Status Window
Name: Heo Sungshik
Title: Hero of Adversity, One Who Has Touched the Threshold of Transcendence
Rank: 4-Star (★★★★)
Combat Power: B― (↑)
Stats:
Strength: C+ (↑)
Agility: C+
Endurance: C+ (↑)
Magic: B― (↑)
Traits:
- [EX Rank] Consumption – LV 4
- [EX Rank] One More Time (Unavailable)
- [EX Rank] Heaven-Splitting Divine Art – LV 2 (↑)
- [SS Rank] Pocket Watch – LV 3
- [S Rank] Hyper-Senses – LV 3
- [S Rank] Sword Sovereign – LV 4 (↑)
Skills:
- [S Rank] Insight (Restricted)
- [S Rank] – Explosive Strike
- [Ungraded] Translation Skill
- [A― Rank] Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts (Growth Type) (↑)
- [B+ Rank] Heaven-Splitting Eyes (Growth Type) (↑)
While waiting for the 1v1 tournament, Sungshik had not simply been idling. Though he had slowed his tempo, thinking of it as a brief rest period, he continued his training even while sparring with Moonguk.
As a result, his Heaven-Splitting Divine Art and Sword Sovereign traits leveled up. Consequently, his Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts and Heaven-Splitting Eyes skills also advanced. But the most remarkable change was—
‘I’ve raised the tier of my magic stat.’
Indeed. He had achieved the difficult feat of increasing his magic stat’s grade. Though this was partially due to his Heaven-Splitting Heart Technique and Pocket Watch trait, the greatest contributor was the century-old ginseng he had gathered from Baekdu Mountain.
‘All that sustained consumption to break through the B-rank barrier has paid off.’
By systematically consuming all the century-old herbs, excluding the millennium-old ones, and diligently refining his Heaven-Splitting Heart Technique, he had achieved a breakthrough to B― in his magic stat. This upgrade would be immensely helpful in managing the high magic consumption of his Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts.
‘And my strength and endurance stats have increased as well.’
Even though all he had done was train in the Trading Room, both his strength and endurance had improved. Though C-rank was still an accessible stage for stat growth, the speed of his advancement was remarkable. This was due not only to his inherent physical potential but also largely thanks to his Pocket Watch trait.
“At this level, I should be able to endure even if he uses ‘Descent of Lü Bu.’”
He couldn’t be certain. However, leveraging his traits and combat experience from the future, he felt he had a chance. Furthermore, his combat power had risen to B― thanks to his stat growth and trait upgrades.
Since B-rank combat power was typically the realm of 5-star warriors, Sungshik was now positioned between the 4-star and 5-star categories. He genuinely believed that as long as he could endure ‘Descent of Lü Bu,’ he would have a fighting chance.
With that in mind, Sungshik continued honing his martial prowess while meditating and simulating his upcoming match against Park Tae-sik, preparing thoroughly.
Despite everyone assuming Park Tae-sik’s victory was inevitable, the final match drew an enormous crowd, filling the spectator stands. Although the academy had fewer than 3,000 students, over a thousand had gathered to witness the match firsthand. Even the academy’s professors and instructors, themselves transcendents, had turned out in droves.
That was how iconic the 1v1 tournament stage was in the Superhuman Academy Olympics.
[Ah~ what a shame. Park Tae-sik vs. Kim Subin should have been the final match.]
└ Right? Then the finals would have actually felt like a real final.
[I have a feeling this final is going to set a record.]
└ ? What record?
└ The shortest final in history.
└ LOL, hard agree.
└ LOL, Sungshik might get knocked out in one move.
Everyone was disappointed. It was disheartening to see such an unbalanced final between a lucky finalist like Heo Sungshik and Park Tae-sik, the academy’s strongest transcendent, in what was supposed to be a grand stage.
“We meet again? You remember me, right?”
“Of course. It’s been a while, senior.”
The two finally faced each other on the final stage. When Tae-sik greeted him first, Sungshik responded in kind.
“It’s nice to see you again after so long.”
“Yeah, I feel the same. And it’s an honor that such a famous senior remembers me.”
“Of course. Even if it was brief, you left quite the impression back then.”
They had only met once by chance a few months ago when Sungshik got tangled up with Kim Hoyun, so he found it odd that Tae-sik found him memorable.
“I don’t think I did anything special back then. But I’ll take it as a compliment.”
“Haha, I saw you hiding your sharp claws. It made me look forward to seeing what you’d become.”
There was something about Tae-sik’s tone—like he knew something. Hearing his words, Sungshik’s eyes glinted with curiosity.
“Hmm, I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Is that so? Well, there’s no need for superhumans to waste time talking.”
Seeing Sungshik feign ignorance, Tae-sik chuckled.
‘Oh? This just got interesting.’
Sungshik wasn’t sure what exactly Tae-sik had noticed, but based on his words, he had clearly picked up on something.
Siiik—
A smirk naturally crept onto Sungshik’s lips. If Tae-sik had also underestimated him like everyone else, Sungshik had planned to seize the momentum with an aggressive opening. But that plan was no longer viable.
‘So, he’s not underestimating me. Good, that makes it more fun.’
[Whoa, is Heo Sungshik… smiling?]
└ WTF? Why is he smiling right now?
└ What’s up with him?
└ IDK, but he was talking to Park Tae-sik, and now he’s smiling.
└ Park Tae-sik is smiling too. LOL, did Sungshik ask him to go easy on him?
└ That actually makes sense. LOL, seems likely.
Though the conversation between the two wasn’t broadcasted, their expressions were clearly visible on screen, prompting a flood of reactions from the viewers.
The atmosphere was anything but tense. Amidst this lighthearted mood, the match finally began.
And in that very moment, everyone who had been casually watching the final with little interest found their jaws dropping in utter shock.
“Alright, shall we have some fun?”
At the signal to begin, Tae-sik gripped his spear firmly and took a cautious stance. Seeing this, Sungshik also drew his Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword and readied himself. The two maintained a cautious distance, carefully observing each other.
[Why do they both look so serious?]
[LOL, why are they acting so tense?]
[Tae-sik’s at least setting the mood for the final, I guess. LOL]
[Anyone watching without context would think this is some legendary rival showdown. LOL]
The viewers laughed, thinking Tae-sik was just playing along to make the final seem more dramatic.
The first move came from Tae-sik. Given that a spear had greater reach than a sword, it was only natural that he initiated the attack.
Clang―
Heo Sungshik deflected Park Tae-sik’s thrust, producing a loud clashing sound.
That was when it truly began—their dazzling exchange of attacks and counterattacks.
Park Tae-sik aggressively pressed forward, utilizing the fundamental spear techniques of ‘Block,’ ‘Control,’ and ‘Suppress.’ Sungshik met him head-on, drawing upon the essence of Heaven-Splitting Divine Art.
When Tae-sik’s spear thrust in, Sungshik would sidestep and deflect, launching a counterattack. Conversely, whenever Sungshik’s sword approached, Tae-sik would rotate outward with ‘Block’ and ‘Control’ to push it away, or inward to suppress it, responding with ‘Suppress.’
The description was long, but the exchange itself was as fast as lightning.
Flash― Flash―
Clang― Clang―
Every time their weapons clashed, the deafening sound echoed throughout the arena. The pace of these resounding clashes only grew faster.
Was this what they meant by an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object? The two fighters, both fierce and unyielding, crashed against each other relentlessly.
Both of them were ranked 4-star—the highest among the tournament participants. That was why this match stood out as the fiercest, the most dazzling, among all the fights in the tournament.
As the unexpected intensity of their battle unfolded, the atmosphere in the arena grew feverish. The spectators, who had been holding their breath at the unforeseen clash, finally exhaled as the two paused to catch their own, erupting in a thunderous roar.
“Uwaaaaah―”
“Whoa, what the hell is this―!”
“Fweeeeeet―”
Their unexpected prowess struck everyone with even greater impact. The same went for the viewers watching the broadcast.
[Cough! Holy shit, this is insane!!]
[Whoa~ What is this?!]
[No way, is this real?! LOL]
[Wow~ Heo Sungshik, what the hell. LOL. This is nuts. LOL.]
[Anyone who called Heo Sungshik a lucky puncher, get on your knees now.]
└I’m on my knees, sir.
└222 I bowed instantly.
Watching Sungshik trade blows evenly with Tae-sik, people no longer mocked him as a man of fortune or a lucky puncher. They could only marvel at his ability to stand toe-to-toe with Park Tae-sik.
The excitement was reaching a fever pitch. This match—it truly felt like the grand finals that everyone had been hoping for.
As the energy reached its peak, the two fighters seemed to declare that what had come before was merely a warm-up, as they escalated their attacks even further.
Boom―
Crash―
As they began using their full strength, explosive booms raged through the arena like detonating bombs. It was the result of them deploying their skills in earnest.
A shimmering haze swirled around their sword and spear.
[Wait, is that sword energy and spear energy?]
└Yeah, looks like it. Holy crap. Weren’t you supposed to be at least 5-star to use that?
└Yeah, only 5-star and above should be able to use it. What the hell? Are they already 5-star?
└But if they were, the energy would be clearly visible. The fact that it's just a wavering haze means they’re still at the peak of 4-star. Looks like they’re both on the verge of breaking into 5-star.
―Damn, so they’re right on the edge of 5-star? LOL. That’s insane. Both of them. Just wow.
Viewers were right to be amazed by the idea of 5-star. Reaching that rank was a turning point, where the gap between levels became a true wall.
The difference between 3-star and 4-star was big, but the difference between 4-star and 5-star was enormous. That was why people were so shocked at how close these two were to achieving it.
“Oh, this is impressive. Two students already looking at the wall of 5-star.”
“Indeed. This must be the result of the president’s educational philosophy producing such outstanding superhumans.”
“Hahaha, I haven’t done much. It’s all thanks to the excellent instructors and professors they’ve learned from.”
The instructors of the Superhuman Academy, watching from the sidelines, were no exception to the surprise.
“We already knew Park Tae-sik had reached 4-star, but this Heo Sungshik… he’s quite unexpected.”
“Isn’t he the student who was at the hearing recently? I thought he had awakened a talent for strategy, but apparently not? Damn, this kid is really something else.”
Like the other superhuman students, they couldn’t hide their astonishment. But their shock was still premature.
“You’re really incredible. I never expected you to match me this evenly. Totally unexpected.”
“Haha, thank you. You’re even stronger than I imagined, senior.”
Seeing Sungshik respond without backing down, Tae-sik grinned.
“Alright, let’s call the warm-up over. Time to go all out.”
“Sounds good. This time, I’ll take the initiative.”
With those words, Sungshik surged forward at lightning speed, unleashing the true martial techniques of Heaven-Splitting Divine Art.
‘Heaven-Splitting Martial Art First Technique: Weapon-Breaking technique.’
Heaven-Splitting Martial Art’s power lay in its essence—destruction. Its techniques were centered on annihilation. The very first move, Weapon-Breaking technique, was exactly as the name implied: a technique meant to shatter the opponent’s weapon.
As Sungshik unleashed Weapon-Breaking technique, he also activated his Heaven-Splitting Eye. And in that moment, he saw it—the ‘weak point’ of Tae-sik’s spear.
Crack―
“!!”
Tae-sik, who had been blocking with his spear shaft, looked on in shock as his weapon bent under the force of Sungshik’s strike.
“Tch.”
Although it hadn’t snapped in two, the deformed spear forced Tae-sik to hurriedly retreat.
“Damn, is that sword legendary tier? My spear isn’t bad, but I never expected it to bend like this.”
“Haha, I got lucky.”
Sungshik grinned as he responded to Tae-sik, who wore a wry smile.
In truth, even with the Weapon-Breaking technique, destroying Tae-sik’s spear so easily shouldn’t have been possible.
However, Sungshik’s weapon was the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword—a mythical-tier weapon. On top of that, the sword’s option effects had enhanced the power of his technique, and Tae-sik’s spear, by sheer misfortune, was just an ordinary weapon.
Moreover, Sungshik’s Heaven-Splitting Eye had allowed him to spot the ‘weak point’—a worn groove along the spear’s shaft—leading to this outcome.
No matter how strong Tae-sik was, without a proper weapon, his strength would inevitably decline. That was why everyone was stunned at the sight of him losing his spear.
At that moment, as people began entertaining the unthinkable—the idea of Park Tae-sik’s defeat—
Rumble—