Chapter 268: Feedback Ti
Standing alone atop a different stream of ti entirely, he pressed the start button—and the mont the countdown began, a vigorous surge of power filled his entire body.
For the Level 150 maximum level asurent, one needed to be capable of generating trendous speed at will—hence the provision of a body equivalent to the Superhuman build.
By his estimate, it felt like roughly seventy to eighty percent of a fully completed Superhuman build. The starting line alone was already absurd.
'Not that any of that applies to .'
——
The first gray disc finally revealed itself around the ti Baek Woohyun had achieved complete mastery over the sensation of his body—from the tips of his fingers to the tips of his toes.
One baffling detail was that its appearance and disappearance occurred almost simultaneously. Those living in ordinary ti probably couldn't even see it properly.
At best, they would be standing in front of where the disc had appeared and vanished, thinking: 'Hm, sothing seed to have co out here for a mont?'
Of course, that didn't apply to Baek Woohyun. The 'Slowed World' at a level one tier higher had fractured an instant and locked ti in place.
And added to that was the dynamic visual acuity to catch a disc that appeared and disappeared in the sa breath, the reaction speed to extend his hand precisely, and the thorough situational response.
The hidden requirent of body control? He was the user of a Superhuman build enhanced far beyond what even the maximum level's granted physical abilities provided. What more needed to be said.
Beeee───!
As Baek Woohyun's hand reached out and made contact, snatching the vanishing disc as if catching it, a notification of success rang out within the 'Slowed World.' Not a sharp beep—but a drawn-out beeee─.
The first disc touch was a success, but there was no ti to celebrate. A single asurent produced a total of one hundred discs—aning ninety-nine more remained to be touched.
Without question, he had no intention of missing a single one. To win over Kim Hyeonjun and Lee Yeonwoo, he needed to make his abilities unmistakably clear.
Retracting his arm, he imdiately kicked away a disc that appeared at thigh height, then smoothly turned his body—adjusting so that his slightly raised elbow would strike the next disc.
Using the rebound that followed, he leaned his body forward, and a disc that appeared as if it had been waiting collided with his knee, turned blue, and vanished.
It was a sight that looked as if he were reading the future. The wonder of it was quietly buried in silence—because no one watching could properly perceive what was happening.
Beeee───!
—?
—What is this, it's terrifying;
—What on earth is happening here
—Legendary ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Even to Baek Woohyun—who was in a deeper layer of the 'Slowed World,' though not yet the 'Stopped World'—the appearance and disappearance of the gray discs felt quite fast.
What that looked like to the viewers watching from outside was predictable. As said before, most of them couldn't even perceive the discs' existence.
If Baek Woohyun had missed the first disc, they would have been sitting there not even realizing the asurent had begun.
But fortunately for them, Baek Woohyun had succeeded in touching every single one of the dozen or so discs that had appeared in the span of just a few seconds.
aning vivid blue light remained in the air where gray had been, and the success notifications had rung out as many tis as there had been successes—so the viewers were t with blue spirit-fire scattering in all directions like will-o'-the-wisps, and a chorus of tones overlapping all at once.
'ㅇㅇ' donated '1,000 won'!
[Sothing is··· sothing is happening···]
—What the hell, this is scary
—Feels like I've gone blind with my eyes open ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
—I'm clearly watching with my eyes wide open?? And I can see nothing!
—The very definition of Cosmic Horror ㄷㄷ
Generally speaking, Cosmic Horror is a horror genre grounded in the helplessness and insignificance one feels when confronted with a being that entirely transcends what humans can comprehend.
So to describe Baek Woohyun—who could clearly be seen and yet not seen, who was impossible to understand no matter how hard you tried—as fitting the genre perfectly would not be an overstatent.
The mont the monster known as Baek Woohyun slightly peeled back the human shell he had been wearing and showed his true face, every viewer was plunged into unease.
Just look at him now. The faint afterimage, the blue will-o'-the-wisps scattering in all directions, the layered tones too nurous to count. It was terror itself.
Lee Yeonwoo had still been human by any asure; Kim Hyeonjun had given the feeling of gradually shedding humanity—but Baek Woohyun was sothing that transcended the perception of everyone present.
Every single person watching thought so. Except for exactly two.
Beeee───!
"······."
"······."
Kim Hyeonjun and Lee Yeonwoo—World Class players who could enter the 'Slowed World' at will—watched Baek Woohyun's asurent without so much as blinking.
From the two of them, who had their eyes wide open as if they couldn't afford to waste even the ti it took to blink, there was sothing almost desperate.
An earnestness that could only belong to those whose throats had gone dry with hunger for the next level—those who wanted, by any ans possible, to scale a wall that could not be scaled.
If Baek Woohyun had looked at their faces just then, he would have realized he didn't even need to demonstrate anything to draw them in.
Just one sentence—do you want to know the next step?—and those two would have handed over everything, liver and all.
Not just the raid party—if he wished, they would have stepped foot into a private server like 'Reverse City' itself. If only it ant receiving his guidance.
—Just settled it, uncontested top of physicality
—Cleared Battler and Nikki, that's all that needs to be said ㅇㅇ
—If the nickna Hackphysical was well-made, upvote ㅋㅋㅋㅋ starting with ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
—Suspecting hack ← actually was reasonable ㅋㅋ
Viewers couldn't help but naturally nod along at the overwhelming gap they sensed between Lee Yeonwoo and Kim Hyeonjun on one side and Baek Woohyun on the other.
There was even sympathy for those who had accused Baek Woohyun of hacking—saying anyone who saw this would have thought the sa.
Not that the very sa people typing in the chat would hesitate for a second to lay into anyone who revealed themselves as having suspected him of hacking.
[LV.150 = PERFECT CLEAR]
"Well. About what I expected."
—Maximum level perfect ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
—What? Nobody's been able to clear it?
—That was only because Hackphysical hadn't tried yet
—Never forget. Nuclear Tourism First Rule!
Having achieved a Perfect Clear—not missing a single one of one hundred discs total—on his very first attempt, and at the maximum level no less, Baek Woohyun's expression was utterly composed.
To him, even this hadn't been all that difficult. Partly because the physical abilities granted for the asurent had been fairly generous.
Co to think of it, that was only natural. If even he found it overwhelming, then ordinary people—never mind pros—would never even attempt it in the first place.
DH Empire's asurent program was ultimately designed for ordinary people, or rather for pro players who were simply a bit exceptional among them—so of course the maximum level would be manageable.
"Well then—I believe feedback ti was next? It's led by whoever has the highest score. That's right, isn't it?"
—Guest-host reversal world ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
—Feedback ti (led by Hackphysical)
—To think the day would co when two World Class players receive feedback from an amateur
—This is so funny ㅅㅂㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
The viewers laughed at the fact that two World Class pro players—who had nothing to be ashad of anywhere—were about to receive feedback from a re amateur.
Hearing the initial explanation of 'Proof of Strength,' they had thought it might co to this—and now that it was actually unfolding before them, they couldn't hold back the laughter.
Anyone would have reacted the sa way. Every user across the community would have thought identically.
"······."
But the two in question—Kim Hyeonjun and Lee Yeonwoo—wore expressions of complete seriousness. They clearly had no intention whatsoever of receiving feedback as a joke.
Even viewers who had been laughing without much thought stopped short with an 'oh?' upon seeing them stiff with tension.
They had expected them to laugh and chat casually—but sothing serious was unfolding.
—Why are their expressions so serious
—Did getting feedback hurt their pride, maybe
—No way; Battler has been learning builds from complete rookies and stuff
—I'm nervous ㄷㄷ
"The last ti we faced each other, you ntioned the next step beyond the Zone."
Kim Hyeonjun was the first to speak, and what he said was clear. It was about what had happened during the Challenger ranking climb. Back then, Baek Woohyun had defeated him—even after he had drawn on the 'Slowed World'—and said:
The realm he was currently using was one step beyond the 'Slowed World.' That the realm called upon by World Class players clearly had a next stage.
And furthermore—that if they wanted to know the path to reaching it, he could tell them, and that it would be a good opportunity─the 'Proof of Strength' content would be the chance.
"I want to learn it, without fail. I'm prepared to accept as much feedback as it takes."
"Sa here. Woohyun-hyung."
Lee Yeonwoo slipped in from the side to add his voice. He, too, had heard from Kim Hyeonjun that Baek Woohyun had ntioned the next step.
Kim Hyeonjun, who thought of Lee Yeonwoo as his successor, had spoken to him about challenging the next level together by receiving guidance from Baek Woohyun.
Lee Yeonwoo—who wanted to grow his own abilities just as much as he wanted to carry on Kim Hyeonjun's legacy, the very foundation of DH Empire—had of course agreed.
"Ha ha ha."
Looking at Kim Hyeonjun and Lee Yeonwoo, who desired sothing beyond re feedback, Baek Woohyun broke into a wide smile. His two eyes, curving softly, glead with an unsettling light.
If those who had trained under him 'on that side' had seen him now, they would surely have scread like children and scattered in all directions to flee.
The mont you were caught, a torturous training regin would descend so brutal it made death seem preferable—so scatter, and at least one of you might survive.
But unfortunately, the people here—Kim Hyeonjun, Lee Yeonwoo, and the viewers—didn't know him from his days as the Demon Instructor.
They had seen him teach others on occasion, but only that. They didn't know that to Baek Woohyun, it had felt like teaching kindergarteners.
That was why Kim Hyeonjun and Lee Yeonwoo hadn't run, despite an inexplicable chill creeping down their spines. Unaware of how bitterly they might co to regret it.
"You want to advance to the next level, don't you?"
—???: Hollowfication··· you want to control it?
—So it wasn't just feedback he was after
—Was it actually for this that Hackphysical was invited as the first guest?
—Judging by his expression, that seems possible ㅋㅋ
"Yes, absolutely!"
"Yes, that's right. Hyung!"
A stagnation born of having climbed too high, too fast.
Baek Woohyun—the absolute powerhouse who had appeared at a mont when even the existence of a next step was unclear.
The next step he had ntioned had completely captivated Kim Hyeonjun and Lee Yeonwoo. Enough to thoroughly ignore the screams of their own instincts.
'My, my—there wasn't even a need to deliberate.'
Seeing the expressions on Kim Hyeonjun and Lee Yeonwoo's faces, Baek Woohyun let out a small laugh. He had belatedly realized there had been no need to think about drawing them into the raid party before coming here.
But that wasn't such a bad thing. If anything, it was better. He could achieve his original goal and, at the sa ti, properly hone the raw gems of talent he had found after a long while.
"Understood. I'll teach you."
"···!"
Toward the two whose faces had lit up with joy, the corners of Baek Woohyun's mouth split wide.
Like a demon that had found its prey.
Reviews
All reviews (0)