Chapter 169
It was right after arriving at Cheongdam House.
Martin Park looked around Cheongdam House and spoke.
“You live in a humble place.”
“Is that so?”
A humble Cheongdam House…
But considering the size of American millionaires’ mansions, he thought it might be reasonable.
Not to mention, Martin Park was no ordinary person; he was one of the top-ranked talents, even among Hunters, surpassing 2-star level.
‘Besides, he’s in the art industry, so the wealth he’s amassed is probably unimaginable.’
That’s why he had the reputation of an eccentric.
With that much money, he could have people gather materials for him, yet his dedication to craftsmanship led him to always collect the materials himself.
Suho showed him to an empty room.
It was one of the guest rooms left vacant, a room more spacious than the master bedroom in most apartments.
Looking around the room, he said.
“The bedroom here will do. So, where’s the studio?”
“The studio… If you don’t mind, I can show you to the basement.”
“The basement feels cramped. Give me an upstairs room with a terrace if possible.”
“…Understood.”
He thought Martin might paint in the bedroom, but this was one particular person.
Still, without further comment, Suho offered him a vacant room on the second floor.
The second floor was as spacious as the first, so even with Nam Haewon using part of it as a workspace, a lot of space remained empty.
After showing him how the on-site amenities worked, Suho ordered the necessary supplies for his work.
As he was about to say goodbye and leave, Martin called out.
“Wait a moment.”
Martin suddenly took a notebook and pen from his pocket and went out onto the terrace.
He looked at the scenery outside, sketching swiftly, then added a large full moon in the center of the notebook, which wasn’t present in the actual view.
He tore out the page with the drawn full moon and handed it to Suho.
“Take this.”
“…Did you finish this already?”
“This kind of thing can only be captured in unfamiliar places. I added an imagined moon to make it a one-of-a-kind landscape, so you should be able to get what you want.”
“Can we enter right away?”
“Quite impatient, aren’t you? But there’s no reason why not.”
At Suho’s request, Martin Park activated his skill.
[Martin Park has invited you into the painting. Do you accept the invitation?]
The answer, of course, was yes.
[Entering Martin Park’s painting.]
With the system notification, Suho entered the hastily sketched painting.
Upon entering, he found himself not in Cheongdam House’s second floor but face-to-face with a massive full moon instead of Martin Park.
‘This ability is insane.’
It was truly a remarkable ability.
It was just a playful sketch, but he’d managed to create a setting with a full moon.
As he stared at the moonlight, Suho took the “Library Scroll” from his inventory.
The ordinary-looking scroll gleamed under the moonlight.
[The moonlight is abundant.]
[The Library Scroll’s door has opened.]
[Would you like to enter the Library of Martial Arts?]
Item information appeared, and the system asked Suho a question.
When Suho indicated his approval, his body was pulled into the Library Scroll.
***
[You have entered the Library of Martial Arts.]
Same as before.
There was no gate indicator, and there were no changes this time, either.
In front of him stood a towering stone pagoda, and Suho quickly began ascending it.
Naturally, it was easier to climb than last time.
It seemed to be thanks to his heightened strength.
When he set foot on the library floor.
Whoosh!
An arrow flew at him immediately.
Suho attempted to activate his skill right away.
Thump!
An unexpected heartbeat.
It wasn’t an arrhythmia or anything of that sort.
Immediately after the heartbeat, countless trajectories appeared before Suho’s eyes.
‘This is…’
The trajectories stretched out before him.
They were none other than the paths of the weapons fired from the “Automatic Defense Mechanism.”
Yet, the actual attack from the defense mechanism had not even begun.
The fact that he could see these in advance was due to another reason.
He quickly identified the cause.
A small icon appeared in one corner of his vision.
The icon’s name was none other than “Dragon Sense.”
‘So, Dragon Sense has activated.’
Dragon Sense.
One of the powers he had gained along with Dragon Grow, the third authority of Dragon Blood.
It was a form of sixth sense, a perception only Dragons could possess.
‘I didn’t expect it to activate like this.’
Since Dragon Sense was a skill he’d never seen before, he hadn’t known the exact conditions for activation.
But now that it had activated for the first time, it seemed to show him impending danger in advance.
Thanks to it, Suho could find areas where the trajectories didn’t overlap and evade naturally.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fierce barrage of attacks.
Yet he could dodge them far more comfortably than when he had to rely on mana detection.
Eventually, the sounds of something breaking could be heard, signaling that the defense mechanism had ceased operation.
And then.
Bang!
A large iron pillar rose before him.
At the same time.
Clang! Creak—
Limbs extended from the iron pillar, revealing the appearance of the library’s guardian.
[A Boss Monster has appeared.]
Suho directed his gaze to look above the guardian’s head.
– Library Guardian Lv.???
It still showed no level indication.
But the guardian, too, would have grown much stronger.
The guardian shared the status window with the challenger.
The guardian quickly began to fulfill its role.
[The Library Guardian has activated the Battlefield of Conviction.]
[While the Battlefield of Conviction is active, the Library Guardian’s status window will mirror the challenger’s status.]
[During the Battlefield of Conviction, all combatants in the area can only use weapons specified by the Library Guardian.]
The skill activated.
Simultaneously, an icon appeared above the guardian’s head and began spinning like a slot machine.
Soon, the slot machine stopped.
[The Library Guardian has selected a weapon.]
[The designated weapon is ‘Blunt Weapon.’]
[Combat begins.]
The icon stopped at the image of a club.
“A blunt weapon.”
The designated weapon was a blunt one.
The guardian immediately pulled out a massive club.
“Well then, let’s give it another go.”
Suho also drew out his “Blood Club” right away.
The moment he pulled out his club.
Bang!
Without a word, they both charged toward each other, and the two clubs clashed as if they were swords.
Crash!!
An intense, deafening roar.
And then.
[The Library Guardian has admitted its defeat.]
[The gate has been conquered.]
The gate was cleared right away.
It was inevitable.
The moment their clubs clashed, Suho’s Blood Club shattered the guardian’s club like a stick of kindling.
Suho looked at his Blood Club, which hadn’t sustained a scratch, and nodded.
‘The gap is this wide now.’
It was strange.
Even though they shared the same conditions, the difference was that significant.
The answer lay in the skill difference.
No matter how much the guardian shared the same stats under the field effect, it didn’t share Suho’s skills.
‘In any case, there’s no way it could have something better than True Blood Weapon.’
Suho turned his gaze to check the system notifications.
[The MVP of the gate’s conquest is ‘Ahn Suho.’]
[An additional experience point is awarded for being selected as MVP.]
[A bonus stat point is awarded for being selected as MVP.]
[Your level has increased.]
[All stats have increased by 1.]
[You have gained 1 bonus stat point.]
His level had risen.
One of the advantages of the library floor was that defeating the guardian guaranteed a level-up.
At level 118, Suho invested the two bonus stat points into strength before closing his status window.
After patting the guardian on the shoulder, he returned to the Library of Martial Arts, pulled out a book, and a system notification appeared.
[Welcome to the Library of Martial Arts.]
[As a reward for defeating the Library Guardian, you may inherit one volume of knowledge from the Library of Martial Arts.]
[Please choose the knowledge you desire.]
The options remained unchanged.
Suho selected “Miscellaneous Skills.”
[You have selected Miscellaneous Skills.]
[You have acquired ‘Telepathic Transmission (B).’]
Oh?
Suho’s eyes widened at the system notification.
It appeared here?
Upon seeing the word “Telepathic Transmission,” Suho couldn’t help but smile.
‘How lucky.’
It was indeed the same “Telepathic Transmission” found in martial arts novels.
In that sense, it was an extremely famous skill.
But despite its fame, it was one of the hardest skills to acquire.
Although there were similar skills like “Whisper,” none were as convenient as Telepathic Transmission.
‘Moreover, as the rank of Telepathic Transmission increases, both the transmission range and the number of recipients grow.’
But at B-rank, Telepathic Transmission could only convey a message to one person at a time.
However, upon reaching A-rank, it would allow communication with multiple people and increase the range dramatically.
After some contemplation, Suho consumed the remaining Qi Accumulation Elixirs to level up the Telepathic Transmission skill.
[The experience points from the Qi Accumulation Elixirs have been absorbed by the Telepathic Transmission skill.]
[Absorption complete.]
[The experience points of the Telepathic Transmission skill are full.]
[The rank of the Telepathic Transmission skill has increased.]
[Congratulations! The Telepathic Transmission skill has reached A-rank.]
[Additional effects have been generated as the information of Telepathic Transmission has been updated.]
The rank of Telepathic Transmission had risen to A.
The reason he had chosen to use the few remaining Qi Accumulation Elixirs on Telepathic Transmission was that communication skills turned out to be quite useful.
‘Come to think of it, I should distribute Essence of Siphon Star Parasite again soon… I’ll contact Geon as soon as I’m out.’
With this thought, Suho exited the library floor, used the portal within the painting, and returned to reality.
“You’re back quickly.”
As Suho returned, Martin Park nodded in greeting.
Suho bowed in respect to his host’s welcome.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to obtain what I needed.”
“I don’t know what you got, but I hope it helps to save humanity.”
A slight joke.
Suho also chuckled and replied in kind.
“Of course. Someday, people will surely remember your contributions, sir.”
“Haha, they certainly should. Now then, you may go. I’ll contact you once the full moon painting is ready.”
“Yes, thank you. Goodbye.”
Just as Suho bid farewell and descended to the first floor.
Bzzzt!
His phone vibrated.
He checked the phone and saw missed call notifications.
All from the same person.
It was Jo Jin-hwi.
Seeing the missed calls, Suho immediately returned Jo Jin-hwi’s call.
“Yes, Mr. Reporter. Did you call?”
– Mr. Ahn, where are you now?
“I’m at home. What’s going on?”
– Well, I just heard some rather shocking news, so I wanted to inform you right away.
“Shocking news?”
– You remember the loot acquisition law that was stirred up by the press conference earlier, right?
“Yes, but why?”
– It’s expected to be up for a vote on amendments soon, but it seems likely the current policy will remain unchanged.
“What do you mean?”
– According to a reliable source, the person who first proposed the loot acquisition policy saw the press conference, got upset, and put some pressure on the officials involved.
“What?”
What was this about?
Astonished, Suho’s brow furrowed deeply.