The Automatic Rooting Range Is Too Wide - Chapter 204

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

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Auto Looting Range Too Wide Episode 204
Chapter 204: Dok-sin-sa-gwi (4)

Episode 204: Dok-sin-sa-gwi (4)
The moment Gunja-geom embedded itself into the wall, Mincheol understood the gravity of the situation.
The plan had fallen apart. Those two alone couldn’t restrain Dok-sin-sa-gwi.
Geom-seong’s defeat would come swiftly.
After that, it went without saying—Mincheol would be next.
To survive, I had to act immediately.
So I retrieved Grunbarunkadhun from my Inventory.
The instant I hurled it into the air, Dok-sin-sa-gwi’s fist came crashing down on Geom-seong.
In that heartbeat, Dok-sin-sa-gwi felled Geom-seong and charged toward me.
Frustratingly, I couldn’t perceive the entire sequence of movements.
All I could catch were blurred afterimages.
But it didn’t matter.
【Skill ‘Weight Adjustment’ activates.】
The axe’s skill had triggered at precisely the right moment.
Crash—
The moment the axe expanded, a violent boom erupted.
Beyond the axe, Dok-sin-sa-gwi drove his fist forward.
True to its nature as a Grand Warlord’s axe, Grunbarunkadhun withstood the assault.
But I couldn’t afford to relax.
The duration of ‘Weight Adjustment’ was brief.
I had to act before the axe’s size diminished again.
I pulled Sharbahan from my Inventory and hurled it to threaten Dok-sin-sa-gwi.
Sharbahan’s cutting power was exceptional, but its speed was far too slow.
For that reason, I rarely drew it in one-on-one combat anymore. It was too difficult to land a hit.
But now, when merely threatening was the goal, speed mattered little.
I threw Sharbahan through the gap between the ceiling and the axe.
【Skill ‘Ricochet’ activates.】
【Skill ‘Wind Slash’ activates.】
Sharbahan bounced off the ceiling and hurtled toward Dok-sin-sa-gwi.
Truthfully, I had no idea if it would connect. I’d simply thrown it recklessly.
Slice—
Then, beyond the axe, I heard something being cut.
I couldn’t help but be startled.
‘Wait… did I actually cut Dok-sin-sa-gwi?’
Dok-sin-sa-gwi’s body was so resilient that even the sword energy of a supreme master couldn’t harm it.
To sever it so effortlessly?
I knew Sharbahan possessed formidable cutting power, but this exceeded all expectations.
“W-what on earth is that…?!”
Dok-sin-sa-gwi’s voice reached me from beyond the axe.
It seemed I hadn’t managed to finish him off after all.
I immediately continued with my next move.
First, I positioned myself with my back against the wall. Then I pulled out the Silver Veil Cloak and activated my concealment skill.
My body became transparent from head to toe.
But this alone wasn’t enough to feel safe.
Dok-sin-sa-gwi’s senses were sharp enough to detect even the activation of Auto Looting.
Would he really fail to notice concealment created with merely a Rare-grade item?
That’s why I pulled Bokdol-i from my Inventory.
“Bokdol-i! Optical Camouflage!”
Bokdol-i activated the function without even asking why.
I positioned the now-transparent Bokdol-i in front of me.
Immediately after, Grunbarunkadum shrank. I could see Dok-sin-sa-gwi in the distance.
I reflexively activated Auto Looting.
【Acquiring all ‘Electronic Spirit Cores’ within a 1.2km radius.】
【Acquiring 1 ‘Electronic Spirit Core’.】
The moment I retrieved Bokdol-i, Ramakan’s body exploded.
Scattered components scattered everywhere.
Beyond them, my eyes met Dok-sin-sa-gwi’s.
Unexpected situations unfolded one after another.
No matter how skilled a master might be, they would be caught off guard.
A flinch—
Astonishingly, Dok-sin-sa-gwi reacted even in this situation.
He had seen through my intention and tried to evade the Carving.
But I hadn’t positioned myself against the wall for nothing.
It was to restrict his movement and predict where he would go.
‘I knew he’d charge in a straight line!’
I had pre-designated the activation range of ‘Carving’ at the location where Dok-sin-sa-gwi was expected to arrive.
From the moment Dok-sin-sa-gwi kicked away Bokdol-i, the translucent box and his chest had been overlapping.
【Using ‘Carving’.】
【Acquiring all objects within the cubic range.】
A gaping hole opened in Dok-sin-sa-gwi’s chest.
There was nothing inside.
All the organs that should have occupied that space had been drawn into my Inventory by the Carving.
A thud—
Dok-sin-sa-gwi’s movement ceased.
He looked down at his own chest with a vacant expression.
“This… how… is this possible…?”
Black smoke began pouring from the hole.
In that moment, despair flickered across Dok-sin-sa-gwi’s mummified face.
“The Grand Technique… the Grand Technique is crumbling…! No, this can’t be! I… I perfected the Grand Technique!”
Dok-sin-sa-gwi dropped to his knees and tried to sweep the smoke into his arms.
But there was no way the smoke would gather.
The smoke simply dispersed and vanished.
“I… I’m ending like this… this can’t be… aaahhh…!”
Perhaps realizing his efforts were futile.
Dok-sin-sa-gwi’s movements ceased. Instead, he lifted his head and glared at Mincheol.
“You… if only you hadn’t existed…!”
Intense murderous intent crystallized in Dok-sin-sa-gwi’s eyes.
“You alone… I will absolutely kill you!”
My instincts screamed danger.
The moment I tried to respond, Dok-sin-sa-gwi stamped the ground with all his strength.
That instant.
Crunch.
Dok-sin-sa-gwi’s foot crumbled like sand.
Dok-sin-sa-gwi stared at his own foot with a vacant expression.
“I… don’t want to die…!”
With those final words, Dok-sin-sa-gwi’s body completely collapsed.
* * *
“Wow, I thought I was dead.”
I leaned against the wall and exhaled a breath of relief.
The confrontation with Dok-sin-sa-gwi had lasted only a few seconds.
But it felt like the longest moment of my life.
If my reaction had been even slightly slower, I would have died by Dok-sin-sa-gwi’s hand.
“Hwa-shin!”
Wi Ji-yeon and Moon Yu-baek rushed over in panic.
I raised my hand to show them I was unharmed.
The two stared at Dok-sin-sa-gwi’s corpse in disbelief.
It was difficult to even call it a corpse. It looked like a pile of sand.
“You… truly defeated Dok-sin-sa-gwi.”
Wi Ji-yeon spoke in a trembling voice.
As the primary culprit behind the Demonic Cult’s annihilation and her father’s enemy, complex emotions seemed to surface.
“To face such a monster… you’re truly remarkable!”
“It’s not me—it’s the ability that’s remarkable.”
I spoke casually.
Dok-sin-sa-gwi was a monster beyond common sense.
He could simultaneously face two supreme masters that even upper-tier Awakened ones found overwhelming.
It was thanks to Auto Looting having a matchup advantage over Dok-sin-sa-gwi.
“True… it’s certainly thanks to that strange ability… but….”
Moon Yu-baek’s expression grew gloomy.
Even the finest blade in the world became merely a sharp sword in the hands of an ordinary man.
The emperor of an ancient empire that existed before the Martial Arts Realm was formed had once lost over a million soldiers against a single minor kingdom.
In other words, how one wielded power mattered far more than the power itself.
From that perspective, what Mincheol displayed was extraordinary.
No—it was positively astounding.
“….”
Yet Moon Yu-baek couldn’t voice such thoughts aloud.
The sheer wonder of it left his mouth unable to move properly.
In the meantime, Mincheol approached Gunja-geom and Geom-seong and administered healing medicine to them.
Wi Ji-yeon spoke to Mincheol with an anxious expression.
“Is it alright to treat those two?”
“They helped me, so I should help them in return.”
Without the opening those two had created, I wouldn’t have conceived of the plan, let alone executed it.
‘Well, they’re residents of the Tower, so treating them won’t matter in the end….’
Once I left, everything would return to its original state anyway.
The dead would be revived, the wounded would be healed.
But I couldn’t bring myself to be callous about such matters.
It might be my nature, or it might be because of Nasalga.
The Alchemist of the Plague, Nasalga.
Meeting him had changed my perspective on the residents considerably.
“Ugh….”
“Mm….”
The healing medicine was effective—the color had returned to both their faces significantly.
“Let’s escape quickly before they wake up.”
“Yes!”
“That would be best.”
These two knew that Wi Ji-yeon and Moon Yu-baek were members of the Demonic Cult.
If they faced each other now, nothing but troublesome complications would arise.
Mincheol’s group hurriedly relocated to another area.
* * *
After traveling some distance, the group realized something.
“The formation… appears to be broken?”
No matter how many times they traversed the same section, the structure remained unchanged.
Until moments ago, such a thing would have been unimaginable.
“It seems Dok-sin-sa-gwi himself was the center of the formation.”
“Is that possible?”
“Normally, it would be impossible. However, since Dok-sin-sa-gwi was in a state of descent, he was as good as an object….”
Now that the formation was broken, they should be able to escape the Heavenly Demon Tomb.
Of course, they would need to be cautious, as they might encounter martial artists along the way.
“Another fork in the road.”
I was contemplating the three entrances before me.
“Huh?”
Wi Ji-yeon turned her gaze toward the third entrance.
“Something… is calling to me.”
Mincheol and Moon Yu-baek exchanged meaningful glances.
Wi Ji-yeon was a descendant of Cheon-ma.
Now that the formation had vanished, something within the Heavenly Demon Tomb might be resonating with her.
“Lead the way, then.”
“Yes!”
The party followed Wi Ji-yeon deeper into the darkness.
After traveling for some time, Wi Ji-yeon stopped at a dead end.
“It’s here. Somewhere in this place…”
Wi Ji-yeon bent down and brushed her hand across the ground.
*Rumble—*
The ground split open left and right, revealing a descending staircase.
The party descended the stairs into the depths below.
At the bottom lay a cramped basement chamber.
It was so narrow that a single stone coffin placed in the center filled it completely.
“I can feel it… Cheon-ma rests within that coffin…”
I stared at the coffin in astonishment.
‘The legendary Cheon-ma lies in such a humble casket?’
It was far too small and plain.
This was no fitting place for a legendary being to find eternal rest.
“Ahhh…”
Wi Ji-yeon placed her hand upon the coffin. Black light erupted from it.
“Tch!”
I instinctively tried to dodge the radiance.
But dizziness overwhelmed me first.
Without even a moment to resist, I lost consciousness and collapsed.
When I came to, I was standing upon a lake.
“What?”
I looked down in bewilderment.
I stood upon the water’s surface, yet my feet did not sink.
“Who are you?”
I lifted my head at the unfamiliar voice.
A handsome man with long white hair gazed down at me.
“Who… are you?”
At my question, the handsome man’s expression darkened.
“Hey, you fool. I asked first.”
“Ah… I’m Kim Min-chul.”
In that moment, Mincheol felt a flicker of doubt.
Was it really acceptable to introduce myself so carelessly?
“I see, so you’re Kim Min-chul.”
But the handsome man paid it no mind.
Instead, his expression radiated satisfaction.
“This one was once called Wi Ji… no, I discarded such trivial names long ago. This will be easier for you to comprehend.”
The beautiful youth straightened his chest as he spoke.
“I am Cheon-ma, supreme above all under heaven, unparalleled through the ages.”
* * *
Mincheol’s eyes blinked rapidly.
They said the Heavenly Demon Tomb held the legacy of Cheon-ma.
He never imagined he would meet Cheon-ma himself directly.
“Wahaha! You look quite startled!”
Cheon-ma crossed his arms and laughed heartily.
“Don’t be so moved. I’m not the real one.”
“Pardon?”
“I am merely a lingering thought Cheon-ma left behind. Nothing more than an arrangement he prepared.”
Even as Cheon-ma introduced himself as a mere thought, not a shadow of sorrow crossed his face.
“But who are you?”
Suddenly, Cheon-ma asked again.
“I already told you, sir. Kim Min-chul…”
“No, that’s not what I mean. You don’t seem to be from this world. Where do you come from?”
A chill ran down my spine.
The inhabitants of the Tower don’t realize this place is the Tower.
Yet Cheon-ma grasped immediately that I was from a different dimension.
And the figure before me wasn’t even Cheon-ma himself—merely a lingering thought.
“You’re right. The truth is…”
“Ah, no need for tedious explanations.”
Cheon-ma reached out and grasped my head.
I had no chance to dodge, no time to react.
“Oho?”
“Hmm.”
“Ah?”
Cheon-ma uttered exclamations in succession.
After a moment, he withdrew his hand from my head.
“So Murim has already perished.”
Cheon-ma murmured in a calm tone.
Mincheol asked carefully.
“Does that not sadden you?”
“Sad? Why would I be?”
Cheon-ma tilted his head, and his words seemed entirely sincere.
“What in this world is eternal? Even this body has exhausted its lifespan.”
Mincheol was taken aback.
Cheon-ma’s way of thinking transcended the realm of ordinary mortals.
Merely sensing a fragment of it sent shivers down Mincheol’s spine.
“But what intrigues me is you.”
“Me?”
“What exactly are you?”
“Earlier, I said my name was Kim Min-chul….”
“How did a Young Novice who’s wielded a sword for less than a year defeat an Awakened?”
“Well, you saw it yourself. It’s thanks to my unique skill.”
Mincheol spoke casually.
At that, Cheon-ma’s eyes widened dramatically.
Then he burst into hearty laughter.
“Wahahahaha! Have I ever seen such an absurd creature! To be unaware of your own abilities!”
“Pardon?”
“Extraordinary. Most extraordinary. How can you grow so rapidly without even recognizing your own talent?”
A broad smile spread across Cheon-ma’s lips.
“What do you mean, sir?”
“Revolting creature. A dragon’s spawn imitating a serpent. Never mind. A dragon is a dragon regardless. You’ll realize it soon enough without anyone telling you.”
Mincheol stared at Cheon-ma with a bewildered expression.
“I wondered how you reached this place. You were worthy of it.”
“Pardon? Then what about the other two?”
“Those two never qualified to stand before me. They’ll merely obtain a few martial techniques and that’s all.”
Cheon-ma spoke with finality.
He seemed to harbor no attachment even to his descendant, Wi Ji-yeon.
“In any case, since you stand before me now, you have the qualifications to become my successor. Yes, you do. Abundantly so.”
Mincheol’s eyes gleamed at Cheon-ma’s words.
The martial techniques of Cheon-ma, one of the legends of the Martial Arts Realm!
All the terrible hardships endured to reach this place were worth it.
“But to be honest, you don’t need to learn the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.”
Yet suddenly Cheon-ma said something deflating.
“Pardon?”
“The techniques you’re already cultivating are no ordinary arts. Compared to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, they don’t fall far short. They must have been created by the absolute masters of this era.”
Ah.
Mincheol let out a brief exclamation.
Meteor Spear Technique, Five String Resonance Kick.
While both were certainly formidable skills, he hadn’t expected Cheon-ma to praise them so highly.
“And if the Heavenly Demon Divine Art were added on top, it would be excessive. Like mixing fine liquor with everything else—it becomes unpalatable.”
At those words, Mincheol felt a chill of foreboding wash over him.
“Wait… surely you don’t mean…?”
“It would be better if you didn’t learn the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.”
“Huh?”
Mincheol cried out before he could stop himself.
Not learn the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?
What was all this suffering for then!
“Besides, your temperament doesn’t suit the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. It’s a martial technique that pursues the path of tyranny—steeped in killing intent. It’s a technique that inevitably forces you to slay your enemies. Can you truly bear that burden?”
Cheon-ma asked with a grave expression.
Mincheol fell silent for a moment. Kill everyone he met?
‘That’s… a bit much.’
He couldn’t help but hesitate.
“And if I were to pass on my martial arts, your friend would surely be furious with you.”
“Huh?”
Suddenly, my Inventory opened, and Whitey burst forth.
Whitey puffed up its body protectively in front of Mincheol.
“Wahahahaha! Such a pure and radiant flame—I’ve never seen its like! Truly a divine treasure among divine treasures!”
Meanwhile, Cheon-ma simply observed Whitey with an amused expression.
“How amusing. My successor possesses such a divine treasure. Fate truly is fascinating.”
“You said I shouldn’t learn your martial arts, but what do you mean by successor?”
Mincheol grumbled.
Cheon-ma chuckled and spoke to Mincheol.
“I said I couldn’t pass on the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. I never said I had nothing to give you.
“Huh?”
“You’ve achieved mastery in many domains, yet there’s one thing you’ve never learned—swordsmanship.”
That was true.
Though Mincheol’s primary weapons were dual blades, he had never formally studied swordsmanship.
He relied only on the basic sword techniques he’d inherited through Cardmos Dunwall’s memories.
“How delightful. The one who receives my final insight wields the same weapons as I do and possesses a sacred divine treasure besides.”
A smile bloomed across Cheon-ma’s face once more.
“None but I have ever entered this martial art, yet your vessel is more than capable of holding it. Refining it will be arduous, but with that flame at your side, it shall be far easier.”
Cheon-ma snapped his fingers.
Formless energy burrowed into Mincheol’s mind.
In that instant, a tremendous flood of knowledge crashed down upon him.
【You have acquired the knowledge of ‘Cheon-ma’.】
【Your realm is shallow; only a portion can be interpreted.】
【You have acquired ‘Sun and Moon Divine Sword’.】

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

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