Demon lord’s Martial arts ascension

Chaos Energy.
Is it similar to the chaos energy I control?
Why does a kobold have that energy?
It wasn’t the best time to be pondering questions.

*Grrr, grrr!*
The black gate continued to spew out kobolds without rest.
The number of kobolds was increasing.
‘Let’s try doing what the system suggested for now.’
I reached out and touched the kobold’s corpse, activating *Seongcheonjoegyeong* at the same time.
M I W
It was true.
The kobold’s insides were filled with the same energy as “chaos energy.”

The energy swirling inside its corpse was drawn in like water flowing downward as I felt a stronger chaos energy.
[You have absorbed the Chaos Energy.]
[The achievement of *Seongcheonjoegyeong* has increased by 0.5%.]
[Your Chaos power has increased by 0.1.]
‘Damn. It really increased.’
Even without the system’s voice,
I could distinctly feel the chaos energy that had seeped into my inner world.
This was something I hadn’t felt when I took down the monsters from the Amsadong Gate.
It’s clear.
The black gate.
The secret of the chaos energy absorbed by the kobolds lies within that gate.

“Take that! These monsters!”
“These kobolds are nothing. An E-class monster is nothing to worry about!”
Two hunters joined in.
A man in plate armor wielding a large shield, and a woman holding a gemstone the size of a fist.

“Grrr! Grrr!”
*Clink-clink* – *Pew!*
Several arrows from the crossbow slammed into the man hunter’s shield.
“Kuh!”
The man hunter staggered back with a short scream.
Despite his confident charge, his arms and legs were shaking, and it seemed like he wouldn’t last much longer.
“Oh, oppa!”
“Mi-jin! These aren’t your average E-class! We won’t last much longer at this rate.”
The hunter behind, focused on the gemstone, began to channel mana into it.
“Fire Bolt!”
*Fwoosh!*
The fire arrow generated from the gemstone struck the kobold’s body that had been aiming for the man’s shield.
*Crackle!*
The kobold screamed as it collapsed from the fire.
But the number of remaining kobolds was still too high.
*Boom!* *Boom!*
The shield buckled under the continued assault. The man hunter was focused entirely on defense, but it was only a matter of time before it broke.
The hunter preparing the next spell looked as if she might break down any second.
At that moment,
[Activating *Unryubo*.]
[Movement speed increases by 50%.]
[2 Chaos energy per second is consumed.]

With a burst of strength, I launched myself toward the kobold swarm.
‘These are my prey!’
Flames flickered in my eyes.
There’s something the martial artists of the continent go crazy for.
It’s called elixirs.
Herbs like thousand-year-old ginseng, ten-thousand-year snow mushrooms, and gongsung oil, which contain immense energy and increase one’s internal power.
The black-furred kobolds were like walking elixirs to me.
I transformed *Dark Star* into a whip and snapped my wrist to swing it forcefully.
“Grrr! Grrr?”

*Slash!*
The whip wrapped around the kobold’s wrist as it leaped up holding an axe.
As soon as I felt the grip, I yanked hard.
“Grrr! What’s this?!”
The kobold, flying through the air in an arc, came at me.
It felt like fishing, something I used to do with my father when I was a child.
[Using *Nangachilseongkwon – Strike*.]
[10 Chaos energy consumed.]

With full strength, my punch sent the kobold’s head flying.
[You have absorbed the Chaos Energy.]
[*Seongcheonjoegyeong*… ]
‘It worked!’
The same happened with the other kobold.
Immediately after throwing my punch, I activated *Seongcheonjoegyeong* and was able to extract the chaos energy from the kobold’s corpse.
“Grrr. Another enemy.”
“Grrr, dangerous.”
The kobolds’ eyes were all on me, but by then, I had already closed the distance.
[Dark Star – Halberd]
I swung the two-meter halberd powerfully.
*Shhiiing*

The axe at the end of the polearm sliced through the kobolds’ necks.
Martial arts?
With only the amplified physical ability from *Seongcheonjoegyeong*, it was enough.
*Grrr, grrr…*
Three kobolds collapsed with the sound of wind whistling as they fell.
“Grrr! Die!”
One kobold I hadn’t taken down yet quickly pulled the trigger of its crossbow.
*Pew!*

My clothes were torn, and blood began to spill from the wound in my forearm.
“Not bad.”
I grinned, then swung the halberd again.
*Thunk!*
The heavy axe lodged between the kobold’s eyes, and its body crumbled to the ground.
It was a hollow death, far too easy compared to the struggle the two hunters had gone through.
“Th-thank you…”

“Wait.”
There was something more important to me than receiving their gratitude.
[Absorbing the Chaos Energy…]
The kobolds I had taken down all carried chaos energy within them.
I activated *Seongcheonjoegyeong* and absorbed the energy.
‘Could this one also have it?’
I attempted to absorb the chaos energy from the kobold that was downed by the Fire Bolt.

Damn.
There was no chaos energy left in its body.
I straightened my back and turned to the two hunters, who were now dazed.
‘These two are just in the way.’
I glared at the young man and woman.
“I’ll take care of that.”
“W-wait?”

In front of the black gate,
The number of kobolds had more than doubled compared to the group I had just taken down.
‘I won’t give up a single one!’
Whether they understood my resolve or not,
The two hunters, now filled with fear, spoke out.
“Taking on those monsters alone is impossible.”
“Yeah. These aren’t just any kobolds.”
Ugh.
Don’t try to steal my chaos energy shuttle!

While I was thinking of a way to get the two hunters away from the battlefield, my eyes caught sight of civilians who hadn’t finished evacuating.
“Who’s going to protect the citizens?”
Oh, well.
The two hunters couldn’t respond to my words.
“You two help with the evacuation. I’ll hold them off.”
It was a good excuse.
“Understood.”
“B-be careful!”

The two hunters retreated to the rear to assist with evacuating the people.
The monsters’ murderous intent suddenly turned toward me.
A thrilling sensation.
Yes, this is the kind of feeling you can only experience on the battlefield.
‘Well then, let’s go catch some elixirs.’
I licked my lips.
* * *

“Wow…”
O Mi-jin let out a sigh of amazement.
The gate-breaking incident.
In a critical situation where civilians were exposed to danger, to be standing there dazed…
It was a serious mistake a hunter should never make.
Jeong Min-soo didn’t scold Mi-jin.
No, he couldn’t scold her.
‘What is this…’

Jeong Min-soo was thinking the same thing as Mi-jin.
The two were D-rank hunters with four years of awakening experience. They were acknowledged as seasoned veteran hunters for their ability to tackle various gates and utilize their skills.
But…
This was their first fight like this.
What had initially surprised Jeong Min-soo was the black-furred kobold.
Kobolds were classified as E-rank monsters by the association.
Jeong Min-soo had fought against many kobolds as a hunter.
‘But this black one is different.’
E-rank?
No, it was strong enough to be classified as at least D-rank.
Every time the black kobold hit the shield, Jeong Min-soo could feel his muscles tremble and his bones ache.
Even an experienced hunter like Jeong Min-soo could barely hold his ground against the kobold’s assault.
Any hunter with less experience would have been knocked out in no time.
‘Am I going to die here?’

Just as Jeong Min-soo thought that,
An even more surprising figure appeared.
*Swish-*
Drops of blood splattered on the ground.
All of it came from the monster’s body.
“Why don’t you try using a bit more strength?”
Jeon Min-cheol.
A monstrous hunter fighting alone against the black kobold swarm.
Without any armor or special equipment, he charged into the kobold swarm, relying only on his weapon.

A one-on-many fight.
The number of kobolds had increased to over twenty.
‘He’s overwhelming them.’
Jeong Min-soo swallowed.
The man didn’t wear a single piece of armor. He wasn’t using any powerful items either.
But still,
The kobolds were being overwhelmed by his sheer momentum.
“Oppa, shouldn’t we help him now?”
Mi-jin asked, her voice trembling.
Jeong Min-soo shook his head.
“I don’t think we belong in this fight.”
Jeon Min-cheol tore through the kobold swarm with ease.
Small scratches appeared on his arms, legs, and face.
Blood oozed from the wounds, but he never stopped.
Whenever he was injured, instead of retreating, he smiled and swung his weapon, crushing the kobold’s head.
Hunter.
The word seemed to fit the man in the midst of the kobolds better than anyone else.

米 米 米
Around the black gate,
A heavy silence fell.

There were only two living beings breathing.
One was naturally me, and the other was the kobold leader.
Around them, nearly a hundred corpses lay scattered.
All of them were kobolds.
A monster surpassing the typical kobold in combat ability.
But it wasn’t my match.
Though I had injuries all over my body, most were minor scratches that would heal within a day.
I didn’t worry about the small cuts and only avoided potentially fatal attacks.
By the end of the battle, I had more wounds and was bleeding, but none of it was enough to hinder me.
‘Humans are definitely weak.’
Thinking back to the mighty body of the Tumak tribe made me feel a sense of regret.
In my past life, I fought by overwhelming my enemies with my powerful physique and mana.
In this life, I had to fight like an outboxer, avoiding fatal injuries and aiming for vital points.
Well.

What would happen if I continued to raise the achievements of the Seongcheon Jo-gyeong-gong and accumulated more Chaos Qi?
“Hehehe.”
A joyful laugh escaped from my lips.
My entire body was sore from wounds, but I couldn’t hide my smile.
‘What a windfall. This is fate!’
[Chaos Power: 69 -> 80.1] [Chaos Qi: 897 -> 1041.3]

The amount of Chaos Qi I could use in this fight had greatly increased.
This was thanks to absorbing the chaotic energy from the black kobold.
The proficiency of Seongcheon Jo-gyeong-gong had also significantly improved.
“Grrr… grr…”
The kobold leader, half-collapsed and kneeling, forced his head up.
One of his arms and legs had been torn off, and a long wound ran across his eye.
He was in a state of incapacity.
I was the one who had reduced the kobold leader to this state.
The leader glared at me with his one remaining eye, and I could clearly sense the murderous intent.
“So what?”
Such a primitive beast’s killing intent was nothing.
It was too trivial to disturb my soul, which had accumulated through countless struggles in the demon world.
Why didn’t I kill the kobold leader?
I could have finished him off long ago, but I didn’t.
‘The black gate keeps summoning monsters.’
A typical gate break releases a flood of monsters at once and then stops.
The black gate was different.
It distorted its surface from time to time and kept summoning more kobolds.
‘Even if I stay still, the elixir will walk in.’
All the Chaos Qi I absorbed came from the black gate.
That was also why I hadn’t killed the kobold leader.

‘That guy is connected to the gate.’
I realized this while handling Chaos Qi.
The kobold leader was acting like the ‘core’ or ‘boss monster’ of the gate.
I had a hunch that if I killed the leader, the black gate would disappear, so I merely neutralized him and periodically knocked down the kobolds summoned by the gate.
Eventually, the black gate stopped summoning monsters.
‘It was a sweet elixir.’
Tsk. I clicked my tongue in regret.
*Vroom—*

I spun the black spear around once and drove the tip into the kobold leader’s neck.
The kobold leader collapsed without even a scream.
-Your level has increased. Please activate the status window to raise your stats.
Oh.
I hadn’t expected my level to go up.
After the walking elixir, now an experience shuttle as well. The black kobold was a monster that had everything.
*Boom!*
At that moment, the surface of the black gate rippled violently.
It contracted rapidly, sending out a reverse wave, the opposite of when it expelled monsters.
*Bang!*
The black gate made a popping sound and disappeared without a trace.