I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 736

As everyone knows, my fighting style is a million light-years away from elegance.

Both swordsmanship and archery are merely means for combat convenience; in the end, I rely solely on my physical weight class and judgment.

The advantage of this fighting style is that its flexibility is incredibly high, and its ability to create variables is outstanding.

It’s not for nothing that the people around me unanimously praise my quick-witted adaptability.

But the disadvantage is that reaching a high peak is extremely tricky. To be precise, I only become good at combat ’itself.’

Sure, I somehow won, but looking back, I’m always left thinking, "Wait, how did I win?"

Of course, I could pass on know-how. The problem is that my fighting style itself makes passing on that know-how incredibly difficult.

Kwadoodeuk! Woojjigeun!

Just like right now.

Who would have thought someone would be smashing through countless trees with a ’Sword Master’ slung over their shoulder?

Even that Sword Master wasn’t staying still, striking my back with her elbows or hitting my ribs.

Every time she struck, it sounded like a cannon exploding, and even though I used Body-Protecting Gangqi, I felt the agonizing pain of my insides being turned into a mess.

Kwang!

"Keu-heuk...!"

As I charged recklessly, I suddenly collided with a massive boulder. Ash’s body flinched violently.

Without stopping, I thrust my fist toward Ash’s face.

Kwang!

Just as she did at the cliff earlier, she lightly dodged my punch.

Since it was just a plain punch with only basic technique and nothing more, dodging it wouldn’t have been difficult for her.

Normally, I would have thrown more punches to prevent her from dodging, but I didn’t do that now.

Because the more punches I threw, the more time I would just be giving her.

Peok! Peok!

Just like right now.

The moment Ash dodged my attack, she slammed her fist into my flank. I’ve felt this before, but it’s a pain that chills to the bone.

True to her reputation as a Sword Master, she didn’t just use a sword; she showed she was highly proficient in this kind of brawl as well.

In terms of combat itself, she could be considered similar to me. Instead, she has a vastly greater variety of techniques.

Kwang! Kwang!

Perhaps because of that, whenever I landed a single clean hit, she countered three or four times.

Actually, this is only normal; no matter how naturally gifted a street fighter is, they can’t beat a professional martial artist.

Since I had barely learned the basics from Ludwig, I was in no position to compare myself to her, who had trained in techniques her entire life.

It was a miracle that I could even land a single blow. But I couldn’t just keep taking it like this.

Kwa-ak!

After catching her fist with my hand, I grabbed her by the collar and threw her backward.

Having vividly experienced my technical limitations, my strategy was to force this into a pure brawl.

Teong!

Ash, whom I had thrown, stepped on empty air, spun around once, and quickly regained her balance.

She then stretched out her hand and recalled her sword. It was a natural flow.

Without hesitating, I pulled out my bow and fired arrows in rapid succession.

Teong! Teong! Teong!

Ash lightly deflected the arrows I fired with her sword. Then, she closed the distance and slashed at me.

Even though it was clearly just a single step, she appeared right in front of my nose as if space itself had shrunk.

If Yoo So-wol hadn’t shown me a similar technique before, I would have been flustered and taken a clean hit.

Jjeong!

In my haste, I manifested an Aura Blade on my bow to block her attack. That wasn’t all.

Jjeojeojeok!

As if telling her to get away, I manifested cold energy for the first time in a while, slowly freezing her sword.

The moment Ash saw the cold energy, she flinched and hastily retreated.

"Using cold energy for the first time in a while? I almost forgot about that."

Ash spoke with a deeper smile, as if finding it amusing.

Subduing Ash by mobilizing every single trick I had. That was my current objective.

"I’m doing it because it’s you."

I replied to her words and held out my hand. It was to retrieve the Sword of the Heavenly Demon, which was lying far away, using Telekinesis.

But Ash immediately charged at me, as if refusing to allow even that brief window.

Coincidentally, it was the exact moment I retrieved the Sword of the Heavenly Demon. Soon, we swung our swords at each other.

Kka-ang!

At first, a clear metallic clang echoed out.

Kwang!!!

Then, the powerful Aura Blades clashed against each other, unleashing a massive shockwave.

Unlike before, which was merely a preliminary skirmish, we now began to mix in genuine Lethal Techniques.

Even I couldn’t withstand the shockwave and was forced to fly backward.

"Keu-eeu..."

I slowly stood up and looked ahead. Since there was a cliff behind me, I hadn’t flown too far.

But Ash was different. She had flown so far that she couldn’t even be seen with the naked eye.

Moreover, she must have collided with trees on her way, as broken trees were visible here and there.

These weren’t trees knocked down by the shockwave, but trees left in ruins from colliding with something.

’That woman’s body is surprisingly sturdy too.’

I spat out the saliva pooling in my mouth. It was mixed with blood.

Having taken successive counters from her, I felt a churning sensation deep inside.

But that was only temporary; once I drew up a bit of mana, it quickly subsided. Having rolled around in the Forest of the Four Seasons, my recovery rate had grown incredibly strong.

If nothing else, I was confident in a battle of endurance. Furthermore, my mana showed no signs of running dry.

Shi-i-ing—

It was when I was looking in the direction Ash had flown. The sound of slicing wind pierced my ears.

Not long after that sound was heard, a thin, slender line caught my eye in front of me.

It was Sword Qi. And a highly condensed Aura at that.

Ash had unleashed the Sword Qi from afar. Seeing this, I quickly raised the Sword of the Heavenly Demon.

Jjeong!

I barely managed to block the Sword Qi with the Sword of the Heavenly Demon, but the boulder behind me was not so lucky.

I suddenly realized a shadow was falling over me and turned my head. The severed boulder was slowly sliding down to crush me.

It seemed she had aimed for this. As expected of someone with the title of Sword Master, she was clever.

Kwang!

Of course, that alone wouldn’t be enough to bring me down.

I lightly brushed the boulder aside with a casual swing of my arm.

Rather than brushing it aside, it would be more accurate to say the boulder shattered into pieces and scattered.

Ash probably knew this would happen too.

Shi-i-i-ik!

As expected, Ash followed up with another attack. But something was strange.

Ash was nowhere to be seen, and only her sword was flying toward me.

Before I could assess the situation, her sword flew straight toward my face.

I couldn’t let my face get pierced, so I twisted my head to dodge, but...

Jjeong!

"Eok?"

As if the sword were alive, it moved on its own and struck my neck hard.

Fortunately, the force wasn’t that strong, so it couldn’t pierce my Body-Protecting Gangqi, but it was bewildering nonetheless.

Cha-eng! Chaeng!

The sword, flowing with a green galaxy, moved as if alive and pressured me continuously.You are reading on novelping(.)com, the official source.

With a bewildered mind, I deflected each of the sword’s attacks one by one.

I didn’t know what kind of magic she had used, but I quickly realized it was Ash’s doing.

’What is this? Is it something like telekinetic sword control?’

It wasn’t an impossible concept. It was occasionally mentioned in the Gallery.

If Ash had also reached that realm, it wouldn’t be impossible. No, rather, it would be strange if she couldn’t do it easily.

Then where was the real Ash? Even while dealing with the telekinetic sword, I kept looking around.

Since I didn’t know when or where she would launch a surprise attack, I felt my concentration slowly slipping.

’She must be somewhere visible. Ash needs to keep me in her sight to attack.’

Earlier, when I was buried under the collapsed cliff, she didn’t notice me at all when I intentionally hid my presence.

Therefore, it meant she had to keep me in her line of sight to focus her attacks on me.

Based on this reasoning, I quickly scanned the area, and sure enough, I felt a gaze watching me from afar.

Cha-eng!

So, I quickly deflected the sword to push it away momentarily, and then—

Kkigigik! Pa-ang!

I fired an arrow in that direction to keep her in check.

Meomchit!

Good. Just as I expected.

The moment I fired the arrow, the freely moving sword faltered for a split second.

It meant Ash was hiding in the direction I had shot. I had to close in before she could change positions.

Kwang!

Putting strength into both legs, I dashed toward the direction I had shot the arrow.

I can’t use the Earth-Shrinking Art like Ash or Yoo So-wol.

In stead, I simply possess the physical ability to traverse that distance in the exact same amount of time.

"...Impressive."

As expected, Ash was right where I arrived. Her face showed admiration for a brief moment, but she soon smirked and fought back.

I felt a chilling sensation at the back of my head, but it didn’t matter. My Body-Protecting Gangqi was more than enough to block it.

Her telekinetic sword could only disrupt my vision; it was impossible for it to inflict direct damage.

That was probably because Ash couldn’t directly manifest Aura through it from a distance. It was merely a distraction.

Chwa-ak! Ka-ang! Kang!

The clash continued once more. Neither of us was panting yet.

Testing the waters was long over; all that remained was the real battle.

From here on, it was a battle of endurance and concentration. The moment one of us let our guard down, massive damage would accumulate.

’I’m fine. She’s the one who has to worry.’

Even if damage accumulated on me, it wouldn’t be a problem. I would recover quickly.

On the other hand, she couldn’t afford to allow even a single clean hit.

Peok!

She stomped down hard on my shin. A searing pain shot up from my shin, striking my brain.

As I’ve said before, I prefer dirty fighting. That’s the only way to win.

Since she was the one initiating this kind of fight, I could play dirty too.

Pa-at!

"Ah!"

For example, a visual attack using my Eye Lantern.

She squeezed her eyes shut at the unexpected attack. I had to pile on the damage before she could regain her sight.

Kwa-ak!

"Keuk?!"

But why was she fighting so well? She wasn’t just fighting well; she was even countering.

She let go of her sword and immediately attempted a joint lock on me.

Even if Body-Protecting Gangqi was sturdy, it was bound to be vulnerable to joint locks.

She even applied the technique fluidly without even opening her eyes. That wasn’t all.

Chwa-ak!

"Ah!"

She threw dirt into my eyes, which she must have grabbed without me noticing.

I had hesitated to act because her movements seemed a bit suspicious, but to think she would use such a trick.

Fortunately, only one of my eyes was hit; otherwise, my vision would have been ruined just like hers.

"You fight dirty."

"Look who’s talking."

A fight that could be called childish if childish, and dirty if dirty.

But isn’t this what a real fight is? I pressured Ash, using any means necessary.

Ash also accumulated damage on me, pulling out every single technique she could use.

Kwang! Kwang!

The sun began to set. Part of it was because the high mountain range made the sun set early, but it also meant that much time had passed.

They say fights between masters usually last for three days and nights, but that’s only the case in ordinary battles.

When fighting like this, with absolutely no regard for stamina management, endurance became meaningless.

Woojijik! Woojjigeun!

Blown back by Ash’s strike, my body flew backward. Colliding with numerous trees along the way was a bonus.

I barely managed to raise my aching body and exhaled. I could feel my breath growing increasingly shallow.

"Hua..."

"Are you giving up?"

Ash mocked from behind. I chuckled and glanced to the side.

On the ground lay a tree that had just snapped from colliding with me.

The moment I saw it, I picked up the large tree trunk without hesitation and—

Ppa-ak!!!

Swung it hard, striking Ash.

With that, Ash flew far away as if struck by a baseball bat.

Watching her fly, I immediately pulled out my bow and drew the string.

Pa-ang! Pang!

Two arrows were fired toward the flying Ash.

Even before she could fully regain her balance, she twisted her body and lightly dodged them.

But normally, she would have used Void Stepping and caught the arrows out of the air.

It meant both she and I were slowly reaching our physical limits. Soon, wouldn’t we show each other our final moves?

I dashed toward Ash as she landed on the ground and threw a punch straight at her.

Since she had just touched down, she had no choice but to raise both arms to block.

Jjeong!

With the sound of shattering glass, her Body-Protecting Gangqi broke into pieces. An opening.

Realizing this, I immediately swung my other fist, but she lightly ducked under it.

Peok! Peok!

Two consecutive uppercuts immediately landed on my abdomen. My feet, which had been planted on the ground, floated up into the air.

Just before my body could fly upward, Ash grabbed my ankle and slammed me straight onto the ground.

Kwang!

My face, not my back, collided head-on with the hard ground. Even though my Body-Protecting Gangqi was maintained, my mind went blank for a moment.

Then, spinning me around in that state, Ash casually threw me aside.

I barely managed to stand up and looked at her.

"Huu... Hua..."

Like me, she was covered in dirt and blood. Having fought without a single pause, stamina management had been completely neglected.Read the latest chapters at novel‌ping.com.

My mana, which I thought would never run dry, was already more than half consumed, and Ash was likely in a similar situation.

’Her absolute amount of mana might actually be similar to mine.’

As I’ve mentioned repeatedly, the difference between the techniques I possess and those Ash possesses is like heaven and earth.

It was only because I made up for it with my pure physical weight class and raw capability that it didn’t show.

If our physical weight classes had been the same, I would have been beaten to a pulp and run out of steam long ago.

"Haa..."

I slowly stood up and faced her. Only now did I realize that both Ash and I were panting heavily.

It meant both our stamina and mana were slowly hitting rock bottom. Only one thing remained.

To reveal the best move each of us possessed. Ash must have sensed this too, as she spread her palm.

The sword that had been left abandoned over there dragged along the ground and was soon caught in Ash’s hand.

If it were before, the sword would have flown back briskly. It showed just how exhausted Ash was.

"...I can’t help but wonder. What would have happened if you had woken up just ten years earlier?"

Ash said so, then gripped her sword with both hands.

She then slowly raised her sword, concentrating her Aura Blade.

Woo-oo-ung!

A galaxy flowed. A beautiful green galaxy.

Soon, that galaxy began to take on a form that wrapped around the sword, rather than just coating its surface.

It was similar to the phenomenon Yoo So-wol had shown when we sparred at the Heavenly God Martial Festival.

Her sword shimmered like a mirage, much like the entrance to the Forest of the Four Seasons.

With the green galaxy overlapping, it was as beautiful as a swaying aurora.

"..."

In the face of the full power she was displaying, I silently pulled out my bow and an arrow. Only one arrow remained.

And even that single arrow was just an ordinary one, not the kind that had pierced the Bone Dragon’s heart. Could I really counter that attack with this arrow?

It had been possible with Yoo So-wol because she held back to some extent, but Ash was different. She was gathering her strength with the genuine intent to kill me.

’What should I do?’

I slowly closed my eyes and nocked the arrow.

As I closed my eyes, a tranquility washed over me where no sound or sensation could be felt.

I only had one arrow left. I had to pour everything into this single arrow to counter Ash’s strike.

’What should I do?’

Who was I asking? I didn’t really know.

But someone answered that question inside my head.

—Faith is...

It was a familiar voice. There was no way I could ever forget it.

The person who had guided me when I was wandering after my parents passed away in an accident.

Not a malicious religious figure like those seen on the internet or the news, but the pastor who had personally cared for many children.

—It is not important whom you believe in and follow, my child.

He was a man who was always devout, practicing morality and love in accordance with God’s teachings.

—What matters... is whether you love.

I had always followed his teachings.

—Loving is what is important.

I had never forgotten his teachings. Even if the world had gone to ruin.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked ahead. My ’enemy’ was right before me.

Was that why?

’But God will shoot them with his arrows...’

I had the illusion of hearing a certain scripture in my head. But this was no illusion.

’They will suddenly be struck down.’

For I was the one whispering it to myself.

Ting—

As I released the string, the arrow glided forward smoothly.

As if a fish were swimming through water, incredibly smoothly.

Neither fast nor slow. Outwardly, it was just a perfectly ordinary arrow.

Hoo-ung!

In the meantime, Ash also brought her sword down with equal smoothness. As if drawing on a canvas with a brush, smoothly.

At least in my vision, both the arrow and the sword were incredibly slow, but—

Woadeudeuk!

As if a mirage had formed along the arrow’s path, I could see space itself distorting.

Soon, the arrow and the sword collided.

Jjeojeojeok—

With a fierce clash, a battle of mutual attrition began.

The tip of the arrow slowly wore down until it crumbled into dust, and cracks began to spiderweb across Ash’s sword.

Finally, just as the arrowhead was completely ground away—

Jjeong!

Ash’s sword snapped in half, and she was thrown backward.

I wondered if it was over, but perhaps deciding it wasn’t yet—

Kwa-ak!

She charged at me, gripping the broken half of her sword with her bare hand.

The arrow had already vanished into dust, and our respective strikes had canceled each other out.

I stared blankly at the charging Ash, waiting quietly. And then—

Teok!

I lightly caught her wrist as she tried to bring the broken sword down on me. It was only natural.

Deol-deol-deol-deol—

For I could feel Ash’s captured wrist trembling violently.

A trickle of blood leaked from her mouth, indicating she had suffered internal injuries.

"..."

"..."

"...Ha."

Jjaeng-geurang!

Ash let go of the sword fragment, letting out a laugh of what might have been hollow defeat.

The fragment fell to the ground, and even that piece shattered completely, scattering into dust.

The match was decided. I still had strength to spare, but she had exhausted all of her power.

"...That’s a total cheat. You were hiding that kind of power too?"

"I only just realized it myself."

"You know that makes it even more unfair, right? Well, still..."

Ash smiled faintly, then slowly leaned her face toward me.

Jjok!

A light kiss followed.

Unlike the sweet kiss from the Christmas miracle, this one tasted strongly of blood.

But for some reason, this kiss felt even sweeter.

Was it because Ash’s messy face looked pretty, or was it because my heart was pounding?

Whichever it was, one thing was certain.

"Not bad. Actually, I quite like it. What about you?"

"I also, well..."

Ash was incredibly beautiful.

I chuckled and caught her in my arms as she collapsed.

"It’s not bad."