eyes.
“So you’re the wretched bastard who threw a Jangbodo fragment at me and fled! I never expected to see you again in this place!”
Dok-an-gwi gnashed his teeth audibly.
Yet something about Dok-an-gwi’s appearance seemed off.
His once-pristine garments had been shredded like cloth torn by a blade.
Worse still, every piece of fabric was drenched in blood.
Not blood seeping from the surface, but hemorrhaging from within.
His left sleeve had been completely torn away.
Across his exposed left arm, a long gash ran from shoulder to forearm.
“This is all because of you! If you hadn’t thrown that fragment of the Jangbodo at me back then! I wouldn’t have ended up like this… *cough*, *cough*.”
Dok-an-gwi was even coughing up blood.
The blood he expelled carried a dark hue—a sign of severe internal injuries.
It seemed he had sustained grievous wounds while being hunted by other masters over the Jangbodo fragment.
“To meet you here of all places! Heaven truly favors me!”
Dok-an-gwi unleashed his inner force.
A colossal aura bore down upon my entire body.
“Ugh!”
“Argh!”
Wi Ji-yeon and Moon Yu-baek were not spared from Dok-an-gwi’s overwhelming presence.
Both clutched their chests, their faces drained of color.
The killing intent was so vicious it had begun affecting their internal organs.
‘This is insane.’
I felt my skin crawl.
Even wounded, he possessed such power? What kind of monster had he been in his prime?
‘Talking our way out of this… won’t work.’
Dok-an-gwi’s eyes burned with fury and murderous intent.
-Master, just give the order. I’ll move according to plan.
Bokdol-i, concealed by optical camouflage, spoke to me.
The plan.
Before entering the Martial Arts Realm, I had devised several critical strategies with Bokdol-i.
One of them was specifically for combat against a Top 100 Master of the World.
I had intended to avoid such a scenario entirely, but the world rarely cooperates with our intentions.
So I had no choice but to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
Yet the Top 100 Masters of the World were formidable opponents that even high-tier Awakened struggled to face properly.
Opposing them with my abilities alone was impossible.
But I had Ramakan.
Of course, Ramakan alone could not stand against a Top 100 Master of the World.
However, he could create an opening.
And if I drove a Legendary-grade weapon through that gap?
Wouldn’t that create a sliver of a chance to survive?
‘…Probably not.’
The Top 100 Master of the World I now faced was a monster far beyond my calculations.
I couldn’t even muster the thought that victory was possible.
‘Of all people, why did I have to encounter him?’
But I couldn’t afford to remain in despair.
I had no intention of dying quietly like this.
Even if it seemed nearly impossible, I was determined to struggle until the very end.
I grasped the sword’s hilt firmly.
Seeing this, blood vessels burst in one of Dok-an-gwi’s eyes.
“You dare raise a blade against me when you should be begging for your life! I’ll tear off your limbs right now——.”
Squelch—
Suddenly, something erupted from Dok-an-gwi’s chest.
A long, black object like charcoal.
Only seconds later did I realize it was a human arm.
“Gack, gack!”
Dok-an-gwi’s chest was pierced through, yet he remained alive.
Blood spilled from his mouth as he turned around.
Then a face appeared, dark as if covered in ash.
But that face was distinctly different from an ordinary person’s.
Aside from its blackness, the facial structure was so gaunt that the bone was visible.
“Wh-what! A Black Corpse!”
Dok-an-gwi cried out in disbelief.
“Why is a Black Corpse here…… Hack!”
Squelch—
The Black Corpse drove its arm deeper.
The intense pain caused Dok-an-gwi’s eyes to widen.
“This…… insolent creature!”
Dok-an-gwi seized the Black Corpse’s arm.
He poured all his strength into his grip, but the Black Corpse’s forearm remained unmoved.
Crack—
Dok-an-gwi swung his palm downward, striking the Black Corpse’s abdomen.
Boom—
The Black Corpse flew backward, its arm tearing free.
Only then could Dok-an-gwi find some relief from the pain.
“Cough, cough.”
Dok-an-gwi spat blood and turned around.
There was not just one Black Corpse. Five Black Corpses were now staring at Dok-an-gwi.
“Guardians of the Heavenly Demon Tomb? You’ve chosen the wrong opponent to face!”
Dok-an-gwi tapped his nose with a finger, and a long sword slid from its sheath.
He seized the hilt and unleashed a torrent of sword energy toward the Black Corpses.
Crash! Boom!
Fierce slashes struck the Black Corpses repeatedly.
Each time, they flew backward, but they rose to their feet unharmed.
“What?”
Bewilderment flickered across Dok-an-gwi’s face.
The Black Corpses spread wide and surged toward Dok-an-gwi.
But their speed was extraordinary.
With just a few bounds off the ground, they had encircled him.
“You disgusting, rotting corpse bastards!”
Dok-an-gwi unleashed another torrent of blade energy.
The Black Corpses tore through the storm of blade energy with their bare bodies.
And then, they seized his limbs.
Crunch—
As the Black Corpses exerted their strength, his arms and legs were torn away effortlessly.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
A scream followed.
But it cut off just as quickly.
A Black Corpse drove its fist down, crushing Dok-an-gwi’s head.
“….”
Mincheol and his companions were left speechless.
Though Dok-an-gwi had lost the use of one arm and suffered severe external and internal injuries, he was still one of the Top 100 Masters of the World.
How could such a powerhouse fall so easily?
“Even for the Heavenly Demon Tomb, how could they create something like that?”
Mincheol muttered in disbelief.
Then Moon Yu-baek spoke in a trembling voice.
“…No, that’s not it.”
“What?”
“That’s not a corpse created by the Demonic Cult. Look—its entire body isn’t desiccated like a mummy. That’s a corpse from the Great Desert.”
The Great Desert.
A term meaning vast wasteland.
And the desert worthy of being called the Great Desert in the Martial Arts Realm did not exist in the Central Plains.
Which meant….
“The Fengsha Ancient Palace! A sect from the Borderlands that practices all manner of forbidden arts!”
Whoosh—
The Black Corpses rushed toward Mincheol’s group to kill them.
-Master, danger!
Bokdol-i materialized and unleashed a barrage of cutting strikes.
Formless cutting energy battered the Black Corpses.
Thud—
But these were Black Corpses that had withstood Dok-an-gwi’s blade energy.
Bokdol-i’s cutting strikes had no effect whatsoever.
They only paused his advance momentarily.
‘They’re too hard. How am I supposed to penetrate that outer shell?’
At that moment, the Black Corpse charged down the wall.
Its speed was so tremendous that it defied gravity itself.
Whoooosh—
Bokdol-i immediately unleashed a blade of energy, hurling the Black Corpse away.
Then, four of them rushed at me simultaneously.
‘The speed is terrifying. Even I’m struggling to keep up with their movements.’
Given that it had pierced through Dok-an-gwi’s torso in a single breath, it clearly possessed monstrous strength as well.
In other words, it was a foe that was damnably durable, frustratingly fast, and terrifyingly powerful.
‘This thing is practically perfect!’
First, I had to breach that impenetrable exterior.
I hurled my weapons toward the Black Corpses.
【’Flame Burst’ activates.】
【’Lightning Strike’ activates.】
Crimson flames and azure lightning swept across the Black Corpses.
Yet the Black Corpses walked through them unscathed, as if they were nothing.
‘So Unique-grade attacks don’t even scratch them?’
I was biting my lip when—
“…The Black Corpses created by Fengsha Ancient Palace are nothing short of monsters. Though they possess no internal energy whatsoever, they’ve been subjected to countless techniques and alchemical treatments, making them virtually indestructible.”
Moon Yu-baek muttered in despair.
In that instant, I froze.
“Wait, say that again.”
“The Black Corpses are virtually indestructible….”
“No, didn’t you say something about internal energy just now?”
“Ah? The Black Corpses are ultimately corpses, so no internal energy flows through them whatsoever.”
At that moment, my lips curved upward of their own accord.
“Is that so?”

—————

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

—————