From Jo Se-hyeok's palm, a surge of energy erupted, humming like a resonant bell. In an instant, a circular sphere expanded outward, sealing the area into an isolated battlefield.
Seong-jun narrowed his eyes. The Binding Training Ground…
The Association had already warned him of this ability. A powerful S+ rank skill, nearly unbreakable even by top-tier warriors, capable of cutting off the world outside and forcing its victims into a suffocating arena.
Jo Se-hyeok smirked bitterly. "Five minutes. That's how long most people survive in here… before they die."
Cold air swirled around him, and shards of white, transparent ice bloomed into existence. The temperature plummeted rapidly, and the battlefield became a deathly ice rink.
"How long will you last, Super Rookie?" he asked with a twisted grin.
But Seong-jun's face betrayed no fear. With calm focus, he kicked off the ground, charging forward.
Jo Se-hyeok, remembering how close Seong-jun's strikes had come earlier, quickly widened the distance. His feet slid across the ice with unnatural speed, avoiding direct combat. He was stalling, waiting for the cold to do its work.
Yet Seong-jun's lips curved into a knowing smile. Did you think I wouldn't expect such tricks?
Wind surged around him, building into a violent typhoon. Lightning crackled faintly within the storm as his martial arts—those that once made him feared as the Wind and Blood Demon King—awoke once again.
With his inner strength unleashed, the system responded:
[Strength, Agility, and Stamina enhancements activated on user 'Lee Seong-jun'.]
[Earth's Blessing and Wind's Protection activated.]
[Agility +22. Strength +15. Stamina +15. Physical durability greatly increased.]
The gale wrapped around his body, scattering the icy fog like fragile glass.
Crack—!
Jo Se-hyeok's eyes widened. "What…?!"
Before he could react, Seong-jun closed the distance in an instant, his fist glowing with destructive force.
"Geumgangpa-ryong-geuk!"
The Diamond Dragon Strike roared as Seong-jun's fist crashed into Jo Se-hyeok's abdomen.
"Kugh—!"
Jo Se-hyeok barely threw up an ice wall, but it shattered under the overwhelming blow. Blood spilled from his lips as he was sent flying into the barrier of the training ground.
Seong-jun looked down at him with disdain. "So this is the Millennium Ice Emperor? You're wielding a treasure beyond your ability."
His strikes had revealed the truth. Jo Se-hyeok wasn't even close to using the full potential of the Millennium Ice Blade. Barely thirty percent at most. Instead of reshaping the battlefield as the skill was meant to, he relied on crude attacks.
"You're a pig wearing a pearl necklace," Seong-jun mocked.
"Shut up!" Jo Se-hyeok roared, hurling waves of icy blades.
But Seong-jun dodged and countered effortlessly, reading each move before it even formed. His calm voice cut through the storm. "Too one-dimensional. If you can control a force freely, why shackle it to your hands and feet?"
Then his eyes burned crimson. He spread his hands, releasing his own killing aura.
'Cheonhwahyeolmu… Bloody Turmoil. Bloody Rain.'
The air erupted. Red blood energy scattered in all directions before detonating in a blinding explosion.
Boom—!
Jo Se-hyeok screamed as the ice encasing him crumbled like sand. But the onslaught didn't stop. The fragments of blood aura twisted into countless weapons, darting toward him like crimson arrows.
"Argh—!" He rolled desperately, throwing up ice walls to shield himself. But the humiliation was unbearable. Each moment proved his title meaningless.
Seong-jun's cold words drove the blade deeper. "So the Rookie Slayer wasn't named for defeating strong opponents… only because you preyed on rookies."
The truth stung. Though Jo Se-hyeok's ice mastery was strong enough for SS rank, before Seong-jun's battle-hardened experience, it was crude and shallow.
Is this… is this level of battle even possible?
He had always relied on direct contact with his power. To freely control energy in the atmosphere required immense focus—hundreds of calculations in every instant. Even a superhuman hunter couldn't manage such precision.
But Seong-jun did it naturally, as though born for it.
A monster… Jo Se-hyeok thought, awe mixing with rage.
Still, his spirit burned. No matter how skilled, he's still just a rookie. In the end… I'll win.
Time was on his side. Already, five minutes had passed. The cold of the Millennium Ice Blade had spread fully, lowering the temperature beyond -130 degrees. Stronger than ever before—thirty degrees lower than the supposed limit.
Jo Se-hyeok's confidence surged as Seong-jun's lips began to turn blue. "How does it feel? To freeze alive? You must be afraid!" He laughed maniacally. "Die in terror, Super Rookie!"
Crack—!
His laughter cut short as Seong-jun's fist smashed across his face.
Jo Se-hyeok reeled back in horror. "You… moved?! At full speed?!"
His voice trembled. "No hunter could resist this cold! How… how are you still standing?!"
Seong-jun chuckled darkly. "You're right. A normal hunter couldn't endure it." His breath fogged the frozen air, but his gaze was steady. "But… I'm not normal. I'm a little special."
By mastering his blood and vital energy, he could regulate his own body temperature. A shield within a shield. The extreme cold meant nothing to him.
Jo Se-hyeok's eyes widened in disbelief. "Nonsense…!"