The Returner's Martial Arts are Too Strong - Chapter 1
All those who awaken through a program called the Awakened System gain abilities and knowledge.
For example, someone who awakened the fire magic trait gained aptitude for magic, magical power, and knowledge of fire magic.
Moreover, in general, awakened people were able to grow further by sharing knowledge.
Those who awakened the fire magic trait mainly used fire magic, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t use other magic.
That’s why magic, aurors, psychic powers, elemental magic, etc… Competencies in various fields developed through knowledge sharing.
but… I couldn’t do that.
‘The world’s only martial arts trait awakener.’
I received attention because I was the only one in the world.
In particular, martial arts was a subject that was familiar to Asian people, so expectations were high.
“… … ”
And I didn’t live up to those expectations.
All I gained through awakening was a body suitable for martial arts and basic knowledge of martial arts.
Feel the inner energy, build it up in the Danjeon… And I had to create a martial arts related to internal energy in the form of internal energy training, such as Ungi Chosik and Danjeon Breathing, from start to finish on my own.
‘I had help from the system, but I’m not a genius.’
Of course, the process couldn’t have been easy.
Although the government actively supported me, the problem was that in the process, there were people who tried to monopolize the new concept of martial arts through me.
These people not only harmed me, but they also tried to drag me in by kidnapping my mother.
Because of them, I was devastated, and it had to take a long time for me to come to my senses and become martial arts.
‘… Although I went through such hardships, I managed to develop martial arts skills, gain enlightenment, and grow.’
The realization I gained was whether there was a need to be stuck in the frame of martial arts.
Wizards use magic to ignore the laws of physics.
Not only can knights use auras to do things similar to martial arts people, such as creating swords called aura blades or strengthening their bodies, but they also use auras to cause various phenomena.
Espers see the world from a different perspective than ordinary humans and force certain phenomena to occur.
Spiritists create miracles by borrowing the power of nature called spirits.
‘Does it make any difference if it’s martial arts?’
A wizard’s magic, a knight’s auror, an esper’s supernatural power, and a spiritist’s spirit.
Their knowledge was so widely known that even I could obtain it, and I realized it by comparing their knowledge.
If I accumulate strength in the lower battle, wizards and knights gather magic or aura in the middle battle (heart), and espers and spiritists gather mental power or spirits in the upper battle (brain).
In other words… .
‘If I gather my strength in the middle and upper stages, wouldn’t I be able to do something similar to them?’
At first glance, I thought it might be crazy, but I believed in the awakened system.
In the meantime, the Awakened system warned me in advance if I was likely to be attacked.
And I succeeded.
My skills began to accumulate before the break, and I was able to imitate magic and aura.
‘From then on, I started training in closed pipes.’
I decided to cut off all contact with people around me and go to a quiet place to practice.
As time passed, I was able to build up my strength in the middle game and succeed in imitating magic and auras in the middle game, so I was able to accumulate my skills in the top game and use my superpowers.
I couldn’t use spirit magic because I didn’t recognize the existence of spirits.
Now that I can use magic, auras, and even supernatural powers, my perspective on the world has changed.
Thinking that I had been wrong about martial arts until now, I started making martial arts from scratch.
How much time has passed since then?
When I came to the conclusion that I needed to improve my martial arts skills through actual combat, I returned to society.
‘… ‘If only I had come out a little earlier.’
And I was able to realize that the world had been destroyed while I was practicing the closing ceremony.
******
I walked along the road.
Then I saw traces of destroyed buildings.
Most of the numerous buildings that had risen to the sky were only traces, perhaps because they had offended the monsters.
‘Still, I’m glad the road wasn’t destroyed.’
The road that the monsters would have walked on was by no means in good condition, but its original shape still remained, and thanks to the occasional signs, I was able to roughly guess which area I was in.
But all I could guess was which area I was in, and I couldn’t find any traces of survivors.
If I had known this would happen, I would have just continued training at the closed facility instead of wandering around.
No, was it a mistake to be greedy for power and practice closing?
Wouldn’t it have been better for me to die fighting against destruction with others instead of training to close the gate?
I kept walking, mocking myself like that.
“Kruk?”
“Kyahaha… !”
Walking down an open road is bound to attract the attention of beings who see anything moving as prey.
I noticed their presence, but I kept walking without paying them any attention.
Those guys can’t get to me anyway.
“Krraa… !”
“Kyaaagh… !”
“!”
The monsters near the road rushed at me.
But like I said a little while ago, those guys can’t get to me anyway.
Kwasik… !
puck!
The monsters that were charging at me exploded and died.
I kept walking without even looking at them.
Then the monsters who saw that didn’t come towards me.
Because they also have a sense of fear.
Because they also have that level of intelligence.
‘Because I know that they cannot win even if they attack as a group.’
The approaching monsters died simply by being exposed to my ‘murderous intent.’
Perhaps the monsters feel a difference in class when they see me killing my own people with only murderous intent.
‘What a difference in class, seeing as I couldn’t even complete a proper martial art.’
I laughed and walked like that.
Yes, I still haven’t completed martial arts.
If I had wanted to be satisfied with simple martial arts, I would have completed it a long time ago.
But I was greedy.
Magic, aurors, superpowers.
I wanted to create a martial art that could use all three powers together.
My goal has become so high that I have not been able to complete my martial arts skills even now, even though it has been decades since I finished my training at the closed school.
‘The framework was roughly set, but… .’
I solidified my foundation through closed-door training and improved my level of perfection by slaughtering monsters over the past few decades, but… Something was lacking.
And I am guessing what the final piece will be to complete the martial arts performance.
‘I need a fight with an opponent who is stronger than me.’
I needed to fight against a being with more power than me and more technology than me.
But ironically, my strength, which only took one step, had already become too strong.
I tried crying and eating mustard by digging myself into the crowd of monsters, or deliberately raising a few monsters and making them strong enough to put my life in danger to fight them, but it was all meaningless.
‘Just because you have stronger strength than me, that doesn’t mean your skills are better than me.’
Considering the intelligence of monsters, there may be a monster that is stronger than me, but I think there is no monster that has superior skills.
“what… Just because I met such a monster… “Even if I complete my martial arts skills, nothing will change.”
The world is already ruined.
In a world like this, there is no advantage to becoming stronger than you are now other than surviving a little longer.
It is said that the martial arts people in the novel go into the mountains and retreat in order to meditate, but I have no intention of going that far.
I just want someone to find survivors, hang out with them, live with them, and die with them.
In that sense… .
‘You’ve arrived.’
I thought so as I looked at the huge dome.
That’s not a building.
A barrier set up by someone to protect the people inside.
After wandering around the country for decades, I finally found traces of survivors.
‘Who opened it?’
If he was capable of deploying such a huge barrier, he would be famous enough for me to know.
Or maybe it’s a new ability that came out after I started training at the closed coffin.
If I think about the time I spent training in the closed coffin and the time that has passed since then, I’d say it’s closer to the latter.
It doesn’t matter which one.
The important thing is that someone set up a barrier.
That someone is alive.
‘Let’s see… .’
I observed the barrier closely.
It would be possible for me to force open the barrier and enter, but that would be a nuisance to the survivors inside.
And since I also learned magic, I have some knowledge about barriers.
so that… .
‘If we just split it from here to here, it won’t affect the entire barrier.’
I modified the barrier slightly.
The overall effect is the same as before, but there is temporarily a little hole that I can fit into.
Ji-ing… .
After completing the modification of the barrier, the barrier in front of me opened slightly.
When I saw that, I quickly entered the inside of the barrier before it closed again.
And then I thought.
‘The person who opened the barrier must have noticed my presence, right?’
I don’t know who set up the barrier, but I had no intention of being hostile, so I disarmed it and put it in my bag.
The only weapons I had were an old sword at my waist and a robe made of troll skin.
however… .
“hmm… .”
Why aren’t you coming?
If I had known that someone had modified the barrier and entered, I would have come to see me to at least find out who it was.
“… … ”
When I thought about that, I felt uneasy for no reason.
no way.
Probably not.
‘That’s right, I’m in a state where I can’t move because I’m maintaining the barrier.’
It must be a huge burden to maintain such a large barrier.
On the contrary, it would have been strange if he had maintained this barrier and came looking for me.
I said that and tried to convince myself.
… Because I didn’t want to believe it.
Because I didn’t want to believe that all that remained here was the barrier and that there were no survivors.
“… … ”
I walked again.
I didn’t want to believe it, but I still had to check.
I had to hold on to my last hope.
If there are any survivors left, they must be near the core of the barrier.
but… .
“… … ”
As I entered the huge stadium that was presumed to be the core of the barrier, I had no choice but to grit my teeth.
‘That’s bullshit.’
There was a magic circle on the floor to maintain the barrier, and in the center of it sat a woman with her eyes closed.
If you look at it, it looks very peaceful, but outside the magic circle, the situation is completely different.
dead body.
All that filled the outside of the magic circle were corpses.
‘Everyone’s wounds are different.’
Some people have cuts from swords, others have been burned to death, and others have been pierced to death by something… .
‘… Then, that woman maintaining the barrier is… ?’
I turned my head and checked the woman sitting in the center of the magic circle.
But she… .
“… … ”
It was a corpse.
A corpse, not a living person, was maintaining this barrier.