Chapter 168: 171 Nomads

"Dragon Stomp," was the technique used.

It wasn't just through continuous battle that he was able to cultivate his martial arts abilities; through his actions, he discovered a new path:

I've been training with Xiaodan. Since he's a martial artist class first and foremost, there's so much he's able to show and teach me. I'm thankful, he thought.

The flame-fueled downfall of his boot had slammed down against the back of the daeva's head, shattering the asphalt below as its furry head crashed into the harsh material below.

Still, he began to realize what the true strength of the Defect-eating demon was all about: its wild sturdiness.

It wasn't as if it wasn't taking damage from his blows, but it was simply so ingrained with the instinct to kill and eat that it shrugged off whatever injuries were inflicted, clawing its way back up and rushing towards him in a heartbeat.

I'm not the same person I was yesterday. That's what it means to be a survivor in this hell; you have to strive to become better than you were the day before, and because of that–he thought.

Even as it thrashed about, launching upwards and attempting to slam its disproportionately large fists down on him, he responded in kind with a high kick, spinning and pivoting off of his left foot as his right was launched against the daeva's chest.

–I'm prepared, he thought.

It wasn't a flashy move of any sort, but it was flawlessly executed with his superhuman strength to back it up, the kick had caved in the chest of the wild demon, knocking it back with a blast-like impact.

Amidst the air, the daeva spun around, rapidly spewing the same, malignant flames from its maw as it launched back towards him.

"--!"

It was a surprising maneuver; the seemingly instinct-driven demon displayed a tactical mind as it reversed its own trajectory.

Using its own flames as a way to propel itself back to me?--Smart, he thought.

Again, it launched back, spinning back around and immediately beginning another assault as it aggressively swiped its flame-wrapped claws towards him.

As he paced through the overgrowth-clung street of the abandoned city, the furious swipes were now accompanied by clamps of the beast's jaws–closing in as he looked on in slight surprise.

With a sharp uppercut, he countered the attempt of a bite out of his shoulder, forcefully closing the jaw of the daeva before following up with a kick to its side.

It quickly went back into its ravenous assault–swinging its massive hands towards him as he deflected the claws with his sturdy gauntlets.

Nothing flash was needed, and in fact, it would be detrimental for what he was aiming for: improving his proficiencies. When simply relying on the most optimal, safest abilities, it allows for little growth.

However, when allowing himself to rely on more restricted movements, he can condense his growth, aiming to add experience to his proficiencies.

Right now, with his hyper reflexes afforded to him, he was easily able to outmaneuver the wild demon.

Let's finish this, he thought.

Though he was attempting to conserve all of his spirit, he weighed the risk-versus-reward of that thought process; the benefit of not having spent any spirit would surely be great, however, if he did sustain an injury, it'd all be futile.

With that in mind, he initiated Sage Period, snapping his fingers directly in front of the scarred snout of the daeva, unleashing a concussive flash right in front of it–

"Flinch."

The brief stun that took hold of the daeva gave him enough time to rear his fist back, swirling his innate strength into his knuckles.

"King Fist."

[Spirit: -300 | 3400/3700]

As the black steel of his sleek, minimal gauntlet began to slow with a swirl of azure energy that produced a pulsating hum of golden particles.

After it was properly built up, enhancing the potency of his fist to its utmost, he swung with the entirety of his body weight properly placed behind the well-executed punch, piercing the air as it was stirred by his knuckles.

The moment his fist landed against the fur-covered abdomen of the jeweled beast, a resounding shock wave that carried the azure-and-golden essence propelled outward, cracking the surrounding asphalt before the attack manifested itself in a mighty boom.

"Grugh…!"

In a devastating impact, the result of "King Fist" had blown the insides of the daeva out through a hole that exploded through its back–it was an instant kill.

"King Fist," the next step of evolution from "Breaker Fist"--a strike of immense strength that placed a sublime essence into his knuckles.

After such a blow, the demon deflated as its blood and entrails were obliterated by the attack, leaving it to slump over on the cracked asphalt.

["Crimson Daeva" Defeated | EXP +800 | 3000/15000 | Angel Coin +50 | Scarlet Hide x1 Acquired]

At the same time, his two companions had finished their foes as well, with Yeong-Un using a rapid selection of slices to cut his daeva up into countless bits, and Sol releasing a burst of flames from his spear after already piercing the daeva through its gut–killing it swiftly.

[EXP +1600 | 4600/15000]

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From their two kills, he also acquired the experience, prompting the three to rendezvous as they shared in a group fist bump.

"Good work," he said.

"It was easy peasy," Yeong-Un gloated.

"...Yeah, I guess," Sol sighed.

The trio continued on their way, without suffering a single blow in their short-lived battle, they ventured down the block until stopping at what looked to be an abandoned establishment:

It was a hole-in-the-wall bar, entered through steps downward from the street that led into a place that was very much alive, it was–

"Welcome home."

Greeting them through the jingling front door was Eunji, who looked at him with a smile as she was wiping down a table.

Sitting behind the bar that still held a selection of liquor, Korain was sitting on a stool and having a drink, kicking his boots up on the bartender workshop.

"Hey," he greeted in return.

From another room of the small, but comfortable bar with old-fashioned furniture, the leader of the group entered while wiping her hands with a cloth.

"How did it go?" Ma-Ri asked, not wasting a moment.

The two he was with and himself raised the shopping bags that were filled with non-perishable goods, dumping them onto the green-covered pool table.

"Woah, good haul!" Xiaodan, who was sitting with a book on his lap, looked up.

He smiled, "We got lucky."

Ma-Ri looked at him for a moment before smiling and nodding, "Good job."

"I'm beat," Yeong-Un yawned, immediately falling onto the leather sofa as he lounged back.

Sol sat on the couch beside, cleaning his new spear that he was awfully attached to.

It did cost him a pretty penny, he thought.

It wasn't nearly as lively or large of a group as before, but standing in that place and seeing everybody doing the best they could to manage with what was lost–he felt fulfilled.

"Alright, who's hungry?" He asked from the center of the underground bar.

Korain pulled the bottle of booze from his lips, "...I'm down for some grub."

"Count me in," Xiaodan said from the corner of the room, holding his book.

"I could use a bite," Yeong-Un said, still lounging across the sofa.

"Same here," Sol smiled.

–It was an overwhelming majority, and he was a part of it.

Though he had finished the scavenge, it wasn't as if his work for the day was as he brought the supplies into the kitchen stationed at the back of the half-home, half-bar, rolling his sleeves up.

"Alright…Dinner time," he rubbed his hands together, pondering what to make.

Looking at the cans, there were a plethora of options, but at the same time, it was questionable if they flowed together into a serviceable dish.

After a few minutes of looking at the cans, which numbered from poached eggs, kimchi, vegetables, meat, and an assortment of other items, he put together an impromptu dish in his mind.

I should use ingredients that don't work well solo…I'll leave things that are easy to prepare if I'm not around, he thought.

Compared to the lavish hotel, the cramped kitchen of the bar-home was nothing to write home about, but it was enough as he got to work.

Popping open the first can, which held an unsavory smell, was braised pork that was marinated in spicy soy sauce, which he quickly got to preparing.

It'll never match fresh ingredients, but I can do my best to make it as close as possible–though I'm not a miracle worker, he thought.

Though, it was his modesty speaking; as the dish had quickly formed to mind, with him preparing a mixture of sweet-and-savory with apple-and-carrot slaw that he diced up with a grater swiftly, he quickly whipped up something in the pot that produced a wonderful aroma.

This was thanks to his "Culinary Proficiency" skill, which granted him a supernatural skillset in the kitchen.

[Culinary Proficiency: 25/9999]

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