The Solar Sacred Power, an introductory hybrid technique left behind by the Fire Emperor.
‘This is just for beginners?’
How incredible was the Solar Sacred Power?
It was a Grade 5 hybrid technique.
Furthermore, it was a Unique grade.
That meant if one succeeded in perfectly mastering it up to level 10, they could reach the level of a Zenith martial artist or a 5th Circle mage.
The Dream World was overflowing with experts, and the baseline for an expert was the Zenith stage or the 5th Circle.
It was a position where one could receive respect in any city!
Because of that, skills that could reach that realm were treated as secret techniques, yet this was supposedly just an introductory one.
Lee Tae-sung asked, feeling dumbfounded.
“…Is that even possible?”
“I find it strange as well. I wonder what kind of person that fellow, the Fire Emperor, was to leave behind something so nonsensical.”
Baek Woon-ho shrugged his shoulders.
“So, I thought about it a lot after finding out about you. Whether I should just kill you to erase the Solar Sacred Power, or torture you to extract the martial art.”
“!”
Lee Tae-sung flinched.
He had momentarily forgotten because he was listening to such ridiculous information, but he was currently in a situation where he could lose his life.
Even now, that crisis had not yet passed.
“From what I’ve gathered, you’ve mastered the Solar Sacred Power entirely on your own. Nothing was passed on to the Flying Dragon Gang separately.”
That was true.
Elder Dam Ho-pung had transcribed the mnemonic of the Solar Sacred Power that was carved on the ceiling of the Crimson Youngest’s cave.
The secret manual itself had been handed over entirely, and since Dam Ho-pung already had an internal cultivation method he was practicing, he hadn’t shown any particular interest.
In the first place, martial artists or mages tended to disparage hybrids as being ambiguous.
“Then… are you going to kill me?”
“I considered it, but I don’t think I will. I’ve heard that you’re an Outsider. No matter how many times I kill you, you’ll just revive, so there’s no point.”
No.
Baek Woon-ho might not know, but there was a point.
In the game, it might not matter how many times he died, but in reality, if he died a few times, all his skills would be deleted.
That absolutely could not happen.
Therefore, he forced a smile.
“Ha, haha. That’s true.”
“And you also killed my younger brothers. You nearly dismantled the Crimson Brotherhood as well.”
“……”
“You did well to kill them.”
“…Pardon?”
“I was planning to deal with them myself sooner or later. Thanks to you, I’ve been spared the trouble.”
“?!”
What on earth did that mean?
However, Baek Woon-ho was serious.
Originally, the three Crimson brothers had conquered the mountain fortress of Mount Byeokam while growing their power, and they happened to discover the Fire Emperor’s hideout.
Inside was the Fire Emperor’s diary.
The Fire Emperor did not have any disciples, but instead, he had left his knowledge scattered in various places.
“From that moment on, I wanted to throw everything away and obtain the Fire Emperor’s hybrids. I wanted to just leave.”
“Then why didn’t you just do that?”
“My brothers were the problem. Those rascals didn’t want to do that.”
-Brother! With this hybrid, we can live like kings!
-The youngest is right! Let’s grow the Crimson Brotherhood into a major sect in Ellen!
His brothers had wanted to greatly expand the Crimson Brotherhood, which had originally only consisted of a few subordinates.
Baek Woon-ho hadn’t wanted it, but he couldn’t refuse his brothers’ opinions.
They each took a share of the Fire Emperor’s hideouts near Ellen mentioned in the diary, and based on the new clues left in those hideouts, they each developed their own secrets.
As they grew stronger, his brothers became increasingly arrogant.
They were too different from what Baek Woon-ho wanted to do.
“Still, they were brothers I’d known for over ten years. My affection for them was too deep to cut them off recklessly.”
However, that affection had gradually vanished over time.
The second and third were driven mad by their greed for power and ran wild, even growling at each other later on.
Furthermore, they had even discovered new clues in the Fire Emperor’s hideouts they had divided up, thinking of getting stronger to dispose of their brothers.
“Their greed was endless. They were fellows who didn’t know how to be satisfied. Since it also meant their capacity was only that much, I was planning to cut them all off soon anyway.”
Since Lee Tae-sung had done that job for him instead, he was in a position where he should actually be thankful.
“Ha, haha…. That’s a relief.”
“Don’t laugh.”
“Yes, sir.”
Lee Tae-sung shut his mouth and racked his brain.
How could he ensure his survival?
“Should I give you the Solar Sacred Power manual?”
“No. That is a special hybrid that can only be learned by those who have learned absolutely nothing else. I have already learned something else.”
Baek Woon-ho spoke with a tone of regret.
That was to be expected, as according to the Fire Emperor’s diary, the Solar Sacred Power was said to be the first step to entering the main hybrid he practiced.
However, Baek Woon-ho couldn’t find it no matter what, so he had ended up learning something else the Fire Emperor had left behind.
“Martial arts, magic, hybrids. There is a saying that everything has its rightful owner. I suppose this is fate as well.”
Baek Woon-ho threw a book.
“Take it.”
Lee Tae-sung, catching it reflexively, checked it briefly. [Heavenly Web Flame Hand (Legendary)]
-Grade: Grade 5 Hybrid Palm Technique
“!!?”
Then, his mouth fell wide open.
It was a Grade 5 Legendary skill!
“A-No, why… give me this…?”
“It’s the hybrid I learned. Do you know what it is?”
“…Yes.”
How could he not know?
The man had tried to kill him with a hand dyed blood-red.
Thinking back to that memory still made him break out in a cold sweat.
“The reason I’m giving that to you isn’t because I like you. It’s a token of gratitude for cutting my ties with my brothers, and a price for helping me if I request it later.”
“…Would there be anything I could help you with, Senior Baek?”
Lee Tae-sung straightened his posture and immediately changed the way he addressed him.
“From now on, I’m going to travel around looking for the Fire Emperor’s hybrids. I won’t be able to learn the core of the Fire Emperor’s teachings, but since there are many other hybrids he created, there must be many excellent ones among them. However, in that process, there’s no telling when the Solar Sacred Power, which is the foundation of the Fire Emperor’s path, might be needed. If I seek you out then, I would like you to prioritize me regardless of what you’re doing.”
“Of course.”
Lee Tae-sung nodded without hesitation.
‘Isn’t this a total jackpot?’
Baek Woon-ho would find the Fire Emperor’s traces on his own and call him when something was needed?
He had to go, no matter what!
Who knew what he might obtain there!
Rather, he felt like he wanted to be called often.
“That’s why I gave you the Heavenly Web Flame Hand. You’re probably practicing the youngest one’s Thunder Fist, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“I recommend you don’t practice that any further. It’s fine at first, but as you progress, the lightning energy will invade your mind, making your personality violent and causing you to lose self-control.”
“!!”
Lee Tae-sung flinched.
To think there was such a side effect?
If it were any other user, they might have brushed it off as just a skill in a game, but for Lee Tae-sung, it was a completely different story.
He was also practicing Thunder Fist in reality.
If that side effect appeared in reality too… he didn’t even want to imagine what would happen after that.
“T-Thank you. Are there no such side effects with the Solar Sacred Power or the Heavenly Web Flame Hand?”
“None. Only the Thunder Fist and the Blood Burst Secret Manual have those. Did you happen to learn the Blood Burst Secret Manual as well?”
“No.”
“Good. Those two are said to be martial arts designed to increase power despite having side effects. My brothers said that minor side effects didn’t matter as long as they became stronger, but that’s not usually the case.”
“That’s true. Thank you for telling me.”
That almost led to disaster.
***
After the conversation concluded well, Baek Woon-ho vanished, saying he would now take his leave.
Afterwards, Lee Tae-sung emerged from the cave.
The bright, beating sun felt different all over again.
Even when he had faced Baek Woon-ho in the cave, he thought he was going to die there, but he had come out alive.
He had even heard the story about the Fire Emperor and obtained the incredible hybrid called the Heavenly Web Flame Hand.
‘In martial arts novels, there’s a joke that if you fall from a cliff, you’re guaranteed to find a legendary opportunity.’
Dream World wasn’t a martial arts setting, but since it was a mix of things, did that logic apply here too?
From now on, he might have to keep Hidden Detect active whenever he walked near a cliff.
Lee Tae-sung went to the center of the mountain fortress.
Before he knew it, Oh Choong, who had finished rounding up the bandits, was tying up the survivors.
“Are you here? Was there anything over there?”
“No. There wasn’t much on this side.”
“I see. Good work. Let’s go back and report.”
Oh Choong nodded as if he had expected it.
He hadn’t had high expectations from the moment Lee Tae-sung said he would look for something.
What would bandits like these even have hidden away?
Afterwards, they returned to the Flying Dragon Gang. Since the surviving bandits were only small fries who had surrendered quickly, they knew nothing about the Crimson Brotherhood or Baek Woon-ho.
Therefore, after a bit of interrogation, they were destined to be sold as slaves.
“Good job, everyone. With this, we’ve rooted out almost all the influence of the Crimson Brotherhood fellows.”
The Chief Administrator commended them for completing the mission safely.
-Ring!
[You have completed the quest]
[As a reward, you receive 2 skill points, 1 silver coin, and an appropriate amount of experience]
‘Oh!’
Lee Tae-sung’s eyes sparkled.
This was the first quest he had received after becoming a First-Class Disciple.
Certainly, now that he had reached this rank, the rewards had increased significantly.
Most of all, he liked the fact that skill points were given as a reward.
Afterwards, Lee Tae-sung finished exchanging appropriate greetings with the other disciples who had performed the mission together and walked toward the training ground.
Unable to contain himself, he pulled the secret manual from his robe.
He had originally intended to go to the training ground to learn it… but he couldn’t wait any longer.
-Ring!
[Would you like to learn Heavenly Web Flame Hand (Legendary)?]
[16 skill points are required]
And then, the notification appeared.
“…Damn it.”
Lee Tae-sung let out a sigh as if he had forgotten.
He had momentarily forgotten in his excitement at the thought of learning that blood-red palm technique.
The fact that good skills required that many points.
16 skill points.
He was slightly short of what he currently possessed.
Lee Tae-sung immediately turned around and went back to the Chief Administrator.
As Lee Tae-sung, who had just left, approached, the Chief Administrator tilted his head.
“Why? Did you leave something behind?”
“No. It’s not that, Chief. I’d like to do another mission; is there anything I can head out for right now?”
“At this hour?”
“Yes.”
He couldn’t wait another moment!
Seeing Lee Tae-sung’s smoldering eyes, the Chief Administrator was quite impressed inwardly.
‘To think there’s a young man so devoted heart and soul to the Flying Dragon Gang…!’
Wasn’t he a fellow who became more likable the more one looked at him!
“There are. Quite many.”
The Chief Administrator grinned and flipped open the ledger.
Lee Tae-sung shouted gallantly.
“I want to do everything that can be done quickly!”