The Automatic Rooting Range Is Too Wide - Chapter 205
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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 205
Fire
Episode 205: Dok-sin-sa-gwi (4)
Immediately after, a new landscape unfolded before me.
A mountain peak jutting sharply into the sky.
Upon it stood an Old Man wielding dual blades.
The Old Man gazed quietly at the heavens before suddenly unleashing his swordsmanship.
With each stroke of the dual blades cutting through empty space, pitch-black sword energy erupted forth.
Mountain ranges split asunder, and the earth tore open.
Every movement carried power that could shake heaven and earth.
Yet there was something else worthy of attention.
Everything touched by the sword energy turned black.
Trees crumbled with the stench of decay, and living creatures withered to bone in the blink of an eye.
‘Death.’
Watching that spectacle, I murmured softly.
The Old Man’s swordsmanship embodied death itself.
Who could possibly withstand such a blade strike?
At least, I knew of none. Even Dok-sin-sa-gwi appeared as an ant before that power. Even the Manager seemed incapable.
Suddenly, the Unnamed Man’s sword energy transformed.
Instead of the dark hue, a blazing white sword energy poured forth.
This time, the opposite phenomenon occurred.
Wherever the white sword energy touched, new shoots sprouted, and newborn creatures scurried about.
The world once shrouded in death was instantly dyed with life.
Both life and death bent to the Old Man’s will.
It was a power far too immense for a mere mortal to wield.
‘Is this… martial arts?’
As I stood in shock,
the Old Man crossed his dual blades. Black and white intertwined. Life and death merged.
The next moment, I regained my senses.
The Old Man had vanished. In his place stood Cheon-ma, gazing at me.
“What did you perceive?”
At Cheon-ma’s question, I stammered my response.
“I saw… life and death.”
A flicker of disappointment crossed Cheon-ma’s eyes.
I failed to notice it.
I was too preoccupied with processing what I had witnessed.
Life and death intertwine.
Things that cannot coexist were existing together.
‘Or can they truly not coexist?’
Cheon-ma spoke.
There is nothing eternal in this world.
Even I have reached the end of my life, or so I thought.
Death follows birth as naturally as day follows night.
In that moment, something flashed through Mincheol’s mind.
“…And I witnessed how they harmonize in an endless cycle.”
The instant Cheon-ma heard that answer, his eyebrows shot upward.
Life and death were interconnected.
The Old Man’s swordsmanship was not about wielding life and death separately.
It was about cycles.
Just as the sun brings daylight and the moon brings darkness.
It embodied the endless cycle of nature’s laws.
“So the Sun and Moon Divine Sword contains the principles of nature itself.”
“Krahahahaha—”
The moment Cheon-ma heard Mincheol’s words, he burst into uproarious laughter.
His mouth gaped so wide his throat was visible, and he laughed as if the heavens themselves were collapsing.
“I knew I had a good eye for talent! I sensed you could comprehend the complete essence!”
“Wait, you were serious?”
Mincheol asked with a bewildered expression.
He had merely spoken his thoughts aloud and never expected them to be correct.
“Extremes meet at their limits! When I reached the pinnacle of demonic cultivation, I attained enlightenment in a new realm!”
The Demonic Cult followed the demonic path and revered strength.
As the patriarch of that path, Cheon-ma had reached its ultimate end.
“Life and death are one body! To divide and distinguish between them is foolishness! Thus, I poured the wisdom of a lifetime into creating the Sun and Moon Divine Sword!”
Cheon-ma spread both hands wide.
From one hand poured an ominous and sinister energy, while from the other flowed an energy as clear and pure as groundwater.
“After more than a thousand years, someone finally appears to inherit my life’s understanding! This is why fate is so wondrous! Wahahahaha!”
Watching Cheon-ma’s unbridled joy, Mincheol thought to himself.
‘So basically, he uses both demonic and righteous energy simultaneously.’
Stripping away all the grandiose and exaggerated elements, it was a sword technique that could harness opposing forces at once.
‘It’s certainly impressive.’
Though Mincheol had summarized it simply, there was no doubt it was an extraordinary technique.
The black sword energy was tyrannical enough to shatter the world and drive all things toward death.
Meanwhile, the white sword energy was so pure it could breathe new life into a world consumed by death.
To contain such extreme and opposing forces within a single technique.
One could say it transcended the realm of martial arts itself.
‘But why explain it so complicatedly?’
It was at that moment.
Cheon-ma’s brow furrowed slightly.
“You’re not harboring disrespectful thoughts, are you?”
Mincheol’s body trembled with a start.
It seemed that someone of Cheon-ma’s caliber could read the innermost thoughts of others.
“But why would it be good to have Whitey around?”
In moments like this, deflecting with a question was the best approach.
Mincheol quickly posed his inquiry.
“The advantage of the Sun and Moon Divine Sword is that when you cultivate one aspect, the opposite aspect grows alongside it. Master one, and the other naturally follows.”
“Oh, really?”
“However, there is one drawback. To cultivate the Sun and Moon Divine Sword, you need an extremely pure spiritual essence—whether demonic or righteous.”
“Ah, so that’s why you looked at Whitey?”
Cheon-ma nodded.
“With that creature present, I could rapidly elevate my mastery of the Sun and Moon Divine Sword.”
Now I understood why Cheon-ma had been so delighted.
I was in the optimal situation to master the Sun and Moon Divine Sword.
“It seems I’ve given you everything you need.”
The surface of the lake began to tremble faintly.
It was time to return to reality.
“Is there perhaps something I could help you with?”
Before the Mental World completely collapsed, I asked Cheon-ma.
I felt indebted for receiving such a magnificent sword technique so freely.
“There is nothing.”
Yet Cheon-ma spoke without hesitation.
“Now that I’ve passed on the Sun and Moon Divine Sword, all my lingering attachments have vanished.”
Cheon-ma added with a smile.
“I’m truly grateful to have met you.”
With those words, the Mental World completely crumbled.
* * *
I opened my eyes in reality.
“Gasp!”
“Gasp!”
Not only I, but Wi Ji-yeon and Moon Yu-baek regained consciousness simultaneously.
“The, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art… it, it flooded into my mind.”
Wi Ji-yeon spoke first.
“I didn’t obtain all of it, but… I still remember the essence!”
“I… had a similar experience. I learned the divine art that the Eight Dharma Protectors had mastered.”
Both their gazes turned toward me.
“I met with Cheon-ma.”
Saying so, I observed Wi Ji-yeon’s expression carefully.
Despite being a descendant, she had not encountered Cheon-ma.
Yet as an outsider, I had met him—a situation that could only leave her feeling bitter.
“That’s truly remarkable!”
But Wi Ji-yeon burst into a bright smile and exclaimed.
He didn’t seem to be hiding his displeasure. He was genuinely delighted.
“Of course Hwa-shin deserves it!”
“Right. With such an outstanding martial artist, the Cheonma would surely have taken notice.”
It seemed the two of them recognized Mincheol’s worth.
“Hwa-shin….”
Suddenly, Wi Ji-yeon hesitated before speaking.
“What will you do from now on? If, if you don’t mind, come with me.”
Wi Ji-yeon’s face was flushed crimson all the way to her ears.
“With Hwa-shin here, it would be a great help in rebuilding the Demonic Cult. If, if we rebuild the Demonic Cult… I would place you in the position of Grand Protector….”
Mincheol scratched his cheek.
In truth, I had nothing to do with the Demonic Cult.
I was deliberating whether I should reveal the truth.
“I know what you’re hesitating about. You’re not actually the Cheonma’s incarnation, are you?”
Mincheol couldn’t help but freeze.
“You’re not even a demonic cultivator to begin with.”
“How did you….”
“You always referred to the Demonic Cult as the Demonic Cult, not the Divine Cult.”
“When you used your inner power, I didn’t sense any demonic energy at all, so I caught on immediately.”
Moon Yu-baek added.
Mincheol couldn’t help but be flustered. I never expected they knew all along.
“I don’t know what your purpose was in helping us, Hwa-shin. Still… I wish you would stay with me.”
Wi Ji-yeon’s eyes pleaded with earnest longing.
But Mincheol could only shake his head.
“I can’t do that.”
“…Is it because I’m from the Demonic Cult?”
“That’s not it.”
Mincheol looked up at the empty air.
A message was floating there.
【You have cleared floors 36-40 with EX rank!】
【Hidden Quest ‘Successor to the Cheonma’ completed!】
【You have fully uncovered the hidden secret! Rewards greatly enhanced!】
【You acquire a massive amount of experience.】
Lv.78 -> Lv.88
-All stats increase by 2 per level.
【You acquire clear rewards.】
-All stats increase by 120.
-You acquire 7 ‘Inventory Expansion Vouchers’.
【You acquire a hidden piece.】
-You acquire 120 ‘Bound Coin of Fortune’.
【You will return to Earth in 1 minute.】
It was time to leave.
From the beginning, I could never stay with Wi Ji-yeon.
She was a resident of the Tower, and I belonged to a different dimension.
“I suppose it cannot be helped….”
A bittersweet smile graced Wi Ji-yeon’s lips.
“I cannot hold back someone who must depart. But from now on… I will never forget you, Hwa-shin.”
I offered a wry smile in return.
I knew her vow was futile.
She was a resident of the Tower. Once I left, she would forget everything and repeat the same time endlessly.
Just like Nasalga.
With a peculiar bitterness settling in my chest, I returned to Earth.
* * *
“Good grief, I’m exhausted.”
“Kkwak.”
The moment I returned to Earth, I threw myself onto the bed.
Kkwaekkwi buried her face in the blanket as well.
I gazed up at the ceiling, lost in thought.
“I nearly died back there.”
As I said this, I paused in contemplation.
Why did I keep saying similar things every time I returned from the Tower?
“Well, this time it was genuinely close.”
I encountered a supreme master so formidable that even upper-tier Awakened ones found him overwhelming.
I had to fight Hwal-gang-si, who dominated two supreme masters.
“If not for Bokdol-i, I would have died….”
Thinking of the destroyed Ramakan, my heart ached.
Since Ramakan was a hidden boss, I could never obtain it again.
“Sigh, what a waste.”
At least as I climbed the Tower, increasingly powerful machines would appear as enemies—that was some consolation.
I was swallowing my tears when it happened.
Suddenly, my Inventory opened, and two Memory Stones flew out.
Cardmos and Sihae Yeomhwa.
-Inooooom!
Cardmos bellowed the moment he materialized.
-You return and don’t immediately pay your respects! What do you think you’re doing sprawled out on a bed!
I stared at Cardmos with an expression of disbelief.
I had just arrived and was dead tired—what was this about?
“Why should I?”
-Did you forget that we cannot contact you once you enter the Tower! You should at least tell us you’ve returned alive!
I regarded him with a weary expression when—
-Please don’t be upset with him. Your disciple rarely returns, so he’s been worried sick about you every day.
—What are you talking about? Who said I was worried?
Cardmos’s face flushed red as he protested.
Sihae Yeomhwa ignored Cardmos’s objection and turned to Mincheol with a question.
—So why did it take so long this time?
“Well, about that…”
Mincheol explained everything he had experienced.
After hearing the full account, both of them wore expressions of bewilderment.
—You encountered Hwal-gang-si…?
—And not only did you survive, but you… defeated him?
“It’s all thanks to Auto Looting. Without it, I’d be dead.”
Mincheol spoke with pride.
The two exchanged glances, their faces full of unspoken words.
—Auto Looting is impressive, but…
“I know. I survived because two peak masters helped me.”
—No, that’s not what I mean…
“Oh, and Bokdol-i played a huge role too.”
Cardmos started to say something, then let out a heavy sigh.
—Fine, let’s say Auto Looting is amazing.
“And then after that…”
Mincheol continued his explanation.
When he reached the part about learning the Sun and Moon Divine Sword, Cardmos suddenly burst out shouting.
—Hey, you fool! Why are you learning swordplay?
“What? Of course I should learn it. My main weapon is dual blades.”
—Use a spear! A spear, I tell you!
Cardmos struck his chest repeatedly with his fist in frustration.
—The legacy of Cheon-ma… that’s truly remarkable.
In contrast, Sihae Yeomhwa showed genuine interest.
As someone from the Martial Arts Realm, her perspective on the name Cheon-ma was naturally different.
—Enough of that. Let’s see this Sun and Moon Divine Sword or whatever it is.
“Here?”
—How could we possibly do that here?
In an instant, Cardmos brought Mincheol into the Mental World. Sihae Yeomhwa came along as well.
“Then I’ll demonstrate it.”
Mincheol retrieved his dual blades from his inventory.
But an unexpected message appeared.
【The activation conditions for ‘Sun and Moon Divine Sword’ have not been met.】
“Huh?”
Mincheol pondered for a moment, then retrieved Whitey from his inventory.
Whoosh—
As Whitey coiled around the dual blades, a new message appeared.
You have met the conditions to use the ‘Sun and Moon Divine Sword’.
You can now activate the first technique: ‘Celestial Brush’.
The moment I activated the skill, my body shot forward like an arrow.
Moving in a straight line, I wielded both blades in rapid succession.
White trajectories embroidered the empty air one after another.
Though the space had been empty moments before, the traces remained suspended in the void as if carved into stone.
“How was that?”
I turned to face the two of them and asked.
-….
-….
But the two remained silent for a long moment.
“Hello?”
I asked again.
-What in the hell have you been learning?!
Cardmos shouted, his face flushed with astonishment.
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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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