A Regressor's Bucket List Chapter 109

‘The pinnacle of tuning is purity.’

That phrase best described the unique Beastkin Baktusul of the Lycan Clan, who were known as the greatest martial family of the Beastkin, alongside the Vampire Clan.

If the development of combat techniques could be broadly divided into a horizontal direction that increases unpredictability and a vertical direction that approaches the essence of a movement, they not only focused on the latter but also.

Among the three elements of combat techniques—generally divided into attack, defense, and evasion—they had focused solely on 'attack' and developed it from there.

If there were a pentagonal status chart, they employed a fighting style so focused on the 'essence of attack' that it would draw a conical shape.

…Of course, because of that, Beastkin Baktusul was not something anyone could master.

The Lycan Clan, too, had been able to develop in that direction thanks to the transcendent physical durability they were granted from birth.

If they hadn't been given bodies harder than rock, such a skewed fighting style would have carried a great risk.

To put it simply, it was a fighting style impossible to even imitate unless backed by overwhelming physical performance.

Moreover, the 'decisiveness' and 'fearless heart' that stemmed from their innate physique were not qualities separate from their physical performance.

Even within the Beastkin, who were born with relatively strong bodies, not all could master their bold and aggressive fighting style.

…Well, of course.

From others' perspectives, their fighting was akin to walking a tightrope on the line between life and death, so there were few who wanted to learn it in the first place.

In any case.

Tom was also a descendant of such a Lycan Clan.

And as someone who had shown overwhelmingly superior results among his peers and grown rapidly, Tom's current achievements were considerable even when compared to all the Lycan Clan warriors of the past.

Of course, it wasn't as if he had never strayed from the path.

In his ignorant youth, he had followed others, adding flashy, trivial techniques, thinking that such artistry was cool and strong.

But in the end, the blood flowing in his veins could not be deceived.

As time passed and experience accumulated, what built up in his fists was extreme simplicity.

Unnecessary movements were gradually eliminated, and after stripping away the trivial deceptions, all that remained were concise and efficient physical motions.

Now, after much time had passed and he had approached the essence of Beastkin Baktusul to some extent, not only had each and every movement reached a concise essence from which not a single superfluous detail could be picked out.

The number of moves he used was so small it could be counted on one hand.

…It went without saying, but the reduced number of moves did not signify a decline in combat skill, but rather that he had drawn closer to efficiency and essence.

“Try to copy me.”

Muttering lowly, he took a step forward in front of U-jin and extended his left hand.

Swissssh-

The powerful gust of wind that arose with the swing shook the trees in front of them.

U-jin, who had been watching silently, nodded and copied the exact motion Tom had made.

Fwoosh-

Compared to what Tom had done, its power, speed, and every other aspect made it an inferior version that couldn't even be compared.

But U-jin executed a Jab that gave off a roughly similar feeling.

Grin-

“…You have a talent for it.”

Watching U-jin skillfully imitate the move he had demonstrated, Tom raised the corners of his mouth in satisfaction.

On the surface, it was a simple punch, but it was the essence that Tom had polished and built for over several decades.

Breathing, stride, distance, balance, timing, speed, rhythm.

It was a Jab that even Tom himself, who had demonstrated it, had meticulously carved to near perfection on a level too detailed to explain with words.

Of course, U-jin was still far too lacking to be considered to have executed something equivalent.

But to give off a roughly similar feeling after seeing it just once, and as a mere human, not a member of the Lycan Clan at that.

Tom knew well what an incredible talent that was.

‘As I thought…….’

The familiar aura he had shown in the fight with the Sweeper was not just a momentary bravado.

Tom was once again certain.

‘This guy is my kind.’

It was as if U-jin had been born into the wrong species.

That guy should have been born a Beastkin like himself, not a pure-blood human.

Even setting aside the qualifier 'for a pure-blood human,' U-jin's talent was by no means ordinary.

It was to the point where Tom thought his knack for copying something after seeing it once might be even better than his own in his younger days, let alone that of a common Dog-kin Beastkin.

Just then.

Woong-

U-jin suddenly thrust out his fist.

Tom hadn't said anything, but U-jin had retracted his suddenly extended fist and performed the motion once more.

“……?”

“How about this feeling?”

“……”

The motion of extending his fist forward was almost the same as the previous one, but subtly different.

A slight variation.

Compared to the motion he had copied before, his stance was slightly wider, and his weight was shifted more to the front.

“I think this way is a bit more aggressive and has better continuity.”

At U-jin's bold suggestion, Tom pointed out with a cynical smile.

“Fanciness only delays the completion of the move. If you do it like that, your aggressiveness might increase as you say, but your accuracy will drop, and the total amount of resulting damage will decrease.”

“……”

“Besides, due to the timing of the pivot foot's transition, your balance will be shaken at the moment of impact, so continuity in an emergency will actually decrease.”

There wasn't a single attempt he hadn't tried for the sake of a more efficient attack.

It was entirely possible to make a bold suggestion when one hadn't yet mastered it, but the move Tom had just shown was not one built in a day or two.

A movement that had already reached its peak in terms of physical perfection.

It wasn't a light move that could be improved right away by mixing in such artistry.

However.

Tom's thoughts were once again halted by U-jin's next move.

Paang-

A crisp sound of air splitting that was absent in the previous motion.

U-jin's movement had changed a little more.

No, to be precise, there was no change in the physical movement itself.

However.

“…Mana?”

A release of Mana occurred at the tip of the fist and the pivot foot, the points Tom had indicated.

“You can compensate for the lack of accuracy with Mana, and in the case of the pivot foot, you can use Mana to create adhesion and improve balance.”

“……”

Tom fell silent at U-jin's response.

The reason was simple.

The moment he saw it, his mind started spinning so furiously that he couldn't form words.

What U-jin had just shown was too far beyond Tom's expectations.

‘…….’

Outwardly, he was silent with a blank expression, but inside his head, he was endlessly replaying U-jin's movement in admiration.

‘…To use Mana at that level.’

In truth, strengthening the body with Mana was not a difficult task.

For a 1-Star Hero, even without a skill, applying Mana to strengthen the body was a basic technique that anyone could perform.

In the first place, to introduce oneself as a Hero anywhere, basic physical enhancement through Mana was something one had to master.

However, that was only up to the extremities of the body where the Mana Circuits were grounded.

Using Mana to exert physical influence in the area outside the body, beyond the extremities where the circuits were not connected, was a much more difficult task.

What's more, U-jin hadn't simply shot out Mana.

He had performed such fine control as to adjust his combat by releasing the necessary amount of Mana in the required localized areas.

That wasn't a technique that could be simply dismissed as 'high-level'.

‘…Just what.’

Moreover, this was not the outside world where there were no restrictions on Mana.

This was the Darkest Dungeon.

And it wasn't the Forest of Beginnings, where the influence of the 'Mana Turbulence Phenomenon' was relatively weak.

They were outside the Forest of Beginnings, in an area clearly under the influence of the Darkest Dungeon's 'Mana Turbulence Phenomenon'.

Of course, given the nature of the 'Mana Turbulence Phenomenon' which grew stronger the further one went into the dungeon's outer regions, this place couldn't be said to have a strong relative influence yet.

But that didn't mean its absolute influence was at a negligible level.

It was an area where the Mana Turbulence Phenomenon was sufficiently active, to the point that it wouldn't be strange for a typical Hero to cough up blood while trying to use a skill as usual.

…Therefore.

‘…….’

Talent.

An overwhelming Mana talent that transcended the normal level.

No other words could explain the ridiculous movement U-jin had just displayed.

Ssk-

Furthermore.

‘…On top of combat talent, he even has Mana utilization skills.’

The potential Tom witnessed in U-jin at this moment was so exceptional that no suitable metaphor or example came to mind.

He had met countless people over a considerable number of years, but he could guarantee that he had never seen a case like U-jin's.

The world was more balanced than one might think, so usually, if one was born with outstanding talent in one area, they would be relatively lacking in another.

Tom's case was the best example of this.

He had obtained a body with overwhelming durability and performance, but in return, he was hopeless when it came to handling Mana.

But U-jin had proven it in a short time.

The fact that he possessed both talents, Mana utilization and combat skill, which could be said to exist at opposite poles.

Therefore, that was all Tom could say to U-jin.

“…If you can, do it that way. It doesn't seem like the wrong direction.”

Of course, in terms of immediate completeness, the Beastkin Baktusul was naturally superior.

Although U-jin spoke of compensation and reinforcement, Tom could clearly see the maximum output that U-jin's current body could produce.

One-tenth?

Compared to what he could unleash, it might not even be that much.

Even setting aside his pride as a member of the Lycan Clan, the greatest martial family of the Beastkin, that was the objective truth.

…However.

When it came to his potential, the story was completely different.

Though he was lacking for now, if he could combine that overwhelming talent for copying a combat technique after seeing it once with his beyond-standard ability to finely control Mana during battle.

If time passed and U-jin's body matured enough to naturally fuse the two.

The upper limit he could reach was so high that comparison was embarrassing.

Tom himself didn't think he had yet reached the pinnacle of the martial arts contained within Beastkin Baktusul.

But that guy's ceiling was wide open.

Assuming he continued to grow, it was a realm where one couldn't even fathom where the end might be.

Therefore, Tom couldn't say much one way or the other.

The path U-jin had to walk was not one that Tom, who was hopeless with Mana utilization beyond physical enhancement, could advise on.

‘…He said he came to learn.’

Pfft-

“…He was already a finished product.”