Nano Machine Chapter 31: Second Round Test (B)

Through the user's guide and a perfect acquisition of the English language, Cheon Yeo Woon's competency in operating the nano machine increased exponentially.

[Yes. However, in order to run the simulation, I would need an analysis of your opponent's fighting form and movement patterns]

-What about Cheon Moo Geum, the guy I fought earlier this evening?–

[Although a full analysis is absent, I can create a simulation avatar based on the saved information that was recorded throughout the fight]

Knowing that "beggars can't be choosers," he was grateful even just for that,

-Alright! Then let's give it a whirl!

Cheon Yeo Woon quickly redirected his steps to an area where no one would see him.

Since they had free time until the lights went out, he decided to spend the rest of the night to gain more experience through the fighting simulation.

[Implementing augmented reality onto user's vision.

Creating avatar to simulate fight with opponent "Cheon Moo Geum"]

Just as before when he was fighting Cheon Moo Geum, an array of white luminescent lights began to appear before him.

The only difference was that it was missing the analytical information that lit up everywhere as before, and instead a figure in the form of a white light was standing in front of him, which quickly transformed into the very appearance of Cheon Moo Geum.

"Wow…"

Cheon Yeo Woon couldn't hold back his amazement at the otherworldly spectacle.

According to the nano machine's words, the person standing in front of him was only an avatar of Cheon Moo Geum that Nano had created through augmented reality, which meant that it was only visible to his eyes.

[Before completing the creation of the avatar, I would need to designate some specifications.

Please set the percentage of real damage effect you would like to simulate from the opponent]

-Uhh… percentage of real damage effect?-

[It is the amount of pain you will feel when the avatar strikes you.

If you want the simulation to be as close to the real fight as possible, then set it to one-hundred percent, but if you don't want the full intensity then simply set it to a lower percentage]

-Oh yeah? I want the real deal. Set it to a hundred.-

He reasoned that the trauma inflicted by an avatar who only existed in an augmented reality world could only hurt so much.

But as always, Cheon Yeo Woon had to learn through experience how bull-headed and dumb his decision was.

[Commencing simulation]

Cheon Moo Geum's avatar who was standing in front of him suddenly looked at Cheon Yeo Woon and taunted him in an impudent way.

[Hey, you lowly piece of crap! Come at me!]

"Ha?"

Cheon Yeo Woon shook his head with his mouth open in disbelief.

Granted, the nano machine created Cheon Moo Geum's avatar from the information saved from the previous fight, but it was incredible that his every facial expression, tone of voice and body gestures were perfectly replicated.

It was to the point where, despite the fact that Cheon Yeo Woon knew the avatar was fake the all too realistic taunting still stung a little.

-Hey, this is my golden opportunity. I couldn't break his head open before because of the second round test, but since he's just in avatar form now I guess I can smash his head into the ground however way I want.-

Thanks to the avatar's provocative taunt, Cheon Yeo Woon's zeal shot up.

Since Cheon Yeo Woon hesitated to make the first move, the avatar went ahead. He kicked his feet off the ground and dashed towards Cheon Yeo Woon.

The avatar thrust his fists towards Cheon Yeo Woon with the ferocity of a tiger, mirroring the exact same strike that Cheon Moo Geum had used during the last fight.

-Oh!-

Cheon Yeo Woon couldn't believe his eyes. The avatar perfectly duplicated the fifth form of Buk Ma clan's martial art, Bokho Gongsoon.

After a brief moment of being amazed, Cheon Yeo Woon quickly recalled the previous scenario and side stepped into the avatar's left flank as before. He then tried to connect with a Jeopmoo Dobeop as he readied his form for the strike.

But in that moment…

[You think such a pathetic attack is going to work on me?]

After making a bold exclamation, the avatar spun his body around as he dodged Cheon Yeo Woon's strike and nailed a powerful kick straight into his solar plexus

*Puk!*

"Aaagghhh!"

At the sharp pain that pierced through his gut, Cheon Yeo Woon fell to the ground with a loud screech.

He had no idea that an avatar who in a sense only existed in augmented reality could inflict so much physical pain on him.

"Aaaggghhhh. Why does this hurt so much?"

Suddenly, Nano's voice rang inside Cheon Yeo Woon's head as he reeled in pain on the ground.

[Based on the percentage of real damage effect you set the avatar to, the nano machines in your central nervous system is able to mimic the injury in your body as though you were to hit in the same manner]

"Darn it."

It was truly stupid of him to set the percentage of real damage to a hundred percent without even really considering what that meant.

And, after warning him earlier, Nano was now simply explaining the situation to him. But for some reason, Cheon Yeo Woon felt salty towards her.

[Would you like to reset the avatar's percentage of real damage to a lower level?]

"…forget it! Just leave it!"

When he first heard "lower level" there was a part of him that wanted to give in, but he ultimately declined the offer.

Thinking about it, if he knew that the avatar could inflict the same level of pain as a real-live opponent could, it would encourage him to not take augmented reality for granted and get complacent because of it.

[You lowly piece of crap! Fight me!]

The avatar further taunted him as he mockingly pointed his finger at Cheon Yeo Woon, who was trying to get up from off his knees.

"Darn avatar!"

Although he was clearly aware that the avatar who was provoking him to anger was just an illusion, Cheon Yeo Woon swallowed the whole thing hook, line and sinker. With a look of indignation in his face, he then began to gear up his Jeopmoo Dobeop form.

In like manner, Cheon Yeo Woon began to build more fighting experience through Nano's opportune simulation module.

But, for those on the outside there was no doubt that Cheon Yeo Woon's boxing into the air, body jerks and tumbling accompanied by loud screeches of agony would be seen as a bad case of schizophrenia.

It was late into the night, the cloudless sky covered with an endless host of stars.

After spending the whole night in a wooded area behind the dormitories, Cheon Yeo Woon was finally on his way back to his dorm room. He had been in training the whole time through the fight simulation created by augmented reality.

He engaged in combat for at least four hours since dusk, and as a result, was as tired as a worn out shoe.

Although thanks to Nano the nano machine's healing capabilities, he was able to receive treatment for his injuries, there was nothing that could be done about his fatigue.

-Ha ah… I can't believe I would've lost all fifteen times against the avatar if it weren't for that last fight.-

A big, disappointed sigh came out of his mouth.

During the first simulation when Cheon Yeo Woon actually fought a fair fight without the help of Nano's battle tutorial, he got crushed within his first five moves.

It was hard to even call those five moves anything substantial. He pretty much just threw wild punches in all direction while trying not to get hit in the face.

If he that was the outcome of fighting an avatar who was merely created through a program that used analysis from one short fight, it was obvious what the outcome would be if he had actually engaged in a fair fight with him.

-Smash his head open, my ass.-

As Cheon Yeo Woon felt a little glum about the whole situation, he heard the encouragement of Nano.

[The more experience you accumulate, the greater your skill will be. Every time my lord reengaged in another fight, the quality of your movements, counterattacks and the frequency of implementing an effective fighting form has increased]

As Nano mentioned, the first six fights against the avatar ended in an overwhelming defeat for Cheon Yeo Woon. But, starting from the seventh to the ninth silumation, he began to put up a decent fight as he reciprocated the avatar's strikes with the appropriate counterattacks. Then from the tenth to the fourteenth fight, there were many moments when he landed successful strikes on the avatar even though he was dominated most of the time.

As his experience grew, the duration of the fights also got longer.

Finally, in the last fight at the end of a back-and-forth of about thirty moves, CHeon Yeo Woon was able to identify Cheon Moo Geum's Achilles' heel and deal a decisive blow to him through Jeopmoo Dobeop.

-So what if I beat him? The avatar just repeated three fighting forms on top of a few basic moves the whole time. There's nothing to celebrate about beating a limited Cheon Moo Geum avatar like that.-

That was the most frustrating part of all this.

Because the avatar was only a simulation that replicated the few fighting forms and strike-intensity that Cheon Moo Geum displayed during one short duel, it was difficult to say that the simulation fights had any real value.

The fact that he didn't stand a chance against Cheon Moo Geum ambivalently broke his morale and at the same time galvanized his will to get stronger.

-Hoooo, you just watch. In a couple of days, I will make sure the avatar doesn't stand a chance against me.-

[Okay]

Accordingly, Cheon Yeo Woon set the first goal for himself after realizing that building experience didn't come that easy or quickly.

However, there was one truth that he was completely oblivious to.

Although it was true that Cheon Moo Geum's avatar that was created through the nano machine's augmented reality was merely produced on the basis of minimal information retrieved from the previous fight, there was also an advantage that the avatar had over the real Cheon Moo Geum which Cheon Yeo Woon didn't know about. The avatar, in fact, had full knowledge of Cheon Yeo Woon's Dangeom Bisool and Jeopmo Dobeop, which allowed it to predict Cheon Yeo Woon's every move.

In a real duel, for one to be perfectly familiar with the opponent's fighting style, forms and moves usually was enough to swing the outcome of the fight in their favor.

On top of that, the fact that Cheon Yeo Woon managed to rack up even one win against the indefatigable avatar in his own state of exhaustion showed that his skills and potential were forces to be reckoned with.