Failed Possession Chapter-18

## Chapter 18

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The final winning bid for *Seven Forms of Flashing Thunder* was **540 million Cel**.

The manager had hinted that the expected bid would be around 600 million, so looking at it positively, it had been won for 60 million cheaper.

But that was only if you were the one paying for it.

Yuri and Elena hadn’t bid on *Seven Forms of Flashing Thunder* at all, so it could practically be said they got it for free.

*‘It would’ve been better if it were more expensive.’*

Because they’d ended up competing with Bakered, they had overpaid for *Rantian Flowing Cloud Fist*. In the end, only 10 million Cel remained out of the original billion. If possible, he had wanted Bakered to take a loss too. But since *Scorching Inferno* had come right before *Seven Forms of Flashing Thunder*, the latter hadn’t drawn much attention.

“Seven Forms of Flashing Thunder… Seven Forms of Flashing Thunder…!”

Elena, sitting beside him, looked out of her mind. She kept muttering the name while her hands trembled.

“You like it that much?”
“N-No? Not really?”
“She’s lying without even licking her lips.”
“When did I lie? I told you earlier. I—I’m the prospective disciple of Heavenly Thunder Orca. Someday I’ll become the master of the Dercia Magic Tower and inherit Lady Orca’s unique magic formula.”

Elena clenched her trembling hand into a tight fist, filling it with resolve.

“You saw it last time too, right? Lady Orca’s *Thunder God form*! I experienced it thanks to her, but honestly I couldn’t understand its principles or depth at all. That’s what Orca’s magic is like.”

After spending several days with her, Yuri had roughly grasped her personality.
When she made a mistake or crossed a line, she admitted it quickly and bowed her head. But when she felt embarrassed and needed to make excuses, she rambled on and on.

Just like now.

“Jang Un, the Flashing Soul-Chaser, was definitely a great mage. But his final tier was Fifth Tier. And I’m Fourth Tier. Do you know what that means? It means the difference isn’t that big.”

It was true that it was only one tier apart—but it was by no means a small difference.

To be acknowledged as Fourth Tier, one had to combine different common spells and compress spell formulas.
A Fifth-Tier mage had to go beyond common spells and develop their own unique magic formula and know how to utilize it.

Not all unique magic was necessarily superior to common magic, but simply developing your own formula meant your understanding of magic was on another level.

“Well, I got lucky and obtained *Seven Forms of Flashing Thunder*, so I admit I got a bit excited unlike myself. It can’t be helped. Mages get excited when they gain new knowledge. No, actually, it’s not just mages. Haryeong, martial artists are like that too, right?”

“Of course, Miss Elena.”

Her excuse sounded so desperate that even Haryeong didn’t tease her like usual. She nodded slightly and glanced at Yuri.

“So I’m secretly disappointed and regretful. I could have gained the new knowledge of *Rantian Flowing Cloud Fist*, but that opportunity vanished. Yuri, did you really have to do that to me?”

“Huh?”

“Why react like that? You said we’re close. If we’re close, doesn’t that make us friends?”

Yuri blinked in confusion. Haryeong stared at him with her expressionless face for a moment.

“How tragic. So you lied when you said we were close. I’ve been deceived.”

“No, I do think we’re close. You just came at me suddenly, so I got flustered.”

“Is that so? My mistake. Even if we’re close, we can’t immediately become friends.”

“No, that’s not what I meant—”

“Is that so? Then I misspoke. Even friends shouldn’t speak casually. Yes, understood.”

Was she serious or teasing?

Because Haryeong barely showed expressions, it was hard to tell her true intent.

“Miss Haryeong, you’re surprisingly cheerful for an assassin.”

“That’s because my relationship with you isn’t a guard contract or an assassination request. When I’m on a killing assignment, I’m cold and ruthless—a very frightening assassin.”

“You treat me the same way even though I hired you as a guard.”

Elena muttered, glaring. Haryeong answered immediately with the same face.

“But I clearly keep the line I must not cross.”

“Really…?”

“If I crossed it, Miss Elena wouldn’t be able to endure the embarrassment and would cancel our contract.”

After saying that, Haryeong looked at Yuri.

“In any case, you should behave carefully so you only ever see my cheerful side. Of course it won’t happen, but if you ever meet me as a true assassin, then—crack.”

“Crack what?”

“Crack… something, I suppose.”

Even as the three chatted, Bakered’s expression remained sour. He no longer needed to borrow money to gather 1.5 billion Cel, but he still couldn’t help feeling resistant about having to learn a martial art together with Yuri.

*‘I have to teach him personally?’*

The fundamentals of *Rantian Flowing Cloud Fist*.
The forms and techniques stripped of the ultimate meaning.

Even that didn’t sit well with him.

Bakered had never taken a disciple.
He had never taught anyone martial arts.
He hadn’t even learned under a master himself.
His martial arts were forged alone for revenge.

From beneath his thick brows, his frowning eyes turned toward Yuri. He still didn’t know Yuri’s exact background. A friend of the famous Golden Marigold of the Dercia Magic Tower…

*‘Friend… more like a kept man…?’*

He didn’t know the details, but it was Elena who had bought *Rantian Flowing Cloud Fist*. In other words, she had paid 990 million Cel for her friend.

No matter how deep their friendship, was it really possible to buy a martial art worth nearly a billion for a friend?

“Why are you staring like that?”

Even someone dull to their surroundings could notice Bakered’s blatant gaze. It was openly dissatisfied.

“You’re not trying to change your mind now, are you?”

“I already won the bid. What would I change?”

Bakered spat out irritably.

“So. Have you truly never learned martial arts before?”

“I’ve fought several times, and Miss Haryeong teaches me body techniques every day.”

“Hmph. Body techniques taught by an assassin probably amount to how to walk quietly and how to run away.”

“I understand you have very negative preconceptions about assassins, Sir Bakered.”

Despite the open insult, Haryeong’s expression didn’t change.

“From the perspective of someone like you, who reached Sixth Tier through the harsh path of a fist fighter, an assassin’s body techniques may indeed seem trivial.”

“I don’t look down on all assassins. I acknowledge the Tang clan of the Killing sect among the Six Evils of the Black Dragon Society, and their sect master.”

“I see. Then what about the Salho Gate’s sect master?”

“The Faceless Killer with no clear records? Hmph. How can I acknowledge someone whose tier isn’t even known?”

“That itself is proof of an outstanding assassin.”

After saying that, Haryeong pointed at Yuri.

“From the perspective of someone who has taught him even trivial body techniques, I’ll say this. Sir Yuri’s martial talent is quite excellent. It’s not just me—Lady Heavenly Thunder Orca, the master of the Dercia Tower, also acknowledged it.”

“Heavenly Thunder Orca acknowledged him…?”

“Yes. Lady Orca said his meridians are sturdy and there are few blockages. She said his body is truly something he was born with.”

“That’s right.”

Yuri nodded.

At the mention of Orca’s acknowledgment, Bakered’s expression changed slightly. His displeasure shifted into curiosity as he examined Yuri again.

“…Hmm.”

Indeed. The body under those clothes was well trained. His sitting posture wasn’t sloppy. His eyes weren’t cloudy. Having no murkiness despite never properly learning martial arts meant he had either lived secluded in deep mountains—or been born with such a constitution.

“Where’s your hometown?”

“Aldor.”

“Aldor? That small western city. Lived there all your life?”

“I lived there for twenty years, then came to Lutran a week ago.”

“What did you do there?”

“Just… lived.”

His likability already seemed low enough; he didn’t want to add that he had lived as a pickpocket.

“I see.”

Fortunately, Bakered didn’t pry further. It was unlikely Yuri would falsely use Orca’s name, and whether he truly had talent could be confirmed directly.

“Then I’ll come find you in two days.”

After confirming Bakered left first, Yuri’s group also stood.

While their purchased martial art underwent final verification, they bought an inner cultivation method from the basic catalog on Haryeong’s recommendation.

*Pure and True Heart Method*.

Despite its grand name, it was only around first-rate level. No distinct strengths, but no flaws either—a plain, average method.

“What do you think the difference is between first-rate martial arts and peak martial arts?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“The ceiling and the floor.”

While Elena went to pay, Haryeong explained expressionlessly.

“First-rate martial arts have a low floor and a low ceiling. Peak martial arts have a high floor and a high ceiling.”

“And divine arts?”

“They’re on a different level. The floor must at least match the ceiling of most peak martial arts to be called divine. Of course, good martial arts aren’t necessarily easy to learn, but they promise higher achievement.”

“What martial art did you learn, Miss Haryeong?”

“You’re naturally prying into a martial artist’s secret techniques. Quite shameless. Sir Yuri, are we close?”

“That hurts. You already know everything I learned.”

“You are you. I am me.”

She narrowed her eyes slightly.

“If you’re dissatisfied with only me knowing, learn another inner method without me noticing. Preferably something better than Pure and True Heart Method.”

“Like it’s easy to get a peak-tier method.”

“You never know. From what I see, you’re quite lucky. If there is a goddess of fortune, she may be protecting you.”

“…”

“A childhood friend with a rosy future. A man worth 3.5 billion. Someone like you might one day obtain not just a peak art but a divine art.”

At that, Yuri thought of the **Evil-Quelling Heavenly Principle Technique** he was secretly practicing.

*‘It’s not first-rate… maybe peak-tier?’*

It hadn’t even existed in the game, so he couldn’t guess.

“Rantian Flowing Cloud Fist…!”

After final verification, the secret manual they received looked old and shabby from the cover, which somehow made it seem more authentic. Ignoring Haryeong’s excited fussing beside him, Yuri accepted it with both hands.

“Is it really okay to look at it together with that guy?”

“Thanks to him, we got *Seven Forms of Flashing Thunder* for free.”

“That’s that…! What if he teaches you weirdly out of spite?”

“Would he really stoop that low?”

Honestly, Yuri could probably learn it even without Bakered’s help. But what he needed was a plausible “master.” Saying he’d learned from a Sixth-Tier expert like Bakered would be far more convincing than self-study.

Elena kept the manual for now. Only after several protective spells were placed on the bag containing the 990-million-cel book did they leave Le-Seun.

“I’ve never heard the name Fist Wolf Bakered. What kind of person is he?”

“Sixth Tier isn’t low at all. You really never heard of him?”

“Miss Elena knows mages well, but not martial artists.”

Outside, the sun had already begun to sink low in the sky, so the three of them moved to a nearby restaurant for dinner.

“Sir Yuri, do you know about Sir Bakered?”
“How would I know?”
“I’m not saying ignorance is something to brag about, but you answer as if it’s completely natural. Quite shameless.”

Haryeong shook her head side to side as she spoke.

“Fist Wolf Bakered. Formerly part of the guard unit of the city of Sairan. About twenty years ago, he suddenly quit and became a wandering warrior. He originally used a spear, but abruptly switched to becoming a fist fighter.”

“Why did he do that?”
“If he threw away a spear he used well and changed paths, there must have been a reason. But the exact reason is unknown.”

It was probably related to the Laspion family, but Yuri couldn’t suddenly ask about that here.

*‘I’ll look into it later.’*

“Bakered became known because of his reckless dueling tour. Around ten years ago, he began seeking out renowned martial artists and challenging them to duels without warning.”

“Did he win a lot?”

“If he had challenged weaker opponents, he would have. But Bakered didn’t do that. He was repeatedly crushed in defeat, yet kept challenging again, then left to find another opponent. That’s why his nickname became Fist Wolf.”

With that build, shouldn’t it be a bear rather than a wolf?

As Yuri had that idle thought, Haryeong clicked her tongue.

“If you aim to become a martial artist, Sir Yuri, you should at least memorize the names of high-tier martial artists.”

This was Yuri’s first time eating out since coming to Lutran. The place Elena brought them to—claiming she was a regular—looked luxurious from the outside. Apparently it wasn’t just bluster, since the manager personally came out to escort her.

“At minimum, you should know One Demon, One Emperor, Two Saints, Three Tyrants, Four Absolutes, and Four Vigilants.”

Seated at their table, Haryeong wiggled her fingers.

“These fifteen are collectively called the Martial Zeniths.”

“I know the One Demon and One Emperor.”

The One Demon was the Heavenly Demon of the Demonic Cult.
The One Emperor was the head of the Orsia family of Pride—one of the seven high-ranking houses within the western family alliance cartel. Sword Emperor Alvator Orsia.

“For ordinary people, knowing those two is enough. But you don’t want to be ordinary, do you?”

Haryeong clicked her tongue and continued.

“The One Demon and One Emperor are confirmed to be at least Eighth Tier. The remaining thirteen are confirmed to be at least Seventh Tier.”

Yuri remembered high-level NPCs that appeared in the game, but he didn’t know anything about things like the Three Tyrants or Four Absolutes. So he didn’t pretend to know and quietly listened.

“The Three Tyrants are from the underworld faction. The Four Absolutes are either orthodox or gray-zone martial artists.”

“Is the Demonic Cult really just the Heavenly Demon?”

“They also have a group called the Seven Evils, but the members change too often. For all we know, it might already be different this very moment.”

Dark King Tang Yushin of the Killing Gate.
Sword Ghost Wi Doyeong.

“Together with the former Black Dragon Alliance leader, Savage fiend, they used to be the Three Tyrants. But he was killed by the new leader. Not much is known about the new one yet, but including him, they’re still called the Three Tyrants.”

Mo Yong-hyeonrak, the Alliance Leader, Swordless White Crane.

Ruderk Torres, the Sun-Piercing Divine Spear.

Dokgo Gwi-jin, the Fist King.

Yeon Risang-ah, the Silver Martial Queen.

“Even through the chaotic era that began thirty years ago, the Four Absolutes never changed. On the other hand, the Four Vigilants… they all appeared after the chaotic era. They’re either suspected possessors or confirmed ones.”

Yuri couldn’t help but focus.

Elaia Yudel, the Cruel Chaos.
Geum Yeonggwan, the Slaughtering Mad Tide.
Chuk Shin-do, the Full Moon Play.
Ju Jinhak, the Radiant Apex.

“….”

Yuri desperately smoothed his expression.

“Which of them are confirmed possessors?”

“Two for sure. One is Full Moon Play, Chuk Shin-do.”

Of course.

“No one knows his past. That name isn’t even his real one—just an alias. But that bizarre man always goes around using it openly.”

That crazy bastard. Even after coming to this world, he’s still acting like that openly. Isn’t this a world where getting exposed as a possessor is dangerous? Not just hostility from natives—you’d have to watch out for other possessors too.

*‘Wait… but if he survived and became a Martial Zenith, that just means he’s that strong.’*

If he’d been openly advertising himself as a possessor, he must’ve been attacked countless times.

Yet he didn’t die.

*‘Well… he was the first among us to hit rank one in the Hall of Fame.’*

[Shit, this damn game. I can’t play anymore.]
[Later losers, I’m heading out first.]
[I’ll come back when our team wins the World Cup lol.]
[Don’t quit till then, you punk. I’ll buy you drinks.]

The longing and promises Chuk Shin-do never fulfilled made Yuri’s head spin.

“Elaia Yudel, the Cruel Chaos, is also confirmed. The other two are only suspected… but I think they’re possessors for sure.”

The food arrived. Yuri quietly steadied his startled heart and picked up his utensils.

“Martial Zeniths, huh. Sounds grand. Mages don’t have anything like that.”

“Tower Masters and Martial Zeniths—it’s basically the same thing.”

“How is that the same?”

Elena grumbled while mixing her salad.

“By the way, what are the Two Saints?”

“You mocked the name earlier, but you’re secretly curious?”

“You just didn’t finish explaining.”

“The Two Saints both belong to religious orders.”

Haryeong didn’t even glance at her salad. She kept sneaking looks toward the kitchen, waiting for the main dish.

“The War Order’s Battle Saint, Kares. And the Church of Order’s Calamity Saint, Lorellia.”

Again, Yuri forced his expression to remain steady.

“The Church of Order? Isn’t that place half-ruined?”

“It used to be powerful. But after the chaotic era began, it declined. Self-inflicted. They voluntarily sheltered possessors, and even their goddess fell into an endless sleep after protecting them.”

“I still don’t get it. Why did the Goddess of Order protect possessors?”

Elena frowned.

“I know the God of Chaos forcibly dragged them here. But why protect them?”

“She pitied them.”

“Who doesn’t know that? I mean why only them? What about us who originally lived here?”

“How could we possibly guess the heart of a compassionate goddess?”

“I don’t like it.”

Scrape.

Elena scratched the table with her nail.

“Because she guided them, possessors ran wild. If you realized what they were, you should’ve just killed them back then.”

From the perspective of this world’s natives, Elena was completely right.

“True.”

So Yuri agreed.

Why did the Goddess of Order protect possessors?

He’d heard the reason. As Haryeong said, the compassionate goddess pitied those unjustly dragged into this world. So she shone miracles upon them so they wouldn’t die meaninglessly and ordered her priests to guide them.

Hoping that someday, those who adapted and grew strong would kill the God of Chaos.

As a result, possessors survived.

And some of them joined chaos—or became monsters who created chaos themselves.

“Not all possessors are evil. Some reveal themselves and devote themselves to righteous deeds. Cruel Chaos, for example, only targets demonic and underworld figures while hunting the Chaos cult.”

“Haryeong, are you siding with possessors?”

“I’m not on anyone’s side. I’m simply stating facts.”

Finally the main dishes arrived. Haryeong’s eyes lit up at the thick steak and she immediately picked up her knife.

“Anyway, the Church of Order is basically ruined now. Because they showed friendliness toward possessors, they were attacked by other orders and factions and even expelled from the religious federation city Union. I hear they’re barely surviving, hiding somewhere unknown.”

“And they’re still friendly toward possessors after all that?”

“The goddess’s divine command leaves them no choice… but who knows. Priests are still human. Even if they worship her, whether they’re still friendly toward the possessors who brought their order to ruin… thirty years is a long time.”

So that’s what happened.

Yuri quietly listened while cutting his steak. Better to stay silent.

“The only reason the Order still survives at all is because of Calamity Saint Lorellia.”

“That priest is that strong?”

“Yes. At least upper Seventh Tier. Possibly even Eighth.”

Hap.

Haryeong stuffed a huge piece of steak into her mouth and chewed rapidly.

“The violence that represents the Order. Nickname: Calamity Saint. Also called the Order Injector.”

Should he be happy about this?

Yuri chewed his meat, feeling complicated.

The **Evil-Quelling Heavenly Principle Technique** he practiced belonged to Lorellia.

That meant he was learning the martial art of one of the Two Saints of the Martial Zeniths—Calamity Saint Lorellia, estimated upper Seventh Tier at minimum. Which meant that technique might not just be peak-tier—it could be a divine art.

*‘If this gets exposed…’*

He’s screwed.

Not just anyone’s art—it’s the Calamity Saint’s. The only possible connection between Yuri and Lorellia—

A priest of the Church of Order.
A possessor.

*‘Especially not to her.’*

While chewing, Yuri glanced at Elena. He had already thought he must never be exposed—but Elena was openly hostile toward possessors.

*‘How long can I hide it?’*

Living in Elena’s house, trusting concealment, hiding his progress…

*‘No.’*

He had no intention of clinging to Elena’s home forever.

He would leave when the time was right.

Return to the days when they only exchanged letters occasionally.

That would be better for both of them.

—