[TS] Became a Peach Saint – Chapter 198

“You still need more training to do it like this.”

I didn’t want to know, but seeing Son Goku use the Ruyi Jingu Bang, I think I understand why things have come to this.

“Can you really do more of this?”

“You’ve been stating the obvious since earlier. And this is nothing.”

When it comes to staff techniques, I think of spinning the staff. As Son Goku slowly spins the Ruyi Jingu Bang, his hands start to disappear, and a wind that feels like it could tear the body apart begins to blow.

—Kwakagak!!

“It’s good for blocking arrows. Those so-called generals of the heavens are sneaky with their bows. And this is a wall. It’s a downward strike.”

Chjeok!

As Son Goku strikes down with the Ruyi Jingu Bang, the mountain range with holes in it splits vertically this time.

“This is a thrust. It’s a downward stab.”

“Wait, wait!!”

“Why?”

“You just did a downward strike.”

I stopped not out of curiosity, but because it felt like the entire planet would split apart. Son Goku, unaware of this, nods his head.

“Downward strike and downward stab are different moves. The thrust focuses on stabbing into the ground.”

Fortunately, as if understanding my feelings, he shows the move slowly like before.

“The staff doesn’t have a spearhead, so it can pursue naturalness more. This move of switching ends is called Hwanpa.”

Ding!

———

[Great Heavenly Flow Beginner Weapon Technique]

It’s an incomplete weapon technique.

[Progress: 1%]

———

As I continue to learn, I wonder if it will become a skill. A message comes in, saying it’s like half-cooked food.

“Let’s stop here for today. It was just a simple taste.”

“Phew, that’s a relief. If we had gone further, this place would have split in half.”

“Stop exaggerating, here.”

Son Goku hands over the Ruyi Jingu Bang.

“What, I thought you were going to take it.”

“What do you take me for?”

“A monkey.”

Son Goku shakes his head and thrusts the staff forward as if telling me to take it quickly.

“Recent intel says the Dragon Palace and Heavenly Palace have poured thousands of years of effort into making another Ruyi Jingu Bang.”

“Another one of these?”

“Yeah. The one you took is almost out of durability, so I couldn’t use it and left it here. So, I’m thinking of getting the new one.”

Definitely a crazy monkey.

They say Son Goku has caused chaos in more than one or two places, and he’s truly insane.

“That’s the Ruyi Jingu Bang I’ve used for a long time, grown with me. The new one won’t be as good as this, but weapon performance doesn’t matter much to me now.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. So, can you help me later?”

Actually, it’s more like he gave it to me, but the Ruyi Jingu Bang was practically stolen from Son Goku. Yet, he’s teaching me weapon techniques.

I can’t help but like him.

“Brother Son, who punched holes in mountain ranges, is asking me for help? Is there anything I can do?”

“Haha, you’re the successor to my Ruyi Jingu Bang, so just raise it properly. And I have many restrictions.”

Son Goku finishes speaking and looks at me expectantly.

“I’m not sure if I can be of help, but if I can, I’ll help.”

“That answer is enough for now. Let’s go.”

The moment Son Goku grabs my arm again, the scenery before my eyes blurs like before.

“Ugh!”

“Exciting!”

“You should learn courage from your friend.”

“Ugh… Baekseol is a brave rabbit, so I can’t help it. I can’t keep up.”

Son Goku chuckles and picks up the game console he had thrown aside.

—Chik, chik.

“Haa—”

As I exhale cigarette smoke, I start to feel a bit calmer.

“Baekseol, I’m going to swing the staff, it might be dangerous. Want to play?”

“Yes!”

Baekseol scurries down and approaches Son Goku.

“Huh?”

“Play!”

“Want to join?”

“Sure!”

“Sit in front of me, friend.”

Seeing Baekseol approach first, he doesn’t seem like a bad monkey. Just a crazy one.

“Hoo— Ran!”

Whoosh!!

As I swing the Ruyi Jingu Bang with force, the air tears apart.

“Don’t just use your arms. Use your waist and shoulders more.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Pfft.”

Even while playing games with Baekseol sitting on his lap, he gives instructions.

It’s like he has eyes on the back of his head.

“Me.”

From outside to inside, clockwise pull.

Son Goku shows me.

According to the bar, all movements must be organically connected.

“Chal.”

I stab the Ruyi Jingu Bang that pulled me in.

—Crash!!

“Chal requires adding shoulder and core strength, even using extreme wrist power.”

“Yes, teacher.”

“Pfft.”

The next move is the wall. I steady my breath and strike down.

“Huff!”

—Crash!!

The ground is torn apart.

“The wall and the pine are different moves.”

“Bam!”

—Crash!!

“Do it again.”

—Crash!!

Son Goku gives me a look like he’s speechless, then gets back into the game.

“I can’t do it!”

“Huh? Who’s this?”

“Master!”

The game ends, and it seems like he’s looking at the ranking screen. Since it’s my gaming device, the top 10 spots are all registered under my name.

“Hah! I can’t stand losing.”

He tears open the snack I handed him, gives one to Baekseol, and dumps the rest into his own mouth.

I thought he said he ate a hundred years’ worth earlier, but it seems like he’s already digested it all.

No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem enough.

When I pour out snacks from the storage space, a giant mountain of snacks starts to form.

If I even pull out the camping power bank I bought earlier, that’s about all I can give to Son Goku.

“Master.”

“What? I’m busy.”

“You can charge the gaming device with this.”

Son Goku, who had his face buried in the gaming device, finally looks up.

“See this black cord? Plug it into the side of the gaming device, and it’ll charge. If you run out of snacks, grab some from here.”

“Oh! Thanks. But, is this your high score?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm, really?”

Son Goku strokes his chin once and then buries his face back into the gaming device.

“Master.”

“What now?”

“What was that thing you used earlier to climb the mountain?”

“It’s a Taoist technique.”

I was right.

“Cloud Technique, right?”

“Yeah. You could tell, huh?”

“Whoosh, and you’re on the ridge. Whoosh, and you’re on the ground. What’s there to see? I only checked what you ate for breakfast this morning.”

“Pfft. But no matter how hard you try, you can’t ride it. It’s a problem beyond effort.”

Even if my combat power is lacking, when I observe myself closely, my mobility is way too low.

Especially when I had to ride a cart for hours just to get into Chaegundam to find medicine for my grandfather.

To compensate for my mobility, I even bought a bike and a truck through Man-wook, but after seeing Son Goku move just now, it feels like a whole new world has opened up.

“If you want to learn a Taoist technique, you should start with the Foot Shortening Technique.”

“You mean instant teleportation?”

“Yeah, it’s also called the Folding Earth Technique. It’s the concept of folding space to run.”

“Isn’t that even harder?”

Son Goku, absorbed in the game, shakes his head vigorously.

“The Cloud Technique is a concept before spells. Humans can’t ride it.”

“Master, explain it properly.”

Snap!

Son Goku flicks his finger, and something whitish gathers in front of me, starting to take shape.

“Cloud Technique?”

“Try riding it, and you’ll understand.”

I’ve only seen it explode in white, but this is the first time I’ve seen it in person.

When I step on the condensed cloud, I feel a wobble, and then I’m firmly on the ground.

“Whoa, almost broke my back.”

Walking while looking at my phone, I stepped into a pothole, and my back almost gave out.

“Pfft, see? I told you you can’t ride it.”

“Explain why I can’t.”

“Humans have too many distracting thoughts. You can never ride it.”

“Distracting thoughts?”

Son Goku nods slightly.

—Click, click.

“Whew—”

Thud!

As I focus my mind, a single drop of water falls into the spring within me, creating ripples.

I peel away the distracting thoughts one by one.

Erasing thoughts, and erasing more.

The ripples from the water droplet erase the distracting thoughts, sliding them away.

Finally, I erase even myself.

**〈No-Self〉**

Embrace.

The Cloud Technique, which had substance but couldn’t be stepped on, now supports me.

It wraps around my feet warmly, carrying me on its back.

As I slowly sit down, it even supports my butt.

“Master, is this how you ride it?”

“Huh?”

Son Goku, who had slightly raised his head, freezes in place.

Son Goku’s blank eyes slowly transform into the eyes of the monster I saw just a moment ago.

The pupils elongate and a golden hue begins to shimmer.

“You… what are you?”

The golden light that had been slowly gathering starts to burn fiercely.

As Son Goku’s energy envelops his entire body, his state of “Muah” (no-self) shatters in an instant.

Thud!

“Ah!”

The soft cloud he was sitting on is pierced, and his butt hits the dirt ground.

“Ah, damn it, why are you glaring at me so scarily!”

Belatedly realizing his own state, the fiery look in his eyes quickly subsides.

“What are you?”

—Whoosh!!

“Damn it, bring it on.”

“No, that’s not it. Sigh… I’m sorry.”

Son Goku, who had seemed all fired up, suddenly calms down and apologizes sincerely.

“How can you enter the state of Muah?”

“I learned it.”

“…Learned it? Muah is the culmination of the Buddha’s training to capture emotion-devouring monsters.”

“Monsters?”

Son Goku, holding Baekseol, nods slowly.

“Emotion-devouring monsters are celestial demons that cannot be defeated as long as even a thread of emotion exists.”

“Hmm.”

“Whatever it is, as long as emotions exist—whether in a child, an ignorant person, or a living being—they cannot be defeated.”

Son Goku, unusually calm, continues his explanation. For a moment, a massive yet benevolent figure overlaps with his current appearance.

It’s a stark contrast to his current human form.

Compassionate yet untamed.

“Even the tiniest creature, a massive life form, or beings revered as divine—none could defeat the monster because emotions exist. Not even the Buddha.”

“…”

“Even without its ability to devour emotions, no one could defeat it with pure force. The powerful beings once called ‘Celestials’ who opposed it were annihilated.”

“Celestials? I think I’ve heard of them.”

Son Goku’s gaze, now calm and serene, contrasts with the terrifying look he had earlier.

“Muah is a discipline only learned by those closest to the Buddha. Even among them, few have truly mastered it.”

“Didn’t your master learn it? That’s why you can ride the Cloud Technique, right?”

Son Goku shakes his head.

“I told you, I too have attained the status of Buddha. Yet, I never truly mastered it.”

“I’m not sure if the Buddha you’re talking about is the same as the hot-tempered Buddha I know.”

The Buddha I know, who always seemed ready to unleash his divine power, was more like a warrior.

“He’s infamous for being difficult.”

“Then it must be the same person. The god he sent told me.”

I’ve seen in books that the Buddha’s temper is as fiery as fire.

It’s probably the same person Son Goku is talking about.

“Sigh… Was I not trained?”

“What are you talking about?”

Son Goku’s heavy voice softens with a sigh.

“Have you heard of the name Mara Papiyas?”

“My dad?”

“…?”

**《The Apocalypse is Rising》**

***

“Han Ga-eul!!”

“What is it, our cute Sunny?”

“Where on earth have you been?”

Sunny is breathing heavily, clearly in a panic.

I thought she was a robot, but this is the first time I’ve seen her so emotional.

Her usually stoic face is filled with panic.

“What’s wrong? Catch your breath and speak slowly. I’m not running away.”

“Please help. A dimensional gate has opened.”

“Suddenly?”

Sunny points behind her with her finger.

There, a human with a hole in their head is gushing blood.

Focusing my energy, I realize it’s someone I saw in the tutorial waiting room. It seems like a monster is indiscriminately slaughtering them.

Damn that master of mine…

Despite the words, it seems like time has flown by way too fast.

“All sorts of nonsense is coming out. Can’t we just handle it directly?”

“It’s a kind of tutorial, so we can’t intervene.”

“Hmm. Whatever. But with bare hands?”

“·····.”

Haetnimu, who had slightly parted her lips to speak, closes her pretty lips without a word.

“I have nothing. I don’t have anything better than the Shield of Holy Radiance I gave you before.”

“Why don’t you have anything?”

When I lightly touch Haetnimu’s lips with my finger, she tilts her head.

“····Is that really enough?”

“Enough? It’s more precious than gold.”

“Alright. How about that kiss you mentioned?”

“One sticky kiss from our cute Haetnimu, and everything’s possible.”

Haetnimu, with a look full of questions, slowly opens her lips.

“Understood.”

“Good. Who messed with our Haetnimu? What should I do? Smash their head?”

Haetnimu nods quickly. She seems really urgent.

“Take care of Baekseol. I’ll handle the urgent matter and get the reward later.”

Realizing Baekseol is also in a hurry, she quickly goes to Ariel without whining about falling.

Lia of the Gale

**〈First Gale (一陣狂風)〉**

Great Heavenly Flow Technique

**〈Cloud Technique (觔斗雲 術)〉**

Boom─!!

The moment my foot rolls and stomps the ground, my body is already on the stage where the troublemaker is.

The body I thought was tough feels like it’s about to tear apart just from the headwind.

Great Heavenly Flow Ruyi Staff Technique

**〈Split (劈)〉**

─Kwaaaaang!!!!

The hard stone floor, set up like a stage, shatters and explodes as if hit by a cannon.

Those standing on it are crushed into a handful of blood and disappear.

Thud thud.

Belatedly, blood and flesh fall from the sky.

Ding!

───

[0.5th Floor Tutorial Battle]

According to the tower’s rules, players who have graduated from the tutorial will face an inter-dimensional battle.

◇Victory Condition: Win the annihilation battle or captain battle

◆Defeat Condition: Death or surrender declaration

Wishing you survival and good fight.

───

The monster next to the troublemaker, belatedly noticing me, turns its head.

Heavenly Peach Style Support Magic

“Ha, surrender····.”

“Silence.”

Crunch!

“Gah! Gah!”

“You little bug, killing people and then trying to surrender.”

The spectators in the arena and the tutorial players around all fall silent as if in unison.

Amidst this, the boiling voice of a strangely shaped creature is heard.

“Who····are you?”

“I’m Han Ga-eul, the beautiful representative of Earth’s humanity.”

“········.”

“From now on, any alien friends who even twitch their mouths should know I’ll smash their heads with an iron bar.”

“Surr····.”

Crunch!!

The Ruyi staff, with added rotation, pierces through the alien’s mouth and bursts out the back of its head.

Sticky blood flows down the staff, soaking my hand.

《Choco Stone Monkey deeply apologizes to the gods of other dimensions for releasing such a harmful species into the tutorial battle》

《The Demon of Three Sighs slaps his forehead at the fact that such a thing is the representative of humanity》

“Next.”