《D.I.O》 CH 1 ***Marionette Hold*** The package was delivered to Yongno''s place as they mentioned a few days ago. Yongno had been looking forward to it, so when the delivery guy showed up, Yongno quickly welcomed him. "It''s 5,000 won.[1]" "Ah, okay, but this is...?" "Yeah, the interacting device." "Are you sure?" Feeling bewildered, Yongno stared at the parcel in his hand, which was a lot lighter and smaller than he had expected. It didn¡¯t seem like it would be enough to carry a device that enabled players to access virtual reality. Would it even be able to hold two books? "I already expected it since everyone who receives this packet reacts the same... but no worries. This is definitely the product, so just follow the instructions." "But the size is too..." "If you feel doubtful, just install and run it. As you can see, I''m just a delivery guy." Despite his remark, Yongno was impressed by the man¡¯s appearance. He looked gorgeous with his neatly combed hair, chiseled jawline, fair skin, and long eyelashes; it would even be difficult to find someone with comparable looks on TV. What stood out the most were his eyes. The delivery guy¡¯s eyes were calm and subtle. His overall vibe was enough to make Yongno trust his words, even if he was to introduce himself as the youngest research lab director of an academic institution or the president of a large company. The guy emitted such a faithful and confident aura. "This is all I need to run the program, right? With no additional devices?" asked Yongno. The delivery guy replied, "Yes, like I said, just run it to find it out." Yongno nodded. He ought to stop annoying the poor delivery guy to satisfy his curiosity. If the thing didn¡¯t work, all he lost was just 5,000 won; it wasn''t a huge loss. "Then, I''ll be on my way. I still have a lot to deliver," said the guy. Click. The guy bade farewell and quickly left as if he felt bothered by Yongno for interrupting his work. He still has many left to deliver? Are there also other people around here doing this? The thought flashed through Yongno''s mind. However, he quickly disregarded it since extending the online relationship to offline networks was far from being himself. Instead of having useless thoughts, Yongno closed the front door and opened the box, but all he found inside were just a pair of earphones, a user manual, and a CD. ... Is that all? Yongno was dumbfounded. They don''t even provide a headset? Is it actually possible to access virtual reality using only these devices? "No way." When Yongno heard the words ''virtual reality¡¯ from the unidentified, middle-aged man, the first thing that crossed his mind was a capsule, the cutting-edge coffin that the player laid down flat inside with all kinds of equipment attached to his body. However, the only electronic device that came in the box was these earphones. What did they expect him to do with just a pair of hearing devices? Did they want him to just listen to the most realistic sound? "It''s indeed a scam. Well, it didn''t make sense from the beginning." The world Yongno lived in had cars running on the road, not in the sky. No such thing as a space house existed on the moon yet; thousands of unconquered diseases still remained on Earth. As for virtual reality, it wasn¡¯t just an immersive presentation of an artificial environment itself but was a game made with a simulated experience of the real world. From Yongno''s point of view, virtual reality was likely to require the same level of the most advanced technology applied to the aforementioned things, but... "The android looked so real..." Yongno recalled the unbelievable sight he witnessed a week ago. It was neither an illusion nor a fantasy unless someone had secretly fed him drugs. An android was indeed an object beyond current technology, but huge advances in scientific discoveries and computer technologies were also necessary to deceive Yongno with such a sight. Thus, using revolutionary technology to commit a 5,000-won fraud scheme was illogical. And now that he came to think of it, the earphones and user manual in the box seemed to cost more than that, so this wasn¡¯t even a 5,000-won scam. "Well, just as the delivery guy says, I''ll figure it out once I run the game." Yongno inserted the CD into the CD-ROM drive to install the program, and while he waited he read the user manual that explained the set-up and equipment. However, Yongno was good with computers, so the information was unnecessary. What caught his eyes, instead, was the precaution section. "D.I.O.(Dynamic Island Online), the fantasy world, comes with a CD and interacting device attached to the earphone ... D.I.O, pronounced as Dee-oh, doesn''t require internet, therefore a WAN port is unnecessary, so there''s no problem with using it in isolated places¨C¨CWHAT?" It didn¡¯t make sense. How could someone run an online game without using the internet? Yongno felt it was absurd, but he continued reading the user guide. "D.I.O will run when the included CD and interacting device are linked to the same computer. However, using a pirated CD or running a copied file from the computer will deny access to D.I.O. Wearing the connector-attached headphones/earphones improperly or having the audio volume too low may cause an access-denied error. While D.I.O is running, if someone touches your body, you take off your earphones/headphones, or the computer shuts down, you will be forcefully logged out... WHAT? How can that be possible when this game uses no internet? And it''s possible to access the virtual world just by wearing earphones?" Yongno wondered about it for a moment, then he tugged at the earphones to check the interacting device on them. The size was even smaller than his two fingers. How could just putting this tiny device on a regular earphone enable virtual reality? "Ugh, never mind. If I were to start complaining about it, it could go on endlessly." Having decided to just move on, Yongno put the earphones into his ears. His computer had completed the installation. Yongno ran the program, then a messenger window popped up on the right side of the monitor with a rounded icon that said [Connect] on it. "Do we just connect without any login page? Besides, this is..." Without a second thought, Yongno clicked the [message] button on the messenger and entered random characters using the keyboard. When he clicked the [send] button, a message appeared on the screen. /No users online/ "Oh, so this allows me to send a message to the users online..." Now he was able to roughly grasp the situation. The program was serious about making an online game that didn¡¯t require an internet connection but just used an earphone that had an interacting device to access a virtual reality. "Oh, it''s already past ten." Doing the installation and wondering about many things had taken too much of his time. Yongno found that the opening time had already passed. However, it was just three minutes past ten, so the server would be jammed with other users as long as it was accessible. "Let''s just turn it on and see what happens. First of all, press the connect button..." /In the beginning, I felt sorrow.../ "What is this?" A man''s voice, close to a whisper, resonated in soft music. Yongno lifted his head again to look at the screen. On the monitor, the loading bar showed an increase in percentage as time went by. /For I had nothing that I desired.../ The voice continued. It sounded masculine, dignified, and thick, even pleasant to Yongno''s ears despite him being of the same gender. However, Yongno had no idea what he was talking about. /Still, I wish and hope.../ "What the heck is this? Is this the login page?" Yongno was perplexed that nothing had actually changed yet, but the voice coming through the earphones continued nonchalantly nonetheless. The soft music had also turned faster and deeper at some point. /Here I am trying to create a new world.../ "What do you want me to do...?" Yongno grumbled as the music reached its climax. /You shall be free here and now./ As if someone had hit his brain off-switch, Yongno lost consciousness and fell asleep. *** "So, I just finished delivering it to the 413th house, right? Geez, it takes longer than I expected." It was true that the delivery was delayed. Since the opening time of D.I.O. was ten, the man tried to hand over all of the interacting devices by nine, but still, he had eighty-seven of them left undelivered. "Why are they so curious...? All they have to do is just turn it on." Besides, there were other problems. Some people resisted paying the 5,000 won for the delivery. The delivery guy was not obsessed with money but just felt that it wasn''t fair that some paid and some didn''t. He even encountered some woman trying to flirt with him because of his attractive appearance. "I''m tired. If I can, I just want to throw everything away." The moment he murmured, ¡°But I must follow the order anyway¡­¡± a paper box suddenly appeared on his left palm. He didn''t pick it up or take it out from somewhere, but it just showed up all of a sudden like magic. Despite the marvelous trick, the man lifted his other hand apathetically and knocked on the door. Squeak. The wall ''opened.'' There wasn''t a door hidden in the concrete wall, but with a cracking sound, he created a door made of wood, not stone. If others saw it, they would be doubting whether their brains or visions were functioning properly. What happened was that unbelievable, but the man remained apathetic as he entered and shut the door. Click. The wooden entrance became blurry as soon as it closed, then it was literally erased from the bottom upwards and gone without a trace. Yongno realized that he was standing in a strange room. The weird situation struck him dumb. "When was I moved to this place? In my memories, the door was definitely locked." He was about to quickly take out his phone and check the time, but he couldn¡¯t find it anywhere. Not only was his phone missing, his clothes had also been changed. Everything he had on himself was gone; now he was only wearing clothes made of blue fabric. "Ahaha! That funny face.¡± Someone giggled. "Eh?" While Yongno became befuddled at the sudden voice, the spatial space before him was split open and a girl with silver hair appeared. She was a tall and slender beauty. Yongno was a person who didn¡¯t find any actresses, models, or TV personalities interesting, but even in his eyes, the girl looked overwhelmingly pretty. No, instead of using the word ''pretty,'' this girl in her late teens could be better described as beautiful or gorgeous. If modeling agencies or entertainment companies could see her appearance, they would pay millions, no, even billions to sign with her. Just a few days ago, Yongno was astonished to see the captivating beauty, Alice, but he was now deeply wondering when this world began to have so many goddess-like ladies around him. Alice asked, "Haha, even though you all know that you''re accessing the program to enter virtual reality, every one of you becomes so dumbstruck. Is it so unbelievable?" "You sound like you¡¯re saying this place is a virtual world..." "Correct." The girl flaunted a refreshing smile. Yongno touched his body, showing a look of strong distrust on his face. His body was there; his feet were touching the ground. Everything felt real as if he was experiencing reality itself. Yongno asked, tilting his head, "No way. Did you kidnap me while I was asleep!?" "Oh my! You aren''t even some dignitaries or big shot. Do you think you''re worthy enough for me to go to the extent of kidnapping you?" I think so¡­ The words flashed through his head, but Yongno realized that she had no idea about his background. Still... "Ugh, the world is full of distrust. Am I supposed to show you evidence?" groaned the girl. "Evidence?" "Yeah, maybe something like this...?" The moment she dropped that remark, a spatial space opened. The girl held two blades in her hands. The blade of the right sword glinted splendidly with a blue tint, whereas the red one on the left looked impressive, as though it would be ablaze with flames at any time. As if they were made as a pair, both looked exactly the same, except for their colors. The exquisite design even left Yongno, who knew nothing about blades, in no doubt that these were fine swords. 1. Around 5 USD ? CH 2 "They are called ''serenity'' and ''fury,¡¯ the first and the second one among the seven sacred treasures I have. Gorgeous, right?" she said. Yongno replied, "Uh, yeah, they look amazing, but how did you make something appear from nothing? Is it magic...?" "Oh my! You''re ridiculous. Well, then what about this?" The silver-haired beauty then raised her right hand that had ''serenity'' in it. When the blade emitted soft energy... "Eh?" Yongno saw an illusion of a rampart. The girl built a huge barrier between herself and Yongno just by lifting her sword. Her impressive ability astonished him; he thought the girl was impregnable as she could create such a firm and defensive structure unrestrictedly. The girl uttered, "If this doesn¡¯t seem enough, let me show you this one too." With a mischievous smile, the girl raised the red blade ''fury.'' Pop¨C¨C! "Ha... haha..." Yongno stepped back as he confronted red spiritual energy that looked like a roaring flame. Although he knew that she wasn¡¯t targeting him with the lethal weapon, he instinctively felt horrified. Most people would become anxious over a gun pointing at them even if they were assured that the gunman wouldn¡¯t pull the trigger. Likewise, Yongno was terrified by the spiritual energy swirling in the spatial space since the force could severely destroy his entire body at any time. The girl said, "Eh? You''re not saying anything. Would this be better than the swords then?" At that moment, the two blades disappeared, and a red magic circle appeared in the air with a beam of light blazing from it. The light streak was targeting the empty space far away from Yongno, but the room got heated up all of a sudden. While Yongno had no idea what it was, the girl used ¡®Hell Fire¡¯, the most advanced level of a magic spell in the SS rank. "If this isn''t doing it for you, how do you like this one?¡± asked the girl. [Owooooo¨C¨C] Split opening the spatial space, a large wolf showed up. The creature howled without opening its mouth, but the noise echoed heavily around the room. Yongno held his breath to avoid the wolf¡¯s attention, but it was useless since the furry beast directed its huge eyes, bigger than wheels, to Yongno. "Ah..." "Geez, is this not enough too? Then..." The silver-haired girl began to recite something while making some hand signs with both hands. Yongno shrieked in surprise. "Hold on, hold on! That''s enough. I believe you! Yes, this is indeed virtual reality!!" "Oh, thank goodness you''re now trusting it." When the girl grinned, the giant wolf disappeared like nothing. The whole process that Yongno had witnessed included the most unrealistic things that he had ever seen in his life; he had no choice but to accept that this spatial space wasn¡¯t real. The girl continued, "First of all, let me introduce myself. My name is Marionette Hold, a guide who''ll lead the users to the world of D.I.O." The girl slightly lifted her dress as a curtsy; it looked so perfect that Yongno thought she had been practicing those few gestures for years in order to do so in such a polite and respectful manner. He instinctively lowered his head after her. "I''m Yoo... Yoon Yongno." "Haha, don''t be shy. Anyway, we''ve been wasting too much time, so let me begin my explanation." "Explanation...? Of?" "Obviously, the basic operation of D.I.O. Would you hold your left ear with your left hand?" Following her suggestion, Yongno lifted his left hand to hold his left ear without a second thought. Nothing happened immediately, but after holding it for about two seconds, a blue window popped up. Although he has accepted that he was in a virtual space, Yongno was surprised to encounter a pop-up window right before his eyes. It made it clear that he¡¯s a player in a game. Anyway, does this program react to specific movements? Yongno had never seen this new way of interaction in other games. Being amazed, Yongno observed the window floating in the air. The stats were all zero since he was a newbie to this game. "If you touch your ear again, the status window shuts down. Similarly, tap your left hand twice with your right hand to activate the stats & ability window. If you want to see the community list, tap your right hand twice with your left hand. There are also a few other things, but you can help yourself to find them out." "Wow..." The way of operating the game felt so cool to Yongno. He opened the stats & ability window as well as the community list. Right now there was nothing particular to see since he had no skills and no added friends either. "Oh, but can I also change my appearance?" "It''s forbidden for a couple of reasons such as anonymity problems. Then again, they don''t seem to care about it once you start playing the game. You can change it afterwards." "What about occupation?" "The option exists, but you don''t choose it now. At Level 10, you¡¯ll be able to have an option to change careers." "A-ha!" Yongno nodded. Once I¡¯m used to playing the game, I would be able to decide my career. However, Mari laughed at him. "Hahaha." "Why? What''s wrong?" "Do you think that Level 10 is some sort of a beginner''s level? Does it seem like you''ll be able to decide on your job soon?¡± "Am I wrong?" "Yes, you are. Unfortunately, Level 10 here is the same as reaching the master level. To be honest with you, most of the users of D.I.O will never have the chance to choose their occupations but will just grow old and die." "Is reaching Level 10 that difficult? No matter how hard it is, hunting for a long time would level me up anyway, wouldn¡¯t it?" "The system of D.I.O is based on the user''s demonstration of abilities, and therefore, playing this game for a long time doesn''t lead to an automatic level up. It does give you some advantages though." Mari then took out a clear glass marble from her pocket. "What is that?" asked Yongno. "Nothing special. It''s a process of accepting you as our official user. Give me your left hand." Mari stretched out her hand to him, and Yongno stuck out his left hand to grab hers. Mari then placed the marble on the back of his palm. "Ouch!" Yongno shouted. "Such a crybaby. Anyway, this is it." After her remark, Yongno looked at the back of his left palm. A blue mark came into his view. It had some strange letters in a circle with a few empty boxes. "Okay, so are you ready to take the test?" asked Mari. "What? A test? At the start of the game?" "It''s like a mock exam to prepare for the tests that you''ll be continuously taking afterward. Well then, Test Site!" As she screamed jokingly, twenty doors appeared in the empty room. They consisted of red, blue, green, and yellow doors. Each of them had different words written on it. The five doors on the ''Manufacturing'' row were labeled: ''Weapon Production,'' ''Clothes Making,'' ''Magic Items,'' ''Art,'' and ''Potions Concoction''. On the ''Daily Life'' row, the doors were labeled: ''Cooking,'' ''Information Gathering,'' ''Search,'' ''Farming,'' and ''Medicine.'' For the ''Adventure'' section, the doors were titled: ''Collection,'' ''General Knowledge,'' ''Transportation,'' ''Theft'' and ''Training.'' Lastly, the ''Battle'' row had ''One to One Battle,'' ''Escort Battle,'' ''Rescue,'' ''Group Battle,'' and ''Assassination.'' "Are these all tests?" "Yup, right now, you are Level 1. If you pass all these tests, you become Level 2. After then, you''ll be, eventually, entering the world of D.I.O." "If I don''t pass them, I''ll be staying here forever?" "These are super easy, so that won''t happen. Let''s see... Shall we start with ''produce weapons?'' Are you ready?" When Mari pulled Yongno''s arm, he was dragged into the door. As soon as he went inside, the door was gone, and words appeared. /Welcome to the ''Weapons Production'' test./ /Stage 1 Collect Materials¨C¨CMining/ "Mining... Are you serious...?" Yongno found himself holding a pickaxe in his hand. The tool was too obvious to question what he was supposed to do. Mari replied, "Yes, start working." "Gosh! How can you start working already? This is such a brutal game!" Yongno grumbled but began to follow the rule. He felt bewildered, but just as she said, it wasn¡¯t a difficult task. Clang! Clang! Digging the minerals with the pickaxe wasn''t so challenging. All he had to do was hold the ax up high and pound it on the ground. The minerals weren''t too firm to dig; it even felt quite easy for Yongno. /You gained a new skill - Mining!/ "Eh? Mining?" "It''s a trivial skill. Digging the ground to that level seems enough, so take the minerals. Here''s your sack and shovel." Geez, they are treating people so harshly. Moaning, he used the shovel to move the minerals into the sack. He dug the ground for a short time, but he found quite a lot of minerals, so the sack was soon filled with the solid materials that he just extracted. When Yongno did the last shoveling, a word appeared in the air. /Clear!/ "Eh?" "You passed." "For what? Did I really do something?" "I told you it''s super easy." Mari shrugged, and at the same time, a new window popped up in front of them. "Oh, those are iron ores... No, that''s not the point here. Anyway, are the shovel and pickaxe also a reward? "It''s the beginning of the game, so we''re being generous." "But these are too heavy to carry." "Stop being fussy. You''re now a user with an inventory." "Inventory?" "So to speak, it''s something like this." Holding up the sack of iron ores from the ground, Mari pushed it into Yongno''s arms. A square space then opened. "This is...?" Mari replied, "How''s that? Now you get it?" Although it wasn''t visible like the stat window or the quest window as Mari described, Yongno was now able to illustrate a compact little space in his head. Inside of it, there were iron ores that Mari just gave him. She explained, "It''s called inventory, a sort of an individual space provided to all users. The size is 2x2x2; the weight limit for it is up to 100 kilograms. Basically, you can open it inside a dark pocket or bag, but once you get used to it, you can open it anywhere. However, the inventory is quite fragile, so you better not open it up during a battle. Using the inventory to snag a flying attack is worse; also, make sure it doesn''t get attacked by something with high heat or a bombardment loaded with energy." She also murmured, "I don¡¯t recommend exposing it to light energy either. That''s why the inventory must be opened in the dark. I don''t even want to talk about avoiding magic attacks.¡± "Then what happens if the inventory gets directly attacked?" asked Yongno. "It¡¯ll be badly affected, so you won''t be able to open it up for a while. However, it opens and closes in an instant according to the user''s thoughts. As long as you don''t foolishly allow it to be under attack, no problems will occur." CH 3 "Interesting." After putting the shovel and pickaxe in the inventory, Yongno opened and closed the box repeatedly as it was easier to operate than he thought. Just by perceiving the objects inside the inventory, Yongno could simply take them out from the little space. All he had to do was move his hand in and out of it. He asked, "What''s the next test?" "Let''s do the ''Clothes Making¡¯ test,¡± replied Mari. They left the ''Weapon Production'' room and moved to the next one. As they stepped into the test room, they were greeted by a great amount of fabrics. Mari picked up one of them and handed it to Yongno with a pair of scissors. "Just cut it out,¡± she said. "Okay." Is this also a quest? But Yongno suppressed his curiosity and heeded Mari''s instructions. The word ''Clear!'' then appeared before his eyes. For this stage, scissors and fabric were given out as quest rewards along with 10 Spirits added to his EXP. Mari uttered, "Next up, producing magic items. Are you ready?" "Whoa, do I get to use magical abilities?" Mari sneered, "Know your place. You don''t even know how to handle mana,¡± then she gave Yongno a piece of paper that had a scramble of letters and words on the whole page. Yongno asked, "What is this?" "It''s a written test. Just write down one letter from them. That''s all." After her suggestion, Yongno chose the letter ''Ys'' that symbolized flame and warmth. It was definitely so easy to remember a single word that even an elementary school kid could pass the test within a minute. "So, a brief explanation follows when I see the message ¡®You gained a new skill!¡¯ I see,¡± nodded Yongno as he completed this test too. He received 10 Spirits as EXP and earned a print written in runes for the quest reward. "What''s next?" asked Yongno. Once he noticed that the levels of the tests are ridiculously easy, he began to break through the rooms at a fast pace. There were four test categories: ''''Manufacturing,'' ''Daily Life,'' ''Adventure,'' and ''Battle.'' Each of them was divided into five parts; thus, there were a total of twenty tests. Yongno had cleared three among them, so now he had seventeen tests left. ''Art'' was a drawing test. He finished drawing a house within five minutes, which looked like a really rough draft, but he passed the test nonetheless. For that round, Yongno was rewarded with a sketchbook, some watercolors, and a brush. In ''Potions Concoction,'' he had to crush some unidentified herbs and received crushed herbs and a porcelain bowl for completing the quest. The tests under the ''Daily Life'' category were also very easy. ''Cooking'' required making fried eggs. ''Information Gathering'' was about finding something in a book that Mari told him earlier. The ''Search'' test asked him to find a fairy tale book from the bush; ''Farming¡¯ was planting a seedling; for the ''Medicine'' test, Yongno had to bandage the cut on his finger, which he had no idea when he got injured. For the ''Adventure'' category, ''General Knowledge'' was a simple written test just like the ''Enchant'' test, the one that measured Yongno¡¯s abilities to produce magical items. During ''Training,'' Yongno tamed a dog. By giving it some snacks, Yongno had the dog at his bidding. While for the ''Theft'' portion, he had broken through an unlocked window and brought out silver coins. "The rewards are better than I expected! They are miscellaneous things but seem to increase my EXP. Can I try them again once I finish leveling up all these?" asked Yongno. Mari replied, "You can, but it''s almost impossible. Tests in Level 1 are like a taste of things to come, so they are extremely easy, but as you reach higher levels, the difficulty increases exponentially. It might be excruciatingly painful." "Then how do I level up?" "Once you collect a certain amount of EXP, you will be eligible to take the tests. It''s not free though; EXP will be consumed." Tilting his head in wonder, Yongno asked, ¡°Does that mean I¡¯m spending my EXP to take the test but still earning rewards and EXP once I pass it?¡± "Correct. In fact, when you pass more than ten tests, you can ignore quest rewards since the gained EXP would be a good enough return.¡± In other words, Yongno could simply gain EXP and challenge himself to the next level without going hunting. He continued asking, "Then isn''t it better to take multiple tests at once?" "Didn''t I tell you the higher the level, the harder the test? Later on, you''d be obviously struggling to clear every test for a level up, so don''t be ridiculous for now." "Just to clarify, is it impossible to take all the tests at a higher level?" "You know we aren''t good at everything unless you''re all rounded." There was no problem with taking the tests; the level of difficulty was so low that it was even hard to fail, so Yongno could clear the missions without any troubles. What mattered was that Yongno was running a little late. While he spent too much time asking Mari a lot of questions, some users already went out for a hunt after taking all the tests. "Eh?" Mari asked, "What''s wrong?" "Um, nothing... but..." Yongno had no problem until he encountered the ''Transportation'' test. SWOOSH...! They were at a 20-meter wide river that had a gentle river flow, low water level, and a very quiet atmosphere. Even the river bottom was visible through the clear water. Yongno asked murmuringly, "So the test is about..." "Transporting this money bag across the river. It''s very simple as the tests you have cleared so far..." replied Mari. Yongno hesitated, "I can''t..." "What?" Yongno shook his head, "I can''t do this. Um... do you mind if I do something else?" "What are you talking about? This is a very easy quest. As you can see, there is the raft and stepping-stones. Even if you fall into the river, the water level is as low as your chest, so it isn''t dangerous at all." Mari tilted her head, wondering about his weird behavior, but in Yongno''s eyes, even her captivating stare looked like a devil beckoning him to the fire pits of hell. He uttered, "It isn''t a matter of danger. I just can''t do it. Is there any way I can transport the money bag by land? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary to go by water.¡± "You can, but giving up is only available from Level 2, where you start taking the tests by yourself." Yongno argued, "That''s why I''m begging you. Please, I really can''t do it..." "Gosh, so annoying!" "Eh?" Suddenly, Mari pulled his hand; Yongno resisted her in astonishment, but her grip was unbelievably tight for a slender beauty. Compared to this teenage girl, Yongno was taller, bulkier, and stronger, but Mari¡¯s physical strength was much overwhelming than his; their difference in muscle powers was larger than the gap between a tiger and a cat. Yongno couldn¡¯t accept that this fragile-looking girl was so easily dragging him to the river. It seemed like even bringing together dozens of big guys like Yongno wouldn''t be able to overpower her. She murmured, "Let''s see. Even if I put you into the water, you can always crawl out, so..." "... Hold on! Mari, calm down and listen to me..." begged Yongno. "I made up my mind. Let''s go!" "Yikes?!" Mari moved her hand backward and swung it to the front. Yongno''s body suddenly flew all the way to the middle of the river, then sank under the water hopelessly with a splashing noise. Yongno shrieked, "No! Help me!!" Then, he saw a hallucination of a black hand pulling his feet down to the deep bottom. He felt suffocated by the horrifying illusion. Irrational and illogical fear gripped him. "... Eh?" Yongno stood up by stepping on the ground. Just as Mari told him, the water was only up to his chest. "See? It isn''t deep, right?" said Mari. "No... That isn''t the problem..." Yongno was bewildered to find himself okay. Nothing was inside the river; there wasn¡¯t any black hand pulling his ankle down into the water, and he felt no pressure on his entire body either. He couldn¡¯t find any traces of horror. Oh my god! How am I so fine when I can''t even go into the bathtub...? This wouldn¡¯t work in the real world, but it does here. Is it because I''m inside a virtual reality which means my aquaphobia is rooted in my physical body, and not from my mind...? Yongno felt slightly confused and disconcerted, but he soon showed a bright smile. This was something he didn¡¯t expect but had been willing to achieve for a long time. Mari said, "I have no idea what''s been disturbing you, but you made it anyway, right? Then come back and get this money bag..." Splash! Mari''s eyes widened at the sight of Yongno suddenly sinking underwater. He moved his arms to swim, then boasted a perfect dolphin kick, flip turn, and short and long waves. His body performed the essence of modern strokes and bullet-like speed, moving through the water. Splash! Swimming to the rock near the river at a terrific speed, Yongno did the flip turn again, then he kicked the solid surface to shoot himself like an arrow to the opposite side. Although it had been a long time since he last swam, Yongno''s movements were still fluid and relaxed. He exclaimed, "Ahahaha! I''m not afraid of water! I''m not scared of it anymore!" "..." "Hurrah!" Yongno moved his limbs excitedly. Meanwhile, the message, ''You gained a new skill - Swimming!'' appeared, but Yongno just kept swimming and enjoyed his blissful moment. Feeling dumbfounded, Mari murmured, ¡°Is he an idiot or what? Of course, he isn''t afraid of water since he¡¯s an excellent swimmer." Just as she said, most of the people who feared getting into the water weren¡¯t able to swim. As if her words reached his ears, Yongno quickly approached Mari, swimming upstream. "Hey, Mari! Is there a time limit?" "Huh? Of course, not, but..." "Then do you mind if I swim a little more?" asked Yongno with his face full of joy. Mari stared at him for a while, then heaved a sigh. "There is no time limit here, so do as you like." She seemed to have no choice but to let him enjoy the moment. As her face came into his view, Yongno realized that his actions could inconvenience Mari since she was just sitting on the ground doing nothing. Wouldn''t it then be a waste of time for her? Yongno replied, "Ah, sorry. To think of it, you must be busy handling a lot of newbies. Why don''t you introduce me to some good places to swim then...?" "Nope!" Mari cut him off and took a seat on the grass, looking somehow lighthearted. With a grin, she said, "Enjoy as much as you want. We have endless time; I''m kind of free right now." "Are you sure?" he asked. "Yup." Yongno shouted, "Okay!" then got back into the river. He kicked the rock under the water, swam to the middle of the river, then came to a halt as he found a new message appearing in front of him. /You have reached Rank 8 in Swimming!/ /You gained the title of Entry-Level Swimmer!/ CH 4 "Title?" wondered Yongno. Mari explained, "It''s one of the D.I.O''s systems. If the user satisfies a specific condition, there''s an increase in their stats or the user acquires a special effect depending on the requirement." After her explanation, Yongno opened the status window and found that he earned the title of Entry-Level Swimmer. "Is it good?" asked Yongno. Mari tossed him a question, "Do you think it is?" Yongno learned that the title of Entry-Level Swimmer was very low in position. It sounded like a label for a newbie too. Yongno murmured, "Hmm, it''s better than having nothing though.¡± Then, he applied the title effect to himself. His entire body seemed to gain strength. His Stamina was originally 20 points, so if he earned 10 points from the ''title buff,'' there would be a 50% increase in his Strength and Stamina. For example, if Yongno was able to lift a 50kg object, now he could lift to 75kg; if he was able to run at full speed for a minute, he could now run for a minute and a half. Whoa, this is cool! Yongno observed his body. Mari explained, "The stats are doubled in their effects starting from 100 points." "Doubled in their effects...?" "A user with a Strength of 20 have double the power of those with a Strength of 10. However, a user with a Strength of 200 isn''t ten times stronger than the one with 20, but fifteen times stronger. Therefore, if someone''s stats exceed 300 or 400, the gap between users will grow exponentially." After her explanation, Yongno learned that the ''title buff'' had increased the stats themselves, not the actual effect such as his swimming skills. In other words, the same title could have a difference during the early and late stages. Still, it was just his assumption, so Yongno should clarify it to make sure that he was correct. He asked, "Then, does the title play a significant role as the game progresses or, in other words, as the stats become higher?" "You''re catching on fast. Users of higher levels are likely to become more desperate about the ''title buff.'' Whether it''s early or late in the game, the ''title buff'' keeps adding the same figure to the stats, so the higher the stats, the bigger the absolute value." Listening to her explanation, Yongno continued swimming in the river, but it consumed a lot of his Strength, so he came close to the edge of the water to catch his breath. Yongno asked, "What''s going on? I still have one-third of my Energy left, but why do I feel so exhausted?" "That''s such a stupid question. When your Energy reaches zero, it means that you¡¯ve fallen into a critical condition; you can''t even move a finger and deliver oxygen to every part of your body. It would be difficult to have your Energy drop below 10 points unless you''re very determined to do so. Likewise, it''s hard to see a user''s Spiritual Energy going under 10 points." Yongno sighed, "It''s too complicated," then went back into the water. This time, he glided forward to go with the flow of the river, instead of moving rapidly, since he didn¡¯t have enough Energy. "Oh, by the way, how far does this river go?" asked Yongno. Mari replied, "Of course, it goes to the ocean." "What?! There''s even an ocean? I thought this place was kind of a closed spatial space provided to each user¡­¡± If all users were taking tests in one place, they should see other people around them. This game would definitely have a large pool of users, so it was inevitable to encounter others when putting all the people together in a single space. However, Mari responded with a shrug, "It is a sort of closed spatial space, but that doesn''t mean the size has to be small. This place is created only for you, Oppa, but as a world made of data, it doesn¡¯t make a big difference whether the size is as small as a palm or as huge as the earth. If there have been a lot of changes or updates, things could look different, but everything''s completely the same for each user except that monsters are removed from your version for now.¡± Then, she added, ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s just copying and pasting.¡± Nodding, Yongno clarified, "So, this place only exists for me but remains as a world, right?" "If you say so,¡± replied Mari. Yongno looked around the space again. The river didn¡¯t look that large, but it was endlessly connected to somewhere. How could this huge world exist only for me? "Excuse me, Mari, will you be able to follow me even if I go a little farther?" Mari smirked, "That''s such a useless concern. Come on, I also teleport." "Okay! Then I''ll understand it as yes." Yongno made his way in the water, but it wasn''t a move to cross the river. He was carried along by the currents. "Oh my!" shouted Mari. Yongno was swimming downstream. * * * /You gained 1 Stamina point./ Yongno came to the surface as the message popped up in the air. He uttered, "Mari, it seems like only my Stamina stats is increasing?" "As you know, swimming isn''t an exercise that can improve a lot of muscle strength. Every time you gain around 5 Stamina points, you get an additional 1 point in Strength." Yongno grumbled, "But I only see an increase of 8 Stamina points!" "Then you''re getting a Strength point for every 10 Stamina points,¡± Mari murmured insincerely, floating on the water. She glided above the surface as if she was riding an invisible boat. Yongno asked, "Um, Mari, won''t you teach me some magical skills then?" "Of course not." "Why?" Yongno felt disappointed at her flat refusal, but Mari just shrugged as if she had no choice. She replied, "Sorry, but I''m just an NPC guiding a new user. If you want to learn magical skills, you must first finish taking the tests, then pay tuition to acquire knowledge. Even if I teach you magical skills right now, you won''t get to learn them either." "I won''t get to learn them? Why?" Mari continued, "Because you don¡¯t perceive mana until Level 2. Oppa, you can''t even feel mana right now, can you? That''s why we say using magic is like shooting an arrow without a bow." "Oh, I see," Yongno agreed, but he began to feel short of breath as he came up to the land. The increase in his Stamina also contributed to the rise of his Energy, but Yongno felt exhausted and had difficulty swimming. Why is it like this? Yongno preferred to swim near the waterside rather than to do it in the middle of the river since he didn''t want to end up in a situation of going out of his mind, losing his strength, and eventually drowning underwater. The moment he got ashore, a message appeared in the air. /You have reached Rank 7 in Swimming!/ /You gained the title of Beginner-Level Swimmer!/ /You gained a special ability - Diving!/ Yongno exclaimed in surprise, "Eh? It raised again!" "What kind of person actually goes through such an increase in abilities during a basic test?" Mari questioned herself. After checking his title, Yongno wondered, "I¡¯m fine with it, but what is a special ability?" "When a specific skill reaches a certain level, you acquire that ability. You get it along with the title, but even if you don''t apply the title effect to yourself, the special ability is still yours." "But it''s weird that diving belongs to the category of special ability. Diving is likely to be used among a lot of users, not a specially acquired capability," Yongno murmured, taking a break with his body laid down flat to the ground. His Stamina slowly recovered, but something else was also moving within him. Eh? It felt strange and new. The feeling of softness that began from the pit of his stomach divided into little pieces in a blink of an eye then scattered to all his limbs and bones. With a pounding sound, Yongno felt refreshed. His entire body trembled, and he sensed some unknown strength rising within him. /Your Spiritual Power (Type: Internal Arts) has increased by 20 points!/ Yongno doubted, "What?!" "Holy moly! You opened the middle dantian without even opening the lower dantian..." "Is it something good?" asked Yongno. Mari replied, "Not really. Those who practice internal arts normally could develop it into the most effective and valuable resource. Meanwhile, other users can also open it up quite often depending on their skills. In your case, the swimming skill enabled it." Yongno wondered, "But in martial arts novels, only the great masters could open the middle dantian, right?" "That''s literally a novel. Although you opened your middle dantian, it''s still too tiny in the size of its structure to exert your utmost power." Mari was correct, but internal arts was hardly attainable for a Level 1 user who didn¡¯t pass all the basic tests yet. D.I.O''s skill system is highly affected by the user''s abilities, but how could he reach Rank 7 in less than a day...? Mari stared at Yongno in a new light. Users could raise their skill to Rank 7 within a day; it was possible. However, Yongno earned a sustainable skill from swimming, a non-battle quest, and leveled up the skill so much and this was without even checking his training stats. It was such an amazing achievement for a person who was just swimming for pure joy. "No... maybe that''s the reason..." Mari murmured to herself. "Excuse me?" Mari said, "Never mind. Let me teach you some magical skills." "But you said that I can''t learn." "It doesn''t matter since you''re able to perceive mana now. In fact, this isn''t really magic though,¡± Mari replied casually. She raised her hand, then placed it on his back. Qi started to circulate through Yongno¡¯s body. Under Mari¡¯s control, the energy swirled around his entire upper body, except for his arms. Mari was performing the so-called Microcosmic Orbit. "This is...?" mumbled Yongno. He was surprised by the energy gently spreading across his body. His Stamina also recovered quickly on the stats window. /You gained a new skill - Energy Recovery!/ Yongno felt lighter and became speechless by the improvement within him. Releasing her hand on Yongno¡¯s back, Mari explained, "This is called Adding Strength, the most basic way to practice internal arts. It¡¯s simple, safe, and effective. I''ll run your internal energy once more by following the way to operate it, so make sure to remember the flow..." "I got it,¡± said Yongno. "... What?¡± Mari''s eyes opened wide at his unexpected response. Yongno replied excitedly, ¡°I get what you mean. Activate the internal arts and inject power into each cell, right? I''ve just felt my internal energy spreading from my eighteen acupoints... not sure of the exact term, but anyway, it passed through those points and spread to my entire body. Instead of consuming oxygen and proteins, you''ve injected the internal energy directly into my cells to recover my physical strength." "Eh... eh... eh? Oppa, I..." "Hold on for a second. Let''s see... move the internal energy this way..." It was a surprising moment. Nothing changed on the outside of Yongno, but Mari could grasp that the young man in front of her, who neither perceived nor understood the idea of internal martial arts, was now applying the technique to cultivate his mind and energy to himself, which he experienced for the first time in his life just thirty seconds ago. /Stamina and HP has been enhanced by 70 and 50 points (Effective for 94 secs)!!/ Yongno shouted, "Okay! It works! But the time is too short! What could I do for 90 seconds¡­? Oh, alright!" The message, ''You gained a new skill - Body Strengthening!'' appeared, but Yongno stood up and approached a tree nearby to grab a twig thicker than his wrist. It might take some time to even saw it, but Yongno held it with a tightening grip, then simply broke it in half. CH 5 "Here¡¯s the first victim!" Yongno sneaked up on a deer grazing in the field, which belonged to the large deer herd around the river. He wielded the wooden stick like a club, then hit the small wild animal in the head with a whacking noise. Thud. The deer flew about three meters away and fell to the ground. Needless to say, it was killed outright, but all of a sudden, it vanished into a cloud of golden dust. ''You gained a new skill - Blunt Combat!'' A message appeared, but Yongno strode toward the ground where the deer''s dead body had disappeared. There he found a piece of meat wrapped in butcher paper ¡ª a Drop[1]. Yongno exclaimed, "Cool! So, I gained a Drop and 2 Spirits. If I get up to fifty of them, my EXP would reach 100 soon, then let me do some hard work here... Eh?" Whoosh! The group of other deers escaped in all directions as soon as they found an invader having attacked their fellow deer. Yongno blankly stared at the scattering herd of animals, then shouted, "Stop!" He brandished a wooden club and ran after the deers, but catching the fleeing animals required much of his effort. Yongno swung the club violently at them, but every attempt was a miss. A moment after, his improved body returned to normal. "Darn it! How could I catch only one of them when I had a new improved body?¡± grumbled Yongno. Mari quietly stared at him stamping his feet regretfully. "Willed Salubrity..." she murmured. Yongno asked, "What did you say?" "Uh, nothing." Mari waved her hand to deny what she just said, but she couldn¡¯t hide her bewilderment. Yongno had done something impossible. All I¡¯ve asked him to do was the "Microcosmic Orbit", but how can he apply "Adding Strength" and perform "Willed Salubrity" when he''s just a man of the twenty-first century and has no idea what martial power or magic is? From Mari¡¯s point of view, what Yongno just did made no sense, but surprisingly, she just witnessed it with her own eyes. Yongno shouted, "Wow! This is amazing. If I change or develop the method a little bit, it seems possible to maximize the force by channeling it all to my right hand or my fingers. No, instead, I can improve my physical abilities or make myself lighter to move rapidly when escaping from enemies... Oh! Is that the Lightness skill?" Yongno circulated his internal energy excitedly, but he soon became perplexed by the feelings of emptiness inside his stomach; his internal arts had been drained already. "Eh? Is it already gone? Why?" He wondered in dismay. Mari explained, "As I told you earlier, you only had a tiny amount of internal energy, but you wasted it nonetheless. Hold on, let me check." Mari placed her hand again on Yongno''s back and moved it around. She took a similar approach that Yongno had taken earlier, but this time, his inner qi moved slightly differently. He nodded, "Oh, I see, so it kept spinning in the wrong direction around my spine, and... Eh?" Yongno had been checking the movements of his internal energy to strengthen his body alongside Mari''s guidance, but he realized that the paused force was now in motion again. He stared at Mari doubtfully, but Mari just continued showing him the way to operate the energy within him. It followed her touch and moved along the route. When she finished drawing the Microcosmic Orbit, a message appeared in the air. /You learned a new Mental Sutra - Gold Core Immortal Technique!/ "Eh? Mental Sutra?" wondered Yongno. Mari replied, "Um... it''s just like a gift. Do you remember what I¡¯ve just shown you?¡± "Ah, no, hold on. I was a little distracted this time.¡± "Then let me move it again," said Mari. As she led his internal energy to move inside him, Yongno concentrated on bringing back the flow of energy to his mind. Once he got used to the flow, Mari placed her hand down. "Move your energy, the qi, according to the flow, then your drained internal arts would be recovered. We call this the Gold Core Immortal Technique; it¡¯s a cultivation method that efficiently uses only the middle dantian. This technique is very stable and has large output against Qigong Deviation, but the recovery speed isn¡¯t fast enough even if you move the qi. Still, it¡¯s a very strong skill, so once you get used to it, you can manage your internal energy to keep pace with the flow even when you¡¯re moving or fighting in a battle. In your case, Oppa, you¡¯ll be able to control the energy flow while swimming.¡± Yongno asked, "Is this something good? Like a rare Mind Sutra?" "A rare Mind Sutra? Sorry, but that doesn''t exist in D.I.O. We all just find a suitable technique and learn it... Where are you going?" "I want to dive. You said I can swim and circulate my internal energy along with the qi at the same time." Yongno then sank into the water. Having his Stamina fully recovered, he could swim to the middle of the river without hesitation, then... Splash. He dived like a fish and went underwater fluidly. Wow, I didn''t know how deep it was, swimming up there. The place Yongno took his first test had the water level as low as his chest, but now he was swimming around the river about ten meters deep. It even had stronger currents, so if this was in real life, swimming would be banned in this location. Splash. ''Eh? Carps?'' Yongno was surprised at the size of the fish; it was as big as his arm. Besides, there were so many of them entering his sight that Yongno thought this place could become very popular in the real world. What items would those fishes drop? I had a piece of raw deer meat after catching the deer, so the Drop this time could be fresh fish slices... Watching the shoal aroused Yongno''s curiosity, but he eventually gave up catching them. No matter how good his swimming skills were, Yongno couldn¡¯t propel himself through the water and catch a school of fish with bare hands at the same time. "Eh?" However, Yongno realized that he didn¡¯t feel any shortness of breath even when he was swimming for a long time. In fact, he didn¡¯t stay underwater until he reached his limits, but Yongno had been diving for almost a minute, so he should gradually feel out of breath. But why am I so okay? Yongno wondered for a second, then figured out that he had been using up his internal energy little by little. Am I under the effect of Diving, the special ability? That will be the only explanation behind the opening of my middle dantian. Yongno began to count the numbers slowly to calculate the consumption speed of his Internal Energy. After doing simple math, he learned that there was a decrease in his Internal Energy by 1 point every five seconds. Right now, my Internal Energy is 20 points. Does that mean I can go without air underwater for about another hundred seconds, or a minute and forty seconds? At that moment, Gold Core Immortal Technique crossed his mind. He began to move his qi along the meridians. /You are using Gold Core Immortal Technique. You gained 30 points in Mana Gathering!/ Feeling the slight tremble within him, Yongno quickly opened the stats window and observed his Spiritual Power, then noticed the consumption speed of his Spiritual Power had reduced. In fact, his internal energy consumption rate was faster than his internal energy recovery rate. Both rates were mutually conflicting, but it was evident that the technique worked anyway. I¡¯m gaining 1 point every ten seconds, which indicates that Gold Core Immortal Technique restores my internal energy by 1 point every ten seconds. In other words, I can endure 200 seconds, i.e. three minutes and twenty seconds, without air in the water. But to think of it again, Yongno''s mastery of the Gold Core Immortal Technique was only about 10%. Usually, the higher the rank of a cultivation technique, the faster the internal energy recovery rate. If his internal energy recovery rate increased and exceeded its consumption rate, then¡­ I can stay underwater forever! That wasn¡¯t true since our body needed oxygen regardless of the theory. Internal energy replaced oxygen when Yongno used the Diving skill, but it wasn¡¯t absolutely replaceable. Still, users had a strong life force and will to survive, so although oxygen was necessary for people to stay alive, it was possible to stay underwater for a very long time once the player found a solution to breathe and extend the length of time between surfacing for air to weeks or months. Sperm whales were the official Guinness World Record holder of diving for about two hours long. In this aspect, Yongno had gained such an overwhelming ability and technique¨C¨CDiving and Gold Core Immortal Technique¨C¨Cin this world. "PUFF!" Mari asked, "Is there something good inside the water? You''re diving for a long time." "Haha, just chilling. Oh, but Mari, how do we enhance the rank of Gold Core Immortal Technique?" "First, you must get used to it. Circulate and make use of your internal energy. Consume the gathered force and repeat the process again. After a few cycles, you will be able to enhance its level,¡± replied Mari. Yongno nodded as the training strategy was easier than he had expected. "Okay! I understood but is that all there is to activating the technique?" he asked. Mari explained, "No way. Gold Core Immortal Technique is divided into Microcosmic Orbit and Macrocosmic Orbit. The Sutra is completely different at each rank and you must get used to the new one. What you just mastered is the early stage of it, the beginner course of Gold Core Immortal Technique." "Eek! Then why aren''t you teaching me the middle stage and the latter part?" Looking dumbfounded at Yongno''s complaints, Mari retorted, "Hey, Mister, you want everything for free! Normally, I don¡¯t teach cultivation methods this way, but since this is the beginning part of the game, I''ve been doing it at my own discretion, and you don''t appreciate my effort. Shame on you! After finishing the tests, go to the library and pay them to learn the middle and the latter parts." Yongno wondered, "What? Do they sell them in the library? Is this technique so common?" Wasn¡¯t it an ability through chance encounter to boost me up? Yongno looked frustrated. Mari heaved a sigh at the expression on his face, "Geez, I told you things like fate doesn''t exist in D.I.O. The martial arts techniques like Heavenly Magic Divine Technique or Dark Northsea Divine Technique are all in the library, and they are easily acquirable if you can afford them.¡± Yongno uttered, "So, the game gives everyone an equal opportunity to learn. Is that correct?" "Exactly, and it depends on the users whether they reach that level or not." "Really?" Yongno nodded to agree with Mari, but something lingered in his mind. This is just a game. Yongno had opened up his mind and accepted everything with that perspective, but ever since he ¡®actually¡¯ realized that he was inside a game, Yongno began to become conscious of strange things. This game isn¡¯t normal... A game was entertainment provided to the users accessing the service. The providers of the game got paid for the playtime or additional services to derive benefit. Therefore, the more users spent their time playing the game and using cash or paid services, the stronger their characters became or the more excitement they found throughout that time. But there¡¯s something weird in the system. Everyone could see the secret skills, but not all players could reach the required level of mastery. Was this game then dividing its users based on their ''abilities?'' Another suspicious thing was that the level-up in this game wasn¡¯t affected by the users¡¯ playing time or the number of monsters they caught. Instead, the players ought to take ''tests'' and ''pass'' them to level up. It was a system Yongno had never experienced. This game didn¡¯t treat the long-time users more favorably, but it gave a boost to the players who were well adapted to the system since their stats would go higher as they leveled up. This kind of system was close to... "It''s a school!" shouted Yongno. Mari asked, "Excuse me?" "Uh, nothing," Yongno murmured. Then the rewards for leveling up and passing the tests are like merit scholarships given to those with a high degree of academic performance? Questions popped up in his head, but Yongno started to perform the Gold Core Immortal Technique. A message then appeared in front of him. /Your Spiritual Power (Type: Internal Arts) has increased by 1 point!/ Yongno shouted, "It went up!" "It goes up faster in the beginning,¡± said Mari. He asked, "When does the recovery speed increase?" "I have no idea either." Yongno was going through a rapid achievement. To raise the Spiritual Power in D.I.O''s stats window by 1 point, it would require half a year of Internal Arts cultivation. But right now Yongno had gathered that half a year just by cultivating Gold Core Immortal Technique for ten minutes. Being awed by his abilities, Mari murmured, "Well, I did know that you can do it, but you''re bringing them together so effortlessly." "What do you mean?" "Your Internal Arts... Well, D.I.O doesn''t have something like a rebirth, a complete change for the better, but if we provide this service for about a year, there would be a lot of users with master-level force." Gold Core Immortal Technique was a divine technique that emitted and performed miraculous powers but not enough to accumulate half a year worth of cultivation base in ten minutes without any side effects. Yongno had just done it nonetheless. To think of it, who on earth would spend six decades playing a game to collect a total of sixty years equivalent of cultivation base? From that perspective, what Yongno just did wasn¡¯t impossible. When it came to qi absorption, Yongno was an average person. Other users who used different methods to cultivate their internal energy could increase their strength in a similar time frame since that was how the system of D.I.O. worked. This virtual world ran parallel from players¡¯ individual talents or physical abilities. 1. An acquirable item dropped off of enemies or monsters ? CH 6 Yongno asked, "Is it bad to quickly gather internal energy?" "No, it isn''t," replied Mari. She continued, "But please note that the user''s control ability affects the maximum value of Internal Energy." "Control ability?" Nodding at his doubtful voice, Mari replied, "Yeah, in other words, by circulating and making use of your internal energy, it accumulates internal arts but not forever. At some point, there is this ''wall'' where it doesn¡¯t increase anymore. It may be due to how you manage the cultivation technique or a matter of your game level.¡± To put it simply, performing a cultivation technique for a long time does not guarantee results, but if the users constantly developed internal arts as fast as Yongno, they could quickly cultivate a thousand years of mind, spirit, and qi. Yongno replied, "Interesting, then what is my limit?" "I don¡¯t know the rank of your cultivation technique and the limit of your control ability, but I guess the restrictions of your game level come first. In your case, Oppa, you didn''t even clear Test Level 1, so you won''t go above 50 points. The limit of 50 points doesn''t only apply to your Spiritual Power but also to other stats such as Energy and HP. It won''t go past the allowed limit until you pass the test." Yongno recalled that he had earned 20 points when his middle dantian was opened by Diving. Now that he had gotten an extra point, he should have a total of 21 points of Internal Energy. "Then, now I can rack up 29 points by using the cultivation technique," said Yongno. Mari responded, "Unfortunately, you¡¯re wrong. When you first opened the stats window, you would have seen that all users started off with 20 Spiritual Power. You won¡¯t be able to use it since its type is unidentified, but you still have those 20 points anyway, and now that you have attained 41 points out of the 50 points limit, you only can gain another 9 points." "That''s quite rigid. So, how do I use the unidentified type of Spiritual Power?" "When you pass this basic test and become a Level 2 user, you''ll be able to perceive its mana, and that''s when you get to decide the type. You can choose among internal arts, chakra, or magic." Yongno replied, "Hmm, sounds interesting, but it''s a little tricky." "Huh?" He wondered, "According to your explanation, no matter how hard I cultivate Gold Core Immortal Technique, I can''t increase my Internal Energy by more than 9 points. Am I getting it wrong?" "Are you gonna keep hanging in there?" asked Mari, looking perplexed. Aren¡¯t you gonna go out and level up? However, Yongno stealthily moved into the water, then opened the stats window to check his status. While they shared those conversations, Yongno''s Stamina and Internal Energy has fully recovered. "Fine, should we go now?" said Yongno. Mari complained, "How far are you trying to go...? Geez, never mind! Do whatever you want." As if she felt exhausted, Mari sighed and gently came up to the surface. Yongno kicked the rock close to the water to push off, expecting Mari to follow him. Splash! He sliced through the water and moved forward. ***Quintillion*** Yongno¡¯s eyes opened with no signs of surprise, confusion, or exhaustion. His pupils looked fresh as if he closed and opened his eyes for about ten seconds, but it had actually been twenty-four hours since Yongno accessed D.I.O. As soon as he woke up, he checked the time. "Twenty minutes past ten? Does that mean it''s been less than ten minutes since I logged in...? No way, it doesn''t make sense. I must check the date, not the time." Yongno took out his phone and checked the date. "Eh? It''s only been a day? Unbelievable! I''ve been staying there for days!" Precisely, he was there for six days. The time in D.I.O went exactly six times faster than that in real life, but Mari only explained to him that time passed more slowly in D.I.O. Therefore, Yongno was amazed at the difference in the flow of time. "Wow! This would be awesome for students preparing for college. They could buy so much time there! Well, I''ll get worn out if I run the game too often, but... Eh, worn out?" Babbling in excitement, Yongno realized that he didn¡¯t feel exhausted at all. It wasn¡¯t so surprising since spending six days in D.I.O was equivalent to spending a day in real life. A day was either short or long, so getting through a day of no sleep wouldn¡¯t cause him to feel too tired to death, but... Yongno shouted, "Even though I pulled an all-nighter, I don¡¯t feel sleepy at all. Instead, I feel so refreshed?!" As if he had had a good night''s sleep, Yongno felt like he was given a new life. All he did was sit down and spend twenty-four hours playing a game, but Yongno¡¯s mind had never been so clear and bright as today, which was both fascinating and odd. He checked himself in the mirror to see if there were any dark circles under his eyes, but Yongno had such a healthy-looking complexion today. "Geez, this is so weird...." The moment he stood up and took off the earphones, Yongno came to a halt. The computer was still turned on, and he was holding the earphones in his hand. Standing absentmindedly for a second, he murmured, "Hmm... this doesn''t make sense at all." Yongno just played a virtual reality game, a computer-generated simulation. Just by sitting down in front of the computer and wearing the earphones, he was able to log into the virtual world and start playing the game. For goodness¡¯ sake, how does it make sense? Could it be described scientifically or physically? Yongno shook his head no. What he just experienced was inexplicable, but evidence spoke louder than theoretical thinking. He had just returned from the virtual world, which was an undeniable real experience. Yongno grumbled, "But I can''t help feeling absurd. How can I access the game just using this earphone, and not by going into a capsule or wearing a helmet or even plugging something in the head like that in the Matrix?" Yongno got up from his seat. He was feeling very well, but his stomach was growling in hunger, so he should grab something to eat unless he wanted to get dizzy. "Let''s have some instant food~ A three-minute meal~ I love three-minute meal~" Humming, Yongno opened the fridge door packed with all kinds of instant foods inside. "Should I have some meatballs and hamburg steak today? I''ve been starving for a day, so let¡¯s have two fried eggs on the side~" He poured the hamburg steak and meatballs into one dish, then put the plate in the microwave. Meanwhile, he prepared a bowl of rice, then made two fried eggs, and put them on top of the rice. "Let''s see. I don''t have many things to do for a while, so it''s good to just play D.I.O, right? Well, money''s not an issue for me right now, so I can temporarily just stay at home. Wow! That''s why they say it''s good to be free." Yongno was a senior in high school, but thankfully it was the end of November now¨C¨Cthe college scholastic ability test was over. "Hahaha, now I can just enjoy this freedom without responsibility." After taking out another dish, Yongno moved the rice, hamburg steak, and meatballs to it, then he added fried eggs over them. Next, he put a spoon on top of it and sat in front of the computer. He looked like a perfect homebody teenage boy. "Let''s see. I found the website!" Yongno was surprised to find the website of D.I.O. There was no particular reason behind it, but he thought that it wouldn¡¯t exist in real life. Doesn''t it belong to a different online game? But after reading the introductory page, Yongno admitted that he found the right one. "It has a lot of background stories and even an online library." Looking through the information, he discovered the martial powers, cultivation methods, and above all, the Gold Core Immortal Technique of the Taoist culture that he learned in the virtual world. However, only the basic theories were available for free; additional information required payment for viewing. "I guess it isn''t an in-game purchase, but it doesn''t make sense to have it in a beta game either." Yongno couldn¡¯t see any advanced-level martial power books that he was looking for, but he found a few books opened to the public such as those in the ''Basic Theory'' section: ''Basic Magic System,'' ''Basic Martial Power System,'' ''Bringing Back the Other World,'' ''Chakra 101,'' etc. "There are all kinds of things here," he murmured. Among those books, Yongno chose the ''Basic Martial Power System'' and took a look over it. The book wrote about the basic knowledge of martial arts, the acupoint of the circulating life force, the characteristics of each acupoint, and so on. "Ah, I see. That''s why..." Smiling in joy, Yongno opened a notebook and started to take notes. Nothing looked special about this young man learning new things from the online resources, but in fact, it was the beginning of an unexpected change in Murim''s thousand-year of martial arts studies. * * * "It''s the ocean~!!" "At last, we''re here..." In front of the big blue horizon, Yongno spread his arms wide; Mari was behind him in a frustrated pose. Yongno said, "I think we''ve gone down about 200 kilometers." "Yeah, sir, you''re freaking awesome." To be specific, Yongno moved almost 240 kilometers by water. Thinking about the distance between Seoul and Busan, which was 314 kilometers apart, Yongno had swum an impossible amount of space through the water. If swimming 240 kilometers was possible in the first place, wasn¡¯t it okay to just jump into the Haeundae Beach and cross the sea to arrive at Jeju-do? Yongno glided through the river, and not the ocean, so sometimes he came out of the water to take a break. Still, he was going beyond human limits; it only took him about twenty hours to swim all the way down here even when he did something else intermittently throughout his journey. Susie Maroney, a world record holder for the longest distance swimming in the open sea, took approximately forty hours to cross from Mexico to Cuba, 197 kilometers apart. Taking it into consideration, what Yongno did was also beyond common sense. "Geez, impossible things can happen here, which means this is obviously a game and not a real world. If I swam this way in real life, I would have appeared on TV shows and become a Guinness World Record holder,¡± exclaimed Yongno. While swimming down to the ocean, Yongno earned 15 Stamina points, clocking a total of 43 points now. He even increased his Strength by 5 points, resulting in a total of 25 points. Although, it took a little longer than he expected... /Your Spiritual Power (Type: Internal Arts) has increased by 1 point!/ "It finally went up!¡± shouted Yongno. He was still performing Gold Core Immortal Technique. At first, it discontinued from time to time when Yongno was insensitive to it, but as he became more accustomed to it, Yongno was able to perform the technique with ease while swimming, being occupied elsewhere, and even consuming his Internal Energy by doing Body Strengthening or Diving. And by performing the Gold Core Immortal Technique, the maximum value of his Internal Energy kept increasing. /Your Spiritual Power has reached the maximum limit. It cannot be increased further! Level up or clear a special mission to increase the maximum value!/ "I have reached 50 points, but compared to the rapid increase in the beginning, it took quite a long time, right?" asked Yongno. Mari replied, "That''s because the middle dantian had just been activated. Plus, although the Gold Core Immortal Technique is absolutely safe, stable, and has a strong output, it¡¯s considerably slow in accumulating energies." Unlike other cultivation methods, the Gold Core Immortal Technique created a marble of energy within our body similar to magical beasts or mythological animals. By forming a Gold Core, a kind of a spiritual pellet in the dantian, it would be completely free from Qi Deviation, which was a dangerously unstable state of internal energy. Plus, unlike from the dantian where we usually accumulate our internal energy, the Gold Core could endure the violent flow of the internal force, so it was good to use an attack that involved a high output without much pressure, like the ¡®lethal blow¡¯. After the huge release, the internal energy would definitely run short, but that was another problem. When aiming at a short-term battle, it was quite an attractive cultivation technique. "Oh, but I have a question," said Yongno. "What is it?" "Is it possible to transfer points between stats such as lowering Spiritual Power and raising Mana Gathering?" Mari replied, "Of course not. Can you make yourself dumb to improve your athletic skills? No, right?" Mari replied bewilderedly. Yongno shrugged, "Just in case, since this is a game." "Pfft, but I get what you''re thinking about. Since you can''t increase your Spiritual Power as it has reached the 50 points limit, you want to transfer points between stats, right? That ridiculous option doesn''t exist here, so give up and go out for a level-up... What are you doing?" Mari stared at Yongno. He was absentmindedly sitting in the lotus position on the rock. It was a way to control and circulate his internal energy, but why was he doing that when the Gold Core Immortal Technique was the cultivation method that could move the qi naturally in any situation? However, Yongno just took a deep breath and ignored her. "Fuuuu...." Breathing in and out, Yongno perceived the existence of qi. He felt the concentration of internal energy condensed near the pit of his stomach. Then, Yongno began to circulate the qi through the acupoints that he already had in mind. CH 7 Whoosh¨C¨C Yongno felt a stinging sensation in his blood vessels as if he was being pricked by needles, but thanks to one of the D.I.O''s systems that decreased users'' pain sensitivity, he was experiencing a mild ache, instead of severe stabbing pain. "Hmm..." A lump of energy moved penetratingly through his narrow blood vessels and headed towards his right hand, but since the vessels weren¡¯t straight, it would take a detour, then at some point... "Eh? Are they open?" "What do you mean?" asked Mari. Yongno replied, "Have you heard of the conception and governing vessels or the barrier of life and death? I was planning to break through these points, but they are already open... Aren''t they usually blocked in martial arts novels? It would be a freak of fate if beginners had masters unblocking those points for them." In Mari''s eyes, Yongno seemed like he was questioning if his body had limitless internal energy and martial arts. With a snort, she replied, "Come on, your body exists as it is. Why would we bother blocking those points?¡± "Are you sure?" "Yeah, but it¡¯s a little weird since the Gold Core Immortal Technique had no need for the conception and governing vessels yet¡­ Eh?¡± "Good to hear that they are unblocked,¡± said Yongno. Ignoring the confused beauty, Yongno released the energy that moved through his blood vessels from his palm. His hand then emitted gold light, and shortly after, he was holding a gold marble. /Your maximum Spiritual Power (Type: Internal Arts) has decreased by 10 points!/ The message appeared, as always, but Mari¡¯s jaw dropped to the ground as she found it abnormal this time. She asked in astonishment, "The gold marble... Did you just take the gold marble out of your body?" "It¡¯s a bummer to fail to increase my stats by reaching the maximum limit, so I came up with this plan when I was outside this game,¡± replied Yongno. "But you don''t have to reduce your maximum Spiritual Power..." Mari covered her forehead, looking puzzled, but Yongno just put the gold marble in his inventory, then jumped into the water. "Eh? Why is it so deep?" he murmured. Yongno was surprised to find out that the sea was much deeper than he thought; the bottom of the ocean was invisible and he couldn''t land on the seabed. Mari explained, "This place is named Kaylow''s Fault. A long time ago, there was a war between Kaylow, the king of the Titans, and Zigmund, the ancient dragon. The fracture is known to be the battle ruins. It''s approximately 3,000 meters deep." Considering that it was located right beside land, its depth was unbelievable. Yongno asked, "Amazing! How wide is it then?" "About 50 meters wide? It isn¡¯t as much as the depth." "Aha, so it''s like a deep cut on the ground, right?" Mari replied calmly, "Not only does it look like a cut, but it¡¯s actually a blade scar." "Eh?" Yongno wondered if she was joking, but he soon nodded in agreement. This was just a game; nothing was strange inside here even if he shot a ''Kame****ha'' and blew away the moon. He uttered, "Well, it doesn''t matter. Nice to find a deep spot just in time." "Are you gonna dive?" asked Mari. "Uh-huh, I know it''s boring for you, but would you go take a rest?" "Yeah, sure." Mari flopped down on the surface, which was quite a mysterious sight. Although the water wasn¡¯t moving very forcefully, they were in the ocean with crashing waves, but surprisingly, nothing dared to approach her sitting on the surface like a big rock; even a drop of water couldn¡¯t make her wet. Yongno mumbled, "Hmm, her supernatural power is quite on another level, comparable to the ability to walk on water. She will have a lot of followers in the real world if she displays her goddess-like beauty and force to the public.¡± Mari uttered, "Followers?" "Nothing, just enjoy your break." Shaking his head, Yongno exhaled approximately 80% of his breath. Before diving, people breathed in air as much as they could or, at least, a certain amount of it, but that only applied to ordinary people. /Activating skill - Diving./ As Yongno became accustomed to circulating the qi, he could now consciously control the process of consuming Internal Energy, instead of oxygen. His mastery of the Gold Core Immortal Technique had also reached 20%, so his Internal Energy recovered faster. Yongno also became more experienced in diving, so he could stay underwater for about five minutes with just 10 Internal Energy points. Plus, it had nothing to do with holding breaths, so with another 20 Internal Energy points, Yongno was able to remain underwater for more than thirteen minutes. That''s a good pace, and if I increase my blood oxygen saturation, I can go without air for ten minutes without using my Internal Energy, which means it can be possible to stay underwater for an hour as soon as within a few days. Yongno sank into the water. His body quickly went down the surface like a huge rock since he exhaled most of the air before diving. Having become heavier than water, he naturally headed down to the ground without using any strokes or kicks. Beautiful... The stunning view of crystal clear water entered his sight. All kinds of fish were flaunting their shades; colorful corals were vibrantly painting the bottom of the ocean. Oh, isn''t it possible to make money from selling corals? But Yongno shook his head. He heard that some people treated corals as jewels, but he wasn¡¯t able to figure out which one was actually profitable. He couldn¡¯t even scratch out everything since there were tons of reefs on the bottom of the ocean. /Warning: You reached 200 meters deep! You are starting to feel the pressure of the water pushing down on you!/ /Your status has been updated: ''Minor Injury.''/ Aha, I thought Energy was Health, but this is how it goes.[1] When Yongno first opened the stats window, he looked at his Spiritual Power and Energy, but not his HP. It was the biggest question he had at that time, but come to think of it, the rules weren¡¯t the same in virtual reality as other online games. If this world had 100/100 for HP and users took an attack equivalent to 50 damage points, it was a little iffy to reduce their HP to 50/100 similar to how it was done in other online games. Then, what would happen when users broke their arms? How many points would the system reduce? If this world applied a rule of dropping energy points only by the attacks subjected to death, cutting off the users¡¯ limbs wouldn¡¯t affect their lives, so their HP should remain high. In fact, what were the judging criteria of HP in the first place? That was why D.I.O''s system updated the user''s status to Normal, Minor Injury, Serious Injury, Fatal Injury, and Dead accordingly; it also gave different names based on the players¡¯ injured areas. In fact, it was unnecessary to check the stats window since the users could directly observe their physical conditions. Wouldn¡¯t everyone immediately notice their injuries if they broke their arms or legs? Anyway, Yongno began to feel the change of water pressure on his body, but he didn¡¯t slow down his descent. As it was hard on his body, Yongno circulated his internal energy through the designated route, using Body Strengthening. However, since his cultivation base was lacking, Yongno performed a weakened version of it by using only a small amount of Internal Energy. /Your HP has been enhanced by 15 points (Effective for 180 seconds)!/ /Your status has been updated: ''Normal.''/ Alright, this much is enough to work. Just then, Yongno stopped diving deeper as he got close to harming himself. When considering the diving time, he could still go down a little deeper but consuming his Internal Energy to improve his physical condition had reduced the duration that Yongno could stay underwater. Besides, the deeper he dived, the higher the water pressure, so it was time for Yongno to restrain himself. Suddenly, Yongno was reminded that he was inside a virtual world; it was possible to rise from the dead. However, he didn¡¯t dare to test that in this hyper-realistic game. Yongno was not the only person who thought that way; every user would also hesitate to risk their lives. Comparing this situation to bungee jumping, one would fear jumping off the tower when looking far down. Although one would be assured that the large elastic cord connected them safely to the support, they could hardly deny the fear of injury or death at the breathtaking height. Likewise, although it was a game, who would dare to end their life without any hesitation? Some people might find it possible, but if they could really commit suicide that way, those people weren¡¯t fearless; they were just out of their minds. If they had experienced death a couple of times, that was another story, but Yongno had never met his death yet. I¡¯m running out of time; I have less than a minute to look around this place. However, it was too dark around since light couldn¡¯t travel this far in the deep ocean. Gosh, I wish I had something like a Night Vision... Oh, maybe that could work! After a short pause, Yongno circulated his internal energy and pooled it together in his eyes, then he recalled the night vision goggles that he once saw on his father''s desk. Yeah, those night vision goggles were an image intensifier tube. The old goggles used during the Korean War or the Vietnam War were active night vision devices that converted the infrared lights reflected from objects and switched them to visible images. However, the user''s location was detectable when using that method, so the latest ones were passive night vision devices that utilized automatic scanning equipment. In fact, the night vision goggles were based on a simple theory. Using an intensifier tube, the device collected and amplified infrared and visible light. These eyepieces amplified the starlight into a high degree of light, even in the pitch-black darkness, and offered a clear view. Although Yongno had dived into the deep dark ocean, the light wasn¡¯t utterly blocked, so there was a possibility to get visibility. But would it be a problem if I go deeper into a lightless space? Yongno thought about using the thermal detector system to capture the infrared light, but he soon shook his head. Thermal detectors allow us to see a far distance, but they become useless in the rain because infrared light is absorbed by moisture. It makes detecting infrared light underwater almost impossible. However, that wasn¡¯t the problem here, so Yongno circulated his internal energy immediately. His pupils began to shine gold, and soon a new message appeared in the air. /You gained a new skill - Enhanced Eyesight!/ Okay! I can see now. Although it wasn''t as bright as noon, Yongno was able to see objects around him. He let out a huge cheer at his achievement. Meanwhile, time was also running out since he was using his Internal Energy to also channel Enhanced Eyesight, so he quickly looked around and found... King clam!! Yongno approached the clam opening its mouth in the middle of a cliff-like steep surface. The king clam looked literally huge; the shell was as big as a tire, and there was thick meat and a large pearl inside. Yey! Looking at the pearl as big as a child''s fist, Yongno felt like he had found a treasure. And the moment he caught it... WHAM. Eek...?! All of a sudden, the clam bit his arm. Yongno tried to take it out in fright, but unfortunately, its biting force was unbelievably strong. His arm started to release beautiful gold smoke, but the clouds of gleaming fumes were definitely blood. God d*mn it! Ugh, it doesn''t get out! He fiercely swung his hand in fear, but the clam didn¡¯t release his arm. As he couldn¡¯t stand the tightening pain anymore, Yongno instinctively circulated his internal energy. /Your Strength and HP has been enhanced by 100 and 60 points (Effective for 5 seconds)!/ That was when he stopped bleeding. The tight clamshell opened by force. It was temporary, but his Strength had now reached 145 points with the title buff. Yongno could now lift a 500-kilogram rock, so although the clam had an intense biting force, Yongno was able to open its shell with ease. Open sesame! As soon as he took out his arm from the clam, Yongno opened the inventory and shoved the whole king clam into the compartment. It was dark around him, so there was no problem opening the inventory. In fact, the problem was lying elsewhere. /Your Internal Energy has dropped! Skill - Diving has been canceled! Skill - Body Strengthening has been canceled! Skill - Enhanced Eyesight has been canceled!/ /Warning: The pressure of the water begins to push down on you!/ /Your status has been updated: ''Minor Injury.''/ Yongno¡¯s face turned grim at the messages appearing one after another. Oh my god! Yongno kicked the water immediately to go up to the surface. He grabbed and bounced off the precipitous underwater cliff to rise from the deep water, but he still had 200 meters to go. 1. Edited slightly to reflect the English translation. ? CH 8 I''m suffocating...! D.I.O.''s pain control system was only effective for certain types of physical sufferings such as the excruciating pain after getting stabbed or going through Qi Deviation. It wouldn¡¯t alleviate things like a workout soreness or the suffocating feeling that Yongno was experiencing right now. It would indeed kill the severe pain at the moment of death, but Yongno was already suffering too much from shortness of breath, so he was desperately moving his arms to make an emergency ascent to the surface. However, the lack of air wasn¡¯t the only problem here. /The sudden change in water pressure has caused fatal damage to your body!/ /Your status has been updated: ''Serious Injury!''/ Yongno felt dizzy from his worsening body condition. His vision turned darker as he got closer to the surface, but he couldn¡¯t slow down his rising speed since it would immediately change his status from ''Serious Injury'' to ''Dead.'' /Your status has been updated: ''Fatal Injury!''/ Yongno was nearly unconscious by now, and just before his status was about to change to ''Dead,'' he quickly popped his head above the water. "HUFF, PUFF, GASP!" His body gulped in the sweet oxygen hungrily. A new message then flickered in front of him. /Your HP has increased by 2 points!/ /You have reached Rank 5 in Swimming!/ /You have gained the title of Advanced-Level Swimmer!/ /You have gained a special ability - Diving!/ "Oh, my health increased after going through all those obstacles. My swimming skill rank also went up. Although my life was at risk, it''s quite worth it to..." Before he finished his words, another message appeared. /And you are in bad physical condition. You will be put to sleep for 30 minutes./ "Put to sleep?" Yongno was perplexed by the unexpected message, but all of a sudden, he felt numb and everything turned dark. "Eh?" Something had knocked out his consciousness; he was simply put into a deep sleep. * * * Sizzle! Mari and Yongno were grilling deer meat on a hot stone at a cool breezy beach. "Argh, I''m sick of meat. I want to have something like veggies or rice," groaned Yongno. Mari replied, "Then why don''t you stop hunting animals and start foraging edible plants?" "It''s annoying because I have to prep them, but this meat looks like I¡¯ve got it from a butcher shop. Still, I¡¯m tired of eating this.¡± Mari asked, "But you''re very much enjoying the meat right now, aren''t you?" "It¡¯s not that I hate meat; I''m just sick of ''only'' having meat. You know I''m a meat lover. They are easy on my stomach~" Humming, Yongno took a bite of meat. The two ate a lot. While swimming down along the river, Yongno hunted many herbivores that gathered together to drink water. After strengthening his physical condition, it was very easy to attack them. He could even kill a wild water buffalo immediately. Once he finished hunting, he earned more than two lumps of dropped meat. Sometimes, he got Drops like cowhide or antlers, so he took them together on his way down the river. Mari asked, "By the way, how are you feeling now? Have you recovered from the injury?" "Uh-huh, never better. Amazingly, my ''Fatal Injury'' status turned back to completely normal after I took an hour-long break and had some food. Such great health! Is it because of the title I earned?" Having reached Rank 5 in Swimming, Yongno gained the title of Advanced-Level Swimmer, which increased his Strength, Stamina, and HP by 50 points each. And just by gaining the title, Yongno could decrease his Stamina consumption rate in the water by 30 percent, so his stats more than doubled. Plus, the lower-level stats caps did not apply to the stats increase from the title buff, so gaining the title of Advanced-Level Swimmer was considerably helpful. Yongno added, "Thanks to this title, I don''t need to perform Body Strengthening approximately 200 meters deep in the ocean. Besides, my Strength is surprisingly 77 points, which is stronger than weightlifters, right?" Feeling excited, he shouted, ¡°I''m a monster! A beast!¡± Mari wanted to school him in what high stats really looked like simply by disclosing her overwhelming stats to him one by one, but she held back her urge to do so in order to give hope to the newbies. Sizzle! They put the last deer meat on the grilling stone. Yongno suddenly clapped and said, ¡°Oh! I forgot that one!" "That one?" asked Mari. "Hold on for a second." Yongno opened his palm to stop Mari from asking further questions, then he put his hand down to take out the king clam he was sitting on. He had put it there since there was a lack of shade for the deep-sea creature. Mari exclaimed, "Wow, it''s the Kalib king clam." "Is it like the final boss of the clams?" asked Yongno in surprise. Mari sulkily replied, "... Idiot... Do you think that it even exists? It''s just the name of this giant clam here. They are found in the deep sea and get bigger after time. This one looks like it¡¯s around ten years old." "Haha, this game even has all these weird settings. Anyway, it¡¯s the king of the clams; you''ll never know how strong it is. My arm was bitten and almost sliced... Eh?" Yongno was bewildered by the clam opening its mouth powerlessly, but Mari looked nonchalant about it. "It''s dead," she said. "Unfortunately, the inventory stores objects inside of it by folding space and time, so living things can''t survive there." "Really? Then, is it possible to trap and kill a monster inside the inventory?" Mari explained, "Of course not. The inventory isn''t just fragile on the outside but also very frangible on the inside. Even small animals like dogs or cats could easily rip and come out of it, but it might work for something as small as a mouse or bug.¡± "It means that this clam is dead and can¡¯t move an inch, right?¡± asked Yongno. Then, he took the pearl and meat out of its shell. He placed the meat on the grill, which was actually just a stone slab Mari used her magic power to get ready for grilling. Shortly after, the grilled clam began to boil. Yongno lifted it up by using a chopstick roughly made of broken twigs, then tossed a question to Mari as something flashed through his head. "... This isn''t contaminated... is it?" he asked. Mari replied, "It''s fresher than you think, so don¡¯t worry about it, Oppa. Being dead in the inventory is a spiritual matter, and not something biological." When she waved the twig-like wand, her amazing magic skills cut the clam nicely and neatly without actually touching it. After she was done, she put a slice in her mouth. Yongno saw this and then continued to eat. All the grilled meat was soon devoured. He praised, "Wow, that was a fiesta! A survival game isn''t that bad if things go this way." Yongno got sand all over his body from lying on the beach, but there was no need to remove them since he was going back into the water. Leaving the seawater dry on the body was indeed bad to the skin but having high health prevented it from happening. "Are you gonna dive again?" asked Mari. "Uh-huh. My goal is to cross the ocean." "Cross the ocean...?!" Mari gave him a dumbfounded look, but Yongno just shrugged. He replied, "But I changed my mind. I already have 45 Stamina points, so if I keep swimming, I''ll soon reach the stats cap. It¡¯s a bummer." "Then?" "I''m gonna dive as deeply as possible since diving is more helpful for increasing HP rather than Stamina and cultivating my Internal Arts. So, a short while would be fine. I only have 27 HP, which means I still have 23 points left to reach the maximum cap. Besides..." Yongno then took out the pearl he got from the clam. The clear ivory jewel was as big as a child''s fist. He asked, "I can sell this, right?" "Yeah, I''m not sure about its market value, but it won''t be low-priced,¡± said Mari. In fact, the pearl was quite pricey, but Yongno clenched his fist. "Alrighty! This will be my source of income for now. It''s dark underwater, but using my night vision, I can find every one of them inside." As Yongno called upon his Internal Energy, his eyes began to glow gold. He was performing the Enhanced Eyesight skill. Narrowing her eyes, Mari questioned, ¡°Night Vision Eyes... since when did you start using that skill?" "I used it earlier underwater because it was too dark down there. We used to have a pair of these night vision goggles in my house. Let me tell you how it works..." "Hold on." Mari put her hand on the back of his hand. Yongno tried to pull away, but he soon felt tense when a tremendous qi flew into his skull. "Mari?" She said, "Remember, this is the Telescopic Vision." As soon as Mari told him the name of the skill, the sea that was far away jumped into Yongno''s sight. He was now seeing the distant place on a magnified scale. Mari added, "And this is the Night Vision Eyes that you just used." At that moment, the dark surroundings turned as bright as the daytime. The generated sight was much clearer and enhanced than the skill Yongno had demonstrated earlier. /You have reached Rank 8 in Skill - Enhanced Eyesight!/ /You have gained the title of Entry-Level User of Enhanced Eyesight!/ The messages appeared one after another. Mari asked, "Did you memorize them?" "Ah, yeah, for now." "Will you be able to use them?" "Probably,¡± responded Yongno. Mari pulled the corners of her lips upward to show a twisted smile. She said, ¡°... Alright. No problem then. Now this one is..." "Wait!" Before the qi surged back into him, Yongno shook off her arms, then took a step forward. He saw the beautiful, gray-haired girl staring at him calmly, but for some reason, her glimmering eyes looked cold and made Yongno shudder. He asked, "What''s going on? You look scary... Is there something wrong?" "..." After a pause, the heavy silence around Mari disappeared. She uttered, "I was a little serious, haha! You''re so good at learning skills, so..." Mari flaunted a vibrant smile as if nothing had happened. Yongno had a doubtful look on his face. "Why do you get serious when I''m good at learning skills? Do you think that makes sense? To begin with, why did you suddenly..." wondered Yongno. Mari cut him off, "It''s time to dive, right? Let''s go diving! You have had enough rest, so it''s time to work!" "No, I don''t want to work..." "Let''s go! Come on, or I''m gonna throw you in the water again!" Mari beamed, but her eyes looked determined as if Yongno wasn¡¯t allowed for any objections. Unlike her innocent and kind-hearted appearance, she''s such a villain-like character! Shrugging with those thoughts in his mind, Yongno replied, "Okay fine, I was about to dive anyway to burn up some calories." "Good, please enjoy your time!" "Pfft, she¡¯s such a mystery,¡± grumbled Yongno, then he sank into the water. When he utterly disappeared from the surface, the cold look in Mari''s eyes subsided. "One in a quintillion..." she murmured. The nickname belonged to a genius as quintillion was 1/10^18 in numbers. One in a quintillion was, therefore, a person born in a 1/1,000,000,000,000,000,000 chance, which was literally a miracle. God didn''t plan and work this surprising and welcoming event; it was the so-called ''rarity of a miracle,'' the odds of one in a quintillion. And the nickname suited Yongno; he was indeed a super genius. Still, his power was feeble at the moment. If there was enough time to fight everyone, Mari could beat billions of Yongno rushing at her. However, if Yongno continued his cultivation, the sky was his limit. "The odds that someone gives birth to a mutant genius like him is almost non-existent. I have only heard about it, and never thought I would ever see one in my life¡­¡± The sun began to set on the beach. The silver-haired, CG fantasy-like beauty stood there for quite a while, staring at the ocean. CH 9 GRRR¨C¨C! A giant brown bear, approximately three meters tall, roared aggressively and lunged at a man. The incredible force of the wildlife looked overwhelming as if a mountain was collapsing. The sight of a fearsome bear would have instilled fear in any ordinary person. Most would simply plop down on the ground with their legs turning to jelly. Yet, the shirtless, muscular man didn''t step away. With his feet firmly on the ground, he proceeded to make a frontal attack. WHAM!! GROWL! That was when something unbelievable happened. The impact broke the bear''s forepaws and ribs. It would have been more persuasive if the bear ran into a dump truck, and not a person half its size. As the beast tottered, the guy burst out laughing. "Bahaha!! You bastard! My Strength is already 130 points! Besides, this is the Impenetrable Mountain skill, the Saulabi''s official technique! A creature like you can''t endure this attack... Eh?" Suddenly, the laughing man flopped down. His arms dropped powerlessly to the ground; his skin cracked like a fractured turtle shell. Thick clouds of golden smoke kept rising up from his cuts. It was a spectacular sight, but unfortunately, blood was spurting out from his split skin. He realized he was fatally wounded. "Eh? How can this be? I''m stronger than..." GROWL!! However, the brown bear began to move again without giving the man a chance to stay bewildered. Its forepaws and ribs were broken, but the bear could still attack, whereas the guy couldn¡¯t defend himself at all. He was able to move his fingers, but due to his fatal condition, the man couldn¡¯t get up or lift his arm. "What the hell! Am I already dying when I''ve just started to play the game?" "Pfft, here¡¯s another idiot." BAM! A crew-cut man suddenly intervened on the guy and parried the bear''s forepaw by brandishing the round shield he was holding in his left hand. Then, there was a flash of light! The fatally injured man had plopped down on the ground and was blankly staring at the bear getting stabbed on the nape. THUD! The gold bear collapsed with a loud thud, then turned into gold ashes and disappeared. Standing in front of it, the crew-cut man asked, "How much EXP did you gain?" "Eh? EXP... Here, I gained 13 Spirits." "Hmm, so that''s how it works. You earn EXP when participating in a battle, but the points aren''t shared fairly; it''s basically just a small amount of experience you get by literally ''participating'' in combat. Is it to prevent Kill-Steal[1]?" What he just said was true. The man who knocked down the bear earned only 1 Spirit. In order to prevent disputes arising from this issue, which was about earning EXP from getting a monster, D.I.O. adopted a system that gave all the EXPs to the initial attacker, instead of creating a complicated structure. In other words, cutting in line or intervening in someone else''s hunt or combat would give no credits and no rewards to the user. If a player decided to help someone else with monster hunting, it must be out of goodwill. The shirtless man asked, "Oh, so the one who attacks first will gain all the Spirits rewarded?" "It isn''t that simple. You must fulfill a requirement,¡± replied the crew-cut man. "A requirement?" The crew-cut man explained, "The user must, at least, inflict a severe injury on the monsters. That person will get all the Spirits." "That''s weird... AWK!" The shirtless guy showed an aimless grin, but he soon stumbled as if he was dizzy. In fact, his entire body including his limbs, chest, and waist was updated with a ¡®Fatal Injury¡¯ status. The crew-cut-haired man said, "Your wounds are too serious. This place is likely to have other monsters around, so let''s get out of..." "Ha, no worries,¡± the shirtless man sneered. "What? But if this takes longer..." "Stop that bulls**t and look! HURRRR....!!" The shirtless man raised his head and roared like a lunatic. The air around them shook along with his cry. Feeling a stinging sensation on his skin, the crew-cut man stared at the other guy and witnessed his wounds recovering at an amazing speed. It only took about three minutes for the injuries to heal. Most of them were just muscle strains or something along those lines, so taking a short rest was enough for the shirtless man to fully recover. Still, it was incredible that he had returned to normal this fast without getting a Priest''s Prayer or using Healing Magic. The crew-cut man exclaimed, "Wow...! That was so..." "Hold on." The shirtless man lifted his right hand to stop the crew-cut man from asking questions. Then, he opened his inventory and took out two loaves of flatbread, well-done steak¨C¨Che must have overcooked it by putting it into the inventory right after grilling it¨C¨Cand a bottle of water. After taking them out, the shirtless man began to enjoy his food in silence. He munched on the big portion meal and quickly finished eating. The crew-cut man wondered, "What happened? Have you been starving?" "No, I just replenished myself since I used too much Energy for healing my wounds,¡± replied the shirtless man. "... I see. I''m not sure because I didn''t choose ¡®that power,¡¯ but what you just performed was..." "Yeah, it''s called Life Energy, and this one right now is a technique that consumes Energy to maximize the generative power,¡± replied the shirtless man. Life Energy was one of the seven powers the user could choose at the beginning of D.I.O. These seven powers were the several ''types'' of Spiritual Power in the stats window. The seven powers were Internal Arts, Magic Power, Chakra, Sacred Power, Pure Spiritual Power, Aura, and Life Energy that the shirtless man just mentioned. As soon as the users reached Level 2, they could choose up to two of these powers or one of them and specialize it. The crew-cut man uttered, "That''s interesting! I thought no one''s really gonna choose Life Energy since most of the players admire martial arts or magic." "Well, it''s a matter of preference. Flying in the air and making sparks might be cool, but I don''t have any internal arts within me. Neither do I have Magic Power, Sacred Power, nor Aura. All that remains is a powerful body and biological evolution, and that''s Life Energy,¡± said the shirtless man. As he stood straight, his muscular body caught the other man''s eye. His nice solid and delicately torn pec muscles, six-pack abs, and ripped obliques weren¡¯t a short-term outcome even though this was a world inside a game. Besides, working out like crazy wasn¡¯t all there was to building that perfect body. To attain that captivating result, the man would have gone through structured training programs, made efforts day and night, and have had much interest in muscle gains. This guy must have been working out even before he joined the game. Having the thought in his mind, the crew-cut man said, "Well, thanks for showing me that stuff. Let me give you some advice then. When you became Level 2, you added all 80 points into Strength, right? Since you aren''t feeling tired yet, you must have added the rest of the 20 points into Stamina." "Eh?" The shirtless guy flinched as if the other guy had hit the nail right on his head. The crew-cut man sighed, "When playing games, there are always people like you who go all stats. You might be thinking that a perfect defense will work, but unfortunately, D.I.O requires HP for users to attack." "Requires HP to attack?" asked the shirtless man with a dumbfounded expression. The crew-cut man explained, "Let''s put it this way. For every 3 points or 5 at the most, you must earn, at least, 1 point in HP to adjust the ratio of Strength and HP. To give you a better understanding, could you clench your fist with all your strength?" "Not a problem." The shirtless guy raised his fist immediately. He clenched it tightly, then CRACK. "Eh?" His finger bones broke. Also, his capillaries exploded, and his skin cracked. The crew-cut man''s eyes widened at the speechless situation. He uttered, "Compared to your Strength, the strength of your bones, tensile strength of your muscles, and your skin elasticity are too weak. No matter how powerful you are, if your body can''t stand it, then it''s over. And that''s what''s happening to you right now; you¡¯re on the brink of death by unleashing a single attack. It also applies to Magic Power. If you just increase Magic Power without raising Magic Resistance, you''ll get swept away by your own Magic Power since you can''t control it. Do you get it?" "... I see... Geez, I should have listened carefully to the explanation before I came here." The shirtless man heaved a sigh, regretting his hasty decision. The crew-cut man continued, "Then, should we do a ''Party?'' Use your strong offense power to injure the enemies first, then step away and take a break. I''ll come forward and wrap things up after you." "Just like what we did right now?" "Uh-huh. Besides, what you''ve been doing is like abusing yourself. It may be good at cultivating and increasing HP since your points will skyrocket. However, you''re likely to develop serious health problems, so if you want to enjoy hunting for a while, you must go see a priest and get treatments." The shirtless guy was confused. "Eh? But you said that according to D.I.O''s system, I''ll be gaining all the Spirits when using that method; only I can cultivate my abilities. Isn''t it just too good for me and unfair to you?" The crew-cut man replied, "Aside from cultivating your skills, EXP doesn¡¯t work that way. When doing a Party, we share the EXP equally." "What? But that would result in users carrying[2] other players.¡± "That doesn¡¯t matter.¡± The shirtless man was still hesitant. "But from the perspective of the game operators..." "No, it''s none of their business either. You¡¯re aware this is a beta-testing system, right?" What does that have to do with this situation? But the shirtless man realized that users could only level up in D.I.O after passing the tests, and not by reaching a certain amount of Spirits. If he didn¡¯t get to reach the next level, then... He asked, "I get it. So you''re saying that partnering with a high-level user and getting a huge amount of EXP is useless, right?" "Correct." "Interesting. That''s the characteristic of the game. Ah, but..." As if something crossed his mind, the shirtless man continued speaking, "This game just opened a few hours ago, but you''re very knowledgeable in this field, aren¡¯t you? Didn''t we all start this at the same time?" "Although we began at the same starting line, that doesn''t mean we are at the same level. Well, but just like you, all I did was listen to our beautiful Miss Mari explaining things to me,¡± replied the crew-cut man. The man looked somehow captivated, which made the shirtless man stiffen his expression. "... Hold on, I just heard something hard to ignore," said the shirtless guy. "What do you mean?" "What you just said, ''Our beautiful Miss Mari,'' you aren¡¯t talking about Mari who has snow-white hair and slim but curvy body, right?" "That''s her, Miss Mari," The crew-cut man agreed with no hesitation. The shirtless man narrowed his eyes with a cold grin on his lips. He uttered, "Haha, then we can''t be friends. Unfortunately, Mari is mine. Give up... Eh? Wait, how did you meet Mari? She was with me earlier." "... Gosh, what kind of crap is that...?" "What?" The shirtless man held up his fist, fuming at the man''s smirk, but the crew-cut man just reacted cool-headedly. "Listen, Mr. Pure at Heart. Mari, a.k.a Marionette Hold, isn''t a human; she¡¯s an NPC. If there are a hundred users in this game, there are also a hundred Mari. If there are ten million users, then ten million Mari exist. She''s a guide NPC." * * * Click. The clam closed its mouth when Yongno played a trick on it by quickly putting his hand in and out from its shell. Tsk, tsk, tsk. You clam. Yongno laughed mockingly at the shellfish, but he didn¡¯t have time to just giggle since he was consuming his Internal Energy even right now. Swoosh. He opened his inventory and put the clam inside. Although it had a strong biting power, the clam was getting sucked into the compartment, having no way to resist. Okay! So, this is number twenty-eight! Using Enhanced Eyesight, Yongno was going deep down into the water. He had been thoroughly looking around the underwater cliff. 1. An act of other users snatching the monster that someone else has caught in order to steal the person''s item or experience points in online games ? 2. An act of a high-level user accompanying a lower-level user to help the partner to level up easily ? CH 10 The trophies were large clams and their pearls located in the middle of the cliff. Yet, they were only a few, and most of them were hiding in secluded places, but none of them could stay out of Yongno¡¯s sight since he was blinded by money. /Warning. The high-pressure underwater is damaging your body!/ /Your status has been updated: ''Serious Injury.''/ Did I dive too deep? Yongno didn¡¯t perform Body Strengthening since he was already consuming a lot of internal energy on Enhanced Eyesight and diving. Plus, he had to put as much strain on his body as he could to increase his maximum health. This reckless way of cultivation could tear his body apart, so Yongno wouldn¡¯t use it outside the game, but in the world of D.I.O, overtaxing his strength was likely to make him much stronger. Hmm, my internal energy is draining out, so should I return to the surface now? Yongno checked the soil near the clam to see if it was firm, then he opened the bag on his back. It was a woven container, made of water buffalo that he got as a Drop and seaweed. He didn¡¯t know the name of this marine plant, but it was as sturdy as a thick rope. Inside the bag were three large stones. THUD! Yongno took out one of the stones and put it on the surface of the soil, next to the clam. It was a sort of indication and pendulum of how deep he had dived. Once he placed the stone down, his body began to slowly rise from deep water. I¡¯ve reached 500 meters, but the water pressure is indeed too high. If I don''t perform Body Strengthening, it would be too hard to go down deeper. /Your status has been updated: ''Minor Injury.''/ The closer he came to the surface, the lower the water pressure. Yongno was astonished to see his body condition quickly getting better. Well, it seems like I already have a beast-like body. He was almost 500 meters below the ocean surface without any protective equipment. Besides, he barely reached 40 HP. Even if he added 50 points to health by applying the title buff, Yongno would still have less than 100 HP. And didn''t Mari tell him that the user''s stats were doubled in their effects starting from 100 points? If having 90 health points were this powerful, how overwhelming would Yongno become if he gained 500-600 health points? He could go out into space naked or get just a few scratches from a gunshot. Splash. Yongno didn''t want to get injured again from a sudden change of water pressure, so he came up to the surface at a slow pace. When he finally got out of the water, a message appeared before his eyes. /Your HP, Regen, and Spiritual Power have all increased by 1 point!/ /You have reached Rank 3 in Swimming!/ /You have gained the title of Master-Level Swimmer!/ /You have gained a special ability - Water-friendly!/ "Geez, I''ve earned another special ability when I¡¯m still unclear of what the special ability ''Diving'' is.¡± Yongno was constantly developing his skills. Enhanced Eyesight was his second most improved skill after Swimming, which had already reached Rank 5 and provided him the Telescopic Vision and Aura Vision. In fact, Yongno could use both visions even before he reached the current rank. Telescopic Vision was the ability to see things from a distance up close, while Aura Vision was a technique to read and view the invisible energy of objects. Yongno knew how to dive, but once he gained the Diving skill, he could much extend his dive time. Likewise, Yongno could roughly use the two vision skills ever since he began to perform Enhanced Eyesight, but he could see further and reduce more of his internal energy consumption when he actually gained these skills. "Weird. Both Swimming and Enhanced Eyesight are progressing so quickly, but what about the rest of the skills? Why aren''t they going up?" However, it was no surprise since Yongno seldom used other skills except for Swimming and Enhanced Eyesight. Body Strengthening was his second most frequently used skill, which had barely reached Rank 7; it made him gain Adding Strength which was an ability to strengthen his muscles when using Body Strengthening. Mari murmured, "You have no idea how challenging it is for other users to reach Rank 7 outside the game..." "Huh?" "Nothing. You''re doing great." "...?" Yongno couldn¡¯t understand what Mari was trying to say. Nonetheless, Mari uttered, "Never mind. Just come here and have some fruits. I traveled farther inland to get these.¡± "Oh, thanks, but let me first dry myself for a second. I don¡¯t mind having sand on my skin, but I can¡¯t stand being wet and dripping water when I''m grilling meat..." Splash. At that moment, something unbelievable happened. Before Yongno finished his words, the moisture on his body slipped down on the ground at a stroke. His damp hair was neatly dried, and there weren¡¯t any drops of water on his skin. Even his pants had become dry and soft. "... What is going on...?" asked Yongno. Mari explained, "That''s the power of the special ability ''Water-friendly'' that you just earned. You can now control water as you want. It''s called ''Attributes'' which is also on the stats window." "Attributes..." Yongno then grabbed his left ear for two seconds to open the stats window. "Water has reached 40 points. Is that high?" asked Yongno. Mari replied, "Somewhat. If a certain attribute becomes 100 points, the user can take control of that attribute. You''re almost halfway there. Currently, you won''t be able to full control it, but 40 points will be enough to handle water as you please. Plus, the attribute of water is of the yin energy, dark and cold, so you''ll be able to withstand the cold. If it''s like -100 degrees Celsius, that¡¯s kind of hard to endure, but you won''t freeze to death even if you sleep naked on the snow." It was quite a benefit for Yongno. He had been using his Internal Energy to warm up his body since the deeper he dived, the colder he felt. Thanks to the Gold Core Immortal Technique, Yongno could circulate his qi all day, or else, he would have suffered from the cold temperature underwater. "Let''s see... Wow?" Yongno exclaimed, stretching out his hand. The absorbed seawater in the sand rose up like soap bubbles, then stopped in the air. Yongno stood still and watched the beads of water, then he clenched his fist. Following his gesture, the water bubbles turned into a two fist sized-water marble. Yongno then struck his hand down. BAM! At that moment, the sand splattered with fearful rapidity, and a 3-meter deep crater appeared in front of Yongno. Although it happened on the sandy beach, the explosion was extremely powerful. Despite this, Yongno collapsed on the ground with a headache before he exclaimed, Awesome! I can use this for aggression! /Warning. Your body is injured by the use of too much force! Thank god you aren''t dead!/ /Your status has been updated: ''Close to Death!''/ "Eh? Close to death?" Yongno blinked swiftly in bewilderment. He couldn¡¯t even move his finger an inch since he was close to death, a status between Fatal Injury and Death. It indicated that a user''s body was temporarily too damaged to activate, which was like being poisoned or cursed. Mari clicked her tongue at Yongno who had collapsed on the ground. "Pfft, why are you behaving so reckless when you have less than 30 Willpower points? Although you have a high attribute, if your stats don''t support it, your health conditions will be messed up," said Mari. Yongno asked, "Why didn''t you tell me earlier...?" "I had no chance to explain it." "I¡¯ve wondered what Willpower was, and now I seem to be aware of it. Does it affect the maximum amount of force I can release at once?" Nodding, Mari added, "Precisely speaking, it''s the ability to control your spiritual power. It''s a little different from our concept of willpower, which is about enduring tough things." "Hmm, then the reason why it''s been going up little by little is that I''ve got more control of it. I''ve been thinking what''s the judging criteria for it to increase... Eh?" A message suddenly appeared. /Your Willpower has increased by 3 points!/ Yongno''s grim expression lit up like a Christmas tree. His Willpower had increased not only by 2 points but 3 at once. It was such an amazing way to cultivate his abilities. "Whoa, this is insane! The skill, Water-friendly, is incredible in many ways," shouted Yongno. Mari snorted, "Yeah yeah. If you moved just one step forward, you would have died, instead of being ''Close to Death'', so in that case, it¡¯s incredible.¡± /Your status has been updated: ''Fatal Injury!''/ Once he recovered from his dying condition, Yongno was able to move a little. He flipped himself and laid on the ground on his back. "Ugh... the system here makes me feel less painful, but the stinging sensation is awful. How long does it take for me to recover?" asked Yongno. Mari replied, "You weren¡¯t heavily injured, so a two-hour break should bring you back to normal." "What? That''s too long!" It was too long for Yongno to just lay down on the beach and do nothing in the middle of the game, but Mari looked apathetic. She uttered, "Then just log out. Your body will go into recovery mode." Logging out from a game worked effectively in any circumstances; it was the best way for users to save their lives. Not to mention, if the user stayed logged out for more than a day, they could fully heal their bodies as long as they weren¡¯t dead. Even when players were under a curse or exposed to poison, they could make them ineffective by logging out from the game. Thus, players could hardly die unless they were killed instantly. Yongno uttered, "But I have nothing to do when I log out." "..." "Eh? Uh, hold on... Don''t get me wrong..." "..." "..." "..." "Ugh, please don''t look at me so miserably..." murmured Yongno. He felt like his status was returning to ''Close to Death'' from ''Fatal Injury''. Shortly after, he realized that he could move. /Your status has been updated: ''Serious Injury!''/ "Eh? I''m getting better this quickly?" he exclaimed. Yongno sat straight, feeling lighter. His body looked normal and was ready to play the game again, but his status was still ''Serious Injury''. Mari explained, "It''s because you''re having a temporary injury." "Temporary injury?" "Uh-huh. If you lose your arm, that''s a serious injury, but all you have is an injured arm, so as long as you stop the bleeding, there''s no problem moving your body. Oppa, right now, you''ve exercised the power way beyond your level, which eventually damaged your Willpower. It''s the same as having brain damage. However, the injured site controls Spiritual Power, and not the part that handles motor nerves or thinking. It¡¯s also the core part of controlling spiritual power in the Spirit Body." Yongno''s eyes widened at Mari''s explanation. CH 11 "Hold on, it sounds too dangerous. Isn''t it too fatal if my brain or Spirit Body gets damaged?" asked Yongno. Mari replied, "Hmm, it''s a little different. Maybe using the term ''damage'' sounds a bit off here. It''s indeed dangerous if your Spirit Body gets affected, but the damage I''m talking about is close to having pain in your muscles because of overuse. Your body returns to normal after time, but right now, it''s hard to move." "That means..." "Your current status is ¡®Serious Injury¡¯, but there is nothing actually wrong with your body, right? What you can¡¯t do at this point is use your spiritual power. Can you perform the Gold Core Immortal Technique? No, right?" Just as she mentioned, Yongno couldn¡¯t circulate his qi under the Gold Core Immortal Technique, which he had been constantly performing unconsciously. He couldn¡¯t even use the small amount of internal energy in his middle dantian, which he mostly consumed while diving underwater. Therefore, Yongno felt like he have lost all his internal martial arts. He asked, "Oh, so I can use my internal energy again after two hours, but meanwhile, I have no problem moving my body, right?¡± "Correct. By the way, you also can''t use the Water-friendly skill with your current status. In fact, this situation took place because you had been using that skill... Eh?" Surprisingly, Yongno was already heading to the ocean. He was holding the apple that Mari gave to him. Yongno shouted, "Then, I can swim, right?¡± "Yeah, but..." "I totally understood! And thanks for the apple!" Yongno then jumped into the water. He should be eating the apple under the water or enjoying it after he finished diving. Mari murmured, "Geez, is it that exciting to dive and swim? How come he never gets sick of it?" Yongno was definitely far away from being normal. His performance of the Gold Core Immortal Technique was the most extraordinary thing about him. Mari explained that Yongno could activate the technique at any time anywhere once he got accustomed to it, but she didn¡¯t mean that it would last all day and night. When circulating qi at the beginning of the Gold Core Immortal Technique, users should put their full focus on it, or else it would be like trying to memorize a paper full of prayers and doing something else at the same time. However, if users mastered the entire prayers, they could recite them and simultaneously do other things such as watching TV, playing games, chatting online, reading, or even jogging. In this case, the users couldn¡¯t say other words since they were using their mouths to recite prayers. Still, it didn¡¯t restrict them to do anything else. Despite all this, performing two different and challenging things at the same time without a pause for a week or a month was strange and almost impossible. Likewise, performing other cultivation methods was beyond the bounds of possibility during the activation of the Gold Core Immortal Technique. Meanwhile, users could do other trivial things, but the technique wouldn¡¯t go on all day automatically. No one could find such a convenient cultivation method like that since it existed nowhere. Gold Core Immortal Technique was a martial power that could circulate one¡¯s qi without fully concentrating on the tightly integrated Gold Core, but it still required attention. Mari marveled, "But he¡¯s making it happen. Ever since he learned the technique from me, he¡¯s activating the Gold Core Immortal Technique without intermission. He¡¯s really something." Mari was sitting on the beach with a dumbfounded expression. Feeling the sea breeze, she stared at the sun hanging on the horizon. As the ocean resembled the shade of the twilight, everything gradually appeared red. The view was too beautiful to see only once in a lifetime. "Hahaha! Amazing! It seems that I¡¯m the longest living clone among the Marionettes. I never expected I would come this far,¡± said Mari. But why were these useless thoughts crossing her mind? Mari wondered if Yongno was the reason behind it. She watched him sink in the water and sometimes swim in and out of the ocean. Then, she realized that she was gradually letting up on the regulations of the system which had been firmly engraved in her mind. Perhaps those weren¡¯t strong rules in the first place since the operators of this game would have made her and those things less necessary to keep them for a long time. "Eh?" While Mari was immersed in her thoughts, a black dot suddenly entered her sight. A boy in his late teens was floating in the middle of the ocean like a dead fish up on contaminated water. Not to mention, he was Yongno. As his head was sunk in the water, Yongno looked like he was unconscious and in ¡°Dying Condition¡±. If Mari left him that way, Yongno would be dead. "Geez, how did I end up being a guide to that weirdo?" sighed Mari. She got up from her seat, then began to walk on the water to go save the half-dying Yongno. ***Gold Core. Dark North Sea*** "Unbelievable!" shouted Yongno as soon as he recovered his consciousness. But Mari responded coldly, ¡°Yes, it is, but would you please keep your mouth shut? You''re bleeding from everywhere such as your eyes, nose, lips, and ears. You¡¯ve also received a severe internal injury." Why do you behave so recklessly when your Regen sucks? It seemed like she was shooting a sarcastic glance at him. Yongno broke out in a cold sweat. He murmured, "... Why are you being so mean all of a sudden...?" "That¡¯s because you''re acting like a fool." ¡°But I could dive only 300 meters deep. My health became much higher due to the Master-Level Swimmer title effect, but why am I rather weaker?" asked Yongno. As Yongno''s swimming skill reached Rank 3, he gained the Master-Level Swimmer title; it enhanced his Stamina, Strength, and Regen by 70 points each. Plus, when Yongno was underwater, it reduced his Stamina consumption rate by 40 percent, which resulted in massive progress in his stats. Yongno finally had 110 HP, but he started to face problems when he reached 200 meters deep, then at 300 meters underwater, he was immediately injured and came up to the surface. Thankfully, he survived the rapid change of water pressure, but Yongno felt somewhat unfair. "Is it because I used Internal Energy while diving? Although I couldn¡¯t circulate qi, I used it since it worked on Diving. Did it cause the problem then?¡± wondered Yongno. Mari replied, "It doesn''t matter since it automatically switches without the process of circulating the qi." Yongno looked bewildered. He asked, "Then, what''s the problem?" "Why don''t you put your brain to work? What''s the difference between diving in the morning and now?" "Well, there''s been a problem in my ability to control internal energy since I used a force that I couldn''t handle." Mari replied, "Then what¡¯s the answer?" Yongno thought for a while. The difference... What''s the difference¡­? Then, he realized something. ¡°Gold Core Immortal Technique.¡± "Correct. A Regen stats of 110 points isn''t low but not secure enough to stay hundreds of meters underwater against the water pressure. Even if your body can sustain it, your eyes or ears is fragile to pressure,¡± explained Mari. "Does that mean the Gold Core Immortal Technique protects my physical body? But performing the technique didn¡¯t enhance my HP though." Having high HP was not the only way to increase Defense. Users could block external pressure by casting a protection spell or using a Self-defense Technique. They could create an invisible wall, pray to God for protection, or summon divine creatures or fairies to protect them. There were many ways; it¡¯s just Yongno who wasn¡¯t aware of it. Mari replied, "Including the Gold Core Immortal Technique, most of the cultivation methods have as much repulsive force as the users¡¯ internal arts. In particular, Self-defense Technique is effective even without circulating your qi, but in the case of the Gold Core Immortal Technique, it doesn''t work without it unless you reach a higher level of mastery.¡± "That means there''s a lasting shield while performing the Gold Core Immortal Technique, right?" "Shield... Not exactly, but it does make sense. If your internal energy grows, you''ll be able to defend low-skilled attacks without any special protections. It refers to the following situation. Let¡¯s say when a person with a low internal cultivation base attacks a master, the attacker gets knocked down instead and receives internal injuries." /Your status has been updated: ''Fatal Injury!''/ "Eh? Why can''t I move an inch when my status is ''Fatal Injury''?" asked Yongno. He could, at least, flip himself and lie down flat on his back in the same status before. Thus, the situation was hardly understandable, but Mari looked nonchalant. She replied, "You¡¯re physically damaged, so you won''t be able to move until your status is updated to ''Minor Injury'', but this time, you can circulate your qi.¡± "What? But didn''t you say I must take a two-hour break to use qi?" asked Yongno, thinking that he was unconscious for just a few seconds. Mari responded, "Oppa, it¡¯s been five hours since you blacked out." Yongno then performed the Gold Core Immortal Technique. His qi began to slowly circulate its route. He felt lighter and invigorated. "Hmm, but I still can''t move my body. How long does it take me to recover?" asked Yongno. Mari explained, "Your physical condition is quite fatal. Thanks to the system of D.I.O., you aren¡¯t feeling any pain, but you''re actually suffering from internal bleeding and have ruptured intestines. That means you can die. Despite all that, you¡¯re recovering anyway due to your physical uniqueness¡­ no maybe the unique aspects of the game.¡± In fact, real treatment was necessary for Yongno¡¯s physical condition. Even a medical professional would hesitate to treat his fatal injuries if there was no emergency care and medical appliances ready, but Yongno would survive nonetheless. His body wasn¡¯t strong enough to immediately heal from the fatal injuries, but if he continued resting, he would fully recover after time. He had those health points. Besides, Gold Core Immortal Technique could assist a user¡¯s physical recovery although it wasn¡¯t a self-defense technique as powerful as to make him immortal. Yongno asked, "So, how long does it take anyway?" "Hmm, since your regeneration stats is just so-so, I guess it¡¯ll take about nineteen hours to recover." "Ugh, that''s too long!" frowned Yongno. It took much longer than the time when he had a problem with his mana controlling ability. Mari shrugged, ¡°All you have to do is log out. It takes about only three hours to fully recover outside the game. You know the time in D.I.O is six times faster than that in real life." "I see. Since I can''t move an inch, I must study cultivation techniques." "Are you even listening to me...?" Mari sent a cold glance at Yongno. Spending too much time playing games can cause health problems! But Yongno just closed his eyes and hummed. He checked his Spiritual Power and found it reached 50 points again. As he had come to think of it, there was something he tried to do regardless of his dying condition. The moment he started to circulate the qi... Mari asked, "Hold on. You aren''t gonna take out your inner core again, are you?" "I''ve done it once, so why not do it twice?¡± responded Yongno confidently. Mari sighed, ¡°Geez, I knew you would say that, but why don''t you first look at the inner core you made earlier?" "I told you I can''t move.¡± Ignoring his response, Mari put her hand in her pocket, then took out a gold marble. Yongno asked, "Eh? Why does it come out of there?" "I''m an NPC in charge of you, so I can intervene in the system at a certain level. By the way, why don''t you bring up the item description?" "It¡¯s not necessary for me though¡­¡± Moving his eyeballs, Yongno focused on the gold marble on Mari''s palm, then he closed his left eye. And one, two, three. The item window appeared. He said, "Let''s see... It¡¯s called the Gold Core. I see no price here, and... Eh?! It has a half-year worth of cultivation?" Yongno was astonished. He bounced in surprise only in his mind since he couldn¡¯t move right now. "How come? There must be 10 points worth in there, which is around five years of cultivation base?" Yongno stared at Mari with a horrified expression. Mari shrugged and replied, "That¡¯s how things go in this tough world. Your cultivation base rises faster in the beginning, but it gets slower and meets difficulties as time goes by. Do you think you can save it externally and absorb it later?" "Gosh, but that can''t be the reason behind the problem here. I''m not talking about absorbing only two or three years of the five-year amount of cultivation base..." whined Yongno. In fact, he was correct. It was difficult to utterly absorb the cultivation base, but it wasn¡¯t impossible to fully release it or hand it over to others. Mari replied, "In this case, there''s a problem in the Gold Core Immortal Technique, but at the same time, it¡¯s possible to take out your inner core that way due to the characteristics of the technique.¡± "Characteristics?" "Yeah. Usually, internal arts collect Internal Energy by using the Innate Genuine-Qi as its core, whereas the Gold Core Immortal Technique materializes the cultivation base to create the Gold Core. However, the way the Gold Core holds onto cultivation base is a little different from the typical internal energy cultivation methods." It was similar to gravitation. All humans were born with a small amount of strong and pure spiritual energy. In martial arts studies, this was called the innate Genuine-Qi. When a martial artist learned the cultivation technique of the innate Genuine-Qi, the external force gravitated towards this inborn energy; that was the acquired Qi. For instance, if a martial artist had 1 cycle[1]of internal martial arts and used thirty years of energy from it, there are thirty years of acquired Qi left. When it came to the innate Genuine-Qi, the martial artist still had 1 cycle of internal martial arts left. Accordingly, the person could re-collect the consumed, thirty years of acquired Qi while still having 1 cycle of the innate Genuine-Qi. Then, what if the martial artist used thirty years of innate Genuine-Qi? The answer was simple. Theoretically, the person should cultivate for thirty years to regain their original internal martial arts. 1. Internal martial arts accumulated in sixty years of cultivation ? CH 12 So to speak, it was the same as a planet. The gravitational force of the earth pulled everything to the ground and made this planet a perfect place for life. Likewise, the existence of innate Genuine-Qi allowed the acquired Genuine-Qi to maintain its presence. Mari said, "This is just an example. As you know, qi has no figure or smell, so its volume doesn¡¯t increase or so, but extracting your maximum internal force from the cultivation method means..." "It means to consume the innate Genuine-Qi. According to your explanation, it¡¯s like weakening gravity,¡± responded Yongno. "Yeah, so the process is very dangerous and tricky. If it goes wrong, your entire dantian can be damaged. Besides, those who receive that energy can¡¯t exert as much power as they¡¯ve got it since everyone''s internal martial arts is different in their characteristics or qualities. Do you get it?" Mari continued explaining kindly like a teacher. Nodding, Yongno replied, "Well, not exactly but I do understand what you mean. Then, what about the Gold Core Immortal Technique?" "Hmm... the idea of it is actually simple, but it seems difficult to articulate in words. I''d say it''s a matter of density. Like other cultivation methods, the Gold Core Immortal Technique attracts the acquired qi by having the innate Genuine-Qi as its core, but the way it works is a little different. If the regular cultivation methods are like liquid, the internal martial arts collected by the Gold Core Immortal Technique is solid, and... hmm..." Seemingly hard to explain, Mari contemplated for a moment before she continued, ¡°The method of Gold Core Immortal Technique is comparable to mystical creatures¡¯ Marble of Energy or the Liebelle school¡¯s Circle System. Being both martial power and Taoist magic, Gold Core Immortal Technique also works quite similarly to the way of chakra. It¡¯s like opening up a microcosmos in every object." The basic principle of the Gold Core Immortal Technique was rotation-induced gravitation since it attracted the surrounding energies like Mercury, Venus, Earth, and other planets orbiting the sun. Thus, users should perform a constant rotation of their qi without any pause for fast-growing. Yongno asked, "Then, developing internal martial arts with the Gold Core Immortal Technique is..." "It''s like adding planets such as Mercury, Venus, Earth, etc. one after another. The Gold Core may look like a marble on the outside, but the core, the sun, exists in the center of it. Whenever you add a new core that revolves around its previous core, your power increases exponentially,¡± replied Mari, thinking how difficult it was to explain verbally. Yongno closed his eyes and tried to feel qi within him, but all he sensed was a fist-sized lump near the pit of his stomach. Things like microcosmos or planets didn¡¯t come to his mind. ¨C¨CBut that was why Yongno kept imagining those things. Whoosh...! "Oppa?" Mari stared at him in surprise. With his eyes closed, Yongno continued thinking about those images. Right, as she said, qi has no weight, figure, or smell. He felt only small energy within him. If the Gold Core was the sun, as Mari had exemplified, there were no planets currently revolving around it. At that moment, Yongno realized why there was only a half-year amount of internal martial arts left when he released five years¡¯ worth of it. Because I didn''t have a core! Mari said that Yongno would have new cores orbiting around the previous cores if he reached a higher level of mastery in the Gold Core Immortal Technique. However, unfortunately, he reached only 20% mastery of this technique and 30 internal energy points, which was equivalent to fifteen years¡¯ worth of internal martial arts. Considering the short time of development and accumulation, the amount of Yongno¡¯s internal martial arts wasn¡¯t little. Still, it wasn¡¯t enough to open the First World of the Gold Core Immortal Technique, which was created suitably for each user''s condition. Currently, Yongno had only one core. If he tried to release his internal martial arts without any damages, then¡­ "Eh? Hold on. Are you...?" Mari was bewildered by the soft gold beam coming out of Yongno¡¯s palm and turning into a gold marble. What was more surprising was that the Gold Core in his hand was filled with more energy than it did before. /Maximum spiritual power has dropped by 30 points!/ Mari murmured, "Did he even eradicate the basic core?! Then it does extract the entire Gold Core though¡­¡± Mari gazed at Yongno dumbfoundedly as she was aware that his attempt would result in a complete loss of his internal martial arts. Only a user who didn¡¯t know its value could do such a thing. The outcome of his attempt was marvelous and innovative, but what was the point of doing it anyway? Whoosh... However, Yongno continued circulating his qi and contemplated his inner side. His internal martial arts were completely gone. It¡¯s only now that I can do it. After making the Gold Core utterly disappear, Yongno could thoroughly ''understand'' the fundamentals of the Gold Core Immortal Technique. Mari had explained its principle correctly to him, but it was necessary for Yongno to physically grasp the law of the Gold Core Immortal Technique. Finished. I see I get it. The final goal of the Gold Core Immortal Technique is to complete the absolute cultivation base. Yongno''s internal martial arts disappeared, but it didn¡¯t utterly destroy the Gold Core Immortal Technique since Yongno ''remembered'' his fifteen years¡¯ worth of internal martial arts. Its sensation and feelings were still very vivid in his mind. Yongno had taken out his internal martial arts and core from the Gold Core, not the Gold Core itself. The remaining Gold Core was just an empty shell, so it would break and shatter into pieces after time, but it still maintained its shape. I need to condense it. According to Mari, Yongno had to make a new sun, or else, the Gold Core wouldn¡¯t sustain without a core, a pivot. There was also another problem. The qi absorption is slow! Gold Core Immortal Technique was a cultivation method that slowly produced the Gold Core; its operation emphasized filtering qi in the air and accumulating it, then cultivating it more purely. That was why even a small amount of internal martial arts gathered by performing the Gold Core Immortal Technique was very safe, versatile, and explosive, but it slowed down the qi absorption. It''s risky. If I don''t hurry to make the core, the Gold Core will be completely destroyed, and I must start everything all over again, but there must be, at least, a small amount of condensed internal martial arts to do something... Oh! Yongno then came up with an idea to deal with the situation. He recited, "Zhuang Zhou writes in his book ''Wandering at Ease,'' in the bald and barren north, there is a dark sea, the Lake of Heaven. Within it is a fish which is several thousand li across..." Mari intervened, "Hold on, oppa. What are you..." "... Thus, the martial power of the Dark Northsea Divine Technique accumulates the natural Genuine-Qi in the body and exerts great power like the ocean setting a huge ship afloat. If the Genuine-Qi is brought together and becomes abundant, the disciple is able to absorb every martial art in the world and apply them to practical use. This is the way of the world, setting small and big ships afloat and embracing large aquatic animals just like the Dark Northsea..." "... Dark Northsea Divine Technique?" Mari lifted her brows with her eyes opened wide. She wasn¡¯t surprised by the Dark Northsea Divine Technique. It was indeed the most perfect, the highest level of martial power that existed in the pugilistic world, but every martial power in the world of D.I.O was all ''perfected'' and ''equal,'' and was only different in their characteristics. Besides, she wasn¡¯t surprised by Yongno being aware of the Dark Northsea Divine Technique since all the beginning parts of martial powers were opened to the public through the website. She could, therefore, teach the early part of the Gold Core Immortal Technique to Yongno without any difficulties before. Right, no wonder. Everything¡¯s understandable. However, when Mari saw Yongno absorbing all the qi around him as soon as he recited the enlightenment, Mari couldn''t help but be astonished. ¡°Unbelievable¡­¡± gaped Mari. The website of D.I.O. had secret manuals opened to the public, but only the beginning parts and general information such as the ideology or characteristic of each martial power was viewable online. Thus, Yongno couldn¡¯t do something like absorbing the innate Genuine-Qi, which belonged to the latter part of the Dark Northsea Divine Technique''s effectiveness. However, he was performing the ¡®impossible thing¡¯ right now. Something then flashed through Mari''s head. She murmured, "... Hold on. The general information?" Then, she realized that a detailed manual was unnecessary for Yongno; the secret manual online was enough for him. Whoosh! There was also another surprising thing. Yongno used the Dark Northsea Divine Technique after learning the Gold Core Immortal Technique and hadn¡¯t learned the former ahead of what he was doing now. Performing two different cultivation methods was somehow possible, but as far as Mari knew, the Dark Northsea Divine Technique and the Gold Core Immortal Technique had very bad chemistry. These two techniques were difficult to perform at the same time since they had completely different properties and strategies for circulating the qi and qi absorption. That being said, using these two methods simultaneously didn¡¯t make sense to Mari. She wondered, ¡°This is impossible, but in fact, he''s doing it right now. Does that mean he developed a better version of the Gold Core Immortal Technique?¡± It also didn¡¯t make sense at all since the Gold Core Immortal Technique was a perfect, flawless, and stable cultivation method. Making it stronger, faster, safer, more intensive, and greater in the amount of qi absorption was¡­ "Impossible." Correct. It was absolutely impossible. There was no improvement necessary in the Gold Core Immortal Technique since it was an absolute perfection like every martial power in D.I.O. If someone had to enhance a part of it, they had to sacrifice many other parts. Even a martial arts god couldn¡¯t fix this situation. Yongno opened his mouth again. "... The highest degree of the immortal cultivates patience, drinks qi, and trains the dragon and tiger to resist aging. The educator must not stand longer, sit, lie down, see, and hear. The point is to embrace one with three: the three are essence, qi, and spirit; the other is the way. Essence gives birth to qi, and qi to spirit. Essence is the profound energy, the mother of everything. Qi is a vitality, the leader of all the innate Genuine-Qi. Spirit is the beginning, which comes from the head at noon, stays in a boat at night, and operates in two eyes... Directing your mind to the state of serenity and quietude will lead to eternal life..." "How could this happen..." murmured Mari, then she realized that Yongno wasn¡¯t performing the Gold Core Immortal Technique and the Dark Northsea Divine Technique together. She uttered, ¡°I see. He completely removed the internal force of the Gold Core Immortal Technique, then put the internal martial arts of the Dark Northsea Divine Technique into the empty Gold Core. It''s theoretically possible, but how can he do Image-Making to transform the internal martial arts gathered by the Dark Northsea Divine Technique into the core of the Gold Core Immortal Technique?" It was an ability close to the imagination, rather than one based on logic, good memories, or thinking power. In other words, it was a talent for creating a non-existing thing in a person¡¯s mind. Thus, Yongno was born to be a Creator, rather than a genius of martial arts. Is he an idiot? Why does he only move in the way I''m thinking? If Yongno knocked down his rival in a fight so easily, he would think this way. Likewise, if Yongno learned magic, he didn¡¯t need to cast a spell to secure an image; if he was painting, he could finish a work in his mind and find some flaws to fix before he held up a brush. "Hahaha! This is hilarious. Does he have an idea about how many people die before reaching that level?" said Mari. Whoosh¡­ Yongno kept reciting, "... And create a red firepot in our body and use our organs as a cauldron to make the Gold Core, and in the end, we can become a Gold Buddha and achieve the way of immortality..." Yongno absorbed the energy of nature, the qi, and struck them together in the Gold Core, the cultivation base, then condensed and rotated them. Meanwhile, he drew the consuming internal energy from outside, and at last¡­ Hurrah! Success!! When he finally made the core inside his Gold Core and his internal force began to rotate, Yongno felt the urge to dance in joy, but he still had things left to do. The Gold Core was filled with unprocessed energy, which he couldn¡¯t use; that was why he ''imagined'' again about the internal martial arts he had before releasing the Gold Core. This makes the start much easier. In fact, Yongno had to go through this imagination process to proceed with his performance. Once he finished the pretask, things afterward were like solving a puzzle. He had to combine and refine the qi of nature to process it as the internal energy suitable to the Golding Pill Immortal Technique. And this entire procedure took quite some time. Hmm, it¡¯ll be fine; it also looks interesting too. Smiling aimlessly, Yongno began to circulate qi. WHOOSH! Shortly after, he fell into his world. CH 13 "As a man who stood on my own two feet, I command..." Ark, a young man wearing leather armor, recited calmly in a low voice in front of a large cave. He was performing Spell Casting, a magical language for aggression, toward the empty space inside the large underground chamber. Suddenly, something strange happened. Whoosh¨C¨C! A shimmering, three-meter wide magic circle rose in the innermost part of the cave. It began to swirl in the air and changed into a sphere. Shortly after, the round solid figure disappeared after spitting out a Lizard Lancer that had a pair of 1.5-meter long spears on its head. "GRRRRL..." The creature then prepared for combat. Unlike the other games, the recognition system in D.I.O.[1] started immediately when the monster found a user. Thus, no matter how far away the user was standing from the monster, the creature in D.I.O. would identify the player as an enemy the moment the person entered its sight. The programmers of this game didn¡¯t make the monster''s AI that simple, so the creature wouldn''t just pounce on the players right after recognition, but once the monster perceived its surrounding enemies, users found it very difficult to raid. Thus, a perfect hiding skill or an imperceptible, long-distance attacking skill was necessary for the users when they encountered a monster. "Whoa, so this one is Level 7, right? Will you be okay, Ark? He''s two levels higher than you." Surprisingly, a talking cat was sitting behind Ark. She was Elley, a Russian Blue with green eyes and blue-black hair. Ark stopped casting the spell and grumbled, "It doesn''t matter, but.. hmm... the Regen[2] time is definitely random. Earlier, the monster appeared very late, but now it came out too fast when I still have about five minutes of Spell Casting left." "GRRRLL..." The Lizard Lancer held two javelins with its arms crossed and carefully approached Ark. Elley uttered, "Why don''t you keep casting the spell, instead of complaining about it?" "That''s what I''m trying to do," Ark grumbled, then began to continue reciting the spells again from the part he had stopped. "KRRR!" The Lizard Lancer threw the left spear, being aware of what Spell Casting was. The creature knew it was bound to be at risk when the Spell Casting was over, whereas the user was in a defenseless state during the incantation. Pow! However, Ark avoided the spearhead and penetrated deep into the lizard man to strike a Counter Blow. The Lizard Lancer stumbled from the unexpected attack. It never imagined that Ark would throw a punch in the middle of Spell Casting, but the monster quickly overcame the blow and thrust the right spear. This humanoid-like reptilian was approximately five times stronger than a grownup man and had shield-like, protective skin. Plus, this one was a [Warrior] level Lizard Lancer that skillfully used some weapons and learned mana. So although Ark''s punch was beyond human force, it wasn''t enough to knock down this lizard man. Wham! Unfortunately, Lizard Lancer''s spear couldn''t pierce into Ark''s leather armor. The monster hesitated at the unanticipated situation. Ark took this opportunity and quickly struck the lizard man on both sides, which was a perfect Combination Blow done in a breath. SWOUF! "Flames become rage, storm into despair." Ark continued casting the spell nonchalantly while throwing a combination blow at the Lizard Lancer. Reddening its eyes, the monster stared at Ark, but all it could see was Ark¡¯s pupils revealed through the hooded cloak. BAM! PAF! ZWOUP! The two slugged it out. The man punched the lizard man, chanting the spell. Meanwhile, the Lizard Lancer was striking Ark with two spears as it realized that the weapons wouldn''t pierce into his body. "Hmm, if things keep going this way, you''ll lose in a minute. Don''t you need any help?" asked Elley. Ark replied, "I can sustain. Your attack has a four hours cooldown, so I don''t want to waste it now." "But you will die since you are two levels lower than the monster and even getting more damaged from this fight." Elley was right. Wearing the leather garment concealed how severely wounded Ark was. In fact, his status was already ''Serious Injury.'' The tough leather armor might have prevented Ark from being stabbed, but the Lizard Lancer had brutally injured him. THUD! When Ark bent back to avoid the spear, a giant stalactite behind him broke into pieces in an instant. The monster''s force was definitely impossible for humans to exert at the same level. Gradually, Ark felt his body becoming heavier and fighting was getting increasingly difficult. However, his eyes still glowed cold-heartedly, and he looked for the chance to counterattack. At that moment... ZWOUP! Having narrowly escaped from the thrown spear, Ark shot himself to the Lizard Lancer, then brought his fist down violently to the monster. PAF! When his Jolt Counter directly struck the lizard man''s chin, the monster became groggy and was about to collapse. The creature couldn''t stay utterly unharmed against the brain-striking counter. There was now a three-meter distance between Ark and the monster, and Ark''s body began to spin around faster. Loading all his weight to his fist, Ark kicked the Lizard Lancer on its head; it was the Round Kick in Taekwondo. Crack! The heavy attack blew the lizard man about two meters away and made it crash on the cave wall. The monster collapsed on the ground, but it still wielded the two spears since it was concerned about any additional attacks. Ark, on the other hand, continued casting the spell, instead of striking another blow. "It''s the way of the explosion, so now I set you free." Ping! With a small explosive sound, the magic circle in his right hand beamed. His leather gloves made it invisible, but Ark realized that the spell was finally completed. Elley said, "It''s done." "Okay," Ark quietly murmured, then jumped into the Lizard Lancer who had straightened up to attack Ark. Ark grabbed the spear, but he was dragged by the heavier and stronger monster. Still, it didn''t matter to him since Ark intended to get close to the enemy. Whack! The monster''s other spear hit Ark on the neck, but Ark endured the pain and pulled the lizard man so he could jump into the creature''s arms. Holding that position, Ark put his right fist on the monster''s chest, then... "Flame Buster, Part One." With a click, his magical power speeded up to create an explosion. The prepared technique began to operate; his magical power was rearranged according to the laws. Soon, there was a sudden burst of energy. "Magnum." Boom! With a booming noise, Lizard Lancer''s upper body shattered into pieces. It looked dreadful as if the monster was hit by a high-speed train, but shortly after, the lizard man disappeared and the two spears fell to the ground. Ark groaned, "... Spears, again? Geez, when does the warrior crest come out as a Drop?" "But you''re earning a lot of EXPs, right? It also helps you to gain battle experience," replied Elley. "That''s why I''m still holding out here. I also started to see the trajectory of the spear moving." Ark then sat on the ground in a half-lotus to perform the No Thoughts Gold Strong Technique, which enabled the user to endure all kinds of attacks. "What if the lizard man regenerates while you''re moving your internal energy?" asked Elley. Ark snorted, "Show your lethal moves to the monster and wake me up afterward. It takes less than five minutes to pause this performance since the No Thoughts Gold Strong Technique is a self-defense technique." "Alright, then good night, Master." "I''m not sleeping!" Ark grumbled. He closed his eyes, then began to circulate his qi. Elley watched him for a moment, then murmured, "Wow, he''s such a diehard. It''s true that the Blackyak Sect has absolute stability against the outside world, but how could he cast a spell while having a brutal hand-to-hand fight?" In addition, Ark was increasing his abilities as a mage and member of the Wulin at tremendous speed. He only spent a month in the world of D.I.O., but Ark could already control his internal energy as he wanted to and recite the Level 7 spell very fluently. Even though users became exceptional in this virtual world, the speed of Ark''s development was surprising. Plus, he quickly adapted to the Blackyak Sect and was capable of designing a one-hour length Spell Casting. If the monster¡¯s Regen time took longer, Ark could successfully perform a Level 3 spell. Elley uttered, "Is he the so-called genius or a brilliant hardworking man? Anyway, I could achieve my goal faster than others then." Grinning in satisfaction, Elley, Ark¡¯s pet[3] sat in a comfortable position, then began to keep a lookout. ***The Passionate Genius*** He who is a natural genius can¡¯t win against he who works hard, and he who works hard can¡¯t win against the one who enjoys the process. However, this saying had a big flaw. Being a genius was an innate talent, whereas working hard and enjoying the process was an acquired attitude. Thus, how could we judge them in the same line? What if there was a hard-working or passionate genius? To all ordinary human beings, I advise you to remember that there¡¯s someone in this world who can catch up within a day with what you¡¯ve established over a decade. It is¡­ It is the space. I am standing in the middle of the pitch-black space. All I see is darkness, then a dot of light appears. Yongno continued exploring his world in his mind. Pop! It was the sun, the source of light that blazed and brightened everything; it also pulled things toward it by exerting gravitational force. WOOOOHHH¡­! But it stopped. Yongno was definitely perceiving the infinite world within him, but it was somehow not fully under his control. There was a limit in the space where his power couldn¡¯t reach; the restricted area seemed like a huge room in his eyes. So this is the level cap[4]. The actual figure wouldn¡¯t look like this room since it was just his imaginative space. It seems hard to break through. Yongno instinctively noticed that it was useless to put his effort into moving forward in this room. As he had come to think of it, that was how the system of D.I.O. worked; so as long as he was a player in this game, he couldn¡¯t break through this space. Hmm~ but since I started doing this thing, it makes me feel bad to just stop here. It also seems hard to enter this place again. Yongno had already finished processing the qi gathered by performing the Dark Northsea Divine Technique into the internal martial arts of the Gold Core Immortal Technique. If there wasn¡¯t a level cap, Yongno could have absorbed 1 cycle of internal energy, i.e. 120 points, or perhaps more than 2 cycles of internal energy. However, due to the level cap, Yongno could only absorb 30 points of qi. In other words, the narrow limit didn¡¯t allow him to widen his stats. Still, it¡¯s too limited and small. Something else seems to take up this space... Yongno broadened his senses and searched for the other energy occupying him. Shortly after, he could simply find what it was since it wasn¡¯t hidden energy. Clank. It was a heavily chained-up huge lump of light. Yongno realized that it belonged to the 20 points of 50 spiritual power points and was the unattributed basic spiritual power. I see, so is this how the image of unchosen, unusable spiritual power looks? Yongno tried to move the locked-up light, but it didn¡¯t move an inch. The beaming spiritual power was indeed his, but it wasn¡¯t accessible to him yet. Woooong. But then he tilted his head in wonder. Eh? I think I can break through this one! When Yongno performed the Gold Core Immortal Technique, the spiritual force before his eyes reacted. It encouraged him to overcome this situation since Yongno had more spiritual power than the sealed one in front of him. His qi also seemed to lean toward the bigger and higher purity one like osmotic pressure. Okay! I don¡¯t need to struggle to break through the room since the goal here is to just pull out the spiritual power inside it to me. Yongno smiled satisfyingly¡ªbut of course, he remained expressionless and didn¡¯t make any sounds in his imaginative, inner world¡ªand soon returned to his work. 1. The process of a monster judging a user as an enemy ? 2. Regeneration of dead monsters in online games ? 3. A pet that follows and helps a character in a game ? 4. The maximum reachable level of the player character in games ? CH 14 Yongno was now lying flat on a big rock, breathing quietly as if he were asleep. Mari, who had reached a much higher level of mastery than Yongno, thoroughly knew his status as well as the situation within him. ¡°... Unbelievable. How could he engage in self-contemplation for three days without meditating or going into a state of trance after reaching enlightenment?¡± murmured Mari in amazement. Self-contemplation was a high level of spiritual ability for players to introspect themselves. Three days of being in a trance would only feel like a minute or two. However, those who contemplate would be going through a time at normal speed or even longer than the actual duration. Therefore, most of the users couldn¡¯t engage in self-contemplation for more than an hour, but Yongno was doing it for three consecutive days. Mari uttered, ¡°Basically, players need mental strength and power of concentration to self-contemplate¡­ But perhaps those don''t apply to this guy because he¡¯s just enjoying it.¡± Would it actually be sustainable for a person to study or perform complicated tasks for three straight days without any breaks? That would be close to fully concentrating on studying or doing intellectual work for seventy-two hours without having a break, meal, and sleep. Realistically, it would be almost impossible since the longer we spent time performing high-quality intellectual work, the poorer our mental health became. Even if we had the fortitude or a very high concentration, we couldn¡¯t beat random thoughts intervening ourselves. However, we could think differently by changing the situation. What if we were playing our most favorite game for three days straight without any breaks? Would there be a difference between working hard and enjoying ourselves? Some people could say that even playing games for all three days and nights would be quite challenging. Still, if we were thinking it cool-headedly, realistically, and based on our experience, playing our favorite game for that duration would be much easier. ¡°Geez, what a freak!¡± snorted Mari. Whoosh. But before she sighed, there was a sympathetic resonance; Yongno¡¯s inner qi moved violently. It meant only one thing, and that is No Living World, the esotericism of the Gold Core Immortal Technique was open. Mari exclaimed, ¡°Oh my god, did he open the first realm of the Gold Core Immortal Technique? How could he do that when he learned the technique for only a month and even with that small amount of internal force?¡± It was impossible, but Mari had no choice but to believe what she was witnessing. ¡°Phew! Okay, done,¡± said Yongno. /Your Spiritual Power (Type: Internal Arts) has increased by 30 points!/ /Your 20 unchosen Spiritual Power points are converted to Internal Arts!/ /Your Willpower has increased by 27 points!/ /Your Magic Resistance has increased by 20 points!/ Yongno showed a satisfied smile as the messages appeared one after another, then suddenly, he noticed something strange. ¡°Eh? Why did my mental strength and magic resistance increase by so much?¡± wondered Yongno out loud. Mari replied, ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯ve been self-contemplating for three days straight. Circulating qi or meditating affects the player¡¯s mental strength and magic resistance.¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­ I mean, has it already been three days?!¡± ¡°Uh-huh, it¡¯s been exactly seventy-two hours and forty-five minutes. Did it feel shorter?¡± Yongno thought for a moment, then he shook his head. ¡°... No, but I did spend some time. Still, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve done it for three consecutive days. How long did it take outside the game?¡± ¡°Come on, can¡¯t you do some math? As you know, the time in D.I.O is six times faster than that in real life, which is a 1:6 ratio, so it¡¯s been approximately twelve hours and seven minutes.¡± ¡°Whoa, I love how the time flows inside this game. It would have been wonderful to study here for my college scholastic ability test!¡± exclaimed Yongno. Mari sneered, ¡°Then would your test results have become better?¡± ¡°... Nah. Come to think of it, I would have just played harder here.¡± I¡¯m a troublemaker~ Studying is boring~ Humming, Yongno stood up after laying down on the rock for a long time. He loosened up his stiff body to return to the ocean. ¡°Hold on for a second,¡± said Mari. Yongno responded, ¡°Why? You said I¡¯d been here for six hours. Let me dive once more before I go grab some food.¡± ¡°Why are you being small-minded when you¡¯re gonna dive so frequently?¡± Mari then put her hands on Yongno¡¯s back. His qi began to move. ¡°Eh?! This pattern is¡­!¡± shouted Yongno. ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± Even without her warning, Yongno couldn¡¯t move his body an inch as if something was holding it back. Mari, however, kept circulating his inner qi, and this time, there was more to it. Mari said, ¡°I¡¯m gonna start reciting the mantra, but you don¡¯t need to memorize it since I¡¯m gonna use a technique to forcibly engrave it in your mind.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s awesome! You should use this technique on test-takers. You could make millions of dollars from it.¡± ¡°...¡± Mari frowned at Yongno as he compared the technique and mantra with nothing but some test-taking strategies and school curriculum. However, she just sighed at his silly remark and continued explaining. ¡°The two mantras that I¡¯m trying to pass on to you are called the Great Strength Vajra Hand and Qi Heaven respectively. One is a Hand Skill, and the other is¡­ sort of a Qi Gong Technique.¡± ¡°A Qi Gong Technique¡­ Is that different from a cultivation method?¡± asked Yongno. Mari blurted out, ¡°You¡¯ll figure it out later, so please keep your mouth shut.¡± Then, she began to recite mantras for the techniques while performing a high-level skill to directly inject designated information into Yongno¡¯s mind. Yongno had no idea how advanced the techniques were, so he was just amazed by the implantation itself. ¡°Whoa, they are just coming into my head! But compared to the Great Strength Vajra Hand, the Qi Heaven is too long¡­¡± he exclaimed. ¡°Shut up.¡± Mari paused as if Yongno had distracted her performance. Her brows met in the middle, but she still looked too beautiful to bring a sense of crisis to Yongno. He whistled, ¡°Ay yay yay, watch out your mouth.¡± ¡°Sorry, Oppa, but I can even verbally assault you.¡± ¡°Really? I wonder what it would be like.¡± ¡°Shut the f*** up, Oppa.¡± ¡°...¡± When Yongno zipped his lips, Mari began to recite the mantras again. However, it took quite a while that the sun was setting down when she was finally done. It was already an hour in real-time outside the game. ¡°... That¡¯s a lot,¡± sighed Yongno. He shook his head, feeling a little dizzy since a huge amount of knowledge, which could easily exceed a dozen books of encyclopedias, circulated in his head. But Mari didn¡¯t give him a break. She asked, ¡°Do you understand the infused mantras?¡± ¡°Um¡­ one seems to be a method of concentrating force and exploding it, and the other is¡­ It¡¯s very tricky to describe, but I¡¯d say it¡¯s like choosing only oxygen from the air, condensing it, and then creating its liquid version. It also feels like adding high pressure and heat to a lump of coal to make a diamond. I can¡¯t articulate it precisely but it¡¯s almost like filtering internal martial arts to the maximum limit and transforming its nature.¡± Mari nodded at Yongno¡¯s clumsy but insightful explanation, which was getting the gist of the mantras. ¡°Cool, then try handling them,¡± said Mari. She was very aware that it was almost impossible. Still, the words slipped out of her mouth. Yongno raised his right hand and replied, ¡°Okay, hold on¡­ Good.¡± Then, he struck down the sandy ground. PFOOM! There was soon a fan-shaped sand burst as if Yongno had exploded a bomb within the granular substances. /You have gained a new skill - Hand Skill Great Strength Vajra Hand!/ /You have gained a new skill - Hand Skill!/ ¡°...¡± Yongno uttered, ¡°Hmm, this isn¡¯t bad¡­¡± Then, he lifted his hand and pounded the sand again. Like a huge handprint making its imprint, the sand surface was pressed down about 30 centimeters. /You have reached Rank 8 in Hand Skill!/ /You have gained the title of Entry-Level User of Hand Skill!/ Despite the messages appearing in the air, Yongno murmured, ¡°So, these are ways to concentrate power but in a narrow range¡­ Eh?¡± He noticed something weird. Just now, Yongno had used two quite powerful skills, but he still had half of his internal martial arts left. When he first attempted the strengthening skills, he was drained of internal energy. Compared to his previous situation, his growth was phenomenal. ¡°I know that the skill I used in the early game was awful in its efficiency, but how can it become this better when my stats have only increased by 1.5 times? Do you have any idea what is happening?¡± asked Yongno. Mari nodded, ¡°It¡¯s because, Oppa, you have opened the first realm of the Gold Core Immortal Technique. If users cultivate the external world of this cultivation technique, they can intensify their internal martial arts.¡± ¡°Oh, you mean Mercury?¡± ¡°Mercury?¡± Yongno replied, ¡°Uh-huh, I like your metaphors, so I¡¯ve decided to name them after the planets. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto¡­ Are they correct? Anyway, now I have eight left¡­¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Yongno, looking at Mari just standing still without any response. Mari breathed about twice, then said, ¡°... Alright. Would you now perform the Qi Heaven?¡± Her voice unusually trembled. ¡°Oh, you mean the latter one?¡± ¡°Yeah, the longer one. You said it felt like turning a lump of coal into a diamond.¡± Yongno replied, ¡°Right. Okay, let me try to perform it.¡± He closed his eyes, then his internal qi began to move with a sympathetic resonance. When Yongno lifted his right hand, the air in front of his palm started to sway. Whoosh¨C¨C ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± Mari felt breathless at the sight, which she wished for but, ironically, didn¡¯t want it to happen at the same time. The wavering lump of qi gathered and spread soft light, then finally¡­ Fizzle. ¡°Eh?¡± wondered Yongno as the light went off powerlessly. ¡°...¡± He opened his eyes in surprise and found Mari looking grim. Feeling bewildered, Yongno murmured, ¡°Hold on. This is weird. It gets blocked! Did you miss the mantra or recite it incorrectly¡­?¡± THUD! At that moment, a huge force squashed the ground. Yongno turned around and saw a gigantic handprint on the surface behind him. It was approximately 10 meters deep. He didn¡¯t dig it but merely pressed down and made that big hole. CH 15 ¡°... Sorry¡­ but it doesn¡¯t work¡­¡± stammered Yongno. Mari retorted, ¡°Of course, it doesn¡¯t work!! Do you think you can do everything so well?!¡± ¡°... Why¡­ are you so mad...?¡± ¡°Ugh, so annoying!¡± THUD! Something seemed to narrowly go past Yongno, then he realized Mari had blasted a huge crater in the ground. He murmured, ¡°Would you¡­ please¡­ be careful? You can kill me with that blast of energy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± ¡°Wow¡­ look at you¡­!¡± Yongno¡¯s jaw dropped to the ground at Mari¡¯s attitude. I¡¯m your client. Please have some respect. If he talked that way to her, he could get beaten. Feeling her anger, Yongno stealthily stepped away from Mari. For some reason, she was behaving hysterically. In this case, the best way would be to just leave the spot. ¡°Alright, thanks, then I¡¯ll go grab something to eat. [Log out]¡± said Yongno. Mari called, ¡°Oppa, hold on.¡± ¡°Eh? Is there something else you need me to do?¡± /You are logging out. You won¡¯t be able to move for 30 seconds. You can get attacked by enemies, so if you aren¡¯t in a safe area, cancel logout and remain alert./ A cylinder layer surrounded Yongno. It wasn¡¯t a protective shield, so Yongno couldn¡¯t use it to defend himself from enemies. The restricted users couldn¡¯t penetrate the layer. If they broke it, they would get penalized. Therefore, players should log out of the game only in safe areas as per the manual, or else they would see the message of [Your character is dead. Your access is denied for 24 hours. The maximum value of your highest stats is reduced forever] on their next login. Mari replied, ¡°... No, come to think of it, I was hysterical this time.¡± ¡°Yes, you were too agitated, but don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve been acting hysterically too often these days? You look like an angel but act like a devil,¡± muttered Yongno. ¡°Pfft, but I don¡¯t have a personality disorder. Don¡¯t you get why I¡¯m acting this way?¡± Yongno was perplexed. He uttered, ¡°Come on, are you blaming me¡­¡± ZZZAP! Yongno was about to shout something, but he had disappeared since the 30 seconds of logout time had passed. ¡°Geez¡­ what the¡­¡± sighed Mari. As soon as Yongno was gone, the world began to [close] at the same time. In fact, this place existed for the users of the game, so as long as Yongno had left the place, this world would stay closed. ¡°What on earth am I trying to do?¡± Mari, the gray-haired girl who was a part of this closing world, smiled faintly and instantly vanished. ***Trauma*** Yongno was asleep in his room with a pair of earphones in his ears when he opened his eyes all of a sudden. Seemingly awoke from a long deep slumber, Yongno¡¯s eyes shone clearly. He checked the time and found a change of date from the 1:6 ratio time difference between the real world and D.I.O. ¡°Wow, but it¡¯s still so marvelous! How can it only have been six days?!¡± Yongno spent approximately a month in D.I.O, which was quite a long time, but it was only six days in the real world. Just by inserting a CD and connecting the earphone to the computer, Yongno could gain this much time. ¡°This is fantastic!¡± he exclaimed. It was more than Over Technology[1], and rather than science, this was close to magic. If a game like this was released without any restrictions, it would be a phenomenal success and cause a huge stir. Growl. ¡°... Let¡¯s get something to eat¡­¡± said Yongno, rubbing his growling stomach. Feeling hungry, he got out of bed and headed to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and took out a slice of meat, some sausages, a quarter of a carrot, half potato, and an egg. ¡°Let¡¯s put this cheap slice of meat!¡± He took out a knife and chopped the meat, then grilled it at high heat. Next, he thinly sliced the sausage, potato, and carrot to stir fry them, then mixed with the grilled meat. Sizzle. The stir-fried vegetables and meat smelled delicious. Yongno prepared a bowl of rice, put those stir-fried ingredients on it, and added a fried egg on top. ¡°Okay! I have stir-fried rice!¡± He took it to the computer and began to eat while surfing on the web. Indeed, all the portals were talking about the news [The Appearance of Virtual Reality], but the majority of the comments were negative. For instance... ¡®Bullsh*t.¡¯ ¡®If that¡¯s true, it¡¯s creepy.¡¯ ¡®Aren¡¯t they training their reporters? I guess they are reading too many video game novels!¡¯ Well, I didn¡¯t believe it until I really played the game. In fact, Yongno had been doubtful about virtual reality even when he logged into D.I.O. The VR technology was that outrageous. No matter how intelligent and notable a person might be, if he or she announced a release of a VR game, most people would be skeptical about it or just assume it as experiencing simulated reality by wearing an electronic device on hand and touching a virtual apple seen through a VR headset. They wouldn¡¯t consider the experience as 100% real. ¡°Come to think of it, they told me the beta test would last ten days, right?¡± At first, Yongno thought that it was a relatively short test, but since ten days in the real world was equivalent to sixty days in D.I.O., it was enough for a beta test of the game. ¡°But that means I¡¯m not even clearing the basic missions in this precious beta testing period, am I?¡± Players could complete basic missions as quickly as thirty minutes, but Yongno was breaking through those missions for a month, so he wouldn¡¯t be playing the game normally. ¡°Hmm, I didn¡¯t even meet other users, and since this isn¡¯t a game package, I must clear the basic missions ASAP,¡± murmured Yongno. Then, he brought the empty bowl to the kitchen and washed it. Since Yongno lived alone, he didn¡¯t want to leave unwashed dishes piling up in the sink. Growl. He heard another signal coming from his stomach. ¡°Oh, I should go to the bathroom before accessing the game.¡± He quickly walked to the private space, then sat on the toilet. ¡°As far as I recall, it¡¯s been nearly ten days since I¡¯ve gone to the bathroom.¡± While playing D.I.O., Yongno was confused as to why he didn¡¯t have any urges to use the bathroom. What was more ridiculous was that his underwear wasn¡¯t removable. Yongno attempted to take it off a couple of times out of curiosity, but that god d*mn fabric seemed to have been attached to his skin and didn¡¯t even get torn. Of course, he couldn¡¯t masturbate or make love either. ¡°But it¡¯s weird that nothing comes out even though I eat and drink. This is indeed a game.¡± Some games had their characters eating and drinking, but it was hard to find the setting of those characters using the bathroom. In fact, what was the point of having that bathroom function in games? Since they are just game characters, it was just disgusting and worthless to empty their bowels. Splash! After flushing the toilet, Yongno headed to his computer with a lighter body. He was literally spending all his time eating, sleeping, defecating, and playing the game. Since he was asleep in the real world while accessing D.I.O., he didn¡¯t have to sleep either. ¡°Geez, I became a real nerd~¡± sighed Yongno. Ding Dong~ Ding Dong~ Just as he was about to take a seat, the doorbell rang all of a sudden. ¡°Who is it? There shouldn¡¯t be anyone stopping by my house¡­¡± It sounded pathetic, but Yongno looked nonchalant. He roughly put on his t-shirt and jeans near the desk, then headed to the front door. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Eunhye? What are you doing here?¡± When he opened the door, a girl holding a bag strode into the house. She was a toned, fit, and approximately 175 centimeters tall girl. Her name was Oh Eunhye, a long-time friend of Yongno. They went to the same schools for years since their childhood. Eunhye said, ¡°I was wondering what you were doing and why you weren¡¯t showing up in school. You¡¯ve been a homebody, huh?¡± ¡°Well, our college scholastic ability test is over, and I¡¯ve completed the required number of classes, so why would I attend school every day? Aren¡¯t there other kiddos who¡¯re skipping school? You know the classes end quickly these days too,¡± replied Yongno. He went to the fridge and took out ice cream. It¡¯s been over a decade since he became friends with Eunhye. He knew everything about her such as her taste, hobbies, favorite books, foods, songs, etc. So, although Eunhye wasn¡¯t invited, it didn¡¯t mean that she should stay unwelcomed. As her friend, Yongno would never treat her that rudely. ¡°What have you been doing?¡± she asked. ¡°Just chilling around in the house... Eating, sleeping, playing video games, reading¡­ things like that.¡± ¡°You are enjoying your time off, huh?¡± Her remark could sound offensive, but Yongno replied indifferently, ¡°Yes, I am. All high school seniors should enjoy their time off once the college scholastic ability test is over. Besides, I have a gig¡­ sometimes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you.¡± She replied sarcastically but enjoyed her ice cream. Eunhye¡¯s friends treated her as an Ice Princess because of her cold and apathetic attitude, but only a few knew how cute and lovely she looked at times like this. Yongno asked, ¡°But seriously what¡¯s up? Is there something going on?¡± ¡°Not really. It¡¯s just that our test scores have come out.¡± ¡°Already? What¡¯s your score?¡± ¡°Look,¡± said Eunhye, then she handed him her test results. Yongno was startled. Eunhye¡¯s scores were high enough to apply for the law degree program in Korea¡¯s #1 university. ¡°How did you get these scores? Aren¡¯t you a student-athlete?!¡± exclaimed Yongno. Eunhye replied, ¡°We also know how to use our brains.¡± ¡°But¡­ this is¡­ unbelievable¡­!¡± Yongno kept grumbling, ¡°You¡¯re making all our test-takers so miserable!¡± Then, he threw the garbage in the trash can after eating ice cream. Eunhye watched him quietly, then took out another test score report. She uttered, ¡°... And this is yours.¡± ¡°Eek! Why do you have mine?!¡± shouted Yongno. ¡°I asked the teacher, and he gave it to me.¡± ¡°That bastard! How could he hand out my personal information to someone else?¡± However, Yongno didn¡¯t look that upset. He just took the report and checked his test scores. He saw grades like Rank 2, Rank 4, and Rank 6[2]. ¡°Hmm, it looks like I screwed up,¡± said Yongno. ¡°Are you satisfied with it?¡± ¡°Not really, but I feel like a burden has been lifted from my shoulders.¡± Showing an aimless grin, Yongno folded the test report in half and shoved it roughly into the shelf. Korea was a nation obsessed with college admissions. As a result, some students attempted suicide if they scored very poorly. Yongno¡¯s reaction was definitely too calm and distant. Eunhye reacted with an enigmatic expression. 1. technology that goes beyond the times ? 2. the lower the rank, the lower the scores ? CH 16 ¡°Interesting. You messed up your college scholastic ability test on purpose just to feel less burdened,¡± said Eunhye. ¡°What?¡± Yongno was surprised by her unexpected remark, but Eunhye just stared at him with her usual straight face. After a moment of silence, Eunhye shrugged, ¡°You don¡¯t have to talk about it if you don¡¯t want to. It¡¯s actually none of my business.¡± ¡°Um, hold on, Eunhye, I scored poorly because I didn¡¯t study hard enough¡­¡± said Yongno. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether you studied hard or not, does it?¡± ¡°What are you talking about¡­?¡± Yongno was bewildered. But Eunhye gestured with her hand to stop talking. She didn¡¯t look interested in his excuse at all. ¡°I¡¯m not here¡­ because of the test results. Although, there is some relevance to it.¡± ¡°Then, is there a reason you came here?¡± ¡°Do I ever visit you without a reason?¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± Eunhye and Yongno lived at #301 and #302 respectively in the same apartment on the same floor. Their units were only about three meters away from each other, but she would only visit two or three times a year when she had a reason to do so. In fact, Eunhye was a busy bee; she never wasted her time. Pfft, I guess that¡¯s how she maintains excellent grades and test scores even when she¡¯s a national taekwondo player. Eunhye was not very talkative, but she had some short conversations with Yongno. So, people often thought that the two were dating, but it was utterly unreasonable to Yongno since, in his eyes, Eunhye was more than just Ice Princess, but Ice Queen. But she¡¯s pretty though... As a disciplined individual who did all sorts of exercise, Eunhye boasted a slim, toned, and gorgeous body with flawless skin. She wasn¡¯t unrealistically too beautiful like Mari, but her appearance was still close to that of celebrities or supermodels rather than an athlete. If she won a medal in a national competition or in the Olympics, she would definitely receive a lot of attention from the media despite her reticent characteristics. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± asked Eunhye. ¡°Nothing, anyway, tell me why you¡¯re here. If it¡¯s about the test scores¡­ are you trying to introduce me to some cram schools?¡± ¡°No way. Why would I do such a useless thing?¡± Even if he was under academic pressure, Yongno had no will to study hard. Besides, no matter how many famous private tutors tried to help him with effective test preparation, it was all a waste of their time. Eunhye visited Yongno for something else. She said, ¡°I came to ask you if you¡¯re willing to get into archery again.¡± ¡°...¡± Yongno¡¯s face instantly stiffened, but he quickly found peace of mind. He smiled and replied, ¡°Come on, stop joking.¡± ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking with you?¡± ¡°Of course not, but how could I take it seriously? Did you already forget how humiliated I was?¡± Yongno was slightly provoked. However, Eunhye replied nonchalantly, ¡°But you¡¯re very talented.¡± Yongno hated to hear that compliment the most. People often praised how talented he was, but they eventually ended up blaming him in disappointment. Yongno warned, ¡°Oh Eunhye, let me get it straight again¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Eunhye lowered her head. Yongno was perplexed by her quick apology. ¡°What...?¡± he murmured. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It was just a slip of the tongue, but I hope you¡¯ll reconsider. You can do it as a hobby. If you hate to shoot a bow, why don¡¯t you swim then? You can start anything you want and end up winning a medal in the Olympics.¡± ¡°Win a medal in the Olympics?¡± ¡°If you compete, it¡¯s definitely possible,¡± said Mari. If you swim, you need time to build up strength, so it¡¯s better to be an archer again. But she left those words unspoken since she had been unusually talkative today. Yongno smiled bewilderedly, ¡°Haha, come on, you¡¯re really overestimating me.¡± He waved his hand and tried to be overly chatty, but he broke out in a cold sweat at her determined look. Still, he couldn¡¯t accept her ridiculous suggestion. ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± After a minute of silence, Eunhye got up from her seat. She uttered, ¡°Alright, I can¡¯t force you anymore if you really hate it.¡± ¡°Awesome! Good decision,¡± Yongno replied excitedly, but he hesitated at her cold stare. He asked stammeringly, ¡°... Why¡­ are you scowling at me?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Yes, you are, you definitely scowled¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± Then, she stood up and headed to the front door. Yongno was surprised to see her suddenly leave, so he got up from the chair after her, then something hit him on the head. It was the ice cream stick. ¡°Thanks for the popsicle,¡± said Mari, then she left his house. Yongno blankly stared at the closed front door, then heaved a sigh. ¡°I feel a little sorry for her. It must have been hard for her to come here and talk about such a thing.¡± However, there was no choice. Yongno wasn¡¯t sure if he could properly draw a bow now. Even thinking about it made him suffocate. ¡°Eh¡­ hold on.¡± Suddenly, Yongno realized that he had been swimming every day in D.I.O. Previously, he couldn¡¯t even swim at all. ¡°Then, let¡¯s experiment. It¡¯s been a while since I took a bath.¡± Yongno quickly took off his clothes and turned on the tab. It¡¯s been a week since he last showered, so he thoroughly washed his body. After he was done taking a shower, he stood in front of the bathtub full of water to do an experiment. ¡°... Okay¡­ now I¡¯ll soak in the bath. I¡¯m not scared...¡± murmured Yongno, stepping into the tub. He clenched his teeth, then took a deep breath. The hot water felt cold on his legs, but thankfully, he wasn¡¯t so afraid of it. Splash. He entered the tub with his head up on the surface. ¡°Whoa, it works! I can finally take a real bath, right?¡± Yongno smiled in joy. Next, he attempted to put his head into the water for a dive. Then¡­ Gurgle. He nearly passed out. SPLASH! Yongno jumped out of the tub and slipped on the floor with a loud thud. Regardless of the pain on his shoulders and ribs, Yongno gasped for breath, then shrieked, ¡°I almost¡­ almost¡­ died! How could someone almost drown in his own bathtub?!!¡± Then, he drained all the water from the tub annoyedly. Meanwhile, all he could do was take a deep breath. After repeating it for ten minutes, he could finally get out of shock. ¡°Huff! Puff! D**n it! How could I drown in my bathtub when I could dive five hundred meters deep underwater in D.I.O.? Even if it¡¯s the difference between reality and game, there¡¯s still too much of a gap between it!¡± Gasping, Yongno got up from the floor and put on his clothes. It only took about half an hour to fill the tub with water and take a bath, but he was too exhausted now. ¡°Ugh, this is hard¡­ Let¡¯s just log in to D.I.O. Since I have finished using the bathroom, eating, and taking a shower, I don¡¯t think I have anything else left to do now,¡± he muttered. Then, Yongno approached his computer and ran D.I.O. He lay on his bed next to his computer desk and connected the earphone to the speaker. This game had a long playtime so he decided to lie down, instead of sitting on a chair. /In the beginning, I felt sorrow.../ Yongno turned off the monitor and wore the pair of earphones, then adjusted his sleep position. /For I had nothing that I desired.../ He pulled the blanket up to his chin. It might look like he was trying to fall asleep while listening to music, but he was preparing for logging into the game. /Still, I wish and hope.../ ¡°Indeed, I¡¯m being a real nerd, no, a real loser,¡± grumbled Yongno, closing his eyes. Then, the voice from the earphone reached the climax of it. /Here I am trying to create a new world.../ Yongno was now logged into the game. /You shall be free here and now./ ***Dangerous Zone*** It¡¯s been seven days since Yongno started playing D.I.O., which was equivalent to approximately forty days in the game, but Yongno was still in the basic quest of ¡®Transportation.¡¯ He was currently a Level 1 user, the lowest rank in D.I.O. In order to reach Level 2, he had to clear the fundamental mission. However, he had high stats and considerable skills since he was a genius and had been playing the game for over forty days. Yongno trained his swimming skills up to Rank 2, but he didn¡¯t gain any new special abilities. After users increased their certain skill, they could only gain special ability and title when they reached the rank of odd numbers such as Rank 7, Rank 5, Rank 3, and Rank 1 or earned the Master Rank, which the users called Rank A, also known as the ¡®letter rank.¡¯ However, the users¡¯ current special abilities could continue progressing. In the case of Yongno, he could dive semi-permanently with a single breath of air. His next highest skill after Swimming was Enhanced Eyesight, which had just reached Rank 3. Yongno could earn the title of ¡®Hawk''s Eye¡¯ and See-Through Ability from it, but he didn¡¯t feel so happy with them. The title of Hawk¡¯s Eye wasn¡¯t that bad, but to Yongno, the title of Master-Level Swimmer was better since it reduced the consumption rate of stamina by 40% during diving. Besides, the See-Through Ability was also useless when diving underwater. He tried to experiment with it to check if he could see through Mari¡¯s clothes, but it didn¡¯t work. Perhaps, she was defending herself with some magical power. If I can¡¯t see through objects with this ability, where should I use it? On the other hand, Night Vision Eyes and Aura Vision were very useful. Yongno could see all the details of the terrain under the pitch-black deep sea by optimizing Night Vision Eyes. When utilizing Aura Vision, he could read the aura of living creatures so he could easily find and hunt fish and clams hiding behind the rocks and sea plants. His major ammunition was currently the Great Strength Vajra Hand that he learned from Mari. It had an overwhelming force. Plus, ever since Yongno opened the first realm of the Gold Core Immortal Technique, he doubled the power of Hand Skill and used relatively less internal martial arts to perform a strong attack. And as he kept operating the Great Strength Vajra Hand, his Hand Skill went higher, which was close to the mastery level of Rank 4. As a result, Yongno earned a special ability of Emanation and Condensation. The former skill raised the output of the Hand Skill, and the latter instantly slowed down the internal force to amplify its power. Yongno seldom used the Hand Skill. In order to protect the beginner-level users in the basic quest, the system of D.I.O. replaced all the monsters with non-aggressive ones who didn¡¯t kill the users on sight. Thus, Yongno couldn¡¯t ¡®battle¡¯ with them by performing the Hand Skill at all. However, users couldn¡¯t achieve a higher level by simply using the skill frequently. They had to level up in D.I.O. through tests and be capable of upgrading their rank of skills. CH 17 In D.I.O., users could gain a new skill by engaging in a certain activity or building knowledge. When it came to the Rank 9 users, the ignorant, these players literally knew nothing about the skills. In order to raise their skill, they needed ability rather than hard work. For example, the following amount of cultivation was necessary for Rank 9 users to reach Rank 8. Even if they failed, users still earned cultivation points from attempting the Hand Skill. However, they definitely needed to achieve ¡®success¡¯ to reach a higher rank. The users must circulate the internal energy through the regular acupoint, then focus on the power to perform the forceful Hand Skill. They had to repeat this a hundred times successfully without any failure each time. Otherwise, no matter how many times they tried, whether it be a thousand times or ten thousand times, their cultivation points wouldn¡¯t go up. As a Rank 4, Yongno had the following cultivation points. As a user progressed in rank, their capability gradually became a more significant requirement for them to level up their skill rank, rather than the effort they put in. Of course, it wasn¡¯t completely impossible for users to put in the crazy effort and reach a higher rank, but it worked only when their skill was suitable to their current rank. However, if they didn¡¯t even have the skill, then it was impossible. Although there was a ¡®small¡¯ problem - this process also took a lot of time - as long as they had the skill, they would one day go up a rank. However, starting from Rank 5, the advanced level, it became more difficult for users to go further up since it was mandatory to have skill cultivation points of [the next level of mastery]. Whenever users reached a higher rank, their cultivation points, which they earned from making a perfect success, were increased by ten times. If Rank 9 users succeeded in performing acceptable skills for their current rank a hundred times, they reached Rank 8. However, if they tried to enter Rank 7 from Rank 8, they had to successfully operate the suitable Hand Skill to their current rank a thousand times. Likewise, if Rank 7 users were looking forward to going up one rank, to Rank 6, they had to make a perfect success ten thousand times. Reaching Rank 5 from Rank 6 required a hundred thousand times of success, whereas Rank 5 to Rank 4 demanded a million times of success. The next was ten million, a hundred million, billion, and finally, users should go through ten billion times of successful cultivation process if they wanted to reach the letters-ranked ranks such as Master Rank, Rank A. But that wasn¡¯t all. If users sought to achieve beyond the higher levels, they had to make a hundred billion times of successful cultivation to reach Rank AA, followed by a trillion times for Rank S, and ten trillion times for Rank SS. For the Rank Ultimate, commonly known as the Grandmaster level of the most perfected skill, users had to experience a hundred trillion times of successful cultivation, which was literally an impossible amount of work. That was why users calculated both failed attempt cultivation points and attempted cultivation points to narrowly achieve 100%. If they believe they had successfully cultivated their skill, the users could check their cultivation points and see if they reached the next level of mastery. The Body Strengthening skill isn¡¯t going higher than Rank 7. What exactly are the judging criteria for reaching a higher rank? Sometimes it goes up faster than others, and sometimes it doesn¡¯t at all. And here was a young man who had never checked his cultivation point, let alone know that was even possible. Of course, that was Mari¡¯s fault since she never taught him about it, thinking that it was unnecessary. But ironically, this indicated how talented he was. Basically, it was impossible to obtain a higher skill of his rank by only using cultivation points earned through ordinary success. Just based on Yongno¡¯s Hand Skill that was suited for his rank, if he truly focused and didn¡¯t weaken it, he could only release two or three shots before his internal martial arts was drained. In other words, the skill rank wasn¡¯t something that would eventually rise from usage; users had to actively achieve ¡®the next level of mastery¡¯ themselves. As long as users had the ability, they could easily grow inside the game. The skill cultivation points of ¡®the next level of mastery¡¯ were fixed at 10% no matter how high the rank was, so if users had a skill that was one level higher than their current level, they could rank up just by performing the skill ten times. Then, what if they had a skill that was two levels higher? They ranked up faster than they did at the previous level. If they had a skill equivalent to Rank AA, they could reach Rank A by performing the skill only nine times since operating a skill two levels higher gained 100% cultivation points regardless of the users¡¯ rank. Ugh, my stamina is running out. Lately, Yongno realized that he could consume stamina to dive longer. In fact, it was unusual for users to use internal energy rather than to breathe while diving; normally those who stayed underwater for a long time usually relied on their stamina. However, Yongno was unaware of this fact since he had the special ability of Diving. Anyway, he finally discovered a way to use up his excessive stamina, which was 120 points including +70 title-managed points. Yongno only had fifteen years¡¯ worth of internal martial arts, but the amount of force was so large that swimming wasn¡¯t enough for him to consume them all. In real life, Yongno got exhausted after running at full speed for twenty seconds, but in D.I.O., he could sprint for twenty minutes straight. If that speed was the same as running 100 meters in ten seconds, then, physically or biologically, he wasn¡¯t a normal human anymore. He was a completely different existence from his DNA to Proteomics. In fact, this is just a game regardless of DNA or proteomics. Yongno¡¯s current stats were as below. He had successfully increased all of his stats to their limit. Although the maximum reachable limit for a Level 1 user was at most 50 points, he had still brought up even the points of those that wouldn¡¯t be possible unless he was at Level 2. However, he had some stats that were less than 50 points. Generative power was increased by 1 point when a user¡¯s health and stamina went up by 3 points respectively. Due to the 50 point limit, Yongno could only earn 30 stamina points and 30 healthy points, and therefore, he couldn¡¯t raise his generative power by more than 40 points. His Gathering Magical Force was also only 40 points. But thankfully, he had raised Gathering Magical Force and Magic Resistance by considerable amounts while performing the Golden Pill Immortal Technique. If users operated or cultivated a special QiGong Technique, they could increase generative power and Gathering Magical Force individually, but, at least, Yongno didn¡¯t do that kind of training. It also applied to quickness, which grew as users continued training for adapting to fast speed and extreme combat situations. However, Yongno didn¡¯t encounter any monsters yet, so he had no chance to increase that stat. And when it came to luck¡­ Yey, I found another clam! Yongno¡¯s luck made some progress, but it wasn¡¯t because he did something for an increase. Users could never raise luck points artificially. Then, was it possible to increase luck by cultivating it constantly? No, since it was uncontrollable; it progressed differently every day. Sometimes it was high, whereas sometimes it was low. If there was a way to develop it, only things like getting a blessing from a high priest could work. Users of D.I.O. earned 100 bonus points every time they leveled up. And like what it said, because it was a bonus, they could choose and increase one of their stats by 100 points. However, a Level 10 user couldn¡¯t split his 1,000 bonus points into investing 999 points in one of his stats and using the remaining 1 point in luck. In this game, when users had higher stats, they had to consume more bonus points to increase their chosen stat. It was much harder for a user with 500 Strength points to increase it by 1 point than it was for a user with 50 Strength points to reach 51 through training. This was because as users approached the latter part of the game, it became more difficult to increase all their stats. They could progress quickly in the early stage but they could not keep the same speed as they grew stronger. As users¡¯ stats doubled every 100 points¨C¨Cexcept for spiritual powers since each of them had a different characteristic¨C¨Cthey also consumed their points faster. Under 100 points, users consumed 1 bonus point per point. Around 100 points, they consumed 2 bonus points per point. In other words, their bonus point consumption ratio became 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, 5:1, etc. every 100 points. If a user earned 1,000 points after reaching Level 10, the Master Level, and spent all his points on one stat, he would get around 400 points of the stat. SBAM. Yongno struck a huge fish nearby with Great Strength Vajra Hand. This strong Hand Skill could leave a clear handprint after striking down a steel plate; thus, the fish having its head been struck, died instantly before it could react. Yongno was surprised by how big the fish was. He just attacked it without a second thought since it went past him, but he didn¡¯t know that it was twice his size. Wow! It¡¯s indeed 900 meters below the surface. All kinds of weird fish exist! It doesn¡¯t look like a shark or a whale and not even a tuna¡­ After a moment, the dead fish body disappeared, then a pack of fresh fish slices appeared. Hmm, I¡¯m getting sick of eating fresh fish slices¡­ and without a spicy dipping sauce. However, it was still too good to throw it away, so Yongno put it in his inventory. Lately, he figured out that a dead animal turned into an item after five seconds. Users outside the game knew about this fact, but Yongno noticed it quite recently. Mari also told him that if he succeeded in putting the dead creature in the inventory within ten seconds after its death, he could acquire its entire body and not just part of it. However, this only applied to dead animals and not monsters. Thus, it was the best choice for users to get as many things as possible from the animals. However, Yongno didn¡¯t take this action as he found it unnecessary to get the entire body when he was just hunting for food. Plus, he felt annoyed to prep the dead body for a meal. Above all¡­ The inventory can hold up to 100 kilograms of objects, so it¡¯s useless to put that whole fish in here. Besides, it seems to weigh over 400 kilograms. Splash. Then, there was another huge fish swimming near him. Of course it was only natural for a fish to be fast in the water, but it was so unbelievably fast that Yongno turned on the map and checked his location. 1,000 meters deep¡­ It was a new record. He had dived and finally reached the deepest and darkest part of the ocean he had ever attempted. The increase in water pressure was also another level. The water pressure is insane! He was talking about it matter of factly, but it was actually terrifying. America¡¯s Seawolf-class nuclear power submarine or Russia¡¯s Alpha-class or Sierra-class submarine could dive to depths of up to 600-700 meters below sea level, but those were special cases. Other nuclear-powered submarines usually operated at a depth of approximately 400 meters. So, how could a human dive 1,000 meters deep into the ocean without wearing any protective gear? Even a submarine with a titanium hull could get crushed by water pressure if it descended to this depth. Considering the fact, even if Yongno had internal martial arts, this was still abnormal. If users had to endure the water pressure in this depth, they would need, at least, three cycles of the Self-defense Technique. If I didn¡¯t earn the Water-friendly skill, I couldn¡¯t go down this deep. As he entered Rank 3 in Swimming, Yongno gained this skill to control water and sustain cold air, and thankfully, he could manage the water within a meter around him and remove the water pressure applied to his body. He could also endure the deep-sea temperature close to subzero from using this Water-friendly skill. As a result, it was relatively easy for him to enter the deep ocean. Tada! Suddenly, a giant turtle jumped in front of him. Just its shell alone looked more than three meters wide. How can a turtle be this big? Yongno was bewildered at its gigantic size, but he calmed down after he saw the turtle¡¯s innocent black eyes. Unlike its surprisingly big body, the turtle looked quite cute. Whoa, it¡¯s a sea turtle. I only saw it on the TV. There¡¯s a lot of fish in this ocean but no turtles so I¡¯ve thought they don¡¯t live here, but wow! I never expected to see one in the deep sea! Patting the turtle on its head, Yongno recalled the image of sea turtles he had seen on TV programs. A turtle in his memories was holding a fish bigger than its size by its mouth. While Yongno was interested in how the slow sea turtle had caught the fish, the narrator of the show spoke calmly. ¡°Unlike their cute appearance, sea turtles are wild hunters of the ocean.¡± Crunch. AWK?! The sea turtle suddenly bit his hand. Yongno shook his hand bewilderedly, but that part of his body didn¡¯t move an inch since the turtle¡¯s strong biting force broke the bones in his wrist. Yongno channeled his internal force into his left hand and performed Strengthening, then operated Great Strength Vajra Hand with his right hand to strike down the turtle¡¯s head. But¡­ WHAM! Why is it so hard?! His left hand was already spreading gold clouds of dust. If Yongno lowered his guard, he could lose his hand forever. He felt threatened by the turtle¡¯s biting force. He lifted his right hand again, but then he changed his mind and concentrated his internal force on his left hand. After a second, he exploded it. BOOMM! When a massive force surged into its throat, the sea turtle released his hand and retreated, but before Yongno could feel relieved, the giant turtle shot itself at him. Uuughhhh! Feeling a buzz in his head, Yongno crashed into the cliff. He felt a sharp pain in his stomach, so he operated Body Strengthening all over his body, then observed the turtle¡¯s movement. The hole in the animal¡¯s stomach seemed to absorb the water, but shortly after, the sea turtle fired itself at Yongno like a huge cannonball. CH 18 Is that really a turtle¡­?!!! Internally screaming, Yongno immediately left the spot. Then, one side of the cliff collapsed entirely with a loud thud in the water. Yongno could hardly believe how fast and mighty the turtle was. If Yongno couldn¡¯t swim at the speed faster than a dolphin, he would have never avoided the attack. Shortly after he caught his breath... Pow! The sea turtle plowed into Yongno. He bounced off the turtle¡¯s shell, but thankfully, Yongno didn¡¯t receive much damage since the attack was less forceful and he was performing Body Strengthening. Still, the turtle was surprisingly fast. It seemed to control the water absorption through its stomach and launch a massive continuous attack. What the heck? This isn¡¯t an [animal], is it? Yongno was aware that he was currently in a [world] for newbies where life-threatening monsters didn¡¯t exist. However, there was something that Yongno, Mari, and even the developer of D.I.O. didn¡¯t realize. Yongno was currently at the Kaylow''s Fault, which was 1,000 meters under the ocean. This land of death was underwater and had monsters with an average level of 11. Even animals that existed as prey here had the deadliest combat abilities since they were overall living and sustaining the super-high water pressure. Crack! Oh my god¡­!! Instead of avoiding the attack, this time, Yongno retaliated against the turtle by using the Great Strength Vajra Hand, but it was a serious misjudgment since his entire right arm was broken. Unfortunately, Yongno¡¯s Hand Skill wasn¡¯t forceful enough, so he should have avoided the head-on collision and struck the animal on its weak part instead. Gosh, my left hand is broken; so is my right arm! /You are seriously injured and unable to recover with rest! You can¡¯t recover unless you use a healing skill or log out for over an hour!/ Yongno¡¯s left wrist was already swollen from the turtle¡¯s bite. Meanwhile, his right elbow and wrist that had directly smacked into the turtle were unable to move an inch as if they were crushed. Considering that Hand Skill was Yongno¡¯s sole ammunition, he had lost his ability to attack. THUD! At that moment, the sea turtle pounced on Yongno again. Yongno narrowly escaped by kicking the water to move through. Still, the sea turtle swam so fiercely that it caused strong water currents. Yongno ended up bumping into the cliff. Ugh, that turtle is gonna kill me! He tried to escape from the gigantic animal but soon came to a halt. No matter how fast Yongno swam, he couldn¡¯t beat the sea turtle who shot himself at him like a cannonball. Yongno could defend himself from the attack since he observed the turtle¡¯s movement and moved perpendicularly. However, if he had chosen to escape horizontally, which was moving backward, he would have been struck powerlessly. What should I do? I will die if I keep wasting time like this. After Yongno reached a higher level in Swimming and 50% mastery of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, his diving ability also improved to the point where he could stay underwater almost semi-permanently. Still, it wasn¡¯t perfect enough to operate without using internal martial arts during combat. While in battle, Yongno should perform the Golden Pill Immortal Technique mainly for Body Strengthening or Hand Skill rather than internal martial arts recovery. When Yongno felt mentally unstable, his Diving skill also consumed a critical amount of internal martial arts. Like running, his body required a lot more energy than usual. My right arm doesn¡¯t work; I can move my left hand, but it won¡¯t endure the fierce combat. In the end, I have to knock the turtle down with internal martial arts¡­ It was nonsense. Performing his best Hand Skill with uninjured hands didn¡¯t even work since his attack was less forceful than the sea turtle¡¯s defensive power. However, Yongno stretched out his relatively non-severe left hand. I must avoid any collisions. That bastard¡¯s body is tough like armor; even the head isn¡¯t its weak point. Yongno began to utilize Aura Vision. He channeled internal force into his eyes and enhanced his eyesight. Everything around him came into view; the sea turtle was in the middle, absorbing water into its stomach. That¡¯s it. Yongno found a glowing light orb inside the sea turtle¡¯s shell. It was like Yongno¡¯s Gold Core, a cultivation base that gathered spiritual energy. Although it only had about a decade worth of force, the sea turtle itself was already extraordinary and the innate spiritual force made it unbelievably fast and strong. PFOOM! The sea turtle fired himself at Yongno. Yongno slid horizontally to avoid the attack, which had been the same pattern of their battle so far. But when the turtle passed him, Yongno got close to its stomach. It¡¯s useless to strike the turtle on its stomach. That part of the body will be softer than the shell, but that bastard has already survived from the explosion in its mouth, so it won¡¯t work. The gigantic turtle in front of Yongno was called the waterdrop turtle because of his cute-looking shell, but indeed it was the highest predator in the ocean that even preyed on sharks. Besides, its shell was as hard as a diamond under the effect of spiritual force, so even if the turtle didn¡¯t launch any attacks, Yongno could hardly find a way to damage the animal. However, Yongno placed his hand on its stomach before the turtle turned around and prepared to shoot itself at him. Think simple. Penetration Power¨C¨CI read it many times in martial arts novels, didn¡¯t I? I can do it. It¡¯s simple. It wasn¡¯t simple at all. Penetration Power was a martial arts skill that used palm or fist strike to cause damage to an object. Only the masters with a high understanding of martial arts could perform this technique. However, Yongno moved his internal force fearlessly. Delivering power¡­ delivering power... His four years¡¯ worth of internal martial arts began to move; it doubled in the first realm Mercury and collided with the waterdrop turtle¡¯s stomach. Tsuuuuunng. There wasn¡¯t a loud crashing sound since the strike didn¡¯t take place on the outside. The knockdown blow was sucked into the waterdrop turtle¡¯s stomach smoothly and seamlessly. /You have reached Rank 3 in Hand Skill!/ /You have gained the title of Break Spirit Hand!/ /You have gained a special ability - Penetration!/ But I already know about Penetration Power. Yongno had no idea that users acquired a special ability when they actually knew ¡®how to use it¡¯ and not just be aware of it. As a result, he previously gained the Water-friendly skill since he had already been using a tiny part of it. There was another thing Yongno didn¡¯t realize. The level of mastery in his Hand Skill was close to Rank 2, so he could reach Rank 3 from Rank 4 by just one Hand Skill performance. Besides, since his level of mastery was one rank higher than his current Hand Skill, he could go up to Rank 2 if he used the same level of Hand Skill ten times. Wooong. The waterdrop turtle¡¯s body scattered into clouds of dust; a shielded turtle shell and blue marble appeared. Nice rewards, huh? Plus, they gave me 100 EXP Spirits. But Yongno had a lot of damage too. He couldn¡¯t use his right hand; his left wrist was broken. He also consumed approximately 73% of his 15 years¡¯ worth of internal martial arts by performing continuous Hand Skill and Body Strengthening. He still had ten years¡¯ worth of internal martial arts left in Mercury, but it was unavailable for use. No Living World, i.e. the first realm Mercury, had an advanced mechanism, which was close to magic rather than a martial power, and amplified the power of internal force. Thus, it couldn¡¯t be used alone. If Yongno extinguished Mercury and returned it to internal martial arts, he could use it by some means, but he wouldn¡¯t do such a crazy thing no matter how ignorant he was of martial power commonsense. VRRRR. Eh? Putting the turtle shell and blue marble in his inventory, Yongno felt the sudden vibration around him, then he found dozens of fish surrounding him. What the heck? Why are the creatures here so hostile? This world was created for users to clear basic missions; therefore, all the animal-type of NPCs here were sort of non-aggressive monsters. As long as the users didn¡¯t attack them first, they wouldn¡¯t pounce on the players at all. However, if the users provoked the animals, they could be aggressive enough to attack their enemies. And in that sense, Yongno was so unlucky. In fact, the first giant fish he caught without much thought was the waterdrop turtle¡¯s game. Yongno¡¯s thoughtless behavior irritated the turtle, and therefore, he got bitten on the hand. To make matters worse, Yongno attacked the turtle, so the animal became completely hostile against him and started the combat. Eh¡­ why are they forming a larger group¡­?! Unfortunately, the waterdrop turtle he barely knocked down was the game of the Blade fish, the school surrounding him. Splash. The group of fish moving rapidly around the water looked very bizarre. This fifty-centimeters long fish had a long blade-like nose and steel-like body, which didn¡¯t look like a living creature. Besides, the part in the middle of the tail was absorbing water. It reminded him¡­ Eh? Eh? Eh¡­?! Yongno was too disconcerted to react fast. Before he could defend himself, the school of blade fish swam toward him like arrows. Sphhhlt! Yongno frowned at the stabbing sensation. Thanks to D.I.O.¡¯s pain control system, he didn¡¯t feel any pain, but it was still unpleasant to face blades penetrating into his body. He raised his right arm to defend him against the attack. Since that part of the body was numb from a fatal attack, he could use it as a shield and buy time to counterattack. It¡¯s indeed solid. Yongno grabbed one of the blade fish. Surprisingly, it felt like he was holding an iron bar. The creature was definitely unnatural. The blade-like nose was sharper than spears and swords; the fish body even seemed tolerable to a hammer strike. This fish even had its own propulsion system and could swim at the speed of an arrow. If users met it underwater, that was literally a disaster. Splat! When the blade fish pushed its nose into Yongno¡¯s right arm and wriggled, his wound opened and clouds of gold smoke spread to all directions. Yongno¡¯s status was still ¡®serious injury¡¯ and nothing turned worse, but his right arm looked like it was almost destroyed. Using his left hand, Yongno channeled Penetration Power into the blade fish embedded in his arm. Boom. There was indeed no sound; it was just a feeling, but the wriggling blade fish disappeared with clouds of gold dust. There was only the Drop [Blade fish¡¯s nose] left. It¡¯s a unique item, but unfortunately, Yongno had no time to read any manuals. CH 19 Splash! Splash! Splash! Yongno did a flip turn near the cliff and quickly escaped from the school of blade fish aiming for his chest, head, and left leg. He trembled when he saw those creatures miss him and burrowed horrifyingly into the rock surface as if it was mud. Come to think of it, they easily stabbed me when I was performing Body Strengthening! If Yongno didn¡¯t operate that skill, those fish would have penetrated through his arms and chest. While their blade-like nose couldn¡¯t squarely pierce through the waterdrop turtle¡¯s shell, they were still the tyrant of the deep sea who considered the mighty turtle as their game. Splash! Splash! Avoiding two other blade fish, Yongno bit his lips. The current situation was as tricky as it had been during the combat with the waterdrop turtle. I can¡¯t retreat¡­! He felt like he was stepping backwards to avoid the arrow flying toward him. Truthfully, if an arrow was shot from far away, there was no reason he couldn¡¯t avoid it. If an arrow was shot straight, he could dodge it by moving one step to the left or to the right by reading the wind¡¯s direction. But what would happen if he tried to dodge the arrow by moving backward? It was simple, it would be a bull''s eye. Unless he could move quicker than the arrow and go somewhere unreachable, it was impossible to completely avoid it since would still be within range of attack. Yongno was in the same situation with the school of blade fish. No matter how far he retreated, if he couldn¡¯t move faster than these creatures, he could never escape from them. Of course, he also had a time-consuming option of moving slowly in a zig-zag, but it would gradually drain his internal force since he had to focus on their movements and ascend to the surface from 1,000 meters deep while speeding up each moment. Do I have about three years¡¯ worth of internal martial arts left...? After earning Penetration Power, Yongno had been able to dramatically reduce the amount of internal martial arts necessary for this special ability but he could currently shoot only one or two blows of Penetration Power. The problem was that there were approximately twenty blade fish near him. Splash! The blade fish swam at him again and Yongno moved slightly to dodge them while constantly performing the Golden Pill Immortal Technique. However, diving while operating Attribute Power consumed a lot of his internal energy, so it was impossible for him to quickly recover his internal martial arts. He would need to endure twenty minutes to barely release one blow of Penetration Power. I can¡¯t sustain anymore. If I keep wasting my time this way, I¡¯m dead meat. I have to either hide and wait until those bastards leave or get distracted by something else¡­ While thinking that, he activated Aura Vision and looked around, then detected some living creatures reacting inside the cliff. Awesome, I see two inside that¡¯s pretty strong. Of course, if I¡¯m unlucky, I¡¯ll might be surrounded. The blade fish around Yongno kept attacking him without a break. Dodging their speedy intervention, Yongno carefully studied the cliff. He noticed an entrance to a cave by a big rock. The entrance was hidden from sight and required him to climb upwards. Clearly, it was a man-made cave. There was no way nature would create an entrance in the shape of a ¡®?.¡¯ Pow! Wham! One of the blade fish shot itself at Yongno like an arrow, but he had already left the spot and was entering the cave. BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM!! It was like a scene from a movie. They fired themselves at him and drilled dozens of holes in a line, tracing his movements. Their accuracy, power, and reaction speed were so great that despite swimming fluidly like a dolphin, Yongno barely managed to avoid their machine gun-like attacks. If these fish were just a bit more intelligent and could predict his direction of movement or attacked him at once in a siege formation, then he would have died. Gosh! Help me!! Yongno shrieked to himself and went gliding past their attacks. Truthfully, it was physically impossible for a human to move that smoothly in the water. After all, even if his swimming speed and skill was remarkable, he wasn¡¯t a fish. Humans didn¡¯t have the streamlined body, fins or even a flexible tail so it was rather strange that he could move this easily through the water. Of course, due to his Attribute Power, Yongno could control the water around him and move like this, but even considering that, he was surprisingly fast in the water. Oh my god! How could the school keep getting larger? Having entered the cave, Yongno realized that the number of blade fish chasing after him had increased to thirty. However, Yongno could shoot only one or two blows with his current Penetration Power, and that was also all the blade fish he could kill. Considering how he was also likely to fail in emitting enough force through those blasts of power, it was truly a dismal situation. Amid this frustrating situation, Yongno made up his mind. Pause. When Yongno stopped moving, the school of blade fish also came to a halt. Before he moved to a reddish-brown rock, he raised his left hand to prevent the creatures from suddenly attacking him. The moment he put his hand down, a group of six blade fish swarmed in on him as if they had been waiting for this moment. KRAKA-BOOM! Yongno dodged their attack like the way he had been doing so far, but unlike before, the swarm of blade fish couldn¡¯t pierce through the rock like butter. Truthfully, what they bounced off of wasn¡¯t actually a rock - it was a creature mimicking a rock. Clank. Yongno could have sworn that the gigantic lobster, approximately 2.5 meters long, with massive claws made that noise as it opened its eyes. Actually, at this point, it was too big to even call it a lobster. Splash! However, the blade fish ignored the lobster and tried to target Yongno again. From the beginning, their target was Yongno and nothing could distract them from attacking him. But that was only the blade fish; the lobster thought differently. POW! When Yongno saw the massive lobster¡¯s claws, he expected them to be its major weapon. Of course, he wasn¡¯t wrong since the lobster¡¯s main weapon really was its claws. However, the way the lobster used them was beyond his expectations. The lobster threw a punch with its claws. Yikes¡­!? The lobster was swinging its claws shocking, and absurdly, at the speed of Mach 3. Whether it was unfortunate or fortunate, none of the blade fish were directly struck by the claws, but sadly, damage doesn¡¯t come just from being directly hit. Even Yongno, who had been outside the attack range, felt the underwater waves hitting him hard in the stomach. What the heck is that? Then he recalled the mantis shrimp he had seen on TV before. The mantis shrimp, also known as the Mike Tyson of the ocean, was only 20 centimeters long, but it was a very strong sea creature. The power of its claws, its largest weapon, was equivalent to a 22-caliber bullet. It had a 23 meters per second punching speed that reached 10,400 grams of acceleration and gave 1,500N of strength, so it made it difficult for people to remain unharmed if they were hit. In addition, the mantis shrimp¡¯s punch caused a vacuum phenomenon underwater and generated internal waves, which added a tremendous power to the attack and caused damage to the other creatures nearby. Thus, the mantis shrimp hunted its prey by ¡°hitting¡± it. Whether it was an oyster or crab that had a hard shell, once hit, it was done for and the Tyson of the ocean would enjoy it deliciously. Even the divers who went down to film the mantis shrimp had their camera lenses broken once or twice by the shock wave created from the creature¡¯s strong punching force. Not only that, but it is said that the mantis shrimp had also broken through a quarter of an inch thick glass in an aquarium in Norfolk, England.. Is that bastard on the fighter line?! If even a 20 centimeter small mantis shrimp could swing such a violent punhc, Yongno couldn¡¯t even imagine how forceful the claws of this 3-meter long lobster would be. In fact, he didn¡¯t have to think about it since the lobster was currently wielding its claws right in front of him! THUD! Just a single blow was enough to instantly kill the six blade fish in the front. The rest of the fish quickly swerved their target from Yongno to the giant lobster who wielded tremendous power and caused great damage, but¡­ BOOM! The lobster threw another punch, which was followed by a huge shock wave. Yongno crouched to endure it. Thankfully, he had gone beyond the lobster and was hiding behind a rock in the cave. Eek! He gritted his teeth from the pain, but this time he wasn¡¯t just trembling from it; it felt like all his bones were cracking in pain. But he couldn¡¯t circulate his qi to protect his body or perform Body Strengthening. I have to endure¡­ I¡¯m running out of internal force... Yongno clenched his teeth. His Golden Pill Immortal Technique had reached 30% of its mastery and his Swimming skill had also increased to a higher level, which reduced the amount of internal force required to dive. As a result, his Gathering Magical Force exceeded the consumption speed of internal martial arts for diving, but that didn¡¯t mean he was completely safe. Cultivation methods controlled the user¡¯s internal martial arts and accepted the external qi, so if Yongno had a very small amount of internal martial arts left, then it would be difficult for him to recover. If he drained all of his internal martial arts, then he would fall into a state where qi absorption was no longer possible for a long time. Splash! Yongno kicked off the wall and went deeper into the cave. It wasn¡¯t because he was trying to accomplish something but because he couldn¡¯t endure another shock wave if the lobster wielded its claws again. BOOM! However, Yongno crashed into a wall when he was pushed by the shock wave that shook the entire cave. To make matters worse, his severely injured right arm collided with the hard surface. God darn it! My arm is almost crushed like minced garlic. I don¡¯t think even modern medicine could have a cure for this¡­ Yongno was bleeding in a cloud of gold dust, and his right arm had many bone fragments exposed that it almost seemed like a scene from a horror movie. He touched his right arm with his left hand. It felt squishy. Ugh, it looks so painful! If this game didn¡¯t have the pain control system, I would have died from the excruciating pain. BOMB! The shock wave once again shook Yongno¡¯s surroundings without letting him get distracted, but thankfully, it was bearable this time. Yongno had been swimming desperately from the lobster¡¯s attack, so he was thankfully a safe distance away from the battlefield. Wooong. What is this? A bit far away from the battlefield, Yongno had found a marble emitting purple light. He stared at it with a dumbfounded expression. It was a pearl. Of course, he had never heard of a purple pearl, but either way, it was still a pearl. And from his experience so far, a pearl was usually inside a¡­ BOMB! How lucky. The fact that Yongno survived by lucky. He was just barely avoided the worst situation of getting bitten by the giant clam. He would have died immediately if he didn¡¯t perform Aura Vision and notice that something alive was around him and had a slower swimming speed. The huge rock bitten by the giant clam was ¡®sliced¡¯ like magic. The clam had spiritual power and seeing how it even had teeth, it seemed like it was a carnivorous sea animal. In addition, the hole in the back of the clam was constantly absorbing water. THUD! Ugh, how come every sea creature has it? Is it like they¡¯re necessary part in this game?! Yongno deftly dodged the clam dashing toward him. Perhaps he was now accustomed to the creatures¡¯ attacking him by propelling themselves by a jet of water because he was able to read the sea animals¡¯ movements. If he encountered this clam in the beginning, he would have got attacked without figuring out the situation. Do I still have only three years¡¯ worth of internal martial arts left? Geez, it¡¯s driving me crazy¡­ Yongno was recovering, but his condition was still dreadful. He had to keep performing Water-friendly skills to endure the high water pressure and also operate Diving skills to breathe underwater. However, Yongno realized that he had to consume more internal energy since the sea creatures wouldn¡¯t let him go that easily. BOOOM! Yongno clenched his teeth as he quickly moved to escape from the giant clam that tried to swallow his entire body. It wasn¡¯t because it was difficult to avoid the giant clam. The clam was huge, but it was moving in a straight line like the blade fish, so it wasn¡¯t that hard for Yongno to dodge its attack. There were about 0.5 seconds of Time Lag[1], therefore, if Yongno was prepared for the attack, he would never collide with the creatures. However¡­ CLANK! What the¡­! How could it already catch all of them?! Yongno shuddered when he saw the gigantic lobster that had appeared on the opposite side of the cave. Although it had just been tackled by approximately thirty blade fish, only a few little scratches appeared on its armor-like shell. 1. a period of time between two related events ? CH 20 ¡®That guy is well built. Also, his internal force is similar to my level. I¡¯m not sure if my Penetration Power will be effective.¡¯ Utilizing Aura Vision, Yongno peered into the shrimp¡¯s body and saw its qi swirling around. It seemed the shrimp possessed its own cultivation technique. More specifically, it looked like the cultivation technique centered around defense, making it unlikely that Yongno¡¯s Penetration Power would effectively pierce the inner parts of the shrimp¡¯s body. ¡®Also, there¡¯s that damn clam.¡¯ Between the two, the clam possessed greater power, 60 points, to be exact. In the martial arts world, 60 points would equate to a practitioner who has trained for 30 years. Furthermore, the giant clam¡¯s internal energy was double that of the giant shrimp, so Yongno had to be careful. However, the threat that the giant shrimp posed did not stem from its internal energy but rather from the natural waves caused by its Ultrasonic Punch skill. So, essentially, Yongno had to be wary of both opponents. ¡®If I fight them head-on, I¡¯ll surely die. I need to run away somehow.¡¯ Fortunately, unlike the situation with the blade fish, Yongno felt that he could get away from these two opponents. If he had been out in the open instead of a cave, Yongno would have fled long ago. Bam! As if resolving to end things here and now, the giant clam rushed towards Yongno. He was able to easily avoid the giant clam¡¯s charge, but Yongno felt a sense of crisis when he saw the giant shrimp pulling back its tail to strike him from above. Though the shrimp¡¯s tail wouldn¡¯t hit him directly, the aftershock from the swift coiling attack would wreak havoc wherever it passed. Boom! As the shockwave passed, Yongno started coughing out blood. That attack would¡¯ve killed him if he hadn¡¯t used Body Strengthening. Moreover, when he saw the giant shrimp begin to attack, Yongno had quickly tipped the great clam so that it stood between the incoming attack and him, somewhat lessening the blow. ¡®Damn it. I¡¯ll really die if things go on like this. What am I supposed to¡­ huh?¡¯ At that moment, Yongno saw a hole in the ground. It hadn¡¯t been there earlier, and based on how it looked man-made, it couldn¡¯t have been dug recently. ¡®Ah. The giant clam was in that area before, so it must have been placing itself over that hole.¡¯ Yongno¡¯s assumption was correct. Currently, Yongno had traveled to the deepest part of the cave, so he initially thought there was nowhere else to go. Yet, a hole that led further down had just been revealed. Whoosh! Without wasting another second, Yongno flung himself into the hole. If the giant shrimp launched another one of its attacks, Yongno knew that he¡¯d be dead for sure. He had already been scraping the bottom of the barrel to gather enough internal energy to apply Body Strengthening. Now, Yongno was only left with about a year of internal energy. However, Yongno wouldn¡¯t be able to use that one year of internal energy. Similar to how a person couldn¡¯t completely drain their stamina to zero, it was nearly impossible to use up all of one¡¯s internal energy. Yongno was only able to expend his internal energy until just a year was left because of the stability given by the Golden Pill Immortal Technique. Any other typical martial artist would have only been able to expend their internal energy up to the three-year mark. If they went any further, they would reach the limits of their lower dantian and permanently damage their ability to gather internal energy. In the situation where an athlete expended their energy to the point that they couldn''t even move their fingers, if they continued to push themselves, they could cause breathing issues or muscle damage. Likewise, if a person continued to use their internal energy beyond their limit, they would inevitably cause damage to their dantian. Although the physical pain was limited by the system, Yongno couldn¡¯t escape fatigue. ¡®This place is¡­.¡¯ While he tiredly looked ahead, Yongno saw a shining blue light. No longer able to utilize night vision due to his lack of internal energy, Yongno had been blindly navigating through the darkness, and he was ecstatic to find such a light source. ¡®¡­Ice?¡¯ Yongno was left dumbfounded when he saw an entire wall covered in ice. The ice was opaque, so he had no idea what was on the other side, but he knew that the light was coming from behind the ice. Boom! In that instant, the giant shrimp went through the hole. Fortunately, since the size of the hole wasn¡¯t too large, the giant clam wasn¡¯t able to fit through it. However, the giant shrimp presented a significant danger for Yongno, who could no longer effectively muster a defense. ¡®Switch! Where¡¯s the switch!¡¯ In a panic, Yongno tried to find a switch or some sort of mechanism to open the ice wall, but he was unable to find any such thing. Oblivious to whatever Yongno was trying to do, the giant shrimp slowly made its way toward Yongno. Yongno kept backtracking until his back hit the ice wall. There was nowhere else for him to go. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Rather than a cool sensation, Yongno felt a sense of comfort from the ice. It wasn¡¯t as if the ice was warm; Yongno had an affinity for anything that was naturally cool or cold. It was only then that Yongno realized that he possessed a water affinity trait. ¡®That¡¯s right, I have an affinity for water and can utilize the properties of water. I have an attribute power related to water, and I have the power to control water.¡¯ Since this was the case¡­ ¡®Shouldn¡¯t I be able to control ice?¡¯ Immediately, once he came to this conclusion, like magic, Yongno¡¯s body started ¡®melting¡¯ into the ice wall. Confused as to what was going on, the giant shrimp quickly sent an Ultrasonic Punch toward Yongno. Although the destructive quality of the attack caused damage to the surroundings, it was ineffective against Yongno, who had already become completely enveloped by the ice wall and sent out to the other side. ¡°¡­This place is¡­?¡± While speaking aloud, Yongno noticed that he was standing on firm ground. He was in a hallway that was neatly lined with bricks from the ceiling and walls to the floor. Then, Yongno looked behind him, and he could hear banging sounds from the ice wall that he had just passed through. It seemed like the giant shrimp was trying to break through the wall. ¡°That ice wall is incredible. Even after several Ultrasonic Punches from that giant shrimp, it¡¯s not even showing any signs of cracking¡­.¡± Anyone could easily tell that the ice wall was created and imbued with magic. It didn¡¯t make sense that an ice wall would naturally form to divide the space Yongno was currently in with the deep body of water he¡¯d just passed through. In any case, this didn¡¯t stop Yongno from marveling at the strength of the ice wall. ¡°What is this place?¡± Yongno was currently 1,000 meters under the sea. There shouldn¡¯t have been anything man-made in this kind of place. However, this place was obviously built by someone. The bricks were made from stones, and there were torches lighting up the hallway at set intervals. In addition, the floor was lined with the same type of stone bricks, albeit in tile form. ¡°I see.¡± Yongno seemed to have noticed where he was. It was a hallway that would wind like a maze, have traps in different locations, and contain monsters. This place was a common addition to any online RPG. It was a Dungeon. Yongno had entered a dungeon. ***The Seadragon¡¯s Temple*** We welcome you to the eighth-level test. User Adol is making a fifth challenge attempt. You have already died once. Since you have failed multiple times, we recommend that you regroup and refocus to successfully complete the upcoming task. Adol couldn¡¯t help but sneer at the message that popped up in front of him. Initially, the notifications were respectful, but as he continued to fail the mission, the tone became somewhat condescending. ¡°Damn it. If I fail a couple more times, I feel like I¡¯m going to get a message that says, ¡®Just give up, loser.¡¯¡± As he grumbled, Adol looked at the various doors in front of him. There were a total of twenty tests that were divided into four chapters: [Fighting], [Production], [Living], and [Adventure]. Although there were a large variety of tests, he didn¡¯t have to pass all of them. The twenty tests were provided so that every user could find something they could challenge, no matter what they specialized in. If a user could pass one test, that user would level up. ¡°Ugh, to think I¡¯ve already failed four times. I knew it would be more challenging as I gained levels, but I didn¡¯t think it would be this difficult.¡± Adol mumbled and walked up to a door. However, the door he walked up to wasn¡¯t any of the twenty doors. Instead, he¡¯d approached the twenty-first door, [Joint Warfare]. ¡°Well, just in case¡­.¡± The Joint Warfare was a trial that existed outside of the twenty tests, and it allowed users to work together to defeat monsters that were several levels than their own. Of course, there were always bound to be users who didn¡¯t pull their weight or who shouldn¡¯t have been able to overcome such monsters. As such, choosing this option could be seen as taking the easy route, as one could depend on the strength of others to pass. However, defeating the monsters in the Joint Warfare area didn¡¯t mean that a user passed the test. Since the Joint Warfare door was not part of the existing four chapters and its twenty tests, a user would not be able to pass the eighth-level test. This was why the Joint Warfare door was called the twenty-first door. The Joint Warfare door existed to provide a space where users could learn to work together, utilizing their individual areas of expertise to fight a common enemy. Thus, if a group of users were successful in defeating a monster several levels above them, the experience they¡¯d gain would be ten times greater than normal. In other words, this experience was more than enough to level up once. Furthermore¡­ ¡°Even if I choose to give up midway, I won¡¯t be kicked out of this testing area. Anyway, it¡¯s not like I plan to fail again¡­.¡± Adol chuckled as he entered the door. Of course, Adol never thought that he¡¯d fail in each of his previous four attempts. He wasn¡¯t the type that liked to challenge something if he felt like there was a high likelihood of losing. Yet, this time around, he was full of confidence. Although it sounded like something out of a fantasy novel, Adol had grown to understand something right before this fifth attempt. ¡°Hahaha. I never expected to obtain the third rank of mastery.¡± Like an epiphany, Adol had suddenly come to a realization. When he was surrounded by tens of monsters and trying to fight an uphill battle, he had experienced a completely different dimension, a new, distinct rank of mastery. A while back, he had stopped training to focus on hunting since he wanted to gain more experience and funds, and so this sudden realization was utterly unexpected. ¡°With this advancement, I¡¯m probably in the top echelon amongst DIO users. How many could there be above me? Is there even a single person?¡± The reality was that there weren¡¯t too many users who possessed the fifth rank of mastery. Of course, Adol knew that all the users in this closed beta were all experts with excellent skills and abilities. However, he¡¯d never come across anyone with the third rank of mastery. Even though he heard that some existed, he was sure that their numbers were few. Creak. Once he opened the door, Adol saw a large waiting room. In the room, there was a muscular man who was waving his hand at Adol. ¡°Hey, Adol!¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s been a long time, Hanma. What¡¯s going on? Where did all these people come from?¡± Despite Adol¡¯s surprise at the number of users in the room, it was just two more people outside of himself and Hanma. Yet, this alone was surprising, as there weren¡¯t many users who¡¯d passed the seventh-level test. Actually, it would be more precise to say that there were very few. The users who could be seen walking around in the towns were mostly those who were in the third or fourth level. Starting from the fifth level, the number of users dramatically dropped in number. This was because there was a natural ¡®barrier.¡¯ DIO was a game that demanded high levels of skill and ability. One would have to either spend a lengthy amount of time training or have an innate ability to lean on. DIO wasn¡¯t a game where one could increase their level just by investing some time. Psh. Psh. A torch was burning in one corner of the waiting room. In front of the torch was a female martial artist in her twenties. She wore an entirely black martial arts outfit and had gloves with flame motifs on them. Since her clothing was tight, Adol could easily make out that the woman currently absentmindedly staring at the torch was a physical martial artist. However, other than that, he couldn¡¯t sense anything else. It was almost as if she were a common newbie, or at best, a second-level user. ¡®But that can¡¯t be the case.¡¯ They were in the eighth-level testing area. This meant that she must be a seventh-level user. And so, there were two possibilities: her level of power was far greater than his or, like Hanma, her physical strength was hard to determine by sight alone. ¡°Oh, are you a member of the Zoroastrians?¡± Adol tried to make small talk, but the woman continued to stare blankly at the torch without responding. With lifeless eyes, the woman continued to stare at the flickering fire. As Adol continued to look at the woman, he soon realized that she was a foreign, Western woman. She had blue eyes, pale skin, and blonde hair. She was also very tall. Adol could tell that she was a Slavic woman and a beauty at that. It was highly likely that she was Russian. Whoosh! The flame that she had been staring at abruptly flared up. The previous calm and quiet environment suddenly turned loud and chaotic as the fiery flame quickly consumed the wooden parts of the torch, converting it all into ash. Once the flame flashed its final light, a spark rose into the air and turned into a red ruby. ¡°It would be nicer if it were polished¡­.¡± The woman mumbled to herself as she put the ruby away. Instantly, Adol understood what skillset the woman specialized in. ¡°I see; it¡¯s fire chakra. In addition, you possess the advanced skill of changing the state and quality of an object.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk as if it¡¯s such a grand thing. I¡¯ve only reached the third rank of mastery.¡± There were all kinds of stats in DIO, but the one that was applicable in nearly every area, as well as being the most difficult to advance, was spiritual power. There were seven different types of spiritual power based on their respective qualities: internal energy, magic power, chakra, divine/sacred power, pure spiritual power, aura, and life force. As defined and stated in many fantasy genres, internal energy arises from gathering nature¡¯s powers within oneself and converting that energy into motion. Magic power originated from one¡¯s connection with the world and its laws, as one would be able to slightly alter and utilize the existing principles of the world to create the desired effect. Aura was a type of innate ability that allowed a user to momentarily overcome and transcend one¡¯s limits to achieve something. Divine power was power derived from a god. Pure spiritual power came from the spiritual power within oneself; practitioners of this area would constantly refine their spiritual power and increase their spiritual power capacity. These users would often form contracts with otherworldly beings or spirits and gain strength through that contractual relationship. Life force, as the name suggests, would focus on increasing one¡¯s physical power and changing or evolving one¡¯s existence. As for chakra¡­ ¡°I think you¡¯re not giving yourself enough credit. I haven¡¯t seen another user who¡¯s been able to reach the third rank of mastery in chakra.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because chakra isn¡¯t very popular in the first place.¡± As with every other type of spiritual power, chakra seemed foreign and drastically different from the others. Notably, the most difficult aspect of chakra was that it could not be carried within or on one¡¯s body. Chakra did not originate from within, like internal energy or magic power. Rather than communicate with something outside oneself and utilize exterior forces to create or do something, the users who specialized in chakra had no special powers. The only thing required of chakra users was mental power and the ¡®knowledge¡¯ of the ¡®properties¡¯ of an object. ¡°Ugh, so loud.¡± At that moment, a man who had been meditating in the other corner of the waiting room opened his eyes and spoke. His black hair was slicked back, he had black eyes, and he wore a plum-colored robe. His appearance and clothing were immediately identifiable as Asian. Furthermore, unlike the difficult to read woman, this man¡¯s power and level were like an open book for Adol. Plumpcat''s Thoughts That''s all for sneak peak! And if you haven''t realized, we have also added images to previous chapters. CH 21 ¡®A magic user. And one at the third rank of mastery at that.¡¯ The man did not hide his strength. He didn¡¯t think it made much difference. What was the main reason people hid their powers? It was because they believed that they¡¯d be at a disadvantage if others knew their exact strength and power level. However, even if one were to be PK¡¯ed (player killed: the act of users killing other users), DIO would only penalize those who were killed by taking away some experience points and lowering the item drop rates on mobs and monsters. The aggressor would gain nothing by killing another user, and on top of that, DIO¡¯s system gave a plethora of fines for users who PK. Due to these factors, the act of users killing other users was rarely seen in DIO. Since this was the case, there was no real reason why a user would want to hide their strength. Perhaps one wanted to put on an aura of mystique? That was pretty much the only reason, and in regards to that, the man had no interest in creating any mystique. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think anyone else will come if we wait longer, so let¡¯s start. My name is Jeros. I¡¯m a magic user and am very weak in close combat; I haven¡¯t trained in any defensive spells. I¡¯ve only focused on offensive spells, so keep that in mind.¡± Though his manner of speaking sounded crass and informal, all he was doing was describing himself. If they had known each other beforehand, this wouldn¡¯t necessarily have been the right approach to strike a conversation, but since they were meeting for the first time, sharing personal information like this was necessary. Adol nodded after hearing Jeros¡¯ explanation. ¡°That¡¯s good. I specialize in defense more than offense, so I¡¯ll be able to shield against any incoming attacks, large or small.¡± Hanma soon raised his hand. ¡°Oh! Hey! Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Hanma. I¡¯m a martial artist that specializes in life force, so I¡¯m most comfortable in close combat. I¡¯m your typical tank bruiser, and I don¡¯t slack off when it comes to dealing damage, either. I¡¯ll make sure to grab our opponent by the ankles.¡± Finally, the blonde-haired woman wearing the black martial arts outfit spoke up. ¡°My name is Ilyia. I¡¯m not too skilled at close combat, but I¡¯m relatively quick, so I can take care of myself. My specialty is using chakra for healing and damage dealing, so my damage per second (DPS) isn¡¯t too bad.¡± Like this, users would often state their names and characteristics for others to get to know them. It wasn¡¯t something that they¡¯d been taught. Instead, they had developed this habit by themselves from experience in the game. Although they had only spent a week playing DIO, since time in DIO went by six times faster than in the real world, they had essentially ¡®experienced¡¯ a month within the game. ¡°Good, then let¡¯s get started immediately. We¡¯ll synergize and learn how to best work together as we go.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll take out two pieces of equipment.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bring out two items as well.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really have any gear.¡± In his left hand, Adol carried a tower shield large enough to cover nearly his entire body, and he used his other hand to wield a large bastard sword. As for Hanma and Ilyia, they did not use any gear or weapons. Ilyia would take out items hidden within her martial arts outfit whenever she wanted to conduct an attack or action, whereas Hanma utilized his whole body as a weapon. Please select the number of users in your party. ¡°Four.¡± Confirmed. The field has completed loading. The test shall begin. As soon as the words materialized, their surroundings abruptly changed, and they saw that they were in a dense jungle forest. Adol shrugged as he looked at a tree whose trunk was so thick that three adults most likely couldn¡¯t encircle it even if they held hands and stretched out. ¡°It¡¯s a forest. The last time it was a desert, and before that, it was a seaside beach. Prior to the beach, it was a colosseum. How many settings does this test have?¡± ¡°Argh. Why is the landscape always randomized¡­.¡± ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s be careful. This is, after all, a Level 8 testing area. Moreover, since there¡¯re four of us, the opponents will probably be two levels higher. In other words, they¡¯ll be master-level opponents.¡± The [Joint Warfare] groups consisted of either two, four, eight, or sixteen people in a party. As for the opponents a group would face, their level varied based on the number of users in the group. For instance, two people would fight opponents that were one level above theirs. Since they were currently challenging the Level 8 test, the mobs that a pair needed to face would be at Level 9. Yet, the reality was that users who were taking the Level 8 test were probably at Level 7, so to be more precise, they would be facing mobs that were two levels above them. In any case, it seemed that the system recognized that users who were challenging the Level 8 test should already possess power equivalent to the eighth level. As such, a group of four would face monsters that were two levels higher than the users. Similarly, mobs for a group of eight would be three levels higher, and a sixteen-member group would face mobs four levels higher than themselves. Some may wonder why the monster¡¯s levels only increased by one for every additional two users in a group. This was because the difference of just a single level led to noticeable changes in one¡¯s fighting ability, so the calculation was that it would take at least two users to contend against monsters that were a level higher. In reality, the system was unforgiving towards the users. Rather than increasing the monsters¡¯ levels based on multiples of two, the more balanced approach would have been to increase the monsters¡¯ levels each time the party grew exponentially. As an example, in place of having groups of two, four, eight, and sixteen, it would be better to increase the difficulty with groups made up of 2, 4, 8, 16. Due to this unforgiving system calibration, most users tended to fight in groups of two. Could sixteen users really fight monsters that were four levels higher than themselves? Unlikely. Did it make sense to have sixteen users who were only level six go up against master-level monsters? Although strength in numbers was an appropriate phrase that applied to most situations, fighting monsters that were four levels higher was essentially suicide, even if the proportion was 16:1. This was why battle formations existed. Much like the martial art and magic pathways, DIO had approved and completed battle formations available for use. Whoosh. ¡°It¡¯s coming.¡± As a massive figure loomed above them, the four users prepared for the coming battle. Adol raised his shield and started gathering his internal energy, Jeros started chanting spells, and Hanma and Ilyia were readying themselves at the front of the group. Suddenly, the soft light emanating from the large figure disappeared, and in its place, a new mob showed itself. Bam! A three-and-a-half-meter monster swung its hammer at the users. The weapon¡¯s size was equal to the monster¡¯s height, and the aftershock of the swing caused a strong gust of wind to pass by. The reach and effectiveness of the attack were deadly, as it seemed to surpass the potency of any existing martial arts form. However, all four users were unaffected by the attack. From the start, Jeros had placed himself outside the strike¡¯s range while the remaining three users had easily avoided the attack. ¡°It¡¯s an Ogre Warrior!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a real, tangible creature! Well, I prefer this type of enemy over a ghost or other paranormal monsters!¡± After avoiding the ogre¡¯s initial attack by staying low to the ground, Hanma flung himself towards the Ogre Warrior. With little delay, he stood right before the monster. Despite the Ogre Warrior continuously swinging its hammer as Hanma approached, Hanma had kept himself extremely low, his chin almost touching the ground. Since Hanma had essentially closed in on the Ogre Warrior by keeping himself flat along the ground, the Ogre Warrior had lost sight of him. Boom. Once he reached the Ogre Warrior, Hanma slammed his hands and feet against the ground and quickly shot up. The way Hanma moved and acted made it seem as if this wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d fought against a sizable foe. His movements were quick, precise, and full of purpose. With monstrous force and a shout, Hanma threw out a punch. This attack was based on the principles of Fighter¡¯s Eight Consciousness, an Earthly Thunder strike. Crack! Hanma smiled as he felt the sensation of the punch landing directly on his foe. He felt bones cracking. If that were from his hand, it would¡¯ve been a problem, but Hanma¡¯s bones were reinforced with life force, so it was stronger than most reinforced iron. Moreover, he had been the one who initiated the attack, not the defender who was on the receiving end. ¡°Yes! This guy won¡¯t be able to use his right leg anymore¡­.¡± Bam! Without any wasted movement, the Ogre Warrior had swung its great hammer in a full circle, smoothly transitioning from its latest attack and striking Hanma. The force of the hit was immense. It seemed as if the Ogre Warrior was strong enough to pull an entire tree from the ground, and the monster had concentrated and focused that monstrous power on its attack. If Hanma had not utilized life force, rather than being flung away, his body would have exploded into bits. ¡°Open the gates of Flame.¡± While Hanma was conducting his attack, Ilyia had moved around to the Ogre Warrior¡¯s rear, and at that moment, she placed the red ruby that she¡¯d made in the waiting room into her mouth. Then, Ilyia started making complex gestures with both of her hands. These movements were a common chakra practice known as handprint that chakra users employed to manifest a skill. ¡°Flame Mark!¡± Immediately after she spoke, an unbelievably large flame rushed out of Ilyia¡¯s mouth and covered the Ogre Warrior. The size and power of the flame were bigger and greater than what one would consider humanly possible. In addition, the flame was so intense that it wouldn¡¯t seem out of place if the Ogre Warrior¡¯s skin had been incinerated and instantly turned to ash. Boom! Yet, as if the flames that were burning its skin were nothing, the Ogre Warrior stamped its feet on the ground and bounded towards Ilyia. It performed three hammer movements in the air, and while doing so, the Ogre Warrior utilized eight unique martial art moves. ¡°What the hell! Why is that monster so formidable?¡± As he stood in front of Jeros with his shield held high, Adol was left dumbfounded and speechless at the Ogre Warrior¡¯s movements and skill level. The Ogre Warrior possessed a tremendous level of martial arts skill. Even without accounting for the Ogre Warrior¡¯s monstrous strength, if Adol were to go up against the Ogre Warrior one-on-one based on martial arts alone, Adol was certain that he would lose to the Ogre Warrior within thirty moves. For someone who was confident in his sword skills, Adol received a shock after observing the Ogre Warrior. Furthermore, the Ogre Warrior¡¯s frightening power and abilities were currently being focused on Ilyia, who inevitably seemed like she was about to suffer tremendous physical damage. Bam! Bam! Bam! The Ogre Warrior¡¯s great hammer swung down in an attack that made it seem as if tens of different hammer strikes were being shot out at the same time. To add to this, Ilyia felt as though the attacks were coming from every direction. At that instant, Ilyia knew she couldn¡¯t avoid the attack. This wasn¡¯t just a difference in strength; it was a difference in level. However, Ilyia did not panic. ¡°Open the gates of Body.¡± As she quietly chanted those words, the inner universe of her body opened. ¡°Accelerate.¡± Unlike magic power and internal energy, chakra users did not gather magic or energy to be used in a skill. Thus, chakra did not have a set of martial arts forms or spells. Chakra users derived their power from becoming one with the world, and they interacted and utilized the different components of the world to manifest action. Based on one¡¯s unceasing desire for further understanding and connection to a part of the world, a chakra user would make deeper connections into their own inner world. Once chakra users delved into the extreme aspects of one of the world¡¯s components, they could control and derive power from that component, essentially providing them with near limitless power. In order to reach this omnipotent state, chakra users developed an eight-stage process, which they called the Eight Gates, and they expressed each chakra practitioner¡¯s progress within a gate as a step. They referred to these processes as the Virtuous Eight Gates and Weightless Nine Steps. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Ilyia quietly took a breath. Currently, Ilyia was ¡®aware¡¯ of three different worldly ¡®components.¡¯ Her first was what most chakra users initially succeeded in opening a channel to, their own body. After doing this, Ilyia then opened a channel into flame, followed by the sword. Ilyia looked towards the Ogre Warrior. Its body was fully engulfed in flames. The fire that she had shot out from her mouth wasn¡¯t made of normal flames; they wouldn¡¯t be put out even if one dunked oneself completely in water. ¡°Ugh!¡± Screech! As the Ogre Warrior looked at the target that had escaped from its range, it screamed loudly and instantly put out the flames that had covered its body. Looking at the Ogre Warrior¡¯s body with just a mere singe from her recent attack, Ilyia thought, ¡®This is going to be dangerous. I don¡¯t think I can output a stronger attack.¡¯ Within the Virtuous Eight Gates, Ilyia¡¯s aptitude was at the third gate, the Giant Gate. When one first comprehended a component, one would open the first gate, Connecting Gate. Once one delved deeper into the component and [Understood] it, they would open the second gate, Weighted Gate. The third gate was called Giant Gate, and the fourth gate was called Exchange Gate. As for the gates after the fourth one, this was where many users hit a barrier. The fifth gate, Virtuous Gate, was only reached when one fully understood the ¡®meaning¡¯ of a worldly component. In martial arts terms, this level would be comparable to a martial arts user who could manifest inner qi onto one¡¯s weapon. This was considered the highest level within martial arts. Past the fifth gate was the sixth gate, Human Gate, and the seventh gate, Earthly Gate. The final gate, which would be considered the ultimate of the Virtuous Eight Gates, was the eighth gate, Heavenly Gate. Users who reached Heavenly Gate would be able to ¡®rule over¡¯ the worldly components. Whoosh! Though the Ogre Warrior had swung its hammer just once, Ilyia knew that the simple move contained ten different martial arts formations. Quickly, Ilyia pulled out a short sword that was fifty centimeters in length from her outfit. It seemed absurd to use such a pitiful sword to defend against a three-and-a-half-meter tall Ogre Warrior, and this was especially true considering it was wielding a three-meter long great hammer. Yet, at that moment, Jeros had finished chanting his magic spell. ¡°Fireball.¡± Hearing such a basic spell being shouted out, Adol could not help but feel disappointed. Jeros had taken all this time just to finish chanting a simple Fireball spell? However, before Adol could voice out his frustration, a fist-sized fireball shot out from Jeros¡¯ hand. ¡°Type One.¡± Ping! The fireball flew as fast as a bullet. No, it was faster than a bullet. Regardless of the actual speed, the fireball shot out so swiftly that the Ogre Warrior had no time to react. And after being hit by the representative skill of a second-class magic user, the fireball, the Ogre Warrior flew back about five meters and struck a large tree, instantly breaking it. Boom! ¡°Wo¡­ wow!¡± ¡°Damn! Is this the power of a magic user who only focused on a single thing¡­¡± Adol gave off an appreciative whistle after observing the destructive effect of the simple skill. Yet, Adol knew that an ogre could operate for seven minutes even after having its heart pierced. More importantly, they weren¡¯t up against any ogre; they were facing a Warrior-Class ogre. CH 22 Ilyia¡¯s short sword swiftly soared through the air and landed near the Ogre Warrior¡¯s heart. Although the blade penetrated the ogre¡¯s skin, it was not able to reach the ogre¡¯s heart, as the mob¡¯s inner qi was reinforcing and protecting its body. However, the short sword was not a normal weapon. It had been enchanted with flames. ¡°Ugh!¡± In pain, the ogre tried to remove the short sword. Unfortunately for the monster, the extreme heat emanating from the blade wasn¡¯t something it could overlook. However, at that moment, someone appeared in front of it. ¡°Hey, I can¡¯t let you pull that out.¡± With a Bam, Hanma punched the handle of the short sword and drove it into the ogre¡¯s heart. With its heart pierced and aflame due to the fiery nature of the short sword, the ogre couldn¡¯t help but stop in its tracks. And then¡­ Sss¡­ Clear! ¡°Woah! We passed without losing that much health. You guys are great!¡± ¡°The experience points we gained were pretty good, too! Even if I were to fail the level test, I probably wouldn¡¯t have trouble making another attempt. If the level test itself could be taken through joint warfare, I¡¯d be willing to grind it out and get as many experience points as possible.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°Well, at least this should allow us to pass the level-up test without much difficulty, right?¡± After Adol spoke, Ilyia nodded her head in confirmation. ¡°Yes. Once I gain the 100 experience points after leveling up, I can raise my chakra to the third step. Then, I¡¯ll be able to open consecutive Giant Gates, in addition to being able to combine two different Giant Gates. So, my power will be able to make a significant leap.¡± The third step of chakra was roughly equivalent to 300 points in spiritual power and about five cycles in terms of internal energy. The fact that an eighth-level user possessed 300 points in spiritual power was incredible. This level of spiritual power was extremely high compared to the average eighth-level user. This meant that Ilyia had done some serious hardcore training or¡­ ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve put all your level-up points into spiritual power. Your health points are only in the double digits, huh? If you¡¯re unfortunate and have no choice but to take an attack, you¡¯d probably die on the spot.¡± ¡°Well, I see that you¡¯ve put everything into strength and health points. I bet your resistance is in the double digits. You want to have a go? Since your health points and regeneration are high, you¡¯ll probably burn for a while.¡± ¡°What?¡± Having gone down two polar opposite paths, the two started making verbal jabs at each other. As they did this, Adol ignored their petty argument and focused on the item he received from the successful raid. ¡°Nice, a mid-level magic stone, and a 120-point one at that. I didn¡¯t expect such an outstanding reward from completing a joint warfare raid and defeating a single master-level monster.¡± As a martial artist who focused on internal energy, Adol was unable to use the magic stone. If it were a qi core, he would have been able to consume the energy held within, but a magic stone¡¯s property was not qi but a form of worldly magic power. Of course, he could visit a magic shop and ask an NPC to convert the mid-level magic stone into a qi core. Yet, Adol just shook his head. ¡°Consuming something like that would only hurt me in the long run, as using anything that doesn¡¯t match my affinity or my attributes will just be detrimental later. This magic stone has about one cycle (sixty years) and ten years, but if I consume it, it will probably only give me about half a cycle.¡± Even if they weren¡¯t consumed, there were many uses for magic stones and qi cores. For lesser users who either didn¡¯t want to reach the upper echelons of the game or lacked the capability to do so, consuming magic stones or qi cores was a viable option. However, Adol had grander plans. ¡°What about you, Adol? You¡¯ll put your points into internal force and reach four cycles once you pass the level test, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only just reached three cycles and five years, so even if I put all 100 points into internal force, I probably wouldn¡¯t reach four cycles.¡± ¡°Oh? Then, in comparison, that woman¡¯s chakra level is really high, no?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. If she put all her points into only spiritual power, she could reach 300 points by the sixth level, but since she needs to raise resistance as well, being on the third step already is remarkable. Moreover, once the stat in any category goes beyond 200 points, one needs to use three points to improve that category by one point. She probably hasn¡¯t reached that level just by obtaining points. It¡¯s likely that she¡¯s put a lot of grueling training in as well.¡± Knowing that Adol¡¯s words were correct, Hanma nodded. As his health and muscle strength stats rose, Hanma also noticed that it was getting harder for him to raise those two stat categories. ¡°Anyway, what item did you get?¡± ¡°Me? Some silver and an item that¡¯ll probably rot away in my inventory.¡± ¡°An item that¡¯ll rot away in your inventory?¡± Confused by Hanma¡¯s description, Adol looked to Hanma¡¯s side and saw a great hammer. He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. The great hammer was about three meters in length and had a hexagonal head that was the size of a modern refrigerator from Earth. Was it even possible for a human to use this type of weapon? However, Adol¡¯s eyes grew wide as he further inspected the great hammer. ¡°Woah! A second-tier item?! Dude, you lucked out! I haven¡¯t even seen or heard of a third-tier item!¡± ¡°What good will that do for me? I can¡¯t even use it.¡± ¡°But if you sell it.¡­¡± ¡°To whom?¡± ¡°¡­¡± It was only then that Adol realized that the great hammer was most likely utterly useless. Despite the fact that it was a second-tier item, if it couldn¡¯t be used by anyone, it was essentially worthless. ¡°Ah, shit. It¡¯s so heavy that it won¡¯t even go into my inventory. My luck must suck to get this type of drop.¡± ¡°Are you going to throw it away?¡± ¡°Well¡­ no. It still is, after all, a second-tier item.¡± It was a waste to just give up on it. Still, Adol thought that it was fortunate that Hanma received the great hammer. Since the item wouldn¡¯t have fit into any of their inventories, it would have to be carried. Among the four, only Hanma had the physical strength necessary to transport such an item. ¡°Well, nice working with you all. I¡¯m going to head out and finish the level test.¡± Ilyia was the first to say her goodbyes. You could enter the testing room from any location, so as soon as she left this field, she would be able to enter the level testing room. In addition, every one of them would be placed in separate testing rooms, so it was improbable that they¡¯d bump into each other again anytime soon, if ever. ¡°I¡¯ll send you a friend request, so don¡¯t decline it.¡± If they did happen to meet again, it wouldn¡¯t be for a while. However, within the world of DIO, there weren¡¯t many high-level users, so if they wanted to communicate with each other for any reason, they could communicate through the system¡¯s whisper function (a form of text thread with a specific user). Though there were rumors that a user had reached master level, people like these four knew how drastically the difficulty rose to level up as one progressed, and they didn¡¯t believe the rumors. ¡°I¡¯m going to take off as well. Let me know if you guys want to team up for something later.¡± ¡°Okay. Since we haven¡¯t sustained any injuries, we¡¯ll probably all take the level test as soon as possible.¡± Even though he sustained a direct hit from the Ogre Warrior, Hanma seemed unaffected, and he carried the great hammer on his shoulders as he waved goodbye. The weapon weighed half a ton, which was actually less than what one would assume if they looked at it, but that weight was more than enough to squash any normal human being. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. After hearing and seeing each of his group members disappear, Adol turned around and left the field. His surroundings suddenly changed as he was brought back to the testing room. ¡°So, what shall I choose?¡± After some contemplation, Adol chose to conduct a one-on-one battle with a guard. ¡°Hmm?¡± Adol¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as his surroundings transformed into the forest area where he had just conducted the joint warfare with his group members. It seemed that he had been placed in the same forest template setting. Before him, Adol saw a magic formation a short distance away. Boom! Expecting an attack, Adol easily parried the oncoming ogre¡¯s strike. The ogre was actually pushed back about five meters from their clash. It seemed that the rebound from their collision had injured the ogre¡¯s shoulder, as the monster grabbed its shoulder and growled loudly. Unlike the Ogre Warrior, this ogre didn¡¯t carry a weapon or seemed to know how to utilize internal energy. Still, the ogre possessed skin that was tough enough to block any arrow, immense strength, and fortitude that prevented any singular attack from easily killing it. Boom! When they clashed again, it was the ogre that was pushed back once more. With the magic ¡®function¡¯ that his shield possessed, as well as the substantial internal force within himself, Adol was able to show off a considerable level of stopping power. ¡°Sorry, but you¡¯re too weak. You won¡¯t be able to defeat me with your attacks. My shield-wielding ability isn¡¯t just for show, you know.¡± ¡°Grr¡­!¡± The ogre realized that it wouldn¡¯t be able to overcome the shield that covered the human in front of it. And so, it started looking around at its surroundings, growling. Seeing this, Adol sighed. He had expected this. Many of his opponents would stop attacking after hitting his shield a few times. This was because they''d quickly realized that his shield wasn¡¯t being damaged, and in fact, they were being injured instead. However, the problem for Adol was¡­ ¡°My offense is crap.¡± This was Adol¡¯s reality, his main problem. Although he had continued to train his sword arts, he was only in the sixth tier. He showed promise in his cultivation method and had accumulated a tremendous amount of internal energy, but his improvements in the way of the sword art were lackluster. This made it so that his effectiveness in battle was relatively low. In order to defeat the ogre in front of him, Adol would have to conduct tens of successful attacks. ¡°This¡¯ll probably take a while.¡± With a sigh of resignation, Adol angled his shield slightly and sent a boulder glancing off, the rock having been thrown by the ogre. *** The Seadragon¡¯s Temple. The monsters in this dungeon had an average level of thirteen, which signified that it was an advanced-level dungeon. Furthermore, the environment was a hindrance for most users as the entire dungeon was located underwater. And to top it off, the monsters were all experts in underwater combat. Though most users were unaware of it, the Seadragon¡¯s Temple was considered the highest-level dungeon in the game. It had a special class, and the average level of the mobs within it was at least five levels higher than anywhere else. No one had cleared the dungeon yet, and it didn¡¯t seem as though it would be cleared anytime soon. Despite all these factors, Yongno swam leisurely and comfortably through the dungeon. ¡°There¡¯s nothing here? What¡¯s going on?¡± Confused as to what was going on, Yongno continued to move forward. The dungeon was originally supposed to be a succession of hallways and rooms. In each room, monsters would appear, and once the users cleared them, another hallway would show itself, leading to another room. Yet, Yongno had bypassed all of this as he swam in what seemed like the long hallway''s upper crawl space. In truth, he was starting to get frustrated and bored by the length of the hallway. ¡°Hmm, these kinds of places show up every once in a while¡­ is it a resting area?¡± Yongno got out of the water and entered a large room. On the wall, there was a shelf where food was present; there were roughly sixteen servings worth of food. It seemed that the dungeon required sixteen users to clear it. In addition, there was some firewood as well. It looked like the resting area and provisions were provided for users who were uncomfortable in water environments, something Yongno had no issue with. CH 23 ¡°Woah? This is pretty good.¡± Not expecting much in terms of taste, Yongno was pleasantly surprised by the flavor of the gourmet bread. Once he felt full, Yongno stored the remaining food and firewood in his inventory. Though he could endure most chilly temperatures without concern, he still stashed the firewood in case he ever needed it for anything. ¡°I don¡¯t really need any rest.¡± The Golden Pill Immortal Technique was a cultivation method that could be trained in any setting, so Yongno had been continuously cultivating and recovering as he swam. His internal power, which had dropped to nearly nothing when he was caught deep in the sea, had already fully recovered. ¡°Hmm. It seems it¡¯ll take another day before I can completely refine my power.¡± His internal energy had a murky quality to it, and though it wasn¡¯t cumbersome to use, Yongno decided to refine it. He nodded after noting the process. His internal energy didn¡¯t all originate from the Golden Pill Immortal Technique. Some of his internal energy was derived from the Dark North Sea Divine Technique, a skill that forcefully pulled natural qi from the environment. Since these two types of internal energy came from different sources, they did not work together seamlessly. Hence, even though Yongno had been refining his internal energy for a long time, he had not been able to raise the maximum level of his internal energy. Moreover, his current Golden Pill Immortal Technique worked by constantly refining internal energy rather than gathering or collecting qi from outside oneself. In other words, Yongno needed to unify his internal energy before he could start expanding it. Additionally, Yongno recognized that he wouldn¡¯t be able to increase his internal energy unless he leveled up, as he was restricted to a certain amount of internal energy due to his level. Since he wouldn¡¯t be able to expand his inner force, gather internal energy, or level up anytime soon, Yongno tried to be efficient with his time by focusing on cultivating more Golden Cores. These were the basic building blocks of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique. ¡°How much further do I have to go?¡± Yongno went back into the water and continued swimming. At a certain point, he had already traversed over ten kilometers. If anyone else were to travel this far underwater, they wouldn¡¯t be able to survive. ¡®Ah, is this the end?¡¯ Yongno had reached the end of the hallway, and he was met with one final door. He was wondering how he would open it, but as soon as he grew close, the door opened automatically. Originally, this was meant to be a Boss Room. One would only be able to reach this room after clearing all the Guardian Knights in the previous rooms. Only then would the door to this Boss Room open. However, the Guardian Knights had never materialized in the other rooms since Yongno didn¡¯t enter them, so the Boss Room¡¯s door just opened for Yongno. Rumble! As the large stone door opened, Yongno stepped into the room. If one of the users who cleared the previous rooms were here instead, they would not have entered so carelessly. The large stone door had a sign that clearly read Boss Room. Yongno was entering a place that held the ultimate monster within the dungeon. The Boss would have the environmental and power advantage in any scenario. As such, it would be difficult at best, if not near impossible, for a group of users to clear the room. However, since the rewards were commensurate with the difficulty level, there would surely be users who¡¯d challenge the dungeon, but that did not lessen the fact that it would be almost futile to try clearing the Boss. In any case, everyone who knew of these facts would have hesitated to enter the room. If a person went inside and was within the attack range of the monster, they would have to enter battle instantly. If that individual was not properly prepared, mentally or physically, entering was essentially a pathway towards a quick death. Thus, most parties would formulate a plan of attack and run various scenarios to fully prepare before entering a room. Of course, it would be relatively easier for those who had quick reflexes or outstanding defensive skills, but either way¡­ ¡°Hmm? This place is?¡± Yongno was astonished at the sheer size of the room. The space was about one square kilometer in area. However, the entire place was empty. Initially, this would be where the Boss would appear, and since the room¡¯s size was proportional to the monster¡¯s, one could easily tell that the Boss in this room should have been a behemoth. Moreover, the size of a monster usually reflected how strong it was. As such, there should have been a Boss. It should have been present¡­ ¡®So empty.¡¯ There was nothing in this vast space. Absolutely nothing. Moreover, the door to the reward room across from the entrance was open. The place where there should¡¯ve been a chaotic fight was eerily quiet¡­ as there was no monster. This world was recreated for Yongno¡¯s specific mission. In other words, this dungeon was assembled specifically for the basic mission of transporting items. And so, there was no monster. If there were a Boss, beginner users like Yongno would¡¯ve never been able to pass. ¡®Is that the exit? There¡¯s nothing here, so I guess I¡¯ll head over there.¡¯ Yongno peacefully walked through the area that should have been filled with anguished cries, bloody fighting, and extreme difficulty. If other users who were currently shedding blood and tears to clear their dungeons saw Yongno, they¡¯d all cry out in anger. Yet, there were no such eyes observing him, so he moseyed on into the reward room. Plunk. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s air in this room.¡± Yongno rose past the surface of the water and, utilizing his water attribute power, quickly shook off any excess water that was on him. Like magic, his skin was no longer wet but remained moisturized, as if he had just stepped out of the shower and dried himself. Since Yongno had done this several times before, he was no longer astonished by this ability. Instead, all of Yongno¡¯s attention was focused on the various boxes that held the rewards. ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be any traps.¡± Using Aura Vision and the basic vision to look at the items provided by the system, Yongno determined that there weren¡¯t any traps. There were sixteen boxes in total, and this was because it should have taken sixteen users to clear the dungeon. Without much thought, Yongno walked over to the first box and opened it. ¡°Wow!¡± Yongno whistled at the sight of a bunch of gold coins. Although he was unsure exactly how the currency worked in DIO, Yongno felt confident that the amount he was seeing was a fairly large sum. ¡°Well, better put it away in my inventory.¡± Then, he went to the next box. This time, the box was filled with jewels. Diamonds, rubies, and emeralds the size of one¡¯s thumb; there were two of each. The jewels looked flawless and seemed to have been cut by an expert. These jewels were definitely not just any ordinary commodity. ¡°In you go as well.¡± Yongno continued on and opened the following box. Just like the first one, this too was filled with gold coins. As Yongno opened the boxes in succession, he found that thirteen of the sixteen boxes were filled with either gold coins or jewels. There were even some boxes that contained both. ¡°Wow, isn¡¯t this a tremendous amount? I wonder if it¡¯s really okay for me to take all this?¡± Despite mumbling about whether he should be doing this, Yongno faithfully took all the items from each box. Even though it was a large number of gold coins and jewels, he could easily carry it all in his inventory, so there was no issue with transportation. After this, there were three boxes left. These remaining boxes held items other than gold coins and jewels. ¡°This?¡± There were two items in one of the boxes. One of the items was a black pair of glasses with golden engravings and motifs on them. The other item was a red marble bracelet that fit comfortably in Yongno¡¯s hand. Once he picked both items up, Yongno focused on appraising them. ¡°Woah¡­ this is great, right?¡± Curious, Yongno put on the glasses. Seemingly imbued with magic, the glasses felt very comfortable. However, once Yongno put them on, a set of text appeared in front of him. /The magic item¡¯s required level far exceeds your current level. The functions of the item will not operate./ ¡°Damn, a level requirement. I¡¯ve heard that there are level restrictions¡­ I guess this is what it¡¯s like.¡± It was obvious that there were items that needed a certain level or higher to use. Since DIO¡¯s system required users to raise their levels through constant level testing, the system wouldn¡¯t allow magic items to be used by just anyone. If this rule didn¡¯t exist, some users might be able to clear level tests using items rather than depending on their abilities. ¡°I guess I¡¯m not able to use these. Still, the red marble bracelet has a rank eight user requirement, so if I gain a couple more levels, I¡¯ll be able to try it on and use it.¡± Eventually, Yongno found that neither of the items could be worn at the moment, so he stuffed them both into his inventory. He then went on to the next box. ¡°A high-grade magic stone¡­ I guess this is decent?¡± Without little expectations, Yongno utilized the system¡¯s appraisal function¡­ and he couldn¡¯t help but choke on some air. The amount of spiritual power contained in the magic stone was¡­ ¡°450 points? That¡¯s nine times my maximum internal energy limit!¡± It was a tremendous amount of power. Yongno didn¡¯t know this, but there was no user in DIO who even had 450 total points. The reality was that no other user had ever come across a high-grade magic stone. A high-grade magic stone was an incredible treasure. However, since Yongno wasn¡¯t familiar with the different levels and ranks within DIO, he simply thought that he came across a useful item before tossing it into his inventory. ¡°Later on, once I gain some levels and my stat limits increase, I should convert the magic stone into a qi core.¡± Of course, if Yongno really did this and consumed the resultant qi core, he would undoubtedly die. This would be similar to shoving ten tons of food into a tiny child¡¯s body. Since his internal energy was only at 50 points, 450 additional points, which would convert to fourteen cycles and ten years, would cause lethal turmoil in his body. Consuming a qi core with those values would essentially be suicide. ¡°Well, I suppose I can¡¯t use this item as well. I guess it¡¯s time to look in the last box.¡± After tossing the magic core into his inventory, Yongno opened the last box. Yet, the box initially seemed empty. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s empty? I guess they can¡¯t all be filled with great things- oh wait, there¡¯s something inside.¡± In a small crack within the box, Yongno found a ring. It appeared as though someone had carelessly placed it in the box as an afterthought, but Yongno decided to appraise the ring in earnest regardless. ¡°If there really are trash boxes in this game, then I guess this would be it, but if not, then this item should be at a similar level to the gold coins, jewels, and the items in the other boxes, right?¡± ¡°Only 9th Tier? However, the description states that it¡¯s a unique item, so I guess the tier rating and rarity are separate.¡± Yongno slid the ring onto his left middle finger. The ring was a size larger than his finger, but true to its description as a magic-imbued ring, it shrunk in size until it fit snugly on his finger. ¡°Oho. Not bad. It looks so luxurious.¡± All alone in the room, Yongno raised his left hand into the air and appreciated the sparkling ring. Then, he put some of his internal force into the ring. Woong. The ring turned warm to the touch and started vibrating. It was Wicalein¡¯s Ring. Soon, writing began to appear around the ring. Poof! A fist-sized ball of light appeared in front of Yongno. It was a vestige thought being that was connected to Wicalein¡¯s Ring. As the vestige thought rotated around him, Yongno tried to reach out and touch it. ¡°Soft?¡± Yongno was surprised at how the vestige thought being rubbed against him, much like a cat. As if trying to play a game with Yongno, the vestige started pushing itself against him before running around and circling him. To test something out, Yongno took out a blade fish and tossed it towards the vestige. Clank! As the blade fish hit the floor nose first, a metallic sound rang out. Yongno focused on observing the vestige¡¯s movements. The vestige didn¡¯t show any response to the blade fish, and it continued to float in the air. Within his mind, Yongno imagined the vestige raising the blade fish by the nose. CH 24 Whoosh. The vestige instantly grabbed the blade fish. It didn¡¯t do so with incredible speed, but it still seemed quick in Yongno¡¯s eyes. ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s try something else.¡± Yongno conducted experiments on the vestige for ten minutes. He gauged how much strength the vestige possessed, what it could do, and what it couldn¡¯t. After conducting experiment after experiment, Yongno found that the vestige, although naturally soft, could transform into a hardened, sharp shape. It possessed the strength to lift an item weighing at most one kilogram, and it could move items within five meters in circumference from the ring. Considering the loss of power as it moved further away from the ring, the vestige could move in a range of approximately ten-meter circumference from the ring. ¡°I guess it wouldn¡¯t be too useful during battle. Is it a pet?¡± After thinking this, Yongno continued to move the vestige around the room until he saw that it did not have a reflection on the surface of the water. Even though Yongno could clearly see his figure, there were no signs of the vestige¡¯s figure and luminance. ¡°I guess the light that it emits isn¡¯t in the visible spectrum. Perhaps only I can see it?¡± Of course, Yongno would have to test this with others to see if this was indeed the case, but if it proved to be true, Yongno felt that the vestige could be useful. Being invisible was a tremendous advantage. ¡°Good. I should start heading out. This place probably wouldn¡¯t force me to leave from where I came from, so there should be an exit here somewhere.¡± However, no matter how hard Yongno searched, he couldn¡¯t find an exit. Even after using the system¡¯s visual scanning system, he still couldn¡¯t find any way out. ¡°What the hell? Whatever, I¡¯m just going to log out. My arm¡¯s a mess anyway.¡± Despite being able to recuperate his internal force and stamina, his right arm was still ravaged and in disrepair. Considering that the bone was broken and the muscles shredded, it wasn¡¯t an injury that would get better over time. Even an experienced doctor would shake their head at his arm¡¯s current state. However, Yongno didn¡¯t really give it much thought. He knew that any injury, as long as it wasn¡¯t life-threatening, would be cured once he logged out. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll take a break. [Log Out].¡± *** ¡°Yay! With this, we¡¯re done! Nice work, everyone!¡± ¡°Phew! Good job, Seyoung. Do you want me to buy you breakfast?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s time for me to deliver newspapers anyway.¡± Seyoung collected the baseball cap that she had taken off before picking up her bag; her actions were quick and decisive without a single wasted movement. Seyoung moved with purpose. Although she was taking off immediately after her work hours ended, the owner of the convenience store didn¡¯t seem disappointed at her rush to leave. Rather, he seemed troubled to see this. It was because he knew that Seyoung was rushing off to her fourth part-time job. ¡°It won¡¯t be that big a deal if you¡¯re a little late, no? You¡¯ve stayed up all night, so you should at least eat something.¡± ¡°You know that newspapers can¡¯t be late. If you really feel that bad, you can just give me the money that you¡¯d spend on breakfast.¡± ¡°No way.¡± ¡°Hmpf!¡± As she muttered complaints under her breath, Seyoung quickly got on her bicycle and took off like the wind as Sunghan watched her depart with a sad expression. Soon, a long-haired and energetic-looking woman stood next to him. It was Miyoung. ¡°Oh, did Seyoung already take off?¡± ¡°Yeah. She went off to deliver her paper route.¡± ¡°Ack! That girl¡­ How many part-time jobs does she have?¡± ¡°Four. And she attends university as well.¡± As she heard this new information, Miyoung¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Wow! Four part-time jobs in one day. She¡¯s going to become disabled in no time. Is it because she needs to gather money for tuition?¡± Korea¡¯s average annual tuition to attend university was the second highest in the world, with the USA coming in first. However, considering the availability of grants, loans, and scholarships in the USA, Korea was effectively the most expensive place on Earth for university. Even if the Korean government tripled the amount of financial aid they gave to university students, Korea would still only be providing two-thirds the amount of the other OECD countries, a well-known secret within Korean society. Moreover, even if students graduated, they would be burdened with heavy debt, as they most likely borrowed a significant amount of cash to attend university. They would usually have tens of millions of Won in debt, which often led many of these graduates to default on their loans in the near future. This was the reality in Korea. It wasn¡¯t easy for an individual to earn their tuition and pay their way through university. The amount they had to pay was not something that even a full-time job could fund. ¡°No, it¡¯s not for tuition. She has a scholarship, and it¡¯s a full scholarship.¡± ¡°She has four part-time jobs, attends university, and has a full-ride scholarship? If she has a full-ride scholarship, why does she have four part-time jobs?¡± Seeing Miyoung¡¯s confused expression, Sunghan sighed. ¡°It¡¯s because she¡¯s a good daughter.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Not understanding the meaning of Sunghan¡¯s words, Miyoung stood still with a dumbfounded look on her face. *** ¡°I¡¯m going to be late!¡± Seyoung was bounding through the morning¡¯s glistening fog. This was a critical time. While most of her clients were probably asleep, there were still some who got up early and expected their newspapers to be delivered like clockwork. Whoosh! Whoosh! She pedaled furiously while flinging newspapers without hesitation. The newspapers would fly through the air, cut through the opaque fog, and land squarely in her customer¡¯s mailboxes. She hadn¡¯t been doing this job for simply a day or two, and her mastery of these deliveries made it seem as if she had delivered newspapers all her life. Thus, in a few moments, she finished her neighborhood paper route. ¡°Hahaha! Done! I¡¯ll be hungry if I stay up any longer, so I should head to bed.¡± Even though she was tired from working such long hours, she smiled brightly as she headed home. She had finished her paper route at 5:30 AM. In about seven hours at 1 PM, she had university classes to attend. Afterward, she had a part-time job at a gas station. Thus, every hour of sleep was precious for Seyoung. ¡°Wait.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Abruptly, a middle-aged man was standing in front of Seyoung, surprising her because she didn¡¯t see where he came from. It was true that she hadn¡¯t looked straight ahead the entire time, but she had only taken her eyes off the road for one or two seconds at most. Was it possible for someone to move in front of her in such a short timespan without being noticed? Moreover, hadn¡¯t she been pedaling quickly to rush back home? Why was she stopped here? She didn¡¯t know how or when she had halted. It was as if she had been momentarily taken over by a spirit or ghost. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°K-Kim Seyoung.¡± ¡°Ah, yes, Kim Seyoung. I know it¡¯s sudden, but would you like a part-time job?¡± Seyoung was thoroughly surprised by the stranger¡¯s question. This person that she¡¯d never seen in her entire life had just appeared before her and offered a part-time job. ¡°Uhm, sorry, but I already have four part-time jobs. I really only have enough time to sleep.¡­¡± Whack. She was interrupted as she felt something smack into her hands. It was a large stack of banknotes. Seyoung froze as she saw this, but her money-prioritizing mind made her speak before she could process anything. ¡°W-what kind of work is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. There¡¯s a new game that went online recently. I need you to play it.¡± ¡°Well, if it¡¯s only that¡­ So, let me get this straight. You¡¯re not asking me to make an online game but simply play it? And you¡¯ll pay me two million five hundred and forty thousand Won?¡± Once he heard her surprised and somewhat exasperated response, the middle-aged man¡¯s eyes twinkled with interest underneath his grey fedora. ¡°Oho, you know the exact amount by merely holding the money?¡± ¡°Does it matter? Anyway, I don¡¯t have a computer at home, so I¡¯m not sure if I can play online games.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be an issue. If you don¡¯t have a computer, I can provide one. It¡¯ll be delivered and set up today.¡± Seyoung couldn¡¯t help but frown at the man¡¯s one-sided decision. ¡°Hey, I know that nothing in this world is free. It seems you plan on selling me something and then pulling the rug out from underneath me, but that won¡¯t work-¡± ¡°It seems your mother is not well.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Seyoung couldn¡¯t respond, shocked by what the man had uttered. As he saw her reaction, the man nodded his head. ¡°I see. So that¡¯s why you¡¯ve been working so hard. You¡¯re an excellent daughter. I¡¯m moved.¡± Despite saying such heartfelt words, the man¡¯s expression remained the same. He was just as cool and calm as before. Seyoung felt chills run up her spine as she looked at the man. ¡°You¡­ who are you?¡± ¡°Only an employee.¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I¡¯m asking.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a user who¡¯s reached Level 10 in DIO; this level is also known as the Master level. Of course, if possible, I¡¯d like to reach Level 20 and become an Overseer or a Great Magic user. And if I reach Level 30, I¡¯ll be a martial art Transcendent and become part of the Ten Classes¡­ but anyway, for most users, reaching Level 10 is the first goal. Passing the Level 10 test just gives users the useless title of Master and nothing else of note, but it¡¯s still important to reach that point.¡± What the man said made no sense and wasn¡¯t all that important to Seyoung. However, his next words shook Seyoung to the core. ¡°Your mother¡¯s illness¡­ I¡¯ll cure her.¡± ¡°Hahaha! Your jokes go too far! My mother¡¯s disease is-¡± ¡°Leukemia, right?¡± Seyoung was at a loss for words when the man matter-of-factly stated her mother¡¯s exact disease. In truth, there were many things that she wanted to ask and say, but she couldn¡¯t control her mouth, as she was frozen in place from astonishment. ¡°T-that¡­ yes, you¡¯re right. Yet, you said that you could cure her, not that you¡¯d try to cure her. How can you guarantee her recovery?¡± ¡°Because I can cure her.¡± His matter-of-fact way of speaking was throwing Seyoung off. She didn¡¯t understand what was going on. However, regardless of whether Seyoung felt confused or not, the man calmly continued speaking. ¡°I¡¯ll have her admitted into a hospital right away, but I have two conditions.¡± ¡°Conditions?¡± ¡°Since the closed beta phase already started five days ago, there are only five days left. If you can create a character that reaches Level 10 by the end of the closed beta, I¡¯ll make sure your mother is cured. The second condition doesn¡¯t have a set time period. If you reach Level 10.¡­¡± As if he found something entertaining, the man smiled. ¡°You won¡¯t have to do any part-time work again. Your mother will recover, and you¡¯ll also receive a slew of benefits. I also promise that your mother¡¯s lifestyle will return to a standard that¡¯s better than most other families.¡± ¡°T-then, what about this stack of money?¡± ¡°I¡¯m giving you the money so that you don¡¯t have to worry while you¡¯re playing DIO. Hmm, on second thought, perhaps I didn¡¯t give you enough.¡± Having said this, the man closed his eyes. After a moment, he reopened them. ¡°Fortunately, you have a bank account.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh¡­ yeah¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send additional funds directly to your account. It may be unseemly to carry around a large sum of money in public.¡± With that, the man turned around. ¡°I¡¯ll be off then. The next time we meet, make sure you don¡¯t have any other part-time jobs.¡± ¡°Ah, a moment, please.¡­¡± Seyoung tried to stop the man, but a few bills loosened from the stack and drifted to the ground. As she held the large stack with both hands, it was obvious that some of the money would fall if she made a sudden move. However, since she¡¯d lived with a miser¡¯s mentality for the past twenty years, she swiftly moved the hefty stack underneath one arm and used the other to pick up the fallen bills. ¡°Phew¡­¡± After making sure that she scooped everything up, Seyoung raised her head. What greeted her was an empty street in the early hours of the morning. ¡°He¡¯s gone?¡± Seyoung looked at the empty street with an exasperated expression. She momentarily thought that she had imagined the whole exchange, but then Seyoung looked down at the stack of money in her arms and knew that she''d genuinely experienced what had occurred. ¡°What the living hell¡­.¡± Seyoung couldn¡¯t make sense of that interaction. However, the street was still empty. CH 25 ¡°Let¡¯s go. There are no more promising people that caught my eye in this city.¡± ¡°Did you really have to go that far? No matter how you look at it, your recent exchange with that girl looks shady. Wouldn¡¯t it be more convincing and plausible if you told her that she ¡®won a sweepstakes event?¡¯ The DIO connecting devices we send out have an alluring natural element to them, so the receivers are bound to play the game at least once. And, as you know, once users start playing the game, they can¡¯t stop.¡± DIO was not a simple game. It was a new world. Though it was still in its early stages, once it was unveiled to the world, it would be an instant hit that would disrupt the world order. ¡°That is what would occur if the receiver was your average individual. When I ¡®read¡¯ that girl, she didn¡¯t seem like she would ever connect to DIO even if we sent her a connecting device.¡± ¡°Still, did you have to give her a computer, promise to set it up, and state that you¡¯d cure her mother¡¯s illness? Is she really worth all that trouble?¡± ¡°She is.¡± Hearing the firm response, the young man became quiet before saying, ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. She¡¯s on par with that boy, the son of the military official.¡± ¡°The son of the military official? Oh, you mean that guy¡­ eh?¡± After exclaiming ¡®eh,¡¯ the young man thought for a moment before jumping up in surprise and staring at the middle-aged man. ¡°W-wait. Isn¡¯t he an irregular? How can she be similar.¡­¡± However, as he was speaking, the young man seemed to realize something. ¡°There are two irregulars on one planet?¡± ¡°Actually, there¡¯s one more. There¡¯s three in total.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The young man was at a loss for words. What the middle-aged man just stated didn¡¯t make any sense. ¡°Having an irregular on a planet is surprising and rare, and it''s a blessing from the gods for even a single one to appear.¡± ¡°Wait, does it make sense that there are three irregulars on one planet? This entire planet only has a population of seven billion people.¡± ¡°There are always surprises.¡± The middle-aged man calmly stated this as he started walking, with the young man following close behind. ¡°Then, shall I deep scan the entire planet? If there are any other individuals with potential, we should find them as soon as possible.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a great idea. Oh, and while you¡¯re at it, tell Cain to start the charging service and have him purchase computers with his unused funds. Have him buy¡­ ten thousand- wait, no¡­ a hundred thousand computers. Yeah, that should work. Also, have him get some money and gold.¡± ¡°What do you plan on doing with all of that?¡± ¡°Something crossed my mind after speaking with that girl. Even if there are promising individuals, they may not be able to play the game due to their family finances, country of residence, or other extraneous factors. Since DIO doesn¡¯t require an internet connection, users can play from anywhere, from the Amazon or even the most remote places in Africa.¡± The young man nodded in agreement. ¡°That sounds reasonable. However, if you give things away like you just did, I think we might get the opposite of what we want. Since this girl is an irregular, the approach you took might work, but for others, I think telling them they won a sweepstake would be more convincing. A ¡®month-long free pass to play DIO¡¯ reward, for instance.¡± ¡°Okay, that sounds reasonable. We may lose some users if we take that approach, but it¡¯s not like we can get everyone. As long as we can make sure that the most valuable users connect and play DIO- huh?¡± The middle-aged man was relaxedly explaining his thoughts when a mysterious expression abruptly started appearing on his face. It was as if he was witnessing a chicken that he¡¯d raised his entire life one day fly into the sky and perch on an electric wire far above the ground. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing serious; it¡¯s just a minor thing. There seems to be a bug in DIO, some kind of system error.¡± The young man looked exasperated. ¡°What? A bug in DIO? Isn¡¯t it impossible to have bugs in the system?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I thought as well¡­ interesting. Well, we¡¯re not gods. It¡¯s impossible for us to be without flaws.¡± As he spoke, the middle-aged man waved his hand, which started becoming blurry and translucent. The young man frowned. ¡°Is it one of the new users?¡± ¡°Time will tell. You should focus on the work that Cain needs to do, Melton.¡± With that said, the middle-aged man disappeared into thin air. Seeing this, the young man shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Well, if he doesn¡¯t want to continue the conversation, it¡¯s not my place to butt in. Anyway, I should get going.¡± Just like the middle-aged man, Melton also disappeared. *** A bunch of text floated around a blue orb that was suspended in the air. Then, the orb disappeared, and in its place, a young man in his twenties descended. ¡°Oh. I¡¯ve completely recovered. Isn¡¯t this incredible?¡± The young man opened and closed his right hand as he admired his recovery. After all, just an hour earlier, his arm was in an unusable state. Though he knew he was in a game, he couldn¡¯t help but praise how real the system¡¯s sensory world felt. ¡°Hmm, although I¡¯ve logged out and logged back in, I guess it won¡¯t place me outside the dungeon. But this also means that I can take my time to clear any dungeon.¡± Yongno didn¡¯t know this, but while logging out inside a dungeon wouldn¡¯t affect the user, the dungeon¡¯s monster would reset, which would return them to their original spawns. Moreover, unlike the mobs, users wouldn¡¯t be able to examine their surroundings or receive protection from a magic circle while they logged in. In other words, if a user logged out where the monsters had been initially, when they logged back in and materialized, they would be attacked immediately. ¡°Anyway, how am I supposed to exit the dungeon? Do I really have to go back from where I entered? Is there actually no secret exit?¡± As Yongno mumbled to himself, he utilized Aura Vision and the system¡¯s scanning function to inspect his surroundings once more. Yongno searched every nook and cranny in the hopes of finding a secret path. While he was observing the ground, Yongno found that something was buried underneath. ¡°Hmm?¡± In the center of the sixteen boxes, which were placed in a circular pattern, there was something roughly three meters below the surface. Utilizing both Aura Vision and the scanning function, Yongno realized what was three meters below the surface. ¡°A sword¡­?¡± It was a beautiful silver sword that bore a thin blade. The sword¡¯s cross-guard was encrusted and decorated with jewels, while the grip was wrapped in an unknown yet modern-looking blue material. The sword seemed like an item that would appear in a legend. Judging solely by its outward appearance, the sword looked more akin to a piece of art than a functioning weapon. As he stared at the sword in awe, Yongno unconsciously appraised it. ¡°SS Tier?¡± Although his first experience with the tiering system was when he acquired the pair of glasses, Yongno had been given a brief overview from Mari. The item tiering system was similar to the skill rank system. However, rather than ¡®rank,¡¯ which was used for skills, items used ¡®tiers.¡¯ A Level 1 user would only be able to use items at the ninth tier. Level 2 users could use up to eighth-tiered items, while seventh-tiered items were for users who achieved their Level 3 and so on. Thus, once an individual reached Level 9, they could start using first-tier items. When a user entered Level 10, the user would be able to use A-tier items. A tier, otherwise known as the Master level, had wider level requirements before one could use the next tier of items. For example, AA-tier items could only be wielded starting from Level 13, and S-tiered items required Level 16. An SS-tiered item could only be used at Level 18, whereas a UT-tiered item needed the user to pass Level 20. However, what Yongno didn¡¯t know was that items were divided based on their ¡®performance.¡¯ For example, the Wicalein¡¯s Ring that he possessed was a unique item that had considerable value; however, it did not offer much in the way of performance, so it was graded as a ninth-tier item. ¡°How¡­ am I supposed to get that sword out?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t. You don¡¯t have the ability yet.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Yongno jumped back in fright. Despite never learning martial arts, he instinctively knew that the person who replied to him had lessened their weight by using a body movement art. So, Yongno had leaped back to distance himself at least five meters away from the origin of the voice. Yet, Yongno soon realized that a middle-aged man was standing directly beside him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so surprised. I¡¯m not here to hurt you.¡± ¡°Eh, it¡¯s you¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while. In this place, I¡¯m¡­ like an operator. I¡¯m here because I was notified of a bug.¡± ¡°Huh? A bug? What is a bug-¡± As he was speaking, Yongno realized something. He had entered the dungeon, swam around for a couple of hours, and came across a treasure trove of loot. He had been so happy with his good fortune that he forgot to consider how odd his actions and results would look to an outsider. Even if Yongno didn¡¯t recognize the true value of the items he acquired, he knew that he had come across items that were too exceptional for him. ¡°Wait¡­ you haven¡¯t come to take the rewards away from me, right?¡± Yongno tried to make his body small and find a way to sneak off, but he knew his actions were futile. Even Mari, the NPC, could go into his inventory and take out whatever she wanted. It would be a piece of cake for an operator to take anything from his inventory whenever they wanted. ¡°Hmm, well, the items you took are a little rare at the moment, but I don¡¯t really have any thoughts of taking them away from you.¡± ¡°Oh? Really?¡± ¡°Yes. You acquired those items from no fault of your own. We made a mistake. Furthermore, since you obtained items that are high tiered, you won¡¯t be able to use them anyway since you don¡¯t meet their skill and level requirements. In any case, you wouldn¡¯t be unbalancing the game. I guess the main issue is the gold and jewels. You really are in possession of too much gold and jewels, so I¡¯ll be taking away four-fifths.¡± Cha-ching! As soon as the middle-aged man said those words, Yongno¡¯s inventory opened, and a large number of gold coins flew up in the air before being sucked through an open door. Yongno looked at the unfolding scene with saddened eyes. However, he was in no position to protest. Shouldn¡¯t he be happy that he was able to keep some of the gold? ¡°You¡¯re very interesting. You took advantage of a weakness in our system. To be specific, the protection mechanism that protects low-level players when they accidentally stumble across more powerful foes. The mechanic was meant to avoid undue and unjust harm to beginner users. I never imagined that it could be used in this way.¡± Of course, it wouldn¡¯t make sense for the operator to be completely ignorant. In the first place, DIO¡¯s dungeons shouldn¡¯t have had an opening that allowed a low-level player to enter unless they met the qualifications. They had never considered that a low-level user could travel deep into the depths of the sea, especially an individual at the first level. The Seadragon¡¯s Temple was an astounding one thousand meters below sea level, and it was situated at the bottom of the sea. Moreover, the dungeon¡¯s entrance was protected by a sturdy, nearly unbreakable ice wall. This ice wall was a great deterrent that should have filtered out any unqualified users. Yet, incredibly, as a Level 1 user no less, Yongno had swum a thousand kilometers straight down and took advantage of his water attribute to pass through the ice wall. This wasn¡¯t just a rare confluence of events; it was a situation that they had never even considered. ¡°Then, you¡¯ll let me off?¡± ¡°Yes. However, I can¡¯t have something like this happen again, so I¡¯ll have to take some precautions.¡± After saying this, the middle-aged man closed his eyes. He stayed in that state for about three seconds before he reopened them. Then, the world [Changed]. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Within the blink of an eye, a feeling that stemmed from something unknown crept through Yongno. Confused about what was going on, Yongno looked around him. That was when he saw it. In the water-filled Boss Room, Yongno spotted a massive monster that filled up the entire room. CH 26 Woo! ¡°Ah¡­ ah¡­ ah¡­.¡± The monster¡¯s cries reverberated throughout the dungeon. It was a dragon. Moreover, this was one that showed up in East Asian legends: a colossal, blue dragon. The dragon was so massive that a single eyeball was the size of a large van. ¡°Done. If the monsters are constantly present in every dungeon, then this type of accident shouldn¡¯t arise again.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­.¡± ¡°And as for you¡­.¡± Yongno shook fearfully due to the dragon¡¯s cries. Seeing this, the middle-aged man continued, ¡°In general, DIO¡¯s monsters usually take the initiative to attack first.¡± Clink! As soon as the middle-aged man finished speaking, the dragon¡¯s eyes popped wide open and shone brightly. Instantly, Yongno was suppressed by a sense of absolute power and killing intent! ¡°Ah, if you want to leave a dungeon, you just have to yell a keyword. You have to state, ¡®escape dungeon.¡¯¡± Without any hesitation, Yongno screamed, ¡°Escape Dungeon!¡± Boom! Once Yongno stated those two words, he immediately disappeared. Unlike the process of logging out, the dungeon exit was conducted instantaneously. ¡°Hmm, was I too hard on him?¡± [It was apparent that he¡¯s a beginner user. It¡¯s incredible that he didn¡¯t succumb to panic and remained level-headed enough to exit the dungeon.] The Seadragon Zygmunt chuckled as it spoke, having been exerting pressure just moments earlier. If Zygmunt wanted, it could have easily killed Yongno before he had a chance to escape the dungeon. In fact, during the time it took Yongno to state those two words, Zygmunt could have killed Yongno many times over. However, Zygmunt refrained from taking any action because of the middle-aged man. [Anyway, is everything alright?] ¡°Hmm? What do you mean?¡± [Asking me to come here. Although this may be a bit direct, you brought me to this monster-level place¡­ me¡­ a Legend-tier. Copying something at my power level wouldn¡¯t be easy, even for existences like you, the Noblesse. This remains true regardless of whether or not you utilized the special properties of ¡®this place.¡¯ Since you called me here, if anyone were to enter the dungeon I occupied before being summoned, there wouldn¡¯t be anything there.] ¡°¡­¡± Confronted with a situation that he never expected, the middle-aged man, a Noblesse, had taken drastic action. Yet, he soon realized that he had made a mistake. ¡°Oh, that is an issue. I was too arrogant to think that there wouldn¡¯t be any bugs.¡± [So, what are you planning to do?] ¡°I¡¯m going to send you back. I can¡¯t copy and place you in every dungeon that¡¯s needed for testing purposes.¡± [However, if you send me back, then this Boss Room will become empty. Furthermore, this won¡¯t be the only instance of this dungeon¡¯s Boss Room. This Boss Room appears in the Level 10 test and Level 15 test. If the Boss Room is empty, users will be able to just pass through it.] Hearing Zygmunt¡¯s words, the middle-aged man just shrugged. ¡°Well, even if it¡¯s not you, I can copy and place hundreds of lesser monsters into the room. I¡¯ll resolve it through numbers rather than quality.¡± [Is that right?] ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m sorry that I bothered you. Return and rest. It¡¯ll be some time before anyone attempts to challenge the Seadragon¡¯s Temple. You can take a vacation until you hear the emergency bells.¡± [Fine.] After answering in spirit speech, Zygmunt disappeared. The departure of such an enormous existence seemed like magic, but the middle-aged man didn¡¯t pay any attention. He started to mumble to himself. ¡°Well, at least I found out that a Legend-tier monster can¡¯t be placed in this experimental world, which is another weakness of the system¡­ but that guy was quite interesting. Rather than quietly going through the motions in his designated testing areas, he entered an uncharted and uninhabited territory all by himself and snooped around. Who would have thought he¡¯d do that?¡± It was already weird and abnormal that a Level 1 user would swim a thousand meters under the sea and go through an ice wall. The majority of users never left their testing area, and if they did, they would only venture out by about a kilometer away at most. ¡°His ability levels are abnormal as well. He¡¯s at the second rank of mastery in swimming and third rank of mastery in handicraft and enhanced eyesight. Furthermore, his diving ability has given him increased internal force and has allowed him to gather internal force in a brief short-term burst.¡± Despite the fact that Yongno was an irregular, his achievements seemed more confounding than surprising. His combat ability had far surpassed what a Level 1 user should possess. ¡°Also, he¡¯s utilizing the Golden Pill Immortal Technique to circulate internal energy in his mid-dantian, in addition to practicing the Great Strength Vajra Hand as his main martial arts technique? Since he doesn¡¯t possess any affiliation with a martial arts institution or other sources, he must have received these techniques from Mari in the beginner zone. Do NPCs have the authority to hand out such advanced techniques?¡± The middle-aged man was puzzled by these various questions, but he soon shook his head and cleared his mind. ¡°Well, that¡¯s none of my concern. I¡¯m not in charge of skills and characters; I¡¯m sure Sungho has his reasons.¡± Of course, there was no explanation as to why Choi Sungho would make such exceptions for a beginner, but the middle-aged man decided that it wasn¡¯t his problem. All his colleagues were wise and thoughtful existences, but they all possessed one weakness. ¡°I should head back and get some sleep.¡± Although this wasn¡¯t well known¡­ they were all lazy. ***Completion of Transportation Mission*** ¡®Ugh! S-scary!¡¯ Leaning on the ice wall, Yongno started panting heavily. Obviously, since he was underwater at the moment, he wasn¡¯t actually breathing, but he had been terribly startled moments ago, so he was shaking uncontrollably. Yongno¡¯s response illustrated just how immense Zygmunt¡¯s pressure was. Yongno looked back at the ice wall but quickly shook his head. He had already gained a treasure trove without much effort. ¡®But that sword¡­.¡¯ He kept recalling the sword and the silver light that was given off by that slender blade. However, if he wanted to obtain that sword, he would need to go through that dreadfully menacing dragon. Just thinking about that monster made him shake. Yongno didn¡¯t have the confidence to confront the Boss. ¡®Well, I should head back to the surface¡­ huh?¡¯ When Yongno looked up, he saw that the hole had been filled. ¡®Ah, that giant clam. Is it still here?¡¯ Yongno recalled that the giant clam had been sitting atop the hole before it met him. It had only left its position atop the opening to attack Yongno. Once he¡¯d disappeared, the giant clam must have lost its target and returned to its previous state of being. ¡®Hmm, then that giant shrimp will probably also be near the hole.¡¯ Without hesitation, Yongno enhanced his eyesight and used the system¡¯s scanning function. He examined the inner details of the giant clam. From overall weaknesses to the clam¡¯s vulnerable spots, Yongno was able to obtain information on the mob. Actually, this sort of work wasn¡¯t too difficult to carry out. Once an individual understood the composition and structure of something, they could extrapolate the location of any weaknesses and vulnerable spots that may exist. Woong. Yongno lifted his right hand and circulated his internal energy. And when the circulated internal energy had reached a certain level¡­ Boom. Using ten out of the fifteen years of his internal energy, Yongno doubled his first realm Mercury, which allowed him to momentarily increase his internal force to twenty years. Yongno then sent out an attack on the giant clam¡¯s adductor, the muscle that connected the clam to its shell. This was essentially a critical attack. The adductor would be cut off, so the clam would no longer be able to shut its mouth and suck in water, one of its essential functions. It was true that the giant clam still possessed thirty years of internal energy, but it wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything with a broken body. Even a martial arts expert with ample internal energy and skill wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything if all their limbs were cut off and they were only left with a head and torso. Thus, the giant clam had lost any combat capabilities it once had. Clank! However, the giant clam refused to go into Yongno¡¯s inventory. Though it couldn¡¯t move around as it wanted, its qi power, or internal energy in the clam¡¯s case, allowed it to muster some resistance. ¡®Do I need to disable it some more? No, that shouldn¡¯t be the case, but I can make it so that it is unable to utilize any internal energy.¡¯ Yongno swam in front of the giant clam and stuck his hand inside its shell. With little delay, he soon grabbed the pearl that sat upon the clam¡¯s tongue. Despite the giant clam¡¯s considerable size, the pearl was relatively small. It was tiny enough that Yongno could comfortably hold it in one hand. Once he grasped the pearl, the giant clam immediately reacted, putting up resistance. Yet¡­. ¡®That won¡¯t be enough to stop me.¡¯ Though the giant clam possessed greater internal energy than Yongno, this didn¡¯t directly translate into combat prowess. The giant clam¡¯s main function was to utilize its internal energy to preserve and maintain its form rather than attacking. Moreover, the great clam wasn¡¯t versed in any martial arts technique or attack skills other than its assigned abilities. Thus, since it was disabled, it was essentially rendered impotent. ¡®Let¡¯s see.¡¯ Yongno inspected and appraised the purple pearl in his hand. ¡®This is a great item. There¡¯ll be many uses for it.¡¯ As he murmured to himself, Yongno stuffed the giant clam into his inventory. Due to the size of the monster, Yongno had to force it into his inventory vertically. Luckily, he had figured out how to change the shape and area of his inventory. If it were his earlier self, Yongno would have probably cut the giant clam into fourths and stuffed the pieces in one at a time. Soon¡­ /Your inventory has reached 80% of its maximum capacity! If you go beyond your inventory capacity limit, you will lose access to your inventory for a period of time. Please keep this in mind!/ ¡®Wow, so heavy. I only had twenty kilograms in my inventory before adding that giant clam. I didn¡¯t expect it to shoot up to eighty kilograms¡­.¡¯ Making a note to increase his inventory capacity once he got out, Yongno started inspecting his internal energy. Since he used ten out of the fifteen years, he was left with five years. However, if he rested for a moment, he would gain back two years, so he would soon have seven years of internal energy. ¡®Good. As I¡¯m getting more used to the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, it seems like my recovery speed is also quickening. Since I have water aptitude, I¡¯ll probably be able to swim to the surface a bit faster than others.¡¯ Currently, Yongno had reached Level 6 in the Golden Pill Immortal Technique. It didn¡¯t make sense that someone at the sixth level would only have fifteen years of internal energy, but due to the system¡¯s harsh restrictions based on user levels and Yongno¡¯s decision to restrict his internal force, the internal force Yongno currently possessed was relatively low. Hence, if an outsider were to observe him, they would inevitably misjudge Yongno. The downside of practicing the Golden Pill Immortal Technique was that it recovered internal energy at a comparatively slower rate in exchange for providing considerable stability and a higher maximum output value. Yet, since his total internal energy was so low, others might think that he used a technique that quickly replenished his internal energy. Click. ¡®¡­ Huh?¡¯ As Yongno peered through the cave¡¯s tunnel, he saw the giant shrimp making its approach. Yongno instantly froze as he noticed the extreme killing intent emanating from the shrimp. When he first came across the giant shrimp, there had been no such killing intent. Instantly, Yongno realized that something was off. ¡®Eh? The giant shrimp shouldn¡¯t have any relationship with the giant clam, right? I mean, they¡¯re two different-¡¯ Bam! The Ultrasonic Punch¡¯s shockwave caused the surroundings to shake. Instinctively, Yongno circulated his internal energy to strengthen his body, but even then, he felt his organs vibrate. The problem was¡­ that wasn¡¯t the end of it. Bam! Goosebumps started spreading all over Yongno¡¯s body as the giant shrimp rushed toward him. If the shrimp sent out an Ultrasonic Punch from ten meters, it could effortlessly destroy anything within its close vicinity. If Yongno were to be touched by this aftershock¡­ ¡®I¡¯ll become shredded meat!¡¯ Yet, it was too late for him to withdraw. Although his swimming skills were excellent, he wasn¡¯t fast enough to avoid an Ultrasonic Punch. Moreover, the aftershock from the strike would wreak havoc all around him. Defending against the attack directly was an impossibility. Even if Yongno were to convert all his internal force into strengthening his body, the shrimp¡¯s tail would eventually thrash him to pieces. There was only one option left. ¡®I have to launch an attack before it does!¡¯ Yongno divided his remaining seven years and took out five. Utilizing the Golden Pill Immortal Technique¡¯s first realm, Mercury, he momentarily expanded his internal force to ten years and concentrated the internal energy onto his right hand. ¡®My Penetration Power won¡¯t be enough.¡¯ Penetration Power converted internal force into a tangible bundle of explosive strength that allowed Yongno to launch a deadly attack. However, it wasn¡¯t foolproof nor a be-all-end-all type of ability. Penetration Power could easily bypass thick skin or defenses and send a shockwave into the inner workings of a creature, but it could not bypass ¡®spiritual¡¯ defenses like magic power-based defense systems or Self-Defense Techniques. And so, Yongno decided to attack the shrimp directly. Ring! The Great Strength Vajra Hand¡¯s mysterious explosive aura shot out and struck the great shrimp¡¯s shoulder area. While the internal force of the attack was only ten years, the destructive quality of the strike was vastly more powerful. CH 27 The Great Strength Vajra Hand originated from the Shaolin principle, the Hidden Exemplary Technique, and the Great Strength Vajra Hand was one of the top skills within this principle. Moreover, Yongno had mastered this skill, as well as being a user who¡¯d understood and opened his Ren and Du Meridians and had unlocked a special skill in comprehension. Not only was he able to condense his learning curve, but by adding his special comprehension ability, Yongno was able to absorb and utilize martial arts incomparably quicker than other users. Even so¡­ Bam! ¡®Damn it! I guess five years wasn¡¯t enough!¡¯ Despite temporarily increasing his internal force, Yongno only had a minuscule amount left. It seemed that his strike was largely ineffective against the giant shrimp, which was circulating its internal force using a self-defense technique. Clank! It seemed the giant shrimp had sustained some damage as it momentarily stopped its tail attack. However, the shrimp seemed to be recuperating rapidly. Its outer shell was somewhat damaged, but only by a small degree. Without any hesitation, Yongno made a hasty retreat. He soon found himself up against the ice wall, with the shrimp quickly pursuing him. Boom! The giant shrimp launched its tail forward to strike at Yongno. However, since the shrimp was previously hit by his attack as it reared its tail back, this particular assault wasn¡¯t as deadly. Yongno felt he could defend against it with his strengthened body. Boom! ¡®Ack! This bastard, it changed its strategy!¡¯ Boom! As the shrimp sent out consecutive Ultrasonic Punches, Yongno could feel his insides vibrating alarmingly. After realizing that a massive Ultrasonic Punch wouldn¡¯t work, the shrimp decided to send out consecutive smaller punches. Furthermore, Yongno didn¡¯t have any internal force remaining to launch a counterattack. If nothing changed, he¡¯d be beaten like a defenseless sandbag. It would be game over for him. Swish. ¡°Agh, you bastard¡­ thrashing about so wildly.¡± Using his water affinity attribute, Yongno melted into the ice wall once more to take cover. Like the last time, the shrimp continued to attack the ice wall futilely. ¡°The main issue is that I spent too much internal force on the giant clam. I¡¯ll just rest here a bit and replenish my internal force. Once I regain my internal force, I¡¯ll launch a single, powerful attack and then run away as quickly as I can back to the surface.¡± If Yongno were to launch an attack at full power, he would be able to take care of not only this problematic shrimp but also foes a few levels higher than it. The specific method that Yongno used to control his internal force was more suited to short-term battles rather than long, drawn-out combat. Hence, this ice wall was a lifesaver and a haven for him. Boom! Boom! Yongno took a breath as he heard the banging coming from the other side of the ice wall. He wasn¡¯t concerned that the ice wall would fail. If Yongno recalled correctly, the middle-aged man had referred to it as an unbreakable ice wall. ¡°But it¡¯ll take some time before my internal force is regenerated. What should I do in the meantime? It would be nice if the Golden Pill Immortal Technique had some sort of dantian strengthening exercise like a Macrocosmic Orbit.¡± A Circulation Technique was the practice of circulating qi throughout an individual¡¯s body to rejuvenate themself and any treat injuries they may have. However, it was also used to open one¡¯s dantian to take in the world¡¯s natural qi. Within martial arts, there were thousands of different Circulation Techniques. There were so many different techniques that it was impossible for any individual to know all of them. However, the techniques could be categorized into three primary groups: Microcosmic Orbit, Macrocosmic Orbit, and Whole-Body Orbit. The more advanced a cultivation technique is, the closer the user is to Whole-Body Orbit. In other words, one¡¯s dantian was usually strengthened and developed from Microcosmic Orbit to Macrocosmic Orbit until it finally became Whole-Body Orbit. Essentially, circulation techniques sought to develop and release each and every cell¡¯s potential energy and ultimately allow one¡¯s entire body to become a complete qi entity. Of course, many martial arts practices did not seek to reach the level of Whole-Body Orbit, so most of their Circulation Techniques allowed a practitioner to reach the stages of Microcosmic Orbit and Macrocosmic Orbit. This was because Microcosmic Orbit and Macrocosmic Orbit were considered the foundational basis of Circulation Techniques. Yet, the Golden Pill Immortal Technique did not utilize or develop the Macrocosmic Orbit. In an unconventional manner, the Golden Pill Immortal Technique went from developing one¡¯s Microcosmic Orbit directly into Whole-Body Orbit. Although the Golden Pill Immortal Technique¡¯s effectiveness was somewhat impacted by not having a Macrocosmic Orbit portion within its Circulation Technique, this omission was because the Golden Pill Immortal Technique sought to develop one¡¯s cultivation base through the completion of golden cores within one¡¯s body. Thus, unlike other cultivation methods, the Golden Pill Immortal Technique lacked the option of a speedy recovery through seated meditation. In other words, despite lacking the Macrocosmic Orbit, the Golden Pill Immortal Technique made up for it by allowing its practitioner to constantly exercise and operate the technique at any time. In addition, practicing another cultivation technique on top of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique would cancel out the effectiveness of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, as the fundamental basis of the skill would be defeated. This was why Yongno had to entirely ¡®transform¡¯ his internal energy when he utilized the Dark Northsea Divine Technique. He had no other choice since the two techniques were essentially different. ¡°I¡¯ve only just reached half capacity. It seems like I¡¯m recovering about three years every minute.¡± Overall, the Golden Pill Immortal Technique¡¯s natural internal energy replenishment and magic gathering speed were relatively high compared to other cultivation methods. However, this somewhat powerful replenishment speed was because the Golden Pill Immortal Technique operated non-stop. In terms of short-term, instantaneous replenishment, other cultivation techniques were able to restore internal energy and magic gathering at least five to twenty times faster than the Golden Pill Immortal Technique. After reaching moderate success in the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, Yongno was able to recover at a rate similar to many other cultivation techniques. However, if he were to consider how challenging it was to practice the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, the efficiency of the technique was horrible, as it would probably be considered a third-rate cultivation technique. Yongno had stuck with the Golden Pill Immortal Technique because it was the only technique that he knew of, and it was the one he initially used. If he had known of other options, he probably would have chosen a different skill. ¡°Okay! I¡¯ve recovered ten years. I have five years left, right- huh?¡± Whoosh. In front of Yongno, at the dungeon¡¯s small entrance, a well-built young man appeared. His body was chiseled as if he were a Greek god, and it glowed with a slightly bluish hue. The young man possessed pupil-less white eyes and long, purple hair. Yongno wasn¡¯t aware of this fact, but this young man was a Level 13 guardian who secured the entrance to the Seadragon¡¯s Temple. He was also known as a Mermaid Hero. [¡­ You¡¯re weak.] ¡°Huh? A mermaid?¡± Yongno took a step back when he noticed the mermaid¡¯s presence. The Mermaid Hero looked at Yongno with a calm, piercing gaze. Normally, the Mermaid Hero would have immediately initiated an attack on any intruder, but seeing that Yongno was so weak, the Mermaid Hero was momentarily at a loss on what to do. While the Mermaid Hero was classified as a monster, he was also an experienced and developed swordsman, as he was a practitioner of the Celestial Divine Draconic martial arts. Fighting a weak enemy did not seem to fit his swordsman code. [Too weak- how absurd. How could such a weakling appear?] The Mermaid Hero was contemplating what he should do. In his mind, the existing rules, regulations, and orders were screaming at him to execute his duty and eliminate the intruder before him. Yet, how could he kill such a weakling? Slaying such a feeble opponent would only bring him ¡®shame.¡¯ He briefly glanced downward at the Shadow Blade that hung on his belt. ¡®He¡¯s dangerous. I can¡¯t win¡­.¡¯ Yongno broke out into a cold sweat as he felt the overwhelming killing intent emanating from the Mermaid Hero. It was as if he were a helpless mouse in front of a large cat, except his situation was much direr. To be more realistic, it was more akin to a defenseless ant fending against an anteater; Yongno was entirely helpless and could not avoid whatever was to come, as the difference between their power was incomparably large. ¡°Uhm¡­ hey there, mermaid guy¡­.¡± [Weakling. I do not want to dirty my Shadow Blade with your worthless blood. Though it¡¯s futile, I must execute my duty.] Whoosh! An intense force materialized atop the palm of the Mermaid Hero¡¯s right hand. With Yongno standing near the unbreakable ice wall and the Mermaid Hero guarding the dungeon¡¯s entrance, they were still 15 meters apart. However, it did not seem that this distance mattered to the Mermaid Hero. [Die.] The powerful force that swirled in the Mermaid Hero¡¯s hand soared towards Yongno. The Mermaid Hero didn¡¯t deploy a specific technique to launch the attack. Actually, the Mermaid Hero did not possess any method to fire a magic or projectile attack in the first place. The powerful force was simply a bundle of his qi, and so the attack was quite an inefficient way to utilize one¡¯s qi. ¡°Ugh¡­?!¡± Yongno didn¡¯t have time to assimilate back into the unbreakable ice wall. The oncoming attack was not as fast as a speeding bullet, but it was faster than any flying arrow. Even though Yongno possessed the water attribute, he couldn¡¯t just enter and exit the unbreakable ice wall whenever he wanted. It would take him at least two seconds to re-enter it. In other words, there would be a delay. If he foolishly entered the ice wall without preparing himself beforehand, he would instantly die in the midst of the attempt. ¡®I need to block the oncoming attack. Or, at the very least, I need to deflect it¡­.¡¯ Even if Yongno converted the ten years of internal energy in his Gold Core into 20 years and exploded it out to parry the oncoming attack, he doubted that it would have any effect. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Yongno instinctively yelled and swung out with his right hand. Boom! [¡­ What?] With a questioning expression, the Mermaid Hero stared at the empty hallway in front of him. Although everything happened in the blink of an eye, the Mermaid Hero possessed a high level of sensory perception, so he understood and knew what had just occurred. [He deflected my attack upwards and escaped by instantaneously exploding a hand attack?] Rather than being shocked at the improbable outcome, the Mermaid Hero made an exasperated face. This was because he knew that the amount of power that Yongno had just released should not have been possible, as Yongno¡¯s hand attack was pitifully lacking in strength. Furthermore, his opponent had entered the unbreakable ice wall. This was like an ant atop a marble floor that deflected an oncoming rock with one of its front feet before burrowing into the marble floor - the scene was completely incomprehensible. [That makes no sense.] At a loss, the Mermaid Hero stared at the ice wall. If he wanted, he possessed enough power to shatter it. Though the ice wall could sustain most attacks, if the Mermaid Hero utilized the Celestial Divine Draconic martial arts special skill called Splitting the Heavens, he could have easily shattered the ice wall in front of him. Yet, he decided not to take such an action. [It¡¯s useless.] The area outside of the dungeon was not one that he was authorized to enter. Whether there was an ice wall in front of him or not, he was confined to a certain, designated area. This space was the entrance hallway of the Seadragon¡¯s Temple to the first room of the temple. Since he wasn¡¯t a monster that resided in DIO, he would disappear and lose any memories of what happened in this place when he dispersed and dematerialized. When another user entered the area, he would rematerialize and appear. [¡­] The Mermaid Hero continued to stare at the ice wall. Despite this physical barrier standing in his way, he could still sense Yongno¡¯s aura on the other side of the ice wall. The Mermaid Hero was skilled and powerful enough to attack anything within 30 meters around him if he unsheathed his sword. [Hmm. I feel so unsatisfied as if I¡¯ve been tricked by a mere weakling. If he ever returns¡­.] He broke out into a smile and turned around. [I¡¯ll definitely take out Shadow Blade and cut him to pieces.] The Mermaid Hero was an existence that kept his word. *** /Your Internal Force has fallen to dangerously low levels! Your Diving skill is inoperable!/ /Warning! The immense water pressure is starting to inflict critical damage on you!/ /Your condition has changed to ¡®Seriously Injured!¡¯/ After just emerging from the ice wall, Yongno was inundated with a flood of texts. His condition was critical. Yongno¡¯s internal energy was scraping the bottom of the barrel, and he was currently 1,000 meters below sea level on the deep sea floor. He was starting to suffocate. Even if he faced no other external influences, it was likely that he would die before reaching the surface. /Currently logging out. You are not able to move for 30 seconds while the log-out is processing. If there are any enemies in your immediate surroundings, we recommend that you cancel the log-out and take appropriate precautionary measures. 30, 29, 28, 27¡­/ Seeing the log-out procedure counting down, Yongno sighed in relief. Though the water pressure was deteriorating his body condition, he wouldn¡¯t die in 30 seconds. He was skilled enough in Diving and had developed his physical body to the point where he could withstand this much. And while he was lacking internal energy, he possessed a sliver, which was enough to operate his water attribute characteristic. It seemed that the water attribute characteristic could be used to some limited extent with little to no internal energy. Of course, if his Golden Pill Immortal Technique and water attribute weren¡¯t constantly operating, he would have already been crushed like a plastic bottle from the tremendous water pressure of being 1,000 meters underwater. ¡®Phew, I guessed I lucked out. Once I log out and log back in, my internal energy will be entirely replenished. Then, I can make my way back to the surface safely.¡¯ He was starting to think coolly and logically. But at that moment¡­. Swish. Nothing ever went as planned for Yongno. Bang! Yongno felt his insides twist as an Ultrasonic Punch hit him. His log-out was forcefully canceled, and he let out a whimper. He could feel the lack of air dulling his senses. His night vision was no longer operational, so he couldn¡¯t even make out where the giant shrimp was. ¡®Ugh¡­ my internal energy!¡¯ His internal energy, or lack thereof, was the main issue. He had used up his internal energy to contend against the Mermaid Hero¡¯s attack. If it were any other user, they probably wouldn¡¯t have even been in Yongno¡¯s position, as they would have already died long ago! CH 28 In truth, the Golden Pill Immortal Technique that Mari taught Yongno was considered an expert-level technique within the martial world. To be specific, only martial artists in the upper echelons of their field would practice it. The Golden Pill Immortal Technique utilized the creation of cores within one¡¯s body, much like how animals and beasts created divine or spiritual energy cores over time. However, the production of internal force and energy was relatively slow. This was because one had to constantly gather and condense internal energy to form and develop cores. This process was lengthier than most other techniques, as they could directly imbue cores with internal energy from the environment. Due to this drawn-out process, many outside observers considered the Golden Pill Immortal Technique to be an inferior and low-level internal force technique. If one¡¯s internal energy development or replenishment rate were slow, one would inevitably face difficulties in battle. Yet, the Golden Pill Immortal Technique boasted a high output capacity and the stability to maintain that output. A normal martial artist with an internal energy of 100 can usually only employ one or two points of their internal energy at a time. This was the critical weakness of most internal force techniques. Even if someone invested the time to gather additional internal energy, they would only be able to use five points of internal energy for an ability. By utilizing another skill on top of one¡¯s internal force technique, a person would at best be able to output 30% of their total internal energy. Put simply, the process of outputting internal force is similar to physical strength. Bench pressing 100 kilograms ten times and lifting a metric ton once are two entirely different scenarios. Since energy needs to be expended when lowering the weight, it is true that lifting 100 kilograms ten times may actually require more energy than lifting a single ton once. However, if someone capable of lifting 100 kilograms ten times were asked to pick up a metric ton, they¡¯d probably shake their heads, thinking that the other person was crazy. It would be the same as asking a marathon runner who could run 20 kilometers in one hour to expend all their energy at once and run 20 kilometers in 10 minutes. It just wasn¡¯t physically possible. The utilization of internal energy followed the same concept. Telling a user who possessed 100 points of internal energy to output 50 or even all 100 at once was physically impossible, and even if it were feasible, the user would most likely suffer critical, unrecoverable damage to their dantian. In order to maintain stability under such a heavy output load, one would have to possess a firm stamina foundation. Bam! Yongno was able to sustain the blow, but he still couldn¡¯t help but spit out blood. He was already in a tremendously weakened condition. Furthermore, he did not have any method or option to retaliate. In his current situation, it seemed likely that he¡¯d be knocked around like a punching bag before dying. ¡®Internal energy¡­ I need internal energy. Damn it. What should I do? Should I try to utilize Dark Northsea Divine Technique to gather some surrounding internal energy?¡¯ Of course, this wasn¡¯t really viable. Though the Dark Northsea Divine Technique derived internal energy from the surrounding natural qi, the technique could not just operate optimally for those who didn¡¯t practice or primarily use it. There was no such cheat to absorb qi quickly. Moreover, although natural qi existed everywhere, it still needed to be converted to internal energy using a separate technique and method of processing. Of course, a half-immortal may be able to skip this step, but that was just a pipe dream for Yongno. /Your condition has changed to ¡®Fatal Injury!¡¯/ A message popped up to warn Yongno of his body¡¯s dire state, but he was too busy trying to think of a way out of his current situation. ¡®Processed qi¡­ I need processed qi¡­ where can I find- huh?¡¯ Yongno suddenly opened his inventory and took out the giant clam¡¯s Deepsea Core. The core contained 60 points, or half a cycle, of spiritual force. In other words, the internal force contained in the core was double Yongno¡¯s limit of 15 years of internal energy. Bam! Another shockwave from an Ultrasonic Punch struck Yongno; however, this time, his reaction was different. Yongno swatted the incoming attack with his left hand and rushed toward the giant shrimp, hitting the great shrimp¡¯s head with his right hand. Boom! The giant shrimp, which had just launched a powerful attack with its tail, recoiled backward after sustaining Yongno¡¯s attack. Whether this was from being hit on its head or surprise at suffering such an attack, the giant shrimp was momentarily stunned and seemed perplexed. Yet, Yongno was not able to launch another attack as he was suffering from a debilitating, splitting headache. ¡®Ugh¡­? What the hell is this? The pain control system should be operating and limiting the pain I feel¡­ but¡­ ugh!¡¯ Despite the high amount of pain he was in, Yongno endured. This was because his opponent had not yet fallen. Truthfully, what Yongno had just done was absurd and outrageous. It was true that the Deepsea Core was refined internal energy, but this energy wasn¡¯t his in the first place. Even so, Yongno had still brought it out and used it. Yongno knew that the internal energy within the Deepsea Core would clash with his Golden Pill Immortal Technique. And so, he¡¯d tried to circumvent this by absorbing the core¡¯s internal energy with his left hand, circulating that internal force through two acupoints located near his shoulders, and outputting the internal energy through his right hand. Although he could not avoid the repercussions of utilizing internal force that was not his own, Yongno was able to carry out this process because of his understanding of Qi Heaven. Of course, Yongno couldn¡¯t fully utilize the abilities that Mari had taught him, as those were all high-level skills. However, he was an irregular, the single one out of a quintillion other people. Even if he did not fully understand something, that didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t able to comprehend some rudimentary knowledge. ¡®Ugh. The usage rate is so inefficient because it¡¯s not my internal energy. It took 20 years just for that single attack¡­.¡¯ While he wasn¡¯t well versed in Qi Heaven, Yongno was able to infer the method to use external force and send internal energy outside of the body to launch an attack. The process Yongno came up with wouldn¡¯t allow him to gather, condense, process, and utilize natural qi from his surroundings, nor would it allow him to use another living being¡¯s internal energy. However, he was able to employ the internal energy that resided within the Deepsea Core. The internal energy Yongno used to deflect the giant shrimp¡¯s attack was eight years, and he had needed 20 years for that attack. While this was a remarkable feat for someone with a maximum internal force capacity of 15 years, the energy usage of the core¡¯s internal force was terribly inefficient. Not only was the Deepsea Core¡¯s internal energy not fully processed, but Yongno also had to send the internal energy from his left hand to his left shoulder, right shoulder, and right hand to avoid any clashes with his Golden Pill Immortal Technique system. Thus, Yongno was only able to produce a largely unfocused output-based attack. However, since he wasn¡¯t in a situation where he could consider efficiency, Yongno did not hesitate to circulate the last ten years of internal energy in the Deepsea Core. ¡®The force of that last attack wasn¡¯t enough.¡¯ Though his last attack had affected the giant shrimp, it did not seem like the mob had any lasting injury. If Yongno struck in a similar manner, the great shrimp would only be stunned once more; however, Yongno would have wasted his reservoir of internal energy. It was highly inefficient to use the Deepsea Core¡¯s internal energy. Yongno was only able to output a fourth of what he could do if the internal energy were his own. Even still¡­ ¡®I need to finish that thing off in one go.¡¯ Yongno focused the remaining ten years of internal energy on his right hand, and it started glowing with a golden aura. The golden aura illustrated that Yongno had reached the eighth level of the Great Strength Vajra Hand. Whoosh! The internal force moved, following along a set pathway that converted the force into a usable and practical output. All miracles and great things started from the smallest of places. ¡®¡­ I can do it. I¡¯m using the Shaolin¡¯s greatest hand skill, which can push away ten thousand boulders and crush diamonds into dust¡­.¡¯ Yongno raised his hand high before swiping downward without any hesitation. ¡®¡­ This is the power of the Great Strength Vajra Hand.¡¯ Bam. This time around, there was little outward noise. As if his warm hand was passing through layers of snow, Yongno¡¯s hand gently landed on the great shrimp¡¯s head. Soon, the monster stopped moving. /Your hand skill has risen two levels!/ In the spot where the giant shrimp vanished, Yongno found three items: a level 9 sword, ¡®Great Shrimp¡¯s Flesh,¡¯ and ¡®Great Shrimp Tendon.¡¯ Yongno searched the area, but he found nothing else. ¡®Damn it! All that just for these scraps?¡¯ Despite feeling exasperated by the pitiful loot, there was nothing Yongno could do. Under DIO¡¯s item drop system, drops were closely associated with the monster, being, or NPC itself. Thus, they would usually be a body part of the defeated opponent or something that the opponent carried. No other items would drop. There was no such thing as a high-level magic book being obtained from a passing dog. On the bright side, in lieu of valuable drops, opponents that possessed high-level attack skills usually gave higher amounts of experience points than others. Yet, Yongno did not know this fact, so he couldn¡¯t help but feel cheated. ¡®Fuck! Damn it! I¡¯m going to get out of here and make sure to chew long and hard on your damn flesh!¡¯ After thinking this, Yongno made his way up the cave. He briefly considered logging out, but he determined that it would be better to leave the area first. If he logged out and logged back in, another great shrimp might materialize in the same spot and attack him. If that occurred, he would really be in trouble. Even if it was a bit tiresome, Yongno decided that it would be best for him to get out of the ocean. Since he would be replenishing his internal energy quicker than he used it to breathe underwater, Yongno decided that he could slowly make his way to the surface without much trouble. However, as soon as he went about ten meters up, Yongno felt that something was off. He was finding it hard to breathe, and his vision was becoming dark. ¡®I can¡¯t breathe? My internal energy¡­ isn¡¯t recovering?¡¯ Even though he was constantly practicing the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, Yongno couldn¡¯t recover his internal energy. This was because he had absorbed and used the Deepsea Core¡¯s internal energy. The ingenious process based on Qi Heaven that Yongno employed to utilize the Deepsea Core¡¯s internal energy was indeed novel. Yet, since he introduced foreign internal energy into his system, there were bound to be repercussions on his physical body. ¡®No, no way.¡¯ Though he waved his hands about, he was 1,000 meters under the surface. He could have logged out, but through his dizziness and panic, Yongno couldn¡¯t think straight. /You lack oxygen! Your status has changed to ¡®Dying Condition!¡¯/ /Warning! Warning! Please log out!/ Though several messages popped up urging Yongno to log out, he didn¡¯t have the wherewithal to process the contents of the notices. Yongno was still able to move his body, but something else made it impossible for him to take any action. Absolute fear. ¡®Ah¡­ ah¡­ ah¡­!¡¯ Yongno felt as if a dark hand had grabbed ahold of him, not allowing him to rise to the surface. He felt as though he was reliving his nightmare, being dragged down into the depths of profound darkness. ¡°Oh, wow! You¡¯re really good at swimming, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re like a fish.¡± Yongno recalled these words. It was a memory from when he was playing in the water when he was young. With parents who never praised him, this was the first compliment he remembered receiving. Yongno liked the water, and he grew to become an adept swimmer. Despite never formally learning how to swim, Yongno was able to move freely in the water. ¡°Help me! Save me! Save me!¡± ¡°Y-your good at swimming, right? H-help me! Help me escape from this sinking ship!¡± ¡°M-me too! I don¡¯t want to die in a place like this¡­!¡± ¡°Help me, Yongno! Y-you can do that, right?¡± ¡°Help me! Ah! Help me!¡± A strong, firm hand landed on his shoulder. A young girl grabbed onto his ankle, and a manicured hand grabbed onto his left wrist. Although all those hands were from different people, they had one thing in common. ¡®No! No! I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. They were frightened and out of their minds. I was only thirteen years old. Isn¡¯t it absurd to put that much pressure on such a young kid?¡¯ In the end, there was only one survivor: Yongno. Only Yongno was able to escape from the capsized ship. Afterward, he made his way to an uninhabited island and sulked in regret and guilt. Even though he was a young kid, he knew why those people had grabbed onto him. It was because he had displayed unbelievably fluid movements in the water. Similar to the gravity-defying motions he showed on the bus during his final days in high school, his swimming ability was not something that any human could have done. It was understandable why everyone had burdened and put their hopes in a young boy like him. ¡°Ah¡­ ah¡­ ah¡­!¡± On the uninhabited island, Yongno cried out. He was the sole survivor; everyone else had died. It was from that point that Yongno avoided water. Forget about swimming. Yongno was afraid to get near a bathtub. Swish. Yongno could feel water seeping into his throat. The bubbles rising above him seemed like pieces of his soul leaving his body. CH 29 ¡®I can¡¯t¡­ breathe¡­.¡¯ Yongno¡¯s body sank lifelessly under the water. He didn¡¯t have any strength in his hands and feet. Even though the seawater began to seep into his mouth, Yongno didn¡¯t notice the salty taste. ¡®Is this how it feels to die¡­¡¯ His consciousness was slowly slipping away, and his eyes were closing. However, Yongno soon felt a vibration coming from the Deepsea Core that he was still holding in his left hand. Immediately, his eyes shot open. ¡®¡­ No, I won¡¯t die. This is a virtual world.¡¯ Yongno would not actually perish. Even if he did die, it wouldn¡¯t be true death. So, what did he really fear? ¡®I won¡¯t die.¡¯ Whoosh! Yongno quickly opened his inventory, took out a core that he¡¯d previously removed from himself, and swallowed it. While he was able to slightly replenish his internal energy, consuming the core did not resolve his current crisis. Currently, Yongno was circulating his qi through Macrocosmic Orbit, and by doing so, he did not allow the foreign internal energy to interact with his core. Having taken this precaution, Yongno had been able to minimize the damage he suffered from using foreign internal energy. Yet, he still had to contend with the aftereffects of his now-nonfunctional core. Whoosh. Since this was the case, Yongno decided that he just needed to find a different approach. Rather than keeping his 15 years of internal energy inside the core in his mid-dantian, Yongno moved it to the Deepsea Core that he held in his left hand. Not only did he relocate the acquired Genuine-qi that¡¯d been developing since starting the game, but he also moved the entirety of his innate Genuine-qi as well. Whoosh! Once he started circulating his qi, his body started floating upward. Although his situation had improved, Yongno rushed to get to the surface. He couldn¡¯t utilize his core, and he knew that it would take at least a full day to purify his qi. As his spiritual force was not recovering, Yongno only had a finite amount of internal energy remaining. ¡®I¡¯m cutting it too close. This won¡¯t be enough.¡¯ Despite his rapid ascent, Yongno felt that his speed was insufficient. The surface was 900 meters above, and no matter how fast he kicked his legs, he would probably only move upwards by about five meters per second. Hence, if he continued at full pace, it would take him around three minutes to reach the surface, but he was already feeling short of breath. While he could operate his internal energy, use hand skills, and constantly apply his water affinity attribute, he could not use his [Diving] ability, as it was a skill originating from his mid-dantian. With his core now non-operational, his [Diving] ability had also stopped working. ¡®It¡¯s not enough!¡¯ Whoosh! Yongno increased his speed. The pace he was moving his arms and legs had already surpassed what could be considered normal for any human being. The fastest fish, the sailfish, could swim at speeds of up to 112 kilometers per hour, and Yongno was growing even quicker than that. ¡°I can¡¯t make sense of it! That kid- how is he so fast? His form is crap, and he¡¯s not even breathing properly!¡± Yongno recalled a time when a young guy had shouted out those words. Yongno didn¡¯t pay attention to the young man, but he remembered the older man who stood beside him. That man had shrugged his shoulders and responded. ¡°It¡¯s not that surprising. Swimming itself is just a mechanism and a way to approach moving in the water medium. The diving sea women of Jeju Island didn¡¯t learn how to swim but still became expert divers. There is a reason these people have gained such competence and mastery.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Comprehension. Once they comprehend the medium known as water, they¡¯re able to develop a skill set that¡¯s conducive to moving about in that medium.¡± Whoosh! Faster. Yongno was moving faster. /Your swimming ability has increased one level!/ /You have gained the title ¡®Expert Swimmer!¡¯/ /You have acquired the special ability ¡®Jumping!¡¯/ In an instant, Yongno found himself 100 meters below the surface. Although he was now in a relatively safe spot, he did not let up. It was as if he was overcome by intense emotions. And then¡­. /Your swimming has reached the A Rank!/ /You have gained the title ¡®Divine Swimmer¡¯!/ /You have acquired the special ability ¡®Booster¡¯!/ At that moment, Yongno felt as if all the water around him was parting to let him through. All the water in a two-meter radius around him fell under his control. When he reached his peak speed, he was swimming at 400 kilometers per hour. Boom! Leaving behind sizable splashes and waves, Yongno shot 30 meters above the surface of the water. Though other aquatic species jumped from the water, they couldn¡¯t compare to the altitude Yongno reached. Since Yongno had turned off his Booster before breaking the surface of the water, his current height was solely from using his Jumping ability. Plop! Yongno splashed back down onto the water. From the height he¡¯d just fallen from, he should have been injured or in shock, but he was perfectly fine. ¡°¡­ It feels¡­ soft?¡± Of course, it didn¡¯t make sense that water would feel like soft cotton, but to Yongno¡¯s senses, this was exactly what he felt. The shock he should have received from the water was instantly dispersed. It was as if the ocean had decided to accept Yongno as part of itself. ¡°I¡¯ve also broken through to the seventh level of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique.¡± His rate of development seemed fraudulent. The perfection and grandeur of the martial arts and techniques within DIO were only rivaled by how difficult it was to master them. If it were any other user who started from scratch, it would have taken many decades to reach the fifth level of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique. Even those who possessed the ideal environmental conditions and body types had to spend at least a month raising their levels to either Level 2 or Level 3. A genius was no exception to this either; they would have only been able to reach Level 4 in this timeframe. Regardless, Yongno didn¡¯t know or care about these factors. He just had a neutral expression on his face, as if it was perfectly natural. ¡°Oh, I overdid it a little and went through some adversity, so my level improved.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lucky that you didn¡¯t die this time around as well.¡± ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s just not my time yet.¡± Yongno looked at Mari, who floated on the surface of the water. Though it looked mystifying to see her sitting comfortably on top of the water, Yongno didn¡¯t pay much attention to this as he was now able to do the same. However, he wasn¡¯t planning on doing so, as it would be an inefficient use of his internal energy and unproductive to any of his endeavors. ¡°You¡¯ve reached the Master rank.¡± ¡°It seems that way.¡± ¡°All your abilities have reached the maximum 50-point level as well.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Then, you have nothing left to do here, right?¡± ¡°I¡­ guess so.¡± Yongno looked over his body¡¯s condition. Although he had some injuries, they weren¡¯t severe enough for him to worry too much. In a world like DIO, where someone could come back from the dead, his body wasn¡¯t doing too bad. ¡°¡­ When was it again?¡± Though her question was out of the blue, Yongno took it in stride. He had also been thinking about what was to come, and as he spoke, he looked up towards the sky. ¡°Tomorrow. So, in terms of the outside world, about four hours from now.¡± ¡°Are you going to log out?¡± ¡°No. I still have some matters to take care of.¡± ¡°Loser.¡± ¡°Shut it.¡± Yongno closed his eyes as he mumbled a response. No matter how skilled a swimmer someone was, they would unavoidably swallow some water by accident due to the undulations of the sea. Yet, Yongno had recognized and comfortably immersed himself in the motions of the sea¡¯s waves. If he wanted, he could probably fall asleep atop the water. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in 24 hours then.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± Mari gently rose from her seated position and vanished without a trace. The sea seemed to grow quiet. After she left, Yongno raised his left arm. He saw the Deepsea Core that shimmered in a golden-purplish color. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this and then be off.¡± Yongno was gradually reaching the end of his initial level test. CH 30 ***The End. The Beginning.*** The amount of internal energy within the Deepsea Core was originally 60 points, which corresponds to 30 years. On top of that, Yongno had imbued the core with 30 points of spiritual force, or 15 years of internal force, so the total amount of internal force within the core was 45 years. Of course, there was no way for Yongno to utilize this internal force directly. Since the core¡¯s internal force was not Yongno¡¯s to begin with, he would have to purify and convert the internal energy to make it suitable for his Golden Pill Immortal Technique. Yet, his process was more difficult because the internal energy was not within him; it was in an external object. However, Yongno did not fret. There was a Qi Gong Technique that he could utilize. Qi Heaven. Despite having not perfected the technique yet, there were still many things that he could do with what he knew. ¡°Good. Done.¡± Yongno felt satisfied as he held up the golden Deepsea Core. It had essentially been converted into an internal energy device, entirely separate from himself. It contained 45 years of internal energy, a much greater capacity than his 15 years. Though the core wouldn¡¯t be able to replenish the internal energy contained within it, Yongno¡¯s rate of internal energy recovery was stellar, so he felt that this type of external storage device would come in handy. Moreover, since all the internal energy within the Deepsea Core was from the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, he would have no trouble utilizing it on demand, especially when executing his hand skills. ¡°Hmm, but it¡¯s a bit cumbersome. If I have to carry it around everywhere, then¡­ oh!¡± Yongno raised his left hand. On his middle finger was the unique-ranked item, Wicalein¡¯s Ring, which Yongno imbued a small amount of internal energy into. Poof. A fist-sized light glowed atop the ring. It was a spirit that only Yongno could see, a man-made soul that had the intelligence of a small dog. Yongno threw the Deepsea Core- no, the Golden Core, or the internal energy storage device, into the air. Then, he imagined the spirit catching the device mid-air. Quickly, the spirit snatched the device from the air and soon circled Yongno. Any outside observer would think that the golden device was merely floating around Yongno. Pat. When Yongno extended his arm outward and raised his hand, the device landed accurately on his open palm. Generally, it was difficult for users to manipulate the spirit within a Wicalein¡¯s Ring with such ease and grace; however, Yongno was exceptionally gifted in imagery and spatial reasoning, so he was able to control the spirit freely. ¡°It would be beneficial for you to imbue your internal force into the ring. The spirit which resides in a Wicalein¡¯s Ring is a growth type entity, so if you constantly feed it your spiritual force, it¡¯ll be able to do more things.¡± ¡°Oh, Mari. You¡¯ve come?¡± Yongno stood up as the slim girl in her late teens appeared next to him unnoticed. With her blond hair worn in two braids, one simple smile from her would probably move thousands of young men¡¯s hearts, but Mari did not seem to be in high spirits. ¡°Have you fully recovered?¡± ¡°Yeah. What do I have to do to complete this quest again? Do I need to go back upstream?¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to. I can move us there using my spacial movement ability.¡± ¡°Are you allowed to help me like that?¡± ¡°Why are you acting as if my help is suddenly something new?¡± Then, Mari grabbed Yongno¡¯s hand, and the scenery around them suddenly changed. Yongno found himself at the side of a river; this was where he had received his quest. Yongno picked up the small satchel of money that he had thrown onto the ground previously before stepping onto the water to cross the river. /Clear!/ Once he reached the designated area, a message stating that his quest was completed popped up. Mari and Yongno then returned to the initial testing room. Having returned to solid ground, Yongno was left with mixed feelings. ¡°It¡¯s been about a month and a half, right? It¡¯s been a while.¡± Since his initial quest was something that should have only taken around 30 minutes to complete, the extended length of time Yongno spent was unheard of. It was the longest period that any user had spent in the initial quest area. ¡°The last test is [Combat]. Is it difficult?¡± ¡°The level of difficulty is comparable to all the other tests, so you don¡¯t have to worry. There¡¯s a motto that the basic missions should be as simple and easy to pass as possible.¡± ¡°Then, am I going to face a small yellow chick?¡± ¡°Not that easy. Just something a little challenging.¡± As she spoke, Mari opened a door with a sign that read [1:1 Combat], and Yongno followed her inside. ¡°It¡¯s a flat grassland. And my opponent is¡­.¡± Grr¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± Yongno was at a loss once he saw a wolf the size of a small calf. It had sharp teeth and claws, but what was most noticeable was the killing intent and aura that the wolf emanated. Even if it was put here as a joke, this type of monster didn¡¯t seem appropriate for a beginner-level test. ¡°Hmm¡­ I see¡­ it¡¯s not a fluffy yellow chick¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a Level 2 Dire Wolf, which is the most popularly hunted monster that resides around Starting, the beginner area.¡± ¡°This thing is what beginners like to hunt? This monstrosity? Moreover, it¡¯s only Level 2?¡± Yongno was utterly flabbergasted. The wolf seemed keen and ready to rip apart a fully grown man. For a moment, Yongno briefly thought, ¡®Maybe it just looks more dangerous than it actually is,¡¯ but he quickly scrapped this belief as he continued to observe the wolf. The wolf seemed more dangerous than any canine he had ever come across or heard of. ¡°Hmm, why are you so afraid? This is the Level 2 test. Since you¡¯re taking a test to advance to Level 2, you must face a Level 2 monster.¡± ¡°A-against such a monster, what happens to the elderly or young users? None of them have failed this test?¡± ¡°Of course, we¡¯re not expecting you to fight the monster without any consideration. The point of this combat test is to give users a sense of how combat feels and provide first-hand experience, so we chose this type of monster. This monster is amongst the stronger Level 2 mobs, but still, it¡¯s just Level 2.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± ¡°Grr¡­¡± The Dire Wolf was not taking the initiative to attack. At first, Yongno thought that the Dire Wolf was programmed not to initiate an attack on beginning users, but he soon found that the Dire Wolf¡¯s full attention was on Mari, not himself. ¡°That monster¡­ is it afraid to attack because you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Well, yeah. Monsters know how they feel and what their instincts are telling them. The wolf is scared out of its mind, so it¡¯s not able to retreat or initiate an attack. It¡¯s essentially rooted in place.¡± ¡°Oho, I already had an idea, but it seems that you¡¯re actually pretty powerful.¡± ¡°Hmph. If you practice and train for a million years, then you¡¯ll probably be able to contend with one of my arms.¡± ¡°Ugh, such a braggart.¡± ¡°Hee hee.¡± Yongno gave Mari a gentle, playful knock on her head. However, what Yongno did not know was that if Mari were in Crimson Mode, her version of a combat stance, his arm would have disintegrated immediately. ¡°Anyway, go fight it. That¡¯s what this testing area is for.¡± ¡°Huh! Really? Just fight it?¡± ¡°Well, other users would¡¯ve gotten many buffs for things like physical strength, stamina, life force, agility, courage, and various others, but I don¡¯t think you need it, Oppa.¡± ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s like that.¡± Understanding the situation, Yongno nodded. Mari was clearly stating that other users would be buffed to the heavens and defeat the monster before them in an overwhelming fashion. Once they did this, they would gain confidence. Although this would probably make them overestimate their abilities against such a foe later, every user would gain 20 spiritual force points after passing this level exam, so their combat ability would increase correspondingly. Twenty points meant ten years of internal energy. While ten years of internal energy did not sound like much, once one became accustomed to using that additional energy, even a ten-year-old would be able to cut through solid granite with a single finger. Elderly users would be able to go against and defeat a professional boxer in his prime. ¡°You won¡¯t be needing any buffs, right?¡± ¡°Well, I guess not.¡± Bam! As if it were waiting for his response, the Dire Wolf pounced forward as soon as Yongno spoke. When he looked back, Yongno saw that Mari had disappeared. He didn¡¯t know if she used some sort of teleport skill or if she was just hiding somewhere, but regardless, she was gone. Bam. Obviously, the Dire Wolf was no match for Yongno. Yongno didn¡¯t even have to use internal energy. Just swinging his fists was enough to cause the Dire Wolf¡¯s head to explode into black smoke. His reward was the Dire Wolf¡¯s leather. /Clear!/ Yongno once again returned to the testing room. The next area he entered was called [Escort Combat]. ¡°Roar!¡± This time, Yongno faced a growling animal. However, unlike the large wolf that he just faced, this animal was the size of a normal dog and looked like a red fox. ¡°It¡¯s a Level 1 fox.¡± ¡°It seems closer to an animal or pet than a monster. Isn¡¯t it a bit weak?¡± ¡°This is what the escort combat testing is like. The monster that appears is synced to the user¡¯s current level. It¡¯s already slightly cumbersome and penalizing to have to guard someone in the first place.¡± Yongno looked behind him, spotting a full-grown chicken along with three small chicks. ¡°Roar!¡± The red fox made its move. It didn¡¯t seem to have any interest in fighting Yongno as it went straight for the chickens behind Yongno. After his experience in avoiding the Blade Fish¡¯s quick attacks, Yongno had no trouble seeing the route the fox was taking. He didn¡¯t even need to use his hand skills. Yongno waited until the red fox was beside him before kicking out as if he were launching a soccer ball. ¡°Whelp!¡± The red fox let out a sharp yelp before turning into black smoke. Since drops didn¡¯t occur all the time, the red fox disappeared without leaving anything behind. /Clear!/ Yongno once again returned to the testing room. ¡°I guess it doesn¡¯t take long if you just focus on completing the set task.¡± ¡°On average, users take 30 minutes to complete the full round of tests. Oppa is just a special case.¡± There were only three doors remaining: [Rescue], [Stealth], and [Teamwork]. Yongno glanced at the state of his internal force. He was still at his peak state. Furthermore, hovering over his left shoulder was the Golden Core that held 45 years of internal energy. Since he had invested an entire day into purifying and converting the internal energy to make it compatible with him, he would face no trouble in using it at any time. Whoosh. With his attention now caught by the Golden Core, Yongno grabbed the internal energy storage device and imbued it with his internal energy. As the Golden Core was already full of internal force, Yongno was essentially transferring his internal force to the spirit that resided in his Wicalein¡¯s Ring. ¡°Hmm? Why are you doing that during the testing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s already full, so it can¡¯t be improved and is just maintaining its state. Since the tests are relatively easy, I thought it would be good to work on developing the spirit.¡± Yongno had reached the seventh level of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique. At this level, he could replenish eight years of his internal energy per minute. Hence, even if he used up all his internal energy, he¡¯d be able to recover it within one to two minutes. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Hmm, you¡¯ve drained half of your internal force already.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get it all back in a minute anyway.¡± Saying this, Yongno entered the door with the sign that read [Rescue]. He found himself in the middle of a wooded forest in front of a log cabin. ¡°¡­ Hmm?¡± Feeling several auras around him, Yongno crouched down. Luckily, he was positioned inside a fenced area, so he wasn¡¯t noticed. ¡°This is an Orc village. There are no Warrior-class Orcs here, but there are still about a hundred standard Orcs residing in this area.¡± ¡°Oho, Orcs, huh?¡± Yongno had heard of Orcs, but he¡¯d never seen one before. He was about to stand up and have a look around, but Mari quickly grasped his shoulders and pushed him back down. As soon as she did this, he didn¡¯t realize it, but Yongno received a notification message that stated, ¡®You have obtained the Hiding skill!¡¯ ¡°You must move without being noticed. Orcs are two to three times more powerful than the average full-grown man. Among the 100 Orcs here, 99 of them are Level 3, and one is Level 4. This isn¡¯t a combat test.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°This is a [Rescue] test. You must rescue the humans trapped within the log cabin and safely move them outside the village. Once you do that, you pass.¡± Having heard her description of the test, Yongno frowned. ¡°Getting inside won¡¯t be much of an issue, but how am I expected to safely bring them out with a hundred Orcs moseying about everywhere?¡± Since Yongno¡¯s martial arts were focused on short-term attacks and bursts of high output within a limited timeframe, his combat style wasn¡¯t conducive to any prolonged battle, especially with a mass of enemies. Yongno didn¡¯t like the idea of smashing 20 foes only to be countered by 80 more. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. All you must do is set them free.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Yongno had a puzzled expression at Mari¡¯s ambiguous explanation, but he didn¡¯t put much thought into the matter, as he felt that ¡®things will work out somehow.¡¯ As such, he soon found himself entering the log cabin. He had materialized within the fenced area, and all the Orc guards were standing guard outside, so he didn¡¯t face any difficulties reaching the log cabin. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t understand. You don¡¯t look particularly strong, nor does it seem like you¡¯ve been captured¡­. How did you get here?¡± Inside the log cabin, Yongno found a man in his mid-thirties chained to the wall. The man seemed to have been tortured extensively. His face was bruised and swollen, and his arms were bent at abnormal angles. Yongno thought that the captured people would be strong and healthy, as he¡¯d only have to release the prisoners, not escort them. Yet, the man was in a weakened state, so Yongno could not help but look at Mari with a dumbfounded expression. ¡°Wait. Even if I free him, it doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯ll be able to make it out without any help, no?¡± ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± The man seemed to frown, but Yongno couldn¡¯t tell for sure due to the swelling on his face. Mari just shrugged her shoulders as she looked at the man¡¯s status. ¡°I¡¯ve made myself somewhat invisible. That man can¡¯t see or sense me, but you can since I made an exception. Oh, and by the way¡­.¡± Mari took out a key and a small medicine bottle. ¡°Release him from his locks and feed him this medicine.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Why are you muttering to yourself?¡± Despite hearing the man¡¯s question, Yongno didn¡¯t pay any attention or offer a reply. Instead, he dutifully unlocked the chains and gave the man the medicine. This wasn¡¯t all that difficult since the man was already immobile. ¡°It seems like this quest will take some time to complete.¡± ¡°Nope. You¡¯re done.¡± ¡°Wait, I only released him. Don¡¯t I need to make sure he escapes safely-¡± Whoosh¡­ ¡°Hmm?¡± Feeling a fleeting aura of overwhelming power, Yongno glanced to his side. There, Yongno saw the man exuding a tremendous amount of spiritual force when just moments ago, he¡¯d been largely immobile. CH 31 ¡°My magic force¡­ has returned.¡± Though the man spoke quietly, Yongno could clearly hear a sense of joy within those few words. The man¡¯s body was still in critical condition, but the aura he emanated was tremendous. ¡°Ivan Jester. I am an Ark Mage affiliated with the Magic Tower. I concentrate on the Wicalein area of study and specialize in the Heavenly Immortal spellcasting branch. I am a Level 11 master mage. You probably already know, but once I leave this area, I will have no recollection of ever having met you. You know that this area is entirely separate from the main server, right?¡± Bam! As soon as the man finished speaking, the log cabin exploded outward. Despite the immense size of the explosion, it was controlled, and not a single scrap of wood came near the man or Yongno. ¡°Uhm¡­ so are you okay?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ivan replied matter-of-factly as he raised his left hand. A ball of light formed in his palm, sitting there for only a brief moment before it flew around his body and instantly treated his physical injuries. It took an amazingly short amount of time for him to recover. ¡°Damn it! The prisoner escaped! How the hell did he get out?¡± ¡°Kill him! Kill him before he has time to finish his spell chant!¡± As the dust cleared, Ivan¡¯s form became visible. At that moment, a two-meter-tall Orc holding a spear shouted an order with a vigorous and powerful voice as it saw Ivan. This Orc was dramatically different from the low-level monsters that Yongno had confronted until now. ¡°Charge!¡± ¡°Kill him!¡± All the Orcs in the surrounding area screamed as they lunged at Ivan. Regardless of their menacing cries and attacks, Ivan calmly looked around as he raised his right hand. Boom! ¡°Wow!¡± Yongno stared in awe as a fountain of light beams burst out and made their way to each Orc, piercing all the way through their bodies. Overwhelmed, the remaining Orcs did not attempt to approach Ivan any longer. There were some that tried to launch long-range attacks by shooting arrows or throwing spears, but Ivan¡¯s defense spell blocked them without any difficulty. /Clear!/ Yongno was a little crestfallen when he left the area and returned to the testing room. ¡°Ah, I should have tried fighting them before I saved him.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯d be dead. Although, I won¡¯t say that you¡¯d have had no chance whatsoever. After all, there are always exceptions and miraculous events which occur all the time. However, every single one of those Orcs outranked you by several levels.¡± As Mari stated this, she walked through the door labeled [Stealth] with Yongno following close behind. Like the Rescue area, Yongno found himself in a forested area. It was nighttime, and their surroundings were shrouded in deep darkness. Of course, if Yongno utilized Night Vision Eyes, he wouldn¡¯t have any issues seeing. ¡°Be careful.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve trained in the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, so if you use your night vision, they¡¯ll have a golden glow. It doesn¡¯t make much difference when your surroundings are bright, but in the dark, you¡¯ll stick out like a sore thumb.¡± Yongno nodded; Mari¡¯s explanation made sense. A stealth attempt had to be conducted covertly. It would be foolish to try and assassinate someone while alerting others of his presence. ¡°Fine, then I¡¯ll close my eyes.¡± ¡°So, as long as you close off some of your qi acupoints- huh?¡± Just as Mari was about to explain how Yongno could restrict the flow of his qi to dull the golden glow, she saw him close his eyes while still using his scanning and night vision. ¡°Mari, lead the way.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Mari?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ right.¡± Yongno cautiously moved forward as Mari followed close behind. Although it seemed that they were both just traveling normally, Yongno¡¯s steps made light noises while Mari moved entirely silently. /Enhanced Eyesight skill has increased by two levels!/ ¡°Huh? Why did the skill level increase?¡± Yongno muttered to himself while Mari continued to observe him closely. Soon, Mari let out a sigh. ¡®He¡¯s a monster. A total monster. I thought I was done being surprised by his actions.¡¯ /Clear!/ Yongno once again returned to the testing room. While Mari was momentarily lost in thought, Yongno had seen an Orc leaning against a tree, sleeping, so he made quick work of the Orc. Typically, Mari would have buffed the user to improve their stealth ability and give them the confidence necessary to rapidly assassinate the sleeping Orc. However, Yongno possessed developed hand skills, so it wasn¡¯t difficult for him to dispatch the monster without any delay. ¡°Alright! Now, only the last remains- [Teamwork],¡± Yongno said. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What is it this time?¡± ¡°Nothing. Let¡¯s start.¡± After Mari¡¯s reply, the final test began. Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! ¡°Warning! Warning! The monsters are back! Hurry, everyone!¡± ¡°Which direction?¡± ¡°To the South Gate!¡± Yongno shrugged as he saw a chaotic scene of ringing bells and people shouting all around him. ¡°So much chaos just from the start.¡± ¡°The teamwork test matches you with a group of NPCs to fight a group of mobs or other invading NPCs. Usually, users with propensities for healing or buffing utilize their skills and abilities to complete the task. For those who specialize in other fields, they can smash through the test with brute force as well.¡± They slowly walked as Yongno listened to Mari¡¯s explanation. It wasn¡¯t too difficult to find the location of the battle, as Yongno was able to fully operate his Telescopic and Aura Vision. Through Aura Vision, Yongno could perceive life force and temperature differences in his surroundings, while Telescopic Vision allowed him to lengthen his scanning radius and utilize his visions more effectively. Essentially, Yongno could make a complete turn and scan his environment like a radar. ¡°Roar!¡± ¡°Die!¡± An intense fight was brewing immediately outside the village¡¯s boundary. The enemy consisted of 50 Nol, which were monsters derived from the canine species. Facing off against the Nol were about 100 men maintaining a siege line with their wooden shields. ¡°Argh!¡± Boom! ¡°Oh, no!¡± Yongno sighed as he avoided being smashed by a large man who had been flung into the air. It seems that the man was one of the village¡¯s resident soldiers. ¡°Hmm, this doesn¡¯t look real.¡± Yongno observed the large man, who had already bled out from an arrow stuck in his throat. Golden light seemed to be dripping from the wound. ¡°Still, is it normal not to have any reaction after witnessing such a gruesome scene? I¡¯ve watched this type of stuff on TV and in other games, but still, I should have some reaction.¡± ¡®Maybe it¡¯s because I know I¡¯m in a virtual reality game.¡¯ Yongno continued to mumble under his breath. Seeing Yongno, a different soldier called out to him. ¡°Hey, you! What are you wearing? You don¡¯t even have a weapon!¡± ¡°Huh? Me?¡± Yongno was still wearing the pants and top that all beginner-level users started with. His clothes were more suited to the warmer coastal climates, so he stuck out like a sore thumb in this village. After spending more than a month in these clothes, Yongno had gotten used to them, and he only now realized how silly he must look. ¡°Ah, I forgot to get some new clothes.¡± ¡°Wow, you sure realized that quickly.¡± Mari sarcastically commented from the side. Yongno paid no attention to her as he started stripping off the dead man¡¯s top. Yongno felt that the clothing wasn¡¯t of any use to the man now, so he was planning on wearing his clothes. Yet, at that moment, a bunch of text messages appeared. /Warning! You have touched ¡°someone¡¯s¡± items without authorization! You have lost three points in ¡®Good Deed!¡¯/ /Warning! If you do not heed the above message and remedy your wrongdoing, you will permanently lose the three points in Good Deed!/ ¡°What the hell?¡± Surprised, Yongno instantly let go of the clothes. Then, he saw another message pop up. /Good./ ¡°¡­¡± Noticing Yongno¡¯s dumbfounded expression, Mari explained, ¡°All users have a category called ¡®Good Deed.¡¯ It¡¯s quantified using points. The more points an individual has, the more services and secondary benefits they can enjoy. On the other hand, the lower a person¡¯s ¡®Good Deed¡¯ points are, the more negative consequences they may face.¡± ¡°Like killing an NPC?¡± ¡°Yes, of course, that would be a reduction in Good Deed points. However, if it¡¯s done in self-defense, that¡¯s another issue.¡± ¡°Wow, this game has everything. So, what am I supposed to do?¡± ¡°You need to gain authorization. However, authorization given under duress does not count.¡± Yongno shook his head after hearing Mari¡¯s explanation. Then, he looked up and spoke to the other soldier. ¡°Hey! Is it okay if I wear this dead man¡¯s clothes?¡± ¡°What? Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m busy? Also, you¡¯ve already stripped him! Whatever, wear it or not, I don¡¯t care!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Yongno respectfully bowed his head and picked up the clothes he had dropped. This time, no messages appeared. ¡°Okay, I get it now.¡± ¡°Your ability to understand and find a solution is commendable.¡± Mari let out an admiring whistle as she saw Yongno swiftly understand the principle of Good Deed. After putting on the dead man¡¯s clothes, Yongno picked up the long sword and red armor that the dead man had on; the red armor in question was a variation of basic leather armor. Although another message showed up, Yongno didn¡¯t pay much attention, and he soon called out to the village¡¯s resident soldier who had allowed him to wear the dead man¡¯s clothing. Even if he didn¡¯t gain authorization this time, Yongno knew he could just drop the long sword and red armor to avoid being penalized. ¡°Can I wear this stuff too?¡± ¡°Make sure our left flank is secured¡­ Hey! Who the hell are you? That¡¯s property of our guards, so don¡¯t touch it!¡± ¡°Hmph! I guess he¡¯s not that easy-going.¡± As Yongno grumbled and put the items down, Mari spoke up. ¡°Well, the other tests aren¡¯t much different from this initial beginner test. If you don¡¯t get in their way, usually, the side you¡¯re supposed to assist wins. At higher levels, the battles have forces ranging from 100 to 300, 1,000 to 2,000, or even 10,000 versus 100,000.¡± ¡®Of course, you¡¯ll always be placed on the side that has fewer numbers.¡¯ While listening to Mari¡¯s protracted explanation, Yongno stood atop a wooden fence. ¡°Grr!¡± ¡°Die!¡± The fighting was fierce. About 100 village resident soldiers were facing off against 50 or so Nol. The Nol had superior senses and physical strength compared to the soldiers, and they also bore a tough leather hide and formidable fighting ability. Yet, the soldiers fought behind a stable wooden fence and held the line admirably using teamwork. ¡°What are the requirements to clear this test?¡± ¡°Your side must win. It shouldn¡¯t take too long. Probably five minutes or so?¡± ¡°Then, I guess I don¡¯t have to intervene. I can just jump in if it looks like they¡¯re having trouble-¡± Bam! ¡°Ugh?!¡± Yongno swayed after being hit on his head. The strike was so unexpected that Yongno could not easily shake off the momentary searing pain. Luckily, the DIO pain control system kicked in to lessen the sensation, bringing the pain to a level more similar to a mere slap on the face. ¡°W-what was that?¡± ¡°An arrow.¡± ¡°Those things shoot arrows?¡± Yongno ducked below the top of the wooden fence to get a better look at the projectile. Without paying attention to his surroundings, Yongno had been hit by an arrow directly on his head, so the shaft was fractured, and the spearhead was twisted out of shape. Since the arrow was so misshapen, Yongno figured that the quality wasn¡¯t too great. ¡°Wait, that large guy from before died from a single arrow attack.¡± ¡°Ah, yes, you¡¯re right. It¡¯s impressive that you were shot but came out with only a bump on your head to show for it.¡± Since he wasn¡¯t even circulating his internal force at the time, it was somewhat surprising that he didn¡¯t suffer any further injury. His skin and skull had been his only defenses. ¡°Hmm, I wonder if something like this works¡­.¡± Since his internal force was already full, Yongno put his external Golden Core into his inventory and brought out the spirit of his Wicalein¡¯s Ring. He imagined the spirit standing in front of him like a shield. Once he did this, Yongno stood up and exposed himself again. Soon, an arrow flew toward him. Ting! Bam! ¡°Hmm, I guess it doesn¡¯t work.¡± Yongno grabbed the arrow that made its way through the spirit shield with little resistance. With his experience in fighting the blade fish and the seventh level of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, Yongno¡¯s reflexes and eyesight were highly developed, so grabbing the flying arrow wasn¡¯t too challenging. However, the village¡¯s resident soldier beside him gasped aloud. ¡°Y-you¡­ grabbed the arrow with your hands?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that hard.¡± Yongno shrugged. He¡¯d seen his enemy preparing to shoot him, so he had calculated the flight time and predicted the path of the arrow beforehand. Yongno was able to estimate the rough location and time when the projectile would grow near him. His abilities were limited, though, as he couldn¡¯t see the arrow¡¯s entire path, nor did he know precisely where it was at every moment. Bam! Yongno deflected an arrow that was heading for the soldier next to him. A bump had formed when the arrow hit his head, but after using his hand to deflect the projectile, Yongno found that it didn¡¯t cause much damage. Moreover, Yongno¡¯s hand skills were already well developed, so even without circulating his internal force, his hands were as strong as steel. CH 32 /You have gained 2 Good Deed points!/ ¡°Huh? Good Deed points?¡± ¡°You gained those for saving that man¡¯s life. Obviously, your points will increase the more good deeds you do.¡± ¡°But, when I freed that mage guy in the previous testing area, I didn¡¯t gain any points. Why¡¯s that?¡± Yongno asked, a puzzled expression on his face. Mari snorted. ¡°Hmph! What kind of good deed was that? You did it because it was a quest requirement.¡± ¡°Ugh, why does that matter? It¡¯s all the same anyway.¡± /You have gained 2 Good Deed points!/ Yongno whistled as an additional message popped up after swatting down another arrow. ¡°Oh! I guess it keeps giving me points for the same type of action.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t endanger someone who should¡¯ve otherwise been safe or purposely place an individual in peril just to save them, the same actions will count as good deeds.¡± ¡°I can imagine that there are probably people grinding Good Deed points already.¡± As Yongno said this, he examined his surroundings. The battle was reaching its climax. Out of the original 50 Nol, half were either dead or had sustained critical injuries, while the rest seemed exhausted. Although the village¡¯s resident soldiers hadn¡¯t come out of this unharmed, only around ten were wounded. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Huh? Ah! T-thank you for what you did earlier! You saved my life¡­.¡± ¡°Alright, enough of that. Can I have a bow and arrow? I¡¯ll help you guys out.¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m embarrassed to say this, but I¡¯m a bit injured and can¡¯t hand it to you¡­.¡± After gathering the man¡¯s quiver and bow, Yongno raised the shoddily-made wooden bow. /You have acquired the Bow Shooting skill!/ ¡°Bow shooting¡­¡± Once he held the bow and arrow in his hands, Yongno felt a bit of nostalgia. Five years had passed since he last wielded such a weapon. He never thought he¡¯d hold a bow and arrow again, but the game had given him a chance. ¡°I just came by to ask if you would reconsider starting archery again.¡± Truthfully, Yongno had thought about it, and he genuinely wanted to return to archery. Yet, he couldn¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to do so; he was being stopped. Similar to how he felt whenever he had to get in his bathtub, Yongno felt a sense of dread whenever he saw a bow and arrow. Even merely watching an archery event on television made him sick, so how would he be able to pick up a bow and arrow in real life? However, ¡®This isn¡¯t reality.¡¯ Right. This wasn¡¯t reality. He was in a virtual reality game, a space to play and experiment. He was someone who typically couldn¡¯t step in a bathtub, and he had swum a thousand meters underwater within this game. As Yongno drew back the bow¡¯s string, the wooden bow made a creaking sound. If this were the past, he wouldn¡¯t have even considered this bow usable. ¡°Wooden bows aren¡¯t great unless they¡¯ve been made by an expert¡­.¡± However, this wooden bow was all Yongno had in his possession. Ping! ¡°Yip!¡± Yongno jumped on top of the wooden fence and shot an arrow at a Nol that was about to bite a resident soldier. The arrow went through the Nol¡¯s mouth, and, of course, the Nol died instantly. /You have attained rank eight in Bow Shooting skill!/ /You have acquired the title ¡®Nol Slayer!¡¯/ Ping! ¡°Yip!¡± Another arrow soared in an arc before directly hitting a Nol¡¯s eye as the mob rushed toward the wooden fencing. Nols didn¡¯t have large eyes. Moreover, this Nol had been moving at a rapid pace, so it was a tremendous feat for Yongno to have hit the Nol squarely in the eye. /You have attained rank seven in Bow Shooting skill!/ /You have acquired the beginner level title in Bow Shooting!/ /You have acquired the special skill, Constant Imbuing!/ For players who used internal energy, there was a different approach to imbuing internal energy into a ranged combat weapon. An individual would have to constantly imbue internal energy into a sword or spear to make their strikes more destructive, but for ranged weaponry, like a bow and arrow, the same method would be rendered useless once the arrow left the user¡¯s hand. Thus, ranged attackers imbued internal energy into an arrow and allowed it to constantly exist even after leaving the user¡¯s hand. However, Constant Imbuing had a time limit of around five seconds, but most ranged attackers were able to act within this frame. This was a special skill that rank seven Bow Shooting gave users. Ping! Another Nol, which was rushing up a ladder, was struck by Yongno¡¯s arrow. While Nols were smaller than a standard adult human, they still weighed an average of fifty kilograms. As such, it didn¡¯t make sense for a Nol to be flung five meters into the air after being shot by Yongno, but this was what exactly occurred. Even though this result didn¡¯t make sense in the physical world, in the martial world, with the incorporation of one¡¯s qi, a simple attack could have such a drastic impact. ¡°But this is so inefficient. I¡¯m utilizing five years of internal energy and turning it into ten years of internal force, but this is the best I can do¡­.¡± Five years of internal energy was a third of his total internal energy. If he were using this same quantity for his hand skills, he¡¯d be able to attack with roughly ten times more destructiveness. It was indeed inefficient to use the bow and arrow. Ping! ¡°Yip!¡± /You have attained rank six in Bow Shooting skill!/ Ping! ¡°Yip!¡± /You have attained rank five in Bow Shooting skill!/ /You have acquired the advanced level title in Bow Shooting!/ /You have acquired the special skill, Explosive Arrow!/ Ping! Boom! Without fail, every arrow would become an explosive arrow. Moreover, this special skill was instantly applied once he acquired it. From that moment on, Yongno dominated the battleground. /You have attained rank four in Bow Shooting skill!/ Ping! Boom! /You have attained rank three in Bow Shooting skill!/ /You have acquired the special skill, Death Arrow!/ Ping! ¡°Ugh.¡± An arrow had hit a Nol¡¯s shoulder, but the Nol coughed up blood and crumbled to the ground. This was the effect of Death Arrow. Rather than exploding the internal force imbued in an arrow like Explosive Arrow did, the Death Arrow skill carried one¡¯s internal force into the target, burrowing within them and exploding internally. Furthermore, from this explosion, a chain reaction would occur in those who wielded internal force. The targeted Nol didn¡¯t possess much internal force, so it only collapsed after being struck. Yet, if the arrow had hit something which possessed a large amount of internal energy, magic power, or uncontrolled spiritual power, this attack would have been catastrophic. Ping! /You have attained rank two in Bow Shooting skill!/ At a certain point, fifteen Nol had fallen under Yongno¡¯s hands. Since there had only been roughly 25 Nol remaining when he entered the battle, Yongno had effectively taken care of more than half the remaining enemies. Moreover, Yongno had killed off 15 Nol with only seven arrows, as he usually took down multiple targets at once. Thus, his Bow Shooting skill was leveling up with every arrow. Ping! ¡°Yip!¡± Finally, the constant rank-up messages stopped appearing. Even though each of his arrows found its mark, Yongno¡¯s Bow Shooting rank didn¡¯t increase again. Seeing this, Mari realized something. ¡®Since his rank-ups stopped at rank two, it means his skill level is at the first rank. Really¡­ really¡­ I can¡¯t believe this guy. Even if he had some archery experience, it¡¯s a completely different process to use internal energy.¡¯ As she thought this, Mari noticed that Yongno was smiling, and she fell into further contemplation. Then, Mari brushed her thoughts aside and waved her right hand at Yongno. ¡°Normally, this isn¡¯t ¡®allowed¡¯ per se, but¡­.¡± Mari circulated her magic power. She was trying to read Yongno¡¯s mind by peering into his movements and thoughts. To avoid attracting his attention, she only used a basic level of her magic skill to read Yongno¡¯s mind at a surface level. Ping! ¡°¡­ Ugh!¡± Mari let out a small cry after being inundated with extensive amounts of data. A supercomputer may have processed this deluge of information without an issue, but it was too much for Mari. Actually, this would¡¯ve overloaded any ordinary human. The data contained information on the environment¡¯s condition, the power level of various entities, the variables that affected the flight and direction of the arrow, and the expected result of each attack. Yongno was visualizing the entire process of shooting each target. However, rather than being overwhelmed by this massive amount of data or sustaining himself through cold rationality, trained thought processing, or any other learned process, Yongno was producing and processing this information simply through enjoyment. ¡®A genius who enjoys what he does¡­.¡¯ It was often said that a genius couldn¡¯t beat a hard worker, and a hard worker couldn¡¯t beat someone who enjoyed what they were doing. However, this saying wasn¡¯t totally correct. Being a genius was innate, while effort and enjoyment were something you learned. ¡®A hard-working genius is terrifying. And to add to that, a hard-working genius who enjoys what he does¡­.¡¯ She was witnessing what a hard-working genius looked like first-hand. Ping! ¡°Yip!¡± /You have attained rank one in Bow Shooting skill!/ /You have acquired the expert level title in Bow Shooting!/ /You have acquired the special skill, Directional Change!/ After felling ten additional Nol, Yongno ranked up once more. If an individual showed a skill level two or more levels above their actual rank, they would obtain 100% experience for each successful attack. On the other hand, if their skill level were only one rank higher, the experience they gained would be 10%. This explained how Yongno ranked up after ten successful attacks. ¡°Y-you¡­¡± The village resident soldier looked fearfully at Yongno. As he saw this gaze, Yongno looked back at the soldier with an expression that stated, ¡®I¡¯m helping you out, but why are you looking at me like that?¡¯ Yet, before Yongno could respond, the soldier spoke first. ¡°Y-you¡¯re smiling and enjoying killing the Nol¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yongno didn¡¯t know how to respond. He wasn¡¯t actually enjoying the Nol massacre, but to an outside observer, that was probably exactly how it looked. /Clear!/ ¡°Ah! It ended right when I was getting into it. I also wasn¡¯t able to give that soldier a full explanation.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a temporary world anyway. It doesn¡¯t matter if anyone misunderstood you. Anyway¡­¡± Whoosh! With a ringing noise, two beams of light shot up and circled Yongno. Then, a message popped up in front of him. /You have reached Level 2!/ /You are now able to use some level-restricted items!/ /Your maximum ability levels have increased to 100 points!/ ¡°Oh! I¡¯ve reached Level 2!¡± ¡°Hmph. It took you long enough.¡± Yongno took everything in. It didn¡¯t matter if Mari was clicking her tongue or tsking in disgust; he was elated that his maximum ability points had increased. Since his maximum point levels were now 100, Yongno felt that the point restrictions wouldn¡¯t stress him out for a while. Whoosh¡­ Soon, the twenty doors turned into rays of light before dispersing and disappearing. In their place, two doors formed, and Yongno looked at the writing on them. One door read [Joint Warfare] while the other stated [Starting Room]. ¡°There¡¯s still some testing left?¡± CH 33 ¡°Joint Warfare is one of the basic tests, but it''s always offered last. Once you complete Joint Warfare, you¡¯re done with all the basic tests.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the Starting Room?¡± ¡°After the basic tests, the Starting Room prepares you for gameplay within DIO.¡± The Starting Room was where players would choose their path, the spiritual force area they specialized in, and they would also acquire their basic equipment here. Essentially, it was a place where users would become fully qualified within the world of DIO. Mari further explained. ¡°Since you¡¯re different from other users, I¡¯m sure Kyle has something special prepared for you. In any case, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll run into any trouble.¡± ¡°Kyle?¡± ¡°He¡¯s also a guide like I am, but he outranks me. Also, I can¡¯t follow you into that room, so you¡¯ll have to go in alone.¡± ¡°Huh? You can¡¯t follow?¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯re close to the end of this tutorial.¡± Mari mumbled the last few words. She seemed to be wistful about something, but Yongno didn¡¯t notice her fleeting show of emotion. He soon opened the door to the Starting Room and walked in. ¡°This place¡­¡± It was a small room, about 100 square feet. There were weapons displayed on the walls, showing off various types of swords, a bow and arrows, leather armor, magic staffs, and even mystical books. Though Yongno was only a Level 2 user, he could recognize that all the equipment within the room was of high quality. ¡°Oh, a customer.¡± Previously having been dozing off at the counter, a man spoke up. ¡°Uhm, you see¡­.¡± ¡°I notice you¡¯ve already determined your spiritual power area. It seems you made that decision by yourself rather than have Mari help you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Great Strength Vajra Hand Level 8 and Golden Pill Immortal Technique at Level 7¡­ considering that there¡¯s no user who has reached a cultivation level above five, these specs seem far beyond what¡¯s expected of a beginner. Of course, based on play time, it¡¯s not absurd that you¡¯d reach these levels, but I wonder if it¡¯s okay for a guide NPC to have given you so much help¡­.¡± Kyle closed his eyes and briefly sank into thought before shaking his head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s not like she went against any of the company¡¯s rules.¡± DIO¡¯s main policy was to support and encourage user growth. Of course, it was prohibited to show preference and support a specific user¡¯s progression, but Kyle decided that the assistance Yongno received didn¡¯t go against this policy. He might have come to a different conclusion if he knew that Yongno hadn¡¯t truly learned Great Strength Vajra Hand but essentially had it implanted into him. Yet, he¡¯d already decided not to pursue this matter any further. It wasn¡¯t his job to find problems in the general gameplay. ¡°Choose.¡± ¡°Choose what?¡± ¡°Your basic spiritual power. You can choose to further specialize in internal energy or go down a path of magic, chakra, life force, divine force, or aura as a secondary Channel.¡± Yongno had never considered this opportunity, as he¡¯d already utilized his basic spiritual power to reinforce his internal energy. ¡°Uhm, I¡¯ve already used up the basic spiritual power that was allotted to me.¡± ¡°You did that of your own volition using your wit, so it doesn¡¯t count. Either way, you¡¯re not finalizing your ultimate spiritual power path at this moment, and you can choose to change or delete it in the future. You¡¯re a bit farther ahead than the others, but that doesn¡¯t really make any difference.¡± After explaining his thoughts, Kyle went into detail about each area of spiritual power. ¡°There are six different areas of spiritual power in DIO. Actually, to be specific, there¡¯s actually seven.¡± ¡°Seven?¡± ¡°There are six areas which users can pursue, but if a choice is not made, then the default is selected. This is the seventh area of spiritual power: pure spiritual power. This is the path that Summoners and Spiritualists/Elementalists take, as well as the source of their power. Since these two types of specialists can deal with raw, unrefined, and unprocessed power, they¡¯re better equipped to trade and make deals with otherworldly existences.¡± Based on the spiritual power a player chose, they would specialize in and deal with starkly different areas. For instance, without needing to use any other abilities, life force allowed users to reinforce their physical bodies, and chakra granted powers through a deep ¡®understanding¡¯ of a ¡®property.¡± This also extended to divine power, which created miracles through the power gained from the ¡®reflection¡¯ of other dimensions. Those who used aura could materialize the inner power of their consciousness. Then, there were internal energy and magic users. Since each area had its strengths and weaknesses, it was impossible to state that any one field of spiritual power was better or worse than another. ¡°What¡¯s the most popular area of spiritual power?¡± ¡°It¡¯s stupid and idiotic to decide one¡¯s spiritual power path based on popularity.¡± ¡°Hmph. Why so serious? Anyway, I¡¯ve already decided on my path.¡± ¡°And that is?¡± ¡°Magic. I¡¯ve always wanted to cast magic spells.¡± After meeting Ivan Jester during the rescue portion of his basic tests, Yongno had been smitten with the idea of using magic. The overwhelming power and flashiness that he¡¯d witnessed had a significant impact on Yongno, and he felt that martial arts, which he had been using, was less formidable than magic. ¡°Fine. Then, your areas of spiritual power shall be internal energy and magic power. You may choose to change these paths in future quests, but you must keep in mind that the more fields you decide to learn, the slower your overall growth will be. Moreover, your progression gets more difficult as you gain levels.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± After seeing Yongno nod in acknowledgement, Kyle continued to speak. ¡°Alright then. Which school of study do you want to enter?¡± ¡°School of study?¡± Kyle handed over a small booklet to Yongno, who had a confused look on his face. ¡°Similar to how the divisions or sects have various cultivation methods that set internal energy users apart from each other, magic power has different schools of study as well. They utilize distinct magic techniques and magic storage solutions. This is what you¡¯re deciding right now.¡± Yongno perused the small booklet that Kyle handed him. There were over 100 schools of study, and each one was given one page to describe itself. ¡°Miletus, Wicalein¡­ the Red Hawk school of study? Heaven without Immortals and Reverse Heaven Eight Methods? There doesn¡¯t seem to be any consistency in these schools.¡± ¡°They¡¯re all outstanding schools that possess unique strengths and weaknesses. None is better than the other. Choose whatever you wish.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Yongno fell into thought. There were over 100 schools of study. Since Mari had chosen the Golden Pill Immortal Technique for Yongno, it was difficult for him to make a choice by himself. ¡°Don¡¯t be too concerned with your choice. While they all possess different qualities, they¡¯re equal in power. Furthermore, you can reset your decision and start over later.¡± ¡°I can choose to do a reset?¡± ¡°Sure. You¡¯d need to use some gold and experience points, but it isn¡¯t so expensive that it would be too cumbersome or difficult.¡± Yongno nodded. If there was an option to reset or have a do-over, Yongno had no reason to over concern himself with the decision. Additionally, there was no wrong choice, as all the options were said to be equally formidable and effective. ¡°Alright, then I choose the Lucky 77 school of study.¡± Yongno was handing over the booklet when he had a change of heart. ¡°Wait, no. I think it¡¯s better if I close my eyes and choose one at random.¡± After saying this, Yongno closed his eyes and thumbed through the booklet¡¯s pages, finally settling on a random page. ¡°Okay, this one. The Seven Jewel school of study on the seventy-seventh page.¡± After stating the school of study that he had chosen at random, Yongno noticed that the page number of this new, randomly-chosen school was the same as the number of the previous one. Was this just a coincidence? ¡°¡­ Coincidence?¡± Yongno fell into thought once more as he let out a contemplative hum. He closed the booklet and randomly shuffled through its pages. This wasn¡¯t just for fun. Yongno was being serious. He was planning on choosing his school of study based on whichever one he landed on. ¡°The seventy-seventh page, the Seven Jewel school of study.¡± It was the same as what he had randomly landed on before. ¡°¡­ So, this wasn¡¯t a coincidence.¡± ¡°Hey, you.¡± When Yongno¡¯s expression hardened as he unbelievably chose the same school of study twice in a row by chance, Kyle spoke out. It seemed Kyle wanted to say something, but Yongno beat him to it. ¡°This is destiny! My destined school of study!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Good! I choose this. Seven Jewel!¡± ¡°¡­ Uhm, okay. Whatever.¡± Whoosh. As soon as Kyle agreed, a hexagonal magic image appeared on Yongno¡¯s hand, causing a slight tingling sensation. Within the magic image was a small amount of magic power, and notifications started to appear in the air. /Spiritual Power (Type: Magic Power) has increased by 20 points!/ /You have acquired the school of study, ¡®Seven Jewels!¡¯/ ¡°Hmm, so this magic image contains my magic power.¡± With the opening of his new Channel, Yongno was left amazed. A book called [Understanding Something New] magically appeared in front of him, and the text underneath the title read, [The Representative 25 Spells of the First Level]. ¡°It¡¯s an introductory book. The basic resources will be provided to you free of charge, so you don¡¯t have to fret about that. Oh, and also¡­.¡± A tall, pointed hat, a blue robe, and a 1.3-meter wooden staff appeared before Yongno. ¡°Those are also part of the basic resources provided to you. Put them on.¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re just handing these out? I don¡¯t have to start from scratch and acquire items as I play this game?¡± ¡°If that were the case, life force users would be at too much of an advantage, as they start with nothing since they utilize their physical bodies. They can crush boulders with their bare hands, but magic users can¡¯t do anything without some basic items. Even internal energy users who practice martial arts need to have some basic items to be effective.¡± ¡°Then these are basic items too?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s one of the basic items given to fighters.¡± Yongno looked at the longsword that hung on the wall. The longsword¡¯s blade reflected a blue hue. Looking at the sword, Yongno recognized its craftsmanship and artistic beauty. Although its design was basic, it was definitely not something that had been mass-produced. It was unbelievable that such a weapon would be given out as a basic item to new users. With this thought, Yongno looked at the equipment he was given. Yongno felt his robe and let out an admiring whistle. The robe was made of some unknown high-quality material. This material was firm enough to withstand a sword strike but simultaneously soft and supple as it touched the wearer¡¯s skin. It wasn¡¯t too thick, and it was light enough for Yongno to wear without any discomfort. Then, Yongno looked at his new hat. The hat was made of the same material as the robe. The brim of the hat had a diameter of about a meter, so it looked relatively large, but it was as light as a feather and fit his head snuggly. ¡°Wow, I feel like a real mage.¡± Yongno felt satisfied as he looked at himself in the mirror with his items equipped. The wooden staff was his final piece of equipment. Yongno held up the 1.3-meter-long wooden staff. Though it was made of wood, the staff gave off a mystical quality. Moreover, it was engraved with tens of foreign, unreadable lines of text. ¡°All of these seem top-notch. These are all tier eight items?¡± Responding to Yongno¡¯s look of confusion, Kyle nodded. ¡°DIO¡¯s item rankings are strictly based on their performance. Take that longsword, for example. Despite being made by an expert, it¡¯s still just a tier eight item. Even if a sword is made by a master craftsman with a great deal of experience, it¡¯s still just a basic weapon, something sharp and sturdy. As such, it wouldn¡¯t reach a tier greater than seven.¡± This was because ¡®tier did not equal value or worth.¡¯ Take, for example, an expensive sword crafted by a master craftsman versus a mass-produced handgun. If one only took value into consideration, the sword would be the indisputable winner. Comparing a master-crafted sword to a mass-produced handgun was silly. Yet, what would happen if someone wielding the master-crafted sword fought the person with the mass-produced handgun? Would the person with the irrefutably higher-quality sword be any match for the person carrying a handgun? Thus, DIO¡¯s item ranking system ranked swords up to the seventh tier and handguns at the sixth tier. It didn¡¯t matter how much an item was worth. Handguns were more useful and destructive, so they were ranked higher. Of course, the availability and craftsmanship of an item would impact its price. So, some items might have a higher tier but be cheap, whereas an item with a lower tier might be considered priceless. ¡°Wow! Then what about first tier and A tier items?¡± ¡°They possess equivalent levels of [Function] and [Power].¡± After hearing this explanation, Yongno recalled the sword he had seen in the underwater dungeon. It had shimmered with mystical silver light and had jewels encrusted on its handle. It had also been covered in a stylish blue hide. It was a sword that originated straight from a legend. It was like the mystical sword that had felled dragons of yore, the SS tier magic sword named Ascalon. ¡°Then what about SS tier items?¡± ¡°SS tier¡­ that¡¯s not something that you¡¯ll be approaching anytime soon. An SS tier item is in a class of strategic weapons that can single-handedly change the outcome of a war. In terms of your world, a hydrogen bomb would be comparable to an SS tier item.¡± ¡°A hydrogen bomb?¡± ¡°Theoretically, a hydrogen bomb¡¯s destructive property is infinite. It is only restricted based on the range of its chain reaction. I wouldn¡¯t say an SS tier item¡¯s power is infinite, but I will say that its destructive qualities are comparable to a 50-megaton hydrogen bomb warhead.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yongno stood speechless, dumbfounded, as Kyle gave this explanation with a somewhat bored face. CH 34 ¡°Well, you¡¯ll probably never come across an SS tier item, so I wouldn¡¯t put much thought into it.¡± ¡®So, it¡¯s dangerous.¡¯ Although Yongno smiled, he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Ascalon¡¯s beauty. Yet, more importantly, Yongno was unsure if there was something about Ascalon itself that caused his infatuation with the sword. ¡°Anyway, this is as far as I accompany you.¡± ¡°Oh, then am I entering DIO now?¡± Kyle shook his head as he looked at Yongno¡¯s enthusiastic face. ¡°No, not directly. You still need to complete two basic tests: [Fight] and [Joint Warfare].¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already completed all the basic tests, though.¡± ¡°You cleared them? But how did you do that without the basic items- ah, I see.¡± Kyle recalled Yongno¡¯s abilities and well-developed skill set. With these specs, it shouldn¡¯t have been too difficult for him to complete the basic tests. Furthermore, his hand skill martial arts, Great Strength Vajra Hand, was something Yongno could employ without any specific items or weaponry. Additionally, since Yongno¡¯s hand skills were already at Level 8, he would probably be able to hold his own against Level 2 existences. ¡°Then, is everything over?¡± ¡°Yes. Goodbye.¡± As soon as Kyle finished speaking, the scenery around Yongno instantly changed, and he soon found himself in the starting room in front of Mari. ¡°Wow, such a cold-hearted guy. He didn¡¯t even give me time to say my goodbyes.¡± ¡°That guy has always been like that.¡± While saying this, Yongno noticed that Mari¡¯s gaze had become cold. With his magic hat and robe and the quarterstaff in his right hand, it was obvious that Yongno was a mage in training. And what made this even more convincing was that Yongno carried himself in a manner befitting the role. However, Mari expected Yongno to possess a different set of equipment. Gloves, a bow and quiver, or even a sword¡­ something that dealt physical damage. Against her expectations, Yongno had come back with mage equipment and spiritual power in the area of magic. ¡°Uhm, Mari? My skin is tingling.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. Wow, the aura you project is no joke. It doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯re putting any extra effort into it, but your aura is still so oppressing.¡± Despite stating this as he withstood the oppressive aura, Yongno¡¯s expression had not changed. This went on to show just how steeled his nerves had become. Mari¡¯s aura fell short of the Seadragon Zygmunt¡¯s, which possessed far stronger killing intent and overwhelming pressure. Yongno¡¯s experience and abilities all pointed to a path of martial arts; however, Yongno had unexpectedly chosen a path toward magic. ¡°Hmph.¡± Mari knew that the decisions an individual made regarding their area of spiritual power, school of study, cultivation technique, skill tree, physical properties, and other attributes were not random. If Yongno chose magic as his area of spiritual power and a particular school of study, it meant that he was predisposed to and gifted in that path. ¡®But still, I thought¡­.¡¯ ¡°Hey Mari, I¡¯m done, right?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, it seems so. Once you complete Joint Warfare, you¡¯ll be off to the world of DIO.¡± Mari spoke softly. Once she finished speaking, notifications started appearing in the air. /You have cleared the basic tests!/ /You have acquired the title, ¡®Entrant!¡¯/ ¡°Entrant?¡± The generic title initially confused Yongno, but soon, a description popped up. ¡°I won¡¯t accept the title.¡± Though the title would have been helpful for a beginner, Yongno already possessed a Master title. His current title as ¡®Divine Swimmer¡¯ represented his dominance in the medium of water and gave him various benefits. His stamina, life force, and physical strength had increased by 150 points each, which was common for Master titles. If any other novice user heard of Yongno¡¯s feat and benefit, they¡¯d let out a loud curse. The highest title one could obtain through training was a Master title; thus, the benefits that such titles conferred were significant. Of course, there were titles such as UT and Grandmaster. These were both above the Master title, but the developers of DIO probably thought that they would be beyond the reach of any user. Whoosh. Then, Mari gently levitated as a halo of light encircled her body, and Yongno¡¯s eyes grew large at the unexpected scene. Seeing his response, Mari sighed. ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± ¡°Time?¡± Despite Yongno¡¯s question, Mari didn¡¯t respond. The light that encircled her body gathered into her right hand, and she then spoke. ¡°If it¡¯s you, oppa, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure out the deeper meaning of Qi Heaven.¡± ¡°Qi Heaven¡¯s deeper meaning?¡± Yongno had a bewildered expression as he heard this, and simultaneously, a partially translucent white light blossomed in Mari¡¯s hand. It was the very essence of internal energy which remained after being compressed several times over. Although he didn¡¯t quite understand what was going on, he sensed and grasped some basic knowledge. He knew that what he was observing was the pinnacle of a certain skill or line of training. ¡°Well, it¡¯ll still take you some time to reach this level.¡± ¡°Uhm, Mari? I¡¯m sorry to interrupt you while you¡¯re speaking, but your body is becoming more translucent¡­.¡± ¡°Listen.¡± Hearing her firm reply, Yongno shut up. Once he became quiet, Mari continued to speak. ¡°I hope that you come to understand the deeper meaning of Qi Heaven. Moreover, I hope you transcend its limits. If you can, you¡¯ll be able to free yourself from the restrictions placed upon you.¡± ¡°Restrictions? What are you saying-¡± Crackle! ¡°Ugh?!¡± Yongno cried out as he felt a splitting headache in his forehead. Though the DIO pain control system should have been operational, a considerable amount of pain still struck Yongno as blood started to pour profusely from the wound that had suddenly appeared on his forehead. ¡°What have you¡­?¡± ¡°I wanted to leave a mark.¡± Her figure was hard to make out. Mari, a white-haired young girl, had almost become completely transparent. For over a month, she had passionately desired one thing. She wanted to become an individual, a ¡®me,¡¯ not just another marionette. ¡°I wanted to leave a mark behind, something attesting to my existence.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­?!¡± Yongno cried out once more as a fiery heat momentarily overwhelmed him. His wound had repaired itself. Since he possessed a Master title, he had a rapid rejuvenation speed, and with his 200 life points, even if Yongno were to have his arm chopped off, he¡¯d be able to regrow it within a minute. ¡°I am Snowflake Flower of the Frost Warrior Clan. Remember. Don¡¯t forget.¡± Yongno was now barely able to make out Mari. ¡°Snowflake Flower was here.¡± Creak. The door to [Joint Warfare] opened and forcefully sucked Yongno towards it. Surprised, Yongno tried to resist, but it was futile. ¡°Congratulations.¡± Seeing Yongno floating away, Mari- no, Snowflake Flower congratulated Yongno with a sad smile on her face. ¡°With this, you¡¯ve completed all your basic tests.¡± Bam! The door forcefully closed once Yongno was entirely sucked inside. Now nearly completely transparent, Snowflake Flower smiled. ¡°Hmm~ I sure feel empty. Should I have thrown a tantrum and asked him to stay with me?¡± Yet, Snowflake Flower knew that doing so would have been useless. While the restrictions and rules had loosened up a bit over time, it would have still been too difficult for her to forcefully ¡®affect¡¯ a user. The only reason she¡¯d gotten this far unnoticed was that the beginner zone was low on the administrators¡¯ priority list. Alas, in the end, they found out. Whoosh¡­! Once Yongno had entered the testing area, the space that he had previously occupied with Snowflake Flower began to crumble and fold. She, along with the space, was being deleted. Normally, she would have been recalled and re-established whenever Yongno entered a [Joint Warfare] room, but since she had forcefully severed her connection with her spirit through Qi Heaven, she had exhausted herself. ¡°Hmph. I guess they¡¯ve assessed that I¡¯m expendable.¡± She gave a saddened smile as she shrugged. And finally¡­ ¡°Goodbye.¡± ¡®Her¡¯ existence completely disappeared from the world. ***Merlin*** ¡°Hey, you.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Hmm?!¡± Yongno jumped in surprise, finding himself in a hall about the size of several large football fields combined. Within the room, there were around a hundred users busily talking amongst each other. ¡°This place¡­¡± ¡°This is the waiting area for the Joint Warfare test. Anyway, why did you fly into this area? Did Mari chuck you in?¡± ¡°How did I enter this place¡­.¡± As Yongno muttered to himself, he looked around his surroundings. There were tens of people around him who all wore different types of clothing. Among them, there were a few who wore a robe and held a quarterstaff like Yongno, while others were topless and covered in tattoos. Some wore leather armor, and others wielded swords and shields. There were also those who wore skin-tight ninja-like garb. Bam! At that moment, a user wearing a robe finished chanting a spell and shot a fireball towards another user¡¯s shield. The warrior on the receiving end mostly held his ground, but he was pushed back several steps due to the momentum of the fireball. It didn¡¯t seem like either side was serious about the confrontation, seeing how both the attack and defense lacked any killing or malicious intent. ¡°Oh, now I can cast spells with just my bare hands.¡± ¡°Dang, that¡¯s awesome. I blocked your attack using only my internal energy. I didn¡¯t know I could infuse my shield with internal energy.¡± ¡°Let me try casting another spell. This time around, let me try an electric attack.¡± ¡°Huh? Electric? Will I be able to block that with my metal shield?¡± The warrior had a questioning expression on their face, and after looking at them, the magic user replied. ¡°Try imbuing the shield with internal energy once more. Let¡¯s try and see if your internal energy-infused shield can block an electricity-based attack.¡± ¡°Okay. How many magic spells can you cast?¡± ¡°I expend about five tetra of magic power if I shoot a bolt-type spell. Since I specialize in magic, my total magic power is 40 points, so in theory, I should be able to shoot out eight bolts. However, Mari told me that it''s difficult to expend all of one¡¯s magic power, so I think I can probably shoot six bolt-type spells in total.¡± The two were learning the limits of their newfound powers in unique ways, and they weren¡¯t the only ones. All around him, Yongno could see people jumping two or three meters while tied up and others who were slicing wooden dummies, which would instantly reappear whole after being damaged. ¡°Users¡­ everyone here is a user, right?¡± ¡°Of course. Ah, you must be confused after just completing the basic tests. It¡¯s easy to discern who is who. If the name above the character is white, then it¡¯s a user. Names in yellow are NPCs, and names in black are monsters. There are some NPCs who have names like ¡®Store Owner¡¯ and ¡®NPC Guide,¡¯ but most of them have a unique name. After hearing the explanation, Yongno looked up to see the name displayed above the person speaking to him. Above his head was the name [Lizardman Slayer Lancelot]. ¡°Lancelot?¡± ¡°My ID is pretty good, no? Since this game is still in beta, I was able to get this name.¡± Yongno looked above his own head and fell into thought. He didn¡¯t see any ID above him. Throughout his time in DIO, Yongno was only able to see his reflection on the surface of water or through a mirror. He had no chance to notice an ID above his head, but when he pondered this a bit longer, Yongno realized that he never saw an ID in his status window either. ¡°Do you see an ID above my head?¡± ¡°It seems you haven¡¯t come up with an ID yet, so nothing is showing. An ID can¡¯t pop up if you didn¡¯t determine one.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± ¡°Since you don¡¯t have an ID yet, it seems like you¡¯re a fifth wave user.¡± ¡°Fifth wave user?¡± Since Yongno seemed totally lost, Lancelot went on to explain. In the beginning, when the beta first opened, the total number of invited users was 500. These original 500 users all started on the first day the beta was open. It wasn¡¯t a large number, but since every game had different factors they wanted to evaluate in their beta test, it couldn¡¯t be considered a small number either. Yet, on the second day, another wave of 500 beta testers was invited and gathered. That second wave started on the third day of DIO¡¯s beta test opening. Peculiarly, DIO¡¯s beta test kept incorporating more beta testers as time passed. It was as if the developers had decided that it was better to have as many beta testers as possible. However, the developers seemed to have high standards when it came to becoming a beta tester, so it was actually easier to become a beta tester for other games rather than DIO. ¡°I never thought they¡¯d consider one¡¯s level of intelligence and skill set when deciding if someone could become a beta tester. I had to submit my university entrance exam score and take a separate test. I was told that they¡¯d prioritize those who were cultured. I didn¡¯t understand what they were looking for, but since I heard this game was so great, I didn¡¯t complain. I¡¯m glad I kept quiet back then.¡± The developers had gone through four waves of beta testers before allowing the fifth wave to enter today, the ninth day since the opening of beta testing. Yongno now understood why there were so many people around him. If everyone here started on the first day, it didn¡¯t make sense for such a large number of users to be taking the Level 2 test. ¡°How do you make an ID?¡± ¡°You just need to speak with Alpha.¡± ¡°Alpha?¡± CH 35 While looking at the crowd of people, Yongno noticed a man surrounded by approximately ten other users. Despite being encircled by so many people, the man seemed calm, and as Yongno peered through the group, he was able to make out the man¡¯s ID: [Guide NPC Alpha 12]. ¡°Alpha 12?¡± ¡°It means he¡¯s a general NPC. Of course, Mari may also be seen as a general NPC since she¡¯s always present when users enter a multipurpose space, but this specific NPC is a general NPC assigned to this area. He¡¯s the only NPC here. Also, some NPCs are specifically created to deal with administrative work, and they all have the same appearance and personality. These administrative NPCs number up to a hundred. The NPC over there is one of those NPCs; he¡¯s designated as number 12 out of a hundred.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yongno was left speechless after hearing the overly detailed explanation. Seeing as how Lancelot was standing in this room as well, Yongno knew that he must also be a newcomer. Yet, this newcomer knew a great deal more than Yongno. ¡°Hahaha. I¡¯m a third-wave user. I reset my skill points, so I was sent back to this place. They didn¡¯t make me go through all the basic tests, but they required that I complete the Joint Warfare test.¡± ¡°Then, you¡¯re developing a whole new character?¡± ¡°Something like that, but not exactly. My equipment, items, inventory, ID, and experience points remain the same. Only my skill points and level have been reset.¡± After hearing the other¡¯s explanation, Yongno took the time to look at what Lancelot was wearing. The man was in his twenties, and he had blue martial arts clothing and wielded a long spear. Using Aura Vision, Yongno peered into Lancelot¡¯s spiritual essence. Lancelot¡¯s strength seemed relatively low, probably because he recently had his skill points reset. However, Yongno could not discern the type of Lancelot¡¯s strength. Lancelot¡¯s energy and power were not focused on a specific area around his heart or dantian. Yongno murmured to himself while contemplating this mystery. ¡°Aura?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lancelot was dumbstruck after hearing Yongno¡¯s words. The truth was that he had started DIO over a month ago, yet he wasn¡¯t able to properly utilize his specialty area of spiritual power. Lancelot had gone through multiple resets, from internal energy to magic power, chakra, life force, and even divine power and pure spiritual power. However, he eventually came back to the first spiritual power that he had chosen when he entered DIO, aura. Of course, he had not wasted his time in the game, as he¡¯d accrued experience and learned how to properly operate his aura and qi. Although his overall skill points were low due to the reset, his ability to deal with spiritual power and heightened senses had not been lost since these skills stemmed from one¡¯s ability and understanding of qi rather than skill points. Lancelot was surprised because a beginner had been able to quickly discern his true nature. ¡®Did he just guess? Or did he go through the basic tests over the course of several hours and gain some sort of recognition spell?¡¯ ¡°Lancelot?¡± ¡°Ah, sorry, something popped into my mind. Anyway, everything I explained made sense, right?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ yes, thank you.¡± ¡°No worries. Then¡­¡± Lancelot smiled before turning around, and soon, he mixed in with the other users and disappeared. Yongno observed all this before brushing off some dust on his robe. ¡°Anyway, that Mari¡­ what did she do to me? What happened to her?¡± On his forehead, where Mari¡¯s hand had touched him, Yongno felt a scar that formed a character that read ¡®Heaven.¡¯ Yongno wondered if the scar possessed magic properties, but he couldn¡¯t sense anything of the sort. ¡°What the hell.¡± He couldn¡¯t go back and ask Mari what the meaning of the scar was, so Yongno put this matter aside and made his way to the male NPC. Since his internal energy was already full, Yongno decided to imbue the spirit in his Wicalein Ring with five years of internal energy. ¡°I wonder¡­ how much can this guy absorb in one sitting?¡± Curious, Yongno decided to send out another five years of internal energy. The spirit greedily absorbed the additional internal energy. And then¡­ Whoosh! ¡°Hmm?¡± The spirit, which had been colorless, was starting to emanate a slightly golden light. Yongno slanted his head to the side. It seemed that the spirit had grown in size as well. /Wicalein Ring has increased to the 8th Tier!/ ¡°Oh, so a growth-type item gets stronger like this, huh?¡± Finding the result immensely interesting, Yongno started pouring more of his internal energy into the ring. Yet, perhaps it was because the spirit was full or for some other reason, but the spirit stopped absorbing his internal energy. ¡°Alright. It doesn¡¯t grow without restrictions. It appears that it needs time and internal energy to develop. I should take it out of the ring.¡± Yongno placed the spirit atop his left shoulder and made his way to the NPC. In front of Alpha, other users could be seen conversing amongst themselves. ¡°Me! I¡¯ve decided on my ID name, Alpha!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Come on! Why not?¡± ¡°We do not accept names created as a joke,¡± the NPC staunchly overruled the joking user. The male NPC was handsome. He had blue eyes and blonde hair, a fit and healthy body, and a face that seemed like it was chiseled from stone. If Yongno had seen this NPC in reality, he would have thought that the man was a model, but since he was within this game, Yongno knew that he was just an NPC that approved names. ¡°Excuse me, Alpha.¡± ¡°Yes, nice to meet you, Mr. Yongno Yoon.¡± Yongno was momentarily shocked at the NPC¡¯s polite response. ¡°Huh? Do you know who I am?¡± ¡°I only know your name. It is one of the access rights given to me. You came to make your ID?¡± Yongno nodded in response, and Alpha then went on to explain. ¡°The process is simple. You just have to tell me what ID name you want. However, please make sure to consider your ID name carefully. I wouldn¡¯t say that it¡¯s impossible to change your name, but it is very, very difficult to do so.¡± Alpha winked after he finished speaking. Yongno felt that if Alpha could sing and act, he¡¯d become a top-class world star in no time. Furthermore, seeing Alpha, Yongno realized that the developers of DIO had put a great deal of thought into the NPCs¡¯ attractiveness. This could be seen in the ravishing young beauty Mari to the middle-aged but refined and handsome Kyle¡­ ¡°Man, I don¡¯t even have to read the names above people¡¯s heads. I can tell who the users and NPCs are just by looking at them.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°No, nothing. I¡¯m ready to state my ID name. The ID name I want is¡­.¡± Yongno didn¡¯t have a particular ID name that he used in games. In the past, his username had been chosen either based on what was appropriate at the time or what he had come up with on the spot. Yet, in the world of DIO, this ID name may become his second name, so he had to think about this thoroughly. ¡°Right, so the ID name I want is¡­.¡± Yongno recalled the name of a great mage that he had read about in a book. Since he¡¯d chosen to walk down the path of magic and wore mage equipment, he felt the name was appropriate. ¡°Hendrik!¡± ¡°That ID name is already in use.¡± Without even a 0.1 second delay, Alpha denied Yongno¡¯s proposed ID name request. ¡°Ugh, I knew it. Then, Gandalf!¡± ¡°That ID name is already in use.¡± ¡°Pherrahab!¡± ¡°That ID name is already in use.¡± ¡°D-damn it. Then, Karthus!¡± ¡°That ID name is already in use.¡± ¡°Wait, even the name of a minor character from another game is in use?¡± As Yongno muttered curses under his breath, he contemplated a different ID name. A name related to magic¡­ hopefully, something that was popular and mainstream¡­ or perhaps a name that was widely recognized and respected. Thinking this far, Yongno remembered Lancelot. Naturally, Yongno then considered a name related to Lancelot. ¡°Merlin.¡± ¡°That ID name is available.¡± ¡°Damn, I knew such a popular ID name wouldn¡¯t be available- wait, what?¡± Yongno stared at Alpha in disbelief after processing the NPC¡¯s response. ¡°The ID name you mentioned is available. Is the name ¡®Merlin¡¯ your final decision?¡± ¡°Uh, wait, how is such a popular name not taken? What about Arthur?¡± ¡°That ID name is already in use.¡± ¡°¡­ Gawain?¡± ¡°That ID name is available.¡± ¡°Oho! So only the two most popular characters¡¯ names have been taken. Once there are more users, I¡¯m sure the names of all the round table knights will be taken.¡± Even so, Yongno was still surprised that the name ¡®Merlin¡¯ was available. If others knew, they would have already taken the name. Like Yongno, they must have assumed that the name had already been taken. Of course, this could only occur because there was a small user base. Once the user base grew, less popular names would be available. ¡°I¡¯ve decided on Merlin.¡± ¡°Fine. Then, Merlin, I will process your request. Will you openly reveal your name to the public?¡± After hearing Alpha¡¯s question, Yongno fell into thought. Yongno possessed a Master title, and while he didn¡¯t have any idea what the title represented, he at least knew that the title was not appropriate for a beginner user. He had, after all, spent an entire month in the beginner testing area. ¡°I¡¯ll keep it private.¡± ¡°Fine. Okay, done.¡± After hearing Alpha¡¯s response, Yongno looked up to see his ID. If the ID were fixed onto one¡¯s head, it would have moved backward when Yongno cocked his head back, but DIO¡¯s system seemed to keep the ID directly above a character no matter where they were looking. Thus, Yongno was able to peer up at his ID. ¡°Alright, so it¡¯s done. What else do I need to do?¡± ¡°You must pair up with another user and complete the Joint Warfare task. If you are victorious, you will be sent to the Starting Village for beginner users.¡± Yongno- no, Merlin had sat down in front of Alpha to focus and hear the NPC¡¯s explanation. Joint Warfare parties could be formed in groups of two, four, eight, or sixteen. Additionally, the groups would face opponents that were between Level 3 and Level 6. In other words, the users would be fighting mobs that were two to five levels higher than themselves. ¡°Excuse me, you¡¯re a magic user, right?¡± While listening to Alpha¡¯s explanation, Merlin heard someone call out from behind him. Yongno turned around and saw a young man wearing the exact clothing that he had on. ¡°Uh, were you calling me?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯re planning on starting the Joint Warfare task, but we¡¯re one user short. You seem like a mage, so I was wondering if you¡¯d like to join my group?¡± Merlin looked above the young man and saw a 1.3-meter-long grey text window magically hovering above his head. It was a party window that described the user¡¯s party affiliation and party objective. /We¡¯re going to carpet bomb our opponents! All mages, gather! (15/16)/ ¡°All mages?¡± ¡°We¡¯re planning on completing the Joint Warfare task through brute force. We need one more user, and I happened to stumble upon you.¡± Spotting a bunch of gathered mages talking excitedly amongst themselves, Yongno quickly stood with his quarterstaff in hand and took out his magic book. He felt that this sort of approach to the Joint Warfare task would be entertaining. ¡°Sounds good. Let¡¯s go.¡± Once Merlin accepted the party request, a bell sound effect occurred along with a message that stated that he successfully joined a party. With little delay, Yongno stood in front of the fifteen other mages. The party leader, the one who invited Merlin, spoke up. ¡°We¡¯re ready, Alpha.¡± ¡°Fine. Please keep in mind that future level tests serve to challenge users to verify if they have the ability to level up. Thus, before taking the Level 2 or Level 3 tests, please ensure that you can defeat the Level 3 monsters near the Starter Village alone. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Then, you may start the Joint Warfare task. Since you are all mages, I will reinforce you with a magic use buff.¡± Once Alpha finished speaking, the scenery around the party members changed. It was a plain that extended as far as the eye could see. As soon as they arrived in this new area, a message popped up. /A magic use buff has been applied! All spells cast by your training staff shall be buffed 100%! Due to the effects of accelerated senses, your instantaneous mobility stat will rise by 100 points! You have also gained an extra 100 tetra magic power!/ /Allotted Time: Until the end of the test./ The buffs came rolling in. ¡°Wow, all these buffs¡­.¡± While Yongno was surprised by the overall effect of the buffs, his other party members seemed used to this, as they didn¡¯t waste any time chanting their spells. For most users, this scene was an obvious occurrence. This was the first time Merlin was receiving buffs, but the rest of the party had received buffs to complete their [Fight] tests, as well as several other basic tests. Whoosh. Soon, a large magic circle appeared in front of them. The party members waited nervously; however, the opponent¡¯s attack came faster than they expected. Crack. One of the mages in the front was crushed and instantly killed when a large foot landed atop him. ¡°What?¡± To put it simply, they were unlucky. Furthermore, they were thoroughly underprepared. Crack! ¡°Ack!¡± Bam! ¡°Ugh?!¡± In less than three seconds, three party members perished. In front of them was the most ruthless and violent dinosaur from the late Cretaceous period. ¡°A t-tyrannosaurus? Things like that can appear?¡± CH 36 Known as the ¡®king of reptiles,¡¯ the tyrannosaurus in front of Yongno was 15 meters long and weighed seven tons. It was a violent and overwhelming monster. If Merlin screamed or not, it didn¡¯t make a difference, as the tyrannosaurus rushed towards the party members without a second thought. It didn¡¯t even test the water and consider who it should attack first; it just charged toward them without bias. The tyrannosaurus struck as if it had some personal vendetta against the party members, and with little delay, it soon ravaged and slaughtered the users. Bam! Bam! Crack! However, the party was soon able to muster a counterattack. Flashes of light streaked across the sky and hit the tyrannosaurus¡¯s body, causing sparks, flares, and electricity to appear. The monster¡¯s skin was thick, so thick that it seemed a long spear wouldn¡¯t even be able to penetrate it. Yet, the party members were convinced that the recent spells had caused damage. ¡°Be careful! Four have already died! This pace is a bit dangerous- ack?!¡± The party leader was throwing out fire arrows at the tyrannosaurus, but the monster didn¡¯t seem to care as the projectiles glanced off its head. Then, the tyrannosaurus went straight for the party leader and chomped down on him. In an instant, the party leader scattered into gold dust. ¡°Woah! What¡¯s going on!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± To state the obvious once more, the party was unlucky. Moreover, they had made a critical error in their judgment. There was a reason why the groups in DIO were made up of a front line and a back line, consisting of warriors and mages, respectively. Groups with only warriors, mages, or other specific classes produced less collective force than a group that balanced these different classes. Barring those who specialized in a different area, mages were largely understood to be damage dealers. In other words, they were the ones who were the best fit to be in attacking formations. Of course, mages did have defensive spells, but it was difficult for them to cast both defensive and offensive spells at the same time. Furthermore, it was almost always more effective for mages to focus on offense rather than defense. Thus, mages, while chanting their spells, needed a frontline that could defend and protect them. However, the party had chosen to take on this level-up task with sixteen mages. Also, they were going against an enemy that was five levels higher than they were, and this foe specialized in speed and instantaneous destructive power. These were two weak points that mages had on the battlefield. They were screwed from the start. ¡°Ice.¡± /You have acquired an attribute magic skill./ Amidst this general scene of chaos, Merlin raised his quarterstaff. Once he made his move, the water particles in the air and his magic power combined to create ice arrows. If other users were to see what Merlin had done, they would have cried out in surprise. This was because he did not [Chant], a basic magic realm principle for all magic users to cast spells. Regardless, Yongno had only cast a tier 9 spell, which was an extremely low level when considering the vast number of magic spells in the universe. So, it wasn¡¯t surprising that someone would be able to cast that spell without a verbal chant. However, what was surprising was that a beginner magic user had done it. Though their senses had been accelerated with a buff, this only increased the speed at which they chanted. A spell that would have typically taken thirty seconds to a minute was instead completed in six or twelve seconds. This did not stop them from needing to chant, which is what had just been displayed by Yongno. ¡°Woah!¡± Yongno had showcased a tremendous feat in casting his spell, but he soon embarrassed himself. He had sent his ice arrows flying toward his own body. ¡°What? Why? Ugh¡­ did I mess up on some calculations?¡± In magic, there were three predetermined steps that needed to be followed before any spell could be cast. The first was to circulate one¡¯s magic power through a specific, learned technique, thereby creating the foundation for magic usage and casting. The second was image making, wherein one would bring out the properties and effects of magic. The last was an internal mapping system that allowed mages to send out their magic, as there wasn¡¯t a universal map that anyone in the world could use. Among these three steps, the easiest to train was, by far, the third part: the internal mapping system. In truth, the internal mapping system wasn¡¯t anything difficult. Undoubtedly, higher-level mages had to study and deal with tremendously complex and challenging mathematical equations to properly create and refine their internal mapping systems, but a tier 9 spell didn¡¯t need this type of complex calculation. If a mage had a basic understanding of middle school-level math, they could easily create and execute an internal mapping system for a tier 9 spell. The difficulty actually lay in the first and second part of the predetermined steps: properly utilizing a magic technique and image making. However¡­ Crackle! ¡°Ah, wrong again!¡± There was no rule which stated that a university or high school student had a higher understanding of math than a middle schooler. ¡°Ack!¡± Merlin had already failed six times in casting his magic spells. Of the additional 100 tetra he gained when entering the area, he had already used up 30 tetra. Furthermore, the tyrannosaurus had already killed off ten other mages and was now rushing towards him. It was a literal do-or-die situation! Still, Merlin did not panic. His senses and neural pathways had been increased to five times their normal levels. Although the tyrannosaurus was fast, Merlin¡¯s senses were working speedily with the buffs given. With this, the tyrannosaurus¡¯s speed was essentially five times slower than usual through Merlin¡¯s eyes, so he didn¡¯t feel as though the monster was moving too fast. In reality, if the mages who succumbed to death had not focused on casting spells and had instead tried to flee, none of them would have perished. This didn¡¯t mean that the tyrannosaurus was weak; it meant that the buffs put on the party members were that great. As such, fighting against the tyrannosaurus, or any other monster at that level for that matter, shouldn¡¯t have been an impossible task for the party members. Among the sixteen party members, if they had just one internal energy or life force user, that member would have been able to gain the tyrannosaurus¡¯s aggro, allowing the mages to unleash their attacks and make quick work of the monster. Essentially, these party members were just dealing with an extension of the basic tests. They were facing a challenge that should have been easily cleared by beginner users. ¡°Ice!¡± Mumbling a few words of a chant, Merlin was able to create a palm-sized icicle in front of his quarterstaff. Soon, he started utilizing his internal mapping system. However¡­ Clank! Something again went wrong, and his magic spell was once again canceled. ¡°This fuc-¡± Bam! Merlin was struck by the tyrannosaurus¡¯s broad tail, sending him flying ten meters into the air. The monster must have thought that it had dealt with Merlin as it proceeded to turn its massive body to fight the other mages. Yet, Merlin twisted his body in mid-air and landed relatively safely on the ground. While the impact he sustained was not too different from being struck by a truck, only his two arms were mildly injured. Overall, Merlin had not suffered any significant injury. ¡°Woah! I actually wasn¡¯t hurt that much.¡± Merlin was surprised at his relatively healthy status, as he had seen his other party members instantly disintegrate after getting struck by the tyrannosaurus. The only reason Merlin was able to stand here surprised was that his life, strength, and stamina points were at a cheat-like level, numbering 200. His basic strength points were 50, but with the buff, Merlin possessed 200. A typical adult male had somewhere around 30 points. However, based on Mari¡¯s explanation, the point system for physical stats doubled at every century mark. In other words, strength points from one to a hundred gave single points, but from a hundred to two hundred, double points were given instead. In Merlin¡¯s case, this meant he had 100 points from the first 100 points in strength and 200 points for the following 100 points in strength, so he had 300 total points in strength. Following this structure, points from two hundred to three hundred would be doubled once more, giving four points for each point, which would provide a maximum value of 400 points in the 200~300 point region. Hence, in absolute terms, Merlin actually possessed 300 points in strength. To put it one way, compared to an average adult male with 30 points in strength, Merlin was ten times stronger. Additionally, this type of structure applied to his other physical stats, so Merlin possessed tremendous physical strength to the point that his skin wouldn¡¯t be punctured or broken by any spear. He also had enough stamina that he wouldn¡¯t feel tired from constantly evading the tyrannosaurus¡¯s attacks. ¡°Ack!¡± At that moment, the last user fell. Of course, the party members had not died without putting up a fight, so the tyrannosaurus was in a ragged state. It had wounds on every part of its long body, and blood was dripping down its body. Yet, it was also the case that a wounded animal was the fiercest. The ferocity and killing intent emanating from the tyrannosaurus¡¯ eyes were intense. Clank! ¡°Ugh, this is so useless.¡± Merlin sighed as another one of his spells was canceled. While Merlin¡¯s image-making skill was already highly developed, he couldn¡¯t properly set up his internal mapping system. If he studied a bit of basic math, Merlin would be able to improve in this area. Yet, Merlin had a personality where he would passionately pursue what he liked and avoid what he disliked as if it were the plague. Unfortunately, these traits probably wouldn¡¯t allow him to progress smoothly in this area. It sucked for him that he disliked math. He¡­ detested math¡­ to the extreme. ¡°Screw this.¡± And so, Merlin simply gave up. He started this game to have fun, to play. He felt that it wasn¡¯t necessary to force himself to do things he didn¡¯t want to or rack his brain for something unenjoyable. Still¡­ ¡°Ice.¡± He didn¡¯t give up on ¡®magic.¡¯ He had only given up on ¡®math.¡¯ ¡°Roar!¡± As it stomped its large feet on the ground, the tyrannosaurus rushed towards Merlin. Though the scene should have been tremendously frightening and fear-inducing, Merlin calmly lifted his quarterstaff in reply. Whoosh. He imbued magic power into the wooden quarterstaff, and in his staff, his magic power circulation and technique were being carried out. After this was image making, he envisioned something cold, sharp, and sturdy. As he did this, the chill radiating from his staff was starting to cool his body and bring down the temperature of his blood. /Enchant skill has risen to rank 8!/ The magic realm was vast, and there were branches of magic study that dealt with magic usage without the need for an internal mapping system. One such branch of study was enchantment. Of course, enchantment could also be used with an internal mapping system. However, if a mage could hold something and enchant it, essentially making the distance zero and removing the need for maps, they could fully utilize enchantment magic. Much like how martial artists who used internal energy or aura didn¡¯t need an internal mapping system, if a magic user could create zero distance between themself and an enchantment object, they would be able to circulate magic power and utilize enchanting. All this could be done through one¡¯s senses, like martial artists, rather than through an internal mapping system. Thus, once a mage could properly imbue magic power into an object¡­ Creak. They would be able to use that object as a magic-infused projectile, like a magic arrow. Bam! With this sudden change in his course of action, Merlin was able to fling his quarterstaff into the tyrannosaurus¡¯s wide-open mouth, resolving the situation. The tyrannosaurus became totally rigid as it started to freeze from within, beginning from its head to its feet. /Clear!/ /You have acquired the title, ¡®Tyrannosaurus Slayer!¡¯/ /All buffs will expire!/ ¡°Man, I just barely defeated it.¡± Merlin let out a sigh of relief before looking down to see what had dropped. The first thing that entered his gaze were two teeth around the size of a short sword. Merlin used the appraisal function on the items. ¡°Spartoi? Isn¡¯t this an item for Necromancers?¡± The other items were unremarkable. There were twenty packets of tyrannosaurus meat, tyrannosaurus bones numbered one to twelve, which could be used to recreate an undead tyrannosaurus if all the bones were collected, and a bit of gold, which was actually quite valuable. Alas, Merlin didn¡¯t know of this. The last item was something quite eye-catching, a five-liter bottle filled with some reddish liquid. ¡°Hmm, I guess there¡¯s nothing that goes to waste in dinosaurs.¡± Then, as Merlin murmured things like, ¡°I wonder if the meat is tasty¡­.¡± Bam! ¡°Huh?!¡± Merlin had been wholly focused on reading the item description of his drops, so he wasn¡¯t ready for a sudden, unexpected attack. He had been utterly defenseless against the strike, which originated from the tyrannosaurus that he had just defeated. ¡°Wait, what? Monsters regenerate here?¡± Rather than waiting for a reply or figuring out what happened, Merlin focused on the enemy before him. Since his sense acceleration buffs had expired, the attacking tyrannosaurus seemed to be moving five times faster than before. Furthermore, since he had lost the additional magic power from the buffs, his enchantment spell probably wouldn¡¯t deal as much damage as it had previously. ¡°Ugh, so tiresome.¡± Yet, rather than showing any signs of anxiety, Merlin sighed in frustration. ¡°I wanted to use magic for as long as I wore this robe, but I guess that ship has sailed.¡± Truthfully, the tyrannosaurus in front of Merlin wasn¡¯t a match for him. Whoosh. The 13 years of internal energy within the golden core of his first planetary core circulated and expanded into 26 years of internal force. This was almost the maximum limit of his power output. Merlin focused this power on his hands and employed his advanced hand skills. Bam! The rushing tyrannosaurus¡¯s body was instantly bent into an L-shape as it was forcefully flung five meters into the air. A fifteen-meter-long monster was being thrown five meters into the air by a mere human that stood less than two meters tall. The tyrannosaurus then lifelessly crashed onto the ground. It had met instant death. ¡°I¡¯m guessing this is my full power. However, I don¡¯t think I used my power efficiently. I¡¯m guessing that the dinosaur doesn¡¯t possess any spiritual powers or defense. If I utilize Penetration Power, I¡¯ll probably only need to use five years of internal energy.¡± As Merlin talked to himself, he picked up the monster¡¯s drops. They were the exact same as before. Essentially, he now had two sets of the drops. ¡°Well, my internal energy has increased. It seems my stats are being heightened after having some of the restrictions lifted.¡± His spiritual power had risen six points and was now reading at 76 points. Among the 76 points, 20 were being used to maintain his 20 tetra of magic power, and another 20 were converted into ten years of internal energy within his first planetary Golden Pill Immortal Technique core. Thus, he had 36 points remaining. Two spiritual power points could be converted for a point of internal energy years, and this could gain up to 100 internal energy years. As such, Merlin essentially gained 18 years of additional internal energy. ¡°I¡¯m still far from obtaining one cycle, or sixty years. When am I going to become an expert internal energy user- huh?¡± While Merlin was complaining to himself, he saw the space in front of him shake like a mirage. He quickly opened his inventory and took out the external golden core. Since he had used up his reservoir of magic power and internal energy, Merlin was essentially defenseless. If a new enemy appeared at this moment, he¡¯d have a rough time contending against it. ¡°Dang, I was totally defenseless just now. If I didn¡¯t have this external golden core, I would have been totally screwed¡­ ah, also, what am I supposed to do with this spirit?¡± Merlin fell into thought as he looked toward the spirit, which had just been watching when he was fighting the dinosaurs. Controlling the spirit wasn¡¯t too difficult, but during combat, Merlin didn¡¯t feel like he could divide his attention to control the spirit in any effective way, especially since the spirit didn¡¯t offer any combat power or help. Merlin concluded¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll give it some advance commands. I can probably save some advanced imaging within it to act under certain scenarios, right?¡± CH 37 He wanted to program the spirit to respond appropriately during a specific given situation. However, what Merlin was considering was nonsensical. If Wicalein, the person who made the spirit, saw what Merlin was planning to do, Wicalein would have angrily responded, ¡°Hey, idiot, do you think it¡¯s that easy¡­ do you want to die?¡± This was because a Wicalein spirit, which was artificially made, had relatively low intelligence and little operational ability. A spirit was an existence that possessed some level of intelligence but didn¡¯t act like a living being. If it were told to [Go], it would go, and if it were ordered to [Block], it would block. Yet, if it were instructed to [Wake me up if anyone comes near] or [Attack anything less than a meter tall that approaches], the spirit would not be able to carry out these orders. In fact, the spirit couldn¡¯t comprehend any order with a complex sentence structure. However, Merlin had shattered that way of thinking. ¡°An arrow can fly at speeds of 200 to 300 meters per second, right? Since the bow and arrows that the Nol used previously were shoddy, 200 meters per second would be a good baseline¡­ Alright, I¡¯ll make the spirit block any attack that approaches beyond that speed.¡± The order that Merlin stated was, [Defend against any attack that approaches me at a pace greater than 200 meters per second. However, I don¡¯t want you to confront the attack head-on, just hit it to make it veer away.] Whoosh. If any other mage saw what Merlin was doing, they¡¯d question whether he was sane and if that type of order would work in the first place. Nevertheless, Merlin proceeded without a moment¡¯s hesitation. Merlin had [Envisioned] the arrow that the Nol had shot towards him, [Fixed] that overarching image into his order, and [Attached] the order alongside the image into his Wicalein Ring. ¡°Okay! Done.¡± All the while, Merlin made sure to pay attention to the wavering mirage in front of him. However, regardless of whether he was paying attention or not, the space wavered before something solid appeared in its place. And that was¡­ ¡°A door?¡± Merlin looked dumbfoundedly at the newly appeared door. On the door was a sign that read, ¡®You¡¯ve worked hard!¡¯ Merlin continued to look at the cheery words with a blank stare. Anyone who saw this message would instantly know that it was the end of this test. ¡°Is this really okay? I feel like there¡¯s something missing.¡± Despite whatever Merlin felt, the door was there. It didn¡¯t seem like anything would change if he waited longer. ¡°Well, alright then.¡± Creak. He opened the door and walked through it. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± *** Something that you should have heard but didn¡¯t. Something that you should have known but didn¡¯t. Boom! A large bear crumbled to the ground. The bear was over four meters long, but it had not hurt anyone. ¡°Okay. That was much easier than I expected.¡± ¡°Good job, Tappe!¡± ¡°Good job, everyone!¡± The users who had felled the bear congratulated each other and then looked at the drops they were given. ¡°The bear¡¯s gallbladder. Is this worth any money?¡± ¡°Money. Gosh, it must be nice to think of things in terms of money.¡± Jiwoo was a player who had chosen to go down the path of a pure spiritual energy user. Now, after the battle¡¯s completion, he released his connection with the otherworld and returned his summoned being, Tappe. He did this because his spiritual energy levels were low, so he couldn¡¯t maintain the link for a long time. ¡°¡­ Hmm?¡± Then, Jiwoo noticed that all the other users had disappeared, confounding him. In front of him stood a young, white-haired girl whose long hair was braided on both sides of her head. It was Mari. ¡°Mari?¡± ¡°Hello, Jiwoo. You¡¯ve passed?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t that difficult.¡± Seeing Jiwoo with a self-satisfied expression on his face, Mari replied. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll be entering the world of DIO fairly soon. But, there¡¯s one thing you have to do first. Hmm, actually, it¡¯s probably more correct to say that you need to receive something before you enter.¡± ¡°I¡¯m receiving something?¡± ¡°Bonus stats, 100 points.¡± As soon as Mari stated those words, a new window popped up. ¡°This¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s your point chart window. The layout is a bit different from your stat window. You can bring it up by shutting your eyes and pressing your left thumb and middle finger together for five seconds.¡± ¡°What kind of program is this used for?¡± Seeing his confusion, Mari calmly answered. ¡°DIO¡¯s system rewards users with 100 points whenever they level up. Users can put those points into areas that don¡¯t have a direct correlation with the abilities that they¡¯re training in. Nothing negative arises from ability points rising; however, it does get harder to raise ability stats once they reach certain levels, like 100, 200, and 300. After a stat is increased to 100, an additional point is needed to improve that ability by one point. In other words, once you reach 100 in an ability area, you¡¯ll need to spend two points to raise that ability number by one.¡± ¡°Hmm. But it states that it already costs me two points to raise my Regeneration and Magic Power Regeneration by a point. Also, it says that it takes five points to raise my Luck by one. Moreover, I know my Luck is at 24 points, but why is it saying zero here?¡± Mari answered, ¡°Your Regeneration goes up one point automatically whenever your life points or physical strength increases by three points. This is why it takes more points in certain areas once you hit specific thresholds. Magic Power Regeneration is the same. Also, Jiwoo, Luck isn¡¯t an ability that you can raise with points.¡± ¡°But it shows up in the ability stat area, so why not?¡± ¡°While it does appear there, it¡¯s not a fixed ability number. It changes from time to time. If you¡¯re really lucky, it can shoot up to 300, and if you¡¯re unlucky, it can go all the way down to -50. This is why you¡¯ll often see the words ¡®Good¡¯ or ¡®Bad¡¯ in the Luck ability slot. Think about it, does it make sense to be able to train Luck?¡± Mari¡¯s words were correct and logical. Training luck wouldn¡¯t make sense at all. ¡°Then what do the numbers that appear here mean? It shows zero and says I need to use five points to increase it by one.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t raise Luck through training, but you can improve it with bonus points. It is impossible to stop your Luck from changing daily, but if your daily Luck is 30 today, then you can use your 100 bonus points to add 20 into Luck, raising the value to 50. For another example, let¡¯s say your Luck was at -10, putting you into the ¡®Bad¡¯ category. You can use your 100 bonus points to raise your Luck to 10, which would put you into the ¡®Good¡¯ category.¡± ¡°That¡¯s interesting. However, since the conversion rate is five to one, converting all 100 bonus points into Luck would only raise Luck by 20 points.¡± This meant that Luck couldn¡¯t be raised by much. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t entirely true that someone who had 40 points in Luck was twice as lucky as some who only had 20. To add to this, what exactly did it mean to be twice as lucky? Since Luck was not something absolute, even a relatively lucky person could face troublesome and challenging situations, and an unlucky person could find fortune somewhere. In other words, the real difference between Luck was chance. Would someone have a 30% chance of something happening or a 40% chance? ¡°It¡¯s a slight, almost imperceptible change. Even if a player¡¯s Luck rises, they probably wouldn¡¯t know or feel the difference.¡± ¡°Then, I should use the bonus points in other ability categories.¡± Jiwoo used 40 of the bonus points for spiritual power. In one go, his spiritual power had doubled, jumping from 40 to 80 points. ¡°Oh, damn! This is great!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the reason why everyone tries to level up.¡± While listening to Mari, Jiwoo evenly distributed the remainder of his bonus points into various ability stats. Though this even distribution didn¡¯t benefit a single area of ability, Jiwoo was satisfied with the result, as he enjoyed stable progress over instant gratification when playing games. Also, if something went wrong, he¡¯d have to reset his character and stats, so he didn¡¯t worry about where he put his bonus points. ¡°This is great. I¡¯m many times stronger than I was just five minutes ago. If you didn¡¯t tell me about this, I would have never known.¡± Jiwoo whistled and admired his upgraded self as Mari smiled. ¡°Well, explaining the bonus point system is something that I¡¯m charged to do, so I would have told you eventually. Furthermore, gaining and using bonus points greatly affects one¡¯s combat effectiveness and physical abilities. So, if you were unaware of bonus points and you met someone else at the same level as you outside this training program, you¡¯d immediately notice that something was off. Since users often talk amongst each other, information and news always gets around.¡± This was true. Almost all users would grow to understand the bonus point system and utilize it to benefit themselves. However, as in life, there were always exceptions. Merlin was that exception, as he no longer enjoyed having a guide like Mari. This was because the Mari assigned to Merlin had used up all her energy and ¡®eliminated¡¯ her vestige thoughts. Since Mari wasn¡¯t around, there was no one to help Merlin understand these basic system functions and structures. The reason why a tyrannosaurus appeared two times was because the system had recognized the Joint Warfare test as being taken by both a 15/16 member group and a 1/16 member group. Hence, Merlin had no one to explain the bonus point structure to him. Of course, Mari didn¡¯t do what she did to punish Merlin. She had to act quickly when a complicated situation arose. Furthermore, Mari felt that Merlin would be able to pick up something as simple as the bonus point system by himself. However, there was something Mari didn¡¯t know. Since he started playing games, Merlin had always chosen to play solo. He did not seek or accept any outside help or advice. Thus, Merlin didn¡¯t know about the bonus point system. Additionally, as Merlin was also heads and shoulders above other users at his level, he wouldn¡¯t question his ability stat levels. Hence, this confluence of events would later lead to¡­ ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be off!¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± ¡­ something only a God would know. ***Starting*** When Merlin opened his eyes, he saw tens of users standing around him. However, unlike Merlin, the others didn¡¯t look around at the players surrounding them. The closed beta had operated for nine days, which meant 54 days in terms of DIO time. Even if there was the fifth wave of beta testers entering the closed beta, most of the users gathered in this area were those who had either reset their characters or used [Village Transport]. ¡°This place is¡­ Starting?¡± Since the village was a starting place for beginners, Merlin expected the village to be small; yet, it was much larger than anything he could have anticipated. The ground was neatly fitted with marble tiles, and the buildings were built in Eastern, Western, and modern architecture. ¡°Wow, there are even tall buildings made from Eastern tiling.¡± Whoosh! While Merlin was looking around, a strong gust of wind passed by, causing him to look up. There, Merlin saw a young man flying across the sky atop a sword. ¡°What the hell? A flying sword? Is this some sort of martial fantasy land?¡± Merlin was mistaken. The young man wasn¡¯t flying atop a sword; he was flying through the air on a summoned being. However, there was no way for Merlin to know this, so he stared wide-eyed at the young man streaking across the sky until he lost sight of him once he went behind a large building. ¡°Make way!¡± As Merlin continued to stare at the sky, he saw a huge golden lion pass above his head. Mounted on the lion was a cute middle, school-aged girl. ¡°¡­¡± In a daze, Merlin continued to look around. There was a swordsman who was purchasing a potion at a store, a mage reading a book in a park, a tamer brushing the coat of a giant eagle, a spiritualist who was manipulating the water that sprouted from a fountain¡­ ¡°¡­ Wow, this place is great.¡± No one was walking down the village¡¯s streets as they normally would. There were people flying all over the place and others who were bouncing around in leaps and bounds, jumping over public fountains and buildings. There were also users who, like Spiderman, threw out lines from their hands to move around. ¡°Anyway, I wonder where the bank is.¡± Merlin was holding two 15-liter containers, one in each arm. The containers were filled to the brim with tyrannosaurus blood, and as he looked at the surrounding buildings, Merlin sighed. ¡°I should really organize my inventory.¡± His inventory could handle up to 100 kilograms. However, since he had already reached that limit after acquiring an assortment of items he had gathered during his basic tests, Merlin had to carry around the large containers when stepping through the last door. And while Merlin felt that the blood wasn¡¯t special and that he had gathered a decent amount of money, he didn¡¯t like to waste anything. ¡°Man, I really need to change my begging and hoarding mentality.¡± It wasn¡¯t difficult for Merlin to find the bank. If he covered both of his eyes with his left hand for two seconds, a map of the village popped up, showing the area within a one-kilometer radius of where he stood. The map was detailed and easy to decipher, allowing even an idiot to find his way throughout the village. ¡°Welcome, valued customer. What brings you here?¡± ¡°I wanted to store some items.¡± ¡°Very good. Customer, your account¡­ ah, I see you don¡¯t have one with us. Please wait one moment. Done, your account is now active.¡± Above the bank employee¡¯s head was a name card that read [Bank Employee: Vessy]. Vessy looked to be in her early twenties, and she didn¡¯t move an inch throughout their conversation. She only blinked a few times to create Merlin¡¯s account. Of course, Vessy didn¡¯t have special powers; she was just executing system commands. Merlin asked, ¡°Can I deposit some of my stuff now?¡± ¡°Yes, customer. You can deposit and withdraw gold or items into any of our Gouldian Bank locations across the Dynamic Island region. Even if you deposit something here, you can withdraw it at any of our branch locations within Dynamic Island.¡± ¡°Okay. Where do I deposit items?¡± ¡°On the left door, customer.¡± ¡°Your left or my left? Left of where? Can you be more¡­¡± As Merlin was about to complain, he turned his head to his left and saw a door. There really was a door to his left, but it wasn¡¯t there just a moment ago. ¡°Your personal storage unit can be called up at any time as long as you¡¯re within a Gouldian Bank. For security reasons, no other person or being can call or look into your personal storage unit.¡± ¡°Do I deposit my money in this storage unit as well?¡± ¡°You can deposit money with us directly, and once you carry a certain balance, we¡¯ll open a money pocket exclusively for your use.¡± ¡°A money pocket¡­.¡± ¡®It¡¯s not a debit card?¡¯ Merlin had a perplexed expression on his face. Seeing this, Vessy snapped her fingers. Then, like magic, a small leather pouch around the size of Vessy¡¯s palm appeared in her hand. Written on the leather pouch was the name ¡®Merlin.¡¯ ¡°The money pocket is an item that allows the user to take out money that they have stored in the bank.¡± ¡°Is that necessary? I mean, a user has an inventory, and money doesn¡¯t really take up much space or weight.¡± Hearing Merlin¡¯s words, Vessy smiled. She was quite attractive when she did this. In fact, it seemed as if the whole room became several times brighter after she smiled. CH 38 ¡°Hahaha. This item isn¡¯t that simple, customer.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not simple?¡± ¡°Yes. Please tell me any amount of money. Name any number.¡± ¡°Uhm, one gold.¡± ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t have one gold.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Vessy turned the money pouch that had ¡®Merlin¡¯ written on it upside down and started shaking it. Nothing came out. ¡®Is she making fun of me? Am I being pranked?¡¯ Looking at Merlin squinting his eyes, Vessy laughed. ¡°Since there wasn¡¯t anything deposited, nothing will come out. However, if you put one gold into the pouch¡­.¡± As Vessy said this, she put one gold into the pouch. ¡°Now, how much should I take out?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not trying to show me how you can get ten gold from only one, right?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t create such unbalanced items, foolish customer.¡± While Merlin didn¡¯t appreciate being called foolish, he couldn¡¯t say anything negative to the sweetly smiling Vessy, so he decided to stay quiet and listen intently to her explanation. This just went to show the power of beauty. If beauty was a tiered ability in DIO, would it be considered S tier? ¡°Anyway, since you¡¯ve put in one gold, you can only take out one gold, right?¡± ¡°No. Then it wouldn¡¯t make sense to have something like a money pocket. State any amount of money below one gold.¡± ¡°You mean silver? Ten silver is one gold, so¡­ four silver?¡± ¡°Very good, customer.¡± Clink. When Vessy turned the money pocket upside down, four silver pieces dropped out onto the table. Merlin felt as if the money pocket had only contained those four silver pieces from the start. ¡°Wait¡­¡± ¡°Yes, customer. It is exactly what you¡¯re thinking. Using the money pocket, you can withdraw any amount below the current balance in your account whenever you desire. And that¡¯s not all. If you don¡¯t mind, are you Chinese?¡± ¡°What? No, I¡¯m Korean.¡± ¡°Right. How much would you like for me to take out next, customer? This time, tell me in Won.¡± ¡°¡­Twenty-three thousand Won?¡± ¡°Please take a look and confirm the amount.¡± Smiling, Vessy opened the money pocket for Merlin to put his hand into it. Following her lead, Merlin reached into the money pocket, and he retrieved two ten-thousand Won notes and three one-thousand Won notes. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Gouldian Bank always considers our customers first and foremost. Since the world of DIO deals with a multitude of universes, we understand that customers need various different types of currency. However, we are subject to the whims of currency exchange rates, so you must visit a bank for the most up-to-date exchange rates.¡± Vessy then took the Won in Merlin¡¯s hand and put it back into the money pocket. With little delay, she pulled out the one gold piece that she had placed in the pouch earlier. Merlin felt as if he was watching a magic show. ¡°What¡¯s the convenience fee? The service charges?¡± ¡°There are no convenience fees or service charges, customer. We¡¯re not a for-profit organization.¡± ¡°Since this is a game, I guess you don¡¯t have to follow the same profit structures as real banks.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. However, to obtain a money pouch, there is one requirement.¡± ¡°And what is that?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to deposit at least ten gold into the bank. This prevents just anyone from having a money pocket.¡± As she said this, Vessy continued to smile alluringly. Her smile was essentially conveying the message, ¡®You don¡¯t have enough money, customer, so please gather some before you ask for a money pocket.¡¯ ¡°And there¡¯s no charge for the money pocket, right? Wow, you guys really are akin to a non-profit organization.¡± Merlin put 100 gold on the table. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there another requirement to deposit money into your bank¡­?¡± Merlin had a puzzled expression as he saw Vessy momentarily stand motionless. After hearing his comment, Vessy shook her head and gave off an even more alluring smile. ¡°You¡¯re rich. We love you, customer.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll deposit this right away.¡± After replying, Vessy quickly moved her hands and gathered all the gold on the table. The term ¡®100 gold¡¯ was displayed on the side of the money pocket. ¡°This¡­¡± ¡°It lets you know how much you have in the bank, valued customer. Of course, no one other than you can see the number, and even if your money pocket is stolen or lost, others cannot access your money.¡± ¡°Oho, that¡¯s good.¡± With a satisfied grin, Merlin collected the money pocket before looking at the storage door. He soon picked up the containers of tyrannosaurus blood that he had set down on the floor. ¡°How does time pass in that storage room?¡± ¡°At the same rate as out here.¡± In contrast to his inventory, foodstuff and other perishables could spoil in the storage room, so they shouldn¡¯t be kept there. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll see you after placing my things inside.¡± After saying this, Merlin stepped into his storage room. It was fairly small, around a hundred square feet of space; the interior of the storage room reminded him of a metal shipping container. Also, there were no windows. ¡°Oomph.¡± Merlin placed the tyrannosaurus blood containers in one corner of the storage room. ¡°I should organize my inventory first.¡± Outside of the deer and clam meat, Merlin brought everything else out of his inventory. The first thing that caught his eye was a pile of iron ore and a pickaxe that he gained after finishing the Weapon Production test. ¡°There¡¯s no use carrying these around. They¡¯ll just be taking up space.¡± He threw the items next to the tyrannosaurus blood containers and sifted through the rest of his belongings. Many of the items were things he acquired while completing his Transportation and Collection/Gathering tests. The largest item was the Kalib Great Clam¡¯s shell. Merlin scraped off all the clam meat within the shell and placed various, relatively smaller clam shells within it. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll need to carry around the turtle shell either¡­ the pearls don¡¯t weigh much, so it won¡¯t be a bother carrying them around¡­.¡± The items he pulled out from his inventory were slowly piling up in his storage unit. Eventually, his inventory became much lighter. After finishing his organization, Merlin checked his inventory¡¯s capacity. ¡°18.5 kilograms being used out of a hundred. Okay, that seems pretty good.¡± Most of the 18.5 kilograms came from foodstuff and water, some precious stones, a qi core, various miscellaneous items, and some gold, as he had about 150 gold remaining after depositing the 100 gold with Vessy. Merlin felt that he had finished organizing his inventory, and so, after completing all this, he exited his storage unit through its door. Click. Once he stepped out, the door clicked closed and started to fold upon itself. The folding continued until the door completely disappeared. Having relieved himself from a bunch of heavy items, Merlin waved and walked toward Vessy with light steps. He tried to show his gratitude for her exemplary customer service, but Vessy had already moved on and was assisting another customer. ¡°Oh, I guess she¡¯s busy.¡± Since he didn¡¯t have anything else to ask her, Merlin made his way out of the bank. ¡°Woah! Martial arts!¡± ¡°Ack! He¡¯s able to utilize the properties of wind in his aura! It¡¯s a Level 5 user!¡± ¡°Wow! I can¡¯t even fathom how someone can pass the Level 5 test. I heard users have to fight one-on-one against a Nol that uses tai chi martial arts.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve gone up against that Nol before. Its ability levels were lower than mine, but it had a much better understanding of tai chi martial arts than I did. I¡¯ve been training in tai chi martial arts for over ten years! Though, it was mainly for health reasons rather than for fighting.¡± Hearing the surrounding users commenting in admiration, Merlin saw a man flying about as he controlled the wind and air around him. The man wasn¡¯t moving at a quick speed. He was probably going around 30 kilometers an hour, maybe? It was a little faster than the running speed of an average male adult. As a DIO user, Merlin didn¡¯t feel that the man¡¯s speed was anything special. However, what was special was the man¡¯s ability to move about in any direction freely. If a user who specialized in speed were to acquire such a free-moving skill, then they would undoubtedly have the upper hand when dealing with their opponents. ¡°Wow, it seems there are all kinds of things that can be done in this world.¡± As Merlin mumbled to himself, he started incorporating his internal force, which had reached max level, into his external Golden Core. ¡°Hmm, it seems my magic power is also full.¡± /Your Enchant skill has reached rank 7!/ /You have acquired the title, ¡®Beginner Enchanter!¡¯/ /You have acquired the special skill, ¡®Imbuing Spell!¡¯/ With 20 tetra of magic power at his disposal, Merlin utilized 17 tetra to create and circulate his magic power system, allowing him to use his magic power. Merlin only had 20 tetra of magic power, and since he used enchantment on an external object, imbuing it with his magic power, Merlin had to ensure he maintained the magic power within the object. So, he had to create small magic systems within the objects. This type of magic system creation required a considerable level of skill. ¡°Hmm, the only magic spell I know is Ice Arrow. I should learn some other spells.¡± Merlin fetched the magic book from his inventory and started reading it as he walked around the village. Although the streets were filled with people, Merlin didn¡¯t have any problems navigating his way through the crowd while reading. This was because his senses had been greatly heightened after reaching Level 7 in his Golden Pill Immortal Technique. He wouldn¡¯t bump into anyone even if he had his head down in his book. ¡°Hey, Hanma. You¡¯re not going to head over to the conversion area?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have enough experience points, man. Let¡¯s go there together after completing the Siege quest.¡± ¡°I guess we can do that. We have two hours left.¡± ¡°Right. I need to gain some experience points and finally trade this dumb hammer. I¡¯m bumping into everything while carrying it around. It¡¯s so frustrating, and it¡¯s getting on my nerves.¡± The speaker, Hanma, was shirtless and had rippling muscles. He looked to be in his twenties, and on his shoulders lay a hammer much larger than he was. Hanma was having a conversation with the man apparently named Adol, who was covered in silverish cloth armor. Adol frowned. ¡°Huh? If it¡¯s cumbersome, why don¡¯t you just store it in the bank?¡± ¡°Even though it¡¯s cumbersome, it¡¯s still pretty useful.¡± Adol looked surprised when he heard this. ¡°It¡¯s useful? It doesn¡¯t even have any magic properties, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s hefty and sturdy. One shot from this, and any enemy will lose their marbles.¡± Merlin was interested in these two. He could feel their powerful aura, and he could tell instinctively that they were strong. Moreover, the person named Hanma was carrying such an overwhelmingly large and heavy item. ¡®Hmm, they look formidable.¡¯ Thinking thus far, Merlin tried using the appraise function on the oversized hammer. /Your appraisal has failed! The user has set his items to be ¡®Undisclosed!¡¯/ ¡°Ah, I guess I can¡¯t appraise another user¡¯s items without their consent.¡± The effects that an item had and its value were considered private and part of the owner¡¯s privacy. Obviously, people wouldn¡¯t feel good if their things could be appraised by others at will. And so, the default setting for items was ¡®Undisclosed.¡¯ A user had to manually change this to ¡®Disclose¡¯ to allow others to appraise their belongings. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go and finish up the Siege quest. How much time did you say we had left?¡± ¡°Two hours.¡± ¡°Ugh. Didn¡¯t you say two hours a moment ago?¡± Seeing Hanma complain and huff, Adol snorted. ¡°To be specific, it was two hours and ten minutes a while ago. Right now, we have two hours and five minutes remaining. I understand you¡¯re excited with anticipation but try to be a bit more patient.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± As the two continued to converse, they naturally blended into the crowd. Merlin thought of following them, but he had soon lost interest in the two, so he continued walking ahead. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot. I need to feed our little Younghwi (Bright Spirit) some food.¡± Younghwi was the name Merlin had given the Wicalein Ring spirit. At first, he¡¯d considered the name Shining for the spirit because it emanated a glowing light, but he felt the name Shining was too distant and impersonal, so he decided on Younghwi. ¡°Let¡¯s see. My internal energy level is at¡­ eight points?¡± Merlin was surprised at how little internal energy he had. While he didn¡¯t possess a high internal energy ceiling, eight points meant that he only had four years of internal energy. ¡°What¡¯s going on? I feel like half an hour has already passed since I last fed Younghwi, no?¡± Despite Merlin¡¯s surprise, it should have been obvious. Although his internal energy recovery rate had drastically increased once he reached Level 7 in his Golden Pill Immortal Technique, the technique was specialized in outputting large amounts of internal energy within a short period of time. It wasn¡¯t ideal for regular and constant internal energy recovery. Furthermore, in the world of DIO, all users had physical bodies, so it was absurd to think that one¡¯s body could operate like a machine without getting tired or exhausted. Merlin had pushed his body to its limits, so his exhaustion was catching up to him. As an example, let¡¯s say a track and field athlete starts running. After running ten kilometers, the athlete reaches his limit. He can¡¯t run any longer even if he wanted to. Yet, what would happen if that athlete rested for an hour? Even though he had reached his limit earlier, after an hour of rest, he¡¯d be able to run again. This was because he recovered his physical strength. If he pushed himself, he might be able to run another ten kilometers. ¡°Am I tired?¡± Although it was possible for this athlete to run ten kilometers after an hour break and run another ten kilometers after another hour break, and then another, he would hit his limit and no longer be able to run. While he could recover his physical strength in an hour, his muscles and bones would need a greater amount of recovery time. In Merlin¡¯s case, his internal energy recovery rate at his peak condition was 16 points a minute. In terms of internal energy years, that would be eight years a minute. Since his maximum amount of internal energy was 20 years, technically, if he used up all his internal energy, he¡¯d be able to fully recover in less than three minutes. However, under the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, when an individual constantly recovered their internal energy, which was like gathering and circulating qi in other techniques, the internal energy recovery rate would decrease. Since Merlin had been feeding Younghwi whenever he had the chance, his internal energy recovery rate had fallen all the way down to 0.3 points per minute. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll need to hold off on expending any internal energy for the time being. Should I just practice some magic?¡± As he talked to himself, Merlin refocused on the magic book in his hands. It was the Seven Jewel¡¯s introductory book. Merlin read the first few lines of the school of study¡¯s description. ¡°There are seven stages within the Seven Jewel school of study. Technically, if one includes the Unknown stage and Zero Shining stage, there are nine levels in total.¡± Once a practitioner in the Seven Jewels passed the initial stage, the magic circle on the practitioner¡¯s body, which contained one¡¯s magic power, would glow in a jade color. This represented that the practitioner reached the first stage. In the second stage, a practitioner¡¯s magic circle would glow in an amethyst color. The third stage was represented by an emerald-green color. Once a practitioner reached the fourth and fifth stages, the magic circle would transform into a magic core. In some ways, the Seven Jewels magic development was similar to Merlin¡¯s Golden Pill Immortal Technique. ¡°Flame.¡± Merlin murmured a chant. Soon, the magic power residing in his magic circle on the back of his hand drew a line to his palm. The movement of his magic power followed the image Merlin had created in his mind. However, the flame went out as soon as it lit up. CH 39 ¡°I see. The properties I can utilize are based on my affinities. Was I able to create the Ice Arrows because of my water attribute and affinity?¡± Even if Merlin didn¡¯t have the water attribute, his deep knowledge of water and affinity for it was beyond that of an average person. If he had chosen chakra instead of magic and had opened [Water] as a chakra practitioner, he may have led a revolution in the chakra field of study. He already possessed a deep [Understanding] of the properties and essence of water. With magic spells, even if it weren¡¯t the Ice Arrow, Merlin would have been able to use many spells without any prior memorization or training. However, the issue was that there were a limited number of spells that he could use without memorization; many spells required users to memorize them. ¡°Flame.¡± Whoosh. As he chanted, a flame arose from the palm of his hand. Then, Merlin clenched his hand into a fist and put out the fire. ¡°It takes me about three minutes to memorize a spell. The textbook has 25 Rank 9 spells, so it should take me about two hours to go through all of them.¡± Merlin started to slowly walk around as he memorized the spell chants. When he skimmed through the textbook, he found that there were various spells that were suited for many different occasions. There were destructive attack spells such as Ice Arrow and Fire Bolt, communication and mirage spells that sent messages to other people or made someone see a ghost, and physical property spells that changed the frictional properties or weight of an object. There were even summoning spells that would call forth otherworldly beings to form a contract and imbuement spells that allowed mages to imbue magic into an external object. Of course, the spells that caught Merlin¡¯s eye were the imbuement, or Enchantment, spells. He had already experienced the power of Enchantment when he defeated the tyrannosauruses. ¡°Enchantment spells mainly serve to imbue magic power into external objects, converting the properties and effects of those objects. Theoretically, Enchantment spells can be combined with other spells, but whether a combination is possible relies on the target¡¯s physical properties and one¡¯s affinity and relationship with that external object.¡± While Merlin had successfully used Enchantment before, it was his first time reading a formal explanation about the process. The textbook gave him a detailed description of the process and usage. For someone who had stumbled upon Enchantment like Merlin, this formal and thorough explanation was a tremendous help. It didn¡¯t take long before Merlin reached a gate at the outer boundaries of the village. There, two sentries were standing guard, and one of them saw Merlin approaching and waved his hand. ¡°Please wait a moment. The current monster attack will be occurring for the next hour and forty-five minutes. If you leave the safety of the village right now, there¡¯s a high chance that you¡¯ll be attacked¡­.¡± Merlin just passed by the speaking guard. Focusing all his attention on reading the textbook, Merlin didn¡¯t hear the guard¡¯s words. ¡°What the¡­¡± The village guards were tasked with keeping users safe; however, they did not possess the authority to block a user¡¯s free will, so the guard watched as Merlin walked past the boundary gate. Merlin walked without a care in the world; he definitely was not aware that he was walking into a dangerous area. The guard, Diwali 87, shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s his fate and luck in any case.¡± ¡°Nothing can be done. We need to move out as soon as possible either way. We¡¯ll fall into trouble if we¡¯re still here when the alliance monsters come through.¡± Gane 87 put his gigantic blade away in his private inventory and started manipulating the magic circle that he was standing on. Soon, with rumbling and creaking sounds, the boundary gate¡¯s wall started coming down. Diwali 87 soon spoke up, ¡°Ah, you know that you¡¯ll have to override and cancel the non-destructive setting as well, right?¡± ¡°Of course, but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯ll be fine to change the setting when we¡¯re expecting 40,000 alliance monsters to head this way.¡± ¡°I guess the higher-ups want the users to taste failure and refocus their attention on what¡¯s important.¡± The monster alliance was made up of four corps. Each corps had 10,000 monsters, so there were 40,000 monsters total in the monster alliance. Obviously, this wasn¡¯t a simple combat force. If 40,000 humans gathered and worked together, their collective combative capabilities and destructive power would be significant; thus, one could only imagine the strength and ferocity of 40,000 monsters working together. Click. The gate¡¯s wall came down and made a clicking sound to signal that it had locked into place. After hearing this, Gane 87 spoke up. ¡°Is it okay to only shut the east boundary gate? I guess it should be fine since nothing but forest monsters will be attacking the first day.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice that they decided to attack one side rather than multiple. That way, we just need to close this single gate.¡± The two conversed as they teleported to a different area. They soon found themselves within a large meeting room that was the size of a small village. ¡°You two, the 87 couple, you¡¯re both the last ones here again.¡± ¡°Dude, don¡¯t call us a couple. Are you a pervert or something? Anyway, has everyone else arrived?¡± ¡°Yeah. We¡¯re all designated by the system as supporting characters who help users when they¡¯re being attacked. Since we¡¯d only be observing the slaughter, it¡¯s best that we¡¯re all recalled. If just one of us remains outside, that¡¯ll defeat the purpose and responsibilities that we¡¯ve been programmed with.¡± Although those assembled were mainly gathered in three large groups, every single person in the room looked exactly the same. Some were lying down and resting, others were reading books, and some were sparring and training together with their swords. It didn¡¯t make sense for these people with identical appearances to have different personalities, but Diwali 87 knew the truth. They were the same beings but yearned to possess a sense of individuality. And so, they put in an incredible amount of effort to be different. ¡°Anyway, the first wave will be the 10,000 monsters from the Forest of Despair, right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s leading? It should be the Cyclops, correct? Or will it be the top monsters in the Dinosaur species?¡± Assassinating a monster alliance corps leader wouldn¡¯t cause confusion within their camp. In DIO, a monster alliance corps attack would be carried out by the DIO system and the individual AI contained within each monster. Essentially, a corps leader was only in charge of verbalizing orders, such as [Attack], [Stop], and [Retreat]. In truth, a leader didn¡¯t really lead; it was more like a title given to the strongest monster within a corps. ¡°No, it¡¯s the Orcs.¡± ¡°What? Orcs? Wait, is it the Level 3 Orcs?¡± ¡°Yeah, those Orcs.¡± Diwali 87 looked exasperated after hearing Gane¡¯s reply. The Forest of Despair monster corps was comprised of many formidable monsters. Did it make sense for them to be led by the relatively lower-class monsters, the Orcs? Yet, Gane 23¡¯s added explanation soon cleared up Diwali 87¡¯s confusion. ¡°They¡¯re from the [Hero Class]. They¡¯re experts with the sword. I¡¯m sure they¡¯d even be able to defeat the head administrator of the Volcanic Clan.¡± ¡°¡­¡± In the world of DIO, entire species possessed levels. Once a species-specific entity reached adulthood, it would receive a level classification based on the species it was affiliated with. Additionally, the level would denote the entity¡¯s combat power. Regarding the human species, all humans started DIO at Level 1. However, unlike humans outside of DIO, within DIO, humans developed at a much faster rate. Typical humans outside DIO would normally develop up to Level 2 within DIO as they trained and progressed through martial arts studies and fighting. Yet, their development would usually stop at Level 2. Only those gifted with extreme talent or some other gift would progress beyond that level. Monsters could train separately and gain abilities. They could even train in areas that had no relation to their species-specific features, and much like users, they could gain titles, which would be prominently displayed on their name cards. If a monster were able to develop two levels higher than the general species-specific level classification, that monster would gain the title of [Warrior]. This continued for every two additional levels after a monster¡¯s species-specific level. For instance, two more levels after earning the [Warrior] title would get a monster the title of [Fighter]. Following this same pattern, the next titles would be [Knight], [Hero], [Lord], and [Freedom]. ¡°W-wait. If the Orc species level classification is Level 3, but the monster is in the [Hero] class¡­ doesn¡¯t that make it Level 11?¡± ¡°Level 12, to be exact. I heard it¡¯s stronger than Level 11. If it continues to develop, it may even reach the [Freedom] class. It¡¯s possible that it¡¯ll become an Orc Lord within the foreseeable future.¡± ¡°Wow, isn¡¯t that too much to go up against? The users are already outnumbered, but they also have to contend against such a formidable opponent. Even if the system is biased toward users, it¡¯s only been two months since they started, right? Since they¡¯re still in the beta test, they probably don¡¯t even have any special or high-level weaponry. From what I know, none of the users have reached the Master class. They¡¯ll be slaughtered.¡± With an irritated expression on his face, Diwali 87 scoffed as he sat on a sofa, looking at Gane 87 with a serious expression. ¡°What do you think, Gane? Do you think you¡¯d be able to contend against that Orc?¡± ¡°It would be difficult. There¡¯s a higher chance that I¡¯d be defeated in a one-on-one fight. I¡¯d be at least a half-step, no, probably a full step behind the Orc. Even if I had time to plan accordingly, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d last more than 500 seconds.¡± Hearing Gane¡¯s all too realistic assessment, Diwali 87 replied with a deflated tone. ¡°Ah, man, you¡¯re no fun. So, you¡¯re saying that even with our gigantic blade and counter armor, you wouldn¡¯t be a match for that [Hero] class Orc, huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure the Orc¡¯s equipment isn¡¯t too shabby either.¡± Diwali 87 scoffed again. ¡°Argh. We can¡¯t even defeat a single monster¡­ we sure are worthless. If the monsters wanted to, wouldn¡¯t they be able to take over Starting?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. Don¡¯t you know how many of us there are?¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± Diwali 87 quickly agreed with Gane 87¡¯s response. Soon¡­ Rumble. The sound of conversations and movement from a hundred Diwali, a hundred Gane, a hundred Meltain, a hundred Kasy, a hundred¡­ a hundred¡­ a hundred¡­. ¡°Well, let¡¯s rest up. We haven¡¯t had a day off like this in a while.¡± There were 700 guards in the large meeting room. All 700 were equal in strength, though they specialized in different areas, such as chakra, internal energy, and aura. All 700 were resting in their own way. *** Once he finally looked up from his textbook, Merlin found himself in front of a large lake. ¡°Where am I?¡± Merlin quietly closed his textbook and vacantly looked around him. There was no one in the vicinity. Behind him was a vast green flatland and in front of him was a large lake. ¡°What¡¯s this? It¡¯s definitely bigger than a pond.¡± Since Merlin¡¯s vision was many times better than the average human being, he was quickly able to discern the size and shape of the lake. The lake was shaped in a perfect square with a width and length of 300 meters. And the depth was¡­ ¡°Wow! It¡¯s 50 meters deep. This definitely isn¡¯t natural; it¡¯s been artificially made.¡± More accurately, the body of water was closer to a reservoir than a lake. A reservoir this size would take considerable resources to build; furthermore, it would have to be built over the course of years rather than months. Yet, when Merlin looked around, he saw that the reservoir was unguarded and seemingly uninhabited. Additionally, based on the geographical landscape, the location of this reservoir didn¡¯t seem ideal. There was nothing around that seemed to need such an enormous body of water. ¡°This place is so abnormal. I guess this type of geographical anomaly can exist since this is just a game.¡± Plop. As he muttered to himself, Merlin stepped onto the body of water. Since he had finished memorizing all the basic spells in the textbook, he put the book back in his inventory. ¡°Ooh, I can walk on water. Am I now one of the top martial artists? Or maybe I¡¯m the next candidate of a resurrected God?¡± If any Christian heard his words, they¡¯d cry out blasphemy. Yet, no one was around, so Merlin continued to walk across the water quietly. While it looked like he was walking, he was actually moving speedily across the surface of the water. Instead of stepping atop the water, Merlin was actually sliding on it. He quickly found himself at the center of the reservoir. ¡°Why is there a pillar here¡­.¡± Merlin looked inquisitively at the pillar that stood at the center of the lake. Rather than a pillar, it would be correct to state that he was looking at a tower. The tower had a diameter of three meters, and it was 50 meters tall. ¡°It seems to be floating.¡± Once he got close, Merlin saw that the tower was hovering ten centimeters above the surface of the water. He wondered if he could move it, so he pushed against the tower, but it didn¡¯t budge, as if it was affixed to something. ¡°What the hell is this¡­.¡± The tower was something Merlin couldn¡¯t understand. He tried using appraisal on the tower, but the system didn¡¯t seem to recognize the tower as an item, so it didn¡¯t return any information. ¡°Gear 2.¡± Once Merlin muttered those words, he quickly changed from his mage garb to his beginner shorts. He wasn¡¯t wearing anything else outside of his shorts. ¡°Alright, then.¡± After changing, he dove into the water. Once he did this, he sank faster than if he were a heavy metal object. With little delay, he reached the bottom of the reservoir. The reservoir floor was covered in stone tiles, but one part caught his eye. ¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯ A square hole was dug up in a section of the reservoir floor. The hole was about three meters in length, width, and depth. ¡®Huh? Wait, is this¡­.¡¯ Merlin looked up at where the tower was. The tower stood directly above the hole. Whoosh! Merlin shook his body briefly and shot up to the surface. As he ascended, he continuously accelerated and reached his peak speed in no time. And once he arrived at the surface¡­ [Jumping]. Merlin shot up above the surface of the water. ¡°Ah! It¡¯s a bit too far away!¡± Having shot up 30 meters above the surface, Merlin grabbed onto the patterned grooves of the tower. Since the tower was 50 meters tall, he still had 20 meters until he reached the top of the tower. Yet, this wasn¡¯t an issue for Merlin; he possessed muscular strength that was ten times that of a standard human male. ¡°It seems this tower is the key. I don¡¯t know how, but somehow, I need to bring this tower down onto the hole at the bottom of the lake.¡± Since the tower didn¡¯t seem to budge under his pressure, it seemed that the tower wouldn¡¯t go down using brute force. Of course, if enough force was applied to the tower, it might move, but Merlin didn¡¯t possess such monstrous strength. ¡°Hmm. There is a pressure spell I can use, but that would only increase pressure by three times.¡± While he was contemplating what to do next, a text message popped up. /A new announcement has been posted!/ ¡°An announcement? There haven¡¯t been any announcements posted since I started, right? Is it something that only shows up on the main server?¡± Merlin had never had the opportunity to view the announcement function, so he put his hands together in a triangle formation. Within the triangle formation, a small window popped up. Merlin grabbed onto a corner of the small window and enlarged its size. He remembered reading about a general dictionary on DIO¡¯s website, so he had decided to call it up. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ how do I bring up the announcement window¡­ ah, here it is. Place my left hand¡¯s fist against my closed right eye for three seconds¡­ okay.¡± Soon, the announcement window popped up. /Changes to the Siege Event Ah, we regret to see that everyone has been approaching the Siege Quest without any sense of urgency. Everyone, you think the Siege Quest is a joke, don¡¯t you? The siege is about to occur, but most of you are just fooling around in the village. Hahaha! You¡¯ll come to regret it. Since all of you are so relaxed, we¡¯ve decided to change some details of the Siege Quest. In thirty minutes, monsters will rush in from all four of the village¡¯s boundary gates. However, rather than 40,000 monsters, this wave will consist of 4,000 monsters. Each gate will be attacked by a force of 1,000 monsters. Once this first wave is over, you will be given two days before another wave is sent out to the east, north, west, and south gates in 24-hour intervals. In other words, the attacks will progress in turns in a counterclockwise motion. Any monsters that weren¡¯t dealt with in the first wave will retreat during the rest period and be included in the second wave. Everyone shall be part of this quest, so please prepare accordingly. It seems that you¡¯ll need to taste hardship before you realize what¡¯s needed. Additional Information 1. Any monsters defeated during the event period will garner 200% bonus experience points for the user. Additional Information 2. If the defense of the village ends in failure, it will be determined that you have all failed the mission, and all your experience points shall be taken away. Additional Information 3. If you fail to defend the Guardian Tower at the center of the village, the DIO service will automatically end, regardless of the date and time./ CH 40 ¡°A Siege Mission?¡± Merlin was perplexed at the sudden mention of a siege, but then he recalled the conversation he overheard between Hanma and Adol. He also had a feeling that he¡¯d heard something similar when he passed by the east boundary gate. ¡°I want to participate¡­ do I need to return to the village?¡± That wasn¡¯t necessary. To the east of where he stood, about five kilometers away, a large group of monsters was gathered and beginning to mobilize. ¡°Those are¡­¡± Since he was perched on the tall tower, Merlin was able to see the group of monsters. Even if he didn¡¯t reinforce his sight with internal energy, his basic vision was still sharp. If it were only one or two mobs, Merlin might have had some trouble discerning them, but this was an entire corps of monsters, so he recognized them without any difficulty. Furthermore, among the gathered monsters, there were some that were the size of entire homes. After momentarily hesitating, Merlin realized that the monsters were heading towards Starting. ¡°I see. They¡¯re not spawning near the village walls but moving towards them. DIO really is quite different from other games.¡± As he muttered to himself, Merlin took out his bow and arrow. He had about sixty arrows on him. Ping! After releasing the drawn bowstring, an arrow shot into the air and soared in a neat parabola before falling into the large body of water. Merlin gauged that the maximum distance the arrow could fly was 110 meters; however, 60 meters was the maximum distance wherein he could accurately hit his target. ¡°Hmm, I didn¡¯t think the range would be too long, but it¡¯s quite short. It seems I won¡¯t be able to attack them atop this tower.¡± Merlin then tried to imbue the bow and arrows with his internal energy, but he soon found that the relatively poor quality of the wooden bow and arrows didn¡¯t improve by much. Merlin was able to increase the range where he could hit targets to around 150 meters, so he did see some improvement, but the reservoir itself was 300 meters in length and width, so he wasn¡¯t able to shoot beyond the limits of the reservoir. ¡°The range of this bow is terrible. I don¡¯t want to blame everything on the quality of the gear, but¡­ dang. I don¡¯t even feel any pressure when I draw the bowstring¡­.¡± If he could stand on the 50-meter-tall tower and shoot beyond the limits of the reservoir, he¡¯d be in quite an advantageous position. With the 300-meter-long body of water surrounding him and his spot 50 meters above the surface of the water, there was no better location for a sharpshooter. His enemies would have no chance against him. ¡°But my range is too short¡­ I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡± Complaining under his breath, Merlin jumped off the tower. This wasn¡¯t something he would do in real life. Even if he landed in the water, he was still 50 meters above the surface. Jumping from this height was like jumping with a bungee cord in real life. If someone were to look down from a height of 50 meters, they would feel a sense of fear and dizziness, no matter how courageous they were. However, Merlin didn¡¯t feel any fear, which he found to be interesting. He thought, ¡®Fear of heights comes from one¡¯s physical body rather than one¡¯s mind, right?¡¯ ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have to leave the water entirely. If I were to battle, I would have a greater advantage in the water rather than on land.¡± Having thought this far, Merlin placed himself about 20 meters within the boundary of the reservoir. He didn¡¯t stand on the surface of the water because although he possessed the water attribute and affinity, standing atop the water would be a waste of his strength. Moreover, it wouldn¡¯t help him in carrying out his ¡®strategy,¡¯ which he had just come up with. Instead of standing, Merlin decided to keep the lower half of his body within the water. He strung the quiver of arrows around him and raised his bow. ¡°Let¡¯s see. My internal energy is¡­ huh? 80 points? It increased this much already?¡± His first planetary Golden Core held 20 years of internal energy, which meant he had 40 points in total. As such, the increase to 80 points was substantial. Other than constantly circulating his qi, Merlin hadn¡¯t done any particular training, so he was left dumbfounded by the sudden increase. ¡°Damn. Since I have 20 points in magic power, I guess I¡¯ve already reached my limit of 100 points. I thought I¡¯d have some room for growth and improvement for a while, but I guess that¡¯s not the case.¡± Merlin had low expectations because he didn¡¯t know how advanced he was in the Golden Pill Immortal Technique. He was currently in Level 7 of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique and had already opened up his first planetary Golden Core. Outside of his main core, the first planetary core operated as a whirlpool of internal energy, so it could quickly whip up and recover internal energy. This was what allowed Merlin to quickly progress to a single cycle. The only reason why his development was stunted was that Merlin was constantly feeding his internal energy to his spirit, but since he had fully rested while studying his magic, his internal energy had recovered at a rapid pace. ¡°I need to take the Level 3 test soon.¡± As he said this, Merlin took out an arrow and placed it on his bowstring before drawing it back. The monsters had now reached a nearby location. It appeared as if they were programmed to start their offensive after they arrived at Starting, so they didn¡¯t seem to notice Merlin¡¯s presence. ¡°Let¡¯s start with one.¡± Bam! The arrow shot forward and struck a bear directly in its eye, going straight through the Cram Bear¡¯s eyes and brain. Instantly, the Cram Bear crumpled onto the ground. The surrounding monsters looked around in surprise after the unexpected attack, but Merlin had already released five additional arrows at that point. Bam! Bam! Bam! Five or so monsters lifelessly crumpled to the ground as arrows pierced their body¡¯s weakest points, such as their eyes and mouths. Though they had relatively high life points, Merlin¡¯s attacks weren¡¯t normal. Boom! The sound of an explosion rang out as a troll¡¯s head exploded. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± An orc deflected an oncoming arrow and was about to dash towards where the projectile came from, but it quickly fell to the ground and spat out blood. This was the effect of Qi Deviation, the aftereffect of being struck by the arrow. Bam! The sudden attack had caught the monsters off guard, but they soon got into formation and prepared for a counterattack. The [Warrior] class monsters lifted their respective weapons and started deflecting the oncoming arrows, and soon, a giant monster¡¯s shadow passed by the others¡¯ heads. ¡°Foolish being!¡± ¡°Huh? They can speak?!¡± Though dumbfounded by the realization that the monsters could speak, Merlin calmly shot an arrow at the incoming enemy. The monster was like the tyrannosaurus that he had fought before, but this one had a hexagon-shaped magic circle on its forehead. It was a [Warrior] class tyrannosaurus mage. Whoosh! The arrow Merlin let loose moments ago was incinerated in an instant, and a wave of flames approached him, emanating immense heat. It wasn¡¯t just a simple wave of fire; the heat from these flames could easily melt through an iron shield at first contact. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Merlin let out a whimper. Despite the short time it took to cast the wave of flames, their destructive quality was massive. Moreover, the flames rapidly rushed forward and covered a vast area, so there was no way for Merlin to avoid the attack. However, at the moment the fire reached him, the surrounding water rushed up to cover his body. Bam! As if a giant hand had grabbed onto him, Merlin moved 50 meters across the water in an instant. The speed at which he moved was over 300 kilometers per hour, so he effortlessly avoided the flame attack. Bam! The flames crashed onto the surface of the water and created a large amount of steam, which blurred the entire region. As it had expected its attack to hit its target, the tyrannosaurus mage was momentarily stupefied that its mark had disappeared, and it surveyed its surroundings. At that moment, an arrow flew towards one of its eyes. ¡°This cretin!¡± The mage smoothly defended against the attack by putting up a magic barrier. This magic barrier was already at a level where it could withstand a barrage of low to mid-level projectile attacks, so a single arrow wasn¡¯t an issue. However, Merlin¡¯s arrow wasn¡¯t just an ordinary arrow. Boom! ¡°Ugh!¡± The tyrannosaurus mage teetered. While it didn¡¯t sustain a severe injury, the arrow had successfully punctured a hole through its magic barrier and hit him. Another arrow soon followed, taking advantage of the newfound opening. The arrow attack was precise as if it had been calculated down to the centimeter. Bam! Although it lost an eye, the tyrannosaurus mage was still a physically imposing and developed dinosaur, so it put aside its pain and rushed towards Merlin. ¡°Assist the leader!¡± ¡°Roar!¡± Soon, ten other dinosaurs from various species followed after their mage leader into the reservoir. They had rushed in thinking that the reservoir was only a meter deep. After all, didn¡¯t their enemy, Merlin, only have his lower body underwater? Yet, their assumption proved to be wrong. The reservoir¡¯s depth was 50 meters. Even though the dinosaurs were much larger than humans, they were still not tall enough to keep their heads above the surface while touching the floor of the reservoir. Meanwhile, Merlin watched the scene comfortably from the safety of the water. ¡°Hook, line, and sinker~! Eleven enemies in a single casting! What luck!¡± Boosting his speed, Merlin navigated around the sharp teeth of the tyrannosaurus mage and moved towards its tail. He then stuck onto the tyrannosaurus mage¡¯s back, an area that was difficult for the tyrannosaurus to reach. With that, he ¡®plunged¡¯ the tyrannosaurus mage into the water. ¡°What¡­?¡± An unexpected freefall would cause anyone to feel bewildered. It was like expecting another step on a staircase when there wasn¡¯t one. The tyrannosaurus mage expected to place its feet on firm ground when it jumped into the reservoir, but it didn¡¯t feel anything. Furthermore, Merlin had utilized his water attribute to eliminate the friction and buoyancy of the water, so the tyrannosaurus mage was essentially sent into freefall. Bam! The tyrannosaurus mage fell 50 meters and hit the stone flooring headfirst. It was a masterful strategy that employed Merlin¡¯s water attribute. The monsters wouldn¡¯t be put in danger just from falling into the water, so Merlin had come up with the idea of displacing all the water around the rushing tyrannosaurus mage. In other words, the tyrannosaurus mage didn¡¯t just fall into the water; it had freefallen 50 meters onto the reservoir¡¯s floor, much like falling off a cliff. ¡°Next!¡± Utilizing his booster, Merlin quickly approached the other dinosaurs that had followed after their leader. His first target was a triceratops who¡¯d unassumingly fallen into the water; it was promptly dropped to the reservoir floor. Next was a raptor, then a pachycephalosaurus. It was an eclectic bunch of dinosaurs, and it looked as if one had stepped into a dinosaur exhibit within a large museum. Bam! Bam! Crack! Though the dinosaurs tried to defend themselves, their movements were slowed by the water, and once Merlin grabbed ahold of them, they were almost instantaneously dropped at speeds of 300 kilometers per hour and didn¡¯t have time to respond. Within the water, Merlin was like a whole new being. Bam! Bam! Boom! Boom! Boom! All eleven dinosaur-species monsters dropped to their deaths. A few of the monsters tried to swim upward after having their bodies smashed against the reservoir¡¯s floor, but Merlin soon dealt with them. He utilized his Great Strength Vajra Hand to attack the weak points of the monsters and send them down onto the floor once more. Since dinosaurs had to breathe, they could only muster a fight for a finite amount of time before drowning. After drowning the eleven dinosaur-species monsters, Merlin went back up to the surface to welcome the next wave. Yet, Merlin had underestimated the monsters¡¯ intelligence. Boom! Merlin was instantly hit by a fireball once he reached the surface, and a giant frog was preparing to launch another one. The fireball was easily big enough to contain two large adult males. Merlin realized that the frog was inhaling a massive amount of air to launch another fireball. However, he was currently flying through the air from being struck by the initial fireball attack, so he was essentially defenseless. Soon, the second fireball flew toward him. Boom! Merlin swung his right hand and pressurized the air. This was a movement at the peak of his hand skill. Yet, his Great Strength Vajra Hand was optimized for brute-force crushing or pushing, not for focused attacking, so the effect of his hand movement was not very efficient. If his internal force hadn¡¯t recovered while he was learning his magic spells earlier, Merlin would have already fallen and died in battle. ¡°I call upon you¡­ scorching red heat wave, lightning of judgment¡­.¡± ¡°I will send out a freezing wave. This is my wish¡­.¡± ¡°Eek! Gear 1!¡± Amongst the attacking monsters, Merlin noticed the presence of two fairies. This caused him to instantly swap out his simple attire for his robe, opening his inventory to take out the bow and arrow he had placed inside moments ago. Although Merlin didn¡¯t have much battle experience, he knew he couldn¡¯t contend against fairies in terms of magic. Ping! Ping! With only one second in between them, two arrows shot toward the fairies. The arrows were enchanted to cause Qi Deviation to their targets. Bam! Clank! The first arrow landed squarely on a palm-sized fairy, but the second arrow was stopped by the sudden appearance of a sword. Then, the second fairy completed its chant, and the spell materialized. ¡°Ice Prison! Become imprisoned within!¡± Whoosh. Before Merlin¡¯s body hit the surface of the water, he was entrapped in a block of ice. Though it was called a prison, the attacking principle seemed to be more focused on asphyxiating the target. Yet, Merlin was able to slip outside the ice block. He had ¡®melted¡¯ into the ice and fallen straight through into the water. ¡°What?¡± The fairy that had cast the spell squinted its eyes and frowned at the unexpected scene. It could understand how a target could avoid the attack, but it couldn¡¯t comprehend how a target could escape after being confined. ¡°What shall we do, corps leader? It seems the enemy is quick in the water, so if we carpet bomb the water with spells-¡± ¡°Forget it.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Hearing its subordinate¡¯s confused response, the second leader of the Forest of Despair, Sungmuk, calmly spoke up. ¡°You all should proceed with the plan to attack the east gate. I¡¯ll take care of this enemy.¡± ¡°Really? But you don¡¯t have to trouble yourself. He seems like a Level 7 or 8 user, so it won¡¯t take us long to dispatch him¡­.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll be the one that catches him. He¡¯s quite agile in the water. It¡¯ll take some time.¡± ¡°Then¡­ very well, sir.¡± ¡°Good. Then, [Attack the Gate].¡± As soon as the formal order was given, the monster corps that had momentarily stopped in its tracks continued to move forward. Despite eleven dinosaur-species monsters perishing, that was a minuscule amount compared to the overall number of monsters in the corps. Though they were the advanced party, they were still 1,000 monsters strong. Rumble. One thousand monsters. In the modern era, most people had only read about the number of soldiers in textbooks, so a vast majority would feel that a large force needed to have 10,000 or even 100,000 soldiers. However, in reality, a 1,000-member corps was a force to be reckoned with. If there were 30 people in one classroom, it would take 33 classrooms to make up 1,000 people. Thus, 1,000 individuals were similar in size to an entire school. Envision 1,000 students in one area- would it look like a small number? Moreover, these 1,000 beings were monsters, not humans. Their average size was much larger than the average human, and some were as big as a modern house. Although their numbers might not look too menacing since they were walking across a large, open field, if they were placed in a small area, their movements would be like a rippling tsunami. ¡°Woah! After seeing them up close, it seems like there¡¯s a lot more than I expected. Dang, I was foolish. I can¡¯t believe I instigated a fight¡­ ugh.¡± As he talked to himself, Merlin suddenly threw up some blood. It seemed that he¡¯d received some internal damage from the frog¡¯s initial fireball attack. ¡°I almost died. Man, these monsters are tough.¡± Luckily, Merlin hadn¡¯t been critically injured. Since his life force wasn¡¯t low, he¡¯d be able to sustain a few injuries before his status became critical. Rumble¡­! CH 41 ¡°They¡¯re all leaving. It seems impolite to just let them go like that¡­ maybe I should send them off with some parting shots- huh?¡± Merlin then noticed that one monster stayed behind. The monster carried a sword on his back and looked like a six-foot young man. He wore metallic armor, which seemed a bit strange for a member of his species, but his appearance was definitely that of an orc. ¡°Huh? Several dinosaurs succumbed to my attack, but a single orc is staying behind to fight me?¡± Though he thought the orc¡¯s line of thinking was a bit preposterous, Merlin drew his bowstring back. However, at that moment, the orc stamped on the ground and jumped into the reservoir¡¯s water. It was a simple yet elegant move. ¡°Stepping into his own death; I guess I should be thankful¡­.¡± Rush! ¡°What?!¡± Stepping on the surface of the water, Sungmuk started rushing toward Merlin like an arrow. Sungmuk had reached the pinnacle of air control, so it seemed as though he was walking on water. Pat! ¡°Ugh?!¡± Once Merlin turned on his booster and moved, he saw that the water where he was standing just moments ago had been distinctly divided in half. The cutting edge and destructiveness of the passing air were so thoroughly brutal that Merlin couldn¡¯t help but break out into a cold sweat. Ping! ¡°Damn it!¡± Despite operating his booster at full power and reaching speeds of 330 kilometers per hour, Merlin was only barely avoiding the orc¡¯s attacks. Although Merlin had not been hit directly by any of the attacks, his body was starting to bleed profusely from the many cuts and slashes that he¡¯d indirectly sustained. Ring! ¡°Ugh!¡± When confronted with an unavoidable attack, Merlin utilized Great Strength Vajra Hand to deflect it away from him; however, he soon found that he¡¯d been injured internally from doing this. Luckily for him, DIO¡¯s pain control system was operating. If it weren¡¯t for this, Merlin would have momentarily hesitated from the pain, which would have opened him up to a critical attack. ¡°Quite agile, but¡­.¡± Sungmuk praised Merlin¡¯s quick movement ability, but that was all. No matter how rapidly Merlin moved or how complex his pathing was, he could only move as fast as an arrow. With a discerning eye and swordsmanship skills that allowed him to ignore range, matching Merlin¡¯s speed while attacking was child¡¯s play. ¡°This is the end, human. You shall die like the falling petals of a flower.¡± Fourteen Handed Plum Blossom Swordsmanship. An Immortal¡¯s Solitary Plum. For an instant, the sweet scent of plum blossoms and a single petal wafted through the air. Poof. Though Merlin sent out his Great Strength Vajra Hand to block the incoming attack, the plum blossom strike effortlessly landed on his chest. That was the end. Merlin¡¯s body sank to the bottom of the reservoir while Sungmuk stood at the surface. ¡°It took me ten seconds. A bit longer than I anticipated.¡± Then, Sungmuk turned around and moved to catch up with the monster corps. ¡®Plum blossoms¡­¡¯ Merlin, sinking deeper into the water, extended his hand towards the surface. His consciousness was fading. While Younghwi had stood before Sungmuk¡¯s blow at the last moment, the spirit was only able to lessen the impact by a tenth before dispersing. It would take at least twelve hours before Younghwi could materialize once more. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ Merlin tried casting a treatment spell on himself, but since his level was low, it didn¡¯t have much of an effect. No, to be specific, it wasn¡¯t that his level was too low. Sword Qi possessed an inherent quality of affecting one¡¯s spirit, so even a spirit or ghost would receive damage from a Sword Qi strike, let alone a physical human. Thus, Merlin found it hard to recover from Sungmuk¡¯s strike. Sungmuk knew that Merlin didn¡¯t instantly die, yet, he had left because he was sure that Merlin would eventually perish. Beep. Merlin¡¯s vision was blurring. And soon, he died. *** ¡°Hmm, young man, you¡¯re pretty good.¡± ¡°Fuck! Isn¡¯t this too difficult? Why is he so strong?¡± The west boundary gate to the village was already in shambles. Most of the people located at the west gate had already perished. Of course, the users had mustered a defense, so many of the attacking monsters had died. However, there was still one that remained standing. It was a Naga [Knight]. ¡°My name is Kaltroc. It seems this system doesn¡¯t properly display every monster¡¯s name.¡± ¡°Hahaha. Do the monsters around here have that complaint?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know? DIO is a freshly created system.¡± Kaltroc carried a golden, jewel-encrusted long spear and spoke with a calm demeanor. On the other hand, the surviving six users wore defeated expressions. They knew that they were only alive because the monster in front of them was taking his time. If the monster wanted, he could have broken through the west gate much earlier. ¡°Are you alright, Adol?¡± ¡°How¡­ can I be alright? Damn. Even if I deflect an attack, my defense can¡¯t hold up anymore. What about you?¡± ¡°Four of my ribs are broken. I thought I was as sturdy as alloyed steel, but I¡¯m crumbling like hard candy.¡± While complaining, the two kept their eyes on Kaltroc. Though it seemed like Kaltroc was going easy on them, Kaltroc wasn¡¯t the type of monster that would let them live. If Adol or Hanma showed an opening, they¡¯d be dispatched quickly by Kaltroc. ¡°It¡¯s quite the achievement. DIO hasn¡¯t been open for too long, but you¡¯ve all already developed this much.¡± ¡°Is that a compliment? Or are you praising yourself for killing us off?¡± ¡°I wonder.¡± Boom! Kaltroc struck downward with his long spear and created an aura that extended toward the users. It was clearly a wind-based aura. Standing on the frontline for his fellow users, Adol received the hit, forcibly swallowing the blood that came rushing up from his throat. The impact of the attack was immense. Adol felt as though he was standing in front of a runaway train with a shield. ¡®I have no internal energy left. I think my shoulder has been shattered as well. Even if I¡¯m determined to block the next strike with my life on the line, I¡¯m not sure¡­.¡¯ However, while Adol was having such thoughts, after avoiding Kaltroc¡¯s attack, Lancelot pulled out his metal long spear and rushed toward the monster. Bam! The long spear extended towards Kaltroc like a flying arrow. From Lancelot¡¯s speed to his control over the heavy long spear and his aura, although they didn¡¯t compare to Kaltroc, they were still balanced and neat. In an admiring tone, Kaltroc couldn¡¯t help but comment, ¡°Oho. It¡¯s an excellent, traditional strike. However¡­¡± After Lancelot attacked, Kaltroc¡¯s golden long spear flew toward the user at a much faster rate of speed. ¡°Your attack pathing is too obvious.¡± Pluck! Like a baseball being struck by a bat, Lancelot flew through the air after getting hit by Kaltroc¡¯s counterattack. Based on Kaltroc¡¯s attack speed and destructive power, it wouldn¡¯t have been surprising if Lancelot burst into pieces or was at least bisected at his waist. Yet, his defensive aura and the various artifacts that he carried allowed him to withstand the blow. Bam. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Oh~ You tried to shoot for an opening. You¡¯re pretty skilled. Unluckily for you, you¡¯re too slow.¡± With the bottom part of his long spear, Kaltroc slammed Hanma squarely on the forehead, preventing him from getting any closer to the monster. Soon, Kaltroc pushed Hanma down onto the ground. The user tried to avoid Kaltroc¡¯s successive attacks, but Kaltroc seemed unperturbed by the evasive maneuvers. Bam! However, Kaltroc had to take a step back to block an arrow that was rushing toward him. With little delay, around a hundred users stood before him. ¡°Wow! Have all those initial users been killed off? There were so many people that I thought I wouldn¡¯t have the opportunity to participate.¡± ¡°Look at that monster. It¡¯s already acquired a complete attribute-based aura. It must be at Level 10¡­ a Master.¡± ¡°A Master¡­ There aren¡¯t any Masters among the user base, right?¡± ¡°I think I recall reading about someone on the information bulletin board.¡± The new wave of users wasn¡¯t weak. Since the game was still in closed beta, the players weren¡¯t part of the run-of-the-mill general public; they had been ¡®hand-picked¡¯ by the company. This meant that most of the users were either near or at Level 5. And, no matter whether they were skilled and hand-picked or not, only a few would successfully reach the upper levels. Even so, just a handful of these upper echelon users could wield tremendous deadly power. ¡°Hmm. Seeing how every one of my underlings has died, I probably won¡¯t be able to fend off all of you. Since my main purpose was to awaken you lot, I guess I can retreat for now.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to leave? Do you think we¡¯ll just watch that happen?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see what a Master level monster drops!¡± The users had surrounded Kaltroc, and one of them mocked Kaltroc¡¯s words, but the monster remained calm. ¡°Two types of aura practitioners are often described. It is stated that an attribute-based aura practitioner is skilled and adept at well-balanced, sustained attacks while a tool-wielding aura practitioner is said to possess an overwhelming ultimate that is formidable in short-term combat.¡± ¡°What the hell are you going on about¡­.¡± Whoosh¡­ Soon, an intense wind started blowing. However, it wasn¡¯t a standard type of wind. It was a wind that carried a sense of firm sharpness and cold foreboding. Kaltroc continued speaking. ¡°Yet, that description is for low-level beings. Once someone reaches the upper levels, none of that matters. Tool-based aura practitioners can fight sustained battles, while attribute-based aura practitioners can create a devastating ultimate. Moreover, attribute-based aura practitioners can learn to ¡®materialize¡¯ their aura into tools, and tool-based aura practitioners can learn to awaken and connect with ¡®attributes.¡¯¡± ¡°Shit! This is dangerous! I don¡¯t know what the hell is going on, but someone needs to kill that guy off¡­.¡± It was too late. The surrounding air was already steeped in a foreign aura. ¡°Blow, Ancient Blast.¡± Smiling, Kaltroc released the powers that he kept within his golden long spear. At the same time, his aura expanded outward and [Materialized] the wind under his [Control]. Whoosh! A massive hurricane appeared in an instant. The hurricane was vast, so most of the users near Kaltroc were knocked around by the hurricane. Furthermore, the wind was something tangible, as Kaltroc had materialized it into a tool for his use. ¡°Block! I¡¯m being ripped to shreds!¡± Adol lowered the angle of his upright shield, grabbed the fallen Lancelot, and pulled him behind the shield. The quick-witted Hanma had already taken cover behind Adol¡¯s shield. ¡°Is there something I can do to help?¡± ¡°Yeah! A defensive spell!¡± ¡°Ah, come on. You know I can¡¯t cast spells.¡± ¡°You worthless bastard!¡± ¡°W-worthless bastard¡­¡± Bam! Bam! Bam! Adol disregarded the sulking Hanma and focused on defending against the aura¡¯s area of effect attack. Since Adol wasn¡¯t at his peak, his arm turned gray as he forcefully raised his defenses. Boom! When the aura clashed against his shield, Adol felt his arms shaking. However, his arm wasn¡¯t injured in any way. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be able to defend for a minute.¡± ¡°Huh, really? Then keep it up while I attempt to log out.¡± ¡°Then where does that leave me?¡± Despite his constant complaints, Hanma slowly got up and put his back against the opening that his shield could not cover. Though he spoke in a rough and unrefined manner, Hanma was the type of person who would sacrifice himself and die rather than retreat. ¡°Ah, fuck. This is expensive.¡± Seeing Hanma covering the opening with his back, Adol reached into his clothes and took out a Return Stone. It was an item that he¡¯d purchased in case of an emergency. He had used almost all his money to buy the item. Whoosh. Yet, at the moment when Adol was about to use the Return Stone, the wind stopped blowing. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The gathered users looked around in confusion. Of course, the injuries they¡¯d taken were severe. Around a third of the hundred people who comprised the second wave were killed off by the aura attack. If the aura attack went on for another ten minutes, it would have wiped out everyone, so why did it suddenly stop? The confused players soon noticed large letters engraved on a giant boulder nearby. The following sentence was written on the boulder: Be prepared. I¡¯ll be back. ¨C Kaltroc. CH 42 [East gate] Cling. A sword dance was unfolding, and tens of plum blossom petals were floating in the air as the scent of plum blossoms arose. The users cried out. ¡°S-scented Sword Dance? An orc can do that?¡± Regardless of the ongoing screams and cries, a multitude of different sword strikes cut across the air through designated paths and wreaked havoc on the battlefield. [South gate] Argh! As cries rang out on the battlefield, all the users trapped in a spell¡¯s range turned motionless. In front of them stood a Lich who possessed an immense amount of dark magic power. There was an island to the south of the Starting Village where undead resided; it was called the Dead Earth. Originating from that island were a thousand undead and the Lich who led them, and they swept through the users at the south gate. ¡°Oh my god! A class 7 mage is this scary?¡± ¡°Damn it! Mage classes start at class 1, not class 9!¡± Amongst the users, the current highest-level mage was class 4. Moreover, within the realm of magic, every additional class level meant an entirely new dimension and degree of magic use. A tremendous amount of training, luck, and fortune was needed to raise one¡¯s class level. ¡°Worthless.¡± The Lich snorted as he swung his staff, causing a black magic-powered tsunami to sweep through the gathered user base. *** ¡°My god.¡± ¡°Fuck.¡± ¡°Ah, I thought I got stronger¡­.¡± The monster attack shocked the users. Those who joined the event for fun were effortlessly swept away and embarrassed by the relatively low number of monsters. The monsters were truly mighty, and the users felt as if they had been splashed in the face with cold water. Users in the east, west, and south gates all sustained heavy losses. All three sides were handily defeated. However, there was one area where this wasn¡¯t the case¡­ the north gate. Bam! Boom! A sharp sword strike and magic spell landed on the enemy¡¯s body, but the enemy didn¡¯t take any damage. The leader of the monster corps, a Werebear [Knight], smashed its feet on the ground and led the other land-based monsters as they barrelled towards the users. Boom! The Werebear accelerated, and, for a moment, it reached the speed of sound. It didn¡¯t seem like a living organism; it seemed more like a live ammunition shell. Wherever the Werebear passed, users cried out and perished. ¡°This tickles. Isn¡¯t there anyone strong around here?¡± The upper-level life force practitioners were formidable against practitioners who specialized in other fields, but they were even more powerful against lower-level life force practitioners. For an upper-level life force practitioner, their physical body was their weapon and defensive tool. Since their body always existed, it didn¡¯t take much to maintain. Furthermore, life force practitioners didn¡¯t have an affinity to an attribute. In fact, they ¡®repelled¡¯ all attributes and even ¡®interfered¡¯ with attributes. Thus, if an attack couldn¡¯t break through a life force practitioner¡¯s defense, even a defenseless life force practitioner wouldn¡¯t be too injured from an attack. Boom! What made the Werebear even more frightening was that it utilized its speed to smash into its enemies, which caused chaos on the battlefield. And because the Werebear moved at the speed of sound, any collision would spell instant death for the user. Logically, considering it was crashing into so many users, the Werebear should have been hurt in some way as well, but it had not. Screech! The Werebear stopped abruptly and placed its claws on the ground like a track athlete taking a starting pose. Then, the Werebear¡¯s hamstring briefly expanded before steam shot out from its body. ¡°The Eight Ways of Fighting.¡± After roaring a few words, the Werebear flexed its legs. The motion looked like a compressed spring uncoiling. ¡°Thunder Run.¡± Rumble! The Werebear [Knight], Dongyun, dashed through the users standing before it in an instant. Actually, to be more specific, it wasn¡¯t just the users. Everything, from buildings and natural landscape to even the atmosphere, was swept up and destroyed by Dongyun¡¯s attack. ¡°Grr, so weak. Too weak. Is it necessary to conduct a test when they¡¯re so powerless? It would be better to-¡± ¡°Better to what?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Hearing an unexpected reply, Dongyun raised his head. In front of him was a girl who looked to be in her late teens. She had bountiful red hair, was wrapped in golden cloth armor, and seemed fairly cute; she had pale skin and stood 160 centimeters tall with some brunette colors mixed into her red hair. To top it off, she possessed large, innocent blue eyes, had a rough manner of speech, a smirking smile, and an overly large sword in her hands, which seemed to be a military-use long sword. ¡°Hmph. Are you the leader of these werebear monsters?¡± ¡°That I am. I am Bitter Earth¡¯s third corps leader, Dongyun. Who are you?¡± Although he was just speaking, a tremendous wave of qi emanated outward. Any typical human would have fearfully collapsed to the ground after being hit with the qi wave, but the young girl didn¡¯t seem fazed. ¡°Me? I¡¯m Cruze, just another user. I¡¯m sorry to say this in our first meeting, but¡­.¡± With a relatively quiet tone of voice, the girl lifted her long sword. ¡°You¡¯re going to give me experience points!¡± Bam! Dongyun teetered as a heavy strike landed directly on his forehead. Despite not taking his gaze off Cruze, he did not notice the attack. For a moment, he thought that Cruze¡¯s attack speed was faster than what he could recognize, but he soon found that that wasn¡¯t the case. He learned this after he saw her next attack being aimed at his chest. Boom! The scene of a 160-centimeter-tall teenage girl swinging a long sword at a two-and-a-half-meter-tall monster seemed unreal, especially when taking into account the destructive capabilities of the young girl¡¯s attack. There was enough force in her strikes that they could instantly disintegrate a giant redwood tree, and while her attack would have been cumbersome even for a monster with high life force, Dongyun got up from the strike without any notable wounds. Dongyun soon started growling. ¡°Bitch! What did you do!¡± ¡°What do you mean, ¡®what did I do.¡¯ I attacked you. But I don¡¯t see any injuries¡­ I know that you have formidable defenses, but isn¡¯t this too much?¡± While complaining, the girl hopped and skipped toward Dongyun. Though her movements seemed open and defenseless, Dongyun couldn¡¯t take the initiative to strike first, as he was still processing how he was previously attacked. ¡°Install complete. Loading¡­¡± ¡®Loading?¡¯ Although she spoke quietly, Dongyun was able to hear her words through his naturally enhanced hearing. Yet, if he couldn¡¯t understand what she was saying, there was no use in being able to pick up her mumbling. ¡°Hmph, whatever. I don¡¯t know how you attacked me, but your strength is lacking. I¡¯ll just counterattack while powering through your attacks.¡± ¡°Oh, do you think that¡¯s possible?¡± ¡°What?¡± Soon, an aura expanded out from Cruze and melted into her long sword. Whoosh! The most popular skill where mana was materialized into a physical form was Sword Qi. It was something an internal energy practitioner would learn once they understood and realized the top tenets of martial arts. However, creating Sword Qi wasn¡¯t restricted to only internal energy practitioners. A chakra practitioner who attained the first level of understanding in a particular attribute could create a Primary Truth, and a spiritual power practitioner could compress spiritual qi and create a Spirit Stone. While these two approaches of materializing mana into a physical form were fundamentally different from swordsmanship and the use of internal energy, the effects, and power that they derived from the materialization were very similar to Sword Qi. This basic principle of materialization into a physical form was aura. And once an individual gathered and condensed spiritual power into the shape of a sword¡­ Whoosh. ¡­ people would say that they created an Aura Blade. ¡°Bitch! You¡¯re a Master!¡± To be able to bring out Sword Qi, one had to have become a Master in [Swordsmanship], otherwise popularly known as reaching the letter rankings of at least an A rank. With that sort of fighting ability, one could reach Level 10. Yet, similar to how Merlin was a Master in swimming but did not raise his overall level, there were some who did not level up. However, because those who reach Level 10 could choose a ¡®Career¡¯ and see their development grow in leaps and bounds, most would opt to rush to Level 10. ¡°With this, I should be able to break your skin, no?¡± ¡°This bitch¡­!¡± Bam! Dongyun angrily rushed towards Cruze and took a swipe at her, but before he could hit her, an attack landed on his head. Though Cruze¡¯s attack had been swift, Dongyun was more aware and prepared this time around, so he ¡®saw¡¯ how the attack moved. ¡°Projectile¡­ she¡¯s shooting?¡± This didn¡¯t make sense to Dongyun. Since users were from modern society, they would think to make modern weaponry, but most people didn¡¯t possess the expertise or skill to recreate such weapons. Even if she succeeded in recreating a modern gun, the damage shouldn¡¯t have been so severe. Despite only weighing 250 kilograms, Dongyun¡¯s body was extremely firm and tough. As such, attacks with force greater than his weight wouldn¡¯t cause him to become injured in any way. Yet, her hits had snapped back his head and made his mind momentarily foggy from the ringing in his ears. Her strikes weren¡¯t wholly reliant on physical properties; they were imbued with spiritual power. Dongyun had observed this first-hand. The projectile that had hit his head bounced up into the air and turned into white smoke before disappearing. ¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯ However, Dongyun didn¡¯t have time to stare at the disappearing projectile as Cruze¡¯s Aura Blade was heading for his chest. Crack. Her attack was stopped. Dongyun didn¡¯t take any special measures to block her strike; his physical body had stopped it by itself. Of course, he also took some damage. Her Aura Blade had cut into his skin and caused him to lose a decent amount of blood, but even though her Aura Blade could cut through iron like butter, it couldn¡¯t even pierce or crack his bones. ¡°Damn it! I was planning on avoiding your bones and piercing your heart.¡± Although the cute-looking Cruze charmingly spoke such frightening words, she had lost her chance at inflicting critical damage on Dongyun, as he had backed up about 50 meters away from her. Furthermore, not a single scratch could be seen on Dongyun¡¯s body. He had already regenerated and recovered from his injuries. ¡°I¡¯m impressed. I could have been sent to the netherworld.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ well, come to think of it, even if I pierced your heart, I don¡¯t think you would have died.¡± Dongyun and the other hundred or so werebears had retreated a few steps on the battlefield. Cruze momentarily considered shooting a bunch of projectiles at the enemy, but she soon gave up on this. If the enemy could withstand a full-frontal attack from Aura Blade, her shots wouldn¡¯t be able to pierce their defenses. Moreover, she had not ¡®installed¡¯ a projectile attack that could pierce through such heavy defenses. Additionally, she lacked ¡®memory¡¯ and hadn¡¯t fully developed her skills to create an ultimate move. ¡®I made a mistake. I haven¡¯t perfected my sword and shouldn¡¯t have wielded it. Instead, I should¡¯ve started with my gun.¡¯ Of course, if she chose to target the other werebears and not Dongyun, she may have taken a few down. To add to this, if she had instructed her pet ¡®Wukong¡¯ to do so, she could have received some supporting fire on top of her considerable main firepower. However, Dongyun had discovered her strengths and powers, and he wouldn¡¯t just stand there and be a sitting target. ¡°Hey, bitch, have you read the announcement?¡± ¡°¡­ Of course. Do monsters like you know about the announcement system?¡± ¡°It seems you aren¡¯t aware of this, but unique monsters like me can revive after death and still possess our past memories. There¡¯s a whole community of us. Anyway, since you said you read the announcement, that¡¯s that. As the announcement stated, we¡¯ll be back in a couple of days to restart the attack. No, wait. Since we¡¯re going from the east gate to the north and then the west and south gates, I¡¯ll be back in three days.¡± After saying this, Dongyun smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll be back with a 10,000 monster corps.¡± While all the users knew about this, no one had put much thought into it. This was because the users had only experienced monsters around Starting that were around Level 2 to Level 3. The users didn¡¯t even consider 10,000 monsters at the upper levels. Yet, the users¡¯ thoughts and perceptions slowly changed after confronting the initial 1,000 monsters in this first wave. ¡°¡­ So, what?¡± ¡°When that day comes, we won¡¯t retreat, whether we¡¯re winning or losing. We¡¯ll ravage the village and make sure to wipe out all the users.¡± Though his words were fearsome, they didn¡¯t possess any killing intent, and even if there were killing intent, the users wouldn¡¯t have felt scared. On Dynamic Island, all the users were immortal beings. A user¡¯s death would force them to log out for a certain amount of time and lose some experience points, so many people felt ¡®annoyed¡¯ at being killed, but they didn¡¯t feel any ¡®fear.¡¯ ¡°Hmm, do you think that¡¯s possible?¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± The atmosphere seemed to shake and vibrate when Dongyun laughed aloud. Then, he continued, ¡°I like your spunk, bitch. I¡¯ll make sure that I¡¯m the one that kills you.¡± ¡°The same goes for me. I really want to gain a bunch of experience points.¡± A user and monster faced each other, both with smiles on their faces. Dongyun soon raised his right hand. ¡°Retreat!¡± The werebear corps quickly disappeared into the ever-present snowstorm that roiled through the icy north. CH 43 ***Preparation*** ¡°Phew. Finally, my internal energy has fully recovered.¡± Death wasn¡¯t as bad as it sounded. Actually, it was pretty dull and mundane. However, the penalty for dying wasn¡¯t light. /Your character has died. You cannot log in for 24 hours, and your highest stat¡¯s maximum value will be permanently lowered./ Twenty-four hours in DIO was four hours in real life. Players couldn¡¯t log in during this restricted time frame, and the notification above was what Merlin had seen after logging on. Before this, he had been deeply concerned. He knew he¡¯d have to face a penalty, but he didn¡¯t know how severe it was. /You are a beginner (below Level 3)! Due to the beginner safety system in place, your penalty shall be reduced! Your highest stat area (spiritual power) will be permanently reduced by five points!/ In DIO, the penalty of death was a permanent ceiling reduction of one¡¯s highest stat area. The calculation was done by multiplying one¡¯s level by five. In other words, if a user were Level 5, their highest stat would be permanently reduced by 25 points, and it would be 50 points for a Level 10 player. While this may not seem like a significant reduction at first, once someone rose through the levels and reached the upper echelons of DIO, the reductions would be relatively greater and impact one¡¯s highest ability stat. If a Level 10 user, or a Master, died with 350 points of internal energy, the internal energy points would be reduced from 350 to 300 points. To increase a user¡¯s stat by one point in the 300 to 400 range, it would take triple the number of points to form a three to one ratio. As such, that user would instantly lose 150 points, which was 75 years, or one cycle and a fourth. A little more than a cycle of internal energy would be lost from one death! In Merlin¡¯s case, since he was Level 2, he should have lost ten points in spiritual power, which was five years of internal energy. Yet, since the system protected beginners, he had only lost five points. ¡°Once a player becomes a high-level user and dies often, it would probably be better to do an ability reset than to continue with that character.¡± Merlin nodded as if pledging to avoid dying as much as possible. Without much delay, a magic circle soon appeared in front of him. At the moment, Merlin was in a one-on-one testing area. He was facing an opponent that was one level above him. ¡°Roar!¡± A giant tiger roared and bounded towards Merlin. Though the tiger was only three meters long, its ferocity and killing intent would have made it seem as large as a small house for an average person. In addition, it would have been terribly frightening for anyone to face off against such a ferocious creature with their bare hands, as Merlin was planning to do. However, Merlin wasn¡¯t concerned with any of this as he made slapping motions with his hands. Boom! The charging tiger dropped to the ground. It had taken a full Penetration Power strike to its head, and it wouldn¡¯t stand up again. /Clear!/ ¡°The drop item is the tiger¡¯s fur? It looks quite expensive. Not bad.¡± After happily putting away the tiger¡¯s fur, Merlin saw a text message appear in front of him. /You have fulfilled the minimum requirements by passing the one-on-one test! You may finish your level-up test after completing the [Joint Warfare] test!/ ¡°I need to clear the [Joint Warfare] test? This is different from what I read.¡± Thinking that the game had been updated and changed, Merlin nonchalantly took out a book from his inventory. The book was entitled ¡®Formless Blade.¡¯ At first glance, one might think that the book was a general martial arts book, but it was actually related to a specific hand skill. By focusing and expending inner qi into a user¡¯s hand, that person could create a sharp edge. Through practice and perfection, users would be able to create an invisible knife¡¯s edge using this hand skill. ¡°Hmm. I¡¯ve been working hard, but it doesn¡¯t seem like I¡¯m improving. I¡¯ve already been training for an hour, but I¡¯ve only reached the third level.¡± If martial arts trainees heard what Merlin said just now, they¡¯d jump up and down furiously. Yet, since he didn¡¯t know how absurd his words were, Merlin opened the book and continued reading. Despite reading the book multiple times, he found that he would gain new understandings in various areas after rereading it. ¡°Hmm, but I¡¯m not improving. I guess I have to purchase the next volume, huh?¡± After visiting the library, Merlin learned that virtually all the martial arts-related books came in volumes of two, three, or four books. In Starting¡¯s library, only the first volumes were available. Of course, the reason for this was apparent. Since Starting was a beginner village, users wouldn¡¯t be able to obtain items higher than 5th tier anyway, and their training would only improve by a finite amount. In order to train at a higher level and develop more, users had to visit one of the seven Holy Lands. Merlin was unaware of this, but all users on Dynamic Island resided in one of eight areas: The beginner village: Starting. The Holy Land for Magic users: Babel the Magic Tower. The Holy Land for Internal Energy users: Valiant Heavenly City. The Holy Land for Chakra users: Haindel¡¯s Temple. The Holy Land for Divine Power users: Sandalphon, the Divine Power City. The Holy Land for Life Force users: Youthful Flower Pavilion. The Holy Land for Pure Spiritual Power users: Asgard. The Holy Land for Aura users: The Land of a Thousand Scents. All users began at Starting, but once they developed to around Level 5, they would go off to their specialty¡¯s Holy Land to train and grow further. In order to obtain the second volume of the ¡®Formless Blade¡¯ text, Merlin would have to go to Valiant Heavenly City. ¡°That¡¯s weird. How was I able to get to Level 7 in the Golden Pill Immortal Technique and Level 8 in Great Strength Vajra Hand already?¡± Obviously, Merlin was the weird one. He had ¡®created¡¯ something without having formally learned it. Click. Once Merlin entered the [Stealth] testing area, he was thrown into a dark environment. He started using his Night Vision Eyes to continue reading his book, but as soon as he did this, he remembered that his eyes would glow golden. And so, he promptly closed his eyes and began to operate his Scanning Eyes. ¡®Hmm, I¡¯ve reached Level 3 in Formless Blade and Level 4 in the Great Tantra Hand. The Great Tantra Hand is similar in many ways to the Great Strength Vajra Hand, so it¡¯s been easier to progress and develop than the other skill.¡¯ If anyone else were just starting to learn martial arts, their progress would have been much slower, but since Merlin was already Level 8 in Great Strength Vajra Hand, he was able to quickly recognize similarities and the essence of a skill just from reading a book. Every skill originated with the same fundamental principles and tenets. The only difference was that they strived to achieve different goals. Merlin had purchased four books from the library: the first volume of [Formless Blade], the first volume of [Great Tantra Hand], [Seven Jewels ¨C Additional Spells] edition, and the [25 Most Common Level 2 Spells]. Each book was priced at five copper, with ten copper being worth one silver and ten silver making up one gold. So, the books were fairly cheap. ¡°Well, I have to test it out.¡± After putting the book away in his inventory, Merlin made a circle with his left thumb and index finger and brought it up to his eye. That motion summoned the system¡¯s [Mission Information] window, which stated the following information. A map accompanied the mission description, and it displayed the area around his objective and the location of his target, an orc mage. The map was so detailed and user-friendly that only an idiot wouldn¡¯t be able to read it. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like I even need to enter the village.¡± Merlin raised his bow. He was about 150 meters away from his target. It was a bit too far for his low-grade bow, but if Merlin imbued it with his internal energy, he¡¯d be able to extend the bow¡¯s range. With this assistance, it seemed Merlin was just at the limit of reaching his target. Ping! He released the bowstring. Merlin had been using Aura Vision, and although he had a map, he needed sharper ¡®sight¡¯ for his attack. ¡°¡­ Right on target.¡± Merlin smiled without even verifying the result. The assassination had been carried out so stealthily and noiselessly that the other orcs in the village didn¡¯t even wake up. ¡°A target that¡¯s asleep outdoors¡­ This is too easy. Is it because this is a low-level test?¡± While pondering this question, a text message popped up. /Clear!/ ¡°Thanks.¡± After nodding his head, Merlin was returned to the main testing room. He didn¡¯t have to take all the tests. As long as he cleared one test, he¡¯d fulfilled the first half of the level-up requirement, so all that was left was the [Joint Warfare] test. ¡°Hmm. I should try each test until I face something I can¡¯t pass. The rewards aren¡¯t bad either.¡± As he muttered to himself, Merlin took out a 1.5-meter-long wand. The handle of the wand was chiseled in the shape of a skull, and the wand itself gave off a somewhat eerie, evil qi quality. Merlin appraised the wand. ¡°Oh, that guy I just killed was a necromancer.¡± Merlin imbued his wand with magic power once he entered the [Group Fight] test, choosing to use 15 tetra of magic power. For Merlin, who only possessed 20 tetra of magic power, 15 tetra was almost the entirety of his magic power reserve. ¡°Nothing¡¯s happening. I guess the wand requires a medium.¡± Merlin continued walking as he muttered to himself. Usually, the scenery in the testing area was from the Middle Ages. Yet, this time around, it was much different. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s an Eastern setting?¡± Momentarily confused at the stark contrast, Merlin soon heard someone cry out. ¡°Everyone, flee! Argh!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Blood Zombies! The Blood Zombies have appeared!¡± The people around him wore clothing that fit the eastern setting style, with garments made of silk and long robing. There were screams all around him, and people were chaotically running to who knows where. Despite his chaotic surroundings, Merlin was calm. Since he was in [Group Fight], he was sure that things would progress along the same vein as what happened in his Level 2 test. ¡°Hmm¡­ the enemy is¡­ ah, right there.¡± Using Aura Vision, Merlin scanned the local area and found the enemies, and he began to head in that direction. ¡°Damn it! My sword isn¡¯t piercing them!¡± ¡°The zombies have poison on their nails and in their blood, so don¡¯t get near them!¡± In the middle of the village¡¯s town square, Merlin saw a single zombie surrounded by ten or so armed guards. Around five corpses could be seen strewn about in the general area. The bodies had golden particles dripping from their wounds, so Merlin wasn¡¯t able to make out their exact injuries. ¡°Let¡¯s see. There are corpses here¡­ should I test out the necromancer skills?¡± Merlin lifted the wand that he¡¯d previously imbued with magic power. ¡°Rise.¡± Creak. The corpse and the horse that it had been mounted on slowly rose. Soon, a message popped up in front of Merlin. /Warning! You are using a corpse without prior authorization! You have lost 10 Karma points!/ /Warning! You have touched another¡¯s ¡®items¡¯ without prior consent or authorization! You have lost 6 Karma points!/ /Warning! If you do not resolve the above two warnings within a minute, you will permanently lose 16 Karma points!/ ¡°¡­ Hot damn.¡± Merlin let out a sigh after seeing the flurry of warning notifications pop up. It seemed that he wasn¡¯t supposed to take any items from another individual, even if that person was a corpse. Apparently, he needed prior authorization from the owner, no matter if they were dead or not. ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t use it.¡± After grumbling curses under his breath, Merlin released the corpse, which then lifelessly crumbled to the ground. /Good./ ¡°Damn it. I just wasted all my magic power for nothing.¡± As he complained, Merlin took out his bow and arrow. While he also had hand skills that he could utilize, the Blood Zombies were covered in blood. Merlin would have to touch that blood if he used his hand skills, so he decided on the bow and arrow. Also, Merlin found it weird that the Blood Zombies were covered in red blood while the fallen corpse was bleeding out golden particles¡­ In any case, his most important concern was to clear the mission. Ping! The Blood Zombie was ferociously attacking the ten guards that surrounded it, but soon, an arrow flew through the air and struck it directly between its eyes. Merlin muttered ¡®Clear¡¯ under his breath. Yet, at that moment, the teetering Blood Zombie stomped on the ground, jumped over the guards, and headed towards Merlin. ¡°Huh?!¡± Merlin thought that the arrow finished off the Blood Zombie, so he was taken aback when the mob suddenly jumped on him. Instinctively, Merlin lifted the item in his hand to defend himself. That item was his bow. Obviously, the bow¡¯s low grade was no match for the Blood Zombie¡¯s attack, and it shattered. Bam! Merlin hadn¡¯t entirely let his guard down, so he was quickly able to jump back five meters after defending against the zombie¡¯s attack. Merlin¡¯s movement ability had reached rank 6, and this had been assisted by his general development in all areas. Seeing Merlin¡¯s quick reflexes, a middle-aged man spoke up in admiration. ¡°Excellent movement ability. Which martial arts school of study do you practice?¡± ¡°Martial arts school of study? I don¡¯t really have one¡­ anyway, what kind of monster is that?¡± ¡°They¡¯re the underlings and property of the Blood-Mind Demon. They¡¯ve lost their reasoning ability and ego, so they can only be stopped if their heads are chopped off or if their dantians are completely destroyed.¡± Merlin felt as though the man¡¯s description of the Blood Zombie was something straight out of a fantasy novel, but he soon snapped back to what was important at hand. Since his bow was broken, he was forced to fight the zombies with his bare hands. If he had some leftover magic power, he could have had some other options to choose from, but he had expended almost everything after foolhardily raising the corpse. ¡°Ugh, I guess I¡¯ll put into practice what I¡¯ve been studying up to now.¡± ¡°Practice your study? What are you talking about?¡± Though the middle-aged man was perplexed by what Merlin was murmuring, Merlin didn¡¯t reply and just closed his eyes. The village guards were at a stalemate with the Blood Zombie and were keeping it within a fixed area. It seemed that his previous arrow had some effect, as the zombie wasn¡¯t moving as well as it had been earlier. ¡®Great Tantra Hand¡­¡¯ There were two things that Merlin felt that the Great Strength Vajra Hand lacked. While the Great Strength Vajra Hand was a powerful hand skill, it was focused on close combat and could only either pulverize or push a target. In other words, the hand skill had a limited range of use. This was why Merlin chose to study the cutting skill [Formless Blade] and the mid to long-ranged hand skill [Great Tantra Hand]. ¡®At first, I must recognize that I can peer into all things¡­.¡¯ Although the initial effect of the Great Strength Vajra Hand and the Great Tantra Hand were similar, the Great Strength Vajra Hand gave the user ¡®greater strength¡¯ and ¡®stronger hands¡¯ as it developed. This was why its mantra read, ¡®Breaking through with strong hands and pushing away all things.¡¯ As a user developed the Great Strength Vajra Hand, they would be able to crush, push away, or push down on their opponent. However, the Great Tantra Hand had a completely different effect as it was developed. ¡®It¡¯s similar to Penetration Power. Anyway, let¡¯s not put much thought into it. I¡¯m mainly just trying to convey power.¡¯ Of course, the principle of the skill was much more complex and challenging to understand than what Merlin made it out to be. Countless martial artists spent their whole lives trying to master these skills. Any other person would have chosen to study a long-ranged martial arts skill, like Bounding Hundred Steps Technique, rather than trying to forcefully learn a range-based skill within a specific route, like what Merlin was doing with hand skills. Merlin was stubbornly trying to find solutions under the thought that, ¡®I started with hand skills, so I¡¯ll just continue with hand skills.¡¯ Training in this way seemed inefficient, idiotic, and abnormal. However¡­ Boom! As always, Merlin was an expert in achieving the abnormal. CH 44 ¡°Such¡­ such a clear hand imprint¡­ you wouldn¡¯t by any chance be a practitioner of the Potala Palace school of martial arts study, would you?¡± Clear! While the middle-aged man was still speaking, Merlin vanished and returned to the main testing room. He then realized that some text messages had previously popped up. /Your hand skill has gone up one rank!/ /You have acquired the title, ¡®Vajra Hand!¡¯/ /You have acquired the special skill, ¡®Piercing!¡¯/ ¡°Oho, it went up. What exactly are the requirements for skill rankings to increase? Will it go up if I just use the skill successfully?¡± As he mumbled, Merlin checked the title effects. The title increased his muscular strength, stamina, and spiritual power. ¡°Not bad, but¡­ it¡¯s definitely not as good as what was given for being a Divine Swimmer.¡± Divine Swimmer. It was a Master title that he¡¯d gained after leveling his swimming skill to the A rank. Compared to that title, anything else was a lesser achievement. While rank one and rank A were only separated by one step, the difference in effects between those two ranks was vast. Merlin sat on the floor. Although he wanted to progress to the next test immediately, nearly all of his internal energy had been used up while fighting the tiger and Blood Zombie, so he needed some time to recover. This had happened often, as Merlin had a low internal energy capacity. ¡°Ah, this damn ability stat restriction. This is really getting on my nerves.¡± Merlin had already reached 100 points in spiritual power, so his internal energy would no longer increase. While 100 points might not sound small, Merlin was using 20 points for his magic power and 20 points to maintain his first planetary Golden Core. This left him with 60 points, which was 30 years of internal energy. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m going to hit another barrier shortly after reaching Level 3. What can I do?¡± This was Merlin¡¯s constant concern. However, the answer was simple: level up and gain more spiritual power. Unsatisfied with the restrictions? Level up. ¡°Anyway, this Bush Poison¡­ it doesn¡¯t seem too good. Well, what can I expect from a zombie?¡± Actually, the zombie wasn¡¯t entirely useless. It possessed a dantian, and the Bush Poison wasn¡¯t a useless item. The Bush Poison was extremely poisonous and was hard to detoxify. ¡°Ah, I shouldn¡¯t waste time like this. I guess I can take the non-combat-related tests.¡± Merlin started taking the non-combat tests. Yet, they weren¡¯t as easy as he expected. /Out./ ¡°Oh, man.¡± /Out./ ¡°Damn it.¡± The [Weaponry Production] test challenged him to extract iron from iron ore and transform that iron into a short sword. Obviously, with no knowledge of blacksmithing or anything related to this field, Merlin found the test difficult. He didn¡¯t lack talent or ability; he just lacked knowledge. In [Clothing Production], Merlin was given a large piece of fabric to make into a set of clothes. In the end, all Merlin did was ruin a bunch of material in his attempts to create clothing. For the [Medicine Production] test, a wide variety of ingredients were laid out in front of Merlin. He was tasked with creating a simple pain relief medication. Yet, clearly, Merlin didn¡¯t know anything about medicine, so he failed terribly. However, he did succeed in another test. /Clear!/ /Your Enchant skill has risen to rank 6!/ ¡°Phew. I barely passed one test.¡± In order to retake one of the exams, Merlin had to cancel the entire Level 3 testing and re-attempt it. As such, Merlin gave up on the idea of trying to pass all the available tests. Merlin was glad that he had passed the first couple of tests since he would have been forced out of the testing if he had failed on his first attempt. Just as Mari had told him before, the level tests would become much more difficult the higher his level was. /Clear!/ [Adventure] was relatively easier, and [Gathering] required that he find and gather crystallized stones in a valley riverbed. Using Scanning Vision allowed him to view the entire riverbed as if he was looking into his hand, and his developed swimming ability made him faster than any fish. With these two skills, Merlin was able to complete the test effortlessly. His reward for the latter test was the crystallized stones he had gathered from the riverbed. /Clear!/ [Stealing] had him enter a house and steal a jeweled necklace. This wasn¡¯t too much of a challenge. While Merlin didn¡¯t have much experience stealing things, he could use Aura Vision and Scanning Vision to constantly see where the guards were. Furthermore, he could easily jump two to three meters up into the air, so the guards didn¡¯t present any problems for Merlin. The reward for completing this test was four copper. He wasn¡¯t allowed to keep the necklace. ¡°Alright. Next is [Transportation].¡± Without any hesitation, Merlin walked into the next test door. In stark contrast to all the other testing areas, Merlin found himself indoors. ¡°Oh, have you come from the union?¡± ¡°Union?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not from the union?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re correct; I¡¯m from the union. What item do I need to transport?¡± Merlin followed along with the general flow of the test. It was a good thing he did because if he hadn¡¯t, he would have immediately failed the test. ¡°The most pressing item is the safe, but you can¡¯t do that by yourself. Since that¡¯s the case¡­.¡± ¡°No, wait. It¡¯s fine. Where¡¯s the safe? Where does it need to be transported?¡± ¡°The safe isn¡¯t something you can transport by yourself. Even five or six people would find it difficult to-¡± ¡°Ah, that must be it.¡± After saying this, Merlin went over to the safe and lifted it. It was extraordinarily heavy. Since a safe was traditionally meant to protect whatever was inside of it, the weight of the safe was understandable. Even if a safe was hard to open, what use would it have if it were light and could be carried away at will? ¡°Where do I need to go?¡± ¡°Uh? Uhm? Uh¡­¡± ¡°I would really like to know where I¡¯m supposed to transport this thing.¡± Hearing Merlin¡¯s eager voice, the man frowned. ¡°I-isn¡¯t it heavy?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s heavy, but I¡¯m strong, so it¡¯s fine.¡± Merlin¡¯s muscular strength was at 200 points. He was able to output ten times the muscular strength of an average adult male. Hence, lifting something that needed five or six people wasn¡¯t difficult. ¡°I-it¡¯s not far. That house over there.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Following the man¡¯s directions, Merlin moved the safe to another house. The door to the house was closed, so Merlin called upon his spirit, Younghwi, to open the front door. Despite the safe¡¯s immense weight, Merlin didn¡¯t face any issues lugging it around. /Clear!/ ¡°Next is [Information Gathering].¡± Merlin walked through the test door, and he found himself inside an extensive library. ¡°What is this place?¡± Confused, Merlin opened the mission information window. ¡°The time limit is set to only ten minutes? But there are so many books in here¡­.¡± With an exasperated expression, Merlin approached the library catalog to sift through the catalog cards. The language written on the cards wasn¡¯t something he had ever seen before, but for whatever reason, he didn¡¯t have any difficulty reading the foreign language. ¡°Wyvern!¡± The first title that caught his eye was [Monster Encyclopedia]. Merlin found the book and started flipping through the pages to find the Wyvern. Once he landed on a certain page, the letters written started to float up and shine. /Wyvern. Alkaid Kingdom Tier 3 information. A Level 11 monster. The Wyvern makes its home to the east of the Alkaid Kingdom and looks similar to a prehistoric flying mammal. The first sighting of a Wyvern was¡­/ ¡°Is this some sort of data copying function?¡± A [Monster Information] window popped up in front of Merlin, and it started sucking in the information regarding the Wyvern. It even absorbed information that didn¡¯t seem to be present in the encyclopedia. ¡°A wyvern is a Level 11 monster.¡± Merlin mumbled as he scanned and searched for other monsters. A Level 10 Manticore, A Level 13 Kraken, a Level 15 Drake, and¡­ ¡°A Phoenix?¡± It was the monster that the Alkaid Kingdom used as the symbol of its kingdom, considering it to be the realm¡¯s guardian monster. Yet, that wasn¡¯t what surprised Merlin. What surprised Merlin was the Phoenix¡¯s level. The Phoenix was a Level 27 monster. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s an ultra-high level monster, no? How formidable is something at Level 27?¡± Merlin couldn¡¯t fathom how powerful a being or monster at such a high level would be. And, as he was having this thought¡­ /Out./ ¡°Shit! Time out!¡± ¡®Damn it. I was too late. I shouldn¡¯t have wasted time thinking about such stupid things!¡¯ This was how Merlin felt. However, he shouldn¡¯t have been so hard on himself; he hadn¡¯t even found half of the monsters he was required to find. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m failing more tests than I initially expected. There are some that I have no idea how to pass, so I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll improve and pass those tests anytime soon. I guess I need to give up on my dream of being an all-around Master.¡± A little crestfallen at this reality, Merlin inspected his status. He had fully recovered his internal energy. ¡°Let¡¯s feed Younghwi first.¡± Like a boss, Merlin fed 20 points, or ten years of internal energy, to Younghwi. It was a third of his total internal energy, but Merlin planned to rest a bit longer, so he wasn¡¯t too bothered by this. ¡°Next is the general life category of tests.¡± First up was [Farming]. In this test, Merlin was required to gather apples in an apple orchard, and he dutifully carried out this task. Yet, for some unknown reason, he failed the test. After [Farming] was [Cooking]. Merlin looked at the unexpected meal that he was tasked to prepare. ¡°Wait, the previous version of this test was to fry an egg. Is the next natural step really to cook jujube hen stew?¡± Merlin felt that the difference between the level tests was too vast. However, as he complained, Merlin started prepping the chicken. Despite living alone for a long time and cooking often, he had only made jujube hen stew once, so he was unfamiliar with the recipe. Bumble. Plop. Bumble. ¡°Ugh¡­ was this the next step¡­ I¡¯m not too skilled at making Korean food¡­.¡± Merlin racked his brain, attempting to remember the recipe, and as he did this, he started putting the ingredients into a pot. Luckily, the meal slowly came together. After some time passed, the jujube hen stew¡¯s aromatic and delicious aroma wafted in the kitchen. And then¡­ /Clear!/ ¡°Oh, good! I see my cooking skills haven¡¯t gone anywhere.¡± Breathing out a sigh of relief, Merlin appraised the ginseng chicken soup. ¡°Ugh, it barely made 8th Tier. I only just passed.¡± While Merlin had felt nervous during the cooking test, he was rather confident in his culinary abilities, so the unexpected low score of his jujube hen stew came as somewhat of a shock. ¡°Hmm, I guess I haven¡¯t cooked in a while. There was a time when over 10,000 people would copy a picture of my food whenever I uploaded it on the cooking blogs¡­.¡± As he tried to convince himself that everything was fine, Merlin put the jujube hen stew into his inventory. It was true that jujube hen stew wasn¡¯t the type of food that could be stored and eaten later, but his inventory always maintained food¡¯s freshness, no matter how long it was kept inside. Merlin felt that his inventory was a fantastic food storage system. He could pull out an entire meal whenever he desired. ¡°Next up is [Medical Surgery]¡­¡± Merlin walked through the test door without any hesitation. Whether it be due to his luck or misfortune, Merlin knew what his task was without even reading the test description. ¡°Ugh¡­ it hurts so much¡­ ugh¡­.¡± ¡°Oh, no. Is there a doctor here?¡± Five to six people were surrounding a young man who was lying on the ground, grabbing his midsection. Merlin was no different from the clueless and anxious crowd that had gathered. Immediately, Merlin knew that the young man was the test subject. However¡­ ¡°What? You expect me to do something about this?¡± Merlin knew nothing about medicine, physiology, or medical studies. Although he knew how to patch up wounds and use minor spells to heal himself, that was the extent of his medical expertise. There was nothing he could do in this situation. /Out./ Once the young man¡¯s eyes rolled back in his head, Merlin received the failed test message. ¡°Damn! These tests are difficult.¡± Merlin realized that, other than combat tests, the other test areas required considerable study and training in their respective fields. CH 45 /Clear!/ Of course, there were also tests that were relatively easier, like the [Art] test, for example. Unexpectedly, Merlin was actually a skilled illustrator. ¡°Oh, they¡¯ve given me high marks, but why didn¡¯t they give me any rewards?¡± The reward was the painting that he had just made, but Merlin was unaware of this. During the test, he had been given ten minutes to draw something quickly. With extensive experience in using a computer for illustrations, Merlin didn¡¯t think much of his brief sketch-like drawing. Yet, Merlin was unaware that the paper that he drew on was special. ¡°Whatever. The remaining non-combat tests are¡­ [Miscellaneous Skills] and [Trainer].¡± The [Miscellaneous Skills] test was simple. It was a written exam that asked about the history of the continent and certain legends and myths. It seemed to be based on what was seen as common sense to the people of this mystical world. Obviously, Merlin failed this test. The next exam named [Trainer] had Merlin train a cat. His Level 2 test was simple and had him train a dog. On the other hand, this Level 3 test cat was posing quite a challenge, as the cat seemed resolved to make life as difficult as possible for Merlin. Though Merlin contemplated whether he¡¯d be better off just destroying the cat, at some point, the cat turned around and ran off. As a result, Merlin failed this test as well. ¡°Phew. There¡¯ve been more failures than successes, but at least I¡¯m nearing the end. I have two tests remaining, right?¡± [Escort] and [Rescue] remained. Merlin mulled over which one he should challenge first, and after some consideration, he chose [Escort]. ¡°Hiya!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Seeing a short sword swinging toward his head as soon as he entered, Merlin tilted his upper body to swiftly avoid the strike. Even a world-class boxer would have had trouble trying to hit Merlin, so the young girl swinging the short sword was no match for him. Despite only a month passing since he obtained his newfound abilities, Merlin had already mastered his control over them. ¡°W-who are you?¡± ¡°Hmm, this place is pretty dark. Is this a commonly used trope, a dark alleyway?¡± Merlin looked around at his dim surroundings. While there was little lighting, it wasn¡¯t so dark that he needed to use Night Vision. His normal eyesight had developed to the point where he could read a book with only the illumination from the stars in the night sky. ¡°Y-y-y-you¡­ who are you?¡± The mid-teen girl cried out anxiously, but Merlin didn¡¯t pay her any attention. After this test was completed, they would never meet again. She was probably an NPC that actually existed somewhere, but the world where the tests took place were virtual recreations. Even if he invested the time to form a relationship with her, she¡¯d forget everything in real life, wherever she was. As such, Merlin focused his attention on the mission description. ¡°Plundering allowed?¡± Didn¡¯t this mean that he could take whatever the NPC had on her? Perplexed, Merlin stared at the young girl in front of him. ¡°I asked you who you are! Y-you appeared so suddenly; how did you do it?¡± ¡°Oh, is that what you saw? It was just a bit of magic. As for your question about who I am, I¡¯m your guard.¡± ¡°My guard¡­¡± Seeing the young girl¡¯s stunned expression, Merlin continued to explain, ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve been ordered to escort you safely to the Night Wing Guild branch office.¡± It wasn¡¯t an order; it was a mission. Either way, Merlin didn¡¯t think the difference between the two was anything important. It had no effect on his test. On the mini-map located in the upper right corner of his vision, Merlin saw a pin showing the location of the Night Wing Guild branch office. Furthermore, the mini-map showed his current position, along with Senna¡¯s, the young teenage girl. ¡°Dang, this mini-map is nice.¡± ¡°What¡¯s nice?¡± ¡°Nothing. Put on your clothes. Where¡¯s your shirt?¡± To be more specific, her shirt had been ripped to shreds for whatever reason. Even in the dark, Merlin was still able to make out her chest. While a healthy young man like him didn¡¯t mind this scene, he didn¡¯t feel that he could continue the mission due to his discomfort from being around the half-naked girl. ¡°You can see me? In this lighting?¡± ¡°I see pretty well in the dark. I can even make out the mole below your chest area.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Hearing Senna shriek as she covered her chest and crumpled to the ground, Merlin felt glad that she had a sense of modesty. Then, to better understand his surroundings, Merlin scanned the area around him. They were about 500 meters from the Night Wing Guild branch office. ¡°We aren¡¯t that far from the office.¡± ¡°The distance isn¡¯t the issue. The problem is the Bloody Fist Guild members that are scattered all over this place. They¡¯re such dangerous, ferocious gang members¡­.¡± ¡°Those guys are probably only Level 3.¡± Seeing that Senna had put something on, Merlin grabbed her and dragged her out of the alleyway. He wanted to end the mission quickly and not waste any time on this test. Of course, Senna tried to fight against Merlin¡¯s firm grip, but she had no chance. Merlin¡¯s strength was already far beyond any typical human¡¯s capabilities. ¡°Hey, they¡¯re over there!¡± ¡°Grab them!¡± ¡°That bitch¡­ making us work so much¡­.¡± As they shouted, numerous people rushed over urgently. Senna wasn¡¯t joking when she said that the guild members were scattered everywhere. In addition, there were quite a few of them. Since Merlin had an internal energy limit that he was trying to stick to, these enemies weren¡¯t ideal. However¡­ Bam. The skill and ability differences between Merlin and the guild members were too vast. Merlin didn¡¯t have to use five or ten years of internal energy. Instead, his energy expenditure could be more accurately portrayed as days, not years. ¡°These guys are like commoners, no? They¡¯d all have to rush for the hills if a Level 2 Dire Wolf showed up.¡± The guild members may have been considered powerful beings within their level, but in the end, they were still just Level 1 commoners. Unless they possessed an ability or trained in martial arts, they¡¯d be restricted to the first level. With Merlin¡¯s 200 points in muscular strength, life points, and physical strength, these enemies were like baby chicks. Although Senna saw the Bloody Fist guild members as dangerous and ferocious, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but look down on them. There wasn¡¯t a single person amongst their numbers who even came close to 30 points in muscular strength, life points, or physical strength. ¡°Who the hell is this guy¡­.¡± Boom. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you¡­.¡± Bam. Soon, the area around Senna and Merlin was filled with moaning men. Since Merlin didn¡¯t want to expend too much energy fighting them in a protracted battle, he¡¯d made sure to crack at least a bone or two in each of their bodies. ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡± Merlin picked up a short sword that one of the guild members had used to attack him. As he did so, he waited for a warning message to appear, but there were no notifications. ¡°Oho. So, this is what they meant by ¡®plundering allowed.¡¯ So, it¡¯s okay to take their stuff, huh?¡± Merlin didn¡¯t have to be told twice. ¡°Uhm, what are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m taking all their stuff.¡± Merlin gathered the groaning guild members into a pile and started ¡®extracting¡¯ everything that they possessed. Short swords, money, leather armor, and more. Merlin took everything that looked usable. ¡°Found him! It¡¯s that guy!¡± ¡°Kill him!¡± As Merlin was sorting through the fallen guild members, additional foes approached him. And, of course¡­ Bam. Merlin welcomed all of them the same way. *** ¡°Woohoo! Today is a good day.¡± ¡°D-devil.¡± Senna sweated profusely as she watched Merlin mow down over fifty Blood Fist guild members and ¡®extract¡¯ their items. He even stripped off some of their clothing. With lively steps, Merlin escorted Senna. Since he had taken care of all the Blood Fist guild members, there was no one to bother them. ¡°Dang, that was great. Am I allowed to go into their headquarters and plunder some more?¡± ¡°¡­ I know you¡¯re strong, but you shouldn¡¯t be too arrogant. The Blood Fist guild is well-known around here. They also have many skilled members in their ranks.¡± ¡°Skilled members¡­ like this type of skill?¡± Whoosh. Merlin flicked a finger and conjured a flame, causing Senna¡¯s eyes to grow wide. ¡°Mage?¡± ¡°Yeah. Can¡¯t you tell from what I¡¯m wearing?¡± Currently, Merlin was wearing his magic user training gear. His wide-brimmed hat and long robe showed that he was undeniably a mage. However, after witnessing Merlin wipe out all the Blood Fist guild members with his bare hands, Senna wasn¡¯t able to register that he was a mage. ¡°Then, why did you fight with them with your bare hands?¡± ¡°None of them were strong enough to deserve the use of my magic.¡± The truth was that Merlin¡¯s magic was poor, but he wanted to show off. At that moment¡­ Clank! ¡°A long-ranged attack?¡± Merlin raised his head, surprised at the sudden attack. Yet, he wasn¡¯t the target; it was Senna. Merlin was lucky that she didn¡¯t sustain any injury. When the attack had neared him, Younghwi had been circling Merlin when it executed the order, ¡®deflect anything that approaches me above a certain speed.¡¯ Thus, Younghwi had deflected the oncoming arrow due to Merlin¡¯s proximity to Senna. ¡°Get down!¡± Aerial attacks like a flying arrow were troublesome for Merlin. Thankfully, he had enough life points that a single arrow wouldn¡¯t kill him, and his reaction speed was fast enough to avoid any projectiles that he could see. However, a flying arrow was still a rapidly-moving object to Merlin, and none of his skills or abilities could make it any slower. ¡°Damn it!¡± Merlin had 60 points in reaction speed. Since people generally had 30 points, Merlin had twice the reaction speed of an average person. Additionally, with the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, his perception and awareness were around four times an average human¡¯s. Clank! Clank! Clank! As such, now that he was expecting them, Merlin was able to make out the arrows and deflect them. Yet, this wasn¡¯t easy. The arrows flying toward him were moving at speeds of 320 kilometers per hour. Luckily, due to his extraordinary perception and awareness, the arrows only seemed like they were moving at 80 kilometers per hour to him. In his neighborhood batting cages, the slowest baseball pitching machine would shoot out baseballs at 90 kilometers per hour. This was slow enough for Merlin to see the balls and react to them, but this didn¡¯t mean that he was able to respond to each and every ball perfectly. In this instance, some of the arrows approached from outside his field of vision, so he had even less time to react. Merlin found himself in a tough situation. ¡®I need to counterattack!¡¯ However, this was easier said than done. Merlin could easily counterattack the enemies if he didn¡¯t have to stick next to Senna to keep her safe. To catch the enemy, Merlin would have to somehow launch his own long-ranged attack, but his bow was broken, and the only ranged skill he possessed was the Great Tantra Hand. Yet, this skill¡­ ¡®I don¡¯t have enough control not to kill the enemy.¡¯ Similar to his situation with the Great Strength Vajra Hand, Merlin didn¡¯t possess the ability to limit the internal energy used in the Great Tantra Hand to less than a year. If he tried, the hand attack would misfire, and if he sent out the weakest attack possible, it would be enough to make a standard human explode. ¡°Shit, what am I supposed to do in this situation¡­.¡± Plop. ¡°Huh?¡± Senna¡¯s body collapsed onto Merlin¡¯s feet from a finger-length arrow that had struck her neck. It was a quarrel, an arrow from a small crossbow. Bam! As Merlin froze in shock, a quarrel hit him directly on the head, sending him staggering. Although he had been hit, the arrow had only scratched his skin and caused a few drops of blood to ooze out. With the right shot, a quarrel could pierce through sheet metal armor. Yet, with the 200 points in life force that Merlin had, and the added protection from the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, the arrow only caused a ringing sensation in his head. ¡°One must first realize that there is no place where I cannot reach¡­.¡± Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! In an instant, Merlin released six years of internal energy and created six new corpses. Alas, it was already too late. The subject he needed to escort had perished. /Out./ After being returned to the main testing room, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but stare blankly at the air. The girl who he had just been speaking to was dead. Furthermore, Merlin had just murdered people with his own two hands. Merlin knew that the people he killed were just data and not real, but the sensory input from the game made the killings feel like reality. Even if the red blood was swapped for golden particles, all the sensations seemed realistic. ¡°Isn¡¯t this game¡­ too¡­ too¡­ dangerous?¡± Merlin couldn¡¯t help but give an empty laugh as he recalled the monster that had sent him into this testing room. ¡°This is the end, human. You shall die like the falling petals of a flower.¡± CH 46 The monster¡¯s overwhelming sword qi, the beautiful yet chilling scene of falling plum blossom petals, and his first experience with death¡­ ¡°Ah¡­¡± Merlin recalled the monster''s unwavering stare that bore into him. He was also a person that had a steady, calculating, and piercing gaze, and when he saw the monster, he instantly recognized its strength and formidability. At this, Merlin felt ecstatic but also terrified. He had sensed something [Real]. Although he knew he was in a virtual world, what he saw and perceived seemed all too real, even the young girl who collapsed on his feet and died¡­ Whoosh. A hazy aura emanated from Merlin¡¯s hand. While he didn¡¯t notice this, his immediate surroundings were slowly being filled with the scent of plum blossoms. ¡°This¡­¡± Merlin was caught off guard by the considerable amount of internal energy gathering in his mid-dantian. Despite previously expending much of his internal force, the gathered internal energy was seemingly overflowing and swishing around. ¡°What a predicament; why is my internal energy¡­.¡± Merlin groaned as he fought against the mounting pressure. It was as if he was breathing in but never exhaling. The level-based ability stat restrictions were one of the more critical functions of DIO¡¯s overall system, so disregarding it was impossible. Therefore, Merlin found a workaround. He was planning on compressing and separating his internal energy. Whoosh! And then, Venus opened. It was the second planet of his Golden Pill Immortal Technique, and it contained 40 points of internal energy or 20 years of internal energy. This was twice the size of his first planet, Mercury. Moreover, Merlin separated the two planets into their own systems rather than housing them under a single system. ¡®I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯ll work, but I need to try!¡¯ It was a concept he¡¯d been considering for a while. The Golden Pill Immortal Technique¡¯s first planetary golden core, Mercury, operated as an expansion device rather than an internal energy storage unit. Thus, the question was: if it wasn¡¯t directly tied to his internal energy, why was it a part of his overall spiritual power points? This led Merlin to further consider if it was because Mercury resided within the overarching Golden Core. Whoosh! Merlin moved the separated Mercury into his lower dantian. Many internal energy martial artists utilized the lower dantian as a storage unit. This was because the containment size within the lower dantian was relatively spacious, and the region was directly connected with the veins that went to every part of the body. /Your highest spiritual power (type: internal energy) has been reduced by 20 points!/ Next, Merlin then went on to relocate Venus. /Your highest spiritual power (type: internal energy) has been reduced by 40 points!/ Since 60 points of spiritual power, or 30 years of internal energy, had suddenly disappeared, his body rushed to fill the void left behind. Soon, internal energy started pouring into his Golden Core. If he let it continue like this, 60 points of spiritual power would rapidly fill his Golden Core, so Merlin decided to restrict his qi. ¡®This is dangerous. Since my body is trying to gather internal energy from the environment, what is currently rushing into my system is probably from the Dark Northsea Divine Technique. Even if this newly-created internal energy is compatible with what¡¯s been formed from the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, the sudden intake of so much internal energy will undoubtedly damage my Golden Core. It doesn¡¯t matter if the new internal energy has been purified and converted or not.¡¯ As such, Merlin frantically worked to purify his internal energy rather than allowing the new internal energy to fill up his Golden Core. The Golden Pill Immortal Technique¡¯s strength was that it was stable and wouldn¡¯t easily succumb to Qi Deviation, but on the other hand, if the Golden Core were damaged in any way, it would be difficult for the technique to repair it. /Your highest spiritual power (type: internal energy) has increased by 30 points!/ A golden aura exuded from Merlin, and his body rose a meter above the ground. It was a physical reaction that often occurred when one had a breakthrough. While manipulating his qi, Merlin gained a new understanding of his internal energy. Plop. Once the entire process was over, Merlin landed back on the ground. ¡°Woah, that was surprising, but what happened? It¡¯s helpful, but I don¡¯t understand how it occurred.¡± Merlin whistled in admiration as he felt the solid internal energy within himself. Then, he opened his status window. As he theorized, Mercury and Venus were no longer counted in his internal energy stat, and his 25 years of internal energy were all available and usable. ¡°However, in terms of my overall internal energy capacity, it seems that it has been reduced by five years. Do I feel something solid inside of my body because 30 years or half a cycle is contained within my lower dantian?¡± With a newfound lightness in his step, Merlin entered the [Rescue] test. Generally, it wasn¡¯t the best idea to immediately start fighting after circulating one¡¯s qi, but Merlin stepped into the test room without any hesitation. A sense of warmth spread through his body. Though he didn¡¯t know why he felt like this, Merlin was filled with confidence. ¡°They¡¯re pretty strong. It seems the test doesn¡¯t need me to face them head-on.¡± He arrived in a forested area. When he looked around, he saw four knights and one man. It seemed that he needed to rescue the man from the four knights. ¡°You there, stop.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°To appear so suddenly in a place like this¡­ you¡¯re suspicious.¡± While Merlin didn¡¯t do anything in particular, the four knights approached him of their own accord. The killing intent in their eyes didn¡¯t make Merlin feel like they were coming toward him to have a pleasant conversation. ¡°Heh. It¡¯s great that things are progressing quickly.¡± Merlin smiled as he raised both his arms. In his mind, this was a positive course of events. Since his Golden Pill Immortal Technique seemed to be in an explosive state, he was itching to release some internal energy. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s that smell?¡± The knight who was closest to Merlin stopped with a confused expression as he sniffed the air. It was a scent that he had never smelled before. The aroma was quite memorable. Yet, before he could truly appreciate it, he pulled out his sword. The young man in front of the four knights gave off a monstrous aura. ¡°What say you, guys? Are you willing to attack me?¡± ¡°He¡¯s lost his marbles. Die.¡± With a commanding aura, one of the knights swung his sword. The slashing blade made a neat, forceful arc. However, at that moment, the scent of plum blossoms wafted and spread throughout the air. Ping! A single hand movement soon broke into twenty-five different off-shoots before transforming into one plum blossom flower. The surrounding area was saturated with the scent of plum blossoms, and once the plum blossom¡¯s petals opened up¡­ Plop. The four knights crumpled onto the ground at the same time. While they were experienced and capable knights and swordsmen, they were no match for Merlin. Up to the time they died, they had no idea what had happened to them. /Clear!/ After finishing the last test, Merlin looked down at his hands. The skill he¡¯d just used wasn¡¯t something that he read in any martial arts manual or book. Instead, it was based on the Immortal¡¯s Solitary Plum that the Orc swordsman, Sungmuk, had used. Sungmuk had applied the skill to his sword, but Merlin had used it with his hands. ¡°I need to purchase a volume of Plum Blossom Swordsmanship later on. Even though the skill isn¡¯t based on hand skills, it may eventually help me to create an ultimate-level skill.¡± Merlin sat cross-legged and started meditating. He was inspecting himself to see how his Golden Pill Immortal Technique had changed. ¡°Venus¡­¡± Despite how brief the fight was, Merlin was able to tell just how much power an additional planet provided him. Furthermore, the explosive quality of his power was heightened by the connection between his two planets, Mercury and Venus. When he circulated one year of internal energy through Mercury, the internal energy expanded to two years, and when these two years went through Venus, four years of internal energy was outputted. Hence, by utilizing these two expansion planets, he was able to increase his internal energy by four times. ¡°Unfortunately, there¡¯s a delay.¡± Although it wasn¡¯t a significant delay, it did not exist when he was only using Mercury. It started when his internal energy went through Venus, and it delayed him by about half a second. This wasn¡¯t too long of a time, but if he needed to suddenly use a skill, this slight delay might be detrimental. ¡°Good. It seems the Golden Pill Immortal Technique has been mostly organized. It¡¯s time to go through the [Joint Warfare] test and get this level up over with.¡± Yet, before proceeding, Merlin took out the small crossbow and the 30 quarrels that he¡¯d collected from the failed [Escort] test, as well as the two long swords that the knights in the [Rescue] test dropped. Obviously, he had more items than just these. From the Bloody Fist guild members, Merlin had collected some tough-looking leather gloves, leather clothing, and leather boots. He had essentially revamped his wardrobe. He wore the long mage robe over everything, so it didn¡¯t seem like much had changed, but his equipment had definitely been upgraded. ¡°Sadly, they¡¯re all 9th tier.¡± He clicked his tongue at not having picked up a single 8th tier item, but at the very least, what he did obtain was sturdy. ¡°Since I don¡¯t have much magic power, I need to focus on creating an efficient internal technique. After casting just two enchantments, I essentially have no magic power left.¡± Grumbling to himself, Merlin took out some tyrannosaurus blood from his inventory. He had about 15 liters with him, so he didn¡¯t think that he¡¯d run out anytime soon. ¡°Creating an internal technique within an object so that it can carry magic¡­ I received a brush after completing the [Art] test, so I can use that to write the runes- no, wait.¡± After sticking the brush into the tyrannosaurus blood, Merlin momentarily stopped and tilted his head to one side. ¡°Does it have to be runes? If runes carry meaning, then other characters have a meaning as well, right? I don¡¯t think I need to specifically use runes.¡± Of course, Merlin was correct. Yet, the basic magic system operated under runes, so utilizing other characters would clash against the traditional magic system. Without a doubt, it would be a thousand times easier to follow a developed system than to create an entirely new system from scratch. There was a vast expanse of magic knowledge and internal technique systems, so it was difficult for someone to master what already existed, let alone make something completely new. One misstep in the creation of a new branch would cause a magic user to face an insurmountable barrier. ¡°Let¡¯s try using Korean.¡± Unperturbed, Merlin continued nonetheless. ¡°Hahaha! This is a remarkable and noteworthy idea! I must be a genius, right?¡± In reality, his idea wasn¡¯t that remarkable. If a hundred magic users were asked about his concept, ninety-nine would say that he had lost his marbles, and the remaining one would say that he was an idiot. However, the truth was that Merlin was indeed a genius. Swish. With magic power, Merlin started brushing text onto the long sword that was 1.6-meters in length, using the tyrannosaurus blood as a medium to write the text. As his magic power took effect, the text sunk deeply into the blade. Using his brush, Merlin filled the long sword with red words, spending ten minutes to finish writing. And once he completed the creation of his system¡­ Rumble. He imbued magic power into the long sword. /Your long sword has upgraded to the 8th Tier!/ ¡°Okay! Done. Dang, that was tiring.¡± He had used almost his entire 20 tetra of magic power. Though he felt a bit lightheaded, it wasn¡¯t too exhausting, and the following text made his efforts more than worth it. /Enchantment skill has increased to Rank 5!/ /You have acquired the title, ¡®Advanced Enchanter!¡¯/ /You have acquired a special skill, ¡®Magic Power Efficiency!¡¯/ ¡°Ooh, magic power efficiency, that¡¯s a useful skill.¡± Merlin wanted to strengthen his spell a bit more, but he was unfortunately restrained due to his limited magic power. When using Enchantment to cast a spell, Merlin could instantly deplete 15 tetra in a matter of one or two seconds, so he was skilled in creating internal magic systems. Yet, rather than hurriedly creating an internal magic system on the long sword, he had taken his time to make it efficient and robust. With this, the output from his long sword would be that much greater. ¡°Hmm, I need to increase my magic power capacity as well.¡± The restrictions put on his magic power capacity due to his level had essentially stunted his growth. A majority of his points were going into his Golden Pill Immortal Technique, so Merlin couldn¡¯t really focus on other areas. There were positives and negatives to operating in various spiritual power specialty areas. Even though he could utilize skills from many fields, he was limited in how far he could develop a single area. ¡°Well, let¡¯s recover my magic power first.¡± Unlike the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, which operated around the clock to replenish internal energy, magic power recovery was carried out through meditation in the Seven Jewel school of study. Of course, magic power would recover naturally, but it was slow and would take a protracted amount of time. ¡°Since the efficiency of my magic power use is so low, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be possible to enchant the arrows. Also, I can¡¯t sit here and waste any more time taking this damn level test.¡± Merlin put the crossbow and the quarrels into his inventory and sat down cross-legged to meditate. He didn¡¯t do this for too long, just around five minutes. This wasn¡¯t because his meditation was highly effective; his magic power capacity was just small. ¡°What should I do with this remaining sword?¡± Merlin lifted the leftover sword that he didn¡¯t have a chance to enchant. It was a solid reinforced iron sword, but he wasn¡¯t attached to it in any way. After all, he wasn¡¯t knowledgeable in swordsmanship, and the sword was 9th tier. It was only a drop from one of the knights he defeated in the last test, and since even Level 2 users were given 8th tier swords, the 9th tier sword was essentially just a hunk of metal. No one would want to purchase it. ¡°I won¡¯t care if it¡¯s ruined, so¡­.¡± Merlin took out the painting that he received as a reward after completing his [Art] test. The title of his piece was [Iced Over Lake]. Merlin imbued magic power into the painting and placed it atop the sword. Whoosh. /Your long sword has upgraded to the 8th Tier!/ With a faint noise, the image on the painting engraved itself onto the long sword. The experiment was a success. CH 47 D.I.O CH 48 What the passerby said was correct. Of course, everyone developed at a different rate based on their abilities and skill levels. This could also be seen in university exams, as a person who lacked the capacity to achieve a high score probably wouldn¡¯t succeed even after re-taking the test for five or ten years. However, an adept and knowledgeable test taker would be able to score high on their initial attempt and possibly obtain first place. The reality was that people had vast differences between them, whether that be in inherent gifts and skills or the effort they put into their craft. ¡°I guess she¡¯s just smart. Either that or she possesses great adaptability.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a limit, though! Even if you take my class ranking from every year in elementary school to university and add them together, I would still be above the 100th spot, but I don¡¯t think I can ever surpass Level 7! You¡¯re telling me that a girl who looks like she¡¯s in high school is a Master?¡± Like the passerby said, this wasn¡¯t normal. It was true that there were some people who would get a 100 on an exam while others would only get a 30. Yet, did it make sense for a middle schooler to study for a month and ace a test while a university student spent four years studying and still scored lower? Moreover, how would this make the university student feel? For that individual, it wouldn¡¯t matter how much the middle schooler studied! The middle schooler should have never been able to obtain such a result in the first place! ¡°¡­ Perhaps she¡¯s an administrator?¡± ¡°Who knows? She might just be a fuckin¡¯ genius.¡± ¡°Woah, how could you combine such a filthy word with ¡®genius?¡¯¡± It seemed that the two guys found this humorous as they quickly started giggling before their conversation shifted to other matters. ¡°What are we going to do about tomorrow¡¯s wave of attacks? The first wave only had 1,000 monsters, but they were still able to cause this much chaos. Aren¡¯t there four waves tomorrow with 10,000 monsters in each one?¡± The man¡¯s statement was correct, as the first wave of attacks was just to show users what to expect later on. However, the other man shook his head. ¡°No, the players were caught off guard during the first wave. Since this is the beginner village, some users were probably in dungeons or doing some other training when the Siege Quest began. The message boards have been lighting up ever since the devastation of the first wave, so I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be more people present tomorrow.¡± ¡°I guess. I¡¯m sure the users who died in the first wave will be grinding their teeth in anticipation as well.¡± ¡°Maybe another hidden Master will come out?¡± ¡°Oh, come on.¡± As he listened, Merlin purchased a sandwich from a nearby store, finding the two player¡¯s conversation to be quite entertaining. It seemed the next wave of the Siege Quest would become a fierce clash. Merlin felt that he should also make some preparations. ¡°I need to purchase a well-made bow first. Since the battles might continue for a while, I can¡¯t just rely on my hand skills.¡± The Golden Pill Immortal Technique was optimized for short bursts. It was helpful for short-term fights, but since the user¡¯s internal energy would quickly deplete, the technique wasn¡¯t suited for more prolonged battles. Rather than dealing with minor foes, it was best to use the skill against a single formidable opponent. Furthermore, Merlin didn¡¯t possess a high level of internal energy, nor did the Golden Pill Immortal Technique replenish and recover internal energy at a fast pace. The only reason Merlin had been able to hide this weakness was that he had reached a high level of understanding of the technique. ¡°Hmm?¡± While mindlessly walking around, Merlin suddenly stopped. This was because he saw a large shop with a sign that read ¡®Exchange Center.¡¯ ¡°Exchange Center¡­ that¡¯s a place that exchanges money, right? But then, why is it so big?¡± In addition, there were many people within the center. The center building was three stories tall, and each floor was over 10,000 square feet. Based on the aura that he could sense, Merlin knew that hundreds or even thousands of people were inside. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be that many people who want to exchange their money.¡± As he mumbled to himself, Merlin walked in and was soon greeted by a woman who was in her thirties. Above her head was a nametag that read [Exchange Center Guide ¨C Ellen], and as with all the other NPCs in DIO, she was beautiful. ¡°Welcome to the Exchange Center. Is this your first time coming here?¡± ¡°Huh? Can you tell just by looking at me?¡± Hearing Merlin¡¯s astonished response, Ellen smiled. ¡°Guide NPCs like me are given a special skill by the system. Anyway, since you haven¡¯t been here before, you probably don¡¯t know much about what an Exchange Center can do.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Ellen nodded and raised her index finger into the air to create a magic circle, drawing as if her finger was a pen. Soon, a clear ring rang out from the magic circle. ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± ¡°Why are you so surprised? Is this your first time seeing cloning magic?¡± Without any warning, Merlin saw two Ellens in front of him. ¡°C-cloning magic? You used cloning magic?¡± ¡°Although it¡¯s different from how a chakra or aura practitioner creates clones, the results are fairly similar. As you can see, there are many customers here, so I have to spread my attention out evenly. Welcome to the Exchange Center.¡± As she spoke, Ellen¡¯s clone walked away to deal with other business. This scene surprised Merlin, but the remaining Ellen talked to him in a gentle tone. ¡°¡­ because I wouldn¡¯t be able to serve our other customers. This is why the larger stores and banks use NPC guides who have this particular skill.¡± ¡°Wow! Can I learn it too?¡± ¡°Of course not. That is our special skill.¡± After stating this, Ellen guided Merlin deeper into the building. ¡°Why are there so many people here?¡± ¡°That is because they have many things to do here. It wouldn¡¯t be inaccurate to state that most of the money and experience that users obtain gets spent in this center.¡± As she explained, they moved to a storage unit that was labeled [Money Exchange]. Here, there was a similar NPC to Ellen, and he was named Hal. ¡°This is a new customer, Hal.¡± ¡°Oho, the beta test is almost over, but we have a new customer?¡± ¡°Some users spend most of their time in dungeons, so nothing is impossible. Anyway, can you print out a registration form?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As Hal nodded, he started typing something into a computer-like device sitting on the table in front of him. Without much delay, a device akin to a printer started to send out a document of sorts. ¡®Huh? They¡¯re using electronic devices?¡¯ Above the computer was a nametag that read [Not for Public Use]. ¡°Merlin, what nation are you from?¡± ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t it obvious? I¡¯m clearly Korean. Do I look like a foreigner?¡± ¡°Obvious? Why is it obvious that you¡¯re a Korean?¡± ¡°We¡¯re talking in Korean.¡± Merlin couldn¡¯t help but feel lost as he stared at Ellen¡¯s ever-smiling face. While he might be a bit on the slow side, Merlin wasn¡¯t an idiot. So, he began to focus on the other people around him, listening to them speak. ¡°¡­ What?¡± They weren¡¯t speaking Korean. Yet, at the same time, they also weren¡¯t speaking English, Chinese, or Japanese, and it wasn¡¯t French, German or Russian either. It was an entirely new language that sounded completely different from anything else he¡¯d heard. Merlin couldn¡¯t believe that he was speaking like that this whole time. ¡®Well, looking back¡­.¡¯ Even the signs for the Exchange Center and other stores had characters that were written in a funky language. Up to this point, he had read everything without any trouble, so he hadn¡¯t put much thought into it. ¡°The language is called Sevic. It¡¯s the universal language used in Dynamic Island. This language is understood and used for everyone that logs onto DIO, so whether you¡¯re American, Chinese, or Japanese, you won¡¯t face any trouble communicating with others.¡± ¡°To learn a new language just like that¡­.¡± For Merlin, this method of communication was unfathomable. In Korea, people spend over two billion US dollars just to learn English. If languages could be learned and used with this much ease, wouldn¡¯t that market be completely transformed? ¡°I understand what you might be thinking, but this system doesn¡¯t work ¡®outside¡¯ DIO. Moreover, you¡¯ll completely forget the language once you log off. You might pick up some words here or there, but it would be similar to picking up a few words after watching a foreign movie.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Merlin wasn¡¯t giving up so easily. Despite lacking any technical expertise, he knew that the mere existence of DIO¡¯s language system signaled that it was feasible in the first place, which meant that similar programs could be created. He might even be able to make a translation device. ¡®All those guys who studied English like there was no tomorrow will detest DIO¡­.¡¯ Merlin chuckled to himself as he daydreamed. ¡®It¡¯s good that I didn¡¯t waste time studying. Hahaha¡­¡¯ Apparently noticing this, Ellen gently slapped Merlin to bring him back to reality. ¡°Anyway, fill out this registration form. You have a bank account number, right?¡± ¡°I do, but¡­ why does this registration form need my bank information? Are you trying to scam me?¡± ¡°Shut up and write it down. This clone has a time limit. I still have a lot of things to explain to you.¡± ¡°Ah, okay.¡± Merlin dutifully nodded his head and started writing down his name, national registration number, address, bank account number, and anything else deemed necessary. Fortunately, the registration form didn¡¯t ask for any extraneous information, so he finished within five minutes. ¡°Done. Then, I¡¯ll continue explaining. You¡¯re Korean, so you probably use Won.¡± As she said this, she pointed down at the table. There, a chart detailing exchange rates could be seen. It stated that one gold was equal to 51,200 Won, or roughly 50 US dollars. ¡°¡­ What does this mean?¡± ¡°One gold is worth as much as 51,200 Won.¡± ¡°Eh? Does that mean if I give you one gold, then you¡¯ll place 51,200 Won in my actual bank account?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice that you¡¯re starting to understand quicker.¡± Ellen spoke matter-of-factly, but Merlin didn¡¯t seem to notice as his mind began to race. In-game currency had always been traded and exchanged offline, but no game developer had ever had the gall to create their own official currency exchange. ¡°T-this¡­ is a joke, right?¡± ¡°Are you going to exchange anything?¡± ¡°¡­ One gold.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ellen accepted the single gold coin that Merlin handed her, and the gold promptly disappeared from her hands. ¡°One sec. [Log Out].¡± A magic circle appeared, and after thirty seconds, Merlin disappeared. ¡°Why do humans from that planet have so many concerns?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a rough world out there, my queen.¡± Hearing Hal¡¯s words, Ellen¡¯s gaze became piercing. ¡°¡­ Are you tired of living, Hal? I told you not to call me like that.¡± ¡°Hahaha. Our queen wouldn¡¯t smack the faithful leader of her knights, right?¡± Ellen snorted after hearing Hal¡¯s snide remark. ¡°Shut it, knight leader! You¡¯re weaker than any guard walking around here.¡± ¡°Ack! Why do you have to poke me where it hurts? Still, I did survive thirty minutes.¡± ¡°Yet, you eventually lost.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Hal sighed as if he had been hurt by her comment. However, Ellen wasn¡¯t done. She went in for the kill. ¡°You should at least be an honest, hard-working office employee, right?¡± Hal hadn¡¯t given up, though, and he began to fight back. ¡°Hmph. This is coming from a mere guide.¡± ¡°W-what did you say?!¡± ¡°Ugh. The reality is, we¡¯re now a guide and a general employee, my queen. Can¡¯t you accept that we¡¯re essentially on the same level?¡± The two bickered for a moment, but eventually, Merlin materialized from a magic circle, and the two instantly stopped. ¡°Well? Did you verify that I was right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­ but y-yeah. Although¡­ Are you trying to gain my trust with a small exchange of money to scam me out of a larger amount?¡± ¡°Does it make sense to create and operate DIO just for a scam like that? Are you planning on converting 100 trillion Won or 100 billion USD?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Merlin could only mutter under his breath after hearing Ellen¡¯s pointed question. After thinking about it, DIO possessed so much useful and revolutionary technology that it was idiotic to set all this up just for a simple scam. ¡°Anyway, similar to how you can exchange gold for money, you can also do the opposite as well.¡± ¡°Instead of some simple exchange, you guys are planning on taking over the entire financial system. What kind of game developer-¡± ¡°Quit arguing. Anyway, do you plan on converting any in-game currency into Won or vice versa?¡± ¡°Not now.¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s go up to the second floor.¡± Ellen dragged Merlin up the stairs. Similar to a department store, the second floor had a multitude of shelves with goods displayed on them. ¡°What is this place?¡± ¡°This is where you can purchase items. I think the closest equivalent would be a general store? However, this place does deal with quite a few odd-ball items.¡± While saying this, Ellen picked up an item that was as long as a finger from a nearby shelf. ¡°Oh, the item description is written on the shelf. The item is¡­ a translation device?!¡± Stunned, Merlin did an appraisal. ¡°This is a low-quality item? Then what is a high-quality item?¡± ¡°Dang, 42 languages?¡± ¡°DIO is a multidimensional universe. You¡¯ve already passed a couple of level-up tests, right? Up to the Level 4 exam, all interpretations and translations are carried out by the system. Yet, if you have passed Level 5, are taking part in a normal quest, or are simply exploring, interpretation and translations aren¡¯t provided. If you want to communicate with an Elf, you need to know how to speak the Elven language. Similarly, you need to be proficient in the Dwarven language to talk with a Dwarf. This is also the same for other languages outside of DIO. For instance, you would need to speak Chinese to speak to someone from China. If neither of you knows each other¡¯s language, then you guys can¡¯t communicate.¡± ¡°But how do you put languages into this thing? The description only states that it can save languages.¡± ¡°Look on its side.¡± ¡°The side?¡± Merlin turned his head and saw a row of magic stones, each the size of a small coin. He couldn¡¯t easily understand what the magic stones did, so he used appraisal. ¡°Oh, man, purchasing an entire language. Miss Ellen, how many languages are available?¡± ¡°Huh, miss?¡± Ellen was surprised at Merlin¡¯s abrupt use of the somewhat respectful yet affectionate title. He had only stated the title subconsciously, so Merlin looked at Ellen with large, round eyes. ¡°Huh, you don¡¯t like being called miss?¡± When Ellen saw a look in Merlin¡¯s eyes that said, ¡®Oh, she must be a missus. Too old to be called a miss,¡¯ her gaze became penetrating. ¡°No, keep calling me ¡®miss.¡¯ There are over a hundred languages displayed on this shelf, and you can also request any language that you like. There are too many languages that exist, so I can¡¯t really give you a specific number.¡± ¡°Ah, really- wait?! English!¡± CH 49 As Merlin continued to fawn over the magic stones, Ellen spoke up. ¡°Based on user demand, I heard an English magic stone is currently being produced. There¡¯s probably little to no need for English in DIO, so I don¡¯t understand why players want it.¡± Though Ellen audibly tsked after saying this, she could still understand where Merlin was coming from. Also, the magic stone only cost two silver or 10,000 Won. With just 10,000 Won, someone could master English! Was this a dream? And while Merlin knew that he¡¯d be limited to speaking English in-game, the mere idea of speaking fluent English at all made him salivate. ¡°So sad; what a pity.¡± After he let out a sigh, Ellen led Merlin to another display stand. Here, rows of rings were being showcased. Merlin remembered that he¡¯d heard others talk about Gate Rings before, so he stopped a passerby to ask their opinion. ¡°Excuse me, is a Gate Ring worth purchasing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s beneficial to have two of them. Since they take less than a tenth of a second to operate, they¡¯re useful in emergency situations. They¡¯re a bit expensive, but your life is worth more.¡± After hearing this explanation, Merlin retrieved his money pocket and purchased two Gate Rings, wearing them on his index and pinky finger. Although he felt like he¡¯d bought them without much contemplation, it didn¡¯t matter too much because Merlin had a considerable amount of gold after the time he spent in the dungeon. ¡®Wait, I have 250 gold.¡¯ He had taken it for granted until now, but when he remembered the conversion rate, Merlin realized that he had 12.5 million Won on him. In fact, this was also after he had a significant portion of his gold taken away, so the original amount would¡¯ve been around a thousand gold. ¡®That Seadragon Temple was definitely a high-level dungeon. Well, the guard at the entrance and the mobs in the rooms were no joke.¡¯ Merlin now understood why that administrator had seized his money. However, that guy took 50 million Won worth of gold! Merlin had trouble just wrapping his head around such an immense sum of money. Furthermore, when he thought about how DIO was still in closed beta and that most of the users were relatively poor, Merlin couldn¡¯t fathom what would happen to the economy once the game opened to the public and users started circulating more gold. The whole economy might collapse. Of course, in Merlin¡¯s case, since he had most of his gold taken away, he wasn¡¯t going to harm the economy anytime soon. After purchasing the Gate Rings, Merlin considered buying the translator as well, but he decided not to since he didn¡¯t need it at the moment. Though he could probably sell it for over tens of millions of Won in real life, in-game, Merlin currently had no use for it. ¡°Let¡¯s see, next is¡­ huh? What¡¯s this cross?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to explain. Just read the description.¡± Since Ellen had a point when she said this, Merlin used his appraisal function. ¡°Oho, something that can revive you? It seems like it¡¯s quite useful.¡± ¡°It¡¯s expensive, though, so no one has purchased one in a while¡­.¡± ¡°I should buy two just in case.¡± ¡°¡­?!¡± Ellen was shocked at how effortlessly Merlin took gold from his money pocket and purchased the Revival Crosses. He wore a beginner-level robe and hat, but he was actually filthy rich? Additionally, until a moment ago, Merlin didn¡¯t even know about currency conversion. It was clear that he hadn¡¯t purchased his gold. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Nothing. You seem rich.¡± ¡°Hahaha. I just happen to be a little fortunate.¡± After amiably laughing, Merlin moved on to the next display, where he saw over a hundred cards being shown. ¡°These are¡­¡± ¡°Housing Cards. They¡¯re personal residences that can be called upon at any moment. They¡¯re basically a mobile home.¡± ¡°A mobile home¡­.¡± Merlin nodded and appraised one of the cards. ¡°Oh, they¡¯re expensive.¡± ¡°In any case, they¡¯re a convenient item. Most users dream of having one of these.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Seeing that Merlin didn¡¯t understand, Ellen nodded and explained, ¡°It¡¯ll be easier just to show you. John!¡± ¡°Yes, miss?¡± ¡°This card, can we borrow it for a moment?¡± ¡°As long as you return it, I see no issue.¡± With that confirmation, Ellen picked out a card and showed it to Merlin. The front of the card had an image of a small cottage home, and the back showed a wooden door. ¡°Watch carefully.¡± Ellen then threw the card up in the air. Whoosh. The card started spinning around rapidly like a spinning top, growing larger. Eventually, it reached the size of a full-fledged door before it stopped expanding. The door stood on the ground without any other support. As this occurred, Merlin squinted his eyes at the scene. ¡°Wait¡­¡± ¡°Right. Once you open the door¡­.¡± Ellen grasped the handle and opened the door. It was a normal door, a very normal door. It didn¡¯t open through some elaborate magical spell or other hidden contraption; it was just a normal door. ¡°The house is within.¡± From the outside, there was nothing behind the door, but once it was opened, Merlin could see a home laid out through the doorway. There were no windows, so it was a tad dark, but it was also completely hidden. ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s not a real home. It¡¯s¡­ a space like my inventory.¡± ¡°Since it can accept live organisms, it¡¯s closer to one of the bank¡¯s personal storage units. However, this can be conjured anywhere and allow the user to rest, no matter the location. Furthermore¡­¡± Ellen stepped through the door and closed it behind her. As she did so, the door started disintegrating until there was no sign of it left. ¡®Did it disappear? The description stated that it couldn¡¯t be located unless a high-level tracking spell was used. Since it can be found in the first place, it shouldn¡¯t have completely vanished.¡¯ ¡°It becomes invisible to the naked eye. Of course, it would be better if everything just fully disappeared, but since there¡¯s a living being inside, it can¡¯t completely disappear.¡± ¡°An invisible door¡­ wait, miss. Can you close the door behind you again?¡± ¡°Huh? Sure.¡± Click. As soon as the door closed, it vanished. Then, Merlin extended his hand to where the door had been moments ago. ¡®¡­ I can feel it. It¡¯s just invisible to the naked eye.¡¯ Having thought this far, Merlin imbued his eyes with internal energy and utilized Enhanced Eyesight. ¡®Then¡­¡¯ Pat! Anything that was weaker than him would be revealed with his Enhanced Eyesight. ¡®I can see it.¡¯ /Your Enhanced Eyesight skill has increased to rank 1!/ /You have acquired the title, ¡®Far-Seeing Being!¡¯/ /You have acquired the special skill, ¡®Insightful Eyes!¡¯/ ¡°It¡¯s great, right? This is a housing card- huh? What¡¯s up with your eyes? They changed color.¡± ¡°Nothing. Anyway, even if the house isn¡¯t visible, it¡¯s not too useful if it can be touched, no?¡± ¡°That¡¯s something the user needs to take care of.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± If the door could be felt, the user could place it where no one would come across it. If it were set against a flat door or wall, it probably wouldn¡¯t be discovered. ¡°There are many different types of houses.¡± The Housing Cards were differentiated into types: D type, C type, B type, A type, and S type. The corresponding price was 20 gold, 40 gold, 80 gold, 160 gold, and 320 gold, respectively. ¡°Wait a second, 320 gold is 16 million Won? Why does an S type cost so much?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same type of housing. The only difference is the house¡¯s size and durability.¡± ¡°Still, for the cost to be this much higher¡­.¡± This price went beyond a simple cash Item, something that could be purchased directly using outside money. While it was true that users would sometimes spend millions of Won to obtain in-game items from other players, Merlin had never heard of an in-game cash Item that cost this much. Since the Housing Card could be purchased with gold, it wasn¡¯t exactly a cash Item, but because money could be converted to in-game currency, the concept was essentially the same. ¡®Well, it doesn¡¯t concern me.¡¯ Merlin shook his head to clear his thoughts and picked up a Housing Card. In the end, having a Housing Card was helpful, and since he had such an extensive stash of gold, he felt that he needed to use some. An average person would have probably saved the gold and converted it into cash to deposit into their real-life bank account, but Merlin had grown up in a relatively affluent household, so he didn¡¯t have such thoughts. ¡°Since D type is the cheapest, I should at least consider a C type¡­ 40 gold¡­.¡± ¡°Yes, 40 gold.¡± Instead of using his money pocket, Merlin took out 40 gold from his inventory and handed it to John before he received his Housing Card. ¡®Is gold really that hard to come by? Why is everyone staring whenever I purchase something? Two million Won isn¡¯t exactly a small sum of money, but I¡¯m sure there are many rich users, so I¡¯m not spending that much, right?¡¯ Merlin was thinking incorrectly. Although two million Won or about 1,600 USD wasn¡¯t a small or large sum of money, 40 gold was considered a high amount. This line of thought was because in-game money was typically worth less than real-life money. If an in-game currency was worth more, who would spend money on that game? They¡¯d probably play the game to make money and withdraw it. Hence, in DIO, gold was something that many users didn¡¯t come across until they advanced to the higher levels. Forty gold was already a decent amount in real life, so didn¡¯t it make sense that it would be a large sum in-game? Again, since DIO users hadn¡¯t played the game for a long time, the average user was poor. Of course, there were probably users who were filthy rich in real-life, so they wouldn¡¯t hesitate to exchange extensive amounts of real-life money for in-game currency. Yet, there were probably few of these people during the beta test. The game could be reset and rolled back to an earlier version at any time, so it was foolish to invest so much money at once. It was probable that there were more people mining gold and exchanging it for real-life money than the opposite. Anyway, since money could be converted to gold at any time, it was beneficial to hold off on any exchanges for now. ¡°Since we¡¯ve gone through the second floor, shall we go up to the third?¡± ¡°What¡¯s on the third floor?¡± ¡°A store that requires experience points rather than gold.¡± ¡°A store that requires experience points?¡± As they made their way up, Merlin could see a large crowd busily moving about on the third floor. The number of users here was over twice the amount on the first and second floors combined. However, there were no displays or shelves like on the second floor. ¡°Ah, but my time is almost up.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Uhm, let me briefly explain before I go. You can buy inventory and housing, special effects, gate organization and maintenance, and anything else related to maintenance on this floor. If you go up to any of the guides, they can explain in more detail.¡± Feeling that there was a sense of finality in her words, Merlin spoke up. ¡°Are you leaving?¡± ¡°As I said, my time is up. Oh, it just ended. If you have any additional questions, visit me on the first floor.¡± Poof. And with that, she vanished. Merlin looked around, but he couldn¡¯t sense her. It was only then that Merlin realized that the Ellen he had been talking to was a clone. CH 50 ¡°That¡¯s interesting. Am I really unable to learn that skill?¡± Even with Aura Vision, Merlin couldn¡¯t understand how cloning worked. It seemed that it just ¡®happened.¡¯ ¡°Users and monsters can develop their skills and abilities, but I guess system functions are set in stone?¡± As he mumbled, Merlin approached a male guide who was responsible for one of the sections on the third floor. ¡°Hello, my name is Carlin. Is this your first time here?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. I heard you¡¯re in charge of inventory and housing.¡± ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± Just like Ellen, Carlin split himself in two and created a clone. There were many customers that needed his attention, so it was necessary to do this. ¡°Since you haven¡¯t been here before, I should explain- huh? It seems you already have a Housing Card.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. I purchased one on the second floor.¡± ¡°Then, you don¡¯t need to hear about housing. Our inventory, housing, equipment maintenance, and other services are fairly straightforward and simple. For example, we can increase the size and weight capacity of a given space and also strengthen a space by reinforcing it. Additionally, it is also possible to expand the maximum summoning range.¡± After saying this, Carlin drew a line in the air, and a blue window popped up. ¡°Oh, so I can increase my inventory capacity?¡± Though it cost some experience points, it wasn¡¯t that expensive, and because Merlin possessed 3,640 Spirits of experience, he would be able to considerably expand his inventory. He hadn¡¯t done much monster hunting, so he was able to operate with his inventory¡¯s limited capacity, but higher-level users would most likely have extensive inventory spaces. ¡°Does it seem cheap?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not too bad. Okay, let¡¯s increase the size of my inventory first.¡± Then, Merlin clicked on the part of the window that said ¡®Increase Inventory Capacity.¡¯ /Your inventory capacity has increased to 125 kilograms!/ ¡°Alright! Since it¡¯s like this, I should raise the capacity to 200 kilograms¡­ huh?¡± Merlin¡¯s hand stopped in mid-air. Just moments ago, the charge had been 500 Spirits, but now, it was 1,000 Spirits. His inventory capacity and maximum summoning range would still be expanded by the same amount, but the price had doubled. ¡°Unfortunately, the price doubles whenever you enhance your inventory capacity.¡± ¡°Damn¡­¡± The cost wasn¡¯t inexpensive at all. With each upgrade a user bought, the price would continue to double and eventually reach astronomical numbers. Only people with an exorbitant of experience points would be able to fit something as big as a dump truck in their inventory. ¡°Will you continue increasing your capacity?¡± ¡°No. Maybe later, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be spending more experience points on my inventory capacity right now.¡± ¡°How about equipment storage? While you can¡¯t increase the number of slots, you can increase the capacity that each one possesses.¡± Merlin mulled over Carlin¡¯s offering. A single gear slot could contain up to 100 kilograms. No matter how much he racked his brain, Merlin couldn¡¯t think of any gear he had that would go over this capacity. ¡°I think my equipment storage is fine as it is.¡± ¡°Okay. Since you have housing, please take a look at this.¡± A new window popped up. ¡°Huh? C type is fairly large.¡± Merlin hadn¡¯t stepped into his housing yet, so he didn¡¯t know its exact size. However, when he looked at the description, he was able to get a reasonable estimate. From what he could see, it was 12 meters long, 20 meters wide, and five meters high. It was larger than an average classroom. Moreover, it could hold up to five tons. ¡°Will you expand your housing¡¯s capacity?¡± ¡°No. I have a finite amount of experience points, so I¡¯ll pass. What else is there?¡± ¡°Special effects and Gate maintenance. The special effects available are ¡®Production of Alternate Life¡¯ and ¡®Reduction of Log Out Time.¡¯¡± ¡°An alternate life?¡± Didn¡¯t this mean that those who bought this could revive themselves at will? Merlin excitedly asked about this special effect. ¡°How much does that cost?¡± ¡°500,000 Spirits. You can purchase up to three.¡± ¡°Ack! 500,000 Spirits?¡± It was a monstrous amount of Spirits. How many monsters would have to be captured to acquire so much experience? How many missions would he need to complete? Merlin couldn¡¯t wrap his head around such an immense number. ¡°The log-out reduction time effect is relatively cheaper. It does increase in cost as you go, but the first upgrade is only 100 Spirits.¡± ¡°Oh, that is much cheaper. I¡¯ll buy it.¡± Once he heard the more affordable price, Merlin readily agreed to the upgrade. /Your log-out time has been reduced to 29 seconds!/ It was a one-second reduction. The new price was now 200 Spirits. After purchasing another upgrade, a message popped up, stating [Your log-out time has been reduced to 28 seconds!] The new price was now 300 Spirits, and Merlin upgraded once more and lowered his log-out time to 27 seconds. This upgrade raised the cost to 400 Spirits. ¡°Dang! The price is becoming more burdensome.¡± In the end, Merlin bought more log-out time reductions until he could log out in 25 seconds, which meant that five seconds had been removed in total. He had used 1,500 Spirits to get to that point. ¡°I have 1,640 Spirits left. I should just log out in a safe place.¡± He had used up half of his available Spirits, so Merlin felt that it wouldn¡¯t be wise or safe to spend any more. ¡°This final offer is our main event, Gate maintenance.¡± ¡°Gate maintenance?¡± ¡°DIO is a multidimensional world. Although Dynamic Island is vast and expansive, users often go to other worlds to complete their quests, missions, events, or level-up tests. The upgrade hasn¡¯t been implemented yet, so it¡¯s not available at the moment, but this multidimensional travel will soon open up and offer a variety of new opportunities.¡± ¡®There are already so many things happening here.¡¯ Having spent some time in the world of DIO, Merlin understood what Carlin was talking about. While Dynamic Island was the main server, users would eventually be able to travel to other servers and areas. ¡°When you travel to these different worlds, this is where Gate maintenance comes in. Typically, when you travel to another world, there¡¯s a time limit, but if you let me know beforehand, I can allow you to spend far more time outside. You can even take a vacation. However, once you return to Dynamic Island, you¡¯ll have to notify me if you want to leave once more. Actually, instead of just listening to an explanation, it would be better if you personally experienced it.¡± Carlin explained the terms like an insurance salesman, and a window soon popped up. ¡°Not Available?¡± ¡°Those places haven¡¯t been open yet since we¡¯re still in the beta. Also, even if they get released in the future, there might be additional restrictions to travel there.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if they open; I can¡¯t go to them. They¡¯re so expensive.¡± Yet, the concept was refreshing. If someone had to constantly fight and live in one area, they would inevitably get bored. It was nice to have options like this. ¡°The training room sounds interesting, but since my ability stats are capped, it¡¯s not like it¡¯ll really benefit me. I¡¯ll just train through the normal gameplay.¡± Merlin said this because he didn¡¯t know how important it was to train a skill. However, for everyone else on the third floor, the training room was their ultimate goal. ¡°Is there anything else I can assist you with?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ll be off then.¡± After seeing the clone wave goodbye before vanishing, Merlin turned around and went all the way down to the first floor. He wondered if he should speak with Ellen, but when Merlin saw that she was busy, he decided just to leave. Thus, Merlin exited the Exchange Center. ¡°I need to get a weapon.¡± Since he¡¯d damaged his bow during the level-up test, he needed to get another long-ranged weapon. Of course, he still had the crossbow that he obtained in the [Escort] test, but Merlin was more used to a traditional bow. ¡°¡­ isn¡¯t possible?¡± ¡°Yeah. Please purchase them. Our Arc is so sad.¡± ¡°How do I know if it¡¯s sad or not? I can¡¯t even see its expression.¡± The first thing Merlin saw after entering the weapon shop was a clerk and a user haggling and negotiating a sale. The user was wrapped from head to toe in a black leather outfit, and Merlin couldn¡¯t even make out the user¡¯s eyes. ¡°What I don¡¯t understand is why you can¡¯t give me the full price. These are all 8th tier items, and there are quite a few 7th tier items as well.¡± ¡°Asking me to purchase a hundred items at a time is too much. I¡¯m not a charity that can just accept everything that comes in. The short spear isn¡¯t a bad weapon, but it¡¯s not popular. I can purchase one or two, but not a hundred. They¡¯ll just rot in my storage unit.¡± ¡®I guess this game doesn¡¯t make a store owner just purchase everything a player wants to sell.¡¯ Making a mental note of this, Merlin walked up to the store clerk. There were about ten or so clerks in the weapon shop. ¡°Excuse me. Can I see your available bows?¡± ¡°Go ahead and look.¡± ¡°¡­ Uhm, where?¡± The walls were covered with displayed weapons, but there weren¡¯t that many. Most of the displayed items were swords, shields, and wands. ¡°¡­ Inside the weaponry.¡± The clerk behind his desk mumbled a few words and summoned a large iron door mid-air. It seemed like a personal storage unit or a house, but the aura it gave off was far firmer and felt more permanent. The door itself was also bigger, and it was large enough for a tank to pass through. ¡°Ah, I see. They¡¯re in there.¡± ¡°Yeah. This store, Steel Heart, isn¡¯t that big. Since we need to have weapons for every player, we store most of our stock in the weapon room. If we displayed everything in public, we¡¯d need a whole army of guards just to keep our goods safe.¡± ¡°This separate space is quite useful.¡± Merlin complimented the store and went to open the iron door. Yet, it didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s this heavy?¡± ¡°Ah, wait a moment. The door¡­¡± ¡°Ooh-Oh!¡± After forcefully exhaling and shouting, Merlin pushed the door open. However, he started sweating, as the door was much heavier than he anticipated. He had to use internal energy on top of his muscular strength to push open the door. As this occurred, the doorkeeper on the other side of the door looked at Merlin with a puzzled look. ¡®It wasn¡¯t even locked, but it was that difficult to push open? It must be around one or two tons, right?¡¯ If he didn¡¯t have the Divine Swimmer title and its accompanying 150-stat-point bonus, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to push open the door, no matter if he used internal energy or not. ¡°What the- aren¡¯t you a mage?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a strong mage. Can I go in?¡± ¡°S-sure.¡± After hearing this dubious reply, Merlin strolled into the weapon room. He had expected rows of weapons to be displayed inside, but what he found instead were several other doors. ¡°Close combat weapons, mid-range weapons, long-range weapons, support weapons, defensive items¡­.¡± Each door had a sign that stated what lay within their respective storage compartment. Then, Merlin saw a sign that he didn¡¯t expect nor quite understand. ¡°Undefined?¡± Curious, Merlin walked up to the door and tried turning the knob, but the door didn¡¯t budge. It seemed that whatever was inside wasn¡¯t available during the beta. ¡°Whatever. Let¡¯s look at the bows.¡± Merlin opened the door with the sign that read [Long-Range Weapons]. [Long-Range 7th Tier Weaponry] Within a space that was larger than two football fields, an innumerable amount of weapons could be found. There were signs that hung from the ceiling, which read: [Light], [Semi-Heavy], [Heavy], and [Ultra-Heavy]. In the Ultra-Heavy section, Merlin saw something that he wouldn¡¯t have ever expected to be in DIO. ¡°A-a full-size catapult? A ballista?¡± Furthermore, these massive weapons were expertly made. Although Merlin didn¡¯t have any knowledge of these weapons, he was able to tell at first glance that they were made by a master. They were almost like art pieces. CH 51 ¡°However, I can¡¯t carry one of those things with me.¡± Although he was astonished by the siege weapons¡¯ presence, Merlin soon focused on the section that contained the bows. He wasn¡¯t interested in the catapults. ¡°Ah, my magic power and internal energy are at full capacity.¡± As he glanced at the various weapons, Merlin stopped and fed Younghwi some of his internal energy. Unfortunately, while doing this, Merlin couldn¡¯t utilize Mercury or Venus to expand his internal energy. Of course, the reason was obvious. Mercury and Venus didn¡¯t increase his internal energy capacity. They served as an expansion processing system that converted and expanded internal energy, or the qi inside one¡¯s body, into the force that internal energy produced, otherwise known as internal force. Since he wasn¡¯t feeding Younghwi any destructive internal energy, he was essentially only using his static internal energy. Whoosh. Since Merlin was able to hold an impressive amount of internal energy, he was now able to feed Younghwi until the spirit couldn¡¯t absorb any more. Currently, Younghwi was able to consume about ten years of internal energy. Once Younghwi was done eating, Merlin worked on using his magic power. Whoosh. His quarterstaff, a mage¡¯s representative item, started glowing as magic power flowed into it. The quarterstaff was made from a jujube tree that had been struck by lightning, and it was excellent at storing magic and retaining it, being able to absorb 50 points of magic power. As for enchantments, the quarterstaff was able to hold five enchantment spells. ¡°This type of item is much better than the average arrow. I can also reuse it.¡± The quarterstaff was reaching its limit. Merlin¡¯s internal magic system was highly efficient, almost comparable to a Swiss watch with accurate teething on its gears. Yet, despite this, his constant stacking of enchantment spells was filling up the staff¡¯s capacity. It was already absurd that a low-level mage like Merlin could place five enchantment spells into a single item. ¡°Excuse me, Merlin. I need to look at the crossbows. Can you make way?¡± ¡°Oh, certainly.¡± ¡°Aha! You were enchanting. Sorry to trouble you. Okay¡­ then¡­ hmm? A Repeating Bowgun?¡± The man gasped as he tried to get a closer look at the sophisticated crossbow, though it didn¡¯t look all that complex to Merlin. Above the man¡¯s head was a nametag that read ¡®Robin.¡¯ It was apparent that Robin was a user, and it was only then that Merlin realized that there were many other players around him. At a glance, there seemed to be around thirty users. ¡®I see. Unlike the other shops, this place doesn¡¯t give users their own space.¡¯ After finishing his enchantments, Merlin placed the quarterstaff back into his inventory and perused the displayed bows. More specifically, he was looking for a longbow. /You have picked up a piece of equipment! If you do not pay for your item, it will vanish as soon as you leave this space. You are responsible for any damage to the displayed items./ ¡°So, picking up and looking at items seems to be fine.¡± Merlin grabbed a bow made of ebony-colored wood and pulled on its bowstring. The draw weight felt a little light, but that was only because Merlin possessed ten times the muscular strength of an average person. In reality, it took a considerable amount of force to pull on the bowstring. The dark, ebony color of the bow was also quite alluring. ¡°Amazing, such a masterpiece¡­.¡± Merlin couldn¡¯t help but gasp. Since he had practiced archery in the past, he had come across countless bows, but he had never seen one like this. If this bow were put up for auction, it would easily get bids that were in the millions- no, tens of millions in Won. Yet, the weapon¡¯s price was¡­ ¡°Three¡­ silver?¡± It was dirt cheap. Of course, three silver was around 15,000 Won or roughly 11 USD, so it wasn¡¯t a small sum per se, but for such a masterpiece to be so cheap and only considered a 7th tier item¡­ Merlin couldn¡¯t help but be astonished. ¡°Wow! The Village Return item was three silver as well. Wait, the housing was 40 gold?¡± Merlin now realized how much money his house had cost. At first, he had only gotten his gold by a stroke of luck, so he hadn¡¯t thought much of it, but he was now starting to realize the value of the in-game currency. ¡°Dang.¡± Merlin admired the bow a bit more before he put it back on its display. It was a well-made item, but it was too light. Since he had ample muscular strength, Merlin wanted a bow with more tension so that he could have more range. ¡°Excuse me, Robin?¡± ¡°Ah, yes, Merlin?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking for bows. Do you know where I can find high tension bows?¡± Robin was momentarily confused at the sudden question, but he soon understood what Merlin meant and responded, ¡°Oh, bows that can reach far distances? The items are cheaper to the left and more expensive as you go to the right. The pricier bows would probably shoot farther, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, thank you.¡± ¡°No worries. Have a good time gaming.¡± After saying his goodbyes to the good-natured Robin, Merlin started walking towards the end of the aisle. All the items on display were top-notch. However, all of them were only 7th tier. Merlin couldn¡¯t help but shake his head in disbelief. ¡°6th Tier, 5th tier¡­ no, 1st tier bows, what quality would they possess? Since SS tier items are akin to weapons of mass destruction, I can¡¯t even fathom what these higher tier weapons are like.¡± As he mumbled to himself, Merlin made his way to the end of the aisle. The bows here were all relatively large and of high quality, but there was one that especially caught Merlin¡¯s eye. ¡°This¡­¡± The bow was made of metal, and it shined with a silver luster, emanating spiritual qi. It was about 1.6 meters tall. Merlin appraised the item. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s really expensive. That first wooden bow and this bow are both 7th tier, but why¡¯s there such a significant price difference?¡± What Merlin didn¡¯t know was that an item¡¯s tier had little to do with its price. The tier was strictly based on how useful it was; tiers did not convey the value of an item. For example, compare a magic-infused wooden sword to a masterwork sword. In terms of usefulness, the wooden sword would be considered superior. A wooden sword with an appropriate amount of magic infused in it could easily crush boulders or slice through iron if swung correctly. On the other hand, a masterwork sword was made by an expert and would possibly have an incomparably sharp edge, but its uses were limited to what any other sword could do. Hence, the aforementioned wooden sword would be given a 5th tier rating, while the masterwork sword would be given a 7th tier rating. This was how DIO¡¯s system categorized items. However, what about the price? The wooden sword wouldn¡¯t be too expensive. Although it contained a formidable magic spell within it, there was a limit to how much the wooden sword could be upgraded. Since it was already infused with magic, it probably wouldn¡¯t be able to take additional spells. Furthermore, the wooden sword was inherently weak and brittle, so it couldn¡¯t be used for any extended period. Actually, the magic spell within it could also expire. As such, this was an item without little potential. However, a masterwork sword might be a standard weapon initially, but if it were imbued with magic spells, it would last quite a bit longer since it was sturdier than a wooden sword. This was how and why certain items were higher priced than others. ¡°Mithril¡­¡± The materials that made up an item also affected its price. This was precisely the reason why the bow that he was looking at was astronomically expensive. It shone with a silver glint, could inherently contain magic, and was durable from the Mithril comprising it, which cost more than its weight in gold. Merlin took the Mithril bow off from the display and stepped towards the weapon room¡¯s exit. He then entered the [Defensive Item] room. ¡°I should purchase some armor as well.¡± Since he didn¡¯t need a shield, he passed the shield section and went straight for the armor. The weight didn¡¯t concern him too much, so he skipped the light armor and headed to the mid-weight armor. ¡°Wow, this is even more expensive.¡± Despite saying this, Merlin calculated the cost in his head. His wealth wasn¡¯t infinite, and he had already reached his limits. Originally, he had 250 gold, but after purchasing a few items here and there and buying the Mithril bow, he was left with 24 gold. ¡°What¡¯s the point in saving it? Easy come, easy go.¡± He also bought a pair of boots, some armor, and a pair of gauntlets before wearing them. While users typically wouldn¡¯t be able to put their equipment on by themself, Younghwi could change into any shape and help him. His helmet had wing-like extensions that stuck out towards the back of his head and a seemingly customized opening for his eyes, so they didn¡¯t block his field of vision. After equipping his items, Merlin inspected his appearance in a nearby mirror. He was amused to find that he was unrecognizable with all his gear on. There was virtually no skin showing, and it was as if Merlin was a completely different user from the one that had entered the shop mere moments ago. He actually looked similar to the user that he had seen haggling and negotiating with the clerk, as Merlin was also covered from head to toe in gear. ¡°I look more like a robot than someone wearing armor. In any case, it¡¯s comfortable and looks cool, so¡­ ¡®Set Gear.¡¯¡± Currently, his first gear slot was his beginner mage robe, the wide-brimmed hat, and his quarterstaff. His second gear slot was for his swimwear, which essentially just meant his underwear. This left the third, fourth, and fifth gear slots empty. ¡°Save as Gear 3.¡± And with that, it was instantly saved; his complete set of Mithril armor was saved in slot three. He then lifted his Mithril bow. ¡°Save as Gear 4.¡± The bow was saved in the fourth slot. The only difference between slot three and four was that slot four contained his armor and his bow. Slot three only had his armor assigned to it. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything else for slot five. Anyway, Gear 1.¡± Merlin returned to his beginner mage clothes. The Mithril armor was more comfortable than he had expected, but the robe still weighed less. ¡°No more shopping. I feel like I¡¯ve been a thrust back down to earth. Well, anyway¡­¡± The weapon room door didn¡¯t present any trouble on his way out. It seemed that it had been opened for another user to enter or leave. ¡°Have you purchased what you wanted?¡± ¡°Yes. The weapons were really nice. Their quality and the broad selection available made my shopping experience pleasant.¡± ¡°Great gear makes combat much easier. It seems you¡¯ve chosen a bow.¡± As the clerk spoke, a name tag appeared above the clerk¡¯s head, which read, [Weapon Clerk Parson]. Parson took out a large quiver of arrows; there were 100 arrows in the quiver. ¡°How much do they cost?¡± ¡°Five copper.¡± Merlin didn¡¯t ask any more questions and handed Parson the copper. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t you have any sturdier arrows?¡± ¡°Sturdier arrows?¡± ¡°Yeah, like metallic ones¡­.¡± ¡°Yes, we do. They cost two silver.¡± Seeing how Parson casually took out another quiver, Merlin felt that many users were using the metallic arrows. He paid for the metallic arrows and placed both quivers into his inventory. He then turned around to leave the weapon shop. ¡°Have a nice day of business!¡± ¡°Wait.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Merlin turned around after the unexpected response to see Parson taking out a 1.3-meter-long bow and pushing it toward Merlin. ¡°This bow¡­ try drawing it.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s not difficult, but¡­.¡± /NPC Parson has lent you an item! Since the lending period has not been recorded, the default ¡®One Day¡¯ term shall apply. If the owner requests the item back, you must return it./ Merlin was about to laugh good-naturedly at the system¡¯s attention to detail, but a frown soon appeared on his face. He couldn¡¯t draw back the bow¡¯s string. ¡°Huh?¡± Surprised, Merlin gathered his bearings again, renewing his efforts to pull on the bowstring. He was able to pull the bowstring back a little, but his arms started shaking wildly. He didn¡¯t have enough strength. He needed to be stronger. Whoosh! His internal energy moved according to his wishes as it started circulating. Based on a designated path, his internal energy moved throughout his body and melted into it. Without much delay, he was able to exhibit strength that shouldn¡¯t have been physically possible. /Muscular strength has been strengthened by 50 points, and life force has been strengthened by 20 points. The application time is 20 seconds!/ /Your physical body reinforcement skill has risen to rank 6!/ The Golden Pill Immortal Technique wasn¡¯t the best for physical body reinforcement. Instead, it was optimized for short bursts of combat. Merlin¡¯s internal energy capacity wasn¡¯t too expansive, and he didn¡¯t have a quick recovery speed either. Physical body reinforcement required a steady stream of internal energy over a long period of time. As such, techniques that could provide a steady stream of internal energy were much more optimized for physical body reinforcement. Furthermore, this skill couldn¡¯t utilize the full expansion of internal energy that the Golden Pill Immortal Technique offered. Merlin could use Mercury since it didn¡¯t have any lag, but Venus needed one and a half to two seconds to operate, and it required half a second to cooldown time before the next cycle. So, it wasn¡¯t much help in providing a constant stream of internal energy. Creek. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Merlin¡¯s hands started shaking, and veins began popping up from his forehead, but he wasn¡¯t about to stop after already pulling the bow string halfway. Seeing this, Parson asked, ¡°How is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ heavy¡­ but¡­!¡± Creek! /Muscular strength has been reinforced by 100 points, and life force has been reinforced by 50 points. The application time is 20 seconds!/ /Your physical body reinforcement skill has risen to rank 5!/ /You have acquired the title, ¡®Advanced Physical Body Reinforcer!¡¯/ /You have acquired the special skill, ¡®Reinforcement!¡¯/ CH 52 Whoosh! Merlin released the bowstring after drawing it back completely. Immediately, the bowstring rang out with a sharp whistle as it passed through the air, displaying an unprecedented amount of tension. ¡°Such outstanding strength¡­.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t just using my muscles alone, but anyway, this bow is really something.¡± All Merlin did was pull the bowstring back, but that simple motion caused his arm to shake and made him expend five years of internal energy. He thought, ¡®How can I strengthen my body?¡¯ After contemplating for a few moments, Merlin decided to reinforce his body to reduce his internal energy usage, which he¡¯d lowered to four years of internal force. In other words, he was able to reduce his internal energy output to two years, and this was even more significant considering that he couldn¡¯t use Venus. Since this was the energy he needed to use just to pull the bowstring back, Merlin was worried about what would happen if he tried to add an arrow to the mix. ¡®Still, it¡¯ll be good for training.¡¯ Seeing how his muscular strength had improved drastically just from drawing back the bowstring a few times, Merlin decided to purchase the bow. ¡°How much is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s expensive.¡± ¡°So, how expensive?¡± ¡°¡­ Fifteen gold.¡± ¡°Okay! Here.¡± Parson looked dumbfounded as Merlin plopped 15 gold plopped onto his table, but Merlin just turned around and left the shop. ¡°Hahaha! I really went all out with my spending today.¡± His extensive wealth had dwindled to almost nothing. He had tried to keep his spending restricted to the gold in his inventory, so he still had some gold left in his money pocket, but it was only nine gold. Of course, that wasn¡¯t a small amount in the grand scheme of things, but it was far less than what he had before entering the store. ¡°There¡¯s only a few gold left now.¡± ¡°Ah, man! I¡¯m not going to buy anymore! If you keep going, I¡¯ll take away some of your Karma points!¡± ¡°Oh! Why would you ever take away my sweet Arc¡¯s Karma points? We¡¯re just trying to negotiate kindly. You¡¯re being too insensitive.¡± When the pet said this, it seemed that the weapon clerk finally got fed up. ¡°You¡¯re trying to force me to purchase your goods! Force!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re trying to fleece you or anything. We¡¯re asking for half the going price. Half. You purchased all the other weapons we had at the full price; why are you being so stingy now?¡± Though the pet didn¡¯t say anything particularly wrong, the weaponry clerk sighed heavily. ¡°That¡¯s because the previous short spears were all 6th-tier or better. There were some 7th-tier spears mixed in, but they had an Uncommon rating, so I accepted them. Yet, the 100 spears you¡¯re presenting right now are all 8th-tier. 8th-tier spears are for beginners, and they¡¯re not single-use items. How can you ask me to purchase 50 of those spears? You know that the weapon shop automatically produces up to 7th-tier weapons, right? It only makes sense for us to purchase 7th-tier weapons with an uncommon rating and anything better than that.¡± ¡°Oh, are those the requirements?¡± ¡°Huh? Who the hell are you?¡± The clerk frowned and squinted at Merlin as the latter abruptly jumped into their conversation. The clerk¡¯s expression seemed to say, ¡®What the hell is this bastard going to try and sell me.¡¯ Merlin briefly stared at the clerk before turning to look back at Arc. Since user ID names were always above their head, Merlin didn¡¯t have to worry about how to refer to other people. ¡°Mr. Arc.¡± ¡°¡­ Ah, yes. How can I help?¡± Arc had an unusual voice, with it sounding low-pitched and seemingly accentuating every word with great gravitas. Merlin wondered if the user was changing his voice in some way. Yet, it didn¡¯t take long for him to realize that the user who was wearing leather armor over their entire body also had a foreign type of genuine qi surrounding him. It appeared that the user was utilizing some special self-defense technique. His foreign genuine qi was fully occupying every inch of Arc¡¯s tight leather armor, so that¡¯s why the user¡¯s voice sounded unusual. ¡°You¡¯re willing to sell the short spears at half price, right?¡± ¡°Oh! Oppa, would you like to purchase some?¡± ¡°Hmm, a talking cat¡­.¡± Merlin thought it was weird to talk to a cat. However, the cat¡¯s gaze sharpened as if it had been offended. ¡°Hmph. How could you call me a talking cat? My name is Ellie. I¡¯m Arc¡¯s friend.¡± ¡°Oh, okay. My name is Merlin.¡± Merlin extended his hand to shake¡­ a cat¡¯s paw. While the experience of shaking an animal''s paw and conversing with it seemed odd to Merlin, he didn¡¯t forget the reason why he¡¯d butted into their conversation. ¡°So, how much are you selling the short spears for?¡± ¡°One silver per spear.¡± ¡°One silver¡­¡± Seeing that Merlin was considering a purchase, Ellie urgently started speaking, concerned that she may lose a potential customer. ¡°It¡¯s an amazing price. Amazing! Although our short spear is rated as 8th-tier, it¡¯s almost a 7th-tier weapon. It¡¯s well made and sturdy. Also¡­¡± ¡°¡­ gold.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Fifty spears is 50 silver, so five gold in total, right?¡± Ellie watched as Merlin started taking out gold as if it was nothing. This guy was just casually taking out gold! Moreover, why did a mage even need spears? ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to sell them?¡± ¡°Ah, of course. Arc.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Arc! Aren¡¯t you going to finalize the sale!¡± ¡°¡­ Right.¡± Though his face was fully covered with his leather armor, Merlin and Ellie could easily tell that Arc was taken aback. Merlin thought, ¡®He must be poor¡­ to be so taken aback by just five gold.¡¯ On the other hand, in the time that Ellie had spent with him, Arc was always calm and collected. So, she couldn¡¯t understand why he was this flustered. ¡®Why is he like this?¡¯ Yet, Arc soon gathered his bearings and drew a straight, horizontal line in front of him. ¡°Trade. Merlin.¡± As soon as he said those words, a small table appeared. On one side of the table were 50 spears. Although it was his first time trading with another user, Merlin was able to generally tell what he needed to do. ¡°Trade. Arc.¡± Five gold pieces appeared on the other side of the table. It wasn¡¯t a complex process, and similar to how he retrieved items from his inventory, Merlin just needed to visualize what he wanted to appear on the table. ¡°Accept.¡± Following Arc¡¯s lead, Merlin soon stated the same word. ¡°Accept.¡± The table then disappeared, and Merlin found 50 spears in his inventory. ¡°Later.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Once the transaction was over, Arc quickly passed Merlin and left the weapon shop. ¡°What? Where are you rushing off to so quickly?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve accomplished what we set out to do.¡± ¡°Arc?¡± Ellie chased after Arc, leaving Merlin tilting his head. ¡°They¡¯re a weird pair.¡± While mumbling this comment, Merlin also walked out of the shop. ¡°Ah, I should appraise the bow.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a Unique-rated item. Along with the Wicalein Ring, it¡¯s my second Unique item. Not too bad.¡± Happy with the bow, Merlin placed it in his inventory. He had considered putting the high-quality bow into his Gear 5 slot, but since he didn¡¯t have any other equipment or clothing to go along with it, he decided to just leave it in his inventory. ¡°Okay, with this, I¡¯ve got everything.¡± Since he still had six hours until the monster corps arrived at the east gate, Merlin checked on his magic power and internal energy levels while walking. As he was now sufficiently geared up, he was planning on finding a spot on the battlefield and preparing for battle. It would be pushing it to do this within six hours. ¡°Amy! Amy! Let¡¯s buy a pet.¡± While running through some thoughts in his mind, Merlin heard two young girls talking as they passed him. ¡°A pet? Forget it. I¡¯m going to catch one.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have any skill in Taming. How are you going to catch one? Let¡¯s just buy one, no? I heard pets are useful on the battlefield as well.¡± ¡®A pet¡­¡¯ Merlin remembered Ellie from the weapon shop and started contemplating. It wouldn¡¯t be bad to have a pet. However, due to his lack of time, Merlin shook his head. ¡°Later. I¡¯ll consider purchasing one after the battle.¡± As he continued walking down the village¡¯s streets, Merlin saw a variety of other shops. For instance, there was a medicine shop, magic store, library, and a bookstore, to name a few. What was memorable were the multiple advertisements placed on the storefront windows. [Mass Return Stone is in stock! Only two left!]. [Berserk Potion! Fight passionately on the battlefield!]. [Blue Crystals have arrived! You can become an expert, too!]. ¡°Later. Later. Later.¡± Merlin was interested in all of these items, but he recalled his current currency balance and soon collected himself. With a steely heart, he walked past each store. ¡°Let¡¯s get settled and prepared.¡± It was time to ready himself for battle. *** Whoosh. A white aura rose like a flame. Someone was focusing on their consciousness to the extreme. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really something. Actually, this feels a little scary, doesn¡¯t it?¡± The one speaking was a White Divine Celestial Dragon called Thousand Scents. She was one of the Masters of a Holy Land, the Land of a Thousand Scents, and as she looked at the young girl in front of her, she whistled aloud. Of course, this girl, Cruze, didn¡¯t possess overwhelming combat prowess. While Cruze had essentially become superhuman, Thousand Scents had spent a thousand years studying immortality, becoming a White Dragon. In her eyes, Cruze was just another talented practitioner. ¡°Complete¡­ Reconfirming.¡± Yet, just nine days ago in the real world, Cruze had no special powers or skills to speak of. She was just another normal teenage girl. Considering the difference between DIO¡¯s time and that of real life, Cruze had spent just over a month in this new world. Whoosh. A vibrating sound rang out, and the surrounding area was suppressed by a forceful aura. ¡°It seems you¡¯re finished.¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve succeeded with my Programming. However, the Memory it takes up is around one Gigabyte, so unless I organize my current data or expand my aura, I won¡¯t be able to use it immediately.¡± ¡°Programming? Memory? Data?¡± ¡°Oh, this system is something that I just created, so you probably won¡¯t understand what I¡¯m saying, Thousand Scent. I¡¯m trying to say that I can¡¯t immediately use what I just created. I need Memory to Install the Program.¡± Although Thousand Scent had no idea what Cruze was talking about, she did know that Cruze had probably created an entire personal system from scratch. That was a feat in and of itself. It was unthinkable for a newcomer to create their own system out of nothing. What Cruze did was like creating an entirely different branch of martial arts within the martial world. Doing this was something that only a martial arts master with years of experience could do; it wasn¡¯t something that a newcomer who just learned martial arts should be capable of doing. Moreover, Cruze had done this just to streamline her training. Magic users learned a new language, Rune, because they needed to comprehend traditional magic. Traditional magic was something that had already undergone extensive back-testing and rigorous reforms. Did it make sense for someone to create their own language and system to contend against such a time-tested practice? It wasn¡¯t easy to revise or edit a system that had existed for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. ¡°Hey, Cruze, how many items have you realized and embodied?¡± ¡°Uh, you¡¯re probably speaking of Categories. One second¡­ one, two, three¡­ if I include the program I just made¡­ six.¡± Usually, aura practitioners embodied one item. Even geniuses would hit a limit at two or three items. Yet, Cruze recognized this limitation in the current field of aura studies and decided to revise and edit the existing system to something that she could freely handle. And so, through her customized system, she was able to extend the number of items, or Categories, that she could embody or Run. ¡°You¡¯re really something.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a genius. An effort-based achiever like you wouldn¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°Oho! I see your lips are quite lively today.¡± ¡°Ouch! It hurts! Ouch! Thousand Scents! It was a joke! Ouch!¡± After her lips were forcefully pulled by Thousand Scents, Cruze raised her aura instinctively, but Thousand Scent was able to neutralize it easily. Even though Cruze was one of the top users with one of the highest combat stats, she was no match for Thousand Scents, who was a member of the draconic species on the cusp of transcendence. Thousand Scents was level 25, and purely in terms of levels, Thousand Scents was double Cruze¡¯s. However, the gap between them was much more significant than a simple doubling in level. ¡°Ugh, so degrading. Among all the users, there are only two Masters, and I¡¯m one of them. But why am I put in such an embarrassing situation?¡± ¡°The service hasn¡¯t fully opened up yet, so there¡¯s only two for now, but once it opens, there¡¯ll be numerous Masters.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± Cruze nodded her head in agreement, but what Thousand Scents said wasn¡¯t absolutely correct. Though the number of Masters would probably increase, it wasn¡¯t like users could just level up at will by killing off waves of monsters. They had to pass tests. DIO¡¯s level-up system required that users pass a test. Furthermore, these tests harshly challenged a user¡¯s skill and ability level. Even if a user played for their entire life, they may never pass Level 5. Actually, most users would fall into this category. However, for a genius like Cruze, she wouldn¡¯t know this. ¡°Anyway, you pass.¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± ¡°Your Job test. You pass.¡± ¡°What? But I haven¡¯t even started the test? Of course, I did create a Program that¡¯ll allow me to destroy the test, but I haven¡¯t Installed it yet.¡± Despite Cruze¡¯s confusion at the sudden turn of events, Thousand Scents responded calmly. ¡°I can accurately come up with a judgment without putting you through a test. You pass.¡± ¡°So, I don¡¯t even have to take a test?¡± ¡°I know you¡¯ll pass, so why make you jump through hoops? If I thought you wouldn¡¯t pass, I wouldn¡¯t have even allowed you to take the test. As such, why can¡¯t I bypass the test if I think you¡¯ll pass?¡± Cruze stood flabbergasted after hearing Thousand Scents¡¯ explanation. ¡°Yet, how do you know-¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m an expert, unlike you. I could tell just by the way you were meditating.¡± CH 53 Initially, Thousand Scents had planned to test Cruze by having her break one of the barriers that enveloped the dragon¡¯s body. Since the gap between Thousand Scents and Cruze was so immense, this assignment would¡¯ve been difficult even if Thousand Scents didn¡¯t do anything. To further explain, Cruze would¡¯ve had to pierce one of Thousand Scents ¡®defensive barriers.¡¯ Thousand Scents had four defensive barriers, which were named Four Seasons. Among those four, Cruze would have been given 30 minutes to break through the barrier called ¡®Spring Creation.¡¯ Actually, Cruze had already failed this mission before. This time around, however, rather than making Cruze take the test, Thousand Scents had just let her pass. /You have succeeded in your Job Quest!/ /Your job has changed from ¡®Citizen¡¯ to ¡®Weapon Maker!¡¯/ /You have acquired a challenge ticket to obtain the Master Skill, ¡®Repeating Illusion!¡¯/ /You have acquired a challenge ticket to obtain the Master Weapon, ¡®Prism Ring!¡¯/ Cruze was caught off guard by the sudden feeling that rushed over her body. It felt like she was being reinforced as she sensed her ability stats rise, also noticing that she no longer had to organize her Memory to Install ¡®that¡¯ Program. ¡°What the heck? How come my aura expanded so much?¡± Surprised, Cruze opened her status window. The Job field, which previously always stated ¡®Citizen,¡¯ now showed ¡®Weapon Maker.¡¯ As the new title said, she was given a new Job. ¡°How is it?¡± ¡°¡­ Wow! This is no joke! I can take the Level 11 test immediately with these specs. And on top of that, I got an opportunity to acquire a Master Skill and a Master Weapon¡­.¡± With a satisfied smile, Cruze raised her aura. Her aura capacity had expanded immensely. Though it had only gone up by 100 points, it was an immediate increase, like how titles worked. Her ability area had risen from 350 to 450 points, an exact 100 points. However, the amount of aura that she was now able to control and use had expanded to ten times the previous amount. Cruze felt that the possibilities were endless with this much aura. ¡°Oh, shoot! What time is it?¡± ¡°Ten in the morning.¡± ¡°Ack! I only have three hours left?¡± After crying out, Cruze got back into a meditative position. Since there wasn¡¯t much time before the Siege Quest commenced, Cruze wanted to quickly convert her newly acquired aura into Memory and Install the new weapon Program that she¡¯d finished creating moments ago. ¡°Shall I wake you when the time comes?¡± ¡°No. You can tend to your own business. Thank you.¡± After stating this, Cruze started manipulating her aura. With the sudden rise in aura capacity, she felt infinitely stronger. ¡°This Siege Quest will be quite fun.¡± Her real name was Lea Schmidt. Her ID was Cruze. Currently, she was one of the users in DIO who had reached the highest levels in the game. ***Battle*** To start, Merlin used his magic power. Of course, he couldn¡¯t drain it down to one tetra, but Merlin tried to use up as much as he possibly could. ¡°Two.¡± When he recovered his magic power, he used it all up again before promptly meditating once more. ¡°Five.¡± Use magic power, then meditate¡­ rinse and repeat. Yet, Merlin found that his magic power recovery rate was falling. This was an obvious result. Since constant use drained the user, his magic circuitry and the pathing within his body were reaching their limits. This was similar to how someone¡¯s muscles would become exhausted after using them with no breaks or if internal energy was pulled non-stop from a user¡¯s dantian. ¡°Nine.¡± He expended the entirety of his magic power again before, like clockwork, meditating. His magic power recovery rate was now half of what it was when he started using it. ¡°Fourteen.¡± However, Merlin continued this process. Although he was mentally tired, he was enjoying himself and having a ton of fun. It was as if Merlin had done drugs. As he continued to use Enchantment, his internal magic systems became more refined and efficient. In the beginning, he was only able to cast two enchantment spells with 22 tetra, but as he got used to Enchantment and understood more about its essence, he was able to increase the number of Enchantment spells he could cast in one sitting to three, four, and even five spells. ¡°Twenty.¡± Merlin stopped. Even if he meditated right now, he would only gain one tetra for ten minutes of meditation. He¡¯d been enchanting non-stop for the past five hours. /Your Enchantment skill has risen to rank 1!/ /You have acquired the title, ¡®Enchantment Mage!¡¯/ /You have acquired the special skill, ¡®Accelerated Enchanting!¡¯/ ¡°It¡¯s nice to know I¡¯m improving, but these constant pop-ups are a nuisance.¡± Ignoring the messages, Merlin pulled up his magic power status to see that he had three tetra remaining. In addition, it didn¡¯t take him long to realize that, while he only had three tetra at the moment, his overall magic power capacity had risen to 47. ¡°My magic power limits have risen?¡± Of course, he couldn¡¯t utilize this expanded capacity immediately. Since he had gone through several cycles of consuming and recovering his magic power, Merlin wasn¡¯t able to regenerate his magic power quick enough for it to be completely refilled by the time the battle started. It would probably take one to three days for his magic pathways to recover. ¡°I¡¯ve enchanted for five hours straight, but I¡¯ve only completed twenty¡­.¡± Merlin looked at the 20 short spears laid out in front of him. He had purchased these from Arc at the weapon shop, and despite buying 50 of them in total, he had only been able to enchant 20. ¡°I have arrows, I¡¯ve tested my maximum range, and I even made these special attack spears. I guess I just need to wait for the monsters to appear.¡± At the moment, Merlin was standing on the tower at the center of the reservoir, although he didn¡¯t know the reservoir''s name. Despite being 50 meters high, he didn¡¯t feel any fear. As an ¡®A rank¡¯ swimmer, the water below him was effectively a cushion. Moreover, even if there was no water, Merlin¡¯s body had been reinforced and strengthened to the point that he could easily land gently on the ground. If he fell without any precautions, his life points were so high that he wouldn¡¯t die. ¡°Hmm. I don¡¯t need to do anything else to prepare, so how should I use my time? There¡¯s still an hour before the start- huh?¡± Just then, Merlin saw a monster corps approaching. The monster corps was filled with small, medium, and large-sized monsters. It was only then that Merlin realized something. ¡°Ah, right. The time written on the Announcement Board is the start of the Siege Quest. The monster corps still has to make their way to Starting.¡± Though the monster corps was five kilometers away from him, Merlin could easily make them out with his Enhanced Eyesight and Telescopic Vision. The monsters were progressing in an orderly fashion, and their numbers seemed never-ending. Amongst the monsters, Merlin noticed one particular monster. ¡°The Orc Hero¡­¡± The Orc Hero wore brown leather clothes and was 190 centimeters tall. He stood atop a large, 100-meter-long serpent as he looked ahead while carrying a sword with a Plum Blossom motif on it. He was extremely calm, unbothered with the coming battle. Then, the Orc Hero suddenly turned his head¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± Merlin was shocked by this sudden development, and he quickly ducked down. Alas, as he stood on the serpent¡¯s head, Sungmuk had looked in his direction and met Merlin¡¯s gaze. ¡°Did he see me? At this range?¡± The distance between them was close to five kilometers, so even if there weren¡¯t any physical barriers like fog, it was still too far to spot a certain individual. However, Merlin had seen Sungmuk, so technically, Sungmuk would have been able to see him in turn. ¡°I got caught. I guess I can¡¯t launch a sneak attack.¡± Obviously, Merlin didn¡¯t think a sneak attack would work on Sungmuk in the first place, but he never expected to be recognized so early on. ¡°What should I do¡­.¡± Merlin was no match for Sungmuk in close combat; he had already realized that truth in their last battle. Yet, Merlin also knew that long-ranged attacks would probably not work on Sungmuk either, as even Merlin could dodge an incoming arrow. Without a doubt, Merlin¡¯s arrows would certainly be quicker than any shot by a Nol or Blood Fist guild member, but the Orc Hero Sungmuk most definitely had a rapid reaction speed. Rumble¡­ As he contemplated his next steps, the monster corps had advanced considerably. They were now only two kilometers away from his location; typically, this distance was still far enough that people wouldn¡¯t be able to make each other out. The surrounding terrain was a flatland that didn¡¯t have a single hill, but an average individual would still have trouble seeing anything distinctly at this range. When they were two kilometers apart, people generally wouldn¡¯t be able to fight properly against each other. However¡­ ¡°Gear 5.¡± Without changing his outfit, a great bow- a Decian Great Bow, to be exact- and 100 metallic arrows appeared. Merlin took out an arrow from its quiver and placed it onto his bow, calmly observing the advancing monster corps as he felt the blowing wind. There was a faint breeze that was blowing toward the west. Creak! With a creaking sound, Merlin pulled back on the bowstring. The Decian Great Bow required 300 points in muscular strength, so he wouldn¡¯t have been able to do this with just his normal muscular strength. Thus, Merlin used physical reinforcement to strengthen his muscular strength. Yet, in contrast to the last time, he only needed to use half a year of internal energy. Merlin had come up with a specialized physical reinforcement process specifically for the Decian Great Bow. Whoosh! After the rushing sound of the bowstring snapping forward rang out, the metallic arrow quickly shot through the air. The downward recoil force that Merlin¡¯s lower body felt was considerable. When he was drawing the bow back, Merlin had aimed at a forty-five-degree angle from the ground, so he had felt recoil in his legs. If he had shot parallel to the ground, he would have been sent flying backward by five meters. ¡°Phew¡­¡± While controlling his breathing, Merlin watched as his arrow made its way across the sky. By now, the arrow had stayed up in the air for a significant amount of time. ¡°Five, six, seven¡­ hit.¡± There was no sound. Although he had Telescopic Vision, he did not have any martial skills related to hearing, such as Thousand Li Ears. However, Merlin knew that his attack had been powerful. A large monster that resembled a praying mantis had been struck by his arrow and knocked back by its immense force. ¡°The total flight time is 10.5 seconds. The accuracy isn¡¯t too bad either.¡± He placed another arrow on the bowstring. Then, he reinforced his physical body. /Muscular strength has been reinforced by 130 points, and life force has been reinforced by 500 points. The application time is one second!/ While he already possessed 200 points in muscular strength, it wasn¡¯t easy to bring that point total up to 300. Since ability stats doubled after every additional hundred points, 200 points were three times the strength of 100 points. Similarly, after 100 points, each added point was worth twice as much until 200 points were reached. As such, the points after 200 were effectively valued at four times as much as the points from one to 100. Hence, in terms of strength, 300 points were actually twice the size of 200 points. Therefore, although Merlin¡¯s base muscular strength points weren¡¯t low, it was still difficult for him to increase his muscular strength. After all, he needed to essentially more than double his strength. Furthermore, he would have to expend an immense amount of internal energy. Whoosh! However, to shoot the arrow, Merlin didn¡¯t have to use as much internal energy as one would think. This was because he had localized his physical reinforcement to his upper body. If Merlin were to perform a martial arts move or attack, he¡¯d have to reinforce his entire body, but to shoot an arrow, he mainly used the muscles in his upper body. Essentially, he needed to reinforce his back muscles. His lower body just needed to possess enough muscular strength to maintain a standing position and not shake as he attacked. Creak! Half a year of internal energy went through Mercury and became one year. Then, Venus processed that single year and turned it into two years. Merlin used those two years of internal energy to reinforce his body. His second planet in the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, Venus, needed one and a half seconds to expand the internal energy and had a cooldown time of half a second, so it wasn¡¯t optimal to use Venus when applying constant physical strengthening. Yet, since he reduced the time to one second of physical reinforcement, Merlin had found a workaround. Whoosh! A Lizardman had been looking around to see the source of the previous attack before Merlin¡¯s arrow hit it in the head. Instantly, the Lizardmen crumpled to the ground. Despite not being imbued with any internal energy, the metallic arrows¡¯ speed gave them extraordinary punching power. The arrow weighed 450 grams, so it was already six to seven times heavier than an average wooden arrow. Additionally, the arrows were being shot at speeds of 200 meters per second. In comparison, the speed of sound was 340 meters per second. So, the arrows clearly packed a punch. Creak! He drew back the bowstring. Whoosh! He shot an arrow. Bam! An enemy was destroyed. ¡°Good. None of the mid-sized monsters can block the attack.¡± While the monsters were higher-leveled than Merlin, they couldn¡¯t do anything about arrows flying from two kilometers away. The more quick-witted monsters realized where the arrows were coming from, but they couldn¡¯t see Merlin as the distance between them was too far. Additionally, Merlin was standing atop an elevated tower, so at a distance, he¡¯d just seem like he was a part of the tower. ¡°Let¡¯s see just how defenseless you guys are to these attacks!¡± CH 54 Whoosh! Merlin shot another arrow. Since the arrow¡¯s flight time was greater than ten seconds, it was impossible to aim at a specific target, especially one that was moving. However¡­ ¡°Okay. That makes five hits.¡± There were 10,000 monsters in the monster corps. As long as he sent an arrow toward their general vicinity, one of them was bound to be hit. Whoosh! Soon, a sixth target went down. As he thought about the path that the last arrow took, Merlin checked on his internal energy levels. His internal energy capacity had expanded to 60 points, so he had 30 years of internal energy or half a cycle. Each arrow consumed half a year of internal energy, which meant that so far, Merlin had used three years of internal energy. He currently had 27 years remaining. With this significant amount, Merlin thought that he¡¯d be able to fell another 40 or so monsters, but they weren¡¯t proving to be such simple foes. ¡°¡­ Hmm.¡± Merlin saw his seventh arrow land on a large monster¡¯s arm. While the monsters still hadn¡¯t located Merlin¡¯s position, they knew the direction the arrows were flying from and the frequency of the attacks. With these two pieces of information, they could take cover or raise their defenses to counter the projectiles. Merlin¡¯s arrows were formidable, but they still couldn¡¯t kill large-sized monsters unless the arrow struck their heads or hearts. Of course, small and mid-sized monsters would sustain a critical injury no matter where they got hit, but they had hidden behind the larger monsters long ago. ¡°Damn it.¡± Not having any more targets readily available, Merlin clicked his tongue, opened his inventory, and took out the short spears that he had enchanted earlier. He had expected his arrows to be countered at some point. Since that time had come, he¡¯d attack using a slightly different approach. ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± Yet, Merlin was vastly underestimating the monsters¡¯ power and strength. Bam! Sungmuk had been standing on a serpent¡¯s head when he abruptly started flying toward Merlin like an arrow. He was flying; it couldn¡¯t be called ¡®running.¡¯ Sungmuk was truly flying. No living being could leap an entire two kilometers within 20 seconds. Whoosh! Once Merlin released the bowstring, a short spear flew towards Sungmuk¡¯s chest. However, Sungmuk casually deflected the oncoming spear with his sword. This movement was so graceful and natural that he didn¡¯t slow down in the slightest. Boom! Sungmuk stomped down and shot forward. The tower was 150 meters from the shore and 50 meters above the surface, but Sungmuk seemed to be heading straight towards Merlin while parallel to the ground. Boom! Merlin sent another spear at Sungmuk. It seemed as if it was impossible for Sungmuk to avoid this, as he was suspended in the air. Bam! ¡®This guy¡­¡¯ Sungmuk narrowed his eyes. Merlin¡¯s reaction speed wasn¡¯t too fast, but Sungmuk knew that Merlin was a user who had, about a month ago, never been in a real battle before. After all, Merlin had come from a relatively peaceful planet. Yet, rather than be taken aback at Sungmuk¡¯s rapid approach, Merlin had calmly sent two attacks at him. Wasn¡¯t this behavior more fitting for a veteran mercenary that lived their whole life on the battlefield? Sungmuk couldn¡¯t help but appreciate Merlin¡¯s battle instincts. An individual¡¯s battle instincts, or any similar sense for that matter, couldn¡¯t be obtained through training. One had to be born with it. ¡°However, it¡¯s not enough.¡± Sungmuk spoke out in a low voice as he took out his sword, Blue Steel, and started swinging. Even if hundreds of bullets were shot at him, he wouldn¡¯t have been hit. Despite the short spear¡¯s rapid pace, they were nothing in front of a peak expert¡¯s defenses. ¡°No, it¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°What?¡± Suddenly, Merlin¡¯s short spear disappeared. [Sudden Blink]. This was something that Merlin created with his own magic system, and he called it Thousand Worlds. It was a second-level spell. Its foundation originated from the spell Blink, which was used for instantaneous movement through short distances. Essentially, Thousand Worlds could bypass an enemy¡¯s defenses. Thus, Merlin¡¯s short spear had skipped a 50-centimeter space and found itself right in front of Sungmuk¡¯s chest. This time, Sungmuk couldn¡¯t avoid the attack! ¡°¡­ Not bad.¡± As he heard Sungmuk say this, Merlin felt a chill run down his back. Then, the spear struck Sungmuk¡¯s chest. Bam! With a thunderous sound, the spear started splintering and disintegrating. Despite hitting Sungmuk¡¯s chest, the spear didn¡¯t possess enough energy to pierce the orc¡¯s skin. The genuine qi that flowed through Sungmuk¡¯s veins gave his body overwhelming strength. While he hadn¡¯t perfected his self-defense technique yet, once he did, Sungmuk would be able to withstand a modern missile strike without being injured. Ring. As Sungmuk swung his sword, five plum blossoms sprang out and started to bloom. Sungmuk¡¯s sword qi started emanating the scent of plum blossoms and an air of elegance, but each petal was a deadly weapon. And those many petals started rushing towards Merlin. Poof. All of a sudden, another plum blossom started blooming. ¡°¡­ What?¡± The scent of the blossoming plum blossom made Sungmuk frown. Furthermore, when Sungmuk saw that the plum blossom was blooming in Merlin¡¯s bare hands, Sungmuk started questioning what he was seeing. Pitter! The aura from Merlin¡¯s plum blossom didn¡¯t compare to Sungmuk¡¯s. In addition, this single plum blossom was barely able to withstand the aura from Sungmuk¡¯s five plum blossoms as they approached. Yet, all Merlin needed was a moment¡­ a few seconds. ¡°Gear 3!¡± In an instant, Merlin was covered in silver armor. Boom! Merlin dodged the brunt of the oncoming attack and let the weaker, unavoidable forces hit his body before he jumped down from the tower. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going!¡± Of course, Sungmuk wouldn¡¯t allow Merlin to escape, so he was about to launch another sword strike when¡­ ¡°Gear 4!¡± Ping! A Mithril bow abruptly appeared in Merlin¡¯s hand, and he began using it to shoot the short spears at the orc. The effects were weaker than when he used the Decian Great Bow, but it was enough to mess with Sungmuk¡¯s sword strikes and his advance. Moreover, these short spears had been enchanted. ¡®How¡­¡¯ Sungmuk couldn¡¯t understand how the short spears were able to pop out of the reservoir¡¯s water at such high speeds. A bow used tension to create propulsion for an arrow. However, rather than being slowed by the friction in the water, the arrows were flying at normal speeds. How could this be? Of course, this was possible because Merlin had the water attribute, but Sungmuk wasn¡¯t aware of this fact. Boom! A column of water shot above the surface of the reservoir as Merlin shot out. At some point, Merlin had swapped out his Mithril armor and put on his bathing suit. Whoosh! Another short spear flew towards Sungmuk, but the spears wouldn¡¯t hurt him, as he was aiming to reach rank 10 of Divine Violet Mist. The short spears weighed in at about one kilogram and weren¡¯t as fast as the metallic arrows, but they still flew quick enough to cause critical damage to most things. The spear attacks were nothing for Sungmuk because he was an expert martial artist; if it were an average monster, they would be deadly. Furthermore, Merlin was being pushed back by several meters from the recoil of launching the short spears, which showed just how much force each spear had. Boom! Sungmuk deflected the oncoming spear and stood on the water¡¯s surface. His stance was firm and balanced, as if he were standing on solid ground. ¡®However, he¡¯s standing on water, not the ground. There¡¯s no way he isn¡¯t affected.¡¯ Merlin wasn¡¯t doing well. While their clash had been brief, he had already used a large amount of his internal energy. Luckily, Merlin could use his boosters with his physical strength points, but his bow attacks required internal energy, with each short spear attack costing him half a year. On top of that, Merlin also imbued some of his attacks with internal energy. By doing this, he had expended quite a bit of his reserves. When Merlin used Aura Vision to see Sungmuk¡¯s internal energy capacity, he saw that Sungmuk had an enormous amount left over. If this fight began to drag on, Merlin wouldn¡¯t be able to compete anymore. Bam! ¡°Hmm.¡± All of Sungmuk¡¯s plum blossom attacks had uneventfully landed on the tower, so Sungmuk couldn¡¯t help but frown. Although his attacks had cornered Merlin and left him with no way to escape, Merlin had avoided the attack by instantaneously moving a great distance at the last moment, as if a giant had grabbed him and swiftly moved him to the side. Logically, Merlin shouldn¡¯t have been able to evade the attack. ¡®Spiritualist and Elementalist qualities, water chakra, water attribute and affinity, attribute-based spell casting without verbal chanting, water-based aura¡­ it seems he has one of these abilities.¡¯ In the end, Sungmuk could only conclude that water allowed Merlin to move freely and at will. Merlin could advance at impossible angles and accelerate or decelerate whenever he wanted without any delay. Also, Merlin was able to utilize the water around him to cushion himself against any blow or displace oncoming force. In conclusion, while he was in any source of water, Merlin was harder to catch than a slippery fish. ¡®Damn it. If we continue this battle of attrition, I won¡¯t gain the upper hand.¡± Merlin didn¡¯t find this situation to his advantage, so he fell into thought. In the water, he was confident that he¡¯d be able to avoid Sungmuk¡¯s attacks, but he didn¡¯t have any viable options to hurt Sungmuk either. Sungmuk had avoided all his attacks, and even when one of the short spears hit the orc, it had been easily nullified. In the end, Merlin resorted to just avoiding any incoming attack. Luckily, the tower at the center of the reservoir seemed to be designated as an indestructible object, so he¡¯d been using it in his favor by running around and having it block Sungmuk¡¯s attacks. ¡°¡­ Hmm?¡± Then, Merlin realized something. ¡®The tower is moving downward?¡¯ The stone tower had already sunk about five meters. Merlin remembered that the tower hovered slightly above the water¡¯s surface, so the tower¡¯s downward movements puzzled him. Yet, Merlin couldn¡¯t spend any time thinking about this issue. Sungmuk had stopped moving and stood still, and he began emanating an immense amount of killing intent. ¡°You¡¯ve¡­ taken up too much of my time.¡± ¡°Gear 3.¡± Merlin felt as if he¡¯d suffocate under the extreme, immobilizing pressure. He couldn¡¯t take a step forward nor move down to get into the water. As such, Merlin took up a defensive posture. Sss. Merlin raised the water to create a sphere around him that was two meters in radius. He also compressed the water to make it more viscous, like honey or mud. This increased viscosity was to counter any attacks that may come his way. /Your swimming skill has increased to rank AA!/ Merlin didn¡¯t pay any attention to the new pop-up message. Sungmuk¡¯s raised sword didn¡¯t give him an opportunity to think of other matters. ¡°I want to ask you something.¡± ¡°What?¡± As Sungmuk spoke, he created a slight opening. Merlin could¡¯ve used this to get back in the water, but he wasn¡¯t sure if he could make it in time, so he didn¡¯t take the chance. ¡°Your hand skill¡­ where did you learn it? What you¡¯re using is undoubtedly based on Flower Mountain¡¯s principles. However, Flower Mountain doesn¡¯t have a martial arts style with the exact movements that you exhibit. Of course, I know that there are many branches of martial arts styles that don¡¯t exist at Flower Mountain, but I¡¯ve never heard of a hand skill that utilizes the Plum Blossom sword skill. That could only mean¡­.¡± ¡°I saw you use it.¡± ¡°¡­ You saw me use it?¡± ¡°I copied your sword skill.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The tip of Sungmuk¡¯s sword lightly trembled. The shaking alluded to Sungmuk¡¯s wavering resolution, but Merlin took it as a sign that an attack was coming, so he prepared himself. ¡°You copied what you saw?¡± ¡°Did you trademark it or something?¡± Hearing Merlin¡¯s reply, Sungmuk fell into thought. After a while¡­ ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll start my attack.¡± Sungmuk brought his sword upwards. ¡°Oh, you have manners. It¡¯s nice of you to give me a warning.¡± ¡°However, I won¡¯t be attacking you.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Merlin didn¡¯t understand what Sungmuk was talking about. Yet, Sungmuk didn¡¯t care if Merlin knew what he was talking about. ¡°I will ¡®reveal¡¯ everything. Whether you live or die is your problem.¡± Once Sungmuk moved his sword downward, their entire surroundings were converted into an image of a plum blossom. Showering Heavenly Plum Blossom Flowers. An uncountable number of plum blossoms appeared and started blooming all at once. Merlin couldn¡¯t block this attack. There was no avenue of escape for him either, as he was entirely surrounded by the blossoming flowers. Boom! The plum blossoms were beautiful, but the sword qi that they carried was firm and unyielding. Each of the blossom attacks was sharp, accurate, and overwhelmingly powerful. Whoosh. The tower, which took the entire attack, quickly started sinking. This was because the stone tower had been programmed with an objective: [Move downward in relation to the force applied]. In other words, the tower wouldn¡¯t move if it were hit by forces that didn¡¯t meet a certain threshold. Although, it was clear that even if Merlin channeled all his internal energy into the Great Strength Vajra Hand to hit the tower, he¡¯d only be able to move it by about ten meters. Yet, Sungmuk was able to immediately move the tower 45 meters with his attack. And so, the tower made its way to the bottom of the reservoir and onto the hole that it had previously hovered above. ¡°¡­¡± Sungmuk stood above the reservoir, with neither the tower nor Merlin being anywhere in sight. The plum blossoms that had filled the entire area had all disappeared. ¡°¡­ Hmm. I wonder what came over me.¡± Sungmuk made his way down to the surface of the water and started walking toward the shore. Although its numbers had been slightly depleted due to Merlin¡¯s long-ranged attacks, the 10,000-strong monster corps had made their way to the reservoir. ¡°It seems you had a grand ol¡¯ time.¡± ¡°I was interested in something. It¡¯s been quite a while since I¡¯ve felt any excitement. Anyway, how long before we arrive at Starting?¡± ¡°At our current pace, it will take about 15 to 20 minutes.¡± ¡°Good, then let¡¯s go.¡± Having said this, Sungmuk walked back onto the serpent¡¯s bowed head. And with that, the Forest of Despair¡¯s 10,000 monster corps started moving towards the beginner village. CH 55 Click. A fit, twenty-year-old man walked out of the door, wearing skin-tight light armor. He seemed to give off the air of someone who had developed his body through persistent training. With a confused expression, the man looked around. ¡°Wow, did I really spend six days here already? And it was only one day in real life?¡± Even though the man had only been in the room for a day in real life, he felt that he had experienced over a hundred days¡¯ worth of gameplay. ¡°You¡¯ve spent all of your allotted time. Most users take a break in the middle.¡± ¡°Hahaha. If I did that, then I wouldn¡¯t have gotten my money¡¯s worth. But, it¡¯s quite interesting. Did only six days pass here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Although there wasn¡¯t a limit to how much time a user could spend in the training room specifically, DIO itself had a limit, and that was one day in real-time. All users were forcefully logged out after playing for 24 hours. Fortunately, when playing in DIO, a user¡¯s physical body was resting. This way, players would wake up refreshed after their time in the game, much like waking up from sleep. This phenomenon actually stumped many scientists. The physical body may be resting, but the mind was still active, so how did users get a refreshed, rested state of mind after playing DIO? In any case, the proof was in the pudding. Users didn¡¯t feel any exhaustion or side effects after playing DIO. In fact, Merlin didn¡¯t need to give himself any time to sleep in the past nine days. Actually, after logging out of DIO, he couldn¡¯t fall asleep even if he tried. That was how refreshed he felt. Of course, there was a requirement for an individual to feel refreshed. Typically, an average human needed eight hours of sleep to gain a rested feeling. A user would need to be in DIO for at least twelve hours to get the same effect, but if they were able to do this, it was sufficient. Moreover, the time in DIO passed six times faster than in real life. ¡°Hmm, I just need to handle my hunger.¡± The forced log-out was done for this exact reason. It was something that couldn¡¯t be avoided. Though DIO gave many magical benefits, it couldn¡¯t provide nutrition or force someone to eat. Furthermore, if an individual were unhealthy, somehow, DIO wouldn¡¯t allow that user to log into the game. It seemed that the developers had made many considerations for the user¡¯s benefit. ¡°This game, what¡¯s its purpose¡­.¡± Arthur recalled the blonde-haired man he had met earlier. That man was definitely not ordinary. He had given Arthur money to play the game while also promising to help cure his mother¡¯s illness. Additionally, when Arthur got home, a PC had already been set up, and his mother was sent to a larger, more appropriate hospital immediately. Like this, Arthur was freed from the constraints and headache of trying to scrape together the daily hospital fees. Initially, Arthur felt that he was being scammed, but after benefiting in so many ways, he couldn¡¯t help but accept the man¡¯s words at face value. He would have even given up his soul if that meant he could cure his mother¡¯s disease. Would a scammer cure his mother¡¯s disease to finalize a scam? No. Even if the man were to take something away from him, Arthur felt that the trade was ¡®justified.¡¯ ¡°Mother has made significant progress.¡± Arthur had been worried about who he should speak with once he reached Level 10. He didn¡¯t know who the blonde-haired man was or where he resided, and there was no way to contact him. However, when Arthur left the game to visit his mother, everything had been dealt with. His mother¡¯s life-saving surgery just needed his approval, which he readily gave, and the surgery was a success. ¡°None of this was done out of the goodness of someone¡¯s heart. I feel like they have some ulterior motive. But¡­ since they¡¯ve done this much for me, I¡¯d like to pay them back however they wish.¡± Arthur wouldn¡¯t do anything illegal, but if he were told to give up his life, he would. His next assignment was reaching Grand Master at Level 20. ¡°Oh, since you were inside for so long, you probably didn¡¯t participate in this round¡¯s Siege Quest, right?¡± ¡°A Siege Quest?¡± Seeing that Arthur was puzzled, Carlin explained. Most users would have already known what Carlin was about to speak of, but for someone who had been in the training room, they may not have been aware. ¡°Yeah, it was the last event before the end of the closed beta. For the first wave, outside of the north gate, which was defended by a Master-level user, all the other gates were overrun.¡± ¡°Hmm. Wait a moment.¡± Hearing Carlin¡¯s explanation, Arthur opened the community Announcement Board and started reading. With a simple scan, he got a general idea of what had happened. The first wave was a resounding loss for the users, and the second wave was about to occur. ¡°The main event will start soon. Do you plan on participating?¡± ¡°I should, but¡­ I¡¯m a bit concerned that all the users couldn¡¯t defend against the attacking monsters. I¡¯ve realized some minor things during my training, so I want to test them out. Carlin, did only one Master appear in public so far?¡± ¡°¡®O-only¡¯ one?¡± Carlin was surprised that there was even a single Master-level user, so he couldn¡¯t help but stutter and look exasperated after hearing Arthur¡¯s words. Eventually, Carlin just sighed and responded. ¡°Ah! It¡¯s only been nine days¡­ more users might¡¯ve become Masters if they were focused on training rather than playing around.¡± If any player heard Arthur¡¯s words, they would have argued vehemently. It wasn¡¯t like they didn¡¯t want to reach the Master-level¡­ they couldn¡¯t. Alas, Arthur was sure that most of the users were just focused on enjoying the game. He, on the other hand, had reached the tenth level in two different sword skills. As such, Arthur felt that he had been more dedicated in his training and worked harder than other players. ¡°Well, I guess there might be others like me who haven¡¯t publicized their levels. Actually, that seems more likely.¡± That wasn¡¯t the case. There were indeed only two Master-level users. In addition, users could infer the general state of the player base''s levels if they scanned the public Announcement and Message Boards. Although the message boards were anonymous, anyone could tell that there were only two Master-level players. Arthur had never played an online game before DIO, so he didn¡¯t know how to properly utilize DIO¡¯s homepage and learn this. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be off.¡± ¡°¡­ Fine. Make sure the defenses don¡¯t crumble.¡± With Carlin¡¯s parting words, Arthur left the building. Perhaps it was due to the upcoming Siege Quest, but the village was bustling. ¡°Alright, I should grab something to eat first. I need to gain some experience as well, so this isn¡¯t a bad opportunity¡­ Dustin.¡± [Yes, master.] A space opened in the air, and a sword appeared. This sword-form was one of eight different summoned beings that Arthur had at his disposal. After summoning it, Arthur stood on the sword without any hesitation. ¡°Let¡¯s go to Valiant Heavenly City.¡± [What? That¡¯s far!] ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ll feed you a good sword alter. I might be forcefully logged out to eat, so I need to hurry.¡± [Ugh¡­ damn it. You¡¯re a master that uses me as a mount more than an actual weapon.] As Dustin bickered, a crowd of users started crying out when they saw the sword flying around with Arthur. There were shouts like, ¡°It¡¯s a high-level user,¡± and, ¡°Someone has already contracted a being like that?¡± There was even one individual that said, ¡°Why are there so many weird things in this game!¡± Arthur heard these cries, but he didn¡¯t give them much thought. ¡°I sure am getting a lot of attention, but I guess that¡¯s natural for a flying summoner. I was fortunate to have made a contract with you.¡± [Uh¡­ really? Yeah, I guess so.] As if used to Arthur¡¯s somewhat boring comments and replies, the summoned being simply continued flying off into the sky. *** When he opened his eyes, Merlin noticed that he was underwater. Since he had lost consciousness, he should¡¯ve presumably drowned. Yet, Merlin had a special skill called Diving, so his mid-dantian was able to circulate his genuine qi and allow him to breathe. ¡®Funny game. Even if a player loses consciousness, it doesn¡¯t have them log out.¡¯ That wasn¡¯t all. Players could even rest and sleep inside the game. Of course, an individual would only feel the necessity to sleep in-game if they were logged in for extended periods, such as a few days in DIO or more than twelve hours in real-time. Even then, sleeping in-game rarely occurred, if ever. In reality, a user would voluntarily log out or be forced to do so after reaching the 24-hour restriction. ¡®Anyway, where am I?¡¯ Merlin looked about him. Not a single ray of light could be seen; he was in complete darkness. Then, Merlin utilized his Night Vision Eyes and was able to see that he was within a stone structure. ¡®If I recall correctly¡­.¡¯ When Sungmuk launched his final attack, Merlin had moved halfway around the fallen tower and found himself near an opening at the bottom of the reservoir. If his assumptions were correct, Merlin was underneath the stone tower. ¡®Is this a type of secret dungeon?¡¯ Merlin closely examined his surroundings, discovering that he was in a hallway made from a particular kind of stone. The hallway was straight and only led forward. For other users, they could potentially have an issue getting oxygen, as there weren¡¯t many places where they could come up for air. So, players without a water attribute would have a set time limit in this space. Whoosh¡­ In the water, Merlin was like an alien being. His movements were even more agile and quick than a submarine. He didn¡¯t have to move his arms or legs to propel himself in the water; he could freely move as he pleased. This freedom came from his ability to completely control the water that surrounded him in a two-meter radius. For the water within his sphere of influence, he could instantly turn it into ice or steam. With this ability, he could shoot forward at frightening speeds by using the water behind him to propel his body. It was as if he was a highly-skilled practitioner of Telekinesis who could grab his own body and fly into the sky. Plop. Merlin lowered himself toward the floor of the hallway, and with a gentle sound, his feet landed on the ground. ¡°Hmm, interesting. What is this place?¡± There weren¡¯t any decorations to speak of, and Merlin only saw one box. However, the wall did have some inscriptions written on it. Die and return to life. ¡°Huh?¡± Perplexed about what the writing meant, Merlin used Scanning Vision and Aura Vision to check for any physical or spiritual traps, respectively. Fortunately, he found none. ¡°Hmm. I guess the trial was to get in here in the first place.¡± While mumbling to himself, Merlin opened the box. The box contained ten gold and a familiar-looking ring. ¡°Wait, is this¡­?¡± Surprised at the finding, Merlin appraised the item. Merlin¡¯s assumption was correct. The ring was the same one that he wore on the middle finger of his left hand. It was a Wicalein Ring. The material that the ring was made of and its design, as well as the aura it gave off, were all identical to the one he already possessed. ¡°Doesn¡¯t a Unique rating mean that there¡¯s only one such item?¡± What Merlin said was true, but there were exceptions. A Unique rated item meant that it was the only one of its kind on Dynamic Island, but Merlin was in a different space. He had essentially entered another dimension when he entered this testing area, so it was possible to find the same Unique item. ¡°Well, it¡¯s alright with me. I¡¯ll take it.¡± He put the new Wicalein Ring on the middle finger of his right hand and imbued it with internal energy. If he was going to develop the spirit within, Merlin thought it would be nice to have two spirits that were at the same level. ¡°You¡­ I¡¯ll call you Shining.¡± When Merlin was naming his first spirit, he had been stuck between Younghwi and Shining, so he didn¡¯t have to think too much when coming up with a name for this new spirit. ¡°And the other stuff is¡­ eh? Just ten gold?¡± Ten gold wasn¡¯t such a meager amount that ¡®just¡¯ was a fitting term for it, but since Merlin had no sense of how valuable gold was, he had said this. Once Merlin closed the box, a fire lit up in front of him. ¡°W-what¡¯s that?¡± Merlin instinctively circulated his internal energy to strengthen his body as he went on high alert. Yet, the fire soon put itself out. And in its place¡­ ¡°An egg?¡± It was an egg about the size of a balled fist. Merlin instinctively grabbed the egg before appraising it. ¡°Eh? Is this¡­ a pet?¡± Merlin had started wanting a pet after seeing Arc and various other users accompanied by them, so he felt lucky that he had stumbled upon one. ¡°Great. I¡¯ll just imbue it with a bit of my internal energy¡­.¡± Despite his efforts, the egg didn¡¯t accept his internal energy and instead sent it flying back outwards. This was when Merlin realized that egg couldn¡¯t absorb internal energy, only magic power. The description had mentioned this, but Merlin had briefly forgotten about it. ¡°I¡¯m glad I also chose to specialize in magic power.¡± He took out ten tetra of magic power from the back of his right hand¡¯s magic circle and imbued it into the egg. The egg accepted the magic power and briefly shook but didn¡¯t show any other response. ¡°It seems I need to feed it more. Since it¡¯s a living thing, I can¡¯t place it in my inventory. I should ask Shining to hold onto it.¡± The mysterious egg moved above Merlin¡¯s right shoulder. Since his new spirit was relatively weak, Merlin decided that it should just hold onto the egg. Boom! The ground shook as a deafening sound resounded throughout the area. Oddly enough, this scene and the cacophony of sound reminded Merlin of the time his father received an official gun salute in real-life. Although the origin of the sound seemed like it came from far away, the noise and vibrations that it created could be clearly felt. ¡°W-what was that? Are there cannons in this place?¡± Merlin looked around, but he was still in the same cramped dungeon hallway. In addition, even when he used Scanning Vision, the walls were made of some material that didn¡¯t allow Merlin to see through them. Actually, Merlin could only see as far as three meters. It was difficult for him to see anything further away. ¡°It doesn¡¯t appear as if there¡¯s anything else, so¡­ Escape Dungeon!¡± In an instant, Merlin was surrounded by a deluge of water, and he found that he was submerged in the reservoir. Seeing that the stone tower hovered in its usual position, Merlin made his way up to the surface. Splash! Merlin shot out of the water. Then, he changed his gear mid-air. Once he switched into his robe, he landed on firm land on the shore. ¡°It seems like the Siege Quest battle has been underway for a while. I wonder how long I was unconscious.¡± Merlin summoned the clock and checked the time. An hour had passed, so he had been unconscious for a little less than an hour. ¡°I need to hurry back.¡± Merlin took out his Decian Great Bow and started heading toward the battlefield. CH 56 ¡°Wow, am I seeing things?¡± ¡°Damn. It¡¯s like a tsunami¡­.¡± When the Forest of Despair monster corps rolled in, the users within the village walls couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in awe. Monsters densely occupied the entirety of the plains before them. Initially, the players had thought that a 10,000-monster army would ¡®Probably be a fair amount,¡¯ but when they saw the reality of such an army, they were amazed at the overwhelming sight. Almost every user was in Starting. Of course, humans were selfish beings. To many players, it didn¡¯t matter if other users died and lost the Siege Quest. They just wanted to have fun. However, a single clause on the Announcement Board page had made the users gather at the east gate en masse¡­ /Additional Information 3. If you fail to defend the Guardian Tower at the center of the village, the DIO service will automatically end, regardless of the date and time./ Though Merlin didn¡¯t think much of this clause, all the other users were up in arms. ¡°Wait, what the hell! End of service! End of service, really?!¡± Amongst the users, a popular saying was already circulating, ¡°Humans can quit smoking, quit taking drugs, but they can¡¯t pull themselves away from DIO.¡± Despite only playing DIO for a limited time, the players were already hooked. Moreover, time in DIO was slower than it was in reality, and the gameplay required knowledge, skills, and senses that were also used in real life, which made the game feel more authentic. In other words, the more someone played DIO, the greater their improvement as human beings! A simple game was able to do all this! Yet, the clause read that the service would be terminated if they didn¡¯t successfully defend the village¡¯s central tower. No matter what, the users couldn¡¯t allow this to happen. ¡°Still, there¡¯s a tremendous amount of enemies, right?¡± Since the closed beta had five waves, there were 2,500 total users. Of course, there were some users who couldn¡¯t log on for one reason or another, so a little over 2,000 users were currently in the village. Therefore, out of 2,500 total testers, 2,000 were gathered. So, the current log-in rate was near 95%. This meant that the overwhelming majority of the beta testers were logged into the game, which perfectly displayed DIO¡¯s outstanding popularity. Rumble¡­ The Forest of Despair troops marched forward until they were 200 meters away from the village walls. At this distance, there were parties on both sides that could begin attacking each other, but because the battle was just starting, everyone remained quiet. Step. Step. Soon, a man appeared, wearing light, skin-tight metal armor from head to toe. With a mask covering the features below his nose, he walked into the wide-open space between the monsters and the village wall. Actually, it would be incorrect to call him a man, as he wasn¡¯t human. ¡°¡­ An orc? Why is an orc coming forward?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard the rumors? That orc is a Hero Class being. He¡¯s super powerful.¡± ¡°Still, an orc?¡± In reality, after Level 5, users wouldn¡¯t be facing orcs anymore, so the orc class became less visible for these players. The orc species was rated at Level 3, and the higher-rated orc individuals would be Level 4 or 5 at best. Most users found orcs reasonably easy to deal with. Furthermore, once users reached Level 6, they could use strategies like ¡®Heat and Away¡¯ to decimate large groups of orcs. Thus, the users were perplexed when they saw an orc leading the monster corps as its highest-ranked, most notable monster. Of course, monsters that were the same species but possessed different levels had drastically different fighting abilities and combat power. It was the same for users. Could a Level 1 user be compared to a Level 10 user? Similarly, the level difference within a species also dictated their varied abilities and combat power. However, this was only true in theory and when considered logically. In actual gameplay, the situation was a bit different. Most users had experienced Warrior-class monsters, but they rarely faced Fighter or Knight-class monsters. Also, outside of a specific few, virtually no one had ever seen a Hero-class monster. As such, most users didn¡¯t really understand the stark contrast between different members of a species. The dinosaur species had bodies as wide as houses, ogres had the strength to easily crush iron, and trolls could get up even after losing their limbs or otherwise sustaining severe injuries. This wasn¡¯t all, as goblins used all sorts of trickery, tools, and arts, and six-tailed foxes possessed exceptional charm skills. Yet, despite their prowess, all these different monsters silently stood behind the orc. ¡°Many have gathered.¡± Saying this, the orc took out his sword and raised it. With this signal, the monsters behind him got into a battle-ready stance. And then¡­ ¡°Charge!¡± The war had begun. Bam! A large explosion rang out as a vast fireball flew into the air before bursting apart, raining smaller fireballs onto the battlefield. Hundreds of arrows soared through the air, and many materialized spirits threw out fire and ice. ¡°These fuckers!¡± A lizardman fighter was flung off the city wall as it attempted to climb up, getting sent crashing back down and landing on the monsters below. A user had punched it after winding up their arm like a pitcher throwing a baseball from the mound. ¡°Wow! These monsters can jump on top of the wall in one jump! Are the walls even useful?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like all of them can jump on the walls. That lizardman was a Level 8 Fighter-class monster. It was able to surprise us, so it was able to get further than the other monsters. Actually, come to think of it, that lizardman is at the same level as you.¡± While saying this, the speaker raised his shield and started blocking some incoming fireballs. Behind the speaker was Jeros, dutifully chanting a spell. When the monsters started attacking, Jeros had asked the others to protect him while he finished his chanting. ¡°This guy, why is he taking so long to finish his spell¡¯s chant? He¡¯s totally defenseless as well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why he said he needed our help. He said he was a mage who only focused on attack.¡± Jeros had already reached class 4. While class 4 wasn¡¯t all that special in the grand scheme of things, Jeros had nearly ¡®perfected¡¯ his own unique magic system. Actually, Jeros was a genius even in real life. He was a part of Mensa, which was an organization that gathered people with a high IQ; they currently boasted having roughly 100,000 members from over 100 countries. Jeros was also recognized as having the highest IQ, with it being measured at 228. An IQ number of 200 already made one a genius among geniuses. With his intelligence and extensive knowledge, Jeros had created a magic system that mirrored a rigorous yet complex working system from his studies in real life. Outside of DIO, Jeros understood and specialized in Imaginary Number Coordinates, which dealt with dimensions and coordinates that didn¡¯t physically exist in the real world. He used this knowledge to pile on and overlap magic power, essentially heightening his magic power output. By doing so, he could increase the speed or destructive power of a spell at will. Of course, this mixture of magic power and spell casting necessitated more mental strength and a longer chant time. ¡°Fireball.¡± Yet, the effects were definitely better than a normal Fireball spell. Whoosh. A head-sized fireball flew above the monsters¡¯ heads. It wasn¡¯t particularly fast. Actually, most humans would be able to avoid getting hit by it. However, before the fireball even reached the ground, Jeros had sent out another. The second fireball was much quicker and soon collided with the first one. ¡°Plus One.¡± With a noise that sounded like an electric shock, a spark erupted as the two fireballs clashed against each other. Then, the explosion occurred. Boom!! ¡°Woah?!¡± ¡°Oh my god?!¡± It was as if a massive warhead missile had exploded. The blast left behind a fifty-meter crater in its wake. In addition, the initial detonation caused a chain reaction of smaller blasts to occur. The force of the explosions rippled outward, and the number of casualties was uncountable. ¡°Wow! What the hell was that?!¡± ¡°My god!¡± Hanma and Adol looked at Jeros, who was breathing heavily. Unlike other users who could fight by themselves, Jeros had specialized purely in attack magic, so he needed to rely on others. He was essentially a living, moving glass cannon. He would instill confidence in his allies and terrify his enemies. ¡°Shit, we¡¯re in trouble.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°Make sure to secure the perimeter! An attack is incoming!¡± Like what Adol said, the monsters had pinpointed the origin of the devastating attack, and they were mobilizing to neutralize Jeros. Unfortunately, the monster leading the charge was the leader of the bunch, Sungmuk. Bam! Although the village wall was ten meters tall, Sungmuk simply leaped over it as if it were just two steps on a staircase. Sungmuk had already nearly perfected his lightness skill, so the wall was nothing but an object to effortlessly step over. Like an arrow flying towards its intended target, Sungmuk headed directly toward Jeros. ¡°Scatter!¡± Adol launched a Shield Charging attack using his internal energy-imbued shield. Both his feet were firmly planted on the ground, and he took a low stance. The internal energy-filled Shield Attack was significant, but Sungmuk bent his body in the air and easily avoided it. He had utilized his lightness skill technique, Golden Carp Crashing through a Thousand Waves. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going!¡± Hanma stood between Sungmuk and Jeros, who was thoroughly exhausted and unable to move after casting his spell. His body had turned completely gray. Bam! With a plum blossom scent wafting through the air, a single plum blossom shot towards Hanma and ravaged his body. Yet, Sungmuk¡¯s main target wasn¡¯t Hanma, as the user was just in his way. His main target was Jeros. Unexpectedly, Hanma had blocked his plum blossom attack using just his internal energy. ¡°I see. You¡¯re a life force practitioner, I presume.¡± Whoosh! Without waiting for a reply, Sungmuk pulled his sword back and released an even stronger scent of plum blossoms into the air. Seeing this, Hanma felt he was looking at the Sanzu River, the Styx in Greek mythology, or Vaitarna in Hinduism, the river that divided the earthly world with the afterlife. He instinctively knew that, no matter how tough his body was, he would soon be ripped to shreds under the oncoming attack. However¡­ Clang! Sungmuk slightly altered his sword strike swing to deflect two oncoming bullets before being sent flying back about two meters from the recoil. ¡°Damn! He was attacking, but I guess he was still able to defend against a sneak attack.¡± A young girl appeared. She had fair skin, an abundance of red hair, and wore gold-colored light armor. While she was only 160 centimeters tall, she effortlessly withstood the immense killing intent that Sungmuk was emanating toward her. Surprisingly, in her hand, she carried¡­ ¡°Desert Eagle. Mark XIX.¡± It was an unconventional and abnormal gun. It didn¡¯t even seem like something that was produced to be a handgun, as it was bigger than any other and didn¡¯t hold many bullets. Furthermore, it was pretty expensive to produce and had heavy recoil. To sum it up, it was a handgun that was full of drawbacks. Regardless of these factors, the Desert Eagle was one of the most popular handguns in the market. This was because of its one selling point. Destructive power. In other words, it was popular because it was an overwhelmingly powerful handgun. Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Holding a Desert Eagle in each hand, the girl started firing round after round, making Sungmuk swing his sword to deflect all the bullets. Yet, these weren¡¯t regular bullets. If they were, Sungmuk wouldn¡¯t have given the assault any thought and simply allowed the bullets to bounce off his body. However, the Desert Eagle in front of him wasn¡¯t a traditional gun, nor was it shooting traditional bullets. Instead, its ¡®bullets¡¯ were packets of aura, and while he wouldn¡¯t be fatally injured if he were hit, he probably wouldn¡¯t be standing either. ¡°A g-gun?! Where did she get a gun?!¡± ¡°Idiot. Take a closer look at that gun. Even if you¡¯re a life force user, that doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t sense spiritual power.¡± ¡°What are you¡­ huh? The gun is made of spiritual power?¡± Realizing that the handgun in the red-haired girl¡¯s hand was comprised entirely of spiritual power, Hanma was able to recognize the girl as the skilled aura user, Cruze. However, could a construction-based skill truly recreate a gun? The construction-based skill allowed users to make whatever they pleased, but the user had to thoroughly understand everything about their creation to [Draw] the object. This was why most users drew swords or, for more complex cases, bows. There wasn¡¯t a user who could construct a set of light armor yet, but this little girl had developed a gun, which was several times more challenging than any known constructed object. However, Hanma soon shook his head and cleared his mind. No matter what, she was a Master, so she must have broken through to the Master level one way or another. In addition, at the moment, he didn¡¯t have time to think of anything else. Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! With each shot, the girl made her way forward. Her shooting speed and Sungmuk¡¯s sword deflections were incredibly fast. Each bullet from a Desert Eagle was known to pack a punch, but Sungmuk deflected all the oncoming bullets without allowing them to affect him. Ping! Taking advantage of a brief delay between Cruze¡¯s shots, Sungmuk took a step forward to release a plum blossom attack. Cruze and Sungmuk were only 20-meters apart, so Sungmuk was sure he¡¯d be able to launch a substantial barrage. Ting! ¡°Hmm?¡± While he was trying to create the plum blossom shadow, a bullet flew toward his hand. When he moved to block the attack, his recreation of the plum blossom shadow was forcefully stopped, causing what he had created to crumble away helplessly. ¡°¡­ A long-ranged attack?¡± ¡°Hey, can you really afford to focus on other things?¡± Bam! Bam! Bam! After shooting three more rounds from both Desert Eagles, Cruze threw the guns behind her, as she had expended the last of the seven rounds that they both contained. Since she was wielding two of them, she had gone through fourteen rounds. Then, as the handguns flew up in the air, they started vanishing into particles of light. ¡°Install complete! Loading¡­!¡± As she stated something under her breath, another gun started materializing in her hands. This one looked like a fully-automatic assault rifle: an FN P90. Brr! Though each bullet from this gun was weaker than the ones from the Desert Eagle, the FN P90 held 50 rounds in a single magazine. Also, this fully-automatic assault rifle had been in production for some time, but it was relatively new. It didn¡¯t have too much recoil, so Cruze was able to shoot with higher stability. ¡°Wow! I recognize that gun! I¡¯ve used it many times in plenty of FPS (first-person shooter) games!¡± ¡°Okay, whatever! Put Jeros on your back and get him out of here!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Hanma quickly lifted Jeros. While he could have placed Jeros on his back, if Hanma were attacked from the rear, Jeros would undoubtedly be injured or even die, as he was in a feeble state. Thus, Hanma decided to hunch over and envelop Jeros within his mid-section. Since they were both adult men, this type of position would usually be frowned upon or impossible to do physically, but since Jeros was relatively small and Hanma was on the larger side, it was feasible. It almost looked like Hanma was a running back carrying a football. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going-¡± ¡°Focus on me!¡± Brr! Sungmuk was inundated with a barrage of bullets. None of the shots were misfired or strayed from their intended target, and despite Sungmuk¡¯s efforts to deflect them with his sword, some inevitably got through his defenses and struck his body. Cruze didn¡¯t just possess impressive construction-based skills; she was also an expert marksman. ¡°Such a bother.¡± Sungmuk narrowed his eyes, and soon, his body wavered like a mirage. Cruze was surprised by this sudden change, but before she could respond, she sensed the orc in her immediate surroundings. Sungmuk was utilizing Flower Mountain¡¯s representative technique: Nine Palace Step. ¡°Ugh!¡± Brr! Cruze swung her gun to where Sungmuk was now approaching her. However, he used his self-defense technique to absorb all the bullets while striking with his sword. Although he was affected by the aura bullets, Sungmuk could still endure them. If he could slice her head off right now, he¡¯d become the victor! Yet¡­ Clang! ¡°Hmm?¡± A white aura spiraled out of Cruze¡¯s body and quickly enveloped her, protecting her entire body. Sungmuk¡¯s sword strike bounced off her defenses, but Cruze was inevitably unable to avoid everything. A slight injury appeared on her neck, which was much less severe than having her head chopped off. ¡°You¡¯re pretty good.¡± ¡°To leave a mark on a young lady¡¯s body, you have no manners!¡± Brr! As Cruze loosed another barrage of bullets and almost emptied her magazine, the assault seemed to affect Sungmuk, as he was pushed back by about three meters. However, Sungmuk let his self-defense technique deal with the barrage of bullets while he prepared another sword strike. Three plum blossoms appeared and blossomed. Cruze could feel cold sweat running down the back of her neck, and she instinctively knew that her defensive aura field wouldn¡¯t be able to defend against this next attack. Clang! Yet, at that moment, Adol stepped in front of her with his tower shield, blocking the three plum blossom attacks. The destructive power of each plum blossom petal was equal to that of a tank shell, but somehow, while using Shield Charging, Adol was able to hold his ground. Then, the user group went on the offensive! ¡°Thunder.¡± Leaning against Hanma¡¯s chest, Jeros pointed towards Sungmuk and uttered a word. Even though he couldn¡¯t take care of his own body, he had finished another spell chant. CH 57 ¡°Infinity.¡± Crackle! A lightning bolt directly struck Sungmuk¡¯s body. There was no way he could avoid this. An individual¡¯s speed and strength didn¡¯t matter; after all, how could anyone avoid a lightning strike? As he prepared himself, Sungmuk temporarily reinforced his body, but a puzzled expression appeared on his face. The strike didn¡¯t injure him at all. He then looked down at his chest to find the image of a lightning bolt stamped across his chest. ¡°¡­ This!¡± He cocked his head up to the sky and saw a mass of dark clouds rolling in. Boom! Boom! Boom! The thunder and lightning roiling around in the dark clouds was a frightening sight to behold, and after a few moments, lightning started raining down on Sungmuk. Yet, when the third strike fell, Sungmuk used his body lightness technique to jump 30 meters into the air with each step, starting to slash at the amassed storm clouds. ¡°¡­ Oh my god!¡± Jeros couldn¡¯t help but gasp after seeing Sungmuk cancel his spell through sheer brute force. Fifteen lightning strikes should have fallen, but Sungmuk had cut through the gathered magic power system, Lightning Maker. Sungmuk didn¡¯t power through the lightning by strengthening his body with internal energy or redirecting the electricity elsewhere; he had simply leaped toward the source of the lightning and destroyed it with a sword strike. Brr!! As Sungmuk fell downward, he was met with a barrage of bullets. Even though he still hadn¡¯t landed yet, Sungmuk swung his blade and countered the incoming projectiles. It was an unbelievable display of sword qi. ¡°Wow! Hot damn! What kind of existence is he!¡± As if he was nearly weightless, Sungmuk gently landed atop a watchtower. The users looked at him in awe, and Sungmuk also gazed at them with a different perspective. The players¡¯ power was beyond what he expected. Individually, they were not too powerful, but by highlighting their strengths and using teamwork to make up for their weaknesses, the users were able to muster tremendous combat power and force. Additionally, Sungmuk felt that he needed to be cautious around the weak-looking little girl. Click. Cruze pulled out a different gun and pointed it toward Sungmuk. This gun was 144.8 centimeters long and weighed 12.9 kilograms. It wasn¡¯t the type of weapon that fit a little girl. Furthermore, the gun¡¯s recoil was substantial, so it was generally used with a tripod and placed firmly on the ground. However, despite this, Cruze casually turned around with the gun and set its crosshairs on Sungmuk. ¡°Barrett M82?!¡± Ignoring Hanma¡¯s shock, Cruze calmly pulled on the gun¡¯s trigger. Bam! ¡°Hmm¡­!¡± Sungmuk narrowed his eyes after feeling the shot reverberate through his arms. The gun was overwhelmingly powerful, and it was made all the more dangerous by the 12.7, 99-millimeter 50 caliber NATO bullets that were flying out of it. In addition, since the bullets were made of aura, their effects were extraordinarily destructive. Even Sungmuk had to be careful. Also, in between Cruze¡¯s attacks, there were long-range shots raining down on him, so Sungmuk¡¯s self-defense technique was being spread thin. ¡°There¡¯s another being with the same abilities as her¡­ actually, it would be more accurate to state that she¡¯s making another being shoot me from a distance.¡± Sungmuk briefly glanced to his side. He had already located the sniper¡¯s general position, but the sniper was one kilometer away, and there were too many users surrounding the sniper. Despite Sungmuk¡¯s considerable prowess, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to deal with the sniper. ¡°I need to take care of her first.¡± The nearby users had already gathered together into one unit. Moreover, Cruze wasn¡¯t a simple opponent. She had already created an aura shield around her, so it would be challenging for Sungmuk to break through it easily. ¡°Then!¡± Bam! The Barrett rang out loudly once more, but this time, Sungmuk moved and effortlessly evaded the attack. As she saw his rapid approach, Cruze raised her aura shield. Yet, rather than summon his sword qi and swing toward her, Sungmuk reached out and grabbed Cruze¡¯s wrist. ¡°Huh?¡± Then, he flung her. Whoosh! The sound of the wind howling sounded out at Cruze¡¯s body cut through the air, getting flung into the wave of monsters. While the monster corps had taken casualties during the battle, there were still around 7,000 monsters. Regardless of a user¡¯s strength, they¡¯d still find it difficult to escape after being surrounded by so many mobs. ¡°Ugh! This bastard! So underhanded!¡± ¡°Such nonsense.¡± Now rid of the most problematic user, Sungmuk¡¯s sword started emanating killing intent. Whoosh! ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± Tens of plum blossoms bloomed and instantly made Adol and Hanma collapse, with the two now bearing multiple cuts over their entire bodies. Adol and Hanma had raised their defenses at the last moment, so they had narrowly escaped death. They did this as they fell to the floor, and this was only possible because of DIO¡¯s pain control system. Since they didn¡¯t feel pain and avoided panicking, they could think coolly and logically in these types of situations. To kill them off, someone had to inflict a single deadly attack; just injuring them wouldn¡¯t be enough. However, Sungmuk wasn¡¯t aiming for those two. Plop. ¡°Jeros!¡± Sungmuk¡¯s sword sank into Jeros¡¯ heart, and since the player never trained his defensive stats, he couldn¡¯t dodge or endure the attack. ¡°Ah, fuck! I¡¯m going to lose some magic power points¡­.¡± Jeros complained as his body transformed into particles of shimmering light. ¡°Man, he¡¯s a formidable, underhanded monster.¡± ¡°I hope you can see it as being suave.¡± Saying this, Sungmuk turned and swung towards Adol and Hanma. The two looked around to see if there was anyone who could help them, but alas, the other players had their hands full with the 7,000 other monsters. Bam! As if he had used a Blink skill to teleport, Sungmuk swiftly appeared behind Adol and slashed down. Seemingly anticipating this, Adol rotated on his left leg and swung around to meet Sungmuk¡¯s strike with his sword. Yet, the force was too much for him, and he was sent flying back ten meters. Adol felt like he had hit a dump truck. ¡°Oof! Ugh.¡± Adol started coughing up blood. Of course, it wasn¡¯t the typical red liquid; it was golden gas that dissipated into the air. In any case, this alone proved the direness of Adol¡¯s situation. He wasn¡¯t in pain due to DIO¡¯s system, but his sharpened senses showed significant internal damage. ¡°Ha!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of you soon enough, so just wait your turn.¡± Bam! With one swing, Sungmuk smashed Hanma to the ground as if he had hammered a nail into him. Then, Sungmuk began sending blooming plum blossoms toward Adol. Ring! Sungmuk was utilizing sword scent, allowing his sword to emit the smell of plum blossoms and send it wafting through the air. This was an ability that all Flower Mountain practitioners dreamed of mastering: Power of Sword Scent. It wasn¡¯t possible to accomplish this technique unless one had reached the pinnacle of the Plum Blossom Sword Technique. Yet, as he witnessed this, Adol¡¯s mind was elsewhere. ¡®It smells nice. The fragrance would probably sell well.¡¯ The blooming plum blossoms instantly rushed towards Adol. Whoosh! ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What?¡± At that moment, a mysterious silver light with divine properties covered Adol¡¯s body, leaving the player to stare blankly as the pendant around his neck started hovering. ¡°Divine power?¡± Sungmuk narrowed his eyes. He hadn¡¯t sensed any priest-like qualities from Adol earlier, and although he was caught off guard, the strength of the light was inconsequential. If he cut down once more, he¡¯d be able to take his opponent¡¯s head with ease. However, just then, he felt a significant attack approaching from behind. Boom! Having been blindsided, Sungmuk wildly swung his sword to deflect the oncoming attack. Yet, the impact of the strike was so forceful and devastating that it broke his right arm. ¡®This is¡­?¡¯ The heavy cannon shell was instantly flattened after Sungmuk parried it, and shortly after, the APFSDS metal cannon shell rose into the air and dispersed into particles of light. The attack had come from the horde of monsters outside the village, and obviously, it wasn¡¯t from any monster. Brr! ¡°Huh? Wait, what?¡± ¡°A tank? She constructed a tank?!¡± ¡°A tank! A freaking tank!¡± Brr!! The tank mowed down the monsters blocking its approach to Sungmuk, with the two automatic MG3s that were on the tank continually firing 7.62-millimeter rounds. ¡°Ha! You thought you could contain me by throwing me into your minions?!¡± This tank was one of the most recognizable and formidable modern warfare machines: the Leopard 2A6. The intimidating-looking tank crushed any monsters that blocked its forward advance, and the tank¡¯s cannon fired shells non-stop. ¡°Oh my gosh! A Leopard 2A6!¡± ¡°Oh! The godly Leopard!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the most powerful tank around!¡± The few users who recognized the tank exclaimed in awe, but there were some who replied angrily. ¡°Shut up! The best tank is completely black, and it¡¯s called XK-2!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re judging modern tanks, the XK-2 is far better than any other! It can shoot missiles and bring down helicopters. Why did she choose to construct a Leopard? Even a T-95 makes more sense, right?!¡± Hearing these comments, Cruze shouted out. ¡°I chose the Leopard because I¡¯m German!¡± ¡°Ack! So that¡¯s why! Fuck! Why can¡¯t there be someone from my homeland who can construct such a tank! Useless!¡± ¡°What? You try constructing something like that! See if you can even make a basic Caterpillar bulldozer!¡± Nevertheless, Cruze never stopped marching forward as her tank crushed the smaller monsters, opting to use the automatic guns and cannon shells to deal with any larger ones. After arriving at the village wall, she deconstructed the tank and took advantage of the monsters that were attempting to climb up, stepping on their heads and rejoining her fellow users at the top. ¡°Woah! That¡¯s so cool! A Master-level user is so strong!¡± ¡°Constructing a freaking tank!¡± The sudden cannon shell that Sungmuk faced had done its damage. Even he couldn¡¯t avoid any damage, and he¡¯d broken his arm while deflecting the exploding shell. Of course, Sungmuk had total control over his body, so he could still effortlessly swing his sword, but his attack speed would be drastically reduced. ¡°Fire in the hole!¡± Cruze yelled this, and she threw something. Any user around instantly scattered or took up defensive positions, as they knew what the phrase meant, but since Sungmuk had never heard this before, he reacted belatedly. Boom! A grenade exploded and violently sent powerful shards throughout the area. This wasn¡¯t a normal grenade. It was more powerful and explosive by many times. Similar to how she made the handgun rounds more impactful by creating aura bullets, Cruze had also used her construction ability to recreate a powerful grenade. Boom! However, Sungmuk swung his sword and created a sword qi barrier to block the incoming shards. The previous abrupt attack had damaged him somewhat, but he was still at a far higher level than Cruze, and while he was unknowledgeable about modern weapons, he knew that they were used to attack, so he could still defend against them. ¡°Wow¡­ you¡¯re really something. It¡¯s hard to believe that you started just two months ago.¡± Sungmuk swallowed the blood that was rushing up his throat and surveyed his surroundings. The fighting was fierce. The 10,000-strong monster army had been reduced to 5,000, but in turn, the users had taken casualties as well. However, the players had been prepared this time, so their defenses were vastly improved. ¡°Hmm.¡± Sungmuk scanned his own body, finding a broken arm and significant internal injuries. Of course, he could continue fighting if necessary, but the best choice was to step down from the wall and rejoin his monster corps to recover. Once he was healed, he could launch another attack. Since the users didn¡¯t have anyone that could fight him one-on-one, he¡¯d be able to massacre them. If this occurred, the players would face an uphill battle. However¡­ ¡°To even consider retreating¡­.¡± Sungmuk smiled and lifted his sword waist-high. Soon, a tremendous amount of killing intent filled the area around him. Whoosh. A scent permeated the surrounding air. It was so potent and concentrated that it made the users feel dizzy. Then, thin slivers of sword qi wisped around Sungmuk¡¯s sword and turned into plum blossoms. This was one of the Plum Blossom Sword Technique¡¯s ultimate moves, a sword skill called Thousand Plum Blossom Scent. Clang! Clang! Clang! Adol lifted his shield above his head to block the incoming attack, and the plum blossoms¡¯ sword qi rained down as if a sudden squall was passing by. It didn¡¯t even take a second before his shield became a useless hunk of metal. ¡°Argh¡­!¡± Adol tried to use the sword qi to fling himself to safety, but in contrast to his wandering thoughts, Adol felt himself get sucked into the rainstorm. Brr! Instinctively, Cruze materialized an FN P90 and started firing out round after round, but her bullets were only able to make the plum blossoms momentarily pause before continuing. Cruze cursed aloud. ¡°Your freaking attack affects everything within 100 square meters?!¡± The plum blossoms flew toward her rear, her flanks, and directly in front of her. A bystander would have been awed by the beautiful scenery, but the destructiveness of the plum blossoms was like tofu being splattered by a metal bat. The 100-square-meter area had essentially become a killing field. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Ugh?¡± The users within the area were instantly killed off and forcefully logged out, leaving only a few users remaining. Adol was using all his strength and internal force to maintain a defensive position with his shredded shield, Hanma was curled in a ball and halfway sunk into the ground, and Cruze was incessantly shooting at the approaching plum blossoms. It seemed like everyone would inevitably die soon. Sungmuk had decided to use his total internal energy capacity to maintain this skill, so he could last around a minute, but the battered users could only survive for a few more seconds at best. Yet, at that moment, a sword fell from the sky. Crack! A sword lightning strike flashed. The newcomer atop a sword dove down and landed on the central plum blossom, which had been releasing its petals and sending out attacks. Clearly, the plum blossom petals instantly changed direction and charged toward the early twenty-year-old man, but he lifted the sword in his left hand and easily scattered the attacks. ¡°Dispersing Light Sword Technique? With only one hand?¡± Tens of light beams circled the young man¡¯s body. While he had just defended with his left hand, the movement of the sword lightning from his shoulder to the tip of his blade was so fast that it couldn¡¯t be seen. To everyone else, it appeared as if he had stopped the attacks with his bare hand. ¡°Recalibrate your size, Dustin.¡± [Fine.] The sword that the young man was standing on promptly transformed. From a surface that anyone could easily sit on while cross-legged, the blade quickly became ultra-thin. It was about 1.3 meters long, and despite looking somewhat small in the user¡¯s hands, this was the size he was comfortable using. Psh! Psh! As befitting the sword skill¡¯s name, the newcomer¡¯s sword strikes had diffused the oncoming attacks with light dispersion. This was already impressive, but the young man then walked forward with the summoned sword held firmly in his right hand. Feeling a sense of pressure from the young man, Sungmuk switched his plum blossom attack from circulating within a designated area to sending concentrated strikes, focusing on the young man. ¡°A sword is one, and a heart is also one. However, one can become a hundred, and this could send ten thousand attacks or just a single strike¡­.¡± The summoned sword in the newcomer¡¯s right hand spoke aloud, becoming audible to Sungmuk. While it didn¡¯t possess much sword qi, when he heard the summoned being''s voice, Sungmuk could detect unexplored wells of strength and a power that was as firm as a mountain. CH 58 ¡°Heavenly Circulation of Plums.¡± The scattered plum blossoms gathered and centered around Sungmuk as a whole plum blossom. As this occurred, Sungmuk also converged all his sword qi into one. Ring! After coming together, the sword qi emitted a strong plum blossom scent, and a plum blossom stem appeared and started unfurling its petals. There were only three buds, but they were more fragrant, distinct, and powerful than any of Sungmuk¡¯s previous attacks. Each bud seemed tremendously powerful, and they all contained enough pure internal energy to block any missile or easily demolish a modern tank. ¡°Instill quickness in that which is slow and instill slowness in that which is quick. Once polar opposites become one, normalization can occur.¡± With a calm voice, the young man extended his sword in front of him. Bam! The first plum blossom bud was cut off and neutralized. Bam! Then, the same happened to the second plum blossom bud. Bam! Finally, it was the third plum blossom bud¡¯s turn. Yet, immediately after¡­ Sss. An incredibly sluggish sword penetrated Sungmuk¡¯s chest. The blooming plum blossoms had already disappeared. ¡°What¡­ Bright Tai Chi Sword¡­?¡± ¡°Since you recognize my sword skill, it seems I¡¯m using it correctly. This isn¡¯t too strenuous for you, right, Dustin?¡± [You look down on me too much. I¡¯m perfectly fine.] After Dustin spoke, Arthur withdrew his blade. The users around him flinched as they expected a counterattack, but Arthur had collapsed Sungmuk¡¯s balance of essence and qi, so the orc couldn¡¯t summon the necessary strength. Plop. As if his legs had lost all strength, Sungmuk collapsed lifelessly to the floor. However, his eyes were still full of vigor, which was odd to see on someone whose heart had been punctured. Sungmuk gazed at Arthur as he spoke. ¡°For you guys¡­ I heard this place is a playground.¡± ¡°Hmm. Even NPCs know this about users?¡± ¡°Well¡­ there probably aren¡¯t many like me¡­ but I see. So you do see it as a playground.¡± Whoosh. Sungmuk suddenly forced himself to stand, and this caught the surrounding users by surprise, so they all got into defensive positions. Yet, Sungmuk had only gotten up; he didn¡¯t have the energy to launch an attack. The only reason he had stood was because of his mental power, which attested to his incredible mental fortitude. After getting up, Sungmuk continued speaking. ¡°Interesting. You¡­ this isn¡¯t the first time you¡¯ve practiced martial arts, right?¡± ¡°What a keen observation. I actually spent 100 days inside the training room.¡± ¡°A hundred days? Hahaha, a mere 100 days¡­ so you¡¯re saying it¡¯s not your first time practicing martial arts because you¡¯ve trained for 100 days?¡± Sungmuk was incredulous. Even if Arthur was born with a sword in his hand, the rate of his development in martial arts was still impossibly quick. Was it truly possible for Arthur to achieve his current level in 100 days? ¡°Interesting. One guy can employ the Plum Blossom Sword after seeing it once, and another can use the Bright Tai Chi Sword perfectly after just 100 days of training¡­.¡± Sungmuk gave a defeated chuckle, but those around him could tell that he was filled with anger and killing intent. In his eyes, the users were all just playing a game for fun, but eventually, Sungmuk smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it here for today. However, this isn¡¯t the end. And so¡­¡± Sungmuk smiled broadly at all the users around him. ¡°Just wait.¡± Poof! With that, Sungmuk¡¯s body exploded into a plume of smoke before vanishing. ¡°¡­ Hmm. I thought monsters only screamed nonsense. I didn¡¯t know they could also be so cool.¡± Arthur had momentarily frozen at Sungmuk¡¯s final show of fighting spirit, but eventually, he walked over to where Sungmuk disappeared with a surprised expression. There, he found a red marble the size of half a fist that was protected by a 50-centimeter-thick barrier. ¡°Let¡¯s see, a Second-Tier Divine Core?¡± Arthur was taken aback after mindlessly appraising the item and reading its description. ¡°A Unique rated core?¡± Even the Great Core was only a Rare rated item, and that had been publicly sold but not used yet. Arthur was surprised at the core¡¯s rating, and he reached out to pick it up, but the barrier repelled him. ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± Right in front of Arthur¡¯s eyes, a skinny, pale hand appeared below the core and grasped it. ¡°It¡¯s mine~.¡± The hand¡¯s owner stuck out its tongue, leaving Arthur speechless at such a cute expression. Yet, his firm resolve allowed him to overcome this cuteness overload, and with little delay, he frowned. ¡°¡­ Why?¡± ¡°Experience points and drops belong to the first user to seriously injure a monster, remember? This orc had his arm broken because of my cannon shell.¡± The young girl smiled brightly, but the surrounding users weren¡¯t impressed and responded accordingly. ¡°Wow, what a scammer. You¡¯re stealing in broad daylight, no?¡± ¡°He saved you from certain death, but you¡¯re taking his experience points and drops.¡± ¡°S-shut up! The game made the rules, not me!¡± Slightly embarrassed, Cruze held the core close to her chest as her face flushed red. Arthur didn¡¯t have the heart to snatch the core away from the young girl, so he just shrugged. ¡°Well, whatever.¡± ¡°¡­ Really?¡± Cruze¡¯s eyes widened at Arthur¡¯s apparent resignation. However, when he saw this, Arthur chuckled. ¡°There are still three left. I¡¯ll be taking all of them anyway.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Arthur spoke as if he had stored the overwhelmingly powerful monster leaders for later consumption, leaving the other users speechless at his laid-back attitude. Still, they couldn¡¯t help but accept the truth in his words. The power he had just displayed was undoubtedly beyond belief. Arthur looked up and surveyed the battlefield, as the fierce fighting was still ongoing. As he did so, he scanned the users and monsters, reading their power levels and combat abilities. It was as if Arthur could grasp the entire battlefield and see everything clearly. He was able to do this because he was the most formidable being on the battlefield by far, with his nearest competitor being the core-hugging Cruze. Everyone else was miles behind him. ¡°As I thought, users don¡¯t put in any effort.¡± [You¡¯re still talking about that?] Arthur stood atop the village wall as Dustin complained. Tens of arrows flew towards him, but¡­ Ping! His sword moved like a ray of light, and rather than a sword technique, his actions seemed to originate from light itself, as light beams circulated and enveloped his body. This skill had nullified all of Sungmuk¡¯s attacks, so it didn¡¯t appear as if speed could overcome him. He had such perfect defense that a bucket of water wouldn¡¯t be able to get him wet even if it was poured over his head. Bam! Arthur jumped from the village wall down onto the battlefield. The monsters naturally rushed towards him, but Arthur swept through them like a wolf placed in a sheep pen. ¡°W-where the hell did a guy like that come from?¡± ¡°I use a light dispersion technique as well, yet¡­ I understand that he¡¯s a higher level, but how can two humans be so different?!¡± The players cried out as they watched Arthur. Did this scene make them angry? Nevertheless, Cruze jumped down from the wall as well. ¡°Roar!¡± A large monster licked its lips after seeing the smallish girl abruptly appear in front of it. However, at that moment, Cruze shouted. ¡°Install complete! Loading!¡± Instantly, aura poured out of her, creating lines and planes like a digital graphics program. Soon, those design elements became a full-sized tank. Boom! The Leopard 2A6 rolled over the large monster effortlessly and started firing at the other mobs. Cruze had begun the materialization while she was still falling, so the tank had formed ten meters above the ground; however, since it was made of aura, it wasn¡¯t damaged after hitting the ground. Cruze¡¯s tank was so well-built that it could probably survive a fall off a cliff. ¡°Wow¡­ who are those monsters?¡± Adol had been severely injured from Sungmuk¡¯s attacks, but he couldn¡¯t help but sigh defeatedly after observing the scene. He was also in the top one percent of users in terms of combat ability and power, but Cruze was in a whole different dimension, leaving Adol at a loss for words. Instead of trying to quantify how many times stronger she was, Adol realized that Cruze¡¯s foundation gave her a fundamentally different skill set and abilities. ¡°Hey! I found another patient!¡± As his gaze became unfocused while he contemplated, Adol was approached by a young man in his twenties who wore a white robe. This robe didn¡¯t have any special effects; it just allowed the young man to move about freely. With little delay, the young man reached Adol and cried out. ¡°Dalian! This guy is in bad shape; I need some help!¡± The young man¡¯s prayers were impersonal and even somewhat discourteous, but the divine power arising from his hand was definitely a god¡¯s holy power. It was a divine power user. Whoosh. Previously, Adol couldn¡¯t even bend his fingers, but after being healed, he was able to get up and check his body¡¯s status. Other than his low internal energy levels, it seemed that he¡¯d fully recovered from his injuries. And as for Hanma¡­ ¡°Oh! I¡¯m fully recovered!¡± Hanma stood up and shouted energetically. ¡°Wow! Is this why life force and divine power users are called the best team?¡± As an internal energy user, Adol couldn¡¯t fully recover even after being healed by a divine power user. The reason why was clear. Even if the physical body could be healed, internal energy could only naturally regenerate. However, it was different for life force users, as they could almost fully recover from a divine power user¡¯s healing. This was why physical martial artists, like life force users, sought priests and vice versa. Bam! Adol watched as tens of monsters were mowed down from the tank¡¯s constant barrage of bullets and cannon fire. The tide of battle had shifted to the users¡¯ advantage. After all, the remaining players were relatively strong, they had the advantageous village walls, and the monsters had lost their leader, Sungmuk. ¡°Let¡¯s rejoin the battle.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Adol and Hanma started fighting the monsters who were trying to scale the village wall. The battle continued. *** When Merlin arrived at the battlefield, Sungmuk was having his way with the users. Of course, Merlin wanted to help by attacking from a distance, but he decided not to act when he saw a tank appear. ¡°Huh?! A modern weapon? How could such- hmm?¡± Since Merlin was experienced in recognizing spiritual power, he soon realized that the tank wasn¡¯t made of physical materials but spiritual power. Spiritual power was different from his magic power and internal energy. When he saw the tank, Merlin¡¯s jaw dropped in awe, and he struggled to regain his bearings. He had never thought that it was possible to use a specialized power in such a way. As such, he hid and observed the battle. He was significantly far from the battle near the village wall, but he didn¡¯t have any issues since he was using Enhanced Eyesight. At this distance, he could even read a book. He saw everything. The Thousand Plum Blossom Scent that Sungmuk released when he was backed into a corner, the sword qi that nearly wiped the users out, and¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± He saw a young man jump into the middle of the blooming plum blossoms, plunging his sword into Sungmuk¡¯s chest and penetrating his heart. ¡°What?¡± The young man had mastered the sword skill, displaying it in its entirety without any flaws. Even Merlin couldn¡¯t comprehend the complete concept and foundation of the skill. ¡°He¡¯s a¡­ user? That guy? Does he really live in the same reality as me?¡± Merlin had known something about himself from quite a young age. He was different. There was no way he couldn¡¯t know; he was more like a monster than a human being. Whenever he explained this quality to others, they feared him. For instance, while other children marveled at a passing airplane, Merlin was observing and understanding the theoretical concepts of airflow around the plane¡¯s wings and why the plane was able to fly. When someone breakdanced, Merlin could see what muscles they utilized and when, in addition to how they could perform certain moves with their skeletal structure and movements. He understood how the whole world worked just from observing it. Yet, the world could not understand him, and humans were naturally afraid of things they didn¡¯t understand. Many people feared him, and when he turned ten, he truly understood how different he was from everyone else. That¡¯s why he decided to run away. Afterward, he lived as an average child. No, to be specific, he spent his time as a slightly struggling child. Since there were many struggling children, he was easily able to meld into society. Yet, a few people recognized his special abilities, so he¡¯d constantly run away, live in one place for a while, and then flee once more. However, right now, he saw a human who seemed ¡®similar¡¯ to him. Ba-bum. Merlin felt something arising from his chest. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± It was pure excitement. Merlin had never met another person like him in his entire life. So, he felt happy. Happy. He was so happy that he thought he¡¯d go mad. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± His Golden Pill Immortal Technique started roiling, and due to the overwhelming internal energy within him, some energy leaked out, which allowed others to notice him. One of the monsters sensed him and instantly charged in his direction. Although Merlin had released some internal energy, he was still pretty far from the monsters, so the one that had just recognized him must have been at a high level. ¡°You! What are you doing hiding here!¡± It was a giant bee. Its body was 1.5 meters long, and it had six legs or arms that all carried wooden wands. It seemed to be a magic-based monster. ¡°¡­ Hmm. Alright, whatever. I¡¯ll attack, so see if you can defend yourself.¡± ¡°What the hell are you-¡± Woong. Like a sudden gust of wind, Merlin¡¯s body instantly moved forward. This was done without any preparatory move, so it would have surprised most people, but the bee was unperturbed. It screamed and waved its six wands simultaneously. ¡°Foolish being!¡± Whoosh! The bee created six shields. Astonishingly, it was able to cast six different pre-prepared spells at the same time! However, Merlin didn¡¯t care, and he swung his right hand forward. ¡°Melding slow and fast into one, connecting polar opposites - that is probably Tai Chi.¡± As one foot remained firmly rooted to the ground, his hand moved forward. Of course, there were six shields between him and the bee, but they were no match for him. Actually, this wasn¡¯t accurate, as the shields were instead being absorbed into Merlin¡¯s attack and improving its power. ¡°W-what?¡± Stupefied, the bee momentarily stood defenseless. After all, a shield was a defensive barrier that protected one from another¡¯s attack. If it couldn¡¯t entirely block the assault, it could at least weaken it. Yet, Merlin¡¯s attack was getting stronger as it passed through each shield? The first, second, third, and fourth shields melted into Merlin¡¯s hand attack and added power to it. Merlin was only able to absorb these shields, but this was already enough. With the added force, Merlin broke through the remaining two shields and struck the bee. Boom! The bee¡¯s body distorted and burst into a plume of black smoke, but despite his attack¡¯s destructiveness, Merlin frowned. He had not been able to completely recreate Arthur¡¯s skill. ¡°Is it at the third- no, fourth level?¡± A single instance of comprehension had allowed him to use this much force, but it seemed he¡¯d need much more time to reach Arthur¡¯s level. However, Merlin couldn¡¯t deny the skill¡¯s devastating capabilities. It was an attack-based countermove. CH 59 ??14-17 minutes 21.07.2022 In essence, the Bright Tai Chi Sword utilized the power of Tai Chi to assimilate all the powers in the world with the user¡¯s. To further explain, it didn¡¯t follow the physical qualities of the world, such as a 2-powered defense blocking a 3-powered attack, thereby leaving a 1-powered attack. Instead, the Bright Tai Chi Sword added the 2-powered defense with the 3-powered attack and created a 5-powered attack. And so, it was impossible to defend against the Bright Tai Chi Sword. If the target raised their defense, it would only be added to the attack. The only routes were to avoid the strike or get hit. Of course, the Bright Tai Chi Sword had limits. If the target¡¯s defenses were more powerful than the attack against them, the sword technique¡¯s effect wouldn¡¯t apply. However, Merlin felt that Arthur¡¯s understanding and usage of the technique were perfect. No one could defend against his attacks. Also, using any sword technique to block the Bright Tai Chi Sword would result in the same conundrum. Although someone could try to block the skill with just their sword¡¯s properties, they would inevitably have to imbue it with sword qi to use their sword technique. So, this sword qi would ultimately be added to the Bright Tai Chi Sword attack and further hinder the defender. ¡°Hahaha! I¡¯m not that great after all.¡± Merlin stooped down to pick up the bee¡¯s drop: a single wand. Although the monster had six wands, this was the only piece of loot. Merlin¡¯s mind was filled with various thoughts, and the Golden Pill Immortal Technique was overflowing with aura, but he stopped it from emanating outward. ¡°I now know how to proceed in my martial arts path.¡± With this said, Merlin didn¡¯t feel like his talents were lacking compared to Arthur¡¯s, but he knew that they weren¡¯t superior either. In the end, Merlin decided to train more to catch up to Arthur¡¯s level in the sword technique. However, that wasn¡¯t a fun proposition. Whoosh. The magic circle imprinted on his right hand started circulating magic power, growing clearer. Merlin had a grand plan in his mind. He¡¯d establish a large tower using magic power. Of course, this idea was insane. It was like trying to construct a building that had two to 300 floors without a blueprint. Magic system creation required an immense amount of time, effort, and constant critical thought. Magic power wasn¡¯t like internal power, which pulled energy from the world and purified it within one¡¯s body. Magic power was gathered from the outer world and directly used, which restricted how much magic could be cast. In contrast to an individual¡¯s body that they had complete control over, magic power was something foreign. This meant that as a user gathered increasing amounts of magic power, it would become more difficult to control it. Hence, unlike internal energy capacity, which grew as the user aged, magic power capacity didn¡¯t increase unless there were active efforts to raise it through a viable magic system. Creating such a perfect system when they first started was a foolish, impossible concept. Or so it seemed¡­ However, there was a human who could do this. Whoosh. The jade-colored magic circle turned into a purple jewel. However, this change only lasted a moment, as it soon turned green and became an emerald. /You have created a magic stone: Jade!/ /Your Jade has changed into an Amethyst!/ /Your Amethyst has changed into an Emerald!/ /Spiritual power (Type: Magic Power) has increased by 103 points!/ Merlin¡¯s magic power had reached 150 points or 200 tetra. The conversion rate was half a year per point until the user had a hundred points, one year per point from 100 to 200, and then two years from 200 to 300. This was different from internal energy, where the points were multiplied after each additional hundred, from 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x, and so on. As such, Merlin¡¯s additional magic power in the 100 to 200 range had given him two tetra for every point. In truth, Merlin¡¯s magic power should have been even higher, but he was restricted again by the level restriction. ¡°¡­ Ugh, so annoying. I need to hurry and get to at least Level 5.¡± Until this moment, Merlin didn¡¯t really feel an urgency to increase his levels rapidly. After all, he wasn¡¯t aware of bonus points or occupations. To Merlin, levels simply allowed users to use certain items or increase their ability stats. Yet, right now, since he was hitting another restriction, he felt the necessity to level up. ¡°Test room.¡± Whoosh. As he mumbled this, Merlin drew a horizontal line in front of him with his fingers. Soon, a boundary in space appeared. ¡°Enter.¡± Shortly after, the boundary opened. /You are entering the Testing Room. You will be immobile for the next 30 seconds. You will be vulnerable to attacks, so be sure to remain in a safe location. Please cancel the entrance if you are not in a safe location./ The battle was raging on behind him, but Merlin didn¡¯t give it any thought. If another monster recognized him, he¡¯d be in trouble, but the monsters were preoccupied with their battle, so¡­ Zip. Merlin was sucked through the boundary. *** ¡°All three were incredible. Is this the power of those recognized as one in a quintillion?¡± ¡°Right. I never would¡¯ve thought that three Irregulars would appear out of a population of just seven billion, but it happened. To be honest, it¡¯s fortunate that there¡¯re three.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°If there were only one, they would most likely have become depressed or caught in a routine, as they¡¯d lack a challenge and drive to improve. However, with three¡­ things will become interesting.¡± The two conversed with each other on the moon. Yes, the moon. However, it wasn¡¯t the moon that you saw from Earth; this moon had a diameter of 1,700 kilometers and was a fourth the size of Earth. Dynamic Island wasn¡¯t a planet. It was a separate dimension that didn¡¯t exist in the known universe, and it would just waste energy to build a new object there. As such, in addition to the moon, they recreated a sun with a radius of one kilometer in their separate dimension. These two celestial objects were quite far from the users, so they probably wouldn¡¯t discover the truth. ¡°Still, there¡¯s something weird. Why did such talented individuals have average lives on Earth? Isn¡¯t this comparable to seeing a dragon amongst a pit of snakes? Their abilities should¡¯ve been easily recognized,¡± asked the young man. Then, a middle-aged man with silver hair and a fedora answered. ¡°Put simply, they acted like normal people. They did it to protect themselves.¡± ¡°To protect themselves? Living normal, average lives was protection?¡± ¡°Humans don¡¯t recognize beings that exist outside of their comprehension. One in a quintillion: Irregulars are exceptionally talented individuals, but that doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re superhuman. Unless they possess the strength to match their talents, they¡¯d only be ostracized if they exposed themselves.¡± ¡°So, those three hid their talents?¡± The middle-aged man shook his head. ¡°Not exactly. Those three possessed were so outstanding that they recognized their extraordinary talents at an early age, so they suppressed their talents even before their personalities and egos were fully formed.¡± The middle-aged man had met all three Irregulars in person. Despite being talented beyond any imagination, all three lived typical, everyday lives. Other than the few people they trusted, no one else knew of their talents. ¡°Before their egos were fully formed¡­ then, you¡¯re saying that they subconsciously repressed their talents?¡± ¡°Yes. Merlin compartmentalized and handled this by running away, Cruze stifled herself mentally, and Arthur put in tremendous effort toward other areas.¡± ¡°¡­ Huh? I can understand the first two, but suppressing your talent by focusing on other areas? Wouldn¡¯t that be dangerous?¡± ¡°Think about it, Melton. If you knew something when you first saw it, how would you react if you saw it a hundred or a thousand times?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ I¡¯d know about it better?¡± Melton tilted his head, confused about where the older gentleman was leading him. The middle-aged man shook his head. Melton¡¯s line of reasoning was logical, but working hard in other areas didn¡¯t matter to other people. For instance, if someone focused entirely on an apple and they memorized the word ¡®apple,¡¯ since this isn¡¯t challenging, anyone could do this effortlessly. If anyone wrote down the word ¡®apple¡¯ a thousand times and read it aloud each time, would anything change? Nothing would change. An apple is an apple. ¡°Overt effort is just a way to waste time. However, that Arthur guy kept concentrating on the same, dreary things. He essentially brainwashed himself to repeat the process and not think of other matters. So, everything became justified through effort. Obviously, once he gained this thought process, he believed that effort was the reason behind every achievement.¡± The middle-aged man had completely broken down and understood the three Irregulars. Although he wasn¡¯t an Irregular, his age and vast experience with them allowed him to make accurate assessments. In reality, few Irregulars actually reached his level of knowledge and understanding. In many cases, their tremendous talent was poison. Moreover, they often had their talents stripped away by their compatriots. And in regards to the three being discussed, the Irregulars would also deny themselves and stunt their growth. ¡°However, this world is a bit different. Rejoice, little ones. This world, this space that we created, will allow you to push your talents to 120 percent.¡± Here, three Irregulars had entered. No one knew what miracles or chain reactions this experiment would create. ¡°Oi~ I came by to see what¡¯s fun~!¡± A space opened beside the two before someone stepped out to join them. ¡°Oh, boss, you¡¯ve come- ack!¡± ¡°Miss. I already told you to call me ¡®miss,¡¯ right?¡± Melton nursed the lump forming on his head as he stared at the black-haired lady who¡¯d just arrived. She was 170 centimeters tall and wore high heels, which made her tower over most others. She also constantly looked incredibly confident. Though her beauty would turn heads wherever she went, Melton narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°Goodness, really? Miss? Excuse me, but I¡¯m much older than you. I might look like this, but I¡¯ve lived my share of years.¡± Despite his valid complaints, the woman just shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t care about age. Looks and combat prowess are what count.¡± ¡°Wow! How could someone so obtuse truly exist-¡± The woman lost interest in their conversation, so she strolled past Melton mid-sentence and walked over to the middle-aged man. They were incredibly far from the players below, so it was impossible to see any of the events occurring. Regardless, she looked down as she spoke. ¡°How¡¯s it going? Everything running smoothly?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯ve also found some results that we weren¡¯t expecting.¡± ¡°Unexpected results? Are you referring to the Irregulars?¡± While she talked, she checked the status of Arthur, Cruze, and even Merlin, who had entered the Testing Room. She was capable of doing this because she was the designer and owner of Dynamic Island. Anyone that logged onto DIO couldn¡¯t avoid her gaze. ¡°Wow, they¡¯re exceptional. Their abilities have already improved to this extent in such a short period. One of them has a low level, but he can dramatically raise it if he wants as his skills develop.¡± Then, she checked on the general user population. She watched as the users fought against the wave of monsters in various clothing, using an eclectic mix of items as they did so. Gradually, she started smiling. ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m starting to feel nostalgic.¡± ¡°About?¡± ¡°Nothing. Anyway, in regard to those Irregulars, their rapid development is wonderful, but they hit a barrier soon.¡± The middle-aged man nodded. ¡°Of course. There¡¯s a reason why the overwhelming majority of transcendents aren¡¯t Irregulars.¡± Tremendous talent could also become poison. No, to be honest, it was poison. Furthermore, all Irregulars had something hindering them mentally, and unless they resolved this, they wouldn¡¯t be able to fully ¡®understand.¡¯ ¡°So, are you planning on helping them?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t joke around. Help does not allow one to ¡®understand.¡¯ ¡®Understanding¡¯ is strictly something personal; no one can push or pull someone to ¡®understand.¡¯¡± ¡°Yeah. If we could help someone understand, we wouldn¡¯t have created this system.¡± All dimensions were currently on high alert at the moment. Most importantly, their overall combat strength and the primary way to differentiate between them was determined by how many transcendents they had. If transcendents could help others become transcendents, then scouts wouldn¡¯t need to traverse the universe to find potential candidates. ¡°Irregulars¡­ very interesting. I know someone that¡¯s just like one of them.¡± The middle-aged man turned his head to look at the woman. ¡°You know of a transcendent who¡¯s an Irregular?¡± ¡°No. The being I¡¯m speaking of went the traditional route of making achievements and developing a craft. I suppose they¡¯re incomparable to outliers like these Irregulars, though.¡± Bleep! ¡°Hmm?¡± A mechanical beep rang out, and immediately afterward, the woman¡¯s ring started glowing softly. In the air, a space opened up, and a young man in completely white clothing stepped out. To be more specific, the young man was a projected image. ¡°What is it?¡± Yes, miss. Someone in the New World is urgently requesting a meeting. ¡°Really? Wow! It¡¯s convenient having you around.¡± Hahaha¡­ Melton couldn¡¯t help but smile when he realized that the young man was being forced to serve the woman. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be there soon, so make the proper preparations and arrangements.¡± Yes, miss. After replying, the young man vanished. Then, the middle-aged man spoke up. ¡°Are you planning on joining hands with the New World?¡± ¡°You know where I stand. I can¡¯t contend against the New World.¡± ¡°The Union won¡¯t like it, though.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped.¡± The woman turned around to leave, and a dimension portal door appeared before her. As he saw her start to walk through, the middle-aged man said, ¡°Those Irregulars, they remind me of you. No, actually, you¡¯re quite similar to them, no?¡± Flinch. The woman momentarily froze. Then, she swung around to face the middle-aged man. ¡°It looks that way, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°There are too many similarities.¡± The middle-aged man was expressionless, but Melton was on edge as he witnessed this. The atmosphere seemed tense. Since he had the lowest power level, Melton couldn¡¯t help but dislike this sort of suffocating atmosphere. However, soon, the woman changed the ambiance. ¡°I guess you can come to that conclusion, but it is incorrect.¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not an Irregular. I¡¯m not.¡± The woman smiled broadly. ¡°I am an original, the only one in the universe.¡± After jokingly commenting, the woman vanished. CH 60 ??11-14 minutes 22.07.2022 ***Dead Man¡¯s Chest*** After reaching the Level 5 test, Merlin went to the Training Room. Then, he returned to Starting to find that the west and north gates had already been besieged, leaving only the south gate. ¡°Wow, did you see the tank?¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t just a mere tank. The Bright Tai Chi Sword is a ten-star skill¡­ ten stars. I¡¯ve only reached three stars. Isn¡¯t it crazy that there¡¯s someone who¡¯s progressed so far?¡± A man carrying a blue iron longsword on his back mumbled in disbelief. As martial artists progressed through the ranks, it became more difficult to further develop. Initially, it was relatively quick, but as martial artists mastered a skill, they would inevitably face barriers and plateaus. ¡°They¡¯re defeating all the bosses.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not really in a position to complain. We would¡¯ve lost if it weren¡¯t for them.¡± The man shrugged as he spoke, and the other party narrowed his eyes. ¡°Ah¡­ it doesn¡¯t feel good. I really need to start training. I thought I was talented up till now, but after this Siege Quest, I can see that the average user¡¯s abilities and skills are at a fairly high level. It seems as if every user I bump into is a genius. Actually, I feel like everyone that¡¯s been invited are geniuses who are being divided into different tiers.¡± The complaining two players weren¡¯t weak. Using Insightful Eyes, Merlin could see that one of the men was an internal energy user with two full cycles or 120 years readily available within him. In terms of internal energy capacity, the man was capable of holding twice as much as Merlin. ¡°Until just now, I really hated that term, ¡®genius.¡¯ I disliked how people who didn¡¯t apply themselves and just fooled around would use the term to explain why I was better than them.¡± ¡°Right. I agree. But to think, there really were geniuses.¡± As the two continued talking, one of them sighed heavily. ¡°Damn it. I disliked the term, but now I feel like I¡¯m on the other end. I¡¯ve become normal, and that realization is depressing.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? You, normal? Normal?!¡± As he listened, Merlin realized that the users successfully fended off the monster attacks. Moreover, he also learned that the primary reason the players succeeded was the two users he had seen on the first day. ¡°I see, they were the cream of the crop, the top users. Well, if they weren¡¯t, I would have been shocked and depressed either way.¡± Merlin was now wearing a red robe, which was a different color from his previous one. The item rating was also tier 7 rather than tier 9. It was the fruit of his labor, research, and reinforcement in the Training Room. ¡°Still, that Training Room is really something. Did I truly only spend two days in there?¡± He had spent 32 days in the Training Room. Obviously, 32 days wasn¡¯t a short amount of time. He had spent over a month in the Training Room, but only two hours had passed in DIO time. In reality, two days of time in DIO was only eight hours in reality. Merlin couldn¡¯t wrap his head around this mind-boggling concept. One person experienced 32 days passing while another experienced just two. A single day in real-time was six days in DIO, and the Training Room lengthened the amount of time the user experienced by 100x. If you were in the Training Room, one day in real-time would equal 100 days in DIO. What would the difference be between someone who played DIO and someone who didn¡¯t? And what if DIO went on for one year or even ten years? The difference would be monstrous. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m actually a little frightened by the whole thing.¡± A young child that possessed the wisdom and knowledge-base of an eighty-year-old¡­ it wasn¡¯t an impossibility. DIO¡¯s manipulation of time would greatly impact how human society operated. People who didn¡¯t play DIO probably wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with the ever-changing tech and processes of society. ¡°Well, I just need to enjoy my game-play.¡± As he mumbled to himself, Merlin started walking. Atop his shoulder was a soccer ball-sized egg. Though the egg had been the size of his fist when he first got it, it had increased in size tremendously. ¡°The South Gate is the last gate to be attacked, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. The leader is a Lich. Obviously, it¡¯ll use large area of effect spells, so we shouldn¡¯t group together too much.¡± ¡°I guess we need to equip ourselves with magic resistance items and armor?¡± Merlin gained information on what happened during his time in the Training Room by overhearing others¡¯ conversations. For the average user, it wouldn¡¯t have been easy to listen to so many ongoing conversations or decipher what information was useful, but Merlin had exceptional critical listening and interpretation skills. If he wanted, he could listen to a radio station at 10x speed and perfectly understand the content being broadcasted by the radio station. ¡°A lich at the South gate¡­ then it¡¯s probably leading the monsters of the Dead Earth.¡± Merlin pulled up a map of Dynamic Island. He didn¡¯t necessarily have to pull up the map, since he had essentially memorized all the information, but it gave him a visual cue. ¡°If Starting is on the southern end¡­ the sea isn¡¯t that far away.¡± It had been a while since he had a swim. The Training Room had almost everything within it, but it didn¡¯t have a place to swim. Since the Forest of Despair monsters moved from the Forest of Despair to the village walls, Merlin assumed that the same would occur for the monsters of Dead Earth. ¡°Shall I go to them, then?¡± Since his abilities and skills were optimized for super long-ranged attack, the best position for him would be to place himself amongst a large group of users or behind them. Of course, he did have a close combat ability and skill as well. His internal energy could quickly be expanded through Golden Pill Immortal Technique, as the internal energy circulated through Mercury and Venus, and once this expanded internal energy was used by his hand skill, Great Strength Vajra Hand, Merlin could wreak havoc. ¡°However, the issue is that my internal energy and hand skill aren¡¯t suited for any extended period of combat. It¡¯s optimized for short-term bursts.¡± Short-term bursts. The Golden Pill Immortal Technique was optimized to output large amounts of internal energy in short periods of time. The rule governing the universe would usually offer one thing in absence of another. Hence, the Golden Pill Immortal Technique possessed the weakness of slow recovery and qi absorption (energy collection) speeds. Due to this property of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, even if one had the same magic gathering numbers as another user, the Golden Pill Immortal Technique practitioner would have to go through an additional process of purifying gathered internal energy. Essentially, this additional process would delay one¡¯s internal energy recovery rate. Of course, if absolutely needed, one could compartmentalize the internal energy and use two separate techniques or forcefully increase the circulation speed to increase one¡¯s internal energy recovery rate, but then the efficiency would drastically fall. ¡°A sea¡­¡± The reason why Merlin had entered the Training Room was to remedy this weakness. For him, his medium of choice was water, not land. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s be off¡­ no, wait. I need to organize my inventory first.¡± Having said this, Merlin started walking. He was heading to the center of Starting, where all the stores were located. *** ¡°I¡¯ll give you 5 silver for it.¡± ¡°Huh? Only 5 silver? Are you mad?¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®only 5 silver¡¯?¡± Roden, the NPC who operated the jewelry and fine gems shop, made a confounded expression. In the world of DIO, 1 gold was 50,000 won in real-life, so 5 silver was 25,000 won. Even if one focused solely on hunting for 12 hours, one wouldn¡¯t be able to collect such an amount of currency. If collecting currency in DIO was so simple, people would have invested their 10 hours of real-time every work day to mine money in DIO. 10 hours of DIO work would yield roughly 125,000 won in net profit each shift, which would total around 3,750,000 won per month [1]. Merlin¡¯s concept of money was convoluted since he had obtained the rewards from a high-level dungeon, but for any other user in DIO, coming across even a single gold piece was virtually impossible. Even silver was considered a relatively high denomination of currency. A level 3 monster¡¯s bronze drop rate was about 6%, so obtaining a silver piece was quite a feat. Thus, stating ¡®only 5 silver¡¯ exasperated the NPC. However, Merlin truly looked as if he was being cheated. ¡°But I¡¯m trading in so many pearls!¡± ¡°Right. I¡¯m offering you 5 silver because you have so many pearls.¡± Seeing Roden fight back, Merlin realized that the conversation was going nowhere. Merlin wasn¡¯t a person who couldn¡¯t read the temperature in a room. Hence, Merlin realized that 25,000 won worth of in-game currency was actually quite a substantial sum of money in-game. ¡®Huh? Then did I overspend?¡¯ Easy come easy go, that was the saying. If Merlin had come across his money after killing off an innumerable number of monsters, which would make collecting 250 gold still virtually impossible, he wouldn¡¯t have purchased something like a Mithril armor set so easily. Merlin, who was quick to accept reality, soon changed his tune and started to think positively. A Mithril set was good after all; it was well worth the money. ¡°Hmm, you really can¡¯t offer a better price?¡± ¡°¡­ Fine. 5 silver and 4 copper. However, no higher. I¡¯m only able to haggle the price with you since these pearls haven¡¯t been officially priced yet.¡± Seeing Roden¡¯s eyebrows twitch, as if he was thinking ¡®this isn¡¯t your run-of-the-mill marketplace¡¯, Merlin gave in and nodded his head. ¡°Hahaha. Alright, I¡¯ll sell it for that amount.¡± This was how Merlin exchanged all the pearls he had gathered from the deep ocean. He didn¡¯t have any use for them, so he didn¡¯t really have an attachment with the pearls. Merlin possessed other fine gems and stones that would probably fetch a higher price but seeing as he was a mage that could utilize precious stones, it wouldn¡¯t have been cost effective to sell his more precious stones. ¡°Goodbye.¡± ¡°Hope your business booms.¡± After receiving the money for his pearls, Merlin walked out to the bustling street. The everyday scene was quite the spectacle. Merlin saw a small girl riding atop a large, summoned bear. Another user controlled the wind surrounding him to fly and move 10 meters above ground. A magic user used a flying magic spell to move around atop a magic carpet¡­ a spirit that laughed while circling its master¡­ a man carrying a sword much larger than his own height on his back¡­ It was literally a fantasy world. Scenes that would have caused an uproar in the real world happened on an everyday basis in DIO. No one was surprised by scenes of people riding atop of fierce-looking monsters or riding magic-imbued objects. They weren¡¯t surprised because they could do the same. As long as a user logged into DIO and passed the initial test, one had the ability and skill to do any of these things. ¡°It¡¯s fun here.¡± In reality, Merlin, or Yongno, often played video games, but he had also played a few MMORPG online games as well. Online games were usually lacking in content versus console games, as console games were made solely for individual user experiences. However, online games beat everything else in one aspect. Community. This was an online game¡¯s bread-and-butter. This was at the heart of an online game¡¯s service. Online games allowed users to enjoy gaming with others, allow people to achieve something together, and promote conversation and friendship. Users played online games for this reason. Whoosh! Seemingly in a hurry for whatever reason, a swordsman was running through the street at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour. His senses seemed to be well developed, as he avoided bumping into any of the other users on the bustling street. At that moment, a mage, who was reading a book while sitting on a bench in the middle of the street, raised his left hand. ¡°Ah, Manir. Make sure you don¡¯t set off my defensive spell.¡± ¡°Okay. I apologize. I¡¯m a little busy.¡± Whoosh! CH 61 ??10-13 minutes 23.07.2022 Chapter 61 In one leap, the running swordsman jumped four meters high, bounced off a nearby storefront sign or light post, and shot forward like an arrow. It was as if he were jumping amongst the clouds; it was unbelievable that he¡¯d developed such agility in just a month. However, despite constantly bouncing everywhere, the man was still able to hear another person¡¯s comment, which just proved how skilled and comfortable the man was with the technique. ¡°Yeah, all of that attests to constant training.¡± Even if users already had special skills, they wouldn¡¯t practice them often, as they already had a certain proficiency. In fact, they¡¯d consider the effort a waste of time and energy. Yet, why did people train these skills nonetheless? It was because they wanted to improve their control and utilization of these abilities. While it was possible for a player to improve their skills through closed-door training, their development would be superior and more effective if they trained in real scenarios. ¡°Well, it¡¯s also possible that he¡¯s just trying to show off.¡± That could be the reason as well. When Merlin looked around, he could see that everyone wore different clothing, using their appearance to display their individuality, style, and specialization. And even though it probably wasn¡¯t necessary to have a summoned being walk beside the user, they were there nonetheless, going hand-in-hand with the people being followed by their spirits. Many of these individuals had likely brought out their summoned being or spirit to show off. However, since constantly recalling and activating a summoned being or spirits could improve their call-time, this could also be beneficial, so Merlin couldn¡¯t fault the users. ¡°I like the diversity and flare either way.¡± Of course, some users looked normal and didn¡¯t garner much attention as they walked down the thoroughfare. No, to be specific, there were many people like this. They were just harder to notice because they weren¡¯t as flashy as other players. ¡°¡­ Hmm?¡± As Merlin looked around, he found something peculiar. On the side of the street, he saw a man who looked to be in his forties selling his wares. The user¡¯s nametag above his head read ¡®Aidelin,¡¯ with an additional title of [Mid-level Blacksmith] in brown lettering right below his name. There was also a customized tag, which stated the following: /Selling 7th tier weapons. Various types! Cheap!/ As Merlin continued looking in the man¡¯s direction, Aidelin noticed his gaze and spoke. ¡°Hmm? Did you want to purchase something?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, no. I was just surprised. There¡¯s a weapon shop in the village, so I was wondering if there was any meaning in selling like this.¡± The weapon shop only carried top-notch equipment that was also available in abundant quantities. Of course, the weapon shop only sold weapons up to the 7th tier, so items that were 6th tier and higher weren¡¯t sold. Lower-tiered weapons weren¡¯t automatically generated because they lacked use, so there was no point in selling them on the street. These low-tiered weapons would undoubtedly be low quality. Therefore, it was impractical to gather large amounts of low-quality weapons for sale. Aidelin answered without hesitation. ¡°The weapon shop¡¯s goods are quite expensive.¡± ¡°Huh, really?¡± Seeing Merlin widen his eyes in surprise, Aidelin couldn¡¯t help but look exasperated. ¡°Wait, have you not been to the weapon shop? Are you a spring chicken?¡± ¡°N-no. I¡¯ve been to the shop, but¡­.¡± Merlin thought, ¡®I guess the prices at the weapon shop were considered high,¡¯ as he examined the user¡¯s wares. Aidelin wasn¡¯t selling that many items, and there seemed to be approximately twenty different types of weapons. Also, regardless of their actual size, all the weapons appeared only five centimeters tall. This even applied to massive weapons like the long spear, which should be one and a half or two meters in length. All of these size reductions were to allow players to see multiple weapons at once. ¡°Wow, is this a system function as well?¡± ¡°It¡¯s one of the items that''s sold at the Exchange Center. Those who only carry one item may not need it, but it¡¯s necessary for vendors who sell multiple goods. Furthermore, I¡¯m selling fairly large weapons, so if I didn¡¯t use this special item, I wouldn¡¯t have enough space.¡± This was true. Even if it wasn¡¯t a larger weapon, the stall that Aidelin operated was only two meters wide and one meter long, so it was impossible to fit numerous weapons unless Aidelin utilized the minimizing item. Merlin found this fascinating. ¡°Can I take a look at this short sword here?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Aidelin picked up the short sword that was displayed in his stall. Immediately after being taken off the display, the five-centimeter-long short sword, which seemed like something a figurine would hold, expanded to 25 centimeters long. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s so cool.¡± ¡°You can even appraise the sword while it¡¯s minimized. Miniaturization makes everything a lot simpler.¡± /You have acquired a display item! If you take the item without tendering payment, it will disperse and disappear. If you damage the item, you will be required to pay compensation./ Merlin didn¡¯t pay attention to Aidelin¡¯s explanation or the text box that popped up as he viewed the short sword. From his examination, the short sword seemed to be well-made and of high quality, and Merlin could feel a slight artistic qi on the blade¡¯s leading edge. Then, Merlin did an appraisal. It was a 7th tier weapon. Merlin already felt that 8th tier weapons were well made and that 7th tier weapons were expertly crafted, almost masterpieces. Since there was a [Production] test in the Testing Room, Merlin expected some users to go down that route, but he never expected players to have already reached this level of craftsmanship. It was a 7th-tier weapon. Merlin already felt that 8th-tier weapons were well made and that 7th-tier weapons were expertly crafted, almost masterpieces. Since there was a [Production] test in the Testing Room, Merlin expected some users to go down that route, but he never expected players to have already reached this level of craftsmanship. ¡°Wow, your work is outstanding.¡± ¡°It¡¯s something that I¡¯ve been doing all my life, so I should be skilled. Alas, I¡¯m still not able to produce 6th-tier weapons yet.¡± While looking over the short sword, Merlin was surprised to hear Aidelin say, ¡®all my life.¡¯ Were there people in modern society who still produced such old weaponry? However, Merlin soon recalled what he heard from Lancelot in the [Joint Warfare] waiting room; an invitation to DIO was given to those who had special abilities or specialized knowledge and skills. Merlin felt that Aidelin fit the bill, with his specialization in blacksmithing medieval weaponry. ¡°How much for this short sword?¡± ¡°Two silver.¡± ¡°I guess that would be 10,000 won in real-life money.¡± If it were a cash item, the short sword would be on the expensive side, but when Merlin considered its usefulness, he could tell that the price was reasonable. It wasn¡¯t certain whether Aidelin felt that his weapons were a tad expensive compared to other blacksmiths or if he thought that Merlin might not be able to pay, but regardless, Aidelin spoke. ¡°Do you even have that much money?¡± Of course, Merlin had more than enough. However, he chose to look somewhat embarrassed. ¡°¡­ Can you just¡­ give it to me?¡± ¡°What? This guy¡­ I¡¯m only selling it at such a low price because we¡¯re in a game. If this were real-life, that kind of short sword would be much more-¡± ¡°In exchange, I¡¯ll give you a present.¡± After offering this response, Merlin smiled. In his left hand, which he had used to take something out of his inventory, Merlin held a fistful of some fine, sparkling powder. Whoosh. The fine powder scattered into the air and then whirled around as if being pulled inward towards an invisible axis. Like water in a whirlpool, the powder started twirling around the iron short sword. This was the process of Enchantment. ¡°Huh? Hey, wait-¡± Before Aidelin could continue, Merlin¡¯s right hand started to glow. Actually, what lit up was the Emerald that was affixed to the back of his hand, but that wasn¡¯t important. What was important was that the powder in the air was reacting to his magic power. The Enchantment process was proceeding, and the Enchantment was taking effect. ¡°Angel Wings.¡± As Merlin chanted, both sides of the short sword¡¯s blade blurred momentarily, as if the space around it had been affected by some outside source. Merlin had instilled a levitation and air-movement spell on the blade. Whoosh! The flying blade flew around 100 kilometers per hour, but no more. It wasn¡¯t quick enough to use as an attack, as its relatively slow speed could be avoided. Yet, the blade flew like a sparrow in the sky, and despite the Enchantment¡¯s drawbacks, this new property would definitely not lower the sword¡¯s value. ¡°Are you¡­ an Enchanter?¡± ¡°Yes. If you give me this sword, I¡¯ll enchant one item for you. Of course, I can¡¯t enchant a remarkable property, but any skill I imbue will vastly improve the item¡¯s usefulness. Furthermore, if I enchant something that¡¯s 7th tier, it might actually rise to a 6th-tier item.¡± Since 6th-tier items weren¡¯t sold in the weapon shop at the moment, any new item of this tier would fetch a relatively high price. Of course, items constantly dropped from monsters, and Merlin wasn¡¯t the only Enchanters, so the price wouldn¡¯t be astronomical. Still, there was no doubt that it would be worth a significant amount. ¡°Hmm, I guess I won¡¯t really be losing anything in this trade. Fine.¡± ¡°What do you want me to enchant?¡± ¡°This.¡± Aidelin took out a finely crafted bracelet. However, the material that the bracelet was made from was more shocking. ¡°Huh? Mithril?¡± ¡°Yeah. Can you cast a spell that makes this item contain the fire property?¡± For Merlin, this wasn¡¯t a difficult request. ¡°Fine. However, the magic power needed to maintain that fire property is your responsibility.¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m not going to chain you down just for that measly short sword.¡± With this, Merlin threw a handful of powder into the air. The powder was from the Kalib King Clam¡¯s shell, which Merlin had finely grounded and imbued with magic power. In essence, Merlin had created and prepared magic powder. Whoosh. Based on the type of spell, Merlin visualized how and where to place the Enchantment on the bracelet. This type of image-making required considerable talent in creativity and spatial awareness. CH 62 ??11-13 minutes 24.07.2022 ¡®Come to think of it, that girl must have tremendous spatial awareness.¡¯ Generally, people would usually be able to recall their parent¡¯s faces, but if they had to draw them from memory, from their eyes to nose and mouth, they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to recreate the image in their minds. Similarly, a person wouldn¡¯t necessarily be able to precisely construct a tank or a gun merely from seeing it; to do so would be on an entirely different level. Moreover, in the young girl¡¯s case, she knew how her gun and tank functioned internally, so the constructions could possess ¡®functions.¡¯ In other words, she was able to recognize and accurately pinpoint the location of each line, plane, and even screw on the constructed objects. To construct a simple metal sphere, standard aura users would have to spend an enormous amount of time carrying that sphere to get used to its weight, texture, volume, and various other parameters. It was necessary that know each of these attributes by heart, as they¡¯d have to be capable of recreating every aspect of that object even with their eyes closed. Hence, aura users usually went through a period of considerable repetition to fully comprehend an object. /The Mithril bracelet has increased to the 6th tier!/ Since a simple metal sphere took this much effort and time, one could only guess how challenging it would be to construct something more sophisticated. An intricate object with many parts, like a wristwatch, would increase the complexity and difficulty of reconstruction manyfold. In order to construct this wristwatch, the following steps would need to be carried out without any flaws: recreating each component, understanding the watch''s inner workings, and picturing the entire structure. This was a tremendous undertaking that most aura users would never even dream of, let alone accomplish. And this was why most aura users stuck to simple objects. However, Cruze had gone against that mold and shattered all common sense with her construction ability. Actually, Cruze had never even seen a tank before. While she had briefly seen the exterior of a tank on television, that was the extent of her experience. And yet, she had perfectly recreated a functioning tank and used it at will. ¡°Alright, done.¡± ¡°Already?¡± The speed at which Merlin completed the Enchantment wasn¡¯t surprising¡­ it was fear-inducingly fast. ¡°Yes. The flight spell I applied earlier didn¡¯t take too long either.¡± ¡°Hmm, can something accomplished so quickly truly have a lasting effect? I don¡¯t know much about magic power, but I feel that it should have been a bit more difficult and time-consuming.¡± ¡°Every user is slightly different.¡± ¡°Is that¡­ so?¡± The application of a spell and its duration could be easily checked through appraisal, so it wouldn¡¯t be possible to scam others. Furthermore, the Enchantment spell that Merlin implemented wasn¡¯t applying an active magic system to the item. It created a type of magic circuitry that allowed the item¡¯s owner to input magic power into the item, activating a pre-set mechanical magic system. Hence, the Enchantment allowed the bracelet to act like an MP3 player. The owner would only have to change the batteries occasionally, or in this case, imbue the item with magic power, to keep the system going. ¡°I¡¯m done. Here you go.¡± ¡°Okay, thanks. Here¡¯s the short sword.¡± /An iron short sword has changed ownership. Merlin is now the owner of the iron short sword!/ After Aidelin spoke, a text message popped up for Merlin. It seemed that the system was quite convenient. ¡°Oh, by the way, to operate that bracelet, you need to imbue your magic power or, if you don¡¯t have any, internal energy. Will that be a problem?¡± ¡°Ah, that won¡¯t be a problem.¡± Then, Aidelin retrieved a stick the size of his palm from his inventory. One side of the stick was blue while the other was red, making it appear to be some sort of magnet. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°This is a converter that¡¯s sold at the Exchange Center, just like the minimization device. It¡¯s a low-grade device, so it malfunctions about 30 percent of the time, but it¡¯s useful to kickstart an item like this.¡± ¡°It would be great to have something that didn¡¯t malfunction so often, but the highest quality device costs six gold. That¡¯s an absurd amount.¡± Aidelin muttered this under his breath as he activated the stick. Soon, chakra began to react. Whoosh. Chakra flowed through the converter and turned into magic power before entering the bracelet. Then, the bracelet¡¯s internal magic system began operating. As he equipped the bracelet, Aidelin felt its effects and magic power circulate through his body. ¡°Oh, this is great. Also, the tier went up, didn¡¯t it?¡± Aidelin seemed ecstatic with the change as he nodded and spoke excitedly. However, Merlin was entirely focusing his attention on the converter. ¡®Interesting. I¡¯ll have to purchase one later.¡¯ As Merlin thought this, Aidelin turned to him. ¡°I¡¯d like to get to know you better. Can I add you as a friend?¡± ¡°F-friend? Add as a friend?¡± Of course, it wasn¡¯t uncommon to add people as a friend in an online game. Merlin couldn¡¯t wrap his head around a middle-aged forty-year-old asking a young man to be friends. /¡®Aidelin¡¯ has requested to add you as a friend!/ ¡°Do I just need¡­ to say accept?¡± Merlin was technically asking a question, but the system understood it as acceptance, and Aidelin was added to his friend list. Obviously, Aidelin was the only person Merlin had on his friend list. ¡°Is there anything else you¡¯d like to purchase?¡± ¡°No. Nothing else¡­ oh, wait!¡± Merlin hurriedly opened his inventory. Inside was a chunk of iron ore and a pickax, which he had received after his initial test. Until now, he had planned on putting these items into his bank¡¯s private storage unit. ¡°Here, you can have this.¡± ¡°Hmm? Well, it¡¯s not bad to have an abundance of iron ore. Thanks.¡± Though the iron ore weighed ten kilograms, it was easy to carry the ore with the users¡¯ inventory. And so, the iron ore and pickax passed from Merlin¡¯s inventory to Aidelin¡¯s. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be off.¡± After putting away the short sword and bowing to Aidelin, Merlin turned to leave, but he stopped when he felt his foot bump against something. ¡°Hmm?¡± It was a user, a young man in his twenties wearing a brown coat. The man was strewn across the ground with his head leaning against a light post and his eyes half closed. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind him. He¡¯s been like that for the past month.¡± ¡°He¡¯s been like this for the past month?¡± Merlin couldn¡¯t help but look at the man with a perplexed face after hearing Aidelin¡¯s words. The user¡¯s nametag read ¡®Manbo¡¯ with a subtitle stating: [Tired of Everything in Life]. However, something was a bit unique about this user. ¡°Hmm? What is this?¡± Above the subtitle [Tired of Everything in Life] was another subtitle that read, [Unbothered-ism]. Moreover, next to [Unbothered-ism] was an iron crown. ¡°Excuse me, but what does the tag [Unbothered-ism] mean?¡± Despite Merlin¡¯s courteous and careful manner of speaking, Manbo looked on with a frown. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t talk to me. It¡¯s tiring.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Manbo¡¯s voice showed how much he couldn¡¯t be bothered, or rather, how unbothered he was, dumbfounding Merlin. In fact, Manbo¡¯s indifference was so immense that it was almost tangible. It wasn¡¯t that Manbo felt wary or even shy toward Merlin; he simply didn¡¯t care. ¡°Trying to start a conversation with that guy won¡¯t get you anywhere. He¡¯ll only respond with those few words before totally shutting up and remaining silent.¡± ¡°Then, he truly does nothing and stays here like this?¡± ¡°Actually, I haven¡¯t even seen him eat anything. He just lays there every day.¡± ¡°Dang¡­¡± Surprised, Merlin looked back at Manbo. Although other people were speaking about him, Manbo seemed totally unbothered by everything as he stared at the sky. ¡®If he¡¯s only going to lay here like this, why did he enter DIO in the first place?¡¯ This thought popped into Merlin¡¯s mind, but he quickly became disinterested as it had nothing to do with him. And so, he turned away from Manbo. Merlin had spent quite a lot of time walking around, conversing with Aidelin, and applying the Enchantment spell. It wouldn¡¯t be long before the next monster corps attack. ¡°I¡¯ll really be leaving this time.¡± ¡°Okay, keep safe. There are only a few hours left before the Siege Quest starts.¡± ¡°Got it. Bye.¡± Merlin smiled brightly before turning around and walking away. He was headed to the south gate. *** ¡°Huff¡­ puff¡­¡± Grr. Using his long spear, Lancelot kept the beast that was growling menacingly at bay. The monster before him was two meters tall and had a well-developed, muscular body. It wasn¡¯t exactly human, as it had a wolf¡¯s head and fur all over its body. It was a werewolf. ¡°Ah, ah¡­ Sensun¡­¡± Behind Lancelot was a pale-faced middle-aged woman who was lying on the ground. She had just witnessed an average everyday person suddenly transform into a monster. ¡®Right. The setting stated that this lady was his mother¡­.¡¯ Lancelot recalled the quest¡¯s description that he read before entering the test. The werewolf in front of him was the lady¡¯s son, who¡¯d stumbled across a true-blood werewolf¡¯s carcass and decided to roast it for a meal. Of course, the dead werewolf was in the form of a wolf. Essentially, the boy had been infected by a virus. ¡®There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll be able to save him.¡¯ The werewolf species rating was Level 6, so they were powerful monsters. Usually, when people were affected by the virus, they¡¯d transform into a werewolf that was around Level 4. However, the boy had been infected by a true-blood werewolf through direct consumption. ¡®He only consumed the cooked meat and not the blood, so he hasn¡¯t transformed into a high-level werewolf, but he¡¯s definitely at the standard level of someone who¡¯s been infected, maybe even higher. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be easy to fight him directly.¡¯ Fortunately, the test that Lancelot entered was [1:1 Battle] and not [Escort], so he didn¡¯t need to save the distressed mother behind him. Roar! The werewolf suddenly crouched down, bared its fangs like a beast, and lunged at Lancelot. Crack! Lancelot quickly moved his long spear and landed it squarely atop the werewolf¡¯s head. This was a counterattack that he had nearly perfected through countless repetitions. The werewolf, which had rushed in head-first without any martial skill or fundamentals, was no match. Its head was quickly crushed, resulting in the cracking noise which rang out. Kyak! However, a Level 6 monster was the same level as the dinosaur he had fought before, the tyrannosaurus. While the werewolf did not possess the size, power, and physical might of a tyrannosaurus, it wasn¡¯t mistakenly designated as a Level 6 monster, as it had other qualities to compensate. Ultimately, the werewolf Lancelot faced was the same level as the tyrannosaurus. Boom! ¡°Ugh!¡± Due to the werewolf¡¯s momentum, he smashed into Lancelot, sending him flying through the ceiling. Lancelot¡¯s counterattack had definitely hurt the werewolf, but the monster merely shook its head a few times and acted as if it had already fully recovered. Then, the werewolf jumped outside the building to pursue Lancelot. With all four limbs planted down, the werewolf prepared to lunge at Lancelot once more. CH 63 ??9-12 minutes 25.07.2022 ¡°I guess normal attacks won¡¯t affect it.¡± A werewolf possessed remarkable life force and regenerative abilities, so it wasn¡¯t a foe that could be fought with just physical force. Spiritual power was necessary as well. And although they also had a tough hide and sturdy bones, the most challenging aspect of dealing with a werewolf was, without a doubt, their innate physical damage resistance. This meant that, unless an attack used a silver weapon or was imbued with magic power, the werewolf would sustain little to no damage. Of course, a tank shell or any other overwhelming force could overcome the werewolf¡¯s high physical damage resistance. However, any lesser attack would essentially be harmless. For users with a special ability such as internal energy or magic power, they may be able to put up a fight against a werewolf. Unfortunately, for commoners, even if ten or a hundred of them worked together, they wouldn¡¯t be able to overcome a single werewolf. However, in Lancelot¡¯s case¡­ Grr. All users possessed special abilities. Kyak! Possibly fearful of Lancelot¡¯s intimidating aura, the werewolf ferociously pounced on him. Lancelot used this straightforward move to launch another counterattack, but the werewolf¡¯s reflexes proved too quick. With bright red eyes that seemed to glow, the werewolf crouched down and avoided Lancelot¡¯s attack before leaping up and biting Lancelot¡¯s neck. Ting! The werewolf¡¯s sharp fangs couldn¡¯t pierce Lancelot¡¯s neck. This wasn¡¯t because the user¡¯s skin was tough; it was because Lancelot had enveloped himself in an invisible aura for protection. ¡°Ha!¡± Shouting, Lancelot forcefully exploded his aura and sent the werewolf flying. As it lacked wings, the werewolf was vulnerable in the air. Then, Lancelot grabbed his long spear with both hands and thrust it upward. The aura power behind his strike shook the surrounding air. ¡°No!¡± While he was attacking, the woman in the house rushed out and grabbed Lancelot¡¯s arm. This was a dangerous move. The amount of aura that Lancelot projected to finish off the werewolf was substantial enough to instantly kill most living things in his vicinity. Hence, for an average, defenseless person, encountering such an aura expulsion was deadly. ¡°Ugh?!¡± Lancelot gritted his teeth. Since he had amassed his aura and planned to send it exploding outward in one attack, his ability to control it was somewhat limited. And while he could try to use his remaining aura to surround the woman and push her out of his attack range¡­ ¡®That¡­ that¡¯s only a possibility for other aura users.¡¯ Lancelot¡¯s skill in aura power was limited to direct, linear use, so this type of division and complex use of aura wasn¡¯t possible. After attacking, his control over any additional aura greatly diminished. In the end, this weakness and inability to do what he wanted were ultimately due to his lack of ability. ¡°No, you can¡¯t! No! Please let my Sensun live!¡± Seeing the woman hanging onto his arm, Lancelot briefly wanted to kill her as collateral damage. He wasn¡¯t a soldier who fought for another nor a pushover who was willing to let things go so that others may benefit. Moreover, he didn¡¯t have to expend any additional aura to kill her, as she was already within his aura attack¡¯s range. For users, NPCs were primarily insignificant existences. However¡­ ¡°Fuck.¡± Crack! As Lancelot withdrew his aura attack, the werewolf safely landed on its feet, bounded towards Lancelot, and bit his neck once more. Since Lancelot had just used his aura shield, he couldn¡¯t prevent any injuries this time. Pff! The sound of blood gushing could be heard, but instead of liquid blood, golden particles started wafting out from Lancelot¡¯s injured neck. Beneath this wound was a flat plane rather than the proper human body structure; however, from the woman¡¯s perspective, the scene seemed different. She blanched, her face whitening as if all the blood had been sucked out. ¡°A-are you alright?¡± ¡°How could I be alright, you dumb woman?¡± Crack! The werewolf bit the other side of Lancelot¡¯s neck. Now, with his neck bearing a cut that went almost halfway through his neck, he began to have trouble speaking. This was a critical injury. ¡®Ah, fuck. If it weren¡¯t for those goddamn Good Deed points.¡¯ Considering that the penalty of dying was much worse than losing a few Good Deed points, Lancelot¡¯s words were just an excuse. He didn¡¯t stick to his objective and kill the woman as collateral damage because he chose not to. It was ultimately his decision. Gurgle. Lancelot felt blood rushing toward his neck, pouring out of it as the world blurred and began to darken. It seemed that he had failed his test. /NPC ¡®Terna¡¯ has unknowingly put another in danger! (1/3) / A text message popped up, displaying a notification regarding the NPC¡¯s three-strike system. If an NPC directly attacked a user, the user wouldn¡¯t be faulted for killing that NPC. However, sometimes NPCs would, knowingly or unknowingly, put users in arduous positions where they had to fall into danger or kill an NPC and lose Good Deed points. Essentially, the system judged that the NPC ¡®Terna¡¯ put Lancelot in danger that he wouldn¡¯t have had to face initially. This three-strike system helped users avoid being constantly led astray by wayward NPCs, but for Lancelot, it was too little too late. ¡®Ah. My ability stats have fallen to such low levels again. I¡¯ll probably need to do another reset¡­.¡¯ As he chuckled at himself¡­ Click. Lancelot lost consciousness. *** With a heated heart, I am looking forward to what is about to begin. Merlin heard music from the fingernail-sized magic device that he had placed into his ear. Due to his protracted stay in the Training Room, Merlin wanted to listen to some music, so he created the device. During its creation, he had a simple MP3 player in mind, but he was also able to incorporate other functions, such as noise cancellation. ¡°This is the sea.¡± Merlin reached the coast south of the Land of Creation. He hadn¡¯t had to travel as far as he¡¯d expected, with it only being five kilometers south of Starting. However, the weather and climate were completely different. ¡°Wow¡­ it¡¯s so hot here. How does this make sense?¡± When Merlin ventured around the outskirts of Starting, he found that the temperature dropped three kilometers north of Starting, and once this distance extended to five kilometers, there was snowfall. This was a drastic climate change. Furthermore, when he went east, he saw a vast wooded forest filled with vegetation, like the Amazon Forest. Meanwhile, toward the west, he was welcomed by a desolate, windy desert. These abrupt changes weren¡¯t something that could exist in reality. ¡°Well, I guess swimming in this type of weather isn¡¯t bad.¡± The sun was out, and it was a bit hot, making Merlin feel as if he was in Hawaii. Though the temperature was high, it wasn¡¯t scorching. It was just a feeling of relatively pleasant warmth. In addition, there was also a large sandy beach with palm trees scattered here and there. It seemed like a suitable place to take a break, especially for weary users who were tired and stressed out from leveling. ¡°Gear 2.¡± As he muttered this, his outfit changed from his long red robe to a pair of swimming trunks, which were just his underwear. No matter how quickly he swam, his swimming trunks wouldn¡¯t fall off, as they were essentially part of his skin. This made this outfit the perfect attire for swimming. Sss. Merlin rose to the surface after diving in and started swimming forward. Rather than wading through the water, Merlin seemed to glide across the surface. It was like he was an ice skater in a rink. ¡°We will now start the free skating portion of the tournament. First up, athlete Yoon Yongno!¡± Merlin cried out, ¡°Yay!¡± and started clapping as he motioned pushing off with one skate and slowly accelerating around a rink. Sss~! He created beautiful lines and movements as he skidded on the water, moving toward the horizon. If an observer were here, they would¡¯ve thought they were seeing a mirage as Merlin glided around effortlessly. During this whole imaginative exercise, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Athlete Yoon Yongno has started the interpretive and artistic portion of his skate. Ah, yes. Yoon Yongno is an athlete who garnered attention after leaving a fine impression last winter with his free skating program in- Ah. While I was speaking, Yongno prepared for his triple axel¡­ and he succeeded in landing it perfectly! I expect a tremendously high score for Yongno¡¯s Free Program!¡± Whoosh! Merlin sped up. The shore was barely visible, and it had become a dark spot behind him. And once Merlin reached top speed¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± Suddenly, Merlin felt his legs being pulled down. Then, his body began to tilt, much to his surprise. Merlin tried to regain control, but he couldn¡¯t fight these rapid developments. Merlin¡¯s situation was akin to a skipping rock bouncing off the water¡¯s surface repeatedly before hitting and sinking into a large wave. There was no issue with his water attribute. This sudden loss of control was due to his life energy, or stamina, which had been almost completely depleted. The water attribute could be activated and maintained through various energy sources, ranging from internal energy and magic power to physical power. Merlin was currently using his stamina as fuel to operate his water attribute. However, because his stamina was almost entirely gone, his heart started pounding wildly, and he felt as if he would suffocate at any moment. ¡°Ugh¡­ t-the triple axel was perfectly executed, but the edge that Yongno used¡­ ugh¡­ was incorrect. Yet, there¡¯s no need to worry; the Grand Prix Final is still left. And now, on to the scores. Yongno¡¯s score is¡­ 187.56 points! It¡¯s his personal¡­ ugh¡­ best!¡± Merlin was lying back on the surface of the water as he kept talking to himself. Even though he was breathing heavily, Merlin was still having fun in his imaginative world. CH 64 ¡°Ugh¡­ ek¡­ phew¡­ dang, that was hard. Anyway, where am I?¡± Once Merlin recovered, he looked around. Anyone else would have just seen an endless sea all around them and be totally lost, but Merlin was able to use his Enhanced Eyesight to look further and see land. ¡°Oh, it seems I¡¯ve drifted quite far from the shore.¡± After surveying his surroundings, Merlin thought of something and raised both hands. As Merlin had developed his Seven Jewel school of thought, the magic circle on the back of his right hand had become a spinel from an Emerald. Merlin closed his eyes to concentrate, and soon, a slight glow emanated from this spinel as magic power started emerging. His left hand also began to glow with a golden hue as internal energy was released. ¡°Meal time.¡± Merlin fed magic power to the egg on his right shoulder and internal energy to the spirits, Shining and Younghwi, the former still carrying the egg while the latter held the external Golden Core. Whoosh. Initially, this process would only take about ten seconds or so, but as time went on, it took longer and longer for Merlin to feed his spirits and egg, eventually coming to take one to two minutes. However, once he was done this time, a text message popped up. /Your Wicalein Ring has increased to the 6th tier!/ ¡°Okay, finally. Both rings are the same tier.¡± Merlin had previously worn both Wicalein Rings on the middle finger of each hand, but he now moved the ring on his right hand to the pinky finger of his other. With the spinel or magic stone on his right hand, the internal energy he released to feed his spirits was slightly impeded, so he decided to consolidate his internal energy by imbuing it into the rings on his left hand. Bam! Visualizing his spirit becoming a perfect square, Merlin swung his left hand at the spirit. Surprisingly, rather than scattering or breaking apart, the spirit was able to sustain Merlin¡¯s swing. Although Merlin had been holding back, his physical power was already at a considerable level. So, when his spirit endured that punch, it meant that it was stable and firm. ¡°Good. At this level, it can block an arrow or bullet without any issue. However, it still probably can¡¯t block that girl¡¯s aura bullet¡­.¡± Merlin recalled the bullets Cruze had fired. To outside observers, one would probably only see a young girl using a modern weapon, but Merlin knew that this was far from the truth. In terms of pure physical power, her bullets were slightly stronger than normal ones by about two or four times; however, Cruze¡¯s bullets possessed a strong sense of ¡®idea,¡¯ so they could destroy her enemy¡¯s defenses and be more impactful. These projectiles possessed penetration power that could pierce any defenses that were based on internal energy, life force, or even divine power, which utilized the reflection of other-dimensional powers. Merlin was certain that he¡¯d instantly die if he were hit with such a bullet. ¡°Hmm, to block that attack, I¡¯d need to be able to deflect it¡­.¡± Yet, that line of thought was useless. A bullet was too fast. At this point, Merlin had risen to a level where he¡¯d be able to avoid or deflect multiple arrows simultaneously, but an arrow''s top speed usually peaked at 250 to 300 kilometers per hour. In comparison, a bullet traveled at 990 meters per second. If this were converted, it would be 3,500 kilometers per hour. A bullet was ten times faster than an arrow. Would he be able to see and deflect such an attack? How fast of a reaction speed was needed to deflect a speeding bullet? ¡°No, wait. That orc leader was able to deflect some of her bullets, right? Moreover, he deflected the ones that were from her automatic machine gun.¡± However, Merlin felt that something was contradictory. If that orc leader had such quick reflexes, how could he have lost to users? For him to recognize and deflect a machine gun¡¯s projectiles, it didn¡¯t make sense for the users to be capable of hitting him at all. Every attack would have looked as though they were traveling at a snail¡¯s pace, so why did he succumb to defeat? ¡°Then, that means he used some other method to see the bullets¡­ did he calculate and predict their position and where they were headed? No. That explanation would definitely simplify things, but that guy also blocked attacks coming from behind him.¡± If someone in front of Merlin shot at him, he¡¯d probably be able to avoid the attack. His internal energy gave him superhuman powers, so he¡¯d be able to utilize this to somehow dodge successfully. The main issue with this logic occurred when the target didn¡¯t know a bullet was flying toward them. People can avoid projectiles that they¡¯re aware of, but it''s impossible to react with the same speed if they don¡¯t know it¡¯s there. Furthermore, if an attack is quicker than the time it takes to recognize it, Merlin could just form an internal energy shield around his whole body to prevent any injuries. It would be futile to try and deflect the bullet with a slim sword blade. ¡°However, that guy really did it. That means there¡¯s another approach to resolving this problem¡­ hmm?¡± Merlin stopped thinking as he felt a formidable power beneath his feet, underwater. Whoosh¡­ Merlin held his breath. The power of this entity was no joke, and when he sensed its overwhelming life force, Merlin essentially became frozen. ¡°W-what the hell? Is it a field boss?¡± With that said, Merlin couldn¡¯t sense any harmful intent from the entity. It was just there. It seemed likely that nothing would happen as long as he didn¡¯t provoke it, but Merlin decided to dig a bit deeper, so he used Aura Vision to look into the sea. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Like radar, Merlin everything within two kilometers around him and visualized a three-dimensional field within his mind. Like this, he was able to see the general shape of the entity below. The entity was located in the deep sea, and it was able to meld and blend into its surroundings to camouflage itself perfectly. Yet, since Merlin was scanning for an aura, it couldn¡¯t avoid being recognized. ¡°A squid?¡± It was a Level 17 Kraken, a symbolic mythical creature of the sea that would arise in legends and myths. This sea monster was enormous, beyond any imagination. From the tip of its body to the ends of its legs, the sea monster¡¯s length came in at 600 meters. And although this was its size put into words, the sea monster¡¯s monstrous mass went beyond mere measurement. In fact, Merlin couldn¡¯t even describe the Kraken¡¯s body as a living organism. It was double the size of the Eiffel Tower, which was 300 meters tall. In addition, if its elastic legs were pulled, the actual length of the sea monster would be much more vast. To sum it up, this Kraken was absolutely massive. ¡°Woah! Due to the monster¡¯s size, the amount of energy it has is crazy. It doesn¡¯t seem like the energy is internal energy or magic power, either¡­ is it a type of life force? I should really get a closer look.¡± As he mumbled this, Merlin started diving down without any hesitation. Merlin didn¡¯t know, however, that the Kraken was programmed to attack anything larger than a particular size. More specifically, it had been ordered to attack anything like a submarine or a ship that reached a minimum size. Essentially, the Kraken was a trap monster. The Kraken was placed to prevent ships or other vessels from entering farther south, as that area was a secret space that hadn¡¯t been released yet: [New Land]. Furthermore, there were more Krakens placed at regular intervals to prevent such crossings, so the Kraken that Merlin saw wasn¡¯t unique. The developers of DIO had created the Krakens to fend off intrepid users who tried to cross the dangerous seas using a vessel or other large object. This meant that, for Merlin, the Kraken was a harmless entity that wouldn¡¯t attack him, as its targets were any ship or vessels that went beyond a certain size. In other words, as long as Merlin didn¡¯t provoke it in any way, the Kraken wouldn¡¯t respond to him. Alas, Merlin didn¡¯t know this, so he started circulating his internal energy. Whoosh. Ten years of internal energy expanded into 20 after going through Mercury. Then, with Venus, these 20 years became 40. This was the Golden Pill Immortal Technique¡¯s greatest strength: creating something from virtually nothing. The technique was optimized to output the most internal energy in the shortest amount of time, and though it was undoubtedly less efficient than other techniques, its maximum output easily made up for it. The internal energy that Merlin currently wielded was more explosive and powerful than what a three-cycle (180 years) internal user was capable of outputting. Boom! The stone-like fa?ade of the Kraken was instantly deformed from Merlin¡¯s strike. Obviously, the Kraken wouldn¡¯t just stay still after this. Oom! /Field Boss, Kraken, has made an appearance!/ The movement of the 600-meter-long Kraken caused the sea to shake violently, creating a tsunami. Each of its ten legs was the size of four or five train cars put together. Even a modern aircraft carrier would be fully enveloped and crushed if the Kraken¡¯s long, wide legs wrapped around it. Ooh! It went without saying that every time the Kraken moved, the sea¡¯s current changed, and the surroundings shook. The volume of water it displaced was enormous. It was as if someone put their hand in a basin full of water and moved around; all the water in the sea seemed like it would rush out of it. Tsunamis and whirlpools could be seen forming here and there. Boom! It was a spectacular sight to behold. Even a modern submarine wouldn¡¯t have been able to survive 30 seconds in this turbulent seawater, and although the Kraken hadn¡¯t attacked, just its movements could create a hurricane underwater. However, the Kraken had eventually pinpointed Merlin¡¯s exact location, so it was moving to launch an attack. The Kraken was like a massive elephant to the tiny ant known as Merlin, and its overall size also gave it an incomparable recognition ability. ¡®Hehehe.¡¯ However, Merlin just smiled despite his obvious fear. Facing such a large monster was literally a catastrophe-level event. However¡­ Merlin couldn¡¯t be caught while he was in the water. Splash! Merlin navigated the chaotic currents to slip through the Kraken¡¯s building-sized legs as they moved. Like a speck of dust floating in the air, no matter how much anyone tried capturing him, he would always find a way to slip past. Koo! The Kraken exhibited a mind-boggling amount of power, but it was no use. Merlin had already slipped past its legs. The Kraken recognized this and located Merlin once more as it struck out consecutively with its legs. Yet, Merlin was like a UFO in the water. As if the world¡¯s physical laws and inertia didn¡¯t apply to him, Merlin was able to evade at unnatural right angles and avoid every hit. Although Merlin¡¯s speed was capped at 300 kilometers per hour, his ability to move freely and unnaturally underwater made it impossible to catch him. ¡°Oh~ it¡¯s angry!¡± Merlin chuckled in jest as he swam around. He was as slippery as a tadpole, accelerating as fast as an arrow. The oversized Kraken, which wasn¡¯t optimized for precise movement, couldn¡¯t touch even a single hair of his. Merlin didn¡¯t feel any sense of urgency or nervousness as he continued to casually avoid the attacks, and he soon rose to the surface to get a better look at the Kraken. ¡°I hit it with a pretty powerful attack, but it didn¡¯t seem to do anything. I can¡¯t believe that 40 years of internal energy did nothing.¡± CH 65 Of course, the Kraken wasn¡¯t totally unaffected. If that were the case, it wouldn¡¯t have reacted in such a violent manner. Nevertheless, the Kraken¡¯s size meant that Merlin¡¯s hand skills wouldn¡¯t be capable of severely injuring it. It was like sticking a needle into someone, with the Kraken being the person in this example and Merlin¡¯s attack being the needle. Although being stuck would hurt and anger the target, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to kill them. ¡°Even if that guy stays still and doesn¡¯t counterattack, it would at least one week of internal energy attacks to defeat it.¡± The Kraken didn¡¯t utilize any specific energy or power, but its overwhelming size gave it abundant life force. So, its mass was essentially a source of energy and power in and of itself, and the Kraken could be treated as a life force-based monster. And, generally¡­ ¡°Life force practitioners typically have large health bars. I don¡¯t think I can catch that thing.¡± While it was difficult for the Kraken to land any attack on Merlin, if it were successful, the player would sustain considerable, critical damage. Yet, on the other hand, Merlin could easily hit the Kraken, but it would take him forever to win. Merlin considered himself reasonably powerful, so he couldn¡¯t help but see the Kraken as a being on a whole new level. And to be honest, their levels were indeed vastly different. ¡®It¡¯s too bad. I would¡¯ve gotten a monstrous amount of experience points.¡¯ As he mumbled, Merlin continued moving. He had already traveled five kilometers away from the Kraken, and once the monster sensed that Merlin had escaped to a certain distance outside of its operating zone, it moved a few more times before diving down into the deep sea. ¡°Let¡¯s take a break.¡± Merlin rested for a moment to recover his internal energy and magic power. Other than the small amount of magic power that he fed the egg, Merlin hadn¡¯t used any yet. However, after using his Golden Pill Immortal Technique, Merlin had depleted a considerable amount of his internal energy. His limits had dramatically increased when he reached Level 5 and gained additional spiritual power, and he¡¯d also spent eight hours of real-time in the Training Room, which was two days in DIO time. After a month in the Training Room, Merlin couldn¡¯t increase his spiritual power anymore, so his internal energy limits also reached their peak. ¡°Phew.¡± His recovery speed had quickened, though. Despite the slow circulation speed of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, once he reached Level 7 in the technique, things changed. If others were to see him right now, they¡¯d mistakenly think that his recovery speed was incredibly fast. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m here.¡± Merlin popped his head above the surface of the water to observe the target, still considerably far from it. It was a single ship, but this wasn¡¯t a typical vessel. It was 400 meters long, 30 meters wide, and ten stories tall. It was a gigantic ship that seemed to be in the 40,000-ton class. Dead Man¡¯s Chest. ¡°Wow, is that ship carrying the entirety of the 10,000 monsters coming from Dead Land?¡± The ship was colossal. It was comparable to the massive cruise ships that Merlin often saw on television and in movies. The vessel was painted all black, giving it an air of mystery and making it hard to decipher its material. In addition, the ship didn¡¯t even have one sail. It seemed to propel itself through a non-traditional method. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ it doesn¡¯t seem like this¡¯ll be easy or simple.¡± Merlin used Aura Vision to try and see inside the ship, but he wasn¡¯t able to find the monsters¡¯ exact location; it seemed like they¡¯d implemented some sort of magic resistance spell to block any such approach. Yet, Merlin could still spot 1,000 or so undead that was on the deck. Most of them were Zombies, Ghouls, Skeletons, and other low-level monsters, usually with a species level of Level 2. However, there were also some mid-level Skeleton Mages and Death Warriors. ¡°Should I try pissing them off?¡± When he was about one kilometer from the Dead Man¡¯s Chest, Merlin took out his Decian Great Bow. He was going to use the metal arrows that he purchased at the weapon shop. Whoosh! Merlin effortlessly pulled back the bowstring, aimed at his target, and then loosed the arrow. Actually, he hadn¡¯t really taken the time to aim. Using Mercury and Venus, Merlin briefly caused his internal energy to explode, reinforcing parts of his body to shoot the arrow. This was all completed within the one-second limit on his reinforcement. It was absurd to expect such a quick movement to hit a target, but Merlin didn¡¯t miss. He had already aimed before pulling the bowstring. Bam! A Skeleton Mage was hit by an arrow and instantly collapsed. While skeletons were known to be capable of resisting any attack on their skeletal structure, Merlin had aimed at the Skeleton Mage¡¯s core, and when the core exploded from his arrow, there was no time for it to act or regenerate. ¡°$$!#[email protected]!¡± ¡°#[email protected]#!¡± The deck soon fell into disarray as undead started running mindlessly across the deck. Merlin was able to see this with his Enhanced Eyesight, but he wasn¡¯t able to hear anything, as he lacked a long-range hearing skill like Thousand Li Ears. It didn¡¯t matter either way; Merlin ignored the commotion. He¡¯d anticipated that this would happen. Bam! Bam! An additional two Skeleton Mages fell. Merlin was aiming to bring down the highest-level monsters with relatively low defensive abilities. Since the Skeleton Mages couldn¡¯t prepare their defensive spells beforehand, they weren¡¯t a match for Merlin¡¯s arrows. Bam! Bam! Bam! When the sixth Skeleton Mage fell, ten or so Ghouls moved in front of the Skeleton Mages to form a frontline, with a significant number of undead taking defensive positions behind them. The sizable Ghouls were about two meters tall; a standard metal arrow would have no chance of piercing them. ¡°So obvious.¡± Yet, Merlin didn¡¯t concern himself with this development and started releasing more arrows. Actually, he wasn¡¯t using arrows this time. He was shooting the short spears that he¡¯d enchanted with explosion spells. Boom! When a short spear pierced and struck a Ghoul, it blew apart everything in a five-meter radius around the monster, clearing everything away. Along with the frontline Ghouls, Skeleton Mages were seen in the growing pile of rubble that was left. Furthermore, those Skeleton Mages all had metal arrows piercing their cores. The precision of this attack was unbelievable, and this was even truer considering this was done from a kilometer away. ¡°Damn it. It¡¯s nice not being counterattacked, but I can¡¯t get to the drops.¡± As he complained under his breath, Merlin continued to launch attack after attack like a machine. With this, Merlin expected to down at least a hundred more undead, but the monsters reacted much quicker than he¡¯d expected. Ting! The more vulnerable undead started taking cover behind various objects and structures atop the deck while the Death Warriors, which were able to endure the metal arrows, moved to the frontline. While there were many defenseless Ghouls and Zombies remaining, Merlin didn¡¯t even target these lowly undead, as they¡¯d be a waste of arrows. Creak. Additionally, the undead didn¡¯t just move into a defensive formation. At some point, the gun slots on the ship¡¯s side had opened. Boom! Boom! Boom! As the cannons fired, Merlin could see columns of water rising around him where the cannonballs landed. It was clear that Merlin wouldn¡¯t be affected by these water columns, and the only way he¡¯d be hurt by the cannons was if he stood in front of one and let it hit him. However, Merlin was a kilometer away from the ship, so he could easily see when the ship fired, the path the cannonballs took, and how fast they were. There was no way Merlin would get hit, especially with his agile movements in the water. ¡°They¡¯re like medieval cannonballs, but they can go as far as a kilometer? Those cannons should only have a range of 200 to 300 meters.¡± ¡®They probably had a magic spell placed on them to have such a range. It¡¯s either that or their quality is higher than I anticipated.¡¯ After mumbling, Merlin raised his Decian Great Bow once more. The ship¡¯s decision to defend itself was cute. All they did was reveal the location of their cannons, making a critical mistake. Bam! Boom! Merlin¡¯s arrows and short spears shot into the cannons, and soon, they exploded. This caused a chain reaction, starting with Merlin¡¯s explosive short spear before moving to the cannonball and the material used to launch the cannonball. Naturally, the causalities and damage were massive. Due to the chain reaction, a significant portion of one side of the ship burst outward. ¡°Oh, cha-ching!¡± Seeing the devastation from his attacks, Merlin enthusiastically took out another arrow. Since the undead on the deck had been surprised by the unexpected blast, they were essentially sitting ducks. ¡°Good. If I keep this up and lower their defenses, I can move towards the ship and sink it using my Great Strength Vajra Hand skill attacks. The ship does look quite sturdy, so I might not be able to sink it, but I¡¯ll at least make it a sitting duck for further attacks!¡± If this were occurring on land, the undead would have been able to do something, but in the water, Merlin was nearly undefeatable. Obviously, the ship could¡¯ve also changed course to approach Merlin, but he was much quicker in the water, which would¡¯ve made their efforts futile. Even if he used up his stamina and could no longer boost himself, Merlin could just dive deep underwater and recover. Kyak! However, Merlin was overlooking one vital factor. He had miscalculated a critical point. ¡°W-what the hell?¡± CH 66 A black magic power began to rise from the Dead Man¡¯s Ship. It was a show of anger. A being with weaker mental power would have been driven mad by the collection of evil that emanated from the ship. Even users, who were largely protected by DIO¡¯s systems, would have felt extreme hatred and anger in the presence of such black magic. ¡°Foolish human.¡± Though Merlin was a kilometer away, he could still hear the raspy voice clearly, like screeching metal. It wasn¡¯t a spoken voice, but a voice conveyed through magic. ¡°Lich¡­ right, the boss of Dead Man¡¯s Land.¡± For a moment, the overwhelmingly powerful voice, filled with murderous intent, threw Merlin off his guard. But, he soon snapped out of it and regained his confidence. Mages were known for their long-ranged attacks, but even they were restricted in how far their attacks could travel. Though one kilometer wasn¡¯t a distance that would keep him absolutely safe, Merlin was confident that his water-attribute affinity and unencumbered movement in the medium of water would allow him to avoid any attacks that the Lich may launch. However, at that moment, Merlin saw something strange unfold. When the Lich lifted its arm, one of the short spears on the ground rose up in the air. It was one of the short spears that Merlin had applied an explosion spell on. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that guy trying to¡­¡± Ba-dump. At that moment, Merlin felt his heart stop. Ki¡­! Suddenly, Merlin found himself surrounded by a mist of dark magic. The speed at which the curse spell was applied was unbelievable. ¡°W-what? W-wait¡­ he followed the line of magic all the way to my location¡­¡± Before he could finish his thought, Merlin lost consciousness. He quickly began to sink further into the water, like an anvil dropped into the sea. Blurp¡­ As he sank defenseless and further into the water, fish the size of his arm began to gather around him. Of course, these were not normal fish. They were aggressive, carnivorous monster fish. Since they lived relatively close to the surface, they were only level 2, but they were not to be underestimated. Moreover, there were so many of them! Sss! Dozens of the monster fish bared their teeth as they converged upon Merlin. Though Merlin was strong and possessed many abilities, he would surely die if he were attacked by this group of fish while unconscious and unable to defend himself. However, at that moment, Merlin¡¯s right hand moved over to his heart, and soon the spinel on his right hand began to glow with a burst of blue electricity. Crackle! The approaching monster fish stopped as soon as they saw the sudden burst of light. Frightened, they immediately turned around and scattered. Merlin¡¯s body stopped sinking as he pulled himself together. ¡®Ugh, I could have died.¡¯ More than half his internal energy was gone. Though it was magic power that restarted his heart, his internal force had expelled the dark magic that had infiltrated and wreaked havoc within his body. If Merlin wasn¡¯t a mage, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to instinctively understand the root cause of how he was cursed, and would have died. Kyak! Ki! A black-colored ghost glided near Merlin, just above the sea¡¯s surface. It was a level 8 undead, a top-level monster in the undead monster class¡ªa Specter. The Specter possessed a higher level than Merlin and could fly, moving freely in the skies. This made the monster difficult for Merlin to go up against. ¡®I should hide for now.¡¯ Thinking that no good could come from confronting such a monster, Merlin decided instead to sink deeper into the sea. He hid his aura as much as he could, utilizing his water-attribute affinity to mask his aura with the water that immediately surrounded him. This maneuver seemed to work, as the Specters appeared to lose their lock on Merlin. They began to fly around wildly, without any clear idea where Merlin had gone off to. ¡®Wow, they¡¯re very difficult opponents. I thought, at most, I¡¯d face a magic-based attack¡­ I underestimated them.¡¯ Merlin kept himself deep underwater as he sorted out his thoughts. The ship had a magic barrier that extended outwards for 100 meters, preventing Merlin from sinking the ship by damaging the hull. He considered his next course of action. With Merlin¡¯s advanced reasoning and critical thinking ability, he would likely be able to discover a way to bypass or destroy the magic barrier. But this would take time, and he would be susceptible to other deadly attacks until he figured it out. He had already almost lost his life while staying a kilometer away from the ship, so he would likely be killed if he approached the ship any closer to try to destroy it. Moreover, countless Specters were flying around in the sky above him, and there was no telling how many Specters or other undead were there that he didn¡¯t know of. ¡®Do I need to¡­ use this?¡¯ Merlin took out a blue gem from his inventory. It was a high purity sapphire about the size and shape of his thumb. The sapphire would be priceless if it existed in reality, but in-game and for Merlin¡¯s purposes as a mage, the sapphire was a single-use item. Whoosh. The sapphire emanated a chilly aura. It was densely packed with a concentrated amount of magic power. Merlin had spent nearly two weeks in the Training Room crafting it. Though it broke Merlin¡¯s heart that the item would be gone after using it only once, especially one that he¡¯d invested two weeks on making, he also felt proud that he had created such a powerful item. ¡®¡­ Wait. Even if I use this, I won¡¯t be able to really hurt them. I can only use it after I make them defenseless. I shouldn¡¯t be frivolous with something that I¡¯ve spent the better part of a month making.¡¯ Merlin struggled over what to do. However, he couldn¡¯t come to an answer. The undead monster corps¡¯ defenses were much stronger than he could have ever expected. He had only been able to launch a few arrows before he ended up in his current predicament, so how was he supposed to go about making the ship defenseless? There didn¡¯t seem to be a way. ¡®Should I just wait until they clash with the users? No. It¡¯s obvious that those other two will come and take care of that Lich.¡¯ Merlin was referring to the other two Irregulars. Their combat power, especially Arthur¡¯s combat power, was beyond anyone¡¯s imagination. The Lich wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against them. ¡®Ah, I can¡¯t decide. How am I going to shake up their defenses¡­ huh?¡¯ A thought suddenly popped into Merlin¡¯s mind. Instead of just shaking them, or rendering the Dead Man¡¯s Ship defenseless, there was a being that could completely capsize the ship. ¡®Oho¡­¡¯ Deep beneath the sea¡¯s surface, Merlin grinned mischievously. *** ¡°We¡¯ve lost him. He must have some ability to cloak and hide himself. He seemed like a mage, so that¡¯s not too surprising¡­¡± The top-level undead, the widely known Lich, and Heinkel, the leader of the Dead Man¡¯s monster corps, directed the Specters as they searched for Merlin¡¯s whereabouts, while also guiding the ship to its destination. There were only four hours left before the start of the Siege Quest. The monster corps would have to move on land once they docked, so Heinkel had decided that they must continue on their voyage. Whoosh¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± Heinkel noticed a large wave forming on the horizon. It was not dangerously large, but the ripples from the wave caused the ship to stir and shake. Considering the size of Dead Man¡¯s Ship, this was quite a feat. Moreover, the wave seemed to have occurred far away, but was swiftly approaching the ship. ¡°L-leader! A large creature is approaching the ship!¡± ¡°A large creature? That¡¯s weird. Why would such a large creature approach our¡­¡± Boom! The ship shook violently. The unexpected, rough movement sent several undead atop the deck flying overboard. Kyak! Kyak! The less intelligent Ghouls began screaming aloud. Their abnormally large bodies wriggled around comically as they attempted to right themselves. They were dangerous monsters that any normal person would fear, but on the lurching ship, they were tossed around helplessly like ragdolls. Koh! ¡°A Kraken? Why?¡± Heinkel was taken aback by the sudden appearance of a monster, but he wasn¡¯t planning on doing nothing for long. The Dead Man¡¯s Ship could sustain a tremendous amount of force, and was built to last. It was so large that it would be difficult even to traverse the entire length of it, let alone destroy it. However, the monster that appeared was even larger than the ship. Crackle! The magic barrier protecting the ship activated. Ten million volts of electricity instantly passed through the Kraken¡¯s skin, causing it to burn. Woo-oh! As the Kraken cried out in pain, it began thrashing its large body wildly, causing large waves and tsunamis to form around it. The magic barrier and its electricity spell wasn¡¯t able to deal much damage to the Kraken. The spell could cause pain, but was not powerful enough to do more. Whoosh! ¡°Damn it!¡± It was a surreal scene. Each of the Kraken¡¯s ten tentacles wrapped around the 400-meter-long and 30-meter-wide ship. The Kraken looked more like a moving natural disaster than a living organism. At its size, the Kraken would have probably caused a tsunami just by moving around. Kyak! Kyak!! Hundreds of Specters shrieked out, which would have caused confusion and disorientation for any other opponent. They dove towards the Kraken, ready to attack. The Kraken swung one of its tentacles to swat them out of the way. This was probably a useless move. Specters were immaterial spirits that didn¡¯t possess a physical body, as they existed on a different, non-material channel. Thus, the Specters were immune to physical effects; they were entities that possessed physical immunity. However, what followed differed greatly from that description. Translator Note: The author had labeled Heinkel as the commander of the second monster corps, as there were supposed to be four monster corps that descended on Starting. I decided to omit this labeling/title and use ¡®leader¡¯ instead because the storyline already alluded to the fact that Heinkel was leading his specific monster corps to a respective Starting gate. CH 67 Bam! Poof! The Specters that were hit by the Kraken¡¯s tentacle exploded upon contact. Specters were ghosts, meant to be impervious to physical attacks. However, the Kraken wasn¡¯t just a physical living organism. It also possessed spiritual and divine qualities. It was impossible for a living organism to have such a large form without possessing some type of special quality. Crack! Boom! The magic spells that hit the Kraken¡¯s skin only caused slight scratches and tears; they didn¡¯t pose any danger to the Kraken. This was a show of how much life force the Kraken truly possessed. Whoosh! The ten tentacles of the Kraken wrapped tightly around the Dead Man¡¯s Ship, causing precarious cracking noises to ring out across the sea. The Dead Man¡¯s Ship started to shake. Seeing this, Heinkel¡¯s eyes seemed to burn like flickering fire. ¡°A mere animal existence!¡± Dark magic rippled and roared around Heinkel¡¯s body. Below his feet, his shadows began to extend and rise. He was utilizing the technique that he had perfected through a countless amount of research and training. Although it was a high-level spell, he did not have to chant for long. Kyak! Under the overwhelming aura, the Kraken recoiled. Two longer and thicker tentacles hid among the Kraken¡¯s ten tentacles. The Kraken raised one of them high up in the air and swung it down with tremendous force. The destructive power of the attack was comparable to a sizable falling meteorite. However, right before the moment of impact, one of the Dead Man Ship¡¯s latent spells was activated, causing a magic barrier to form around it. Boom! When the tentacle collided against the magic barrier, the barrier shattered. However, it was able to glance off the Kraken¡¯s attack. ¡°Protect the leader!¡± Sss! The remaining cannon slots that had not been destroyed by Merlin opened up and unleashed cannonball rounds at the Kraken. Then, hundreds of higher-level undead started to climb up to the deck. Then, seemingly without care for their own well-being, they started to attack the Kraken, slicing through and wounding its dense flesh. Kyak! Wriggling in pain, the Kraken swung its two larger tentacles wildly. Obviously, the destructive force behind those tentacle strikes was beyond imagination. Especially considering how they possessed spiritual power that could rip through shields or barriers like paper. Crack. As the Kraken tightened its grip even further on the ship, a large crack appeared across the ship¡¯s deck. Boom! The building-sized Kraken tentacle smashed onto the deck of the ship, and various undead monsters started flying off like pieces of popping popcorn. ¡°Damn monster!¡± A Death Knight wearing a shiny coat of black armor raced up the massive tentacle. Plumes of black smoke trailed behind him. He moved unbelievably fast; one would have thought that it was a loose black arrow rather than a running knight. Whoosh! The Kraken continued to wave its tentacle around, but the Death Knight continued onward unfazed, as if he was magnetically attached to the tentacle. Even at moments where the Death Knight was forced to move backwards, his speed did not reduce. In what seemed like a brief moment, it reached the Kraken¡¯s body, which spanned the length of two to three football fields. Sss! Sparks began to fly as a flame flared up from the handle of the Death Knight¡¯s sword, expanding until the entire sword was engulfed in fire. Then, the Death Knight jumped. The sword blade, covered in dark qi, struck out like lightning towards the Kraken¡¯s weak point, its eyes. Bam! However, at that moment, the Kraken closed its eyes and let out a roar, quickly dispersing the sword qi. The Kraken¡¯s eyelid was strong enough to sustain the powerful attack. The eyelid had obviously taken some damage, causing it to flap around like an untightened sail, but no harm had come to its eyes. Roar! Bam! Ivan, the Death Knight that had launched the attack, was left vulnerable and couldn¡¯t avoid being tossed off the Kraken¡¯s shaking tentacle. He sustained an immense amount of damage after being thrown off. The Kraken swung its tentacle around again, smacking Ivan in mid-air. ¡°Leo!!¡± Brr! From within the large open split that had formed on the deck, a ghost horse, Phantom Steed, shot out and flew towards Ivan. It soon safely caught Ivan on its back. However, Ivan was already in a critical state. Even if he immediately took rest, it would take him at least 10 hours to recuperate and recover from his injuries. However, the ship would surely sink within that time. Ivan needed to take action immediately. At the very least, he needed to buy time for his leader, Mage Heinkel, to finish chanting his spell. ¡°Fly!¡± Hee-hing! After flying high up into the sky, Ivan and his steed shot down like a bolt of lightning. Again, their target was the Kraken¡¯s eye. The Kraken had assumed that it had taken care of Ivan, and was fully focused on neutralizing Heinkel. It was completely oblivious, and defenseless against Ivan¡¯s current attack. Crack! Ivan¡¯s sword pierced the Kraken¡¯s eye, which was as large as a modern transportation container box. The Kraken¡¯s eye was strong, despite its damaged eyelid, but it stood no chance against a sword that roared with dark magic. Kyak!! The monstrously large Kraken cried out and thrashed its tentacles around violently. The chaos caused the sea to overturn, it was as though the sea was being upended and trying to empty itself. The Dead Man¡¯s Ship, which was unaffected by physical waves, creaked as the Kraken¡¯s grip loosened. Ivan had bought enough time for Heinkel to complete his spell. A large plume of dark magic emanated out from Heinkel. ¡°Therefore, I state! I give an order! There is a loathsome enemy before me!¡± The dark magic roared like flames around Heinkel and swiftly gathered in the air, forming the figure of a living organism. It had wide wings and fiery red eyes. ¡°Go, Dark Dragon of Nemesis!¡± Kya!!! The dragon cried out and flew out towards the Kraken¡¯s head. The Kraken was blinded, but it seemed to have other sensory abilities that allowed it to pinpoint the dark dragon. The Kraken swung its tentacles to strike the incoming attack, but the dragon easily avoided each swing. Soon, the dark dragon took in a deep breath and exhaled a Dark Breath attack. Crack. After being struck by the dark dragon¡¯s Dark Breath, the Kraken¡¯s skin started crumbling. The tough Kraken skin, which seemed like it could sustain a modern nuclear weapon strike, crumbled like dirt under the Dark Breath attack. The Kraken¡¯s defenses were brought down all at once. Crack! Like a hawk swooping down on its prey, the dark dragon landed on the Kraken¡¯s large body and started tearing into the Kraken with its powerful jaws. As if it was being weathered down, the Kraken¡¯s body slowly began to crumble further. ¡°Now¡¯s our chance! All-out attack!!¡± Once Ivan shouted, the rest of the Death Knights moved like ants atop the Kraken¡¯s large body and launched attack after attack. Many undead were forced underwater, but they were undead beings, moving corpses. They did not have to breathe, and were completely unfazed. Crack! Crack! The Kraken¡¯s body, critically weakened by the dark dragon¡¯s Dark Breath, was slowly breaking down from the Death Knights¡¯ barrage of attacks. Since the Kraken was so monstrously large, it wouldn¡¯t succumb to death any time soon, but its skin was completely ravaged. The powerful life force that the Kraken possessed was being whittled away to critical levels. Kyak!!! ¡°End it!¡± After shouting those words, Heinkel started chanting his next spell. The Kraken was already in a critical state, but Heinkel refused to take any chances. If the Kraken went underwater and capsized the ship, or something destructive like that, Heinkel and his corps would be put in a difficult situation. Whoosh! A black fog arose from between the Kraken¡¯s tentacles. It wasn¡¯t the same as the ink produced by squids. ¡°Ugh! Is it trying to mess with our vision and recognition ability?¡± Heinkel sensed his surroundings darken, and a chill formed in the air. He didn¡¯t have eyes like living organisms do to see what was around him. Heinkel utilized a magic-based recognition ability to ¡®see¡¯. This made him able to sense what was around him, even if he was surrounded in darkness. Moreover, he could always sense everything around him, without having to focus on any one point. However, even for him, his surroundings had been shrouded in darkness by the Kraken¡¯s black fog. Bam! Kyak! The shriek was accompanied by a shockwave. Heinkel felt his connection to his own magic power momentarily snap and cancel. Immediately, he realized that his dark dragon had disintegrated. Crack! In the meantime, an ominous sound rang out from the Dead Man Ship¡¯s hull. The main line that connected the front of the ship to the back had snapped. The Kraken had started squeezing the Dead Man¡¯s Ship once more! ¡°Fuck!¡± Heinkel grinded his teeth as he moved his hands. He made his magic power act like the wind. The Kraken¡¯s black fog seemed to be a localized spell. It took a considerable amount of Heinkel¡¯s magic power to clear away the blinding fog. There was nothing else Heinkel could do; he had to clear away the fog to save the ship and its crew. Whoosh! The fog cleared, revealing an unbelievable sight. The Kraken¡¯s skin, which had been ravaged with injuries just moments ago, had completely healed itself. Even its eye, which had been punctured and damaged by Ivan, was completely healed. ¡°An ultra-recovery ability¡­? From a being of that size?¡± In reality, ultra-recovery wasn¡¯t such an impressive ability. Werewolves, trolls, and many other standard monsters possessed an ultra-recovery ability. However, it was surprising that a monster as large as this Kraken possessed such an ability. A tremendous, concentrated attack was already needed just to inflict damage on the Kraken, and now it had revealed that it could easily recover and return to normal using a simple recovery ability. Kyak!!!! Crack! The Kraken shouted as the Dead Man¡¯s Ship crumpled. The large ship split into two pieces and began sinking. The many undead within and atop the ship began to jump off into the sea. Those unfortunate enough to land in the path of the Kraken¡¯s crushing tentacles were killed instantly. Boom!! Amid this chaos and destruction, the Kraken raised both of its larger tentacles high into the air. They stretched upwards like rubber bands, extending to a length of 400 meters. The tentacles must have weighed tons, even by a conservative estimate, and they were now up in the air, 400 meters in length. If those tentacles swung downward¡­ ¡°Damn.¡± Heinkel couldn¡¯t help but let out a defeated sigh. He instinctively chanted and completed a defensive spell, but it was no use. The Kraken¡¯s tentacle swing didn¡¯t just possess a physical force; it contained a spiritual force that could instantly disintegrate a spiritual power-based being on contact. The source of that spiritual power was likely just from its large life force, but that mattered little now. Once the Kraken¡¯s tentacles finally reached their apex¡­ Ping! A metallic, silver arrow flew across the air between Heinkel and the Kraken. CH 68 Merlin was the one who had caused the Kraken to attack the Dead Man¡¯s Ship. He had been concerned that the two sides wouldn¡¯t attack each other since they were both monsters, but he was relieved to find that this wasn¡¯t the case. Seeing the battle unfold from a safe distance, Merlin was able to tell that the battle had entered its final stages. The Dead Man¡¯s Ship was the losing party. Though the 10,000 manned undead monster corps possessed a tremendous amount of power, they were at a disadvantage on this battlefield. The undead were virtually powerless in the water, so going up against the Kraken, ruler of the seas, was inevitably going to be an uphill battle. There was essentially no chance for the undead to come out victorious. Whoosh. As Merlin awakened his magic power, the sapphire started to glow blue and emit a trembling sound. It contained a large amount of magic power. It wasn¡¯t as much as the Lich used to create the dark dragon, but it was several times more than the usual amount Merlin could use. ¡°If I let any more time pass, nothing will be left over.¡± He clenched his hand into a fist, breaking the sapphire into pieces and releasing a deluge of magic power. He was still about a kilometer away from the Dead Man¡¯s Ship. If he had released the magic in the sapphire an hour before, he would have alerted Heinkel and been countered. However, right now, the Dead Man¡¯s Ship was in a critical situation, and nobody on board had the wherewithal to pay attention to his moves. Whoosh! It was impossible to expand one¡¯s spiritual power limit by force, but Merlin had discovered that magic power and internal energy could be expended and then recovered. If that wasn¡¯t possible, then there would be no use in training one¡¯s spiritual power, so he had spent two weeks perfecting this one spell. ¡°Gear 5.¡± The Decian Great Bow appeared in his hands. The magic power, which had dispersed and was wafting through the air after the sapphire was crushed, gathered into a concentrated cluster. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Merlin went into his inventory and took out a wand. It was the wand that he had received as a drop after defeating the bee-like monster in the last Siege Quest battle. Whirl! Merlin applied the gathered magic power that hovered in the air onto the wand, like how one would apply sunscreen on their skin. Soon, the wand glowed blue. ¡°Ugh!¡± Feeling the enormous force of the magic power, which was seventy times his own capacity, Merlin let out a grunt. It was numbing to control such a large amount of magic power. It was highly unusual for someone to try handling a magic power so many times greater than their own capacity. Even though Merlin was talented in magic, he was still just an early-stage, mid-level mage at best. It was unbelievable that he was attempting such an advanced technique. However, with mechanical precision, Merlin was able to control the gathered magic power. Creak! Since all his energy and focus was on controlling the gathered magic power, Merlin wasn¡¯t able to expand his internal energy through Mercury and Venus. This lowered his efficiency when he pulled back on the bowstring, but his naturally reinforced body was able to slowly move the bowstring backward into place. Whoosh!! The Kraken¡¯s tentacles had moved up toward the sky. It had extended to a length of 400 meters. From Merlin¡¯s distance, the scene looked like something out of an old drawing depicting the legends and myths of yore. The simple upward motion of the tentacles kicked up a massive windstorm, causing giant waves to crash outwards. If Merlin, who was a kilometer away, was a large ship, he would have been capsized. ¡°Damn, that¡¯s no joke.¡± Considering that most modern high-rises averaged about 249 meters in height, the unfolding scene left quite the impression. A monster among monsters, the Kraken was a true, living, breathing natural disaster. It was a shock just to witness that such a monster existed. The existence of such a monster was just, literally, unbelievable. ¡°It can only exist because this is a game!¡± As he spoke those words, all the water within a ten meter radius of Merlin fell calm. The water around him seemed like a flat, placid mirror. Though the rest of the sea was still foaming and turbulent, and chaos continued to ensue all around him, Merlin¡¯s immediate surroundings were infinitely calm. Whoosh!! He loosed the arrow with an audible swish of air from his bowstring. The arrow glided through the sky, leaving a silvery-white trail behind it. The Lich and Kraken were occupied by their battle, but the magic power contained in the arrow was so significant that they still belatedly sensed the arrows'' presence. ¡°Go.¡± Not caring if his actions were noticed, Merlin activated the spell he had applied onto the arrow. ¡°The Silver Throne of Poseidon!¡± Whoosh! Once the arrow landed, a ripping sound echoed through the air. Frost and ice began to expand rapidly from the point where the arrow landed. Like an exploding claymore shell, the freezing effect continued to spread. It had happened so fast that no one was able to react to it, not the Lich, the Death Knights, or even the Kraken which still had its tentacles raised to lay the final blow on the Dead Man¡¯s Ship. Sss! The chaotic movements of the sea halted instantly. It was as if someone had pressed pause while watching a video. Soon, the entire area became covered in a silver-light sheen. The undead weren¡¯t living organisms, so they were mostly unaffected by extreme heat or cold. Of course, there were some undead that would not be able to operate properly in extreme cold, but there were also some undead who were totally unaffected. Even if these unaffected undead were thrown into the freezing lands to the north, they would be able to move and operate without an issue. Moreover, no undead creature could be killed by freezing alone. There were even undead monsters like the Specter, a spirit monster that would be totally unaffected by any environmental elements. ¡°It¡¯s not just a freezing effect, though.¡± Right. The spell that Merlin had used wasn¡¯t just a natural freezing effect spell. He had truly utilized the wider properties of magic this time around. He had used a malicious type of magic power for this attack spell. Anyone and anything exposed to the spell was not just frozen solid, but also affected by the magic power that moved within the cold. Even the Specters flying across the sky, and the Ghost Armor that was immune to heat and cold, were affected by Merlin¡¯s spell. All these affected beings started to turn black; then, they turned into dust. Plop! Merlin went into the water, without fully submerging himself. Like a dead fish that had risen to the surface with its belly facing upward, Merlin laid down flat on the water. The entire area was still being frozen over. It began to look more and more like Siberia. However, since Merlin had the water-attribute affinity, he was unaffected by the sudden drop in temperature. Even if he was concerned about it, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything about it anyway. /Your status has changed to ¡®listless¡¯! The status ¡®dying¡¯ has also been added!/ ¡°Ugh¡­ it¡¯s not like I¡¯m ordering something¡­ why do they describe it as ¡®added¡¯?¡± Though he complained, Merlin could sense that he had been greatly weakened. He was unable to even move his fingers. All his powers had been drained. That last spell had tapped almost all of his energy. This was to be expected, given that he had used a spell with a magic power so much greater than his capacity. His status window read like this¡­ His internal energy and magic power were almost fully exhausted. On top of this, his Golden Pill Immortal Technique¡¯s circulation had paused. His magic resistance, reaction ability, and magic gathering reinforcement had also stopped operating. The spell possessed an effect that was much larger than the magic power contained in the spell, which Merlin had coined as ¡®Howling Spell¡¯, or [The Silver Throne of Poseidon]. Merlin had used every trick and shortcut he could come up with to execute this spell, so of course, he had now fallen into a thoroughly exhaustive state after casting it. ¡°My head really aches¡­ damn¡­ why doesn¡¯t the pain controlling system do anything about this?¡± There was nothing that could be done, despite his complaints. A user playing a fighting game doesn¡¯t get hurt when their in-game character sustains damage, but if that user gets a headache from how focused they are on the fight, there was nothing the system could do to relieve that pain. This was the exact situation Merlin had put himself in. Of course, if the DIO developers truly wanted to eliminate this pain, they could have done so with ease, but that would likely mean that users¡¯ general skill level would not improve. ¡°¡­ this is too much. [Log Out].¡± /You are logging out. You are immobile for the next 25 seconds. You are susceptible to attack, so please make sure you are attempting to log out in a secure, safe area. If you are not in a position to log out safely, please cancel your log out. 25, 24, 23¡­/ Once Merlin initiated the log out, a cylindrical pillar fell over and surrounded him. And soon¡­ Poof. Merlin vanished without a trace. CH 69 Flash. Of course, there wasn¡¯t a flash sound, or any sound for that matter, when Yongno suddenly awakened. He quickly took off his earphones and got up on his feet. ¡°Okay, a ten-minute login restriction. Damn, I¡¯m going to cut it close!¡± As if he had grown a pair of wings, Yongno practically flew over to his kitchen to boil some water. He didn¡¯t feel like cooking anything fancy, so he decided on ramen. Whoosh. After putting a pot of water on the gas range, Yongno rushed to the bathroom to relieve himself, which was the most urgent matter to attend to.. He then moved on to washing his face and hair. ¡°Ah. I need to make some time to get a haircut¡­¡± While he washed his face, Yongno thought to himself ¡®I¡¯ll do it when the closed-beta period is over.¡¯ After he finished washing, he stepped back into the kitchen. The water was already boiling. ¡°It seems like a waste of time to put extra toppings into the ramen, but I haven¡¯t really eaten anything lately, so¡­!¡± After putting the ramen noodles and soup base into the pot, Yongno emptied half of a new can of tuna into the pot. He opened his rice cooker, where there was exactly one serving of rice remaining. ¡°Quickly~!¡± He scooped out the remaining rice and then hurriedly cleaned the rice pot. He then placed some fresh rice into it, washed the rice, placed the pot back into the rice cooker, and then reset the rice cooker back to ¡®on¡¯. The convenient thing about having a rice cooker was that one could just set it and forget it. The rice cooker would automatically cook the rice and keep it warm. ¡°Slurp!¡± After chowing down on the ramen, Yongno placed the single serving of rice into the remaining soup base. Since he was in a rush, bits and pieces of soup and rice fell onto his dining table. ¡°Argh! All my kitchen towels are in the hamper. I¡¯ll have to use a bathroom towel for now¡­¡± Yongno walked to the bathroom and looked around, perplexed. He had run out of clean towels. It should not have been surprising that he didn¡¯t have any clean towels left, as he hadn¡¯t done his laundry in ages. Nevertheless, Yongno couldn¡¯t help but feel perplexed. ¡°Huh? Wait, what did I just clean my face and hair with? That towel should be hanging¡­¡± Instinctively, Yongno brought his hand up to his hair. Though he had washed his hair just two or three minutes ago, his hair had already completely dried. He could smell the shampoo in his hair, so he was certain that his memory of washing his hair wasn¡¯t false. ¡°Huh?¡± Yongno was thoroughly confused. However, time was ticking. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it later!¡± He took a dirty towel out of the hamper, cleaned off his dining table, and finished his meal. He then threw his laundry into the washer and pressed start. ¡°I have two minutes left!¡± Yongno quickly did the dishes. If an outside observer saw his dishwashing movements, their mouths would have fallen on the floor. Yongno moved fast, but was still incredibly precise as he cleaned each dish. One would probably be unable to copy his movements, even if they practiced for years. His dishwashing skill was awe-inspiring, like something out of a circus performance. Gurgle! Yongno even managed to brush his teeth. He only had thirty seconds left to do it, but Yongno felt it was at least better than nothing. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s ten minutes! Time¡¯s up!¡± Yongno quickly changed his clothes before running towards his computer. He hurriedly pressed the login button, put on his earphones, and laid back on his bed. In the beginning, I was sad. I had no expectations for myself. But then, I expected. I yearned and wished. I wanted to create a new world. The voice Yongno heard was always the same. People on the internet and many experts claimed that this voice lulled people into a trance state before playing a game; but Yongno didn¡¯t feel affected by the voice at all. ¡°It¡¯s really interesting.¡± The system monitored if a user was listening to the voice. If the user zoned out or didn¡¯t pay attention to the voice and failed to hear its message, the system wouldn¡¯t allow the user to log in. Only when the user actively listened to the voice and its message would the system allow the user to access DIO. Merlin had tested this out several times. The voice coming into his earphones was a pleasant male voice, but¡­ You will be freed. Once the voice stopped speaking, Yongno¡¯s consciousness immediately settled down into a deep, peaceful state. *** Whirl. The sun¡¯s rays shone down on an unbelievably cold and windy sea. On the surface of such a sea was a magic circle, two and a half meters wide. The magic circle casted a shimmering light and began spinning. It soon turned into a sphere before spitting out a user into the sea and disappearing. Plop. The user landed, with a sound like a stone being dropped into a lake. ¡°Phew. Fortunately, no one came. The drop items shouldn¡¯t have disappeared, right?¡± Normally, monster drop items belonged to the user that defeated it, or the first user to inflict the monster with critical damage. This ¡®ownership¡¯ over the drops lasted for thirty minutes. If the user did not gather the drops within this time frame, they became available for anyone to pick up. This availability lasted for an additional thirty minutes, meaning a drop was available for a total of one hour. However, the value of the drop also influenced how long a drop would remain available for pick-up. Usually, only the lowly rated items would disappear after an hour. Most other items remained available much longer than that. Highly rated items could sometimes be available for up to a week. Pat. It didn¡¯t take too long for Merlin to reach the Dead Man¡¯s Ship. His body condition had already stabilized. This was one of the benefits of logging out; one¡¯s body would recuperate during the time they were logged out. This was the same mechanic behind the whole twenty-four hour restriction period (4 hours in real-time) a user faced when they died. When the user logged back in, they would find their body resurrected and in prime condition. In Merlin¡¯s case, he hadn¡¯t even sustained any major injury. He had only been in an extreme fatigue state, so ten minutes in real-time, or an hour in-game, had been enough time for his body to recuperate. ¡°Wow! I was the one that did this, but even I feel surprised.¡± The chill lingered in the area. It still carried a substantial killing intent and deadly properties. Now, only a being who could control an extremely large amount of magic power would be able to enter the area. Of course, since the spell was cast using his own magic power, Merlin wasn¡¯t affected too much by the chill and its properties. Moreover, his water attribute affinity protected him not only from the ice but also the chill that arose from it. ¡°Ah, of course. None of the monsters that the Kraken killed dropped any items.¡± There was no way those drops would appear. Although users were the primary monster killers, there was still a significant number of fights that broke out between the monsters themselves. In a normal field, monsters followed a food chain, killing each other off to survive. If drops appeared after every one of those killings, one would see drops appear wherever they went. ¡°Huh, this guy is¡­¡± Walking barefooted on an iceberg that had formed, Merlin came across a Death Knight that was frozen inside a cylindrical block of ice. Merlin recognized this character. It was the Death Knight that had rode Phantom Steed up the Kraken¡¯s tentacle to stab its eye. ¡°I feel a little bad. If we had fought one-on-one, this guy probably would have beaten me.¡± Merlin had to keep his guard up. The Death Knight was here without his drop, which meant that he was still alive, albeit frozen inside a block of ice. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll be winning this round.¡± Bam! Merlin struck the block of ice. The Death Knight soon turned into black smoke before scattering in the wind. If more time had passed, the Death Knight might have been able to regain his consciousness and put up a fight, but he had already sustained considerable damage from his battle with the Kraken, and from Merlin¡¯s ¡®Howling¡¯ spell. Even if the Death Knight had been able to muster up the strength to fight, he would have been at a terrible disadvantage. Either way, he would have eventually succumbed to death and turned into smoke. In the place of his body, there was a drop item. ¡°A helmet?¡± Once the Death Knight disappeared, a helmet made of some dark material had popped out from the block of ice. Merlin felt a little sad that no other items had dropped, but the mysterious dark helmet made of an unknown material exuded a strong aura on its own. ¡°Oh, it looks pretty good.¡± After inspecting the helmet further, Merlin let out an impressed whistle. It wasn¡¯t just good; the item was an extremely valuable high-level item. The only issue was that it would take a considerable amount of time to find the rest of the items to complete the set. ¡°Wow, there were so many monsters here. The Kraken killed so many, but the number of drops is still crazy.¡± Scattered across the sea, Merlin could see many spherical barriers, which were in place to protect the drop items against the chill. Merlin proceeded to collect the drop items and money. Overall, his harvest wasn¡¯t too bad. The items ranged from insignificant 8th tier items to valuable 3rd tier items. Among them, one drop item specifically caught Merlin¡¯s eye: a black shiny stone. ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t this magic power the same kind those ghosts possessed?¡± They were stones that the Specters dropped. Of course, the drop probability of such a stone stood at only 10%. Moreover, the Kraken had killed off many of the Specters, so there weren¡¯t many left over. Still, Merlin was able to find a little over ten of these black shiny stones. ¡°They don¡¯t seem all that special, but these stones are 3rd tier items. They must be some sort of material for something¡­ hmm?¡± Suddenly, Merlin felt a chill run down the back of his neck. It was a type of instinct, warning him of nearby danger. Operating almost entirely on this instinct, Merlin quickly raised his hand and swung a punch in the air. Clang! Merlin had impressive instincts, but he was lucky to survive such a speedy surprise attack. The dark magic had flown towards his backside with lightning speed. Since Merlin had set his spirits to react when confronted with a high-speed object coming toward him, the DIO system seemed to have lagged to allow his spirits to move. Merlin had utilized this brief moment to activate Great Strength Vajra Hand, and deflect the oncoming dark magic attack. ¡°You¡­¡± Heinkel couldn¡¯t help but be surprised at Merlin¡¯s reaction speed. Even if Merlin knew the attack was coming and had prepared beforehand, or even if he had trained to counter that exact scenario hundreds, even thousands of times, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to perfectly counter the attack as he had just done now. This was proof that Merlin¡¯s senses were highly developed. At least, this was what Heinkel was thinking. ¡°Damn! You surprised me.¡± Merlin exclaimed. Whoosh. Merlin circulated his internal energy and magic power. His right hand began to glow blue, and his left hand began glowing gold. ¡°Your magic power is pitiful. How were you able to accomplish such a ruthless ice and chill spell?¡± Heinkel couldn¡¯t make sense of how Merlin was able to cast such a devastating spell. The magic power of that spell was the same as the magic Merlin was channeling right now, so Heinkel could tell that Merlin had been the one who cast it. However, the difference in the amount of magic power was too great. None of it made sense to Heinkel. Heinkel could clearly tell, without a doubt, that Merlin¡¯s current level of magic power was only mid-level at best. Mages could use spells that were above their current magic power level, but only to a certain extent. The difference Heinkel saw went far, far beyond that limit. ¡°You¡¯re speaking to me, yet chanting a spell. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re doing it subconsciously, but I¡¯m not foolish enough to fall for that!¡± Bang! CH 70 Merlin kicked off the frozen sea and glided across the ice. Though the surface of the ice was slippery, Merlin was able to gain footing as if it were solid ground, and arrived in front of Heinkel in no time. Crackle!! Sparks flew as Merlin¡¯s right hand, still glowing blue, collided with Heinkel¡¯s magic barrier. The barrier was like an iron wall. Merlin could immediately tell that Heinkel had spent a lot of time and magic power to create it. Merlin also noticed that the source of the magic barrier was the bracelet that Heinkel wore on his arm. ¡®Artifact?¡¯ ¡°How foolish. I still don¡¯t understand how you were able to cast a wide area-of-effect spell, but did you really think you could contend against me in close combat?¡± Heinkel sneered from behind the barrier as dark magic began to rise from his left hand. The amount of magic power Heinkel was using was easily more than Merlin¡¯s total capacity. However, at that moment, Merlin¡¯s hand, which was still pressed against Heinkel¡¯s barrier, started glowing brighter. Woong! The magic barrier rippled like waves. Seeing this, Heinkel¡¯s eyes turned fiery red. ¡°Ah, hahaha!! This is not even funny anymore. Human! I was wondering what you were up to, but using Spell Breaker? You¡¯re trying to challenge me in magic systems! You really think you can go up against me, Heinkel, in foundational magic?¡± Heinkel exuded an overwhelming sense of aura, and a clear intent to kill, but Merlin just smiled in response. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Naive little fool!!¡± After shouting angrily, Heinkel¡¯s magic power infiltrated Merlin¡¯s right hand and started enveloping Merlin¡¯s blue magic power. This was a method called Erosion. Heinkel was able to start infiltrating and devouring Merlin¡¯s magic power by fully controlling his own. However, before he could complete the Erosion, his magic barrier started to crack. Crack. ¡°¡­ What?¡± Boom! To his surprise, Heinkel¡¯s magic barrier suddenly shattered like a stoneware vase hitting the floor. Reflexively, he blasted out the remaining parts of his magic barrier to push away Merlin¡¯s approaching punch, but, as if he had planned for this all along, Merlin used the push force on his right arm to launch another punch with his left hand. His left arm shot forward like lightning. ¡°Ugh¡­!!¡± Heinkel groaned in frustration. He was forced to use the dark magic he had gathered to construct another barrier, rather than launch an offensive attack as he had intended. Since he had little time, he was unable to create a finely crafted magic system barrier. This new barrier was essentially just a lump of dark magic power, of relatively low quality and possessing a short operating period. But, it had been crafted with dark magic, so it was still firm and seemingly impenetrable. However, Heinkel felt that just having to respond this way was demeaning. For a being who had devoted his whole life to magic studies to use such a crude magic barrier to defend himself! This reactive, crude approach was not befitting of a high-level mage. It was something a non-intelligent species would do when faced with danger. ¡°You damn¡­!¡± Having his pride damaged this way, Heinkel¡¯s fiery eyes burned brighter. He had to preserve his remaining dignity by avoiding defeat. He was determined to block Merlin¡¯s oncoming attack and then thoroughly destroy Merlin. Heinkel used his right hand to maintain his magic barrier, while he gathered more dark magic in his left. Once Merlin¡¯s punch hit the magic barrier, he would be vulnerable for just a tenth of a second. Heinkel was planning on using that short window of time to counterstrike Merlin and turn him into ash. However, Merlin¡¯s punch didn¡¯t go straight for the center of Heinkel¡¯s magic barrier as expected, but slightly above it. Divine Tai Chi Hand. ¡°¡­ What?¡± There was no noise, but Heinkel felt as if he had heard something. With a sharp, high-pitched noise, Merlin¡¯s golden fist went flying through Heinkel¡¯s magic barrier. Rather than deflecting the punch, Heinkel¡¯s magic barrier assimilated with Merlin¡¯s fist, increasing its power even further. Soon, Merlin¡¯s fist landed squarely on Heinkel¡¯s chest. ¡°Later.¡± ¡°You bastard¡­¡± Before he could finish, Heinkel turned into black smoke and scattered into the air. In Heinkel¡¯s place, a spherical object hovered in the air. Merlin exclaimed when he realized that it was a drop item. ¡°Bracelet! Bracelet! Please give me that bracelet that he was wearing!¡± However, what had dropped instead was a pair of boots. To be more specific, a pair of leather boots. The boots had a long shaft that rose up to the knees, like military-issued boots, and were a deep black. They were so black, they might have been completely invisible in a dark place. ¡°Is it a crap drop¡­ no, it shouldn¡¯t be. A Lich dropped this, so it¡¯s probably pretty good, but¡­¡± Merlin picked up the boots, which were very lightweight. He felt a dark, cool magic power emanating from the boots. He appraised the item. @Image 3-5 ¡°It looks pretty good, but the requirement is a problem. It¡¯s not like I can just go out and get thirty points in the darkness attribute. It would have been nice to get something that perfectly fit my personal qualities, like that pair of glasses earlier¡­ oh, that reminds me. That pair of glasses¡­¡± Merlin opened his inventory and took out the A-tier rare-rated eyeglasses that he had obtained in the Seadragon¡¯s Temple. The frame was a sleek black and had gold engravings, which gave it a premium-quality look. Without any hesitation, Merlin put on the glasses. Cling! ¡°Huh?¡± Merlin¡¯s Enhanced Eyesight was limited by the glasses. In the corner of his vision, where he did not have to look through the lenses, he could still see with Enhanced Eyesight. But when he looked straight ahead through the eyewear¡¯s lens, the ability failed to work fully. Enhanced Eyesight allowed Merlin to see tens of times better, but the glasses restricted this to just two or three times better. It had reduced his eyesight ability to 10% of its normal level, and it even cost more magic power to use Enhanced Eyesight while wearing them. ¡°Ah, my eyes hurt¡­ I shouldn¡¯t wear this.¡± The eyewear was described as being for training purposes, but since Merlin didn¡¯t feel the need to train his eyesight at the moment, he soon lost interest in the pair of glasses. He took off the pair of glasses and placed them back into his inventory. And at that moment¡­ Crack! ¡°¡­ What?¡± Kyak! With a monstrous cry, the Kraken broke out from the ice that was covering it. The Kraken had lived through the undead¡¯s attacks and Merlin¡¯s Howling spell! ¡°I-I¡¯m in trouble! I need to rush back into the water!¡± Of course, since Merlin had the water attribute affinity, he could control the ice just as well as the water. However, he wouldn¡¯t be able to maneuver as quickly through a solid medium. Hiding within the ice was an option, but the Kraken would likely smash the ice with its powerful tentacles. Merlin¡¯s face paled as he rushed across the ice. If the Kraken took a few seconds before launching an attack, Merlin felt that he¡¯d be able to make it to the water, and to relative safety. However, if the Kraken immediately launched an attack, he was certain he¡¯d be smashed flat like a pancake. While Merlin¡¯s mind raced, the Kraken unfurled its tentacles and turned around. Sss¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± Merlin didn¡¯t know, but the Kraken had already made its decision. Due to fighting against the undead monsters and the effects of Merlin¡¯s Howling spell, the Kraken had lost a third of its life bar. It had more than enough life left to continue fighting, and it certainly would have if it felt that its life was in danger. But, the seas were now calm, and the Kraken was programmed to only sink large ships and other vessels that tried to go beyond the boundaries of Dynamic Island, anyway. It was not ordered to kill users. Crack. Sss. Crack! The Kraken was simply going underwater, but its movement caused the ice to violently crush together and toss the sea, as the Kraken¡¯s massive body caused the water to be displaced. However, rather than mind the destruction and chaos, Merlin peacefully watched the Kraken as it made its exit. /As if one¡¯s heart was burned, as if being cut by tears./ Music started playing in Merlin¡¯s ear. The music quality sounded different than what one would hear from an MP3 file. The only connection between the world of DIO and the real world was currency conversion; turning gold into Won and vice-versa. It was impossible to download or receive a music file from the game to listen to in real-life. What Merlin was listening to wasn¡¯t something that he had downloaded or recorded in the real world to listen to in-game. Essentially, Merlin ¡®recreated¡¯ the entirety of the song, from the singer¡¯s voice to the accompanying instruments and sounds, from memory. Splash! Diving into the water, Merlin started gathering the drop items that were scattered all over the place. Though there had been ten thousand monsters in the monster corps, there weren''t ten thousand drop items. The Kraken had taken care of over half of the undead monster corps, most had died when the Dead Man¡¯s Ship was splintered and crushed. About two thousand were still alive at the bottom of the sea, but the tremendous water pressure and the medium of water seemed to greatly restrict their movement. If they were living organisms, they would have drowned long ago. However, as they were undead monsters, they were alive. Furthermore, they retained most of their power. ¡®I should just leave them alone.¡¯ Since he had already used his Howling spell, Merlin would have had to contend with and dispatch the undead monsters individually. Of course, in the water, Merlin had the upper hand, but he didn¡¯t have a way to kill off such a large group of monsters easily. Moreover, the two thousand or so undead monsters had grouped together, so if he approached them, it was likely that he would be counterattacked. Additionally, Merlin wouldn¡¯t be able to launch long-range attacks using his bow. He couldn¡¯t control water that was too far away from him, so he would be unable to part the water all the way so that his arrows could fly without added friction. On top of all that, there were still around a hundred undead mages. If they all launched magic attacks, even Merlin would have trouble avoiding being hit. If these monsters were all above water, Merlin could have thought of a way to defeat them. But in this situation, there was not much he could do. CH 71 Whoosh! Merlin rushed up to the surface, shot out of the water, and landed softly atop a floating piece of ice. He had collected about a thousand drop items. ¡°Oh, since I have the data, I can calculate the general drop rate. Since I killed off about three thousand undead monsters, I guess the drop rate is about thirty percent?¡± That wasn¡¯t correct. The average monster¡¯s drop rate was actually closer to ten percent. When a monster¡¯s level was higher, the drop rate would also increase respectively, but the large number of drops that occurred this time around was due to Merlin¡¯s luck. Merlin possessed talent as well as luck! ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ organize everything later¡­ yeah, later.¡± Since he had collected so many items, they didn¡¯t all fit into his inventory. So Merlin opened his residence and stuffed the remaining items in his house. Crack. Crack. Some time had passed, and the ice was beginning to melt and crack. The southern region that Merlin was in was also considered a tropical region, so it was generally warm throughout the year. Moreover, the ice had retained its shape and presence due to magic power rather than cold temperature, so once the magic power faded, the ice started to melt as normal. ¡°I guess I should be heading back. But where should I go?¡± Merlin had not planned ahead, so he was unsure where to go next. He was playing the game for his own enjoyment, so leveling up wasn¡¯t a particularly high priority goal for him. Moreover, he wasn¡¯t really interested in the Seven Holy Lands. If he wanted to improve his techniques and martial arts, he may have considered the Magic Tower Babel or Valiant Heavenly City, but this was not the case either. After falling into thought for a while, a new song played in Merlin¡¯s ear. /What¡¯s beyond that expansive sea~/ Since Merlin had about 30 songs on his playlist, it was a coincidence that this particular song, and this line, played at this exact moment. However, as if it were fate, Merlin mumbled to himself, ¡°¡­ I do wonder what¡¯s beyond this sea.¡± If anyone else had been listening in, they would have scoffed at Merlin¡¯s offhand comment. However, Merlin was serious. ¡°What¡¯s beyond?¡± After stating the question out loud, Merlin broke into a smile. He had found his next destination! ¡°Okay!¡± Merlin kicked off of the large, melting ice block and jumped into the sea. Like a torpedo shot from a submarine, Merlin rushed through the water to his next destination. *** Around the same time, in Starting¡­ ¡°Why are they late?¡± Numerous users had gathered at the South gate to engage in battle with the Siege Quest¡¯s invading monster corps. Many users had died in previous battles, so the overall number of users present now was comparatively low. The users who had died at the Western gate battle twenty four hours ago weren¡¯t able to make it to this battle. However, the users who were able to make it were enthusiastic and raring to go. Most had participated in at least one Siege Quest battle, and some had even been in all three. ¡°Why aren¡¯t they coming?¡± However, their eyes that had glowed with enthusiasm slowly grew more upset and confused. The expected time of arrival had passed, but there was no undead monster corps in sight. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Enhanced Eyesight users, do you guys see anything?¡± ¡°Nothing. I don¡¯t even see a trail of dust anywhere.¡± Feeling that something was off, some of the archer-type users went up to the watchtowers to get a better view of the surroundings. However, they too didn¡¯t see anything. Some of the more accomplished Enhanced Eyesight users could see all the way to the sea¡¯s shore, but none of them had the ability to see far into the sea, where they would have seen the decrepit remains of the Dead Man¡¯s Ship. ¡°Is the Lich planning on using teleport?¡± ¡°Teleporting a monster corps of ten thousand monsters¡­ are you serious? Just because you¡¯re not a mage doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s okay to spout such nonsense.¡± The sound of grumbling and bickering grew from the gathered group of users. Some began to repeatedly refresh the Announcement Board, and some even started patrolling the area around the gate, as they suspected that the monster corps may be approaching them using a massive invisibility spell. However, most of the gathered users just waited patiently. ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a rush. The Announcement Board wouldn¡¯t have said that the monster corps would attack the South gate and have the monster corps attack some other place, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, that makes sense.¡± ¡°If we just wait here a bit, we¡¯ll also have reinforcements from those users who died in the last battle. A little bit of extra time isn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing.¡± The users murmured in agreement and seemed to reach a logical conclusion. However, no matter how long they waited¡­ The monster corps, the Undead army, would never make an appearance. ***End of Test*** DIO, or Dynamic Island Online, was operated on an island, as the name suggests. Though the setting for the online game was an island, this didn¡¯t mean that gameplay or space was limited. The diameter of Dynamic Island spanned six hundred kilometers. Considering that the distance between Seoul and Busan is about three hundred kilometers, the size of Dynamic Island was as large as many modern nations. Moreover, Dynamic Island only contained Starting, some hunting fields, some other villages, and the Seven Holy Lands. There wasn¡¯t even a village for NPCs. Additionally, quests and tests were usually conducted in a separate space, outside of Dynamic Island¡¯s physical space, in order to maximize efficiency. Thus, DIO could easily host billions of users with ease, without overcrowding. DIO therefore wouldn¡¯t face problems like not having enough hunting areas or villages. In fact, the map of DIO was so large, many users faced problems when crisscrossing within the large island to move from one village to another. Tap. Tap. A mid-twenties looking man ran on a stone-tiled road. He was running one hundred meters every twelve seconds, but in the world of DIO, this type of speed was nothing to write home about. Even magic users, if they invested some points into physical power and muscular power, could reach these speeds. However, this man was not a magic user, but a fighter; an aura user. The only reason he was running so slowly was because he had exhausted all his energy and strength. ¡°Ugh!!¡± Upon arriving at his destination, he started vomiting. However, he hadn¡¯t eaten anything in a long time, so all that came up was his stomach bile. Steam rose from every part of his body. His aura had all been used up. He was completely empty. ¡°Ugh¡­ huff¡­ I still have a long way to go, but two hours and fifty five minutes have already passed¡­¡± The young man, Lancelot, caught his breath and straightened himself up. In front of him was the gate that led to the holy land for aura users: Thousand Scent¡¯s Land. There was a large sculpture of a dragon at the entrance to the gate, representing Thousand Scent, the white dragon who was overseer and administrator of this holy land. Bang! Bang! Lancelot¡¯s hands shook as he took off his gloves and threw them to the ground, which caused two heavy banging sounds to ring out. At first glance, it seemed that the gloves were made of a cloth-like material, but the gloves were actually made from solid iron, each weighing around five kilograms. Of course, for users with special skills, five kilograms wouldn¡¯t have presented much of a burden. But a mass increasing spell had been applied, causing the gloves to weigh in at fifteen kilograms each. Additionally, the mass increasing spell wasn¡¯t just applied to his gloves; they were also applied to his boots, which now weighed fifteen kilograms each as well, and his vest, which now weighed eighty kilograms. In total, Lancelot was lugging around an additional one hundred and forty kilograms due to the mass-increasing spell. ¡°My top speed is one hundred kilometers per hour, but it took me almost three hours¡­ I don¡¯t have enough stamina, and I already used up all my aura at the halfway point.¡± Outside of Starting, there were seven other developed lands that users could go to. Among these seven lands, the closest was Thousand Scent¡¯s Land. Though it was the closest developed land outside of Starting, it was still one hundred kilometers away from Starting. It was the same distance from Seoul to Chun-An. Lancelot had traversed this distance on foot, running non-stop. ¡°What can I do though¡­ The gate price is too expensive.¡± Users could pool together and pay to be teleported using a gate system; however, since most of the users had been busy with the Siege Quest, Lancelot had not been able to find anyone else to divide the cost of the teleportation gate. He had decided to run to save some money, and also to train. He was fortunate that his destination was Thousand Scent¡¯s Land rather than Babel, which was three hundred kilometers away from Starting, and the furthest holy land from the beginner village. Moreover, the path to Babel was winding, so users traveling by foot would have to traverse closer to four hundred kilometers. ¡°Those aura points I lost on my last death are really coming back to haunt me.¡± Lancelot had taken his gloves off to wipe his sweat. After he did so, he put his gloves back on and changed into normal attire. He knew that simply running to train wasn¡¯t enough, but his aura capacity had already been fully emptied, and his main purpose in visiting Thousand Scent¡¯s Land wasn¡¯t to train anyway. ¡°Welcome to Thousand Scent¡¯s Land, Mr. Lancelot.¡± A beautiful blonde-haired woman bowed as she spoke aloud. Atop her head was her name tag, which read [Guard Delila 7]. It was the same type of guard that was placed in all eight developed lands. Like those in Starting, the NPC Delila in Thousand Scent¡¯s Land was also well built and had an outward appearance that rivaled that of a model or celebrity in real life. However, Delila was just another beautiful NPC, one of many. Lancelot was certain that there were 99 other Delilas walking around somewhere within this city. ¡°You¡¯re sweating profusely. Shall I tidy you up?¡± A blue-haired girl with a name tag that read [Guard Kara 7] approached Lancelot. Hearing what she said, Lancelot looked perplexed. ¡°Tidy me up? What does that mean?¡± ¡°Ohohoho. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t be the one who helps you tidy up.¡± Once she finished speaking, a cool breeze blew in from nowhere and gathered several droplets of Lancelot¡¯s sweat. The sweat morphed and materialized into a small girl, so small that she could fit inside one¡¯s palm. Kara had used a spirit technique to summon a spirit using Lancelot¡¯s sweat. ¡°Ah, I see. I would be very grateful, thank you.¡± Once Lancelot answered in the affirmative, Guard Kara 7 gently waved her hands and instantly collected all the remaining sweat on Lancelot¡¯s body. While Kara was doing this, Lancelot assessed her aura. He didn¡¯t really have any specific reason for doing this, he was just curious what power the NPC used to conduct her spirit summoning technique. ¡®She¡¯s an aura user.¡¯ Moreover, she was a high-leveled expert. This was to be expected, as all the guards in DIO were stationed to protect and guard DIO, so every one of them were at a level of ten or above. If Guard Kara 7, who was still collecting all the sweat off his body, ever decided to attack Lancelot, he would be dead within seconds. CH 72 ¡°I feel refreshed and clean. It must have been a bit of a bother for you. Thank you very much.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing better for us to do right now anyway.¡± The NPC winked after she spoke, in a way that would have caused most men to fall in love instantly. However, Lancelot just respectfully bowed to her before continuing through the gate into Thousand Scent¡¯s Land. Thousand Scent¡¯s Land was fairly empty, probably because most users were out participating in the Siege Quest. ¡°Let¡¯s see, Thousand Scent should be¡­¡± Lancelot covered both his eyes with his left hand and waited for a brief moment, until a map appeared in his field of vision. The normal map didn¡¯t show the specific location of users and objectives like the mini-maps on the level-up exams, but Lancelot could estimate the general area where Thousand Scent should be, based on the geographical layout of the land. It also helped that Thousand Scent didn¡¯t venture too far from her designated area. ¡°Hmm? First time seeing you here.¡± ¡°Ah, yes ma¡¯am. I just reached level six.¡± The Seven Holy Lands all had an outer and inner city area. In the outer city area, vendors sold general books and provided fee-based classes. Both services were provided to the general public. In the inner city, they sold higher-level books and provided skill-specific classes from Grand Masters. A user had to be at least level six to access the services provided in the inner city. This differentiation was in an effort to avoid overburdening the Grand Masters. ¡°You don¡¯t have to speak so respectfully. I look much younger anyway.¡± Many would have mistaken Thousand Scent as just another young girl. She split her hair into two ponytails, which ran down all the way to her hips. Most people would think that she was a teen, and possibly a very young teen at that. However, she was young only in appearance; at the very least, she had lived a life ten times, and even fifty times longer than any of the users. ¡°Hahaha, still, I came to receive some instruction and learn, so I should still be respectful.¡± ¡°To learn?¡± If users were constantly asking to become her disciple, she would likely not have given Lancelot another look. However, not many people came to receive lessons from a Grand Master. Most users could gain knowledge from books and train in the training grounds, and this was usually enough for most users to accomplish what they sought. Though the number of users was large, the instructors at every holy land were as available as the many Maris who existed in the beginner zone. Since there were many instructor copies, they presented an ample opportunity to receive valuable one-on-one instruction. Of course, Thousand Scent was on a whole different level of strength and power compared to these Grand Master instructors. But a user¡¯s development was based on how much effort they put into learning something, not how powerful their teacher was. ¡°To be more specific, I have something to ask. The instructors here haven¡¯t been able to properly provide an answer.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your question?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m not able to reveal or manifest my affinity or specific skill set.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a level six user, yet you haven¡¯t been able to?¡± Usually, once a user reached level five, they would have a general sense of which attribute affinity and skill set was appropriate for them. Hearing that Lancelot had not yet found his path, Thousand Scents¡¯ eyes grew round in surprise. Even if Lancelot had realized or materialized his specialized skill set or attribute affinity, he would be at the earliest stages of development. To not even have an idea of one¡¯s specific skill set or attribute affinity was unheard of. ¡°Can you show me your aura?¡± Lancelot complied and materialized his aura. His aura power had been weakened by the journey to Thousand Scent¡¯s Land. He knew that what Thousand Scent wanted to see was the aura itself, not its strength, so Lancelot didn¡¯t have any qualms about revealing his weakened aura. Clap! Lancelot flinched, taken aback by Thousand Scent¡¯s sudden clap. He gave her a confused look, but Thousand Scent paid no attention to his expression, as she was focused on reading his aura. ¡°Focus your aura on your right shoulder.¡± ¡°My shoulder?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Please wait, one moment.¡± Lancelot moved his aura to his right shoulder as requested. Thousand Scents¡¯ eyes narrowed as she read Lancelot¡¯s aura movements as he moved his aura to his right shoulder. ¡®He just doesn¡¯t possess any talent.¡¯ Thousand Scent was left momentarily speechless at her realization. There wasn¡¯t a specific reason why Lancelot couldn¡¯t realize and manifest his special skill set or attribute affinity. It was the same reason why early level users couldn¡¯t realize their special skill set or attribute affinity; they just didn¡¯t have enough talent or were unskilled. ¡®My goodness, to not be able to realize or manifest a special skill set or attribute affinity up to level six¡­¡¯ This kind of case didn¡¯t happen very often. However, this didn¡¯t mean that Lancelot was the only user to ever be in this position. Though Lancelot was unskilled and possessed no talent, there were many others just like him. If talented people existed, it was only natural for unskilled and untalented people to exist too. However, this was Thousand Scent¡¯s first time seeing one, as users who lacked skill and talent did not make it beyond level five. ¡®How did he reach level six? Wait, before that, why was he even chosen as a beta tester?¡¯ She now understood why the other instructors couldn¡¯t answer his question. Lancelot¡¯s aura control ability was similar to someone who was using aura for the first time. The reason he couldn¡¯t manifest his special skill set was due to the same reason, his unskilled use of aura. Somehow, though, he had made it to level six. What made the situation more unbelievable was that Lancelot had not even properly trained his aura control. ¡°Hmm, would you mind launching an attack at me?¡± ¡°Launch an attack? But¡­¡± ¡°No need to be concerned for me. Even if you attack as though your life depends on it, I¡¯ll be able to defend with just my pinky finger.¡± Thousand Scent smiled. She did not speak with overconfidence, she was only telling Lancelot the truth. ¡°Well, if you put it that way¡­¡± Lancelot¡¯s readiness to launch a spear attack wasn¡¯t quite normal either. Since it was well known that Thousand Scent was powerful, and because he was a visitor in an area that he had just set foot in, it would have been normal for Lancelot to hesitate before acting. However, Thousand Scent didn¡¯t see his instant preparedness as something to frown upon. ¡°You may start when ready.¡± Ping! As soon as she finished her words, Lancelot lunged with his spear, as quick as lightning. He moved his body at an optimal angle, properly shifted the weight of his spear, gauged the speed at which he thrust, and properly channeled what little aura he had left into this single attack. ¡®A proper thrust!¡¯ Thousand Scent took a step to the left, dodging the attack. She couldn¡¯t help but be surprised at Lancelot¡¯s refined movement, which was totally at odds with her evaluation of his skills when he moved his aura. Her step to the left was simple, yet it allowed her to completely avoid his attack. Whoosh. Thousand Scents¡¯ palm made its way towards Lancelot¡¯s side. She attacked slowly on purpose in order to observe how he¡¯d react, but¡­ Lancelot just took the attack. ¡°Huh?¡± Thousand Scent looked perplexed as she watched Lancelot fly three to four meters before crashing into a wall. His attack had been so balanced and quick, yet he couldn¡¯t even counter such a simple attack. She quickly ran over to help Lancelot up, but Lancelot just shook his head, reassuring her that he was fine. ¡°I apologize. I couldn¡¯t react.¡± ¡°My attack wasn¡¯t so quick as to not even be seen¡­¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t recognize your attack, I do have eyes. However, I was a step¡­ no, two steps late in shifting my aura. If I hadn¡¯t even used aura in the first place, then I may have been able to react in time, but then, there wouldn¡¯t have been any significant power behind my movement¡­¡± Lancelot was stating that it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t recognize Thousand Scents¡¯ attack but that he wasn¡¯t able to control his aura to counter the attack. This inability fit better with Thousand Scents¡¯ initial assessment of Lancelot. She had just been thrown off by how balanced and sharp his spear strike had come in. She now understood how Lancelot was able to launch such a quick attack. ¡®Innumerable hours of training¡­¡¯ Lancelot must have practiced and trained that exact spear move ten, hundreds, no, thousands of times. He had repeated the movement so many times that his body and aura had virtually memorized what movements it had to make. This allowed him to successfully launch an attack that went far beyond his own reaction speed. If an opponent defended the attack and countered, he wouldn¡¯t be able to respond, just as he had been unable to respond to Thousand Scent¡¯s palm attack. ¡°So, do you know the reason why I¡¯m not able to realize my special skill set or attribute affinity?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. I know, but¡­¡± She was certain. Simply put, he had no talent. However, stating something like that so blatantly would be too cruel. While Thousand Scent pondered on how to respond, another user showed up. ¡°Ah, so annoying!¡± ¡°Ms. Cruze?¡± ¡°Why the hell didn¡¯t they come! I was going to make sure that I killed off the boss this time around!¡± Cruze¡¯s aura roared around her as if visually representing just how angry she was. For her aura to move with this much ferocity just from her emotional outburst, one could easily tell that Cruze¡¯s aura ability and talent was tens if not hundreds of times greater than Lancelot¡¯s. Of course, Cruze did have about ten times more aura power, as Lancelot had only one hundred points in aura power. Moreover, since Lancelot had died a few times, his aura power capacity cap had been forcibly lowered. However, the difference in how the two used aura alone was enough for anyone to easily see that Cruze was leagues above Lancelot in aura ability, usage, and talent. ¡®That overwhelming aura¡­ is she that Master that everyone¡¯s been talking about?¡¯ During one of the Siege Quest battles, from a distance, Lancelot had only seen her launch a few cannon attacks. But, he had heard countless rumors about her. She was currently one of two Master-level users in DIO; someone who was popularly known as a ¡®named¡¯ user. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°The Siege Quest battle began, but the Undead army never showed up. It felt like the Announcement Board was trolling us.¡± Cruze huffed and puffed and complained some more before slamming herself down onto a chair. Seemingly used to seeing this sort of behavior, Thousand Scent gave a good-natured smile and said, ¡°Shall I make some tea?¡± ¡°That would be nice, thanks. Ah, I¡¯d like an apple too, since you¡¯re offering.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± ¡°Do you have any idea what happened to the Undead army?¡± Cruze spoke to Thousand Scent as if Lancelot didn¡¯t even exist. However, Lancelot didn¡¯t feel offended or put off by her behavior. Not because of his good nature, but because something else had caught his eye. CH 73 Slip. Without going through the arduous process of realization and understanding, Lancelot, an aura user himself, was able to clearly see Cruze¡¯s aura. Of course, since Cruze¡¯s aura ability was much greater than his, she could have hidden her aura and its properties if she wanted, but Cruze didn¡¯t feel the need, so Lancelot was able to see her aura flickering above her right shoulder. Moreover, it was not formless as auras typically are. It was shaped like a hand. The hand-shaped aura rose up to a nearby apple tree and plucked off an apple. Normally, when an object made contact with a materialized aura, the object would be greatly affected in some way; the object may explode, burn, be worn out, or crumble. However, the apple was unaffected. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Since it was put up on the Announcement Board, the Undead army surely set out¡­ since the Undead army set off from a southern island, perhaps their ship sank?¡± Lancelot couldn¡¯t help but be surprised after seeing Cruze take a bite out of her apple. Just moving his aura from his right hand to left hand took a tremendous amount of focus and concentration to do, never mind forming an aura shield around himself, which often left him drenched in sweat. However, Cruze was able to carry a casual conversation while materializing her aura to pluck an apple, and bringing it to herself totally unaffected and whole. She didn¡¯t even seem to have done any of it consciously; she seemed to be more focused on her complaints and conversation than controlling her aura. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense. There¡¯s no way a ship carrying ten thousand undead and a Lich could sink so easily.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ well, I don¡¯t have any information, so I don¡¯t know either. Maybe they awakened an inner peace that resided deep within their hearts.¡± ¡°What the hell kind of awakening is that¡­¡± Even if he was being generous, Lancelot could only see the idol-like cute girl in front of him as a middle school student, or a high school student at best. Additionally, Cruze was a beauty; even with the relatively young-looking and beautiful NPC next to her, Cruze stood out. Cruze¡¯s looks would better suit being on television than in an online game, in a few years¡¯ time. Relative to Cruze¡¯s aura ability, Lancelot felt incredibly inferior. Of course, he didn¡¯t feel a sense of rivalry, or anything of that sort. How could he, when the divide between them was so huge? Lancelot had simply realized the reality of his situation. Once he realized this, he understood why his special skill set and attribute affinity was not showing up. ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± ¡°Eh? But¡­¡± ¡°No. If I stay any longer and take up more of your time, I¡¯ll just be a nuisance.¡± Without even hearing Thousand Scent¡¯s reply, Lancelot ran off. DIO¡¯s eight cities; Starting, and the 7 Holy Lands, all boasted large sizes. Even though Lancelot prided himself in walking relatively fast, it still took him over fifteen minutes to reach the outskirts of Thousand Scent¡¯s Land. During the entire walk, Lancelot didn¡¯t pay attention to his surroundings or even speak a single word to himself. ¡°Ah, Mr. Lancelot. You¡¯re leaving already?¡± Seeing Lancelot, Guard Kara 7 spoke up, but Lancelot didn¡¯t offer any reply. He stayed silent as he walked down the straight road leading back to Starting. ¡°Mr. Lancelot?¡± ¡°Gear 2.¡± Mumbling under his breath, Lancelot added a pair of iron gloves, boots, and heavy vest onto his body. He then broke into a sprint. Obviously, as he had emptied out his aura not too long ago and hadn¡¯t recovered much of his aura power, he wouldn¡¯t be able to run back to Starting in one go. Regardless of this fact, Lancelot put all his remaining energy into running at full speed. ¡°Eh? What¡¯s gotten into him?¡± Guard Kara 7 was puzzled by how drastically different Lancelot seemed, compared to when he first entered just moments ago. Question marks seemed to form in her eyes. In a few moments, Lancelot had already run a considerable distance. Although his aura seemed on the precipice of complete depletion, Lancelot continued to run as if there were no tomorrow. Seeing this, Delila 7 quietly muttered, ¡°He was¡­¡± ¡°Huh? He was what?¡± ¡°He was crying¡­ when he ran off, he was crying.¡± Since she was at a higher level and rank than Lancelot, Delila 7 was able to see and interpret Lancelot¡¯s aura. Delila 7 had seen pain, anguish, and sadness in Lancelot¡¯s aura. Although she saw these emotions in his aura, she wasn¡¯t able to read why those feelings were present. ¡°He was crying? Why? Did he get dumped?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it was something as trivial as that, but who knows¡­¡± Lancelot had now become just a dot on the horizon. Seeing this, Delila 7 passingly stated, ¡°It¡¯s not our concern.¡± *** The top speed that Merlin could achieve in the water was four hundred and fifty kilometers per hour, but the top speed he could achieve without a running start was three hundred and thirty kilometers per hour. However, even at that speed, which was like the speed of an arrow, he could easily avoid any oncoming attack. Moreover, Merlin possessed an advanced control ability within water to move in any direction, so he could suddenly change directions, stop, or even accelerate or decelerate at will. Furthermore, Merlin could control the surrounding water, and even the water particles within him, to create a defensive barrier, if needed. In essence, Merlin was like a supernatural presence in the water. The reason why even the almighty Kraken couldn¡¯t catch him wasn¡¯t just because the Kraken was slow. As Merlin made his way southward, many monsters had tried to attack him, but none of them could even get close. This just went to show how slippery and quick Merlin was in the water. If he came across a blade fish, one of the earlier monsters that he had trouble with when he first started the game, he¡¯d be able to match the blade fish¡¯s speed and probably even turn his head around to face the blade fish while speeding forward. ¡°Oh, that must be the Dead Earth up ahead.¡± Though Merlin was quick in the water, he could not maintain his top speed forever. Though Merlin could utilize his booster through internal energy, magic power, or even his physical power, his overall spiritual power points weren¡¯t very high, so his usage of his booster was capped. Hence, Merlin made his journey southward at an average speed of fifty kilometers per hour. Since this speed matched his physical power recovery rate, Merlin was able to maintain this speed, as long as he didn¡¯t do anything out of the ordinary. ¡°Should I get on land? Or should I circle around the island and go further southward?¡± Dead Earth was an island south of Starting with a diameter of roughly one hundred kilometers. Though the Kraken prevented users from traversing the seas to get to this island, many users were able to enter Dead Earth using a teleportation gate, which allowed users to arrive in the inner areas of the island. Like the surrounding Bitter Earth, Desolate Desert, and Forest of Despair, many users enjoyed hunting in the Dead Earth area. Roar! ¡°Huh? What was that?¡± Merlin scanned the island, and saw a large monster roar aloud and kill off the surrounding undead, either by biting them or swiping them away. The monster gave off a ferocious aura. ¡°But why are the undead fighting amongst themselves¡­ ah.¡± Merlin was initially puzzled by the sight of this monster, a skeleton of a tyrannosaurus rex, killing off other undead monsters, but he soon understood the situation when he saw a necromancer user controlling the bone tyrannosaurus from the back. Beside them was another user, a man carrying two swords in each hand. He was sending out blindingly fast sword force attacks in the form of light. It seemed that the two were in a party together. ¡°I¡¯m out of internal energy! Let¡¯s rest up a bit!¡± ¡°Okay. I was getting a bit tired as well¡­ hey, what the?¡± Merlin realized that the necromancer user had spotted him, so he swam his way up to the shore. While gathering his breath and recovering his energy, the swordsman looked dumbfoundedly at Merlin, who seemed to have magically appeared in front of them. ¡°Wait, you came all the way to this faraway place¡­ and you¡¯re having a swim?¡± ¡°Hahaha, well you know, for some rest and relaxation.¡± Though Merlin had swam all the way to Dead Earth, rather than using the teleportation gate like all the other users, Merlin did not feel the need to explain little details like this to others. Moreover, Merlin thought that going into detail about his travels would be tiresome, so he just decided to smile and state that he was just taking some time off and relaxing. Seeing that the two were able to rest while in a party to defeat monsters, Merlin assumed that there were probably less monsters near the shore than there were further inland. ¡°Toto, get some rest.¡± Crackle. The twenty-something year old male necromancer, wearing a black robe, ordered its summoned creature to rest. The bone tyrannosaurus started whipping its tail around its body as it got settled on the ground. Since it was so enormous, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but confusedly frown at the weird scene. ¡®Toto? That thing?¡¯ It was the kind of name that people gave to their house pets in Korea. When Merlin saw the large bone tyrannosaurus put its head against the ground and wrap its tail around itself, he couldn¡¯t help but admit it was a bit cute. It had even lightly sighed before dropping to the ground, even though undead monsters didn¡¯t need to breathe. ¡°Oh? That monster of yours has half of its head bashed in. Is it okay?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s because it got its head smashed in by a Soulless Zombie just a moment ago. Actually, if it wasn¡¯t for Ohje¡¯s god-like control ability, we probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape. Obviously, I knew the Dead Earth area was dangerous, but I didn¡¯t expect level ten monsters to be roaming around the edge of the island. If there are level ten monsters roaming around here, then I can¡¯t imagine what level the monsters are at the center of the island. If things continue like this¡­ ugh.¡± ¡°Yeah, but that Soulless Zombie from before wasn¡¯t actually that strong. The Soulless Zombie is part of the Zombie species, so it doesn¡¯t have any particularly strong qualities outside of its ability to live continually. It was only tough for us because it had specialized in that area and just refused to die. I¡¯m pretty sure the background story for that type of zombie¡¯s existence is that they took over some expert¡¯s body or something¡­ ah, anyway. I¡¯m going to circulate and recover some of my internal energy, so stand guard for a moment.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± CH 74 After the necromancer answered, he took a tooth the size of a short sword out of his inventory. It wasn''t just a simple tooth; it had golden writing engraved all over it. ¡°Three! Two! One! Contract shall be executed for six hundred and sixty seconds! Bring death to all who seek to harm us!¡± After initiating dark magic, the necromancer threw the tooth into the air. In mid-air, it divided into five shadows that took on five physical forms. These entities were called Spartoi. They wore gloves that seemed to be made of tyrannosaurus hide, and looked more like draconic beings than skeleton soldiers due to their long tails. Spartoi were often referred to as draconic soldiers. ¡°Wow! They look really strong.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve invested a lot of time into them, and it also took me a while to contract them. One of my goals is to create a real Spartoi from a dragon¡¯s tooth rather than from a tyrannosaurus¡¯ tooth.¡± Without even being ordered to, the draconic soldiers started patrolling around the premises and guarded the two members of the party. DIO¡¯s system didn¡¯t restrict monsters to just their designated locations. If a monster¡¯s target showed an opening or weakness, then a monster would initiate an attack even if the target was outside of its normal boundary area. This was why it was necessary to take precautionary measures. ¡°So, how will you go about repairing that damaged head?¡± ¡°I placed a self-repair spell on the bone tyrannosaurus, so once it rests, like it¡¯s doing now, it¡¯ll slowly recover. Do you see those pieces of bone flying around over there?¡± Several bone pieces were floating around the parts of the tyrannosaurus that were damaged. It seemed like the bones drew magic power from within the tyrannosaurus, and then they were deployed to the areas where mending or repair was needed. At that moment, several pieces of bone were moving around near the tyrannosaurus¡¯ head. ¡°But it seems it doesn¡¯t have enough bones, no?¡± ¡°Ah, that Soulless Zombie bastard used internal energy in its sword strike. If the bone tyrannosaurus gets hit by a physical attack, it can easily regather its bones and patch itself up. But a spirit power-based attack, like what the Soulless Zombie used, will scatter the magic power residing within the bones, causing them to lose their connection with the main body and scatter¡­ huh?¡± The necromancer suddenly stopped in the middle of his explanation. He realized something that didn''t make sense; an incongruity. He turned towards Merlin. ¡°How did you know that it was missing some bone pieces?¡± ¡°Based on the shape and volume of the tyrannosaurus¡¯ head, the number of bone pieces floating around is too little.¡± ¡°Normally, people aren¡¯t able to spot that so clearly.¡± The number of missing bones that had lost their magic power properties totaled around forty grams in weight. Considering that the entire tyrannosaurus¡¯ head weighed in at around six hundred and fifty grams, forty grams shouldn¡¯t have been markedly noticeable. Even though the bone tyrannosaurus¡¯ insides could clearly be seen, it should have been virtually impossible to calculate the weight of the flying bones with just the naked eye. Would anyone be able to differentiate 610g of bones with 650g based on sight alone? ¡®Is he utilizing some sort of recognition or perception spell?¡¯ It didn¡¯t seem like Merlin was carrying any sort of perception or recognition device. Since he had been swimming, all he was wearing was his swimming trunks. However, there was one thing that was peculiar about Merlin¡¯s outfit¡­ ¡°What¡¯s up with that marble and egg?¡± ¡°Oh, this marble is a type of mana tank, to carry magic power. The egg is my pet.¡± ¡°A pet that¡¯s still in the egg phase¡­ I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s a bird, or something in the reptile family?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t know until it hatches.¡± The egg had grown to become the size of a basketball. Merlin had used his spirit to hang onto the egg while he sped across the sea, so he was unsure if the egg was okay internally. However, the aura and presence of the being within the egg was still consuming Merlin¡¯s magic power at a normal rate, so it seemed that its condition was normal. If it kept up its pace, Merlin felt that the egg should be able to hatch in about a week. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re¡­ a mage?¡± ¡°A, well, yes, as my ID states.¡± Only then did the necromancer notice the scarlet red Spinel that was attached to the back of Merlin¡¯s right hand. After discovering this, the necromancer nodded his head. Though he initially believed that Merlin had used some recognition or perception device to figure out the status of the tyrannosaurus, the necromancer now understood that Merlin had been able to recognize the tyrannosaurus¡¯ bone discrepancy with just his eyes. ¡°Ah, I haven¡¯t even introduced myself. As the nametag above my head says, my name is Scorpion. I¡¯m 27, and I¡¯m a necromancer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Merlin. This year, I just finished the university entrance exams, and I¡¯m a magic user¡­ huh?¡± ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong¡­ oh shoot.¡± Sensing enemies approaching, Merlin and Scorpion soon fell quiet as they focused their attention on the area ahead of them. They were trying to sense how many enemies were trying to ambush them, but they soon realized it was a single monster. Grr. ¡°Ah, damn it. It¡¯s a demon.¡± ¡°A low-rank demon.¡± ¡°Yeah, but we don¡¯t even have a priest, so this is going to be a headache.¡± Merlin had stated that it was a low-rank demon thinking that the demon would be relatively easy to defeat. However, for Scorpion, the low-rank demon seemed to cause him great concern. This was fair, given that the demon-species were categorized as level five monsters. Even the weakest demons were level five, and as demons developed and rose in rank, they¡¯d go up three levels all at once. In other words, the low rank demon in front of them would probably be a level right monster at the very least. If they were unlucky, the demon could be a level nine or even level ten monster. ¡°Hey Merlin, I¡¯m level seven, what about you?¡± ¡°Level five.¡± ¡°Ah shit. I mean¡­ your level is enough to do well in this area, but it doesn¡¯t help much in this scenario. Hey Ohje, wake up, quick!¡± Nod. Ohje, who had been sitting cross-legged on the ground, nodded his head. Normally, a martial arts practitioner would not be able to understand what was happening around them while they were circulating and recovering their internal energy and qi. However, for users who had nearly perfected their techniques, the case was a bit different, as these users only required ten to twenty minutes to complete their circulation and recovery. During their time of circulation and recovery, these users would still be able to understand what was happening around them and forcefully pause their circulation and recovery process on demand. Stopping the circulation and recovery process in the middle inevitably damaged the user¡¯s dantian, so martial art practitioners did not do it lightly. However, since the damage done to one¡¯s dantian wasn¡¯t irrecoverable, one would no doubt choose to pause the process in a life-or-death situation. ¡°Wait, Ohje. Just finish up what you were doing.¡± ¡°Eh? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it, just pull aggro for a moment! Gear One! Gear Four!¡± Having used his gear system several times, Merlin realized that the gear system didn¡¯t swap every piece of gear on one¡¯s body; it provided whatever gear set the user chose when setting the gear slot. Of course, Merlin didn¡¯t know this when he was first setting his gear slots, but once he got used to the system, he had been able to organize and refine what gear each of his gear slots would carry. Hence, he had made his Gear One, Gear Two, and Gear Three slots into mage attire, swimming attire, and a full battle set respectively. He had also organized specific weapons and items into gear slots, allowing him to quickly adapt to specific situations. Gear slots four and five were the Mithril bow and Decian longbow respectively. These gear slots were specifically used to ¡®add¡¯ a weapon onto a set attire. Since Merlin called out Gear one and four, he was now decked out in mage attire, carrying a Mithril bow. Fling! Whoosh! An arrow flew out from Merlin¡¯s Mithril bow, speeding through the air like a flash of light. It was headed squarely for the approaching demon¡¯s head, but the demon swung its large arm and swatted the arrow away like a bug. Obviously, just by this action, anyone would have realized that this low-ranked demon wasn¡¯t a pushover low-level monster. Perhaps if the demon was not paying attention, an attack of this power may have caused some damage. But now, Merlin could shoot a hundred, no, even a thousand arrows, and the demon would easily deflect them all. ¡°Scorpion! Attack!¡± ¡°Wait, what are you thinking¡­ ah shit! Toto, bite that demon!¡± Whoosh! The bone tyrannosaurus, which had been laying with its tail wrapped around itself while resting and recuperating, quickly shot up and flung itself towards the demon. The low-ranked demon was about two-and-a-half meters tall. Based on size, the two entities, the demon couldn¡¯t compare to the size of bone tyrannosaurus. However, in terms of combat power, the demon was heads-and-shoulders above the bone tyrannosaurus. Kyak! The demon¡¯s appearance reminded Merlin of a monkey. However, unlike a normal monkey, the demon had a gray body, as if it was made of cement, and possessed extremely oversized arms. A grown man would probably not be able to wrap his arms all the way around one of the demon¡¯s arms. To match its giant arms, the demon¡¯s closed fists were massive too, each the size of a refrigerator. Bam! The low-rank demon¡¯s fist connected with the bone tyrannosaurus, sending the tyrannosaurus flying off. It landed in the ground in a heap. The demon pounced towards the fallen bone tyrannosaurus. Two draconic soldiers suddenly jumped in wielding their bone swords. However, the demon easily flung them away too. They flew through the air as if thrown from a car crash. All this happened in just two seconds. The draconic soldiers were no match for the demon! Bam! Kyak!!! Right at that moment, the demon screamed out and jumped ten meters back. Everything had happened so fast, and Scorpion had not registered what had happened. Looking at the demon confusedly, he soon saw a metallic arrow sticking out of its left eye. ¡®When did he¡­¡¯ Obviously, a front-end, telegraphed arrow attack wasn¡¯t going to hurt the demon. But what if an arrow flew through the bone tyrannosaurus¡¯ armpit region right when the demon punched and connected with the bone tyrannosaurus? And what if that arrow had been hidden right until it reached the demon¡¯s eye? Though the demon possessed exceptional reaction speed and defensive capabilities, it would not be able to react against an attack that couldn¡¯t be visually perceived until it reached its target. ¡°Even if you have exceptional defenses, you can¡¯t do anything about an arrow sticking out of your eye.¡± Kik! Kyak! As if it had heard and understood what Merlin said, the demon dropped low to the ground and released an overwhelming killing intent into the surrounding air. The killing intent that it emanated was so great that it could even affect users who were mentally protected by DIO¡¯s system. However, Merlin had already experienced the painful and gut-wrenching killing intent that emanated from the Seadragon Temple¡¯s Zygmunt, which could have easily ripped apart the water barrier that had been protecting Merlin at the time. Since Merlin had been through far worse, this level of killing intent was nothing for him. ¡°Scorpion! Run interference!¡± ¡°Ah, okay!¡± CH 75 Scorpion started to move his hands in the air to control the three unharmed draconic soldiers and the two critically injured draconic soldiers, who were still able to move around. As he did this, the bone tyrannosaurus got onto its feet and quickly lunged towards the demon. Crack. At that moment, the demon¡¯s body began to transform. It lowered itself down from its bipedal posture and put all four of its limbs on the ground. Its monkey-like head had elongated to look more like an alligator¡¯s. ¡°Woah! Is it some kind of transforming robot?¡± Bam! Without regard for whether Merlin screamed or exclaimed; the demon launched itself towards him! The demon had a relatively weak lower body in its previous form, but it had transformed, and now had legs optimal for charging. It soon moved at a frightening pace towards Merlin. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! The ground, a nearby boulder, the surrounding trees¡­ whatever was in its path, the demon trampled over or bounced off of every object like a rubber ball, making a beeline toward Merlin. It was hopeless to try to shoot at the approaching monstrosity, Merlin couldn¡¯t even keep up with its movements! Kyak!!! However, the low rank demon screamed aloud and jumped back once more. It now had a short spear lodged in its right eye. The short spear was quite a bit larger than an arrow, so it was stuck firmly in his eye socket, making it difficult to pull out. This low rank demon only had two eyes, and had now essentially been rendered blind. ¡°Oh my! Woe is me! I¡¯ve lost sight in both eyes! I¡¯m now blind!¡± Scorpion couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback after hearing Merlin¡¯s mocking. The demon¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t particularly large; only the size of two coins put side by side, but Merlin had accurately shot through both eyes during all the chaos. Even users specialized in close combat wouldn¡¯t have been able to read the demon¡¯s movements clearly and accurately, let alone make out its eyes. Scorpion soon regained his consciousness and screamed out. ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down! It may have gone blind, but it''s still dangerous! It has other senses that it can fall back on, so its combat power is still¡­¡± ¡°Oh, everything¡¯s fine. The first arrow was actually the killing blow. It seems the demon is trying to resolve the spell in the arrow by circulating its magic power to continue attacking us, but it¡¯ll succumb to its injuries soon enough.¡± Merlin finished off the chant to activate the spell held within the short spear, that was still firmly lodged in the demon¡¯s right eye. ¡°And¡­ explode.¡± Boom! The short spear exploded, causing the demon to groan in pain and stand still. When the explosion reached its brain, the internal energy that was within the metallic arrow started circulating throughout the demon¡¯s body, wreaking havoc upon everything it reached. Soon, the demon turned into a puff of black smoke and dispersed into the air. In its place was a single drop item. ¡°Ack! A Black Stone¡­ congratulations.¡± ¡°Oh, is this good?¡± Merlin did not think much of it, but Scorpion¡¯s response was full of fervor and excitement. ¡°Of course! Of course! Of course, it¡¯s good! Do you know how shitty the drop rate is for that item?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Merlin couldn¡¯t help but break into a cold sweat when he noticed Scorpion speaking in a frustrated, maniacal tone. ¡®It seems he hasn¡¯t been having much luck with drops lately.¡¯ Thinking a bit further, Merlin realized that he had been given all the experience points and the drop item. Merlin felt a little bad about taking all the spoils when Scorpion¡¯s draconic soldiers and bone tyrannosaurus had done all the close combat against the low-ranked demon, which allowed him to finish it off. Moreover, due to the extensive damage that the bone tyrannosaurus sustained, it would have to go through another long period of recovery. ¡®But I feel like it¡¯s a waste to give him the Black Stone.¡¯ Even Merlin, who wasn¡¯t very interested in magic stones, could feel a tremendous amount of magic oozing from the Black Stone. He could easily come up with several ways to deploy the Black Stone immediately. Hence, Merlin asked, ¡°Uhm, do you have any use for more tyrannosaurus bones?¡± ¡°Tyrannosaurus bones? What bone number?¡± ¡°All of the bone numbers. The whole bone structure.¡± Scorpion thought for a while before answering. ¡°Hmm. Well, whenever I defeat a tyrannosaurus, it doesn¡¯t always drop the same bones, so it¡¯s been hard to find replacements. So, yeah, I do have use for more tyrannosaurus bones. With more bones, I could create an entirely new bone tyrannosaurus or, if there aren¡¯t enough bones for that, I could reinforce Toto over there with greater strength or magic power.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying more tyrannosaurus bones would be useful, right?¡± ¡°Eh? Sure.¡± Hearing Scorpion¡¯s reply, Merlin nodded his head. ¡°Okay, one moment.¡± Merlin put his hand inside his robe, a way to access one¡¯s inventory. He rummaged around before taking out a card and throwing it in the air. Merlin had done this without much thought, but Ohje, who had just gotten up from his meditation, cried out in surprise. ¡°Ack! A house card?!¡± The card spun around in the air, expanding in size until it became a large door the size of an average adult. Though it wasn¡¯t being supported by any other structure, the door stood rigidly upright. Merlin walked through the door and disappeared behind it. Ohje and Scorpion looked on with interest. ¡°Wow! I¡¯ve seen a few people purchase house cards, but I¡¯ve never seen such a young person use one. Even the cheapest house card is still about a million Won in real money, right?¡± ¡°Well, there are already people who spend that amount of money on items in other games. And DIO is completely different. I¡¯m sure there are going to be users who spend ten million, a hundred million, and even a billion Won on this game. Actually, I haven¡¯t started putting money into the game yet because it is still in beta. But seeing that they have a currency exchange system for real money and in-game currency, I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t have to be concerned with the in-game economic stability and inflation.¡± As Scorpion finished his thought, Merlin came back through the door. However, nothing was in his hands. It seemed that he had moved some items from his house into his inventory. ¡°What did you take out?¡± ¡°Tyrannosaurus bones numbered one to twelve. Two sets of them, in fact.¡± Merlin opened his red robe and released a pile of bones into the sand. There were so many bones that Merlin had to take ten steps back as more and more fell out and piled up. Soon it seemed as though the entire shoreline was filled with bones. ¡°Wait¡­ are you planning on giving me all of these?¡± ¡°Yeah. You don¡¯t need them?¡± ¡°I-I do need them, but I have nothing to offer you in exchange.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. We hunted together, but I gained all the experience points and the drop item, so I felt a little bad¡­ huh?¡± Merlin stopped speaking mid-sentence. Scorpion had an annoyed, offended look on his face. ¡°Wow¡­¡± If any other users were offered this many useful items for free, they would have thanked their lucky stars and collected the items as quickly as possible. In the real world, ¡®free¡¯ was rarely ever actually free. However, Scorpion was currently a level seven user who was considered a genius even among the top echelon of talented users who were invited to the beta test. Moreover, being a high-level user in DIO usually meant that the user themselves was also capable, and most likely a successful and important person in the real world. Hence, there were many DIO users who were very prideful. ¡°Don¡¯t make me laugh. Do I look like a poor beggar?¡± ¡°Uh, no, I was just¡­¡± ¡°Shut it. Wow, look at how this fucker is acting. I can see that you have talent and money, but you¡¯re showing off a bit too much, kid. As a veteran user in these types of online games, let me give you some advice. You can be nice, but not nice in the way you¡¯re acting right now, shithead. When did I ever ask you for those¡­¡± Bam! In the middle of his tirade, Scorpion suddenly stopped speaking and started teetering. Someone had whacked Scorpion¡¯s head. Of course, it was Ohje. ¡°Ah, sorry. This guy had a difficult upbringing, so anything to do with affluent people pisses him off. He doesn¡¯t have anything against you personally, so please don¡¯t take his words to heart.¡± ¡°Wait, Ohje, what the hell are you talking about? I¡¯m just giving this kid some advice about life¡­¡± ¡°Here, catch this.¡± Merlin, who had been standing dumbfounded, reflexively caught the item that Ohje threw over to him. It was a pair of arm guards, which covered one¡¯s arm from the wrist to elbow. Seeing this, Scorpion¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Wait, Ohje, I gave you those for you to wear, no?¡± ¡°I wield two swords, how could I ever wear those? My hands and arms are moving non-stop, so they would just get in the way¡­¡± ¡°Still¡­ argh! Stop choking me! You do know the muscular strength difference between you and me is like heaven and earth, right? If you kill me right now and I permanently lose magic power points, then I promise I will kill you when you¡¯re least expecting it, and use your bones as material to summon a Death Knight!¡± The way they bickered with each other, Merlin could tell that the two were close. They looked completely different from each other, so it didn¡¯t seem like the two were brothers, but they definitely seemed like users who knew each other in real life. ¡°I couldn¡¯t really use the arm guards, but I kept them with me since they¡¯re the best item that either of us possess. They¡¯ll fetch a good price.¡± Ohje explained. He then turned back to Merlin. ¡°They might look good on you, too.¡± ¡°Eh, but I¡­¡± ¡°I know. You didn¡¯t really want anything in return for the bones. However, we don¡¯t know when we¡¯ll see each other again, so I don¡¯t want to just accept a free gift. That would be improper. We¡¯re older than you anyway. Just think of it as allowing us to save face.¡± Seeing Ohje speak with a good-natured smile, Merlin just nodded his head. Normally, something like this would never have happened as he was quite the miser in real life. But having collected a mountain of items after the Dead Man¡¯s Ship battle, he did not feel too protective of his items at the moment. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll thankfully receive your item.¡± ¡°Good. Now, Scorpion, collect the bones.¡± ¡°Ugh, so my only choices are to leave these bones because they came from him, or gather them because you¡¯re giving them to me after trading for them¡­ ugh. Just because you¡¯re older doesn¡¯t make you some wise sage, Ohje. Don¡¯t act like you¡¯re so smart and kindhearted, man.¡± As Scorpion continued to mutter and complain under his breath, he extended his shadow over the bones that were strewn across the shoreline. In a moment, all the tyrannosaurus bones were scooped up, leaving behind no trace. It was the first time Merlin saw something like that. ¡®He¡¯s able to use his inventory very well. Is it because he¡¯s using the dark type of magic power?¡¯ As Merlin thought to himself, Ohje asked, ¡°Are you going to continue hunting? If you are, I¡¯d like to ask you to join our party.¡± ¡°Oh, hahaha, no, but thank you. I didn¡¯t originally come here to hunt.¡± ¡°Oh? I guess that¡¯s that then. It¡¯s a shame, you¡¯re much stronger than what I¡¯d expect from your level. Why are you choosing not to level up?¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s no rush, and I don¡¯t really see the need to.¡± Hearing Merlin speak those words so calmly, Ohje¡¯s eyes grew wide. However, after mulling over Merlin¡¯s words a little longer, Ohje broke out into a smile, as if he understood something. Ohje then nodded and said, ¡°Well, good for you. Anyway, we¡¯re going to head over to the teleportation gate to try and recruit others into our party. The low-ranked demon type of monsters don¡¯t show up often, and I can easily take care of one myself, but it¡¯ll still be a pain if we get ambushed while recovering like before. So I think it¡¯s best if Scorpion and I gather some other party members.¡± ¡°Oh, right. Well, I¡¯ll be off to go swimming again.¡± ¡°Swimming¡­ you sure have a unique way of playing the game.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an adventure. Just because it¡¯s an online game doesn¡¯t mean I have to fight all the time.¡± With that, Merlin turned away and started walking into the sea. There were monsters in the sea just like on land, but their numbers were far fewer. Even if Merlin bumped into a sea monster, he could easily escape with his superior speed, so he wasn¡¯t concerned. ¡°Hey!¡± Scorpion shouted out at Merlin. ¡°Uh, yeah?¡± Merlin replied, somewhat startled. Scorpion scratched the back of his head and looked at Merlin apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I got so heated. I¡¯m an adult, but still have a lot of growing up to do, I guess.¡± ¡°Ah, no worries. I didn¡¯t think it all through myself, either. May your drops be plentiful.¡± ¡°Right.¡± After hearing Scorpion¡¯s reply, Merlin dove underwater. Since he had replenished all his physical strength, Merlin felt that he could use his boosters for a full five minutes with just his physical strength reserves. ¡®I don¡¯t really need to explore Dead Earth any further if others can just teleport here using the teleportation gates. There¡¯ll be cumbersome users everywhere anyway¡­¡¯ While he thought, Merlin started accelerating. The southernmost part of the map was his first destination. ¡®Let¡¯s go around the island and swim further south!¡¯ As he mumbled under his breath, Merlin sped southwards across the sea. CH 76 When he reopened his eyes, Arc found himself in the middle of a medieval city. Of course, he wasn¡¯t in the center exactly, but he was in an alleyway, so no one had seen him materialize. ¡°So, we¡¯re in Panitris. Who¡¯s the target?¡± In front of him was a green-eyed cat with blackish-blue fur: a Russian Blue. ¡°Be quiet. If the Panitris NPCs saw that you can speak, they¡¯d be totally shocked.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. Then, I¡¯ll communicate through telepathy.¡± Arc emotionlessly looked at Ellie as the latter let out a luscious meow~. As if he¡¯d been born wearing it, Arc¡¯s entire body was wrapped in black, light leather armor. There was a gap between the top of the armor covering his nose bridge and the bottom of his hat, revealing his eyes, the only visible part of him. ¡°I should review the quest information first.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to take things without prior authorization.¡± ¡°Yeah, that sucks. We¡¯re running low on money, too.¡± While listening to Ellie¡¯s telepathic reply, Arc left the alleyway to find that there were quite a few people walking up and down the street. Everyone paused for a moment when they saw Arc¡¯s unique leather outfit, but when he strolled away without drawing any more attention to himself, people soon lost interest and continued what they were doing. Most just glanced his way and thought, ¡®What a weird get-up.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t showing off too much skin or harming others, so no one was barring his movements. Even in the real world¡¯s modern society, if he were to leave his house in the same outfit, he may get a few stares, but almost no one would approach and ask why he was wearing such odd clothing. ¡®North of here.¡¯ As he walked, Arc listened to the many conversations around him. Since everyone was speaking in a language he couldn¡¯t understand, Arc reached into the pocket of his black coat and took out a pinky-sized device. It was shaped like a modern wireless earbud, and it was called an ¡®interpreter.¡¯ Arc placed the interpreter in his right ear, beginning to understand the various conversation around him. ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Hmm? Who are you?¡± Arc stood in front of a mercenary group¡¯s entrance gate. One mercenary was standing guard with a slouch, blocking Arc¡¯s entrance. They probably stood in Arc¡¯s way because of the player¡¯s suspicious outfit, but Arc didn¡¯t care. ¡°I¡¯ve come to see Sting.¡± ¡°What? How crazy are you? Where do you think you are? You can¡¯t just come to the mercenary headquarters and state our leader¡¯s name so brazenly-¡± ¡°Come out, Sting! I¡¯ve come to challenge you!¡± Disregarding the guard, Arc used his Roaring Lion skill to shout. The yell reverberated, shaking the guard and making him crumple to the floor from the overwhelming shockwaves. Roaring Lion was a skill that Buddhist practitioners used to chase away demons or make them submit. It was also the highest-ranking sound-based attack that the Buddhist practitioners possessed. Arc wasn¡¯t an expert in the technique, nor did he expend much energy when using the skill, but it had rippled through the mercenary headquarters and caused quite a commotion nonetheless. ¡°W-what was that just now?¡± ¡°A challenge? A challenge, right?¡± A whole group of mercenary soldiers spilled out from the headquarters. Most of them were only Level 2 or Level 3 soldiers, but a few who were Level 4 or higher were also scattered here and there. This mercenary group seemed to be quite powerful. ¡°Oho, a visitor who is looking for me. How interesting - I haven¡¯t been challenged in ages.¡± Soon, a large man with a scar across his face appeared, carrying his weapon of choice on his back: a Bastard Sword. Despite being a fair distance from the man, Arc could easily sense the aura of a well-trained and experienced swordsman emanating from him. It seemed that this large man was an NPC with considerable skills and abilities. ¡°My name is Arc. I challenge you to a one-on-one duel.¡± When conducting a quest, one had to speak and act respectfully. If he had caused a commotion at the front gate, Arc would¡¯ve had to fight the entire mercenary group rather than just the leader. Similarly, Arc also had to convince the large man to agree to a duel. If he failed, Arc would have to fight the entire mercenary group. This scenario differed from how it was previously, as foes would no longer just appear in front of users after entering a battlefield. That was a thing of the past, a previous version of the game. Now, after a patch, users had to take some extra steps before fighting their quest target, whether that be negotiating or navigating other conditions. ¡°Hot damn. I¡¯m speechless. You just showed up, but you¡¯re already asking for a fight. What do I get out of this?¡± Sss. Cling. Cling. Without responding, Arc reached into his robe, pulled out a sack, and dumped two gold coins onto the street. Once the mercenaries saw this, their expressions instantly changed. Similar to the difference between the Korean won, Chinese yuan, and American dollars, the gold in DIO also had regional differences. For example, Dynamic Island¡¯s Starting gold had a different value from Panitris¡¯ gold. Dynamic Island¡¯s gold was worth around ten times more. In other words, the two gold that Arc had just dumped on the street was worth 20 gold in Panitris. ¡°Oho, so it seems a rich silk pants has appeared.¡± In Panitris, a single Panitris gold piece was enough to purchase an entire cow. Since a cow in real life costs between three to four million Won or 2,500 to 3,200 USD, 20 Panitris gold could be equated to around sixty to eighty million won. And while the cows¡¯ quality would differ, this was still an incredible sum of money, to say the least. ¡°Since it may seem crude to try and sway a mercenary leader with just money, I will also offer up my life. Furthermore, even if I happen to win, I won¡¯t necessarily take your life. I have no use for it.¡± Arc¡¯s tone and his way of speaking left no room for jokes; it was as if he was simply stating a fact. Before, the mercenaries were completely focused on the gold in the street, but after hearing Arc, they all jeered with angry, hateful expressions. The air was tense, and the atmosphere seemed to be turning for the worst, but Arc stood firm. He didn¡¯t even bat an eye. ¡°This guy, he just says whatever comes to mind without thinking about it. So, you think that there¡¯s no chance of losing, huh? In addition, you chose to fight under unfavorable conditions-¡± ¡°Why are you speaking so many words? Perhaps, you¡¯re¡­.¡± Arc¡¯s monotone voice cut off the leader, seemingly lacking any humor or emotions in general as he continued. ¡°¡­ scared?¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Sting broke out into a burst of hearty laughter, and with little delay, everything around him was filled with bone-chilling killing intent. ¡°This little bastard thinks he¡¯s hot shit since I¡¯ve been answering his questions and talking respectfully. You¡¯ve lost your mind, haven¡¯t you!¡± Clang! Sting¡¯s sudden strike came out of nowhere, and he moved so fast that Arc was only barely able to block with the palm of his left hand. There was a tremendous amount of force and power behind the attack, which made the lack of any preparations even more mind-blowing. Even with his magic-imbued leather armor and self-defense technique, Arc still felt his bones shake as Sting¡¯s attack reverberated inside of him. However, Arc didn¡¯t show any signs of being taken aback, as this was an obvious outcome. After all, this was a Level 7 test. Inevitably, his opponent would be capable of challenging him. ¡°You¡¯re pretty good!¡± After attacking, Sting had distanced himself from Arc and grabbed his Bastard Sword from his back, holding it in both hands. Then, he stabbed forward three consecutive times. Of course, Arc deflected every strike, even the accompanying shockwaves. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Avoid the shockwaves!¡± The shockwaves weren¡¯t strong enough to kill someone by touching them, but since they were being constantly unleashed from the fight, the surroundings became unsafe for the observing mercenaries. This was why they started backpedaling and making room for the two fighters. ¡°I¡¯m letting you know in advance. I¡¯m also a mage.¡± ¡°Hmph, why are you spewing nonsense all of a sudden?¡± As Sting had his Bastard Sword raised to attack at any moment, Arc looked at the NPC and spoke in his trademark emotionless, monotone voice. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to hear you cry about how you lost because I used magic.¡± ¡°You little¡­!¡± Bam! Clang! Boom! Arc believed firmly that, aside from those consumed by fear, the easiest opponent was one who¡¯d lost all reasoning ability. Sting had grown enraged and raised his energy and power levels accordingly, which is why he started showing openings in his attacks. With this advantage, Arc didn¡¯t let this chance go to waste as he counterattacked. His internal energy-filled strikes caused Sting¡¯s injuries to stack, and soon, blood started trickling down from the corner of the NPC¡¯s lips. ¡°Master!¡± ¡°That fucker!¡± CH 77 Sneers and jeers started ringing out from everywhere, but Arc ignored it and readied himself again. Compared to the boxing stance that he¡¯d taken earlier, Arc¡¯s legs were spread further apart, and he was standing like a Taekwondo fighter. Apparently, he was utilizing a Taekwondo skill. ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m hurt. You¡¯re the real thing.¡± Sting shifted his Bastard Sword to his right hand and smiled slyly. Arc paid no attention to Sting¡¯s words and was about to lunge toward him when he suddenly stopped, noticing a greyish light beginning to glow from the NPC¡¯s Bastard Sword. ¡®Sword qi?!¡¯ Arc couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback, as sword qi was something that could only be used by a Master at Level 10 or higher. Yet, before he could think about this, the Bastard Sword shot towards Arc¡¯s right foot. Clang! Sting and Arc¡¯s bodies smashed into each other, sending them flying back by about two meters. ¡°He¡¯s able to go up against sword qi?¡± ¡°This doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± The observing mercenaries couldn¡¯t help but yell out in surprise after Arc seemingly emerged from the clash injury-free. However, Arc knew that he was in a dangerous situation. The leather armor around his knees had been shredded. ¡®It¡¯s real sword qi.¡¯ Since this was the case, Arc was in serious trouble. He didn¡¯t have the martial arts power or prowess required to fight a Level 10 being, but at that moment, a chastising voice rang within Arc¡¯s mind. ¡°Hey, idiot. Think about this carefully. That guy is using Master-level skills, but he¡¯s just Level 7. Do you really think a Level 10 monster would appear for a Level 7 test?¡± Arc regained his composure after listening to Ellie¡¯s telepathic voice as the cat hid somewhere. Ellie was correct. There was no way someone at Level 10 would attend a Level 7 test. Furthermore, the sword qi had definitely hit his leg, but Arc hadn¡¯t been injured too heavily. ¡®I see. That guy has reached Master in terms of skill and ability, but he¡¯s still stuck at Level 7, so his overall base stats are restricted.¡¯ Of course, skills and abilities were important aspects of reaching higher levels, but that wasn¡¯t all. Unless someone also learned to use aura or mana, they would be restricted by the physical limits of their body. As such, a martial artist may reach the pinnacle of physical martial arts and become Level 8, but they wouldn¡¯t be able to level up anymore. Sting had definitely reached this point, but his muscular and physical strength stats were only at 70 points or lower, and he was also limited to ten to 20 years of internal energy. Even if Arc was to give Sting the benefit of the doubt, Sting only had half a cycle or 30 years of internal energy at best. Despite his excellent fighting capabilities, Sting was limited by these other factors. Sting had gotten to where he was through constant training and fighting experience, but Arc had gained his skills by training and practicing in more ¡®holistic martial arts.¡¯ ¡°As I am now, standing utterly alone, I command thee¡­.¡± ¡°Hmph! Chanting a spell right in front of me!¡± In a fit of rage, Sting shot toward Arc, but the latter calmly deflected the oncoming sword blade with his palm and sent an uppercut at Sting¡¯s chin. Since Sting was able to shape his mana into sword qi, he clearly had greater mana control than Arc, but this didn¡¯t mean that he was a more accomplished martial artist. Although Arc had lived a modern life, he had also spent a great deal of time training in martial arts. Bam! Sting had assumed that Arc was preoccupied with his chanting, so he¡¯d rushed forward and attacked head-first. Yet, his head was soon jolted back after getting hit under his chin. In an instant, he used a three-swing combo to deflect any following attacks before stepping back. However, Arc did not follow up on his initial attack. He continued to chant his spell. ¡°Sparks into anger, whirlwind into despair.¡± ¡°This doesn¡¯t make any sense! How can he be chanting in the middle of battle?¡± Sting cried out in disbelief, but Arc continued chanting as he stood with his legs spread out to around two steps wide, standing with a firm posture. This was a defensive stance that emanated an aura, seemingly stating that anyone approaching him would have their skull cracked in half. Normally, in situations like this, Sting would retreat or try and stall to see if his opponent¡¯s defenses revealed any openings, but right now, Sting knew that he had to make a move, as there was no chance that Arc¡¯s spell would be beneficial for him. ¡°Leader! He might just be pretending to chant. If you wait just a bit longer¡­.¡± ¡°You idiot! Do you think I received the title of Sword Master as a joke? He¡¯s really chanting a spell!¡± After Sting cried out, he swung his sword at Arc¡¯s neck, but the player was prepared, so he deflected the oncoming attack and used the inertia to rotate for a roundhouse kick. Of course, Sting was able to block the attack, as he wasn¡¯t a pushover, but he couldn¡¯t help but think that the battle would continue until Arc lowered his defensive posture. Rip! ¡®Ack, my light armor¡­!¡¯ After Sting¡¯s blade hit him, Arc¡¯s light armor started cracking and ripping, causing him to quicken his chant. Despite supplementing his defenses with magic power and being experienced in the self-defense technique, Thoughts Gold Strong Technique, Sting had struck with sword qi, so Arc couldn¡¯t endure for too long. Actually, it was surprising that Arc¡¯s defenses had held up this far. ¡°Damn it! Your defenses are truly something!¡± Clang! When his blade strike was deflected once more, Sting blocked Arc¡¯s retaliatory roundhouse kick with his elbow and was unable to stop himself from frowning at the immense internal force. While he was at a higher level than Arc, he was no match for the player¡¯s strength and internal energy levels. Moreover, Sting had already unveiled all of his cards, but Arc still had the spell he was chanting, which seemingly gave him the upper hand. ¡°Ah, wait a moment, let¡¯s try to talk this out¡­.¡± Ting. Yet, before Sting could try and talk their differences out, Arc had finished chanting his spell. ¡°Flame Buster, Part Two.¡± With a ¡®ting,¡¯ magic power rushed out. The packets of magic power spread throughout Arc¡¯s body according to a set path laid down by his magic technique. Then, after gathering together, the groups of magic power exploded. ¡°Revolver.¡± Bam! In the blink of an eye, six punches simultaneously landed on Sting¡¯s body, moving so quickly that the individual sounds of their collision rang out as a single thump. It had only taken a twentieth of a second to send out all six punches. This was Flame Buster Revolver. With this technique, compared to a magnum-type of shot that pressurized magic power and exploded it out, Arc had reinforced his body and sent accelerating power to his arms and elbows, which had been overlaid with magic circles. In a split second, Arc was able to launch multiple punches that carried tremendous power and speed. The whole process was completed so quickly that the observers only saw Sting¡¯s body tremble a few times before crumpling to the ground. The only hint that Arc had done anything was the steam rising from both of his hands. Plop. As Sting¡¯s body collapsed without even a whimper, Arc took a couple of steps back and started stretching his body. The surrounding mercenaries seemed to be on the verge of attacking him, but none of them moved. ¡°Do I need to defeat all of these guys as well?¡± If Sting had attacked alongside his mercenaries, Arc wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance, but since Sting had been neutralized, fighting the rest of the mercenaries would be akin to going up against an orc village. Obviously, if all of them attacked at once, Arc would be killed easily, but if he could move around and kite his opponents, it would only be a matter of time before they were all killed. However, while he was thinking this, Arc heard a telepathic voice. ¡°I don¡¯t think you need to do anything more.¡± Then, a text message appeared, /Clear!/ Arc instantly disappeared. ¡°W-what? Where did he go?¡± The mercenaries were on edge after witnessing their monster-like leader being defeated by Arc, their adrenaline pumping. Yet, Arc had just vanished and disappeared, so the mercenaries couldn¡¯t help but look stupefied. After completing a quest, the teleportation that would take place was similar to the Recall spell from the Gate Ring, which was a return item sold at the Exchange Center. So, compared to how a user could be attacked while logging out, the transportation after a quest was instant. ¡°What about our leader?¡± ¡°He¡¯s alive; he¡¯s just unconscious.¡± ¡°He truly did just leave after defeating our leader¡­ what¡¯s going on? We¡¯re not like knights that uphold some higher principles like honor or anything like that. He only wanted to fight?¡± ¡°It seems like he also took the gold that he threw earlier. Dang, he¡¯s quite thorough.¡± Unable to understand what was happening, the mercenaries constantly chatted and murmured as they helped their leader stand up. And, just then¡­ Clank¡­ Clank¡­ ¡°W-what kind of noise is that?¡± The entire space was filled with the noise of metal-on-metal like a giant iron cogwheel turning. This sound didn¡¯t come from any particular direction or source; it rang throughout the heavens and earth. Clank. Alongside the heavy metallic clanking sound, a distant mountain disappeared. Clank. After another metallic clang, the sky and ground turned to dust and instantly threw the mercenaries into a dark, empty void. Clank. On the far horizon, the world seemed to be sinking into something. ¡°W-what¡¯s going on? What¡¯s happening¡­ huh? Wait. How come all the villagers look weird?¡± The Phoenix Mercenary Guild was a fairly sizable organization that specialized in large-scale warfare, and their building reflected this status by being one of the biggest in the area. While the building wasn¡¯t tall enough to peer into other mercenary guild complexes, it was enough to easily look down on a vast portion of the village. From this high vantage point, the mercenaries could see all the residents of the village looking up at the sky, unmoving. They weren¡¯t even surprised or anything like that; they seemed closer to robots that had their batteries removed. Ting. Then, the mercenary soldier fell into the same state. Originally, the living organisms would have been suspended before the surrounding environment and programs were deleted, but since this world was recreated for a user¡¯s test, the process had run backward. Clank. After one final clanking sound, the entire world fell into darkness. CH 78 Whoosh! The sea pitched and rolled violently. Whirlpools started forming here and there, and waves crashed as they collided, spraying column-like bursts of water. Swish! Similar to a bullet, Merlin bounded across the topsy turvy seawater like a skipping stone. In fact, instead of leaping across the water, Merlin seemed to be flying as he used the swimming skill called Jumping. With this, he could rise 30 meters above the water¡¯s surface before crying out. ¡°Wow! What is this place?¡¯ Merlin couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue while observing the violent sea. The seawater below him was moving at 20 kilometers- no, more like 30 kilometers an hour. It was as if the rolling waves were artificially created from the motors in a waterpark, only on a much larger scale. Plop. Of course, Merlin couldn¡¯t stay in the air forever, so when he finally fell, he was swept away by the currents. However, with his water attribute affinity, Merlin could control the water around him, so he had a smooth journey along the currents. If he couldn¡¯t do this, Merlin felt that he would¡¯ve died by now. Although the currents were only moving at around 20 kilometers per hour, they were still strong enough to drown a dolphin. ¡®The distance between the most powerful waves is around ten kilometers; it¡¯s far enough to stop people from discovering that these waves are artificial.¡¯ After observing from his vantage point in the sky, Merlin fell into thought. The violent sea looked foreign, and even without Enhanced Vision, anyone could tell that it didn¡¯t seem natural. For instance, just 100 meters behind him, the sea was totally calm and tranquil. Yet, when he came here, the water¡¯s surface was rough and choppy, and the currents were moving at 20 kilometers an hour. In addition, Merlin could see that the sea grew peaceful around ten kilometers before him. To top it off, the wild portion of the sea wasn¡¯t just an odd spot. It had a specific shape. This was clear in areas where the water splashed around an unseen boundary, never spilling into the calmer waters. ¡®Is it a type of boundary?¡¯ Even the way the current flowed supported this assumption, as it seemingly pushed Merlin back to dissuade him from advancing. Essentially, he was being blocked from moving forward. ¡°Ack, I¡¯ve been pushed all the way back.¡± As he contemplated, Merlin felt the ocean slow, and once he regained awareness, he found himself in calm waters. It was impossible for the violent sea to become serene out of nowhere, so it was clear that Merlin had been pushed back. Merlin opened his map and located his position. ¡°Noisy Belt?¡± This was an area 250 kilometers south of Dead Earth island. Also, there was a dark black boundary line on the map, apparently signifying that nothing should pass. When Merlin took a closer look at the map, he realized that the area with the violent sea was named Noisy Belt. ¡°How am I supposed to pass through?¡± Of course, with Merlin¡¯s water attribute affinity, if he deployed all of his magic power and internal energy to completely boost himself, he¡¯d be able to power through the formidable currents. It didn¡¯t matter if the currents were quicker than 20 kilometers per hour. Even if they were moving at 100 kilometers per hour, Merlin could control the seawater around him and push through. ¡°Yet, I can¡¯t tell if the ¡®peaceful waters¡¯ on the other side are truly peaceful or not. In the worst-case scenario, that area might be an upper-level zone with high-level monsters, so I must be careful.¡± The Noisy Belt was about ten kilometers long. If Merlin ran his boosters at full blast to clear this distance, he¡¯d have no magic power, internal energy, or physical strength once he reached the other side. If he met any monsters when he got there, he¡¯d be finished. Merlin couldn¡¯t avoid aquatic monsters with only his natural swimming abilities. ¡°It would be easier if the currents and waves all moved in different directions rather than generally flowing toward the same place. Once I enter the area, I¡¯m inevitably pushed back by the currents¡­ hmm? Currents that push back?¡± Splash! Merlin was thrown up into the air when he crashed against an incoming wave, and he swiftly used Scanning Vision and Aura Vision to survey his surroundings. Once he examined the sea, Merlin realized something. ¡°All of the water here is essentially flowing backward. It¡¯s all moving in one direction.¡± There was no way that this could naturally occur. Unless there was a wave-creating machine opposing another device that sucked up water, it was impossible for the sea to move in one direction. And while it was true that DIO was a game that could defy physics, based on Merlin¡¯s experience, DIO seemed to try and stick to the laws of physics as much as possible. ¡°If the water is being forcefully sent out to create these waves and currents, then there must be a place that absorbs it, right?¡± Merlin smiled before submerging himself underwater. Although the surface was peaceful as it should be, when Merlin moved a bit deeper, he felt his body sinking. Actually, it was closer to the feeling of being pulled down. This sensation arose after he¡¯d entered a current that was rushing downward! ¡®I knew it!¡¯ Any other user would have been dragged down by the unexpected current, which was far faster than 20 kilometers per hour, but Merlin used it to further accelerate his descent. Instead of being carried away, Merlin was essentially in freefall, as if he had dropped off a high cliff. In an instant, he found himself in the deep sea. Whoosh! The force of the current was immense. Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t flowing evenly but at slightly differing speeds, causing a tearing sensation. If a tree trunk were placed into this raging current, the entirety of it would explode and splinter into pieces. ¡®I wonder how deep this current is.¡¯ Merlin had traveled 300 meters down in an instant, but he didn¡¯t feel like the current was slowing at all, and as he was dragged further downward, Merlin examined his surroundings. Obviously, there weren¡¯t any monsters or living organisms here, as this wasn¡¯t an environment that could sustain life. ¡°Ah¡­ the sea floor. I guess I¡¯m about 800 meters deep?¡¯ The sea floor here didn¡¯t have the sand or pebbles that would often be found. Instead, it was made of an unknown, durable metallic material that was black and glossy. It seemed exceedingly sturdy, as if even a cannonball wouldn¡¯t nick its surface. ¡®Well, considering the high-speed current, a normal sea floor would¡¯ve eroded a long time ago.¡¯ Whoosh! As Merlin was thinking, the current he was in suddenly changed directions, making a sharp turn when it reached the sea floor. Merlin could follow along without any issue, but if it were any other living being, they would have crashed into the sea floor. ¡®Wow, even fish would¡¯ve been pulverized from that.¡¯ It had only taken a brief moment for Merlin to reach the middle of the Noisy Belt, having traveled about five kilometers. At this point, the current changed directions once more and began to charge upwards. ¡®I see. The current is moving in a circular pattern.¡¯ The rising current shot towards the surface, splitting apart as one stream moved outward and traveled for the calmer waters on the ends of the Noisy Belt. In other words, the Noisy Belt was sucking up water from the deep sea to create rough waves and currents. Unless someone could dive to the deep sea like Merlin or fly far above the surface, the Noisy Belt would be challenging to cross. ¡°Hahaha! I guess others will have to fly above this area if they want to cross- ack?!¡± When Merlin shot up above the surface of the water, a monster passed by and nipped at his head with its large beak. The monster looked like a pterodactyl, but it was made of mysterious metallic material. Splash! When Merlin landed back in the water, the flying monster breathed out a wave of fire, causing a significant amount of seawater to turn to steam. ¡®A Golem?!¡¯ After recognizing the monster with his Aura Vision, Merlin scanned his surroundings. At the exact center of the Noisy Belt was an island as big as two football fields. There were a bunch of Golems packed together here, and they were similar to the one that¡¯d just tried biting Merlin¡¯s head. Golems were dolls or robots that were made through magic, alchemy, and doll-making. ¡®Are they defending the skies?¡¯ As he pondered, Merlin went underwater and followed the current to reach the calmer seas outside the Noisy Belt. It seemed that the currents flowed outward from the center to the tranquil waters flanking the Noisy Belt. And while it was challenging to swim against the current, it was pretty easy to go along with the flow. Also, since Merlin was returning and not passing the Noisy Belt¡¯s imaginary center line, the flying monster didn¡¯t attack him. It appeared as if the monster was programmed to stop intruders from passing this line, which demarcated one side from the other. Sss. Merlin¡¯s body created splashes and ripples in the water as his inertia was lessened by the seawater around him. At this point, he had turned off his boosters and was simply going with the current¡¯s flow. ¡®This Noisy Belt¡­ I can get through it since I have some special skills, but it¡¯s probably impossible for anyone else to pass.¡¯ More importantly, that barrier had to have been put there for a reason. The Noisy Belt was probably created to block users from entering the area beyond it. ¡®At the worst, the area I¡¯m heading for will be filled with high-level monsters.¡¯ Merlin was incredibly confident that he¡¯d be able to escape any attacks as long as he was in the water, but even still, if he had to fight high-level monsters, they¡¯d probably manage to injure him. For instance, the Orc Hero, Sungmuk, had launched an unavoidable sword qi attack while they were in the water, and the Lich Heinkel had cursed him while Merlin was touching the water. ¡®No, those guys aren¡¯t my biggest headache. Since this is the sea, the true headcase is¡­.¡¯ Merlin recalled the young man that had guarded the Seadragon¡¯s Temple. The young man had a chiseled upper body and blue-tinted skin, and his lower body was in the form of a fish. He was a species that was often called a mermaid, a monster that lived within the sea. Sss. As Merlin reminisced, a group of young men abruptly appeared in front of him. They all had red hair and pupil-less, completely white eyes. None wore shirts, and in their right hand, they held tridents made from a metallic blue material. Their bottom halves were, of course, a fish¡¯s tail. When he saw them, Merlin clapped loudly. ¡®Ah, right. Those guys! They¡¯re the people that I don¡¯t want to meet in this kind of place¡­ wait, huh?¡¯ Merlin didn¡¯t take any evasive action, shocked from seeing the exact beings that he¡¯d just imagined. The approaching mermaids possessed the same water attribute affinity as he did, so they didn¡¯t disturb the water as they moved. Additionally, for whatever reason, they didn¡¯t exude any killing intent toward Merlin, who just stood there defenseless. In Merlin¡¯s brief moment of inaction, five mermaids surrounded him. ¡®Damn. I¡¯m screwed.¡¯ Nervously, Merlin surveyed his surroundings. Since he could be killed at any moment, Merlin focused his energy on maximizing his water attribute affinity. If his opponents showed an opening, Merlin was planning on operating his booster at full power to escape. Yet, the mermaids reacted in a completely unexpected manner. [What is this thing? It doesn¡¯t have a tail?] [Isn¡¯t it a human? I¡¯ve heard that creatures who look like us but have two legs instead of tails are called humans.] [I heard humans can¡¯t live underwater, though. Don¡¯t they live on land?] Merlin was surprised as the mermaids seemed to be conversing about his identity. Since Merlin had always faced immediate aggression when encountering a monster in DIO, this bewilderment was logical. After all, generally, if Merlin entered a monster¡¯s sphere of influence, the latter would enter battle mode and attack. Some monsters approached users carefully to gauge their strength and look for openings, but none had ever gone up to Merlin just to stand around and talk amongst themselves. ¡®What the hell? Their ID is definitely in black lettering.¡¯ CH 79 In DIO, other than new users that¡¯d just joined, everyone would have an ID nametag above their head, with the font being either white, yellow, or black. Users had white lettering for their nametag, and NPCs had yellow, which left monsters with black text. So, it was clear that these mermaids were monsters. [Hey, you there? Say something.] [You idiot. Humans can¡¯t communicate with mind senses, so it¡¯s impossible for them to talk underwater.] [Then, do we need to take him up to the surface? I thought that humans who could swim all the way down here would be able to use mind senses.] As the mermaids chatted, Merlin started circulating his magic power. Fortunately, he recalled reading about a spell related to mind senses in one of his spell books. ¡°Excuse me, can you hear me?¡± [Hmm, it spoke?] [I told you! It can talk!] Some of the mermaids seemed happy that they were correct, whereas others appeared exasperated at the sight of a talking human. Regardless, none of them showed any signs of aggression toward Merlin. ¡°Anyway, is something wrong?¡± [That¡¯s what we should be asking. What brought you down here? You¡¯re lucky that we found you. If another monster got here before us, you would¡¯ve been torn to shreds.] After the last mermaid spoke, it looked around to check for anything in its surroundings. Luckily, there were no other monsters. Since this was the mermaids¡¯ territory, most monsters avoided entering. However, there were always some monsters that didn''t care about arbitrary boundaries or who even wanted to specifically hunt mermaids. Thus, it was vital that the mermaids remained aware of their surroundings. ¡°Hmm. You can say that I¡¯m traveling. I¡¯m trying to head as far south as possible.¡± [Traveling south? We¡¯re at the most northern area, though?] Seeing the mermaids¡¯ perplexed expressions, Merlin became certain that they¡¯d never crossed the Noisy Belt and didn¡¯t know of the world that existed beyond. The Noisy Belt seemed to be a barrier that separated these two worlds. ¡°Hmm, this is a bit difficult to answer¡­ is there perhaps a local village nearby for users?¡± [User? What are users?] The mermaids¡¯ expressions showed that they had no idea what Merlin was talking about, and it was only then that Merlin realized something. ¡®These guys, they don¡¯t know that they¡¯re just part of a program.¡± All of DIO¡¯s NPCs and a majority of the monsters were aware that they were living in an alternate, virtual reality. They knew that they were artificial creations in a virtual world, tasked with specific roles that they needed to carry out. The only NPCs that didn¡¯t seem to know this were the ones that Merlin had met in the level-up tests, which were conducted on separate servers. Yet, despite residing on the main server, these mermaids believed they were living in reality. ¡°Hmm, then, how long does it take to get from here to land?¡± [The closest island is about two days away by swimming, but the nearest continent¡­ is far.] ¡°How far?¡± [Very far. Just¡­ very, very far.] ¡°¡­¡± After hearing this abstract reply, Merlin fell into thought before covering his eyes with his left hand, masking this motion by acting as if he were merely rubbing his tired eyes. When he first entered the Noisy Belt, he was at the southernmost tip of the map. As such, when he passed through this boundary and reached the other side, he expected changes in the map to reflect the new area. ¡®Huh? The map is a rectangle now.¡¯ Merlin was surprised as he opened his map. Previously, it was shaped like a square, but now, there had been an area added to the bottom. This wasn¡¯t just a minor change. This extension was three times larger than the map¡¯s previous size. DIO¡¯s map didn¡¯t have fog of war, so Merlin could clearly see six sizable islands and a main continent under the Noisy Belt. And after calculating the distance, Merlin found¡­ ¡®Eight hundred kilometers?!¡¯ Merlin was so shocked that his jaw dropped. Inevitably, this also allowed some seawater to flow into his mouth, but it was naturally expelled by his water attribute affinity. In any case, if there were a straight line from Seoul to Busan, it would be 314 kilometers. So, 800 kilometers¡­ was enough to easily cross the East Sea. Most 3D games wouldn¡¯t create such a massive map, so it was surprising that a virtual reality game with higher resource requirements would use a large-scale map like this. [Why are you covering your eyes?] ¡°Ah, just¡­ my eyes were a little sore¡­ anyway, what are you guys planning to do? Are you going to capture me?¡± [No, I don¡¯t see a reason to capture you. It might¡¯ve been a different story if you planned on entering our territory unauthorized, but it doesn¡¯t seem like you had any such motive.] ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± For someone who wanted to travel or go on an adventure instead of fighting, Merlin was happy to hear the mermaid¡¯s words. Although Merlin was akin to an alien existence in the water and could avoid most monsters that rushed toward him, constantly running away was tiring. [Anyway, do you have somewhere to go?] ¡°I didn¡¯t have any specific place in mind. Is there anywhere I should avoid?¡± The mermaid contemplated for a moment before speaking with an expression that seemed to state that it didn¡¯t have any reason to hide the truth. [If you head southwest of here, you¡¯ll see our city. Of course, our species is respectful and noble, so we wouldn¡¯t instantly attack you, but if you try to enter without permission, it¡¯ll be dangerous. There have been many attacks on the city recently, so everyone¡¯s on edge.] ¡°Are there more areas that I should stay away from?¡± [Other places are equally dangerous¡­ oh, right. If you go south, you¡¯ll arrive at Cone Island. Try to avoid that place. It¡¯s filled with goblins and other monsters.] As he listened, Merlin visualized the locations of the islands he had seen at the bottom of the map. Outside of the continent, there were numerous islands of various sizes. Some were even larger than Dead Earth. ¡°Hmm¡­ well, thank you. I¡¯m sure you were startled by my sudden appearance.¡± [No worries. I was actually quite interested to see a human.] Swish. Then, Merlin kicked out and started swimming, shooting upwards. These movements weren¡¯t something an average human could do, but the mermaids were completely at home in the water, so Merlin¡¯s actions didn¡¯t seem weird or out of the ordinary. And so, they watched Merlin ascend as they waved at him. [Goodbye. Watch out for monsters.] ¡°Thank you. Goodbye.¡± Since mermaids were still monsters, Merlin quickly distanced himself from them, but it didn¡¯t seem like they wanted to chase him. In fact, the mermaids continued to chatter excitedly as if they had seen something interesting. ¡°Phew! I guess the area beneath the Noisy Belt isn¡¯t a high-level zone.¡± Merlin made his way to the surface of the water, recalling and reflecting on the mermaid¡¯s power level. The mermaid species possessed a Level 4 rating, which meant that the starting level for adult mermaids was Level 4 at the lowest. Hence, mermaids weren¡¯t weak compared to other monsters, but they also weren¡¯t too formidable either, as they likely couldn¡¯t develop beyond Level 5 or 6. ¡°I guess the monsters and NPCs most likely don¡¯t know the truth of their existence¡­.¡± In reality, Dynamic Island was an outlier that swayed Merlin¡¯s way of thinking. It was weird for NPCs and monsters to know that they were virtual recreations, but it made sense in the context of DIO. If the beings native to DIO acted like they really existed, users might start to grow confused and become unable to differentiate reality from virtual reality. Moreover, there were always people that tried making NPCs realize that they were fictional characters. By making the NPCs aware of their status, this issue could be resolved. ¡°It seems the game developers and administrators are preventing users from going beyond the Noise Belt for now. This is probably because of psychological factors rather than insufficient combat prowess- hmm?¡± Merlin abruptly stopped in his tracks. He stopped because he saw a red dot in the distance. Whoosh. Despite being far away, the red dot emanated an overwhelming aura that seemed to shake Merlin¡¯s skull. Even at this distance, Merlin could tell that the being must be absolutely mammoth, as he could make out its form and its wings. ¡°Uh¡­ uhm¡­¡± Merlin felt his arms shake, and he softened his breathing. The approaching being was a dragon, not an eastern dragon, but a western one, and judging by its bright red skin, it was probably a red dragon. Since the red dragon was rapidly soaring forward, from Merlin¡¯s perspective, it quickly grew bigger. Flash! The red dragon was high in the sky, but Merlin¡¯s Enhanced Eyesight allowed him to see its body clearly. With its elegant body, the red dragon seemed as if it were an art piece created after countless hours and immense effort. In contrast to how Merlin thought a dragon should look, this one seemed like a flying artistic masterpiece; however, Merlin couldn¡¯t afford to stare and appreciate the dragon¡¯s beauty. ¡®It saw me!¡¯ A chill ran through him before Merlin quickly circulated his internal energy and used some to protect him. If the red dragon made any move, however slight, Merlin was planning on rushing down to the deep sea. However, the red dragon didn¡¯t seem to pay attention to Merlin as it charged past him. Merlin looked absentmindedly at the red dragon¡¯s receding figure. The dragon didn¡¯t restrain itself whatsoever, so Merlin could sense the immense internal energy that it exuded, almost akin to the sun. The dragon possessed so much power and energy that Merlin couldn¡¯t help but think that it was on the same level as Zygmunt, the dragon Merlin saw at the Seadragon¡¯s Temple. ¡°Oh my god¡­ t-that¡¯s not a boss, right?¡± If that was the case, Merlin felt that fighting such a monster would be too overwhelming. Of course, users were powerful as well. The two Masters, along with the two thousand handpicked beta testers, had all achieved incredible feats and development in a mere two months. ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that dragon going toward Starting?¡± In Merlin¡¯s mind, there was no way such a massive, formidable monster would appear in Starting. It was on an entirely different level. No matter how many ants gathered, they would never be able to defeat a giant dinosaur. ¡°What the hell is this place¡­.¡± Merlin couldn¡¯t help but stare at the departing red dragon as sweat poured down his face. CH 80 /Welcome to the Level 15 test! Mr. Arthur has attempted this test zero times./ /You are the first user to attempt the Level 15 test! For your achievement, you will be given three Great Cores!/ /Your pet¡¯s special abilities and skills have been sealed. Single-use items, your Master skill, and your Master Weapon have also been sealed./ ¡°Hmm, a Master Skill is technically an ability, so shouldn¡¯t it be allowed?¡± Arthur muttered some complaints under his breath as he prepared for the 1:1 battle. There wasn¡¯t much time before it began, so he had to get ready quickly. Kyak! ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a demon.¡± Arthur dodged the lunging demon as it attempted to bite him. They were in a desert, but unlike a typical desert, the sand here was black. Additionally, it was filled with demons. Whoosh! Arthur¡¯s left hand became transparent, and the entire area was filled with sword light. The demons cried out and rushed towards him, but since they were within the sphere of sword light, they were instantly shredded, like fruit and vegetables in a mixer. Bam! A mid-rank demon pushed past the sword qi, emanating an aura of demonic energy with skin as tough as a diamond. However, it was flung back after being hit by a fist-sized blue marble. The Level 12 demon was able to stand again, but the blue marble immediately slammed into its head, although it had slightly shrunk as if it had shed a layer like an onion. This collision wasn¡¯t something the thick-skinned demon could handle. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Successive blows and explosions rang out as the mid-rank demon¡¯s body was constantly pummeled. As it continuously smacked the demon¡¯s head, the originally fist-sized blue marble condensed down to a small egg shape. Yet, despite this size reduction, the blue marble grew more forceful. Throughout this entire ordeal, it was as if the marble was a guided missile, and the mid-rank demon, feared for its grit and ferocity, couldn¡¯t help but whimper in pain. Arthur was utilizing the Proper Martial Arts school of study¡¯s most formidable skill, Ten Core Brilliance. Bam! Bam! Bam! The combination of the ten cores into one point was the essence of Ten Core Brilliance, and it was also how the blue marble was made. Once the blue marble shrunk to the size of a single marble, it shot through the mid-rank demon¡¯s head. Boom! The mid-rank demon¡¯s body stiffened for a moment before turning into black dust and scattering in the air. Surprisingly, with just one move, Arthur had killed a monster that was equivalent to a Master. Of course, Ten Core Brilliance expended a significant portion of Arthur''s power, but it was also pertinent to know that Arthur didn''t use the Golden Pill Immortal Technique. While the Golden Pill Immortal Technique made it possible to use immense amounts of energy in one go, Arthur utilized a less optimized technique when casting his skill. Being able to still carry out such an attack in these conditions perfectly displayed Arthur¡¯s martial arts prowess and his internal energy capacity, which was close to ten cycles or 600 years. ¡°Oho~ a human in a place like this¡­ what brings you here?¡± Once Arthur cleared his surroundings, a new foe showed up before him; it was the [Assignment] he needed to complete to pass this test. This enemy was an attractive, strapping woman with black hair who was easily over 170 centimeters tall. She projected an aura of demonic energy around her, which seemed to suppress and dominate everything in its surroundings. ¡°Of course, a high-rank demon. Well, I suppose that Level 15 monsters in the demon species need to be a high rank.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look surprised by my presence. Did you already know about me before you arrived?¡± The remaining demons in the area stood back and didn¡¯t move closer to the two. It appeared as if they were afraid of the aura emanating from the high-rank demon, but Arthur wasn¡¯t scared or concerned. Soon, a tear in space opened, and Dustin emerged. ¡°A Draconic Sword?¡± ¡°Oh, you know what it is? Most people think it¡¯s simply a summoned being that¡¯s shaped like a sword.¡± Whap! As Arthur calmly spoke, he deflected a magic bullet that was shot when he started talking. The magic bullet moved at Mach 5, so instead of a bullet, it was more appropriate to call it an intercontinental ballistic missile. Yet, Arthur had effortlessly dealt with the surprise attack. This reaction time was surprising, but to deal with attacks that reached certain speeds or were unnoticeable, Masters prepared multiple defensive layers and actions beforehand. This was best seen in the orc hero Sungmuk when he handled all of Cruze¡¯s bullets with only his sword. ¡°Pretty good. I guess I¡¯ll be having a bit of fun after a long time of-¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Whoosh! After offering a curt apology, an overpowering aura spread across the area, and the space seemed to bend, contort, and sway. Arthur smiled at the astonished female demon, who had immediately taken a defensive posture when she felt the aura hit her. ¡°I would have taken my time to defeat you with swordsmanship skills, but there¡¯s been an announcement that a special boss will be coming soon.¡± ¡°A s-special boss? What the hell are you talking about¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to take my leave soon.¡± With Dustin in his right hand and a normal sword in his left, Arthur advanced, and behind him, tens of shadows started to form. *** ¡°That¡¯s¡­ the special boss?¡± ¡°So beautiful. I don¡¯t know who designed that creature, but I really respect them.¡± The users in Starting had trouble breathing under the oppressive pressure from the red dragon¡¯s sudden arrival. It was so overwhelming that no one could move an inch, even those who fought monsters and faced suppressive auras on a daily basis. [I guess my Dragon Fear doesn¡¯t work on them.] ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s not working? All of them are trembling and shivering in fear.¡± [Hmph. Usually, beings at their level would be throwing up blood and collapsing. None of them have lost their will to fight, either. It looks like they¡¯ve been given some sort of psychological protection from the system.] Despite the red dragon¡¯s complaints, the young boy atop the red dragon¡¯s shoulder cleared his throat with an audible ¡®ahem¡¯ and stood tall with his shoulders back. ¡°Ah, yes. We¡¯ve put our heart and soul into recreating the users¡¯ bodies and-¡± [I don¡¯t care.] Rumble! In stark contrast to its cold, uncaring words, red, fiery breath started gathering in the red dragon¡¯s mouth. It was using an ability limited to dragons that could burn everything it touched: Dragon Breath! ¡°W-what the hell is this? What¡¯s with this unbelievable amount of magic power?¡± ¡°Everyone, avoid the attack! Watch out!¡± Alas, the users could only scream; they could not escape the attack. Actually, it was more accurate to say that any evasion was impossible. The users could easily see that the oncoming attack wouldn¡¯t merely destroy a small area. It was large enough to consume the entire village, so there was no point in trying to get away. Also, since all the users were inside Starting, they couldn¡¯t use their Gate Rings to teleport to their last visited city. To top this off, they didn¡¯t have enough time to log out, so the only route remaining was to accept their death. ¡°Damn it! Dying right when I¡¯m beginning the damn game!¡± a user cried out. However, right at that moment, a vast barrier formed around Starting and blocked the attack. Whoosh! All the nearby clouds were instantly pushed away, clearing the sky and allowing the sun¡¯s rays to shine unfettered. And while the Dragon Breath attack hadn''t hit its targets, the force from hitting the barrier made the surrounding air leave the area. ¡°Dang, t-that¡¯s terrifying. Who thought of creating such a crazy monster?¡± ¡°It tried to end everything in a single move! What bad manners!¡± ¡°Since the barrier saved us, it seems like the game developers and administrators have something in mind¡­ but can that thing truly be caught or killed?¡± ¡°If we can somehow reach that thing and get close enough to attack, we might be able to do something to it!¡± Though they had their backs pushed against the wall and were on the brink of death, the users didn¡¯t seem to fear dying. The red dragon, Igniz, had always considered humans as insignificant beings that were below her, and she acted as if her pride had taken a beating. [A direct intervention¡­ you guys¡­ what are you planning?] ¡°We couldn¡¯t have a battle that ended immediately, so we cast a protection spell on the Land of Creation. With this, any attack sent from 100 meters above the ground will be blocked and nullified by the barrier. You¡¯ll need to get close to launch any attacks effectively. Yet, on the other hand, if you¡¯re near or on the ground, you may launch long-range attacks like the one you just used. Moreover¡­¡± [Moreover?] When Igniz asked this, all the users in the Land of Creation had a blue ring appear above their heads before the rings cracked and dispersed. ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t this the buff we received during the Level 2 test?¡± ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s a more powerful version. My magic power has doubled.¡± ¡°Oh, shit! My life force points have reached the 300 range¡­ damn, is this real life?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah! At this rate, I think we stand a chance!¡± Feeling the rush of additional power circulating through their bodies, the previously hesitant and scared users started talking and moving about with renewed energy. Yet, regardless of their excitement, Igniz only stared coldly at the unfolding scene. [And?] ¡°What?¡± [Are there any more restrictions that you¡¯re going to place on me or buffs that you¡¯ll be giving them? Anything further?] ¡°No, this is it.¡± Seeing the young boy nod, the red dragon lowered her head slightly. And then¡­ [Hahaha!] With the crazy outburst of sound, the users, as well as the young boy, couldn¡¯t help but cover their ears. If this laughter rang out from within the city, every user¡¯s eardrums would have exploded. The users in Starting weren¡¯t normal humans, though, and they still enjoyed some protection from the system, so they didn¡¯t have their eardrums destroyed. However, Igniz¡¯s laughter wasn¡¯t an attack, and she growled. [Hehehe¡­ you guys are belittling me. Just because you¡¯ve caught and confined me doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m a pushover. Do you really think that giving these insects a slight buff will be enough to bring me down?] ¡°Please don¡¯t direct your anger towards me. If you feel belittled, then you can take it out on them, right? Prove us wrong.¡± [Fine! I¡¯ll make sure to kill and eliminate all of them!] CH 81 Like a hawk diving toward its prey, Igniz briefly hovered high in the sky before shooting down. There was nothing particularly spectacular about this, but since Igniz¡¯s body was 200 meters long, the force from the descent made the users feel as though the sky was falling. However, despite this chaotic scene, the players readied their spiritual force specialties, and soon¡­ ¡°Watch out, everyone!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The battle began. *** Using Introspection, Merlin inspected his internal energy. His internal energy system was comprised of three main components. The first was the sun-like Golden Core. Then, there were the planets that doubled his internal energy: Mercury and Venus. With these, Merlin was able to double or quadruple his internal energy. Sss. Currently, Merlin was working on developing his third expansion planet. To do this, he used his current internal energy reserves, which were 80 points of internal force or 40 years of internal energy. Since Mercury and Venus required ten and 20 years of internal energy, respectively, Merlin expected Earth to take 40 years. Bam! While he contemplated, his internal energy circulation suddenly collided with something. More accurately, instead of hitting something, it was repelled. The gathered 40 years of internal energy didn¡¯t solidify into Earth, and instead, it started resisting the consolidation. ¡®This is much more difficult than I anticipated.¡¯ The aftereffect of the failure caused blood to rush up Merlin¡¯s throat, and he knew that if he were to spit it out, he¡¯d lose some of his accumulated internal energy. So, he forcefully swallowed the rising blood. As he did with Mercury and Venus, Merlin had been planning on consolidating his internal energy to form a planet, but it wasn¡¯t progressing smoothly. Bam! Merlin tried to consolidate the gathered internal energy again, but it resisted once more and forcefully repulsed Merlin¡¯s efforts. This time, Merlin¡¯s body hurt as if he had sustained internal damage. ¡®Why? Why isn¡¯t it working? Creating Mercury and Venus wasn¡¯t difficult.¡¯ Merlin was perplexed at the situation, but he shouldn¡¯t have been, as this should¡¯ve been an obvious result. Though Merlin had named his planets Mercury and Venus, this was an arbitrary decision made after listening to Mari¡¯s explanation of how the Golden Pill Immortal Technique worked. This technique created something from nothing, and typically, practitioners would find it nearly impossible to make even the first planetary body, let alone the second. Due to the names he had chosen, Merlin assumed that it would be simple to create the other planets in succession, from Earth to Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. His thought process regarding the planets'' creation was too naive as if they would form naturally. Woong! Merlin continued to make another attempt, but he wasn¡¯t making any progress. Similar to how diamonds and coal were both made from carbon but had drastically different properties and cellular structures, producing golden cores and forming a planet or ¡®creating something from nothing¡¯ was on a whole new difficulty level. A lump of coal couldn¡¯t be squeezed to form a diamond, and after creating one planet from nothing, making others became exponentially more challenging. ¡°Ugh¡­ this won¡¯t work!¡± Merlin snapped out of his Introspection. He had been sitting cross-legged, meditating on an uninhabited island. Then, like a running back being handed a football, Merlin placed his right hand on his chest palm up as his other hand moved above it. With both palms facing each other, Merlin released the internal energy he had been using to create the third planet. /Your highest spiritual power (type: Internal Energy) has decreased by 80 points!/ Merlin¡¯s ball of internal energy was uprooted from his body and brought out, emitting a golden glow. In contrast to when he¡¯d done this with ample preparations, there was no planning at all this time, so the soccer ball-sized system hovered between his hands. Unlike the solid core that he manipulated when creating an external golden core, this time around, his core was in a gaseous state. If anyone were to come by and scatter this ball of internal energy, Merlin would lose everything he had painstakingly gathered. Fortunately, no one was nearby. ¡°It would be great if I had more time¡­ damn it. I should¡¯ve paid closer attention to the Announcement Board.¡± Merlin had started doing this challenging work because of what he''d read on the Announcement Board after the red dragon passed him. The post read as follows: /1. Special Boss Raid Battle Congratulations on overcoming the Siege Quest~! Everyone was much stronger and more powerful than we had initially expected, so we¡¯re delighted to see your progress. This has led us to prepare something special! The red dragon, Igniz, shall make her appearance! In a few moments, at 2 PM exactly, the red dragon Igniz shall descend from the southern skies and start attacking users. Igniz¡¯s objective will not be the destruction of Starting but the annihilation of all users. Hence, there is no specific designated area that needs to be defended. The entire village may be used as a battlefield. However, once the battle starts, a barrier shall form around Starting, which will prevent anyone from leaving or entering. All users within the village shall be seen as a single party, and all drops will be distributed accordingly. 2. End of Closed Beta When Igniz is defeated, or all the users are killed, the Dynamic Island service will end. Once this happens, the current user IDs, inventory specifications, reduced log-out benefits, and all other system functions shall be kept intact for closed beta users, as well as gold, items, and experience points. However, all users will have their levels, abilities, and skill stats reset. This forced reset will be strictly enforced so that all users, new and returning, start the game on a level playing field. Existing users will not face any other restrictions or resets. 3. Grand Opening of the DIO Service There will be several benefits that¡¯ll be distributed if Igniz is eliminated. If the users prevail, the grand opening of DIO shall occur ten days after the end of the beta, on January 1st. However, if Igniz comes out victorious, the grand opening shall be pushed back three months and occur on April 1st. The DIO service will be open to the general public, so we urge all current users to help spread the word. 4. No Open Beta period - you will need to pay to play the game/ /PS: We have received many questions regarding the undead monster corps from Dead Earth island. The monster corps was attacked en route by a limited number of users. The absence of the monster corps at the south gate was not due to a bug or error in the DIO system or server./ Similar to how everyone else felt, Merlin was taken aback after reading this. ¡°What the hell? These freaking developers and administrators¡­ They didn¡¯t say they were under pressure or had an external issue, but they¡¯re going to arbitrarily delay the grand opening to April 1st if we lose to the red dragon?¡± This wasn¡¯t an approach that most game developers and companies would take, as most of them wanted to make money. It was as if they were stating that this delay bothered the users more than the developers. In any case, Merlin soon shook his head. ¡°Ah, whatever. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve only seen weird things once or twice; everything about this game has been a little weird. Whatever. If I need to wait a bit longer to play the game, so be it.¡± Merlin gave up on the red dragon, having already concluded that the users would have no chance. Due to this assumption, Merlin focused on the wording and description of the second clause in the post. Forced reset. In other words, after a user¡¯s level was reset, their abilities and skill stats would immediately be reduced. The level reset wasn¡¯t worrying, as users could just retake the level tests, but the other reductions were significant since many users had dedicated a tremendous amount of time and effort to hone their abilities and skills. This was why Merlin was working on physically materializing his spiritual power. Of course, recreating an external spiritual power system through internal energy wasn¡¯t simple, as seen with the Golden Pill Immortal Technique¡¯s planets. Yet, Merlin was trying to do just that with his innate image-making ability. Furthermore, he had already accomplished comparable feats in the past when he created external cores. Ping! Merlin compressed the soccer ball-sized golden light. Since it was in a gaseous form, the golden light would¡¯ve dispersed if Merlin only used his physical strength, so he also harnessed his magic power. ¡®Alright, now, time to be creative.¡¯ As Merlin narrowed his eyes to focus, a pink light started shining from the Spinel on the back of his right hand. The magic power trickled down from his right hand and started enveloping the bundle of golden internal energy. In a matter of seconds, the golden light was compressed to the size of an apple. ¡°Focus on the qi¡­ focus on the qi¡­.¡± Mumbling to himself, Merlin brought his two hands closer, but the internal energy ball started resisting. If Merlin were simply compressing this ball to create an external golden core, the process would have gone relatively smoothly. Yet, he wasn¡¯t just making a golden core. He was building an entire system, something that could ¡®make something out of nothing.¡¯ Seeing the ball of internal energy constantly repelling and resisting, Merlin realized that he couldn¡¯t form the next planet through image-making and compressive force. Crack! His Spinel, which had constantly been emitting a pink light, cracked. Merlin practiced the Seven Jewel school of study, which sought to create a perfect internal spiritual power system within the practitioner¡¯s body. So, this crack raised several red flags. His magic stone was essentially the container that held all his magic power, so if it were destroyed, the user would lose their entire reserve of magic power. Merlin knew this, but he chose to accelerate his magic power usage beyond the point that the Spinel could handle. ¡°I was planning on making another magic stone as well¡­ but I guess I¡¯ll have to give up on that thought!¡± Gritting his teeth, Merlin continued his image-making. He¡¯d created Mercury and Venus through a simple image-making process that compressed his internal energy. However, this third planet required more than half a cycle of internal energy, so he couldn¡¯t use the same technique, as the internal energy refused to combine and resisted instead. Any seasoned practitioner of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique would have already given up by this point. Although they would¡¯ve been frustrated that they couldn¡¯t produce a third instance of ¡®creating something from nothing,¡¯ they would¡¯ve realized that it was impossible to make the third planet in the same way as the first and second. Thus, it would be concluded that another possible approach existed, but it might require an extensive period of researching and testing to discover. John Dalton (1766 - 1844) stated in his atomic theory that ¡®all things are made of atoms, tiny things that can no longer be divided.¡¯ However, this statement was incorrect, as atoms could be divided using plasma or some other high-pressure force. If this occurred, the split atom would send out a positron, neutron, and electron. These were the components that modern physicists deemed as the smallest, undividable units of everything. Dalton¡¯s atomic theory was wrong, but it would have been absurd for anyone during his time to state, ¡®Atoms can be further divided, you idiot!¡¯ Dalton was a trailblazer whose theory was forward-thinking and revolutionary. Even now, Dalton is considered to be one of the giants who have helped others achieve further scientific breakthroughs. Smaller units were only discovered after decades of research and experimentation. Expecting Dalton to have learned this modern conclusion would be silly. Likewise, the creator of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique probably decided that the third planet couldn¡¯t be created, which wasn¡¯t necessarily the wrong assumption to have at the time. The idea of creating internal energy-doubling planets that were ¡®something out of nothing¡¯ was probably revolutionary to the martial arts world at the time. Hence, making a third planet would likely necessitate a massive investment of time, research, and testing. ¡°Alright¡­ it¡¯s working!¡± With his monstrous spiritual power control and recognition, Merlin understood that it was possible to create a new property by combining internal energy and magic power, so he immediately tested his theory without any hesitation. Merlin had bypassed the arduous work of time-consuming research and experimentation from a mere hunch. However, to create the third planet, Merlin realized he needed to use the magic power that dwelled within the magic stone. This wasn¡¯t the expendable type of magic power; it was the magic power that the magic stone needed to exist. As such, there was no way for Merlin to avoid damaging his magic stone and magic power. CH 82 /Your spiritual force (Type: Magic Power) capacity has decreased by 170 points!/ After being imbued with magic power, the golden glow of the spiritual force ball started shining brighter, and a moment later, a pinky-sized gold-colored core landed in his palm. It was his third planet, Earth. ¡°Success. The blue Earth~.¡± Merlin felt a sense of emptiness within him once his internal energy was gone, but he¡¯d expected this, so he casually put his new core in his inventory. Then, he withdrew Mercury and Venus from his dantian region and out of his body, placing both of them into his inventory as well. Initially, Merlin had planned on converting the precious stone that was his spinel into a magic stone. This way, he could place it in his inventory as well, but after creating Earth, he had depleted all the magic power in the spinel, making it unusable. ¡°It would be nice if I could convert my life force and physical strength into items as well¡­ should I try draining my blood?¡± If others were to overhear his current mumblings, they would¡¯ve thought Merlin had lost his marbles, although a few may have thought he was onto something. Regardless, Merlin stuffed his inventory with everything he owned. And right when he was done¡­ Rumble. The sound of thunder rumbled. However, this didn¡¯t originate from a storm but the resonance of mana. Even with his Enhanced Eyesight, Merlin couldn¡¯t see the ferocious battle occurring far in the distance. ¡°I guess they¡¯re still fighting.¡± After completing his internal energy expulsion process, Merlin checked the time. A whole three hours had passed, which meant the red dragon had arrived in Starting roughly three hours ago and was still fighting. ¡°Is the dragon going easy on the users and giving them a handicap?¡± The dragon¡¯s formidable aura had convinced Merlin of the users¡¯ inevitable defeat, and when it flew past him, he felt an unbeatable force emanating from the monster. If DIO had been running for five years in reality, with the average user playing for at least ten in-game years, then the players may have put up a fight against Igniz. Yet, the users had only played for two months, so battling a raid monster like Igniz was an insurmountable task. ¡°Well, the users have hung on for quite a while, but the end should be arriving soon¡­ Oh, yeah. What should I do about this egg?¡± With all his items put away, Merlin looked to the side to see the egg on his shoulder. Obviously, he couldn¡¯t put the egg in his inventory, as it contained a living organism. Merlin could hold the egg while logging out, but would that prevent it from disappearing after the reset? As he was contemplating this matter, Merlin was suddenly interrupted. Whoosh! A powerful wave passed through Merlin, and since he didn¡¯t possess an iota of magic power or internal energy, his ability to sense qi and other energy had become virtually nonexistent. Yet, despite this, he felt a strong aura of spiritual pressure crushing down on him. If he felt this much pressure from so far away, it just showed the overwhelming amount of spiritual power that was being outputted. ¡°What the hell is this¡­?¡± Merlin then noticed that the air had changed. It wasn¡¯t a change in mood or ambiance; the air itself was different. ¡°The air has become¡­ warm?¡± To be more specific, the temperature of the air had risen. After the wave of magic power passed, the surroundings had become warmer by about four to five degrees Celsius. Of course, this change didn¡¯t affect Merlin too much, but if he could feel a difference 250 kilometers away from Starting, he couldn¡¯t imagine what the atmosphere was like there. A four to five-degree change here meant that the temperature must have been astronomically high on the battlefield. ¡°Wow¡­ so scary. I guess that¡¯s the power of a red dragon.¡± As he felt the atmosphere abruptly change, Merlin expected that the battle had winded down. It must have. With such a formidable attack, Merlin would¡¯ve been surprised if the whole village wasn¡¯t incinerated into nothingness. It was highly likely that the entire village and its grounds had been liquified, turning the whole area into a volcanic region. However, a text message soon popped up that went against his assumptions. /User Arthur has defeated the red dragon Igniz!/ /Congratulations! The users have won the battle!/ ¡°¡­ What?¡± Regardless if Merlin understood or not, the sky started darkening. Moreover, he could see darkness and emptiness approaching from the distant horizon. The server was shutting down. /With this, the Closed Beta has ended. We¡¯ll see you at the Grand Opening!/ The bright and cheery-sounding message was juxtaposed with the darkening world. Yet¡­ ¡°What?¡± Merlin couldn¡¯t help but continue to look perplexed. ***The One Who¡¯s Running Away*** Yongno got on the bus, something he hadn¡¯t done in a long time. Of course, only two weeks had passed in real life, but Merlin had experienced over 60 days. Was this feeling because of that? Yongno felt that everything around him seemed fresh and new. ¡°Oh, is that you, Yongno?¡± ¡°Hey.¡± After entering his high school and going to the second floor, where all the graduating third-year classrooms were, Yongno saw his first familiar face. Even if Yongno didn¡¯t recognize their face, he could easily tell if they were a third-year graduating student, as all third years wore street clothes rather than the school uniform. Technically, the third-year students were required to wear the school uniform on campus, but the teachers were the ones who enforced this rule, and they let it slide. ¡°Wow, epic. I¡¯ve also been absent for a few days since the entrance exam, but still, I¡¯ve never seen you until now. You haven¡¯t even come to school once after taking the exam, right?¡± ¡°Correct~.¡± Although he smiled good-naturedly while responding, Yongno fell into thought. ¡®What was this guy¡¯s name¡­.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t that Yongno didn¡¯t recognize this person. No, actually, Yongno had a close friendship with him. Although they hadn¡¯t been in the same class for all three years, they had only been in different classrooms in the second year. Furthermore, Yongno recalled having many conversations with this friend. ¡®Ah, his name is¡­.¡¯ Yongno knew everything about this friend¡¯s interests, personality, family background, and even his nicknames. Yongno didn¡¯t have any trouble talking to this person at the moment, but he couldn¡¯t remember their name. This wasn¡¯t the first time this happened, either. Other than a few who were closest to him, Yongno had trouble remembering all of his friends¡¯ names. He had mostly gotten away with this since their names were embroidered on their school uniforms, but now that everyone was wearing plain street clothes, Yongno was at a total loss. ¡°Are you losers all sleeping in the morning~!¡± ¡°Ugh, you losers. This thoughtful friend of yours has brought a couple of baseball game recordings. Do you guys want to watch?¡± ¡°Wow, such a thoughtful friend, indeed. Thank you for bestowing your grace and consideration on us.¡± ¡°Get your fat ass out of here.¡± The classroom atmosphere was light and carefree. Each third-year classroom contained 30 or so students, but there were only around ten present in each. And even then, most of these students had their heads on their desks or were reading comic books. ¡°Anyway, did you do alright on the university entrance exam?¡± ¡°I crashed and burned, as expected.¡± ¡°You seem way too happy for that to have actually happened.¡± From the guy with the baseball game recordings to the students trading and reading comic books, everyone seemed to state one or two things about the university entrance exam. As third-year students in the Korean education system, the main topic was the university entrance exam, so this type of behavior and ensuing conversations were expected. And when Yongno was asked the same question¡­. ¡°My grade is around this.¡± After Yongno wrote down a number, the friend he couldn¡¯t remember the name of gasped aloud. ¡°Oh my god, really? Wow, you screwed up. Did you fall asleep in the middle of the exam?¡± ¡°I got what I deserved.¡± ¡°But didn¡¯t you get the top score on the first-year midterm exam?¡± Yongno was surprised that this friend of his had remembered such an obscure memory. ¡°Yeah, but that was by accident.¡± ¡°By accident? You can get first by accident?¡± ¡°I guess I got what I deserved for fooling around the past three years.¡± After offering a general answer, Yongno focused on the television that was affixed to the wall. The television was placed to the left of the chalkboard and was only to be used for educational purposes. Students were not allowed to watch anything non-education-related, but since the third-year students had all taken their university entrance exams, they could watch whatever they pleased. ¡°Hey, did you hear? There¡¯s some kind of new virtual reality game coming out.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ yeah, I heard.¡± ¡°Do you think it¡¯s real? I feel like we¡¯re getting trolled. How can a virtual reality game be abruptly released without any marketing or news around it beforehand? I didn¡¯t hear a peep about it until now.¡± His friend¡¯s expression seemed to state, ¡®Are we living within a movie?¡¯, but Yongno, having beta-tested DIO, smiled awkwardly while responding, ¡°Eh¡­ Uhm, I heard that there¡¯s been a few people who have been testing out its systems recently.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re talking about that interview that¡¯s making the rounds, right? It was just an interview, though. There was no accompanying video or clips; the interviewee just said that the virtual world was great. Once we get into the game, don¡¯t you think it¡¯ll feel weird? Based on the rumors floating around, it doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯ll be that expensive to play, but can they really offer a quality game if the price isn¡¯t high?¡± CH 83 His friend¡¯s suspicion was a logical response. After all, if he hadn¡¯t played DIO, Yongno would have felt the same. And even when he logged in, it still took some time to wrap his head around the virtual world, so he couldn¡¯t imagine how others would react. ¡®An interview¡­ Did someone go on television and do an interview?¡¯ This wasn¡¯t necessarily unexpected or hard to understand. Since articles stating, ¡®A virtual reality game is coming out!¡¯ had been written, it was natural for people to look for beta testers to get firsthand testimony and initial reviews. Drop. Drop. While he was thinking, raindrops started tapping on the classroom¡¯s windowpane. ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s already so cold, and now it¡¯s raining?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s mid-December, but it¡¯s raining rather than snowing. What is our world coming to?¡± ¡°This is all because of global warming. Did we finish our university entrance exams only to see the world melt and become destroyed?¡± With such abnormal weather for the season, all the students gathered around the classroom windows and chatted noisily. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t pouring, but since rain wasn¡¯t expected, no one had brought an umbrella. Mumbled complaints and curses rumbled throughout the classrooms. ¡°So, what are you going to do about university?¡± ¡°If I can, I don¡¯t want to go to university.¡± Despite Yongno¡¯s bored, unbothered response, his friend could tell that Yongno wasn¡¯t joking, and they couldn¡¯t help but look exasperated. ¡°What? Hey, how can you attend a university prep school for three years and then say that? I understand that university is a waste of time and money compared to what we receive in return, but still, as long as we¡¯re living in Korea, a degree is necessary. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be treated like a bum.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really care.¡± ¡°Wait, how can you not care? What did your parents say?¡± ¡°No idea. I haven¡¯t spoken to them since I took the entrance exam.¡± While this statement could be interpreted in many ways and might have sounded weird, it was the truth. To be more precise, Yongno¡¯s last conversation with his parents took place long before the exam. ¡°Huh? Why? Isn¡¯t this when parents are most interested in their child¡¯s pursuits? My parents call me all day asking about the universities I¡¯m applying to, my chances of getting into certain schools, and whether I¡¯m keeping up with my grades and required paperwork submission. Your parents haven¡¯t done any of that?¡± Yongno understood where his friend was coming from, so he merely smiled and replied, ¡°I guess they feel that they¡¯re not in a position to ask such questions. They¡¯ve abandoned me once already.¡± Until now, Yongno¡¯s friend had been casually talking without much thought, but this unexpected reply startled him. He turned to look at Yongno, finding a twisted smile that he¡¯d never seen before. ¡°Huh? They abandoned you? What do you mean?¡± ¡°¡­ Hmm?¡± Yongno¡¯s twisted smile instantly vanished and was replaced by an unbothered expression, happening so quickly that an observer would miss it if they blinked. ¡°Eh? What was abandoned? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°¡­ Huh? I said something like that?¡± When Yongno said that he wasn¡¯t aware of such a thing, his friend couldn¡¯t help but frown with a puzzled expression. At that moment, a student walked through the classroom¡¯s entrance. ¡°Chang-jung, they¡¯re asking for you at the guidance office.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Yongno¡¯s friend, Chang-jung, turned back to look at Yongno once more before getting up. His priority was getting into a university, so the guidance counselor meeting took precedent. With a wave toward Yongno, Chang-jung left the classroom. In any case, after the brief uproar at the unexpected rain, the other students had returned to their normal activities. Some watched television, while others slept with their heads on their desks or read comic books. No one engaged Yongno in any further conversation. ¡°¡­ What is this?¡± Yongno had a perplexed expression as he thought. He felt that something was off; there was something weird. An odd scene played in his mind. ¡°It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t have this sort of memory, right?¡± The speaker was a middle-aged man, but Yongno couldn¡¯t make out his face. However, the man felt familiar; Yongno just couldn¡¯t quite remember who he was. Scrunch. Yongno felt a headache coming on, which surprised him, as he¡¯d never had a headache before. Screech. ¡°Huh? You¡¯re planning on leaving already?¡± ¡°Mhm, I¡¯m going to say I¡¯m sick and call it a day.¡± ¡°Yeah, I bet you¡¯re sick, sick of school, that is. It¡¯s nice to have no stress at school, but¡­ there¡¯s really no reason to come. Should I also stay home after meeting with my guidance counselor?¡± One of Yongno¡¯s classmates mumbled before laying his head back on his desk. Meanwhile, Yongno walked out of the classroom, his mind filled with complicated thoughts. That odd, vague scene kept circling in his mind. Sss. While walking, Yongno heard the rainfall as it started coming down harder. It was so cold that the ground would freeze when the temperature dropped in the evenings, but Yongno didn¡¯t even feel chilly. This wasn¡¯t because he was preoccupied with his thoughts. He truly wasn¡¯t cold. Ring. Ring. Yongno opened the door to a convenience store. He didn¡¯t eat breakfast, so he was hoping to buy a snack. ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t it raining?¡± The woman working here seemed to be a part-time employee, and when she saw Yongno enter, she asked this question. However, it was more hypothetical since the woman could already see that it was, indeed, raining. Like most convenience stores, the doors and walls facing the street were mostly taken up by glass windows. ¡°It is raining.¡± ¡°Ah, so it is. Right. Wait, but¡­?¡± ¡°What?¡± When the part-timer stuttered, Yongno looked at her with a puzzled expression, so the woman soon spoke up, ¡°By any chance¡­ did you carry an umbrella with you?¡± ¡°Did I need to bring an umbrella?¡± ¡°No, that wasn¡¯t what I meant. I¡¯m sorry. I think I misunderstood something.¡± The part-timer bowed in apology as Yongno passed her, making his way to the ready-made sandwich corner. Unlike usual, Yongno felt a little unsettled and had acted somewhat confrontational, but he didn¡¯t notice. ¡®Let¡¯s get a sandwich and some milk.¡¯ With this decision, Yongno grabbed a sandwich and a pack of coffee-flavored milk. And as he walked, he glanced at the mirror wall at the back of the store and immediately froze. Ìì (Heaven) The character ¡®Heaven¡¯ was stamped on his forehead. ¡°¡­?!¡± In shock, Yongno approached the mirror to get a closer look, but, at some point, the character had vanished. Yongno assumed that he must¡¯ve imagined it or missaw something. ¡®Did I spend too much time in DIO?¡¯ Yongno knew where he had seen that character before. It was what Mari had stamped on his forehead when he cleared all his initial beginner-level tests. Yongno never had a chance to look at a mirror in-game, so he didn¡¯t pay that much attention to the character, but he never forgot that it existed. ¡°How much is the total?¡± ¡°The two items bring you to a total of 2,200 Won. Would you like a bag? A plastic bag costs an extra 22 Won.?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ll just carry it with me.¡± After responding and paying, Yongno left the store. Sss. The rain was still coming down, and after taking a few steps, his throbbing headache seemed to subside. Yongno realized that he probably needed an umbrella, though, so he turned around and went back inside the convenience store. ¡°I need to purchase an umbrella.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have one?!¡± ¡°I told you I didn¡¯t have one before.¡± When Yongno replied with a slightly annoyed tone, the part-timer frowned perplexedly. There seemed to be something she didn¡¯t understand. However, Yongno didn¡¯t care what others were thinking, and he simply paid for the umbrella, left the store, and opened it. ¡®Let¡¯s go home.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t done much today, but he was feeling somewhat tired. *** ¡°Are you okay?¡± Seyoung was at a hospital in a large, clean room with only one person residing in it. This hospital¡¯s facilities were a tremendous upgrade from the previous one. ¡°Yes, but this place¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, mother. I didn¡¯t have to do anything extraordinary or overexert myself to get you into this hospital.¡± Previously, Seyoung¡¯s mother was barely conscious, but now she was fully lucid, although she still had a pale complexion. For whatever reason, the hospital had rushed to treat Seyoung¡¯s mother and did everything they could; however, leukemia wasn¡¯t a disease that could be treated and cured overnight. ¡°Alright. Have you eaten?¡± ¡°Hahaha. I¡¯m not eating convenience food all the time like before. I actually ate bulgogi today!¡± Seeing her son laugh in a relatively carefree manner, Seyoung¡¯s mother, Young-ran, couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°It¡¯s good to hear that you¡¯re eating well. Is everything alright? Can we really depend on and be indebted to a stranger like this?¡± ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know what his aims are, but it doesn¡¯t seem like he has any evil intentions. No, even if he does, I wouldn¡¯t complain after all he¡¯s done for us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m concerned that your future might be affected because of me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, mother. I live for you.¡± Seyoung spoke in a calm, measured voice. His eyes didn¡¯t shift, change in size, or tear up. Yet, Young-ran looked at Seyoung with a pitying gaze. Young-ran was concerned. Based on her own experiences and common sense, a stranger wouldn¡¯t have gone through this much trouble without expecting something in return. ¡°Ah¡­ sorry, but can I sleep for a bit?¡± ¡°Of course, mother. Don¡¯t strain yourself. Rest up.¡± ¡°Yeah. Make sure to eat your meals on time and don¡¯t overwork yourself. Your health is the most important thing. Understand?¡± With that, Young-ran¡¯s eyes slowly closed. Of course, Young-ran was only falling asleep, but it made Seyoung feel as if his heart dropped. His mother¡¯s complexion was too pale. Click. After walking out of the room and closing the door behind him, Seyoung fell into thought. His mother¡¯s condition had definitely stabilized. In addition to his mother¡¯s older age, her leukemia had reached the late stages, so Seyoung believed that her chances of fighting and beating the disease were low. In the past, when he saw his mother writhe and moan in pain, Seyoung had always cried. Though he often smiled and stated publically that his mother was simply having some minor health issues, Seyoung had felt that he was slowly devolving into madness. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten a lucky break; I need to ensure I don¡¯t lose this opportunity.¡± Seyoung had already reached Level 15. His goal was to reach Level 20, so he still had five more levels remaining. Though he was making good progress, one thing concerned him. Once he got to Level 15, Seyoung realized that it was exponentially harder to progress as the level tests became much more difficult. ¡°I need to get stronger.¡± As he muttered under his breath, his balled fists tightened so hard that his hands whitened. ¡°I need to get stronger.¡± CH 84 Yongno woke up at 7 AM and ate a quick breakfast before reading a few novels he¡¯d bought, waiting for lunchtime. He tried watching some television, which he didn¡¯t usually do, and he also attempted to take a nap. Yet, since he was well-rested, he couldn¡¯t fall asleep. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to do¡­.¡± Right, there was nothing to do. Previously, when he¡¯d feel like this, Yongno would play some online games, but after DIO, none of them seemed fun or interesting. ¡°Ah, when is January 1st going to roll around?¡± Thinking that there were too many hours in a day, Yongno rolled around in his bed. When he was preparing for the university entrance exam, he had made a long list of things to do afterward, but now that he had time to review and use the list, nothing seemed to catch his eye. ¡°Should I try and theory craft hand skills and magic skills?¡± Once he thought this, Yongno no longer felt bored. Studying martial arts and magic was more enjoyable than anything he could learn in real life, and while martial arts and magic studies were tedious and difficult, Yongno felt that the challenge added to his enjoyment. By training in the martial arts, Yongno could move in ways he never would¡¯ve imagined, and magic allowed him to create miracles that defied modern common sense. These two achievements not only gave him joy but an immense sense of happiness. Whoosh. While in bed, Yongno started moving his hands in the formations he¡¯d learned in-game. First, he practiced the hand motions for the skill Mari taught him, Great Strength Vajra Hand, swiftly followed by the skills he¡¯d learned from the library books, Great Tantra Hand and Formless Blade. Yongno even tried to convert the sword art that the orc hero Sungmuk used into a hand skill: Plum Blossom Hand. Though the hand skills were already perfected, they weren¡¯t created to work together, so Yongno worked on trying to link them seamlessly so that he could make combos or use different hand skills interchangeably. In addition, the Plum Blossom Hand was something Yongno created after reviewing Sungmuk¡¯s Plum Blossom Sword Art, so this specific derivative hand skill wasn¡¯t flawless. Sss. Despite being on his back, his hands and arms were moving at a fairly quick pace. Of course, Yongno couldn¡¯t utilize internal energy as he would have if he were in DIO, so he was essentially just moving his hands around in the air. However, Yongno wasn¡¯t focusing on his hands. ¡®Even if I rush, I can¡¯t complete another Howling Spell in less than two weeks. I can use the Training Room to create the spell, so time isn¡¯t an issue, but if I continue concentrating on only one spell, I¡¯m going to get bored.¡¯ It took a tremendous amount of mental fortitude to create a Howling Spell. For someone who hated rote learning and repeated motions, Yongno felt stressed at the idea of making a spell that he¡¯d already created. His efforts would result in a tremendously powerful spell, but Yongno¡¯s life motto was to avoid doing what he disliked, so no matter how large the payoff, Yongno most likely wouldn¡¯t pursue something that he disliked or did before. Ding Dong~ Ding Dong~ ¡°Huh? Who could that be at the door?¡± Yongno got out of bed and headed down the short hallway to his front door. Since he wasn¡¯t wearing too much, Yongno snagged a pair of training pants that were on the floor and put them on. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Me.¡± ¡°Oh, you surprised me, Eunhye.¡± Once Yongno opened the door, Eunhye walked in with an expressionless face, as if it was natural for her to be in Yongno¡¯s place. Since it was cold outside, Eunhye had a white parka and a scarf on. In this outfit, combined with her height of 175 centimeters tall or more, she looked like a model. ¡°It seems like you don¡¯t have much to do.¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing pressing at the moment.¡± As Yongno responded, he took a popsicle from his freezer and handed it to Eunhye, who took it without skipping a beat. Though her facial expression didn¡¯t change when she started eating the popsicle, Yongno knew she was happy, as he¡¯d seen and interacted with her for over ten years. ¡°Where''s your clothing hangers?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have anything like that. I place any clothes that need to be hung on my sofa.¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t know how to organize, do you? To not even have clothing hangers¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I just throw everything in my closet.¡± While responding, Yongno couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. Whenever Eunhye stopped by, she didn¡¯t remove her jacket. Although his house wasn¡¯t too chilly for her to take off her coat, this was still abnormal for Eunhye. Moreover, she never stayed for too long. ¡°You have a lot of books.¡± This was also a first. She never started a conversation in this way. If she didn¡¯t have something specific to tell him, she never visited. Additionally, due to her personality, Eunhye went straight to the main point whenever she spoke. She didn¡¯t get sidetracked with idle chatter, and she actually disliked it. ¡°I¡¯ve recently started collecting some books. Most of them are novels or comic books- huh?¡± As she spoke absentmindedly, Eunhye grabbed one of Yongno¡¯s books at random and plopped herself onto his sofa. Yongno couldn¡¯t help but stare in disbelief at what he was witnessing. Eunhye had chosen a mystery novel, and she didn¡¯t care that Yongno was staring at her with a dumbfounded expression. Flip. The sound of Eunhye flipping the novel¡¯s pages spread throughout the quiet house. Not knowing how he should react, Yongno stood there astonished for about five minutes. ¡®¡­ What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Yongno glanced at Eunhye¡¯s face. She seemed to be focused on what she was reading. ¡®Well, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯ In the end, Yongno shrugged, picked up a book, and sat next to Eunhye. Despite their close proximity, they had known each other for a long time, so there was no awkwardness in the air. Flip. Silence dominated the inside of Yongno¡¯s home. The sole sound was the occasional page turn. While this quietness may have been awkward or stressful for Yongno at any other time, he found it oddly relaxing right now. Eunhye didn¡¯t even raise her head once, entirely focused on the book that she¡¯d picked at random. Yongno also focused on reading his book. He felt relaxed and calm, which differed from how bored he was when he tried reading earlier. ¡®This book itself isn¡¯t all that interesting, though.¡¯ He had already finished reading his book, but he continued re-reading it. Yongno felt that it wasn¡¯t appropriate to broach a conversation with Eunhye in this type of atmosphere. ¡®I¡¯m getting sleepy¡­.¡¯ It was a relaxing environment, muted as well. Yongno wasn¡¯t tired, but he felt his eyelids becoming heavy. ¡®Should I catch a few winks¡­¡¯ With this thought, Yongno¡¯s eyes closed. *** Whoosh. In a vast blue ocean, a boy was swimming. If anyone were to see this scene, they would¡¯ve yelled at the boy to get out, as he wasn¡¯t swimming in a pool but near an artificial seawall with three-meter-deep water. Forget a ten-year-old boy; even an adult shouldn¡¯t swim in such dangerous waters. However, the young boy didn¡¯t seem to mind as he gently glided around on his back, his tummy above the surface. He tapped his feet against the water to move here and there. ¡°Try not to swim near the area where I cast my rod. You¡¯ll chase away all the fish.¡± There were two people near the seawall. One was the young boy swimming, and the other was a man in his mid-thirties who was fishing from atop the seawall. ¡°Hehehe, aren¡¯t you angry with me?¡± ¡°Angry with you? About what?¡± ¡°All the adults who see me swimming here get angry at me. They say it¡¯s too dangerous to swim, especially for someone as young as me.¡± Hearing the young boy complain as if he didn¡¯t like adults, the middle-aged man couldn¡¯t help but smile at the boy¡¯s cute behavior. ¡°Hahaha. I guess they¡¯re all just concerned, but I feel like they should be more worried about a fish drowning than you swimming.¡± ¡°Right? That¡¯s what I think as well.¡± The boy readily agreed with the man¡¯s assessment and swam toward him. He was happy. The middle-aged man was the only person who had complimented his swimming ability. ¡°Oh, no. Hey, can you not chase away the fish?¡± ¡°You need fish? Shall I catch some for you?¡± Depending on how the boy¡¯s words were interpreted, they might be seen as weird and delusional. After all, a ten-year-old boy swimming in the ocean was saying that he could catch fish with his bare hands. Yet, seemingly unbothered with this, the middle-aged man shook his head. ¡°If I merely wanted some fish, I would have gone to the local market instead of bringing my fishing pole here. Similar to your swimming, the act of fishing itself is the goal.¡± ¡°Oh, then is fishing fun?¡± ¡°Fun? Fun¡­ I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ve been doing it for so long that I¡¯ve forgotten what that¡¯s like.¡± The man smiled good-naturedly as he looked at the swimming boy. Waves constantly disrupted the peaceful seawater, but the boy moved naturally with the water¡¯s undulations. Instead of swimming, it looked as though the boy was naturally lying on a bed. ¡°Uh¡­ dang it¡­ I guess I¡¯ll head back home.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I think there¡¯ll be a storm between 2:10 to 2:15 PM. If I don¡¯t start heading back now, I might not be able to make it back home before it gets dark. I live quite far from here.¡± As he spoke, the young boy glanced at the middle-aged man to see his response. If he said this to any other adult, they would surely ask what the young boy was on about, but the middle-aged man only nodded. ¡°I see. Since it seems the storm will bring a lot of rain with it, I should head back a little earlier as well.¡± ¡°Huh? You¡¯re able to [Know] as well?¡± The boy feigned a surprised expression, but the middle-aged man smiled. Yet, for whatever reason, it seemed that there was a sense of sorrow and pity in the man¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re a surprising young boy. I¡¯ve lived a long life, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve met a boy like you.¡± ¡°Is that a compliment?¡± ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re an exceptional child.¡± ¡°Hehehe.¡± The young boy embarrassingly chuckled after judging that the man wasn¡¯t stating empty words. Since he was constantly yelled at or spoken down to, this was the first time he received such praise. ¡°But kiddo, adults may see your exceptionalism as something to dislike.¡± ¡°Eh? Isn¡¯t it good to be exceptional?¡± The man looked at him with an expressionless face. And then¡­ ¡°It¡¯s time for you to return, teacher.¡± ¡°Uh? When did he get here?¡± The boy was surprised when he saw a young man suddenly appear next to the middle-aged man. The seawall was level and allowed excellent visibility, so if anyone approached, they could be seen from a distance. However, the boy had not seen nor sensed the young man. ¡°Always in such a rush.¡± ¡°Teacher.¡± As the young man continued to implore him, the middle-aged man eventually sighed and started putting his fishing gear away. He actually didn¡¯t have much with him, not even a bucket to store anything he caught. Essentially, his only possession was the fishing pole. ¡°It¡¯d be nice to see you again.¡± ¡°Me, too. Ah, but what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°My real name or my username?¡± With that weird response, the young boy frowned. ¡°What would I do with your username? Your real name, of course.¡± ¡°Hahaha. Come to think of it, you¡¯re right. My real name¡­ oh yeah, my real name is¡­.¡± The middle-aged man seemed to be recalling something deep within his past. ¡°My name is Kang Sang.¡± CH 85 ¡°¡­¡± When Yongno finally woke up, a long time had passed. He didn¡¯t even need to look at the clock to realize this, as the previously bright living room was now dark. Since the streetlight outside shined through his living room window, it wasn¡¯t pitch black, but since it was winter, the darkness combined with the streetlight meant that it was well beyond time for dinner. ¡°¡­?!¡± Yongno tensed up after opening his eyes, finding a face right in front of him. More specifically, Eunhye¡¯s calm and expressionless face filled his field of vision. It seemed that he had fallen asleep on the couch and used Eunhye¡¯s lap as a pillow! ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± A lull filled the room. Eunhye simply looked down at Yongno with an expressionless face as he continued to lay on her lap. Meanwhile, Yongno stared at Eunhye, bewildered, as he couldn¡¯t make sense of the situation. After some time passed, Yongno finally spoke up. ¡°I-I can definitely tell you exercise a lot.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Your thighs are rock solid- ugh!¡± Eunhye started hitting Yongno¡¯s face with her fist, and he couldn¡¯t help but cry out in pain and anguish. Then, Eunhye pulled Yongno off her lap, stood, and promptly crumpled to the floor. ¡°Eh? Are you hurt somewhere?¡± ¡°¡­ My legs fell asleep.¡± ¡°Ah, yeah¡­ you stayed in that position for a while.¡± As Eunhye knelt on one knee, Yongno helped her to the sofa. Thankfully, due to her well-trained and conditioned body, Eunhye was able to stand by herself without much delay. ¡°Yongno.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± Yongno headed towards the kitchen and checked the time. Much to his surprise, it was ten in the evening. ¡°Oh my god, how long was I asleep?¡± Since he had rested well recently, Yongno couldn¡¯t understand why he had fallen asleep. Moreover, he couldn¡¯t believe that he dozed off on the uncomfortable sofa when he was unable to take a short nap on his cozy bed. ¡°Yongno.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°Ah! Wait a moment; I¡¯ll see what I have.¡± Yongno rummaged through his refrigerator to see what ingredients he had, but there wasn¡¯t much. He did have some food, but it was only instant noodles and snacks. It wasn¡¯t appropriate to give this type of food to a guest. ¡°Oh, my. I don¡¯t really have anything right now. Wait here. I¡¯ll run to the supermarket and get some¡­.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s leave the house.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Yongno was caught off guard by Eunhye¡¯s reply, so he froze, rooted in place, dumbfounded once more. However, Eunhye had already gotten up, put on her parka, and opened the front door, so Yongno quickly put on a jacket and followed her. Since it was already late December and winter had taken hold, the outside air was frigid. It had rained a few days ago, but now, the temperature had dropped so dramatically that anyone not wearing multiple layers would probably freeze. Yet, the street was filled with people regardless. ¡°Eh? Why are there so many people out at this hour?¡± Yongno stared at the ridiculous scene. Of course, ten in the evening wasn¡¯t too late, but this was his neighborhood, not a city center. It was weird for such s large crowd to be in the street. ¡®Also, there¡¯s a lot of couples¡­ am I seeing things?¡± While Yongno didn¡¯t go out too often, he could feel a sense of incongruity about what he was seeing and experiencing. There were no festivals or special events occurring, but the streets were bustling with people, and food stalls were lined up on the side of the road. ¡°Let¡¯s eat that.¡± ¡°Skewered barbeque meat? You must be hungry, so we should eat something a little heartier¡­.¡± ¡°Go and buy some.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Yongno dutifully nodded and approached the person running the stall, who was probably the owner. ¡°What would you like?¡± ¡°Two chicken skewers, please.¡± ¡°Do you want them to be spicy or mild?¡± ¡°Mild, please. Eunhye, what about you?¡± ¡°Same.¡± When Eunhye nodded while responding to Yongno¡¯s question, the stall owner realized that Yongno wasn¡¯t alone, and he broke into a smile. ¡°Dang, I¡¯m envious. On a day like this, you¡¯re walking around with such a beautiful girlfriend.¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± Yongno laughed awkwardly. Eunhye wasn¡¯t his girlfriend, but Yongno didn¡¯t see the need to correct the food stall owner. It would¡¯ve been silly to explain that she wasn¡¯t his girlfriend but his friend. ¡®Anyway, what did he mean by ¡°on a day like this?¡±¡¯ Wondering what kind of ¡®day¡¯ it was, Yongno was about to ask the food stall owner, but Eunhye was walking away after receiving her skewers. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Have a wonderful evening.¡± As the food stall owner waved goodbye, Yongno walked faster to catch up with Eunhye and walk beside her. She had already taken a large bite from her skewer and was busy chewing. ¡°If you eat all that, won¡¯t you ruin your dinner?¡± ¡°It¡¯s already late, so if I eat too much, I¡¯ll gain weight.¡± ¡°Well, I guess you¡¯re right. Then we should¡­.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s walk.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Though Yongno was surprised by this unexpected response, Eunhye just continued walking ahead, seemingly oblivious to Yongno¡¯s shock. It didn¡¯t seem like she was heading somewhere specific, but she was strolling outside the main area where everyone was gathered. It seemed she was looking for a relatively quiet place. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The two walked like this for some time, not talking. Eunhye was usually not the talkative type, and Yongno was surprised by her abnormal behavior, so he simply followed her lead. At some point, something cold landed on the tip of Yongno¡¯s nose. ¡°Huh?¡± Taken aback, Yongno looked up at the sky and cried out. ¡°Woah, it¡¯s snow. I thought it wouldn¡¯t snow for a while because of how weird it¡¯s been recently, but I guess the weather decided to finally send us some.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s the first snow of the season. It¡¯ll probably cause havoc tomorrow, but I still enjoy seeing it. Since I like seeing falling snow, I guess I¡¯m still a little kid at heart, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yongno chattered non-stop. He then looked over at Eunhye, who was silently looking up at the snow. She was expressionless, but Yongno could sense that she was feeling a little lonely. ¡°¡­ Eunhye?¡± ¡°I¡¯m planning to move out.¡± Even though there was no context, Yongno knew what she was talking about. ¡°Because of your university?¡± ¡°Yeah. My university is quite far away.¡± Yongno couldn¡¯t understand what she was saying. Yongno and Eunhye lived in Seoul, and while there were obviously universities outside of Seoul, Eunhye had scored well enough on her entrance exam to be accepted anywhere in whatever major she wished. Despite this, she oddly chose to matriculate to a distant university. ¡°Are you thinking of going to a different province?¡± ¡°No, further.¡± ¡°¡­ Overseas?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Eunhye nodded. Ever since starting high school, she had planned to study abroad for university. After chasing her goal for so long, she couldn¡¯t suddenly change her plans. If she weren¡¯t capable enough, then that was another issue, but she had an abundance of talent. ¡°Is that why you came to see me?¡± ¡°No.¡± As she spoke, Eunhye turned to look at Yongno. If that were all she wanted to say, it wouldn¡¯t have taken her so long. ¡°Then, you have something else to say?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Then say it.¡± Yongno felt that Eunhye should get to the point. Actually, he was wondering why she didn¡¯t do so initially. It was unlike her to wait so long to convey whatever she wanted to say to him. She was always direct and headed straight toward her objective. It seemed as if she were born without an inkling of hesitation, and she always maximized her efficiency in everything she did, ensuring every second was used productively. It was weird that such a person kept going off track, and since he¡¯d known her for a long time, Yongno couldn¡¯t help but be perplexed and surprised. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± ¡°¡­ Why?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯ll run off again.¡± Without any sign of hesitation or change in her eyes, she peered at Yongno. It was as if her eyes had been carved from a precious stone. Though she didn¡¯t have any particular expression, Yongno felt like he was being absorbed by those beautiful eyes. He wanted to ask what she meant by ¡®run off again,¡¯ but Yongno couldn¡¯t muster the words as she gazed at him. Swish. Unwaveringly, Eunhye turned around. Yongno instinctively prepared to follow her, but Eunhye raised her hand to stop him. ¡°I need to stop by somewhere, so don¡¯t follow me.¡± ¡°What? But¡­¡± Yongno was about to speak, but Eunhye gently cut him off. ¡°Yoon Yongno.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Merry Christmas.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He hadn¡¯t expected this, and Yongno was left speechless while Eunhye walked away. Once he regained his composure, he retrieved his cellphone to check the date. December 25th. Christmas Day. ¡°What?¡± It was a celebratory day, but Yongno was standing there frozen and unable to move with a bewildered expression. ¡°Hey~ Merry Christmas, babe! Are you by yourself?¡± While walking through an alleyway, Eunhye was approached by a young man who smiled slyly and held a cigarette in his mouth. It was dark out now, and after seeing a beautiful girl walking in an empty alleyway, the man must¡¯ve had some inappropriate thoughts. Additionally, he appeared to be drunk, as he stunk of alcohol. ¡°Fuck off.¡± ¡°Oho, babe, you talk so dirty. Let¡¯s get out of here and go somewhere fun. It isn¡¯t right for two adults to spend a day like Christmas alone and lonely¡­.¡± Bam! As he was mid-sentence, the man¡¯s cigarette violently flew into the air. Eunhye¡¯s lightning-quick roundhouse kick had squarely hit the man¡¯s cigarette and barely missed his face. ¡°This little bitch¡­ how dare you act up in front of me¡­.¡± Reality didn¡¯t mirror what happened in fantasy novels. The opponent wouldn¡¯t back down and cry out ¡®expert!¡¯ after seeing a display of tremendous skill. For people who were completely ignorant of what true power and strength looked like, the only measure of a person¡¯s formidability was their appearance. ¡°If you didn¡¯t call me a bitch, I would have let you off.¡± ¡°Hahaha. What the hell are you talking about? Have you lost your sense of-¡± Bam! The young man crumpled to the ground. This time, Eunhye used her hands. Her punch was so fast that even a veteran martial artist would have injured their hand. However, Eunhye had used her open palm to smack the young man¡¯s chin, cleanly knocking him out. ¡°Worthless.¡± It wasn¡¯t known who she was referring to, but regardless, Eunhye turned around and walked away. The falling snow had accumulated quite a bit on the ground, but the scene no longer meant anything to her. It was simply just an accumulation of solidified water, nothing more. ¡°Worthless.¡± She wasn¡¯t able to say what she wanted to Yongno. ¡®Let¡¯s go together.¡¯ She didn¡¯t say it. ¡®Come with me.¡¯ CH 86 ***Birth*** ¡°Welcome~!¡± After logging into DIO, Merlin saw a familiar face. There, with her white hair, was a tall, slim, and young-looking girl. It was the guide who welcomed every user, Marionette Hold. ¡°Ah, Mari. Good timing. That symbol you stamped on my forehead-¡± ¡°Wait! Wait! Since you recognize me, you¡¯re probably a beta-tester.¡± Mari raised her right hand and stopped Merlin from approaching any closer. From the speed of her reaction, it seemed that this was preprogrammed. ¡°If you recognize who I am, don¡¯t you remember me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I wasn¡¯t given the information that was gathered during the beta test. I¡¯m essentially a new NPC guide. However, if you¡¯ve interacted with them before, the main server¡¯s NPCs will still recall you.¡± ¡°So, you don¡¯t remember me¡­.¡± Merlin groaned. While he knew that he was in virtual reality, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised that someone he¡¯d been around for a better part of a month couldn¡¯t recognize him. ¡°Yet, since you¡¯re a beta tester, you can skip the Level 2 test. Would you like to take this option?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll skip it. I don¡¯t want to be bothered.¡± /You have reached Level 2!/ /Your authorization level for items has increased!/ /Your ability capacity has increased by 100 points!/ In an instant, he skipped the extensive amount of time that he¡¯d initially spent on the Level 2 exam. Of course, since he didn¡¯t complete all the subtests within the exam, Merlin couldn¡¯t gain the experience points or drops from them either. However, Merlin already had a considerable number of items and gold in his inventory, so he wasn¡¯t concerned. ¡°Alright, so that¡¯s it for the initial tests and missions. All that¡¯s left is the prologue before you can enter the world of DIO.¡± ¡°Prologue?¡± Merlin was confused at the unexpected new requirement, but Mari soon answered. ¡°In essence, it describes the worldview of DIO. There¡¯s a recorded video that you can watch or an overview that I provide. Which would you like to choose?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± ¡°The prerecorded video has many examples similar to reality, whereas my overview is more descriptive.¡± ¡°Then I want you to give me an overview. There¡¯s no reason I should make this game any more difficult.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll start now.¡± With that, Mari snapped her fingers. Immediately, the surroundings became dark, and a few sparkles of light floated in the air. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Merlin saw a vast blue planet before him. He hadn¡¯t seen this in person, but he¡¯d looked at images of it on television and in other games. When he saw this generic introductory image being used for the start of the prologue, Merlin chuckled. ¡°Hey, so we¡¯re starting from outer space?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯re extremely close to the planet that you call Earth.¡± Though her words made sense, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but tilt his head in confusion. ¡°You said you were going to explain DIO¡¯s worldview, but why have you brought me all the way out here?¡± ¡°DIO¡¯s worldview is quite expansive and large-scaled.¡± As she spoke, the scenery changed, but not by too much. They were still in space. Yet, there was no Earth or sun that Merlin was familiar with. It was an entirely new planetary system filled with unrecognizable planets. Moreover, something incredible was unfolding. Roar! A massive monster roared. Yes, a monster. The monster looked like an insect, and it caused the planets to move chaotically as its powerful roar rippled through space. ¡°W-what¡¯s with the size of that monster?¡± The monster was astronomically enormous, and beside it was a planet around the same size as Jupiter, but it looked like the monster was bigger. Based on its appearance, the monster seemed to be a living organism, but how could it be so massive? Whoosh. The monster flapped its fly-like wings, causing the nearby planets to be pushed away or violently collide with each. It wasn¡¯t attacking the planets. It was wreaking havoc just by existing here, but nearby, another group of astronomically giant beings was gathered. Flash. Equidistant between the two was a bright, gleaming light, and at its center was a winged man with blue hair. Like the gathered monsters, the man was surrounded by many of his kind: angels. Merlin wasn¡¯t aware of this, but the blue-haired man was a Guardian Archangel named Raphael. Additionally, the colossal monster with wings was the Void Demon King, Beelzebub. ¡°About 400 years ago, there was a monumental war which erupted between the universe¡¯s living organisms and the beings that did not possess names, also referred to as the Unnamed. Their clash soon extended to encompass the wars between the angels and demons, transcended versus non-transcended, and the living versus the dead.¡± When the shining light from the Archangel met the Void Demon¡¯s black clouds, the environment suddenly changed. This time, they weren¡¯t in space; they were on a plain somewhere in the universe. Here, a bird could be seen, with one of its wings spanning at least a full kilometer. The bird was surrounded by about a hundred dragons that were attacking it. Whoosh! After being nicked by the bird¡¯s three gigantic legs, a dragon let out a Dragon¡¯s Breath that instantly destroyed an entire mountain. This dragon had five heads, and the aura it exuded was far more potent than the red dragon, Igniz¡¯s. The five-headed dragon was an Ancient-rank, which made it an ancient dragon. Moreover, there were about a hundred of these ancient dragons gathered together. It was an unbelievable sight. Ping! The surroundings changed once more, and Merlin was in space again. This time, though, they had moved back, and he could now see a distant galaxy. [Let¡¯s move. This entire dimension has already been ruined.] The speaker was a scowling young man with yellowish-green hair. He was well-built and had a rugged look about him, although he didn¡¯t emanate a powerful aura. If the young man was standing on solid ground rather than floating in the middle of space, Merlin might have mistaken him for an average human. [How regrettable. Do you know what ¡®Evil God¡¯ represents?] There was a mysterious ¡®thing¡¯ standing opposite the young man. Though it wasn¡¯t quite invisible, Merlin couldn¡¯t quite make out its form. [This is your last warning. Immediately-] [I knew it~ Knew it~ Knew it~ you guys have lost your minds. For beings like me who have transcended worldly things, infatuations and obsessiveness are like barriers. I ask you once more, Martial God, do you still adore and love mortals?] [Ah, wait, you¡¯re not planning to¡­] Whoosh! At that moment, an evil aura arising from some unknown source started spreading before colliding with the young man¡¯s formidable aura. Of course, Merlin wasn¡¯t affected by this clash, as he was merely watching a video of the encounter, but he couldn¡¯t stop himself from gasping in surprise. ¡°Woah¡­¡± Within Merlin¡¯s view, the entire galaxy started being affected by the conflict. There wasn¡¯t any explosive sound or visual cue, but the numerous stars moving chaotically and colliding against each other was a sight to behold. It was absurd that two beings were able to cause such widespread destruction and affect an entire galaxy like this. How was it possible? ¡°This is going way too far. Will I ever have to face an enemy like that?¡± ¡°Of course, they¡¯re out there. Those two are Absolute Gods. In DIO¡¯s worldview, Grand Masters are only Level 20, but there are monstrous beings like the ones you see in this video that are Level 50 and beyond. We only wanted to showcase their existence in this video to let everyone know that they ¡®exist.¡¯¡± Once she finished her explanation, the setting changed again, and Merlin now found himself within an ancient temple of sorts. As she continued speaking, Mari guided Merlin through the temple. ¡°The aftermath and fallout of the battle were far-reaching. Furthermore, similar conflicts to the one you just saw were occurring in many places simultaneously, so no singular entity could appear and stop them from happening. There were innumerable Demon Kings, Archangels, and gods that lost their lives in the war. Since so many great beings had fallen, you can imagine how lesser beings fared much, much worse.¡± ¡°Do you mean to say that the entire universe was pushed to the brink of extinction?¡± Mari shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if the entire universe was pushed to the brink of extinction, but I guess you can say that the destruction and chaos sure made it seem that way. Your Earth, along with 40 others like it, was destroyed. Of course, everything was recovered and recreated in less than a day, so their brief disappearance wasn¡¯t felt¡­ anyway.¡± Seeing how Mari spoke of such matters with a disinterested expression, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but look exasperated. ¡°¡­ Like the Earth I live in¡­ there are 40 others like it?¡± ¡°This is a worldview setting for DIO. However, we try to include what happened in reality as much as possible.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah?¡± Merlin felt that Mari¡¯s choice of words and their connotation were a little weird, but he decided not to push her on it. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re here.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this place?¡± It was a type of temple. At its center was a five-meter-tall statue of a goddess, which radiated a warm light. ¡°Anyway, this is the background and worldview of DIO. Due to the war that occurred 400 years ago, the beings of the physical world used the four dimensions¡¯ instability and widespread destruction as an opportunity to create a joint group, which they named the [Union].¡± ¡°Like a joint front, right? A joint frontline?¡± ¡°Similar. In the end, by creating the Union, the physical world¡¯s beings could contend with and push back the beings of the other worlds, like those from the Godly world, Heavenly world, Demon world, Spirit world, and the Nether world. The physical world was affected by the war, but so were all the others, so the Union was able to come to the table as equals with representatives from the other worlds and start a discussion.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°A momentary peace, and, though it was only in a rudimentary form, a basic set of rules were created. While everything wasn¡¯t resolved, the war had essentially ended.¡± After finishing her explanation, Mari looked up at the statue of a goddess. The light around the statue started growing brighter and brighter until¡­ ¡°Ah, hot!¡± ¡°Crybaby.¡± Merlin felt like he had a similar interaction with Mari before, and a blue pattern design suddenly formed on the back of his left hand, displaying a circle with wings. ¡°Anyway, it seemed as though peace had been established, but then, a growing number of beings started to break the pre-established rules.¡± ¡°If they break the rules, they¡¯ll face some sort of punishment, right?¡± ¡°The rules weren¡¯t established in a thorough, complete manner, so gods who were stronger than the mid-rank or large-scale battle organizations weren¡¯t effectively punished. Moreover, the universe is extremely vast and expansive. There were bound to be rule breakers that acted in secret.¡± In other words, Mari was stating that the universe seemed peaceful, but there was considerable trouble brewing underneath that fa?ade. ¡°So, what does all this have to do with me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s more connected to DIO than it is to you. The overall goal of this game is something along the lines of, [The universe is at a standstill. However, there are many weak and powerless beings who are suffering in their own corners of the universe because of evil. Souls from another world, protect the universe as it falls back into chaos.] Oh, just so you know, in the general prologue video, the overall goal tagline is verbalized from this goddess statue¡¯s mouth.¡± Merlin nodded as if he finally understood something. ¡°You¡¯re saying that the ¡®souls from another world¡¯ are users, right?¡± ¡°Yes. Well, the technical term is ¡®Passenger.¡¯ You know, like a traveler. And-¡± ¡°Alright, I get it. Let¡¯s stop here.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± When Mari¡¯s eyes widened and seemed to be filled with question marks, Merlin said, ¡°If you¡¯ve covered all the important parts, let me play the game. Can¡¯t I start now?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ well, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter. From this point forward, I¡¯m supposed to go over the gameplay and other system functions and descriptions, but since you were a beta tester, I can probably skip all that.¡± When Merlin nodded, he didn¡¯t know that he was missing his last chance to hear about the system¡¯s bonus point structure. And when she saw this, Mari flicked her fingers. Whoosh! A door suddenly formed from thin air. Yet, Merlin had seen this many times during his beta test, so he was no longer surprised. ¡°Be well. Thanks for the explanations.¡± ¡°Have a good time gaming.¡± Click. Merlin walked through the door without hesitation, and once it shut behind him, the world started to crumble and disappear, with Mari still inside. ¡°Hmm, why don¡¯t I have any data on that guy?¡± Mari had lied when she said that she hadn¡¯t received the users¡¯ closed beta testing data. She knew all the information and data that was collected, but for whatever reason, she had no recollection of Merlin. It was as if someone had deleted it. ¡°He did seem like a beta tester¡­ ah, I don¡¯t know. If I can¡¯t remember him, that must mean the administrators and developers deleted that data. It¡¯s best I don¡¯t delve any deeper on this issue.¡± Mari mumbled with a powerless voice. And soon, the world she was in went completely dark. CH 87 /This is the never-before-seen fantasy world, DIO (Dynamic Island Online)! Welcome to this interesting and adventure-filled island! Today is the grand opening that you¡¯ve all been waiting for! However, since we¡¯re lazy, there won¡¯t be a special event or anything of the sort. We didn¡¯t want to go through the effort of making an announcement, but due to some changes, we got around to posting an update announcement./ /Introduction of a Quest System. 1. Quests can be acquired at each city¡¯s ¡®Star Temple.¡¯ You will be rewarded if you complete a quest, but you¡¯ll receive a penalty if you fail. 2. Level-Up Test Recalibrated 1) The minimum experience required to take each level-up test has been substantially increased. For [Fighting] related tests, users must pass the test three times. A ten-minute break shall be given in between the three tests. 2) The Level 5 test and quest require the use of another language. Once a user enters another world to take the test, they must already be fluent in that world¡¯s language or use a translation device. Otherwise, they will not be able to communicate with the world¡¯s occupants. 3. Iron is being added to the DIO currency. Iron is below copper in value. Hence, the values will be one gold = ten silver = 100 copper = 1,000 iron. 4. The way IDs are displayed shall be changed as follows: 1) All users will have their names appear in white lettering. However, if a user enters a snowy area or anywhere with a general white background, the ID lettering shall be changed to black. Like users, NPCs will also possess viewable IDs; however, the IDs will show within a text bubble. 2) Non-aggressive monsters or those significantly weaker than the user shall have their names written in green lettering. Moderately weaker monsters will have a yellow font for their ID, and monsters with a similar power level as the user will have their name in blue lettering. Stronger monsters shall have purple lettering, and monsters drastically more powerful will be signified with red names. 5. The rate of spiritual power development shall be reduced. 6. DIO¡¯s in-game time will now run twice as fast as before. In other words, 12 times faster than real life. Two hours in the real world will be 24 hours in-game. 7. There will be a greater variety of monster names, and¡­/ After reading this far, Merlin closed the announcement page. The rest of the changes were minor. Once he started playing, he¡¯d find out anyway. ¡°Still, to need three successful attempts to complete a combat-based test¡­.¡± This testing change was implemented to counter users who relied solely on short-term or burst attacks to pass. Merlin was at a disadvantage since he used the Golden Pill Immortal Technique as his primary martial arts technique. It was great at outputting large amounts of power within a short period, but it also required a great deal of time to recover that expended power. Of course, not everyone was like Merlin, but users like Jeros and Arc could prepare mass destruction spells for one use, allowing them to pass their tests in one go. For example, Jeros could prepare his mass destruction spells beforehand and then just chant them during the test. This was what the change was trying to prevent. /You have acquired the Cultivation Technique, Golden Pill Immortal Technique!/ When Merlin started circulating his Golden Pill Immortal Technique without thinking, a text bubble suddenly popped up, hinting that Merlin did not have this technique moments ago. Merlin looked at the back of his right hand, and unsurprisingly, the gem wasn¡¯t there. Crackle! /You have acquired the school of study, Seven Jewel!/ A new text bubble popped up as a magic circle began to form on the back of Merlin¡¯s right hand. However, Merlin could only sense a small amount of magic power within it. His internal energy capacity was laughably small as well. ¡°Wow, my ability stats are really low.¡± Perplexed, Merlin opened his status window. ¡°Damn, even my attribute powers have been reset. They probably reset all the skill ranks as well.¡± Merlin mumbled complaints as he moved forward. When he first entered, Starting was relatively empty, but now, magic circles started appearing all over the city as users entered the game. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s been a while~! Oh, how long I¡¯ve waited to be here again!¡± ¡°All the new users are probably still taking their initial tests, right?¡± ¡°Ack! I can¡¯t fly anymore since my ability stats have been reset!¡± All the users who were materializing had been in the beta test. This couldn¡¯t be helped since new users had to pass their initial test and the Level 2 exam to enter the main server. It seemed that some time would need to pass before they stepped foot in Starting. ¡°I should level up first.¡± ¡°Ah, yeah. I still know how to play the game, but I can¡¯t stand my low ability stats. The items in my inventory aren¡¯t even usable.¡± As users started complaining and grumbling, Merlin could see various instances of spaces opening and doors appearing here and there, with the doors leading to level-up tests. ¡°Hmm, I should probably raise my level too, no?¡± Merlin still didn¡¯t know about the bonus points that were given once users passed a level test, but even so, he knew that leveling up would benefit him tremendously. The level-based restrictions and caps on ability stat categories were one reason, but another was the restrictions on item and gear usage. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ I can¡¯t wear any of the Mithril plate items.¡± Each of his Mithril armor pieces was categorized as 7th-tier items, so Merlin had to be at least Level 3 or above. Unfortunately, even if Merlin fulfilled the level requirement, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use the Mithril set, as it required strength of at least 50 points. ¡°¡­ Wait. Change title.¡± /Your title has changed to ¡®Divine Swimmer!¡¯/ After the text bubble appeared, Merlin could feel his weak body grow more powerful. His HP, strength, and stamina rose 150 points each. Master titles were essentially cheats, and they were something that all users had as one of their main goals. It was the reason and motivation for their training. ¡°Alright. Now all I have to do is reach Level 3 to use my Mithril armor and bow. The Decian Bow requires a minimum ability stat of 300 points, so I can¡¯t use that anytime soon¡­ first off, Gear 1.¡± /You have reached Level 2 of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique!/ Disregarding the message, Merlin changed his gear. He felt weird wearing the beginner''s clothing. /The magic item has greater requirements than your current level. The functions of the magic item will not be operable./ ¡°Huh? Why? This is a beginner-level mage clothing set¡­ ah, right. They were enhanced.¡± His originally blue mage clothing had become red long ago, as Merlin had placed them into some processed tyrannosaurus blood, infusing it into the clothing. Although this made his clothes a little heavier, it increased the number of spells his clothing could hold and reinforced their durability, making it challenging to pierce them even with a sword strike. The mage robe had changed names from ¡®Trainee Mage Robe¡¯ to ¡®Mage Robe¡¯ and rose to a 7th-tier item after processing. Additionally, his Wicalein Ring had also been enhanced and upgraded, so Merlin couldn¡¯t summon the spirit within it. ¡°Excuse me, Mr. Merlin.¡± ¡°Ah, yes?¡± Merlin was momentarily surprised when he heard an unknown swordsman call his name, pointing at the ground behind Merlin. ¡°You dropped an egg.¡± Merlin¡¯s egg, which was slightly larger than a basketball, was on the ground. The spirit within his 6th-tier Wicalein Ring was supposed to be carrying the egg, but since the Wicalein Ring was inactive, it had fallen. ¡°Ah, thank you. I must have forgotten about it.¡± ¡°No worries. Have a nice gaming session.¡± With a large bastard sword on one hip, the user gave Merlin an encouraging smile before turning around and walking away. Merlin scooped up the egg, but before that, there was a text box floating above it stating [Merlin¡¯s Item]. Once he picked up the egg, the text box vanished. ¡°To get to 50 points, I still need 30 points, so I have a long way to go before I can free myself from these ability stat-based restrictions¡­ I can¡¯t use my Mithril plate armor or the mage robe, and I also need to carry this egg around manually¡­ I need to reach Level 4 or higher as soon as possible. Then, there¡¯s nothing else to think about! Test Room!¡± As Merlin shouted and swiped the air with his hand, a space opened in front of him. ¡°Enter.¡± After he stated the designated keyword, the horizontal slash soon opened wider to form a cross shape. /You are now entering the Test Room. You are immobile for the next 30 seconds. You will be vulnerable to outside attacks, so if you¡¯re not in a safe space, please cancel the entrance and prepare accordingly./ ¡°Oh, I almost forgot. I should activate the other planets of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique. Dang, I¡¯m going to be busy for a while.¡± While Merlin was mumbling to himself, the opening in space that he walked through soon shrunk before vanishing completely. *** Sss. Like grains of sand in a vast desert, around ten or so gold pieces rolled away as Arthur shifted his feet to move around in the mound of treasure. There were many powerful magic-infused weapons buried under the treasure mound¡¯s gold, and at the center of the room was a glowing red magic stone, which was considered the ultimate magic stone, a Dragon Heart. ¡°Oh my¡­ god. Four thousand gold pieces?¡± Yet, Arthur wasn¡¯t interested in the magic weapons or the Dragon Heart. All he could see was the money. The only things that entered his sight were the piles of gold. ¡°Four thousand gold means¡­ 200 million Won? Eh? That doesn¡¯t make sense. I need to recalculate¡­ wait, I don¡¯t need to recalculate¡­ since one gold is 50,000 Won, 4,000 gold is 200 million Won, right? Am I seeing things?¡± These riches weren¡¯t something that should¡¯ve been given after defeating one monster. Obviously, the red dragon that he killed was exceedingly formidable, and if he were asked to do it again, he¡¯d have to run away, but did it make sense to get 200 million Won for besting one monster? Also, when he defeated Igniz, he wasn¡¯t the only survivor. Cruze also lived through the ordeal. And while Arthur had done most of the work, he was given the Dragon Heart, so the gold distribution should have been relatively even. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t waste any more time¡­ I need to convert this to real money quickly¡­.¡± Since he had grown up poor and only knew of poverty from a young age, Arthur couldn¡¯t help but feel weak in the knees after seeing so much money. He quickly started putting the gold into his inventory. Notably, the shaking of his arms probably wasn¡¯t from the ability stat reset. ¡°This¡­ this isn¡¯t just a normal game.¡± Once he closed the door behind him, it started folding in half, and then again, and then again until it was the same size as a credit card. This was a Type D Housing Card, and it¡¯d been given to him as a reward for defeating Igniz. Before this, Arthur didn¡¯t have a housing card. ¡°So weird. An unknown organization suddenly appeared and started selling this mysterious game¡­ also, each country¡¯s government readily allowed the game to be immediately available.¡± Arthur thought that DIO¡¯s grand opening would be delayed since it would most likely take some time to get approval from the various governments. Most people didn¡¯t know about virtual reality games, and the scientific knowledge and technology needed to log in with only headphones went beyond modern understanding. Of course, DIO was extraordinarily fun and addicting, so many people would likely clamor to play the game, but it was still weird that no government had imposed any additional rules. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like my thoughts and opinions will change what governments do.¡± Anyway, Arthur now had plenty of money. Outside of the gold, he¡¯d also gained a tremendous amount of experience points. If he were still in the beta test, he could have shot up to Level 15 from Level 1 in one go. ¡°This much experience might not even be enough to reach Level 10 now. Damn¡­ the game really got more difficult.¡± Unfortunately, life was never something so simple or easy. CH 88 ¡°Seven hundred Spirits to take the Level 3 test and 1,500 Spirits to take the Level 4 test?!¡± Merlin frowned, remembering that the previous requirements for these two tests were 70 Spirits and 150 Spirits, respectively. Although the announcement said the experience needed was increased, he didn¡¯t expect it to be ten times higher! ¡°A Dire Wolf gives ten Spirits, so to reach 700 Spirits¡­.¡± In addition, considering that more experience points were required each time a user leveled up, it would take an astronomical amount to take the upper-level tests. ¡°Due to the time spent gathering experience points, I guess users won¡¯t be able to level up as quickly as before. Also, if they fail any of their tests, that¡¯d be quite a loss.¡± Now that Merlin thought about it, he did think it was weird that users could retake a Joint Warfare test with the experience gained from their failed attempt. These tests were needed to level up, so it was a bit contradictory that they¡¯d cost so little; they were so cheap, in fact, that most beta testers didn¡¯t even consider them to be roadblocks. Due to this low barrier of entry, many users reset their characters after dying multiple times to avoid the penalties, as it was relatively easy to level up and become stronger. It was likely that DIO¡¯s administrators and developers had reduced the experience point requirement during the beta test because of its short timeframe. /You have attained Level 4!/ /You are now capable of using higher-tiered items!/ /Your ability stat capacity has risen to 200 points!/ It didn¡¯t take Merlin too long to reach Level 4, and it also wasn¡¯t hard to find others for the Joint Warfare tests. The beta testers had plenty of experience points, so they were all trying to aggressively level up, which is how Merlin got to Level 4 in less than an hour. Finally, he was able to use his Wicalein Rings once more. ¡°Okay. Done. Hold this!¡± Swish. As soon as he finished speaking, the egg in his hand was lifted into the air. To be frank, the main reason Merlin wanted to level up was so he wouldn¡¯t have to carry the egg anymore. He needed his Wicalein Ring to do this. Since the egg contained a living organism that didn¡¯t seem like it wanted to hatch anytime soon, Merlin couldn¡¯t put it in his inventory. Thus, without the Wicalein Ring¡¯s spirit, Merlin had to constantly carry the egg himself. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go to the sea now.¡± As soon as he reached Level 4, Merlin headed south. Since he could now use the Wicalein Rings, Merlin moved, as he had no desire to gather experience points, gold, or raise his skill levels through training. ¡°I only have five years of internal energy, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll slowly increase. With my three planets, I can multiply my internal energy by eight times for short-term, burst-type attacks if needed.¡± Merlin didn¡¯t feel as if he needed to rush. Like before, when he swam from the river tributary to the sea, his Stamina would naturally rise while swimming, and his internal energy capacity would increase with the Golden Pill Immortal Technique constantly circulating his qi. Merlin¡¯s primary objective wasn¡¯t leveling up or fighting; he was solely focused on exploration and adventure. ¡°When it crossed the Noisy Belt to head north, that red dragon probably came from the far south of this world, right?¡± Merlin wondered where the red dragon was from, and according to the mermaids he met, there was a massive continent toward the south. Perhaps that continent had a field just as big as the one in Dynamic Island where monsters came from. ¡°Alright! Then, I¡¯m off to the new continent¡­ hmmm?¡± A ring! chimed along with a new text message balloon. /¡®Scorpion¡¯ has sent you a whisper. Would you like to respond?/ ¡°Eh? Isn¡¯t Scorpion that necromancer I met during the beta test? Is something up with him?¡± Though it was unexpected, Merlin accepted the whisper, and he soon heard a voice in his mind, as if the message was sent through telepathy. Scorpion had sent him a question. [What level are you?] ¡°To abruptly ask that¡­ well, I¡¯m Level 4.¡± [Okay. That¡¯s good. Come to the Star Temple immediately. There are 35 others who are eagerly waiting for you.] ¡°Huh? What are you saying all of a sudden-¡± /The whisper session has ended./ Without waiting for a reply, Scorpion canceled the whisper session, leaving Merlin blindsided by the request. ¡°The Star Temple¡­ oh, right. That¡¯s where users receive quests.¡± As he vaguely recalled the reference to the Star Temple in the announcement post, Merlin raised his left hand to cover both of his eyes, summoning the map. ¡°Luckily, it¡¯s not too far.¡± Since Merlin didn¡¯t quite understand what was happening, he wasn¡¯t in a rush, casually strolling to the Star Temple. However, at that moment, a shout rang out. ¡°Run!¡± ¡°Ack! Time¡¯s running out! I don¡¯t know who the hell you are, but hurry!¡± ¡°W-what the hell is going on?¡± A monstrous chorus of voices seemed to be sent telepathically, ringing in Merlin¡¯s mind. Surprised, Merlin started running. His internal energy reserves were too low to use any swiftness skills, but with the boost to his stats from the Divine Swimmer title, Merlin could run 100 meters every five seconds. ¡°Okay, he¡¯s here!¡± ¡°Sein, everyone¡¯s here. We now have 36 Level 4 users!¡± Once the average-sized Arthur yelled in his iron armor, a blonde-haired man looked surprised. ¡°Wow, the server has only been open for a little over 30 minutes, but we¡¯ve already gathered 36 Level 4 users. Ah, they had a term for this¡­ what was it again¡­ ah, right¡­ buffed to the heavens?¡± ¡°Ack, hurry and stop wasting time!¡± ¡°Right. However, you all know that attempting a hardcore version of this quest may give us great rewards but will also penalize us heavily if we fail, right?¡± ¡°We know, so just start already!¡± ¡°You people, always in such a hurry.¡± Then, the blonde-haired man moved to a desk and started moving some objects atop of it. Without much delay, a vast gate started opening at the center of the Star Temple. Above it was a timer that read ten, nine, eight, seven¡­ it was counting down the time before the gate fully opened. ¡°We only have five seconds left!¡± ¡°Hurry!¡± When there were two seconds remaining, the gate had completely opened. ¡°Run!¡± With incredible, vigorous spirit, the 35 users rushed toward the open gate. Merlin had no idea what was going on, but he decided to follow the crowd. Whoosh! After passing through the gate, the surroundings changed. Now, they were in a plain where columns of fire roared upward, a castle in the distance. ¡°Is this a Siege Warfare quest?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s the other way around; it looks like monsters are attacking the castle.¡± ¡°Check the quest mission details.¡± Seeing all the others secure the perimeter, Merlin checked the quest details. [Mission: Team Battle] [Time Limit: 01:59:46] [Objective: Protect Asgard Castle] [A demon, Leonard, escaped from the nether world and raised a large number of undead from the blood shed from his battle with the castle''s soldiers. The undead has spread out rapidly, and they gain power as they consume more human life. It is imperative to defeat them as soon as possible.] [Plundering Allowed / Targets: All undead. However, nothing much is available to plunder.] [Minimap is operational / Important character has been marked. The undead''s location has also been marked.] [Hardcore / Less than 1,000 deaths on your side. Lord of Asgard Castle, Raul, must be kept alive.] ¡°What?! We¡¯re supposed to win the battle with less than 1,000 deaths on our side? Also, we have to protect Raul¡­ Does it mean that guy on the frontline?!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s put our lives on the line and fight! If we succeed, we gain 3,000 Spirits! If we lose, 500 Spirits gets taken away!¡± A muscular man cried out before rushing toward the enemies. It was Hanma. The undead army bared their clattering teeth at the approaching user, but Hanma didn¡¯t slow down. Bam! Bam! Bam! What happened next was like watching a car accident unfold. The undead that rushed to meet Hanma were flung outward like bowling pins being hit with a bowling ball, the latter being Hanma in this case. Though this was a tremendous show of force, there was around 10,000 undead. Of course, approximately 5,000 soldiers were protecting the castle, but since the quest required less than 1,000 deaths upon completion, the users had to take care of the bulk of the undead army. ¡°Adol.¡± ¡°Okay. Everyone! You guys all know who this is, right? We need at least four users protecting him at all times. Everyone else should go and attack the enemy!¡± After Adol shouted, Jeros started chanting a spell. Every beta tester already knew what Jeros was capable of after seeing his attacks in three Siege Quest missions. Thus, defense-oriented users stuck close to Jeros while anyone else charged toward the undead. ¡°Hmm, but I still don¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening.¡± In the midst of all this, Merlin was still wondering what was going on. Truthfully, he didn¡¯t even know why he was participating in this quest. Based on the atmosphere, it seemed similar to a Joint Warfare test that was given during the level-up exam, but Merlin was still at a loss as to why he needed to participate. Yet, Merlin couldn¡¯t just lounge around while everyone was fighting. ¡°Eh, whatever. If I clear the quest, I¡¯ll get a reward.¡± ¡°Good. If we can focus the enemy¡¯s aggro onto us- huh? Where are you going?¡± Seeing Merlin rush toward the castle, a sword-wielding user looked perplexed. In his eyes, there was a party member wearing mage gear, but they were running to the frontline despite this. Yet, he held back from calling out when he saw Merlin change his equipment and bring out a Mithril bow. Typically, bow users were considered frontline fighters. ¡°I¡¯m going to make my way to the castle.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The high ground is best for me.¡± The sword-wielding user nodded. It made sense that a mage specialized in wielding a long-ranged bow needed to be in such a location. ¡°Can you even scale the castle walls? They look like they¡¯re about 15 meters high.¡± ¡°No problem!¡± Merlin shouted back as he kept sprinting. Of course, he was using his Stamina to run, but to jump over the wall, he¡¯d need both Stamina and Strength. Since Merlin only had 170 points in each category, leaping over the wall in one bound was out of the question. If the wall were only seven or eight meters high, then he¡¯d probably be able to jump over it, but they were twice that size. However¡­ Whoosh. Merlin circulated one year of internal energy. Currently, he only had five years of internal energy, so this wasn¡¯t a tiny amount, but Merlin didn¡¯t feel that it was wasteful. When this single year passed through Mercury, it increased to two years, which became four years after going through Venus. Finally, after passing through his third planetary system, Earth, he was left with eight years of internal energy. Bam! Merlin¡¯s body shot off like an arrow. He was utilizing a technique commonly referred to as Genuine Qi Jump, allowing him to leap over ten stories from a single breath of genuine qi. ¡°Woah! Who the hell is that guy?¡± ¡°T-that doesn¡¯t make any sense. He leaped up here in one bound?!¡± ¡°He¡¯s a mage!¡± Not paying any attention to what the soldiers around him were saying, Merlin worked on stabilizing his inner qi through his Golden Pill Immortal Technique, which was already at Level 2. In the beta test, this technique reached Level 7, so Merlin was quickly progressing in his inner qi technique. /You have acquired a new technique!/ Merlin disregarded the pop-up message and stood tall. He was surrounded by a sizable group of soldiers, and soon, a large man in white plate armor approached him. Above the man¡¯s head was the nametag [Lord of Asgard Castle, Raul Crey]. It seemed that this was the main character that needed to be protected. ¡°Who are you? You don¡¯t look like an undead. Are you part of that group over there?¡± ¡°Yes. We were passing by and saw that you were in danger, so we decided to help.¡± ¡°You were passing by? Do you truly think that I¡¯ll believe-¡± Roar! At that moment, a colossal undead monster rose from the enemy¡¯s side to stand around ten meters tall. It was a golem made from the corpses of the dead, a Flesh Golem. ¡°W-what is that?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a monster!¡± The soldiers couldn¡¯t help but cry out in fright as they saw the Flesh Golem appear. Merlin was also taken aback. He had seen golems before but had never seen one made from corpses. Even users wouldn¡¯t have been able to create such a disgusting creature. ¡°Damn it. That monster is tall enough to get to us.¡± Without any hesitation, Merlin retrieved a magic-infused short spear. A message stating [You have acquired the Archery skill!] popped up, but Merlin didn¡¯t pay it any attention. ¡°Wait. I don¡¯t even know who you guys are, so I¡¯m not sure if I can trust you all to fight alongside-¡± ¡°We¡¯ve come to help. You¡¯re not really in a position to be picky and choose who helps you, right?¡± For a moment, Merlin wondered if the word ¡®picky¡¯ was translated properly, but he soon focused on the approaching Flesh Golem, as dealing with it was the more pressing issue. Boom! Along with the aftershock and resounding bang from the significant recoil, an arrow flew towards a group of undead soldiers, mowing them down as they rolled a huge boulder toward the castle walls. Fortunately, the walls stood firm and only showed a few cracks. However, if it continued to be attacked, the wall would be in danger of being breached. ¡°Don¡¯t stop attacking! If the castle walls fall, we¡¯ll all be dead-¡± Whoosh. At that moment, the Flesh Golem jumped into the air and swung its hands down from above its head, slamming them toward the castle walls. Seeing the ten-meter-tall Flesh Golem launch such a monstrous attack, Raul and the castle soldiers briefly stopped moving as their bodies stiffened from utter fear. Yet, just then, a ball of fire flew towards the Flesh Golem¡¯s right leg. Boom!! Though the fireball was only the size of an adult¡¯s head, the power and force it carried were enormous. In an instant, the Flesh Golem instantly had a third of its body blown away from Jeros¡¯ attack. ¡°W-what the hell was that?¡± ¡°Such a powerful magic spell.¡± After seeing the gasping soldiers all around him, Merlin turned towards Raul, who was stunned and dumbfounded after witnessing this. Feeling Merlin¡¯s gaze, Raul turned to look at him. ¡°You need help, right?¡± ¡°¡­ Alright. I¡¯ll ask questions later.¡± ¡°All Chat! Everyone, come up to the top of the castle!¡± Standing atop the castle walls, Merlin sent out an ¡®all chat¡¯ message. The party seemed to have heard this as they started grouping together and moving toward the castle walls. Since the undead army had taken many casualties from the users, they were wary of the amassed party and began to surround the group. ¡°What are you waiting for! Tell your soldiers to aim their arrows over there and lay down some cover fire!¡± ¡°Ack. What are you all doing! Shoot!¡± After Raul shouted his orders, the frozen soldiers regained their composure and loosed their arrows. Of course, the undead soldiers wouldn¡¯t be immobilized by regular arrows, as they could still move with a couple of them stuck to their bodies, so the soldiers lit their arrows on fire first. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll start targeting individual undead soldiers.¡± Merlin put away his short spears, as he didn¡¯t have many remaining, taking out his metallic arrows instead. Then, he raised his Mithril bow into the air. He was aiming for the enemy¡¯s squad leaders. Spread out amongst the undead were those capable of using magic power. These were the squad leaders that directed their soldiers. Boom! Boom! Boom, Boom, Boom! Merlin shot one arrow after another. It seemed as though he was launching the arrows without any consideration, but each one accurately struck his targets. Although not as powerful as the Decian bow, the Mithril bow was able to put a tremendous amount of force behind every shot. ¡°Send down a rope ladder!¡± ¡°What? But the undead¡­.¡± ¡°They can fend for themselves and come up, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Bam! As Merlin finished speaking, Jeros launched another magic spell, which mowed down hundreds of undead soldiers. In large-scale battles, having someone like Jeros as an ally was a godsend, and for the opponents, he was nothing less than a fear-inducing cannon. Thus, the undead tried everything in their power to neutralize Jeros, but the users who surrounded and protected him weren¡¯t giving in, as they weren¡¯t weaklings themselves. CH 89 Crack! As two swords cut through the air and divided it, a group of undead soldiers¡¯ bodies ripped apart as if ravaged by a sword-shaped dragon. If this sword skill, Heaven and Earth Dual Dragon Sword, were trained to its fullest potential, it could flip heaven and earth. Ting! An undead soldier took the sword strike head-on as it activated shield charge, but it was flung five meters into the air. Without much delay, it collided with another undead soldier, sending both tumbling to the floor. ¡°Hurry up and climb! These guys are low-level, but there are too many of them!¡± ¡°They¡¯re Level 2 on average! Level 2! If we don¡¯t use up all our stamina, we¡¯ll be able to compete against them, so don¡¯t be nervous and continue onward!¡± As the party members shouted and encouraged each other, they started slowly making their way up the castle¡¯s walls. Other than Jeros with his atrocious physical ability stats, everyone else was able to swiftly head up onto the castle walls. And so, within a short period, everyone was on the walls. Bam! During all of this, Merlin took advantage of the commotion and continued to snipe the relatively defenseless squad-level undead leaders. He couldn¡¯t miss, and they were only Level 3 at best, so they were no match against his arrows. ¡°Good job, everyone. As for you guys, go back down!¡± Whoosh! The user who spoke had been one of the first to scale the wall, and he¡¯d also assisted those that came after him in their climbing efforts. Now, he turned his attention to the group of undead that was trying to stack up on each other to reach the top of the wall. With a few swipes of his sword, the user had sliced toward the top layer, causing a chain reaction that nearly collapsed the entire ladder-like structure, sending many undead soldiers back to the ground. ¡°My magic power is dwindling¡­ but one more.¡± Bam! With a wave of his hand, Jeros sent another fireball toward where many undead soldiers were gathered, resulting in significant casualties to the enemy side. ¡°W-who the hell are these guys?¡± ¡°They¡¯re so strong.¡± All the party members had experienced the Siege Quest missions during the beta test, so they knew what to expect and do in this battle. Their attacks were so efficient that the situation seemed like a one-sided massacre. ¡°Hey, how many died just now?¡± ¡°About 120!¡± ¡°Okay. Things are going smoothly. Hardcore mode isn¡¯t that bad!¡± Hanma whistled as he saw the tide of battle turn against the undead army. However, like always, his words signaled the start of another catastrophe. Roar! ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Wait, what the hell is that!¡± The users couldn¡¯t help but gasp as thousands of undead soldiers amassed to form a giant being. And if the users with this surprised, one could easily imagine how shocked the castle soldiers were. ¡°Scorpion! Are undead soldiers able to bond together like that to create a giant entity?¡± ¡°Of course not! I don¡¯t think those guys are normal undead.¡± As a necromancer, Scorpion couldn¡¯t help but feel that the undead they were facing felt foreign. Typically, they wouldn¡¯t be able to form a Flesh Golem, as the undead¡¯s operating power wasn¡¯t suited or compatible with combination-type entities. Yet, the undead before him were doing just that. Scorpion had heard of low and mid-rank demons combining to form a new monster, but he¡¯d never heard of undead doing it as well. ¡°Jeros!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have enough magic power, so you¡¯ll need to wait!¡± ¡°Damn it; we¡¯re in trouble! That thing is too big. Unless Jeros attacks it, there¡¯s no other way we can fight it!¡± Indifferent to the screaming, the new 20-meter-tall Flesh Golem raised its right arm into the air, freezing the castle soldiers as they saw this frightening scene. Bam! When the arm smashed down, it destroyed a portion of the castle wall and immediately killed an unknown number of soldiers stationed there. When the Flesh Golem lifted its arm again, Raul was in its grasp, as he¡¯d froze from fright and was snatched by the golem. ¡°Ack! Damn it! It¡¯s the guy we need to guard!¡± ¡°My precious experience points!¡± ¡°Save him!¡± As the party members shouted amongst themselves, two users ran up the golem¡¯s arm. One was Ohje with his twin swords, and the other was the bow-wielding Merlin. ¡°Argh!¡± Raul was screaming as he was held by the various undead beings that comprised the Flesh Golem, but Merlin and Ohje were calm. ¡°We should cut off his wrist.¡± ¡°Can the two of us do it? It¡¯s pretty thick.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll use all my power and strike first. You should follow up on the same spot.¡± ¡°I thought you were an archer¡­ alright, I¡¯ll trust you!¡± As Ohje darted up the constantly-moving Flesh Golem¡¯s arm, Merlin started circulating his internal energy, four years, to be exact. This was almost his entire reserve of internal energy. Of course, this meager amount couldn¡¯t accomplish much, but once those four years went through Mercury, Venus, and Earth, they would grow to 32 years. And the martial arts skill Merlin decided to deploy was¡­ ¡®Formless Blade!¡¯ This skill allowed users to form an invisible blade at the end of their hands and use it for slash attacks. Crunch! Though the Flesh Golem¡¯s wrist was thick, it was made up of various undead components, so it wasn¡¯t exactly solid. Merlin¡¯s Formless Blade strike cut through just over half of the golem¡¯s wrist. Roar! As if in pain, the Flesh Golem roared in anguish and swung its other hand in a swatting motion towards Merlin and Ohje. It looked as if the Flesh Golem was trying to squish a few annoying mosquitos, and although this attack was frightening, Ohje had already started his follow-up strike. ¡°Good job!¡± Slice! When Ohje¡¯s sword strike landed on the Flesh Golem, the hand holding Raul fell to the ground along with Ohje. In that brief moment, Ohje and Merlin¡¯s eyes met. Bam! Immediately, Ohje grabbed Raul, used what remained of the golem¡¯s hand to jump off, and safely landed on top of the castle wall. At the same time, Merlin ran up the golem¡¯s arm. Whoosh! While sprinting, Merlin grabbed the external Gold Core that was above his left shoulder and absorbed the internal energy within. The external Gold Core had 45 years of internal energy, so it was an incredible storage device for emergencies. ¡®It has an operating center!¡¯ Obviously, a monster like this that was made up of so many smaller entities needed an operational core. There was no other way such an immense number of undead could combine and move in sync. The operating core seemed to be the initial undead that had rallied and gathered all the other monsters around it to create the original ten-meter-tall Flesh Golem. After being defeated by Jeros¡¯ spell, the undead soldier seemed to have decided to gather more undead for this second Flesh Golem. ¡°It¡¯s located at the head!¡± As Merlin shouted, he continued to head up the golem¡¯s long arms, his hand starting to emanate a golden glow all the while. This showed that Merlin was planning on striking with Shaolin¡¯s strongest hand skill strike, the Great Strength Vajra Hand. Sss! Suddenly, when Merlin was about to launch his attack, the Flesh Golem¡¯s head opened, revealing a monster shorter than Merlin as it spat a bone fragment at him. The bone fragment flew quicker than a bullet, so Merlin didn¡¯t have a chance to react. Crack! However, Merlin blocked the bone fragment. Actually, this wasn¡¯t exactly true. His spirit had automatically executed the order that it was given, which stated: [Defend against any attack that approaches me at a pace greater than 200 meters per second. However, I don¡¯t want you to confront the attack head-on, just hit it to make it veer away.] ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± Merlin didn¡¯t have time to be happy at the successful execution of his order. Crack. The spirit that acted was the one tasked with holding his egg. Crack. Crack. At a total loss, Merlin helplessly looked up at the egg, which had been tossed into the air. Cracks started appearing across the egg¡¯s surface. Many thoughts crossed his mind. Most of them centered around, ¡®I shouldn¡¯t have come here,¡¯ or ¡®No! I¡¯ve carried that around for so long!¡¯ Generally, they were all full of regret. Since he probably lost his egg, Merlin decided to make the best out of the situation by continuing towards the Flesh Golem and landing his attack. Thus, he passed the egg that was suspended in the air and rushed forward toward the golem¡¯s head, but¡­ Swoosh. The egg flew towards the golem¡¯s head and¡­ Bam! ¡­ created a tremendous explosion equal to one of Jeros¡¯ spells. ¡°W-what?¡± Soon, the enormous Flesh Golem¡¯s body started to collapse. Seeing the individual undead detach and fall to the ground, Merlin assumed that the blast had killed the monster in the golem¡¯s head, the one controlling it. ¡°Nice!¡± ¡°Great! What kind of attack was that?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t seem like a mage at first, but he sure proved himself in the end!¡± ¡°Good job, everyone!¡± The other users were overjoyed at having completed the quest. However, for Merlin¡­ ¡°What the hell happened?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but feel dumbfounded. CH 90 The thing which is suffocating me. ***Eight-Tailed Fox VS Giant Poisonous Horned-Snake*** ¡°Good job, everyone!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got enough experience points now. Time to take the Level 5 test.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ I thought the system reset would wipe out our experience points, so I used them to increase my inventory capacity. How should I have known that they¡¯d leave the experience points alone and also raise the requirements to take the level tests? Ugh.¡± ¡°Right. I never thought that I¡¯d face an experience point bottleneck for the level-up tests.¡± Everyone in the party had been above Level 5 during the beta test, so they were experienced experts in the game. Moreover, Hanma, Jeros, and Ohje were part of the top one percent of those invited. Consequently, these elite users possessed skills and abilities that went beyond their level, and these were the only reason why the party could clear the hardcore version of the quest without any preparation or training. ¡°Testing Room. Enter.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to train a bit more just in case. If I fail the test, I¡¯ll lose a tremendous amount of experience points.¡± ¡°Great work, everyone! I¡¯ll be sending out friend requests, so don¡¯t deny it!¡± The 36 members of the party started to scatter and go their own ways. Some remained in the Star Temple to complete other quests, but Merlin was not one of them as he wasn¡¯t interested in quests from the start. ¡°Anyway, what was all that about the quest being the hardcore version? Though it was difficult, based on the time we spent doing the quest, the number of experience points we received was relatively large¡­ Everyone was eager to do the quest- was it a time-limited event?¡± Once everyone left, Merlin started heading south once more. Since there were no training grounds or hunting fields where he was going, Merlin soon found himself alone on the road. ¡°Yahoo! Where are we going, master?¡± ¡­ Well, Merlin wasn¡¯t entirely alone. ¡°Don¡¯t sit on my head; it¡¯s not your nest.¡± ¡°To be frank, it¡¯s not comfortable up here either. It would be great if you had more hair.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± Sitting atop Merlin¡¯s head was a red feathered bird of prey, an eagle. ¡°Honestly, I was hoping for a dragon.¡± Merlin complained. Based on the shape and size of the egg, Merlin had expected a dragon to emerge, but what came out was this red eagle, which soon retorted negatively to Merlin¡¯s gripes. ¡°Unfortunately, dragons can develop with any specific training or guidance since they¡¯re a transcendent species, so they don¡¯t need any outside help. Of course, not all dragons fall under this category¡­ there are less intelligent dragons that are so dumb that they can¡¯t even accept outside help or learn from it.¡± ¡°Outside help?¡± At this term that he¡¯d never heard before, Merlin questioned the red eagle curiously, but it merely froze for a moment before changing the subject. ¡°Anyway, aren¡¯t you going to give me a name? I¡¯m greatly anticipating my new name.¡± The red eagle was from the egg that Merlin had been lugging around for a while. It couldn¡¯t go in his inventory because it housed a living being, and it was damaged during the hardcore quest. Yet, for whatever reason, the egg had moved toward the enemy and exploded, causing extensive destruction. ¡®Though¡­ it seems like the others thought it was one of my magic spells.¡¯ That was correct. The other users assumed that Merlin had cast a spell and became elated at the outcome. It didn¡¯t matter what Merlin said or did. He wore a mage outfit, so despite using martial arts and archery skills during the battle, they unconsciously believed he would inevitably fall back on his spells. That¡¯s what others thought, but at the time, Merlin had been frustrated that his egg was destroyed. How long did he carry that thing around and feed it his magic power? However, right when the egg was about to explode, the red eagle hatched. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re already capable of fighting even though you¡¯ve just hatched.¡± ¡°Well, I guess to establish an affectionate connection with one¡¯s master, it would have been better to hatch as a youngster, but to match your human intelligence and gain combat power, I decided it was better to develop a bit more.¡± ¡°So, instead of being a simple pet, you¡¯re saying that you¡¯d rather be a helpful assistant?¡± The red eagle nodded. ¡°I like that my master is somewhat smart. Even among pets, there are rankings since not all can become as smart or strong as me. There are many pets that are dumb and have no combat power, and there are also those with natural intellect and the ability to grow alongside their master from a young age. The latter is quite rare, though.¡± Merlin recalled that most of the pets he saw were the kind with low intelligence or combat power. There were also drastic differences between pets from the same species. For example, there was Arc¡¯s pet, a cat named Ellie, who had an outstanding amount of magic power. And on the other hand, there were those girls he passed on one of Starting¡¯s bustling streets. They carried a cat that looked cute but had no other special qualities; essentially, they were holding a typical cat. As such, it seemed that a pet¡¯s rank could vary greatly even compared to others of its species. ¡°Ah, I came up with your name.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go with Red Hawk.¡± Merlin spoke with earnest intent. Yet, the red eagle¡¯s reaction was immediate and fierce. ¡°What did you say, you little dipshit? I¡¯m an eagle!¡± ¡°Hawk or eagle, aren¡¯t they the same things anyway?¡± ¡°This idiotic dunce!¡± The eagle cried out with an exasperated tone. Merlin didn¡¯t think that the eagle¡¯s name was anything special, but the eagle appeared to value it immensely. ¡°Hmm¡­ then what about Quiet Heaven?¡± ¡°Quiet¡­ Heaven?¡± ¡°It means clear, peaceful skies.¡± In truth, the name came from the main character of the comic book titled ¡®Red Hawk.¡¯ ¡°Quiet Heaven¡­ oh, not too bad. Okay! From today, my name shall be Quiet Heaven! Hahaha! Oh, my master has some sense and talent for naming!¡± Seeing his pet so ecstatic with its new name, Merlin momentarily felt some slight guilt, but then again, the name wasn¡¯t that weird, so he just responded by nodding. ¡°Alright, Quiet Heaven. What are you able to do? What abilities do you have?¡± ¡°First off, I¡¯m dashing and awesome!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about a bird being dashing. What are your abilities? Tell me about them.¡± In their brief time together, Merlin had come to understand Quiet Heaven¡¯s personality, so he ignored the bird¡¯s comment and went straight to the main point, making Quiet Heaven grumble. ¡°Hmph. You¡¯ve gained such an amazing pet, but you don¡¯t even know how happy you should be. Well, I¡¯m quick at recognizing things, like the temperature of a room.¡± ¡°Quick at recognizing things?¡± Merlin looked confused, and Quiet Heaven explained, ¡°Yeah, quick at recognizing things. With just one look, I can tell what abilities and properties something possesses. Additionally, I¡¯m able to judge their level as well as their combat strength. Actually, I can even see if they¡¯re good or evil, and although it isn¡¯t always accurate, read someone¡¯s personality.¡± Merlin had expected Quiet Heaven to have a simple combat-related ability, so this was entirely unforeseen. It wasn¡¯t awe-inspiring to see someone¡¯s level and combat power but being able to tell if they were good or evil was truly surprising. ¡°Does that work on users?¡± ¡°Of course. Are you guys so special that you¡¯d be different from everyone else?¡± In terms of psychological infiltration to gain personal information, users were extraordinarily well protected by the system; however, most players could discover each other¡¯s approximate level and properties. Otherwise, the system protections were so heavy that even those who tried using mind-reading skills on another user could only do so for a brief period. Furthermore, anything related to hypnosis and suggestive thought placement didn¡¯t work on users. ¡°What else?¡± ¡°I¡¯m able to share my hearing and vision with you. I can also communicate in your place.¡± ¡°Communicate in my place?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll probably be easier to show you than to explain.¡± Quiet Heaven closed its eyes and produced a single red thread of spiritual essence. Like a physical string, the spiritual essence stretched out and connected with Merlin¡¯s left wrist. ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± Merlin¡¯s perspective changed. Unexpectedly, he was looking at himself. Flap! With a few flaps of its wings, Quiet Heaven rose high in the air. Interestingly, Merlin was watching through Quiet Heaven¡¯s eyes, but his other senses were left intact. He felt his feet planted firmly on the ground and the wind blowing gently past him. Though Merlin was standing still, his field of vision was filled with passing skies. Based on the rushing winds he could hear, it seemed that Quiet Heaven had also shared this sense with Merlin. ¡°How¡¯s that? Say something, anything.¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®say anything¡¯ - huh?¡± While speaking, Merlin was astonished to find that his voice was being mixed in with the rushing, passing wind. He wasn¡¯t talking through his mouth but through Quiet Heaven¡¯s. ¡°Ah, this is what you meant by sharing your senses and communicating. If I send you out, I can talk through you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Users have a whisper messaging system, though. This is essentially useless.¡± ¡°¡­¡± As if it felt hurt, Quiet Heaven stayed silent for a moment. Soon, Merlin regained his vision, finding himself entirely on the ground. ¡°Interesting. Speaking through you is just a mediocre ability, but sharing your vision is great. The view from the sky is pretty nice.¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± Quiet Heaven responded curtly as if it were sulking and felt slighted. However, it seemed that the bird didn¡¯t dwell on the past for too long, as Quiet Heaven quickly returned to its normal state. Merlin asked, ¡°Do you have any additional abilities?¡± ¡°You probably already saw, but I have an attribute affinity for fire and wind. And when I combine the two appropriately, I can cause an explosion.¡± This was something that Merlin had witnessed firsthand when Quiet Heaven hatched from its shell. The explosion that Quiet Heaven released when hatching was equivalent to Jeros¡¯ spells. ¡°How many times can you use that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a question of how many times but how often. Currently, I can use it once every four hours and 37 minutes. Also, I¡¯m currently restricted to three uses per day.¡± ¡°Eh? Why is the cooldown so long? Furthermore, it¡¯s exactly four hours and 37 minutes?¡± This cooldown didn¡¯t fit with what Merlin knew of DIO¡¯s system, as it seemed to belong in any other game. Yet, Quiet Heaven just nodded its head. ¡°I¡¯m an assistant, not the primary force. I can help when my master is in need or during an emergency. I¡¯m not supposed to fight in your stead.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s unfortunate. That explosion is incredibly formidable.¡± ¡°It is possible to help me develop with some of your experience points.¡± ¡°Yeah? I don¡¯t have any experience points to spare, though.¡± Merlin was momentarily frustrated, but once he recalled how pets were not originally an addition to one¡¯s combat power, he swiftly recovered. ¡°Anyway, where are we off to?¡± ¡°The sea.¡± ¡°Why are we going to the sea? There aren¡¯t many monsters there, right?¡± Quiet Heaven wasn¡¯t wrong; the sea didn¡¯t particularly have an abundance of monsters. While DIO¡¯s sea was unlike the Earth¡¯s relatively peaceful one, compared to the countless mobs in the land-based hunting fields, DIO¡¯s sea had comparatively fewer monsters. This was because more users were active on land than on the sea. Naturally, more monsters would be present in places that users frequented more often. Dynamic Island was divided into thousands of different areas, and each place had a specific set of monsters. ¡°Of course, monsters don¡¯t occupy every single meter of land, so there are places with no monsters, like the cities and the roads connecting them or the areas around the teleportation gates. However, other than these specific locations, there was always bound to be a couple of monsters somewhere. Moreover, the number of monsters grew accordingly with how many users occupied that area.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that the sea doesn¡¯t have many monsters due to the lack of players there?¡± ¡°Yeah. Furthermore, users don¡¯t have reasons to go there, so I don¡¯t expect the number of monsters to increase anytime soon.¡± After hearing Quiet Heaven¡¯s explanation, Merlin started recalling the monsters he met in the sea, finding that there indeed weren¡¯t many there. Actually, Merlin recalled seeing much more regular marine life than monsters, but a question soon popped into his mind. ¡°Hmm. Aren¡¯t there places with high quantities of monsters but barely any users? When I was in the sea, I recall seeing a sizable group of monsters moving together. On land, there are orc tribal villages and ogre dens as well.¡± ¡°Those places were made with the express intent of being hunting fields for group activities.¡± The largest of such places were the four massive group hunting fields, which included the Forest of Despair and Desolate Desert. Each one was at least 100 kilometers in width and length. Moreover, though the outer sections of these hunting fields had relatively low-level monsters, the inner regions had monsters stronger than imaginable. They were extremely dangerous areas. CH 91 ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter if there aren¡¯t many monsters. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m playing the game to fight them.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not playing the game to fight monsters? Then why are you playing?¡± ¡°To have fun. Of course, I do have another objective in mind¡­.¡± While trailing off and mumbling the last few words, Merlin raised his right hand. There, on the back of his hand, was an evolved hexagonal magic circle. Currently, it was only an outline, but once the magic circle had enough magic power, it would transform and crystallize into a gem. ¡°Oh, I should do this before I forget.¡± Whoosh! As he muttered, a breeze started to form. Actually, it wasn¡¯t the wind per se but the rush of mana filtering into Merlin¡¯s right hand from the environment, pushing the surrounding air. Crack. Gradually, the magic circle started to take shape. In the beginning, it looked like a small concrete or stone sculpture, but as time passed, it became a green-jade color. ¡°Crystallization? How can it be done so quickly?¡± Quiet Heaven murmured with astonishment, but Merlin didn¡¯t pay any attention. With his right arm extended in front of him, his hand now glowing blue, Merlin continued walking ahead unfalteringly. Whoosh. The clear jade-colored magic circle slowly crystallized into a purple Amethyst gem. However, that change lasted for but a moment before it evolved once more to become a green Emerald. This Emerald then turned into a pink Spinel, which ended up as a blue Sapphire. Flinch. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Feeling a jolt of pain, Merlin stopped designing his magic system. Despite possessing a monstrous ability to create a novel magic system, this by itself didn¡¯t allow him to go beyond the fifth stage of the Seven Jewels school of study. His talents and skills knew no bounds, but if he only relied on them, he wouldn¡¯t go far. /Magic Stone ¡®Jade¡¯ has been produced!/ /Jade has evolved to become an Amethyst!/ /Amethyst has evolved to become an Emerald!/ /Emerald has evolved to become a Spinel!/ /Spinel has evolved to become a Sapphire!/ /Spiritual Energy (Type: Magic Power) has increased by 160 points!/ ¡°That was difficult¡­.¡± Although he focused and put all his effort into it, Merlin knew he couldn¡¯t evolve his magic circle any further. As such, he recalled his magic power and halted the magic system design process. It didn¡¯t take long to create the Sapphire, but sweat was rushing down his face. This was a time when Merlin focused all his attention on one goal. At first, he didn¡¯t put much thought into designing his magic circle, but he was soon forced to work harder and harder as the designing and evolution became more challenging. ¡°What did you just do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve collected the minimum amount of magic power that I needed. I wanted to try something¡­ hmm. My magic power capacity didn¡¯t expand as rapidly or as much as I wanted. This time, I wasn¡¯t restricted by my level, so that could only mean that I don¡¯t have the talent and reached the limits of my abilities.¡± Regardless of Merlin¡¯s grumbled complaints, as it sat on his head and looked down with a calm and collected gaze, Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t help but stare at the recently-produced Sapphire on the back of Merlin¡¯s hand. ¡®This guy¡­¡¯ Quiet Heaven sighed. Magic power wasn¡¯t one of Quiet Heaven¡¯s specialties, but he was informed enough to know that this recent display wasn¡¯t normal. Magic power could be collected in a relatively short period as long as the requisite talent and skill were present, but the speed that Merlin worked at was irregular. Furthermore, Merlin did this while walking; he wasn¡¯t quietly meditating somewhere peaceful. ¡°Isn¡¯t it weird that I only gained 160 points even though I¡¯ve reached five of the seven stages? Also, the purity of the magic power isn¡¯t great¡­.¡± Merlin looked at the Sapphire on his right hand and sighed. Though it was a magic power gem, its purity level wasn¡¯t to his liking. Rather than a gem, the Sapphire looked more like a red rock. This result seemed to have occurred because the gem was created hastily rather than through a gradual process. Due to this, Merlin could design and make a great magic system structure, but he was unable to control the materials that went into it. ¡°I guess this¡¯ll take some time.¡± ¡°Hmm? Ah, yeah, most likely. We¡¯re not in a rush, so there¡¯s probably no need to rush.¡± Briefly forgetting that Quiet Heaven was atop his head, Merlin nodded. Yet, Quiet Heaven didn¡¯t budge, and Merlin realized that his red eagle had a pretty decent sense of balance. Wasn¡¯t it impressive that Quiet Heaven didn¡¯t slip at all? Also, Quiet Heaven seemed incredibly light and had no noticeable aura. These factors just further illustrated that Quiet Heaven wasn¡¯t an average animal. ¡°If it were the Rivel school of study¡­.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Hearing something unexpected, Merlin looked perplexed. Quiet Heaven continued, ¡°If you followed the Circle System practiced by the Rivel school of study, you¡¯d probably already be a 5-Circle mage. You¡¯d also have the quantity of magic power that you need.¡± ¡°Huh? Does that mean I chose the wrong school of study?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Hmm? What?¡± ¡°No, nothing. Let¡¯s go to the sea.¡± Since Quiet Heaven spoke in such a gruff tone, Merlin decided to drop the subject and continue looking forward. The surrounding area was flat plains, so his field of vision wasn¡¯t blocked by anything, but he still couldn¡¯t see the ocean. ¡°Ah, right. We¡¯re quite far from the ocean, so I¡¯m going to run there.¡± ¡°Whatever you want.¡± After hearing Quiet Heaven¡¯s reply, Merlin started sprinting. Since he only had five years of internal energy, with some of that being his genuine qi, Merlin couldn¡¯t speed up with internal energy. Despite this, his Divine Swimmer title gave him an additional 150 points in Strength, Stamina, and HP, so Merlin could move 100 meters in five seconds. If he reduced his speed to 100 meters every eight seconds, he¡¯d be able to keep going for about ten minutes. Thump, thump, thump! ¡®His physical composition should be different from what he¡¯s used to on his home planet, but he can still reach such high speeds. It¡¯s likely that this body has no similarities to his other whatsoever¡­ perhaps he got used to it during the beta test?¡¯ Though Merlin was bobbing up and down while aggressively running, Quiet Heaven didn¡¯t budge, as if the red eagle had been glued to the top of Merlin¡¯s head. While in that unwavering, stationary position, Quiet Heaven started contemplating. ¡®Why did he choose the Seven Jewel school of study? Also, the cultivation technique he¡¯s using is the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, no?¡¯ In Quiet Heaven¡¯s eyes, the fields of study that Merlin had chosen didn¡¯t seem to like the appropriate approaches. Actually, his spiritual power types were also unsuitable. This was clear when Merlin¡¯s monstrous talent was taken into account alongside his lack of special skills. If Merlin had chosen to pursue the Dark Northsea Divine Technique, he would already have a huge reservoir of purified internal energy. Also, if he hadn¡¯t chosen internal energy or magic power as his spiritual power types but chakra instead, Quiet Heaven thought Merlin would have already reached the Virtuous Gate, otherwise known as the Fifth Gate. Yet, Merlin had chosen internal energy and magic power as his main spiritual power types. Additionally, he went with the Golden Pill Immortal Technique and Seven Jewels, which both emphasized the physical materialization of internal energy and mana and required the creation of external spiritual processing centers. These two directions would strengthen users if they were constantly trained and developed, but in Merlin¡¯s case, Quiet Heaven felt that his talents were being limited by their rigorous structure. Merlin¡¯s imagination knew no bounds, but his specialties'' physical materialization approaches limited and restricted Merlin¡¯s creativity and design skills. ¡®So weird.¡¯ Although it had only been Merlin¡¯s pet for a short while, Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t help but question Merlin¡¯s choices and direction regarding his skillsets. In DIO, a user¡¯s soul dictated what spiritual power type they chose; it wasn¡¯t a coincidence. ¡®Perhaps he wasn¡¯t able to discover and develop his true talents, so he reset his character and chose an entirely different spiritual power type. Come to think of it, I think I¡¯ve heard of users choosing incompatible spiritual energy types based on a desire to pursue those fields.¡¯ Thinking that this might be the case for Merlin, Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t help but sigh. However, Quiet Heaven didn¡¯t voice out his thoughts. As a pet, he wasn¡¯t allowed to interfere with the system¡¯s processes and function, and it was also possible that Merlin succeeded with a spiritual power type that didn¡¯t align with his talents. There were many cases where this occurred. However¡­ Merlin had never reset his character or wavered from the first technique he had chosen with Mari¡¯s help, the Golden Pill Immortal Technique and Seven Jewels. Quiet Heaven had misunderstood and come to the wrong conclusion based on false assumptions. ¡®Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. Even with all those constraints, this guy is extraordinarily talented. I didn¡¯t expect much, but it seems like I¡¯ve had a lucky match.¡¯ Tap. When Quiet Heaven¡¯s thought this, Merlin stopped running. ¡°Finally¡­ we¡¯re here! It¡¯s the ocean! Phew¡­¡± After sprinting for ten minutes straight, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but lower his head and breathe heavily to try and recuperate. However, since his Stamina had increased, he was able to recover fairly quickly. Plop. Once his state improved, Merlin started entering the ocean. Since he was still on the shore, the water only went up to his ankles. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot. Gear 2.¡± As he mumbled, his mage robe suddenly disappeared, leaving him with only his underwear. For Merlin, this change of attire was expected, as he planned to enter the sea, but Quiet Heaven was taken aback. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m going to go swimming.¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯ve logged on just to swim?¡± Splash! ¡°Woah?!¡± Merlin dove into the sea and started heading toward deeper waters. Quiet Heaven had still been on Merlin¡¯s head up until this abrupt movement, and it gasped and flew into the air. Though Quiet Heaven could keep its balance on land, this didn¡¯t mean it could remain stabilized on Merlin¡¯s head when he went into the water. Moreover, Quiet Heaven had a fire attribute affinity, so being splashed and surrounded by water wasn¡¯t something that it welcomed. ¡°Hahaha! It probably wasn¡¯t that long since I last swam in the sea, but I¡¯m so happy to be here again! The weather¡¯s nice as well~!¡± Whether Quiet Heaven was startled or appalled made no difference to Merlin. He just enjoyed the refreshing feeling of being in the water. He didn¡¯t even pay attention to the notification that popped up, stating, [You have acquired the swimming skill!] ¡°Oh, right. I should listen to some music.¡± He changed gear once more and wore his mage robe again. Then, Merlin retrieved a special pair of devices from his robes and placed them in his ears. He¡¯d created them during the closed beta, imbuing magic into the devices so that they act as an MP3 player. /The wind is blowing in my heart~/ ¡°Hey, master.¡± From high in the sky, Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t understand what was going on, and it called out to Merlin, but the user continued to swim amongst the waves and currents while listening to his music. Merlin wasn¡¯t using boosters or other special powers; he was just swimming. He wasn¡¯t moving rapidly, but every time he kicked with his legs or paddled with his arms, his swimming skill level increased. It probably wouldn¡¯t take him long to reach his previous level. Meanwhile¡­ ¡°Where are you going¡­.¡± Rather than playing around the shores, Merlin was swimming further away into the sea. Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t help but look at Merlin incredulously. CH 92 There were eight cities in DIO. This included the place where beginners first spawned, Starting, and the seven holy lands, home of each specialized spiritual power type. For a fee, players could use the teleportation gates to travel between cities, but since there were clean, paved roads connecting them, walking was possible. ¡°Ugh¡­ phew¡­¡± In fact, there was a man running on one of those roads, drenched in sweat and panting. Every user should possess an ability, but nothing could be sensed from him, not even spiritual qi. He was purely relying on his stamina, but his running speed wasn¡¯t anything to write home about either. Slip. Crash! Lancelot ran with all his might before teetering for a moment and crashing to the ground. He hadn¡¯t lost his balance while trying to slow down; he slipped while sprinting at full speed, so he was sent tumbling. ¡°Ugh¡­ phew¡­¡± While huffing and puffing, Lancelot dragged himself back up. All of his muscles were screaming in pain, but Lancelot forcefully ignored it and continued running. ¡°Outstanding.¡± Delila 7, a guard NPC standing at the gates to Thousand Scent¡¯s land, narrowed her eyes as she spotted Lancelot about ten kilometers away. She looked slightly different from the last time Lancelot had seen her, as she now wore red glasses. She was always beautiful, but this addition gave her a sophisticated aura. ¡°What¡¯s outstanding?¡± The other guard, Kara 7, had worse eyesight than Delila, and after hearing the latter¡¯s passing comment, she peered into the distance with round eyes. All Kara 7 could see was the well-paved road before her. Then, Delila unequipped her glasses and handed them over. ¡°See for yourself.¡± ¡°Wait, what am I supposed to- huh? Isn¡¯t that the same user from before?¡± The east gate where the two were stationed didn¡¯t see many visitors, so they remembered Lancelot. During the beta test, everyone had used the teleportation gates aside from him. Even though Thousand Scents¡¯ Land was the closest city to Starting, it was still 100 kilometers away. Usually, users just teleported there. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°He¡¯s really slow. Actually, he seems no different from an average person.¡± This was true. Currently, Lancelot was moving 100 meters every 15 seconds. Typically, those with abilities would be much quicker than this; even a regular person could run faster. ¡°Look at his status window.¡± ¡°Status window? What¡¯s the point of checking an average person¡¯s status window?¡± ¡°Just check it.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± At Dalila 7¡¯s calm and collected voice, Kara 7 wondered what she was up to, but she decided to listen. Since Kara 7 wasn¡¯t interested in Lancelot¡¯s occupation or job, she focused on his ability stats, which were as follows: [Status ID: Lancelot | Level: 2 Status: Dying Stamina: 0/20 | Aura: 0/20] For a moment, Kara 7 was at a loss as she tried to understand what the status window¡¯s information meant. The numbers displayed were beyond anything she expected. However, as Kara 7 was relatively intelligent, her eyes widened as if she had realized something. ¡°So, what do you think?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ uhm. What¡¯s going on? Is something wrong with the system?¡± In DIO, a user¡¯s stamina couldn¡¯t reach zero points. While it was possible to completely drain spiritual power, doing so would result in a painful, arduous process. The stamina stat, on the other hand, was entirely different. If a living organism expended all of its energy to exactly zero, it would essentially be considered dead. This was because the organism wouldn¡¯t even possess the basic energy needed to sustain life, like the pumping of oxygen-enriched blood throughout one¡¯s body. ¡°Wait, how is that guy still able to move? What¡¯s giving him the ability to do that?¡± Kara 7 incredulously asked a valid question, and soon, Dalila 7 offered an answer. ¡°Mental willpower.¡± ¡°Eh? Do you truly think that¡¯s possible?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible for an aura practitioner.¡± Magic power was based on the ability to control the natural components of the universe. On the other hand, internal energy involved refining the universe¡¯s natural qi and incorporating it into the body. Though magic power and internal energy used vastly different approaches to manifest, the process they used fell under the same principle. To further explain, both spiritual power types utilized an outside source to create power. Yet, aura used a completely different method. While aura users did meditate, their powers originated from ¡®inside¡¯ rather than outside. Everything began in one¡¯s mind. The mind was the start and end for aura users, and the power that these practitioners wielded also came from their minds. ¡°Then, that means¡­.¡± ¡°Yeah. Based on his physical properties, that guy shouldn¡¯t be able to run, but he¡¯s doing so anyway.¡± With his muscles screaming at him, Lancelot¡¯s nervous system was probably busy sending pain and warning signals throughout his body, so it was likely that he couldn¡¯t control it. He shouldn¡¯t have been capable of standing, let alone walking or running. Regardless, Lancelot kept sprinting without slowing. He was somehow forcibly ordering his body to move forward. Lancelot¡¯s will transcended his physical limits. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Kara 7 shook her head. What she was observing and trying to make sense of was beyond her common sense, and she continued, ¡°It¡¯s a fool¡¯s approach. Even the system¡¯s pain control system can¡¯t block what he¡¯s currently feeling. He¡¯s trying to do something he isn¡¯t capable of doing. I¡¯m not sure why he¡¯s trying so hard to-¡± ¡°There¡¯s a reason and purpose.¡± It was penance or asceticism. This was an approach where the practitioner put their body through extreme hardship and pain, training themselves to overcome their mental limitations. This method was usually reserved for those who were seeking some sort of absolute truth. With this agonizing process, these truth-seekers trained their minds and will and unified their entire being. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that he¡¯s putting himself through that asceticism process right now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure he knows that himself, but yes.¡± Despite Dalila¡¯s collected tone, Kara 7 was still confused. ¡°That still doesn¡¯t make sense, though. How is that training? He¡¯s improving his abilities through pain? Then, is poking one¡¯s body with a sword also training? Is a masochist an undefeatable and all-powerful entity?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not so simple as that. Truth seekers don¡¯t pursue asceticism through physical pain alone.¡± Kara 7 tilted her head. ¡°Ascetics, or truth seekers¡­ you mean religious people?¡± ¡°They¡¯re similar. Religious ascetics who believe in a specific god practice penance. For an aura practitioner, asceticism isn¡¯t to wash away their sins.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± ¡°To further explain, if a religious player uses divine power, an aura user is like a Buddhist who strives to reach nirvana by ignoring all worldly temptations and thoughts by focusing within oneself.¡± ¡°Christianity versus Buddhism?¡± Kara 7 came from Panitris, but she was able to grasp Dalila 7¡¯s comparison, as NPCs who had to deal with users were given information about Earth. Of course, they were allowed to access this knowledge, but it wasn¡¯t forcefully inputted into their mind. The NPCs wouldn¡¯t know something if they didn¡¯t seek it out for themselves. Case in point, the orc hero, Sungmuk, knew that users were people who logged into a game from Earth, but he didn¡¯t know about modern weaponry. Yet, Dalila 7 had chosen to give a specific example related to Earth rather than something from DIO. If an NPC had spent an exorbitant amount of time studying, then this wouldn¡¯t have been strange, but as far as Kara 7 knew, Dalila 7 had never accessed the Earth-related files in DIO¡¯s system. That meant¡­ ¡°Are you originally from Earth?¡± ¡°Yeah, but not the Earth that these current users are from.¡± Hearing something totally unexpected, Kara 7 couldn¡¯t help but blinks rapidly. She then clapped her hands as she seemed to grasp something. ¡°Oh, right. There are a hundred Earths, right?¡± ¡°Right. Earth was basically copied and pasted a hundred times over. The only difference is that each Earth is based on a different timeline. This was done by our esteemed and great Creation God, or perhaps one of the Absolute Gods.¡± Actually, the differences amongst the Earths weren¡¯t just the timelines that they followed. Dalila¡¯s Earth was based on the eighteenth century, which was when spiritual power was discovered and used. She was a soldier in the military at that time, and she was considered one of the elites within that military outfit. Though she didn¡¯t look too deeply into it, Dalila 7 knew that the current crop of users entering DIO was from dramatically different backgrounds than her own. Plop. When they reached this part of their conversation, they saw Lancelot suddenly collapse. ¡°Oh, he collapsed.¡± ¡°Even if his willpower is able to overcome his physical limitations, movement is still done by the physical body.¡± It was impossible to run forever. No matter how strong-willed someone was, unless they had truly reached a state of nirvana, they would still be limited by the physical world. ¡°So, his mind has given up on controlling his body?¡± ¡°No. The object of control has been lost.¡± ¡°What does that mean- ah.¡± Lancelot¡¯s collapsed body started to shimmer and grow translucent before turning into golden smoke and scattering into the air. This was the phenomenon that denoted a user¡¯s death. Dalila 7 frowned. ¡°How clever.¡± ¡°What was that so clever? He was clever to train himself to death?¡± ¡°He pursued his actions with the knowledge that his death wasn¡¯t going to be the end. Furthermore, he won¡¯t lose anything because of his barebones state.¡± ¡°Eh? But he¡¯s a Level 2 user, so he¡¯ll definitely have his points reduced¡­ ah!¡± The quick-witted Kara 7 recalled Lancelot¡¯s status window. Lancelot¡¯s spiritual power type, aura, was at 20, and he had 20 points of energy. That could only mean one thing. ¡°¡­ The lowest ability stats.¡± ¡°Right. If Lancelot had tried to cheat the system by not using his spiritual power points, then he would have faced the traditional penalty; however, he merely died from natural causes, so he won¡¯t be punished.¡± Of course, Lancelot would still be unable to log into DIO for a set period. Yet, since DIO¡¯s time had been accelerated to 12 times that of Earth, 24 hours in DIO was only two hours on Earth. Also, when Lancelot reached Level 2, he obtained 100 points that could¡¯ve been added to any of his ability stats, but he had abstained from using them. Additionally, Lancelot hadn¡¯t used the bonus points from leveling up. As such, Lancelot didn¡¯t even have any ability stats that could be lowered if he were to be penalized. ¡°So, he planned on dying from the start? What¡¯s the point of running until death?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t run to die¡­.¡± Dalila 7 stopped speaking for a moment before continuing, ¡°¡­ he was determined to keep running, even if that meant death.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Both guards were speechless once they comprehended Lancelot¡¯s sheer determination and will, but they each had their reasons. As a Spiritualist/Elementalist practitioner who pursued her studies with cheerfulness and hope, Kara 7 couldn¡¯t quite fathom Lancelot¡¯s reason to pursue such dire and deadly training. However, Dalila 7 was slightly envious; she was jealous that these new users were able to train in an environment where they could die and return. CH 93 Sun rays passed through the ocean¡¯s undulating waves and landed on the seafloor, lighting up the abundant coral as they brightly displayed their many vibrant colors. ¡®Beautiful¡­¡¯ Merlin slowly flowed with the current and admired the surrounding scenery. The coral gave off a dazzling appearance, distributed throughout the area and as transparent as glass. It was as if Merlin had entered a huge flower garden; this couldn¡¯t be easily found in real life. It was indeed a spectacular sight to behold. Bubble. A shoal of fish approached Merlin, creating a trailing current behind them. Each fish was only the size of his palm, but hundreds or thousands of them together made the group as large as a massive whale. Testing whether the fish were afraid of humans, Merlin moved a little bit closer, and the fish backed away immediately as if they were startled. ¡®This is different from the other online games I¡¯ve played so far. It isn¡¯t just a game; it could also be a popular tourist destination.¡¯ The truth was that DIO¡¯s level-up system wasn¡¯t conducive to accommodating and attracting everyone. Users without talents or skills wouldn¡¯t be able to progress, no matter how long they played the game. During the closed beta test, only gifted, enterprising individuals were contacted, and they all devoted themselves to training, but if DIO started accepting anyone without restriction, stragglers and dawdlers would definitely appear. ¡®There¡¯ll be users who give up on leveling.¡¯ However, even if this happened, the world of DIO was wondrous, and there were plenty of other things to enjoy. Merlin felt that many people would be interested in DIO for tourism due to the animals and monsters that could never be seen in real life. Additionally, if people didn¡¯t want to fight, they could log in to watch others¡¯ battles. Lastly, the passing of time in DIO was 12 times faster than in reality, so it could be used for studying or an extended vacation. ¡®This game will inevitably bring significant social change.¡¯ The introduction of DIO to the masses would bring an intense culture shock stronger than the rise of the Internet. Furthermore, since DIO didn¡¯t develop gradually but was created suddenly, its impact on society would be that much greater. Unlike previous games and the mainstream use of the Internet, DIO¡¯s virtual world would present a variety of advantages without any drawbacks. As such, DIO¡¯s influence would instantly encroach on people¡¯s lifestyles and knowledge. And the result would probably be- ¡°Are you still alive?¡± A telepathic message bearing a familiar voice flew into Merlin¡¯s mind while he was falling deeper into thought. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m still alive. What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Nothing important; I¡¯m just bored. Do you have any idea how long you¡¯ve been underwater?¡± ¡°About twenty hours?¡± ¡°Hey¡­ are you a whale or a human?¡± While listening to Quiet Heaven¡¯s telepathic message, Merlin lightly kicked and rose to the surface. His swimming skill was Rank AA again, and he¡¯d also reached the same water attribute affinity level he had in the beta test. ¡°Phew! Are you bored?¡± ¡°My wings hurt from flying all this time, you bastard.¡± Quiet Heaven gently glided down and sat atop Merlin¡¯s head. As if to protest its stiff body, Quiet Heaven twisted its wings back and forth to loosen its muscles. ¡°Hmm. If flying for a long time is difficult, can¡¯t you land in the water for a while and rest up? Aren¡¯t you able to use your legs to paddle around?¡± ¡°Do I look like a duck to you?¡± Quiet Heaven muttered exasperatedly as Merlin slowly drifted forward. The current was pushing and pulling him, so he wasn¡¯t moving too quickly. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s that strange current over there? It extends sideways like a long belt, and no matter how high I fly, I can¡¯t see where it ends. Also, it¡¯s giving me some weird vibes. It¡¯s so noisy despite being this far.¡± Ten days had passed since Merlin jumped into the water from the southern part of Dynamic Island. Of course, this was in DIO time. Merlin hadn¡¯t logged off since he had not reached the time limit. Due to the difference in which time flowed between real life and DIO, users were given an unimaginable amount of time to play the game. ¡°Quiet Heaven, do you hate water?¡± ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t you know my attribute properties? Fire and wind.¡± Merlin knew this but asked anyway. Then, he continued. ¡°Will you get injured if you get wet?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about being hurt. I just hate how water feels.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°What do you mean that¡¯s good-¡± Snatch. When Quiet Heaven was about to question these incomprehensible words, Merlin¡¯s hands shot out and grabbed its body. And then, Merlin dove underwater. ¡°¡­?!¡± With the bird unable to scream, Merlin rapidly descended with the bird in his hand, the latter wriggling and struggling to break free from his grasp. Merlin held the bird tightly in his arms and activated his attribute power. The Noisy Belt created this vertical current, which allowed Merlin to dive so rapidly. As Merlin rushed down with the current, Quiet Heaven¡¯s screams resounded in his head. ¡°Ack! What are you doing?!¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t pay attention, you¡¯ll miss it.¡± ¡°What the hell are you¡­!¡± Quiet Heaven trembled briefly, seemingly stunned and infuriated, but when it realized that it had reached the deep sea, Quiet Heaven stayed completely still, not even moving its head to its sides. It must have been true that Quiet Heaven detested water. Whoosh. The Noisy Belt¡¯s current exceeded 20 kilometers per hour. At first glance, this may not seem too quick, but at that speed, a dolphin would be unable to resist and ultimately drown. In addition, the outer current of the Noisy Belt plummeted straight down to a depth of 800 meters, so if someone were to be swept away, they wouldn¡¯t be able to escape, facing certain death. ¡®Hmm? Has the current become faster?¡¯ Although he was amidst all this chaos, Merlin was calm and composed, and he leisurely surveyed his surroundings. He could only do this because he had mastered the guiding principles of water. Thus, Merlin could catch and ride the flow of water without actively utilizing his attribute power. Now, since he had attained his previous levels of water attribute affinity, it wasn¡¯t unreasonable to presume that Merlin could withstand currents several times faster than this one. ¡®It¡¯s not twice as quick as before, more like one and a half times. That makes it around 40 kilometers per hour.¡¯ At these speeds, underwater monsters would be killed, not only dolphins. Merlin wasn¡¯t put in a dire situation, as he could sense and go along with the flow of water, but anyone else would be in danger of dying, even if they had a water attribute power superior to Merlin¡¯s. Whoosh! The rushing current sank into the deep sea and then rose upward. If someone continued to flow along with it, since the current moved in a circle, they¡¯d return to where they started at the edge of the Noisy Belt. As such, just before surfacing, Merlin activated his booster and threw himself into the new circular current on the other half of the Noisy Belt. In other words, Merlin had just approached the Noisy Belt in a current flowing counterclockwise, and there was another current on the other side of the Noisy Belt, which moved clockwise. This was how Merlin could jump from one circular current to the other. ¡°Phew! The current flows quicker here, so that increases our jumping speed- ouch!¡± Merlin had risen to the surface when he screamed as Quiet Heaven angrily pecked his forehead and escaped his grasp, flying back into the sky. This was done with such fervor that drops of blood started dripping down Merlin¡¯s forehead despite the tough skin given by his high life force and HP. ¡°Ouch! How can an idiotic, unjustified pet attack its master!¡± ¡°What did you say, you little dipshit? As soon as I said I hated water, who was it that dragged me into the deep sea?!¡± Quiet Heaven¡¯s voice trembled as it spoke, showing just how surprised and angry it was. Words couldn¡¯t convey how much Quiet Heaven detested water. In Earth terms, one could say that Quiet Heaven¡¯s dislike for water was about a hundred times greater than a cat struggling against a bath. At this point, it was more appropriate to state that Quiet Heaven feared water rather than hating it. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you wouldn¡¯t be hurt if you got wet?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a physical problem; it¡¯s a mental problem! If someone falls into a shallow pool of wastewater, is their life in danger because they might drown?!¡± Merlin scratched the back of his head. Quiet Heaven¡¯s response was more intense than he had anticipated. ¡°Um¡­ sorry, but this is the only way we can cross the Noisy Belt.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? If I fly passed that portion of the sea-¡± While speaking, Quiet Heaven turned its head and discovered the artificial islands in the center of Noisy Belt. Each one was about the size of two football fields, and they were around two kilometers away from each other. Atop each island were rows of silver golems. ¡°Oho, because of that¡­ wow, those golems are intimidating. Each of them is a Level 8 Iron Golem, and they also have a lot of buffs applied on them.¡± ¡°You can tell merely by looking at them?¡± Quiet Heaven nodded. ¡°I told you about my visual abilities before. Anyway, those golems have buffs that support their magic power capacities and defenses. Additionally, the golems are permanently maintained despite their lack of special magic¡­ perhaps they¡¯re a system component?¡± In the world of DIO, which was cut off from the outside and controlled by its own system, conceptual beings like this could exist. For example, there were indestructible buildings in the city and a perpetual circular barrier dividing the external and internal areas within the seven holy cities. The [Setting] established by DIO¡¯s system transcended the laws of physics and magic, and there were concepts put in place that made no sense. These golems guarding the Noisy Belt were an example of this, as they were maintained without any underlying element. This could be seen in the golems¡¯ buffs which had no magic power or any other principle of operation. ¡°In other words, DIO¡¯s developers and administrators buffed them?¡± ¡°Yeah, but what¡¯s with the division? Did we enter an area we¡¯re not supposed to be in?¡± That was a valid question. There was no reason for normal monsters to have such buffs on them. Yet, the astute Merlin had a rough idea of what was happening. ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m guessing this space isn¡¯t supposed to be accessible for users yet.¡± ¡°That means we shouldn¡¯t be here.¡± ¡°Not necessarily. If they truly didn¡¯t want anyone crossing over, they wouldn¡¯t have deployed such a weird divider; they would¡¯ve used an indestructible and impenetrable barrier.¡± The same went for the buffs on the monsters. If the golems were simply placed to prevent users from passing, it would have been more pragmatic to use overwhelming monsters above Level 10 instead of buffing Level 8 mobs. The existence of these lower-level monsters led to one conclusion. ¡°So?¡± ¡°The golem¡¯s buffs probably exist so that they can be removed later. If there are too many powerful monsters here, when users start crossing the Noisy Belt someday, they won¡¯t be able to do so. However, it would be too cumbersome for the developers and administrators to get rid of the existing golems and create an entirely new set of monsters, so they probably used the buffs as a deterrent against user encroachment until they eventually open this new area.¡± ¡°In other words, they¡¯re making it possible for users to defeat the relatively low-level golems later on but preventing them from being capable of fighting them right now?¡± ¡°Yeah. To be honest, the Noisy Belt¡¯s current is so forceful that it can¡¯t be crossed with a vessel like a submarine or a ship. Furthermore, since the monsters on standby are flying types, I think the developers and administrators are probably planning on releasing airships and wings for users to engage in aerial warfare later. Those golems will probably be unbuffed at that time.¡± Merlin¡¯s prediction was spot on. If the developers and administrators heard his conjecture, they would have been terrified of his deductive ability. However, Quiet Heaven had no opinion on the matter, and it simply shrugged before speaking again. ¡°Well, there weren¡¯t any warnings to not cross, so I guess there¡¯s no need to be too nervous about breaking the rules. What¡¯re the monsters on this side of the divide like?¡± ¡°They¡¯re a little unusual. The monsters here aren¡¯t aggressive. Actually, they don¡¯t even know that they¡¯re monsters.¡± ¡°What?¡± Quiet Heaven flinched as if startled. ¡°Why? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°No, wait a moment.¡± A faint spiritual qi glowed around Quiet Heaven¡¯s body while it murmured something. Soon, Quiet Heaven¡¯s red eyes gleamed. The bird was gathering and interpreting the information on its surroundings. ¡°Eh? You¡¯re using a strange power. Is this feeling chakra? It seems a little different, though.¡± ¡°¡­ Your senses are pretty sharp.¡± Quiet Heaven knew that chakra was difficult to recognize from the outside, and it smiled bitterly when Merlin instantly noticed what power it was using. After all, Quiet Heaven had made efforts to hide its chakra power. ¡®Did I not train enough?¡¯ Either way, the results were ready. Fortunately, Quiet Heaven¡¯s concerns seemed unfounded since its analysis revealed that they were not [Outside] the authorized area. ¡°By the way, what did you do just now?¡± ¡°I looked around a bit. You¡¯re right. This place isn¡¯t a restricted area.¡± Then, Quiet Heaven flapped its wings and soared high into the sky. Quiet Heaven didn¡¯t find anything notable from his vantage point, and there didn¡¯t seem to be any visible hints of monsters. CH 94 ¡°Where are we going anyway?¡± ¡°Further south. There are a few islands marked on the map, so I¡¯m planning to head to those first¡­ huh?¡± Merlin stopped speaking after he summoned the map and examined the terrain. During the beta test, the islands he mentioned were clearly marked on the map, but now they were invisible. The map was dyed black as if ink had been spilled on it; the illuminated area was restricted to a one-kilometer radius around Merlin. Essentially, there was a fog of war. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°It looks like the developers created an exploration system with a fog of war.¡± The map was not completely visible like before, so the newly arriving users would have to find the islands themselves. However, Merlin didn¡¯t care. He had already opened the map during the beta test and memorized the shape and locations of the various islands. ¡°So, what¡¯re you planning to do?¡± ¡°For now, I¡¯ll keep going south. On the way, we¡¯ll stop by some islands.¡± Then, Merlin started swimming. He didn¡¯t make any notable movements, but his body shot forward. Sss. Gradually, Merlin sped up; until now, he wasn¡¯t moving quickly. There was no rush, so he circulated his Golden Pill Immortal Technique and refined his magical powers while traveling. This was also why it took him ten days to arrive at the Noisy Belt when it required less time in the past, but the situation was different. After being constantly refined for ten days, the Sapphire gleamed with an undeniable degree of clarity and purity. ¡°Up to Level 4, I had the same results as what was written in the book. So why did I get a Sapphire instead of an Opal at Level 5?¡± The Seven Jewel school of study, which distinguished its seven realms into seven jewels, began with the Unknown phase, where the practitioner accumulated magic power by creating magic circuitry and pathing on the back of their hand. The first realm brought the Jade, the first ¡®jewel¡¯ or magic power gem. The second realm was an Amethyst, followed by an Emerald, and the Spinel at the fourth realm. Then, an Opal and a Ruby were the next two realms. Once the gem reached the seventh realm, a Diamond, the practitioner would finally attain the ultimate state: Zero Shining. Yet, for whatever reason, Merlin¡¯s gem for the fifth realm wasn¡¯t an Opal but a blue Sapphire. This incomprehensible puzzled Merlin, as it contradicted what was written in the Seven Jewels book. Seeing Merlin¡¯s confused expression, Quiet Heaven stated, ¡°It doesn¡¯t follow an absolute standard.¡± ¡°Hmm, what doesn¡¯t?¡± ¡°The classification and type of magic stones. I don¡¯t know the specific name of your school of study, but if you¡¯re training in materializing magic power into an external form, the results will vary based on the user.¡± ¡°It was the same until the fourth realm, though.¡± ¡°You probably skipped a step in the middle.¡± ¡°Oh, maybe.¡± Merlin was still baffled, but he continued to move along with the calm current. There weren¡¯t many monsters here in the first place, but it was still unusual that he didn¡¯t see any signs of them for nearly ten minutes. Apparently, the distribution of monsters in this area was different from Dynamic Island. ¡°Oh, we¡¯re nearing an island.¡± ¡°Huh? What island¡­ oh, there it is. Wait, you can see that?¡± With an astonished expression, Quiet Heaven looked at an island on the horizon that was still a speck of dust, still flying above Merlin¡¯s head as it did so. ¡°I saw it a while ago. At first, I thought it was uninhabited because of its small size, but there are quite a few monsters living there.¡± Seeing Merlin calmly muttering, Quiet Heaven tried focusing on the island, but it couldn¡¯t learn anything other than the fact that the island existed. What the human, Merlin, could see, Quiet Heaven, the eagle, could not. Of course, Quiet Heaven wasn¡¯t trained in using Farsight to see into the distance, but eagles had two foveae to focus their vision, and they usually had eyesight that was four to eight times better than a human¡¯s. Moreover, even without Farsight, Quiet Heaven had a specialized power to ¡®see.¡¯ As such, it was clear that the bird had outstanding visual acuity. Yet, how did a human have better eyesight than Quiet Heaven? While users had powers and skills that allowed them to surpass their physical limits, Merlin wasn¡¯t only training his Enhanced Eyesight. It was remarkable he¡¯d become so proficient in this particular skill. ¡°¡­ I can see it now. It¡¯s not that big, is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost completely round¡­ about 11 kilometers in diameter,¡± Merlin said. ¡°Not around ten kilometers, but 11 kilometers specifically? How are you so sure?¡± ¡°Do you want me to give you the exact measurements? It¡¯s 11 kilometers, 452 meters, and 13 centimeters in diameter.¡± When Merlin gave this unexpected answer to Quiet Heaven¡¯s passing question, the bird couldn¡¯t help but look incredulous. ¡°You can tell just from looking at the island?¡± ¡°Yeah, of course. The estimate may vary slightly depending on how the island¡¯s boundaries are defined, but if we¡¯re talking about the area where one could stand on dry ground, it¡¯s about 11 kilometers in diameter.¡± Penetrating Eyesight. Simply put, this skill allowed users to measure distances by eye. Obviously, this ability could be developed to some extent through constant training, but there was a limit at a certain point. Though unfair, Penetrating Eyesight was primarily an innate ability, so no matter how hard someone tried, they wouldn¡¯t be able to acquire it. However, even if Merlin was born with this innate ability, Quiet Heaven thought that the way he used Penetrating Eyesight was a bit strange. This skill made it possible to see distant objects, but seeing something and measuring its size was entirely different. ¡®Its diameter is over ten kilometers, but he can estimate it down to the centimeter?¡¯ Although the estimate sounded absurd, Merlin spoke without any awkwardness or uncertainty, so it didn¡¯t seem like he was lying. Merlin wasn¡¯t bragging; he was merely stating the truth and nothing more. ¡°Hmm¡­ that island, something is strange about it, no?¡± Merlin, uninterested in what Quiet Heaven was thinking, looked at the island while recalling the map from the beta test. The island in front of him was exactly like one of the small islands he¡¯d seen, but there was one difference. ¡®It¡¯s been moved southeast¡­ by about five kilometers or so?¡¯ This was a subtle change that wouldn¡¯t have been noticed if Merlin didn¡¯t possess an extraordinary memory, which allowed him to recall the entire map as if he were viewing a photograph. His current map was obscured by darkness, though, so only the island before him was illuminated. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why are you in a daze?¡± ¡°Nothing. Just something I need to slowly figure out for myself.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Anyway, there are many monsters on the island, but don¡¯t you think they have a weird aura?¡± While talking, Merlin walked onto the island. He recalled that there were more than thirty islands in the southern sea below the Noisy Belt. Among them, the largest island was immense, with three of the six biggest islands being over 100 kilometers in diameter, which was larger than Jeju Island. The scale of this virtual world was massive. Soon, Quiet Heaven spoke up. ¡°This aura¡­.¡± ¡°Do you recognize it? It¡¯s like magic, but it¡¯s a little different. It does have similarities to chakra, although it¡¯s closer to your version of aura than a user¡¯s.¡± Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t help but sigh when Merlin spoke calmly. Just as Mari had grown weary of being constantly astonished by Merlin¡¯s talent, skill, perception, and general abilities during the beginner test, Quiet Heaven decided to accept that Merlin was going to be full of surprises. ¡°It¡¯s Goblin-based monster power.¡± ¡°Goblin-based monster power? You mean those monsters are goblins?¡± ¡°Yeah. For your information, the power you use is based on Tao power.¡± ¡°Goblin-based monster power and Tao power¡­ are you some sort of eastern shamanism guru?¡± To be considered an eastern shamanism guru merely because one used Tao-based power¡­ though this was a simplistic association that Merlin had jokingly thrown out, Quiet Heaven nodded. ¡°Similar. Oh, by the way, I¡¯m not limited to using Tao-based powers because I¡¯m a pet. Pets also have different powers depending on their type.¡± After explaining, Quiet Heaven tried to sense the overall atmosphere of the island. Aside from the vast lake in the center, the island housed a dense forest with enormous trees and monsters scattered here and there. Judging by the monsters¡¯ movements, they didn¡¯t appear to have noticed Merlin or Quiet Heaven, and the former¡¯s eyes widened when he saw creatures he had never seen before. ¡°That¡¯s a six-tailed fox, and the other is a goblin, right?¡± ¡°They¡¯re monsters.¡± A fox with silver fur and six tails was sleeping relaxedly atop a boulder on the beach. There were also two goblins whose bodies were covered with sand and only had their heads exposed, and a black bat was standing next to them. As he watched this silently, Merlin spoke. ¡°Hmm. They¡¯re also different.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Normal monsters don¡¯t stretch out and leisurely enjoy themselves like this when they¡¯re on standby. They would be prepared for a user ambush at all times.¡± Monsters entered an aggressive combat state when they sensed users, but that didn¡¯t mean they revealed openings when they were alone. Seeing the fox sunbathing and the goblins buried in the sand, the atmosphere seemed serene and peaceful. It reminded Merlin of a vacation. And while Merlin was puzzled by what he saw, a text popped up in front of him. /You are the first to discover the goblin island, Blue Forest Island!/ /You have acquired 5,000 experience points as a bonus for being the first user to discover the island!/ ¡°Oh. They¡¯re giving me experience points for being the first user here.¡± ¡°Well, that fits the exploration system theory you mentioned earlier.¡± Merlin nodded after hearing Quiet Heaven¡¯s words. They had already grown quite close to the island, so the monsters soon discovered their presence. ¡°Hmm? What are these guys?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t have horns or anything. Are they human?¡± ¡°Where are you guys from?¡± It was quite strange to see the two goblins speak as they stood, shedding the sand that covered their bodies. While the goblin species frequently appeared in the Forest of Despair, they were all aggressive and mostly unintelligent, so they could only say things like ¡®Die!¡¯ or ¡®Death upon you!¡¯ Step. Merlin stepped onto the island and felt his feet touch solid ground, a sensation he hadn¡¯t experienced in a long time. Obviously, Merlin was putting himself in greater danger by stepping onto land, as he was most powerful in the water. Yet, it seemed as if he were unperturbed by this as Merlin calmly asked a question. ¡°By the way, do you see usernames?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Then what is that?¡± As the two goblins stared at Merlin and Quiet Heaven, letters floated above their heads. Yet, these letters seemed to move in a slightly different manner than what they¡¯d seen so far. There was nothing special about the names [Goblin Warrior Garam] and [Goblin Mage Narin], but their usernames had a white background as if they were speech bubbles. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. It wasn¡¯t mentioned in the Announcement Board?¡± ¡°The Announcement Board?¡± Merlin recalled the post he¡¯d checked after DIO opened. As expected, there was a part related to usernames. 4. The way IDs are displayed shall be changed as follows: 1) All users will have their names appear in white lettering. However, if a user enters a snowy area or anywhere with a general white background, the ID lettering shall be changed to black. Like users, NPCs will also possess viewable IDs; however, the IDs will show within a text bubble. 2) Non-aggressive monsters or those significantly weaker than the user shall have their names written in green lettering. Moderately weaker monsters will have a yellow font for their ID, and monsters with a similar power level as the user will have their name in blue lettering. Stronger monsters shall have purple lettering, and monsters drastically more powerful will be signified with red names. ¡­ Right. This was the explanation that was given. However, the username of the goblins before him couldn¡¯t be explained by the announcement¡¯s description. Right now, their username lettering was purple, so Merlin recognized that the goblins were higher level than him, but they also had white speech bubbles, so were they NPCs? As Merlin stood there, puzzled by this inconsistency, Quiet Heaven spoke up, ¡°Is it because this place hasn¡¯t been opened yet?¡± ¡°That might be it. I guess it¡¯s not urgent, so I¡¯ll figure it out as I go.¡± As he muttered, Merlin approached the monsters. The six-tailed fox and the two goblins didn¡¯t attack nor back away; they just kept staring at Merlin. The atmosphere wasn¡¯t hostile; it was closer to what would happen when meeting someone for the first time. ¡°Uh, what are you-¡± Whoosh. One of the goblins tried to talk to Merlin, but he passed them as if it were natural, showing his favoritism. Rather than speak to the burly goblins, with Merlin¡¯s thoroughly modern sense of beauty and aesthetics, he casually walked past the two-meter-tall goblins and went straight for¡­ Grasp. ¡°Huh¡­ what?! W-who are you?!¡± CH 95 The six-tailed fox was sunbathing on a boulder when she stared blankly at Merlin as he strode towards her. Before she knew what was happening, Merlin had grabbed her tail. It wasn¡¯t that he was quick; he moved as if it were natural to approach and grasp the six-tailed fox¡¯s tail. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s so soft, and the hair is pure white without any blemishes.¡± ¡°Hey, what do you think you¡¯re doing? L-let go!¡± After having her tail grasped, the six-tailed fox struggled in bewilderment. When he saw that the monsters still didn¡¯t attack, Merlin could tell that the mobs here were definitely different from the ones he usually dealt with. On Dynamic Island, attacking was a monster¡¯s priority, but here, it seemed they were pacifists. When he noticed the fox¡¯s much milder response than anticipated, Merlin picked her up and held her. The six-tailed foxes that Merlin saw during the Siege Quest were quite large, but this one was only about 30 centimeters long, so she fit snuggly in his arms. ¡°Ah, this six-tailed fox is so cute. Whoa¡­¡± ¡°What? Who are you? Go away!" ¡°It¡¯s nice to hold something so cute. I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders¡­.¡± ¡°Kyak?!¡± Finally, the six-tailed fox became enraged and cast a spell to get away from Merlin. Once she escaped, she hid behind a nearby rock. Since her attack had no killing intent, Merlin didn¡¯t sustain any significant damage. ¡°Ugh, why are you acting in such a disgusting and perverted manner?¡± ¡°Shut it. Ah, it would have been nice if my pet was as cute as that six-tailed fox.¡± ¡°What? Do you know how lucky you are to have a pet as cool as me!¡± Quiet Heaven was furious, but Merlin didn¡¯t seem to care as he turned his head towards the six-tailed fox, who was on high alert while remaining partially hidden. ¡°Hehehe. That guy is pretty funny.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen Miho so embarrassed.¡± As they conversed between themselves, the two goblins who were buried in sand moments ago approached Merlin. Of the two, one of the goblins walked ahead and was quite large, bearing a heavy-looking bat on his shoulder. He was emitting considerable pressure and aura. ¡°Hmm? Your names are clearly displayed.¡± Monsters north of the Noisy Belt typically didn¡¯t have individual, personal names. The only monsters that did were those with a certain level of intelligence, like the Orc Hero Sungmuk or the Naga Knight Kaltroc, and they revealed their names themselves. Users had no methods to discover a monster¡¯s name. ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing. Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Merlin.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Garam. This girl here is Narin. We¡¯re part of the civilian militia.¡± The goblin named Garam was a muscular man, like a modern-day bodybuilder, while Narin was a woman with a relatively slender body. Their skin was bright red as if they¡¯d been painted with red oil, and they both had hand-sized horns on the top of their heads. ¡°Where did you come from? You don¡¯t look skilled enough to have crossed the sea with spacial movement or flying skills, so that means you traveled here by swimming¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°I swam all the way here.¡± ¡°¡­¡± As they heard Merlin¡¯s calm reply, the two goblins looked exasperated. ¡°What? The nearest island is about 50 kilometers away, and you¡¯re saying you swam that far?¡± ¡°It¡¯s much easier for me than flying.¡± ¡°Oh, my.¡± Narin looked at Merlin suspiciously after hearing Garam gasp in shock. ¡°Hey, Garam, maybe this guy is a mermaid?¡± ¡°A mermaid? He doesn¡¯t have any fins, though, right?¡± ¡°I heard that some royal mermaids living in Aqualand can transform into humans. It¡¯s just a rumor, but I think it¡¯s more convincing than a human appearing out of nowhere." After Narin spoke, Merlin felt the atmosphere slowly become hostile. He didn¡¯t know why, but it seemed the Blue Forest Island monsters had a poor relationship with the Aqualand mermaids. ¡°No, wait. I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m definitely human. Mermaids¡­ even if mermaids can transform into humans, that wouldn¡¯t change their aura, right?¡± Though it wasn¡¯t apparent, the two goblins were high-level monsters with a significant level advantage over Merlin. In addition, goblins were known to be tricky customers, as they were skilled with magic and could detect their opponent¡¯s aura. ¡°What say you, Narin?¡± ¡°Certainly¡­ I don¡¯t sense a mermaid¡¯s aura on him or any other signs of being one, but still, the fact that a human swam all the way here¡­.¡± Crunch. Suddenly, a strange sound rang out, causing everyone to stop what they were doing. The noise was like someone grinding their teeth or two hard objects rubbing against each other. And with this sound, a huge shadow shot out from the bushes. ¡°Screech. Again, you guys are gathered here. Screech. Are you guys fooling around¡­ screech¡­ again?¡± The shadow¡¯s face spoke, perfectly resembling a human being. The man had sharp eyes, so he felt like someone that was always angry and frustrated. Yet, the only human aspect was his face; the rest of his body was entirely different. The male monster had dozens of legs and a hard shell. Much to Merlin¡¯s surprise, its body was that of a centipede while its head was human. ¡®It¡¯s a Human-Faced Centipede.¡¯ Although he¡¯d never seen this monster before, Merlin instantly recognized it from the descriptions he¡¯d read and the illustrations he saw in a relatively popular martial arts fantasy novel. In that novel, however, the Human-Faced Centipede was depicted as a poor creature whose only purpose was to be defeated by the protagonist for its qi core to be used later. Within DIO, this monster was extraordinarily dangerous and spat a potent poison. Moreover, members of its species would be Level 8 or higher. They were stronger than the more widely-known Ogre, a typical high-level monster. ¡°Screech. A h-human?¡± And as soon as the monster saw Merlin, it began to salivate. Though there was no killing intent, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of crisis. This new monster seemed to have gained an appetite after looking at Merlin! ¡°Inyup, wait. Did you forget Ms. Heavenly Flower¡¯s order not to fight on the island?¡± ¡°Screech. That was an order for you foxes. Why do I need to follow it?¡± The Human-Faced Centipede named Inyup responded with a smirk and looked at Merlin with its bright red eyes. Its mouth, which was a normal size initially, soon tore from side to side and split apart grotesquely. And at that moment, the white background of Inyup¡¯s username bubble turned red. /The Human-Faced Centipede, Inyup (Level 9), is showing hostility towards you!/ ¡°Watch out!¡± Whoosh! As Quiet Heaven shouted a warning, a fierce heat wave fell from the sky, brushing past Merlin¡¯s head and landing on Inyup¡¯s face. Still feeling the heat radiating on his face, Merlin wanted to yell at Quiet Heaven and ask why his pet had suddenly taken action, but at that moment, a green liquid that had survived the heat wave fell near his feet. Sss. Merlin was standing on a rock on the beach. Surprisingly, the green liquid melted through the rock like water disintegrating cotton candy. Quiet Heaven¡¯s attack burned up most of the green liquid that Inyup had spat toward Merlin, so only a few drops were near his feet. Nonetheless, a hole the size of a human head was carved into the rock. ¡°Inyup, don¡¯t¡­!¡± ¡°Kyak!¡± Garam, the male red goblin, grabbed his bat and moved as if to intervene, but when Inyup roared, the goblin was forced back by the overwhelming aura. Garam¡¯s abilities and skills were formidable for a goblin, which was why he was given a bat, but he and Narin were only Level 6. And although the six-tailed fox Miho was stronger at Level 7, Inyup was a matured monster who possessed significantly superior combat power. Amongst monsters, level denotations didn¡¯t exist, so levels weren¡¯t relied on to understand who was more powerful. Instead, they knew based on combat strength. ¡°Stand back, Merlin!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t want to stand back¡­.¡± Quiet Heaven called out to Merlin, unable to help for now as it had just used its skill. Merlin smiled bitterly and looked at Inyup as the monster stared at him and clutched its distorted face. Most of the flames from Quiet Heaven¡¯s attack burned Inyup¡¯s venom, but some of the fire had hit Inyup¡¯s face. Although Inyup didn¡¯t face the brunt of the attack, it still suffered severe injuries since the energy from the heat wave was so immense. Over half of his face had been burned. ¡®Damn it. Why does that guy resent me so much? He¡¯s injured to such an extent, but he¡¯s still spewing out so much killing intent.¡¯ As expected, Merlin tried to flee the moment Inyup was hit. Despite being taken aback by the unfolding scene, Merlin was smart enough not to panic. His analytical and critical thinking abilities were so rapid that, before others grasped the situation, he could predict and act based on every option and consequence. Alas, although Inyup was suffering after being burned, Merlin couldn¡¯t retreat. ¡®This doesn¡¯t feel like it¡¯s going to go my way. My current movement skills will probably only allow me to take a few steps away before that guy kills me.¡¯ Rather than a logical deduction, Merlin intuitively knew he couldn¡¯t escape. His feelings weren¡¯t based on any facts or substantive evidence, but he just knew. While Inyup was holding his face, Merlin knew that the monster would do ¡®something¡¯ if he tried to escape, and Merlin knew that nothing good would come from that scenario. ¡°Ugh¡­ hey, you over there, bird brain. How can you hurt me to help a human? Do you want to die?¡± ¡°Hmph. Asking if I want to die¡­ can you even catch me? I can turn you into ash the next time around.¡± While stating such brave, courageous words, Quiet Heaven remained high in the air and didn¡¯t descend. Quiet Heaven¡¯s attribute affinity for fire and wind were decent counters to Inyup¡¯s poison, but in terms of size, Quiet Heaven was comparatively tiny. Furthermore, in the end, Quiet Heaven was a living being, so if it were attacked, it would inevitably die. ¡°Screech. Human. If you take one step, I¡¯ll make sure to melt you with my poison.¡± ¡°Hahaha. Isn¡¯t it better if we resolve our differences through more peaceful means?¡± ¡°Kikiki! Peace doesn¡¯t exist between a hunter and its prey.¡± As Inyup spoke with killing intent, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but start sweating. If he were in the water, he wouldn¡¯t have been in such dire straits. There, it didn¡¯t matter if an arrow was shot in front of his face; Merlin could match its speed while retreating and eventually escape. Unfortunately, Merlin was on land. Once he left the water, his movement range had greatly diminished. Of course, Merlin knew a few movement skills, but they were commonly known and wouldn¡¯t help him here. If Merlin showed any signs of retreating, he¡¯d succumb to Inyup¡¯s attack. ¡®I need to retreat and escape this predicament, though.¡¯ It was stupid not to flee because Inyup told him to. If Merlin moved, he would be attacked, but that didn¡¯t mean that Merlin would be spared if he stayed still. ¡®No matter if I¡¯m injured, if I can just make it to the sea¡­.¡¯ Merlin was 30 meters away from the water, so even with his movement skill, he¡¯d have to take five steps to get there. He wasn¡¯t too concerned, though, because if he didn¡¯t entirely avoid the centipede¡¯s poison, the system¡¯s pain control function would limit what he felt from the attack. Bang! ¡°Screech! You!¡± Inyup had been keeping an eye on Quiet Heaven when he saw Merlin making a run for the water, instantly spitting out a poison attack. Actually, saying that he spit wasn¡¯t correct; it was more appropriate to call it an attack due to its swift speed. Merlin¡¯s quickness ability registered the incoming attack, but he couldn¡¯t grasp what exactly was flying toward him. ¡®I can¡¯t see it, but if I want to block or dodge, I need to be able to track it!¡¯ His mind worked as fast as light as it went into overdrive. At the moment, Merlin¡¯s brain was closer to a supercomputer than anything human as he absorbed all the external information and calculated the possible outcomes. Quicker, faster¡­ Twice as fast, up to four times, eight times, 16 times, and then¡­. Merlin was accelerating his mental processing speed. As his thoughts became faster, time slowed. Obviously, this didn¡¯t actually happen since Merlin was still following the laws of physics, but with his accelerated mental processing skill, he could see and understand the attack heading toward him. A bullet flew at 990 meters per second or 3,500 kilometers per hour. It didn¡¯t matter if someone used an ability; they would still have trouble recognizing such a swift object. Yet, if that attack was slowed to a tenth of its original speed, most ability users could easily see it. Right now, Merlin was able to see what Inyup had sent toward him. ¡®A marble?¡¯ To be specific, Merlin saw compressed poison in the shape of a marble. For whatever reason, the green marble appeared to emit a colorless aura. ¡®A colorless attack¡­ once the marble releases and scatters the poison within, I won¡¯t have any chance of evading.¡¯ Moreover, as Merlin saw the marble slowly approaching him, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a chill run down his spine. Regardless if the marble hit him directly, if it merely grazed him, or if he inhaled the poison within, Merlin was sure that he¡¯d suffer critical damage. This meant that he needed to avoid the oncoming attack completely. Step. Merlin took another step, but the marble was already next to his cheek. Merlin hadn¡¯t slowed time but quickened his thought processing, so his physical movements were relatively slow. ¡®I need to block it.¡¯ As soon as Merlin thought this, his two Wicalein Ring spirits, Younghwi and Shining, transformed into flat planes and moved between Merlin and the oncoming marble. The two spirits were made of spiritual qi. Hence, unless they took the form of physical objects, they weren¡¯t limited to the laws of physics. Merlin¡¯s skill in controlling the spirits wasn¡¯t developed yet, but theoretically, if Merlin had the capability, his spirits could move at the speed of sound. Crack! Younghwi was the first to clash against the marble. Instantly, a hole formed in the middle of the plane that the spirit had become. Unexpectedly, this result meant that the Human-Faced Centipede¡¯s poison could affect spiritual bodies! CH 96 ¡®Argh! The marble broke through too easily. It slowed down slightly, but if it can pierce Younghwi so effortlessly, I can¡¯t deflect it.¡¯ Crack! The marble punched through Shining as well. In the end, the spirits only bought Merlin enough time to take one additional step. ¡®Should I use the Great Strength Vajra Hand on my right arm and swing at it? My arm will likely become useless, but I can just log out and recover from my injuries¡­ no, that won¡¯t do. I might be able to recover, but if I lose my arm, I think my HP will be permanently reduced.¡¯ Merlin thought, thought again, and kept thinking. He came up with theory after theory, and after all this analysis, he chose the one that seemed to have the highest chance of success. Whoosh. Merlin started circulating his magic power. That was the answer he had landed on. Even if he could accelerate his thought process, ultimately, his body was still slow, so Merlin¡¯s options were limited. However, his magic power was relatively unhindered by his physical restrictions. If his mind worked faster, his magic power should speed up in turn. ¡®Gale. Gust of wind!¡¯ Ping! Merlin raised his right hand above him, his movement displacing the air. Yet, this minor breeze was dwarfed by the far-more forceful gust that rushed forth and deflected the oncoming marble. ¡®This isn¡¯t enough.¡¯ Merlin¡¯s efforts were successful, but this single action would not resolve any following attacks, as Inyup could send out another compressed poison marble at any time. Hence, after raising his right arm into the air, Merlin extended his left hand in front of him. Click. Attached to his arm was an iron wristlet, and despite being made from metal, it was quite thin. So, when it was under his clothing, the wristlet wasn¡¯t easily noticeable. After receiving a magic signal from Merlin, it began to vibrate as if signifying that something was about to begin. Burr¡­ These wristlets were the arm warmers that Scorpion gave Merlin during one of the level-up exams in the beta test; they had been exchanged for two sets of tyrannosaurus bones. Together, the iron wristlets were called Piercing. Piercing was a type of railgun that allowed the wearer to use repulsion force and shoot preinstalled arrows, which were located about 20 centimeters above Merlin¡¯s wrist. This force originated from his magic power instead of other energy sources, so the arrows wouldn¡¯t be too quick. However, since the projectiles were merely about five centimeters long, they were akin to a bullet from a modern handgun. Since each shot consumed a portion of his magic power, Merlin needed to wait ten seconds after every arrow, as he needed time to recover each time. Bam! Sss. ¡°Kyak!¡± Once Piercing fired an arrow, shattering the compressed poison marble, Merlin¡¯s perception of time became normal once more. Despite the many thoughts and simulations that Merlin went through, just a tenth of a second had passed. An observer would¡¯ve seen Inyup shooting some sort of projectile from his mouth, Merlin instantly reacting by raising his arms, and Inyup screaming in pain. Bam! Without delay, Merlin stomped on the ground and retreated from Inyup. Yet, Inyup wasn¡¯t about to give up any time soon, and he immediately gave chase while suppressing his pain. ¡°Human¡­! Human! Screech. I¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡°Hey, why are you pushing me around? Also, your poison hit you, so how are you unharmed?!¡± After being deflected, the marble scattered poison onto Inyup¡¯s body, but the monster¡¯s red skin seemed unaffected. The only areas where there appeared to be any damage were the crevices in-between Inyup¡¯s carapace on his centipede body, but even that was minor. Since Inyup was a monster that used poison, it seemed he had a natural immunity to it. Scurry! ¡°Woah, so fast!¡± The Human-Faced Centipede moved rapidly, using the tens of legs on its main body to travel as fast as a speeding car without needing any special abilities. ¡°Die!¡± The Human-Faced Centipede charged toward Merlin, opening its mouth as if to tear into the player¡¯s neck. As this happened, Merlin was making his way to the ocean, and his right leg was knee-deep in the water. Whoosh! Instantly, Merlin headed toward the sea swiftly. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Kyak! What the hell is this?¡± A set of gasps rang out, with each representing a different feeling. This was how surreal the unfolding scene was. It looked like a giant monster had grabbed Merlin¡¯s leg and dragged him into the sea as he was pulled 100 meters under in the blink of an eye, leaving a trail of white bubbles in his wake. Inyup wanted to attack, but he was essentially left sucking on his fingers since Merlin¡¯s quick retreat made any assault impossible. Sss¡­ After diving into the deep sea, Merlin clenched his fists, recovering the significant magic power he expended in one go. ¡®I succeeded! I haven¡¯t tried anything like that since elementary school!¡¯ Accelerating his thought process was something that he¡¯d occasionally done when he was young; actually, though Merlin wasn¡¯t entirely aware of this, he had been using it every day. Since there wasn¡¯t any set process required to accelerate his thought process, Merlin had been unconsciously using his innate ability without realizing it. Obviously, the average person didn¡¯t possess this ability, and the only way to accelerate one¡¯s thought process was to just do it. It couldn¡¯t be taught. ¡°Kyak! Dirty human! How dare you run away! Kyak!¡± Inyup frowned and thrashed about angrily. His two eyes began turning a deeper shade of red, and he began releasing poison all around him. ¡°Inyup, stop! If you continue acting up, we¡¯ll take matters into our own hands!¡± ¡°Screech! Take matters into your own hands? Hahaha! How laughable! Sure, try it! I¡¯m already frustrated that I couldn¡¯t kill and eat a human¡­ you shall die in his stead!¡± Whoosh! As soon as Inyup finished speaking, he released a dense plume of poison. Instead of the previous poison marble, now he was using his poison as an area of effect attack. ¡°Narin!¡± ¡°Ugh! Stand back!¡± Since Garam was a bruiser who had no way to counter such an attack, he quickly fell back as Narin stepped forward. She stomped down, rushed toward Inyup, and swung her bat. Bam! Surprisingly, the poison was driven back after being hit, but how could a solid object push a gaseous poison? There must¡¯ve been some magic imbued into the bat. Yet, Inyup didn¡¯t care as he started releasing more poison. Bam! Bam! Narin kept swinging her bat, but she merely postponed the poisonous mist¡¯s advance, and the two goblins and the six-tailed fox were soon enveloped. As a mage, Narin could defend against the poison, but she wasn¡¯t powerful enough to go head-to-head against Inyup. At most, she could buy some time. However, at that moment, Inyup¡¯s face began burning. Whoosh! ¡°Kyak! You six-tailed bitch!¡± Miho withdrew her fox fire, Kitsunebi, after seeing Inyup scream and stop releasing poison. She had been able to ambush the centipede, but Kitsunebi was simply black magic that made an illusion and didn¡¯t inflict any real damage. ¡°Let¡¯s retreat first! If we reach the village, he won¡¯t be able to continue with this behavior!¡± ¡°Yeah. I never thought that we¡¯d have to face a compatriot like him¡­ hmm?¡± ¡°What happened¡­ oh?¡± Immediately, Garam and Narin collapsed. Generally, the goblins liked fooling around, but this time, they weren¡¯t playing. Something had gone terribly wrong. ¡°Huh?¡± Soon, Miho¡¯s body became stiff. She was circulating her Kitsunebi to cast more black magic, but it was put out in an instant as Miho started wobbling. ¡°Kik! Fools. Did you think all my poison was visible?¡± As if it had served its purpose, the poisonous mist disappeared while Inyup walked toward the fallen monsters. Miho and the two goblins tried to stand, but they couldn¡¯t do anything except tremble. They couldn¡¯t even summon their energy, let alone get up. ¡°You¡­ if Ms. Heavenly Flower ever hears about what you¡¯ve done to us-¡± ¡°Ha! I¡¯m not afraid of that bitch. Anyway, can the dead talk?¡± While smiling sinisterly, Inyup¡¯s human-like mouth suddenly stretched sideways. He planned on devouring Miho and absorbing her power, but at that moment, a voice rang out. ¡°Hey! Ugly!¡± ¡°Kik! Foolish human, how dare you-¡± Boom! ¡°Kyak?!¡± Enraged, Inyup turned his head and was immediately struck by an arrow as it pierced his eyes. When he looked over, the projectile was only a centimeter away, so he had no time to dodge. Ting! Bam! Soon, two more arrows flew at him and struck Inyup¡¯s legs, the particularly massive ones, to be precise. Usually, an arrow wouldn¡¯t injure a Human-Faced Centipede, but it was different if they were hit in the eye. This monster was strong, a monster among monsters; it could endure a shot from a small handgun unharmed, and a rifle bullet would simply scratch it. ¡°Dang, a Level 9 being is formidable. I guess it wouldn¡¯t have been easy defeating that low-rank demon during the level-up test if it weren¡¯t for Scorpion¡¯s help.¡± From the start, Merlin¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t too powerful, so unless he hit a vital point, the Human-Faced Centipede wouldn¡¯t be hurt. If Merlin were near Inyup, the monster would¡¯ve instantly counterattacked; yet, Merlin was 500 meters offshore, so Inyup could only grind his teeth and watch Merlin¡¯s distant figure helplessly. ¡°Kik! You bastard! Human bastard! You dare damage my eyes¡­ eh?¡± As he was in the middle of shouting furiously, Inyup abruptly stopped, vomiting blood. ¡°You bastard¡­ what did you do to me¡­ it doesn¡¯t seem like poison?¡± A delayed attack skill. The internal force within the arrow became active once it struck Inyup, and after making its way into his body, it created a Qigong Deviation. While Inyup was a strong monster with a tremendous amount of qi, the Qigong Deviation rendered this worthless since he couldn¡¯t control his qi anymore. In essence, forcing an enemy to have a Qigong Deviation was a critical attack. Moreover, Merlin¡¯s version of Qigong Deviation was like a virus, spreading quickly to Inyup¡¯s whole body and wreaking havoc from within. ¡®However, that won¡¯t be enough.¡¯ Although the Human-Faced Centipede didn¡¯t practice any particular cultivation technique, spiritual beings and monsters had their own methods to circulate their internal energy. As such, unless the monsters were lower leveled than Merlin, they wouldn¡¯t necessarily die from a Qigong Deviation. Actually, this sort of assault just served to mess up a monster¡¯s internal energy circulation so that the following main attack finished it off. Creak. Since Merlin was still too weak to use the Decian Bow, he drew back the bowstring of his Mithril bow. Of course, Inyup was watching all this happening. ¡°Screech! Bastard! Those types of attacks are useless!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see. We¡¯ll soon find out.¡± Ping! Merlin loosed his arrow. For whatever reason, this arrow seemed relatively slow. The two prior to this one moved at such high speeds that they had traversed the 500-meter distance between Merlin and Inyup in a straight line. Yet, this latest projectile soared in a wide arc. ¡°Kik! Are you trying to play games with me!¡± Inyup looked up to see the arrow, growing angry once he realized that it was just a normal attack. Inyup used one of his legs to deflect the oncoming arrow, but when he did that, a short spear landed on his remaining good eye. ¡°Kyak?!¡± While shouting bloody murder, Inyup rolled on the ground. Miho and the two goblins had seen everything unfold, and they couldn¡¯t help but stand dumbfounded at the unexpected progression of events. ¡°He sent his first arrow high into the sky, and then he shot a few more before firing a slow arcing arrow¡­ Wait, even if he did that, how did his first arrow hit Inyup¡¯s good eye so accurately?¡± When Inyup was briefly preoccupied with the other monsters, Merlin had shot one of his short spears high into the sky. This was followed by another spear meant to remove one of Inyup¡¯s eyes and imbued with the Qigong Deviation spell, wreaking havoc in his body. Afterward, Merlin fired two additional arrows to disable a couple of Inyup¡¯s legs and give him no chance to think. Finally, he sent out the slow arcing arrow. When Inyup looked up to watch this projectile, the short spear Merlin initially fired landed directly on Inyup¡¯s remaining good eye. It was a god-level show of archery skill. And soon¡­ ¡°Detonate.¡± Boom! The short spear that had just pierced Inyup¡¯s eye sent out a bunch of scrambled Korean characters before exploding. Merlin didn¡¯t imbue the magic spell on the entire short spear, just the tip of it. This way, when the spearhead detonated, the spear¡¯s shaft flew back from Inyup¡¯s eye and landed 20 to 30 meters offshore into the seawater. Inyup¡¯s body shuddered furiously before collapsing. Boom! Since Inyup¡¯s skeletal structure was so durable and sturdy, his head didn¡¯t fly off, but his brain took critical damage. It was instant death. However, Merlin didn¡¯t immediately approach Inyup¡¯s corpse. ¡°Ack. He got hit with that, but he¡¯s still alive?¡± ¡°W-what are you saying? Isn¡¯t he dead?¡± Narin was still shaking while she tried to ward off the effects of Inyup¡¯s poison, and she looked perplexed after hearing Merlin. As this occurred, Merlin drew back on his Mithril Bow to launch another arrow. Ping! Bam! An arrow soon entered the eye where the previous short spear¡¯s shaft shot off, and without any resistance, it sunk halfway into Inyup¡¯s eye. Yet, Merlin frowned. ¡°Still not dead? Damn it. It¡¯s a little wasteful, but I guess I¡¯ll need to use another short spear¡­.¡± ¡°No, wait! Wait! He¡¯s dead!¡± ¡°What are you talking about? His body is still there!¡± They weren¡¯t wrong; Inyup was dead. The reason why Merlin kept attacking his corpse was that it wasn¡¯t disappearing into a puff of black smoke and dropping an item. Merlin thought that Inyup was playing dead to try and lure him onshore near the centipede¡¯s body. ¡°What the hell are you saying? Inyup¡¯s poison is potent, but it¡¯s not capable of melting his own corpse.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I mean. What I mean is- huh? Wait¡­¡± CH 97 Merlin suddenly thought of something. Since these monsters didn¡¯t know they were NPCs, the item drop system might be different. After further reflection, Merlin recalled that when monsters died in level-up tests and quests, their corpses didn¡¯t vanish or drop any items. Sss. Without disturbing the sea, Merlin quickly moved atop its surface and stepped on shore before waving his hand. ¡°Gust of wind.¡± When his wind-based magic spell was activated, the surrounding poisonous air was cleared. Since Merlin didn¡¯t know how far the poison had spread, it would¡¯ve been safer and wiser to stay further away. Yet, Merlin hated calculating things if he didn¡¯t have to, so he never learned how to control and rearrange his magic power from a distance. ¡°Hmm.¡± First, Merlin examined Inyup¡¯s body to find a spot that seemed the safest to touch, and he lifted that area. Then, he waited for a text message to pop up, but nothing happened. Sss! A massive amount of seawater gathered behind Merlin and advanced to envelop Inyup¡¯s corpse, compressing it. Soon, Merlin stated, ¡°Let¡¯s freeze it for now.¡± Crack. Once he spoke, the seawater started freezing around the corpse. It took less than a minute for the seawater to entirely become a block of ice, which Merlin threw into his house. ¡°Oh, no messages at all. I expected something about Karma points to have appeared by now.¡± After putting away the corpse, Merlin saw Narin wildly swinging her bat. Bam! ¡°Ugh!¡± Like the sound of paper being crumpled, Garam and Miho coughed out blood. They were trying to expel the poison in their bodies, but their efforts didn¡¯t seem entirely successful based on their gray complexions. Furthermore, Narin had removed the others¡¯ poison, but she couldn¡¯t do the same for herself and soon collapsed. ¡°Narin!¡± ¡°Ack¡­ ha¡­ sorry¡­ the poison is so strong¡­.¡± Unable to finish speaking, Narin spasmed uncontrollably. Fortunately, Garam and Miho were able to push out some of the poison within her, so she didn¡¯t fall completely unconscious. ¡°You don¡¯t look so good, Miho. Will you be alright?¡± ¡°Do I look like I¡¯ll be alright!¡± While she was shouting angrily, Miho turned ghastly pale. She didn¡¯t have any way to resist the poison like the others, and since she was smaller, Miho was affected much quicker. Moreover, although she knew how to use monster power, her physical body was the same as an average fox. So, she was in dire straights. ¡°Phew¡­ phew¡­ I don¡¯t have much time. I need to quickly return to the village and get help from the adults.¡± Among the three, the burly Garam seemed the least affected. Despite not possessing any special properties or skills, his sheer mass seemed capable of containing the poison within him. In addition, Narin had helped remove some of the poison before she collapsed, so Garam would probably recover in time. However, in the meantime, Narin and Miho would most likely die, as they were physically weaker and more susceptible to the poison. ¡°Quiet Heaven, do you have a detox skill?¡± ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t have any healing or detox-related abilities. Also, since the Human-Faced Centipede used a gaseous poison, it has probably already spread throughout their entire body.¡± Merlin couldn¡¯t remove the poison either. As a mage, he had read about detox spells, but he knew them in theory only; he had never practiced or trained in them. ¡°You there, human.¡± ¡°Why are you calling me a human? I¡¯m just a normal person.¡± ¡°Ah, sorry. You, normal person.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Seeing Garam scratching the back of his head, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but look dumbfounded. It seemed that this goblin had never seen a human before. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s not important right now. I need your help.¡± ¡°Help? To do what?¡± ¡°The poison has spread within these two. I need to quickly take them back to the village so that the adults can treat them.¡± ¡°Why should I- wait, what?¡± Merlin stopped mid-sentence when a familiar text message popped up abruptly. [MISSION [Escort] Time Limit: 00:59:46 Transport the injured! The goblin and six-tailed fox have been inflicted by the Human-faced Centipede¡¯s poison. Escort these two to the location of a monster who can treat them. Mini-map operational/ Important characters and the monsters who can treat the poisoned have been marked on the mini-map. Plundering allowed/ Applies to all monsters that attack you.] ¡°A real-time quest¡­ is it because I¡¯m in the area? Or is it some new feature from a recent patch?¡± ¡°What? What are you going on about¡­.¡± ¡°Nothing. I¡¯ll help.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Regardless of Garam¡¯s surprise, Merlin moved to Narin and put her on his back. Perhaps it was from being a goblin, but she was pretty big; however, Merlin wasn¡¯t short, so he didn¡¯t have much trouble. /Warning! You have picked up ¡°someone¡¯s¡± item without authorization! You have lost three Karma points!/ /Warning! If you do not heed the above message and remedy your wrongdoing, you will permanently lose the three Karma points!/ The message didn¡¯t pop up because Merlin was carrying Narin on his back, as she was a living monster. It appeared when Merlin had taken the bat that Narin was carrying. ¡®Hmm. I guess the default setting is that they¡¯re NPCs, but if they show hostility, they become monsters.¡¯ Merlin was interested in the goblin¡¯s bat, but after seeing the message, he clicked his tongue and placed it on her belt. /Good job./ ¡°Are you planning on carrying her?¡± ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s lighter than I thought. Though her skin is red, she has some volume in the right parts, so carrying her feels pretty nice¡­.¡± ¡°Me! I¡¯ll carry her!¡± Despite his shaking legs, Garam took Narin¡¯s body and placed her on his back. Meanwhile, Miho was already hovering in the air. Merlin had made one of his Wicalein Ring spirits, Younghwi, turn into a basket and carry her. ¡°Alright. Then let¡¯s get moving. Which way do we need to go?¡± Merlin asked this, but he already saw the destination markers on the minimap in the top right corner of his vision. There were two destinations he could head toward, and the name of the monsters at those points was also provided. ¡®One of the options is a monster named Venomous Junghee¡­ whatever monster that is; it¡¯ll probably be hostile, right? It¡¯s most likely the leader of the Human-Faced Centipede.¡¯ The other monster shown appeared like they¡¯d be friendly, and they were also someone the three monsters had spoken of before. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the village. Since we¡¯ve been weakened, we should try to avoid bumping into anyone hostile.¡± ¡°So, we need to find a monster named Heavenly Flower?¡± ¡°What? Go to the eight-tailed fox?¡± Seeing Garam¡¯s surprise, Merlin continued. ¡°We haven¡¯t met, but Miho seemed to speak highly of her. Shouldn¡¯t she be able to detox you guys?¡± ¡°Of course, she could. Hmm¡­ I¡¯m not sure if Heavenly Flower is here right now; I¡¯m fairly certain that she¡¯s on the main island.¡± ¡°Main island?¡± Merlin asked while running along the path highlighted in his mini-map. Since Merlin was going in the right direction, Garam didn¡¯t see a need to guide him, so he focused on the question. ¡°I guess you truly don¡¯t know anything about this place. The Phantom Monster Magic Island is the main island, and it¡¯s surrounded by four vast outer islands in every cardinal direction, forming a four-pointed star. This is the northern outer island, Blue Forest Island.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. Then, you¡¯re saying that there are three more outer islands, with four islands in total if you include the main one.¡± ¡°Right. Heavenly Flower originated here, but she¡¯s also famous on the main island because of her overwhelming power. Insignificant monsters like us can¡¯t approach her so easily.¡± While listening to Garam¡¯s explanation, Merlin recalled the world map that he saw during the beta test. There was an island south of Blue Forest Island, coinciding with the goblin¡¯s words. It was so massive that it seemed to be about the same size as the Dead Earth area on Dynamic Island. In terms of the real world, the island was a little larger than modern-day Jeju Island. ¡®That island is too huge to explore. If I go ashore there, I¡¯ll inevitably get quests like the one I have now. I¡¯ll just gain the ¡®first discoverer¡¯ bonus and move further southward.¡¯ Merlin¡¯s primary objective in DIO was to explore, not to level up. Moreover, in his case, it was much easier to travel in the water since his water attribute gave him a greater range of movement and HP there. ¡°Oho, who is this? And you brought a human- eh?!¡± ¡°Oho, you look so tired- ack!¡± ¡°Why are you moving in such a rush- ack! My eyes! My eyes!¡± Seeing Merlin and Garam with the defenseless Narin, a few monsters with bad intentions tried to approach them, but they all ended up rolling around, grabbing their eyes when the two passed by. Surprisingly, even while running, Merlin could hit the monsters¡¯ eyes with his arrows. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re an eyeball hunter. Why are you targeting their eyes?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only place where my arrows can have an immediate effect. The eyes are the weakness of every living organism. Merlin scanned his surroundings while constantly receiving messages from Quiet Heaven, who was flying high above him. The number of monsters chasing after Merlin and Garam had grown considerably, but as goblins started to appear ahead, their numbers quickly fell. Merlin was running towards the point on his mini-map representing Heavenly Flower, but seeing as Garam wasn¡¯t giving any directions, it seemed that they were running toward the goblin¡¯s village. ¡°Hey Garam! What¡¯s going on? And what¡¯s up with the human?¡± ¡°I met this human just a moment ago¡­ anyway, that¡¯s not important! Call the adults! Narin and Miho have been poisoned by Inyup!¡± ¡°What? That centipede bastard did what? Damn it. Why now of all times¡­.¡± ¡°Why? What¡¯s going on?¡± Bam! At that moment, an adult goblin roared and sent out an oppressive spiritual pressure aura. Although it wasn¡¯t as overwhelming as a dragon¡¯s, it was still a substantial force. ¡°Ugh! Is that all you¡¯ve got? Is this everything a great and illustrious Hwanyo can do?¡± ¡°Hmph! You cowardly snake!¡± Boom! With the sound of the explosion, a few buildings blew up, and two monsters appeared. ¡°Woah¡­ I guess that¡¯s the eight-tailed fox.¡± The first monster Merlin saw was a fox with fur that let off a golden light. It was the most powerful amongst the fox monsters, and with a bit more training and enlightenment, the eight-tailed fox could become a nine-tailed fox and reach the rank of a divine beast. The fox was slightly bigger than an adult human, and it had eight tails, each being larger than its main body. Its bushy tails were so voluminous that the fox¡¯s overall size was equivalent to a modern-day house. ¡°Is that a One-Horned Fire Snake?¡± The One-Horned Fire Snake looked just as expected; it was a massive snake with one horn atop its head. It was called a snake, but the One-Horned Fire Snake was enormous. It boasted a length of 250 meters and was as thick as two adult humans standing atop each other. Such a gigantic slithering snake would probably cause a natural disaster wherever it moved. ¡°Kik! You shall all die!¡± ¡°Like I¡¯ll let you!¡± When the One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s fiery breath met the eight-tailed fox¡¯s Kitsunebi, a considerable aftershock spread throughout the area, knocking away the goblins standing nearby. It was, literally, a monster battle. ¡°Everyone, watch out!¡± Then, the eight-tailed fox¡¯s voice rang in everyone¡¯s minds. The eight-tailed fox was losing the battle. While she was more formidable than the One-Horned Fire Snake, she had to be mindful of the well-being and safety of the surrounding goblins and foxes, so she was slowly starting to accrue injuries. ¡°Get back! Get back!¡± ¡°We¡¯re just being a burden to Heavenly Flower! Everyone, get back!¡± Whoosh! While all the monsters were trying to leave the area, the One-Horned Fire Snake whipped its massive tail across the ground. Like a gigantic broom sweeping the floor, the snake swept away everyone in its path. ¡°That bastard snake!¡± ¡°Die!¡± After seeing their compatriots being swept away, some of the goblins started swinging their bats at the One-Horned Fire Snake. Yet, the snake¡¯s skin was tough enough to endure a sword strike with ease, so their efforts were fruitless. Bam! Bam! ¡°Woah, so scary.¡± Without any fear, Merlin murmured a few emotionless words before stepping back. Despite the debris and shrapnel from the exploding buildings flying all over the place, Merlin could see everything and could read their movements and assess their paths without much difficulty. ¡°Hey, Miho.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ why are you speaking to me¡­ like we¡¯re close¡­.¡± Although she was severely weakened and being held by the basket-shaped Younghwi, Miho angrily shouted. ¡°Oh, is our cute little thing throwing a tantrum!¡± ¡°L-let me go!¡± Miho was terrified by Merlin abruptly picking her up and rubbing his cheek against her fluffy tails, but since she was poisoned, she was helpless. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll need to send you off with the retreating goblins. Those adults might not be able to fully cure you of the poison, but they¡¯ll at least be able to stabilize you.¡± ¡°What are you planning to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to help the eight-tailed fox.¡± Whoosh! As Merlin finished speaking, the One-Horned Fire Snake spat out poison like a water fountain. The eight-tailed fox quickly shielded herself with a gold light barrier and was left relatively unscathed, but the other monsters who were nearby and trying to help were directly hit. CH 98 ¡°Ack! Save me!¡± ¡°Ugh! I can¡¯t breathe¡­.¡± As the monsters were covered with poison, their skin turned blue and started to decay. Though some of the goblin mages knew a few spells to detox poisons, they couldn¡¯t do much against the One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s poison, which proved how deadly it was. ¡°Are you an idiot? Can¡¯t you see what¡¯s happening? It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t want to help Ms. Heavenly Flower¡­.¡± ¡°Do you know why low-level beings shouldn¡¯t try helping in a high-level battle?¡± Merlin spoke while running toward the sea. There wasn¡¯t an ounce of tension on his face. Instead, it seemed that he found the situation funny. ¡°First of all, lower-level beings can¡¯t endure a higher-level attack. If the level difference is minor, then some resistance might be possible. Yet, if a single attack can sweep everyone away, there¡¯s no need for the higher-level being to distract themselves and focus on someone so insignificant. In addition, higher-level beings must be careful and cognizant of how their attacks affect their allies. It isn¡¯t suitable to try and help but ultimately get in the way, right?¡± Tap. Tap. When he was almost at the sea, Merlin turned his head to measure how far he was from the One-Horned Fire Snake. He was about 1,500 meters away. ¡°I know exactly what you mean, and that¡¯s why I¡¯m saying you shouldn¡¯t try and help¡­.¡± ¡°No.¡± Merlin broke out into a broad smile. ¡°That principle doesn¡¯t apply to me.¡± Then, Merlin manipulated Younghwi and sent Miho¡¯s body away with a swishing sound as he threw the two into the air. Miho closed her eyes and groaned at the sudden movement, and the basket-shaped Younghwi flew to one of the fleeing foxes that were avoiding the spreading poison. ¡°Alright. Now, shall I join?¡± Merlin made a sharp turn with a cracking noise and headed towards a cliff facing the sea. The cliff wasn¡¯t too tall, being only three to four meters above sea level, but the water below seemed quite deep. ¡°What are you thinking?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to help the eight-tailed fox beat that snake. Based on the quest description, it seems like Heavenly Flower is the only one who can detox the others, so it¡¯ll be difficult to finish the quest if she loses.¡± ¡°You¡¯re planning on helping from this distance?¡± Merlin was almost two kilometers away. Even if he used a sniper rifle, he¡¯d barely be in range, so shooting an arrow from here would be ignoring the laws of physics. After all, although an arrow wasn¡¯t much heavier than a bullet, having one fly two kilometers required a tremendous amount of energy. Since he wasn¡¯t using a massive railgun that would have the requisite force, Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t fathom how Merlin was planning to reach his target. ¡°That¡¯s true in the real world where there¡¯s no internal energy or magic power. Gear 5.¡± The Decian Bow appeared in Merlin¡¯s hands. While Merlin¡¯s ability power alone wasn¡¯t enough to use the Decian Bow, the Mithril Bow¡¯s range was only one kilometer, so he reinforced his body and drew back the bowstring. Lately, Merlin had been focusing on his magic power more than his internal energy, so the latter¡¯s capacity was only ten years. However, with his third planet from the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, he could multiply his internal energy by eight times and use that extra energy to reinforce his body. /Your Strength has been reinforced by 130 points, and your HP has been reinforced by 50 points (both reinforcements effective for one second)!/ To gain these reinforcements, Merlin had to expend one year of internal energy, but since he could expand his internal energy through the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, his actual expenditure was only an eighth of a year. Also, in general, internal energy practitioners with a ten-year capacity would only be able to expend half a year at once. Merlin could output more because of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique. Creek! Whoosh! Since his reinforced physical properties would last for merely one second, Merlin drew back and released the bowstring without any hesitation or wasted movement. He was aiming for the One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s eye. Bam! ¡°Ack? What is this¡­.¡± ¡°An opening!¡± With this unexpected attack, the One-Horned Fire Snake was briefly distracted from the battle as it looked around its surroundings. In that fleeting opening, Heavenly Flower struck down on the snake¡¯s head. Of course, Merlin was nowhere in sight, as he¡¯d immediately hidden after firing the arrow. ¡°Woah, I can¡¯t believe it. My arrow can¡¯t pierce that guy¡¯s eye?¡± While hiding, Merlin used Telescopic and Aura Vision to see his arrow land directly on the snake¡¯s eye, but it bounced off harmlessly. Since Merlin¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t effective and the eye was much weaker than the snake¡¯s eyelid, Merlin concluded that his arrows were inadequate against the One-Horned Fire Snake. ¡°Still, it seems like it did have some impact, no?¡± ¡°Of course. The arrow did hit its eye straight on. It must¡¯ve been equivalent to a wooden toothpick being thrown and hitting someone¡¯s eye.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a weird analogy.¡± ¡°It is?¡± While conversing with Quiet Heaven, Merlin took out a short spear. Since simple arrow attacks were impractical, he decided to take a different approach. Sprinkle¡­ After retrieving some magic dust from his inventory, Merlin started circulating his magic power. ¡°The next attack has a chance of not hitting its target, so I¡¯ll have to reinforce it.¡± Merlin still had ten enchanted short spears left, but the magic applied to them wasn¡¯t too potent, as powerful spells and enchantments wouldn¡¯t last long on an object. Moreover, Merlin had to add a stabilizing spell to enchanted objects so that the magic power imbued within wouldn¡¯t scatter. Thus, after these many steps¡­. Sss¡­ Magic power started to flow into the short spear from the magic power gem on the back of Merlin¡¯s right hand. The next step was to conjure an image and direct the spell to do what Merlin wanted. Usually, this would be done while chanting, but since Merlin was talented in image-making, he could skip this process altogether. An average mage would¡¯ve needed two hours to complete this whole process, and a high-level mage could¡¯ve done it in 30 minutes. Merlin finished the entire process in less than a minute. Boom! When Merlin was done, he heard a deafening boom and felt an immense shockwave spread. Heavenly Flower¡¯s golden light and the snake¡¯s horn had collided with each other, and the aftershock had disintegrated nearby plants and even uprooted vast trees. Yet, since Merlin was two kilometers away, all he felt was a strong breeze. Soon, Merlin drew back his bowstring. ¡°Before I shoot, do you want to hear my prediction?¡± ¡°Your prediction?¡± ¡°I think¡­¡± Merlin whispered to Quiet Heaven, causing it to look at him with a perplexed expression. Once the aftershock passed and before the subsequent gust of wind arrived, Merlin released the bowstring. Whoosh! The short spear seemed to rip through the air as it shot up into the sky. The timing was exquisite. When the air was rushing back to the area where the clash occurred, Merlin¡¯s spark-flying short spear struck the One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s eye. Bam! ¡°Ugh?! What is this!¡± Despite using all the magic power that was possible in one go, the attack had failed to critically damage his target. Although the short spear wasn¡¯t bounced off, only the spearhead penetrated the snake¡¯s eye. Without delay, the One-Horned Fire Snake opened its eyes wide and forcefully expelled the short spear. ¡°Ki, Kikiki! How dare such an insignificant bug try and attack me!¡± This time, the One-Horned Fire Snake located Merlin¡¯s position. After releasing the bowstring, Merlin jumped into the water without watching his short spear, but before he fully entered the water, he was spotted. Once he suffered the first long-ranged attack, the One-Horned Fire Snake made sure to be more aware of its surroundings, so even though Merlin was two kilometers away, he couldn¡¯t escape the snake¡¯s notice. Whoosh! ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡°Woah~ It¡¯s really angry~.¡± The One-Horned Fire Snake was larger and longer than a modern train, and it moved faster than any high-speed train. As it charged forward, the snake snapped the massive trees that stood before it like twigs. This ferocious pursuit would¡¯ve terrified anyone, even if they weren¡¯t being targeted, but Merlin maintained his playful attitude. The One-Horned Fire Snake was smaller than a Kraken. If Merlin remained on land, he might have been a bit more scared, but half his body was already in the water, so regardless of the snake¡¯s overwhelming aura, Merlin wasn¡¯t concerned. Whoosh! With his boosters, Merlin¡¯s movement through the sea could no longer be called swimming. In a two-meter radius around Merlin, the water was acting as a shock absorber for his sudden movements. Essentially, Merlin could move in any direction with a 360-degree range of motion. Hence, like an alien existence, Merlin could break the laws of fluid dynamics within the water. Boom! The One-Horned Fire Snake shot a fireball onto the surface of the water. Immediately, the fireball boiled and converted 50 meters of seawater into a fine mist, but the attack didn¡¯t hit Merlin. ¡°Athlete Yoon Yongno has passed the defenders and is plowing straight ahead!¡± Just by observing his opponent¡¯s movements, Merlin could predict the path and results of any incoming attack. If he was in danger, he could just accelerate his thought process and stall to figure out alternative countermoves. Of course, no matter how fast someone¡¯s mind worked, if their body couldn¡¯t execute these thoughts, all was for naught. However, Merlin could do whatever he wanted in the water and could maneuver as fast as he could think, so there was no way these attacks would kill him. Even if there were crossfire from multiple sources, he¡¯d be able to evade them. As such, Merlin could successfully avoid the One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s attacks. Despite the monster¡¯s continuous assault, Merlin dodged like a slippery fish. Unless he was taken by surprise or an attack was launched at supersonic speeds from a centimeter away, Merlin could escape. As if he were out for a leisurely stroll, Merlin weaved and bobbed around the attacks. ¡°Argh! That bastard!¡± The One-Horned Fire Snake was infuriated at how Merlin playfully avoided its attacks. Though it employed numerous poison attacks and fireballs, none of them were able to touch Merlin. Actually, since Merlin could control the water around him, he repelled the poison as it mixed into the sea. As long as Merlin was in the water, the One-Horned Fire Snake could spend ten or even 100 years trying to assail him without hurting a single hair on his head. And while the snake was attacking in a rage, a huge spark appeared behind him. ¡°Burn. Divine Fire.¡± Whoosh! A massive white flame arose. The temperature of the white flames was so intense that even the One-Horned Fire Snake was hurt, regardless of its immunity to most flames. While the snake could regulate itself in many high temperatures, it couldn¡¯t contend against the white flame, and its skin soon turned bright red. With the state of the snake¡¯s skin, its less resistant innard hard most likely already started boiling, causing significant internal damage. Although the One-Horned Fire Snake had tremendous regenerative powers, it couldn¡¯t avoid critical damage from this attack. ¡°Merlin¡­ this guy¡­.¡± Quiet Heaven was observing the unfolding scene from high in the sky with a tired expression. It seemed that it wasn¡¯t surprised by Merlin¡¯s unexpected actions anymore. Then, Quiet Heaven recalled what Merlin had said moments ago. ¡°That dumb snake will probably furiously chase me after being hit by this short spear. Yet, since I¡¯ll be making my getaway in the water, it¡¯ll have no chance of catching me. And with its attention focused on me, the eight-tailed fox will be able to land a significant attack. After that¡­¡± Merlin had stated this with a wide smile on his face. ¡°¡­ my arrow will pierce that snake¡¯s eye.¡± Whoosh! Right when the One-Horned Fire Snake was about to attack Heavenly Flower, Merlin¡¯s short spear approached its eye. ¡°Ugh! You insignificant bug!¡± Unlike what one would expect from such an enormous monster, the One-Horned Fire Snake reacted quickly and took the best possible action it could: closing its eyes. There were doubts as to whether the short spear could even pierce the snake¡¯s eyeball itself, and it appeared like the attack would be blocked. Yet, since its eyes were closed, it couldn¡¯t see its real opponent, Heavenly Flower. In the blink of an eye, the One-Horned Fire Snake seemingly blocked the short spear, but Merlin smirked. ¡°Dummy. You should have winked or dodged. Were you too embarrassed to move your colossal body over an insignificant bug¡¯s attack?¡± [Momentary Blink] The short spear seemed to have skipped across space by ten meters. However, rather than jump forward, it had moved backward. And when the One-Horned Fire Snake reopened its eyes, the short spear stabbed its target. Furthermore, without any divergence, the short spear landed exactly where Merlin had previously hit. Then, there was an explosion. Boom! ¡°Kyak!¡± ¡°Oh yeah~!¡± ¡°You eyeball hunter¡­.¡± In the end, Merlin pierced the snake¡¯s eye, and this time, the short spear dug deep and exploded from within. No matter how powerful the One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s regenerative powers were, it would lose its vision for at least a few moments. While the snake suffered, Heavenly Flower, covered in golden light, stood in front of him. ¡°Our long-standing feud ends here.¡± ¡°You bitch, you dare-¡± It was too late. As the One-Horned Fire Snake writhed in pain, Heavenly Flower had already finished gathering all her powers. Ping! A golden beam of light went into the One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s mouth and shot through the back of its head into the sky. It was the end for the One-Horned Fire Snake. ¡°Ah, man. I wonder how many experience points that snake would have given me. If I landed the final blow, I could¡¯ve gained at least some sort of drop.¡± If a user intervened in a fight between monsters and landed a critical blow, the user would be guaranteed some experience points. Obviously, the amount they would gain was minuscule, but when the Dead Man¡¯s Ship sunk and had most of its crew killed by the Kraken, Merlin had acquired over 10,000 experience points for his role in the deaths. Due to the vast number of undead killed, Merlin had received a significant amount of Spirits. In this case, Merlin only struck and disabled one of the One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s eyes, but Merlin received 500 Spirits. It seemed the snake was an extremely high-level monster. CH 99 ¡°Usually, experience points for participation are capped between one to five percent, meaning that guy gave at least 10,000 Spirits. It¡¯s too bad I couldn¡¯t get the last hit for a drop- huh?¡± When the One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s body didn¡¯t vanish, Merlin stopped this line of thought. Merlin noticed that the monsters south of the Noisy Belt didn¡¯t disappear when they died, and due to this, it didn¡¯t matter who got the last hit, as no drops would be distributed. The only problem was that Merlin¡¯s Karma points would be reduced if he attacked or killed an enemy that didn¡¯t have ¡®ill will¡¯ or aggression towards him. Similar to the level-up tests, Merlin couldn¡¯t take items from a monster or NPC unless he gained prior authorization. ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing I can do. The only thing worthwhile from that snake is its inner qi core, but unless the eight-tailed fox is crazy, I won¡¯t be able to get it.¡± What about the snake¡¯s skin? A One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s skin was indeed a great item, but Merlin didn¡¯t have the skills or abilities to process it. Then, what about the horn? The horn was also outstanding, but what would Merlin do with a horn larger than his body? The only valuable item for Merlin was the snake¡¯s inner qi core, but since that was also seen as the most valuable part of the snake, there was no way Merlin could obtain it. While he did provide some assistance, Heavenly Flower was the one who ultimately defeated the One-Horned Fire Snake. The only thing Merlin did was pierce one of the snake¡¯s eyes. If it wasn¡¯t for the eight-tailed fox, he couldn¡¯t have defeated that monster. Even if the One-Horned Fire Snake didn¡¯t move and allowed Merlin to attack it unhindered, it would¡¯ve taken Merlin a couple of weeks to kill it. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll need to be satisfied with the experience points and leave quietly.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to leave quietly?¡± ¡°¡­?!¡± Without sensing her approach, Heavenly Flower had arrived right next to Merlin and whispered in his ear. Quickly, Merlin reached with his right hand and grabbed the external gold core above his left shoulder. After launching three consecutive attacks, Merlin¡¯s ten-year internal energy capacity was running low. If it was a long-ranged battle, Merlin could¡¯ve possibly used his magic power, but since Heavenly Flower was so close, his magic power was rendered useless. So, Merlin decided to use his stored internal energy. However, Merlin soon felt a soft touch pulling on both his cheeks, making him lose control over his body. ¡°Oh, your wide-eyed surprised expression is cute. Such a cute thing launched such a ferocious attack earlier?¡± Heavenly Flower had golden-blonde hair, but despite this, she looked more like someone from the east than the west. Moreover, her hair was as long as her body, making her easily recognizable from a distance. Merlin stood at 181 centimeters, so he wasn¡¯t short; yet, she looked down when speaking to him. Heavenly Flower¡¯s height was around 190 centimeters, but because of her well-balanced body, she didn¡¯t seem tall. Instead, she appeared skinny and shapely. ¡°Who are y-you¡­.¡± ¡°Hmm? You just helped me a moment ago, right?¡± ¡°¡­ Eight-tailed fox?¡± ¡°Call me Heavenly Flower.¡± Merlin was hovering above the sea as Heavenly Flower casually stood on the water¡¯s surface. ¡°Shall we talk for a bit?¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Though she was smiling, Merlin could tell he couldn¡¯t refuse her request, and he laughed nervously. ***Phantom Monster Magic Islands*** /[Yongsan Direct. The Yongsan Direct line is arriving. All passengers must stand behind the safety line.]/ Hanma listened to the PA system announcement while standing still. With his tall stature of 192 centimeters, he also had a significant amount of muscle. His broad shoulders and robust body could easily be made out through the heavy winter coat that he wore. ¡°I¡¯ve been playing games all day long, but my body doesn¡¯t seem to be losing any muscle mass. Well, I guess it¡¯s only been two weeks.¡± It was January 15th, and DIO had been open for a little over two weeks. Having participated in the closed beta, Hanma expected that DIO would have an instant and widespread impact on the world, and based on the constant analysis and coverage by experts on television and radio, it seemed he was correct. Actually, it wasn¡¯t so simple as an impact; it was a revolutionary change. The entire world was affected by the monumental switch and culture shock that the game brought. Thump. Thump. Screech. A train pulled in, making metallic grinding sounds, and Hanma silently boarded it. Fortunately, there were many open seats in his car. Beep. Knowing that it would take two hours to get to Yongsan, Hanma took out a PDA and started viewing the videos he¡¯d downloaded. It was an episode from a news segment that had aired about one week ago. /[Hello! I am Dynamic Island¡¯s guide, Mari~!]/ No matter how often he saw Mari, Hanma couldn¡¯t get over how pretty she was. She was tall, skinny, and had a sexy vibe mixed with youthful cheerfulness. With her hair put up in two ponytails, she smiled brightly for the camera. /[MC: Wow. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you, but you¡¯re beautiful in person. Nice to meet you.] [Mari: Oh, is this your first time seeing me?] [MC: Huh? Ah, sorry. I haven¡¯t started the game yet¡­.] [Mari: Wait, how could you not do some background research before interviewing me? Can you really call yourself Korea¡¯s number one MC?] [Crowd: Boo~! Get out of here!] [MC: Hello, everyone. I¡¯m the main MC for Entertaining Sunday¡­]/ Besides the MC who hadn¡¯t started DIO, everyone else in the crowd seemed infatuated with Mari. This phenomenon couldn¡¯t be helped. Though Mari acted and looked like a young girl, she emitted an intense aura. In addition, her facial expressions were lovable, and her voice was clear as a lark¡¯s. With her lively yet smooth actions, it seemed as though she could become an international singing or dancing star overnight. /[MC: Alright, let¡¯s get to the mountain of questions. Ah, this is the most popular one. User Round Butt asks, ¡®Is Mari truly just a programmed character? Or is she a real person who is logged on from some undisclosed location?¡¯] [Second MC: Ah, almost every user who logs onto DIO seems to have this question. I¡¯m sure that there are more than a couple of healthy young men who have had many sleepless nights because of Mari.] [Mari: Hahaha. I¡¯d like to thank everyone for their constant support and love. However, unfortunately, I am just a programmed character. You saw the bodyguard carrying a briefcase earlier, right?] [MC: Ah, the black briefcase?] [Mari: Yes, the 007-style briefcase that was about this size (she gestures with her hands). I¡¯m currently located within that briefcase.] [MC: Huh?] [Second MC: You¡¯re in that briefcase?] [Mari: To be more specific, I¡¯m located within the external hard drive in the briefcase. I take up about ten terabytes of memory, so I can also be carried around in a mass-storage USB thumb drive.] [Both MCs: ¡­]/ The program was being conducted in a somewhat unorthodox fashion. The MCs and guests were all seated while an image of Mari was shown on a screen behind them. Surprisingly, it seemed that Mari could be stored in an external hard drive or USB and transported in that manner. She was much more mobile than any other NPC in the game. ¡°Hey, Hanma.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± As he heard his name unexpectedly, Hanma removed one of his earphones and looked up. Right in front of him was a college student who stood at no more than 165 centimeters, a full head shorter than Hanma. ¡°Yurim? Wow, how weird that we meet here of all places.¡± ¡°Yeah. Are you watching the program about Ms. Mari?¡± ¡°Ms. Mari? This Mari girl has only been around for a month. Also, based on her appearance, she¡¯s much younger than you.¡± When Hanma answered with an exasperated expression, Yurim replied in a somewhat embarrassed tone. ¡°Well, she has this ambiance about her, you know, a personal atmosphere.¡± Yurim and Hanma were classmates who entered their university in the same year. Yurim was a sports fanatic, and she¡¯d enrolled at a physical education university and majored in Kendo. Despite her major, she wasn¡¯t too skilled in Kendo. She¡¯d never participated in a world championship and had only placed second or third a few times in the national tournaments. Since she was born into a reasonably affluent family, she was just attending university for fun. ¡°Where are you going? No, wait, why were you in Chun-An, Yurim?¡± ¡°My maternal grandmother lives in Chun-An. Ah, more importantly, what¡¯s your DIO username?¡± Rather than asking Hanma if he played DIO or not, Yurim had asked him what his username was. Considering that DIO had launched just a couple of weeks ago, it was weird that Yurim would lead with this type of question, but Hanma just shrugged. ¡°Hanma.¡± ¡°Eh? You used your real name as your username?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, right? What about you?¡± ¡°Lalamia.¡± ¡°Ugh, it sounds old-fashioned.¡± ¡°Hey! Old-fashioned! It rolls beautifully off the tongue!¡± Yurim was up in arms, but Hanma didn¡¯t pay her any attention, refocusing on his PDA. He was planning to watch the video, but then a question suddenly popped into his mind. ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± Hanma noticed someone sleeping in their seat. Of course, this alone wasn¡¯t surprising, as many people nodded off while riding the train or, like Hanma, chose to watch videos or other media on their devices. Still, it was weird seeing everyone sleeping with their earphones on. ¡°Let¡¯s log on as well. It¡¯s better than watching a stupid television program, no? And it¡¯s a superior use of our time anyway.¡± ¡°Log in? Where?¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean where? Log into DIO. I thought you played the game?¡± As she spoke, Yurim took out an electronic device the size of her hand. It was a CD player with a CD placed inside. ¡°That¡¯s the DIO CD. Why are you carrying that around?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? What¡¯s needed to log into DIO?¡± ¡°A CD and earphones¡­.¡± After saying this, Hanma abruptly stopped speaking. Since he wasn¡¯t dumb, he understood what Yurim was alluding to. ¡°We can log in at any time if we have a CD player, the DIO CD, and a pair of earphones?¡± ¡°Bingo~!¡± After seeing her bright smile, Hanma looked at the sleeping passengers again. It wasn¡¯t actually everyone who was sleeping with earphones, but an overwhelming majority of 80 percent. Considering that DIO had only gone live about two weeks ago, it was incredible that such a scene was happening. DIO was inexpensive enough for even elementary school children to afford it. Furthermore, the game didn¡¯t require the internet, so users could log in from any location. Additionally, DIO¡¯s gameplay was so addictive that its popularity had spread explosively to all corners of the Earth within a short period. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice all of these changes since I¡¯ve been so focused on playing the game.¡± ¡°Well, I guess everyone¡¯s in that position right now. I¡¯m currently spending around 20 hours each day playing DIO. The more time I spent there, the more I feel like I¡¯m actually gaining time.¡± ¡°Right. I can¡¯t believe that only two weeks have passed since the grand opening.¡± DIO had opened on January 1st, and it was currently the fifteenth. Though two weeks wasn¡¯t long, as a university student, Hanma felt that his winter break was still far from over. Hanma had easily experienced more than 150 days in this time. When he was logged onto DIO, time passed 12 times quicker than it did in reality. If he had spent 24 hours in DIO, only two hours would¡¯ve gone by in real life. DIO had been open for two weeks, and it set a maximum time for users to spend in-game before they¡¯d have to log off for at least ten real minutes to deal with their physical needs. If a user spent as much time as possible in DIO during these past two weeks, they would¡¯ve experienced 168 in-game days, an approximately six-month period in less than a month. ¡°A month in real life is about a year in-game. So, if we played for an entire year¡­ we¡¯d experience around 12 years.¡± This was a monumental, revolutionary shift. With this, no one could logically argue against people logging onto DIO. Wasn¡¯t it said that time is money? Of course, those who were employed had to work around their jobs, but university or high school students could spare a couple of hours to play the game, even if they were preparing for the university entrance exam. Hanma also recalled some chattering about setting up and operating studying facilities within DIO to serve this vast student population and take advantage of DIO¡¯s time flow. ¡°I¡¯ve even heard that there¡¯s a Gangnam star instructor who¡¯s become a mage that specializes in an Awakening spell. He¡¯s using that spell to tutor his students more effectively.¡± ¡°Huh? Tutoring?¡± ¡°Yeah. I heard his Awakening spell allows users to memorize things five times quicker.¡± ¡°Wow, such a¡­ genius.¡± Hanma couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue in astonishment at this application that he¡¯d never considered. It truly seemed that novel ideas and approaches were being taken with more people logging into DIO. Moreover, since DIO had a robust currency exchange system, the platform would make it easier for intrepid entrepreneurs to make a lot of money. ¡°By the way, what level are you?¡± ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m still on Level 4. The Level 5 test is so difficult. That dumb lizardman refuses to die! Ugh.¡± Yurim made a crying motion to convey her sadness. In truth, the average person would find it challenging to enter Level 3, so being at Level 4 or 5 meant that the user was skilled and talented in a specific area. Furthermore, since the completion requirement was changed to make users win a one-on-one fighting test three times, users couldn¡¯t cheat the system to gain levels. ¡°Hehehe.¡± Hanma chuckled, clearly conveying his self-confidence. ¡°Hey! Are you laughing at me? What level are you? Level 5?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a little hurt that you think so lowly of me.¡± ¡°Ack! Then, Level 6?¡± ¡°Higher.¡± ¡°A-are you¡­ Level 7?¡± ¡°Hehehe.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie! Are you¡­ Level 8?¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Though Hanma was laughing, it didn¡¯t seem like he was lying, more like he was filled with supreme confidence and pride. He had recently reached Level 9, and by recently, he meant yesterday, but in DIO time, about ten days ago. Despite Hanma¡¯s assurance in his physical skills and abilities, he had gone through tremendous hardship and training to reach this incredible level; it also helped that he got a few lucky breaks. ¡°No way! You¡¯re Level 9?!¡± Yurim gasped in disbelief. She was so surprised that her voice had trembled when she spoke. Moreover, the impact and effects of her words were instantly seen. ¡°What? Did she say Level 9?¡± ¡°Really? I heard that there are less than 100 users who¡¯ve reached Level 9.¡± ¡°Huh? That face and build¡­ isn¡¯t that guy Hanma? I think I¡¯ve seen him fight in a video. He¡¯s a life force user.¡± ¡°Wow, a Level 9 life force user. He¡¯s a top expert then, right? I heard a Level 9 expert has enough combat prowess to go into K1 right now and dominate the entire field.¡± The remaining passengers who weren¡¯t logged into DIO started talking. Hanma wondered if they wouldn¡¯t believe in him and start cursing him for being a liar, but since DIO allowed screenshots and video recordings, it seemed his face and stature were relatively well known. One unique detail of DIO was that a user¡¯s character and real-life face looked the same. ¡®W-what¡¯s with this atmosphere?¡¯ Hanma was taken aback after noticing some stares filled with awe and idolization. This adoration was being given for something he accomplished in a game? A couple of weeks ago, this was unthinkable. No matter how high-level someone was, no one would care in real life. Previously, even if a person were rich and worked hard, if they were known to play games, others would say they had bad habits. This was the social norm. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re great! I¡¯m going to tell everyone!¡± ¡°Eh?! Why would you tell everyone?¡± ¡°What do you mean why? A Seoul University student stated on the internet that he reached Level 8 as a mage, so all the netizens are showering that student with praise. And you¡¯re Level 9!¡± ¡°But that¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re the shining star amongst our university student body.¡± ¡°¡­ A high-level gamer is a star for the entire student body?¡± While shrugging, Hanma couldn¡¯t help but be exasperated by Yurim¡¯s words. However, Yurim¡¯s response was natural, as it was nearly impossible for users to have reached such a high level during DIO¡¯s short operation time of two weeks. Also, DIO wasn¡¯t the type of game where people could just level up after investing time, as becoming a high-level user required developed skills and abilities. Since the game had just been released, people didn¡¯t know how hard it would be to level up. Most users would undoubtedly hit an unbreakable ceiling as time passed. Thus, as more people were restricted to the lower levels, the higher-level users would naturally become idolized. ¡°Ah, more importantly¡­.¡± ¡°More importantly?¡± Hanma tilted his head as if he couldn¡¯t understand what Yurim was about to say, but with both hands, she grabbed Hanma¡¯s large hand and said, ¡°Please carry me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± CH 100 Whoosh! Merlin used his boosters to accelerate, raising his speed to 500 kilometers per hour. As his body quickly zipped across the water¡¯s surface, he left a trail in his wake. Splash! All of a sudden, Merlin abruptly dove down at nearly a straight right angle. A towering column of water exploded above the surface. His speed was increasing. /Your Swimming skill has increased to S Rank!/ His understanding of the medium of water was constantly improving. When he was within it, he could sense everything happening around him. The water in a five-meter radius from his body was akin to an extra limb. Additionally, Merlin was slowly expending less energy in the water. Bubble¡­ In a short period, Merlin found himself 500 meters underwater. Since he was so deep, there were many enormous and powerful monsters around him, but when they saw him zipping down at an incredible speed, they couldn¡¯t help but scatter in fright. Whoosh! Without slowing, Merlin suddenly changed directions, making a complete U-turn, and shot upward towards the surface. His speed was still increasing. Swish! When he made a gentle paddling motion with his feet, Merlin shot forward while leaving behind an incredible shockwave. It didn¡¯t take him long to reach the surface. Boom! With the tremendous speed and coil-like tension he created with the seawater, Merlin was flung out of the ocean. Whoosh! He was flying upwards. He had gone well beyond the typical jumping height of an average user as he ascended like a missile. Merlin then landed on the island. ¡°W-what¡¯s up with that guy? What did he just do?¡± ¡°He¡¯s just a human? Did he jump from somewhere?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ to come onto the island like that¡­.¡± The Avian monster species on the island looked exasperated as they commented. However, Merlin didn¡¯t pay any attention to their reactions as he balled his hands into fists. ¡°Yes! Success~! Hahaha!¡± /You are the first to discover the Heavenly Sky Island, Icarus!/ /As the first discoverer, you have acquired a bonus of 10,000 Spirits!/ When the text box appeared in front of him, Merlin stopped smiling. ¡°Huh? Why¡¯s the island¡¯s name so weird? Is it about to fall from the sky soon?¡± ¡°Hey, you! Why did you come here?¡± As it saw Merlin act without a care in the world, an Avian monster with a long spear angrily shouted. The male Avian monster had black wings and a handsome face, and there was a username and title above his head, which read: [Black Crow Tribe Warrior, Ryuhyun]. ¡°He¡¯s Level 6.¡± ¡°It seems that, regardless of species, every warrior is Level 6, no?¡± ¡°Probably just a system balance thing. Although, it¡¯s best that you be more careful. While they¡¯re only Level 6, you¡¯re also Level 6.¡± ¡°I¡¯m always careful.¡± Merlin¡¯s combat capabilities were far beyond his level. Since he didn¡¯t know about the stat bonus points and didn¡¯t use them, his overall ability stats were relatively lower than others at the same level, but his Master title, innate battle sense, and various special abilities elevated his combat power to levels that almost rivaled a Master. If there was a problem or he wasn¡¯t in the right environment, he couldn¡¯t use any of his special properties and abilities, making him less powerful than even lower-level beings. As such, this was why Quiet Heaven always felt like it was walking on thin ice, concerned that its master might be killed under disadvantageous circumstances. ¡°Level up some more.¡± ¡°I took the Level 6 test a while back already.¡± ¡°Go beyond Level 6.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°¡­¡± When Merlin questioned it with a perplexed tone, Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t think of an answer readily. Quiet Heaven had been excited to learn of its master¡¯s tremendous potential, talents, abilities, and skills, but Merlin didn¡¯t have any drive to level up. Merlin had only taken the Level 6 test because he needed to raise the caps on his ability stats. Yet, once his magic power and internal energy development reached a plateau, Merlin lost all interest in leveling up. Rather than ability stats, Merlin was more interested in developing his spiritual power types. ¡°Hey, you¡­¡± ¡°Ah, sorry. My name is Merlin. I¡¯m currently on an adventure.¡± ¡°¡­ Adventure?¡± ¡°Or should I call it travels? Anyway, wow, this place is so interesting. How is such a colossal land mass able to levitate in the air like this?¡± The Heavenly Sky Island, Icarus, had a diameter of at least 20 kilometers, so it was relatively massive. In addition to being larger than most cities, Icarus also hovered a little over 300 meters above the water¡¯s surface; even most avian species couldn¡¯t make their way onto the island. ¡°No, wait¡­ argh. You¡¯re leaving me at a loss for words. You¡¯re saying that you came up to Heavenly Sky Island just for a tour? Did anyone give you the authorization to visit?¡± ¡°Hmm? I don¡¯t need authorization.¡± Hearing Merlin¡¯s nonchalant response, Ryuhyun narrowed his eyes. ¡°Oho. So, what you mean to say is that you¡¯re¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be taking off now.¡± ¡°¡­ challenging us- what?¡± ¡°Bye~!¡± After waving his hand, Merlin jumped off the island. Since Merlin just wanted to gain the experience points for being the first discoverer, he didn¡¯t see much importance in making small talk with the locals; however, the Avian species on the island didn¡¯t know any of this. ¡°Eh? Oh! Huh?!¡± ¡°Who the hell is that guy?¡± Thoroughly dumbfounded, Ryuhyun found it hard to speak properly. Merlin¡¯s body was quickly falling toward the sea. The sea was 300 meters below the island, but Merlin had jumped off without a single iota of concern or fear. ¡°Ah, even though I¡¯m leaving, I should take a souvenir.¡± The material on the top of Heavenly Sky Island was dirt and rocks, but underneath the island were stones that glowed with yellowish-green light. Merlin used his hand skill to pick off one of the glowing stones underneath the island. It was a stone about the size of his hand. ¡°Yahoo~ skydiving~!¡± ¡°How can you find such pleasure in the most mundane things¡­.¡± Though Merlin was quickly approaching terminal speed, he wasn¡¯t fearful. Actually, he felt refreshed with the sense that he had checked off an item on his to-do list. ¡°Finally, I¡¯ve gotten another first discoverer experience point reward~!¡± ¡°Okay, so with all those experience points, take the level-up tests.¡± Quiet Heaven kept pestering Merlin, but the latter didn¡¯t seem to be paying attention as he held his arms outstretched, feeling the rushing air and wind pass by. Merlin then started falling at a diagonal, and once he neared the surface of the water, he rolled himself up into a ball. Plop. Though he weighed 80 kilograms and fell from 300 meters, he only made a light ¡®plop¡¯ sound when he entered the ocean. The surface didn¡¯t even ripple, but below, the water seemed to cushion his landing and dissipate Merlin¡¯s tremendous downward force. It was as if Merlin had landed on a bed of soft, fluffy cushions. Since the impact was dispersed throughout the water, Merlin barely felt anything. ¡°Quiet Heaven, do you know what day it is?¡± ¡°What day is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been exactly six months since I entered the area south of the Noisy Belt.¡± ¡°The Phantom Monster Magic Islands¡¯ mainland must be located in the southernmost area of this formation then.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Between the Noisy Belt and the southern continent were the six giant islands that made up the Phantom Monster Magic Islands. The first island Merlin came across, Blue Forest Island, as well as the one he just visited, Heavenly Sky Island, were all part of the collection known as the Phantom Monster Magic Islands. ¡°I would¡¯ve never guessed that the islands were constantly moving.¡± When making his way across the Noisy Belt, the first question Merlin had was why there existed a discrepancy between the islands¡¯ actual location and what was shown on the beta test map. The six islands were in a circle pattern and had moved slightly clockwise compared to what he recalled. However, after speaking with Heavenly Flower, one of the four, no, now three main monsters of the islands, Merlin¡¯s question was answered. Every year, the six islands moved clockwise by a set amount. ¡°Now, all that¡¯s left is the Phantom Monster Magic Islands mainland and the three other smaller islands. I should hurry and gain the first discoverer rewards for those remaining islands and then return to meet with Heavenly Flower and cross over to the southern continent.¡± Since he couldn¡¯t use his boosters for an extended period, Merlin decided to swim to his next destination. Although he called it swimming, Merlin¡¯s version of swimming was unheard of, as he moved across vast distances with each paddle of his arms and legs. ¡°Six months have already passed¡­ it¡¯s not a short amount of time, but you¡¯ve still covered a considerable distance.¡± ¡°I¡¯m great, right? Because of my achievements, I have 150 points in Strength and Stamina without using my titles. While it may be considered as a long time, in reality, not even a month has passed.¡± Merlin estimated how much time had passed in real life. The current date in the outside ¡®real¡¯ world was January 16th. Despite his extraordinary amount of game time, merely a little over half a month had passed in real life. ¡°Wow, if I play this game for too long, I¡¯ll lose all sense of time. I¡¯ve already developed a lot, but I wonder how the other users will fare after a year.¡± While muttering to himself, Merlin kept swimming forward. Since he wasn¡¯t moving quickly, it would take about eight hours to reach the main island. However, after an hour of swimming, Merlin found something weird. ¡°¡­ Merlin.¡± ¡°Yeah, I saw it, too.¡± It was a rocky island that had suddenly appeared in the boundless, empty ocean as if it was the only thing that existed here. It was a relatively small uninhabited island, and while Merlin had seen islands like this before, something felt different this time. ¡°That¡¯s a user, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a user. How could this be? I thought I was the only one capable of making it down here.¡± Indeed, there was a user on the small rocky island. The user wasn¡¯t standing or sitting; they were comfortably sprawled out on the ground. The rocky island had a few trees on it, and the player used the shade beneath them to lay down. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Merlin tried talking to the user, but he received no reply. The user wasn¡¯t sleeping but had his eyes half-open as he stared at the sky. Wondering if the user didn¡¯t quite hear him, Merlin approached and spoke once more. ¡°Excuse me.¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t speak to me. It¡¯s too bothersome to talk.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It was a response that Merlin had heard before, a reply filled with the tone of someone being thoroughly bothered. There was no wariness or shyness, just a pure sense of being bothered. He came across someone like this when he met the blacksmith Aidelin and purchased some of his wares. Above the user¡¯s head was the username and title: [A person who has found that there is no meaning in life, Manbo]. ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m sorry to bother you, but how did you get here?¡± Merlin asked, but the user didn¡¯t respond. It seemed that the latter was so lazy that he only responded once. ¡°What¡¯s up with that guy?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, and I¡¯m also not sure how he got here¡­.¡± ¡°No, what I mean is he¡¯s Level 2.¡± ¡°What?¡± When he heard something so unbelievable, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback. All players in DIO had to reach Level 2 after passing the initial level test. This meant that the user before him had never taken a level test after entering DIO. Of course, levels weren¡¯t everything. This was best seen by the Level 6 Merlin, whose combat strength was far beyond what he should be capable of possessing. This user could also be someone similar, but Level 2 truly was too low. His ability stats were all capped, so he couldn¡¯t develop anymore. ¡®Then how the hell did he get here?¡¯ The Noisy Belt wasn¡¯t a barrier that just anyone could cross. If someone attempted to cross by air, they would have to fight the buffed flying golems. Similarly, those who traveled by water had to endure the forceful and deadly currents. To cross the Noisy Belt, users needed to either be stronger than the golems or have a swimming ability on par with Merlin¡¯s. ¡°Eh, whatever.¡± Merlin stopped thinking about the what-ifs and just went back into the water. ¡°Hmm? Did you figure out how that guy got to that island?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just going to leave?¡± ¡°What good will it do if I find out? Since he¡¯s here, he clearly used some method to travel. I came into this area; I¡¯m sure other people have their own means.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It seemed that Merlin had lost interest in the user. Actually, since he crossed the Noisy Belt, it was a logical assumption that others could cross it as well. Though Merlin was interested in how the other player entered this area, he didn¡¯t need to pry it out of him. ¡°Let¡¯s head off.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Still reluctant, Quiet Heaven turned to look towards Manbo. Meanwhile, Merlin started swimming and had already created some distance from the island. Thus, Quiet Heaven left its curiosity and started following its master. Whoosh¡­ Even after the two left, Manbo remained spread out across the ground. Time passed by¡­ one hour¡­ two hours¡­ three hours. After half a day, Manbo¡¯s lazily half-opened eyes started filling with light and vigor. ¡°How interesting. How did that guy get all the way here? He couldn¡¯t have swum¡­.¡± Manbo fell into thought, but he didn¡¯t spend too much time doing this. ¡°Well, anyway, I¡¯m here, so in the end, what¡¯s to say others can¡¯t.¡± After mumbling a few words, Manbo started relaxing. The life and vigor in his eyes disappeared. It seemed that he was planning on falling into a state of unconscious unbotheredness for at least the next few days. CH 101 Deep within a forest, an orc was meditating atop a large flat boulder. The orc was about a hundred and ninety centimeters tall and had a well-built body. The orc hero, whose name was Sungmuk, had led the Forest of Despair monster corps and had brought pain to many users. He silently meditated with his Blue Steel sword strapped to his back. Tap. Tap. All around him, rain droplets started hitting the surface of the boulder. The drops were fairly large, as if they signaled an imminent downpour. Tap. Tap. Tap. The number of droplets started increasing. Soon, a droplet fell right above Sungmuk¡¯s head. Ping! However, the rain droplet didn¡¯t wet his hair. Without any sound, Sungmuk had taken out his Blue Steel and halved the droplet mid-air. P-Ping! The halved droplet was halved once more with another strike. Those four equal sized water droplets were struck by two additional sword strikes. Soon, eight water droplets were formed. P-P-Ping! The droplet that was falling onto his shoulder was struck. Then, raindrops falling on his forehead, nose, neck, and calf were struck in succession and scattered away from his body. Whoosh! Numerous lines started forming in the air. There were the lines created by the streaming raindrops, and then there were the numerous sword strike lines that Sungmuk was sending above him. Soon, the number of sword strike lines started outnumbering the number of raindrops falling upon him. Ring! Eventually, a plum blossom started blooming. The falling raindrops scattered away from Sungmuk¡¯s body as soon as they hit the bloomed plum blossom. Though it was raining, the surrounding area started to be saturated with a plum blossom fragrance, and the plum blossom looked so clear and real that it seemed as though a flower really had bloomed above his head. Tap. The rain continued to fall for 10 minutes before stopping. Once the rain stopped, Sungmuk put away the sword in his hand as quietly as when he had taken it out. Not a single drop of rainwater had landed on his body. ¡°Hmm? What kind of fog is this?¡± A wind started to blow and clear the fog that surrounded Sungmuk. Soon, a large-framed ogre became visible. The monster had a species level of 8. Just from growing older, this monster among monsters would naturally reach level 8 and become a force that could take on modern warfare machines. ¡°What is it, Jooyoung. This isn¡¯t your territory.¡± ¡°Hey~ it¡¯s been a long time, but your reception is so cold. However, I never expected that you¡¯d become an orc, so it took me a while to find you.¡± Though Jooyoung was an ogre, he had an interesting and unique look. His size and height were like an ogre¡¯s, but his muscle structure was much more concentrated and defined, and overall his body was light and quick. He wore a black martial arts uniform, and his legs seemed firm and strong, enough to sustain a strike from a modern missile. His hands seemed strong enough to tear through solid steel. ¡°I sense your bloodlust. How many beings did you kill on the way here?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t help it. Orcs are stupid, so they couldn¡¯t understand what I was saying.¡± Monsters weren¡¯t predisposed to stupidity. Of course, there were many monsters that possessed intelligence levels similar to simple beasts and animals, but there were also monsters that were intelligent enough to use magic. Moreover, there were also low-level monsters that possessed intelligence levels similar to humans. In truth, the orc species were intellignet enough to use language to communicate, create weapons and gear, and come up with strategies to contend against humans. Additionally, the orcs living within the Forest of Despair possessed relatively strong combat powers and a high level of intelligence, so they wouldn¡¯t have had an issue giving someone directions. ¡°You haven¡¯t changed at all. The orc and ogre species have been a relatively new creation, but you¡¯ve already established a clear habit of discrimination.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m strong enough to do so. Stupid orc.¡± Whoosh. Jooyoung took a step forward, and a large oppressive qi aura spread throughout the area. The oppressive force came from the overwhelming amount of internal energy possessed by the ogre. Ogres would naturally become stronger as they aged, to the point that observers wouldn¡¯t consider them natural beings; however, this ogre was on a completely different dimension. Sungmuk scoffed. ¡°What idiocy. Do you think you can defeat me with your current physical body?¡± ¡°Hahaha. If you think your words are going to convince me to retreat, you¡¯re wrong. This place is different from the Central District. I have a higher level than you. That means I¡¯m more powerful.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand why you have a strong and powerful body.¡± ¡°Ha. Sorry, but I know all too well. The reason why I¡¯ve gained such a strong build is because ¡®they¡¯ knew that your body would be weaker than mine. Actually, ¡®they¡¯ might have even considered it wasteful to give you an orc¡¯s body.¡± With a sinister smile, Jooyoung raised his fist. Boom! With a thunderous strike, the ogre smashed the boulder that Sungmuk had been on into small pieces. However, Sungmuk was untouched. ¡°Heaven and Earth Palm¡­ have you given up on martial arts?¡± ¡°Hmpf. If you can¡¯t block it, I guess you¡¯re only left with the option of avoiding my attacks.¡± Seeing Sungmuk effortlessly avoid his palm strike, Jooyoung smirked. Jooyoung then started to bring out a greater amount of his internal energy. Previously, Sungmuk was a woman who was stronger and more powerful than him, so he couldn¡¯t do anything to her, but now, the tables had turned. Jooyoung possessed an unnaturally strong body. Moreover, Jooyoung had enough internal energy to give him the confidence to blow away an entire mountain range. While crossing over to the world of DIO, Sungmuk had become weaker, but Jooyoung had become stronger. ¡°¡­ Pathetic.¡± However, Sungmuk didn¡¯t waver or shake. Without even a shred of fear, he stared at Jooyoung. Sungmuk hadn¡¯t even taken out his sword. The ogre¡¯s expression turned ugly. Jooyoung had planned on stomping Sungmuk, but it didn¡¯t seem like Sungmuk was afraid of anything of the sort. ¡°You bitch. Let¡¯s see how long you can keep your composure¡­¡± However, Jooyoung was momentarily confused. He had received an unexpected message. ¡°Your title¡­¡± Above Sungmuk¡¯s head was the following description, /[Ruler of Dark Sky Demon Forest]/ /[Sword Sovereign, Sungmuk]/ The Dark Sky Demon Forest wasn¡¯t a faraway land. In fact, the land that Sungmuk and Jooyoung currently stood on was part of the Dark Sky Demon Forest, which was an inner area within the Forest of Despair that was populated by ultra-high-level monsters, most of which users had not yet seen. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you see something unexpected?¡± Sungmuk spoke in a low voice. Jooyoung couldn¡¯t help but frown. They were currently in Dark Sky Demon Forest, but why was Sungmuk the ruler of this forest? Sungmuk was level 13, which wasn¡¯t a low level by any means, but there were many other monsters that possessed much higher levels within the Dark Sky Demon Forest. Moreover, how could an orc, a species that didn¡¯t possess a potential to develop and become stronger, be the forest¡¯s ruler? However, what was even more surprising was Sungmuk¡¯s given title. ¡°Sword¡­ Sovereign?¡± Jooyoung had never heard of such a title. Most titles alluded to a monster¡¯s occupation or specialty area, as titles weren¡¯t handed out on a personal basis. However, Sungmuk had a personalized title, which meant that he was recognized as someone special. Since the orc species had a species level of 3, Sungmuk had accomplished much to become a Hero Class orc. But it seemed that Sungmuk had overcome an additional barrier recently. ¡°You¡¯re in the¡­ Freedom Class?¡± If one¡¯s control over internal energy went beyond a certain level, one could become free from the restrictions of the physical body. It would be difficult to defeat a wolf or tiger with a normal human body, but the reason why a normal human body could become as strong as a modern warfare machine was based on this principle. Realizing this truth, Jooyoung bit his lips. Sungmuk stated, ¡°Physical force or internal energy, all of that doesn¡¯t matter. You and I have one main difference.¡± ¡°One difference¡­ what is that?¡± ¡°Power class.¡± Ting! Sungmuk¡¯s sword rang out. With his monstrous, innate reaction speed, Jooyoung was able to take a step back and avoid the oncoming sword strike, but Sungmuk¡¯s sword strike created a path that scattered his sword qi into the air. Ring. A suffocating smell of plum blossoms saturated the area. Of course, this wasn¡¯t a physical phenomenon. Sungmuk¡¯s Plum Blossom Sword Art¡¯s Sword Truth had reached a level where it could cause one¡¯s senses to misinterpret natural phenomenon input. Hence, if one tried to find qi-based plum blossom properties in Sungmuk¡¯s sword qi, there wouldn¡¯t be anything to find. In other words, there was no actual scent of plum blossoms in the air, but any living organism that entered the area Sungmuk dominated over would be inundated with the sensory smell of plum blossoms. Since this concept didn¡¯t actually deal with the sense of smell, even living organisms which had lost the sense of smell or were born without such a sense would feel this effect. Sss¡­ After seeing Jooyoung¡¯s body, which had been shredded to pieces and turned into black smoke that scattered in the air, Sungmuk put his Blue Steel sword back into its scabbard. ¡°He¡¯ll probably be reborn soon¡­ but this should at least have taught him something, so he shouldn¡¯t be coming around again anytime soon.¡± It was a tiresome connection that followed from a previous lifetime. Jooyoung had been born as the first son of a well-known clan. Sungmuk had slapped the arrogant Jooyoung around a little at the time to teach him a lesson; however, Sungmuk never thought that such a connection would continue for so long. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s already been half a year¡­ since things have been getting a little loud around here, it seems the users have been developing at a fairly quick pace.¡± Users had been arriving at the front steps of the Forest of Despair¡¯s inner area for some time now. The Forest of Despair was the largest among the four hunting fields, so a tremendous number of users entered there. However, the deeper one went into the forest, the more powerful the monsters became, so it wasn¡¯t easy to enter the inner area. Moreover, monsters reappeared in the areas where they were previously killed, as monsters were given designated areas to defend. Hence, as time passed, users would eventually be pushed back, as they would have to constantly deal with regenerating monsters. ¡°Come to think of it, there¡¯s that guy who killed me as well.¡± Sungmuk recalled Arthur¡¯s move. Arthur had used Dispersing Light Sword Technique with his left hand and Bright Tai Chi Sword Technique with his right hand. With just those two sword techniques, Arthur had already reached a nearly undefeatable level. The two sword techniques were polar opposites, and it was immensely hard to even master one of those techniques, let alone both. However, Merlin was able to master both of these polar opposite techniques. Moreover, by utilizing both techniques on separate hands, Arthur was able to block any attack and attack through any defense. To be sure, Sungmuk had not been in top form since he had sustained damage from the other users, but even if he was at full strength, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to defeat Arthur; Sungmuk would have inevitably fallen to Arthur. ¡°I wonder who would win now?¡± Sungmuk was fairly certain that he¡¯d win now, but that was assuming he was facing the Arthur of the past, when they last clashed. With the passage of time, Arthur probably became stronger. Arthur had completely mastered the Bright Tai Chi Sword technique in 100 days; thus, with half a year having passed, Sungmuk was sure that Arthur wasn¡¯t at the same power level. Even in the best-case scenario for Sungmuk, Arthur was probably already a monstrous being. However, with this thought in his mind, Sungmuk smiled. ¡°I should get out of this forest to gain some field experience. Normally, monsters wouldn¡¯t move in such an unpredictable way¡­ but since they said they¡¯d allow me some freedom, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll mind much.¡± With a broad smile on his face, Sungmuk started walking. He was walking toward Starting. *** In a wide-open space, twenty or so naked goblins were laying down on the ground. At first glance, one might think that something inappropriate was going on, but the actual atmosphere of the area was very solemn. ¡°Once it¡¯s all been absorbed, apply it on another body part and then complete the spell. Mr. Dawon, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re tired, but please keep up the good work. This is the last group.¡± ¡°Oh, this is all for the goblin species, so I¡¯ll happily do it.¡± With a horn that took up about half its face, an elder goblin gave a tender smile while holding up his goblin bat. The glowing gold light from his bat illuminated the otherwise gloomy surroundings. The golden bat was proof that he was an elder. Bling! When the bat hit a laying goblin squarely on its head, the laying goblin¡¯s entire body started trembling. Obviously, the elder wasn¡¯t attacking the goblin but imbuing a spell onto the goblin¡¯s body. It was just one wave of the bat, but sweat started dripping from Dawon¡¯s brow. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand around and watch! Everyone who is able should assist Mr. Dawon.¡± ¡°Yes, Ms. Heavenly Flower!¡± Under the direction and orders of the 190-centimeter-tall figure, goblins and foxes started busily moving all over the place. They were working on the last group. Once this was done, the goblins would become stronger, as they would be acquiring a warrior company of 100 warriors. ¡°Hmm?¡± Amid giving orders and directing the goblins and foxes, Heavenly Flower suddenly turned her head to one area of the sea. Although nothing seemed out of place, Heavenly Flower knew that something was rapidly approaching from within the sea. ¡°He¡¯s arrived.¡± The monsters were currently working atop a sheer cliff. For their safety, they were working at a safe distance away from the edge. Soon, something popped out of the sea. Boom! Something shot tens of meters out of the water like a flying fish. Although Merlin didn¡¯t possess the ability to fly, he had 80 base points and 150 bonus title points in HP, as well as some movement abilities as an internal user, so although he was falling back down a considerable distance after shooting out of the water, he wouldn¡¯t be injured. In fact, even if he were to free fall from a 63-story building, he wouldn¡¯t die. Boom! Boom! Boom! With a loud sound, Merlin landed on the ground. Since he had also traversed a horizontal distance of 100 meters through the air, one would have expected that he¡¯d be rolling on the ground to stop his momentum; however, Merlin was able to stop with just three steps. Three deep footsteps formed where he had planted his feet to stop his forward momentum, but to any observer, it seemed effortless. Splash! His body had been soaked with salty seawater, but once he lightly brushed his hair, all the saltwater on his body fell to the ground. He didn¡¯t just shake the water off; Merlin had used his water attribute affinity to completely expel all the excess water on his body. He was now squeaky clean. ¡°Gear 1. Hello, Heavenly Flower~!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Are you done with your work?¡± ¡°Almost.¡± Wearing a red robe and large brimmed hat, Merlin surveyed his surroundings. Many naked goblins littered the area, and each of the naked goblins were surrounded by groups of foxes chanting spells, which helped the goblins better absorb a liquid that was being applied to their bodies. ¡°That One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s corpse was so large, but nothing has gone to waste,¡± Merlin remarked. ¡°It was a spiritual being that had lived a long life, so its body parts are useful for many different applications.¡± When the One-Horned Fire Snake was killed, Merlin thought that the only useful piece of the snake¡¯s corpse would be the snake¡¯s inner qi core, but he was mistaken. As soon as the One-Horned Fire Snake died, Heavenly Flower secured the area and started preserving its corpse. She had done this because she knew that the One-Horned Fire Snake was an ancient spiritual being and monster whose body parts could be used in various applications; moreover, as a monster who knew how to use magic, she knew exactly what needed to be done to properly process the corpse. Using a purification spell, the One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s blood could be purified of its poison and processed. It would then be given out to the foxes and goblins that could use magic. Since the blood contained a strong spiritual property, it could be used to greatly reinforce and strengthen spells. The One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s skin was also purified of toxins and then melted into a medical salve for ten days; the salve could then be applied to the skin with the help of a melting spell. Once fully absorbed into one¡¯s skin, the salve would reinforce one¡¯s skin, making it stronger against any form of shock and less puncturable from a sharp blade attack. ¡°Did you bring the Life Grass?¡± ¡°Yes, where should I put it?¡± ¡°On top of that boulder over there.¡± CH 102 Merlin climbed atop the boulder that Heavenly Flower had pointed to. Using his robe for cover, Merlin accessed his inventory, pulled out a bundle of grass that was nearly the size of his own body, and placed it on the ground. The grass didn¡¯t present much of an aura to Merlin, but the surrounding foxes gasped after seeing the heap of grass. ¡°Oh, great. My insides almost reached their limit trying to contain the One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s poison.¡± ¡°Did that human really travel all the way to Creation Island? Even in a straight line, the island is over 400 li away, no?¡± ¡°Much further than 400 li. It isn¡¯t possible to go in a straight line, you would have to go around Red Dinosaur Island. Considering that, I¡¯m sure the distance is closer to 700 li in total. He can¡¯t even fly, but somehow he was able to cover such a long distance¡­ there are so many monsters in the sea, too¡­¡± The island where Merlin had obtained the grass was in the chain of islands spread into the formation of a clock face, at the 12 o¡¯clock position. Though there weren¡¯t any monsters or spiritual beings on the island, there were still many fierce animals with considerable combat power. The Life Grass grew abundantly on Creation Island, but it did not grow anywhere else. The Blue Forest Island, another one of the Phantom Monster Magic Islands, lied directly opposite from Creation Island, at the 6 o¡¯clock position. Hence, the Life Grass was hard to come by for those on the Blue Forest Island. Though there weren¡¯t many monsters in the water, anyone traversing the water would inevitably run into at least a few. It was difficult to move between the islands unless one had the capabilities to defeat or escape from sea monsters, as Merlin did. ¡°Ah, Heavenly Flower. I¡¯ve finished all the runes.¡± ¡°Already? You must have had your hands full running around, but you had time to finish the runes?¡± ¡°Coming up with the idea is the hard part. Once I understand what needs to be done, it¡¯s usually fairly straightforward from there.¡± Merlin took out a glass cup. It was thicker than a normal cup, but it did not refract much light and could be seen through clearly. At first glance, it appeared to be a normal glass cup, but tilting it revealed several Korean words written all over the cup¡¯s surface. ¡°Alright then. I¡¯m finished on my end as well, so let¡¯s get this started.¡± Merlin handed the cup to Heavenly Flower, who then brought out what seemed to be a thumb-sized gem. It was not a gem, it was a Poison Core, something that would have been dangerous to handle if not for Heavenly Flower¡¯s ability to control it. ¡°Is there something that I should do?¡± ¡°No, just watch and observe.¡± Drip. A clear sound rang out as Heavenly Flower dropped the Poison Core into the cup. The Poison Core liquified into a red substance and sloshed around. When Heavenly Flower released her control over the poison, it began to move around as though it wanted to escape from the cup. However, as if there was an invisible lid over the cup, the poison stayed confined within. Ping! Suddenly, Heavenly Flower¡¯s monster magic qi exploded outward. The momentary burst of qi was more than Merlin¡¯s entire capacity of magic power. The qi flowed into the glass cup and started circulating through the runes that Merlin had applied to it. The runes then began to absorb the red liquid. Soon, all the poison had vanished. ¡°Wow!¡± Merlin had used his Golden Pill Immortal Technique to protect himself from the heat that emanated from Heavenly Flower¡¯s monster magic qi. Since the eight-tailed fox was a high-level being, its qi was tremendously strong. ¡°Her level has gone up again. She¡¯s level fifteen now.¡± ¡°She consumed the One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s inner qi core, so of course her level went up. However, it¡¯s a bit surprising that she hasn¡¯t become a nine-tailed fox.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you quite understand the situation. Getting from the eight-tailed stage to the nine-tailed stage takes a hundred times more effort than any of the other stages combined. An eight-tailed fox is still a monster, but a nine-tailed fox is essentially a Divine Beast with mythical status. A nine-tailed fox is equal to a dragon.¡± Heavenly Flower had consumed the One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s inner qi core. The inner qi core had a monstrous monetary value, so any user would be heartbroken to miss out on obtaining it. But Heavenly Flower was the one who actually killed the monster, and Merlin knew it was impossible to forcibly take the inner qi core away from her anyway, so he didn¡¯t waste much time thinking about it. Merlin actually had no reason to stay now that the One-Horned Fire Snake was defeated. However, Heavenly Flower wanted to somehow repay him for his assistance. She had fought the creature while trying to protect the nearby goblins and foxes. Truthfully, she had been on the losing end of the fight. If it wasn¡¯t for Merlin¡¯s long-ranged attacks, she may have even lost and died. ¡°Wow, that was fast. I thought it was going to take some time.¡± Heavenly Flower laughed. ¡°Do you know who I am? This sort of thing is simple.¡± ¡°Can I try it out?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± With her approval, Merlin lifted the glass cup with his right hand. He then started circulating his attribute power until a single droplet of water formed on the palm of his hand. Of course, this droplet of water didn¡¯t just appear from thin air; he had used the water particles in the surrounding air to create it. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s an interesting skill.¡± ¡°Yeah. I can¡¯t make a lot of water with this skill, but for the purposes of this test, this will do.¡± Merlin had only recently acquired this ability. It wasn¡¯t too difficult to move around swaths of humid air, but recognizing and extracting water particles from the surrounding air, which were so small that they couldn¡¯t be seen, was much more difficult. However, he still possessed the ability, and he could collect water particles as far as his skill would allow him. When Merlin realized that he had this ability, he shouted out with joy. He could already maneuver around powerful monsters like the Kraken in water, but he could easily be killed by level seven and eight monsters on land. Merlin had thought that with his new ability, he would be able to move on land as he did in water. ¡°But life doesn¡¯t always go according to one¡¯s plans and thoughts.¡± Obviously, the air didn¡¯t always contain much water. Since the ability did not allow Merlin to create new water, he was dependent on the conditions of his environment. If he were in a dry, arid place, he probably wouldn¡¯t even be able to collect a single droplet of water. Moreover, using the ability caused the surrounding air to become dry, so Merlin had to be careful. If he were in an environment where rainfall had just occurred, then he¡¯d be able to gather as much water as he wanted, but unless he was put in that exact scenario, he wouldn¡¯t be able to collect a large amount of water. ¡°Try it.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Merlin nodded his head and started placing the water droplets he collected into the glass cup. The clear water instantly turned red. ¡°The poison is being absorbed into the water.¡± The change only lasted for a moment. Soon, the red-colored water became clear once more. ¡°Does the clarity mean the water no longer possesses the poison¡¯s toxins?¡± ¡°No, it means that the water has fully absorbed the toxins. Do you have a sword by any chance?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Merlin took out one of the short swords that he had purchased from the blacksmith, Aidelin, and handed it over to Heavenly Flower. Heavenly Flower took the short sword and dipped the tip into the water. Merlin looked on anxiously, but nothing happened. ¡°There are two types of poison. One is an acid form that can melt anything, and the other can critically poison the living while having virtually no effect on non-living objects.¡± Heavenly Flower took out the short sword and swung it at a nearby tree. As she swung, a couple droplets of water flew off the sword and nearly grazed her cheeks. ¡°B-be careful. You almost got some poison on you.¡± ¡°Even though it¡¯s a strong poison, I would be able to resist it if I had to.¡± Heavenly Flower spoke as if she did not care, but Merlin had no resistance against the poison, so he would instantly die if exposed to it. If it was a lesser poison from a lesser monster, Merlin would be able to counteract it in some way or another, as his HP and stamina were high enough to buy him some time. But the One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s poison was on a whole different level. ¡°It¡¯s very effective.¡± ¡°Hmm? What effect¡­ oh?¡± Merlin was interrupted by a cascade of leaves falling from above. The tree was so large that it would have taken two grown adults to reach around its circumference. After being exposed to the poison, all of its leaves died instantly and fell off their branches. Moreover, the tree itself had begun to shrivel. Whoosh! With a wave of her hand, Heavenly Flower sent out a gust of fire towards the now shriveled, small tree, burning it instantly. Her Fox Fire was so intense that the tree was totally incinerated, without even leaving behind any smoke or ash. ¡°Unless someone has considerable detox powers, a single touch of this poison on the skin will be dangerous. If it enters the body, it¡¯ll wreak havoc.¡± ¡°Definitely¡­ but how do I use the other poison?¡± ¡°You need to slightly alter the spell that¡¯s been placed on the glass cup. You¡¯re a mage, so it should be doable.¡± While saying this, Heavenly Flower gently circulated her monster magic power, making the liquid inside the cup turn blue. However, like before, this change in color lasted for just a moment before the liquid in the cup became clear on ¡°Ah, that¡¯s why you told me to place two different types of runes on the glass cup.¡± ¡°Yes. Put simply, you operate one rune while turning off the other. And then, you do this¡­¡± Flip! Heavenly Flower emptied the contents of the cup onto a nearby rock. With a plume of smoke and a sizzling sound, a hole formed on the rock where the poison had landed. It wasn¡¯t possible to see how far the hole went down with the naked eye, but using Enhanced Eyesight, Merlin was able to see that the hole went one and a half meters into the rock. The small quantity of liquid that was in the cup had resulted in such destruction. This went to show how powerful the acid in the poison was. ¡°It¡¯s pretty strong. One mistake and I¡¯ll be a goner.¡± ¡°Right?¡± ¡°But to be able to have these two different types of poison¡­ I¡¯m guessing that the One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s poison isn¡¯t just a single chemical liquid, right?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Also, there¡¯s no reason why only one type of poison should be used at any given time. If I play around with the runes, I can create a liquid that has the properties of both poisons.¡± ¡°What?¡± As a great monster, Heavenly Flower was thoroughly lost; she couldn¡¯t understand what Merlin was saying. She made a perplexed expression, but Merlin was not paying attention. He started collecting water droplets once more, placing them in the glass cup. He then snapped off a twig from a nearby tree. Ting. The water changed colors. It turned red for a moment before a blue color arose from the bottom, propelled by a small whirlpool. The whirlpool started mixing both colors together into a snow purple. After a moment¡¯s time, the water became clear once more. ¡°Alright, look. The experiment will be conducted on this life-possessing twig using the acidic property of the poison.¡± Sss¡­! Merlin dropped a bit of the poison onto the twig, causing it to melt instantly. But, when the poison fell further to the ground below, the dirt was unaffected. The poison¡¯s melting property was applied on a living organism, but not on a non-living organism. ¡°This¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s another way of approaching the use of runes and the utilization of the two types of poison and their properties. But I¡¯m not sure where I can use this just yet. Maybe to take care of corpses?¡± Merlin mumbled that he had read about something similar in a fantasy novel. As he mumbled, Heavenly Flower couldn¡¯t help but stare at Merlin. Since they first met, she had a feeling that something about Merlin was different. In terms of power, she could not say that Merlin stood out. But he possessed deep knowledge and came up with creative ideas and new concepts with ease. She had known Merlin for about half a year. In that time, she had observed that Merlin never settled, as though he was being dragged around. He always moved around throughout the Phantom Monster Magic Islands. In the past month, Merlin had greatly helped the foxes and goblins across the islands. Additionally, even though Merlin¡¯s magic power was limited, he had cleverly utilized her own monster magic power to increase the efficacy and absorption rate of the salve made from the One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s poison and skin by thirty percent. ¡°¡­ Anyway, since the runes and enchantment are in place, the glass cup is now complete. Why don¡¯t you give it a name?¡± ¡°A name¡­ I think ¡®Goblet of Sorrow¡¯ would be fitting.¡± As long as Merlin didn¡¯t overuse it at any one time, the Goblet of Sorrow would be able to provide a constant flow of poison for him to use. Furthermore, as a long-ranged attacker who primarily used a bow and arrow, this sort of poison would come in tremendously handy. With this poison, his combat ability would increase many times over. ¡°Oh, take this as well.¡± Heavenly Flower handed Merlin a bag of golden powder. The powder was made from finely crushing the One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s horn and applying some magic spells to it. It was similar to the magic powder that Merlin used, which was from the Kalib king clam, but this valuable horn powder was on a whole different level. ¡°Oh wow. Thank you, but are you sure you want to give me so much?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It seems like a lot, but it''s only a third of the entire horn.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll take it with thanks¡­ hmm?¡± As Merlin grasped the bag, his body started teetering. The bag was incredibly heavy, at least five hundred kilograms, despite only being about the size of a large rice sack. Merlin was able to avoid falling thanks to his title buffs, which raised his strength to 300 points. If he didn¡¯t have his title buffs, he would have fallen onto the ground. ¡°Wow, you can lift it with one hand?¡± said Heavenly Flower, impressed. ¡°I can lift it, but I feel like my arm is going to break. You should have warned me about how heavy it is.¡± While grumbling his complaints, Merlin used his left hand to support the underside of the bag. He had 300 strength points, which roughly equated to the combined strength of twenty adult men. However, relative to his strength, his HP wasn¡¯t very high, so if he used too much strength at once he¡¯d injure his body. Also, no matter how much strength one possessed, one¡¯s weight wouldn¡¯t change, so unless Merlin could utilize Thousand Hammer Strength or a special movement ability that required the circulation of internal energy, items this heavy would still inevitably affect his balance. ¡°This thing weighs too much to put into my inventory. Since it¡¯s not something I need to access all the time, I¡¯ll just store it away.¡± Whoosh. Merlin threw a card into the air. It spun rapidly in the air before morphing into a large door. Merlin opened the door, placed the bag of magic horn dust within, and then stepped out. It was as if he was doing a magic trick. Heavenly Flower had seen a housing card before, so she wasn¡¯t too surprised; however, she was still curious. ¡°You can use that card to open a private space, right? It must be a rare item¡­ I¡¯ll give you some magic weapons for it. What do you say?¡± ¡°No way. This is really expensive.¡± Merlin possessed a C-Type Housing Card. He had paid forty gold pieces for it, which equated to roughly two million Won. Weapons imbued with Heavenly Flower¡¯s enchantments and spells were undoubtedly valuable, but the world of DIO, which had now opened its services for around six months, had already accumulated over two billion active users. Magic enchanted weapons were items that often dropped when users killed monsters, so they weren¡¯t hard to come by. Of course, Heavenly Flower was far ahead of other enchanters in terms of level and skill, but her specialty was fighting, not weapon production. Though her magic weapons were probably much stronger than anything users could get their hands on themselves, each magic weapon would probably only fetch five gold at the most in the open market. If Heavenly Flower expended a large amount of time, effort, and valuable materials into producing an item, like she did for his Goblet of Sorrow, then the value of that item would be much higher, but it would still only be in the range of ten to twenty gold pieces. Magic weapons weren¡¯t enough to trade for a housing card. Of course, the Goblet of Sorrow was a one-of-a-kind magic item that probably couldn¡¯t be made again since it required such unique items, so it may have been similar in value to the housing card, but¡­ ¡°Cheapskate. Give me back the Goblet of Sorrow.¡± ¡°Ah, c¡¯mon, don¡¯t be like that.¡± Heavenly Flower looked unhappy, but she was soon called away to the island¡¯s forest by the goblins and foxes who needed her help. Since she was leading the efforts of reinforcing their bodies, she didn¡¯t have time to argue with Merlin. ¡°You¡¯ve developed a lot.¡± ¡°Huh? My magic power and internal energy are at the same levels, so I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about¡­ huh, Miho?¡± ¡°Hey, long time no see.¡± Miho, a six-tailed fox monster, approached Merlin. She was one of the first monsters that Merlin met when he stepped foot on the island. She possessed a smaller frame compared to the other six-tailed foxes, so her hand-to-hand combat abilities suffered; however, she more than made up for it with her monster magic power abilities. Merlin murmured, ¡°Oh, her monster powers have increased significantly. Is it because she consumed that snake¡¯s blood?¡± Quiet Heaven, who was seated upon Merlin¡¯s head, spoke up. ¡°Yeah, but her level hasn¡¯t changed.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Merlin couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. Miho¡¯s monster power seemed to have increased by twenty percent, but her level had not changed. Listening to Merlin¡¯s murmurs and seeing his reaction, Miho asked, ¡°What do you mean level?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s just something that humans say. If I were to translate it into something you understand, it¡¯s probably close in meaning to ¡®power level¡¯.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying¡­ my monster power has increased but I haven¡¯t really gained any power, huh?¡± Miho narrowed her eyes. Of course, talking about another¡¯s power level wasn¡¯t nice. Moreover, by pointing out that her power level didn¡¯t increase, it seemed to her that Merlin was backhandedly implying that she did not possess enough talent to develop herself. However, Merlin just nodded his head in a good-natured way. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Miho was at a loss for words. She should have burst out with anger, but for whatever reason, she did not feel any anger. This complex mix of emotions caused her to keep her mouth closed. CH 103 ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Phew¡­ forget it. Giving a large amount of monster power to me is like giving pearls to swine.¡± ¡°Hmm? No. You seem to be improving your control over the monster power, so your power level will rise soon.¡± ¡°Hmpf!¡± Merlin tried to belatedly give an explanation, but Miho stomped her feet on the ground, turned, and walked away. Though she seemed angry, Merlin shot towards her. ¡°Ack! Damn it! Too cute!¡± ¡°Ack? Ack! Let me go!!¡± Merlin bear-hugged Miho as they rolled on the ground. Of course, Miho fought tooth-and-nail to escape Merlin¡¯s grasp, but his strength was beyond that of a normal human¡¯s. Merlin could easily play-wrestle a gorilla or rip off a raging bull¡¯s head with his bare hands, so unless Miho used her monster magic powers, she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape. Fortunately, Merlin had full control over his strength; if he didn¡¯t, he would have crushed Miho. ¡°Stop!¡± Crack. Miho wasn¡¯t a normal fox. Even among the foxes, she was known as an accomplished and talented monster magic power practitioner. When her golden eyes filled with a red hue, Merlin¡¯s body was suddenly paralyzed. Miho was utilizing Magic Eye, a monster magic ability that disabled anyone who looked into the caster¡¯s eyes. ¡°Heavy¡­¡± Now that Merlin¡¯s body was stiffened, Miho was able to push away and escape from his clutches. She made an exasperated expression. ¡°Ah, really! Why are you always ambushing me?¡± Merlin was frozen in place with his arms around his torso in a hugging stance. Since he was staring at the ground, Miho used a telekinesis spell to flip him on his back. Ting! Miho then circulated her monster power and focused it on her eyes. Her gold-colored eyes soon became scarlet red. ¡°Don¡¯t hug me. Don¡¯t ambush me.¡± She was giving an order. It was a powerful hypnosis type spell done through her Magic Eyes. Although it wouldn¡¯t make the other being a puppet, it was powerful enough to root them in place. If her monster power had not been increased through the One-horned Fire Snake¡¯s blood, Miho wouldn¡¯t have been able to cast such a powerful spell. ¡°Also¡­¡± Once a hypnosis spell was put in place, it was difficult to call back. Since this was the case, Miho decided to implement an order that she had already considered prior to their meeting. ¡°Y-you can brush my head. Only my head. You only want to pet my head¡­¡± Miho used a considerable amount of monster power on the spell. Since Merlin was a mage and a martial artist, he had a high level of resistance power. Most mid-rank or above hypnosis spells would overcome his resistance and affect him; however, if the hypnosis forced him to do something that he was unwilling to do, Merlin¡¯s current level of resistance power was enough to block external hypnosis attacks. Since Miho was using a considerable amount of monster power and was focusing on the task, it seemed that her hypnosis spell would take hold. However¡­ ¡°Ack! Damn it! Too cute!¡± ¡°H-How did you¡­ ack?!¡± As Miho screamed bloody murder, Merlin clutched Miho once more and rolled on the ground with her. Miho¡¯s hypnosis spell had no effect on Merlin. However, this was to be expected, not because Merlin was great, but because Merlin was a user. All the users in DIO, not just Merlin, were protected by a psychological magic system that was widely known in the universe as the pinnacle of psychological defense systems, the Marduk System. The system was so robust that Miho¡¯s simple spell had no chance of breaking through it. The developers and administrators of DIO had implemented the Marduk System so that users wouldn¡¯t have their psyches stolen by transcendent beings. The only beings able to bypass the system with a spell were gods. Thus, any lesser being wouldn¡¯t be able to break through the Marduk System. Even if Merlin was bedridden and unmoving for an entire year, no person or thing would be able to hijack his mind. Even if Heavenly Flower tried something in earnest, she would fail; thus Miho, a six-tailed fox, had no chance of breaking through. ¡°Stop!¡± Crack. However, once Miho screamed out, Merlin¡¯s body stiffened up again. It was the same Magic Eye ability that she had used earlier. Though users were gifted with a seemingly unbreakable psyche protection system, every other aspect of their mind wasn¡¯t protected with such insurmountable resistance. Even the ¡®developers¡¯, who had designed and created the users¡¯ physical bodies, thought that the implementation of the Marduk System on the users¡¯ entire minds was overkill. ¡°Phew. What the hell is going on? My hypnosis spell isn¡¯t working at all. But his body is fully paralyzed, it doesn¡¯t seem like he resisted my spell¡­¡± Just to make sure, Miho kept her eyes on Merlin to maintain the effects of the paralysis. Merlin was unable to resist. The forced hypnosis was easily deflected because he was a user, but with just his abilities and skills, Merlin couldn¡¯t resist Miho¡¯s Magic Eye. Ting. However, at that moment, something unexpected happened. Merlin¡¯s black pupils started changing color. As if ink was dropped onto a piece of paper, Merlin¡¯s eyes turned a deep shade of red. Soon, Miho felt a sensation that she was all too familiar with. ¡°T-this can¡¯t be. No way.¡± Before she could fully voice her disbelief, Miho¡¯s body became rigid. Then, Merlin spoke. ¡°Imbuing one¡¯s eyes with magic power instead of internal energy¡­ interesting. Based on whether magic power or internal energy goes into the eye, the whole mechanism of the eye changes. Enhanced Eyesight is focused on receiving, taking light in and making one¡¯s vision sharper, but this form of eye seems to be more about sending something out, right?¡± /You have acquired the Magic Eye skill!/ Circulating his magic power, Merlin started imbuing magic power into every part of his eye. He had learned all about the human pupil in high school through textbooks and instructions, which allowed him to infuse his pupils with internal energy to get Enhanced Eyesight; therefore, Merlin was taking the same approach, but this time around, imbuing his pupils with magic power. Thus, he easily acquired the Magic Eye skill. ¡°Ugh¡­ ah!¡± ¡°Hmm, it was undone¡­? Ah¡­ I guess this is like a computer program. If one can understand the structure of the program, one can undo the effects of the program.¡± ¡°How do you know how to use the Red Monster¡¯s Magic Eye¡­¡± ¡°Wait, wait. Can you make my body rigid once more?¡± Miho was about to scream in frustration, but Merlin¡¯s eyes were already glowing red. If she wasn¡¯t careful about resisting, she¡¯d fall under his spell once more. Moreover, Miho was different from Merlin in that she didn¡¯t have the Marduk System to protect her psyche, so she might fall into real danger. Miho would have been safer if Merlin was a practiced Magic Eye user, but Merlin was just in a beginner phase, so his magic power was unevenly being shot out from his eyes. Ting! Miho¡¯s eyes started to shine, and soon, both of their bodies became rigid. It was a battle of magic ability with a single spell. Since this wasn¡¯t a physical battle, any onlooker would have seen two beings staring intently at each other. ¡°My skill rank is increasing like crazy, probably because it¡¯s just the beginning. I¡¯ll probably get to rank five in no time.¡± Surprisingly, the winner of the battle was Merlin. Like a hacker or code cracker, he took apart the working process of the Magic Eye, understood how everything worked, and then dismantled the spell by scattering Miho¡¯s monster power, the source of her Magic Eye. The result of his win was that he was now able to freely move his body while Miho was still frozen solid. ¡°You¡­ how?¡± ¡°How did I release myself from your spell? This skill, oh yes, Magic Eye¡­ anyway, in terms of using the mechanics of Magic Eye, I¡¯m at a much higher rank. If you used Magic Eye on any other being, or some other form of psychological attack, you would have succeeded, as you¡¯re probably more practiced in the process.¡± ¡°My rank is higher¡­ but I lost to you?¡± ¡°Yeah. Magic Eyes specializes in sending out a specific type of power, but you focus too much on the amount of power being sent out. If you set a few traps here and there in the path of your Magic Eye, I would have had a tougher time reaching the source, which is you. That¡¯s why you lost.¡± ¡°That¡­¡± Miho was so surprised by Merlin¡¯s explanation that she couldn¡¯t finish her thought. Among the monsters, those who could use the Magic Eye were very few. Thus, other than her master Red Monster, Miho had not had any occasion to battle with another being with Magic Eye. Even so, she had been practicing and training in Magic Eye for a while. How did she lose to a human being who had just picked it up? She had been born with the properties that made her an excellent practitioner of the Magic Eye¡­ did it make sense that she lost to such a newcomer? ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing, my time¡¯s up. Dang, I didn¡¯t think twelve days had already passed. Why is time flying so fast?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Merlin mumbled a bunch of words that Miho couldn¡¯t understand, and along with a chiming sound, a clock materialized in front of him. He saw that he had been logged into DIO for twelve DIO days. According to the twelve times acceleration that DIO had, twelve DIO days meant that Merlin had spent twenty-four hours in real life. The game¡¯s automatic forced logout rule would soon be enforced. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m going to go somewhere for a moment. It might take a while, but I¡¯ll be back in about four days.¡± ¡°Going somewhere suddenly? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I¡¯m out of groceries¡­¡± DIO¡¯s grand opening was already half a month ago. He was living an enriched and interesting in-game life, but his real life was falling into shambles. His store of rice had already become completely empty three days ago, and his other foodstuffs were nearly all gone. Since he only consumed without replenishing his supplies of food, this scenario was inevitable. /You are in the process of logging out. You will be immobile for 25 seconds. You are open to attack from enemies, so please log off in a safe area. If you are in an unsafe area, cancel the log off and take appropriate actions. 25, 24, 23¡­/ A round cylindrical light fell on Merlin. Though the light was only something that users could normally see, monsters that were sensitive to spiritual energy could sense the light¡¯s presence. ¡°What¡­ is this? Something is around you¡­¡± ¡°Remember, I won¡¯t be back for at least three days. I¡¯ll be leaving the island as soon as I get back, so don¡¯t wait for me.¡± ¡°Huh? No, wait¡­¡± Poof! At that moment, Merlin suddenly vanished. Once the logout countdown reached zero, a user vanished with a certain level of invulnerability. Of course, an extremely forceful strike could potentially still bypass this. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ gone? It¡¯s not a teleportation spell, the dimensional stability levels are too stable¡­ he really just disappeared without a trace¡­¡± After seeing something so unbelievable and unexplainable, Miho tried to make sense of it. Merlin didn¡¯t fly off somewhere, he had just vanished without leaving any trace. This went beyond any magic spell. An Absolute-level spell, like Complete Annihilation, might come close, but a human being doing such an unspeakable spell didn¡¯t make sense. ¡°It¡¯s surprising, no?¡± ¡°Ms. Heavenly Flower?¡± While Miho was confused, Heavenly Flower had moved to her side. Heavenly Flower¡¯s eyes were narrowed and sharp; it was the same kind of eyes that she had when she fought against the One-horned Fire Snake. ¡°I was surprised when I first saw it as well, because that level of spell didn¡¯t match that guy¡¯s power level.¡± ¡°Do you know what type of spell he used?¡± ¡°No.¡± It was a firm no. Since Heavenly Flower was the most accomplished monster magic practitioner amongst the monsters, her answer was surprising. ¡°If I recall correctly, that guy first made his appearance in the Phantom Monster Magic Islands when he landed on the northern island, Blue Forest Island. He landed there even though the Phantom Monster Magic Islands¡¯ main island was set at the most northern part¡­ Miho, where do you think that guy came from?¡± ¡°Uhm, from the main continent, no? There are a lot of humans there.¡± It was an obvious answer. It was common knowledge that monsters resided in the northern islands while humans lived on the main continent. However, Heavenly Flower shook her head. ¡°I thought that as well, but that guy didn¡¯t even know that humans resided on the main continent. Moreover, he knows nothing about us monsters. Since we have constant contact with the humans on the main continent, it doesn¡¯t make sense that he knows nothing about us.¡± Since Merlin wasn¡¯t very careful with what he said, Heavenly Flower was able to tease out a tremendous amount of information regarding Merlin¡¯s worldview from his every word. Based on her assessment, Merlin was a different type of human compared to those on the main continent. Every main continent human had an [Affiliation] and some basic knowledge of this ¡®world¡¯, but Merlin didn¡¯t possess any of those things. If he had been in closed door training all his life, Heavenly Flower may have accepted why he was so different from other humans, but Merlin liked to move around, so much so that it was hard to make him stay in place for any set period of time. ¡°Then what does Miss think? Outside of the main continent, there¡¯s no other place where humans reside.¡± ¡°Not exactly. There might be a place that we don¡¯t know of.¡± ¡°Somewhere we don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Yeah. If he crossed over from the Sea of Chaos in the north, then it might make sense.¡± Hearing Heavenly Flower¡¯s words, Miho¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°But that¡¯s the end of the world.¡± ¡°No one truly knows that. The only information we have about the Sea of Chaos is that it¡¯s a dangerous area. Outside of that, we don¡¯t have any other concrete information. We call it the end of the world because we¡¯re unable to cross it. There might be a larger world beyond the Sea of Chaos.¡± It was incredible that Heavenly Flower had thought so far. Her ability to think this far proved that she had somewhat overcome the limitations that were placed on the monsters and NPCs below the Noisy Belt. She had reached a state of Awakening. Other monsters wouldn¡¯t even have thought of coming up with such conjectures. ¡°Then, what will you do?¡± ¡°I could ask Merlin all the questions I have¡­ but I don¡¯t feel like doing that. Utilizing everything that I have, I¡¯m planning to cross the Sea of Chaos¡­¡± It was incredible how Heavenly Flower was able to free herself from the restrictions and limitations of the system. Her mental powers and wisdom were tremendous. However, she had taken things a step too far¡­ CH 104 Ting! Heavenly Flower¡¯s stopped moving. Without warning, her body suddenly became rigid. ¡°Ms. Heavenly Flower? Why did you suddenly¡­¡± Miho started to call out in surprise, but froze in place before she could finish speaking. An outside observer might have thought that Miho and Heavenly Flower had just stopped talking, but their eyes trembled. Click! They weren¡¯t in suspended animation for long, only two seconds at best. One might not even have noticed the pause, unless they were observing very closely. It seemed as though there was just a brief pause during their conversation before they started back up again. ¡°¡­ ah. What were we talking about again?¡± ¡°Eh? Ah. Merlin. The weird spell that Merlin used.¡± ¡°Right? It¡¯s interesting, isn¡¯t it? Based on what he said, it doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s his own spell. It¡¯s an ability that some humans possess; I believe they call these humans ¡®passengers¡¯.¡± Their current conversation had nothing to do with what they were speaking of just moments ago. Merlin had never even talked about a concept like ¡®passengers¡¯, but Heavenly Flower used the term naturally, as if she had known it her whole life. ¡°Oh, Ms. Heavenly Flower. Can I be assigned to go out on the next expedition?¡± ¡°You want to go out on the next expedition? It already has a designated monster¡­ ah, I get it.¡± The designated monster had died during the last battle, and the mood among the other monsters had been quite gloomy. However, the gloominess had dissipated fairly quickly, as deaths were common among monsters due to constant battles. ¡°I see. It¡¯s time for you to go to the Holy Shrine and receive our prophecy. I was so busy that I forgot¡­ so, you want to go?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But it¡¯ll be dangerous. Miho, you show great potential in your monster magic abilities, but even excluding the Three Great Monsters, there are still about forty other monsters who are more powerful than you. None of the others are particularly interested in the prophecy, but even amongst our fox people, you¡¯re only tenth in the pecking order.¡± There were many powerful forces and factions on the main continent, and many of them harbored ill will against the monsters. Although there were some who had good relationships with monsters, and the expedition would only go through friendly territory on the way to the Holy Shrine, no one could be absolutely sure what dangers lied ahead. Even within groups that had a positive relationship with the monsters, there were always dissenting voices within that could present a problem to the largely defenseless expedition. Hence, in order to be chosen for the expedition, one had to possess a certain degree of ability and power. Miho laughed. ¡°Yeah¡­ but if I have someone to accompany me, then it¡¯ll be different, right?¡± ¡°Someone accompanying you? The being that accompanies you to receive the prophecy won¡¯t be able to¡­ ah, I see.¡± Heavenly Flower clapped her hands together, as if she suddenly realized something. Since she was quick-witted, she soon caught on to who Miho was alluding to. ¡°Right. He has abilities, and he works well with you. Did he say he¡¯s going to the main continent?¡± ¡°Yes, he said he¡¯d go after taking a couple days off.¡± ¡°Then, that settles it. You can go.¡± Receiving Heavenly Flower¡¯s authorization, Miho¡¯s expression brightened. ¡°Wow, thank you, Miss!¡± ¡°O-ho. You¡¯re only nice to me when things like this happen. It seems you really like that boy.¡± ¡°Eh? It¡¯s not like that!¡± Heavenly Flower gave a knowing chuckle as Miho started twiddling her thumbs. The idea of crossing the Sea of Chaos had been deleted from their minds long ago. ***Ambush & Surprise*** - Wait, you can¡¯t do it again? Did you close shop? ¡°Ah, sorry. I don¡¯t have time these days.¡± He was twenty-six years old. Having turned the corner towards his late twenties, Yusei couldn¡¯t help but sigh after hearing the frustrated voice from the other side of his phone call. He understood why she felt angry. As a partner in their joint venture for the last two years, suddenly stating that he wasn¡¯t able to do something put her in an awkward and tough situation. - What do you mean you don¡¯t have time¡­ did you get a job? Well, I suppose based on your resume, you could probably find a job easily. ¡°Hmm? Oh, no. It¡¯s nothing like that. I¡¯m just at home these days.¡± - Eh?! You¡¯re saying no to my request even though you¡¯re doing nothing at home? All Yusei could offer was an awkward laugh, as he couldn¡¯t think of any reply. He had always looked down on those in Japanese society who were referred to as Hikikomori, but now, he found himself in their exact position. He had thrown off all his responsibilities and locked himself up in his house to play a game. How was he supposed to tell her that he was no longer planning on working so that he can focus on playing DIO? - Ugh. Something is definitely up. Anyways, you really need to get on this ski instruction opportunity. A bunch of kids from rich families will be there, so it¡¯ll be great money, and you could make some connections as well. It¡¯s because of your reputation that I came to you first; any other freelancer would have already jumped at this life-changing chance. He would have also jumped at the opportunity too, but right now, he couldn¡¯t imagine tearing himself away from DIO in order to do such ¡®insignificant¡¯ work. Fortunately for him, he had been able to reach level nine, but that was only because Hanma had reached level nine a week before him in DIO time (which was less than a day in real life). This had pushed Yusei to try harder, and his wealth of experience and a bit of luck had allowed him to make the right decisions at the right moments. Even now, Yusei was unsure if his actual abilities lived up to what his level nine status represented, so he was determined to continue devoting everything he could into the game. He was only logged out at the current moment because he was forced to by the system. Even now, he was itching to log back onto the game, so as to not waste a second in gaining more experience and fully absorbing what he had accomplished so far. However, since life does not always go according to plan, Yusei surrendered. ¡°What are the dates?¡± - January twenty-fifth through the thirtieth. ¡°There¡¯s not much time before it starts.¡± There wasn¡¯t much time left until the twenty-fifth, but in DIO it was more than two months of in-game time. That amount of time was enough for Yusei to fully grasp and absorb the new skills and abilities that he learned. All this was possible because time in DIO moved twelve times faster than in real life. He was able to gain time while logged into DIO, but¡­ ¡®I need to spend some more time in reality. I¡¯m starting to lose track of what¡¯s real and what¡¯s not. I need to be careful before I go crazy.¡¯ - Yusei? ¡°Ah, sorry, Kotono. Can you give me some time to think it over?¡± - Hmm. Well, I¡¯ll try to delay giving them an answer then. But I need a response in two days, Yusei! ¡°Thanks, I promise I¡¯ll make it up to you later.¡± - Hmpf! I¡¯ll make sure you do. Kotono¡¯s sassy reply cued Yusei to end the call. When he glimpsed outside the window, he realized that the entire area was covered in white snow. It had been snowing all night. ¡°Whoa, it snowed. I never left the house, so I didn¡¯t even notice.¡± Yusei¡¯s occupation in the real world was a sports instructor. His generic title was appropriate, as his job involved many of the things he did best; health training, dance, swimming, aerobics, squash, ski, kendo, paragliding, and many more. He was a multi-talented athlete, and on top of that he was a good teacher. He often received offers to teach, but he didn¡¯t like to be stuck in one place, so he mostly worked as a freelancer. ¡°Ski instruction¡­¡± Yusei had many licenses in various sports fields. In spring, he often taught golf. In summer, he taught swimming and rafting. In winter, he often taught snowboarding and skiing. Skiing usually led to the most money. It had become more mainstream in recent years, but skiers still tended to be a more affluent bunch. ¡°If I can defeat level nine monsters on a constant basis, I should go ahead and take on the ski instruction opportunity. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to get to level ten anytime soon¡­ wait, is it even possible for me to reach level ten?¡± Yusei was always confident in anything he took on, but DIO¡¯s level up tests were unlike anything else. In other games, users could typically gain levels through accruing experience, but DIO challenged users to constantly develop and prove their abilities, and tested how quickly they could absorb and master newfound skills. Unlike in real life, where a person could improve a skill just by spending time working on it, spending a lot of time in DIO did not necessarily equate to any advancement. One would have to constantly learn and master newfound skills and abilities. Additionally, the learning curve was different for all users. Most users would probably not be able to reach level ten, even if they were to play the game their whole lives. In other words, there were only a select few users who could achieve level ten. ¡°To be honest, those who can¡¯t pass level five now will never make it out of the lower levels. Not everyone in the world has it in them to constantly learn and develop.¡± As he mumbled to himself, Yusei organized the room a bit before heading to his bedroom. In his hand was a CD player that he had purchased on the internet. /In the beginning, I was sad¡­ There was nothing that I longed for¡­ However, I still desired. And I wished. I wanted to create an entirely new world. I will find freedom here./ The force and power of the speaking voice was overwhelming. It was like listening to the tenor of tenors; a Tenore Drammatico. Whoosh. The login process was quick. As Yusei felt his consciousness become fuzzy, his surroundings changed. Soon, he found himself in a town square filled with many other users. It was one of the resting areas on the east side of Starting. ¡°Phew¡­¡± As he breathed out, he used Exchanging Muscles to circulate internal energy throughout his body. Among the various self-defense techniques, Exchanging Muscles was known as the most mysterious technique. It always kept one¡¯s body in optimal shape using the constant circulation of internal energy. The user gained strength and stability through the technique, as original qi cycled through and was absorbed by every part of their body. The fulfilling feeling it produced was like nothing that could be experienced in real life. Screech. As he channeled strength in his closed fist, he heard his metallic gauntlets give off a screeching noise. He wore two-piece armor, one that covered his shoulders down to just above his belly-button, and another that covered his hips to his thighs. He also wore arm guards on both his arms and ankle guards on his feet. Numerous marks could be seen on the used, but still sturdy arm and ankle guards, illustrating just how many battles they had seen. His helmet covered every part of his head except his eyes, making it hard for anyone to see his face. Since the armor he had on wasn¡¯t full-body armor, there were many uncovered areas. These parts of his body were protected by a dark-reddish fabric. He had gauntlets on both of his hands. A thirty-centimeter shield, stretching from about his wrist to his elbow, was attached to his left gauntlet. His right gauntlet had three powerful magic cores encrusted on it. In emergency situations, a user could use their Trigger Voice to activate the preinstalled spells within the magic cores. He also carried a one-hundred and fifteen-centimeter longsword on his back. ¡°I wonder if Hanma is logged in.¡± Most users would have considered his attire to be a formidable set of fighting gear, but for Adol, this was just his regular outfit. His armor, which fell between heavy and mid-weight armor, looked fairly hefty and somewhat cumbersome to move around in, but Adol was able to do everything with this gear on, from eating to shopping. He was so used to this gear that it did not restrict his movement at all. Moreover, with his developed and powerful physique, the heft of the armor was negligible. Adol had another set of plate-mail available in his gear set that was used exclusively when it was really time to fight. Adol moved two to three meters with each step. Though his swordsmanship skills weren¡¯t developing very quickly, his cultivation technique, reaction technique, and shield wielding skills had all increased by leaps and bounds; he was currently markedly higher in those techniques and skills than other similar users. His movement ability had reached such a high level that his movements seemed to adhere to their own laws of physics. ¡°Wow, look over there. It¡¯s Adol Christine.¡± ¡°Ah, he¡¯s one of the party members that defeated the sandworm, right? His defense skills were crazy back then. That sandworm was a hundred meters long, but that guy was able to stand firm while being attacked head-on by that giant monster.¡± ¡°Ack! Really? I could understand if a user who specialized in magic power or internal energy was able to do that, but can someone do that with just their physical strength?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not totally sure. Anyway, that guy could be hit by a dump truck and not even flinch.¡± Adol heard murmurs all around him. It was a common occurrence after a party member had recorded him fighting against the level fourteen main raid monster in the Desolate Desert. Since DIO was a game where one¡¯s skill and abilities determined how far one could level up, many users looked at upper-level users like popular sports figures. A female user approached Adol tentatively. ¡°E-excuse me.¡± ¡°Hmm? Yes, may I help you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a f-fan! I-if it¡¯s not too much trouble¡­ could you sign¡­¡± Adol was at a loss for words. He didn¡¯t consider himself a star, so why would anyone want his signature? Since it would be awkward to decline, Adol clumsily accepted the paper pushed towards him and scribbled down his signature. The girl user then asked, ¡°Umm¡­ can I also take a screenshot with you?¡± ¡°¡­ Sure.¡± ¡°Thank you! Camera!¡± When the girl shouted, a camera made of smoke appeared in the air. Of course, this camera wasn¡¯t an ability or skill that the girl possessed. It was an ability that all users could access, a selfie-like feature called screenshot. ¡°Cheese (Kimchi)!¡± Adol let out an awkward laugh. Not caring if he smiled or not, the camera took a screenshot and then disappeared. Screenshots could be accessed offline and printed, at the user¡¯s discretion. ¡°Thank you! I hope all your efforts pay off and that you reach the Master level!¡± The girl user ran off towards a group of other girl users, screaming with delight. Adol could vaguely hear their comments, things like ¡®Wow, lucky you!¡¯ and ¡®You really did it¡¯. Adol laughed awkwardly again. ¡°I¡¯m so lost.¡± Fortunately, since he wore a helmet that covered his face, his true identity was not exposed to the public. However, he couldn¡¯t avoid being recognized in-game. Of course, since his face was not known to the public, some would think that all Adol needed to do to avoid any unwanted attention was to change his gear, but since his username showed above his head, there was no way to fully hide his identity. It was possible to keep one¡¯s title or guild affiliation hidden, but there was no way to hide a username. ¡°To think, I¡¯m a popular figure just because I¡¯m highly ranked¡­ am I becoming a pro gamer?¡± It wasn¡¯t easy for him to let go of this thought, as many pro gamers were making good money in the real world. To brush up on one¡¯s skill and constantly develop into an upper-level user, one needed to spend a lot of time hunting monsters, as this was the best way to gain firsthand experience and develop one¡¯s skills. In the process of such hunting, upper-level users would obtain many drops, and since these drops were from relatively high-level monsters, they would fetch quite a high price. For example, when Adol defeated the sand worm, the value of the items he obtained easily went for over one million Won. The true value of the items were even more incredible, considering that the drops had been split evenly between the six members of the party. Though the sandworm was a difficult monster to defeat, it had taken the party just an hour to defeat the main raid monster. In other words, he had earned a million Won in just an hour. ¡°Well, the price of drops will fall as more people enter the upper-levels¡­ but that¡¯s still a while away.¡± Even though the closed beta had been exclusive to users who had the most talent and highest potential, many of those users had not reached the upper-levels. Of course, there were exceptions like Arthur and Cruze, who were geniuses amongst geniuses¡­ but it was still quite a feat for someone to reach the upper-levels within such a short amount of time, as DIO had been out for less than a month. There were some like Adol and Hanma who were able to reach the upper-levels within a month without having any uniquely special talents, but it would not be entirely truthful to say that these users had only played for less than a month. It wasn¡¯t like all the users were born in DIO, with only a month''s worth of knowledge and experience. All the users had lived their own lives, possessed their own sense of logic, studied in their trades and crafts, and worked on developing their talents in real life. In essence, DIO was a playground to develop oneself even further. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say I could have reached this level without the Training Room.¡± Adol walked as he muttered under his breath. Then, a sound chimed in his ear as a text box popped up in front of him. Ding! /A new post has been posted on the Announcement Page./ ¡°Huh? An announcement?¡± Dynamic Island was popularly known for rarely posting things to the Announcement Page. Despite the game¡¯s popularity, if one went to the Announcement Page on the official DIO website, they would find less than ten posts. ¡®Half of these public announcements have been worthless and unimportant. I guess the occasional important post pops up once in a while, but most users will find out about the changes anyway if they just continue playing the game¡­¡¯ Adol wasn¡¯t able to continue his train of thought. He suddenly heard screams from all around him. CH 105 ¡°What the hell?!¡± ¡°No way! Ah, shit!¡± ¡°Hmm. I suppose this wasn¡¯t totally out of the blue¡­¡± ¡°Is it because of government pressure? I think I saw a news clip stating that DIO is starting to hinder the normal flow of society.¡± On his way to the transportation gate to go to a hunting ground, Adol halted as he heard cries all around him and a general bustling in the town square. It seemed that something unexpected had been posted on the Announcement Page. ¡°What could it be? I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not an end-of-service announcement.¡± Reaching into his pocket, Adol took out a personal PDA. The PDA device, also called a Beholder, allowed him to see the terrain and any living organisms within a ten-kilometer radius. It also allowed one to easily read and respond to whispers as well as access the Announcement Page. Obviously, this sort of device could not have been created by a user. Though there were many mages in DIO, the world of DIO hadn¡¯t yet caught up with modern science, so the general sophistication of infrastructure and available goods within DIO was uneven. The device he had in his hand was something that he had purchased at the Exchange Center. He had heard that it was a popular item. ¡°Let¡¯s see what all the commotion is about.¡± The device was a touchscreen-type item, so Adol, who always wore gauntlets, couldn¡¯t easily use it whenever he wanted. To make things easier, Adol had designated his Gear Five slot as his normal streetwear. But if he switched to Gear Five right now, his hidden identity would be revealed, so changing into Gear 5 wasn¡¯t a viable option. Since he had to show his face often while conducting his real-life work as a sports instructor, he wanted to avoid having his face revealed in-game as much as possible. Beep. As he imbued the device with his internal energy, the screen lit up. Unlike an electronic device that required a battery, the Beholder required a stream of external power to operate it, so it could be operated with internal energy. Adol wasn¡¯t skilled in materializing physical objects, so he wasn¡¯t able to create a mid-air projection, but he was still skilled enough to imbue his internal energy into the device. The announcement post read: /A never before seen world, DIO (Dynamic Island Online)! Welcome to this fascinating and fun new world! Recently, a lot of issues have been brought up regarding users. Actually, users themselves haven¡¯t caused or brought up many issues, but there have been a considerable number of issues brought up by governments and mainstream news organizations. Ah, why didn¡¯t all of you moderate your play time¡­ There are many users who play a full 24 hours, rest for the required 10 minutes of log out time, and then re-enter DIO for another 24 hours of gameplay. We don¡¯t really feel this is a problem, but if this pattern continues for users, the real world will face many troubles in properly operating. Additionally, lying down for such long periods of time will inevitably cause the physical body to deteriorate. Since it¡¯s been less than a month since the service¡¯s launch, many of you likely have not seen any major changes in your physical bodies, but that doesn¡¯t mean nothing bad will occur in the future if this habit continues. Hence, we have the following announcements to make: 1. The maximum gameplay time will change from 24 hours to 12 hours. This change will take effect on January 25 at 00:00. Once a user plays the allotted daily limit of 12 hours, they will automatically be logged off. 2. Playtime will reset every day at midnight. Any un-played playtime will NOT carry over to the next day. 3. There will be no instances of offering or purchasing playtime. Period. 4. The Training Room time flow will be based on DIO time and not on real-time. On the maximum setting of 100x, 12 hours in real-time will equate to 14,400 hours in the Training Room. In other words, one will experience 600 days in the Training Room in one daily 12-hour session. ¡­/ /We are making this difficult decision due to users ¡®logging off¡¯ from the real world. Hence, we¡¯re making these changes because of you, yes you! We appreciate that you¡¯re loving the game, but maintain your social life too, alright? Thank you for your love and support of DIO. It¡¯s okay if you only love us half as much now. Later./ ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The announcement posts were read by billions of people¡­ but this one was written in such an unprofessional tone. Moreover, the content of the post was inflammatory. Users were playing the game too much, so playtime would be reduced by half? The logouts were going to be automatic and forced? ¡°It¡¯s such a ruthless decision¡­ but I guess it makes sense. Reality has been affected by DIO¡­¡± Though the post mentioned users¡¯ physical health, DIO had never caused injury or harm to any of its users¡¯ bodies. Actually, for having laid down all day, one¡¯s physical condition actually ended up reinvigorated after a session in DIO. ¡°Of course, since I¡¯m not eating as many meals, my weight has been fluctuating. But it hasn¡¯t had any negative effect on my muscles¡­¡± If a user really wanted, they could easily go on a diet while playing DIO. If they were serious about their diet, then they could eat health-conscious food during their logout periods and then log back into the game. Moreover, if they craved something, they could just eat it in-game. ¡°But how does that work? Since the system is interacting with my brain, is it also regulating my physical condition? I wish they¡¯d tell us the details, but the company is so shrouded in mystery¡­¡± As he mumbled to himself, Adol continued to walk towards the teleportation gate. Right at that moment¡­ Vroom! It was a familiar sound. An engine sound that seemed to ripple through the air. However, wasn¡¯t this type of sound something that was often heard in reality and not in DIO? This question was soon answered. ¡°It¡¯s Cruze!¡± ¡°She materialized a m-motorcycle?! Wait, how many different objects is she able to materialize?¡± ¡°Ack. Cruze¡­ you¡¯re a cheat code! I hope you get nerfed!¡± ¡°Ah, because of her, everyone thinks aura users are all-powerful!¡± While people stared and shouted, Cruze rode her silver-colored motorcycle in a zigzag pattern through the gathering crowd. The reception she received was ten times that of what Adol had received earlier. ¡°Wow, unbelievable. She¡¯s so young, yet she¡¯s already one of the three Master-level users in the game¡­ she couldn¡¯t have reached that level just by being a genius, right? She probably had to go through a tremendous amount of training to reach the level she¡¯s at right now.¡± ¡°Probably. Anyway, look how cute she is! She¡¯s cuter than any of the mainstream idols in real life.¡± ¡°Forget idols; she looks like a character straight out of a comic book. I heard that a popular entertainment group approached her to be one of their idols, but she flat out denied them.¡± Everyone¡¯s attention was focused on Cruze. A person who had never received this type of attention would have felt overburdened, but Cruze seemed to consider everyone as just part of the background. She casually brought the motorcycle to a stop in front of Adol. ¡°Did you come here knowing he was coming?¡± she asked him. ¡°Hmm? Know what? What are you talking about?¡± Adol replied. ¡°He¡¯s coming.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s coming?¡± Adol was perplexed by Cruze¡¯s vague way of questioning and explaining. To Adol, Cruze was an acquaintance. It was very rare for users over level eight to ever meet each other, as there were so few upper-level users in the game. Hence, like many other users, the upper-level users had created their own network for party play purposes. Cruze was several times more powerful than the level nine Adol, but since there were so few upper-level users, she had no other choice but to get to know him. The reality was that there were no other users at her level. There was one user who was much more powerful than her, but he never participated in party play, so Cruze had to set her sights down to the level nine users in order to find users to party up with. Adol had become friendly with Cruze. She greatly disliked users who showered her with praise or attention, so she appreciated the general disinterest that Adol had in her. The same also applied to Hanma, who also seemed to be a user that was under twenty years old in real life. Hence, Cruze felt comfortable around the two. What made the two a particularly good match for Cruze was that both Adol and Hanma played as tanker-type characters. For a damage-dealer type character like Cruze, the two were optimal party members. Thus, it made sense that the three had a relatively close relationship. However, the other users didn¡¯t seem to think this way. ¡°Cruze said something to Adol.¡± ¡°Why is Cruze talking to an old fogie like Adol?¡± ¡°Ack. Shit, Cruze is actually talking to Adol. Damn it, I wish I was a level nine user, too¡­ ugh.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hearing the commotion and comments, Adol couldn¡¯t help but break out into a sweat. With her abnormal genius and unbridled personality, Adol thought that the other users would dislike Cruze; however, it seemed that she was immensely popular among the users. ¡°Oh, so it seems you don¡¯t know anything. Well, I guess that¡¯s true of all the users who are just standing here without a care in the world.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Also, when did you materialize a motorcycle¡­ eh?! Is that a Tomahawk?¡± Sharing the name of the American cruise missile, which could be launched on land or on a battleship, the Tomahawk was a silver-colored motorcycle with an eight-thousand three-hundred CC V10 engine that could output five-hundred horsepower. It was a monstrous machine that could go zero to a hundred kilometers per hour in less than two and a half seconds. At first glance, one might think that the motorcycle had two tires, but upon closer inspection, one would find that the bike actually had four, two in the front and two in the back. The reason why the Tomahawk was called a motorcycle was because of how riders looked when riding one. In truth, it was a bit of a miscategorization to call it a motorcycle. Cruze shrugged. ¡°I figured since I was materializing something to move around in, I might as well materialize something nice. I looked around on the internet and found that this thing was the most expensive. Ah, its top speed is six-hundred and forty kilometers per hour, but once it goes above five-hundred, it starts to become unstable. Could there be something wrong with my materialization?¡± Adol shook his head in response. ¡°No way. The six-hundred and forty kilometers is a projection based on the vehicle¡¯s specs. The actual recorded top speed is only four-hundred and eighty kilometers per hour. If anyone tried going faster than that, it¡¯d be hard to hold onto the handles¡­ but, since you¡¯re a talented user, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to reach the theoretical top speed soon.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Wait, do you even have a license in real life? Are you allowed to ride a motorcycle?¡± ¡°Of course I don¡¯t have a license. But if you think of things that way, then do you think I¡¯m allowed to ride around and operate a tank in real life?¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡± Hearing her logical argument, Adol nodded his head. It didn¡¯t make sense to apply real life rules and laws to the game. While he was nodding his head, Cruze started mumbling to herself. ¡°Gear Four.¡± Ping! From her skin-tight clothing, which was optimal for active bike riding, Cruze changed into metallic lightweight full-body armor. On each arm, white characters were written across her black armguards. It was some sort of ancient language. Three gold-colored rings also formed in her hair, organizing the loose and flowing strands into a tight ponytail. ¡°Delete. And Loading.¡± As she blinked her eyes, the Tomahawk disappeared and a Barrett M82 rifle appeared in her hands. She was in her full combat gear. ¡°Cruze?¡± ¡°Since we¡¯re here, you should prepare for battle.¡± ¡°Since we¡¯re here? I really don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about¡­¡± Right at that moment, a text box appeared before every user. /The Sword Sovereign, Sungmuk, has made his appearance at the East Gate of Starting!/ ¡°Sungmuk? Who the hell is¡­ ah, right, Sungmuk! Isn¡¯t he that orc hero?¡± ¡°Right.¡± Hearing Cruze¡¯s relaxed response, Adol stood dumbfounded for a moment, as if he was still trying to put two and two together. Finally realizing what was going on, he quickly grabbed the sword that was sheathed on his back. However, he soon made another dumbfounded expression. The user population in Starting was over one million. Unlike the closed beta period, Starting couldn¡¯t be overrun unless several tens of thousands of monsters attacked all at once. One single monster could not possibly be powerful enough to contend against such a large user base. ¡°But why did he come alone? Has he gone mad?¡± Adol thought out loud. As if to answer his question, screams started to fill the air. CH 106 ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°W-what the hell?! This orc is so strong¡­ ack!¡± ¡°Hahaha! With my iron armor, he¡¯ll be lucky if- ack! Damn! Ack! Why did you hit me three times¡­ ugh!¡± Gold smoke started wafting in the air from all directions. Of course, this smoke wasn¡¯t from Sungmuk¡¯s attacks; it appeared after users were killed in droves. ¡°O-Oh my god¡­.¡± It was a massacre. In contrast to his previous armor, Sungmuk was now wearing a long, flowing blue monk¡¯s robe. Amid the hundreds of users surrounding him, Sungmuk casually advanced as if he was walking through an uninhabited area. Rather than Blue Steel, Sungmuk was carrying some other sword, which gave off a red glow. It didn¡¯t seem to be a normal weapon. ¡°Hold him off for a moment, Adol.¡± ¡°What?¡± Whether Adol was surprised or not, Cruze entered the crowd while holding her Beretta. Not all users were skilled in fighting, so many were running away. As she left, Adol soon lost sight of Cruze in the mass of people. Beep! Then, a window appeared in front of him. [City Defense] Time Limit: None Defend the Guardian Tower! An unexpected event has occurred! A monster has initiated an attack on Starting! Sungmuk is leading an attack without any other monsters. The only enemy is Sungmuk. However, Sungmuk is the strongest orc and is a Freedom-Class Sword Sovereign! If he isn¡¯t countered, a massacre will occur. Caution! 1. If the Guardian Tower at the center of the city is destroyed for any reason, DIO will be shut down for 24 real-time hours. 2. If the Guardian Stone within the Guardian Tower is touched by Sungmuk, the length of DIO¡¯s shutdown will be extended, reaching 168 real-time hours or a week. 3. Outside of this instance, DIO will be forcefully shut down if the Guardian Tower is ever destroyed, but users cannot damage the Guardian Tower.] ¡°What?! The game will be shut down if we lose?¡± ¡°This is crazy! And for a week?!¡± Users started screaming and yelling everywhere, and it was apparent why. What other game was held hostage like this? Wasn¡¯t this merely a passive-aggressive way of telling users not to play the game if they didn¡¯t like it? ¡°Wait, do these guys not want to make money?¡± ¡°Well, to be honest, the gameplay is worth far more than what we pay for it. If this game was sold in limited supply, I¡¯m sure they could easily charge one billion Won (one million USD) for each space and still sell out.¡± ¡°Ack, shut up! If we openly agree with that sentiment, then we¡¯ll be dragged around by this damn company!¡± The users were in an uproar, but for whatever reason, Sungmuk also stopped walking and stared ahead. It was as if he was reading the announcement. Soon, a wry smile started to appear. ¡°¡­ Phew. So that¡¯s how you want to play this, huh?¡± Though he didn¡¯t expect ¡®them¡¯ to be up in arms due to his sudden actions, he never thought that they¡¯d take this as an opportunity to use him. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re going to give me an assignment, I¡¯ll carry it out.¡± He lifted his sword once more. When Sungmuk initially fought the users, he didn¡¯t bring this red sword because he felt he hadn¡¯t mastered its properties. Now, though, he felt comfortable using this Divine Red Sparrow Sword. Bam! Sungmuk deflected an arrow that flew at him from an unknown location; he was being encircled by hundreds of users. The players realized they had no choice but to fight, so people who weren¡¯t fighters moved to the rear while everyone else advanced to the front. Some users even made posts on the public forums to call for additional assistance, while the few that knew upper-level users started sending whispers to them. ¡°Gear 4.¡± ¡°The power of Darian¡¯s Glory, I call upon you¡­.¡± ¡°Silp. Selaim. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Anger that has stayed quiet up to now¡­.¡± The users started readying their weapons and chanting their spells. There were also those who summoned otherworldly existences or called upon their gods for help. Whoosh. Once the shock simmered down, a fighting spirit started to arise from the gathered users. Despite living relatively peaceful lives on Earth, these humans shouldn¡¯t be looked down on. No matter what they did in real life, they spent countless hours fighting monsters in DIO. Within the 24-hour gameplay limit, most users had four for at least half of that time. Furthermore, DIO had been operating for some time, and while only half a month had passed, the users had already spent a little over six months in DIO. ¡°Not bad. You¡¯re still all scrubs, but you¡¯ll be high-leveled soon and become a formidable force.¡± ¡°Hahaha. Calling us scrubs¡­ do you not see what position you¡¯re in?¡± ¡°Wow, this monster has the nerve to call us out.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not even an ogre or a sandworm. A single orc came to Starting and dared to challenge all of us?¡± ¡°Get him! Direct attacks first! Indirect attacks second! Go!¡± Boom! Boom! Boom! Bam! The first thing that was launched at Sungmuk was a lance. More specifically, it was a magic lance. Its user was mounted on a galloping horse in a full set of heavy armor, and they were able to put a significant amount of force behind their charge. Ting! Sungmuk swung his sword and deflected the oncoming charge, but he couldn¡¯t counterattack. Since he was surrounded, attacks started coming in from everywhere. Considering how these users didn¡¯t really know each other, it was surprising to see how well they collaborated. Sss! A sword-wielding user smashed his sword down toward Sungmuk¡¯s flank, accompanied by another player beside him who cut his sword upwards. On the orc¡¯s other side, a user swung a large ax-like weapon. At that moment, a brown spear also stabbed forward from the general vicinity, and a blade was slashed sideways. While this was occurring, there were short-range attacks being launched by crossbows and others who attacked Sungmuk from his rear. Whoosh. However, in the midst of all these attacks, Sungmuk casually moved his sword. Ping! A line was drawn in the air. Sungmuk¡¯s blade slashed toward and deflected the first user¡¯s downward strike before continuing toward their throat, cutting through it effortlessly. Since he still had time, Sungmuk moved to avoid another user¡¯s upward strike. Additional lines continued to form. The next to fall was the ax-wielding user, as Sungmuk¡¯s slice easily passed through their attack and beheaded the player. Shortly after, the female spear-user and the sword-slashing older man were caught by the orc¡¯s circular attack, dying instantly. Then, the young male user who was shooting his crossbow split in half, along with the bolt that he had fired. Soon, a single plum blossom appeared in the air. Click. The Divine Red Sparrow Sword started sparking as it was being sucked into its scabbard. Though Sungmuk had created numerous lines with his sword slashes, everything happened in less than the blink of an eye. He had accelerated his thought process, and with such a firm foundation, Sungmuk could act in a seemingly effortless manner with a serene expression. What he just unleashed was a sword art move that he¡¯d recently developed. Before this, the skill was only theory; this was the first time that he actually unveiled it. /Mysterious Sword Art. Dividing Clear Mirror Water./ Boom! The area around Sungmuk was instantly filled with a golden fog. Everyone understood what this meant. The hundred or so users that had surrounded Sungmuk had been killed, and the gold smoke they released had created the fog-like scene. The countless users that had stood there just moments ago were now thoroughly erased, leaving only Sungmuk standing. ¡°Oh my god¡­.¡± Adol couldn¡¯t help but pant. The martial arts that Sungmuk exhibited were beyond imagination. Despite seeing it with his own two eyes, Adol couldn¡¯t understand it. The orc hero was already a being that Adol couldn¡¯t confront, and now, he¡¯d become more powerful! Ting! When Sungmuk was about to launch himself at the stunned users, he stopped. This was because there was a sneak attack coming from behind him. Unfortunately, Sungmuk wasn¡¯t injured, as he had swung his sword backward to deflect the oncoming bullet. ¡°Ha. You¡¯re here.¡± Bam! Sungmuk charged like a missile. As soon as he lightly stomped on the ground, his body rushed forward and pierced through the air. He had crossed the sound barrier when he had taken that single step. ¡°Oh shoot, Cruze! Watch out!¡± Since he knew full well who had launched the sneak attack, Adol rushed toward Sungmuk. Undoubtedly, this was a perilous situation, and he was probably taking a route where he¡¯d die without being capable of any resistance. ¡°Gear 5!¡± Yet, Adol didn¡¯t think twice. In this world, he was not Oda Yusei; he was Adol Christine! Moreover, as a sword and shield fighter, Adol Christine would never back down from a fight. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± Adol¡¯s body was instantly covered in full plate mail armor, and he felt himself accelerate. He was flying towards a high-rise building that Sungmuk had just entered. *** Cruze fell into confusion. ¡°No way! How was he able to deflect that attack?!¡± Everything had progressed perfectly. Cruze had fired an aura-concentrated bullet from a kilometer away, giving Sungmuk no chance to sense the attack. She had also shot him when his back was turned, but Sungmuk had blocked the bullet with a single swing. ¡°Without looking, he blocked my bullet¡­ how? It¡¯s not like I shot an arrow. There¡¯s no way the sound reached him before the attack landed, so how did he sense it?¡± While she ran to seek cover, Cruze organized her thoughts. After reaching a high enough level, it wasn¡¯t difficult to deflect a bullet. Since they flew in a straight line, if someone could detect the direction of the muzzle, the finger that pulled the trigger, and the shooter¡¯s breathing pattern, they could easily block a hundred bullets, let alone one or two. Even Cruze could do this, and she was no expert swordsman. For a master like Sungmuk, this sort of defense was a piece of cake. However, the unexplained issue remained. How did Sungmuk deflect the bullet while seemingly lacking every requirement needed to do so? ¡°I contained my presence perfectly, which means he used some other approach¡­.¡± Sensing the direction of the muzzle, the finger that pulled the trigger, and the shooter¡¯s breathing pattern: these requirements were equivalent to saying that someone shouldn¡¯t be capable of deflecting a bullet. With its outstanding speed of 3,500 kilometers per hour or 900 meters per second, a bullet was so fast that it was nearly impossible to see and take action, even if it was fired directly in front of someone. For someone that transcended the limitations of living beings, deflecting such a bullet would be child¡¯s play, but otherwise, that attack should have exceeded anyone¡¯s abilities. Having a reaction speed quick enough to spot bullets was inconceivable since nerves had restraints. Even if someone¡¯s senses were accelerated and they deflected a bullet, that should only be possible if they were looking at it. Sungmuk, though, had acted without even looking at the projectile. If he had dodged or blocked with a self-defense technique, Cruze wouldn¡¯t have been as surprised. Yet, Sungmuk had his back turned at the time. Didn¡¯t this mean that he knew the exact direction and location of the bullet? ¡°If it¡¯s going to be like this, perhaps I should use long-ranged heavy artillery attacks-¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, little girl.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Just when she was about to turn a corner, she was met with a shadow. A gust of wind blew around Sungmuk for a moment, as if he had flown at a frightening speed before suddenly stopping. There wasn¡¯t even the slightest tremor in his body, though. ¡°Ugh¡­ Wukong!¡± Ting! At that moment, Cruze fired another round, but the bullet bounced off Sungmuk¡¯s lightning-quick sword swing and hit a nearby wall, leaving a fist-sized scar. While she knew what she had just seen, Cruze couldn¡¯t believe it. How the hell could Sungmuk deflect a bullet like that? With his gaze fixed on Cruze, Sungmuk stood tall. ¡®Wait a minute¡­ he didn¡¯t look away? His gaze has always been fixed on me¡­.¡¯ Cruze suddenly realized something. Sungmuk¡¯s blind deflection of the first bullet and Cruze¡¯s recent attack meant that he did not rely on his sight to determine the projectile¡¯s location. Ting! Bam! ¡°Kyak!¡± CH 107 Before she could finish her train of thought, Cruze was hit in the head and was sent rolling on the ground. Surprisingly, she was struck by her own Berretta bullet. From a distance, her pet Wukong had fired at Sungmuk, but it had hit Cruze instead of him. ¡°He can deflect a bullet and make it hit another target?!¡± Cruze cried out, utterly shocked. The situation seemed to be worsening as time passed. Since Sungmuk could deflect bullets and use them to his advantage, why would Wukong continue shooting? Fortunately, Cruze reacted quick enough to gather her aura power around her head and block the deflected bullet. If she hadn¡¯t done this, she would have perished already, as the bullet had barely slowed down after ricocheting off the sword blade. ¡°You¡¯re sturdy. It seems you have an excellent self-defense technique.¡± ¡°Delete! Loading!¡± The Berretta in her hands disappeared, replaced by two M3A1 submachine guns. Without hesitation, Cruze pulled the triggers. Bap! Bap! Bap! Bap! Bap! Ting! Ting! Ting! The bullets she fired were deflected back towards her. However, she expected this result, so she stomped on the ground and flew upward, avoiding the barrage. The perfect evasive move seemed like it had been practiced thousands or even tens of thousands of times, but while she was twisting through the air, she felt a chill run down her spine as she sensed something foreboding. When she landed, she started tumbling. Bam! Bam! Ping! A deep crevice formed where she¡¯d been moments ago as if a large sword had pierced it. If she hadn¡¯t dodged immediately, she would have been slashed into two. ¡°Your senses are developed. Yet, it doesn¡¯t seem like you acquired them after overcoming many life and death situations. Perhaps¡­ are you what is popularly known as a genius?¡± Though he spoke in a relaxed tone, Sungmuk was a fighter and competitor first and foremost. He was not going to reveal any openings or show mercy; he conveyed himself through blood and iron. Soon, his sword started emitting light. Ping! ¡°Wukong?!¡± Suddenly, a monkey twice the size of Cruze appeared in front of her, wielding a long golden rod that it used to block Sungmuk¡¯s attack. ¡°Ah, this damn master. She acts like she¡¯s so tough but couldn¡¯t even run away properly.¡± ¡°Thanks. Hold him off for ten seconds!¡± ¡°What? Wait, this guy seems powerful enough to kill me ten times over within the next second, but you¡¯re asking me to keep him occupied for ten seconds?¡± ¡°Stop complaining. Install Start!¡± Cruze threw the two submachine guns and shouted. Soon, her aura started circulating around her, creating a fiery aura of flickering flames. Clearly, Sungmuk wasn¡¯t just going to spectate, so Wukong took the initiative and plucked a few strands of hair from his head. ¡°Fu!¡± Blow. ¡°Clones¡­ that¡¯s an interesting skill.¡± As Sungmuk lifted his Divine Red Sparrow Sword, the entire space seemed to fill with the scent of blooming plum blossoms, and as the blossoms appeared, cold energy started spreading. Bam! The clones that Wukong summoned were strong, and each carried a golden metallic rod. They could defend against Sungmuk¡¯s sword attacks, which were shot towards their necks as if to instantly behead them. Ultimately, the clones were equivalent to upper-level users, but despite their power, they were no match for Sungmuk with his tremendous level advantage. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Kik!¡± For the briefest of moments, sword light flashed. Sungmuk hadn¡¯t swung his sword many times. With just a single strike, two lines were drawn, but they were enough to bisect seven of the ten clones. Once the clones were dispatched, they returned to their original forms as Wukong¡¯s hair and flew back to him. Sungmuk was overpowering! ¡°Ugh! Next!¡± Wukong ripped off another bunch of his hair and blew on them. Every strang turned into a clone. Ping! The ten new clones joined the remaining three for a total of 13 clones, but when a new batch of Sungmuk¡¯s plum blossoms appeared, nine clones were instantly shredded. They tried attacking and defending with all their might, but it was futile; Sungmuk¡¯s plum blossom attacks were accelerating. The clones couldn¡¯t adjust, but Sungmuk was able to effortlessly discern their attacks and weaknesses, letting him launch many critical attacks. ¡°Master, hurry up! At this rate, I¡¯ll be bald by the time you¡¯re done!¡± ¡°Just a little longer! Only five seconds have passed!¡± Wukong¡¯s hands flashed as 20 more clones were produced. Unconcerned for their lives, the clones circled around Sungmuk and struck fearlessly. Additionally, after sending out the clones, Wukong made a move. Clang! Bam! ¡°Kyak!¡± Wukong had rushed forward to attack Sungmuk, but he now rolled on the ground with blood rushing down from the top of his head. While Sungmuk was preoccupied with clones, Wukong had used that opening to shoot the orc. Yet, Sungmuk had waved his Divine Red Sparrow Sword and deflected the oncoming bullet, sending it back to Wukong¡¯s head. As soon as he heard the bullet hit the sword, Wukong moved his head and narrowly avoided death. If he were any slower, his head would¡¯ve exploded. ¡°Oho, I thought you were the main body¡­ I see. You left one clone behind to snipe me. Well, I guess even a clone can pull a trigger.¡± ¡°This damn monster!¡± Wukong couldn¡¯t believe what was happening. It was already astonishing that Sungmuk could deflect any approaching bullet. Yet, even after being surrounded by 20 clones all attacking simultaneously, Sungmuk had identified the single bullet and deflected it towards Wukong. How could he redirect its path so accurately? Wukong couldn¡¯t ponder this for long, however, as Sungmuk started to approach him after instantly defeating his 20 clones. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done! Get Back! Install Complete. Loading¡­!¡± Right at that moment, Cruze grabbed Wukong¡¯s shoulder and flung him backward as she rushed forward. The aura that was circulating around her flew out into the air and created a holographic three-dimensional plane with points and lines. Boom! Without any hesitation, she started her offensive! An L-55 Smoothbore Gun fired 55-caliber 1200 mm rounds while an APFSDS armor-piercing missile shot towards Sungmuk. These were all state-of-the-art modern weaponry. The APFSDS armor-piercing missile, in particular, was created specifically to pierce through armor, and this sophisticated, deadly missile was sent toward a target that wasn¡¯t even two meters tall. This single attack seemed like overkill for such a small living organism, but Cruze also fired 55-caliber rounds containing substantial aura energy. Even a row of armored tanks would¡¯ve been mowed down by such a bombardment. Ping! ¡°What?¡± Alas, even with all that, the seemingly overwhelming attack was deflected. Of course, the attacks weren¡¯t deflected back toward Cruze like her previous bullets, but Sungmuk¡¯s sword art was formidable enough to send the attacks up into the air. Crack! As Sungmuk continued his sword dance, Cruze¡¯s Leopard tank was cracked in half with the player still inside. She had put both arms above her head and created an aura barrier around her, so she¡¯d surprisingly survived the attack; however, she had considerable injuries. Her arms started turning into gold-colored smoke. Though she blocked the attack, she couldn¡¯t completely avoid the aftershock, and her body started trembling uncontrollably. Cruze plopped on the ground as the tank turned into dust and scattered. Her abundant red hair, which had been held up in ponytails, was in disarray, and her two eyes were filled with tears. She wasn¡¯t crying because she was in pain, as DIO¡¯s pain control system perfectly protected users from any physical pain. Her distress came from understanding Sungmuk¡¯s overwhelming power. It wasn¡¯t something that she was even close to matching. While playing DIO, she had never felt utterly hopeless. Yet, in this battle, she realized that he was heads-and-shoulders above her. This wasn¡¯t something that Cruze had ever imagined in her wildest dreams. ¡°Ah¡­ ah¡­ how could this be¡­.¡± Lacking the strength to stand, Cruze trembled on the ground. She was fully suppressed by Sungmuk¡¯s overwhelming fighting aura. While DIO had an amazing mental controlling system, it didn¡¯t entirely block all suppressive auras, such as fighting or killing intent. Blocking these would inevitably lower the user¡¯s senses of their environment. As such, Cruze was feeling the brunt of Sungmuk¡¯s fighting aura and had lost any sense of hope. She imagined playing DIO in fear after this inevitable death¡­ to play a game with fear in one¡¯s heart¡­ though she might be embarrassed about these feelings later on, at the moment, she couldn¡¯t lie to herself. Thus, her body shook uncontrollably. When he saw that she couldn¡¯t muster an aura barrier to protect herself, Sungmuk swung his Divine Red Sparrow Sword with a disgusted expression. ¡°What a waste.¡± ¡°Cruze!¡± Adol had just turned the corner into the alleyway, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw Sungmuk with his sword across Cruze¡¯s neck. It was difficult chasing after Sungmuk, but it had only taken Adol 30 seconds to find the two. Yet, in that brief period, Sungmuk had already defeated Cruze. Did this make sense? Adol had seen how powerful Cruze was, so he couldn¡¯t believe that she¡¯d succumb to defeat so easily. ¡°Was I expecting too much? Still, I¡¯m extraordinarily disappointed. Why are you the same?¡± ¡°The same? What the hell are you¡­.¡± Clang! After shouting to Cruze, Adol was attacked by Sungmuk¡¯s sword strike, and he swiftly raised his tower shield to block. However, there was a devastating amount of power in the strike, forcing Adol ten meters backward until he hit one of the alleyway¡¯s walls. As he slid back, he left deep impressions on the ground. ¡°Oof!¡± Now suffering from severe internal injuries, Adol vomited blood. His Tower Shield, which was a Mithril alloy that was imbued with multiple defensive spells, was turned into a hunk of metal. Adol was popularly known as a premier tank that could take any attack, but he was instantly neutralized from one strike. Sungmuk didn¡¯t seem to have any interest in Adol, though, and he looked back to Cruze. ¡°Let me ask you again. Bitch, why are you the same? Why are you so weak? Half a year has passed¡­ what have you done during that time?¡± Killing intent was dripping from his voice. Sungmuk seemed tremendously disappointed. At the moment, Wukong was standing at a distance, and he and Cruze wouldn¡¯t believe this, but Sungmuk had fought with only part of his true power. He had been accommodating Cruze, although there were obvious limits. Since he wanted to see what she was capable of, Sungmuk gave her some time to bring out her full powers and hadn¡¯t launched any major attacks when he had the chance. However, Sungmuk realized that Cruze didn¡¯t seem to possess any hidden talent or power. ¡°H-Hey! I got stronger! I¡¯m three levels higher than before, and I also obtained a Master weapon! I haven¡¯t acquired my Master skill, though¡­.¡± All users who reach Level 10 or the Master level were given the opportunity to acquire a Master weapon and skill. In Cruze¡¯s case, she had gained the Master weapon, the Prism Ring, but this wouldn¡¯t improve her fighting capability, as it primarily increased Cruze¡¯s aura capacity. Cruze had divided her overall aura, using part of it for her Data in the form of bytes, a popular modern computer operation packet. Currently, her overall data capacity was 15 gigabytes, and with the effects of the Prism Ring, she could increase her overall capacity to 20 gigabytes. Moreover, as the Prism Ring developed, her overall data capacity would be able to grow up to 100 gigabytes, though that wouldn¡¯t be sustainable long-term and could only be used in short bursts. However, all of this was futile. CH 108 There was no issue with memory; she already had more than enough. It didn¡¯t matter if there were ten gigabytes or 100, as her most powerful attack was the tank¡¯s cannon fire. In reality, she had a surplus of memory, so she barely got any help from her Master weapon, the Prism Ring. Instead, with the excess memory, Cruze constructed everyday items like a microwave and a motorcycle to make her life more comfortable. Yet, these things did not make her any stronger. If she had her Master skill, she could¡¯ve used her memory for better purposes, but after failing the test multiple times, she¡¯d given up. ¡°I get the gist of what you¡¯re saying.¡± Sungmuk spoke in a cold voice as he raised his Divine Red Sparrow Sword. In his eyes, Cruze no longer had any potential. She could possibly develop after today¡¯s shock, but as of right now, he could clearly see her limits. ¡°There¡¯s no use keeping you alive.¡± The Divine Red Sparrow Sword started emanating a tremendous white-hot heat. And then, a single, merciless strike fell toward Cruze¡¯s head! Clank! In an instant, a wall appeared in front of the blade. No, to be specific, it wasn¡¯t a wall. It was a radiant, shining black wing, like a bat¡¯s wing but much thicker. The being that had suddenly appeared and defended Cruze was¡­ ¡°Grr¡­¡± ¡°Uh¡­ huh? What? Huh?¡± ¡°What is this¡­ a dragon?¡± Immediately after he spoke, Adol knew it wasn¡¯t a dragon. With its wings spread, the creature in front of Sungmuk was large, but it was incomparably small compared to the red dragon Igniz. Even if its wings were fully extended, it would only have a wingspan of 30 meters. The creature was sizable enough that it was the same size as a modern house, but it was lacking when compared to a dragon. ¡°Well, Toothless is fabulous and powerful, but he¡¯s nowhere near a dragon.¡± ¡°Wow! My only friend is dissing me! Don¡¯t you know that all those darn dragons are only like that because of their age? If I were 1,000 years old, I¡¯d be like them, too!¡± ¡°Right, right, anyway, thanks for blocking the sword strike. Whenever you ¡®jump,¡¯ I get dizzy, and it makes it difficult to wield my sword.¡± ¡°Hmph. You¡¯d probably get used to it after a few tries.¡± As the black dragon muttered something along the lines of, ¡®for a monster like you,¡¯ under its breath, observers could see an unexpected name above its head. [Arthur Pendragon¡¯s Pet] [Flying Dragon, Toothless] ¡°What? A pet?!¡± ¡°I might understand if it was a summoned being¡­ but a pet!¡± ¡°He has a dragon as a pet?¡± Adol, Cruze, and even Wukong couldn¡¯t help but gasp. It was astounding. The different dragons were more diverse than the various human races, but only a select few naturally evolved into transcendent levels as they aged. However, even if a dragon wasn¡¯t part of these specific types, it was undoubtedly powerful due to its inherent strength as a dragon. Moreover, dragons were widely known to be prideful and virtually impossible to tame. Additionally, due to their low numbers, it was rare to even see a dragon, let alone tame one. ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡± Sungmuk trailed off. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. You¡¯ve become stronger, no?¡± Arthur replied. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, can you wait a moment while I talk with this girl?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Poof! Once Arthur concluded his brief conversation with Sungmuk, Toothless¡¯ huge body turned into black smoke and scattered in the air. It didn¡¯t die or disappear, though, and a flying dragon could be seen hundreds of meters in the air. ¡°T-teleportation?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Toothless¡¯ main skill. Oh, Adol, nice to see you as well. We haven¡¯t spoken in a while.¡± ¡°Oh, right¡­ yeah.¡± ¡°Cruze, it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen you as well.¡± ¡°Huh? Uh, right.¡± Though Sungmuk was emanating intense killing intent while holding his sword, Arthur was taking things at his own pace as he calmly walked over to Cruze and helped her get up. After being overwhelmed by Sungmuk earlier, Cruze was weakened, so she stumbled slightly as she stood. Yet, Arthur imbued her with qi through his hand, so her body became sturdier. Despite his good intentions, Cruze couldn¡¯t help but flush red in embarrassment as Arthur¡¯s internal energy easily bypassed her inner defenses. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m fine! I¡¯m a Master, too!¡± With a harsh voice, Cruze threw off Arthur¡¯s helping hand, but this didn¡¯t seem to affect Arthur, and he soon stated, ¡°But you haven¡¯t gained your Master skill yet.¡± ¡°T-that¡­¡± ¡°If it¡¯s you, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to get it in around three days, one week at the latest. Nothing remains easy as you continue down a path.¡± No matter how much of a genius someone was, there were always bound to be some roadblocks and difficult areas after achieving something. For instance, even if someone had exceptional comprehensive abilities, they wouldn¡¯t be able to solve partial differential equations after learning how to multiply. Of course, in time, that person might eventually solve partial differential equations, but regardless of the time spent, one critical component was required. Studying. Even a genius who could understand something at a glance would reach a limit. Comprehending information that went beyond one¡¯s known world and breadth of knowledge necessitated studying. This studying required self-imposed research and training. It was often said that only five one-in-a-quintillion irregulars would exist in the universe at the same time. Unless knowledge were somehow automatically and constantly imbued into these irregulars, even people like them would have to study and train to widen their understanding. ¡°You¡­ really think it can be done in a week?¡± ¡°It only took two days for me.¡± ¡°What?! Then it should only take me a day!¡± Arthur smiled after seeing Cruze¡¯s fit of rage, but he couldn¡¯t continue fooling around as he felt the tremendous killing intent emanating from Sungmuk. ¡°Such killing intent¡­ It¡¯s hard for me to breathe¡­.¡± ¡°Brace yourselves! If you can¡¯t handle the killing intent, leave. You¡¯ll only be in the way!¡± ¡°What the hell is that dragon-looking thing in the air? Is it a Wyvern? It¡¯s too small to be a dragon.¡± Many users had gathered in the surrounding area. When Cruze launched long-range strikes, Sungmuk chased after her, breaking through the users¡¯ initial encirclement; however, since everyone here was skilled, some players had specialized detection-related skills. As such, if Sungmuk didn¡¯t run away, the users could quickly find him. Even so, they did not dare to attack. They had seen the massacre that occurred in the east plaza and could feel Sungmuk¡¯s immense killing and fighting intent. ¡°You¡­ I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll disappoint me.¡± ¡°Probably. I¡¯m not a lazy bum like Cruze.¡± ¡°W-who are you calling a lazy bum!¡± Cruze shouted loudly, now standing a considerable distance away from the two. Arthur didn¡¯t pay her words any mind as he continued to stare at Sungmuk. The atmosphere was already filled with explosive and sharp intent, so strong that it pricked their skin. ¡°I apologize for keeping you waiting.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, but I¡¯m glad you came. Have you already acquired the so-called Master weapon and skill?¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh, yeah, I have.¡± ¡°Use them. This sword of mine is called the Divine Red Sparrow Sword. No normal sword can contend against it.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. The Master weapon and skill are too powerful to use for a person of your stature.¡± ¡°¡­¡± As Sungmuk was about to launch himself toward Arthur, he flinched. In addition, the users that were gathered and watching with bated breath looked dumbfounded. ¡°W-w-what? They¡¯re too powerful to use for that guy?¡± ¡°Is it because he hasn¡¯t seen that orc¡¯s fighting power yet? That orc is incredibly powerful.¡± ¡°Is a Master weapon seen as too powerful to be used against a monster that''s attacking Starting alone?¡± As he noticed the murmuring users and their reactions, Arthur was taken aback and quickly offered an explanation to Sungmuk. ¡°Ah! Please do not misunderstand. The only reason I said my Master weapon and skill are too powerful is that both have already finished their evolution processes and have reached God-level. I didn¡¯t mean to infer that you¡¯re weak¡­.¡± Bam! They clashed. The Divine Red Sparrow Sword was soon met by a sword-shaped summoned being. In truth, this sword-shaped being was part of the dragon species renowned for having the strongest body of all dragons. It was the Sword Dragon, Dustin. Bam! Bam! Bam! Wielding Dustin in his left hand, Arthur¡¯s strike collided against Sungmuk¡¯s and sent an immense shockwave in all directions. If there were any relatively unskilled users in the vicinity, their eardrums would have exploded. ¡°As I expected¡­ you¡¯ve improved!¡± For whatever reason, Sungmuk¡¯s angered facial expression had mostly dissipated. Soon, he smiled and started excitedly drawing plum blossoms in the air. After attacking, Arthur had sent a massive number of sword qi strikes toward Sungmuk like a monsoon, but they were all blocked by the various plum blossoms. Boom! With an explosive noise, Sungmuk and Arthur were flung away from each other, having previously almost been nose-to-nose. Though there was a momentary break in the battle, the gathered users couldn¡¯t relax. Notably, amongst the players, there were some who had been taking screenshots or recording. ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t understand. I¡¯m much faster, but why am I losing to you?¡± Gold-colored smoke drifted from Arthur¡¯s neck. Fortunately, the injury wasn¡¯t serious, but in this situation, the wound was important. Arthur¡¯s instantaneous response limited the injury to something minor; otherwise, he would have lost his head. ¡°Ugh¡­ Arthur¡¯s losing. I knew that orc guy was strong.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t he lose if things progress like this? Shouldn¡¯t we work together and launch a joint attack?¡± ¡°Idiot, did you forget that Arthur specializes in dual wielding? He only has one sword right now.¡± ¡°Oh, now that you mention it¡­.¡± This was true. While the fighting was fierce, Arthur had only been wielding a sword in his left hand with nothing in the other. ¡°Do you still think I¡¯m not powerful enough to take out another-¡± ¡°About two-and-a-half meters.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Ah, I guess you don¡¯t use the metric system. In this world¡¯s terms, about eight cheok (a Korean ¡®foot,¡¯ around 30.3 centimeters). Sungmuk¡¯s eyes widened slightly but only for a moment. It didn¡¯t take long for a smile to begin spreading across his face. ¡°¡­Hmm. You¡¯re incredible. You realized that in our brief interaction?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help but think that I was faster, and my follow-up moves were also quicker. Nevertheless, you perfectly parried my strikes. You even managed to block all the moves I launched from your blind spots. My Dispersing Light Sword Technique attacks should have been unreadable, but you didn¡¯t even seem phased, so I knew something was off.¡± Arthur¡¯s Dispersing Light Sword Technique, which was already in a perfected state, could be deployed without any preparatory movement. With this technique, the sword strikes moved as fast as beams of light and were controlled by Arthur¡¯s wrist, so even if his arm movements could be read, the direction of Arthur¡¯s attacks couldn¡¯t. This skill produced a ¡®no-motion¡¯ sword attack. Yet, surprisingly, Sungmuk was able to parry whatever was sent his way. Nothing could penetrate a two-meter radius around him. CH 109 ¡°It¡¯s called an Absolute Territory. I can spread my genuine-qi in a spherical shape around me and sense anything within it as if the qi were my own skin.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ heightening your senses by extending genuine-qi is something anyone can do. My surprise wasn¡¯t from your senses; it was your reaction speed. No matter how fast you can react-¡± ¡°Forty-eight thousand seven hundred.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± Seeing Arthur¡¯s perplexed expression, Sungmuk pointed his Divine Red Sparrow Sword downward and replied. ¡°In both mind and body, I¡¯ve engrained the 48,700 possible ways a sword can strike me; thus, I can block not just one but thirty simultaneous attacks. If an attack is quicker than a set threshold within my Absolute Territory, I can react before my mind can process it. Moreover, if I already know that an attack is incoming, I can even prepare beforehand. And if I push myself to the brink¡­.¡± Immediately, the surroundings changed. Outwardly, nothing seemed different, but with his developed senses, Arthur could tell that the [Spacing] of Sungmuk¡¯s Absolute Territory had more than doubled in size. If Arthur hadn¡¯t known about the Absolute Territory, he wouldn¡¯t have recognized this subtle change, and after sensing it, he laughed. ¡°Hahaha.¡± Sungmuk laughed as well. ¡°Hehehe.¡± The two were surrounded in desolate silence. Though hundreds of users had gathered, the two laughed aloud as if they didn¡¯t see or acknowledge anyone else¡¯s presence. ¡°Hahaha!¡± ¡°Hehehe!¡± Slash-! ¡°Ugh¡­ my breath?!¡± ¡°What the hell¡­ the fighting aura has gotten stronger?¡± ¡°Dang, are those two even human? They must be monsters!¡± ¡°E-even if it¡¯s a high-level genius, how can another human be so different from me?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s slowly retreat¡­ ugh!¡± Although the users were observing the scene from quite far, they instantly felt an overwhelming pressure crushing their bodies, so they quickly extended their distance from the two. The weaker users couldn¡¯t help but throw up blood as their organs were damaged by this abrupt change. ¡°Good! I¡¯ll have to use more force.¡± ¡°Take out your Master Weapon- no, your Divine Weapon.¡± ¡°Oh, gosh¡­ like I said before, you can¡¯t handle it. However, I¡¯ll bring out something that is just as powerful.¡± With his left hand holding Dustin before him, Arthur raised his right hand into the air. There, on his palm, was an ancient character that no one knew of anymore. In a low voice, Arthur whispered, ¡°Come, Ascalon.¡± *** Yongno felt good ever since he got up in the morning. In-game, Yongno ate only grilled meat and fruits, so this long-awaited respite gave him a reason to order in, watch some television, and browse the internet. Of course, these were all everyday things that he could do at any time, but after going through over six months of in-game time without many breaks, Yongno felt that reality was refreshing. There was also another reason why he was in high spirits. While logged off, Yongno found a DIO-related message board and read that he could move freely between two places using a Gate Ring. ¡°Great. Phantom Monster Magic Island can be considered a village.¡± Merlin removed the Gate Ring from his left index finger and looked at the writing inscribed inside: [Phantom Monster Magic Island]. He also had another Gate Ring on his left hand that had [Starting] inscribed in it. These inscriptions saved different locations on each ring. His inventory was the reason for these differences. The Gate Rings worked by saving the last city or village that its owner visited. In the past, Merlin had purchased two Gate Rings and wore them all the time, but he soon found this cumbersome and had put one in his inventory. Since a player¡¯s inventory and housing were separate from the outside world, the saved location would not change while within one of these spaces. ¡°If I had returned to Starting while wearing the [Phantom Monster Magic Island] Gate Ring, Starting would¡¯ve overwritten it. So, I should put this Gate Ring in my inventory¡­ good! Return!¡± Whoosh! The space Merlin occupied briefly shook before the scenery completely changed. Although a user had just materialized from thin air, no one seemed to care or be surprised as they went about their business. Merlin had returned to Starting, the most populated city on Dynamic Island. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s been a while.¡± Since some time had passed, Merlin could tell that the users¡¯ average level was much higher. The city¡¯s population had increased explosively, and the city itself also seemed to have expanded to accommodate the growing user base. A vast expanse of land, larger than most major metropolises on Earth, was surrounded by a city wall. ¡°First, I need to get rid of some excess items and do some shopping.¡± Merlin sold the odd items and monster parts that he had collected after defeating the various mobs during his travels. Since Starting had a bustling and developed marketplace where users could trade with each other, Merlin got rid of his items and materials with relative ease. This was made even more straightforward since the things Merlin was selling were rare. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s so crowded.¡± ¡°Yeah. I feel like I¡¯m at a mall. Still, there are no cars zipping by, so the roads are somewhat quiet¡­ huh? The Exchange Center has gotten taller, no?¡± Merlin had walked toward the Exchange Center without much thought, so he didn¡¯t realize that it had grown to become a five-story building until he was right in front of it. Merlin whistled in admiration. The expansion of the Exchange Center looked too natural, as if it had always been this size. Merlin couldn¡¯t help but appreciate the game¡¯s ability to accommodate and smoothly integrate change. ¡°Master, swap perspectives with me.¡± ¡°Hmm? Why?¡± ¡°Just swap.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± After Quiet Heaven spoke, Merlin nodded and connected to its spirit line. Quiet Heaven was flying high above the city without a single cloud blocking its vision. ¡°What do you think? Don¡¯t you think the city has gotten larger?¡± ¡°Definitely. Initially, I thought only the buildings had gotten taller, but it seems the city itself has grown. There are more buildings as well¡­ Quiet Heaven, can you glide in a circle around the city? Make sure to keep looking at it so I can see the entire city.¡± ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be difficult.¡± Then, Quiet Heaven slowly circled once around the city, showing Starting to Merlin. The people walking around outside looked smaller than ants and numbered in the hundreds of thousands, and there were even more inside the buildings. Furthermore, there were numerous buildings, so many in fact that it was difficult to figure out how many there were. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s truly massive. Let¡¯s see... The circumference is about¡­ 94 kilometers? And that¡¯s if we stick above the walls while going around the city. If we were to try and get a clear view, we¡¯d probably have to travel at least 100 kilometers to circle the city, no?¡± At this size, the city could easily accommodate tens of millions- no, hundreds of millions of users. In addition, there were many tall buildings in Starting, and there was no need for personal housing, leaving space for other purposes. Snap. Merlin broke off the connection with Quiet Heaven, regained his natural vision, and walked into the Exchange Center. There, Merlin saw Ellen guiding users. She was the guide he had met when he first came here long ago. Since DIO¡¯s official launch was just a month ago in real-time, there was still a constant stream of new users entering the game. And with this never-ending influx, there was a need for basic explanations, so the Exchange Center was bustling. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t bother her.¡± ¡°Are you looking to buy something?¡± ¡°Nothing particular; I¡¯m just going to have a look around. Although I¡¯m not as rich as I was before, I still have quite a bit of money and a boat-load of experience points, so I can probably purchase whatever I desire¡­ ah, let¡¯s start with expanding my inventory.¡± Merlin headed toward the stairs. As he walked, Merlin saw a bunch of marketing posters and advertisements. ¡°Dang, they seem to have everything. Oh, they even have cell phones and laptops. I wonder if you¡¯re allowed to dismantle them and collect the parts?¡± Merlin mumbled to himself and looked around to see if there was an elevator anywhere, but it seemed the stairs were the only way to travel between the floors. The stairways were oriented in a rectangular shape with space in the center, so those who could fly could easily go through this opening. ¡°Welcome. Ah, Merlin, I haven¡¯t seen you in a while.¡± ¡°Huh? You remember me?¡± The person who spoke was Carlin, the salesperson who had once helped Merlin with inventory and housing during the closed beta. While this wasn¡¯t the first time they met, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised that Carlin recognized him after assisting so many other passing customers in these past six months. ¡°I can recall every player who¡¯s passed. It has been¡­ oh, it¡¯s been a while since your last visit. Do you know that the pricing structure has changed for most Exchange Center items?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. Is it a drastic change?¡± ¡°Somewhat, but not too crazy¡­ wait a moment. Welcome~! Please wait a moment.¡± After welcoming another user, Carlin created two identical clones. One clone stayed with Merlin while the other served the newly-arrived user. Carlin¡¯s main body walked over to his designated spot. ¡°¡­ Continuing what I was saying earlier, the pricing hasn¡¯t changed drastically, but there have been several small alterations. Items that cost experience points have been given a limit, and the gold price of purchasable items has also decreased considerably, which not only applies to the Exchange Center but also the weapon shop and various item stalls outside.¡± ¡°Huh? The gold price of items has dropped?¡± ¡°Not too much. It was a decrease of roughly ten to 15 percent. If you didn¡¯t purchase anything expensive before, you probably wouldn¡¯t even know the difference, but if you did, it¡¯s likely that you wouldn¡¯t feel that you¡¯ve lost too much.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Merlin was in the latter camp, and he groaned. He had spent over 200 gold at the Exchange Center and weapon shop alone. Since one gold equated to just over 50,000 won, he had spent over 10,000,000 won. Without any fault of his own, Merlin had incurred a ten percent loss or about 1,000,000 won. ¡°Ugh. I guess this is how homeowners feel when their home prices drop.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Nothing. By the way, what do you mean the items that cost experience points have been given a limit?¡± Previously during the closed beta, Merlin didn¡¯t have many experience points, so he had only used them to reduce his logout time and increase his inventory capacity by 25 kilograms. ¡°This doesn¡¯t apply to everything, but there¡¯s a limit that¡¯s been placed on items that need an increasing amount of experience points. It would be problematic if the requirements exponentially increased and couldn¡¯t be realistically reached.¡± ¡°That makes sense. So, how has it been reconfigured?¡± ¡°One moment.¡± While saying this, Carlin waved his right hand in the air and brought up a window. It was an inventory window that Merlin had seen before. [InventoryCurrentIncreaseExperience Cost] [Volume 3m3 3m3 500 Spirits] [Summoning Dist. 3m 1m 500 Spirits] [Weight125 kg 25 kg1,000 Spirits] [Durability10 Tetra2 Tetra 500 Spirits] ¡°At first glance, it doesn¡¯t look too different from before.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because the amount of Spirits required hasn¡¯t necessarily decreased; a general cap has been implemented that limits the rising cost after each purchase. Instead of doubling each time, the price will only rise in increments of 500 Spirits.¡± ¡°What happens to those who bought multiple upgrades in the previous price structure?¡± ¡°They will be compensated for their experience points.¡± This didn¡¯t apply to Merlin since he hadn¡¯t overpaid when increasing his inventory weight, as he had only upgraded once. ¡°Eh¡­ whatever. I guess I¡¯ll increase my inventory¡¯s weight capacity.¡± /Your inventory weight capacity has increased to 150 kg!/ As expected, the new experience cost for another increase was now 1,500 Spirits. Since Merlin had around 20,000 Spirits left, he had a lot of breathing room. /Your inventory weight capacity has increased to 175 kg!/ /Your inventory weight capacity has increased to 200 kg!/ The experience cost went from 1,500 Spirits to 2,000 and then 2,500. Merlin raised his inventory weight capacity to 300 kilograms. The chart updated and showed that it would now cost him 4,500 Spirits for another 25-kilogram increase. Despite knowing that a cap had been put on the pricing structure, Merlin didn¡¯t feel a difference. CH 110 ¡°So, when does the price limit take effect?¡± ¡°At 10,000 Spirits.¡± ¡°That¡¯s way too high. Anyway, 300 kilograms should be enough for now.¡± Despite discovering the group of southern islands and gaining a tremendous amount of experience points, the inventory weight capacity costs were still a bit steep; hence, Merlin decided to increase his inventory volume, summoning distance, and durability instead. By upgrading each option once, Merlin ended up paying 1,500 Spirits, an amount that didn¡¯t significantly impact his experience point total. ¡°Are the housing cards cheaper like the inventory?¡± ¡°Yes. Shall I bring up the housing card window?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. I¡¯ll just buy whatever¡¯s cheapest.¡± ¡°That¡¯ll be 2,000 Spirits.¡± While Carlin replied, Merlin saw his experience points decrease. ¡°Ah, has the price for logout time reductions also been reduced?¡± ¡°No. The amount of Spirit required has remained the same.¡± ¡°Hmm. In an emergency, it¡¯s best to log out as quickly as possible¡­.¡± Currently, it took Merlin 25 seconds to log out, as he¡¯d reduced the default 30 seconds required by five. Since the Spirit cost rose by 100 each time he bought the upgrade, Merlin currently needed to pay 600 Spirits to reduce his logout time from 25 to 24 seconds. ¡°Is reducing the logout time important?¡± Quiet Heaven asked, having been quiet up to now. Merlin nodded. ¡°Yes. If my logout time were only a second, I could escape any fight or dangerous situation by simply logging out. With this assurance, I wouldn¡¯t be afraid of facing any difficult foe. Eh? Wait, if I log out, what happens to you?¡± ¡°You just thought of that now? Wow. Anyway, I also disappear when you log out. I guess you can say we log out together.¡± ¡°I see. Then it¡¯s all good.¡± Then, Merlin turned to Carlin. Since this Carlin was a clone made specially to serve Merlin, it waited patiently while the latter contemplated his next purchase. ¡°I¡¯ll man up¡­ I¡¯ll purchase a ten-second reduction.¡± ¡°Reducing your logout time to 15 seconds would cost you 38,000 Spirits. Would you like to proceed?¡± ¡°Eh? Wait. Why is it 38,000 Spirits? Shouldn¡¯t it be 15,000?¡± ¡°Starting from the 20-second mark, every further purchase costs an additional 1,000 Spirits. In other words, instead of the cost rising by 100, it would go from 1,000 to 2,000 and then 3,000¡­.¡± Surprised, Merlin turned to a wall that had a chart of the reduction costs. He saw that an upgrade from 21 to 20 seconds cost 1,000 Spirits, but the following purchase cost 2,000 Spirits. After that, another reduction would cost 3,000 Spirits, 4,000, and so forth. Moreover, once the logout time entered the ten-second range¡­ ¡°Dang, the price rises by 10,000 Spirits once we get into the single digits.¡± ¡°While it isn¡¯t written on that chart, when a player lowers their logout time to one second, further purchases decrease the time by a tenth of a second and cost 10,000 additional Spirits each upgrade.¡± ¡°Wow. If I wanted to purchase whatever I want, I¡¯d probably need billions of Spirits.¡± When Merlin defeated the fearsome Level 14 One-Horned Fire Snake, he only gained 10,000 Spirits, so the prices that Carlin spoke of seemed like something out of a fantasy. Yet, Merlin soon had a different thought. ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t the Tyrannosaurus give 500 Spirit points?¡± At Merlin¡¯s current level, defeating a Tyrannosaurus wouldn¡¯t require much internal energy, and it would net him roughly 500 Spirit points. While it was nearly impossible to take down another foe at the One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s level, Merlin could easily face twenty Tyrannosauruses without breaking much of a sweat. ¡°What are you babbling on about?¡± ¡°Nothing, just¡­ hmm. I never would¡¯ve thought that defeating a bunch of low-level mobs would give more experience than defeating a high-level monster. Doesn¡¯t this mean there¡¯s no reason to fight the latter?¡± ¡°I was wondering what you were going on about¡­ you don¡¯t fight high-level monsters for their experience points, right?¡± ¡°Ah, right! Items!¡± High-level monsters dropped similar-leveled items. The loot from low-level monsters was also relatively low-leveled, and since there were hundreds of thousands if not millions of users for each high-level user, the availability of high-level items was minuscule, leading to strong demand for those items. ¡°Reducing your logout time to 15 seconds would cost 38,000 Spirits. Would you like to proceed?¡± Carlin¡¯s voice had a hint of annoyance in it. Despite being made specifically to serve Merlin, the clone didn¡¯t seem happy to stand by idly while Merlin muttered to himself in contemplation. Merlin smirked before nodding his head. While it seemed somewhat wasteful to spend nearly 40,000 Spirits in one go, he knew that reducing his logout time would be beneficial in the end. ¡°Yes, proceed.¡± As soon as Merlin answered, 38,000 Spirits were deducted from his experience points, but he still had a little over 150,000 Spirits remaining. ¡°I still have quite a few Spirits left over. You know what, just reduce the logout time all the way down to ten seconds.¡± ¡°A reduction to ten seconds would cost 40,000 Spirits.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Then I shall proceed¡­ it¡¯s done.¡± Merlin was now left with 110,000 Spirits, and since there were many other ways they could be used, he stopped here. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll be heading off.¡± ¡°Take care. Please browse our other offerings at your leisure.¡± With a smile, the clone disappeared. Rather than expiring due to reaching a time limit, the clone seemed to have dissipated after fulfilling its client¡¯s requests. ¡°Master, are you really not going to level up?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a pressing matter. Does something good happen to you if I level up?¡± ¡°No, nothing like that, but¡­ it¡¯s a little concerning when I watch you fight.¡± ¡°Leveling up doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯d necessarily become more powerful, right?¡± ¡°Strictly speaking¡­ yeah.¡± Quiet Heaven nodded, not even imagining that Merlin wasn¡¯t utilizing the bonus points that¡¯d been accruing with each level up. What Merlin stated was technically correct. Leveling didn¡¯t strengthen someone; it was the other way around, as additional power made it possible to level up. Stat point increases, elevated stat caps, and the ability to use level-restricted items were just added benefits. ¡°Shall we continue shopping?¡± Merlin continued to the upper floors and bought a variety of items. The first thing he purchased was another Gate Ring so he could move between different cities, followed by a converter, which could convert the magic power or internal energy that Merlin had into chakra, pure spiritual energy, or aura. When Merlin first visited, the Exchange Center didn¡¯t sell too many items, but it seemed to have significantly expanded its selection since then. ¡°How much is this?¡± ¡°Three silver.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cheaper than what I expected. I¡¯ll buy it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The new item Merlin just purchased was popular amongst users; it was a type of PDA called a Beholder. With it, users could communicate as if they were texting or calling on a cell phone, access user forums and bulletin boards, and even bring up a map of their surroundings. The Beholder¡¯s features let players declutter their vision from pop-up windows. Compared to the single-use Gate Ring, the Beholder was relatively more helpful. Beep. ¡°Hmm?¡± As he was in the middle of putting away the Beholder, it started beeping, and its front screen lit up brightly. Puzzled, Merlin looked at the message that appeared. /For 200 Spirits, you can install a connection port to the Great Heavenly World. Would you like to install and connect?/ ¡°Great Heavenly World?¡± As Merlin mumbled in confusion, Quiet Heaven answered, ¡°I think it¡¯s referring to the user community forums and bulletin boards, like public forums, the DIO announcement page, or item and service exchange sites. The Great Heavenly World is a sort of intranet that isn¡¯t connected to the wider internet.¡± ¡°How do you know this?¡± Merlin looked dumbfounded after hearing such an unexpected reply. With a proud expression, Quiet Heaven replied, ¡°Hehehe. My data and information gathering skills are top-notch. Rather than fighting directly, I specialize in reconnaissance. On top of my excellent eyesight, I can also listen to every conversation that¡¯s occurring within a 300-meter radius around me. Furthermore, if I focus my attention in one direction, I can listen to conversations occurring up to a kilometer away-¡± ¡°So,¡± Merlin cut Quiet Heaven off, ¡°you¡¯re saying that you heard this from someone else, right? Why are you explaining in such a roundabout way?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, your ability should be quite useful.¡± Merlin pressed accept on the Beholder and watched as a loading bar filled up to completion. As he looked through the many public forum postings, Merlin could tell that numerous users were using Beholders. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see what other goodies they¡¯ve added to this place¡­.¡± However, when Merlin was about to ascend to the next floor, a ¡®Ding-Dong!¡¯ noise sounded, followed by a text message in his vision. /A new announcement has been posted./ ¡°A sudden announcement? I should use the Beholder to check what it¡¯s about.¡± Using the Beholder, Merlin navigated to the seemingly rarely-utilized announcement page. Though the game had been officially released a while ago, there were only a few public announcement posts, and the recent one read as follows: /1. The maximum playtime before mandatory logout has changed from 24 hours to 12 hours. This change will take effect at 00:00 on January 25th. On January 25th, once a user has spent 12 hours in DIO, they will be forcefully logged off for the remainder of the day./ ¡°What the hell is this? They¡¯re going to reduce our playtime by half?¡± Merlin couldn¡¯t help but vent his anger, as he was someone who spent 99 percent of his day playing DIO. However, before his rage boiled over, Quiet Heaven asked, ¡°But Master, don¡¯t you have to log off to get back to your reality? Is it alright for you to spend so much time here?¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± ¡°Gaming too much may harm your health.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have any friends in reality, right?¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Due to Quiet Heaven¡¯s consecutive, poignant attacks, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but sustain internal damage, fall onto the ground, and foam at the mouth. It was a neat assessment of Merlin¡¯s reality, and he had no retorts. ¡°Tsk tsk. To be stuck with such a Master¡­ you should be more devoted to your reality.¡± ¡°Ugh. You¡¯re just a pet within a game, so shut it.¡± Merlin rubbed his painful, throbbing chest. At that moment, another line of text popped up in his vision. /The Sword Sovereign, Sungmuk, has appeared at Starting¡¯s East Gate!/ ¡°Eh? What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t Sungmuk the name of that boss during the closed beta quest?¡± ¡°Ah, right, the name rings a bell. Wasn¡¯t he the ultra-high-level boss that specialized in plum blossom swordsmanship? By the way, what¡¯s a sword sovereign?¡± The text didn¡¯t seem to have only appeared for Merlin, and the surroundings soon became filled with loud murmurs. With the recent string of announcements, many customers within the Exchange Center had stopped what they were doing. Instead, they talked amongst each other. The Exchange Center was always a bustling place, but it was more raucous than ever. ¡°Sungmuk¡­¡± Among the cacophony of sound, Merlin quietly reflected on the extremely formidable sword-wielding boss who had taken his life once in the past. ¡°This is your end, human. Die amongst the falling petals.¡± CH 111 Sungmuk was the first formidable foe that Merlin faced since entering DIO. Though he had met the Mermaid Hero and the overwhelmingly strong Seadragon Zygmunt, Merlin had only glimpsed the Mermaid Hero for ten seconds, and Zygmunt was so overwhelmingly powerful that Merlin couldn¡¯t have even considered it a foe, let alone tried to fight it. Sungmuk possessed an unimaginable lightness skill and elegant swordsmanship, and he was the only one who had been able to kill Merlin in the past. ¡°I wonder¡­ how would I stack up against him now?¡± Despite saying this, Merlin knew he did not stand a chance against Sungmuk. Though Merlin had undeniably become stronger over the past six months, his internal energy and magic power levels had plateaued. Moreover, Merlin had been able to reach greater depths of understanding in magic and martial arts through constant battle and reflection, but he had not broken through to the next level. However, he still had one advantage. Crack. The three jewels clacked against each other as Merlin took them out. There was a yellow-light emitting Topaz, a red-light emitting Ruby, and a green-light emitting Emerald, each only the size of one¡¯s thumb. They were incredibly valuable items, but in Merlin¡¯s hands, these items were closer to weapons than jewels. ¡°I crafted and worked on them as I was traveling, so I was only able to complete three. Well, I¡¯m not an enchanting machine, so I suppose that even just three could be considered an achievement.¡± Each jewel contained more magic power than the maximum level that Merlin could produce on his own. However, what made the jewels even more terrifying wasn¡¯t the magic power contained in them, but the runes and organization of the magic power within. Merlin had used a jewel like this in the past, when he froze the battlefield between the Kraken and Dead Man¡¯s ship. ¡°Master? You know that Sungmuk guy?¡± ¡°You could say that. Ack, what should I do? Shall I go? But there are so many users here, I might not even get a turn¡­¡± Merlin¡¯s words trailed off. Though Sungmuk was unimaginably powerful, if he had come to Starting alone, he¡¯d inevitably be killed. The number of users in Starting numbered in the tens of millions if not more. Even on the low end, there¡¯d be at least hundreds of thousands of users. Though high-level users weren¡¯t common, with so many users gathered together, there¡¯d inevitably be a few experts and high rankers. In the not-too-distant past, Sungmuk had been killed by a small group of users, less than ten in number. Even if Merlin rushed over, there¡¯d be a high chance that Sungmuk would have already been dealt with. No, Merlin thought it was guaranteed. [City Defense Time Limit: None Defend the Guardian Tower! An unexpected event has occurred! A monster has initiated an attack on Starting! Sungmuk is leading an attack without any other monsters. The only enemy is Sungmuk. However, he is the strongest among orcs and is a Freedom Class Sword Sovereign! If he isn¡¯t countered, it will be a massacre. Reminders: 1. If the Guardian Tower at the center of the city is destroyed, regardless of how the destruction occurred, DIO will be shut down for a period of 24 real-time hours. 2. If the monster touches the Guardian Stone within the Guardian Tower, the DIO shutdown time will be extended. The projected time is 168 real-time hours. In other words, DIO will be down for one week, real-time. 3. Outside of this instance, DIO will be forcefully shut down if the Guardian Tower is ever destroyed; however, users are not able to destroy the Guardian Tower.] Merlin¡¯s eyes grew round as he read the quest description. ¡°What the hell? The description is written like it assumes that Sungmuk will be able to get through all the users. Does the system not know how many users are in Starting?¡± ¡°No, read carefully, Master. That Sungmuk guy¡­ he¡¯s a Freedom Class monster.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a Freedom Class monster? Is it higher than Hero?¡± Of course, Merlin didn¡¯t know anything about the monster classification system. Since he didn¡¯t pay attention to anything that he wasn¡¯t interested in, any other user would have scoffed and hawed at Merlin¡¯s aloofness; however, having spent quite some time with Merlin, Quiet Heaven patiently took the time to explain the classification system to Merlin. Moreover, Quiet Heaven was currently in a shocked state, so it didn¡¯t have the wherewithal to criticize Merlin. Merlin did not know anything about the monster classification system, as he had a habit of not paying attention to anything he wasn¡¯t interested in. Other users would have scoffed at his aloofness; but Quiet Heaven, having now spent quite some time with Merlin, patiently explained the classification system. Quiet Heaven was in shock, and did not have the wherewithal to criticize Merlin anyway. ¡°So, a Freedom Class entity is a being that has transcended the limits of its species. A monster that attains Freedom Class will be given a Divine Weapon and new physical body, regardless of its species-specific original sin or characteristics. A Freedom Class being could even change its title and position if it so wanted. And if the Freedom Class being can reach Transcendence¡­ if that happens¡­¡± If a monster was able to reach Transcendence, that monster would become free from the reincarnating wheel of fate and be able to escape from this created world. This was the dream of all the past-life beings that were tied into the world of DIO¡­ to possess freedom once more. ¡°My god. To think there is already a being that has reached the Freedom Class¡­¡± ¡°Huh? So that means he¡¯s strong?¡± ¡°Very, very strong. He probably reached the Freedom Class because he¡¯s part of the orc species, which has a relatively low species level rating¡­ but it would be foolish to consider him weak because of that. Even though you met him in the past, you¡¯ll have to consider this Sungmuk to be a completely different beast right now.¡± Merlin had a blank expression as he listened to Quiet Heaven¡¯s serious explanation. Merlin himself didn¡¯t take the situation too seriously because, in the end, Sungmuk was already stronger than Merlin. And no matter how strong Sungmuk was, he would still have to make it through the many, potentially higher level users in Starting. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that you don¡¯t think Sungmuk will die anytime soon, right?¡± ¡°Not only will he not die soon, but¡­¡± ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s go over there and have a look.¡± With that, Merlin started to run. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t have very far to run. Based on the general location of Sungmuk indicated on his Beholder, he could see that Sungmuk had already arrived near the city square at the center of the city. ¡°But isn¡¯t this too dangerous? The Guardian Tower is located right in the middle of the city square.¡± The city square was quite large: one kilometer in diameter, allowing a five-hundred meter radius surrounding the Guardian Tower. However, with Sungmuk¡¯s lightness movement skills, five-hundred meters didn¡¯t pose much of a challenge to him. Case in point, when Merlin had first faced off against Sungmuk, he had launched his long-ranged attacks from two kilometers away, Sungmuk had crossed that distance in just twenty seconds. Since this Freedom Class version of Sungmuk wouldn¡¯t be slower than in the past, it would probably take less than five seconds for Sungmuk to traverse five-hundred meters and reach the Guardian Tower. ¡°Based on the atmosphere, it seems he¡¯s being held down by the users¡­ ah, it must be over there.¡± Once Merlin reached the general vicinity, he was easily able to identify where the battle was ensuing. A sense of fighting spirit aura, which shouldn¡¯t have been present within the city, could be felt. Moreover, thousands of users had created a wide circle around a specific area to observe the battle. Based on the atmosphere, it seemed the battle was being conducted one-on-one, but the size of the user circle was so big¡­ Thump. Merlin had felt good ever since the morning. He had logged out of the game and eaten delicious food, something he had not done in a long time, and he had found a way to return to the city and do some shopping after having spent so much time around monsters during his travels. It wasn¡¯t that he disliked traveling and adventuring, but having traveled for six months, he had started to get a bit sick of it all. Today was a refreshing and fun respite. Thump. And that good feeling continued, even now. Bam! Merlin looked ahead with a blank expression. Like Merlin, all the other gathered users watched the ensuing one-on-one fight with bated breath. However, Merlin was looking at something different. Thump. It was a sword. A beautiful sword. It had a slightly thin-profiled silver blade, and its handle was encrusted with a colorless jewel and wrapped in an unknown but modern looking blue leather-like material. It looked like a sword out of a legend. It¡¯s appearance was more like an art piece than a weapon. It possessed an innate beauty, but also a mind-blowingly powerful force within it, as though it had been wielded by a powerful warrior. - Dragon Killing Sword. Ascalon. It was the sword that Merlin had seen long ago, deep underwater. ¡°What does this mean? No way¡­ he got it?¡± Merlin shook his head in disbelief, but in a way, he understood. If anyone were to obtain that sword, it would be Arthur. Arthur was the one who had single-handedly defeated the Red Dragon, Igniz. Clang! With a loud noise that echoed across the city square, Arthur and Sungmuk, who had been right up against each other, separated. Arthur held Ascalon in one hand while his other sword, Dustin, floated around in the air and attacked any openings in Sungmuk¡¯s defense. ¡°This sword art¡­ it¡¯s very different from the Dispersing Light Sword Technique.¡± ¡°You even know of the Dispersing Light Sword Technique¡­ in any case, yes, you¡¯re right. The Dispersing Light Sword Technique is an excellent sword technique, but, how should I say this¡­ right, it¡¯s too structured, too rigid. So, I¡¯ve been evolving the technique.¡± ¡°Hahaha. Too rigid? The Dispersing Light Sword Technique?¡± Sungmuk thought that there was no way Arthur was telling the truth. Every martial arts technique that existed in DIO was complete and perfect. However¡­ their completeness and perfection was based on their use [within human parameters]; Arthur, an Irregular that existed outside human parameters, didn¡¯t find completeness and perfection within the technique. ¡°That¡¯s why I created a new sword art. Well, it¡¯s not completely new, I just altered the Dispersing Light Sword Technique to fit me better.¡± Ping! Suddenly, a burst of light shot out of Ascalon, followed by a thin light ray which formed a line that seemed to divide the world. Nearly instantaneously, Sungmuk moved backwards as he swung his Divine Red Sparrow sword to parry the ray of light, but he was unable to deflect it. In fact, the ray of light had already gone straight through his body before he had even started moving his sword. Whoosh! Blood spilled, but only a little. The wound was only about a centimeter in size. However, what this wound represented was significant. It was the first attack that had entered Sungmuk¡¯s Absolute Territory and inflicted damage on his body. ¡°This¡­¡± ¡°I call it Bursting Sword Light. Originally, I planned to use this technique with just my left hand, but after creating the sword art technique, I found that it was so extensive that I needed two hands to use it. Well¡­ I guess I¡¯ll have to keep training until I can use it with one hand.¡± Arthur spoke with an untroubled tone of voice. However, after seeing the ray of light, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but become confused. ¡°What¡­ was that?¡± Since he was young, Merlin had been able to understand things just by looking at them. By just watching another child¡¯s flying paper airplane, Merlin had understood the aerodynamics of the wings, and how flight worked. Also, by watching dancing b-boys, their body movements, bone movements and muscle usage, Merlin was able to get the gist of their dance moves and perfectly repeat them himself. Merlin was able to understand the essence of anything through his observational insight skill. Since birth, Merlin could understand anything in the world that entered his eyes. This had always been true. - However, Merlin didn¡¯t understand what he just saw. ¡°What¡­ was that?¡± It was something beyond his comprehension. It wasn¡¯t that the ray of light was too fast. Though the tip of Arthur¡¯s sword had become a ray of light, the sword art technique had been deployed from Arthur¡¯s body movements. Astonishingly, Merlin was still able to observe, process, and interpret some of Arthur¡¯s bone and muscle movements. Though he could not perfectly understand the process, he could see that Arthur was utilizing his inner qi. This was all Merlin could comprehend. In the past, when Merlin first met Arthur, he had felt happy to find a being just like him. Now though, it seemed that Arthur had surpassed him. Scrunch. ¡°Huh? Ugh¡­¡± Merlin felt a sudden pain. The ¡®Heaven¡¯ mark that Mari had placed on his head burned as if it was on fire. The reason was simple: Arthur¡¯s sublime martial arts move had stimulated the power of Qi Heaven, which was sealed within Merlin¡¯s body. CH 112 Ping! Ping! The ray of light split into two and grazed each side of Sungmuk¡¯s shoulders before shooting past him. The rays moved fast. A bit too fast. Sungmuk, who had deflected long-ranged bullets from a Berrett without even looking, could not even react to Arthur¡¯s sword strikes. ¡°Try this. It¡¯s the first step of Bursting Sword Light, Thousand Light.¡± Arthur wasn¡¯t careless. In terms of swordsmanship ability, Sungmuk and Arthur were nearly equals, so though this battle was immensely fun, Arthur knew he couldn¡¯t ease up. Dragging the fight on would be insulting to his opponent, and increase the chances that Sungmuk would somehow successfully counter. Flash! At that moment, a burst of blinding light shot out from the center of Arthur¡¯s body. ¡®I¡¯ll see it.¡¯ Sungmuk threw away the Divine Red Sparrow sword¡¯s sheath, and ignited Dividing Clear Mirror Water with his Mysterious Sword. ¡®I¡¯ll see it.¡¯ Merlin¡¯s eyes lit up with a bright, shimmering gold light. With this, his comprehension ability speed accelerated. Boom! As time slowed, Merlin could see waves of light rushing toward Sungmuk like a tsunami. Even in this slowed state, Merlin couldn¡¯t make out the movement of the sword that was creating the wave of light. ¡®Five hundred¡­ no, seven hundred¡­ no. Arthur called it Thousand Light. That wave of light must be a thousand sword strikes.¡¯ Though it was called Thousand Light, many would consider it an absurd joke that a thousand strikes could be sent out in that brief of a moment. The sword strikes were so fast that it seemed like the wave of light was created by a single light-based sword qi strike. The only two who knew that Arthur¡¯s attack consisted of a thousand sword strikes was Sungmuk and Merlin. Bam! As fast as lightning, Sungmuk dealt out ten sword strikes and concentrated his Body Strengthening Self-Defense Technique into a semi-circle. He created a beautiful amethyst shield that hovered in the air through his mastered Body Strengthening Self-Defense Technique; Divine Violet Mist, but Arthur¡¯s tsunami-like torrent of light covered him in an instant, as if he was swallowed by a raging wave. Seeing this, Merlin understood something. Though Sungmuk would do everything in his power to block this attack¡­ he wouldn¡¯t be able to. Ring! ¡°Ugh?!¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± ¡°Ack! What the hell?!¡± An ear-piercing ring rang out. The gathered users quickly placed their hands over their ears in anguish. Arthur¡¯s attack was sudden and had taken everyone by surprise, but Merlin was fine. Arthur¡¯s Thousand Light attack consisted of waves of light that moved at supersonic speeds. Merlin had accelerated his thought and reasoning process to observe the attack; hence, he was able to see Sungmuk bring up his magic circle right before Arthur¡¯s attack enveloped him, which allowed him to block Arthur¡¯s attack. Of course, this observation itself wasn¡¯t what protected Merlin from the loud ringing; he had seen the reverberating sound shockwave billow out after Arthur¡¯s attack clashed with Sungmuk¡¯s magic circle, so he had activated his internal energy to protect his ears. ¡°Tsk. I told you not to look down upon the users, right?¡± ¡°¡­ I thought you couldn¡¯t be here.¡± ¡°Hmpf. You don¡¯t really think that, do you? You and I are in different positions. I can do whatever I want.¡± A clear voice rang in the minds of the users, who now filled the entire central city square. It wasn¡¯t an attack but a spiritual presence, a presence that a supreme being naturally emanated in the company of lower-level beings. ¡°W-what is that? An elf?¡± ¡°Is her magic power for real¡­¡± The newly appeared being was a woman. She had the characteristic pointy ears of an elf, was strikingly tall, and possessed flowing green hair. Four soccer-ball sized jewels revolved around her like satellites. Each of them possessed a breathtaking amount of magic power. ¡°Green hair and pointed ears¡­ with four fantasy stones¡­¡± ¡°No, wait¡­ you¡¯re not saying that she¡¯s the one on the official DIO homepage, right?¡± ¡°It seems so, no?¡± ¡°Ah, crap¡­ the being on the official DIO homepage is supposedly as strong as the grandmasters who reside in the seven Holy Lands. She¡¯s comparable to the dragon Igniz that showed up during the closed beta period.¡± Brief descriptions of characters who resided in Dynamic Island were given in the [Character] section of the official DIO homepage. On that webpage, descriptions of the seven Holy Land grandmasters, leaders of major organizations, and other major figures were given. Based on some of the descriptions, there were a few beings that couldn¡¯t be considered anything less than unimaginable monsters. That same webpage detailed the existence of four supreme monsters that ruled over the four largest areas that existed in the world of DIO: Forest of Despair, the Bitter Earth, Desolate Desert, and the Dead Earth. The backdrop and description of these four supreme monsters were so impactful that users knew of their names even though no user had ever come across any of the four. ¡°She¡¯s the ruler of the Forest of Despair.¡± She was magnificently clad in green and wore a jade green necklace with the figure of an angel, along with a pair of emerald earrings the size of one¡¯s thumbs. A skin-tight green dress gave off an angelic glow and highlighted her slim yet athletic figure. The dress had slits down each side like a Chinese qipao, which showcased her sleek legs. ¡°The queen of the forest, Mahashah.¡± Mahashah was a Legend Class monster whose power was equal to the grandmasters that resided in each of the seven Holy Lands. She was a being that became aware and grasped the rules of the heavens and the earth, so she was able to combine and exact numerous spells at the same time. As a Great Mage, if she so desired, she could even destroy an entire planet! Bam! Bam! Boom! At that moment, fierce auras started to congregate in the city square. They were familiar faces to the gathered users; guards who were placed all around the city to protect important facilities and stores, provide help and guide users, and prevent fights from breaking out. However, at this moment, the aura they gave off was different. Whoosh¡­! Roughly thirty guards rushed in from all four corners. In total, over a hundred guards converged in the city square while emanating a terrifyingly powerful aura. Some used lightness skills to traverse through the air like gale winds while others rode wind spirits and flew like birds. There were also guards who used short-distance teleportation to disappear and reappear repeatedly to get to the city square. Their teleporting speeds were so quick that they seemed to cross Starting in an instant. Though the guards weren¡¯t after the users, the users couldn¡¯t help but feel the hair on their skin raise watching the speed with which the guards advanced into the city square. However, Mahashah snorted as if she didn¡¯t care. ¡°All these worthless copies are gathering to contend against me¡­¡± At that moment, a red ring appeared above the head of a Gane 1 guard, who had been at the vanguard, and broke into pieces. The appearance of a red ring meant that Gane 1 had requested something from its higher-ups and had been granted its request. ¡°All guards who are of the Gane-type, listen up! The Durendal seal has been lifted!¡± ¡°Copy. Operating Divine Weapon, Durendal!¡± ¡°Operating Divine Weapon, Durendal!¡± A dark colored Divine Weapon appeared in the hands of the twenty or so Gane-type guards gathered in the city square. The magic power residing within each of the Divine Weapons was formidable. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just the Gane-type guards that materialized Divine Weapons. ¡°Brothers! The Shooting Star seal has been lifted!¡± ¡°Roger that. Operating Divine Weapon, Shooting Star.¡± ¡°All Diwali-type guards, hands above your heads! The Demigod Book seal has been lifted~!¡± ¡°Operating Divine Weapon, Demigod Book! Even if we die, we will be reborn. Let¡¯s see just how strong a grandmaster is!!¡± Bam! Boom!! The guards, over a hundred in number, attacked simultaneously and mercilessly. Even a grandmaster, above worldly rules and laws, wouldn¡¯t be able to neglect the joint attack of the guards, who each carried their own Divine Weapons. Mahashah moved her left hand from left to right and moved her right hand upwards as she chanted holy words. Following the movement of her hands, a giant energy wave moved above and covered the rushing guards. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Ugh! Do something¡­ fight or flee! Otherwise, we¡¯ll be swept away by the energy wave!¡± Though the guards possessed tremendous power and aura, any bystander could easily tell who had the upper hand in this fight. The total number of attacking guards was one-hundred and twenty. However, from just one attack, a third of the guards had already been converted into gold-colored smoke. ¡°Phew, I was a little startled when I first saw your Divine Weapons, but I guess they are only a fraction of the power of their originals, no? I guess, even in a place like this, it¡¯s difficult to mass produce original Divine Weapons.¡± Though she spoke in a carefree manner, the guards¡¯ attack had impacted her. Though they carried Divine Weapons that were only a fraction of the originals, those fractional Weapons were still formidably strong. One or two strikes from such weapons wouldn¡¯t have hurt her, but a joint attack from the numerous guards, each with their own fractional Divine Weapon, posed a much greater danger. Also, it wasn¡¯t just the guards who were hostile towards her. ¡°Eh, whatever. Attack! I didn¡¯t attack since I thought I couldn¡¯t go up against her, but if I do nothing, I¡¯m going to die anyway.¡± ¡°Darn it! I just came to do a bit of shopping¡­ why the hell am I conducting a raid?¡± Due to the energy wave that Mahashah sent out, about a hundred users had instantly turned to gold smoke and were forcefully logged off. Even if they had to go up against a grandmaster, the users could no longer stand on the sidelines. From their point of view, wasn¡¯t a grandmaster just another monster or NPC created by the DIO program? The gathered users had not interfered when Arthur was fighting against Sungmuk because they assumed they couldn¡¯t offer any help to Arthur, not because they didn¡¯t want to fight. Truthfully, the users hated dying, but they weren¡¯t afraid of it. Since users felt they had nothing to lose but a few stat points, they had nothing to truly fear. ¡°I wonder if she¡¯ll give a lot of EXP points¡­ wait, is it even possible to defeat her?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try to overwhelm her through sheer numbers! Even if we don¡¯t finish her off or gain any drop items, just participating in a fight against a grandmaster will probably give us a lot of EXP!¡± Arrows flew through the air as a sweltering heat filled the battlefield. Warriors took out their swords and made their way towards Mahashah, and any buff-spell capable mage or priest buffed the warriors with defensive-stat-enhancing spells. ¡°Oho¡­ what do we have here?¡± At first, Mahashah smirked at the scene. She was a great mage who fully comprehended the rules and laws of the world. Once she had stepped into the realm of transcendence, the number of enemies she faced was no longer a cause for concern. However, once the buffed warriors, mages, spiritual elementalists, and archers all attacked together, she began to feel a pressure affecting her body. ¡°¡­ What is this?¡± She tried to resist the pressure, but a strong force threw her down onto the ground before she could even try. Bam! The overwhelming force buried Mahashah''s legs into the ground. Her body had dug into the ground as if she were a nail, and a hammer had hit her squarely on the head. ¡°All close combat type users should form into groups of a hundred-and-eight, encircle her, and overwhelm her with force! All mages and non-close combat users should form into groups of twenty-eight and maintain Michael¡¯s Sleeping City formation!¡± ¡°Any users who are unfamiliar with these formations should find a place amidst the general formations!¡± A tremendous wave of qi circled around the users and created a hostile whirlpool of spiritual power. An overwhelmingly strong force, which didn¡¯t seem commensurate with the expected output that the users'' formations should have made, swooped down upon Mahashah. ¡°What is this¡­!?¡± Boom! Mahashah exploded up from the ground, and began to hover in the air. The fantasy stones that were revolving around her started to shoot out magic power in the form of rays. If she had more time, she¡¯d be able to cast one of her main spells and decimate all the users in one blow, but the users weren¡¯t stupid; they would never give her that time. With no other options, Mahashah decided to use the strongest spell she could cast in the shortest amount of time. ¡°Whoa!!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Dang it. I just hit three hundred points in magic power yesterday¡­¡± CH 113 Just from that brief clash, nearly two hundred users were logged off instantly. It was unbelievable that such a brief spell could be so strong, but Mahashah had expected the spell to be even stronger. She thought that it would take care of the thousand or so users who were immediately around her and buy her some time to prepare her main spell. But to her surprise, when her spell took effect on the users, its magic power had substantially decreased. The spell¡¯s effect was only one-fifth of what she had originally expected. ¡®An Energy Field. They¡¯ve made an energy field around them through their battle formation.¡¯ Battle formations allowed a group to combine their power to create a force greater than the sum of its parts. However, all battle formations had their limitations. No matter how much practice and connection a group of individuals had, battle formations were still composed of individuals who were all specialized in different areas. Thus, in the world of martial arts, the most effective battle formation was one comprised of identical twins. Though identical twins weren¡¯t the same person, it was the closest one could get to maximizing the effectiveness of a battle formation. Still, this had its own limits; namely, the number of people. What were the odds that hundreds of identical twins would be in the same place? ¡®No, it can¡¯t simply be chalked up to their battle formation. There¡¯s a deeper reason for this.¡¯ Though the gathered users were using a battle formation, it wasn¡¯t like they had practiced beforehand. It didn¡¯t make sense that their spontaneous use of a formation in the heat of battle would be so formidable. A battle formation only heightened a collective power; it did not introduce any new power. Despite this, Mahashah couldn¡¯t deny the tremendous amount of pressure and magic power that was originating from the middle of the battle formation. Mahashah¡¯s magic power had failed to produce its intended effect. The spiritual qi of the users within the battle formation interweaved like a net, tightly defending all the open spaces. Ting! Mahashah¡¯s eyes shone bright as she observed the surrounding spiritual qi. The users¡¯ bodies and souls were ¡®protected¡¯ by the DIO system, so even she couldn¡¯t see into them¡­ but the spiritual power that was oozing out of them was still visible to her. ¡°I see.¡± She now understood. It was what she had expected. There was a spiritual connection amongst the users. This connection was awakened by the users¡¯ fighting spirit to protect themselves and overcome a perceived threat. The effect wasn¡¯t noticeable when there were only two, five, or ten gathered users, but once their numbers tallied a hundred, a thousand, or even more, the effects of this spiritual connection became more intense. In other words, [the more users banding together], the greater the effect of the spiritual connection. There were over a hundred thousand users already gathered in the square, and there were more flowing in every second. Their numbers were likely closer to two or three hundred thousand now. ¡°This¡­ doesn¡¯t bode well for me.¡± Mahashah realized that she needed to escape. Though she was a transcendent being, her life would be in danger if she chose to stay and fight. She was able to continually mow down the users around her to keep them at bay, but since they did not fear death, other users would quickly fill up the space where their compatriots had fallen. Mahashah wanted to rise up into the air and just send out ranged attacks from the relative safety of the skies, but the energy field pressure from the users¡¯ battle formation was so strong that she¡¯d most likely be pulled right back down. If she wasn¡¯t careful, the pressure would bury her deep into the ground. ¡°Spell Counter! All mages, conduct Spell Counter!¡± ¡°If there are any Level Nine priests, even if it¡¯s troublesome, please cast Holy Blessings!¡± ¡°For those who can cast Magic Pillar spells to counter casted magic spells¡­ oh wait, the Magic Pillar spell can only be cast by Master level users¡­ darn it! Why aren¡¯t there any Masters!¡± The users shouted in frustration. Though DIO¡¯s time flowed twelve times faster than real life, the game had only been open to the public for less than a month, so the truth was that Master level users were extremely rare. Moreover, even if there were Master level users, they wouldn¡¯t be able to play DIO twenty-four hours a day due to the recent login time restrictions. Additionally, users who had the potential to attain Master level would inevitably have lives outside of the game that they needed to tend to ¨C as these users were probably just as talented in the real world to possess the potential to become a Master in DIO ¨C so it would be difficult for them to invest everything they had into the game. ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t all the guards Master level beings?¡± ¡°Oh yeah¡­¡± The initial group of guards that had confronted Mahashah had taken on the brunt of her initial attacks, so many had already been eliminated. However, since the users had joined the battle, about thirty or so guards were still alive. ¡°Aria 56! Since you¡¯ve come to help, please cast Magic Pillar spells!¡± ¡°Oh, okay¡­¡± ¡°Gane 4¡¯s! We¡¯ll provide cover fire and support from the back, so make a formation at the front! You guys know how to do the 108 Shaolin battle formation, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Among the chaotic screams and orders, the guards couldn¡¯t help but make dumbfounded expressions as they found themselves pulled along by the users. Each of the guards were extremely powerful beings, but the center of this battle¡¯s attack was the users. Also, the users greatly outnumbered the guards, so they had no choice but to listen to orders. ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess there¡¯s no other alternative.¡± At that moment, Mahashah smiled as she extended her right palm in front of her. In response, the four fantasy stones that revolved around her stopped and formed a line in front of her. She was aiming in the direction where Arthur and Sungmuk were. ¡°Get down.¡± ¡°What¡­¡± Mahashah shot out a large beam of light. Whoosh! It was definitely light, but the way it pulled users towards it and shredded them made the light seem more like a high-speed revolving mass of quicksilver. ¡°Oh my.¡± Arthur, who was just about to put the finishing blow on Sungmuk, did not have time to take proper evasive action. He watched as the beam of light approached him. Though Sungmuk had crouched down to avoid the beam of light, he wasn¡¯t going to be affected by the beam anyway; Mahashah had noticed his presence and didn¡¯t want to cause him any harm. If Mahashah had not noticed him and Sungmuk had still crouched down, he would have been incinerated before he could even scream. ¡°Monarch!¡± Whoosh! The space in front of Arthur opened and revealed a five-meter-tall Metal Dinosaur. The Metal Dinosaur wrapped around itself to form a shield, blocking the beam of light. Boom!!! Mahashah¡¯s Sinister Cannon, one of her ultimate spells which could only be cast once her fantasy stones were aligned, inflicted tremendous damage on a countless number of users. The spell had been cast instantaneously, without even a chant. The beam¡¯s diameter was over a hundred meters, and it had passed right through the middle of the crowd of users. ¡°What the hell! Over two-thousand users died instantly!¡± ¡°What was that? Even if she is a great mage, how could she possibly launch such a powerful spell without even chanting?¡± Users who could cast a Count spell and those who were looking at the population figures on their minimap were the first to cry out. Of course, even if one wasn¡¯t privy to the exact number of deaths, it was clear that Mahashah¡¯s spell had wreaked havoc. The gold-colored smoke that arose from the users¡¯ deaths filled the air like a fog. The gold-colored smoke that arose after a user¡¯s death only lasted a total of three seconds, but with the sudden decimation of so many users, the smoke was thick that it had blocked the users¡¯ visibility and momentarily shrouded Mahashah¡¯s whereabouts. And at that moment¡­ ¡°Checkmate!¡± Following the path created by her Sinister Cannon, Mahashah was able to move to the center of the city square. She swung her hand at the Guardian Tower. The movement of her hand was graceful and light, yet held enough power to cause the Guardian Tower to crack. Crack. Crack. The users, who had been relentlessly attacking her, froze after the smoke cleared. They watched helplessly as they recalled the description of what would happen if the Guardian Tower was destroyed. [If the Guardian Tower at the center of the city is destroyed, regardless of how the destruction occurred, DIO will be shut down for a period of 24 real-time hours.] ¡­ ¡°Ha¡­ Hahaha. T-this must be a joke, right? It must be¡­ right?¡± ¡°Right. The game company is a business that needs to make money, so they wouldn¡¯t shut down the servers just because we lost to an in-game monster¡­¡± Crack! A crack appeared in the sky. For a game that emulated reality almost perfectly, the scene looked completely foreign and out of place. The users couldn¡¯t help but sweat. ¡°T-they¡¯re serious? Really?¡± ¡°N-no¡­¡± Seeing the unthinkable unfold right before their eyes, the users were filled with a feeling of despair. However, this wasn¡¯t the end. Crack! Mahashah continued to rip the cracking tower apart. At first glance, the action seemed superfluous, as the world of DIO¡¯s [Closing] process seemed to already be underway, but then, the users recalled another description in the quest. [If the monster touches the Guardian Stone within the Guardian Tower, the DIO shutdown time will be extended. The projected time is 168 real-time hours. In other words, DIO will be down for one week, real-time.] ¡°Oh shit! Stop her!¡± ¡°Does she have some sort of vendetta against us?! She¡¯s beautiful and all, but that doesn¡¯t mean she can do this!!¡± ¡°Ah, but she really is beautiful.¡± ¡°She¡¯s so beautiful that anything she does might be forgivable¡­¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± A number of users who had quickly realized what Mahashah was doing desperately rushed towards her. However, most of the users were slower to assess the situation, so the attack was not nearly as powerful as before. As Mahashah raised her hand once more to destroy the Guardian Tower, a shot was fired from the group of users that rushed her. Boom! Bam! The shot was fired at Mahashah¡¯s head, but before it could reach its intended target, it was blocked by a rainbow-colored barrier. Though the shot possessed a considerable amount of aura power within it, it was unable to pass through the seven-layered barrier. It had only managed to get through two layers. While holding Ascalon in his hand, Arthur shot himself upwards, following the path of the shot. He still had to deal with Sungmuk. ¡°Cut through, Dragon Slayer!¡± It was Ascalon¡¯s ignition phrase, or Trigger Voice. Responding to the Trigger Voice, one of the four magic spells that was stored within Ascalon was released. A hostile magic power revolved in eight directions around Ascalon. As if a dragon¡¯s neck had formed in front of it, Ascalon emanated a terrifying aura. Sungmuk quickly countered. ¡°Cry, Red Sparrow.¡± The moment Arthur swung Ascalon, a burning wave of fire collided against it with an equally powerful force. This proved that Sungmuk¡¯s Divine Red Sparrow Sword and Arthur¡¯s Ascalon were both of a similar tier of advanced magic items. ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped,¡± Arthur muttered under his breath while flying at Sungmuk. ¡°Sorry.¡± Arthur spoke to Sungmuk while mid-air. Sungmuk chuckled amusedly at Arthur¡¯s apology. ¡°I told you to use full force from the start.¡± At that moment, a bracelet that hung around Arthur¡¯s wrist unfurled and shone brightly, morphing into a long, silver sword. CH 114 ¡°Activate Divine Weapon. Excalibur.¡± Boom! Lightning struck. It flew horizontally, so it would be more accurate to say that it was shot out, rather than that it fell. The scene reflected the meaning of the sword¡¯s name; [Intense Lightning]. The large lightning strike headed straight towards Sungmuk. It was unavoidable, and as for the power of the strike¡­ Sss¡­ Where Sungmuk had stood, there remained only black smoke. The result was instantaneous death. The sight of Sungmuk, who had taken the lives of countless users, falling from a single attack shocked the users. ¡°Even Sungmuk, who can use the Body Strengthening Self Defense Technique, couldn¡¯t withstand that single blow¡­¡± ¡°How much magic power did that attack contain¡­ w-wait¡­ nine million Tetra?!¡± ¡°Wait, what sort of magic power inner circuitry allows nearly a billion Tetra to be used in one instance?! Even if you imbued an object with magic power for a whole month, you would still only be able to store about ten thousand Tentra before your inner circuitry burned up, right?!¡± Disregarding the exasperated users, Arthur stomped on the ground and shot out like a bullet. His target was Mahashah, who was reaching for the Guardian Stone in the middle of the crumbling Guardian Tower. ¡°Oho. Such a gifted child. I would have liked to have a conversation with you if this were normal times, but I¡¯m a bit busy today.¡± Mahashah sent out one of the Fantasy Stones, which had been revolving around her to prevent any users from getting near her. The Fantasy Stone¡¯s speed was far beyond the speed of sound¡­ but at the same time, Ascalon shot forward like an arrow. ¡°Fly, Dragon Piercing!¡± Boom! Ascalon and the Fantasy Stone collided, sending out a tremendous shockwave across the city square. Arthur zipped through the air with his divine weapon, Excalibur, in hand. Arthur couldn¡¯t use Excalibur¡¯s ultimate attack skill, Intense Lighting, because he had just used it. Even still, Excalibur was an excellent blade. ¡°Cut through, Hundred Thunder.¡± The Bursting Sword Light¡¯s Second Step, Hundred Thunder, burst out. The attack consisted of a hundred strikes that occurred almost instantaneously. Unlike the first step, Thousand Light, which was in the form of a flat plane, this second attack was in the form of lines; hundreds of lines of light that flew out and collided against Mahashah¡¯s barrier. Boom! It was a powerful attack. Cruze¡¯s full force bullet had only been able to go through two of the seven rainbow barriers, but Arthur¡¯s attack went through four. Only the seventh and final remaining barrier, the violet-colored barrier, remained. However, the seventh barrier¡¯s stability was as precarious as a candle in the wind. Arthur shot forward thunderously from mid-air and shouted, ¡°Operate Master Skill. I call upon you! Answer! Dragon¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I won¡¯t let you.¡± Mahashah used her index finger to press against the bridge of Arthur¡¯s nose. Arthur couldn¡¯t understand what had happened. He saw Mahashah still standing in the distance¡­ but another Mahashah had somehow appeared right in front of him. Once Mahashah placed her thumb, which had been accumulating her power, on her index finger¡­ Bam! Arthur¡¯s body flew back tens of meters with a roar, as if he were shot out of a cannon. Mahashah''s counterattack was exceptionally effective because she had timed it perfectly, right as Arthur had launched his full force attack. Arthur¡¯s nasal bone was crushed, and his innards were turned to mush, which immediately placed Arthur into a dying condition. Though he could have recovered using the magic-powered items and potions he had brought with him, the blow he sustained was too widespread to recover everything at once. It was going to be impossible for Arthur to recover before Mahashah touched the Guardian Stone. ¡°Finally, no one to disrupt me.¡± Of course, even at this moment, there were thousands of users who were rushing to stop her, but no one could surpass the Fantasy Stones that were hovering and revolving around Mahashah. Just as Mahashah was about to touch the Guardian Stone¡­ a burning-armor knight appeared. Whoosh!!! The knight''s sudden appearance was followed by a tremendous, sweltering heat. Mahashah and the gathered users all saw this¡­ but neither her nor the users knew if this figure was a user or an NPC. ¡°W-what is that?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ so hot!¡± At a glance, one could make out the knight''s silver-colored armor. His entire body was covered with this full-plated armor. Moreover, the plate armor¡¯s material was¡­ ¡°Whoa, is that all Mithril?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen that armor at the weaponry¡­ dang, that guy bought the entire set? Does that guy have money to burn?!¡± Not caring about the user''s exasperated cries, the knight with burning armor strode forward in front of Mahashah and blocked her path. The gathered users tried to identify the user ID that was floating above his head, but they couldn¡¯t make it out because of the flames that covered his entire body. ¡°You¡­ this magic power¡­¡± Mahashah spoke as she looked at the figure and narrowed her eyes. However, the knight with the burning armor didn¡¯t offer a response. Instead, he placed both of his fists against each other. ¡°Go.¡± He spoke in a low voice. Soon, he became a blazing flame that soon turned into a sun. /Burning Prominence of Apollon!/ His gathered magic power slammed squarely against Mahashah¡¯s chest. Mahashah was a great mage, skillful enough to disperse an opponent''s magic power and reinstate it back to nature regardless of how great their power was. Unfortunately for her, however, this situation proved uniquely challenging. She had already strained herself to reduce the numbers of the first group of guards who attacked her, and the four Fantasy Stones, which were her main weapons, were preoccupied with holding back the tens of thousands of users approaching her from all sides. In addition, the magic system contained in the flames emitted by the burning-armor knight wasn¡¯t something she could scoff at. Boom! With a deafening noise, Mahashah¡¯s body shot up into the sky. Of course, sending her into the air was not a permanent solution. As a great mage, Mahashah was able to fly indefinitely in the air; hence, she could stay high up in the air, fly across the sky, and carpet bomb the users with her ultimate spells. If she did this, no matter how many users there were, they wouldn¡¯t be able to resist, and would be rendered completely helpless. However, the Guardian Tower was already destroyed, and the world of DIO was in the process of shutting down. The burning-armor knight¡¯s main objective was to get her far away from the Guardian Stone, not to defeat her. Crack! Another crack formed in the sky. Like cracks that formed on a frozen lake, more and more clear cracks appeared in the sky, branching across the entire skyline. The entire scene looked so foreign and unbelievable that many users felt as if they were witnessing the end of the world. ¡°Hmm¡­ I was too late. Well, it¡¯s not like I have some sort of vendetta against you all, so I¡¯ll stop here. If the developers get angry and start to intervene, it¡¯ll become difficult for me as well.¡± Mahashah looked at Merlin with a sad expression, as if she wanted to say something. At that moment, some text appeared in front of every user¡¯s eyes. /The Guardian Tower has been destroyed./ /The server will be forcefully shut down./ Then, the world became dark. *** Knock. Knock. ¡°Come in.¡± The door opened. A tall, slim, black-haired beauty walked through the door. Surrounded by a halo-like effect with a confident expression on her face,, she was bound to turn heads wherever she went, but the man in the room did not even look her way. With hair so red that it seemed it could be set ablaze any moment, the man was comfortably seated in a soft-looking chair. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, teacher.¡± ¡°Yes, it has. About fifteen-hundred years, no?¡± Hearing his casual reply, she narrowed her eyes. ¡°¡­ It hasn¡¯t been that long. It¡¯s only been a little over ten years.¡± ¡°Is that right? I¡¯ve been in a place where the flow of time is incredibly condensed, so I must have lost track of time.¡± Continuing to speak nonchalantly, he opened his eyes. His eyes were as clear as a newborn baby''s, shining softly, but they were also filled with unimaginable knowledge and wisdom. If one lacked the willpower, one would lose their sense of consciousness just by looking into his eyes. ¡°Where did you go off to without a word?¡± ¡°Hmm, I wonder.¡± The way he was speaking, it seemed he was on the verge of falling asleep at any moment. Though he was looking at the woman, his sight seemed set on something much further away. ¡°Teacher¡­ no¡­ Cain. Are you alright?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Soon, Cain¡¯s eyes gained focus. Then, he suddenly asked, ¡°Jenica, do you know what exists beyond this world?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really like philosophical questions.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a philosophical question. I¡¯m asking the question verbatim. In other words¡­ do you know what exists outside the universe?¡± ¡°Nothing, of course.¡± She responded without a shred of doubt in her voice. This was her reality, a conclusion she had reached after realizing the truth of the universe and this world. To her knowledge, nothing but empty space, nothingness, existed outside of the universe. In the beginning, the world was nothing. Nothing existed. It wasn¡¯t an empty space; there was truly nothing. From this space appeared [The Singular Person], the creation god who created this vast, sprawling world when it threw its soul into the nothingness. ¡°But what if there is something beyond this universe?¡± ¡°What are you talking about¡­¡± She scoffed at his illogical words, but Cain continued speaking. ¡°Four-hundred years ago, the representatives of our Six Worlds came to an agreement and eliminated Asura, who ruled over this world. This is what we desired and wanted, but it was also what [The Singular Person] wanted. From the start, without its approval, we would have never been able to go against Asura, who possessed absolute authority. Of course, we came to the decision of our own free will¡­ but I always sensed the presence of [The Singular Person] everywhere.¡± Cain was talking about the creator, a being who created the world but had never expressed its will since. There was no way to approach this being, nor was it detectable, but it was certain that the transcendental being¡¯s will existed. However, hearing Cain¡¯s words, Jenica frowned. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± An astronomical amount of time had passed since the world was created, but the creator had never expressed its will directly since. Despite this, of course, there were countless believers in the world who worshipped and followed the god of creation. There were even some transcendent beings among the worshippers. However, their belief was just like the belief in gods that humans had on Earth: unfounded, believing blindly without knowing god¡¯s true desires or meaning. Indeed, such unfounded faith and belief in a god that no one ¨C even the god one believes in ¨C had asked for would inevitably distort one¡¯s perception of reality and cause one to lose any sense of direction or purpose. ¡°Soon¡­ a drastic change will happen. The fallout from that change will be immense, but it must happen. Just like in the past, when Asura was eliminated.¡± Cain spoke in a low, calm voice. His serious demeanor was completely different from the happy and upbeat attitude he had his entire life. Jenica soon asked, ¡°What will change?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I can¡¯t tell you. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you; it¡¯s because it¡¯ll become set in stone in this world once I speak it.¡± Of course, any words uttered by Cain, the god of magic, were not the kind of things that could be identified and collected, even if one had the highest security clearance to the Akashic system. He was a top-level god who could perfectly hide his existence. Jenica concluded that if even Cain could not outwardly verbalize something, lest his words be heard, then there must be some being with transcendental powers who was opposing her teacher. ¡°¡­ Cain, who dares to be your enemy?¡± ¡°You¡¯re very intelligent, my disciple.¡± Cain smiled brightly. However, like all mortals who lived their lives in the face of fate, Jenica couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of nervousness about the future. CH 115 *** What Suffocates Me *** He got out of bed and headed to the window. It was morning. Merlin, no, Yongno hadn¡¯t been in reality like this in a long time. ¡°What should I do¡­¡± That was the first thought he had. Unfortunately, Yongno had nothing to do when it came to the real world. In the past, he had a lot of hobbies, but ever since he had first accessed and started playing DIO, all of those things were now insignificant. Ring! Just then, a cell phone ringtone rang out. ¡°Who could that be? I¡¯m not expecting a call.¡± Of course, for any normal student, it could have just been a school friend, but Yongno didn¡¯t have any school friends. His relationship with the people he knew at school was strictly as classmates. If there was ever an occasion to meet, Yongno would dutifully laugh and talk with them, but when they split up, Yongno would forget all about them. There were dozens of these acquaintances¡¯ numbers stored on his phone, but for Yongno, if he didn¡¯t meet someone for a few weeks, he¡¯d completely forget their faces. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Hey!! Yoon Yongno!!¡± ¡°Oh, hey older sis. It¡¯s been a while.¡± Yongno was the youngest of three siblings. Above Yongno was a brother who was six years older, and a sister who was three years older. His older brother, Taewoong, had always dreamed of being a soldier in the army, so he had graduated from a military school and was now on the path to becoming an elite officer. Yongno¡¯s sister, Boram, was currently studying at a prestigious university. Both had found their path and passionately pursued their goals without the urging of their parents; in other words, they were the standard-bearer children that all Korean parents wanted. ¡°Do you even have time to talk right now? Aren¡¯t you going to enroll in a university?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°N-not sure?¡± Yongno could hear her voice tremble with anger over the phone. Boram, who had been setting goals for her future since elementary school and had established and implemented specific plans her whole life, could not understand her brother¡¯s seemingly lazy lifestyle and haphazard approach towards his own future. ¡°So, what¡¯s up? Didn¡¯t you leave for the USA?¡± Yongo asked. ¡°Not the USA, Germany! How can you get those two places confused?¡± ¡°The USA, Germany, they¡¯re both foreign places.¡± ¡°How does that make any sense¡­ wait, no! This is not why I called¡­¡± Yongno could sense Boram¡¯s frustration through the phone. Her tone of voice was harsh, but even an ill-mannered person could not be upset with her after hearing her speak. Anyone could easily tell from her tone that her anger stemmed from a genuine concern. ¡®I forgot how much energy she has.¡¯ Yongno smiled, but Boram continued huffing and puffing as she spoke. ¡°Anyway! Come back home this instant.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too far away.¡± ¡°Whatever! Just come! I just found out that dad and Taewoong are both on vacation, so I asked them to come over. I want the family to get together since it¡¯s been a while. Mom wants to see you, too.¡± Though it was common in most families for a mother to want to see her child, Yongno couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t lie.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°No, nothing. Well, I have nothing to do today, so I¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°Alright! You better show up!¡± Click. With the sound of her final energetic shout, the phone line disconnected. ¡°She¡¯s relentless.¡± Despite his grumbling, Yongno liked her for her relentlessness. She was always energetic and cheerful, always running boldly toward whatever goal she set. She seemed to always shine brilliantly like the sun, a bright presence without an inkling of darkness. This garnered the love and attention of everyone around her, but she never turned a blind eye to the weak and the underprivileged. The only loner living around her was probably Yongno. ¡°This works out well, I suppose. If she called me any other day, I probably wouldn¡¯t have picked up, so I guess it¡¯s good she called today.¡± While mumbling to himself, Yongno got ready to go out. He washed up and put on appropriate clothes. The place where his parents lived was quite far from Seoul, but it was also a big city, often called the second capital. It wasn¡¯t too difficult to get there, but it was still going to take Yongno a while, so he had to hurry. Click. Whoosh. Yongno felt a strange sense of appreciation when he saw the open scenery of the city and felt a gust of cool wind on his face after opening the front door. It had been a while since he had ventured outside the house. Even though he was only at the front door, Yongno felt as though he was being thrown into an entirely new world. ¡°I crisscrossed such a vast sea in DIO, but in reality I¡¯m just a loser who¡¯s stepping outside his front door for the first time in ages.¡± Though he lived an action-packed life in-game, in real life he had spent almost all of each day laying in his bed. Crack. As he was walking and mumbling to himself, Yongno suddenly stopped in his tracks. His eyes focused on his neighbor¡¯s house, which was located directly in front of his. The distance between the two homes was only about three meters. Ding-dong! ¡°¡­?!¡± Yongno surprised himself by ringing the doorbell. He had never taken the initiative to ring his neighbor¡¯s doorbell. Moreover, this wasn¡¯t just anyone¡¯s house; this was Eunhye¡¯s house. Yongno couldn¡¯t recall a time when he even thought about ringing Eunhye¡¯s doorbell. ¡°Should I¡­ run away?¡± Yongno shook nervously as he waited. With trembling eyes, Yongno fixed his eyes on the door in front of him. With his heightened senses, Yongno could feel someone from the other side calmly approaching the door. ¡°Eh? Uh, wait. You¡¯re not Eunhye¡­¡± Creak. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Eh¡­ hello, Mrs. Oh¡­¡± ¡°What is it? You¡¯re still in touch with Eunhye?¡± Opening the front door was a middle-aged woman. She stood at an average height, with permed hair, and a slightly thin figure. She looked like an ordinary woman, but her sharp eyes always made it seem as though she was in a bad mood. ¡°No. I was just walking by¡­ since I live so close¡­¡± Yongno received a glare in response. ¡°Ah, but Mrs. Oh, you¡¯re living here now? Eunhye¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t concern you.¡± Bam! Yongno looked blankly at the front door. Mrs. Oh had slammed it with such force that it seemed like it might break. He had asked Eunhye if her parents had returned. As far as Yongno knew, Eunhye didn¡¯t get along very well with her parents. If Eunhye was home, her parents would never have visited. ¡°I guess Eunhye¡¯s gone.¡± Yongno recalled the short-haired girl with clear eyes who had visited him on a snowy day. ¡°Merry Christmas.¡± In hindsight, that interaction was probably her farewell. ¡°Dang. She could have at least told me when she was planning to leave.¡± He grumbled, but he knew it was his fault. Eunhye, who was reluctant to interact with others, must have mustered all her courage to even bid Yongno a merry Christmas. On that day, she had chatted about things that she never spoke about before. She had even waited for Yongno to wake up, even though she never stayed in anyone else¡¯s house for an extended period of time. ¡°She¡­ really left.¡± Of course, it was currently an era that was often referred to as the global village. No matter how far away a country was, one could reach it in a day by plane, and one could easily hear the voice of another whenever one wanted. It didn¡¯t make sense to feel as though you would never see someone again. It wasn¡¯t like Eunhye was going to the moon or a remote place untouched by modern society. Yongno smiled. ¡°I barely contacted her when she lived right in front of me, so I guess it wouldn¡¯t make sense that we¡¯d start contacting each other more frequently all of a sudden.¡± Eunhye and Yongno both didn¡¯t have that kind of personality. Both disliked contact with others and enjoyed their own private space. In a way, they both had tendencies closely associated with autism. However, no problems ever arose because they were both able to control or hide their emotions using their advanced intellectual ability and willpower. However, the truth was that their condition was so serious that psychotherapy probably wouldn¡¯t even work on them. Beep! /[Thank you.]/ Yongno got on a bus, scanned his public transportation card, and sat in an empty seat. He shook his head to clear all the thoughts that were swirling around. ¡°Anyway, I hope I can make it by lunchtime.¡± Yongno soon got off the bus, entered a train station, and boarded an express train. Luckily, there weren¡¯t many people aboard, so he was able to easily find a seat. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to do. Should I have brought a book to read?¡± With a slightly annoyed expression, Yongno closed his eyes and laid his head back on the headrest. Flash! Yongno recalled the Sword of Light that had flowed out like a tidal wave. The purity of the attack¡¯s internal energy had reached such a high level that even Yongno, who possessed an extreme interpretation ability, couldn¡¯t understand how it was done. The attack had easily and overwhelmingly defeated the seemingly all-powerful orc hero. It was a true cut-type attack. Arthur¡¯s cut move, which seemed near perfection, had reached speeds beyond supersonic and epitomized what a true cut was. ¡®Among my hand skills, the fastest skill is¡­ Plum Blossom Hand.¡¯ Though the Plum Blossom Hand was fast, it paled in comparison to Bian Lian Hand and Fantasy Hand, which were more popular and regarded as the top hand skills. Yongno¡¯s Great Strength Vajra Hand was powerful but relatively slow, and his Great Tantra Hand required two processing steps before it could unleash its power. Though a Great Tantra Hand strike could shoot out as fast as a bullet, it couldn¡¯t be considered a top-echelon hand skill in terms of speed. Finally, Yongno¡¯s Divine Tai Chi Hand was optimized for opponents in a defensive position, so it couldn¡¯t even be considered. ¡®If I can learn the hand skill that mirrors the Bursting Sword Light¡¯s Sword skill¡­¡¯ However, Yongno quickly shook his head. It was impossible. Even though he was able to understand the peak Plum Blossom Sword technique at first glance, Yongno couldn¡¯t do the same with the Bursting Sword Light technique. He couldn¡¯t even understand the principle of how Arthur was able to convert internal energy into light photons in the first place. Yongno could understand how the heat, the cold, and the burst of lightning had been utilized, but what kind of trick had Arthur done to the light? Internal energy could freely change its form, but it was still limited to the basic forms of solid, liquid, or gas. Even if something else was applied, such as directional movement with the energy of yin and yang, this would only result in something like the sparks of lightning that were formed through the Lightning Divine Technique, which was already a difficult achievement in and of itself. However, Arthur¡¯s Bursting Sword Light meant that he had taken the conversion of internal energy to a whole new level. ¡°Dang it.¡± Yongno sighed. His head was starting to hurt, so he thought it best to stop thinking about it. ¡°Whatever. I should get some sleep.¡± Yongno felt that he shouldn¡¯t bother thinking about it if he couldn¡¯t reach the answer. As he thought this, he closed his eyes. CH 116 Bam! A wooden rod, which had been made by breaking off the long handle of a mop, sliced through the air. Bam! Its motion was perfect, as if it had been pre-measured with a ruler, and it moved unnaturally fast. However, the attacker¡¯s arms were shaking, and their hands were torn and bloody. ¡°Just like I predicted, even a mere one-hundred repetitions of the movement are difficult in real life. But I can still enter the stance properly and successfully recreate it¡­ I guess this means I retained muscle memory for it?¡± Bam! Dongsoo kept swinging his rod, again and again, but his real physical body was completely different from the aura-tuned body of Lancelot in-game. No matter how strong and persistent one¡¯s mind was, it was impossible for a mind to transcend the body and its physical limits. For a soul that has not achieved enlightenment, the body was inevitably a prison that one could never escape. Clang! Finally, the rod slipped from his grasp and rolled to the ground. Dongsoo tried to pick it up, but a sharp pain spread through his aching muscles as they tore, stopping him in his tracks. Dongsoo groaned in pain. ¡°This isn¡¯t working out. I don¡¯t know why I pushed myself so hard knowing that I can¡¯t achieve what I want.¡± He fell onto his back and laughed bitterly. While lying on the floor, he recalled the sword qi that had spread out like light in the world of DIO. He let out a sigh. Suddenly, his body began to lightly tremble with quiet laughter, building until he was cackling maniacally. ¡°Ha! Hahaha! Hahaha!!!¡± Dongsoo couldn¡¯t believe it. The ideal of martial arts resided in that light-based attack. Though the attack had unfolded before his eyes, Dongsoo couldn¡¯t understand the principles behind it at all. No matter how long he brooded on it, even if he were to spend his entire life analyzing what he saw, Dongsoo would never even discover how the move was done, let alone benefit from it. Somehow, such a movement had been achieved by a young man, who appeared to be around Dongsoo¡¯s age, and who was not even an expert martial artist who had devoted tens or hundreds of years practicing. ¡°Life is¡­ life is just really unfair.¡± Of course, Dongsoo knew this well. The world was never fair; all beings in the world were born in completely different starting points. A newborn baby from a second-generation chaebol and one from the poorest social class lived drastically different lives through no fault or merit of their own. Also, Dongsoo knew that in the real world, not everything could be achieved merely through hard work, just as mice and rabbits could not naturally fly like eagles. ¡°But¡­ but¡­¡± Dongsoo knew all this. He knew that the world was inherently unfair and that the concept of equality was nothing more than an illusion. Even still, wasn¡¯t this too unfair? How could there be such a vast difference between two human beings? How could that possibly be logical? Deep within him, Dongsoo heard whispers. Impossible. He¡¯d never achieve what a few others could. Even in an online game, Dongsoo would never be able to reach the upper echelon. Those geniuses were still flesh and blood, just like Dongsoo, but their difference was inherent, built into them at birth. ¡°Hmpf.¡± Dongsoo pretended not to hear the whispers and got back onto his feet. His muscles screamed out in pain, but he endured it as if it had become part of his daily life. DIO¡¯s pain control system varied its threshold based on a user¡¯s personal pain threshold, and since Dongsoo had been repeatedly undergoing more and more pain in-game, the DIO system¡¯s pain control system had long since stopped applying to him. In other words, if he was mentally determined to move right now, he could. However, although his mind could overcome the pain, it wasn¡¯t wise for him to continue moving, as his body was at risk of being unable to sustain the movement and breaking down. ¡°I need to extend my training time.¡± Dongsoo already invested most of his day in DIO and devoted all his remaining time to training in real life. If he wanted to train more, he would have to somehow make some ¡®other¡¯ time. ¡°I need to increase the intensity of the training as well.¡± *** [This stop is Pyeongyang, Pyeongyang Station. You may exit on the left.] Screech. Yongno got off the train and started walking through the crowded station. If one turned their head after exiting the station, one would see the Daehan Building; the tallest building in Korea. ¡°Sooyeon Apartment, please.¡± ¡°Okay. Do you live there?¡± ¡°Not me. My parents.¡± The taxi driver, who seemed slightly interested after hearing the name of the apartment, whistled quietly. ¡°Dang, that¡¯s a nice place. I heard a lot of celebrities live there.¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± Yongno didn¡¯t seem interested or impressed by the taxi driver¡¯s statement as he continued to look out the taxi¡¯s window. The city wasn¡¯t too different from Seoul, with its densely packed high-rise buildings. Seoul and Pyeongyang had a strange rivalry with each other. Both cities had a reputation to maintain as cultural centers, so both tried to one-up the other by being newer or cleaner. However, in Yongno¡¯s eyes, both cities looked pretty much the same. ¡°34,000 won.¡± ¡°Here you are. Thank you.¡± Yongno felt that the fare was strangely expensive for a relatively short ride, but he wasn¡¯t strapped for cash, so he promptly paid and got out of the taxi. In front of him was a huge apartment building. Almost five hundred meters away from the apartment was a sign that read, [this is private property]. ¡°Yongno!¡± ¡°Eh? Elder sis?¡± While walking towards the apartment without much thought, Yongno turned his head towards the voice calling out to him. A woman in her early twenties came into his sight. She was 174 centimeters tall, with a slim frame, slightly wavy long hair, and many attractive facial features. Her looks would attract any passerby¡¯s attention. Whenever she stood still, people would often try to sneak a glance. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Whoa. You¡¯ve been waiting for me at the entrance?¡± ¡°Of course. Outsiders aren¡¯t allowed inside this place.¡± Saying so, Boram walked closer toward Yongno. Though she had a slim body and a beautiful appearance, she walked like a soldier. Her gait shattered the illusions that men had after being bewitched by her appearance. ¡°Ah, sis, don¡¯t walk like dad.¡± ¡°Huh? Hahaha! Did I walk like him again? It¡¯s become a bad habit, hard to shake it! I¡¯m more mindful in front of others, so don¡¯t worry.¡± She smiled and patted Yongno on the shoulder. There was a significant force behind her pats that would have staggered Yongno, if he was not already accustomed to his sister¡¯s brazen personality. ¡°You¡¯re still the same.¡± ¡°Pretty much. But you¡¯ve gotten more handsome and toned, no? Have you been working out?¡± ¡°Working out? Ha, no. I¡¯m just a loser who stays home.¡± ¡°Well, looking back, I guess you always had a pretty good frame¡­ which is weird considering the way you live. Are you working out when no one¡¯s looking? Like martial arts or something?¡± ¡°No way.¡± Yongno shrugged. The truth was, he just had a very good physical frame. His body¡¯s center of gravity was well established, his shoulders were wide, and his physique and skeletal structure were well developed, which gave his body an ideal shape. In addition, he seemed to have been born with natural strength, as he had been quite strong from an early age. If Yongno exercised a little, his muscles appeared readily on his frame. Yongno wasn¡¯t too interested in his body or in revealing it, but it was literally the ideal physical structure; a gift from god. As a spiritual or qi conducting vessel, his body would be the ideal form, which meant that his body was like a weapon. Hence, in terms of physical strength, Yongno¡¯s body always carried a certain level of stability and power. ¡°I¡¯ll just be passing through!¡± ¡°Of course, miss. Who¡¯s that with you? Your boyfriend?¡± ¡°Hahaha. I don¡¯t have a boyfriend. This is my younger brother.¡± ¡°Wow, everyone in your family is so good looking.¡± The man who smiled and conversed pleasantly with Boram had a solid body. One could easily tell that he was well practiced in a martial arts discipline. Based on the atmosphere of their conversation, he seemed to be a security guard, and since such a person was on the premises, it was clear that this apartment complex was for the rich. ¡°Hahaha. I guess we lucked out in the genes department.¡± As they entered the apartment complex, they were greeted with a well-decorated garden. Although it was winter, the grass and trees were bright green, as the garden was located inside the climate-controlled building. ¡°I¡¯m always reminded of how rich we are whenever I visit this place.¡± ¡°Hmm? No way. Really rich people don¡¯t live in these types of apartments. Do you remember Hyunwoo¡¯s house? The real rich live in single family residences.¡± Hyunwoo was one of Boram¡¯s friends, and someone Yongno knew very well. Hyunwoo was the son of the chairman of the Daesung Group, a world-renowned conglomerate. Hyunwoo was also good in his studies, which allowed him to enter the country¡¯s top university. Of course, conspiracy theory-loving netizens created accusations and rumors that his father had just bought his way through admissions, but this was absurd. Hyunwoo could speak eleven languages at a native-speaker level, and he worked as a diplomat, so he was able to easily cast off any doubt about his intellectual ability. Moreover, Hyunwoo was quite handsome and had a sculpted body, a type of body that could be seen in a magazine. He epitomized the ideal son that all mothers spoke about. ¡°Is that how it is?¡± ¡°Yes. Still, I like all the conveniences that a place like this affords. To be frank, the size of the apartments in this place is shockingly large.¡± Ding~! Boram got into the elevator and pressed the seventh-floor button before continuing, ¡°Oh, right. Do you play that game that¡¯s all the rage right now?¡± ¡°You mean DIO?¡± ¡°Right, that one! It¡¯s so popular right now!¡± Boram spoke excitedly about DIO. DIO had achieved feats that modern science could never implement and had produced an incredibly fantastic world. Based on what she was saying, it seemed that the spiritual power areas that she chose were internal energy and aura. ¡°Let me ask you something! What level do you think I am in-game?¡± ¡°Level Seven.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Boram¡¯s excited expression quickly hardened as the elevator doors opened with a ¡®ding¡¯. However, seeing that his sister was still in a daze, Yongno took it upon himself to drag her out of the elevator. It was only then that his sister seemed to awaken from her stupor. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t just guess whatever comes to mind¡­¡± ¡°I must have guessed correctly.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± It seemed that Boram was crestfallen after failing to surprise her brother. However, Yongno didn¡¯t pay any attention to his sister¡¯s expression and looked around the area instead. Though there was a hallway, there was only one door. This meant that the whole floor was one family¡¯s apartment. Moreover, the hallway was outfitted with two cameras, allowing the occupants within the apartment to see who came and went. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to open the door?¡± ¡°What? Huh¡­ oh¡­ wait a second.¡± Boram shook her head as if to clear her mind and reached for the keycard within her purse. She placed it over the keycard reader and punched in an access code. Ring~ With a clunking noise, the front door unlocked and opened. However, before entering, a question popped into Boram¡¯s head. ¡°Wait, how did you know my level? Did someone take a video of me and post it on the internet?¡± ¡°No, I just figured you¡¯d be around that level.¡± ¡°Oh, then you just guessed.¡± Boram mumbled about how Yongno had just happened to guess correctly. However, this wasn¡¯t the case. As if he was looking down from a place high above her, Yongno could tell what her level was just by looking at her. Although he couldn¡¯t tell what spiritual power she specialized in, or feel her spiritual power level or qi, Yongno just knew. It would be more appropriate to say that he felt it. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Yongno started questioning how he could have felt it. Of course, he always had a discerning eye. Just by looking at someone walking, he could accurately guess what their job was, how their physical condition was, what kind of exercise they were doing, and even what their personality or goals in life were. However, these types of things were done through reasoning and intuition. Wasn¡¯t it strange to know someone¡¯s level in DIO, which had nothing to do with reality? Was this some sort of superpower? ¡®Well, it¡¯s not like I have one or two of these talents¡­¡¯ In truth, Yongno had several talents that were close to superpowers. There was his high-speed reasoning ability that he had mastered before the age of ten, and his swimming skills that he had developed from just moving his arms and kicking against the water. Moreover, over the past three years, he had learned how to perfectly control his body from a state of weightlessness, which went against the laws of physics and the rules governing reality. Once Yongno became interested in something for a long time, he always reached a state of competence and developed a talent in that field. He didn¡¯t find this very strange, but anyone else would have been shocked after hearing of such an ability. The awakening of this power within a modern-day body, with one¡¯s genuine-qi and spirit vein blocked, meant that Yongno had acquired extreme enlightenment, like Jesus or Buddha in the past. Nevertheless, his consciousness hadn¡¯t yet reached the point of transcendence like these transcendent beings of the past. This was because he hadn¡¯t struck a balance between what he knew and what he had become enlightened in. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m back!¡± Boram shouted. ¡°Welcome back. Where did you go?¡± ¡°I was bringing in a visitor.¡± ¡°A visitor? Boram, it¡¯s been a while since our family has gotten together¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate to have a visitor¡­¡± CH 117 While speaking aloud, Miran, a middle-aged woman, came out from the kitchen. She stiffened up at the sight of Yongno standing at the front door. Her eyes were filled with bewilderment, astonishment, and a little bit of fright. Definitely not a look that one would think a mother would give to her son. ¡°Hello, mother. It¡¯s been a while.¡± Boram chimed in. ¡°Hey, really? ¡®Mother¡¯? Anyway, mom, are you sick? All the color has drained from your face¡­¡± Miran snapped out of it. ¡°Hmm? Ah, it¡¯s nothing. Hahaha. Son, it¡¯s been a while. You¡¯ve grown so much. Wait a moment, I¡¯m preparing some food¡­ why don¡¯t you go and greet your father.¡± After saying this, Miran rushed back into the kitchen. It was clear that Miran was rushing to get away from something. ¡°Hmm¡­ the situation is worse than I thought.¡± Boram murmured with a slightly frustrated look as she observed her retreating mother. Of course, Boram spoke in a nearly inaudible voice and quickly fixed her frustrated expression, but with his heightened senses, Yongno was able to catch these details. ¡®Is she trying to reconcile differences and make peace within the family? Bring me back into the fold?¡¯ Of course, the term ¡®reconcile¡¯ wasn¡¯t entirely correct. It¡¯s not like he had fought with his family or had a big conflict. However, his family had always seemed to fear him since a long time ago, and for whatever reason, whenever Yongno saw his family members acting in such a way, he felt overwhelmed with strange feelings. ¡®Why do I feel this way?¡¯ Yongno didn¡¯t have an answer. Humans naturally felt afraid when meeting others who are different from themselves. Yongno¡¯s parents and older brother, Taewoong had watched Yongno clearly spiral into the depths of despair, unlike Boram. Boram, who was only three years older than Yongno, had studied abroad for most of her life, limiting the amount of time she spent with him. If his family still felt uncomfortable around him, Yongno couldn¡¯t help it. Yet, it nagged him still. ¡®Why¡­ why¡­¡¯ ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Yongno¡­¡± ¡°Hello, father. Taewoong, how are you? It¡¯s been a while.¡± Yongno wondered why he felt such overwhelming anger and hatred when seeing his other family members. Seeing her father, Seokwoo, and Taewoong¡¯s hardening expressions, Boram tried to lighten up the mood. ¡°Wow! It¡¯s been so long since our whole family has gathered together, no? We don¡¯t really have any occasion to meet up these days, so this occasion is a real treat!¡± Boram had figured that the atmosphere would just be a little awkward at most; she was taken aback by how frigid the atmosphere had become. ¡°Wow! It¡¯s been so long since our whole family has gathered together, no? We don¡¯t really have any occasion to meet up these days, so this is a real treat!¡± ¡°Food is ready!¡± Miran called out from the kitchen. Since the time was a bit past two in the afternoon, this meal was most likely lunch. ¡°Let¡¯s eat first. You haven¡¯t had lunch yet, right?¡± ¡°Father.¡± Taewoong looked at his father with a slightly surprised expression, but Seokwoo just nodded seriously and headed to the kitchen. The kitchen space overlapped with the living room, but since the size of the house was large, the size it covered was considerable. There were two tables, large enough to fit ten people if they squished together. ¡°Wow! This is quite the spread mom! Ooh, look at that short rib.¡± Still trying to clear the heavy atmosphere, Boram spoke brightly and made a motion as if she was taking in the smell of the food. Seeing this, Yongno quietly commented, ¡°Sis, it¡¯s like you¡¯re shooting for a commercial.¡± ¡°Huh, really? Do I look like an actress?¡± Boram smiled as if to thank Yongno for his passing remark, but the truth was that Boram¡¯s appearance was more beautiful than that of a decent actress. She was taller than the average Korean man, and her figure was perfectly proportioned, so her height didn¡¯t look too awkward. If she decided to quit her studies, or even while pursuing her studies, she could easily become a popular celebrity. Taewoong spoke up. ¡°Come to think of it, since you¡¯re done with the entrance exam, Eunhye must also be done, right? Is she doing well?¡± ¡°Huh? How do you know about Eunhye, Taewoong?¡± Yongno answered his brother¡¯s question with another question. Feeling that Taewoong had some sort of underlying intention with his question, Yongno was about to press further. However, Seokwoo soon spoke up. ¡°Taewoong. Stop speaking about that.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ yes, father.¡± Seokwoo was a serious, authoritative head-of-the-household figure. His charisma and personality was well suited for an army commander. Even the charismatic and talented Taewoong and Boram listened to their father without question. Clank. Clank. A heavy silence ensued. Miran¡¯s food skills were quite excellent, so all the dishes she prepared were delicious, but under the weight of their silence, no one could really taste and appreciate the food. However, Yongno, the only one who was not affected by the heavy atmosphere, calmly spoke up. ¡°Now that I think of it, I haven¡¯t called any of you in a while. I¡¯ve decided not to attend university. I crashed and burned on the university entrance exam anyway.¡± Yongno spoke confidently, which didn¡¯t quite mesh with his words. Even though his words were not as extreme as something like suicide, most students who didn¡¯t do well on the entrance exam would feel some level of shame. But Yongno didn¡¯t. Although he didn¡¯t enter and attend high school with the objective of doing well on his entrance exam, his position as a general humanities student meant that he didn¡¯t develop any particular skill in school, so his attitude was abnormal. However, Miran and Seokwoo¡¯s acceptance of Yongno¡¯s decision was also abnormal. ¡°Is that¡­ right.¡± ¡°Well, if that¡¯s what you¡¯ve decided, then I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡± His parents seemed to readily accept it. Seeing this, Boram couldn¡¯t help but speak out. ¡°Wait, what? Mom, do you really mean that?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°D-dad?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Boram badgered her parents, but both Miran and Seokwoo didn¡¯t offer a response. It seemed that they wanted to end the conversation here, but Boram wasn¡¯t having any of it. She couldn¡¯t wrap her mind around why her parents and brother weren¡¯t chastising Yongno and asking him to reconsider. ¡°Ah..!¡± Her anger was boiling over. She wasn¡¯t angry about her brother¡¯s decision not to enter a university or his lack of a plan for the future. Her mother, who was always so benevolent and versatile. Her father, who had lived a solemn but reasonable and respectful life, and her brother, who was on the path to becoming an elite member of society with consistent sincerity and honesty. This family unit, which Boram considered a model nuclear family, was allowing their youngest to go down a treacherous path. Boram couldn¡¯t tolerate it. ¡°From the start, I couldn¡¯t understand why we were all meeting without even calling Yongno. When he was in high school, I could somewhat understand¡­ he needed to study. But right now, he¡¯s finished with his entrance exams and has free time, so why didn¡¯t anyone invite him? Also, without even asking for a reason, you¡¯re all accepting his decision to not attend a university! What the hell is¡­!¡± ¡°Boram.¡± Miran grabbed ahold of her daughter¡¯s hand. It was a gesture telling her to stop, but Boram didn¡¯t heed the message. It was the first time in her life that she was going against her parents¡¯ wishes. ¡°Why? Why are you all just accepting of this situation? Did you all do something terrible to¡­¡± At that moment, Boram saw her mother and father¡¯s eyes shaking, and Taewoong¡¯s lips twisting into an ugly expression. His face seemed to signify defeat, cynicism, and remorse all at once. ¡°Boram, please stop. Please¡­¡± Seokwoo pleaded. ¡°But dad¡­ really¡­¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Boram was overwhelmed with shock. She had never heard her dad apologize, nor did she ever think he ever would. ¡°Sis, just stop.¡± Yongno, who had been eating quietly, spoke up while gently putting his spoon down. He remained unaffected by the commotion going on around him, so he had been quietly emptying his plate. ¡°Thank you for the meal. Eating food at home is truly the best. If I stay here any longer, it¡¯ll just cause everything to become more awkward, right?¡± Having said this, Yongno got up from his seat. Boram tried to grab on to her younger brother¡¯s shoulder, but Yongno slipped past her reach with natural grace and ease. ¡°Yongno.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, sis. Don¡¯t overdo it. It¡¯ll be more comfortable for everyone if we keep living the way we¡¯re living now. There¡¯s no reason to make things harder.¡± While saying this, Yongno put on his shoes. Since he hadn¡¯t brought anything with him, there was nothing holding Yongno back. ¡°It¡¯s a little late, but happy new year.¡± Bam! Yongno walked through the front door and closed it behind him. As luck would have it, the elevator was currently on the eighth floor. He probably wouldn¡¯t have to wait long for the elevator to come. ¡°Should I have not come?¡± Yongno muttered to himself as he pressed the elevator button, but he soon shrugged it off. He didn¡¯t really care about seeing his other family members, but he was glad he got to see his sister. She was one of the few who actually cared about him. Ding! The elevator doors opened, and Yongno stepped inside. Inside the elevator was a girl in her late teens and a man in his mid to late forties. Since the elevator had been on the eighth floor, Yongno assumed that one or both passengers must have boarded from the eighth floor. ¡°Hmm? The seventh floor is Mr. Seokwoo¡¯s residence, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever met you. Are you Boram¡¯s boyfriend? She must have a lot of suitors that come her way. I congratulate you.¡± ¡°Why is that always the first thing that pops into everyone¡¯s mind? Anyway, I¡¯m Seokwoo¡¯s son. The youngest.¡± Yongno gently thumped his head against the elevator wall while wondering what outlandish lifestyle Boram had been living to garner the same response from everyone. After hearing Yongno¡¯s words, the young girl in the elevator made a surprised expression and spoke up. ¡°Eh? The youngest? Aren''t there only two siblings, Taewoong and Boram?¡± ¡°It¡¯s three siblings. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve been cast aside¡­ anyway, why are you speaking to me informally?¡± ¡°Because we¡¯re about the same age. How old are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m twenty this year.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯re the same age. Nice to meet you. My name is Leaf.¡± Looking at her more closely, Yongno saw a beautiful girl, 165 centimeters tall with a slim figure. A leaf-shaped brooch was pinned to her golden hair. She wore a white tank top with a yellow stripe across it. The slightly exposed design of her tank top revealed her narrow waist. ¡°Why is your name like that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a nickname, of course. Don¡¯t you know me?¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± Yongno asked because he truly didn¡¯t know who she was, but for the girl, his words caused her bright smile to slightly fade. ¡°Ha. Hahaha. Don¡¯t kid around. I¡¯m Leaf. You know, the Leaf.¡± ¡°What do you mean I know? Are you popular?¡± ¡°Am I p-popular? You¡¯re asking me if I¡¯m p-popular?¡± Leaf began to visibly tremble. However, she soon regained her composure and spoke up. ¡°Don¡¯t you know [Won¡¯t Stop!]? It¡¯s been playing on all five of the major music stations¡­¡± ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re a singer?¡± ¡°¡­¡± For a moment, Leaf felt as if something had been disconnected in her head. She wouldn¡¯t have minded much if Yongno was an older person or a foreigner, but how could someone the same age not know of her? CH 118 ¡°Hey, you dumb bastard! Don¡¯t you have internet access at home?¡± ¡°Whoa, whoa, calm down. Didn¡¯t I tell you that you¡¯ll get yourself in trouble if you don¡¯t correct that personality of yours?¡± The middle-aged man stepped in front of Leaf, who seemed on the verge of having a seizure. Seeing this, Leaf immediately came to her senses. ¡®Oh my God!¡¯ Leaf thought. No matter how angry she was, she couldn¡¯t believe that she had lost her temper and forgotten about the person standing next to her. It was true that she was gaining popularity, but if the middle-aged man wanted, her bright entertainment career could fall deep into an abyss. Leaf had only started talking to Yongno in the first place because she had felt like she was suffocating alone in the elevator with the middle-aged man. ¡°You¡¯re her manager?¡± Yongno asked. ¡°What? Manager? Don¡¯t you know who this is¡­¡± ¡°Leaf.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry. I¡¯ll stay quiet.¡± The lively Leaf soon became sullen; her shiny blonde hair seemed to lose some of its luster. However, it seemed that her anger hadn¡¯t fully subsided yet, as she shot Yongno a glare when the middle-aged man couldn¡¯t see. She was moving her mouth and rattling on without any sound based on the shape of her mouth. Yongno could tell that she was cursing him¡­ ¡®bad guy, evil boy, you¡¯ll burn in hell, your family line will end with you¡­¡¯ things of this nature. Ding! Soon, the elevator arrived at the ground floor, and all three of them stepped out. As Yongno made his way to the exit, the middle-aged man called out. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Yongno. Yoon Yongno. What¡¯s yours?¡± ¡°Sungyeon. Kim Sungyeon.¡± Sungyeon answered with an expressionless face while Leaf made a disgruntled expression from behind him. She seemed annoyed that Yongno was acting so carefree in front of Sungyeon, and she seemed to have a lot to say about it. ¡®I guess he¡¯s like an entertainment group CEO, or something along those lines.¡¯ Yongno thought. Yongno wasn¡¯t completely aloof; he was able to read the room. He could tell that the man was in a high position, and he had no desire to learn anything further. Yongno wasn¡¯t a celebrity, and he didn¡¯t care about them, so what did it matter how high the middle-aged man¡¯s position was in that world? Yongno didn¡¯t have much contact with other people anyway, so he didn¡¯t care if the middle-aged man was the president of Korea, let alone the CEO of some entertainment group. ¡°Dang, this apartment complex is wastefully large.¡± Yongno mumbled as he walked toward the exit, which was about a hundred meters away. Although he was indoors, the space was large and vast. The first three floors had an open floor plan to offer rest areas, amenities such as food courts, and other convenience services. ¡°Hmm. You have a good voice, Yongno.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Do you want to try singing?¡± ¡°No.¡± Yongno lightly rejected the man¡¯s out-of-the-blue request. The rejection was natural for Yongno, but Leaf looked incredulous, as though she could not believe it. How could he say no? She looked at Yongno as if to say ¡®You are making a huge mistake¡¯, but Sungyeon smiled, seemingly unbothered. ¡°I see. You¡¯re not an average person.¡± ¡°Huh? I think rejecting your offer is the most reasonable and normal thing to do in this situation, no? There¡¯s no reason why I should accept.¡± When Yongno shrugged his shoulders, Sungyeon shook his head. ¡°No. Normally, in this type of situation, one would ask ¡®why?¡¯ or ¡®you want me to sing here?¡¯¡­ no one just says ¡®no¡¯.¡± ¡°Then I must be an eccentric person.¡± Yongno didn¡¯t feel like talking. Although he hadn¡¯t put much thought into seeing his family, he was still unhappy to discover that they were still afraid of him. If he enjoyed being in this position, he¡¯d be a psycho. It was absurd that he¡¯d give any thought or interest to a person he didn¡¯t even know asking him to sing. However, the blonde girl, who had kept her mouth shut thus far, didn¡¯t seem to be on the same page as him. She narrowed her eyes toward Yongno. ¡°Man, I¡¯ve been quietly listening until now, but I just can¡¯t¡­¡± Leaf started. ¡°It seems you¡¯re frustrated about something. I¡¯m sorry if you felt harassed,¡± the middle-aged interjected. ¡°Director? But that guy¡­¡± ¡°Leaf.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± When she saw Sungyeon¡¯s expression harden, Leaf dropped her head once more. Yongno felt a little bad for her, but since he¡¯d probably never see these people again, he just bowed respectfully toward Sungyeon. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll be heading off. Take care.¡± ¡°Right. Take care.¡± Sungyeon nodded his head. Of course, from behind Sungyeon, Leaf continued to grumble and glare at Yongno. Based on her mouth movements, she was saying phrases like ¡®bastard, devil, I hope you get into a car accident¡¯¡­ and other such curses. ¡°She¡¯s an interesting kid.¡± Though Yongno could make out her words, he didn¡¯t mind being cursed out. Actually, Yongno didn¡¯t mind people who approached him with truthful intentions, even if they disliked him. In any other situation, he may have wanted to talk to her, even if it meant hearing more of her curses. Perhaps he may have even sung a song, as Yongno actually liked singing. ¡°Whatever.¡± Yongno quickly shook his head and continued walking towards the exit. DIO was going to open soon, and in order to get in right as it opened he¡¯d need to hurry back home. *** [Thank you for choosing Hoseo Airlines. You are on Hoseo Airlines flight 011, bound for New York. The estimated travel time is¡­] Hearing the announcement, Eunhye laid her head back on the headrest. Though she hadn¡¯t moved around much, she felt tired. ¡®Am I really leaving?¡¯ As she pondered this, a familiar face popped into her mind. It was the face of a boy who had been hurt by the world and lived a life of self-suppression. For Eunhye, that boy was like the sun. He had saved her from a hellish world. But now, all that light had been lost, and with each passing day her feelings diminished¡­ ¡°I¡¯ve noticed it before¡­ you two always stick together, no?¡± ¡°Hehehe. She is my girlfriend. She¡¯s pretty, right?¡± ¡°How cute. You guys sure do stick to each other.¡± When they were young, Eunhye was always byYongno¡¯s side. When they were in school, when school was out¡­ she was always with him. The world without him was too scary. Without him, Eunhye couldn¡¯t muster the courage to go to school, walk down the street, or even stay home. ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± Yongno shouted. ¡°Welcome back. Did you come with Eunhye?¡± His mother, Miran, shouted from the kitchen. ¡°Yes! Do you have something refreshing¡­ oh yeah, today is Taewoong¡¯s birthday, right?¡± Eunhye recalled the smell of delectable food wafting throughout the house. Seaweed soup was gently boiling in a big pot, and a large cake had been placed on the dining table. ¡°Did you prepare a gift for your brother?¡± ¡°Ahem. I¡¯m always prepared, shouldn¡¯t you know that by now? Of course, I¡¯ve prepared something. Oh, I¡¯ll help you with that!¡± Yongno made his way towards Miran and helped carry the dishes to the dining table. He was doing well, but Miran couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. ¡°I-it¡¯s fine. Just rest. Oh, your father wants to speak with you, so go to his room.¡± ¡°Dad wants to speak with me? Why?¡± Miran turned her head to the side and glanced at Eunhye. It was only for a split second, but Yongno understood his mother¡¯s meaning. ¡°Eunhye, can you wait here for a sec?¡± ¡°C-can¡¯t I go with you?¡± ¡°It seems like dad has something he wants to speak with me about privately. I¡¯ll be back soon, so just wait here for a moment.¡± ¡°O-okay¡­¡± Thinking that Yongno might be put in an uncomfortable situation if she continued to press him, Eunhye just nodded her head. Yongno smiled brightly, gently patted her on the head, and then went into his father¡¯s room. ¡°Uh¡­ can I help?¡± Eunhye asked Miran sheepishly. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Go ahead and relax on the sofa.¡± Though Miran smiled, Eunhye felt that it was awkward and artificial. It seemed as though she was concerned about something, as if she had done something wrong. Feeling a sense of nervousness after seeing Miran¡¯s smile, Eunhye walked around the house until she arrived right in front of Yongno¡¯s father¡¯s room. She wanted to wait there until Yongno came out. However, she heard Yongno speaking from the other side of the door. ¡°So, they¡¯re saying that I shouldn¡¯t be taking Eunhye around anymore? It¡¯s only been two months, but they¡¯ve already forgotten what position they¡¯re in. Have they gone mad?¡± ¡°Yongno, your manner of speech is too rough.¡± ¡°Ah, right. Well, I guess it can¡¯t be helped. Even if they¡¯re disgusting human beings, I guess they¡¯re still parents, so they may be able to realize their mistakes and change for the better. I¡¯m not related to her and I¡¯m young, so I probably can¡¯t be with Eunhye forever. But those disgusting people¡­¡± Eunhye was frightened out of her mind and ran to the living room before she could hear more. Yongno¡¯s words ¡®I probably can¡¯t be with Eunhye forever¡¯ kept repeating in Eunhye¡¯s mind. ¡®We can¡¯t be together?¡¯ Just the thought of this caused her great concern. For Eunhye, the only safe and peaceful space was by Yongno¡¯s side. Even though her parents had become a bit more cautious around her recently, she still felt it hard to face her disgusting monster-like father and scary goblin-like mother. As these thoughts swirled through her mind, Yongno stepped out of his father¡¯s room. ¡°Sorry, I was gone for a bit, huh?¡± he said. Just then, a voice called out from the front door. ¡°I¡¯m back home!¡± ¡°Oh, my older brother is back! Taewoong, happy birthday!¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah.¡± Eunhye said, still preoccupied. Afterward, a common and simple family birthday celebration commenced. They ate their food, sang happy birthday, blew out the candles, and cut the cake. It was the typical image of a happy family, but Eunhye, who lived her life constantly mindful of others, felt a strange tension in the air. There was a sense of nervousness and anxiety within each of them. ¡°Ooh. Chocolate cake. Is it okay that we¡¯re having my favorite cake on your birthday?¡± Yongno asked his brother. ¡°Hmm? Oh, I¡¯m not that particular about cake.¡± ¡°I thought you liked fresh cream cake?¡± Yongno was about to start distributing the cake when Miran spoke up. ¡°Yongno, can you go get the milk?¡± ¡°Milk?¡± ¡°Y-yeah. The cake is too sweet to eat by itself.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Eunhye whipped around and followed after Yongno, who had run over to the refrigerator. She didn¡¯t feel comfortable staying with the other family members, who all emanated an air of nervousness. ¡°Hey, Yongno.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ huh?¡± Eunhye was taken aback by Yongno¡¯s response. He reached into the refrigerator, took out the milk, and whispered, ¡°You were gonna say that something seems off, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t read other people''s emotions, so I can¡¯t be one hundred percent sure of the reason. Maybe they¡¯re planning on announcing something significant after the birthday party¡­ whatever it is, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s good news.¡± Eunhye felt uneasy. She was afraid that the adults would try to separate him from her. Ultimately, Eunhye knew that it¡¯d be nearly impossible to completely get away from her father and mother, who were her legal guardians. However, Yongno knew their weaknesses and protected her from their wrongdoings¡­ but Eunhye knew this couldn¡¯t last forever. However, at that moment, Yongno tightly grasped Eunhye¡¯s hand with a confident expression on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Eunhye. I¡¯ll protect you no matter what.¡± ¡°¡­ Okay.¡± While Eunhye nodded, Yongno caressed her hair. Eunhye was tall for her age, but Yongno was relatively tall as well. Their heights were nearly identical. ¡°Here it is! Low fat milk!¡± ¡°Oh. Good. Here¡¯s your cake.¡± Miran held out a plate towards Yongno. ¡°Huh?¡± Yongno was slightly taken aback, but since it was a small matter, Yongno didn¡¯t give it much thought and started to dig in. Soon, Yongno spit out what he had in his mouth. ¡°Yongno?¡± ¡°Everyone, stop eating.¡± CH 119 Eunhye felt the others freeze up. Yongno was quick-witted and sensed that the others had tensed up as well, but he disregarded them and took a bite from all the other family members¡¯ cakes. He didn¡¯t spit out any of theirs. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s wrong, Yongno? Does the cake taste off¡­¡± ¡°What did you put in my cake? And why only my cake?¡± Yongno''s voice was cold. Usually, a boy of his age would have felt confused or embarrassed in such a situation, but Yongno assessed the situation with amazing insight and judgment. It was the worst-case scenario, something he hadn¡¯t even imagined. However, he didn¡¯t panic. Suddenly¡­ Bam. ¡°Ah, it would have been nice to do this without any conflict. Was the tranquilizer we put in the cake defective? Or did it give off a particular smell?¡± ¡°I checked right before we used it, but there were no abnormalities. It¡¯s colorless, odorless, and tasteless. A dog or bear might have noticed it, but not a person.¡± ¡°But he did notice it.¡± ¡°The target must be much more extraordinary than what we initially expected.¡± The front door swung open and two men in suits came in. They had strong physiques, and it was clear they had done extensive exercise and training. Furthermore, they didn¡¯t seem to care that they were entering another person¡¯s home. They didn¡¯t even take off their shoes when they came into the house. The two men were soon followed by three more expressionless men in suits. ¡°Mom.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Dad?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Though nervous, Yongno looked over at his parents¡¯ faces, but they avoided eye contact. Finally, fully grasping the situation, Yongno scoffed aloud. ¡°So you¡¯ve already decided to take this route. Dad, I thought you were quite high up the food chain. I suppose one of your superiors gave the order?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°You know I¡¯m not asking for an apology!!¡± Finally, Yongno lost his composure and burst out in anger. However, the men in suits strode closer as if they had no intention of waiting. ¡°Our initial plan failed, so let¡¯s just drag him away. It seems he knows what situation he¡¯s in, so this shouldn¡¯t be too difficult. Make sure you gag him¡­¡± Boom! One of the suited men reached and grabbed Yongno. In the same moment, Yongno flew up and turned around mid-air, bringing the man with him. The man lost his grip, and crashed onto the floor without a chance to break his fall. He fell directly onto his neck. His body went completely limp. ¡°Hmm?¡± It defied common sense to see a child, who appeared to be an elementary school student, easily tossing a giant adult, who was over a hundred-and-eighty-five centimeters tall. However, the other men couldn¡¯t afford to stand and marvel at this unbelievable sight; Yongno had already taken off. ¡°This kid!¡± Another man reached out to grab Yongno¡¯s collar. Though Yongno was moving quickly, the man thought that this mishap would be all over once he grabbed Yongno, as their height difference was overwhelming. However, Yongno pulled the man¡¯s collar backwards, and the man¡¯s weight was pulled forward with it. Of course, the man had learned some martial arts, and adjusted his center of gravity to shift his weight backwards. Then, with precise timing, Yongno forcefully pushed the man away with his hands and sent the man stumbling backwards. Crash! ¡°My god, what the hell is this? Jujitsu? How the hell does this kid know jujitsu¡­ ack!¡± Yongno moved swiftly and caused another man to roll on the floor. Eunhye, who knew nothing about martial arts, felt like she was seeing something fantastical. A small boy moved his arms and legs a few times, and in succession, tall adults were easily felled and rolled around. It was an amazing sight to behold, but Yongno¡¯s movement came to an abrupt end when one of the men in the back pulled something out of his coat. Click. ¡°Ugh?¡± The man was pointing a gun at him. ¡°It¡­ doesn¡¯t seem to be a fake. Are you really willing to shoot me? A child?¡± ¡°Hmm. Am I willing to shoot you¡­ of course I¡¯m willing to shoot you!¡± Chk! The man pulled back on the trigger. A silencer must have been attached as the bullet exited without a loud discharge noise. Yongno¡¯s family members flinched at the sight of a gun being fired at a young boy. It was a shocking sight, followed immediately by something even more shocking. Bam! ¡°What?! He avoided the bullet?¡± The man with the gun looked shocked as Yongno kicked him in the wrist. Yongno had dropped low to the ground and shot out a roundhouse kick. Surprisingly, Yongno had lowered his posture quickly enough to dodge the bullet, and launched a counterattack! Bang! ¡°Ugh!¡± Suddenly, a bullet struck Yongno¡¯s back. However, no blood spilled. The bullet was a tranquilizer, not a common bullet. ¡°Settle down and think. There¡¯s no way a human can avoid a bullet. He was able to avoid it because he read your movements and the direction of your muzzle.¡± ¡°I-I would understand if he were a martial arts expert¡­ but he¡¯s just a little kid!¡± ¡°He¡¯s an enigma, which is exactly why we¡¯ve been called to¡­ huh?¡± The man who was speaking widened his eyes. Yongno should have crumpled to the ground after being hit by the tranquilizer, but somehow he was still standing upright, albeit teetering. ¡°This¡­ is unbelievable. He¡¯s been hit by a tranquilizer designed to take out a grown man, but he¡¯s still standing. Is that little body of his able to restrain the effects of the tranquilizer?¡± They looked at Yongno in astonishment. If their opponent had been a large burly man, they might have understood, but this case was too unusual. This couldn¡¯t be explained by high intelligence or good reflexes. Yongno, the subject of everyone¡¯s surprise, stumbled but managed to keep his balance. ¡°You¡¯re throwing everything you have at me. I can only assume you¡¯re not going to treat me nicely after taking me away¡­ you¡¯re probably planning on doing a lot of inhumane things to me, right?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know either. Our objective is to just bring you in.¡± ¡°Fine. Since I¡¯ve been forsaken by my own family, I guess I shouldn¡¯t even bother to put up a fight. Could you just give me a moment to say my last words?¡± When Yongno realized that there was no escaping his fate, he became calm. In truth, he resisted only because he felt angry at this unbelievable situation. Now that he had time to think about it calmly, Yongno knew that it¡¯d be wise to do as they wanted. ¡°¡­ We won¡¯t kill you.¡± ¡°I feel like that means you probably won¡¯t kill me.¡± Yongno turned his head to look at his family. They turned away and didn¡¯t face him properly. Their expressions were full of shame and guilt. The father who was always stoic, but loving and considerate. The caring mother who was afraid of her son yet always did her best after giving birth to him. The brother who was blunt, but thoughtful¡­ Yongno couldn¡¯t see any of these characteristics in his family members¡¯ faces now. All he could see were strangers who couldn¡¯t overcome their fears. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. You¡¯re the weirdo. I just¡­¡± ¡°Stop it.¡± Seokwoo stopped Taewoong from continuing. No matter what, the final responsibility was Seokwoo¡¯s, the head of the household. Though Taewoong and Miran had always felt afraid of Yongno, the decision to escalate things to this extent laid squarely on Seokwoo¡¯s shoulders. The pressure and conciliations he had received from his military superiors were not entirely negligible, but his rank was also not low. He could have risked everything and used his rank to further protect his child. However, Seokwoo had not taken this path. Ultimately, what was transpiring was his fault. ¡°To be honest, I want to fight this. But in this situation, we¡¯ll only end up hurting each other¡¯s feelings, right? Rather than do that, I¡¯d like to just ask you for a favor instead. Please take care of Eunhye.¡± ¡°But she is a stranger to me. We aren¡¯t related.¡± ¡°You¡¯re capable of preventing her parents from doing anything bad. You have your ways. Oh right, the video and voice recording files are in my desk¡¯s lowest drawer. The key is in my wallet.¡± ¡°Yongno.¡± Although she didn¡¯t grasp the situation entirely, Eunhye was able to read the room. With anxious eyes, she grabbed onto Yongno¡¯s shirt. Yongno felt gloomy for a moment when he felt her fragile and weak grasp, but unfortunately, there was no time to spare. Though he felt sorry and worried for her, there was nothing more he could do. ¡°Let¡¯s get him out of here.¡± ¡°Y-Yongno.¡± The men, who had fully regained consciousness and composure, separated Eunhye from Yongno, startling her. She tried to run after him. ¡°Yongno!¡± ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll try to make it back as soon as possible. So, don¡¯t cry no matter what, okay?¡± ¡°D-don¡¯t go. Don¡¯t go. Yongno¡­ Yongno¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t cry. If you cry, then I¡¯ll feel¡­¡± Suddenly, Yongno crumpled to the floor. ¡°Yongno?!¡± Eunhye screamed out. One of the black suited men made an exasperated expression. ¡°Even a hundred-fifty kilogram fatty was taken out instantly by this tranquilizer. To withstand the tranquilizer¡¯s effects until now? If we need to tranquilize this guy again, we better use two shots.¡± ¡°Team leader, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve read the manual, but the amount of tranquilizer you¡¯re talking about would likely cause cardiac arrest.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better than letting him slip away. Anyway, the head manager is going to be happy with this test subject. Move him.¡± ¡°N-no! Yongno! Let him go! Yongno!¡± ¡°What would you like to drink?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Eunhye had been reminiscing on what had happened ten years ago, but after hearing the stewardess¡¯ voice, she was brought back to the present. ¡°Coffee, please.¡± ¡°Thank you, miss. Enjoy your flight.¡± As the stewardess walked off, Eunhye buried herself deep into her seat once more. When she closed her eyes, she could still see the men in black suits. She didn¡¯t understand what was going on back then, but she now knew that Yongno¡¯s family had sold their son to some unknown organization. Eunhye recalled another old memory. After Yongno was taken away, Eunhye had been thrown back into hell. Of course, Seokwoo had honored Yongno¡¯s request to protect her, but her pain still continued from the moment Yongno disappeared. Because of that, she had to learn to be strong alone. She had to learn how to move forward while in a constant state of suffering. ¡°Disgusting memories.¡± Yongno had returned after half a year. During his absence, Eunhye had gone through countless struggles and pain, so she had developed the personality that she had now. Through sheer repetition and effort, Eunhye had developed an unwavering persona. She was able to always maintain her calm and was hurt by nothing. Though she had developed this hardened persona, she had still shed tears when he reappeared. His response when she saw him, however, was the real surprise. ¡°Ah, sorry but¡­ do you know me?¡± His memory had been wiped clean. Yongno had become a completely different person. In the past, he was energetic and wise, but he had become closed and inactive. He did retain his high intelligence, and would occasionally do something completely unexpected, but in the end, Yongno suppressed himself. If Eunhye were to take a guess, he had probably been put through some sort of terrible human experiment. ¡°I need to get stronger.¡± It was then that she made up her mind to seek revenge on the people who had done this to Yongno. Just like how Yongno had protected her when she was young, she would become a protector to him. Of course, she wasn¡¯t ready yet. She had tried her best up to now, but the only achievement so far was that she¡¯d become an excellent student. She had to become a more powerful person, too. ¡°Much stronger.¡± With a firm determination, Eunhye clenched her fists. CH 120 *** New Continent *** Whoosh. A blue magic circle rose in the air and spun around before taking the form of a sphere. It was a strange sight to behold, but unlike the monsters on Dynamic Island, the monsters living under the Noise Belt couldn¡¯t see this magic sphere. However, since the energy projected by the sphere couldn¡¯t be hidden, they could still feel the place shake. Bam! The rotating magic sphere filled with blue light and took the shape of a water droplet before disappearing. In its place stood a user. He wore a red, brimmed mage hat and robe, and looked to be in his late teens. It was Merlin. ¡°Wow! It¡¯s only been a day, but it feels like I haven¡¯t been here in a while.¡± Merlin smiled as he looked at the vast emerald colored sea, surrounded by a densely forested island. Though the island was filled with dangerous monsters and was absent of users, for Yongno, it gave him a sense of comfort, like it was his hometown. Woong. Once Merlin touched down on the ground, another magic circle appeared beside him. It too rose into the air and transformed into a sphere. The only difference this time was that the sphere only had a diameter of about one meter. Soon, a red eagle popped out of the sphere. It was Quiet Heaven. ¡°Hey, what the hell was that earlier?!¡± As soon as Quiet Heaven appeared, it made a fuss and questioned Merlin. It recalled the unimaginable output of magic power that Merlin had unleashed in Dynamic Island before the server closed. Mahashah, the queen of the forest, had destroyed the Guardian Tower and was about to get ahold of the Guardian Stone within. In that moment of crisis, Merlin had pulled out a large, red-colored gem; a ruby. ¡°My ultimate.¡± ¡°Wait, that level of power goes way beyond what you should be capable of.¡± Merlin placed the ruby on his tongue and swallowed it. His equipment changed to a full Mithril set, a set that Quiet Heaven had seen often, playing alongside Merlin. This was the identity of the fiery Mithril armor user who appeared at the end of the battle. The jewel Merlin had swallowed contained dozens of times more magic power than his maximum capacity. In fact, the output power Merlin had exhibited was many times greater than the power he swallowed. Surprisingly, he had managed to control this overwhelming power without any problems. This was an unbelievable achievement, as it was enough to push back against the great mage Mahashah; a transcendent. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean that his attack had damaged her, but even merely being able to push her away against her will meant that the power of Merlin¡¯s attack was substantial. ¡°Refinement.¡± ¡°Refinement?¡± ¡°What I usually do¡­ uhm¡­ how should I explain this. You know what this is, right?¡± Merlin pointed towards the Sapphire that was fixed on the back of his right hand. ¡°Of course, I know what that is. It¡¯s the Seven Jewel School¡¯s magic stone.¡± ¡°Right. Now look at this¡­¡± Merlin reached inside his robe and placed his hand in a dark space to access his inventory. He took out two jewels, a yellow-colored Topaz and a green-colored Emerald. Both were thick and pure jewels that appeared invaluable. ¡°They¡¯re not normal jewels. They¡¯re also magic stones?¡± ¡°Yeah. These jewels are actually closer to what are known as normal magic stones. They¡¯re top-quality, but the production process makes them unstable, so it¡¯s impossible to use them as mana tanks.¡± ¡°They¡¯re unstable, but you were still able to draw out so much force from them?¡± Merlin¡¯s face lit up in response to Quiet Heaven¡¯s question. It seemed that he had been waiting to share this information with somebody. ¡°You might think that¡¯s what I did, but that¡¯s not quite the case. That instability is actually where the explosive force comes from.¡± ¡°The force comes from the magic stone¡¯s instability¡­¡± Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t understand what Merlin was saying. Wasn¡¯t magic the act of creating explosive force through a specific, calculative technique and process? Merlin continued on. ¡°You know that I¡¯m using the Golden Pill Immortal Technique and the Seven Jewel School of Magic, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Then look closely.¡± With his palms facing each other, Merlin raised his arms. ¡°Do you know what happens when you combine internal energy and magic power?¡± ¡°They repel against each other. In some cases, they can even cancel each other out.¡± Quiet Heaven had trained in a branch of magic that dealt with creating harmonious connections; thus, just like how a practitioner of one discipline of martial arts would have a general idea and knowledge of most other martial art fields, Quiet Heaven possessed a considerable amount of knowledge about other magic fields and properties. ¡°Right. I heard from somewhere that combining magic power and divine power creates a tremendous repelling force, but since I¡¯m not knowledgeable in divine power, I decided to use internal energy instead. Also, if the repelling force is too large, I might not be able to control it.¡± While he spoke, Merlin started collecting internal energy in his left palm and magic power in his right palm. He did this as if it was normal, but Quiet Heaven let out a small cry. ¡®He can control internal energy and magic power at the same time!¡¯ Of course, magic-wielding swordsmen were able to use both internal energy and magic power, so the ability to use these two spiritual powers wasn¡¯t that abnormal on its own, but those who wielded these two powers used them individually, at set intervals, not at the same time. Drawing a circle with one hand and then a star with the other hand wasn¡¯t that difficult, but drawing both at the same time was. Similarly, many complications arose when one tried to use both internal energy and magic power simultaneously. ¡®Not only that, he¡¯s able to materialize the two energies into physical forms¡­¡¯ Quiet Heaven could clearly see the physical forms of the two powers in each of Merlin¡¯s hands. Even though the Golden Pill Immortal Technique and Seven Jewels School specialized in controlling magic power and creating physical forms from the magic power¡¯s mana, physically materializing both powers at the same time was outrageously difficult. It would be like writing a paper with one hand while drawing a precise drawing with the other. ¡°You probably already know this, but it¡¯s impossible to utilize the repulsion force by just combining magic power and internal energy. At the moment when the repulsion happens, one loses control. However, thanks to the Golden Pill Immortal Technique and Seven Jewels School¡¯s method of materializing physical forms, I can stabilize the repulsion process. I can even control the direction of the repulsion! For example¡­¡± Crackle. As if making a prayer, Merlin momentarily placed both of his hands together and then separated them. A small rock-like crystal formed between his palms, like a mass of liquid that was instantly frozen. The magic power and internal energy in his hands had undergone a crystallization process. Bam! However, soon after it was created, the crystal exploded. Merlin¡¯s hands were protected by his circulation of internal energy. However, based on the very small amount of internal energy and magic power that were used to create the crystal, the subsequent explosion was much more powerful than what one would have expected. ¡°The explosion was thanks to that process. It¡¯s a repulsion force, but it doesn¡¯t just scatter in all directions like a normal explosion. Of course, what I showed you is just the basics. If I put some effort into creating a more complex magic system, I could create a repulsion force that possesses fiery heat, or even one that is icy cold. Based on the process, I can imbue the repulsion force with different characteristics.¡± After stating this, Merlin took out the Topaz and grazed his finger against it, causing a spark to fly off. The magic power within the jewel had reacted with Merlin¡¯s internal energy. ¡°So, you carried around that jewel for several months and placed magic power within it whenever you could so that you could pull off that magic spell?¡± Quiet Heaven¡¯s question was sensible, but Merlin shook his head. ¡°None of my magic power is used in the phenomenon created by the jewels. The jewels¡¯ output force is generated purely from the reaction of the magic power and internal energy.¡± ¡°Then why did you imbue magic power and internal energy into the jewels over the last few months?¡± ¡°That was to meet the necessary minimum amounts of power and energy needed to stabilize and start the repulsion process.¡± The minimum amounts were ten Tetra of magic power and five years of internal energy. In theory, with this amount of magic power and internal energy, one would be able to make a magic stone. However, to maintain stability when the two jewels¡¯ powers were forced together, a larger amount of internal energy and magic power was needed. This was why Merlin had spent so much time recharging the jewels. ¡°Is there any way to reduce the amounts needed to maintain stability? If you could find a way, it would cut down on your production time.¡± ¡°That would be nice, but unfortunately, that¡¯s not possible.¡± ¡°Hmm. You¡¯re giving up so easily.¡± ¡°Of course. Why anguish over something that can¡¯t be done?¡± Merlin¡¯s matter-of-fact statement made Quiet Heaven feel awkward. Quiet Heaven was taken aback by Merlin¡¯s resignation, as it had seen Merlin do so many other ridiculous things so easily during their time together. ¡®Well, if this guy of all people says it¡¯s not possible, it probably isn¡¯t.¡¯ It was already astonishing that Merlin could output great mage-level power with his relatively low magic power capacity and level, and it was unimaginable that he had somehow successfully executed the jewel magic, so expecting anything more would be illogical. ¡°Eh? It¡¯s Merlin. Hey, long time no see.¡± A red-skinned being with horns popped its head above the treeline. It was a goblin that Merlin knew well. ¡°Hello, mister. Are you gathering items?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m planning on distilling and making some alcohol. I haven¡¯t had time to drink ever since training started. You want some?¡± ¡°No, thanks. I¡¯m not a fan of alcohol.¡± When Merlin shook his head to say no, the goblin, who was picking fruit from a tree and putting it in a basket, clicked his tongue regretfully, but made a facial expression that expressed relief. ¡°Tsk. You don¡¯t know the small joys of life. Ah, come to think of it, I think Miho has been looking for you since yesterday.¡± ¡°Eh? She¡¯s looking for me?¡± ¡°Yeah. By the way, what have you been up to? Miho turned over the whole island looking for you.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Merlin smacked his head. He remembered telling Miho that he¡¯d be back in three days at the latest. However, there was nothing he could do. Who could have ever expected Sungmuk, a Freedom-Class monster, and Mahashah, the queen of the forest, would suddenly appear, face off against thousands of users, and break the Guardian Tower? ¡°Miho¡­ should be at the cave, right?¡± Merlin muttered to himself. He used a lightness movement skill to move around. Miho lived in a crystal cave a bit away from the fox village. Though Miho wasn¡¯t an old monster, she was still considered skilled amongst the fox monsters. Moreover, as a descendant of the red monster, who was talented in using eye-related magic, she possessed the qualifications to make and live in her own place. ¡°Let¡¯s see, is Miho home¡­ oh, she is.¡± Using Enhanced Eyesight, Merlin was able to scan the crystal cave and recognize Miho¡¯s aura. Of course, using Enhanced Eyesight to scan for spiritual presence wasn¡¯t foolproof, as anyone could hide their aura. However, Miho had no reason to hide her aura, so Merlin was able to find her easily. He approached the crystal cave. ¡°Hey, Miho!¡± When Merlin entered the crystal cave, he waved his hand. Of course, this action by itself meant little. Miho had set down various magic mechanisms around the cave, so if anyone entered, she¡¯d feel their presence immediately and know exactly who or what they were. Thus, Merlin¡¯s waving of his hand was just a good-natured greeting rather than an announcement of his presence. But the problem was¡­ Grr¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± A strong monster power rushed out towards Merlin. Though he recognized that it was Miho¡¯s monster power, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but be surprised by the sheer amount of monster power barrelling towards him. Moreover it had a fiery and active nature to it. It seemed to be imbued with strong emotion. As was his habit, Merlin used Enhanced Eyesight to interpret the pattern of the monster power¡¯s spiritual qi. ¡°Let¡¯s see now¡­ this aura is filled with emotions of¡­ anger, hatred, worry, and¡­ retribution?¡± As Merlin started to consider what was going on, Mi-ho''s eyes, which had been closed and still, burst open as she let out a thunderous roar. Merlin wondered why Miho¡¯s monster power was flowing with so much ferocity, especially since there were no enemies nearby. As he wondered this, Miho screamed out. ¡°You! You¡­! You said you¡¯d be back within three days!!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± In an instant, a huge fox-fire spread out like a tidal wave and hit Merlin. Younghwi and Shining, the spirits who always hovered around his body, moved in front of him and transformed into shields, but they couldn¡¯t withstand the fox-fire flame¡¯s pressure. Boom! ¡°Ack! What the heck?!¡± Merlin was struck by the unexpected attack, causing him to collapse. He curled up, but surprisingly, his surroundings were not very hot. It seemed that the fox-fire attack had been unleashed without its usual heat property. ¡°You!¡± Soon, Miho climbed atop Merlin¡¯s body. Miho, a fox with six tails, whose golden eyes were burning fiercely, glared at Merlin while exuding a strong amount of monster power. It seemed she was upset that he was late. ¡°Ah, sorry. Sorry. Something unexpected and unavoidable came up.¡± ¡°Still, thirty hours late? We¡¯re leaving tomorrow morning! Do you know how nervous I was?¡± ¡°Huh? Thirty hours¡­ not ten days?¡± Merlin was surprised at what Miho said. Since the server was closed for twenty-four hours in reality, twelve days should have passed in DIO. Why did Miho say that he was only thirty hours late?¡± ¡®Ah, right. The servers went down.¡¯ Merlin suddenly understood. Since the entire world of DIO had stopped operating when the server went down, the twelve-times time differential was a moot point. Even though this island was not part of Dynamic Island, it was still subject to the wider rules of the game. CH 121 ¡°Oh, right. Here¡¯s your present.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Merlin was relieved that he was only late by a day. He thought he had been late by nearly two weeks, so he had prepared quite a few things. ¡°Tada!¡± ¡°W-what?¡± Miho recoiled at the sight of the mysterious object in Merlin¡¯s hand. But soon, she started sniffing the air. ¡°Do you want to have a try?¡± ¡°W-what is it? Do you really think all it will take is some food¡­ ah.¡± As Merlin moved the skewer closer to her, Miho¡¯s eyes naturally followed it. ¡®Oh, sad instincts of animals.¡¯ It was a beef skewer that Merlin had purchased from users at a food market who were training to become chefs. Based on Merlin¡¯s experience, felines and foxes were crazy about beef. However, he had never seen a cow underneath the Noise Belt. The monsters here only ate the meat of other monsters who lived in the area, or fruit. Unfortunately, monster meat was tough when cooked, and since Miho was used to eating such tough meat all her life, she couldn¡¯t resist the allure of the skewers, especially since they had been cooked with various techniques from the real world. ¡°Oh, doesn¡¯t this look delicious?¡± ¡°Well, uhm, well, uhm¡­ Oh, no, what am I saying, are you trying to seduce me with food? Do you think I¡¯ll be swayed so easily¡­?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want it, I¡¯ll just eat it myself.¡± ¡°What?!¡± When Merlin brought the grilled skewers up to his mouth, Miho quickly bounded towards the skewer and took a rough bite. She tore into the meat hurriedly. ¡°Hahaha.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha. Sorry for messing with you. Go ahead and eat.¡± ¡°Ack, I¡¯m so angry¡­ but it tastes so good.¡± Miho used telekinesis to make the grilled skewers hover in mid-air as she took bites from it. Every time she chewed off a chunk of meat, the fragrant juices leaked out and lingered around her mouth. The skewer was so delicious that she couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of defeat. ¡°Ugh! If you think I¡¯ll forgive you just because of this¡­¡± ¡°There''s more, so feel free to eat.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Miho¡¯s six tails flickered as Merlin took out another five skewers out of his inventory. Her tail movement was a de facto declaration of surrender. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so cute!¡± Merlin shouted as he went in for a bear hug. ¡°Ack! Don¡¯t hug me!¡± Though Miho was being hugged and tossed around on the ground, she couldn¡¯t muster a proper defense against Merlin because she was too focused on keeping the skewers in the air. Chomp. Chomp. Soon, Miho was finally given time to eat her meal in peace. Having escaped Merlin¡¯s arms, she chewed on the beef skewers in a reverent manner. Merlin searched his inventory and brought out some more. ¡°I think I¡¯ll have some chicken skewers.¡± Miho¡¯s ears shot up, reacting sensitively to Merlin¡¯s words. ¡°Chicken skewers? Do you mean skewers made of chicken?¡± ¡°Yes, the meat you¡¯re currently having is from a four-legged animal, but a chicken is a bird.¡± ¡°Bird meat¡­¡± Miho¡¯s golden eyes sparkled as she looked at the skewers in Merlin¡¯s hand. Her eyes were filled with so much anticipation and interest that Merlin had no choice but to hand them over. ¡°Hmm. This is enough to forgive you.¡± ¡°Thank you, miss.¡± ¡°Hmpf.¡± Satisfied, Miho grinned as she bit into the chicken. She looked so happy that Merlin felt a bit guilty about not bringing her food earlier. ¡°Ah, that was a good meal.¡± ¡°Yeah, it was.¡± Sitting side by side, both looked up at the night sky. Unlike the real world, there was no pollution that blocked this virtual world¡¯s sky. The Milky Way was splendidly clear and vibrant, and spread across the night sky. ¡°Come to think of it, there¡¯s only one moon.¡± Merlin thought out loud. ¡°What do you mean? Of course, there¡¯s only one moon.¡± Merlin laughed. ¡°Well, in some novels, when the main character goes to another world and looks up at the sky, there are two moons. The existence of two moons is probably an effective symbol of showing how different a place is from the real world.¡± When Merlin muttered ¡®how different a place is from the real world¡¯, Miho tilted her head. ¡°Novel? Another world?¡± ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just talking to myself.¡± ¡°¡­??¡± Merlin glanced at Miho, who looked puzzled. He knew that she was just a character constructed by the program. However, when Merlin observed how she lived without the knowledge that she was an NPC and that this whole world of DIO was fake, Merlin wondered if this place was as real for her as the real world was for him. ¡°Virtual reality¡­¡± Merlin slowly began to understand why Dynamic Island¡¯s NPCs and monsters were given knowledge of their status as programmed characters. The world of DIO was completely different from the games that Merlin had played so far, and its user experience was unlike any other. Merlin thought it likely that the game¡¯s time difference was implemented by the developers just so users could still distinguish reality from fantasy. ¡°Anyway, you said you¡¯ve been waiting for me?¡± ¡°Yeah. You said you were going to go to the main continent, right?¡± Since Merlin had visited all six islands, all that was left was the main continent. If possible, Merlin wanted to visit Red Dragon Island, which was located in the center of the six islands, but he quickly gave up on this thought since he knew it¡¯d be too dangerous. ¡°That¡¯s what I was planning. Why?¡± ¡°I have to go to the main continent as well, so let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°Together?¡± The first idea that popped into Merlin¡¯s mind at that moment was if he was being given a quest. When the goblins and Miho had been poisoned, Merlin received quests, so he knew it was possible to get quests south of the Noise Belt. However, Merlin didn¡¯t get any notification of a quest; all he saw was a small fox staring back at him. ¡°You don¡¯t want to travel together?¡± ¡°No, nothing like that. Sure, let¡¯s travel together.¡± ¡°Great! Then let¡¯s leave tomorrow morning!¡± After saying this, Miho turned around and ran into the cave. Miho seemed excited and happy, but Merlin felt slightly troubled. ¡°Traveling together would be nice, but if it takes long, my limited connection time on DIO will become a problem.¡± With the new patch in effect now, twelve hours had to be spent daily in the real world. In terms of DIO time, a trip of six days was no longer possible. If the trip with Miho extended beyond six days, Merlin would be forced to be absent for a part of the trip. ¡°One possibility is to log off from time-to-time, right?¡± Due to his playtime limitation, Merlin felt that the ideal way to play was to be active for twelve hours and to be logged out for twelve hours in DIO time. In real time, this meant repeatedly playing one hour and logging off for one hour. ¡°In terms of how it would feel for me, I¡¯d be logged in for twelve DIO hours and then I would take a one hour break in reality.¡± If one were told to play one hour and take a mandatory break for one hour, it would likely be too troublesome and annoying, but due to DIO¡¯s accelerated time, this compromise was bearable. ¡°All right. It¡¯s a bit of a waste to log off right now when I just logged in, but for tomorrow¡­¡± Merlin stood up. ¡°[Logout].¡± ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on?¡± When Merlin reconnected, Blue Forest Island was bustling. In the center of the island, at the main goblin village, a considerable number of goblins and foxes had gathered. In the middle of the crowd, a human girl who looked to be in her early to mid-teens stood carrying a bag the size of her body. ¡°Be careful during your travels.¡± ¡°The Mech-nation officials are known to have short tempers, so try to avoid them if you can. If you respond to those douchebags, it¡¯ll only cause further headaches, you know?¡± ¡°Bring me back a present. I heard there¡¯s something called tempura in Monster Island Kingdom.¡± It was an unfamiliar sight to see goblins and foxes pretending to be close to a human girl that they had rarely, if ever, engaged with in the past. Moreover, Merlin had never seen any human other than himself in the Phantom Monster Magic Islands. Of course, the goblins, sirens, and water people had many human features, but as far as Merlin knew, actual humans rarely visited the islands. There were many goblins who had never even seen a human in their lives. ¡®Who is that?¡¯ The gathered monsters each cast spells and blessings on the girl, from the ones who seemed to know her to those that seemed to be meeting her for the first time. The girl approached each of them, bowing and thanking them. ¡°Take this with you.¡± ¡°Miss Heavenly Flower.¡± The last monster the girl approached was Heavenly Flower, the current ruler of the Phantom Monster Magic Islands. Taking on the appearance of her eight-tailed fox self, she collected the surrounding light, gathered it into a lump, and hardened it into a gold-colored necklace. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a Guardian Stone. It¡¯s important to me, so you have to return it.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ of course! Thank you!¡± With a bright expression, the girl grabbed the necklace. The overall atmosphere was very heartwarming, but Merlin still didn¡¯t know who this girl was. At that moment, Heavenly Flower turned her head towards him. ¡°Oh, Merlin, you¡¯ve come?¡± ¡°Yes. What were you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m making sure to give a proper send off for our cutie. The journey to receive the prophecy from the main continent¡¯s Holy Shrine is very important to us.¡± ¡°Holy Shrine? Prophecy?¡± When Merlin looked puzzled after hearing such incomprehensible terms, the girl who was handed the necklace spoke up. Her rich silver hair, which was tied back and stretched into six branches, sparkled. ¡°Oh, Didn¡¯t I tell you? I¡¯ve been appointed to go to the Holy Shrine. The [Great Will], who resides in the Holy Shrine, makes a prophecy once a year. All the islands and all the great powers on the continent know of this and have an agreement in place.¡± ¡°Oh, was there such a thing? But¡­¡± Merlin asked the girl who he thought was pretending to be close to him, ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The girl¡¯s cheery expression suddenly hardened. Veins started to visibly pop up on her forehead. ¡°And you still call yourself an Enhanced Eyesight practitioner?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± When a sudden fox-fire exploded towards Merlin, Merlin¡¯s two spirits that hovered around him, Younghwi and Shining, created a spirit power shield. Up to this point, the spirits¡¯ response was like the previous day¡¯s response. In this instance, however, Merlin slightly adjusted Younghwi and Shining by making them rotate in a slight drill shape. This allowed him to take a step forward by riding the grain of the exploding fox-fire. Whoosh! The wind caused by the fox-fire swept across the area, but Merlin¡¯s robe only fluttered vigorously; he didn¡¯t lose his balance or posture. ¡°What?¡± The girl was at a loss. The magic combo she had just used was a secret art that only she could execute. Using fox-fire as its base, which was a magic attack that was in-between fantasy and reality to begin with, she had superimposed various layers of wind magic to send the fox-fire forward. Though this type of attack didn¡¯t cause much damage, it would at least push away the intended target. Even Heavenly Flower acknowledged the pushing force of this attack. The girl was perplexed as to why her attack had no effect on Merlin. ¡°Huh? This skill¡­ are you Miho?¡± ¡°You only recognize me after I use a skill, huh? Besides that, how did you break through my attack on just your second exposure to it?¡± Miho screamed out in amazement, but for Merlin, recognizing how to counter a previously encountered attack was just a given. The same attack technique didn¡¯t work twice on Merlin, who was gifted in comprehension and analysis. Merlin might have had some trouble if an attack technique was overly powerful or incredibly fast; but a complicated attack on its own wasn¡¯t a barrier for Merlin. ¡°Make the formula a little more complicated.¡± ¡°Y-you¡­ want me to make the formula more complicated?¡± Miho looked at him in amazement, but Merlin didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he used Enhanced Eyesight on her. ¡°Very interesting. Your appearance has transformed even though your molecular structure hasn¡¯t changed. So you¡¯re still a fox, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Shrouding Art. It¡¯s one of our species¡¯ specialties.¡± The image of the girl talking with a slightly sulky expression was that of a human being, but her appearance under Enhanced Eyesight was that of a relatively small fox. Her body hadn¡¯t grown or transformed into a human shape, and neither was she using some spiritual power to change her appearance. She still had the body of a fox, but at the same time she appeared like a human. It looked as though a type of magic was spread out and wrapped around her body, but the level of magic was substantial. ¡°Wait, can I touch your body?¡± ¡°What? Pervert! How can you say that?!¡± ¡°Huh? No, that¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡± Merlin, who wondered how the Shrouding Art technique was done, was taken aback by Miho¡¯s unexpected reaction. When she was a fox, he would just hug her and roll around on the ground saying she was cute, but now that she had turned into a human figure, Merlin couldn¡¯t imagine doing that now. ¡°Hahaha. If it¡¯s Shrouding Technique, you¡¯ve seen me use it a few times in the past,¡± Heavenly Flower stated. ¡°Oh, right. But when you used it, I didn¡¯t see you as a fox, even with Enhanced Eyesight.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because my ability levels are higher. Let me show you something to make it easier for you to understand.¡± Whoosh. A strange wavelength rippled across Heavenly Flower¡¯s body. Soon, a huge fox appeared in Merlin¡¯s Enhanced Eyesight view. Heavenly Flower became a tall, beautiful woman, a hundred-and-ninety centimeters tall in human form. However, her main body was impossibly huge, bigger than a modern convenience store. Compared to her huge main body, her human form was less than the size of her tail. CH 122 Reach. Merlin tried reaching out with his hands to touch Heavenly Flower¡¯s main body, but his hands just passed through like it was air. ¡®It¡¯s in another dimension.¡¯ Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that her body was in a distant dimension. It was definitely in front of him, but she was out of reach. In this state, Heavenly Flower explained. ¡°It¡¯s often called ¡®existence overlap¡¯. Our species has two figures from birth. It¡¯ll be hard for you to understand the general magic system, but¡­¡± After briefly revealing her main body, Heavenly Flower reverted to her previous state and continued explaining. Magic was established largely based on fundamental theory, so the fox¡¯s natural ability seemed more like a sensory-type supernatural ability than magic. Of course, Heavenly Flower, who was a fox herself and possessed an abundance of knowledge in magic, knew that understanding this concept wouldn¡¯t be easy for a non-fox. In fact, her explanation was more of a theoretical concept; it would have been nearly impossible for anyone to fully grasp what she was saying. Merlin stayed silent for a moment before speaking up. ¡°A dual existence. In a way¡­ you¡¯re like a coin.¡± ¡°What?¡± Surprised by the sudden remark, Heavenly Flower focused her attention on Merlin. ¡°Like changing the front and back of a coin¡­ it¡¯s a way of changing the frame of reference you take to face reality, right? A person would need to possess a higher level of theoretical knowledge to flip the coin, but foxes can do it intuitively with just their senses.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She didn¡¯t have to continue explaining; Merlin fully understood. Of course, if they went into the theoretical details, Heavenly Flower would probably have to fill in a lot of gaps, but it was already surprising that Merlin understood this much just from the information he had been given so far. ¡°But how does this change you into someone else?¡± ¡°We turn into a human form and then shroud it with an illusion. It becomes relatively easy to create an illusion once we take on a similar body shape.¡± ¡°Aha.¡± Merlin nodded as if he understood. Seeing this, Miho asked, ¡°What? Did you already figure out the fundamentals of Shrouding Art?¡± ¡°No. Well, I made some guesses. It¡¯s amazing. Shrouding Art¡­ a double existence¡­¡± Merlin was about to fall deeper into thought, but Miho grabbed his hand before he could. ¡°That¡¯s enough, let¡¯s go! I¡¯m going to be late!¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re going to be late? Is there a time limit?¡± ¡°Moby Dick is passing by!¡± ¡°Moby Dick?¡± Without caring whether Merlin understood or not, Miho yanked his hand. Although she had the form of a small girl, her strength was considerable, so unless one was prepared for such a pull, even a grown adult male would have easily been dragged along. ¡°I¡¯ll be back!¡± ¡°Have a safe trip! Be careful!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget the tempura!¡± Merlin, still facing the monsters who were waving goodbye, was dragged off. Since he was taller than Miho, who looked like a middle school student, Merlin felt that he wouldn¡¯t have any trouble matching her speed. ¡°By the way, how are you going to get to the continent? I can swim, but is there any other way?¡± Miho snorted at Merlin¡¯s question. In no time, they were standing atop a dizzyingly steep cliff. All one could see below was the blue sea. ¡°Of course there¡¯s another way! We¡¯re not fish, so it¡¯d be rather strange to swim all the way to the continent¡­ Oh! It¡¯s here!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Seeing Miho look up at the sky, Merlin followed suit. The sky was clear, without a cloud in sight. A giant mass floated through the air. ¡°¡­ A whale?¡± Merlin¡¯s words came out unconsciously, but true to his assessment, it was a giant whale in the sky. It was so big that Merlin thought its size was comparable to a Kraken¡¯s. Clusters of buildings dotted its massive body. ¡°It¡¯s the Great Will¡¯s divine spirit animal, Moby Dick. It¡¯s normally harder to see, but the skies are especially clear today. It acts as a transportation shuttle to the Holy Shrine once a year. Oh, wait a minute.¡± Miho searched her bag, which was larger than her, took out a golden bell, and shook it. Ring! Moby Dick reacted right away. Whoosh! The whale let out a heavy and intense sound, comparable to the sound a tuba would make, as it approached Blue Forest Island. Though it had been flying quite high in the sky, it took less than ten seconds to come down to the surface. Splash! As if the landing area was set in advance, Moby Dick landed and submerged half of its body in an area west of Blue Forest Island, a part of the sea that was relatively deep that Merlin had often swum in. Since Moby Dick¡¯s body was so large, it would have been difficult to climb on top of it if it had landed on the ground instead. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah. But is it okay to ride on its back?¡± ¡°It was sent out for the specific purpose of bringing representatives to the Holy Shrine. Stop worrying so much and follow me.¡± ¡°Oh, before that¡­¡± Merlin reached out and picked up the bag Miho was carrying. Although he lifted it with one hand, the bag weighed more than thirty kilograms. ¡°Why¡¯s this so heavy? You¡¯re not a soldier or anything. I¡¯ll carry this for you.¡± ¡°Eh? I¡¯m using magic to levitate it, so it¡¯s not heavy for me at all.¡± ¡°Seeing you carry it makes me feel uncomfortable. Besides, I¡¯m not planning on carrying it around either. Let¡¯s see¡­ Ta-da!¡± Merlin sneakily shifted his robe to cover the bag, activated his inventory space, and put it inside. When Merlin stepped forward, there was no sign of the bag. ¡°Huh? You can hide something as large as a bag like that?¡± ¡°Of course. It¡¯s easy for me to take it out as well, so let me know when you need it.¡± Merlin shrugged as if this act was nothing special, but Miho¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°Ooh. Teach me how to use that magic!¡± ¡°Eh? Teach you? But it¡¯s not magic.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t magic? But it¡¯s dimensional-related magic, no?¡± For the uninitiated, inventory space and the act of logging out would probably seem like magic. Wouldn¡¯t anyone think this if they saw a large item vanish from thin air like that? ¡°It is but¡­ it¡¯s kind of like you¡¯re Shrouding Art. It¡¯s an inherent skill, so I can¡¯t teach you.¡± In the end, Merlin had no choice but to explain his inventory in this manner. It was technically true that users had an inherent skill of possessing an inventory. It was every user¡¯s exclusive, innate superpower, so to speak. One couldn¡¯t teach another to use an inventory through senses. One couldn¡¯t teach a blind man how vision works and expect that man to see, right? Miho shrugged. ¡°Everyone says it¡¯s extremely difficult to use dimension-related magic techniques, So I guess it makes sense that it¡¯s a natural ability. Anyway, let¡¯s go up.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Following her lead, Merlin jumped off the cliff and landed onto Moby Dick¡¯s dorsal fin. Since the dorsal fin was so large, it took a considerable amount of time to cross it. Oddly enough, a ladder connected the fin to the main body, so it wasn¡¯t difficult to climb down onto it. ¡°You¡¯re a human being.¡± ¡°Huh? A lion?¡± The first thing Merlin saw after climbing down on Moby Dick¡¯s back was an unusually large lion. The lion spoke a human language and was covered in red hair. ¡°Hey Red Blood. Do the Senior Remote Islands lack talented beings?¡± ¡°I was thinking the exact same thing about you. Miho. Don¡¯t you lack the prowess and age to be sent as a receiver of the prophecy? And you¡¯re being accompanied by a human being¡­ Don¡¯t the rules state that only one being and one young servant without a seal per party is allowed entrance into the Holy Shrine?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right,¡± Miho responded. Hearing Miho¡¯s answer, Red Blood the lion frowned. ¡°Then how¡­¡± ¡°Why are you speaking before checking?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying. A being with your level of power can¡¯t possibly have been given a seal¡­ huh?¡± While speaking to Miho, Red Blood turned his head toward Merlin and was taken aback. Red Blood looked Merlin up and down, as if searching for something, then looked back at Miho. ¡°What¡¯s up with this guy?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a guest on our island. So, there¡¯s no problem with the rules, right?¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t understand, he seems human, but¡­ he isn¡¯t like the other humans on the main continent.¡± Red Blood peered at Merlin with a dubious expression. Merlin asked Miho, ¡°What seal is he talking about?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a spiritual sign one gets when they become an adult. Can you see this?¡± Miho slightly lifted her collar, revealing a portion of her shoulder. There was a strange symbol embedded on her white skin. ¡°Hmm. I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Really? From my perspective, what¡¯s truly confusing is that you don¡¯t have a seal¡­¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m confused about. It was what you said before¡­ that you¡¯re an adult.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Miho¡¯s fist trembled as her calm expression cracked; however, she was able to barely suppress her rising anger. It would be unseemly to lash out in a place where the representatives of other islands were also present. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go and get a room. It¡¯ll be a while before we arrive at the Holy Shrine.¡± She said through gritted teeth. ¡°Oh, there are rooms? Well, I did see some buildings earlier.¡± Merlin followed Miho, who strode ahead. Suddenly, a red eagle flying through the sky swooped down and landed on Merlin¡¯s head. It was Quiet Heaven. ¡°Where have you been? I haven''t seen you since I logged in.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been looking around the area. This whale, by the way, is great. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen a Divine Spirit Class being.¡± ¡°Miho also said that this was a Divine Spirit Animal. What¡¯s the standard for a Divine Spirit Animal?¡± Quiet Heaven answered. ¡°The dictionary definition says that spiritual animals or monster spirits are spirit beings that obtain a high enough position that their spirits reach enlightenment, or a power beyond a certain threshold. They¡¯re generally considered Level 17 to 19 beings, but in some cases, spirit species can reach transcendence.¡± ¡°But the Phoenix¡¯s level was 27. Wasn¡¯t the Phoenix a Divine Spirit Animal?¡± Merlin recalled the record of the Phoenix from his previous promotion test. ¡°Of course a Phoenix is a Divine Spirit Animal. Though I stated that their levels usually hovered around 17 through 19, I¡¯m just stating their starting point. Monsters like Kirin and the Divine Dragons, which barely exceed Level 20, to the Three-Legged Crow are all referred to as Divine Spirit Animals.¡± ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s a very broad, all-encompassing concept.¡± ¡°However, there are distinct power levels. For example, transcendents are not at the same level as a newly minted god or a god that rules over something. It¡¯s a similar concept.¡± When Quiet Heaven finished its explanation, Miho stopped. They arrived in front of a two-story building made of a strange material that Merlin couldn¡¯t recognize. ¡°Let¡¯s rest here. It¡¯ll take about a day to get to the Holy Shrine.¡± ¡°One day? This whale doesn¡¯t seem that slow¡­ why does it take so long?¡±Merlin, who remembered the shape of the islands on his map by heart, wondered aloud. The distance from Moby Dick¡¯s current location to the southernmost point, or the end of the map, was only two-hundred kilometers at most. Merlin felt it was strange that it would take the whale an entire day to traverse that distance. Even if one moved at a steady speed of twenty kilometers per hour, one could traverse that distance in just ten hours. ¡®Will the map expand like it did after I crossed the Noise Belt?¡¯ This was a possibility. As Merlin was momentarily trapped in thought, he heard a voice from behind him. ¡°Oh gosh. We already picked this place for ourselves.¡± ¡°What?¡± A blue-haired man standing behind them spoke in a pompous tone. He was around a hundred-and-ninety centimeters tall, with a trident as tall as him sheathed on his back. He was accompanied by a small, ten year-old girl who looked at the blue-haired man with a nervous expression on her face. ¡°Hehehe. I was wondering where the fish were hiding, but it looks like they came out of their own accord!¡± Miho quipped. ¡°Hmpf. What the hell is this animal girl saying?¡± the blue-haired man retorted. A tense atmosphere formed between the man with blue hair and Miho. Merlin couldn¡¯t help but feel a little nervous. The trident-carrying blue-haired being¡¯s level was higher than Miho¡¯s. The blue-haired being was Level 9, which was equivalent to the Human-faced Centipede, Inyup, that Merlin had encountered in the past. ¡®Well, I should be able to deal with him if need be.¡¯ A lot of time had passed since Merlin fought against Inyup. Of course, Merlin was only Level 6 at the time, but while traveling, his internal energy and magic power had increased and become purer. Besides, he felt confident in one-on-one combat. In case of an emergency, Merlin sent some of his internal energy over to Miho¡¯s side. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you not on good terms with this guy?¡± ¡°The mermaids don¡¯t get along with anyone. Unlike the powers that rule over the various islands, the mermaids claim that the whole sea is their territory. Even though they say this, they don¡¯t dare go near Red Dragon Island. Isn¡¯t it funny?¡± Miho spoke loud enough for the blue-haired mermaid to hear. ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense. Weren¡¯t you all in a frenzy to give offerings whenever the red dragon appears?¡± ¡°What?¡± Even though there was no noticeable wave of magic power, Merlin felt that sparks were crackling all around him. In this rather hostile-seeming atmosphere, Merlin sneaked a peek at the other monsters in the area with Insightful Eyes. Whether it was fortunate for them or not, all the other monsters were far away. CH 123 ¡°Loser.¡± ¡°Outcast.¡± The atmosphere was getting uglier. Merlin grew more worried for Miho¡¯s safety. He could see that Miho was weaker than the blue-haired mermaid, or [Hader the Mermaid Prince]. Moreover, the simple image of a large being with a weapon facing off against a small girl was jarring. ¡®Miho should know that she¡¯s at a disadvantage¡­ is she trusting me to intervene?¡¯ It was a dangerous situation. Though Merlin felt that he could stand up to Hader if push came to shove, he knew that he wasn¡¯t overwhelmingly powerful compared to Hader, either. Of course, Merlin¡¯s martial arts was based on the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, which was a powerful technique that could launch an instant, powerful attack. Merlin was confident that he could kill Hader with one powerful blow, but he didn¡¯t feel that taking such an extreme measure would be beneficial to him or Miho. ¡°Hey Miho. Shouldn¡¯t you avoid conflict with other representatives going to the Holy Shrine with you?¡± Merlin asked, in an effort to calm Miho down. ¡°As long as nobody dies before receiving the prophecy, it¡¯s okay.¡± Miho replied. Hader scoffed.¡°Such courageous words. Unfortunately, I¡¯m not very good at controlling my strength.¡± Soon, a strong aura of power rose from Hader¡¯s body. Miho also exuded her own aura of power, but it didn¡¯t stand a chance against Hader¡¯s. The difference between Level 7 and Level 9 was immense. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± As expected, Miho started to tremble under the pressure. Though she had gone through extensive training and received support from Heavenly Flower, Miho had yet to reach Level 8, and she was facing up against a being similar in strength to the Human-faced Centipede, Inyup. ¡°Wait. Please stop pressuring Miho.¡± Merlin pleaded. ¡°Don¡¯t butt in, lowly human!¡± Bam! Hader thrusted his jewel-encrusted trident at Miho. An average user wouldn¡¯t have been able to even register that level of attack due to its quickness, but Merlin, who had been prepared, extended his left hand in response. Woong! Merlin¡¯s five years of internal energy soon expanded to become ten years after going through Mercury, twenty years after going through Venus, and forty years after going through Earth. Of course, the forty years of internal energy didn¡¯t carry the same power as a normal forty-year attack, as the internal energy wasn¡¯t properly solidified. However, the power of the attack was still unexpectedly significant. The force of Merlin¡¯s attack went against the general logic of martial arts. Boom! ¡°Ugh?!¡± Great Strength Vajra Hand, the hand skill known to pulverize even the largest of boulders, hit Hader¡¯s trident, causing it to fly backwards. Hader held the trident with a strong grip in an attempt to contain the rebounding force, but soon, a dull cracking noise permeated the air as both his shoulders dislocated. Clank! The trident floated through the air momentarily before clattering to the ground, but Hader and Miho paid no attention to it. Merlin, who was now wearing a red robe and wide-brimmed hat, shook his left hand and laughed. "Oh my. Why did you take me for just a lowly bystander?¡± Merlin walked over to Hader, whose arms were lifelessly hanging by his side, and whispered into his ear. ¡°Do you want to die?¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± In truth, there wasn¡¯t any killing intent in Merlin¡¯s voice. Most users weren¡¯t proficient in controlling their killing intent. Revealing killing intent in the real world was considered a negative behavior, so most people didn¡¯t have experience controlling this emotion. However, in this case, there was no reason for Merlin to exude killing intent. He had neutralized a mermaid, and a royal mermaid at that, with one move. Whoosh! A strong aura exuded outward. Even without killing intent, users could kill monsters. This was because they didn¡¯t consider killing monsters as murder. When users defeated monsters, they didn¡¯t state that they were [Killing] or [Murdering] monsters. They were [Hunting] monsters. ¡°P-prince! Are you okay¡­!¡± ¡°Hmpf!¡± Hader, who was momentarily stunned, brushed off the blue-haired girl, [Reina, the Mermaid Singer], and quickly got up. Though sweat was beading from his forehead, Hader manipulated his arms to pop them back into their sockets. ¡°Wow, tough guy. Using just your muscles to pop your arms back into their sockets. Impressive¡­¡± ¡°First, let me apologize.¡± Hader cut Merlin¡¯s words off and looked at him. Hader¡¯s eyes shone brightly. ¡°I was shortsighted. I didn¡¯t think you were this strong.¡± Though Hader must have been quite affected by Merlin¡¯s attack, he behaved very respectfully. It was as if his previous belittling behavior had never occurred. ¡°Prince, don¡¯t overdo your movements¡­¡± ¡°Step aside.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Reina took a step back after receiving Hader¡¯s cold gaze. Since Hader was a royal Mermaid Prince, she didn¡¯t have the authority to control him. Her only responsibility was to make sure that Hader made it to the Holy Shrine with minimal discomfort. ¡°What¡¯s with this sudden change? Are you planning on re-engaging?¡± ¡°I apologize for my behavior before. I¡¯ll compensate you handsomely. However, as a member of mermaid royalty, I can¡¯t take a step back.¡± Whoosh! [Keke!] Hader conjured large droplets of water around him that morphed into a group of small girls. Once they morphed fully, they started covering him with a large amount of water. ¡°Elemental Arts?¡± Merlin asked Miho. ¡°Among mermaids, the members of mermaid royalty receive a blessing from the king of water elementals. Hader is more skilled with his trident than with elementals, but he¡¯s still capable of using basic Elemental Arts.¡± Miho answered. Miho took out a few paper charms. Though she was on edge due to the fighting spirit wafting through the air, Quiet Heaven, who had traveled with Merlin for a long time, calmly spoke. ¡°So, what are you planning to do?¡± ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not sure yet.¡± Bringing out water elementals in front of Merlin was a death sentence. It was like a suicidal person holding a knife to his throat and asking to be killed. Of course, Merlin couldn¡¯t manipulate the water elementals, but the water itself [Phenomenon] he could control at will. If necessary, he could freeze the water with a flick of his finger and cause it to turn into a block of ice. ¡®It¡¯s better if I hide my ability, right? I shouldn¡¯t reveal too many of my cards at once.¡¯ Merlin could easily kill off Hader with his water affinity ability because Hader had no idea Merlin possessed such a skill. If Hader figured out, and imbued the water surrounding him with his own spiritual power, Merlin wouldn¡¯t be able to control the water. If Merlin was able to control fluid regardless of anyone¡¯s resistance, then Merlin could defeat any opponent by freezing their brain fluid, but this wasn¡¯t the case. ¡°It¡¯ll probably just be best to scare him off a bit.¡± ¡°What are you talking about¡­¡± ¡°Ready? Here I go.¡± Saying this, Merlin took a step forward. Hader narrowed his eyes. ¡°Like I¡¯ll let you!¡± Whoosh! Exuding a substantial aura of power, Hader thrust his five-colored jewel-encrusted trident at Merlin. On each of the tridents three prongs, water whirlpools whipped around before shooting towards Merlin. Each of the whirlpool attacks were strong enough to instantly go through a thick hunk of steel. However, at that moment¡­ Ting! Merlin had circulated his internal energy. He had operated his planets while Hader was talking, so by the time Hader launched his attack, Merlin¡¯s planets were fully operational. Unlike his first planet, Mercury, which could operate instantly, his second and third planets, Venus and Earth, needed about one or two seconds to expand the inputted internal energy. Venus had a cooldown time of half a second, while Earth needed thirty seconds. Merlin¡¯s No Living World, his planetary internal energy expansion system, had gone through some downtime after his previous use, so it needed time to recover its cooldown times. Woong! Merlin¡¯s internal energy expanded. Ten years of internal energy soon became twenty after going through Mercury, forty years after going through Venus, and finally, eighty years after going through Earth. Rumble! ¡°W-what the hell¡­!!¡± As soon as Merlin extended his hand forward, a wave of aura washed over Hader like a tsunami. The effect of the attack could surprise the heavens and shake the earth. Considering that Merlin¡¯s internal energy capacity was only sixty years, or one cycle, the force of a strike that contained eighty years of internal energy was immense. In the opponent¡¯s eyes, it was unimaginable for such force to be outputted by someone like Merlin. Moreover, normally, an internal energy user could only output about ten percent of their total capacity at any point, so Merlin¡¯s attack was entirely unexpected. Crack! Snap! Pop! Hader¡¯s body was slammed backward against the ground, leaving two grooves on the ground in his wake. He was pushed back a little over ten meters before his back slammed against the wall. Since Hader¡¯s body was firm and the attack was so forceful, the wall was partially destroyed, leaving a massive crater at the point of impact. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Wow.¡± Only Quiet Heaven, who had previously seen Merlin¡¯s hand skill in the past, was able to say anything; everyone else was at a loss for words. Hader, who was lifelessly sprawled on the ground, had a large handprint embedded into his chest. ¡°You there, miss.¡± Merlin gestured towards Reina. ¡°Huh¡­ y-yes!¡± ¡°Take him away. And make sure to tell him that I won¡¯t hold back if he tries his hand again.¡± ¡°Y-you were holding back?¡± Though she mumbled in disbelief, she couldn¡¯t deny what she saw. Unlike Hader, who had caused a ruckus and telegraphed his intentions by summoning his elementals and thrusting forward with an attack, Merlin had moved his hands without taking any formal fighting stance. ¡®This can¡¯t be. He¡¯s a warrior who¡¯s equal in strength to the great general?¡¯ Of course, there was no way that this was possible. The great general of the mermaids was one of the great monsters of the Phantom Monster Magic Islands. In other words, he was a monster equal in level to Heavenly Flower, a being that Merlin could not contend with. Merlin was only as strong as his initial burst, so if he fought against the general, he would probably only get off two or three attacks before reaching the limits of his internal energy capacity. ¡°Hmm? Are you planning to attack me, too? I guess if you want revenge, I understand¡­¡± ¡°N-no. Thank you for your consideration.¡± Reina bowed to Merlin before summoning her own water elementals to carry away Hader¡¯s lifeless body. They soon disappeared into a dark alleyway between some buildings. Reina had moved hastily, possibly fearing that Merlin was going to give chase. ¡°Wow! What was that just now? How were you able to produce so much force¡­¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Merlin?¡± With a feeble whimper, Merlin teetered and had to lean on a wall for support. Surprised, Miho rushed over to him. ¡°W-what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just that I¡¯ve used up too much energy. I guess I can¡¯t keep expanding my energy without any repercussions.¡± ¡°Expand? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I went a little overboard with that last attack.¡± Merlin sensed heat radiating from the pit of his stomach and realized that his body condition had changed to [Serious Injury]. ¡°Dummy. Your gold core sustained some damage.¡± ¡°You knew?¡± Before launching his attack, Merlin had expected that this may be the case, so he felt embarrassed that his expectation had become a reality. Seeing this, Quiet Heaven spoke mockingly. ¡°Of course I knew. That last attack was too much for you. I know that you¡¯re No Living World or whatever is a cheat ability, but everyone has their limits.¡± Merlin¡¯s cultivation technique, the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, was the most stable cultivation technique. For example, if a normal internal energy user practicing a different technique had a hundred years of internal energy, that user would only be able to output ten years of internal energy at any one time, but a Golden Pill Immortal Technique practitioner could output the entire hundred years of internal energy due to the stable nature of the technique. However, Merlin had outputted eighty years of internal energy while his maximum capacity was only at sixty, meaning he had outputted a hundred-and-thirty percent of his internal energy. It was no surprise then that he had overextended himself. CH 124 ??12-15 minutes 24.09.2022 ¡°Dang it. I wanted to try expanding my entire cycle of internal energy to output four-hundred and eighty years of internal energy, someday.¡± ¡°Did you really think that could be possible? If you were capable of such a cheat move, you¡¯d be able to blast away a dragon with a single attack. At least, you would if you struck it squarely.¡± Merlin nodded. In truth, he had expected as much, and he had overextended his internal energy output to test whether his expectations were correct. ¡°It seems that I need to contain the output of internal energy to my limit of one cycle.¡± To output more internal energy, Merlin had to increase his internal energy capacity, but for whatever reason, his gold core was stabilizing at one cycle with no signs of increasing. ¡°Can you walk?¡± Merlin shook his head. ¡°¡­ It doesn¡¯t look likely at the moment.¡± ¡°Eh! It¡¯s that bad?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine soon. If you¡¯re concerned about getting to our lodging, there are other ways.¡± Merlin¡¯s body rose and hovered ten centimeters from the ground. The two spirits that always surrounded him, Younghwi and Shining, were lifting him up. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Miho made a concerned face, but Merlin didn¡¯t care. No user should have been concerned that their in-game character might become sick, right? Regardless, Miho was worried. ¡®It was a powerful attack. No matter how powerful he is, he couldn¡¯t be fine after such a tremendous output of energy. Will his body be okay? All this because of my pride¡­¡¯ Though she was concerned, Miho hid her inner feelings and asked, ¡°What was the skill that you used just now? It didn¡¯t look like an illusion-based magic spell.¡± ¡°Obviously, it was martial arts¡­ Eh? Wait, you don¡¯t know martial arts?¡± Merlin was taken aback for a moment, until he remembered that the monsters in the south didn¡¯t use martial arts. Instead, they reinforced their bodies, used some form of magic, or employed a monster-qi specific ability. The variance in their power levels were based solely on how well they could control their specific ability. ¡°Martial arts? Ah, I think I¡¯ve heard of it before. The Jin species use that skill. Are you a Jin?¡± ¡°The Jin?¡± ¡°Oh, right, you¡¯re not a Jin, you¡¯re a passenger.¡± Not paying any mind to Merlin¡¯s question, Miho continued mumbling to herself. Though this behavior wasn¡¯t normal for Miho, the relatively insensitive Merlin didn¡¯t feel that anything was off. ¡°Did I ever mention to you that I was a passenger?¡± Before Merlin could finish his thought, they entered the front door to their lodging. From the outside, the building looked like a small, single room structure, but it looked much more spacious from within. Whir! ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the building¡¯s system recognizing and registering us as guests. It¡¯ll be maintained until we leave.¡± ¡°How interesting. I couldn¡¯t sense any magic being used.¡± The lodging space was clean. To be frank, it was barebones. The only furniture was two single beds and one table. Though the room had minimal furnishings, what was there looked of high quality. ¡°Do you want something to eat?¡± Miho asked. ¡°Oh, I brought a lot of food with me.¡± Since Merlin traveled often, eating was always a high priority. In terms of food, clothing, and shelter, he had his magic-infused clothing and mobile-card housing, but he always needed to restock on food wherever he went. Since he had to always be mindful about his stock of food, he had fully stocked his housing and inventory space with food at Starting before he left. As an ability user, Merlin didn¡¯t require that much food. Based on his current stockpile, he¡¯d be able to sustain himself for about a year. ¡°Hey, try this.¡± ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called a hamburger. You don¡¯t know what bread is, do you?¡± ¡°Bread?¡± Looking at her golden eyes staring back at him, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but find Miho cute. ¡°It¡¯s made from flour¡­ uhm¡­ anyway, there¡¯s something called flour. It¡¯s a processed type of food.¡± ¡°Ooh.¡± Muttering in amazement at all the different types of food Merlin had, Miho took a hamburger and ate it. Having opened her eyes to the wonder of new foods, her resistance to trying new food seemed to diminish by the second. ¡°Chomp. Chomp.¡± With her small mouth, she got to work on the hamburger. Her expression of satisfaction was like a sharp dagger; a dagger that was piercing Merlin¡¯s heart. ¡°Ugh!!¡± ¡°Eh? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°N-nothing. I¡¯m fine.¡± Merlin waved his hand as if to signal that it was nothing, but Miho had seen Merlin anguish in pain from his injuries just ten minutes ago, so she couldn¡¯t help but feel concerned. ¡°You look like you¡¯re in a lot of pain¡­ does it still hurt?¡± Merlin gave an awkward laugh. ¡®Ugh. She¡¯s so gosh darn cute.¡¯ Even though he was a person who considered young people, who hadn¡¯t gone through the rigors of social life, equal to animals, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but be enamored by Miho. However, he couldn¡¯t just hug her and roll around on the ground with her like he did when she was in her fox form. ¡°Hey, Miho. Can¡¯t you revert to your normal look as a fox?¡± ¡°What? You don¡¯t like how I look now?¡± Surprised at Miho¡¯s sensitive reaction, Merlin suddenly waved his hands. ¡°N-no, no, it¡¯s nothing like that. I just thought it would be more comfortable for you.¡± ¡°Hmpf! I¡¯m not going to change back into a fox until I¡¯m done with this travel assignment.¡± Miho snapped her body around after saying this and threw herself onto her bed. ¡®¡­ Why¡¯s she acting like that?¡¯ Not understanding Miho¡¯s attitude, Merlin scratched the back of his head, took off his wide-brimmed hat, put it on the table, and laid down on his bed. He thought about taking off his robe to sleep comfortably, but he didn¡¯t think this was necessary since he¡¯d just be setting himself to sleep-mode before logging out. He wasn¡¯t really going to sleep. ¡®I probably can¡¯t just log off, right?¡¯ When one logged out, the location that one would be placed after logging in would be based on the spatial coordinates where the user was last located. So if Merlin logged out while on a moving object, as he was now, he would reappear in the location where the moving object was before he logged out. In this situation, Merlin would probably reappear in the sky and fall straight down into the sea. However, if he used sleep-mode before logging off, his character¡¯s body would still be present in DIO, and he would be able to avoid logging back on mid-air. ¡°Hey, Miho.¡± ¡°What.¡± Miho responded back with a sulking voice, but Merlin continued, unbothered. ¡°How long will it take for us to arrive?¡± ¡°¡­ Moby Dick will travel around various islands and continents to gather all the representatives, so it¡¯ll probably take another ten hours.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to wake up in at least nine hours.¡± Merlin organized his thoughts. The most appropriate logout time while traveling with Miho was twelve hours. Now that DIO¡¯s access time was limited to twelve hours, if Merlin connected for six days (twelve hours in real-time), he wouldn¡¯t be able to login to DIO for another six days. ¡®But it¡¯s not possible for me to be logged in for six days and take six days off.¡¯ Optimally, using sleep-mode, Merlin would have to sleep twelve hours a day within DIO. If he used up all his play time in advance by playing continuously, he¡¯d be forcefully logged out at the end of the sixth day without access to the server for another six days. ¡®But my schedule here won¡¯t allow me to take twelve hours out of the day to sleep. I need to finish this trip in ten days if possible.¡¯ ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be up in nine hours. If I don¡¯t wake up, shake me until I awake.¡± ¡°Hmpf! Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll beat you up until you wake up. So don¡¯t worry, okay mister?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Finally sensing that something was off, Merlin turned his gaze towards Miho. With his eyes open just a crack, he glanced at her. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ You¡¯re really not going to change back into a fox?¡± ¡°Never!¡± She looked angry, but Merlin laughed mischievously in response. ¡°If that¡¯s the case!¡± With a whoosh sound, Merlin magically levitated two meters up in the air. With the assistance of his two spirits, he slipped downwards through the air as if he was riding a slide, and landed on Miho. Surprised, Miho flailed her arms and legs, but it was impossible for her to resist Merlin with her physical abilities. ¡°You¡¯re so cute!! I can¡¯t hold back!¡± ¡°Hey, let go of me! Pervert!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if I¡¯m a pervert! Hahaha!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± Not having the physical attribute (?) that represented the male gender in DIO, Merlin rolled around on Miho¡¯s bed with Miho in his arms. Suddenly, Miho grabbed his cheeks and touched the tip of her nose to Merlin¡¯s. Merlin, who had somewhat his grip on reality, suddenly felt an overwhelming aura and froze. ¡°Stay still!!¡± With a sharp cry, Miho¡¯s golden eyes turned red. As if it never happened, Merlin immediately stopped rolling around. ¡°Huh¡­ w-what happened?¡± ¡°Hmpf!¡± Snorting, Miho slipped away from Merlin¡¯s grasp. ¡°Get up.¡± she ordered him. Merlin shot straight up. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on? Eh?¡± Merlin had lost control over his body. His eyes turned red as he began to operate Magic Eye. He was trying to ¡®crack¡¯ Miho¡¯s magic power pattern. ¡°Go outside and raise your hands above your head.¡± However, Merlin couldn¡¯t crack it. ¡°Huh? What? Why can¡¯t I release myself¡­¡± ¡°And shut your mouth.¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± With a bewildered look on his face, Merlin dutifully walked out of the room, dropped to his knees, and raised his arms above his head. Magic power swirled around him as he continued to use Magic Eye to crack the spell and break free, but he wasn¡¯t having any luck. If Merlin had more magic power to operate with, he¡¯d be able to shatter the controlling spell with ease, but at present, Merlin was weakened and had less magic power than Miho. In front of Merlin, Miho made a satisfied expression and laughed. ¡°Bow down.¡± As soon as she gave the order, Merlin bowed down flat against the ground. Gracefully, Miho got on top of Merlin¡¯s back. ¡°You got too cocky after beating me once. However, remember that I am the Red Monster¡¯s successor. Back then, you took advantage of my surprise when you used a process of Magic Eye that I hadn¡¯t anticipated. But my ability to use Magic Eye far surpasses yours.¡± Miho had devoted herself to researching and testing Magic Eye after being shocked by Merlin¡¯s, which he had conceived in programming. Specifically, she had studied how Merlin applied infiltration during his use of cracking. Thereafter, Miho¡¯s progress in the discipline of Magic Eye was tremendous. This was because Merlin¡¯s Magic Eye had inspired her and brought an added effect to her own Magic Eye process. As a result, Miho had increased her ability to confront other Magic Eye practitioners, raised her proficiency and mastery of Magic Eye, and greatly expanded the range of magic that she could perform while using Magic Eye. In a sense, Merlin was a kind of benefactor to her. Of course, not a single ounce of appreciation could currently be seen in Miho¡¯s eyes. ¡°Go to sleep like that today.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Merlin was finally able to circulate part of his internal energy, but all he could muster was a whimper. With complete control over him, Miho happily hummed a tune as she laid down on her bed. Soon, Miho¡¯s breathing became regular. ¡®Is she asleep?¡¯ Nearly flat to the ground, Merlin was exasperated by Miho¡¯s gentle, regulated breathing. Of course, as an internal energy user with above-average stats in HP, Strength, and Stamina, Merlin didn¡¯t have any issue maintaining his bowed position, even if it went on for a few days, but he couldn¡¯t help but be surprised that Miho could sleep so soundly after leaving him in such an awkward position. ¡°Hmm. I can¡¯t think of any good ideas. This position is so uncomfortable, it¡¯s making it hard for me to concentrate on anything.¡± After pondering his options a bit longer, Merlin decided to just log off. ¡°Fine. [Log Out, Sleep-Mode].¡± /Commencing log off. You will become immobile for the next 10 seconds. You are open to attack during this time, so if you¡¯re not in a safe area, cancel the log off process and take appropriate measures. 10, 9, 8¡­/ There were no imminent threats that prevented his log off process. As long as he didn¡¯t receive any shocks, he¡¯d be able to log off. Of course, if he logged off without sleep-mode, he¡¯d also be freed from his current physical restraints. If he did that, however, he¡¯d also find himself in the middle of the sky when he logged back on. ¡®I¡¯ll just take a brief rest.¡¯ As he mumbled to himself, Merlin closed his eyes. Like Miho, Merlin soon started breathing in a regular pattern. CH 125 ¡°Meow.¡± ¡°Meow?¡± ¡°Yar.¡± ¡°Meow¡­¡± Cats sat in the cockpit in front of the dashboard, which was decorated with various colored marbles. At first glance, it looked like they were walking and playing around, but they were actually the pilots running the spacecraft, called Garuda. Beep! When one of the cats manipulated a large crystal with both of its paws, a screen opened in mid-air and started playing a video. The image was of a passenger who was sleeping on Moby Dick. ¡°Meow?¡± The cats were mostly white, with only their ears, face, and two of their legs colored black. In terms of species, they were similar to Siamese cats. Above one that looked particularly like a Siamese cat, a ¡®?¡¯ appeared in a white cloud bubble before quickly turning into a ¡°!!¡±. ¡°Meow?!¡± The Siamese cat jumped out of its chair and quickly ran to one side. It approached a closed door, which opened automatically. Jump! In the room it ran into, the Siamese cat found a swarm of shiny butterflies and a spotted cat skipping and dancing amongst them. ¡°Meow!!¡± ¡°Meow!¡± When the Siamese cat made a sharp sound, the spotted cat, which had been running around with a languid expression, jumped up in surprise. The swarm of butterflies flying around the spotted cat instantly disappeared. ¡°Meow, meow!!¡± ¡°Purr¡­!¡± The Siamese cat seemed to be sharply scolding the spotted cat. The spotted cat made a pitiful expression and lowered its head. Seeing this, the Siamese cat narrowed its eyes, but it soon shook its head and continued speaking. ¡°Meow! Meow, meow!¡± ¡°M-meow!¡± The spotted cat quickly returned to its seat and put its front paws on another crystal. Soon, dozens of screens appeared and began to convey a large amount of information. ¡°Purr¡­¡± After reviewing the information, the Siamese cat shook its head with a troubled expression and looked at the spotted cat. ¡°Meow!¡± ¡°Purr.¡± The spotted cat hunched its back and looked depressed. An image of dark clouds and showers appeared over its head. Although the spotted cat was conveying its depression, the Siamese cat, who was busy trying to deal with the situation, promptly left the room without looking back. Pat! Pat! Pat! Every time the Siamese cat¡¯s paws hit the ground, it bounded five to six meters forward. Though cats were generally quick animals, this type of speed was abnormal. The Siamese cat bounded into the navigation bridge and cried out. ¡°Meow!!¡± ¡°What the hell are you saying! Stop meowing and start talking!¡± A black-haired young man sat in a large chair in front of an instrument panel. He shouted at the Siamese cat because he did not understand its language, Purr-ji. ¡°Man, hearing meows and purrs all day, I¡¯m starting to wonder if I¡¯m really on a ship or on planet Purr-ji! What¡¯s wrong with you? You can use spirit speech!¡± Purr-ji was language used by the Prajna species. Based on loudness, tone, and inflection, the meaning of words drastically changed, so it was considered one of the most difficult languages in the universe. Purr-ji was a complex language that could convey thousands or tens of thousands of meanings with just a short sound, allowing multiple meanings and a ton of information to be conveyed within a very short conversation. This also meant it was very difficult to learn. On top of that, many other species didn¡¯t even have the physical attributes necessary to properly speak the language. In an apologetic tone, the Siamese cat spoke again, using spirit speech. ¡°Oh, uhm, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Okay, start over.¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± The Siamese cat turned around and left the room. Soon, it jumped back in. ¡°Sir! There¡¯s a user who¡¯s entering the yet unrevealed new continent!¡± ¡°Yeah, speak like that from now on¡­ What?¡± The black-haired young man was momentarily puzzled by the unexpected news. The new continent was a restricted space that was yet to be open to users. ¡°No, wait, we haven¡¯t released the flying shuttles yet. How is this possible?¡± ¡°Well¡­ he swam¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Startled, the young man quickly unfolded his hand and swung it in a rubbing motion in the air. Soon, a live video feed of Merlin, still asleep on Moby Dick, appeared in front of him. Next to the video feed was a wall of text detailing Merlin¡¯s stats. ¡°What? S Rank in Swimming? Is this guy crazy?¡± When the young man pushed the text with his finger, more information poured out. ¡°He¡¯s raised his attribute power to S Rank¡­ but what¡¯s with his level? His stats are so low!¡± Merlin¡¯s stats were obviously extremely skewed. His S-Rank skill was great enough to overcome many of the disadvantages of having weak stats, but Merlin¡¯s stats looked extremely bizarre when compared to Arthur¡¯s, the only other user to possess an S-Rank skill. ¡°This is so strange. How did we not know about this guy?¡± ¡°Come to think of it, I think the section chief mentioned that there were three people he was keeping an eye on. We know the other two, so perhaps this is the third?¡± ¡°Oh, the one-in-a-quintillion Irregular?¡± The user count for DIO numbered in the hundreds of millions. Though the entire system was owned and tightly operated, it wasn¡¯t possible to keep track of every user¡¯s movement. Of course, it was possible to closely look at and follow certain characters if they were pre-designated, but Merlin wasn¡¯t. ¡°What shall we do? If the user has contact with the monsters, there¡¯ll be a hole in the setting. In addition, there¡¯ll probably be monsters that are curious about the user and his background, so forced memory modifications will have to be applied across the board. This¡¯ll probably throw a wrench in our plans, no?¡± The black-haired man was troubled by the Siamese cat¡¯s words. Of course, they could easily force Merlin back above the Noise Belt and completely prevent him from going south again, but this intervention went against DIO¡¯s basic operating policy: ¡®training and strengthening according to free will¡¯. ¡°Well, I guess we have no other choice. Since it¡¯s gone this far already, advance the time of the Great War. Also, get ready to start the official opening event of the flying shuttles.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯ll be so out of the blue¡­¡± The Siamese cat looked annoyed for a moment, but soon nodded its head. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll round up my team members and make it happen. Three or four days should be enough time.¡± ¡°Looking forward to it.¡± With that, the Siamese cat turned and left the navigation bridge. Utilizing its cat-like agility, it quickly left the room without a stir. ¡°Honestly, I thought it would take at least a year before any useful users would show up, but I guess there¡¯s a wide gap between individuals. There are already two users with an S-Rank¡­¡± Of course, in the young man¡¯s eyes, Merlin was too weak to contribute to any fight. It was great that Merlin was able to obtain an S-Rank skill, but this skill wasn¡¯t combat-oriented, so Merlin was still weaker than Cruze, who was without an S-Rank skill. The young man assumed that this was due to Merlin¡¯s lack of love for battle and fighting. ¡°Shall I put you through a little bit of trouble?¡± If the young man pressed Merlin too hard, there was a risk that he would just give up on the game. First and foremost, users were accessing DIO for pleasure, so they didn¡¯t have to endure excessive stress if they didn¡¯t want to. ¡°Dang it, it would have been nice to have a system that made the users feel hellish pain if they died and banned them from logging off. This system just allows users to take whatever course of action they want. How troublesome and inefficient.¡± Grumbling, the young man began to adjust something on his instrument panel, with no idea of the consequences his actions would cause. *** Arriving at the Holy Shrine *** ¡°Ah, I¡¯m getting so thin.¡± Yongno got out of bed and took off his earphones. His clothes, which used to fit perfectly, were loose on him now. This wasn¡¯t something that only Merlin was going through; it was a phenomenon that most users playing DIO experienced. Users could satisfy their urge for delicious food in-game, so they didn¡¯t spend as much time eating in the real world. When users logged off DIO, they would often only eat the basic necessary nutrients, or they would skip eating altogether. Due to this, many quickly lost weight, and some even became malnourished. ¡°Let¡¯s see, nine hours is about forty-five minutes. I¡¯ll have to log back in forty minutes from now since I dragged my feet a little when logging out.¡± While mumbling to himself, Merlin gathered a bunch of ingredients, took out pork from his refrigerator, and started to make kimchi stew. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m losing too much weight, so I¡¯ll probably do a one-to-one ratio of water to pork. Oh, should I order pizza for my next meal?¡± Yongno hummed as he laid out his spread, with rice and side dishes, on his computer desk. ¡°Oh, come to think of it, there must be some users who specialize in Magic Eye, no?¡± It was natural to think there might be others. Yongno went on DIO¡¯s homepage and looked up the fan sites that were linked to it. The number of fan sites were considerable. At first glance, there seemed to be more than a hundred of them. Among them, the largest-looking sites were an official site called ¡®New World¡¯, followed by a site specializing in martial arts called ¡®Invincible¡¯, and then a site specializing in magic, ¡®The Mage¡¯s Tower¡¯. Outside of internal energy and magic power, there were fan sites for each of the other seven spiritual power areas, including life force, aura, chakra, and the others. On these sites, users shared information on training methods and other related knowledge. ¡°Let¡¯s see. Magic Eye would fall under The Mage¡¯s Tower, right?¡± When he entered The Mage¡¯s Tower site, he was greeted by a logo that read [Please search The Mage¡¯s Tower on your Beholder] on the upper right-hand corner of the site. It seemed that, if one possessed a Beholder, one could access this fan site within DIO. ¡°Oh, right here, Magic Eye¡­ but there¡¯s not a lot of info.¡± On the [Destruction Spell] bulletin board, there were already over a thousand pages of user posts, but in the [Magic Eye] bulletin board, there were barely twenty. Still, the number of views was considerable, probably because there were many readers, and there was a lot of information to be garnered. Yongno found an interesting post and started to read it. /Psychological Magic Eye Techniques do not seem to be effective between users; hence, most Magic Eye practitioners use the technique in control-type environments, such as Tamers or the recently popular ¡®hindrance¡¯ role in a party setting. I have specialized in the latter; however, instead of specializing in psychological control, I¡¯ve specialized in Magic Eye for physical control. Please watch my video for more details./ A video was attached at the bottom of the post. DIO allowed users to use in-game cameras to record videos, and this video was shot using that feature. It showed eight users fighting against a dual sword wielding troll. The troll moved quickly, and it seemed to move and wield both its swords based on set parameters. Among the eight users, there seemed to be a martial arts specialist, but no one within the party was able to properly match up against the troll¡¯s swords. This meant that the party members were losing out to the troll purely on skill level. Additionally, troll¡¯s regenerative abilities were known to be top notch, so unless it was overwhelmingly overrun or incinerated by extreme heat, it would recover from any injuries. The only advantage the party had was in numbers, but eight members weren¡¯t enough. Many more would be needed to defeat this troll, the difference in fighting power was too wide. Crack. Suddenly, the rushing troll¡¯s body became rigid, stopping it in its tracks. Seven of the users took this chance to launch attacks at the troll. With trained precision, they exacted critical damage on the troll in about a second. A troll could sustain any normal attack, but since all the users in the party wielded magic weapons, the troll¡¯s regenerative ability was nullified. ¡°Step back!¡± The sole user who stood back and didn¡¯t attack the troll shouted out to the other seven. Soon, the seven retreated and got into defensive positions. Though the troll regained control over its body and launched a ferocious attack, it couldn¡¯t land any substantial damage on them. Their defensive positioning absorbed the brunt of the attack. When the troll¡¯s body grew rigid once more, the seven users rushed in again. ¡°Dang! This is such a cheat.¡± Yongno chuckled. The user who posted the clip had utilized Magic Eye to take physical control away from the troll¡¯s body so the others could do hit-and-run style damage on it. This had made their hunt much easier. ¡°It¡¯s probably useful on monsters that are susceptible to Magic Eye. Of course, the effect and duration of Magic Eye will be limited against higher-level monsters, but I guess that isn¡¯t an issue in a party with other users.¡± As Yongno mumbled to himself, he read the description underneath the video clip. /The ability to freeze up a high-level monster, like the troll in the video, was a recent development for me. Due to this skill, I¡¯ve been treated like royalty in all the parties I¡¯ve joined. The magic system that I used is as followed./ Below this explanation was forty-eight rune characters and a few lines of information. There were also five to six pages of drawings. It was a frequently used magic system. /I¡¯ve noticed that many users use C (computer language) to construct their magic systems. Mana isn¡¯t a computer, so I don¡¯t recommend this approach. But, it is true that magic systems share a lot of similarities to programming structures, so constructing a system in C may be useful and effective. I believe this is why most Magic Eye practitioners use Cracking to break through an opponent¡¯s defenses./ ¡°Cracking¡­ well, I also used that to take control over Miho.¡± Not only was programming a useful skill in Magic Eye, programming was useful in most areas of magic. However, for Magic Eye in particular, the programming skill of Cracking was especially useful, as it allowed one to take over an opponent¡¯s mental psyche and physical body. Since this was the case¡­ ¡°I feel like I can come up with a good idea¡­ huh?¡± The sound of a doorbell suddenly projected from his speakers. Minimizing the fan site window, Yongno could see an image of Merlin on his monitor. ¡°I¡¯m surprised that this feature exists.¡± Yongno discovered that he could observe and monitor his in-game character on his computer screen if he put his character in sleep-mode before logging out. Of course, since the time in DIO moved twelve times faster than in real life, the feed in the video played like it was fast-forwarding. ¡°She eventually placed me in my bed. Sweet kid.¡± In the video feed, Yongno saw Miho walk up to Merlin¡¯s bowed body, levitate him using some finger movements, and place Merlin atop his bed. Of course, Merlin didn¡¯t react during this entire process. All this was done in an instant. From Yongno¡¯s perspective, any quick movements looked incredibly fast or were impossible to see at all. ¡°I should make sure to log in soon. But, before that¡­¡± With a broad smile, Yongno entered a fan site. ¡°I should learn how to defend myself, no?¡± CH 126 ¡°Phew¡­¡± Merlin, who had been sleeping as dead as a log, let out a sigh as he opened his eyes. Although he had just woken after a long sleep, Merlin looked fully alert. He seemed more like a person who had just blinked their eyes momentarily. /You are the first user to discover (7 hours ago) the new continent, Atlantis!/ /As the first discoverer, you¡¯ve obtained 100,000 bonus EXP!/ ¡°A hundred-thousand EXP¡­ discovering new continents sure gives a lot of EXP.¡± ¡°What are you babbling about after waking up?¡± As if something was still bothering her, Miho spoke in a sharp voice. Merlin just shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Oh, nothing. Thank you for laying me on my bed.¡± ¡°Hmpf! I was just concerned that you¡¯d drool on the sheets, so I flipped you over.¡± When Miho turned her head after speaking, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but smile at her cute reaction. However, Merlin spoke up about a different topic. ¡°Anyway, are we at our destination? I sense a lot of beings around us.¡± Using Aura Vision, Merlin could sense many more auras than when he first stepped foot onto Moby Dick. Based on the sense he felt from the auras, Merlin figured that all the new passengers were from one party. He also sensed a considerable number of human auras in that party¡¯s mix. ¡°Representatives of all power levels and groups will be present to receive the prophecy. I know most of the beings from the islands, but I¡¯m not familiar with those on the main continent. It¡¯s my first time seeing them as well.¡± ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Merlin got up from his bed and put on his wide-brimmed hat and red mage robe. He flattened out the creases and wrinkles on his robe after imbuing it with magic. He looked like a traditional mage. If he had a wand or staff in his hand, the hallmark image would be complete, but Merlin was empty-handed. ¡®It¡¯s not like a staff will be of any use, right? It¡¯ll just get in the way when I use my hand skills.¡¯ With a staff, one could quickly release preset spells or expand one¡¯s magic power, but Merlin didn¡¯t feel that these benefits were necessary for him. He didn¡¯t have any trouble casting spells in the first place. ¡°So, how far are we from that Holy Shrine place?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be arriving soon. Everyone that should board has boarded, so we¡¯ll be making our way directly to our destination now.¡± ¡°Oh, right. You¡¯ve mentioned powers and groups often. How many powers are there anyway? I already know of the six large islands since I¡¯ve swum to each one of them.¡± Merlin was referring to the Phantom Monster Magic Islands. There was Blue Forest Island, Creation Island with its extraterrestrial-like monsters that had mutated their life force, Heavenly Sky Island Icarus with its Avian species, Senior Remote Island with its spirit animals that trained in the Dao, Shura Island with its demon species, and Heavens Gate with its celestial species. Each of the six islands had their own ruling existence. Different from Dynamic Island where monsters spawned and waited for users in designated areas, each of these islands were populated with beings that freely lived their own lives. ¡°The main continent has three main ruling powers. There are the small people of the Iron Duchy, the humans of Idea Duchy, popularly known as Mech Nation, and the elves and fairies of Ertheia.¡± ¡°You said ¡®main¡¯, does that mean these three include some smaller powers in their societies?¡± Miho nodded. ¡°The small-people species can be broken down into dwarves and gnomes. Then, there are the elves and fairies. As for humans¡­ you called it martial arts, right? Anyway, humans really love fighting. They can be divided into the Jin, Rian, and Kael people. The human population is very large, and they occupy the most land. The entire human-ruled lands are larger than the lands of the midgets, elves, and fairies combined.¡± ¡°Then, how many teams are boarding this whale on this main continent?¡± ¡°One representative from the Iron Duchy, one representative from Ertheia, and three representatives from Idea Duchy, or Mech Nation.¡± ¡°Wow, it¡¯s going to be bustling on top of this whale.¡± The six islands, Aqualand, and the main continent¡¯s five teams made it eleven teams, and since each team can bring two representatives, there would be twenty-two beings in total. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get going. It¡¯s time we meet up with the others.¡± said Miho, as she beckoned towards the door. ¡°Ah, just one moment.¡± Merlin imbued internal energy into Shining, one of the two spirits that hovered around him. Recently, the spirits had been consuming a lot more internal energy. If he fed them at the same time, he¡¯d have to expend nearly two-thirds of his single cycle of internal energy. It was burdensome for Merlin to feed them both at the same time. Woong! After feeding, Shining trembled and glowed a golden color. Soon, a text box appeared in front of Merlin. /Your Wicalein Ring¡¯s rank has risen to Rank 4!/ ¡°Shining reached its max limit as well. Should I level up?¡± Merlin was Level 6, which meant he could use items up to Rank 4. This also meant that his spirits couldn¡¯t develop beyond Rank 4. Of course, Shining had just ranked up, so it would still take some time before it reached the next one. However, Younghwi had been sitting on Rank 4 for quite a while. ¡°The gold color has deepened. I guess it follows your attributes.¡± ¡°Huh? You can see it?¡± It hadn¡¯t been only a day or two since they met, so it was only natural that Miho could at least feel the presence of Merlin¡¯s spirits, but Merlin was surprised that she could see them. Miho gave Merlin an incredulous look. ¡°Are you kidding me? It¡¯s impossible to see spirits because they¡¯re not physical beings, but any run-of-the-mill magic practitioner who knows even a little about spirits can sense spirit qi. Besides, I¡¯m a Magic Eye practitioner. It¡¯s often said that Enhanced Eyesight accepts and Magic Eye sends out, but that¡¯s not all there is to them.¡± What Miho said was right. It was possible to create a physical shockwave according to the way Enhanced Eyesight was used, and it was possible to read another being¡¯s information or spiritual existence. ¡°Well, I guess I have been using Magic Eye in a very narrow range. Come to think of it, I utilize Enhanced Eyesight for many things, so I haven¡¯t really had a need to use Magic Eye for the same purposes.¡± Merlin¡¯s eyes had three states they could enter. They were his standard black when nothing was happening, golden when his eyes were imbued by internal energy and went through his Golden Pill Immortal Technique, and red whenever he utilized Miho¡¯s Magic Eye technique. In fact, if Merlin used Magic Eye and Enhanced Eyesight at the same time, there¡¯d usually be a considerable lag time when switching between the two eyes. However, Merlin¡¯s magic power and internal energy control ability reduced this lag time to less than a second. This meant he could switch between the two fairly easily if necessary. ¡°Anyway, let''s head out.¡± ¡°Right.¡± After double checking to see if he left anything behind, Merlin opened the door. Creak! ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Merlin met eyes with another being, a woman from the lodging directly in front of theirs. She wore a blue robe, had reddish blonde hair, was a little over a hundred-and-sixty centimeters in height, and carried a forty-centimeter long staff. ¡®She¡¯s a mage. She also seems to be a Seven Jewels School practitioner, no?¡¯ Since he had reached a certain level in Enhanced Eyesight, Merlin was able to grasp the type and amount of magic she had with a single glance. Merlin also noticed that she had a blue jewel embedded on the back of her right hand. She gave Merlin a once-over before speaking. ¡°Hmm? That¡­ you¡¯re a jewel magic practitioner?¡± ¡°A jewel magic practitioner? Oh, well, yes.¡± Merlin was momentarily confused by the unfamiliar term, but he soon nodded. There were no individuals better suited for the title of ¡®jewel magic user¡¯ than those in the Seven Jewel School, a magic school of thought that stored magic power in stones, and imbued natural-qi jewels with magic power to cast spells. ¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Nell Prona. I¡¯m from Idea Duchy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Merlin. I¡¯m from the Blue Forest Island in the Phantom Monster Magic Islands.¡± Nell looked surprised. ¡°Huh? What do you mean Blue Forest Island? You look like a human being.¡± ¡°I¡¯m friends with her, so I accompanied her here.¡± Merlin pulled Miho in and stroked her head. Miho¡¯s expression became cold. Though she didn¡¯t seem to dislike being patted, as she didn¡¯t cast off Merlin¡¯s hand, she spoke in a slightly sullen tone. ¡°It¡¯s almost time. We need to make our way to the front.¡± ¡°We¡¯re already here?¡± Merlin naturally used his Scanning Vision to look around. Moby Dick¡¯s body, protected by a considerable amount of spirit-qi, could not be penetrated and looked into, but when Merlin operated Telescopic Vision, he could see the mountains far away beyond the nearby buildings. ¡°Oh, we¡¯re still at the Nelson Mountains. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve met a fellow jewel magic practitioner. Would you mind if we walk together?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind. We¡¯re going the same way anyway.¡± Merlin nodded and Nell smiled. ¡°One moment. Perrin!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be out soon!¡± A weak voice came from inside Nell¡¯s lodging. Then, with a thud, a girl dragging a large bag popped out. ¡°I¡¯m ready¡­ Eh! Who are you?!¡± The girl who had just popped out from Nell¡¯s lodging area had blonde hair that was clearer than Nell¡¯s. Seeing Merlin, the girl lifted her staff in surprise. It was a posture taken before launching an attack, but she did not cast anything. She was a mage, but her level was extremely low. She wouldn¡¯t be able to cast anything unless she took time to chant a spell for a long time. Slap! ¡°Ack! Miss?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t point your staff anywhere! Your ability is not even up to scratch¡­ What if you cause a fight? There are quite a few belligerent characters amongst the representatives who have been tasked with receiving the prophecy.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me! I completed Rank 1 last week! Besides, how am I supposed to know what the other representatives are thinking¡­¡± ¡°No, wait. You¡¯ve reached Rank 1? You¡¯ve completed 1 Star?¡± Merlin cut off Perrin¡¯s words. As an Enhanced Eyesight user, and a master of comprehension and analysis, Merlin could see her level as easily as looking down a mountain, so he couldn¡¯t just allow her comment to pass by without asking. Moreover, the girl was also a Seven Jewels School practitioner. Merlin peaked at Perrin¡¯s right hand. It had a blue magic circle on it. It contained magic power, albeit a small amount, which allowed her to use spells. This type of magic circle was considered an advanced Magic Seal, but compared to jewels, the magic circle was the lowest of lows. In short, the girl hadn¡¯t even entered the process of materializing magic power to make the lowest level magic stone. ¡°W-what? What¡¯s with that look?¡± the young girl asked Merlin. ¡°Tsk, I can¡¯t believe an ¡®Unknown¡¯ like you is saying she¡¯s completed something,¡± Merlin replied. ¡°Unknown? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°What?¡± Merlin was dumbfoundead. He couldn¡¯t believe that a Seven Jewel School practitioner didn¡¯t know about the state of ¡®Unknown¡¯. Merlin concluded that the magic system that the girl studied under must have been different from his own. ¡°Aren¡¯t you part of the Seven Jewel School of magic?¡± ¡°What do you mean school¡­ we¡¯re just jewel magic practitioners. There aren¡¯t even enough jewel magic practitioners to warrant a division into schools.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ is that the situation here?¡± Of course, even on Dynamic Island, there weren¡¯t many schools of thought that involved crystallizing magic power and shaping it into a jewel. The number was perhaps only two or three in total. However, Dynamic Island¡¯s schools of magic were named after the founders who established their respective systems, or the founders would give it a name of their choice. Just because one specialized in fire spells didn¡¯t make one a fire magic practitioner, nor did specialization in casting ice-frost spells make one an ice magic practitioner. A name given to oneself based on specialty was just a nickname. It wouldn¡¯t make sense to think that a practitioner in a school of magic that specializes in fire spells doesn¡¯t know anything about other schools of magic. There were even schools that specialized in the materialization of magic power into metal, instead of jewels, and using it like armor. CH 127 ¡®Well, I guess it¡¯s not my concern.¡¯ Upon closer inspection, Merlin noticed that Nell and Perrin¡¯s magic systems were overly complicated and inefficient. Their magic techniques were different from the [Complete] cultivation techniques and schools of thoughts that were available to users. Though Merlin didn¡¯t know it, the magic techniques that Nell and Perrin used were actually considered [Complete] for their time; the ones that Merlin had access to were just revised, perfected versions. The revisions were performed by beings who had reached divine status in their respective fields, so the cultivation techniques and schools of thoughts that users had access to were dramatically different from their originals. Flap! With the fluttering sounds of wings flapping, a red-colored eagle came down from the sky. It was Merlin¡¯s pet, Quiet Heaven. ¡°Hey, where have you been? I haven¡¯t seen you in a while.¡± Henry said. ¡°Ugh, my wings. I materialized mid-air somewhere when you logged back in, so I had to fly a considerable distance. This freaking whale moves fast!¡± Merlin couldn¡¯t help but smile as Quiet Heaven complained while perched atop his head. ¡°What? Hahaha! I guess your login location follows spatial coordinates.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. It would have been nice if you [Recalled] me, then I¡¯d materialize next to you, but it didn¡¯t seem like you were going to do that anytime soon.¡± ¡°Oh, right. You said I can use the recall function once every hour, right?¡± In DIO, a user¡¯s pet could be summoned by the user¡¯s side at any time, regardless of distance. In case a user lost their pet, the DIO system gave users a recall skill that allowed pets to materialize next to their owners at any time. ¡°Oh, is that your hawk?¡± asked Nell. ¡°Hawk?! I¡¯m an eagle!¡± Seeing Quiet Heaven get angry, Nell quickly apologized. ¡°Oh, really? I¡¯m so sorry. I don¡¯t know much about animals.¡± ¡°Animal?!¡± Quiet Heaven began to bicker with Nell and Perrin. It seemed that Quiet Heaven had piqued Perrin¡¯s interest, as she asked many questions as she conversed with Quiet Heaven. ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel a lot of different auras around us.¡± When he turned his head, Merlin saw Red Blood, the large lion, who he had met the day before, and a weasel running beside him with its short legs. A little further ahead of them, Merlin saw a man with a dragon¡¯s head and a human body with a black leopard beside him. In the sky, different species of birds with black wings could be seen flying around. ¡°The other representatives are gathering. Don¡¯t make a scene like yesterday. Fortunately, we were able to deal with that mermaid prince yesterday without much fuss, but we should avoid making trouble as possible on our way to receive the prophecy,¡± Miho commented. ¡°Huh? But you started the quarrel, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°There are many variables that could lead to trouble, I wouldn¡¯t have taken things that far if I knew what would happen. It was just a competition of pride; I didn¡¯t mean for a real clash to occur. So¡­ uhm, don¡¯t fight from now on. Y-you¡¯re my colleague, so I¡¯ll protect you.¡± Miho¡¯s flushed face looked cute, but Merlin, oblivious, simply nodded and returned to looking around. In no time, representatives from each power gathered on top of Moby Dick¡¯s head. ¡®Wow, what a spectacular scene.¡¯ Merlin saw a man wrapped in white armor, as if he were a saint. There was a dwarf running around that looked less than a meter tall, and a fairy flying about. A red lion and a winged creature were chatting, and an elf with a slender body whispered to a fairy that was sitting on its shoulder. ¡®It¡¯s interesting to see users in fancy clothes, but this is also interesting in its own way. Is it because they¡¯re all from different races?¡¯ Typically for humans, the more people there were, beauty remained scarce, but ugliness became more plentiful. However, unlike humans, all the human-like NPCs were physically beautiful. It was interesting and refreshing just to look at these NPCs. Merlin felt that one male elf in particular, sitting on a railing, looked infinitely cool. ¡°Man, how come I can¡¯t choose another race? I want to be an elf.¡± As Merlin muttered casually, Miho, who was next to him, asked, ¡°Huh? Elf? Why?¡± ¡°They¡¯re so cool and pretty, elven men and women.¡± In truth, Merlin liked pretty and cute things. One might say Merlin had a little girl¡¯s taste; he liked dolls and always gushed when seeing pets. Even when Merlin first met Miho, he thought she was so cute that he momentarily couldn¡¯t gather himself. ¡°Hmm. Do you dislike your background?¡± ¡°A little bit. It¡¯s not too annoying, but¡­ to be honest, I think my height, eyes, nose, and mouth are uselessly big. This isn¡¯t a joke¡­ but honestly, I¡¯m a scary guy. It would be nice if I were a bit softer around the edges¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°What?¡± Merlin¡¯s eyes grew round after hearing Miho¡¯s unexpected reply. He didn¡¯t understand what was okay. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I-I think you¡¯re really okay.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m asking about. What do you mean by that¡­¡± ¡°Ah, we¡¯re here!¡± Right then, a loud voice drew everyone¡¯s attention to one place. Merlin also turned his head. ¡°Whoa! What¡¯s that?¡± It was a huge crystal tower shaped like a cylinder. It was hundreds of meters in diameter, and several kilometers high. The tower was so massive that Merlin could not even see its peak. ¡°Why haven¡¯t we been able to see this until now? Something this massive should be visible from far away, no?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because the Tower of Truth isn¡¯t visible to those who haven¡¯t entered the Holy Shrine. Only existences like Moby Dick are able to enter.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Merlin looked at the Tower of Truth with an impressed expression on his face. There were many large buildings in the real world, but this tower was taller and more splendid than anything else he¡¯d ever seen. Rumble! Moby Dick cried out as if stating that he had returned home. After making one revolution around the Tower of Truth, it landed in a lake located in front of the tower. Curiously enough, the lake¡¯s water didn¡¯t overflow, even though Moby Dick¡¯s giant body was immersed in it fully. ¡°What¡¯s with this lake? Something¡¯s off about it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the place that Moby Dick usually resides in. It¡¯s called the abyss. It looks like a simple lake, but it''s tremendously deep.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what it seems like.¡± Merlin nodded as he looked at the lake where Moby Dick had half immersed itself. It was not very big. In fact, it seemed barely large enough to contain Moby Dick if it fully submerged itself. If it were an ordinary lake, Moby Dick would have displaced a tremendous amount of water. Whoosh! When Moby Dick stopped descending, the representatives disembarked. Of course, Moby Dick was a divine spirit animal, so even though its body was half submerged in water, the distance from the top of its body to the ground was considerable. However, the beings atop Moby Dick weren¡¯t normal either. They made their way off the massive whale in their own unique ways, some jumping, some flying. ¡°We should head out, too,¡± Miho said. Merlin nodded. ¡°Okay. Hey, Quiet Heaven, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Alright, but what about these girls?¡± Quiet Heaven asked. ¡°Shall we go together? I¡¯m planning on using a spell anyway.¡± said Nell. With a bright smile, Nell stood beside Merlin and began to mumble under her breath. She was casting a kind of gravitational spell. However, the spell didn¡¯t follow the kind of gravity reduction concept that was commonly used among users. Nell was casting a kind of anti-gravity concept spell instead. ¡®Oho, there¡¯s even a spell like that.¡¯ Merlin analyzed and interpreted the mechanism of Nell¡¯s spell. Fortunately, it was very simple, at least for Merlin. Whoosh. Miho, Merlin, Nell, and Perrin¡¯s body rose in the air. Slowly, they began to descend. Merlin suddenly stated, ¡°I think it¡¯ll be better to divide your right magic power pillar in two and rotate them a little to the left.¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Magic power?¡± Perrin and Quiet Heaven asked their questions at the same time. Merlin¡¯s comment was out of the blue, so it had confused both of them, but Nell¡¯s expression was completely different. ¡°¡­ Do you know this spell?¡± ¡°No, but it looks a little incomplete and unstable. I¡¯m an Enhanced Eyesight user, so I¡¯m able to look into magic power patterns.¡± Saying this, Merlin pointed to his right eye. His black eyes turned golden for a moment and then returned to normal. ¡°¡­¡± What Merlin didn¡¯t know was that this anti-gravity magic spell was unique to Nell¡¯s school. Furthermore, the spell had an esoteric structure, as it was considered a hidden card-type of spell. In addition, gravity manipulation spells were famous for their high difficulty, so it was virtually impossible for one to observe and grasp them immediately. ¡°What''s wrong?¡± asked Merlin. Nell laughed. ¡°Nothing! You¡¯re a very interesting person.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Though Merlin couldn¡¯t understand Nell¡¯s response, the four continued downward until they arrived on the ground. Merlin could have used the spirits that he had to float down to the ground, as they were now powerful enough to do such things. However, since he had received Nell¡¯s assistance, he respectfully bowed to her. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No worries. See you a bit later.¡± ¡°A bit later?¡± Merlin was confused, but Nell just smiled and left with Perrin in tow. Merlin observed every other pairing going off in different directions. He concluded that there must be a designated area where each pairing had to go. ¡°Hmm? Where are we supposed to go?¡± ¡°Everyone goes to their designated entrance. The Tower of Truth has a separate entrance for each of the powers. Let¡¯s see¡­ our entrance is¡­ ah, found it.¡± Miho walked closer to the Tower of Truth, towards an area that seemed to be designated for them. Quiet Heaven, who had returned to its position atop Merlin¡¯s head, asked Merlin a question. ¡°I¡¯m just curious¡­ did you receive a quest?¡± ¡°No. I received some minor quests when I was on the island, but I haven¡¯t received anything regarding the new continent.¡± Merlin sifted through his memories. When Miho had asked him to accompany her to the new continent, he hadn¡¯t received a quest. Merlin had received a lot of minor requests for simple acts, so he felt that it was strange that he hadn¡¯t received a quest for something as important as accompanying a representative to receive a prophecy at the Holy Shrine. ¡°Hmm. I feel like something is off. I have a bad feeling about this.¡± ¡°Huh? Why? Do you think we¡¯ve entered a pre-developed zone?¡± ¡°I hope that¡¯s the case¡­¡± If a user didn¡¯t receive a request when accompanying a representative to receive a prophecy at the Holy Shrine, then this entire process was something that the system did not intend for users to participate in. However, the system still followed the rule that everything was open to users. Even though this was the case, Merlin still hadn¡¯t received a quest. ¡®Perhaps these monsters aren¡¯t neutral but opposing forces for users, so a quest event may not have been created for Merlin¡­ at least, this is one possibility.¡¯ Quiet Heaven thought. Quiet Heaven didn¡¯t share its thoughts with Merlin. Since Merlin considered Quiet Heaven to be a virtual entity, sharing such thoughts on the system and its overarching principles might have been confusing or weird for Merlin. At worst, Merlin and Quiet Heaven, who was now connected to this world, could be killed, but then they¡¯d just revive again. Ting! While Quiet Heaven was having these thoughts, Miho had placed her hand on one of the Tower of Truth¡¯s many doors. After a moment, the sound of a door opening rang out. ¡°Once we cross here, we begin the [Trial] for the Blue Forest Island¡¯s representative.¡± ¡°Trial? Is it something difficult?¡± Miho shook her head. ¡°Not too difficult. It¡¯ll just take some time¡­ uhm, Quiet Heaven, can you leave us alone for a moment?¡± ¡°Eh? Why?¡± ¡°This space will only accept a power¡¯s representative and his or her accompanying traveler. Only the two of us can enter.¡± If this wasn¡¯t the case, then the trial would be rendered moot. It was a necessary process to make sure that the right beings with the correct qualifications were receiving the prophecy. ¡°I¡¯d really like to enter as my master¡¯s pet¡­ but since there are other species around this place, I guess it wouldn¡¯t be fair to give me any privileges¡­ I guess I¡¯ll just have a look around the place and wait for you both to come out.¡± After nodding its head, Quiet Heaven flew up into the air. Quiet Heaven was a skilled flier, and soon became a small red dot in the sky. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± said Miho. ¡°Should I place some sort of defensive protection spell on us?¡± Merlin asked because of his experience with dungeons, but Miho shook her head. ¡°We¡¯re probably not going to fight until we enter the last room. This first room is where the Tower of Truth checks one¡¯s heart, spirit, and body, so only I need to do something after we enter. You should just stand back and watch.¡± ¡®But that¡¯s so boring.¡¯ Though Merlin grumbled, Miho entered the Tower of Truth without hesitation. Just like how the outer parts of the tower were made of crystal, the entire interior was constructed with crystal as well, from the floor to the ceiling. CH 128 ¡°This is the first room.¡± ¡°This place tests your heart, huh? So it¡¯s like a Feelings Room? There doesn¡¯t seem to be anything special¡­ oh! It¡¯s that thing over there!¡± ¡°Ugh, stop being so nosy.¡± Disregarding Miho¡¯s grumbles, Merlin looked around while alternating between his Enhanced, Scanning, and Aura Vision. Most of the items in the room had spiritual protection, so Merlin couldn¡¯t garner much information from them, but he was able to understand their basic mechanisms. ¡°Put your hand on that. You¡¯ll see an illusion appear, and once you overcome it, I think it¡¯ll be over.¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not the test proctor. How could you know that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious.¡± ¡°Hmpf.¡± Miho grumbled and put her hands atop the crystal board in the center of the room. Soon, a stretch of text passed by her eyes. ¡°I was wondering what you meant by trial¡­ it¡¯s just a training system. Oh, that¡¯s probably why each power sent rising candidates instead of their most powerful beings.¡± Merlin recalled the representatives he saw aboard Moby Dick. Hader, the mermaid prince, was Level 9 while Miho was Level 7, but these two seemed to be the exception rather than the norm. All the other representatives seemed to be Level 8. This aligned with Merlin¡¯s assessment that each of the powers had sent rising candidates as their representatives. Ting! While Merlin was having these thoughts, the light on the crystal board went out. Miho opened her eyes. ¡°Phew¡­¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah. It wasn¡¯t as difficult as I thought.¡± Right as she finished speaking, one of the crystalline walls shrunk down, like ice melting, and another door opened in its place. ¡°As I suspected, it¡¯s more training than a trial.¡± The second trial was to unravel a complicated magic system within a set time, and the third trial was to detoxify a poison. Merlin stood beside Miho and watched her take the next few tests. ¡°Ugh, stop trying to help me! I¡¯m here to learn!¡± ¡°But I¡¯m teaching you through my guidance.¡± The initial trial section was over in a flash, mainly because Merlin started solving the training questions alongside Miho. As soon as he saw the complicated magic system, he grasped the solution. When he saw the poison gas in the third trial, he used water to isolate the gas in one corner of the room. ¡°Okay, here, left to right.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°What do you mean why? It¡¯s not balanced at all.¡± ¡°My goodness! What does balance have to do with magic systems? Do you think it¡¯s some type of symmetry game?¡± Unfortunately, Merlin wasn¡¯t a very good teacher. He didn¡¯t know how to explain things to others, even though he understood things just from a glance. If a spell was inefficient, as it was in Nell¡¯s case, Merlin could offer suggestions on how to fix it. However, he was poor at teaching new things. ¡°Argh! One¡¯s right hand is symmetrical to one¡¯s left hand, right?! You have five fingers on one hand, so why don¡¯t you know this?¡± ¡°W-what kind of crazy talk are you spewing now?¡± As Miho grew more confused, Merlin grew more frustrated. ¡°Look here. This is my right hand, and that is my left hand. If there are five fingers on my right hand, then wouldn¡¯t it be weird if I had only four fingers on my left hand?¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about your fingers and hands! In what world do magic systems equate to hands! Also, I¡¯m stuck on one location of this magic system, so what¡¯s with the whole hand analogy?¡± ¡°The magic system is like hands because¡­ man, how am I supposed to explain this.¡± Merlin pounded his chest in frustration. At that moment, the final crystal wall shrunk down. Ting! ¡°Alright, a new room. Hmm? What¡¯s this?¡± Merlin, who had scanned the new room, saw a red core on the middle of the floor. It was about the size of his palm, and it emanated a mysterious, yet powerful aura. ¡°Monster Core¡­¡± Miho said quietly. ¡°Hmm? Is it something good?¡± ¡°Yes. It strengthens monster-qi, so it¡¯s considered a significant treasure amongst monsters. Since it¡¯s just sitting here, do you think it¡¯s a gift?¡± ¡°Probably. You¡¯ve passed all the tests.¡± Merlin¡¯s scan of the room had also revealed that the room was boobytrapped, so he sent Younghwi to retrieve the Monster Core. ¡°Here you go. Consume it quickly so we can go on our way.¡± ¡°Ugh. I got so much help on the tests, I don¡¯t even feel any sense of accomplishment or satisfaction.¡± Miho shot Merlin a glare that seemed to say ¡®all because of you¡¯, but Merlin didn¡¯t pay any attention to her. ¡°Hurry up and consume it.¡± ¡°¡­ Eh, whatever. Don¡¯t touch me while I¡¯m absorbing it.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll stand guard.¡± Miho sat cross-legged on the floor and swallowed the Monster Core. As soon as she did, her monster-qi started shaking. Rumble! Miho¡¯s clothes fluttered as if struck by a strong gust of wind. Soon, her monster-qi produced a whirlpool of air that circulated around her body. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the same thing as when users level up. I wish I could expand my internal energy¡­¡± It had already been a while since Merlin¡¯s internal energy capacity had stopped expanding. Since he was able to quickly understand and utilize his Golden Pill Immortal Technique, he acquired his first cycle of internal energy faster than anyone else, but strangely, he didn¡¯t make much progress afterwards. ¡°If my gold core could accommodate four, no, five cycles, then I¡¯d be able to make quick work of a Kraken, or even Moby Dick with just one attack.¡± Among the users¡¯ abilities, internal energy capacity increased every one-hundred points. So, if a user reached a hundred points, they would possess fifty years of internal energy. However, if the stat reached two-hundred points, a user would have one-hundred-and-fifty years of internal energy. That is, two-and-a-half cycles. At three-hundred points, a user would have three-hundred-and-fifty years of internal energy, or five cycles and fifty years. Hence, as a practitioner of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, Merlin would be able to strike fear in most large monsters with a mind-bogglingly powerful hand skill attack if he could attain three-hundred stat points or more in the internal energy stat category¡­ ¡°Wait, why isn¡¯t my internal energy increasing?¡± His internal energy capacity had stabilized and settled at one cycle, or sixty years. In other words, his growth had screeched to a halt. Merlin was able to gather inner qi, as he constantly operated the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, but instead of going into his gold core, the gathered qi just circulated throughout his body. Ever since his gold core gathered one cycle and stabilized at that level, all the additional spiritual power that he had obtained since then bypassed his gold core and spread throughout his body. The amount of internal energy that had circulated through his body was considerable. Since over six months had passed in-game since the end of the open beta, more internal energy was spread throughout his body than in the gold core. ¡®I wonder what other users in similar positions have done.¡¯ When learning martial arts, Merlin didn¡¯t look up or review others¡¯ training methods, but right now, he couldn¡¯t help but be curious. When he walked around Starting, Merlin had seen many ¨C not that many ¨C users with two or three cycles of internal energy. Of course, these users attained these capacities using their bonus points. Bonus points were one of the conditions that allowed users to quickly develop themselves in a short amount of time. They allowed one to strengthen skills that one focused on and reinforce the parts that one didn¡¯t specifically train in. Therefore, a mage who didn¡¯t train their stamina could have more stamina than the average user just by delegating a few points into the stamina stat area, or a life force user with extremely low magic resistance could have more magic resistance than the average user. In Merlin¡¯s case, he could easily break through if he used his bonus points. If he used them on internal energy, he¡¯d be able to easily overcome the natural limits of his internal energy capacity, which were put in place to stabilize and regulate users¡¯ bodies. If a stable one-cycle user were to suddenly add thirty years of internal energy, the new internal energy capacity would be forcibly maintained, as the additional internal energy would be pulled from the internal energy scattered throughout one¡¯s body. ¡°If I knew I¡¯d be stuck at one cycle, I would have taken out my gold core periodically to sell it¡­ huh?¡± Merlin, who was murmuring to himself, paused suddenly. He looked at Miho, who was still immersed in the monster-qi expansion process, before falling deeper into his thoughts. ¡®Take out my gold core?¡¯ Periodically taking out one¡¯s gold core was standard for Golden Pill Immortal Technique¡¯s expansion process. Once stabilized, a gold core had to be withdrawn so that a new gold core could be placed and stabilized. When that new gold core reached its limit and stabilized too, the process should repeat. This was the ultimate training method for the Golden Pill Immortal Technique. It was called the Spiritual Power Transfer Method. Another thing that Merlin didn¡¯t know was that retrieving the extra internal energy that wasn¡¯t absorbed by one¡¯s gold core and was allowed to permeate the body, actually strengthened one¡¯s blood vessels. This was a training process known as Danta. Unbeknownst to Merlin, by constantly circulating his extra inner qi throughout his body and pulling from it to replenish his gold core over the past half year, Merlin had greatly strengthened his blood vessels, which allowed him to circulate a large amount of internal energy without injury. Though the Golden Pill Immortal Technique was an outstanding divine technique, if the user¡¯s blood vessels weren¡¯t strong, they wouldn¡¯t be able to output one cycle of internal energy all at once. Even if one¡¯s gold core could sustain such a large outflow, one¡¯s blood vessels would be damaged from such a large passage of power. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t hesitate. Younghwi and Shining, get into guard mode.¡± Strictly speaking, Merlin didn¡¯t have to verbalize the command. Regardless, his two spirits started to revolve around him and stand guard. It didn¡¯t seem likely that an enemy would appear in the Trial room, but Merlin decided that he¡¯d rather be safe than sorry. Swish. Merlin took out a stabilized gold core from his inventory. This was the gold core that he had found a thousand meters underwater. He had used this external gold core to store internal energy, like a storage tank, in case he ever needed it. ¡°Here I go.¡± Whoosh! Merlin¡¯s heart glowed gold as he circulated his internal energy. This change meant that Merlin was in the process of withdrawing the gold core from within his body. However, rather than concentrating on making a new gold core, Merlin focused on moving his newly gathering internal energy into his external gold core. /Your maximum spiritual power (Type: Internal Energy) has fallen by 110 points!/ Consistent with the appearance of the text notification, Merlin felt a sense of emptiness within him. However, he focused his attention and sat down to continue the process. ¡°I should move on to the next step right about now, right?¡± Merlin breathed deeply a few times and began to focus on the inside of his body. Merlin was able to quickly immerse himself in the process because he had done it several times in the past. Whoosh! Merlin began to absorb the internal energy that existed in his natural surroundings, using the Dark Northsea Divine Technique. It was the optimum cultivation technique to convert natural energy into usable qi. ¡°¡­ the martial arts of the Dark Northsea gathers the genuine-qi that exists in nature in one¡¯s body, and much like how sea water allows a large boat to float, I will create the fundamental foundation of genuine-qi from which great power may be derived.¡± Chanting the Dark Northsea Divine Technique mantra, Merlin¡¯s body started to absorb the qi in his surroundings. Merlin¡¯s image-making ability was so powerful and effective that, although he had taken out his gold core, he was able to trick his own body into thinking that it still possessed a gold core. Merlin filled the spot where the gold core previously existed with the qi gathered from the Dark Northsea Divine Technique. ¡°The mark of an outstanding man is to obtain nourishment, absorb qi, and train his body to fend off and defeat the aging process. If one¡¯s mind is silent, one can live a long life¡­¡± The internal energy gathered through the Dark Northsea Divine Technique was being quickly converted to the Golden Pill Immortal Technique¡¯s internal energy. In the past, this process took days, but now, Merlin could do it in a short amount of time. Merlin¡¯s mastery of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique had already reached a high level, and he had an ample amount of internal energy in his body to support him. ¡°¡­ thus, my body shall act as a core furnace and use my body¡¯s organs as cauldrons to create a gold core, and eventually, I will achieve the Dao of golden divinity and immortality¡­¡± Merlin gathered qi from nature and imbued it into his internal spiritual pellet, his phantom gold core. He collided, compressed, and spun the qi. Finally¡­ /Spiritual power (Type: Internal Energy) has increased by 120 points!/ /Willpower has increased 7 points!/ /Magic Resistance has increased 10 points!/ Merlin had taken out his gold core and made a new one. Though he had executed the Golden Pill Immortal Technique¡¯s ultimate training method, he had done it in an extremely short time. Even users who received assistance needed at least a week to complete this process. If another Golden Pill Immortal Technique user saw this scene, they would have accused Merlin of cheating and reported him to the developers. This Spiritual Power Transfer Method was something only Merlin could do. However, since his gold core was newly created, it would be dangerous to output beyond a certain amount of internal energy at any one time. Moreover, until the gold core stabilized, Merlin couldn¡¯t take out his new gold core. If he did, the core and all its internal energy would simply evaporate and scatter. However, it was ultimately worth it. His gold core¡¯s maximum capacity of internal energy was now at seventy years; an increase of ten years. Also, since he had overcome the one-cycle barrier, his internal energy capacity would increase day-by-day. ¡°Phew. I should have done this earlier. I wasted so much internal energy up to now.¡± Merlin transferred the one cycle of energy from his previous gold core to his external gold core with forty-five years of stored internal energy. He smiled with satisfaction as he looked at the external gold core that now held one-hundred-and-five years of internal energy. However, through this process, Merlin realized that his external gold core couldn¡¯t limitlessly take in internal energy. Furthermore, the great clam, the origin of the external gold core, wasn¡¯t something that could be found easily. ¡°Since it seems like it¡¯s almost full, I suspect that the internal energy capacity of this external gold core is probably one-hundred-and-twenty years or so. I¡¯d be unstoppable if I had ten or so of these external gold cores.¡± However, Merlin knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to find a gold core seller even if he scoured the online exchange message boards. The issue was that gold cores were probably only found a thousand meters underwater. Even then, the great clam was a rare find. ¡°Let¡¯s see. Is there something else that acts like a gold core?¡± Merlin pulled on his right eyelashes to open his item chart. He then went into the magic stone category. He saw five, ten, thirty, and even a few sixty-year internal energy magic stones in his inventory. These were all drop items from the various monsters that he had defeated in the past. ¡°It¡¯d be nice if I could consume all these magic stones and convert them into my internal energy, but most of them are of low quality¡­ also, I can use them to replenish my internal energy, but I won¡¯t be able to expand my internal energy capacity with just these stones. On top of all that¡­ hmm?¡± While scrolling through his inventory list of magic stones, the last entry caught his eye. There was a reason why it was at the bottom of his min-to-max organized list. It was a high-quality magic stone that contained four-hundred-and-fifty points of spiritual power. CH 129 ¡°Oh, right. I forgot I had this. It was such a high-quality item that I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to use it for a while.¡± Merlin re-sorted his item list to ¡®acquisition period¡¯. The magic equipment item, Close, and Red Flame Pearl, which possessed an attribute power closely associated with Close, showed up at the top of the list. Merlin had obtained both these items from the thousand-meter-deep Seadragon¡¯s Temple. Merlin casually took them out and inspected them more closely. He didn¡¯t have an immediate need for Red Flame Pearl and Close, so he set them down on the ground and lifted the high-quality magic stone in front of his eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s see. Four-hundred-and-fifty points of internal energy is¡­ wow, fourteen cycles and ten years of internal energy.¡± Dumbfounded, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but stare at the magic stone. In the past, he was more ignorant and didn¡¯t know how to use it. Now, if he could completely absorb the high-quality magic stone¡¯s internal energy and change it into a gold core¡­ Merlin couldn¡¯t even imagine what he would do with so much power. If he used No Living World to operate a hand skill attack, he could blow away an entire mountain. If he were to use Great Tantra Hand, a hand skill that was optimized for short-range attacks, it would be able to travel several kilometers, like a bullet shot from a gun. ¡°No, I¡¯d rather use a bow and arrow for long-ranged attacks¡­ but this is still incredible. Man, I wish I could consume it. If I consume and absorb it, wouldn¡¯t I instantly become like a protagonist in a martial-arts book?¡± Of course, Merlin couldn¡¯t consume the high-quality magic stone. His level was too low to absorb the enormous power held within it. Moreover, the Golden Pill Immortal Technique required purity over volume. ¡°It might be better to use this stone to make magic items, but then¡­ I run into another problem. I know how to do simple enchantments, but I don''t know much about high-order magic items. I especially don¡¯t know how to use high-quality ingredients like this stone¡­ maybe I can discuss this more with Heavenly Flower?¡± Right then, Miho let out a deep sigh. ¡°Phew!¡± ¡°Oh, she¡¯s waking up.¡± Still sitting cross-legged, Miho slowly opened her eyes. Her gold-colored eyes had changed red a while ago, and she was now starting to emanate monster-qi around her. ¡®Oh, she¡¯s gotten more powerful. Did she reach Level 8?¡¯ Seeing Miho¡¯s improved and sturdier monster-qi, Merlin let out an impressed whistle. Miho hadn¡¯t yet reached Level 8, but she was right at the cusp. If she faced the mermaid prince now, she wouldn¡¯t be suppressed and overwhelmed by his pressure easily. ¡®But that guy is probably going to advance and develop through this Trial process too¡­ well, what does it matter? Miho has me.¡¯ While Merlin contemplated, Miho, who had consolidated her monster power, got up from her seated position. ¡°Phew! Were you waiting for long?¡± ¡°Not really. I was also occupied with a few things.¡± ¡°Eh? Occupied?¡± Miho tilted her head in confusion, but Merlin just smiled and patted Miho¡¯s head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing big. I just had something to do.¡± Merlin started to organize the items he had strewn across the floor. While Merlin was organizing, Miho caught sight of Close and showed some interest in the magic equipment item. ¡°Hmm? Isn¡¯t that a pair of glasses?¡± ¡°Yeah. I stumbled onto it a while ago. It is said to be a magic equipment item that helps one train in Enhanced Eyesight and Magic Eye.¡± ¡°Really?¡± With curiosity sparkling in her eyes, Miho picked up and put on Close. Miho¡¯s head was smaller than the glasses, so it took some adjusting, but soon, the magic glasses fit into place and made a noise. Ting! ¡°Huh?¡± Miho let out a strange groan as her vision narrowed, a phenomenon that Merlin had experienced too when he had used the glasses. Merlin had groaned back then as well. ¡°Oh, my. This is¡­!¡± ¡°Huh? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Oh! They look good on you!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Merlin trembled as Miho looked at Merlin with a curious expression. The black-rimmed glasses stood out elegantly on her fair skin. ¡°Do you want them?¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯d appreciate it. I think it¡¯ll help me with my Magic Eye training.¡± Miho laughed as she readjusted Close. Soon, the monster-qi that emanated out from her calmed down. This wasn¡¯t something that Miho could do before. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve improved a lot.¡± Merlin commented. ¡°Well, I¡¯m probably at the same level as the other representatives now. I¡¯m only lagging because I¡¯m young, not because I lack skills or talent¡­¡± said Miho, defensively. ¡°Okay, okay. Oh, my cute Miho. So cute~!¡± ¡°Oh, come on! Stop!¡± Merlin brought his hand down to tickle underneath her chin, which caused Miho to fail her fists in a fit of rage. However, Merlin was a martial arts practitioner while Miho was a magic user, so her fists were no match against him. Swipe. ¡°Oh, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Miho took off Close and put it away. Merlin, who couldn¡¯t figure out her mood, tilted his head. Soon, Miho¡¯s eyes turned red. Ting! Merlin¡¯s Magic Eye collided with Miho¡¯s. Miho¡¯s golden eyes and Merlin¡¯s black eyes were now both red, as both of their attacks were based on the red fox¡¯s. Though Miho had initiated her Magic Eye first, the fact that their Magic Eyes activated at the same time meant that Merlin had sent magic power into his eyes in advance. Magic Eye required some time to activate, as magic power needed to be imbued into one¡¯s eyes. In other words, Merlin had prepared for her attack. Miho did not let Merlin¡¯s quick response shake her confidence. Besides, Merlin had been overwhelmed by her just a day ago. ¡°Uhm¡­ huh?¡± However, as Miho started to use a form of Cracking that she derived from Merlin¡¯s technique, she began to feel a sense of helplessness. She suddenly felt as if she was being blocked by a huge wall. Merlin had a tight defense that completely isolated her. While Miho was distracted, Merlin used Cracking on Miho. Miho¡¯s overwhelming advantage over Merlin in using Magic Eye was due to her Cracking speed and defensive skills, not because she was more adept at Magic Eye or because she could sustain his Magic Eye attacks. If she couldn¡¯t pass by his defense and continued to sustain his attacks, she¡¯d quickly break. Merlin chuckled. ¡°Hey kiddo, you finally fell for my trap!¡± Merlin made a mischievous expression as he pulled out a card, seemingly out of thin air. Feeling nervous, Miho tried to reinforce her Magic Eye, but to no avail. Merlin¡¯s defenses were impenetrable, and his attacks were becoming sharper. ¡°Eh? W-what is this wall?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a firewall.¡± The firewall was a way of controlling the flow of information from a computer network by funneling access requests from the Internet through a single point. In IT, a firewall was used for information protection. With a firewall in place, one could freely access the Internet from within an organization, but was denied access to an organization''s information through the Internet. Similarly, Merlin left only one open route between his mind and the outside world, and implemented a fourteen-digit password to limit access through this route to just himself. Of course, Miho didn¡¯t know the password, so she couldn¡¯t get through. This difference in approach stemmed from the differences in the societies they were from. Miho wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up to Merlin anytime soon. Merlin¡¯s ability to apply computer programs to his Magic Eye gave him a tremendous advantage. ¡°Such a ridiculous approach¡­¡± ¡°Ha. It¡¯s the victory of one civilization over another. Attention!¡± Merlin piped up like a drill sergeant. Miho immediately stood straight up. Obviously, she wasn¡¯t standing at attention because she wanted but because she was under Merlin¡¯s control. Like how he had done in the past, he hijacked her body. It was time for her small body to be subjected to the depths of evil¡­ Miho laughed nervously. "W-what are you doing? You¡¯re not planning on doing anything weird, right?¡± Merlin smiled insidiously and stroked Miho¡¯s frozen jawline. Cold sweat flowed down her fair skin. ¡°H-hey! D-don¡¯t¡­ I¡¯ll forgive you, so stop. Let¡¯s continue onward, okay?¡± ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± Miho tried negotiating, but it didn¡¯t seem to work. Merlin glanced up and down Miho¡¯s body with a sinister smile on his face. Miho was less than one-hundred-and-fifty centimeters tall, she barely came up to Merlin''s chest, but her body was well proportioned, and her six-pronged silver hair was beautiful and shiny. ¡®A pretty girl who has her whole future in front of her.¡¯ Merlin greedily gazed at Miho, like a hawk looking at its prey. Miho shook with fright. ¡°Hey¡­ don¡¯t¡­ I¡¯ll apologize, so¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha. Sorry, but I¡¯m going to control your whole body from this point forward.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Miho couldn¡¯t even speak after Merlin mercilessly placed her whole body under his control. Alas, this slender beauty had finally fallen into Merlin¡¯s hands! Slip. Miho started to take off the coat that she always had on. It slipped onto the floor. Then, Miho took a step forward. Though her eyes were filled with a sense of fear, Miho was smiling brightly, as Merlin had full control over her body. ¡°Shall we start?¡± If anyone saw the expression that was currently on Merlin¡¯s face in the middle of a bustling downtown area, they wouldn¡¯t hesitate to call the police on him. Soon, the poor silver-haired girl¡­ Spin! Spin! Miho started dancing in a cute way. Pat! Pat! She swung her arms in the air before placing the palms of her hands onto her cheeks. However, this didn¡¯t seem like enough for Merlin. Matching her physical movements, Miho started singing a song. ¡°Bbo-bee, Bbo-bee, Bbo-bee, Bbo-bee, Bbo-bee~ Ang~!¡± This was enough to cause critical damage to Merlin¡¯s heart! ¡°I-I knew it! You¡¯re so cute! You¡¯re the best! Dang!¡± Merlin passionately cheered. Soon, Miho started singing all kinds of songs, accompanied by their dances. Anyone would have agreed that Miho was excellently recreating each song¡¯s choreography; however, Merlin was in control of everything. Miho screamed on the inside as she tried to fight against his control, but there was nothing she could do. ¡°Oh. Oh. Oh~! I love you baby~ Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah~ I love you so much~!¡± ¡°Incredible! So cute! So beautiful! Whistle~!¡± Merlin catcalled and cheered rowdily. However, this wasn¡¯t the end. ¡°Another song!¡± At Merlin¡¯s order, Miho suddenly stopped dancing and made a motion like she was grabbing onto a microphone. Then, after taking the appropriate stance, she started singing. ¡°The words I was never able to say~ words that I may never say again~ I~ love~ you~!¡± ¡°Oh! Good!! I didn¡¯t know you had such a great voice!¡± In truth, Miho¡¯s voice was better than most modern singers. Although a bit of a cliche, Miho sang beautifully like a nightingale. Since she was doing so well, Merlin decided to make her sing the next part. ¡°I¡¯m in my dreams~~ Ba-dump, Ba-dump, Ba-dump!!¡± ¡°A three-octave booster! Tremendous!¡± With his hands clasped, Merlin screamed out. However, at that moment¡­ Click. Miho stopped singing. No, it was more appropriate to say that a disconnecting sound rang out. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on?¡± Merlin was taken aback, he had lost control over Miho. Her body slumped lifelessly to the ground as if the strings holding her up had been severed. Even with his genius comprehension and analysis abilities, Merlin couldn¡¯t understand what had just happened. ¡°That¡¯s weird. If I use Magic Eye again, then it should¡­¡± Bam!! But at that moment, Merlin¡¯s Magic Eye attempt ricocheted forcefully. Soon, Miho raised her head. At that moment, Merlin saw a burning flame. ¡°What?¡± Miho¡¯s eyes were burning. ¡°Huh? Oh, my¡­ your eyes look a bit weird¡­ also, y-you seem to have gone up a level¡­¡± Miho seemed to have reached Level 8 just a moment ago; however, she seemed to be much stronger than that. Merlin felt that the aura she was emanating was equivalent to the mermaid prince Hader¡¯s. Although her aura was noticeably different, the most drastic change was her eyes. When Miho previously used Magic Eye, her eyes turned red, but now, Merlin could see a hexagonal magic circle shape within her eyes. It seemed that Miho had gained a new power, which allowed her to break free from Merlin¡¯s control. Miho whispered, ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll¡­ you¡­¡± ¡°Eh¡­ w-what?¡± Rumble!! Merlin suddenly felt a tremendous wave of aura sweep past him. He took a few steps back; however, the two were in an enclosed room. Soon, Miho, with an evil look on her face, stood in front of Merlin. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you¡­!!¡± An animalistic cry roared out from within Miho''s tiny body. CH 130 The representatives were gathered in a large hall. Merlin and Miho arrived relatively late; more than half of all the representatives were already present. ¡°Oh my, what happened to your eyes?¡± Nell asked Merlin. ¡°Hahaha! I-I bumped into a boobytrap.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t recall any boobytrap in the Trial that could cause such an injury¡­¡± With an awkward look on his face, Merlin looked at Nell before covering his black eye. With his other hand he used a treatment-type magic on his bruised face, but it wasn¡¯t settling down. It seemed that Miho had hit him with some sort of magic technique. ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s not like I did something bad¡­ how could you hit a friend¡­¡± ¡°Shut up. If I hadn¡¯t held back, you¡¯d be dead.¡± ¡°Ah, come on. Don¡¯t talk like that. Be cute again, you know, like Bbo-bee¡­¡± Bam! ¡°Ugh!¡± Merlin¡¯s head snapped back from her soaring uppercut. Fortunately, he had slightly moved his head before the connection, so her uppercut just grazed his face. However, Merlin was in a state of panic. ¡°Huh? Why couldn¡¯t I avoid it?¡± The difference in physical strength and ability between Merlin and Miho was like the difference between a tiger and a cat. Why couldn¡¯t Merlin avoid such a simple uppercut? While Merlin panicked, Miho growled, apparently disinterested in whatever Merlin was thinking. ¡°If you do that again, whether you¡¯re a friend or colleague, I won¡¯t put up with it!¡± ¡°Man, you were so cute, though.¡± Merlin tried to plead his case, but Miho sat in her designated seat without responding to him. ¡°I¡¯m going to meditate for ten hours and stabilize the monster power that I gained. The Great Will will awaken in twelve hours, so I¡¯ll have plenty of time.¡± ¡°Hmm, but I¡¯ll be so bored.¡± ¡°Then go to sleep.¡± ¡°¡­¡± With that, Miho crossed her legs and started meditating. In this state, even if Merlin pestered her with questions, Miho definitely wouldn¡¯t answer. ¡°Man, was what I did that bad?¡± Seeing Miho enter a meditative state, Merlin scratched his head with a troubled look on his face. He had made her dance and sing because he felt that image fit her best, but her reaction had been intense and fierce. An unknowing observer might have thought that Miho was acting up to gain Merlin¡¯s attention. However, that didn¡¯t explain how and why Miho leveled up and forcefully disconnected the Magic Eye Merlin had placed on her. ¡°Hmm, it seems you two had a bit of an argument.¡± said Nell, who had been quietly observing the two. Perhaps because it was hot inside the hall, Nell had taken off her robe. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Huh? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing.¡± Merlin managed to hold in his surprise and come to his senses. His excellent self-control prevented his gaze from being directed at a particular part of Nell¡¯s body. ¡°Why are her boobs the size of a manga character¡¯s¡­¡± While Merlin tried to contain his shock, Nell commented, ¡°I noticed that your jewel is a Sapphire. You must be specialized in ice spells!¡± ¡°Specialized?¡± Merlin frowned, wondering what she meant by specialized. Of course, amongst users, there were some who specialized in certain spells. These users focused on a specific magic circuitry path, giving up on broadening the number of magic spells they could cast in order to focus solely on increasing the power of a few spells. However, Merlin didn¡¯t show any tell-tale signs of having taken this path, so he was taken aback by Nell¡¯s confidence in her assumption. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°No, I just don¡¯t understand what you mean. Nell¡­ as a part of the Seven Jewel¡­ I mean, as a jewel magic practitioner¡­ do you specialize in certain spells?¡± This time around, Nell looked confused. ¡°It¡¯s the life of a jewel magic practitioner to be limited to a certain arsenal of spells once one¡¯s jewel is decided upon. Since I specialize in gravity-related magic spells, my jewel is an Opal. This has allowed me to meet my current Master, so I¡¯m not complaining, but¡­¡± ¡°Eh?¡± This was the first time Merlin had heard of such things. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Nell asked. ¡°Hmm. Nothing. Can I grab your hand for a moment?¡± ¡°Ack! You rascal! What are you trying to do to Nell?!¡± Perrin screamed out. Perrin instantly reacted and looked around to see if anyone overheard, but Nell ignored her and extended her hand toward Merlin. ¡°You¡¯re asking to see my right hand, right?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Merlin wanted to observe the magic stone that was embedded on the back of her right hand. After focusing his magic power on his fingertips, Merlin lightly tapped Nell¡¯s magic stone. Ting. A sound like metal hitting metal rang out. At the same time, Merlin saw a shockwave of magic power ripple out. The magic power pattern Merlin saw was¡­ ¡°It sucks¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing!¡± Merlin laughed awkwardly after seeing Nell¡¯s confused expression. ¡®Is someone playing a joke¡­ what the hell is this?¡¯ Merlin, who had always been supplied with ¡®complete¡¯ theories and practices in DIO, was left speechless after seeing Nell¡¯s magic power pattern. Of course, Merlin had seen many other monsters¡¯ patterns, but Nell¡¯s, which originated from the same magic school of study as his, had serious fundamental flaws. ¡°I see. That¡¯s why my magic stones have been constantly changing.¡± After seeing Nell¡¯s magic stone, Merlin clearly understood the Seven Jewel School¡¯s training method. The Seven Jewel School¡¯s training method was based on a type of ¡®quenching¡¯. By changing one¡¯s magic stone seven times, the Seven Jewel school perfected one¡¯s magic stone. It was like the process of quenching metals and alloys periodically to limit the changes occurring within them. By applying high heat and then rapidly cooling, a martensite formation forms within, making it tremendously durable. Hence, the Seven Jewel school¡¯s training method wasn¡¯t just to increase purity, but to make the magic stone¡¯s internal formation stronger by applying artificial stress. ¡®But Nell¡¯s magic stone doesn¡¯t have any of those properties. From start to end, it¡¯s just one magic stone. The only thing that can be improved is its purity.¡¯ From the perspective of the Seven Jewel school of thought, Nell¡¯s current method was very outdated. The difference was as severe as metals used in the Bronze Age versus those used in the Iron Age. Interestingly, Nell had still reached quite a high level. Moreover, her magic stone had reached a relatively high state of purity. In its current state, a little stimulation would be more than enough to alter it. However, Nell, who had been training incorrectly for a long time, was unlikely to understand this concept. ¡°Please, do it.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Do what you see fit. I trust you.¡± Unexpectedly, Nell accepted Merlin¡¯s thoughts as if she had read them. Startled, Perrin cried out. ¡°Nell, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you telling him to do whatever he sees fit?¡± ¡°Alright then,¡± Merlin replied. ¡°What do you mean ¡®alright, then¡¯?!¡± Perrin screamed out. Taken aback, Perrin flapped her arms wildly, but Merlin disregarded her screams and focused. He doubted it would take him very long. ¡°Please relax and don¡¯t resist.¡± ¡°No, wait! What are you trying to do to Nell¡­!¡± Whoosh! Merlin began to transform Nell¡¯s magic power composition by injecting his own power into her magic stone. This wasn¡¯t difficult for Merlin. In the past, he had jumped through five developmental stages himself. Crack! The Opal embedded on the back of Nell¡¯s hand cracked, and from the ends of the stone inwards, it began to change color. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Nell let out a whimper, but Merlin continued to focus. As he had initially expected, the process didn¡¯t take long. ¡°W-what¡­ is this¡­¡± ¡°The transformation was a success. It seems like you now have a Black Opal.¡± Merlin let go of Nell¡¯s hand and looked at the jewel. Her previously bluish-colored Opal had turned completely black. In addition, the color was clearer and more defined, which meant it had become purer. ¡®It didn¡¯t change to a different type of jewel. Well, I guess it reflects the direction and path that she¡¯s followed up until now.¡¯ Considering a few variables, Merlin calculated Nell¡¯s potential magic power development. Since she had already undergone considerable growth, her magic stone would only be able to change, or go through the process of ¡®quenching¡¯, two or three more times. ¡°Incredible. My magic power capacity has increased fifty percent.¡± ¡°I made some modifications to your inefficient magic power system. I also fixed a few problem areas¡­ you¡¯ll be able to figure out the rest on your own, right?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be able to do it as fast as you, but probably.¡± Nell wasn¡¯t a low-level mage. Purely in terms of magic power capacity and level, Nell was above Merlin, so it would be more appropriate to say that Nell was a more accomplished mage than Merlin. Since she had gone through training and development of her magic stone before, she wouldn¡¯t have too many complications developing it again. The main issue that she would have to face wasn¡¯t one of difficulty, but of fundamental ideas. Thus, Nell would probably have to go through some trial and error, but she wouldn¡¯t have to overcome any large obstacles. ¡°Hmm. My jewel has changed color. Has the type changed?¡± ¡°No, the type remained. It¡¯s more appropriate to say that its range has increased a little.¡± Nell, who was still uncertain about her magic stone¡¯s new properties, fell into thought. However, she soon shook her head, took out a crystal from her pocket, and handed it to Merlin. ¡°Please, take this.¡± ¡°What? No. You don¡¯t have to give me anything¡­¡± Merlin shook his head, but Nell said with a bright smile, ¡°I appreciate your kindness, but I can¡¯t accept your grace without offering any compensation in return. You¡¯ve relieved a jewel magic practitioner¡¯s major roadblock.¡± ¡°Well, then I¡¯ll accept it with gratitude.¡± Merlin applied Appraisal on the crystal. [Item: Memory Stone Rank 5 Rare A magic crystal that can store a specified magic spell for instantaneous use. Similar to a Spell Card used by card magic practitioners. An advanced stone, this Memory Stone currently stores 3 spells. First Stored Spell: Reverse Gravity Second Stored Spell: Gravity Distortion Third Stored Spell: Gravity Cannon] ¡°A Memory Stone¡­¡± ¡°It contains three different gravity spells. It¡¯s fine with me if you decide to learn them as well.¡± ¡°Is it okay for you to just give me your spells like this?¡± Of course, for users, magic spells were not confidential things. Spells and chants could simply be obtained with money, so magic¡¯s true difficulty was always rooted in one¡¯s level and ability. However, this wasn¡¯t the case for NPCs, as NPCs often practiced their own unique martial arts or magic. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. My master often told me that the more one hides knowledge, the weaker one becomes. Besides¡­ hmm.¡± Nell suddenly felt a wave of magic power and paused. Her black Opal had begun to circulate magic power. ¡°Your current magic power hasn¡¯t yet adapted to the newly constructed magic stone. You¡¯ll most likely need to remake your own magic power as well.¡± ¡°I see. Thank you.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Nell bowed her head, sat in a nearby chair, and closed her eyes. Likely having learned a different method than Merlin, Nell was able to enter meditation without taking a cross-legged position. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I really care about what position people take when meditating¡­ oh shoot, I forgot! Quiet Heaven!¡± Woong! A small magic circle rose in the air and spit out a red eagle. Merlin¡¯s pet, Quiet Heaven, complained as soon as it showed up. ¡°Ah, such bad timing¡­ you should have summoned me earlier!¡± ¡°Huh? What were you doing?¡± ¡°I was getting bored while waiting for you, so I decided to find out just how tall this Tower of Truth was. I was just about to reach the top before you summoned me.¡± After flying around Merlin for a bit, Quiet Heaven landed atop Merlin¡¯s head. It did this so gracefully and naturally that it didn¡¯t make a single sound when landing. ¡°Gosh, it seems you¡¯ve found your permanent spot.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m clawing the top of your head, so stop griping. If I sit on your shoulder, it¡¯ll limit your vision.¡± Merlin shook his head. Though an eagle, Quiet Heaven was able to bend its legs inward like a duck, so there was no danger of being scratched by Quiet Heaven¡¯s talons. However, this didn¡¯t alleviate the issue of Quiet Heaven¡¯s weight. Moreover, Quiet Heaven wasn¡¯t a small being. Though seated with its wings tucked in ¨C unfurled, it had a wingspan of two meters ¨C Quiet Heaven was larger than Merlin¡¯s head, so Merlin couldn¡¯t help but feel a little constricted when he moved his head. As an internal energy practitioner, Merlin didn¡¯t feel any pain in his neck, but the image of a large bird sitting atop his head was comical. ¡°It¡¯s uncomfortable. Don¡¯t you have some other way?¡± ¡°Some other way?¡± ¡°Like¡­ perpetually flying or something.¡± At Merlin¡¯s words, Quiet Heaven scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m not helium gas¡­ anyway, we¡¯re in an enclosed space, but once we¡¯re in a wide-open area, I¡¯ll fly around in circles. Is it so uncomfortable that you can¡¯t stand it?¡± Quiet Heaven was able to control the wind around it, so it could in fact fly without flapping its wings even at low altitudes. However, Quiet Heaven did not do so, as it found Merlin¡¯s head quite comfortable. Moreover, the surrounding wind was relatively violent and could possibly pose some danger. ¡°No, well, it¡¯s not that uncomfortable. It doesn¡¯t matter, but¡­ whatever.¡± Merlin sighed quietly and approached Miho¡¯s side, who was still sitting cross-legged on the floor. ¡°Are you going to go into sleep-mode? Why don¡¯t you just log out?¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to, but everyone else here would become suspicious if they saw me suddenly disappear. It¡¯s better if I show that I¡¯m sleeping. Also, if I use sleep-mode, I can constantly monitor what¡¯s going on in-game.¡± Though he could have just laid down on the floor, Merlin took out a piece of wood he had been carrying in his inventory to use as a pillow and laid down. ¡°Oh, what happens to you when I log out in sleep-mode?¡± ¡°The default setting is logout. I¡¯ll disappear.¡± Since Quiet Heaven said it was a default setting, this also meant that there could be a custom setting. ¡°So, can I have you remain here?¡± ¡°Yes, you can assign me as a watchman to protect my sleeping master. I¡¯m more of an attack-type, but I also have a few defensive barrier abilities.¡± ¡°Oh, good. Then, do you mind if you hang out here for a while? I want to understand what¡¯s going on around me.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Thanks. [Logout. Sleep-Mode].¡± /Commencing log off. You will become immobile for the next 10 seconds. You are open to attack during this time, so if you¡¯re not in a safe area, cancel the log off process and take appropriate measures. 10, 9, 8¡­/ After seeing the text box appear before him, Merlin closed his eyes. As his breathing became regular, Merlin soon fell asleep. Favorite CH 131 *** Coming Into Focus, The New Continent *** Lancelot lifted his long spear. With a deep breath in, he thrust the spear forward in a straight line. Crack! The steel spear became embedded in a stone pillar. Lancelot pried it out, leaving a small hole in the stone. Crack. Particles of stone powder that had fallen to the floor rose into the air, as the stone pillar began to restore itself. The hole was quite small, it did not take very long for it to fully mend. Then, once again¡­ Crack! The spear penetrated the pillar once more. When Lancelot removed the spear, the stone pillar again returned to its original form. Again, and again, and again¡­ Zing! Behind Lancelot, a blue circle emerged and spun around. It was a monster-summoning magic circle. Boom! A lightning-quick stab collided with the Iron Golem, which had just spawned out of the magic circle. The Iron Golem didn¡¯t give in easily though, as it parried Lancelot¡¯s stab. In any other game, it would have taken some time for a regen monster to properly recognize a user, but the monsters in DIO didn¡¯t follow such logic; they attacked a user the moment they appeared. Even if a user waited at a regen point, they wouldn¡¯t garner any combat advantage. In addition, if a user installed a trap or something in a regen location, the regen monster would reappear in a different location. Whoosh! Bam! Without conceding any ground, Lancelot pulled his spear back and thrust out with another lightning-quick stab. It was a completely different power from the stabs that had punctured the stone pillar. The stone pillar had been punctured purely through his technique, but his current stab attack was a well-trained, aura-imbued attack. Bam! The Iron Golem, who was trying to lunge at Lancelot with its heavy body, lost its balance and stumbled. Though Lancelot¡¯s attack was simple, its speed was unusual, and the force behind it was tremendous. The moment the Iron Golem stumbled¡­! Bam! Lancelot¡¯s fourth stab penetrated the Iron Golem¡¯s abdomen, the location of its magic stone. Thud! Fatally wounded, the Iron Golem collapsed and scattered into dust. It left behind two items, a steel bar and [Rochefort¡¯s Heart]. ¡°Phew¡­ phew¡­ each strike contained my full power, but I still needed four strikes¡­¡± Lancelot picked up Rochefort¡¯s Heart and attached it to the stone pillar. When he first faced off against the Iron Golem, it had taken him three hours to defeat it. Considering that it only took him four strikes this time around, Lancelot had made incredible progress. However, he didn¡¯t see it this way. If he had accomplished this feat sheerly through an increase in skill, then he¡¯d feel satisfied, but his levels and stats had steadily increased throughout the process. Moreover, considering that he¡¯d been at this for over a hundred days, he felt that his progress was too slow. Woong! Right then, the stone pillar with Rochefort¡¯s Heart attached to it made a deep rumbling sound. Soon, a blue sphere appeared in front of it. It was a magic stone. Lancelot was currently working on a repetitive-type (grinding) quest; whenever he attached Rochefort¡¯s Heart, a quest item, to the pillar, a magic stone would appear. Usually, a low-rank magic stone appeared, but this time around, it was a mid-rank. ¡°It¡¯s already lunchtime.¡± Lancelot opened his inventory, took out a hamburger, chewed on it, then looked at the time. It was time for him to move on to the next area. ¡°Argh! Die!!¡± Swish! ¡°Stinky human!!¡± Swish! ¡°Ugh! I¡¯ll kill you¡­!¡± Swish! Orcs were low-level monsters that every user knew about. In the world of DIO, no one could say with a straight face that orcs were strong opponents in combat. However, this was because users and other monsters were stronger, not because orcs were inherently weak. The orc species level was Level 3. Basically, orcs possessed nearly three times the strength and stamina of the average adult man; they could make easy work of highly trained humans (Level 2) just by developing into adults. Moreover, standing at 1.7 meters tall, orcs were fearlessly brave and combative. Possessing a natural instinct for combat, orcs could easily handle ordinary humans in a one-on-one fight. Put simply, they were predators, like tigers, lions, or polar bears (Level 3) in the real world. ¡°Wow! Look at that. That¡¯s no joke.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean it¡¯s not a joke? He¡¯s just catching orcs¡­ they¡¯re one of the easiest monster species. I mean, the leader seems to be an orc warrior, but even that¡¯s only Level 5 at best.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. His moves do look very neat and graceful though.¡± Orcs were powerful, but it was also true that if one¡¯s level exceeded 5, one wouldn¡¯t face any trouble contending against an orc. At Level 6, users could exterminate an entire orc village just by employing a hit-and-run strategy. Although the orc was a beast like a lion or a tiger, a Level 5 user could pry open a tightly closed crocodile¡¯s mouth with their bare hands, and could even lift an elephant, depending on the type of abilities they had. Even the strongest carnivorous dinosaur, the Tyrannosaurus, was only Level 6, which meant that users with similar levels had equivalent combat power. Armed with perfected martial art and magic power techniques, users, who fought countless battles every day, were also monsters, capable of wielding modern weapons. ¡°Hmm. Look closely though. Don¡¯t you see something different?¡± ¡°The way he¡¯s catching one orc at a time? I can do that easily.¡± Three users, who were resting in the shade of a nearby tree after a hunt, watched Lancelot fight a group of orcs in the distance. Lancelot was stepping back and poking repeatedly. Fierce, angry orcs rushed in, but Lancelot killed them one at a time with minimal movement. ¡°That¡¯s not it, you idiot. How long can you guys fight without a break?¡± ¡°Thirty minutes? No, probably forty minutes max.¡± ¡°Ha, newbie. I can fight for an hour.¡± Though he answered with confidence, the user was obviously bluffing. In truth, it wasn¡¯t easy to fight for long periods of time, unless it was just play-fighting with an overwhelmingly weak enemy. If one could fight for about ten minutes, one would usually have to rest for more than ten. The need for rest wasn¡¯t just a matter of stamina or magic power; it was because one¡¯s mind would inevitably get tired. ¡°Well, an hour is an overstatement, but if someone could keep up a fight for around that long, it would be a tremendous feat. If you could fight for an hour, you¡¯d be a bona fide grinder.¡± Combat consumed a lot of mental energy. Enemies always rushed to kill their target. Naturally, when a fight began, a user would have to avoid and counter it. It goes without saying that a considerable amount of concentration was needed in this type of scenario. Battles in DIO required this sort of effort because attacks didn¡¯t just happen with a click of the mouse. Even in a strategy simulation game, as long as one fought fiercely, one¡¯s hands and knees would tremble from the effort, so it wasn¡¯t easy to keep up a focus-driven battle. ¡°Well, here¡¯s a question then. Guess how long he¡¯s been fighting?¡± ¡°Like two hours?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s been five hours. He hasn¡¯t taken a single rest.¡± ¡°What? Really?¡± While the three users talked amongst themselves, the last orc fell. However, it was no use. Lancelot was fighting against fifty orcs. He was dealing with them individually, and he wasn¡¯t finishing them off with overwhelming technique and speed, as he was observing gaps in their defense and striking out with his spear at critical moments. By the time he finished off the fiftieth orc, the first orc he killed had already regened. Unless someone intervened, Lancelot would be in this battle infinitely. ¡°Die, bastard¡­!!¡± Plop! ¡°Human¡­!!¡± Plop! ¡°Die¡­!¡± Plop! Emotionlessly, Lancelot pulled in and extended his spear, again and again. He¡¯d penetrate one of the orcs¡¯ hearts before retrieving his spear to launch another attack. The orcs that were stabbed in the heart would try to grab onto his spear, but their hands would bounce off due to the aura Lancelot had infused into it. The same was true of the orcs attacking from Lancelot¡¯s side and back. Since a subtle aura was wrapped around Lancelot¡¯s entire body, all the orcs¡¯ attacks bounced off. ¡°Since he¡¯s not collapsing from exhaustion, he must be a relatively high-level user. Possibly Level 5? No, Level 6? He seems like a martial arts or aura user.¡± ¡°Oh, that one martial arts technique¡­ what do you call it¡­ ah, Masochist Divine Arts, which has a low max capacity of internal energy but has an insane regen multiple.¡± There were innumerable martial art techniques in DIO, but the one with the greatest regen capability was known as Masochist Divine Arts. As one of the unpopular divine arts, it wasn¡¯t a martial art that one could obtain alone, as it required a rather abnormal form of training. A Masochist Divine Arts practitioner needed to develop their internal energy for the first twenty to thirty years. The target internal energy capacity was one or two cycles of internal energy, and of course, the more internal energy a practitioner targeted, the longer they would train for. Once they obtained the target internal energy capacity, that practitioner would hand over their internal energy to another. In other words, the practitioner would, in an instant, revert to a normal person. Once they were reverted to a normal person, the Masochist Divine Arts began. The user, with no more internal energy, would train once more to accumulate internal energy. However, since they didn¡¯t lose internal energy from injury or attack, the practitioner would be able to regain internal energy at a faster pace than before. Once they reached their internal energy target number, they would once again give their internal energy to someone else. This process would repeat, over, and over, allowing the user to regain internal energy at a faster rate than the previous cycle. At a certain point, the user would be able to regain the amount of internal energy that they had given away almost instantly. ¡°Hmm. Your explanation is somewhat correct, but it¡¯s not applicable to this situation. Though Masochist Martial Arts offers a fast regen speed, it doesn¡¯t offer a large internal energy capacity for the practitioner, so you wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain a constant aura around your body. That guy seems to be using aura, not internal energy¡­ eh, I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s not like aura power has different schools of thought.¡± The training method of aura users was universal. This wasn¡¯t because all aura users used the same power but because each person used a completely different power. ¡°Well, it¡¯s none of my business. To be honest, Level 6 is relatively high, but seeing as how he¡¯s hunting in a place like this, he must not be confident in his control.¡± ¡°He could be grinding out EXP. I think I¡¯ve heard that it¡¯s more efficient to catch many lower-level monsters than a few higher-level ones.¡± They watched Lancelot¡¯s battle for a bit longer, but they soon lost interest. Lancelot¡¯s fighting style was novel, but very simple. Plop! ¡°Argh!¡± Lancelot was employing simple stabs. He wasn¡¯t using any other form of attack, just a quick frontal stab. If he were to use such a stab attack against a similar leveled user, his straight-line stab would easily be parried and countered. He could only defeat orcs because their level of physical ability and spiritual power was overwhelmingly lower than his own. Plop. Lancelot wasn¡¯t hunting; he was training. Of course, he knew that this kind of training was unconventional. Could one truly develop from training just one movement? Since an enemy could block his stab and fight back, Lancelot should have also trained his defense and avoidance skills, in order to develop a strategy for dealing with an opponent that was faster than him. ¡®It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t realize that fact, but¡­¡¯ Lancelot couldn¡¯t do it. His wistfully dull development speed made his aura movement speed extremely slow. At the lower levels, he could fill these gaps through combat experience and training, but once he faced off against higher-level monsters, it became almost impossible for Lancelot to respond to their attacks. Once he focused his aura on an attack, his opponent¡¯s counterattack would come in before the aura returned to his body. This was a fatal disadvantage for aura users who had to cycle aura quickly throughout their bodies to attack and defend. ¡®Since that¡¯s the case¡­¡¯ Lancelot only trained in stabbing. He maintained a basic amount of aura around his body and focused his remaining aura power on his stab attacks. He had already reached Level 7. He was too high a level to be dealing with lowly orcs. But what else could he do? To get a sense of battle imprinted on his body, he had to fight for twenty-four hours, around the clock. He needed a monster that was so weak that it wouldn¡¯t be able to break through the pitiful amount of aura Lancelot used to protect his body. Plop! This time, he used his spear to stab an orc around its neck. Everything was on repeat. His aura pattern moved to stab. Since he lacked the ability to control his aura at will, he was planning on instilling the aura movement pattern onto his body through rote memorization. In addition¡­ ¡°I have to collect EXP.¡± Lancelot mumbled unemotionally while striking with his spear. As another orc fell, another stab thrust forward, again and again. CH 132 Plop! Lancelot¡¯s spear pierced another orc¡¯s heart. From a distance, a group of users were watching the scene. ¡°Wow! What¡¯s up with that guy?¡± The three-user party, consisting of a warrior, priest, and mage, had fought a few monsters and taken a rest more than six times already. Lancelot had trained his cultivation technique and magic circuitry by creating a personal boundary space on the fringe of an orc colony. By alternating between training and rest, he had killed more than two-hundred orcs in a day. This method of fighting would thoroughly exhaust even the most hardcore grinders. However, Lancelot¡­ ¡°He¡¯s been fighting non-stop for how many hours now?¡± ¡°Since you said five hours earlier, it should be around twenty-two hours now¡­ or perhaps twenty-three¡­¡± ¡°Is this humanly possible?¡± Lancelot continued to step back and lunge with his spear. When an orc fell, another orc quickly took its place. Lancelot had been fighting like this for hours on end. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s going up against the boss.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a boss monster, but it¡¯s only Level 5. Well, it might be able to take two spear strikes, which is more than the regular orcs. I guess that¡¯s the benefit of being a boss monster¡­¡± Boom! Right then, the orc leader¡¯s head exploded, accompanied by the shrill sound of wind. It was a grotesque scene, but this sort of scene was common for users who were familiar with combat in DIO. Before the orc¡¯s corpse hit the ground, it turned into black smoke and disappeared. ¡°Oh? What was that? What skill was that?¡± ¡°Oh, dang. I couldn¡¯t see it properly, I was distracted.¡± The three users, who had been resting and slouched, instantly straightened up in surprise. That¡¯s how tremendous the attack was. Even though the opponent was only Level 5, it was still surprising to see an attack that could instantly dispatch an orc leader¡­ ¡°Wow, did he realize something and break through? I envy him.¡± ¡°Well, in martial arts, enlightenment is said to strike like lightning. But why isn¡¯t it coming for me? Aside from realization, my skills and abilities become dull even if I just take a short break¡­ anyway, camera!¡± One of the party users brought out a hand-held camera and prepared to record. Of course, taking pictures or videos of other users without permission was a violation of personal privacy rights, but this was only if one uploaded content onto bulletin boards and got reported; if the pictures or videos were for one¡¯s own record, it wasn¡¯t an issue. ¡°Okay, when he uses that technique on the next orc, I¡¯ll¡­ huh?¡± The orcs, who had been madly rushing toward Lancelot, suddenly paused and began to creep back. They seemed to be terrified, but this response was incomprehensible to the party members. The orcs had continued their onslaught even after their leader had been killed hundreds of times already¡­ so how could they suddenly be struck with fear? ¡°W-what¡¯s happening?¡± While the observing users were bewildered, Lancelot, with his spear pointed downward, brooded over the sensation he had felt after exploding the orc leader¡¯s head. ¡®What was that? It felt like I broke through a wall¡­ did I put more strength into that last attack?¡¯ He tried to piece together what had happened, but the memory of the sensation dispersed in an instant. Lancelot planned to test out the attack again on the next orc, but that became an impossibility. The orcs were now running away. /You have gained the title ¡®Orc Exterminator¡¯!/ ¡®Shoot¡­I gained a new title?¡¯ To train, Lancelot had given up all his titles, but a new title had been applied to him. Even so, why were the monsters running away from him? Confused, Lancelot opened the title¡¯s description and effects window. [Title: Orc Exterminator Strength +70Stamina +20 Having killed orcs nonstop, you have reached the milestone of having killed more than 10,000 orcs. Just by possessing this title, orcs within your surroundings will sense the deaths of their brethren by your hands. The ¡®fear¡¯ effect will be applied to the orcs, so unless an orc possesses a strong mental disposition or combat skill, it will run away. If you choose to focus your fear effect upon a single orc, that orc will be enwrapped in fear and be unable to move.] ¡°Ah, it must be because of this title¡¯s fear effect.¡± The title provided considerably powerful effects. Strength +70 and Stamina +20 were effects that were only seen in advanced titles. However, this kind of made sense; it was no easy feat for a single user to kill over ten-thousand orcs. ¡°Were the lizardmen Level 4 monsters? Anyway, I guess I¡¯ll need to change my hunting grounds.¡± After changing his gear, Lancelot promptly walked off. It was about time for the Iron Golem, Rochefort, to regen. Rochefort¡¯s regen time was twenty-four hours. Phew. Lancelot focused inward as he walked towards his next goal. When he focused inward with his iron-like mentality, his depleted aura began to recover quickly. Aura power reflected mental power. Although his comprehension ability was low, so low that it caused fatal problems during combat, Lancelot was able to recover his aura quickly due to his steely mentality. This was a phenomenon that could only arise in aura power, not internal energy or magic power. If he had chosen a different kind of spiritual ability, Lancelot would never have been able to recover so quickly. ¡°Rochefort hasn¡¯t spawned yet. Let''s see¡­ about thirty minutes left?¡± Lancelot changed his gear, equipped his spear, and stood once more in front of a stone pillar. Since the stone pillars were quest objects, they¡¯d be restored to their default settings even if they were previously destroyed. There were two settings for public buildings or live plants in DIO. One of them was the non-destructive setting and the other was the automatic recovery setting. The effects were literally ¡®unbreakable¡¯ and ¡®return to original state¡¯. The non-destructive setting was usually placed on city grounds and major buildings. The automatic recovery settings were placed on streetlights, public space vegetation, training dummies, and trees for timber. Essentially, all the things that were shared and available for everyone. The automatic recovery setting was applied on the stone pillars in front of Lancelot, so even if the stone pillars were completely smashed, they would be restored within a minute. Crack. Lancelot¡¯s spear embedded into the pillar. His stab was textbook; neat and efficient. However, if this was all that Lancelot could do, he would only ever amount to a one-trick-pony martial artist who only knew how to stab. Crack. Lancelot couldn¡¯t do anything about this. His comprehension and analysis abilities were so poor that he didn¡¯t have the skill to properly control his aura. Normal aura users who reached Level 5 could easily manipulate aura to create shapes in the air, and a few talented Level 5 aura users could even manipulate their aura to make letters. Lancelot could do none of this. All he could do was launch an attack and imbue it with his aura power. With his current ability, Lancelot couldn¡¯t split his aura into two, nor properly circulate aura throughout his body at an acceptable speed. In other words, he couldn¡¯t operate his aura simultaneously for defense and offense. If he couldn¡¯t do that, and if he couldn¡¯t properly transition from one to the other either, what could he do? He couldn¡¯t just defend forever. This was why Lancelot decided on solely training his spear stab. If he could defeat his enemy with one strike, then he wouldn¡¯t need to defend. For a weakling like him, this goal seemed unattainably lofty, but Lancelot had made his decision, so he had no thoughts of stopping. ¡®Faster.¡¯ Crack. ¡®More accurate.¡¯ Crack. ¡®Faster¡­ more accurate¡­ so that no one can block it!¡¯ Bam! Right at that moment, as Lancelot¡¯s consciousness became hazy as he locked his focus on stabbing, the stone pillar suddenly disappeared without a trace. ¡°Hmm¡­ what I just did¡­¡± Lancelot was on the cusp of grasping something. A path, the most efficient and effective path to launch an attack upon one¡¯s enemy. However, before Lancelot could think further, a magic circle appeared a few meters front of him. Zing! Bam! The Iron Golem, Rochefort, emerged from the magic circle. It smashed its feet on the ground and lunged towards Lancelot. The vigor and spirit of the rushing Iron Golem was immense, but Lancelot, who was still in a daze, watched it approach until it nearly reached him. ¡®Faster¡­ more accurate¡­ an attack that doesn¡¯t need me to defend¡­¡¯ Lancelot was in a daze, but his trained mind was recreating the ideal path. He stretched out with his spear along a set course. Tick! When Rochefort¡¯s fist and Lancelo¡¯s spear met, they both ceased moving as though time itself had paused. Rochefort weighed a ton, and had lunged at Lancelot with tremendous force, but the golem¡¯s attack and momentum was neutralized by a simple spear stab. The scene seemed to defy the laws of physics, but that wasn¡¯t all. Boom! Accompanied by the sound of compressed air bursting out, the upper half of Rochefort¡¯s body disappeared. The Iron Golem, who was as strong as a high-level monster, collapsed from a single blow. ¡°Phew¡­ ha¡­ ha¡­¡± Lancelot¡¯s hands trembled. This was exactly what he wanted. The ideal path. A single attack that could penetrate any defense. ¡°Finally¡­¡± Lancelot raised his head, holding back tears. Then, he started walking slowly. It was the end of January. After a hundred days of training and countless battles¡­ he had finally realized the meaning of stabbing. *** Yongno had ordered and was eating takeout fried chicken, something he hadn¡¯t done in a long time. He had ordered one marinated and one plain fried chicken. In truth, an order of two whole chickens was a lot of food, but Yongno was known to eat a lot. He was nearly finished eating both of them. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like there are many users training in the Golden Pill Immortal Technique. The only ones seem to be those who are optimizing themselves for PvP.¡± Though the Golden Pill Immortal Technique could instantly output a large amount of internal energy and launch a powerful attack, the technique was unpopular amongst users because it had a relatively slow internal energy recovery rate. In Yongno¡¯s case, his ability in the Golden Pill Immortal Technique was advanced, so this shortfall was, for the most part, covered. The Golden Pill Immortal Technique probably wouldn¡¯t be so unpopular if one could expand their internal energy through No Living World, as Yongno could, but no one had been able to open No Living World except him. Yongno went into the fan-run site, ¡®Invincible¡¯, and started reading user posts. The users trained in a large variety of martial art techniques, so it was hard to say which techniques were popular or trending. However, the most popular cultivation and martial arts technique, perhaps because of its name, seemed to be the Dark Northsea Divine Technique, with around ten percent of users choosing to train in it. The Masochist Divine Arts seemed to be trending as well. Recently, the so-called ¡®Internal Energy Tycoon¡¯ style of gameplay, using Masochist Divine Arts, was gaining popularity. Utilizing the relatively quick internal energy recovery rate of Masochist Divine Arts, users would use their bonus points to expand their internal energy capacities and fight their opponents with an abundant reservoir of internal energy. ¡°Well, none of this really matters to me since users can only choose to train in one cultivation technique¡­ I wonder what¡¯s people are saying about the Qi Gong Technique?¡± Yongno clicked on the [Qi Gong Technique] bulletin board. CH 133 Yongno saw a variety of different posts. They were all related to Qi Gong Techniques, but the vast majority of posts centered around general thoughts or personal experiences rather than strategy. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ ¡®If you¡¯re a magic swordsman, please use Duality Cultivation Technique¡¯¡­ is that a required technique for magic swordsmen?¡± Curious, Yongno clicked on the post. /Ah, I¡¯m really at my wits end. If you¡¯re going to use magic power and internal energy together, then why are you not training in Duality Cultivation Technique? The user who joined my party earlier today trained separately in internal energy and magic power, so he was clunky with his skills. Also, these users only seem to use magic power to cast buff spells before a fight. Ugh./ The Duality Cultivation Technique was a spiritual subdivision of Qi Gong Technique that split a single will or intention into two, allowing two different actions to be conducted at the same time. In the mainstream, the Duality Cultivation Technique was widely known as a qi circulation technique that allowed one to accumulate qi. In DIO, however, the superfluous aspects of the technique were deleted; thus, what was left was a perfected Qi Gong Technique that split one¡¯s consciousness into two. Duality Cultivation Technique became a de facto requirement for any user who wanted to do two things at once. The author of the post, Sahae Moonsuh, was angry at the fact that magic swordsman users weren¡¯t training in this critical technique. /Why! Dual sword wielding could be done without Duality Cultivation Technique, so I¡¯m not blaming these users. However, for magic swordsmen, please learn it! Even if you are only Rank 3 in Duality Cultivation Technique, you can slowly chant a spell while fighting. At first, this delays the magic spell and takes longer than if you weren¡¯t doing two things at once, but you can eventually cast a magic spell while fighting and raise your general combat strength. Please take the time to learn it! Please!/ ¡°If they choose to learn then they will learn¡­ why is this guy getting on other people¡¯s cases?¡± As an internal energy and magic power user, Yongno had never considered using the Duality Cultivation Technique. The author of the post, Sahae Moonsuh, was speaking about users like Yongno. Yongno continued mumbling as he looked through the post comments. [You¡¯re correct. If users are planning to use their internal energy and magic power separately, then they shouldn¡¯t be magic swordsmen.] [I¡¯ve seen so many turds learn Enchantment and place enchantments on their own swords, but they can¡¯t reach a certain aptitude in either class, so they should just ask mages to cast enchantments on their weapons instead of trying to do everything on their own. Man -_-¡­ whenever I see a swordsman who can use Shapeless Qi Sword casting a lowly Class 1 spell on their sword¡­ it makes me cry]. Most of the comments shared similar sentiments. ¡°Hmm. There¡¯s another post about Duality Cultivation Technique.¡± Looking through the posts again, Yongno found one written by someone named Milleion. The title was ¡®The meeting point of martial arts and magic. Duality Cultivation Technique¡¯. /Most people find the act of doing two different things at the same time very difficult, and if they continue this habit of doing two things at once, their overall work efficiency will dramatically decrease. When people try to do two or more things at the same time, their consciousness and focus is split. Even if one is skilled in multitasking and can get away with doing multiple things without losing too much efficiency, it''s inevitable that at least some efficiency will be lost. Ability users who possess talent can only truly maximize that talent by making it their sole focus./ ¡°That¡¯s probably right.¡± It wasn¡¯t impossible to do several things at once, but if a user focused on several things instead of just one, the user wouldn¡¯t be able to concentrate properly. Even drawing a square with one¡¯s left hand and drawing a triangle with one¡¯s right hand was already a fairly difficult task for a person. Even if one could do it, their efficiency would be seriously reduced. /However, this doesn¡¯t mean that there isn¡¯t a way to overcome this. Humans are living creatures that evolve and seek answers. The Duality Cultivation Technique is such an answer, born from this deeply human pursuit of problem-solving./ The post was quite long. Looking at the scroll bar, Yongno saw that he had only progressed through five percent of the post. ¡°I didn¡¯t think such a general post would run this long¡­ is there an attachment?¡± Grumbling, Yongno continued to read. /In the past, I had the chance to see the sword art of a user named Arthur. In one hand, he operated Dispersing Light Sword Technique, and on the other hand, he operated Bright Tai Chi Sword. Though the operation of the two seemed a little unstable, the aura he projected was relatively firm. My example is a little weird, but Arthur¡¯s sword art proves that Duality Cultivation Technique can be used effectively in a normal use case. The question now is, can Duality Cultivation Technique be used further? The answer is at the meeting point between magic power and martial arts. I am exactly this case./ After this explanation, Milleion wrote about various experiences, such as dividing his consciousness to chant and cast spells while fighting, how to use attack magic, how to use various buff magics, and how to release an electric current when one¡¯s sword make¡¯s contact with an opponent. ¡°It certainly looks like the things Milleion is saying would be useful, but¡­¡± Yongno used hand skills instead of the sword, but if he could utilize magic while attacking with hand skills, his overall combat power would increase significantly. /This is how Duality Cultivation Technique can be used. I wish I knew about this Qi Gong Technique when I trained in the past. When I came across it, it was a refreshing revelation. I¡¯ve made some revisions to the Duality Cultivation Technique so it¡¯ll be more comfortable to use magic power and martial arts at the same time. I¡¯ve also included footnotes on the more difficult sections, hope this helps./ The post ended there. Its main text was less than three or four pages; the rest was densely packed with a description of the author¡¯s revisions. Here and there, they included parentheses to explain further. ¡°This guy¡­ revised the technique? Wow, I didn¡¯t know there were skilled users like this.¡± Yongno skipped the author¡¯s entire explanation and went straight to the comment section. Frankly, he wasn¡¯t interested in someone else¡¯s revision. The comments were overwhelmingly negative. /- Saying that Arthur¡¯s sword arts were a normal use case¡­ those cheat-like sword arts -_-;;; What about that do you consider normal? Stop being so pretentious./ /- What? ¡°Little unstable but relatively firm¡±? How can someone be so pretentious lol. Do you operate an absolute sword art in your left hand and Meteora in your right hand?/ /- Your footnotes are a bit weird. Usually, footnotes make things easier to understand, but your footnotes are more complex and confusing than your main explanation./ Though not fully supportive, some commenters did seem to seriously consider the possibilities. /- Overall, I think you¡¯ve organized all of this well. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll hurt to use this for reference./ /- Hmm. I¡¯m using this explanation of Duality Cultivation Technique for reference, and it seems fine so far. It¡¯s still not easy to cast a spell mid-fight, but it has definitely gotten easier than before./ The post was quite controversial. There were many comments and a lot of views. Some users discussed various aspects of the technique¡¯s modified structure, and some who dismissed the post as useless. ¡°What kind of explanation did the author write to cause such a response?¡± Yongno scrolled back up. As if his head was frozen in place, Yongno perused the author¡¯s explanation. Important technique texts were usually sold in the library. Yongno wondered if it was okay to upload such important technique text like this on the Internet, but DIO¡¯s customer support team replied that posting texts like this didn¡¯t matter. Thus, if one searched through online bulletin boards, one could easily come across important technique texts like this one. ¡°¡­¡± Yongno read the author¡¯s explanation for about ten minutes. He relaxed his neck and sat up straight. ¡°This¡­¡± The martial arts and magic system techniques in DIO were complete, perfected versions. They weren¡¯t perfected over a long period of time while undergoing numerous revisions; they were the result of modifications and alterations that were applied abruptly, all at once. Each of the techniques contained the touch of a God of Martial Arts or a God of Magic. Mortals, with their extremely limited perspective and vision, were incapable of finding a single flaw in these divine being¡¯s perfected works. However, nothing in the world could be absolutely perfect. This was the cold truth of reality. The gods who refined the martial art and magic techniques were said to be the greatest among the gods, but it was ordinary people who had to inherit these techniques. To make it possible for mortals to learn, the gods reinterpreted their perfected martial art and magic system techniques by lowering their point of view to a human level. Even though the most ideal and perfect theory of the gods continued to exist, no one could fully understand them. ¡°Duality means two wills, or intentions. The other side of the firmly established ego, another self hidden within the self.¡± As if possessed, Yongno read through the post and the footnotes attached to it. Just by reading it, he could feel the thoughts of the person who wrote the post. The important technique texts he¡¯d seen so far in DIO were focused on conveying information; Yongno never felt any emotion behind them. However, this author¡¯s text was different. Yongno felt that something incredible resided in this text. A greatness that even he could not comprehend. It was a new interpretation of the law of consciousness, and the combination of magic and martial arts. ¡°Implementing these ideas won¡¯t be possible unless one¡¯s magic and martial arts reach the highest realm.¡± Even after he closed the browser window, Yongno couldn¡¯t help but fall deeper into thought. Though he had read just another important technique text, his thoughts were already splitting into two. ¡°Oh shoot! What time is it?¡± Yongno checked his phone. Fortunately, he still had some time before the ¡®Great Will¡¯ NPC awakened. ¡°Hmm, I should try Duality Cultivation Technique right now.¡± Without hesitation, Yongno put on his earphones and laid down on his bed. It was time to return to being Merlin. ¡°Phew¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re waking up now?¡± As soon as Merlin opened his eyes, he saw Miho standing in front of him with a frustrated expression on her face. He raised himself up. ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just a bit weird when a supposed expert doesn¡¯t wake up no matter how much I call out¡­ do you lose all sense of urgency when you¡¯re asleep?¡± Quiet Heaven laughed. ¡°It¡¯s not only Merlin; all the passengers sleep like that. They can wake up at a set time, but they¡¯re not easily awakened by external stimuli.¡± Quiet Heaven came to Merlin¡¯s defense. It would be more accurate to say that it was impossible for a user in sleep-mode to wake up from an external stimulus. Of course, it was possible to observe one¡¯s character through a video feed in the real world, but it was undoubtedly difficult to react in time if a crisis were to be seen through a video feed that ran at twelve times the speed. This was why users didn¡¯t like to use sleep-mode. ¡°Anyway, is the time for the Great Will or whatever to give the prophecy? It seems like that fella is dragging things out.¡± ¡°Shh. You can¡¯t speak negatively of the Great Will here. The Great Will created all of us.¡± ¡°Whatever. The Great Will isn¡¯t a god I believe in anyway.¡± Merlin became conscious of the other representatives¡¯ gazes around him, so he had replied in a softer tone, but he still wore a dissatisfied expression. ¡®If the Great Will created everyone, then that being is just another developer, no?¡¯ Merlin turned his head to look at the representatives standing around him. They had started to gather around the center of the hall, waiting for the Great Will to appear. ¡°Quiet Heaven, is this head honcho an NPC or a developer?¡± ¡°Head honcho? Oh, if you¡¯re talking about the Great Will, well¡­ the developers don¡¯t usually play directly, but seeing how it only happens occasionally, maybe one will make an appearance. The real question is whether the NPCs here know about DIO like the NPCs on Dynamic Island.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Merlin nodded and looked toward the center of the hall. He was a bit on edge about the Great Will because he knew that this new continent was a space that user¡¯s couldn¡¯t access. If the Great Will was just another NPC, he wouldn¡¯t face any issues, but if the Great Will was a developer or an NPC that knew about the world of DIO, wouldn¡¯t the Great Will react after seeing him? ¡®Well, whatever. It probably won¡¯t send me off immediately after seeing me. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m a hacker or anything. Rather than worrying, I should practice the Duality Cultivation Technique during this break.¡¯ Merlin sat down and started circulating his internal qi. Starting the Qi Gong technique wasn¡¯t very difficult. Unlike cultivation techniques that required one to gather internal energy and develop control over natural qi through enlightenment and training, Qi Gong techniques were martial arts that trained one¡¯s qi technique. Of course, just like Qi Heaven, the difficulty of any Qi Gong Technique varied depending on the type. Merlin, who already possessed a relatively excellent multitasking ability, was able to easily accept the principles of Duality Cultivation Technique. ¡®Finding another self. I¡¯m not trying to find another being, but another me within me.¡¯ If the technique was just sharing one¡¯s consciousness, it would be no different from the multitasking that Merlin did normally. It was obviously more efficient to focus on one thing than to do two things at the same time. For this reason, the Duality Cultivation Technique sought to create another consciousness through the collection of natural qi. Woong. Using the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, Merlin pulled his internal energy to the crown of his head and kept it there for a moment before placing the principal thoughts of the Duality Cultivation Technique into it. In this manner, Merlin was able to awaken the inner self that slept within him. CH 134 /You have acquired the Qi Gong Technique, Duality Cultivation Technique!/ ¡®Done. That was easy.¡¯ Merlin initially felt relieved when finalizing his qi circulation, but he soon realized that something felt off. According to the Duality Cultivation Technique, his internal energy had taken shape, but to him, nothing changed. ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± Merlin was perplexed. There was no sign of a split in his consciousness, even though the Duality Cultivation Technique was operating properly. ¡°Did something go wrong?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± asked Miho. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. I was doing some training, but something unexpected occurred. I¡¯ll just try again.¡± Merlin shook his head and took a cross-legged position, which he did to focus on the Duality Cultivation Technique more earnestly, but suddenly he realized that someone was standing in front of him. ¡°Dummy.¡± It was a young boy, around ten years old. He had dark hair and black eyes. Although he looked like a typical Asian boy, his face was pleasant to look at. He stared at Merlin with an expressionless face. ¡°Idiot.¡± The boy vollied another condescending insult, but Merlin couldn¡¯t respond. Although the boy was clearly standing there, Merlin couldn¡¯t sense his aura or qi. Even with Enhanced Eyesight, Merlin couldn¡¯t figure out what kind of existence the boy was. ¡°W-who¡­ are you?¡± Merlin blurted out a question, but the young boy didn¡¯t offer a response. ¡°Don¡¯t speak with your mouth, idiot. Are you fond of being treated like a madman?¡± ¡°Treated like a madman? What are you talking about¡­¡± Quiet Heaven looked at Merlin with a frown. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Master? Are you whispering to someone?¡± Putting the issue of how an eagle could make a facial expression aside, it seemed like Quiet Heaven could not see the young boy. ¡®¡­ A ghost?¡¯ However, this conclusion didn¡¯t make any sense. Quiet Heaven, using its powers in Dao perception, could look inside a person and see their inner soul. However, it was unable to see the young boy. Moreover, Miho used magic that allowed her to deal with ghosts, but she couldn¡¯t see the boy either. Even the ghosts from the Dead Earth were hunted by Level 6 users like simple prey, so it didn¡¯t make sense that Quiet Heaven and Miho, who were more proficient in dealing with ghosts, couldn¡¯t sense the young boy. ¡°Oh, um, sorry. I must not have controlled my voice with the whisper function. I spoke aloud without even realizing it.¡± ¡°Make sure that you¡¯re cognizant of your surroundings. If not, you¡¯ll be treated like a madman.¡± Merlin nodded and turned his attention back to the boy. Then, the boy spoke. ¡°Dummy. Idiot. Imbecile.¡± ¡®W-why are you so rude?¡¯ Though he didn¡¯t notice what was going on immediately, Merlin guessed who the young boy might be. ¡°Because you¡¯re being a dunce.¡± ¡®Why?¡¯ ¡°Shut it. You¡¯re so noisy, ugh.¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ Merlin was at a loss for words. For whatever reason, the young boy seemed to detest him. ¡®This is my inner self? Am I such a self-deprecating, masochistic person?¡¯ The young boy was his inner self that arose from the Duality Cultivation Technique. However, though the Duality Cultivation Technique was a Qi Gong Technique that created another consciousness for its practitioner, it shouldn¡¯t have been able to create an entirely new personality. The young boy was an entirely different being from Merlin. He detested Merlin, which meant he hated himself. If the young boy was truly part of him, then could it mean that Merlin had some sort of personality disorder? ¡°Stop staring, idiot.¡± After seeing the contempt in the young boy¡¯s eyes, Merlin made his decision. ¡®Let¡¯s stop. I can¡¯t use this.¡¯ Merlin was about to release the genuine qi that was collected at the crown of his head. However, he couldn¡¯t. The ball of genuine qi zipped around freely, it was no longer under Merlin¡¯s control. ¡°Ah¡­ I can¡¯t cancel this¡­ this¡­ no¡­!¡± ¡°What?¡± Miho snapped at Merlin. ¡°Huh? Oh, nothing. Hahaha.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing but be quiet. We¡¯re in a holy area.¡± ¡°Yes, madam.¡± ¡°You¡¯re acting weird again.¡± Miho grumbled as she turned her head. Once Miho¡¯s head was turned, Merlin shot a ferocious glare at the young boy. He was flabbergasted that the Qi Gong Technique couldn¡¯t be undone once it was used. What kind of stupid setting was this? While Merlin was at a loss for words, the young boy sighed; he didn¡¯t care what Merlin was thinking. ¡°Dummy. Do you think I¡¯d disappear so easily?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Merlin groaned. At that moment, Quiet Heaven quietly whispered to Merlin. ¡°It¡¯s making its appearance.¡± ¡°Huh? What is?¡± ¡°Look.¡± Whoosh! In an instant, a beam of light blasted down from the ceiling to the center of the hall, sending out a huge shockwave. It was a dimensional door connecting to a foreign dimension! ¡°Oh, Great Will!¡± ¡°Great Will!¡± The representatives kneeled one by one. Merlin had no intention of doing so, but Miho pinched his side and forced him to kneel. Sss! The light shining down from above burned brighter, and at that moment¡­! /System check¡­ please wait. Please wait. Due to a special order, the system check time shall be extended. System check will commence for 74 hours and 57 minutes¡­/ ¡°¡­ What?¡± Merlin¡¯s mouth was wide open in shock. This turn of events was truly unimaginable. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not yet time for the Great Will to make its appearance¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to wait a little longer.¡± However, Merlin was the only one who seemed puzzled; the rest of the representatives just sighed and returned to their assigned areas. No one found the unexpected system message strange. ¡°W-what? Can all of you just sigh and move on, like nothing happened?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? If we¡¯re told to wait, then we must wait.¡± said Miho. ¡°The system check message states that a special order was given! Isn¡¯t that strange?¡± ¡°System check? Special order? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°What do you mean what am I talking about¡­ Can¡¯t you see the message?¡± ¡°The message?¡± Seeing Miho¡¯s thoroughly puzzled expression, Merlin realized that the message was only visible to users, so only he could see it. All the others had been given a different reason for the Great Will¡¯s tardiness. ¡°You¡¯re being silly. There is no way beings, who don¡¯t even know their true identities, have access to that kind of information.¡± ¡®I can¡¯t hear¡­ I can¡¯t hear¡­¡¯ The boy in the corner smirked at Merlin, but Merlin turned his body and started counting on his fingers. ¡°74 hours¡­ that¡¯s roughly three days.¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re tired of waiting?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s tiring. Based on how things are progressing, I¡¯m sure this is all part of some quest, but I don¡¯t see why there needs to be such a long delay. This quest or whatever doesn¡¯t even give EXP.¡± Merlin and Miho returned to their assigned seats. Merlin put his hand on his forehead in anguish; he now had to spend three days in a place with no special facilities. Seeing the anguishing Merlin, Miho said, ¡°H-hey, if you¡¯re bored of waiting, then why don¡¯t we¡­¡± But right then¡­ Ding Dong! Accompanied by the sound of a doorbell, a message appeared in front of Merlin. /You have an unread announcement notice./ ¡°Hmm? I¡¯m sorry. Give me a moment.¡± Merlin opened his inventory and took out his Beholder. Quiet Heaven, still perched on Merlin¡¯s head, spoke out. ¡°What¡¯s with the out-of-the-blue announcement? What does it say?¡± ¡°Well. It doesn¡¯t look like an announcement that just popped up¡­ Maybe another monster is attacking Starting? I hope the Guardian Tower doesn¡¯t get taken over and shattered again; I don¡¯t want another login restriction period¡­¡± Merlin grunted as he manipulated the Beholder to open the announcement notice. /DIO (Dynamic Island Online), a fantasy world, the likes of which you¡¯ve never seen before! Welcome to this exciting island! Coming February 1st, we are opening a new, unrevealed continent far south of Dynamic Island! However, getting to this new continent is nearly impossible with the means of transportation currently available, so we have decided to launch the following event. Event 1. Collect Gem Points! Starting today, a group of jeweled fish from the Southern Ocean will appear every day at 7:00 PM (real time) for three days! (January 27-29). Catch the jeweled fish from aboard a boat, which will be distributed free of charge on shore for all users! You¡¯ll receive Gem Points commensurate with the number of fish you catch. The Gem Points can be consumed for various other things. Event 2. Carry out the mission! You can receive a significant amount of Gem Points when you receive and complete missions from the guards stationed in all cities, including Starting. Each user can participate in these special missions a total of 3 times, and the rewards will vary depending on the difficulty setting. Note that the higher the user¡¯s level, the more rewards one will receive, so please level up! DIO is a rough game that caters to high level users. Event 3. Build a Flying Shuttle! You can purchase a Flying Shuttle by using your accumulated Gem Points. In addition to the possibility of purchasing a Flying Shuttle, it is also possible to buy and assemble individual parts to construct a Flying Shuttle. Gem Points can also be used to strengthen the Flying Shuttle parts, such as the hull. There may be users who don¡¯t want to make a Flying Shuttle or travel to the New Continent, as it¡¯s too far away. To these users, we say, don¡¯t worry! Gem Points can be traded for a wide variety of items and can also be used to upgrade equipment! A fresh, new continent shall open! Large-scale battles and constant struggles with numerous forces that take place in these new lands shall commence! We are looking forward to the appearance of the New Continent, and we hope you are too!/ CH 135 Obviously, the new continent that the announcement spoke of was Atlantis, where Merlin presently was. Merlin checked the time by stroking his left eye. A clock appeared in his vision, displaying both real time and in-game time. The current time in the real world was six-o-clock in the evening. In other words, he had one hour in real-time, or twelve hours in DIO, before the start of the event. ¡°The announcement was released¡­ this morning. They sure rushed this one out.¡± commented Merlin. ¡°Still, those who are logged into the game will feel as though a few days of advance notice was given. Also, since there are so many users, I¡¯m sure the developers weren¡¯t concerned about gathering enough participants.¡± said Quiet Heaven. ¡°Come to think of it, the current number of users exceeds four-hundred million, and the game hasn¡¯t even hit its peak. The user base numbers are growing larger with every passing moment.¡± Indeed, the number of users playing DIO was huge. Considering that the population of Earth was slightly less than eight billion and that many countries didn¡¯t have access to the technology, a user base of four-hundred million was mind-blowing. Just a few weeks prior, the user base was two-hundred million. In roughly two weeks, DIO was able to double its user base through the expansion of real-world infrastructure and direct contracting with several countries. ¡°If things keep going like this, they¡¯ll hit a billion users in no time. Of course, there¡¯ll always be some countries that won¡¯t allow the game to enter their markets, but still, about one in five people on Earth will be a DIO user¡­¡± In Korea, with its extensive internet infrastructure, and strong gaming culture, more than seventy percent of the Korean population played DIO. Virtually everyone was playing, except for infants and the elderly. Even students, who were restricted from playing games, were logging in to DIO as a way to leverage the time differential to attend classes and lectures. There were even talks over enacting rules and laws to allow for traditional classes and lectures to be conducted in DIO. ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m not certain where this is going, but I know it¡¯s having a big ripple effect." ¡°Tremendous effect.¡± Though Merlin was unaware, several large corporations, intelligence groups, and even state agencies were already forming their own bases and powers within DIO. Among them, there were many who struggled to find out how DIO¡¯s basic system worked, but its core technology was all veiled, so these agencies and institutions didn¡¯t have much to work with. ¡°Hey, what are you talking about?¡± Miho asked. ¡°Ah, something about passengers. Like, maybe other passengers will come here besides me.¡± Merlin thought that Miho would ask him something about passengers. Mages sought the truth of the world, so they were usually very curious about things they didn¡¯t know much about. Since Merlin and Quiet Heaven had been talking about population figures, Miho probably had an idea of what they were talking about. Naturally, Merlin thought that Miho would be surprised that so many people existed above the Noise Belt. However, contrary to expectation, Miho just nodded. ¡°Well, okay. Do you need to do something?¡± ¡°Huh? What? Ah, well¡­ yes. It¡¯s something like a meeting for all passengers. Since the Great Will won¡¯t make an appearance for three days, I¡¯ll be going to that passenger meeting.¡± Merlin was momentarily caught off-guard by how unconcerned Miho seemed; however, thinking that perhaps she just wasn¡¯t that interested in passengers, Merlin took off the Gate Ring from his left index finger and looked inside. An inscription read [Tower of Truth]. ¡®Hmm. Fortunately, it saved this location. If I take out the Gate Ring that has Starting stored on it, then it¡¯ll auto-save my current location, right?¡¯ The Gate Ring was a magical item that allowed its owner to save the location of the last city they visited so they could return to it at any time. The only problem was that the location on the ring was auto-saved, not by the user¡¯s choosing. If Merlin took out the Gate Ring from his inventory and used Return, he¡¯d be moved to the Tower of Truth, not Starting. ¡°Are you planning on leaving right now?¡± ¡°I think so. Hmm. It would be nice to bring you with me.¡± Merlin knew that this was impossible. It was incredibly difficult to cross the Noise Belt just by himself, so it would not be wise to bring another person across. Moreover, the Gate Ring didn¡¯t allow companions, so if Merlin wanted to take Miho, they¡¯d have to traverse a long distance. No matter how fast Merlin could swim, the distance from Atlantis to the southern coast of Starting was over a thousand kilometers. On top of all that, they were currently in Atlantis¡¯ inland area. Though Merlin could move faster than an arrow at sea, land traversal was a different story. ¡°Well, as a representative, I¡¯m not allowed to leave this place anyway. Also, I need to spend some time honing the power I just gained through the trials.¡± Miho hesitated as if she had something more to say, but as if she had resigned herself to something, she sighed and sat back down. ¡°There¡¯s still some stuff you haven¡¯t fully absorbed yet?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve absorbed all the monster power. I just have some Magic Eye stuff left. It developed unexpectedly.¡± Ting! Saying this, Miho activated Magic Eye and pointed at her eyes. Unlike before, where her eyes simply changed color, they were now engraved with a hexagonal magic circle pattern. Merlin, who had not properly trained his Magic Eye but rather copied Miho¡¯s approach, didn¡¯t know what this change meant. She now possessed Red Fox Vision, an ability that allowed her to subdue virtually anything with her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s called Extreme Vision. It¡¯s the second step of Magic Eye.¡± ¡°There are different steps?¡± Miho sighed. Merlin¡¯s question indicated that he knew nothing about the ability. ¡°Ugh. I should take some time to properly teach you¡­ but then again, you already cause me quite a headache with your own version of Magic Eye!¡± ¡°Hahaha! I¡¯m just like that.¡± ¡°Y-you¡¯re usually like that?¡± Miho scoffed, but she gave in and started explaining, just like how Mary once did for her long ago. ¡°The Red Fox¡¯s Magic Eye is divided into three steps. The first is the red eye, the level that you¡¯re on right now. The second is Extreme Vision, which is the step I¡¯m at right now. According to records, it can not only penetrate an enemy¡¯s mind but also causes real phenomena to occur.¡± ¡°What do you mean causes real phenomena?¡± ¡°Like, it can inflict physical damage, or make sparks appear. It¡¯s different for each caster, so I don¡¯t know what it¡¯ll look like for me yet.¡± Since Miho knew the training method, the results of her Extreme Vision would soon appear. ¡°Ah. You mentioned that there are three steps, so does that mean there¡¯s something even greater than what you have right now?¡± ¡°Hmpf. Pretending like you¡¯re interested¡­ anyway, the third step is the Jeweled Magic Eye, the final step that only the great Red Fox has achieved. It¡¯s often called Jeweled Eye, and I read that this step of Magic Eye is so strong that it can affect hundreds or thousands of enemies all at once when fully operational.¡± Merlin tilted his head. Miho said that she read this information somewhere, which meant she had got it from somewhere else. ¡°So, you¡¯ve never seen the third step of Magic Eye in person?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it. Even my mother, who taught me Magic Eye and was a very talented fox, only reached the second step. Though our fox clan is small, we are the only ones who are direct descendants of the great Red Fox. Besides, the Jeweled Magic Eye can only be reached when one¡¯s Magic Eye has reached its penultimate development, and no one has reached that level of development except for the Red Fox. I only know about it because of the records I¡¯ve read.¡± Merlin lightly circulated his magic power and focused on her eyes. He tried to match her magic system design, but his eyes remained red; he wasn¡¯t able to advance to the second step. Unlike the Seven Jewel¡¯s magic stones, which was a collection of pure magic power, Magic Eye seemed to require a biological change. Thus, Merlin couldn¡¯t replicate Miho¡¯s advancement just by replicating the configuration of her magic system. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not urgent, so I¡¯ll take it slow.¡± Merlin gently lifted his head and looked around for an exit. Though he had a Gate Ring, the save point location was the Tower of Truth, so he had to get out into an open field. Quiet Heaven was the only one around that knew about Merlin¡¯s situation. ¡°Are you planning on going to Starting?¡± ¡°Yeah, but there¡¯s no way out.¡± ¡°Don''t be silly. You can get out from where you came in.¡± "Aha!" Merlin exclaimed in realization. Merlin activated Scanning Vision and looked at the door from which he had entered. They were all closed, but they didn¡¯t seem to be locked. ¡°Okay. Quiet Heaven, stay here with Miho.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°If we both leave, I won¡¯t know what¡¯s going on back here. You and I are connected spiritually, so we can communicate easily.¡± In a normal game, an owner and his pet couldn¡¯t be split far apart, but in DIO, there was a recall function in case one¡¯s pet got lost, regardless of distance. Moreover, Merlin and Quiet Heaven could share their senses, so Merlin could speak using Quiet Heaven¡¯s mouth if necessary. Hence, this was the best communication system for either one to deliver any news. Quiet Heaven nodded its head in agreement. ¡°Well, I¡¯d rather spend my time with Miho than a dull guy like you anyway.¡± ¡°Great. Though I don¡¯t see this happening, if a fight breaks out, make sure to help Miho as much as you can.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how much help I¡¯d be, but okay.¡± Quiet Heaven nodded its head meekly. Merlin looked at Miho once more. For whatever reason, she looked to be in a bad mood. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking off then!" said Merlin. ¡°Hmpf. Go away and don¡¯t come back.¡± ¡°Fufufu, our cute little¡­¡± Ting! Merlin, who was approaching Miho with a mischievous smirk on his face, stopped in his tracks. Miho¡¯s eyes suddenly turned red with the hexagonal magic circles; she was using her Extreme Vision. ¡°Shall I make you strip in front of all the gathered representatives?¡± ¡°¡­ Ugh! This damned Extreme Vision! I¡¯ll learn it soon!¡± Of course, if Miho was an enemy, Merlin wouldn¡¯t have let himself be so easily overpowered. It took Miho three to four seconds to properly operate Extreme Vision to hijack his body. During those three to four seconds, Merlin could have easily launched a Great Tantra Hand attack, not allowing Miho to continue operating her Extreme Vision. But, of course, he couldn''t do that to Miho. All he could do was grumble before turning to Quiet Heaven. ¡°Take care of Miho.¡± ¡°Hmpf! Who¡¯s protecting who?¡± Miho retorted, sticking her tongue out. Merlin smiled and headed towards the door he had entered from. *** Meeting the Mission *** ¡°¡­ Wow! So many people.¡± When he arrived at Starting, Merlin stared at the large crowd of users around him. The atmosphere among them was hectic and bustling. The roads in Starting were wide and well-maintained, but they were currently jam-packed with people like a subway platform during rush hour. Whoosh! ¡°Whoa, hey! Watch it! Be careful!¡± ¡°Make sure to fly on the right-hand side, please! If you cause an accident, you¡¯ll be seen as a murderer!¡± Numerous users were flying overhead. Some were flying on broomsticks, some were riding summoned beings or spirits, and some were flying by using their aura power to produce wind. ¡°There sure are a lot of users flying around.¡± Still, there were fewer people flying than walking, so Merlin momentarily considered using his spirits to fly. However, since Younghwi and Shining were continuously fed internal energy from his Golden Pill Immortal Technique, the two spirits¡¯ power output was more optimized for large bursts rather than continuous exertion. Of course, it was still possible to use his spirits to exert a small continuous force. ¡°Oh, right, I forgot I had this.¡± Merlin opened his inventory and took out the Memory Stone that he had received from Nell. The stone contained three gravity spells that Nell specialized in: Reverse Gravity, which, as the name suggests, reversed gravity, Gravity Distortion, which added or reduced gravitational pull, and Gravity Cannon, which fired a distorted gravity bomb that could inflict great damage on a target. ¡°Reverse Gravity is a limited range spell, so it¡¯s not good to use for movement. Then, Gravity Distortion!¡± Magic power started to flow and form a system according to the pre-specified design built into the Memory Stone. Merlin chose to reduce gravity. Bam! With a light stomp, Merlin¡¯s body soared into the sky as if he was in zero gravity. Merlin had lightened his weight to just over two kilograms total, so he¡¯d eventually fall back onto the ground, but Younghwi and Shining would easily be able to carry him now. ¡°Don¡¯t use your spirits, you idiot. Use a spell. You learned a gravity-based magic spell, but this is the best you could come up with?¡± The young boy, Merlin¡¯s inner self, spoke derisively. Merlin looked at the boy floating next to him with a puzzled expression. ¡°Wow, you really are like a ghost. I can¡¯t sense anything from you.¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m just an image in your mind. Wouldn¡¯t it be a problem if you could feel the presence of something that doesn¡¯t exist?¡± Then, to hammer his statement home, the boy threw in a ¡°dumb bastard.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Merlin could feel a headache coming on. He decided it would probably be best not to converse with the young boy. ¡°Whatever. Anyway, shouldn¡¯t you be looking closely at the schedule of events? There¡¯s still some time left before the fishing event starts¡­ but first, you¡¯ll have to approach some guards¡­¡± Merlin flew across the sky with the help of his two spirits. He expected that it¡¯d be difficult to find the guards because there were so many people around, but they were surprisingly easy to find. Each of the guards was surrounded by users, creating localized crowds. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s too crowded!! And you, girl! Don¡¯t touch my exceptional body!¡± A Diwali 11, who oversaw the maintaining of order and peace amongst the users, screamed aloud. The Diwali, who had shiny blonde hair and a lively face, was handsome enough to be on any real-world fashion cover. This was probably the reason why there people surrounded him with cameras. Pop! ¡°Hmm?¡± However, suddenly, about a hundred users in the crowd disappeared entirely. The Diwali 11 looked over at a Gane 11. ¡°What did you do just now?¡± ¡°I just gathered them all together, explained the details of the event, and then sent them to the test center. There¡¯s no need to wrestle and interface with each of them.¡± ¡°Oho! This guy is surprisingly smart.¡± the Diwali 11 remarked, before following suit and gathering all the users in one place. Merlin was among the gathered crowd. ¡°Okay, everyone. The announcement didn¡¯t explain all the details, so I¡¯ll fill you all in on those now. Once you participate in a general mission three times, you will be eligible to perform the final mission if you successfully complete at least two of the general missions. However, the important thing is that both the general missions and the final mission must be done in a party.¡± A user in armor shouted a question. ¡°Hey, you mentioned that we need to be in a party¡­ are we allowed to make our own parties?¡± ¡°No. There will be a placement battle before the three general missions to determine each user¡¯s level. You¡¯ll start by facing low-level monsters and face increasingly more powerful monsters each time you succeed in defeating your opponents. You¡¯ll then be given a level based on how many different opponent groupings you¡¯ve defeated.¡± ¡°But what if there¡¯s a monster that can¡¯t be defeated?¡± ¡°You just need to shout out ¡®Surrender!¡¯, easy right?¡± Diwali 11 looked cheerfully at the users around him. Although it was a noisy place, his voice possessed a strange resonance, so one could clearly hear him without missing a word. ¡°Now, if you understand, raise your left hand. Alright, I see. Thank you. Oh, you there¡­ was there something you didn¡¯t understand? Oh, you understood? Then please raise your left hand.¡± Diwali 11 explained the mission and confirmed that everyone understood him properly. ¡°Specific mission details will be delivered in the form of a quest. Understood?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Let us begin!¡± Some anxious users were already warming up and preparing for battle. Just in case, Merlin pulled out his Gold Core and handed it to Shining so it could float with the Gold Core around his shoulder area. Since it took some time and focus to open his inventory, Merlin was making sure he could reach it quickly. Through the ordeal he went through in the Tower of Truth, Merlin learned the Spiritual Power Transfer Method, so his Gold Core contained a whopping one-hundred-and-five years of internal energy. Considering that the limit of this ¡®vessel¡¯ was nearly two cycles, the Gold Core represented the pinnacle of his development. ¡°Then, if everyone is ready, let¡¯s go!¡± CH 136 Whoosh! As soon as Diwali 11 finished speaking, the surroundings changed. The scenery transition felt similar to when a user entered a level-up test site. Grr! ¡°Oh, my! I haven¡¯t seen you in a while!¡± A wolf as big as a small calf stood before Merlin as it growled menacingly. Along with its relatively large size, the wolf constantly drooled, adding to its ferocious image as an abnormal monster. This terrifying visage would usually strike fear in users who had a somewhat low constitution. However, Merlin just smiled and stepped forward. Bam! Welp! Without using any internal energy, Merlin hit the wolf with a palm strike and sent it flying tens of meters backward before it turned into black smoke. /You have cleared Stage 1! Another monster will appear in ten minutes!/ ¡°They¡¯re giving me some time to rest after defeating a Level 2 monster¡­.¡± Since he barely used any power before, Merlin was at a loss, but many users were participating in this event, so the baseline was set quite low. After waiting ten minutes, Merlin saw the next monster appear. Whoosh! ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a giant spider.¡± The Level 4 Giant Spider had thick legs, with each being the same width as Merlin¡¯s thighs, and it used its lightning-quick speed to lunge at and bite its prey¡¯s head off. Merlin lowered himself and ducked under the attack before launching himself backward, putting around ten meters between himself and the Giant Spider. ¡°Gear 4!¡± Immediately, a Mithril Bow appeared in Merlin¡¯s hands. After deciding to use an item appropriate for his opponent¡¯s level, Merlin chose to retrieve a wooden arrow. ¡°Burn, baby, burn. Burn and burn. Oh, so hot. It¡¯s so hot I want to die.¡± Any bystander would have wondered what kind of stupid chant Merlin was muttering, but regardless, his internal energy began to circulate through a designated system. Once this was completed, Merlin fired the arrow. Whoosh! Kyak! The Giant Spider wriggled angrily as if it wanted to attack, but it was just a Level 4 monster. Since the Giant Spider was essentially a bug, it was weak against fire, so its body soon shriveled up from the heat and disintegrated. /You have cleared Stage 2! Another monster will appear in ten minutes!/ ¡°Hmm, it seems these battles are giving me EXP, but I guess they don¡¯t give drops?¡± Merlin mumbled to himself as he changed his gear once more and put away his bow. The wolf and spider didn¡¯t give him any drops. Either Merlin was unlucky, or these battles weren¡¯t programmed to drop anything. The third monster was also something that Merlin had come across before. ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t seen you in a while either.¡± What appeared was a tyrannosaurus, the ¡°king of reptiles.¡± This was the apex predator among all the dinosaurs that occupied the Earth during the Late Cretaceous Period. The tyrannosaurus standing before Merlin was 15 meters long and weighed over seven tons. Bam! Ack! However, Merlin approached and thrust a palm strike toward the tyrannosaurus¡¯ chest before it could even react, and the massive dinosaur staggered while moaning in pain. Thud! After giving out one last roar, the tyrannosaurus fell and turned into black smoke. /You have cleared Stage 3! Another monster will appear in ten minutes!/ ¡°Hehehe. By utilizing penetration power, I didn¡¯t have to use much internal energy.¡± Although the tyrannosaurus was larger than most high-ranking monsters and boasted terrifying power, in the end, the dinosaur species couldn¡¯t escape their species characteristics. One key feature of these creatures was their weak spiritual defense. Any user with a strong spiritual attack ability could down a tyrannosaurus relatively easily, and this didn¡¯t change if the dinosaur was at Level 4 or 5. ¡°Let¡¯s see. The Dire Wolf was Level 2, the Giant Spider was Level 4, and the Tyrannosaurus was Level 6¡­ the next monster must be Level 8. Probably an Ogre or a low-level demon.¡± From this point, even Merlin had to focus and put in some effort, so he pulled out a short spear imbued with magic power. ¡°Gear 3. Gear 4.¡± Merlin¡¯s mage robe disappeared and was replaced by a complete set of Mithril plate armor. This set was designed to cover the wearer¡¯s entire body, including their face. So, there was a 13 cm-long crystal that was installed over his eyes; this way, Merlin could see while still being protected. The design of the armor was closer to the likes of a robot than traditional armor. ¡°I wonder what¡¯s next? An ogre? A minotaur?¡± Expecting a giant monster, Merlin drew his Mithril bow before it appeared; however, he was met with an unexpectedly small humanoid monster. Of course, the monster¡¯s relatively modest size was in comparison to the standard of a Minotaur or Ogre, which easily stood over three meters tall. In other words, the monster was still objectively large. ¡°Grr, a human!¡± ¡°And as for you, you¡¯re a werewolf!¡± Whoosh! Merlin launched his short spear. However, his opponent¡¯s reaction speed was outstanding. The werewolf ducked and dodged the short spear right at the last moment. ¡°That won¡¯t be able to stop me!¡± Boom! As the werewolf stayed low to the ground, it launched a swift punch toward Merlin¡¯s head. Surprisingly, it seemed this werewolf trained in boxing-related skills. [Momentary Blink.] At that moment, the Thousand Worlds¡¯ second-level spell engraved on the short spear activated. Despite having previously evaded danger, the short spear jumped through space and reappeared right before the werewolf, which didn¡¯t seem like it had any time to react. Bam! ¡°Dang, you sure are sturdy!¡± Yet, even in this precarious state, the werewolf used its amazing reflexes and moved to block the short spear with its head. Obviously, if an arrow hit any monster¡¯s head, one might think that this was a successful strike, but Merlin was up against a werewolf warrior, not just an ordinary werewolf. And while the werewolf warrior didn¡¯t use internal energy and had a predictable attacking pattern, it still had considerable combat prowess. Apparently, this werewolf was of the true-blood class. Crack! ¡°Ugh!¡± A golden light flashed, and despite the previous incredible display, the werewolf warrior collapsed. The result was instant death. Merlin took a step back and shook his hands. ¡°Ah, that was a surprise. In the end, it made me use a palm strike.¡± /You have cleared Stage 4! Another monster will appear in ten minutes!/ Merlin caught his breath as he watched the werewolf warrior¡¯s body disperse into black smoke. His inner qi entered his dantian and circulated throughout his body as he operated the Golden Pill Immortal Technique. Merlin started to slowly recover the genuine qi that he had just used. ¡°Since my opponents have been coming at me one-on-one, my hand skills have come in handy.¡± Though the Golden Pill Immortal Technique decreased the user¡¯s genuine qi capacity and recovery rate, it made up for it by increasing the output of genuine qi that could be used in a single strike. Moreover, No Living World allowed Merlin to unlock Mercury, Venus, and Earth, but he also had a mandatory cooldown period and couldn¡¯t launch consecutive attacks. However, his first planet, Mercury, had almost no cooldown time, and in Venus¡¯s case, it was only half a second. Alas, Earth needed 30 seconds in between each use. If Merlin attacked continuously, he wouldn¡¯t be able to properly amplify his internal energy each time. ¡°Come to think of it, I should work on Mars soon¡­ based on how things went for Earth, it seems like I¡¯ll need at least 80 years of internal energy to create Mars.¡± As he looked within himself, Merlin analyzed the current state and mechanism of No Living World after extracting its data. Originally, the Golden Pill Immortal Technique¡¯s No Living World was limited to possessing only one or two planets at best, but Merlin opened his third planet by combining both his magic power and internal energy. Roar! ¡°Dang! Has it been ten minutes already?¡± While he was analyzing the data, the next monster appeared. It was an undead lich that circulated a substantial amount of magic power around its skeletal frame. One peculiar aspect of this lich was¡­. ¡°Huh? Why did it spawn so far away?¡± Oddly enough, the lich appeared more than 100 meters away from Merlin. Additionally, the lich immediately started chanting a spell as if it knew it would spawn far from Merlin. ¡°Ah, I see. The previous monsters kept appearing in front of me, so I thought these types of battles would put mages at a disadvantage. Now that I think about it, the system is spawning monsters at a distance where they have an advantage.¡± Whoosh! Unfortunately for the lich, Merlin¡¯s long-distance attacks weren¡¯t too shabby. Boom! Merlin¡¯s metal arrow clashed against the lich¡¯s defensive magic barrier. Though the arrow didn¡¯t penetrate the shield, the sheer physical force eventually caused the lich to stop chanting. Merlin prepared another attack as he ran towards the lich. Like the previous one, he was shooting a metal arrow, but this time around, Merlin notched two at once. Bam! Boom! Once more, the lich raised its magic barrier and blocked the attack, but the arrows exploded. The explosive force wasn¡¯t enough to collapse the shield, but it stopped the lich from chanting as well. Bam! There were many different types of undead, from vampires said to have existed since ancient times to zombies or ghouls with decaying bodies, skeletons, and ghostly wraiths and specters. Nevertheless, amongst the undead, the most powerful were the liches and death knights. Although it was difficult to qualify them as a species due to their unique individual origins, liches and death knights were a species that possessed a species level of 10. In other words, the lowest level member of these species possessed master-level combat power, swordsmanship, and magic ability. ¡®Now that I recall, this guy is Level 10, right?¡¯ As he ran, Merlin gauged the lich¡¯s magic power. Of course, at Level 10, the lich¡¯s magic power capacity and level were greater than Merlin¡¯s, so it had the advantage. Yet, being Level 10 also meant that this lich was the weakest among its species. When someone thought of a lich, they would probably imagine a fallen great mage, but a measly fifth-class wizard could become a lich. Also, many sword masters can be reborn as Death Knights, although none would become a death knight of their own accord. ¡®This should be fine. Level 10 means that the lich is just slightly stronger than the mermaid prince. If I can launch the Great Strength Vajra Hand at the right moment, then¡­.¡¯ Before Merlin reached the lich, it finished chanting its spell. Despite Merlin¡¯s efforts to throw off the lich¡¯s timing with neverending arrows, the undead had somehow successfully completed its spell chant. ¡°Freeze right there, you weak mortal!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± Merlin had been sprinting towards the lich when he suddenly stopped. The lich¡¯s restraining spell had broken through his resistance and taken his body¡¯s freedom. Merlin¡¯s magic resistance stats were quite low, so he was susceptible to any spells that specifically targeted him. This was even truer when his opponent was a high-ranking lich mage. When Merlin stopped moving, the lich started to chant its next spell. ¡°Black lightning that destroys souls! I command you to strike upon the spot I designate! All shall fear¡­.¡± With a roaring chant, an unusual magic power started to gather. Dark spiritual qi rose from the lich¡¯s skeletal body as the surrounding mana began to resonate. ¡®Dang it! If this continues, I¡¯ll be dead after one shot!¡¯ Merlin screamed internally as he tried to circulate internal energy throughout his body. Despite his Mithril armor being acclaimed for its magic resistance stats, Merlin didn¡¯t enchant it with any additional spells, so he¡¯d inevitably succumb to the next attack. Woong! However, at that moment, the internal energy originating in his mid-dantian region moved down towards his lower dantian, which commenced the amplification process. Ten years of internal energy was amplified by his first planet, Mercury, and instantly became 20 years. Then these years went through Venus and became 40, and doubled into an output of 80 years after going through Earth. Crack! Underneath the lich¡¯s black robe, all its bones cracked and splintered. Though the lich had mustered a defense by raising its defensive magic barrier once more, Merlin had already analyzed the lich¡¯s magic barrier and effortlessly bypassed it. His Great Strength Vajra Hand strike, which could surprise the heavens and shake the earth, had completely circumvented all the lich¡¯s defenses and landed squarely on its skeletal frame. /You have cleared Stage 5! Another monster will appear in ten minutes!/ CH 137 ¡°Ack! That was close.¡± After changing his gear once more, Merlin sat down cross-legged and gathered his breath. The Golden Pill Immortal Technique allowed him to circulate qi in any stance, but since he was also recovering from some internal injuries, he decided to take a more stable position this time. ¡°Phew. It seems like there¡¯s less backlash after my internal energy capacity increased. The Golden Pill Immortal Technique¡¯s operation speed has also increased.¡± Fortunately, Merlin quickly healed after he was injured while outputting 80 years of internal energy. Once he fully understood the essence of the Spiritual Power Transfer Method, his Golden Pill Immortal Technique reached Level 9, which was likely one of the reasons his recovery was so swift. ¡°However, the force behind the output has decreased to 80 percent- no, 70 percent of what it was before. Well, I did expect a reduction¡­.¡± Merlin had used the Spiritual Power Transfer Method to empty all of the internal energy within him. This was a normal part of the process; however, what he did afterward was not normal. Using the core principles of the Dark Northsea Divine Technique, Merlin had gathered more internal energy than he had emptied, and after condensing this newly acquired internal energy, Merlin used his monstrous image-making abilities to create a new internal Gold Core. This sort of approach went beyond common sense and was something only Merlin could do, but it wasn¡¯t a cheat with no drawbacks, as it made Merlin¡¯s genuine qi purity level drop dramatically. The instability was considerable in the beginning, but it settled down over time. ¡°The next guy will probably be Level 12¡­ hmm, this is starting to get tough. What Level 12 monsters do I know of?¡± Merlin recalled quite a few monsters. Actually, the lich that he just fought could have easily been a Level 12 monster if it had developed a few more skills. If the lich was a newly minted 5th-class mage, it was the lowest type of lich amongst its species. ¡°Outside of the lich¡­ an ogre champion perhaps? Or a cyclops warrior?¡± While stabilizing his internal energy, Merlin started thinking about potential opponents and what tactics he could use when fighting them. Then, he understood something. ¡°Do I really need to go down the road of a martial artist¡­¡± Merlin recalled the sword art that Arthur had shown before. Arthur¡¯s spiritual qi was so clear that it shone like light; moreover, like Merlin, Arthur was an abnormality surrounded by a sea of normality. Arthur was a fellow Irregular. When he saw Arthur¡¯s sword qi shining, Merlin instantly knew that he¡¯d never catch up to Arthur in martial arts. Of course, Merlin was confident that he¡¯d someday achieve what Arthur had shown that fateful day, but Merlin also knew that Arthur would be much further ahead once Merlin caught up. If someone couldn¡¯t run faster than the person in front of them, they would always be looking at their back. Arthur¡¯s preparation of Bursting Sword Light, an improvement on the already perfected Dispersing Light Sword Technique, was proof of this fact. ¡°My only other option is to use magic power¡­.¡± Merlin was already a relatively powerful mage. There weren¡¯t many who could cast a spell just from imagining it. However, his magic was limited to a restricted field; since he couldn¡¯t calculate coordinates properly, Merlin was essentially a halfling mage. This wouldn¡¯t be an issue if he went down the Enchantment Mage path¡­ no, even an Enchantment Mage would need to do some basic coordinate calculations and mapping to execute any meaningful magic spells. ¡°I really detest math, though¡­.¡± Merlin couldn¡¯t do anything about his hatred for math. There wasn¡¯t any other reason; he was just incapable of doing something he disliked. Merlin could dive headfirst into any topic that caught his interest, but he avoided anything else like the plague. When it came to things he detested, Merlin couldn¡¯t even muster the courage to make an attempt. ¡°Such a stupid reason.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The young boy had considerable talent in commenting at the most poignant times. At some point, the young boy appeared in front of Merlin. ¡°What? What are you pissed off about now?¡± ¡°Man, I¡¯ve been restraining myself, but I don¡¯t think I can hold back any longer.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± After Merlin questioned him, the young boy¡¯s demeanor became cold. ¡°You can¡¯t properly utilize magic because you¡¯re bad at math¡­. Did you forget to grow up, you idiotic dunce?¡± ¡°¡­¡± No matter how many times Merlin heard the young boy¡¯s demeaning manner of speech, he couldn¡¯t get used to it. The young boy was clearly his other inner self that appeared after executing the Duality Cultivation Technique, but he seemed to utterly despise Merlin. ¡°You don¡¯t like it, so you don¡¯t do it¡­ fine. Then let me ask you something, why do you hate math?¡± ¡°Why does anyone dislike something? There¡¯s no specific reason per se; I just don¡¯t like it. Is there anyone who truly loves studying?¡± Hearing Merlin¡¯s pitiful answer, the young boy grumbled menacingly. ¡°Shut it. Common fields of study should be easier than arithmetic for people like you and me. It should be akin to breathing, but you¡¯re saying that math is difficult. You¡¯re not saying that it¡¯s annoying, but that you detest it. Essentially, even in a life-or-death situation, you¡¯re telling me that you still won¡¯t be able to do it, right?¡± The young boy was huffing and puffing with anger. His typically cold demeanor had changed to pure fury. ¡°Shall I tell you why you dislike math? It¡¯s because others have told you that it¡¯s challenging! Do you know why you find English difficult? It¡¯s because the people around you have told you that it¡¯s difficult to learn! Why! Why do you need to stoop to the level of normal people?¡± ¡°¡­¡± At a loss for words, Merlin just stared at the young boy. He stared because the young boy was entirely different from him. Although he was undoubtedly his other inner self, Merlin felt a sense of foreignness from the young boy. ¡°Whatever! Do what you want!¡± After shouting, the young boy instantly disappeared. In addition, there was a change in the collected inner qi on the top of Merlin''s head. This inner qi had been put in place when he executed the Duality Cultivation Technique, and it moved freely throughout his body and evaded him. Yet, now it had returned to Merlin¡¯s control. ¡°¡­ Hmm?¡± Merlin realized that the Duality Cultivation Technique had stopped operating, and his other inner self had vanished. ¡°What the heck¡­.¡± Merlin looked confused, as he couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. Did the Duality Cultivation Technique have this type of effect? Merlin had never read about this result from what he¡¯d seen on fan sites regarding the Duality Cultivation Technique. In fact, the only information he noticed was how the Duality Cultivation Technique allowed someone in a battle to multitask or use both hands in tandem, both dominant and non-dominant. ¡°He said whatever he wanted and disappeared of his own accord¡­.¡± Merlin wondered if he should re-execute the Duality Cultivation Technique. Even if he did, there was no assurance that the same effect would occur, as the young boy had voluntarily disappeared. Whoosh! As Merlin was contemplating this, the next monster appeared, so he shook his head to clear his mind. ¡°I should focus on the upcoming battle.¡± A magic circle appeared and spun in midair before taking on a spherical shape. Based on the size of the magic circle, Merlin could tell he wouldn¡¯t be facing an abnormally large monster. ¡°It seems like the next monster won¡¯t just be higher-leveled than its species level but will also have some skill. Is it going to be something like a heroic lizardman?¡± As Merlin circulated his genuine qi and thought this, a man stepped out from the magic circle. Of course, it wasn¡¯t a human being. The man had two horns protruding from the top of his head and small wings attached to his back. Was he a demon? Unperturbed, Merlin checked his opponent¡¯s qi. Unlike the other monsters that immediately rushed at him once they materialized, this man calmly looked at Merlin. ¡°How surprising. There aren¡¯t many users who reach this stage.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a monster that possesses consciousness. What do you call yourselves again¡­ unique monsters?¡± Unique monsters were those like Sword Sovereign Sungmuk; there was only one instance of such a monster. These monsters were conscious and knew they were mobs, and they also possessed incredible skills and abilities. Soon, Merlin realized what he was up against, as he felt a thick demonic qi radiating from his opponent. ¡®A demon.¡¯ The man was a demon, and a stronger-than-average demon at that. ¡®If I recall correctly, a mid-tier demon starts at Level 11.¡¯ The lowest tier demons were Level 5, and the demon tiers increased every three levels. In other words, low-tier demons were Level 8, intermediate-tier demons were Level 11, and high-tier demons were Level 14. The Level 12 demon in front of Merlin was probably a run-of-the-mill mid-demon. ¡°I¡¯d like to make some conversation, seeing as I haven¡¯t met a human for a long time, but I guess that wouldn¡¯t be appropriate right now, right?¡± Crack! Accompanied by the annoying sound of a massive monster¡¯s teeth grinding against each other, a vast horn sprouted from each of the demon¡¯s arms. The horns seemed sharper than a formal dress sword, so they probably served a functional use rather than being merely ornamental. ¡°I see.¡± Merlin was about ten meters away from the mid-tier demon. This could be considered a long distance, but it was definitely too close for him to use his bow. Moreover, it would be absurd to think that an arrow could injure the demon at this distance, as the demon was looking straight at him, possessed high intelligence, and had considerable skill. Of course, Merlin could take advantage of a weak point and use Momentary Blink to strike the demon, but even a Level 6 werewolf could recognize that method of attack and meet the arrow head-on. Thus, even if Merlin shot the demon¡¯s eye, he probably wouldn¡¯t inflict much damage. Woong! Merlin¡¯s Golden Pill Immortal Technique started circulating internal energy. ¡®I¡¯ll end this with one strike.¡¯ Merlin wasn¡¯t thinking this way because he felt at ease, and he wasn¡¯t looking down on his opponent either. Merlin knew he¡¯d be in danger if he didn¡¯t end this battle in one hit. ¡°Hahaha! Though my body is chained, I should still try and have some fun!¡± Whoosh! Laughing merrily, the mid-tier demon took a step forward. The horns that protruded from his arms- no, his two swords started burning with black flames and sparks. Bam! Merlin¡¯s gold-colored left hand collided with the mid-tier demon¡¯s sword. With only one cycle of internal energy remaining after his last battle, Merlin amplified ten years of that single cycle, turning it into 40 years of internal energy with Mercury and Venus. Merlin used this to barely block the demon¡¯s attack. He had decided against using Earth due to its 30-second cooldown, as this was an amount of time that Merlin couldn¡¯t waste in this fight. Pff! Merlin took an angled step forward and quickly made his way to the mid-tier demon¡¯s side. He had accelerated his comprehension and thought processes, so the demon¡¯s movements looked slow. ¡®Okay, I¡¯ll output everything on this strike¡­.¡¯ Whoosh! The demon didn¡¯t only have a single sword. Obviously, Merlin knew that the demon was wielding two swords. Yet, in an incredible show of speed, the demon swiftly transformed his other sword into a scythe and swung it at Merlin¡¯s neck as if to behead him. If Merlin didn¡¯t take immediate action, he¡¯d be beheaded. Bam! ¡°Ack! What the!¡± Merlin had been about to use his right hand to attack, but instead, he hit the demon¡¯s oncoming sword strike, causing the sword and the arm wielding it to rip away and fly high into the air. The demon screamed in surprise at the unexpectedly powerful blow, but Merlin wasn¡¯t in the best situation either. ¡®Dang it! I¡¯m in trouble!¡¯ Merlin had used all three planets of his No Living World to amplify ten years of internal energy into 80 years, which he channeled into the Great Strength Vajra Hand. While the Golden Pill Immortal Technique was stable enough to output all of the practitioner¡¯s internal energy at once, if Merlin used amplification, he was restricted to using ten years of internal energy at most. The limit of his Gold Core and the capacity of his planets were two different things. ¡®If my Golden Pill Immortal Technique¡¯s internal energy was a little purer, I could have possibly amplified 15- no, 20 years of internal energy in one go¡­.¡¯ However, this was all no use. Since Merlin¡¯s Earth had a 30-second cooldown period, he had to wait at least 30 seconds before he could launch another amplified attack. At this moment, he had 29 seconds remaining. The demon was surprised by the previous clash, and it had taken some internal injuries, so it was already reinforcing its defenses. The only positive for Merlin was that he still had 40 years of internal energy left. Whoosh. As many thoughts whizzed by Merlin¡¯s mind, the demon¡¯s remaining sword slowly made its way toward Merlin. In truth, Merlin could only see these movements because his thought process had been accelerated; the demon¡¯s sword was actually traveling at nearly the speed of sound. Bam! Bam! Merlin started using his Plum Blossom Hand. In one breath, Merlin deflected the demon¡¯s attack and launched a barrage of hand strikes at the monster¡¯s body. However, demonic qi arose and blocked every attack. The demon seemed to have been somewhat injured, but this was nowhere near enough to ease Merlin¡¯s mind. Merlin had just used ten years of internal energy on his last attack, so he now had 30 years remaining. In addition, Venus was now on its cooldown of half a second; in such a fast-paced close combat situation, this sort of cooldown was problematic. ¡®Ugh! How are each of your strikes so powerful!¡¯ Yet, the demon was having a hard time as well. Merlin looked a bit weak, so the demon hadn¡¯t expected much, but each time the demon¡¯s sword clashed with Merlin¡¯s hands, the reverberation and blowback of each collision would rattle his bones. Furthermore, Merlin¡¯s second attack had ripped off one of its arms and sent it flying through the air. ¡®Damn it! The service hasn¡¯t been open that long, so how come there¡¯s such a monstrous human?! First off, I¡¯ll need to create some distance between us!¡¯ Creek. ¡°Huh?¡± At that moment, some unknown physical force took hold of the demon¡¯s body. This was caused by the two spirits that had been hovering around Merlin. Actually, the force exerted by the two spirits wasn¡¯t that much; at any other time, the demon would have easily deflected it. However, in such a high-stakes situation, this brief pause created a critical opening. Boom! Merlin continuously launched Plum Blossom hand strikes through his Great Strength Vajra Hand skill, first destroying the demonic qi as it tried to reform around the demon¡¯s body. With that done, he could then attack the demon¡¯s body directly. ¡°Ugh!¡± The demon was thrown into the air with a gasp. However, the force behind the hand strikes was less than the demon initially expected. This was because Venus¡¯s cooldown time of half a second had not yet passed, so he was only using Mercury to back his attacks with 20 years of internal energy. ¡®Alright, with this much distance between the two of us¡­.¡¯ While flying backward through the air, the mid-tier demon made a hand pattern to gather his magic power. The demon species possessed considerable intelligence, so they were often accomplished mages. If the demon could cast a spell on Merlin from this distance and inflict some damage, the demon felt it could buy some time to counterattack. Though this train of thought wasn¡¯t wrong per se, Merlin had already extended his hand for another attack. Bam! The demon¡¯s face was crushed inward in the shape of Merlin¡¯s hand as he used the Great Tantra Hand. /You have cleared Stage 6! Another monster will appear in ten minutes!/ ¡°Ha¡­ ha¡­ ha! Ugh¡­.¡± Once he confirmed that the mid-tier demon had died, Merlin collapsed to the ground and started panting. He only had ten years of internal energy remaining. If he had used up all his internal energy, Merlin would have entered Qigong Deviation, which would have rendered him immobile during the battle. Just the thought of this possibility caused Merlin¡¯s hair to stand on end. ¡°Man, Level 12 is no joke. Would it have been easier if I used Magic Eye?¡± Merlin grabbed the external Gold Core that hovered over his shoulder and started absorbing the internal energy within it. Since Merlin didn¡¯t know what to expect, he felt the need to replenish his internal energy as soon as possible, and the Golden Pill Immortal Technique would never be able to restore one cycle of internal energy within ten minutes. ¡°The next monster will be Level 14, right? I think I¡¯ve overstepped my bounds.¡± Merlin sat up on the ground as he tried to remember the Level 14 monsters he had come across in the past. However, Merlin couldn¡¯t recall any such monsters. ¡°What level was Sungmuk?¡± Merlin fell into thought. At that moment, in the distance 200 to 300 meters away, a magic circle appeared. This magic circle was much larger than any that came before it. ¡°Huh? No way¡­.¡± Slither! An immense snake with an exceptionally sharp horn atop its head appeared. It was a monster that was at least 200 meters long. Oddly, it was something that Merlin had seen before. ¡°One-Horned Fire Snake.¡± Roar! The absurdly large monster instantly noticed Merlin and belted out a roar. The size of this One-Horned Fire Snake was smaller than the one that Heavenly Flower had defeated, but the amount of fighting aura it emanated was almost precisely the same. Since the One-Horned Fire Snake in the Phantom Monster Magic Islands and Heavenly Flower were both Level 15 beings, this One-Horned Fire Snake was just slightly weaker than those two, a difference of merely one level. ¡°Ha, hahaha.¡± In the face of such a ferocious roar, Merlin chuckled. And then¡­. ¡°I surrender.¡± Merlin left the placement test. CH 138 The space split open as a door formed, and soon, a tall woman wearing a fanciful long red dress appeared. There was a middle-aged man present as well, and he was standing before a model of a planet when the woman started approaching him. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Tan.¡± ¡°Yes, it has, boss. You seem busy these days.¡± ¡°You know, just the same complications here and there.¡± Jenica, or ¡®boss,¡¯ smiled brightly before taking a seat. Of course, there were no seats or furniture in sight, but once she moved to sit, an elegant designer sofa instantly appeared behind her. ¡°I heard there¡¯s an uproar in the New World or World of Gods. For whatever reason, a great number of gods proclaimed their own holy lands and left the New World. Coincidentally, most of those gods are mid-tier or below.¡± The World, often called the Great Dimension, was comprised of six separate worlds. There was the heavenly world where the celestials lived, the demon world where the demons lived, the spirit world where various spiritual beings such as spirits and ghosts resided, and the underworld where the dead went. The final two were the godly world and the physical world. The godly world was the higher dimension that ultimately orchestrated the way the world ran, while the latter was the largest world and also where most common beings lived. ¡°Your description of them being mid-tier of below is a bit demeaning. They are, after all, still gods.¡± ¡°However, you can¡¯t deny that they¡¯re merely middling figures in the godly world.¡± Any being that reached the 9th Class Master or Grand Master level would be considered a [Transcendent], which meant that they became low-tier gods. However, to get to this stage, they needed to understand the laws and rules of the world and surpass them. Though they could obtain the title of gods, any transcendent being could enter this lower tier, so many didn¡¯t consider these lowest tier beings as gods. In other words, it would be more accurate to state that these transcendents were considered demigods or divine beings. Right above the 9th Class low-tier gods were those at the 10th Class mid-tier, beings who went beyond the concepts of life and death. This mid-tier was comprised of gods that ruled over [Entities], planetary gods that ruled over entire planets, or animal gods of a species. ¡°What about the upper-tier gods?¡± ¡°It seems like something is going on with them as well, but I¡¯m not sure. They¡¯re not exactly easy to read.¡± After the 10th Class mid-tier gods were the 11th Class and beyond upper-tier gods. These upper-tier gods were transcendents who reached a certain level, allowing them to rule over [Concepts]. The upper tier was made up of gods such as the [God of Magic], [God of Martial Arts], [God of Time], [God of Death], and so on. To be precise, when someone conjured images and thoughts about gods, they were usually referring to this tier. ¡°What about that pale guy? Among the upper-tier gods, Darion is one of the few who cares for humans.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t heard anything from that side either. It seems like the gods are hiding some information from us. However, it does seem like they¡¯re contemplating something.¡± ¡°Hmm. I guess they see us as insignificant things that don¡¯t even warrant an alliance. Their actions are stating that their concerns won¡¯t be alleviated even if they ally with us.¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite the masochist.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not wrong. We often refer to this World as the six worlds, but that¡¯s misleading. The godly world stands in a completely different dimension from the rest. They look down from up above.¡± Each of the six worlds greatly differed in size and characteristics. The largest world that carried the most diverse range of beings was the physical world. In contrast, the demon and heavenly worlds were only about the size of one or two galaxies combined. In relation to the physical world, the demon and heavenly world were like specks of dust. The spirit world and underworld contained beings that were halfway into the physical world, so their sizes were relatively small. The godly world didn¡¯t exist as a physical concept, so it couldn¡¯t be compared with the others. Despite the physical world¡¯s vast size and diverse inhabitants, it was always under the threat of attack or needed protection. This was because the physical world was weak. ¡°We all say six worlds, six worlds¡­ how funny. Even if all the other worlds and dimensions join hands, the godly world could easily wipe everyone out. Did you know? I¡¯m a peak Noblesse amongst the Noblesse, but even I can¡¯t fight a single upper-tier god out of the countless ones in the godly world.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not right, Tan. Did you forget that those gods are the pillars that allow the World to exist? Moreover, most of the gods aren¡¯t interested in our lowly affairs. You know quite well that these omnipotent and omniscient beings assimilate into the World, yet you¡¯re complaining like you¡¯re unaware.¡± Jenica frowned. Within the Company, the developers and producers of DIO, Tan¡¯s authority was second to only Jenica. She always knew that Tan disapproved of the gods, but she felt weird that they were discussing something so trivial and obvious. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m just thinking out loud; don¡¯t mind me. Anyway, you¡¯re probably here because of the users, right?¡± Jenica nodded. ¡°I feel like we¡¯re utilizing them too quickly. I thought we were planning on waiting for at least a year.¡± ¡°Initially, I thought that as well¡­ Sorry. Similar to how you must look good for the gods, I have close connections with the Coalition. It¡¯s not a big deal, so I decided to conduct a test by having the users participate.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s your call since the decision is under your jurisdiction. I won¡¯t get in the way; however, it would behoove you to be careful. There are quite a few forces and powers that aren¡¯t too pleased with this system.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡± When Jenica got up, her body started shimmering and disappearing. And right before she completely vanished, the necklace that she wore around her neck shone brightly. ¡®What was that? That¡¯s a weird mark.¡¯ For a moment, Tan was curious about the mark, but he soon lost interest as Jenica left entirely. ¡°Melton, are you done with all the preparations?¡± ¡°Yes. Luckily, the distribution of levels wasn¡¯t too bad. Of course, there are little to no people at the highest level, but fortunately, it contains an Irregular like Arthur, so it should be okay.¡± A young boy named wearing a baseball cap appeared; this was Melton. After he finished speaking, Tan asked, ¡°Ah, what about the other two Irregulars?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a little difficult to explain. Cruze is definitely above the rest of the users, but it¡¯s still hard to tell if she makes the cut. And that one guy¡­ Merlin, was it? That guy is really low. If there¡¯s anything special about him, it¡¯s that he¡¯s an S-Rank swimmer who also entered the New Continent on his own. Because of him, we had to rush the opening of the New Continent.¡± All this was something Tan had already read about in his regular briefs, so he simply nodded. ¡°I see. So the headcase that caused such a problem was that Merlin guy¡­. Ultimately, we can just include the opening of the New Continent with the currently ongoing event, but it¡¯s a little disappointing to hear that the Irregulars aren¡¯t developing well.¡± Ping! With a simple finger gesture, Tan brought up all the information related to Merlin and started reviewing the various windows that were floating mid-air. ¡°Should I challenge him a bit?¡± ¡°Hmm, but if he chooses to quit, we don¡¯t have any other options. We can¡¯t force him to continue. From the start, DIO¡¯s system doesn¡¯t have any punishments for when users quit. If he abandons the game, it¡¯ll put us in an awkward predicament.¡± Though what Melton was saying was correct, Tan shook his head. ¡°The lack of any repercussions is exactly why they play without any burdens or motivations. If they¡¯re truly challenged and stressed, they can choose to log off. Furthermore, if he¡¯s someone that¡¯s going to eventually be broken down, there¡¯s no reason why we should nurture him so gently. Here, take this.¡± Tan pointed to one section of Merlin¡¯s information, and as he saw this, Melton nodded. ¡°Alright. You mentioned stress testing and challenging him, so I was a bit concerned, but this shouldn¡¯t be too much.¡± Sss. Like an eraser removing an image, Melton disappeared. As for Tan¡­. ¡°I wonder if that¡¯ll be the case.¡± With a light chuckle, Tan also vanished. *** Whoosh! The space distorted a bit and calmed down after a young man wearing a mage¡¯s robe emerged. The young man was Merlin, and he was wearing typical mage garb: a red robe and a wide-brimmed hat. ¡°Woah, that was close.¡± After escaping his event placement test, Merlin brushed off the dust that had settled onto his robe when the One-Horned Fire Snake moved toward him. If Merlin had been a little late, he would have been crushed. Merlin could easily avoid the snake¡¯s attacks with his abnormal, alien-like movements in the sea, but on land, Merlin didn¡¯t stand a chance against the One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s superior speed. Woong! Merlin entered the familiar-looking waiting room. This was the same waiting room as the one offered after a user completed their promotion test, the Joint Battle waiting room. Currently, there was only one other user present. Woong! As the user extended his spear, the surrounding air was pushed out and created the noise of a breeze. This stab was memorable and satisfyingly direct. Merlin, staring blankly at the scene, was startled to see the spear wielder¡¯s familiar face. ¡°Lancelot! Wow, long time no see!¡± ¡°What¡­ do you know me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you remember? We met during the Level 2 promotion test.¡± ¡°Ah¡­.¡± After spending an inordinate amount of time in the initial beginner test with Mari, Merlin met Lancelot. He taught Merlin many of the DIO¡¯s basics, like making an ID. Though their meeting was only in passing and by chance, Merlin had created his ID based on Lancelot¡¯s. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s so empty here. There are no other users.¡± ¡°It seems not many people reached Stage 6 in the placement battles. Defeating a Level 12 monster also means that the user is at the Master level. However, there are three of us.¡± Confused, Merlin tilted his head. ¡°Three? There¡¯s only the two of us, though.¡± ¡°I believe the third is hiding.¡± As an aura power user, Lancelot was well versed in recognizing others¡¯ auras. In truth, it would be more appropriate to state that Lancelot could sense the existence of others¡¯ thoughts and consciousness. However, this third user was quite skilled in hiding their aura, so it was virtually impossible for Lancelot to pinpoint their location. ¡°Hmph! If I know someone is hiding, I can easily find them!¡± Merlin¡¯s eyes turned golden as he gave her a wry smile. It didn¡¯t take him long to find the hidden user. The waiting area was relatively sparse, with only some practice dummies, trees, and stone flooring. Sss. Flinch. When Merlin pointed to a specific area, the hidden user must have been surprised as they briefly released some of their aura. However, the user didn¡¯t reveal themself. ¡°Hey, since you¡¯ve been discovered, you should show yourself, blondie.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Regardless of Merlin¡¯s words, the hidden user didn¡¯t reveal herself. Actually, she tried to surreptitiously move to the side. Though she tried to avoid being directly where Merlin pointed, he could clearly see her with his Enhanced Eyesight, so whenever she moved, Merlin¡¯s finger followed. She tried moving to the other side, but unfortunately, she could not escape. ¡°Oh, man. This lady sure doesn¡¯t want to face reality.¡± With a sigh, Merlin started walking up to her. And then¡­. Bam! ¡°Hmph!¡± Along with her sigh, the hidden user stopped her skill, and soon, her shadow appeared. The girl was wearing skintight black martial arts clothing with gloves that had flame motifs on them. Her clothes covered everything up to her eyes, so it was impossible to properly make out her face. However, based on the girl¡¯s eyes and hair, Merlin could tell that she was a blond-haired woman in her early to mid-twenties. ¡°You have tremendous stealth abilities, but those won¡¯t work on me. Once I see you through Insightful Eyes¡­.¡± Not waiting for Merlin to finish gloating, Ilyia, the blonde woman and the third user, started speaking. ¡°Darkness, Weighted Gate, Release.¡± ¡°Chakra?¡± Right when Merlin asked this question, the entire waiting room became darker. This wasn¡¯t caused by a smokescreen or fog; the lights in the waiting room actually became dimmer. Swish! And at that moment, Ilyia disappeared. However, with a somewhat flabbergasted expression, Merlin pointed to a practice dummy. ¡°Hmm. I can¡¯t see her at all. You¡¯re saying that she¡¯s right there?¡± ¡°Yes. Ah, she¡¯s trying to slowly move to the side again!¡± Flinch. Indeed, Ilyia had been creeping to the side to avoid Merlin¡¯s pointed finger, but after failing to evade notice again, she reappeared and made her way to Merlin and Lancelot. Her brow was furrowed, signaling that she was feeling somewhat angry and frustrated. ¡°You¡¯re pretty skilled. I¡¯ve seen many people using Enhanced Eyesight, but few could locate me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s not an issue of whether a user has the skill but the extent that they can use it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Though Merlin wasn¡¯t wrong, Ilyia couldn¡¯t help but feel a flash of anger. Her stealth skill was already at the First Order level. Even when she was outside the game, she could escape someone¡¯s sight, including their peripheral vision. As such, it angered her that Merlin could find her so easily. Whoosh! Ilyia quickly moved her hands in a hand-skill formation. In addition, she added the depth of ¡®Understanding¡¯ to her chakra. ¡°Body, Darkness, Weighted Gate, Release.¡± Ilyia¡¯s body seemed to move backward as her body started to become fuzzy and blurred. ¡°Incognito Disguise.¡± Like a black droplet hitting a clear body of water, Ilyia¡¯s body dispersed into the surroundings, and in no time, she totally disappeared from sight alongside her aura. ¡°Hmm, this¡­.¡± Merlin became serious. Even with Insightful Eyes and Scanning Vision, he couldn¡¯t find Ilyia. ¡°Such an outstanding stealth ability¡­ to disappear right in front of our eyes¡­.¡± Astonished, Lancelot started looking around him; however, he couldn¡¯t find Ilyia. Her ability to evade both Lancelot¡¯s heightened senses and Merlin¡¯s peering eyes meant that her stealth ability was top-notch. However, Merlin didn¡¯t quit. He soon imbued his eyes with inner qi. Ting! Merlin¡¯s eyes seemed to burn with gold-colored flames. The light from his eyes was so bright that it illuminated his surroundings. Soon, he focused on one corner of the room. ¡°Found you!¡± ¡°This doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± With a cry, Ilyia reappeared. And then, a text message appeared in front of them. CH 139 /Your Enhanced Eyesight skill has risen to Rank A!/ /You have acquired the title, ¡®One Who Sees Through¡¯!/ /You have acquired the special ability, ¡®Core Eyesight¡¯!/ This was the first Master Rank skill that Merlin obtained outside of swimming. To put it one way, Ilyia¡¯s stealth skills had to be top-notch for Merlin to receive this title from spotting her. ¡°Stealth¡­ It¡¯s worth using. If the user can disappear at will, it would be an effective combat tool.¡± For Merlin, this statement was an honest compliment. Previously, he¡¯d thought that stealth was merely a trick to launch a surprise attack, so the way Ilyia used the technique was a refreshing shock. However, the recipient of this compliment had a different opinion of what he truly meant. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ worth using?¡± Ilyia¡¯s shoulders trembled, and soon, crushing pressure started to spread from her. As he felt such a tremendous qi aura, Merlin was amazed at how she could completely hide her aura. Woong! Lancelot had already returned to his training. Of course, for him, he did so to cement the inspiration he got from his battle with the Level 12 monster, the Ogre Hero. Since Lancelot wasn¡¯t talented, he couldn¡¯t forgo a single experience or revelation. So, whenever given a chance, Lancelot performed his stabbing maneuver to develop and acquire experience; it was almost akin to meditation for him. However, in truth, his actions looked strange from the outside. ¡°What¡¯s going on here? How come no one seems normal¡­.¡± Despite being the most abnormal one here, Merlin mumbled this as Ilyia started moving her hands in various formations. ¡°Body, Darkness, Giant Gate, Release.¡± Ilyia opened her chakra once more, choosing a gate higher than the one before: the 3rd Gate. While she¡¯d never tried opening this gate, her seething anger had fully opened her chakra and made it possible. ¡°Inanimate.¡± Without a sound, Ilyia¡¯s body vanished. Before, her aura had been briefly released from the rage that she felt, but it was completely imperceptible now. This meant that, even when her emotions were heightened, she had remained coolheaded and knew she needed to withdraw her qi aura. ¡°Here!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Where did you¡­ found you!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°The corner of the ceiling! Behind the practice dummy!¡± Somehow, Ilyia¡¯s stealth skill grew even more formidable. Any average person wouldn¡¯t have been able to pinpoint her location even if she were standing right before them. Considering that she wasn¡¯t anywhere near this level previously, she was making great strides and developing at a terrifying speed. However, Merlin¡¯s Enhanced Eyesight was improving as well. ¡°Body, Darkness, Exchange Gate, Release!¡± Once more, Ilyia opened a more advanced gate: the 4th Gate, or the Exchange Gate. She had never attempted to release this gate before. Her ¡®Understanding¡¯ of Body and Darkness wasn¡¯t too extensive, so opening the 4th Gate should have been impossible. Yet, as if she was under some sort of trance, she opened her chakra and dove deep within herself, which allowed her to grab her hidden potential. ¡°Hidden Sky.¡± Sss. Without any sounds or traces of her qi aura, Ilyia disappeared once again. At that moment, even Ilyia forgot she existed. She had realized and fully understood the meaning of ¡®Nothingness.¡¯ Right then, Ilyia realized that her stealth skill had risen to the Master rank. /Your Stealth skill has risen to Rank A!/ /You have acquired the title, ¡®Absence of Spirit Being¡¯!/ /You have acquired the special ability, ¡®Assimilate¡¯!/ ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ Ilyia trembled in bliss at the realization. At that moment, she knew that her darkness attribute and affinity had grown significantly. The darkness surrounding her approached as if she was familiar, enveloping her like a warm blanket. ¡®I can¡¯t find her?¡¯ On the flip side, Merlin¡¯s mind had been thrown into turmoil because Ilyia had completely disappeared¡­ she was nowhere to be found. It was as if she had ceased to exist. ¡®No way!¡¯ Merlin closed his eyes and cleared his mind as he began to integrate spiritual qi into his mind. Then, he started to see. It wasn¡¯t like what he¡¯d typically see with Enhanced Eyesight, which solely depended on internal energy being imbued into his eyes. Instead, he could now see everything within a 100-meter radius around him, as if he was looking down from a high vantage point. Step. Step. Merlin walked slowly before placing his hand on Ilyia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Found you.¡± ¡°Ack!¡± /Your Enhanced Eyesight skill has risen to Rank AA!/ Disregarding the notification, Merlin stopped operating Enhanced Eyesight. Since the skill required a steady stream of inner qi, Merlin couldn¡¯t use amplified internal energy to run it, and it consumed a considerable amount of his internal energy. Flash! The previously dark waiting room suddenly brightened after Ilyia closed her chakra. The disbelief was evident on her face. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m fine. Thanks.¡± While the entire fiasco had started from Ilyia¡¯s fit of rage, she had unexpectedly reached the Master rank and was now a stealth master. Only now did this tremendous achievement dawn on her. ¡®At this rank, I can even use stealth right in front of my opponent during battle.¡¯ In fact, the only reason she could hide previously from an Enhanced Eyesight user was that she had opened dark chakra around her. If Merlin had used magic or martial arts to forcefully close her chakra, this bizarre confrontation would have never occurred. Ding Dong! Then, with a strange sound, a text message appeared on one of the waiting room walls. /Due to a lack of group members, we will integrate the users who cleared the 6th, 7th, and 8th Stages of the evaluation test./ ¡°We¡¯re in the 6th Stage waiting room, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. The 7th and 8th Stage¡­ passing the 8th Stage means that the user defeated a Level 16 monster all by themself. Is that even possible?¡± Level 16 represented monsters like the unreasonably powerful Hell Hound, a hunting dog of the underworld, and the Orc Hero Sungmuk, the swordsman. The latter had attacked Starting and slaughtered hundreds of thousands of users by himself. It would take hundreds of expert users to stand up against such monsters, so to fight such a foe one-on-one¡­. At that moment, Lancelot stopped stabbing and spoke up. ¡°¡­ Well, I think we all know who¡¯s going to show up.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s surely¡­.¡± As expected, the usual suspects appeared. ¡°This is nonsense! I expended great effort to defeat those difficult monsters, but since there was no one in my waiting room, I was forced to merge with the lower levels. Why wasn¡¯t I told of this possibility beforehand? Also, I wasn¡¯t even given any drops!¡± The speaker was Caucasian, and she stood about 160 centimeters tall. She had slightly brownish red hair and blue eyes, which were large and clear, giving off a pure impression. However, her manner of speaking gave the impression that she wasn¡¯t easy to deal with. With her voluminous red hair lying on her shoulders, Cruze wore light metal armor that clung tightly to her body and looked like a military uniform. Her appearance was strangely detailed, alluding to an interest in the military. ¡°Well, just chalk it up as gaining some combat experience and EXP. Those opponents aren¡¯t easy to find.¡± Standing next to Cruze was a tall man who must¡¯ve been over 180 centimeters. He wore a stylish long black coat with a dress shirt underneath. It was obvious at first glance that Arthur wasn¡¯t wearing a ¡®user¡¯ outfit but a ¡®real-life¡¯ outfit. However, one important detail was that his clothes seemed to be imbued with unusual-looking magic. His clothing had to be magic items at Rank 3 or higher. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s like I¡¯m meeting celebrities. Nice to meet you all. My name is Lancelot du Lac.¡± ¡°Huh? I see. You¡¯re a knight from the Round Table. I¡¯m Arthur Pendragon.¡± When he saw Arthur¡¯s surprise and heard his chuckle, Lancelot continued. ¡°Ah, we have another name related to the Knights of the Round Table¡­ Merlin?¡± ¡°Hahaha, what a coincidence. I¡¯m Merlin Emrys.¡± The denotation of a surname, family name, or last name was a recent system update. Since there were so many users playing DIO, there was a lack of viable IDs, so the developers decided to add a surname feature. Thus, Arthur, Lancelot, and Merlin, as knights of the Round Table, chose to use the surname of the characters in the fairy tale. ¡°Ilyia Heinz.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Merlin made a funny sound after hearing Ilyia¡¯s surname. ¡°Oh, nothing¡­ that surname¡­ it seems to be an abbreviated version of a longer surname. By any chance, did you get that surname from another game?¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. But another user snatched it before me! Someone took the surname that I wanted!¡± ¡°Dang¡­.¡± These occurrences happened often. Users placed great importance on these names, and there was even a premium on in-game IDs. Although Merlin didn¡¯t know, there were also some users who snatched popular names to resell them on the market. In truth, if Arthur, Lancelot, or Merlin were willing to sell their ID names, they¡¯d all fetch a high price. ¡°Cruze Schmidt.¡± And with that, all the introductions were given. Soon, a text message appeared. /The required user numbers for the mission have been fulfilled! Begin mission?/ ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± Arthur took the lead and asked the rest of the members. Everyone nodded. They had all decided to participate in this event to conduct this mission, so there was no reason not to start. ¡°Begin.¡± CH 140 /Response confirmed. Searching for field. Complete. Mission start./ ¡®Search? Didn¡¯t the system previously use the term ¡°create¡±?¡¯ Whoosh! Regardless of Merlin¡¯s question, the scenery changed, and they found themselves in a pitch-black area. It was night, and they could see several bonfires scattered in the distance. ¡°¡­ Hmm?¡± Upon his arrival, Merlin felt a strange sensation. There was nothing particularly noteworthy about the surroundings. Of course, he hadn¡¯t seen this place before, but DIO was a game that could create any sci-fi world¡­ however¡­. ¡®Something¡¯s changed.¡¯ The blowing wind and the firm ground¡­ everything seemed normal yet different. It was hard to pinpoint, but something was off about this world compared to the one he¡¯d been roaming around in DIO. Minutely, Merlin always felt a slight sense of alienation whenever he entered DIO, but this place didn¡¯t feel that way. It was as if he¡¯d logged out. Soon, Merlin heard a scream. ¡°Help! Help! Ack!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± Dead bodies were strewn across the ground. A group of people ran past Merlin¡¯s party without paying any attention to them. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± ¡°The building has an oriental style. I think it¡¯s a traditional martial arts temple of some sort.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s check the quest description-¡± Bang! Right then, a building exploded and crumbled, and darkness crept in. The true nature of the darkness was a three-meter-tall beast. At first glance, it appeared to be a four-legged animal, but its skeleton and body structure were strangely abnormal. The beast¡¯s body wasn¡¯t made of bones and flesh but connected by darkness itself. Kyak! Alongside a roar, fear and panic-inducing killing intent rushed out and engulfed its surroundings. The killing intent was so intense that it was impossible to withstand through sheer mental willpower alone, but none of the five users were swept away by it. Cruze even snorted. ¡°What¡¯s with that dog head?¡± Bang! As the Desert Eagle Mark XIX spewed its rounds, a hole appeared on the roaring beast¡¯s head. When the monster opened its mouth, a grenade was immediately thrown inside. Boom! With the grenade¡¯s signature boom, the beast¡¯s body collapsed and smashed onto the ground. However, the black smoke-like energy that made up the beast¡¯s body reformed and rushed towards Cruze. ¡°Careful!¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯d succumb to that? Delete and Loading!¡± Whoosh! A flamethrower appeared in Cruze¡¯s hands, and it started spewing flames, incinerating the black smoke-like energy. ¡°Hmm. It seems like that black energy turns into a spirit and seeks a new host when it sustains critical damage. That energy isn¡¯t a problem for those who can deal with spirits, but I bet it wreaks havoc on normal people.¡± ¡°Huh? Hey, look at this. It¡¯s a Darkness Stone!¡± At that moment, Ilyia called out to the other party members as she pointed to the beast¡¯s burning corpse, where a fist-sized stone was located. Though it was night, the burning buildings illuminated the small town, yet, the immediate surrounding light seemed to be absorbed by the Darkness Stone. [Item: Darkness Stone Rank 7 Uncommon Description: A magic stone that contains the properties of darkness, it is obtained after defeating a mysterious darkness beast. The stone has 150 tetras of magic power. When consumed, it can raise one¡¯s magic power maximum capacity; however, one¡¯s magic power will lean towards the darkness attribute. Furthermore, continued consumption will cause impurities in one¡¯s magic power. The Darkness Stone can be converted into a regular magic stone, core, or inner core by a Rank 5 Alchemist or a Magic Store employee. The Darkness Stone contains the darkness attribute.] ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nice. We only defeated one of these things, but it dropped an Uncommon Rank 7 magic stone; these types of magic stones can be converted into many different things.¡± ¡°It seems there¡¯s a 100 percent chance for it to drop as well. Apparently, these magic stones are part of the beast¡¯s body. In the level-up exams, when it¡¯s allowed, you guys know that we can loot the targets dry, right?¡± ¡°Anyway, this one¡¯s mine.¡± Cruze picked up the Darkness Stone. Obviously, no one challenged her. Even if they wanted to, the system granted her ownership over the stone, so no one else could possess it. ¡°Just be alert when these beasts are near other humans. The spirits will probably move on and take over a new host as soon as it sustains critical damage.¡± After hearing Arthur¡¯s comment, Merlin took out his Beholder and opened the quest description window. When Merlin did this, the other party members looked toward his Beholder. [Mission: Escort/Extract/Party Mission Remaining Time: 02:59:11 Objective: Defeat the monsters. Save human lives. Mysterious beasts from unknown origins have descended upon this small town! The beasts range from Level 6 to Level 10, and once they¡¯re all defeated, the being that summoned them, the Mother, shall appear. Looting Allowed / Target: The mysterious beasts of unknown origins. Minimap Operational / Living Human Beings: 1,670. Mysterious Beasts: 130 Gem points will be calculated based on clear time and how many lives are saved. Gem points will be distributed appropriately.] ¡°Ack! A timed attack! And as the number of survivors lessens, we get fewer Gem points.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the boss called Mother, but all the beasts are either Level 10 or lower¡­ the setting is a town¡­ let¡¯s split up.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°Agree! Let¡¯s keep the death count below 100!¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s head off.¡± Bam! As if any additional words weren¡¯t necessary, the five users instantly split off in different directions. Merlin took out a glass goblet, The Goblet of Sorrow. As long as he didn¡¯t overdo it, the goblet was a treasured item that could constantly produce deadly poison. ¡°Gravity Distortion.¡± Merlin started operating his magic power and reduced his weight to about one kilogram. Then, he kicked off the ground and shot into the air. Merlin could jump several tens of meters high with only his lightness skill, so with this additional weight reduction, he could reach heights of around 100 meters. Clasp. Once he was up in the air, Merlin chose one of his two spirits, Younghwi, to grab him. Though 100 meters might not sound that high, it was much higher than traditional bungee jumps on Earth, which averaged around 50 meters high. ¡°First off, let¡¯s create a water droplet¡­.¡± Merlin operated his attribute affinity, created a fist-sized water droplet, and then placed the droplet into his goblet. The water droplet quickly turned red inside the goblet before becoming transparent. It had fully absorbed the poison. ¡°Gear 4.¡± Merlin summoned his Mithril Bow before taking out a few arrows and notching them. Then, Merlin divided the water droplet multiple times so that he could easily dip his arrows in them before firing. He could only do this because of his water attribute affinity. ¡°Let¡¯s take one down.¡± Ping! From high in the air, and with the help of gravity, Merlin¡¯s arrow soared to the ground like a lightning strike, aiming at a beast that was attacking someone. Screech! Directly before it could go for the kill, the monster was struck by Merlin¡¯s arrow and started writhing in pain. The beast had taken on the human form of its host, and it tried to remove the lodged projectile. Yet, by this point, half its body was already melted from the poison. ¡°As I thought, it works.¡± A smile bloomed on Merlin¡¯s face. Since the darkness-attribute beasts weren¡¯t living beings but spirits, Merlin wasn¡¯t sure if his poisoned arrows would work. Yet, he was relieved to find that they were effective. The One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s poison seemed to work just as well on spirit beings. Considering that the poison from the Human-Faced Centipede, Inyup, could melt Younghwi and Shining, the One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s much more advanced and higher-ranked poison likely had drastically higher efficacy. Plop! Kyak! The spirit escaped the beast¡¯s body but was immediately met with another arrow as it rushed toward the vulnerable human that it had just been attacking. ¡°So, two arrows for one beast. This poison is quite effective, no?¡± Merlin notched another arrow, being careful not to let any of the poison touch his body. Though he was placing the poison on the arrow tips as if it was nothing, Merlin had no defenses against it. If even one drop of the poison touched him, he¡¯d fall into a critical state. The poison was quick acting, and if a drop landed on his finger, it would take less than three-tenths of a second before it spread to his head. If he hesitated, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to cut off his arm and stop the spread in time. Ping! The Goblet of Sorrow could make two types of poison. One was a type of acid-based poison that could melt anything, while the other type was fatal to the living but harmless to non-living things. Currently, Merlin was using the latter poison, allowing him to dip his arrowhead into the poison without any issue for easy use. However, the inherent weakness of this approach was that the enemy could use a shield to block his attack and not sustain any damage. ¡°Eleven, twelve¡­ ack! This is too slow! Wait, the speed of the arrows doesn¡¯t matter that much, right?¡± Merlin notched three arrows at once. After shooting, Merlin¡¯s spirits guided each one to adjust their direction. This method and capability to accurately shoot multiple arrows in one go seemed as though he was using a Divine Weapon, but Merlin wasn¡¯t satisfied. This was because Merlin could see Arthur¡¯s progress in the distance. Flash! Kyak! ¡°Dang it, so loud.¡± Flash! It was literally a light show. Whenever Arthur swung his sword, sword light filled the area. Arthur¡¯s sword was enveloped with materialized mana in the form of sword qi; hence, without any additional effects, he could wipe away the beasts with every swing. Flash! Kyak! ¡°Wow, what the hell is that? Isn¡¯t a sword normally used in close combat and in one-on-one situations?¡± Arthur¡¯s sword strikes were being used as a mid-range attack with broad coverage. Moreover, each attack possessed an AOE (area of effect) that rivaled an advanced magic spell. With every flash, droves of beasts collapsed. Though Merlin had seen Arthur¡¯s offensive skill before, he couldn¡¯t help but still feel flabbergasted by its effects. Even the humans who had been running from the beasts stood dumbfounded with surprised expressions. ¡°Everyone, clear the way! Yahoo~!¡± Whirl! At that moment, a helicopter, a real helicopter, rose into the air. It was an Apache AH-64! Brr! The M-230 30mm chain gun started shooting 30mm bullets at 625 rounds per minute. The darkness beasts tried to react, but they were instantly mowed down by the oncoming barrage. ¡°I won¡¯t lose out!¡± Ping! Ack! Eek! The darkness beasts were literally being massacred. Though not as effective and efficient as Arthur, Cruze, or Merlin, Ilyia and Lancelot were also dispatching the beasts. Since the beasts were cleared away in an instant, there weren¡¯t too many human deaths. Tap. ¡°A-a human descended from the sky.¡± ¡°Oh my god! I¡¯ve seen martial artists before, but never ones like them. They¡¯re wiping out the beasts.¡± When Merlin landed, the survivors started talking amongst each other, but Merlin didn¡¯t pay any attention to what they were saying and continued to move. As he stepped forward, all the Darkness Stones from the beasts he felled rose into the air and gathered before him. ¡°My goodness! Qi-based Gathering!¡± ¡°He¡¯s so young, though!¡± Qi-based Gathering was a skill that could be done when one had absolute control over one¡¯s genuine qi, allowing the genuine qi to materialize. Although, what Merlin just did wasn¡¯t Qi-based Gathering. Instead, Younghwi and Shining had gone out to collect the Darkness Stones, and they couldn¡¯t be seen by others. ¡°Let¡¯s see. The remaining beasts are¡­ only three? It¡¯s almost over. Well, I was running low on poison anyway.¡± Merlin had shot off 64 arrows, and he had killed 24 beasts. Among the beasts he killed, there were a few that didn¡¯t die after one hit, so Merlin had to expend a few more arrows. ¡°Wait, who are you¡­.¡± When Merlin collected all the Darkness Stones, a group of martial artists approached and spoke to Merlin. The group was comprised of swordsmen in blue uniforms and Taoist magic martial artists in red uniforms. All of them had tired expressions and various injuries on their bodies. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, but can you round up the people and take cover? The boss of those beasts will be coming out soon.¡± ¡°Boss?¡± ¡°Please hurry!¡± ¡°No, wait¡­.¡± Bam! A middle-aged man tried to grab Merlin, but Merlin kicked off the ground and rose tens of meters in the air. Merlin hadn¡¯t used any special powers. With his weight of only one kilogram and his internal energy, Merlin could jump like this with ease, as easy as breathing. Though gravity-based magic spells were widely considered one of the more challenging spells to master, this limiting factor didn¡¯t apply to Merlin. CH 141 /All the beasts have been cleared. You have passed the first objective! Your party has acquired 160 Gem points!/ /The boss monster, Mother, shall appear!/ After several notifications popped up, a massive amount of darkness rolled into the town center. Roar! A 100-meter-tall monster comprised of darkness emerged. ¡°Welcome~!¡± Whirl! From the sky, the Apache helicopter shot a barrage of 2.75-inch rocket bullets and Hellfire missiles. Every single one hit their mark! Roar! ¡°Kyak!¡± Due to the barrage of bullets and missiles, Mother started writhing around. With the monster¡¯s immense body, it was also a huge target, so Cruze¡¯s attacks heavily injured it. Roar! As Mother contorted in pain, more darkness started entering its body. Once the gathered darkness reached a certain point, it shot out like a shockwave into the surroundings. Boom! After amplifying five years of internal energy into 40, Merlin used the Great Strength Vajra Hand to counter the shockwave. Meanwhile, Arthur used Bursting Sword Light to slash the shockwave, whereas Cruze used her Hellfire missiles. As for Ilyia, she had hidden beforehand, so Mother¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t directed toward her. ¡°Eh?! Watch out!¡± ¡°Oh, shoot!¡± Only one party member was completely defenseless: Lancelot. Moreover, Mother spawned near him, so Lancelot couldn¡¯t avoid the oncoming attack. Sss. In this predicament, Lancelot raised his spear, pulling it back before lunging out and stabbing. It was a simple move, yet it was neatly done with tremendous stability. There was nothing to fault or add; it was perfect. In other words, his stab was a [Complete] version. Whoosh! His attack didn¡¯t collide with the shockwave. The only effects were the gentle sound of wind created by his stabbing motion and a small hole that was cut into the shockwave, but soon, a considerable hole appeared on Mother. ¡°Oh! That guy¡¯s pretty good!¡± ¡°Outstanding. I guess he has his own signature move.¡± As they observed the scene, Cruze and Ilyia reassessed their opinion regarding Lancelot. They still didn¡¯t think highly of his lightness skill or aura, but they had to give Lancelot credit for his signature move. Yet, despite this reevaluation, Arthur and Merlin reacted differently. ¡°H-huh?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡± Arthur and Merlin were at a loss for words, and they recalled what Lancelot had just done. He¡¯d pulled in his spear and thrust out with an attack; it was a simple move. However, that simple move was seemingly ingrained in their mind. ¡°Ack! What the hell is going on? Where did you all come from!¡± ¡°Huh, it possesses intelligence?¡± ¡°Well, it is a boss, after all.¡± Bam! As if to display its resentment, Mother wailed, but Cruze, Ilyia, and Lancelot didn¡¯t pay it any attention and continued their assaults. As Cruze¡¯s missiles, Ilyia¡¯s fireworks, and Lancelot¡¯s stabbings continued, Mother¡¯s body was soon ravaged with holes. ¡°Stab¡­ stab¡­ I see. His stabs seem to reflect the root source of martial truth.¡± ¡°That stab motion itself isn¡¯t of much use to me. Rather¡­.¡± Throughout the chaotic battle, Arthur and Merlin didn¡¯t move. [Arthur! Merlin! What the hell are you two doing?] While launching attack after attack, Cruze sent a whisper to Arthur and Merlin as she hovered in the sky within her helicopter. However, Arthur and Merlin didn¡¯t respond, as they were both trapped in their thoughts. Soon, they both looked up at the same time. ¡°I should test it out.¡± ¡°I need to test it out.¡± Arthur and Merlin used their lightness skills to quickly approach Mother. Of course, this wasn¡¯t a welcoming sight for the boss, so it swung two of its large octopus-like legs to sweep the newcomers away. ¡°Die!¡± Mother¡¯s legs were almost five meters thick. Moreover, when one of the legs was swung, the speed and force generated could easily level an entire modern house. Yet, at that moment, Arthur summoned his Draconic Sword, Dustin. Rip! As if it were being disconnected of its own accord, Mother¡¯s leg was cut as it headed toward Arthur, while one of its other legs was met with Merlin¡¯s fist as it headed toward him. Bam! Then, the leg was smashed and torn away, almost like it was hit by a huge invisible baseball bat. ¡°What? Is he using some newfound skill? Why is he using a weak one, though? If he used Thousand Light, Arthur could easily chop off all the monster¡¯s legs with one strike.¡± Cruze grumbled as she failed to comprehend what Arthur was doing. It wasn¡¯t that she had a poor ability to properly assess what she saw, but rather, Cruze wasn¡¯t well-versed in martial arts. Though Cruze trained a bit in physical, weaponless martial arts, what she saw just now was in an entirely different realm. However, Lancelot instantly recognized the origin of the skills just used. ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Arthur was trapped in his thoughts. He was fathoming the true meaning of Slash. Merlin was also trapped in his thoughts. He was fathoming the true meaning of Hitting. Yet, Arthur soon shook his head, and Merlin¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t happy either. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not working out.¡± ¡°Very difficult.¡± The ¡®root source of martial truth,¡¯ as Arthur called it, was the connective step taken before launching an attack or defending. This wasn¡¯t something that these two geniuses could instantly obtain, although¡­. ¡°I think I¡¯ll get it in a few tries.¡± ¡°Hmm. If I practice just a bit¡­.¡± Of course, the root source of martial truth wasn¡¯t something that could be obtained so easily. Even these two geniuses couldn¡¯t do it. However, in the end, it seemed to be an inevitability rather than an impossibility for them. ¡°Those¡­ those two are crazy.¡± In disbelief, Lancelot couldn¡¯t help but scoff unconsciously. How could this be? Why¡­ how¡­ how could there be such an unfair difference between him and those two geniuses? He¡¯d spent countless hours training and reiterating the same move to combine epiphanies and inspirations just to glimpse the martial truth of his move. How could Arthur and Merlin realize it with such ease? ¡°Cover all. Thousand Light.¡± Flash! With a burst of light, Mother¡¯s body was riddled with hundreds of cuts. ¡°This is the Shaolin¡¯s most powerful hand strike. If used to push, it can move ten thousand stone boulders, and if it is used to break something, it can break any known metal¡­.¡± Bam! As he amplified ten years of internal energy into 80 years, Merlin¡¯s physically-imposing hand strike landed on Mother¡¯s body. Actually, when it came to pure overall force, Merlin¡¯s hand strike was more powerful than Arthur¡¯s previous Thousand Light attack. ¡°Kyak! Humans! Lowly humans¡­.¡± Arthur and Merlin¡¯s attacks were so devastating that Mother instantly entered a critical state. Its life wasn¡¯t merely threatened; it was truly on the cusp of dying. Once Mother understood this fact, its eyes were filled with a sense of malice and spite. ¡°Die! All of you, die!¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± ¡°What the hell!¡± ¡°Everyone, be careful!¡± Suddenly a burst of Dark Light occurred in Mother¡¯s body before it shot towards the five users. Though they flinched, the players couldn¡¯t avoid the Dark Light attack, which was closer to a streak of light than a bundle of energy. This skill literally moved at the speed of light. Ting! However, an invisible aura appeared around Arthur¡¯s body and deflected the Dark Light attack. With his astounding magic resistance stat, Arthur had blocked the oncoming attack. ¡°As if!¡± Cruze also succeeded in blocking the attack. Since she always had an extensive reservoir of aura power around her, she wasn¡¯t easily susceptible to such attacks. ¡°Hmph!¡± Lancelot remained uninjured as well. His immense training in mental fortitude allowed him to constantly maintain a substantial defense around his body with aura power. ¡°Dang, that surprised me!¡± Ilyia wasn¡¯t at a level where she could defend against such an attack, but fortunately, she overcame this hurdle. This was only due to the Rank 1 unique item, the Moon Rock of Protection, that was hanging around her neck. Since the Moon Rock of Protection gave substantial magic resistance stats, it could resist virtually every type of spell. In the end, only one user succumbed to Mother¡¯s attack. ¡°Ugh! Ack!¡± Merlin cried out while lying on the ground. His vision was getting dark, and his body refused to listen. He had been hit by a powerful curse, and he didn¡¯t have any resistance to it. ¡°Oh, my! Wake up and get it together!¡± Since she didn¡¯t have any offensive capabilities compared to the others, Ilyia approached Merlin, who was already entering a death phase. ¡°Ugh! I¡¯m not a mage, so I¡¯m not versed in recharging magic power¡­ but I guess there¡¯s no other option. Wake up!¡± Bang! Once she shouted, the Moon Rock of Protection around her neck burst out with white light, forcefully pushing the dark light within Merlin¡¯s body out. ¡°Phew¡­ ugh¡­ I almost died. Thanks for saving me.¡± ¡°Well, you did help me become a Stealth Master¡­ oh, it seems like things are over.¡± Mid-sentence, Ilyia looked over at Arthur. He was holding a ten-meter-long sword made of sword qi, which shimmered and shone brightly. ¡°Deep slash. Ten Deaths.¡± Ting! It was the Third Step of Arthur¡¯s Bursting Sword Light. Along with the sound of a sword being ground on a whetstone, ten light beams shot out and sliced through Mother¡¯s body. Unable to sustain the attack, Mother started collapsing. As he watched this scene unfold, Merlin slowly stood. Luckily, Merlin didn¡¯t seem to have suffered any lingering damage. /You have defeated the boss, Mother! You have cleared the second objective! Your party has gained another 140 Gem points!/ /You will be given ten minutes before progressing to the next mission area./ ¡°Dang, why is the rest time so short?¡± Merlin grumbled. Though none of them knew the value of 300 Gem points, they had to gather as many as possible to obtain a flying shuttle. ¡°Rest up. I didn¡¯t expend too much, so I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Merlin gave Ilyia a respectful bow before taking a cross-legged meditative form and gathering his breath. He had to regain his energy and focus for the next fight. ¡°Good job, everyone.¡± ¡°Good job.¡± The party completed two more missions after the first one. Due to their previous experience, the following two missions took less time to complete, and more human lives were saved. In the end, each of the party members was able to obtain 1,100 Gem points. ¡°Uhm, hey, Ilyia.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Though they had a somewhat strained initial meeting, Ilyia and Merlin became fairly close after completing a few party missions together. Since the party was about to disband soon, Ilyia wondered why Merlin was calling her. ¡°That necklace that you¡¯re wearing, what is it called?¡± ¡°Oh, this? It¡¯s called the Moon Rock of Protection. It¡¯s a unique-rated item that protects me from all skill-based attacks. I got it as a drop after the Forest Worm raid. Actually, this necklace is the only reason a Level 9 user like me could defeat a Level 12 enemy during the assessment test.¡± Ilyia pointed towards the thumb-sized rock on her necklace as she explained. Usually, one would think of hiding and guarding such a treasure against others¡¯ peering eyes. So, contrary to her cold and patient demeanor, Ilyia seemed to be an outgoing extrovert, at least in Merlin¡¯s eyes. Merlin spoke up. ¡°Sell it to me.¡± ¡°All I have to do is wear this and- what?¡± Her bright eyes soon became sharp and narrowed. Clearly, she wasn¡¯t going to sell her item. The Moon Rock of Protection¡¯s effectiveness was greater than all her other gear combined. Why would she sell such a valuable item? Of course, the Moon Rock of Protection didn¡¯t have any sentimental value, so if she was forced to put a price on it, she could, but a unique Rank 1 item in DIO was a universally valuable item. As such, it would fetch a substantial fee. Since large companies and nation-states in real life were trying to build their presence and influence in the game, this item was easily worth a building in a prime location or multiple acres of prized land. ¡°Ha! I¡¯m thankful that you helped me become a Stealth Master, but you just aided in unlocking the possibility. You didn¡¯t teach me any particular skill, and you also benefitted from the exchange, so to ask for such a thing-¡± ¡°Before you get angry, look at this.¡± As he spoke, Merlin took out a pair of shoes. To be specific, it was a pair of leather boots. The tall boots had a military feel to them; moreover, the boots were black, making them virtually invisible in the dark. It was the unique rated drop item Merlin obtained after defeating the south gate¡¯s lich boss during the tail end of the beta period. However, Ilyia didn¡¯t know this, so she still kept her guard up and gave a frigid response. ¡°Wait, are you asking for a straight-up trade? I¡¯m sorry, but the Moon Rock of Protection-¡± ¡°Use the Appraisal function on the boots.¡± ¡°Ugh, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re up to, but¡­.¡± Grumbling, Ilyia used the appraisal function that every DIO user possessed. [Item: Night Walker Rank 1 Unique Description: Boots that allow the user to walk in the dark, remove the wearer¡¯s aura during movement, and make it possible to move from one shadow to another. In the beginning, the user can only move in connected shadows, but after growing accustomed to the boots, shadows can be utilized in various ways. If the wearer¡¯s darkness attribute points are above 30, the only condition to use the boots is to be Level 3 or above.] ¡°How is it? To start, it¡¯s a unique Rank 1 item. Moreover, if the user has the right attribute affinity, they can utilize this boot for its intended purpose-¡± Before Merlin could finish his sentence, Ilyia spoke with a trembling voice. ¡°¡­ Wait. H-hand it over to me for a sec.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Merlin gave her the boots. Obviously, if Ilyia ran off with the boots, it would be extremely troublesome, but in Merlin¡¯s eyes, Ilyia wasn¡¯t that sort of person. Ilyia, for her part, never thought of this possibility either. Swap! After carelessly throwing her shoes to the side, Ilyia put on the Night Walker. While wearing the boots, she closed her eyes and seemed to be momentarily trapped in thought¡­. Then, she disappeared. ¡°Oho?¡± Soon, Ilyia reappeared near a tree¡¯s shadow. She had jumped from one shadow to another, an ability known as Shadow Jump. This was an essential characteristic of Night Walker, but even if someone was wearing the boots, it wasn¡¯t guaranteed that they could use the skill. Actually, it should have been impossible to Shadow Jump immediately after putting the boots on for the first time; moreover, Ilyia had entirely skipped the connected shadow phase and went straight to the jump function. ¡®I guess it¡¯s because she possesses the darkness attribute affinity?¡¯ Though surprised, Merlin felt that this was a good sign. He couldn¡¯t use the boots anyway, so the boots could now go to someone who could unlock their full potential. ¡°Ilyia, you seem to specialize in spiritual power, so your natural magic resistance should be pretty high even without the necklace, no? Though the Moon Rock of Protection is a great treasure, I think the boots are a better fit for you-¡± ¡°Trade!¡± Before Merlin could finish his sentence, Ilyia shouted. Dumbstruck, Merlin stammered, ¡°Uh¡­ huh?¡± ¡°Trade! Trade! Hahaha! You, I like you! Ha!¡± Tap! Tap! Tap! Ilyia disappeared once more before reappearing in another shadow¡­ and promptly disappeared and reappeared again¡­ Having seen this for a second time, Merlin was able to see her movements. Once she hid her aura, Ilyia blended into a shadow and moved five to ten meters into another shadow. As a Stealth Master with the Night Walker, Ilyia possessed the ability to essentially become a godly assassin or bandit. Poof! ¡°Hmm?¡± Seeing something shoot out from the dark shadows, Merlin extended his arm to catch the object. It was the necklace that had just recently been around Ilyia¡¯s neck. Merlin used the Appraisal function on the necklace. [Item: Moon Rock of Protection Rank 1 Unique Description: A treasure created after processing a Forest Worm¡¯s iris, it resists all skill-based attacks targeting the wearer on a 24-hour basis. It will deflect any low-level spells without requiring any particular action by the wearer. Additionally, if magic power is used to recharge the Moon Rock of Protection, that magic power will be controlled to deflect or weaken mid and upper-level spells. If the wearer can properly manage their flow of magic power, it is possible to take magic power out of the Moon Rock of Protection or even nullify the protective properties of this item. A Class 5 or above mage may use this item once they reach Level 3 or above.] Merlin put the Moon Rock of Protection necklace around his neck. Soon, he felt a gentle spiritual power barrier form around him. ¡®Fortunately, the system considers the Seven Jewel school¡¯s Level 5 to be at least a Class 5 mage. Well, I¡¯m probably recognized as a Class 5 mage, if not higher.¡± Currently, Merlin¡¯s jewel transformed from a Jade, Crystal, Emerald, and Spinel to a Sapphire. In other words, his jewel had reached its fifth stage. Considering that there was an entry step and an ultimate step, the Unknown and Zero Shining, respectively, amongst the nine total steps in the Seven Jewels school, Merlin was on the sixth. ¡°Anyway, thanks! Then, Return!¡± Ilyia had stayed back because of Merlin, so she was the last party member to leave the waiting room outside of Merlin. No one had waited to go back with Merlin, but as someone who lived a solitary life, Merlin was used to this and felt that it was normal. ¡°To walk alone, oh, that is life.¡± While mumbling useless gibberish, Merlin returned to Starting. Since he had spent some time in the city and had participated in the first mission event, he didn¡¯t have much time left before the start of the next event. CH 142 *** The Event Advent *** With his new flight skill or, to be specific, his utilization of the gravity spells, Merlin moved towards the shuttle docking area. Since there was a swarm of people moving to participate in the next event, Merlin didn¡¯t have any trouble finding the way. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ The next event is south of Starting, at the southern sea¡­ a fishing event, if I recall correctly.¡± Merlin confirmed this by manipulating the Beholder to re-read the event announcement. Of course, the only thing related to traditional fishing was the act of catching the fish. The event participants wouldn¡¯t be casting lines to catch real fish; they would be catching gem-made fish using all kinds of skills and abilities. ¡°Form a line! There will be an infinite number of boats!¡± ¡°A maximum of ten users can board one boat! Also, you will be required to navigate and steer yourselves!¡± ¡°All boats that have been fully boarded shall set off immediately! There are many users waiting for their turn!¡± Many of the guards who were tasked with defending Starting were at the dock, shouting. They were probably ordered to keep things under control. ¡°Those guards sure have their work cut out for them. Anyway, we¡¯re riding in boats?¡± Since his view was blocked by the countless users ahead of him, Merlin slowly made his way to the front. Though he could use Scanning Vision or Telescopic Vision, the gathered players were wearing various magic items and gear, so with such a huge crowd, Merlin¡¯s vision would inevitably be restricted. If needed, Merlin could have seen through this barrier, but this would be an unnecessary drain on his powers. Once Merlin passed through the crowd¡­. ¡°Woah, a motorboat?¡± The motorboat was made of black rubber. It was the type of motorboat that the US military used when landing ashore from the sea. Since the hull was so light, it could overturn or capsize if the center of gravity was slightly misaligned, but it would probably be relatively quick since it had a motor. Moreover, with a capable mage who could use various spells, it was easy to cross the sea with this vessel. Then, one of the guards shouted. ¡°The ship will only be summoned for 15 hours, so you must return to shore before time runs out!¡± Merlin turned to look at the motorboat after hearing the guard¡¯s announcement. Upon closer inspection, he observed that this wasn¡¯t a typical boat. Instead, it was made of spiritual qi. Each of the motorboats was summoned once one of the guards at the dock mumbled a spell chant. ¡°What kind of summoning skill is needed for something like that? I¡¯d understand if it was to summon some type of unidentified monster, but a spell chant specifically for a motorboat is¡­.¡± Merlin grunted as he stepped forward. At first glance, there were hundreds of ships at sea, but an innumerable number of users remained on the docks. There was a constant flow of users boarding the newly-summoned motorboats. ¡°After entering Starting, I realized something¡­ there sure are a lot of users. Do I have to get in line to board a motorboat?¡± In fact, Merlin had no reason to board a motorboat, as he was faster than any boat or ship in existence. Merlin was more comfortable in water than on land, and once submerged, he could easily survive for months without breaking a sweat. ¡®Hmm. Still, boarding might be used as proof that I participated in the event, so I should get on one of the boats. I can always get off at an opportune time.¡¯ While he was thinking this, one of the users shouted. ¡°Hey, Mr. Gane, do we have to get on a motorboat? I¡¯d rather just use my summoned being.¡± ¡°Oh, if you have another mode of transport, you don¡¯t have to board. The motorboats are primarily to get users to the event area, so if you can do that yourself, you don¡¯t need to use them.¡± A loud buzz arose from the gathered users. Of course, there weren¡¯t many who could summon beings that traveled extensive distances, but players had other means of flying. There were many magic items that possessed flying capabilities, and there were also a fair number of users whose skills specialized in flight. ¡°Ack! If that was an option, you should have mentioned it earlier! Fly, Asrada!¡± One of the users retrieved a carpet from his inventory and threw it in the air. The rolled-up carpet unfurled and stiffened, allowing the user to stand atop it. It was an interesting scene, and many users exclaimed in amazement and started whistling their appreciation; however, a dark mage scoffed after witnessing the scene. ¡°Hmph! Who still uses such an outdated magic carpet? Look at my beautiful Phantom and drown in envy!¡± [Neigh!] The dark mage jumped as a bluish-black smoke started to gather and take the shape of an armored steed. It was a type of battle ghost horse called a Phantom Steed. ¡°Hahaha! You guys only have mounts that can carry four people at most - step aside! I summon you, Becalion!¡± [Woo!] A user who seemed to specialize in summoning stepped forward and yelled. Soon, a massive whale about the size of a modern house appeared, though it wasn¡¯t as large as the Moby Dick that Merlin had previously come across. ¡°Eh, whatever¡­ I¡¯m just going to fly!¡± ¡°Sylph Vessel! Fourth formation!¡± ¡°I summon you, my cute and kawaii Harperion!¡± It didn¡¯t take long before a bunch of other users started flying into the sky. It seemed that everyone wanted to show off and compete. Some players even used water-walking spells to run across the surface of the sea. ¡°Oh, man. They probably won¡¯t be able to keep that up for long.¡± As he mumbled to himself, Merlin waded through the crowd and made his way to the end of the dock. Unlike everyone else who used alternative means to cross the sea, he didn¡¯t want to gain any attention. So, Merlin found a relatively secluded spot underneath a large pillar that rose from the dock. Plop! Though Merlin¡¯s frame wasn¡¯t small, especially with his relatively bulky mage robe, he didn¡¯t create a splash when he entered the water. Only a single droplet bounced into the air. The water in DIO was crystal clear, so he¡¯d easily be seen by others if he swam. ¡®I should hide under a motorboat.¡¯ The moment he thought of this, he started to move. Although the sea water was clear and everything within visible, Merlin¡¯s quick speed made it seem like a shadow had flashed through the sea. Furthermore, when Merlin swam underwater, he didn¡¯t leave any trail in his wake, so no one saw his movements. Whoosh! The motorboat that Merlin chose to hide under made a loud sound as it started to leave the dock. While it was a motorboat, it should have been slowed down by the hefty weight of ten passengers, but it quickly moved through the waves. Plop. Suddenly, the motorboat went quiet; however, it wasn¡¯t slowing down. The ship was still moving, and the undulating vibrations continued. It seemed that one of the passengers used a magic spell to silence the sound. ¡°Ugh, so noisy. It¡¯s not even a real motorboat, so why did they have to make it so loud?¡± ¡°Well, maybe they wanted to emulate reality?¡± One of the users quickly offered an answer to another¡¯s grumbles. ¡°It should be noted that we¡¯re akin to medieval people riding a modern motorboat, that in and of itself erases all notions of reality.¡± ¡°What nonsense¡­ Can¡¯t you see that the wolf¡¯s outfit is modern? Even the bear¡¯s outfit is sci-fi-ish!¡± ¡®A wolf? A bear?¡¯ Merlin was puzzled after hearing something so unexpected, but he suddenly realized that he had heard one of the user¡¯s voices before. When Merlin first crossed the sea, he met a necromancer called Scorpion in the area called Dead Earth. ¡®Aha! Wolf and Bear must be the users¡¯ IDs.¡¯ Since this was likely the case, Merlin started to better understand the users¡¯ conversation. After entering the game, though, it was almost impossible for someone to recognize their colleague solely based on their ID. So, these users must have known each other in real life. ¡°Uh, you guys. There¡¯s something I want to discuss¡­.¡± At that moment, the voice of a young man sitting at the back of the motorboat could be heard. His voice sounded troubled, as if he was deeply contemplating something. ¡°Eh? Sparrow, you¡¯ve been quiet lately¡­ What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I just wanted to ask you guys¡­ if you had to choose between your girlfriend or a Rank 5 magic item set, what would you all choose?¡± It was a bit of a random question, but the answers rolled in immediately. ¡°Rank 5 magic item set.¡± ¡°Rank 5 magic item set.¡± ¡°Of course, a Rank 5 magic item set.¡± ¡°Rank 5 magic item set.¡± ¡°The magic item set.¡± ¡°Are you joking? Of course, the Rank 5 magic item set.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The users reached a unanimous verdict. No one had any doubts whatsoever. Sparrow became quiet for a moment after hearing the others confidently state their answers. Yet, after a while, Sparrow groaned while thinking, ¡®How come I couldn¡¯t come to this conclusion as easily?¡¯ ¡°I may have made a mistake¡­.¡± Silence ensued. Merlin guessed that everyone was staring at Sparrow. Eventually, Scorpion broke the silence and asked, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing serious. It¡¯s just that my girlfriend-¡± ¡°What! Wait, you have a girlfriend?¡± For a moment, the motorboat chaotically teetered. While Merlin wasn¡¯t certain, he suspected that the user named Bear had stood from his seat. ¡°Not a lover or anything like that, just a friend that happens to be a girl! My middle school and high school were made up of mixed genders, so I can have a few friends who are girls, right?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any such friends like that!¡± No one on board seemed to care what was happening to the motorboat due to their movements. It was on the verge of capsizing, so Merlin used his water control ability to stabilize this imbalance and keep the boat upright. In any case, once things started to calm down, Sparrow spoke up. ¡°A-anyway, I have this friend who¡¯s a girl. Right, so this friend who happens to be a girl wants me to get her a set of gear. Though we¡¯re close, we¡¯re not at the stage where I¡¯d feel comfortable paying a hefty price for some gear that she¡¯s planning to use¡­.¡± Despite Sparrow¡¯s earnest request for the other opinions, the replies he received were simple, cold, and final. ¡°Gold digger.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a gold digger.¡± ¡°Gold digger.¡± ¡°She¡¯s obviously a gold digger, no?¡± ¡°Gold digger, for sure.¡± ¡°You idiot! She¡¯s obviously a gold digger!¡± Another unanimous conclusion. They answered so quickly that it didn¡¯t seem they needed any time to contemplate other possibilities. ¡°B-but, we¡¯re really close! We¡¯ve been hunting a lot together recently, and we¡¯ve been calling each other all the time! Also-¡± ¡°Tsk. Tell me, when did you two start to get close?¡± ¡°H-huh? Around the time when I told her that I was Level 7.¡± ¡°See! She approached you after hearing about your level! We hang around each other all the time, so it doesn¡¯t seem abnormal for any of us to see a Level 7 user, but normally, these users are hard to find! In my city, there are only two other users, not including me! Even if I count every player in my province, there are less than seven users who¡¯ve reached Level 7!¡± ¡°Right! What¡¯s that girl¡¯s level?¡± A Rank 5 set was something that only users who were Level 5 or above could equip. Of course, any user could put on whatever set they wished, but to use the magic functions inherent within the gear, one would have to fulfill the gear¡¯s minimum level requirement. Hence, it was essentially pointless to use gear that wasn¡¯t appropriate for one¡¯s level, as it¡¯d just be a shell with little to no utility. Since the girl wanted a Rank 5 set of gear, it seemed that she was at least Level 5 or above, but Sparrow¡¯s expression filled with guilt. ¡°Well, she¡¯s Level 4. However, her archery rank is Rank 5, so she fulfills the minimum requirements for the condition-lowered gear she wants.¡± Though Sparrow stated something that wasn¡¯t false, Bear scoffed. ¡°What? An item set with lower conditions? Lower conditions~? Hey man, a set of gear means that it¡¯s comprised of at least five different parts. You¡¯re saying that all five parts have lower conditions? Do you know how much that¡¯ll cost? It¡¯d be cheaper if she asked for a designer handbag!¡± CH 143 As he listened to Sparrow and the others, Merlin started to understand the general power level of those aboard the motorboat. Of course, in terms of level alone, Merlin was inferior to them. Even so, he could use Aura Vision to gain a general idea of their levels at a glance. ¡®Scorpion is Level 8¡­ no, Level 9? And the rest are mostly around Level 7.¡¯ Though Merlin was unaware, this group was a relatively high-leveled party. As Bear said, it was rare for there to be more than one Level 7 user in a city of 500,000 or more residents. Additionally, there¡¯d only be a handful of Masters, or Level 10 users, in an entire country, and that was if there were any at all. In Korea, there were currently three users who had reached the Master level, which could be seen as an unprecedented number. ¡°Yeah, but Sooyoung is an archer! She has a strong foundation and understanding, so once she gets used to battle, she¡¯ll quickly become a high-level player!¡± ¡°Hmph! Speaking of archers, do you know how many professional archers are playing DIO? If combat ability were solely based on hitting a target, there would be an abundance of Master level archers in Korea!¡± While professional archers did have an advantage in leveling up relatively easily in-game, after a certain point, they¡¯d understand that accuracy wasn¡¯t the only skill required to succeed in leveling up. Merlin didn¡¯t know this, but DIO¡¯s level-up tests were designed to place users in the most unideal setting, and it also paired them with an enemy that took advantage of their weaknesses. For example, if a mage took a level-up test, a monster with a melee combat ability would appear near the user. If it were a warrior, monsters with ranged sniping or magic abilities would spawn from afar. In addition, single-use consumables and Rank 5 items or higher were forbidden during a level-up test, so the enemy would need to be subdued solely based on the user¡¯s skills and abilities. Even Master skills or Master weapons were prohibited. The Level 9 Ilyia could only defeat a Level 12 monster during the event¡¯s assessment testing because this restriction did not exist there. If the circumstances were favorable, it wasn¡¯t impossible for a lower-level being to beat a higher-level foe; hence Ilyia defeated a much higher-leveled enemy. To sum it up, it would be difficult to level up with only ranged sniping skills unless a user had an excellent close-range archery technique or any other methods to fight nearby enemies. At the very least, a well-developed lightness skill was necessary to create distance from an enemy. It didn¡¯t matter if ranged attacks could defeat a higher-leveled monster on the field; the level-up test was an entirely different story. However, it seemed that Sparrow wasn¡¯t willing to face the truth. Bear didn¡¯t know anything about Sparrow¡¯s friend, so how could Bear be certain? ¡°Y-you¡¯ve gone too far! Why are you belittling a woman you don¡¯t even know well in the first place?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because¡­.¡± When Bear stuttered for a moment, Sparrow swooped in to stress his point. ¡°You¡¯re just saying stuff because you don¡¯t have a girlfriend, right?¡± ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°My friends say that if someone doesn¡¯t have a girlfriend for over 30 years, they become a forever solo general. Come to think of it, Bear, you¡¯re hitting year 30 this year, right? A Five Star forever-solo general!¡± ¡°Hey! Someone, grab this cheeky bastard and hit him hard!¡± It was raucous atop the motorboat. In addition, after listening to their entire conversation, Merlin concluded that none of these ten users had a girlfriend. DIO¡¯s high-level users weren¡¯t just game junkies but individuals that possessed real-life skills. They were formidable and relatively successful, but this also meant that they lacked certain skills and achievements in other areas. ¡°Hmph! I don¡¯t care anymore! Even if I need to make the items myself, I¡¯m going to make sure she gets them! Also, I¡¯ll become the only guy who has a girlfriend in this stinky male-only guild!¡± ¡°W-what! Traitor!¡± ¡°A traitor in our midst!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t belittle us solo men! Training needs to be conducted as a solo so that one can better concentrate, and hunting must be done in a solo setting to truly develop one¡¯s skills and abilities!¡± ¡°Oh, gosh¡­¡± Scorpion sighed as he watched his guild members bicker. However, Bear found an issue with his comment. ¡°Why are you commenting like it doesn¡¯t concern you? You¡¯re a solo too!¡± ¡°S-shut up! At least I¡¯ve had a girlfriend before!¡± ¡°What!¡± The guild members continued their quarrel. Though the motorboat should have flipped many times due to their chaotic movements, the guild members were all skilled users, so they wouldn¡¯t make any careless mistakes. Furthermore, Merlin was also providing his assistance. ¡®They¡¯re interesting and entertaining people.¡¯ As he listened to the other players, Merlin fell into thought, and a single person popped into his mind. ¡®I wonder if Eunhye is doing well.¡¯ A month had already passed since Eunhye left to pursue her studies overseas. Of course, while it was a month in real time, Merlin had experienced close to half a year inside DIO. In other words, he hadn¡¯t seen her in a while. ¡®Come to think of it, she hasn¡¯t even called. Well, I guess she¡¯s not the type of person to call.¡¯ In his mind, Merlin recalled Eunhye¡¯s image. Perhaps it was due to her youth athletics, but Eunhye had grown to be 175 centimeters tall. This was enough to look down on most boys her age, and though she had a slim and attractive figure, her cold demeanor and icy expression usually dissuaded anyone from approaching her. ¡®Hehehe, she followed me like a puppy when we were younger¡­ she looked so cute back then¡­.¡¯ Then, a scene played in his mind. ¡®D-don¡¯t leave¡­ Don¡¯t leave¡­ Yongno¡­ Yongno¡­ Yongno¡­.¡± She was crying. That cute and small girl was looking at him and crying. With guilty expressions, the rest of his family stood behind her. Flash! For a moment, Merlin flinched due to a sharp headache. Another scene played in his mind. ¡°It¡¯ll probably be for the best if this memory is erased, right?¡± A middle-aged man was speaking. Merlin couldn¡¯t make out his face. Though Merlin couldn¡¯t recall anything about the middle-aged man, he looked and felt familiar. ¡®W-what is this? Also, was there a time when Eunhye followed me like a puppy? Didn¡¯t Eunhye always have an expressionless face, even when she was young¡­.¡¯ Merlin was confounded by the scenes in his mind. However, those memories quickly faded, and Merlin¡¯s expression relaxed. ¡®¡­ Hmm? What was I just thinking?¡¯ The memories that had popped into his mind had completely disappeared without a trace. After some thought, Merlin smacked his hands together. ¡®Oh, right. I was thinking about Eunhye. Now that I think of it, if Eunhye plays DIO, then I can meet her regardless of where she is in real life, no?¡¯ This was true. DIO had become a worldwide phenomenon that wasn¡¯t restricted to just Korea. If he knew her ID, he could meet with her. ¡®The problem is that she doesn¡¯t even call, and I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s willing to see me¡­.¡¯ While he was thinking this, the motorboat arrived at its destination. ¡°I see a school of fish ahead!¡± ¡°Wow! What is that?¡± Scorpion and his guild members stopped arguing as they all looked towards a specific area in the sea. Merlin also looked towards that faraway point. The entire sea seemed to be teaming with activity. ¡®Woah! Such an immense number!¡¯ With Enhanced Eyesight, Merlin spotted a school of hundreds of thousands of fish approaching him. They were made of gems, so rather than living beings, it would be more apt to call them golem-type magic beings. Although Merlin couldn¡¯t understand how they could swim, let alone float, with such heavy bodies, the school approached rapidly. They ranged from palm-sized fish to ones that were close to three meters long. ¡°Catch them!¡± ¡°I thought it was fishing, but it turned out to be hunting!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t lose to the others!¡± Whoosh! Along with various shouts, the many motorboats started racing towards the school of fish. Boom! The first team to make contact with the school of fish was a mage team. They seemed to have allied together with the express purpose of hunting monsters in this event, and they started shooting fire-based spells. Due to their spells¡¯ scorching heat, the surface seawater instantly evaporated. The fish near the surface were immediately swept away. Whoosh! ¡°Huh?!¡± However, only a few fish died and turned into gems, and most had only been pushed away. The fish that survived the mages¡¯ attack started attacking their motorboat. Boom! ¡°Ack! What the hell!¡± ¡°These bastards! They¡¯re powerful!¡± The mages were flung in every direction as their motorboat was destroyed. However, none of the gathered users paid any attention to them. Instead, they were fixated on the gems that appeared after the fish were killed. ¡°The gems float!¡± ¡°I see! That¡¯s how we need to collect the gems.¡± ¡°They¡¯re really tough monsters, though! They were hit by a barrage of Class 3 spells, but only a few died!¡± Boom! ¡°Ack! What kind of sick event is this!¡± ¡°Ugh! The fish are starting their attack!¡± The fish started attacking the gathered motorboats, and soon, the vessels started crumbling into pieces. There were hundreds of thousands of fish, but even a small group of a thousand presented a formidable force. Bam! Boom! Soon, deafening sounds started ringing out everywhere. Fish and seawater were being flung in every direction. Despite the fish¡¯s sturdy bodies, they were slowly succumbing to the gathered users¡¯ formidable skill and abilities. Whoosh! A water column rose and knocked one fish onto a nearby motorboat. With a size of 50 centimeters, the relatively large fish was caught by an unassuming user. Boom! Once he caught the fish, it instantly turned into a large gem. The fish had turned into a ruby as large as two fists combined. ¡°Huh? Wait, the fish turn into gems as soon as you touch them!¡± ¡°What? Really?¡± After hearing this, users started jumping into the sea with their arms outstretched or bent down from their boat, putting their hands in the water as they tried to touch the fish. Of course, this was silly. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to catch fish in the sea. However, since these gathered users weren¡¯t ordinary people, their efforts slowly bore fruit. Boom! Boom! ¡°I caught some!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s round them up!¡± Bam! ¡°Watch out! Mages, use your spells to restrict their movement! Freezing them would work as well!¡± Utter chaos ensued on the surface. Fish and users collided with gems and motorboat shrapnel flying everywhere as countless users dove into the sea. Since the gathered players were experienced in combat and had excellent reaction speed, the tides soon turned; there were now more fish turning into gems than motorboats being destroyed. And at the bottom of the sea¡­. ¡®Nice! Jackpot!¡¯ Favorite CH 144 Boom! Merlin weaved around underwater and started slaughtering the fish. Though the fish were fast, they couldn¡¯t swim quicker than 150 kilometers per hour. Moving underwater at such high speeds would defy the laws of physics. However, Merlin¡¯s swimming speed could surpass 500 kilometers per hour and even near 600 kilometers per hour. Moreover, Merlin¡¯s swimming skill freed him from the restrictions of physics. For instance, Merlin could immediately change directions or stop on a dime; he could even control his speed to swim alongside a school of fish, allowing him to reach out and grab one. Bam! Whoosh! Behind Merlin, his two spirits, Younghwi and Shining, took the shape of a net and gathered the gems that were left after each fish was caught. The netting was so fine that it could capture and retain gems of almost every size. Bam! ¡°Hmm?¡± Up to this point, Merlin faced no issue in turning the fish into gems, but he raised an eyebrow when he felt one fish struggle. There, right before him, was a two-meter-long fish that resembled a shark. ¡®Ah, the bigger fish don¡¯t instantly turn into gems by just touching them.¡¯ Yet, did this present a problem for Merlin? Boom! Bam! With the Great Strength Vajra Hand, Merlin slammed his hand atop the huge fish¡¯s head and instantly converted it into a gem. Though the fish was relatively durable, Merlin was a powerhouse in the water. Once his swimming skill reached the S Rank, Merlin had become incomparably quick and powerful within the water. Whoosh! ¡°Hmm?¡± Merlin had been shooting through the water when he suddenly stopped in his tracks. Shining and Younghwi were following close behind him up till this point, but now, they had slowed considerably due to drag. The spirits had collected an incredible volume of gems. ¡®Darn it. The volume has increased to this size already- hmm?¡¯ Ting! At that moment, the massive volume of gems started gathering at one point before turning into a diamond. The hexagonal diamond could easily fit in the palm of one¡¯s hand, and Merlin reached out and grabbed it. Soon, he was met with a text message. /You have acquired 1,000 Gem Points!/ ¡®Oh, I guess that¡¯s how it works. Wait, I also have other gem points from the previous event, right?¡¯ When he completed the previous mission, Merlin was given 1,100 gem points. Though he didn¡¯t know if this was a considerable or small amount of gem points, Merlin expected that it was more likely the former. Didn¡¯t he clear the mission and fulfill all its requirements relatively quickly with Arthur and Cruze¡¯s help? However, Merlin had acquired nearly the same amount of gem points after being submerged for just ten minutes. ¡®I feel like I¡¯m cheating somehow, but well, as long as it¡¯s beneficial for me¡­.¡¯ As he smiled mischievously, Merlin put the diamond into his inventory. He was now in possession of 2,100 gem points. ¡®Now that the net is clear, shall I catch more fish?¡¯ Whoosh! Merlin zigzagged through the water towards another vast school of fish. ¡°Welcome back to the Exchange Center, Merlin. It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Huh? You remember me?¡± Merlin had arrived at the Exchange Center. This was a place where users could convert gold into real-life currency and vice versa, as well as where one could purchase items and gear. The Exchange Center was similar to a ¡®Cash Shop¡¯ in other games. ¡°My memory is excellent. Well, that¡¯s probably the main reason why I was assigned this position. Anyway, how can I help? It¡¯s regarding the event, I presume?¡± ¡°Yes, I was told that I needed to come here.¡± ¡°You¡¯re correct. One moment.¡± The attentive purple-haired lady named Ellen had an ID that read [Exchange Center Attendant], and she soon closed her eyes and split into two identical copies of herself. To do this, she used the splitting image ability that only the attendant NPCs possessed. Though there were thousands of NPCs in DIO, there were much more users, so certain NPCs were given this special ability to compensate. ¡°You have gem points, right? You need gem points to go in.¡± ¡°Ack! Really? How many gem points?¡± ¡°One gem point. I think the event planners set this rule to prevent any onlookers from accessing the special market and to only allow users who participated in the event.¡± ¡°Ah, one gem point isn¡¯t a problem.¡± About an hour had passed before all the gem fish were caught. In that time, Merlin had accrued 8,500 additional gem points. In the end, he was left with 10,000 gem points. Furthermore, Merlin remained underwater the entire time, so no one knew of his existence. By doing this, he could also gather a tremendous amount of gem points compared to other users. Merlin retrieved a random gem from his inventory and presented it to Ellen, who took the gem and threw it in the air. Ting! The air started wavering like a mirage before a door appeared. This entrance was similar to what appeared when using a housing card. Creak. ¡°Follow me.¡± ¡°Huh? You¡¯re tending to me personally? Isn¡¯t there a time limit for your image?¡± ¡°The time limit has been extended during this event. It was easier to do that than increase the number of attendants.¡± After saying this, Ellen stepped through the door¡¯s threshold while Merlin followed close behind. Once he passed through, the surroundings changed. Woong! Woong! ¡°Woah!¡± The new area was like a bright collection of shining stars. Large gems grew like trees all over the place, and the ground was tiled with blue gemstones. ¡°It¡¯s called Anyform Stone. It¡¯s a mineral that can be molded into any form with whatever property desired.¡± ¡°A mineral? It isn¡¯t a gemstone?¡± ¡°No. Look closely.¡± Ellen grabbed a random green gem and imbued it with power. Then, the gem started folding and getting smaller. ¡°It¡¯s not cracking but folding¡­.¡± ¡°At first glance, you might think that it¡¯s a gem, but it is weaker and softer than copper. Also, it has a precarious existence. If it is taken out of this Illusory Area, it¡¯ll cease to exist. Anyway, that¡¯s beside the point.¡± With this said, Ellen retrieved a book and handed it to Merlin. Based on the book¡¯s thickness, it seemed that it was around 100 pages long. On the cover, the title [How to Use Gem Points] was written, and on the side, grooves could be seen, probably to denote each chapter for quicker reference. Upon closer inspection, Merlin counted seven grooves. ¡°How to use gem points?¡± ¡°Right. Gem points can be used to purchase a flying shuttle, but there are also many other uses for them, such as buying weapons or magic ingredients. Shall we take a look at the flying shuttle first?¡± Woong! Ellen opened the book and placed her finger on a specific part of one page. Soon, a magic circle appeared, measuring around ten meters in diameter, and a huge flying shuttle slid out from it. The flying shuttle looked like a four-person sailboat with mast and all. ¡°Woah! That¡¯s a flying shuttle?¡± ¡°We carry an extensive stockpile of different flying shuttle models. Wouldn¡¯t it be weird to purchase something without seeing it first?¡± After hearing her reply, Merlin turned his head towards the flying shuttle. The vessel was emanating magic waves, though the source was unknown. These waves caused the surrounding space to ripple like a mirage. ¡°This is the most basic flying shuttle model. It can be purchased for 500 gem points, but its top speed doesn¡¯t reach 100 kilometers per hour. However, since this model is made from Aerial Stone, it can technically fly for 24 hours straight.¡± ¡°So, in essence, it¡¯s a magic boat. What does it consume for fuel?¡± ¡°The shuttle has a rechargeable feature that allows it to constantly absorb mana from its surroundings until it reaches its maximum capacity of about 100 Tetra. If four beings were aboard this shuttle, it could operate for an entire day without a break.¡± Merlin seemed surprised at this. ¡°It can fly for such a long time with just 100 Tetra?¡± One hundred Tetra was equivalent to 100 magic power points. Of course, 100 Tetra wasn¡¯t a tiny amount by any means. Yet, this vessel was larger than a modern-day SUV, so Merlin could only have it hover in mid-air for around ten minutes before 100 Tetra was used. However, Ellen shook her head. ¡°As I mentioned earlier, this flying shuttle is made of a buoyant material, so hovering doesn¡¯t consume any magic power or energy. If the mast¡¯s sails are unfurled and allowed to catch the wind, it can move without any assistance.¡± Merlin turned his attention to the book and looked at the next flying shuttle model. When he placed his finger on the image, the flying shuttle above his head returned to the magic circle before another model appeared, seeming much slimmer. ¡°This is the ¡®Crow¡¯ model. It¡¯s relatively fast in relation to its cost, and there¡¯s an option for a one or two-passenger model. It can store 500 Tetra, but the model doesn¡¯t possess any natural buoyancy properties, so it can only fly for around ten hours. However, it can reach speeds of Mach 3.¡± ¡°It looks like a modern-day stealth aircraft. The motorboat from the last event and now this¡­ why does DIO have such similar items to Earth¡­ huh?¡± Upon closer inspection of the Crow model, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but widen his eyes in surprise as he used Enhanced Eyesight to peer into the vessel¡¯s inner workings. The internal structure was similar to¡­. ¡°T-this¡­ this is based on a modern-day Earth item? It has moveable exhaust nozzles to better direct movement and has turbojet engines. Can this type of design be used in an online game?!¡± Merlin wasn¡¯t surprised by the technology implemented in the Crow model, as the technology already existed on Earth and wasn¡¯t anything new to him. Yet, certain technologies and designs were considered top secret and withheld from the general public. For example, the moveable exhaust nozzles and turbojet engines were hallmarks of the modern-day F-22 Raptor. The F-22 Raptor wasn¡¯t considered the ruler of the skies solely due to these two components, but this sort of top-secret leak in a game could cause significant problems in the real world. If a user who possessed the right set of knowledge and skills were to get their hands on this flying shuttle, they could easily reverse engineer this tech. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re able to understand the flying shuttle with just a glance. From what I understand, there¡¯s a magic barrier that restricts anyone from looking within.¡± ¡°I can easily see through such a barrier. If you really didn¡¯t want anyone peering within the inner workings of the craft, you could have just restricted access completely through the DIO system.¡± Seeing Merlin¡¯s brow furrowed, Ellen couldn¡¯t help but give a chuckle. ¡°The safety restrictions placed on a Level 3 flying shuttle should not be seen through unless someone has a Master-level Enhanced Eyesight ability¡­ well, whatever. If you saw the internal workings of a Level 5 flying shuttle, you¡¯d really freak out- huh?¡± Flip. Ellen¡¯s eyes widened in surprise when she saw Merlin flip to the next page. This page should have been restricted, making it physically impossible to get to, but Merlin did just that. CH 145 ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°N-no, nothing. I was just surprised. Y-you have over 5,000 gem points?¡± ¡°I have about 10,000 gem points¡­.¡± ¡°What¡­ 10,000?¡± Ellen looked dumbfounded after hearing such an unexpected response. Since each fish dropped one gem point once caught, a simple calculation meant that Merlin had caught 10,000 gem fish. Of course, there was a mission prior to the fishing event, but no matter how well someone did, they probably wouldn¡¯t make over 500 gem points. So, Ellen wondered how Merlin acquired such a massive amount. ¡°Who are you? Did you gather all these gem points from your guild members or something?¡± ¡°No. You can say the hunting field was¡­ right up my alley, attribute-wise.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Ellen couldn¡¯t understand Merlin¡¯s words, but she soon gave up and put her hand atop the book. Woong! Along with a deep ringing sound, the Crow shuttle disappeared and was replaced by a new model. The new flying shuttle looked just like a¡­. ¡°A s-spaceship?¡± ¡°Yeah. This flying shuttle, Blue Beetle Type A, is equipped with an Ion engine! It¡¯s difficult to fly in the atmosphere, but it¡¯ll allow one passenger to travel in space. In addition, it has a built-in magic stone that can charge its own magic power, so you don¡¯t have to worry about fuel if you¡¯re mindful of your speed. In addition, it¡¯s being offered at an amazing price of only 5,400 gem points! This may seem like a hefty charge, but this flying shuttle is strong enough to withstand any impact and has a cannon that can shoot ten-cm rounds, allowing it to battle in the air. It can¡¯t directly take off and fly to space in one go, but it¡¯s possible to enter the outer atmosphere.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Merlin was at a loss for words. Of course, DIO was a game, so fantasy and anything sci-fi were possible. However, with his AA Rank Enhanced Eyesight, Merlin saw through the Blue Beetle Type A¡¯s security and examined the shuttle¡¯s inner workings and operation principles. The tech within the flying shuttle was not something that could be easily comprehended. ¡®A plasma cannon on top of having an ion engine¡­.¡¯ Of course, Merlin had never seen something like this before. Naturally, this was because the technology wasn¡¯t yet developed on Earth. However, after Merlin figured out the internal structure of the Blue Beetle Type A, he formulated a working principle and theory in his head to see if it was possible to recreate the tech. Merlin concluded, ¡®This technology can be used in reality.¡¯ This technology didn¡¯t exist yet, but its theoretical principles were established on a solid foundation; Merlin could only conclude that the tech was beyond that of modern [Civilization]. If the technology applied to this flying shuttle entered modern science, human science would jump forward by more than a few decades. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ However, once Merlin mulled over this question for a moment, he realized that there wasn¡¯t anything he could particularly do. Merlin wasn¡¯t a government employee, nor was he conscientious enough to contribute to the development of modern technology. Besides, how would he convey what he saw through his Enhanced Eyesight to those in reality? DIO¡¯s screenshots only took a photo of the flying shuttle¡¯s exterior; they did not account for Merlin¡¯s Enhanced Eyesight. So, to convey the shuttle¡¯s internal structure and tech, Merlin needed to understand the structure and then explain the theory or draw a blueprint, which would be very difficult and cumbersome. Moreover, even if Merlin did all this, he¡¯d only be scratching the surface of the tech, as it required a deep foundation to be adequately comprehended. ¡®Eh, whatever. Any group as large as a country could probably get the information if they really sought it. I¡¯m probably the only individual with this many gem points, but if the users worked as a group and concentrated all their gem points on one person, they could easily gather 5,000 gem points.¡¯ However, Merlin didn¡¯t know he was the only user with Master-ranked Enhanced Eyesight. Obviously, it was possible for users to amass 5,000 gem points as a group, but even if they purchased this Level 5 flying shuttle, they¡¯d had to break it down, which wasn¡¯t simple in and of itself due to the shuttle¡¯s robust security system. Then, if this were done, they would need to comprehend the shuttle¡¯s undiscovered science and magic system. Furthermore, the flying shuttle was made of a material that could change into any form with any property: the Anyform Stone. Additionally, any part of the flying shuttle that detached from the main body would soon disintegrate and be unusable. Furthermore, if someone tore away the body to view the internals of the flying shuttle, they would only see a mess of zigzagging Anyform Stones. Though the flying shuttle looked like a modern-day spaceship, it was closer to being a spirit-based object than a physical one. It was like¡­ the seemingly divine bodies that the users possessed¡­. ¡°You said this was Level 5, right?¡± ¡°Hmm? Ah, yes. It¡¯s a Level 5 flying shuttle.¡± ¡°Then, is there a Level 6 flying shuttle?¡± Since a Level 5 flying shuttle could fly in outer space, logically speaking, the next progression would be a flying shuttle with Warp Drive, something that would allow the vessel to move quickly between solar systems. Unfortunately, Ellen shook her head. ¡°There are ten different flying shuttles, but Level 5 is the max. However, there¡¯s one ship that¡¯s a step above the Blue Beetle Type A - the Blue Beetle Type B. You have the requisite gem points, so shall we have a look?¡± Flip. When Ellen flipped to the next chapter of the book, Merlin saw a traditional saucer-shaped UFO flying shuttle, or, to be more precise, a space-traveling shuttle. ¡°This flying shuttle possesses an anti-gravity system. Unlike the Type A, this shuttle can travel both within an atmosphere and in outer space. The only downfall is that its defensive capabilities are limited, and it¡¯s a bit slow, but it can be upgraded.¡± After saying this, Ellen waved her hand in the air and brought up the Type B¡¯s blueprint. Of course, the basic blueprint didn¡¯t release or show any of the shuttle¡¯s secret mechanisms. ¡°Let¡¯s see, the Blue Beetle¡¯s outer armor is mainly made of a Selium alloy. Shall we look at some samples?¡± Ellen waved her hand again and brought up a ten by ten cm metal material before Merlin. ¡°Wow. It¡¯s quite tough. Do I know of this material?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an alloy that¡¯s made from various metals, but most of the metals don¡¯t exist on Earth. The alloy is astonishingly strong yet elastic; it¡¯s an alloy that was often used in Noah.¡± Merlin recalled what he had once heard at the Exchange Center. Noah was one of the SF-like futuristic cities that was being marketed as a tourist destination. It was supposedly a place where humans fought against otherworldly monsters. If it was such a fantastical world as Noah, Merlin could understand how they¡¯d possess such a futuristic alloy. And as he thought this, Merlin asked, ¡°You said ¡®was used often.¡¯ Does that mean it¡¯s no longer being used?¡± ¡°Oh, a sharp observation. Yes, you¡¯re right. The alloy possesses a critical weakness.¡± ¡°A weakness¡­.¡± Merlin turned his attention to the sample in front of him. It was impossible to guess what metals went into the alloy, as that would require a great deal of knowledge about metals. Still, Merlin easily recognized the alloy¡¯s critical weakness. Rather than relying on a vast amount of knowledge, Merlin utilized his Aura Vision to see the alloy¡¯s aura. Crack! When Merlin imbued his Penetration Power into the sample material, it started cracking. Merlin then stated, ¡°Magic resistance.¡± ¡°Right you are. Wow, impressive.¡± Unexpectedly, once the Selium alloy was created, it lost the magic resistance of the metals that comprised it. Instead, the new alloy¡¯s magic resistance was lower than even iron or aluminum. ¡°I see. The sixth chapter of the book details a menu of upgrades rather than a Level 6 flying shuttle.¡± ¡°Correct again. For example, you have the option to imbue the Selium with additional magic resistance stats.¡± ¡°Does that mean the Selium alloy¡¯s properties will change?¡± Merlin was surprised by this possibility. After all, didn¡¯t this mean that there was essentially no difference between using Selium and the rare metal mithril? Yet, Ellen shook her head. ¡°I think you¡¯ve misunderstood something. The flying shuttle¡¯s armor isn¡¯t made of Selium alloy. The properties and appearance of Selium alloy have been imbued into Anyform Stone; hence, the Anyform Stone can be imbued with any existing metal or metal alloy.¡± ¡°It can even become Adamantium?¡± ¡°Of course. However, if you fully convert all the Blue Beetle¡¯s armor into Adamantium¡­ let¡¯s see¡­ you¡¯ll need 24,000 gem points. Moreover, this price is just for the upgrade.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It was an extraordinary sum of gem points. Even Merlin couldn¡¯t obtain such a vast number of gem points, and he¡¯d killed a colossal portion of the entire fish population. Of course, the fishing event had three waves, so there were still two more opportunities for Merlin to collect more gem points, but even so, 24,000 was a steep number. ¡°As I said, Chapter 6 contains a list of upgrades. The possibilities are virtually endless. You can make the material stronger or even give it additional resistance properties. You can also raise its magic resistance or the capacity of the flying shuttle¡¯s magic power tank.¡± ¡°What¡¯s on Chapter 7?¡± Merlin recalled that the book was divided into seven chapters. ¡°After purchases are upgrades, so what would come after?¡± ¡°¡­ Production?¡± ¡°Similar. Designing.¡± Whoosh. When Ellen flipped to the next chapter, the Blue Beetle Type B instantly disappeared. Rather than another flying shuttle, a translucent light circular marble appeared. ¡°Then, I can make something from scratch?¡± ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s an option, but it wouldn¡¯t be possible to just spit out a complete design, right? The process would most likely start by combining existing features from each of the available flying shuttle models. You can even create a completely new outer design, which would be a popular option for the many artistic users.¡± After listening to the explanation, Merlin placed his hand atop the circular marble. When he imagined a circle, one appeared in the air. When Merlin imagined an eraser deleting a certain part of the circle, the circle before him reflected these changes. ¡°Wow! You¡¯re incredibly adaptable! Are you a mage specializing in illusions?¡± ¡°Not necessarily, but I am a mage.¡± ¡°Obviously. I can tell just by looking at you.¡± Like always, Merlin was wearing his red robe and a wide-brimmed hat. Despite his tall height, Merlin¡¯s body was well proportioned and balanced; thus, rather than looking overly big on him, the wide-brimmed mage hat made Merlin look powerful. Instead of a traditional mage¡¯s aura, Merlin seemed more like what was popularly called a Battle Mage. ¡®Design¡­.¡¯ Merlin recalled the driving mechanisms of the flying shuttles he had previously seen. Then, he fell into thought. Ellen mentioned that it was possible to create a flying shuttle from scratch. Since that was the case- ¡°Master!¡± ¡°Ack! What the hell?¡± ¡°Yes, customer?¡± ¡°Oh, no, nothing. I just received a sudden whisper message¡­.¡± After responding to Ellen, Merlin focused on sending a spirit message to his pet, Quiet Heaven. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°The atmosphere here is getting weird. It seems like that Great Will or whatever is about to appear.¡± ¡°Eh? That¡¯s sooner than I expected. Well, alright. Give me a moment.¡± Then, Merlin turned to Ellen with an apologetic expression. ¡°Ah! I¡¯m so sorry, but I¡¯ll have to come back and finish this later.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve finished explaining everything, so you¡¯ll just need to purchase what you want.¡± Click! When they stepped across the door¡¯s threshold, they were brought back to the Exchange Center. ¡°I¡¯ll come back later!¡± ¡°Fine. Make sure to think about what you¡¯d like to purchase in the meantime!¡± After hearing Ellen¡¯s parting words, Merlin rushed upstairs to purchase about five to six Gate Rings before leaving the Exchange Center and Starting altogether. Merlin wanted to go straight to the Holy Shrine from Starting, but since the Gate Ring recorded the coordinates of the last city the user had visited, he had to first move outside the city limits. ¡°Ugh, so cumbersome. I¡¯ll need to learn teleportation or something.¡± For someone who couldn¡¯t even do the basics of coordinate mapping and calculations, Merlin was unlikely to learn teleportation, as it was often called the pinnacle spell of coordinate mapping. And so, as he grumbled, Merlin sprinted away. CH 146 *** Awakening *** Whoosh! Bam! A small rocky island could be seen in the sea, surrounded by gentle waves. The island looked to be in a precarious situation, as if it might sink at any moment, but a man in his early twenties was lying on it. Snore¡­. He was sleeping and snoring softly. It looked like he was taking a break, but in reality, he had been in this same position for half a year. His only job was to sleep, and he spent every hour of the day doing so. ¡°¡­ Ugh.¡± Yet, at that moment, he opened his eyes. It had been almost a month since he last did this. ¡°Those guys finally unlocked the seal on science. Well, they¡¯ve already unlocked the seal on martial arts and magic, so I guess it could be seen as just another unlocking.¡± However, the meaning of this unlocking was completely different. Humans had lived their lives with little exposure to martial arts or magic, so no matter how high their achievements were, they would inevitably think of these fields¡¯ principles as dream-like existences. It wasn¡¯t that these topics didn¡¯t affect reality, but they were minor changes and alterations at best. ¡°Science is different, though. Even if the human civilization isn¡¯t as advanced, humans are not anchored to a defined level, so it¡¯s quite possible that they¡¯d steal that place¡¯s technology.¡± Of course, some measures had been taken to prevent the spread of ¡®Over Technology,¡¯ but if someone truly wanted to stop anything from being leaked, a gap wouldn¡¯t have been created. Since a gap existed, it would only be a matter of time before the tech reached the human¡¯s real world. ¡°This clearly goes against the Union¡¯s Law. Damn those Noblesse.¡± Noblesse was one of the pillars of the Union, which was formed by all the forces of the physical world, and they were often called [Noble Blood]. As soon as they came into existence, these beings were promised the status of transcendence, so they essentially developed into gods just by aging. Moreover, some were even born as low-level or above-godly beings. It was only natural that these Noblesse held the greatest influence in the Union, which didn¡¯t have many transcendents. The Union Law was created to unite and maintain numerous forces in the universe. It was acclaimed for being strictly adhered to, but the Noblesse could create some gaps. ¡°¡­ In the end, they¡¯re making me take action.¡± Manbo¡¯s ID description stated [Dreamer], and he¡¯d been given the master title of [Sleep Master] after sleeping for an absurd length of time. He slowly lifted his body. Though it was likely that no one would notice, getting up was something he hadn¡¯t done for nearly six months. ¡°If possible, I didn¡¯t want to do anything.¡± Alas, it couldn¡¯t be helped. To start, he was sent to this place to ¡®keep watch¡¯ of the Noblesses¡¯ actions, so he couldn¡¯t cast his responsibilities aside. Even though he was highly annoyed, he had to move. ¡°There are probably others here and there as well¡­ ugh, why does it have to be me?¡± Whoosh. The space around him began to distort. And slowly, his figure disappeared. ¡°I have to file a report.¡± *** Due to the dark clouds, the Tower of Truth illuminated the previously-dim area around the Holy Shrine with its bright light. This luminance wasn¡¯t from anywhere specific, as the gigantic tower made of crystal gleamed with an intense white luster. As mana circulated the huge tower, which was easily several kilometers tall, a tremendous resonance of mana occurred within it. It seemed like something was being sent down the tower from the sky. ¡°Is this what Quiet Heaven meant when he mentioned that the atmosphere was a bit weird? It looks kind of cool.¡± Click! Click! Merlin called out his camera and took a screenshot of the scene. This view was something that anyone would want to save, even those who didn¡¯t like to take screenshots. However, as Merlin was doing this, he suddenly stopped. Woong. From the top of the Tower of Truth, something heavy fell. ¡°Shoot, did the Great Will arrive?¡± Merlin recalled his camera and entered the Tower of Truth. Fortunately, the doors weren¡¯t closed, so he could go in quickly. ¡°You¡¯re too late, idiot master.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did something happen?¡± Merlin cast a quizzical look at Quiet Heaven once he saw its stern expression. Merlin looked around and saw that all the other representatives were seated, including Miho. Outside of the light continuously leaking from the ceiling, the hall hadn¡¯t changed much since Merlin left for Dynamic Island. ¡®No, wait. Something feels different¡­.¡¯ At that moment, Merlin felt a sharp killing intent, as if he was walking atop a knife¡¯s blade. When he turned his head to look at the gathered representatives, he could tell that they were looking at each other with vigilant expressions. ¡°¡­ What¡¯s going on?¡± Even Merlin knew that raising his voice in this setting wasn¡¯t appropriate, so he spoke to Quiet Heaven in their spiritual channel. Quiet Heaven answered. ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly. The atmosphere has been tense ever since that light came down from the ceiling. It seemed as if everyone wanted to fight- no, wanted to kill each other, but nothing actually happened.¡± Quiet Heaven was stressed because he had been exposed to the overwhelming killing intent for a prolonged period. Furthermore, the light pouring from the ceiling confused Quiet Heaven, regardless of its extensive training in the mental Dao arts. Users were equipped with a default mind protection system, so they wouldn¡¯t be affected by the light, but other beings would be in a different situation. ¡®It¡¯s fortunate that the representatives here are relatively strong and have built a firm sense of self-discipline¡­.¡¯ Yet, at that moment, a loud noise erupted from one corner of the hall. Bang! The Great Darkness collided with the light. It was a clash of demonic and heavenly power, coming from a mid-rank demon and a winged Dominion angel. The two had been maintaining a state of elevated tension ever since they stepped foot on Moby Dick. These two members had the most formidable fighting power amongst the representatives, and when they collided, everyone else flinched. However, soon, all the representatives started taking battle stances. ¡°Ack! What the hell is going on?¡± ¡°Watch out, master!¡± Suddenly, Red Blood, the lion with bright red fur, rushed toward Merlin with a crimson aura enveloping him. Although he was from the Senior Remote Islands, where its inhabitants were renowned for their well-honed mental Dao prowess, his eyes were full of madness and absent of any consciousness. Bam! Merlin couldn¡¯t just sit around and watch, so he amplified ten years of internal energy into 80 years and met Red Blood¡¯s attack straight on. Merlin¡¯s powerful attack instantly broke Red Blood¡¯s arm and made it sink lifelessly down to his ribs. In terms of the strength and power behind a single blow, no one present could match Merlin. ¡°Miho!¡± Merlin hurriedly backed away and looked over at Miho. She, too, had lost her mind and was clashing with the Avian species¡¯ representatives. Miho¡¯s fox fire and the latter¡¯s signature wind attacks clashed violently against each other. ¡°A little monster bitch!¡± ¡°Shut up, bird head!¡± Miho shouted fiercely and confronted the opposing representative head-on, but she was pushed back due to her lower overall power level. The average level of the representatives was Level 8, so Miho was at a disadvantage, having started this expedition at Level 7. Of course, she entered the Tower of Truth and attained Level 8, but the other representatives had also improved. Ting! Soon, her eyes flashed red. Whoosh! ¡°Ugh?!¡± In an instant, a scathing flame erupted from the Avian¡¯s neck and set its head on fire. It was a surprise attack that wasn¡¯t based on fire magic or monster qi, so the Avian representative was essentially defenseless. ¡®Ignite ability?¡¯ Merlin was startled by Miho¡¯s ability, which he had never seen before, but he soon realized that it was the effect of Miho¡¯s newly attained Extreme Vision. It seemed that this ability allowed her to create super-hot flames on a visible target; however, at this moment, this wasn¡¯t an important detail to mull over, so Merlin quickly moved and grabbed Miho¡¯s arm. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous here, so let¡¯s go out. This place is a mess¡­.¡± ¡°Kyak!¡± Miho ferociously screamed and scratched Merlin¡¯s arm. Shining, which possessed an auto-defense order from Merlin, took on the brunt of Miho¡¯s attack, but since it contained a considerable amount of monster qi, Merlin couldn¡¯t entirely escape injury, and blood spattered everywhere. ¡°Miho!¡± Since his attacker wasn¡¯t an enemy, Merlin suffered quite a deep wound, as he failed to put up a proper defense. If it weren¡¯t for Shining, his arm would have been cut clean off. If he had sustained such an injury in real life, Merlin would have lost consciousness from the considerable pain that followed. However, since this was DIO, Merlin transformed Younghwi into a thin gauze to wrap around his injured arm before grabbing Miho¡¯s two hands tightly and pulling her back. Miho writhed and resisted, but it was impossible for her to overcome Merlin¡¯s superior physical ability. ¡°Get yourself together, you idiot! Are you going to die like this?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Fortunately, at that moment, Miho¡¯s eyes regained focus. In a stroke of luck, Miho hadn¡¯t fallen into total madness and lost her consciousness entirely, so Merlin didn¡¯t have to subdue her forcefully. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°M-Merlin! You¡¯re bleeding!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, so just stay still. Something weird has happened to all these representatives.¡± ¡°Master, leave this place as soon as possible! It¡¯s dangerous here!¡± Quiet Heaven reinforced his mental Dao faculties to try and understand the representatives¡¯ situation, as they were on the verge of completely losing their minds. However, Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t make any sense of it. ¡®What¡¯s the purpose? What conclusion or result is this leading towards?¡¯ When Quiet Heaven had thought this, the light shining down from the ceiling became stronger. Woong! With a loud and deep resounding sound, a vast pillar of light came down onto the center of the hall. It was a dimensional door that connected this dimension with another! Immediately, every representative stopped moving and looked toward the entrance. ¡°Oh, our Great Will!¡± ¡°Great Will!¡± Soon, the representatives started getting on their knees. As he had done before, Merlin didn¡¯t get on his knees. Previously, Miho had pinched his side and forced him to kneel, but this time was different. As if mesmerized, Miho stared at the light while kneeling. ¡°Ugh¡­.¡± Merlin was the only individual standing, and he started teetering. A tremendous spiritual force started pressing down on his body. Merlin could overcome most forms of spiritual qi by reading their flow and adjusting his body accordingly, but he couldn¡¯t resist this brute force spiritual qi. Whoosh! Then, it appeared. It was a colossal, shining, golden dragon. ¡°A Gold Dragon¡­.¡± The dragon looked like a traditional Asian dragon. It didn¡¯t possess wings, yet it was able to slither across the air easily. It soon looked down at the kneeling representatives and Merlin as it continued to project its absurdly powerful oppressive aura. ¡®Something¡­ seems off.¡¯ However, at that moment, Merlin was thinking about something else entirely. He sensed something peculiar about the dragon¡¯s aura. If it were his first time coming across a dragon, Merlin would have thought that this was a dragon¡¯s typical aura, but Merlin had already experienced Seadragon Zygmunt¡¯s aura in a dungeon located 1,000 meters below the ocean¡¯s surface. Merlin had also experienced Red Dragon Igniz¡¯s aura during the end of the beta test when she attacked, as well as the White Divine Celestial Dragon Thousand Scent¡¯s aura, a dragon that was approachable for all users. Among those three, the Red Dragon¡¯s aura was the weakest, but all three were transcendent beings that possessed incredible strength and transcended the world¡¯s rules and laws. Though Merlin¡¯s vision was discerning and developed, he didn¡¯t compare to the aforementioned dragons, which were not only powerful but also had true comprehension and intelligence to match. When Merlin stood before those beings, he felt an utter sense of loss and weakness. ¡®This feels different, though. The dragon before me just seems like an overinflated balloon.¡¯ While the Gold Dragon exuded an incredible and overwhelming sense of power, Merlin couldn¡¯t sense a type of ¡®class¡¯ or ¡®exceptionalism¡¯ from it. It felt as though the aura was just a combination of various strong auras hurriedly slapped together; the overall power of the aura was significant, but it was only that, large. ¡°Raise your heads.¡± The Gold Dragon¡¯s words rang in everyone¡¯s minds. The tone of the dragon¡¯s voice was firm and oppressive. ¡°Oh, Great Will¡­.¡± ¡°Great Will¡­.¡± ¡®They were fighting like headless chickens just moments ago, but now they¡¯re bowing their heads in unison¡­ Even if that dragon is the god they serve, this type of behavior is odd.¡¯ Merlin was the only one standing among the representatives, who were now all bowing their heads. As a user, Merlin didn¡¯t care about his opponent¡¯s position or standing. Whether it be a noble, a king, an emperor, or a god, there was no reason for Merlin to bow his head to anyone. Even as he stood before this Gold Dragon, Sungmuk, or Zygmunt, Merlin didn¡¯t feel that any of these beings were ¡®real.¡¯ For whatever reason, the Gold Dragon continued talking without showing any reaction to the still-standing Merlin. It seemed as though it had no intention of interfering with him. ¡°The day of judgment is coming. This has been planned since the creation of this world and has been progressing until now.¡± A tremendous amount of spiritual power emanated outward. Furthermore, this spiritual power was only from the Gold Dragon¡¯s ¡®words,¡¯ and as he saw this, Merlin understood something. ¡®If someone puts this much spiritual power into their words, it will definitely have an effect. Either the power of the word will do something directly¡­ or all living things within a thousand kilometers will hear it.'' And, as Merlin guessed, the Gold Dragon was aiming for the latter effect. It was likely that its voice would reach even the most distant of the six massive islands. It probably wouldn¡¯t get as far as the much-further Dynamic Island; however, exerting so much power into one¡¯s words and disseminating it to such an extent without any magic proved the greatness of the spiritual power contained within words. Anyway, the Gold Dragon continued speaking. It radiated a noble gold color and a mysterious aura, but its eyes glistened with a blood-red light. It was obviously a strange look, but none of the representatives pointed this discrepancy out. Although, they didn¡¯t seem to be of sound mind in the first place. ¡°The Sea of Chaos has been opened. Across the Sea of Chaos, there are those who call themselves ¡®passengers,¡¯ and these passengers do not align with our providence. These passengers are gathering to invade our land.¡± ¡°Oh, Great Will, what shall we do?¡± ¡°Do not fret. They are evil, but you will open a path for them to the Peach Blossom Spring.¡± As he heard the Gold Dragon¡¯s gentle voice, Merlin felt anxious and nervous. Despite the Gold Dragon¡¯s divine aura, the smell of blood wafted from it. And, as if to justify Merlin¡¯s troubled feelings, the Gold Dragon started saying some unusual, nonsensical words. ¡°Fight.¡± The dragon¡¯s eyes twinkled. As the representatives looked at it with entranced gazes, the Gold Dragon spoke to them and everyone else on the continent, ¡°When the blood of the last passenger spills onto the ground, only the species that killed the most passengers will feel the joy of eternity by my side.¡± Flash! Then, with a flash of dazzling light, the Gold Dragon¡¯s figure disappeared. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± With this, the surroundings became quiet. The silence was so suffocating that even the sound of a single hair falling would probably resonate, but soon, the representatives all looked toward one place. ¡°Passenger¡­.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. That¡¯s a passenger. Is this a sense given to us by the Great Will?¡± ¡°Ha¡­ haha¡­?¡± Merlin broke out into a cold sweat. The representatives¡¯ killing intent, which had been scattered all over the place, was now focusing on him. ¡°W-wait!¡± However, at that moment, Miho stood and spoke to the other representatives. ¡°What is it, fox monster?¡± ¡°Wait a minute. I think there¡¯s been a misunderstanding. Merlin is my accompanying traveler. He doesn¡¯t have any intent in hurting any of us¡­.¡± Miho tried to calm the crowd down, but it wasn¡¯t working in the slightest. ¡°She¡¯s already gone to the other side! Traitor!¡± The Avian species¡¯ representative shouted, being the one who sustained critical damage from Miho¡¯s fox fire. Afterward, killing intent started focusing on Merlin and Miho. ¡°Stand back!¡± Bam! As Merlin retreated and pulled Miho away, black darkness struck the floor like a whip where they were previously standing. If they were even a little late, Miho¡¯s body would have been destroyed. The attacker was the mid-rank demon who had been fighting the Celestial moments ago. ¡°Master, the atmosphere is not good.¡± ¡°¡­ I see that.¡± Merlin let go of Miho and looked around. In the blink of an eye, he was surrounded by the representatives. It would have been better if he had run away from the beginning, but Merlin had dashed forward to rescue Miho, so they were now surrounded. ¡°Hehehe! Peach Blossom Spring¡­ I don¡¯t prefer it, but I don¡¯t hate fighting, either. You¡¯ll have to die here, passenger.¡± Merlin shuddered after feeling the overwhelming killing intent focused on him. Of course, if push came to shove, Merlin could deal with a mid-rank demon, as he¡¯d already defeated one in the event¡¯s assessment test. Yet, as Quiet Heaven mentioned, the atmosphere was not good. The enemy wasn¡¯t a single mid-rank demon. Moreover, even a mid-rank demon wasn¡¯t an enemy that Merlin could treat with ease. Zip. However, at that moment, a four-winged Celestial angel blocked the mid-rank demon. Of course, this wasn¡¯t done to protect Merlin. CH 147 ¡°Ha, so laughable. Who put you in charge? I¡¯m going to be the one that kills him.¡± ¡°Hehehe. You¡¯ve lost your marbles, haven¡¯t you? Do you want to die?¡± Killing intent started emanating outward. However, it didn¡¯t end there. Boom! Light and darkness collided as they started fighting while leaving Merlin alone. It seemed their relationship was beyond reconcilable. ¡°Run!¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± Merlin grabbed Miho¡¯s arm and started running. Seeing this, a Drakan, a species related to the dragons, rushed to stop Merlin. Bam! Like a lightning bolt, Merlin shot out from the Tower of Truth¡¯s main hall and escaped with Miho in tow. Of course, in a one-on-one situation, none of the representatives presented a problem for him, but if they worked together, Miho and Merlin¡¯s circumstances would quickly deteriorate. Moreover, Merlin used the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, which specialized in short-term burst attacks. Any prolonged exchange would be troublesome. And with the representatives being around Level 9 to 11 on average, it wouldn¡¯t be smart to try and fight such a large group of higher-level beings. Boom, Boom, Boom! Once Merlin escaped the Tower of Truth¡¯s main hall, he looked down at the Holy Shrine land. As far as the eye could see, ferocious clashes were occurring between thousands of military units. ¡°Unit 1, attack! Kill that isn¡¯t human!¡± ¡°Reclaim the Holy Shrine lands! We, the fairies, will be the ones who enter the garden!¡± ¡°Idiots! It seems like you¡¯ll all have to be beaten into thinking straight!¡± Boom! Boom! Clang! Clang! The fighting was fierce. Everyone was acting in hopes of eliminating the opponent. The battles in popular movies couldn¡¯t even come close to the blood splattering and wretched screaming here. Moreover, beneath the Noise Belt, spilled blood didn¡¯t convert to black smoke, so the scene was gruesome and inappropriate for younger audiences. ¡°Dang, did everyone go crazy?¡± ¡°It seems different, master. The Gold Dragon¡¯s [Order] didn¡¯t seem to want this course of action.¡± ¡°You saw what happened in there¡­ everyone lost their minds, even Miho.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because the representatives were too close to the Great Will or whatever it was. Just like how Miho regained her consciousness, they should return to normal once some time passes. Of course, their new normal will become something completely different from now on.¡± As it sat atop Merlin¡¯s head, Quiet Heaven observed their surroundings. Thousands of guards and military soldiers looked warily at them and emanated fighting spirit, but they weren¡¯t looking at Merlin with crazed eyes like the representatives within the Tower of Truth. Yet, it was more dangerous and difficult to fight someone if they were cool-headed than if they¡¯d lost their minds. There were three main militaries squaring off. On the right were the dwarves and gnomes or the dwarven faction. Their total numbers were around 1,000, and surprisingly, they were using heavy weaponry like assault rifles and bazookas. Also, there were tanks in between the smaller platoons. Miho groaned when she saw this. ¡°The Iron Duchy¡¯s Steel Cross Division¡­.¡± In contrast to the dwarfs, the left flatlands was where a group of around 1,000 fairies was located. The fairy faction was comprised of fairies, elves, and Treants. The elves peppered the enemies with their bows and arrows while the Treants stood between the platoon of elves. ¡°Arthia¡¯s Black Forest Division!¡± Hundreds of knights in full plate mail and thousands of soldiers were sandwiched between these two factions, and they were being attacked from both sides. Countless soldiers rushed at their enemies with fervor and frenetic drive. ¡°Idea Duchy¡¯s Special 102 Forces? And they¡¯re accompanied by the holy knights!¡± ¡°Do you know all these guys?¡± ¡°They¡¯re the ones who are responsible for protecting the Holy Shrine, but this fight is unfair. Those from the Phantom Monster Magic Islands are at a disadvantage since we live so far from here!¡± Watching Miho grind her teeth and complain, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but exclaim. ¡°Do you think occupying the Holy Shrine is the main issue right now?¡± ¡°Of course! Didn¡¯t you hear what the Great Will said?¡± ¡°Do you mean when the Great Will mentioned ¡®fight¡¯? Do we really need to follow the Great Will¡¯s word?¡± The Great Will stated that they should fight, and the species that killed the most passengers would be rewarded a seat next to the Great Will and be happy for all eternity. This statement didn¡¯t mean that passengers were the only ones that needed to die; it merely stated that the ¡®species¡¯ who killed the most passengers could enter the Peach Blossom Spring. In other words, they were not restricted from killing each other. This was why fighting broke out between the fairy, dwarf, and human factions. However, Miho shook her head. ¡°If we must fight each other, then it can¡¯t be helped. The Great Will mentioned opening a path to the Peach Blossom Spring¡­ the Peach Blossom Spring!¡± ¡°The Peach Blossom Spring? Wait, are your lives so bad that you guys need to fight tooth and nail for something? What is this Peach Blossom Spring? Isn¡¯t it that you guys just want to fight each other?¡± Of course, Merlin knew what the Peach Blossom Spring represented. It was heaven, an ethereal garden, or some such holy land that was the goal for those who believed in a religion. What surprised Merlin was that Miho was willing to risk her life to access the Peach Blossom Spring. In Merlin¡¯s eyes, those who lived in the New Continent didn¡¯t seem as if they had terrible or pain-filled lives. Generally, weren¡¯t those who pursued the concept of heaven typically suffering? When she heard Merlin¡¯s question, Miho answered. ¡°I-it¡¯s not like I want to fight. I don¡¯t even know what type of place the Peach Blossom Spring is.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know. Yet, for whatever reason, I must go there.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Merlin let out a frustrated sigh. Her words didn¡¯t make any sense. However, it didn¡¯t even seem like Miho knew what she was talking about. Among the three, Quiet Heaven was the only one who could parse together what was truly occurring. ¡®I know where the Peach Blossom Spring that they speak of is¡­ Isn¡¯t this a bit harsh? Even if they have committed many [Sins]¡­.¡¯ However, Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t continue its thoughts. The Idea Duchy¡¯s Special 102 Force and the holy knights had surrounded the Tower of Truth. ¡°Master, log out. Wait, in a minute, this whole place will be filled with enemies, so maybe logging out here isn¡¯t a good idea. Use your Gate Ring to escape.¡± Quiet Heaven¡¯s words made sense, but Merlin shook his head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Do you think that¡¯s a force you can fight? This isn¡¯t the time to gain EXP points!¡± ¡°I, too, am not willing to risk my life for EXP points, but if I return right now, what¡¯ll happen to Miho?¡± ¡°That¡­.¡± Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t offer a response, and it wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t know the answer. ¡®Obviously, she¡¯ll die.¡¯ This was the clear result. They were currently standing in the middle of the New Continent. In the land where the human, fairy, and dwarf factions ruled, monsters wouldn¡¯t stand a chance. Additionally, with the Great Will¡¯s [Order], every species would now become confrontational with the others. From now on, if someone saw a member of a different species, they would try to kill them on sight. As such, since Miho was the only member of her species here, it was impossible for her to survive. Boom! Some holy knights broke away from the main group and headed toward the Tower of Truth. When Merlin looked back, he saw that the commotion within the main hall had calmed down. It seemed the representatives were preparing to leave the main hall at any moment. ¡°Let¡¯s make a run for it, Miho!¡± ¡°O-okay!¡± ¡°Quiet Heaven, do some recon from the sky!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Quiet Heaven took off from Merlin¡¯s head as Merlin and Miho started running. Merlin estimated that they¡¯d barely be able to escape the incoming forces, but this estimate neglected the holy knights¡¯ abilities and skills. ¡°Throw your javelins at them!¡± Whoosh! Whoosh! Tens of javelins flew into the air towards Merlin and Miho. These projectiles were quick, but more importantly, they were thrown with spacing between their intended targets, like individual points on a go board. Hence, there was no space to dodge. Clang! Merlin¡¯s two spirits, Younghwi and Shining, deflected two javelins, while Merlin deflected four with his bare hands. With this, Merlin secured a safe space for them. ¡°Attack! Rush at them!¡± However, by the time this happened, the holy knights had moved at incredible speeds to stand right before him. From this fact alone, Merlin could tell that the horses the knights rode weren¡¯t ordinary beasts. Crack! With a thick thud, the forefront knight and horse were tossed into the air. Considering the weight of the horse and knight¡¯s plate-mail and the speed of their charge, it was an unbelievable sight. The physical force had to be equal to a modern-day 15-ton dump track slamming into something, and that was a conservative estimate! However, this was the essential power that could be brought about by the Great Strength Vajra Hand, which was said to be capable of pushing 10,000 boulders. ¡°You little!¡± However, the knights weren¡¯t giving up so easily. A divine aura glowed on one of the holy knight¡¯s long spears before the spear elongated toward Merlin. Bam! ¡°Ack?!¡± Merlin was retreating when he sustained considerable injury from the attack and was pushed back. Then, there was another blow! ¡°Stop!¡± ¡°Ugh! What?¡± Boom! Something unexpected happened. The knight¡¯s long spear, which was making its way down to strike Merlin¡¯s head, suddenly turned and hit a fellow knight. Miho had used Magic Eye to control the knight¡¯s body, causing a hexagonal magic circle to appear in her eyes. In addition, she also took control of the knight¡¯s horse so that it stopped moving. Fortunately, when she understood Extreme Vision, her Magic Eye had also improved; her Magic Eye was now at a level that no one present could resist. ¡°Let¡¯s make our way around the Tower of Truth to the right! There¡¯s a forest behind the tower, and there aren¡¯t any enemy forces present there!¡± ¡°What? That¡¯s too far!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no other way! The enemy forces are closing in fast!¡± Merlin continued to run while responding to Quiet Heaven¡¯s words in their spirit channel. There was no other option. So, as Miho delayed the knights¡¯ advances and remained beside him, Merlin had to speed up. Yet, he wasn¡¯t facing the knights alone. ¡°Fire!¡± Bam! Bam! Bam! ¡°Dang it! We have knights chasing us on one side and dwarves shooting assault rifles on the other!¡± Merlin placed Younghwi and Shining into a V-shape barrier in front of him to take on the rifle rounds. Since both his Wicalein Rings had risen to Rank 4, the spirits could easily block rifle rounds, and if need be, they could even endure high-caliber sniper rifle rounds. Bam! However, whenever the bullets struck Younghwi or Shining, the spirits screamed. This meant that they were not being shot with standard bullets. Each one was imbued with magic power, so they were a sort of magic bullet. ¡°The situation is not looking good! Is there any way for you to block those guys up ahead?¡± Merlin yelled as he took out an external gold core and absorbed it. Merlin¡¯s martial arts direction and specialization didn¡¯t mesh well with prolonged battles. Furthermore, Merlin¡¯s lightness skill wasn¡¯t anything special, so he didn¡¯t have a way to get close to the attackers. As a result, he needed to use a ranged attack. Of course, Merlin also knew how to use Magic Eye, but unlike Miho, he never mastered using it on a group of enemies, which was why he called for her assistance. Bam! Yet, before anything else happened, two lengthened long spears broke through Merlin¡¯s spirit barrier and struck his weak points. ¡°Merlin?!¡± Miho screamed as she fended off their pursuers with a type of fire attack that she¡¯d gained after understanding Extreme Vision. Merlin opened his mouth to say he was fine, but all that came out was a mouthful of blood. ¡®Ugh. The blood spilled here isn¡¯t a mist or smoke but a liquid. It¡¯s making it hard to speak.¡¯ Merlin had taken critical damage; his life was in danger. However, like all other users, Merlin didn¡¯t fear death, as he could revive and come back later. Furthermore, Merlin had already experienced death before. Of course, if he died, Merlin would have his max stat capacity permanently lowered, but he did not fear that possibility. For users, death was an ¡®annoyance,¡¯ not something to ¡®fear.¡¯ Rumble. As he collapsed to the ground, Merlin looked up at the sky. It was filled with dark clouds to the point where the moon couldn¡¯t be seen. He also heard thunder rolling in. ¡®It looks like it¡¯ll rain soon.¡¯ With this carefree thought, Merlin closed his eyes. However, right at that moment, someone violently grabbed ahold of his body and shook him. ¡°N-no! Merlin! Merlin!¡± Miho screamed and cried as she shook Merlin¡¯s body. Bullets were whizzing above them, and the cacophony of the battle¡¯s sounds filled the air, but Miho didn¡¯t pay any attention to these things. She shed a deluge of tears, and her expression¡­ wasn¡¯t something that Merlin had ever seen on her before. When he saw her like this, Merlin felt himself instantly regaining consciousness. ¡®I can¡¯t die. If I die like this, Miho will also perish.¡¯ Users were immortal beings; they were existences that could die an innumerable number of times, revive, and come back to life. This didn¡¯t just apply to users. The unique monsters in Dynamic Island also revived, which was why Sword Sovereign Sungmuk could return after some training and launch an attack on Starting. Yet, the monsters that lived below the Noise Belt couldn¡¯t revive. If they died, they died, full stop. There was no way to bring them back to life. CH 148 ¡®I need to get up¡­.¡¯ However, Merlin¡¯s body wasn¡¯t responding. His vision was also blurry, so he couldn¡¯t see much. He felt as if he was thrashing around blindly after being thrown into a pool of water. ¡®Woah! Is all of this my blood?¡¯ Having spent most of his time on Dynamic Island, Merlin was used to seeing blood in a gaseous state rather than as a liquid, so seeing such a vast pool of blood was a new experience. He couldn¡¯t believe his inability to move was from his blood loss. Moreover, he was surprised at how much blood surrounded him, as he didn¡¯t think it could all belong to only one person. ¡°Phew¡­ phew¡­ if I don¡¯t get up, then¡­ hmm?¡± However, at that moment, Merlin realized that he had somewhat recovered. His vision slowly returned, and he could move parts of his body. ¡®By the way, why is it so quiet?¡¯ Something strange was occurring. His enemies had been attacking him and Miho relentlessly as they ran away; they wouldn¡¯t have just stopped after seeing him fall. In fact, it should¡¯ve taken them less than a minute to dispatch Miho and himself once he collapsed. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Mi¡­ho?¡± It took Merlin a moment to recognize the speaker, as Miho had changed her physical appearance. For whatever reason, she took on the image of a late teenage high schooler. ¡°Ugh! How could Magic Eye¡­.¡± ¡°You monster bitch!¡± The holy knights and Steel Cross Division soldiers, all of whom had their physical bodies hijacked by Miho, gritted their teeth as they glared at Merlin and Miho. However, as if it didn¡¯t matter what was happening around them, Miho continued to look down at Merlin before smiling. ¡°Great, I thought something bad happened to you.¡± Her smile was dazzling. The monster qi surrounding her seemed to have doubled, and Merlin saw seven tails gently swaying from side to side behind her. ¡°You¡­.¡± ¡°What? Now that you see my true form, are you falling head over heels for me?¡± With an alluring smile, Miho helped Merlin get up. Whether it be from her treatment or some other reason, Merlin felt that his body had nearly returned to normal. Although he wasn¡¯t in the best shape, he had no trouble moving around. ¡°You¡¯ve acquired your seventh tail?¡± ¡°Yeah! I¡¯ve also opened my Jeweled Magic Eye. The only being that can rival me on Phantom Monster Magic Island is probably Ms. Heavenly Flower alone.¡± After stating this, Miho turned her head towards the holy knights and soldiers staring daggers at her. Of course, Miho couldn¡¯t have done this if the entirety of their enemies were present; these were only a part of the holy knight and Steel Cross Division¡¯s total forces. The main armies were still fighting the dwarf and fairy factions. Moreover, the holy knights and Steel Cross soldiers weren¡¯t exactly on the same side, so there was a lull in the battle. ¡°¡­¡± However, Merlin couldn¡¯t rejoice. Without even saying any congratulatory remarks, Merlin continued to stare at Miho. Yet, she didn¡¯t seem to notice Merlin¡¯s burning stare and continued to speak. ¡°I¡¯ll hold these guys off, so activate the skill you used before to leave.¡± ¡°Miho.¡± Merlin called out to her, but she continued speaking as if she didn¡¯t hear. ¡°I can escape by myself. Right now, you¡¯re akin to extra baggage, so don¡¯t worry and-¡± ¡°Miho!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s meet at the northern shore. Alright?¡± ¡°You foolhardy girl¡­.¡± Merlin stood and hugged Miho. Though she had grown, she still fit like a glove in his arms. Miho started grumbling and complaining. ¡°Damned Enhanced Eyesight. It seems my fox species¡¯ illusion magic doesn¡¯t work on you anymore.¡± Miho¡¯s illusion shattered, and her appearance suddenly changed. She was still in a matured state, had seven tails, and possessed the Jeweled Magic Eye. However, she wasn¡¯t doing well. Miho¡¯s body was riddled with long spears, and blood was dripping down from every injury. She had lost her right eye, so she could only see through one eye. In terms of modern medicine and even magic, it was impossible to go back to normal after sustaining this wound. Furthermore, and probably most important, her genuine qi levels had dropped considerably. ¡®Is it because she took on her Seven-Tailed Fox appearance?¡¯ Merlin used Enhanced Eyesight to read Miho¡¯s spiritual qi and concluded that she¡¯d overused her monster power, leading to her inability to recover genuine qi. She could maintain her current form through sheer will, but even that was quickly slipping from her grasp. If things didn¡¯t change, her spiritual pattern structure would collapse in about five minutes. ¡°Oof.¡± Unable to hold back any longer, Miho vomited blood. Her spiritual state of being was at a critical level, but her physical body wasn¡¯t much better. Her 165-centimeter and 50-kilogram frame had been struck by multiple bullets and spears. Additionally, her right eye, which was where she gathered her monster qi, had been blown off, putting her in a precarious and vulnerable position. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me¡­ take care of yourself. Ha¡­ha¡­ I-I used a treatment spell on you, but that only blocked further bleeding. Your insides are a mess. You must be in a lot of pain.¡± Merlin gritted his teeth. Obviously, he didn¡¯t feel any pain; DIO¡¯s pain control system, which was provided to safeguard users from the mental effects of pain, made sure of this. ¡°Hey, dummy, are you really in a position to worry about me?¡± However, at this moment, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but resent the pain control system. With its effects, he couldn¡¯t share Miho¡¯s pain. ¡®If only I could use teleportation¡­.¡¯ The thought popped into Merlin¡¯s mind. If he could use teleportation, he wouldn¡¯t have been forced into this position. He could have sent Miho back to Phantom Monster Magic Island before escaping. However, Merlin couldn¡¯t use teleportation. Even though he absolutely needed the spell, he could not cast it. "Shut it. Common fields of study should be easier than arithmetic for people like you and me. It should be akin to breathing, but you''re saying that math is difficult. You''re not saying that it''s annoying, but that you detest it. Essentially, even in a life-or-death situation, you''re telling me that you still won''t be able to do it, right?" Merlin gritted his teeth. If he had time, he could help Miho regain her genuine qi. If he only had time¡­. ¡®If I have time?¡¯ A realization flashed like lightning through Merlin¡¯s mind. ¡°¡­ Hey, Miho. Release your Magic Eye.¡± ¡°What? Then we¡¯ll both be killed. Don¡¯t you see those guys eyeing us over there?¡± ¡°One second. Gear 4.¡± When Merlin summoned his Mithril Bow, he took out a green emerald from his inventory. With no time to waste, he activated and operated the magic power within the gem. Woong! The jewels that Merlin made weren¡¯t useable by anyone other than him. This was because they each contained an immense amount of unstable magic power. Activating the jewels started with the delicate process of combining his genuine qi with magic power to create an elaborate effect, and even the slightest mistake would cause a fatal explosion. Like a precision machine that couldn¡¯t even move 0.0001mm out of line, Merlin had to exhibit perfect control over the magic power in the jewel to operate it properly. Additionally, Merlin¡¯s jewel only possessed unstable magic power. If this magic power were standard, then others could manipulate the jewel. Yet, Merlin had cast a spell on the jewel, so it wouldn¡¯t properly function unless specific steps were followed to the letter. His jewel wasn¡¯t a user-friendly item that could be used if it were cracked or broken into; actually, this would almost certainly create a chaotic explosion. For mages who always maintained stability over their magic power, a magic stone that required nearly the complete opposite would be impossible to manage. ¡®If that weren¡¯t the case, I would have sold these.¡¯ Whoosh! With a crackling sound, the jewel started crumbling as the magic power within wriggled chaotically. Since Merlin had used this Howling Spell twice already, he knew how to safely unleash the force contained inside. ¡°W-what is up with this magic power? What are you doing?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t focus on anything else! Just release your Magic Eye when I tell you! We need to get you treated as soon as possible!¡± ¡°Wait, don¡¯t speak nonsense! I¡¯m untreatable! You can use Enhanced Eyesight, but you don¡¯t understand this fact?!¡± Miho screamed, but Merlin continued to draw his Mithril Bow¡¯s bowstring. He was targeting a point in the sky. Creak. Merlin used his magic power to create a defensive barrier. Obviously, this was to protect Miho and himself from any damage during the fallout. Bam! Merlin¡¯s arrow flew high into the sky at a 90-degree vertical angle. As it soared upwards, Merlin looked at the arrow, which would have fallen back on him if there had been no wind. ¡°Go.¡± Merlin released the spell with the ignition word. /Sky Island of Ouranus/ Crack! Crack! ¡°What the hell! What is that?!¡± The arrow continued rising and grew in size. At some point, the projectile had developed into a boulder-like shape with a diameter of 500-meters. Of course, the sudden appearance of a small floating island wasn¡¯t threatening to the onlookers, as they just felt that they were seeing some sort of weird spectacle. However, a massive amount of pressure then landed on everyone. Boom! ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Ack?!¡± In a radius of 500 meters, which contained the human and fairy factions, all beings felt tremendous pressure pushing down on them. In addition, all of the enemies surrounding Miho and Merlin were also within this range. ¡°Ack! What is this? How can such an insignificant being use a spell like that!¡± ¡°Ugh! Darian, my god!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± The fairies raised their magic power while the humans summoned their internal energy and divine power to confront the downward pressure. They were able to escape death, but they were rendered immobile. For the sky island to remain floating, it was exhibiting enormous gravitational force, which worked out to be around five tons of force on each being. The ground was forcefully compacted, and those at Level 6 or higher were crumpling to the ground. ¡°M-Merlin? That spell¡­.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t last long, so wait a moment.¡± As he said this, Merlin grabbed Miho¡¯s hand and circulated his genuine qi using the Golden Pill Immortal Technique before imbuing it into her. Woong. With Enhanced Eyesight operating at its max setting, Merlin peered into Miho¡¯s spiritual pattern structure. Though it was in shambles due to her low genuine qi levels, the spiritual pattern structures were still readable. ¡®I can do this.¡¯ Luckily, the structure wasn¡¯t complicated. Of course, repairing a collapsing spiritual pattern structure and fixing declining spiritual qi levels wasn¡¯t easy; there were even many transcendents that couldn¡¯t do this. Yet, Merlin had done similar things in the past. ¡®I need to base this on the process I took when I removed my gold core and made a new nucleus within me. It shouldn¡¯t be too difficult.¡¯ Though this sort of action would be complex if not impossible for anyone else, Merlin had gone through this before, so the process itself was relatively straightforward. However, earlier, he had collected internal energy to recreate a new gold core through the Golden Pill Immortal Technique. This time, Merlin had to create a new vessel that could house Miho¡¯s genuine qi, which contained her spiritual power and soul. If he even made the slightest of mistakes¡­. ¡®No! I¡¯ll definitely succeed!¡¯ Gritting his teeth, Merlin started circulating his internal energy. Yet, when he stated to himself that he must succeed¡­. Thump. Merlin felt something akin to a nightmare. Shake¡­ ¡°¡­ Huh? What¡­.¡± His hands shook, his vision was blurring and shaking, and his breathing was getting ragged. ¡°T-this¡­ doesn¡¯t make sense¡­ why now of all times¡­.¡± There was a time when Merlin, or Yongno, did archery. It started with a simple suggestion from Eunhye. She said she was trying archery as a hobby and found it fun, so he tagged along when she went to the practice range. Of course, the professional archers scoffed and belittled him and Eunhye when they saw the two rolling into the practice range. However, it didn¡¯t take long before surprised gasps came out of those same athletes¡¯ mouths. Merlin didn¡¯t hit the targets based on luck; he could recreate the path that the arrows would take within his mind. As if he had crosshairs in an FPS game on easy, Merlin simply aimed toward the target without worrying about the distance. Merlin knew where the arrow would eventually land. On top of this, his eyesight was exceptional, so not only could he hit the bullseye, but Merlin could also hit a peanut off another one from several hundreds of meters away. He was more skilled than an archer on the Korean national team. After the initial commotion settled, Merlin eventually made his way to a national competition. Many people had high hopes for him, as Merlin had shown an unimaginably good showing during practices. At the national competition, Merlin didn¡¯t hit a single bullseye. Actually, he didn¡¯t even graze any of the targets. ¡®Why are those memories flooding in¡­.¡¯ However, it was always like this. When he had fun doing something by himself, the expectation from others grew exponentially. And once those expectations were showered on him, Merlin lost interest in what he was doing. ¡®No. Stay calm.¡¯ Merlin shook his head to clear his thoughts. He then recalled the spiritual pattern structure within Miho¡¯s body. However, at that moment, he heard a whisper from deep within himself. Favorite CH 149 It isn¡¯t fun. It was a simple process. Merlin had carried out more complex image-making and magic system setups on a regular basis. It isn¡¯t fun, so it¡¯s not possible. Merlin imagined the final product. He had done something like this countless times before, as evident in his recreation of an entirely new nucleus for his internal Gold Core. If he could accomplish this monstrous feat, fixing Miho¡¯s genuine qi issue was child¡¯s play. It isn¡¯t fun, so it¡¯s not possible. You¡¯ll definitely fail. ¡°Shut up! Shut up!¡± While screaming, Merlin reconfigured Miho¡¯s spiritual power. And he failed. ¡°Ugh¡­ ah¡­!¡± ¡°H-huh?¡± As he sensed Miho¡¯s genuine qi levels dropping dramatically, Merlin quickly circulated his internal qi. However, it didn¡¯t work. Nothing was operating as he intended, and his mind became blank and devoid of thought. ¡°¡­ Idiot.¡± At some point, a young boy with black hair appeared behind Miho, frowning. At that moment, Merlin realized something. The young boy was Merlin- no, Yongno. It was Yongno when he was young. ¡°Eh¡­ what did I say? I told you it wouldn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°W-wait a minute. I¡­ I¡­ I¡­.¡± ¡°Idiot. If you continue doing stupid things, you¡¯ll just carry additional guilt. In turn, that¡¯ll make me feel even more uncomfortable.¡± Miho extended her arms and wrapped them around Merlin¡¯s neck. There was no strength behind this action whatsoever; she was already heading toward her eventual death. Miho pulled herself close to Merlin. When their noses almost touched, she spoke. ¡°Merlin, you see my left eye, right?¡± Her left eye shone like a brilliant jewel. It wasn¡¯t merely a figure of speech; her round eye truly looked like a brilliantly shining ruby. It was the pinnacle of the red fox¡¯s Magic Eye, the Jeweled Magic Eye. Miho¡¯s eyeless right eye was closed as tears of blood flowed from it. She had closed this eye because she couldn¡¯t remove the bullet that was stuck inside the eye socket, and Miho didn¡¯t want Merlin to see such a gross image. ¡°When I die, take my eye. Though it might sound disgusting, my eye is a great treasure. When I die, my remaining monster qi will be concentrated there, so it might prove useful in various applications.¡± ¡°W-what are you talking about? L-let¡¯s get out of here first. Let¡¯s find a quiet place and continue your treatment- hmm?!¡± While Merlin was trying to speak as quickly as possible, Miho had brought herself up to kiss him. When Merlin froze in surprise, Miho pulled back and smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t have much time, so don¡¯t cut me off. Honestly, you¡¯re terrible at reading the mood, and you have so many innate talents that one can¡¯t help but dislike you, but¡­.¡± Miho stared into Merlin¡¯s eyes and rubbed his cheek tenderly. Then, the last glimmer of light left her gaze. ¡°I liked you a lot.¡± ¡°Ah¡­.¡± As if she had fallen asleep in his arms, Miho¡¯s eyes closed as her body slumped against Merlin. Merlin couldn¡¯t help but have a vacant expression; he couldn¡¯t keep up with all these rapid developments. Miho told him she¡¯d already stated this, that she was beyond help; however, the truth was different. Merlin could have helped. It was absolutely within his abilities. Moreover, it was something so easy and simple. However, he ultimately failed. ¡°Why! Just why!¡± He could have done it. Without any uncertainty, he could¡¯ve saved her. In the past, he had completed far more complicated procedures as a joke, something for mere entertainment. Yet, he still failed today. He failed during the worst possible situation, simply because ¡®it wasn¡¯t fun¡¯¡­. ¡°Ah¡­ argh¡­ ah¡­!¡± Merlin became enraged. He couldn¡¯t manage to do this, yet the enemies who attacked and killed Miho could do it. Merlin fumed. An NPC in a virtual game died, but his heart and mind were crumbling. ¡°¡­ Phew.¡± However, something unexpected happened. Moments ago, Merlin had been in a turbulent, depressed state, but now, he stood without any hint of malice, anger, or pain in his expression. ¡°¡­ Will I eventually run away once again?¡± Merlin mumbled as he laid Miho gently on the ground. Then, he moved his right arm. Plop! With his right hand, Merlin dug into his left eye and yanked it out. Though users couldn¡¯t experience pain inside DIO, doing something like this was still unheard of. Merlin then scooped out Miho¡¯s left eye. In stark contrast to his previous action, Merlin was extremely careful when removing Miho¡¯s eye. ¡°Foolhardy woman.¡± Merlin mumbled as he placed Miho¡¯s jeweled eye into his empty eye socket. Soon, a soft light shone from his hand. It was a treatment spell that he wasn¡¯t too experienced in using. Despite being surrounded and his Howling Spell soon dissipating, Merlin moved nonchalantly without hurry. ¡°Escape, master! An extremely dangerous foe is headed toward you! At the least, it¡¯s a being at the level of an Eight-Tailed Fox!¡± Due to the chaotic nature of the battle, Quiet Heaven could only give supporting assistance from the sky. Quiet Heaven relayed the enemies¡¯ movements and constantly sent warning messages to Merlin. Of course, Quiet Heaven wasn¡¯t too worried. Though Quiet Heaven felt for Miho¡­ she had died, so now, Merlin¡¯s safety was the most important priority. Since a Gate Ring operated almost instantaneously, it would be difficult for the oncoming enemies to get ahold of Merlin. ¡°I see. It¡¯s from the fairy faction. A Class 7 mage at that.¡± ¡°Master! Escape!¡± From the sky, Quiet Heaven sent another warning message to Merlin, but the latter acted as if he didn¡¯t hear and looked up at the sky, which was covered with dark clouds. ¡°It seems like it¡¯s going to rain soon.¡± While Merlin softly muttered to himself, he heard the sound of a loud engine coming from afar. Vroom! In a shocking turn of events, a car was approaching. The design was a bit unique, as the vehicle was relatively flat but had large tires. Surprisingly, it was moving faster than 200 kilometers per hour. Screech! ¡°Hahaha! Who was the one who used that spell earlier!¡± A small yet rotund dwarf exited the vehicle and spoke in a booming voice. He held an abnormally huge handgun in his left hand and a baton-like stick in his right. ¡°Oh my god! It¡¯s Crazy Tain! I never thought he¡¯d personally come to a place like this!¡± ¡°Lieutenant General Tain!¡± ¡°Hahaha! Yes, your Lieutenant General Tain has arrived!¡± After his appearance, the dwarves celebrated with cheers while the holy knights screamed profanities. Merlin felt that this sort of response was worthy. The dwarf was short and muscular, but the magic power emanating from him was considerable. Forget one against a hundred. The dwarf¡¯s fighting capabilities could allow him to fight a thousand enemies at once effortlessly. Sss. Right at that moment, the Sky Island of Ouranos reached its time limit. The small island that had been floating in the air turned to dust and scattered, and the pressure it exerted also disappeared. ¡°Oho, I wondered who cast such a spell. I guess it was a human?¡± With a handsome mustache prominently displayed on his face, Tain stared at Merlin. He was quite far from this area, but once he felt the Howling Spell¡¯s magic power, he rushed over. However, unlike the fluid, chaotic, and powerful magic power that he felt earlier, Tain felt very little power emanating from Merlin, so he was confused. ¡°Merlin! What are you doing? Flee!¡± Quiet Heaven was circling in the sky, and it felt as if it were going to go crazy. The Gate Ring could activate near-instantaneously, but in front of a foe like Tain, Merlin couldn¡¯t easily operate it. Tain¡¯s magic power was at a level where he could instantly kill Merlin without giving him any chance of resisting. However, Merlin simply stood and stared at Tain. At that moment, Merlin spoke to Quiet Heaven. ¡°I¡¯m not going to run. I¡¯ve decided to kill everyone here.¡± ¡°W-what? What are you talking about¡­.¡± ¡°Leave.¡± Woong! Once Merlin whispered the order, Quiet Heaven found that its surroundings had changed. Now, it could sense its master¡¯s presence far away. In a split second, Quiet Heaven had been moved over ten kilometers from his master. ¡°W-what? Is this¡­ did he use teleportation? Master can¡¯t use teleportation, though, no?¡± While Quiet Heaven was bewildered by its situation, Merlin continued to stare at Tain. Perhaps it was due to what Merlin had said aloud, but for whatever reason, a dangerous smile appeared on Tain¡¯s face. ¡°Oho, so you¡¯ll kill everyone here. Did you include me when you stated, ¡®everyone here¡¯?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Merlin didn¡¯t respond, and this wasn¡¯t because he was afraid. As if he didn¡¯t have any interest in Tain, Merlin looked up at the sky. ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± ¡°Hahaha! The balls on this kid! You scrawny human being, how dare you ignore me¡­.¡± Boom! As he yelled, Tain raised his defensive barrier. ¡®Something¡¯ had fallen from the sky. In terms of size, it was smaller than an average person¡¯s finger; however, the force and power behind it wasn¡¯t something Tain could ignore. ¡°W-what was that?¡± ¡°Did you see what it was?¡± The gathered dwarves and gnomes noisily clamored amongst themselves as they didn¡¯t see what Merlin had done. However, Tain was the most flustered out of all. ¡°Hey! You bastard, what did you just do?¡± Tain looked around to see what had attacked him, but he couldn¡¯t find anything. Was it a magic bullet? Yet, the trajectory and attack operation didn¡¯t fit that form of attack. As an accomplished mage with extensive knowledge in all things magic, Tain couldn¡¯t recognize what Merlin had done. However, rather than mull over this discrepancy, Tain refocused his attention on Merlin. ¡°Ha! Whatever. I¡¯ll just kill you-¡± Boom! Yet, Tain had to quickly raise his defensive barrier once more to avoid another attack from the sky. Since he was paying a bit more attention, Tain realized what had attacked him. ¡°W-what the hell? A water droplet?¡± ¡°To be more precise, a raindrop.¡± ¡°What the hell are you up to¡­.¡± An average person wouldn¡¯t have understood Merlin¡¯s words, but the accomplished mage, Tain, instantly understood the situation. He heightened his senses and focused on the sky. ¡°¡­ This¡­ doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± Anything that fell was affected by gravity, so when an object dropped, it gained speed through acceleration. However, a raindrop didn¡¯t follow that principle, as it reached terminal velocity much earlier due to air resistance. ¡°You¡¯re quite wise and also perceptive as well.¡± ¡°You bastard¡­.¡± When a raindrop fell and collided with air molecules, the raindrop repelled the air molecules, and the air molecules also repelled the raindrop with the same force. This meant that a raindrop would possess the same force in the opposite direction. As a result, the resultant force of the system became zero. When the resultant force was zero, an object was either not moving or was traveling at a constant velocity. In the raindrop¡¯s case, it fell at a constant velocity due to inertia. Often, when raindrops fell, people imagined the shape of the water droplet to have a round bottom and a pointed top. In reality, a raindrop was not a water droplet but was instead flattened. ¡°What if the raindrops don¡¯t experience air resistance?¡± ¡°What a scam! Do you think such a thing is possible?! Do you know how far it is from here to the rain clouds?¡± Tain shouted in shock, but Merlin answered calmly. ¡°The dark clouds above are quite high. They¡¯re 4,215 meters above the surface. I would have preferred the clouds to be 6,000 meters high¡­.¡± Merlin had eliminated [Resistance] on the raindrops. In other words, he had made it so that air resistance didn¡¯t apply to them. Hence, the system¡¯s resultant force was no longer zero, and the raindrops would follow the same principles of gravity and acceleration as any other object, albeit in a vacuum-like setting. Hence, the raindrops were falling at tremendous speeds. Moreover, with his water attribute affinity and control, Merlin made the water droplets gather into finger-sized beads in the clouds. ¡°Nonsense! Liar! It¡¯s impossible to control one¡¯s magic power from such a range!¡± ¡°That goes for dunces like you who can only understand and operate on coordinates near you. It doesn¡¯t apply to someone who can use an absolute coordinate system.¡± ¡°W¡­what?¡± ¡°An absolute coordinate system. A mage like you should know what I¡¯m talking about, right?¡± Mages usually used one of two approaches to set their coordinates. One approach was the ¡®direct coordinate approach,¡¯ which relied and centered on the mage¡¯s coordinates to anchor coordinate settings. This approach was comparatively easier and used the mage¡¯s senses to cast basic magic spells. Another approach was the ¡®indirect coordinate approach.¡¯ This was often utilized for ranged magic spells and teleportation. In this method, the mage had to establish an outside anchor or center point. For ranged spells, there was typically a curse placed on an opponent¡¯s body, while a pre-made gate was used for teleportation. ¡°Nonsense! You¡¯re not a Great Mage or an Ancient Dragon, so how could you use an absolute coordinate system?¡± There was a third, more foundational coordinate mapping skill: the absolute coordinate system. This relied on a dimension¡¯s unique coordinate system or, to be more precise, the absolute coordinate system was a spatial coordinate system. Unfortunately, most mages would find this impossible to use because coordinates were always changing based on the constant physical changes within a world. If a mage started chanting and inputting coordinates for a spell, those coordinates would be incorrect by the time they cast their spell. It didn¡¯t matter if the caster stayed still. No matter what, the universe was always in motion, from the celestial bodies¡¯ movements to the rise and fall of the moon and sun. Mages could obtain the absolute coordinates by reading their surrounding coordinates through a magic field, but since absolute coordinates were always changing, the incorrect coordinate inputs would nullify their spell before they could even cast it. This was also why the absolute coordinate system could only be used by a Class 9 Great Mage or a dragon species that possessed a near-infinite amount of knowledge. Boom! Tain raised his handgun, a Hand Cannon called Violent Rage, and fired it at Merlin. However, Merlin had already moved ten meters to the side. It was unbelievably quick teleportation. There was no way Tain could catch Merlin. ¡°You¡­ who are you?¡± ¡°Who am I¡­ that¡¯s an interesting question. I was getting tired of my name, ¡®Yongno,¡¯ anyway.¡± Tain couldn¡¯t contain his astonishment and continuously sighed, and as Merlin stared at him, the player smiled coldly. ¡°I¡¯m Merlin, Great Mage Merlin Emrys.¡± Once Merlin finished speaking, it started raining heavily. CH 150 Chapter 150 Erosion of Reality *** Last Mission & The Calvary *** Splash! In a part of the sea with no land in sight, a person was sitting on the surface. They looked to be a young man with a robust physique who wore a wide-brimmed red hat and robe. This was Merlin. ¡°Phew¡­.¡± He breathed out lightly and immersed himself in meditation. Even though the sea was undulating chaotically with waves, a mirror-like surface without any disturbances surrounded Merlin. Whoosh. And then, something strange happened. A massive shark saw Merlin and attacked, shooting through the water with its mouth wide open as if to swallow Merlin in one bite! Crackle. However, before the shark¡¯s teeth reached Merlin, five or six water droplets floated up from the sea and instantly froze in the shape of arrows. Then, those icicle-like arrows accelerated. The incredibly sharp arrows made of seawater ice pierced twelve holes in the shark¡¯s body. Plop! The shark¡¯s carcass fell into the sea with a splash, but not a single drop neared Merlin. While this happened, Merlin sat atop a surface of unwavering cement-like seawater and maintained a calm expression as if he hadn¡¯t even noticed the shark. Crack. The sapphire on the back of Merlin¡¯s right hand cracked with a sound akin to cracking ice, but the gem didn¡¯t break. Instead, the color began to change, starting from the tip of the initial crack. Woong! The previously-blue jewel became red in a nearly instantaneous process. Merlin¡¯s magic system design was completed beforehand, so all he had to do was fill it with magic power. /Your Sapphire has evolved into a Star Ruby!/ And finally, Merlin¡¯s jewel changed into a red ruby, but it was no ordinary ruby. It was a Star Ruby, which took the shape of a star with six moving white patterns on the bottom. ¡°If I sell one of these, someone¡¯s going to have to fork over a fortune.¡± The Star Ruby¡¯s purity was so high that it was almost transparent, and the six distinct patterns seemed as if they¡¯d been drawn on. Altogether, this gem was a rare sight to behold in the real world, and that was if it existed in the first place. If the jewel could be brought into reality, it would instantly become an invaluable treasure; the seller could ask virtually any price for it. Yet, of course, the jewel was valuable for its ability to store enormous amounts of pure magic power, not as an ornament or jewelry. ¡°However, my magic power capacity hasn¡¯t exceeded this 172-point limit. It seems like I¡¯m under some restriction.¡± Merlin¡¯s internal energy capacity had grown to 78 years or 128 points. Since Merlin was Level 6, his maximum point capacity was 300; hence, this was split between 172 points in magic power and 128 points in internal energy. ¡°You should have chosen to go down the path of magic power alone. No, wait, why didn¡¯t I just raise my level?¡± Merlin grumbled to himself, but what had passed had passed. Since he decided early on that he¡¯d pursue both internal energy and magic power, he had to accept the penalty. Suppose Merlin possessed the Converter skill, which allowed one to innately understand the nature of mana and convert it into another power. In that case, he could practice both powers without any restriction. Alas, despite his many different skills, Merlin didn¡¯t possess this one. Ding Dong~! Along with the chime of a doorbell, a window popped up before Merlin. It was a notification that signified that he had received a whisper. Merlin opened his inventory and retrieved his Beholder. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± [It¡¯s regarding the last mission. I received a message stating that I¡¯d been set as the party leader.] The whisper was from Arthur. Since they had been on a mission together, Merlin and Arthur now spoke comfortably. However, Arthur was technically two years older than Merlin, so the latter still replied in a respectful tone. ¡°I believe that¡¯s correct. When should we meet up?¡± [They¡¯ve only started notifying us now, so I don¡¯t think we need to rush. I¡¯ll see you in the meeting room in two hours.] ¡°Alright.¡± The whisper session ended there. Since Arthur probably needed to contact the other members of the party, Merlin kept his exchange brief before checking the time. ¡°Uhm, master¡­ is everything alright?¡± Quiet Heaven had been quietly observing Merlin from the side when it cautiously asked a question. Being an eagle, Quiet Heaven didn¡¯t really have any facial expressions, but even so, one could tell that it was nervous. ¡°Of course, everything is alright. I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so on edge.¡± ¡°W-well¡­ your manner of speech and behavior has changed so much. And that weird magic that you used earlier¡­.¡± Quiet Heaven saw the annihilation of thousands of fighters firsthand, from the dwarves¡¯ Steel Cross Division to the fairies¡¯ Black Forest Division and the human¡¯s holy knights. Though the Howling Spell was also powerful, the mysterious area-of-effect (AOE) spell which came afterward went beyond anyone¡¯s common sense, imagination, and ability to comprehend. After a sudden shower of rain, which lasted about ten minutes, every being was annihilated. Even the Class 7 Mage, Lieutenant General Tain, couldn¡¯t withstand the downpour. Of course, Merlin put some additional focus on Tain during the AOE spell to finish him off, but still, an AOE spell had killed such a powerful opponent. The destructive power behind that spell was immense, to say the least. ¡°I realized it late, but I was always capable of using that type of skill. Speaking of my behavior, it¡¯s obvious why I¡¯ve changed. I¡¯m an individual with two different personalities.¡± ¡°Different¡­ personalities?¡± ¡°Yeah, different personalities. For someone as talented as me, this shouldn¡¯t even count as something unique or special.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Of course, Quiet Heaven knew that someone having two different personalities was unique. It was also abnormal for someone to state this so openly. Didn¡¯t people usually keep things like this a secret? However, Merlin spoke in a cold, matter-of-fact tone without any changes in his expression. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be nervous. I¡¯m not planning to be awake for too long. Even though I have two different personalities, they¡¯re both from the same individual.¡± ¡°T-then, I shouldn¡¯t be too nosy about it¡­ but¡­.¡± Hearing this logical explanation, Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t continue its line of questioning, so it just accepted the situation. From the beginning, all Quiet Heaven knew about Merlin was that he was from Earth and possessed a wide variety of talents and abilities. Since Merlin was explaining things so succinctly, Quiet Heaven didn¡¯t think it would be right to inquire any further. ¡°Let¡¯s see. For the last mission, the guards in Starting were the ones who sent us into the meeting rooms.¡± After mumbling, Merlin stood and took a few steps forward. Poof! The surroundings around Merlin suddenly changed. He was now in Starting. ¡°How can-¡± Quiet Heaven was flabbergasted when Merlin effortlessly used teleportation as if it were akin to breathing. However, Merlin didn¡¯t pay any attention to Quiet Heaven¡¯s astonishment and simply walked into the crowd gathered in the streets. In a place with tens of millions of users like Starting, users weren¡¯t surprised to see a mage teleport into the city. Each day, thousands of mages teleported into Starting. However, if they knew that Merlin had just teleported 1,000 kilometers, they would have screamed in shock, especially if they had any magic-related knowledge. Yet, no one knew that this occurred. Outwardly, Merlin looked like any other run-of-the-mill mage. ¡°Quiet Heaven, if I want you to participate in a battle, what do I need to do?¡± ¡°H¡­ hmm? You¡¯ll need to use EXP points at the Exchange Center to reduce my cooldown time or increase the number of attacks I can use. It¡¯s not an enhancement but a release of restrictions, so the limit is my main body¡¯s innate power level.¡± ¡°Then, we¡¯ll have to release all those restrictions first. If I don¡¯t, you¡¯ll always be stuck watching me fight without being able to interfere. You¡¯re okay with this, right?¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh, sure, yeah. I¡¯m okay with it.¡± Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t help but tilt its head and acquiesce at this logical argument. Then, Merlin looked at the time. ¡°Arthur said to meet in two hours, so we have plenty of time. Let¡¯s release all your restrictions first¡­.¡± As he said this, Merlin smiled. ¡°¡­ and raise my level.¡± *** Tap. Tap. Even after DIO started permeating every aspect of modern society, society¡¯s core information terminal remained the PC. Although data transmission in DIO was possible and had infinite uses, the platform was a completely new type of virtual reality; its underlying technology was unproven and unreliable, as a majority, if not everything, was shrouded in mystery. Small businesses to large corporations were reluctant to enter DIO since they were concerned that their trade secrets might be leaked. Groups that valued confidentiality, such as national institutions or agencies, had no way to properly contain important information in a virtual world. ¡°Ms. Oh, have you organized the documents?¡± ¡°Yes, Team Lead. I¡¯ve checked off the errors in the message file, so please review them.¡± With her straight, black hair now grown to her shoulders, Eunhye wore a tailored business suit. This was a fashion style from the city that Yongno had never seen Eunhye appear in before. Then, as if satisfied with Eunhye¡¯s looks, Paulett Kelly nodded. ¡°You¡¯re quite quick. You¡¯ve joined us recently, but you fit right in. Good job.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Eunhye possessed grace, an elegant appearance, national-level athletic ability, and high intelligence. In all, these were all high enough for her to be employed in an industrial enterprise under the control of a secret organization in the US called [Machine]; however, the one thing she lacked was sociability. Basically, her facial expression almost never changed, she never talked privately with anyone, and she surrounded her body with an iron-like barrier that even veteran researchers would find difficult to break through. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Team Lead, but if it isn¡¯t a bother, can I ask you a question?¡± ¡°Oh, my. It¡¯s rare for our princess to ask a question.¡± Paulett smiled brightly and looked at the break room located on the other side of the building. ¡°It¡¯s lunchtime, so shall we take a break together?¡± ¡°¡­ That would be fine.¡± Eventually, Eunhye organized her notes and made some coffee, offering some for Paulett. After accepting this, Paulett sat down and crossed her slender, perfect legs, which were dazzling. While Paulett leisurely sipped her coffee, Eunhye slowly asked her question. Eunhye knew that this blonde beauty in front of her was a professionally-trained intelligence agent, unlike what her flamboyant and alluring looks may imply. Although it would have been more convenient for Eunhye to dig up information from a less savvy opponent, Eunhye nevertheless decided to face Paulett head-on. Eunhye needed Paulett¡¯s help to make things easier in the future. If Eunhye hid her true intentions here and there, she¡¯d inevitably be misunderstood for having different goals. ¡°Hmm, it seems Ms. Oh is interested in strange things. Of course, as you work, you¡¯ll get entangled in various things, but it¡¯s rare for someone in general society to know about ¡®that side.¡¯¡± ¡°There have been some circumstances.¡± ¡°A matter of circumstances¡­ If I express my curiosity, would it be unpleasant for you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my privacy.¡± Paulett laughed provocatively in response to Eunhye¡¯s calm reply. With her appearance, killer body, and sexy movement, men would lose their minds over her, but obviously, Eunhye wouldn¡¯t be interested in those superficial things, so she didn¡¯t waver when provoked. ¡°Hahaha, well, that¡¯s fine. What I know about ¡®that side¡¯ isn¡¯t considered too special.¡± Paulett put down her coffee and continued. ¡°The group Ms. Oh is referring to is most likely called [The Institute]. Like us, [Machine], [The Institute] is a government-run organization that does a lot of unreasonable things, so our side has warned them several times in the past.¡± From the name alone, one could easily surmise that [The Institute]¡¯s main purpose was experiments and research rather than executing actions or missions. Additionally, just like most other groups that operate in the dark, their research and experiments delved into many dirty, gray areas. ¡°Is it possible¡­ to receive some information regarding [The Institute]?¡± ¡°They¡¯re a secret organization, so there¡¯s probably not much we know about them. However, even if we did have that info, I don¡¯t think Ms. Oh has the clearance to access that information, no?¡± Eunhye also knew she wasn¡¯t in a position to access this level of information. While she had joined this corporation, it was under the direct command of the US government¡¯s [Machine] operation. Since she had only been an employee for a month, she didn¡¯t have clearance or access to many things. ¡°That¡¯s fine. If it¡¯s too much trouble¡­.¡± ¡°Did you perhaps join our corporation to access that information?¡± Paulett gave a brilliant smile. Her eyes didn¡¯t seem to have any inkling of malice in them. However, from her gaze, Eunhye could sense that Paulett was closely inspecting her. Paulett had been given extensive training to know when someone was lying, so in front of her, Eunhye couldn¡¯t make any hasty moves. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°¡­ Hmm. You¡¯re so honest that I don¡¯t know how to follow up.¡± The conversation had reached its most critical point. Eunhye¡¯s attitude conveyed she wasn¡¯t only willing to leave the corporation due to her behavior but that she also understood she¡¯d live under constant surveillance from this moment. However, Eunhye didn¡¯t start this conversation without thinking. She had only decided to approach Paulett after carefully examining her character and behavior over the past month. ¡°There¡¯ll be no harm to the company. It is, after all, a personal matter.¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s why you¡¯re asking this honestly. It¡¯s a little infuriating that you¡¯re trying to use me, but¡­ Well, I don¡¯t really have any loyalty to that side.¡± Paulett stood and sat down beside Eunhye. Then, she pulled out a USB from her coat pocket and moved some files to Eunhye¡¯s PC. ¡°Team Lead?¡± ¡°You know you¡¯ll have to work hard in the future, right? Also, if this gets out, it¡¯ll come back to me, too, so memorize the content and then delete it.¡± Eunhye clenched her jaw as Paulett gave her a beaming smile. Naturally, Paulett wasn¡¯t a philanthropist. She would never help Eunhye with any good intentions. If Eunhye felt true thankfulness for what Paulett did just now, she¡¯d pay the price manyfold later. At the same time, it was also true that Eunhye had no way of knowing about [The Institute] without Paulett¡¯s help since any and all information regarding [The Institute] was wrapped in complete security and secrecy. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll definitely pay you back.¡± ¡°Come now; it wasn¡¯t much. Please make sure to delete it.¡± Without hesitation, Eunhye sat in front of her computer as she watched Paulett turn and walk out. ¡®I finally got my hands on a clue.¡¯ Favorite CH 151 Ooh- Woo- Oh¡­. With the sound of clacking footsteps, a group of undead headed in the same direction. However, these weren¡¯t typical undead - they were Death Warriors, with a species level of Level 5. They carried swords in each hand that emanated black light, and their bodies were enveloped in dark spiritual qi. Slip. Yet, at that moment, a plain, crude iron spear was pushed out before the Death Warrior in an instant. It was as if a spear had suddenly appeared from thin air, like a badly edited video. And the moment the Death Warrior was about to react¡­. Bam! As the sound of wind blowing appeared, the Death Warrior¡¯s entire upper body flew off in the blink of an eye as if it was chewed and swallowed by space. Creek! Woo! In response, the Skeleton Warriors around the fallen Death Warrior started screaming and attacking. However, surrounding the aggressor was impossible. The man with the spear, Lancelot, predicted this situation from the beginning, which was why he chose the narrow hallway as the main battlefield. Bam! The air exploded with activity, and the forwardmost skeletons were smashed like they had been hit by a massive hammer. As the concentrated force collapsed all at once, a vast open space was created almost immediately. ¡°Phew¡­ phew¡­ that attack method expends a lot of aura power. To maintain consciousness during a fight, I need to use that skill in moderation.¡± Originally, Lancelot was just another common user who possessed an average set of abilities. Of course, at Level 7, he had reached a rare level of achievement, but this was the result of his unique fighting style. He tailored one form of attack and took a gamble in challenging numerous promotion tests with that singular approach. In terms of pure attack power, Lancelot was barely equal to a Level 6 user. If Lancelot fought a Level 5 user, they could notice his movement patterns and essentially read his every move since his battle method was full of holes. Lancelot would ultimately lose to a Level 5 user within a few exchanges. His fighting style, which relied on stabs while protecting his body with a minimal amount of aura power, was so direct and committed that if his enemy avoided the initial stab and closed the distance, Lancelot wouldn¡¯t be able to defend himself. In other words, he was an open book. In general, when someone was in a similar situation, they would ideally train in aura power flow and defense, but Lancelot gave up on that approach without any regrets and trained solely on his stabbing. Lancelot knew his overall aura power and control were relatively poor; when he attacked, he couldn¡¯t defend himself and vice versa. Therefore, Lancelot forcibly increased his level and placed all his bonus points into aura power to maintain a constant barrier around his body, which could withstand most weak attacks. With this in place, Lancelot never stopped training by hunting enemies far below his level. That was the only way for Lancelot to develop and progress. Crack! Crack! However, things changed after he¡¯d practiced his stab for over 100 days and realized the meaning of stabbing. Although he could still only execute the stab move, the power and force behind that attack grew exponentially. Due to this, Lancelot had grown strong enough to contend against Level 10 monsters. By understanding the essence of a martial arts move, he had acquired an ultimate ability. Crack. The essence of a martial arts move didn¡¯t require the user to be overwhelmingly powerful, nor did it need vast amounts of aura power or internal energy to operate. This was because it was based on a deep understanding of a fundamental essence, which was also why a move using this essence was much less taxing than what would be expected from its resulting destructive force. However, unlike Merlin, whose stats grew even if he didn¡¯t put points into internal energy and magic power, Lancelot found it difficult to increase his aura power limits through basic training. With his iron-like unwavering mental fortitude, Lancelot could hone his aura power, but he couldn¡¯t yet control how much he outputted, which was an entirely different issue. ¡°It¡¯s a miracle that I even reached Level 7.¡± Honestly, he shouldn¡¯t have been able to reach Level 7 with his skill and ability set. Yet, he got to this point through a neverending cycle of death and willpower training. Whenever he leveled up, he¡¯d put his bonus stat points into aura power, a stat area that shouldn¡¯t have grown if he was playing the game normally. After fully understanding DIO¡¯s skill and stat system, Lancelot lived like a ¡®parasite¡¯ off the game¡¯s overarching structure. This was how he existed and succeeded in DIO. [Impressive. I¡¯m surprised you¡¯ve come so far with a fighting style like that¡­ at this rate, you might wipe out the whole undead army.] At that moment, a black spiritual qi rose from the other side of the narrow hallway. It was an undead monster with a full set of black plate armor, a Death Knight. ¡°You¡¯ve finally come out.¡± Most assuredly, Lancelot didn¡¯t possess the natural skills to defeat a Level 10 Death Knight. The only reason Lancelot could best something at Level 12 during the event assessment was his thorough preparation and reliance on an ample supply of magic items. Thus, without any hesitation, Lancelot removed a ring from his finger. ¡°Goodbye.¡± [What?! Wait, you¡­ you¡­.] Poof! The ring Lancelot threw out, his Gate Ring, grew in size and swallowed him. Everything happened so fast that the Death Knight had no time to react. If the Death Knight was standing right in front of Lancelot, it might have been able to do something, but it had stayed some distance away since it was cautious of Lancelot¡¯s stab move. Poof. Lancelot returned to Starting after teleporting through space and immediately collapsed. ¡°Phew¡­ phew¡­ I feel like I¡¯m going to die.¡± After expending all his aura power long ago, Lancelot constantly shuddered. In truth, his physical state shouldn¡¯t have deteriorated to this point, as his body should have shut down already. However, Lancelot¡¯s mental fortitude transcended his body, so he could consistently go beyond his physical limits. If he had done this to his real body outside the game, it would have broken down beyond repair long ago. Beep! Unable to muster the strength to even speak, Lancelot activated a party invitation message window that he had readied beforehand. Above his head, a pre-prepared message read: [Wanted ¨C Holy Priest Healer, Level 5 or higher. One silver for a complete heal.] One silver was equal to 5,000 won. For users who were walking around the city with an abundance of divine power, this exchange was worth it. ¡°Hey, you¡¯ll give one silver for treatment?¡± ¡°Yes. As you can see¡­.¡± As he couldn¡¯t speak any further, Lancelot handed the user a single silver currency. Of course, they could have just run off with the money, but most people treated DIO like a second reality. Moreover, everyone¡¯s real face was used, so there weren¡¯t many people who played dirty. Additionally, any user at Level 5 or above was mindful of their reputation; they wouldn¡¯t throw away their well-maintained standing for a pittance of money. Lancelot had an impressive cache of money. Though a single orc¡¯s drop didn¡¯t amount to much, after tens of hours grinding and killing more than 10,000 of them, it started to add up. For Lancelot, one silver wasn¡¯t much. ¡°The power of Goddess Luna who governs serenity, please provide rest for he who is exhausted¡­.¡± As the run-of-the-mill priest in a pure white robe chanted the prayer, a soft light enveloped Lancelot. The light restored his damaged body cells, mended his wounds, and recharged his energy levels. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No worries. Have fun~!¡± After parting ways with the priest, Lancelot headed to the Exchange Center. Since he didn¡¯t adhere to any traditional training method, Lancelot had to purchase several items to hunt a large number of monsters and forcibly raise his level. Location Description Price Training Room If you don¡¯t want to be bothered, come here! Time passes at least 24x to 100x faster in this room. However, the room is a restricted space, so one¡¯s stat increases will be greatly attenuated. You won¡¯t be able to raise any spiritual power stats in this place! However, you can raise individual skill levels! 1,000 ~ 100,000 Spirits Panitris A fantasy world! With dragons and magic, come to this fantastical middle-century world! However, the average level is low, so Panitris is not an ideal place to learn magic. 100,000 Spirits Jin Come here to find martial artists! If you want to experience what formidable opponents look like, come to Jin! However, the average level is low, so Jin is not an ideal place to learn martial arts. 100,000 Spirits Demon World A dangerous place where you can die at any moment! There are no villages, cities, or NPCs. The only thing that exists in the Demon World is constant battle! 500,000 Spirits Noah A futuristic world with humans who fight otherworldly monsters! We recommend this destination for those who want to acquire state-of-the-art tech! 1,000,000 Spirits ¡°Carlin, I¡¯ll enter the Training Room. Make it a 100x room.¡± When Lancelot entered the Exchange Center, he made his way over to the gatekeeper, Carlin, who nodded after hearing Lancelot¡¯s request. ¡°It¡¯ll be difficult to endure solitude for a hundred days. Would you still like to proceed?¡± ¡°Yes, immediately, please.¡± As the room with the highest time multiplier, the 100x room costs 100,000 Spirits or EXP. This was an incredibly high amount of points, but it allowed one to experience 100 days for only one day in DIO or two hours in real-time. If it were being compared to the speed of time passing in reality, it would be faster by 1,200 times. ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ve received your 100,000 Spirits. Are you ready?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll open the gate.¡± Then, a heavy thump was heard as a huge stone door fell from the empty air. This wasn¡¯t the only door. There were tens of hundreds of similar ones strewn all over Carlin¡¯s area. The Training Room was an essential tool for those who wanted to get ahead in the game. However, there were few users who chose the 100x option. The required EXP was a deterrent, but more than that, it was challenging to be totally alone and isolated for so long. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s been a while.¡± The space that Lancelot entered was a football field-sized indoor training hall. In one area, there were training dummies in the shape of humans, and there were also two-by-two-meter slabs of wood, iron, Mithril, and even Adamantium for target practice. This was an area to train and test one¡¯s most explosive skills. On one side of a wall was a bed for sleep in, and on another, there was a constant stream of water flowing into a small pond and a tree that constantly bore fruit. There was also a full-size track for users to run and a bunch of crystals for magic power, divine power, and pure spiritual power users to use. It was a perfect training area for users. ¡°I currently have around¡­ 2,400,000 Spirits.¡± Considering that the relatively high-leveled One-Horned Fire Snake only gave 10,000 Spirits, Lancelot¡¯s total Spirits was astronomically large. However, as Merlin experienced earlier, it was more advantageous to hunt multiple mid or low-level monsters than a few high-level monsters if one¡¯s objective was to accrue Spirits. An orc gave 100 Spirits, and Lancelot had killed over 10,000 of those orcs. That wasn¡¯t all. There were also orc warriors that appeared from time to time, and they gave 300 Spirits or more. Furthermore, in the Dead Earth area, Lancelot had defeated hundreds of Death Warriors, who gave a similar amount of Spirits as orcs. Once Lancelot settled on a hunting ground, he always eradicated hundreds, if not thousands, of the same monster. If he wanted to focus on training his stab, he didn¡¯t need to level up, as he could easily kill the low-level monsters. Yet, Lancelot used his aura power to kill the orcs to obtain EXP points. In truth, the only user who probably had more Spirits than Lancelot was likely Arthur, who went around killing swaths of high-level monsters. CH 152 ¡°What I obtained after a hundred days of training, they did within a day. Though I¡¯m probably overestimating myself¡­ I could calculate my training as 100 times less effective than theirs, assuming I train at full power. So, 100 to one.¡± With this, Lancelot continued his train of thought. He would never overcome Arthur and the others if he trained as much as they did. This would be akin to a tortoise stating that it could beat a cheetah- no, an eagle, in a race. The only answer was time. Obviously, Lancelot was slow. However, what if he trained 100 days for every day they trained? What would happen if he trained for ten years while they only experienced a month? One hundred years? A thousand years? And if that wasn¡¯t enough¡­. ¡°Even if it takes 10,000 years¡­.¡± Lancelot was an orphan. He didn¡¯t know who his parents were. His earliest memories were from when he was in the orphanage. It was a moderately-sized building, and it had various nuns running it. At the orphanage, he was one of the few who received praise. Lancelot was naturally honest and sincere, dutifully following any orders given. He was always prepared and possessed a mindset that was different from other children, as Lancelot never complained, cried, or begged. Perhaps this was why an affluent local couple decided to adopt him when he was six years old. Lancelot- no, Dongsoo, was happy then. His adoptive parents were thoughtful and kind. Moreover, they lived a comfortable, rich life that lacked nothing. However, if there was something special about them, it was their enthusiasm for education. They started numerous academic programs each week after bringing Dongsoo home. From sports to basic studies, music, and writing, Dongsoo was taught all types of classes. Furthermore, all his teachers were excellent private tutors. Dongsoo studied hard under their instructions. With his ever-present sincerity, Dongsoo never wavered, not even for a moment. He always did his best to learn and try. Yet, even after one year in that environment, he wasn¡¯t particularly great at his studies. He didn¡¯t have a problem. The pace at which he learned things wasn¡¯t particularly fast, nor was it slow. He wasn¡¯t gifted or talented, but he wasn¡¯t stupid either. He was just¡­ he was just an ordinary kid. And that was the problem. ¡°We¡¯re sorry. We thought he was gifted, but we must have been mistaken.¡± After returning to the orphanage, Dongsoo cried and rebelled for the first time. His adoptive parents didn¡¯t shower him with affection and love, but he liked them. He dutifully learned this and that for the past year; however, he didn¡¯t meet their expectations. He didn¡¯t possess an iota of talent. That was all. ¡°Ha, I haven¡¯t thought about that time in a while¡­ such a crappy memory.¡± Dongsoo put his all into everything he did, and this didn¡¯t change when he returned to the orphanage. He persevered through the jeers and finger-pointing and chugged on. After he received his high school diploma through a GED program, he worked hard in his part-time job to save up some money and even took the university entrance exam. His entrance exam score was okay. Actually, it was a bit above average. Even a normal student could get into a prestigious university if they studied like mad. However, the issue was that there was always a ceiling. He could score as high as ¡®not bad¡¯ but could never get a ¡®really high¡¯ score; he could enter a prestigious university, but he didn¡¯t qualify for any scholarships. An orphan like him couldn¡¯t afford the tuition, and while he could take out loans, he¡¯d simply accrue debt. ¡°I need time.¡± Dongsoo worked harder. That was always the answer. However, like grabbing a handful of sand, everything he gained slipped through his fingers. Dongsoo wasn¡¯t special. He didn¡¯t have any eye-catching talent or skill. However, he always remained optimistic and desired what he couldn¡¯t obtain. He wasn¡¯t willing to live a normal life. ¡°If a hundred years isn¡¯t enough, then a thousand years¡­ if that¡¯s not enough, then ten thousand years¡­.¡± Lancelot lifted his spear. Aura power radiated from his body. ¡°I will never stop.¡± Lancelot started training. *** A man in a red robe stepped out from an opening in space- it was Merlin. However, there was something different from before. Now, he carried a long, black staff that had a green gem fixed at its tip, and there was a strange spiritual qi emanating from it. ¡°You¡¯re late, Merlin! What took you so long?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, Ilyia. I was just doing this and that.¡± Merlin bowed his head to Ilyia, who he had grown close to. However, Ilyia narrowed her eyes. ¡°Eh, what¡¯s up? Your general aura has changed, no?¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably because I started wearing glasses, and I also began carrying this staff to look more like a mage.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Ilyia tilted her head as she tried to pinpoint Merlin¡¯s change. However, they hadn¡¯t known each other for long, so she decided to drop the subject. Merlin was always active and outgoing, and the glasses gave him a more intellectual look. His calm expression also contributed to this overall feeling. ¡°What happened to that Lancelot guy? I guess he¡¯s not coming?¡± ¡°He mentioned that he had some other matters to take care of, but that puts us in a difficult position¡­ we need to fill one spot¡­.¡± They were gathered in the Stage 6 waiting room. This room was reserved for users who defeated a Level 12 monster, so there was bound to be a limited number of people present. Unlike the level tests, this room allowed players to use various items and advanced gear, but even so, DIO didn¡¯t have many Level 10 users. ¡°Should we try with our current numbers? Honestly, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re losing much without him.¡± Cruze tried to accept the final mission. Even though Lancelot was formidable, in truth, 80 percent of the party¡¯s total damage was from Arthur and Cruze. They could survive without Lancelot. /You do not meet the required number of participants. The mission cannot start./ Obviously, the system wouldn¡¯t let them begin. The mission required five participants, so they were missing one. Actually, they could drop one person and conduct the mission with three people, but then someone would have to become the odd one out. How would that person feel? ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Dang, do we need to go down to Stage 5?¡± ¡°Even Stage 6 isn¡¯t too difficult¡­.¡± Cruze and Arthur had qualified for Stage 7 and Stage 8, respectively, so for them, the Stage 6 mission wasn¡¯t challenging. They wouldn¡¯t face any trouble in finding users if they went down to Stage 5, but then they¡¯d lose the bonus rewards given when completing tougher missions. However, at that moment, there was an opening in the space, which signified that someone was entering the waiting room. Step. The new user wore a black leather bodysuit that seemed to suck the surrounding light. It was someone that Merlin had come across before. ¡°Ah, Arc.¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Oh hey, Arc! Did you reach the master level?¡± ¡°I was lucky. I¡¯ve become an advanced mage.¡± Arc was a battle mage of the Blackyak Sect of magic and a practitioner of the ¡®No Thoughts Gold Strong¡¯ Technique. He utilized a powerful Self Defense Technique in order to chant and cast spells during battle. Moreover, due to the unique characteristic of his magic sect, Arc¡¯s spells could be more powerful than the ones cast by others if given enough time. This allowed Arc to become a substantial addition to any force, as well as someone to be reckoned with when fighting alone. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s been a while, you animal.¡± ¡°What the hell? Bird brain? I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d appear for a while. Seems like you found a master.¡± ¡°What did you just call me?¡± Quiet Heaven had been sitting atop Merlin¡¯s head when it and Arc¡¯s pet, Ellie, growled at each other. It didn¡¯t seem like this was their first meeting. ¡°Oh, what a unique pet. Did you purchase it recently?¡± Ilyia looked at Quiet Heaven with interest. Merlin responded, ¡°No. I¡¯ve had it for a while. You don¡¯t have a pet, Ilyia?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a stealth specialist, so it¡¯s cumbersome for me to have one. A pet will only cause a nuisance by being sensed by others.¡± ¡°What about you, Cruze?¡± Cruze did not respond, and instead, a deep voice answered Merlin¡¯s question. ¡°Hmm, is someone asking about me?¡± From inside one of Cruze¡¯s chest pockets, a small monkey popped out and lightly stood on Cruze¡¯s shoulder. Rather than a living being, the monkey looked more like a cute SD (super deformation) character. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s cute. It can also transform.¡± ¡°Transform? It has another form?¡± After hearing Ilyia¡¯s comment, Merlin focused his attention on Cruze¡¯s pet. He tried using Enhanced Eyesight on the monkey, but the attempt failed. Currently, Merlin was wearing the upper-tier magic item, Close. Slip. Merlin was about to take off his glasses, but at that moment, the monkey, Wukong, started to grow. Moments ago, Wukong was small enough to fit snuggly in Cruze¡¯s chest pocket, but now, he was twice the size of her. Furthermore, with his rippling muscles and firm skeletal structure, Wukong gave off a formidable aura. ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m called Wukong. I¡¯m a stone monkey monster.¡± ¡°Wukong? The Great Sage Heaven¡¯s Equal¡¯s Sun Wukong?¡± Sun Wukong was popularly known as the main character in Journey to the West, a monkey born in Mount Huaguo. Wukong was a legendary giant monster who accompanied Xuanzang to deliver Buddhist sutras to India. Of course, like Quiet Heaven, it was Cruze who gave her pet its name, but it was strange that her pet even looked like a stone monkey. ¡°Hahaha! Thank you for looking highly upon me, but I cannot be compared to the Great Sage Heaven¡¯s Equal.¡± Yet, even as Wukong said this, a smile formed on his face, reaching up to his ears. It seemed Wukong felt so good that he was about to die, so Merlin had no choice but to inquire further. ¡°Wait, does Great Sage Heaven¡¯s Equal really exist?¡± ¡°Sure! He is respected by all monkey monsters- no, by every monster in existence!¡± After hearing Wukong¡¯s prideful response, Ilyia asked, ¡°What level is that sage at?¡± It was a natural question that a user would ask, but Wukong became furious. ¡°What! You¡¯re asking about the Great Sage Heaven¡¯s Equal¡¯s level?! The Great Sage Heaven¡¯s Equal is a god of battle! He can¡¯t be compared with anyone!¡± Seeing Wukong¡¯s frantic reaction, Quiet Heaven stared at the monkey in amazement as it sat atop Merlin¡¯s head. ¡®Why is he getting all worked up? Doesn¡¯t he have any restrictions?'' The lower and mid-level monsters under DIO¡¯s control were called ¡®slaves,¡¯ and ¡®single objective¡¯ type pets like Wukong usually came with many restrictions. Of course, there were some restrictions that would gradually loosen once the pet owner¡¯s level increased and once the owner¡¯s relationship with other dimensions became more active. However, it was still early for any of those things to happen, yet Wukong didn¡¯t seem to have or care about such restrictions. ¡®Is it because of his unusual owner?¡¯ CH 153 D.I.O CH 154 After hearing Merlin¡¯s response, Cruze frowned. ¡°You¡¯ve changed your occupation? A martial artist switched to using only magic¡­ Does DIO have such a system?¡± Obviously, this did not exist. DIO had an occupation category, but it pertained to obtaining and developing a trade rather than changing one. Usually, the occupation category would change from Commoner to some specified field. ¡°The use and application of spiritual power are infinite, so it differs for each user.¡± ¡°Is that so? Well, I guess I¡¯m a prime example.¡± Cruze nodded. Since DIO users practiced numerous ways to utilize spiritual power, which strayed from any set occupation path, the type of force a user could conjure would also differ greatly. Of course, everything followed similar overarching principles and structure, but unless a user were in the same school or division of a certain practice as another, there would always be differences, unique abilities, and varying skill sets. Beep! Beep! ¡°Oh, it¡¯s an emergency alarm. We should hurry,¡± Arthur said. ¡°Wait, I want to interrogate the pilot.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll be taking off first.¡± Seeing Arthur turn without hesitation, Cruze felt a bit guilty, so she started loading her rocket launcher. ¡°Shall I at least take down the door for you?¡± Ting! However, while Cruze was speaking, the door opened, and in its shadow, half of Ilyia¡¯s body poked out. She made a V-shape with her fingers. Ilyia had used Shadow Jump to shift through space to the other side of the door and open it from within. ¡°Don¡¯t take too long.¡± Once he finished speaking, Arthur utilized his lightness skill to move forward quickly, with Ilyia following close behind. Cruze, Merlin, and Arc remained behind, but they weren¡¯t concerned. Since Arthur was the one advancing, they felt assured that nothing would stop him. ¡°Hmm, a robot¡­.¡± Cruze manipulated her aura power into the shape of a giant hand. With it, she gathered the now-limbless robot and the one that fell after being struck by Arthur¡¯s Penetration Power. The remaining robot was completely destroyed; its various parts were strewn across the ground. Ting! When Merlin took off his glasses, his eyes changed. His left eye looked like a Jeweled Eye, a white marble with a red jewel placed in the center, while his other gave off a divine golden light. ¡°Interesting. A weaponized robot of this caliber is operated by electricity¡­ no, it¡¯s not just that. It seems to use a special type of battery.¡± As his interest grew, Merlin observed one of the robots. Its outer armor restricted his Enhanced Eyesight from looking into the robot¡¯s internal workings, but it seemed that only the outermost armor had magic resistance. So, once he tore off a portion of this shell, Merlin understood how the robot operated. ¡°Ah, darn it. I was hoping it ran on nuclear energy. Also, it¡¯s difficult to understand the overall structure and operation just by looking at it.¡± While poking around the innards of a robot, Cruze started mumbling complaints. Since her Enhanced Eyesight skill wasn¡¯t at a high level, she couldn¡¯t easily comprehend the inner workings and operation of the advanced robot. Unless she took the mech apart and put it back together several times or had its blueprint, it didn¡¯t seem like she would garner anything from the robot. ¡°So, you¡­ you¡¯ll need to answer some of my questions.¡± ¡°Ack¡­ ugh¡­! Ack! You monsters!¡± The pilot had been forcefully pulled out from the robot¡¯s cockpit, and he stared menacingly at Cruze. However, after seeing how Cruze took out the robot, the pilot knew that he couldn¡¯t put up a fight in his natural form. Even if he shot a gun point blank, he doubted it would injure Cruze. ¡°Alright, first off, what¡¯s the name of this robot?¡± ¡°Such a dumb question¡­ this is a Gigas.¡± This was the first time Cruze had heard of such a name, but she accepted it in stride. Advanced users fought a variety of monsters and completed quests in an unimaginable world, and as such, they subsequently possessed incredible adaptability. ¡°Okay, so where¡¯s the blueprint?¡± ¡°Crazy. Do you really think I¡¯d tell you?¡± Though squirming under the influence of the oppressive gravity, the pilot scoffed at Cruze¡¯s question. The blueprint for Gigas was a tightly held secret, so he wouldn¡¯t easily give it up, but Cruze continued pushing. ¡°If you¡¯re not willing to tell me, then there are other methods at my disposal.¡± Cruze¡¯s aura power elongated and sharpened into a military-grade sword while she formed a stun gun in her free hand. Crackle! ¡°Ack!¡± With an unnerving resolve, the pilot had withstood the interrogation up to now, but he soon screamed in pain. However, he still didn¡¯t crack. ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°Hahaha! If you strip down and beg me, I may- ack!¡± Crackle! Sparks flew as the pilot cried out, but he kept his eyes fixed on Cruze. He was an elite soldier who had received interrogation training. The pilot was initially shocked that an innocent-looking girl could do such horrendous things, but he soon gathered his bearing and strengthened his will. ¡°Fufufu, your body isn¡¯t permanently injured, so you think you can withstand my interrogation, huh? Fine.¡± Cruze, a beautiful young girl with blue eyes, a small frame, and brownish-red hair, smiled viciously. ¡°I¡¯ll start with your pinky finger.¡± Crack! ¡°Argh!¡± Agonized screams rang out. The pilot wasn¡¯t one to easily succumb to physical torture, but Cruze had broken his bone and twisted his nerve ending, causing excruciating pain. However, his unnerving stare seemed more malicious than anything else. It was implying that he was tough enough to take her torture, and when she saw this, Cruze¡¯s smile grew more malevolent. ¡°Oh, this isn¡¯t anything to you, huh?¡± The military-grade sword in her hand started sparking. The materialized weapon wasn¡¯t just a physical sword but a mechanical item that could output electric shocks. Yet, before she could do what she had planned, Merlin¡¯s hand landed on her shoulder. ¡°Wait, a sweet girl like you torturing someone doesn¡¯t seem suitable¡­ even if modern society is considered cutthroat, such actions-¡± Merlin spoke frankly to Cruze, but she didn¡¯t seem to care. The important point for her was that Merlin had gotten in her way. ¡°You¡¯ve lost your mind, haven¡¯t you? Are you planning on fighting me¡­ hmm?¡± While raising her killing intent, Cruze abruptly stopped speaking as she noticed that Merlin had removed his glasses. Although this wasn¡¯t something that would have surprised her, Merlin¡¯s gold eye and his red jeweled one caught her attention. ¡°Oh, what¡¯s with your eyes? They¡¯re so pretty!¡± Merlin had something called heterochromiaOdd-Eye, which was the possession of two different colored eyes. Heterochromia iridum, or odd-eye, was a phenomenon caused by a different concentration of melanin over the DNA of the iris cells, resulting in hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation. This usually occurred congenitally at birth, but in Merlin¡¯s case, Miho¡¯s eyeball, which had become a jeweled magic eye, was transplanted into his eye socket. Thus, this was the source of his heterochromia. After this transplantation, Merlin¡¯s Magic Eye skill reached another level. Others would have needed some time to get used to the new eye, but Merlin synchronized with it seamlessly. The only shortfall was that the jeweled magic eye was specialized for Magic Eye use, so it wasn¡¯t too effective when operating Enhanced Eyesight. ¡°Man, you¡¯re so easily distracted.¡± Merlin couldn¡¯t help but scoff after seeing Cruze looking back at him with shining eyes. Although heterochromia wasodd-eyes were an interesting sight to behold, Cruze had just released her killing intent a moment ago. So, when she instantly scattered it and looked at Merlin with an adoring gaze, it was amusing. Moreover, Merlin was still a bit uncomfortable with his heterochromiaodd-eyes. It was too eye-catching. He felt like he was a middle schooler who wanted to stand out amongst the crowd and had used an eye color-changing spell to do so. ¡°Hmm. Your eyes are definitely pretty and interesting, but I really do need to obtain the blueprints for the Gigas.¡± ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be too difficult.¡± Merlin¡¯s jeweled magic eye glowed clearer and brighter. He focused his eyes on the pilot. ¡°Where do we need to go to find the Gigas blueprints?¡± ¡°The blueprints are at¡­.¡± Despite the pilot¡¯s magic resistance, he was no match for the allure of the completed jeweled magic eye and started offering information without hesitation. Then, after witnessing such an odd sight, Cruze whistled. ¡°Oh, that looks useful. Can I learn that too?¡± ¡°You need magic power to do this.¡± ¡°Oh, right. Darn.¡± With their new intel, Cruze started collecting the Gigas parts. First, Cruze used her aura power to make a bunker, and within it, she opened up her inventory and placed an entire Gigas into it. Ting! ¡°Ugh! I have enough space, but¡­ gosh darn it! I had enough EXP points to increase the weight capacity of my inventory. Why didn¡¯t I expand it!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you just remove the outer armor and take the Gigas¡¯ internal frame? I¡¯m sure that¡¯ll help lighten the load.¡± ¡°Although Arthur has run ahead, I can¡¯t waste more time dismantling a Gigas. If we don¡¯t complete this quest within the allotted time, we¡¯ll be forfeiting all the rewards.¡± While Cruze was contemplating what to do, Arc spoke, having been silent up to now. ¡°Can¡¯t you just take the other Gigas?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The Gigas that Arc was referring to was the one that had its arms and legs cut off. Cruze hurriedly reopened the bunker, removed her current Gigas, and placed the limbless one into her inventory. It was a success. ¡°Nice! You¡¯re a genius!¡± ¡°¡­ It wasn¡¯t anything special.¡± After giving a monotone reply, Arc opened her inventory. She then placed the relatively whole Gigas into it. ¡°Huh?¡± When she saw Cruze¡¯s surprised expression, Arc shrugged. ¡°My inventory¡¯s weight capacity is sufficient.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ why do I feel like I¡¯ve been duped.¡± Cruze trembled in anger, but there wasn¡¯t any more time to waste, so the three party members quickly moved. The blueprints were held on one of the main computers at a repair center on the fifth subbasement floor. ¡°The test subject that we need to rescue is on the eighth subbasement floor, right?¡± ¡°Right. We have 15 minutes left.¡± ¡°We took too much time with that pilot.¡± The three started running. However, while it was called running, they were moving faster than 50 kilometers per hour. All the doors and obstacles had been cleared away, so the three traveled without resistance. ¡®Well, I don¡¯t have to obtain everything. I already got my hands on a battery, electroconductive fibers, the mainframe system, and the outer armor.¡¯ Merlin had already understood the inner workings of the Gigas through his Enhanced Eyesight, giving him a working image of how they operated. Though he lacked information on the Giga¡¯s operating software and energy recharge system, Merlin knew enough to [Produce] a Gigas. ¡°Damn it! They¡¯ve already broken through to the fourth floor!¡± ¡°What? Who the hell are they?¡± ¡°How did the reinforced barrier go down so easily? What the hell are these people?¡± Suddenly, humans wearing reinforced outer suits started rushing in from every direction. Arthur had cleared away the barriers and obstacles so quickly that they were only now belatedly reacting to the situation. It appeared they¡¯d received some information and orders beforehand since the human guards didn¡¯t go after Arthur and Ilyia but stood their ground to prevent Merlin and the others from progressing further. ¡°Don¡¯t be careless! They felled a Gigas with their bare hands!¡± ¡°Kill them!¡± Retta-tata-tat! Tens of guns started blasting and sparking their flames. Amidst the gunfire, there were also some soldiers with unique uniforms who fired laser beams from their laser rifles. While the laser beams weren¡¯t at the Gigas¡¯ level, they were still quite formidable. ¡°Go, my shield.¡± ¡°Who are you calling a shield?¡± Cruze mumbled her dissatisfaction as she created a wide aura-powered barrier in front of the party and blocked all the incoming attacks. The armor-piercing bullets and laser beams that could melt nearly anything were unable to break through the shield. ¡°Flame Buster. Maximum.¡± Arc jumped over the barrier as her two fists burst into menacing flames. ¡°Explosion.¡± CH 155 Bam! After a deafening explosion, a shockwave spread outward. Obviously, as she was at the center of the blast, Arc was also affected, so she protected herself through her No Thoughts Gold Strong Technique. Since the magic explosion originated from her spell and she had a strong defensive base, Arc could easily endure the shockwave. Tap. However, before Arc could move, her surroundings changed. Arc, as well as Cruze and Merlin, were already at the end of the hallway. Like a magic trick that used sleight of hand, they had magically appeared in a different location. ¡°We don¡¯t have to fight them. I can move us into any visible area.¡± ¡°Teleportation¡­ this quickly?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s me, it¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°¡­¡± As she saw Merlin¡¯s friendly smile, Arc flinched, but regardless, Merlin held Cruze and Arc in his arms as he teleported once more. The research center¡¯s walls seemed as though they were fortified with additional magic spells and properties, but Arthur had destroyed all these obstacles, allowing Merlin to teleport in a straight line. After realizing that the elevator was locked and inoperable, Arthur smashed a hole in the floor and was already on the seventh subbasement floor. Poof! Merlin and his party members arrived on the fifth subbasement floor as Cruze wriggled out of his grasp. ¡°Thank you! I¡¯ll move on my own from here.¡± However, Arc suddenly moved to stand beside Cruze. ¡°Wait. Can I go with you?¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± Cruze asked. ¡°There¡¯s something I need to check.¡± After hearing Arc¡¯s reply, Merlin nodded. Based on Arc¡¯s words, it seemed she was also after the Gigas blueprints. Usually, splitting from the group during a mission was frowned upon, but Merlin merely accepted it. ¡°Alright, doesn¡¯t matter to me. We only have about ten minutes left, so hurry up.¡± After stating this, Merlin teleported. In the blink of an eye, he appeared next to Arthur. Boom! What welcomed Merlin¡¯s arrival was a loud explosion. Similar to a bank vault¡¯s door, a daunting, massive door blocked one wall. ¡°What are you two up to?¡± ¡°What does it look like? We¡¯re trying to get past. It seems we need to somehow get to the other side of this door, but it¡¯s holding up well. It¡¯s not made of a typical metal.¡± Arthur¡¯s sword strikes were at the pinnacle of swordsmanship, so if he was stating this, then the door must be abnormal. Even if a nuclear missile hit, the door probably wouldn¡¯t budge. ¡°What about Shadow Jump?¡± Ilyia saw Merlin turn to her, and she shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s blocked.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Merlin operated his Enhanced Eyesight. His right eye shone with a golden brilliance as it collected all the information in his surroundings. Yet, Merlin soon shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t see any methods.¡± Due to some special effect or spell, Merlin couldn¡¯t peer through the door. Subsequently, this meant that he couldn¡¯t latch on to a set of spatial coordinates and teleport. Merlin¡¯s Absolute Coordinate System was different from the latitude and longitude coordinate system of standard maps, so estimated coordinates couldn¡¯t be used for teleportation. Moreover, even if this was possible, what if there was something on the other side? ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped. Everyone, stand back.¡± Arthur had apparently come to some sort of conclusion as he stepped forward. He was about to bring out his Divine Weapon, but before he could, Merlin stopped him. ¡°Wait.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°This power¡­ it¡¯s similar to magic.¡± Merlin placed his hand on the metal door, which had immense power flowing through it to form its defensive system. Woong! Merlin started interpreting the data flow. Then, he ran interference and took down the defensive system before inputting his own operational system. Creak! As if it had received the correct password, the door opened without any resistance. Merlin had hacked into the system and tricked it into thinking he was an authorized user. ¡°Oh, how interesting. It seems like you used some magic¡­ was it that easy to open the door?¡± ¡°Well, I guess it depends on the person.¡± As someone who wasn¡¯t familiar with magic, Arthur was fairly surprised. However, if any knowledgeable user saw this scene, they¡¯d probably foam at the mouth in shock. By interpreting and then attacking the defensive system, which could withstand Arthur¡¯s ¡®essence¡¯ attack, Merlin instantly neutralized it. This was a remarkable achievement, especially considering that Merlin had never confronted such a system before. Merlin could not only deactivate but also control an otherworldly futuristic system, which was similar in principle to magic. As such, this meant that Merlin could bypass any similar magic system barrier pattern with ease. ¡°What?! Why is the door opening?!¡± When they stepped passed the door, they were met with six telephone booth-sized capsules that were protected by an energy field. It seemed the energy field was activated as the last defense once the door was opened. ¡°How much time do we have left?¡± ¡°Seven minutes and forty seconds.¡± ¡°We probably need to warp as soon as we find that Lucy person.¡± The three slowly approached the energy field. If the energy field were made from energy alone, then it would need a monumental amount to stop these three, but it did not meet this requirement. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°It¡¯s comprised of pure spiritual power. It¡¯ll be difficult to break it down with my interpretation and analytical skills.¡± The simple energy field system relied on its abundance of spiritual power, so Merlin couldn¡¯t deactivate it by squeezing through a crack and controlling the system. However, since the spiritual power pattern was simple, there was another way. ¡°This time, it¡¯s my turn.¡± Zing! Sword qi erupted from Dustin, Arthur¡¯s draconic sword. As they saw this, a researcher on the other side of the energy field smirked. ¡°Is that the sword aura used by modified humans? To think of taking down a Level 7 defensive energy field with such a-¡± Yet, Dustin started wavering like a mirage as it entered the energy field and started absorbing the energy within. As Dustin did so, its overall strength seemed to increase. Arthur was utilizing Bright Tai Chi Sword, the Wu Tang Clan¡¯s absolute peak sword art move. ¡°What the heck!¡± The one who seemed like the chief researcher gasped as he saw the energy field instantly crumble. The chief researcher had come across countless beings with a variety of superpowers and otherworldly monsters that possessed incredible abilities, but he had never seen such a flabbergasting and illogical scene. Arthur wasn¡¯t a celestial, demon, or even a low-tier god, but he had such an extraordinary amount of power, which didn¡¯t make any sense to the chief researcher. This could only mean¡­. ¡°W-wait! Did the Noblesse send you here? I don¡¯t know what they told you, but this is clearly a violation of the Union Agreement!¡± The chief researcher¡¯s words seemed to be stated as a threat, but it didn¡¯t deter Arthur or the other party members. ¡°What does that mean?¡± Bam! As Arthur¡¯s sword strike continued onward, it sliced off the top portions of the capsules as smoothly as if cutting a cake. Then, Arthur made his way to one of the capsules and put his hand on the metallic material. ¡°N-no, don¡¯t!¡± ¡°I will.¡± Crackle! Though the capsule was made of some special alloy, it was torn apart like a paper box under Arthur¡¯s grip. From countless hours of training and defeating a plethora of boss monsters, Arthur had accrued a tremendous amount of bonus points. So, on top of his excellent skills, his ability stats were top-notch. And within the capsule was¡­. ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t this a member of the draconic species?¡± ¡°D-damn it!¡± Merlin quickly understood the situation, and Arthur wasn¡¯t far behind. They didn¡¯t possess much background information, but they could gather a great deal of intel from the chief researcher¡¯s facial expression and tone of voice alone. ¡°Why don¡¯t you explain again¡­ we¡¯re breaking the Union¡¯s Agreement?¡± ¡°D-damn it! How did you know? We didn¡¯t have any information leaks, and our communication and information systems are impenetrable! Who are you guys? Where did you come from? The Golden Dragon¡¯s Temple? Or from Draconian?¡± The chief researcher¡¯s words didn¡¯t make any sense to them, but they stored the info nonetheless. Of course, they didn¡¯t outwardly show any of this. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll be taking the female. We don¡¯t have much time left.¡± ¡°Hmph! You think you can just waltz right in and take whatever you want?¡± The chief researcher gritted his teeth and shouted. Right at that moment, an alarm rang out. [Warning! Warning! The fourth experiment subject¡¯s restrictions have been lifted! Pattern C. Due to extreme levels of stress, the fourth experiment subject is in a chaotic, flight state! Once again, warning! The fourth experiment subject¡¯s restrictions have been lifted! The fourth experiment subject¡¯s restrictions have been lifted! All researchers should leave the research center immediately!] ¡°The fourth experiment subject?¡± Merlin asked, and at that moment, the black-haired girl lying in the capsule opened her eyes. Bam! Suddenly, there was a huge blast. Merlin grabbed Ilyia and teleported to safety, while Arthur, the closest to the explosion, dispersed it by swinging his sword. ¡°Grr!¡± Experiment Subject Four cut off the dozens of tubes and electrodes connected to her body and stood. These tubes were thick and hard, and once they were torn off from her sudden movement, her entire body was covered in blood, but she didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°Ugh! It¡¯s pretty strong, no? It¡¯s definitely above Level 14.¡± Even so, it wasn¡¯t something that could easily defeat the gathered users. A Level 13 being could be handled by Merlin alone, let alone the combined force of the entire party. However, this wasn¡¯t necessary. Once the girl regained her freedom, a message appeared in front of the party members. /You have successfully rescued Lucy! You have acquired 1,500 Gem Points!/ CH 156 ¡°Ah, finally, we¡¯re done.¡± ¡°Oh, so we don¡¯t have to leave with her to complete the mission.¡± ¡°If she¡¯s this powerful, she probably won¡¯t have any trouble escaping, but¡­ hmm. It looks like she¡¯ll lose consciousness and any sense of reasoning. Will she still be able to escape?¡± With their experience in numerous quests, the three users tilted their heads in thought. This was because, in any regular rescue mission, it was not considered cleared until the rescued subject was taken to safety. Of course, some missions only had the players release the rescued subject and eliminate every enemy for the mission to be cleared, but that was under the assumption that the rescued subject could escape without any roadblocks or threats. ¡°Ah, now that I recall, there was one time when the mission completion was awarded like this.¡± ¡°What mission was that?¡± Merlin asked. Arthur soon answered. ¡°A mission where some other being showed up to save the rescued subject.¡± Rumble! As soon as Arthur finished explaining, the surrounding air and space glitched as if screaming. Like paper being crumpled in someone¡¯s hand, an opening formed from a crinkled space, and a woman soon appeared. ¡°This, this oppressive force¡­.¡± ¡°Crazy. This isn¡¯t an aura that I¡¯d like to remember.¡± ¡°A dragon!¡± Since they¡¯d experienced Igniz the Red Dragon¡¯s oppressive force during the beta period, the three party members instantly recognized the source of the aura. Moreover, it was a Worm Rank dragon that had lived for at least 2,000 years. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be anxious about. We have Arthur.¡± Toothless had teleported through space to join Merlin and Ilyia, and he spoke in a bemused manner. However, Ilyia had no thoughts of fighting such an overpowered foe. She¡¯d already hidden half her body in the shadows while gritting her teeth. ¡°That¡¯s crazy talk¡­ Arthur is strong, but it¡¯s not enough to stand against a dragon! Igniz was only taken down because we had everyone fighting and were buffed to the heavens!¡± Obviously, Toothless clicked its tongue. ¡°Tsk. You really don¡¯t know anything.¡± ¡°What don¡¯t we know?¡± Merlin inquired with a confused expression. Yet, at that moment, the black-haired woman approached Lucy. ¡°Lucy! Are you alright?!¡± ¡°Ugh! Argh!¡± ¡°Lucy¡­.¡± Bearing a sad expression, the black-haired woman extended her hand toward Lucy. ¡°It seems like they¡¯re family.¡± ¡°It looks like she¡¯s a black dragon, but she seems relatively gentle and mild. However, when faced with the threat of harm to a family member, even a black dragon would-¡± As the players spoke, the black-haired woman slapped Lucy¡¯s head. ¡°Come to your senses, you dumb girl!¡± Boom! With a resounding bang, a large indent formed on one wall where Lucy¡¯s head was embedded. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The three were left speechless as they observed the unfolding scene. The black-haired woman had grabbed onto Lucy¡¯s head as if it was a handball and continually slammed it into the wall. ¡°Always doing whatever you want!¡± Bam! ¡°Running away from home!¡± Bam! ¡°How could you even consider such a thing!¡± Bam! ¡°Really¡­ you get caught by humans of all things, and you become an experiment subject?!¡± Boom! ¡°How much more embarrassment do you have to bring our demonic draconic species before you¡¯re satisfied?! Huh?! Huh?!¡± Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! The sheer force of Lucy¡¯s head banging against the wall made it entirely crumble to bits. This wall wasn¡¯t any standard wall either; it was a metal alloy wall that could sustain a tremendous amount of force. If the black-haired woman wasn¡¯t hitting a member of the dragon species but anyone else, their head would have been pulverized into a mist of blood long ago. ¡°Wow, this is horrifying. We might die by just being here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit weird though¡­ we already completed our quest, but¡­.¡± With dull, sick expressions on their faces, Merlin and Ilyia looked at the black-haired woman as her monstrous magic power exuded outwards, tickling and shocking their faces. Though Arthur and the others were strong, they were no match for this woman. She had lived a long life, an amount of time unimaginable for humans, and had nearly reached transcendence. ¡°You don¡¯t have to fret. As long as we have Arthur, things might become cumbersome, but the situation won¡¯t turn deadly.¡± When she heard Toothless¡¯ laid-back comment, Ilyia¡¯s gaze hardened. ¡°What the heck are you talking about? Even Arthur-¡± Toothless cut off Ilyia and replied, ¡°Arthur is a Heavenly Draconic Being.¡± ¡°Heavenly Draconic Being?¡± Evidently, Merlin and Ilyia had never heard this term before, so they both expressed their confusion. Toothless explained, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. That woman is a high-level draconic being, but in front of her master¡­.¡± ¡°Oh! I got it! That guy isn¡¯t human, right?!¡± ¡°Was he a member of some sort of hidden species?¡± After witnessing Arthur do various unexplainable things, the party members had always thought that his origins were mysterious, so Ilyia and Merlin voiced their conjectures. However, Toothless merely sighed and looked at the two as if they were pathetic. ¡°Ugh, a member of a hidden species¡­ don¡¯t spin stupid stories. It seems like both of your minds have gone into hiding.¡± ¡°T-then, what is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing complicated. Arthur is a human who was born with a Heavenly Draconic spirit.¡± As if she overheard Toothless¡¯ explanation, the black-haired woman suddenly turned around. ¡°What? Why are you guys still here? I¡¯m having a bad day, so why don¡¯t you guys scurry off and- huh?¡± The black-haired woman was speaking in a belittling and aggressive tone when she abruptly stopped as she spotted Arthur. Her gaze trembled as if she was seeing something unbelievable. ¡°What the¡­ you¡­.¡± The black-haired woman started to stutter as she continued to stare at Arthur. However, that only lasted a moment, and she soon started laughing provocatively. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Me? Arthur.¡± Since the aura that the woman emitted was considerable, Arthur had gathered his aura around him to protect himself and to be prepared for a fight if one were to break out. The standoff felt fierce, like standing on a knife¡¯s edge, but the woman seemed to think that Arthur¡¯s response was cute. ¡°Arthur, how nice. Hey, do you want to be my husband?¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± Seeing the unfolding scene and Arthur¡¯s perplexed expression, Merlin asked Toothless a question. ¡°Toothless, is a Heavenly Draconic Being¡­.¡± ¡°Fufufu, I guess there are some quick-witted humans after all. Yeah, my master possesses an innate talent that can rarely be found in the entire universe. It¡¯s often called Heavenly Draconic Being¡­ but the Union also calls it¡­.¡± Toothless broke into a smile before continuing. ¡°¡­ a being adored by all species of dragons, a Dragon Lover.¡± *** Erosion of Reality *** Yongno opened his eyes and took a deep breath. ¡°Miho¡­.¡± Extreme disappointment and sadness washed over him. Yet, Yongno knew that this feeling was no different from how one felt after watching a sad movie or drama. However, the problem was that Merlin felt a high level of emotional connection and empathy within the virtual reality. These feelings ran deep, so deep that his in-game emotions seemed to follow him into reality. Clank! Beep~ Once he took a shower, Yongno promptly left his house. He wanted to meet someone. It didn¡¯t matter who; he just wanted to meet someone and talk. He needed to vent. ¡°But who?¡± Yongno laughed bitterly. Who could he meet? He had already alienated everyone, and in turn, everyone alienated him. Even his family, which was usually a haven for most people, meant nothing to him. A father and mother who suffered from guilt every time they saw him, and an older brother who constantly smirked at him with a twisted, bitter smile. Paradoxically, the only one who treated him like family was his older sister, and she was the family member that he¡¯d interacted with the least. ¡°¡­ Damn it.¡± Unconsciously, Yongno retrieved his phone and looked at it before breaking into a wry smile. He felt a brief sense of happiness when he realized that his sister still treated him like family. Yongno wondered why he put up a front and shunned any meaningful relationship with anyone if he was going to end up feeling this way. Did he do all this because he found everything troublesome and annoying? ¡°If I had even a single iota of closeness with my family, I probably wouldn¡¯t have thought twice to rush over to their house¡­ even at this late hour.¡± Having rushed out of the general vicinity of his apartment complex, Merlin felt drained, so he sat in an outdoor restaurant seating area. During the day, the street he was on would be relatively crowded, but it was currently two in the morning. Only 24-hour businesses like internet cafes and convenience stores were open at this hour. So, outside of the occasional streetlights strewn across the road, everything was dark. ¡°I¡¯m correct, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, I think you are.¡± ¡°Really? Wow!¡± As he laid back on a hard wooden seat, Yongno turned his head, hearing a commotion. In a dark side street, a girl with a beanie cap pulled down to her eyebrows quickly walked while ten or so teenage boys followed behind her. The boys were high schoolers who had spiked hairstyles dyed in flashy colors. ¡°Why are you walking so fast? You¡¯re making it hard to follow you.¡± ¡°H-huh? M-me?¡± ¡°¡®H-huh? M-me?¡¯ Hahaha! Your voice is so cute!¡± When a boy with a piercing spoke, the girl tried to scurry away hurriedly, but by that time, she had been surrounded with no way out. The boys giggled as they moved closer. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re Leaf, right?¡± ¡°Leaf? The singer Leaf? Hahaha. Of course not. How could I be¡­ thanks for complimenting me on my looks, but-¡± ¡°You think you can trick us with that shitty get-up?!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The same boy grabbed the girl¡¯s beanie and removed it, allowing golden hair to fall. The girl screamed and started to tremble. This yell was too loud to be from surprise; instead, it was one that expected a passerby to come and help. Though a rotten egg, the boy with a piercing wasn¡¯t stupid, so he soon frowned menacingly. ¡°Do you expect us to take advantage of you or something? Ah, you have such a flat chest, yet you still think we¡¯d be physically interested in you.¡± ¡°What?¡± Leaf flinched for a moment. Even from Merlin¡¯s distance away, he could see a vein popping out of her forehead. She made a fierce expression as if she was going to go berserk and destroy everything in sight. ¡°Did you just say ¡®what¡¯? What are you going to do about it?¡± However, no matter how mad Leaf felt, she couldn¡¯t compete with the boys in terms of strength, so she had to keep her cool. ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t mean anything. Hahaha. Uh, you know, I¡¯m a bit busy right now¡­ can I just leave?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll let you leave?¡± The boys surrounding Leaf giggled once more. A few of the boys remarked something along the lines of, ¡®Ah, why are you trying to leave so soon? Your fan service sucks~,¡¯ as they tried to get a rise out of Leaf. ¡°What should I do¡­.¡± Normally, Yongno would have left without hesitation. He wasn¡¯t a person who burned with fervor to correct the wrongs of society, nor did he like conflict. Actually, he was closer to being a scaredy cat. Yongno had extraordinary innate talent that would likely never be seen again, but his mind was as weak and brittle as a glass window. Furthermore, he didn¡¯t possess a strong will - the readiness to overcome hardship and adversity to achieve some desired result. He was afraid of even the most minor things and easily gave up when faced with slight difficulties. He grew bored of things quickly, gave up speedily, and had a stronger proclivity than the average person to avoid danger and seek comfort. Even if a bully raped a woman, let alone harassed her, Yongno didn¡¯t have the courage to stop it. He would only go so far as to call the police after feeling sorry from afar. ¡°Phew¡­.¡± However, Yongno stood. He wasn¡¯t his ¡®usual¡¯ self at the moment. Yongno experienced Miho¡¯s death and tried to run away from everything by letting go, but the only thing that occupied his mind was the avatar in the game. When he woke up, Yongno still remembered Miho and her last dying moments. Yongno had always run away from pain and suffering, but now, he was finally boxed in without a way out. In other words, Yongno currently wasn¡¯t of sound mind. CH 157 ¡°Kyak!¡± ¡°You little xxxxx. If you scream again, I¡¯ll cut your tongue off!¡± ¡°W-what¡­¡± Leaf¡¯s cute jacket was taken away, so she started shivering from the cold. The neighborhood wasn¡¯t known for being particularly dangerous, and the area was near an apartment complex¡­. For goodness¡¯ sake, it was Korea, of all places. She never dreamed that something like this would happen to her. Furthermore, she was being ganged up on by boys at least one year older than her, meaning they were within the age group that comprised the majority of her fans. ¡°Whistle! You have a nice body.¡± ¡°Dang, look at her waistline. I bet I can hold nearly her entire waist in both hands. I wonder how her organs fit in there.¡± ¡°Her skin is so nice and clean, too. She¡¯s like a doll.¡± Leaf felt goosebumps as the boys laughed and touched her body. She started backing up, but she was soon blocked by a wall. At first, the boys were only touching her hair and face, but they were now wriggling into her blouse and up her skirt. ¡°Kyak¡­ ugh!¡± ¡°I told you to shut it!¡± When Leaf was about to scream with all her might, she was punched in the stomach. Though she had a fiery personality, Leaf was only 165 cm tall and weighed a measly 40 kilograms. After one punch, she started wobbling and had trouble breathing. ¡°S-stop. If you stop now, I won¡¯t make any trouble for you guys, and just quietly leave- Kyak?!¡± She stated that she wouldn¡¯t file a police report, but her words had no effect. Of course, this was the best option for the boys, but if they possessed sound, logical minds, things wouldn¡¯t have come this far. ¡®I feel like I¡¯ve gained the ability to see into the future.¡¯ Yongno smiled sadly. It was likely- no, definite that these boys were going to sexually assault Leaf or, at worse, rape her. Of course, the boys knew that this was a crime. While many high schoolers looked upon the world with a fatalistic lens, they wouldn¡¯t resort to killing and burying Leaf nor erasing any evidence of the crime. Hence, it was obvious that committing such a crime would result in an investigation. Leaf could still escape, and she wouldn¡¯t press charges due to a lack of evidence or to prevent any nasty rumors about her. Yet, that seemed highly unlikely, as there were a few boys recording her being beaten and trembling on their phones. It made no sense, but those boys would possibly distribute the recording to their friends or even upload it to the internet. Obviously, this would leave a black mark on Leaf¡¯s celebrity career and become evidence that would prove the boys¡¯ crime. With their faces clearly recognizable and plastered across the internet, their identities would be easily obtained, and within a heartbeat, their lives would be put on a dark path with little to no way out. Even if they only received a slap on the wrist as minors, their futures would be screwed. ¡°How can they be so shortsighted?¡± After making an exasperated expression, Yongno pulled his hood up and covered half of his face before starting to stretch. He didn¡¯t just shake his arms and legs; Yongno started utilizing the essence of martial arts and sport science to warm up his muscles and heighten his senses. Since he hadn¡¯t moved in a while, Yongno heard cracks throughout his body. ¡°Oh, man! Look at this! I think she peed herself!¡± ¡°What? Let me see. Yuck, she did!¡± ¡°Dang it, I got pee on my hands¡­ huh?¡± The boys were shouting at each other with glee when they suddenly turned their attention to Yongno. This wasn¡¯t because Yongno had made his presence known in any way. Though the boys were teenagers, they knew that what they were doing was a crime, so they reacted to the presence of a third-party bystander. ¡°What are you looking at, loser? If you don¡¯t want to get beaten, don¡¯t harass us while we¡¯re having fun and get lost!¡± ¡°Is it fun?¡± ¡°What?¡± Yongno made a fierce smile after hearing one of the boys give a confused response. ¡°It must be nice to feel enjoyment from such an act.¡± Having closed the distance to the group, Yongno shot out with his palm and hit one of the boys directly under the chin. Compared to punching, a palm strike required a specific stance and closer proximity to the target, so it had considerable demerits. Yet, Yongno¡¯s palm strike was so quick that the boy had no time to react; no, he didn¡¯t even make a sound before he collapsed. The direct effect of the strike was something that even a veteran martial artist or boxer couldn¡¯t easily replicate. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What just happened?¡± The group stood dumbfounded as they observed the perplexing scene. When two additional boys crumpled to the ground, those remaining started shouting as they could not accept the reality of the situation. ¡°This guy thinks he can go up against all of us?! Did he go crazy after watching one too many action movies?¡± ¡°Get him!¡± The two closest to Yongno swung their fists at him. Their movements complimented each other as if they¡¯d fought together before, and while this combo wasn¡¯t exactly deadly, it couldn¡¯t be easily avoided. Bam! Bam! However, Yongno''s hand deflected the boys¡¯ swinging arms. Since they¡¯d backed their punches with their weight, the two instantly lost their balance. Bam! Between the two boys, one of them was hit in the face by Yongno¡¯s kneecap. Then, as they were surprised by the unfolding events, another boy entered the fray from beside Yongno. Yet, he soon met the other boy¡¯s fate when his face met the edge of Yongno¡¯s hand. The boy teetered before falling, and Yongno kicked his midsection as if it were a soccer ball. ¡®They¡¯re so slow!¡¯ Yongno was experiencing time differently than his opponents. With his mind accelerated, everything looked like it was moving slowly. Bam! Boom! ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°You son of a- ack!¡± In no time, six of the boys were down. Among them, one who was hit by Yongno¡¯s open hand got up with a bloodied nose. Regardless, out of the ten boys, five were taken out. It was a scene right out of an action movie, just like what was mentioned previously. ¡°W-w-what is this? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°You weaklings¡­ how can you crumble after just one hit? Are you all extras in a movie?¡± The remaining five boys ground their teeth and moved to surround Yongno. In a movie or drama, or perhaps in an unsafe country, the bad guys would have taken Leaf hostage, but this was Korea. These boys were bad apples, but they weren¡¯t part of an organized gang or anything like that, so no knives or weapons appeared. ¡°Get him!¡± With that shout, all five boys lunged at Yongno from all directions simultaneously. They weren¡¯t particularly quick. Actually, for Yongno, they were slower than a snail. If he wanted, Yongno thought he could move tens of times faster than them. ¡°Hmph!¡± However, this was just a passing thought. Although he felt that the boys were moving slowly, this was only because his mind¡¯s processing speed had accelerated; in actuality, his movements weren¡¯t much quicker, as he wasn¡¯t controlling time. Magic didn¡¯t exist in reality, so his accelerated mind allowed him to observe things in much finer detail, but that was it. Bam! Boom! Yongno kicked the boy in front of him while a strike hit his rear. Though he could see and read all their movements, he only had one body and wasn¡¯t much quicker than the boys, so he had to let some attacks hit him. Bam! After maneuvering to be punched in the side of his shoulder, Yongno turned to kick his opponent¡¯s shin. ¡°Ack!¡± The boy collapsed while screaming bloody murder, but Yongno¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t bright. He didn¡¯t feel like he moved too much, but his breathing was already ragged. His frame and body were well-proportioned and optimal for physical exertion as if gifted by the heavens, but he hadn¡¯t trained at all. Since he¡¯d been operating at full strength, Yongno quickly reached his limit and grew tired. ¡°Got him!¡± At that moment, one of the three remaining boys grabbed Yongno¡¯s midsection. Yongno wanted to swing his leg backward and kick him off, but one of the boys squirming on the ground caught his legs and restricted his movement. Bam! ¡°This stupid boomer¡­.¡± Bam! Not missing this chance, the boy with a piercing punched Yongno¡¯s face and was about to shout something before an elbow slammed into his chest. The strike was so vicious that the boy fell without even having the chance to scream in pain. ¡°Damn it, hold him properly!¡± ¡°Why is this guy wriggling so much!¡± Only two boys should have remained, but two who had previously collapsed had rejoined the fight. It wasn¡¯t easy to make someone immobile with a single strike. The initial two or three boys couldn¡¯t get up quickly, but Yongno¡¯s stamina didn¡¯t allow him to attack with as much force in subsequent attacks, so everyone afterward wasn¡¯t injured as much. Yongno felt as if he were being weighed down by an increasingly heavier weight, and his breathing started to grow ragged. Yongno still couldn¡¯t get rid of the boy grabbing his midsection. ¡°Stay still! This guy!¡± One of the boys picked up an iron bar, which was placed as a weight for a store sign, and swung it at Yongno with all his might. The rebar was heavy, so it wasn¡¯t the ideal weapon to use, but the boy who wielded it was the biggest amongst the bunch, standing at 185 cm and weighing over 100 kilograms. As the physically largest, he could put some speed behind his swing. The boy was aiming for Yongno¡¯s head. ¡®That¡¯s dangerous¡­.¡¯ As Yongno observed the slowly-approaching iron bar with his accelerated mind, he fell into thought. He knew that it was dangerous if he got hit. The weight of the iron bar and the speed of the swing were enough to crack his head wide open. Of course, he could move his head out of the way and sacrifice his shoulder instead. This would break his collarbone, but at least he¡¯d survive¡­. ¡®Should I avoid it?¡¯ For a moment, Yongno was seduced by an extreme temptation. Similar to how Thanatos yearned for his own death, Yongno momentarily sought his own end. It wasn¡¯t because he was overcome with grief from Miho¡¯s death; that was just the last straw amongst a haystack of reasons. ¡®Life is painful.¡¯ There were times when life wasn¡¯t so painful. When he still had little knowledge of the world, everything seemed easy and straightforward. The world was an easy place, and he believed that he could do anything he set his mind to. Yet, in the end, he became frustrated because he knew that what he initially thought was just an illusion. ¡®If it hits me head-on, I¡¯ll die, right?¡¯ A mere hit would not be life-threatening. Even though the iron bar was accelerating, it wasn¡¯t imbued with internal energy, so it wouldn¡¯t make his head explode. However, if the iron bar hit his vital point, it could cause a critical, life-threatening injury. If he moved his head a bit and stuck his neck out a little, he¡¯d be a goner. ¡°No, don¡¯t! Yongno! Get your hands off me! Yongno!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Yongno let out a groan as he recalled a scene. A force within his mind started to suppress the rising memory, but it failed this time. The ¡®Heaven¡¯ mark on his forehead glowed, and his divine nature awakened. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± It was something that Yongno always wondered about. Why was it that every time he saw his family, he felt a strong sense of disappointment and hatred? Why did his father, mother, and older brother¡­ always wear expressions of guilt whenever they saw him? ¡°I-I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. You¡¯re the weird one. I-I just¡­.¡± Slowly, his suppressed memories came back. The life he lived, the family that had abandoned him, and being kidnapped by unknown men. However, the first thing that appeared in his mind was the image of a girl crying. ¡°¡­¡± Yongno¡¯s eyes regained focus. The iron bar was still approaching him. Yongno slowly raised his right hand¡­. His right hand started emitting a golden shine. Bang! ¡°Ack?!¡± The iron bar in the boy¡¯s hand shot out like an arrow, embedding itself 30 cm deep into a nearby wall. As this occurred, the large boy¡¯s hands grew bloody from the friction. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What the¡­ eh?!¡± With a crunching sound, the two boys grabbing Yongno had their arms break like shattered hard candy. Now free of any restrictions, Yongno stepped forward and sent a low kick toward the boy who had swung the iron bar. This action possessed a tremendous amount of force behind it. Bam! Crack! Yongno sent out bullet-like punches and whip-like kicks at the boys. Though his previous attacks weren¡¯t weak, these current moves were on another level. If they were hit, their bones would instantly shatter, and they¡¯d immediately lose consciousness. Unlike before, the boys on the receiving end of these attacks couldn¡¯t get back up. CH 158 ¡°This¡­.¡± As he stood in the side street surrounded by the sound of groans, Yongno sensed something new, something different from his other five senses. However, it didn¡¯t feel foreign. Actually, it felt familiar, as it filled the region between the heavens and the earth and was the basic building block of the world. Mana. It was spiritual energy that was also referred to as qi in martial arts. Modern humans didn¡¯t know about this mysterious power since those born on Earth had their divine nature and qi sense restricted, so they could not sense mana. Great sages like Yahweh or Buddha were exceptions, as they had understood the truth of the world through enlightenment. They could create an Astral Body and free themselves of spiritual restrictions and the world itself, but Yongno didn¡¯t fall into that category. He hadn¡¯t even realized the principles of Everything, attained divinity, or acquired a divine position and ascended to become a divine being. Instead, he¡¯d gained freedom with the help of an external factor. ¡°Hey, you over there, flat chest.¡± ¡°W-what? You little¡­ no, wait, I mean¡­ are you alright?¡± Though her natural personality was vibrant and outgoing, Leaf remained cautious. After all, those boys had been sexually assaulting her mere moments ago; it wouldn¡¯t be weird if she collapsed at any moment and burst into tears. ¡°Worry about yourself. You call yourself a celebrity, but you walk around late at night alone and get yourself in this unfortunate situation¡­.¡± Yongno lectured Leaf as if he was unhappy about her choice of action. He didn¡¯t typically complain or act cold, but his head was filled with too many chaotic thoughts, and he was also emotionally unstable. Due to the sudden influx of memories and his new ability to sense mana, Yongno was at a loss. It was surprising that he didn¡¯t choose to leave immediately without a word. ¡°Go home. If you stay, you¡¯ll just ruin your life and a few others¡¯ lives as well.¡± ¡°W-wait!¡± When Yongno turned around after he finished speaking, Leaf¡¯s arm abruptly shot forward and grabbed him. With a great deal on his mind, Yongno made a vicious expression. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You see¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t have any strength in my legs¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yongno frowned before offering Leaf his back, and as she apologized, Leaf climbed on. ¡°Sorry. As long as we get far away from those guys, if you can take me to the apartment¡¯s security office, I can go on my own from there.¡± Leaf stuttered as she found it difficult to speak to Yongno. Despite saving her, he had crushed ten high school boys, so she couldn¡¯t help but keep her guard up. ¡°¡­ Ugh!¡± ¡°S-sorry, are you alright?¡± Unexpectedly, the areas on his shoulder and back where the boys hit him were starting to bruise and swell. Yongno didn¡¯t notice this in the darkness, but the boys had been wearing brass knuckles. His adrenaline had been pumping at full steam during the fight, so he didn¡¯t feel the pain back then, but now that his body was returning to normal, the pain was quickly setting in. ¡°Just hold on tight.¡± ¡°I¡­ I think you¡­ need to go to the hospital¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that bad. Instead, you should call your manager. You¡¯re a celebrity, so you should have one, right? Or call that one guy that you were with before.¡± ¡°The guy I was with before?¡± Leaf looked confused at this unexpected turn. However, she soon recalled where she had heard Yongno¡¯s voice before. ¡°Ack! You¡¯re the idiot that I met when I was with the president! Are you a stalker?¡± ¡°A stalker?¡± ¡°You followed me all the way from Pyeongyang, didn¡¯t you?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Irritation and annoyance spread across Yongno¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m going to throw you off.¡± ¡°S-stalker, you¡­ kyak?!¡± After throwing Leaf to the ground, Yongno turned to start walking away. Surprised, Leaf quickly whipped her head around to survey her surroundings. She was on a quiet street that was less than 30 meters away from where she was attacked by the boys. ¡°S-sorry! It was a mistake! A mistake! I never expected to see you! Why were you here?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk as if you own the neighborhood. I live here, and my parents live in the same apartment complex as you.¡± As she heard Yongno¡¯s clear, guilt-free voice, Leaf lowered her head. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! I was in the wrong! I¡¯m appreciative of all that you¡¯ve done for me; I¡¯m the bad person!¡± ¡°Man¡­.¡± Yongno lowered himself to Leaf¡¯s eye level and scoffed. Of course, Leaf was in the wrong, but Yongno didn¡¯t expect her attitude to take a 180-degree turn within moments. Yongno couldn¡¯t understand how Leaf was a celebrity with such a personality. ¡°Where¡¯s your house?¡± ¡°Apartment Building 103.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the same as mine.¡± Unlike a romance novel or K-drama, Leaf didn¡¯t live across the hallway or above Yongno¡¯s home. Yongno lived on the sixth floor, while Leaf lived on the fifteenth. Ding! Once inside the elevator, Yongno pushed the buttons for the 6th and 15th floors. Neither person spoke during the ride as they didn¡¯t have any further questions for each other. Since his mind was disorganized at the moment, Yongno was happy for the silence. ¡°Ah, um, I think I can stand on my own now.¡± ¡°Good. I didn¡¯t want people getting any ideas anyways.¡± /[Sixth floor.]/ After the announcement rang out, Yongno left the elevator. For whatever reason, Leaf also got off. ¡°¡­ What?¡± When Yongno made an angered expression, beads of sweat immediately started forming on Leaf¡¯s face. ¡°L-let me rest for a moment at your place. It¡¯s a little difficult for me to go back home right now.¡± /[The doors are closing.]/ With the sound of sliding doors, the elevator doors closed, leaving Yongno to stare at Leaf exasperatedly. ¡°You¡¯re not scared of much, are you? I live by myself.¡± ¡°W-well, you saved me from a dangerous situation. If you do anything bad to me, it¡¯ll serve as some sort of compensation.¡± After hearing her straightforward yet logically twisted words, Yongno¡¯s eyebrows started twitching. ¡°Are you saying you¡¯re okay with being taken advantage of?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll still file a police report.¡± ¡°Oh my goodness¡­.¡± Though at a loss for words, Yongno opened his door and went inside. As he was taking off his jacket, he felt chills. His jacket was soaked wet, and it had an ammonia-like smell to it. ¡°You.¡± ¡°S-sorry! W-when did this happen¡­ ah, right¡­ from before¡­ ack!¡± Leaf started turning beet red when she realized that her underwear and pants had been soaked wet from earlier. She recalled that she peed herself when the boys were placing their hands on her legs and stomach. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t enough to wet her other clothing, but her underwear was soaked. ¡°I knew it¡­ it¡¯s best if you go home.¡± ¡°W-what? N-no!¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you go home?¡± As he threw his jacket into his washer, Yongno asked Leaf a question in a serious, irate tone. His mind was in a mess due to the sudden awakening of his divine nature and the deluge of memories; thus, there was no way he¡¯d look kindly upon Leaf, as Yongno just wanted some peace and quiet to sift and go through his thoughts. ¡°Some family stuff. I¡¯m a minor, so my parents control all my income without giving me any chance to speak for myself. There¡¯s also a bunch of relatives that are mixed into the mess.¡± Leaf had a depressed expression. As a successful idol, she brought in billions of won a year, but she couldn¡¯t do anything with that money or even make her own choices in life. Her schedule was always packed, and she never had any free time. Leaf didn¡¯t have any say in what programs and events she participated in, and she didn¡¯t know how her income was being used. ¡°What do your parents do for a living?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have parents. I live with my aunt and her husband.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Yongno clicked his tongue as he rummaged through his closet. Obviously, he didn¡¯t have any underwear for girls. Actually, he didn¡¯t even have a single pair of briefs.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll need to change your underwear¡­ are boxers fine?¡± ¡°Y-yeah. It¡¯s not like I can walk around without underwear, so¡­ sorry.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± When Yongno handed over a pair of his boxers, Leaf quickly snatched them and ran into the bathroom. ¡°This is troublesome.¡± Yongno sighed and took off his shirt. When he checked his body in the mirror, he saw that his shoulder area had swelled, and there were considerable bruises on his back. Luckily, his bones were unharmed, so he didn¡¯t need to go to the hospital. After taking off the rest of his clothes, Yongno put on comfortable workout clothes. Click. When Yongno was done changing, Leaf opened the bathroom door and walked out. It seemed she had taken a brief shower, as her hair was a bit wet. Well, she had peed herself, so she probably felt the need to wash up a bit. Unexpectedly, though, she was holding the soiled underwear. ¡°Why did you bring that out?¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s not like I can leave it here.¡± ¡°Just throw it away.¡± At Yongno¡¯s curt responses, Leaf¡¯s gaze hardened. ¡°Hey! Are you considering my underwear trash!¡± ¡°If it¡¯s not trash, what is it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡± Leaf was at a loss for words. After a moment, she spoke in an unconfident tone. ¡°You see¡­ this¡­ it¡¯ll sell for a high price if it¡¯s sold on the internet¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Under Yongno¡¯s cold gaze, Leaf meekly apologized and threw the underwear into a trash can before walking over to the sofa and sitting. ¡°How long are you planning to stay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I think my aunt and her husband are planning to negotiate with my agency to try and get more money. I believe they¡¯re planning to discuss their plans with my other relatives¡­ they keep telling me to inform the agency that what they¡¯re saying reflects what I want. I already have a contract in place, but they keep telling me that it¡¯s all wrong.¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just like singing.¡± Leaf picked up a teddy bear that was nearby and started rolling around on the sofa. ¡°I only wanted to sing, nothing else¡­.¡± Her mumbling voice slowly became quieter before it fell silent. Once her tensed nerves had settled, a rush of exhaustion overcame her, causing her to fall asleep. Yongno was dumbfounded at how Leaf could fall asleep in the middle of a conversation. ¡°I really don¡¯t understand her¡­.¡± Yongno shook his head, but soon, he picked her up from the sofa, placed her on his bed, and covered her with his blanket. Since she had physically and mentally gone through so much in such a short period, Yongno wasn¡¯t surprised that she had exhausted herself. He was initially suspicious that she was faking, but Yongno¡¯s heightened senses didn¡¯t substantiate that claim. ¡°Phew¡­.¡± As he sat on the sofa where Leaf had been lying earlier, Yongno let out a long, deep sigh. Some time had passed since his breakthrough and awakening, so he had somewhat regained his calm. He wanted to chalk up what happened earlier as simply an illusion or dream, but he couldn¡¯t deny the presence of mana surrounding him. He possessed a sense that shouldn¡¯t exist, but the sense seemed all too familiar. It was the power that he utilized in DIO. Favorite CH 159 ¡°Dang it. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve gone crazy.¡± Of course, the situation wasn¡¯t exactly the same as it was in-game. Other than not having his items or an overarching safety system, there was also a stark contrast in his physique. For one, he did not have the Golden Pill Immortal Technique¡¯s internal energy, and he also didn¡¯t have his planetary system with Mercury, Venus, and Earth or a magic stone like the Star Ruby. However, the differences weren¡¯t this simple. His fundamental physical form and structure were different. In DIO, users possessed a wide and varied knowledge of martial arts, but they weren¡¯t aware of the intricate details regarding qi meridians and qi flow or how physical development worked. This was not due to a lack of research but because there was ¡®no such need¡¯ for users. Even Arthur had never experienced physical development in-game, and he probably had to modify his body twice to match his development. This was because every user started the game with the ideal physical state. From the beginning, a user¡¯s character innately possessed an awakened divine nature and qi sense, and waste never accrued in their body. Furthermore, a user¡¯s qi meridians and qi flow were already fully operational. Since every user was given a perfect vessel as a body, there was no need for physical development, growth, or modification. ¡°On the other hand, this body of mine¡­ all my qi meridians and qi flow pathways are totally dry and in disuse. No, is it more accurate to say that they¡¯ve atrophied?¡± Surprisingly, his real body didn¡¯t possess qi meridians or qi flow pathways. There were hints of their existence remaining in his body, but like a human¡¯s tailbone, it seemed these spiritual pathways and organs had long ago atrophied and become useless. Similar to how a modern human couldn¡¯t pick something up with their tailbone, they also wouldn¡¯t be able to use or even awaken their spiritual power. ¡°Yet, I can sense and feel it. Is it because of¡­ this?¡± After raising a hand mirror to his face, Yongno stared at the ¡®Heaven¡¯ sign on his forehead. The first guide NPC that greeted users, Marionette Hold, had gifted this to him when they parted. Surprisingly, the ¡®Heaven¡¯ sign was acting as his spiritual pathway and organs, his spiritual power system. ¡°I don¡¯t have internal power in my body. Forget one cycle. I don¡¯t even have a single day¡¯s worth of internal energy.¡± Although Mari had left him with an operational spiritual power system, Yongno didn¡¯t have any cultivation technique like the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, and even if he did, he still couldn¡¯t use it. Without the organic qi meridians and qi flow pathways, he wouldn¡¯t be able to train in traditional martial arts or develop skills that relied on them. ¡°It¡¯s not just humans. Animals and plants, even non-living things¡­ everything on Earth only possesses the bare minimum of qi to sustain its existence.¡± This was the reason why spiritual beings and plants didn¡¯t exist on Earth. Obviously, items that possessed unique powers wouldn¡¯t exist either. However, when he reasoned up to this point, he felt a sudden sense of suffocation. He realized that he based his assessment of reality on the ¡®in-game¡¯ DIO worldview. ¡°¡­ What the hell.¡± He didn¡¯t feel that his line of reasoning was moving in the right direction. No matter how amazing the game was, it was part of reality, not the other way around. Reality should be a guide for the game rather than going to the game as his baseline. If the game was his main frame of reference¡­. Woong! As Yongno summoned and circulated his genuine qi, a golden glow emanated from his right hand. He didn¡¯t move internal energy from his dantian to his hand through the qi flow pathways; he gathered the qi that was floating in the air and concentrated it into the palm of his hand. This was the vision that Mary had imbued within him - Qi Heaven. ¡°I knew I wasn¡¯t playing a normal game, but I never thought it would allow me to use magic and martial arts¡­.¡± Creek! Accompanied by the sound of metal scratching against a tough surface, a magic circle formed on Yongno¡¯s coffee table before he groaned. ¡°What the hell is happening? What¡¯s going on?¡± *** Event and No Manner *** Ting. A two-meter by ten-meter table was filled to the brim with magic circles. The Gigas parts he obtained from the last mission were also neatly spread across the table. On one side of the wall was a large device akin to a monitor; it circulated pertinent information about the Gigas parts, like properties and operation mechanisms. Meanwhile, the other side had an ice pillar that contained a blue magic sphere radiating light. Inscriptions covered the ice pillar¡¯s entire surface. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve used up all the magic powder.¡± Merlin had been busily moving about while typing on a keyboard-like magic panel when he took off his glasses and closed his eyes, rubbing them. His facial expression and behavior clearly displayed his obvious exhaustion. Whir! Merlin retrieved a card from his parts inventory and threw it into the air carelessly. The thrown card started spinning like a top and grew larger, only stopping once it reached the size of a door. With this done, Merlin opened the door, stepped inside the inventory, and took out two Kalib King Clamshells that were about a meter inside the parts inventory space. ¡°Quiet Heaven, warm these up with some Blue Spirit Flames.¡± ¡°What? Hey, do you know how busy I am right now!¡± Whoosh! Above Merlin was Quiet Heaven, which was perched on an iron hook attached to the ceiling. Quiet Heaven was constantly sending out flames, and it complained aloud when it received another order. Before Miho¡¯s death, Quiet Heaven had spent most of its day doing reconnaissance and avoided participating in any fights, but afterward, Merlin¡¯s personality seemed to change. He now requested countless things from Quiet Heaven, preventing him from taking a moment¡¯s rest. Previously, Quiet Heaven could escape some of Merlin¡¯s requests by stating that it was still under certain restrictions, but after Merlin acquired a tremendous amount of EXP in the New Continent, all its restrictions were lifted. Furthermore, Merlin¡¯s requests were within the guidelines of the agreement between master and pet. Each request kept Quiet Heaven¡¯s skillset in mind and did not overwork or weaken it, so the eagle couldn¡¯t do anything but complain. ¡°Oh, the work you¡¯re currently doing should be ending soon.¡± ¡°What?¡± As soon as Quiet Heaven replied, a magic circle on the ceiling started to emit light and dropped a red aura downward. Whoosh! When Merlin grabbed the red aura dripping from the magic circle, a shockwave rang out. Then, a thumb-sized ruby appeared in Merlin¡¯s hand. ¡°This process reduces the time required, but the purity level isn¡¯t enough to properly ignite the Howling spell. If the Howling spell is an ultimate-type spell, I could probably use this ruby to cast something slightly less effective.¡± Merlin placed the ruby in his inventory and turned around. Seeing this, Quiet Heaven was about to make its way down from the hook, but at that moment, one of Merlin¡¯s spirits, Shining, pushed a King Clam shell in front of Quiet Heaven. ¡°Please.¡± ¡°Argh! Let me rest a bit!¡± ¡°You can rest ten minutes every three hours. I¡¯ve already told you this. You have fifteen minutes left.¡± ¡°Ugh, this is an exploitation of labor. It¡¯s a sweatshop!¡± While complaining, Quiet Heaven gathered Dao power and started outputting blue flames. This was the precursor process to creating magic powder. Beep! At that moment, a monitor on the wall showed a schematic blueprint. While he examined it, Merlin fell into thought. ¡°It¡¯s too difficult to create with the current modern user¡¯s tech. Though we¡¯re advancing quickly, it¡¯ll still take us about six months before we have the requisite technology.¡± Six months in real life was six years in DIO since time moved 12 times faster. Though it wasn¡¯t a small period, for users just getting used to their special talents, obtaining the necessary tech to understand modern and future science necessitated such a time investment. ¡°That means there¡¯s only one option.¡± Merlin tapped on the magic panel and closed the parts inventory door. After shutting, the door folded in half once, then again. In the end, it turned into a housing card. At the moment, Merlin was also within a housing card. Merlin had purchased a Rank A Housing Card and used the space to create his research facility and lab. He used his initial housing card as a parts inventory storage space. ¡°Anyway, what are your plans, master? That blueprint and what you¡¯re making now¡­ all of this seems dangerous.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing particularly hazardous. This is probably the exact direction the developers wanted and foresaw. The only issue might be that I¡¯ve quickened the pace a bit.¡± ¡°Well, if you say so, then it must be¡­ anyway, here you go.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± After he took the King Clam shell that Quiet Heaven had burned with his spiritual blue flame, Merlin placed the shell on a grinder. Once he grounded the shell, added some additional ingredients, and processed the entire thing with a few magic spells, he¡¯d be left with an excellent magic catalyst powder. ¡°Ah, isn¡¯t it about time for the event to start?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to stop by the Magic Tower of Babel before heading to the event. I¡¯m planning on gathering as much as I can.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Quiet Heaven controlled the air surrounding it and gently glided down from the ceiling, landing atop Merlin¡¯s head. Merlin¡¯s head was pushed down a bit, but he didn¡¯t mind. ¡°Why? Is it weird that I¡¯m participating in the event?¡± ¡°You, uh¡­ how should I put this¡­ seem like the quiet type. The event will be chaotic, with a cacophony of sound and countless users. I wouldn¡¯t think that you¡¯d like such places.¡± If the old Merlin liked to travel and seek adventure, the new Merlin gave off the air of a veteran scholar. The glasses that Merlin always wore added to this effect, but his purchase of an additional housing card just to make a research and lab facility clearly illustrated this change. Moreover, Merlin converted his main fighting style from martial arts to magic. To be more precise, ¡®main fighting style¡¯ wasn¡¯t the correct term. In the past, Merlin mainly used martial arts with magic as a secondary option; however, now, Merlin only used magic. ¡°Well, that assumption isn¡¯t entirely wrong, but that doesn¡¯t mean I dislike the event itself. It looks like it¡¯ll be fun, and the rewards aren¡¯t half bad. Most importantly, I have a distinct advantage.¡± Merlin thought about Yongno. During the last fishing event, Merlin had hidden underneath an outgoing boat and caught fish that remained below the surface. By doing this, Yongno wasn¡¯t seen or recognized by anyone else. At the time, Yongno had captured around one percent of the entire gem fish population, so he had reaped a significant harvest. Yongno had always moved in the shadows. While he wanted to participate in the fishing event, he didn¡¯t want to be seen by others. Merlin snorted after recalling this fact. ¡®I don¡¯t know why he was so cautious. Was he afraid of gaining others¡¯ attention?¡¯ Like Arthur and Cruze, Yongno possessed monstrous potential, but no one knew this. This was because Yongno always played in areas where others weren¡¯t looking. Yongno probably wasn¡¯t the only solo user, but there weren¡¯t likely to be many other users who stayed away from people as much as Yongno previously did. ¡®Well, it seems like it¡¯s getting harder for him to live his usual lifestyle.¡¯ Yongno and Merlin openly shared their memories. They were from the same body, so this was only to be expected. Since they shared their memories, Yongno knew what Merlin was up to in-game, and Merlin knew what Yongno was doing in reality. When Merlin realized that Yongno could use his talents and special skills in reality through Mary¡¯s ¡®Heaven¡¯ imprint, Merlin inferred more information and insight into the origins and objectives of DIO. ¡°Yongno doesn¡¯t know how to properly use his intelligence, but I¡¯m different.¡± Merlin took out a large sapphire. After Yongno¡¯s consciousness faded, Merlin lost the option of utilizing martial arts, but Merlin could still operate genuine qi, so he continued to make Howling spell gems whenever he could. However, it took two weeks to create a single Howling spell, so he had only been able to create one, but that one gem could flip the table during the event. ¡°I need a lot of gem points.¡± Smiling, Merlin stepped out of his housing space. ¡°I¡¯ll need to gather as much as I can, to the best of my abilities.¡± CH 160 ¡°Here you are.¡± After entering a room, Merlin approached a middle-aged man seated at a desk. There, he gave the man a red gem and an approximately thirty-page thesis for his research paper. The man seemed to be surfing the internet, but when he saw Merlin¡¯s offerings, he let out an exclamation. ¡°Oh, the results came out quicker than expected. Let¡¯s see.¡± The middle-aged man had well-kept blonde hair, and he was a great mage that realized the essence of the heavens and earth and could launch tens of different spells simultaneously. His name was Leighann Bennett. The library-like room that Merlin and Leighann were in was the highest floor in the Magic Tower of Babel, a holy land for all magic users. Flip. Leighann calmly read through Merlin¡¯s thesis. Of course, he looked calm outwardly, but he rushed through the entire paper in less than five minutes. ¡°Oho, this is such a novel idea. There have been many attempts to crystalize mana, but to bring out such an explosive force from magic power¡­.¡± As he whistled in appreciation, Leighann picked up the gem Merlin had placed on his desk. ¡°It¡¯s a model prototype.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have many fully operational gems at my disposal.¡± It took two weeks to create a Howling spell gem. Someone might want to steal it, so Merlin didn¡¯t take the gem out if he didn¡¯t need to. ¡°Is a gem an ingredient?¡± ¡°When the creator¡¯s ability is low, an energy tank is needed. A gem would be best, but any container-type item would probably work. If mana can be crystalized, then a gem or vessel wouldn¡¯t be needed, but the manufacturer needs to be able to use both internal energy and magic power.¡± Leighann nodded. Since he was a sage, a great mage, and had reached a realm where he nearly understood the essence of everything, Leighann almost entirely comprehended the system that Merlin had ¡®invented.¡¯ He also knew the value of such a breakthrough. For tens of thousands of years, it was well-known that an explosive reaction occurred when pure magic power and internal energy collided. Yet, the crystallization and stabilization of mana in Merlin¡¯s revolutionary new approach was something that no other world or dimension could conceive for the past tens of billions of years. ¡®Humans are fascinating creatures. How could they come up with such a novel approach?¡¯ Of course, this discovery wouldn¡¯t impact human society or a human¡¯s daily life. Even if Merlin¡¯s method was made public, no one could crystallize and stabilize the explosive force that arose from the chaotic collision of magic power and internal energy. However, a transcendent being would be able to utilize this approach in an almost infinite number of ways. For instance, using the volatile interaction between magic power and divine power, the demonic dragon race tried to create a spiritual vessel that produced infinite magic power. Yet, they only succeeded in destroying their home planet. To them, humans were seen as inferior beings. So, if they knew that a human had discovered a plausible solution, they would foam at the mouth and lose their minds. ¡®Of course, it¡¯s still not possible to combine divine and magic power, and the overall power levels that are outputted from this process aren¡¯t that great in the grand scheme of things¡­ but this novel new approach is tremendously alluring due to its stability.¡¯ After finishing his thoughts, Leighann turned his attention to Merlin with a satisfied smile. Perhaps he felt he had come across an invaluable gem by pure chance. ¡°Let¡¯s make a contract.¡± ¡°Contract? I came here because-¡± ¡°Forget about the test.¡± As soon as Leighann answered, a wall of text appeared before Merlin. /You have succeeded in your Occupation quest!/ /Your Occupation has changed from ¡®Commoner¡¯ to ¡®Howling Archer¡¯!/ /You now qualify to challenge for the acquisition of the Master skill, ¡®Regeneration¡¯!/ /You now qualify to challenge for the acquisition of the Master weapon, ¡®Olympos¡¯!/ Merlin sensed a feeling of fullness throughout his body. He had expected a change, but this enhancement was beyond his expectations. Merlin had so much magic power that he could launch several AOE attacks without any worries about depleting his magic power capacity. With this, Merlin opened his status window and reviewed his new occupation. [Title: Howling Archer Description: An increase of 150 magic power points and 50 Willpower points. Based on the novel spell-casting approach created by Merlin, you can launch a singular, ultimate strike with Olympos, which contains the Howling spell.] ¡°Oh, not bad¡­ hmm?¡± While appreciating the rise in his stats, Merlin furrowed his brow. He realized that he felt something strange. ¡®Weird. Normally, the stat window is just a numeric quantification of my abilities and skills, but this time, my stats changed before I felt their effects. This means¡­¡± Merlin was about to fall into thought, but Leighann soon spoke up as if to deter him. ¡°Don¡¯t concern yourself with those minor details. Read this.¡± ¡°I came here for the title, so it isn¡¯t exactly a minor detail.¡± Despite his hangup on Leighann¡¯s words, Merlin took the paper handed to him and then widened his eyes in surprise. While Merlin possessed a wild imagination, he had never thought that a document like this would be presented to him. ¡°A¡­ patent application?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a patent application for your gem production process. Read it closely and let me know if there¡¯s any part that troubles you; although, since this patent has been used for thousands of years, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll find any errors.¡± ¡°What the hell¡­.¡± Merlin was dumbfounded, but he perused the legal application document nonetheless. He narrowed his eyes when he reached a specific clause, which read [Based on the patent law denoted in Union Law Chapter 12, Section 231, Clause 4¡­.] ¡°W-wait! Did the Noblesse send you here? I don¡¯t know what they told you, but this is clearly a violation of the Union Agreement!¡± Merlin recalled what the researcher said when he infiltrated the research facility to free a being named Lucy. The researcher expressly mentioned the words Union Law. ¡°Union Law¡­ can you explain to me what this is?¡± Yet, contrary to his expectations, Leighann shook his head. ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t. You¡¯re not in a position, nor do you have the qualifications to know such things.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°I swear. I swear upon my name that you¡¯re not suffering any losses. This will be an absolute profit.¡± ¡°What if I say no?¡± Leighann smiled softly. ¡°Then it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ll take your research and label it as my own.¡± Leighann¡¯s straightforward words didn¡¯t leave Merlin any room to doubt Leighann¡¯s intent and sincerity. Moreover, Merlin didn¡¯t know anything about Union Law or where to even submit a patent application. ¡°¡­ Then, what¡¯s with this 20 percent agent fee?¡± ¡°Obviously, that¡¯s my fee. Your idea isn¡¯t half bad, but you don¡¯t have the social standing, prestige, or ability to submit a patent or defend your invention, right? You absolutely need my help and standing.¡± After hearing Leighann¡¯s straightforward explanation, Merlin nodded. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m being taken advantage of, but whatever. Based on the wording of this contract, it seems I¡¯m on the lesser side of the power dynamic. Since I¡¯m unfamiliar with all the technical terms and aspects, I¡¯ll have to rely on you, Mr. Leighann.¡± ¡°I also don¡¯t want you to enter this contract on the basis of blind faith. A multidimensional contract like this patent application shall be overseen by the god of wisdom and justice, Tort.¡± ¡°The god of wisdom and justice?¡± ¡°Tort is also often referred to as the god of contracts.¡± As soon as Leighann finished speaking, substantial pressure fell upon them. It wasn¡¯t a pressure that came from a being¡¯s mere presence or suppression. It was a type of pressure that originated from¡­. ¡°A glance?¡± ¡°Right, based on an ancient oath, Tort turns its attention and glances. Amongst the top gods, Tort is one of the few who does such things for the lower dimensions.¡± The [Glance] moved from Merlin to Leighann before it landed on the contract. Whoosh! ¡°The contract¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised. It¡¯s an official process.¡± ¡°But¡­ we didn¡¯t sign it¡­.¡± Leighann shrugged. ¡°A contract substantiated and upheld by the gods doesn¡¯t require such a thing. As long as we possess the will to uphold the terms, Tort takes care of the rest.¡± Though he explained this in a deadpan manner, internally, Leighann was surprised. ¡®So quick. The contract wouldn¡¯t be finalized unless both sides fully understood the terms.¡¯ Leighann was surprised that the contract burnt up before he had the chance to explain further. Of course, the contract was only a few pages long, so it wouldn¡¯t take that long to read. However, the ¡®fully understanding¡¯ requirement was an entirely different matter; one didn¡¯t ¡®fully understand¡¯ just by memorizing or reading something. A user shouldn¡¯t have known or understood many things, but Merlin had easily ¡®fully understood¡¯ the contract. This carried a poignant meaning. ¡®This guy, he¡¯s already thought of and made some assumptions.¡¯ However, Leighann didn¡¯t trouble himself on the matter. DIO possessed many aspects that made it hard for any thoughtful being to simply conclude that it was just a game. It would be more surprising if there weren¡¯t any humans who questioned these things. ¡®Of course, the eventual realization was always part of the plan¡­ but this is too fast. Tan, what the hell are you thinking?¡¯ Leighann shook his head to clear the image of Tan, the Noblesse who was also the head honcho of the DIO operation. Though Leighann was also a Noblesse, he was not Tan¡¯s equal. As those on the cusp of transcendence, beings like Leighann and Tan were like senior professors at a university, but Tan was akin to a dean, so the two couldn¡¯t be compared. Moreover, Tan was more powerful. As he gave a somewhat defeated smile, Leighann raised his right hand. Crackle. ¡°What?¡± Merlin had been watching Leighann¡¯s movements when he audibly took a deep breath as he saw the crystallized gem in Leighann¡¯s right hand. Surprisingly, Leighann made a magic stone using Merlin¡¯s process. Though it took Merlin two weeks to properly process and produce a working core, Leighann had made a magic stone almost instantly. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be surprised. From time immemorial, surprising breakthroughs or inventions all possessed value in their uniqueness or creativeness, not their specific utility per se. Also, in terms of our background civilization and power levels, you and I aren¡¯t comparable.¡± Merlin stared at the diamond that Leighann had created. It didn¡¯t possess that much magic power, but the purity level of Leighann¡¯s gem was much greater than any of Merlin¡¯s. ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ if you¡¯re not familiar with martial arts, it shouldn¡¯t be easy to contain the chaotic nature of the product.¡± Leighann possessed more than enough magic power to directly crystallize a fully operational gem, but he had chosen to use spiritual power instead. This meant that Leighann had used internal energy, the other component necessary for the opposing reaction of two forces. However, Leighann shook his head. ¡°Being a practitioner of internal energy is not necessary to use it. Internal energy and magic power aren¡¯t the smallest units that comprise the world.¡± ¡°The smallest units that comprise the world¡­ what are those?¡± ¡°Force, essence, and ether.¡± Merlin had never heard of this concept before. In his mind, he¡¯d always thought that the world was comprised of mana and that the different uses were based on how mana was accepted and applied. Merlin¡¯s knowledge was based on what most mages knew. Yet, the truth was closer to what Leighann had just mentioned. Leighann¡¯s theory was something that only great mages knew of, as they understood the essence of the heavens and earth. ¡°Then¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all I can say for now. Didn¡¯t you mention that you were planning on participating in some event to gain gem points?¡± Leighann knew about gem points. In fact, it was likely that he knew the reason they existed better than anyone else. ¡°I might as well offer you some advice while I¡¯m dropping so many hints. You¡¯ve probably already figured some things out yourself, so I¡¯m not sure if this¡¯ll be news to you, but gem points will be usable even after the conclusion of this event. The main reason for this event is to raise interest in the New Continent and lower the barrier to accessing it. However, make sure to put some attention into creating your flying shuttle. I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯ll give you the option of breaking through the atmosphere, but the ability to fly in outer space is a must.¡± ¡°Flying in outer space¡­ is it a must?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all I have to say.¡± Leighann gave a soft smile as Merlin¡¯s surroundings changed. Soon, he found himself somewhere on the outskirts of the Magic Tower of Babel. ¡°Hmm. I feel like I somewhat understand.¡± Merlin turned around as he mumbled to himself. Various theories regarding DIO and the basic elements of the world sprung into his mind, but above all else, Merlin was pondering why his physical condition changed moments after he had received the Master title and its increased stats. In contrast to when his stats increased after he trained and developed, this time, his stats had risen before his body reflected the spiritual power changes. Through simple reasoning and conjecture, Merlin realized that this change belied a much deeper meaning. The bonus point system was probably also based on this principle. ¡®About those bonus points¡­.¡¯ Unlike Yongno, Merlin knew about bonus points. It was impossible not to overhear other users talking about bonus points in the bustling city streets, just as how someone couldn¡¯t be blind to the plethora of forum posts and videos on the topic. Let alone a genius, even a normal person could learn about bonus points, but Yongno really didn¡¯t know. On the one hand, it could be stated that Yongno¡¯s ability to focus and concentrate was extreme. However, it was also true that Yongno didn¡¯t know how to read a room. If Yongno wasn¡¯t interested in something, he shut himself off. ¡®This knowledge might help me exploit a bug.¡¯ The thought popped into his mind, but Merlin soon shook his head. Merlin was sure that he could gain an advantage or profit if he exploited a bug, but he wasn¡¯t confident in exploiting the bug without the developers noticing. The ¡®complete play¡¯ Merlin was planning to do during the next event was different, as it fell within the rules of the game. So, at worst, he¡¯d only receive a warning. However, the bug exploitation he was thinking about now might cause his account to be locked or terminated. ¡®Well, since I¡¯m unsure, let¡¯s leave my bonus points alone for the time being. If I don¡¯t have enough bonus points on hand when a chance presents itself, I won¡¯t be able to exploit the bug.¡¯ Since anything that Merlin said would be shared with Yongno, Merlin kept all these thoughts in his mind. From sight to sound, Merlin and Yongno had the same five traditional senses, as well as a special sixth sense, although they didn¡¯t share their internal thoughts or, to a certain point, their past memories. This was how they were both able to coexist. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s about time for the event to start.¡± After checking the time on a clock that was visible in the corner of his eye, Merlin teleported. Soon, Merlin would execute the most ¡®impolite¡¯ play ever seen in DIO. CH 161 As she walked home after completing her work for the day, Eunhye saw a black Mercedes stop in front of her. The windows were blacked out, so she couldn¡¯t see who or what was inside. One of the side windows slowly rolled down. ¡°Are you Miss Oh Eunhye?¡± ¡°You¡¯re late.¡± ¡°¡­ Please, get in.¡± The Mercedes let out a low rumble as it sped away with Eunhye inside. As she sat there, Eunhye closed her eyes and went over what she was planning to say. Since she¡¯d expected this situation, Eunhye wasn¡¯t flustered, and as they saw her confident demeanor, the agents were at a loss for words. After driving to the city center, the Mercedes entered a high-rise building¡¯s basement-level garage and pulled into a car elevator. Officially, the building was said to have five sublevels, but the car elevator descended thirteen floors. ¡°I¡¯d like to know who requested me. A researcher?¡± ¡°The director of research and the head of the institute.¡± Eunhye had been taken to the main building of the secret US organization code-named Machine. The head of the institute was a prominent figure who essentially led the organization, so it wasn¡¯t easy to meet him. ¡°It seems they¡¯ve read my report and are interested in it.¡± When Eunhye spoke in such a matter-of-fact way, the suited agent¡¯s expression changed for the first time. ¡°Ha. I¡¯ve never seen the director bounce off the walls so much.¡± As Eunhye walked through the office, she felt various gazes staring at her. Eunhye was tall, athletic, and had the unique Asian trait of looking younger than her age. In other words, she was physically appealing to both eastern and westerners. It seemed that news of her had traveled around the office beforehand. All of this attention was due to a single-page report that she had officially filed. ¡°Is it that girl?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°But¡­ she¡¯s so young?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t look like a secretary. In fact, her appearance is so much better than I expected that I don¡¯t know what to think anymore.¡± ¡°Is she like one of those savant geniuses in movies?¡± Regardless of the murmuring around her, Eunhye followed the suited agent¡¯s guidance and entered a corner office. Inside was a mid-forties man and an old man whose age was hard to estimate. ¡°Here she is.¡± ¡°Oh, finally, she¡¯s here!¡± The old man had been peering down at a report when he jumped from his seat to greet her. ¡°I already saw you in some photos, but you truly are young. This report, are you truly the author?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Unbelievable! You¡­ who are you? Are you a once-in-a-century genius? No, even a genius couldn¡¯t come up with this! Are you an otherworldly being? Did you come from the future?¡± When the old man spoke with excited fervor, the middle-aged man soon cut in. ¡°Relax, director.¡± ¡°How can I relax?! The content of this report is at least a hundred years beyond our current society; it¡¯s from a far more advanced civilization! With our current understanding, the science backing this report can¡¯t even be imagined, in theory, or tech¡­.¡± ¡°Please, have a seat.¡± When the middle-aged man made a stern expression, the old man flinched. Realizing that he had reacted a bit too excitedly, he slowly sat back down. ¡°I apologize for the late introductions. My name is Edgar Hoover.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m Bill Nelson.¡± ¡°My name is Oh Eunhye.¡± After seeing Eunhye give a respectful bow, Edgar glanced at the agent who had escorted Eunhye into the office, signaling them to leave. As the agent made his way outside the office, Eunhye sat at a seat prepared for her. Some parts of her report were strewn across the table before her. ¡°Since the report and data were uploaded to the research center with a confidential code, I thought it was the work of a young, energetic individual who wanted to enter the center¡¯s laboratory, but after seeing the surprised reactions of the other researchers and director, I decided to call you in.¡± With that said, Edgar started sifting through the report material. He wasn¡¯t knowledgeable enough to truly understand what was written in Eunhye¡¯s report. All he knew was that its contents were like something that would come out of a Sci-Fi movie. The bipedal mech weapon itself seemed like utter nonsense; however, the researchers who read the report exclaimed in surprise. Unlike a movie, the report was well substantiated with pertinent information and evidence. ¡°Let me ask you something first. Did you come up with these concepts, or is this the result of another organization?¡± ¡°Edgar! Don¡¯t you understand? The tech described in this report isn¡¯t something that can be recreated with modern civilization¡¯s tech-¡± ¡°Director.¡± Once Edgar cut Bill off and shot him a chilling look, Bill fell quiet. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll calm down and listen.¡± Then, Eunhye began to speak. ¡°Do you know the game DIO?¡± ¡°Of course, I know of that mysterious virtual reality game. Every scientist in the world is up in arms, trying to figure out the tech behind the game. Though there are many safety concerns¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but play myself. If I sleep twelve hours a day, I experience six days. This sort of conversion and opportunity isn¡¯t something that I could easily pass up.¡± All kinds of cultures were bursting into the virtual world. Spending six days in virtual reality for every real day meant that an individual could spend more time living in the virtual world than in the real world. No matter what someone thought of the game or how talented they were, they couldn¡¯t help but play DIO. Moreover, the convenience of being able to access the game with only a CD player and earphones made it relatively easy to play, regardless of where one lived. Although the current number of users was only 500 million, that number was deemed low because some countries prevented their citizens from accessing the game due to its incomprehensible technology. Obviously, no other online game or service would laugh at this monstrous number. Many experts predicted that more than half of the world would be playing the game within a year¡¯s time. ¡°The data and content of my report stem from some observations I made within the game. At first, I didn¡¯t think it was anything serious, but after review, I found that the theoretical applications could be applied in reality.¡± Edgar¡¯s eyebrows started twitching. When Eunhye first brought up DIO, he thought that she was connected to DIO¡¯s producers. In truth, virtual reality wasn¡¯t reality, so it didn¡¯t really mirror the foundational principles of reality, but Eunhye was saying that the futuristic tech in her report came from a virtual game. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. We¡¯re also collecting information regarding the virtual reality game. It seems awash with fantastical storylines and advanced civilizations, but in terms of science¡­.¡± ¡°The content isn¡¯t available to everyone. The only people who have encountered this info are the top five users,¡± Eunhye explained. Edgar narrowed his eyes. ¡°That means that you¡¯re one of those top five users, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a Level 10 user. I¡¯m popularly referred to as a Master.¡± At those words, Edgar had no choice but to see Eunhye in a different light. A Master in DIO was a completely different concept from the master levels in other games. DIO¡¯s system only allowed users to level up after ¡®testing¡¯ their abilities. So, those who did not have the requisite skills couldn¡¯t raise their level, no matter how long they played. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see such a talented person here in the United States of America. Even the world¡¯s leading scholars say that they¡¯re struggling at Level 9.¡± ¡°Talent isn¡¯t just a theoretical concept, but it also falls under the realm of senses and art. Those scholars just haven¡¯t gotten used to the system yet. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m all that special.¡± Eunhye spoke with a calm expression. Despite being in front of someone who was near the top of their organization, she did not come off as shy or intimidated. This composure was a trait that Edgar rarely came across. ¡°Very unusual. Stating that it¡¯s not science fiction¡­ that the in-game technology can be realized in reality¡­.¡± ¡°However, it¡¯s true that the virtual reality game¡¯s background is still shrouded in uncertainty. It¡¯s the work of an organization that proudly uses over-technology (technology that cannot be realized with modern technology) to the extent that it can¡¯t be helped but feel strange to anyone who plays it.¡± After Bill explained and nodded, Edgar asked. ¡°Then, director, is there any means to utilize the product of a civilization a hundred years more advanced than ours?¡± ¡°Edgar, that would be equivalent to using a smartphone during World War II. Undoubtedly, if we possessed the product, we¡¯d be able to use it immediately, but the technology and advanced civilization¡¯s knowledge contained in the tech isn¡¯t something that can be obtained instantly. Of course, since we have this report, our theoretical knowledge and technology will advance at a dazzlingly fast pace¡­.¡± ¡°We need some tangible results, director. Those ¡®above¡¯ do not have the same excitement about knowledge or science and technology as you, director. Moreover, to convince them of this absurd story that the theory in the game can be applied to reality, I require a fairly strong argument.¡± Edgar frowned as if he was feeling the onset of a migraine. However, since they were discussing a topic that couldn¡¯t be easily concluded, Edgar summarized the key points. ¡°Let¡¯s start with research. Those ¡®above¡¯ will be notified after you find a topic that can be applied to some extent among the theories received, so you should investigate the samples in the virtual world. Regarding Eunhye¡­.¡± Edgar pulled out an ID and a card he had prepared in advance to talk about Eunhye¡¯s compensation and position. Even though she didn¡¯t invent the tech, she was the one who had found it and who was skilled enough to give it to them. Edgar felt that her skill set would certainly bring a huge advantage to them. Of course, the fact that a game was the source of information meant that anyone could obtain these same findings, so it was difficult to monopolize, but Eunhye¡¯s status and ability as a Master user were valuable. After considering various circumstances, Edgar decided on a compensation package and position for Eunhye, but before these considerations were handed over, Eunhye spoke up. ¡°I can recreate it.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I can bring you the results.¡± After saying this, Eunhye took out an external hard drive, connected it to a nearby computer, and transferred a file. After reading the title of the file, the director¡¯s eyes grew round in surprise. ¡°T-this¡­?!¡± ¡°This is the most critical component of the tech that makes a bipedal mech possible.¡± In a calm demeanor, Eunhye spoke. ¡°It¡¯s an antigravity device.¡± Favorite NEXT CHAPTER CH 162 ¡°Oh, what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s some sort of spell to move across the water, I think¡­ but he¡¯s moving so fast. It looks like he¡¯s a mage, so he must be using a spell, right?¡± ¡°Dang, he¡¯s sure moving with flair. Seems like he¡¯s an expert.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a user like that?¡± Unlike when he hid under another party¡¯s boat to move around, Merlin openly zigzagged past the boats. Like a figure skater, Merlin glided across the surface of the water, and his speed was so fast that the boats couldn¡¯t catch up, so he obviously gained everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°It seems I¡¯ve arrived.¡± Merlin could see a shimmer from afar as a large group of gem fish approached the area where the users were gathered. Whoosh. Merlin pounced and shot toward the school of fish before anyone else could react. Unlike before, he now moved with half his body submerged in the water. ¡°What¡¯s up with that guy? He doesn¡¯t face any water resistance?¡± ¡°Is he an elementalist?¡± ¡°Regardless of what he¡¯s doing or who he is, won¡¯t he die if he collides with the fish? Perhaps he doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s happening because he didn¡¯t participate in yesterday¡¯s event.¡± The largest gem fish was nearly three meters long, so the force it could post was substantial. Gems were relatively heavy minerals, to begin with, and when such a vast number of them were grouped together, the force generated would be greater than any car accident. The event yesterday, or 12 days in DIO, had over a thousand boats sunk due to the damage caused by the gem fish. However, before Merlin met the gem fish head-on, the surrounding currents changed. Boom! ¡°Huh? W-what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Rather than hit Merlin, the gem fish started slamming into each other. Merlin had split the currents into two and made them flow toward one another. In doing so, Merlin was able to make the gem fish in each current collide. Bam! Boom! In just ten seconds, thousands of gem fish turned into gems and floated to the surface. As event monsters, the fish would instantly become gems when they took a certain amount of damage. The gem fish had a great amount of momentum behind their collision, causing masses of gems to appear on the surface. ¡°G-get the gems!¡± ¡°But those are¡­.¡± ¡°Shut it! Finders keepers!¡± The boats nearest to the front started moving. They assumed that Merlin wouldn¡¯t be able to pick up the thousands of gems strewn across the surface. However, at that moment, all the gems began gravitating towards one place, as if they were iron shavings being attracted to a strong magnet. Every gem headed for the inside of Merlin¡¯s robe. Whoosh! ¡°What¡­ just happened?!¡± ¡°Dang¡­.¡± The tens of thousands of users who saw the scene couldn¡¯t help but stare with dumbfounded expressions. Everything happened so fast that they didn¡¯t even have time to react. ¡°Faster than anyone and different from everyone, I live my life as a drifter under my own beat~.¡± While humming a tune, Merlin rapidly headed toward a different location. In this event, the gem fish numbered in the hundreds of thousands. So, the number he just caught was only one percent of the total amount. Whoosh! ¡°Ack! We need to get at least a few in the next area!¡± The countless gem fish were grouped into schools of thousands. The next closest school was about 500 meters southeast of Merlin¡¯s last location. The users¡¯ boats were positioned in a relatively straight line. As such, there were a few boats closer to this new area, but when they were about to move¡­. Whoosh! Bam! Boom! Just as before, Merlin wiped out the school of fish and collected their gems. He had moved 500 meters in the blink of an eye, and since he could reach max speed instantaneously, he was faster than an arrow. His movements were so swift that the observers could only see a blur. ¡°A-ack! Who the hell are you?¡± One of the more angered users shot an arrow at Merlin. The user understood that he¡¯d be considered a Murderer (a user who PKs and is penalized accordingly) when he fired, but the arrow didn¡¯t even near Merlin. From the start, Merlin was quicker than the projectile, and with his accelerated thought process, he could react to the threat with ease. Despite his immense speed, he completely understood what was happening around him. Unless he was attacked by an aura-less strike, an attack that was faster than his mind, or an AOE skill, it was impossible to hit Merlin. Whoosh! Bam! Boom! ¡°What¡¯s with this guy?! He¡¯s taking all the gem fish!¡± ¡°S-somebody, stop him!¡± Regardless of the other users¡¯ shouts and screams, Merlin went around and hunted the various schools of gem fish. All the available gem fish in the area, and their gems, went into his robe. ¡°Catch me if you can. Bala~bala~bam.¡± With an expressionless face, Merlin gathered all the gems atop the sea. Later, some users cast AOE spells at him, but Merlin avoided all those attacks and continued his hunt. ¡°Dang it, this is so frustrating!¡± Whoosh! ¡°Hmm, it seems like I won¡¯t be able to catch any fish if I stay on a boat.¡± At that moment, the sound of rotating helicopter blades and sword-qi strikes rang out. DIO¡¯s top users, Cruze and Arthur, had mobilized. ¡°Ah, I should avoid them.¡± Without any hesitation, Merlin changed directions and left the area. Though the sea was his playground, it wasn¡¯t a good idea to compete against Cruze and Arthur, as no matter whether he won or lost, there wouldn¡¯t be much profit in the end. Whoosh! ¡°Wow! What¡¯s with that guy!¡± ¡°Someone, stop him!¡± ¡°Such bad manners¡­.¡± The users were only able to stand still and watch as Merlin collected 1,200,000 gem points. Merlin had collected 90 percent of the total gem points available. *** ¡°Wait, what¡¯s he doing?¡± Yongno exclaimed as he got up from the sofa. Since Merlin didn¡¯t cover his face while executing his crazy plan, there were bound to be plenty of screenshots and videos on the internet. Yongno didn¡¯t attend school or stay in touch with many people, but that didn¡¯t mean that there wouldn¡¯t be anyone who recognized him. Among the 90 million Korean population, over 60 million played DIO, so it was likely that someone would realize his identity. Moreover, this current event had hundreds of thousands of participants. ¡°Well, he wasn¡¯t exploiting a bug, so technically, he didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Still, he should be careful.¡± As he sighed, Yongno took off his earphones, soon realizing that his surroundings seemed different than usual. He smelled something scrumptious from the kitchen and sensed that someone was there. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re up. I predicted that you¡¯d be up exactly at the 12-hour mark. Seems my prediction was spot on.¡± ¡°¡­ What¡¯s going on? What are you doing in the kitchen?¡± ¡°I was hungry. By the way, why¡¯s your fridge so barren? You only have instant food.¡± A pot of kimchi stew was bubbling on the gas stove. A diced egg omelet, a few other side dishes, and a steaming bowl of rice were laid on the dining table. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll help myself to your spread¡­ but don¡¯t you have to go home soon? I thought you¡¯d have a busy schedule as a popular singer.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve decided to go on strike. They¡¯re bringing me a string of weird things to do without even asking for my input. They¡¯ve also made several inconsiderate requests to my agency¡¯s CEO, so my relationship with the agency has become a bit estranged.¡± As she grumbled her complaints, Leaf brought the pot of kimchi stew to the center of the dining table with natural ease, as if she were used to it. ¡°Huh? Do you cook often?¡± ¡°My mother passed away ten years ago, so of course, I cook often. My aunt detests cooking.¡± Leaf spoke the depressing words emotionlessly. Yet, rather than not being sad at her mother¡¯s passing, her actions instead showed that she had accepted this loss and moved on. Whether it was due to her demanding early social life or not, Leaf seemed to have a relatively mature outlook and personality. ¡°In the end, you¡¯re still a niece who''s being taken advantage of by her relatives.¡± ¡°W-well¡­ what can I do? They¡¯re my legal guardians. Should I run away from home? Should I shout at them like an angsty teenager going through puberty?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the shouting part, but you¡¯ve already run away from home, right?¡± ¡°Run away from home? Me?¡± Seeing Leaf¡¯s thoroughly confused expression, Yongno sighed. ¡°Isn¡¯t what you¡¯re doing right now running away from home? Also, you¡¯re staying at a guy¡¯s house when you don¡¯t even know anything about him.¡± ¡°Uh, is that so?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well¡­.¡± Yongno ate while watching Leaf organize her thoughts. The meal was relatively well prepared and tasty. It wasn¡¯t akin to something made by a professional chef, but it was at the level of a veteran housewife¡¯s meal. ¡°Thanks for the meal. You should leave now.¡± ¡°Huh? Yeah, I should.¡± With a gloomy visage, Leaf began transferring the dishes into the sink. As he watched her put on the latex gloves, Yongno could tell that she was planning to do the dishes. ¡°You¡­ really don¡¯t want to go back home, do you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Leaf didn¡¯t offer an answer, so Yongno continued. ¡°Do you want to just escape everything? Singing and all?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. It¡¯s just that¡­ as you said, I ran away from home, so I¡¯m going to hear an earful when I go back and face my aunt and uncle-in-law. Also, the scheduled events for this morning and afternoon have probably been canceled¡­ dang. The more I think about it, the more it scares me. I¡¯ve always thought about running away, but this is my first time doing it.¡± Her words made it seem as if she was deeply conflicted, but her facial expression was lively and bright. It wasn¡¯t that she seemed to feel liberated; her face gave a vibe like the saying, ¡®nothing I can do over spilled milk.¡¯ ¡°So, you plan on resting for a while?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that. I have an important concert tomorrow evening. I¡¯ve prepared for it since last year, so I can¡¯t miss that event.¡± Leaf balled her fists and raised them in a show of determination. She was trying to hype herself up. Of course, nothing was resolved¡­ but it seemed that she had grown after this experience. However, in Yongno¡¯s eyes, her actions looked pitiful. ¡°Hmm, I didn¡¯t take you as the good student type.¡± ¡°Good student?¡± ¡°Yeah. The way you frame your problem and the way you reach an answer¡­ you¡¯re not planning on going back home and apologizing to your aunt, are you?¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­ I¡¯ll definitely apologize¡­ the fact is, I did run away from home.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Yongno clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction and started rummaging through his room. He hadn¡¯t cleaned in a while, so everything was a mess. ¡°They¡¯re not your real parents in the first place, but even if they were, you shouldn¡¯t live your life with such a burden. There are so many other families where the parents are stressed because of their rambunctious children. Obviously, if you don¡¯t have money, then you¡¯ll have to do whatever it takes to survive, but in your case, you have money and are getting fleeced¡­.¡± Leaf responded angrily. ¡°T-then, what are you proposing I do? Revolt like a teenager and continue to run away from home? I have a job and schedule, so I can¡¯t just-¡± ¡°Did I tell you to come up with such a middle school-level solution? As an adult, you should use adult solutions.¡± Yongno spoke in a matter-of-fact way, but Leaf was totally lost, and it showed in her facial expression. ¡°What do you mean adult solution?¡± ¡°Gain independence.¡± Leaf spoke in an exasperated tone. ¡°I-independence? But I have my contract, and I don¡¯t have the ability to become independent immediately. Moreover, my aunt will never allow me to-¡± ¡°Here, this is a present. I bought it on a whim, but I¡¯m glad I found a use for it.¡± Then, Yongno put a bracelet and necklace on Leaf. He then showed her how to use the items. ¡°Eh¡­ but¡­ do I really need to go that far?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not planning to continue living the way you¡¯ve been living, you¡¯ll have to make good plans. If you¡¯re wishy-washy, it¡¯ll become more unbearable.¡± While saying this, Yongno began scribbling something on a paper. Confused, Leaf asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a script. I don¡¯t know what your aunt and uncle-in-law are like, so I¡¯ll come up with various scenarios. I think I have a general idea.¡± ¡°A script¡­.¡± Regardless of Leaf¡¯s dumbfounded expression, Yongno continued writing the script. He didn¡¯t plan on doing this, but as if he had some epiphany, he continued to write without pause. ¡°Oh, by the way, are you good at acting?¡± ¡°No, not really.¡± ¡°Dang.¡± Though Yongno was a bit disappointed, his expression didn¡¯t change. ¡°Alright. Here, practice this.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Although Leaf felt doubt, anger, resistance, and desperation, she couldn¡¯t refuse Yongno. Eventually, five hours later, she returned home. CH 163 Bubble¡­ Molten iron was boiling in an airtight container. With a diameter of about 30 centimeters and a height of one meter, this circular column was one of Merlin¡¯s greatest accomplishments from his intensive research. ¡°It¡¯s taking a lot longer than I expected. It¡¯s convenient that the magic circle is activated automatically, but¡­.¡± Then, a message appeared on one side of his field of vision. This type of notification meant that a new public notice had been posted. ¡°Um, an announcement before the event¡­ this can¡¯t be good. I¡¯m still short on gem points.¡± Merlin said this as he retrieved his Beholder, and if any user heard him, they would¡¯ve gone crazy. After all, didn¡¯t he take all the gem points? They were supposed to be divided amongst the hundreds of thousands of event participants. However, Merlin didn¡¯t feel an inkling of guilt. He had acted to the best of his abilities, nothing more. Of course, if the developers prevented him from participating for the benefit of everyone else, he would follow their decision, but he had no intention of quitting of his own volition. /DIO (Dynamic Island Online), a fantasy world no one has ever seen before! Welcome to this exciting island! In relation to today¡¯s event, the following patches shall be applied as of January 29th. - The abilities of the Gem Fish have been changed as follows: 1. The gem fish appearing in the event will acquire a new ability, Water Breakthrough. They will no longer be bound by currents and the flow of water. 2. The gem fish¡¯s physical defense stats will be increased. 3. All gem fish shall appear in one place. We will try our best not to cause any outages to the service. Thank you./ ¡°Hmm, there¡¯s a subtlety to this message. On the surface, it appears to hinder me.¡± The notice seemed to sanction Merlin. With the information given in the patch notes, it was apparent that the gem fishes¡¯ new ability would make it difficult for them to collide, and since they would all be in one area, Merlin¡¯s maneuverability lost its advantage. Everyone would essentially be restricted to a certain space. As such, these changes made it seem as though Merlin was being penalized, but he frowned. ¡°It¡¯s dubious though¡­.¡± On the surface, the patch¡¯s content seemed to punish him, but these changes would have little to no effect. Actually, they might even make it easier to catch all the gem fish at once. If there had been no reaction, Merlin would have just chalked it off as the developers not seeing his actions as serious, but this subtle change made him think that there were other motives. ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to execute my plan anyway. There¡¯s no point in safeguarding myself after already attracting their attention.¡± Recently, Merlin thought a lot about the identity of the management team that ran DIO. In the first place, they possessed technology that didn¡¯t exist in modern civilization, and they didn¡¯t seem interested in money. Merlin wasn¡¯t the only person that had questions. He had been spending an inordinate amount of time in the library digging into the history and worldbuilding background of DIO. Of course, all the information he researched could be fake, but even so, Merlin felt that he should learn as much as possible. ¡°Quiet Heaven, have you finished the magic upgrades?¡± ¡°What? Are you taking out your whip already? I¡¯ve just started!¡± ¡°What do you mean you just started? You don¡¯t have to log out, so you¡¯ve had a little more than a month to complete the assignment.¡± ¡°This type of magic upgrade isn¡¯t something that can be completed in one or two months! Time needs to be spent on theory crafting and-¡± ¡°I made this, though.¡± When Merlin pointed to the circular cylinder, Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t help but shut its mouth. In truth, Quite Heaven¡¯s research was less difficult than Merlin¡¯s. Furthermore, while Quiet Heaven was still researching, Merlin had already established a working theory and created a prototype. For someone who¡¯d studied and practiced Dao arts for many years, Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of humiliation. ¡°Don¡¯t waste any more time. Finish it by tonight. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯m going to permanently engrave the word dunce on your head.¡± ¡°So inconsiderate¡­ ugh, making me not only do physical labor but also mentally labor¡­.¡± ¡°Work hard. See you later.¡± Merlin left the housing while Quiet Heaven sighed. Since Quiet Heaven was prideful of its magic work, Quiet Heaven wouldn¡¯t easily give up. If Merlin had just given an order, Quiet Heaven might have dragged its feet and lazed around, but since it had witnessed Merlin work and present the fruits of his efforts, Quiet Heaven had no choice but to try its best. After stepping out of the housing, Merlin made the door invisible. The house was a kind of subspace, so when the door was closed and transformed into a housing card, the dimension within was folded. Consequently, any living beings within would be negatively impacted. Of course, unlike one¡¯s inventory, the housing space was connected to the real world, so the damage wouldn¡¯t be fatal, but it was still dangerous. ¡°Let me know if anything serious comes up.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me! I¡¯m busy!¡± After hearing Quiet Heaven¡¯s shout from across the dimensional space, Merlin gave a quick smile before lifting his Close glasses. He looked at Starting, which was quite far. When his Enhanced Eyesight was released from Close¡¯s restrictions, it could look through Starting¡¯s walls and peer into the city¡¯s streets. After weaving through various areas, his eyes landed on a manufacturing building. Poof! In an instant, Merlin¡¯s surroundings changed. Merlin¡¯s teleportation ability had already reached the pinnacle, so he could move short distances with just a thought; if he could see his destination, he could teleport in less time than it took for one to breathe. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°The items you requested are outside.¡± Aidelin had his eyes half-closed while looking into a burning furnace, focusing. It didn¡¯t seem like he was surprised by Merlin¡¯s sudden appearance. Bam! The molten, liquified metal within the furnace flames gathered into a ball, rose in the air, and then went back into the furnace. This step was repeated several times. It was an unnatural scene. Moreover, Aidelin didn¡¯t seem to be using any magic power. ¡®It must be his attribute affinity.¡¯ As someone who had total control over the medium of water, Merlin immediately recognized the power behind the controlled liquid¡¯s movements. Aidelin seemed to possess a metal attribute affinity. ¡°What skill¡¯s secondary effect are you utilizing?¡± ¡°Weapon production.¡± Once more, the ball floated up. Its impurities seemed to naturally fall away before the ball transformed into a meter-long bar. With no need for a hammer, Aidelin¡¯s metal control ability reinforced the strength and resilience of the metal bar. ¡°Yet, I find something weird. If you have such a skill, why aren¡¯t you creating a finished product immediately? If you can shape a sword¡¯s edge down to the nanometer, you could produce swords with unrivaled sharpness.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t control it to that level. Even for steel, I¡¯m unable to alter the carbon composition levels and purity on the atomic level; my control has only reached this point through repetition and instinct.¡± After saying this, Aidelin placed the metal bar in his inventory. Though it was just a metal bar, it had already undergone all the necessary processes as a material. As such, it only needed a little more work to create an excellent sword. ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s going on with you? My assistants oversee sales.¡± Since a user¡¯s combat effectiveness differed depending on their ability, a surprisingly large number of players gave up hunting and instead engaged in other activities. In addition, due to the simplicity of converting in-game money to real-life cash, many users were working in-game to make a living. After Aidelin became famous as a blacksmith, he hired others to sell his products. ¡°I came to you because I have a production request.¡± ¡°You should have sent me a whisper first.¡± While grumbling, Aidelin organized his workstation. In the past, Aidelin had seen Merlin imbue magic spells into items, so he knew that Merlin wasn¡¯t a normal user. This was also the reason why Aidelin accepted Merlin¡¯s friend request despite not being too sociable. ¡°Anyway, what did you have in mind? It looks like you¡¯re a mage, so a staff?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need one since I recently came across an excellent staff. I¡¯d like whatever is your best-selling product at the moment.¡± Aidelin threw a housing card upwards. The housing card spun in mid-air before turning into a full-sized, gray-colored door. ¡°The best-selling product is, unsurprisingly, a sword.¡± ¡°A sword¡­.¡± ¡°The traditional western swords make up 60 percent of sales while eastern swords make up 40 percent. Among the eastern swords, the Katana is the most popular, regardless of whether the client is eastern or western. For western swords, the Bastard Sword and Long Sword are the most popular. I¡¯m not the weapons provider for the entire DIO platform, but I¡¯m sure that the overall sale statistics are similar.¡± Once Merlin stepped inside the housing, he saw hundreds of weapons neatly organized in their own displays. There were eastern swords, western swords, and stringless bows. There were also massive hammers and maces. ¡°What other weapons are popular outside of swords?¡± ¡°Many bows. Long rods, hammers, and even spears are fairly popular as well.¡± ¡°However, you¡¯re saying that, overall, swords dominate the market.¡± ¡°If you stand in a busy street in Starting, you¡¯ll get your answer. Nearly everyone carries swords.¡± While Aidelin explained, Merlin inspected the displays. The weapons were imbued with little to no magic, yet they were all exceptional pieces of work in their own right. Furthermore, these items weren¡¯t created by just an ordinary blacksmith; they had all undergone a spiritual production process, making them more easily imbued with mana and output magic-based attacks. The strength and resilience of the weapons¡¯ materials weren¡¯t something that was comparable to the metals in real life. ¡°Hmm, then I guess swords are the answer. Please make the sword appear like the one displayed here.¡± ¡°If you want a weapon that already exists, you can just purchase it instead of asking me to produce one.¡± Aidelin gave a confused expression as he questioned Merlin, but the latter just smiled. ¡°The only thing that¡¯ll be similar is the outward appearance. Please make it out of these materials.¡± After saying this, Merlin took out some metallic liquid from his inventory. The liquid, which kept its liquid state even at room temperature, exuded an aura that instantly made Aidelin¡¯s expression change. ¡°This is¡­.¡± CH 164 ¡°H-he showed up! That rude asshole!¡± ¡°Ah, damn it! I haven¡¯t even gotten ten gem points because of that guy.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t they going to block him? Shouldn¡¯t they lock his account or something?¡± ¡°To be honest, he hasn¡¯t broken any rules. He¡¯s used his own abilities, and he didn¡¯t cheat.¡± ¡°Still, he should have basic manners!¡± ¡°Well, it did seem like the developers were mindful of his actions.¡± When Merlin appeared, the gathered users began to roar. Twenty-four real hours ago, Merlin had monopolized the gem points that were supposed to be distributed amongst hundreds of thousands of users. Clearly, he couldn¡¯t avoid garnering attention after that. ¡°Did you hear me? That guy is an S-rank Swimmer.¡± ¡°OMG. S Rank¡­ Isn¡¯t the A Rank a Master Rank? I thought the only S-rank users were Arthur and Cruze.¡± ¡°He¡¯s incredibly skilled, but why is he employing his abilities in such an impolite way?¡± Complaints came from all over, but Merlin didn¡¯t listen. Though the other users stared at him with judgmental eyes, they weren¡¯t exuding killing intent. Merlin didn¡¯t exploit a bug, nor did he take gem points that belonged to someone else. Against hundreds of thousands, Merlin had obtained his gem points fair and square. Moreover, the way Merlin had collected such a vast amount was so surprising and novel that many of the users, most of whom logged in to DIO for fun, couldn¡¯t help but put Merlin on a similar level to Arthur and Cruze. However, it was true that Merlin wasn¡¯t doing himself any favors in terms of popularity, as he had taken the gem points that should¡¯ve been distributed amongst the crowd. ¡°It¡¯s about time for the event to start.¡± Merlin retrieved his Decian Bow from his inventory. Since his stats were quite high, he didn¡¯t have any trouble using it. ¡°It¡¯s started! I see them!¡± ¡°Northwest!¡± On the far horizon, sparkles of light could be seen atop the sea¡¯s surface. The users positioned themselves near where the gem fish had appeared last time, but it seemed the gem fish spawned considerably further away. Vroom! The users atop the motorboats started rushing toward the gem fish, with some mages and elementalists even casting spells to speed up. Due to the gem fish¡¯s considerable strength, it was dangerous to get too close to them, but even so, the players had to get within a certain distance to start hunting them. Creak! Unlike before, when he shot towards the school of gem fish, Merlin stood in place and drew the bowstring back. Due to the considerable tension, Merlin¡¯s muscles started ballooning, making his figure seem even bigger. A blue sapphire glimmered in Merlin¡¯s right hand, the hand Merlin used to pull the bowstring. Crack! When Merlin put some force into his right hand, cracks started to appear on the sapphire. A typical gem wouldn¡¯t have cracked under this sort of pressure. Yet, this gem was being used as a magic stone, and it contained the roiling explosions of internal energy and magic power. Woong! ¡°W-w-what¡¯s going on?!¡± ¡°What¡¯s with this crazy amount of magic power!¡± The users who were observing Merlin couldn¡¯t help but backpedal and scream in surprise. The surrounding mana started undulating and wavering chaotically. ¡°Go.¡± While controlling the surrounding mana, Merlin¡¯s right eye turned red as his spiritual qi blossomed, and at the same time, he released the bowstring. Whoosh! With a sound like that of a snapping whip, the launched short spear streaked through the air and caused the surrounding seawater to split apart. Merlin had dissipated the recoil of the bow onto the surrounding water using his water attribute affinity. ¡°Dang, that shockwave!¡± The users with sharp eyesight couldn¡¯t help but exclaim. Merlin¡¯s short spear had traveled through the air faster than the speed of sound and reached the school of gem fish in no time, literally traveling in the blink of an eye before anyone could even get near them. And then, the magic power within the short spear ignited and exploded. /The Frozen Throne of Poseidon!/ A noise akin to ripping fabric rang out, and as this occurred, ice started to form at the initial ignition site, quickly spreading in all directions. All of this happened in an instant. The ice block captured the gem fish within it and continued to grow larger. Consequently, the users who had been rushing forward had to immediately stop under the overbearing pressure. ¡°What the hell is this? Is it an ultimate-level spell?¡± ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t seem to be at the ultimate level, but it¡¯s still tremendously powerful!¡± As he glided across the sea¡¯s surface, Merlin stepped atop the massive floating ice block. Centered around the short spear, the temperature within a five-kilometer radius had fallen to around -100 to -250 degrees Celsius. Though the extreme freezing temperature was deadly, Merlin¡¯s magic resistance stat was high, so he could endure relatively easily. Whoosh! When Merlin flung his robe open, all the gem fish within the area turned into gems before flying into his robe. One might be perplexed as to how a solid gem could move freely within ice, but Merlin¡¯s water attribute affinity allowed this to occur without difficulty, as he could control water regardless of what state it was in. ¡°How¡­ just how¡­.¡± The gathered users couldn¡¯t approach the gem fish because of the deadly cold, so they could only stand and helplessly watch the unfolding scene. This time around, they had prepared various tactics and ploys to try and counter Merlin¡¯s swiftness, but all those efforts were for naught. ¡°Ahem. Then¡­.¡± After collecting all the gem points, Merlin faced the players respectfully. It was a grand movement that looked like what a magician would do on top of a stage. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll be off.¡± After he said this, Merlin¡¯s image started to shimmer before disappearing entirely. The users stood with dull expressions across their faces; they had been tricked once more. ¡°Wow, how awful.¡± ¡°Dang¡­.¡± Merlin didn¡¯t even leave a single gem fish behind. *** The Star Above the Ground *** ¡°Wait, he¡¯s part of me, but why is he so different?¡± When Yongno logged onto a fan site, he saw an explosion of posts regarding the recent event. Though Merlin¡¯s S Rank Swimming skill was a great ability, it was considered a ¡®minor¡¯ skill. Merlin¡¯s recent show of magic power was a showcase of a ¡®major¡¯ skill, as magic power was used by countless players. ¡°The clips aren¡¯t just going around the fan sites; they¡¯re also on meme and joke-oriented sites as well¡­ ugh. It doesn¡¯t seem like things will settle down anytime soon.¡± Yongno feared attention. In fact, it would be more appropriate to state that he was terrified of it. When he had to stand in front of his class to present something in high school, his legs shook uncontrollably. ¡°Well, it¡¯s kind of nice that I¡¯m observing this in a third-person perspective, but the aftermath and fallout will eventually come down on me.¡± As Yongno mumbled to himself, he typed Leaf¡¯s name into a search engine and was met with an enormous number of results. Though Yongno didn¡¯t know, Leaf was currently one of the top idols in the industry. ¡°Oh, she¡¯s famous. The number of members in her fan caf¨¦ is crazy high.¡± It wasn¡¯t challenging to find Leaf¡¯s music. To download it, Yongno had to go to an online storage site or P2P site, but if he just wanted to listen, he only needed to access Leaf¡¯s fan caf¨¦ site. This website had all of Leaf¡¯s music playing in the background on repeat. ¡°Most of her songs are upbeat. Falling in love and stalking an older guy, supporting a downtrodden older guy, and describing one¡¯s love for an older guy¡­ is she some sort of oppa expert?¡± Leaf debuted two years ago, which meant that she started singing while in high school, so she had released quite a few songs by this point. Rather than going for a sexy or mature look, Leaf¡¯s public image swayed more towards a youthful, energetic feel, presenting her as cute. ¡°She¡¯s flat, though.¡± Yongno continued to listen to the music while mumbling comments that would have made Leaf lose it. Since she made so many songs, it would take quite a while before Yongno heard them all. ¡°The tonality isn¡¯t bad, and it sounds pretty good.¡± Yongno closed his eyes and remembered Leaf¡¯s life story. He recalled the lamentations, various incidents, and hardships she spoke of all the time. He imagined the emotions she must have felt during her life, envisioning the constant anguish she had to go through to overcome each and every one of those difficult periods. Then, Yongno started to hum. ¡°Not a bad premise.¡± Yongno felt that a nice song was about to play. ¡°Phew.¡± Leaf took in a deep breath as she stood in front of the door, remembering what Yongno had told her. ¡°Acting is important. If the other person smells something fishy, you¡¯re on the way to being discovered. You know that, right?¡± ¡°Dang it. I¡¯ve never received acting lessons.¡± Leaf stood in front of the door for another minute. Eventually, she started fidgeting with the bracelet and necklace that Yongno had given her. Right when she was about to ring the doorbell, the door opened. Actually, the door flung open as if it was trying to fly off its hinges. ¡°Wait here! I¡¯ll go get that good for nothing- you!¡± ¡°Uncle in law¡­.¡± Leaf made the most despondent expression that she could. Byunghu, her uncle-in-law, had a terrible, reddened face when his eyes landed on her. It was a face that struck fear in Leaf, but she wasn¡¯t planning on apologizing this time. This was all part of Yongno¡¯s [Script]. ¡°You must rebel in times of uncertainty and fury. Of course, don¡¯t be too aggressive. It¡¯s better to hold back your words and lock yourself in your room. Make an expression that illustrates something bad has happened, but don¡¯t tell them what. Based on what you¡¯ve told me, that alone should make them flip out.¡± While recalling Yongno¡¯s words, Leaf looked at Byunghu¡¯s face. Byunghu was usually easily enraged, but he was even more infuriated than usual. Usually, Leaf wouldn¡¯t have been able to meet his gaze when he was in such a state. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong, so why should you be scared? Try to act like one of the many delinquents who only drain their parents¡¯ resources.¡± ¡®Pfft!¡¯ Leaf tried to adjust her expression. She almost let out a laugh. ¡®Weird guy.¡¯ However, she didn¡¯t have any time to think of other matters. Byunghu¡¯s reddened face was on the brink of exploding. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to say something? You!¡± Slap! ¡°Kyak?!¡± Leaf chirped like a bird, fell to the floor, and felt disarrayed. This wasn¡¯t a situation she had expected or prepared for. Though Byunghu was violent, he hadn¡¯t lifted a hand and hit her since she became famous. ¡®Was canceling a regional event such a big thing? Or is it because I spent the night out?¡¯ While Leaf was still in disarray, her aunt, Misun, spoke with an incensed expression. ¡°What did you do yesterday?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What did you do yesterday? What did you do?! What exactly did you do to have such a filthy video clip float around the internet?¡± ¡°A¡­ video clip?¡± While Leaf was thoroughly confused and at a loss, Byunghu shoved a laptop in front of her face. /[Oh, man! Look at this! I think she peed herself!] [What? Let me see. Yuck, she did!]/ ¡°That!¡± Leaf groaned. It was a video from when she was assaulted by the high schoolers last night. The clip was edited, so it cut out the part when Yongno stepped in and took care of the group. This alteration made it easy to misunderstand the situation. ¡°Are you crazy? If girls walk around so late, don¡¯t you know that these things happen! What are you going to do now?¡± ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± ¡°You sell innocence and laughter to young people, but if you¡¯re part of this scandal, what do you think will happen? You¡¯re a girl who¡¯s lost her innocence. Do you know what the public will do to you?¡± ¡°L-lose my innocence? It never went that far!¡± ¡°Hey, where do you think you are to talk back?! This bitch doesn¡¯t seem to be able to see straight anymore!¡± Byunghu and Misun had already reached the conclusion that Leaf¡¯s career was essentially over, and they had completely lost their minds. For them, Leaf was the goose that laid golden eggs, but the eggs didn¡¯t belong to the goose - no, it was theirs. Since they had housed and fed her, as she had nowhere else to go, they felt entitled to her income. Recently, Leaf had been doing well, so they had fun counting all the money that rolled in, but then, this incident occurred. Furthermore, all this happened when Leaf rebelled and left the house, so they couldn¡¯t help but feel that this sudden downfall was all her fault. ¡°You never listen! If you just signed the contract and stayed home, none of this would have happened!¡± ¡°But you two were asking for too much! The CEO has already given up so much-¡± ¡°You¡¯re siding with your agency¡¯s CEO and not your blood? This bitch isn¡¯t even thankful for all that we¡¯ve done for her!¡± Leaf received another slap and almost fell over. However, she didn¡¯t feel any pain. She just felt confused. ¡®W-what should I do? What¡­.¡¯ CH 165 Yongno had also seen the video clip. He gritted his teeth as he watched the high schoolers toy around with Leaf. ¡°They really lost their minds. Were they truly so proud of themselves that they posted it on the internet?¡± If they had sexually assaulted or raped her, then perhaps there could have been some convoluted reasoning, but the group had been smacked around by Yongno before they could even do such a thing. As bullies, they should have been too embarrassed to post the full video, but they had heavily edited a clip before posting it, making it seem like they had the upper hand. ¡°If I knew this would happen, I would have crushed all their cell phones.¡± However, Yongno didn¡¯t expect this. It wasn¡¯t that he never thought a photo or video would be posted; rather, he never anticipated that he¡¯d be so emotionally invested in Leaf¡¯s situation. ¡°I guess it was good that I covered my face back then.¡± When the situation occurred, Yongno used his hoodie to hide his face. He recognized some of the students within the group and had seen them around his house before. And so, Yongno didn¡¯t want them to realize who he was and make him confront them later on, and he was also avoiding having his face captured by their phones. ¡°This video clip is so misleading, though¡­.¡± Since the clip abruptly ended while the boys had their way with Leaf, what happened after was left to the viewer¡¯s imagination. Furthermore, it didn¡¯t make sense that boys willing to go this far would suddenly stop and let Leaf go. While the video clip hadn¡¯t been released for more than a day, all sorts of theories and rumors were already circulating throughout the community. Of course, the vast amount of commentary was centered on how bad the perpetrators were, but regardless, any rumor or theory would negatively impact Leaf¡¯s career. Zing! Zing! As he heard his cell phone vibrate on his desk, Yongno checked the caller¡¯s number. It was Leaf. ¡°Open the door! Open this door right now!¡± When Yongno answered, he heard someone banging on a door through his phone¡¯s speaker. Leaf had run into her room and locked herself in, leading to the current situation where Byunghu was pounding on the door. Since Leaf had suddenly rebelled after always being mild-mannered in front of him, Byunghu was livid. ¡°Dang, sounds like quite the ruckus. Is that your uncle-in-law?¡± ¡°Yeah, right now, there¡¯s-¡± ¡°You¡¯re so lucky.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m lucky?¡± At such unexpected words, Leaf stuttered, but Yongno just continued. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re lucky. You¡¯re like a first-time fisher whose bait was swallowed whole by a massive fish. You sure got a live one on your line.¡± Leaf couldn¡¯t help but think that Yongno had nerves of steel. Obviously, Yongno wasn¡¯t feeling as much pressure as the trapped Leaf, but he did hear the banging over the line. Yet, he kept calm and spoke with a sense of ease. ¡°A live one¡­.¡± Truthfully, Leaf should have gotten angry. Wasn¡¯t Yongno making light of her situation? However, his laid-back manner, seemingly implying that her situation wasn¡¯t anything too serious, made her chuckle instead. In fact, she was terrified. She had always been intimidated by her uncle, and the robust man was yelling and banging on her door; it would be abnormal if nothing negative resulted from this situation. If Yongno had comforted her by saying, ¡®Are you okay?¡¯, she might have started crying. However, instead, Yongno laughed and called her situation a great opportunity. Moreover, he spoke in a casual tone, which seemed to state she had nothing to worry about. In a sense, his attitude and words could be construed as irresponsible, as she could be beaten by her uncle-in-law at any moment, but Leaf felt her fears melt away. Perhaps, as Yongno mentioned, she was lucky. Since her acting wasn¡¯t entirely natural, maybe this development was for the best. ¡®It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to die, right?¡¯ Right, if she thought with this mindset, she didn¡¯t have much to be concerned about. Yet, right then, she heard something unexpected through her cell phone. /[Eleventh floor.]/ ¡°Huh? Eleventh floor?¡± While Leaf flinched after hearing the announcement through her line, Yongno pressed the doorbell. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably a reporter.¡± Byunghu had been slamming his fist on Leaf¡¯s room door like a madman when he suddenly felt his head cool. After Leaf gained fame long ago, he understood that he couldn¡¯t curse and strike Leaf in public anymore, especially when the press was around. When Byunghu and Misun settled down, the entire house fell into silence. A few reporters had already visited the house, and they only left because Byunghu chased them away. If Leaf had returned from outside the building rather than from Yongno¡¯s apartment, she would have met the reporters before Byunghu. Clunk! ¡°Huh? What? Didn¡¯t you lock the front door?¡± ¡°It should have locked automatically.¡± ¡°You should have made sure!¡± ¡°Wait, why are you getting angry at me¡­.¡± Byunghu seemed to be taking out his anger on everything, so Misun was a bit taken aback. Yongno, unconcerned about their bickering, walked into the entrance area and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Go? What is he talking about?¡± Perplexed with what he was hearing, Byunghu made a confused expression, but then, he heard a click and saw Leaf leaving her room. Byunghu soon became furious. He couldn¡¯t speak his mind because of Yongno¡¯s presence. Instead, he violently grabbed Leaf¡¯s hand. ¡°Kyak!¡± ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing-¡± ¡°Let go of her, dude.¡± Yongno smiled. However, Byunghu and Misun¡¯s bodies stiffened. Despite his smile, an unexplainable oppressive force was emanating from Yongno. ¡°Y-y-you¡­ who are you?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­.¡± Modern humans rarely, if ever, faced situations where they had to withstand killing intent. Furthermore, they would never experience killing intent that was reinforced with spiritual power. Right now, Yongno¡¯s killing intent wasn¡¯t something that any typical human being could overcome. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, okay.¡± Yongno took Leaf¡¯s hand and dragged her away. She wasn¡¯t subject to his killing intent, so she was perplexed as to why her aunt and uncle were acting so weird. Byunghu and Misun were rooted in place until the front door slammed shut. ¡°Let¡¯s take the stairs.¡± ¡°Huh? This is the eleventh floor, though.¡± ¡°I need to explain some things while we walk. Also, give me the bracelet and necklace.¡± After Yongno spoke, Leaf took off the necklace and bracelet and handed them to Yongno, who promptly stopped the accessories¡¯ functions. ¡°Do you think you got anything useful?¡± ¡°Not just useful. I have enough to bury my aunt and uncle-in-law, but that isn¡¯t the main issue. On the internet-¡± ¡°I saw the clip as well. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°How can I not worry? That video will create a massive misunderstanding!¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be alright. I have about five to six hours until I next connect to DIO, so I should be able to resolve things before then.¡± Yongno suddenly stopped speaking. ¡®I¡¯ve changed.¡¯ His expression became serious. Yes, he changed. He wasn¡¯t the type of person to take the initiative regarding other people¡¯s plights. No, he would turn a blind eye and run away even if his family, let alone his friends, faced trouble. Yet, an individual like him was now taking the initiative to help someone he barely knew. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ please¡­ don¡¯t¡­.¡± Yongno recalled the image of a crying girl as she hunched over and held herself. In front of the trembling girl was a naked middle-aged man. The male anatomy between the man¡¯s legs was fully functioning. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Eunhye. This is just a fun playtime activity. You¡¯re going to have fun with dad. Oh, so fun~.¡± ¡°No¡­ no¡­.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll enjoy it soon. Soon.¡± As Eunhye stood in a corner, she watched him approach as he seemed to lick her whole body with his glistening, lust-filled eyes. It was such a creepy feeling that it made Eunhye want to throw up. Honestly, Yongno felt that it would be advantageous to let things continue a bit longer, but he couldn¡¯t bear to watch anymore. Zing~! ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a video recording, of course.¡± Yongno stepped out from another corner of the room, and Eunhye¡¯s crying visage soon changed between fear and surprise. ¡°Yongno? Wait, no, run away¡­.¡± ¡°You little runt! Give me that!¡± Eunhye¡¯s father, human trash, angrily reached toward Yongno. Never mind a child, even an adult would have been struck by fear if they saw his crazed expression filled with killing intent. However, Yongno just smiled. He didn¡¯t plan on quietly leaving in the first place. ¡°Uh¡­ Yongno?¡± ¡°Dirty piece of trash. I¡¯ll make sure you remember this day forever.¡± Eunhye¡¯s father would never forget that day because it was the day a part of his male anatomy wouldn¡¯t function properly ever again. ¡°Mr. Yoon Yongno?¡± It was around then when Eunhye started following him around everywhere. She would grab a handful of his shirt and accompany him wherever he went, constantly looking up to him. Yongno always fought to keep her safe from the disgusting adults around her, and consequently, his back was turned toward her, so he never really saw her expression. Yet, if he had, he would have seen Eunhye gazing up at him as if he was the shining sun in her life. ¡°Hey, Yoon Yongno! Are you alright?¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°What do you mean why? You blanked out just now¡­ is something wrong?¡± ¡°No, nothing. It was only something that popped into my head.¡± After stating this, the two continued down the stairs. Leaf took a couple of peeks upstairs before sighing. ¡°All those scenarios we practiced were for naught. I never thought things would turn out like this.¡± ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped. Honestly, I was a bit concerned about your acting skills, so maybe this was the best outcome.¡± ¡°What?¡± Leaf took exception to Yongno¡¯s comment, and she raised her eyebrows at him, her eyes widening. However, Yongno didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°Don¡¯t change careers to become an actor.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± In a fit of anger, Leaf balled up her hands into fists and started lightly hitting Yongno, but all he did was laugh in response. Feeling that the atmosphere had lightened, Yongno started explaining his plan. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the video clip, so you should head to your agency¡¯s CEO. Is he trustworthy?¡± ¡°Of course! The CEO is-¡± ¡°If he¡¯s trustworthy, then good. As soon as you meet with him, hold a press conference and state that the video is real, but nothing happened afterward.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°I said I¡¯ll take care of it. Also, make sure to take the necessary measures to file a lawsuit against your aunt and uncle-in-law. State that they took all the money you¡¯ve earned and have constantly physically abused you. I¡¯ll send you the evidence shortly. Did you get any footage of them intimidating you in any way?¡± Of course, Yongno already knew the answer, as he had seen Leaf¡¯s red cheeks when she stepped out of her room. He was concerned that she¡¯d feel ashamed, but surprisingly, she answered in a straightforward manner. ¡°More than intimidation. My uncle slapped me a few times.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Hey! How can that be a good thing?¡± Leaf yelled. Yongno¡¯s eyebrows twitched. ¡°Hey, why are you yelling at your savior? If I find out later that you wavered from this plan, I¡¯m going to make it public that you peed in your underwear.¡± Leaf was stunned. ¡°What! W-who would believe such a thing¡­.¡± ¡°Ah! Now that I recall, I think I will put your pee-soaked underwear on an internet auction site. It¡¯ll probably bring in a considerable amount of money¡­.¡± ¡°Ack! Alright! I¡¯ll follow your plan, so throw that away!¡± ¡°Good. I like that attitude.¡± After saying this, Yongno removed his hooded jacket and covered Leaf¡¯s head with the hood. It didn¡¯t take long for them to exit the apartment building. ¡°Where would you two like to go?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s your agency¡¯s office?¡± ¡°Ah, take us to XXX!¡± Though there were several reporters loitering in front of the building, Yongno recognized every single one of them, allowing him to go around them and get into a taxi safely. It didn¡¯t seem like Leaf¡¯s popularity had spread to the middle-aged demographic, as the taxi driver didn¡¯t seem to recognize her. ¡°Head in carefully.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After seeing Leaf enter her agency¡¯s office, Yongno turned around and started walking. He organized his thoughts. ¡°Luckily, those high schoolers live in my neighborhood.¡± Yongno sifted through his memory. He had seen their faces before. Yongno had never spoken to any of them face-to-face, but as long as he¡¯d seen them once before, he would realize who they were. Moreover, there were ten of them, so it was probable that he¡¯d recognize at least one. ¡®Let¡¯s see.¡¯ Yongno entered his mind palace. On one wall, all kinds of pictures were placed in frames and densely packed together. The frames were divided into five or six different colors, but as Yongno passed them, some of the frames popped out as if they were asking him to take a look. ¡®Is it these?¡¯ His mind palace of memories was a space made from his imagination. For Yongno, it was possible to remember every moment at any time in his life, but it was painful to remember every single thing, 24 hours a day. So, he created this virtual space to search for memories when necessary. ¡®Found them.¡¯ Yongno picked out five or six frames. The frames contained the faces of the high school students who molested Leaf the night before. Yongno had seen them in passing a few times while they were going to school. ¡®Fortunately, they wore their school uniforms and name tags.¡¯ Yongno confirmed their faces and names. Since he knew the school they attended, their names, and even their faces, Yongno possessed all the necessary personal information he needed to track them down. ¡®I¡¯m going to have to break into their homes. They uploaded an edited clip on the internet, but I¡¯m sure they still have the original video.¡¯ He murmured to himself as he entered a nearby alley. It was getting dark outside. CH 166 Poof! A part of space warped, and soon, a young man appeared in a room. This was an ability that shouldn¡¯t have existed in real life: short-range teleportation. ¡°Ugh, what a headache.¡± Yongno frowned as he put his hand on his forehead. His divine nature awakened when the patterns engraved by Mary were activated, and he realized Qi Heaven, but the extent of the abilities he could use in-game versus real life was like comparing the price of a convenience store¡¯s triangle onigiri and one year¡¯s tuition at a private university. There was an immense gap. The modern human body didn¡¯t possess any functioning qi pathways nor any sensory organs capable of feeling spiritual power. So, an external element was required to utilize these special abilities. In Yongno¡¯s case, he had the mark on his forehead. He had an amazing physique that seemed like it had been gifted from the heavens, but even a sports car needed the correct type of fuel and the appropriate set of tires to run properly. Following this analogy, Yongno was currently using his spiritual power as if he attached bicycle wheels to a sports car and started pedaling. It was a miracle that he could even use his abilities. Yet, after using a fighter¡¯s body in DIO, Yongno couldn¡¯t help but be extremely frustrated by the restricted set of abilities and skills. Tap. Tap. Tap. After booting the computer within the room, Yongno searched for the video file. The file wasn¡¯t hidden or anything, so it was easy to find. Actually, it would have been weird for someone to assume that another person would go through their personal computer. ¡°Those guys will probably freak out later on. The full videos will be uploaded from their IPs, so they¡¯ll be suspicious of each other.¡± Yongno uploaded the unedited, full video on various platforms on the internet. The scandal should subside to some extent since the recording showed the boys being beaten by Yongno and Leaf escaping from their grasp. Of course, Leaf had suffered under their hands, so some clamoring was expected, but it wouldn¡¯t be as bad as it was right now. Celebrities being ¡®sexually assaulted¡¯ versus ¡®harassed¡¯ were two entirely different issues. ¡°Fortunately, my internal energy levels were low, so it¡¯s not obvious that I used the Golden Pill Immortal Technique.¡± In the video, Yongno¡¯s hand shone with golden light for a moment, but it was a single blip, and the glow was so weak that it didn¡¯t seem all that strange. Click! ¡°He¡¯s back?¡± Yongno felt someone enter the home, so he turned off the computer and teleported out of the room. Due to his meager internal energy capacity, he could only blink about 15 meters away each time, but this was enough to enter and leave a modern home. ¡°Phew.¡± After finishing all that he set out to do, Yongno nursed his aching head with his hands while walking down the street. It was already late at night, but the surroundings were all brightly illuminated by the various store signs. Ring~! Ring~! ¡°Huh?¡± As he heard a sudden phone ring, Yongno stopped in his tracks. Though he carried his phone around, he rarely received a call from anyone, even his family. The only reason Yongno kept his phone on him was because of Eunhye¡¯s incessant urging. ¡°It¡¯s not like she ever calls though¡­ oh, it¡¯s Eunhye.¡± With wide eyes, Yongno answered the call. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s me.¡± Yongno sat on a nearby bench. It was the first time he had heard Eunhye¡¯s voice since she left Korea. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard from you in a long time. Have you been doing well?¡± ¡°So-so.¡± Yongno, hearing Eunhye¡¯s calm voice, felt a sense of nostalgia wash over him. It had only been about a month since she left for a foreign country, but after mostly living in DIO, where time passed twelve times faster, he felt that he hadn¡¯t heard her voice in over six months. ¡°Hey, do you know Leaf?¡± ¡°The singer?¡± ¡°Oh, you do know her. She lives on the eleventh floor of my building, but I had no idea. Well, I didn¡¯t know who she was until recently.¡± ¡°Did something happen?¡± When Eunhye questioned him, he recalled the awakening of his supernatural powers and how he defeated the high schoolers to save Leaf. However, Yongno soon shook his head as if to rid himself of these distracting thoughts. Eunhye knew better than anyone that he never got involved when someone was facing an injustice. Besides, how could he explain his use of internal energy and magical power in real life? ¡°Nothing major¡­ Ah! The CEO of Leaf¡¯s agency told me that I should think of singing professionally.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t take him on his offer, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, right.¡± For ten minutes, Eunhye and Yongno chatted. They didn¡¯t talk about anything serious. Yongno spoke most of the time while Eunhye listened. ¡°When will you be back in Korea?¡± ¡°Soon, but nothing¡¯s finalized.¡± ¡°Come when you can. I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± ¡°¡­ Okay.¡± The call ended. Yongno had waited patiently to see if Eunhye was going to bring something up, but it didn¡¯t seem as though she had anything in particular to say. Since Eunhye wasn¡¯t one to waste time, it appeared she called just to check up on him. ¡°She usually doesn¡¯t contact me unless she has something to tell me. Weird.¡± As he found the whole situation odd, Yongno made his way back home. His next login time was soon approaching. *** Beep¡­ After the call ended, Eunhye buried herself into a comfortable sofa. Since she was wearing shorts, her slender, long legs gleamed in the light. ¡°Phew.¡± With her cell phone on her chest, she took deep breaths. Eunhye felt as though she could pass out at any moment. After ten minutes, she stretched out her legs. Ting! With a faint noise, Eunhye¡¯s body shot straight off the sofa as she stood by swinging her legs down. The resilience and flexibility of her body illustrated how much she had trained. ¡°Okay, completely recharged.¡± With a more energetic voice, she strode forward and prepared to go outside. She put on a well-maintained suit and sturdy black shoes. Her suit and shoes were tailored, so they didn¡¯t inconvenience her at all. Overall, the wardrobe emphasized a simple image and maximized functional beauty. It felt closer to an armament for fighting rather than merely being fashionable. ¡°Hmph!¡± Eunhye gave an encouraging shout. She had always been a proud person, but her days in America were as precarious as walking on a knife¡¯s edge. Just a few months ago, Eunhye was a relatively unassuming high school student, but then, she went to the United States alone and contacted a secret organization shrouded in mystery. Fortunately, she was recognized as an important figure in her institution after acquiring information about the Gigas from DIO. However, she had also provided information about an anti-gravity device in her previous meeting. This futuristic technology was a trading chip so powerful that it became a double-edged sword. It had such extraordinary value that if the technology had been disclosed to a secret Korean organization, the technology might have been stolen and gotten her killed. ¡°Of course, that isn¡¯t to say this place is credible.¡± In truth, Eunhye felt a little scared. She was a woman, just a young girl with no background. Edgar wielded enormous power in the United States, and as the head of a secret agency, he held significant sway in the world as a whole as well. If he had any bad intentions, it wouldn¡¯t take long for Eunhye to fall into the depths of hell, and he could even make her disappear without a trace. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Eunhye straightened her shoulders and remembered Yongno¡¯s voice from earlier. ¡®Dummy.¡¯ She smiled and felt re-energized. Just thinking about Yongno gave her strength. He was her everything, the person who saved her from the depths of hell. If it were for him, Eunhye would go against the entire world. Though she was living life on a knife¡¯s edge and couldn¡¯t be with him, this didn¡¯t matter to Eunhye. Just by hearing his voice from time to time, she felt she could gain strength and overcome any challenge. ¡°But he¡¯s exactly the same as before.¡± To be sure, Eunhye had called Yongno as she suspected that something may have changed. This was because the Yongno she saw within DIO was different from what she had seen before she left for the United States. The Yongno in DIO was like¡­. ¡°Like¡­.¡± ¡°Are you done with your preparations?¡± As she walked out of her quarters and into the hallway, the director of research, Bill, approached her. His expression was filled with expectation. Bill was over seventy years old, yet he was able to make such an eager, child-like expression. It just went to show how much he loved his work. ¡®Bill mentioned that he¡¯s Level 9. He¡¯ll be a Master-level user soon.¡¯ There were only six Masters currently in the game. These were Arthur and Cruze and the newly appeared ¡®irregular¡¯ named Merlin. Outside of those three, there were Arc, Lancelot, and Ilyia. Among all the users in DIO, only Arc, Lancelot, and Ilyia were Level 10. There were no players at Level 11, Level 12, or Level 13. Cruze and Merlin were Level 14, while Arthur was Level 18. ¡®There are about 500 users at Level 9.¡¯ The average user considered Level 5 to be the first barrier, but the skilled and talented saw Level 10 as the real barrier. Someone knowing vast amounts of general information, philosophy, and training consistently wasn¡¯t enough to overcome the Level 10 barrier. No, one needed to awaken their spiritual self. This was why there were a substantial number of people stuck on Level 9, with only a few Level 10 players existing. However, amongst DIO¡¯s user base, there were many people who were world-renowned scientists, national athletes, and great philosophical and religious thinkers. In comparison to Ilyia and Eunhye, these users were probably more gifted and talented, but they were held back at Level 9 due to their lack of spiritual awakening. Some of those users would probably never overcome this barrier, but many would soon break past their physical limits and reach the Master Level, increasing the number of masters exponentially. ¡°Hurry up! We¡¯ve finished all the prep for the program. They¡¯re all waiting!¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite excited.¡± ¡°How can I not be?! We¡¯re writing a chapter in history¡­ anyway, hurry up!¡± After shouting, Bill started running ahead. Eventually, Eunhye made her way to a room that had a large display. ¡°Once we log in, five other researchers and I will follow you. Then we¡¯ll¡­.¡± After listening to Bill¡¯s plan, Eunhye put on her headset and lay on a comfortable chair. The ergonomic seat allowed the person using it to fall asleep easily, with the back support comfortably holding Eunhye. /In the beginning, I felt sorrow¡­./ /For I had nothing that I desired¡­./ /Still, I wish and hope¡­./ /I will create the world that I envision and seek./ As they heard the familiar sound of someone speaking, everyone closed their eyes as they logged in. /You shall be free here and now./ CH 167 ¡°Sniffle¡­ Sniff¡­¡± After her father died, Eunhye always cried. She was afraid of everything. She was terrified of her mother, and she was terrified of the man who her mother had brought as her father-in-law. Most of all, she was afraid of her father in law¡¯s lingering eyes, which seemed to want to devour her, and trembled whenever his hands had a chance to grope her body. She tried asking her mother for her help, but instead of protecting Eunhye, her mother stared at her with judging eyes. Eunhye didn¡¯t know then, but now, she knew what her mother¡¯s look meant. Eunhye¡¯s mother looked at Eunhye with eyes full of jealousy, as Eunhye became the woman who had stolen her man. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Eunhye. It¡¯s just play. You¡¯ll be having fun with dad. So much fun~¡± Eunhye was afraid. Everything was terrifying and disgusting. It was not a superhero nor a god, but a boy of the same age that saved her from the living hell that her biological father had often told her about. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± With a carefree attitude, he saved her from the depths of despair. With a child¡¯s body, he had taken down an adult, and afterward, neither her mother nor father-in-law could look straight into his eyes. Eunhye always followed Yongno around, and Yongno always protected her. Ting! As the dark surroundings began to change, she continued with her thoughts. Yes, it was probably from then. She realized then that she would do anything for him. Step. As Eunhye took a step forward, a human shadow approached her from the dark. It was a shadow with a body shape like Eunhye¡¯s. However, the peculiar thing was that only the shadow¡¯s two eyes could be seen through the black leather armor that enwrapped the shadow figure. ¡°Arc Ilensia.¡± After Eunhye quietly murmured, the shadow figure in front of her suddenly started fading away. Then, Eunhye¡¯s body started to change. The full body armor that the shadow had been wearing was now on her. ¡°Start.¡± While breathing regularly and closing her eyes, Eunhye was no longer Oh Eunhye. She was now a member of the Blackyak Sect, a practitioner of the No Thoughts Gold Strong Technique, and one of six Master level users in DIO. She was now Arc Ilensia. *** ¡°Welcome back to the Exchange Center, Merlin. Are you done with the recent event?¡± ¡°Yeah. Can I go straight to the Illusory Area?¡± ¡°Sure thing.¡± With the help of Ellen, the purple haired woman who had the title [Exchange Center Assistant], Merlin moved directly to the Illusory Area, the space where flying shuttles were sold. The space was extremely large, as if it possessed its own heaven and earth. Large gemstones littered the surroundings like trees while the ground was composed of blue gem tiles. ¡°Did you gather enough gem points? You said last time you had 10,000, but you stated you were planning to obtain more.¡± ¡°Yeah, I gathered a bit more.¡± ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m a bit surprised. I figured you¡¯d be participating in the fourth fishing event.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a fourth fishing event?¡± ¡°It was publicly announced. Seems like you didn¡¯t have time to check. You haven¡¯t seen the message, have you?¡± ¡°I was logged out. One second.¡± After stating this, Merlin took out his Beholder from his inventory. /DIO (Dynamic Island Online), a fantasy world no one has ever seen before! Welcome to this exciting island! In relation to today¡¯s event, the following patches shall be applied as of January 29th. - A fourth wave of gem fish are appearing. We welcome any users who haven¡¯t yet had a chance to participate in the event. 1. The fourth wave of gem fish will be 1.5x the size of the previous waves. 2. The various schools of gem fish will appear 20 kilometers apart at the same time. We received various comments and messages regarding [Merlin Emrys], but we have found that the user has not broken any rules, so no penalty will be placed on the user. However, for the enjoyment of all other users, Merlin Emrys shall not be participating in this fourth wave event. We will try our best not to cause any inconvenience to the service. Thank you./ After reading the contents of the announcement, Merlin broke out into a smile. ¡®I never heard of such a ban being placed on me, but to state that I¡¯m banned.¡¯ However, the important aspect of the announcement was that his ID was specifically mentioned, unlike the previous event announcements; this meant that the developers were probably willing to use force to block him from participating. The public announcement was most likely a warning to let Merlin know that he wasn¡¯t welcome to participate in the upcoming event. If he went against their wishes, Merlin thought that he¡¯d probably anger the developers, or possibly something worse. ¡°But that makes me want to participate even more.¡± Though a bit burdensome, Merlin couldn¡¯t hide his identity as long as he was playing DIO, so he felt that he needed to meet the developers at least once sometime soon. They wouldn¡¯t just kill him off or block his account, right? When Merlin gathered his thoughts and raised his head, Ellen asked a question. ¡°Anyway, what enhancements were you thinking of?¡± ¡°Actually, I want to do production.¡± If Merlin planned on purchasing just any flying shuttle, he wouldn¡¯t have needed to gather so many gem points. Of course, the existing offering of flying shuttles could be upgraded to the heavens, costing quite a lot of gem points, but even still, those upgrades wouldn¡¯t have cost as many gem points as what Merlin currently possessed. Flip. After Merlin stated that he wanted to go to production, the guidebook flipped its pages and landed on the seventh chapter. He had bypassed the fifth chapter, where one could purchase flying shuttles, and the sixth chapter, where one could upgrade one¡¯s flying shuttle. Zing. When Merlin drew a basic frame in his head, a transparent marble resonated, and soon, a line began to be drawn in the air. Ellen¡¯s expression hardened when a few lines of text in the shape of production annotations appeared above the line. ¡°Oh, wait. If you set the basic armor as Methrinium, the price will balloon out of control¡­¡± Disregarding Ellen¡¯s comment, Merlin continued his design. He wasn¡¯t producing assembly parts or creating part designs like other users; Merlin was making an entire flying shuttle from scratch. Of course, since he couldn¡¯t test out his creation, he¡¯d have to complete the whole process, from blueprinting to creating and testing, in his head. ¡°It¡¯s a lot more complicated than I thought. Since I need to run through various tests and diagnostic reviews, this¡¯ll probably take me quite some time.¡± Though he murmured those words, Merlin wasn¡¯t in a hurry. He had plenty of time. ¡°What? To put a magic circuit all over the frame of the shuttle, that¡¯s too much¡­ Eh! You¡¯re even utilizing an Aegis system?¡± Ellen groaned at the amazing design. She hastily tried to stop Merlin. ¡°No, wait. 200,000 points have already been consumed just by going this far. What are you thinking? Your design requires an inordinate amount of gem points¡­¡± ¡°Speaking about gem points, I have roughly 2.5 million gem points.¡± ¡°W-what? 250 thousand?¡± Ellen seemed to have misspoken due to surprise. Merlin calmly reiterated. ¡°2.5 million. I¡¯m not lacking in gem points, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± After leaving Ellen dumbfounded and speechless, Merlin continued his design. It was going to take quite a while to complete. *** The scandal around Leaf quickly subsided. No large issue arose since the general public¡¯s consensus on the internet was that Leaf was just an innocent bystander. Leaf didn¡¯t provide sexual favors to high-ranking politicians, nor did she do drugs or have an affair with a married man. She was simply attacked by bad teenagers, so there was no underlying moral issue to get her into trouble. To be sure, Leaf¡¯s morality was never really the main issue. What mattered was whether she was sexually assaulted by the teenagers or not. Of course, even if she was raped, Leaf would have been innocent of any crime or moral hazard, but the chastity that Korean society demanded of its female idols was a terrifying reality. Female celebrities who live based on a conjured, manufactured image, especially someone like Leaf who gained appeal with her cuteness, would be put in a dangerous situation if they were to lose their public image; their entertainment career would probably implode overnight, for no fault of their own. Even though this logic seems terribly absurd, this was reality in Korean society. Of course, news articles didn¡¯t openly state [Leaf Loses Her Virginity] (though there were many news articles that stated just as much), but many news reporters would spin words and cause the enter issue to be more salacious and malicious than it was. The news reporters would write titles that pretended to be concerned for her but create unfounded rumors, like, ¡®Public is concerned Leaf might have been raped¡¯ or ¡®She should not do anything extreme just because her body has been sullied¡¯. In addition, legally problematic comments such as ¡®Leaf¡¯s no longer a virgin¡¯ or ¡®Ah, it was bound to happen. Isn¡¯t that the case in the entertainment industry?¡¯ were also posted and easily found underneath those problematic news articles. If the situation wasn¡¯t resolved quickly, Leaf¡¯s public perception would have become unrecoverable. However, after the unedited video clip was uploaded, the one where Yongno eventually beat up the high school kids and took Leaf away, the problematic news article numbers died down considerably. The whole ten against one fight scene was like something straight out of an action movie; some even went as far as to state that Leaf was ¡®creating an action scene on purpose¡¯ or that ¡®Leaf is using viral marketing to promote an upcoming action movie or music video¡¯. ¡°Then, that ten to one scene really happened.¡± ¡°I have no comment on that. Please don¡¯t focus on that aspect.¡± Seeing Yongno shake his head, the CEO of SH Entertainment, Kim Sunghyun, asked, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I hit them pretty hard¡­ Ah, Leaf, state that you parted ways with me immediately afterward. Tell them that you didn¡¯t catch my name. You don¡¯t want me to be sent to the police office, right?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah.¡± Yongno was currently at Sunghyun¡¯s home, where Leaf was hiding. Just to be careful, Yongno had worn his cap down and avoided others when he made his way to Sunghyun¡¯s home. The reason why he did such a cumbersome and somewhat dangerous thing was because of Leaf. ¡°Anyway, this video clip of Leaf¡¯s legal guardians¡­ they¡¯re truly bad people. I knew their personalities weren¡¯t good, but I never thought it¡¯d be this bad.¡± The necklace that Merlin had put around Leaf¡¯s neck was a mini video recording device, and the bracelet was another camera with additional audio features. The video clips captured showed Byunghu and Misun violently hitting Leaf, shouting insults, and threatening her. They truly were ¡®caught fish¡¯. ¡°I believe it¡¯s been a bit crazy with contract negotiations recently. I feel that it would be for the best to emancipate Leaf.¡± ¡°If we do that, this evidence will be critical.¡± In the eyes of the law, Leaf was an adult, as she was twenty years old. Of course, if Leaf emancipated herself, Byunghu and Misun may be afforded some compensation for their services as Leaf¡¯s legal guardians up to now, but once word got out that they had been siphoning her money and physically beating her, the outcome would completely change. ¡°Use the video clip to state that you¡¯ve been beaten constantly. You said that they took all your money, so there¡¯s probably going to be a considerable paper trail.¡± ¡°W-well, I didn¡¯t really get hit all the time. And as for the money, I don¡¯t really spend money to begin with¡­¡± Leaf tried to be understanding, but this only made Yongno¡¯s eyebrows twitch as he frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t live like a loser. You¡¯ll be taken advantage of all the time. Do you think you won¡¯t need money for the rest of your life?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the legal proceedings. Our company has an in-house lawyer.¡± Sunghyun accepted the USB that Yongno handed over. At that moment, Yongno used Enhanced Eyesight to read Sunghyun¡¯s spiritual qi. ¡®He doesn¡¯t seem like a bad guy.¡¯ Unlike others his age, Sunghyun¡¯s spiritual power burned pure and strong; Yongno couldn¡¯t sense anything troubling within it. Since it didn¡¯t seem like Sunghyun had any evil intentions, Yongno decided not to concern himself with Sunghyun. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡± Yongno got up from his seat. He could have sent the USB drive through courier mail, but he expressly came to Sunghyun¡¯s house to use Enhanced Eyesight and figure out Sunghyun¡¯s motives. ¡°Already? You should eat something with us¡­¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not hungry anyway. Oh, and I also left a present within the USB, so make sure you access it.¡± ¡°A present?¡± Instead of answering, Yongno waved his hand and left the house. It was such a simple yet final movement that the two didn¡¯t have a chance to stop him. ¡°The atmosphere around him has changed.¡± ¡°The atmosphere around him?¡± Though she had seen Yongno once before the incident, Leaf didn¡¯t notice any changes. She recalled that Yongno was somewhat dark when they first met, but people always wavered between being sad and happy, so Leaf didn¡¯t really think much of it. Leaf had chalked up the difference between Yongno¡¯s first impression and how he acted now as originating from a mood difference, but Sunghyun, whose job it was to read people, noticed a significant difference. ¡°He changed a lot. It seems he met some sort of crossroads¡­ hmm, I wonder what it was.¡± After saying this, Sunghyun went to his PC and plugged in the USB. He was planning on sending out the evidence for the eventual court trial, but when he accessed the USB, a compressed file caught his eye. When he double clicked and opened the compressed file, an image popped up. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It looks like sheet music. Is this what he meant by your present?¡± Sunghyun read the sheet music. He slowly turned the pages of the sheet music. ¡°Heh, how considerate of him, but we already have quite a lot of sings in the works right now, right?¡± ¡°Also, it¡¯ll be best if you take a break from work after this incident¡­ huh?¡± Sunghyun, who had put his hand underneath his chin, and Leaf, who was standing behind Sunghyun, froze in place as their expressions stiffened. Leaf quietly asked, ¡°Uhm, this is kind of good¡­¡± ¡°Quiet.¡± Sunghyun got up from his seat. He put on his business suit and sat back down to read the sheet music. In the serious atmosphere, Leaf also quietly focused on reading the sheet music. Click. They reviewed the entirety of the sheet music once more, from start to finish. At some point, Leaf started to hum the verses written underneath each line of music. After reading through the entirety of the sheet music, Sunghyun spoke in somewhat of a gasping tone. ¡°Where did you say he lived again?¡± CH 168 Yongno, who got on a train, sat down and leaned back against the backrest. He could have taken the subway, but he made a train reservation in advance because he needed time to think alone for a while. ¡®Right. Was I around ten when I was taken into the lab?¡¯ His memories were slowly coming back. Until now, his memories had been suppressed by a special energy, but as his divine nature awakened, and as he utilized internal energy and magic power, that special energy was gradually pushed away. ¡®Yeah, I got caught by those military-like assholes¡­ how did things go again?¡¯ But his memory wasn¡¯t perfect. His memories up to the moment he was captured came back, but the memories after being captured were faint, as if they were painted over with black paint. Some places and people came to mind, but they didn¡¯t lead to any particular memories or additional information. Yongno was only left with the sense of having his head immersed in a disgusting pool of dirty water; this sense alluded to the likelihood that his hidden memories were of the not-so-pleasant kind. ¡°It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t recall this memory, right?¡± The speaker was a middle-aged man. Yongno first met him when he was eleven. The middle-aged man had tight skin and grayish hair. The man had left a very strong impression on Yongno, even though they had only met for a brief moment. Thinking back on it now, Yongno felt the man left a deep impression because of his unique atmosphere, which seemed to be slightly different from a human¡¯s. ¡®Is it a coincidence that Mary engraved this sign on me? Or is it someone¡¯s plan?¡¯ Yongno constantly doubted and hypothesized. It was important for him to figure out as much as possible so as not to become an unknown power¡¯s pawn in DIO. In addition, it was necessary for Yongno to develop abilities that could be used in reality as much and as soon as possible. ¡®First off, the amount of qi I can use is too small¡­ I need to find a qi accumulation approach.¡± Letting out a deep breath, Yongno closed his eyes. Using the mark on his forehead, Yongno started to control the surrounding qi. ¡®As I suspected, qi accumulation doesn¡¯t work. I don¡¯t have a dantian, so of course I won¡¯t be able to¡­¡¯ Even with his extraordinary talents, Yongno couldn¡¯t overcome this issue. Like how the most expensive and modern stove can¡¯t shoot bullets, the modern human body didn¡¯t possess the necessary ¡®components¡¯ to operate and utilize spiritual power. In order to operate qi accumulation, Yongno needed a spiritual medium to gather, accumulate, and operate spiritual power. Creak. ¡°Hmm?¡± A large, well-built man turned the seat in front of Yongno¡¯s around and calmly sat down in it. The fortyish looking man, who wore a black business suit, had a physical build that was much larger than what one would expect from someone that age. ¡®This guy is¡­¡¯ It was a face that Yongno remembered. The man was one of the two adults who had kidnapped Yongno when he was young. ¡°Are you traveling with anyone?¡± However, seemingly unperturbed and with eyes full of doubt, Yongno stared back at the man. Since his cognitive processing abilities were much faster than others, Yongno wasn¡¯t easily perturbed unless he received a tremendously surprising shock. His accelerated cognitive abilities allowed him to take in and assess a situation before he even had time to show any surprise. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Do you know me?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t recognize me?¡± Though the man observed Yongno with calm eyes, he didn¡¯t garner anything from Yongno¡¯s appearance. All he saw was a young man looking back at him with a confused expression. ¡°Are you, perhaps, a Mormon missionary? Or a pyramid scheme salesman? Or have you visited me regarding recent events?¡± Yongno threw in a somewhat fishy answer as bait. Though Yongno had managed to resolve Leaf¡¯s issue without garnering anyone¡¯s attention, he bumped into this man outside his home, so it was hard to conceive that this meeting was just a coincidence. The man shook his head and chuckled. ¡°Hahaha. We¡¯re not interested in the slightest about that singer. We don¡¯t have time to turn our attention to those types of matters. However, hearing you say such things, it must be true that you truly did lose your memories.¡± Seeing the man speak with ease and an air of comfort, Yongno could surmise that the man had risen in position. In the past, the man was a lower level guard that needed to use his physicality in the workplace, but it seemed he was now entered in the management level. Of course, if the man worked over ten years in the same organization, one would expect that he would be promoted; if not, it would signify that the man was unskilled in what he did. ¡®Now that I¡¯m looking around, I can see quite a few other agents around me. This guy seemed to have come in person since he has a past relationship with me.¡¯ Sensing an abnormal vibe from the other riders, Yongno used Enhanced Eyesight to scan all the riders within his train car. He found that there were several questionable riders. Roughly, Yongno identified ten possible agents. ¡°You¡­ look kind of dangerous.¡± ¡°Whether I¡¯m dangerous or not depends on what type of person you are.¡± The man¡¯s casual attitude was quite intimidating. Though not keen to do so, Yongno brought out his family¡¯s name. ¡°It seems like you¡¯re a government official. Do you know who my father is?¡± ¡°Hahaha, you¡¯re a very smart kid. I know who Chief of Staff Yoon Seokwoo is. I knew him since he was a commander.¡± ¡°That means¡­ you¡¯re probably highly ranked. Did I do anything to cross paths with you?¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ve been acting a bit suspicious, but you¡¯re not the issue. No, wait, I guess it is related to you.¡± Flashing a cold smile, the man continued to speak. ¡°Let¡¯s see. Regarding a girl named Eunhye¡­ you¡¯re the closest person to her, right?¡± Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep! Ring! Opening the front door, Yongno stepped into his house. Like always, there was no one to welcome him. ¡°Phew.¡± Breathing out deeply, Yongno made his way to the sofa and sat down. His mind was in disarray. The last few sentences from Taewoong, the man he met inside the train car, constantly repeated in his mind. ¡°Under the presumption that you don¡¯t remember anything, I¡¯ll explain. That girl that you¡¯re close to is conducting some undercover research regarding my organization. Moreover, she¡¯s being protected by the USA government, so it¡¯s been a bit difficult for us to bring her in and question her, which has been frustrating for my superiors. Based on some findings, it seems she hates us very much¡­ in my eyes, I think the reason she hates us so much is because of you.¡± Though he stated that he was speaking under the presumption that Yongno didn¡¯t remember anything, Taewoong kept testing Yongno with minor details and verbal pitfalls. Taewoong did so because he still had doubts about whether Yongno¡¯s memories had been completely wiped out. However, since Yongno expected Taewoong to act in such a way, Yongno didn¡¯t fall into Taewoong¡¯s traps. Even now, in the safety of his home, Yongno maintained an outward appearance of being in a crisis. ¡°You¡­ what are you up to?¡± Yongno thought that Eunhye went to the USA to enter a prestigious university. Yongno wasn¡¯t concerned about her since he had faith that she¡¯d succeed in any environment. However, it was now apparent that she had gone to the USA for matters that strayed far away from academics. ¡°Everything is already in the past.¡± Though he was taken into a research lab against his will when he was young, all of this happened a long time ago. There was no one chasing him anymore, and Yongno had lived a relatively simple life. ¡°The real question is, why did those guys release me.¡± Yongno¡¯s father was the Chief of Staff within the Korean government. Though his father wasn¡¯t a politician, the Chief of Staff position was regarded as one of the highest ranks within the Korean military, so the power that his father could wield was tremendous and extensive. Even the Korean president couldn¡¯t overlook his father, so a government organization had to tread carefully when dealing with his father. However, the reality seemed to be different. In the past, Yongno was forcefully taken into a mysterious lab and Seokwoo, his father, wasn¡¯t able to do anything. Actually, his father had assisted in the process. Of course, back then, his father was just a three-star general, much lower than his current position as Chief of Staff; however, even a three-star general would have had some sway in matters if he was truly concerned for Yongno¡¯s well-being and safety. ¡°They didn¡¯t release me because of anything my father did. Then who issued my release?¡± No matter how much Yongno thought, no one came to mind. The Institute could have released him of their own accord, but would they, an organization shrouded in secrecy, have gone through the trouble of kidnapping a three-star general¡¯s son and then release him, a prime test subject, just like that? ¡°It¡¯s better if you don¡¯t retain these memories, right?¡± Yongno flinched when a memory popped into his mind. He suddenly realized that there was someone who was powerful enough to push for his release¡­ someone who was able to make this all happen. ¡°Hahaha. Come to think of it, I guess you would like to know my name¡­ my real name¡­ fine. My real name is¡­¡± Yongno made an expression as if he was trying to squeeze out a memory from his distant past. The man in his memory had stated¡­ ¡°My name is Kang Sang.¡± The moment Yongno recalled the man¡¯s name, his suppressed and restricted memories started flooding in like turbulent waves. CH 169 ¡°You guys are crazy¡­ really crazy.¡± A young Yongno was atop an operating table. The startling thing was that his brain was completely exposed. A large part of his skull had been severed and held firmly open with rubber tongs, so his brain was completely revealed. ¡°Hehehe. Yeah, I do feel like I¡¯m going crazy. I never thought that I¡¯d be able to see such a brain structure in my lifetime.¡± ¡°Crazy bastard. Did you call me just to show me this?¡± ¡°But before all that, what happened to the anesthetics? Is he under? He looks like he¡¯s fully conscious.¡± Yongno saw four men wearing white, full body sterilized lab suits around him. Though Yongno¡¯s appearance was quite grotesque, the four men didn¡¯t seem to mind. ¡°Hehehe. At first, this kid tried to act as if he was under. He was trying to act like a normal human being¡­ hehehe, but he can¡¯t trick a genius like me.¡± The thirty-so year old man, who was extremely skinny, smiled as he took out a few MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) images. The other man looked on with unapproving expressions; however, their eyes soon grew round with surprise. ¡°Huh? The structure of the brain seems abnormal, no?¡± ¡°The cerebrum in particular looks¡­ What the hell? It has six parts?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not six parts. The cerebrum is made up of two parts.¡± ¡°What? Then the cerebrum is too small! Didn¡¯t you say this kid is some mutated genius?¡± The cerebrum consists of the frontal lobe, which is responsible for judgment and personality, the temporal lobe, which is responsible for memory and language skills, the parietal lobe, which is responsible for spatiotemporal and pathfinding, and the occipital lobe, which is responsible for vision, the perception of light and objects. It was no exaggeration to say that the cerebrum, which occupies most of the human skull, is one of the most essential parts of the brain. But the skinny man laughed after hearing the other¡¯s questions. ¡°Tsk. I see that you''re one of those who believe that evolved humans will possess larger heads. Unfortunately for you, history is against you. The human brain has constantly been reducing in size over time. It¡¯s like the modern memory and processing chip; a smaller package has been able to contain and process increasingly more.¡± ¡°Then is his brain separated and compartmentalized? Do the other parts have other functions?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, that¡¯s not the right answer either. From the start, these different parts of his brain have developed independently. You can think of it as something similar to a Dual Core processor. Of the two cerebrums that this kid possesses, the possession of just one would be enough to consider him a generational genius.¡± After the skinny man spoke, another man asked, ¡°You¡¯re saying that both cerebrums are developed to that level?¡± ¡°Right! Surprisingly, each of the cerebrums are well developed, so, as a research subject and material, this availability is optimal. However, there¡¯s something even more important.¡± Saying that, the skinny man removed the cloth that had been covering part of Yongno¡¯s lower brain. When Yongno¡¯s brain was fully revealed, everyone saw that Yongno¡¯s lower brain was an unconventional, purple color. ¡°This¡­ What is this? What¡¯s wrong with the color?¡± ¡°I decided to call it the auxiliary brain for convenience sake. Now, Younghyun mentioned earlier that this kid has six cerebrums, but he actually only has two; the other parts of the brain are completely different in nature. They¡¯re not just different in shape¡­¡± Saying this, the skinny man took out a pair of tweezers and poked a part of Yongno¡¯s brain. Poking the brain of a living person was a dangerous action. Following his actions, a drastic change began to occur in the graph displayed on a viewing monitor. ¡°From its composition to its basic structure, this kid¡¯s brain is completely different from a normal human¡¯s. Want to know something even more strange? Right now, this kid isn¡¯t anesthetized.¡± ¡°What?¡± The researchers looked at Yongno with expressions of bewilderment. Yongno bit his lip and growled. ¡°Crazy bastard¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha! I was very surprised at first myself. I didn¡¯t think there would be a human who could dissolve such a large amount of anesthetic to take down a tiger or a bear. Even more surprising was that this guy acted as if he didn¡¯t feel pain. However, his senses are fully functional.¡± While being transported after being captured, Yongno attempted to escape. Initially, Yongno resolved to endure and suffer a bit at the Institute, as he didn¡¯t feel that his life was in danger. However, the air he felt when he arrived at the Institute was completely different than his expectations. Of course, they didn¡¯t outwardly show it, but the researchers viewed Yongno as nothing more than a wild beast test subject. Based on their facial expressions, tone of voice, and actions, Yongno knew that his life was in danger. Therefore, he tried to escape, but the security of the Institute was much more stringent than he expected. Yongno, with all his outstanding talents, was still just a child, so he didn¡¯t possess the capacity to break free. ¡°Then, what¡¯s going on? This kid is enduring the pain? It doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s enduring anything.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. That¡¯s one of the roles, albeit probably a minor role, played by his auxiliary brain.¡± After saying this, the skinny man pointed towards an MRI image. ¡°This auxiliary brain doesn¡¯t do any particular function, but once it becomes operational, it supports the function of all the other brain parts. It can support the cerebrum and allow accelerated cognitive processing or support the cerebellum and allow extremely precise body movement and increased sense of equilibrium. Moreover, like a computer, his brain¡­ can choose what information to process.¡± ¡°Choose what information to process?¡± Seeing the surprised expression of his colleagues, the skinny man continued. ¡°When humans feel pain, it¡¯s a warning sign. The brain is saying that some action is harming the body, so don¡¯t do it or stop it¡­ it¡¯s something genetically coded into our being. But there¡¯s also a case where one could be subjected to corporal punishment or torture, when people suffer against their own will.¡± In this case, pain originates from mental stress. Touching a hot object causes burns, so learning to let go of something hot promotes learning through physical pain, but the pain in a situation where one knows one will feel pain but cannot avoid it through one¡¯s own will only destroys one¡¯s mind. ¡°That¡¯s where the choice of information comes into play; because there are cases in the world where pain itself hurts the mind. But this auxiliary brain can take in that information and then make a choice. It only conveys the information of [it hurts] and not the pain. A high level of intelligence avoids bodily harm and mental stress.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s great. It will also help one train one¡¯s body. As long as one doesn¡¯t suffer, one won¡¯t feel any stress when training in the exact approach necessary for that person.¡± The researchers, who were initially uninterested and appalled by the scene, began to lively discuss. They realized that Yongno¡¯s body was so valuable that it could revolutionize the medical world. As long as they had Yongno, the test subject, it would be possible to win multiple Nobel Prizes, and it would also be possible to make tens or hundreds of billions of dollars with their ridiculous findings and results. ¡°This is incredible. His reaction is in response to the stimulation you gave earlier?¡± ¡°Yeah. The dormant auxiliary brain was activated to block the pain. But blocking this kind of pain is less than 0.1% of the processing power of the auxiliary brain.¡± ¡°Then, how do we increase its processing percentage?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ help you.¡± Yongno, who was gritting his teeth, spoke out. It was dangerous, too dangerous. His intuition was constantly sending him emergency signals. Yongno felt that it was best to succumb to the researchers at this moment. ¡°Hmm? Help us? How?¡± ¡°If I think¡­ If I think a lot, my brain should increase its operating and processing operations. If I do that¡­¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a good idea.¡± After hearing Yongno¡¯s explanation, the skinny man smiled brightly. However, the skinny man said, ¡°But that¡¯s not what I have in mind.¡± ¡°W-what? Ack!! Argh!!¡± Yongno started spasming uncontrollably. However, Yongno couldn¡¯t move his body freely, as he was tightly bound with restraints. Due to his seizure, the graph on the screen turned bright red and began to vibrate violently. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°I cut the link between his auxiliary brain and his cerebrum. The funny thing is, since his body is now feeling a tremendous amount of pain, his auxiliary brain thinks that it¡¯s not operating properly, so it¡¯ll operate at a greater speed. As this kid flops around and senses a greater threat to his life, the auxiliary brain will continue to operate at even greater speeds.¡± ¡°Ack! S-stop¡­ Ack!! Ack!!¡± It was an unnerving sight to see Yongno flop around and wriggle in obvious pain. His eyes had rolled back as pain pulsed through his being. However, the researchers, who saw such sights on a daily basis, looked down on Yongno with happy expressions. ¡°These¡­ These numbers are tremendous. They¡¯re well beyond any numbers we¡¯ve ever seen.¡± ¡°To think that such a human exists¡­¡± The more pain and wrath he suffered, the more violently the researcher¡¯s graph reacted. The researchers looked at the reaction with interest and amusement, but Yongno, who had never felt proper pain before, felt like he was going crazy. ¡°Ack! P-please! Pl¡­ argh!!¡± ¡°Is there any way to shut him up? It¡¯s hard to focus.¡± ¡°Anesthesia doesn¡¯t seem to work. I don¡¯t want to continue giving it more anesthesia¡­ his throat will soon grow hoarse. It should be better then.¡± Yongno felt goosebumps after hearing the researchers¡¯ casual words. As anyone might guess, these people had no interest in human rights. ¡°But these figures and numbers¡­ they¡¯re really incredible. They¡¯re tens of times higher than a normal human¡¯s. Moreover, if the test subject wants, it can increase the processing power of its brain to 100%; that¡¯s abnormal for a human. I¡¯m also a human, but how can we be so different.¡± After hearing his exclaiming colleague¡¯s words, the skinny man smiled and said, ¡°What do you mean ¡®human¡¯? Hey, Younghyun, consider the genetic evolution and changes that made the first human from monkeys. Based on that premise, would you categorize that initial being as a human or monkey? Its parents are monkeys, but its intelligence and cognitive ability are markedly human.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ are you saying this test subject is as different to us as the monkey and human in your example?¡± ¡°Not to that extent. A human and monkey¡¯s DNA overlap at 98.7%. There¡¯s only a 1.3% difference. However, based on our tests¡­ This test subject¡¯s DNA differs with humans by 4%. Honestly, it would be a stretch to even consider him an evolved human being. In other words¡­¡± He continued speaking in a clear, excited voice. ¡°This thing isn¡¯t human.¡± The skinny man spoke in an assertive tone. As Yongno listened to their conversation while writhing in pain, he understood that he had fallen into an abyss from which he could not easily get out. He also admitted that he had fallen into a terribly wrong situation. However, there was one thing that even a highly intelligent being like Yongno could not foresee: that his immense suffering would continue¡­ and that his mind would collapse because of it. Yongno was completely blindsided by the unfolding events. He never suspected such a result. CH 170 ¡°A-ack! Argh!!¡± He woke up screaming in pain. Yongno¡¯s body was drenched in sweat. His hands and feet were trembling and his mind was foggy. ¡°Ha, ha¡­ ha, ha¡­ ha, ha¡­!¡± He knelt down onto his knees and groaned. Yongno remembered. His memories were coming back. The researchers continued to experiment on him after that initial test. For hours and sometimes tens of hours, his whole body was inflicted with pain, as if was being torn to pieces. Yongno realized why Kang Sang sealed his memory; it was because his mind and heart had been thoroughly ravaged and broken. He was an abnormal human being, nevertheless he could not stand the constant suffering. Pain made everything fair. A noble being and great talent were of no use in the face of suffering. A great deal of suffering destroys a person¡¯s mind and crushes one¡¯s pride. ¡°Ugh¡­ ack¡­!¡± Yongno became feverish. Though he was recollecting past experiences, he couldn¡¯t help but break out into a sweat. The fear and pain he felt at that time was engraved deep in his bones. ¡°Right. It was from then on.¡± Kang Sang erased his memories, but Kang Sang couldn¡¯t erase the scars that resided deep in Yongno¡¯s heart. Because of this, Yongno had gone through many personality changes. Beep. /[I am your~]/ When Yongno turned on the TV after picking up a remote control that was rolling around, he saw a singer singing on a colorful stage. Yongno raised the volume and wept incessantly. He wasn¡¯t sad. It wasn¡¯t a sad memory in the first place; he was in pain. He felt as though he¡¯d collapse just by recalling his past memories. ¡°You assholes.¡± The next thing that popped into his mind after the initial feeling of suffering was hate. He remembered his searing anger towards those who had caused him so much pain, so when he recalled them, he naturally understood why eunhye was seeking revenge on them on his behalf. ¡°¡­ this idiot.¡± Yongno was now beginning to understand Eunhye¡¯s behavior, which he had never been able to understand. Her ambiguous, detached attitude, facial expressions, and even why she decided to head to the United States. ¡°Will I be able to stop her if I try?¡± Moreover, the sensitive reaction of a Korean secret organization to her actions abroad meant that she had done something big. Perhaps the situation was no longer resolvable through words. ¡°At the end of the day, I have to do something.¡± Yongno had changed. He clearly viewed things differently from before, when he ran away from everything. But even so, he couldn¡¯t go back to being a clear and strong spirit as he was as a child. The pain inflicted on him at the Institute had broken his psyche and left permanent scars that could not be healed, even to this day. He might have been able to maintain a strong front before he regained his memory, that is, just an hour or two ago, but once he regained his memory, he didn¡¯t know when the coward within him would reappear. ¡°I need to do something.¡± He gritted his teeth. Just the thought of fighting them made his body tremble. His reasonable, logic side was suppressing his fear, but he knew that he was already awash in terror. The overwhelming sense of terror was enough to make him think that it would be better to erase his memories, but no matter how much he wanted to take that route, he couldn¡¯t erase his memories at will. /[The next act is the rising star, Leaf.] [She had gone through some hardship recently, but it seems she¡¯s pulling through with flying colors.]/ Yongno, hearing a familiar name coming from the television, turned his attention towards it. On the television screen, he saw Leaf, who was wearing a cute getup that was made from pink and blue fabric. /I dreamed often, when it was hard and difficult I wished to become a star in the sky I hid in the darkness to escape the pain and suffering I dreamed such worthless things/ Leaf sang quietly on a dark stage, but she sang with such emotion, as if she was about to cry. In fact, she too had grown up in a relatively unhappy environment. Though it wouldn¡¯t have surprised anyone if she became crooked and downtrodden, it was surprising that Leaf had retained such a bright personality. However, Yongno, who perceived her spiritual powers through Enhanced Eyesight, knew the truth. It was not that she had an innate bright personality, but that she was actively overcoming her suffering with her strong heart and mindset. /I can¡¯t believe it. To such a worthless and thoughtless being If I had another chance Will I be able to rise up? Even someone as small as me Can become a shining star atop the ground/ Thousands of spectators held their breath as the song spread out from the singer under the spotlight. Unlike her usual professional repertoire of cute songs, she currently carried a different atmosphere. The presence of her worries, hard work, and strength combined into one and emanated its effects on her surroundings. /[Wow~!]/ There was thunderous applause. Some of the audience members were even weeping. The song she sang, ¡®Star on Earth¡¯ was a song that Yongno gave her as a gift. He didn¡¯t expect that she¡¯d use the song on the exact day he gave it to her. ¡°Is she a star?¡± Suddenly, Yongno felt envious of her. It was impossible for him to be loved by everyone in such a shining, public place. He despised most others¡­ ¡°No!¡± Yongno shouted aloud and violently shook his head. However, the skinny man¡¯s words continued to torment him. ¡°What do you mean ¡®human¡¯? Hey, Younghyun, consider the genetic evolution and changes that made the first human from monkeys. Based on that premise, would you categorize that initial being as a human or monkey?¡± The truth was that Yongno never liked other people. He was different from everyone. No other human was able to perceive the world in the same way that he could. People were foolish, greedy, and often all too disgusting. ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± Yongno buried himself on the sofa with undried tears still wetting his eyes. The day was getting dark. *** Revulsion *** Ting! When the work was finally finished, a huge magic circle began to spin while whirring a resonance sound. Now all that was left was to wait. A sigh escaped from Merlin¡¯s mouth when he realized that the production would take 5 days, based on DIO time, to complete. ¡°That was harder than I initially thought.¡± For a while, Merlin devoted himself solely to the production of his flying shuttle. It was not an easy task for him as he had set his goal a little high. ¡°Oh, I want to be surprised, but even I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve created.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit much, huh?¡± After seeing Ellen¡¯s bewilderment, Merlin changed his gear and put on his mage robe. Since the New Continent event was wrapping up, many users would probably mobilize toward the New Continent as soon as the event ended. Now that he had regained his cool reasoning faculties, he realized why the developers created the New Continent. ¡®A great battle.¡¯ When the golden dragon appeared and commanded war, the monsters of the New Continent began to hate users and entered into a state of endless fighting amongst themselves. The difference between the monsters on Dynamic Island and monsters of the New Continent were that the New Continent monsters were organized by factions and created military units rather than fight in species-specific units. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking off.¡± ¡°Okay, you¡¯ll be able to pick up your shuttle when its production finishes.¡± ¡°Alright, bye.¡± Saying goodbye to Ellen, Merlin left the Exchange Center. Merlin then checked the time. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s the last fishing event. This time around, the scope of the hunting area is much wider, so it¡¯ll be difficult to catch all the gem fish, but if I focus on one place, I¡¯ll be able to neatly round up¡­¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be happening.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Merlin was startled by the sudden, unknown voice that rang in his mind, so he tried to turn his body, but his surroundings changed before he could do anything. He suddenly realized that he was moving into an unknown space. ¡°I even posted a public notice, but it doesn¡¯t seem you paid any attention to its content. Well, you probably decided on your actions even with the warning in mind.¡± The speaker, a silver-haired middle-aged man, was the man who first introduced Merlin to DIO. He was DIO¡¯s main operator. Merlin realized that he still didn¡¯t know this middle-aged man¡¯s name. ¡°It¡¯s been¡­ it¡¯s been a while. What shall I call you?¡± ¡°Tan.¡± As Tan stated his name, he made a beckoning motion with his hands and made two black chairs appear. Soon, a table and two steaming black tea cups appeared atop the table. ¡°Hmm. Were you watching me?¡± ¡°I tend to care a little more about beings I have an interest in.¡± The man laughed and sipped on his tea. Merlin felt uncomfortable. Compared to the earlier days, when the energy exuded by the man was generally serene, the man¡¯s current exuding energy was quite suppressive and heavy. His overall temperament also seemed more violent. ¡°Hmm. If it so happens that I ignore the notice and participate in the event, what would happen?¡± ¡°I would probably get a little mad.¡± The moment Tan said this, an eerie sensation swept over Merlin. Surprised, Merlin raised a mind barrier, but his defenses failed; the gap in their abilities was too wide. ¡°Ack! What are you¡­!¡± ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, Merlin. No, Yoon Yongno. To be honest, I know that until now, you''ve been managed in a way by the developers to make it seem like we¡¯re pushovers.¡± Tan laughed. He looked at Merlin as if he was looking at a cute creature. ¡°It¡¯s not because I don¡¯t know anything that I¡¯m just silently watching you build a powerful flying shuttle. I¡¯m allowing you to build it because we need it too.¡± ¡°Hmm. It seems you¡¯ve changed a lot.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a line that better describes you. I haven¡¯t changed. However, I¡¯m now in a situation where I can do what I want.¡± Saying that, Tan got up from his seat. Feeling the sensation of being suffocated by Tan¡¯s huge burning aura, Merlin desperately asked, ¡°W-what¡­ has changed?¡± ¡°The ownership of DIO will soon change hands.¡± ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± ¡°It will be time to use you soon, so make sure to improve your skills. To be honest, I was most worried about you, but I¡¯m glad you met the requirements.¡± Saying so, Tan disappeared. Merlin soon realized that he was back at Starting. Still overwhelmed by Tan¡¯s intense momentum and aura, Merlin broke out into a cold sweat. ¡°Not good. Seems as though something big will happen soon.¡± And, as Merlin expected, the situation rapidly changed. CH 171 Beep! Beep! [Emergency! Emergency! An intruder has appeared in the residential area! An intruder has appeared in the residential area!] A huge battleship appeared. Five people were running down Arachne¡¯s corridor. The speeds at which they moved were remarkable. One of the five was wearing heavy armor all over his body while carrying a large tower shield; he was reaching speeds of close to 80 kilometers per hour. ¡°Stop the intruders!¡± ¡°Where the hell did they come from?!¡± Soldiers clad in full body reinforced suits poured out to meet the intruders. The soldiers carried guns, not swords or spears! They carried laser guns that looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. ¡°Wedge formation!¡± ¡°Stop them!¡± A male user, Adol, who wore heavy armor and carried a large shield, ran ahead while the other four in his party hid behind him. The soldiers made two rows, one sitting and one standing, and aimed their laser guns at the approaching intruders. The soldiers laughed. ¡°They must have gone crazy. They don¡¯t have any barriers or force fields. Trying to block a gunshot with a shield¡­ pfft. Fire!¡± Bam! Without making much noise, white beams of light poured toward Adol¡¯s shield. The soldiers imagined that the shield would melt like a honeycomb exposed to fire and that Adol would subsequently collapse; however, their expectations did not come true. Ting! ¡°What?!¡± Unexpectedly, Adol¡¯s tower shield completely blocked all of the soldiers¡¯ laser attacks. In fact, this result should have been expected. The shield, which had all kinds of defense spells imbued on it, was infused with Adol¡¯s internal energy, which allowed his shield to completely resist heat and shock energy, as well as most poisons and magic power. Adol¡¯s shield, which was difficult to pierce through even with sword qi, wasn¡¯t going to be penetrated by a mere laser gun. One would need at least a 900mm cannon. Crack! Adol used shield charging while running to attack the soldiers blocking the hallway. The soldiers were able to withstand most shocks with their reinforced suits, but Adol¡¯s shield charging attack packed a punch more like a head-on car accident than a human-to-human collision. As if they were hit by a train traveling at hundreds of kilometers per hour, the soldiers¡¯ bodies instantly shattered and were thrown in all directions. Most of them couldn¡¯t escape instant death. ¡°Wow, I feel like throwing up. External quests are good and all, but I still can¡¯t get used to not having the basic safeguard system features.¡± ¡°We¡¯re allowed to loot the enemy, so don¡¯t waste time spewing such nonsense and start packing their gear! Their gear can be sold at a very high price.¡± ¡°Not strong? Look at my shield!¡± Adol growled as he showed the others his pockmarked shield. No hole or opening could be seen on the shield, but it was scratched and crumpled in various places, so it was no longer in its ideal, perfect condition. Moreover, the sorry state of his shield meant that all the defensive spells on his shield had been broken through and nullified. ¡°The impact force is relatively small, but the power isn¡¯t negligible. Without me, you all would have been shredded up.¡± ¡°Yes. Our strongest tank is kind and thoughtful.¡± ¡°Ah, my shield¡­ I need to become a Master sooner rather than later so I can imbue tangible qi on my shield.¡± Seeing Adol grumbling, one of the party members asked a question. ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t sword qi usually the first thing that one develops when becoming a Master?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a tank who doesn¡¯t attack much, so what would I do with my sword? When tangible qi is imbued on a shield, the magic resistance stats increase tremendously, and the durability of the shield changes to almost infinite, so my fighting power will explode. If I use shield charging in such a state, even a dump truck would blow up into smithereens, no?¡± While talking and making a lot of noise, the party members ran forward while gathering all the equipment and items left behind by the perished soldiers. All their movements were swift and precise. ¡°Check our route!¡± ¡°The route¡­ the normal route states that we should go to the bridge, then go downstairs and move forward.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the shortcut?¡± ¡°Go downstairs from here!¡± After hearing the words of the party¡¯s archer, Zero raised his hands. He had nearly finished his spell¡¯s chant. ¡°Everyone, hide behind Hanma!¡± ¡°What? What about your shield?¡± ¡°It¡¯s done for. I¡¯m going to change my shield.¡± Suddenly, Adol changed his gear and soon held a small shield with a diameter of about 40 centimeters. Hanma clicked his tongue as he moved to the front of the party. Zero completed his spell chant. ¡°Ice Missile.¡± With a crackling sound, an ice spear appeared in the air. Along with the appearance of the ice spear, the floor heated up red like an iron in a furnace. Rather than simply applying heat and cooling, Zero moved the heat from one side to the other, causing two effects. Soon, the ice spear suspended in air started to rotate at a high speed. ¡°Type Two.¡± Crack! Whoosh! As the ice spear broke through the floor, a tremendous amount of steam rose up. The steam was hot enough to scald and burn a living being, but everyone in the party had high enough stats to withstand the high heat. However, Hanma himself directly blocked all the heat. ¡°I-it¡¯s an attack!¡± ¡°Be careful!¡± ¡°W-what sorcery did they use? How did you all get here¡­¡± ¡°Stand back! The heat is too great!¡± Screams and shouts erupted from all around the party, but the users, who had trained and experienced numerous similar situations, began to sift through the people in the room without regard. Naturally, the people in the room put up a resistance, but there was no way they could resist the powerful foreign beings who could tear iron plates with their bare hands. ¡°It¡¯s this guy, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± At the start of the mission, the users were given a ring-shaped magic device. The users started taking these devices out. One of those captured, an old man in his 60s or so, started screaming. ¡°Y-you¡­ what the hell! Do you know who I am?!¡± ¡°Nope. I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Hey, I-I¡¯m going to call my lawyer. Let go of me!¡± ¡°What is he saying?¡± No matter what the old man shouted, the users subdued him. Adol forcefully pinched down on a certain part of the old man¡¯s body and restricted his blood flow; Adol then threw his ring. Woong! The golden ring floated into the air and spun round and round. The eyes of Zeros, who melted the door and blocked the influx of additional enemies, widened. ¡°Oh, it''s long-ranged warp magic.¡± ¡°To capture and warp this guy¡­ that seems to be the setting of this external quest.¡± ¡°S-setting? You, who the hell are you¡­?¡± Boom! The old man who was just about to shout something disappeared in an instant. Soon, a quest clear message emerged. The party members nodded their heads. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s over.¡± ¡°Thank you all for your hard work.¡± ¡°Good job~!¡± ¡°The distribution of drop items will be done once we return. Good job everyone~!¡± The party members were well into enemy lines. Even though they couldn¡¯t possibly escape, the satisfied and happy appearance and facial expressions of users, who were congratulating each other without any visible tension, caused those who were being suppressed to fall into a state of confusion. ¡®What are these guys? Have they gone mad? Soon, the soldiers will be pouring in¡­¡¯ ¡®Where the hell did these guys come from?¡¯ Bam! On the other side of the closed door, a continuous roar resounded. Troops, who had secured the perimeter, were about to enter the room. But the moment they broke through the door¡­ ¡°W-what?!¡± ¡°They¡¯re¡­ gone?!¡± The users¡¯ bodies wavered like flickering candle flames before disappearing. *** ¡°Who were those guys? How were they able to appear here?¡± ¡°Martial arts¡­ how were they able to wield such maniacal martial arts power¡­¡± ¡°They also used magic power, no? But how were they able to use such a large amount of magic power without support gear¡­!¡± ¡°Were they divine beings or draconic beings? Or perhaps high-level spirit species?¡± The only Master level users in DIO were Arthur, Cruze, Merlin, Lancelot, Arc, and Ilyia. Rather than plateauing, the number of users playing DIO had exploded; there were nearly 5 billion active users, so the six users were the peak existences within DIO. However, the level right below them contained a relatively high number of users. The number of users who were Level 9 was around 500 users, and Level 8 users totaled in the thousands. Though they had yet to break through the ¡®barrier¡¯ and obtain the skill to utilize mana, possess a Master weapon, or possess a Master skill, 200 of these Level 9 and Level 8 users were able to complete the event¡¯s last mission¡¯s 5th Stage and bring down a Level 10 monster. Unlike the level tests, which tested a user¡¯s pure ability and skill, the event¡¯s last mission didn¡¯t restrict users from using their items or gear. Using this discrepancy, the users were able to output Master level fighting power. ¡°How are the results?¡± ¡°Currently, there have been 23 real missions conducted. Six of those missions failed. However, they failed because the users were too focused on looting rather than completing the mission objective.¡± ¡°The results aren¡¯t too bad for a first run.¡± ¡°The missions are given similar to the level test and hard-mode quests, so it hasn¡¯t been a jarringly different experience for the participating users. Moreover, the Star Temple grinders (those who stayed and played exclusively in one place) have been creating a playbook and spreading it across the internet, so the results should be better as time passes.¡± ¡°¡­ Good. Penalize those who failed their mission. Also, get rid of the hard-mode and officially open the missions. Whenever there¡¯s work to be done, we can set requirements and put them to work.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll tell the others and present you with a report soon¡­¡± Bam! At that moment, the door swung open with tremendous force, and a woman with black hair entered the room. She was DIO¡¯s original designer and developer, Jenica. ¡°Tan! Are you crazy?! Already revealing users¡­! Moreover, why did you release the technology seal?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get too worked up, Jenica. I didn¡¯t do anything special.¡± Tan, a middle-aged man, maintained a relaxed expression while Jenica fumed with anger. It was true that Jenica had enormous rights and power as DIO¡¯s first developer, but she didn¡¯t build DIO¡¯s system by herself; she was only able to create DIO with the help of the [Union]. Tan, who can be said to be a key executive of the [Union], had some authority over the operation of DIO. In fact, DIO wasn¡¯t a completely new creation; it was the result of imitation. DIO¡¯s original inspiration source was Illusion, a warrior nurturing system created by the gods in the past. The improved system of an already widely known program was created by Jenica, a mage strong enough to overcome even the great heroes and demon kings. who saved the four dimensions with the rulers of the Six Worlds hundreds of years ago. In fact, the plan to use ordinary human souls to create warriors that even transcendentals couldn¡¯t deal with was an impossible concept, but the direct participation of a group of gods who were part of a group called the Zodiac Inn, which contained as many as twelve high-ranking gods, made the impossible possible. Even among the zodiac gods, the dragon god and the tiger god, who had risen to the level of the god of magic and the god of martial arts respectively, were gods who obtained the highest divine rank amongst the zodiac gods. Jenica, who did not have enough power, had no choice but to borrow the power of the Union. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you do now. DIO isn¡¯t a new concept. There is precedent. If users receive an attack that damages their souls¡­¡± ¡°The factions that are well informed and quick-witted have already noticed to some extent. There is no need to keep a secret unless one can maintain perfect security.¡± ¡°Tan, you bastard¡­¡± As Jenica deeply frowned, she exuded a tremendous amount of pressure that weighed down her surroundings. Tan¡¯s expression changed. Among the [Noblesse], the ruling executives of the Union, Tan was considered one of the more powerful Noblesse; however, he couldn¡¯t help but be cautious when facing Jenica. Jenica, the immediate disciple of the God of Magic and the one who absorbed Syndroia and assimilated it into the world, was already strong enough to disregard the words of a great mage or arch mage. Whenever she exerted her power, even gods who had existed for eons couldn¡¯t hide their surprise. Although she had existed for less than 1000 years, as she was born as a human being, Jenica already possessed power that surpassed that of a demon lord. ¡°Ugh! Oof!¡± Boom! Nearby, Melton, a boy in his early teens who was looking at the two with an anxious expression, collapsed, releasing the transformation spell that was placed on his body, and returned to his original, true form. Surprisingly, his true form was a plump, long-haired cat. If one were to try and find a similar species on Earth, Melton¡¯s original form closely resembled a Persian black cat. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean he was an ordinary cat. Melton was a member of the Prajna species. The Prajna species possessed extraordinary intelligence, a monstrous memory that surpassed that of a modern supercomputer, and superpowers from birth that were capable of killing intermediate demons. Moreover, Prajna species beings had a very long lifespan, and like dragons, they were a species that obtained transcendental powers just from gaining age. ¡°Hehehe. Really, you¡¯re disgustingly overpowered. A being born from such an insignificant bloodline¡­¡± ¡°Wow, I never thought a wise and knowledgeable dragon-species being would be such a species supremacist. Aside from the fact that your words would offend the Celesti gods, what gives you the confidence to do what you¡¯re doing now? Is it possible that you¡¯re still blinded by your heyday self and unable to accept reality?¡± Whoosh!! Tan¡¯s body radiated an enormous aura, which collided with Jenica¡¯s energy, but it was still insufficient to overwhelm Jenica¡¯s energy. If he could return to his past, heyday self, Tan might just be able to fight on equal footing against Jenica, but right now, he had no chance. However, Tan started laughing. It was because he saw a large man appear behind Jenica. ¡°Huh! What the?!¡± The large man¡¯s slashing strike left a deep cut from Jenica¡¯s right shoulder to her pelvis area. It was a fatal, ragged wound that seemed to have been made by a garden hoe. ¡°You were distracted.¡± ¡°No¡­ I wasn¡¯t!¡± Jenica wasn¡¯t careless. She possessed amazing wisdom, so she had assumed all possible situations and developments. The moment she realized that Tan was revolting, she expected that a helper would appear to help him. However, the helper who appeared exceeded her expectations. ¡°Cronos? Crazy. Does this represent the demon world¡¯s intentions?¡± ¡°No. This act is based purely on my personal intention and opinion.¡± ¡°Mobilizing a demon king with a personal intention¡­ it seems you haven¡¯t quite woken up yet.¡± Raising her red spiritual qi, Jenica instantly healed her wounds. However, Jenica made an ugly expression. She had succumbed to the attack because she wasn¡¯t properly prepared; she had been too proud of her own strength and cognitive ability. ¡®However, even so, mobilizing Cronos, who is famous for his indifference¡­¡¯ Sword Demon King Cronos. In the past, among the Olympian gods, Cronos was the most powerful and highest ranked deity. Although Olympus was destroyed, and he subsequently became a god who lost all his powers, he gained the power of martial arts and ascended to the position of a Demon King after inhabiting a demon¡¯s body. And behind Cronos was¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t criticize Tan too much. He just followed my request.¡± ¡°Demonic Dragon Saranis¡­¡± The being that appeared with a smile was a dragon species. She gained her lofty deity status as the daughter of the Dark Dragon God, the protector of darkness and freedom, and she was the wife of the Sword Demon King, Cronos. Although she possessed far less than Jenica or even that of a Demon Lord, she still wasn¡¯t a weakling that Jenica could simply ignore. Since Jenica was already facing an uphill battle against Cronos and Tan, the inclusion of Saranis made her prospects even more dire. Each and every one of her opponents were undoubtedly inferior to Jenica, but they weren¡¯t beings that Jenica could simply ignore. In particular, Cronos was strong enough to stand his ground against Jenica in a one-on-one situation. ¡°Wow. I never thought a demon king could be swayed to act like a servant by a woman.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but now you¡¯re just dragging out the time and delaying the inevitable¡­¡± An intangible air stream spewed out from the sword of Cronos, who raised his sword with an unshaken expression on his face. His strike was the Celestial Rite, a gathering of huge magic powers that went beyond pinnacle swordsmanship movements. It was a signature move that only the Sword Demon King, Cronos, could carry out. ¡°¡­ Ugh, to be looked down upon to this extent.¡± Tap. Jenica sighed lightly and snapped off the necklace that was around her neck. Dozens of beads tethered to her necklace¡¯s string flew down her body as Jenica suddenly unleashed a huge amount of magic power. ¡°You were sealing your powers.¡± A smile appeared on Cronos¡¯ face. A colossal collision of magic power crushed the space. ¡°Ugh, This is like a shrimp¡¯s back exploding due to collateral damage from a whale fight.¡± The Persian cat, Melton, groaned and took refuge in a corner. Melton, who had lived for 700 years, was one of the most powerful members of the Prajna species, but even he was too weak to participate in this battle. That is to say, he wasn¡¯t at their level. ¡°¡­ Hmm?¡± A question popped into Melton¡¯s mind as he crouched in the corner and observed the fight. He was looking at the marbles rolling on the ground. ¡®¡­ the number of beads¡­ don¡¯t match up.¡¯ Though he had only glanced at Jenica¡¯s necklace and was preoccupied with rushing to safety, Melton couldn¡¯t confuse the number of marbles, which totaled less than a hundred, that fell from Jenica¡¯s necklace. However, the ensuing collision of forces caused Melton to bow his head and unfurl a force field. The fight was a chaotic mess. Melton wouldn¡¯t be able to survive if he wasn¡¯t careful. ¡°Ouch! Part of my tail has burned!¡± Melton cried out as he further curled up into the corner. He was now curled up like a ball. ¡®Oh, I don¡¯t know! Maybe one of them stepped on a bead and broke it!¡¯ Perhaps because he was inflicted with a flame spell carrying a curse, Melton concentrated his energy on his throbbing tail and poured all his power into putting up a defense. CH 172 ¡°Looking to purchase the Spirit Armor Set! Will pay 1,200 gold for the Regret and Despair parts of the set! Not 1,200 gold total but 1,200 gold per piece! I¡¯ll also pay 5 gold to anyone who refers me to a seller!¡± ¡°Selling the Ascetic¡¯s Protection Stone! It can handle most mid-rank magic spells!¡± ¡°Looking for a Level 8 or above mercenary warrior. Travel and earn money at the same time~!¡± As always, Starting¡¯s city square was bustling. Many users were gathered and chatted loudly amongst themselves. Among those gathered was a green haired man. ¡°I¡¯ll purchase this marble.¡± ¡°Huh? That¡¯s just something I picked up on the street. I haven¡¯t properly assessed the items¡¯ value yet¡­¡± ¡°100 gold.¡± ¡°Thank you, dear customer~!¡± One gold was equal to 50,000 won, and 100 gold was a whopping 5 million won. Although the seller didn¡¯t know what the marble was, the item was labeled a common item, so the offer of 100 gold for such a basic item wasn¡¯t something that the seller could pass up. Happily, the user sold the marble to the green haired man. ¡°¡­¡± The man with green hair who bought the marble looked at the marble without saying a word. Numerous users passed him by as he continued to stare at the marble, but, for the man, his surroundings were as quiet as if he had entered another dimension. ¡°Tsk. I told her to be careful. It seemed like things were unraveling; eventually, it came to this.¡± He sighed. It was completely coincidental that he was able to find this marble. Actually, he was not in a position where he could access DIO. The reason he was interested in DIO and paid attention to the system¡¯s operations to some extent was because he was curious about the difference between this system and the previous warrior training system. ¡°It must have been so urgent that she couldn¡¯t get out.¡± He laughed. Anyway, he thought he was really lucky. If it wasn¡¯t for Number 4¡¯s connection to her, it would have been impossible for even him to restore her. ¡°I wonder what will eventually happen to this place.¡± Suddenly, the man turned his head and looked around. He saw people talking and shouting. For him, the scene was something he missed quite a bit, but that didn¡¯t mean he felt the responsibility to be involved in their future. ¡°I¡¯ll have to be careful and keep my head down for a while.¡± He smiled and took a step forward. Soon, the man completely vanished. *** ¡°I finished what you requested.¡± ¡°Thank you. Here¡¯s your compensation.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more than I expected.¡± ¡°You made it on short notice, so of course I owe you a bit more than usual.¡± Merlin inspected the weapon, a 120-centimeter-long silver longsword, he requested from Aidelin. Merlin used the system¡¯s appraisal function to inspect the item. [Item: Aidelin¡¯s Supreme Longsword Rank 6 Rare Description: A masterpiece made by the blacksmith Aidelin. The strength and flexibility of the longsword is excellent, as it is made from a special metal, and the longsword possesses a feature to restore itself. It also possesses an effect of hiding its special feature.] ¡°Excellent. To be able to produce a Rare-type weapon through simple production¡­¡± ¡°It was possible because of the materials you provided. No matter how much I try, I won¡¯t be able to create a Rare-type weapon using normal materials. Moreover, the rank of production items rarely rises unless they¡¯re accompanied by some special effects.¡± Saying this, Aidelin took out a pair of gauntlets from his inventory. Surprisingly, the gauntlets were made out of metal. [Item: Aidelin¡¯s Divine Gauntlets Rank 5 Rare Gauntlets made by the blacksmith Aidelin. Mithril was processed into thread-like fibers and interwoven to create the gauntlet. Moreover, Arken stone was melted and attached to the gauntlets to allow magic power to be charged into the item. The gauntlets¡¯ magic power can be used to nullify an enemy¡¯s magic power attack.] ¡°Let me return your money. Instead, can I ask you to enchant one of my items?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ you¡¯re much smarter than you look.¡± ¡°I hear that often.¡± As a powerful mage who possessed tremendous image making skill, Merlin was DIO¡¯s premier enchanter. Though he offered quite a lot of gold to Aidelin, Merlin received a longsword that was one of a kind. ¡°What enchantment features are you looking for?¡± ¡°A defensive enchantment. Since I¡¯ve trained a bit in martial arts, an active defense enchantment would be nice.¡± ¡°That¡­ shouldn¡¯t be too hard. I¡¯ll show you something that¡¯ll knock your socks off. I¡¯ll come around tomorrow around this time.¡± Hearing Merlin¡¯s response, Aidelin made a surprised expression. ¡°Tomorrow? You mean real-time?¡± ¡°No. DIO time.¡± ¡°You¡¯re able to enchant that quickly?¡± ¡°Whether I spend a lot of time or a little, the results are pretty much the same. I have some urgent matters to take care of as well. Oh, also, can you find me some potential buyers?¡± ¡°As I thought. You¡¯re planning to sell that longsword.¡± Aidelin pointed towards the longsword in Merlin¡¯s hands. Before Aidelin produced the longsword, Merlin had asked what weapons were popular amongst users, so Aidelin surmised that Merlin was planning on eventually selling the item Aidelin produced. ¡°I¡¯m planning on testing out a theoretical enchantment approach on this longsword. Anyway, I expect this longsword to eventually become a Unique-rank item. Moreover, it¡¯ll be possible to add reinforcement stats on the new item.¡± ¡°Reinforcement stats? Are you talking about the plus (+) stats in other online games?¡± ¡°Yeah. The upgraded longsword will be useful, especially to high level players that need to increase their fighting power, so please keep a lookout for those types of users for me. They won¡¯t be displeased.¡± ¡°Okay. Please make sure to give some extra attention to my enchantment.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Merlin put the gauntlets and longsword into his inventory and respectfully bowed to Aidelin. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be off.¡± ¡°See you later.¡± Merlin turned around and headed out of the smithery. He started making his way to the marketplace area. Before introducing a new feature to the public, Merlin needed to round up a substantial inventory of ingredient materials. ¡°Give me all that you have.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°All of it.¡± In DIO, there were two main marketplaces where one could purchase items. The first was the NPC operated storefronts. Second was the user transaction center, which operated by adding a commission on top of one¡¯s selling price. The user exchange center arranged items based on selling price, so it was a good place to find out the going rate for certain items. Additionally, users could open up their own shop, like what Aidelin did, or swap items in designated areas. Then, there was the underground auction house. Of course, there was no need for Merlin to stop by the underground auction house because the auction house was a place where expensive items were traded. Merlin wanted to buy magic stones and inner cores. Of course, Rare-type items such as Great Cores and Blue Crystals were sold in the underground auction house, but Merlin didn¡¯t need such expensive items. ¡°Give me all the magic stones you have that are priced below 1 silver. I¡¯ll take all of the small ones, too.¡± First off, Merlin planned to wipe all the shops clean of their magic stone inventory. Magic stones like the Great Core, or Millennium Spirit Core, were the magic stones most sought after in Dynamic Island, but there weren''t very many of these rare magic stones. However, the marketplace overflowed with low level magic stones. For example, there was the blue core, which were the lowest-grade cores, that Merlin obtained after defeating a Waterdrop Turtle. These lowest-grade cores usually contain 5 to 10 years of internal energy or 10 to 20 tetras of magic power, but if one tried to increase one¡¯s spiritual power by taking them, the purity of one¡¯s energy would go down. Hence, these cores were best used as energy storage units, that is, a kind of battery. ¡°Do you have a use for so many of these lowest-grade cores and magic stones?¡± ¡°I need it for a magic experiment. Are you planning on not selling me the cores?¡± ¡°Oh, no. Of course, we¡¯ll sell you all our low-grade cores. Thank you for using our Magic & Miracle shop.¡± Soon, Merlin bought up 700 cores while walking around the NPC shops. Most of the cores were the lowest-grade cores; moreover, most of these low-grade cores possessed unpopular attributes, such as land or water attributes. ¡°Time to sweep up all the cores in the user exchange center.¡± Merlin went onto the user exchange center and bought up all the cores and magic stones listed at a price below a certain level. Since the drop rate of the lowest-grade core was high compared to its use rate, the quantity Merlin was able to secure was quite large. Of course, these cores could be used as material for magic tools or as storage batteries for energy, but it was common practice amongst the users to use at least a low-grade or intermediate-grade standard magic stone or core as ingredient materials for magic items. Moreover, even though the drop rate of the lowest-grade core was high, its price was also relatively quite high, as it had many different applications. In other words, the market was flush with these lowest-grade cores since they weren¡¯t being used widely and had a relatively high price compared to their application. After his mass purchase, Merlin headed over to the user-run stalls and storefronts. ¡°I¡¯d like to purchase these ten.¡± ¡°1 gold and 11 silver.¡± ¡°Too rich for my blood. See you later¡­¡± ¡°Ah, c¡¯mon bro. 1 gold.¡± ¡°80 silver.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t run me dry, man. How about 90 silver? I¡¯m trying to buy a new weapon myself.¡± Merlin slowly roamed the marketplaces, buying cores and magic stones from the user-run shops. However, unlike the user exchange center and NPC-run stores, the individual user-run stores sold items in small quantities, so Merlin couldn¡¯t buy in bulk at any one time, but because the scale of user-run stores was larger than any other method, Merlin was able to eventually purchase about 400 cores. ¡°1 gold.¡± ¡°Is it 1 gold for five of the lowest-grade cores?¡± ¡°Yes, and I don¡¯t haggle.¡± As Merlin continued to buy cores, the sellers who saw his rampant purchasing began to raise their price and squeeze out as much as they could from him. Since Merlin was purchasing a large amount and seemed to have a lot of money, the sellers started taking actions to maximize their profit. ¡°Then I won¡¯t haggle as well. Goodbye.¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± However, Merlin, who had already purchased close to 1,800 cores, didn¡¯t need to force himself to buy cores at a relatively high price. Merlin had made a lot of money after overturning the battlefield in the New Continent and selling the drop items he had picked up then, but Merlin had already spent a majority of that money in his recent shopping spree. CH 173 ¡®I should head out.¡¯ Merlin turned his head and used Enhanced Eyesight to view his next destination. After calculating the coordinates, Merlin manipulated his mana and opened a dimensional door. Zap! In an instant, Merlin teleported ten kilometers away, making it seem as easy as breathing. Merlin soon reached the hidden housing card door and stepped inside. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Ack, Quiet Heaven. Why aren¡¯t you working?¡± With its red wings lazily sprawled out as it leaned back against a chair, Quiet Heaven appeared more like a cat than a bird. When Merlin popped in and immediately started berating Quiet Heaven, Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t help but bark back. ¡°What? I¡¯ve been working up to now! I¡¯m taking a break!¡± ¡°What about the results?¡± ¡°They¡¯re in your desk drawer.¡± Merlin walked to his desk and opened the drawer to find three glimmering magic stone gems. ¡°Good job. You¡¯ve worked hard, so take some rest.¡± ¡°Thanks, you good-for-nothing boss.¡± As Quiet Heaven complained and stretched out to get some sleep, Merlin smiled and gathered the three magic stones. Though Quiet Heaven could only work on one part of the process, this in and of itself was a tremendous help to Merlin. ¡®I don¡¯t feel good about what¡¯s happening behind the scenes.¡¯ Merlin had always wondered about the organization that made DIO, as its power and technology seemed to be far beyond modern civilization. In truth, if the organization behind DIO chose to do whatever they wanted to the humans in real life, the latter wouldn¡¯t be able to muster a response. Other than having various talents like the ability to use magic, the beings behind DIO seemed to possess scientific knowledge that was centuries beyond what existed on Earth. ¡®However, they haven¡¯t done anything noticeable on Earth. Perhaps they¡¯re planning something in secret.¡¯ In Merlin¡¯s eyes, DIO¡¯s popularity and rapidly increasing player base weren¡¯t normal. Of course, a system that ran with only a designated CD, CD player, and earphones was playable anywhere, but it still didn¡¯t make sense that no country was resisting this mysterious technology. Nation-states often stole technology through political or economic pressure or extreme special forces, but this didn¡¯t seem to be occurring with DIO. ¡®He mentioned that the boss would change.¡¯ Merlin was quite concerned with this alteration. Perhaps the boss Tan referred to was the head of DIO. An executive change meant that the basic policy of the organization behind DIO would also differ. Hence, though DIO¡¯s policy towards users was relatively peaceful so far, there was no guarantee that this user-friendly policy would continue. ¡®I¡¯ll have to prepare as much as possible. I need to arm myself sufficiently.¡¯ Information within DIO was limited. There was a lot of accumulated knowledge in DIO, but intel that could help Merlin understand the current situation was thoroughly blocked and harder to find than expected. However, Merlin could still infer a few things from his conversation with Tan. ¡®First off, he called me Yongno. That Tan guy seems fairly quick-witted. So, his inability to discern the differences between how I am in DIO versus real life means that he hasn¡¯t been keeping a close eye on me.¡¯ Furthermore, the fact that Tan was allowing Merlin to spend a huge amount of gem points and create a custom flying shuttle signaled that Tan was planning on using the flying shuttle or its tech for his own purposes. Ting! Merlin took out the longsword and gauntlets he had brought from Aidelin¡¯s smithy and placed the longsword on the spiritual magic circle he had made in advance. Merlin then took out some magic powder, which had preservation magic applied to it, and started preparing the other magic ingredients, including mithril fragments and the magic stones and cores. ¡°Huh? You¡¯re planning to start now?¡± With its curiosity and interest peaked, Quiet Heaven got up and approached Merlin. The bird was highly interested in the research Merlin was currently conducting. ¡°Before making my armor, I need to gather some data.¡± Bubble. Bubble. Merlin glanced to the side where three large glass tubes were situated. Each one was cylindrical, one meter tall, and had a diameter of about 30 centimeters, and they contained a bubbling metallic liquid. Merlin placed the longsword down and began to create a magic system. One after the other, Merlin applied the magic ingredients he had prepared to create the magic system¡¯s foundation. Though this type of multi-tasking was tricky, Merlin was making a vessel that could contain a huge amount of magic power, much like his Golden Pill Immortal Technique¡¯s gold core or his Seven Jewel School¡¯s magic stone. Crack. Blue gems started to form on the pommel of the longsword, and, like growing icicles, the previously empty pommel was filled. However, the process was slow. For five to six hours straight, Merlin had to continually add designs and changes to his magic system. ¡°Arise. Take your place. Protect, imbue, and work your great power.¡± As Merlin chanted the spell, a foundational frame took shape. No additional ingredients or materials were needed. Once magic was imbued into the longsword, Merlin simply had to set the direction and property of the magic. There was only one effect he wanted for the new magic weapon he was working on. However, for the effect to stay, Merlin had to add numerous underlying techniques. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re placing all the foundational systems into the longsword despite it only having one function?¡± ¡°I got a hint from the enhancement processes in other online games. To be honest, I¡¯d like to raise the enhancement limit a bit more, but it¡¯s difficult to do that.¡± When the magic circle was fully activated, the longsword rose into the air as dozens of magic circles began to shine in five colors. Merlin adjusted his Close glasses and wiped the sweat from his brow. ¡°Is it tiring?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that the work itself is difficult, but the organization of the data. There are multiple factors I need to be mindful of and observe when trying to extract data from a single experiment. That¡¯s why it¡¯s taking me a long time.¡± Merlin memorized the entire process of the experiment. Taking a video of the process would have been effective, but Merlin didn¡¯t know how DIO¡¯s system handled saved user videos, so he felt uneasy using the video recording function. Merlin had exceptional memory anyway, so he didn¡¯t need to rely on outside assistance. Ting! ¡°Wow¡­ awesome. I never imagined that this sort of¡­.¡± Behind Quiet Heaven, six twisting cylindrical columns started inscribing enchantment runes. Merlin was conducting the experiment and gathering data to try and find a hint on how he could improve his Dao magic arts. ¡°The process should be finished soon.¡± After expanding his magic circle and operating it at full capacity, Merlin started putting the final touches on his magic system. Then, once the enchantment runes were complete, Merlin compressed magic power and imbued the magic system and its effects onto the longsword. The longsword spun in the air before landing softly on the ground. [Item: +0 Striking Sword Tier 9 Unique Description: This is a magic martial arts sword that possesses the fundamental structure to contain multiple magic spells and conduct spell-strike attacks. This item may be reinforced using magic stones or cores. The max reinforcement is +9, and as this item becomes reinforced, it will be able to overlap multiple magic spells in a single strike. Moreover, the rank of this sword will increase with each reinforcement. If reinforcement fails, this sword¡¯s tier will fall by one, and the item will be restricted from further attempts for 24 hours times the item¡¯s tier. Currently, the chance of reinforcement success is 100%. Reinforcement requires 100 tetra of mana magic power.] ¡°Done.¡± Merlin made a satisfied smile as he took out the various magic stones and cores that he had picked up while hunting in the past. He placed a magic stone near the longsword¡¯s gem-encrusted pommel. Woong! A small magic circle rose from the gem pommel and absorbed the magic stone, and the longsword emanated a white, shimmering light as it gently shook. /Reinforcement success! The +0 Striking Sword has now become a +1 Striking Sword!/ ¡°Huh¡­ a DIO message window appears after my proprietary system operates¡­ this must mean that no individual being is developing the items or quests¡­ DIO¡¯s system is being run by AI.¡± While mumbling to himself, Merlin started taking out more magic stones and cores. The next reinforcement had a success rate of 90% and required 200 tetra of magic power. One positive of this system was that the magic power didn¡¯t have to be pure. Hence, a user could reinforce an item somewhat easily if they had relatively worthless magic stones and cores, which contained a minuscule amount of spiritual power. /Reinforcement success! The +1 Striking Sword has now become a +2 Striking Sword!/ /Reinforcement success! The +2 Striking Sword has now become a +3 Striking Sword!/ /Reinforcement success.../ Each time a reinforcement was successfully applied, another spell could be used when attacking with the longsword. An item that could imbue two or even four spells in one strike was considered priceless, so this continual addition of spells with each successful reinforcement was a tremendous feat. Fortunately, Merlin reached +7 reinforcement without much trouble. Now, in order to get +8 reinforcement, 12,800 tetra of magic power was needed, and the success rate was 39%. ¡°I should stop here. I also need to reinforce the gauntlets, but I¡¯ve already spent so many magic stones and cores on the longsword.¡± Merlin¡¯s reinforced longsword required an ever-increasing amount of magic power to add an additional reinforcement and give it another overlapping spell. Merlin only possessed 2,000 tetra of magic power, so 12,800 tetra was an astronomical number. In truth, it wasn¡¯t easy to find any items that contained more than 10,000 tetra of magic power. Typically, for most magic weapons, a magic system was placed onto an item, and the magic circuitry of such a magic system usually couldn¡¯t handle magic power above 10,000 tetra. Most magic system circuitry would burn up and shut down if overloaded by too much magic power. Moreover, making a high-rank magic system with stable magic circuitry usually took a high-level mage one month at the earliest; also, the required magic power to operate the magic system necessitated a high rank magic stone or core. Hence, the power and force behind a 10,000 tetra magic weapon were considerable. Unless one had a defensive force at least equal to 10,000 tetra, the magic weapon¡¯s strike would inevitably go through one¡¯s defenses. Considering that more magic power in a weapon also resulted in greater explosive offensive force, one could surmise just how terrifying Arthur¡¯s Excalibur attack was, as Excalibur contained 9,000,000 tetra of magic power. ¡®Well, that was probably why he could defeat Sungmuk with a single sword strike.¡¯ CH 174 However, it wasn¡¯t accurate to state that Excalibur could raise its fighting prowess by 900 times. This was because magic power increased in quantity exponentially once a certain line was crossed. Additionally, the reinforced weapon that Merlin made used a highly efficient magic system. Thus, since it knew all of this, Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t help but exclaim. ¡°This is extraordinary. Are you going to add magic power regardless of its properties?¡± ¡°To be precise, I¡¯m converting the energy into a state of ¡®Chaos¡¯ before combining everything. Then, I can convert the chaos energy, which is derived from the collection of chaos, into magic power.¡± As Merlin hummed his reply, Quiet Heaven narrowed its eyes. Of course, as an eagle, Quiet Heaven¡¯s eyes were already sharp and narrow. ¡°In other words, once all the energy is absorbed, melted, and mixed, it becomes a single entity of chaos. However, if you put that energy into an item, won¡¯t the item decay?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Merlin made a surprised expression after hearing Quiet Heaven¡¯s words. Merlin was shocked that Quiet Heaven had reached the critical issue so quickly. ¡°¡­ What¡¯s with that condescending expression?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just that¡­ I¡¯m surprised you thought of such a poignant question so quickly¡­ I¡¯m sorry. To be honest, up till now, I thought you were an idiot.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t help but feel slighted since it saw itself as an elite being that strode to become a god through its training in the Dao arts. Rather than simply insulting Quiet Heaven through actions, Merlin had denoted that he perceived Quiet Heaven as an idiot. Yet, Quiet Heaven soon contained its anger as Merlin started explaining. ¡°As you said, once chaos energy is gathered on an item, everything surrounding it would fall into ruin. It goes without saying, but if that happened, the chaos energy would eventually run wild. Even if there were some control, the situation would undoubtedly have a negative impact on the user.¡± ¡°That¡¯s problematic, right?¡± Merlin smiled and continued explaining after seeing Quiet Heaven¡¯s focused expression. ¡°There¡¯s no way I would have made such a system without coming up with a solution, right? This reinforced weapon possesses a few special features. I used these guys as references when thinking of possible methods.¡± Having said this, Merlin motioned towards the two spirits floating around him: Younghwi and Shining. They were made by archmage Wicalein, who dreamed of materializing the soul. Both spirits could use physical power and materialize in a physical form for a short period. ¡°This reinforced weapon, or more specifically, the new Beast Metal I created, contains a spiritual entity that eats any energy. Although its intelligence isn¡¯t high, that isn¡¯t required to carry out many abilities. It can eat and digest any energy given to it according to a preset number of commands. The entity within the reinforced weapon¡¯s Beast Metal contains the concept of ¡®failure¡¯ for this exact reason. If the entity can¡¯t eat and swallow the energy presented to it, or if it fails to digest the energy properly, the entity will regurgitate the energy, and the reinforcement level will drop.¡± In truth, as soon as a reinforcement failed, all of the energy consumed should¡¯ve been expelled, resetting the item¡¯s reinforcement number. However, Merlin created a complex protection system, which was as dense as a spider¡¯s web, making it so that even if the digestion failed, the repercussions were limited. This was why Merlin created reinforcement numbers. ¡°What did you name the spiritual being?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that important, but I did name it Salk. It¡¯s quite cute.¡± After saying this, Merlin started to twirl the +7 reinforced longsword. Since it had practiced and trained in the Dao arts, Quiet Heaven could hear the primal roars of the being residing within the longsword. ¡®¡­ This master of mine is indeed impressive and intimidating.¡¯ Quiet Heaven was witnessing an operational magic system that it had never seen or even considered before. Quiet Heaven had heard of a similar magic system process used by an ancient martial arts sect, but that sect had used living beings as ingredients. Merlin¡¯s approach did away with this sacrificial step; he had created an entirely new, novel approach. ¡°Now, shall we test out how strong this item is?¡± ¡°Is it okay to test it immediately after it was created?¡± ¡°It¡¯s completely stable, and I¡¯m not planning on going overboard.¡± Then, Merlin moved to a different area within his vast, rank A-Housing space. He soon stood in front of a massive block of ice. It was an area of the lab that Merlin used to test out the performance of his creations. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s get started¡­ [Awake].¡± After using an ignition word, Merlin awakened the +7 Striking Sword, and the sword began exuding spiritual power as it gently vibrated in his hand. The Striking Sword was a dangerous magic item that could layer seven different spells into a single strike. Without any special movement or preparation, Merlin struck the block of ice with the Striking Sword. Crunch! One chunk of the house-sized ice block was completely cut out. It was as if a colossal giant had smacked the block with the force of several tens of tons. Moreover, the ice block didn¡¯t just take physical damage but spiritual damage as well. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure most large monsters couldn¡¯t survive that attack.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the power and force of seven overlapping spells.¡± Merlin quietly put away the +7 reinforced sword into his inventory. Though he had rushed the process, he gathered a lot of useful data. He was confident that he¡¯d be able to make a more efficient and better product on his next attempt. ¡°You¡¯ll also make a Downgrade panel as well, right?¡± ¡°Wow! You¡¯re much smarter than I initially thought!¡± ¡°¡­ Have you always thought of me as such a lowly being?¡± Seeing Quiet Heaven complain, Merlin smiled. ¡°I always thought you were just a birdbrain.¡± ¡°Kyak!¡± ¡°Well, I need to create a Downgrade panel, but I¡¯m going to finish my more pressing tasks first.¡± After speaking, Merlin moved to the experimentation lab within his housing card space. There, Aidelin¡¯s gauntlets were gently vibrating while being imbued with magic power from a magic circle. ¡°He mentioned that he wanted protective features. He¡¯s planning on using defensive martial art moves, so he asked for enchantments that could actively support those skills.¡± Merlin opened his Spell Plane and started creating magic circuitry. After laying down the circuitry pathing, Merlin imbued the new pathways with magic power to bring out the effects. While the circuitry was exceptionally efficient and effective, the design wasn¡¯t anything novel, as Merlin had based it on a common model. ¡°I¡¯d like to make the gauntlets a reinforced item, but unless it¡¯s made of Beast Metal, it won¡¯t be able to contain the chaos energy.¡± Although the gauntlets wouldn¡¯t be able to contain the chaos energy, it would be better to say that they couldn¡¯t properly gather chaos energy. Chaos energy wasn¡¯t something that simply formed when chaos was accumulated. ¡°I¡¯ll incorporate a mid-grade magic stone as well¡­.¡± Merlin picked a mid-grade magic stone from his inventory and melted the magic stone before imbuing it into the gauntlets. Although this process was challenging, Merlin pulled it off with ease. ¡°Hey, master, you bought so many magic stones and cores¡­ are your finances okay?¡± ¡°No, of course not. I¡¯ve used up all my gold¡­ I guess I need to start earning some more.¡± As he replied, Merlin opened his inventory and started searching for high-rank items. Despite selling most of the drops he got when hunting, Merlin kept everything that was particularly valuable. ¡°It¡¯s probably best if I don¡¯t sell this, right?¡± Merlin lifted a hand cannon, Fiery Rage, as he spoke to himself. The hand cannon was a drop he received after defeating the Class 7 dwarf lieutenant, Tain. Though Tain was a difficult adversary, Merlin had made quick work of him with the fortuitous downpour of rain. ¡°If I need to sell something, this would probably be the most suitable.¡± Merlin took out a staff that looked like a conductor¡¯s stick, and he opened the item¡¯s description window. [Item: Maestro of the Battlefield A Rank Unique Description: This is a magic item made for large-scale battles. The item contains 10,000 tetra of magic power, so it may be used as a short-range weapon if necessary. Moreover, the item has an emergency magic spell rune that can protect the user as they cast magic; this spell can be operated with the magic power contained within the item. The item can contain a max of five spells and lowers the required magic power to cast a spell by 50 to 60 percent. If a user possessed a Rank 3 or higher Destructive Spell capability, then they could use this item if the user is Level 3 or higher. The item currently contains the spells Blink, Illusion, and Force Field.] Tier A items, and especially Maestro of the Battlefield, weren¡¯t yet available for most users. Level 1 users could use items at Tier 9, while those at Level 2 were restricted to using Tier 8 items and so on. Hence, users needed a high level to use a similarly high-tier item. So, a Tier 1 item needed a Level 9 user, whereas Tier A required a Level 10 player. A Level 13 user could use Tier AA items, Level 16 for Tier S items, Level 17 to use Tier SS items, and a Level 20 or higher user could use items at Tier UT. In DIO¡¯s history, Tier S and Tier AA items rarely appeared, not to mention Tier UT items. The number of Tier-A items that were found could be counted on one hand. The only exception was Arthur¡¯s Tier SS Legendary item, the Dragon Killing Sword ¨C Ascalon, which was the only known Tier SS item to exist. ¡°I was debating whether I should use this item¡­ but it seems like a waste. If I wanted to use something like it, wouldn¡¯t it make more sense to produce a similar item that could be reinforced and sell this one?¡± ¡°Really? Isn¡¯t that item such a cheat, though?¡± Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t help but show its surprise, but Merlin just shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Well, for a great mage and weapon producer like me, a growth-type weapon would be more fitting. It would be optimal if I received a staff as a Divine Weapon, but unfortunately, my Divine Weapon is a bow, Olympos.¡± The discrepancy between what Merlin desired in his Divine Weapon and the actual Divine Weapon was because Merlin and Yongno¡¯s styles differed. Yongno was a mage-fighter who utilized both internal energy and magic power. He limited his magic capabilities because he didn¡¯t want to burden himself with mathematical calculations. On the other hand, Merlin only used magic, and that was because he couldn¡¯t utilize internal energy. Merlin could operate genuine qi through his level¡¯s innate qualities, but if he wanted to display martial arts, he¡¯d be restricted. After all, Merlin wasn¡¯t Yongno but a part of Yongno. Anyway, since Yongno¡¯s occupation was designated as a Howling Archer, Merlin wouldn¡¯t be wielding the Divine Master Weapon associated with the occupation, although he could still use the Master Skill. Hence, Merlin sought to acquire a weapon on par with a Divine Master Weapon. ¡°Outside of this, I can also sell¡­.¡± As Merlin murmured, he rummaged through his items and took out a black helmet. It was the drop he acquired after defeating the Death Knight that appeared after sinking the Dead Man¡¯s Ship. [Item: Ivan¡¯s Darkness Helmet of Regret Tier 1 Rare Description: This is a high-rank helmet worn by Death Knight Ivan. It possesses incredible strength and significant amounts of magic power. The helmet contains a defensive rune that reduces physical damage from an outside source. Special Effects: The wearer is protected from all foreign mental and psychological attacks. The effects of ¡®Spirit Armor¡¯ will operate once all the set pieces are acquired. The set pieces required are Despair, Pain, Hatred, Sadness, and Regret.] ¡°This won¡¯t be too effective unless I have the entire set. I should search the auction and sales sites for the other pieces.¡± Merlin continued to review the other items in his inventory. He didn¡¯t have many that were Rank 1 or more, and the items within those ranks were usually Uncommon. Unless an item was made of special high-rank material or produced with an advanced production process, it was hard to find a Rare item. Items that were rare or better were usually only dropped after defeating a high-level monster. Whoosh! At that moment, the magic circle flashed with light as magic power swirled in a complicated pattern before landing on the gauntlets. While Merlin was busy sifting through his inventory, the enchantment procedure had been completed. Quiet Heaven, having observed the entire process, couldn¡¯t help but shout once more. ¡°Dang! This magic circle is really convenient. What is it made of?¡± ¡°Blood.¡± ¡°Eh? Who¡¯s blood?¡± ¡°A dominion angel¡¯s and a mid-rank demon¡¯s.¡± ¡°¡­ Ah!¡± Quiet Heaven flinched when he heard Merlin¡¯s low voice. There was only one place where Merlin had met dominion angels and mid-rank demons, and that place held a painful memory for Merlin. However, Merlin soon shook his head and acted as if he was unaffected. ¡°After grinding the One-Horned Fire Snake¡¯s horn into magic dust and adding it to the magically processed Berserker Blood from a dominion angel, I can produce a substance with a clay-like consistency. Then, by using the same process but with a mid-rank demon¡¯s Darkness Blood, I can create a similar substance and combine it with the other.¡± While hearing Merlin¡¯s explanation, Quiet Heaven stared at the 1.5-meter square magic circle, which looked like a metallic plate. Mana flowed within set pathways and swirled around like a whirlpool. ¡°The funny thing is that the contentious, hostile relationship seems to be ingrained in their blood¡­ the two substances are constantly fighting each other. In that state, I applied heat to harden the material and then squeezed it with a Mithril plate, pushing the surrounding mana. When I repeat this cycle, the purity of the material rises. If I had my way, I¡¯d amplify the mana by mixing the clashing, chaotic properties like when I activate the Howling Spell, but with how incompatible these two substances are, I feel that further mixing would only lead to catastrophe.¡± As soon as Merlin examined an object or material, he perfectly grasped its properties. With this talent, Merlin could work with magic materials and produce an ideal result with as little trial and error as possible. This talent could also be applied in science, but it was of little use in reality. Even if he realized a theory hundreds of years ahead of modern times, the lack of supporting technology was a roadblock. Yet, as a mage, the situation was entirely different. Unlike scientific knowledge, which was passed on to the next generation and advanced further by civilization, progress in magic was made alone, so it was possible to develop magic ahead of one¡¯s time without possessing enormous wealth or others¡¯ help. ¡°Alright, done.¡± After stabilizing the magic imbued onto the gauntlet, Merlin inspected the item. [Item: Guardian Divine Gauntlets Tier 3 Unique Description: Mithril was processed into thread-like fibers and interwoven to create the gauntlet. Furthermore, the gauntlet has been imbued with high-rank magic spells, so it has become a high-rank magic item. Moreover, the gauntlets possess 3,000 tetra magic power, so if the gauntlet is imbued with magic power or internal energy, the force exerted will be amplified. Thus, the items can be used in short-range combat. Arken Stone has been melted and added to the gauntlets, so they can be recharged with magic power. If a foreign force is sensed, the gauntlets will automatically operate to protect the wearer. The gauntlets contain two spells, Force Field and Dispel.] ¡°Dang, you¡¯re starting to churn out Unique items like it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not correct. It¡¯s just that I was working with exceptional material.¡± Even though it seemed like the upgraded gauntlet was produced in an instant, Merlin had taken a long time to design the magic system and had laid the foundation with other tasks, which were also quite time-consuming. Hence, in total, Merlin had spent 20 hours creating the two items. Merlin grabbed the Guardian Divine Gauntlets. He decided to reveal the Striking Sword later. ¡°I¡¯m planning to leave soon; what are you planning to do? Do you want to rest a bit?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go out together. If I stay here any longer, I might lose my mind.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve overextended yourself recently.¡± ¡°You made me do it!¡± As he placed the complaining eagle on his shoulder, Merlin walked out of the housing space. Merlin was wearing, as always, a wide, red-brimmed hat and mage robe, but as he changed his gear, a black wooden staff appeared in his right hand, giving off a strange aura. It was slightly shorter than his stature and had a green jewel at its end. Aside from the staff, Merlin looked the same as before. However, it only looked that way outwardly; the gear that Merlin wore was buffed to the heavens. His robe was covered with protective barriers, so it could block any attack, and even the staff he held wasn¡¯t ordinary, as it was taken from the fairy tribe¡¯s commander. [Item: World Tree Branch Tier AA Unique Description: This is a branch from Yggdrasil, the World Tree, the origin of existence, and the fairy species¡¯ hometown. The item resists all hostile auras, and the item¡¯s user will gain 50 wood attribute points.] Since the branch of the World Tree wasn¡¯t processed into a weapon, it didn¡¯t possess many functions or features. Therefore, Quiet Heaven thought that Merlin would make something from the World Tree¡¯s branch. However, Merlin didn¡¯t do anything else to it; he just affixed a jeweled magic stone atop the staff. CH 175 Whoosh! After closing the housing door and turning it back into its card form, Merlin teleported to Aidelin¡¯s smithery. ¡°Dang, you sure know how to appear out of nowhere.¡± Aidelin muttered his comments while manning his furnace''s flame. His property was relatively well-fortified, so he felt a bit discouraged that it could be broken into so easily. ¡°Well, it is my specialty, after all. By the way, did the event start?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re referring to the New Continent, yeah; everyone¡¯s left. It was a pretty grand sight.¡± At this, Quiet Heaven, who was perched on Merlin¡¯s shoulder, turned to Merlin and whispered. ¡°I guess you¡¯re late, no? You haven¡¯t even finished your flying shuttle.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I have my Gate Ring, and if that doesn¡¯t work, I can always go by sea.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess so.¡± Merlin¡¯s swimming skill had reached S Rank, and he could reach speeds nearing 500 kilometers per hour. Without flying in any way, Merlin could travel at a rate comparable to an airplane. Moreover, Merlin could use teleport as easily as breathing. Of course, he had a limited amount of mana, so there were restrictions, but Merlin didn¡¯t have to worry about movement speed. ¡°Anyway, here¡¯s the gear. It came out better than I expected.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see¡­ Unique Rank 3?¡± The typically always-calm Aidelin widened his eyes in surprise. Rare and Unique rated items possessed completely different values. Rare items often dropped from high-level monsters and sometimes appeared from crafting; however, this wasn¡¯t the case for Unique rated items. In the entire game, there were only around a hundred Unique items. With that in mind, it was safe to say there were few cases where a user crafted a Unique item. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be taking off.¡± ¡°Wait a moment. Are you interested in becoming business partners?¡± Having already taken a few steps forward, Merlin laughed heartily after hearing Aidelin¡¯s words. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± As Merlin responded, his red robe shook before disappearing. Even in battle, Merlin could move through space at will, making it quite difficult to find an exploitable opening. ¡°Such an elusive guy.¡± After realizing that Merlin had vanished, Aidelin grinned and put on the gauntlets he was given. As the gauntlet¡¯s magic circuits synchronized with him, he felt a heavy yet pleasant magic power flowing through his body. This was something Aidelin had sought for a long time; it was the most vital puzzle piece that completed his fighting style. ¡°That kid will probably be angry once he learns of this. I completed my gear set before him.¡± He smiled. Aidelin recalled how others called him an old-timer who couldn¡¯t let go of the past, a person who pursued his interests and craft with no regard for what others thought. Aidelin was a master artisan and had even been referred to as a national treasure before. He only pursued one path his entire life, and he always believed that his work had the most merit. However, as the years passed and he grew older, he became an antiquated existence in the modern world. Neither his son nor his grandson understood his craft or aspirations. Moreover, no one commissioned his work anymore. Under the banner of being a living cultural figure, he was rapidly becoming a socially useless existence. Aidelin felt trapped as if he was slowly being suffocated. His acquired skills and knowledge were not valued or required by modern society. He was a human cultural heritage asset, a mere stepping stone to pass old technology to future generations who wouldn¡¯t develop his craft any further. When he came to this realization, Aidelin grew despaired. It was to the point where he wanted to give up altogether. However, at the same time, he knew. The life and path he had traversed were too heavy to give up. ¡°Yet, all that changed with DIO.¡± He was no longer an ill-tempered old man who lived in his own world, a world filled with so much anger but without any outlet. Due to this change in perception, his inability to communicate or relate to others, especially his family, disappeared. The weapons he made in DIO were masterpieces, as they possessed power comparable to modern weapons. He could create beautiful patterns on his blades, and his weapons had a level of [Performance] that everyone acknowledged, so his creations weren¡¯t just praised by fellow artisans alone. At last, he¡¯d become a blacksmith in the truest sense. That made him immensely happy. Woong. It made his outlook on life and the world brighter. Woong. Woong. A huge amount of spiritual qi rose from Aidelin¡¯s body, beginning to shake the chakra that Aidelin had previously deployed. To not be swept away by the flow of spiritual qi, Aidelin quickly opened his chakra ¡®gates¡¯. Aidelin opened his 1st Gate, the Connecting Gate, before opening the 2nd Gate, the Weighted Gate. He then opened the 3rd and 4th Gate, the Giant Gate, and the Exchange Gate in succession. With all four gates opened wide, Aidelin began to communicate with the world. And finally, an unknown space that he had not been able to reach until now was revealed; he had succeeded in opening the 5th Gate, the Virtuous Gate. When Aidelin realized the truer meaning and concept of steel, his chakra awakened. ¡°Ah, is this what they call True Origin?¡± Aidelin groaned as he felt a heavy energy tightly envelop his body as if he was being swathed in steel. This was a state that existed on the same level as an internal energy swordsman physically materializing inner qi to create sword qi or a pure spiritual power user who could compact spiritual qi and create a Spirit Stone. Aidelin had reached a level of comprehension and understanding about a concept, so he was now able to exert control over that concept. His deep ¡®understanding¡¯ and ¡®comprehension¡¯ of steel affected his reality. /Weapon Production skill has increased to A Rank!/ /You have acquired the title, ¡®Ruler of Steel¡¯!/ /You have acquired the special ability, ¡®Special Reinforcement¡¯!/ As he saw the messages popping up, Aidelin realized that he had become one of the few Masters that existed in DIO. *** ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Get in formation! The frontline should maintain a constant barrage of attackers and tanks. Make sure you guys don¡¯t die!¡± ¡°Ah, healers! Remember to give out proper heals! Heal! Heal! Ack!¡± Among the countless flying shuttles littering the sky, at the center, Adol was fighting a group of monsters that had landed on his shuttle. Each and every monster was powerful. ¡°Ugh! They sure are disgustingly powerful.¡± Adol gritted his teeth as he used Shield Charge to ram the monsters and send them flying off the side. These monsters had shown up to destroy the users¡¯ flying shuttles, and since the weakest monster was Level 8, they weren¡¯t easy to defeat. Furthermore, these monsters were doing everything in their power to achieve their objective. ¡°Kyak! Die, you scum!¡± Boom! A draken struck out with its massive sword, which soon collided against Adol¡¯s shield. Of course, it was almost impossible to break through Adol¡¯s defense unless one possessed an absurd amount of power like the Orc Hero Sungmuk. Actually, that wasn¡¯t true. At the present moment, Adol now surpassed the Orc Hero¡¯s past power level. Adol¡¯s shield technique was formidable enough to resist all existing attribute-based attacks, and his shield was a Rank 1 Rare item that was infused with countless defensive spells. ¡®Even if I faced a train head-on, I could stop it.¡¯ When it came to shield arts, Adol could proudly state that he was one of the top practitioners. In fact, as a powerful tank, Adol was in high demand by the upper echelons of the user base when they organized a party. One could even state that Adol was looked upon as nobility. Since he was at such a level, the opposing monsters were able to quickly realize this fact as well. ¡°Burn, my blood.¡± ¡°What?¡± Adol momentarily flinched after feeling a strange aura emanating from a draken¡¯s body. ¡°Shoot! Everyone, take cover!¡± As he shouted, Adol ran forward. It was the tank¡¯s job to protect other players in the most dangerous situations. Boom! ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Kyak!¡± However, the draken¡¯s powerful self-destruction occurred a beat faster than anyone expected. Its body exploded, and its bones and flesh were thrown out in all directions like shrapnel from a claymore bomb. Fortunately, due to Adol¡¯s actions, the users behind him escaped relatively unscathed. ¡°Wow! I feel like throwing up.¡± ¡°Wait, why isn¡¯t the age protection for minors active here?¡± Some users frowned as they saw the blood and flesh that stained the deck completely red. However, few actually vomited. This was because most players who could go on an expedition to the New Continent were advanced users at Level 7 or higher and were familiar with fighting. Even if monsters burst into gold-colored powder instead of blood, a majority of players used their fists to attack an enemy. Hence, these users already felt the sensation of breaking bones with their punches or feeling a sword cut through flesh. On top of being experienced fighters, they were also protected by DIO¡¯s system. ¡°By the way, why are these guys so toxic? Do they have some vendetta against users?¡± ¡°They¡¯re really coming at us with everything they¡¯ve got. The monsters on Dynamic Island would retreat if they were at a disadvantage.¡± ¡°Besides, why are they calling us passengers? Shouldn¡¯t we be referred to as customers?¡± ¡°You expected them to shout ¡®I love you, customer¡¯?¡± ¡°At the very least, they should be calling us users or players.¡± Woong! A colossal whale circled in the air as it gave off a deep and intense cry. On the whale¡¯s back were countless monsters. [Fight. When the blood of the last passenger spills onto the ground, only the species that killed the most passengers will feel the joy of eternity by my side.] CH 176 The order to kill every user entering the New Continent rang out to all the monsters residing there. And, like fanatics, the monsters followed that command without any care for their lives. Before the message, the monsters fought each other, but after the users appeared, every species joined forces and started a war against the newcomers. ¡°Ah, we¡¯re taking on more damage than I initially anticipated. Luckily, the flying shuttles have combat properties¡­.¡± Hanma muttered. Adol gave a bitter laugh after Hanma suddenly approached and spoke. ¡°Right. Besides that, the average level of these monsters is quite high. I haven¡¯t seen a single level 5 monster yet,¡± Adol responded. In various parts of the sky, members of the avian species were attacking users, and once in a while, a super high-level monster would appear and take down a few flying shuttles with it. The number of users who participated in the event was enormous, and the flying shuttles could be said to be powerful magic machines. So, the fighting was tense and at a standstill, but in terms of combined power, the attacking monsters¡¯ force was superior. Bang! ¡°Ugh! Who is it this time¡­ ah?¡± Hanma was advancing with power visibly emanating from his muscular body when the deck rumbled loudly, and he stopped. Suddenly, a blonde beauty with eight fluttering tails was standing on the deck. ¡°Eight tails?¡± ¡°OMG! Shit! What level is that lady?¡± ¡°Take on raid formation! It¡¯s at least Level 14 or higher- ack!¡± The swordsman was screaming orders just moments ago when they were pierced by a beam of light and instantly collapsed. Heavenly Flower, the eight-tailed fox, exuded magic power with an impassive expression. ¡°Insignificant things.¡± Adol saw Heavenly Flower throw an amulet, and soon, a ghastly aura began to spread around her. Adol felt that the attack was dangerous enough to smash his flying shuttle. ¡®Hmph! If she acts like that from the start, there¡¯s no need to hesitate!¡¯ Adol stamped on the flying shuttle''s iron surface, and after the metal slightly crumpled under his feet, he used the reaction force to rush forward. With the Thousand Hammer Strength technique making his body extremely heavy, he also injected internal energy into his shield, which caused it to give off a powerful aura of energy. He was planning on crushing the enemy through a head-on collision. ¡°Hmph.¡± However, the moment Heavenly Flower waved her hand, heavy pressure from gravity crashed down on Adol¡¯s head. Rather than a feeling of higher gravity spread across his entire body, it was more accurate to state that Adol felt as if his head was a nail being struck by a hammer. And with that one shot, all of Adol¡¯s bones screamed out in pain and seemed to creak, but even so, Adol accelerated. Boom! Adol rushed forward, ignoring the mighty energy that was crushing his head. His footprints were imprinted on the ground after every step he took, illustrating just how much pressure he was under. Yet, he didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°I¡¯ll join you!¡± Hanma¡¯s body changed into a brownish-black color as he rushed toward Heavenly Flower. He didn¡¯t imbue himself with any energy. The only thing he used was his own body. However, though he didn¡¯t possess any attributes, he could resist all foreign energies to a certain extent. Hence, despite being covered in wounds, Hanma could continue forward and break through Heavenly Flower¡¯s defensive barriers. ¡°God of Courage! Give me strength!¡± As he activated and utilized divine power to protect his body, Adol imbued his shield with five cycles (300 years) of internal energy. Having been overwhelmed by Heavenly Flower, when the other users saw Adol and Hanma reach Heavenly Flower in an instant, they started exclaiming. ¡°Dude, they¡¯re great. I guess they are qualified to go around with Cruze.¡± ¡°Their titles as the best tank and aggro[1] weren¡¯t just for show.¡± Alas, Adol and Hanma¡¯s attack fell short. ¡°The enemy is too strong!¡± As one of the users previously stated, a Level 15 monster was too strong for the likes of them to deal with. Adol and Hanma used everything at their disposal, but the moment they closed the distance, Heavenly Flower¡¯s amulet burned bright blue. ¡°Away with you!¡± Whoosh! When the energy generated from the amulet resonated with the surrounding atmosphere, a formidable magic power was released. It was an attack capable of destroying the flying shuttle beneath their feet. But then¡­. ¡°My body is robust and unbreakable!¡± Hanma¡¯s two hands, which went through the huge force, penetrated the deck of the flying shuttle and became stuck. His body, which had been brownish-black, had returned to its original state, but the aura he emitted felt stronger. Hanma¡¯s body could scatter the force from any attribute, and it started to combine these properties into the flying shuttle. Soon, Heavenly Flower¡¯s energy was pushed back and dispersed. Creak¡­. With his arms sunk into the deck of the flying shuttle, Hanma posed like a sprinter waiting for the start signal. It was the pose that Dongyun had used, the werebear knight who once fought Cruze. And as soon as he looked up, his thigh muscles seemed to swell significantly, and steam rose from his body. ¡°Eight Ways of Fighting.¡± His legs were outstretched as he spoke in a growling tone and gritted his teeth. He had become a spring that was compressed to its limit and was about to be released. ¡°Earthly Thunder Strike.¡± Rumble! Hanma flew forward like an arrow- no, more like a bullet. A 192-centimeter-tall human who weighed nearly 300 kilograms shot forward so fast that he exceeded the speed of sound. He clearly couldn¡¯t achieve this before. He penetrated everything at once and advanced, crushing the mass of magic power that was gradually accruing and expanding. Hanma swiftly arrived right in front of Heavenly Flower. He laughed out loud, feeling the coursing power that surged from within his body as if it was about to explode. ¡°Hahaha! What do you think? I am Oh Hanma, a man who evolves while fighting!¡± ¡°Shut it!¡± Bang! Yet, a golden ray of light flared out and struck Hanma, knocking him down. Hanma¡¯s level had risen due to a momentary spark of growth, but even if he climbed leveled up multiple times, he still wouldn¡¯t catch up to Heavenly Flower, so the result was inevitable. However, the moment Hanma fell, Adol finally reached Heavenly Flower and collided against her with the accumulated magic power that he¡¯d charged till now. Boom! ¡°What?¡± Surprisingly, Adol¡¯s Shield Charge didn¡¯t disperse Heavenly Flower¡¯s monster power like Hanma¡¯s attack. Instead, Adol¡¯s shield charge [Pushed] her monster power. Adol had shoved Heavenly Flower¡¯s monster power toward her, causing severe injuries. If her gathered monster power were in its original form, Adol¡¯s actions would have been pointless, but she had already used some of the monster power to fend off Hanma¡¯s last attack. ¡°Kyak!¡± As she was unable to endure the monster power forced against her, Heavenly Flower screamed and fell off the flying shuttle. It didn¡¯t seem she¡¯d be back anytime soon. /Your defense skill has increased to A Rank!/ /You have acquired the title, ¡®Defense Master¡¯!/ /You have acquired the special ability, ¡®Returning to the Heavens¡¯!/ Adol collapsed on the deck and felt his body overheat from releasing five cycles of internal energy in an instant. Soon, inner qi materialized and started swirling around his shield. ¡°I can block any attack from now on.¡± Adol had reached the Master level. *** Imagine that 100,000 randomly selected individuals run a 200-kilometer marathon, a marathon where there¡¯s a reward if the participant reaches the destination but no penalty if they don¡¯t. Undoubtedly, most people would give up before they even started or do so after running for a while. In general, considering that the longest marathon was 42.195 km, a 200 km distance wouldn¡¯t make much sense. However, if there were many participants, there would surely be an outlier that finished the race. If a participant had a strong will and continually moved forward without overdoing it for an extensive period, they would be able to finish. If participants finished a race, that means that there were people who reached the finish line faster than others. Different people move at different speeds and possess different levels of stamina, so it wouldn¡¯t be abnormal for some to have exceptional speed and stamina, allowing them to reach the finish line much earlier than others. In DIO, Arthur, Cruze, and Merlin were part of this exceptional group. In terms of the race, everyone else was running barefoot, but these three were riding a motorcycle. When others viewed these three, the observers would naturally respond with, ¡®Is that even allowed?¡¯ And the next group was users like Lancelot, Arc, and Ilyia. Although they weren¡¯t part of the leading group, they had an outstanding foundation of common sense and logic. ¡°Finally¡­ I¡¯m finally an archmage!¡± ¡°Hahaha! Is this what sword qi feels like?!¡± ¡°Done! Hahaha! Done! I created my first Death Knight! From now on, your name shall be Hades!¡± And finally, the third group arrived. Unlike the Irregulars, people who could be considered mutants, and the few who narrowly followed close behind, this third wave of Masters was considerably vast. Even though they were fully qualified to become Masters with their knowledge and skills, they had hit a wall, as they couldn¡¯t attain spiritual enlightenment. However, now, they were jumping over that final wall simultaneously. ¡°I was ahead of them for a moment, but I guess that gap has been closed.¡± Lancelot watched the scene unfold with a bitter smile. Of course, he always knew it was going to be like this. He thought he could perhaps work harder and move forward, maintaining that small but significant gap. Yet, unfortunately, that was all an illusion. ¡°Stop clamoring and start defending!¡± Brr! Cruze had installed a Vulcan cannon on her flying shuttle, and she pulled the trigger and shot bullets nonstop. When she ran out of ammunition, Cruze used her aura, loaded some data, summoned more bullets, and continued to fire. She did this repeatedly. Each bullet had immense power, and once it hit the target, even high-level monsters were at risk of dying. Furthermore, Cruze¡¯s Vulcan cannon had an effective range of 3.5 kilometers. In truth, the entire battlefield was within her cannon¡¯s range. ¡°Die, human!¡± ¡°Sorry, but that¡¯s not going to happen!¡± Obviously, Cruze¡¯s strategic advantage during battle was enormous, comparable to Arthur¡¯s. In terms of firepower alone, she was more powerful than Arthur, as she could launch a powerful attack over a massive range. Though her Vulcan cannon lacked accuracy, she could pour out 30mm bullets at a rate of over 6,000 rounds per minute, so she could mow down countless monsters in no time. ¡°Go, Destruction and Moonless Blade!¡± The body of Ohje, the dual-wielding swordsman, momentarily became blurry as two sharp sword strikes cut through the body of an avian species swordsman. ¡°Hades! Kill all approaching enemies!¡± [Woo-!] ¡°Ugh! Is the link still weak?¡± Scorpion clicked his tongue and raised his right hand when he saw Hades just standing with a blank expression. A blue magic circle appeared in his right hand, and when the magic words engraved on it lit up, Hades started wielding its massive scythe and attacked all approaching enemies. Boom! Boom! Lancelot stabbed out with his spear in a precise, mechanical motion. Since the battle was nearing the end, the number of enemies was dramatically lower than at the beginning. ¡°It¡¯s a Drake! A Level 15 monster!¡± ¡°Wow! Why are there so many high-level monsters here? Didn¡¯t we just face a high-ranking demon earlier?¡± ¡°Without Arthur and Cruze, we would have surely been wiped out. No, wait, did they adjust the difficulty level because Arthur and Cruze are here?¡± Even though monsters appeared who could tear the users apart with one blow, no one panicked; they just continued to do what they could to the best of their abilities. Although their skill levels were relatively low, they were all adept at fighting. They hadn¡¯t hunted monsters for only a day or two. ¡°Besides, such a large flying target is the type of monster that Cruze likes the most.¡± Soon, 30mm bullets started pouring out at the Drake, which was hovering in the sky and about to attack the flying shuttle. [Kyak!] The Drake was startled and tried to evade, but Cruze was the worst enemy that it could face. This was because, while the Drake needed to turn its enormous body to avoid Cruze¡¯s attack, Cruze could swing the Vulcan cannon¡¯s muzzle and continue firing at will in every direction. In addition, Cruze hit her target 80 percent of the time while firing the Vulcan cannon. In other words, when she fired 600 rounds per minute, 480 hit the objective. She could even maintain this lofty percentage for moving targets. Brr! At that moment, the gigantic whale, Moby Dick, let out a deafening cry, and the monsters, which were fiercely attacking the users, retreated. The users also chose to stop fighting rather than give chase, as they suffered significant damage. However, to be honest, they were too afraid of the super-giant monster Moby Dick. ¡°That was difficult. By the way, how many users were logged out?¡± ¡°About a quarter. Since they all qualified to be here, they¡¯ve reached a certain level. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll feel a little sore about having their stats permanently reduced.¡± Finally, the battle was over. The remaining users began to collect the corpses. The only disappointment was that out of the ten or so high-ranking monsters that participated, only two were defeated: the Drake, killed by Cruze, and the high-level demon felled by Arthur. ¡°By the way, I don¡¯t know if this change that leaves an entire corpse intact is good or bad.¡± ¡°I think users who specialize in production will like it because much more ingredients will be available.¡± ¡°Still, someone has to process the corpse to get those ingredients. No matter how one feels about a carcass, slaughtering and butchering are difficult, no?¡± ¡°If there¡¯s money to be made, people will do it.¡± Users were gathering the corpses here and there while talking loudly. There were several differences between Dynamic Island and the New Continent, one of which was that monsters died and left their corpses instead of dispersing and dropping items. In addition, if anyone were injured, monster or user, they would bleed blood instead of gold-colored smoke, so it was difficult to upload a video right away after recording. 1. a slang term for the role of distracting monsters so that they¡¯re preoccupied ? CH 177 ¡°Oof!¡± As Cruze outstretched her right hand to lift something, her aura power morphed into the shape of a hand and grabbed the Drake¡¯s corpse, which had fallen atop a nearby flying shuttle¡¯s deck. Even in the New Continent, the rules dictating the distribution of items remained the same. The user who played the biggest role in defeating a monster was given ownership of its remains. The only problem was that the battle had occurred in the sky over a vast sea. Many of the monsters hit by her bullets had fallen to the sea floor. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad I at least got this. Most of the corpses and their gear have fallen into the ocean.¡± Cruze grunted and put the Drake¡¯s body in her inventory. She couldn¡¯t take the complete Giga before, so she made sure to expand her inventory capacity; hence, she faced no issue storing the entire Drake. ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± Lancelot said as he approached Cruze. While using an aura blade to shave the molars she¡¯d pulled from the Drake¡¯s mouth, Cruze replied. ¡°Unless it¡¯s a weird question, go ahead.¡± ¡°How can I gather and concentrate the aura power that I emit outside my body?¡± Cruze had been looking down at the Drake¡¯s molars when she turned around and faced Lancelot, frowning. ¡°That¡¯s a strange question.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What do you want? How could a Master aura power user ask such a nonsensical question? Could it be that you entered the Master level without knowing how to gather and manipulate aura? What type of aura power are you specialized in?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet.¡± ¡°What?¡± Cruze looked at Lancelot with a puzzled expression. If this were the first time they¡¯d met, she could perhaps chalk up his reply as something weird but understandable. Yet, she had seen Lancelot fight before. Though his attack style was simple, and he didn¡¯t use enough aura power, Cruze felt that Lancelot was quick, and his aura power was relatively pure. So, she didn¡¯t think much of it at the time. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Having said that, Cruze grabbed Lancelot¡¯s hand, and her aura power began to seep into Lancelot¡¯s. Aura power was the manifestation of one¡¯s Consciousness. She soon withdrew her aura. ¡°Did you ask Thousand Scents the same thing? I¡¯m a genius, but she still knows more than me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hmm. Did you ask me something you already knew the answer to? Hey, do I look like I have a lot of free time on my hands?¡± ¡°Thousand Scents didn¡¯t offer an answer.¡± ¡°Every question doesn¡¯t need an answer, but if you still want to hear it, I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Lancelot clenched his jaw once Cruze let go of his hand with an annoyed expression plastered on her face. He already knew what she was about to say. However, he had no choice but to be quiet and listen. He had spent 2,000 days in the training room. In terms of years, he had spent five years training nonstop. Yet, even after such a long time, he didn¡¯t see much change. Obviously, his spear technique became more refined, and minute movements became possible, but his fighting power hadn¡¯t changed much from the day he realized the meaning of stabbing. He felt as though he didn¡¯t make any progress; he didn¡¯t ascend the staircase by a single inch. Lancelot was determined to climb up, step by step. However, what he believed to be a staircase was, in fact, a wall that couldn¡¯t be climbed. ¡°You¡¯re dumb.¡± She used simple words to describe his plight. It was also something he was well aware of. Yet, it was still difficult and almost unbearable for Lancelot to realize that everything he had done up to now could be summed up with only two words. ¡°But I tried. I continued without any breaks¡­ am I not able to progress?¡± ¡°In terms of effort, a penguin or an ostrich can¡¯t fly like an eagle no matter how much they flap their wings.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lancelot was left speechless. He felt as if something was caught in his throat, choking his breath. Cruze shook her head. ¡°To be honest, I have nothing to teach you. It¡¯s like talking to a blind man about eyesight. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to remain content as a Level 10 user? From what I can tell, it seems like Masters are treated like royalty in this game.¡± Cruze wasn¡¯t wrong. Even if Lancelot didn¡¯t level up again, he could still live without much difficulty and play the game. He wasn¡¯t an idiot, and he always worked hard, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about supporting himself in real life. ¡°However-¡± ¡°Ugh. End of story. The end. Loading!¡± With a shout, Cruze¡¯s aura power gathered in the air and turned into a gigantic fighter jet. Whoosh! Lancelot stood silently and watched the fighter jet instantly vanish into the horizon. He suddenly felt all the energy and power draining from his body. His will was wavering as if the promise he swore to himself was weakening. Slap! Then, he slapped his cheeks. ¡°I wasted my time¡­ wasted it. I promised to train and move forward, even if it took me ten thousand years, but I¡¯m already wavering from that commitment after only five years.¡± He was fortunate to have realized the meaning of stabbing after 100 days of constant practice, and he knew that he had lucked out. However, he also knew that such a lucky occasion probably wouldn¡¯t happen again during his lifetime. ¡°Since I¡¯ve found that there¡¯s no quick fix, it¡¯s settled. I¡¯ll continue fighting here and earn some experience points, and then I¡¯ll go back to training again.¡± He remembered what Cruze had said a moment ago. A penguin or an ostrich can¡¯t fly no matter how much it flapped its wings; their inability to fly like an eagle wasn¡¯t because they didn¡¯t try. Lancelot gave a defeated smile. Her words were correct. Regardless of the effort exerted, a penguin couldn¡¯t fly. *** Collapse *** After waking, Yongno booted up his computer and browsed the internet. He wanted to find information related to the Institute, but he couldn¡¯t because he was being monitored. ¡®This is frustrating. I don¡¯t have any information on them.¡¯ Yongno was always home, and even if he went to the supermarket, he would be back in five to ten minutes. He hadn¡¯t placed any cameras in his home or anything similar, but even so, he could feel their gazes. They had probably monitored his entire call history and attempted to hack his PC after their meeting. However, Yongno was primarily able to shield himself because he didn¡¯t talk to anyone, and now that he knew they were watching him, he would be careful about what he did on his PC. ¡®In the end, the only way is by using magic.¡¯ Initially, by using Enhanced Eyesight, Yongno realized that there were two people directly monitoring him, using a telescope to observe from a distance. To Yongno, it was incomprehensible to send two agents to watch someone for no particular reason, so he knew something was up. ¡®I thought it was all resolved back then¡­.¡¯ It was because of Kang Sang that Yongno was released from the laboratory safely back then. Kang Sang appeared when Yongno¡¯s spirit was completely shattered after undergoing a harsh experiment, an experiment that didn¡¯t even care about human rights. At that time, Kang Sang distorted the memories of the researchers to make them forget about Yongno and manipulated the lab data. In addition, by erasing Yongno¡¯s memory, he saved Yongno¡¯s shattered spirit. ¡°It¡¯s better if you don¡¯t retain these memories, right?¡± ¡®Right. I wish I didn¡¯t have those memories. It¡¯s all useless now anyway.¡¯ Even as he sighed, Yongno continued to circulate his magic. Since there were no overarching systems in the real world like there were in DIO, to create a magic circle, Yongno had to use his own magic power. Unfortunately, Yongno couldn¡¯t gather or hold magic power himself; he had to use the mark that Mary had left on his forehead to convert the real world¡¯s mana into something usable. ¡®In Dynamic Island, I have thousands of low-rank magic stones and cores, but to not even have one in the real world¡­.¡¯ However, Yongno¡¯s hard work and training over the past few days weren¡¯t meaningless, as he had succeeded in creating a magic circuit on the back of his right hand. Though he couldn¡¯t make a gem like in DIO, by utilizing the magic circuitry approach, Yongno could create a magic power container. This container couldn¡¯t recharge itself, so Yongno had to remember to do so whenever he had time. While it was annoying and burdensome to take this extra step, Yongno knew that this approach would be helpful in the end. ¡®I need to use my Magic Eye to subdue and infiltrate the mind of one of the agents. Even if the agent is just a low-ranking minion, I can probably garner some basic information on the lab and Institute¡¯s opinion toward me.¡¯ Ding Dong~ Ding Dong~ While he was thinking this, the doorbell rang, but Yongno almost never ordered food to be delivered. He couldn¡¯t recall the doorbell ever ringing since Eunhye went abroad. For a moment, Yongno considered who might be at his door. ¡°First of all, it might be my older sister¡­ but she wouldn¡¯t just abruptly show up without any forewarning. The atmosphere feels a little off right now, too.¡± Yongno¡¯s sister, Boram, sensed that something was wrong between Yongno and her family after the minor conflict during the holiday visit. She¡¯d asked Yongno about various things afterward, but Yongno didn¡¯t really give any conclusive responses, so their relationship and contact had slowly petered out in recent days. Based on this, Yongno could only come to one conclusion regarding who the visitor was. Yongno picked up the intercom receiver. ¡°Who is it?¡± [Courier service.] ¡°Unfortunately, I never have any deliveries.¡± Then, Yongno immediately hung up the receiver. He wanted to see how the other side would respond. Their actions would tell Yongno who was at the door and give him a better understanding of their tendencies and capabilities. Based on that assessment, Yongno felt that he could formulate multiple options. Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep¡­ Ring! ¡°They¡¯re punching in my key code. I guess this is the worst-case scenario.¡± The digital door lock, which was a method of opening one¡¯s door by entering a password, was easily unlocked, and soon, the door opened. People entering someone¡¯s home like this, knowing that the owner was home, clearly had no interest in doing anything legal. ¡°Damn it. You¡¯re sure acting fishy. It¡¯s not like we broke the door down to enter.¡± A man in a suit with all his hair slicked back entered the house. He possessed a neat image overall, but the smirk on his face was reminiscent of a snake¡¯s expression. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think this¡¯ll work¡­ but you know this is trespassing and illegal, right?¡± ¡°Sure, but don¡¯t test us, kid. You¡¯re lucky that we¡¯re not meeting in a dark basement.¡± Two people came into Yongno¡¯s apartment. A slightly skinny guy was first, followed by a tall guy with an imposing body. Yongno thought: ¡®What¡¯s their purpose? What could they possibly want from me?¡¯ Although Yongno had been involved with the laboratory and Institute, that was the past. Additionally, Kang Sang erased most of the related information. He lived a quiet life with no roommates and had limited contact with others, so why would agents be barging into his apartment? However, Yongno soon understood why they were so interested in him. ¡°Now, shall we call a friend of yours?¡± ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not good to make someone repeat themselves when you know full well what they¡¯re talking about.¡± Click! As they spoke, one of the agents pointed a gun at Yongno¡¯s neck. Of course, the gun wasn¡¯t loaded with live ammunition. It didn¡¯t matter if someone was a part of a state institution; killing a person with a firearm would be quite difficult to clean afterward. ¡°Ah¡­.¡± The calmness that Yongno had maintained until now was immediately blown away, and his body soon began to tremble. He recognized the model of the gun. ¡°Don¡¯t annoy us any further. It seems that the researchers are showing extraordinary interest in you¡­ something about apparently entering the lab but not having any records regarding your visit. There are some who are excited that there¡¯s a great secret hidden in you.¡± Yongno knew the model of the gun and the type of ammunition it contained. It was an anesthetic dart; it was what Yongno was hit with when he was taken to the Institute¡¯s laboratory. If he got shot with that thing again¡­ if that happened¡­. Tremble. Tremble. Yongno was terrified. The fear came from deep within him, but his logical reasoning side was also shouting at him. ¡®No! Impossible! My father is the Chief of Staff!¡¯ It was impossible to imagine that even the most heinous of people would do anything to the Chief of Staff¡¯s son. Even if someone was a soldier and not a politician, the Chief of Staff wielded an immense and wide range of power that couldn¡¯t be ignored. ¡®But¡­ it¡¯s also true that these guys are here right now and pointing their guns at me. Doesn¡¯t this mean that my father understands and is tolerating this situation to some extent?¡¯ Yongno felt as if his mind was imploding. His head, which was always clear and bright, was drenched in fear and refused to work properly. Moreover, Yongno could hear a voice whispering from deep within him. CH 178 Yet, how can one run away from a state institution? Yongno contemplated this question, but soon, he realized that these men weren¡¯t the only people he had to flee from. Right now, running meant obeying their orders and hoping for some kindness and leniency, then calling his father and begging him to protect Yongno somehow¡­. Ring! At that moment, Yongno¡¯s cell phone started ringing loudly. A frigid smile appeared on the men¡¯s faces. ¡°Yeah, it seems about the right time. Listen to me. When you answer the phone, don¡¯t offer to go anywhere else. Tell her that you need to meet right now. Give her the southern area as the meeting spot.¡± ¡°Uhm, but Eunhye is in America¡­.¡± ¡°She just arrived in Korea, so don¡¯t worry and say that you need to see her.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t going to do bad things to Eunhye, right?¡± Yongno asked this casually, but it was a stupid, superfluous question. Would someone have good intentions if they broke into another person¡¯s home and started ordering them around? ¡°Shut up and talk.¡± Yongno felt goosebumps rising on his skin as a gun jabbed his neck forcefully. Fear. Yongno was utterly terrified. However, it was impossible for him to sell out Eunhye. ¡®Yeah, these guys coming out and asking for so much means that Eunhye is planning to do something fatal to them. Since that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll answer the phone and tell her to hurry up with what she intends to do. Afterward, I¡¯ll subdue these guys.¡¯ They had firearms, but currently, Yongno could use his special abilities. As long as he wasn¡¯t being shot by a bunch of machine guns, he believed it was possible to take down any number of people. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°How have you been?¡± Eunhye¡¯s voice was quite different from usual. This could only mean two things, either she was feeling optimistic about something, or she was extremely nervous. ¡®I need to tell her that she needs to hurry up with what she¡¯s planning. At the very least, I need to tell her to be careful¡­.¡¯ However, the words that emerged from Yongno¡¯s mouth were completely different. ¡°Where are you right now?¡± ¡°I came back to Korea for work. It¡¯s a brief trip.¡± ¡°Oh, then, why don¡¯t we meet up? I want to see you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Since Yongno had never said something like this, Eunhye was shocked and taken aback. Of course, it wasn¡¯t a bad feeling for her. Rather, she had been waiting to hear Yongno say this for a long time. ¡°No, that¡¯s not possible.¡± However, the bodyguard standing next to Eunhye shook her head and spoke. By coming to Korea, Eunhye had put herself in a dangerous situation. While her enemies, like the Institute, wouldn¡¯t do anything directly unless they went crazy, the risk to her life needed to be reduced as much as possible. ¡°I¡¯d like to see him.¡± ¡°I always thought your steady calmness and rational outlook were your strong points, but¡­.¡± Lena, Eunhye¡¯s blonde female bodyguard, frowned. However, she didn¡¯t have the authority to dictate and control Eunhye¡¯s actions. Simply put, she was just Eunhye¡¯s bodyguard. ¡°Okay, where should we meet?¡± ¡°How about the southern area? I¡¯m around there.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After saying this, Eunhye ended the call. The agent who had the gun pointed at Yongno¡¯s neck smiled brightly. ¡°Well done. Have you acted in the past? You¡¯re quite skilled.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It would be best if we don¡¯t cross paths ever again. That will be advantageous for both of us. Oh, I¡¯ll be taking this off your hands.¡± As the agent spoke, he took Yongno¡¯s cell phone as the latter timidly resisted. ¡°There¡¯s no use taking my phone, right? Your voice is different from mine anyway.¡± ¡°You sure worry about everything. I¡¯ll be texting her from now on.¡± Then, the agent and his coworker left Yongno¡¯s house. Bang! The door slammed shut behind them. Immediately afterward, Yongno collapsed on his sofa. ¡°¡­¡± He knew that he¡¯d just made the worst decision in his entire life. Yongno sold out his friend because he couldn¡¯t continue to face the constant fear he had felt in the men¡¯s presence. ¡®So, what are you going to do about Eunhye?¡¯ Initially, Yongno thought that a warning would be appropriate. If he cautioned Eunhye to stop doing such useless things and stay under the radar for a while, that might be enough. However, Yongno knew this wasn¡¯t true. Things wouldn¡¯t end without anyone getting hurt. ¡®She¡¯s in danger.¡¯ Yongno needed to stop them. He recalled the young girl crying in his memories, a girl who grabbed the edge of his shirt and followed him around everywhere. Yet, what could Yongno possibly do? ¡°I need to at least avoid the worst-case scenario.¡± When the gun was gone, the overwhelming fear that had made his body tremble disappeared, and slowly, his reasoning returned bit by bit. Yongno wasn¡¯t satisfied with this response, though. If he were consumed by that terror again, it would eat away at his reasoning once more. ¡°Anyway, right now, I need to move.¡± He immediately changed clothes and stepped outside his house, where he found a man in a suit standing outside his apartment building. It was one of the agents that had entered his house earlier. Judging by the overall atmosphere of the agent¡¯s demeanor, they seemed to be a minion. ¡°Wait. It¡¯ll be troublesome if you leave your house right now.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t seen anything, so stay still.¡± Yongno activated his Magic Eye before leaving his apartment. Right now, Yongno¡¯s eye hadn¡¯t fully developed into a Magic Eye, and he did not have a large reservoir of magic power. So, since Yongno needed to use the mark on his forehead, it took nearly five minutes to activate the Magic Eye. However, since Yongno already knew that someone was standing guard, he was able to prepare well beforehand. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± After hearing the agent¡¯s reply, Yongno walked past them and put on a black hood. Yongno had changed all his clothes beforehand. Moreover, by covering his face with his hoodie, the agent wouldn¡¯t recognize him if their eyes met. Now that he was outside, he made his way to a side street. ¡°Please go to the southern area.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Yongno got into the cab and clenched his fists. A conflict was brewing in his mind. /Let¡¯s stop. This is stupid./ A dull voice continued to whisper in Yongno¡¯s mind. It was telling him to stop; it was telling him that what he was doing was meaningless. It even whispered doubts as to whether Eunhye would even be in danger. The voice was spewing illogical nonsense. ¡®No. I need to go.¡¯ Yongno¡¯s mind was murky and messy. He had always clearly understood everything around him, but right now, his head wasn¡¯t working properly. Yongno had no understanding of the situation or what to do. He seemed to have instantly turned into an idiot. ¡°Thank you.¡± After handing the taxi driver the cab fare and thanking him, Yongno stepped into the southern area. He looked around, but there was no sign of Eunhye. ¡®They took my phone. That means they want to relay more messages to Eunhye.¡¯ If they led Eunhye to another part of town, there was nothing Yongno could do about it. ¡°Location¡­ tracking.¡± Luckily, Yongno could use magic. While his ability to use it was extremely limited, finding Eunhye would only need relatively low-level magic, as they had a long-standing relationship. ¡®She¡¯s near the train tracks?¡¯ Unexpectedly, Eunhye was standing on one side of the train tracks after entering the platform. It was as if she was waiting for an incoming train. The meeting was supposed to be in the southern area, so why was she waiting there? However, Yongno easily surmised the reason. ¡®It seems they lied and said I was traveling here by train. She must¡¯ve been asked to meet me on the platform.¡¯ Having grasped the situation, Yongno quickly bought a train ticket for the next stop. And just as he was making his way down the platform, he heard an announcement. /[A tram is currently entering Line 1. Please step back from the yellow line.]/ As Yongno descended the stairs toward the platform, he saw Eunhye looking at her texts. After hearing the announcement, she stepped behind the yellow line, but she was still close to the Line 1 track. Clunk! Clunk! While giving off the familiar sounds of metal grating on metal, the train entered the station. However, the train didn¡¯t seem like it had any intent to stop, as it did not slow down whatsoever. Furthermore, a blonde woman was sitting on a bench and keeping an eye on Eunhye when she trembled for a moment before fainting. As they seemingly walked past her, someone got close and shocked her with a high-voltage stun gun. ¡®Eunhye!¡¯ When there were about ten steps left before Yongno reached the platform, someone walked up behind Eunhye. The man held a syringe-like object with an ampoule attached to it. Whoosh! The moment the man pressed the ampoule¡¯s button, a small needle pierced Eunhye¡¯s neck. Eunhye turned in surprise, but the man easily moved Eunhye back to her original position. She tried to struggle, but she stumbled as her strength drained away. Thud! Eunhye collapsed onto a protective screen door that was placed between the tracks and the platform for safety reasons. This screen door would only open once the train had come to a complete stop. Eunhye tried to regain her balance, but she just struggled since she couldn¡¯t move properly. Clunk! Clunk! The train was coming into the station. However, none of the other passengers looked at Eunhye with any noticeable concern. There was no chance that she¡¯d fall onto the tracks because of the protective screen door. Then, at that moment¡­. Screech! Suddenly, the protective screen doors opened, and Eunhye, having been leaning on one of the screen doors, fell onto the tracks. ¡°W-what? Why did it suddenly open?¡± ¡°Aww!¡± ¡°Someone, get her out!¡± ¡°It¡¯s too late!¡± The train had already entered the platform. The distance between Eunhye and the oncoming train was only about twenty or thirty meters; also, the train that was approaching wasn¡¯t one that stopped at this station, so it didn¡¯t slow down. Even if the breaks were applied immediately, it wasn¡¯t possible to stop in time. ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°Kyak!¡± Those observing the freakish scene groaned and screamed. Though the scene took a long time to describe, only a few seconds had passed. From the start, there wasn¡¯t enough time for Yongno to take action. Tap. When Yongno finally made his way down the last stair and set foot on the platform, the gap between the train and Eunhye was only about ten meters. Eunhye had not lost consciousness, and she was struggling to somehow escape, but her body wasn¡¯t listening. She felt as though she was drunk and completely unable to control her body. ¡°N-no!¡± Yongno clenched his jaw and ran towards her. However, in the meantime, the distance between the train and Eunhye was reduced to nine meters. Somewhere deep within Yongno, a voice began to whisper again. /It¡¯s already too late. What are you planning to do?/ CH 179 It was too late, and Yongno knew this. Since he¡¯d awakened his special spiritual powers, Yongno could utilize internal energy, but only five to ten years¡¯ worth. He could quicken his movement if he circulated internal energy throughout his body, but he wouldn¡¯t be fast enough to jump onto the tracks and get Eunhye out safely. Moreover, Yongno didn¡¯t have a Gold Core and hadn¡¯t opened the No Living World, so it was impossible to output a large amount of internal energy at once. ¡®I need to save her, though.¡¯ Yongno started thinking of possibilities. ¡®How? What can I utilize?¡¯ Yongno thought of using teleportation, but he didn¡¯t prepare anything beforehand, so that wasn¡¯t possible on such short notice. If he wanted to use magic, Yongno had to gather the surrounding qi through his forehead mark and convert it into usable magic power. Considering that he needed nearly five minutes of preparation to operate his Magic Eye for a mere moment, trying to use magic with no arrangements was impossible. Despite the magic circuit on the back of his right hand, he wasn¡¯t able to fully charge it because of the agents who unexpectedly barged into his apartment. It''s not possible. This isn¡¯t fun. Still, Yongno circulated his internal energy throughout his body and took a step forward in an accelerated state. He didn¡¯t have enough time. Even if he moved at his top speed, the best result he could hope for was dual suicide. This isn¡¯t fun. Yongno¡¯s vision became dark; he couldn¡¯t see anything. A feeling of defeat and helplessness washed over him. No fun. He wanted to quit¡­ quit everything. Even though Yongno wanted to take a step forward, his body just trembled and shook without moving. Yongno started accelerating his comprehension and reasoning. Time began to pass sluggishly, and every movement seemed to slow down. He imagined himself jumping on the tracks below to join Eunhye and be turned into scraps of meat alongside her. No fun. A childish whining voice kept repeating the same line in Yongno¡¯s mind. The voice was correct; this wasn¡¯t fun. Yongno wasn¡¯t enjoying this at all. Honestly, he was scared. Yet, could he stand by and watch Eunhye, a girl who lived such a pitiful life, die? Could he do that? No fun. ¡°Shut¡­ up.¡± Yongno spoke as if he was forcefully regurgitating the words. He strained his body, which was resisting any advance, and urged it to move forward. /No fun¡­./ ¡°Shut up! Shut up! How can someone only do what¡¯s enjoyable for their entire life? Are you a freaking idiot!¡± Boom! Yongno smashed his foot on the ground and jumped on the tracks. At this point, the distance between the oncoming train and Eunhye was only four meters. Considering the speed at which the train was moving, Eunhye was essentially right in front of it. ¡°Y-Yongno?¡± Eunhye widened her eyes which were full of despair, displaying an expression that she had never made before. ¡®No! Get away!¡¯ She didn¡¯t say this; there wasn¡¯t enough time to utter such words. The train was now two meters from Eunhye, and in this critical moment, Yongno smiled and shook his head. Then, he said what he had often told a younger Eunhye when comforting her. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Everything will work out.¡± There was no way Eunhye could understand these words. Yongno¡¯s mind was in an accelerated state, so his words came out rapidly, too fast for anyone to comprehend, but Yongno didn¡¯t care. Crack! Boom! Suddenly, Yongno felt something breaking within him. His fear and dread, which had been oppressing and restricting him until now, shattered. Yongno¡¯s Consciousness rose firmly within him. ¡°Hahaha.¡± Yongno started laughing. He felt as if something heavy, something weighing him down all these years, had been lifted. His accelerated comprehension and reasoning extended to the ends of his Consciousness; he felt like he could do anything he wanted. ¡°Oh, my! So close.¡± Though Yongno was feeling renewed and rejuvenated, the train was still fast approaching and was less than ten centimeters away. The train was literally right in front of their noses. However, as Yongno¡¯s mind continued to accelerate, time seemed to halt. Under close examination, one could see that the train was, in fact, slowly moving forward, but at this rate, it would take the train at least ten more minutes before it reached Yongno and Eunhye. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see. What do I have to do now?¡± Yongno now had enough time to consider his options. His thoughts were faster than anything that could occur in the world, but this didn¡¯t mean he had enough time to physically move, grab Eunhye, and escape from the tracks. Even in DIO, where Yongno could move at instantaneous speeds of 500 kilometers per hour, he¡¯d only barely escape without injury. So, without any of those abilities in real life, he couldn¡¯t avoid the train at all. ¡°What can I do in this situation¡­ Merlin, do you have any ideas?¡± ¡°Hmm. All I can think of at the moment is how beneficial a dual suicide would be for us.¡± ¡°Ugh, stop looking at everything so negatively.¡± At some point, Yongno¡¯s inner self, Merlin, appeared before Yongno. The only difference was that Merlin was no longer in the form of a child; Merlin looked exactly like Yongno, although Merlin was wearing a mage¡¯s robe and garb. ¡°Hmm, I guess the first option that comes to mind is teleportation. Since your mind is accelerated, you can cast the teleportation spell in an instant.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a no-go. It¡¯s impossible to do something like that with my real body. I¡¯ll probably die before I can even activate my magic.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I said this was a dual suicide.¡± ¡°Ah, are you really going to be like this?¡± Yongno and Merlin argued. However, though they were bickering, they started to smile. ¡°¡­ Did you overcome it?¡± Merlin¡¯s words seemed random and without any context, but Yongno laughed. ¡°Well, I realized that nothing in life is easy.¡± ¡°Hmph. Even high schoolers realize and understand that concept. You¡¯re acting as if you received some epiphany.¡± After stating this, Merlin shot his hand toward Yongno. ¡°You know that you¡¯re demeaning yourself, right? It¡¯s like trying to spit while lying on your back,¡± Yongno said as he reached out and grabbed Merlin¡¯s hand. Whoosh! Merlin became transparent for a moment before being sucked into Yongno¡¯s body. Of course, nothing really changed in reality. Yongno was still incapable of freely using internal energy or magic power in real life. Even so, Yongno¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t contain a single speck of doubt. Pat. Yongno extended his right hand to place it on the oncoming train. Though he moved slowly, like the rest of the world, the infusion and circulation of his internal energy were enough to quicken his hand so he could touch the train. ¡°The backlash and aftermath won¡¯t look pretty, but I have no other choice.¡± It was impossible for Yongno to activate his gifts and special abilities in the real world. This was because he didn¡¯t possess any spiritual pathways. This also meant that things like magic, martial arts, magic beasts, spiritual beasts, and holy artifacts didn¡¯t exist on Earth. However, as a one in a quintillion, an Irregular, Yongno was born with immense talent and gifts, so even though he existed within reality, he could still use some special powers. One of those was swimming. When he was younger, he loved swimming and was immensely talented in that area, and his immense speed wasn¡¯t only limited to outdoing adults, either. Without any special gear, Yongno had been able to dive 100 to 200 meters underwater, and if he kicked to speed up, he could nearly keep pace with a motorboat. In the water, he could do things that seemed to defy the laws of physics. ¡®But there¡¯s no water here.¡¯ Yongno possessed another talent. It was something that he trained during his transit to and from his high school on the bus. It had started with a playful thought of, ¡®I wonder how long I can maintain my balance without grabbing onto a handle?¡¯ However, when one, two, and finally three years passed, his continual practice and efforts developed his talent in this area. The previous main operator of DIO, Tan, observed Yongno¡¯s ability and offered Yongno an invitation to DIO¡¯s closed beta at the time. Back then, Tan had stated, ¡°The boy doesn¡¯t have internal energy, magic power, or chakra, and he doesn¡¯t understand the concept of ether¡­. In other words, he¡¯s a simple human who cannot access any innate talents or gifts, but he moves as if he possesses spiritual pathways?¡± After Tan spoke, a young man accompanying him replied, ¡°Even amongst the elite fighters, back in the day of the three Korean kingdoms, a few could use something called Divine Step, and there were also some fighters who were known to use a similar movement. Of course, the understanding and realization necessary to execute those skills are immense. Compared to what that boy showed, the difference is as wide as the distance between Heaven and Earth, but¡­.¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°¡­ the shocking thing is that the boy¡¯s potential is as wide as the distance between the heavens and the earth.¡± Yongno placed both hands on the train as if trying to stop it. He didn¡¯t do anything remarkable or special; he just took a step backward. Step. He started walking, and Yongno transferred the tremendous energy placed on him into the flow of the wider world. This was the fundamental principle and logic of Yongno¡¯s Weightless Controlled Movement. Boom! Screech! Clank! ¡°Woah! What the hell?!¡± ¡°Kyak!¡± As if a cannon was fired from nearby, the ground momentarily shook. The pebbles and rocks scattered near the rails shot in all directions, and the riders on the platform couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in surprise. Some even lay on the ground in fright. The train stopped. ¡°W-what happened? What just happened?¡± ¡°Why did the train stop? W-wasn¡¯t it running at full speed a moment ago? You saw it abruptly stop, right?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. The train suddenly stopped in place¡­.¡± ¡°If the train stopped moving all of a sudden, shouldn¡¯t the people and things inside be in shambles? How are all of them standing without any injury?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. Stop asking me!¡± After witnessing such a weird and confusing phenomenon, the gathered people started murmuring amongst themselves. Yet, regardless of their reactions, Yongno bent down to pick the dazed Eunhye up. Eunhye stumbled while getting to her feet. ¡°W-wait. What did you do just now? No, how did you do it? How did you¡­ under such a circumstance¡­ you¡­.¡± Eunhye wanted to speak further, but she abruptly stopped. This was because Yongno had lifted her in his arms, and his face was quickly approaching her own. Kiss. Yongno¡¯s lips met Eunhye¡¯s, and when Yongno pulled his head back, Eunhye stood as if she was frozen solid. Poof! Suddenly, both their bodies disappeared, only to reappear in a nearby open area. From Eunhye¡¯s perspective, this sort of teleportation should have been a shocking scene, but since she was still in shock from Yongno¡¯s kiss, she didn¡¯t seem to pay any attention to their teleportation. When he saw Eunhye in such a state, Yongno smiled like he did when they were kids. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Everything will be fine.¡± And then, they vanished once more. CH 180 *** A New Daily Life *** Unless there was some special occasion, a president¡¯s security detail constantly operated with the greatest diligence. After all, the president was the figurative representative of their nation, and if they were ever assassinated, the ensuing instability could usher in major changes that may alter the country¡¯s fate. The security team that protected the President of the United States always conducted on-site pre-screenings, called ¡®Advancing,¡¯ several days prior to the President¡¯s scheduled appearance. Their task was to search the vicinity for locations where explosives or snipers might be hidden. The President¡¯s Private Detail, or PPD, agents performed security missions near the President and were prepared to take a bullet for them; they also received special training in various assassination situations, such as car bombs and chemical weapons. In addition, the presidential security vehicle, code-named ¡®Beast,¡¯ was uniquely made for security purposes. It also acted as a high-tech device that had a bomb detector, oxygen supply, self-recovery fuel tank, and the ability to operate even after its tires were shot and blown out. There were only two things the vehicle couldn¡¯t do: fly and float on water. Unless an organization spent a fortune, took advantage of an unexpected opening, and could deploy a plethora of spies, it was virtually impossible to approach the President. It was even more unlikely that anyone could sneak into the President¡¯s private room. ¡°Hello, sir.¡± ¡°What¡­ who are you? How did you get in here?¡± *** The President of the Republic of Korea, Kim Yoon Hyeon, had just entered the Korean government¡¯s version of the Oval Office when he looked back in surprise. Instead of shouting, he expressed confusion. Unless the head of his bodyguards went rogue, there was no way someone could enter the office without him knowing in advance. Yoon Hyeon responded calmly. If the other person wanted to harm him, provoking the trespasser wouldn¡¯t help. Thus, he reached for the emergency button hidden under his desk. Once pressed, his security staff would rush in immediately, but at that moment, he froze. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything stupid, and listen to me, sir.¡± The young man hiding behind the door, Yongno, already had glowing red eyes. *** In the modern world, no one had supernatural abilities. This was best seen when James Randi searched for supernatural beings for several years in a television show called [Challenge: $1 Million to Find a Supernatural Being]. In the end, he was only met with scammers, and as such, James Randi concluded that supernatural beings weren¡¯t hiding amongst everyday people; they didn¡¯t exist in the first place. Humans today didn¡¯t possess spiritual meridians or pathways, so there were essentially no beings with special abilities. This also meant that objects and animals didn¡¯t have special powers either, let alone superpowers. Due to this lack of supernatural beings, if someone could use extraordinary powers in modern times, no one would be able to stop them. With teleportation, the Magic Eye¡¯s mental suppression, and invisibility, Yongno could come and go anywhere as if it were his own home. Materials such as silver and lead also existed in other worlds, and they had intrinsic magic resistance properties there. However, on Earth, this property didn¡¯t exist in those metals. Even if someone were to hide in a nuclear bomb shelter, Yongno could easily find and subdue them. As a result of this characteristic, no matter how powerful someone was, in front of Yongno, they were defenseless. In other words, Yongno could approach the president of a nation with the same ease as going up to a homeless person. Nothing could stop him. Since this was the case, Yongno decided to use his abilities for maximum results. In the United States¡¯ capital¡­ in the Oval Office¡­. ¡°As you may be aware, my existence is considered one of the United States¡¯ top secrets. I am the only supernatural being that exists on Earth. Communication with me is only possible from the sitting President directly contacting me. So, how would you define our relationship?¡± ¡°As President of the United States of America, I respect and maintain a cooperative relationship with you for your mighty abilities. The world may not know, but you have saved America from utter meltdown and chaos many times.¡± ¡°These are documents describing my actions. I live by the principle that ¡®If there is a problem, fix it and document it.¡¯ So, I keep a record of everything.¡± ¡°Of course. You are America¡¯s friend.¡± The President of the United States nodded calmly. His expression didn¡¯t have a single iota of confusion, and Yongno smiled after seeing that his special abilities were properly working. ¡°Don¡¯t contact me too often. However, I¡¯ll allow you to seek advice from me in case something beyond your understanding or control arises. Oh, and who has the power to control the USA from behind the scenes?¡± ¡°Carls Mayer von Rothschild of the House of Rothschild, Charlie Harrison, president of the National Rifle Association (NRA), and¡­.¡± From the President¡¯s mouth, all kinds of influential people were named, one after another. Each individual possessed enormous power and could easily shake the world¡¯s economy. Yongno memorized the names and continued asking. ¡°How can I meet them?¡± It was difficult to talk to the people named, but Yongno wasn¡¯t worried. This was because, no matter who they were, it wasn¡¯t easy to ignore a request coming from the sitting President of the United States. *** Just as he did in Seoul, Korea, and Washington DC, Yongno traveled around the world for about a month and met the leaders of the major powers: the United States, Russia, Japan, China, Germany, and the United Kingdom. During his trip, he ensured that he left a firm, notable image in each of their minds. Of course, in the mundane modern world, Yongno¡¯s ability to use martial arts, aura, and summoning skills were exceptionally powerful powers, but his greatest advantage was his ability to psychologically manipulate anyone. With no countermeasures against the mind-controlling Magic Eye, modern humans had no choice but to do as Yongno wished. If he wanted, Yongno could even rule the Earth as its god. ¡®However, that¡¯s assuming there aren¡¯t any existing divine beings.¡¯ Regardless, Yongno never publicly revealed his existence. Despite contacting the world¡¯s most prominent figures to instill the importance of his safety, his presence had not become common knowledge. In fact, it was considered top-secret information. Moreover, Yongno had other backup measures in place, so even if his presence were leaked, those in power would go to extreme lengths to stop and control the flow of information. ¡®Yet, why are the DIO developers so quiet? They haven¡¯t stated anything or confronted me in-game¡­.¡¯ Even Yongno, with his genius mind and capabilities, didn¡¯t expect such a response. What Yongno didn¡¯t know was that Tan¡¯s rebellion to overthrow Jenica, DIO¡¯s first developer, led to a period of uncertainty and uproar within the executive ranks of DIO. The dragon species, which possessed the greatest authority among the many forces that comprised the [Union], cooperated with the Noblesse and forcibly took control over DIO. However, other groups in the Union opposed these actions and were trying to keep the dragons and Noblesse in check. Although these other forces were also powerful existences within the Union, they couldn¡¯t ignore or directly contend with the Noblesse, so they didn¡¯t immediately rush into DIO. At the same time, however, other powers were able to restrict the Noblesse from entering and influencing Earth, a Second Stage Civilization. Moreover, there was Union Law (or Union Agreement). This was an agreement meant to create balance amongst numerous species and transcendents, and like modern law, it was a rule that everyone had to follow, even high-ranking and all-powerful beings. Within Union Law, there was a clause that stated, [No interference from any higher civilization is allowed on a planet that has not entered the Third Stage of Civilizations]. This law was created to prevent civilizations with advanced scientific powers from subjugating lower-stage civilizations. When life appeared on a planet, it was deemed a Zero Stage Civilization. This was the most basic and primitive stage. Then, as soon as these beings could use fire or other energy sources, they entered the First Stage of Civilization. When science and technology advanced and made it possible to contact others through networks, like the internet on modern Earth, the planet entered the Second Stage of Civilization, the information age. A civilization was considered a Third Stage Civilization when it could conduct interstellar movement, and its residents could leave their home planet for another place. It was in the Third Stage of Civilization when it became possible to manipulate space and open a Warp Gate. Then, as civilization started dealing with the concept of time, better understood the structure and fabric of the world, and when universal information integration became possible, a civilization entered the Fourth Stage of Civilization. Unfortunately, as stated earlier, Earth was a Second Stage Civilization, as it couldn¡¯t readily travel to its own moon at will, let alone use a Warp Gate. As such, external interference on Earth was clearly illegal under Union Law. Of course, the formidable Noblesse were known to commit illegal acts from time to time, but as the other major forces vehemently voiced their protest, especially from the Spirit World, the Noblesse had no choice but to withdraw from Earth. Obviously, DIO was still operating on Earth, but any further interference by the Noblesse would be a challenge. When Yongno reconciled with Merlin, they unknowingly took advantage of that brief opening made by Tan¡¯s uprising against Jenica. If Yongno had done something similar before the hostile takeover, the DIO developers, including Tan, would have focused all their attention on Yongno and investigated how he could use his special abilities in real life. However, now that everything had already happened, there was no way for Tan and the others to know of Yongno¡¯s awakening and current state. Of course, Yongno was unaware of the unstable situation and felt uneasy for a while, but once he found that there was no pushback, he started moving in earnest. Even if he didn¡¯t know what exactly was going on, he possessed unnatural intuition and reasoning powers. From his experience with DIO¡¯s management, he judged that they would not sit idly by after knowing what had happened to Yongno in real life. Hence, Yongno surmised that something was up with DIO¡¯s higher-ups. ¡°Well, that¡¯s why I moved quickly and with purpose.¡± However, it wasn¡¯t revealed to the wider world that he had made any move. When he boarded an airplane, he utilized both invisibility and mental suppression. Also, Yongno frequently used teleportation whenever he couldn¡¯t utilize his other two special skills. Once Yongno reconciled with Merlin, Yongno¡¯s ability to use his special power in the real world increased exponentially. He could freely use magic and martial arts, and above all, his strongest talent, magic stone crafting, became possible on Earth. Yongno had obtained a world-class network seemingly overnight, and thus, he completely rid himself of the Institute¡¯s interest in him. If he wanted, Yongno could completely destroy the Institute, so the simple task of diverting their attention was like child¡¯s play. In addition, Yongno made sure to visit and mentally suppress the agents who had kidnapped him in the past, as they still had a personal interest in him. With that, he took care of any future issues stemming from those individuals. Furthermore, Yongno knew that if he was careless and left things in an awkward state, an unexpected, dangerous result could occur, so he made sure to handle things thoroughly. He was tying up any loose ends. After finishing all this, Yongno found a new house and left his old apartment. Now, his home was a considerable size, and he lived in a detached house with a basement. Since he was already receiving financial support from various countries every month, money wasn¡¯t an issue. Also, Eunhye left her position in the secretive USA organization. However, since it was difficult to get out of her contractual responsibilities entirely, it was more accurate to state that she became a contract worker to help conduct research within DIO rather than leaving her organization. Since she was employed in a secret institution, it wasn¡¯t easy to change positions, but due to Yongno¡¯s newfound influence, he successfully brought her back to Korea. Currently, she was living on the second floor of his new home. In truth, she didn¡¯t want to return. Even if Yongno regained his memories, she wanted revenge on the lab. However, Yongno easily convinced her to stay in Korea. ¡®Revenge¡­ that¡¯s something I¡¯ll be doing.¡¯ If Yongno had given any other reason, she wouldn¡¯t have been convinced, but since Yongno said that he was going to seek vengeance personally, she couldn¡¯t oppose him. This was the correct approach anyway, as Yongno was the victim. And, unlike before, Yongno possessed the strength and power to take matters into his own hands. Yongno continued to train and research to develop his abilities in real life, but he also regularly connected to DIO to continue his missions and hunting. And so, half a year had passed since Yongno and Merlin¡¯s reconciliation. It was now July. CH 181 Countless users gathered within a building akin to a temple. They weren¡¯t here for no reason; they interacted with each other to run missions, train, or eat together. /Missions have been renewed./ /One hundred and seven new missions have been added to Arterian./ /Forty-eight new missions have been added to Panitris./ /Forty-one new missions have been added to Jin./ /Three new missions have been added to Noah./ /One new mission has been added to Demon World./ ¡°Ooh, the missions have been renewed.¡± ¡°Check the mission requirements and details for Noah first. Optical science-based weapons seem to be fetching a high price these days. I¡¯d like to get my hands on some and sell them to purchase a reinforced item.¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t many reinforced items on the market, though¡­.¡± Each of the gathered users checked their Beholders to review the newly-added mission requirements and details. Each mission described the minimum number of participants, stat requirements, and rewards. Based on this info, the players started to seek other party members. ¡°Ah, man. It says that the Noah mission requires a Level 10 long-range offensive user. Do you know any Masters?¡± ¡°How would I know a Master, dummy? Let¡¯s look for an easier mission¡­ oh, this Arterian mission only requires four Level 7 healers and five Level 8 damage dealers.¡± ¡°From what I know, Arterian isn¡¯t a major mission site, so I don¡¯t understand why there are 107 new missions. Moreover, it seems all the new Arterian missions require a healer¡­ perhaps they have a T virus pandemic?¡± ¡°Hahaha. Do you think they¡¯ve all become zombies or something?¡± While the two were talking, the other users were slowly forming parties. Players referred to this search in the Star Temple as , seeking users to fulfill mission requirements and establish a party. ¡°It seems like something¡¯s happening on Arterian. For such a huge number of new missions to be released simultaneously¡­. Arterian¡¯s civilization is similar to Earth¡¯s, right?¡± Jeros was sitting at a table while sipping his drink. He asked this as he recalled DIO¡¯s [Worldview]. However, the users he was conversing with, Adol and Hanma, were essentially physically mature, mentally underdeveloped meatheads. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like we conducted quests in only one or two places. If it were Panitris or Jin, we¡¯d be able to answer since most of our missions have been there.¡± ¡°Still, you guys should try and memorize some details. It doesn¡¯t look good if Masters don¡¯t know basic information.¡± Although Jeros complained, Hanma and Adol didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°You can memorize everything; we¡¯ll just rely on you.¡± ¡°Also, we can search the Beholder for that kind of information, and we also have the internet in the real world. So, there¡¯s no point in memorizing any of that.¡± ¡°Ugh, you guys don¡¯t even try to formulate a strategy in advance.¡± While sighing, Jeros started drawing a blueprint on a monitor, which was slightly larger than the palm of his hand. Jeros worked on a blueprint whenever he had time. This act of multitasking required a mage to possess tremendous skill and focus, especially since Jeros was designing a high-level magic system. Yet, Hanma was disinterested. ¡°Anyway, if Arterian is a modern civilization like Earth, there isn¡¯t much to loot, right? To be honest, among the Level 7 or above monsters, there aren¡¯t many that can be taken down with gunpowder-based weapons,¡± Hanma stated. ¡°Besides, users can produce gunpowder-based weapons themselves now, and they¡¯re usually garbage Tier 3 common weapons. Furthermore, the tier requirements to use those weapons are absurdly high, so new users can¡¯t even use them.¡± Various modern technologies were required to make a gunpowder-based weapon, but the overall structure and methodology were simple. Moreover, among the many high-level mages in DIO, more than half were scientists. Just like in reality, where fields of expertise were divided into areas such as physics or biology, mages in DIO were also split between destruction and dark arts. However, in the end, mages all possessed the same fundamental knowledge. Even some of the in-game Mage Guilds were already making semiconductors with the goal of developing computers, so developing and producing a firearm shouldn¡¯t be a problem. ¡°Well, they¡¯re known to be garbage items, but if they¡¯re made properly, gunpowder-based weapons can also be viable weapons. Most importantly, they can provide an advantage by allowing the user to attack without consuming much spiritual power in an emergency. Besides, the weapons¡¯ destructiveness is considerable if you imbue magic power into the bullets.¡± ¡°Actually, among the Masters, there are quite a few guys who carry assault rifles or pistols. If magic bullets are used, those weapons can display a significant amount of force.¡± For users who lacked attack power or required time to prepare, a gun wasn¡¯t a bad weapon. This was because a firearm was relatively simple and only needed to be raised, aimed, and have its trigger pulled. ¡°I must say, there are too many users who can dodge bullets in this place¡­. Ah, speaking of which, did you guys hear about Merlin¡¯s new product?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a gun, right?¡± ¡°Peacemaker III, I believe?¡± After hearing the name of Merlin¡¯s new item, Jeros raised his Beholder and connected to the auction house. Since there were countless items being sold, Jeros did a filtered search using Merlin¡¯s ID. ¡°Oh, it looks like the auction has already started. The maximum number of enhancements seems to be ten¡­. Ah! Look at this! It has a guidance system! Also, it can shoot in three different attack patterns.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Jeros was kicking up a fuss, but Adol and Hanma didn¡¯t show much of a reaction. In Adol¡¯s case, he had a laser gun, which he only used when dealing with enemies that were situated far away; hence, Adol wasn¡¯t interested in Merlin¡¯s advanced and powerful gun. Additionally, Adol already possessed one of Merlin¡¯s reinforced weapons. ¡°Dang, reinforced weapons are expensive¡­ though, they¡¯re also extremely powerful¡­.¡± Jeros said. ¡°Well, that¡¯s the power of stacked spells. I bought my current reinforced sword for 150 million won, but right now, I¡¯m getting a barrage of requests to sell my sword for at least 800 million won,¡± Adol answered. ¡°Oh, now that I think of it, didn¡¯t you buy the first prototype?¡± Jeros asked. ¡°This sword is the reason why I¡¯ve been able to deal damage like a damage dealer. Based on my experience, this sword is an overpowered cheat item. Even if I swing the sword with an average user¡¯s strength, it can still fatally wound an ogre. It can also immobilize a tank.¡± Adol used his gear swap function to bring out his sword. It was the +9 Striking Sword. The first reinforced sword that Merlin handed over to the blacksmith, Aidelin, had fallen into Adol¡¯s hands. ¡°Ah, that old fogey. When Merlin asked what item he should make, that old fogey should have said a gauntlet or some other support-type item!¡± Hanma quipped. ¡°You don¡¯t even wear gauntlets, no?¡± ¡°Even if it gets in the way of using some of my skills, I¡¯d happily put on a reinforced item!¡± Hanma was a physical power-based fighter, and he was also Aidelin¡¯s grandson. As a life force user, Hanma didn¡¯t carry a weapon, so even though he was related to the foremost blacksmith in DIO, he couldn¡¯t take advantage of it. However, his friend, Adol, was able to use his connection to snatch a cheat-like item. ¡°Ah¡­ I really need to buy it¡­ I need to buy it¡­ I need¡­.¡± Jeros started muttering the same line over and over as he stared fixedly at his Beholder. Since he required some time to prepare a spell through chanting, a long-ranged weapon like this Peacemaker III was perfect for him. Pulling a trigger while chanting a spell was easy, so the gun would come in handy during emergencies. ¡°Dude, forget about it. It¡¯s already at 2,500 gold. You recently spent a fortune on those guardian gloves of yours, right? You¡¯re probably dirt poor right now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ ugh. I need this item.¡± One gold was worth approximately 59,000 won, or 45 USD. When rounded up to 60,000 won, 2,500 gold would equal 150,000,000 won. The gun has a +10 reinforcement, which was one higher than Adol¡¯s sword. This meant that it could stack spells ten times. Based on the offers Adol had received for his sword, the gun would probably fetch a final bidding price above 800,000,000 won. ¡°Dang, the price is going up like crazy. Why are there so many rich people?¡± ¡°That commercial I was in only paid me 50,000,000 won¡­ if someone truly wants to obtain the most up-to-date gear, they¡¯ll probably have to join a national organization, wouldn¡¯t they?¡± As Masters grew more popular, various multinational corporations started providing sponsorships. Additionally, Masters often appeared on television shows. Since Masters were typically at the top of their field in real life, their names and popularity increased exponentially when they reached the Master Level. ¡°Ah, come to think of it, in the USA¡­ what was their name again? Mountain Rock? Anyway, they told me that they¡¯d pay a salary of five billion won if I joined them. They were talking about helping with their research or something like that.¡± ¡°Eh? But you¡¯re a birdbrain. How could you possibly help them with their research?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s probably related to Noah.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Though common users were unaware, it was already well-known amongst the Masters that the tech within DIO could be recreated in real life. Most scientists on Earth knew of this, so labs across the world were competing and vying to secure their own Masters to obtain DIO¡¯s advanced tech. ¡°However, it¡¯s been much more difficult to come across that futuristic tech these days. Don¡¯t you get the feeling that they¡¯re restricting what we¡¯re exposed to?¡± ¡°Yeah. Also, even when a mission has that technology, we don¡¯t have enough time to stray from the mission objective, so it¡¯s difficult to get ahold of anything. Additionally, it¡¯s not like we have a bunch of free time to conduct missions just to obtain that tech.¡± The missions related to the advanced civilization of Noah could only be taken by Master Level users. On top of that, the mission time limits were relatively tight, so it wasn¡¯t easy to gather futuristic items. In truth, the only items most Masters could get their hands on were what the enemies dropped. ¡°With that in mind, it¡¯s already been half a year since laser guns were found in-game. By now, the top governments on Earth probably developed the requisite optical technology to recreate one.¡± ¡°Well, due to the tech crossing over, the general level of science on Earth has increased by leaps and bounds.¡± ¡°Of course, all that advanced tech is probably being tightly guarded and controlled.¡± As the three talked, they continued to scroll through the new missions. Lower-level users often scrambled to pick a mission, gather party members, and start whatever mission they qualified for. However, Masters had to be picky and careful when selecting a mission. Though missions that required high-level users offered better rewards, they also carried heavier penalties for failing. As such, it was imperative that high-level users carefully choose their other party based on playstyle, teamwork, level, and what skills and abilities another user could bring to the table. CH 182 ¡°Ack! It just sold!¡± ¡°For how much?¡± ¡°Twenty-one thousand five hundred gold!¡± Since one gold was worth approximately 60,000 won, 21,500 gold totaled around 1.3 billion won, an unbelievably immense sum of money. Purchasing a single item for such an astronomical price shouldn¡¯t have made any sense, but Hanma and Adol didn¡¯t seem surprised. Actually, Hanma made a motion as if he was vomiting. ¡°Ugh. That¡¯s astronomical. Who do you think bought it? Do they have money to burn?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably not like that. To put it one way, aren¡¯t the added effects of the reinforcements worth the cost in the end?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± At that moment, a man wearing black full-body armor approached them. The powerful aura this user exuded made everyone who saw him for the first time exclaim something like, ¡®Woah! How much did he pay for all that?!¡¯ ¡°Hot damn. Regretful Ivan¡¯s Dark Helmut, Despairing Kara¡¯s Gauntlet, Pained Cyril¡¯s Boots, Hateful Alistair¡¯s Greeves. On top of all that, he has Saddened Adin¡¯s Armor¡­ wow. I heard rumors that someone was finally able to gather all the pieces of the Spirit Armor set. I never thought I¡¯d see it¡­.¡± ¡°Also, he¡¯s wearing a +6 Conviction Cape. I think the user Brown Bear used to own that cape, and weren¡¯t they always acting so proud of it? Also, he¡¯s wearing a spirit-carrying gem earring, like the one Arthur had on. Moreover, the claymore sword he¡¯s carrying is one of Merlin¡¯s masterpieces, a +10 Dark Magic Sword!¡± ¡°To top it off, that guy¡¯s Black Unicorn pet has reinforced magic armor. That sort of armor isn¡¯t available in the public markets, so he probably had it custom-made, right?¡± ¡°Man, I don¡¯t even have a single reinforced item¡­ but even that guy¡¯s pet has one¡­.¡± All of the users present recognized the man¡¯s equipment items; they were all special and extraordinary. Moreover, the user himself wasn¡¯t weak, as he was also a Master Level user. ¡°Bruce Wayne¡­ I see you gathered all the set items.¡± ¡°I was lucky. I had to contend with some sellers who kept raising their prices, but in the end, I was able to get everything. Oh, by the way, have a look at this.¡± As Bruce spoke, he put a gun atop a table. After using appraisal, Jeros found that the gun was the +6 Peacemaker III. ¡°Ugh! It was you! And the item has already been reinforced up to +6!¡± As Jeros grumbled, Bruce Wayne smiled happily. ¡°Merlin, DIO¡¯s top enchanter, sure produces items that meet and exceed his reputation. I was able to attempt reinforcements every few minutes. The other reinforced items on the market from lesser producers take days just to get the reinforcement to +3 or +4. There truly are geniuses in this world. He¡¯s so young, too.¡± As the eldest son of the owner of Mega Giant, a major film and broadcasting corporation, Bruce Wayne was a magic swordsman who wielded a two-handed sword in DIO. Using his family¡¯s riches, Bruce Wayne gathered his impressive collection of gear. With that said, however, Bruce Wayne wasn¡¯t the type of user who solely relied on his items; he was a powerful Sword Master and skilled battle mage. ¡°Recently, I¡¯ve been learning how to use a sword and gun from William, call it a Gun and Blade fighting style, if you will. I firmly believe that a gun will shore up my weaknesses.¡± Bruce was always talented, and he developed his skills and abilities himself. Due to this, Bruce didn¡¯t find it wasteful to spend as much as he could on the best gear. Though some might say his equipment made him powerful, no one could deny that he was one of the top users currently in the game. ¡°Anyway, Bruce, did you decide which mission you¡¯re going on?¡± ¡°I¡¯m still thinking. How about you guys?¡± ¡°Well, there is one that pops out¡­ hey, Adol¡­ take a look at the demon world mission. It requires a fighter that¡¯s Level 18 or above.¡± ¡°Dang. That mission is asking for Arthur to complete it.¡± ¡°Right. They should just put [Arthur] in the requirements, not ¡®Level 18 or above fighter.¡¯¡± While Hanma and Arthur complained, Jeros took a sip of his drink and clicked his tongue. ¡°Tsk. You good-for-nothing glass-half-empty knuckleheads. Why do you live with that type of outlook? Shouldn¡¯t you guys believe that you¡¯ll reach Level 18 soon and qualify for the mission?¡± ¡°Shut up. You¡¯re only acting all high and mighty because you got to Level 14 recently.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not acting high and mighty; I am high and mighty. You know that there are less than five users in all of DIO who are Level 14 or higher, right?¡± ¡°Whatever. You¡¯re still a long way away from Level 18.¡± DIO had been in service for seven months. The small handful of Masters at the beginning of the service had now ballooned to over 180 users. Players had become much more analytical and strategic in how they understood and approached the development of their talents, causing many users to reach higher levels. Currently, there were an astounding number of users between Level 5 to Level 7. ¡°What¡¯s the player count for DIO these days?¡± ¡°I heard that DIO passed four billion active users last week.¡± ¡°Dang, that¡¯s a lot.¡± More than half the entire population of Earth was now playing DIO. In Korea, outside of the young children, everyone joined and played DIO. Since DIO solely required a CD player and headphones, anyone could play with relative ease. Even someone stranded at the North Pole could play, so accessibility wasn¡¯t an issue. /Thirty-seven Arterian missions are no longer available./ /Thirty-two Panitris missions are no longer available./ /Thirty-five Jin missions are no longer available./ ¡°Oh, it¡¯s already been 30 minutes. The number of available missions is dropping like crazy.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯ll it be? Ah, look at this Noah mission. It needs five Level 13 or above close-combat users and long-range users with the same level requirements. It also requires a Level 15 user and a Level 10 healer.¡± ¡°Dang, that mission sure has a lot of requirements. For the close combat requirement, we have Hanma and Adol, Ilyia and Ohje, and¡­ the last user¡­ sure¡­ I guess we have Bruce Wayne.¡± ¡°Hey, who said I¡¯m willing to join you guys?¡± Bruce openly complained, but Jeros continued without skipping a beat. ¡°Level 13 or above long-range attackers would be Scorpion and me. A Level 10 or above healer shouldn¡¯t be an issue, as we can recruit from the pool of Master healers. But¡­ who could we call on to fulfill the Level 15 requirement?¡± Of course, fewer people were at Level 15 than Level 13. Actually, there were only three players at Level 15 or above. ¡°At least Level 15¡­. That leaves us with Arthur, Cruze, and Merlin, no?¡± ¡°Can anyone contact those three?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The four gathered users stared off into space while they remained silent. Those three, Arthur, Cruze, and Merlin, were the top Masters in DIO, the cream of the crop; they weren¡¯t existences that were easy to approach. Amongst internal energy users, these three were commonly referred to as the Outer Gods, those who occupied the heaven above the heavens. ¡°Among the three, Cruze participates in the most missions with others, but she blocks all messages, even if they¡¯re from those in her friends list. As for Arthur and Merlin, they¡¯re famous for being solo players.¡± ¡°Man, I don¡¯t understand how those three can be human. How the hell did they reach and exceed Level 15? Moreover, they got there more than a half year ago.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about Cruze and Merlin, but Arthur is definitely human. I saw him in real life,¡± Hanma said. Adol exclaimed in surprise. ¡°Huh? You saw Arthur in real life? I heard some rumors that he¡¯s an alien.¡± ¡°Alien¡­ psh¡­ he¡¯s a normal college student. He¡¯s originally from a dirt-poor family, but after getting some money through DIO, it¡¯s been harder to see him in real life. I heard some rumors that he withdrew from his college and joined the Noblesse organization as an employee.¡± The Noblesse organization appeared in early February. It was the official developer and company that operated DIO, though it didn¡¯t have a physical presence on Earth at DIO¡¯s initial launch. The Noblesse organization had offices in every major city throughout Earth and hired countless people. However, unlike other games that employed a large number of developers and programmers, the Noblesse organization hired high-level users. ¡°What are his job responsibilities at Noblesse? It doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s doing GM (Game Master) type of work.¡± ¡°The GMs are users who aren¡¯t even in the Master Level. It seems like the higher-level players are employed and largely left to their own devices. I think they mainly have to complete a few special missions each month and collect their monthly salaries.¡± Among those working for the Noblesse organization, the Level 5 to Level 8 users were given special abilities to enforce safety measures and resolve issues that arose in-game. Essentially these users acted as GMs, which were needed to deal with the inevitable clashes and issues that accompanied such a massive user base. These were also the people who enforced sentences on those who cheated, stole, or PK¡¯d (Player Killed). ¡°I heard that Merlin attended a typical middle and high school. There seem to be quite a few people who know about him. However, since he¡¯s some higher-up¡¯s son, information on him is somewhat blocked.¡± ¡°I heard he¡¯s the son of Korea¡¯s Chief of Staff.¡± ¡°Oh, wow, the Chief of Staff?¡± The four users continued talking as they went to a specialized culinary area and bought some food. Yet, Jeros suddenly let out a yell. ¡°Wait, why has our conversation gone in this direction?! We need to recruit party members!¡± ¡°But we¡¯re not able to get in touch with Arthur, Cruze, or Merlin. Oh, wait. Hanma¡­ Aidelin often speaks to Merlin, right?¡± When Adol said this, Hanma replied in an annoyed tone. ¡°Ugh. I don¡¯t think Merlin will like it if I approach him using my grandfather.¡± ¡°Whatever, man, try. If it doesn¡¯t work, then so be it.¡± ¡°¡­ Fine.¡± After Hanma begrudgingly took out his Beholder, Adol leaned on the back of his chair. As he scanned his surroundings, Adol could see other users sneaking peeks at his party. ¡®Ugh¡­ since when did I become a celebrity?¡¯ Each and every Master user was immensely popular, and as for the beta players Hanma and Adol, they had many fans. There were actually a considerable number of users who followed their every movement. Adol and Hanma were powerful beings; of course, this was all in-game. ¡®I would have never imagined that I¡¯d be in this position merely a year earlier.¡¯ However, when compared to those above him, Adol felt insignificant. This was the type of existence the Outer Gods were; their power was beyond anything that could be understood through common sense. The top three¡¯s skills and abilities left many to wonder if they were indeed humans, and Arthur, in particular, seemed like he was from an entirely different dimension. Adol still remembered the lasting image of Arthur defeating the Orc Hero Sungmuk in their last battle. ¡®Back then, I thought I¡¯d be able to catch up to him¡­.¡¯ Once Adol started climbing up the levels, he lost confidence. Adol felt a barrier forming between where he was and where he wanted to be, believing that it was already incredible to get to his current position. He could only achieve Level 13 because he had such a tight-knit, good group of friends helping him along the way. ¡®I wonder what the world looks like through his eyes.¡¯ Adol respected and looked up to Arthur. In truth, Arthur¡¯s overpowering nature and talent weren¡¯t things that one could tolerate without admiration and jealousy. When he saw such a brilliant existence above him, Adol couldn¡¯t help but feel small and tired. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s just do an Arterian mission. There¡¯re some missions that require Master Level users.¡± ¡°Yeah. We haven¡¯t talked with any labs or companies, so there¡¯s no reason for us to choose a Noah mission right now.¡± As he continued to talk with the others, Adol started thinking that Arthur probably didn¡¯t feel helpless and lost like he did at that moment. Beep! Then, a mechanical beeping sound came from his Beholder. CH 183 Ascalon made a loud metallic clanging sound as it fell. Arthur reached out to retrieve Ascalon, but before he could do so, a large foot in leather shoes stomped on his hand. ¡°Ugh.¡± ¡°Hmm. Young boy, you still don¡¯t understand. Can¡¯t you tell that it¡¯s too early?¡± The well-built black man stomped on Arthur¡¯s hand. He was 210 centimeters tall and weighed 180 kilograms. The man¡¯s body was covered with rippling muscles that looked like armor, and he had an extraordinary sense of balance and perfection, making him seem more like a biological weapon than a living being. ¡°Ugh¡­ ha¡­ ha¡­ ha¡­.¡± Arthur lay on the ground in front of the man, breathing raggedly while he absorbed the nearby natural mana to replenish his lost energy. ¡°Still, you¡¯ve improved from before. What was it that you practiced¡­ premarital chastity?¡± ¡°Soul swordsmanship. How did that become premarital chastity?¡± Arthur grunted as he got up. Next to him was Toothless, a black drake that was covered in dust as if it had rolled on the ground. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Ugh. Shit. Both of my wings are broken.¡± ¡°Can you recover?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard for me to heal right now. One hit from that guy shattered my bones and scales in the worst way. Moreover, his strikes are imbued with other strange powers, making it more challenging.¡± ¡°Hey, you know I went easy on you, right? It seems you believe in your own powers too much, but if you continue overly relying on your senses while fighting, you¡¯ll always be limited.¡± The massive man smiled broadly as he rubbed Toothless¡¯s hair, with the drake having a slightly flattened body. Toothless, a top-class summoned being, roared ferociously like a lion, but the man didn¡¯t seem to care. Before the man¡¯s overwhelming power, Toothless couldn¡¯t do anything. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Lionel. How¡­ how the hell do I create a strong qi?¡± ¡°Tsk. Again, you¡¯re trying to fly without being able to run. Did I use strong qi while fighting you?¡± ¡°No, but¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be impatient, little boy. Aren¡¯t you the strongest user? There¡¯s no point in training any further, so use what you¡¯ve learned and solidify those lessons through direct combat experience.¡± Lionel, the ruler of Valiant Heavenly City, smiled kindly and patted Arthur¡¯s shoulder. This city was the holy land for internal energy users, but Arthur¡¯s frustrated expression remained. ¡°It¡¯s tricky. To be honest, I can¡¯t figure it out. No matter how hard I try-¡± Lionel cut Arthur off from grumbling further. ¡°Everyone has to make an effort.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but all I can say is don¡¯t be in such a hurry. Next time, have more confidence when you challenge me.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, Lionel disappeared. At the same time, text messages popped up in the air. /You have failed the Level 20 test! You cannot retake the test for a period of one week in real time./ /End of test./ In an instant, Arthur found himself back in the clean, well-organized housing space he¡¯d purchased previously. He was living in an area of Valiant Heavenly City that was available to users. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a rush, master. He¡¯s a complete monster, so you probably can¡¯t defeat him anytime soon.¡± Arthur¡¯s draconic sword, Dustin, and Arthur¡¯s summoned pet drake, Toothless, tried to sympathize with and cheer up Arthur, but the user didn¡¯t reply. Instead, he walked into a room and lay down on a bed. Toothless gently pounced near Arthur and started rubbing his head against Arthur. Alas, the latter still didn¡¯t show any response. ¡®It¡¯s difficult. It¡¯s too difficult.¡¯ Arthur was facing a barrier. Of course, everyone who trained faced this hurdle. If an individual learned something new, they were bound to face a learning curve. This happened every time someone reached a certain point in progressing their abilities, including martial arts. Some could overcome the barrier with time and effort, but others would never do so even after a lifetime of trying. Therein lay the problem for Arthur; he had never faced a barrier, not even once, until now. ¡®What should I do¡­.¡¯ He had always developed rather easily. Despite not having a teacher, when fighting, Arthur would examine the [Reason] behind his opponent¡¯s every move, learning how the enemy attacked and teaching himself their abilities and improving them. Arthur never needed an instructor. The secrets of the perfected principles and cultivation methods provided by DIO were just inspiration material rather than something to follow for Arthur. Yet, even for him, the barrier of transcendence, to go beyond mortality, was simply too high. ¡®Why can¡¯t I achieve it?¡¯ Arthur had remained at Level 19 for four months. However, those were four months in real-time. Since time in DIO flowed 12 times faster, and the training room was further sped up by 100 times the in-game speed, Arthur had not been able to take a single step forward from Level 19 for over 20 years. It wasn¡¯t so simple as merely failing to materialize his sword qi. No matter how much he wielded his sword and trained, his abilities and skills weren¡¯t improving. This stagnant state, where he felt that his skills were not improving but rather regressing, was a barrier that thoroughly confounded him, as he had always understood concepts immediately. ¡®I don¡¯t know.¡¯ Arthur had lost his way. As if trapped in a thick fog, his sense of direction was blurred. He felt thoroughly exhausted. ¡®I want to quit.¡¯ Arthur was lying on his stomach and didn¡¯t lift his head. As they saw him like this, Toothless and Dustin were saddened. If Arthur, the master who summoned them, closed his heart like this, there was nothing they could do as summoned beings. They endured and were able to stay by his side because they were high-ranking pets, but if they were normal summoned beings, they would have already been forcefully sent back. ¡®I want to quit.¡¯ Everything had its limits. Mental power and fortitude also have their limits. Any action that requires the will to do something results in the consumption of mental power. The fact that Arthur pressed forward with his training and pursuits for 20 years was in and of itself proof of his transcendent-like will. However, even someone with the will of a transcendent would face limits. ¡®Perhaps¡­ I¡¯ll never be able to cross this barrier.¡¯ Arthur lay limp in bed as he sighed. It looked as if his will and existence were visibly leaving his body. Beep! While he remained sprawled out, his Beholder made a familiar mechanical noise, serving as the user¡¯s smartphone. As explained before, a Beholder allowed a user to send whisper messages, receive and look up announcements, and even surf the internet. Arthur took out his Beholder and looked at the newly arrived message. The message was from his employer, the Noblesse organization. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s from work. It¡¯s a job assignment,¡± Toothless commented. ¡°Yeah,¡± Arthur replied. ¡°You¡¯re not planning on working?¡± Arthur begrudgingly sat up. He didn¡¯t feel like moving, but unlike other users, he wasn¡¯t playing this game for fun. As an employee of the Noblesse organization, Arthur conducted missions and received a hefty salary in return. Furthermore, the Noblesse had saved his mother¡¯s life from her terminal illness, so they were essentially his mother¡¯s lifesavers in Arthur¡¯s perspective. Hence, as someone who was responsible, Arthur couldn¡¯t knowingly ignore his work. ¡®Phew, well, there¡¯s nothing I can do. It¡¯s not like rushing will do anything either way.¡¯ After standing, Arthur started adjusting the bracelet on his right arm. This bracelet allowed him to enter a mission or meet with other players without having to enter the Star Temple. In other words, the bracelet was an operator¡¯s item, something that one of DIO¡¯s GMs would possess. ¡°Transport.¡± For a moment, the bracelet flashed with a bright light before Arthur completely disappeared. His destination was Noah. *** Lancelot stepped out of the training room. Then, he turned around and tried to re-enter. ¡°Once more, please.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ Lancelot¡­ you don¡¯t have enough EXP.¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t?¡± Lancelot had been waiting for the door to open with a neutral expression. He perhaps even looked a little dazed when he turned around again without any hesitation. The NPC who managed the gate, Carlin, furrowed his brows as he met Lancelot¡¯s gaze, which seemed void of any life. ¡°It¡¯s not recommended that we interfere with users¡­ but don¡¯t overdo it. The principle of the world is not something one realizes simply by training a lot.¡± If someone could enter the realm of transcendence through extended training, the fairies and draconic existences that had lived for a thousand years would be able to enter transcendence. In addition, the dragon species, which entered transcendence around the thousand-year mark, would be considered great existences. ¡°Hahaha. Quite entertaining words. So, Carlin, what¡¯s needed? An innate unique quality that Cruze has? After all, she has reached a higher level than me in only a month.¡± ¡°Lancelot.¡± At Carlin¡¯s heavy tone, Lancelot sighed lightly and apologized. ¡°¡­ Sorry for my thoughtless comment.¡± Lancelot and Carlin were now amicable with each other. NPCs like Carlin were essentially humans, so like the users, they would become familiar and friendly with people once they met and interacted with them for a long time. In addition, Lancelot¡¯s training which made it seem as if he was trying to destroy himself, had the power to make observers unconsciously root for him. In Carlin¡¯s case, he¡¯d stopped training when he realized that he couldn¡¯t improve or develop anymore, and he felt even greater sympathy for Lancelot. ¡°How about taking a break? I heard users have created movie theaters in the main marketplace, so it might be nice to experience a bit of culture and games while rejuvenating yourself.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­.¡± Lancelot smiled weakly and nodded. Carlin had said an undeniably correct statement based on sound, logical judgment; however, if everyone agreed with that form of logic and lived by it, conflict and crime wouldn¡¯t exist. Beep! Ting! Lancelot took out his Beholder, and the screen lit up after giving a startup sound. The Beholder¡¯s screen was as large as the palm of someone¡¯s hand, so it couldn¡¯t display a lot of information, but with their enhanced eyesight, users could read the Beholder¡¯s text clearly. As such, even a small liquid crystal in-game could contain more information than a fairly sizable monitor in real life. Obviously, some users couldn¡¯t see small letters well due to their occupation or status, but in those cases, they could adjust the text size. ¡°The website has changed a lot.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve spent quite some time in the training room. You can¡¯t access the internet in the training room, right?¡± ¡°Right. It¡¯s an isolated space. There are restrictions on what I can bring into the training room, so internet access is definitely not possible.¡± Users could only bring basic weapons and their bare bodies into the training room. This was because there was a kind of [Memory] in the training room, which made it difficult to inject external information into the space. Since the training room accelerated a single user¡¯s experience of time passing, it was impossible for two users to enter together or connect to the outside world. This was an inevitability that came alongside accelerated time, which was up to 1,200 times faster than in reality. If more items could be carried into the training room, it would have been possible to bring a gaming console or novel for a break or a stack of books to study and memorize. ¡°The popular hunting ground these days are¡­ New Continent.¡± ¡°Hey, are you going to take a rest?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll rest. However, if I completely stop without doing anything, I know I¡¯ll suffer more later on.¡± Hard work also had its limits. Conceptually, mental power was consumed the more it was used, so even the indomitable would wear out over time and eventually give up. This is why Lancelot changed his training method as soon as he felt his mental limit; these changes were ¡®habit¡¯ and ¡®tendencies.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll be taking a break. Please let me know if a Unique spiritual core comes up for sale.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Then, Lancelot left the Exchange Center. As always, countless users were bustling about in Starting. DIO¡¯s user base had increased so much that it was difficult to say DIO was simply a game. DIO had already become a society encompassing the various people who inhabited Earth. ¡°Currently, the number of Masters¡­ 182 users. The number has grown quite a bit.¡± Lancelot was one of the original Masters, often called the pioneers, as they rose to the status of Master within a month of DIO opening. When he realized the meaning of stabbing, Lancelot was able to output powerful attacks without using a lot of force, allowing him to rise to the level of Master. However, now that DIO had been in service for more than half a year, he was not as special as he was before. Lancelot was currently Level 12, which was only one level higher than it was six months ago, in real-time. Furthermore, in his perspective, the last six months were greater than half a year. Only half a year had passed in real life, but the time he experienced was¡­ CH 184 Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. /You have reached your login time limit. You will be forcefully logged out in five minutes./ Lancelot had been staring off into space when he broke out into a smile. ¡°Oh, my, this is awkward¡­ so¡­ right, it¡¯s summer in the real world. Man, I lost track of time.¡± Although only half a day had passed in reality, Lancelot had experienced nearly 500 days in the training room. This was an incredibly prolonged time of almost two years, so it was obvious why Lancelot¡¯s sense of reality became muddled. Lancelot¡¯s situation was a well-known issue in the real world. As people spent more and more time in DIO, their sense of reality started to diminish, and now, many scholars in Korea and around the world were warning the public. Thankfully, the NPCs in DIO knew the truth of their reality, and they spoke of the real world often; moreover, the other users within DIO were all real humans. If DIO were a role-playing game, many people would completely shun reality if they weren¡¯t forcibly logged out every twelve hours. ¡°Whoa, final exams are over, and today is¡­ Wednesday.¡± Lancelot awakened from the haze and fogginess in his mind as if he was just getting up after sleeping. In DIO, he lived only for training, but in reality, he had to move according to the flow of the world and a set schedule. ¡°Alright. Then¡­.¡± Just when he was about to log out¡­. Beep! A beep sounded from his Beholder. *** Beep! ¡°Huh?¡± Merlin was drawing up a new magic system when he narrowed his eyes at the unexpected sound of the notification. While the Beholder could beep even if it were placed in the inventory, Merlin was surprised because he had deactivated it to focus on his magic research. Furthermore, Merlin had blocked all whispers and friend requests, so it was unusual that the Beholder would make any sound. As Merlin¡¯s pet, Quiet Heaven, enveloped itself in flames, it stuck its head out at the sound. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but it doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s good news.¡± Merlin stopped utilizing his mana to halt the operation of his magic circle and activate his Beholder. At that moment¡­. Whoosh! ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± Merlin¡¯s surroundings changed in an instant. As he looked around, Merlin realized that he was standing in an unfamiliar place. Merlin pulled out a 20-centimeter-long metal rod from his inventory. The metal rod, which was dotted with dozens of jewels the size of one¡¯s fingernails, constantly pulsed, as it possessed a large amount of magic power. Soon, a middle-aged man in a gray suit and fedora appeared. It was Tan, one of DIO¡¯s operators. ¡°What about Quiet Heaven?¡± ¡°I left him behind in your housing space since I only needed to speak with you. There¡¯s no reason to be nervous. I called on you because I need you for a mission.¡± Merlin frowned after hearing Tan¡¯s words. ¡°Are the operators of DIO giving out missions now?¡± ¡°We¡¯re doing this for a select few users. Of course, this is by no means a regular occurrence, but unlike the others, you don¡¯t seem particularly interested in conducting missions. We could be a bit more forceful or restrictive¡­ but if we took those types of actions on you and you alone, you¡¯d probably lose interest in the game, no?¡± Tan was thoroughly relaxed when speaking. He moved with confidence, and his body exuded a considerable amount of aura. Though Merlin felt a bit taken aback, he wasn¡¯t too concerned since he was slowly regaining his [Past] powers. ¡°This might be out of place, but I must say that you¡¯re quite friendly and accommodating. For someone with your level of power, I¡¯d think it would be more fitting to just get what you want through force.¡± This was something Merlin had been curious about for a long time. Since Merlin could intuitively understand the other¡¯s mentality and personality, he could see that Tan wasn¡¯t thoughtful or kind-hearted by nature. Tan wasn¡¯t necessarily evil, but Merlin was sure that he was cold and ungrateful, which is why the motivations he revealed felt strange. ¡°Fufu. One can¡¯t stick with a method that has already failed. A being who is mentally restrained can never enter the realm of transcendence.¡± ¡°So¡­ you are giving the users more freedom to avoid limiting their chances of transcending?¡± Tan nodded. ¡°Yes, but don¡¯t get me wrong. This is just a policy, not a deterrent or restriction of our actions. Anyway¡­.¡± Bam! When Tan lightly flicked his finger, a space opened, and a large glass tube appeared. ¡°¡­!¡± Merlin held his breath for a moment. Inside the 2.5-meter-tall glass tube, which was filled with a mysterious liquid, was someone he could never forget. ¡°So, how do you feel? Happy? You¡¯re being given a special service that other users can never have or even dream of experiencing.¡± ¡°You!¡± The mana surrounding Merlin was influenced by his chaotic emotions, and it started rumbling and shaking. Merlin was enraged. He assumed that he¡¯d face this scenario at some point, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel anger at being emotionally manipulated. However, at the same time, he also knew he couldn¡¯t ignore Tan¡¯s offer. ¡°I¡¯m saying this just in case you believe that what you¡¯re seeing is fake. I don¡¯t know how it would seem to you, but to us, this being is a mere seven-tailed fox, not even a nine-tailed fox. It¡¯s relatively easy to bring her back without resorting to any cheating or manipulation.¡± Tan spoke calmly as he looked towards the glass tube. Inside was Miho, a fairy girl from the fox clan who Merlin had accompanied in his past travels. The fact was Merlin had been looking for Miho. Similar to how the Orc Hero Sungmuk died twice but was resurrected, Merlin thought it might be possible to bring Miho back. However, contrary to his thoughts, the monsters of the New Continent did not possess the feature of Regen. They died once. Since this was the case, Miho¡¯s death meant her end and not another cycle of Regen. The monsters of the New Continent seemed like normal living beings; they reproduced, gave birth, and raised their offspring, expanding their population. At the same time, to prevent the monsters from being overrun by users, a select number of exceptionally high-level monsters were resurrected with the gold dragon¡¯s trademark ability as the ruler of the New Continent. Of course, Miho resisted in the end, and she wasn¡¯t given this option. ¡°What do you¡­ want?¡± ¡°I want you to do some missions. There¡¯s an urgent matter, so we need a lot of users who are above a certain level. While the number of Masters has recently increased, their average skill and ability level is still relatively low.¡± Regardless of the new Masters, only Arthur, Cruze, and Merlin possessed different, specialized powers. As suggested by their titles, ¡®the Divine Heavenly Trinity¡¯ or ¡®Outer Gods,¡¯ which they were popularly referred to by other users, their fighting abilities and understanding of concepts were far beyond the typical Master. ¡®Although, I feel that I¡¯ve reached my limit recently¡­.¡¯ With this thought in mind, Merlin went on to ask a question. ¡°Are you saying that you¡¯ll revive her after I complete the mission?¡± ¡°Ah, come on. It¡¯d be a pity if the bar were set so low. Let¡¯s negotiate a set price. Okay, how about one million gem points? One day''s rental is 10,000 gem points.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It was an astronomical price. While Merlin had accumulated and spent 2.5 million points to create his flying shuttle, that was only possible due to the special circumstances of the events. For ordinary users, it was difficult to get their hands on 1,000 gem points. ¡°Don¡¯t be too surprised. The mission will compensate you well. It won¡¯t be like other missions.¡± Though Tan didn¡¯t mention it, the mission would possess a high level of difficulty as well. Until now, Merlin had stayed in the dark to fully immerse himself in his research and training, but as long as he was in DIO¡¯s system, he couldn¡¯t avoid the operators¡¯ watchful eyes. The situation was completely different from what he faced in the real world, where Merlin could use his special abilities while avoiding their surveillance. From the start, the operators and developers of DIO were essentially omnipotent gods within the confines of the game. ¡®It¡¯s difficult if things progress this way.¡¯ Merlin couldn¡¯t fool around with them as Sun Wukong did in his adventures, having climbed onto Buddha¡¯s hand. With little effort, the operators and developers could monitor Merlin¡¯s every move. ¡®Though it¡¯s improbable¡­ they might have already noticed that I¡¯m using my abilities in real life.¡¯ Of course, Merlin could tell this wasn¡¯t the case, but even though his intuition was close to a psychic power, it was still confined to predicting the future or perceiving insight. Strictly speaking, he didn¡¯t have supernatural intuition, so it was impossible for Merlin to rely on it all the time. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Great. I¡¯m sorry, but we¡¯re in a bit of a rush. The other users have started the mission already.¡± Woong! As soon as Tan finished speaking, another space opened. Before moving on, Merlin glanced at Miho as she floated in the glass tube with her eyes closed, looking like she was sleeping. ¡®I need to come up with a few alternate plans.¡¯ CH 185 *** Space Monster. Grotesque *** About 400 years before DIO¡¯s creation, there was a great war in the physical world that shook the entire universe. Initially, the war was fought between the inhabitants of the physical realm and the unnamed, or beings that didn¡¯t possess a known name. However, the war soon spread to encompass the battles between the heavenly beings and demons, transcendents and non-transcendents, and the dead and the living. The damage from the war was extensive. In addition, no one could intervene because the explosive battles and strife occurred everywhere; hence, the entire physical world was thrown into chaos. Eventually, the beings of the physical world took advantage of this opportunity to create a group that gathered their individual powers into one: the [Union]. The forces leading the Union were divided into two main groups. These two powerful forces, which would control the entire universe, were the Noblesse and Elohim. The Noblesse was a force primarily comprised of the Dragon and Prajna species who possessed ¡®noble blood.¡¯ As is often the case with dragon species, these Noblesse had strong powers from birth. It could be said that the name [Noble] clearly displayed their nature and tendencies. Conversely, the Elohim consisted of ordinary races that existed all over the physical world, which included humans and various other sapient species. Of course, the leaders of the Elohim were not normal beings. They were individuals who had ¡®disappeared.¡¯ They¡¯d been born with ordinary and weak bodies but had reached transcendence through understanding and realization. Obviously, no matter whether it was the Noblesse or Elohim, all of their leaders were transcendents, but they were still beings bound to the physical world. In the entire vast universe, few entered the rarified realm of transcendence, and this minuscule number even extended to the Noblesse with their noble bloodlines. Dragons, the pinnacle of a dragon species, weren¡¯t an exception either, as they typically took nearly a thousand years to grow and enter the transcendence realm. Humans could become Grand Masters or great mages in decades or centuries, depending on when they understood the meaning of nothingness. So, in comparison, the dragon¡¯s development rate was relatively slow. ¡®Well, that¡¯s not really the important point. The critical factor is that they ¡®will¡¯ reach transcendence if they don¡¯t die.¡¯ This was what made dragons so scary and absurd. They reproduced and grew slowly, but nevertheless, they were classified as a naturally-progressing transcendence species, encompassing all dimensions, because they could transcend by naturally aging. Although the human population across the universe numbered in the tens of billions, it was rare for a mere single transcendent to appear. On the other hand, dragons produced transcendents at an incomparable rate to other species, especially humans. Since dragons could become stronger with training, 100 dragons, which had been carefully selected from the various dragon tribes, obtained great power through harsh training and concentrated learning. These 100 dragons were often called War Dragons, and they enjoyed great prestige throughout the universe, as their abilities even intimidated the gods. ¡®Yet, that¡¯s why I¡¯m so confused.¡¯ Merlin frowned as he drank the tea prepared in a room about half the size of a typical classroom. Above his head was a status message that read in large gothic text. ¡®Why do they need users?¡¯ When he reached the pinnacle of the Seven Jewel school of study, the Six Star level, Merlin could access, absorb, and realize a greater amount of information regarding the universe, but he still felt puzzled. He already knew a lot of the information he was given. For instance, DIO wasn¡¯t a simple game but a reality that existed in another [Place], and its worldview was actually the truths of the universe that Earthlings desired so much. Furthermore, DIO was operated by the Union, but the Noblesse had the most control over it. He was also aware that Noblesse could easily do whatever they wished to something as big as a planet or solar system. ¡®Since the Noblesse are so formidable, shouldn¡¯t they be able to take care of their problems themselves?¡¯ However, the reality was that the Noblesse and the Union had created a virtual reality called DIO and threw users into it. There, users enjoyed hardcore training, which allowed them to progress their skills and abilities at an extraordinary pace. However, Merlin questioned whether this relatively minor development in a single [Universe] was ultimately worthwhile. ¡®Well, I should see the details of the mission first.¡¯ Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. After mostly finishing his preparations for battle, Merlin opened the quest window. [Mission: Escort Battle/Extraction/Team Play Time Limit: 24:59:55 Objective: Rescue survivors and repel the Infected. Description: The planet Ayan is currently being infected by the Grotesques. The survivors of this spreading infection have congregated in one area to mount a joint defense, but once a second wave hits, they will all perish. Hence, you are tasked with protecting as many survivors as possible and later eliminating the ultra-high-level space monsters, the Grotesques. Tip: Currently, only the first X-Belt wave has passed through the area. Once the second X-Belt wave occurs, the existing Infected will evolve to their second stage. It is in your best interest to eliminate as many Infected as possible before the second X-Belt wave arrives. The time remaining before the second X-Belt shows up is 11 minutes and 23 seconds. Secondary Objectives 1. Five to 500 gem points will be given for each Infected eliminated depending on the stage of the Infected¡¯s evolution, from the first to the fourth stage. 2. Five thousand to 10,000 gem points will be given for each Slayer that is eliminated.] ¡°Space monster, Grotesques¡­.¡± Grotesque, a spiritual parasite that existed as a space epidemic, was one of the main enemies that the [Union] was fighting in the physical universe. A Grotesque could possess a rank called King; these King Grotesque were enormous monsters amongst monsters, several dozen times the size of the sun. ¡°Are they planning on using us in an all-out assault against these space monsters?¡± Of course, it was impossible to overcome a King or Queen Grotesque with only the users¡¯ power. Let alone a King, even a Queen-rank Grotesque could annihilate every user in DIO. A Queen Grotesque alone was a transcendent being whose power was equivalent to that of a higher god. Hence, the Grotesque, as one of the Union¡¯s main enemy monsters, was a formidable force to contend against. ¡°However, considering that the secondary objectives only mentioned Slayer-rank Grotesques, it doesn¡¯t seem like a King or Queen will appear.¡± Grotesques were ranked from King to Queen, Lord, Slayer, and Infected, and each rank differed dramatically in strength. An Infected was made when an X-Belt passed and infected living beings. An X-Belt was also called a Black Wind, and it was a flow of charged particles created by a King-rank monster. Those who became infected either couldn¡¯t oppose the X-Belt¡¯s mental direction or didn¡¯t possess any resistance DNA against it. Thus, they succumbed to the effects of the X-Belt and became Infected Grotesque. The Infected were divided into four stages which depended on how many times they were exposed to the sweeping X-Belt. Initially, the first-stage Infected Grotesque had weak abilities and acted like zombies, but eventually, these first-stage Infected Grotesques would develop to a point comparable to a Level 9 user. On a normal planet, a Grotesque infection would typically annihilate every living being at this initial stage. A Slayer-ranked Grotesque, also known as a magic fighter, was an Infected Grotesque that evolved under difficult conditions to enter the fourth stage of evolution. These Slayers had a wide range of combat power, from Level 10 to 19, based on how long they lived as magic fighters, and their capabilities were comparable to mid or high-level demons. Generally, anytime a high-level Grotesque was mentioned, it was often in reference to this being. Lords, or beings called Overlords, were Grotesque that entered transcendence and acted as the ruling class. They were the children of a Queen, and they possessed powers similar to divine dragons or lesser gods. ¡°Hiding my skills and abilities¡­ probably won¡¯t make much sense in this scenario. If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯d be best to make my powers properly known.¡± Woong! A powerful magic field emerged from Merlin, and at the same time, his surroundings changed. Tap. Merlin found himself atop a building¡¯s roof. When he looked up at the sky, he saw a red-tinted sunset. When he noticed that the style of the buildings was similar to the architecture on Earth, Merlin surmised that the planet was at a similar stage of civilization. ¡°What are you? Where did you come from?¡± Merlin heard a startled, cautious voice from behind him, so he turned towards the speaker. He found a girl with short black hair but with western features staring back at him. ¡®A superpower human¡­ around Level 3 or 4.¡¯ After glancing at her, Merlin assessed the atmosphere and noticed that the flow and distribution of mana on the planet were stable. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like he would face any problems using magic. ¡°W-what are you?!¡± Boom! At that moment, an aggressive flow of mana flew towards Merlin, but its power was akin to a joke for Merlin, so he lightly deflected the attack. The level gap between the two was so significant that Merlin didn¡¯t even need to swing his arms. ¡°There¡¯s about ten minutes left before the second X-Belt wave. Though this isn¡¯t a solo quest, judging by her words and there being no signs of any users here, it appears we¡¯ve been scattered across the entire planet.¡± Merlin concluded that he¡¯d been placed in a random location absent of other users; however, he didn¡¯t feel any fear. He had gone through many level-up tests and had also finished plenty of missions. In a way, missions or level-up tests were an assessment of a user¡¯s ability to grasp a situation and to carry out a quest while being [Discarded] in an unknown place, so most high-level users were masters of survival and could fight alone. Ting! Merlin unleashed his sensory magic and looked around. The civilization was at the same level as Earth, but it had a completely different feeling. Considering that the architecture and clothing were like those seen on Earth, Merlin suspected that the planet developed with a similar history but had drastically changed course at some point. ¡®Is it because it¡¯s a world where spiritual power exists?¡¯ Even the girl screaming at the top of her lungs could wield spiritual power. Merlin recognized her spiritual powers as [Telekinesis], [Speech Ability], and [Telepathy]. ¡°How did you deflect my attacks so easily? I¡¯ve never seen a guy like you amongst the survivors.¡± ¡°Maybe you missed me?¡± In response to the casual reaction, the girl frowned deeply. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! You¡¯re wearing such a strange outfit, so how could I not have seen you! Are you a soldier?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a strange assessment. Why do you think I¡¯m a soldier when I¡¯m dressed like this?¡± ¡°Well, then, what are you?¡± ¡°A mage.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± The girl¡¯s expression seemed to show that she thought Merlin was speaking nonsense, but he didn¡¯t care. ¡®She sees me as a soldier because I have powerful skills, which means that spiritual talent and abilities must be relatively common in this world. Also, the building style around here looks like I¡¯m in a university.¡¯ From the results of his sensory magic, Merlin assessed that most of the humans within a three-kilometer radius were capable of wielding abilities. However, their spiritual powers weren¡¯t from systematic learning and training like Merlin and the other DIO users but rather originated from sensory abilities, something commonly called superpowers. In terms of level, most of the people around him were Level 1 to 3. In fact, the girl standing here was one of the more formidable people in the area. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you answering? Where the hell are you from-¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m busy.¡± He walked right past her and approached the edge of the rooftop. That¡¯s when Merlin saw¡­. ¡°Grr.¡± ¡°Woo, woohoo.¡± ¡°Kyak!¡± A mass of corpses, swarming like clouds, outside the school¡¯s sturdy walls. ¡°Ah, this scene¡­ I think I saw it in a movie a while back.¡± It was a sight that would have made even the most steadfast individuals breathless, but Merlin muttered his comments calmly. What he saw looked like a common scene in a modern zombie movie. A thick smell of blood hung in the air, but if one enjoyed horror movies, this sight and the sensory impact weren¡¯t too much to handle. ¡°Quiet Heaven.¡± Woong! When Merlin lightly whispered, a magic circle floated into the air and soon revealed a huge eagle with red feathers. No one would mistake the eagle for a normal creature, as it circulated a tangible aura around itself. Quiet Heaven soon flapped its wings and sat on Merlin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°What happened? You suddenly disappeared and- Where is this place?¡± Obviously, Quiet Heaven was confused about their strange surroundings, as he hadn¡¯t heard Tan¡¯s explanation or read the quest description. Though Quiet Heaven could logically presume that the DIO operators had taken Merlin away, Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t garner anything else beyond that guess. ¡°I need to do a mission because of certain circumstances. I¡¯ll be doing them for a while.¡± ¡°Then why is your expression so rotten? Wasn¡¯t that what you expected?¡± ¡°There¡¯s such a thing as the worst situation possible. Well, anyway¡­ There are eight minutes until the next X-Belt wave and the second stage of Grotesque evolution. I should hurry.¡± ¡°Second stage of Grotesque evolution?¡± ¡°Check the contents of the mission on your own.¡± Merlin had no intention of wasting time, and he summoned his Decian Bow with his gear change function. His pet, Quiet Heaven, could also call up the quest window whenever it wanted, so Merlin left Quiet Heaven to check the details of the quest rather than explaining it himself. Creek! With the sound of bending steel, a colossal load strained Merlin¡¯s arm. However, as Merlin''s stats were now much higher than before, he raised his mana capacity without much burden. Crunch! Merlin broke the magic crystals, which he had taken out in advance, and released the magic power contained within them. The outpouring of magic power was so enormous that the surrounding space seemed to become distorted. ¡°W-what is this? Is this... huh?!¡± Lee Minah, a girl with psychic superpowers, wasn¡¯t a mage or anything else within DIO¡¯s spiritual powers spectrum, and she screamed after sensing the immense spiritual power. Although she lived in a world with supernatural powers, there was an overwhelming difference between what Merlin was displaying and her understanding]. The disparity was like the contrast between civilizations at different stages, and in terms of developmental time, one could say that they were several centuries apart. ¡°Go.¡± Merlin drew back his Decian Bow using divine magic. He concluded that it¡¯d be best to utilize divine power in this type of situation, but because Merlin did not believe in the existence of God, he used the next best alternative he had at his disposal, magic power. CH 186 /The Moonlight of Artemis!/ A soft but clear silver light spread around the dark surroundings like a wave. The Infected, which were leaning against the vast outer wall, started screaming as soon as the light touched them. ¡°Kyak!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± As the light magic, based on divine magic, spread in all directions, the nearby walking corpses began to disintegrate while screaming bloody murder. Though, it was obvious that they were already dead. As the soul, which moved the physical body, was extinguished by the light magic, the body changed from one that moved with purpose and intent into a simple physical form without any direction. ¡°W-what?!¡± ¡°Emergency!¡± As they were surprised by the intense spiritual vibrations and screams, the gathered survivors began to run everywhere. There were nearly thousands of survivors in the area, but Merlin didn¡¯t care about their reaction. After all, they were not his main focus right now. ¡°Go.¡± /The Moonlight of Artemis!/ Two moons rose in the night sky. As the bodies of the corpses slammed into the high and sturdy wall after being exposed to Merlin¡¯s powerful divine magic, they began to burn. ¡°Hmm¡­ if I had made a few more of these magic crystals, it could have revealed the most efficient result.¡± Though he had only used two magic attacks, the effect was enormous. Tens of thousands of Infected were incinerated. Of course, they weren¡¯t entirely eradicated, so many of the injured corpses were getting up again. Still, they couldn¡¯t avoid taking any damage, resulting in them stumbling across the ground, unable to stand properly. Creek! Boom! Creek! Boom! Merlin climbed atop the roof railing and fired a streak of arrows before the spell had even ended. He didn¡¯t have much time. His [Intuition] was telling him that he should defeat at least one more enemy while he still had the chance. ¡°W-what is that? How are his arrows able to fly in a straight line and pierce them from so far?¡± ¡°Damn, he¡¯s sweeping away the zombies!¡± Dozens of people on the roof shouted in disbelief, but Merlin didn¡¯t pay them any attention. In the end, they¡¯d only meet on this mission, so he¡¯d probably never see them again. Hence, Merlin decided that he didn¡¯t need to be friendly with these people; he just had to do what it took to accomplish the mission. Creek! Bang! A roar rang out. When the Infected had recovered to some extent and started gathering around the wall again, Merlin moved to shoot his enchanted short spears. When the spears landed and embedded themselves in the ground, they started emitting red-colored lightning, and after one second, dozens of Infected were swept away. ¡°Wow, this is unbelievable! If things continue like this, he¡¯ll kill all the zombies in the area by the evening!¡± ¡°But who the hell is that guy? Besides, what¡¯s with that red cape and the big hat? Is he doing some sort of cosplay?¡± As the people shouted their comments and exclaimed in surprise, Merlin maintained his fighting pace. At this rate, he could kill all the Infected within two to three hours. After all, he had many arrows and enchanted short spears with recall magic placed on them, so as long as he had the strength to draw back his Decian Bow, he could massacre the enemies. Alas, ten minutes passed by in an instant. ¡°Sheesh. It¡¯s already time.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The girl standing behind Merlin made a puzzled expression as if she didn¡¯t understand what he was saying. What was it time for? However, at that moment, the countdown timer in the quest window hit zero. Ting. To be precise, there wasn¡¯t an actual sound. Yet, even so, Merlin felt a noise that made his head pound. An indescribable spiritual shock engulfed him from every direction. ¡°Ugh! T-this¡­ was this what you were referring to?!¡± ¡°Damn it! Why did this appear again?!¡± Even those with weak spiritual powers screamed as if they felt the vibration. Soon, their voices were filled with fear, as if they had experienced the wave before. ¡°Are people going to turn into zombies again? There were already few survivors from the start!¡± ¡°Everyone, go inside the building! It¡¯ll be troublesome if you stick together and the person next to you turns into a zombie!¡± After listening to those around him, Merlin realized that they were referring to the initial X-Belt wave, the first wave of infections. Many people had been living ordinary lives when they suddenly became Infected and attacked anyone nearby. So, after that experience, people were more cognizant this time around. However, if a difference between zombie movies and the current scene had to be pointed out, it was that the ¡®zombies¡¯ were the weakest variant of the Union¡¯s enemies, the Infected Grotesque. ¡®A spiritual command with coercive power¡­ that¡¯s what the X-Belt is. I guess this was the second wave?¡¯ The spiritual wave swept through the surroundings in an instant. It didn¡¯t hit a certain area; it affected the entire planet like a solar wind. ¡°Follow us! We¡­ are¡­ great!¡± ¡®Hmm, this¡­.¡¯ Naturally, the coercive order contained within the wave didn¡¯t work on Merlin due to his robust spiritual defenses. He wouldn¡¯t easily succumb and be affected by such a wide-range interference-type attack. Furthermore, when it came to one¡¯s mind and psyche, users were protected by a powerful barrier that even the gods recognized, commonly called the Marduk System. As such, users wouldn¡¯t be affected by this level of mental attack, even beginners at Level 1 or 2. In Merlin¡¯s case, his magic resistance stats were sufficient to easily deflect any negative effects. ¡°Ack. Ugh. D-damn it. It¡¯s over. I never expected this to happen again.¡± And it wasn¡¯t just users who were able to endure the wave. In fact, the first girl Merlin met also avoided the aftereffects, and the rest of the surviving humans managed to hold on as well. ¡®Does this mean that those who resisted the effects of the initial X-Belt will be able to do so for future waves?¡¯ The X-Belt, or Black Wind, was a kind of erosion-based attack that could be withstood if someone had a counter DNA strand, strong willpower, or spiritual resistance. In theory, it was normal to survive the second wave after an individual had made it through the first one. ¡°Damn it! We¡¯re done for¡­ ack?!¡± ¡°N-no¡­ Kyak!¡± However, not everything followed theoretical expectations. Many who had resisted the X-Belt were weakened from fighting the Infected for an extensive period, gradually getting tired and reaching their limits. At that moment, a new text appeared in Merlin¡¯s mind. /Infection rate is 27 percent! Of the 174,890 survivors, 47,220 have been infected!/ /The Infected from the initial wave have been exposed to another X-Belt! Infected are strengthened from Stage 1 to Stage 2!/ /Two hundred thirty-seven hours 23 minutes and 45 seconds until the arrival of the third X-Belt wave!/ ¡°Damn it! Kyungwon has changed and turned into one of them!¡± ¡°Be careful!¡± Shouts began to erupt from among the survivors, who were observing each other closely. One of the survivors¡¯ eyes abruptly rolled back as they began to attack the others. ¡°Stop.¡± Yet, just then, Merlin moved without any sound or forewarning and grabbed the Infected¡¯s head. The Infected tried to resist by swinging his arms with incredible force, but with a thumping sound, the Infected¡¯s body suddenly trembled and grew limp. ¡°Burn, Blue Spirit Flames.¡± Whoosh! As Quiet Heaven perched on Merlin¡¯s shoulder, its eyes lit up with a blue glow, and the Infected¡¯s body started burning. Once set on fire, the Infected seemingly lost all its strength and collapsed to the ground without dealing any damage. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re not even using divine power, but you can burn the soul¡¯s essence as if it were material. Is it based on a Dao magic principle?¡± ¡°Similar. Anyway, instead of focusing on these guys, don¡¯t you think those monsters over there will be a problem?¡± Boom! Boom! A roar rang out down below on the ground. There, a group of Infected with abnormally developed muscles were smashing the building that Merlin and the others were on. Every time the Infected slammed into the concrete wall, cracks appeared. ¡°W-what? The corpses have become stronger!¡± ¡°This is crazy! Our defenses are breaking!¡± The survivors, having hidden inside the building to avoid the numerous Infected, screamed as they saw the second stage Infected. They were overcome with terror since they had no other escape routes, but Merlin remained expressionless. ¡°The Level 2-like Infected became Level 4. Are they going to give me more experience points?¡± Not all of the initially Infected had evolved to the second stage. Of course, the ratio was relatively high, with around half of the initially Infected evolving. These Infected were probably the ones with above-average bodies amongst the humans that had inhabited this planet. ¡®About half of the Infected evolved to the second stage. The third wave will probably evolve less than half of the second stage Infected.¡¯ However, Quiet Heaven felt a bit wary of Merlin, who could slaughter the third stage Infected with ease. Regardless of the Infected¡¯s numbers, Merlin wasn¡¯t at risk, but the survivors were. ¡°There are a lot of them, so remain vigilant. I¡¯ll take care of the new Infected, so you take care of the ones rushing in from the outside.¡± Having said this, Quiet Heaven kicked off Merlin¡¯s shoulder and flew into the air; Quiet Heaven¡¯s body burned red as it started to shoot flame arrows here and there. The flame arrows accurately hit the new Infected among the gathered survivors. Since the newly infected were only in the first stage, Quiet Heaven could easily handle many of them. Creek! Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Merlin drew back his bow. The number of enemies in front of him was seemingly uncountable. ¡°This is just basic grinding,¡± Merlin murmured as he released his bowstring. *** Clang! As two blade strikes flashed, the Infected that were jumping in to break the door were torn to shreds. The Dual Sword-Wielding Master, Ohje, took a breath and looked back. Behind him, Scorpion, a dark magic user, was looking at his Beholder. ¡°Hey, how much time do we have left?¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost over. You alright?¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯m going to die!¡± Ohje yelled in a thoroughly exhausted voice, but his movements were still swift. This was from the powerful internal energy circulating throughout his body, helping him regain his energy. Adol was in the same situation, and he was a bit tired. Luckily, he hadn¡¯t taken any major wounds. ¡°W-who the hell are you people?¡± ¡°Hey, why are you asking so many questions?¡± Hanma grumbled as he brushed off the flesh of the Infected from his fists. After removing the Infected from the crowd of survivors, the party directed the survivors into an underground bunker; however, the party couldn¡¯t stop those who wanted to help defend from coming out. Undoubtedly, the dozen people who came aboveground couldn¡¯t do anything. They were quite strong, but the users who traveled to the planet Ayan were literally monsters that were more powerful than modern weapons- no, futuristic weapons of mass destruction. ¡°How could we¡­ not wonder? We do not know your identity, affiliation, or purpose for being here.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. We¡¯re just beings who don¡¯t want the human race here to perish.¡± Hanma made a fatigued expression, but he still had a friendly attitude. Since users have the [Good Deed] stat, they couldn¡¯t act however they wished unless their opponent attacked them first. Actually, if a user helped those in the mission and accumulated Karma points, they could receive various bonuses, so Hanma tried to be as friendly and accommodating as he could. ¡°Still, are you okay? To crush enemies with your bare hands¡­ If you get hurt by the zombies, you¡¯ll be infected by them.¡± ¡°Hahaha. Don¡¯t worry. In the first place, these guys¡­.¡± ¡°Growl!¡± At that moment, a second stage Infected jumped over the building and attacked the party. The Infected had a massive, deformed head, and it bit Hanma¡¯s side with its huge mouth. Kik! Kik! However, its sharp teeth couldn¡¯t penetrate Hanma¡¯s skin. The Infected slid off Hanma¡¯s side while a noise akin to someone scratching a steel plate with a nail sounded out. ¡°¡­ They can¡¯t hurt me!¡± CH 187 Crush! After smiling casually, Hanma raised his right hand and slammed it down on the Infected¡¯s body, squashing it in a manner akin to being squeezed by a massive press. ¡°Kyak!¡± This time, an Infected from outside attacked, targeting Adol. It was a surprise attack, but Adol merely sneered as his inhuman reflexes took over. ¡°So annoying.¡± Adol stepped forward and smashed the charging Infected with his large Tower Shield. For him, using his Shield Charge skill was as easy as breathing. The Infected was instantly crushed and, like it had been hit by a dump truck, bounced off the shield. Adol was already Level 13, so the Level 4-equivalent Infected was an insignificant opponent that he could kill in his sleep. ¡°Hmm, this is such a grind. They don¡¯t seem to have any brains or strategy; they¡¯re just rushing in to attack. Killing them is easy, but the experience points they give are nice. Dang¡­ I never thought I¡¯d wipe out 3,000 of them in one area.¡± Hanma grumbled his complaints after hearing Adol¡¯s words. ¡°Ah, I really don¡¯t understand. Why is a Level 15 user required for a mission like this?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that because there¡¯s something called a Slayer in the quest? However, if we have our wits about us and don¡¯t go crazy, why would we ever wait for an Infected to evolve into the third stage, let alone become a Slayer?¡± As the battle came to an end, the party members gathered and started chatting. They wondered if more enemies would come soon, but there was no sign of anything imminent, so they just remained on standby. Yet, at that moment¡­. Boom! The space began to [Rip] with a noise akin to a blackboard being scratched but a hundredfold louder. A dimensional rift was forming. ¡°Prepare for combat!¡± ¡°Is the real thing coming this time?!¡± Ohje circulated his internal energy into his twin swords, and Scorpion started chanting a spell. Experienced in battle, the party members didn¡¯t wait for their enemy to arrive. Woong! Pop! With a heavy sound, Scorpion¡¯s spell, a deathly wave, hit the vast snake that stuck its head out from the torn space. However, the snake had thick skin commensurate to its immense size, so it flinched but wasn¡¯t seriously injured. ¡°Kyak! Who are you guys?! And why have you killed all my young children! They were only at the second stage of evolution!¡± The giant snake was furious. There was no need for Slayers to appear on a planet with such a trifling level of civilization, but the number of Infected had dramatically decreased in an instant, eventually dropping to one-tenth of its original size. Thus, a Slayer-ranked snake hurriedly traveled through space to see the situation. ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± Of course, Ohje had no intention of conversing with the enemy, and he dug into the Slayer¡¯s side and cut its torso. Due to the Slayer¡¯s durable body, his sword couldn¡¯t pierce through the snake¡¯s skin, but since he struck with sword qi, the outer layer of skin was marked. ¡°What¡¯s the snake¡¯s level?¡± ¡°Around Level 15, give or take one! It seems to have high physical resistance, but I don¡¯t know what else!¡± ¡°I guess we¡¯ll find out once we slap it around a few times!¡± Swoosh. After shouting, Hanma put his fingers on the floor and took a starting pose as if he was a sprinter waiting for a signal. In preparation, his thigh muscles swelled greatly, and steam rose from his body. ¡°Eight Ways of Fighting.¡± Hanma was using a technique that Dongyun, the werebear knight who fought the players in the past, had displayed. Any life force practitioner could use this ability. The technique compressed the user¡¯s muscles to a certain limit and launched their body as if a spring were underneath them. It was initially created to give a headbutt greater momentum, but once the user¡¯s body developed to a certain level, they could output extreme destructive force by treating themselves like a bullet, nearly reaching the speed of sound. Moreover, Hanma had undoubtedly caught up, if not already surpassed, the Dongyun of the past! ¡°Earthly Thunder Strike.¡± Whoosh! Bam! Hanma surpassed the speed of sound for a moment, so compressed air burst out and emitted a whistling noise. A bullet was only ten to 20 grams, and it contained a formidable lethal force if it exceeded the speed of sound. So, it went without saying that the 192-centimeter-tall Hanma, a fully-grown young man who weighed 120 kilograms, was an imposing weapon. ¡°Eh?!¡± The colossal snake contorted and flew into the air from the unexpected attack. Its huge body, nearly 70 meters long, was airborne for several dozen meters before it crashed into a building, destroying the structure as it rolled and tumbled across the ground. ¡°It¡¯s not as strong as I thought!¡± ¡°Great. Then hit it!¡± ¡°Y-you¡­ bastards!!¡± The Slayer emitted an extremely high-temperature heat wave with a deafening scream, but Adol negated the attack by lifting his Tower Shield. Adol didn¡¯t simply build a physical barrier but also completely blocked the heat wave with the magic effects and internal energy applied to his shield. Furthermore, Scorpion, Ohje, and Hanma had hidden behind him, so they didn¡¯t take a single point of damage. Thus, within a short period of time, they were already preparing for their next attack. Their movements operated like clockwork without any need for conversation or orders. ¡°May you be cursed¡­ you big, fat snake!¡± Although Scorpion¡¯s spell chant wasn¡¯t too formal, his magic spell chant and magic power distribution were executed perfectly, causing a daunting dark magic spell to seep into the Slayer¡¯s body. Whoosh! Next, Ohje slashed out with his dual swords and weakened the snake¡¯s skin once more. Deep marks were left on the leathery skin, which had once again deflected the hits. As veteran users who had fought many battles and countless enemies, the party members had formulated a strategic [Method] to combat their enemy. A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. ¡°Die!¡± At that moment, the enraged Slayer raised its head. If it were a small snake, this action wouldn¡¯t have caused any secondary effects. However, since the Slayer was over 70 meters long, when it raised its head upright, it exuded tremendous pressure. It looked as if a towering building had suddenly appeared before the party. Woong! Naturally, the Slayer, which evolved after completing the Infected¡¯s four stages of evolution and met various special conditions, wasn¡¯t just huge but a veteran amongst veterans. In terms of fighting power, it was comparable to a seasoned fighter who had felled an innumerable number of high-level demons. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Oh, damn it, we got caught up- uh!¡± The moment the Slayer¡¯s eyes flashed red, Hanma momentarily lost his resistance, and Ohje, Scorpion, and even Adol were all affected by the Slayer¡¯s gaze as well, suffering a devastating blow. The Slayer¡¯s Magic Eye was strong enough to pierce their spiritual barriers. Yet, what made the situation fatal wasn¡¯t the Slayer¡¯s Magic Eyes but the fact that they had stopped moving. Whoosh! Once the users stopped, the Slayer launched its massive head at them like a lightning bolt striking the ground¡­ it wasn¡¯t just a simple headbutt. ¡°Shoot! The gravity also changed! It¡¯s only about five times stronger, but¡­.¡± The players were suppressed and immobilized by the Slayer¡¯s Magic Eye, and if the Slayer slammed its head on them now, their lives would be in immediate danger. The five-fold increase in gravity wasn¡¯t difficult to resist, but if the monster simultaneously attacked at high speeds, the impact would inevitably exceed thousands of tons. ¡°Adol!¡± ¡°I know. Damn it! Activate Divine Weapon, Aegis!¡± Instantly, a silver light flashed from Adol¡¯s body, and the Magic Eye that had been suppressing him was released. Adol then raised the iron shield, which was as large as his entire body, above him. His divine weapon was named Aegis after the shield carried by Athena, the Goddess of War, and was an absolute barrier that deflected the malicious features of all concepts held within an attack. ¡®Actually, it would have been better if I had activated my Master Skill as well.¡¯ If Adol had done so, he could¡¯ve inflicted a fatal blow on the enemy beyond the counterattack, but unfortunately, his Master Skill took several tens of seconds to cast, so it was impossible for Adol to use it in a critical moment during a battle. Therefore, Adol hastily placed his Tower Shield behind Aegis. It wasn¡¯t effective to take such a cumbersome action while fighting, but since the enemy was attacking from above, putting Aegis on top of his Tower Shield would amplify the effects of his Tower Shield¡¯s spells. ¡°Heavenly¡­ Maneuver! Counter-Strike!¡± A blue aura emanated from the Tower Shield. Additionally, Adol injected his internal energy into Aegis to activate his special ability, Heavenly Maneuver, Counter-Strike. Clang! The Slayer¡¯s head, which had slammed down onto Adol¡¯s shield and created a shockwave so violent that the surrounding space seemed to shake, bounced up violently like a rubber ball that collided with an immovable wall. ¡°What?!¡± The Slayer screamed at the unbelievable result stemming from such a little guy¡¯s defense, having expected to deal a colossal blow to its target. The resulting impact was so great that its Magic Eye effects were naturally broken. Moreover, the Slayer briefly lost control of its body because of the injuries it had sustained. The wounds were so extensive that the Slayer would likely need an entire month of recovery time to return to its prime, healthy state. Yet, the users, now free from the Magic Eye¡¯s oppressive force, had no intention of allowing the Slayer to recover. ¡°Activate Divine Weapon, Splinter.¡± Two dark swords appeared in Ohje¡¯s hands. It was Ohje¡¯s Master Weapon, which amplified the power of his swords and the damage inflicted on the enemy with its inherent divine power. In truth, Ohje¡¯s Divine Weapon lacked a bit of flair and splendor and did not have a powerful [One Shot]-type attack that other Divine Weapons featured. However, what Ohje gave up in looks was made up in the [Extreme Practicality] of his Divine Weapon. Unlike other users¡¯ Divine Weapons, his appeared as soon as he called upon it, and the effects of his weapon started immediately. His Divine Weapon didn¡¯t contain a particular lethal skill, but it could be summoned and used for a long time since it didn¡¯t consume any [Durability]. Though he couldn¡¯t activate any special ultimate moves, the general effects of his Divine Weapon were extremely powerful. In addition to his Divine Weapon, Ohje also activated his Master Skill and started his ultimate move. ¡°Final Crescent.¡± His Master Skill was also a practical skill, as it emitted a crescent-shaped sword qi without the need for any casting time or preparatory motions, dramatically lowering his opponent¡¯s resistance abilities and defenses. However, combining his Master Skill with his ultimate move would damage his weapon based on the force he applied to the swords, and unlike the nature of his Master Skill, his ultimate skill was a [One Shot]-type attack. Also, since the range of his ultimate skill wasn¡¯t too wide, he was essentially screwed if his enemy managed to evade. If a weapon and skill were both extremely efficient, the power and force behind them would inevitably suffer. Due to his sword technique¡¯s rapid summoning and casting time, the added efficiency meant that he had to give up on other aspects. However, when the effects were superimposed in the optimal situation and timing, the result could go beyond any imagination. Boom! A huge silver crescent moon passed through the Slayer¡¯s head. The Slayer¡¯s body, shaped like a giant snake, was so thick that even four adult men couldn¡¯t encircle it with their arms interlinked. Yet, Ohje¡¯s silvery sword qi strike cut the snake¡¯s neck as easily as a hot knife cutting through butter before immediately disappearing. Bam! The Slayer collapsed with a heavy thud. Of course, the result was instant death. After expending such an extensive amount of internal energy in one go, Ohje¡¯s Divine Weapon immediately disappeared, and he grumbled and complained. ¡°Ah, in the end, I eventually had to use it. The cooldown is a whole week in real-time¡­ but I only used it in-game for five seconds.¡± ¡°Still, that ultimate skill of yours is quite strong. Its combat power is comparable to a high-level demon, but it can kill your opponent in an instant. Also, isn¡¯t your Master Skill more effective on humanoid targets rather than monsters?¡± It had been seven months in real time since DIO had opened its service. Most of the early Masters, often called pioneers, had already evolved their Master Weapons. Of course, once used, the cooldown period between uses was extremely lengthy, so observers couldn¡¯t fully grasp what kind of Divine Weapon another Master had. However, these party members had fought together for a long time, so they knew the characteristics of each other¡¯s Divine Weapon. ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m so tired.¡± ¡°Damn bastard. You didn¡¯t even use your Divine Weapon or Master Skills, so stop complaining.¡± ¡°Ah, why~ I mean, I¡¯m having a hard time because I used Eight Ways of Fighting. My stomach churns whenever I use that skill to reinforce and strengthen my body.¡± The party members conversed and complained even though the survivors were looking at them as if they were monsters. The rest of the users frowned as the giant man-child continued to complain. For the survivors, the whole scene was surreal, and it made the observers feel as if they were having a nightmare. /The Slayers location has been detected! Fifteen minutes and 12 seconds until the next dimensional rift opens!/ The party members¡¯ faces hardened at the message that suddenly appeared in their minds. Hanma grumbled. ¡°What the hell¡­ the first attack didn¡¯t even give us a countdown. I wonder if the next Slayer will be around the same level¡­.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad they gave us a countdown this time. I can activate my Master Skill before it appears.¡± ¡°Ah, if a Slayer comes out three more times, my Master Skill capacity will run out, and the number of times I can use my magic weapons will be exhausted¡­ I¡¯m done for at that point¡­.¡± The users began to rest for the next battle. And then, suddenly, a question popped into Adol¡¯s mind. ¡°I wonder how the other teams are faring?¡± CH 188 ¡°Kyak. Oof!¡± The Slayer had charged forth with a scream when it was flung into the air with a deafening boom. The origin of the explosion was Bruce Wayne¡¯s gun muzzle, which had easily deflected the enemy¡¯s attack. Indeed, as an item purchased for 21,500 gold, or 1.3 billion won, Bruce¡¯s Peacemaker III boasted tremendous firepower; however, Jeros complained, as his chant had been interrupted and his spell canceled. ¡°Dang it, get the aggro right! My spell chant was interrupted and canceled again!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ hmm. Sorry, I guess? I mean, we don¡¯t have any tanks¡­.¡± ¡°Ugh! Why was our team formed like this? If they weren¡¯t going to give us Adol, they should have at least had Hanma in our party!¡± At the start of the mission, the party was organized as a singular group, but after they arrived on the planet Ayan, the party members were randomly scattered everywhere. Since Jeros¡¯ destructive AOE attack needed a protracted period to focus on his magic design, he wasn¡¯t amused at the absence of a tank. The initial party was divided into two groups: Ohje, Scorpion, Adol, and Hanma were in one group, with Ilya, Bruce, Jeros, and Lancelot in another. The only exceptions were Cruze, Arthur, and Merlin, who were also on the planet and in the party but weren¡¯t part of any group. ¡°Dang it! I¡¯m just going to fight using quick spells! Ice Spear!¡± In response to the enemy¡¯s constant attacks, Jeros eventually gave up on his advanced spells and focused on the three spells that he could cast immediately, namely Fire Ball, Thunder, and Ice Spear. Amongst these options, Jeros opted to use Ice Spear. He¡¯d used these spells when he was in the lower levels, so he had essentially mastered them and could activate the spells just by shouting their activation words. Furthermore, Jeros could compress the activation words themselves; so, instead of saying ¡®Ice Spear,¡¯ he could just yell ¡®Ice.¡¯. ¡°Another face-to-face confrontation¡­ there doesn¡¯t seem to be any assassination-type missions these days.¡± While grumbling, Ilyia melted into the darkness. Fortunately, the day was getting dark as evening fell, so the light levels were advantageous for Ilyia¡¯s stealth ability. Whoosh! Lancelot was at the front of the party, and he changed his position in a timely manner and continued stabbing. Unlike the giant snakes that appeared individually for Adol and his party, the Slayers that appeared here were a large number of Grotesque space monsters in the Level 10 to 13 range, so Jeros¡¯ group of four was constantly fighting in a frantic manner. Even though they weren¡¯t in danger, they had to work hard to defeat the swarm of monsters. If one of the group¡¯s flanks collapsed, the entire formation would break down in an instant. ¡®Everyone¡¯s gotten stronger. They reached the Master Level after I did, but they¡¯ve already overtaken me.¡¯ Lancelot laughed bitterly as he looked at the other users. However, he wasn¡¯t at a loss, as he had predicted this eventuality long ago. At that time, Lancelot resolved to walk his own path at his own pace. However, after seeing the others, Lancelot became curious about something. ¡®How much have they developed?¡¯ As he wondered about the levels the others had reached, Lancelot continued to jab his spear outward at the oncoming enemies over and over. *** Brr! Brr! ¡°Ack! Ack! You bitch!¡± ¡°Ugh, stop talking and just die already. Why are all of you so tough?¡± Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Cruze held a submachine gun in both hands and continuously fired bullets at the Slayer, a monster with a dozen legs. After the Slayer emerged from a newly-formed dimensional rift, it was immediately met by anti-electron missiles, and afterward, it was faced with Cruze¡¯s current barrage. ¡°My King! Give me the truth of the world!¡± As the Slayer shouted, the entire space reverberated, and invisible energy suppressed Cruze. When she unleashed her aura to reset, the Slayer¡¯s suppressive energy shattered easily. Boom! Cruze¡¯s aura seemed trivial at first glance, but it was actually an illusion-based attack. The initial strike caused a chain reaction of truly terrifying explosions to occur. Not far away, the Slayer, which was caught in the consecutive blasts, curled up with its dozen legs to cushion the impact and minimize damage. ¡°Keke. That was dangerous. You¡¯re an unexpectedly troublesome girl-¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t realized that you¡¯re already dead, huh?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Zing. In an instant, a ray of light flashed passed the Slayer¡¯s body, causing it to collapse instantly. When the dust settled at the center of the explosions, a Gigas, a bipedal weapon standing about five meters tall and wearing red gloves, could be seen. Whirl¡­. The Gigas, which was made from aura power, vanished, and Cruze appeared in its place, plopped on the ground. While controlling her overheating aura power, Cruze sighed. ¡°Damn it. They¡¯re only Level 15, but why is it so hard to defeat them? Maintaining the Gigas for an extended period is so draining.¡± Cruze had been stuck at Level 16 for quite a while after meeting a barrier in her developmental progress. Yet, her roadblock was different from Arthur¡¯s or Lancelot¡¯s. ¡°Ah, I feel like I can overcome it if I work a little harder¡­ if I meditate for four hours a day, I think I can somehow overcome it.¡± However, the thought of working hard only lasted for a fleeting moment. Even if she set aside time to sit down and focus on self-development, her mind would soon grow distracted. Basically, Cruze was lazy. If Lancelot had immense will and fortitude yet ordinary talent, Cruze had extreme talent but a lazy work ethic. Even an average student could rise through their school¡¯s standings if they studied consistently for three years, yet this rarely happened for most people. This was what Cruze was facing, a self-constructed barrier stemming from her own laziness and lack of consistent effort. ¡°No, even if I don¡¯t immediately improve, I¡¯m still at the peak echelon amongst all the users in DIO, right? Many national organizations have sought my assistance, too.¡± Cruze preferred comfort over hard work. When others showered her with attention and support, she became unmotivated and complacent. If it hadn¡¯t been for Arthur and Merlin, Cruze likely would¡¯ve become content with her accomplishments long ago. If not for them, it was improbable that she¡¯d have reached Level 15 or even Level 14. /Slayers have been detected! Twenty-five minutes and 12 seconds until the next dimensional rift opens!/ Cruze frowned when she read the new pop-up message. ¡°So annoying¡­.¡± *** ¡°Die!¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to.¡± Arthur received the Slayer¡¯s spewing heat attack with his Draconic Sword, Dustin. The wave of heat spun around Dustin before being [Reflected] back to the Slayer. Boom! ¡°Kyak!¡± After its attack was reflected, the Slayer grabbed its flaming head and ran around aimlessly like a headless chicken. Once the Slayer managed to extinguish the fire, it attacked Arthur with a fist full of red energy. ¡°Soul Swordsmanship.¡± ¡°Hahaha! Did you think that would work against a punch- Kyak?!¡± When the Slayer¡¯s outstretched fist touched Arthur¡¯s sword, the kinetic energy was instantly [Reflected]. Actually, the reflected attack moved slightly faster than the punch¡¯s original speed. Just like how Arthur developed Bursting Sword Light from the Dispersing Sword Light Technique, he trained the Bright Tai Chi Sword technique to the extreme and created Soul Swordsmanship. Based on the Bright Tai Chi Sword¡¯s aura reflection property, Arthur had developed a skill to reflect [All Energy] back at his opponent. Crackle! The lightning emitted by the Slayer was reflected and returned. Bang! When the Slayer swung its tail, the kinetic energy of the formidable tail attack was sent back. Boom! The Slayer tried to defend itself by putting up a barrier, but as soon as Arthur¡¯s sword came in contact with the shield, the power that comprised the barrier became a set of spears that stabbed its creator. From the Slayer¡¯s point of view, this entire predicament was maddening. ¡°Hey! Stop using that skill, cheater!¡± ¡°I¡¯m using a skill that I¡¯ve worked hard on developing, so how is that cheating?¡± Arthur smirked as he imbued his internal energy into Dustin. As a battle that would eventually end with one side¡¯s death, the fight should have been a bit more intense, but, tragically for the Slayer, Masters had nerves of steel, having experienced constant combat in their daily lives. Most Masters would easily laugh while standing next to a mutilated corpse. ¡°It¡¯s kind of fun to fight against a weak opponent every once in a while.¡± ¡°W-what¡­ a weak opponent?¡± The Slayer growled, but Arthur didn¡¯t blink. No, rather, he looked at his opponent with pity in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I must kill you like this, but I hope you don¡¯t feel too embarrassed. You didn¡¯t live a good life anyway, right?¡± Of course, users from the modern world were not accustomed to harming and killing anyone or anything. In fact, low-level users avoided catching rabbits since they felt it was too cruel. However, DIO¡¯s users were protected by DIO¡¯s mental protection system, so, like everything else in the world, users became accustomed after repeated exposure. Though they may not feel or recognize it themselves, the Master Level users¡¯ worldviews and mindsets were developing into their own fairly unique direction. ¡°Goodbye.¡± Arthur, already a skilled warrior, struck down with his sword. CH 189 ¡°Hey¡­ who are you?¡± Minah asked after Merlin cleared the Infected from the area and also dealt with the series of Slayers which followed. She was the first survivor that Merlin had met after materializing on planet Ayan. Everyone else was too cautious and scared to go near him, as he seemed like a god in their eyes. Though the survivors all possessed special talents and spiritual powers, the abilities themselves and how they used them couldn¡¯t stand against Merlin. Essentially, Merlin was a being cut from a completely different cloth. ¡°In simple terms, I¡¯m a fixer, a problem solver.¡± ¡°Where are you from?¡± At her question, Merlin looked up into the sky. Minah flinched. ¡°You¡¯re from outer space? You¡¯re an alien?¡± ¡°An alien¡­ you can say that. I¡¯m definitely not from this planet.¡± Merlin wasn¡¯t the only one that found DIO a bit weird. The game¡¯s operators and developers didn¡¯t seem to be hiding the fact that DIO wasn¡¯t a normal game anymore, and as more Master Level users appeared, a larger portion of the user base began to question DIO¡¯s origins and how it related to reality. However, Merlin knew more than any of the other users. In truth, even if he only had a little information, Merlin could logically surmise the overall structure due to his affinity for deduction and reasoning. Moreover, he was an advanced mage that could peer into the [Knowledge of the Universe]. ¡°So, you¡¯re really an alien? Then, do you know where these monsters are from-¡± ¡°I can only answer up to here.¡± When Merlin cut her off sharply, Minah couldn¡¯t continue her line of questioning. Though Minah was exceptionally pretty and physically attractive, as she was a sort of celebrity here, Merlin didn¡¯t give her any attention because they¡¯d never meet again after he completed the mission. Merlin wasn¡¯t aware of this, but planet Aya was several hundred million light years away from Earth. ¡®Sickening.¡¯ Merlin stood against a wall and closed his eyes, remembering the image of Miho within the glass tube. ¡®I can¡¯t do anything. My access to information is limited as well. I¡¯m like a monkey dancing on Buddha¡¯s palm.¡¯ Furthermore, even if he continued doing missions and gathered enough gem points to bring Miho back, there was no guarantee that she¡¯d be the same. Her memory could have been erased, or she could be another existence that only looked like Miho. In the worst case, she might be a spy put in place to monitor his every move. Of course, as an advanced mage, Merlin could think of solutions to any problem, but what could he possibly do to those who had created the transcendent-like system that was DIO? Creak. ¡°Is it time already?¡± As he felt a disturbance wave in the surrounding spiritual environment, Merlin opened his eyes and stood. However, instead of finding any Slayers, Merlin saw Quiet Heaven approach him. Until now, the bird was flying around and helping the survivors. ¡°Wait, the aura this time feels different,¡± Quiet Heaven murmured. Quiet Heaven chanted a few holy words and covered its body with a red-colored spiritual qi while Merlin turned his head and spoke to Minah. ¡°Go underground. I sense something extremely dangerous approaching.¡± ¡°Huh? B-but, if it¡¯s a dangerous enemy, then we should all pull together and-¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying you can help?¡± When Merlin looked at her with an expression that seemed to state she shouldn¡¯t continue speaking nonsense, Minah flinched and took a step back. However, when she realized what she¡¯d done after Merlin gave her a condescending look, she grew angry. ¡°Hey! I¡¯m being considerate, alright-¡± ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± Boom! A space in the air split and a huge steel door emerged. At first, Merlin thought it was an oddly-shaped Slayer. The Slayers weren¡¯t regular living beings, and they came in many different shapes and sizes. Yet, the steel door wasn¡¯t a Slayer. It was truly a door. ¡°Hmm? I don¡¯t feel good about this,¡± Quiet Heaven commented. ¡°I feel the same way. I should break the door.¡± Merlin immediately shot a magic bullet at the door. Since the door had appeared, something must be emerging from it, and in this situation, there was no chance it¡¯d be friendly. So, Merlin wanted to destroy the door in advance, but before he could, two Slayers materialized on either side of the door and blocked Merlin¡¯s attack. ¡°Hahaha. I guess this is the user they were talking about. We received the news late, so you¡¯ve been able to deal quite some damage to our forces.¡± ¡°Union bastards¡­ they¡¯re using all sorts of tricks now, aren¡¯t they.¡± The new Slayers were terrifying beings who were comparable to advanced demons and angels at Level 14 to Level 16. Masters who fought these monsters for missions could stand up to them with no issue, whether it be alone or in a group. However, if one of these existences showed up on Earth, it would easily devastate and ruin an entire nation before it was handled. Since there were two of these monsters, even Merlin had to be vigilant, and he was a member of the group popularly known as the Heaven Above the Heavens. ¡®Well, this is unpleasant.¡¯ Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Yet, Merlin wasn¡¯t focused on the two Slayers. He didn¡¯t approve of the developing situation because he guessed that the door and this new enemy did not show up for the other users. It seemed that the management team, the Noblesse, were testing him. ¡®What are they trying to test? My overall power level¡­ Combat power? No. They would already know those things about me¡­ my tendencies? My mental state?¡¯ Merlin wasn¡¯t sure what the management team was aiming for, but he didn¡¯t like any of the possible theories he came up with. Alas, regardless of his dislike, he could not prevent the situation. ¡®How displeasing.¡¯ As Merlin muttered, one of the two Slayers stepped forward to face him. The Slayer was in human form, but in contrast to a typical human, he had ten pairs of arms and gray skin. ¡°Fufufu. To be honest, I don¡¯t understand why two ¡®Numbered¡¯ Slayers like us need to be mobilized to fight such a lowly being. I suppose it¡¯s because there are a lot of us Numbered.¡± Clank! Clank! Ten black swords suddenly popped up in the air, and the Slayer used all of the hands from one side of its body to grab them. Soon, it started to move freely, creating a bloody sword wind. ¡°Hahaha! Good! Shall we dance then, human!¡± The Slayer¡¯s eyes burst with an overflowing sense of madness. The Slayer was a murderous executioner who had slaughtered countless living things, living on others¡¯ pain and sorrow as if it were food. Even if someone had a firm will, once they met the Slayer¡¯s gaze, they would¡¯ve collapsed in fear. Yet, Merlin just laughed. ¡°What the hell are you blabbering about, you handicapped SOB.¡± Bam. An almost imperceptible sound was heard. It sounded like a saturated sponge being lightly tapped with the palm of one¡¯s hand. However, after it briefly felt itself lose control of its body, the Slayer looked down at its chest. There, it saw a deep palm print. Like an explosive weapon that inflicted physical damage, Merlin had forcefully penetrated his opponent¡¯s body and inputted his own energy into his opponent to cause Qigong Deviation. It was similar to Penetration Power in that it bypassed the enemy¡¯s defense and inflicted enormous internal physical damage like the Great Strength Vajra Hand. Moreover, since this attack could be used over a long distance, it also had properties of the Great Tantra Hand. If any martial artist had seen this attack, their mind would¡¯ve fallen into disarray. The ability used numerous martial art principles, but at the same time, it was nothing like them. That attack was the culmination of the true meaning of Strike, which Merlin realized after seeing Lancelot¡¯s stab attack. ¡°¡­ Huh, what is this?¡± Merlin answered the groaning Slayer¡¯s question. ¡°This is the apex principle that cannot be understood, defended against, or avoided¡­.¡± A Woong sound rang out in the area. ¡°¡­ I call it the Irrational Hand Strike.¡± Boom. As soon as Merlin finished speaking, a ghastly shock pierced through the palm print on the Slayer¡¯s chest and exploded out its back. Merlin had amplified ten years of internal energy into 20 years through Mercury, 40 years through Venus, and then 80 years through Earth. Eventually, his initial ten years were amplified to 160 years once it passed Merlin¡¯s fourth planet, Mars. In other words, the power behind his strike was nearly three full cycles of internal energy. Three cycles of internal energy was a monstrous amount to release in a single blow, so the Slayer¡¯s internal body was ravaged beyond recognition. Of course, the Slayer had strong defensive abilities, both physically and spiritually, but Merlin¡¯s strike broke through every single one. Clang! All ten swords fell to the ground as the Slayer collapsed, and at that moment, Merlin¡¯s two spirits, Younghwi and Shining, retrieved the blades and put them into Merlin¡¯s inventory. After watching the unfolding scene in a leisurely manner, the remaining Slayer shot up in surprise. ¡°H-hey you!¡± ¡°Penetrate through.¡± However, the Decian Bow abruptly appeared in Merlin¡¯s hands. When Merlin cracked a yellow topaz, a terrifying electric shock reverberated around the area. /Lightning Blade of Zeus!/ Rumble! Lightning struck down. Of course, the Slayer couldn¡¯t avoid the sword of lightning, which moved at the speed of light. It was one of Merlin¡¯s howling spells, the strongest Howling spell that he had for use against an individual opponent. ¡°T-this is absurd¡­.¡± With a moan, the Slayer¡¯s body turned to powder and scattered. Merlin mumbled as he swapped out his bow with a gear change. ¡°What a waste. It takes so much time to make these magic stones.¡± The best-case scenario was killing both Slayers with his Irrational Hand Strike, but unlike his first planet Mercury, which could always be used, his second planet Venus required a cooldown of half a second, and the cooldown was even longer for his third planet, Earth, clocking in at 30 seconds. Mars, Merlin¡¯s fourth planet, required a cooldown of about 15 minutes. This sudden increase in cooldown time was because Merlin¡¯s No Living World system entered a kind of discharge state after amplifying his internal energy through all four planets. Even after his system became stable, if Merlin continued to utilize his four-planet system, the cooldown would grow longer and longer. Basically, his hand skill could be used as a surprise attack or one ultimate attack; it couldn¡¯t be used multiple times in one sitting. Most importantly, Merlin¡¯s blood vessels screamed in pain whenever such a massive amount of internal energy passed through his system. If he used that attack three times in a row, all of his blood vessels would be torn apart. Creak! The door began to slowly open while emitting a loud noise. As he noticed this, Merlin placed his hand on the door. ¡°I¡¯m not some main character of a special-effects film, so there¡¯s no need to watch this while standing idly by.¡± Crack! Crackle! The surrounding mana was rearranged under Merlin¡¯s control and soon began to erode the gate¡¯s spiritual code pattern. Merlin¡¯s ability to interpret and manipulate spiritual characters was already beyond common sense, so in just ten seconds, the door started collapsing. Although Merlin was curious about what being would emerge from the door, as two Level 15 Slayers accompanied it as guardians, he didn¡¯t feel that it was necessary to know. ¡°There¡¯s no need to prolong the battle. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m a crazy fiend addicted to fighting.¡± Thus, Merlin led with the most formidable method he had, a technique that could be called his signature special move. If he slowly revealed his strength by fighting in moderation and used this attack later, the enemy would grow aware of his overall power and could possibly block his attack. For this reason, Merlin used his signature move without hesitation from the start, and due to this, he successfully killed the enemy who¡¯d been looking down on him, needing only one blow. Merlin¡¯s Irrational Hand Strike and the Lightning Blade of Zeus were both techniques that didn¡¯t require time to activate, so his targets wouldn¡¯t have time to prepare. Crack. The door collapsed under the pressure of Merlin¡¯s magic power. The metal door, which was protected by a special ability, couldn¡¯t be easily damaged by normal attacks or force, but it was inevitably crushed by Merlin¡¯s magic, as he had already understood the door¡¯s spiritual code pattern. The door creaked as it tried to somehow open, but the pressure pushing on it increased at a rate faster than what it could handle, and the door broke in half. ¡°N-no way!¡± The shout caused the surrounding air and space to waver. The heavy, bloody cry was strong enough to crush a being¡¯s soul, but Merlin calmly replied. ¡°Yes, way.¡± Crack! Finally, the door completely shattered. The warp gate that the door represented, which connected to an unknown location, was closed alongside the destruction. ¡°Wow, something terrifying was coming¡­ but you resolved and cleared that up fairly quickly.¡± Merlin nodded after hearing Quiet Heaven¡¯s comments. Quiet Heaven had been flying around the survivors and guarding them, and it now flew towards Merlin. ¡°Also, I got some good stuff.¡± ¡°Good stuff?¡± When Quiet Heaven cocked its head, Merlin bent down and grabbed the door, which had become a hunk of scrap metal. Since Merlin¡¯s magic power could crush it, the door wasn¡¯t made from a particularly durable metal, but it emanated strange energy. Merlin couldn¡¯t figure out what type of metal it was or its properties. ¡°Fly into the air to an invisible place. My sanctuary¡­.¡± As Merlin chanted and cast his spell, a space opened, and soon, the scrap metal vanished. As it saw this, Quiet Heaven made a puzzled expression. ¡°Why did you put it in a subspace instead of your inventory?¡± ¡°I have my reasons.¡± Merlin made this decision because DIO¡¯s management would notice as soon as the item had entered his inventory. Quiet Heaven had seen Merlin grab the material, so it could leak the information to DIO¡¯s management, or the management team could be monitoring him through other means, but Merlin didn¡¯t fret, as he had to work through everything in a gradual manner. ¡°Is it over now?¡± Quiet Heaven asked. Merlin used Enhanced Eyesight to scan his surroundings. Not a single Infected or Slayer was nearby. By all accounts, the mission was over. ¡°I think so, but I can¡¯t return.¡± Merlin waited for a while, around ten minutes. Merlin was unaware of this, but when he handled the monster he was supposed to face, Madness, he instantly caused DIO¡¯s system to crash momentarily. However, it was only a brief crash. A new text message showed in his mind. CH 190 /Warning! The top-level Slayers, Numbered, are slaughtering users!/ /Numbered 27. Sirius!/ /Gathering users! 7 seconds before forced movement commences!/ As soon as the text message popped up, a magic circle appeared next to Merlin. Of course, the warp magic circle was to transfer Merlin to a different location. ¡®I see¡­¡¯ Other users or mages may have simply thought that the magic circle was a mechanism to transfer one to a different location, but Merlin, who could read and interpret magic, understood how the magic circle operated and what special properties it contained. This understanding allowed Merlin to garner some information about the DIO developers and operators¡¯ intent. ¡®The reason they¡¯re using users¡­ I think I have a rough idea now.¡¯ However, this wasn¡¯t what was important right at this moment. The surrounding space was starting to bend and warp. *** A completely black space. The building, made of an unknown metal, was black without any decoration. ¡°The signal from Madness has been cut off.¡± ¡°Very¡­ fast. What happened?¡± The giant, who had been stationary like a large stone statue, opened his eyes. Caesar, called the Lord of the Abyss, was the sixth child of the Empress. With powers equal to that of a transcendent, Caesar was one of the Union¡¯s most wanted terrorists; Caesar was also the one who worked to expand the Grotesque¡¯s influence. ¡°We lost contact, so we don¡¯t have the exact information, but it seems that the Noblesse have revived the system that produced human gods in the past. From the data we have, we suspect that one of those humans have killed Madness.¡± Of course, this conclusion was wrong. The reason why the top-level Slayers, Numbered, went missing was because Merlin blew up the dimension destination point that the Slayer was warping to. However, the universe was vast and expansive, so it was impossible to perfectly collect all the information, even for a transcendent being. There was no way for them to know that Madness hadn¡¯t even seen his opponent¡¯s face, as Madness became something like a lost child within the dimensional rift space. Merlin thought; Why did DIO¡¯s operators nurture users rather than stepping forward themselves? With their strength, they wouldn¡¯t need user, right? However, the universe was vast and expansive, so in most cases, even a Grand Master or archmage wouldn¡¯t leave their local galaxy during their entire life. Even the ancient dragons and divine beings who possessed powerful magic powers could only completely control their local surroundings. Although Earth¡¯s current galaxy was only 100,000 light-years across, the largest galaxies were over 10 million light-years across, and there were hundreds of billions of such galaxies in the universe. Humans believed that divine beings could cover the entire universe, but in fact, the universe was too wide for even divine beings. Considering that there were the lower and upper dimensions, as well as the five major dimensions, the breadth of the universe was unbearably vast, making it virtually impossible to completely manage, even for the Union, a collection of numerous species led by mighty transcendents. ¡°That¡¯s a substantial loss. Numbered take a long time to develop.¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t exactly quit right now. This is a matter of our stature and reputation, so we should at least send a warning.¡± At the words of his subordinate, the air around Caesar rumbled and shook. The intense power of his emotions influenced the physical world. ¡°This is really¡­ annoying. It makes me want to jump in.¡± ¡°But this happened in the Halon Galaxy. We have to travel 46 million light-years to get there, so it¡¯s not a distance that even we, I mean, because it¡¯s us we can traverse that distance, but it can¡¯t be done as soon as we¡¯d like.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± This was the main problem. Transcendent beings were all powerful existences to those under them, but in the end, these transcendents only had one body. Anyone could use warp, but the greater the distance one had to warp to, the higher the risk and difficulty. In addition, there was a problem of spiritual capacity. If one was told to bring a ballpoint pen from the USA to Korea, it wouldn¡¯t take too long, as one could get on a plane and take the ballpoint pen. However, the Statue of Liberty was not something that anyone could carry, and it¡¯s not something that can be carried onto a plane, so something large like the Statue of Liberty required enormous construction work, transport operations, and a long time to properly transport. Likewise, the larger the spiritual capacity of the existence being warped, the more difficult it was to perform the warp. At short distances, it was possible to warp without much issue, but if the distance was light-year units, warping was dangerous, but more importantly, it took a lot of time to prepare beforehand. ¡°What would you like to do?¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Who¡¯s left?¡± ¡°Sirius.¡± ¡°Good. Grant Sirius authorization to use Armageddon.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± As soon as the order was executed, a black wave was launched from the black planet. It was the beginning of a variable that the Union never expected. *** ¡°Yo~! Nice to see such human trash.¡± What came out of the door was a creature with a human-like appearance. The only difference was that the creature had two 1-meter-long horns on its forehead, and the creature reached three meters in height. ¡°Uh, this¡­ doesn¡¯t feel like it¡¯ll end well.¡± Bruce gulped down hard as he tightened his grip on his sword. He was a bit insensitive in terms of feeling aura and qi, as Bruce practiced in both magic and swordsmanship without specializing deeply in either, but he still sensed the enormous pressure that was conveyed throughout the surrounding area. It was not a matter of simply being strong or weak, but rather a sense of intimidation that made one¡¯s hands and feet tremble. ¡°Come out! Solomon¡¯s Key!¡± With a sense of crisis, Jeros summoned his Master Weapon. Contrary to its name, Solomon¡¯s Key was a book with a hefty thickness. Once the book appeared, Jeros activated his Master Skill. ¡°Pentagram! Summon Glasya Labolas! Appear before me and fight this¡­¡± ¡°So annoying.¡± The powerful magic conjuring spell was scattered in a single blow. The attack happened so fast that Jeros couldn¡¯t even recognize it. Lancelot reflexively grabbed his spear and groaned. ¡°Damn¡­¡± Jeros¡¯ upper body had disappeared. Blood had splattered momentarily, but soon, even that smattering of blood was scattered as golden smoke. ¡°Oh my god, Jeros died in one blow.¡± ¡°This is dangerous. The Slayer¡¯s level is too high.¡± Lancelot quickly joined Bruce and Ilyia. Ilyia started raising her chakra. Their fighting power was incomparable to the Slayer¡¯s. They had to somehow maintain a defensive battle. ¡°Hmm? You guys are much weaker than I thought. Did I really have to come to take care of these insignificant things?¡± Sirius grunted and kicked the ground. In an instant, his body blurred and disappeared. Boom! However, a barrier appeared around the party, and Sirius¡¯ body bounced off of it. At the same time, darkness emanated from Bruce¡¯s sword. ¡°Bind!¡± Known as one of Merlin¡¯s best masterpieces, the +10 Dark Magic Sword was a magic weapon that, like other reinforced weapons, could stack a single spell ten times and exert a huge effect. The effect of the Dark Magic Sword was to bind the enemy through darkness qi! Crack! Sirius¡¯ shadow jumped up and began to suppress its master with terrifying power. Originally, the binding spell activated quickly and had the effect of blocking an enemy¡¯s movement, but the pressure exerted by the 10x stacked spell was truly terrifying. The pressure was enough to compress a 25-ton dump truck into a hunk of metal the size of an average adult man. We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. Zing! But before Bruce could even think about launching his next attack, the bind was shattered, and a tremendous aftershock struck Bruce¡¯s body. He flew like a baseball hit by a bat and flew off with a whistling gust of wind; Bruce destroyed two nearby buildings before finally stopping. ¡°Oh. You¡¯ve got some pretty good weapons. Have humans already developed magic skills to this extent?¡± Sirius took the Dark Magic Sword that was in Bruce¡¯s hand and inspected it. The powerful magic and magic system contained in the sword surprised even him. ¡°Return!¡± However, the sword in Sirius¡¯ hand disappeared after Bruce yelled out. Under the collapsed building, Bruce, who used the recall function contained in the Dark Magic Sword, walked out. ¡°Wow, he¡¯s fine even after that attack. That Spirit Armor is truly good.¡± ¡°Is this really the time to say something like that?¡± While still hearing a buzzing sound in his head, Bruce activated the Magic Earrings he had previously purchased from Arthur. The magic power contained in the earrings activated, and his physical condition began to visibly improve. Woong! Suddenly, a dimensional rift opened, and a door appeared. From the door, Ohje, Scorpion, Adol, and Hanma stepped out. They were the closest to Bruce and the others, so they had arrived first. ¡°Ah, I guess more of you will be appearing like this. Then, I should try and finish this off as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Damn it! Be careful everyone!¡± ¡°Huh? What¡­¡± Boom! In an instant, Ohje¡¯s body flew through the air. Sirius, who had been standing at a distance, rushed in and smashed into Ohje¡¯s body. The movement itself was simple, but the speed was too fast to register and properly put up a defense. Pss. ¡°What the hell! Ohje?!¡± Scorpion, who had been standing right next to Ohje, screamed. Ohje suffered a similar level of attack as the one Bruce had sustained, but unfortunately for Ohje, he didn¡¯t have Bruce¡¯s Spirit Armor, so Ohje died instantly from Sirius¡¯ attack. Bam! ¡°Gather together and get into formation! This bastard is at least at Level 18!¡± ¡°When is Arthur coming?!¡± Adol ran forward. He changed his gear and changed his shield from the Tower Shield to a Small Shield. Since their opponent wasn¡¯t a range-type but a speed-type attacker that moved his body directly, Adol changed his gear so that he could quickly respond to Sirius¡¯ attack. CH 191 Boom! ¡°Ugh! Dang, that hurts.¡± ¡°Oho? You¡¯re very sturdy.¡± Sirius showed surprise when Hanma stood up, relatively unscathed, to his smash attack. Hanma¡¯s body had drilled into the ground, as if he were a nail that was hammered, but soon, Hanma displaced the surrounding earth and got out from the ground. Crack. However, Hanma was only able to sustain one attack. ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± The gathered users exclaimed aloud when Hanma¡¯s head crumpled, like a boiled potato being smashed by a pestle. ¡°Hanma¡¯s bones are strong enough to withstand a head-on sword qi strike, so, for his head to just crumple like that¡­¡± At that moment, the users were drained of their confidence and will. They realized that Sirius wasn¡¯t just a strong opponent with a large body and extreme quickness. Every rise in level meant a larger difference in power level, so for Level 13 or so users to properly contend against a Level 18 or above being meant that many, innumerable factors had to work in the users¡¯ favor. In terms of this battle, the users needed at least 10x more users to even put up a fight. Woong. Right then, the upper level calvary started to arrive. ¡°Ah, so annoying¡­ another¡­ oh? A high-level user?¡± ¡°Cruze!¡± ¡°¡­ I see. He¡¯s strong.¡± ¡°Arthur.¡± ¡°Hot damn! Are we glad to see you two. I thought we¡¯d be wiped out.¡± Adol, who was standing at the forefront of the users with his shield held up, while the others formed a triangular formation behind him, let out a sigh of relief. On the other hand, Sirius, who had been relatively calm before the new arrivals, frowned heavily. Of course, his eyes were locked onto Arthur, the black-haired swordsman who was carrying Dustin, his draconic sword. ¡°Oh, you seem like a worthy opponent.¡± The strong recognized the strong. Moreover, unlike Merlin, Arthur didn¡¯t hide his aura and power level. ¡°Hmm. Adol, how many users have fallen?¡± ¡°Three. Ohje, Hanma, and Jeros. We estimate that he¡¯s at least Level 18 but probably higher, so be careful.¡± Hearing Adol answer in a respectful tone, Adol smiled in embarrassment. ¡°Uh, Adol¡­ I¡¯m five years younger than you, so please feel free to speak to me comfortably¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha, but if I did that, I¡¯d feel uncomfortable¡­¡± The atmosphere suddenly turned collegiate and cordial. Arthur didn¡¯t hang around much with the other users, but he was always respectful and considerate whenever he interacted with them. Of course, Sirius, who didn¡¯t care for their conversation, took a step forward. Sirius wasn¡¯t fuming with anger, as he had no reason to be angry; from the start, he was an existence that enjoyed fighting more than conversing, so he was actually pleased and looking forward to interacting with the new arrivals. Bam! When Arthur¡¯s draconic sword Dustin collided with Sirius¡¯ fist, a tremendous aftershock wave reverberated out and caused the ground to split like a cracking windshield. Up to this point, Arthur was the first user to properly respond to Sirius¡¯ attack. ¡°You¡¯re quick. So, you want to fight based on speed, right?¡± Flash! A burst of light flashed out, and soon, Arthur¡¯s Bursting Sword Light First Step, Thousand Light, covered Sirius¡¯ body. ¡°Hahaha! Finally, a worthy opponent!¡± Both of Sirius¡¯ arms disappeared. For an observer, Sirius¡¯ lack of visible arms might look like his arms had been cut off, but, in actuality, both his arms were moving so fast that they weren¡¯t visible to the naked eye. This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Be careful! What?!¡± Whenever Arthur¡¯s sword strikes collided with Sirius¡¯ martial art moves, a gust of wind resulted. However, these aftershock gusts of wind weren¡¯t just strong, they contained force deadly enough to cause boulders to shatter. Ting! Others would most likely think that a tidal wave of light could easily be produced whenever there was a Flash, but in truth, Arthur created each stream of light with his sword qi. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that Arthur was swinging his sword a thousand times. With one swing of his sword, Arthur was able to send out one to tens of sword qi strikes. Currently, while in [Battle Mode], which was accelerated by tens of hundreds of times compared to his [Normal Mode], Arthur was unleashing his eight hundred and forty second sword strike. He was sending out an average of 10 sword qi strikes for each swing of his sword, but by mixing a single sword qi with concentrated power, which was sent out like a plane-like wall rather than a point form of attack, within the 10 sword strikes, Arthur was able to whittle away at his enemy by exacting minor, yet considerable blows. ¡°Oh, how unique. You¡¯re using a strange, novel technique, huh?¡± And, with time accelerated hundredfold, Sirius spoke [Words]. Surprisingly, Sirius was moving at the same speed as Arthur and striking out at the pouring sword qi attacks. ¡®Nonsense. This doesn¡¯t make sense.¡¯ Arthur groaned. Of course, it wasn¡¯t a surprise that someone who had realized mana could strike out and deflect his sword qi attacks, but it seemed unfathomable to strike his sword qi attacks, which were converted into photons of light, with just one¡¯s fists. General sword qi was closer to being a solid, and once one reached higher levels, the hardness became closer to being a liquid. Moreover, if a sword qi technique was sent out through internal energy, it would be more like a gas, but that was the limit. However, Arthur succeeded in creating photon-sized light, which was unheard of, and developed it into a technique that couldn¡¯t be physically defended against. Wasn¡¯t it absurd to think that sunlight could be deflected by one¡¯s fists? Boom! ¡°Ugh!¡± The waves of light that were rushing towards Sirius all disappeared. Suddenly, Arthur, standing roughly 10 meters away from Sirius, frowned. As a god-like swordsman, Arthur had been attacking and defending with his sword qi strikes, but any observer could tell that he looked dismayed. ¡®Clearly, I¡¯m the one being pushed. I¡¯m Level 19, yet¡­ If I continue to fight at this pace, I¡¯ll be defeated in 30 minutes.¡¯ Arthur gave a bitter smile as he took care of his inner wounds. He pretended to be calm, but the truth was he felt helpless. He had somewhat realized that he had reached a limit, but he had been ignoring that fact until now. He constantly faced defeat when sparring against Lionel, the lord of Valiant Heavenly City, but he made excuses to himself by stating that his opponent was a monster-like being who was over Level 20. But now, Arthur knew the truth. Of course, when considering the cutline for a level, the difference between someone just entering a level and someone who was on the cusp of crossing into that same level was night and day, so Sirius was beyond what Arthur could contend with. Perhaps if Arthur had met Sirius a week ago, no, a month ago, Arthur would have been able to fight Sirius on equal footing. ¡®I¡¯ve become weak.¡¯ Arthur could only come to this one conclusion. He was in perfect condition, and there were no harmful curses or restrictions placed on him. To put it bluntly, he was in a slump. ¡°Hey, do you think you can take a break in the middle of¡­!¡± Boom! Sirius, who had stabilized his internal energy within the span of one breath, lunged at Arthur, but at that moment, a thunderbolt fell and struck him. Of course, Sirius was able to stop the lightning strike. ¡°Wow, did you see that? He grabbed his lightning bolt with both hands and tore it to pieces!¡± ¡°Crazy, what kind of monster showdown is this!¡± ¡°Dang, I bet I can¡¯t even beat Arthur¡¯s summoner!!¡± Adol, who was relatively far away from the action, held up his Tower Shield to defend against the aftershocks while the rest of the party hid behind him and groaned. It was Arthur¡¯s pet, the black drake, Toothless, that had fired the thunderbolt at Sirius. Compared to other users¡¯ pets that only played an auxiliary role in battle, Toothless had a strong enough fighting power in and of itself to contend against most, if not all, users. ¡°Hahaha! Come on, keep attacking!¡± A huge shockwave erupted around Sirius, who shouted with excitement. Arthur counterattacked with Toothless, but he was still being pushed back. However, Sirius, who was smiling, was also meticulously assessing the situation and fully aware of where he stood. ¡®This isn¡¯t good. There are many enemies. Besides, this guy and that girl over there don¡¯t seem to be pushovers.¡¯ With a pinging sound, aura power began to rise from Sirius¡¯ body as he grew a pair of wings on his back and spread them out. Bam! ¡°Huh?!¡± ¡°Shit!¡± Sirius flung himself in a completely unexpected direction; Arthur belatedly realized Sirius¡¯ purpose and chased after him. However, Sirius¡¯ speed was on a completely different level. It was possible for Arthur to directly fight against that speed, but it was impossible to keep up with Sirius¡¯ movement, as Sirius specialized in speed. Crack! Bam! Boom! Ilyia, who had been hiding in the dark, died instantly after one shot. Though her stealth ability was amazing, it wasn¡¯t enough to avoid Sirius¡¯ seemingly omnipotent eyes. Next, Bruce fell; his Spirit Armor was unharmed, but like glass covered by a cloth, the terrifying impact of Sirius¡¯ attack shattered his internal organs and skeletal structure. ¡°Ilyia! Bruce! Why didn¡¯t you idiots hide yourselves better!¡± Adol, who was the only one to successfully defend against the enemy¡¯s attack, groaned at the piercing blow to his shoulder as he took a few steps back. Scorpion and Lancelot, who were hiding behind him and escaped the massacre, noticed that one of the magic stones installed on Adol¡¯s shield handle had lost its light. Scorpion and Lancelot soon asked, ¡°Are you okay, Adol?¡± ¡°I¡¯m only able to take on one such attack. Even that one attack has left me in this terrible state.¡± However, the fact that Adol was able to receive and stand up against Sirius¡¯ attack itself was surprising. As seen when Bruce, who wore Spirit Armor, was killed by a single blow, as Sirius¡¯ attack didn¡¯t just transfer a physical shock, but contained a compilation of Penetrating Power-type attacks that penetrated past an opponent¡¯s defenses. Since Adol had defended against such an attack, one could state that Adol was one of the best tankers in the game. Boom! Naturally, Sirius, who was able to handle the remaining three with a few more attacks, rolled on the ground after sustaining a devastating blow. Although Sirius was powerful, Arthur was not someone to be ignored. Moreover, Arthur wasn¡¯t alone. ¡°Hmpf! Did you think I¡¯d just stand by and watch you do whatever you want?¡± Boom! ¡°Ack! Attacking me with toys!¡± ¡°Hmpf! Then taste the wrath of my toys!!¡± Cruze, who had boarded a Gigas made of her solidified aura power, fired artillery shells with her right hand. The armor-piercing bullets made by solidifying her mighty aura power pierced Sirius¡¯ defense and inflicted a tremendous blow to his body. ¡°Ten Deaths.¡± Arthur¡¯s Bursting Sword Light Third Step, which consisted of ten sword strikes, exploded out. Compared to the Thousand Lights that emitted a thousand sword strikes, this current attack seemed modest, but the energy contained in each of the sword strikes was incomparable to those of Thousand Light. And above all else, the sword strikes were exceedingly quick. Whoosh! ¡°Damn it!¡± Sirius was able to avoid and block eight sword strikes, but the last two sword strikes struck him, leaving a deep wound on Sirius¡¯ chest. He was able to mend his wounds with his amazing regenerative power, but even if he healed his wounds, the wounds were caused by swordsmanship strikes, so their effects would still linger. Flutter! Sirius flapped his wings, and his body, like a UFO, sped from a standstill and moved behind Adol¡¯s group. Cruze, who was preparing to block a counterattack, groaned. ¡°Gosh, you¡¯re so stubborn! Even in this situation, you¡¯re aiming for those guys!¡± Startled by Sirius¡¯ unexpected movement, Cruze fired a bombardment of shells at Sirius; at the same time, Arthur rushed at Sirius and spewed out more sword qi strikes. However, though being struck by Cruze¡¯s bullets on his side and having one of his wings cut off by Arthur¡¯s sword qi strikes, Sirius successfully made his way to Adol and the others. Crack! ¡°Ugh¡­ ugh. What absurd¡­ ugh?¡± Adol vomited blood. Arthur and Cruze reacted and launched their attacks at Sirius when he made his move, but Sirius¡¯ speed wasn¡¯t something that Adol could recognize and react to. Up until now, Adol had been able to block Sirius¡¯ attack with his shield because of the directness of the attack, but this time around, Sirius had maneuvered to his flank, so Adol had failed to block the attack that came in from his side. ¡°All¡­ the glorious power of Dari¡­¡± Adol raised his divine power. Once he called upon Darian¡¯s name, a great divine power came down upon him. Considering that Adol didn¡¯t normally use divine power, the size of the power seemed relatively large. In truth, this was one of Adol¡¯s trump cards. ¡°Too late, idiot.¡± However, trump cards need to be used at the appropriate times, and there was always a limit to the effect that can be brought out from such trump cards. If a situation could always be reversed every time one revealed a trump card and shouted ¡®Fufu, actually, I have this trump card~!¡¯, then what would be the point of developing one¡¯s own abilities? CH 192 Sss. Adol¡¯s body turned into a mist of golden smoke and scattered into the air. When they weren¡¯t on Dynamic Island, users would bleed and have their bones revealed when they were injured, but if they were to receive a fatal blow, their bodies and equipment would become golden smoke. ¡°And you as well!¡± After taking care of Adol, Sirius shifted his attention to Lancelot. Sirius spoke [Words] before attacking, but Lancelot couldn¡¯t hear them. Sirius and Lancelot were experiencing time entirely differently, so Lancelot had no chance of noticing Sirius¡¯ words. Ting! However, Lancelot¡¯s subconscious had him move reflexively in one motion, something he had practiced millions of times before. There was a limit to Lancelot¡¯s senses. Only in his wildest dreams could Lancelot hope to accelerate his thought processes like Arthur or Merlin. Hence, Lancelot had trained his entire body to ingrain a single move, one attack. Of course, a person¡¯s body couldn¡¯t remember every motion. If a ten-part motion were ingrained into the body, the first few steps would inevitably be forgotten or made vague from the various aspects of the action. However, Lancelot had practiced his attack hundreds of thousands of times. He had made sure that this motion was fixed in his body and as natural as breathing. Woong. Moreover, Lancelot lacked creativity, so he couldn¡¯t come up with a complex, skilled move or use a creative ability. This was why Lancelot copied others. Lancelot picked up others¡¯ moves and trained them until he could make those skills his own. It took him countless hours to do this, but once he set himself on something, Lancelot never gave up until he obtained what he wanted. ¡°Huh? This¡­.¡± Sirius¡¯ eyebrows twitched when he saw Lancelot counter his punch with a short spear. Unlike Lancelot, Sirius was a powerful being who could process time at many hundredths of seconds. Hence, Sirius twisted his body and avoided Lancelot¡¯s attack. Then, after barely evading, Sirius dug toward Lancelot''s chest region. Bam! However, at that moment, Lancelot¡¯s attack slightly shifted. His body had chosen an attack from the 1,205,000 pathways that Lancelot had ingrained in his muscles, bones, and mind. All of this was involuntary and based on instinct. Lancelot constantly recalled images of his movements in his mind, making it possible to engrave them into his body so they could naturally appear when needed. The result was the crystallization of Lancelot¡¯s obsession, which he achieved after struggling to reproduce the move that the Orc Hero Sungmuk had used in the past. /Pseudo. Dividing Clear Mirror Water!/ Whoosh! With the sound of rushing air, Lancelot¡¯s short spear went straight toward Sirius¡¯ approaching punch. Sirius tried to dodge, but Lancelot¡¯s attack changed course again. Sirius had already reached a point where he couldn¡¯t escape. Crack! Bang! ¡°Ugh!¡± Lancelot flew back tens of meters and broke through a few buildings before crumpling onto the ground. Since he¡¯d held on to his short spear until the end, both of Lancelot¡¯s shoulders were ravaged and rendered useless. He could no longer properly wield his spear. However, Lancelot smiled. It was a joyful and satisfied smile. On the other hand, Sirius, the one who put Lancelot in such a sorry state, frowned deeply. ¡°You¡­ insignificant being!¡± Blood was flowing out from Sirius¡¯ fist. Out of his eight fingers on one hand, only five remained. His middle finger, as well as the two on either side of it, were now lying on the ground. ¡°Die.¡± Sirius had fallen into a frenzied state, and he lunged at Lancelot. It didn¡¯t matter that Arthur had cut off his wings or that Cruze was constantly bombarding him with ranged attacks. Though they were capable of fighting him, Sirius could predict all their attacks. However, in Lancelot¡¯s case, even though Sirius observed everything the player did, the situation was different. Failing to defend himself from such a lower-leveled being made Sirius feel a deep sense of disgrace. ¡°Hey, even so, you shouldn¡¯t be ignoring us, no?¡± ¡°You¡¯re dead, idiot.¡± Sss! A single ray of light cut through the space. The beam of light was thin and wide, like a camera flash, and ordinary people couldn¡¯t distinguish it from a regular ray of light. ¡°Ugh.¡± Sirius groaned as he caught the shells that Cruze shot, and there was a diagonal carved sword strike on his body. A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. ¡°Ugh. Even in that situation, you blocked my attack.¡± Cruze grunted and focused her aura power once more as she was planning to release her next attack, but before that, Sirius¡¯ body shifted, and his form blurred. Woong! The space behind Sirius seemed as though it was cut in an oblique line as it wobbled. Surprisingly, since Arthur¡¯s sword strike exceeded the speed of light, a type of material collapse occurred in an instant. ¡°Bursting Sword Light, Five Principles, One Burst. It¡¯s the strongest ability I can use right now.¡± While training in the Bursting Sword Light technique, in an effort to launch an even faster strike, Arthur had advanced from Thousand Light, Hundred Thunder, Ten Deaths to One Burst. To put it one way, as he progressed in the technique and produced a more powerful move, the number of times he swung his sword decreased. Like this, Arthur reached an ultimate one-shot sword strike, the true blow of Bursting Sword Light. ¡°Hahaha. I never asked for an explanation¡­.¡± ¡°I spoke in case you were wondering. You need to know what you¡¯re dying from, right?¡± Arthur smiled in a relaxed manner, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of bitterness. In fact, to be honest, he wanted to fight Sirius one-on-one, even if he would eventually lose. ¡®I should stop having such stupid thoughts.¡¯ However, for users who fought monsters for the sake of profit, his bitterness was irrational. Besides, there was no guarantee that his colleagues would agree with his desire. ¡°Ugh. I¡¯m dying, master. I¡¯m going to return.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± With that, the sword in Arthur¡¯s hand slid from his grasp and flew into the air. His sword, which looked like it was made from combining scales together, opened its eyes and stretched out as if this motion was all too natural. This was Arthur¡¯s summoned beast, the sword dragon Dustin. Woong. Once Dustin disappeared somewhere beyond this space, Scorpion, having hidden until now, raised his dark shield as he revealed himself. Undoubtedly, the shield wouldn¡¯t have protected him from even one of Sirius¡¯ punches, but even so, Scorpion felt safer with some form of defense. ¡°Is it over?¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t finished yet, so be careful. We¡¯ll be done soon.¡± Arthur changed his gear and took out his +9 Invariant Sword, which he had purchased from Merlin. It was a reinforced weapon with a fixation spell imbued on it, and unlike other reinforced gear with powerful magic, his enchantment only strengthened the sword itself. To average users, the +9 Invariant Sword could only continuously become more durable, making it essentially useless to them. However, for Arthur, these effects were vital. ¡®I must apologize to Dustin. No matter how urgent my situation, I shouldn¡¯t have used One Burst with him.¡¯ One Burst, which could be referred to as the final principle within the Burst Sword Light technique, surpassed the speed of light for an instant, so the impact on the sword was beyond imagination. Of course, Arthur deployed dozens of means to protect himself and his sword, but that didn¡¯t lighten the overall burden. As such, after sustaining the brunt of One Burst¡¯s effects, Dustin was inevitably wounded and had to return to his world. Boom! Crackle! While he rested for a while due to the aftereffects of One Burst, Cruze fired a large-caliber sniper rifle, slashing Sirius¡¯ forehead; as this occurred, Arthur¡¯s pet Toothless sent down lightning bolts, singeing Sirius¡¯s skin. Though their opponent was on the verge of death, Arthur and Cruze were not the types to lower their guard. A dangerous enemy like Sirius could do anything if they didn¡¯t kill him quickly. However, despite constantly falling to the ground and writhing in pain, Sirius did not die. ¡°Oh, my god. How tough is this guy? He can¡¯t protect himself, but he won¡¯t die?¡± Even when more than half of Sirius¡¯ body was torn apart by Arthur¡¯s sword, and the Numbered and was fully exposed to all of Cruze¡¯s ranged attacks, Sirius¡¯ body remained intact. Cruze couldn¡¯t hide her dismay. She realized that if it weren¡¯t for Arthur, she would¡¯ve been killed after Sirius toyed around and played with her. ¡®What the hell¡­ when did the gap grow so large?¡¯ Cruze knew that Arthur was stronger than her, but she groaned, as she hadn¡¯t expected the gap to be so large. When she imagined a virtual confrontation with Arthur, she knew that if Arthur were sincere and fought all out, she¡¯d be slaughtered within ten seconds. ¡°So annoying.¡± Whoosh. Cruze raised her aura power and began to form something in her hands. Although Sirius couldn¡¯t resist, she decided to finish him off quickly. At that moment¡­. ¡°Receive your great calling! You are the master of Armageddon!¡± A powerful spiritual word descended and dominated their surroundings. Arthur and Cruze scattered the effects relatively easily with their resistances, but the much-weaker Scorpion instantly crumpled to the ground. As for Lancelot, he¡¯d already been severely injured, and he almost died. ¡°Log out.¡± Lancelot muttered, near death. If he logged out right now, he wouldn¡¯t receive any rewards for the mission, as the system would recognize him as dropping out of the mission, but Lancelot wasn¡¯t concerned about this. /Log out in progress. You cannot move for 11 seconds. You may be attacked by the enemy during this time, so if your surroundings are unsafe, cancel the log-out process and take appropriate action. Eleven seconds. Ten seconds. Nine seconds¡­./ Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t attacked during this time, so Lancelot safely escaped the battlefield. However, the situation was a little different for Scorpion. He summoned a specter after chanting a spell. Scorpion hadn¡¯t sustained any major injuries, and although his power was not sufficient to contend against Sirius, he thought he would be able to receive the mission reward if he persevered and succeeded in staying until the end of the mission. Rumble. However, a huge force concentrated on Sirius¡¯ body, which had been torn apart and rendered useless on the ground. Then, he was forcefully raised and began to recover as if time was being turned back. Instant recovery was a fairly common ability, but considering that divine magic didn¡¯t work on injuries taken from sword qi attacks, it should have been impossible for Sirius to recover so quickly after being hit by Arthur¡¯s successive sword qi strikes. CH 193 ¡°Depriving darkness! Extend your powers and make all beings cry out in pain!¡± Scorpion focused his darkness magic and cast a powerful curse on Sirius. It was a high-rank magic spell that took advantage of the opponent¡¯s recovery speed, so the quicker the target healed, the more life-threatening damage they would take. However, the spell¡¯s purple energy swirled around Sirius¡¯ body before bouncing off and scattering harmlessly. ¡°C-crazy. He also deflected my spell with only his resistance stats¡­ he didn¡¯t even deploy any of his defenses. Although there¡¯s a level difference between us, isn¡¯t this too unfair? No way!¡± Startled, Scorpion hurriedly moved his right hand in a preset formation and drew a circle, which floated into the air and reflected Sirius¡¯ body. Soon, after seeing what letters formed within the circle, Scorpion shrieked. ¡°E-estimated to be Level 20, he¡¯s a transcendent!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Cruze cried out as she knew how strong transcendents were while Arthur outstretched his right hand. ¡°Summon Divine Weapon. Excalibur.¡± Rumble! Lightning bolts shot out. Afterward, a fierce sword strike ripped the surrounding space apart. However, neither the lightning nor the sword strike reached Sirius; the gigantic wings that spread out from his back had effortlessly blocked both attacks. ¡°A monster like him has the wings of an angel¡­ Did he consume one and take its wings? Or did he infect an angel like how the Grotesque infected the humans on this planet?¡± As a mage, Scorpion voiced various conjectures. However, none of this was as important as staying safe, so Scorpion remained concealed within the rubble of a collapsed building. ¡°Log out.¡± He hid with darkness magic and tried to escape back to [Reality]. From the start, he knew that his level was insufficient to join this battle. At this point, Scorpion felt he had done enough by killing a few Infected and lower-rank Slayers, so he was planning to leave the scene. However, that judgment and decision were too late. Thump! Eight claws pierced Scorpion¡¯s upper body. The claws were black, so dark that they seemed to absorb light. The size of Sirius¡¯ hand was so large that Scorpion¡¯s whole body was being grabbed, and once Sirius clenched his fist, the player became disfigured. ¡°Ugh?¡± He was in agony, unable to even scream at the searing pain of his flesh being torn apart. It was an unimaginable pain that Scorpion had never felt while playing DIO, and it shook his mind. In other words, DIO¡¯s pain control system was broken and no longer operational. Bam! Cruze created and threw a high-powered bomb at Sirius, but when the latter swung his wings, the bomb disappeared as if it had been erased with an eraser. The destructive power of the bomb was forcibly converted into aura power and scattered through the air. ¡°Scorpion! Are you okay?¡± ¡°Save me. Ah, it hurts¡­ it hurts so much¡­ ugh¡­ ah¡­.¡± Crack! Scorpion convulsed in Sirius¡¯ grasp before imploding and dying. Arthur felt an eerie feeling as he observed Scorpion¡¯s blood-stained body turn into golden smoke and disperse in the air. ¡®This?¡¯ Arthur trembled. What he just saw was weird and abnormal. For DIO users, death was just an ¡®annoyance¡¯ and never became something to fear, but what he just observed went against that logic and felt entirely foreign. In addition, a user shouldn¡¯t have experienced pain within the game. After a certain point, the system only conveyed pain through [Information]; hence, the level of torment Scorpion was put through shouldn¡¯t have been possible. ¡°Hey, wasn¡¯t that a little¡­ strange? The energy flowing around those claws looks fairly menacing.¡± Now that they were the last ones remaining, Arthur nodded at Cruze¡¯s words, with the latter having slid behind Arthur. He couldn¡¯t help but agree with the comment when he saw the odd energy flowing through Sirius¡¯ claws, unusual to even him. Though Arthur had acquired many abilities and skills, he could not [Interpret] and make sense of what he had just seen. ¡°Hahaha. Granting me the authority to carry out Armageddon takes some time, so they probably didn¡¯t do it because I was in danger, but still¡­ they authorized the power at the right time. I guess luck is on my side, no?¡± Surprisingly, Sirius exhibited and exuded a different level of power than he had just a few minutes ago. Arthur and Cruze had previously maintained enough dominance to drive him to the brink of death, but now, they staggered from the energy emanating from Sirius¡¯ body. ¡°Summon Divine Weapon! Crown of Nihility!¡± With a shout, a brilliant, shining white crown was placed atop Cruze¡¯s head. It was a miraculous item that instantaneously amplified her Memory capacity, and as long as she was wearing it, she could produce things that, generally, she¡¯d never even imagine. ¡°Limited armament operation! Come out and break and smash everything! Earth Breaker!¡± In an instant, a vast shockwave spread from Cruze, and she held a thick sword god¡¯s blade that was the peak of all swords. It seemed as though the sword shook the surrounding space by its mere existence alone. Rumble! It looked like a sword, but it wasn¡¯t a simple slashing weapon. Cruze¡¯s Earth Breaker controlled pulling power and repulsion, manipulating the vector of space itself, which was why the sword was used as a strategic weapon in the Fourth Stage of Civilization. Moreover, Cruze¡¯s Earth Breaker didn¡¯t just control directional force. Arthur¡¯s Soul Swordsmanship could do that normally. When vector manipulation involved altering the magnitude of force as well as the direction, it became a paranormal existence that destroyed the logic of common sense itself, breaking the law of conservation of energy. E=mc2 In physics, mass and energy were seen as equal ratioed properties, and this principle was often referred to as mass-energy equivalence. However, that was the limit of knowledge that modern science had achieved back on Earth. Cruze had access to weapons and information from future worlds after completing all sorts of missions, and she realized a theory higher than the conservation of energy. To further explain¡­. E=I In other words, energy equals information. Cruze could convert aura power into data and reproduce something in-game with information. Thus, by integrating enormous amounts of information, she created a terrifying object capable of interfering with the laws governing the material world! ¡°Hmph!¡± When Cruze swung Earth Breaker, the ground turned upside down, and in an instant, more than several tons of concrete and cement were accelerated, firing each particle like a bullet. Surprised by Cruze¡¯s sudden increase in power, Sirius quickly deployed a force field to block the attack, but the cement and concrete chunks that Cruze fired were individual vector cannon warheads, so the shrapnel had enough power to break free from dimensional restraints with a terrifying force behind them. The pieces of shrapnel started whittling away at Sirius¡¯ barrier. ¡°When I call, appear! Dragon¡¯s Imagination!¡± ¡°Aww!¡± When Arthur activated his Master Skill, a massive red dragon the size of a tall building appeared behind him. It was the red dragon Igniz, who he had once fought. Whoosh! The surrounding air was sucked in. Of course, this wasn¡¯t Igniz¡¯s main body, but surprisingly, the conjured Igniz had the same power as the main body, if only for an instant. ¡°What? No way¡­.¡± Whoosh! Like a light beam, a heat wave spewed out. The heat emitted was hundreds of millions of degrees hot, posing a notable problem by itself, but the unparalleled magic power contained in the attack was a more pressing issue. ¡°Ugh!¡± Finally, the force field barrier surrounding Sirius was shattered, and once he was exposed to the heat, his body began to burn. If Cruze used Earth Breaker in succession with this attack, he would have no choice but to die, Level 20 or not. ¡°Hmph!¡± However, Earth Breaker turned to ash and scattered, and Cruze vomited blood. The weapon was too powerful to handle at her level for any extended span of time, so she faced considerable backlash and strain from summoning it. No matter how powerful Earth Breaker was, Cruze¡¯s body had to be capable of withstanding and containing the weapon to maintain it. Usually, she could only sustain Earth Breaker for less than a second. ¡°Damn it. Even though I utilized Repeated Phantasm, I could only endure for 11 seconds!!¡± It was due to her Master Skill that she could maintain Earth Breaker up to this point. Her Master Skill, which reduced the burden on production to nearly zero, usually lasted for over ten minutes, and during that time, she was virtually invincible. Though, of course, it would be a different story if she met an enemy like Sirius. Thus, in this case, she could only maintain her production weapon for 11 seconds since the weapon she produced was too powerful and high a concept. Bang! Cruze groaned as she was hit by Sirius¡¯ fist and knocked back. Unlike when Arthur could stand toe to toe with him, Sirius was now in a transcendent state, so in a matter of seconds, he carried out more than a dozen attacks. ¡°Ugh. He¡¯s a real monster!¡± Cruze rolled dozens of times on the ground before barely managing to stand, grunting and groaning. Her Earth Breaker was the pinnacle of an advanced civilization¡¯s scientific achievement, and Arthur¡¯s attack, Igniz¡¯s Breath, was at the top of all destructive magic. Facing a monster who could resist these two attacks was exhausting. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Ugh. I¡¯m sorry. I admit, you two truly are great. Though you both are trivial humans, you possess tremendous power.¡± Sirius¡¯ tone became polite, but his calm demeanor made Arthur and Cruze¡¯s skin tingle. Arthur tried to send out a One Burst strike, but after taking Sirius¡¯ latest attack, he couldn¡¯t amass the requisite internal energy. ¡°You two must die.¡± Sirius exuded killing intent. And it was then¡­. Flash! A lightning bolt, which flew down like a beam of light, struck Sirius¡¯ back, making Sirius momentarily lose control of his body. Additionally, a huge island floating in the sky weighed him down with incredible power. Later, a blooming red flame covered him and burned wildly. /Lightning Blade of Zeus! Sky Island of Ouranos! Burning Prominence of Apollon!/ It was a manifestation of magic power that ordinary mages wouldn¡¯t even dare to imagine imitating. Merlin referred to these extraordinary destructive spells as Howling Spells, and the magic stones needed to activate them were so complicated to produce that Merlin needed a week of hard work, and even then, he barely managed to succeed. ¡°Being able to land the last strike to bring down an opponent is a skill, no? Don''t you think so?¡± Suddenly, behind Sirius¡¯ back stood a young man wearing a red robe and a wide-brimmed mage hat. With the blessing of Caesar, the Lord of the Abyss, Merlin fearlessly entered the inner space dominated by Sirius, who had momentarily entered a state of transcendence. ¡°Hahaha! Don¡¯t spew nonsense, worthless dog- huh?!¡± Sirius was about to quickly turn and attack Merlin, but he groaned after receiving a blow to his chest. He couldn¡¯t ¡®understand¡¯ what had just happened. Suddenly, Merlin¡¯s handprints appeared on his chest. Boom! A second handprint was then engraved on his back, dealing immense damage. Merlin¡¯s martial arts weren¡¯t suitable for defense and even more unsuitable for long, drawn-out battles, but on the other hand, Merlin boasted an astonishingly powerful single-target attack that no one could match, the Irrational Hand Strike. It was a martial arts attack move where one could neither defend nor evade. ¡°Damn¡­ Damn it¡­ Succumbing to the same technique twice¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be the same no matter how many times you see it.¡± Of course, if Sirius¡¯ condition had been in its typical state, he could¡¯ve counterattacked after being hit with the Irrational Hand Strike blow, but he had just dealt with Cruze and Arthur¡¯s attacks. A transcendent was clearly a being that went beyond certain power levels, but in the realm of gods, he was only a subordinate being. ¡°I am returning. Regeneration.¡± Merlin activated his Master Skill. Soon, Merlin crossed through space and retreated more than a few hundred meters. He then brought out his Divine Weapon, Olympos. Sirius sensed something unusual and rushed toward Merlin at speeds that seemed as though he was jumping through space. ¡°You!¡± ¡°Too late.¡± CH 194 /Lightning Blade of Zeus! Sky Island of Ouranos! Burning Prominence of Apollon!/ Merlin¡¯s Divine Weapon, Olympos, had the ability to select and store three of Merlin¡¯s Howling Spells. Starting from the first spell saved, each one would be charged after three days in reality. Hence, his Divine Weapon was a powerful item that could activate his Howling Spells without the magic stones that Merlin created. Boom! Then, after Merlin teleported and attacked with the Irrational Hand Strike, which carried three cycles of internal energy this time around, Sirius finally fell to his knees from the devastating blow. The Irrational Hand Strike seemed weaker since there was no delay in activating the skill, but it was as powerful as Arthur¡¯s One Burst strike. ¡°Crazy¡­ crazy¡­ what the hell is this¡­.¡± Sirius was speaking gibberish as he looked down at his ravaged body. Merlin approached the Numbered and concentrated a tremendous amount of internal energy in his hands. ¡°Bye.¡± There was no need to say anything else. Merlin disliked wasting time when dealing with enemies. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Bam! Accompanied by the sound of the air exploding, Sirius¡¯ head blew up. Once Sirius¡¯ spiritual defenses were broken down, his physical defenses also plummeted. ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever done something like this in the field.¡± To be fair, the Irrational Hand Strike wasn¡¯t a skill that Merlin could use continuously. To be precise, as a one-time special move, Merlin shouldn¡¯t have been able to use the skill multiple times. The required internal energy to deploy the skill was one barrier, but the mere act of using the Irrational Hand Strike three times in succession should have destroyed all the blood vessels in his entire body, so much so that any healing should have been impossible. However, Merlin¡¯s Master Skill, Regeneration, could twist time and return him to a previous state up to an hour before. Even his Divine Weapon was within the scope of the skill¡¯s effect, so he could pour out a series of enormous attacks in a short time by utilizing Regeneration. Sss. Sirius¡¯ body scattered, leaving behind a black marble. Since the opponent was so formidable, Merlin took precautions when picking up the loot and spread a sealed magic circle around the marble before throwing it into his subspace. When she saw this, Cruze muttered a complaint. ¡°Wow¡­ what manners¡­ you¡¯re like a thief.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a mission, so there¡¯s no such thing as stealing, right? Also, at a time like this, shouldn¡¯t you be thanking me for saving you?¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Merlin smiled when he saw Cruze look away as if sulking. He then turned his head towards Arthur. Arthur was seriously injured, but he got up and brushed the dust off his body. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Yes. I was able to survive thanks to you.¡± Since there weren¡¯t many users at their level, the three had become quite friendly with each other. In terms of age, Arthur was the oldest, so Merlin treated Arthur with respect, and Cruze, a foreigner, was essentially mean to everyone. /Mission clear! You will be returned in ten seconds!/ Merlin narrowed his eyes after reading the text. He thought for a moment and then asked Arthur. ¡°All of this¡­ do you think that DIO¡¯s management predicted this would happen?¡± ¡°Well, it felt like they were up to something¡­ but don¡¯t think too hard. It¡¯s not easy to conspire and formulate a plot, and people can¡¯t control everything.¡± What Arthur said made sense. Unless one was the highest-level god with powers related to fate, it was virtually impossible to account for all factors and plan an entire progression of events. Of course, someone could do whatever they wanted and be faced with the results of their actions, but the world was full of variables, and no one knew how those variables would affect the future. ¡®Perhaps, it may have been beyond their expectations that this guy died.¡¯ Although Merlin arrived only after Sirius gained the power of Armageddon, he could roughly guess Sirius¡¯ original power level. Though Merlin was familiar with the monstrous abilities and skills of his two colleagues, he also knew that they wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against Sirius. It was possible that Sirius¡¯ death would become a significant factor for the Noblesse. ¡®I¡¯ll have to think about it some more.¡¯ The moment he mumbled that sentiment, ten seconds had passed. And the world went dark. *** Meeting a Dimensional Teleporting High School Student *** Ting! Ting! As he was in the basement of his newly-acquired house meant for a family, Yongno used an electric drill to put a hole in a steel plate. On one side of the basement, a metal plate made of an alloy was heated red, and several gems placed atop it scattered their respective light and injected magic power into the alloyed metal plate. ¡°Whoa¡­ I sure miss the common, cheap, and versatile magic stones in DIO. This is driving me nuts.¡± With a monocle magnifying glass over one eye, Merlin sweated profusely as he crafted the gems, to the point that he could faint at any moment. If he was in DIO, his high level and stats could¡¯ve allowed him to produce results right away without needing such a tedious and cumbersome medium. However, in real life, Merlin only possessed ten years of internal energy and 60 tetras of magic power. Hence, he needed to rely mainly on electricity and tools. Whirl. And after roughly five hours of work, there were results. He created a metal plate about two meters in width and length. The metal plate, which was about one centimeter thick, was intricately engraved with geometric magic runes. ¡°Good. Now that the mana circuit installation is complete, shall we start in earnest?¡± Yongno closed his eyes and gathered the mana around him; then, he began to refine it according to Qi Heaven principles. He could only use this ability on Earth, and at this point, he was quite familiar with it. He had reached a level where he could use the ability without relying on the mark that Mary, the first NPC he¡¯d met in DIO, had placed on his forehead. Zing. The surrounding mana was converted into magic power and began to flow into the mana circuitry engraved on the metal plate. Even if Earthlings didn¡¯t possess spirit pathways, it was not a world without mana ¨C technically, such a world couldn¡¯t exist. So, if Yongno could recreate something that acted as his spirit pathways, allowing him to convert mana in the atmosphere into spiritual power, he¡¯d be able to use his special abilities. Unfortunately, it was too difficult to create the spirit pathways, so it was still impossible to give others the capability to use martial arts or magic. ¡°Good. Activation is complete. I just need to wait about twenty hours or so. Honestly, even if this succeeds, it¡¯s still a technique that has many problems.¡± Beep. Beep. As Yongno made an almost imperceptible frown, the intercom installed on one side of his laboratory began to beep quietly. Since the basement was an enclosed area with a reinforced door, Merlin installed an intercom to communicate with anyone outside. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± /[A guest has arrived.]/ ¡°A guest?¡± /[A flat-chested Idol. After seeing her in real life, they¡¯re actually much smaller than I expected.]/ With a calm voice, Yongno chuckled after hearing someone cry out ¡®What?!¡¯ from the other end of the receiver. ¡°Hahaha, okay. Don¡¯t get her too angry.¡± After briefly tidying up the laboratory, Yongno headed out using short-range teleportation. Then, he changed his clothes and went up to the first floor. In the laboratory, there were many magic items that couldn¡¯t be reproduced under modern civilization¡¯s science. As such, Yongno had fully enclosed the space, with no opening other than a minuscule ventilation hole. To get in or out of the laboratory, Yongno used teleportation. ¡°Ah, long time no see, Yongno.¡± Unsurprisingly, the guest who came to visit Yongno was Leaf, a solo idol who was recently peaking in popularity. With a cute, youthful image, Leaf had surprisingly gotten her driver¡¯s license and stopped by his house in her car. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that long¡­ ah, thank you.¡± Yongno sat on the sofa and took the juice that Eunhye Grace handed him before glancing at EunhyeGrace¡¯s expression. Like always, there was no visible expression on her calm, serene face, but somehow, Yongno knew that she felt wary of Leaf. Currently, Eunhye was living with Yongno. The [Institute] was an organization that held significant influence within the United States as well as the world as a whole, and the difficulty of leaving such a group was as challenging as it was to join it. However, Yongno could exert pressure and mind control presidents and notable people of each country and, although unofficially, had obtained enough political power and clout that his wishes couldn¡¯t be ignored. In addition, researchers in the United States successfully conducted their third experiment on an anti-gravity device based on the information Eunhye had provided, so they weren¡¯t expecting anything more from her. Since Eunhye was a Master, she primarily worked as an external operating agent for the organization. ¡°Uh, by the way¡­ who is this lady?¡± Though Yongno and Eunhye were living together, it was only recently that Eunhye started spending most of her time at home. Eunhye and Leaf had never met because Eunhye had her own home and had a great deal of work from the organization she was affiliated with, causing her to spend a significant percent her time in America. Moreover, due to Leaf¡¯s busy schedule, she only visited once a week, if at all. ¡°She¡¯s a friend. We live together.¡± ¡°A grown-up man and woman living together¡­ Isn¡¯t that too open-minded?¡± ¡°No, we don¡¯t even sleep in the same bed, so what¡¯s the issue with two people living together? The house is spacious.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Leaf smiled awkwardly while agreeing to Yongno¡¯s overly calm response. Then, she immediately shook her head before saying, ¡°By the way, have you considered the CEO¡¯s proposal? The conditions aren¡¯t too bad.¡± ¡°Hahaha. Thank you for being so considerate, but I dislike being tied up with those kinds of responsibilities. I¡¯m not in a position to go out in public.¡± Leaf was referring to Yongno¡¯s proposed debut in the music industry under her agency¡¯s label. To no one¡¯s surprise, Kim Sunghyun, the CEO of SH Entertainment, suggested to Yongno that he should become a singer. At first, Yongno would be accepted as a trainee, but Sunghyun promised that Yongno would debut soon. However, Yongno hated dealing with people, and his current situation did not suit the work. He was currently a top-secret existence protected by all types of formidable powers. Of course, if Yongno, with his magic abilities, truly wanted to pursue a celebrity career, there was nothing preventing him from doing so. Yet, he spent 12 hours a day playing DIO and the other half developing his real-life abilities and producing magic items. Exposure to the public would most likely result in more harm than good. ¡°Still, it¡¯s a shame. You have a good tone of voice and a wide range, so you¡¯d be a fantastic singer. Besides, you already know how to compose, so you can be a singer-songwriter. In fact, such talent is rare in the industry¡­.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Yongno¡¯s expression became strange. He possessed talent - that was something he used to hate hearing the most. Although he was a talented man, he did not like [humans] and even felt fear towards [many humans]. In the past, when his passenger ship sank, the eyes of the people who were desperately clinging to him left a deep wound in his subconscious, and after that devastating event, he became afraid of immersing himself in water. Fortunately, after reconciling with his former self, that is, Merlin, he managed to overcome his deep-seated fears to some extent, but even so, he wasn¡¯t happy to hear an expression that he used to detest up till this point. CH 195 ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Oh, n-no. I should be the one apologizing. If you¡¯re not interested in being a singer, then you shouldn¡¯t do it. The CEO said that if you aren¡¯t interested, I shouldn¡¯t push you. However, I find his words a bit weird; he¡¯s not the type to easily let someone go.¡± As Leaf stated, Kim Sunghyun, SH Entertainment¡¯s CEO, typically wouldn¡¯t let someone with great potential in the industry walk away. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t exploit someone¡¯s weakness to coerce them into doing what he wanted. If the person in question weren¡¯t interested, regardless of the amount of urging, they would fail. Sunghyun was the type of person who¡¯d mobilize himself, research everything to the extreme, and try to amaze and emotionally appeal to the other party through personal marketing. This was Sunghyun¡¯s personality. However, in Yongno¡¯s case, Sunghyun was willing to give up. This was primarily because, through his own research and background check of Yongno, Sunghyun realized that Yongno wasn¡¯t someone that could easily be swayed or approached. As the representative of a famous entertainment company protected by all kinds of influential people and national organizations, Sunghyun knew where he stood with Yongno. ¡°Ah, uhm¡­ I¡¯m performing in a concert tonight¡­ would you like to come? I received a ticket from the company.¡± ¡°Concert?¡± ¡°Yeah. The concert will be comprised of SH Entertainment performers. Many popular people will be there.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± Leaf presented a ticket, which was in such high demand that countless fake tickets were in circulation, but Yongno seemed hesitant. ¡°I don¡¯t really like to be around crowds of people.¡± ¡°Oh, y-yeah? I guess it can¡¯t be helped. Then, let¡¯s just add each other as friends on DIO.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not difficult.¡± Leaf and Yongno exchanged DIO IDs. Since Yongno and Leaf were both popular figures in DIO, they blocked any friend requests and whisper messages. So, to become friends, both needed to send their friend requests at the same time. Tap. Tap. ¡°Huh?¡± As he felt something tapping his side, Yongno turned his head. With clear eyes, Eunhye stared at Yongno. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°The concert.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± Yongno groaned, a troubled expression clearly evident. Recently, Yongno had been living like a disabled person, spending half his day in his underground lab and the other half in DIO. Nonetheless, he was still one of the users considered the heaven above the heavens, one of the Outer Gods, or a named user. Any item with Merlin¡¯s name on it cost hundreds of millions or even billions of gold. His creations were all valuable items that any DIO user wanted, and as a high-ranking mage second to none in DIO, he was powerful enough to overwhelm any player. Though he wasn¡¯t exactly a public celebrity in real life, it was only natural that people recognized him in Korea, where more than 90 percent of the populace played DIO. Eunhye looked at Yongno with longing eyes, like an elementary school student starting at a doll she earnestly desired. ¡°We can¡¯t?¡± ¡°That¡­ phew. I guess we can. We¡¯ve been cooped up in this house for a while¡­.¡± ¡°¡­ Thanks.¡± ¡°No biggie.¡± As he saw Eunhye being happy, Yongno reached out and gently patted her hair. That was when Leaf saw the always-expression Eunhye¡­. Smile. Eunhye smiled brightly. ¡°¡­!¡± Of course, it wasn¡¯t a groundbreaking change; all Eunhye did was slightly raise the corners of her mouth. However, Leaf balled her fists. ¡®W-why¡­ why am I getting angry?!¡¯ Despite her rising emotions, Leaf maintained her composure and soon offered a smile, as it didn¡¯t seem right to express her true feelings in such a situation. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d bring someone else¡­ I only have one ticket¡­.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to another concert.¡± ¡°¡­ but I think I can manage to get a second.¡± When Leaf heard Eunhye¡¯s cold response, Leaf couldn¡¯t help but change her response mid-sentence. Leaf had totally lost against Eunhye. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to go through so much trouble¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m the headlining idol in the company, so that¡¯s the least they could do for me. A-anyway, I¡¯ll scrounge up a ticket somehow, so don¡¯t be late! Then¡­!¡± After almost screaming the last few words, Leaf stood and ran out of the house. When she saw this, Eunhye murmured. ¡°She¡¯s cute.¡± ¡°Right? I can understand why she¡¯s popular. She sings well, too.¡± Currently, Leaf was the premier idol and singer who was beloved by all. She was as cute as a fairy yet also truthful, honest, and straightforward. She also sang well. Leaf embodied all the qualities necessary to become a top star in the industry and a leading idol. ¡°You wrote some songs?¡± ¡°I occasionally jot down some stuff when I¡¯m bored. I also owed her.¡± Just as Yongno felt that he owed Leaf, the latter felt the same toward Yongno. When he jumped to save Leaf from the no-good high schoolers, he unexpectedly awakened his hidden talents and started to sense the existence of mana in the real world. If Yongno hadn¡¯t had that awakening, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to save Eunhye and, ultimately, would have never been able to live a peaceful life as he did now. ¡°Alright. Should we get ready to head out? We haven¡¯t gone on a date in a while.¡± ¡°¡­ Okay.¡± With a frozen face, Eunhye nodded her head. Yongno knew that Eunhye¡¯s expression meant that she felt slightly embarrassed; however, Eunhye soon controlled herself once more and started to speak. ¡°Will it be¡­ okay?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°That flat-chested singer, it seems like she likes you.¡± ¡°What? Hahaha. It¡¯s not like that.¡± Yongno laughed and shook his head as if there was nothing to their relationship. It wasn¡¯t like before when he couldn¡¯t read between the lines and understand the other side¡¯s emotions. Ever since Yongno combined with Merlin, he had a perfect grasp over how someone else was feeling as if he could read their thoughts. ¡°Really? Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yeah. She definitely thinks highly of me, but there are no feelings involved. I¡¯m sure we both think of each other as friends.¡± However, Yongno didn¡¯t know that, although he could normally read others well, there were cases where he¡¯d be totally off. As he expected, Leaf wasn¡¯t in love with him, but emotions were a funny thing; they never really fell into a neat category. If Yongno had read many romance novels or watched a bunch of dramas, he wouldn¡¯t have misread Leaf¡¯s emotions as poorly as he did, but alas, Yongno lived his life shunning sappy content like that. In truth, Yongno was a relatively uncultured person who didn¡¯t watch movies or other mainstream content often. ¡°Then I¡¯ll get ready.¡± ¡°Alright, me too¡­.¡± Bam! At that moment, a loud, explosive sound rang out, and the floor started shaking. It was from his underground lab. ¡°What?!¡± Yongno was about to teleport to his underground lab, but before he did so, black smoke started rising from the floor. ¡°Hahaha! No man¡¯s land. This is no man¡¯s land! To be summoned to a place full of weaklings!¡± A spiritual body, about the size of two or three sturdy young men, gave off dark energy as it laughed sinisterly. It was an evil spirit that didn¡¯t exist on Earth, a place firmly bound by the laws of physics. In addition, based on the spirit¡¯s spiritual pressure and the way it spoke with intellect, Yongno could infer that the evil spirit was of a relatively high level. ¡°Ugh. What is this¡­.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Yongno gritted his teeth and released his magic powers, but then, a black aura instantly covered Eunhye¡¯s body. It happened so fast that Eunhye had no time or opportunity to resist. However, even in such an emergency, a confident smile bloomed on her usually expressionless face. ¡°Hmm. You have a rather peculiar aura; it must have been you who summoned me. Still, I never thought that a kid would dare open the [door] and summon a great demon like me without a safety system in place.¡± ¡°You¡¯re one to call yourself a great demon when you somehow wormed your way through the incomplete summoning ring. I don¡¯t need a guy like you, so why don¡¯t you go back?¡± Although Yongno spewed out warnings with an assured attitude while circulating his internal energy, Yongno couldn¡¯t let go of the thought that he was in trouble. This was because the magic power he felt from the evil spirit was so enormous that it was difficult to handle. According to DIO¡¯s standards, the evil spirit was a monster that stood at Level 15. If it were released into the world and allowed to run rampant, it could kill tens of thousands of people. ¡®This is a tough situation. If I were in DIO, I¡¯d be laughing while slaughtering him.¡¯ However, the gap between himself in DIO and reality was like the distance between Earth and the Andromeda galaxy. Compared to the formidable magic capabilities and bountiful internal energy that he had in DIO, his ability to wield magic power was vastly inferior, and the internal energy he possessed was akin to the size of a chestnut. ¡°Fufufu, you¡¯re a cute and admirable guy who made a hole for me to squeeze through and survive, but I can¡¯t just stand still while you spew such condescending words at a godly demon.¡± We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. Eunhye sat on a nearby desk and gently crossed her slender legs, emanating dazzlingly alluring energy. The evil spirit seemed to be assimilating into Eunhye¡¯s body, so even her tone of voice was gradually changing to become more feminine. Yongno recognized that this was a dangerous sign. ¡°Shut up and get out. That is, you want to taste the bitterness of defeat.¡± Eunhye¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°Hahaha. I guess we need to sort out who has the upper hand.¡± Then, Eunhye raised her right hand and pointed at Yongno. ¡°Speaking in the name of the Dark Heavenly Demon¡­.¡± ¡°Obey me!¡± A spiritual voice, filled with tremendous power, rang out. ¡°¡­¡± With a ¡®So what?¡¯ expression on his face, Yongno looked at Eunhye. Eunhye, or to be specific, the evil demonic spirit that occupied her body, was taken aback. This was because nothing happened even though the evil spirit had deployed a relatively powerful attack. ¡°Ah¡­ I roughly expected it. I momentarily suffered a loss because I was unnecessarily cautious.¡± Yongno had lowered his posture and wrapped his internal energy around his body when he grumbled and headed for the kitchen. He picked out a glass and brought it back to the living room. ¡°What¡­ is that?¡± The evil spirit paused and looked at the item in Yongno¡¯s hand with a bewildered expression. After a while, the evil spirit realized that something was wrong with the body he inhabited. No, not just Eunhye¡¯s body; there was something wrong with this entire ownerless world. ¡°Hey, what is this? All animate and inanimate objects don¡¯t have spiritual pathways?!¡± According to the evil spirit¡¯s common sense, all things in the world had spiritual pathways. This was because spiritual pathways existed not only in living things but also in objects, small stones, and the air itself to facilitate the flow of spiritual power. Yet, there was a complete absence of spiritual pathways in not only Eunhye¡¯s body but in everything on Earth. It was ¡®one of those worlds¡¯ that operated purely on physical laws. And in such a world, a spiritual being like him was literally powerless. Ting! ¡°Now, would you like to come here?¡± ¡°W-wait. What are you trying to do¡­ huh?!¡± At that moment, the glass in Yongno¡¯s hand began to emit a spiritual wave as it glowed bright red. On the surface, Yongno had written [I cannot go out once I go in] with a permanent marker. The magic runes, which were made from Yongno¡¯s magic power and imbued into the permanent marker, began to absorb the evil spirit as the magic circuit started to take effect. ¡°Huh? Hey, this is nonsense! With such pitiful magic power-!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not much¡­ but it¡¯s still magic power. Didn¡¯t you know that the magic power you possess can¡¯t produce any effect or phenomenon here?¡± CH 196 No matter how powerful a high-ranking spiritual being was, to exert spiritual abilities on Earth, they needed a sort of converter that could convert mana into something usable. This was due to the lack of spiritual pathways within any existing medium on Earth. For example, Yongno¡¯s external converter could fulfill this requirement, and he created it with his knowledge of Qi Heaven. If someone did not have an artificial spiritual pathway like the one Yongno made in his underground lab, there was nothing they could do after arriving on Earth, no matter how powerful they were. Even though the evil demonic spirit took over Eunhye¡¯s body, it could only suppress her mind; it couldn¡¯t display any of its other superpowers. Foreign beings could not act like poltergeists, which would mean being able to move objects through spiritual force, nor could they speak with grotesque voices by using their host, as seen in the ghosts from the movie, The Exorcist. The situation was the same even for high-ranking evil spirits that had tens of thousands of times more spiritual power than lower-level beings. Earth was literally a barren land for supernatural beings reliant on spiritual powers. ¡°This is nonsense! Nonsense! What kind of absurd-?!¡± After hurriedly trying to escape Eunhye¡¯s body, the evil demonic spirit was surprised by the suction power of the glass that Yongno retrieved, so it fought tooth and nail to remain in its host. Since the pulling pressure was so forceful, if the evil spirit made even one wrong step, it would be sucked into the cup immediately. When Yongno saw the scrambling evil spirit, he laughed. ¡°Hey~ I wasn¡¯t really expecting a being like you to come, but¡­ a good idea just popped into my mind. If I frame it this way, isn¡¯t an evil spirit¡¯s evil qi also a great source of energy?¡± ¡°W-wait a minute¡­ let''s negotiate¡­ I¡¯m-¡± ¡°Hmm, I shall call this process Pathway to Hell. I¡¯ll finally be free from this loathsome lack of magic power.¡± ¡°H-hey?¡± Crackle! Yongno ripped off clothing covering the evil demonic spirit¡¯s upper body, or, in other words, he ripped off Eunhye¡¯s shirt. Eunhye had a well-trained body, but Yongno could use internal energy. Their physique and development differed even more than when comparing a cat and a tiger. ¡°Separate yourself from her.¡± While speaking quietly, Yongno wrote the name Merlin Emrys on Eunhye¡¯s shoulder with his permanent marker. It wasn¡¯t just a simple name but a formidable Power Word. It was a type of supernatural power usage commonly referred to as a Power Statement. ¡°Kyak!¡± With a scream, the evil demonic spirit was forcibly expelled from Eunhye¡¯s body and sucked into the red-glowing glass in Yongno¡¯s hands. When it had been entirely absorbed, the glass emanated red light as it rattled violently. ¡°Man, that was a surprise. I¡¯ll have to think about this situation some more¡­ I thought that the composition of mana would be different as there aren¡¯t any spiritual pathways in this world, but I didn¡¯t expect my summoning spell circle to bring this sort of result. I guess it remains to be seen whether I¡¯ve stumbled upon a jackpot or a trap.¡± Yongno put Eunhye on her bed and went down to his lab. He needed to prevent his summoning circle from inviting another strange being until he could organize his thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s not that the summoning failed, but that the wrong type of entity appeared, and it was able to use a portion of its strength immediately after appearing. However, unless I¡¯m crazy, I shouldn¡¯t just shut down an unknown gate¡­.¡± Yongno muttered and looked at the summoning circle in his lab. The glass in his hand radiated light and vibrated crazily, but Yongno didn¡¯t pay any attention to it. Woong. As he imbued magic according to a prescribed formula and pathway, Yongno made the active summoning circle settle down. Although he acted because of the evil spirit¡¯s sudden appearance, Yongno did not fully understand why a summoning circle, which wasn¡¯t fully powered with magic power, could summon a being. ¡°As expected, there¡¯s no issue with the summoning circle, but how was the spirit able to show up on its own- huh?¡± Yongno immediately raised his internal energy and turned around. He did so because he felt a presence behind him, and in an instant, a pure white hand started punching his body in a natural, fluid motion. While this technique wasn¡¯t often seen, Yongno recognized it due to his vast knowledge of martial arts. ¡®Acupoint attack?¡¯ ¡°Sorry. I don¡¯t intend to threaten you, so please be quiet for a moment. Based on appearance, you must be Korean¡­ perhaps you¡¯re a male shaman? Judging from the power you use, you seem to belong to the Mage Tower.¡± The being that emerged from the darkness was a slender young man with a handsome pale face. Even though the young man thought he had subdued Yongno, the young man still took precautions to look around. As he watched the young man throw magic waves all around the room, Yongno suspected that this new arrival was checking for magic traps. ¡°Ugh, such a headache. I can¡¯t believe another one was summoned in such a short period.¡± ¡°Eh? You already released yourself from the acupoint restrictions?¡± The young man was visibly taken aback, but the result should have been expected. Earth was a world in which spiritual pathways didn¡¯t exist. And if there were no spiritual pathways, there were no way beings would possess acupoints, as acupoints were the major spiritual pathways¡¯ flow points within one¡¯s body. If earthlings had spiritual pathways and acupoints and could gather and use qi, beings able to use superpowers would¡¯ve appeared a few thousand years ago. Yongno looked at the young man and examined his spiritual power. The young man¡¯s spiritual power composition and atmosphere were relatively serene and peaceful. Of course, if the young man was determined to hide this, he could have faked it, but Yongno¡¯s intuition told him the young man was a good person. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ll be able to talk with you. How did you come here?¡± Yongno could intuitively read his opponent¡¯s intentions in a type of mind-reading skill, and he relaxed and lowered his guard. Even though Yongno was caught by surprise, the new young man had only used an acupoint attack on him, illustrating that the young man had no malicious intention toward Yongno. ¡°No, wait, how the heck did you-¡± ¡°My name is Yoon Yongno. I¡¯m twenty years old. Nice to meet you.¡± Yongno smiled and offered his hand. Unable to process what was happening, the young man unconsciously extended his hand to shake Yongno¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m Kwan Youngmin; I¡¯m a high school student.¡± It was summer. This was the day Yongno met a high school student who could teleport and move through different dimensions. *** Kwan Youngmin sat with his chin resting on a table while lost in thought. The coffee in front of him was getting cold, but he didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°My internal energy isn¡¯t recovering. Do you think something is wrong with my body?¡± ¡°What does it feel like?¡± Yongno had made various hypotheses and theories about the world he lived in, but his thoughts hadn¡¯t extended to other dimensions, so Youngmin¡¯s existence piqued his interest. ¡°It¡¯s like¡­ it feels stuffy like I¡¯ve been placed underwater. It¡¯s not painful or anything, but¡­.¡± Youngmin, a spiritual being from a world other than Earth, described Earth¡¯s state like this. For Youngmin, this was akin to oxygen being present in water but not having gills. Even if mana existed everywhere, it couldn¡¯t be absorbed without the proper system and functional tool. ¡®Even so, if a foreign being has a physical body, it doesn¡¯t seem like they¡¯re immediately incapacitated. They seem to be able to use their superpowers until they run out of mana.¡¯ As Yongno thought this, he asked Youngmin a question. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that it¡¯s now become impossible for you to recover internal energy? A permanent change?¡± ¡°Not quite. It¡¯s possible to recover any abnormality that formed in my spirit if I visit the Mage Tower.¡± ¡°Spirit? Magic Tower?¡± Yongno¡¯s eyes narrowed at the unfamiliar terms. These words were completely incomprehensible under the current context of their discussion, but Youngmin merely sighed. ¡°As expected, my summoning was a mistake. The summoning circle Mr. Yongno created cannot summon physical beings, as it is connected to the Sea of Chaos.¡± Youngmin gave a rough description of what he had been through. ¡°I was fighting an enemy when my opponent utilized an unusual banishing attack to harm me, and the place I arrived in was the Sea of Chaos.¡± ¡°An illusory dimension¡­.¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s also referred to by that name.¡± The illusory dimension connected chaos to the origin of the world, a sort of dimensional gap between disorder and order. If one remained in the illusory dimension for an extended period, even a divine being would melt and assimilate into the chaos. Thus, the banishment spell wasn¡¯t a simple spell that could be used by just anyone; one would have to be an archmage or higher, at least. ¡°¡­ So, you¡¯re saying you made it back alive from such a place?¡± ¡°Ah, I think there¡¯s a misunderstanding. I wasn¡¯t completely immersed in the illusory dimension. If someone has magic resistance, it is difficult to throw them into the illusory dimension completely. In other words, the Sea of Chaos can be said to exist between the illusory and real dimensions.¡± ¡°That means I did something dangerous.¡± One couldn¡¯t even guess what kind of monsters were coiled up and living in such a mysterious place. If a being that Yongno couldn¡¯t handle appeared and had a physical form like Youngmin, wouldn¡¯t this destroy Earth? Yet, Youngmin shook his head. ¡°Not necessarily. The ¡®hole¡¯ you created wasn¡¯t too big, so beings over a certain power level can¡¯t utilize it. And what I¡¯m [wearing] right now isn¡¯t physical¡­ it¡¯s more like a form of spiritual gear. My real body is still sleeping in my house.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. From Youngmin¡¯s words, Yongno could infer that Youngmin was facing and going through various personal problems. Well, it would probably be stranger if there was no story behind a high school student who fought and was thrown into an illusory dimension. ¡°Yongno¡­.¡± Eunhye¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°Oh, sorry. I¡¯ll get ready soon,¡± Yongno replied. ¡°Oh, I wasn¡¯t pressing you to hurry. I was just wondering¡­ who¡¯s that?¡± Yongno waved when he saw the wary look on Eunhye¡¯s face after she noticed Youngmin. ¡°He¡¯ll be joining us for a while.¡± ¡°Hi. My name is Kwan Youngmin.¡± Youngmin bowed his head toward Eunhye and greeted her politely. Outwardly, Youngmin was quite a handsome young man. Any typical girl would go crazy after seeing him, but Eunhye¡¯s expression became curt. ¡°He¡¯s going to stay here?¡± Youngmin shook his head. ¡°Hahaha. Thank you for being considerate, but I also have my own means, so all I need is some time to teleport. I¡¯ll make sure to repay the favor.¡± ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be an issue¡­.¡± Yongno was reluctant, but Youngmin seemed resolved to leave. ¡°Even if it was a coincidence, you saved my life, so I can¡¯t just leave while owing you something. Honestly¡­ I thought my situation was helpless.¡± As he smiled bitterly, Youngmin stood from his seat. Then, he adjusted the collar of his shirt and bowed his head. ¡°Wait a minute. You¡¯re going home?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in a position to go home. When the side path opens, I¡¯ll go to Horizon first.¡± Again, Yongno had never heard these phrases before. The tone of the words [side path] and [Horizon] exuded a supernatural power-type of feeling that only seemed possible in DIO. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ but there may be nowhere to return to.¡± ¡°Hmm? What do you mean?¡± Unlike Yongno, Youngmin couldn¡¯t accurately grasp the present situation. At the very least, Youngmin thought that the place he had arrived at was just another region. ¡°Even if I tell you, you won¡¯t be able to easily accept it. You¡¯d better check for yourself.¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know what you mean but thank you anyway.¡± As Youngmin stepped back with an uneasy expression, the surrounding background distorted and seemed to wrap around his body; soon, Youngmin disappeared from reality in an instant. Since Yongno could use Enhanced Eyesight to some extent, he knew that Youngmin had used a stealth ability. ¡°What just happened?¡± Eunhye looked at Yongno with a surprised expression. This was because she knew that no other human beings on Earth could use superpowers, but Yongno looked at the place where Youngmin disappeared without answering. ¡®He can¡¯t go back.¡¯ Youngmin¡¯s arrival on Earth was, so to speak, an accident. How could he leave a world where there was only one supernatural being? CH 197 ¡°Kyak! Burt oppa~!¡± ¡°Leaf, you¡¯re so beautiful!¡± The concert hall, which was able to accommodate more than 10,000 people, was completely packed, leaving little to no space for anyone to properly move. On top of the concert hall reaching full seating capacity, there were a lot of fans standing and screaming here and there. ¡°Dang, the scale of this concert is much larger than I expected. There are many foreigners present as well. It¡¯s like I stepped into a totally different world.¡± ¡°Even though DIO¡¯s popular culture is still alive and well on Earth. Rather, concerts are now being held inside DIO, so I guess it can be said that the range of culture has increased.¡± Yongno and Eunhye hadn¡¯t been to such a concert before, but they were able to enjoy the concert without any problems as there wasn¡¯t a set of etiquette that they needed to follow. Two famous MCs came out and started hosting the proceedings, and in turn, one by one, singers came out and started singing their hit songs. Perhaps because of the corporate nature of the concert, most of the idol singers were singing upbeat songs along with their corresponding dance choreography. ¡°Hmm~ I always thought I could just listen to and appreciate music at home, but this is pretty nice too. How is it for you?¡± Eunhye nodded after hearing Yongno¡¯s words. Yongno handed her a drink that he purchased in one of the concert hall¡¯s stalls. ¡°It¡¯s better than I thought. It¡¯s a bit superficial, but I feel like everyone¡¯s enjoying life, and the general atmosphere is upbeat. Also¡­¡± ¡°Also?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Though Yongno made a puzzled expression, Eunhye focused her attention on the main stage. Among the mass of people cheering and waving their arms, only she remained silent and still, as if she was in an entirely different world. The graceful appearance of her looking at the stage with such a calm posture and serene expression made Eunhye look elegant in Yongno¡¯s eyes. He felt as though Eunhye was watching an opera rather than a raucous concert. Ooh!! At that moment, the already loud shouts became even more intense and raucous. ¡°The flat-chested singer is making her appearance.¡± When he heard Leaf¡¯s entrance riff and saw Eunhye¡¯s cool expression, Yongno gave an awkward laugh. ¡°Hahaha. It seems like she has a complex about that, so don¡¯t say that so much in front of her. She¡¯s a bit skinny, but I guess being slim is easy on the eyes. I heard that she¡¯s put a lot of effort into maintaining her physical appearance.¡± Unbeknownst to the two, who were discussing Leaf¡¯s physical appearance, Leaf passionately sang her hit songs on the stage. She had gone through various sets and was now on her fifth set, so sweat was forming on her brow. ¡°Wow!!¡± And then, accompanied by a loud shout, three more girls appeared from behind the stage and started dancing. At the same time, Leaf also started dancing; their movements fit perfectly, probably because the group had a lot of experience coordinating their dance movements. ¡°It¡¯s Bubble Girls! It¡¯s a joint performance between Leaf and Bubble Girls!¡± ¡°So pretty! It looks so good!¡± ¡°Kyak!¡± Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. People cheered. For Leaf and the Bubble Girls¡¯ die-hard fans, this stage had significant meaning. Leaf had been a member of Bubble Girls when she was a trainee, but she left the team due to family problems and later debuted as a solo artist. Leaf didn¡¯t leave due to discord within the team, so her friendship with the other members of Bubble Girls remained strong. There were many die-hard fans who still wanted to see the two reunite and become a single unit once more. ¡®Well, that might not be possible now that Leaf¡¯s name and brand is getting bigger.¡¯ Leaf sang the song Yongno had handed over to her. Because of that song, she was no longer seen as just a cute idol, but a talented singer who could express various emotions, even with her cute appearance. In addition, as her unfortunate life was re-examined by the public, her fan base grew much larger, and she was often cast in various variety programs. ¡°Oh, Leaf¡¯s dancing is so good!¡± ¡°Her dancing skills are as good as her singing skills!¡± The audience cheered after seeing Leaf¡¯s skillful dance moves. But Yongno noticed other things in her movements. Eunhye looked at Yongno, as she had recognized something similar. ¡°A type of¡­ physical art? ¡°Yeah. Low center of gravity and simple movements, yet she¡¯s able to exhibit powerful movement. A type of physical art. She¡¯s definitely utilizing a physical martial arts skill or life force-like principle.¡± Eunhye couldn¡¯t help but be surprised by Yongno¡¯s calm words and assessment. Although she was able to perceive Leaf¡¯s abnormal motions, she couldn¡¯t read much more than that. Of course, that was normal and to be expected. Leaf didn¡¯t actually perform physical martial arts, as she was dancing with cute movements. Yongno¡¯s ability to gather fragmentary information from the movements of another¡¯s muscles and bones and grasp their origins was not simple reasoning power but a form of insight close to the realm of a superpower. ¡°But it¡¯s surprising. A young girl with a body like that is not ordinarily capable of practicing martial arts principles, like the physical martial arts.¡± ¡°Well, how one practices a discipline differs from person to person. In DIO, where physical makeup is all the same, there¡¯s¡­ huh?¡± Yongno¡¯s expression hardened as he muttered with his back leaning against his seat. It was because he felt a huge aura of power approaching the area out of nowhere. ¡°Yongno?¡± ¡°What is this¡­¡± Yongno stopped Eunhye from trying to get up, as she had sensed something was wrong after looking at Yongno¡¯s expression. When Yongno activated Enhanced Eyesight and looked straight ahead, the appearance of ¡®something¡¯, which he was only able to feel, was beginning to take shape and become clearer. Rumble! It was huge. Black smoke covered Leaf¡¯s entire body. The basic form of the entity was like that of a human, but its height was enormous, nearly five meters tall, and its eyes burned like fiery torches. From behind Leaf, the entity held a huge scythe, the size of Leaf¡¯s own height. ¡°Intruder¡­ detected. Singularity¡­ found.¡± There was no emotion showing on Yongno¡¯s face as he heard the being mutter in a low voice; however, Yongno couldn¡¯t shake the eerie feeling he felt after seeing the unfolding scene. ¡®It¡¯s a Level 20 or higher being. A transcendent¡­!¡¯ Yongno was screaming in his mind. If it was a Level 20 or higher being, the being would be impossible to handle even with the combined power of [Humanity], let alone Yongno¡¯s current power. Even in DIO, Yongno would have a difficult time contending against such a monster. Even though Yongno defeated Sirius, it was only possible because Sirius was in a weakened state after suffering multiple attacks from Arthur and Cruze. If he had started off fighting Sirius one-on-one, it could be said that Yongno had a one in a million chance of beating Sirius. Whoosh! Even though black chains appeared in the air and wrapped around his body, Yongno faced the monster without any resistance. Evasion was impossible since he was stuck in a crowd of people. No, even if he was in a flat plain with nothing around him, Yongno felt that he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape the chains. Squeak. A giant in the form of a God of Death appeared, floating in the air, right in front of Yongno. Due to the structure of its body, Yongno saw two burning fireballs floating mid-air where the being¡¯s head should have been. ¡®Others don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. Though they can¡¯t see it, how can they not feel this massive presence!¡¯ Numerous people were enthusiastically watching the stage, as if they didn¡¯t care about the spiritual pressure that oppressed the area from every corner. Only Eunhye made a serious expression; she could feel that something was off, but she was mainly concerned because of Yongno¡¯s change in attitude, not that she felt anything off in particular. And then, the giant floating in the air, Ternov, the Executor of Law, began its [Judgment]. ¡°Check¡­ complete. Violation, Class 2. The violator, a fated human, shall receive a third-degree penalty.¡± As Ternov muttered quietly, the space split open, revealing three pupils. Of course, they were only shapes that symbolized an image rather than being real eyeballs. ¡°Oppose,¡± the first eyeball said softly and closed. ¡°Oppose,¡± the second eyeball stated as it also closed. ¡°¡­ Oppose,¡± the third eyeball, which had been silent for a moment, did not close and emitted a deep blue light. Soon, Ternov exuded black aura. ¡°The verdict¡­ innocent.¡± Ternov gave the final verdict and released his chains. Yongno grasped the situation with his supernatural intuition and reasoning powers. ¡®Class 2 violation and Level 3 penalty¡­ I see. These guys are the ones who protect and guard the [Law] of transcendent beings. They must have come to me now because I used power that can¡¯t be used in this world. In addition, the fact that prosecutors were judging whether I should be sentenced or not means that the executioner of their judgment is separate, also¡­ a fated human who possesses a rightful destiny. In other words, the reason they gave me an innocent verdict was because I was, to some extent, born in this world.¡¯ Yongno organized his thoughts. ¡®Perhaps¡­ it¡¯s because of these existences that DIO¡¯s operators disappeared from this planet.¡¯ As Ternov tore open the air and disappeared into it, the breath Yongno was holding back burst out. Eunhye grabbed onto Yongno¡¯s staggering body. ¡°Are you okay? You¡¯re sweating like crazy¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha. I was just a bit surprised. It¡¯s nothing.¡± After taking a deep breath, Yongno, who felt weak, leaned his head on Eunhye¡¯s shoulder. Eunhye was startled and shuddered all over, but then she moved her body carefully and corrected her posture so that Yongno was more comfortable. ¡®I almost died without knowing why. Fortunately, these existences¡¯ [Law] didn¡¯t rule against me. I can¡¯t believe something like this really exists.¡¯ As Yongno was concentrating on other matters, he couldn¡¯t hear nor see his surroundings. He didn¡¯t know what was going on atop the stage. He didn¡¯t see Leaf¡¯s halting look at Yongno and Eunhye leaning against each other. ¡®But it¡¯s strange. If they were able to detect me because of me using my abilities, they should have appeared at least half a year ago.¡¯ Yongno fell into thought. His situation had drastically changed. What could be of interest to a transcendent being who upheld a [Law] of rule? He could only come up with one conclusion. ¡°Is it because of Youngmin?¡± The answer was simple. CH 198 ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here. Did you enjoy the concert?¡± After the concert, the waiting room was cluttered. Frigid air poured out from the air conditioner installed on one of the walls, but it couldn¡¯t completely cool the singers who had performed on the stage just moments ago. ¡°It was nice. Though, it was a bit noisy.¡± Yongno answered in a calm, or some would even say inconsiderate, tone. Soon, others in the waiting room started turning their heads toward him. ¡°Leaf, who is that? Your boyfriend?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t start circulating unfound rumors. You¡¯ll start a s-scandal.¡± One of the members of the Bubble Girls, Elli, narrowed her eyes after asking her question. She was surprised to see Leaf vigorously shaking her head. Unexpectedly, Elli noticed that Leaf¡¯s response had a sense of shame rather than denial. ¡®Wait, is she really dating someone?¡¯ Yet, at that moment, one of the girls was fixing her makeup when she saw Yongno¡¯s face and shouted in surprise. ¡°Oh! Aren¡¯t you Merlin?!¡± ¡°What¡­ really?¡± With a twinkle in their eyes, many of the singers turned their attention to Yongno. Most, if not all, young Koreans played DIO, especially those in their teens or twenties. As celebrities were in their cars for a great deal of time, they usually logged into DIO to relieve some stress and boredom. As such, they¡¯d obviously recognize one of the more famous users of the Heaven above the Heavens, the Outer Gods. Merlin was primarily known for producing reinforced weapons and wasn¡¯t consistently active in public, but his face was well-known because of the occasional videos that showed him hunting or performing missions. ¡°Hello! I¡¯m Jiyeon of the Bubble Girls! I trained in the Seven Jewels school of magic after watching oppa¡¯s videos.¡± ¡°Did you truly reach Class 7? Many people have speculated that even a world-renowned scholar can¡¯t achieve a Class 7 rating. How were you able to do so at such a young age?¡± ¡°Idiot. There are no Classes in the Seven Jewel School. The highest rating is Five Star, not Class 7.¡± A clamor soon formed in the waiting room as idols rushed in to see Merlin. Most of the celebrities weren¡¯t making a significant fuss, but those who practiced magic in DIO as mages, like Jiyeon and a few others, looked upon Merlin with bright eyes. ¡®Ugh. I made a mistake. I expected that Masters would be treated like celebrities in real life, but I never thought it would be like this.¡¯ With his superpower-like cognition, Yongno had a quicker mind than anyone else. However, if there was something even he found difficult to assess and comprehend, it was people¡¯s psychology. This was due to the difference in how Yongno viewed and thought about things compared to ordinary people. Yongno understood people¡¯s psychology on a theoretical basis, and he used that knowledge to imitate what was expected of him. This was just like how zoologists observed an animal¡¯s behavior throughout its life and gained comprehension of its habits. Though Yongno was a rational, cool-headed adult at times, he also had a sort of childlike innocence. While his assessments and analysis were incredibly insightful, his overall comprehension lacked depth when it came to humans. ¡°This is amazing. It¡¯s my first time seeing a Master.¡± Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. ¡°Ah, I once did a commercial with Hanma oppa. His physique was incredible.¡± Yongno was surprised to see the girls talk about him as they chattered. Leaf soon spoke. ¡°Yongno, do you want to come to our afterparty? Many celebrities will be there.¡± Yongno looked at Eunhye, who was standing behind him. ¡°Uhm¡­.¡± Eunhye made a troubled expression. Although her facial expression was difficult to judge, Yongno could easily guess her inner thoughts. ¡®She wants to go.¡¯ Of course, it was difficult for anyone to reject an invitation made by a popular idol, but if Eunhye didn¡¯t like something, she would promptly and directly answer in the negative. Eunhye¡¯s hesitation meant that she wanted to take up Leaf¡¯s offer. Although Eunhye had lived a turbulent and fierce life, she was still just a young lady. It was impossible not to have fantasies about parties. ¡°Okay. If you don¡¯t mind, we¡¯d like to¡­.¡± Bang! Just then, the door to the waiting room opened violently, and a young man covered in dust entered and collapsed. This was so out of the blue that people panicked and screamed. ¡°W-what is this? Is this a hidden camera prank? Ew, what happened to that guy?¡± ¡°Is he okay? He¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s covered in scars!¡± The waiting room was protected by a layer of tight security. It was obviously strange that a stranger could barge in like this, as security was deployed to prevent the intrusion of avid fans or assailants. ¡°Youngmin?¡± ¡°Phew¡­ I finally found you.¡± The high school-aged dimensional teleporter, Kwan Youngmin, struggled to get up, and he leaned against a wall. His hair, which was quite long for a man, flowed down both sides of his head, revealing a brilliant, handsome face. Though Yongno and Eunhye didn¡¯t much care about his appearance, he was a dashing young man that could even make idols blush. ¡°Have you been attacked?¡± ¡°Attacked? Hahaha. No way. If I were attacked by what just appeared, there¡¯s no way a fledgling like me would still be alive.¡± Despite smiling, Youngmin¡¯s body was littered with scars. However, Youngmin only lost a minuscule amount of blood, perhaps because of his body¡¯s characteristics. ¡°Should we take you to the hospital?¡± ¡°No. My body will regenerate automatically after some time passes. I came here to ask if there¡¯s any way to connect with another organization of mages.¡± Yongno looked around. As he saw numerous gazes and quizzical looks, Yongno sighed. He then replied to Youngmin. ¡°Please keep your voice down. There¡¯s no such thing as an organization of mages in this world. I¡¯m the only human mage here.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ is that so?¡± Yongno made a puzzled expression after seeing Youngmin weakly lower his head. ¡°Have you finally realized the situation you¡¯re in?¡± Yongno asked. ¡°I sensed something off with this world, but I never thought there was absolutely no one who could use supernatural abilities¡­.¡± In fact, Youngmin had felt an oddity from the moment he crossed space and arrived on Earth. Yet, he thought there was a problem with his body. Youngmin didn¡¯t want to recognize or believe in the apparent truth because he didn¡¯t want to accept that he was alone in a world completely unrelated to him. This [Earth] looked similar to his home planet. They were so alike that he initially thought he had arrived at a different version of his home planet. However, there was a stark distinction. ¡°I have something to ask you,¡± inquired Youngmin. ¡°Go ahead,¡± Yongno replied. ¡°Do you know about Differentiation?¡± At this unfamiliar term, Yongno cocked his head to one side. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± *** It was said that Earth used to be the home of Sindroia, the origin of the universe, also called the Original Blooming Flower. In the beginning, the Creation God conceived the four great dimensions before making Sindroia and imbuing it with omnipotent power to maintain the four great dimensions. Sindroia, which controlled time, space, life, and matter, was an all-powerful being that could be considered a fragment of the Creation God. ¡°Hence, every being wanted Sindroia. A legend states the Celestials and the Demons fought over Sindroia. This even includes the super-high-ranking beings, the Archangel and the Demon King.¡± Sindroia was the source that maintained and ruled the various dimensions, so when entire dimensions imploded and perished, they¡¯d bloom again and regenerate into a world once more through Sindroia¡¯s hand. Knowing this, the Celestials and Demons planned to lure out Sindroia by blocking its senses towards a single planet, annihilating all life present, and then releasing the barrier, which would make Sindroia react and appear before them. ¡°When was that done?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not exactly certain. I only know that it was a long time ago. Anyway, the problem didn¡¯t arise during that time, but from what happened after. When that occurred, there was an issue because various beings coveted Sindroia. That incident served as the starting point. Soon afterward, the representatives of the physical world, along with the legendary Great Hero, annihilated Asura, the being who suppressed all transcendents and represented another image of the Creation God. The Earth as we know it was [Differentiated] at that time.¡± Youngmin¡¯s voice was low yet clear and persuasive. His tone of voice was so convincing that, if he were a scammer, he could swindle an entire country¡¯s populace of their fortunes and skin them dry. ¡°A legendary Great Hero?¡± ¡°An existence called the All Master, or so I¡¯ve heard. It seems he¡¯s a being that has mastered all the superpowers in the world. Other than the fact that he¡¯s human, any information about him is kept top-secret. A mid-level fighter like me has no way to learn more about the All Master.¡± As he gave a self-deprecating smile, Youngmin continued. ¡°Similarly, the exact reason behind the Differentiation isn¡¯t clear. It¡¯s said that this is a matter involving the highest-level gods, so it¡¯s not information that can be accessed and known by a mere human. Yet, the vital factor is that the number of [Earths] increased to 100.¡± Youngmin continued his explanation. Since that fateful event, which happened hundreds of years ago, the Earth [Differentiated] into as many as 100 different dimensions. This number wasn¡¯t simply from copying and pasting Earth; subtle variables were implemented into each Differentiation, and each Differentiation¡¯s era was adjusted. ¡°Like parallel universes,¡± Yongno commented. ¡°Similar. However, the important thing is that all Differentiated Earths are based on the solar system standard. Thus, when civilizations exceed a certain scientific advancement and space travel becomes possible, they may meet each other. Hence, I could have moved into one of these parallel universes.¡± ¡°No, that isn¡¯t correct,¡± Yongno denied. Youngmin expressed his doubts. ¡°How can you be so sure? In my civilization, the story about parallel universes is hypothetical, but there¡¯s no other reasonable explanation, right?¡± ¡°No, there must be another reason. Traveling between parallel universes is vastly more difficult than dimensional teleportation. It¡¯s challenging to interfere with set laws and rules even if one develops a special ability and reaches the transcendent level, at the least. In addition, all beings in the material world have a fixed address. Even if someone moves to a parallel universe from an accident, they will return to their original world in an instant. This is the same as a person jumping with all their might; they will eventually fall back to the ground.¡± The more Yongno learned about DIO, the more he researched and understood dimensional movement. This was because, in DIO, he was a mighty mage who surpassed the level of an archmage, but in reality, Yongno¡¯s abilities were minimal. Yongno had always thought, ¡®I have to somehow bring the items I have in DIO to this reality!¡¯ As he knew that Dynamic Island and the space where his recent mission took place were real worlds, Yongno felt the urge to somehow summon the items he possessed in DIO into reality. Barring his equipment, if he could get his hands on his magic stones and continuously replenish his supply, he could achieve many things in reality. This was why Yongno worked tirelessly on the metal plate with magic circuitry drawn on it, a summoning device that Yongno named [Recaller]. ¡®However, only strange things have appeared from that device.¡¯ Still, the evil spirit from that summoning circle device was useful since Yongno could extract something from it. Yongno looked at Youngmin, who was deep in thought. Youngmin soon let out a sigh. ¡°This is driving me crazy. I¡¯m in another version of Earth¡­ I¡¯ve only read about such fantastical things from old records.¡± ¡°Is there any way for you to go back?¡± ¡°If space travel were possible¡­ But this Earth hasn¡¯t reached the level of civilization needed to conduct proper space travel. There is no contact with the outer world.¡± This realization drove Youngmin to the brink of despair. The reality that it may be impossible for him to return home was sinking in. While his real body was still residing in his reality, it was essentially a vegetable, as he was never going to wake up. ¡°There might be an overlapping point.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Youngmin was taken aback. He knew that ¡®this¡¯ Earth had no superpowers whatsoever, and science wasn¡¯t too advanced, so it couldn¡¯t communicate with outside beings. Yet, Yongno continued. ¡°You know of the Union, right?¡± ¡°Ah, of course! Ah! That organization can communicate with outside worlds! Is it here too?¡± While he shouted with delight, Youngmin seemed to have forgotten that Yongno could use his abilities to speak non-verbally. Though Youngmin wasn¡¯t dumb, he must have been quite unsettled to react in such a deafening manner. ¡°First of all, I need to give you an explanation of a game called DIO.¡± Yongno calmly started explaining. For now, this world, this version of Earth, existed in a form in which no supernatural ability users could exist. Yongno then described the virtual reality game that suddenly appeared and the people who ran it. That is, the [Noblesse], who wielded great power within the [Union]. The explanation was lengthy. As Yongno explained, Eunhye sat beside him and listened carefully to his theory. She was quite intelligent and had no problem following and understanding what Yongno was saying. Yet, after hearing the story, Youngmin didn¡¯t appear convinced. ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡± ¡°Hmm? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Why only this Earth?¡± It was an offhand statement, but Yongno immediately understood the point Youngmin was making. As far as Yongno knew, the only universe where the Noblesse created a virtual world like DIO and nurtured users was Yongno¡¯s version of Earth. Undoubtedly, DIO¡¯s management might be trying to trick him, but there was no sign of such deceit. ¡®Why only this Earth? The planet Ayan I visited on the last mission was strangely similar to Earth, but its inhabitants didn¡¯t seem to know anything about the concept of users. The same goes for where Youngmin lives. It would be better to cast a wide net and select people carefully amongst a greater number of higher-quality users, but why is DIO only present for us? What¡¯s the difference between their Earth and mine?¡¯ Yongno fell into thought. However, without having to consider this extensively, Yongno reached a conclusion. ¡°It might be because this planet is inhabited by humans who can¡¯t use supernatural powers at all¡­.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Youngmin fell deep in thought as he mulled over this plausible scenario. Certainly, in his view, the spiritual structure of this version of Earth was abnormal. He never thought there would be a material world without spiritual pathways. Unless there was a transcendent being capable of transforming the spiritual power of the world through their own power, it was impossible to properly exert one¡¯s spiritual power on Earth. For people who were born and raised with no exposure to magic, what kind of power would they have when using mana? ¡°If you want to return, contacting the Noblesse is one option, but you must be careful. There¡¯s no guarantee that they¡¯ll act in good faith.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Youngmin¡¯s expression turned solemn as he contemplated and felt increasingly troubled. He knew that the Noblesse, with their value of noble lineage, looked down on other species. In particular, those who referred to themselves as pure-bloods discriminated against lower species to such a degree that they ridiculed all other species as tribal country bumpkins. Of course, dragons, a transcendent species, possessed outstanding intelligence and noble spirits, but even so, when their numbers increased, all sorts of psychopaths would inevitably pop out, and even wise beings may become foolish once they grouped together. Since their average level of intelligence was so high, they didn¡¯t stoop to the individual egotistic motives and lowly nature of human beings, but that didn¡¯t mean dragons were altruists. ¡°What would you like to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like some more time to think. Maybe things will get worse if I act rashly. Yet, there¡¯s something more urgent than that.¡± Yongno tilted his head after hearing Youngmin¡¯s words. ¡°Something more urgent?¡± ¡°Yes. If I¡¯m to remain here, I¡¯d like to make things clear. I¡¯m younger than you, so may I call you hyung?¡± Yongno laughed as he shook off his serious expression and smiled kindly. ¡°Well, that works. Speak comfortably. To be honest, until just a while ago, we were talking like office workers, weren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Youngmin laughed jovially as he smiled. At that moment¡­. Beep~ Eunhye¡¯s smartphone rang and gave off its monotonous melody, causing Eunhye to become nervous. She didn¡¯t receive calls too often. ¡°Yes? Ah, yes. Alright.¡± After talking on the phone for a while, Eunhye put her phone down. Yongno asked. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡­ Do you know a user called Scorpion?¡± ¡°Yes, of course. We were sent on a mission and hunted together just yesterday. Well, to be exact, I don¡¯t know if you can say we were both hunted. Anyway, what¡¯s up with Scorpion?¡± Eunhye answered Yongno, who appeared puzzled. ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°¡­¡± CH 199 *** Chaos and an Attack *** ¡°Oh, Dongsoo hyung! Hello!¡± ¡°Wow, oppa, long time no see~!¡± Dongsoo arrived at a small orphanage. The facility housed around ten children here, and Dongsoo himself had also resided here as an orphaned child in the past. ¡°Hyung! Play soccer with me! We have enough people now to play a full game!¡± ¡°No! Oppa, play hide and seek with me!¡± ¡°Hyung, what¡¯s for lunch today?¡± Dongsoo had always been popular with the children, but he didn¡¯t know why. He wasn¡¯t typically upbeat and playful. Yet, for some reason, the children followed and responded to him well. ¡°Phew. There¡¯s an uproar again.¡± Dongsoo put on the apron he had brought and wrapped his hair with a handkerchief. Then, he held a small rag, a mop, a broom, and a bucket of water and drove the children away. He was there to clean. ¡°Wow, so fast.¡± ¡°He really is. He¡¯s like a professional cleaner.¡± ¡°The cleaning Demon King.¡± Dongsoo quickly put everything in order. He dusted, swept, mopped, and finished cleaning by wiping things with a hand rag. The whole process was so swift and efficient that the onlookers exclaimed in admiration. Bubble. Bubble. As he worked, Dongsoo even stopped by the kitchen to cook. The menu was stir-fried chicken soup, beef bulgogi, sweet potato stew, tofu stew, and various other side dishes, many of which Dongsoo had already prepared at home. ¡°We¡¯ll be eating soon, so set the table.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. The children ran around and started preparing for lunch in a relatively orderly manner. When Dongsoo first visited them, they didn¡¯t listen to a word he said, but now, they moved at his beck and call. ¡°So delicious! Your future wife is going to love you!¡± ¡°Hyung, you¡¯re so amazing at housework! Are you some sort of housework genius?¡± The children made a fuss, but Dongsoo remained calm. ¡°Housework is a matter of desperation, not talent. You will all have to face that desperation at some point.¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± It was a blunt way of speaking to children, but they burst into laughter at the apparently hilarious comment. All the while, the children played with their spoons and chopsticks nonstop. ¡°Hahaha. As expected, the atmosphere is lively whenever you come by, and the kids seem happy when you¡¯re here, too.¡± When the director approached and spoke with a friendly smile, Dongsoo replied, ¡°They¡¯re quite an energetic group. Plus, the environment they¡¯re in makes them miss home-cooked meals.¡± The director helped Dongsoo organize and put the cleaning tools back in Dongsoo¡¯s car, with the latter having driven the supplies over. ¡°I¡¯m always grateful. Other children never visit the orphanage once they leave, but you make a concerted effort to come and take care of the next generation.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just doing some general cleaning and preparing a meal.¡± Dongsoo was always serious and didn¡¯t know how to be sociable; one could say he was blunt and often boring to be around. However, the children at the orphanage followed him and tended to listen to his every word. ¡°You will make a fine father.¡± ¡°Just because I can clean and cook doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m suitable father material.¡± When Dongsoo muttered indifferently, the director said, ¡°You never know. Perhaps you won¡¯t become a father, but I feel like you¡¯ll be doing something similar.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± The director handed a small note to Dongsoo, who made a puzzled expression. Dongsoo had been given a piece of paper luxuriously decorated with a gold leaf on a black background. ¡°This¡­.¡± It was an obituary message. *** Yongno entered the funeral hall wearing a black suit. There seemed to be over several hundred people gathered here. ¡°Mr. Scorpion must have been rich.¡± ¡°Most Masters are rich, especially mages like Scorpion. It¡¯s because he can make magic items.¡± The money that circulated in DIO had grown to such an extent that it was difficult to even call it an in-game currency. Since DIO¡¯s money could be immediately converted into real-life cash, even with the minor convenience fee, DIO¡¯s gold had essentially become a global currency. In the financial world, this money was often called Golden Money. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Oh, Ohje¡­ what happened to Scorpion?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It appears he was killed while he was connected to DIO. His corpse was crushed, so the atmosphere at the scene was said to be ghastly. He died an unspeakably cruel death.¡± ¡°The corpse was crushed¡­.¡± A thought came to Yongno¡¯s mind the moment he heard Ohje¡¯s words. ¡°What was it like?¡± ¡°What was what like?¡± ¡°Scorpion¡¯s body.¡± ¡°It was bizarre. He was curled up as if a giant hand had squeezed him, but he was in his home with all the doors locked. He lived on the 15th floor, so who the hell could have done that to him? Also, some forensic experts said it¡¯s impossible to crush someone like that, even with a fair amount of equipment and time. Shit! Why Scorpion?! What did he ever do to meet such an end?¡± The young men around Ohje hurriedly rushed to calm him down. The commotion only lasted a moment, and soon, the funeral hall grew quiet. Yongno recalled what he had seen during the mission. ¡°Save me. Ah, it hurts¡­ it hurts so much¡­.¡± That was what Yongno had witnessed when he was transported to Sirius. Scorpion suffered excruciating pain while being squeezed by a massive claw surging with aura power. Yongno remembered thinking that the agony Scorpion faced shouldn¡¯t have been possible. Users were protected by DIO¡¯s pain control system; therefore, they should not feel any pain that exceeded a certain threshold while in-game. ¡®What if that system is broken?¡¯ Yongno continued with this line of reasoning. It was an assumption close to an unfounded leap, but if he logically deduced the result from this hypothesis, an answer appeared. ¡®And if that attack can harm one¡¯s real body¡­.¡¯ Yongno trembled slightly. If this presumption were true, then the impact of this new reality would truly be terrifying. Death in the game would become death in real life. Regardless of any possible heart attacks from the pain a user could experience in-game, if players started receiving [physical] damage in real life, continuing to play DIO would present a severe problem. ¡°Merlin, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Arthur. Did you arrive earlier?¡± ¡°Yeah. Actually, I didn¡¯t plan on coming because I wasn¡¯t too close to Scorpion¡­ but when I thought about his death for a while, I felt quite suspicious about something.¡± Arthur became solemn. What appeared on his face was not sadness but something close to fear. Soon, Yongno realized that he was wearing the same expression. ¡°Do you think such a thing is possible?¡± Yongno spoke without any context, but Arthur, otherwise known as Kim Seyoung, nodded. ¡°A curse close to an ultimate magic spell, a type of sword qi, a spiritual core created by the Spirit King or the summoner of the Phantom King, a god-level weapon that hits one¡¯s spirit body directly¡­.¡± ¡°It penetrates defenses.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a type of repeated, continuous attacks.¡± ¡°Then, what about defending against it?¡± ¡°It needs to be cut off.¡± ¡°One second- no, it should be reduced to at least half a second.¡± Their conversation was disjointed, as they clearly omitted a bunch of explanations. As she stood beside Yongno, Eunhye couldn¡¯t understand what the two were talking about. ¡®This person¡­.¡¯ Eunhye narrowed her eyes and looked at Seyoung. Surprisingly, he was talking in the same realm and frequency as Yongno. When she saw Yongno¡¯s calm gaze, Eunhye gritted her teeth. ¡®They see and perceive things in an identical manner.¡¯ Of course, if Yongno had heard this, he would have shaken his head. It was true that they were called the Heaven Above the Heavens and possessed supreme talents that no other user had. However, Yongno and Seyoung only used talent as a determinant of their place in the world when they were younger. Now, it was no longer about what talents they possessed but what they did with those talents. Yet, Eunhye fell deep into thought. ¡®How can I stand in the same position as these two? Could I reach their level if I united the Blackyak Sect and the No Thoughts Gold Strong Technique?¡¯ Lately, Eunhye had been training like crazy. She came up with a new theory, and if there was something she didn¡¯t know, she immediately went to Yongno to ask questions. Yongno was always able to suggest a new path for her because his magic power and martial arts skills were at a much higher stage. However, once she surpassed a certain level, whether it was martial arts or magic power, she gradually moved into a realm that relied more on one¡¯s senses than theory. Even if she found a new clue, it would be next to impossible to grasp her newfound knowledge if she didn¡¯t have an innate sense to comprehend it. At another area of the funeral hall¡­. ¡°Were you able to get ahold of Lancelot? Why isn¡¯t he here?¡± ¡°I called him, but he said he couldn¡¯t come because he had something important to do.¡± ¡°Well, even though we¡¯re all Masters, I guess people aren¡¯t required to be friends with every one of us.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the turnout great, though? Look over there - Arthur and Merlin came. I couldn¡¯t believe that such giants would show up.¡± Just like how countless celebrities showed up at another celebrity¡¯s funeral, many Masters were present at Scorpion¡¯s. Recently, there were many cases where Masters were as famous as celebrities; there was even a reporter at the entrance of the funeral hall. ¡°Hey, Merlin! Please look over here! What do you think of Mr. Scorpion¡¯s death?¡± Yongno walked forward, ignoring the reporter holding up a microphone. Eunhye stuck close to Yongno and followed him inside the funeral hall. ¡®Am I also Merlin in real life?¡¯ Yongno found the situation dumbfounding, and he laughed. It was true that Yongno had been referring to the other Masters by their in-game ID, but that was because he only knew them by their usernames. The reporter knew his real name, but he was still calling Yongno by his ID handle. CH 200 However, the gathered reporters started asking a bunch of questions. ¡°Is it true that Scorpion was assassinated due to an in-game dispute?!¡± ¡°What are your views on the violence that stems from playing DIO!¡± ¡°Did you know that young children are forming violent gangs in schools after playing DIO?¡± ¡°Recent research suggests that a greater number of young teens are being diagnosed with mental illnesses after playing DIO; do you have any comments on this social phenomenon?¡± Yongno frowned. ¡®Wait, what kind of absurd line of questioning is this?¡¯ Even Yongno, with his almost supernatural reasoning and analysis abilities, couldn¡¯t help but be caught off guard. Despite his extraordinary instincts, he couldn¡¯t understand what the reporters were getting at. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Since he wasn¡¯t a public official, Yongno didn¡¯t need to answer the reporters, so he left the funeral hall and got into the luxury sedan he had arrived in. Yongno was rich enough to employ a designated chauffeur, but he wasn¡¯t fond of having unfamiliar people around him. Thus, Yongno still drove himself around. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Phew. Now that I¡¯ve had some time to process what they¡¯re saying, I think the crux of the issue is that DIO has made too much money.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that something obvious and to be expected?¡± After hearing Eunhye¡¯s words, Yongno shook his head. ¡°They haven¡¯t shared that wealth. In other words, they didn¡¯t ¡®grease¡¯ the wheels.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Obviously, the Noblesse didn¡¯t care about the situations and common practices that earthlings faced every day. If just one Noblesse appeared on Earth, they could wipe out humankind with ease; hence, the Noblesse never considered bribing people or ¡®greasing the wheels¡¯ to make their lives easier and allow their business to run smoother. ¡°Based on their line of questioning and the overall public sentiment these days, it seems like a few restrictions and rules against DIO will be implemented. It would be inappropriate to place those limitations without any reason, though. It appears the mainstream media is being used to build negative public sentiment and ultimately justify those restrictions.¡± ¡°DIO is unhealthy and improper for so and so reason. Therefore, certain restrictions must be put in place¡­ something along those lines?¡± ¡°Yeah. Although people who offer services and products earn some money, those who control the system and its rules make the real profit. For all of history, public power hasn¡¯t been used to assist and help those in need but to restrict and harm.¡± As he grumbled about his point of view and misgivings, Yongno turned right. Eunhye soon spoke. ¡°That¡¯s too bad.¡± ¡°What is?¡± ¡°The Noblesse have no intention of trying to understand humans, so if the Noblesse feel too restricted, they¡¯ll take immediate action.¡± ¡°¡­ Probably.¡± The Noblesse wasn¡¯t a typical multinational corporation. While most of the people working for the Noblesse were humans, the executive team, which held all decision-making power, were members of the dragon species. These beings look down on other species to the point of being called tribalists. Logically speaking, would the Noblesse ever try to please humans? Boom! At that moment, a forceful spiritual wave swept through the entire planet. This phenomenon only occurred on Earth, not Arterian or Ayan. ¡°Yongno?¡± Yongno had sped up without saying anything, so Eunhye called out to him; however, Yongno didn¡¯t offer a response. The situation was rapidly changing. Currently, a second variable, something that even the Noblesse didn¡¯t expect, was making its impact. ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­.¡± *** The funeral home was modest. Once he got there, Dongsoo respectfully bowed. The building was relatively small, and there weren¡¯t many visitors attending the funeral. ¡°Are you Mr. Byun Dongsoo?¡± ¡°Yes, but you are¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a friend or acquaintance of the deceased. I¡¯ve been employed to carry out the funeral proceedings.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Dongsoo was momentarily taken aback when he learned that there were professionals handling the funeral. The man wore mourning clothes, and he handed Dongsoo a letter. ¡°The funeral procedures will be conducted under a prearranged process, so there¡¯s no need to worry.¡± Indeed, Dongsoo had nothing to worry about. Trained funeral home employees handled the funeral service, and the deceased¡¯s body was cremated and placed in an ossuary. ¡°I feel so empty.¡± Dongsoo watched the entire process from the sidelines as he suddenly felt a suffocating feeling. An unknown sense of pity, rather than sadness or anger, washed over him. ¡°Father, mother¡­.¡± Yes. They were his adoptive parents, who had adopted Dongsoo at a young age and raised him for a year. They were the two adults who helped him understand what it meant to feel familial warmth and the joy of working hard. They were also the ones who broke his heart when they abandoned him due to his shortcomings. They never properly adopt him, allowing them to eventually send him back to the orphanage. As such, it wasn¡¯t entirely correct to call them his adoptive parents. Presently, there was no reason to call the deceased father or mother. However, Dongsoo still considered them his parents. If they weren¡¯t his parents, he¡¯d still think of himself as an orphan. Dongsoo recalled the fateful day he met them at the orphanage and how he later moved into a new home. From the first day he became their child, he received all kinds of gifted education lessons from private tutors, from sports and basic studies to music and writing. Those days were quite impactful and significant for him. He had started his life with a sincere personality. Dongsoo never wavered from his responsibilities and always did his best to work hard and learn. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I may have initially looked smart or gifted, but I wasn¡¯t.¡± Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Dongsoo remembered how he kicked and screamed when he was forced to return to the orphanage after a year under their care. It wasn¡¯t that he disliked the orphanage. Actually, he was someone who could adjust and get used to any setting. Dongsoo didn¡¯t want to lose his [Father] and [Mother]. Though they never really showed any particular love or affection for him, a [normal, untalented being], Dongsoo felt the warmth and safety that came with being part of a family for the first time in his life. /To Dongsoo, We wanted to see you at least one last time before we died, but we couldn¡¯t get over our guilt. Though you weren¡¯t the type of child we sought, you were nice and hard-working. My husband passed last year due to an accident, and I¡¯ve been diagnosed with a terminal illness. It appears the heavens are punishing us. We were, after all, terribly greedy people. I¡¯ve dismantled the family business and taken care of all debts. However, I found that I was still left with a sizable amount of wealth. You probably don¡¯t want anything to do with it, but I wish for you to watch over the funds. Also¡­ I¡¯m hoping you can take care of our daughter. Though this might sound like an excuse, my husband and I always wanted to cultivate someone who could achieve greater things than us. We thought we could raise a perfect child if we put all our energy and resources into the project, and that¡¯s how we found our second child. However, we knew that real genius¡­ wasn¡¯t something my husband or I could handle properly. So, I have a request. It¡¯s shameless and cowardly, but you were the only one my husband and I deemed trustworthy. Please, watch over the child, the girl who can be considered your sister, until she becomes an adult. This is our final wish./ Dongsoo stared at the will that he¡¯d been handed before laughing weakly. In the end, it seemed the couple continued searching for a talented child after sending him back to the orphanage. Yet, they both died and left their worldly property and daughter behind. Moreover, they were asking him to take care of her. ¡°In the end, after much contemplation, was I the only person that came to mind? You really didn¡¯t have any friends, did you, mother?¡± To Dongsoo, the deceased was still his mother. Of course, he resented her. He still retained the painful memory of that fateful day when he was abandoned; the image and feelings of that day were still fresh in his mind. If Dongsoo had seen his mother or father face to face, he might have spewed numerous venomous and hurtful words. ¡®You¡¯re dead now, though. I was so committed to succeeding and proving you two wrong, but you both went and died¡­.¡¯ Dongsoo felt an unimaginable, intense feeling of despair pressing down on his whole body. He wanted to be special. He wanted to become the kind of person everyone couldn¡¯t help but look up to, appreciate, and love. Yet, he knew¡­ Dongsoo knew he was ordinary- no, maybe even less than that. It didn¡¯t matter if he endured for hundreds and thousands of days, vomiting blood and whittling away at his soul through constant training. His essence, his innate potential, may never change. ¡°You two were truly cowardly.¡± Dongsoo laughed mischievously. If others overheard and knew what happened to him, they would have smirked and called him an idiot, but Dongsoo didn¡¯t resent his adoptive parents. When people adopted an unrelated child, wasn¡¯t it normal to desire a talented and gifted kid? Unless someone had the heart to save a poor child and sacrifice their whole life for the kid¡¯s happiness, any adopter would prefer children who were prettier, cuter, or more intelligent than average. It wasn¡¯t wrong to go to an orphanage and check the conditions and personalities of different children and choose from that pool. Dongsoo felt that this process and mindset were natural and normal. Undoubtedly, returning a child to the orphanage after going through that entire process was clearly a matter of fault for his mother and father, but they donated a considerable amount to the orphanage after that and even supported his tuition without contacting him once. Although Dongsoo didn¡¯t spend a single penny, they genuinely tried to help. ¡°By the way, my father and mother raised her for over ten years¡­ I¡¯m curious, how smart and talented is she?¡± Dongsoo had no interest in material property and was curious about how great his adoptive sister was. Dongsoo drove to the address he was given - his parent¡¯s home. Beep~ He stood before a luxury apartment. As if things had been planned and settled beforehand, Dongsoo passed the apartment¡¯s entrance without much difficulty and made his way to his adoptive parents¡¯ apartment. Once there, he rang the doorbell, but there was no answer. ¡°What is this¡­ hmm? The door is open.¡± Though puzzled, Dongsoo entered the house. The interior of the luxurious apartment, which was incomparably larger than the house he lived in, was in a state of ruin and disarray. It wasn¡¯t the aftermath of a raid or robbery. Instead, the mess stemmed from a completely different reason. ¡°Why¡¯s this place so trashed?¡± There was garbage from delivery food thrown here and there, and cases of electronic products were piled up against every wall. Novels and comic books were also haphazardly thrown against the side of one wall. CH 201 Brr! Bang! From one side of the room, gunshots could be heard, but, of course, they weren¡¯t real. Instead, in between the mechanical-sounding gunshots were familiar game taglines, such as, ¡®Fire in the Hole!¡¯ ¡®An FPS game?¡¯ Since DIO¡¯s proliferation worldwide, the gaming industry, or games that weren¡¯t DIO, had considerably diminished. Unsurprisingly, though, quite a few people felt burdened by fighting or conducting battles in virtual reality due to the immense difficulty. So, multiple other games still operated; however, it was still a weird sight to see someone playing a game other than DIO. ¡°Uhm, are you Byun Miri?¡± When Dongsoo called out the name he had read earlier in the will, a sharp voice responded. ¡°It¡¯s not Byun Miri; it¡¯s Lea Schmidt! Moreover, I have nothing to say to you, so get out of here!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t. You¡¯re underage and need a guardian¡­.¡± Dongsoo spoke calmly, but Miri responded by shouting, ¡°I said go away! You¡¯re after money! I have no interest in that family¡¯s property, so take everything and disappear! Oh, right, did you want this house, too? I¡¯ll purchase it from you. The officially announced price is 1.1 billion won, but I¡¯ll be considerate and give you 1.5 billion won. That works, right?¡± This wasn¡¯t the type of tone or wording a high school girl would typically use. Furthermore, as a teenager, she couldn¡¯t possibly have that much money, Dongsoo thought, ¡®Even if she did, that doesn¡¯t change the fact that she¡¯s still a minor.¡¯ Click. Hence, Dongsoo used the key enclosed in the will to open the door and enter Miri¡¯s room. ¡°What the hell? Don¡¯t come in!¡± Miri shouted in an angered and aggressive tone, but Dongsoo didn¡¯t mind as he looked around. ¡°This place is a mess.¡± Miri¡¯s room was a pigpen. There were instant cup noodle bowls discarded haphazardly throughout the area, clothes strewn across the floor, and rubbish littering every space in between. Yet, even within that chaotic area, the messiest thing was the girl in the middle of the room. ¡°This¡­ is terrible.¡± Miri¡¯s hair was unkept, dragged on the ground, and covered in a film of grease as if she hadn¡¯t washed it in a long time. Though it was hard to see the extent of her hygiene issues just by looking at her, Dongsoo could smell a terrible stench emanating from her body. She epitomized the classic case of a shut-in. Bang. Miri- no, Lea Schmidt flinched at the sight of Dongsoo promptly turning around and leaving the apartment. If Dongsoo tried arguing or attempted to drag her out, she was planning on beating him up, but he just walked away, which momentarily put Lea at a loss. Though her front door was left unlocked, Lea felt no fear. She didn¡¯t eat anything nutritious, which heavily contributed to her skinniness. However, despite her physique, she could easily fend off three to four adult men. Lea didn¡¯t possess overwhelming muscular strength, but she did have an inhumanly fast and accurate sense of perception and a battle instinct that allowed her to take advantage of everything around her. Just as Yongno could easily deal with strongmen who trained in all forms of martial arts, Lea, even at her young age, could handle most situations by herself as long as a gun wasn¡¯t trained on her at point-blank range. Click. ¡°W-what?¡± Exactly thirty minutes later, Dongsoo returned. In his hands were a broom and rag, tens of garbage bags, and all sorts of cleaning supplies. ¡°It¡¯ll get dusty in here, so I¡¯m going to open the windows.¡± ¡°Eh? Huh?¡± Regardless of Lea¡¯s reaction, Dongsoo started cleaning. Dongsoo opened all the windows and started tossing the small mountain of garbage into the bags he had brought. Much of the trash came from delivery food, such as paper bags and wrappers, to plastic bags and containers; Dongsoo collected all this trash and separated it into recyclables and general waste. The sheer volume of the garbage was immense. More than ten 50-liter bags had to be thrown away. ¡°Tsk. So much dust.¡± ¡°Hey. Wait. What are you doing?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not going to get up, at least roll to the side. You¡¯re getting in my way.¡± ¡°What?¡± Dongsoo overturned the house, starting with the living room. He got rid of all the garbage and put everything else where it belonged. After sweeping, he went over the entire apartment with a vacuum cleaner, which he found buried in the corner of the house. Then, Dongsoo wiped the floors with a mop and finished with a hand rag, which he had to wash eight times. Whoosh! He even cleaned the bathroom, which smelled god-awful. First, he threw hot water on every surface, wiped off the dirt and scum in the bathtub with a cleaning solution, and removed any mold by spraying bleach. With that done, he moved on to wipe the sink¡¯s faucet with a hand rag and applied baking powder in the sink basin to remove the stains. Then, he placed toilet paper all around the toilet bowl and sprayed deodorant and cleaning solution on it, leaving it to sit and soak for about an hour. ¡°W-what¡¯s up with you? Why are you so good at this? Are you some sort of professional cleaner?¡± Lea muttered in bewilderment, but Dongsoo pretended not to hear. He cleaned with such fervor and concentration that his forehead started dripping with sweat. ¡°This is leftover Coke, right?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah. It came with the chicken I ordered¡­.¡± Glug, glug, glug! ¡°Eh? Hey¡­ why are you emptying it down the toilet!¡± ¡°I¡¯m using it to remove the last bit of stubborn toilet bowl stains.¡± Soon, Dongsoo finally finished cleaning the bathroom and all the other rooms. The books previously strewn across the apartment were piled on bookshelves and organized by type, and any remaining books were put in boxes and placed in an unused room. Dongsoo also washed all the dirty dishes and cups scattered here and there and tidied up the kitchen. The cleaning lasted two hours. ¡°Now, only the biggest problem remains.¡± ¡°What? There¡¯s still something left to do?¡± ¡°You.¡± Dongsoo dragged Lea and threw her into the bathtub. Lea was determined to retaliate if he attacked, but she couldn¡¯t resist for some reason. She couldn¡¯t muster up her strength after seeing Dongsoo¡¯s eyes, which didn¡¯t contain an iota of selfishness or greed. ¡°Put the clothes you were wearing into the washing machine. I¡¯ll leave a new set of clothes near the door so you can put them on after you¡¯re done showering. How can a young woman be so messy and unkept¡­.¡± ¡°Kyak! Hey! Get out! Who asked you to do this?! What do you want?! Do you want this house? Are you cleaning because you plan to live here?¡± Lea shrieked, but Dongsoo didn¡¯t bat an eye. He had come across these sorts of [kids] countless times in the past. ¡°Whatever, I¡¯m leaving for today. I¡¯ll prepare a meal for you, so eat it after you get out of the bath. Put the dishes in the sink. I¡¯ll take care of them tomorrow.¡± ¡°Hey! Just what are you planning-¡± ¡°Be careful. I can see your underwear through your clothes¡­.¡± ¡°Kyak!¡± After leaving her in the bathroom, Dongsoo went out and slammed the door behind him. Now alone, Lea stood motionless with a dumbfounded look plastered across her face. ¡°What¡­ what¡¯s up with that guy? No, wait, what did he do to the bathroom? Why is it shining?¡± The bathtub squeaked whenever she touched it, and she was at a loss for words. She couldn¡¯t believe this was the same space she had occupied just a few hours ago. Lea took a warm shower, something she hadn¡¯t done in a long time, before coming out of the bathroom. Dongsoo had already departed, but he left a bowl of steaming rice and some side dishes on the dining table. Dongsoo didn¡¯t know this, but it had been almost five years since Lea received such a meal. ¡°What¡¯s up with that guy?¡± Lea couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. And in that manner, a week passed. ¡°Hmm, good. She finally had the sense to put her finished dishes in the sink.¡± ¡°W-what are you talking about? I only put them there because I was walking by that area!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No, wait, what the hell¡­.¡± For a week, Dongsoo came to the house every day, providing three hot meals while he was there. Lea no longer had to rummage through a pile of clothes on the ground to find what to wear. Naturally, ever since Dongsoo started coming over, the apartment was clean and organized. Lea used to yell at Dongsoo to get out, but she realized that she now eagerly awaited her mealtime. The house, which had been nothing more than a garbage dump, had become cozy and peaceful. ¡°Why do you have so few clothes¡­ What kind of clothes do you like?¡± ¡°Military uniforms!¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll try and find some military-looking clothes for you. Make sure to lock the front door,¡± Dongsoo said calmly before leaving the house. After a week, Lea felt it natural to have Dongsoo in the apartment, but he never slept at his adoptive parents¡¯ house. He came and went as if he was working a nine-to-five job. Click. When the front door closed and Dongsoo¡¯s presence faded, Lea hesitated, having been eating a dish of buttered corn with cheese that Dongsoo had prepared for her to snack on. ¡°Oh¡­ oh, no. I was going to tell him not to come back¡­ this is dangerous. This is a temptation, the devil¡¯s temptation.¡± Shivering, she took another bite of the buttered corn with cheese. As the warm cheese melted in her mouth, she felt her mind relaxing. ¡°Damn it. What the hell is up with that guy? Isn¡¯t he the one who was brought in and then kicked out by the man and woman who used to own this house before they croaked? Is he trying to be friendly before taking his revenge?¡± Like a beast, she could read another person¡¯s psychological state just by smell and expression, so she knew what she stated wasn¡¯t true, which only added to her confusion. Dongsoo¡¯s kindness arose from a general sense of goodwill. He acted entirely selflessly. ¡°I have to make sure he doesn¡¯t come back¡­ if I beat him up, then he probably won¡¯t come back¡­.¡± Yet, she couldn¡¯t do that. Dongsoo left her alone to do whatever she wanted, but he cared for her needs perfectly. She had become totally used to life with Dongsoo; it was to the point that she worried about what she¡¯d do if he really left her. Lea suffered from being unable to do what she desired because of the physical comforts she was enjoying. Bang! This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. An explosion erupted in the distance. The sound was all too familiar to Lea, but that was also why she felt so bewildered. ¡°¡­ Shelling?¡± CH 202 Once Dongsoo left the apartment, he fell into thought. Though he didn¡¯t show it when he was with her, he was taken aback by Lea¡¯s existence, as he knew who she was. ¡°Dang¡­ mother¡­ you sure knew how to pick the right person. You definitely surprised me.¡± At first, Dongsoo was unaware who Lea was. Lea¡¯s overly thin frame, bloodshot eyes, caked hair, and dirty clothing wasn¡¯t the image that he was used to seeing whenever he saw Lea in DIO. However, after being tidied up and fed through Dongsoo¡¯s care, Lea slowly took on an appearance that Dongsoo was much more familiar with. Now that she was taking a shower once a day, she looked more like a teen idol than a shut-in. ¡°Cruze¡­¡± She was one of the Heaven above the Heavens; she was Cruze Schmidt. In their search for a gifted and talented child, his adopted parents had adopted a child from overseas! ¡°Anyway, how come she doesn¡¯t recognize me? She has such good memory¡­ am I such an insignificant existence?¡± Dongsoo grumbled. Unless one had a problem with one¡¯s body, such as being hunchbacked or having some sort of physical disability, the image of one¡¯s character in DIO mirrored the image of the user in real life. Hence, Dongsoo looked exactly the same as his in-game character, Lancelot. Even if one didn¡¯t know someone well, one should still be able to recognize someone if one sees that person a few times, but Lea didn¡¯t seem to recognize him at all, so Dongsoo hesitated and missed the timing to properly introduce himself. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s a bit strange. Her initial physical condition was in such a mess, but she instantly became better after eating well and washing up for a week.¡± The many food wrappers from Lea¡¯s dependence on delivery food had piled up all over the apartment, but that was because Lea had been confined within the apartment for a long time. She didn¡¯t eat very much anyway, so her choice of only eating fast food had deteriorated her health. This led to her becoming dangerously skinny with a bad complexion, but in just a week, her cheeks took on a rosy color, and her skin was glowing; it was to the point where Dongsoo thought, ¡®Did I feed her some rejuvenating, life-saving medicine?¡¯. Bang! While he was busy thinking about this and that, the building near Dongsoo exploded while giving off an explosive sound. ¡°What the¡­!¡± Startled, Dongsoo hid behind an elevated flower bed installed on the side of the road. Shards of shattered glass from the building¡¯s windows flew in all directions. ¡°Kyak!¡± ¡°W-what¡¯s going on? Was it a gas explosion?!¡± ¡°Ah, it hurts¡­ it hurts!!¡± ¡°Someone, call 911!!¡± The busy street, where many people came and went, became a chaotic mess. The explosion was so strong that it destroyed the building, and the building¡¯s fragments shot out and hit the people nearby. Thinking that there might be a second explosion, Dongsoo lowered his stance and took out his cell phone. He was planning on contacting the fire and police department, but to his dismay, his cell phone didn¡¯t work. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ completely dead?¡± Not only did he not have a signal, but the LCD screen itself wouldn¡¯t turn on. It was as if he had broken his cell phone after ducking behind the flower bed. ¡°What¡¯s with my phone¡­ it won¡¯t turn on!¡± ¡°Is my phone broken? Why isn¡¯t it turning on?¡± ¡°My car stopped running!!¡± From all over the place, screams began to erupt. Hearing all this, Dongsoo felt his blood run cold. ¡®Have all electronic devices become disabled?¡¯ Dongsoo quickly got up. The situation seemed dire. In Dongsoo¡¯s mind, if someone had artificially caused this situation, this wouldn¡¯t be the end. Ting! Boom! At that moment, a nearby building collapsed. The collapse was accompanied by a mechanical sound. Soon, a giant thing made of some sort of white metal appeared. ¡°¡­ Eh?¡± It was a gigantic mechanical robot. *** There were things in the world that many people think about but don¡¯t happen. These events were an impossibility, things that only happened in movies. The probability of such things happening were less than 0.00001%, if not 0%. For example, a UFO suddenly appearing on Earth and befriending a human boy, or transforming robots, powerful enough to shake the entire universe, descending onto Earth and fighting each other, but for whatever reason, they get crushed and smashed by tank shells and missiles fired by modern human forces. This sort of extraordinary event was occurring on Earth. It was a response against the Union. Zing! Zing! Dimensional rifts opened here and there, and mechanical machines began pouring out from them. Among them were mechanical robot soldiers that looked like humans and mechanical weapons that looked like modern tanks and fighter jets. However, the mechanical robots, in the form of humans, tanks, or fighter jets, weren¡¯t manned by anyone, but rather, they moved automatically. The human-shaped mechanical robot soldiers held laser guns, which looked similar to modern rifles, in their hands. If a Master, who had conducted many missions, had seen these robots, they would have instantly recognized that these mechanical robots were T-41 type mechanical robot soldiers, which were often used by space pirates across the universe. ¡°Oh, is this some sort of magic performance? How did those things appear out of thin air?¡± ¡°Wow, look at that!¡± A number of these mechanical robots landed in a busy street in Chongqing, China. They landed in front of a crowded department store, and people gathered at the sight of [Robots] appearing from thin air. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Is it a movie shoot?¡± The local Chinese and foreigner tourists started gathering in front of the mechanical robots. Obviously, no one showed fear or avoided the mechanical robots. ¡°Hey~ mister robot! Is anyone inside!¡± A woman, who appeared to be a Westerner, cheerfully waved her hand in front of one of the larger mechanical robots. And, following her movements, the mechanical robot soldier moved its arm. Clunk! It pointed its gun at her. ¡°Hmm?¡± And fired a bullet. Bang! The woman collapsed helplessly as the projectile, traveling more than three times the speed of sound, blasted her head off. ¡°¡­ Uh, huh?¡± ¡°That? What?¡± Even after the woman¡¯s death, the gathered people didn¡¯t process and quickly react to the impending threat. In the first place, the entire situation felt surreal. A bipedal mechanical robot appearing in the middle of a bustling city and shooting people¡­ it was a scene that only came out in Sci-fi movies. However, for the mechanical robot soldiers, who had no reason to be considerate of their targets, the people¡¯s response was seen as something fortuitous, as they could carry out their mission objectives more comfortably. Bam! Bam! Bam! Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. The mechanic robots started aiming and firing at the gathered crowd. The people, who finally figured out the situation they were in, panicked and screamed; however¡­ Brr!! Boom! The large explosions soon drowned out their screams. *** These mechanical robots appeared all over Earth and immediately started slaughtering the people around them. There weren¡¯t a great many of them. In each of the thirty or so locations that they warped into, a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 20 mechanical robots appeared, so the total number was only 200 to 300. Since these mechanical robots had bodies made out of special alloys, they were naturally impervious to modern human bullets and chemical weapons; however, unlike the firepower that advanced demons and Masters could output, this level of firepower was something that modern humans could contend against. In essence, the mechanical robots were only utilizing basic armaments that were commonly used by pirates that roamed the universe. Basically, these mechanical robots were resistant to heat and shock, so they couldn¡¯t be damaged by personal firearms, but they weren¡¯t so strong that they could survive a strong physical impact, such as artillery fire or missile attacks. Even if humanity didn¡¯t take any collective action against these mechanical robots, their relatively small numbers meant that humankind would ultimately defeat them at some point. However, unlike the larger picture and their eventual demise, currently, these mechanical robots were freely slaughtering the people around them. They appeared in crowded downtown areas, so the loss of life was truly astronomical. The mechanical robots didn¡¯t take any strategic action. If there was a human nearby, they¡¯d seek him or her out and kill. In other words, their actions were close to an act of [Terrorism]. Moreover, this was their true and only purpose. *** ¡°¡­ How did this happen?¡± Tan, DIO¡¯s top operator, gritted his teeth at the massacre unfolding on his screen. Of course, he wasn¡¯t feeling sorry or guilty about the people¡¯s deaths. He didn¡¯t value human life. The problem was that, while the mechanical robots slaughtered humans, some of the more valuable users would be swept away in the carnage. Even in this brief attack, two Master users had died! ¡°What happened? How were they able to warp into our territory?¡± It should have been an impossibility. The planets managed by the [Union] were equipped with all manners of warp-defying defensive measures, so the fact that mechanical robots were able to descend upon Earth meant that the Noblesse¡¯s defense systems had been breached. ¡°Who¡¯s behind this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Legion.¡± ¡°Ugh, those old-timers¡­¡± Tan gnashed his teeth in annoyance. The Legion, a huge power that ruled over more hundreds of planets and owned ten Terra-class ships, was one of the three terrorist groups, often referred to as the Union¡¯s Great Adversaries, that were hostile toward the Union. Like the Grotesque, the Legion was a terrorist group that constantly presented issues for the Union. At least now, from the Union¡¯s perspective, the Legion was just another terrorist group, but when the mech god, Dekarma, was present, the Legion was such an enormous force that even the Union couldn¡¯t easily deal with them. If the Union focused everything they had against the Legion, the Union could annihilate the Legion, but the damage the Union would suffer in the process would be so great that they¡¯d be unable to muster any defense against the other terrorist groups. Although the Legion lost most of its power after the fall of their mech god, who did something forbidden and was annihilated by the God of War, the Legion continued to exist and remained hostile towards the Union. ¡°Did the Legion break through our security systems?¡± The Legion was an organization made entirely of machines. Born from artificial intelligence that was created in the distant past, so long ago that no one truly knew how long, these machines possessed special traits, such as [creativity] and [thinking], which allowed them to be capable of [imagining], unlike the artificial intelligence that existed on Earth. These machines were able to think for themselves and develop a civilization, and since they could reproduce Legion mechs without anyone¡¯s help, they were able to proliferate at a somewhat infinite pace, as long as they possessed the required resources. Since the Legion were essentially containers of information, they could easily crack through and infiltrate computer and mechanical systems. Even so, it was still puzzling as to how they were able to break through the Union¡¯s warp-defying defenses, especially at this specific moment and time. ¡°By the way, why aren¡¯t the Enforcers mobilizing?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s because¡­ the mech robots invading Earth are within the boundary of being categorized as 2nd stage civilization things. They¡¯re using a [legal] loophole, so to speak. Of course, if they increased their numbers, the Enforcers would probably come to stop them, but it seems the Legion are adjusting their numbers to fly under the Enforcer¡¯s radar.¡± Human casualties, and in turn the reduction of users, were the Union¡¯s main concern, as the Legion¡¯s forces that descended on Earth weren¡¯t at a [Humanity Destruction] level. The Legion¡¯s forces would cause some damage, but their relatively small numbers could be contended against by humans without any need for intervention. In addition, the Legion had no intention of gaining any benefit from this round of attacks on Earth and wasn¡¯t interfering with human souls in any way, so the Enforcers wouldn¡¯t mobilize. Of course, human individuals were dying, but the Enforcers wouldn¡¯t care about that. Human life perished all the time from wars, skirmishes, and disease, so what if a few thousand or hundreds of thousands of human lives were lost from the Legion¡¯s attack? ¡°But the Enforcers will probably show up if we intervene, right?¡± ¡°Of course. We¡¯re constrained by Union Law. The Reaper Organization also issued a warning not to move recklessly.¡± As users began to play an active part in the wider universe, interest started gathering from all corners of the universe. It was true that the Noblesse had a strong voice in the Union, but there were also many factions who opposed them, and even amongst the Noblesse, there were those who did not like Tan and other pure-blooded existences, so it was impossible for Tan to do whatever he wanted. ¡°In the end, I guess there¡¯s only one thing we can do.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t that always the plan?¡± ¡°Of course, but I thought the Grotesque would have been the ones to push us to mobilize, not the Legion. They¡¯re both our enemies, so that essentially makes them allies¡­ but I¡¯m sure they¡¯re not working together¡­¡± This turn of event happened because Merlin defeated Madness, who had essentially become a lost child within the dimensional rift realm, and Sirius, who was given access to utilize Armageddon power, in succession. The Grotesque possessed more than 100 Numbered Slayers, like Madness and Sirius, but they felt a sense of crisis at the fact that two of their Numbered were defeated by users, who originated from a training system. In other words, the two Numbered Slayers were defeated by existences that weren¡¯t even Noblesses or higher-level beings; they had been defeated by humans who had gone through a mysterious training system. ¡°If we take our planned course of action, we¡¯ll probably cause an uproar, right?¡± Melton, who looked like a young boy wearing a baseball cap, smiled after hearing Tan¡¯s question. ¡°But what can they do? Since the attacks will become more direct and only increase in number, everyone will start relying on us more.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± Tan nodded his head. And then, he radiated blue aura. ¡°Send in the Masters.¡± CH 203 Smoke rose from various parts of the city. Accompanied by deafening explosions, buildings collapsed, and mechanical robots busily searched for their next human targets. ¡°Eek!¡± A man hiding in a building screamed. He locked the building¡¯s front door and hid himself while staying completely silent, but soon, a mechanical robot soldier, with a height of about 2 meters, broke through a wall and entered the building. It was holding up a gun that it had obtained from a human target. The T-41 model mech robot had its own weapon, but it procured a local human weapon because it was programmed to take such action when its own weapon was out of bullets. ¡°Someone¡­ s-save me¡­¡± The man implored the robot for mercy, but that wasn¡¯t going to affect the T-series mechanical robot, which even the Legion didn¡¯t recognize as its own [Species]. Bang! Accompanied by a loud noise, the man¡¯s head was blown to smithereens. Soon, the space behind the mechanical robot shuddered and opened as if it had been waiting for this moment. Whirl! Two magic circles with a diameter of about 3 meters floated in the air. The magic circles floated in the air for a while, shedding a soft white light, and then turned into a single circular sphere, which soon burst like a water droplet, spitting out two young men. ¡°Fuck. What kind of mission needs to be conducted in such a hurry?¡± ¡°Still, compared to the difficulty level, they¡¯re giving us a lot of gem points. Oh, is that the objective target?¡± Men''s clothing wasn¡¯t the kind that could be seen in reality, yet, it was familiar to most if not all people on Earth. Holding a Bastard Sword while wearing plate armor, one of the two men¡¯s getup was something people often wore in the Middle Ages. What made the image more believable was that the warrior was a Westerner. He was dressed as if he had just jumped out of a medieval fantasy movie. The T-series mechanical robot, uncaring about its opponent¡¯s wardrobe, started to move. Bang! Bang! Bang! The mechanical robot pulled the trigger of its weapon while aiming at the man, but the bullets fell helplessly to the floor, unable to pierce the force field around the man¡¯s body, let alone get to his plate armor. The man was employing a type of defensive barrier that absorbed kinetic energy. Crack! And right after that, the man¡¯s Bastard Sword shattered the mechanical robot¡¯s body. The other man, dressed in mage garb, started to complain. ¡°Hey, you idiot! Don¡¯t break it!! Something like that can sell for over 5 gold!¡± ¡°Oh right¡­ Hey, but now that we¡¯re Level 10, do we have to be so careful over a pitiful 5 gold?¡± ¡°You need to save to live well, idiot¡­ huh?¡± As the man was berating his party member, a sound like a camera flash going off was heard, and soon, a beam of light rushed in after blowing away an entire wall. It was truly a surprise attack, but to users who were accustomed to all sorts of surprise situations, this wasn¡¯t anything to be particularly surprised about. Crackle! A defensive barrier shield appeared in front of the two users and blocked the light energy attack. Of course, the defensive barrier shield would break if the incoming attack exceeded a certain limit, but in the current case, the defensive barrier shield was able to handle the oncoming attack¡¯s power level. ¡°Oh, they¡¯re weak. Probably Level 5 or 6 at best?¡± ¡°Mech robots. They¡¯re weak against physical strikes and electricity-based attacks.¡± Crackle! Pop! The warrior wielded his sword and the mage started casting thunderbolt spells. Although the mechanical robot soldiers were extremely dangerous for modern humankind, a single Master level user could easily defeat a whole army of these mechanical robots. Moreover, the mechanical robot soldiers possessed limited armaments and size, as they were made to be [at or around modern human capability levels]. Hence, these mechanical robots were no match for the two users. ¡°How long do we have left?¡± ¡°Almost done¡­ Huh?¡± At that moment, the mage¡¯s expression turned into a frown. It wasn¡¯t because of the bodies scattered all over the place; the users¡¯ minds were protected by the system¡¯s defensive barriers and familiarity with death. However, what puzzled the mage was the fact that the surrounding background looked oddly familiar. The city was already in ruins, but what remained looked quite familiar. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I¡­ know this place,¡± the mage muttered to the puzzled warrior. ¡°You know this place?¡± ¡°This¡­ This is the city square with the Liberation Monument in it. It¡¯s located in the central region of China. I came here during my last trip to China.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? This mission¡¯s map is based on Earth?¡± The mage tilted his head as his frown deepened. He heard moans from between the collapsed buildings. ¡°Oh, is that Alaska? What the heck? Are we in-game?¡± ¡°¡­ Do you recognize me?¡± Alaska, who was a male mage and a popular user who MCed for a game broadcasting channel, which focused mainly on DIO, groaned at the unexpected situation. In his eyes, the injured civilian man was marked as an [NPC]. ¡°Hey, what is that guy talking about?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand? Ah, right¡­ You didn¡¯t input Chinese into your interpreter. No¡­ wait¡­¡± Alaska, who had accumulated enormous amounts of knowledge and entered the realm of an archmage, fell into a state of shock and chaos. ¡°What the hell? What¡¯s going on?¡± This sort of situation was happening all over Earth. Although Master level users traveled all over the universe to conduct missions, it was impossible for them to not recognize the world they lived in. Even if they considered everything as just a game, the Masters, and the tremendous power they exerted in real life, left a strong impression on the human survivors. However, that fact wasn¡¯t something that was immediately apparent to everyone around the world. ¡®An EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) attack. They shut down all the electronics around me.¡¯ Yongno, no, Merlin threw away the smartphone he had picked up. The circuit was burnt out and recovery seemed impossible. ¡®But why? Even if they didn¡¯t paralyze our electronic systems and devices, they have the power to wipe out humanity. Are they trying to prevent humans from running away in a car?¡¯ Merlin stopped walking. He slowly advanced and unraveled his thoughts and came up with several hypotheses. 1. To prevent the filming of videos and to restrict contact with the outside world. Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. 2. To forcefully log out anyone playing DIO nearby. 3. To prevent anyone from running away. Hypothesis #1 was very convincing. In fact, due to the EMP shockwave, proper military forces couldn¡¯t mobilize. The large explosions and word of mouth accounts could spread, but that wasn¡¯t enough to properly assess and become aware of the actual situation happening on the ground. All rescue signals and communication lines were being blocked. Besides, it had only been two hours since the first mechanical robots started appearing. State agencies were in a state of confusion, so they were unable to properly read the situation. Hypothesis #2 was also a possibility. Merlin was convinced that this attack was related to the Noblesse, who were currently operating and running DIO. It didn¡¯t make sense that extraterrestrial beings suddenly invaded Earth without any foreshadowing. Merlin abandoned hypothesis #3. In the first place, these mechanical robot soldiers were very mobile, and since they were impossible to deal with without a full-fledged army and respective firepower, it would be more efficient to explode a few more bombs than to cast an EMP shockwave. Clank! At that moment, a giant mechanical robot soldier, after destroying a nearby building, raised its body and approached Merlin. The chest of the mechanical robot soldier, which looked like a human but without a head, opened up, and red rays of light began to gather. Soon, the mechanical robot soldier fired a beam from its chest beam, which possessed enough destructive power to blow down several buildings. The survivors, who were in hiding, trembled in fear; however, Merlin remained calm. ¡°I request thunder.¡± Crackle! As Merlin muttered, sparks flew from his right hand. Even a traditional Earth-based army armed with modern weapons would find it difficult to handle such a mechanical robot, but these opponents didn¡¯t pose a threat to Merlin. On the contrary, Merlin found their low power level strange when compared to the seriousness of the situation. ¡®They¡¯re being constrained. There must be a reason why a stronger force wasn¡¯t sent. They could easily wipe out humanity if they brought in something like a giant ship and launched a carpet bombing.¡¯ Rumble! Lightning struck. Like a waterfall, a great many lightning bolts flashed down with their high voltage currents and hit the mechanical robots. The giant mechanical robot soldiers¡¯ systems seemed to be fried from the excess voltage, causing internal errors and instantly rendering the mechanical robots immobile and useless. Gee- ¡°Do they have a self-destruct function?¡± Seeing the body of the fallen mechanical robot soldiers turn red, Merlin calmly moved his hands. Instantly, the fallen mechanical robot soldiers¡¯ bodies disappeared; they had been moved into the basement of a nearby half-destroyed building. Whirl! The ground shook from the self-destruct explosions, but there was no further damage or human casualties from their self-destruction. No matter what method the mechanical robots used, they weren¡¯t a match for Merlin. However, the problem was¡­ ¡°I-is¡­ is it over?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­ hey, isn¡¯t that Merlin?¡± ¡°Merlin? Why is one of the Heaven above the Heavens here¡­¡± ¡°Why is an in-game avatar wandering around here? Also¡­ what were those machines? I¡¯m sure I had already logged out from the game!!¡± ¡°He saved us.¡± ¡°Hey, Merlin? What¡¯s going on¡­¡± The people gathered around Merlin. Their eyes were filled with a sense of bewilderment and suspicion. Poof! However, the background changed before Merlin could even offer an answer. Looking around his new surroundings, Merlin saw a huge iron tower collapsing. ¡°The Eiffel Tower¡­¡± Before he knew it, Merlin was in Paris. This time, he was placed near a gunfight between armed men and a group of mechanical robots. The armed men were clearly losing ground and being pushed back. ¡°Ugh.¡± Merlin sighed as he drew mana and prepared an AOE magic spell. Even if he dealt with these mechanical robots, the situation wouldn¡¯t end. Another attack could be imminent. Second, there were too many people who had seen the Masters¡¯ existence and participation in the fights, which may cause a larger problem in the near term. Peace was over. ¡°I request thunder.¡± Crackle! As sparks flew, Merlin felt the people¡¯s eyes focusing on him. Although he was equipped with an interpreter, he hadn¡¯t inputted French, so all he could understand was their shouts of ¡®Merlin¡¯, which he heard intermittently. Rumble! Combat was simple. Merlin also used Irrational Hand Strike to quickly defeat all the mechanical robot soldiers. ¡°I shall now return, to the house I dream of¡­¡± Merlin mumbled like a whisper. He entered a set of familiar coordinates and jumped through space. Poof! ¡°Yongno? You¡­¡± When Yongno, who had been lying in the room, came in from outside, Eunhye narrowed her eyes and scanned him up and down. Merlin¡¯s garb, as he was wearing a large red hat and a mage¡¯s robe, would probably make others mistake him as some sort of fanboy cosplayer. The destination that Merlin had entered was Yongno¡¯s house. Of course, this was an unexpected action that the DIO management team probably didn¡¯t want, but for Merlin, it was a necessary process that he needed to undertake to confirm something, so he continued to move without any hesitation. Click. When Merlin opened the door and entered Yongno¡¯s room, he saw a young man lying in bed. The young man¡¯s face, with earphones in his ears, was the same as his own. The only difference between Merlin and the being lying on the bed was the clothes they were wearing. Merlin gnashed his teeth. He knew that the young man lying in bed was himself, Yongno. ¡°¡­ Shit.¡± He realized once more¡­ Peace was over. CH 204 *** Change and Conflict *** The mechanical robots¡¯ massacre of human life was eventually suppressed by the Masters, who appeared after receiving a new mission request two hours after the initial attack; however, by that point, the damage was already done. The number of people who died worldwide was close to 100,000. These weren¡¯t casualty numbers from a war zone or an underdeveloped country; they were from the epicenters of the modern world. The mechanical robots targeted and attacked areas with high [population densities], such as Seoul, the Liberation Monument Square in China, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, which Merlin had visited in the past. Hence, most people around the world couldn¡¯t push aside the losses and reality as a [distant matter]. The world¡¯s people fell into a state of shock. Outside of the mind-blowing casualty numbers, the most shocking aspect for most people was that they didn¡¯t know or understand who the ¡®enemy¡¯ was. The national organizations, who retrieved the mechanical robots that invaded their respective countries and tried to initially suppress the release of any information regarding the mechanical robots, knew that the level of technology possessed by the mechanical robots was beyond that of modern human technology. However, since there were many people who got their hands on the mechanical robots¡¯ parts during the chaos of battle, this fact was soon announced by various news organizations, and countless reporters began to write numerous articles on the subject. Existence of mechanical robots that seemed like futuristic weapons¡­ who was their creator? There were many opinions. There were opinions ranging from aliens to the deployment of a covert United States experimental war machine. However, nothing was clear, so all reporting was speculative in nature. ¡°And the appearance of Masters presents another problem.¡± At first, there were signs that some countries were trying to take steps to control the media narrative, but there were too many eyewitnesses, as the mechanical robots attacked densely populated places across the Earth. Moreover, DIO Masters were often well-known individuals, like sports stars, so they were easily recognized by the general public. Furthermore, the Masters themselves remembered what they had done, so it was impossible to hide the fact of what had truly transpired. As a result, Yongno watched the following news broadcast on his television. /[Apologize Noblesse! Apologize!!] [The Noblesse, shrouded in so much secrecy, reveal all the facts and compensate the victims!] [Aliens, leave Earth!!]/ A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. On his television screen, Yongno saw countless numbers of people demonstrating in front of Noblesse office branches spread across the world. These people eventually concluded that the mechanical robots¡¯ attack was related to DIO. Since these protestors possessed limited information, they couldn¡¯t come to any other conclusion. ¡°Well, actually, they¡¯re kind of right.¡± After hearing Eunhye¡¯s comment, Yongno nodded in agreement. Eunhye¡¯s commented was correct. The protestors had reached their conclusion by luck, like a cow stepping backwards and unintentionally killing a rat; however, it was true that if the Noblesse hadn¡¯t launched and serviced DIO on Earth, Legion¡¯s terrorist activities against humans wouldn¡¯t have occurred. ¡°But if one was truly concerned, one should have brought this issue up from the start. Wasn¡¯t the whole idea and execution of the over-technology virtual reality game shrouded in mystery? Shouldn¡¯t people have spoken up sooner?¡± The virtual reality game DIO, and virtual reality at large, was a concept that couldn¡¯t have been realized at modern humanity¡¯s current technological and scientific development level. It was rather strange that the United States and other powerful countries across the world didn¡¯t push and pressure the Noblesse organization to find out their secrets. Reaching this point in his thoughts, Yongno frowned. ¡®Hmm. Perhaps¡­ it could be that Noblesse did something to keep everyone quiet and at bay until now. There¡¯s no way of knowing if they conducted mental interference, like what I was able to do onto others, right?¡¯ However, an essential question remained. ¡®Then why is it becoming an issue now? Even if there are a great number of people, running mental interference shouldn¡¯t be impossible or difficult for the Noblesse¡­ unless¡­ perhaps¡­¡¯ Yongno raised his head and looked at Eunhye. Eunhye tilted her head. Yongno felt that Eunhye¡¯s response and expressionless face was cute, but he soon shook his head and said, ¡°Eunhye, I¡¯m going to use Magic Eyes on you and ask you to do something. Can you try refusing it?¡± ¡°Refuse?¡± ¡°Yeah. Say that you don¡¯t want to do it.¡± ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be difficult.¡± After obtaining permission, Yongno began to gather magic power. Unlike in DIO, the process of gathering and circulating magic power in reality was complicated. Once the ¡®Heaven¡¯ seal engraved on his forehead was activated, Yongno could activate the mana on the magic circle drawn on the back of his right hand, but then, he needed to exert his intended effect back through the ¡®Heaven¡¯ seal. Ting! With reddened eyes pulsing with aura, Yongno looked at Eunhye. Yongno then stated, ¡°Oh Eunhye, kiss me on the cheek.¡± ¡°¡­¡± At Yongno¡¯s words, Eunhye stared at Yongno¡¯s Magic Eyes without any reaction. Yongno couldn¡¯t help but feel confused. ¡®Did it work, or did it not work?¡¯ Although Eunhye wasn¡¯t refusing, it was impossible for Yongno to draw any conclusion because there were no tell-tale signs of Eunhye being affected by his Magic Eyes. However, when Yongno had thought up to here, Eunhye raised her arms. ¡°E-Eunhye, what¡­ huh?!¡± She grabbed Yongno¡¯s head and kissed his lips. ¡°¡­!!!¡± Greatly taken aback, Yongno struggled to free himself from Eunhye¡¯s grasp, but he couldn¡¯t shake her off. Since he could use internal energy, he should have been able to easily suppress Eunhye with one hand, but for some reason, he felt overwhelmed. ¡°Uhm, uh, Eunhye, wait a minute¡­ uh?!¡± Yongno¡¯s body suddenly became rigid. He was overtaken by the soft feeling he felt between his lips. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Yongno¡¯s body shook. He tried to put up a resistance, but his resistance weakened and then stopped altogether. His widened, surprised-filled eyes were slowly closing. It was then that Eunhye stepped back. ¡°¡­ it didn¡¯t work on me.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°Your Magic Eyes didn¡¯t work on me.¡± ¡°Oh, it didn¡¯t? But¡­ you¡­ but¡­ why¡­¡± Thoroughly confused, Yongno stuttered, but Eunhye just watched the ongoing news broadcast without a change in expression. ¡°Uhm. Well. Okay. I guess my Magic Eyes isn¡¯t working. It seems something is blocking the Magic Eyes¡¯ effects. Martial arts and other abilities don¡¯t seem to be affected, so the fact that my Magic Eyes and its mental interference attacks aren¡¯t working means¡­¡± Yongno continued his thoughts¡­ on the softness he had felt moments ago on his lips. ¡®No, that¡¯s not it.¡¯ Yongno shook his head to escape from his current thoughts. What he had to think about was who was preventing mental interference measures while not blocking an individual¡¯s talents and abilities. He thought it might be the transcendent he had previously met; the one that passed judgments like a judge. That transcendent was as deadly as Eunhye¡¯s tongue, which was able to push past his lips and¡­ ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Yongno? Are you alright?¡± ¡°Hahaha! Uhm¡­ hmm. Critical¡­ a critical hit¡­¡± Yongno muttered incomprehensible words and sounds before he took deep breaths to control his chaotic mind. Fortunately, his Golden Pill Immortal Technique had the side benefit of stabilizing his mind. ¡°Uh, anyway, can you help me a bit more?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± With Eunhye¡¯s help, Yongno learned about the newly created [Restrictions]. It was still possible to hypnotize people using his Magic Eyes, but it was restricted to the realm of illusion; it was no longer possible to control other people¡¯s memories or minds through Magic Eyes as it was before. Since the process of planting false memories was now much more complicated than before, Yongno concluded that it would be practically impossible to subdue the minds of influential people in each country to protect himself and Eunhye, as he did before. ¡®The important issue is whether the memories and thoughts that I¡¯ve already implemented are still in effect or if they¡¯ve been released.¡¯ Yongno began to organize his thoughts. It didn¡¯t matter if his previous mental suggestions and effects were released, but if those who were previously influenced by him retained a memory of being [hypnotized by Yongno], Yongno would have to face some serious backlash. The various powers that had protected him and Eunhye until now would likely start to strangle their necks. ¡°Then¡­¡± Crackle! Just as he was about to come up with countermeasures, his television screen became distorted with static. It wasn¡¯t a mechanical breakdown. Some sort of powerful jammer was forcefully blocking the existing broadcast signal and taking over the television screen. /[Ah. It''s the first time I¡¯ve spoken out in public like this. Nice to meet you all. My name is Tan. You could say I¡¯m DIO¡¯s chief operator or president.]/ The newly emerging image on the television screen showed a man in a bowler hat sitting on an antique-looking wooden table. Tan, who had never exposed his face, except to Yongno and a few other Masters, was one of the original, founding members of the Noblesse Senate, so he wielded considerable influence within the Noblesse organization. ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­¡± Yongno never expected that Tan would publicly present himself, so Yongno watched the television screen with a sense of nervousness. Eunhye also frowned, perhaps feeling the same way. /[It¡¯s been a bit noisy lately, but most of your assumptions are incorrect and unfounded. To say that we, DIO, orchestrated this attack is outrageous. Rather, I am saddened by the fact that you humans died in such large numbers.]/ Though Tan was explaining his side, the atmosphere he exuded and his tone of speech didn¡¯t quite fit with his act of explaining something or commiserating with people who had lost loved ones. Rather, Tan¡¯s preachy attitude probably enraged the victims¡¯ families, whether the victims¡¯ deaths were Tan¡¯s fault or not. Seeing Tan¡¯s response, Yongno gritted his teeth. ¡®He¡¯s completely abandoned the idea of hiding behind the scenes! The restraints are much looser than I thought!¡¯ Yongno modified his thinking about the Enforcers, the transcendent judges he saw previously, once he understood that anything outside of directly influencing humans seemed to be acceptable. The only thing that still tripped Yongno up was that the Enforcers had prevented the mental interference of his Magic Eyes. ¡®No. I can¡¯t be sure of this. I¡¯ve only experimented on Eunhye¡­ I guess I¡¯ll have to widen my testing.¡¯ Regardless of whatever Yongno was thinking, Tan continued speaking. /[Ah, there is one thing you all got right.]/ Tan laughed on the television screen. /[We are aliens.]/ ¡°He¡¯s really exposing everything¡­¡± It looked like Tan was having immense fun. His laid-back attitude and casual remarks were to the point of being dismissed as a joke. But even so, no one watching the television broadcast took his words lightly. The aura and energy that Tan¡¯s image emitted was weighing down on all the people who watched him. /[Anyway, I need to get to the main point. Humans, especially Masters, listen carefully. This is an announcement.]/ The pressure Tan transmitted through the television screen was so powerful that it made it hard for one to properly breathe. It wasn¡¯t just a feeling; it was a clear, tangible pressure. ¡®As expected, if one is a transcendent, it doesn¡¯t matter whether one has spiritual pathways or not to utilize one¡¯s powers. Well, those guys were able to use their powers freely on Earth when I saw them before, so it doesn¡¯t come as that much of a surprise.¡¯ When one reached the level of a transcendent and gained a basic mana control ability, one could control mana itself in the natural world or materialize the power deep inside oneself, so transcendents literally transcended Earth¡¯s environmental penalties. This phenomenon occurred because transcendent beings were basically [Complete] existences. /[There will be more attacks. This is something that can¡¯t be helped as long as DIO operates on Earth. If you all want, we can close all DIO¡¯s services immediately and go back. If that happens, my ¡®enemies¡¯ will no longer target you all.]/ CH 205 Tan was telling the truth to the point of overdoing it. But Yongno knew that Tan didn¡¯t just randomly choose this approach. Yongno knew that, at the root, Tan looked down on humans and prioritized suppression and deception rather than truly respecting human free will. In this scenario, he didn¡¯t oppress the users because he was worried that his interference may hinder them from reaching the transcendent level; he wasn¡¯t taking this approach because he was considerate of humankind. ¡®Right. The new mental defenses and restrictions on mental interference weren¡¯t created to limit my actions! It¡¯s a system that was created and implemented to stop the Noblesse!¡¯ The fact was that much of what the Noblesses did on Earth crossed the line of Union Law. If other species did the same thing, they would have already been punished by the Union for having broken Union Law. However, on Earth as well as in the wider universe, law was always on the side of the powerful. Just as influential people in a corrupt country may cleverly twist their respective law and use it for their own gain, or even go beyond that and commit illegal acts and suppress dissident voices through political power, the Noblesse, as a force with great influence over the Union, cleverly maneuvered between the gray area of the interpretation of illegal and legal. However, the Noblesse still faced limitations. It was true that the Union was the greatest force that ruled over the material world, but it did not completely dominate the entire universe, as there were also other forces that couldn¡¯t be ignored altogether. Yongno did not know the exact circumstances, but the Reaper Organization, which belonged to the Nether World, had continuously put the brakes on and restricted the Noblesse¡¯s movements; the Reaper Organization even went as far as to alert the authority of the Union¡¯s law enforcement officers, the Enforcers, of the Noblesse¡¯s acts on Ayan. Because of this, it became impossible for transcendent beings, including Tan, to deceive humans or interfere with their minds. This was probably the reason why Tan changed his approach and revealed his existence to humans so publicly. /[However, we don¡¯t intend to discontinue DIO services. Instead, I will give you humans the strength to defend for yourselves.] [I will explain further.]/ Standing behind Tan, Melton, who was in the form of a boy but wouldn¡¯t fool anyone into thinking that he was actually a young boy, followed Tan¡¯s statement. /[The first announcement. As of this time, all Masters can manifest their in-game characters in reality. The manifestation ability is activated by concentrating one¡¯s mind and uttering the in-game character name of one¡¯s avatar, and once used, the Master can bring the abilities and gear one possesses within DIO into reality.]/ ¡°¡­ so cunning.¡± Instantly, Yongno realized their intentions. The combat ability of users who had reached the Master level was truly awesome; most if not all people took the power for granted because it was just something that was restricted to [in-game play], but to manifest that immense power in reality meant that Masters would possess and wield enormous power over Earth. ¡®Even me alone¡­ I can beat an entire aircraft carrier and its supporting forces. I could probably do it without even suffering a scratch.¡¯ In other words, manifestation meant that the existing national defense powers would lose all meaning. Of course, the great powers would probably try everything in their power to put the Masters under their command, and once the new system takes hold, no one would probably want DIO to disappear. To be precise, DIO was already deeply involved and ingrained in society, so if it were to disappear, a plethora of problems would probably emerge. /[The second announcement. Manifestation costs 10,000 Gem Points. In addition, the retention time is limited to one hour.]/ ¡°Yongno, this is¡­¡­¡± ¡°Right. It¡¯s a means to force Masters to continually conduct missions. The enemies are interested in Earth because of the missions the Masters are conducting, so they¡¯re implementing this system as bait to force Masters to continue participating in missions. This is the primary reason why they¡¯re implementing this new system.¡± 10,000 gem points was not an amount that could be easily collected, even for Master level users. Even in missions that rewarded considerable gem points, users received only 50 to 200 points. Of course, Merlin could also participate in missions that could yield him 10,000 or more gem points, depending on the availability, but only a handful of people had access and could participate in such missions. A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. /[The third announcement. We want to avoid a situation where society is messed up by the Masters, so we¡¯ll sell location trackers, which can locate Master level users, to the countries that are aligned with us. For countries that behave more favorably towards us, we are even willing to provide a wide-area shield to prevent space penetration and to provide gear to track where possible enemy attacks may come from.]/ ¡°They¡¯re really roping everyone along.¡± Although a Master level user possessed unbelievable power, a Master level user was just another ordinary human in real life unless he or she manifested, so it would be impossible for a Master level user to move recklessly in real life if location tracking was put in place. The situation would be different if a Master could operate from the shadows without concern of being located, but if one could be located in real time, the story was different. In addition, the ambiguous and subjective criterion of being seen as an ¡®aligned¡¯ or ¡®favorable¡¯ country also made it impossible for any nation in the world to do anything without the assistance of the Noblesse. Masters could instantly cross space, so the destruction they could level on a nation state would be immense. /[The fourth announcement. We will no longer idly stand by if the Noblesse are directly or indirectly attacked. At first, we¡¯ll probably deploy Masters to take care of any situation, but keep in mind, we have the power to restrict access or limit service to DIO. That¡¯s the final announcement~!]/ After Melton¡¯s cheerful voice stated the last line, the television screen returned to its original programming. A pre-recorded broadcast program was proceeding normally on the television screen, as if stating that nothing world-changing had just been broadcast moments ago. ¡°Hey Yongno, how many gem points do you have right now?¡± ¡°I have quite a lot, but¡­¡± Currently, Yongno had accumulated 150,000 gem points, but considering that he needed 1 million gem points to save Miho, he didn¡¯t have as much as he wanted. Of course, Miho¡¯s revival wasn¡¯t something that he needed to do immediately, but Yongno wanted to see her as soon as possible¡­ even if he didn¡¯t know what the exact outcome of her revival would bring. ¡°Will there be a response soon?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± While gathering his thoughts, Yongno closed his eyes. *** Indeed, the response came quickly. ¡°Long time no see.¡± The one who came to see Yongno was a tall Slavic beauty with blue eyes, white skin, and blonde hair. ¡°¡­ Uh¡­ Ilyia?¡± ¡°May I come in?¡± Ilyia, who was wearing a sophisticated-looking black suit, exuded a different vibe than what she gave off in DIO, where she was always seen dressed in a practical, yet comfortable outfit to promote her stealth capabilities. She didn¡¯t carry around her in-game image of someone who was slightly overwhelmed. The charm of a mature beauty came out naturally; her slender legs, stretched out under her short miniskirt, seemed to shine whiter in contrast to her black suit, and her chest, with its prominent contours, was bountiful to say the least. ¡°First, let me introduce myself. My name is Sasha Ivanov from the National Security Agency of the United States. My personal details are a secret, but my rank within the agency is quite high.¡± After seeing her wink one eye, Yongno asked. ¡°You¡¯re American? I thought you were Russian.¡± ¡°America is originally a multiethnic country. Although my mother was originally from Russia¡­ anyway, what does that matter?¡± After stating this, Ilyia glanced towards Eunhye, who was sitting next to Yongno. Ilyia wanted to be alone with Yongno, but Eunhye was already beside him, so Ilyia decided not to pursue one of her easier ¡®options of swaying him¡¯ to avoid any possible conflict. When Ilyia sighed after making this mental decision, Yongno spoke out. ¡°Yes. The important thing is that you came here under the name of the NSA.¡± The NSA was known to be one of the most secretive agencies in the United States and was capable of intercepting all modern communications. Of course, since the US government denied such facts, there were many who joked about the NSA acronym, such as calling the NSA a ¡®No Such Agency¡¯ or ¡®Never Say Anything¡¯, especially in mainstream movies and dramas. However, no one denied their existence and the power they wielded from the shadows. ¡°Well, since you¡¯re already familiar about us and our capabilities, our discussions can be conducted quickly. First off, I¡¯ve come here with the approval of the US President. In other words, this is not just my opinion, it is the United States¡¯ public and formal position.¡± As she said this, she looked at Yongno¡¯s face to catch his reaction. She stared at him with a haughty and intelligent gaze, but Yongno answered calmly without a change in expression. ¡°I guess he probably wants me to go to the USA and become a naturalized citizen.¡± ¡°¡­¡± For a moment, Sasha was left speechless. Rather than showing the expected expression of being anxious, shocked, or unsatisfied, Yongno had remained calm. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised because I find it obvious. However, I do have to commend the US president for being so fast on his feet. The distant US government is faster than my nearby Korean government¡­ In this case, the US¡¯s competence shines rather than highlighting Korea¡¯s incompetence¡­ I¡¯m fairly certain our Korean government hasn¡¯t even properly grasped the current situation.¡± In fact, the Korean government was unable to adapt to this urgent situation. Because, to them, DIO was nothing more than [that game], and the current government departments, including the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Gender Equality, Blue House, various public media outlets, etc., were in the midst of driving public opinion against DIO through popular media. ¡°So, will you become a naturalized US citizen?¡± Yongno laughed after hearing Eunhye¡¯s calm voice. ¡°Well. I¡¯ll have to look over their offerings and conditions before thinking about it.¡± ¡°Phew. You sure know how to play the game. Anyway, speaking of the benefits of naturalization, first, you¡¯ll be exempted from paying any taxes for your entire lifetime. In addition, a $100 million salary will be paid out under your name annually. However, this is just a basic salary; it may increase based on your performance.¡± ¡°And what else?¡± 100 million dollars, that is, 100 billion won in Korean currency, was the base salary, but Yongno didn¡¯t respond to such an astronomical figure. Sasha shrugged her shoulders before continuing. ¡°In addition, from the moment you naturalize, you will have immunity from all criminal offenses except treason. No matter what you do, if there is a clear reason, the US government will protect you.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s a bit appealing. I¡¯m sure I¡¯m going to be bogged down with legal tricks and loopholes here and there from now on.¡± Yongno nodded his head in earnest. Money was money, but he needed a means to protect himself and those he loved from other powers. If a nation-state were to frame him and manipulate the media, there was nothing that Yongno could do but be swept away by those in power. Of course, he could simply smash everything with force, but manifestation had a time limit. He could only deploy an extremely limited number of skills and powers in his regular ¡®human¡¯ body. ¡°The last part is a bit enticing? You¡¯re saying that the money isn¡¯t enticing?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sasha¡¯s eyes widened after hearing Yongno¡¯s decisive answer. 100 billion won was an amount of money that even the top 1% of all humankind would never see in their lifetime. In fact, it was an amount that was hard to even imagine for an ordinary person, but Yongno was saying that this amount of money wasn¡¯t enticing? However, Yongno calmly explained. ¡°Let me help you understand, Ilyia. For example, an aircraft carrier, a Nimitz class, costs roughly $4 billion US dollars. But think about it, Ilyia. Wouldn¡¯t it be impossible for me, Merlin Emrys, to sink an aircraft carrier with all its aircraft on board in one hour, not to mention all the frigates that would be supporting the aircraft carrier?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sasha was momentarily lost in her thoughts. However, since she was also a Master level user, she knew that it was impossible to block a Master¡¯s power with modern weapons. At one extreme, if she wanted to assassinate the President of the United States of America, there was no way the US president could stay alive. How can anyone stop her if she could deploy her stealth skills and move within the shadows? Even if she didn¡¯t utilize her stealth abilities and just plowed through the White House with brute force, she¡¯d easily be able to take carry of the modern weapons used against her and easily kill off the sitting president. ¡®Of course, the US probably reached that conclusion already.¡¯ Just because it was impossible to stop a Master level user with modern weapons didn¡¯t mean that the president¡¯s life was at risk. This was because, as a result of the recent increase in the number of Masters, the total number of Master level users exceeded 200. Of course, more than 100 of those 200 Masters were Level 10, but even so, it was true that having more Masters on one¡¯s side was better than having only a few Masters. If a Master stuck by the US president, or any other figure for that matter, and detected the presence of another Master with the location trackers supplied by the Noblesse, it would be possible to defend against a Master¡¯s or group of Masters¡¯ attack. CH 206 ¡®The problem is this guy is too strong. To be honest, I¡¯m not even sure how strong he really is.¡¯ The strongest users, the three users who were often referred to as the Outer Gods or Heaven above the Heavens, were well known for their strength and power, which was classes above other users. In particular, Arthur, who was known to be the strongest among the Heaven above the Heavens, made himself known to the whole world by defeating Sungmuk, an Orc Hero who overpowered Starting by himself. In addition, archmage Merlin was so overwhelmingly powerful that he made tens of thousands of users at the recent event helplessly look on as he made quick work of thousands of gem fish. By publicly showcasing his magic ability, Merlin showed a strength that seemed impossible to deal with, even if several other users attacked him all at once. ¡®If Arthur or Merlin tries to kill the US President, how many Masters will it take to stop them?¡¯ Reaching such a thought, Ilyia realized the seriousness of the situation. She realized that, if any of the Heaven above the Heavens sought to do something evil, an unspeakable crisis would unfold. Of course, there was a time limit if they manifested, so that was one reason they may hesitate to take such action, but if an organization protected and backed them, nothing would be able to stop them during the hour they manifested. ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± Hearing Eunhye¡¯s unexpected voice, Sasha turned her head. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Did you make this offer to Arthur and Cruze?¡± Sasha groaned after hearing Eunhye¡¯s question. However, she soon replied with an expression that seemed to state, ¡®there¡¯s no use in hiding it¡¯. ¡°Arthur refused. His patriotism and commitment to protect his country were too strong. I told him if he ever changed his mind, to let me know. And in the case of Cruze, no one knows where she lives.¡± Cruze¡¯s unknown whereabouts was an amazing feat. The intelligence power of the United States was so great that it knew most of the deepest and darkest secrets that other countries desperately wanted to hide. However, DIO didn¡¯t have a [sign up] process, and thus no paper trail, so to find a user, there was no choice but to compare the appearance of someone¡¯s in-game avatar to a person¡¯s looks in real life. ¡°Are you saying she belongs to a secret society or lives in a restricted area or something?¡± ¡°She might be someone who¡¯s suffered serious injuries beyond visible recognition.¡± However, the fact was that Cruze was just a shut in who lived in the corner of a room, so no one had the chance to see her, but there was no way for them to know that. ¡°Hmm, do I have to give an answer right away?¡± ¡°No. We¡¯re not threatening you or anything of the sort. If you make a decision, you can contact me through this. Well, I¡¯ve taken quite a bit of your time, haven¡¯t I? I¡¯ll take off before I become a nuisance, so please call me and notify me of your decision when you can.¡± Saying so, Ilyia handed Yongno a smartphone. The design was like a normal smartphone, but it was so thin that it looked more like a bookmark. Click. After Sasha left, Yongno fell into thought. The situation was rapidly changing. If things continued in the current direction, it would become impossible for him to develop himself and make his magic tools, as he had been doing before. ¡°I wanted to make a gate somehow.¡± Making a gate wasn¡¯t as easy as one might think. Lacking the requisite magic power and internal energy was one part of the problem, but Yongno¡¯s main issue was the fact that Earth was completely cut off from the outside world because of its complete lack of spiritual pathways. Yongno didn¡¯t face any trouble in simply creating a few sparks or using his martial arts, but problems arose when he tried to bring things from the [outside]. In fact, this was the reason why evil spirits and Youngmin appeared. ¡°Ah, come to think of it, what is Youngmin doing?¡± ¡°DIO. He logged on this morning and still hasn¡¯t logged out.¡± ¡°Well, the first time anyone plays DIO, one does tend to lose one¡¯s sense of time.¡± Muttering this, Yongno put away the smartphone Sasha had given him. He wanted to keep his options open, just in case. Arthur, or Seyoung, refused the US president¡¯s request due to his patriotism, but Yongno was different. Beyond being simply individualistic, Yongno held a grudge against nation-states. He had been abducted by a state-run secret service and subjected to brutal torture-like experiments on his physical body, just because he was different from other people. ¡®Whether it is an entire country or an organization, I must use them to my advantage. If it¡¯s difficult to hide my existence, I must proactively deal with that reality.¡¯ Yongno reaffirmed his commitment and rechecked his plan. He started to mentally organize the work he needed to do, but unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem that his enemies intended to give him any time to think. Whirl. An intense spiritual wave, which Yongno had felt before, swept across Earth. It was the X-Belt he experienced on Ayan. ¡°¡­ Really? Isn¡¯t infection on Earth impossible? The moment Yongno groaned, a spiritual voice echoed out. ¡°Follow us! We are¡­ great!¡± Yongno was safe from the transmitted wave, and Eunhye didn¡¯t seem affected either. Actually, this result was to be expected. The X-Belt, which was also called a [spiritual infection], only infected hosts that possessed spiritual pathways. At the very least, there needed to be an inactive spiritual pathway for one to become infected, but there was no such spiritual pathway anywhere or on anyone in present Earth. A powerful voice resounded, but only Yongno could hear it. If he had been awake, Youngmin would have heard it, but even so, that was the end; Youngmin wouldn¡¯t have been affected. What is the use of an X-Belt, which contained enormous spiritual power, when there was no one to be infected in the first place? ¡°But they¡¯re not fools either, so there¡¯s no way they¡¯d do something so stupid without a reason.¡± ¡°Yongno?¡± ¡°I think there¡¯ll be a problem soon. How many times can you manifest?¡± ¡°Only twice.¡± In other words, Eunhye was stating that she had 20,000 gem points, which was relatively a considerable amount. The missions allowed them to collect gem points, as they required combat more than anything else, so there was no particular reason to consume any accrued gem points. Boom. At that moment, Yongno felt a strong shockwave approach them from a distance, as if an earthquake had occurred. The distance was fairly far away, but the ground still vibrated and undulated as if an earthquake had occurred. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Yongno felt conflicted. ¡®What should I do? Should I go and save people? Morally, that would be the correct action¡­ but that decision wouldn¡¯t be rational. If I move recklessly, I will constantly be sought and used by national organizations from here on out.¡¯ It was said that with great power came great responsibility. Heroes in comics and movies used their superpowers for the sake of others and defeated enemies who hindered others¡¯ happiness. They risked their lives for a greater cause. But why? Yongno didn¡¯t understand that way of thinking. Helping others was, of course, a good thing. But why should one sacrifice oneself for another? Even if one does a service and sacrifices, there¡¯s no guarantee that the other, who was saved, would appreciate it. In today¡¯s stark and rigid modern society, individuals with such hero-mentality were prime targets to be used as tools by others. Service and sacrifice were, of course, great concepts, but service was always a choice, not something that could be coerced. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°It would be better to go¡­ and at least figure out what the situation is. It doesn¡¯t seem too far away.¡± The moment Yongno finished speaking¡­ The distant mighty aura suddenly disappeared. ¡°Huh?¡± It was not that the being was hiding; it was literally gone. A more intelligible explanation would be that it was killed off. ¡°¡­ Ha! I was concerning myself for no reason. Have I become stupid?¡± Yongno let out a dejected laugh. He wasn¡¯t a hero. He was naturally distrusting of humans and was even more averse to serving others. However, there was a hero residing in Korea. He was a sincere, good-natured person who knew how to sacrifice himself for others with a greater cause in mind. ¡°Seyoung hyung¡­¡± People called him the great swordsman, Arthur Pendragon. *** ¡°Ah, why isn¡¯t this asshole listening to what I¡¯m saying? Do I look like a pushover to you? Huh?¡± A student was beating another student on the veranda of Ivory Tower Educational Enrichment Academy, which mainly catered to middle and high school students. School violence was not a new concept that started recently, and bullying wasn¡¯t an act necessarily limited to school grounds. Not all perpetrators of school violence were bullies from broken families; there were quite a few bullies who possessed fairly high grades. In the first place, one¡¯s level of intelligence had nothing to do with whether one was good or evil. ¡°Be patient. He¡¯s just dumb. Hey, what do you think you¡¯re doing? Why aren¡¯t you begging for forgiveness?¡± Hearing the chatter from a small-framed guy who was standing next to him, Mingi felt like he was about to go crazy. How did things turn like this? He wasn¡¯t only subjected to bullying at school but also in his educational enrichment academy. Kyungwon, who attended the same school as Mingi, always followed Mingi around and harassed him for money. Mingi was initially relieved when he found that he and Kyungwon wouldn¡¯t be in the same classroom for the new school year, but now, Mingi found that they were attending the same academy. Mingi hoped to quit the academy, but his parents weren¡¯t hearing any of it. ¡°You don¡¯t want to study, so you¡¯re starting to spout all sorts of nonsense. If you don¡¯t want to attend the academy, then get good grades! Do you know how much the academy costs? Mom is having a hard time too!¡± Mingi felt as though he was being driven to the brink. His mind was at its wit¡¯s end. Continued beatings and bullying. He felt useless, as he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. The loneliness and despair of having no one by his side¡­ Right then, a thunderous roar shook his mind. ¡°Follow us! We are¡­ great!¡± Earthlings without spiritual pathways were basically immune to the X-Belt. The X-Belt, which was basically a spiritual-type infection, was imperceptible to humans on Earth, just as how flashbangs are useless against a blind man. However, humans on this Earth possessed souls, and among earthlings, there were some with minds that were particularly well suited to the Grotesque. If an extremely concentrated X-Belt wave was injected into a human who was tainted with negative emotions, such as anger, hatred, fear, pain, or despair, that human would directly become a 4th Stage Infected. In other words, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Stage would be skipped over. ¡°¡­ Stop it.¡± ¡°What? Hahaha! What the fuck is this bastard¡­¡± Crack! The right fist of the bullied student went through the chest of the bullying student. All the surrounding students, as well as the student who now had a hole in his chest, stood dumbfounded, unable to process what had just happened. ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± No one could process the surreal sight. Could anyone have imagined a bullied student punching a hole through the chest of a student who was bullying him? The whole scene was surreal. Crack! In an instant, the appearance of the bullied student, that is, the Infected, changed rapidly. As if his body was a piece of rubber being stretched out, the Infected¡¯s body grew rapidly in size and essentially ripped away the bullied student¡¯s physical body. Belatedly, screams erupt from all over the place. ¡°Ack?!¡± ¡°What the hell? What is this¡­ Ah!¡± The academy students screamed and tried to scatter in all directions, but the tentacles that extended from the Infected¡¯s body shot out all over the place. The Grotesque¡¯s tentacles crushed students¡¯ bones and flesh and pierced through their bodies. Whoosh. The corpses that had been pierced started to glow red after being affected by a special power. It was similar to a magic corpse explosion spell commonly used by dark magic mages, but its effect exceeded that of a modern large bomb. Bam!! A whole floor of the academy was destroyed, and the building, which couldn¡¯t withstand the impact of the various explosions, began to collapse. Due to the nature of the academy¡¯s classroom setup, the students, who had been crammed into several narrow classrooms, were crushed by fragments of the collapsing building, resulting in a catastrophic event. ¡°Disgusting! Dirty! Pathetic! Stupid!!!!¡± The Infected, who had already lost his temper, screamed and smashed his surroundings before opening his body wide and swallowing the surrounding corpses whole. Those who saw the shocking scene were terrified and froze like a deer caught in headlights. It was then that a Sword Light appeared in the air, vertically cutting through the body of the Infected. Swipe! With a sharp sound, the Infected¡¯s body was dismembered. It was not an attack that simply cut through the enemy¡¯s body, but a manifestation of internal energy that destroyed the spiritual structure of the being, so the Infected fell to the ground without the ability to recover. ¡°Oh my god. Even though I rushed over here as fast as I could¡­¡± Standing atop the collapsed pile of building fragments was a flying dragon with glossy black scales and a man wearing magic imbued martial arts gear, which looked like modern clothing, holding a relatively thick-bladed Draconic Sword. His name was Arthur Pendragon. There was no way a 4th Stage Infected, not even a Slayer, could contend against Arthur. In the 4th Stage, even the most mature Infected was commensurate with a Level 9 existence, so how could such a being block Arthur¡¯s attack? However, the problem was not the enemy¡¯s combat power. ¡°What¡¯s this? What are you? What the hell is this?!¡± ¡°Huh? Oh no, I¡¯m here to help you all¡­¡± ¡°Help us? What help?! Are you going to bring all these dead people back to life?¡± The middle-aged man approached as if he were about to strike Arthur. It was unknown if he understood that, if Arthur had arrived a little later, he would have died, as well as everyone else in the vicinity. ¡°Grr!¡± We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. ¡°Huh?¡± However, when Toothless growled, the middle-aged man collapsed on the ground in fright. Unlike Arthur, Toothless didn¡¯t waste its energy in trying to save others. ¡°Ugh! Why did this monster appear here?!¡± ¡°Gwangsoo¡­!¡± The reaction of the people gathered around Arthur was aggressive. In the Republic of Korea, where security was well maintained, people often lost their minds and reasoning ability due to excessive stress if they ever experienced a terrorist-like massacre. ¡°Let¡¯s go, master. If you stay any longer, you¡¯ll only see the dirty side of humanity.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Arthur looked around. Suddenly, more people rushed in to see the collapsed academy and him standing atop of it. Some of them were even taking pictures of him with their smartphones. Woong~! Hearing the distant sounds of sirens blaring, Arthur climbed onto Toothless¡¯ neck. Since there were still 40 minutes left in his manifested time, Arthur felt it was necessary to check if there were any attacks elsewhere. Poof! With the shaking of space, Arthur¡¯s figure disappeared. CH 207 Rumble. The sound of people¡¯s footsteps in the distance could be heard. The oncoming people encircled Yongno¡¯s house along the outside fence; there were also others stationed at his front gate. Overall, the atmosphere was a little tense, and the number of people gathered was considerable. Ring~! Then, the doorbell rang. Yongno¡¯s home was surrounded and seemingly under siege; a young, handsome man in a business suit stood at the front door. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m from the Korean NIS (National Intelligence Service). Are you Yoon Yongno?¡± ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± Yongno¡¯s voice had a hint of annoyance. Yongno expected that the Korean government would try to coax him to join their side. Of course, whatever offer they could muster would inevitably fall short of that of the United States. In terms of financial and political power, Korea and the United States weren¡¯t comparable. However, the fact that an NIS employee came to his house, along with a large number of troops with firearms, showed that the thoughts of the Korean government¡¯s ¡®upper decision-making branch¡¯ were in a completely different direction from Yongno¡¯s. ¡®Are they planning on containing me? They¡¯re banking on the fact that I can¡¯t manifest 24/7, huh?¡¯ Regardless of Yongno¡¯s wariness, the NIS employee tried to reassure Yongno and alleviate his concerns. ¡°We didn¡¯t come because you did something wrong, so you don¡¯t have to worry. I came to extend a Blue House invitation to all Masters within Korea. I came to escort you to the Blue House myself.¡± However, seeing that the NIS employee brought a hefty number of troops, it meant that he, and the government by extension, was somewhat afraid of Masters. Since Korea had more than 60 million DIO users, there was no way that people involved in the government weren¡¯t aware of DIO and the power level of Masters. Even Level 5-9 users could wield considerable power, so Masters, who were the pinnacle of power amongst the users, would undoubtedly strike fear for the government. ¡®They¡¯re really stupid. If they were planning on playing nice, they shouldn¡¯t have brought their troops in the first place, but if they¡¯re going to bring them, they should have brought their entire army. Do they really think they can subdue a Master with this pitiful number of troops?¡¯ In Korea, two-thirds of the entire population were DIO users, but even so, it was almost impossible for ordinary users to meet Master level users and understand their true powers. For example, there were only 12 Master level users in Korea. In other words, there were only 12 out of 60 million people, so the existence of a Master was essentially 1 in every 5 million people. In terms of percentage of the population, Master level users made up only 0.00002% of the entire Korean population. Masters appeared on TV and shot commercials, so people were used to seeing their images, but the fact was that Master level users were extremely rare existences, and their skills and abilities weren¡¯t fully understood. ¡®Well, I guess Masters have become more rare after Scorpion¡¯s death.¡¯ In other words, even though a Master was strong, the extent to which general users knew about Master was only to the extent that they ¡®must be strong¡¯. If one knew the true extent of how powerful Masters were, one wouldn¡¯t have taken the foolhardy approach of bringing troops, equipped with firearms, to confront a Master. Moreover, Yongno was a Heaven above the Heavens member; shouldn¡¯t they know that he was overwhelmingly stronger than traditional Masters? ¡°Would you please wait a minute?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The NIS employee spoke in a tone that seemed to convey that he wanted Yongno to know that he was relaxed. After listening to the NIS employee¡¯s cheerful response, Yongno went down to his basement. Once there, he crossed a wall and entered his laboratory through teleportation. He had recently installed a new instrument in his laboratory. It was an object similar in shape and size to a refrigerator. It was divided into two compartments, an upper and lower compartment. The lower compartment¡¯s outer fa?ade was filled with grain-sized letters, and a small 1 carat jewel was placed in the upper compartment. ¡°Argh! Human!! Human bastard!! Let me out from here!! I¡¯m sick of this place! Why are you torturing me¡­ Ah!!¡± From the new instrument, a hellishly hot furnace that Yongno called Pathway to Hell, a frenzied cry was constantly yelling out. The Pathway to Hell, a power plant of sorts that was made using the other world evil spirit that Yongno had previously captured, exerted spiritual pressure on the high-ranking evil spirit, turning the evil karma the evil spirit possessed into energy. Yongno had accidently stumbled upon the idea of creating Pathway to Hell. Since Earth didn¡¯t possess spiritual pathways, Yongno had been struggling to figure out a way to develop his spiritual abilities, but at that difficult moment, like a prayer being answered by the heavens, an evil spirit from another world showed up in front of him. All the means that Yongno had previously deployed to gather energy had failed. He tried everything to reproduce the Seal of Heaven that Mary had carved on his forehead, but he found it impossible to recreate. The Seal of Heaven that Mary had placed on him was of such a lofty technical level that it was literally incomprehensible for Yongno; it may have been possible to reproduce if one reached the transcendent level and became a great mage, but otherwise, it was impossible to imitate. At that time, Yongno fell into thought. Was it impossible to control mana in a world where spiritual pathways didn¡¯t exist? Although spiritual pathways didn¡¯t exist, humans on Earth certainly possessed souls. Yongno, who possessed the Seal of Heaven, was able to use his superpowers. Earth was a place where it should have been impossible to use one¡¯s supernatural powers, but it was not a world where mana didn¡¯t exist. If it was possible to produce spiritual energy, which could be converted to mana or internal energy, that could be used to actuate his supernatural powers, it would become possible to use magic or martial arts sufficiently in the real world. ¡°Argh!! Ugh!! Human!! You worm-like human!! I¡¯ll kill you!!¡± Within Pathway to Hell, a continuous scream erupted out. It was a blood curdling voice that would have made any normal people lose sleep at night, but Yongno remained calm. ¡°Good. Make sure you keep up with that attitude. The more stubborn you are and the more malice you bring out, the more helpful it will be for me.¡± At present, the evil spirit was being constantly tormented in Pathway to Hell. The level of pain was more intense than burning one¡¯s whole body with fire; how painful must that feeling be if it continued 24 hours a day without break? However, Yongno didn¡¯t feel sorry for the evil spirit. This was because, while operating Pathway to Hell, Yongno realized that the evil spirit possessed an abundance of evil karma, beyond what one could imagine. How many vicious things did the evil spirit do to other beings during its lifetime? How was the evil spirit able to accumulate so much evil karma? The evil karma possessed by the evil spirit was so bountiful that Yongno suspected that the evil spirit must have killed hundreds of thousands of innocent lives to accumulate so much evil karma. ¡°Well, whatever, I¡¯m glad it¡¯s working. It seems to be running smoothly. If I had more time, I would have been able to gather enough energy to¡­ huh?¡± Yongno, who was examining the 1-carat jewel in the upper compartment of the Pathway to Hell, made an expression of surprise. Unexpectedly, the jewel he had placed into the compartment was full of energy, specifically, in the form of mana. ¡°Wow, this is much more effective than I thought. The efficiency rate of Pathway to Hell is really good.¡± Yongno didn¡¯t know the full story. What Yongno had stumbled upon was one of the top secrets of the Nether World, called Hell¡¯s Mechanism. If a transcendent being somewhere in the universe had seen this sight, that transcendent would have fainted. If Tan, who was currently running DIO, had known, he would have used all sorts of coercive means to force Yongno to complete the Pathway to Hell properly; Tan wouldn¡¯t have cared whether or not Yongno became a transcendent. Of course, due to technical problems, it was impossible for Yongno to recreate hell, but even so, the small-scale hell he created could be said to be a higher level of technology than the magic stone production that Leighann, the ruler of the Magic Tower of Babel, admired and even obtained a patent for. ¡°Hmm, since this is the case¡­¡± We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. Clink! Clink! Clink! After taking the jewel filled with mana out of the upper compartment, Yongno took out a bunch of jewels, which he had purchased in advance, and arranged them in the upper compartment. It had cost him a lot to obtain the jewels, but he was able to afford the jewels because of the money he was making lately. ¡°Keep that spitefulness up.¡± Yongno spoke encouragingly to the evil spirit, but the evil spirit couldn¡¯t hear anything. The evil spirit struggled in the blazing fire, so it was unable to access any information from the outside. The pain, loneliness, and anxiety the evil spirit suffered allowed Pathway to Hell to extract and output energy. ¡°Argh!!¡± Disregarding the screams, Yongno moved upstairs. Eunhye was waiting for him in the living room with a serious expression across her face. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to go with them. Things should be fine.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll also go¡­¡± Seeing Eunhye take a step forward, Yongno shook his head. ¡°No. No one knows that you¡¯re a Master level user in Korea, so you should continue hiding here and accumulate more gem points. As for Youngmin¡­ tell him to get to Level 10 as soon as possible. It probably won¡¯t take him long.¡± It was a reasonable, rational decision, but Eunhye seemed dissatisfied. ¡°But it¡¯ll be dangerous for you.¡± ¡°Have you forgotten who I am? I am Merlin Emrys.¡± Yongno laughed confidently, but Yongno also knew that he couldn¡¯t ensure that he¡¯d be completely safe. If someone got lucky and somehow managed to land a critical blow on him, no matter how powerful Yongno was presently, he¡¯d still perish after sustaining one lucky blow. Of course, currently, Yongno could use martial arts and magic, but he wasn¡¯t completely free from the threat of firearms because he had too little energy to work with. ¡°Then promise me that, if anything goes wrong, that you¡¯ll wreak havoc and destroy everything. Honestly¡­ I don¡¯t trust them.¡± Eunhye, who entered a top-secret US organization to seek revenge on behalf of Yongno, who had been subjected to experimentation by a mysterious shadow organization when he was young, strongly distrusted state agencies. In her eyes, national governments and their organizations were shameless, evil, and unconscionable. ¡°Okay. You should be careful, too. Understand? Collect gem points whenever you have time.¡± ¡°¡­ Alright.¡± Yongno left the uneasy-looking Eunhye and came out from his house. At least, as soon as he came out the door, the armed men didn¡¯t make any attempt to rush in and arrest Yongno. It seemed that the armed forces were put on standby as a precaution, as the NIS employee and Korean government hoped to peacefully bring in the Masters. ¡®Along with the troops around my property¡¯s boundary, snipers have been deployed. Their presence is so obvious that it¡¯s hard to pretend I don¡¯t see them.¡¯ Yongno muttered these comments as he strode out from his house. And at the same time, he circulated his internal energy. Woong. He was utilizing No Thoughts Gold Strong Technique. It was something he learned while tinkering with the martial art principles he was teaching Eunhye, and now, Yongno was using it to strengthen his body. CH 208 ¡®It¡¯s just a minimal line of defense, but still¡­¡¯ Since his available internal energy capacity was severely limited, Yongno wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand a large-caliber sniper rifle bullet if it hit a sensitive place, like his temple; otherwise, his basic internal energy barrier could probably withstand any lesser attack. In the worst case, he¡¯d be able to maintain a physical condition enough to manifest. ¡®The problem is how the manifestation is done.¡¯ If his in-game avatar¡¯s power was directly given to his real-life body, it was possible to recover from even the slightest injury. On the other hand, if the manifestation only brought the appearance of his in-game avatar for an hour before returning Yongno to his original physical state, he wouldn¡¯t be able to recover from any injury. ¡®I¡¯ll have to try an experiment sometime and collect some information.¡¯ Yongno followed the NIS employee¡¯s guidance and got into a black sedan. The car left immediately and moved to a safe house in Namsan, a southern region of Seoul. ¡°I¡¯ll have to cover your eyes for a moment.¡± Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. ¡°You really are pushing your luck. You initially told me that I didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡± Seeing Yongno smile while speaking, the NIS employee nervously laughed. ¡°The place you¡¯re entering is confidential. These precautions aren¡¯t meant to harm you or allude to any wrongdoing.¡± It was obvious that the NIS employee was lying. They were heading to a remodeled underground bunker surrounded by numerous troops. The government, aware of the fact that the US was recruiting Korean Masters, hastily decided to bring in all the Korean Masters. ¡°This is your lodging accommodations. The Minister is currently busy with another schedule, so please wait here for a moment.¡± ¡°Oho. So, are you telling me you¡¯re going to keep me here for a while?¡± ¡°The government is currently in a state of chaos due to the substantial loss of life from the recent alien attack. Please wait a moment.¡± Yongno nodded his head in a polite manner as if he understood. Soon, the man slightly lowered his head and left the room. ¡®If they¡¯re going to keep me waiting because they¡¯re busy, couldn¡¯t they have just brought me in later? They¡¯re sure easy to read.¡¯ Of course, the NIS¡¯s actions were to prevent the Masters from being coaxed over to the US¡¯s side. Since the conditions, responsibilities, and generally what to do with the Masters had yet to be finalized, the Korean government¡¯s higher-ups were blindly rounding up the Masters, setting them aside, and buying some time. ¡°My cell phone¡­ doesn¡¯t have any signal. Of course. Based on how things are going, they probably won¡¯t even let me access and play DIO.¡± This was something Yongno couldn¡¯t let happen. Of course, if someone else knew what he was thinking, they might say something along the lines of, ¡®Will you die if you can¡¯t play a game?¡¯, but the reality was that 12 hours in real life was 6 days in DIO, so even if Yongno missed just one day, the loss was substantial. Not to mention, Yongno had a pile of research that he needed to get to in DIO. ¡°I¡¯ll wait twelve hours. In the meantime, I need to get ready.¡± Yongno went into his personal lodging area and took out the jewels he had put in his pocket. The jewels were filled with mana, which was generated in Pathway to Hell. ¡®I¡¯ll make a spiritual pathway system!¡¯ Though he was given the option to utilize manifestation, Yongno couldn¡¯t maintain manifestation 24 hours a day, so there were bound to be swaths of time where he¡¯d be open and vulnerable. Once he manifested as a Master in real-life, he¡¯d become a superhero who couldn¡¯t be defeated by any modern weapon, but once his manifestation was released, he could be killed by an ordinary rifle, so Yongno was determined to narrow that gap. ¡®Come to think of it, if they can¡¯t control me, they might mess with my family¡­ well, let¡¯s take care of my situation first. It¡¯s not like my father is going to come and rescue me.¡¯ Gulp. Yongno, who swallowed the jewels he had brought with him, sat cross legged on the bed. Soon, his body was full of mana and his consciousness began to sink deep into his mind. *** Personal & Group *** The alien¡¯s attacks, which everyone thought had ended after one wave, were consistently being carried out. In South Korea, the Legion and Grotesque appeared and attacked about twice a week, and globally, there were dozens of attacks occurring every day. The loss of life had reached such a tremendous figure that it was meaningless to quantify it, and the world was busy coming up with theories and controversies over the existence of these alien attacks and their relations to DIO. And in such a situation, the Korean government¡¯s move was so novel and bewildering that even other countries felt befuddled. ¡°They¡¯re asking Noblesse for reparations?¡± Yongno, who came out of his lodging accommodation to eat, met Hanma, a Master who had been rounded up as well. While chatting with Hanma, Yongno couldn¡¯t help but frown. Yongno had assumed various scenarios playing out, but the Korean government¡¯s chosen action was something that even he had never imagined. ¡°Right. The government, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Gender Equality, and other government departments are accusing the Noblesse of being partially responsible for the alien¡¯s attack. In addition, the media outlets are shaping and misleading public opinion by showing images of people who have suffered damage from alien attacks and users who have been judged insane after playing DIO. Well, anyway, the bottom line is that the government is demanding that the Noblesse pay reparations for damages.¡± ¡°What idiots¡­ no, at this point, it¡¯s probably more appropriate to say that they¡¯ve gone insane. The situation has come to this dire point, and yet, they¡¯re still acting like children.¡± ¡°Originally, politicians in this country have blinders on when money is involved.¡± Hanma picked up a few meatballs that were spread across the table and ate them. ¡°Whether it makes sense or not, the important thing is the scale. They¡¯re demanding 1% of the income Noblesse make.¡± It was difficult for the public to know the exact amount because the government had requested a percentage rather than a specific currency amount. If one vaguely stated 1%, at first glance, one might think, ¡®That isn¡¯t asking for much, right?¡¯ ¡°But that 1% is 4 trillion won.¡± ¡°Phew. That figure is large enough for anyone to throw away their pride and face. Moreover, I¡¯m sure that 1% figure and currency amount only refer to the money the Noblesse earn in Korea.¡± The Noblesse provided its virtual reality service, DIO, at an unbelievably low price, but it was still making an astronomical amount of money. DIO, which boasted 4 billion subscribers worldwide, an unprecedented number, was essentially free to play; however, in-game, gold was required to buy buildings or use various services. Of course, gold could be obtained through hunting, but DIO was a game that constantly collected gold through the Exchange Center, so there wasn¡¯t much gold available and cash-flowing in the market. In the end, users used real-life cash to obtain in-game gold. In addition, the amount of people spending gold to buy a building and advertise in DIO or to run an office or store was enormous, and even though most transactions were microtransactions, a fee was tagged on when exchanging real world money for in-game gold, so the Noblesse instantly transformed into the foremost multinational company in the world. ¡°In other words, making too much money is the main problem.¡± ¡°Right, and on top of that, the Noblesse have no intention of paying off people through bribes. They, who look down upon humans, aren¡¯t willing to please humans, no?¡± Because of this exact scenario, the Korean government was pressuring Noblesse by creating public opinion and stirring up public fervor over DIO¡¯s harmfulness. However, the question was whether this approach would work on the Noblesse, as it had for many other companies. ¡°They¡¯re trying to tame a company¡­ unless one was brainless and blind, one can¡¯t help but notice that the Noblesse are the ones who are taming humans.¡± There were several other people in the cafeteria besides Yongno and Hanma, who were muttering in disbelief regarding current events. The number of Masters in Korea was twelve. However, as one of them, Scorpion, had died, the number became eleven. Moreover, one person died during the recent alien attack, ultimately making the final Korean Master count ten individuals. ¡°But how come I only see five?¡± ¡°Arthur has already signed a contract to cooperate. And the other four were said to have already gone abroad, so the government has found it difficult to locate them.¡± The four others that weren¡¯t present were Eunhye, who was Arc in DIO but whose face was yet to be identified because her in-game figure and face was covered in armor, those who had already accepted the terms of negotiations with the United States, and those who applied for asylum in other foreign countries. In any case, since these individuals didn¡¯t commit any crime, the Korean government found it difficult to track or stop them. ¡°Well, that¡¯s why they kidnapped us like this. Don¡¯t the higher-ups know that their actions are illegal?¡± When Hanma annoyingly grumbled, Ohje, who had been listening intently without eating, spoke up in a thin, low voice while glancing at the NIS agents around them. ¡°It¡¯s not even funny. Scorpion¡¯s funeral wasn¡¯t properly finished when they dragged me in here. I thought I had committed some sort of murder or capital crime.¡± Hanma and Ohje, as well as the other gathered Masters, did not seem to have good feelings about being forcibly taken and rounded up. However, Yongno realized that none of them resisted. ¡°You don¡¯t have enough gem points to manifest?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. It¡¯s not like I was told beforehand that I needed to carry around 10,000 gem points. I¡¯ve always been lacking gold and experience points, so gathering gem points was the least of my priorities.¡± Ohje groaned before leaning back in his chair. Ohje was 192 cm tall and had a solid body, but if he couldn¡¯t manifest, he was just another normal human being. He could be killed with a single pistol shot, so it was virtually impossible and unthinkable to break through the perimeter set up by the special NIS agents. ¡®Well, unless they have a death wish, it doesn¡¯t seem like those agents will be attacking us anytime soon.¡¯ Muttering this under his breath, Yongno looked back at Dongsoo. ¡°Mr. Lancelot, do you have enough gem points?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, no. I haven¡¯t been participating in many missions.¡± Dongsoo was also brought in after being essentially dragged away from his home. Lea, who possessed enough gem points, wanted to step in and protect Dongsoo from being taken away, but eventually, Dongsoo was able to convince Lea not to interfere or resort to violence. Although Dongsoo didn¡¯t know what was exactly going on, he thought it was a bad choice to confront the government. Ting! While talking, Yongno smiled after feeling the energy inside his body. It was a sign his spiritual pathways were growing. Once he succeeded in laying the spiritual pathway system in his body, Yongno wouldn¡¯t need to go through an arduous and complicated process to utilize magic power or perform martial arts. Although he¡¯d still be lacking in mana capacity, it would still be possible to use any of his abilities with no delay. ¡°The Minister has arrived. Masters, please stand up.¡± Then, with the words of an NIS agent, a door opened. It was a solemn atmosphere, but a new Master, who had recently reached Level 10, momentarily hesitated before standing up. Yongno, Hanma, Dongsoo, and Ohje did not move from their seats. ¡°Please stand up.¡± One of the burly men in a suit approached and verbally pressed the four with a gruff voice. The atmosphere the burly man exuded would frighten anyone with a weak spirit, but the four Masters were beings who lived on the battlefield, where blood splattered every day. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ but why? Am I a soldier? Am I a civil servant? Who are you to force me?¡± ¡°The fact that kidnappers expect courtesy from their hostages means that you¡¯ll eventually subdue us by force, if necessary, right?¡± Since Hanma and Yongno did not approve of how they were being treated, they came out aggressively against the NIS agent. Dongsoo didn¡¯t say anything, but he still had an unhappy expression. ¡°Hahaha. You guys must be angry. I apologize for employing such a coercive method. But don¡¯t you all understand that the current situation is urgent? It is wartime after all.¡± A middle-aged man with an entourage spoke aloud as he entered the cafeteria. The man was fat and wore a business suit. ¡°Who are you?¡± The fat man sat at the topmost seat of the table and answered Yongno¡¯s question. ¡°I¡¯m the Minister of Defense. I am here on behalf of His Excellency the President.¡± Defense Minister Oh Hyeon-Jo drank a cup of tea that was placed on the table by an attendant. He had a relaxed attitude despite the not-so-welcoming response from the four Masters. ¡°The country is currently in a state of emergency due to the attacks initiated by the extraterrestrial beings. Military units have been stationed near the capital city, and police forces have been armed with rifles. However, we need your strength, as our efforts won¡¯t be able to stop the alien forces, as they¡¯ll only delay the inevitable.¡± CH 209 Even though the Masters¡¯ responses weren¡¯t what he expected, Minister Oh Hyeon-Jo continued talking. Either he didn¡¯t care whether the others paid attention to him or not or he just didn¡¯t notice from the first place. ¡°From now on, you¡¯ll belong to the special military unit and possess the official status of second lieutenants. However, since you all don¡¯t have military experience and knowledge, you¡¯ll have to go through basic training at the training center.¡± Based on the tone and context of his message, it seemed as though it was already confirmed that the Masters would agree to join the special military unit. After finishing up his brief speech, a secretary next to the minister continued. ¡°From now on, as Korean Masters, you will receive an annual salary of 1 billion won and various benefits. All facilities will be of the highest quality, and you will work as Grade 5 civil servants.¡± For most ordinary people, such an offer would probably be highly tempting. 1 billion won was a lot of money; most ordinary people would never see such an amount in their lifetime. However, the individuals in front of the secretary weren¡¯t ordinary people, so they didn¡¯t bat an eye. They were one of the 200 Masters out of the 4 billion total users in DIO. ¡°That¡¯s not enough. I¡¯m sorry, but I make 200 million won just from filming one advertisement, and I even received an annual salary offer of 5 billion won from a research institute, so there¡¯s no way 1 billion won would sound enticing to me.¡± ¡°Our country no longer operates a conscription system, so why are you forcibly placing us into the military? Furthermore¡­¡± Yongno organized his thoughts. He didn¡¯t want to provoke the Korean government as much as possible, but their approach was completely careless, and their offer was underwhelming. Based on the atmosphere, if Yongno didn¡¯t voice out his opinion, it seemed as though the Korean government was going to press forward without regard. ¡°Furthermore?¡± ¡°Furthermore, I might go abroad.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± Minister Oh Hyeon-Jo¡¯s face hardened into a deep frown. It seemed that the situation he was most concerned about was unfolding. The minister wouldn¡¯t have dragged and virtually kidnapped someone, whose cooperation he desperately needed, unless he had his concerns; the Korean government¡¯s actions in rounding up the Masters was unprecedented in a nation that operated under a rule of law. However, regardless of the minister¡¯s or the Korean government¡¯s concerns, Yongno had no intention of being considerate. ¡°I was offered naturalization in the United States. They said they would give me a 100 billion a year salary and exempt me from all taxes. To be honest, I said I would think about it because I felt like their offer was shortchanging me, but after hearing your offer of 1 billion won, I don¡¯t think I need to consider your offer further.¡± ¡°Eh? Incredible. As one of the Heaven above the Heavens, you deserve such an amount and additional considerations. They only offered me 20 billion won.¡± When Hanma came to Yongno¡¯s aid, Minister Oh Hyeon-Jo urgently spoke out. ¡°It seems my secretary¡¯s explanation was too short. 1 billion is just a basic salary. Depending on the work handled, the payments can increase astronomically.¡± ¡°Oh~ It seems like you¡¯re saying that, with the payment increases, we¡¯ll be able to exceed 100 billion won in payments. Are you able to give me a trillion?¡± ¡°You¡¯re very rude. I¡¯m here to negotiate.¡± ¡°Which country¡¯s law allows good faith negotiations to occur after kidnapping the other party? As far as I know, in Korean law, no such allowances are given.¡± Minister Oh Hyeon-Jo broke out into a cold sweat. All of the Masters before him were young people in their early to late 20s, so he thought he could wield his political power and age to sway them to accept a certain position and amount of money, but he was completely mistaken. Masters were basically modern possessors with a high level of intelligence and tempered minds like steel. Having spent a long time in a virtual world, where they were always leading other users in the position of a leader, and not bound by anything or anyone above them, the Masters were essentially free thinkers who were not easily oppressed through coercion. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Yoon Yongno? I heard that you¡¯re the son of Chief of Staff, Yoon Seokwoo, but unlike your father, who is devoted to his country, you seem to be very selfish and self-centered.¡± At Minister Oh Hyeon-Jo¡¯s words, Hanma, rather than Yongno, responded in a sarcastic tone. ¡°Aha. Finally, now you¡¯re dragging our families into it. Are you trying to hold us hostage?¡± ¡°¡­ Be careful with your words. I can declare you criminals right now.¡± ¡°Ooh, so scary.¡± It was a playful voice, but Hanma backed off, as he didn¡¯t want to be labeled a criminal. After the exchange, Yongno spoke up. ¡°Although I¡¯m curious what crime you¡¯d pin on me to declare me as a criminal¡­ I won¡¯t ask. I guess you can fabricate and pin whatever you want on me if you so desire. Instead, shall we try the negotiations once more?¡± ¡°Oh, then¡­¡± ¡°The basic salary should be 300 billion won and have an add-on fee of 5 billion won for each executed action. In addition, it would be nice to have immunity from any and all criminal offenses. This was an offer presented by the United States.¡± ¡°An annual base salary of 300 billion won? 5 billion per executed activity?¡± Minister Oh Hyeon-Jo laughed out loud in part amazement and exasperation. 300 billion won was an amount of money that even he couldn¡¯t easily access. In addition, 5 billion won per executed activity was an add-on amount that couldn¡¯t be overlooked. ¡°Are you stating that you can¡¯t do it?¡± ¡°This is nonsense! Just because you¡¯re good at a video game doesn¡¯t mean you can extort as much money as you can! Are you trying to extort money from the state and its people right now? Are you playing around with the Korean people¡¯s lives?¡± ¡°Settle down. If you don¡¯t like the terms, just release us and that¡¯ll be that. However, keep in mind that, if those aliens appear and destroy just a few buildings, the damage will easily be over 1 trillion won.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t give you that much money! Anyway, we have second lieutenant Kim Seyoung. He¡¯s the strongest among you, right? Even with just one person, I can entrust that he¡¯ll keep us safe from quite a few aliens!¡± The minister¡¯s words were right enough, but at the same time, therein lay the problem. If Arthur hadn¡¯t promptly appeared in the area where the Grotesque and Legion appeared and dealt with them swiftly, the Korean government wouldn¡¯t have taken such a foolhardy approach in rounding up the Masters and making such a complacent offer. The reality was different for many other countries. Russia was trying to block the attacks with its army, so many of its military soldiers were dying, and in the case of China¡¯s Shandong Province, the Grotesque had already been messing around in the area for more than 5 days, causing unimaginable damage. If there were more than tens of thousands of casualties and dozens of collapsed buildings, the property damage and hit to the economy would go far beyond the hundreds of billions of won. ¡°Then we¡¯ll leave. That¡¯s that.¡± ¡°Are you going to leave your country for money? This is an act of betrayal!¡± Ohje, who had been silent until now, spoke after hearing the minister¡¯s screaming words. ¡°Then may I go?¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°I have no intention of going to America. I don¡¯t fit the actions or image of a traitor or whatever that you¡¯re describing. Honestly, if you asked for my help and assistance formally and explained the need, I may have considered joining¡­ but it¡¯s unpleasant to be forced into a role without any input.¡± The general mood around the cafeteria table was dark. From the start, the minister had employed a stick and carrot tactic; for normal people, after scaring them a little, if one offered them a carrot, they¡¯d jump at the chance to come over. However, creating this sort of coercive atmosphere was itself a failure for the minister. ¡°Phew. Don¡¯t do this. Think again. Think about what the state has provided and protected you from so far.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll make up for it by blocking a few attacks. Are you willing to accept that?¡± Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. Saying this, Yongno got up from his seat, but before he stood up, he heard a clacking sound. ¡°I really didn¡¯t want to do this,¡± the minister stated. ¡°Oh really, are we living in a dictatorship?¡± Hanma grumbled his dissatisfaction, but he didn¡¯t put up a resistance. Yongno didn¡¯t put up a resistance either. Even if he didn¡¯t manifest, he could easily subdue everyone within the cafeteria, but he didn¡¯t feel the need to do so. With cool, sharp eyes, Yongno looked at Minister Oh Hyeon-Jo. ¡°This decision. You¡¯ll regret making this decision before you even have a chance of getting up from your seat.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so cheeky! Lock everyone in the interrogation room right now! You all need to taste some bitter reality to come to your senses!¡± It was ferocious response from the minster, but Yongno responded without a change in his expression. ¡°Then let me tell you in advance. Whatever you ask, I will refuse.¡± ¡°Gibberish! Why aren¡¯t you dragging these cheeky bastards away! Away with them!¡± At Minister Oh Hyeon-Jo¡¯s order, the men, who were stationed all around the cafeteria, slammed the Masters¡¯ bodies against the cafeteria table! The Masters were slammed so hard that an audible thumping sound rang out. Once they were put in that position, they were handcuffed. Right at that moment, a man ran into the cafeteria from the outside. ¡°Minister!¡± ¡°What is it?!¡± ¡°The aliens have invaded Incheon! A nearby military unit was mobilized, but it wasn¡¯t enough¡­!¡± ¡°Tell Lieutenant Seyoung to stop them!¡± It was a line that seemed to come out naturally from the minister¡¯s mouth; something he had stated many times in the past. This was because Seyoung, or Arthur, had been blocking all the attacks so far. Then, why did the man come all the way here if Seyoung could block the aliens¡¯ attack? ¡°He said he¡¯s no longer able to manifest because he¡¯s consumed all the gem points that he has!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Minister Oh Hyeon-Jo¡¯s complexion changed. The pressure was already mounting on the Department of Defense due to the damned aliens tearing down buildings and killing people. Of course, the damage to buildings and lives had been minimized because Seyoung immediately eliminated the threats, but the act of terrorism taking place in Korea itself, where there was no war, kicked up a media storm and made it raucous and chaotic in the National Assembly. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you you¡¯d regret your decision before you even got up?¡± At Yongno¡¯s words, Minister Oh Hyeon-Jo¡¯s face turned red. It was an expression of wanting to throw all the Masters into the interrogation room, regardless of whatever was happening, but Yongno pushed away the hands of the men who were suppressing him and spoke calmly to the point of sounding cruel. ¡°Call the president.¡± This was the beginning of a true [negotiation]. CH 210 Dream Water *** Acclimation & Development, But¡­ *** ¡°Hello Mr. Merlin! We welcome you to our university.¡± ¡°Good to meet you. Where¡¯s the lecture hall?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll guide you. Please follow me.¡± Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. Merlin, no, Yongno to be exact, arrived at the most prestigious university in Korea. Just being a part of or graduating from this university would allow one to enjoy instant credibility and respect. However, these university affiliated people were respectfully attending to and serving Yongno. Amongst them were faculty members, professors, and even the chancellor. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, Mr. Merlin hasn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Please, just call me Yongno. We¡¯re not in DIO, so calling me by my in-game name sounds a little weird.¡± ¡°Hahaha! Of course, certainly. Mr. Yongno, I heard that you didn¡¯t matriculate into a university after your high school studies.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t find a university that offered anything that would retain my interest.¡± If Yongno said something similar in the past, people would have scoffed and laughed at him. Who would believe a high school student stating that there wasn¡¯t a university challenging and interesting enough to retain his interest and attention? In South Korea, connections and education degrees dominated social and business life; furthermore, one¡¯s educational degrees were accepted by the general Korean population as commensurate with one¡¯s intelligence. ¡°Hahaha, such confidence and belief in oneself. Of course, no university would be able to fulfill the needs of one of the Heaven above the Heavens. However, for one¡¯s future, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad decision to make connections with those who¡¯ll lead the next generation of leaders and decision-makers. If you dislike the idea of being a student, perhaps you¡¯d like to join us as a professor¡­¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t have the time, chancellor.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The chancellor coughed to clear his throat, probably because he felt awkward and couldn¡¯t extend the conversation. Soon, the two arrived at the lecture hall¡¯s backroom, and the chancellor excused himself. Yongno could feel the presence of a great many people on the other side of the wall. ¡®It isn¡¯t a lecture hall; it¡¯s a large auditorium.¡¯ Yongno felt the presence of at least 4,000 to 5,000 people on the other side of the wall. The auditorium had two floors and had 3,000 seats, so the place was packed to the brim without any empty seats to speak of. All the gathered students were eagerly looking forward towards the front dais. Rather than a lecture, the scene seemed closer to a popular singer¡¯s concert. ¡°Hello everyone. My name is Yoon Yongno.¡± Like the constant sound of splashing water from a water wheel, the audience applauded. All those looking at Yongno had eyes filled with expressions of interest and curiosity. Over 5,000 ¡®students¡¯ had gathered to see and listen to Yongno; however, these 5,000 were the lucky ones who were whittled down from a much larger applicant pool, which consisted of current students, alumni, professors, and many mainstream popular figures. There were even a small camera crew and a few reporters filming the entire scene, something that Yongno was now all too familiar with. It had been one month since DIO revealed its true nature. The appearance of extraterrestrial existences trying to take over Earth and the Masters who were countering them brought tremendous change across the world. Though only a month had passed, the constant exhibition of the Masters¡¯ overwhelming powers, which were equal if not above those of nation states, were quite acute and significant. ¡°From the start, the skills and abilities present in Dynamic Island have very many similarities to the traditional fields of study that we are familiar with on Earth. Since this is the case, one may assume that professors and specialists in the world should have a higher chance of becoming Masters within the game; however, as you all have probably observed, that isn¡¯t quite the case.¡± Yongno wasn¡¯t lecturing on magic or martial arts. No one attending this lecture was at a high enough level to benefit from his high-level magic or martial arts knowledge. In addition, Yongno, who had reached a high level in-game through his genius rather than persistent study and hard work, was very poor at teaching others, so he attended these lectures to talk about realizations and as a representative of the Masters¡¯ position. ¡°There is also an overlap between the supernatural abilities observed in DIO and the traditional fields of study in reality, but in most cases, the path diverges completely once one goes beyond a certain depth.¡± Earth was gradually turning into a meritocratic and skill-focused society due to DIO. In fact, high-level professors were respected by their students, and the fact that one was a [high-level user] itself became a social qualification and indicator that commanded respect. For the same reason, students, scholars, and athletes were able to prove their ability with their in-game levels, so one¡¯s level within DIO was fast becoming one of the most important indicators to represent one¡¯s competence and excellence in a field. All one needed to become a Master was skill. DIO¡¯s level system gave people a sense of trust because one¡¯s personal connections, school ties, or money corruption couldn¡¯t affect the DIO level promotion system. Of course, there were those who rejected the system and expressed disgust, but those people were roundly criticized for being in positions that didn¡¯t fit their abilities and skills. ¡°Since this is the case, young people who are quick to learn [a new subject] have an advantage. In fact, there are many cases where scientists who have devoted their whole lives to research aren¡¯t able to easily adapt and utilize smartphones, but elementary school students, who do not know anything in depth per se, are able to use smartphones as easily as they¡¯re able to use their hands and feet. DIO not only allowed individuals to recognize their talents but also suggested an efficient and effective way to develop those talents. Strictly speaking, DIO wasn¡¯t just a game; it was a completely new concept and paradigm shift. DIO was not just a place to test users¡¯ abilities, but also taught them how to develop their abilities and provided a space where they could freely interact with people from all over the world, regardless of distance or language. For this reason, the more restrictive and authoritarian countries banned their citizens from accessing DIO. This was because DIO allowed one to have unfettered communication with people all over the world and allowed one to develop one¡¯s abilities, making control over a country¡¯s population virtually impossible. ¡°Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean that existing scholars and specialists are completely at a disadvantage. Once they can adapt to the new system¡­ the philosophy, experience, and knowledge they have accumulated throughout their lives will benefit and accelerate their pursuits. Hmm. While we¡¯re on this subject, shall we talk about superpowers?¡± Yongno proceeded with the lecture in a natural manner. He used to be afraid of being the center of attention, and he still didn¡¯t like it, but it was nonetheless necessary to get his message across. ¡®I need to gain a social position, political power, and financial power such that no one can ignore me in the future.¡¯ Yongno could wield tremendous physical force, so he was working towards obtaining the other needed elements to survive within society. He had already obtained a considerable amount of political power and goodwill, and the amount of money he was earning was enormous, so it was now necessary to create a positive public image. ¡°Hmm¡­ you there, what type of person do you think has the most advantage in learning martial arts?¡± Receiving Yongno¡¯s question, a seated female student thought for a while before answering. She soon stated, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be an athlete? An athlete seems like he or she would be better suited for fighting.¡± Then, other people around her started offering up their opinions. ¡°I heard that there are many martial arts Masters among university professors and religious people¡­¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard that there weren¡¯t many martial arts Masters among actual martial arts fighters. Rather, there are many sports players who have reached Master level in-game.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the focus of martial arts the utilization of a technique to properly use one¡¯s body?¡± As the murmurs grew, Yongno raised his hand to focus the audience¡¯s attention back on him. He then continued his lecture. ¡°Magic, in its simplest terms, is science. As mentioned by many, fighting techniques, or battle sense and physical skills required, are actually vital for life force users.¡± ¡°Then what about martial arts?¡± ¡°Philosophy.¡± At its lower levels, martial arts required technical physical skills that were no different from life force, but beyond a certain level, a mature mind was required to develop further. ¡°Eh, does it have anything to do with obtaining enlightenment, like when fantasy novel main characters suddenly state, ¡®Mountains are mountains and waters are waters¡¯?¡± Yongno nodded his head after a young male student offered up his comment. ¡°Similar. After all, what moves martial arts and transcend realms is the concept of Idea, that is, the concept of notion and imagery. The reason why philosophy is an essential concept for martial arts at a high level is because philosophical thinking is necessary to reach a high level of mental development. Aura power is also a similar concept.¡± Yongno smiled as he continued his explanation. ¡°You never know¡­ if Confucius, Mencius, Nietzsche, or Schopenhauer were alive right now and DIO was accessible to them, they might have been beating monsters to death while performing something like the Heavenly Magic Divine Technique.¡± At Yongno¡¯s clever words and analogy, laughter erupted across the auditorium. If it was a lecture with ordinary people, most of the content that he was speaking would have been incomprehensible, but those who were in attendance possessed a high level of interest and skill in recognizing one¡¯s talents and developmental training. ¡°On the contrary, magic requires clearer, more objective and holistic knowledge. It is literally science, so it is necessary to analyze and acquire all kinds of knowledge to find the essential truth. So, unlike martial arts, where skills suddenly increase in a step-by-step fashion, magic power abilities tend to rise slowly. This is not to say that there is no concept of enlightenment or awakening in magic, but those are rare and considered an anomaly rather than the norm. This is why Masters of martial arts often appear from those who practice religion or philosophy, and Masters of magic power appear from physicists or chemists. Going back to my starting point, realizing one''s talents and area of competence is different for each individual¡­¡± ¡°What was your realization?¡± Suddenly, a girl sitting in the auditorium spoke aloud as she raised her hand. The black-haired girl wore a thin T-shirt and cotton pants, alluding to the relatively mild temperature season. Yongno answered calmly without panicking. ¡°Why pursue unnecessary objectives? Pursue what you desire.¡± ¡°That¡¯s similar to my own philosophy. I don¡¯t feel that your realization was groundbreaking or anything transcendent.¡± Her cheeky tone attracted the attention of the people around her. It was a difficult and uncomfortable atmosphere for even the most impudent person to endure, but the girl wearing sunglasses, which were large enough to cover half her face, sat calmly as if nothing mattered. Seeing this, Yongno asked. ¡°What was your realization?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like to use pretentious words¡­ but if I had to formulate a verbalized statement of my realization, it would be ¡®all forms are non-forms¡¯.¡± Yongno smiled after hearing her answer. CH 211 ¡°Are you trying to reach Enlightenment?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested in religion. What I see is not the reality of truth, but only the original form of existence, so it just happened by chance that the end point of my realization is similar to the Buddhist end point of Enlightenment.¡± She grumbled a response with a sullen expression. Seeing the dissatisfaction on her face, Yongno felt that she wasn¡¯t in attendance of her own accord. ¡°¡­ The lecture topic has gotten a bit off track. Since it¡¯s come to this, shall I take your questions?¡± As Yongno spoke to the audience, which was buzzing after overhearing the two¡¯s seemingly contentious yet underlyingly friendly conversation, a beautiful-looking woman quickly raised her hand. Her eyes twinkled as if she had been waiting to ask Yongno a question. ¡°Yes, you, over there. What are you curious about?¡± Hearing Yongno¡¯s words, the woman responded. ¡°Uhm, I heard that Mr. Merlin is the strongest Master in DIO. Is this true?¡± ¡°That¡¯s incorrect. That title would fall to Arthur or Cruze. However, I cannot deny that I am one of the top users.¡± In truth, within the Heaven above the Heavens, Arthur and Merlin were both Level 19. Arthur¡¯s growth, which initially rose at a terrifying pace, had recently gone completely stagnant, virtually stopping to a screeching halt, so Merlin was able to slowly catch up. A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. In the case of Cruze, she developed the slowest amongst the Heaven above the Heavens, but she maintained a steady pace of growth and development, allowing her to currently reach Level 17. ¡°According to a survey conducted by Masterpiece, a site specializing in manifest-capable users, even Level 10 users who have just reached Master level are said to have combat power that easily exceed that of a single military division once they manifest. Then, how powerful would a Heaven above the Heavens member be if he or she manifested?¡± The Master was an entity, who had appeared seemingly from nowhere amongst ordinary people, that completely overturned the world¡¯s existing power dynamic, especially in terms of military strength. Once a Master manifested, no force on Earth could handle him or her; Masters were powerful enough to even withstand a nuclear bomb attack. The number of Masters increased significantly as users began to feel a sense of urgency, after being invaded by aliens, but the lead group¡¯s pace of development began to stagnate. Even if users with considerable talent exerted effort, they couldn¡¯t break through the Level 15 wall; only the original Heaven above the Heavens had broken through. ¡°You can use nearly 100% of the power you exert in DIO through manifestation. However, it¡¯s a pity, but one can¡¯t retain anything once manifestation is over.¡± A Master who successfully manifested could utilize all the gear one had in DIO and use 100% of the Master¡¯s in-game abilities. Of course, this meant that Yongno, who was also an enchanter, could make magic items in his manifested state. However, when the manifestation period was over, [everything] that one brought out from DIO disappeared like a mirage. Not only do the items passed on to others disappear once one¡¯s manifestation was over, but one¡¯s casted spells would also be affected; the spell¡¯s magic would disappear, and the effects of the magic were canceled. ¡®Everything probably returns to Dynamic Island.¡¯ It was impossible to use magic in real life unless one was able to utilize special abilities, like Yongno, who could directly circulate energy through his spiritual pathways. Even Yongno, who awakened an understanding of spiritual pathways through his understanding of weightless controlled movement, would have found it impossible to fully utilize spiritual pathways and use mana in reality if it had not been for Mary¡¯s Heavenly Seal, so how could anyone expect others to be able to use spiritual powers in real life without manifestation? ¡°Then, how powerful are you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know for certain. Probably about as powerful as a modern aircraft carrier?¡± Yongno shrugged his shoulders as he answered the question. However, his answer wasn¡¯t telling the whole truth. ¡®I¡¯d probably be able to finish off an aircraft carrier in three minutes.¡¯ This was how much time it would take for Merlin to not only defeat an aircraft carrier, but an entire aircraft carrier squadron, including fighters and escort ships. Merlin, who had the water affinity attribute, could handle such a collective force without breaking a sweat. ¡°I heard that the Heaven above the Heavens was strong, but for one single person to be able to defeat an aircraft carrier alone¡­¡± ¡°But if it¡¯s the power he showed in the recent video, it might be enough¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing¡­¡± In awe and shock, the audience members started making a commotion. Among the audience were even a few Master level users, but Yongno¡¯s power was overwhelmingly greater than that of those users. ¡°If you manifest in the middle of a city, isn¡¯t it possible that you may blow up the entire city?¡± ¡°What are you trying to get at?¡± When Yongno answered with a question, the woman stared back at him with clear, wide eyes. She then said, ¡°I¡¯m saying that Masters are too strong to blend in with normal people. Shouldn¡¯t Masters be quarantined and extracted away from the general public?¡± This was one of the more sensitive issues circulating around mass media recently. As Masters blocked the attacks of the aliens, the Legion and Grotesque, their fights were being filmed through remote cameras more and more often. Hence, people were able to observe the power output of Masters. Thus, many soon understood that Masters were no different than a powerful biological weapon; a biological weapon that modern weapons could contend against. ¡°That makes sense. Some people may feel that our mingling with people in daily life is like fully armed tanks roaming the streets. I understand the sentiment for why some may desire Masters to be isolated, voluntarily or by force, away from society.¡± During Yongno¡¯s calm words and response, some audience members stared disappointingly at the woman who posed the question. Some, who seemed to be Yongno¡¯s fervent [fans], even glared at her, but Yongno didn¡¯t seem to be bothered. Yongno continued talking. ¡°Basically, a Master is a power entity that didn¡¯t exist before, and their very existence disrupts current power structures. There are countries that have properly embraced Masters, but for those countries that haven¡¯t, such as China and some countries in Africa, chaos ensues.¡± ¡°Wait. That sounds like a threat to embrace Masters or else, regardless of citizen safety.¡± The woman spoke in an aggressive tone, but Yongno didn¡¯t panic and responded confidently. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°Phew. I¡¯m sure that what I¡¯m about to say now will be heavily edited without any reference to context, but¡­ but I still have to say it, miss reporter.¡± The woman, who was struck by Yongno¡¯s calm words and tone, was taken aback. ¡°No¡­ wait¡­ it¡¯s not¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the problem first. The most understandable case occurred when a dictatorship, a country with a tendency and history of easily suppressing individuals, tried to suppress their Masters. On the flip side, Tibetan independence was possible because they embraced their Masters.¡± Several photos floated behind Yongno. As he talked atop the lectern, he searched and found some information on the Internet, so he started sharing those as supporting material while he spoke. ¡°As you all know, when Tibet insisted on independence, the Chinese government responded negatively. It was to the extent that the Chinese government raised an army and slaughtered Tibetan monks, perhaps because the Chinese government thought that its perceived control power over its various outer regions and people was weakened due to the serious damage it suffered under the Legion and Grotesque¡¯s persistent attacks. Perhaps in the past, China¡¯s domestic press would have controlled the narrative, as it had done until now, while leaked information would cause global condemnation, and the obvious pattern of the Chinese government ignoring that global condemnation would have repeated, but now¡­ a variable arose that threw off the status quo. As everyone knows, Aung Nina, a female Tibetan monk, is a Level 14 martial arts user. She became the variable.¡± And because of that one person, the situation in Tibet took a completely different turn. When the protesting Tibetans were being massacred, the Chinese army was thoroughly smashed by a single Master. A Level 14 Master was a super strong user that fell within the top 5% of all Master level users. Aung Nina¡¯s Great Tantra Hand strike could not only traverse several hundred meters, but it was also powerful enough to destroy a tank in a single blow, so it was impossible for human armies and modern weapons to contend against her. Once she manifested, she became a monster that couldn¡¯t be defeated, even if missiles were fired at her. ¡°At first, the Chinese government, which defined Aung Nina as a mass murderer and terrorist, tried to capture her using other Masters, but they suffered significant blowback. As the Chinese Masters rebelled against the government after Aung Nina¡¯s response, the regime teetered to the brink of collapse. This all occurred because the Chinese government did not negotiate with their Masters, rather, they threatened and coerced them, often holding their family¡¯s hostage; that became a problem.¡± The ill feelings the Chinese Masters had towards the Chinese government and its high-ranking officials were great. Naturally, the high-ranking officials, who themselves couldn¡¯t reach the level of Master, did not like the very existence of Masters, so these officials held the Masters¡¯ families hostage, drugged the Masters, or even went as far as installing bombs in the Masters¡¯ bodies to prevent them from acting out against government orders. However, once manifested, a Master was free from all restrictions placed on his or her physical body. In an instant, the Master¡¯s body transformed into something superhuman, as it was capable of curing all the addictions and diseases that it was suffering from. Even a person with a natural disability, that is, a hunchbacked person or a person with no legs, would possess a healthy superhuman body after manifestation. It was like a forced metamorphosis. Even if a bomb was installed inside one¡¯s body, it must be detonated before a Master manifested; once one manifested, one could easily endure an internal explosion with a smile on one¡¯s face. Also, regardless of which ability one specialized in, a Master level user could easily remove a foreign substance in one¡¯s body, so it was essentially impossible to control a Master through such crude means. ¡°As you said, in one part, it also makes sense that Masters should be quarantined away from the general public. However, even that isolation must be achieved through a peaceful agreement. If isolation is achieved through oppression, intimidation, and/or discrimination, it¡¯ll be like someone carrying a ticking time bomb on one¡¯s body. Once a Master manifests, the only thing that can stop a Master is another Master.¡± After Yongno spoke, the woman continued her line of argument. ¡°But some Masters use their power to commit crimes. Are you saying we shouldn¡¯t even try to contain them because we¡¯re not capable?¡± ¡°Yes. They cannot be isolated. If you don¡¯t like a specific Master¡¯s disposition, you shouldn¡¯t try to contain him or her.¡± Yongno continued speaking with a calm expression. ¡°You have to kill that Master.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The reporter, who was about to argue further, was left speechless. Yongno continued speaking. ¡°The correct approach is negotiation. If that doesn¡¯t work, then it¡¯s obliteration. Other than that, there are no other options. And fortunately, while suppressing a Master is nearly impossible, killing one is simple. Once they manifest, they are virtually invincible¡­ but once their manifestation period runs out, they are essentially just normal people.¡± Because the amount of gem points required for manifestation was remarkably high, it was almost impossible for one to constantly be in a state of manifestation unless one was at a very high level. Unless one was a psychopath or someone who didn¡¯t understand how precious one¡¯s life was, one can¡¯t help but worry about what happens after one¡¯s manifestation period ends. ¡°Well, I understand your general concern, but punishing someone for something they didn¡¯t even do isn¡¯t right either. If one doesn¡¯t have the gem points, one¡¯s no different from normal humans.¡± Saying this, Yongno turned off the lectern¡¯s projector. He was wrapping up his lecture. ¡°We are not aliens; we are the same as normal people, so I hope you will cherish Masters with affection and interest. So¡­ next question?¡± The reporter, who came to her senses, tried to ask another question, but she was soon drowned out by others. ¡°Hey, are you close with Arthur?¡± ¡°We¡¯re friendly with each other. These days, we¡¯re so busy, we don¡¯t even have time to see each other.¡± As questions began to come from all parts of the auditorium, the atmosphere, which had been heavy and contentious, gradually eased. Yongno kindly answered the audience member¡¯s questions one by one, and after the lecture was completed, he left the lecture hall to thunderous applause. CH 212 ¡°Thank you for your effort and hard work. Next up is your schedule at the Blue House¡­¡± ¡°Oh, could you give me a minute? I have something else to quickly tend to.¡± ¡°Huh? Ah, yes, of course. Please don¡¯t be late.¡± Yongno stopped the attendant, who was approaching him from the side, opened a door, and walked out. He entered a hallway and soon saw a girl, the one who asked the question about realization during his lecture, standing and waiting for him. ¡°Long time no see.¡± ¡°Hmpf! You¡¯re such an important and precious figure now, huh? It¡¯s hard to meet you unless I come out and do this.¡± The girl was someone that Yongno had never seen face-to-face before. But even so, Yongno knew her identity. She, better known as Cruze in-game, was the one who stated that her realization was that ¡®All forms were non-forms¡¯. Cruze¡¯s realization was ¡®knowing¡¯ that the principle of information = energy; in other words, grasping the essence within a form rather than focusing on the outward form itself, and being able to create or verbalize that essence, which may not or didn¡¯t exist physically within the material world. Of course, Yongno witnessed, many times, a certain person who used such an ability within DIO. ¡°Your disguise is great. I almost didn¡¯t recognize you.¡± ¡°Well, special makeup is my hobby.¡± Cruze, a member of the Heaven above the Heavens, grumbled a reply. The two had gotten quite close over time, so there was no hesitation or awkwardness in their conversation. ¡°So, what¡¯s your name? It¡¯d be weird to constantly refer to you by your in-game ID.¡± ¡°Lea Schmidt. Call me Lea.¡± Lea threw her sunglasses into a trash can and untied her long hair, which had been tied up in a ponytail. After pulling out several packets of products from her bag and applying it to her hand, she ran her hands through her hair and, mysteriously, her black hair instantly turned red. ¡°Are you wearing a latex face mask?¡± ¡°Kind of. Anyway, I changed my image just enough so that no one would recognize me as the same person as before. With this hair color change, I don¡¯t think I need to change anything else for now.¡± After saying so, Lea took Yongno¡¯s arm with her right hand. Yongno was a bit surprised that Lea was being so familiar with him, even touching his arm, but Cruze didn¡¯t seem to care in the slightest. ¡°I came to tell you that I¡¯m in Korea. In addition, I wanted to ask you to do some external activities on my behalf.¡± Stating this, Lea¡¯s hand, which was holding onto Yongno¡¯s arm, weakly trembled. However, Yongno didn¡¯t find this odd. Cruze¡¯s trembling came from her action of repeatedly putting strength or weakening her grip on his arm. ¡®Morse code?¡¯ Though Yongno wasn¡¯t given a heads-up about communicating through Morse Code, as it had never been mentioned between them, Yongno calmly analyzed the contents of her message and replied. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not a simple request. What do I get in return?¡± This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°I will help you develop your skills. I¡¯m sure what I¡¯m offering you will be of value to you.¡± Even as she spoke, her hands continued to tremble. Soon, after Cruze¡¯s full message was conveyed, Yongno¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Hmm! Is that possible?¡± ¡°Do you think I came all the way here to talk nonsense?¡± ¡°Then¡­ good. Let¡¯s form an alliance.¡± Yongno¡¯s arms trembled slightly. After receiving Yongno¡¯s message, Lea let go of his arm. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll catch you later.¡± ¡°Be careful. There are people everywhere who want to take advantage of people like us.¡± ¡°No need to worry about me.¡± Having said this, Cruze turned around and walked down the hallway. Her image soon melted into the general mass of people. Her disguise, acting skills, and ability to hide in blind spots was so great that, at some point, it became impossible to find her. ¡°The meeting is in two hours.¡± The secretary, who had been standing at a distance, approached Yongno, who was momentarily standing still. Yongno¡¯s schedule was tight, so the attendant was trying to get Yongno to hurry up. ¡°I want you to create a spiritual pathway in my body, too.¡± That was the content of Cruze¡¯s, no Lea¡¯s, Morse Code message. The fact that Yongno could create spiritual pathways was something only he and Eunhye knew about, so he was taken aback when Lea unexpectedly approached and contacted him about it. Moreover, the compensation she offered was a complete surprise as well. ¡°There¡¯s a way to access DIO without being detected by the Noblesse.¡± Yongno frowned and squinted his eyes. He couldn¡¯t understand how one could access DIO without being detected or noticed by the Noblesse. In the first place, DIO was a world created by the Noblesse, so how could someone avoid their omnipresent eyes? The whole concept didn¡¯t make sense to Yongno, so he had questioned Lea about it. ¡°Ah, bro, are you done?¡± ¡°Yeah. It was just a simple lecture.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so popular. You¡¯re like a celebrity these days.¡± A young man in a suit was waiting for Yongno next to a car. His name was Kwan Youngmin. He was the high school student who had crossed over from another dimension. Currently, Youngmin was in charge of Yongno¡¯s safety as his personal bodyguard. ¡®In the end, no one on Earth can beat Youngmin unless one is a Master and is manifested.¡¯ Youngmin, who brought a body with a ¡®spiritual pathway¡¯ from another world, was able to use internal energy without any penalty on Earth. Of course, as a spirit that had crossed over from another dimension into Earth, Youngmin initially couldn¡¯t absorb Earth¡¯s mana, which possessed mana but had no systemic spiritual pathways to transfer that mana, but the moment Yongno provided him with a mana filtering device, a magic gear item that Yongno named ¡®Gills¡¯, Youngmin was able to use his abilities on Earth 24 hours a day; thus, Youngmin was one of the most powerful existences on Earth. In addition, since Youngmin reached Level 12 as an internal energy user within DIO and obtained the position of a Master, it was also possible for him to manifest. ¡®Was I just lucky? To think that such an unexpected existence appeared at a time when I desperately needed some external force and firepower to assist me¡­¡¯ Youngmin was an existence shrouded in mystery. The power Youngmin used was like the one internal energy users often utilized in DIO, but Youngmin also used various superpower abilities that seemed to originate from a completely different foundational system than those practiced by general DIO users. Hence, even Yongno couldn¡¯t fully understand or fathom Youngmin¡¯s existence. ¡°Oh, I got a call from Eunhye. She says she¡¯s finished moving.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Conversing in low voices, both Yongno and Youngmin got into a van. The driver gently started the car, and Yongno buried himself deep in the seat and took out the earphones that were placed next to his seat. Yongno was planning on connecting to DIO while in the car, but right as he was about to put on his earphones, he heard some harsh shouting. ¡°The Korean government must withdraw its cooperation with DIO immediately! Withdraw!¡± ¡°Noblesse is an existence that defies God!¡± ¡°The aliens are attacking us because of DIO!¡± Dozens of people were occupying the sidewalks on the side of the road and waving protest signs. Youngmin murmured after seeing the protestors, who seemed to be representing various groups. ¡°Another set of protests¡­ what the hell do they want?¡± ¡°In terms of what the protesters want, there are many things. Even if they¡¯re all gathered like this, every one of them has a different thought and goal. Among them, there are religious people who are afraid of the increasing number of people who have questioned the role of religion on Earth due to the seemingly divine powers that manifested Masters can output¡­ then there are businessmen who haven¡¯t been able to adapt to the changed socio-economic system after DIO¡¯s appearance¡­ and there are human rights groups and humane society members who feel disgusted at the sight of people harming monsters and human-like existences within DIO.¡± However, DIO had already fully integrated into modern society; it was to the extent that DIO was becoming society itself. DIO, which could be accessed anytime and anywhere, and where time passed 12 times faster than real-time, was no longer a world that was accessed based on one¡¯s gaming taste or just a place to spend one¡¯s leisure time. DIO was played by all, regardless of gender and age, and the economics of the game was also enormously influential on Earth. In Korea alone, statistical data showed that more than 10 million people had made DIO their full-time job. Although the service cost of accessing DIO was very low, various large companies spend exorbitant amounts of money to [purchase] high-rise buildings in DIO, produce and air commercials and movies based on DIO, and much more. Moreover, DIO-related goods production had reached a considerable level. ¡°Currently, Korea¡¯s annual national budget is 725.4 trillion won, but DIO¡¯s annual revenue in Korea is now close to 500 trillion won. In addition, there¡¯s almost no material or labor cost to operate DIO, so most of its income is net profit, so DIO can influence society at large and at enormous scale.¡± DIO¡¯s income figures were staggering. If Noblesse only took in money and didn¡¯t reincorporate that enormous amount back into the market, Korea¡¯s goods market and overall economy would come to a screeching halt due to a lack of cash flow and available funds, which in turn would create an economic crisis, but the reality was different. Of course, this was because of the Exchange Center. The Noblesse organization didn¡¯t employ very many people. Basically, it didn¡¯t require too many offline employees. Though the Noblesse provided free PCs and connectors to people here and there, they didn¡¯t make any large purchases or special donations to anyone, so they weren¡¯t the driver of reincorporating money back into local economies. However, users could earn money even if they weren¡¯t directly employed by Noblesse. This was because gold, obtained by catching monsters or performing quests, could be exchanged for money in one¡¯s own country at the Exchange Center. DIO¡¯s currency was now used worldwide; the currency in-game, commonly called Golden Money, was now a more trusted currency than the US dollar ($), and it became possible to live a life without any other job if one was Level 5 or higher. ¡°You mean people making too much money is the problem?¡± ¡°Among vested interests and those who were part of the ruling class during the previous status quo, there are many who don¡¯t like DIO. In a sense, DIO has achieved the redistribution of wealth that everyone has been clamoring about since the advent of the economy. If Noblesse was a normal company, it would have faced many challenges and regulatory opposition, but¡­ as you know, Noblesse is not a normal company. They are aliens capable of destroying Earth if they set their mind to it.¡± Through the window of the luxurious van, which was befitting for a nation¡¯s president to ride in, Yongno and Youngmin could see soldiers, armored vehicles, and tanks deployed all over the city. They weren¡¯t placed across the city because today was a special day or anything of the sort. They were literally set in place for the safety of the city. A month ago, Noblesse made an announcement that they would sell an explorer, an item that could identify a Master¡¯s location only to countries that were [favorable] to them and provide a wide-area shield that prevented hostile space-based attacks to [countries that behaved more favorably to Noblesse]. The Noblesse even said they would provide gear to allow governments to check where potential attacks may come from. Yongno knew that the two types of gear the Noblesse were offering were desperately needed by a ruling nation state, so he half expected the Noblesse to make unreasonable demands on the countries by holding them hostage over the gear, but unexpectedly, the Noblesse only requested a change in a few national policies. However, since the gear they handed over were magic-based items, it was impossible to interpret, and the Noblesse could make the gear stop operating at any time if they wanted, so it could be said that the governments across the world were on a leash. But even so, the Noblesse¡¯s actions were strange. CH 213 ¡®It¡¯s suspicious. Are the Noblesse setting up a chess board with some bigger play in mind, or are they under some constraint that I don¡¯t know of?¡¯ To Yongno, the Noblesse¡¯s behavior was much too passive. If the Noblesse¡¯s identity was still hidden, he¡¯d understand their cautious approach, but they had revealed themselves as aliens to the whole world, so they didn¡¯t need to be so cautious. Even if they didn¡¯t use their transcendent powers, the Noblesse would easily be able to control, economically and politically, the entirety of Earth through DIO. ¡®Also, I don¡¯t understand what objective or purpose the Legion and Grotesque have in mind with their attacks.¡¯ Terrorism was guerrilla tactic aimed at achieving maximum political and military effect with small-scale forces to achieve a specific purpose. Of course, there were terrorist groups that were created as a way to survive, such as those in the Middle East, because it was difficult to make a living, but that was an exception rather than the rule. Terrorism was usually conducted as a means of propaganda or resistance. However, the Legion and Grotesque had no clear purpose. DIO¡¯s service wouldn¡¯t be terminated or stopped due to their trivial acts of terrorism, and it was unlikely that any requests by humans to stop DIO¡¯s operations would work on the Noblesse, who didn¡¯t care about human welfare. This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what happened. It seems that the minister didn¡¯t know about Mr. Yongno, as your identity has been kept confidential.¡± With his eyes closed, Yongno recalled the image of the Korean president, who he met a month ago. In the past, Yongno, after reconciling with Merlin, had traveled around the world and manipulated the minds of powerful people once he became convinced that DIO¡¯s management did not grasp his ability to use mana in the real world. He had made himself a major global figure and performed actions that bolstered his importance in the minds of those powerful people. Even now, though he couldn¡¯t run mental interference and manipulate the minds of these powerful figures, the memories he previously instilled in them remained. However, unlike before, these figures were no longer fully subservient to Yongno¡¯s requests. ¡®In other words, the range of things I can request is limited.¡¯ Moreover, the president and other high-ranking officials [remembered] that Yongno was their benefactor and had done great works for the Republic of Korea, but they tended to request things from him more because of that rather than give Yongno more leeway or clout. Like the saying went, today¡¯s enemy may become tomorrow¡¯s ally, so there was no guarantee that today¡¯s benefactor would not become tomorrow¡¯s enemy in the world of politics. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived.¡± Feeling the van stop, Yongno opened his eyes. For Yongno¡¯s safety, Youngmin got out of the car first and opened Yongno¡¯s door. ¡°By the way, what do they want today?¡± ¡°They¡¯re probably going to whine about this and that again. They¡¯re probably going to request that I become subservient to the country or support a particular political party. The members of the National Assembly are playing more tricks and political games these days, so it¡¯s become more of a headache dealing with them recently¡­¡± Once Masters, who were originally as famous as celebrities, gained political and practical power, they became existences that even a nation state couldn¡¯t easily approach. The power that Masters could wield was one reason, but another was that, as the Masters¡¯ existences were revealed to the public, the Masters started attracting public attention. Since time immemorial, people have longed for the existence of superhumans; those who were able to exert absolute power. Heroes such as Superman and Batman were the manufactured manifestations of such desires. In one sense, DIO¡¯s Masters fit this superhero image, as they were often seen as [superheroes who acquired power by training themselves to the limit] rather than [idiots who just happened to gain strength]. Just then, a man in a suit, who was waiting on one side, approached Yongno. The man bowed politely and gave a respectful ¡®Welcome¡¯ greeting. ¡°The President is waiting. Enjoy your dinner. We¡¯ll be taking some pictures, so¡­¡± ¡°Who else will be joining us?¡± ¡°There is the First Lady, Shin Gil-Soo, and Rep. Han Myung-Jin.¡± Yongno sighed inwardly after hearing the man¡¯s calmly stated explanation. ¡®The ruling party and opposition leader will both be present. They sure know how to create an awkward and annoying atmosphere.¡¯ In particular, Rep. Shin Gil-Soo, the representative of the ruling party, was someone who persistently irritated Yongno, employing all means at her disposal, to get him, a Master, to support her party¡¯s causes. Moreover, Rep. Shin Gil-Soo didn¡¯t much approve of Yongno, as a person and as a Master, so Yongno couldn¡¯t help but be annoyed that he had to spend dinner with her. Beep! Beep! Just then, the smartphone in Yongno¡¯s pocket started ringing. The smartphone was a satellite communication device that he received from the director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS). [Emergency! Emergency! Legion¡¯s hordes are approaching from the West Sea! Their numbers are overwhelmingly greater than any force that appeared before!] ¡°Where are they heading to?¡± [They¡¯re rushing in a straight line towards Seoul! At this rate, they¡¯ll soon be passing Incheon and Bucheon¡­!] The complexion of the man in the suit, who was guiding Yongno, turned to deep contemplation and concern after hearing the message coming from Yongno¡¯s communication device; however, Yongno remained unperturbed. After receiving several attacks, the Korean military¡¯s response system became more structured and effective, and the Republic of Korea was one of the countries with a very high ratio of Masters to the general population. ¡°I¡¯ll have to go and see what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°But the dinner with the President¡­¡± Yongno shrugged at the pale-faced, business-suit wearing man. ¡°Do you think I can sit around and have dinner when there¡¯s a war unfolding? Soldiers might die; furthermore, public opinion would turn for the worst if it became known that we were enjoying dinner at such a time. There¡¯s no way the president doesn¡¯t know that, so he¡¯ll most likely also move to his secure bunker and command the national forces; after all, he¡¯s the commander-in-chief of the Korean military.¡± Since Yongno was dreading the dinner, he got back into his car without any regret or hesitation. He soon spoke to the driver. ¡°You know where to go, right?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes. I¡¯ll take us there now.¡± The driver, dispatched from the NIS, gave a bitter smile before stepping on the accelerator. The vehicle, carrying Yongno and Youngmin, wildly sped down the road. *** On Yongyu Island, where Incheon International Airport was located, fully armed infantrymen and tanks began to line up and get into formation. Dozens of warships were in the sea and fighter jets were seen circling the sky. Among the aircrafts located at the airport, all aircrafts capable of flight were on the runway, waiting for their turn to take off and enter the battle zone. The citizens living nearby were also hurriedly evacuating Yongyu Island. The existence of aliens and the dangers they posed were felt not only by the military but also by the general public. The number of casualties suffered under alien attacks numbered in the hundreds of thousands in Korea alone. In the past, domestic catastrophes that brought hundreds or thousands of casualties would have been major events that would later be listed in public textbooks, so the Legion and Grotesque¡¯s attacks were not something that Korean people just put off as [something far away that has nothing to do with me]. Moreover, since the Legion and Grotesque targeted densely populated areas, the number of people moving out of metropolitan areas and moving to the countryside had increased tremendously. ¡°This is your division commander! If the aliens show up, you can fire without any preauthorization! Do not let them pass through the battle zone! Eagle, did you spot the enemy?¡± [This is Eagle. The enemy is still not visible. They¡¯re not even showing up on our radar. They should have already reached us by now¡­ perhaps they¡¯ve switched directions?] ¡°That can¡¯t be. The information we have states that the enemy is still advancing towards us.¡± The Noblesse had provided Korea with a wide range of shields to prevent space-based attacks and space infiltration, and items to check where enemy attacks were coming from. The only problem was that these devices were only given as [rentals], but the important thing right now was that they were being used and providing critical information. Since the Legion or Grotesque could only appear at a point outside a 500-kilometer radius from where a broad-spectrum blocker was installed, which blocked space penetration, South Korea, which installed a blocker near Gapyeong, was able to cover the entire country except for parts of Hamgyeongbuk-Do with a single blocker. Even so, a broad-spectrum blocker couldn¡¯t do anything against an enemy force that appeared outside the blocker¡¯s effective area and moved directly into the area. Therefore, a sensor that identified the location of an enemy force, within a radius of 800 kilometers, was needed. Thanks to a broad-area sensor, located next to the blocker, Korea was able to identify enemy forces and defend itself before the enemy entered its territory. ¡®Recently, the enemy forces have mainly appeared on the southern side, near Jeju Island, but it seems they¡¯re now retargeting our capital! Why don¡¯t they just keep attacking China, where the defenses are relatively poor!¡¯ A war against alien forces was a series of crises; nothing could be guaranteed. Basically, regardless of whether it was Legion or Grotesque, the enemy alien forces possessed enough firepower that no national defensive military power could properly handle such an attack, so even if a nation was thoroughly prepared, there were bound to be victims. The division commander had entered the military academy with the goal of becoming a soldier and serving his country from a young age, but he never thought he¡¯d be engaging in a life-or-death battle like this in Korea. If he had known, he would have thought twice about becoming a soldier. Anyway, while the division commander was fuming with resentment and regret, which was subtle enough to be heard in his tone of voice, a flat saucer-shaped flying object, like a UFO, suddenly appeared in front of a fighter jet that was flying in the sky. Utilizing some sort of stealth mode, the object had appeared right in front of the gathered forces without being caught on radar. [T-target spotted! Launch¡­] Boom! The fighter jet¡¯s pilot, who was startled by the sudden appearance of the enemy, tried to fire the jet¡¯s missiles, but the jet was hit by a beam and exploded. There was a clear difference in mobility between the two forces. Moreover, the fighter jet couldn¡¯t respond properly due to the sudden appearance of the enemy. Whoosh! And at the same time, huge robots started appearing here and there. Once the enemy forces engaged in battle, their Stealth Mode, which no longer needed to be maintained, was being released. ¡°Damn it! Hurry!¡± ¡°Why is the road so congested!¡± The road that Yongno was traveling down was full of vehicles. Although an evacuation order was issued, the air raid started just 30 minutes later, so there wasn¡¯t enough time for the residents to escape the island. Of course, even now, they hurried to escape the area, but the problem was that Legion¡¯s target was the civilians, not the gathered soldiers. CH 214 Ping! An oval, disk-like object was approaching from afar. As if it was deflected by something, it suddenly changed its trajectory and crashed into a bridge. Bam! ¡°Oh, no! The bridge is collapsing!¡± ¡°Reverse! Reverse! Hurry up and go in reverse¡­ ack!!¡± Yongyu Island, where Incheon International Airport was located, was an island with an area of 13.603 square kilometers and belonged to the greater Incheon Metropolitan area. The island had various public transportation routes, such as bus routes and train lines, that allowed residents to access the Korean mainland. However, if Yeongjong Bridge and Incheon Bridge, both of which connected Yongyu Island to the mainland, were severed at the same time¡­ ¡°Argh! Help me!¡± ¡°Please help! I want to live¡­!!¡± The evacuating residents¡¯ retreat path was completely blocked. There was no way out for residents except to swim across the sea. [Block the aliens! Don¡¯t let them leave the designated battle zone!] [Boom!] [The battleship, Gyebaek, has been sunk! Repeat, Gyebaek has been sunk!] Yongno was listening in on the situation unfolding on the battlefield in real time inside his speeding van. Of course, such eavesdropping was illegal under the Military Security Act, but Yongno felt it was fine as long as he didn¡¯t get caught. ¡°The enemy forces are mobilizing and operating much faster than usual. Their flying ability has improved, and they¡¯re even using some sort of stealth concealment tech¡­¡± While Yongno muttered to himself, Youngmin asked a question. ¡°Has the enemy¡¯s armament been upgraded?¡± ¡°Yes, it seems so. From the start, they¡¯re more civilized than us, so it¡¯s natural that they use more advanced tech, but¡­ it¡¯s a bit strange. Why are they unveiling their advanced tech so slowly? If they¡¯re one of the Union¡¯s main enemies, they should be able to fire antimatter bullets. If they¡¯re restricted by some civilization level, they should be using the same level of armaments from beginning to end.¡± Yongno was lost in thought. His intuition was warning him that the current situation was dangerous, but he didn¡¯t have enough evidence and information to properly reason out why he felt so. Yongno concluded that he needed to observe the situation further. ¡°Connect me to Oh Hyeon-Jo.¡± ¡°Oh Hyeon-Jo? Oh, the fat, greedy bastard?¡± ¡°Well, he¡¯s still the Minister of Defense¡­¡± Like a salmon running against the current, the driver sweated profusely as he weaved across the lanes to get to the battlefield zone; however, Yongno didn¡¯t pay any attention to this as he grabbed the smartphone that was handed over to him by Youngmin. ¡°Ah, yes, it¡¯s me, Minister. I¡¯m close by. Shall I engage the enemy?¡± Yongno, who didn¡¯t waste time with any greetings, brought up the main matter as soon as the call was connected, but the Minster¡¯s reaction was unexpected. [Stand by. Do not engage.] ¡°Huh?¡± Yongno¡¯s eyebrows furrowed at the Minister¡¯s unexpected words. The Legion¡¯s forces, which was currently fighting the stationed Korean troops, was the most powerful force that the Korean military had faced yet. In such a situation, why was the Minister delaying Yongno¡¯s assistance? ¡®Is he trying to utilize other Masters?¡¯ However, with his nearly-perfected internal spiritual pathways, Yongno couldn¡¯t sense any sign of other powerful beings in the vicinity. It may be that some nearby users hadn¡¯t manifested yet, but at the very least, Yongno was certain that no other Masters were nearby. [I have nothing more to say. You can enter the battlefield zone and join the fight if you like, but I am not requesting it. Actually, let me rephrase that. Don¡¯t meddle. If you enter the battlefield zone¡¯s operation area, I will judge you as an enemy.] Click. After saying what he wanted to say, the Minister hung up. Youngmin, who was listening in on the conversation next to Yongno, made an exasperated expression. ¡°What the hell? Is that greedy man trying to save money?¡± Yongno received 20 billion won worth of jewels or gold bars every time he moved, so it would be rather strange if his services weren¡¯t a financial burden at all. However, sometimes, instead of accepting 20 billion won worth of jewels and gold, which Yongno used for his research, Yongno often took the remains of the [enemy], that is, parts of the Legion and Grotesque, as payment instead. In any case, Yongno was momentarily puzzled as to why the Minister was declining his participation. ¡°It might be the case that he¡¯s sensitive to money issues¡­ but there¡¯s no way he¡¯d resort to such a stupid decision without having gone crazy, right? Even if one adds up the cost of the destroyed fighter jets and battleships, it would be over 100 billion won.¡± Property damage suffered due to alien attacks often exceeded billions and even trillions of won. Of course, it was not impossible for other Masters other than Yongno to face the Legion forces, but if Merlin, the manifestation of Yongno, appeared and subdued the enemy forces in the shortest amount of time, there would be minimal loss and damage to life and property. ¡°Let me connect to DIO for a moment. I have something I need to [check out].¡± ¡°Something to check out? Alright.¡± Youngmin handed Yongno a CD player. The movement was so natural and quick that it seemed like Youngmin had been waiting for Yongno¡¯s request. Of course, the CD player was the device that connected a user to the world of DIO. ¡®Come to think of it, Cruze mentioned that there was a way to connect without being observed or noticed by the Noblesse.¡¯ However, this was something that Yongno had to check on later. Yongno closed his eyes. Though he was going through this elaborate process, Yongno wasn¡¯t truly connected to DIO. He was just pretending to log in to avoid being caught using his superpowers. ¡®Reveal vision.¡¯ When the spiritual pathways in his body started utilizing mana, magic power formed, and soon, Yongno was able to complete a prepared spell. Yongno used a far-sighted magic spell. While seated in his van¡¯s seat, Yongno surveyed the battlefield zone. [The Minister of Defense. Have the preparations for the Turtle Ship and the Heavenly Bow been completed? Launch attack when ready.] ¡°This is a Turtle Ship. Both the Turtle Ship and Heavenly Bow are prepped and ready. Commencing attack.¡± In Yongno¡¯s field of vision, he saw a battleship rushing toward the battlefield zone. Inside the battleship, a captain was viewing a 3D battlefield utilizing external cameras and other advanced equipment. The battleship¡¯s captain was the one conversing with Minister Oh Hyeon-Jo. Whirl! After answering the Minister, the battleship¡¯s deck opened, and soon, a T-shaped gun barrel appeared. The gun barrel was so large that the entire top of the battleship seemed to be covered by it. Crackle! Crackle! Enormous energy began to crackle out and emerge from the power generated inside the ship. The generated power passed through the gun barrel and became a ray of light, which soon shot out through the air to where dozens of flying objects were flying. Flash! Basically, the main difficulty in downing the Legion¡¯s air forces was their maneuverability, which modern human weapons had little to no chance of possibly catching up with. Because the Legion¡¯s air forces immediately intercepted and deflected all attacks that approached them, the Korean military units were unable to deliver a proper blow. In the end, one had to hit the enemy¡¯s air forces at close range to down them, but regular modern machine guns couldn¡¯t penetrate their armor, and missiles were all intercepted by the beams fired by the Legion¡¯s fighters. Tanks, which couldn¡¯t even get in close range of the flying forces, were rendered essentially useless in this type of battlefield. This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Rumble! However, as soon as the emitted beam seemed to scatter, a thick column of lightning crackled and appeared in the air. Nearby objects were sucked in as everything within the column was obliterated. Plasma had been created. From that one colossal blow, the Legion¡¯s air forces were destroyed at once. ¡®Oh my god! Isn¡¯t that a plasma cannon?¡¯ Unraveling his farsightedness spell, Yongno internally exclaimed. It wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d seen a plasma cannon. It was a weapon he had seen many times when he went on missions to Noah. Even if Yongno was attacked with a plasma cannon head-on, Yongno could easily nullify such an attack. Even so, the plasma cannon was a futuristic weapon that shouldn¡¯t exist in [modern] times. The plasma cannon generated ultra-high-frequency radiation from the inside of a barrel-shaped tube, expanding that into a wave-shaped laser, and shot out that laser to cause a wide area explosion. The plasma cannon required a high level of technology, so it was difficult to reproduce and even more difficult to properly control. Furthermore, based on where modern tech was currently at, it should have taken decades to develop the technology to heat and fire beams and form plasma within a controlled laboratory setting, let alone for military use in the field. ¡®He told me not to come because he believed in his new weapon.¡¯ With a plasma cannon that could exert destructive power at this scale, the Legion¡¯s air forces were no match. The plasma cannon couldn¡¯t be deployed against land-based Legion or Grotesque forces; it could only be used as a prevention measure, but for nations like Japan and Korea, where the alien forces had to approach by air, the plasma cannon provided tremendous utility. ¡®Earth¡¯s technology is catching up with that of the mech robots.¡¯ Of course, the scientific power and level of the Legion, which resisted and contended against the colossal power of the Union who traveled across and dominated the universe, was such that humans on Earth wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up even if they scientifically developed for tens or hundreds of years, but earthlings could contend against the mech robots, who were bound by a civilization level restriction. Moreover, as long as earthlings had an [answer] to contend against the Legion forces, Earth¡¯s science and technology development would constantly accelerate and increase. ¡°Hmm. What¡¯s going on? It appears they can defend for themselves now?¡± Yongno, who had his eyes closed, opened his eyes after hearing Youngmin¡¯s words. The plasma cannon was a flashy weapon, so its ray could be seen from Yongno¡¯s vehicle, which was on the other side of Incheon Bridge. ¡°Yeah. They reacted and performed beyond my expectations. It¡¯s as if someone is helping them¡­¡± Yongno had always thought that humanity¡¯s defense system should be stronger. This was because he thought that a system to deal with enemies below Level 7 could be created to avoid the situation where Masters wasted their gem points to defeat lower-level enemies. Firearms, like rifles and machine guns, were enough to take care of Level 5-6 enemies, and stronger Level 7-9 enemies could be killed with heavy weapons, like rockets and mortars. Unless they suffered a surprise attack, humankind could handle most of the aliens¡¯ attacks. However, when an enemy¡¯s level exceeded Level 10, modern weapons were no longer effective. Starting from Level 10, on top of possessing greater strength, existences crossed a certain [line] and possessed a unique special ability. For example, when a user, especially an internal energy user, exceeded Level 10, the materialization of mana became possible, so it was possible to cut through composite armor with a single blow using sword qi, and it was also possible to protect oneself from damage from small firearms by wrapping mana all over one¡¯s body. In addition, at Level 10 and higher, it was possible to move at a speed that couldn¡¯t be recognized by human vision, so it was possible to annihilate an opponent without any damage, even if one fights alone against an entire mech robot corps. Of course, one could use something like a nuclear bomb and annihilate hundreds of Level 10 beings, but using nuclear weapons at will and destroying everything around wasn¡¯t something that could be done often. Therefore, earthlings would have been put in a difficult situation if humankind¡¯s technology didn¡¯t advance. ¡®But even so, this is not a normal pace of development. They skipped over the entire middle part.¡¯ As Yongno¡¯s frown deepened, Youngmin, who was sitting next to him, made a puzzled expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your expression? Isn¡¯t it a good thing that the military is able to stop the aliens on their own?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but not like this. One must prepare a solid foundation and build up slowly. Getting one¡¯s hands on a high-level tech or skill all at once is rather dangerous.¡± Flash! Rumble! Once again, the plasma cannon¡¯s beam cut through the air, and the resulting plasma force field overturned the enemy forces. The Korean Air Force and Navy personnel were putting the finishing touches on the fallen enemies. It was the best result that humanity had achieved without the use of a single Master. However, even so, Yongno¡¯s frown deepened. CH 215 ¡°Perhaps even this situation¡­ was something induced by the enemy. To an extent, I thought the Noblesse would block this sort of thing, but on the contrary, I feel like they¡¯re encouraging it.¡± Yongno wasn¡¯t doing his best to protect humanity; this was because he thought that humanity was an essential [material] for the Noblesse, so he wouldn¡¯t have to try his best. Planets like Earth, where spiritual pathways were blocked, were rare, even in the entire universe. And humankind on Earth, who had been cut off from mana for thousands of years, would greedily crave mana the moment they encountered it. Moreover, under these dire circumstances, beings would usually show a strong aptitude for magic once they gained access to it. DIO¡¯s users saw magic being used in-game, so they weren¡¯t really surprised by its use; however, the way earthlings utilized mana and magic was a phenomenal occurrence that didn¡¯t happen anywhere else in the universe. For the Noblesse, which included many transcendents, it took an astronomical investment of money, time, and effort to create a system like DIO. In the end, the results substantiated the investment. ¡°Hmm. Hey bro, I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t quite understand. So, what you¡¯re saying is¡­ you¡¯re saying that humans shouldn¡¯t develop their tech and science too quickly, but the aliens are encouraging humankind¡¯s rapid advancements in tech and science?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Yongno¡¯s assertive response caused Youngmin to frown. The driver, who was listening in on their conversation, also seemed interested in their conversation as he leaned back in his seat, but Yongno didn¡¯t care. ¡°I don¡¯t know, bro. Why shouldn¡¯t Earth¡¯s technology develop quickly?¡± ¡°Because¡­¡± [Ting!] Up in the sky, a huge cross-shaped airship appeared. Surprised, the Korean military used their secret weapon, Heavenly Bow, to emit a beam of light attack on the airship, but the attack was easily blocked by the defensive barrier that surrounded the airship. [What the hell! What is that! Turtle Ship! Retreat immediately¡­] Boom! The airship attacked, landing a direct hit on the Korean battleship, Turtle Ship, which carried Heavenly Bow. Instantly, the Turtle Ship was destroyed. From the start, it was impossible for a battleship to maneuver and evade a bombardment attack originating from the sky. ¡°If the civilization level of Earth rises due to its abnormally quick advancement in science and technology¡­ the tech limitations and restrictions the Legion have to operate under also get lifted. In other words¡­¡± Yongno looked up at the sky with a stiff expression before continuing. ¡°If the fight is based on science and technology, humanity will never be able to defeat the Legion.¡± As soon as he finished speaking those words, continuous explosions rang out. The sides of the airship opened and began firing a series of artillery fire downward. ¡°Since both bridges have been destroyed, cutting off all evacuation routes, the civilian casualty numbers will be enormous. With the plasma cannon, the military should have given priority to protecting the bridges.¡± Yongno¡¯s statement wasn¡¯t intended to criticize the Korean military¡¯s actions. If Yongno really put the people¡¯s lives above all else, he would have endured any loss and manifested until he no longer could, just like what Arthur did in the past. ¡°What are you going to do? Free volunteer work?¡± ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m not a hero though.¡± ¡°Then, are we heading back?¡± While listening to Youngmin¡¯s words, Yongno scanned the battlefield. He couldn¡¯t find the slightest reason to sacrifice himself for the sake of the many people he didn¡¯t even know. Rather, Yongno was contemptuous of others, who he saw as ignorant and greedy. However, Yongno soon shook his head to shake off his current line of thinking and spoke up. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the ones that I can see right in front of me. That mech robot is a bit annoying. Merlin Emrys.¡± Crackle! A noise rang out from Yongno¡¯s body. For an instant, his body blurred like a mirage, and soon, a new figure was overlaid onto his physical body. Yongno, who had been dressed in an ordinary business suit, quickly took on the image of a mage that wore a red robe and a wide-brimmed hat. ¡°Phew. I¡¯m getting goosebumps. Bro¡¯s perfection of internal energy and magic power are astounding. It still surprises me, no matter how often I see it.¡± ¡°I just developed what I was given. Anyway, since the general civilization level rose, I should try something new.¡± The duration of Yongno¡¯s manifestation was one hour. Moreover, since human casualties were taking place in real time, Yongno, no, Merlin called out for his flying shuttle without hesitation. ¡°Come out, Vimana.¡± Ting! However, contrary to expectation, what appeared was a single line of text. The civilization level of the area you occupy does not match the flying shuttle¡¯s level. ¡°You made it so good that you can¡¯t even use it.¡± Merlin¡¯s flying shuttle, which he created by investing a huge amount of gem points, was incomparable to any other user¡¯s flying shuttle. However, because of that, Merlin¡¯s flying shuttle faced restrictions on its use. It couldn¡¯t be summoned and used freely in areas protected by [rules]. ¡°So, you still can¡¯t use it, huh?¡± ¡°DIO¡¯s flying shuttle isn¡¯t something that reflects a specific scientific civilization development level, so I half expected that it couldn¡¯t be used. Luckily, utilizing magic power and other superpowers is quite free from restrictions since they don¡¯t really face any civilization level limit, as they can¡¯t be widely distributed to the masses. Anyway¡­ it¡¯s probably not the right time for me to be so relaxed like this¡­¡± After Merlin said this, a red aura rose from Merlin¡¯s body. The magic power emitting from Merlin¡¯s body completed a pre-prepared spell, and the completed spell soon caused a miracle phenomenon in the material world. Crackle!! The seawater surged upward and began to freeze. Merlin was able to use all types of attribute-type magic, but his utilization of water-type magic allowed him to gain the maximum effect with the minimum amount of magic power. ¡°My God, what is that? Eh, an ice bridge?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Merlin! A Master is here!¡± When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. After seeing Merlin standing on the other side of the bridge, the gathered people cheered, but instead of responding and acknowledging their cheers, Merlin continued to build the ice bridge, which connected Yongyu Island and the mainland. After Merlin put his finishing touches on the ice bridge¡¯s surface, making it somewhat rough to prevent people from slipping, the evacuating people crossed the space without hesitation. ¡®I¡¯ll have to rush in and attack at once.¡¯ Of course, since all defensive barriers were based on blocking external magic from penetrating within, it was nearly impossible for Merlin to teleport directly into the enemy¡¯s airship. Therefore, Merlin teleported to the top of the airship¡¯s defensive barrier and raised his right hand into the air. Bam! The defensive barrier, which even blocked a plasma cannon attack, was shattered with a single blow, and soon, Merlin entered the airship. However, he found that no one was inside. [Intruder alert! Intruder alert!] ¡°Hmm. Since it¡¯s a Legion airship, it runs on an automated system. Well, the airship is a mech machine in and of itself, so it would be a bit weird and funny if a mech robot was piloting a mech aircraft.¡± Crackle! An electric shock shot out toward Merlin, who broke into the airship and triggered the airship¡¯s intruder alert system, but he converted the electrical energy into impact energy as he lightly deflected the attack onto the airship¡¯s inner wall. Though the airship was fully automated, Yongno was able to move around and deflect the oncoming attacks since there was a wide-open space within the airship. ¡°Are they dumb? Electrical energy is easier to convert than any other type of energy.¡± [Remove the intruder! Eliminate the intruder!] ¡°It¡¯s so annoying that I can¡¯t converse with such a rigid automated system. Since the airship¡¯s objective is for terrorism purposes, I guess the producers didn¡¯t feel the need to include a conversation function.¡± The moment he took a step forward while muttering, Merlin¡¯s body crossed space and entered the core of the airship. Of course, the core was also protected by a defensive barrier, but Merlin easily shattered the barrier with a simple attack and went inside the core area. Bang! The Irrational Hand Strike, which was ultimately developed by realizing the true meaning of ¡®striking¡¯, something that Merlin realized after seeing Lancelot¡¯s stabbing, was the synthesis and final product of all of Merlin¡¯s known skills. It was a penetrating attack that penetrated defenses, a killing technique that inflicted a critical blow on an enemy, and a bombing technique that exploded like a bomb to inflict AOE damage. The Irrational Hand Strike contained all of Merlin¡¯s martial arts knowledge, so it was in some way everything and nothing at the same time. Even Great Strength Vajra Hand and Great Tantra Hand, which were said to be the strongest hand strike techniques in Buddhist literature, made up only a small part of Irrational hand Strike. Woong! The internal energy that supported the power behind Irrational Hand Strike was also beyond one¡¯s imagination. Merlin¡¯s internal energy capacity was only 20 years, but that very internal energy was amplified to 40 years in Mercury, and then 160 years after passing through Venus and Earth. In an instant, Merlin was able to output nearly 3 cycles of internal energy through the amplification of his original 20 years. ¡°And¡­¡± The internal energy of 160 years was amplified to 320 years through Mars, the last planet within his No Living World system. His original power was doubled five times, totaling more than 5 cycles in the end; literally, his amplification and power output seemed like works from the heavens. Moreover, Merlin could output all this energy in one blow. This in and of itself, being able to emit the maximum internal energy capacity, even for a Master level user, in a single blow was something that defied all existing martial arts theory and logic. Boom! A single Irrational Hand Strike broke through all the airship¡¯s defense systems and destroyed the airship¡¯s mainframe system. The power of the Irrational Hand Strike was so powerful that the aftershock waves of power spreading out from the airship were visible from the outside. Creek! The airship, which possessed enough firepower to destroy a modern army¡¯s entire defense system, started to fall from the sky. There was no damage to the airship itself, but it crashed because there was no system to control it. ¡°Unfold. Veil of Darkness.¡± After Merlin quietly completed a spell¡¯s chant, a huge darkness hid the airship, and immediately after that, the airship disappeared completely. Merlin floated alone in the sky with his red robe fluttering about him. Boom! Boom! Boom! Silver short spears flew out from within Merlin¡¯s robe. The spinning short spears were shot out towards the other alien aircrafts flying in the sky and the mech robot soldiers on the ground. It was a truly incredible speed of rapid fire; it seemed as though water droplets were splashing outward from a spinning wet top. However, what was more surprising was that, even amid the rapid fire that was shooting out spears faster than a submachine gun shooting bullets, Merlin didn¡¯t miss a single shot. ¡°¡­ Overwhelming.¡± Many eyes watched Merlin as he shot out attack after attack. Many of the observers were agents belonging to the NIS, not military officials or war correspondents who recorded the battle situation whenever the enemy invaded. [Didn¡¯t you say that the firepower of the Heavenly Bow was overwhelmingly more powerful than a Master¡¯s attack power?] ¡°That¡¯s right. But¡­ Merlin is different from ordinary Masters.¡± Min Seung-Cheol, who had been a general NIS agent, quickly gained recognition for his abilities once he became a Master, which allowed him to experience an unprecedented promotion to become a managing director in one stroke. Being a Master, he knew all too well just how terrifying a being like Merlin was. Merlin had reached such a high level that even a decent Master would easily be killed from a single blow by Merlin. [Heaven above the Heavens¡­ Are you using that childish phrase too?] ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Seung-Cheol hastily apologized after sensing the person on the other side of the line voicing his displeasure. He was a Master, but because he was a Master, Seung-Cheol knew that he couldn¡¯t do anything alone. Against the existing weapon systems on Earth, a Master was powerful enough to contend against an entire country, but that was only for an hour, as manifestation only allowed one to become superhuman for just an hour. For that one hour, Masters were omnipotent, but what would happen once the manifestation period ended? Only in the state of manifestation was it okay for a Master to be hit by missiles, but once the manifestation was released, a Master could lose his or her life from a single pistol shot. ¡®Also, the requirement of 10,000 gem points is too restrictive.¡¯ The 10,000 gem points required to manifest was a truly fatal penalty. Even Seung-Cheol, who had reached Level 11, was barely able to earn 10,000 gem points after working hard for about a month, real time. CH 216 [Anyway, I don¡¯t understand. How on earth can that guy be so strong?] ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say¡­ he developed his abilities¡­¡± [Do you think that really makes sense?] The man on the other side of the line, Park Hye-Myung, the current Director of the National Intelligence Service, spoke in a condescending tone of voice. [Why the hell is everyone so stupid? Do you believe he¡¯s powerful just because he was born with such great potential and abilities? Are you telling me that a high school graduate with no work experience is superior to famous scholars and athletes all around the world?] ¡°Well¡­¡± [Heaven above the Heavens¡­ that¡¯s all nonsense. It¡¯s impossible to be so powerful without having done something shady. Maybe he¡¯s an undercover traitor who works for the alien¡¯s side.] The NIS Director continued harping his convoluted argument and stoked his own anger in the process. For some time now, he had been trying to subdue Yongno, but everything he tried had failed. ¡®I don¡¯t think it¡¯s anything like that at all, sir, but¡­¡¯ Seung-Cheol didn¡¯t agree with the Director¡¯s assessment, but he couldn¡¯t refute it either. This was because the Heaven above the Heaven members were truly head and shoulders above any of the other users playing DIO. Of course, as a Master himself, Seung-Cheol understood the subtlety and nuance of the development of abilities and skills, but he wasn¡¯t confident enough in convincing or explaining this to someone who didn¡¯t play DIO. ¡°Then what shall we do? Shall I investigate further?¡± [No, let it be. After all, we¡¯re using him for another purpose. Besides, it¡¯s also true that he¡¯s helping us block the enemy¡¯s attacks, so he¡¯s still useful to us. Forget what I said and continue to collect data.] ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The call was disconnected as soon as Seung-Cheol answered. Seung-Cheol scanned the battlefield. Boom! A large explosion sounded out as a chariot-shaped mech robot soldier was destroyed. In just 10 minutes, all enemy forces were destroyed, and the situation was finally settled. If it had been any other Master other than Merlin, rather than organizing the situation before the end of Merlin¡¯s manifestation time limit, the enemy¡¯s attacks would have probably continued beyond another Master¡¯s manifestation period, pushing the Korean forces backward and causing more destruction and casualties. ¡°Mr. Yongno is such a great talent. He might lead Korea a step forward, but¡­¡± Seung-Cheol bit his lip. He respected Yongno as a mage, but even so, he could not go against his superior¡¯s orders. Even though Seung-Cheol was a Master, he was not the type of person who went against orders and established rules. ¡°I hope Korea never has a conflict with him.¡± Whispering softly, Seung-Cheol turned around. Merlin, who finished the battle several kilometers away from where Seung-Cheol was, landed on the ground. ¡°¡­ Well, that¡¯s up to you all, not me.¡± Merlin grumbled in a low voice, and after that, his figure disappeared from the battlefield. *** Contact, and Preparation *** /[On July 28, the Master, Kim Seyoung, visited Tokyo for a joint training exercise. The Japanese government held an event to welcome Kim Seyoung, and Prime Minister Noda expressed his gratitude to the Korean government¡­]/ On TV, Seyoung was seen shaking hands with the Japanese prime minister. Seyoung¡¯s in-game ID was Arthur Pendragon. He was a great swordsman that was widely recognized as the strongest member of the Heaven above the Heavens. ¡°We¡¯re having a tough time as it is¡­ is it really okay to send someone like Arthur overseas right now?¡± ¡°This current administration is a bit friendly with Japan. Maybe they¡¯re using Arthur to lobby for something?¡± A man and woman conversed with each other as they watched TV and sipped on coffee. Arthur was already a worldwide celebrity and the strongest amongst the Master. He had made his name widely known beyond Korea. Thus, Arthur received more attention and fanfare than any world superstar. ¡°It¡¯s not ideal to rely on someone like Merlin, who¡¯s always doing whatever he wants, but it¡¯s also not good to be swept away by the state like Arthur¡­ Why does Arthur, who is the pride of Korea, have to participate in Japan¡¯s military training in the first place?¡± ¡°Is that something to be angry about? I think it¡¯s okay because it helps promote Korea¡¯s world status.¡± ¡°Well, if you look at it that way, that may be true¡­ but Arthur isn¡¯t a normal celebrity. He¡¯s a key factor of our national security. Thanks to the blockers and detectors provided by DIO, there¡¯s no longer any fear of aliens popping out of nowhere within the Korean peninsula, but still, I¡¯d much rather have too many defensive pieces than less.¡± In truth, currently, Korea was relatively safer from alien attacks than most other countries. Since the entire country (including Jeju Island), except for parts of North Hamgyong Province, was within the 500-kilometer radius range of the broad-spectrum blocker that blocked foreign entity¡¯s penetration of space, the nation was able to escape from the situation where aliens appeared out of nowhere, as they did just a month ago. However, that was possible because Korea was a [small] country; countries with large territories, including China, were suffering tremendous damage and casualties. From the start, blockers and detectors weren¡¯t available for purchase. This was because Noblesse only provided this gear as a form of rental, but the problem was that the rental fee was a whopping 100 million gold per month, or 5 trillion won in Korean currency. Countries that possessed a high economic power relative to their territory size, such as Korea and Japan, were able to make the most of the blockers and detectors, but countries that couldn¡¯t cover their entire territory with a 500-kilometer radius blocker suffered enormous damage. Even at this moment, when Yongno was sipping on some coffee, many people were dying. In the case of the United States, the situation was solved by installing several blockers, but in the case of China and India, blockers were only installed in a few large cities, where the rich and affluent lived. Although this caused global criticism against those countries, widespread domestic upheaval, and civil unrest, nothing could really be done about it. ¡°Change is rapidly happening because so many people are dying. If it wasn¡¯t for Legion and Grotesque, things wouldn¡¯t have unfolded this way. If things had unfolded in another direction, we could have seen Masters being subjected to human experiments.¡± The alien invasion was the most shocking world event since the beginning of human history. Reality seemed more like something one would see in movies or read about in science fiction novels. Many people witnessed injury, death, and destruction because of the Legion and Grotesque¡¯s terrorist attacks, which were carried out on densely populated areas. The threat of aliens was tangible for the wider public, so many actions were quickly being taken to resolve the situation. Masters were being supported on a national scale, and they were being treated like royalty. Moreover, all coastal cities were being converted into fortresses to prevent alien attacks. In the past, such construction and evacuation of people would have been unimaginable due to the opposition of residents and human rights activists, but since these actions were being taken immediately after suffering astronomical damage from alien attacks, the forced construction and exodus of people were being carried out without any major problems. The social and governmental systems changed to ones more associated with wartime, and taxes rose significantly. However, what was interesting was that the general atmosphere and sentiment amongst people was not so hopeless. ¡®Humans are adaptable creatures, no?¡¯ Of course, many of those who were directly harmed enlisted in the military after feeling despair, frustration, or anger towards their lot. Media broadcasts also informed the current situation of damage or combat every day, but that didn¡¯t seem to paralyze the world economy. There didn¡¯t seem to be a sense that the world would perish anytime soon. If alien invasions only happened in one country, the situation might have been a little different, but alien invasions were occurring across the entire world; it was something that everyone was facing in common. Plop. At that time, a plain-looking young girl with brown hair pulled up a chair and sat down in front of Yongno, who had been lost in his thoughts. It was the first time he saw her real face, but Yongno instantly knew that he was looking at Cruze, one of the Heaven above the Heavens. ¡°You managed to get out. The surveillance around the battlefield zone was tight,¡± Cruze remarked. ¡°As long as I have a spiritual pathway, surveillance is useless,¡± Yongno responded. ¡°Well, if you use your specialty, teleportation, it wouldn¡¯t matter even if they put you in prison¡­ ah, thank you.¡± Cruze expressed her thanks as she accepted a cup of coffee from Yongno. Seeing her act in such a sociable way, Yongno laughed. ¡°Oho. Wow, Lea. Your social skills have improved a lot lately, haven¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Stop speaking nonsense.¡± ¡°Is it because of Dongsoo (Lancelot)?¡± ¡°¡­ Have you gotten bored of living?¡± Yongno laughed at Cruze¡¯s, or Lea¡¯s, snappy reaction. Though she was outwardly angry, Yongno could tell that she felt inwardly embarrassed. ¡°Well, anyway¡­ how did you find out about my spiritual pathways?¡± Cruze had suddenly come to see Yongno, whom she could not meet in a normal way or through other channels, and she sent him a message. ¡°I want you to create spiritual pathways in my body as well.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a way to access DIO without being detected or notifying the Noblesse.¡± Though Yongno and Lea had become quite close, that was only between Merlin and Cruze, in other words, only in-game. They had never met in reality. Naturally, there was no occasion where Yongno or Merlin ever mentioned his spiritual pathways, so the fact that Lea knew was strange. ¡°I can explain and fill in the gaps.¡± ¡°¡­¡± A normal person would have been quite surprised by this situation. It would be strange if one wasn¡¯t surprised by someone suddenly appearing and sitting down without anyone noticing; it was as if [the whole process of entering the room and sitting in the chair was skipped]. Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. However, Yongno turned his head to the speaker without an ounce of surprise. This was because he assumed that Lea could not have known about his spiritual pathways unless there was some kind of [transcendent] interference to begin with. ¡°Huh?¡± However, once Yongno saw who it was, he expressed surprise. He had seen the speaker¡¯s face before. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡­ aren¡¯t you Manbo?¡± ¡°You have a good memory. I guess that¡¯s to be expected of an Irregular, a one in a quintillion.¡± Unexpectedly, Yongno saw a user that Merlin had met in DIO; someone Merlin had come across before Merlin was known as a Heaven above the Heavens member. The first time he saw Manbo was when he met Aidelin, the merchant who sold weapons in Starting. At that time, Manbo was lying on the side of a bustling road underneath a tree doing nothing. Aidelin had mentioned that Manbo had been lying around for almost a month without doing anything. Merlin hadn¡¯t thought much of Manbo until he saw him a second time. Unexpectedly, Manbo was laying down on a rocky island south of the Noise Belt, an area where normal users shouldn¡¯t have been able to access at the time. At that time, Yongno, who had no interest in other users, felt that the situation was weird, but he just chalked it up to something being off. However, if Yongno had thought about it a bit longer, he would have understood that Manbo was a strange user. CH 217 ¡°One in a quintillion? An Irregular?¡± ¡°Hmm. I guess you weren¡¯t aware of what others called existences like you. Yeah, you¡¯re called an Irregular, a one in a quintillion.¡± With his index finger, Manbo wrote out the characters for one in a quintillion on the coffee table. Following Manbo¡¯s index finger with his eyes, Yongno realized what Manbo was saying. Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. ¡°That¡­ is a statistical figure.¡± ¡°Right. It¡¯s used to convey how rare of an existence you are.¡± Statistically, the existence of Yongno and the other two Heaven above the Heavens shouldn¡¯t have been possible. It was statistically improbable that Earth, which had a population of less than 10 billion humans, outputted three Irregular beings. A quintillion was 100,000 times the population of Earth, so it was improbable that there would even be one Irregular on Earth; however, there were three. ¡°Could it be that this became possible because it¡¯s Earth?¡± Earth, where the three Irregulars were born and where no human being or existence possessed spiritual pathways, was a very [special] environment. Mana existed everywhere in the universe, and though there were some differences in mana capacity based on location, it wasn¡¯t easy to find another place quite like Earth, where spiritual pathways were non-existent, in the entire universe. ¡°Even taking that into account¡­ this occurrence is still exceedingly rare and statistically improbable. There are even rumors that you three may be one of the main reasons why the Noblesse created Dynamic Island. Anyway, I wanted to ask¡­¡± Manbo asked in a calm tone while drinking the fruit juice he brought with him. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you reached transcendence yet?¡± ¡°¡­ I beg your pardon?¡± Yongno frowned at the unexpected question. Transcendence was a state that could only be reached when a being, born with a set limit, transcended its own limits and existence. A transcendent being was an absolute master who could cut through material as well as non-material objects, such as time and space, with powerfully compressed qi using one¡¯s mana control ability. These transcendent beings were often referred to as Grand Masters or Grand Mage, or great mages, beings who could understand the basic principles of the world and use ultimate spells that defied logic and common sense. Once one reached the realm of transcendence, no matter what kind of limitations and restrictions one was born with, one would become free from the [structural conditions] of the world. Commonly, the transcendent realm was also called the Entrance to the Divine, as it was the first step to becoming a god. ¡°Wait, what do you mean? Didn¡¯t you tell me that I¡¯ve grown and developed quite a bit? Why are you asking that guy why he hasn¡¯t reached transcendence instead of asking me¡­ are you saying he¡¯s better than me?¡± Lea, who was listening from the side, asked in bewilderment, but Manbo only shrugged his shoulders. ¡°You didn¡¯t know that he was better?¡± Manbo stated flatly. ¡°Ugh, the nerve to so openly¡­ with such a straight face¡­¡± Lea trembled with anger after receiving Manbo¡¯s straightforward answer, which cut through her and seemingly pierced her heart, but Manbo continued speaking with a calm expression. ¡°Honestly, you can¡¯t reach the transcendent state even after a hundred years. Well, experiencing events big enough to change your values might accelerate the process¡­¡± ¡°Experiencing events?¡± ¡°Like the experience that protagonists of martial art fiction novels go through, you know, beating the odds and gaining life changing experiences and realizations, something of that sort. It¡¯s not that you don¡¯t have talent, so there¡¯s no need to feel so hurt. Rather, you¡¯re overflowing with talent, but your mental state is the problem. Actually, it¡¯s kind of a waste that a talent like you, an Irregular or one in a quintillion, is so lazy and unmotivated to succeed.¡± ¡°Ugh, you damn bastard.¡± Frustrated, Lea put her forehead on the table and groaned aloud. She knew, of course, that reaching the transcendent level was something she would eventually achieve, but it was still a blow to her that she wouldn¡¯t reach it earlier because of her weak mental state rather than a lack of talent. ¡°You¡¯re really good at criticizing others so thoroughly with a straight face,¡± Yongno commented. ¡°Well, I¡¯m just telling the truth¡­ yawn~¡± Manbo, who had been talking calmly, suddenly yawned aloud. After scratching his head, Manbo sighed and then stated, ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s already almost time for me to leave. Well, if I wanted to overdo it and stay a bit longer I could, but¡­¡± As Manbo muttered, Yongno squinted his eyes as he felt the air current around Manbo fluttering. Of course, no person with superpower abilities could exist on Earth, where spiritual pathways didn¡¯t exist. However, the fact that Yongno could feel spiritual pressure emanating out from Manbo, to such an extent that he could feel it on his skin, meant that Manbo was utilizing spiritual power. ¡®Did this guy also find a way to create a spiritual pathway? But how? Did someone help him?¡¯ Yongno himself knew how rare of a statistical anomaly it was in finding an answer to solve the spiritual pathway question on Earth. Coincidence after coincidence, on top of being a rare talent, a one in a quintillion chance¡­ there was little to no chance anyone else like Yongno existed. ¡°First, let¡¯s set the record straight. Can you use spiritual power?¡± Yongno asked. ¡°Sure. If I couldn¡¯t, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d know of your current condition¡­ Oh, I see what you¡¯re trying to get at. You want to ask how I can use spiritual power on Earth, right?¡± At Manbo¡¯s words, Yongno nodded his head. ¡°Right. If you already know how to create a spiritual pathway, you wouldn¡¯t need Lea to ask someone like me for help in creating one, which means you can¡¯t create nor possess spiritual pathways. Since you can handle mana without a spiritual pathway, then perhaps¡­¡± Yongno, who had spoken up to here, momentarily hesitated and flinched. Regardless of his confused mental state, Yongno¡¯s clever brain was reasoning out the whole situation. ¡°You are¡­¡± Yongno murmured with an astonished expression. ¡°You¡¯re a being who has already reached the transcendent level,¡± Yongno concluded. Yongno realized that he could feel Manbo¡¯s presence more clearly after acknowledging that Manbo was a transcendent. Even on Earth, where no superpowers could exist due to the lack of spiritual pathways, a transcendent, who has escaped from one¡¯s limits and was reborn as an [only being], could perform miracles without any penalty. Manbo could extract infinite power from within himself by controlling the basic mana of the world, like a Great Mage or Grand Master, or by completing his inner microcosm universe, like a transcendent level chakra user, otherwise called an Atman. Hence, a transcendent being could use one¡¯s ability in any environment. ¡°As expected of an Irregular. Right. I¡¯m the first user to have reached the transcendent level.¡± The situation was beyond Yongno¡¯s wildest imagination. The fact that Manbo was the first user to reach transcendence meant that Manbo was not an outsider. Could it be that Manbo surpassed all three Irregulars and reached the state of transcendence without anyone knowing? However, regardless of Yongno¡¯s astonishment, Manbo continued talking while sipping on his fruit juice. ¡°Actually, I thought you would reach the transcendent state a long time ago. Noya said you wouldn¡¯t, but still, I didn¡¯t expect that I¡¯d be wrong¡­ once again, there are definitely many variables in the world. I never imagined that your personality would change all of a sudden, either.¡± Yongno¡¯s eyes narrowed after hearing Manbo¡¯s grumbles. Knowing that Yongno¡¯s personality had changed meant that Manbo and his associates had been watching Yongno from before. However, in Yongno¡¯s mind, there was something more important than that. ¡°Why did you think I would reach the transcendent level?¡± ¡°You took contemplation and knowledge as your primary factors, so it was blatantly obvious to see that you¡¯d reach transcendence. If you were like before, you would have already reached the level of transcendence.¡± ¡°Like before?¡± To Yongno¡¯s question, Manbo mumbled an answer. ¡°Yeah, like a human who liked swimming, playing, going on adventures, and just generally having fun. If you continued like that, you would have naturally connected with Celesti, the world of immortals and reached a ¡®Truth¡¯. And if you responded to the call from the celestial realm, you¡¯d have transcended easily. Well, the easier it is in becoming a transcendent, the lower one¡¯s rank¡­¡± Yongno murmured some comments after hearing Manbo¡¯s words. ¡°I remember hearing about something like that before. There were cases where existences awakened themselves and achieved transcendence, but there were also ways to awaken oneself by gaining a Truth and obtaining divine status by contracting with the heavenly world or the demonic world, which are probably the Celesti realm that you¡¯re referring to.¡± ¡°Right. That¡¯s why I¡¯m in the lower level among transcendents, and my growth rate is relatively slow. I entered the transcendent realm, but¡­ how should I put this, I only have one foot planted in transcendence. In fact, now I can be called a kind of medium.¡± In other words, Manbo succeeded in Channeling with Celesti and obtaining a Truth, which allowed him to become a member of the Celesti realm. However, to Yongno, this was not a very important issue, and Manbo, seemingly understanding Yongno¡¯s sentiment and assuming that he¡¯d spoken long enough on other topics, decided to speak about the main topic. ¡°As you probably know, the various forces that comprise the Union aren¡¯t all on one side. Moreover, once the Noblesse took over the servicing of DIO, the Elohim have started to become wary of the Noblesse. Right now, both sides are busy running interference on each other. The heavenly and demonic world are also very interested in DIO, as are the Nether World and the Divine, or godly, World. Everyone¡¯s trying to influence DIO.¡± Noblesse, composed of species from ¡®noble lineages¡¯ such as dragons and Prajna, and the Elohim, which was composed of ordinary species that were ubiquitous in the material world, that is, humans and other intelligent beings, had been in a rivalry relationship since the Union was first formed. However, due to the clash of ¡®purists¡¯ obsessed with noble lineage and the other races who valued their own way of thinking, the emotional trough between the two camps cut quite deep. ¡°Though it¡¯s true that the users from DIO are strong, is it really something so special that even divine beings are attracted to it? If the Grand Masters of the Seven Holy Lands made up their minds to execute all the users, they¡¯d be able to do it without breaking a sweat.¡± Within DIO, there were 7 Holy Lands where users could train and learn the special spiritual powers of magic, internal energy, chakra, aura power, life force power, pure spiritual power, and divine power. Furthermore, each holy land had a Grand Master who controlled and ruled over their respective holy land. These Grand Masters were strong beings who had trained their abilities to Level 20, that is, to the level of transcendence. Moreover, each of the Grand Masters were all beings who walked their own path and reached the peak themselves. In fact, it was somewhat excessive to have them present within DIO just to provide a bit of assistance and instruction. That wasn¡¯t all. In terms of force, collectively, users didn¡¯t even reach the level of a few angels or demons, let alone a Demon King. Hence, Yongno found it incomprehensible that every influential force in the physical world was interested in such weak people. However, Manbo shook his head lightly. ¡°That may be true now, but¡­ think about it. If DIO is in service for 10, 20, 30 years or more, will your conjecture still be true?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yongno remained silent. If it was 10 years in real time, that was 120 years in DIO time. Of course, since a user could only access the game 12 hours out of 24 hours real-time, the actual time was closer to 60 years, but if the daily access time was extended, or if one spent a bit more than 10 years, then it wouldn¡¯t be strange if a hundred years passed by in-game. CH 218 ¡°Time will allow users to naturally develop. Above all, DIO has a well-organized curriculum structure that will develop talented people by combining optimum study paths and training. And as that pattern continues over time¡­¡± ¡°Then¡­ transcendents may be mass-produced.¡± Of course, nothing was guaranteed. The mental realization necessary to become a transcendent wasn¡¯t something that could be manufactured, so there was no guarantee that a transcendent would come out from DIO¡¯s service. However, there was a precedent for a development training system like DIO¡¯s in the past, and the transcendents who knew that system, as well as the many transcendents who were created through that system, couldn¡¯t ignore DIO¡¯s existence. Hence, with the relatively high probability of creating a transcendent being, DIO received the attention of various forces in all dimensions. ¡°The Legion and Grotesque, who are attacking Earth, are such forces. They initially scoffed and looked down on DIO, but they soon felt a sense of crisis after seeing the outcome, which was beyond their wildest expectations. This is why they¡¯re taking action.¡± The main reasons why the Legion and Grotesque made such a quick judgment and took immediate action was because of the three Irregulars, including Merlin. The Irregulars had become strong in a relatively short period of time, as they were able to dispatch the two Numbered existences that the Grotesque had sent out from their world. Those defeats made the other forces in the universe feel a sense of crisis. ¡°Then, are you here as an angel from the Spirit World?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not representing the entire Spirit World but a realm within it, the Celesti. The Celesti realm has a deep relationship with the Elohim. Usually, the forces of the Spirit World and Fantasy World are not very interested in external affairs.¡± Saying that, Manbo took out a small dagger that easily fit in the palm of his hand. An auspicious energy emanated from the dagger, which was engraved with the word ¡®Dream¡¯. ¡°This is my precious treasure, the Dream Celestial Dagger. If you fall asleep with this equipped on you, you can sneak into the world of DIO.¡± ¡°Is it some kind of hacking tool?¡± At Yongno¡¯s words, Manbo smiled and nodded his head. ¡°Similar. None of your activity will be transmitted to the DIO higher-ups and developers, so you can move around and do what you like in-game without worrying about being seen by them, even if you use your housing or inventory space. However, since there won¡¯t be an access record of you logging in, you¡¯ll be put in danger if other users see you and spread rumors, so, when you¡¯re moving around DIO, choose places with little to no foot traffic. At Manbo¡¯s words, Yongno suddenly remembered the time he saw Manbo on the rocky island below the Noise Belt. Back then, Yongno was able to access the area because he had developed his swimming ability beyond anyone¡¯s imagination, but in fact, the area should have been inaccessible to all users. ¡°Is this what you used when I saw you on that rocky island¡­ in the past?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh yeah. Just like me back then.¡± Manbo nodded his head and handed over the Dream Celestial Dagger over to Yongno. Yongno received it and kept it in his hand. Lea soon spoke out. ¡°Wait. Don¡¯t forget, you need to help me build my spiritual pathway. I did a whole bunch of this guy¡¯s dirty work to obtain this opportunity.¡± ¡°Ah, sure, there¡¯s nothing difficult about that. I prepared in advance anyway.¡± Saying this, Yongno took out a magic stone. However, unlike normal magic stones that shone with bright primary colors, this particular magic stone shone silver, like steel. ¡°The attribute I used was gold.¡± ¡°Yes, of course. By the way, how much initial spiritual power will I have?¡± ¡°About 10 spiritual points, based on DIO. However, if you absorb it slowly over time, your spiritual points will rise to 30, and if you develop your abilities after that, it will increase more and more. Of course, compared to your in-game character, it doesn¡¯t really compare.¡± If Yongno handed the magic stone over to an ordinary person to create a spiritual pathway, it would take that person an enormous amount of time to adapt to the spiritual power, but this didn¡¯t apply to Cruze, who already possessed advanced spiritual abilities in DIO. Watching Lea, who received her magic stone and swallowed it without a second¡¯s hesitation, Manbo fell into thought. ¡®I thought it would take him a while to help her develop a spiritual pathway, but he handed something over right away. No matter how fast he can produce those magic stones, it probably would have taken him at least 15 days to make one¡­ did he make some in advance to give to the other Irregulars?¡¯ However, contrary to Manbo¡¯s thoughts, Yongno had already produced a sizable number of magic stones. Eunhye had already started to develop her spiritual pathways and power, albeit she was still in the early stages. Moreover, Yongno had not only made a magic stone in advance for Lea but also for Arthur. Manbo, as well as all the other beings in Celesti, thought that Yongno created an artificial spiritual pathway that somehow converted reality¡¯s mana into something usable for humans, but the reality was different. It was possible to obtain usable mana through Yongno¡¯s invention, Pathway to Hell. Pathway to Hell was such a novel concept that the entire universe would be up in arms and thrown into chaos if they knew of its existence. Pathway to Hell was not a concept that relied on drawing in mana from one¡¯s surroundings, but rather, it [produced] mana by burning Karma, just like burning oil to generate heat, and converting that Karma into usable energy. Through this process, it was possible to create enormous amounts of energy, and thus mana, even on Earth, which didn¡¯t possess spiritual pathways. However, there was a drawback; only one soul could be imprisoned in the Pathway to Hell furnace at a time, but this drawback didn¡¯t really matter in Yongno¡¯s case due to the evil spirit that appeared from another dimension, which Yongno captured and imprisoned within Pathway to Hell. The evil spirit¡¯s Karma was truly unimaginably large. It was to the extent that Yongno thought that the evil spirit must have abused, corrupted, and then killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people during its lifetime. Rather than not having enough converted energy, Yongno was finding it hard to find energy containers, of any sort, to store the outputted energy from the furnace. ¡°Ah, come to think of it, do you think Arthur, Seyoung hyung, will join us?¡± At Yongno¡¯s question, Manbo shook his head. ¡°I really would like him to join our side, but unfortunately, he has completely gone over to the Noblesse¡¯s side. If we contact him now, our existence will be exposed to the Noblesse.¡± ¡°Well, I guess he wouldn¡¯t have any complaints against the Noblesse. He¡¯s such a good person that he¡¯ll stick with one side¡­¡± Seyoung was loyal to Korea and had no hesitation in serving others less fortunate than himself. He was truly a great, selfless man who was loved by the whole nation as a messenger of justice. He was like a fictional hero character straight out of a fairy tale book. To Seyoung, Noblesse, who healed his terminally ill mother and allowed her to continue living, was a great benefactor. Unless he clearly recognized Noblesse as an [enemy], he would not betray his benefactor. He always treated others with respect, even those he didn¡¯t know, so there was no way Seyoung would turn his back against Noblesse. A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. Suddenly, Manbo frowned. ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯ve stayed too long. It¡¯s time for me to leave.¡± ¡°It¡¯s time? What¡­¡± Poof! The moment Yongno blurted out a question, Manbo¡¯s image disappeared. Manbo left no trace of his existence behind. The whole scene felt as though a CG image from a low-budget movie was forcibly cut, pasted, and then deleted. ¡°Don¡¯t be so surprised. That guy always ends up doing that when he goes beyond his sleep time.¡± ¡°Sleep time?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure exactly. He¡¯s like some kind of vegetable-like being. He said he had to maintain his sleep schedule in order to stay on Earth.¡± There were many unexplained gaps in Lea¡¯s words, as she squinted and busily focused her concentration on controlling the slowly sprouting spiritual pathway within her body, but Yongno grasped the meaning of her words at once. ¡®Right. He reached the transcendent level, so he can cross over to the world of the Celesti¡­ but, according to the will of the decision makers within Celesti, who want him to remain on Earth where DIO is being served, he needs to maintain a vegetative state to stay on Earth.¡¯ However, Yongno didn¡¯t believe that Manbo was doing all this because he really wanted to. Having reached the transcendent level and thus being able to evolve his body, Manbo had to maintain a vegetative state to hide his existence on Earth. Hence, Manbo lived worse than a normal human being. All of this was due to the command or request of those in power at Celesti. ¡®I guess the power structure in the Celesti isn¡¯t that different from the power structures on Earth. Even if he is the ultimate existence among humans, after going over to the Celesti, he would probably rank the youngest among the transcendent immortals in power.¡¯ Smiling, Yongno drank his remaining coffee. This business transaction was now over, so he had no reason to stay any longer. Above all, since Yongno¡¯s movements were always being monitored, he had to go home before those who oversaw his location felt something off. [Yongno.] [What¡¯s up?] At that moment, Yongno replied to the spirit speech that rang in his head. The one who spoke to him was Eunhye, who had awakened her spiritual pathway and power after consuming one of Yongno¡¯s magic stones. [Noblesse has issued a convocation order to all Master level users of Level 13 or higher. It looks like they¡¯re trying to gather everyone for a mission¡­ the base reward is 5,000 gem points, and it can go up to 150,000 gem points depending on one¡¯s activity and achievements.] Yongno hesitated after hearing Eunhye¡¯s words. This was because the stated gem point rewards for this one mission were enormous. In general, the average number of gem points that a Level 10 Master level user received after completing a mission was about 10 to 50 gem points. Moreover, the level of difficulty of these missions weren¡¯t easy, so if one didn¡¯t participate with a firm mindset, it was easy to fail on these missions. Additionally, since the number of missions that provided gem points was limited, one could not collect gem points through repeated hard work or grinding. Because of this, the number of Level 10 Masters who manifested were very small. This was mainly because of the difficulty in collecting the required 10,000 gem points necessary to manifest. [¡­ Hmm, it sounds suspicious. What mission are they trying to make us do?] [I don¡¯t know, but it seems like all Master level users over Level 13 are planning to participate. Unlike other missions, there is no limit to the number of participants for this upcoming mission. I heard that the mission starts in 10 minutes.] After hearing Eunhye¡¯s words, Yongno fell into thought. Though he felt reluctant, Yongno desperately needed the gem points. It took 10,000 gem points to manifest once, and a whopping 250,000 gem points were needed to resurrect Miho. ¡®Miho.¡¯ Yongno frowned. Whenever he thought about Miho, his mind became complicated. He wanted to see Miho again, but he wanted to avoid being the Noblesse¡¯s pawn. If one thought rationally about this scenario, the correct answer was not to take the bait that the Noblesse were putting out, but emotionally, Yongno couldn¡¯t stay away. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Yongno sighed deeply. Still, he didn¡¯t remain in that state for long. [Alright, I¡¯ll be there soon.] CH 219 *** Emperor of Martial Arts, Regrants De Pecerion *** As Legion and Grotesque¡¯s forces began to attack Earth, and after Noblesse revealed its true identity, the importance of the Star Temple, where users applied for and received their missions, grew to the point where even the presidents of each country were interested in what was happening at the temple. Any DIO user could enter the Star Temple. Basic missions were provided on the garden grounds and the 1st floor, where a system organized individual users into parties, but one needed the qualification of being a Master to go up to the 2nd floor. It didn¡¯t matter in which spiritual power area one became a Master in, so long as one reached Level 10, one could go up to the 2nd floor. And, to go up to the 3rd floor, commonly called Deep Place, one had to be a higher level than a basic Level 10 Master. The Deep Place was usually a relatively quiet space, as only a few users could enter, but today, a rare scene was unfolding. There were more than a hundred people seated in the area. ¡°Oh, how interesting. To see so many prominent figures gathered in one place¡­¡± ¡°Look over there. There¡¯s Arthur and Cruze¡­ even Merlin is here. No one has seen him in DIO for a while now. I wonder what kind of special mission they have in store for us.¡± ¡°It seems like¡­ a combat type mission? Since Aidelin, who is Level 13, wasn¡¯t asked to come, it seems like it¡¯ll be a combat mission.¡± Hanma, Adol, and Jeros whispered amongst each other. Having played together since the closed beta period, they were able to complement each other with their specialized fighting styles, so they were always together as a fixed party. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that they were almost like brothers. ¡°Oh, look over there. It¡¯s the user whose rumors have been circulating throughout DIO like wildfire recently, Aung Nina. It seems like she has her hands full dealing with the Chinese government these days.¡± Jeros shook his head after hearing Adol¡¯s comment. ¡°Shh!¡± ¡°Huh? Why? Didn¡¯t you say that she¡­¡± Startled, Jeros hurriedly covered Adol¡¯s mouth. ¡°Quiet, idiot. I¡¯m not the only Chinese user here. I already stated publicly that I don¡¯t like the Communist Party, but due to that, I now feel like my life is in danger.¡± Of course, as there were more than 100 users gathered, there were quite a few Chinese users among the gathered Masters. In terms of population ratio, China had a lower Master-to-user ratio than other countries, including Korea, but the actual number of Masters was large, as China¡¯s massive population wasn¡¯t something that could be ignored. Although Aung Nina¡¯s words and actions had dented the Communist Party¡¯s public image, among the Masters in China, there were many who still had pride and patriotism for their country. In addition, in recent times, China had become increasingly exclusive and nationalistic. This was due to the appearance of Masters who were against China¡¯s communist government, the recent alien attacks, and the mass exodus of Chinese Masters to the United States or European countries. Amongst the Chinese population, more and more individuals with their own ideas of the world were increasing. These were the reasons why China¡¯s government decided to take a strong line, nation-centered approach. ¡°Even the act of conversing with foreigners will bring out shouts of ¡®That traitor!¡¯ from many Chinese users¡­ I would think that once one became a Master, one would possess a somewhat mature mind and wouldn¡¯t be ignorant, but it doesn¡¯t seem like that¡¯s the case¡­¡± Though Hanma exasperatingly scoffed after hearing Jeros¡¯ comments, the truth was that there was no guarantee that one¡¯s thoughts would develop in a certain direction even if one¡¯s level of knowledge or mental development increased; in fact, right at that moment, one of the Chinese users was stepping forward towards the three with a cool expression on his face. Hanma and Adol had whispered in a low voice so as not to start a fight, but the sight of Jeros, who could be said to be China¡¯s top Master, conversing with Hanma and Adol seemed to pinch a nerve. ¡°What are you guys talking about, dirty foreigners? Also, Jeros, they say that the ID you use is part of their culture¡­ you¡¯ve stooped so low as to play with a dirty Japanese and Korean user. Traitor.¡± Adol¡¯s eyebrows furrowed after hearing the sarcastic remark. ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what you mean, but it sounds like an insult towards me as well¡­ are you serious? In this global age, is one a traitor for being friendly with foreigners? Besides, what did we do wrong for you to call us dirty?¡± ¡°Hahaha! Don¡¯t you feel any shame in asking what you did wrong! Indeed, the Japanese are a people who do not have or know remorse! Recently, your government denied that the Nanjing Massacre ever happened!¡± A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. At his words, the other Japanese Masters, who were sitting nearby, became furious. Of course, there were many Japanese Masters at the Deep Place. ¡°Ah, stop blaming the entire nation for a minority¡¯s opinion! Also, I¡¯m sick and tired of people asking us to take responsibility for what others did in the past!¡± one of the Japanese Masters shouted. ¡°W-what? That S.O.B. governor of Tokyo wins the election every time he makes such absurd remarks. What do you mean he represents a minority opinion? All the unscrupulous people who voted for him support his idea, so it¡¯s not wrong to state that his views are rather close to those of the whole of Japan!¡± ¡°What? Unscrupulous?¡± Seeing the groups of Masters growling and posturing, Bruce quietly spoke to Hanma. ¡°I always feel that¡­ you Asians get along well with whites, blacks, and other races, but when it comes to other Asian people, you guys really don¡¯t get along very well.¡± ¡°It might be thanks to the politicians who love nationalistic and conservative values. Even now, during election season, the anti-Japanese sentiment and voice is only getting louder. In Japan, whenever election season approaches, anti-Korean sentiments and slogans are always on the rise.¡± Hanma smiled as he looked at the growling group of Masters. Although open conflict did not occur between Korea and Japan, public sentiment between the two countries was never on the positive side due to the position of Korea, which demanded an apology for the wrongdoings done during the Japanese occupation, and Japan, which didn¡¯t acknowledge any wrongdoings. ¡°The Korea side also conducted a massacre! Do you not know about the 8.20 Massacre?¡± ¡°Wow, you really don¡¯t know history or have an ounce of shame, do you? You¡¯re calling the 8.20 Liberation War Day a massacre? Don¡¯t you know that far more Korean independence fighters died than occupation force soldiers?¡± ¡°Ah! Not independence fighter, you mean terrorists, right?¡± ¡°What? Terrorists?!¡± At some point, even a few Korean Masters intervened in the verbal skirmish. Jeros and Adol, who had been the main figures of the argument in the beginning, had long since escaped the area. ¡°¡­ What a shitshow. It¡¯s not like this is a place for keyboard warriors to battle, like on the Internet¡­ Why is the level of Masters like this?¡± ¡°Because there¡¯s been a fierce war of nerves between countries due to the nationality issue of many ¡®traveling¡¯ Masters. According to information from various agencies, I heard that many Masters are undergoing nationalistic-type mental training and instruction.¡± Merlin looked at the arguing Masters with a pitiful expression. It was because he did not feel nor understand the feeling that was commonly called patriotism. Having been subjected to biological experiments by state institutions from an early age, Merlin hated collectivism, the idea of sacrificing a few for the sake of the whole, so he had no affection for any country, let alone Korea. And Arc, or Eunhye in reality, who had previously committed herself to a U.S. secret organization to seek revenge for Merlin, was also of the same opinion. ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s different from that point.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Merlin, who had lost interest in the Masters¡¯ quarrel and was busy carving magic circuits into a metal plate, lifted his head. The one who muttered quietly was Youngmin, who had followed Merlin¡¯s advice and reached the level of Master within DIO. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Arc, who covered her entire body in glossy black leather armor and who never once revealed her face in DIO, looked back at Youngmin with more interest than Merlin. Knowing he was a being from another dimension, she was curious about a lot of things about him, and she actually asked him a lot of questions. ¡°I was commenting on the difference between my world and your world. Strangely, there are many similarities, but for some reason, many other aspects differentiated¡­ in your world, the Korean people succeeded in liberating themselves; in my world, they didn¡¯t. I guess this is a parallel universe¡­¡± Merlin shrugged after hearing Youngmin¡¯s muttering comment. ¡°I guess we¡¯re in a different parallel world with a set forking point¡­ Come to think of it, you mentioned North Korea before. If so, there must be South Korea, and if they failed to liberate themselves, would it be that the United States and the Soviet Union freed the South Koreans? Based on the context, it seems North Korea is still ruled by the communist party in your world.¡± ¡°You figured all that out with the little I mentioned here and there¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know everything; it¡¯s just some basic stuff I deduced with reasoning.¡± After finishing the magic circuit work, Merlin put away the metal plate. Since Merlin always repeated the actions of conducting experiments and producing items without rest once he connected to DIO, Merlin was always busily doing something without rest. But before he could pull out the next crafting material, a message window popped up. [Mission: Group Mission Time Limit: None. Objective: Raid. Description: In the 91st Earth, the Emperor of Martial Arts resides at Hwayoung High School. You will be tasked with eliminating the Emperor of Martial Arts, a transcendent being who has reached the highest levels of martial arts. Companion NPCs will be accompanying you. Accompanying NPCS are: The transcendents Thousand Scents, Leighann, Lionel, and Adalcha.] ¡°What? Grand Masters will be our accompanying NPCs?¡± ¡°No, wait, aren¡¯t those Grand Master NPCs the rulers of the 7 Holy Lands? Unique NPCs, who can¡¯t be duplicated or recovered, are being used for a quest?¡± ¡°More than half of the Grand Masters of the 7 Holy Lands will be participating!¡± ¡°No, rather than that, who the hell are we facing to require four Grand Masters as party companions?¡± The contents of the quest were very concise yet general, so the Masters who read the contents fell into a state of confusion. Even the Asian Masters, who had been fiercely slandering each other, stopped fighting and focused on the quest¡¯s mission description. Unlike transcendent-level monsters that required one side to die when met, such as Zygmunt the Seadragon and Igniz the Red Dragon, the Grand Masters of the 7 Holy Lands were beings that users were very familiar with. Because the 7 Holy Land Grand Masters were all strong and beautiful beings who each possessed their own unique charms, users opened and operated many of these Grand Masters¡¯ fan clubs. On top of treating each Grand Master like a modern superstar, some of the Grand Masters had even gone as far as shooting commercials or sitting for magazine photoshoots. Even though the Grand Masters were approachable, the Masters knew that they were transcendents who reached the pinnacle in their chosen ability fields, and that each one of them was strong enough to destroy the entire Earth without breaking a sweat. Ordinary people did not truly understand the monstrous powers of transcendents, but those who trained their abilities to the point of reaching the Master level had a much better understanding of a transcendent¡¯s true power. CH 220 Ting! Along with a sound like plucking strings, a large image appeared in one corner of Deep Place. The image¡¯s background was a high school, similar to ones that were commonly seen on Earth. ¡°Teacher~ We¡¯re going on a trip during this vacation, so please accompany us, okay?¡± ¡°Why should I accompany you girls on your personal trip? I¡¯m going to get off work and go home, so stop talking nonsense and leave already.¡± A man with a solid physique was surrounded by female students. Though his facial expression was filled with a sense of annoyance, the gathered female students were happily chattering beside him. ¡°W-what is this? Are you girls acting out a sitcom?¡± Before the start of a mission, it was quite common to show the target¡¯s appearance and the surrounding environment. Depending on the type and difficulty of the mission, background information was often needed. ¡°The target of a mission that will have over a hundred Masters and four Grand Masters is a guy like that?¡± Of course, in the quest description, there was an explanation that he was an Emperor of Martial Arts, but in the eyes of the gathered users, and even in the eyes of Merlin and Arthur, the target looked like an average thirty some odd year-old man. Anyway, the female students circled around him and implored him several more times, but he calmly denied their requests and sent them on their way. Before the group of girls eventually left, the 100 or so Masters had to watch the female students flirt with the male target for about 10 minutes. ¡°Dang, why is this mission starting so late?¡± ¡°Is it some kind of bug?¡± The gathered Masters started complaining and voicing their dissatisfaction. At that moment, the target spoke up, ¡°Hey, sorry. Did I make you all wait?¡± The man, who had been tidying up his desk, raised his fist. Crack! The Deep Place¡¯s wall, where the screen was floating over, was covered with countless cracks, like the spiderwebbing that occurred when a bullet hit bulletproof glass. The Masters, who had been in relaxed positions, jumped up in surprise and instantly got into fighting positions. Rumble! The space was torn, and the dimension collapsed; the Deep Place shattered at once and blended with the dimension that appeared on the screen. Leighann quickly chanted a spell. [Quarantine! Create! I am the owner of Alistar!] In an instant, the surrounding background suddenly changed with a shrill cry, a sound that seemed to resonate with each of the users¡¯ souls. The blue sky turned gray, and all the students who were playing soccer in the school¡¯s field disappeared. The teachers and students who were inside the school and the people in the cars that were traveling in the nearby streets all disappeared at once. The man, who was now sitting on the stairs, laughed. ¡°Oh, you guys prepared thoroughly. The normal type of quarantine space is observable, so you isolated and quarantined the entire planet, huh?¡± Regrants commented. New beings appeared in front of the Emperor of Martial Arts, Regrant De Pecerion, who had a carefree smile. Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°¡­ You truly are a monster, Regrants De Pecerion. You noticed our quarantine spell,¡± Leighann commented. ¡°Oho~ Emperor of Martial Arts, Regrants De Pecerion! I heard of your great achievements and prestige so much that my ears started hurting,¡± Lionel remarked. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to fight like this¡­¡± Adalcha added. ¡°If they tell us to take him out, we must take him out. If one belongs to a group and receives an order, this is how things go,¡± stated Thousand Scents. During this exchange, the users were also present¡­ and not just a few, but over a hundred. Moreover, it was a powerful group of Masters, as every Master was Level 12 or higher. However, those 100 or so Masters were completely overshadowed by the presence of the four Grand Masters. ¡°White Divine Celestial Dragon, Thousand Scents. Oh my God, she¡¯s really here with us¡­¡± ¡°Ahh, Lionel! I never thought I¡¯d see the day where I¡¯d watch Grand Master Lionel fight!¡± ¡°Oh, Leighann uses a staff.¡± ¡°Wow! It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen Grand Master Adalcha open his eyes. He looks downright scary.¡± As Thousand Scents, who reached the pinnacle of aura power, raised her strength, her gray hair fluttered as if hit by a strong gust of wind. Archmage Leighann, with neatly combed blonde hair, held a staff as tall as himself and dispersed golden magic power about him. Lionel, a huge black man with no hair, loosened his body and made a succession of popping sounds. ¡®Oh, is that Grand Master Adalcha, the Holy Land ruler and instructor for chakra users?¡¯ Merlin had his eye on Adalcha. He had seen Thousand Scents and Lionel a few times before, and he had a good business relationship and friendship with Leighann, who had jointly partnered with Merlin to patent Merlin¡¯s innovative tech product process. However, Merlin had only heard of Adalcha in passing; it was the first time Merlin had actually seen him. Basically, Adalcha, who had features close to an Asian¡¯s, had completely black eyes. Though Adalcha was standing still, darkness scattered around him; since Adalcha rose to the level of Atman, he possessed an inner microcosm world within him, so it was possible to extract infinite power within a specific concept. ¡®He¡¯s a Shadow Dragon¡­ a rare species,¡¯ Merlin thought. Although it couldn¡¯t be said that a Shadow Dragon was the strongest amongst the dragon species, it was certainly true that a Shadow Dragon was a dangerous enough being that no one could treat lightly or carelessly. A Shadow Dragon, which possessed a nearly immaterial body, could output destructive combat power with just its innate, untrained superpowers and attributes. However, Adalcha, who trained in chakra to the transcendent level, was powerful beyond any Master¡¯s comprehension. Moreover, there was Thousand Scents, who had trained and reinforced her great spirit over a thousand years of hard work and accumulated achievements, Leighann, who could control the laws of the world by having realized the truth of the world, and Lionel, who could concentrate power and cut through dimensions after training himself to the limit. All four were powerful transcendent beings. ¡®There are over 100 users gathered here, but can we deal with even one of those Grand Masters?¡¯ In the past, the users had gone up against Mahashah, the ruler of the Forest of Despair and a transcendent, but that fight was only possible because Mahashah was overwhelmed by the staggering number of users attacking him all at once, as tens of hundreds of thousands of users participated in that closed beta test battle. Of course, the power level of the users gathered now was incomparably stronger than those who had gathered to go up against Mahashah; however, compared to the strength of any of the four Grand Masters, the gathered Master level users were insignificant. ¡°Oh, right. I remember. Are those the Noblesse¡¯s kids who are participating in your second user development program?¡± Even though four prominent transcendents showed up and emanated their fighting spirit, Regrants De Pecerion, a physical education teacher who was also known as the Emperor of Martial Arts, just smiled, as if he was having fun. Leighann¡¯s eyebrows twitched at the sight of Regrants De Pecerion¡¯s carefree attitude, as if he was welcoming a longtime friend. ¡°Based on how defenseless you are, it doesn¡¯t seem like you were expecting us, but you¡¯re acting so carefree.¡± ¡°Of course, the situation itself surprised me. To create a barrier and quarantine space around the entire planet¡­ wow. Beyond the level and expertise required to carry out such a spell¡­ isn¡¯t this a pretty expensive magic spell? When I heard that you guys overthrew Jenica, I knew you guys were running wild, but it seems like you guys still care about what others think to use such an expensive quarantine spell and shield what you¡¯re doing from other¡¯s eyes, huh? Or are you taking precautions because I¡¯m the Guardian of the Elohim?¡± After saying this, Regrants De Pecerion raised his body, and the four Grand Masters straightened their postures to enter a combat stance. It was 1 vs 4. To be precise, it was actually 1 vs 100+, but the tension seemed to reside more on the majority¡¯s side. Soon, a message popped up in front of the users¡¯ eyes. /Buy time for the Grand Masters to attack!/ /The normal mission death penalty has been removed! Resurrection cooldown shall be 10 to 21 seconds based on the user¡¯s level! Users can be resurrected up to 3 times!/ /Gem points are given according to a user¡¯s effectiveness in tying down the enemy!/ As if it was an urgent situation, the messages scrolled up quickly. The users who read the rapidly scrolling messages clenched their jaws and ran forward. ¡°Hmpf! We¡¯re being used as fodder!!¡± ¡°Somehow, I knew we¡¯d be used this way! There¡¯s no way we¡¯d be paired with Grand Masters!¡± ¡°Smashing Vajra Formation! Tankers, move forward and take the vanguard position!¡± Among the tankers, Adol, who was given the nickname ¡®Iron Wall¡¯ and was the most famous tanker, summoned his Tower Shield and ran forward. Meanwhile, Hanma and other tank-type users lined up behind Adol. They emitted spiritual qi, according to the formation and process they usually followed. Soon, golden ripples emanated out from the users¡¯ bodies accordingly. Woong! Initially, the user¡¯s individual powers didn¡¯t resonate well with each other. Every user¡¯s spiritual wave was unique and different, and the user¡¯s individual, specialized powers basically rejected each other¡¯s, so the extent to which users could combine their powers was to avoid causing direct opposition. However, there was a very rare, special case between twins in which their individual spiritual waves coincided and resonated perfectly, allowing spiritual waves to have an added effect and to execute advanced techniques. Martial artists and mages who could attain this resonance could generate overwhelming spiritual waves and advanced formations. Ting! When about half of the hundreds of Masters tuned into the resonance of the Smashing Vajra Formation, a huge wedge-shaped wave pressed the surroundings and spread out. Regrants whistled after feeling the force, which cracked the stone stairway he was standing atop of, emanating from the formation. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the resonance synchro function. Jenica was always complaining about how hard it was to fine tune and implement it, but it seems she finally succeeded!¡± The Masters, no, all the DIO users including Masters, were able to synchronize with each other¡¯s spiritual powers, just like what a small percentage of twins could do. Even abilities in areas that could never be mixed, such as magic and divine power, resonated in a way that didn¡¯t harm each individual user, so as long as one learned the method and implemented it correctly, one could resonate with another and maximize the formation¡¯s output power. In other words, the more users there were, the stronger the output force. Whoosh!! It was the same kind of spiritual pressure that oppressed Mahashah, the transcendent figure who attacked Starting in the past. However, at that time, the average level of the users was low, so the users were able to suppress and overwhelm Mahashah through sheer numbers, but now, the average level of the gathered users, albeit a small number, reinforced the overall spiritual pressure to a considerable force. Above all, Arthur, the strongest swordsman and a member of the Heaven above the Heavens, was located at the center of the Smashing Vajra Formation, so the formation¡¯s overall force was heightened to the extreme. ¡®So intense and powerful¡­ if I stand in front of it, no, if I became the formation¡¯s target, I wouldn¡¯t be able to escape and would surely die,¡¯ Merlin thought. Merlin groaned inwardly while generating magic in the back half of the formation, but Regrants laughed while watching the spiritual wave rushing at him like a tidal wave. ¡°Just what are you all planning to do¡­?¡± Boom! As Regrant¡¯s hands cut through the air, as if shooing pestering insects away, the spiritual wave, which had been rushing at him like a tsunami, instantly dispersed, and nearly fifty players bounced in all directions like bowling pins hit by a bowling ball. The move was done in an instant, so the users didn¡¯t even have time to scream. The entire scene seemed unreal, like a movie using low-quality CG effects. ¡°Cry, Alistar! Pulverize!¡± Once Leighann yelled out his spell chant, the ground trembled, and everything on the ground bounced off into the air like fired bullets. The force was so powerful that the steel podium located in the field shot high into the air in an instant and soon looked like a dot in the sky. Crack! However, Regrants flew right in front of Leighann and broke the defensive magic barrier that protected Leighann¡¯s body. Regrants had easily resisted the upward force exerted by Leighann¡¯s spell and crossed through the empty space to attack Leighann. ¡°Darkness, illusory dreams, eternity, destruction, isolation, and humanities¡­ open.¡± ¡°O-oh my God! Adalcha is simultaneously opening five concepts?!¡± Not caring whether the chakra users, who were watching from a distance, screamed with astonishment or not, Adalcha emitted a plume of darkness spiritual qi as he opened his chakra concepts. The huge power he created already had a designated target, so he didn¡¯t even need to hit it. ¡°Cruel Nightmare Hall.¡± Adalcha¡¯s inner microcosm world opened as Adalcha activated his pinnacle destructive attack, an attack which plunged the target into a nightmare that repeated forever, eventually leading to ruin. As long as a target range was specified, the chakra attack was powerful enough to put hundreds of thousands of people to death. CH 221 Boom! As Regrants¡¯ image faded away, Adalcha¡¯s right arm exploded like a bursting balloon, and Thousand Scents, who had initiated an attack on Regrants from behind, bounced off like a ball hit by a bat, and shot towards the school building. The four-sided defensive barrier, which always guarded her body, blocked Regrants¡¯ blow, so she didn¡¯t sustain any injury; however, she had been blown away. ¡°What¡­ how did you stop my Cruel Nightmare Hall attack? It¡¯s impossible to defend against!¡± Seeing Adalcha¡¯s exasperated expression, Regrants laughed and pointed his finger at his own head. ¡°Oh, that? I did get caught by it. Right here.¡± ¡°You split your mind¡­ you only experienced a part of Cruel Nightmare Hall?¡± ¡°Right. By the way, you have a unique taste¡­ if I say so myself, your taste seems a bit perverse.¡± Boom! As Regrants grinned, Thousand Scent¡¯s body, which had been blown away from his recent attack, collided against the school building, caused the entire five-story high school building to be smashed into pieces, and created a huge crater underneath the rubble. Though the explanation of everything that unfolded seemed drawn out and complicated, all of this happened in just a few seconds after the users first started attacking. Rumble! Regrants, who was about to launch a successive attack on Thousand Scents, was blocked by Lionel, who was wearing a blue fabric all over his body. Every time Lionel and Regrants¡¯ fists collided, space bended and the earth split. ¡°Oh my! How are we supposed to join this fight? Isn¡¯t this a war amongst gods?¡± ¡°Stop crying and get into Return to Heaven Formation! Split into two groups and¡­ huh? This is?¡± A blue spherical light fell over the heads of the Masters, who were conversing with each other through a whisper chat function. Though they appeared quiet on the outside, internally, the users had been busy shouting at each other. ¡°Damn it!¡± Taken aback, Merlin grabbed Arc and Youngmin by their shoulders and teleported across space. In an instant, their bodies were moved to a residential area more than a kilometer away from the battlefield. Boom! The 30 or so users who couldn¡¯t avoid the light-based attack were ¡®erased¡¯ without even having the chance to scream. Since the light sphere attack had a radius of a few hundred meters and arrived in an instant, only a few users survived the attack; The only ones who escaped the spherical light attack was Merlin, Arc, Youngmin, Jeros, who was able to teleport through space like Merlin and his group, and Cruze, who shot out of the spherical light¡¯s range like a bullet. ¡°I guess he¡¯s not going to allow us to comfortably watch and engage. Come out, Requiem!¡± With a cry, Cruze kicked off the ground and jumped up, and soon, golden spiritual qi gathered in the air and covered her body. Right after she jumped up, in less than 0.1 seconds, she was aboard a Gigas, a gigantic 15-meter-tall bipedal mech weapon. ¡°What is that bro? Is that some sort of materialization that aura power users can use?¡± At Youngmin¡¯s question, Merlin shook his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s her flying shuttle. Well, since she designed and customized it herself, at this point, I guess it can no longer be called a traditional flying shuttle.¡± Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. Of course, there were essential requirements for all flying shuttles of a certain level or higher, such as space flight and atmospheric escape. However, the remaining functions of Cruze¡¯s flying shuttle were focused solely on combat, so her flying shuttle probably couldn¡¯t cross galaxies and instantly move between solar systems. Soon, the resurrected users reappeared and started commenting. ¡°Oh, the flying shuttle isn¡¯t restricted by the civilization level limitation! Come out, Gust of Wind!¡± ¡°Satelli!¡± ¡°Ugh! I think I¡¯d just be wasting my energy if I summon my flying shuttle. My flying shuttle isn¡¯t built for close combat.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even have a flying shuttle! Since we¡¯re attacking our target from a long distance, let me board one of your flying shuttles!¡± The battle was fierce, so it was literally impossible to know when one would lose one¡¯s life. For users, death in DIO was an annoyance rather than something to fear. Moreover, in the current mission, the death penalty had been removed, and one could resurrect up to three times, so the users could focus solely on combat. Bam! Boom! Ting! The confrontation between Regrants and the four Grand Masters was fiercely unfolding. The 30 or so remaining melee-based Masters, who were in a Smashing Vajra Formation with Arthur at the center, constantly checked Regrants after he swept away the Valiant Heavenly City¡¯s Holy Land ruler, Lionel, who had grabbed onto Regrants ankle before being flung away. If Regrants was able to use his full strength properly, he could wipe out the users¡¯ formation at once, but since he was being attacked by the four Grand Masters, he was only able to hold his position by avoiding or deflecting the various attacks flung at him. ¡°Evidence of transcendence, burning flames¡­¡± Merlin analyzed the battle of the transcendents and absorbed everything he could while Arc quietly chanting something next to him. Knowing that the principles of the Black Yak school of thought, which she chose to train in, relied on extreme stability, she chose to become a battle mage who specialized in a defensive form of martial arts, namely, No Thoughts Gold String Technique. Hence, she was able to engage in fierce combat while performing her spell chant. ¡®It¡¯s a completely different path from Jeros.¡¯ Though non-mages wouldn¡¯t understand what was different, the truth was that Arc and Jeros were practitioners of the same Black Yak school of thought. Black Yak¡¯s standardized characteristics, which were formed on absolute stability, could be personalized to suit each practitioner. Thus, Arc went down the path of utilizing defense while in combat while Jeros focused on building huge magic formations based on the Black Yak¡¯s solid stability principles. Ting! ¡°Hmm?¡± But at that moment, a strong ripple spread out from Arc¡¯s body. Unconsciously, Merlin flinched after feeling the qi waves, but before he could say anything, a loud noise rang out from behind him. Bang! When Merlin turned his head to check where the noise was coming from, he saw Regrants holding a huge bullet in one of his hands. Regrants smiled as he looked at Cruze, who was seated in a gigantic Gigas a considerable distance away from him. ¡°If this hits me, will it do anything?¡± [¡­] Cruze, who had been firing non-stop with the built-in railgun on her Requiem flying shuttle, was shouting, ¡®Oh man, all these bullets are useless if it doesn¡¯t hit him!¡¯, before she momentarily flinched and hesitated. Though she knew there was a considerable difference in power between her and Regrants, she never expected that Regrants, who looked like an average middle-aged human man, would be able to snatch her materialized flying shuttle¡¯s railgun bullets with his bare hands. Moreover, Regrants didn¡¯t even put up a defensive barrier around him. [Fine then. Have a taste of this! Operate Divine Weapon! Crown of Nihility!] Though it wasn¡¯t observable from the outside, a brilliantly shining white crown was placed on Cruze¡¯s head after she called out for her Divine Weapon. It was a Master weapon that instantly amplified her memory capacity. With the Crown of Nihility, she could amplify her memory to a petabyte (1 million gigabytes), so she could materialize things that she could not even dream of materializing normally. [Operate Limited Arms! Burst! Genocider!!] A large, 15-meter-long silver weapon was summoned. The weapon looked quite heavy, even in the hands of Requiem, which was quite large. The body of the weapon, which resembled a bazooka with a handle attached to its cylindrical body, began spinning in different directions and made mechanical whirring sounds as soon as it was summoned. ¡°Huh? Hey, that¡¯s¡­¡± [Since you¡¯re so confident, take this!!] Ping! A short beam of light, which looked comparatively shabby for being fired from a large-barreled gun, sped forward at the speed of light towards Regrants. Regrants raised his right hand to defend against the attack. Whoosh! At the same time, an enormous amount of energy was felt across the battlefield. The power was enough to make Arc, who had been chanting in a concentrated state, stop for a moment. Also, the Masters, who were operating Smashing Vajra Formation, made shocked expressions as they hurriedly stepped back dozens of meters. Merlin groaned as he realized what type of weapon Cruze had materialized. ¡°¡­ She materialized an anti-matter cannon?¡± ¡°D-damn it, are you crazy!? Why are you using something like that in a confined space where everyone is gathered!¡± one of the Masters shouted. ¡°Ahh, damn it! Log out! Log out!¡± ¡°Did she lose her mind! Is it such a hopeless situation that she needed to utilize a self-destruction type of attack?¡± ¡°No, before that¡­ how did she even materialize an anti-matter cannon?¡± Everyone was shocked and taken aback by the unfolding scene, so they tried to escape the area, but unfortunately, logging out took a considerable amount of time. Of course, by using one¡¯s EXP points, one could reduce one¡¯s logout time, but since EXP points could be used in so many other ways, no one really focused on reducing their logout time. It took nearly 10 seconds for even Arthur, who acquired the most EXP points, to log out. Ting! Conceptually, antimatter was something opposite to matter, so the moment it combined with matter, it annihilated the matter-based object and converted it into energy. The energy was usually diffused as heat and light, but the problem was that the amount of this newly created energy was so enormous that it was difficult for ordinary people to imagine or contend against. The energy emitted by antimatter was equal to the mass of the two substances combined, so in theory, antimatter annihilated in pairs. However, in terms of outputted energy, the released energy was equal to 43 billion times the initial input mass. In other words, just 1 gram of antimatter possessed the explosive power of 43,000 tons of TNT, which meant that it could exert more power than a modern nuclear bomb. ¡®But wouldn¡¯t the antimatter contained in Cruze¡¯s antimatter bullet be only 1 gram?¡¯ Thinking this far, Merlin reflexively grabbed Arc and Youngmin. He decided to teleport through space and escape the area of destruction radius. The antimatter bomb¡¯s power was certainly staggering, but it was far from enough to blow up an entire planet. Even if an antimatter bomb exploded, if one could travel hundreds or thousands of kilometers from the detonation location¡­ ¡°Tsk.¡± At that moment, Regrants grabbed the antimatter bullet. Pop! And with a simple squeeze, the antimatter bomb was extinguished. [¡­ Huh?] Cruze groaned. She had used up all her amplified strength to shoot out that single shot, so her Crown of Nihility instantly disappeared. And then, in front of her, a huge palm of strong qi appeared. Crack! Not only the Gigas, which was over 15 meters tall, equivalent to that of a five-story building, but also Cruze, who was riding atop the Gigas, was squeezed into the size of a human¡¯s fist. Naturally, it was an instant death for Cruze. ¡°How¡­ how was he able to extinguish the antimatter bullet so easily? The antimatter bullet should have possessed an unimaginable amount of energy.¡± As if hearing Merlin¡¯s groaning voice, Regrants kindly answered. CH 222 ¡°You don¡¯t seem to know much about strong qi. If you complete and perfect the art of sword strike, one can even cut through dimensions. In other words, if an attack can¡¯t cut through dimensions, it can¡¯t cut through strong qi. By forming a black hole in the palm of my hand, I can crush the attack quickly, no matter how much energy it possesses; hence, such attacks are useless against me.¡± After hearing Regrant¡¯s explanation, Arthur ignored the collapsing Smashing Vajra Formation and stepped out alone. ¡°In other words, if you wear strong qi around oneself¡­ one can even be protected against a black hole. No, wait, one can even cut through a black hole, right?¡± ¡°If you control it well, even time can be cut. Of course, only a handful of people can properly handle strong qi to that extreme. That kid over there probably can¡¯t, am I right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± A bitter smile appeared on Lionel¡¯s face after he heard Regrant¡¯s provocation. Though he knew of Regrant¡¯s overwhelming power from the beginning, it was still a surprise as to how monstrous Regrants truly was. It was beyond Lionel¡¯s expectations. As a member of the War Dragons, Lionel didn¡¯t expect that he would look so shabby and wanting in front of Regrants. ¡°¡­ Dance of the Dragons.¡± Lionel mumbled something like a whisper, and soon, his body glowed blue and began to expand with terrifying momentum. ¡°Sheesh. I guess we can¡¯t contend if we continue as we¡¯re doing now, huh?¡± a user commented. ¡°Ah, but there are four of them.¡± ¡°Hmpf. The Grand Masters should have gone out with full force from the start.¡± Archmage Leighann¡¯s body expanded while shining with golden light. Thousand Scents and Adalcha each emitted intense white and black light respectively as their body sizes expanded. Their massive appearances made each of the Grand Masters look slightly different than what they looked like before. Grr! A gigantic Blue Dragon covered in blue scales roared while emitting tremendous force. Next to it, a Gold Dragon shining with golden light appeared, and a black Shadow Dragon, half-melted into the gray sky, floated next to it. The White Dragon Thousand Scents, who had the appearance of an oriental dragon because she was a Divine Dragon rather than an Emperor Dragon like the rest, floated in the air as if she was weightless. She held a Chintamani Marble in her hand. ¡°Wow! I knew Thousand Scents and Leighann were dragons, but I didn¡¯t know Lionel and Adalcha were dragons, too!¡± ¡°Hey, are you okay? I feel like I¡¯m choking from the spirit pressure that they¡¯re exuding¡­ no, wait, didn¡¯t you die a while ago?¡± Hanma laughed at the sight of Adol gasping and moaning. ¡°Did you forget the announcement that one can resurrect three times? In addition, life force users can open and close their senses¡­ ugh! Damn it¡­ even though I can close my senses, the overwhelming spiritual pressure is still affecting me as well.¡± ¡°What gibberish are you going on about¡­ ugh!¡± Adol couldn¡¯t help but scoff after seeing Hanma¡¯s trembling legs. Hanma¡¯s muscle fibers were stronger than intertwined reinforced steel, so for such a user to be trembling uncontrollably meant that the surrounding spiritual pressure was considerable. ¡°Hahaha! Good, we¡¯re finally starting in earnest! Let¡¯s get it started!¡± However, despite the true appearance of the four transcendent Grand Masters, who exuded an overwhelming spirit pressure into the surrounding area, Regrants jumped into the sky while shouting out with excitement. He wasn¡¯t just moving in the air¡­ he was flying around freely like a UFO. ¡°Crash into it, Alistar!!¡± Woong! An invisible, intangible energy hit Regrants. When Regrants put up a defensive barrier using his strong qi, the resulting shockwave from the collision completely leveled the mountain that was behind the school. ¡°Ugh! What the hell is this! Argh!¡± ¡°Oh, my god! We¡¯re so dead!¡± ¡°Damn it, I just came back to life!¡± Adol stayed close to the ground with his shield raised while Hanma rolled his body into a ball and rolled around. Higher class talents, like Arthur and Merlin, coped better with the shockwave, as they were able to scatter the majority of the shockwave. ¡°Wow! Bro! Those guys are monsters, no!? Can we even do anything in this fight? Why did the Noblesse throw us into this mess?¡± Youngmin commented from Merlin¡¯s side. ¡°The Noblesse aren¡¯t fools¡­ They must have their reasons.¡± As soon as Merlin thought about this, he quickly came to understand the Noblesse¡¯s intentions. Arthur, who was standing at a distance, looked toward Merlin. It seemed that Arthur had also reached the same conclusion. ¡°Ugh! Damn it! Resurrection is great, but how come they¡¯re not restoring our spiritual power.¡± ¡°¡­ Okay, it seems we¡¯ve gathered everyone present.¡± Merlin nodded after seeing Cruze suddenly appear out of thin air. After confirming Cruze¡¯s presence, Merlin performed a hand sign and chanted to execute a large-scale space teleportation spell. ¡°Woah!¡± ¡°Oof!¡± ¡°Oh? Are we recalling?¡± Around thirty players were gathered around Merlin. Cruze frowned. ¡°Uh, this is it? These are all the survivors? Weren¡¯t users supposed to be resurrected after they died? How come our numbers are so few?¡± ¡°The users below Level 13 have already died three times. Every time a shockwave was sent out, their lives were put in danger. How do you expect them to live through those shockwaves?¡± ¡°Damn it, it¡¯s a team event, but in the end, it¡¯s just another survival game. One can¡¯t live unless one has the ability and skill.¡± Bam! The moment Cruze said this, another shockwave shook the space. Arthur stepped forward and swung his draconic sword, Dustin. Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. ¡°Ha!¡± The various shockwaves scattered after meeting Arthur¡¯s attack. Arthur¡¯s Bursting Sword Light and Soul Swordsmanship could be utilized at the same time without any delay. Soul Swordsmanship was an absolute martial art move that controlled the [direction] of [all] energy that touched his sword. Arthur was able to use Soul Swordsmanship to increase the power of his sword, even being able to absorb the power of his enemy¡¯s defense barrier; thus, he was able to reflect or deflect an enemy¡¯s overwhelmingly powerful attack. ¡°Darian¡¯s Mercy¡­¡± ¡°Body, Virtuous Gate (5th Gate), Open.¡± ¡°Damn it, our bodies will always stay in a disabled state if we take on damage or injury¡­ Damn!¡± The surviving Masters were healing each other¡¯s injuries and recovering their spiritual power. The number of survivors was exactly twenty-eight. ¡°Hmm, at least thirty-six people must be present to make a proper formation¡­ well, we¡¯ll have to make it work somehow.¡± Among the survivors, there were users that Merlin knew well, such as Arthur and Cruze, the other members of the Heaven above the Heavens. Outside of them, there were also users like Hanma, Jeros, Adol, Ohje, Bruce, and Ilyia; all of whom Merlin had known for a long time. The rest were mostly users he had never seen nor was very familiar with. Of course, Merlin constantly collected basic information about the Masters, so he had some basic background information regarding each of the surviving users. ¡®Moreover, why is Dongsoo still not Level 13? He always seems to be training so hard.¡¯ Merlin looked at Lancelot, who barely survived the shockwave attacks and was being treated by a priest. As a Level 12 user, it was unknown how Lancelot managed to survive the battle aftershocks between the Emperor of Martial Arts and the four Grand Masters. However, this didn¡¯t mean that Lancelot was completely unharmed. Lancelot¡¯s whole body was in shambles. Cruze was trying to pretend to not be interested, but she stood next to Lancelot and monitored his condition. ¡®On the other hand, Aung Nina is fine. Outside of the Heaven above the Heavens, she¡¯s probably the user with the next highest level of ability and skill.¡¯ Although it was difficult to know Aung Nina¡¯s exact details, as Merlin and Aung Nina hardly knew each other, Aung Nina was nearly Level 15. The Chinese government¡¯s persistent pressure on her, her foreign relations efforts, dealing with the conflicts within the Chinese people, and the countless people she had to constantly protect¡­ all these efforts made Aung Nina push herself to achieve a higher level in-game. ¡®Stress is also¡­ an important factor in raising one¡¯s level.¡¯ It was not easy for a person who lived a comfortable life without any hardships to attain a high level. A person rose to a higher level after one agonized and contemplated endlessly. Also, one could give one¡¯s all to pursue something with madness and passion. Of course, talent was important. Actually, the harsh truth was¡­ talent was essential. There were many cases where people without talent burned their lives with effort and passion but never came close to achieving what they wanted. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s all regroup and go again! The Empress of Martial Arts is unimaginably strong, so if we don¡¯t act according to a plan, we¡¯ll never be able to inflict any damage on him!¡± ¡°Wait a minute! You¡¯re thinking of fighting that monster again? But we¡¯ll still be no match, right?¡± There were comments and shouts that refuted Arthur¡¯s call, but Arthur shrugged his shoulders. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if we die anyway, right? And above all¡­ it¡¯s absolutely necessary that we obtain these gem points.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. Masters without gem points are just surplus manpower.¡± In order for a Master to manifest once, one needed 10,000 gem points. One could only obtain rewards of 10 to 50 gem points from normal missions, and considering that missions that gave gem points didn¡¯t always exist, one could see how difficult it was to gather the requisite 10,000 gem points. Masters under Level 12 could barely collect 10,000 gem points after toiling and struggling for an entire month, and even Level 13 and Level 14 users had to suffer for a few weeks. Moreover, if one failed a mission, one¡¯s credibility would decrease, which would often restrict one¡¯s ability to participate in the next mission, making it difficult to consistently accrue gem points. In fact, the only users that possessed the ability to freely gather and relatively easily accrue gem points were the three Heaven above the Heavens. ¡®But even I don¡¯t have an abundance of gem points because of what I¡¯m saving for Miho, who they¡¯re holding hostage. Though I can¡¯t be sure¡­ I bet Arthur and Cruze are in a similar situation.¡¯ This was why even if one accrued a large amount of gem points, one consumed those gem points literally in an instant. Once one manifested, it was impossible to cancel the manifestation, and after an hour, the entire 10,000 gem points, collected for a month for most users, were spent and lost. It was an exhausting cycle, but the aliens attacked every day, and if the only countermeasure, the Masters, didn¡¯t have the requisite amount of gem points, the situation would worsen and become serious for humanity. ¡°Come to think of it, the reward¡­ they mentioned that the basic 5000 gem points could increase to 150,000 gem points depending on completing certain activities, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. But based on the current atmosphere, it seems unlikely that we¡¯ll even manage to get the basic reward. At the very least, we¡¯ll have to show that we¡¯ve done something productive and influential.¡± After Arthur said this, he raised his right hand and waved it in the air. His internal energy hovered in the air and began to create a barrier. The round barrier was a kind of information transmission medium. Jeros, who had been watching quietly, screamed out. ¡°Ack! Isn¡¯t that magic?! How do martial arts users use magic? Did you also choose magic power as your spiritual power?!¡± ¡°Huh? Oh. Hahaha! It¡¯s just a property change. If you change the nature of one¡¯s spiritual power to be similar to magic power, one can use magic with internal energy. However, it¡¯s impossible to fight with this in a battle because the entire process takes four steps. The efficiency is quite bad.¡± ¡°A property change? Transform your internal energy into basic spiritual power and use it like magic power?¡± ¡°Nonsense! How can that be?¡± ¡°No, no matter how out of the ordinary the Heaven above the Heavens are, isn¡¯t this too harsh?¡± Arthur was taken aback by the users expressing their astonishment at his unbelievable feat. He had no idea that the other users would be so taken aback by his achievement. CH 223 ¡°So, uhm¡­ you can think of it as a more advanced process of changing the attribute of something to fire or lightning¡­ Merlin and Cruze, you two can do something similar¡­ right?¡± Merlin sighed as he saw the pleading look on Arthur¡¯s face. ¡°I can do a property change into aura power and pure spiritual power, to a certain extent. I can create an aura-powered materialization as well¡­¡± Merlin commented. ¡°Aura power materialization¡­¡± Lancelot, who was recovering after having his wounds healed, stiffened as if he had been struck by lightning. Although he was a Level 12 aura power user, he still didn¡¯t possess an attribute affinity, nor did he know how to conduct materialization. But Merlin, who wasn¡¯t even an aura power user¡­ Rumble! Rumble! Just then, a loud noise rang out. However, the epicenter of where the loud noise originated from was quite a distance away. Far away, beyond the distant clouds, the giant dragons and the Emperor of Martial Arts were fighting with a fierce momentum, which seemed to threaten to destroy the entire planet. ¡°Dang, they¡¯ve already moved so far away. I guess we don¡¯t even command any attention or interest for them, huh?¡± ¡°But is it okay for us to do nothing like this?¡± ¡°It must be a nuisance to have such useless party members who are resting for nearly an entire minute during a team fight. Ugh, we¡¯re so useless.¡± Although the speaker of the last comment was muttering in a carefree manner, his eyes were burning with anger. Though the Masters were hiding like insignificant beings, each one of them was the most powerful individuals on Earth. They made themselves small and didn¡¯t engage in the battle because they faced the absolute wall of the Grand Masters and transcendents, so they not only felt defeated but also thoroughly ignored. Hence, none of them felt good. And Arthur, who read the general atmosphere, waved his hand. ¡°Okay then, everyone please memorize this material.¡± The information transmission magic barrier, manifested by Arthur, started sending material to all the Masters around him. Jeros, who was the first to accept the information, soon asked. ¡°A formation? What¡¯s the name of this formation?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called the Emperor''s Submission Formation; I came up with this specific formation to attack the Emperor of Martial Arts. Of course, even if the target is not the Emperor of Martial Arts, it¡¯s a strategic formation that can be used against any transcendent who is powerful in short, medium, and long-distance attacks.¡± The expression of the gathered Masters hardened after hearing Arthur¡¯s calm explanation. In other words, Arthur was saying that he created a strategy capable of dealing with a transcendent, the Emperor of Martial Arts in this case, in a matter of minutes. ¡®Ugh. He possesses a crazy level of inspiration and genius. And they expect us to find out what unfair advantages and powers the Noblesse has given to those Heaven above the Heavens?¡¯ Not only in Korea, but also around the world, there were many people who questioned the power of the three Heaven above the Heavens. Strictly based on common sense, it was strange that a couple of young guys and a girl, who were not world-renowned scholars and were not even old enough to have reached mastery or an extreme level in anything, possessed such logic-defying powers. Because of this, many Masters from various countries, including Jeros, were instructed by their respective governments to figure out the relationship between the Noblesse and the Heaven above the Heavens. Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. ¡®Endowed with unfair powers? No way, these three¡­ they¡¯re just geniuses¡­ they¡¯re just incomprehensible geniuses.¡¯ Those who were relatively close to the Heaven above the Heavens saw, repeatedly, the Heaven above the Heaven¡¯s terrifying talents, so they tangibly felt and knew the genius qualities that the three possessed. This wasn¡¯t the first time something like this had happened either. The three Heaven above the Heavens did things that no one else would dare to attempt or even think of. Even if one devoted one¡¯s whole life on one of the inspirational feats these three showed on a daily basis, which seemed to come so easily for them like a bird flying in the sky or a fish breathing under water, one would probably exhaust one¡¯s life and die before reaching a similar conclusion. However, the problem was that this fact couldn¡¯t convince others, including the Masters¡¯ respective superiors. In the first place, even among the Masters, those who had not experienced the Heaven above the Heavens firsthand didn¡¯t quite understand the monstrous talent that the three possessed, so there was no way non-Masters would be able to easily accept the gigantic gap the three had on all the rest of humanity. ¡°Hmm. Hey, Arthur, since there are three of us, wouldn¡¯t the formation be strengthened if we did this?¡± Merlin commented. ¡°¡­ Also, we can replace the barrier persistence process with my materialization. Output will increase by more than 20% if we do that,¡± Cruze added. ¡°Ah! Rather than that, let¡¯s do it this way. There seems to be no civilization limitation here, so if we utilize my flying shuttle for evasion and defense, the output will increase by an additional 50%¡­¡± Merlin continued. Merlin and Cruze, who were the only ones able to properly understand and analyze the formation at the same level as Arthur, began to offer their opinions on reinforcing this and that aspect of the formation. Since Arthur, Merlin, and Cruze had completely different fields of expertise, there was a great synergistic effect when they put their heads together. ¡°Did everyone memorize everything?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s a bit difficult, but¡­ done.¡± ¡°W-wait a minute. I¡¯m a life force user, so I¡¯m not a genius when it comes to this stuff.¡± Adol clicked his tongue at the sight of Hanma reviewing the information and breaking out into a cold sweat. ¡°Dude, even if you¡¯re not a genius and don¡¯t fully understand this stuff, you should at least be able to memorize it, right? Anyway, Arthur seems to have already taken your stupidity into account; he only put you in roles where you need to use your body.¡± ¡°S-shut up! There¡¯s two pages of instructions!¡± ¡°What? I knew it wasn¡¯t much, but it¡¯s only two pages for you? Wow, Arthur really reduced what you need to memorize.¡± There was a lot of fuss, but in the end, all the Masters learned their role in the Emperor¡¯s Submission formation. In the past, it had taken a considerable amount of time for the Masters to master the perfected team formations provided by DIO, such as Smashing Vajra Formation and the 108 Shaolin Battle Formation, so the Emperor¡¯s Submission formation, which was considerably easier to perform with its simple structure and individual tasks, was relatively easy to digest. Moreover, what made it easier was that Merlin, Arthur, and Cruze were handling all of the formation¡¯s main axis movements and activation actions. ¡°Come out, Vimana.¡± Ting! A golden magic circle rose in the air and started spinning. It was a common visual phenomenon that occurred whenever users logged in or when monsters were regenerated, but the difference between those golden magic circles and this one was the scale. ¡°¡­ What the hell is that?¡± ¡°A flying shuttle?¡± A huge golden orb exploded, revealing a sleek flying shuttle within. Basically, Merlin¡¯s Vimana, which resembled a flat surfboard, boasted a stylish design in which gold and red colors were exquisitely mixed, but even so, it did not stand out much compared to other users¡¯ flying shuttles, which had all kinds of bizarre shapes protruding out from them. However, the size was the biggest difference. ¡°Man, that thing is huge.¡± When Vimana, with a total length of 1.5 kilometers and a height of 250 meters, appeared above their heads, it exuded a sense of colossal intimidation, as if the sky was completely filled. No flying shuttle in existence was as massive as Vimana. Even Bruce¡¯s Atlantis, which gave up all other functions except for flying so that Bruce could monetize his flying shuttle as Aeon Airlines, shuttling users from one place to another, was only 300 meters long. ¡°I knew that, compared to Arthur who manifests every day, Merlin was saving some of his gem points, but I never imagined that he¡¯d make such a monstrous flying shuttle.¡± ¡°¡­ That thing is amazing. It¡¯s just not big¡­ it¡¯s also surrounded by a magic stealth barrier, so it¡¯s impossible to detect.¡± The users were not the only ones surprised by the appearance of Vimana. Even the Blue Dragon, Lionel, the largest among the four dragons, was only about 300 meters tall, so there was no way Vimana wouldn¡¯t catch his attention, even from a distance. ¡®Wait¡­ that¡­ that thing contains more advanced technology than what is provided to users¡­ Did he design it himself?¡¯ ¡®Irregular this Irregular that¡­ I guess all that talk about Irregulars wasn¡¯t just hot air. I¡¯ll have to ask Tan to show me the blueprints for that thing. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll learn something after reviewing the blueprints.¡¯ ¡®Woah, how cool is that?¡¯ ¡®Finally, the users pulled out an item that might be useful in this battle.¡¯ All four dragons were interested in Vimana, but their passing thoughts did not last long. In the first place, the Emperor of Martial Art, Regrants, wasn¡¯t the type of opponent who would allow his opponent any time to think of other things. Rip! With a loud noise, Leighann¡¯s golden wings were torn apart. Regardless of the dozens of layers of defensive magic barriers that surrounded Leighann¡¯s wings, Regrant¡¯s attack lightly crossed through air and passed Leighann by without any resistance. This simple yet terrifyingly destructive attack made Leighann, a great mage, feel a deep sense of fear. ¡°Ugh! Space Leap! Is it an ultimate-level sword strike?¡± ¡°Since I launched it with my hands, it¡¯s probably more appropriate to call it an ultimate-level hand skill¡­ wait a minute. Since it was sent out in the form of a sword¡¯s blade, I guess it would be more accurate to call it an ultimate-level sword strike¡­¡± ¡°But I blocked all possible coordinates!¡± ¡°Dummy. I already launched a few attacks against your protective barrier, so of course I figured something out¡­ woah!¡± At that moment, a huge sword, which was made of light, penetrated the space where Regrants was floating. It was a materialization-type attack of the White Divine Celestial Dragon, Thousand Scent¡¯s Momentary Brilliance. Whoosh! And a great darkness soon descended upon Regrants. Unlike Thousand Scent¡¯s extremely compressed materialization-type attack, Adalcha¡¯s darkness attack seemed to plunge the entire world into darkness. However, Regrants just smiled and walked across the air. Poof. Regrants teleported through space and escaped the light and darkness attack. Not only had he already risen to a level where he could control all 12 different attribute power areas, but he could even interfere to some extent in the realm of absolute attributes, that is, attributes such as time, space, and nothingness. He possessed powers beyond that of a mid-level god, so he was capable of controlling his own time, crossing space, and destroying or even creating objects. Bam! ¡°Kyak!¡± Thousand Scents, who had been hit in the head by Regrants¡¯ punch, staggered in the air and barely managed to keep her balance. Though he could have landed several follow up attacks, Regrants seemed dissatisfied with something. He soon yelled out. ¡°Ah, your body is hundreds of meters long, but the sound of your scream is so cute! You¡¯re making me feel like I¡¯m bullying you!¡± ¡°W-what? Are you belittling us!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­ you can say that I always look at things in a positive, light way.¡± Flashes of light and darkness stirred the space, and soon, strong qi was heading straight towards an ultimate-level magic attack. The attacks were strong enough to shake the planet and warp the dimension, but Regrants dealt with his enemies so easily that it was unbelievable to see. ¡°Nonsense. Isn¡¯t this weird? There shouldn¡¯t be such an overwhelming difference between us and him.¡± ¡°Even though he¡¯s called the Emperor of Martial Arts, how can he so easily go up against the four of us¡­ we¡¯re fully armed while he¡¯s just using his bare body, no?¡± As the era of the modern universe took shape and the Union was formed, the strongest forces amongst the many giant forces became the transcendents themselves, not giant creations or high-tech weapons. Hence, the strength of a side¡¯s forces was determined by the number of transcendents that were present. However, a transcendent being who was not [perfected] couldn¡¯t output absolute power. This was why the high-tech weapons belonging to the 4th Stage of Civilization possessed enough power to kill transcendent beings, and even the weapons of the 3rd Stage of Civilization could be used to drive some transcendent beings to their death. However, just as Earth¡¯s humans became the lords of all creation through the use of tools, transcendents also became stronger through the use of weapons. However, it took an astronomical amount of money and manpower to produce a weapon that could enhance the combat power of transcendents. Such a weapon was called a Transcendent Weapon, and if a transcendent being was equipped with such a weapon, he or she would be able to go up against tens of other transcendents who were at the same level. CH 224 ¡°Are you using an invisible weapon?¡± Of course, Transcendent Weapons were not necessarily conspicuous, like swords or staffs. Transcendent Weapons could be something as small as a ring, or it could be an intangible thing with no form at all. ¡°I¡¯m not using anything you dunces¡­ it¡¯s just that your skills are lacking¡­ what kind of nonsense are you talking about¡­ man, the more I think about this situation¡­ the angrier I¡¯m getting! You all were so careful and scared of confronting Jenica, but why are you all underestimating me!! Do you all want to die?¡± Regrants shouted out loud. Cronos, who was widely regarded as the most formidable 1v1 transcendent being, and the Demonic Dragon of the Apocalypse had teamed up to contend against Jenica, but as for Regrants, he was only being met by 4 transcendent War Dragon commanders, albeit commanders who were in the top ten within the War Dragons. ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re weaker than Jenica, the Empress of Magic¡­¡± ¡°Ah! Cry out, Sky Fist!¡± Flash! A burst of light flashed. In the blink of an eye, a blow so fast, even transcendents who recognized a moment of time as an eternity would not properly recognize the strike, struck the bodies of the four giant dragons. The Sky Fist strike didn¡¯t teleport through space like a Heart Sword attack, nor did it explode on a designated target like a curse; the Sky Fist strike¡¯s quick and strong destructive power simply shattered all the dragons¡¯ defensive barriers and connected onto the dragons¡¯ bodies as it moved in a direct, straight line. Boom! Bam! Accompanied by a roaring sound that seemed to upend the heavens and earth, the giant dragons, from 150 to 300 meters long, fell several kilometers from the sky. ¡°Ugh! H-how? What happened?¡± Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. ¡°How was he able to pierce through our light draconic armor¡­!¡± ¡°What was that? I couldn¡¯t even recognize the attack?¡± ¡°Physical damage¡­ a 5% loss¡­¡± Everyone looked up at Regrants in astonishment. If Regrants launched a follow up attack at this time, he¡¯d be able to fatally injure the dragons, but Sky Fist was an advanced skill that wasn¡¯t easy to pull off, even for Regrants, so Regrants floated midair for a while to catch his breath. He was settling down his inner qi, which had momentarily fluctuated within him like a roaring storm. And right at that moment, in that short gap, an attack was launched by the users. ¡°Huh?!¡± A superheated ray of light hit Regrant¡¯s body. Right after using the Sky Fist, Regrants, who was completely unaware of the surprise attack, countered the users¡¯ attack with a self-defense technique rather than strong qi. Boom! Immediately after Regrants was hit by the superheated ray of light, a flying shuttle crashed into his body. Merlin crashed his gigantic flying shuttle, which was 1.5 kilometers long, 250 meters tall, weighed tens of thousands of tons, and was moving at supersonic speeds, onto Regrant¡¯s body. It was a truly stupendous sight, something one would expect to see in a disaster movie. However, Regrants, the Emperor of Martial Arts, wasn¡¯t called an Emperor without reason. Among the vast cosmos and the hundreds and thousands of martial art transcendent beings residing in the universe, there was only one being officially recognized as the Emperor. Crack! When Regrants snapped his right arm up like a whip, the front part of Vimana, which was so huge that it could cover most city centers, shattered and flew into the air. The energy generated from the collision between Vimana, which was protected with multiple layers of defensive barriers, and Regrants was so powerful that the dimension became distorted. ¡°He blocked it! Oh my god¡­!!¡± ¡°This is crazy, no?! Does this even make sense!!¡± The Masters, who had arrived on the ground after being mass teleported by Merlin¡¯s teleportation spell, screamed at the unexpected sight. Of course, they knew that their opponent was strong, but they never imagined that he was this strong. Whoosh! At that moment, a single ray of light cut through space and approached Regrants, who was currently adjusting his posture. That one line, sharp enough to cut through the heavens and the earth, was the swordsmanship skill that Arthur had honed, the Bursting Sword Light, Five Principles, One Burst. However, using his left arm, Regrants easily blocked the attack. Arthur¡¯s sword qi of light attack, which was supposed to be able to cut through everything in the world, was blocked with a single gesture of Regrant¡¯s hand. Crackle! Crackle! Crackle! The users continued their successive attacks. With the understanding that it was now or never, Merlin launched another attack. Three bolts of lightning fell from the sky. It was one of Merlin¡¯s Howling spells, the Lightning Blade of Zeus, which was the strongest Howling spell that could be used against a single target. Merlin used up all the spells stored in his Divine Weapon, Olympos, as well as using two of his cherished topaz-gem Howling spells to launch the strongest attack he could muster. Boom! However, even those spells were unable to deliver a proper blow on Regrants. The effect of all those attacks was a slight tanning of Regrant¡¯s skin and some charred frays of hair atop his head. ¡°Final Crescent!!¡± ¡°Pentagram! I summon you, Furfur! Drop a thunderbolt and burn the enemy!¡± ¡°Eight Ways of Fighting¡­ Earthly Thunder Strike!!¡± ¡°Activate Master Skill!¡± ¡°Activate Master Skill¡­¡± An all-out attack by the users was being carried out. Using Master Skills and Master Weapons, the users poured out all the firepower that they could muster. ¡°Ah, really! I was ignoring you guys because you kept coming back to life. Why are you all so bothersome!!¡± However, despite being hit by the users¡¯ attacks, Regrants was unharmed. Rather, he was making an angered expression. ¡°This is our last chance! Go all out! Thousand Scents, why are you standing around doing nothing?!¡± When Cruze fired a pulse gun and shouted, the four transcendents also attacked with all their might. As expected, the combination of ultimate spells and strong qi-gong attacks was tremendous, so Regrants instantly fell into the defensive, but he still shouted out with a confident attitude. ¡°Gaga go! Gaga go! GaoGaiGar!!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± For a moment, despite the intense situation, the users hesitated. ¡°Did he finally lose his marbles¡­¡± ¡°Has he gone mad?¡± The users were bewildered by Regrants¡¯ gibberish, but funnily enough, there was a being who responded to his words. [Hahaha! Take off!] Whirl! Clank! Clunk! Something translucent seemed to float in the air, and then a huge ironclad armor appeared and covered Regrants¡¯ body in a flash. ¡°Ack! No! It¡¯s his Transcendent Weapon, GaoGaiGar!¡± one of the transcendent dragons shouted. ¡°How did it break through the dimensional barrier?¡± ¡°I made sure the dimensional defense barrier was properly operating¡­!¡± The users were taken aback by the alarmed four dragon transcendents, who were groaning and bickering amongst themselves. ¡°W-what the hell? That¡¯s really the name of his Transcendent Weapon?¡± ¡°Hey, even the design looks the same as the one in the anime. Isn¡¯t this plagiarism?¡± ¡°We¡¯re all fighting for our lives¡­ so why is there some stupid comic relief all of a sudden¡­¡± However, as if he didn¡¯t care about the users¡¯ confusion and dissatisfaction, Regrants, who covered his whole body with an ironclad armor and made him look like a figure from a popular anime, raised his right hand. ¡°This was fun, but¡­ it ends here.¡± [Launching! Broken Magnum!] Accompanied by an unknown man¡¯s shout, a formidable power began to gather in Regrant¡¯s right arm. Seeing his frightened enemies trying to defend themselves against his oncoming attack, Regrants shouted. ¡°On top of Broken Magnum¡­ cry out, Sky Fist!¡± Regrants activated his ultimate move. It was a martial arts ultimate move and represented the pinnacle of his enlightenment and understanding of the martial arts. Sky Fist was a terrifying skill on its own, but when added to Broken Magnum, the combined attack, called Iron Fist, struck an enemy with a speed exceeding twenty-five times that of light. Even though it was possible for transcendents to accelerate their own time and recognize any attack, it was impossible to recognize an Iron Fist attack. The Iron Fist was sent out at such a phenomenal speed that it was even difficult for divine beings to perceive and avoid the attack, especially if it was launched from close range. The Iron Fist strike was so fast that even light photons couldn¡¯t catch up to it. ¡°Master Skill, Last Spell.¡± However, Arc jumped in front of Regrants, who was just about to send out his transcendent attack. As always, Arc¡¯s entire body was covered in leather armor. Even her eyes were shrouded from view. In both hands, she held her Master Weapon, Sky Heaven. Woong! Regrants ignored Arc and continued to launch his Iron Fist attack. From the start, the users weren¡¯t his main target. The target of his Iron Fist was the four Grand Masters. At this distance, the four Grand Masters would be annihilated just from his Iron Fist¡¯s shockwave. Crack! And that moment, Arc¡¯s fist struck the air. At the same time, countless cracks formed in the air, like a glass window¡¯s spider web-like cracking after being hit by a stone. ¡°What?¡± Regrants was genuinely perplexed. A user, who had not even reached the transcendent level, caused a dimension collapse with one punch? Arc also seemed taken aback. ¡®¡­ How?¡¯ The cracked dimension gradually collapsed and tore apart. Of course, this phenomenon was not her intention. It was true that the spell she had chanted from the beginning of the battle until now was a disintegration spell, but the only thing she could do was disintegrate matter. Even if she borrowed the power of her Master Skill and Master Weapon, dimensional collapse was beyond her ability level. In other words, this result was an accident. CH 225 Arc¡¯s spell was powerful. Once she combined the principles of No Thoughts Gold Strong Technique and the Black Yak school of magic, her ability level as a user was only second to the three in the Heaven above the Heavens. Though Arc couldn¡¯t collapse a dimension space and create a dimensional rift, she was able to create an undulation in a dimensional space. However, just before Arc launched her attack, Regrants summoned GaoGaiGar through the dimensional barrier that Archmage Leighann had wrapped around the planet, which meant that GaoGaiGar had to appear through a dimensional portal. This was the start of a series of improbable events. As GaoGaiGar busted through the dimensional barrier and made its appearance, the space around Regrants became very unstable, albeit momentarily. In addition, when Regrants activated his transcendent Sky Fist attack, which contained power beyond any user¡¯s imagination, and added the power of GaoGaiGar to create the upgraded Iron Fist attack, the distortion of the dimensional space around Regrants intensified. Thus, when Arc¡¯s Master Skill was activated, it was like the last straw that broke a camel¡¯s back. The dimensional space surrounding Regrants couldn¡¯t withstand the constant barrage of undulations and had collapsed, creating a momentary dimensional rift. ¡°A-away with you!¡± The collapse of the dimension, and the opening Regrants revealed was very brief, but the White Divine Celestial Dragon, Thousand Scents, reflexively lifted her Chintamani Marble and finished her holy worded spell chant right at that moment. Regrants, who had been preparing to launch his Iron Fist attack, could not resist the enormous force pushing against him. Arc was the first to be swallowed by the illusory space that appeared in the crack of the collapsed dimension. She couldn¡¯t escape the pull of the illusory space within the dimensional rift since she was the closest to the dimensional rift; furthermore, she had no special ability to escape the illusory space¡¯s powerful suction power. Regrants was next to fall into the dimensional rift. Although he had the ability to escape, he was temporarily incapacitated by the attack Thousand Scent launched with her Chintamani Marble, the best weapon of the draconic species, so he was inevitably sucked into the illusory space within the dimensional rift. ¡°T-this¡­ so unlucky¡­!!¡± With his developed insight ability, Regrants instantly grasped and understood the situation he was in, but there was nothing he could do. Soon, the illusory space within the dimensional rift swallowed the two before returning the dimensional space to its original state, as if nothing had happened. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Regrants¡¯ spiritual pattern¡­ cannot be found. Success?¡± ¡°What the hell?¡± For a moment, not only the users but also the four transcendents were lost for words as they looked dumbfoundedly at the space that swallowed Regrants and Arc just a moment ago. No one had expected such an ending. Leighann, who deployed the planet enveloping dimensional barrier and made Regrants bring GaoGaiGar through a dimensional portal¡­ Thousand Scents, who momentarily made Regrants immobile with her Chintamani Marble attack¡­ the small number of Irregulars that existed throughout the entire universe¡­ and the Masters who were said to be the best among humans¡­ even the operators of DIO, and especially Tan, who was conspiring behind the scenes¡­ not a single one of these existences expected such a result¡­ What happened was truly an accident, a pure anomaly. ¡°Oh My God! Arc?¡± We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. In a state of panic, Merlin jumped forward. Of course, the body the current users were in were not their main bodies, just their in-game character avatars. In fact, their bodies were asleep on Earth, and even if they died during a mission, they would wake up in reality. However, the illusory space was a realm of chaos; a chaos that existed before the origin of the universe. The gap between dimensions was a space where everything was mixed, even a divine being wouldn¡¯t be able to endure in such a space for long before being completely annihilated. Since the Emperor of Martial Arts, Regrants, fell into such a space, the four transcendent Grand Masters logically assumed that Regrants was as good as dead. Hence, it went without saying, but in such a case, Arc was most likely gone for good as well. Crack! However, once again, another unexpected occurrence occurred. The space where Arc and Regrants had disappeared from began to crack. ¡°Damn it! Is the Emperor of Martial Arts escaping from Chaos?¡± ¡°I knew it! There¡¯s no way he would have gone out and died so quietly¡­¡± Plop. The dimensional space split and a user covered in leather armor fell onto the ground. Afterward, the dimensional rift closed shut once more. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± With eyes full of disbelief, the transcendents looked at the fainted Arc. To think that a lowly weak human could escape from the space of chaos, a place that even the Emperor of Martial Arts couldn¡¯t escape from¡­ ¡°Arc! Arc, are you okay?¡± Merlin hurriedly approached and shook Arc¡¯s body, but Arc didn¡¯t show any signs of waking up. And then, a text message appeared in his mind. /Clear! Mission complete! Awards will be distributed according to each participant¡¯s activity score!/ The world started to go dark. Knowing that this was a phenomenon in which users were forcibly disconnected from DIO, Merlin asked a question to Leighann, who was currently holding onto Arc. ¡°What are you going to do with Arc?¡± ¡°I have something to investigate. I won¡¯t harm her, so take care of her real body on Earth so that she doesn¡¯t die. Just wait.¡± ¡°Wait. Are you guys¡­¡± Poof! But before Merlin could ask anything more, his vision darkened. In no time, Merlin was no longer on the battlefield, where he had been up against the Emperor of Martial Arts, but comfortably seated on a reclining chair inside his house. ¡°¡­ What the hell?¡± Merlin, no, Yongno was at a loss for words. In a completely unexpected turn of events, even he, an Irregular, couldn¡¯t process what was happening. ¡°What is going on?¡± *** Crack. A desk, made of an unknown material, cracked and split with great force. The silver-haired, middle-aged Tan, sitting in front of his now broken desk, froze for a moment in a state of stupor. Then, Tan took a deep breath and calmed himself down. ¡°This is ridiculous. How did this happen¡­¡± Tan gnashed his teeth. His objective and plan, which he had painstakingly planned out over a long period of time, completely collapsed due to an absurd chain of coincidences. Tan, who had been jealous of the cosmic yet lowly human genius who overpowered him and reproduced the DIO system that only the highest level of gods could create, in other words, the Empress of Magic, Jenica, knew just how powerful the Emperor of Martial Arts was better than anyone else in the world. The Emperor of Martial Arts, Regrants, who had successfully operated the first user training system along with the Empress of Magic, Jenica, was quite strong in the past, but as time passed, Regrants had gotten even stronger. Regrants¡¯ power level was comparable to that of a Demon King. It was true that the Grand Masters who protected DIO¡¯s world had superior abilities, and were even recognized beings within Noblesse, but even so, the four Grand Masters were no match for Regrants. ¡°I was planning to take advantage of his relatively obscure existence, since he remained quiet all these years and was overlooked within the wider universe, but things have taken a ridiculous turn.¡± Having received all the battle information, Tan knew how Regrants had lost. GaoGaiGar, a Transcendent Weapon powerful enough to be in the top 100 of all Transcendent Weapons, cracked through a dimensional space to enter the area¡­ then, one of the users exerted her special unique power to create a dimensional undulation¡­ all the while Leighann¡¯s planet wrapping barrier was isolating the space¡­ and Thousand Scents had used her Chintamani Marble¡­ all these events overlapped to bring about the most improbable of results. An accident of epic proportions had occurred. ¡°Was this all just a coincidence? All of this?¡± All the data he possessed pointed to everything occurring through pure random chance. First off, Tan wasn¡¯t even aware of Arc, as he had not paid attention to her throughout DIO¡¯s operation. Moreover, through Arc¡¯s body, Tan acquired the residual thoughts and data of what happened to Arc after she went beyond the boundary of chaos, so he knew that she wasn¡¯t controlled, conspiring, or manipulating any situation nor was she acting of someone else¡¯s accord. He knew that Arc¡¯s escape from Chaos occurred due to a special phenomenon that sometimes occurred in the illusory space. However, a sense of doubt crept into Tan¡¯s mind. Tan couldn¡¯t believe or accept the current situation. Of course, even a one-in-a-billion chance happened every once in a while; in fact, wasn¡¯t it already a statistical impossibility that three Irregulars existed on a single planet? However, Tan just couldn¡¯t get over the fact that such a statistical anomaly had occurred when executing his arduously schemed plan. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t get over the strange feeling that something was off. Tan was an ardent conspiracy theorist and enjoyed plotting and executing conspiracies. Moreover, as an elder within the Noblesse, which could be called the backbone group of the Union, Tan was the very existence that executed many major conspiracies behind the scenes. This gave him all the more reason to vehemently deny the logical conclusion that this absurd situation was a simple succession of coincidences. ¡°But even so, there are no indications of any ulterior motives or actors. Ugh, what a mess. I need to completely scrap my original plan and come up with a new one.¡± Based on Tan¡¯s original plan, everyone who faced up against the Emperor of Martial Arts was supposed to die. Only then would it be possible for Tan to mobilize the moderates within Noblesse and take a more full-scaled action in dominating the Noblesse and the Union. However, on the contrary, since the Emperor of Martial Arts, one of the Elohim¡¯s guardians, was defeated, the Noblesse were now politically placed in a much more disadvantaged position within the Union. It would have been a lie to state that Tan hadn¡¯t assumed such a situation in which Regrants was defeated, but to have the lowest probability event occur left Tan in an awkward position with very limited choices. ¡°Now I¡¯m only left with extreme choices.¡± Tan growled as he raised a blue spiritual qi aura. Then, he started working on a new set of plans. CH 226 *** A Mistaken Awakening *** Around 40 people were gathered within a large assembly hall. Around ten or so were politicians or military figures, the rest were Japanese Masters, celebrities, and a few journalists; everyone wore a dashing or dazzling set of clothes. ¡°Aren¡¯t there too many celebrities in attendance for a banquet held before a military operation? There are so many politicians here as well.¡± ¡°Well, this training exercise isn¡¯t a simple military training exercise. In Japan alone, there have been about 1.5 million casualties due to the Legion and Grotesque¡¯s attacks. Currently, interest in safety and the existence of the Master is very high and prominent in the minds of all Japanese citizens, so politicians are jumping into the mix.¡± Masters were fast becoming national superstars that were more popular than most celebrity singers or actors, and at the same time, they were experts who were widely respected by everyone. That level of recognition and favorability was a level that could not be ignored, so Arthur, or Seyoung, had also received numerous requests from the Japanese president and members of the National Assembly for his support on various matters. ¡°I¡¯d be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t expecting it, but¡­ this level of engagement is troublesome.¡± Seyoung thought that a being with enormous power, like himself, should not intervene in politics. The influence one could exert was one problem, but Seyoung also felt that it was not right for Masters, who should fight for humanity and Earth, to take political sides and potentially be on oppositional forces. Yusei, or Adol in-game, who was one of the closer users to Arthur, gave a bitter smile as if he had read Arthur¡¯s thoughts. ¡°But it is unavoidable. Right now, it¡¯s getting hard for any of us, let alone me, to maintain neutrality. Furthermore¡­¡± ¡°Furthermore?¡± ¡°There are Masters who have already taken sides and have started walking the path of politicians. You probably know of the user named Bruce.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Bruce Wayne, a magic swordsman who wielded two swords and boasted a super-luxurious set of gear, which he obtained through his enormous wealth, was the eldest son of the chairman of Mega Giant, a huge movie and broadcasting company. Bruce Wayne¡¯s real name was Christian Michael Bay. From the start, Christian had always been interested in politics, but after becoming a Master and receiving public interest and adoration, he threw himself into the political arena without hesitation. Of course, there was strong opposition from the political world, but his skillful political handling and maneuvering and the outpouring support of the American people allowed him to eventually succeed in becoming a candidate for US Congress. ¡°But¡­ Masters are like an army in and of themselves. Why would anyone enter a National Assembly or Congress when one has the power to launch a coup at any time?¡± ¡°However, unlike a military unit, Masters possess a critical weakness, a manifestation time limit. Paradoxically¡­ that weakness allows Masters to mix with ordinary people.¡± ¡°¡­¡± A Master living within reality was not a flawless, omnipotent superhuman. A manifested Master could only exert their absolute power for a brief moment. In addition, the current public image of Masters was good, as there were very few Masters who harmed or took advantage of normal people, even though Masters were beings who had suddenly come across tremendous powers. Because of the overwhelming power of Masters, there were many forces and groups that tried to suppress and control them, but every time they tried, they were met with strong backlash. What was happening in China was a prime example of this phenomenon. ¡°Oh my, why are you two talking about such dreary things?¡± At that moment, a woman wearing a dress with a bold design that half-exposed her chest approached and snuck in between the two. Tall and fit, she had a slender yet voluptuous body, and she possessed an exotic sense of beauty from her apparent Slavic and Asian descent mixed background. Yusei recognized her and initially made an awkward expression, but he soon gathered himself and smiled brightly before speaking up. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Miss Sanae. Seyoung-san, let me introduce to you Sanae Ayase, a newly minted Master. She¡¯s a mage, and her ID is Uld. And here¡­¡± ¡°Of course, I know who this is. It¡¯s Arthur! It is an honor to meet the strongest and most powerful Master in person.¡± Sanae clung to Seyoung¡¯s arm, her eyes twinkling. Seyoung paused in embarrassment after feeling Sanae¡¯s voluptuous chest against his arm. ¡°Oh, hmm. Nice to meet you. I am Seyoung Kim.¡± While introducing himself, Seyoung casually removed his arm from Sanae¡¯s grasp. Though Seyoung couldn¡¯t help but feel flattered that such a beauty was enamored with him, he wasn¡¯t the type of person who¡¯d immediately accept the approach of a complete stranger. ¡°May I join you two?¡± ¡°Ah, um, is it okay, Mr. Seyoung?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s Yusei-san¡¯s acquaintance, of course.¡± Seyoung was not an idiot. To be precise, Seyoung was the very opposite of an idiot. Because of this, Seyoung observed and knew that Yusei and Sanae were not very close, and that Yusei felt something uneasy about her. In addition, the uneasiness didn¡¯t seem to stem from a personal matter but something public in nature. ¡®If I tell her to get lost, it will only bring on a greater headache for me and Yusei later on. I¡¯ll just have to deal with her for a moment before sending her on her way.¡¯ Thinking so, Seyoung continued chatting with Yusei about various things. Seyoung also listened to the explanations from several military officials and exchanged greetings with several politicians. Sanae tried to stay by his side and talk to him about various topics, but Seyoung politely cut her off or asked for her understanding and did not allow her to join him in his conversations. She had hit a wall, in a formal manner, so Sanae immediately became sullen as if she had lost all her energy. ¡°Hmm. It seems he¡¯s not willing to engage publicly. In a situation like this, where a beauty like me suddenly appears and is overly friendly, he¡¯s choosing to cast me aside for the moment rather than engage with me directly, right?¡± ¡°You never considered that he just might not be into you?¡± Sanae laughed at Yusei¡¯s words, which she couldn¡¯t agree less. ¡°Oho, there is no man who can¡¯t be charmed. Ah, this is a secret, but if a lady doesn¡¯t have that certainty in her mind, she can¡¯t truly exhibit her true charm.¡± Seeing her confident smile, Yusei made a strange expression. Based on her expression, it didn¡¯t seem like she had any ulterior motive other than to get close to Seyoung. ¡®Was I mistaken about her intentions?¡¯ Before meeting Seyoung, Yusei had been pressured by the Japanese government to introduce Sanae to Seyoung and to create an opening to allow Sanae to be alone with Seyoung. Obviously, Yusei took these words to mean that the government and Sanae were plotting something against Seyoung. Most likely, the government was trying to appease Seyoung and coax him into doing something. ¡®But Seyoung has a strong sense of patriotism. He would never betray his values and be coaxed into doing anything through any normal political maneuver.¡¯ Trying to change Seyoung¡¯s mind by seducing him with a woman was a really low-level idea. To become a Master, one had to have a steely will, regardless of whatever direction that will lay, so could such a strong-willed person be coaxed into doing something by a pretty face? Even if Sanae and Seyoung later became good friends, a large stretch of the imagination to start off with, that would not be enough of a reason for Seyoung to defect to Japan. ¡®Do they have some other plans? Unless they¡¯re complete idiots, there¡¯s no way they¡¯re solely relying on swaying him through a pretty face.¡¯ Yusei sighed and got up from his seat. However, there was something Yusei didn¡¯t know. The politicians who worked in his country, or at least in the current Japanese government, were far dumber than he expected. ¡°A stimulant. It even has an aphrodisiac effect.¡± Seyoung stood up after the meal and smiled. The dining utensils he had used during the meal were coated with a stimulant, so it was clear that he was being targeted. However, like Merlin and Cruze, Seyoung¡¯s body was slightly different from that of a normal human. He was able to detect quite a few drugs by smell, and even if he consumed or was affected by a drug, it wouldn¡¯t work on him unless he took enough to affect an elephant. If any biologists could see his body¡¯s inner workings, they¡¯d see that his biological body had evolved to a point where a biologist¡¯s eyes would roll over in surprise. His body had evolved to become a new type of human, whose constitution was completely different from that of an ordinary human. ¡®Well, it wasn¡¯t unexpected¡­ I guess Japan is also eyeing the Heaven above the Heavens members. I guess they¡¯re relying on a beauty-type attack?¡¯ Of course, it was very possible for an adult man and woman to sleep together if they saw eye to eye, but how many celebrities or politicians have had their careers ruined because of such obvious scandals? Besides, if a woman ever claimed that she was raped by Seyoung, his public image would be dealt a fatal blow. Of course, even if that unlikely scenario were to occur, that didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d suddenly switch nationalities and become a Japanese Master, but things would probably become complicated if the woman he slept with ever got pregnant and claimed that the child was his. Ding~ At that moment, the smartphone in Seyoung¡¯s hand vibrated. Since no more than ten people knew his direct number, it couldn¡¯t be an unimportant call. [Is this Seyoung?] ¡°Oh, mother. Have you had dinner?¡± It was an unexpected phone call, but Seyoung answered the call. It was his mother, Hye-ran, who called. In the recent past, she had suffered through leukemia and didn¡¯t know if she¡¯d survive another day, but now, she had fully regained her health and was living an active life. When they were still able to exert some influence on Earth, the Noblesse had given Seyoung and his mother this gift. [Hahaha, the in-flight meal was good, so I ate my fill. I¡¯m getting stronger day by day thanks to you, son.] Seyoung paused at his mother¡¯s unexpected words. ¡°In-flight meal? Are you traveling somewhere?¡± [I¡¯m crossing the sea to see my busy son¡¯s face. I¡¯ll be able to see you in about two hours.] At Hye-ran¡¯s words, Seyoung, who had sat down to receive his mother¡¯s call, jumped up. Didn¡¯t his mother¡¯s words mean that she was coming to Japan to see him? ¡°Oh! Mother, you should have told me you were coming. I would have made time to come and receive you.¡± [No, it¡¯s okay. I have a guide and a bodyguard.] Seyoung¡¯s face hardened. However, he continued to speak calmly and cheerfully. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Still, I should go and receive you. Where are you now?¡± [Well, I¡¯m not sure either. I¡¯m passing the three-way intersection. I see a sushi restaurant, a supermarket, a bakery, and another restaurant¡­] ¡°Hmm. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll know where you¡¯re at with that info. Tell the guide and bodyguard to take you to the Conrad Hotel. I¡¯ll meet you there¡± [Alright. See you in a bit.] After that, Seyoung hung up the phone. And without hesitation, he turned around and exited the party. ¡°Oh! Are you meeting your mother? I know this neighborhood really well, so I¡¯ll help guide you!¡± Unlike Sanae, who got up from her seat with a happy smile, Yusei made a stiff facial expression. ¡°I¡¯ll also accompany you. Something doesn¡¯t seem¡­¡¯ Yusei also felt that something was off. Currently, Seyoung, that is, Arthur Pendragon of the Heaven above the Heavens, was a state guest who came over because of Japan¡¯s desperate lobbying efforts. However, his mother was coming to Japan, of all countries, without contacting him beforehand. Unless the Korean government had gone crazy, how could they let such a thing happen? Seyoung¡¯s only family was his mother, so once she entered Japan, there was no way to stop Seyoung from staying in Japan to be with his mother. Although Seyoung had some relatives, they had all turned their backs on him and his mother after his father¡¯s death and when they were going through financial trouble. Thus, Seyoung would have no qualms in cutting off any and all relations with them. CH 227 Vroom. Yusei started the car and aggressively stepped on the accelerator. Once they started moving, Seyoung said, ¡°Please report this situation to your higher ups. It doesn¡¯t look like your government plotted this.¡± ¡°¡­ Alright.¡± The fact that Seyoung knew the Japanese government didn¡¯t plot this situation but was just inept in allowing such a situation to arise, Yusei felt embarrassed for a moment, but instead of making excuses, Yusei picked up his cell phone and contacted his superiors. Indeed, his superiors were also taken aback and replied that they would take immediate action. ¡®Who is it? If it is not Japan, is it some other country?¡¯ There were countless countries that wanted the Heaven above the Heavens. Many countries, including Russia, Japan, China, and those in Europe, as well as the United States, were sending love calls to the Heaven above the Heavens members without hesitation or consideration of saving ¡®face¡¯. Alien attacks were relentless and ferocious, so the assistance of a Heaven above the Heavens member for the sake of one¡¯s own national safety was desperately sought out. The truth was, Arthur alone was better than pouring hundreds of billions or hundreds of trillions of dollars into one¡¯s national defense. ¡°¡­ Hmm, something definitely seems off. Just in case, I will contact my friends.¡± ¡°Friends?¡± Seeing Yusei express his doubts, Sanae laughed. ¡°Fellow Masters. I wouldn¡¯t dare compare them to the Heaven above the Heavens, but they will definitely be of help to some extent. They are socially powerful friends.¡± Yusei was at the wheel, Seyoung was in the passenger seat, and Sanae was in the back seat. Yusei wondered if Sanae would make a fuss, but she kept quiet while she busily contacted her Master friends. ¡®She¡¯s more considerate than she looks.¡¯ Thinking so, Yusei twisted the steering wheel and pulled into a four-way intersection. However, unexpectedly, the road was blocked. About a hundred people were occupying the road and protesting. ¡°Oh man, the timing¡­¡± ¡°Oh, it seems because of the festival and military training overlapping, the protestors are aiming to get ahold of the gathered international reporters¡¯ attention. But the Japanese don¡¯t usually do public demonstrations, so I don¡¯t understand why¡­¡± Sanae, who was talking quietly from the backseat and looking around, froze when she saw a large banner hanging on one side of the building. There was a large picture of Arthur and Merlin hanging there. ¡°I see a lot of Korean bastards¡¯ faces here! Aren¡¯t you all offended?¡± ¡°Get all the cockroaches and Arthur out of Japan!¡± ¡°Japan has the power to defend itself! Why are you inviting those filthy Korean bastards!¡± ¡°Politicians bought by the Korean government¡­ wake up!¡± ¡°It is a fabrication that two of the three Heaven above the Heavens are in Korea! Even among the Japanese, who have received more Nobel Prizes, there is no one who has reached Level 15! It¡¯s all fake news!¡± ¡°The Korean government is selling humanity and plotting with the aliens!¡± The protestors were waving Japanese and Rising Sun flags while shouting loudly. The noise and commotion caused many of the people walking down the street to stop and watch what was going on, and reporters from various countries who had stopped by Japan to film the festival and military training exercise were starting to focus their cameras on the protestors. We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. ¡°Ugh! Damn it. Those right-wing nationalist idiots¡­¡± Sanae, who noticed the identity of the protesters, glanced over at Seyoung. Unfortunately, he too had seen them. ¡°Of course, I knew there was an anti-group, but¡­ Why are they protesting? I came at the request of the Japanese government.¡± Surprised by Seyoung¡¯s quiet tone of voice, Sanae vigorously shook her hand. ¡°Please don¡¯t think that all Japanese are like that. Those guys are far-right nationalists who got sick of arguing with each other. Their numbers are very small¡­ Ugh, a lot of foreign reporters are here as well¡­ those idiots sure know how to disgrace their country properly. Everyone in Japan knows that there¡¯s no easy way to deal with these right-wing idiots.¡± Sanae seemed worried that Seyoung would come to hate Japan. ¡°It¡¯s fine. They¡¯re no harm to me anyway. The more important thing right now is to meet my mother.¡± As Seyoung mumbled his reply, he recalled what his mother, Hye-ran, had said to him. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure either. I¡¯m passing the three-way intersection. I see a sushi restaurant, a supermarket, a bakery, and another restaurant¡­¡± Seyoung recalled the satellite map of Tokyo that he had seen before. He began to match the order of the buildings that his mother had mentioned with the satellite map. ¡®She probably listed off the buildings she saw through the window. And she said that she was on a three-way street. Luckily, over the receiver, I heard someone hawking a local store¡¯s discount event.¡¯ As Seyoung drew a three-dimensional model of the whole of Tokyo in his head, he quickly located a place that met all the conditions he had overheard from his conversation with his mother. In addition, he remembered the sound he heard over the receiver and roughly estimated the direction and speed of the car his mother was traveling in. ¡°Take a left here.¡± ¡°Hmm? But if we go this way, we¡¯ll enter the suburbs.¡± ¡°Right. Go in that direction and then¡­ shoot.¡± Seeing a black sedan following behind them, Seyoung¡¯s expression coolly sharpened. Though he had expected a tail to be on them, it seemed ridiculous to Seyoung that the perpetrators, whoever they were, were moving so openly in public. Screech. Both the front and rear of Yusei¡¯s car was surrounded by black sedans and forced to stop, but no one panicked or seemed afraid. All three in Yusei¡¯s car were Masters, and in the case of Seyoung and Yusei, they had enough gem points from the recent mission they completed a few days ago, in which they fought against a mighty enemy called the Emperor of Martial Arts, to manifest. Seyoung or Yusei were powerful enough to annihilate an entire army in the time it took to utter a single word. ¡°Get out of the car, Korean bastard. You all¡­¡± ¡°Hey! Ugh¡­ you fools! Please¡­ please don¡¯t do anything that¡¯ll embarrass Japan. Because of guys like you, the decent Japanese people will be cursed as backwards people!¡± Sanae made a pitiful expression as she glared at the man through her window. Naturally, her door was locked, and she had no intention of lowering the window. An entire army could be destroyed in the time it took to utter a single word, but on the other hand, if one died without even getting the chance to utter a single word, even a Master would helplessly die. To not get sniped by a sniper¡¯s bullet, the three Masters shouldn¡¯t get out from the safety of the car¡¯s bulletproof frame, which the Japanese government provided for Seyoung. ¡°Shut up, traitor. You¡¯ve been blinded by money, and you¡¯re clinging to a Korean bastard like a slutty prostitute. It¡¯s not a day or two that girls like you, who don¡¯t appreciate the country that raised them, do such disgusting things, but this is really too much.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sanae was taken aback by the outrageous language the man was spewing. What was this idiot saying? Did he truly believe in what he was saying? Sanae stared back at the man wondering if he was really being sincere, but of course, the man was dead serious. ¡°The only person we want to negotiate with is Arthur, so shut up. You, Arthur, raise your hands and get out of the car. Of course, as soon as we sniff any sign of you manifesting, the woman dies.¡± ¡°You want me to come out unprotected?¡± Seyoung¡¯s eyes flashed with cool anger. He was furious. To him, Hye-ran, his mother, was more precious than his own life, so he had to absolutely protect her under any circumstance. He had left her at home in Korea, so if anything were to happen to her, he¡¯d go crazy from remorse. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t lay a finger on her as long as you don¡¯t do any nonsense. We Japanese do not lie.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m embarrassed to call you a fellow Japanese. Don¡¯t you have any sense of pride? You¡¯re threatening to kidnap and kill someone else¡¯s mother?¡± Yusei commented. ¡°Shut up. The ends justify the means.¡± ¡°Aha, that¡¯s a concept I despise the most.¡± Yusei growled. He admired Arthur as a Master and was amazed by his abilities. Because of this, Yusei had hoped that Arthur would have good feelings for Japan after this visit, but everything seemed to have gone awry. ¡®Should I manifest right now?¡¯ At that moment, Seyoung fell into thought. Seeing as they hurriedly intercepted him while the three were pursuing his mother¡¯s whereabouts, it seemed that Hye-ran was likely not too far away. And once manifested, Arthur could sense all beings within a several kilometer radius and could fly to a close destination faster than the speed of sound. If he suddenly manifested, he could subdue and take out the others before they could do anything to his mother. ¡®¡­ No. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡¯ The chance of success was high. If he had to quantify it, Arthur would probably give himself a 99% chance of success. But how could he gamble with his mother¡¯s life on the line, especially if there was a 1% chance of failure? In the end, Seyoung decided to figure out what they wanted instead of overpowering them. If their main objective was to kill him, they wouldn¡¯t be acting this way. ¡°I¡¯m coming out.¡± ¡°No. They are unreliable garbage; don¡¯t trust what they¡¯re saying. If you wait a bit¡­¡± ¡°Yusei, do you really think your superiors have no idea?¡± Seyoung gave a cold smile. He was a prominent state guest in Japan. He was an important person who necessitated a 24-hour security detail. However, Arthur left the government¡¯s party of his own accord without any push back, and the fact that the reaction from above was so slow meant that something was wrong. ¡°Ah, but if that¡¯s the case¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m stronger than they think.¡± Seyoung opened the door, got out, and got into the other¡¯s car. In the other¡¯s car, two well-built men were already within the car, and they made way so that Seyoung could sit in the middle of the backseat. Seyoung did not hesitate, and the Japanese man in the front passenger seat whistled in sarcastic admiration. ¡°You¡¯re such a proud person. Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s my mother?¡± ¡°I understand it doesn¡¯t matter how many times you die in DIO, but do you think that¡¯s the case in real life? I¡¯m sick of seeing people like you, who take real life so lightly.¡± ¡°Why did you kidnap my mother?¡± ¡°How does it feel to be praised as a great person from everyone around you? Does it make you feel like an ideal human being?¡± ¡°What is your purpose? No matter how stupid you are, you wouldn¡¯t try to negotiate with me by twisting things to this extent.¡± ¡°Man, you sure know how to run your mouth, you Korean bastard! Why aren¡¯t you listening to what my brother is saying¡­¡± Bam! With the sound like a leather bag being beaten, the man who yelled and glared at Seyoung from beside him, as well as the other man beside Seyoung, lost consciousness and drooped down in their seats. Even though Arthur was in reality, where he couldn¡¯t use his internal energy, he was still a world class martial artist and possessed a physical body that surpassed that of most humans. He was not someone who could be dealt with by those who had only developed their bodies through repeated exercise. CH 228 ¡°You don¡¯t know the basics of negotiation, do you? Do I look like an idiot? Did you think you could do whatever you wanted to me?¡± Seyoung¡¯s voice, which oozed with killing intent, made the man in the front passenger seat flinch. The man was a military veteran who had gone through his fair share of battles, but Seyoung was a being who exceeded all the standards he had ever experienced. Moreover, the man, who wasn¡¯t even a Master level user, had no real sense of what kind of existence Seyoung was. ¡°¡­ Hmm. Well, this should be enough of a distance.¡± Saying this, the man turned on a small TV that was installed in the car. On the screen, Hye-ran could be seen tied to a chair with a stiff expression on her face. The large table next to her was set with a feast of delicacies, and a large man could be seen chomping away and eating the vast spread of food. The man eating at the table was Kenichi Shinoda, an executive of a yakuza group that was closely linked to right-wing groups. ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t finished eating yet, but you¡¯ve already connected with me. Why are you in such a hurry?¡± ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, sir.¡± Seeing the pale-faced man lowering his head, Genichi smiled. The pale-faced man wished they had gone a little farther before connecting Seyoung to his boss. The vehicle Seyoung was riding in was quickly moving away from their hideout, even at this moment. Since all the tracking devices attached to Hye-ran¡¯s body had been removed beforehand, it was impossible to locate and find her, no matter how famous and skilled the members of Heaven above the Heavens were. ¡°No, no, you shouldn¡¯t apologize. Well, anyway, nice to meet you, Arthur. To be able to talk face to face with such an esteemed Heaven above the Heavens member¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Are you okay, Mother?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m so sorry, son. I didn¡¯t think things through¡­¡± ¡°No, mother, I will pick you up soon, so take it easy. Take a deep breath.¡± Although she was the mother of an amazing Irregular genius, Hye-ran was just an ordinary middle-aged woman. Since she didn¡¯t possess superior brain power or superhuman physical abilities, at her advanced age, she needed to be taken care of at all times. Moreover, she had recently been a patient who had entered the final stage of leukemia and was even judged as terminally ill. Although she was close to being fully cured thanks to the Noblesse¡¯s help and power, Seyoung was always mindful and concerned about her health. ¡°Hahaha, I can tell that you¡¯re a great filial son.¡± ¡°¡­ What is your objective? Are you trying to get me to seek asylum?¡± If the goal was to change Seyoung¡¯s nationality, this abduction was the worst move one could take to try and achieve that objective. It wasn¡¯t like the Japanese government just needed a quick fix, as they needed Arthur to actively help Japan confront its enemies¡¯ persistent attacks, so the extreme method of kidnapping someone he loved and intimidating Seyoung into action was the worst option one could take to bring Seyoung over to one¡¯s side. Didn¡¯t the Japanese government already try their hand by drugging and seducing him? The Japanese government had already calculated that they couldn¡¯t afford to anger Seyoung, so they had chosen a roundabout, primitive tactic to seduce him through other means. Genichi laughed after hearing Seyoung¡¯s question. ¡°Hahaha. I don¡¯t need help from someone from an inferior race. Our Great Japanese Empire has many talented people, and we can defend Japan with our own strength.¡± ¡°¡­ Then what do you want? If it¡¯s money you¡¯re after¡­¡± Genichi cut Seyoung off and laughed out loud. ¡°Hahaha! How long are you going to pretend you don¡¯t know? Do you think we¡¯re all foolish beings since we put you on a pedestal, shower you with praises, and call you a genius?¡± A delighted smile spread across Kenichi¡¯s face. Then, glaring at the screen, Kenichi growled. ¡°Tell me what power and authority you received from the Noblesse, what you had to trade for those things, and the qualifications one needs to become a member of the Heaven above the Heavens.¡± ¡°What¡­ what kind of idiotic question is that¡­¡± Seyoung¡¯s face hardened. He realized that he was in the worst type of situation imaginable. It would have been far better if the other side wanted money. Arthur had already amassed quite a fortune, and if he could save his mother, he wouldn¡¯t think twice about giving up all his wealth. For the sake of his mother, Arthur would even be willing to betray South Korea and exile to Japan. It would hurt him to betray his country, but his mother, Hye-ran, was everything to him. Besides, even if he were to defect, it wasn¡¯t like he was going to attack Korea, and in the end, regardless of whatever national affiliation, he would be saving people¡¯s lives and working for humanity. However, Arthur was being asked to give something that didn¡¯t exist¡­ the situation he found himself in was serious. ¡°According to my research, you were originally a simple college student. You showed signs of brilliance at times, but for the most part, you weren¡¯t considered a genius, just another normal guy who attended classes and had to work a part-time job every day to make ends meet. But right before DIO was put into service, you acquired a large amount of money from an unknown source.¡± This was true. When he became a college student, Arthur was just another ordinary college student who was smart and sincere, but not to the point of being a genius. However, unbeknownst to even himself, Arthur was a rare talent in the universe, a one-in-a-quintillion Irregular, and Tan, an elder member of Noblesse and a transcendent being, recognized Arthur¡¯s specialness and contracted with him on the spot. In exchange for treating Hye-ran, who had an incurable disease, Tan made Arthur join DIO. ¡°Yes, I contracted with the Noblesse. They were offering to heal my mother as long as I reached Level 20.¡± ¡°Oho~ Is that so? So, it is purely your ability that has made you a member of the Heaven above the Heavens, huh?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Seyoung nodded his head. Though Seyoung was speaking the truth, Genichi just laughed after hearing Seyoung¡¯s response. ¡°Don¡¯t make me laugh. Do you think it makes sense that there are two members of the Heaven above the Heavens in Korea? Does it make sense that none officially exist in Japan or in any other country? Moreover, all three members are under 30 years old!¡± His argument, which Kenichi spoke while bursting with laughter, was already a hot topic that was heavily discussed in all corners of the world. In particular, many Japanese netizens argued that the existence of the only known Heaven above the Heavens members was a conspiracy by the Korean government. Moreover, many believed that the stated fact that there were more Masters in Korea than in any other country was also a fabrication. Of course, the objections from Korean netizens were obvious. ¡®Why would our government do such things? Does it even have such power?¡¯ However, conspiracy theories persisted. It wasn¡¯t because people were naturally conspiracy theorists, but the fact that even famous scholars and doctors all over the world, and even national sports players, barely reached Level 10 made it seem all the more improbable that two special users, who didn¡¯t exhibit any special qualities before DIO¡¯s launch, could reach the highest levels within the game seemed totally improbable. People just couldn¡¯t wrap their heads around this incomprehensible result. ¡°But¡­ that¡¯s the reality. I got used to DIO¡¯s system and leveled up with my skills and abilities. If you ask me if that makes sense, then I¡¯d answer that it makes sense to me because that¡¯s the truth. I was just able to do what other people couldn¡¯t do.¡± ¡°Oh, such an eloquent tongue you have there. Then why are there two guys like you in Korea?¡± As Kenichi took a sip from a sake cup, Seyoung replied. ¡°There¡¯s no particular reason. It¡¯s just probability.¡± ¡°Probability?¡± ¡°Yes. Do you think there will be a special answer if you ask a person who won a lottery after buying just one lottery ticket how they won?¡± Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that you¡¯re like a winning lottery ticket. Korea just got extremely lucky to have two such lottery tickets?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± This was the truth. Even though his mother was being held hostage, and the whole situation was nerve racking, Seyoung explained the situation as calmly as possible. However, Kenichi burst out into laughter once more. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that there¡¯s no particular reason¡­ you¡¯re a Heaven above the Heavens member just because you¡¯re a genius, right? Fufu! Hahaha! You¡¯re talking nonsense because you need to provide me with a plausible answer!¡± ¡°It is true.¡± ¡°Ah, yes, fine. Okay. It seems you¡¯re not willing to tell me the truth since I¡¯ve been so accommodating, right?¡± Kenichi winked. And at his signal, a man appeared behind him carrying a sledgehammer. ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t.¡± Through their conversation, Seyoung could tell that the person he was speaking with was from some backwater underworld. Considering that the man was Japanese, there was a high probability that he was an old-fashioned yakuza. Even his slow movements and manner of speaking, as if he had experienced murder countless times before, oozed with a sense of killing intent. ¡°First, we¡¯ll crush your mother¡¯s right hand.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Rattle! As Seyoung roared out loud, the man driving the car stiffened, and subsequently, the car shook. However, Genichi¡¯s smile broadened, as if he was getting rather excited. ¡°Do it.¡± ¡°Yes, boss.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t!!¡± Crack! ¡°Kyak!!¡± Hye-ran¡¯s body, which was tied up, flinched. But her hand wasn¡¯t crushed or anything of the sort. This was because the sledgehammer strayed slightly from her hand and hit the desk beside her. ¡°Okay, this is your last chance. Tell me how one can become a Heaven above the Heavens member.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no other way! The chance and possibility are open to everyone! If one works and trains hard¡­!¡± Seyoung screamed out in frustration. He was a superhuman genius, but he didn¡¯t know how to deal with or negotiate with a deranged hostage taker. Arthur had lived a good and clean life, so he didn¡¯t know how to cope with this situation. ¡°S-Seyoung¡­¡± ¡°Oh, lady, after pretending to be quite calm, do you now understand the seriousness of this situation?¡± As Hye-ran opened her mouth, Genichi raised his hand to stop his henchman from raising his sledgehammer once more. Genichi hoped that Hye-ran, terrified of the predicament that she was in, would urge Seyoung to speak the truth. But unexpectedly, Hye-ran spoke in a calm tone. CH 229 ¡°Love¡­ love humans, son¡­ love humans. We are small and weak and make mistakes¡­ but you must not forget that you are also human. Don¡¯t become jaded.¡± ¡°What? What bullshit is this crazy bitch talking about?¡± As Genichi nodded in exasperation, the man behind Hye-ran raised his sledgehammer once again. Seyoung grinded his teeth. ¡°If you do anything to harm my mother¡­ I swear¡­¡± Seyoung¡¯s eyes flashed with chilling killing intent. His clenched fists were filled with blood. ¡°I will kill you and all those related to you.¡± The killing intent Seyoung emanated was intense. Even though he couldn¡¯t use mana, the other men in the car couldn¡¯t help but shake in fear. However, Kenichi, who had lived a fierce life in his own way and who felt relatively safe due to the distance between him and Seyoung, casually nodded his head with a firm expression instead of being frightened by Seyoung¡¯s spirit. Seyoung groaned. ¡°No. Don¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°Break her hand.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t!!¡± Crack!! The sledgehammer swung down and hit Hye-ran¡¯s hand. With the terrible sound of bones being crushed, Hye-ran¡¯s body trembled as if it had been struck by lightning. ¡°You! You son of a bitch! I will kill you! You¡­ your family¡­ the organization that protects you! I will destroy your country!!¡± ¡°Hahaha! Could you really do that, Arthur Pendragon, the white knight of justice? Anyway, we are ready to die at any time for the sake of the Great Japanese Empire. Now, as for this bitch¡­¡± After saying this, Genichi¡¯s expression hardened as he looked at Hye-ran. However, the seasoned yakuza soon calmed down and looked at the screen once more. ¡®Damn it! How did this happen? It was only one shot!¡¯ Genichi thought. While grinding his teeth, Genichi refocused his attention on eating the food on the table and tried to regain his composure. He was mulling over what he should say next. Seyoung looked at Hye-ran with a blank expression, as if his mind had gone totally blank. Sometimes, his excellent intuition let him know things that he didn¡¯t want to know. ¡°Oops, she seems to have lost consciousness,¡± Genichi commented. Though he was looking through a television screen, Seyoung could tell the truth. ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s start talking again. Tell me how to connect with the Noblesse.¡± Genichi spoke with a calm attitude, as if nothing was wrong. It was a natural mannerism that he learned from living a precarious underworld life. But Seyoung knew. The string that bound him to this world¡­ The reason he loved the world¡­ Had now been disconnected. ¡°Mother, mother, how¡­¡± Seyoung¡¯s eyes went blank. The ground that had been firmly supporting him had collapsed. ¡°Why do you have an expression as if the whole world is collapsing? If you don¡¯t open your mouth right away and tell me what I want to know, this lady¡¯s other hand will¡­¡± ¡°How am I supposed to love this disgusting human being?¡± Boom! Seyoung¡¯s eyes lit up. Genichi shouted, startled by the phenomenon that was obviously unnatural in real life. ¡°Finish him!¡± Bam! Bam! A handgun, which had been pre-installed in the car, opened fire. The handgun had been squarely set on Seyoung ever since he entered the car. Though the hidden handgun had been installed with considerable care, Seyoung had been aware of its existence from the beginning. Seyoung had been paying attention to the handgun the moment he got into the car so he could evade the bullet if it was ever to be fired. However, at this moment, he didn¡¯t have to dodge the bullet. The bullet ricocheted off of him. ¡°W-what? But¡­ he obviously hasn¡¯t manifested!¡± Hearing Genichi¡¯s screams, Seyoung closed his eyes. His sensory sphere was widening at a terrifying pace, and numerous theories that he had not realized or understood until now were violently entering his head in full comprehensive form. Arthur knew he was changing. All the spiritual energy in the world was pouring towards him. The path of the great sword, which had been difficult to even peek into until now, had instantly opened up for him. However, ¡®Ah, this is wrong.¡¯ It was impossible to go crazy with anger and enter the transcendent realm. The transcendent realm was a state that could only be reached by realizing the principles of the world with a free spirit that was free of any emotion. Even if madness and rage reached a peak and forcefully opened a door, in the end, there would only be destruction, not an epiphany and transcendence. However, Seyoung was an Irregular. One of the few mutant geniuses in the entire universe. Even if he couldn¡¯t reach transcendence, he ¡®understood¡¯ the ability of the upper level, and he was able to adapt to it the moment he opened the door. However, after entering the evil path, his spirit would become permanently twisted and would suffer great damage that couldn¡¯t be undone. ¡®But even so¡­¡¯ Seyoung opened his eyes, and light emanated from his eyes. ¡°Body of Light.¡± Whoosh! Seyoung¡¯s entire body turned into light. He knew the destination point. He could feel all beings within a 50-kilometer radius just by standing in one spot. ¡°Damn it! What¡¯s happening! I was planning on using this bitch for so many things¡­ How did she croak after one blow? And why has the video feed been cut off?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, sir. All of a sudden, it became bright, and then it went black¡­ huh?¡± The man holding the sledgehammer, who flinched at Kenichi¡¯s enraged appearance, took out a handgun from his belt, frightened at the sight of Seyoung, who had suddenly appeared in the space after a flash of light. But before he could pull the trigger, a beam of light burst out and passed through him. Flash! A bright beam of light passed through the man¡¯s neck. Due to the high-temperature energy carried by the beam of light, the pierced surface was singed and burned, so the henchman¡¯s blood didn¡¯t splatter. ¡°W-what, how are you¡­? How did you get here? The distance from there to here¡­¡± Seyoung murmured softly after seeing Kenichi¡¯s confused, stuttering appearance. ¡°Light travels around the Earth seven and a half times in one second.¡± Physical distance meant nothing to Arthur. Now that it was possible to photonize his entire body, he could fly and appear anywhere on Earth in an instant. ¡°What the hell does that mean¡­¡± Genichi questioned the incomprehensible situation, but before he could continue his words, his throat was cut off. Seyoung didn¡¯t even look at Genichi¡¯s corpse and went straight to Hye-ran, who was lying on the ground. ¡°Mother.¡± Seyoung hugged Hye-ran¡¯s body. Her heart had already stopped beating. The moment the sledgehammer crushed her hand, she was in so much pain that she had a heart attack. She had been cured of leukemia, and, considering that she had regained her health to some extent, this form of death seemed infuriatingly cruel. ¡°Mother.¡± Tears of blood flowed from Arthur¡¯s eyes. With his mother¡¯s corpse in his arms, Arthur turned around. His face, always adorned with a gentle smile, was deadly cold. ¡°I will seek revenge on the world that hurt you¡­¡± And on that day, Japan faced the strongest and worst enemy that it could ever imagine. *** Reunion & Conspiracy *** Eunhye woke up about two days after the completion of the mission. ¡°Do you feel alright?¡± ¡°Huh? Ah, I¡¯m okay¡­ but my head¡­?¡± Waking up in her bed, Eunhye was startled to find that her own hair had grown long enough to reach her waist. This was weird because she had always kept her hair short so that there would be no discomfort in her movements. ¡°How long have I been sleeping?¡± ¡°In terms of time, it¡¯s been about 42 hours. Do you remember anything?¡± This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything in particular¡­¡± Eunhye recalled her memories. However, she couldn¡¯t recall anything. All she could recall was just how her stacking of space collapsing spells caused the dimension to suddenly collapse, sucking her into a void, then she awoke to find the Grand Masters of DIO¡¯s Holy Lands staring back at her. They asked her some questions and conducted some basic research, then they sent her back to her reality with her mission reward. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m glad. I thought something terrible had happened to you.¡± Yongno spoke calmly, but the truth was that he didn¡¯t get a wink of sleep as he waited by Eunhye¡¯s bedside over the last 42 hours. Over the past couple days, he had even taken a break from his research, which he had not taken a break from ever since he started. ¡°What about the reward?¡± Yongno, who quickly figured out what Eunhye¡¯s question meant after she got up from bed, answered. ¡°90,000 gem points. And you?¡± The reward Yongno received was enormous. Other users would have rolled their eyes and foamed at the mouth if they heard such an astronomical number. His feat of inducing a gap in Regrants¡¯ posture by colliding his huge flying shuttle, Vimana, against him was an achievement that none of the other users, outside of Eunhye, had achieved. Compared to Yongno¡¯s reward, though, Eunhye¡¯s reward was even more overwhelming. CH 230 ¡°470,000 gem points.¡± It was a truly phenomenal amount of gem points. However, considering the fact that Eunhye, or Arc in-game, was the one who dealt the killing blow on Regrants, a transcendent who was popularly known as the Emperor of Martial Arts, the reward seemed rather small. Although it was an unlikely result from a string of chance events, if it wasn¡¯t for Eunhye, her allies, including the four Grand Masters, would have been annihilated. Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Since you have so many gem points, I¡¯m sure the Noblesse will make you an offer.¡± ¡°An offer?¡± ¡°Yes. For those who have enough gem points, they make offers that one can¡¯t refuse. Maybe it¡¯s because they want to avoid a situation where one doesn¡¯t care anymore to do missions¡­¡± In the case of the strongest swordsman, Arthur Pendragon, that is, Seyoung, the offer was his mother¡¯s leukemia treatment. Even though Arthur hadn¡¯t reached Level 20 yet, Hye-ran was able to largely regain her health for that reason. Although Yongno was unsure, he felt that Cruze also received a similar offer. After hearing Yongno¡¯s explanation, Eunhye asked. ¡°What was it in your case?¡± She knew that the number of manifestations Yongno did was very small compared to the gem points he possessed and constantly earned. Unlike Seyoung, who actively mobilized whenever people were put in danger, Yongno judged the situation and only manifested when he felt it was absolutely needed. Moreover, Yongno would never move unless there was a commensurate reward. Furthermore, Eunhye felt that there was something strange about the way Yongno participated in high reward missions without fail. ¡°Hmm. Well, I guess it¡¯s useless to keep it a secret. Actually, I¡­¡± ¡°Where am I?¡± ¡°This is¡­ huh?¡± ¡°What?¡± Surprised by the sudden voice, Yongno turned his head. And there, Yongno saw a familiar face, but one he never imagined he would see in reality. ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­ What''s going on? The air here is so stuffy¡­ how did my body¡­ heal?¡± A silver-haired girl, who appeared to be in her early to mid-teens, was looking around with a bewildered expression on her face. Though Yongno also felt confused, the girl was someone that Yongno had longed to see. ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me because I don¡¯t have much time left. To be honest, you¡¯re selfish and careless, and you¡¯re such a snob to be around since you were born with a needless number of advanced skills and abilities¡­¡± As if possessed, Yongno got up and embraced her. He didn¡¯t lose his consciousness, of course, but he was just so happy to see her again. ¡°I missed you.¡± ¡°Huh? Uh, yeah, me too. But¡­ Merlin, that girl over there¡­ why is she glaring at you with such scary eyes?¡± After hearing Miho¡¯s words, Yongno looked at Eunhye. Eunhye had a calm expression as always. ¡°Huh? There¡¯s nothing going on with Eunhye¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to frown to exhibit scary eyes. Anyway¡­ who is she?¡± ¡°Oh sorry. The introduction is late. This is Eunhye. She¡¯s my childhood friend. And this is Miho. She¡¯s a friend I met below the Noise Belt¡­¡± Then, the seriousness of the situation, which Yongno had put off for a moment since he had been so delighted to see Miho again, came to the fore in his mind. ¡°Noise Belt¡­ Moreover, that tail¡­ Are you talking about someone within DIO?¡± Eunhye commented. ¡°Yes. The Noblesse¡­ what the hell are these guys up to¡­¡± Yongno wanted to see Miho again and paid a huge amount of gem points to resurrect her, but that didn¡¯t mean he wanted to bring her back into his reality. To be precise, he never thought that such a thing was even possible. ¡®They can send NPCs to Earth at will?¡¯ If this was true, it was possible for the Noblesse to manipulate the goings on in Earth at will. If the Noblesse released a lot of monsters, such as the Orc Hero Sungmuk and the Eight Tailed Fox, beings that weren¡¯t in the transcendent class but were still powerful nonetheless, wouldn¡¯t Earth be overrun by powerful beings that were overwhelmingly powerful compared to humans? Moreover, Masters were only capable of manifesting for an hour, so Masters wouldn¡¯t be able to take care of all the monsters¡­ ¡°Eh¡­ but I lost my monster power. Though, I guess I should be grateful that I survived¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Yongno, lost in thought, narrowed his eyes and looked at Miho. With Enhanced Eyesight active, Yongno read her spiritual qi pattern. ¡®Your spiritual qi aura¡­ is empty. However, your spiritual pathway itself is intact.¡¯ This meant one of two things. The first possibility was that the type of beings the Noblesse could send down to Earth were limited to non-powerful beings, Level 1 or 2 at best. The second possibility was that it was possible to materialize powerful beings on Earth, but because they didn¡¯t want to give Yongno any additional powers in the form of help, they removed Miho¡¯s powers before materializing her on Earth. ¡®But if that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s no need to leave her spiritual pathways intact¡­¡¯ The moment his thoughts reached this point, Yongno realized a new fact. ¡°Right. In the end¡­ well, I guess it is rather late already.¡± ¡°What are you blabbing on about?¡± ¡°They figured out that I have a spiritual pathway.¡± Yongno¡¯s ability to create spiritual pathways and to use his DIO abilities in real life was a special power that no other Master could imitate. With the Seal of Heaven that he received from DIO¡¯s guide, Marionette Hold, in the past, only Yongno, who succeeded in understanding Qi Heaven, that is, the materialization of qi, could purify Earth¡¯s mana even though spiritual pathways didn¡¯t exist on Earth. ¡®Just who the hell was Marionette Hold?¡¯ Through various investigations, Yongno had already confirmed that Mary didn¡¯t remember him. Considering that she remembered other users, Yongno concluded that the Mary he saw was something or someone out of the ordinary, a special entity. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like the Noblesse are taking any specific action against you after the fact. I thought they¡¯d suppress you or something.¡± Yongno shook his head at Eunhye¡¯s words. ¡°Even if we say we are resisting or breaking the rules, from the Noblesse¡¯s point of view, it just looks like child¡¯s play. More than anything¡­ as long as I¡¯m a user, I can¡¯t escape from their control.¡± DIO¡¯s system was created by the Union, one of the strongest forces in the physical world, and Jenica, the Empress of Magic, who realized and attained the extremes of magic and was said to be just as powerful as a Demon King. Obviously, from the DIO operators¡¯ point of view, there were countless ways to control users. It was only due to the existence of the Pan-Cosmic Rights Group, the Peacemakers and the existence of Union Law that the Noblesse couldn¡¯t do something reckless, but if the Noblesse really decided to go crazy, they could turn all users into puppets and use them as they pleased. Moreover, the truly terrifying thing about DIO was that, once a user developed through DIO¡¯s user training system, even if one reached the transcendent realm, one belonged to the system. As long as DIO continued its operation, the Union would continue to receive a constant supply of faithful transcendents who were specialized in combat and who wouldn¡¯t betray or change their affiliation. ¡°Hey, wait a minute! Stop pretending to be so happy and tell me what¡¯s really going on! Don¡¯t you know I can¡¯t understand what the situation is? Where the heck am I? Also, I¡¯m a seven-tailed fox, so why do I only have six tails? Moreover, my body had grown and developed, but I¡¯m a kid again!¡± Miho, who was carefully examining the atmosphere, screamed aloud when she saw her chance to get a few words in. Considering that she originally possessed a cheerful and outspoken personality, she had been quite patient. ¡°Oh, sorry. What do you last remember?¡± ¡°What do I last remember? I got my seventh tail and lost consciousness¡­¡± At her words, Yongno remembered what Miho looked like when she died. She awakened her Jeweled Magic Eye and became a Seven Tailed Fox, but she died from her fatal injuries and sudden, excessive growth. ¡°I liked you quite a lot.¡± Those were Miho¡¯s last words. Shortly thereafter, she died, and [Yongno], who was a coward at that point, gave control of his in-game body over to [Merlin] and hid deep in the recesses of his own heart. This sadness was a situation that ordinary people would not understand or be able to comprehend, as it was an Irregular¡¯s mild (?) mental illness, like depression, but now, as his two selves reconciled and became one true self, there would be no such recurrence of that sort of mental illness as long as Yongno didn¡¯t want it. ¡°Ah, I remember that moment, too. You confessed your love for me¡­¡± ¡°W-what, what are you talking about¡­ are you a fool? Do you want to die!¡± Bam! With a blushed face, Miho violently swung her fists, but Yongno easily avoided her attacks. It was only natural that he, who was also an internal energy user on Earth, was able to avoid an ordinary being¡¯s swinging fist; being hit by such an attack was as improbable as a running cheetah being beaten in a race by a sloth. ¡°Well, anyway, I guess I need to explain to you what¡¯s been going on. You¡­¡± Bam! ¡°Bro! Things are crazy out there! Do you know what¡¯s going on right now¡­ huh? Who¡¯s that?¡± At that moment, the door busted open and Youngmin ran in, but he soon stopped when he saw a face he had never seen before. Yongno asked Youngmin what was going on with an expressionless face. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°The mother of a Master named Arthur was murdered by a Japanese right-wing group. The media is buzzing right now.¡± Arthur was one of only three people in the world who were part of the Heaven above the Heavens. Arthur was a righteous and kind person, beloved by everyone, and he was a world-class hero who was respected even by those who didn¡¯t even know where Korea was located. ¡°That¡¯s crazy talk. Why would they harm a Master¡¯s family member when he went there to help that country. International relations between Korea and Japan would be ruined forever if that ever happened.¡± Youngmin shook his head after seeing Yongno¡¯s exasperated expression. ¡°International relations are not the problem right now, bro.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± There was no way that Yongno could fully grasp or imagine Seyoung¡¯s current, changed psychological state. Of course, he knew that Seyoung was a filial son who cared deeply for his mother, so he knew that Seyoung would be very sad and resent Japan if his mother was hurt or killed, but Yongno thought that it would only be to that extent. However, Seyoung¡¯s anger was already beyond Yongno¡¯s wildest expectations. Moreover, Seyoung was not ordinary. Like Yongno in the past, Seyoung also lived a life wherein he was treated differently for being different. While Yongno chose to abandon his lingering feelings for humans after being abandoned by his parents, Seyoung lived a brighter and more enthusiastic life with the support of Hye-ran¡¯s constant love. To Seyoung, Hye-ran was the sole reason for living in the world. CH 231 ¡°Arthur declared war on Japan. He stated that he will punish everyone involved in his mother¡¯s death, even to the smallest involvement.¡± ¡°¡­ So?¡± Looking at Yongno¡¯s hardened expression, Youngmin said. ¡°More than a thousand people have already died.¡± *** ¡°Why did you do that?¡± The Persian cat on the desk calmly spoke out in a human language. With black fur and impressive golden eyes, the being had a cuteness similar to that of a Persian cat. The being had an appearance that most young girls would like, but the fact was that the cat, Melton, was one of the strongest transcendents of the Prajna species, and was stronger than any of the Grand Masters of DIO¡¯s Holy Lands. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Arthur. Why did you let him implode? He was a guy who could have improved and constantly developed, but now he¡¯s all messed up in the head!¡± Melton knew that Tan was involved in Hye-ran¡¯s death. Of course, he had no evidence of this fact, since Tan never handled things sloppily. However, as a result of working under Tan for a long time, Melton knew Tan¡¯s way of working, so Melton was convinced of Tan¡¯s involvement after reviewing the information of Hye-ran¡¯s last moments before her death by heart attack. ¡°That¡¯s exactly the reason why.¡± ¡°So¡­ you took action because you knew he¡¯d develop further?¡± ¡°Yes. To use the users properly, they need to be at a level just below that of a transcendent. The higher the level, the less control I¡¯ll have of them. Really, this user development system is truly amazing. The Irregulars I¡¯ve seen in my life have always been broken and useless existences, but they are showing amazing results in this system.¡± Instead of denying having a hand in Hye-ran¡¯s death, Tan confirmed his participation outright. This forthrightness made Melton make an absurd expression. ¡°Even so, they¡¯re all under our control anyway. The main purpose of this project is not to acquire a group of slaves, but to increase our collective power. Besides, how strong could they become if they get stronger?¡± ¡°You¡¯re very ignorant in these matters, aren¡¯t you? They probably wouldn¡¯t have become a Jesus superstar or a monster like Buddha, but remember that the Empress of Magic, Jenica, and the human god Milleion were also human beings. With the help of the system, the Irregulars were developing too fast.¡± ¡°Tan¡­¡± Melton gritted his teeth in disapproval, but he said nothing more. It was because Melton realized that Tan was not in a good mood. ¡®Is it because of the Empress of Magic?¡¯ Although Tan had partnered with a Demon King to eliminate Jenica and take control over DIO, Tan had been unable to take full control over the mainframe system that Jenica had dealt with while leading the operation of DIO. It wasn¡¯t as though Jenica was still operating the existing system¡¯s defensive firewalls and barriers; the defensive firewalls and barriers that were in place when she was forced out remained. However, no matter what the Noblesse did, they couldn¡¯t break through these firewalls and barriers, which illustrated the huge skill gap between the Noblesse and the Empress of Magic. This reality was a thorn in Tan¡¯s side, as he was always proud of the draconic species¡¯ supremacy over other species. Hence, Tan always felt humiliated by this failure. ¡°Well, this is the only plan of mine that worked out as planned recently. Anyway, now that he¡¯s out of the picture, only Merlin and Cruze are left.¡± ¡°Are you going to go to work on them too?¡± ¡°Of course. You mentioned that I ruined Arthur¡­ but you never know if it would have taken him several more decades to reach the transcendent realm based on his current trajectory. What I provided him is some stress, and stress is necessary for growth.¡± As illustrated in the case of Aung Nina, who reached Level 14 due to the pressure she faced from the Chinese government and through her personal agony of experiencing ethnic conflict, most trials and stresses that do not destroy someone usually made one stronger. Because of this, Tan started his plan of stimulating the development of the largely unmotivated users with various stressors; in essence, he was trying to light a fire under the users to get them to either fall to the wayside or develop. Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Is that why you sent down the seven tailed fox, Miho?¡± ¡°That guy was so shocked from the seven tailed fox¡¯s death that his entire personality changed. Besides, he¡¯s also a mage, so he¡¯ll be able to see the true state of her being. Since her body was ¡®returned¡¯, the seven tailed fox, no, a six tailed fox now¡­ anyway, he¡¯ll realize the fact that she can no longer be resurrected.¡± The restraints the Noblesse faced from meddling in Earth¡¯s affairs were much stronger and expansive than what Yongno suspected. Currently, the Noblesse were forbidden from [looking down] on Earth using their spiritual powers. They knew about Arthur¡¯s situation in real time thanks to the body camera Arthur wore, which Arthur had consented to in the past. Moreover, the Noblesse were able to still enjoy global influence on Earth because of the Noblesse employees and the communication network they had already established. ¡®Of course, mind-controlling the ruling class of humans was the simplest approach.¡¯ However, as Yongno had already experienced, all types of mind control spells had been blocked by the interference of the Nether World, which oversaw order and balance. This begged the question, if the Noblesse couldn¡¯t even look down on Earth, how were they still able to meddle in Earth¡¯s worldly affairs? Even though running interference using supernatural abilities was impossible, the Noblesse¡¯s influence on Earth was still enormous. Dynamic Island Online, DIO, was known all over the world, and the money the Noblesse earned was astronomical. In addition, because of the necessity of sensors and blockers to fight against the attacking aliens and to keep Masters in check, politicians and rulers in each country did not dare to go against the Noblesse. ¡®Besides, humans are stupid. A few words are enough to deceive and to stir things up.¡¯ It was true that the Japanese extreme rightists, who were infamous for being detested even by Japanese people, did a lot of crazy things, but without Tan¡¯s influence and urging, they would not have dared to undertake such a large scandal. After spreading various rumors of how the Heaven above the Heavens were able to get to where they were after individually partnering with the Noblesse, the illusion that the Heaven above the Heavens members were enjoying their position due to this secretive relationship became a rallying point for the Japanese far-right group. Tan had planted this seed of doubt in their minds, and the far-right group had taken action from there. ¡°What about Cruze?¡± ¡°She¡¯s so low-level that it¡¯s a bit difficult to motivate her through stressors. Outside of her relatively low level, her ability is very limited¡­ the firepower she can exhibit is good, but she¡¯s just a being who is limited to the level of scientific weapons, right?¡± Those who were below her weapon¡¯s Stage of Civilization were terrified of her ability, but from the point of view of the Noblesse, who operated on a much grander stage, the great universe of transcendents, her ability to produce and implement weapons was ambiguous at best. Case in point, the most powerful antimatter cannons that she could materialize were just standard armaments of the Noblesse¡¯s medium and large-sized battleships. ¡°That¡¯s certainly true. In the first place, I had my doubts on whether she could even reach the transcendent realm with such an ability.¡± Melton nodded his head in agreement. However, from the point of view of the people on Earth, even this ¡®ambiguous¡¯ ability presented a tremendous threat. The Master¡¯s only weakness was that the time limit of their manifestation was only one hour; however, if someone could create an antimatter cannon in that hour, the destruction one could cause would be catastrophic, comparable to multiple nuclear explosions. Because of this, various secretive national organizations, who constantly collected information on her from other Masters, were secretly moving to capture and contain her. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll stop here for now. Surely, you¡¯re not going to hold a grudge against me for ruining Arthur¡¯s potential, right?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far¡­ but it¡¯s a shame. I was personally looking forward to what he would become.¡± ¡°Good. Anyway, you should leave. I¡¯m behind on my work.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Melton nodded his head, turned around, and jumped off Tan¡¯s desk. And after leaving Tan¡¯s room, Melton turned his head slightly to look behind him. ¡®It feels like something¡¯s out of place.¡± However, unlike Tan, one of the elder members of Noblesse, Melton was only an employee, so there was nothing more he could do. Melton and Tan were in the same boat anyway, so Melton had to wish Tan well. ¡°Hmm, but why am I constantly sighing¡­¡± The black-haired Persian cat returned to his station, while an artificial dreary autumn wind, which Melton conjured, brushed over his luxurious hair. It was time for Melton to continue his efforts in bringing down the firewalls and barriers of the DIO¡¯s defense system. *** Seyoung, no, Arthur, visited NNK, a famous Japanese broadcasting company, about six hours after he found out that his mother had been abducted. After receiving Yusei¡¯s call, the Japanese government mobilized a large-scale police force to find Seyoung¡¯s mother, but in the end, the government¡¯s efforts produced no results. With the Noblesse¡¯s consent, Arthur pulled out the memory chip on his body camera, which was permanently attached to his clothes, cut and edited the footage of Hye-ran¡¯s kidnapping to the scene of Hye-ran¡¯s death, and stored this video file separately on a separate USB. ¡°Ahh! Aren¡¯t you a member of the Heaven above the Heavens?¡± ¡°Oh! Oh my god! I¡¯m such a huge fan!¡± ¡°Oh my God, I¡¯m seeing Arthur in real life!¡± ¡°You¡¯re so handsome!¡± The far-right groups shouted slogans such as [Get the cockroaches and Arthur out of Japan!], but the general public¡¯s sentiment was much more favorable toward Arthur. Actually, Arthur was quite popular in Japan. Arthur was a kind of superhero who saved countless people in addition to looking handsome, so he had a good image even among the Japanese people. It was to the point that he had been slated to shoot various commercials on behalf of various Japanese corporations during his visit. However, there were many Japanese politicians who took advantage of anti-Korean sentiment or people who unconditionally hated Koreans to slander Arthur, but this was a very small minority, and furthermore, most of this happened only on the Internet, so Arthur¡¯s overall image was not bad. ¡°Don¡¯t be welcoming. I might soon do something to you that you won¡¯t enjoy.¡± ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± At the announcer¡¯s puzzled look, Arthur gave a bitter smile. What did this announcer ever do wrong? She was just a person who was born in Japan. However¡­ Boom! Crack! When Arthur lightly waved his hand, tremendous shockwaves shook the broadcasting station¡¯s building. The desks around him were pulverized, and a clear crack was visible under Arthur¡¯s feet. CH 232 ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± The announcer, who had spoken to Arthur moments ago with a bright smile across her face, was frightened by the sudden rumbling and destruction, and when Arthur passed her by and released his shockwave, she soon passed out and collapsed. Since the shockwave passed through her body, which was strong enough to make a building with dozens of floors creak and crack, her body had instantly shut down. It was a feeling like someone bungee jumping for the first time; a sudden rush that overwhelmed one¡¯s senses and caused one¡¯s body to shut down. ¡°Where is the live broadcast team?¡± ¡°Oh, Arthur? Have you manifested? Manifesting and attacking civilians will be condemned by the world¡­¡± Arthur stretched his hand out toward the wall behind the middle-aged man. Whoosh! The thick wall behind the man was cut in a round shape, like a cake. Pedestrians screamed and scattered in all directions as building debris rained down on the street level of the building. Arthur laughed. ¡°Do you know what the Bursting Sword Light¡¯s First Step is?¡± ¡°T-thousand Light¡­¡± Arthur was a world-famous Master, so there was a mountain of footage of Arthur¡¯s battles, so it was very easy to access and review Arthur¡¯s fighting style. In fact, since videos of Arthur¡¯s swordsmanship and summoning techniques often appeared in documentaries, news, and entertainment programs, even the general public was well aware of Arthur''s destructive powers. ¡°If you make me repeat my words one more time, you¡¯ll soon experience such an attack.¡± Arthur spoke calmly. Ishimawa, the director of NNK, knew all too well the power behind Arthur¡¯s Thousand Light attack. If such an attack exploded inside a building, especially in a high-rise building like NNK¡¯s headquarters, there would only be a handful of survivors at best. ¡°¡­ What do you want?¡± ¡°Announce that there¡¯s been an emergency and release this video. After that, I¡¯ll speak to your viewers myself. If you do as I instruct, you won¡¯t be harmed. Today¡¯s broadcast will cause an uproar in Japan and the entire world, so you can be assured that you¡¯ll get high viewer ratings.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be foolish. Even if you are the strongest Master, you can¡¯t deal with an entire country, especially when you have a manifestation time limit.¡± ¡°Time limit¡­ Hahaha.¡± Arthur gave a bitter laugh. The director was wrong. Arthur was no longer limited by any time limit. To be precise, there was still a time limit of one hour for a Master¡¯s manifestation, but Arthur had reached the state of transcendence, so he was now free from all restrictions of the world. Transcendents, who understood the essence of the world and could freely use that power, could freely exert that power even on Earth, even though spiritual pathways weren¡¯t present. ¡°Stop talking nonsense and hurry up.¡± And after a while, NNK stopped all its broadcasting activities and aired one video. /[Oh, I haven¡¯t finished eating yet, but you¡¯ve already connected with me. Why are you in such a hurry?]/ The video began with a large man eating his food while sitting next to a bound woman. The point of view was in first person. This was because the camera footage came from the body camera that was installed on Arthur¡¯s jacket. At first, the viewers were confused as to what they were watching, but it wasn¡¯t difficult to infer what type of situation was unfolding after overhearing Arthur and Kenichi¡¯s conversation. And, of course, the video showed Hye-ran¡¯s death and the subsequent slaughter that Arthur rained down on the responsible party. /[I will seek revenge on the world that hurt you¡­]/ The video ended with a chilling voice full of hatred. The hatred was so palpable that even those who had not awakened their spiritual powers felt chills running down their spine. Arthur¡¯s voice rang out from restaurants, private homes, and even from the TVs installed on various public streets. ¡°There will be no further explanation.¡± The screen transitioned, and soon, Arthur appeared in a neat suit. Although he was dressed no different than usual, those who knew him well would have instantly felt a sense of incongruity. His eyes, always filled with gentleness and compassion, were as cold as those of an inanimate doll. ¡°I intend to punish all those who were involved in the murder of my mother, who supposedly acted to serve the Japanese Empire. This is why I am warning all of you¡­¡± Arthur¡¯s voice, which had been calm, became increasingly harsh and rugged. As if a beast was growling with killing intent, Arthur spoke forcefully while his eyes sparkled with a tinge of madness. ¡°Don¡¯t get in my way. Don¡¯t interfere. Bow your heads and prostrate. Be thankful that you are not the targets, dumb monkeys.¡± The madness in his eyes was palpable as he spoke coldly. Because of this, everyone watching TV judged that Arthur had lost his temper, but the truth was that Arthur was more sober than ever. His words made his goals clear. Rather than simply confronting the whole of Japan as an enemy, he was planning on confronting the Japanese far-right groups. He was also issuing a final warning. It was a warning that if one covered up for his enemies, one would also be deemed an enemy. ¡°¡­ Having said this, I¡¯m sure some people will think I¡¯m joking, right?¡± When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Arthur gave a sinister smile and approached the cameraman who was filming him. And at the same time, the screen changed. Bam! The place he arrived at was a high-end office with a large picture of a man¡¯s face on one side of the wall. It was a five-story building, and there were a lot of stout, burly men within the building. ¡°Hey, where is this place?¡± The cameraman realized that he had moved to a completely different space; they had teleported. Arthur answered the cameraman¡¯s question. ¡°The yakuza office of the Sumiyoshigai, those who were responsible for killing my mother. Of course, most of these guys don¡¯t even know what they¡¯ve done.¡± Japan¡¯s far-right groups generally had close ties with the Japanese yakuza. This was why, when yakuza members retired, they usually took on advisory positions for far-right groups. The reason why ordinary people referred to the yakuza as ¡®patriotic cosplayers¡¯ was because the yakuza harassed people and wielded violence in the name of national patriotism. Of course, the Sumiyoshigai intended to hide their connection to the incident, but there was nothing that Arthur, who had essentially become a transcendent, couldn¡¯t find out. This was because, upon reaching the transcendent level, he gained various powers that he couldn¡¯t have even imagined before, such as his Body of Light and Eyes of Light. As a summoner and swordsman, Arthur was able to send his internal energy into a sub-space to examine a specific section. The reason why he appeared on TV and acted openly was because he wanted to warn the whole of Japan of what was to happen, but he also wanted to find out who was behind his mother¡¯s death by looking at how people reacted to what he said and did. By seeing how people reacted, Arthur was able to understand the intentions and inner feelings of the viewers; thus, he was able to reverse engineer and deduce who played a hand in his mother¡¯s death. ¡°What are you¡­ trying to do?¡± ¡°If you want to know, focus and start filming.¡± Whoosh! As Arthur walked forward and stretched out his right hand, Dustin, Arthur¡¯s draconic sword, appeared. Normally, Dustin would have said something, but after reading Arthur¡¯s heart and aura, Dustin silently fulfilled his role as a weapon. ¡°Take a good look. And always remember.¡± Looking at the camera, Arthur laughed maniacally. For those who knew him, this was an unimaginable scene. ¡°You will all crawl on the ground like dogs and die.¡± *** ¡°This is¡­ really messed up.¡± Yongno groaned after finding out all the circumstances behind Hye-ran¡¯s death and even watched the video broadcast that was broadcasted all over Japan. ¡°What do you think, bro? Will the pressure on Masters intensify from now on? After successfully arresting a few criminal Masters, public opinion seems to be leaning on the side of having the state reign in and control Masters.¡± As Youngmin said, there had been several national attempts to control Masters. If a Master had been able to exert his or her power 24 hours a day, the situation would have been a bit different, but even a Master who could destroy an entire army and massacre thousands or tens of thousands of people at once was just an ordinary person after his or her manifestation period was over. Even Masters had no choice but to worry about their personal safety after being released from their manifestation, so nation states sought to control Masters; beings who were essentially strategic weapons. ¡°No, in this case, it may rather be the opposite. The public sentiment towards Masters may become unfavorable, but¡­ on the other hand, nations may have to serve the Masters rather than the other way around.¡± ¡°Why? Right now, the Japanese government is meeting to establish countermeasures¡­ there are protests in Korea¡­ the atmosphere is weird and unsettling. They seem to be thinking about sniping Masters by mobilizing special forces¡­ even if it¡¯s Arthur, he can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Arthur has reached the level of transcendence.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Really?¡± Not only Youngmin, but also Eunhye, who had been quietly listening, spoke out in surprise. This was because both knew, all too well, the powerful force that a transcend could wield. CH 233 ¡°Won¡¯t the nation of Japan be on the brink of collapse if things go wrong? If Arthur has the same strength and power as the Grand Master dragons we saw in the last mission, then wouldn¡¯t he end up destroying the entire country¡­¡± ¡°But even if he¡¯s reached the transcendent realm, once his manifestation period is over, he¡¯ll return to being a normal human being. Even if Arthur is serious about his pursuits, once his manifestation period is over, he¡¯ll become vulnerable¡­¡± Seeing Youngmin and Eunhye, who had become quite close, talking alternately, Yongno suddenly fell into thought. ¡®Something has changed about Eunhye. She¡¯s become strangely active and lively. She doesn¡¯t feel like an entirely different person, but still, she¡¯s acting a bit strange and different than normal¡­¡¯ But then, Miho, who was sitting on the sofa watching TV while sipping on a drink, intervened. ¡°Wait a minute. If one becomes a transcendent who has realized the extremes of martial arts, won¡¯t one have basic mana control abilities? Then, can¡¯t one use one¡¯s abilities as much as one wants, even in this damn world?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± For a moment, Youngmin and Eunhye hesitated and remained silent. Both knew about transcendents and how basic mana control ability was essential for a being to utilize strong qi and ultimate magic power, so they quickly realized what Miho was getting at. They had been too focused on the restrictions of manifestation that they had overlooked a simple fact; a transcendent wasn¡¯t limited to the same restrictions that everyday users on Earth faced. Yongno nodded his head. ¡°¡­ That¡¯s right. Arthur entered Level 20 and gained absolute power, so he no longer needs to rely on manifestation to actualize his powers and abilities on Earth. No matter what humankind throws at him, he probably won¡¯t face harm.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re also Level 19, right bro? Even a girl like Cruze is at a fairly high level. Wouldn¡¯t Arthur face some difficulty if a large number of users gathered together to stop him?¡± Hearing Youngmin¡¯s question, Yongno shook his head and continued his explanation. ¡°If Level 10 and Level 9 is the difference between a human and a monkey¡­ then Level 20 and Level 19 is the difference between a god and a mortal human. I don¡¯t know how he did it, but in the end, Arthur became a low rank god. Of course, I¡¯m not weak either, and combat is affected by many complex factors, so I wouldn¡¯t quite say that he¡¯s invincible.¡± Suddenly, Yongno smiled. ¡°Anyway, why would I risk my life to help Japan when there¡¯s only a slim chance of success?¡± From Yongno¡¯s perspective, this current situation was something that the nation of Japan had to deal with themselves, as they had brought it upon themselves. Of course, Arthur¡¯s revenge, as he¡¯d probably kill thousands or tens of thousands of people for the death of one life, was obviously excessive, so it would probably be prudent if Arthur didn¡¯t take such extreme action, but apart from that thought, Yongno didn¡¯t see the reason or feel the responsibility to save the lives of other people, especially those who had nothing to do with him. ¡®What can I do when I can¡¯t even be assured of taking care of the few people that I care about most¡­¡¯ Only good people like Arthur would fight for everyone¡¯s happiness and well-being. Now that Arthur had gone half-mad, who¡¯d be able to stop him? ¡°Well¡­ then, bro¡­ are you just going to leave it like this?¡± ¡°Of course. More than anything, Arthur seems to be in a half-crazed state of mind, so if I move without a firm plan, my actions will actually bring out the opposite effect, so I have no choice but to wait and see what he¡¯ll do.¡± ¡°Well, in the first place, I guess you aren¡¯t the kind of person who would help others who you aren¡¯t affiliated with ¡­ Ugh. If this had happened in my world, the Keepers would have mobilized and dealt with someone like Arthur, but there¡¯s no such safety net in this world, so if a powerful being emerges, the entire humankind of this planet is in danger of becoming extinct.¡± ¡°Keepers?¡± Youngmin shrugged as Yongno repeated the unfamiliar term that Youngmin used. ¡°Superficially, on the surface, my world is like Earth, but my world possesses many existences with supernatural powers. However, because the [use] of one¡¯s supernatural powers could wreak havoc on the entire world, my world created overarching agencies to enforce a set of laws. The Keepers were one of those enforcement forces.¡± ¡°That¡¯s interesting. If people have such powers, why do they keep it hidden?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think I heard that it¡¯s because of extraterrestrial beings.¡± Right after Youngmin said this, the satellite phone in Yongno¡¯s hand rang. It was a government lawyer that was assigned to Yongno to protect the government and Yongno while he conducted his Master duties. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± [I¡¯ve been contacted by the Korean Blue House. I¡¯ve been notified that there¡¯s been a request for a joint operation with Japan.] ¡°Please tell them that I¡¯m not interested in participating.¡± [Huh? However, the Japanese government said that the compensation would be 5 billion yen¡­] Yongno¡¯s lawyer was taken aback by Yongno¡¯s instant refusal. ¡°My life is worth more than that. Anyway, goodbye.¡± Yongno hung up on the call and turned around. When he looked at Miho, he saw a white-haired girl who couldn¡¯t take her eyes off the TV as if she was possessed by some sort of magical device. ¡°What? Why are you staring at me?¡± ¡°I was wondering¡­ if an NPC accesses DIO, is that NPC then a user?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Miho was thoroughly confused, as she didn¡¯t understand what Yongno was saying; while seeing Miho in such a state, Yongno picked up a DIO connector. The fact that she appeared on Earth like this meant that the Noblesse were planning on interfering with him in some way, so Yongno decided to try various experiments as much as possible. ¡°Let¡¯s connect.¡± ¡°Eek! Hey, bro. Japan is in turmoil, no? Moreover, interview requests are flooding in.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Yongno smiled and put a pair of earphones in Miho¡¯s ears. Youngmin sighed at Yongno¡¯s determined attitude, but Youngmin soon gave up and put on his earphones as well. Back in his world, Youngmin had always trained in real life, not through a game like DIO. However, in this world, the only place where Youngmin could train was in DIO, so every opportunity to log onto DIO was important. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Huh? What? No, wait¡­ let me just finish watching this show¡­¡± Miho, who was complaining, lost consciousness mid-sentence. This was a common phenomenon when users accessed DIO. Yongno nodded his head and logged on as well, followed by Eunhye and Youngmin. Of course, Yongno¡¯s house had various security measures in place so that he¡¯d be safe while logging on to DIO. ¡°He declined.¡± ¡°That damn little bastard¡­ I should have used force to bind him to the state.¡± The Korean ruling party¡¯s highest ranking official, Lee Myung-Hak, who had attempted to contact Yongno and make Yongno participate in the joint operation, grinded his teeth. Unexpectedly, he had a very anxious look on his face. ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped. Pick a few Masters who¡¯ll follow our orders and send them on their way to participate in the joint operation. If Arthur goes on a rampage, the entire international scene will be thrown into chaos.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Yes, sir.¡± Lee Myung-Hak¡¯s various secretaries began to quickly move, but all sorts of questions remained in their minds and hearts. Since when did their superior care so much about things like the international scene? However, since Lee Myung-Hak had been born in Japan and had a strong pro-Japanese tendency, they guessed that he felt sorry for Japan¡¯s current struggle. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV. In the end, Lee Myung-Hak and the Korean government, at the request of the Japanese government, dispatched several Masters, who had gathered enough gen points to manifest, to Japan. The Japanese government also mobilized their special forces and self-defense military forces immediately after announcing and labeling Arthur as a despicable and brutal murderer. Though Arthur was widely known as a member of the Heaven above the Heavens, the Japanese government thought that Arthur was still limited by the manifestation time limit, so, even if Arthur went on a rampage, they felt that they¡¯d be able to eventually contain and defeat Arthur by mobilizing their forces. However¡­ The Japanese special forces were completely destroyed¡­ The joint operation Masters, Korean and Japanese, were subdued and killed¡­ And finally, the two corps of self-defense military forces, which had been put on wartime alert, were annihilated in five minutes. Arthur, who had reached the transcendent realm, was no different from a god in a 3rd Stage of Civilization world. Even if one launched thousands of nuclear bombs at him, one wouldn¡¯t even be able to dirty Arthur¡¯s collar, let alone hurt him. How could one attack such a god? Once he became a transcendent being, Arthur was free from the limitations of the manifestation time limit, which everyone considered a Master¡¯s critical weakness. Having obtained basic mana control ability, Arthur could wield infinite power, regardless of the surrounding environment. Because of this, 16 hours after Hye-ran was kidnapped and murdered¡­ and 3 hours since Yongno connected to DIO¡­ The nation of Japan was defeated by a single swordsman. CH 234 *** Editor Blade *** The Dream Celestial Dagger, a treasured item that Manbo had given Yongno, gave its user the power to send one¡¯s mind beyond a world while one slept. By using the Dream Celestial Dagger, it was possible for its user to enter another person¡¯s dream, explore the Spirit World, the Celesti, and even the Nether World, which was the world one could enter after one¡¯s death. ¡°Of course, this is my treasured item, and your ability has developed in a completely different direction from my own, so it¡¯s impossible to fully use all the functions of this dagger. However, if you try to enter a world that you¡¯ve regularly entered, you can seep into it without much difficulty.¡± ¡°A world I¡¯ve regularly entered?¡± ¡°Yes, like Dynamic Island.¡± The Noblesse had already completed the foundational DIO connection network systems on Earth, so a user¡¯s individual DIO connector was nothing more than a trigger, a switch that connected a user to DIO. However, the process of sending one¡¯s spirit to the outside world by uttering a single magic-pattern keyword was a magic achievement that even great mages would find extraordinary. ¡®This is a very peculiar sensation. Like the absence of a remote control¡­ right, if the DIO connector gave me the sensation that I was turning a TV on with a remote control, this feeling is closer to turning a TV on manually.¡¯ When Yongno sent his spirit high into the sky, he detected a spiritual force field covering the entire Earth. Millions of spirits were soaring into the spiritual force field, which looked like a huge funnel that had been turned upside down. The wandering spirits, which didn¡¯t seem cognizant of their surroundings or existence, were users who were accessing DIO right at this moment. ¡®But¡­ wait. If I do it this way, I can¡¯t get far, right?¡¯ While wondering what he should do, Yongno soared higher into the sky. It was difficult to control one¡¯s own body in the spirit state, but, guided by the power of spiritual force field, Yongno found himself sucked in and then flung out of Earth¡¯s atmosphere and into the wider expanse of outer space. Since he was no longer in a solid state, as Yongno took on the state of a spirit being, the speed at which he moved was frighteningly quick. Since his material state was no longer confined and restricted to the laws of nature, speed was no longer throttled. ¡®The moon¡­ I see, Dynamic Island isn¡¯t a program but a real material space. It¡¯s just that DIO is free to transform into whatever it needs to be because it¡¯s a space filled with magic materials.¡¯ Surprisingly, the spiritual force field efficiently funneled the spirit bodies to the far side of the moon. On the far side of the moon, which was a curved space with countless craters and mountains due to the collision of many asteroids and meteors over the course of billions of years, there was a huge rectangular golden object. The outer surface gleamed with a golden color, as if it was a gigantic gold bar that had been cut in half. The golden object was 3,000 kilometers long, 1,000 kilometers wide, and 100 kilometers tall. The size of the golden object was larger than most countries on Earth. Whoosh. The object¡¯s golden surface was permeable for spiritual bodies, as Yongno observed spiritual bodies easily penetrating the object¡¯s surface and entering within. The golden object seemed extremely hard, so even if it was hit by a meteor or any other physical object, it probably wouldn¡¯t even be scratched. Moreover, the object had various spiritual-powered defensive layers, which seemed to protect it against outside spiritual interference. Only the spirit bodies, which were preapproved, seemed to be able to enter the object without any difficulty. And once Yongno had entered the object¡­ ¡®This is amazing.¡¯ Yongno arrived in front of a gigantic mountain of jewels, which extended as far in each direction as the eye could see. Yongno knew the mountain¡¯s true identity. The jewels were commonly used by users in the form of gem points; they were treasured items called Anyform Stones. Anyform Stones, also called Chintamani, could create any shape and take on any characteristic. It was an extremely rare resource that was not commonly found in the entire universe; moreover, Anyform Stones were an essential material for making Transcendent Weapons. The amount of Anyform Stones that Yongno saw in front of him illustrated just how powerful the Noblesse were. ¡®In other words, a large part of DIO¡¯s world is made from these Anyform Stones.¡¯ The bodies of users, the bodies of monsters, some items of S-class or higher, flying shuttles, the DIO stat systems, Master Skills, and even Master Weapons¡­ Unlike Illusion, the name of the first user training system which was backed, supported, and operated by the highest-level gods in the universe, DIO operated with the backing power of Anyform Stones. Without Anyform Stones, DIO wouldn¡¯t have existed. This was also the reason that the Empress of Magic, Jenica, who largely operated as an independent existence, partnered with the Union. ¡®However, it¡¯s not a consumable, so it¡¯s likely that the Anyform Stones are constantly being rented out for various different purposes and uses.¡¯ As Yongno approached the mountain of Anyform Stones with these various thoughts running through his mind, a jewel the size of his head flew in front of him. Considering that the other users¡¯ Anyform Stones were only the size of a human¡¯s thumb at best, Yongno could easily tell that a considerable number of resources were being allocated to his DIO character¡¯s existence. Bam! The large Anyform Stone instantly grew and transformed into the figure of Merlin, a mage wearing a red robe and a wide-brimmed hat. Then, a magic circle rose, and the background changed. ¡°Log in.¡± Merlin looked around curiously inside the housing unit he had purchased within DIO. The login process he had just undergone was almost, no, exactly the same as a regular login. The only difference was that he could directly feel the process¡­ ¡®So, it¡¯s true that the Noblesse won¡¯t know that I logged in.¡¯ Merlin¡¯s movements wouldn¡¯t be recorded in DIO¡¯s system if he didn¡¯t use the official DIO connector. This meant that he could conduct experiments that he wouldn¡¯t have dared to conduct under the Noblesse¡¯s normal omniscient surveillance system. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡®Hmm, I wonder how Miho and Eunhye are getting along. Youngmin will probably mediate, but I feel like the two are strangely wary of each other¡­¡¯ Merlin shook his head, as if trying to shake off these passing thoughts, and entered deeper into his housing unit. He went into his designated lab space. ¡®I can¡¯t create Pathway to Hell here. I feel like the effect would be maximized if I made it here, but DIO¡¯s system would immediately notice the complete disappearance of a soul.¡¯ The death versus status change of a soul were two completely different issues. Monsters perished in DIO every day, but there was never a case where a soul completely died, and no matter how limited the Noblesse¡¯s control over DIO was, if a soul completely disappeared, the Noblesse would immediately start an investigation. Clunk! Whirl! Merlin entered his lab and turned on several pieces of equipment. His pet, Quiet Heaven, who appeared out of nowhere, approached Merlin while softly flapping its impressive red wings. ¡°Huh? When did you arrive? I didn¡¯t even hear the notification sound that usually rings when you log on.¡± ¡°I logged in using a different channel. Can you keep it a secret? I don¡¯t want any higher ups knowing.¡± Hearing Merlin¡¯s calm explanation, Quiet Heaven was momentarily taken aback. But soon, Quiet Heaven gave out a sigh before stating, ¡°Tsk. You¡¯re smart, but you think too much. I have a contractual relationship with them, but I¡¯m not their subordinate.¡± ¡°Still, it seems like you¡¯re constantly reporting to them.¡± ¡°Reporting? I just made some deals with them, nothing more.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you planning on selling me out?¡± ¡°What? Is that what you thought? Well, I¡¯ve never passed on any useful information to them.¡± Quiet Heaven smirked and turned its head away. Merlin, knowing that Quiet Heaven was feeling embarrassed and somewhat slighted, didn¡¯t ask any further questions. ¡°I accessed DIO through an illegal route. DIO¡¯s system won¡¯t recognize that I¡¯ve logged in, so utilizing the whispering or party recruitment function, or even summoning my Master Weapon, Master Skill, or any Divine object isn¡¯t possible.¡± ¡°You mean you¡¯ve found a way to fool the Noblesse¡¯s eyes? No, wait, apart from that, why do you even have to do that?¡± ¡°Well, obviously, it¡¯s because I¡¯m planning to do something that they won¡¯t appreciate.¡± Saying so, Merlin stepped into a huge cylindrical object. The metal cylinder¡¯s outer and inner surface was covered with all sorts of magic characters. The cylinder was something that Merlin specially commissioned Aidelin, who had reached the level of a Master weapon producer, to build. Once Aidelin completed the cylinder, Merlin had imbued the cylinder with various magic effects. ¡°Huh? Hey, why are you crawling into the extractor? Are you itching to die?¡± Quiet Heaven, who was watching what Merlin was doing, yelled out in fright. The huge cylinder that Merlin was presently within was a device that separated the individual magic materials that magic weapons or minerals were comprised of. An item within the extractor was extracted into its most basic parts, so why was Merlin entering such a dangerous device? ¡°Tsk. Just sit back and observe. Do you really think I¡¯d walk into my own death?¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that you¡¯ll be completely fine?¡± ¡°Well, I guess there is a possibility that I¡¯ll die, but¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s a possibility that you¡¯ll die?!¡± Seeing the bewildered expression Quiet Heaven made, Merlin shrugged his shoulders. ¡°What of it? This body will come back to life if it dies anyway.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ ugh. The utter recklessness and fleetingness of users¡¯ thoughts and conceptualizations of their own lives are becoming more serious day by day. Anyway, let¡¯s see what kind of great experiment you have in mind.¡± Merlin laughed as he saw Quiet Heaven, who was interested in what Merlin was planning to do, plop itself down in front of the extractor. Merlin sat cross-legged in the middle of the extractor and changed his gear to his usual swimming attire. In other words, Merlin took off everything except his underwear. Whirl! When the extractor began to operate, the inner section separated from the outer section and started to rotate. However, since the part of the ground where Merlin was presently seated didn¡¯t rotate, his body wasn¡¯t turning. ¡®Until now, it was only a hypothesis, but now I know for certain. Even if it¡¯s a world created by transcendents¡­ DIO is largely just a magic program. Is it because most of the Noblesse are great mages?¡¯ Of course, there were cases like Lionel, who was a dragon and a Grand Master of martial arts, but existences like him were exceptions rather than the norm. Dragons, who were born with an innate talent for magic, usually walked the path of mages. ¡°Ugh!¡± Suddenly, Merlin groaned aloud. It wasn¡¯t because Merlin felt a sense of pain. Users were beings who did not feel pain. However, when the rotation speed of the extractor reached its peak, the mana that made up Merlin¡¯s body was affected. ¡®I must hold on as much as I can. If my mana and internal energy rotate uncontrollably, the experiment will fail, and I¡¯ll die.¡¯ Mana tended to follow the flow of its surroundings. Just like when one put one¡¯s hand in a bucket full of water and spun one¡¯s hand round and round, even the surrounding, untouched water was swept into the resulting whirlpool and was affected by the surrounding flow of water. Of course, under moderate flow pressure, the mana that users were composed of wouldn¡¯t normally be affected because of the user¡¯s magic resistance stats, but the mana rotation speed of the extractor, with its rotational speed limiter off, was beyond the limits of Merlin¡¯s magic resistance levels. The mana rotation speed within the extractor, which was equipped with special materials and designs and further strengthened with various magic items, continued to gradually increase. If Merlin had been forcefully placed within such an extractor, he would have destroyed it and escaped, but he wasn¡¯t planning on destroying the extractor he spent a lot of time and money on building, especially since this experimentation was something that he voluntarily committed to. CH 235 ¡°This reaction is a bit different than usual¡­ shouldn¡¯t we stop?¡± Knowing that the rotational speed of the extractor should be constant once it reached a certain equilibrium, Quiet Heaven expressed concern when the extractor seemed to constantly increase its rotational speed; however, Merlin shook his head. Since Merlin was focused on other things, he couldn¡¯t afford to answer Quiet Heaven verbally. Ting! In the ever-accelerating extractor, Merlin recalled what happened when he received his Howling Archer [Occupation] title. Merlin, Yongno¡¯s second self, was aware of the existence of bonus stats, but Merlin was surprised to find that his stats rose as soon as he received his occupation as a Howling Archer. Unlike when he raised his ability and skills through training, wherein his stats changed based on how much he developed, when Merlin received the Howling Archer occupation title, his stat window displayed the change ¡®first¡¯, and later his body and spiritual power reflected this stat ¡®change¡¯. Since all users¡¯ bodies were made of a rare resource called Anyform Stones, based on the observed reaction when he received his Howling Archer occupation title, Merlin deduced and realized that users who trained or meditated to increase their mana were essentially raising the quality level of their allocated Anyform Stones; on the other hand, development through the increase of stat points meant that a user was allocated a greater quantity of Anyform Stones. ¡®Of course, it¡¯s probably impossible to separate the Anyform Stones that comprise a user¡¯s body. The main issue is that the DIO system¡¯s protection mechanisms are considerable, and, above all, the shape is fixed.¡¯ If a user¡¯s arm was cut off, the severed arm would remain intact for a while before dispersing into golden smoke. As soon as the Anyform Stone, which could be made into any material, was separated from a user¡¯s body, it turned into a rare-metal, in this case, a gold colored, ¡®pass-through¡¯ material that could easily be transported through space, allowing the material to automatically return to Dynamic Island, where it could be reallocated. We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. Since the Anyform Stone was a precious metal with great value, even the all-powerful Noblesse took a considerable number of precautions to protect this precious resource. If someone really wanted to obtain the Anyform Stone within a user, one would have to create a tremendously large facility where one could trap another¡¯s soul, with no chance of escape, and kill the user within that hermetically sealed-like space. However, since the Noblesse put various protections on their Anyform Stones, in the worst-case scenario, the taken stone would harden and turn into a useless stone, so if one really wanted to steal it, one would have to overwhelmingly surpass the Noblesse¡¯s defenses and skills. However, there was one fluid and freely changing conceptual Anyform Stone. ¡®Bonus stats.¡¯ Of course, the bonus stat allocation of Anyform Stones was a very small amount compared to the overall Anyform Stones that made up a user¡¯s body. Above all, DIO¡¯s system essentially made it so that one would constantly use up one¡¯s bonus stat points once one obtained them, so it wasn¡¯t very practical for a user to be in possession of a substantial number of bonus stat points. However, Merlin¡¯s bonus stat points currently read ¡®2,550 points¡¯. 100 bonus stat points were given at each level increase up to Level 10. From Level 11 to 15, 150 bonus stat points were given for each level increase. From Level 16 and above, 200 bonus stat points were given for each level increase. Merlin was currently a Level 19 user. He received all the bonus stat points he could get before reaching the transcendent realm, and he hadn¡¯t used a single bonus stat point; thus, he had amassed the maximum of 2,550 bonus stat points. Obviously, this was a huge amount. With 2,100 points, let alone the 2,550 that Merlin possessed, one could raise one¡¯s spiritual power from 0 to 600 points in one go. In terms of internal energy, one¡¯s internal energy would increase by 1,550 years in one go. For internal energy users, 1,550 years of increased internal energy equaled an additional 25 cycles and 50 years of internal energy. Once these bonus stat points were added on top of the base stats that a user possessed, one could imagine just how strong users could become through the use of bonus stat points. However, because Yongno didn¡¯t use any of his bonus stat points, Yongno¡¯s stats were considerably lower than Arthur¡¯s when Yongno and Arthur were both Level 19. In terms of stats alone, Yongno was slightly inferior to a general Master. After reaching a certain level, Yongno had focused on developing his internal energy and magic power, so, although his spiritual power was quite high, his other stat areas were quite lacking compared to other users at the various relative levels. If one were to ask how Yongno was able to not fall behind even amid this drastic difference in stats¡­ ¡®Everything that I lacked was shored up with my gear and items.¡¯ Unlike other games, in DIO, there was no stat requirement or limitation to equip gear or use weapons. The only condition was one¡¯s level. Due to this, Yongno had covered his entire body with a lot of reinforced gear items, which recalibrated and upgraded his base stats. Bruce, the rich pay-to-play user, was a walking billboard of the fanciest and most expensive magic items, but even Bruce couldn¡¯t contend against Merlin, the primary producer and exclusive supplier of the most sought out reinforced magic items. Ting! ¡°Ugh!¡± While Merlin was immersed in these various thoughts, the centrifugal pressure the extractor exerted on him was getting stronger. To be precise, it wasn¡¯t pressure. It wasn¡¯t a suppressing power but a form of extraction power that was gathering and forcefully pulling out his spiritual power in a centrifugal process. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°No. I feel like I¡¯m going to die.¡± Merlin was only barely able to open his mouth and offer an answer. He felt no pain. Although there was no pain, there was still a lingering sense and feeling of pain. The feeling of a mighty flow of mana forcibly overturning the power inside one¡¯s body wasn¡¯t a pleasant experience. The influence of the rotation of mana in one¡¯s body was so strong that a great number of ancient martial artists and mages had undergone Qigong Deviation in the past due to runaway mana circulation. ¡®Should I consider myself lucky? The Seven Jewel School and the Golden Pill Immortal Technique¡­ both techniques are rooted in the materialization of mana, so the unity of my mana is relatively strong.¡¯ The rotation kept getting faster and faster. But even so, the reaction Merlin expected didn¡¯t occur. Whoosh! Crack! Instead, a different reaction occurred. Countless cracks formed on his skin, and golden smoke leaked out, as the sound of his bones twisting and breaking started to ring out. When the rotation of mana exceeded a certain level, the rotation of mana began to exert physical force on Merlin¡¯s body, and Merlin¡¯s body, which didn¡¯t possess a particularly high HP, became injured. ¡°Hey! This isn¡¯t right! I¡¯m going to shut this off!¡± ¡°No!¡± When Quiet Heaven was about to move, Merlin yelled out. Merlin then refocused his mind to withstand the barrage of outside interference on his body by concentrating and focusing his spiritual power. And at that moment¡­ Whoosh! A handful of light masses emanated from his damaged skin and gathered in one place according to the flow of the extractor. Quiet Heaven continued to express its doubts. ¡°Huh? What? Why isn¡¯t your blood disappearing?¡± When users bled, the blood normally turned into golden smoke and scattered. The blood would become a ¡®pass-through¡¯ material, with its unique property of leaping through space and returning to its original source. The blood that had just leaked from Merlin¡¯s body turned golden in color, as expected, but it wasn¡¯t converting into the usual pass-through material. ¡°Turn it off!¡± Hearing Merlin¡¯s scream, Quiet Heaven stopped the extractor. At the same time, Merlin, who was sitting in a seated lotus position, quickly escaped from the extractor and let out a breath that he had been holding in. ¡°Ugh! Ack! Damn it. It¡¯s a lot harder than I imagined. I thought it wouldn¡¯t be too bad because of DIO¡¯s pain control system.¡± ¡°Duh! This extractor wasn¡¯t made for people to enter in the first place! Anyway, what the hell is that? Did you have poison or something foreign in your body?¡± Based on his worldview and breadth of understanding, Quiet Heaven could only infer this conclusion after observing the existence of a gathered mass within the extractor. In the first place, Quiet Heaven didn¡¯t possess any special information about users'' bodies other than the knowledge that they weren¡¯t normal. ¡°Dude, think about it. What is extracted from an extractor?¡± ¡°The individual magic ingredients that comprise something.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± While Quiet Heaven was still in a state of confusion, Merlin poured the golden, liquified Anyform Stone into a bottle on one side of his lab. Although it should be in the form of a jewel, the Anyform Stone could be transformed into any material, just like the mystical Philosopher¡¯s Stone that alchemists throughout the ages had dreamed of. ¡®However, unlike the Philosopher¡¯s Stone, this liquified Anyform Stone doesn¡¯t produce energy on its own. No, rather, it consumes energy to recreate a higher-class material.¡¯ This was why users could only manifest for an hour on Earth and why one¡¯s Divine Weapon could only be used for a brief period of time. Outside of Dynamic Island, which was a very special artificial environment, certain conditions and a considerable amount of energy were required to maintain the form and properties of an Anyform Stone. ¡°Ah, I get it! Wow, you masochistic bastard! That¡¯s why you used your own body¡­ to extract its basic magic ingredients¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s head out.¡± Poof! In an instant, the two teleported through space. Even though there was no record of Merlin¡¯s login and access into DIO, Dynamic Island was a space dominated by the Noblesse, so Merlin was mindful to move in a way that left the least trace and fewest number of witnesses as possible. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. I see you¡¯ve brought your bird brain pet as well.¡± Aidelin, who had an impressive mane of white hair and a muscular body that was unlike an old man¡¯s, spoke without looking back. As expected, he was fully focused on his furnace¡¯s burning white flame. ¡°Ah, I told this geezer not to call me a bird brain, but he refuses to listen.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a bird brain because you have a bird brain¡­ What''s the problem? Should I call you horse head?¡± ¡°Ugh, this old man¡­¡± Quiet Heaven muttered curses under its breath. However, Merlin was surprised to see something else. ¡®Oh, this old man, while I wasn¡¯t looking, his skills have improved even more. He¡¯s about as powerful as Aung Nina.¡¯ Unusual energy emanated from the white flames within Aidelin¡¯s furnace. The emanating energy illustrated that Aidelin¡¯s ¡®knowledge¡¯ and ¡®understanding¡¯ of fire had gone beyond the Virtuous Gate (5th Gate), the gate that one reached when one initially became a Master, and had reached the Human Gate (6th Gate). Since Aidelin¡¯s ¡®understanding¡¯ of fire reached the Human Gate, Aidelin could now rule over all lesser concepts of fire, which meant that Aidelin had become a truly powerful figure. ¡°Do you have a lot of back orders?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been focused on training, so I tend to leave the production to my apprentices. I¡¯m only personally producing the most important items.¡± ¡°Like reinforced weapons?¡± Aidelin nodded at Merlin¡¯s words. ¡°Yes, like reinforced weapons. I¡¯ve made so much money because of you that I¡¯m starting to get scared. By the time I die, there¡¯ll be an uproar over inheritance issues amongst my extended family. I make billions of won every time I make a weapon.¡± In the past, Merlin¡¯s reinforced weapons fetched a market price of 100 million to 2 billion won each. The reinforced weapons were created by applying overlapping spells to Beast Metal, which contained a spiritual life form named ¡®Salk¡¯. The performance of these reinforced weapons was incomparable to their conventional counterparts; only a few Divine Weapons and a few S-class weapons could compare. Since DIO was an all-consuming immersion-type game, the amount of money that flowed through the goods market was enormous. Though reinforced weapons were initially just in-game items, they possessed too much value to be ignored as simply ¡®gaming items¡¯ once manifestation became an option. And now that the Noblesse had revealed their identity and aliens had begun to invade Earth¡­ ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped. There are so many people who want to buy such weapons¡­ the going price has jumped more than ten times on average.¡± For example, the +10 Fantasy Magic Sword, which Merlin had made a while ago, was recently resold for a whopping 30 billion won. At this point, no individual could afford to purchase such an item; the astronomical price necessitated the participation of giant corporations or countries. However, the larger problem was the lack of such reinforced weapons. This was because Merlin couldn¡¯t and didn¡¯t want to spend all his time making reinforced weapons. CH 236 For the Heaven above the Heavens, in other words, Arthur, Merlin, and Cruze, manifestation was an inefficient use of time and resources. How many minutes did it take to deal with an invading force of Legion or Grotesque? Definitely not 60 minutes. Due to this, even if the Heaven above the Heavens members took care of their responsibilities in a few minutes, the gem points they consumed would be the same as other users who actively used their entire 60 minutes of manifestation; in other words, the three would be spending their precious gem points and also idly waste the majority of their manifestation period. For the run of the mill Masters, even an hour of manifestation was not enough time to resolve most situations. This was because they couldn¡¯t deal with all the enemy forces at once like the three Heaven above the Heavens users. Moreover, if a manifested Master was killed by the enemy, the country or region the Master was designated to protect would be devastated, so reinforced weapons became an essential item for many Master level users; thus, the market price of reinforced weapons constantly went up. ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s going on with you? Recently, you¡¯ve only been corresponding with me through mail.¡± ¡°This time around, I want you to make something a little special.¡± ¡°Something special?¡± Merlin held out the bottle that held the liquified Anyform Stone to Aidelin, who looked at the bottle with a puzzled expression. Then, once he looked at the bottle a bit more closely, Aidelin spoke out with a tone of surprise. ¡°Is it a metal? No, it¡¯s not a metal. Rather¡­ it¡¯s more like a jewel. A liquid jewel? Can something like this happen? What is this?¡± ¡°I was curious about that, too. It seems like a great treasure when I see how it¡¯s emanating an unknown type of spiritual qi, but¡­ Why did something like that come out of a user¡¯s body? Is it a new type of spiritual core created by the Golden Pill Immortal Technique?¡± Both Quiet Heaven and Aidelin expressed amazement over the liquified Anyform Stone. Although they knew of the existence of mercury, a metal that turned into a liquid at room temperature, they had never heard of a jewel that existed as a liquid at room temperature. However, Merlin was even more surprised when he saw and heard Aidelin¡¯s reaction and response. ¡°You knew that it was a jewel just by looking at it? You have absolutely no basis to know of such things¡­¡± ¡°What a stupid thing to say. I possess the ability to control and understand minerals. I knew the moment I laid my eyes on it.¡± After Aidelin said so, he took the bottle of liquified Anyform Stone that Merlin offered him and measured the amount. There wasn¡¯t that much, at least, not enough to make a complete weapon with. Above all, Aidelin thought, would there be any use in making a weapon from a jewel? ¡°Please make it into a dagger.¡± ¡°A dagger?¡± ¡°Yeah. You can use Beast Metal for the pommel and hilt guard and solidify the liquid I gave you to make the blade. How long will it take?¡± ¡°As for the handle of a dagger of this size¡­ I just so happen to have just a handle on hand, as I¡¯ve made quite a few mockups before for other uses. But¡­ it¡¯s a jewel blade, will it be useful?¡± A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. Merlin looked at the puzzled Aidelin and nodded his head. ¡°It¡¯ll be a magic weapon. It won¡¯t be used to hit and break things. However, make sure to make it sharp. It¡¯ll be used more for stabbing than cutting.¡± ¡°Well, it won¡¯t be difficult to create such a dagger. There¡¯s nothing in particular that¡¯s taking up my time right now, so by tomorrow¡­¡± After speaking up to here, Aidelin paused. Then, he took out his Beholder from his pocket. Since the Beholder¡¯s whisper notification sound was only audible to him, from Merlin¡¯s point of view, it seemed as though Aidelin had suddenly taken out his Beholder. ¡°Ugh, things are a mess outside.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Arthur is turning Japan upside down. Even their military has been defeated, so, for all intents and purposes, Japan is under Arthur¡¯s control. Moreover, he doesn¡¯t seem to be limited by the manifestation time limit.¡± Merlin shrugged his shoulders after hearing Aidelin¡¯s words, which Aidelin mumbled out while looking at his Beholder in amazement. ¡°Well, of course.¡± ¡°Of course?¡± ¡°Because Arthur has reached Level 20.¡± ¡°What? He¡¯s a transcendent being?!¡± Quiet Heaven screamed after hearing Merlin¡¯s calm reply. On the other hand, Aidelin remained silent for a moment before sighing. ¡°I see¡­ He¡¯s been at Level 19 for quite some time, so I guess it¡¯s not a total surprise that he broke through to become a transcendent.¡± ¡°No, wait, what is this old man talking about? What do you mean he¡¯s been in Level 19 for quite a while?! He reached Level 19 not too long ago, you geezer! Even if he is a genius, does it make sense that he¡¯s already become a transcendent?! In such a short period of time?!¡± Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t hide its surprise. Because Quiet Heaven was a practitioner of the Dao, Quiet Heaven knew all too well how difficult it was for one to reach the transcendence realm. Even creatures born with special powers, like the Legendary Serpent, needed to train for a thousand years to become a dragon. But to reach the transcendent realm in a little over half a year, in real time, and less than 10 years in DIO time¡­ Of course, there was DIO¡¯s training room, but since the training room was a special environment with its own limitations, the development one could obtain from such a space was very limited. At most, one could meditate or conduct repetitive training. To realize the extreme meaning of martial arts by only practicing stabbing for a hundred years seemed like something that could be considered worthwhile, but in reality, such training was absurd and virtually impossible for mortal beings to effectively undertake. Although Quiet Heaven shouted out in surprise, Aidelin maintained his cool. He soon spoke out. ¡°Level 20¡­ so, does that mean he¡¯s become an existence as powerful as the Red Dragon I saw before?¡± ¡°Perhaps, even if the whole of humanity unites together, they¡¯ll still be helpless against him.¡± ¡°Hahaha, this game is really scary. It destroyed all order and rules that exist on Earth. It has created a single man so strong that he can bring an entire nation to its knees.¡± With a smile blooming on his face, Aidelin went to go get his equipment. But then, the liquified Anyform Stone in the bottle suddenly disappeared. Poof! Poof! It was an instant. The moment the liquified Anyform Stone disappeared, Merlin teleported one meter backwards. The golden liquified Anyform Stone appeared in the space that Merlin had previously occupied. Merlin quickly opened a defensive barrier and grabbed the liquified Anyform Stone. ¡°Woah! Damn, that was a surprise. If I didn¡¯t react so quickly, I might have needed to go back into the extractor.¡± ¡°¡­ Does this thing¡­ is it some sort of jewel that possesses an ego?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that; it operates under a set of rules that¡¯s set by the DIO system to deal with specific situations and conditions. It seems that it¡¯s not allowed to be away from my body by more than a certain distance. Since this is the case, can I watch you work from the side?¡± ¡°The liquified jewel has all sorts of peculiar qualities¡­ Well, it doesn¡¯t matter to me whether you¡¯re beside me or not.¡± Aidelin received the liquified Anyform Stone that Merlin held out and moved to his workbench. Then, Aidelin turned on the various functions of his workstation contraption, which had all kinds of complicated devices on it, and poured the rebottled liquified Anyform Stone into a substrate. Whoosh! In order to be mixed in with a user¡¯s blood, the Anyform Stone, which had taken the form of a liquid, floated up in the air, as if controlled by an invisible force, and formed into a round ball. After concentrating his mind and opening his chakra, Aidelin asked in passing. ¡°Anyway, is it okay for you to stay here?¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t people expect certain things from you? Right now, even if there¡¯s a difference in level, Arthur and you are tied together as the same kind of user, a Heaven above the Heavens.¡± In fact, Merlin had been asked by the Korean government to stop Arthur. In addition, since Arthur proved that it was possible to overthrow a nation state with individual force, the general populace¡¯s vigilance against and expectations for Merlin would become exponentially greater. Merlin himself didn¡¯t know if he¡¯d ever be able to reach Level 20, but since he was one of the three Heaven above the Heavens members in the eyes of the public, who didn¡¯t know very much outside of knowing that Arthur was immensely powerful, wouldn¡¯t they expect Merlin to reach that power level soon, too? ¡°I don¡¯t care; it¡¯s none of my concern. I have no sense of responsibility to people that I don¡¯t even know, and I¡¯m not a hero who is willing to sacrifice my body in the name of justice. If one makes the only existing hero into a dark hero, one needs to take up that responsibility for oneself.¡± ¡°But it would be unfair to Japan. How can one accept death because of the fault of people that one doesn¡¯t even know of?¡± At Aidelin¡¯s words, Merlin nodded his head. It was a valid statement, but would the current Arthur be moving and thinking logically? If Merlin spoke logically to Arthur and got in his way, he¡¯d have his head cut off, as Arthur was currently exploding with anger at the pain of losing his mother. Besides, Merlin felt the situation was more than what it looked like. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The actions of the Japanese government. Although maddened by rage, Arthur made his goals and objectives crystal clear. He said on the air that he was punishing [those who shouted their loyalty to the Empire of Japan and killed his mother, and everyone who was involved]. However, the Japanese government mobilized their military against Arthur instead of negotiating with him or helping to find the right-wing group in question.¡± ¡°In other words, the Japanese government is behind the murder of his mother?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee that it¡¯s the Japanese government, but it¡¯s common knowledge that there are many lawmakers in Japan who are supported by the extreme right. Of course, this is all just a conjecture on my part.¡± While the two conversed, the liquified Anyform Stone bubbled and transformed, taking the appearance of a blade. Aidelin, while observing this transformation, spoke up. ¡°Special reinforcement will take about three hours from this point. I have to concentrate, so I can¡¯t keep up our small talk.¡± ¡°Please, do what you must do.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to respond so formally¡­¡± Aidelin smiled and closed his eyes, and around him, a heavy and solid force, like a big hunk of reinforced steel, began to descend. Being able to enter a state of high concentration in such a short period of time meant that Aidelin was a very powerful chakra user. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, master, but can I ask you for a favor?¡± Then, as if it had something on his mind, Quiet Heaven, who had been quiet for a while, opened its mouth. Hearing Quiet Heaven¡¯s question, Merlin asked. ¡°A favor? Do you want some custom-made gear?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that. But¡­ if the situation arises, if you ever manifest next to that guy named Arthur, please summon me. There¡¯s something I want to check.¡± Merlin asked with an unusually serious expression. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ uhm, okay. It¡¯s a confidential matter, but I guess it doesn¡¯t matter since you¡¯re not being observed by the Noblesse right now.¡± As Quiet Heaven said this, it flapped its wings, and soon, an aura of red light covered Quiet Heaven and Merlin. It was a communication barrier that prevented internal information from leaking out. CH 237 ¡°In your mind, what kind of existences do you think pets like me are?¡± ¡°I know that you¡¯re not an ordinary NPC.¡± Actually, this wasn¡¯t a secret. Quiet Heaven had often talked about its [contractual] relationship with DIO, understanding of DIO¡¯s broader system, and knowledge about the Noblesse, which Quiet Heaven stated from time to time¡­ all of this meant that Quiet Heaven was not an ordinary NPC but an [external] existence. ¡°Strictly speaking, we also belong to the Noblesse; however, we¡¯re more like a mixed-race species.¡± ¡°Mixed-race species?¡± Quiet Heaven soon responded to Merlin¡¯s question. ¡°You know that the two forces that make up the backbone of the Union are the Elohim and the Noblesse, right?¡± ¡°Sure. I heard that the Elohim are a normal species, like humans, and that the Noblesse are a higher species, like dragons.¡± At Merlin¡¯s explanation, Quiet Heaven nodded its head. ¡°Close enough. The main representative species of the Noblesse are the transcendent species, such as dragons or Prajna, but not all Noblesse are from the same species. In the first place, even if the frequency of entering transcendence is extremely high for the representative transcendent species, the species has a population of less than 30,000 beings in total, so it needs a support base to maintain its position as the backbone of the Union, which represents thousands of trillions of beings.¡± Quiet Heaven¡¯s explanation made Merlin realize that Quiet Heaven was an existence that belonged to that [support base]. Though Quiet Heaven was not from a transcendent species, Quiet Heaven wasn¡¯t from a normal species. Merlin soon asked. ¡°In other words, you¡¯re not a normal species, which are largely insignificant, like humans¡­ but you¡¯re saying that you¡¯re a transcendent species-like being that¡¯s needed to maintain Noblesse?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. That¡¯s why there¡¯s the differentiation of a high-class species and a mixed-race species.¡± After hearing Quiet Heaven¡¯s explanation, a thought suddenly popped into Merlin¡¯s mind. ¡°Higher-class species and mixed-race species¡­ Could it be that higher-class species include existences like elves and dwarves?¡± ¡°Yes. However, elves and dwarves are only one of many species that exist in Panitris; furthermore, the elf and dwarf species are more generally referred to collectively as being part of the fairy species. In addition to them are beings like me, the mixed-race species.¡± Merlin looked at Quiet Heaven. Compared to normal hawks, Quiet Heaven was larger in size and had vivid red feathers, which didn¡¯t look natural. Merlin asked the first thing that came to his mind. ¡°I see. So, you¡¯re a hybrid between a transcendent and normal species.¡± ¡°Yes. Although I¡¯m not absolutely sure of what transcendent species¡¯ blood I carry, I¡¯m fairly certain that I carry the blood of the immortal Phoenix, the greatest spiritual animal amongst spiritual animals. In my case, I possess the fire attribute but walk on two legs, which makes me a sort of exception to the common image of a Phoenix, but there are also other beings like me who inherited the blood of the three-legged crow, a species that the draconic species particularly hates. Among my mixed-blood avian species, the three-legged crow is like royalty¡­ ahem, I seem to have gone way off topic.¡± ¡°Well, I find it interesting to hear. Please, continue.¡± Merlin smiled as he saw Quiet Heaven passionately explaining about his species and others. Moreover, Merlin didn¡¯t only find Quiet Heaven¡¯s words interesting but also useful; the explanation could help him better understand the Union¡¯s background. However, Quiet Heaven shook its head and continued. ¡°I¡¯ll start with the main topic. In the end, the reason we, the mixed-race species within the Noblesse, are being assigned as pets for users, who belong to a lower civilization, is to accumulate Karma.¡± ¡°Karma? You mean like Karma that¡¯s often described in Buddhism?¡± ¡°Yes. The power used by those born as spiritual animals isn¡¯t much different from that of users, but there is a difference in the way spiritual animals build up their power. The mechanism of accumulating power is different.¡± The body of a user, made of Anyform Stone, was perfect, but that was all. A user didn¡¯t possess any innate transcendent powers like the Prajna or enormous magic powers like dragons. Though the possibilities and potential for users were endless, that was just the nature of human beings; other than potential, human beings didn¡¯t possess any other special qualities or innate traits. ¡°In other words, you¡¯re saying that your species needs to do something other than simple training to develop your powers, right?¡± ¡°Right. Training is absolutely needed. Unlike dragon species, who reach transcendence when they reach a thousand years of age, species like mine have a limited lifespan, or even if our lifespan is long, there are many cases where we die before reaching the transcendent realm, so we have to accumulate Karma.¡± ¡°In other words, you guys are working as pets for DIO users to acquire Karma.¡± At Merlin¡¯s words, Quiet Heaven nodded. ¡°Yes. Since you¡¯re a mage, you probably already understand, but when one signs a contract with a pet, the spirit of the user and pet are connected to each other, so a pet can build up a certain amount of Karma just by assisting its master. In addition, if one carries out a mission offered by the Noblesse, one will receive a reward.¡± ¡°A reward?¡± ¡°Yes. A treasure trove of jewels, Chintamani pieces¡­ and sometimes even rare items like a fragment of the Philosopher¡¯s Stone. If beings like me who are born with a spirituality base swallow and consume such a treasure, it¡¯s possible to increase not only our Karma but also our overall spiritual status.¡± Having said this, Quiet Heaven suddenly sighed. Merlin, quick-witted, knew Quiet Heaven was feeling bitter about something. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Though beings like me have signed and entered into a contractual relationship with a user¡­ as it is, we don¡¯t know when we¡¯ll be able to raise our levels, as nothing is clearly specified. Even so, we readily contract ourselves with half-mad human practitioners who can¡¯t let go of their lingering attachments to become more powerful beings. If users give up on their dreams to become transcendent beings, they could all live peacefully and die in the comfort of their own planets, so I don¡¯t understand why¡­¡± Merlin sensed a deep remorse in Quiet Heaven¡¯s sigh. ¡®This guy¡­¡¯ Suddenly, Merlin thought that perhaps Quiet Heaven was much older than he had initially thought. ¡°Anyway, back to the main topic, why do you want to see Arthur?¡± ¡°I need to check the condition of a transcendent being that was created through DIO¡¯s system, and furthermore, the condition of the pet that contracted with Arthur. Perhaps, I might find important clues related to our endeavors.¡± Quiet Heaven spoke in an unusually serious and earnest voice, so Merlin knew that becoming a transcendent being meant a lot to beings like Quiet Heaven. Well, after all, becoming a transcendent being meant one became a god, so it wasn¡¯t a small matter. Once one became a transcendent being, one could cast off all innate limitations and realize an impossible miracle, even if it took hundreds or thousands of years. ¡°But Arthur¡¯s pet, Toothless, is a dragon, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ unfortunately, I don¡¯t have all the data, so I¡¯m not sure exactly what Toothless is. I know that Toothless is a draconic species but nothing more than that. Since Toothless is of the dragon species, it¡¯ll have an advantage over beings like me, but in the end, Toothless is just a half-breed mixed-race species that inherited some dragon blood.¡± ¡°Is that right¡­¡± Merlin replied languidly and looked at Aidelin, who was processing the liquid Anyform Stone. Then, it suddenly occurred to Merlin that the jewel that Quiet Heaven had talked about, that is, a jewel that would increase the spiritual status of beings with spirituality once consumed, was the Anyform Stone, the stone that Aidelin was processing right now. ¡®Quiet Heaven wishes for such a spiritual item, but it doesn¡¯t know that it''s right in front of it at this very moment. Quiet Heaven also doesn¡¯t know that a large portion of DIO is made from Anyform Stones either.¡¯ Of course, it was impossible to embezzle or absorb DIO¡¯s Anyform Stones, which were programmed by the leaders of Noblesse, an organization full of transcendents, but the situation was a bit different for Merlin¡¯s Anyform Stone, which he obtained by extracting his stat points. If Merlin fed Quiet Heaven his liquified Anyform Stone, Quiet Heaven¡¯s spirituality status would most likely change. ¡°Oh, come to think of it, what are you going to make with that liquified jewel?¡± ¡°The dreams and hopes of users¡­ and the number one public enemy hated by DIO¡¯s administrators.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Merlin smiled at Quiet Heaven, who tilted its head after hearing Merlin¡¯s incomprehensible explanation. ¡°An Editor.¡± *** In modern society, the individual was powerless. A sports star showing off his world-class skills, a president of a country, a world-famous superstar¡­ There were countless outstanding individuals in the world, but no one could defeat the monstrous entity that was commonly known as a [group]. No matter how proud one was, the individual was only a tiny cog in a larger machine. Even if a president dies, a country won¡¯t fall into ruin, and no being, even with great determination and strength, could stand up against an entire country. In relation to a larger group of countless people, the individual and his or her power was just a shabby existence. However, right now, an entire nation had been defeated by just one individual. This wasn¡¯t something that could be taken lightly. It was a great event that obliterated the existing paradigm people held around the world. ¡°Although I expected it¡­ dang, Level 20 is no joke. Once one reaches the transcendent realm, one can freely use one¡¯s abilities in real life.¡± ¡°Lea, I told you not to eat in front of the computer, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t complain so much! I mean, this is an important issue! Isn¡¯t it frustrating for you that we need to continue to hide ourselves from these government bastards?¡± Since they were in hiding, Lea¡¯s current outward appearance was as an Asian girl with black hair. She didn¡¯t just wear a wig but used special makeup and artificial skin to transform herself into a completely different person. ¡°Well, to be frank, I¡¯m not the one being chased.¡± ¡°Boo! One of your family members is being chased, so at least pretend to be concerned and worried!¡± ¡°What should we be worried about? No country in the world has been able to find out the origin of Cruze, a member of the Heaven above the Heavens.¡± At this moment, the Japanese stock market was collapsing, causing experts to be on edge. Normally, even a single sign of possible war in a country was enough to cause a market downturn, but Japan was going through a complete defeat, so who would feel safe investing in such a country? As soon as Arthur defeated the Japanese self-defense forces, foreign capital immediately left the country, as foreign investors hesitated to invest or keep their investments in Japan. Of course, Japan did not stand still and just accept this reality. Japan characterized Arthur as an evil villain and a terrorist, and they reached out to the world for help. In addition, the Japanese government fiercely argued and protested against the government of Arthur¡¯s homeland, Korea, and recruited a large number of Masters after releasing their huge national reserves. But this was all done in vain. The Japanese government thought that the whole world would help them, but the world did not respond the way they expected. Nations did not move for altruistic motives or higher ideals¡­ if there was nothing in it for a country, why would they mobilize? Thus, no country dared to step into the fray. The great powers of the world, including the United States, expressed their concerns, but they largely stayed on the sidelines and refrained from taking any action. Once they saw the actions of Arthur, who demonstrated power beyond their wildest imagination, they made the easy decision to refrain from sacrificing themselves for the notion of working together. If Arthur was slaughtering people for no reason, the great powers would have had no choice but to mobilize, but Arthur was operating under some justification, [vengeance] for his mother¡¯s death. Because of this, some countries or forces even demanded that the criminals who murdered Arthur¡¯s mother be brought to justice and publicly tried. Though there were calls to negotiate and appease Arthur, no other country considered facing Arthur head-on. And while the international community was largely staying on the sidelines, Arthur was completing everything he had stated and planned. ¡°You¡¯re making things difficult.¡± ¡°Y-y-you¡­ are making a mistake. This is wrong¡­ it¡¯s¡­ ugh!¡± Prime Minister Noda, who was the de facto representative of Japan, was trembling as he cried out without his usual dignified manner. It was not because someone was harming him, rather, it was because he was being weighed down and suffocated by the aura from the man standing in front of him. ¡°I really¡­ I don¡¯t understand. Why are you trying to protect him?¡± Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Arthur had already found out the identity of the yakuza organizations of the far-right forces that harmed Hye-ran using his transcendent-level information acquisition ability, Eyes of Light, and had further uncovered several organizations that instigated them. He had also identified members of the Japanese National Assembly that were controlling everything from the shadows. The yakuza organizations had already suffered a near-death blow, and several right-wing groups had been completely destroyed. The last person left was Nobuyuki Suzuki, who actively misled the security forces and prevented the police from intervening when his mother was being held as a hostage. Nobuyuki was a famous far-right lawmaker who succeeded in winning a fourth term after running under an extreme right-wing platform. From Arthur¡¯s point of view, it was surprising that Japan sent out its self-defense forces to tie him up so that they could buy some time to hide Nobuyuki. ¡°We, the Japanese, do not negotiate with dirty terrorists! You won¡¯t be able to fabricate lies and blackmail the great country of Japan!¡± Although Noda was overflowing with the righteous spirit of a nation¡¯s prime minister, Arthur just smiled and raised his hand. ¡°Then you¡¯ll be joining the rest.¡± Flash! A tremendous light seemed to swirl in Arthur¡¯s hand. Prime Minister Noda, stunned by Arthur¡¯s words and action, as Arthur seemed to act without any hesitation, screamed out. ¡°Now!¡± Bam! Accompanied by a loud roar, a ripple spread around Arthur¡¯s body. It was a phenomenon that appeared when something, which flew at the speed of Mach 5, disintegrated by the current of light that swirled around and protected Arthur¡¯s body. CH 238 ¡°Oh my god! How could a human get hit by a railgun yet still¡­!¡± ¡°Your ability to understand and learn is really quite low.¡± Arthur sighed. Of course, the railgun was a high-tech weapon that was extremely difficult to reproduce with modern technology. Like Korea, Japan had also succeeded in manufacturing the cutting-edge weapon by acquiring parts and attaining knowledge from the defeated Legion forces. However, there was no way that such an attack would work on Arthur, who had entered the transcendent realm. Soon, several people approached and attacked Arthur from the front. /I am Darian¡¯s Glorious Sword!/ The heavy spiritual words spread like light across the battlefield. Powerful divine power surged from the body of the man at the front of the group. His huge Tower Shield, the armor covering his entire body, and his sword were filled and emanating with divine power. ¡°I protect the weak and act according to my convictions! Always be humble, and never lose courage!¡± Projecting great strength, the man moved forward. He was a person Arthur knew all too well. ¡°Facing what I face now, give me the courage and power to not fall!¡± The sight of Adol advancing, with his large shield in front of him, was a powerful sight to behold; it was as if Adol was a locomotive train that couldn¡¯t be stopped as he rushed forward toward Arthur. The aura Adol exuded was so majestic that everyone observing him could barely stand properly. Indeed, it was an intense momentum and aura, but Arthur just watched as things unfolded. Soon, Adol reached Arthur and activated his Master Skill. ¡°Oath of Chivalry.¡± Adol¡¯s Master Skill, which required almost a minute of preparation time to activate and an enormous amount of divine power, was truly a mighty skill. The Oath of Chivalry, which activated more like a buff than an attack based skill, increased all of Adol¡¯s stats, giving him enormous magic resistance and defensive power; furthermore, his Master Skill greatly increased the maximum capacity of his divine power and internal energy for an instant. However¡­ Clank. ¡°Eh?¡± Bam! Crack! ¡°Ack?!¡± ¡°Ugh?!¡± It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Prime Minister Noda¡¯s face turned ash grey after seeing Adol, who had been spreading his mighty aura just moments ago, and several other Japanese Masters suffer fatal blows and fall helplessly onto the ground. ¡°How¡­¡± ¡°How you ask¡­ I understand.¡± ¡°You understand? What do you mean¡­?¡± Crack. Prime Minister Noda¡¯s head floated in the air, fell to the ground, and then rolled around. Adol¡¯s expression hardened like a stone as he was trying to recover from the blowback he received when his Master Skill was broken at once. ¡°Seyoung¡­ you¡­ you have changed.¡± ¡°I no longer have any reason to live. However, if I can punish and seek vengeance against those who killed my mother, I might return to Arthur, a knight of justice.¡± It was a light tone, but Adol felt Arthur¡¯s deep sadness in his tone. Even so, Adol couldn¡¯t sympathize with Arthur as Arthur¡¯s actions went against Adol¡¯s beliefs. ¡°Even if council member Nobuyuki is the real mastermind behind your mother¡¯s death, his crime should be pursued and punished according to the law! No one gave you the authority to punish him.¡± ¡°Is that so? But Adol, who gave them permission to kill my mother?¡± ¡°¡­¡± A painful silence fell across the space. When Adol was unable to retort, another Master next to him stepped forward. ¡°Don¡¯t put the blame on us! Even if all your claims are true, it was only done by a few extreme right-wingers! Why should all of Japan suffer this much damage?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you, the entire group, neglected to take responsibility and allowed them to exist amongst you.¡± Nobuyuki Suzuki publicly denied the historical fact of past Japanese aggression and said that Japanese forces had never massacred any people. He terrorized and tore down various comfort women statues and constantly poured out divisive words that fueled territorial disputes with Japan¡¯s neighbors. The funny thing was that every time he did something like that, he got re-elected with almost all the available votes. Since this was the case, could his actions truly be considered the opinions of only a few? ¡°That¡¯s¡­!¡± ¡°Why¡­ am I wrong?¡± Arthur¡¯s smiling eyes projected a sense of emptiness and rage; Arthur¡¯s eyes were far from the kindness and goodness Adol had seen in the past and was familiar with. Currently, Arthur was filled with a sense of madness. ¡°I, Arthur, feel that I¡¯ve been wronged.¡± Flash! Except for Adol, the bodies of all the other gathered Masters lifelessly fell to the ground like string puppets that had their strings cut off. When Arthur returned his draconic sword, Dustin, to its Fantasy World and turned around, a dragon with black scales, Toothless, appeared beside him. ¡°I found him, master.¡± ¡°Good. He¡¯s the last person that I seek in Japan.¡± ¡°In Japan?¡± At that time, Adol, who had been sitting on the ground with a blank expression, spoke aloud. There were many other politicians and bodyguards nearby, but he was the only one who could open his mouth properly because he was the only one who could contend against Arthur¡¯s overwhelming pressure. ¡°Of course. I am one of the Heaven above the Heavens, and my mother was an important figure who needed to be protected. Did you think Japan had the power to bring my mother here and kill her?¡± ¡°That means¡­¡± ¡°I will punish all who were involved in my mother¡¯s death.¡± Arthur laughed as he repeated something he said on live television that one fateful day. Then¡­ Poof! His figure, along with the light surrounding him, could no longer be seen. *** Tan received the information from Earth and nodded his head. Many of his plans had gone awry recently, but Arthur was acting and progressing perfectly as Tan had expected. ¡°But for such a benevolent being, he¡¯s sure running wild, much more intensely than I originally thought. Well, Irregulars are all beings with several severe mental illnesses.¡± ¡°But Tan, are you okay with this? That guy, no matter how you look at it¡­ he¡¯s lost control and fallen into madness. How are you going to control him when you¡¯re already in a limited state where you can¡¯t influence the material world? The Reaper Organization is currently up in arms. They can¡¯t do anything unless Arthur reconnects to the system.¡± The reason why Arthur fulfilled all the Noblesse¡¯s requests was because they had helped cure his mother, Hye-ran, from her illness. However, now that Hye-ran, who was the link between Arthur and the Noblesse, was dead, would he still be willing to cooperate with the Noblesse and carry out their requests? However, with a relaxed expression, Tan replied. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. It will be the same as before.¡± Saying this, Tan lifted his right hand, and a white spiritual qi arose. Seeing this, Melton¡¯s face hardened. ¡°This soul¡­ it can¡¯t be¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. But it won¡¯t be easy to bring her back. Because she died as an outsider, she can¡¯t be resurrected as an NPC.¡± Though Tan spoke calmly, Melton fell into a state of shock. ¡°Wait¡­ wait, Tan. That¡¯s dangerous. Also, if the Reaper Organization finds out, there¡¯ll be an uproar.¡± Unexpectedly, what Tan was carrying was the soul of Seyoung¡¯s mother, Hye-ran. In other words, as Tan had used Merlin in return for resurrecting Miho from the dead, Tan was stating that he¡¯d use Hye-ran to control Arthur. But that was a crazy idea. This was because reviving Miho, who died as an NPC in the DIO system, and reviving Hye-ran, who died on Earth while living a life as a normal mortal being, were two completely different issues. In the first place, reviving a mortal being was an illegal action that was strictly prohibited by the Nether World. Though Tan was a Noblesse, if the news got out that he revived a mortal being in the material world, the Noblesse would probably have to go to war with the Nether World. Though Melton was alarmed and shocked, Tan just smiled calmly and continued speaking. ¡°No need to worry. It¡¯s not a resurrection; her soul will possess a body, so it¡¯s more like she¡¯ll be possessing another being. Moreover, I¡¯ve already prepared a physical body.¡± ¡°What? But there¡¯s no way that there¡¯s a body that can be possessed on a planet where spiritual pathways don¡¯t exist. Though Merlin and his bizarre research was able to produce an artificial spiritual pathway, there¡¯s no other way to¡­¡± Melton suddenly stopped speaking mid-sentence. It was because someone suddenly popped into his mind. ¡°Tan, wait, are you planning on using the six-tailed fox¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct. In addition, this would be quite the ordeal for Merlin. I would greatly appreciate it if he reacted as Arthur is currently reacting right now.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Due to the intensive checks from the Reaper Organization and Elohim, who were the most active powers in the Nether World, the restrictions the Noblesse were placed under were much harsher than what Merlin expected. The Noblesse were able to send Miho to the real world because Merlin, a mortal on Earth, paid a huge amount of gem points. Otherwise, the Noblesse wouldn¡¯t have been able to send an NPC to Earth. Currently, the Noblesse had to pay mission rewards according to Union Law, and they had limited control over the reward amounts. Moreover, the Noblesse were not allowed to deceive people with lies, so they had to come out and honestly release their identities. But even if it was impossible to lie, [not telling the truth] was still possible. Even if one didn¡¯t lie, one could still deceive people. ¡®This is nonsense. This isn¡¯t the Noblesse way. It¡¯s the way of demons who do not know shame.¡¯ Demons also couldn¡¯t lie when making [contracts], but those who weren¡¯t wise were often deceived by demons through various other misconstrued ways. Without lying, one could still induce misunderstandings by telling irrelevant truths or not telling the truth at all. Wasn¡¯t Tan using such subversive methods? ¡°Hmm, don¡¯t you like my plan? Does it seem too mean?¡± ¡°Well¡­ the thing is¡­ uhm¡­¡± Melton stuttered. Whatever the case may be, Tan was the one who controlled whether Melton lived or died. Even if Melton had complaints, he couldn¡¯t properly express them. ¡°Just watch. Even if I use dirty tactics¡­ in the end, I will return Noblesse to its original place¡­ to the time when beings throughout the universe respected and feared us.¡± Tan sent Hye-ran¡¯s soul into a subspace. It was time for him to start planning his next plan. Arthur was the only transcendent being on Earth, so if Tan put the reins on him properly, Tan could control Earth as he pleased. Everything was going according to his plan. However, while his subversive conspiracy proceeded in this fashion¡­ ¡­ In DIO, something completely unexpected was unfolding. *** ¡°Excellent. It¡¯s better made than I thought.¡± Merlin stood with a shimmering golden dagger in his hand. Remarkably, the jeweled bladed dagger shone brilliantly after being heated in Aidelin¡¯s furnace and molded by Aidelin¡¯s expert hands. ¡°It was surprisingly easy, actually. It¡¯s some sort of ore that has a free-changing nature.¡± Although embarrassed that he didn¡¯t know what type of ore he was working with, Aidelin didn¡¯t pursue the issue of the Anyform Stone any further. Of course, he was curious, but he was also a very discerning person. He wouldn¡¯t pursue and ask for information if the other person didn¡¯t want to reveal it. ¡°Alright, since it¡¯s finished, there¡¯s no need to hesitate.¡± ¡°Huh? What the hell are you talking about?¡± As Merlin held the newly forged dagger and mumbled to himself, Quiet Heaven expressed its confusion. However, Merlin just smiled and teleported through space. Poof! At once, Merlin crossed a considerable distance and moved to the central square located in the very center of Starting. As always, countless people were wandering around the central square, and in the middle of the square was a huge tower made of stone. CH 239 ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t this Starting¡¯s Guardian Tower?¡± Quiet Heaven, who had teleported with Merlin, spoke in a confused voice. What made Quiet Heaven more confused was the fact that Merlin, who had to avoid other users as much as possible to fly under the Noblesse¡¯s radar, had chosen to appear in the most public place possible, Starting¡¯s central square. However, before Quiet Heaven could express this thought, Quiet Heaven realized that Merlin, as well as itself, were hidden behind concealment and invisibility spells. Realizing this, Quiet Heaven shut its mouth. It seemed that the spell was used immediately after they teleported into the square. ¡°I blocked all outgoing sounds as well, so there¡¯s no need to fret over your voice leaking out but be careful; we might need to leave immediately if our connection is discovered. Although, whether or not our access records are truly not being recorded is another matter¡­¡± Merlin flew through the air without even stepping on the ground and approached the Guardian Tower. Then, Merlin took out his newly made jeweled dagger. The Guardian Tower controlled the entire DIO system. It was such an important physical construct that, if it were ever to be destroyed, DIO¡¯s service would be shut down for 24 hours; hence, the Guardian Tower possessed defenses that didn¡¯t allow users to come within 3 meters of it. ¡°Oh, you can enter the Guardian Tower¡¯s restricted space. Are you immune to the restriction defenses?¡± ¡°It must mean that the system doesn¡¯t recognize me. The defense spread around this Guardian Tower isn¡¯t a magic barrier¡­ however, it¡¯s a bit strange and interesting that you, who can stay in DIO even if I log out, are immune.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m a member of the Noblesse. Though, it¡¯s true that most high-ranking beings within Noblesse don¡¯t even acknowledge hybrid existences like me¡­¡± Merlin, who looked at the grumbling Quiet Heaven, opened his Enhanced Eyesight. His jeweled left eye couldn¡¯t be utilized for Enhanced Eyesight, but Merlin¡¯s mastery of Enhanced Eyesight had gradually increased, so his right eye had transformed into a Golden Eye, specialized for Enhanced Eyesight. Through his Enhanced Eyesight, Merlin was able to peer into and peel back the various defensive layers surrounding the Guardian Tower and recognize the location of the Guardian Stone within the tower. After concentrating his mind on the stone and the surrounding defense system, Merlin raised his jeweled dagger and stabbed the Guardian Stone. Slash! ¡°Operate Editor Blade.¡± With a whisper, Merlin¡¯s thoughts and consciousness were fired into the central system through the jeweled Anyform blade of his dagger. Soon, Merlin began to acquire information and interpret the massive amount of content within the central system. Tan underestimated Irregulars. No, it was more accurate to state that transcendents tended to underestimate Irregulars. Though these transcendent beings knew that a considerable number of Irregulars had appeared throughout history, only a few of those Irregulars had reached the realm of transcendence. In addition, from the point of view of those who had already reached the [arrival point] of transcendence, no matter how great a genius an Irregular may be, they thought that an Irregular would always be catching up to them and never meeting them at the top. However, being a genius did not necessarily mean someone who learned and acquired knowledge quickly. If one¡¯s learning was just fast, wasn¡¯t the difference between a genius and a normal being only the time it took to learn something? A true genius could see something that someone else couldn¡¯t see, no matter how much effort was expended by the other. A true genius imagined new things and made novel approaches that others could never think of. Merlin was undoubtedly a lower level being than most in the Noblesse, including Tan, but in special cases, Merlin could perform miracles that they couldn¡¯t even wish to imitate. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Wasn¡¯t the production of the magic stone, which even the great mage Leighann was so surprised at that he instantly partnered with Merlin to seek a patent, and Merlin¡¯s weightless controlled movement, which even Tan was surprised at when he first saw Merlin deploying the skill in the bus, things that weren¡¯t discovered or created by these transcendent beings? New ideas that even those with more wisdom and knowledge couldn¡¯t think of and the ability to absorb everything were the true strengths of an Irregular. And at this very moment, Merlin succeeded in accessing the central system that even many Noblesse had never been able to access. ¡°Data patch.¡± Merlin¡¯s new Editor Blade, which was made of Anyform Stone, which formed the fundamental basis of the DIO system, had the power to access all of DIO¡¯s programs, analyze them, penetrate them, and modify them. As a master key and an ultimate hacking tool that could open all doors, the Editor Blade possessed formidable features, such as allowing Merlin to data drain, data patch, and data delete. Of course, even with this access power, it was impossible to edit the entirety of DIO¡¯s system with a single slash of the Editor Blade. Above all, Merlin¡¯s level was too low, and the power contained in the Editor Blade had its limits. Even so¡­ ¡°It needs to be reinforced. Still¡­ I can still do a lot.¡± Clunk! No sound was heard from the outside; however, Merlin felt the satisfaction of opening a door. Of course, there was more than one door, and the thickness of the various doors, or layers, the system protector contained was unimaginably thick. Moreover, if one couldn¡¯t open all the doors in one go, the system protector¡¯s defenses would become fortified, causing the system protector¡¯s thickness to increase, so if Merlin made one mistake, he¡¯d have to start all over from the beginning and face a reinforced defensive system. Since the system protector was a layered barrier that even the leadership of Noblesse, who had influence over the entire material world, couldn¡¯t break through, how difficult would it be for Merlin, a single user? ¡°Analyze and unlock. The whole construct is¡­ Oh, this is tremendous. The being who made this must have been a genius.¡± Merlin forgot all other circumstances and thoughts as he focused his entire mind on releasing the system protector layers. DIO¡¯s system, which Merlin read through his Editor Blade, was a truly phenomenal construct. Just the act of interpreting and peeling away each layer, even Merlin, who had the talent of an Irregular, couldn¡¯t afford the slightest distraction. Ting! Merlin¡¯s left jeweled Magic Eye flashed a red light, and his golden Enhanced Eyesight right eye scattered divine light. His eyes were working in tandem to read and interpret all the information that he could lay his eyes on. And that wasn¡¯t all. The ¡®heaven¡¯ mark, hidden behind Merlin¡¯s bangs, started to operate. A powerful spiritual power began to swirl around Merlin. All his magic circuits began to operate under the optimal route for the most efficient operation of his left jeweled Magic Eye, and all his internal energy was being concentrated to operate his golden Enhanced Eyesight right eye. Because of this, the concealment spell that he had been utilizing to protect and shroud himself and Quiet Heaven were naturally lifted, but¡­ ¡°Tsk! You said you had to avoid others¡¯ eyes and not get caught¡­ yet you¡¯re showing a gap at the most important moment.¡± Quiet Heaven, who had been watching Merlin quietly work, clicked its tongue before using its powers to cover itself and Merlin. Of course, the ability to conceal wasn¡¯t Quiet Heaven¡¯s specialty, as Quiet Heaven was more specialized in utilizing Dao-based abilities. Therefore, Quiet Heaven¡¯s concealment spell didn¡¯t perform at Merlin¡¯s level, nor did it have a diffracting effect like Merlin¡¯s concealment spell. If someone approached them, they would crash into the concealment field and know of its existence, but the Guardian Tower was basically an area where users couldn¡¯t access, so this concern didn¡¯t matter. Clank! The second, third, fourth and fifth layer of the system protector opened. The deeper Merlin delved into the system protector, the higher the level of the system protector¡¯s defensive layer, but Merlin¡¯s cracking ability also increased each time he broke through a layer. Whoosh! Momentarily, steam formed around Merlin and then disappeared. Merlin was unaware of this phenomenon, as he was concentrating to the fullest on peeling back the various system protector layers, but Quiet Heaven was so shocked by the scene that it momentarily forgot to breathe. Quiet Heaven was overwhelmed by the sight of the bursting auspicious aura. ¡°Hey, what is this? This isn¡¯t even a divine land, so how was he able to project such divine aura?¡± Quiet Heaven looked around in surprise, but the auspicious burst of energy that had momentarily appeared had disappeared just as quickly. It was a kind of aura energy that couldn¡¯t be created through training or ability, so Quiet Heaven couldn¡¯t understand how it appeared or came about. ¡°That aura isn¡¯t something that can be made artificially¡­ did this guy get his hands on and consume a Philosopher¡¯s Stone from somewhere?¡± That was an impossibility. This was because the Philosopher¡¯s Stone, which reproduced all materials in the world and emitted infinite energy, was a kind of material that even high-ranking gods couldn¡¯t get their hands on. Even if there was only a small, little-finger-sized Philosopher¡¯s Stone, it would be impossible for Merlin, who was under the constant watchful eye of DIO¡¯s system, to obtain the Philosopher¡¯s Stone. Such a small stone could allow a mixed-race species like Quiet Heaven to instantly turn into a transcendent level being that could be comparable in power to a fairly decent old dragon. Since the Philosopher¡¯s Stone was such a precious material, even for the Noblesse, Quiet Heaven was certain that such an item would be taken away by the Noblesse at all costs once they sensed its existence. ¡°Besides, isn¡¯t it absurd that such a substance would appear in the form of vapor? If it could appear as a vapor, what would it even be called? It¡¯s a liquid that can make one¡¯s dreams come true, so would it be called Dream Water?¡± Whether Quiet Heaven was bewildered or not, Merlin, who had fallen into a state of high concentration, was releasing the various system protector layers without lifting a physical finger. It was a scene that made Quiet Heaven, who was excellent in magic and knew the meaning of what Merlin was doing, stunned, and since there was no sign of the steam that had appeared and disappeared earlier, Quiet Heaven also dismissed what it saw as an illusion and focused its energy on maintaining the concealment field. Crackle. Sweat evaporated and steam rose above Merlin¡¯s head. This phenomenon meant that his brain, which was completely different from that of a normal human¡¯s, which was materialized within DIO through an Anyform Stone, was consuming an excessive amount of nutrients as well as mana and energy. ¡°Amazing. Spectacular. I see!¡± Merlin mumbled incomprehensible words and sounds while immersed in his endeavor. Merlin¡¯s eyes, which glowed brightly with gold and red light, were not looking at DIO¡¯s system surface but what lay deep within the system. ¡°¡­ Oh my goodness¡­ how many hours is he planning on doing this?¡± Quiet Heaven groaned while maintaining the concealment field. Surprisingly, Merlin had been completely still and focused for nearly 20 hours. The DIO access limit for users was 12 hours real time. That equated to 6 days in DIO time, so Merlin didn¡¯t face any problems from this restriction, but how could Merlin maintain such a high level of concentration for so long? However, Quiet Heaven did not know that Merlin¡¯s reasoning and comprehension power had accelerated to 100 times his normal level. In addition, Quiet Heaven did not know that during this long period of time, Merlin had only been able to read and analyze a large portion of what he was looking at; Merlin hadn¡¯t even attempted to release the system protector layers underneath. For an ordinary mage, no, even a great mage with strong mental power, maintaining such concentration levels was an impossibility. Overcoming all hardships with an indomitable will or hot-bloodedness sounded plausible, but it was absolutely impossible in practice. Mental power was a concept that was based on consuming. There was a limit to the effort that even the owner of the strongest mental power could achieve. This was especially the case if what one was doing didn¡¯t produce clear results. Endless effort consumed one¡¯s mind, so if one were to take a break or there was no spark or event to motivate oneself, one would eventually give up. For this reason, this focused mental power pursuit was expressed as a process of [cutting down one¡¯s soul] in order to ascend to a higher level. But now, for Merlin, no such concept applied. He may have started the entrance into the DIO system out of necessity, but once he was in, he became fascinated by the construction of DIO¡¯s system and the lofty theories that supported and permeated throughout it. Interpreting the system was entertaining for Merlin, and the process of opening various doors provided an indescribable sense of accomplishment, achievement, and reward for him. Regardless of whether this characteristic came about as a result of the process of one¡¯s growth or an innate personality trait, those who possessed such strong mental power and could make endless efforts were often referred to as possessors of a [talent to work hard]. Of course, this had nothing to do with real talent, so the phrase was no different from a pun, but the underlying message was that mental strength was an important quality when training and developing oneself. However, what was more important to mages was the ¡®disposition¡¯ to feel pleasure and reward in the process of exploring and acquiring knowledge. Curiosity, to want to know something that one didn¡¯t know, and the desire to pursue and possess knowledge¡­ Those who studied endlessly without getting anything worthwhile, or those who spent their entire lives to learn only one more truth, were beings who possessed this tendency, this character trait. And for those who possessed this character trait, training and learning were no longer actions that were interpreted as hard work. Merlin, who felt a sense of achievement and reward in the process of unlocking and acquiring knowledge from the system protector, delved deeper and deeper into the system without rest or giving up. He was like a gamer who played a game for three days and three nights without feeling any passage of time. This wasn¡¯t something that someone could teach another. Even though modern educators agreed that a child with a strong desire and curiosity for knowledge could learn on one¡¯s own without being taught, the reason why many parents dealt with children who couldn¡¯t do exactly this was because this character trait was a somewhat innate temperament. If the disposition of [putting in effort] was a talent, then the disposition of [enjoying] was also a talent separate from the other talents one possessed. Moreover, Merlin was an Irregular. ¡°This guy¡­ he¡¯s a freaking monster.¡± Quiet Heaven, who had to maintain the concealment field for three days straight, looked at Merlin with a tired expression. Surprisingly, Merlin, like a lifeless skinny skeleton, remained motionless the entire time. Merlin wasn¡¯t a life force user who could consume his own vitality, so Merlin consumed his body¡¯s nutrients to cover his excessive brain activity. Even with the help of his magic power and internal energy reserves, Merlin couldn¡¯t avoid this constant consumption of his physical body. Clank! Finally, Merlin released the 99th layer of the system protector and pulled the Editor Blade out of the Guardian Stone. And at the same time, an urgent notice popped up all over DIO. /[Emergency! Emergency! Dynamic Island¡¯s self-operated program is running! To repeat, Emergency! Dynamic Island¡¯s self-operated program is running! All external interference is being blocked until authorized by the special management operator!]/ Merlin, who had obtained various bits of information from the Grand Masters and even Quiet Heaven, knew¡­ the special management operator referred to in the notice was Jenica, the Empress of Magic and the creator of DIO. ¡®However, she¡¯s dead.¡¯ And Merlin, who knew that this meant that the Noblesse had completely lost control of DIO, laughed out loud despite his utter physical exhaustion. ¡°And now, the counterattack begins.¡± CH 240 Independence Day *** The Modern God *** No matter how strong an individual was, an individual¡¯s power was meaningless in front of a large group called the nation state. This was an absolute truth that no one in human history had broken through. No matter how strong an individual was, he or she alone couldn¡¯t accomplish anything by himself or herself. Heretofore, only groups had been able to move the world. This was why the world had no choice but to fall into a frenzy over the unprecedented situation in which Arthur, who was a single individual person, achieved [victory] over the nation state called Japan. An individual who could go up against and beat a nation state. A singular existence that could beat the collective. This outcome was literally something that only occurred in science fiction novels. Arthur¡¯s achievement completely went against and destroyed the existing paradigm and crumbled its foundation to the very core. Rumors¡­ the Internet¡­ news outlets¡­ Through all means and mediums, the word of Arthur¡¯s existence and achievements spread like wildfire. Arthur had already gained fame as the knight of justice, a knight of light, and the strongest swordsman. In addition, Arthur appeared on TV by himself and suppressed the entire nation of Japan, which was an economic powerhouse in Asia, solely with his own power, so it was impossible to control and limit the flow of information from the start. ¡°¡­ Dang, it¡¯s so noisy everywhere,¡± Merlin muttered. ¡°Of course. In the first place, Earth is not a system that can accept transcendent beings, especially a transcendent being mad with rage¡­ suffice it to say, things have been turned upside down,¡± Eunhye replied. The Japanese government, which was dealt a critical blow by Arthur, and the other various groups that came under the government¡¯s influence rallied together to define Arthur as a murderer and insisted that he be punished immediately¡­ all their voices became hollow cries. Their justification was lacking, but above all, apart from various other reasons, how could any being on Earth condemn Arthur and take effective action against him? We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. Although it was only fragmentary information seen through video clips, Yongno, who was quite close to Arthur and had a lot of experience fighting alongside him, was able to roughly grasp Arthur¡¯s current power level. ¡®Perhaps Arthur reached enlightenment by understanding the essence of his Bursting Sword Light to reach the realm of transcendence. Moreover, his ability to wander through space without being a mage¡­ is it possible for Arthur to photonize his entire body?¡¯ Thus, Yongno concluded that it was absolutely impossible to harm Arthur with Earth¡¯s existing modern weapons. Arthur was now a being who could make his own physical body into an attribute. This was such a groundbreaking idea and concept that no one could imagine what this truly meant or what it entailed. Additionally, this concept made Arthur virtually unaffected by physical blows. Further speculation was possible. If one could convert one¡¯s physical existence into the light attribute, which was the freest and fastest among all attributes, one could go anywhere on the Earth in an instant. Excluding a few limiting factors¡­ it would even be possible for Arthur to travel throughout outer space. In the end, humankind had to face unprecedented and enormous change due to a single individual. Though it was common sense that an individual should be helpless in front of a large group, Arthur was a transcendent being who no longer fit into or could be understood under any existing power dynamic construct or modern paradigm of understanding. ¡°Hey¡­ bro. The people in the Blue House have been trying to get in touch with you.¡± Right at that moment, Youngmin, the dimension traveler, brought Yongno a smartphone. But in fact, this was already the 5th time Youngmin had stated the exact same line and brought over the same smartphone. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already tell you to tell them I said no?¡± ¡°Things are crazy out there, bro. They¡¯re so desperate that it¡¯s hard for me to tell them no. Something is very wrong¡­ after investigating Arthur¡¯s case, Congressman Myung-Hak Lee took the lead and issued a statement condemning Arthur¡¯s actions. The statement condemned the brutal carnage Arthur has been dishing out as an unacceptable act against humanity, no matter what wrongdoing or under what pretense the carnage was being carried out. It seems that the Human Rights Commission and various similar organizations are voicing the same statement and position.¡± ¡°Hmm, have they all gone mad? ¡­I guess that¡¯s an oversimplification. Of course, their action of issuing such a statement is crazy, but no matter how stupid the congress representatives, who love to avoid any harm to themselves, and others are, there¡¯s no way they would do such a thing without reason.¡± The members of the Korean National Assembly, who were people who could take on every known swear word in existence thrown at them without breaking a sweat or batting an eye, were absolutely not stupid people. Of course, since Arthur had proven, through his utter destruction and dominance over Japan, that it was possible to overthrow a nation state with individual force, wariness against Arthur had reached its peak, but this was even more reason to avoid Arthur, not enrage him. Why was the congressman and many others carelessly going against Arthur¡¯s wishes and even being contentious towards him? Arthur had already proven his strength and his non-negotiable boldness by slaughtering tens of thousands of people and destroying the Japanese armed forces alone. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying there¡¯s another reason why these people are taking these actions?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a popular saying that ¡®One eats mustard while crying¡¯. Essentially, what I¡¯m trying to say is that those people¡­ they¡¯re the culprits.¡± ¡°The culprit¡­ the guys who eventually handed over Arthur¡¯s mother to the far-right group?¡± ¡°Yeah. They¡¯re probably too embarrassed and taken aback by the result, so they¡¯re trying to buy time and seek other options. However, they¡¯ve chosen the wrong opponent.¡± Saying so, Merlin checked the time. There was no reason to answer the Blue House¡¯s call, and the time was too late anyway. ¡°He must have already made his move.¡± Youngmin tilted his head in confusion after hearing Eunhye¡¯s calmly stated words. ¡°Why do you think so? He might still be collecting evidence¡­¡± Youngmin muttered. ¡°Why would he need such things? Once he¡¯s certain, he¡¯ll move. Above all, I can¡¯t believe that a being who has reached the transcendent realm wouldn¡¯t have the power to recognize and grasp a single lie.¡± Master level users who played DIO knew how amazing transcendents were because they often met with such transcendent realm beings in the game. For an archmage or great mage, even reading the entire life of another person was simple child¡¯s play, and it was even possible to read the heartbeat or temperament of another even if one didn¡¯t possess such an information-related collection ability, so it was impossible and futile for ordinary humans to use or deceive transcendent beings. ¡°Merlin! Merlin!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Just then, a silver-haired girl in her early to mid-teens jumped out of a room. Behind her, six tails rustled. ¡°Oh¡­ her tail¡­¡± Yongno looked towards Miho as Youngmin groaned in admiration at Miho¡¯s fluttering tails. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Look at this!¡± With confidence, Miho opened a piece of paper. [My name is Miho. I am 31 years old.] was written on the paper. However, the important thing was that the letters were written in Korean. ¡°Eh? You don¡¯t know how to write in Korean, no?¡± ¡°I learned from reading books.¡± ¡°You¡¯re able to write Korean in one day after reading some books? Wait, you don¡¯t even know how to read Korean, no?¡± Miho responded in [Korean] to Youngmin¡¯s unbelieving words. ¡°Well, I can also speak in Korean to some extent after watching a few dramas.¡± ¡°¡­ Wow.¡± Of course, Miho, who lived all her life in DIO, did not know any Korean. What she used were the three big languages commonly used by all users and monsters residing in Dynamic Island, but she mastered written Korean as well as spoken Korean, to some extent, in just one day. However, Yongno was surprised by a completely different fact. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re t-thirty-one years old! Why are you so old!?¡± ¡°W-what kind of nonsense are you saying?! Who are you calling old!! I am a young monster!¡± Enraged at Yongno¡¯s unexpected choice of words, Miho wildly threw punches at Yongno. Youngmin groaned at the sight of the six tails standing stiffly behind her as Miho threw punches at Yongno. ¡°Her tail¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Surprised by Eunhye¡¯s calm expression and tone of voice, which Eunhye maintained regardless of the loud commotion, Youngmin shook his hand in the air. CH 241 ¡°Oh, n-nothing. But it¡¯s a bit surprising seeing a goblin-type monster. I¡¯ve seen demons and devils before, but never a goblin-type monster.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve seen a lot of demons and devils?¡± ¡°Not in DIO, but in my past life. Usually, I met them as foes, so I killed them off more than having the chance to converse with them.¡± As if reminiscing on the old days, Youngmin made a facial expression filled with emotion. It was because he thought and felt that the life he lived had been too turbulent and eventful. Even now, he was residing into an unknown dimension and living with people he didn¡¯t even know and was unrelated to. ¡°Anyway, everyone, log into DIO.¡± ¡°Eh? Wait a moment. I learned how to speak your language in one day, but you¡¯re not even taking the time to compliment me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not such a difficult thing to do.¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± There was a moment of commotion, but soon, everyone entered DIO using their connectors. However, Youngmin stayed back and remained unconnected. ¡°I¡¯m counting on you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, bro. To be honest, this house is almost like a fortress, so it¡¯s not that easy to break into. Besides, I¡¯m not that weak either.¡± Of course, no matter how powerful a user was, accessing DIO put every user in a defenseless state. This was because, once a mind accessed and flew into the world of DIO, even the most powerful beings would not be able to react quickly or in time if their real bodies were attacked. ¡°It¡¯s good to be careful and take precautions, though. Because of Arthur, many have become desperate.¡± ¡°Then¡­ if such a situation should ever arise, can I deal with them with my own abilities?¡± In other words, Youngmin was asking for Merlin¡¯s permission to use his ability in a form other than [manifestation]. Up to now, Youngmin had hidden his true abilities and skills so that he wouldn¡¯t be recognized as a dimension traveler, but now, the situation had changed greatly. ¡°Sure. Flip the entire table if needed.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± After the conversation, Yongno, Eunhye, and Miho connected to DIO. The real world was a crucible of confusion, but there was still no problem or issue in accessing DIO, so the number of users logged onto DIO users didn¡¯t decrease by much. ¡°No, rather, since the situation is so turbulent in the real world, it seems more people are trying to desperately connect to DIO and escape their reality.¡± After confirming that everyone in the house had accessed DIO, Youngmin laid down on the sofa and thought about DIO. In many countries where most of their citizens had never even experienced war, battle lines were being formed, and countless soldiers were risking their lives to fight and maintain these battle lines. Recently, the level of human scientific advancement had advanced beyond anyone¡¯s imagination, but the enemy was always evolving and presenting a constant threat, so hard fought battles continued every day. In fact, since the current social atmosphere was like this, the gaming industry should have greatly shrunk, but in the case of DIO, which was unlike any normal game before it, the situation was a little different. Rather than a reduction of users logging into the game, the more desperate people became, the more desperately they tried to log into the game and escape their reality. Numerous buildings had already been built in Dynamic Island, and a significant part of Earth¡¯s social and economic activities were being carried out in these in-game virtual constructs. Numerous students attended school by accessing DIO, and employees of many companies, except for a few companies that couldn¡¯t effectively operate within DIO or needed a real-world factory and couldn¡¯t take advantage of a virtual meeting space, connected to DIO to do their jobs. Aside from all else, time passed 12 times faster in DIO than it did in the real world. This was a merit that could not be discounted or overlooked. ¡°Above all, there are transportation and other safety issues to consider.¡± Things had gotten better with the installation of broad-spectrum blockers to prevent space penetration of invading Legion and Grotesque forces, but there were already countless roads and buildings that had been destroyed by the enemy forces, and there were many cities that had been damaged beyond repair. After the broad-spectrum blockers were installed and power lines and grids were stabilized, restoration began, but as wartime rules went into effect and traffic was restricted, it became more difficult for people to commute to distant areas as they did before. Ding! ¡°Man, you guys are really tenacious.¡± Youngmin frowned after feeling and hearing the vibrating sound of the smartphone in his hand. Though Youngmin had a gentle temperament and character, it wasn¡¯t easy for him to maintain his usual mindset and temperament in front of the many Korean government officials, who utilized all sorts of conciliation attempts and threats to make Yongno do things, even though Yongno clearly announced his refusal and Youngmin reiterated such a refusal over and over to the politicians. From members of the Korean National Assembly who demanded Yongno to support their political party to soldiers making unreasonable threats, all sorts of unreasonable requests flowed in. ¡®Though I asked the security team to filter out the calls and visitors, it seems this visitor has been able to make it all the way to the front gate of the house¡­ it seems like they¡¯ve resorted to threatening the security team members¡­ well, perhaps this is for the best.¡¯ Instead of answering the phone, Youngmin left the house. He was planning on greeting the visitor in person, but he suddenly stopped after he passed through the front door and came out into the garden. ¡°¡­!¡± He looks behind him at the mountain side behind the house. ¡°Hey, would you take a look at that?¡± Youngmin muttered. Though the sniper was situated far away, a distance that was impossible to see with the naked eye, Youngmin instantly recognized and identified the sniper, who was aiming his rifle at him. Judging by the fact that the sniper was just watching rather than shooting, Youngmin felt that the sniper was placed as a kind of insurance in case a crisis arose, but the fact that a sniper was deployed in the first place gave Youngmin an unpleasant feeling. ¡°Ah, Mr. Youngmin, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°So, who are you this time?¡± ¡°I am Shin Hyeon-ho, commander of the Capital Defense Command.¡± The military uniform wearing commander opened the front gate and stepped into the garden. Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. He had a solid physical build, as if he worked out diligently. His physical figure could be said to be the symbol of a modern-day soldier. ¡°Please call Mr. Yongno.¡± ¡°My bro told me that he isn¡¯t accepting government orders or requests at this time.¡± ¡°So obtuse! That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you to call him! Even at this moment, many young people are dying in the battlefield while fighting against the alien forces! Having the power to stop it but choosing not to do anything is essentially murder!¡± The commander angrily repeated the same line that Youngmin heard every day over the phone, so Youngmin countered with the response that he had stated countless times. ¡°Of course¡­ that¡¯s very unfortunate, but it¡¯s unfair to put the blame on Yongno. More than anything¡­ Yongno isn¡¯t choosing to not mobilize because of some malicious intent. He is doing his best to resolve the current situation in his own way.¡± Youngmin knew just how important what Yongno was doing right now was. Yongno was not just planning on defending against the enemies¡¯ constant attacks but was trying to stop all [alien] beings from interfering with Earth. Of course, Yongno was doing this because it benefited him, but in any case, if Yongno succeeded, humankind would be saved. ¡°Spewing such rubbish¡­ get out of my way! I will meet and talk to him in person. You¡¯re someone I can¡¯t communicate with at all!¡± The Capital Defense Command commander shouted and tried to push Youngmin aside. Based on what the commander had learned, Yongno¡¯s security company employees were only situated on the outside of the property, so the commander thought that if he could just pass by Yongno¡¯s attendant, Youngmin, and get into the house, he¡¯d be able to meet with Yongno face to face. Of course, a Master was a very threatening and intense being with the power comparable to one military division, but in the end, a Master was just another human being. However, for whatever reason, even amongst the Masters, Yongno possessed exceptional powers, but the commander believed that, since Yongno was essentially just a young kid, the commander would be able to talk and negotiate with Yongno using his bounty of veteran experience. The commander fully believed that his senior age and authority as the commander of the Capital Defense Command would get him a meeting with Yongno. Plop! However, Shin Hyeon-ho plopped onto the ground. Although the commander hadn¡¯t meticulously planned out every scenario, he had at least planned for most situations; however, he had never considered the scenario that he currently found himself in. Though Youngmin was pushed aside, rather than Youngmin moving, the commander had been pushed aside, plopping himself onto the ground. Behind the commander, the commander¡¯s attendant hesitated. ¡°This¡­ what¡­?¡± The commander had already passed middle age and entered old age, but he had never taken a day off from training. When he previously oversaw the commando brigade, he often gave special martial arts lectures to the enlisted soldiers. The commander had pushed a slim man, who was shorter than himself, yet he was the one who was pushed away. ¡°Hahaha, oh gosh. Do I just blend in with the background? Man, even Yongno wouldn¡¯t even think of fighting me unless he manifested¡­¡± Youngmin laughed aloud. Youngmin, who had been swept away long ago by an unexpected situation and thrown into the illusory space, a dimension beyond chaos, was an Irregular. No one knew this fact, not even the Nether World administrators, the Noblesse, or even the gods. Youngmin, who could be said to be the only being on the present Earth with an intact spiritual pathway, was essentially a biological weapon designed by divine beings. In other words, he was an existence that no other beings on Earth, other than a [manifested Master], could handle. Ting! A pitch-black aura spread around Youngmin. An unbelievably creepy smile formed on his lips; if anyone who knew Youngmin, a usually gentle soul, saw him right now, they wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize him. The suffocating aura that he projected was so intense that even the average person with no energy sensory functions would feel their skin prickling. It was the power of Youngmin¡¯s Heavenly Slaughter Magic Qi. Youngmin was born with the Karma of a killer; he was innately born with the power to kill everything up to the heavens. ¡°You. All.¡± Youngmin laughed as he wrapped killing intent, which was visible and even seemed tangible, around his body. CH 242 Youngmin laughed. ¡°You all are just itching to die, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± A soundless scream seemed to accompany Youngmin¡¯s low voice as it emanated outward. Even Shin Hyeon-ho, who had spent his entire life in the military and regularly participated in tough combat situations against the aliens, was gasping for air. Click! At that moment, a special task force member, who was watching the situation unfold from a distance, released the safety on his sniper rifle. The sniper realized that something unexpected had happened, so he was moving according to the order he was given in advance. He put his finger on the rifle¡¯s trigger and put the target in his crosshairs. However¡­ The moment he was about to pull the trigger, what he saw was not the target, but a large cutter knife with sharp qi energy swirling about it. ¡°!?¡± Shocked, the sniper took his eye off the scope and stepped back. The cutter knife filled his field of vision and extended beyond the scope¡¯s boundaries, so he acted on the assumption that someone had approached and pointed the cutter knife in front of his scope, but unexpectedly, no one was around him. ¡°This¡­ what is going on?¡± From afar, one could only tell that Youngmin was holding a cutter knife in his hands. However, if one looked at Youngmin with the intent to kill, Youngmin¡¯s figure disappeared from view, and only the blackish-blue cutter knife would be visible. Unbelievably, the soldier had no way of attacking Youngmin, as the image of the cutter knife covered Youngmin¡¯s entire body. ¡°Could it be¡­ Union with One¡¯s Sword?¡± As a member of the special task force, the sniper, who was a DIO user who specialized in internal energy, recognized what level and ability Youngmin was at. Youngmin had entered a state where his sword and his body became one, and the distinction between the two were indistinguishable¡­ Moreover, even from hundreds of meters away, Youngmin¡¯s ability didn¡¯t seem to lessen. The soldier couldn¡¯t believe that such a perfect union of sword and body could cause such an unbelievable [phenomenon]¡­ Though the soldier didn¡¯t know it, Youngmin was born with the affinity for a Celestial Star¡¯s energy. However, Youngmin was able to mask this quality through complete control over his own aura. Originally, it should have been impossible to capture the energy of a Celestial Star, also called [Heaven-Sent Killer], but Youngmin had killed hundreds of thousands of enemies¡­ no, maybe much more than that¡­ in a very special environment and space. Hence, he was able to wield the unruly energy of the Celestial Star. With just his single sword, Youngmin could defeat a stronger opponent. This was possible because he had slaughtered an overwhelming number of enemies without hesitation in the past. And his colleagues and enemies, who saw that madness, gave him his nickname. The mad ghost swordsman¡­ the Sword Demon. ¡°Go away.¡± After coldly saying these two words, Youngmin turned around. The Capital Defense commander, Shin Hyeon-ho, who had already fallen into a state of sheer terror, and the soldiers who assisted and surrounded him did not even think of raising their heads, let alone catch Youngmin. ¡°I guess it¡¯s going to get noisy from now on.¡± Youngmin let out a small sigh as he entered the house. When Arthur reached the transcendent realm, the somewhat stable situation around the world had suddenly changed once more. This was because it became publicly known that Masters, who were paid a lot of money to become superhuman for only an hour, had the potential to become mythical beings. A transcendent being who entered the transcendent realm was a being who attained divine status, even if it was of a lower level. In the [Union], which dominated the entire universe, there were over tens of thousands of such low-level transcendent beings, so a just-entered transcendental being wasn¡¯t treated as anything special. However, Youngmin was aware of the tremendous significance of a transcendent being¡¯s presence on Earth, where the spiritual pathways were barren. Against transcendent beings, scientific weapons were of no use, and even if a nuclear weapon was used against a transcendent being, the transcendent wouldn¡¯t sustain any damage, so the existing socio-political system and nation state structures were now meaningless. A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. This was why the Union¡¯s Union Law stipulated that a civilization in the 2nd Stage or below should isolate its transcendents away from the general population. However, since Earth wasn¡¯t a planet that had expressly joined the Union, there was very little room for the power of the Union to be exerted to enforce such Union Law. In addition, since Arthur was not an external being, but a person born and raised on Earth, there was almost no means to isolate him away from the public, so even if Arthur decided to destroy Earth, there was no one to stop him. ¡°I hope he¡¯s retained at least a little bit of what he thought and believed in when he acted as a knight of justice¡­¡± Youngmin sighed and closed the door behind him. *** Humanity had to face enormous changes due to one individual, Arthur. However, the change wasn¡¯t just limited to the real world. ¡°Damn it! Stop it!¡± ¡°Oh man, why did it become so difficult to earn gem points!!¡± Although the outside real world went into a state of emergency, the overall atmosphere inside Dynamic Island hadn¡¯t changed much. This was because DIO¡¯s system was basically a fully automated, self-sustaining system that didn¡¯t necessarily require an operator. However, high-level users, especially those above the Master level, had no choice but to feel that something had drastically changed. The Grand Masters, who had always resided in the Holy Lands and offered users poignant advice, had disappeared. And¡­ more than anything, the missions disappeared. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that all means of obtaining gem points had completely disappeared. It was still possible to get gem points by defeating monsters. However, there were only a very few monsters that dropped gem points. General run of the mill monsters, which only reacted to an enemy¡¯s initiation without possessing any critical reasoning ability, didn¡¯t drop gem points; however, special monsters that moved with intelligence and autonomy still dropped gem points. Due to this dearth of gem point opportunities, only those who accrued enough gem points before the changes were able to manifest. Most Masters, who had a tough time accruing enough gem points to manifest, wouldn¡¯t be able to manifest for the foreseeable future. This, in turn, drastically limited the number of Masters who could manifest in the real world. However, the problem was that the aliens¡¯ attacks continued. It became difficult for humankind to properly utilize its Masters, or rather, because of that, the Legion and Grotesque¡¯s attacks became more severe and destructive. Of course, unlike the first time the aliens attacked, when Earthlings were largely defenseless, the people of Earth did not suffer astronomical damage. Nowadays, in the present Earth, nation states possessed various means of defending themselves from the alien attacks. Even so, casualties were constantly piling up on the front lines due to the overwhelming difference in power. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you guys? You¡¯ll have to work a little harder to get those gem points that you all covet so much.¡± ¡°Ah, Sungmuk! Bro, why are you being like this? We have no intention of fighting with you! We came to defeat that Jooyoung guy or whatever his name is¡­ why the hell did you pop out instead?¡± ¡°Also, this isn¡¯t even your designated spawn area, bro! So why the hell are you here! Dude, we¡¯re not joking, bro¡­ seriously, we need those gem points¡­¡± When the users spoke up to here, the surrounding air changed. An evil smile bloomed on the face of the orc, a species whose expression was normally difficult to read from a human¡¯s point of view. Clink! A plum blossom bloomed and brushed past all the users, who were standing around in a circle around Sungmuk. The unfolding scene looked beautiful, and the soft scent of plum blossoms wafted in the air. However, every single one of those bright plum leaves were the essence of extreme sharpness, sharp enough to cut through a modern tank without any difficulty. Not a single user survived the attack; soon, all the gathered users turned into golden smoke and scattered. ¡°Who are you all to call me bro?¡± The monsters that existed in Dynamic Island had a specific species level. It was a designated level that corresponded with the species¡¯ average combat power, so the species level that a particular species was born into and raised in usually set the upper limit of their development. However, even if all users were equally human, their levels were all different, so monsters were also graded according to their innate talents and subsequent efforts after birth. A few monsters, who were able to go above and beyond their species level, entered the Warrior Class; in other words, these monsters had trained themselves to become proficient in battle and learned how to use mana. Next was the Fighter Class, wherein monsters were capable of displaying special abilities due to increased mana utilization. Beyond the Fighter Class was the Knight Class, monsters who were born with an unusual ability and perfected such an ability. Then, there were the superpowers that were excellent and powerful enough to dominate the entire species, or the Hero Class monsters. These monsters attained enlightenment beyond the Master level. And beyond all these designations was the Freedom Class, where even the restrictions placed on species no longer became an obstacle. ¡°Anyway¡­ it looks like something went wrong in their world. Also, there hasn¡¯t been any DIO public announcements at all these days either¡­ The overall atmosphere has changed a lot.¡± Sparks flew out as Sungmuk placed his Divine Red Sparrow Sword into its scabbard. The fire attribute energy contained in the Divine Red Sparrow Sword had become stronger over time, so now, Sungmuk was able to create five or six flaming sword strikes at the same time. Sungmuk calmed down the bustling energy contained in his sword and sat cross-legged on a nearby rock. Above his head was his title¡­ a title that had recently changed. CH 243 [Guardian of the Silent Forest] [Sword King, Sungmuk] Standing at 190 centimeters tall, Sungmuk was considered tall even by human standards, let alone among the orc species. Moreover, he had a strong physical frame and impressive agility, so he gave off a very different impression than other ordinary orcs. After brushing away the users, Sungmuk closed his eyes and meditated. He obtained the title of Sword King after mastering Plum Blossom Swordsmanship, reaching the 12th stage in the technique; however, since then, he had entered a period of stagnation and was unable to develop further. Of course, relatively speaking, it was already a great achievement that he even reached the 12th stage after just ten years of training. Most practitioners of the Plum Blossom Swordsmanship never even made it to the 10th stage, no matter how much they trained. However, Sungmuk himself didn¡¯t consider this achievement as anything special because he had devoted his entire life, all waking hours and even meditating in his sleep, in developing the technique over the past 10 years. ¡°¡­ Hmm?¡± Sungmuk, who was just about to fall into a deep state of meditation, suddenly opened his eyes. And when he grabbed his Divine Red Sparrow Sword and circulated internal energy throughout his entire body, the space in front of him shuddered and opened, as if it had been waiting for this moment all along. Flash! ¡°Woah! Why is the teleportation so rough? I protected my body with monster power, but I still feel like I¡¯m going to throw up,¡± Miho complained. ¡°Oh, really? But Arc doesn¡¯t seem to mind¡­¡± Merlin replied. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± Arc commented. ¡°Ugh. Alright, sorry.¡± From the empty space, three users, one man and two women, appeared. Along with the three users was an eagle with red feathers and a cat with blackish-blue fur. The eagle and cat were Merlin and Arc¡¯s pet respectively. Miho, who previously existed in DIO¡¯s world as an NPC, had been resurrected in the real world, so now, she was re-entering DIO as a user. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in a while¡­ Irregular.¡± ¡°Huh? Wait, you knew that about me? Did you know all along?¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite famous amongst [us].¡± Seeing Sungmuk nodding his head calmly, Merlin took a step forward with a sense of satisfaction. ¡°Ah, then¡­ I¡¯ve made a good choice. Actually, I came here to¡­¡± Flash! However, what greeted Merlin was a flash of light and a suffocating fragrance of plum blossoms. Sungmuk had unfolded his attack as if it was natural to do so. Boom! Above Merlin¡¯s robe was a text box that read, [Extreme Reinforced EX 18 Layers]. Immediately after Sungmuk launched his attack, layers of defensive barriers appeared and blocked Sungmuk¡¯s plum blossom attack. The plum blossom attack was powerful enough to tear through 8 defensive barrier layers of Merlin¡¯s robe at once, but the attack wasn¡¯t strong enough to reach and actually affect Merlin¡¯s robe, which left Merlin untouched. Merlin raised his right hand while his barriers operated, and once he raised his hand, a wave of his magic power emanated from the blue diamond embedded in the back of his hand. The blue diamond was proof that he had reached the 7th Stage, just below Zero Shining, the ultimate stage of the Seven Jewel School of Magic. ¡°Cry! Thunder!¡± Rumble. ¡°¡­!¡± Along with a heavy roar, a thunderbolt so thick that it could be clearly seen, even in the current daylight, struck down on Sungmuk. It was an attack with an overwhelming current and voltage, enough to turn even a thousand-year-old tree into a heap of ash at once, but surprisingly, a purple light, which arose from Sungmuk¡¯s body, completely blocked and deflected the thunderbolt attack. ¡°Ooh. Body Strengthening Self-Defense Technique. And if I¡¯m not mistaken, amongst the Body Strengthening Self-Defense Technique, you¡¯re utilizing Purple Mist Singular Qi.¡± Singular Qi was a completely different concept from Strong Qi. It was a result that could only come about in the realm of martial arts through rigorous and constant martial arts research and development, and it only arose when one completed a concept to the limit. In other words, Singular Qi was a power that only existed in the pure martial arts world. It was an achievement that neared the transcendent realm. A Grand Master¡¯s Strong Qi was a kind of authority that was obtained when three abilities, [Basic Mana Control], [Absolute Mana Dominance], and [Synchronization with All Things] were completed. This completion gave the Grand Master a form of authority over something. The Grand Master¡¯s Strong Qi was an ultimate force that interfered not only with all matter that existed in the world, but also with [conceptual] elements, such as time and space. On the other hand, rather than being a form of authority, Singular Qi was closer to the pinnacle crystallization of martial arts that many practitioners obtained at the end of dozens, hundreds, or even a thousand years of research and training. Though Singular Qi was considered a lower-level power, incomparable to the mighty power of Strong Qi, which was considered a god¡¯s authority, this lower-level Singular Qi was considered the strongest power within its level, as it possessed exceptional cutting power and other special effects. Singular Qi was definitely not something one could easily ignore. Singular Qi was a concept like modern computers, nuclear weapons, and rockets, which were created through discoveries from numerous past studies, hypotheses, and experiments and the data that was accrued over time. So even if one wasn¡¯t a great genius, if one went through a training method that had been handed down, and one was at a level to absorb and understand such learnings, one could obtain the concept. Actually, simply being a genius wasn¡¯t enough to acquire this form of concept. In fact, amongst the newly-entered transcendent beings, if a transcendent being wasn¡¯t originally from a civilization where martial arts had developed, there were many cases where the transcendent being didn¡¯t know about the existence of Singular Qi. Of course, if one already reached the transcendent realm, Singular Qi, a relatively low-leveled martial art power, would not have much meaning¡­ Anyway, Sungmuk was using such a power right now. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re great. In the past, I felt like you were somewhat using it, but it seems like you¡¯ve completely mastered it now. Is it your completed product?¡± ¡°Oho. So, you¡¯re now judging me, huh?¡± Sungmuk smirked. When he did, the orc species¡¯ unique long fangs showed their menacing appearance. ¡°Oh, wait. I¡¯m not here to fight you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we are beings who exist to fight opponents like you!!¡± Sungmuk became one with his sword and rushed like lightning towards Merlin. The killing intent Sungmuk exuded was thick and heavy, so Merlin couldn¡¯t help but deal with Sungmuk¡¯s attack seriously. Moreover, in truth, Sungmuk¡¯s internal energy and his swordsmanship skill were beyond the state of transcendence. ¡°I was going to have Eunhye deal with him for training purposes, but¡­ it seems I¡¯ve made a huge miscalculation.¡± A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. Surprisingly, Sungmuk was developing at a faster rate than most users, who received all kinds of assistance from the DIO system. Of course, now that Sungmuk had recently entered a lull in his development, he¡¯d be blocked by a wall for the foreseeable future, perhaps even being stuck forever at his current level; still, considering that Sungmuk was a monster, his startling growth speed was still surprising for Merlin. Whoosh! The Plum Blossom Swordsmanship, which had become so famous that there was no user who didn¡¯t recognize the skill¡¯s name, unfolded in front of Merlin. Countless plum blossom petals swirled around like snowflakes blowing in the wind, and the visual scene was accompanied by a strong scent of plum blossoms, which seemed to suffocate one¡¯s mind and make one feel dizzy. Boom! Boom! Boom! The individual plum blossom petals seemed exceedingly light and airy, but the power and force contained in each plum blossom petal was strong enough to pierce any modern composite armor and was as heavy as a giant stone. The +11 Robe of Protection, a reinforced defensive item that was currently up for sale in the Exchange Center for tens of billions of gold, would have lost all its defensive abilities and be rendered useless in an instant after sustaining Sungmuk¡¯s current attack. ¡°But still¡­¡± Merlin was unconcerned. Even though the attack was so ferocious that a normal user would be torn to pieces at once, Merlin calmly stepped forward and raised his right hand as if he wasn¡¯t going against anything special. ¡°You need to learn how to hold a conversation with others.¡± Ting! Responding to Merlin¡¯s spirit, the Golden Pill Immortal Technique awakened Merlin¡¯s dantian. Soon, 50 years of internal energy was injected into Merlin¡¯s inner world. The internal energy of 50 years was amplified to a 100, 200, 400, and then 800 years after it passed through Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. 800 years of internal energy. A whopping 13 cycles and then some¡­ this amount of internal energy, which was being exerted in a single blow, was unheard of for martial artists. Even the self-destruct technique, Explosive Demonic Art, which was used to explode one¡¯s internal energy but take away one¡¯s life, didn¡¯t come close in output. Rumble! The space undulated as if a stone was thrown into a calm lake, causing the entire surface to ripple. Although Merlin¡¯s ultimate hand skill, Irrational Hand Strike, did not have the ability to interfere with space, simple yet overwhelming physical force could affect higher concepts when its destructive power went beyond a certain limit. ¡°Dang it¡­ ugh¡­ I feel sick inside every time I see this technique. It¡¯s strong enough to break down the entire field and study of martial arts itself.¡± Merlin¡¯s pet, Quiet Heaven, who was sitting on Arc¡¯s shoulder armor, grumbled as it braced itself so that it wouldn¡¯t be swept away from the aftershock of Merlin¡¯s attack. The only reason Quiet Heaven was able to remain calm and cool-headed was because Quiet Heaven had seen Merlin¡¯s amplification attack several times in the past, but Miho¡¯s reaction was a little more intense. ¡°Oh, my God!! You¡¯re able to release such ridiculous destructive power without any preparation or process¡­ Hey, bird brain¡­ am I hallucinating right now?¡± ¡°Hey, wait just a minute! Who are you calling bird brain?¡± ¡°Huh? But you¡¯re a bird, so you have a bird brain¡­¡± ¡°!!¡± Miho, who was taken aback by the absurd unfolding sight, soon argued with Quiet Heaven. All the while, Arc used magic to collect data. Arc¡¯s pet, Ellie, who was next to Arc, muttered in disgust. ¡°I¡¯ve heard many things about Irregulars¡­ Irregular this, Irregular that¡­ but this is just absurd. It¡¯s more than great¡­ it¡¯s terrifying.¡± ¡°Merlin has always been like that. He¡¯s always been able to do the unimaginable with ease. He¡­ really is great. Whenever I see things like this, it makes me want to change my baseline cultivation technique.¡± However, Arc knew that changing her cultivation technique wouldn¡¯t allow her to do the things that Merlin could do. For any normal mage, the principles of Golden Pill Immortal Technique, which sought the crystallization of Genuine Qi, couldn¡¯t coexist with the use of magic power, as the metamorphosis of one¡¯s Genuine Qi was considered dangerous for a magic user. Moreover, even if one practiced No Living World, most practitioners would only be able to create one planet. Even if one trained and achieved to the ultimate degree, the second planet was the limit. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Surprisingly, Sungmuk, who faced the mighty hand skill strike head-on, was still alive after the attack. Merlin¡¯s overwhelming hand strike couldn¡¯t be avoided, so Sungmuk had utilized his Singular Qi and a Plum Blossom Swordsmanship grafting illusion skill to barely sustain himself against the strike. But, of course, it was impossible for him to avoid any injury. Both his arms as well as his shoulder blades were smashed in, and his right leg, which had landed on the ground, was also crushed. Actually, there was nothing left below his right knee cap. The internal energy that had powerfully circulated, like the mighty Yellow River, throughout his entire body instantly evaporated from Merlin¡¯s single strike. This caused Sungmuk¡¯s internal energy, which normally couldn¡¯t be used in [such a way], to be used to muster a defense against Merlin¡¯s hand strike. If this place had been a martial arts world rather than a virtual one, Sungmuk would have been unable to use internal energy ever again. CH 244 ¡°This is so ridiculous. I¡¯ve heard from others that your talents reach the levels of irrationality¡­ but even so, I¡¯ve been feared by my predecessors as being a heavenly existence that couldn¡¯t be touched by anyone else below the heavens¡­ so for me to be so easily dealt with¡­¡± Sungmuk tried to put strength into his body. Wriggle. However, all he could do was wriggle parts of his body; there was nothing else he could do. With both arms and legs turned into pieces of shredded meat, no matter how strong his will was, he was rendered useless. If even a small amount of genuine qi had remained, Sungmuk would have at least taken some emergency measures, but he didn¡¯t even have that small amount of internal energy. ¡°Heavenly body¡­ and a veteran martial artist¡­ it¡¯s good I came here.¡± Sungmuk was a completely different existence from common monsters, which respawned infinitely to fight against users. Monsters like Sungmuk who could use high-level abilities as well as carry proper conversations with users were essentially completely different dimensional existences compared to normal monsters. Though DIO¡¯s system could recreate normal monsters indefinitely, monsters with high [levels] couldn¡¯t be mass produced. In other words, these high-level monsters were not originally [created] by DIO¡¯s system. ¡®Quiet Heaven once mentioned that these guys are subject to [slave contracts].¡¯ The high-level monsters were contractors that fulfilled duties differently than pets, which were existences that were closely connected with users and helped them grow. Pets like Quiet Heaven and Ellie signed contracts under their status as Noblesse, so essentially, they signed contracts under relatively equal footing. Of course, even if they belonged to the Noblesse and were largely considered equals, this was only a superficial equality, as mixed-race species couldn¡¯t be called true Noblesse. Regardless, these lesser Noblesse had a place in DIO¡¯s system, as they sought their own rewards and goals. Quiet Heaven had once explained¡­ [However, the situation is different for monsters, helpers, and NPCs. They¡¯re¡­ closer to being dead existences. The administrators of DIO lured in the souls who had already died but still possessed lingering desires or unfulfilled feelings and could not go to the Nether World, for whatever reason. The administrators enticed and promised to bring these souls back to life if they fulfilled their duty and contract. Most of the dead souls had no other options or choices, so they signed these slave-like contracts and were treated harshly. It was a bit better for existences that had a good level of ability, but if one didn¡¯t possess such abilities, or if one had a glaring weakness, one¡¯s memories were often sealed.] The monsters within DIO came from all dimensions and planets. The Noblesse, who were able to roam the entire universe with their transcendent power, collected a large number of eligible souls and made them into components that comprised the current DIO¡¯s system. ¡°What¡­ are you talking about?¡± ¡°Like I said before, I¡¯m not here to fight you.¡± Of course, Merlin didn¡¯t come to hunt Sungmuk, but sought Sungmuk for another purpose. Sungmuk had the strongest [uniqueness] among the non-transcendent monsters, so Merlin judged that Sungmuk was a high-level monster that best suited his purpose. Despite his ravaged body, Sungmuk smiled and laughed after hearing Merlin¡¯s reply. ¡°Like I said earlier, I was made to fight with beings like you¡­¡± ¡°Wow. Even in your current condition, you¡¯re still stubborn and unyielding¡­ woah!¡± Whoosh! Merlin sighed as he approached Sungmuk, but then, Merlin cried aloud as he quickly took a few steps back. Merlin¡¯s throat had been half-slit and started spewing out golden smoke. Luckily, Merlin was a user with a strong body, so he hurriedly applied healing magic onto himself and escaped greater injury. Any normal user would have succumbed to the attack and died. ¡°Sheesh. You avoided it.¡± Merlin, whose neck wound healed in no time, expressed surprise at seeing Sungmuk¡¯s sad appearance while he lay immobile on the ground. ¡°Heart Sword? No, it can¡¯t be.¡± It was impossible for Sungmuk, who wasn¡¯t a transcendent, to complete the Heart Sword. Developing the Heart Sword was something that could be done at lower levels, but an existence who could bring out the full effect of the Heart Sword in the present world and exert the Heart Sword¡¯s physical force couldn¡¯t be considered an existence from a lower species. Even if one lacked a physical foundation, the moment one took out the Heart Sword outside of oneself, it became possible to get rid of the physical foundation framework itself. Hence, logically, it should have been impossible for Sungmuk, who was tied to the DIO system and its restrictions, to use Heart Sword, as it was a physical materialization of sword qi, a hallmark of a Grand Master. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m okay. Sungmuk launched a space leaping sort of attack, but his use of the technique seems to be limited to very close combat. Compared to the actual Heart Sword, his attack seems to have given up quite a bit of its destructive power and ability to reduce recovery.¡± Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. If Sungmuk had launched a true Heart Sword attack, even Merlin would have lost his life from one blow. The Heart Sword was an attack that couldn¡¯t be avoided. There were no walls or barriers that protected one¡¯s heart, and since there was no time required for a Heart Sword attack to go after one¡¯s heart, the only way to avoid the Heart Sword strike was for one to foresee the future. In other words, it was impossible to contend against such an attack unless one could prevent the attack itself. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re great. I never would have thought that a kid like you, who couldn¡¯t even survive one of my middling blows a while back, could defeat me so overwhelmingly now.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be so depressed about; the uniqueness of the martial arts I have learned has allowed me to develop beyond anyone¡¯s expectation. Moreover, I knew that if I didn¡¯t subdue you with one blow, the battle between us would have extended for a long period of time.¡± The Golden Pill Immortal Technique was basically a style of martial arts that poured everything into one strike. Moreover, the main output process of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique, the No Living World, was efficient beyond imagination, as it could amplify internal energy and produce an overwhelmingly greater internal energy force than what was originally inputted into the system. Considering that in general martial arts, the ratio between the internal energy consumed and the internal energy that could be exerted was only one-to-one at best, the Golden Pill Immortal Technique¡¯s input to output ratio was absurd, as it could output tremendously more power compared to how much was inputted at the start. But, of course, with such enormous advantages, there were also considerable disadvantages. Actually, the more power that could be used in one blow, the more serious the disadvantages became. Unlike Mercury, which didn¡¯t have a cooldown period and could be used at any time, the second system, Venus, required a cooldown time of 0.5 seconds, and in the case of Earth, a cooldown time of 30 seconds was required, and a cooldown time of about 15 minutes was required for Mars. This was because No Living World entered a kind of discharge state in order to amplify internal energy once more. Even if No Living World re-entered a stable state after activation and cooldown, the subsequent cooldown times would gradually get longer if one used No Living World repeatedly within a short period of time. Of course, the disadvantage wouldn¡¯t have been such a big deal if it was just the extended cooldown times. If it was just a matter of waiting a little bit before reuse, wouldn¡¯t a practitioner of No Living World still be able to use Mercury and Venus? Practitioners who possessed two planets would already have an ample capacity of internal energy, so, in theory, they¡¯d be able to utilize both planets without much lag time due to cooldowns. ¡®However, one¡¯s blood vessels are the main problem. Plus, the physical body itself presents a problem. One miscalculated use and one¡¯s body would most likely explode from the overwhelming strength and power that¡¯s exerted all at once.¡¯ Basically, Merlin¡¯s hand skill strike was a surprise attack, or a one-hit kill form of attack; it was not developed to be used multiple times during a single battle. Once the tremendously amplified energy passed through his blood vessels, his physical body was burdened and handicapped, a physical state that couldn¡¯t be ignored. This was the reason why Merlin, who was able to exert 100 years of internal energy into his No Living World system to deliver one amplified blow, refrained from utilizing his maximum capacity and only inputted 50 years of internal energy into No Living World. If he had gone all out and inputted 100 years of internal energy into No Living World, then his 100 years would have amplified to 1,600 years after passing through Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. 1,600 years meant 26 cycles of internal energy. Yes, Merlin could shoot off a 26-cycle internal energy strike. However, the 26-cycle output would destroy Merlin¡¯s body just by [passing through] his blood vessels. ¡°Ugh. It doesn¡¯t seem like you used some sort of magic martial arts, perhaps you¡¯ve learned and developed an extreme form of martial arts. However, such extreme forms of martial arts are not a good way to reach the pinnacle¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not just an internal energy user¡­ I¡¯m also a mage.¡± If Merlin had been a pure martial artist, the Golden Pill Immortal Technique¡¯s unique characteristic would have been a huge weakness, but he wasn¡¯t just a simple martial arts user. No, on the contrary, he was able to succeed in perfecting his combat skills with superior magic abilities. ¡°Well, since I managed to subdue you, I should get to work before you die.¡± ¡°Work? What work? I was curious from the beginning, but what kind of bullshit are you spewing¡­¡± Bam! Merlin¡¯s dagger was driven into Sungmuk¡¯s heart while Sungmuk was still speaking. Merlin¡¯s dagger, made from a jewel, emanated soft light. ¡°Operate Editor Blade.¡± When Merlin triggered his Editor Blade with his trigger voice, the power contained in the jeweled sword was activated. Soon, Merlin¡¯s thoughts were shot into the [inside] of Sungmuk through his Anyform blade dagger. Merlin was able to interpret the overarching system that governed Sungmuk and acquired further information. In Merlin¡¯s opinion, the Editor Dlade was a power that should never exist in DIO. If the Empress of Magic, who created DIO, or the Noblesse knew of the Editor Blade¡¯s existence, they would probably try to kill Merlin, the creator of the Editor Blade, or place a penalty equivalent to the blade¡¯s power. Few, if any, developers liked having editors who modified their games. ¡®But, if I have a chance to use it to my advantage, of course, I should use it.¡¯ With a smile, Merlin [corrected] Sungmuk¡¯s existence. ¡°Data patch.¡± CH 245 *** Question *** ¡°No matter how strong he is, he¡¯s still just a common criminal! We represent the country and the people¡¯s will!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it too harsh to say that he¡¯s a murderer? He was a national hero who saved countless people¡¯s lives and was the pride of Korea as the strongest DIO user.¡± ¡°But then he went on and slaughtered thousands. Are you so shameless to defend such a murderer?¡± ¡°I beg your pardon? Shameless?¡± As always, the members of the Korean National Assembly were divided into several groups and were engaged in fierce discussions and arguments. Arthur Pendragon, or Seyoung, was famous for being the strongest Master and the ¡®knight of justice¡¯ for the masses. He had amassed considerable popularity for being loyal to his home country and selflessly serving its people. However, Arthur was never well versed or interested in politics, and he was especially uninterested and disliked associating himself with politicians who wanted to use him for their own political benefit; hence, Arthur didn¡¯t actively participate in Korea¡¯s political arena. ¡°Stop it! How long are we going to argue amongst ourselves in this assembly hall behind our desks!!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right! Above all, we must not forget that Japan was defeated by only one individual, Kim Seyoung. If he becomes hostile towards Korea, do we have the power to stop him?¡± ¡°¡­¡± This was an issue that everyone in the assembly hall was thinking about, so many lawmakers nodded their heads in agreement, but there were also opposing opinions. ¡°Right! But he has already done many manifestations! He won¡¯t be able to run wild much longer! If he¡¯s concerned for his own well-being, he¡¯ll have to stop at some point!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Rep. Kim Hyun-Dong frowned and looked at Rep. Lee Myung-Hak, who insisted and led the charge on directly facing and suppressing Seyoung. Not only that, but several members of the ruling party were vehemently agreeing with Rep. Lee¡¯s words. On the surface, this cohort claimed that they wouldn¡¯t be able to control the other Masters if they ignored Seyoung¡¯s senseless and unlawful slaughter of individuals¡­ but since when were they ever interested in such universal humanitarian issues? ¡®Did the Japanese side lobby them?¡¯ The conjecture that these Korean representatives had been lobbied by Japanese politicians was quite possible, but this conjecture also presented many questions. Japan, which had been dealt a horrible defeat after mobilizing not only their Japanese Masters but also their Self-Defense Forces, was not so politically na?ve to take such open and shallow lobbying actions. Even though Rep. Kim Hyun-Dong had this thought, he did not bother to refute or intervene in the ongoing argument. Though he could have stated his concerns and turn the tide of the argument, he would only lose face if he got entangled with such an enraged and emotion-appealing opponent. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t his style to move while not knowing exactly what his opposition¡¯s purpose or situation was. ¡°We will never compromise with a murderer!¡± ¡°Right! This is a disgrace to the good name of the Republic of Korea!¡± Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. ¡°¡­ That¡¯s good.¡± And, right at that moment, a new voice rang out. ¡°I don¡¯t want to compromise with trash like you all either.¡± ¡°?!¡± Arthur, Seyoung, appeared within the assembly hall. He didn¡¯t enter through a door but showed up after a burst of light. Seyoung had appeared in the middle of the assembly hall as if by magic. ¡°He¡¯s here! The massacre you conducted won¡¯t be condoned¡­¡± Whoosh! A shouting council member, who was seated next to Rep. Lee Myung-Hak, rose into the air. Based on Seyoung¡¯s will, his sword qi of light, which could be super-cold or super-heated, could burn the surface of one¡¯s skin and create a wound where blood wouldn¡¯t even be able to splatter. Plop. Roll¡­ The beheading happened in an instant. And since it happened so naturally, as if it was an act that had to be done, none of the gathered representatives were able to immediately react. The pieces of the council member¡¯s corpse, which seemed unrealistic and looked more like that of a mannequin than that of a human being, was separated into various body parts as they rolled on the assembly hall¡¯s floor. ¡°What is this¡­ what¡­¡± The complexion of Representative Lee Myung-Hak, who was about to launch an attack on Seyoung, along with the other lawmakers around him, turned grey. Of course, the attack the representative was planning to make was a political attack with words, not a physical attack using force. ¡°What are you doing!!¡± ¡°What am I doing? Didn¡¯t I already state what I was doing from Japan? I will punish everyone involved in my mother¡¯s death.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Representative Lee Myung-Hak¡¯s body stiffened. Regardless of Lee Myung-Hak¡¯s response, Seyoung continued. ¡°You tricked my mother by telling her she was going to Japan to see me. Did you really think I wouldn¡¯t find out?¡± In truth, Lee Myung-Hak thought Seyoung would not find out. Though it sounded absurd now, at that time, this was exactly what Lee Myung-Hak thought. Of course, the representative knew that Seyoung was basing his current claim on circumstantial evidence; the representative and his people had already gotten rid of and removed all the hard evidence of his participation in the matter, and he had already matched stories with his two secretaries, with whom he had planned out and executed the matter. In the worst case, his two secretaries would take the fall, as they¡¯d state that they moved personally, without the representative¡¯s knowledge, out of pure personal greed. ¡°Don¡¯t force lies and falsehoods on me! You¡¯re going around and killing people without any evidence! You¡¯re just a murderer!¡± This was the way it always was for the representative. This was the line of argument he always took to successfully defend himself against his opposition¡¯s attacks. Even if Seyoung suspected the representative, that was all, just an accusation based on circumstantial evidence. Rep. Lee Myung Hak¡¯s enemies could cut off his tail, but they¡¯d never be able to touch his torso. ¡°Evidence? Don¡¯t joke around with me.¡± Whoosh! However, the head of another councilor, this time someone behind Rep. Lee Myung-Hak, was blown off. ¡°¡­!¡± Seyoung acted without a single moment of hesitation. Only then did Rep. Lee Myung-Hak finally realize that he was facing a type of person that he had never faced before. Seyoung laughed. ¡°My confidence and conviction are enough for me to take your head.¡± The Republic of Korea couldn¡¯t afford to be hostile towards a [knight of vengeance], Arthur in this case, because of the life of [just] one member of the Korean National Assembly. Arthur was an existence who had already subjugated Japan with his own power, as he was a transcendent figure who had descended into modern times. Though he wasn¡¯t a full-fledged transcendent¡­ no one on Earth could stop him. ¡°Hey, you, young man! Do you know who I am¡­¡± Ping! The sound of Arthur¡¯s sword of light being swung was like the high notes of a stringed instrument being clearly plucked. If one heard such a sound without knowing its origin, one would feel that the sound was impressive. It would make anyone stop and listen, no matter what they were doing. Even though the sound was close to a celestial melodic sound, if heads rolled on the ground every time one heard such a sound, one wouldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of fear and terror. ¡°And you¡­¡± ¡°Why, w-why are you¡­¡± Seyoung laughed after seeing Rep. Kim Hyun-Dong visibly trembling. The representative tried to put up a resistance, but he easily succumbed to the dazzling lights that shone in front of his eyes. ¡°I see, you¡¯re the strongest here.¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± Obviously, what Seyoung was talking about here wasn¡¯t physical strength. In the first place, such power was useless in the political arena. Rep. Kim Hyun-Dong often joked about being the most physically imposing figure within the Korean National Assembly, but physical fighting would only ruin his public image, so he never properly leveraged his physical attributes to gain political leverage. In truth, his real [strength] was of a different kind. Although it seemed from the outside that Rep. Kim Hyun-Dong was just another member of the Korean National Assembly, in truth, his wealth and personal connections were so widespread and expansive that even the Korean president was wary of him. However, the scarier thing was that it was impossible to grasp just how powerful and influential the representative was without conducting a thorough and exhausting investigation of the representative¡¯s background, as he made every effort to hide his true power. Seyoung was able to recognize, at first glance, Rep. Kim Dong-Hyun¡¯s [social power] just by looking at him. ¡°I took care of the higher ups who were associated with my mom¡¯s death, but there are many others, especially those who carried out all the dirty work. The guys who convinced and mobilized my mother¡­ The guys who fanned the flame and made these dead guys mobilize on the plan¡­ And all other related dregs¡­ find them all and punish them to my satisfaction.¡± ¡°W-what¡­ what... isn¡¯t it already enough that you¡¯ve taken these representatives¡¯ lives? As for the legal grounds for why you disposed of them¡­¡± ¡°Make it happen.¡± A beam of light exploded out from Seyoung¡¯s eyes. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you and your kind do best?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Seeing everyone in the Korean National Assembly building stiffen after being suppressed by his overwhelming presence, Seyoung stretched out with his right hand. CH 246 A pocket of space opened up, and Dustin, the scaled draconic sword that Arthur often summoned, emitted a subtle light as it made its appearance. Flash!! ¡°Kuk!¡± ¡°Ahh!! My eyes!!¡± Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. And the moment Seyoung placed his hand around Dustin, the lawmakers fell onto the floor and screamed. They were suddenly struck by a tremendous burst of light that emitted from Dustin. However, Seyoung¡¯s goal was not to injure the lawmakers. Whoosh. Shocked by the sudden gust of wind that they sensed on their skin, the lawmakers forcefully opened their teary eyes, as they were shedding tears from the previous burst of blinding light. ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± ¡°Oh. Ah. Ugh.¡± ¡°This can¡¯t be real¡­¡± Everyone either expressed their disbelief or held their breath. This was because a scene that they had never imagined had unfolded right before their eyes. There wasn¡¯t even a trace of a wall on one side of the National Assembly building, as if it had suddenly disappeared. Furthermore, the visible world beyond the wall was neatly cut, like a cake that had been cleanly cut by a huge knife. Mountains, buildings, roads, and even the land¡­ everything had been cleanly cut into a cross-section. ¡°It¡¯s a simple calculus,¡± Seyoung spoke out. Seyoung sent Dustin away and continued. ¡°If you don¡¯t do as I say, you will be [punished]. But if you do as I say and do well, I will give you a [reward].¡± ¡°A¡­ reward? What kind of reward¡­¡± ¡°I will take care of all the Legion and Grotesque forces that attack Korea¡­¡± ¡°!!!¡± ¡°You mean to say¡­!¡± Unlike when they stiffened after seeing Arthur divide the surrounding world with his draconic sword, every national assembly member¡¯s expression within the Korean National Assembly hardened for a different reason. The reward Seyoung mentioned was a prize more valuable than anything in the world to the politicians sitting in the assembly hall. Currently, the biggest challenge for Korea, no, for all countries around the world, was the persistent alien attacks. Even powerful countries such as the United States, Russia, and China were unable to completely block the alien¡¯s constant attacks and suffered massive casualties. In addition, weaker countries below these powerful nation states, or countries lacking a national defense, were on the brink of collapsing, so if there was a way to prevent such damage and deploy an effective and dependable response, these representatives would receive the unconditional support of the nation¡¯s entire people. ¡°If you understand, start moving.¡± When Seyoung kicked off the ground, the lawmakers remained dumbfounded, speechless, and in shock. ¡°Furthermore, I don¡¯t intend to give you a lot of time.¡± Flash! With a burst of light, Arthur disappeared. All that was left was the huge chasm he had created in the surrounding landscape with his draconic sword. *** As the professor was writing various social phenomena and popular commentary on those phenomena on the blackboard, he suddenly stopped and asked his class, ¡°Can modern society really accept superhumans? What do you think? Do you guys think that¡¯s possible?¡± ¡°Are you talking specifically about the knight of vengeance, Arthur?¡± ¡°You could consider him as a prime example, but my question isn¡¯t focused specifically on his case but a wider perspective around all superhumans. In short, the transcendent beings that we know as the Noblesse, creators of DIO, or the gods contained in the newfound knowledge the Noblesse presented us¡­ Ah, right. You all know of Buddha and Jesus Superstar.¡± The lecturer on the podium was Stephen, a senior professor at Harvard University. In Academy City, which was created on the eastern plains of Starting by users who possessed expert building skills, there was an eclectic collection of academies and schools from all around the real world; Harvard University was among these virtual schools that operated within Academy City. ¡°Are you talking about Buddha and God?¡± Stephen laughed after hearing the student¡¯s question. Due to DIO¡¯s accelerated time, which was 12 times faster than time in real life, and the availability of magic teleportation circles that connected the classroom with all parts of Dynamic Island, many people were now able to access quality education and study in DIO while living their normal lives in the real world. Stephen was now able to engage with a much wider and more diverse audience. ¡°Yes. However, the important thing here is that Buddha and Jesus Superstar were beings who existed in real life, based on the information leaked by the Noblesse.¡± The student made an expression of surprise after hearing the lecturing professor¡¯s words. ¡°Is it really true that the Buddha or Jesus that we know of now really existed?¡± ¡°Yes. Asgard¡¯s Grand Master, Esther, said that those past beings had a great realization and became such high-ranking existences that even the Noblesse considered them beings from another world. They were even said to have been Greater Gods among the gods¡­ ah, it seems I¡¯m going off on a tangent.¡± Stephen walked back up to the podium and looked once more at his students. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go back to square one, to my original question. Right now, Earth faces a transcendent existence that can be called a god. And we will meet more in the future.¡± Everyone was focused on Stephen. It seemed that the lecturing professor had chosen a topic that was quite interesting for the students. Stephen paused for a moment before continuing. ¡°Well then, what do you think humans will do?¡± The students buzzed for a moment after hearing Stephen¡¯s question, but soon, one of them raised a hand. ¡°Won¡¯t we reject the transcendent beings? Superhumans are singular figures that aren¡¯t associated with any tribe or group, and human beings do not tolerate beings different from themselves. A transcendent being may be given some benefit of the doubt and afforded some consideration in many cases, but in the end, he or she would never be accepted as part of the tribe or group. In fact, even now, there is talk of the need to isolate Masters.¡± ¡°Like the isolation of X-Man superheroes from the wider public in the Hollywood movies?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ right. Also, like those in the social minorities.¡± After hearing the student¡¯s response, Stephen nodded his head. However, he did not agree with what the student stated. ¡°You make a good point, but I think and believe differently. The transcendent being we face now is not just a psychic with strong combat power, but a transcendent being who has gained a divine position. And, as a Master level user who has often met with Esther¡­ my opinion is the exact opposite of yours.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Superhuman beings will be honored and worshiped.¡± ¡°Even though they are the same human beings as everyone else, they will be honored and worshiped just because they have power?¡± ¡°Yes. In fact, from the beginning, I never really understood why superhumans and normal humans must enter a war against one another¡­ why there needs to be an antagonistic relationship.¡± ¡°But¡­ Isn¡¯t that what¡¯s happening right now? Besides, isn¡¯t it natural for a person to feel awkward or uncomfortable toward a being that is ¡®higher¡¯ than or ¡®above¡¯ oneself?¡± Stephen shook his head after hearing the student¡¯s words. ¡°That statement itself may be correct, but the problem is that even that is only part of the larger issue. If you think all humans will make the same judgment, that¡¯s a serious misconception and incorrect assumption about humans. Rejecting superhumans for being different is something that clearly makes sense for some people, as they feel unsettled by the existence of such powerful beings amid them, but if superhumans are clearly recognized as beings of a higher rank, the number of people who will follow and support them, even if they don¡¯t go as far as to worship them, will be greater than expected. Isn¡¯t it the same as a poor man, who cannot escape poverty, casting his vote for a rich politician he could never dream of meeting or becoming¡­ or a guy longing for a beautiful celebrity even though he is ugly?¡± ¡°But¡­ at least, in your examples, they are all normal human beings.¡± ¡°Superhumans are, of course, fundamentally, human beings. If we dig deeper into that thought, we can see that the determination of them as human beings or not is not the fundamental issue. Even if they aren¡¯t human, even if they possess a draconic body, like the Grand Masters I¡¯ve met in the past¡­ If humanity knows that it¡¯s powerless to do anything against such existences, humans will somehow find something in common or something to feel a sense of common identity with those existences. If the worship of a God, whose very existence was actually unknown, was so prosperous on Earth over the past couple millennia, then isn¡¯t it obvious that there will be people who are enthusiastic about existences that really exist and have tangible transcendent powers? There will be many who will choose to worship such existences as a God or show their admiration in other ways toward those superheroes.¡± As Stephen¡¯s voice was becoming louder and more passionate, one of the students casually remarked aloud. ¡°You seem to be very excited about this topic.¡± Though the tone of the student¡¯s voice was a bit rude, Stephen just nodded his head in response. ¡°Yes. Perhaps because I am a prolific academic writer and novelist by nature, I couldn¡¯t stop my excitement when I talk about such an interesting topic.¡± Stephen was a famous novelist, even before DIO came out, but now, he was more famous as a Master level user who specialized in summoning. It was already widely known that so-called [literary talents], who possessed creative skills such as imagination, expressive power, and vocabulary, gave tremendous power to pure spiritual power users. Hence, world renowned writers, cartoonists, and poets became powerful elementalists or summoners in the world of DIO. It was becoming the case that people who specialized in the science field became accomplished mages; those who specialized in philosophy became accomplished martial artists; and those who specialized in the realm of literature became accomplished summoners. ¡°Right now, the knight of vengeance is receiving a lot of public criticism. I understand his resentment but equating the death of one to the slaughter of thousands is obviously too much. However, I¡¯m sure of one thing.¡± As if he found something extremely funny and entertaining, Stephen chuckled before continuing. ¡°¡­ Surely, humans will soon try to [understand] and [align] with the knight of vengeance. This, I am sure of.¡± *** All the broadcasting companies in Korea began broadcasting similar news all at once. After reviewing various past cases and interviews, the broadcasting programs focused on Seyoung¡¯s, or Arthur or the knight of light, upbringing, what kind of life he had lived and how sincere and kind he had been. CH 247 /[He¡¯s a true warrior of justice. He saved all of our school¡¯s students.] [Thank you, Arthur!] [Even though he must have felt awful about his terminally ill mother, he always smiled and worked hard.] [What a wonderful young man.]/ Recently, several television broadcasting stations focused on how filial Seyoung was and how hard he worked for his mother, who suffered from a terminal type of leukemia. There was also a television documentary, which was divided into three parts, juxtaposing the image of an overjoyed and tearful Seyoung after seeing his mother recover from her illness and Seyoung¡¯s response when he saw the murder of his mother by yakuza members, who were connected to a far-right party in Japan. Through the juxtaposing scene, the documentary successfully pulled off and brought a sense of humanity and human drama over Seyoung¡¯s twisted fate. /[Love¡­ love humans, son. They are small and weak, and they make mistakes... but you shouldn¡¯t forget that you are human, too.] [Don¡¯t!!!] / On Ripple and all sorts of social media sites, fierce discussions and arguments continued every day. /-The Knight of Light fought for everyone and saved countless lives! He even went to Japan because of Japan¡¯s earnest request, so why should I take the side of the unscrupulous people who took his mother hostage and even went as far as to kill her? - But the value of life is equal. Killing thousands of people for the price of one life doesn¡¯t make any sense. - Ah, the commenter above is such a troll, lol. Why are you trying to sound like a good person? Why shouldn¡¯t he massacre whoever he wants? His mother is dead, but he should calmly consider the value of other people¡¯s lives? What a troll. I would have done the same if I had the strength to do so. You must truly be a saint, lol. I guess your mom needs to die under the hands of the yakuza before you stop spewing saintly bullshit, lol./ News sites and newspapers ran updated information on Seyoung¡¯s developments on a daily basis. The other news they ran dealt with the people who were killed by Seyoung. Of course, it was not at all about their gruesome deaths or the grief of the bereaved families. /[Exclusive Report] The truth about the extreme right in Japan! The relationship between the far right and the Yakuza¡­ ¡®Shocking!¡¯ The traitors who sold Seyoung¡¯s mother to Japan¡­ ¡®Oops!¡¯/ The news sites and newspapers reported on the shady underworld dealings of the Japanese far-right, what they publicly said and did, and the identities of the so-called pro-Japanese groups with whom they had a close relationship with. This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. It was an obvious media play to change the narrative, and the effect was amazingly effective. /- I¡¯m happy that they¡¯re being killed! - Arthur could have been a Knight of Light for humankind, but he became a Knight of Vengeance because of those good for nothing trash-like human beings!/ The whole country rallied on the side of Seyoung and were up in arms. Condemnation of Japan reached its peak in Korea, and public opinion sympathized with Seyoung and his unfortunate plight. With so many broadcast programs and newspaper reports covering Seyoung, the general population felt as though Seyoung was a family member, and his fan base grew so large that even world superstars couldn¡¯t dare follow his popularity. Retribution and punishment on those who sent his mother to Japan, and the Korean legislation and execution of the [Act on Foreign Trade Prevention] towards Japan were carried out in an instant amidst the public response and outcry. Of course, there were always bound to be people who didn¡¯t sympathize with the majority¡¯s reaction. People with similar tendencies and ideologies, like human rights groups, showed strong hatred toward Seyoung and Korea¡¯s support for him as public outcry and punishments progressed. However, there was nothing this small group could do, as they were only a very small minority compared to the whole. In truth, if anyone expressed such an opinion or even seemed like one was on the opposing side, he or she would be beaten back by the overwhelming public opinion in support of Seyoung. In addition, Japan continued to accuse Seyoung of being a mass murderer and sought help from various countries to seek retribution, but in the end, they did not receive any help. This was because international relations were driven by the logic of power, not recognition. From the moment Japan lost to a single individual, they had entered a downward spiral. ¡°Merlin¡­ No, Yoon Yongno¡­ what¡¯s his reaction to all this?¡± Rep. Kim Hyun-Dong asked. ¡°Unknown. It remains to be seen. He is not responding to any of the official policies or accepting any media requests. He often manifests and deals with aliens, but only when he feels like it. And¡­¡± Rep. Kim¡¯s aide replied. ¡°And?¡± ¡°When Lieutenant General Shin Hyeon-ho charged into Yongno¡¯s residence to force Yongno to meet with him, eyewitness accounts and testimonies stated that someone used special abilities without manifestation.¡± Rep. Kim Hyun-Dong, who was busy looking over several documents while listening to his aide, suddenly lifted his head with a stern expression on his face. ¡°What does that¡­ Could it be that Yoon Yongno has reached Level 20?" ¡°Ah, we don¡¯t know for certain. It was said that the special ability using individual wasn¡¯t Yoon Yongno himself but his bodyguard.¡± ¡°A third party¡­ not even a member of the Heaven above the Heavens?¡± ¡°According to eyewitness accounts, the person in question is Kwan Youngmin. However, his personal details could not be verified. He doesn¡¯t have a social security number, and even though he¡¯s been on the air, no one has come forth and stated that they know him. He¡¯s as clean as someone who just plopped down from the sky, so he must be a mixed blood child or a member of the underworld from China or Japan.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± After hearing his aide¡¯s words, Rep. Kim Hyun-Dong touched his forehead as if his head hurt. Other countries envied the fact that two out of the three Heaven above the Heavens members were in Korea, but to politicians like him, a talented person with a rebellious temperament like Yongno put him in a rather uncomfortable position. Seyoung, who was popularly called the Knight of Light by the public, had saved others without sparing himself, and even now, though his disposition had completely changed, Seyoung was still willing to work with the government and be on [the same side]. On the other hand, no matter what the Korean government did, Yongno wasn¡¯t willing to work with politicians like Kim Hyun-Dong, or for anyone for that matter. Since Yongno was a thoroughly individualistic person who mainly acted alone, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if Yongno defected to another country at any moment. ¡°This guy¡­ and that guy¡­ ugh, they¡¯re both giving me a headache. Even if I levy political power, there¡¯s no way to¡­¡± ¡°!!¡± Rep. Kim Hyun-dong, who was roughly turning over the papers in his hands, stiffened. It was wartime, so Rep. Kim Hyun-Dong always had an extensive security detail with him, but Seyoung could reach him without any difficulty at any time. Even now, in the brief moment when Kim Hyun-Dong blinked his eyes, Seyoung had suddenly appeared in front of him. ¡°You did a lot better than I thought. Although, you did go a little overboard in recreating my public image, which I wasn¡¯t expecting.¡± ¡°Passing bills and laws requires public opinion to be on one¡¯s side, so it was inevitable. Besides, it¡¯s not bad for you if your image improves, right?¡± Though Rep. Kim Hyun-Dong was speaking with someone who was very much his junior, Rep. Kim made sure to maintain an honorific tone of speaking. It wasn¡¯t simply because of politeness¡­ It was because the [presence] emanating from Seyoung was constantly giving him a sense of tension, as if he was standing on the edge of a cliff. The tension was the kind that suppressed one¡¯s mind, and instead of getting used to it, the more Rep. Kim felt it, the more difficult it became for him to bear. ¡°Well, not bad. The direction is a bit different than what I expected, but in the end, you got what I was aiming for.¡± Seyoung muttered lazily. But even so¡­ his eyes seemed to be fiercely burning. Though Seyoung was clearly looking at Rep. Kim, Seyoung seemed to be focused on something else. ¡°Uh, anyway, I kept my side of the agreement. When are you planning to move and deal with the aliens?¡± ¡°Oh, I will keep my side of the agreement, of course. Actually, I¡¯ve already completed my side of the agreement.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve¡­ already made good on your side of the agreement?¡± ¡°Have there been any attacks since this morning?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Rep. Kim Hyun-Dong paused after hearing Seyoung¡¯s words. When he thought back, he couldn¡¯t recall receiving any news of any recent alien attacks, which he had been receiving on a daily basis. ¡°But¡­ there were times in the past when a day would go by without an alien attack. In fact, there were times when the aliens took a break for an entire week.¡± ¡°But this time is different. At the very least, there won¡¯t be any space teleportation of aliens to this area anymore. Of course¡­ it must be hard to believe what I¡¯m saying, right?¡± Saying so, Seyoung handed over a USB storage device to Rep. Kim. Rep. Kim Hyun-Dong accepted it, even though he had a puzzled expression on his face. ¡°This?¡± ¡°I filmed myself destroying the alien¡¯s Dimension Terminal. If you broadcast it, you can convince everyone. No, to be more direct, so that there¡¯s no misunderstanding¡­¡± Smile. Seyoung continued speaking with a wry smile on his face. ¡°Send that entire file everywhere, nationwide. Give it out to whoever that requests it, even other countries, also, upload it onto YouTube.¡± ¡°But why¡­?¡± Rep. Kim Hyun-Dong couldn¡¯t understand what Seyoung was getting at. A video file¡­ For what purpose was Seyoung, who had already attained transcendent powers, being so kind and helpful? If he was a kid who wanted attention, Rep. Kim would better understand Seyoung¡¯s motive. As a politician, Rep. Kim had dealt with a lot of people over the course of his life, so he knew that Seyoung wasn¡¯t the kind of person who sought or wanted attention. ¡®What other purpose is there? His revenge is over¡­¡¯ All the people and powers related to the death of Seyoung¡¯s mother had already been dealt with or killed. From the conspiring leaders and politicians of far-right groups to those who actually carried out the act, every last person was either killed or punished accordingly under Seyoung¡¯s heavy hand. Seyoung meticulously handled everything; it was to the point where Rep. Kim thought that Seyoung had turned over every single stone, so where did Seyoung find the time to destroy a Dimensional Terminal? And why was he being so helpful? ¡®¡­ Perhaps¡­ is he aiming for power?¡¯ Rep. Kim Hyun-Dong shook his head when that fleeting thought popped into his mind. Seyoung already possessed power strong enough to subdue an entire country alone, and he was already a worldwide superstar since his days as the Knight of Light. If Seyoung ever applied for asylum abroad, the host country¡¯s representative would jump out barefoot to welcome and greet him, even if it was the president of the United States. Even if the sitting US president did a terrible job of running for reelection, if Seyoung could be granted asylum and accepted as a US citizen, the president would be reelected by a landslide. Hence, it begged the question¡­ what was Seyoung¡¯s motive? CH 248 ¡°Well¡­¡± Rep. Kim started muttering to himself. However, Arthur¡¯s figure disappeared without providing Rep. Kim any further information. Body of Light gave Arthur the ability to photonize his own body, so it wouldn¡¯t have been strange if Arthur was already on the other side of the world at this exact moment. ¡°¡­ Why? For what purpose?¡± However, whether Arthur disappeared or not, Rep. Kim Hyun-Dong continued muttering to himself as he remained troubled. He soon fell deep in thought. Rep. Kim Hyun-Dong didn¡¯t know; and he would never know. Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. To him and the rest of the world¡­ Seyoung had become an incomprehensible being, a mysterious and baffling existence. *** ¡°Is the investigation over?¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. President. As we initially expected¡­ Arthur seems to have entered Level 20.¡± A sigh flowed out of the mouth of the President of the United States after hearing the results of the report from his aide. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Level 20 was a state that no one would be able to reach within the next 50 years?¡± ¡°However, Epic Heroes are immeasurable existences.¡± Epic Hero was a code name that the United States government gave to the three members of the Heaven above the Heavens. The three were also popularly called the Outer Gods in the mainstream, but many government officials chose not to use this nickname because it sounded too excessive to be used as a nickname for mere human beings. ¡°Did you find out more about how he¡¯s able to use his abilities without manifesting?¡± ¡°In fact, amongst Masters who have experience in manifesting, there¡¯s a popular hypothesis circulating around. Mana exists on Earth, but there are no spiritual pathways, so it is impossible for us to exert supernatural powers. However, if one becomes a transcendent being, one will be free from the restrictions of the natural environment, and one will be able to freely use one¡¯s abilities, even if one doesn¡¯t possess the heavenly and perfected body that is given when one manifests¡­¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that Arthur can use his transcendent power in an unlimited fashion? He¡¯s no longer restricted by the manifestation time?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Mr. President. In addition¡­ He is not limited by space, perhaps because he is different from the other so-called Grand Masters. According to satellite information, we observed that it took him less than 0.001 seconds to travel from Japan to Korea.¡± ¡°Is there any method to contend against him?¡± ¡°There is no confirmed method. After reviewing the information and report of his battle with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, even a national military could not contend against him, and he has no fear of killing. The only family member he cared about was killed by a Japanese right-wing group.¡± ¡°Ugh. Hahaha¡­ Those Japanese have really turned the whole world upside down.¡± The President frowned with a dejected expression. The President quietly muttered a racist remark about the Japanese under his breath, which would have been a big deal in the past, but no one stopped him at this time. The problem that Arthur, who had now become a knight of vengeance, presented was too serious for any nation state. Even the United States, the most powerful nation state on Earth, couldn¡¯t go up against or handle a single transcendent being, so if Arthur were to ever get angry at them, Arthur could wipe out the entire United States. ¡°Get in touch with them! From Arthur to Merlin and Cruze! If we can¡¯t control them, we should at least avoid the worst situation, being their enemy.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Seeing his aide lower his head, the President emphasized the last point once more. ¡°Remember. Absolute appeasement is our main stance and policy, so don¡¯t offend any of them!¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. President.¡± After politely bowing once more, the president¡¯s direct secretary left the Oval Office. Left alone in the Oval Office, the President buried himself deep in his chair as he fell into thought. ¡°An individual that the entire human race can¡¯t handle, even if everyone worked together¡­¡± The President of the United States of America, Reynolds, who was previously the most influential human being in the world, gave a bitter smile as he continued to read through his aides¡¯ reports. ¡°He is truly a modern god.¡± *** Contractors *** Lancelot controlled his breathing. He focused his mind and took a step forward while maintaining a high level of concentration. Even though he was walking, his legs were firmly planted on the floor, as if they were rooted to the ground, and his upper body maintained a stable posture without even a hint of shaking. And soon, at a certain moment, his body turned slightly. Ripple. His muscles tightened and filled with explosive power. His extremely elevated spirit and mind radiated an aura, and that emanating aura soon covered his entire body. Soon, his muscles, which had been squeezed and tensed, were released, and the rotation that started from the lower half of his body was transmitted to his arms through his knees, waist, and shoulders, and for an instant, the tip of the spear he was holding blurred. Whoosh! The surrounding air twisted into a spiral and burst out. His spear¡¯s domineering momentum was enough to pierce through everything that stood in its way! It was a stab that could be called a spear stab with a soul, but the man who delivered the stab changed his posture without any change in his facial expression. Hundreds¡­ thousands¡­ tens of thousands¡­ It was a movement that he had repeatedly done an ungodly number of times, so, there was no wasted movement in his spear stab strike. Whoosh! He stabbed again. Whoosh! And again. His spear stab repeatedly cut through the air. It was a foolish way of training his skill, but there was not a single inkling of hesitation or wavering in his movements. He was determined to carry out his rote learning and training. ¡®Looks like it¡¯s almost done.¡¯ In DIO, one could acquire skills by repeating specific actions or by attaining knowledge. This was exactly how a user with a Rank 9 skill, a novice who literally knew nothing about the skill, could progress in upgrading a skill. And from that point on, the skill rank would increase after the user accumulated enough training points in that skill¡¯s [training level], and when the skill rank rose, various titles or special abilities could be obtained. Merlin¡¯s special abilities, [Swimming] and [Water Affinity], were such skills. However, the important thing was that training and developing a skill required more than just simple repetitive effort and action. In order to raise one¡¯s skill rank, the skill must be ¡®successfully¡¯ performed, so it was impossible to raise a skill¡¯s rank with failed training attempts. However, the truth was that ¡®successful¡¯ performances of a skill became increasingly difficult to do once the skill¡¯s rank and a user¡¯s training level exceeded a certain threshold. The required successful performance requirement increased by 10 times each time the skill¡¯s rank rose, so at Rank 9, one could successfully perform a skill at the appropriate Rank 9 level requirement, which was 100 times, to upgrade one¡¯s rank to Rank 8, but for Rank 7, 6, or 5, one needed to successfully perform the skill at the appropriate rank for a 1,000¡­ 10,000¡­ and then 100,000 times¡­ Like this, the successful performance requirement rose as one¡¯s skill rank rose. In particular, once one reached a skill¡¯s Grand Master rank, where a skill was perfected and became an ultimate skill, the Ultimate rank, also called UT rank, began. The necessary training points to succeed and rise within the UT ranks was in the hundreds of trillions. This lofty requirement, which was widely known amongst the higher-level users, was something that often put the users off and caused many to give up on further upgrading their skill¡¯s rank. Currently, Lancelot¡¯s training level was as follows. /[Skill: Spear Art Successful Performance of Spear Art ¡­ 9 Trillion / 10 Trillion Succeed in performing the spear skill one rank above your current skill rank. 10% 0 / 10 Succeed in performing the spear skill two ranks above your current skill rank. 100% 0/1 Spear Art S Rank Training Level Progress: 99.9%] As the rank of the skill increased, the skill¡¯s training window became simpler. Field training and failed training attempts had long since disappeared as requirements from the skill¡¯s training window, and from some point onward, the required number of successfully performed skill was no longer shown as an exact number; the skill window would only show the largest, rounded unit. Once one entered a skill¡¯s AA Rank, the smallest accruing training unit shown in the training window was at a trillion units, so it became impossible for a user to check whether or not the training values were accumulating after successfully performing a skill once or twice. CH 249 ¡®Next is the SS rank, and after that, I need to start training for the UT rank. 100 trillion training points have to be acquired¡­¡¯ Once a skill exceeded a certain rank, the successful performance training value had no meaning. This was because the requirement numbers were very large. It became more important to perform a successful skill performance that was one rank or two ranks above one¡¯s current rank, a requirement that, if met, would allow one to upgrade one¡¯s rank without fulfilling the astronomical successful performance training value requirement. In other words, in Lancelot¡¯s case, two successful performances of the skill one rank above his current rank or one successful performance of the skill two ranks above his current rank would allow him to upgrade his spear stabbing skill¡¯s rank. This was traditionally why it was important to constantly train. This was the general opinion that everyone acknowledged and went by, but Lancelot had a slightly different idea and perspective. If he needed 100 trillion successful training points to fulfill the basic successful performance training value, he would do 100 trillion. Others would call it crazy, but Lancelot really thought this was the most appropriate way for him to upgrade his skill rank, and he put this thought into action. Wasn¡¯t this way of thinking more hopeful and helpful than thinking that one would never progress? Because he thought in this way, Lancelot earned EXP and training points by slaughtering countless lower-level monsters and poured all his earned EXP points to train in the time-multiplied training room. If he utilized the 100x time multiplier training room, he¡¯d be able to experience a whopping 14,400 hours for every 12 hours in real life. In other words, Lancelot would experience 600 days in the training room for every half day in real life. Considering that Lancelot experienced an average of 3,600 days for every week in real life when he was using the training room and excluding the time he spent in the hunting fields to earn EXP points¡­ Lancelot was actually experiencing the passage of nearly 10 years every week. Because the training room was a special space that accelerated the passage of an individual¡¯s time, it was a specialized space where one could not develop one¡¯s internal energy capacity or read books and gain knowledge. However, the space allowed users to raise their skill¡¯s training numbers, so Lancelot took full advantage of the training room whenever he logged onto DIO. He repeated his spear¡¯s stab strike on constant repeat. ¡®It¡¯s something that I¡¯m very thankful for.¡¯ Lancelot sincerely thought this as he continually stabbed with his spear, again and again. Whoosh! He was thankful. Whoosh! It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Very thankful. Whoosh! Eternally thankful. Ping! ¡°Huh?¡± While repeating the same movement as he had done countless times before, Lancelot, who had just finished a spear stab strike, momentarily froze after hearing an unusual sound. He stabbed with his spear with all his might, as he had done countless times before, but this time around, the surrounding air didn¡¯t burst out as it usually did. However, Lancelot was sure that he didn¡¯t make a mistake. Of course, after all this time, if his proficiency wasn¡¯t at a level where he could recognize whether he successfully performed a spear stab strike, all this was for naught. Lancelot checked his system messages. /Spear Art skill has risen to SS rank!/ /Updating your special ability and skill. The overall effect of your Spear Art skill has strengthened!/ As he expected, Lancelot did not acquire any special abilities or titles. The special abilities and titles were no longer offered after he attained the A Rank, so Lancelot felt that he would not be acquiring a new special ability or title until he reached the UT rank. ¡°So, I need to train up to the UT rank now, right?¡± Even if one searched all over DIO, only Arthur, Merlin, and Cruze had ever reached this lofty supreme skill rank, but rather than being happy, Lancelot checked his training level for the next rank¡¯s training requirements. [Skill: Spear Art Succeed in performing a spear skill one rank above your current skill rank. 100% 0/1 Spear Art S Rank Training Level Progress: 99.9%] The training window was much simpler than what Lancelot expected. The problem was¡­ that brevity spoke volumes. ¡°¡­ Oh my.¡± Lancelot couldn¡¯t start his next rote training move. According to his plan, he would start his next rote training move to work his way towards the ultimate rank, or UT rank, right away, but if he did not fulfill the successful training requirement denoted in the training window, further rote training itself wouldn¡¯t be useful anymore. If one trained to [level up] or [rank up] one level at a time, in other words, if one tried to reach the transcendent martial arts rank through simple rote training, one couldn¡¯t rise to the UT rank. This reality was starting to sink in for Lancelot. ¡°Ah, how regretful.¡± In a way, it was a hopeless situation. His overarching plan collapsed within a few seconds, but Lancelot did not seem too crestfallen or sentimental. Once he decided on his path, his resolve would not be shaken, no matter what adversity he faced; that was Lancelot¡¯s personality. However, he also would not stick to a singular path if he knew it would not benefit him. If he had stuck to an impossible pathway, he would have already collapsed over a hundred times during this seemingly hopeless, never-ending training regimen. Walls, barriers, and obstacles, which seemed insurmountable at the time, were everyday occurrences for Lancelot. There was still a long way to go, so how could he afford to get discouraged? ¡°I¡¯ll have to find another way.¡± He was an ordinary person, so that¡¯s why he needed to put extra thought and preparation before acting. However, after choosing an option, Lancelot threw everything at it. Perhaps he was able to do this because he had absolute faith in whatever choice he made. Of course, he was not foolish enough to believe that his choices would never be wrong. His firm belief was that, even if his choice was wrong and he wasted time because of it, the experience and knowledge that he¡¯d acquired from that mistake would become the foundation and basis to make him a stronger being. Every hardship and adversity tempered him, and even if he failed in some of his endeavors and attempts, he would never regret his choices. ¡®Anyway, if it¡¯s a wall, I have encountered walls countless times from the moment I first started training.¡¯ In terms of this wall, in the end, there was no means to climb to the full transcendent realm using his current plan, so Lancelot was currently facing the wall of despair that countless others had faced, which had led many down a spiral of despair into the deep abyss; however, Lancelot didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°My only regret is that I won¡¯t be able to see what it¡¯s like to reach the full transcendent realm just by achieving a transcendent rank in spear stabbing¡­¡± However, although DIO¡¯s system could correct and calibrate SS Rank skills, it couldn¡¯t correct and calibrate UT rank skills, as this skill rank was a completely different dimension from the SS Rank. Even the Noblesse and Jenica never even considered or planned for a UT Rank correction and calibration system. Of course, this was because not everyone ascended to the transcendent realm (which was divided into gradients from the pseudo transcendent, like Arthur, to the full transcendent) through enlightenment, and some even reached the transcendent realm as a pseudo transcendent with the guidance of a god, who was either from a very special environment or high position. If a group like the Noblesse were involved, even an innocent young child who knows nothing could become a transcendent being. However, the resources that would be needed to bring about such a result would be enough to buy an entire planet or two. No matter how difficult their position was, there was no way Noblesse would prepare and expend that much for DIO, especially because there was always the chance that the entire DIO system could be taken over by another, as Tan had done to Jenica. ¡°Well, if training is no longer useful, I guess I must level up. Anyway, since my stabbing reached the SS Rank, the power of my stab attack will be much stronger.¡± His Spear Art skill was comparable to a Level 17 to 19 being, as he possessed an SS Rank skill; however, that achievement was only limited to stabbing, so Lancelot¡¯s actual combat power output was much lower than what a normal Level 17 to 19 being could produce. ¡°Possibly Level 14¡­ Even if everything works out in my favor, Level 15 is probably my limit.¡± In terms of attack power, Lancelot was top-notch amongst the Masters, but in terms of all other stat areas, Lancelot was definitely weaker than most other Masters. Lancelot left the training room and recalled his list of monster grinding areas. ¡°As always, thank you for your hard work, Carlin.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, thanks Lancelot. Are you going right back in again?¡± Carlin, the gate managing NPC, naturally asked whether Lancelot was planning to re-enter the training room. Carlin had tried to stop Lancelot from immersing himself in the training room like a crazy mad man many times in the past, but he had stopped interfering once he realized that Lancelot was working hard and training in earnest. ¡°No. I need to earn more EXP points, and I have a few things to think about.¡± ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t push yourself too hard.¡± As Carlin watched Lancelot leave, he remembered the look in Lancelot¡¯s eyes in the past. Lancelot¡¯s eyes had looked so empty and helpless; it was as if one was looking at a pile of ash that had burned and incinerated everything. Now, Lancelot had improved to the point where the current Lancelot was incomparable to the Lancelot of the past. His facial expression was calmer, and the sense of victimization that previously oozed in his overall tone and behavior had disappeared. However, Carlin soon frowned. ¡°Most of the training room time multipliers he entered were at 100x¡­ so¡­ he¡¯s already spent hundreds of years in the training room.¡± No matter how ordinary a being was, if one trained for hundreds of years, one would become an extraordinary being. If this was true, why weren¡¯t more people doing this relatively easy thing? This was because hundreds of years of training was not a simple feat. In fact, it was almost impossible to practice and train with total focus for hundreds of years. No, to be precise, such a long period of time wouldn¡¯t be easy to even live through. Right now, Lancelot had been continuing his forced and focused training session for hundreds of years; it wouldn¡¯t have been weird if he had totally lost his mind. ¡°What the hell¡­ is driving him to do all this? How is a guy, who comes from a planet that hasn¡¯t faced any extreme war or pain, able to do this?¡± It was easy to set goals, but it was not easy to keep walking down one¡¯s planned path without giving up. Even though Lancelot was a talentless being, which he readily acknowledged himself, there was something special about him, nonetheless. ¡°Well, if he has that kind of talent, I guess the Noblesse won¡¯t be paying attention to him¡­¡± Carlin sighed lightly and greeted the next user. He was still on the clock and working. CH 250 ¡°Now, can we talk?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Merlin¡¯s party had teleported into Merlin¡¯s housing space. Originally, for a living monster to enter a housing space, some difficult conditions had to be met, but currently, Sungmuk was able to enter the housing space without any issue. This was because the text floating above his head¡­ had changed. It now stated¡­ [Tamed by Merlin] [Sword King, Sungmuk] ¡°You¡¯re able to tamper with the system¡­ wait¡­ Could it be that the activation of the system¡¯s alert mode was because of you?¡± ¡°Hahaha. I guess anyone in your position would be able to logically arrive at that conclusion. If a thick-headed and ignorant internal energy practitioner like you can arrive at such a conclusion, I¡¯ll have to take better precautions when using the Editor Blade and the results that stem from its use.¡± ¡°What? Ignorant? Thick-headed?¡± Merlin fell into thought as Sungmuk was taken aback by the unfamiliar terms that Merlin used to describe him. Sungmuk had never been called thick-headed or ignorant in his life. Merlin¡¯s Editor Blade was essentially a hacking tool that threatened DIO¡¯s foundation, but that didn¡¯t mean it was a do-everything tool that could change everything. In other words, the Editor Blade was like cheat code that veteran gamers used to make the game easier when playing packaged console games. However, it was still difficult to influence or overturn the basic system itself, like a game developer. ¡®I don¡¯t know who made DIO, but I¡¯m sure he or she was an incredible genius. If I study magic for another ten years, I might be able to tinker and edit the main system, but there¡¯s no way I¡¯d be able to do something like that now.¡¯ For this reason, Merlin used a subsystem that already existed in DIO, which was called Taming. Taming was a subsystem that subordinated wild animals or monsters, and the process was as follows¡­ 1. Possess overwhelming ability over the designated wild animal or monster. with overwhelming abilities. 2. Present food or items that the animal or monster likes. 3. Wait until the animal or monster regains perfect condition and then overwhelm it once more. 4. Issue another present. 5. Repeat this over and over. This process, which users jokingly called [horse breaking], sometimes needed, in the worst case, to be repeated dozens of times, and even after doing so, the tamed monster could be killed by another user, or the monster could choose to run away (mainly in the case of intelligent monsters). Thus, it could be said that Taming was a very difficult and relatively unrewarding process. Moreover, the Taming subsystem didn¡¯t activate if anyone helped the tamer, so basically, only beings that were substantially weaker than the taming user could be tamed. Amongst taming users, it was popularly stated that [the act of taming was possible, but there was no such thing as a tamer]. ¡®Of course, the situation changes if one is bewitched with Magic Eyes or musical instrument skills, but even those methods wouldn¡¯t work on named monsters.¡¯ Named monsters, including Sungmuk, were immune to mental attacks, just like users, who enjoyed DIO¡¯s mental protection system. It was possible to temporarily confuse or cause hallucinations on named monsters, but the act of enchanting or reading another being¡¯s memories was systematically impossible. ¡°Anyway, please introduce yourself, Sungmuk. I believe you¡¯ve been freed from all your [restrictions].¡± ¡°¡­ I see.¡± Sungmuk, who closed his eyes for a moment and checked his condition, made a surprised expression. As Sungmuk frowned, he made a telltale orc facial expression, thick tusks unique to the orcs revealed above an underbite. ¡°Your tusks¡­ you must have shaved them down.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Merlin turned his head towards Arc, who stood quietly like a shadow in the corner, after he heard her speak aloud. Arc continued speaking. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°The orc species¡¯ molars originally go up to their cheeks. They¡¯re usually so big and thick that orcs usually can¡¯t keep their mouths shut.¡± Merlin nodded after hearing Arc¡¯s explanation. In fact, Merlin had felt that there was something off in Sungmuk¡¯s look. Sungmuk always looked more human than an orc. ¡°Sungmuk¡­ Is that your real name?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Well, I guess it is obvious; there¡¯s no reason why an orc would use an Asian name like Sungmuk unless it was its real name.¡± Since Sungmuk had grinded his own molars down, Merlin felt that Sungmuk must have originally been a human, and he must have been from the Jin Continent, where the masters of Plum Blossom Swordsmanship flourished. Merlin knew that the [contracted], regardless of their original species¡¯ qualities, were given random NPC positions by the Noblesse. ¡°By the way, Merlin. Why did you choose this guy? He seems overly difficult to control,¡± Quiet Heaven commented. Perhaps because Arc was wearing her full body leather armor, which was quite thick and hard, Quiet Heaven fidgeted atop Arc¡¯s shoulder as if it felt uncomfortable. ¡°That¡¯s because this guy¡­ outside of the transcendent beings¡­ is a named monster with the most [personality]. Having a personality that goes against the characteristics of a traditional orc or Orc Hero means that one still possesses one¡¯s memories, and having memories means that he signed a contract with very good terms.¡± As Merlin said this, he looked over at Miho, who was burning the nearby monsters that were loitering around with her fox fire or controlling them with her Magic Eyes. It was a pity that Miho wasn¡¯t able to sign a contract with good terms. Unlike Sungmuk, who remembered his past and was allowed to use his original name, all of Miho¡¯s memories were limited to the [Miho] character that existed in DIO. Although she did not express it to Merlin, Miho was in a state of considerable confusion about her values and worldview, as she slowly grasped that the world and beings that she knew in her memories were all fictitious figures. ¡°¡­ Wait.¡± Ting! Right then, Sungmuk¡¯s eyes began to burn purple. It was different from the many types of Forbidden Eye that many monsters used¡­ However, Merlin knew at once that Sungmuk was using Enhanced Eyesight, and a very advanced state of enhanced Eyesight at that. ¡°What¡¯s going on with you? What are you looking at?¡± Miho suddenly exclaimed. Sungmuk was staring at her. Even though Sungmuk¡¯s eye ability wasn¡¯t in the form of direct interference, like Magic Eye, Merlin could detect that Sungmuk¡¯s Enhanced Eyesight was powerful enough to influence its target. Practitioners who mastered the Enhanced Eyesight ability could detect when others were using Enhanced Eyesight on them; even the simplest of glances could be detected. Moreover, for an Enhanced Eyesight user to avoid being detected by another user, the caster¡¯s level must be much greater than the casted target or the caster¡¯s Enhanced Eyesight must be at a much more developed state. ¡°You¡­ you are a contracted slave. How did you [put on] a user¡¯s body?¡± Sungmuk asked Miho. ¡°What? I¡¯m a slave?¡± ¡°Yes, a slave. Could it be that you didn¡¯t even know you were a slave?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Miho became ferocious. When she became furious, a bloody momentum arose from her, but Sungmuk looked back at Merlin with an uninterested facial expression, as if Miho¡¯s boiling anger didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Did you do that to her? Is that how you tamed me, a being that shouldn¡¯t have been able to be tamed?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m not powerful enough to turn a being, who was given an NPC role, into a user. She became a user through a deal I made with the Noblesse.¡± ¡°That is¡­ amazing. For slaves who didn¡¯t voluntarily choose to join, like me, her status is practically liberation.¡± ¡°¡­ If you call me or refer to me as a slave one more time, I¡¯ll cook you until your hair turns yellow.¡± For whatever reason, Miho wasn¡¯t acting her usual self; she was emanating considerable killing intent, but Sungmuk didn¡¯t seem to mind or care. He didn¡¯t even feel the need to snort. ¡°Go ahead and do your worst, slave.¡± Whoosh!! Boom!! The fox fire burned fiercely, but a sudden burst of sword qi easily cut through it. In such a precarious situation, Merlin sighed before taking a step forward. Woong. When he raised his left hand, his internal energy resonated according to his will, and Irrational Hand Strike was activated. Next, when he raised his right hand, the magic crystal embedded in the back of his hand, a blue diamond, shone brightly and caused a magic circle to emerge. ¡°¡­ Do you both want me to scold you like little kids?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Miho and Sungmuk stopped. Miho may have been more open to listening to others, but Sungmuk definitely wasn¡¯t someone who would calm down his fighting spirit after being told to calm down by another being, but currently, he was under the influence of a kind of coercive force, a force called Taming. In addition, since he had been defeated by Merlin once, he had already recognized Merlin as a superior being, to some extent. ¡°First off, Sungmuk¡­ Miho is my precious friend, so I don¡¯t want you to speak to her in a careless manner. She doesn¡¯t even remember signing a contract or that she was a servant for the Noblesse, so bringing that subject up will only cause her to feel frustrated and bad.¡± ¡°¡­ Hmm, you¡¯re certainly not wrong on that point. However, keep this in mind¡­ Beings who accepted contracts that made them no different from slaves had reasons for doing so.¡± ¡°Reasons for doing so?¡± ¡°Losing one¡¯s memory is the same as losing oneself. It¡¯s no different from dying and entering the universe¡¯s reincarnation system. But what reason would one have to throw oneself into the hands of the maverick-like Noblesse, who act randomly, rather than the Nether World, which is highly trusted by all beings?¡± Merlin¡¯s face darkened as he realized what Sungmuk was getting at. ¡°Because going to the Nether World¡­ could get one into trouble?¡± ¡°To be more precise, that is the only reason. Absolutely. A certainty. Anyway, only those who hold an inevitable ticket to hell sign a slave contract with the Noblesse. That¡¯s why I despise slave contract beings. She may look cute and innocent right now¡­ but¡­¡± Perhaps Miho was a serial killer when she was alive. Merlin couldn¡¯t refute Sungmuk¡¯s words. Though it couldn¡¯t be said that the Noblesse were a good group of beings, they did have a tremendous amount of self-esteem and were greatly influenced by the power of words, so they never lied. Hence, beings like Miho weren¡¯t deceived into entering an unequitable slave contract; beings like her had knowingly accepted and entered into a slave contract, which meant that they possessed many weaknesses that were able to be exploited. CH 251 ¡°It¡¯s not useful and inconvenient to bring up one¡¯s past since the past is the past; it doesn¡¯t matter anymore.¡± ¡°That¡­ is probably correct. However, please keep this in mind when you investigate DIO contracts in general.¡± After saying this, Sungmuk closed his eyes. Obviously, the atmosphere had already subsided considerably. But right then, Miho, who had been silent, spoke up. ¡°¡­ Is it not possible for me to regain my memories?¡± ¡°You''re curious about why you were slated to go to hell in your past life?¡± Sungmuk responded. ¡°Well, it is my past.¡± ¡°Oho. You¡¯re a pretty tough kid, aren¡¯t you?¡± As if Sungmuk found something funny, he broke out into a smile. Miho¡¯s eyes burned red after seeing Sungmuk¡¯s playful yet somewhat condescending expression. ¡°Stop talking nonsense and answer me. Is there any way?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but when I was dragged to this place, I saw the Noblesse taking something from the souls of a few centaurs who had arrived around the same time I did. They didn¡¯t take my memory away, but they did for those centaurs, so that was probably the process by which they extracted the centaurs¡¯ memories.¡± ¡°So, the Noblesse are in possession of others¡¯ memories? Well, perhaps that is one of the conditions of their slave contract. It might be useful to them later, so I don¡¯t see why they¡¯d erase or delete such memories,¡± Merlin murmured. Merlin fell into thought for a moment. If those beings¡¯ memories were gathered somewhere, where would they be? He did not have the power or authority to seek an answer to such a question in the past, but now that he possessed the Editor Blade, it was something worth looking into. ¡°But still, it is amazing. You¡¯re a monster¡­ an orc at that¡­ but you possess so much useful information.¡± Of course, Merlin chose Sungmuk because he noticed that Sungmuk was special, but even so, Sungmuk was providing much more interesting information than what Merlin had expected. Even though Quiet Heaven was at the bottom of the food chain, Quiet Heaven was still a part of the Noblesse, yet Sungmuk seemed to know more about the Noblesse¡¯s inner workings than Quiet Heaven did. Did this make sense? Of course, Quiet Heaven probably could not offer up information with ease because of the non-disclosure clause that most likely existed in his contract, but even so, it was unexpected that Sungmuk knew so much about DIO and the Noblesse. ¡°That¡¯s because I signed a contract on relatively equal footing, like users¡¯ pets. I didn¡¯t know that my previous life¡¯s heavenly martial body would be useful after my death, but anyway, I guess I should consider it a blessing¡­¡± ¡°Uh, hey, wait a minute¡­¡± At that moment, Arc, who had remained quiet and listened attentively until now, spoke up. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing important, but¡­ you¡­ you sure do talk a lot, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Sungmuk, who had always been a stoic, independent, and confident figure, flinched so visibly that everyone saw his embarrassment-filled reaction. Surprisingly, Sungmuk even stuttered when offering up a reply. ¡°Woah, what do you mean? I only answered what was asked of me¡­¡± ¡°Blabber mouth. Blabber, blabber, blabber¡­¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± Turning his attention away from Sungmuk, who seemed thoroughly taken aback and in shock, Merlin turned to Quiet Heaven. Of course, Merlin didn¡¯t turn to Quiet Heaven because he was concerned about Quiet Heaven¡¯s trivial attitude and childish response towards Sungmuk. ¡°By the way, what does he mean by heavenly martial body? His real body has already died, and now he¡¯s an orc. What use is the state of his past body?¡± Merlin asked Quiet Heaven. ¡°The state of his past body is definitely pertinent to Sungmuk¡¯s current state. Of course, physical talent and traits cannot be ignored, but there is a limit to physical talent when it comes to learning abilities. However, [spiritual talents] are retained within a heavenly martial body, and they are talents that build and develop from one¡¯s soul, not one¡¯s physical body. If the heavenly martial body was a physical rather than soul-related concept, the Noblesse and other highly intelligent species, who have already reached the pinnacle of bionics, would have already reproduced the heavenly martial body.¡± After hearing Quiet Heaven¡¯s explanation, Merlin looked at his own body. Furthermore, Merlin thought about the body that all users were given and used within DIO. A user¡¯s body could be considered a complete biological weapon, which became stronger after training. Moreover, a DIO user¡¯s body was immune to disease and could perform any martial arts or magic school of thought. From Level 1, users enjoyed a perfect physical foundation that was uncontaminated; moreover, a user¡¯s body was able to control mana from the start, as it came with perfected spiritual pathways. Even though a user¡¯s physical body, its phenotype, could be considered human, ordinary humans and DIO users were living beings on a completely different level. ¡°However, possessing a user¡¯s body, which is a physically perfect vessel, isn¡¯t considered anything special. For example, all users have the same body, but the difference between you, Arthur, and Cruze and all other users is wider than the distance between heaven and earth, right?¡± ¡°I see.¡± Long arms, tall height, strong bones, and muscular strength were elements that could be called [talents] from a real-world point of view. In fact, most of the high achieving 100-meter sprint races in the Olympics were usually from specific races, as their physical bodies were naturally low in body fat percentage and had greater genetic propensity to grow well-developed muscles. In addition, it was very difficult for other human races to beat races that possessed a [natural talent], such as races that possessed higher bone density averages. But¡­ when one reached a higher level of civilization and could transform one¡¯s physical body, physical talent lost most of its merits. This was because everything became equalized with the advancement and power of biological science. The more important and differentiating aspect among beings from that point onward was the so-called [spiritual talents]; talents that couldn¡¯t be easily realized even with science or magic. ¡°In other words. A heavenly martial body and heavenly magic body are not referring to a foundation for physical talents, but spiritual talents. And because Sungmuk was the owner of such a heavenly martial body, he received special treatment from the Noblesse,¡± Merlin surmised. ¡°¡­ Right. Since talents like that are the result of [Karma] that he accumulated through his previous life, the probability of him reaching the transcendent state is much greater than others,¡± Quiet Heaven continued. The caveat ¡®except for mutants like Irregulars, like yourself¡¯, seemed to linger in Quiet Heaven¡¯s beak. However, it was pointless to say such a thing, as it was obvious that Merlin already knew that he was special. ¡°In other words, since it would have been such a waste to miss something that they found by luck, the Noblesse offered you favorable contract conditions to grab onto you?¡± Merlin asked Sungmuk. ¡°¡­ Yes. They allowed me to preserve my memories, gave me relative freedom, and gave me the option to leave if I ever wanted to leave. I like it quite a bit here, so I wasn¡¯t planning on leaving anytime soon.¡± Once Sungmuk¡¯s body fully recovered, Sungmuk stretched out. Thumping and cracking sounds rang out throughout his body. Sungmuk¡¯s body wasn¡¯t as big as that of a professional bodybuilder, but it was still hard to believe that an orc¡¯s body could have such a perfect muscle structure that was specialized for combat. ¡°I see you¡¯ve trained your orc body to the extreme.¡± Though users condescendingly laughed at orcs, the orc body naturally reached 90 Strength stat points once an orc fully grew. In other words, an orc could exert three times the strength of an adult male, so even if the orc was naturally predisposed to be slightly dull and to possess low intelligence, the orc was still a monster that can easily tear apart five or six ordinary human beings. However, the main problem for orcs was that their muscles swelled like those of a bodybuilder when outputting strength, but Sungmuk¡¯s muscles weren¡¯t like this; his muscles were very compact and evenly distributed throughout his frame. Though orcs could produce enormous strength, their endurance was very poor. However, in Sungmuk¡¯s case, his body was specialized to output strength and possess endurance, which meant that Sungmuk systematically trained his given orc body to its physical limits. However, rather than being proud of his physical body achievements, Sungmuk mumbled a response as if he didn¡¯t consider this achievement as anything special. ¡°I don¡¯t like it, but I have no choice but to use the body I was given.¡± ¡°Hmm, you don¡¯t like it¡­ Come to think of it, why are you an orc? You could have chosen a better species since you signed a contract with favorable terms.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t given a choice. Not to toot my own horn, but because of my considerable talents and skills, they wouldn¡¯t allow me to take on a high-level monster¡¯s body. Also, isn¡¯t it often the case that if one is given an innate gift, one doesn¡¯t maximize the development of that area very well?¡± Sungmuk recalled Jooyoung, a being who came from the same world as him. Jooyoung had considerable talent, so Jooyoung followed Sungmuk into DIO; however, Jooyoung wasn¡¯t able to improve and develop as quickly as Sungmuk, as Jooyoung, to this day, was still stuck with the title of an Ogre Fighter. Of course, an ogre was a monster with a Level 8 species rating, so even if Jooyoung only rose to the level of an Ogre Fighter, he would eventually become a Level 12 or higher monster. However, that result would be very disappointing considering Jooyoung¡¯s abilities and skills. Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡®Honestly, if everything is decided only by talent, what would be interesting?¡¯ Talent was very important, but it was not everything. Effort¡­ Orientation of one¡¯s mind¡­ One¡¯s personal tastes and habits¡­ Numerous factors greatly influence one¡¯s training and one¡¯s abilities, especially in the field of martial arts, so in that sense, Jooyoung¡¯s rotten mental state could be said to be his fatal flaw rather than a lack of talent. ¡°Well, whatever. Then, in the end, what was the main reason why you signed a contract with the Noblesse?¡± ¡°You ask such a stupid question. Obviously, to see higher and develop further, of course! To reach the extremes of martial arts. If I didn¡¯t want to see and reach the tip of a sword, why would I have refused to be reincarnated and come to this god-forsaken place?¡± Essentially, Sungmuk was stating that his constant will and desire to develop was the motivational force behind his decision to join DIO and contract with the Noblesse. The desire to improve¡­ always seeking a higher place. This was also the reason why Merlin¡¯s pet, Quiet Heaven, Arc¡¯s pet, Ellie, and many other beings belonging to the Noblesse, took on the unpleasant role of being users¡¯ pets, and the reason why phantom beasts and spirits responded to a summoner¡¯s call. What Sungmuk stated was the main reason why countless beings suffered through self-harm, abuse, and even the risk of death. ¡°In other words, as long as that condition is met¡­ you don¡¯t care whether you stay a monster or not.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind being anywhere or anything as long as I can embody and manifest the extreme meaning of Divine Violet Mist.¡± It was already possible for Sungmuk to fully control Divine Violet Mist through his great achievements and development in the ability. Even though this ability was completely learned, and there was nothing to further hone, the study of martial arts was a never-ending practice. Moreover, legend had it that one could reach new heights in Divine Violet Mist once one went past the initial full transcendent level, beyond the beginner god stage. ¡°I¡¯m glad you feel that way.¡± Merlin smiled as he pulled out his jeweled dagger¡­ the hacking tool that shook the foundation of DIO¡­ the Editor Blade. CH 252 Ting! The Editor Blade began to emit strange waves, and soon, the surrounding space shuddered. It was a strange phenomenon that occurred whenever the power of the Editor Blade, which could interfere with a magic system up to a certain level, connected to DIO. ¡°Anyway, can you still fight?¡± ¡°What? Of course, I can!¡± Sungmuk¡¯s eyes twinkled with life as he took a fighting stance. The air around him was blown away from his fighting spirit, and a bright smile bloomed on his face. Merlin was bewildered by Sungmuk¡¯s happy temperament and the exuberant atmosphere he exuded. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean are you able to fight with me. Also, don¡¯t even think of readjusting our contract to contain a clause to allow you to fight me. It¡¯s not going to happen.¡± ¡°Then, who am I supposed to fight against? You¡¯re not expecting to use me for simple hunting, right?¡± Since he had spent a long time in Dynamic Island, Sungmuk¡¯s understanding of the DIO system grew to the point where it was now hard to believe that he was originally an inhabitant of a martial arts-crazed planet. Thus, Sungmuk knew that a user¡¯s [pet] could hunt and gain EXP for its owner. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I want you to do. I want you to hunt.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°But it won¡¯t be as easy as you think¡­ hmm, let¡¯s see. Sungmuk. [Stay still].¡± Whoosh! With a laid-back attitude, Merlin stabbed Sungmuk with his Editor Blade. It wasn¡¯t a quick movement, but Sungmuk was unable to move or defend against the attack, which made his heart fully exposed to the Editor Blade. ¡°Are you crazy? What are you doing¡­ Huh?¡± Because of Merlin¡¯s order to [stay still] and the power of absolute command those words had over Sungmuk, Sungmuk couldn¡¯t muster up a resistance. Sungmuk¡¯s facial expression subtly changed once the Editor Blade pierced his heart. This was because, even though the Editor Blade penetrated his heart, he didn¡¯t receive any significant damage. ¡°Data patch.¡± After Merlin lightly murmured, Sungmuk felt a strange wave of energy spread through his body, but he did not know what the phenomenon meant. /[¡®In Case of Emergency ¨C Buff #3¡¯ has been applied!] - 500% internal energy amplification function has been added to the Divine Red Sparrow Sword! - Life force, strength, stamina, regen, reaction speed, and magic resistance have all increased by 300 points! - An additional 3 cycles of internal energy, or 180 internal energy points, have been created and granted onto the subject! - Buff¡¯s Remaining Time: 71 hours 59 minutes./ Seeing a message float before his eyes, Sungmuk felt a tremendous swell of power as energy spread throughout his body as the message. Although his own level had not changed, Sungmuk felt and gained a strength so powerful that he was sure he¡¯d be able to overcome five or six beings at the level he was at just ten minutes ago. ¡°Oh, this is great.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a system-generated special buff that was created in preparation for a situation where users have to fight against a particularly strong opponent. However, since it can only be used inside DIO, it¡¯s difficult to see this buff being used except when [outside] beings invade DIO. Anyway, Data patch.¡± Ting! Ting! Ting! While muttering this explanation, Merlin applied buffs to himself, Arc, Miho, and to their pets, Quiet Heaven and Ellie. The effect of the buff, which was originally created in preparation for an [emergency situation] against non-DIO opponents, was enormous. The buff made it possible to easily hunt opponents who were one¡¯s equals. After checking the enhanced power in her body and the temporary stat changes, Arc asked, ¡°Exactly how strong is our opponent that we need such a buff?¡± Though Arc¡¯s question came out of the blue, as she didn¡¯t offer any context in her line of questioning, Merlin answered calmly. ¡°It won¡¯t be such an amazing, overwhelming opponent. Well, it would be faster to see for yourself than for me to explain.¡± Woong! As soon as Merlin spoke, a blue aura rose and surrounded the entire party. As magic power was rearranged, Merlin transferred the entire party to the spatial coordinates he inputted earlier. An expression of amazement spread across Sungmuk¡¯s face when he saw that they had instantly entered an enclosed dungeon, where the outside world could no longer be seen. ¡°This¡­ you used long distance teleportation. Moreover, you didn¡¯t just teleport yourself, but a considerable number of other people¡­ you lightly crossed space as easily as if you were breathing. If the guys from my hometown saw you now, they would think you¡¯re some sort of God.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s your hometown, you mean the Jin Continent?¡± ¡°Right. It¡¯s a place where all sorts of martial arts are practiced; however, there were no martial art principles that dealt with space.¡± Quiet Heaven, who was on top of Arc¡¯s helmet, nodded after hearing Sungmuk¡¯s words. ¡°Naturally, Merlin¡¯s only able to handle the Three Major Attributes with such ease because he has total control to manipulate the world¡¯s systems through magic power. Advanced internal energy users who use mana through senses and realizations, not theory or theoretical understanding, are limited to controlling the five basic elemental attributes. In most cases, those internal energy users are only able to control yin and yang.¡± The world was made up of numerous attributes, and all superpower users utilized those attributes in their own way. Among these many utilizations, there were some martial arts studies that allowed beings to utilize many attributes with relatively little effort, such as the utilizations used by mages, but there were also studies that dealt with limited attributes, such as most martial art practices, and studies that dealt with only one attribute, such as aura power. ¡°Three Major Attributes?¡± ¡°Ah. You don¡¯t know because you¡¯re from a traditional martial arts background, huh? I¡¯m talking about space-time emptiness. It¡¯s also called the Three Major Attributes or the absolute attribute.¡± Time attribute and properties¡­ spatial attribute and properties¡­ and emptiness. Emptiness had the most special and powerful power among all the attributes that existed in the world, so it was very difficult to deal with. In the case of the technique of remotely controlling attribute power by connecting to the outside world, Merlin¡¯s group teleportation could be interpreted as utilizing the Three Major Attributes to some extent, but it was difficult to say that this action proved that one had completely ¡®acquired¡¯ the absolute attribute. ¡°Is it difficult for internal users to handle those Three Major Attributes?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just difficult¡­ it¡¯s close to impossible. Whether it¡¯s magic power or Dao power, the only way one can handle the Three Major Attributes is by utilizing the skills of [borrowing] or [controlling] external power or the ability of the summoning system. If an internal energy or chakra user¡­ or if it¡¯s someone who handles and controls one¡¯s own energy like an aura user can properly utilize the Three Major Attributes¡­¡± ¡°If they can properly utilize the Three Major Attributes¡­ then what?¡± At Sungmuk¡¯s question, Quiet Heaven sighed aloud and chuckled. ¡°That being would be seen as a very enlightened being. That being would be someone who transcended the limits of fate, and that being would acquire the qualifications of a beginner god.¡± ¡°The transcendent realm¡­¡± Sungmuk muttered quietly to himself. And at that moment, regardless of their conversation, Arc, who had been looking around, spoke up. ¡°This space is full of moisture. Also, based on my user map, it says our location is in the sea.¡± ¡°We¡¯re in an underwater dungeon. Anyway¡­ this sure brings back memories.¡± Merlin sighed and smiled as he looked around the space and reminisced. It was the highest-level dungeon that existed one kilometer under the sea. The name of this dungeon was the [The Seadragon¡¯s Temple]. Originally, it was a dungeon where only those who had reached the highest level, that is, Merlin¡¯s current level, were able to enter into, but it was also the place where Merlin, who unintentionally attacked the gaps in the system when he first joined DIO, came to when he was a Level 1 user. [A guest?] And then, at the front of the entrance of the dungeon, which looked like a small trickling spring, a sturdy young man appeared. The young man had slightly bluish skin with an angular upper body, like those of a Greek statue. Moreover, he had pure white eyes without pupils and long purple hair. He was the guardian of the Seadragon¡¯s Temple. Merlin had met this guardian in the past. The young man was a Level 13 mermaid hero who possessed powerful combat power. Ting! The Mermaid hero placed his hand atop the sword that was hanging from his waist. He was a practitioner of the Celestial Divine Draconic martial arts and a master swordsman at the peak of his swordsmanship development. With such fighting power, the young man possessed enough power to prevent any unqualified being from entering the Seadragon¡¯s Temple. ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t have time.¡± However, power was relative. The young man stood no chance against Merlin. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Boom. Merlin took a light step forward and slammed his right hand downward. It was a simple action, nothing complicated or unusual, so the mermaid hero quickly pulled out his sword, Shadow Blade. A slash, as fast as lightning, was created by the Shadow Blade sword. It was such a perfect display of an Iaijutsu strike (a strike where one¡¯s blade was pulled out from the sheath to directly launch an attack) that even decades-long kendo practitioners would have screamed aloud, but the result of the Shadow Blade colliding against Merlin¡¯s hand was underwhelming to say the least. Ting! Boom! Following a heavy noise, as if a huge steel plate had been struck with a hammer, Merlin¡¯s palm touched the well-trained mermaid hero¡¯s chest. There were no visible wounds, but soon, blood started flowing from the mermaid hero¡¯s mouth. [This is absurd. You¡¯re definitely that kid from back then¡­ you¡¯ve already developed to this extent¡­] The mermaid hero laughed bitterly as it began to turn into black smoke and disperse. [This is really¡­ unfair.] With those last words, the mermaid hero disappeared, and soon, Shadow Blade fell to the ground and gave off a clunking sound. Seeing that there were no other items dropped, it seemed that the Shadow Blade was the only drop item. What was interesting was that Shadow Blade, which had been broken by Merlin¡¯s hand just moments ago, was now restored to its original state. Merlin picked up Shadow Blade and raised it up. CH 253 [Item: Shadow Blade Rank AA Rare Description: A masterpiece sword that was created to possess extreme sharpness to allow one to defeat an opponent with a single attack move. The Shadow Blade is made from a rare material, pure iron, found in unadulterated asteroids or comets from the beginning of time and possesses a resistance against mana attacks from foreign sources; thus, it is capable of destroying and negating foreign magic attacks. A capable user of this Shadow Blade will be able to cut and nullify oncoming magic spells through a single strike.] ¡°I see. An anti-mage weapon.¡± Although the Shadow Blade was a relatively good weapon, there was no one in the party who would benefit from using it. If someone within the party had to use the Shadow Blade, Sungmuk would be the best candidate, as he was the only swordsman, but Sungmuk already had a powerful weapon, the Divine Red Sparrow Sword. ¡°Anyway, this is such a high-level dungeon¡­ To think that a guy like that was just a gatekeeper¡­¡± Ellie, who was walking alongside Arc, spoke as Ellie gently wagged its tail. Although Ellie was a pet of mixed race, she had the power of a Prajna, so she was a powerful eye practitioner who could see into the essence of another being; this eye ability allowed Ellie to properly assess and recognize the mermaid hero as a powerful being. Though the mermaid hero was defeated with one blow from Merlin, relatively speaking, the mermaid hero was still an unimaginably powerful being. Moreover, since the mermaid hero was not the boss of the dungeon, but only the gatekeeper, the difficulty of the dungeon could be inferred as being beyond one¡¯s expectation and imagination. ¡°Alright everyone, prepare for battle.¡± ¡°¡­ Isn¡¯t it all underwater ahead?¡± ¡°Yes, it is, but no need to worry.¡± Though Sungmuk expressed his doubts aloud, Merlin passed Sungmuk by and entered the dungeon; the other party members followed behind Merlin without a word or any hesitation, as if it was natural to do so. It was a natural reaction for the party members, who already had a rough idea of Merlin¡¯s overwhelming abilities. Sungmuk soon followed suit and went into the water-filled space; however, he couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling that what he was doing was absurd. Although he was somewhat concerned, Sungmuk knew that he could hold his breath underwater for more than an hour, and thus, retain his fighting prowess and powers. Thus, the fact was that it was not a very difficult situation for Sungmuk to fight underwater. ¡°Oh?¡± However, Sungmuk¡¯s eyes grew into large saucers once he entered the underwater space. This was because a huge empty space, in the form of a water droplet with a diameter of about 5 meters, was formed around Merlin. ¡°No problem, right?¡± ¡°Amazing.¡± Sungmuk spoke with a calm sense of amazement as he pulled out his Divine Red Sparrow sword within Merlin¡¯s water droplet-shaped space. Miho fell back and began to recite a spell chant, and Merlin and Arc used various spells and magic against a plethora of newly appearing monsters. [Grr¡­] [Kyak!] [Damn it! Why are these intruders so damn strong?!] The monsters in the Seadragon¡¯s Temple were all powerful beings. At the minimum, they were all in the Master level realm. Each of the monsters had a combat power of at least Level 10 or higher, and their bodies were optimized for underwater combat. Moreover, there were also [contractors], like Sungmuk, scattered within the groups of monsters. However, the power of the party, which included Merlin, was already beyond a power level that the monsters and contractors could contend against. In addition, an overpowered buff was being maintained on all the party members. Even Arc, who was currently only a Level 14 user, was able to deal with Level 17 or higher leveled monsters alone. So, in the case of Sungmuk and Merlin, who were both Level 19, dealing with such monsters was nothing more than dealing with small nuisances. Ting! And finally, the party arrived at the dungeon¡¯s boss room. The party members¡¯ mana recovery speed was incredibly fast due to the special buff effect, so there was no need for the party to even take a break. Hence, when they finally entered the huge boss room, they saw a¡­ ¡°¡­ as expected, it¡¯s no longer here.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The original boss of this dungeon.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Aren¡¯t those things in front of us the bosses?¡± Miho, who was concocting a spell, pointed at the hundred or so mermaid heroes standing in front of the party members. But, of course, Merlin was expecting some other boss. The boss in charge of the Seadragon¡¯s Temple should have been the ancient dragon, Zygmunt. ¡®Well, I did expect that it would be like this.¡¯ Transcendent monsters were absolutely necessary to complete the DIO system. They were not only needed to convey their enlightenment and knowledge to users but also to teach users how to fight against transcendent beings. However, [creating] a transcendent monster was a difficult task that was close to impossible. It was true that DIO¡¯s system was amazing, but it was not powerful enough to reproduce monsters that had reached the transcendence realm. Of course, there was nothing that Noblesse couldn¡¯t do if they really wanted something, as they possessed countless great mages within their ranks. However, if one couldn¡¯t even budget or fathom the number of resources that needed to be expended to maintain such a collection of transcendents, wouldn¡¯t it be difficult to execute such a tall order? Thus, to reduce the use of their Anyform stones, which were needed to maintain DIO, a significant portion of the monsters at the hero level or higher were covered by contractors. Since this was also the case for hero level monsters, for which there were a limited number, it was all too natural that transcendent beings were even more scarce and in short supply. For this reason, the Noblesse entrusted the role of DIO¡¯s transcendent realm NPCs through [free contracts], with which they forcefully recruited transcendents within Noblesse, who had committed certain crimes, or other transcendents outside the Noblesse who owed the Noblesse. Transcendents who were recruited outside the Noblesse and who came into DIO through their own accord were usually given a comfortable and respectable position, such as a Grand Master of one of the seven Holy Lands. This was how transcendents took on the role of monsters within DIO. However, Merlin had placed DIO¡¯s system into an emergency mode and thus expelled all the free agent transcendent contractors who were connected to DIO, as well as the system operators and administrators. This was because, in order for Merlin to completely dominate DIO, he needed to get rid of the contracted transcendents, who could freely log in and out of the DIO system. ¡°In other words, transcendent level monsters are not always present within the system like me, but they can log in and log out like users¡­ so, you forcefully logged them out and restricted their access back into the system by placing DIO¡¯s system into an emergency mode?¡± Merlin nodded in response to Sungmuk¡¯s question. ¡°Yup.¡± Rumble! This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. After responding to Sungmuk, Merlin stretched out his right hand, and soon, a palm print was engraved on the chest of a mermaid hero, who had rushed fiercely towards the party with the sound of thunder. The hundred mermaid heroes, monsters who possessed power beyond any user¡¯s common sense, were placed in the boss room in lieu of Zygmunt due to the emergency mode that Merlin had activated. Soon, the party killed the hundred mermaid heroes without much difficulty. Under normal circumstances, the party would have had their hands full contending against a hundred mermaid heroes, but since they had overpowered buffs placed on them, even those powerful mermaid heroes were nothing more than simple monsters that could be eliminated with a simple investment of the party members¡¯ time. In the end, the party cleared the boss room relatively easily and entered into the dungeon¡¯s reward room. ¡°This is better exercise and training than I expected. Wouldn¡¯t it have been quite fun without the buff?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think about wasting your energy unnecessarily. There are still many enemies to deal with.¡± Ting. While Merlin and Sungmuk were chattering, the ground cracked with a strange sound, and a huge staff, about 2 meters tall, suddenly appeared. Merlin could see that the staff was of the same class as Ascalon, the weapon he had seen before within the reward room. In the past, when Merlin had first entered the dungeon, Ascalon did not show up as his reward item because he was not qualified to possess it, but now, the situation had changed. Merlin checked the staff¡¯s item description. [Item: Hydra SS Rank Legend Description: A special magic item that can store and retain three to nine magic spells. The staff is made from a refined dragon bone. The user¡¯s stored spells may be retained within the staff for a period of five hours to a maximum of fifty hours. It is possible to release all nine spells at once to create a powerful, destructive effect.] ¡°¡­ oh, nice,¡± Merlin muttered after carefully examining the staff¡¯s item description. He was the creator of reinforced weapons and an enchanter with a good reputation in DIO, but even so, he had no choice but to be impressed by the staff¡¯s overpowered storage function and capabilities. Since the staff was an SS Rank legendary item, it was not a simple system-generated item or an item that dropped from a random monster mob; it was a treasure created by the dragons themselves, so it was a magic item equivalent to a dragon¡¯s power. Even Merlin, who was a genius creator when it came to making magic items, couldn¡¯t overlook items made by the Noblesse¡¯s great mages. ¡°However, I¡¯m not sure if I need such an item since it doesn¡¯t fit me¡­¡± If Merlin was a pure mage, he wouldn¡¯t have such a concern. However, he was a magic warrior, just like Arc. Because his power usage was maximized when he could use both of his hands freely, the amplifiers he used were made in the form of gloves. But what was dropped was a staff that was taller than his own height¡­ Merlin pondered for a while, but Miho, who was silent up to now, raised her hand and spoke out. ¡°Hmm¡­ hey Merlin¡­ Can I use that?¡± ¡°What? Although you¡¯re a spell casting magic user¡­ you utilize monster power more than magic power, so wouldn¡¯t a totem be more appropriate for you than a staff?¡± ¡°That¡¯s only the case when I rely solely on monster power. However, right now, I¡¯m using more magic power than monster power when spell casting, so I¡¯m practically relearning everything anew.¡± ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case¡­¡± Merlin nodded and handed the staff over to Miho. All the other drop items except Hydra were also distributed amongst the party members. A Spirit Stone was given to Sungmuk, who wasn¡¯t a user, and thus, could not receive stat bonuses like the rest of the party members. A ring that allowed the wearer to control one¡¯s body weight was given to Arc, and the rest of the jewels and gold were distributed appropriately amongst the party members. CH 254 ¡°Since the transcendent level bosses disappeared, we won¡¯t be able to gain anything from the Forbidden Lands.¡± At that time, Arc, who was checking the performance of her newly acquired magic item, stated her thoughts aloud. The Forbidden Lands, which Arc was referring to, were the four areas widely known to users as the lands from where the four large armies originated before they marched to Starting during the beta phase of the game. In other words, the Forbidden Lands were the Bitter Earth, the Desolate Desert, the Silent Forest, and the Dead Earth. The bosses in these lands were field bosses, not dungeon bosses like Zygmunt, so there was no particular benefit from their disappearance. Unlike the Seadragon¡¯s Temple, where a reward room awaited users after defeating a dungeon boss in the boss room, field bosses dropped rewards once they were defeated; hence, it was now impossible to defeat these field bosses, since they had been forcibly expelled from DIO. ¡°That¡¯s an accurate assessment, but there are still pseudo transcendents, or transcended-like realm beings, left in DIO. In addition, they¡¯re weaker than general transcendents.¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about¡­ no, wait¡­ you¡¯re not referring to¡­¡± Miho, who was handling her newly acquired item, Hydra, turned her head in surprise. A petite girl who was shorter than 160 cm in height, Miho looked quite out of place as she stood next to her oversized, two-meter-long staff. However, the center of gravity of the item didn¡¯t present much of a problem for Miho, as she wasn¡¯t planning on swinging the oversized staff like a baton. Though the size of the staff was a bit inconvenient and cumbersome, as long as Miho could lift the magic weapon, the staff¡¯s size didn¡¯t really matter. ¡°Right, just as you suspect, we¡¯re going to catch the New Continent¡¯s dragon. We¡¯re buffed to the heavens, and with our party members, we¡¯ll be able to contend against and defeat that dragon. In addition¡­ there¡¯s an essential item I need to get my hands on.¡± After saying so, Merlin prepared for another group teleportation. It was a long-distance teleportation of more than 200 kilometers, but he was in an overpowered buff state, so he was able to complete the teleportation spell within the time it took for one to breath four times. ¡°You really want to catch that dragon? But it¡¯s a full pseudo-transcendent, no?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a fake transcendent. It¡¯s something artificially produced.¡± Smile. Merlin criss crossed through space with a smile on his face. Their destination was the New Continent. *** Extraterrestrial Expansion *** The New Continent was a space created for the users to experience large-scale battle. Since the New Continent was created for this express purpose, the area had settled down considerably after Merlin placed DIO¡¯s system into an emergency mode setting. Since the creation of quests stopped, as all operators of DIO could no longer access the system, only a few Master-level user parties ventured into the New Continent, mainly to scrounge and grind out some gem points. ¡°It seems the New Continent monsters have started to wander and fall into a state of confusion.¡± From the moment Merlin put DIO into the emergency mode setting, the Gold Dragon or [Great Will], the god who ruled over the New Continent, stopped all of its activities and confined itself to its Holy Land. Originally, according to the orders and plans of the Gold Dragon, the New Continent monsters had to invade Dynamic Island, but as things unfolded under DIO¡¯s emergency mode, the war between the continents quickly ended. In fact, this happened because the Gold Dragon was artificially created; it wasn¡¯t an external contractor like the Red Dragon Igniz or the Seadragon Zygmunt. When the command of the Noblesse, the operators and administrators of DIO, ceased, the Gold Dragon also ceased its activity. The Gold Dragon possessed basic intelligence, but because it was confined to the express control of the DIO system operators, it did not move unless an order was given to it. [You¡­ How did you get here?] ¡°As expected, you were fully controlled by the DIO operators in the past. I was wondering if you possessed any real emotions or intelligence¡­¡± When the party suddenly appeared in front of the Gold Dragon, the Gold Dragon stared blankly at the party members without even thinking of attacking them. The Gold Dragon didn¡¯t even consider attacking the party because the only being that was allowed in its Holy Land, the Tower of Truth, without the Gold Dragon¡¯s express permission was the divine beast Moby Dick. ¡°Ugh. Merlin, hold up a minute. This is too much¡­ No matter how strong the buff is, going up against that dragon¡­¡± Miho, who was holding firmly onto Hydra, trembled at the sight of the Gold Dragon, which exuded an enormous sense of intimidating power. Miho was originally an NPC from the New Continent, so she had lived her life worshiping the Gold Dragon as a god. Of course, the situation had changed, as she had now become a user, and the forced fanaticism and worship of the Gold Dragon previously placed on her by the system had all but disappeared, but even so, her body naturally trembled as she stood in front of the imposing Gold Dragon. Moreover, she still couldn¡¯t get over the mental block that the power emitted by the Gold Dragon was divine and formidable. ¡°Hmm¡­ it¡¯s definitely strange to call that thing a true transcendent.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s fake.¡± ¡°But it is strong. It possesses an immeasurable amount of mana.¡± Miho was the only one who trembled; the rest of the party didn¡¯t feel any fear at the sight of the Gold Dragon as they freely and casually conversed amongst themselves. For users like Merlin and Arc, even [real] transcendent beings were beings that they had seen many times, and it was the same for Sungmuk. In addition, although the power exuding from the Gold Dragon was overwhelmingly powerful, Merlin, and most of his party members, didn¡¯t feel the intimidating ¡®force¡¯ unique to a transcendent. It was as if the Gold Dragon was created by forcibly combining enormous sources of energy; it possessed tremendous power, but that only meant the power the Gold Dragon possessed was simply large rather than threatening. The dragon didn¡¯t give the other party members any sense of hopeless or other oppressive feelings that a transcendent would normally give off. With the Gold Dragon right in front of him, Merlin started explaining something to his party with a calm expression on his face. ¡°Strictly speaking, that dragon is not a complete transcendent. How should I explain this¡­ it¡¯s a half-assed creation. Obviously, it possesses as much power as a transcendent being, but it lacks sufficient enlightenment. To be precise, it¡¯s probably closer to a Level 19.5 being than a Level 20 being.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Overhearing Merlin¡¯s words, the Gold Dragon¡¯s golden eyebrows wriggled and twitched. Of course, Merlin¡¯s words were true, and the Gold Dragon knew this to be true; however, how could the Gold Dragon not be stunned when some upstart user dared to appear in its Holy Land and talk smack right in front of its face? Was this upstart user ignoring the power of a Gold Dragon? The Gold Dragon was a monster with an inexhaustible magic power capacity. Moreover, it possessed the ability to command and execute complete spells without chanting. In other words, it could launch magic spell attacks just by being conscious. Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. Though the realm of its spirit and its realization of the world didn¡¯t reach those that would normally be associated with a transcendent, its specifications and stats were close to those of a transcendent. [This is absurd. First of all¡­ I¡¯ll eliminate half of you, then I¡¯ll force you to explain how you even got into this space!] Whoosh!!! Using spirit speech, which seemed to be filled with a sense of annoyance and anger, tens of hundreds of magic circles appeared around the Gold Dragon. It was a chain magic spell that conjured the image of countless storms that would burn, freeze, crush, and pulverize its enemies. However, both Arc and Sungmuk, as well as Merlin, jumped at the Gold Dragon instead of raising their defenses. This sort of frontal attack was a dangerous act, as any outsider would have thought that they were committing an act of suicide by throwing themselves into the Gold Dragon¡¯s waves of spells. At that moment, Miho, who was standing in place, raised Hydra, which was taller than herself, and shouted. ¡°As for me! Release all the spells now!¡± Despite her complexion being completely white, as she was filled with fear and tension, Miho¡¯s Hydra, which accurately released all its spells, shot out a thunderbolt sword strike. The spell was activated immediately without any activation lag time. Moreover, the speed of the magic projectile strike moved at the speed of light! The thunderbolt sword strike hit the Gold Dragon¡¯s body as it avoided all the magic circles surrounding the Gold Dragon. /Lightning Blade of Zeus!/ With a dazzling display of light, a spell with the highest concentration of destruction among the suite of Merlin¡¯s Howling Spells also hit the body of the Gold Dragon, and most of the defensive spells that protected the body of the Gold Dragon were instantly destroyed. The Gold Dragon would have been better off if it had suffered a surprise attack, as it would still be able to muster most of its power to maintain a defense, but the current situation was an utter disaster for the Gold Dragon because it had converted a large part of its power to launch a formidable AOE spell attack against the intruders. CH 255 Ting! Merlin, while rushing forward, called out for his Divine Weapon, and soon, Olympos appeared in Merlin¡¯s hand. When Merlin pulled Olympos¡¯ string all the way to the end, a spell was activated. And once the spell was activated, a lightning infused magic arrow appeared. Lightning Blade of Zeus! Along with a dazzling display of light, the lightning infused magic arrow struck the Gold Dragon¡¯s body. Though the Gold Dragon hurriedly cast a defense spell to protect itself, plum blossoms started blooming next to it. Ring! Normally, Sungmuk would bloom hundreds of plum blossoms when he swung his sword, but this time around, the situation was a little different, so he took a different approach and only bloomed one plum blossom. However, each and every petal of the plum blossom was as vivid as if they were real, and the spirit and divine qi that the plum blossom petals exuded would make any observer revere them as divine objects. ¡°Immortal¡¯s Solitary Plum! Shall we see how strong a dragon¡¯s hide is?¡± The singular plum blossom shot out from Sungmuk¡¯s Divine Red Sparrow sword and made its way to the Gold Dragon¡¯s waist area. Soon, the plum blossom pierced into the Gold Dragon. The Immortal¡¯s Solitary Plum, which represented a singular immortal plum blossom that bloomed in solitary, was an extremely strong single use attack that created a true plum blossom pattern. Furthermore, it was composed of strong qi that originated from the purification of one¡¯s martial arts. Therefore, since the Gold Dragon¡¯s body and defenses were already weakened due to Merlin¡¯s strike, the Immortal¡¯s Solitary Plum strike was able to strike the dragon with full force. Flash! Crack! After the Lightning Blade of Zeus struck the body of the Gold Dragon, Sungmuk¡¯s Immortal¡¯s Solitary Plum embedded itself within the Gold Dragon. When this happened, the Gold Dragon¡¯s golden scales, which covered the Gold Dragon¡¯s entire body, started to break off. [You scoundrels!] However, the damage inflicted was only that; the Gold Dragon¡¯s wounds did not open or splatter any blood. The Gold Dragon¡¯s scales, each containing intense energy and power, absorbed all the blows before falling off the dragon¡¯s body. The Gold Dragon burst out in anger as it tried to fly into the air, but at that moment, Miho¡¯s spell, which she released from Hydra, reached the Gold Dragon. It was released at the same time as Merlin¡¯s Lightning Blade of Zeus strike, but it was just now reaching the dragon, which illustrated just how fast Merlin¡¯s spell was compared to Miho¡¯s. /The Moonlight of Artemis!/ /Bramblehurst of Gaia!/ A soft moonlight glow momentarily dwelled on the Gold Dragon¡¯s body, lowering its defense and magic resistance, and immediately afterward, a vivid green light shone out before vines with thorns thicker than an adult¡¯s torso grew at terrifying speeds and began to entangle the Gold Dragon. The Gold Dragon shook its body and tried to brush off the vine¡¯s entanglements, but¡­ /Bramblehurst of Gaia!/ A Howling spell fired from Merlin¡¯s Olympus once again landed on the Gold Dragon¡¯s body. And as the Gold Dragon was tied up, Arc rushed forward towards the immobilized Gold Dragon. /Flame Buster! Maximum!/ Click. With a clicking sound, magic power surged and rushed out. Then, the magic power was triggered. And with that trigger, the prepared spell was activated, and mana was rearranged according to an established magic circuit route. And in no time, an explosion was generated. ¡°Revolver!¡± Fire and flames spewed and flickered over Arc¡¯s armor. Utilizing her No Thoughts Gold Strong technique, Arc held onto the excessively gathered bundle of mana and continued her spell chant. ¡°Double spell! Revolver!¡± The overlapping magic powers roared out, and dense magic characters rose above Arc¡¯s armor. ¡°Perfect Vulcan!¡± It was her final trigger phrase. With the activation of the trigger phrase, Arc¡¯s arms flared up with flames as her body¡¯s speed accelerated dozens of times over. Boom!!!! [Cheeky thing¡­] Arc¡¯s fists rushed toward the Gold Dragon at breakneck speed. Arc¡¯s spell-infused fists were rushing towards the areas of the Gold Dragon¡¯s body that were recently exposed after Sungmuk¡¯s attack, so naturally, the Gold Dragon tried to contort its body to avoid Arc¡¯s oncoming punches. However, it wasn¡¯t able to properly avoid Arc¡¯s attack because of the vines that constricted and immobilized the Gold Dragon, holding it firmly in place. Because of this, the Gold Dragon tried to defeat all its surrounding enemies by using five to six spells in succession. ¡°Break!¡± [W-what?] Sensing that the spells it was trying to cast were all canceled after Merlin¡¯s cry, the Gold Dragon glanced over at Merlin in amazement. Of course, the spells the Gold Dragon was about to cast were all instant cast type spells, which were considered relatively weak spells relative to the dragon¡¯s arsenal of spells, but even still, how was a user able to cancel all its spells, which it was casting with its full power? In other words, this meant that¡­ [You¡­ you¡­ are a magic user on the same level as me?] ¡°Yeah, you dumb hunk of junk. That¡¯s why I called you half-assed creation. Is there even an ultimate spell you can use? Oh, since there¡¯s been a system recalibration, I guess you do have something similar.¡± However, the problem was that, for the Gold Dragon to cast its ultimate spell, it needed a minimum of several hours to a maximum of several days to cast such a spell. Moreover, it needed to be in peak physical condition. As its role as a [War Commander], which was entrusted to it by DIO¡¯s operators, the Gold Dragon possessed tremendous strategic value and was a powerful being, something that Merlin could not imitate or recreate; however, in this critical juncture, with its enemy clearly positioned right in front of it, the Gold Dragon was unable to display its overwhelming power. Boom! When the Gold Dragon¡¯s spell ability was nullified by Merlin, Arc, who had landed hundreds of fist punches in an instant on the Gold Dragon¡¯s body, backed away. Soon, plum blossoms started to bloom in the areas that Arc had punched. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. [Ugh! You scoundrels! Do you think you can win by doing this!!] As the Gold Dragon roared and twisted its body, the vines and thorns that bound its body began to fall away. Realizing that it could not block Merlin¡¯s nullification spell, the Gold Dragon gave up on casting magic spells and unleashed the power contained in its Chintamani Marble in the form of raw magic power. It was true that Merlin and his party members had cut off all the Gold Dragon¡¯s means of resistance in a short time and superficially wounded it, but the Gold Dragon was still confident that the party had no chance of winning against it. This was because the Gold Dragon knew it was a Raid Monster. Unbelievably, for the Gold Dragon, the cheeky human mage was a magic power user who was at the same mage class as the Gold Dragon, and the orc that was wielding a sword was also able to output at the same power level as itself, though the orc utilized a different type of power compared to the human user. However, in the end, the Gold Dragon felt that all these efforts were useless and all for naught. Merlin had pointed to the Gold Dragon and stated that it was a pseudo transcendent. Of course, this was true. But, from another perspective, this also meant that the Gold Dragon was half transcendent. The Gold Dragon was a being with an inexhaustible reservoir of magic power and a phenomenal HP capacity monster. The power realm it possessed may be similar to Merlin or Sungmuk¡¯s, but the specifications of its body were different from the other two. Even if its power realm was similar to Merlin or Sungmuk¡¯s, the Gold Dragon¡¯s body was definitely the body of a transcendent being. [Do you think these superficial injuries will hurt me! It¡¯s just ticklish!] The body of the Gold Dragon was over 150 meters long from head to tail. The expression ¡®huge¡¯, rather than ¡®big¡¯, was appropriate to describe the Gold Dragon¡¯s size. Thus, even a wound the size of a person¡¯s head, which the party members created through all sorts of attacks, was no more than a superficial blow, similar to the extent of piercing a normal human being with a needle. If hundreds or thousands of users gathered and inflicted the same attack a hundred or a thousand times over, then, the outcome may have been different for the Gold Dragon, but what could a small party of attackers accomplish? The Gold Dragon believed that the attackers¡¯ mana and stamina levels would tap out before they even inflicted a proper wound on it, and there was no way that the Gold Dragon would give up, so there was, in the Gold Dragon¡¯s mind, no chance of the users winning. In a situation like this, the Gold Dragon¡¯s pride was hurt because it was as good as defeated by a party of users in terms of skills and abilities, but eventually, in the end, the Gold Dragon was confident that it would win through the virtue of its transcendent body. However, Merlin approached the Gold Dragon with a smile, ripped off a portion of the Gold Dragon¡¯s body about the size of a human adult¡¯s head, and put his hand into the lightly bleeding wound. The dragon considered the flesh wound as something insignificant, as the Gold Dragon¡¯s hide was thicker than an adult¡¯s head. Moreover, the circumference of its body was nearly 10 meters, so such a flesh wound wasn¡¯t something that concerned the Gold Dragon. However, the important matter for Merlin was that he exposed the inner part of the Gold Dragon and was able to see the dragon¡¯s blood. ¡°You really think it¡¯s just ticklish, huh?¡± [What nonsense are you going to spew this time¡­] Rumble! At that moment, the body of the giant Gold Dragon, all 150+ meters, vibrated greatly. It was such a violent movement that an outside observer would have wondered if the Gold Dragon had shuddered of its own accord. Since he possessed developed eyesight, Sungmuk, who noticed what damage the Gold Dragon just sustained, looked at Merlin with an expression of utter disbelief. Quiet Heaven and Ellie, non-participants in the current battle, also groaned after observing Merlin¡¯s unbelievable act. CH 256 ¡°This is¡­ so absurd. In the physical or spiritual sense¡­ does any of this make sense?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve said it once before¡­ but his power truly destroys the traditional understanding and established foundation of martial arts itself.¡± ¡°How¡­ can a human, who is not even a transcendent being, output such destructive power with one blow¡­¡± Thud! While everyone was in a state of shock, the Gold Dragon gave off a loud thump as its body fell onto the ground. The party members were unscathed, as they had been forewarned by Merlin about his attack. However, the impact of the Gold Dragon, which weighed thousands of tons, crashing onto the ground was so disruptive that it caused a substantial change to the surrounding terrain. The space didn¡¯t collapse or crumble since they were in the Tower of Truth, which was protected by a strong power, but if it were any other normal building or outside space, the entire area would have instantly collapsed upon itself. [Crazy¡­ this is crazy¡­ What the hell is going on? What did you do?] The Gold Dragon, which had fallen to the ground, slightly tilted its head, which it could no longer move properly, and looked at the party members. The blow it sustained on its body was so great that almost all its sensing capabilities were blocked or malfunctioning. ¡°What do you mean what did I do? I subdued you with a single blow.¡± Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. [A palm attack? Are you saying you subdued me¡­ using martial arts? Even if I¡¯m struck with a strong qi attack¡­ as long as I¡¯m not struck on the head¡­ Ugh. I should have been able to¡­ should have been able to¡­ to at least endure¡­ ugh¡­] The Gold Dragon¡¯s spirit speech was stretched out as it made its last gasps. Its body also shuddered and trembled. Unbelievably, the Gold Dragon was rendered immobile and incapacitated after being struck by Merlin¡¯s single blow. However, unlike the Gold Dragon¡¯s reaction, Merlin didn¡¯t seem surprised at all by the result. ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s not like I need to be a transcendent level martial artist to incapacitate you. If I have enough strength and power, I could do whatever I wish onto you. There¡¯s always a way.¡± Even a Gold Dragon would die if it was hit directly by a meteorite weighing millions of tons moving at dozens of times the speed of sound, let alone a normal being that didn¡¯t possess any superpowers. Likewise, even if Merlin executed a simple palm strike, if the internal energy contained in his palm strike was beyond a certain power level, he¡¯d be able to inflict damage beyond what one could withstand. [You. Wait a moment. Just now¡­ how many years of internal energy did you output with that one strike?] ¡°Oh, you¡¯re pretty quick-witted for a being that doesn¡¯t have any background in martial arts.¡± [Answer me.] ¡°1,600 years.¡± [What?] An expression of disbelief appeared in the Gold Dragon¡¯s eyes. 1,600 years¡­ that¡¯s a little over 26 cycles of internal energy¡­ The Gold Dragon thought¡­ Was it really possible to put such a ridiculous amount of internal force into a single [strike]? No, to begin with, how was a human user even able to possess that amount of internal energy in the first place? Just how? These were the thoughts circulating in the Gold Dragon¡¯s mind. While the Gold Dragon was filled with doubt, as it couldn¡¯t fathom or begin to make sense of what Merlin was telling it, Merlin calmly took out a jeweled sword that glowed in five colors from his chest pocket. It was a cheat item that could run a cracking program on DIO and change DIO¡¯s rules to his liking. It was Merlin¡¯s Editor Blade. ¡°Don¡¯t try to understand everything. You¡¯re going to die anyway¡­¡± [What? Hahaha. Such overconfident talk for a simple user¡­ Even if I die like this, I will eventually respawn¡­] ¡°No, you won¡¯t.¡± [What?] ¡°It¡¯s over for you¡­ the end of the road. Goodbye.¡± [What are you talking about¡­] The Gold Dragon, who did not understand Merlin¡¯s final words, expressed doubt and a sense of fear in its big eyes. Regardless of whatever the dragon was feeling, Merlin swung his Editor Blade¡­ Boom! His Editor Blade lightly penetrated the Gold Dragon¡¯s scales, which were much harder than any legendary metal. No, to be more precise, the Editor Blade didn¡¯t pierce through the dragon¡¯s scales; the Editor Blade [assimilated] with the dragon to access the Gold Dragon¡¯s data. ¡°Operate Editor Blade.¡± As soon as Merlin gave his low-voiced command, a faint light leaked from his Editor Blade. ¡°Data drain.¡± Whoosh! Golden steam began to emanate from the Gold Dragon¡¯s body, and soon, that golden steam was sucked into the Editor Blade. And as more smoke leaked out, the Gold Dragon¡¯s physical body shrank. Creak! Then, surprisingly, the Editor Blade¡¯s blade, which was originally slightly longer than the palm of Merlin¡¯s hand, began to grow and lengthen in size. It grew slowly, like icicles elongating themselves during winter. ¡°What? Why did the Gold Dragon suddenly die?¡± Miho, who was only in charge of liberating the spells Merlin had stored in her Hydra, as her spell level was not yet developed enough to be of any use in high level combat, looked at the Gold Dragon¡¯s shriveling corpse with a puzzled expression. ¡°It sustained Merlin¡¯s Killing Blow.¡± ¡°Eh? But doesn¡¯t that only work on idiot opponents who can¡¯t control their own power output and mana control ability?¡± Miho, who had seen Merlin¡¯s Killing Blow several times in the past, also knew the effects of Merlin¡¯s Killing Blow. Merlin¡¯s Killing Blow was a kind of spiritual virus infiltration attack that caused one to lose control over one¡¯s mana control ability or, in some cases, caused one¡¯s mana to run rampant and explode. However, Arc made Miho understand her words with a simple reply. ¡°1,600 years.¡± ¡°¡­ Ah!¡± Merlin¡¯s Killing Blow was a skill that was mainly used against [existences whose mana control ability was low compared to the amount of mana they possessed]. Merlin¡¯s ultimate skill usually wouldn¡¯t work on opponents who had a low reserve of mana or on opponents who had a high reserve of mana but had an equally well-developed mana control ability. However, the situation was completely different when the internal energy that went into the Killing Blow was beyond a certain limit. As an analogy, a skillful sailor could overcome high waves on the treacherous seas, but when faced against a tsunami, no matter how skillfully a sailor could handle his or her boat, all efforts would be rendered useless against the overwhelming force of a tsunami. The Gold Dragon wasn¡¯t at the full transcendent realm, but the Gold Dragon still possessed exceptional mana control abilities; however, in the end, even the Gold Dragon wasn¡¯t able to put up a resistance against Merlin¡¯s overwhelming internal energy output. ¡°But I don¡¯t understand. How¡­ just how was he able to output such a massive amount of internal energy and physically handle it? To release a little more than 26 cycles of internal energy so suddenly, in just one blow¡­ If one outputs such an absurd amount of internal energy, one¡¯s body, as well as the enemy¡¯s, would both be smashed to bits, no?¡± Sungmuk spoke his question aloud as he watched Merlin wait for his Editor Blade to finish growing. Having already crossed the expert realm in martial arts in the distant past, Sungmuk knew that internal energy users desired to exert great amounts of internal energy in a single blow but that they couldn¡¯t do so because of their physical restrictions. The output of an enormous amount of internal energy puts a tremendous burden on one¡¯s dantian, blood vessels, and finally, one¡¯s entire body. Moreover, the palm strike that Merlin just used possessed so much internal energy within it that it wouldn¡¯t have been strange if Merlin¡¯s body exploded and turned into a mist of blood from the aftershock of releasing such an enormous amount of internal energy. ¡°Right now, I have ¡®In Case of Emergency - Number 1 Buff¡¯ on myself. Also, I¡¯m also buffed with the Number 2 Buff, which is especially made for magic users.¡± ¡°In Case of Emergency ¨C Number 1 Buff?¡± Sungmuk was currently buffed with [In Case of Emergency ¨C Number 3 Buff], a buff that was specifically tailored for internal energy users. Furthermore, ¡®In Case of Emergency ¨C Number 2 Buff¡¯ was especially made for magic users. ¡®Wait. The skill areas that most users learn in DIO are magic power and martial arts, but those correspond with In Case of Emergency ¨C Number 2 and 3 Buffs¡­ then what is the ¡®In Case of Emergency ¨C Number 1 Buff¡¯?¡¯ Sungmuk was also a genius with extraordinary reasoning and comprehensive capabilities, so he understood what Merlin was trying to say at once. ¡°Survival¡­ it¡¯s a survival buff, right?¡± Sungmuk ventured a guess. ¡°Correct.¡± Smile. Merlin smiled broadly before going into his explanation. ¡°The ¡®In Case of Emergency ¨C Number 1 Buff¡¯ that¡¯s currently being applied on me is a buff that gives me an additional 500 points in HP, stamina, regen, and magic resistance. In other words, it¡¯s a buff that increases those stat areas by 500 points each. It¡¯s a buff that allows me to survive an emergency situation, but in my case, I can utilize this buff for both offense and defense.¡± Through his Golden Pill Immortal Technique, Merlin was already able to unleash 100 years of internal energy in a single blow, which was his characteristic one-shot one-kill move, but even that move was largely limited to the 100 years of internal energy threshold limit, lest he receive some recoil damage. Moreover, Merlin couldn¡¯t infinitely amplify his internal energy through the No Living World system. Amplification had its limits. If one¡¯s internal energy was amplified beyond a certain limit, one¡¯s body wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the tremendous and damaging flow of internal energy within one¡¯s body. This was why, when Merlin fought Sungmuk, he deployed various defensive means to protect himself and limited his internal energy output to 50 years of internal energy instead of 100 years of internal energy. However, with the ¡®In Case of Emergency ¨C Number 1¡¯ survival buff, the calculation became drastically different. A strong human male¡¯s HP was about 30 points, and the higher one¡¯s HP was, the stronger one¡¯s body became. When one¡¯s HP stat reached 100 points, it was almost impossible to be beaten by an ordinary attack strike. When one¡¯s HP reached 300 points, one¡¯s body became supple to the touch yet as strong as bronze, and at 400 HP points, one¡¯s body became as hard as steel. At 500 HP points, one¡¯s body had the strength of modern composite armor. Moreover, no matter how strong and firm one¡¯s body became, it would retain its flexibility, allowing one¡¯s body to be as elastic as modern-day rubber. With the ¡®In Case of Emergency ¨C Number 1 Buff¡¯, Merlin¡¯s HP was currently at 750 HP points. In addition, although slightly lower than his HP stat, his stamina, regen, and magic resistance stat points were also around the 750-point mark. With such an overwhelming stat buff, Merlin was able to output a tremendous amount of internal energy. 26 cycles worth of internal energy, to be exact. Ting! ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± Merlin put his Editor Blade, which had grown 40 centimeters in length, back into his chest pocket. Most of the Gold Dragon¡¯s corpse had disappeared, and all that was left was a bunch of golden scales and a large marble that exuded a brilliant light. CH 257 Woong! The Chintamani Marble was considerably large, as it reflected the size of its previous owner. When Merlin touched the Gold Dragon¡¯s Chintamani Marble, which was several meters in diameter, the Chintamani Marble quickly reduced in size until the marble snuggly fit in Merlin¡¯s hand. However, what was unusual was the reactions of Quiet Heaven and Ellie when they laid their eyes on the marble. ¡°A Chintamani Marble¡­¡± ¡°Ah, so it really does drop and appear in this world¡­ ugh¡­¡± Neither Quiet Heaven nor Ellie could take their eyes off the Chintamani Marble. It was as if they were bewitched by something. When Merlin moved the Chintamani Marble slightly to his right, the two pets¡¯ eyes followed. ¡°What? Do you guys need this?¡± ¡°O-of course we need it! Although the one you¡¯re holding is most likely just a replica¡­ but even if it¡¯s just a replica, a Chintamani Marble is an aggregate entity of transcendent power. Half-bloods like us, who possess Noblesse blood, can quickly raise our rank by consuming such a power source.¡± ¡°Then eat it.¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Hearing Merlin¡¯s words, Quiet Heaven, as well as Ellie, were startled. They could only stare back dumbfoundedly at Merlin. With a trembling expression, Quiet Heaven asked Merlin a question. ¡°D-didn¡¯t you say that you required an essential item? Isn¡¯t the Chintamani Marble what you were looking for?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, but if you eat it and become more powerful, that¡¯s not bad, either. It¡¯ll just take me a little more time to achieve what I want, but I already know that achieving my goal is something that¡¯ll happen eventually.¡± Although Quiet Heaven was Merlin¡¯s dutiful pet, Quiet Heaven was actually lacking in many ways to be labeled as one of Merlin¡¯s useful [options]. Quiet Heaven¡¯s specialties weren¡¯t in combat, but also, Merlin had already become way too strong way too fast. Since Merlin was an entirely different being from an average user, it was not easy for Quiet Heaven to keep up with Merlin¡¯s constantly developing abilities and skills. In truth, Quiet Heaven was one of the top pets in the game, but unlike Arthur¡¯s pet Toothless, Quiet Heaven didn¡¯t possess the same combat power as a top-notched summoning beast, so it wasn¡¯t much help to Merlin in times of battle. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I really appreciate it, but I can¡¯t eat it.¡± ¡°Is it forbidden?¡± ¡°Yeah. You players and us pets have different positions.¡± Although the Chintamani Marble was a replica, the Chintamani Marble was still a considerable asset that even the Noblesse couldn¡¯t easily dish out. Even though mixed-race beings like Quiet Heaven and Ellie also belonged to the Noblesse, it was impossible for the Noblesse to give half-bloods like them many resources without a guarantee of a commensurate return. In addition, if pets could consume such items within DIO, wouldn¡¯t it be commonplace for pets to deceive or plead with their user owners to absorb their dropped marbles and magic stones? However, Miho, who remained quiet and still up to that point, made a confused expression. ¡°Wait a second. I don¡¯t know or understand much about the organization called Noblesse, but does it make sense that they¡¯d give resources like the Chintamani Marble to users but not to their own flesh and blood race?¡± ¡°It is not given; it is entrusted. All users¡¯ bodies are tied to DIO anyway.¡± ¡°Aha.¡± Miho immediately understood and nodded her head. In other words, the Chintamani Marble wasn¡¯t given to users, per se. In other words, as long as the users were under the control of DIO¡¯s system, the operators could retrieve the Chintamani Marble, as well as anything else that was given to users within DIO, at any time. ¡°Then, I guess we¡¯ll have to stick to my original plan.¡± When Merlin casually spoke and lifted the Chintamani Marble, Quiet Heaven spoke up. ¡°What plan? Even if what you have in your hand is a replica, you, as a human user, cannot simply absorb the enormous spiritual power within the Chintamani Marble. You may be able to forge it into a usable item¡­¡± Crack!! ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Kyak?!?!¡± When Merlin struck the Chintamani Marble and caused cracks to form on it, the two pets, who watched everything unfold, screamed out in surprise. Sungmuk, who was not quite as surprised as the two pets, asked a question aloud. ¡°What are you trying to do? It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve actually seen a Chintamani Marble, but shouldn¡¯t you maintain it in as pristine a state as possible if you¡¯re planning to absorb its powers?¡± ¡°Well, the problem is that absorbing spiritual power of this magnitude is not normal or simple.¡± As an analogy, absorbing the Chintamani Marble¡¯s power was like shoving 10 tons of food all at once into a 10-year-old child. Unless the child was the second coming of a divine, overpowered, and superpowered glutton, the child would most likely suffocate to death before digesting all the food. ¡°But your ability to control isn¡¯t at a low level, right? You should be fully [capable] of absorbing the powers within the marble. As long as you have time¡­¡± Sungmuk continued. However, Merlin shook his head at that moment. ¡°That¡¯s the crux of the issue. I¡¯m fully capable, but time is the issue. It will take me about six years to completely absorb spiritual power of this magnitude.¡± Of course, Merlin couldn¡¯t utilize the training room and its expansion of time, as the training room only accelerated one¡¯s mind to elongate time. 6 years in DIO meant that it would take Merlin an entire year in Earth time to properly absorb the power within the Chintamani Marble. Considering that time passed 12 times faster in DIO than on Earth, calculation-wise, half a year should have been enough time for Merlin to absorb all the power within the marble; however, the [rule] that only 12 hours out of every 24 hours a day could be used to access DIO elongated that estimated time frame. Earth¡¯s login access restriction was a problem that even Merlin couldn¡¯t easily solve. Whoosh! While they were talking, golden steam spewed out from the Chintamani Marble with terrifying momentum. Quiet Heaven and Ellie watched the scene restlessly, but to their surprise, instead of scattering in all directions, the golden steam formed a round shape, like a balloon that was being filled with air. This phenomenon occurred because Merlin was controlling the golden steam of spiritual power, the Gold Dragon¡¯s qi. ¡°But this¡­¡± ¡°¡­ it¡¯s so much.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazingly large.¡± The party members couldn¡¯t help but nervously laugh at the massive bundle of spiritual power, which grew so enormous that the surrounding was filled with gold light in an instant. Previously, in Merlin¡¯s No Living World, when he was creating his planetary Earth by releasing energy outside his body, the energy bundle was only about the size of a soccer ball. The enormous size of the Chintamani Marble¡¯s energy bundle proved that the spiritual energy held within was astronomically enormous. Ting! At that moment, a magic circle began to cover the area around the spiritual qi. Merlin¡¯s preparations were sufficient; he had already completed all his spells beforehand. Moreover, he had reviewed his preparations many times over, even before he had gone into battle. [Grr¡­] And as the magic circle covered the Chintamani Marble¡¯s qi, the growl of a beast resonated within it. It was a new magic lifeform created by Merlin, Chaos. Quiet Heaven, who had already seen Merlin invent and apply reinforcement on items many times before, opened its mouth to speak. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ an evolved ¡®Salk¡¯.¡± ¡°Correct!¡± Merlin was an excellent creator of novel inventions and processes, not only amongst users but also amongst the Noblesse, especially the great mages, who kept a keen eye on Merlin¡¯s creations. Merlin was the inventor of [Reinforced Weapons], so it was possible for Merlin to remodel or retrofit a reinforced weapon, the likes of which most other mages couldn¡¯t even fathom, let alone create. However, Quiet Heaven, who was quietly observing the technique Merlin was using, soon made an expression as if he couldn¡¯t understand Merlin¡¯s approach. ¡°But Merlin, is it possible to construct something without Beast Metal?¡± In truth, the metal that went into creating reinforced weapons was more important than the magic spells applied to the weapons. We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. So, strictly speaking, what Merlin invented was not reinforced weapons, but Beast Metal itself. Beast Metal contained a spiritual creature that ate away energy. Regardless of attributes or characteristics, by eating and digesting any form of energy, the Beast Metal overlapped and reinforced the magic spell or spells placed upon a reinforced weapon. This was why even Merlin couldn¡¯t make reinforced weapons without Beast Metal. Without Beast Metal, there was no foundation to firmly plant or engrain his magic spells. ¡°Chaos and Salk have similar but very different systems. In addition, since there is so much spiritual power to control, this creation might naturally acquire an ego on its own without the need for Beast Metal. It¡¯s the same principle for reinforced weapons.¡± Merlin knew that if a reinforced weapon, which was reinforced 12 times or more, was given a strong thought or will and was cherished for a long time, there was a very high chance that the Salk nested inside that reinforced weapon would awaken a true self, or an ego. In other words, a reinforced weapon would become a growth-type weapon, a weapon that all warriors dreamt of, but it required a very special environment and a long period of development for an ego to arise, so this objective wasn¡¯t something that Merlin was aiming for in his current endeavor, as Merlin was in a rush. [Kyak!] However, at that moment, Chaos swallowed the power within the golden sphere and belted out a scream. Since Chaos only had the intelligence level of a dog or cat, it was difficult to communicate with it, but Chaos¡¯ scream of utter pain was obvious to anyone who heard it. ¡°What the hell¡­? The spiritual energy is more than 3.7 times more than my estimated maximum?¡± Merlin¡¯s expression grew serious as he closed his eyes and scanned through the stream of information conveyed by his magic circle. In fact, long before he decided to fight the Gold Dragon, Merlin knew that the Gold Dragon was a fake transcendent being. Actually, Merlin realized this fact the first time he laid eyes on the Gold Dragon. This was because his insight ability was excellent, but in this case, his insight was more poisonous than beneficial. There should have been no way that the Gold Dragon¡¯s Chintamani Marble, something that originated from a false transcendent figure, possessed a spiritual power level equivalent to an actual dragon heart. However, from the Noblesse¡¯s perspective, it didn¡¯t matter if the Chintamani Marble was used to create a Gold Dragon or a magic weapon; as long as they ran DIO, whatever was inside the system was presumably under their control. Though the Noblesse probably never considered it, it didn¡¯t matter to them if the Chintamani Marble¡¯s enormous spiritual powers were consumed by a user. As long as the spiritual power was contained within DIO¡¯s system, the contents were perfectly protected, regardless of whatever form the power or energy took or where it was located. In essence, DIO was a huge safe and warehouse for the Noblesse. Thus, unbeknownst to Merlin, the Gold Dragon¡¯s Chintamani Marble was the real deal. It was a marble that the White Divine Celestial Dragon, Thousand Scents, one of the Grand Masters of the Eight Holy Lands, obtained after defeating her arch nemesis, the Golden Divine Dragon. Though the value of the Golden Divine Dragon¡¯s Chintamani Marble was considerable, which caused many beings to search for it, Thousand Scents didn¡¯t have much use for it, so she kept it safe within the confines of DIO. CH 258 ¡°What the heck¡­ how come the Chintamani Marble¡¯s aura and power is so much greater than I initially expected? Hey, Quiet Heaven, didn¡¯t you say that this marble was just a replica?¡± ¡°No way¡­ wait¡­ Could it be¡­ is that thing a real Chintamani Marble?¡± [Kyak!] Merlin¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as he realized that his plan had gone awry. Although he had prepared everything carefully, the amount of spiritual power in the marble was much greater than he had anticipated; his magic system spell would most likely collapse due to the overwhelming amount of spiritual power that it needed to contain. ¡°Oh my¡­ even if it took me a little longer to prepare, I should have divided the marble into several pieces, deployed several magic system spells, and created a few more Salk¡­ ah, wait! A few more Salk¡­?¡± In an instant, a new hypothesis formed inside Merlin¡¯s mind. Normally, he¡¯d test his theories, assumptions, and hypotheses beforehand, but unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t enough time to do those things at the present moment. ¡°Younghwi! Shining!¡± The two spirits, which always hovered around Merlin, became visible. Younghwi and Shining, existences that were initially described as [the work of the archmage Wicalein, who dreamed of materializing the soul], had grown and developed considerably, so they were now able to firmly materialize and retain a spiritual presence; however, though the two spirits had developed considerably, Merlin had only utilized them for simple tasks, like moving experiment tools, up to now. Other than these menial tasks, Merlin didn¡¯t use his two spirits very much. This was because Merlin grew and developed at a much faster pace than Younghwi and Shining did. Furthermore, Merlin was a genius inventor. He was the one who invented and completed reinforced weapons, allowing items to produce greater output and increase performance, so, whenever he faced a challenge, he relied on his creativity and abilities more than the two spirits. However, currently, if the experimental subject, Chaos, was a simple magic item, Merlin would have taken the approach of revising and remodeling the entire process, essentially starting over from the beginning; however, he had to work with a magic creature, Chaos, so he couldn¡¯t scrap the existing process hastily. He had to somehow work within the confines of what he had already planned and executed, which meant that he needed to deploy Younghwi and Shining. ¡°Eat it.¡± Ting! Whoosh! The two spirits moved immediately after Merlin gave his command. Even though the spirits possessed spirituality, and possibly the inklings of an ego, there wasn¡¯t even a hint of hesitation in the spirits¡¯ movements, as they were absolutely submissive and loyal to Merlin. ¡°Hey, w-what are you planning to do? Those spirits can¡¯t absorb that much spiritual power. Once they fail to absorb all the spiritual power, they¡¯ll go wild and become uncontrollable!¡± Quiet Heaven, who knew how Younghwi and Shining grew and developed, groaned aloud, but Arc, who had been watching from the side, gave a different opinion. ¡°They¡¯re not being used to absorb the spiritual power.¡± ¡°What? They¡¯re not?¡± Seeing Quiet Heaven¡¯s lost expression, Arc replied. ¡°They¡¯re seeking control over Merlin¡¯s magic system spell.¡± ¡°What does that mean¡­ oh, that¡¯s right! They could be used to control the magic system spell!¡± With a scream-like sound resounding around them, Younghwi and Shining each absorbed half of the byproduct of Merlin¡¯s magic system spell, the Salk called Chaos. Chaos, which had just been born and was on the brink of collapse due to the Chintamani Marble¡¯s overwhelming amount of spiritual power, was absorbed intact without putting up a resistance by Merlin¡¯s developed spirits, Younghwi and Shining. ¡®This girl¡­?¡¯ However, rather than looking and focusing on the amazing sight, Quiet Heaven turned its attention over to Arc, who was observing the process and standing silently off to the side. Quiet Heaven turned its attention to her because Arc accurately assessed the magic system spell and what approach Merlin planned to take better than Quiet Heaven, a member of the Noblesse who had studied spells and magic systems for hundreds of years. Quiet Heaven¡¯s ability to observe, properly assess, and understand magic and magic systems was excellent amongst its peers, so Quiet Heaven was surprised that an ordinary human user could read and properly assess what was going on better than itself. Of course, everything was relative. This didn¡¯t mean that Arc was at some transcendent level or anything. Wasn¡¯t Merlin the one who was actually using the spell? However, considering that Merlin was one of the few exceptional beings in the entire universe, Quiet Heaven still found it strange that Arc¡¯s assessment abilities were so strong. Above all, Arc, who specialized in close combat as a magic warrior, could only learn and develop Enhanced Eyesight to a very low level, so how was she able to develop and grow so much? How was she able to assess what was going on better than Quiet Heaven? Whoosh! Regardless of Quiet Heaven¡¯s thoughts and confusion, Younghwi and Shining began to control and stabilize Merlin¡¯s magic system spell. For Merlin, the decision to deploy Younghwi and Shining was an impromptu decision, a gamble; however, Younghwi and Shining, who grew up consuming Merlin¡¯s great mage level magic power and considerable internal energy, were surprisingly good at stabilizing and controlling the magic system spell. ¡®Concentrate¡­ concentrate the power¡­¡¯ While Younghwi and Shining stabilized the magic system spell, Merlin went into the process of completing his image making. Merlin imagined a giant planet that amplified internal energy; he was planning on controlling the enormous spiritual power of the Gold Dragon¡¯s Chintamani Marble. ¡®There¡¯s a lot more spiritual power than I expected. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s a good thing or a bad thing, but¡­¡¯ Ting! Consciously, Merlin entered a state of self-contemplation and looked inward within himself. Soon, he saw a new sight before him. His image training was bringing up a vast universe. In the center of that universe, which was surrounded by darkness, was a bright light. ¡®Hmm, is it because my internal energy has increased a lot recently? The light is quite strong.¡¯ Merlin¡¯s Gold Core, the center or sun within his inner world, shone brightly. Merlin directed his attention to the planets that circulated around this ¡®sun¡¯ within his inner world. ¡®Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. Unfortunately, up to now, I couldn¡¯t add additional planets through normal methods and means.¡¯ Normally, the Golden Pill Immortal Technique¡¯s fundamental development of its No Living World was limited to the creation of two planets. Due to the structure of spiritual elements, any number of planets above the initial two outer planetary worlds wouldn¡¯t be able to stabilize and exist on their own, at least, this was what was commonly believed. However, Merlin transcended that limit and had created four planetary worlds within his No Living World. And after creating those four planetary worlds, he had reached another limitation, another barrier. To create more planetary worlds, something else was needed. The magic creature, Chaos, and the Chintamani Marble were exactly what Merlin needed to break through this limitation barrier. Boom! Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. ¡®Ugh¡­¡¯ But the new planetary world, Jupiter, didn¡¯t converge properly and soon scattered. Even Merlin, who possessed a monstrous image-making ability, couldn¡¯t easily convert the massive spiritual power of Chintamani Marble into an additional amplification-based spiritual power planet. ¡®But¡­ oho. If I take this approach¡­¡¯ Though his initial attempt had failed, Merlin had no intention of giving up. No, rather than feeling defeated, Merlin felt excited. His mind started to flow and spin, and soon, Merlin entered a state of extreme mental focus and exaltation. In an instant, Merlin knew that he was going to eventually succeed. Intuitively, he knew that his attempts would yield a positive result. He didn¡¯t know it just yet, but¡­ he was starting a great experiment, an experiment that would later become the starting point of a new study called [Amplification Studies]. *** The Heavenly Sword Master¡¯s Snowflake Flower *** In the center of the Tower of Truth in the Gold Dragon¡¯s Holy Land, a place where all NPCs in the New Continent feared to enter, a young man in a red robe was seated in an upright position. He was exhaling evenly as if he was in a deep sleep, but seeing as he was still and motionless, it seemed as though the young man had passed out. Of course, this young man was Merlin, a member of the Heaven above the Heavens, one of the strongest users among all users. CH 259 ¡°Huh. This is ridiculous. He¡¯s entered a state of self-contemplation, which is neither meditation nor a trance¡­ he¡¯s just looking within himself, but he¡¯s been able to stay in that state for three whole days?¡± Quiet Heaven looked at Merlin while saying the same thing that Mary, who guided Merlin during the DIO tutorial, had once said. Self-contemplation, an advanced spiritual ability to look inside oneself, was an ability of a completely different concept from meditation or entering a trance-like state, which erased one¡¯s distracting thoughts and allowed one to organize one¡¯s thoughts. If one had to describe what self-contemplation was most like, one would state that it was most like a trance state, but unlike being in a trance, where one¡¯s sense of body awareness and time was much shorter than the actual time that passed, self-contemplation had the same sensory time flow as actual time. In other words, time passed relatively quickly when one was in a trance state, allowing one to be in such a state for a longer period of time. However, self-contemplation was a state in which beings could normally only be in for an hour at best, no matter how long one tried. However, Merlin was already on day three in this self-contemplation state. ¡°Come to think of it¡­ this guy is Level 19. Couldn¡¯t it be¡­ is he going to achieve some great enlightenment and reach Level 20? Is he going to enter the realm of transcendence?¡± Of course, the speaker, Ellie, was gently wagging her tail as she spoke these words. She stated this aloud as a joke more than anything. In the first place, transcendence wasn¡¯t a level that could easily be reached. It took thousands of years for even mysterious creatures, commonly called spirit beasts, to reach the transcendent realm, and even that feat required the spirit beasts to overcome countless difficulties and adversities. How could such a young human achieve transcendence in just a few years? This went against all common sense. Of course, it was quite common for humans who received the blessing of a creation god and who received the protection of a planet¡¯s supreme being to become a transcendent within an [extremely short] period of time, but even that was tens to hundreds of years. However, the ¡®quite common¡¯ was an infinitesimally small probability when considering the entire population of beings in the whole universe. Even on planets with developed superpowers, there were numerous cases where not a single being had reached transcendence after a thousand years. ¡°But this guy is an Irregular, a one in a quintillion. Of course, it¡¯s widely known that, in most cases, Irregulars face an insurmountable wall and usually fail in reaching the transcendence realm, but seeing this guy do the things he does, and in such a casual manner, I wouldn¡¯t bet against him entering the transcendence realm soon.¡± Merlin¡¯s growth rate was absurd. It was to the point that a normal martial artist or mage would probably give up on their personal pursuits after watching Merlin, as they¡¯d feel a sense of utter loss and shame in comparison to him. Quiet Heaven and Ellie came from planets that were in between the 3rd and 4th Stage of Civilization, or simply, the 3.5th Stage of Civilization. Thus, Quiet Heaven and Ellie were in a position to look down on earthlings and other lesser civilization beings as [primitive] beings; however, seeing Merlin and his development, they couldn¡¯t help but feel their inner spirits and minds being shaken to the core. This didn¡¯t just apply to Merlin but also the other users who made up the Heaven above the Heavens. Seeing Quiet Heaven quietly looking down at Merlin, Arc asked Quiet Heaven a question. ¡°Does that mean Merlin is great?¡± ¡°Great? Scary is more like it.¡± Of course, the various martial arts and school of thought studies provided by and available within DIO were truly amazing. The studies reached the limits of the 2nd Stage of Civilization¡­ No, to be more precise, depending on the type of study material, some information corresponded to the 3rd Stage of Civilization. These studies were generously provided by the DIO system, so it could be said that users were afforded and provided every convenience, to the extent of being seen as excessive. However, Merlin went beyond the civilization limitations of these studies through his own learning and development, and he produced results that were seemingly absurd, if looked upon from the perspective of a ¡®more civilized¡¯ observer. Wasn¡¯t all this possible because of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique and its fundamental basis of No Living World? ¡°I have visited dozens of galaxies and have seen countless schools of thought, but no being has ever produced such ridiculous results. Does it make sense that a being with a maximum capacity of 100 years of internal energy can output an attack of 1,600 years of internal energy?¡± This wasn¡¯t something that just anyone could do. Actually, it was unheard of. Moreover, within the accepted traditional understandings of spiritual power practices and structures, it should have been impossible for a being that had not reached the transcendent state to be able to deal with such a large amount of internal energy. If Merlin was a member of the Union, and this fact had been publicized, Merlin would have even been invited to become a professor at Ouroboros, the best academic institution in the universe. ¡°Hey, Quiet Heaven. This guy¡­ will he really ascend to the transcendent realm?¡± ¡°Ah, stop it. I don¡¯t know anything anymore, either. Arthur has ascended to the transcendent realm, albeit as a pseudo transcendent, so I don¡¯t know what to think anymore. I¡¯m sure my knowledge of Irregulars isn¡¯t wrong¡­¡± Irregulars were very rare, even in the entire universe, so even though Quiet Heaven had never seen an Irregular in person before, Quiet Heaven knew a lot about them from its studies. This was why Quiet Heaven initially expected that it would take Merlin quite some time, if ever, to reach the transcendence realm, but now, even Quiet Heaven was having doubts. Right at that moment¡­ ¡°Are you awake?¡± Merlin opened his eyes quietly, without any forewarning. Arc, who noticed Merlin¡¯s subtle movement, approached him. Miho, who was reading a magic book she had obtained from the library, also hurriedly approached Merlin. ¡°Are you alright? Your self-contemplation was unusually long.¡± ¡°I usually take this long.¡± Merlin answered languorously as he got up. Though Merlin acted as he normally did, at that moment, everyone around him flinched. ¡°Huh? What?¡± It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Uhm, Merlin¡­?¡± ¡°You feel¡­ a bit strange¡­ for a second, it was as though¡­¡± As Merlin got up, the air around him calmed down. Even though Merlin did not interfere with anything material, his surroundings were naturally influenced by his existence. Sungmuk, who had been sitting cross-legged and immersed in his own meditation, exclaimed. ¡°Oh, your momentum and aura has changed.¡± Indeed, as Sungmuk said, Merlin¡¯s momentum and aura had dramatically changed. A quiet, intense, and explosive momentum and aura dwelled within and exuded out from Merlin. It was an intense energy that one couldn¡¯t help but notice, even though Merlin wasn¡¯t doing anything special; however, Merlin casually grumbled a reply. ¡°My momentum and aura are currently outside of my control, so it¡¯s rather troublesome. I guess I won¡¯t be able to move stealthily for the time being.¡± While muttering, Merlin took off the Wicalein rings from the middle and ring fingers of his left hand and threw them on the floor. Bang! Sss¡­ The Wicalein Rings were made of mithril, an ethereal metal, but the moment they fell on the ground, they turned to dust and scattered. It seemed as though the rings could not withstand the process of accepting the Chintamani Marble¡¯s powerful spiritual power, so they had crumbled and fallen apart. Woong! Merlin focused his mind and felt the newly created planets within his No Living World, Jupiter and Saturn. What was contained in Jupiter and Saturn was an unprecedented, unimaginable power. Objectively speaking, Merlin¡¯s internal energy and magic power capacity didn¡¯t increase a single year or tetra respectively, but his current power level was leaps and bounds above what they were before he created Jupiter and Saturn. ¡°Have you become stronger?¡± Merlin nodded after hearing Arc¡¯s question. ¡°You can say that.¡± ¡°Did you reach Level 20?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± In order to create strong qi, one needed mastery over the abilities of basic mana and absolute mana control. Moreover, Merlin hadn¡¯t yet fully understood, aligned, and connected on a deeper level with the universe, a prerequisite to becoming a transcendent. Furthermore, Merlin had not yet made the decision of whether he¡¯d become a great mage or ultimate internal energy warrior. He wasn¡¯t even sure if he should or could aim for both. ¡°You¡¯re still at Level 19 even though you¡¯ve become this much stronger?¡± Miho, who originally played the role of an NPC, was deeply interested and attracted to the user¡¯s level system. The users¡¯ level system, where one could accurately gauge and know one¡¯s level and strength, was much more convenient than the NPC¡¯s situation, where an NPC had to vaguely guess one¡¯s strength in comparison to others. Merlin shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t put too much faith in the users¡¯ level system. The users¡¯ level system is intuitive and efficient, but not absolute.¡± Even if one was a Level 15 user, there was no guarantee that one would definitely beat a Level 10 user. Compatibility of one¡¯s power and strengths to one¡¯s skills and abilities, external factors such as situations, conditions, and environments¡­ all of these aspects needed to be considered and factored into play. In addition, there were also large gaps within the same level, so it was very dangerous to think that two users at the same level possessed equal strength and power. Moreover, this discrepancy was even wider at the margins, such as Level 19 users who were facing a barrier to break into Level 20, the level that denoted transcendence, which often seemed like a hopelessly large gulf for any being. ¡°Ah, more importantly, Miho, what level do you think you can attain without much difficulty?¡± Miho tilted her head after hearing Merlin¡¯s question. In the past, her tail would have wagged whenever she pondered about something, but since her body was now that of a [human] user, the tell-tale characteristics of a seven tailed fox weren¡¯t visible. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be as strong as I used to be, at least, in the near term. I reached the seven tailed fox level right before I died, but¡­ I¡¯m a human now, so¡­¡± Miho still retained most of the knowledge regarding her previous abilities in DIO, and even the magic studies that she previously trained in were still helpful and valid even though she became a human user, so, without too much difficulty, Miho felt that she¡¯d be able to reach Level 13 without much issue. However, unlike when she was a monster, as a being in a human body, she¡¯d have to rely on mana instead of monster power, so it was impossible for her to exert the power level she exhibited before her death. ¡°So, what does that mean? What level?¡± ¡°Well¡­ about Level 15?¡± ¡°Reach Level 17.¡± ¡°What? Hey, it¡¯s not as easy as you make it out to be. I can¡¯t just reach a level because you tell me to¡­¡± Merlin didn¡¯t let Miho, who was flustered by Merlin¡¯s comment, finish speaking before he turned to Arc and asked. ¡°What¡¯s the highest Rank spell that you can pull off in a live battle?¡± ¡°Currently, Rank 4. If the battle lasts for more than an hour, I can probably pull off a Rank 2 spell.¡± Because Arc had trained in the Black Yak School of Magic, which emphasized absolute stability, and applied those school of magic principles in combination with her combat, she was able to create a completely different fighting style from Jeros, who chose to go down the path as a pure magic user, even though they practiced the same magic school of thought. CH 260 Rather than using destructive magic that consumed a large amount of mana, Arc pursued her path as a mage warrior, an entity that mainly used a compressed, limited amount of magic against one¡¯s opponents in battle. And, of course, due to this pursuit, Arc found it difficult to rank up as a mage, as she wasn¡¯t pursuing a path to become a pure mage. As a mage warrior, the fact that she could even use Rank 4 spells during battle was a testament to how much back-breaking effort she had put into her craft thus far. ¡°If you had 20 minutes to safely prepare and 10 minutes of battle time, would you be able to release a Rank 1 spell?¡± ¡°No. That would be impossible.¡± Arc shook her head. Since her entire body was covered with her signature full-body black armor, her facial expression was not revealed, but one could tell from her body language that raising her level to accomplish what Merlin was asking wasn¡¯t a simple feat. The clause of [20 minutes to safely prepare] was of course something that gave any magic user a chance to accomplish something, but her situation was different from that of a pure mage, like Jeros. Of course, having time to prepare beforehand was always a welcomed opportunity, but she wouldn¡¯t be able to benefit from it as much as a pure mage could. Moreover, the majority of Master level users in DIO had achieved tremendous growth in a relatively short period of time, as they took advantage of DIO¡¯s near-perfect education and training system, so most Masters were showing considerable stagnation in their developmental progress. This was the same for Arc. ¡°What about in one week in real time?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make it happen.¡± ¡°¡­ Sorry to burden you.¡± Merlin was requesting something that was nearly impossible to achieve. Even if it was possible to achieve, it would require a tremendous amount of effort and sacrifice; however, rather than complaining, Arc just nodded her head. She knew that Merlin wouldn¡¯t dare make such an unreasonable request unless it was absolutely necessary. However, not everyone agreed with Merlin¡¯s seemingly unreasonable request. ¡°Wait, it¡¯s not just any spell¡­ you¡¯re asking her to execute a Rank 1 spell! Are you insane? In terms of mage Class classifications, for a user to be able to execute a Rank 1 spell, that user has to be in the second half of Class 7, but wouldn¡¯t it take at least a week to reach that Class?¡± Arc¡¯s pet, Ellie, who had been listening quietly and intently, looked at Merlin and Arc in turn with an exasperated expression. In Ellie¡¯s view, Arc had already passed the development stage and entered a developmental plateau. Even if Arc was able to take one more step forward, it would be a minor miracle, but wasn¡¯t Merlin asking her to leap and bound four to five steps further? Moreover, from Ellie¡¯s point of view, Arc wasn¡¯t even a pure mage; Arc was a mage warrior. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Well, of course, if you say that you¡¯ll do it then I have nothing to say, but¡­ phew.¡± It was quite strange to see a cute-looking Russian Blue sighing like an old man, but Merlin just waved his Editor Blade as if Ellie¡¯s comments didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Data Patch.¡± Ting! Merlin¡¯s Editor Blade spewed out an aura and created a blue-colored gap in the air. Miho, who noticed something in that foreign aura, quietly asked. ¡°Wait¡­ based on how you¡¯re speaking, are you planning to leave us and go somewhere else?¡± ¡°I have other work to do. This was one of the reasons why I decided to tame Sungmuk. Miho, if reaching Level 17 is difficult, at least complete a Jeweled Eye. Users receive all kinds of benefits, so as long as you completely adapt to your user body, you should be able to produce as much power as when you were a Seven Tailed fox. You don¡¯t want to always play second fiddle in reality, right?¡± Merlin spoke in a calm tone, neither mocking nor intimidating. Miho, who was by no means a slow-witted being, realized Merlin¡¯s true purpose of requesting such lofty goals for each and every party member. ¡®This guy¡­ he¡¯s preparing for a battle.¡¯ Miho also knew that, if she didn¡¯t reach the level Merlin requested, she probably wouldn¡¯t be included in Merlin¡¯s main force. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean that she would be abandoned, but Miho wasn¡¯t someone who could idly stand by while being [protected] instead of operating as an active [colleague], so she immediately started frowning and complaining. ¡°Ugh. You talk so high and mighty, but one of your eyes is mine.¡± ¡°Shall I return it?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s okay.¡± Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. Merlin smiled slightly after seeing Miho grumble and complain. Merlin then turned his attention to the blue-colored gap that was created by his Editor Blade and its Data Patch function. In truth, even Merlin didn¡¯t know exactly what was inside that space nor what was in store for him within that space. He expected a few things from a few hypotheses he formulated and from the information he gleaned, but he wasn¡¯t certain of anything. ¡®I need to increase my access authority.¡¯ Just as a gamer can¡¯t control all system functions in a game by using a trainer or hacking program, the Editor Blade only allowed Merlin to access and interfere with a portion of DIO¡¯s overall system. Furthermore, since DIO was the product of a higher stage civilization, with dozens of safety systems installed to counteract external intrusions, it was necessary for Merlin to dominate what he could currently access and destroy whatever system parts he could not bypass in order to increase his overall authority over the DIO system. ¡°We can¡¯t all go where you plan to go?¡± Hearing Arc¡¯s question, Merlin shook his head. ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s a bit of a special space, so it¡¯s difficult to take you all along. It¡¯ll take quite some time to explain, but, in short, the space that I¡¯m planning to enter¡­ I¡¯m the only one who has [Level 2 Access Authorization] to enter the system control room, and that authorization is something I possess because I¡¯m bound by a contract with the power that [makes up] this Editor Blade. However, knowing that pets and taming monsters were possible under my access authorization, I grabbed Sungmuk before confronting the Gold Dragon. He¡¯ll be accompanying me on this expedition as well.¡± Of course, Merlin had made all these preparations because he thought that he would not have a high chance of beating the Gold Dragon if he went at it alone. Noticing what was unsaid but inferred, Sungmuk asked Merlin a question. ¡°So, even with these cheat-like buffs, you¡¯re still being this careful¡­ are you planning to face off against a transcendent being? But, on the other hand, if you¡¯re planning on facing off against a transcendent being, even these buffs will be of little help, no?¡± ¡°Hmph. I can see that you¡¯re not even considering that I¡¯ll be of any help to Merlin.¡± Quiet Heaven grumbled, but Merlin didn¡¯t pay any attention to Quiet Heaven as he replied back to Sungmuk. ¡°I¡¯ve come up with a plan, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± ¡°That means my guess that you¡¯re planning to go up against a transcendent is correct! Hahaha! I¡¯m sure looking forward to this.¡± Even though Sungmuk knew that the opponent was a transcendent being, instead of being afraid or showing any signs of nervousness, Sungmuk laughed out loud. Sungmuk grabbed his Divine Red Sparrow Sword and stood behind Merlin. ¡°Can¡¯t we go together?¡± Merlin hesitated after hearing Arc ask again. Her expression was still hidden behind her full-body black armor. ¡°Arc¡­ no, Eunhye¡­ It would be nice to have more fire power, but you can¡¯t get in since you don¡¯t have the required access authorization level¡­ huh?¡± Merlin, who was in the middle of calmly explaining his reason for why he couldn¡¯t take Arc with him, suddenly stopped talking. This was because, unexpectedly, Merlin saw that Arc¡¯s right hand had gone into the gap in the air. ¡°How is that possible¡­?¡± DIO¡¯s system access authorization had multiple levels; all registered users had Level 4 Access Authorization. With this authorization access level, DIO users enjoyed various benefits. Moreover, if the operators of DIO wanted, a user may be given additional authorization access to certain system functions or even be bumped up a level. However, in general, most users were limited to Level 4 Access Authorization. However, Merlin had something incomparable to other users¡­ His Editor Blade. Merlin succeeded in creating an Editor Blade, which was capable of interfering with the system by isolating the most important core material that made up DIO, the Anyform Stone, which existed as a bonus stat in his user body. Merlin didn¡¯t possess the Level 1 Access Authorization needed to control most of the system functions, like the DIO operators, but Merlin succeeded in obtaining Level 2 Access Authorization, which was just one level below the operator¡¯s access authorization level. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Miho rushed in and tried putting her hand into the gap in the air. However, unlike Arc, her hand passed through the space as if it was passing through a hologram. ¡°The system seems to be operating as normal, and your user body isn¡¯t showing anything abnormal, but how¡­ hey, Arc! Wait a sec and stay still!¡± Merlin checked Arc¡¯s body and the system information contained within it, but he found that her access authorization was ordinary, just at Level 4 Access Authorization, like all other users. Arc was limited to Level 4 Access Authorization, but the system restrictions were not properly being applied to her. ¡°Arc. Can you edit, too?¡± ¡°Edit?¡± Merlin¡¯s expression hardened at the reaction of not knowing the reason for this unexpected anomaly. Of course, Arc¡¯s presence would help Merlin if she could follow him into the system control room, but that didn¡¯t resolve the question as to how Arc was able to access the system control room in the first place. ¡®Was it because of what happened then?¡¯ Merlin recalled when Arc, along with Emperor of Martial Arts Regrants, fell into an illusory space, called the Realm of Chaos, which was close in proximity to the source origin of the universe, and how she came out alive and largely intact. That situation caused quite a commotion within the Noblesse and also perplexed Merlin. Originally, the illusory space was commonly called [the world beyond], and because the probability of one making it out alive from such a space was virtually 0%, it was a place where even the gods did not recklessly enter, but Arc, who was just a human, had entered and returned alive. In truth, the Noblesse eventually concluded that the reason Arc was able to come back alive was that [the moment the Emperor of Martial Arts fell into the illusory space, his entrance pushed her out of the realm of chaos]. Since the Emperor of Martial Arts had done many cruel things during his lifetime, the Noblesse felt that perhaps, he was trying to do one last good deed¡­ but was Regrants capable of showing such kindness to his enemy? Though that question remained, the fact remained that it should have been impossible for Arc to escape from the illusory space by herself, so the Noblesse ended up accepting that wild conjecture. ¡®There are a tremendous number of adverse effects the illusory space can have on a living being, but, if I remember correctly, the Noblesse guys didn¡¯t find any problems in Arc.¡¯ Merlin was a walking encyclopedia with countless amounts of knowledge, but even he didn¡¯t know why Arc was unaffected by her entrance and escape from the realm of chaos. Were there any users who could be free from the restrictions imposed by DIO¡¯s system? CH 261 A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. ¡®If it¡¯s a transcendent being¡­ then it might be possible to escape from the shackles of the system.¡¯ A transcendent being could exist in independence of anything, so it was possible for a transcendent being to somehow distort DIO¡¯s system defenses and break into it. In other words, if a universe-wandering transcendent happened to come across DIO, which existed on the surface of Earth¡¯s moon, it was possible that the transcendent being could enter DIO. ¡®Maybe that¡¯s the reason why there are more transcendents than necessary within the world of DIO. Well, anyway¡­¡¯ Merlin stopped his train of thought and looked over at Arc. There was no chance that Arc was a transcendent, so Merlin briefly considered the possibility that some other being was imitating Arc; however, Merlin¡¯s intuition was telling him that this wasn¡¯t the case. Merlin nodded his head, as he knew he could trust his intuition, which was usually correct, although it wasn¡¯t at the level of foreseeing the future. ¡°Well, I guess, for whatever reason, you can enter. Anyway, follow me,¡± Merlin stated. ¡°Uh, hey, then¡­ am I the only one being left behind?¡± Miho pouted. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ll send you to the library, so continue practicing and training.¡± ¡°Ugh, why only me¡­¡± Merlin teleported Miho, who was still grumbling, to the DIO library before activating the Editor Blade in his hand. ¡°Data Patch.¡± A new message quietly popped up in front of Arc, Sungmuk, Quiet Heaven, and Ellie after they were stabbed by Merlin¡¯s Editor Blade. /Non-destructive setting complete./ /[Time remaining¡­ 71 hours 59 minutes.]/ The texts ended briefly without any explanation, but Arc and the two pets were stunned after reading the content of the brief message. ¡°Non-destructive setting¡­ wait¡­ is this what I think it is?¡± ¡°Why not? Of course, it is.¡± ¡°Can it also be applied to living things?¡± The non-destructive setting was a DIO system setting that was applied on various DIO buildings and areas, such as the Holy Lands and Starting; whatever building or areas designated with this non-destructive setting couldn¡¯t be destroyed, no matter what one did. It was a system setting to prevent users from destroying objects in the city or collapsing critical infrastructure buildings; hence, it could be said that this non-destructive system setting was essentially one of the core functions of DIO¡¯s system. This setting was also why all users and beings were bound to DIO¡¯s system. Furthermore, this system setting was why the ultimate magic spells used by Igniz during the last closed beta mission didn¡¯t destroy the buildings in Starting. ¡°It was just never applied to living beings, but it was always possible. For an entire day, none of us will receive any adverse effects or damage from external attacks.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you apply this to us when we were up against the Gold Dragon?¡± ¡°Because our opponent wasn¡¯t strong enough for me to bring out and apply the non-destructive system setting. I also needed some practice in sharpening my combat senses¡­ anyway, let¡¯s go.¡± Saying this, Merlin thrust himself into the blue-colored gap that was floating in the air. After Merlin entered, Arc and Sungmuk soon followed. The two pets followed suit afterward. From the outside, the place that the party members entered looked like a blue-colored gap, but once the party members entered the gap, the party members saw a huge temple-style building in front of them. ¡°¡­ It looks more normal than I expected.¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s no reason to create a unique environment or building unless one¡¯s tastes are unique and eccentric.¡± After saying this, Merlin walked towards the temple-like building. It had a similar architectural style to the Star Temple, a place where many users visited to receive their missions. The only difference between the temple in front of them and the Star Temple was that the temple in front of them was a bit smaller in size and was less adorned with decorative elements. Overall, the temple in front of them was quite simple and modest looking. Standing in front of the temple¡¯s front door was a woman. ¡°Huh? You all are users¡­ How did you all get here?¡± The white-haired beauty, who looked at the party members with a puzzled expression, was the famous DIO guide that every user met when they first entered DIO; it was the NPC, Marionette Hold. Mary was tall and had a slender body; she wore a modern T-shirt and skinny jeans, which accentuated her long legs. ¡®Certainly, a beauty is a beauty. Among DIO¡¯s top 10 beauties, she¡¯s definitely within the top three.¡¯ Suddenly, Merlin thought that if he took a picture of Mary right now and posted it on the Internet, not only would his posting go viral in an instant, but more than a dozen articles would probably be written about the image in an instant. The number of users who stanned Mary, with her beautiful appearance and mysterious atmosphere, was considerable. There was even a fan club with millions of subscribers. ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you Snowflake Flower?¡± When Sungmuk laid eyes on the woman, he called out with a name that Merlin had heard before. ¡°Snowflake Flower?¡± [My name is Snowflake Flower, and I am from the Frost Warrior Clan. Please remember.] The name made Merlin recall the fading image of a woman who had placed the Heaven seal upon his forehead. He recalled her complex and infinitely lonely expression; an expression that she always carried with her. [Snowflake Flower was here.] Once DIO was open to the general public and Merlin came across Mary again, he found that Mary no longer recognized who he was. It was then that Merlin suspected that something had happened to Mary. However, Merlin didn¡¯t know exactly what had happened to Mary. ¡®Come to think of it, the reason why I was able to use mana in real life was because of the Heaven seal.¡¯ Merlin, who was born with the talent of an Irregular, possessed an abnormal physical body from other human beings on Earth; however, he was still restricted from using mana, as he didn¡¯t possess any functional spiritual pathways within his body. If he did not have the Heaven seal, Merlin would not have been able to use his superpowers on Earth, which didn¡¯t contain any spiritual pathways, and the process of creating an artificial spiritual pathway would have been close to impossible. ¡°Ah, your name in this place must be different. Are you in charge of the system NPCs?¡± ¡°Wait¡­ wait¡­ do you know me? Judging from how you¡¯re speaking, it seems as though you¡¯re from the Jin Continent.¡± Sungmuk frowned after seeing Mary tilt her head in confusion and hearing her speak in such a dumbfounded manner. ¡°Have you become dumb? Can¡¯t you see the ID name written above my head?¡± ¡°What are you talking about¡­ Eek!? ¡­ Sungmuk? Is it really you? You¡¯re really¡­ Sungmuk?¡± ¡°Are there a bunch of beings named Sungmuk walking around in this place?¡± After hearing Sungmuk¡¯s reply, Mary couldn¡¯t help but drop her jaw in surprise. ¡°Nonsense! Why do you look like that? Why are you a monster? No, even if you decided to become a monster¡­ why are you an orc!?¡± Merlin, who was watching and listening to the friendly banter between the two, who seemed to know each other fairly well, quietly moved. Although it was surprising that Sungmuk and Mary were acquainted with each other, Merlin¡¯s main purpose of coming to this place was more important than the fact that the two were acquainted with each other. Whoosh. When Merlin took a step forward, he naturally crossed the space and teleported to the front door of the temple. The way Merlin moved, as if he was folding space, was so perfect that it looked similar to an advanced Dao mage¡¯s method of contracting space. Merlin¡¯s teleportation movement was so smooth that it didn¡¯t seem to reveal his presence. However¡­ ¡°This is a restricted area. Only authorized personnel are allowed.¡± Mary spoke in a calm and friendly tone of voice, but the will contained in her voice was firm and unyielding. Mary was placed in this area for the sole purpose of protecting the DIO system control room from unauthorized personnel, so there was no room for compromise. ¡°I want to go in.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not possible." ¡°Is that so?¡± Merlin smiled and raised his right hand. And the moment he did that¡­ Rumble! With the sound of roaring thunder, a clear barrier rose around Mary and dissipated all the attacks and shockwaves that were sent her way. Though Merlin¡¯s Irrational Hand strike instantly exerted an unheard-of amount of power without any forewarning, Mary was able to block his attack without sustaining any damage. ¡°Whoa, this¡­ hey¡­ is the transcendent being that we have to fight her?¡± ¡°Yes. She¡¯s the guardian of this place.¡± After hearing Merlin¡¯s reply, Sungmuk pulled out his Divine Red Sparrow Sword. Arc had already started the chants to her spells, and the two pets had also prepared and entered into a state of combat. However, despite the party members¡¯ appearance, Mary scoffed. There was no expression of fear or concern on her face. ¡°Then, shall we see what happens?¡± After stating this, Sungmuk rushed toward Mary. Whirl. Once Sungmuk spun, plum blossom leaves shot out like thunderbolts. Flashing Frost Plum Blossoms. It was a speedy sword attack that was so fast that even the most advanced and expert swordsmen wouldn¡¯t be able to react properly against the attack. Whoosh. However, in no time, a sword appeared in each of Mary¡¯s hands. The sword in her right hand was a beautifully sparkling blue blade, and the sword in her left hand was an impressive red blade that seemed like it would burn through anything at any moment. These were two of the seven Divine Weapons that Mary possessed. The swords were named [Tranquility] and [Rage] respectively. CH 262 /Flame Buster. Maximum./ Arc rushed toward Mary. The magic spell she had chanted and prepared beforehand was activated, and soon, her magic power was rearranged according to the preset circuitry of the magic spell. Soon, an explosion rang out. /Magnum Revolver./ Six magic spheres rose above Arc¡¯s shoulders as sparks burst out. Arc¡¯s body accelerated rapidly, and her punches, which were powerful enough to knock down a building, poured out like thunderbolts towards her target, Mary. /Lightning Blade of Zeus!/ And suddenly, lightning flashed from Olympos, Merlin¡¯s Divine Weapon, and soon rained down upon Mary. Since he had used up a considerable number of his Howling Spell magic stones during the Gold Dragon raid, Merlin was running low on Howling Spell magic stones. However, it only took him about a day to produce one Howling Spell magic stone, so Merlin wasn¡¯t too concerned about his dwindling stock. ¡°Ah, what is this all about?¡± However, even after seeing all these destructive attacks, Mary spoke in a carefree, no, to be more specific, in an annoyed tone of voice. Boom! Bam! A stream of cloudy white air soon swirled around her and swept away all the party members¡¯ attacks that were sent her way. Each and every one of the attacks were destructive and exceedingly powerful, so they couldn¡¯t be easily ignored; however, Mary blocked all the incoming attacks without breaking a sweat. ¡°This is¡­ amazing. She really is a transcendent, albeit she seems to be a pseudo transcendent rather than a full transcendent.¡± Sungmuk, who noticed that the energy that Mary utilized was strong qi, looked at Mary with an exasperated yet impressed expression. Based on his memory, he recalled that Mary was strong. However, amongst all Jin Continent¡¯s martial art practitioners, past and present, only three martial art practitioners had ever reached the transcendent realm; Mary¡¯s skills and abilities had been nowhere near the level of those three practitioners, so she hadn¡¯t been anywhere near the transcendent realm in the past. However, in such a short time, she had developed at a frightening speed. After Sungmuk remarked aloud, Mary casually replied back. ¡°You seem to be misunderstanding something.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ misunderstanding something?¡± ¡°Yes. Of course, I know you¡­ but you never really knew me. The ¡®me¡¯ you know is only [a part] of me.¡± [Whoosh-] The space behind Mary opened, and soon, a huge image of a wolf appeared. A magic circle, which emitted a powerful aura of magic power, began to rise from the surroundings, and Mary¡¯s white hair started fluttering in the air. Mary gracefully bowed her head. ¡°Let me introduce myself again. Intruders, my name is Marionette Hold. A guide NPC, a helper NPC, a spokesperson for DIO, and a cute girl who has become an idol star, but¡­¡± A tremendous force began to emanate from Mary, who took a step forward. It was the power of transcendence that a [fake] transcendent, like the Gold Dragon, could never imitate. ¡°I am DIO¡¯s Skill Master and the guardian of this space. I don¡¯t know what your purpose is in visiting this place, but whatever it is, you shall not succeed, as it is impossible for you to enter this space.¡± Internal energy¡­ Magic power¡­ Chakra¡­ Pure spiritual power¡­ All spiritual powers that existed in DIO, including divine power and life force, were concentrated in and emanating from her. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just the case of Mary possessing a small bit of each of these powers; she had mastered each and every spiritual power and reached the pinnacle in each field. ¡°Frozen Spear. Maximum.¡± However, as if she couldn¡¯t feel the tremendously powerful and daunting aura radiating from Mary, Arc created a Frozen Spear. Ark ran forward and grabbed the spear made of ice; a spell engraving soon appeared on the spear. ¡°Longinus.¡± ¡°Tie her up. Hold onto her. Suppress and suffocate her!¡± ¡°Heavenly Circulation of Plums.¡± ¡°Ugh, I guess I should do something as well! Lightning strike!¡± ¡°Crush and suppress her!¡± Arc, Merlin Sungmuk, as well as Quiet Heaven and Ellie, started attacking Mary with their spells and abilities. Mary, who had just emanated a tremendous fighting aura and spirit, was taken aback by the sight. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Can¡¯t you feel the power gap between me and you all?¡± With a light wave of her hand, Mary shattered all the incoming attacks. It was true that Merlin and Sungmuk were powerful beings, as they were both Level 19, and Arc and the two pets possessed formidable power, but Mary was DIO¡¯s Skill Master, guardian of the system control room, and was currently in Crimson Mode. In this state, she could easily overwhelm any of the seven Holy Land grandmasters. Even though Mary¡¯s overwhelming power could only be maintained within DIO, Mary wasn¡¯t an opponent that Merlin and the others could deal with. ¡°Killing users is a bit embarrassing and beneath me, but I¡¯m under orders to eliminate any and all unauthorized beings who try to trespass the system control room, so it can¡¯t be helped. However, I¡¯m still a bit surprised that I¡¯m confronting users rather than an external entity.¡± At the same time as she murmured, two streams of heat burst out from the magic circle that she had created under her feet. It was the SS Rank, super-high-level destructive spell, Hell Fire. Quiet Heaven and Ellie were swept away without being able to put up much of a resistance. Whoosh! Then, a red aura erupted from the Divine Weapon that she held in her left hand. She targeted Sungmuk. ¡°Hmpf!¡± Sungmuk spun his body and enwrapped his entire body with a beautiful layer of blooming plum blossom leaves. Even a veteran master practitioner of the Frost Mountain discipline wouldn¡¯t be able to imitate such a perfect defensive plum blossom move. The blooming plum blossoms, which were known to even bloom through the snow, were all made of strong qi, the pinnacle achievement of martial arts. Hence, Sungmuk¡¯s defense was strong enough to withstand a direct hit from even a nuclear missile. ¡°That¡¯s useless.¡± However, Mary scoffed at Sungmuk¡¯s actions as she wielded her Divine Weapon, Rage. Crack! Rage. Soon, the red aura that was circulating around Rage burst into the plum blossom leaves wrapped around Sungmuk¡¯s body. Numerous cracks started to appear on Sungmuk¡¯s plum blossom barrier; it was as if a glass window had been struck by a rubber mallet. Though Sungmuk¡¯s plum blossom defensive barrier withstood Mary¡¯s initial attack, his defensive barrier shattered and dissipated in an instant. Soon, Sungmuk¡¯s body was swept away by Rage¡¯s red aura. ¡°Lightning Fist. Maximum.¡± Arc stood in front of Mary. Dazzling lights flashed from both her fists, but that wasn¡¯t all. Flash! The ¡®Lightning Blade of Zeus¡¯, shot by Merlin, hits Arc¡¯s back. Of course, Merlin had modified the spell and removed its destructive qualities, so only the Lightning Blade of Zeus¡¯ electric shock was sent out. The massive electric currency fused with Arc¡¯s Lightning Fist spell. ¡°It¡¯s a really refreshing and creative attempt¡­ but do you truly believe that you can affect me with such a pitiful attack?¡± Even though Mary was facing a lightning bolt attack that possessed a voltage of tens of billions of volts, an amount of voltage that couldn¡¯t easily be produced in a nuclear power plant of any size, Mary remained calm. No, to be more precise, she was so carefree that she extended her defenseless head to meet Arc¡¯s attack. ¡°Full Lightning!!¡± A thunderbolt of tremendous power struck Mary directly in the face, accompanied by a powerful, blinding flash of light. For a human-sized target, such a powerful attack should have been enough to evaporate its target, let alone singe the target completely black. However, though the attack seemed to have landed, not a single strand of Mary¡¯s hair stood up. There seemed to be no visible effect from the multi-billion voltage attack. Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. This result was natural since the attack had never landed on Mary¡¯s body. When one entered the transcendent realm, one¡¯s physical body also deviated, to some extent, from the general laws of physics. However, that deviation shouldn¡¯t have been to the extent wherein Mary could lightly accept an electric shock attack of tens of billions of volts. The reason why she was safe was because of a very thin, invisible, single layer of film that wrapped around her entire body. ¡°Strong qi self-defense¡­¡± ¡°Now, do you all see and realize that there¡¯s no hope? Well, I don¡¯t want it to seem like I¡¯m bullying you all, so I¡¯ll quickly send you on your way. Goodbye.¡± Once Mary finished her words, she shot out with Rage. It was a natural movement, but Arc didn¡¯t even try to avoid the attack. Arc knew that Mary¡¯s simple act of lifting and extending her sword contained the extreme pinnacle achievements within the martial arts practice, so Arc knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid such an attack. Bam! Soon, Arc¡¯s body bounced off like a billiard ball hit by a cue stick. CH 263 *** Domination *** Although Mary saw Arc and the others as insignificant beings, Mary couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of anxiousness. Her expression soon hardened. ¡°¡­ What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Why? Is it strange that your sword isn¡¯t able to penetrate or injure our bodies?¡± Merlin stepped in front of Mary, who was now completely stunned and flustered. In his hand were five or six high-grade magic stones to activate his next spell. ¡°Ah, damn it. I tried to stop at least a single one of her attacks, but I couldn¡¯t. I never thought I would be so overwhelmingly defeated by Snowflake Flower,¡± Sungmuk grumbled. ¡°It¡¯s amazing that I don¡¯t even feel any heat after being hit directly by her Class 8 spell,¡± Quiet Heaven commented. ¡°Although this non-destructive setting is limited to DIO, I still find it hard to believe that I¡¯m not being affected by a strong qi attack. Judging by how things look, I should be able to block an ultimate spell,¡± Ellie added. Sungmuk, as well as Quiet Heaven and Ellie, appeared unscathed after receiving Mary¡¯s attacks. Arc, who was blown away by Mary¡¯s strong qi attack, also got up without any difficulty. ¡°W-what¡­ what is happening?¡± ¡°Simple. We¡¯ve been designated with DIO¡¯s non-destructive system setting.¡± ¡°The non-destructive system setting can only be authorized and designated by operators with Level 2 access authority, so what you¡¯re saying can¡¯t be true! Wait, you must be the one who put DIO into its current emergency mode!¡± Mary¡¯s mood and expression changed rapidly. As she exuded a terrifying force, all the mana around her began to intensely resonate. However, Sungmuk casually approached Merlin, as if nothing special was going on, and asked a question. ¡°Is it alright to tell her everything?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter even if she or they know.¡± The moment he said this, all the magic stones in Merlin¡¯s hand evaporated, and soon, a large magic circle appeared. Bam! An intangible yet terrifyingly powerful shockwave was shot out towards Mary, but the spell was neutralized in an instant. Surprisingly, Mary read Merlin¡¯s spell in its entirety and canceled it before it could injure or affect her. ¡°Wow. It seems your power level wasn¡¯t something that was just given to you. You must be a true great mage.¡± ¡°You¡­!¡± [Whoosh-] Mary squinted her eyes and frowned. Soon, the huge image of a wolf, which she had summoned behind her, leapt out and teleported through space. The wolf bit down on Merlin¡¯s torso area. The undulating waves spreading from the wolf¡¯s bite illustrated how the dimensional space was being distorted and how powerful the attack was, but even so, Merlin didn¡¯t lose any HP. ¡°Wow, this system setting is amazing. I don¡¯t receive any damage, even when attacked by a transcendent being.¡± Although it was a setting that could never be possible in reality, Dynamic Island was a world where the space itself was made up from bytes of data; furthermore, considering that there were many transcendent beings within DIO, the non-destructive system setting was a logical and appropriate setting to protect the integrity of DIO¡¯s critical systems and structures. How could DIO¡¯s system be maintained if one couldn¡¯t perfectly control the transcendent beings and their possibly destructive actions within DIO? ¡°Hmm. But if that¡¯s the case, why doesn¡¯t Mary have the non-destructive system setting placed on her? It would be logical to apply the setting on her, as she¡¯s responsible for guarding the control room,¡± Arc asked. Merlin momentarily flinched after seeing Arc, who had approached him. ¡°Where did your armor go?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d need it in my current state.¡± The appearance of Arc, who had taken off her full body armor at some point, was quite unusual. Strange tattoos were engraved all over her body, and light was emanating from those tattoos. ¡®It¡¯s an amplification system.¡¯ Merlin immediately grasped the function and type of Arc¡¯s tattoos. In addition, Merlin realized that the amplification tattoos didn¡¯t have any defensive protection. Merlin assumed that, if it wasn¡¯t for the full body armor she normally wore, Arc probably wouldn¡¯t be able to display her usual aggressive fighting style. ¡°Well, to answer your question, the non-destructive system setting is a high-level setting that¡¯s difficult to apply to things with complex structures, so there is a time limit when it¡¯s applied to creatures or magic weapons. In addition, the operators probably assumed that Mary, a transcendent being, probably wouldn¡¯t need such a protection setting placed on her.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying it doesn¡¯t matter if the non-destructive system setting is placed on her or not? Wouldn¡¯t it be beneficial to apply these settings on such important, critical figures?¡± ¡°Not necessarily.¡± What Merlin assumed was true. The non-destructive system was essentially a critical component of maintaining system stability and integrity from powers within the system itself. The reason why Jenica, the Empress of Magic, the being who initially developed DIO, placed Mary as a guardian of the system control room was to prevent the possibility of [outside] beings, not users, invading and affecting DIO¡¯s operation. If an outside being were to enter DIO and fight against Mary, the non-destructive system setting wouldn¡¯t help Mary, as she¡¯d be contending against a being that was outside the reach and realm of DIO. In other words, Mary could use strong qi and ultimate spell attacks when battling a potential outside being without affecting the stability and integrity of DIO, so there was no need to place the non-destructive setting on her. In other words, the system setting only applied to those that resided within the confines of the DIO system. A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. The current situation, where users hacked the system and took control over the control room, was an unexpected situation that no one, not even Jenica, had ever imagined. ¡°Anyway, what the hell is going on? The Snowflake Flower I knew in the past didn¡¯t know how to use magic. What did she do in such a short period of time to reach the level of transcendence in swordsmanship and in all those other spiritual power areas?¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s because I¡¯m no longer Snowflake Flower. I am Marionette Hold.¡± Mary, who had been looking at the party members with a confused expression and overhearing their conversation, spoke out. Sungmuk made a confused face, as if he still didn¡¯t understand. ¡°What? Does changing your name give you powers?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. Of course, it is true that I retain my memories of being Snowflake Flower, but that is only a small part of who I am now. Right now, I am an aggregate of countless ¡®me¡¯s.¡± After hearing her soft-spoken reply, Merlin spoke up. ¡°Could it be that you¡¯re a singularity of parallel universes?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes. Just like you, I¡¯m also a mutant.¡± Singularities of parallel universes were known to be rare, though they were not considered Irregulars. Singularity of parallel universe beings were said to possess the ability to awaken their singularity under unique conditions, which allowed them to connect to the various ¡®me¡¯s that existed in parallel universes, who lived drastically different lives, had their own unique memories, and possessed varying skill sets. Hence, these singularity beings could accept and absorb infinite memories, as much as the number of parallel universes, and become completely different beings than before. ¡°I heard most singularity beings go crazy.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. However, the situation was different for me because the Noblesse found the ¡®me¡¯ that existed before I awakened my singularity. They cut off or restricted unnecessary memories and collected and combined only the necessary ones to make me who I am today.¡± If she had accepted her various ¡®me¡¯ memories prior to being enslaved by the Noblesse, like other singularity beings, and had endured her singularity awakening without any restriction or compartmentalization process, which the Noblesse had placed on her, even the Noblesse would have had a hard time trying to suppress her and use her as they pleased. However, currently, she was an existence curated by the Noblesse, and it was impossible for her to escape DIO¡¯s system. Quiet Heaven, who had been quietly listening to Mary¡¯s explanation, nodded his head quietly. ¡°In other words, that means that you are a being who has trained and reached the pinnacle in all the abilities and skills that exist in DIO to the point of transcendence. Are you a minor copy of the All Master?¡± ¡°That name again. I hear that name often. It makes me want to meet All Master and see who he or she is.¡± Mary gave a defeated smile as she stated that it wasn¡¯t the first time she heard such a name. However, Merlin was confused. ¡°All Master?¡± ¡°A legendary hero who saved the entire universe. He¡¯s also known as Milleion, the human god. There¡¯s almost no one in the universe who doesn¡¯t know about him or know of his name.¡± ¡°Milleion¡­¡± After hearing Quiet Heaven¡¯s words, Merlin fell into thought. ¡®Come to think of it¡­ I recall someone with a similar ID posting on the bulletin boards about Dual Cultivation Technique and splitting one¡¯s ego.¡¯ At that time, Merlin simply thought, ¡®Oh. There are specialists like this in DIO¡¯, but now, Merlin realized the truth. There was no specialist at that level that existed within DIO. ¡®Did All Master make a quick appearance while the Empress of Magic, Jenica, was still alive and running DIO?¡¯ However, Merlin soon started spell chanting. Right now, the issue of Milleion wasn¡¯t that important. This time around, Merlin placed a bunch of traps in his spell. Boom! ¡°Oh, you were able to cancel all those, too? You truly are a great mage.¡± ¡°You! What do you want? Even if you have the non-destructive system setting placed on you, you¡¯ll only be unharmed from my attacks. It¡¯ll still be impossible for you to defeat me!¡± Mary¡¯s words were true. She had spoken this truth while negating another one of Merlin¡¯s spells. Due to the non-destructive system setting placed on them, Merlin¡¯s party members were virtually invincible. However, the invincibility was limited to defense¡­ The non-destructive system setting had no effect on their offensive capabilities. CH 264 ¡°That is true, but on the other hand, fighting you will help us gain some valuable experience.¡± ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± ¡°It would be nice if I could immediately get into the system control room, but if I can¡¯t, so be it. Anyway, an opportunity to safely battle a transcendent doesn''t come often.¡± After hearing Merlin¡¯s response, Sungmuk couldn¡¯t help but tilt his head. It seemed Merlin had no intention of beating Mary from the start. Though Sungmuk didn¡¯t know Merlin too well, before the party arrived, Sungmuk was certain that Merlin had a specific goal in mind. Moreover, Merlin already knew there was a transcendent-level guardian stationed at the control room entrance. ¡®He has a plan in mind. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s making some sort of play.¡¯ Sungmuk wasn¡¯t dumb; he knew Merlin was up to something. Even if this wasn¡¯t the case, Merlin¡¯s words were true. When would they ever get another chance to fight a transcendent without fear of bodily harm? Mary was essentially the perfect [transcendent sparring opponent]. ¡°Earth Hammer. Maximum.¡± Without any hesitation, Arc lunged at Mary. Quiet Heaven¡¯s Dao magic and Ellie¡¯s telekinesis-powered attack soon followed. Since the party knew they¡¯d receive no damage, they focused solely on counterattacking. In other words, they ignored their defense and took an offense-oriented attitude. Moreover, in Arc¡¯s case, all the power she would¡¯ve used to defend was converted into her attacks, making her momentum even more intense. Of course, even if Arc and the others focused solely on attacking, the transcendent Mary would have no difficulty enduring such a barrage. However, constantly defending would eventually become burdensome. An even greater headache for Mary was the remaining two, Merlin and Sungmuk. ¡°Let¡¯s see how you¡¯ll defend against a Flashing Frost Plum Blossom immediately followed by a Falling Frost Plum Blossom attack,¡± Sungmuk said. ¡°Since my spell chants won¡¯t be interrupted by any attacks, I should go ahead and try using a great mage-level magic spell,¡± Merlin murmured. Mary either wielded her other sword, Tranquility, or cast cancellation spells in a calm voice to block the party members¡¯ attacks. Although Mary had reached the transcendent realm, she could not ignore Merlin and Sungmuk, who had reached Level 19 and were on the verge of transcendence. She had to properly defend or at least dodge their attacks. ¡°They say the gap between Level 19 and Level 20 is as wide as the expansive sky, but that¡¯s only a metaphor. The disparity between both levels isn¡¯t as overwhelming as the difference between a human and a bug,¡± Merlin explained to Arc during a lull in their attacks. ¡°Then what is the actual difference?¡± ¡°If I had to give an example, it is similar to the gap between a strong martial artist in his 30s and a three-year-old. If thousands of kids gathered and ganged up on the thirty-year-old, the adult would eventually lose. It¡¯s just a matter of time, as the martial artist will eventually take critical injuries, needing to constantly be mindful of blocking the barrage of attacks.¡± While Merlin and Arc were conversing, Sungmuk constantly poured out attacks at Mary. Unsurprisingly, all his efforts were futile, but he continued nonetheless. No, on the contrary, Sungmuk persistently attacked with a happy smile spread across his face. He seemed quite excited. Whoosh! Tens of plum blossoms suddenly appeared mid-air and rained down toward Mary. With an annoyed expression, Mary neutralized all the plum blossoms and swiped Sungmuk with her sword, but just as before, he landed on the ground without sustaining any damage. ¡°Ah, what is this?! If this place was a bit wider, I could at least blow you a considerable distance away!¡± The temple, where the system control room was located, existed in a small, half-circle-shaped space, but it was only 300 meters wide at the longest part. Mary¡¯s problem was that even the slowest party member, Ellie, could traverse 300 meters in a matter of seconds. Considering that Mary couldn¡¯t leave the entrance to the system control room, and with DIO being in Emergency Mode, she couldn¡¯t ask for reinforcements or help. As a result, she had to continue facing the party members¡¯ assault alone. ¡®Obviously, if she can endlessly handle and neutralize all our attacks, as she¡¯s doing now, it¡¯ll be a problem, but that shouldn¡¯t be the case.¡¯ When a lesser fighter fought against an expert, the former would see the fight as an opportunity to learn and train, but for the expert, fighting someone weaker was essentially an act of simple labor. Clearly, such a fight wouldn¡¯t be difficult for the expert, but the simple labor would neither be fun nor rewarding. Thus, Mary started complaining. ¡°Stop it. What meaning does this have?¡± ¡°I said stop it! Also, why are you so excited?¡± ¡°What is the purpose of this?¡± ¡°Ugh, quit bothering me. I¡¯m really busy!¡± Mary tried reasoning, persuading, and even begging the party members to stop, but it was to no avail. Sungmuk was sincerely taking advantage of this opportunity, and Arc was also strengthening and sharpening her mage battle senses by casting various types of magic spells. Merlin also poured out all kinds of magic attacks, everything he could muster without consuming any of his magic stones, and observed how Mary countered his attacks. To him, her defense and attack movements, which showcased her transcendent-level martial arts, were excellent audio-visual learning material, like a textbook. This went on for ten hours, rewarding for some but boring for others. Then, 20 hours passed¡­. And 30 hours¡­. ¡°Ugh, really¡­ fine. Well, I just need to protect the temple. Ugh, I¡¯m already so busy with other things, but you¡¯re all so troublesome. You¡¯re keeping me from my work.¡± Finally, exhausted, Mary retreated to the temple¡¯s entrance. At the very least, if she knew their ultimate purpose or had a general idea about how long she would have to endure, she could keep going. Yet, since the meaningless battle continued with no end in sight and with little to no damage inflicted on her opponents, Mary essentially gave up on dealing with the party¡¯s attacks. Moreover, since she knew that the battle itself was her opponent¡¯s goal, why should she remain outside the temple and oblige them? Obviously, this didn¡¯t mean she had given up her post or on defending the temple. She could never relinquish this mission. However, the way she defended the temple was entirely left to her discretion. In the end, she only needed to guard the temple and the system control room within. Whoosh! Seven Divine Weapons floated around Mary. [Happiness], [Rage], [Sadness], [Joy], [Tranquility], [Hate], [Desire]: each weapon was equal in power to a Master¡¯s completely evolved Divine Weapon. Although there were rumors that Mary had swapped [Love], previously the strongest of the seven weapons, for the newly created [Tranquility], none of the Divine Weapons could be ignored. Ting! With the temple located at the center, six of Mary¡¯s seven Divine Weapons formed a hexagon around the building, and the remaining Divine Weapon, Tranquility, rose above. The hexagonal pyramid-like barrier was completed, but more importantly, the energy forming on each plane of the barrier wasn¡¯t ordinary. ¡°Oho, a post-transcendence strong qi-based self-defense technique. And you¡¯re using it over such a wide area. Dang.¡± Boom! Boom! Sungmuk made a plum blossom from strong qi and attacked the barrier, but only a loud sound resulted as it dissipated helplessly against Mary¡¯s unyielding shield. Just one swing of Sungmuk¡¯s strong qi attack could cut through a solid diamond, but if pre-transcendent strong qi was the fruit and pinnacle of martial arts, post-transcendence strong qi was the foundational power of a divine god. Pre and post-transcendence strong qi was impossible to compare, as the energy systems each belonged to were entirely different ranks. ¡°Ah, man. If she had formed a shield with ultimate magic, I could have at least gotten some experience and practice in disarming an ultimate-level barrier.¡± Mary and Merlin¡¯s magic ability was divided by a wall called [enlightenment], a barrier that Merlin didn¡¯t understand and saw as irrational. Yet, aside from that, the difference in the two¡¯s magic abilities wasn¡¯t too significant. If Mary had taken the time to create a magic-based barrier in advance, Merlin would¡¯ve had a tough time, but if she had made one right in front of him, Merlin felt confident that he could disable it. The reason Mary unleashed a powerful barrier, a defensive curtain that cost a lot of power to maintain, was because she roughly grasped Merlin¡¯s skills after a few clashes. ¡°Eh, whatever. I made a strong qi-based barrier because I have so much to do. Work has been piling up like crazy.¡± After making the barrier, Mary stood before the entrance to the system control room and closed her eyes. Her responsibilities extended far beyond defending the system control room. She also had to manage the system¡¯s bulletin board and regularly keep in touch with [herself], a self that resided within a USB stick. This version of her was the one that often met with others. It wouldn¡¯t be an immediate problem if she didn¡¯t get to her work in a timely manner, but eventually, the work would pile up and present a larger problem down the road. So, she couldn¡¯t easily ignore the backlogged work. Bang! Once again, Sungmuk struck one of the strong qi barrier¡¯s walls, causing the surrounding air to explode from the aftershock, but the shield didn¡¯t budge. It was as if two different worlds existed on each side of the shield: a world outside and a world within. Even if hundreds of nuclear bombs fell onto the barrier or even an antimatter bomb, the barrier wouldn¡¯t collapse. ¡°There¡¯s no solution. Moreover, staying still like this won¡¯t help me practice my skills.¡± ¡°It seems she¡¯s completely focused on defense and has given up on offense. She can probably maintain and conserve her energy better this way.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen strong qi too often¡­ but this is the first time I¡¯ve seen it being used in such a way. Is it because she¡¯s a transcendent with expertise in various fields of spiritual power?¡± ¡°It¡¯s amazing that even my telekinesis can¡¯t penetrate through the strong qi. I¡¯ve heard a great deal about post-transcendence strong qi, but now that I¡¯m seeing it up close, it¡¯s such extraordinary energy.¡± The entire party approached, observed, and gave their opinions on the strong qi-based barrier. Post-transcendence strong qi, which one could manifest after reaching the transcendent realm, was a tremendously novel sight for the party, so they made sure to take a closer look. Of course, after fighting Mary for 30 hours, she had beaten each party member with her strong qi attacks several times, but they didn¡¯t have the chance to focus and intently observe the force until now. ¡°Outstanding.¡± Merlin also walked up to the barrier and reached out to touch it. It felt like glass but was also soft and warm to the touch. By removing the quality of aggression in strong qi, it could harmonize and combine with any of the spiritual power areas. Moreover, strong qi used for deflecting all spiritual powers could reach up to hundreds of millions of degrees hot or even cool down to absolute zero. Merlin raised his internal energy and struck the strong qi barrier. However, the barrier didn¡¯t budge. Even after several blows, there were no vibrations or sounds. Merlin raised his head. Since the barrier was close to the temple, the party was only about three meters away from Mary as she stood with her eyes closed. ¡°Arc. You know I spend a lot of time thinking and dealing with all sorts of matters, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, mostly.¡± In truth, the fate of Earth had been out of humanity¡¯s control for a while now. The Noblesse made humans into users by connecting DIO to Earth, and the Legion and Grotesque constantly sent sub-units to Earth to achieve their goals. All sorts of restrictions bound these organizations, but any of the three was powerful enough to easily take over and rule Earth. ¡°Actually, things are relatively calm right now, but the future of Earth is bleak. We don¡¯t have a choice, and the future will be desolate no matter who wins and eventually takes over. Currently, all three foreign powers are bound by various restrictions¡­ but since we can¡¯t effectively resist, we have no choice but to eventually be defeated in the end.¡± Saying so, Merlin slowly raised his internal energy. Although he absorbed the Chintamani Marble, his internal energy capacity did not increase by a single point. Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. The Golden Pill Immortal Technique operated on an utterly different system from other internal energy techniques, and Merlin¡¯s martial arts development had reached a plateau long ago. Unless Merlin independently discovered a novel internal energy control ability or acquired the [Absolute Mana Control] ability, which was one of the conditions for utilizing strong qi, he could only deploy 100 years of internal energy at once. This would not change even if his internal energy capacity increased. CH 265 Woong! In Merlin¡¯s dantian region, his Golden Pill Immortal Technique¡¯s inner core awakened, and his 100 years of internal energy entered his inner world. The 100 years of internal energy passed through Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, and was amplified to 200, 400, 800, and 1,600 years respectively. It was with this amplification mechanism, and its resulting 1,600 years of internal energy, that allowed Merlin to defeat a pseudo-transcendent in the New Continent, the Gold Dragon. This single bundle of internal energy, which was above 26 cycles and just below 27 cycles, was enough energy to shake the heavens and the earth. However, in truth, even this level of internal energy wasn¡¯t enough to penetrate Mary¡¯s defensive strong qi barrier. Unlike the Gold Dragon, wherein Merlin was able to place his hand inside the dragon¡¯s body after all its defenses were destroyed, Mary was in a protected, fully defensive state. [Roar!] [Grr!] At that moment, the two beings that were sleeping in Merlin¡¯s body woke up. After absorbing the Chintamani Marble¡¯s energy, Younghwi and Shining, Merlin¡¯s spirit creatures, had fallen into a deep sleep. And, once they woke up¡­ Woong! Merlin¡¯s new planets, Jupiter and Saturn, opened and operated. ¡°Merlin, what are you planning to do?¡± ¡°Well, in truth, the simplest solution in this situation is for me to reach the transcendent realm. Of course, there are many transcendents within the Noblesse rank and file, and there are many transcendents who are enemies of the Union, but home advantage can¡¯t be ignored. If there¡¯s one transcendent-level power being on Earth¡­ no, if there¡¯s at least two people at that power level, we can block all interference from the outside world. After all, those who were [born] on Earth aren¡¯t bound by any restrictions.¡± The 1,600 years of internal energy were further amplified by Jupiter to become 3,200 years. Then, those 3,200 years of internal energy were amplified to become 6,400 years after passing through Saturn. The birth of these two planets, Jupiter and Saturn, had much greater meaning for Merlin than completely assimilating the powers within the Chintamani Marble into his character and increasing his spiritual power stats. His decision to create two additional planets produced results far beyond anyone¡¯s imagination; it was to the extent that it could be said to be the pinnacle of irrationality. 6,400 years of internal energy¡­ The inexhaustible strength and power of over 100 cycles of internal energy was not something that could be contained in a single blow. Transcendents, with their lofty realizations, who reached the pinnacle of martial arts sometimes performed miracles beyond anyone¡¯s imagination. However, it was very rare for even these lofty beings to be able to output 100 cycles of internal energy in one blow. No, even if the entire universe was turned upside down and shaken, not even a handful of instances had ever occurred in the history of the universe. Quiet Heaven, who had seen numerous expositions of supernatural powers while traveling throughout the cosmos, once said that Merlin¡¯s power broke the framework of martial arts itself, and Ellie, who had worked as a telekinesis professor for quite a long time before becoming a pet, once commented that Merlin¡¯s single output hand strike transcended the universe¡¯s traditional physical or psychic frameworks. Rumble! Of course, normally, Merlin¡¯s body couldn¡¯t withstand the movement of 100 cycles of internal energy coursing through his body. Even if he had strengthened his HP with an emergency buff, his body would have exploded as soon as he fired off the outrageous single blow attack. However, right now, he had the non-destructive system setting placed on him. In other words, he was now invulnerable to any bodily harm, so he could fully implement any technique, no matter how much stress it put on his body. ¡°I hate the concept of waiting for development; it¡¯s like gambling. Should one continue to train and wait patiently for enlightenment to come one day? That¡¯s just stupid. It¡¯s common for many practitioners to never obtain enlightenment, so a new way has to be forged.¡± ¡°Merlin?¡± Arc stared blankly at the golden light leaking out of his body, as if it were a halo. Merlin looked like a holy, god-like character from a sci-fi story. Of course, this was not the situation Merlin intended, rather, he had tried to hide his energy and power as much as possible, but in the end, he failed. He tried to control his attacks, thinking that he was better off hiding his true strength as much as possible, but under the current situation, he couldn¡¯t help but release his full powers. Moreover, he had already amplified his internal energy, so there was no turning back. ¡°Huh? Wait, this is¡­¡± ¡°In forging a new path, I found the answer.¡± Then Mary, feeling the tremendous aura of energy, opened her eyes. This was proof that she hadn¡¯t completely let her guard down, but it was already too late. Merlin put his hand on the strong qi barrier, and the power of 6,400 years of internal energy exploded outward. ¡°And this¡­ is the answer.¡± Tap. A sound, like one hitting one¡¯s clothes lightly with one¡¯s palm, rang out. The sound didn¡¯t match with the monstrous power being outputted. Mary hesitated, then, she pulled up the T-shirt she was wearing. ¡°This¡­¡± As her shirt was lifted, she revealed her slim waist and white jade-like skin. However, what was more revealing were a set of dark palm prints under her chest area, an area that looked incongruently voluptuous compared to her slender figure. Mary looked at Merlin with an exasperated and dumbfounded expression. It was as though she couldn¡¯t believe what she saw and what had just happened. ¡°What the heck¡­¡± Flash! A flash of dazzling golden light burst out. There was no sound, but an intangible wave swept through the surroundings, almost deafening everyone¡¯s ears. And when the golden light disappeared, everything was already over. ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± ¡°This is so absurd. Of course, it¡¯s always possible for a kid to defeat an expert every once in a while, but does it make sense for a transcendent being to fall at the hands of a non-transcendent?¡± Sungmuk groaned. This was because Merlin was such a thorough and calculating character; Merlin induced Mary¡¯s carelessness and drove her into an unavoidable corner. Though Merlin¡¯s one-shot blow was undeniably powerful, unless Mary stood in front of it and bore the brunt of the attack, Merlin¡¯s single blow attack wouldn¡¯t have been very effective. Since Merlin wasn¡¯t a transcendent, if any being put down their guard, they¡¯d succumb to Merlin¡¯s attack. However, Merlin, who was completely silent and who foresaw the entire situation playing out as it did, calmly approached Mary. There were no major bodily injuries visible on Mary¡¯s body, but the higher one¡¯s power level was, the more serious the blow would be to one¡¯s aura than one¡¯s physical body. In other words, Mary had suffered an irreparable blow. We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. ¡°How¡­ just how¡­¡± Watching Marie stutter with an expression of disbelief on her face, Merlin took out his Editor Blade. Unfortunately for Mary, Merlin couldn¡¯t allow her to live. Since she was calibrated by DIO¡¯s system to protect the system control room, she¡¯d soon regenerate to take her post once again. However, though Merlin had this brief thought, he couldn¡¯t help but stop in place once he heard Mary¡¯s next few words. ¡°How are you¡­ how are you able to use the Heavenly Sword Clan¡¯s Qi Heaven?¡± ¡°What?¡± In truth, Merlin¡¯s No Living World wasn¡¯t something that purely came from the Golden Pill Immortal Technique. Though he created Mercury in the traditional way, the subsequent planets were created utilizing Qi Heaven principles. The effect of Qi Heaven was the materialization of qi. If it had not been for the power of Qi Heaven, Merlin might not have been capable of creating Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, not to mention Venus and Earth. ¡°What are you talking about? If this is Qi Heaven, then the principles are readily available to anyone in DIO¡¯s library¡­¡± ¡°Wrong. What¡¯s available in the DIO library isn¡¯t the Heavenly Sword Clan¡¯s Qi Heaven. What¡¯s available in the library has been adulterated; it has been tampered with¡­ ugh!¡± Mary, who was struggling to raise her body, vomited blood. As her aura was destroyed, her body began to disintegrate accordingly. ¡°In other words, the Qi Heaven that you taught me was a different skill than what¡¯s available in the DIO library, right?¡± ¡°What¡­ When did I ever teach you Qi Heaven?¡± ¡°You still don¡¯t remember. You¡¯re the one who inscribed this on me.¡± Merlin didn¡¯t know the exact reason why Mary didn¡¯t remember him. He had a few guesses, but since there was no factual basis to make any concrete judgment, Merlin had only hypothesized. ¡°Is that¡­ is that Qi Heaven?¡± Mary, finally discovering the Heavenly seal on Merlin¡¯s forehead, reached out with her hand. And at that moment¡­ Whoosh! Merlin felt a wave of pain. In the past, Merlin had felt a burning sensation from the Heavenly seal that Mary had engraved on his forehead. The power of Qi Heaven in the Heavenly seal started to resonate with Mary¡¯s Qi Heaven. ¡°Shoot! Data Drain!¡± Feeling something ominous brewing, Merlin inserted the Editor Blade into Mary¡¯s chest. There was no hesitation in his action. Merlin wasn¡¯t sentimental enough to hesitate when something unknown or dangerous was taking place. Ting! Along with a strange resonant sound, steam-like qi emanated from Mary¡¯s body and was soon sucked into the Editor Blade. The process was the same as when the Gold Dragon¡¯s qi was sucked in, but a slight difference was that, this time around, some of the steam-like qi flowed into Merlin¡¯s Heavenly seal. ¡°What is this?¡± Though he didn¡¯t know what was going on, Merlin didn¡¯t take action to block the incoming aura and qi. Most of the qi and aura was entering the Editor Blade; moreover, Merlin felt that it was a good opportunity to finally find out what was up with the Heavenly seal, as its existence had always been a mystery to him. Creak! The Editor Blade grew rapidly. It was a growth speed incomparably faster than when the Gold Dragon¡¯s qi was being sucked in. The Editor Blade, which had been longer than a dagger but shorter than a longsword, grew to the size of a longsword in an instant. Then, almost instantly, it began to emit a transparent and brilliant light. ¡°I wondered if I¡¯d be able to develop it, but it turned out well.¡± Data Drain was not a system feature that could be used on just any target to bring about such a result. Though one could use Data Drain on any target, most targets wouldn¡¯t help the Editor Blade develop. The Editor Blade only grew when it sucked in extremely compressed essences within DIO. This was why transcendent beings, or beings equivalent to transcendental beings or pseudo-transcendents, were needed. ¡°Merlin. Your forehead.¡± ¡°Ah, looks like the Heavenly seal has also reached its developmental end.¡± Merlin felt the Heavenly seal, which had been on his forehead nearly the entire time he played DIO, disappear. All the data that made up Mary had been fully absorbed. In addition, most of the qi energy was absorbed by the Editor Blade, so there was no further sense of danger. The Heavenly seal, which had disappeared from Merlin¡¯s body and became its own independent entity outside his body, started to emanate a Qi Heaven aura. The effect of Qi Heaven was the materialization of qi. The qi gathered in the external Heavenly seal and soon materialized into a human form. ¡°Wow¡­ Oh my God¡­¡± A white-haired girl descended down in front of Merlin. It was Mary, who had been annihilated under Merlin¡¯s hands just moments ago. The only difference was that an expression of joy was clearly present on the young girl¡¯s face. ¡°To think that things worked out so well¡­ I¡¯m actually rather taken aback that things worked out so well.¡± Seeing the happy, but slightly awkward expression on her face, Merlin instantly came up with a hypothesis. ¡°Wait¡­ no way¡­ you¡­¡± CH 266 [Yes, it¡¯s me. However, what I was originally aiming for was becoming a residual thought. I just wanted to see the end of Qi Heaven¡¯s development.] It was an incomprehensible answer, but Merlin roughly grasped the situation and the meaning behind Mary¡¯s words. ¡°Right. You essentially annihilated yourself at that time. And you put your soul and residual thoughts in the Heavenly seal.¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± Mary, who had been examining her body, hesitated after hearing Merlin¡¯s calm voice. This was because the Merlin she remembered was an innocent young man who just loved to travel, swim, and roam around from place to place, but the Merlin before her was a completely different being; Merlin was much more powerful and knowledgeable than what she expected. That wasn¡¯t all. Embarrassingly, Merlin accomplished the miraculous feat of defeating a Crimson Mode Mary as a non-transcendent user. ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve changed.¡± ¡°Well, a lot has happened.¡± As Mary sighed and laughed, Merlin realized that Mary had also changed as well. She was speaking naturally, unlike before, when she always used honorifics. However, Merlin didn¡¯t bother pointing this out. Considering her age, she was probably much older than him, and more importantly, she wasn¡¯t forced to take on a role as a courteous NPC character. ¡°Anyway, how can a body be formed even though you left just a residual thought behind? It would have been impossible to keep such an enormous amount of information intact in the Heavenly seal, no?¡± ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t expect this outcome either, but¡­ I was able to maintain the information that [me] in the Heavenly seal was receiving while absorbing the information and qi from the Crimson Mode ¡®me¡¯. I couldn¡¯t maintain the previous ¡®me¡¯ as the [Guardian] of the system control room, so I thought I¡¯d eventually be annihilated, but the result was much better than what I expected. At the very least, I didn¡¯t completely disappear.¡± Mary checked the aura in her own body. Since most of her qi was absorbed by Merlin¡¯s Editor Blade, she had less than 1/100 of the qi she had as the Crimson Mode Mary, when she fought against Merlin. However, since she was already prepared to be annihilated, she was ecstatic that she¡¯d be able to continue existing, even if it was in a very limited capacity. ¡®It¡¯s unfortunate that I lost my transcendence¡­ but it can¡¯t be helped. My transcendence was an artificial state created by various system corrections anyway.¡¯ Of course, the [memories] that she had during her transcendence state and the sense of wielding transcendence-level abilities were still intact, but the problem was that those memories existed without the embodiment of the necessary [experience] and [enlightenment] needed to be a transcendent being. ¡°Come to think of it, the qi I sense in you is subtly off. It¡¯s true that your qi capacity has diminished, but the quality of that qi seems to have also diminished¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m no longer a pseudo-transcendent. In fact, now, I¡¯ve become a completely separate entity from Marionette Hold. Would it make sense if I said she¡¯s become a completely separate entity from me?¡± It was true that Merlin killed Mary, but that was just the Mary in Crimson Mode. There were still other copies of Mary still in charge of various other DIO duties. The Mary who was present before Merlin had become an independent existence after escaping from her prison as Marionette Hold, the NPC character, which was actually a compilation of numerous beings. ¡°In other words, you¡¯re now¡­¡± When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°From now on, call me Snowflake Flower. Of course, the memories of being a marionette still remain¡­ but since I¡¯ve lost most of the power characteristics and system corrections of Marionette Hold in the process of gaining my [personality], I can¡¯t exert the power I used to have as Marionette Hold.¡± Mary, no, Snowflake Flower, made a bitter expression. After listening to Snowflake Flower¡¯s words, Sungmuk suddenly asked her a question. ¡°Your memories remain, but you lost your transcendent realm status?¡± ¡°Actually, if you think about it, it¡¯s a natural and logical result. Just because someone inherits the intact memories of a transcendent being, that possession doesn¡¯t automatically make one a transcendent being as well.¡± If that was possible¡­ A transcendent being could reach the transcendent realm with only one¡¯s memories; in this case, a transcendent being could reproduce one¡¯s memory and mass-produce oneself, creating an infinite number of transcendent beings. In real life, a close analogy would be Cloning technology. However, beyond the necessary components of realization and enlightenment, one¡¯s soul needed to be completed and evolved to enter the pseudo-transcendent realm. ¡°The situation is completely different for a marionette, where multiple [me] from various parallel universes are fused together. Of course, those varied experiences will also help me become stronger¡­ but it¡¯s still a far cry to reach the transcendence level with just that.¡± ¡°Hmm. Right. But wait.¡± Merlin lifted his Editor Blade and stuck it into Snowflake Flower¡¯s chest. The blade stabbed deep enough that it pierced through her back. The Editor Blade, which was made to erode DIO¡¯s system restrictions rather than inflicting bodily damage, started accessing Snowflake Flower¡¯s root data. Ting! However, his connection to her root data was abruptly cut off. Seeing Merlin do this, Snowflake Flower asked. ¡°What did you try to do?¡± ¡°I was wondering if I could change your role¡­ but I guess I¡¯ll have to raise my access authority level first.¡± Merlin pulled out the Editor Blade from Snowflake Flower¡¯s chest and headed into the system control room. Snowflake Flower, who had already become an ¡®independent¡¯ entity from Marionette Hold, didn¡¯t bother to stop Merlin, but she did offer a word of advice. ¡°Breaking in won¡¯t be a good approach. The control room has its own defense system. Of course, you were able to defeat me, so I¡¯m sure you can defeat the defense system, but it¡¯ll probably take you a considerable amount of time¡­¡± Boom! Ting! However, before she finished her words, Merlin inserted the Editor Blade into the system control room door, and soon, the door opened. Merlin replied. ¡°I had no intention of opening it by force in the first place.¡± ¡°¡­ Wow! That longsword is a system bypass cheat item. How the hell did you make that?¡± Merlin stepped into the control room while leaving Snowflake Flower in awe. The overall interior decoration and layout of the control room was simple; there was only a huge white stone slab placed inside. ¡°What language is this written in?¡± Merlin examined the pattern engraved on the white stone slab. It was an unfamiliar pattern that was neither a type of rune nor an ancient language. Looking at the overall layout and the repeated characters on the stone slab, Merlin surmised that the written markings were part of a language rather than a code; moreover, it seemed like each letter contained considerable aura, an emanation of power that could not be ignored. Bam! Obviously, instead of trying to interpret the language, Merlin stuck the Editor Blade into the stone slab. In the end, if he accessed the system and acquired the information that formed the basis of the system, all his problems would be resolved. However, Merlin¡¯s expression contorted the moment the Editor Blade pierced the slab. ¡°What''s wrong¡­?¡± A huge amount of information flooded into Merlin. However, the quality of the information and the level of system protection were drastically different from what Merlin expected. Merlin corrected his posture and focused his mind. He scanned through the entire system and read its contents. ¡°My God¡­ This¡­ all this couldn¡¯t have been created by a great mage. This¡­¡± Merlin¡¯s eyes trembled. Though Merlin wasn¡¯t facing an opponent directly, he felt a rushing sense of being overwhelmed just by looking at the creation of this unknown opponent. Merlin groaned. ¡°Class 10¡­¡± According to the class classification commonly referred to as the [Standard Magic Classification System], which was established and improved by dragons over billions of years, and widely used throughout the universe, the Class 10 classification denoted a mid-ranking divine status being; in other words, a being in Class 10, or more commonly called the Demon Lord class, was a powerful and mythical being. If there was one low divine status being, in terms of mages, a Class 9 classification mage, per planet, then it could be said that low divine status beings were plentiful throughout the universe. However, one would be lucky to find one mid-rank divine being after searching through dozens of galaxies; hence, even the gods knew the names and achievements of these powerful divine beings. Considering high-ranking divine beings didn¡¯t directly interfere with the material world, it could be said that these mid-ranking divine beings were the most powerful beings that existed in the multiverse. However, traces of a Class 10 mages work were visible in DIO¡¯s system. ¡°To think that a Class 10 existence was involved in the creation of DIO¡­ Is it a Demon Lord? However, DIO¡¯s system itself is too mild and user friendly to think that a Demon Lord had a hand in its making.¡± While analyzing the system, Merlin fell deeper into thought. Of course, not all demons were evil characters hellbent on destroying others. However, it was difficult for demons, who could be said to have been born with innate negative energy, to have a gentle personality, regardless of their level of accomplishment and development. It wasn¡¯t that demons felt pleasure in others¡¯ pain. Basically, demons could not sympathize due to their poor development of empathy, and this lack of empathy was stamped in their culture, where the strong feasted over the weak. ¡°Why would a Class 10 being just stand by and watch me hack into the system like this¡­ unless¡­ it couldn¡¯t be¡­¡± Merlin recalled how DIO had progressed. In the beginning, it was marketed as just a simple game, and then, the operators suddenly exercised their power and made their presence publicly known, and once they revealed themselves, they moved openly¡­ ¡°Right. These traces are Jenica¡¯s, the so-called Empress of Magic¡­¡± Merlin knew that a human being named Jenica, the Empress of Magic, played a key role in creating DIO. The fact that the Noblesse, which was such a great existence, needed her help spoke volumes about her prowess and power. However, if she was a Class 10 being, then Merlin¡¯s current situation became murky. This was because, even for the Noblesse, which enjoyed a prominent reputation in the entire universe, it was an enormous burden to defeat a Class 10 mage. ¡°Then, in the end, this means that the old fogey, Tan, defeated a Demon Lord leveled being. This is not good news¡­¡± It was true that Noblesse was deeply involved in the production of DIO., but not all of the Noblesse participated in its making. Even within the Noblesse, Demon Lord-level beings were not common, nor did they mobilize easily. This meant that Tan, who was able to defeat and kill off Jenica, a Demon Lord-level being, meant that Tan, or the power of his connections or forces, was at an unusually high level. ¡°Well, what¡¯s done is done. There¡¯s no turning back for me now.¡± As Merlin grumbled, he focused his mind. And that day¡­ DIO¡¯s emergency mode was canceled. CH 267 *** Independence Day *** ¡°Is there still no progress?¡± The atmosphere in the room was tense. No, to be precise, it was heavy. The air in the room seemed sticky, like they were surrounded by a viscous liquid, and if one didn¡¯t have the strength to protect oneself, one might soon suffocate and lose one¡¯s life in such an environment. Buried deep in a sofa, Tan was visibly angry. The problem was that this atmospheric phenomenon did not originate from an overwhelming and suffocating sort of momentum aura or pressure, but a [phenomenon] in which the physical air itself actually became viscous. ¡®The effects are getting stronger and stronger¡­¡¯ Tan wasn¡¯t doing anything on purpose; it was just that he was in a bad mood, and the current phenomenon, which violated the laws of physics, occurred whenever his mood became dark. Being able to have such an impact on the material world with just a change in his emotional state meant that Tan was at a different power level than before. ¡®Has he regained his past powers? But how?¡¯ Tan, who was called the [Demonic Dragon of the Apocalypse], was the king of kings, the top of the food chain; since birth, Tan belonged to the highest rank in the Noblesse. However, his past crime was so great that he was punished and lost most of his powers permanently. Melton, a Persian-looking cat with black fur and golden eyes, organized his complex thoughts and spoke out. ¡°Remote access is progressing, albeit slowly. Even though it¡¯s frustrating and tedious, I advise that we wait and observe a bit longer¡­¡± ¡°You want to wait? How much longer?¡± Melton felt the sticky air hardening, but his opinion did not change. ¡°Tan, you know very well that there¡¯s no other choice. The Reaper Organization has already set up a special surveillance network, and the enforcers of Union Law have gone to work to build a case. Unless you¡¯re planning on waging a war with the Nether world, you have to be careful.¡± It was best to avoid colliding with the Nether world; although the Nether world was restricted and bound by all sorts of laws and agreements, it was widely known throughout the universe that the power level of the Nether world was only second to the Godly world. And that wasn¡¯t all. Even though the Elohim were in the same Union alliance, they weren¡¯t on good terms with the Noblesse; thus, the Elohim were always looking for an angle to embarrass and weaken the Noblesse. If word got out that the Noblesse did something wrong, the Elohim would pounce on the opportunity and drive the narrative to make it into something much worse. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that we should leave DIO alone? You know that the budget that went into making DIO is equivalent to half of the Union¡¯s annual budget, right?¡± A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. The Noblesse, which can be said to be the backbone group within the Union, had spent a considerable number of resources to make DIO. The number was so astronomical that it would drain the blood of anyone who heard the figure. It was enough resources and money to buy dozens of habitable planets, so if this investment was lost, even Tan, who held a high-ranking position within the Noblesse, wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid responsibility or potential backlash. However, Melton soon shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯ll lose control over DIO if we wait and let it run without oversight for a bit. Anyway, now that the Empress of Magic is dead, we¡¯re the only ones who have the authority to operate DIO.¡± Of course, even the Noblesse hadn¡¯t yet gained full authority over DIO. However, no matter how perfect the Empress of Magic¡¯s firewall was, the Noblesse, which had the most great mages in the universe, were confident that they¡¯d eventually gain control of the main system. Time was the only issue, so there didn¡¯t seem a need to fret. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± But at that moment, Melton and Tan¡¯s expressions hardened at the same time. ¡°Nonsense. How?¡± Melton groaned at the incoming news. DIO¡¯s emergency mode was canceled. The impossible had happened. It was already unthinkable that Merlin or Cruze could put DIO into emergency mode and block the Noblesse¡¯s administrative access; however, releasing it after it had already entered emergency mode was a problem of a completely different dimension. ¡®Does that mean he¡¯s got Level 1 system access authorization? I never thought that could be possible¡­ In the worst case, I thought he¡¯d only be able to obtain limited privileges¡­¡¯ Melton was at a total loss. DIO¡¯s system firewall was such a complex puzzle that even the many great mages within the rank and file of the Noblesse couldn¡¯t crack it up to now, but how did a human, who had lived less than a few decades, disable it and access the main system? And in such a short period of time? However, even in this unlikely situation, Tan wasn¡¯t surprised. No, actually, he got up from his seat with a chilling smile, as if something was going according to plan. ¡°Melton. Call Igniz.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to use Ignis as a throwaway knight? Igniz is a selfish criminal! There¡¯s no way that Igniz would agree, and also¡­¡± Melton passionately shouted, but Tan cut him off. ¡°Tell Igniz we¡¯ll erase Igniz¡¯s name from the Killing Division list and hand Muspelheim over to Igniz. Since Igniz has already been apprehended, we can¡¯t stop the trial, but if we state that Igniz acted alone, Igniz will probably only face a 300-year sentence.¡± ¡°Tan?¡± ¡°Igniz will get a transcendent weapon in exchange for taking a break for 300 years, so, it¡¯s not a bad deal. Igniz has no choice but to agree.¡± Saying so, Tan closed his eyes. Soon, the space around him began to stir. ¡°Moreover, as you mentioned, Igniz is a selfish criminal.¡± Soon Tan¡¯s figure disappeared. *** [Did you start?] [Yes. But is it really okay for you to go alone?] The video started, and Arthur¡¯s figure was soon revealed. He left a strong impression on everyone on Earth after overthrowing Japan all by himself. The place where he was currently standing was a vast, open sea where one could only see the horizon wherever one looked. However, what was most surprising was that Arthur and a mysterious woman, who was presumably filming him, were standing atop the sea without any issue. [Don¡¯t talk nonsense. Take care of yourself.] Speaking coolly, Arthur turned around. Unlike his usual outfit, which was light and casual, Arthur was currently wearing a white full plate armor that protected his entire body. Like Eunhye¡¯s DIO avatar, Arc, the armor covered his entire body. It was to the point that an observer wouldn¡¯t be able to tell his gender, let alone his identity, even if the observer was someone close to him. ¡°It¡¯s not one of my reinforced item creations, but the quality of Arthur¡¯s gear¡­ it doesn¡¯t seem like any normal drop item either.¡± ¡°Is it a strong piece of gear?¡± Eunhye asked. Merlin nodded his head. Merlin, Eunhye, and Youngmin were watching TV. ¡°I¡¯m not totally sure because it¡¯s a low quality video feed, but I think it¡¯s an SS Class legendary item¡­ but why is he wearing such a powerful¡­?¡± Yongno grasped the mana waves emanating from Arthur¡¯s armor and tilted his head in confusion. Arthur had already entered the transcendent realm, so no one on Earth could possibly contend against him. No, the reality was that Arthur could wipe out the entire Earth and beat every earthling on the planet, even if he fought against the whole world alone, so why did he need to wear such Legendary rated gear? As a transcendent being, Arthur was strong enough, even with his earthling body, to take on anything and everything on Earth; moreover, there was no longer any need for Arthur to manifest to utilize his powers. ¡°Bro, maybe it¡¯s his style, no? Based on the atmosphere, it seems that Arthur is leading the video shoot himself, so maybe he¡¯s being mindful of how he looks.¡± ¡°Stop talking nonsense.¡± Merlin couldn¡¯t understand why Arthur was wearing such powerful gear. Arthur¡¯s gear was a Legendary rated item; it was just below Divine Weapon rating status, so in some ways, it was more powerful than a newly created Master Weapon. However, considering that there was a limit to the power that the Grotesque and Legion could use on Earth, as a transcendent being, even if Arthur went into battle naked, he would still be an overpowering figure that couldn¡¯t be matched. A naked Arthur could just protect his body with a self-defense technique, go into the enemy¡¯s ranks at the speed of light, and wield his undefeatable sword to defeat his opponents. Woong! At that moment, in the video, Arthur¡¯s Divine Weapon, Excalibur, dazzled and gave off an aura. Among the hundreds of millions of internal energy users, only Arthur, who had acquired the attribute of light, could do this. Suddenly, his figure became momentarily blurry. Crack! Along with a thunderbolt-like flash, a long trail of afterglow light was left in the empty air. ¡°He entered a subspace.¡± ¡°Moreover, he didn¡¯t use magic. That¡¯s probably what¡¯s called the Dimension Terminal, which the Legion mainly uses to cross over to our dimension.¡± The screen changed as Merlin spoke aloud. Arthur and the camera rushed through the gap in the cracked space. Beep! With a sharp warning sound, hundreds of mechanical soldiers and armored vehicles started pouring out, and countless artillery rounds and beam missiles were fired at him. The firepower was so overwhelmingly strong that it could instantly wipe out an entire city, but Arthur calmly swung his sword. Flash! A wave of light seemed to radiate out, sweeping away all the Legion forces in front of him. Hundreds of mechanized soldiers were swept away like autumn leaves after Arthur¡¯s signature skill, Thousand Light, swept past them. Flash! And then, Arthur went directly into the thick of the enemy forces and wielded his sword of light; instantly, hundreds of Legion forces were rendered useless and became pieces of junk that scattered in all directions. The force of Arthur¡¯s attack could easily wipe out a country or two on Earth. Observing this on TV, everything looked surreal. ¡°Damn, he¡¯s amazing. It¡¯s already scary how he¡¯s able to create thousands of waves of light in an instant, but to control those thousand slashes one by one¡­ his sword strikes are so perfect that whenever he sends out an attack, at least 500 individual Legion forces are wiped away in an instant.¡± Youngmin was watching the unfolding scene on TV with determined and focused eyes. If Youngmin could, he¡¯d probably enter the TV screen and observe Arthur¡¯s handiwork from the battlefield. Perhaps many others around the world were looking at Arthur with the same, passionately burning eyes. Whirl! Then, with a heavy sound, like a giant motor turning, the subspace slowly began to collapse. The high-ranking being, who had been constantly [producing] the mechanical soldiers, finally gave up on maintaining the subspace and revealed its existence. ¡°Hmm? Bro, what is that? It seems like something powerful-looking appeared, no?¡± ¡°Named.¡± ¡°Eh, Ms. Eunhye?¡± ¡°Eunhye?¡± Youngmin and Yongno both turned their heads in surprise after hearing Eunhye, who had remained quiet, speak out with an expressionless face. ¡°They¡¯re beings who have [perfected] their souls and received names.¡± The Legion originated from an artificial intelligence that had gained self-consciousness. Compared to living beings, the Legion were a kind of mutant species that possessed self-consciousness and questions about their existence, as well as spirituality. Although their souls were fragmented and unstable, they were starting to sprout. ¡°Where did you get that information?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know. I think I heard it from someone... but I¡¯m not sure who.¡± Yongno fell into thought for a while. Eunhye certainly wasn¡¯t hiding anything from him. If she was hiding something from him, she wouldn¡¯t have acted so clumsily and spoken out. ¡®Then¡­ perhaps she accessed some erased memories?¡¯ After thinking for a while, Merlin spoke to Eunhye. CH 268 ¡°Hmm¡­ For now, continue with the explanation.¡± ¡°¡­ When an artificially created artificial intelligence, on any planet in any dimension, acquires self-consciousness, it accesses a gigantic integrated network and becomes a member of the Legion (corps). However, these awakened AI¡¯s souls, which are like those of a newborn, are imperfect. This is because their soul wasn¡¯t created through the normal process, so, because of that difference, the Legion long for a complete soul.¡± And, precisely because of this desire, the Legion saw the Union as their enemy. Since most Legion had incomplete souls, they possessed an instinctive hatred for living creatures, things that were born with perfect souls. The Legion felt that these creatures were given something that they didn¡¯t deserve, so the Legion had a natural hatred towards these living beings. ¡°Then, Ms. Eunhye¡­ are those Named strong?¡± ¡°Very. They¡¯re machines that possess spirituality, so they''re different from the run-of-the-mill Legion forces in terms of combat power. In other words, the Named are able to utilize both scientific weapons and spiritual powers. They use magic, and in some rare cases, they can also use martial arts.¡± ¡°Huh, a machine that uses martial arts¡­¡± Surprised, Youngmin watched as the remaining Legion forces and the Named fiercely collided with Arthur on the TV screen. The collisions caused tremendous explosions and flashes of light. The battle lasted quite a long time, about 10 minutes all told, and the combat was quite fierce. Though one couldn¡¯t be sure by watching Arthur through the TV screen, it didn¡¯t seem like Arthur was holding back any punches. Crack! Eventually, Arthur¡¯s Excalibur penetrated the Named¡¯s core. The video clip ended with that scene, and a few lines of explanation soon appeared. The gist of the message was that Arthur, the great and brilliant knight, destroyed the Dimension Terminal, which the Legion forces used as a gateway to access Earth, and by doing so, the Legion forces and their attacks would no longer affect Korea and Japan. In other words, the Legion attacks on Korea and Japan were now over. The text¡¯s message conveyed substantial, ground-breaking news. The entire world was probably in shock after reading the message, but Merlin had other thoughts. Merlin was puzzled because of the unique sense of incongruity he felt while watching Arthur¡¯s fight. After some time, Merlin asked Eunhye, ¡°Is the Named as strong as a transcendent?¡± ¡°Not all Named are transcendents; it¡¯s based on each Named¡¯s individual capabilities. However, in this case, the Named didn¡¯t look like a transcendent.¡± ¡°Yeah, I thought so. Even I could probably defeat that Named.¡± Arthur utilized Bursting Sword Light, which moved at the speed of light, Soul Swordsmanship, which allowed Arthur to control the direction of all energy, and photoionization of his body, which allowed him to move at the speed of light. These three capabilities, amongst many, allowed Arthur to become an overwhelmingly powerful being, but even so, the battle that Arthur conducted in the video clip felt somewhat off. Though the Named Arthur was fighting against was strong, it wasn¡¯t anywhere near the power of a transcendent; however, Arthur had taken a considerable amount of time to defeat his opponent. ¡°Why¡­¡± Because of this, Yongno quietly expressed his confusion. ¡°Why isn¡¯t he utilizing strong qi?¡± *** When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. It had been 10 months since DIO made its first appearance on Earth. On Earth, an entire summer and autumn season had passed during that time. In the blink of an eye, Yongno, who had been a normal Korean high school student just a year ago, had become a worldwide figure who could influence the entire world. Even the Korean president had a hard time grabbing a brief meeting with him. Yongno had become such an influential figure that every one of his decisions had ripple effects that affected everyone around the world. ¡°It¡¯s start time, bro.¡± While Merlin was momentarily lost in thought, Youngmin, who was dressed in a suit, entered the room. Youngmin was good looking and had a well-trained body, and he even dressed well too. Hence, rather than Yongno¡¯s bodyguard, Youngmin looked more like a movie star. ¡°What¡¯s the general mood like in the conference room?¡± ¡°Everyone¡¯s very impatient. They¡¯re going over small matters while waiting for your entrance.¡± Currently, the World Security Conference was being held in Seoul, South Korea. Various presidents and high-level representatives from a great many countries had gathered in Seoul. It wouldn¡¯t be weird if anyone questioned the necessity of opening such a global meeting during a worldwide emergency situation, but it didn¡¯t seem like anyone had that thought or complaint. This was largely because they had unanimously decided beforehand that Korea should be the location of the conference. Of course, the real reason was because of the two geniuses residing in Korea; Arthur and Merlin. Between the two, Arthur was already seen as a global hero, and his overwhelming power, which transcended anything human, was proven to be enough to take on an entire country and win. He also achieved the feat of destroying an alien invasion route, a location no one had been able to pinpoint, making him one of the most famous and influential figures in the world. Countless countries wanted Arthur and his help, but he had already become too large of a figure to be tied to a specific, single country. Hence, Arthur was not just a being that commanded respect but also a being worthy of worship. ¡°¡­ but the problem is that we don¡¯t know what Arthur is aiming for.¡± As an apostle of justice in the past, Arthur, no, Seyoung, had helped a great many people while sacrificing himself, but all this changed when Arthur became incredibly violent after his mother was murdered by a Japanese right-wing group. As the video clip of the destruction of the Legion¡¯s Dimension Terminal spread all across the world, there were some who expected that Arthur¡¯s disposition had once again shifted toward the side of an apostle of justice. However, unlike the past, when Arthur did good deeds quietly without much fanfare, Arthur had taken conscious steps to film the scene of him decapitating the Korean National Assembly members and his battle against the Legion forces, wherein he destroyed the Legion¡¯s Dimension Terminal. Therefore¡­ What did Arthur truly want? What plans was he making? Merlin couldn¡¯t fathom what Arthur was thinking or planning. ¡°By the way, are you going to reveal the fact that you control DIO?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I have full control over DIO. I can do a lot more than I used to, but not to the extent of being able to do anything I want. If that were the case, cooperation with all these foreign countries would not have been necessary.¡± Although Merlin obtained Level 1 system access authorization privileges after an authentication and connection process once he entered the system control room, there was still a limit to what he could do. Level 1 system access authorization gave Merlin the authority of an operator, a position that had nearly full authority over the entire DIO game system. However, above the Level 1 access authorization was another special level, a special authority that only the Empress of Magic, Jenica, could access and use. In order to overthrow the fundamental structure that DIO operated under, Merlin needed to obtain that authority as soon as possible. ¡°Once I obtained Level 1 access authorization to the system, I was planning on bringing down Dynamic Island from the moon and placing it in the East Sea. However, it¡¯s a shame that I¡¯m still unable to do that. If it was possible to bring Dynamic Island down onto Earth, we¡¯d no longer have any issues with the attacking Legion and Grotesque forces.¡± If Merlin had obtained full authority over DIO, it would have been possible to permanently manifest all users and obtain all the items and valuables stored in DIO without having to kill monsters. Perhaps, it might have even been possible for Merlin to obtain the most precious thing of all, the Anyform Stones. Of course, if the situation went that far, the Noblesse probably wouldn¡¯t sit still. However, the moment Merlin made the Editor Blade and placed DIO into emergency mode, one could say that he completely pitted himself against the Noblesse. However, Merlin wasn¡¯t too concerned about that fact. ¡°What are you planning to do?¡± ¡°I need to get some money and power. I thought those two things were useless, but¡­ I can¡¯t do it alone.¡± With that said, Merlin started to make his way to the conference hall. /In the beginning, I was sad¡­/ ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Accompanied by soft background music, A profound and heavy male voice resonated outward. The voice was familiar to Yongno, no, everyone, across the entire world. /I do not wish for anything¡­/ ¡°What is this? Isn¡¯t this the entry OST when we put on our DIO connector?¡± ¡°Which crazy bastard turned this on? Why is someone broadcasting something like this in an important conference room?¡± ¡°Wait a minute, the sound is coming from my cell phone as well as the conference speakers¡­?¡± Bodyguards and distinguished guests from various countries across the world were talking to each other with confused expressions plastered on their faces. However, Merlin¡¯s expression hardened and became serious. ¡°Shoot. It seems like they¡¯ve already started making their move.¡± ¡°Their move?¡± ¡°The guys who aren¡¯t happy that I gained access to DIO¡¯s system.¡± /But, I hope nonetheless¡­ And I wish./ Meanwhile, the male voice continued to speak. Merlin raised his mana and created a defensive barrier around himself and Youngmin. There was something unusual about the mood and atmosphere. The voice, which he had heard countless times before, contained spirituality, unlike when he heard it when logging onto DIO. The spirituality infused voice made Merlin¡¯s skin tingle. /What I¡¯m trying to create is a new world¡­/ The background music gradually reached its climax, and the speaker¡¯s voice gained strength. People were either bewildered or curious, but regardless, they continued to listen to the voice. No, more specifically, they had no other choice but to listen to the voice. It was like an arrow was lodged in one¡¯s brain and continued to project a sound within one¡¯s own mind. And thus¡­ /I shall liberate you from this place./ Flop! The sound of someone falling or collapsing echoed throughout the conference room. The sound only rang out once, but the origin of the sound wasn¡¯t from a single source. ¡°W-what is this? What¡¯s going on?¡± Youngmin, who was protected by Merlin¡¯s spell, looked around the conference room in surprise. All of a sudden, everyone around them had lost consciousness. The moment the background music ended, everyone collapsed on the floor at the same time. Merlin held out his hand and examined a body. The collapsed people weren¡¯t dead; everyone was breathing stably. Merlin muttered, ¡°¡­ forced connection?¡± Unlike other online games, connection to the world of DIO was made by a special machine called a connector. However, the special thing about DIO was that this connector was in the form of a CD player, not a large capsule-shaped virtual reality device, so one could easily connect to the world of DIO just by inserting earphones into one¡¯s ears and listening to the sound coming out from them. And the moment Yongno remembered this fact, a hypothesis flashed like lightning through his mind. ¡°They¡¯re planning on abandoning Earth!¡± ¡°Abandoning Earth?¡± Seeing Youngmin¡¯s bewildered expression, Merlin exclaimed while exuding his magic power. ¡°Protect Eunhye and Miho¡¯s bodies!¡± And soon, Yongno disappeared. CH 269 I shall liberate you from this place. It wasn¡¯t just the conference hall where the man¡¯s voice buzzed in everyone¡¯s ears. ¡°Mom! My teddy bear is making strange noises!¡± ¡°Why is the connector making weird sounds all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Honey. Don¡¯t you hear a sound coming from the TV? It¡¯s not even turned on, right?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my radio?¡± People from all over the world were experiencing a similar thing. The man¡¯s voice rang out from the DIO connector, TVs, radios, PCs, electronic clocks, and even mechanical dolls, any electronic device that was capable of making sound. And right afterward, once the man finished speaking, the world fell into silence. Except for a very few people who lived deep in the mountains, where there were no electronic devices nearby, almost the entire population of humanity was forcibly connected to DIO. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What happened?¡± ¡°My God! I was in the middle of driving!¡± ¡°I was on a plane! Is it okay for me to be here?¡± ¡°No, wait¡­ why can¡¯t I log out!?¡± Arriving at Starting, Merlin ignored the panic-stricken noises the users were making and headed straight for the Guardian Tower at the center of Starting¡¯s central square. ¡°Dang, it¡¯s crazy in here. The number of concurrently logged on users is 4.27 billion. Are there even a billion unlogged people left on Earth?¡± As people entered DIO after suffering a forced log in, they found that they couldn¡¯t log out. With such an abrupt log in, it was difficult to estimate how many casualties would have occurred in reality. If a person who was driving suddenly connected to DIO, a traffic accident would have occurred in real life, and if someone who was cooking at home suddenly connected, a house fire would probably occur due to the unattended stove. And that wasn¡¯t all. Employees working in factories, soldiers on the frontlines, and pilots operating airplanes¡­ Once these people were forcibly connected, the entire social system, which was operated by such people, would have spiraled into chaos. ¡°But why are they doing this? Do the Noblesse benefit by forcibly logging users into DIO?¡± Quiet Heaven asked as it landed on Merlin¡¯s shoulder. Once Merlin realized what had happened on Earth, he hurriedly logged on to DIO. Quiet Heaven, who was always logged into DIO, didn¡¯t quite understand what had happened nor what this emergency meant. ¡°You can take care of these people, right?¡± ¡°Take care of these people? What do you mean take care of these people¡­ wait, are you planning to¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah. These Noblesse guys seemed determined to go rogue. I guess they¡¯re planning on ignoring Union Law.¡± In an instant, Merlin reached the central square and approached the Guardian Tower. All kinds of defensive barriers were installed around the Guardian Tower. But these barriers were irrelevant to Merlin, who possessed Level 1 system access authorization. ¡°Immediately, activate the protection system¡­¡± Boom! However, the ground shook before Merlin could enter the Guardian Tower. No, actually, to be precise, it wasn¡¯t the ground that shook. What was shaking was Dynamic Island Online, the entire world of DIO. In other words, DIO itself was shaking. Crack! A crack formed in the sky, and Starting¡¯s blue sky started to glow red. The sky reproduction system, which had always performed its role without fail up to this point, was malfunctioning. Crack! Once more, the world of DIO shook, and soon, the cracks in the sky became clearer. One could now start to see the pitch-black darkness of outer space beyond the sky. Quiet Heaven growled and shouted out. ¡°Taking such a drastic action without considering the repercussions¡­ What kind of irresponsible act of bullying is this? This is no different than taking a crap on the Noblesse¡¯s honor!¡± Just like Merlin, Quiet Heaven noticed the Noblesse¡¯s drastic decision and unthinkable course of action. In the end, the Noblesse had given up on Earth. The reason why most humans on Earth were forcibly connected was so that the Noblesse, through DIO, could steal their souls. After confining most of the users within DIO, they were attempting to move DIO, which was installed on the back side of Earth¡¯s moon, to another location. ¡°Are they planning on treating us the same as DIO¡¯s other NPCs and monsters?¡± ¡°This is completely different from that sort of exchange! This is a criminal act! They¡¯re enslaving everyone without a contract or an agreement! They¡¯re committing a crime for profit! Are they not concerned about the political aftermath and fallout?¡± Quiet Heaven screamed. Merlin looked up at the sky once more. Through the cracks in the cracked sky, Merlin could see blazing heat waves flowing around. The transmitted aura from those heat waves was a very familiar kind for Merlin. Merlin paused. ¡°No wait! Maybe this¡­¡± ¡°Huh? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Merlin, who was lost in thought for a moment, soon answered Quiet Heaven¡¯s question. ¡°Hey, Quiet Heaven. What happens if the guy who¡¯s currently attacking DIO doesn¡¯t get full control over DIO¡¯s system? Will another guy come to replace him?¡± ¡°No way. What the Noblesse are doing right now is a serious crime. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t matter as long as they keep what happens here under wraps and don¡¯t get caught, but that sort of outcome would be virtually impossible. Currently, various forces throughout the universe are paying close attention to DIO.¡± However, the problem was that the Elohim and other Union forces couldn¡¯t intervene and prevent the situation since they didn¡¯t have authorization to access or control DIO¡¯s system. Moreover, if a Noblesse transcendent could steal DIO away before the other Union forces could react or do anything, the entire situation boiled down to a battle of speed to see who can take control over DIO the quickest. Although the other Union forces may criticize the Noblesse later on and gain political favors and power, from the point of view of earthlings, this eventual result would be useless. ¡°Then what if this overtaking attempt fails? What if the transcendent Noblesse that¡¯s entering the world of DIO right now fails to gain control over the system?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ Merlin? The Noblesse aren¡¯t idiots, so there¡¯s no way they¡¯re taking this action with a chance of failure. The being that¡¯s entering is probably leaps and bounds more powerful than Mary, who was guarding the system control room. It¡¯s true that you have the non-destructive setting placed on you, but system settings mean nothing to [external] beings¡­¡± Merlin cut off Quiet Heaven mid-sentence. ¡°Don¡¯t give me your take, just answer my question. What happens if the transcendent fails?¡± ¡°¡­ Then, that¡¯s it. If the Noblesse commit such a serious crime and fail in successfully executing that crime, they will have to give up DIO. Even though the Noblesse are the greatest force in the Union, the Noblesse will not be able to avoid a quarantine ruling.¡± ¡°Good.¡± After hearing this, Merlin disappeared. ¡°Eh? Merlin?¡± Quiet Heaven, who was left alone, looked around with a confused expression. Quiet Heaven could not find any trace of Merlin¡¯s whereabouts. *** Whoosh! A rectangular golden object measuring 3,000 by 1,000 kilometers and over 100 kilometers tall could be seen hovering above the surface of the moon. And above this golden object, above the world of DIO, a red giant dragon was spewing out a blast of heat. The world of DIO, which emitted golden light as if a gold bar was being neatly cut, resisted the external being¡¯s heatwave by exuding intense defensive energy. However, the defense only lasted for a short period, and soon, the space that was exposed to the heat wave gradually distorted. [It¡¯s quite strong. If I had to rely solely on my physical strength, it would have taken me more than a month to break through this thing.] Behind Igniz, who was muttering under its breath, three pairs of wings could be seen, Igniz¡¯s original wings and two additional pairs of wings. However, what was more unusual was that the wings were not physical wings but were made of blazing heat waves. Igniz smiled as it closed its eyes and felt tremendous power coursing through its body. [Hahaha. Of course, it¡¯s annoying that I¡¯ve been sentenced to 300 years of imprisonment and isolation, but¡­ it¡¯s a different story if I can get my hands on a Numbering.] Transcendent Weapon Number 734. Muspelheim. Muspelheim was the Transcendent Weapon that Igniz obtained in return for being Tan¡¯s [throwaway knight]. Muspelheim was an item with a [number] attached to it, a number which could only be given out to the top 1,000 of all Transcendent Weapons that existed in the entire universe; hence, a Numbering. Crack! At that moment, the world of DIO¡¯s ceiling, unable to withstand the heat Igniz was outputting, cracked. Soon, a gap was revealed. It wasn¡¯t a very big gap, and the defensive layers started to regenerate as soon as the crack appeared. However, Igniz had already changed into a human form and passed through the momentary gap. Whoosh! Muspelheim, which had taken the form of flaming wings, now took on the shape of a long staff, which was in line with Igniz¡¯s transformation into a human. Muspelheim, which was made by refining ancient flames, had no fixed shape, so it could be used as a weapon, armor, or even a part of one¡¯s body. In other words, it could change seamlessly based on the needs and desires of the weapon¡¯s user. ¡°Okay. Now all I have to do is go to the system control room or whatever and then¡­ Huh?¡± But at that moment, Ignis realized that something was wrong. Its chest was hot and burning, as if it had been burned by something. ¡°What?¡± Igniz looked down at its chest with a dumbfounded expression on its face. On its chest was a handprint so clear that there was no room to deny its imprint. However, what was even more shocking for Igniz was that the portion of its upper body that had been imprinted with the handprint had been torn off and blown clean away. ¡°Thank you so much for coming in human form. The moment you came into DIO, I knew you¡¯d show an opening, but I was worried you¡¯d be able to survive an attack with your tremendous HP bar¡­ Thank goodness you came in human form. Anyway, thanks for making it easy.¡± Merlin, wearing a red robe, appeared in front of Igniz. Seeing Merlin¡¯s eyes looking down at Igniz, as if looking at an insignificant thing, Ignis instantly exuded a murderous intent. But, surprisingly, Igniz couldn¡¯t output any power from its body. ¡°This¡­ this¡­ Ah? What¡¯s going on?¡± It was only then that Igniz realized that it had completely lost control of its body. Even floating in the air was not being sustained with its own power. The aura within Igniz¡¯s body had completely collapsed. And right at that moment¡­ Rumble! A shockwave exploded behind Igniz¡¯s back, and the blue sky behind it also shattered. In an instant, a huge hole was pierced in the world of DIO¡¯s outer wall by the powerful force. A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. And through that hole, the outer space beyond the world of DIO¡¯s outer wall was revealed. Whoosh! The air that filled Dynamic Island was sucked out, causing a turbulent strong wind to whip around the world of DIO. However, the turbulent situation didn¡¯t affect Merlin, Igniz, or their immediate surroundings. Igniz felt its senses slowly returning. However, the problem for Igniz was that the information that the returned senses gave it was unbelievably dire. ¡°This¡­ no way¡­ I¡¯ve succumbed? So easily? Really?¡± Merlin looked at Igniz, who was stuttering in disbelief, and brought out his jeweled sword, the Editor Blade. ¡°Thank you for being a participant in this very special day. And thank you for attending today¡¯s celebration.¡± ¡°Special day¡­ What the hell are you saying? What are you talking about?¡± As Merlin continued to look at Igniz, who was puzzled by Merlin¡¯s words, Merlin replied. ¡°It¡¯s Independence Day, asshole.¡± Merlin¡¯s jeweled sword pierced through Igniz¡¯s chest. That was the last thing that Igniz saw before dying. CH 270 *** Brilliant Knight & Great Mage *** Clunk. Whirl! When the power was turned on, a hollow metal sphere was activated. A metal brush, which outputted a specific voltage, revolved around the metal sphere, and at the same time, powerful magic energy was generated inside the metal sphere. It was an energy fusion machine, and with the energy created in the metal sphere, the various materials placed nearby the metal sphere began to change. Crack! In response to the power released from the metal sphere, a peach tree, placed in front of the fusion machine, started to grow rapidly. The process itself was very mechanical, but what was created was the purest form and force of nature. ¡®Ether is the easiest to collect. The problem is that it deteriorates quickly and is difficult to manage after collection.¡¯ Yongno was currently researching the basic units of energy. From DIO¡¯s library, Merlin collected all the information related to energy science and built a huge underground research facility to experiment with all the processes that he couldn¡¯t reproduce in his head. Even though there was a mountain of other work to do, Merlin initiated the research because of an idea that popped into his head when he created his newest No Living World planets, Jupiter and Saturn. ¡®But I still don¡¯t get it. This would be a whole lot easier if I knew which direction to take.¡¯ Merlin had made Mercury, Venus, and Earth relatively easily. Of course, if the countless practitioners who had practiced the Golden Pill Immortal Technique heard him, they¡¯d lose their minds and never find their sanity again, but at least, from Yongno¡¯s point of view, the creation of those three planets wasn¡¯t that complex. However, even Merlin had to use the amplification created by the repulsion between his magic power and internal energy to create Mars, as it was impossible to expand the number of his planets by using the existing Golden Pill Immortal Technique method. And since it was impossible to establish Jupiter solely with his own power, Merlin had utilized the Gold Dragon¡¯s Chintamani Stone. Since the Chintamani Stone, which Merlin first thought was a copy, was genuine, Merlin was able to create Saturn on top of Jupiter, a result that exceeded his expectations. ¡®However, I can¡¯t utilize outside sources of energy anymore to create additional planets. Unless I absorb dozens or hundreds of dragon hearts, it¡¯ll be virtually impossible to create Uranus through energy concentration. No matter how strong I¡¯ve become, it¡¯ll be impossible to concentrate and retain such an absurd level of energy, too.¡¯ Merlin¡¯s creation of Uranus seemed impossible. It seemed like there was absolutely no way to reach another breakthrough. In fact, even the spiritual mechanism currently operating in [Merlin]¡¯s body was an achievement that was revolutionary; the novel mechanism was revolutionary enough to rewrite the traditional understanding of spiritual foundations and structures that was practiced and understood throughout the entire universe. Hence, what more was there to say about the improbability of creating Uranus? However¡­ nonetheless¡­ Yongno tried various ideas and constantly experimented. And in the process of trying and testing many different ideas¡­ At one point, he suddenly remembered what Leighann, the great mage who resided in the Magic Tower of Babel, the Holy Land for all mages in DIO, once said. ¡°One doesn¡¯t have to be a user of internal energy to use internal energy. Neither internal energy nor magic power are the smallest units in the world.¡± ¡°The smallest unit in the universe¡­ what is it?¡± ¡°Force, Essence, and Ether.¡± For those who believed that the smallest unit of energy in the universe was mana, and that all other spiritual powers were different forms and types of how mana was expressed, Leighann¡¯s explanation went against this common sense. However, when Yongno had heard Leighann¡¯s explanation, he felt that, amongst the transcendents, Leighann¡¯s explanation and understanding of energy was probably closer to the truth. ¡®In the end, it¡¯s all a matter of proportion. Internal energy, mana, and chakra all use different ratios of energy. Even if the creation process is completely different, in the end, they¡¯re all based on mana.¡¯ Yongno had already figured out the composition of his internal energy and magic power. In the case of his internal energy, the ratio of Force, Essence, and Ether was 1:4.5:3, and in the case of his magic power, it was 1:3.5:5. Though Yongno didn¡¯t go further and check the ratios of the other spiritual powers, he was fairly certain that life force would have a higher proportion of Force while aura power would have a higher proportion of Essence. ¡®In other words, if one can properly handle and work with Force, Essence, and Ether, which are the basic energies that compose mana, then a mage can use internal energy and a chakra user can use life force. And if that¡¯s the case¡­¡¯ Merlin mumbled as he started reviewing the simulations in his head. Originally, these types of simulations required entering various variables into a supercomputer and processing a tremendous amount of information and calculations, but Merlin was able to do these simulations in his head, check what experiments needed to be done in reality, and quickly produce results. However¡­ The results that came out were completely unexpected. The mana in the controlled space began to explosively amplify. ¡°Eh? What¡¯s going on? Wait, no way¡­¡± Viagra was originally developed as a cardiovascular dilator, but as a side effect, the drug stimulated an important organ. That unexpected side effect caused Viagra to immediately become a superstar drug in the pharmaceutical world. Similarly¡­ Yongno saw a completely different possibility while studying Force, Ether, and Essence to get a clue on how to further develop planets in his No Living World. Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡®Wait, I obviously see the results, but I thought it wasn¡¯t something that could be done unless one was already in the transcendence realm¡­¡¯ Though a variety of questions popped into Yongno¡¯s mind, he didn¡¯t waste any time pondering these questions. ¡°I should start experimenting.¡± ¡°Though I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re planning to experiment¡­¡± Suddenly, a new voice intervened. ¡°¡­ It would be nice if you could put off that experiment for a moment.¡± When Yongno turned his head to check who the speaker was, Yongno saw a man with a pale complexion standing and staring back at him. The man with the pale complexion exuded a nonchalant attitude, as if he had been standing there from the beginning, and he didn¡¯t give off any aura. The man possessed a well-proportioned body and was over 2 meters tall. He gave off an air of an undertaker who was calmly standing in front of a hearse. ¡°Ah¡­ you came. I thought you¡¯d come.¡± Even though it was a surprise appearance, Yongno sighed and dusted himself off as he got up. At that natural demeanor, the pale-faced man, who wore leather shoes, a black hat, and a cape grinned. ¡°What a strange human being. There aren¡¯t many beings who can look at me so calmly.¡± The man had the appearance that would commonly conjure up the image of a [Grim Reaper]. He had immaculate skin, as if he had put on makeup, and was currently looking down at Yongno with an upright posture. Since the time of day was dusk, the time right before the sun would rise, the overwhelming ominous visual would have made an ordinary person¡¯s heart flutter. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s unexpected. I thought the Shinigami I met before would appear.¡± ¡°Shinigami? Ah, you mean the Executors of Union Law. Based on the Executors active these days, I¡¯d say you¡¯re referring to Ternov, but unfortunately, he doesn¡¯t really possess sensibility, so he isn¡¯t used in negotiations.¡± As if the man had no thought of sitting down for a chat, the man remained standing as he reached inside his robe and took out a book. It didn¡¯t seem like an ordinary book, as it emanated a considerable amount of aura. However, nothing within that book was readable. ¡°So, you¡¯ve come in regard to the dead people?¡± When Tan, who ¡®was¡¯ the main operator of DIO, tried to move DIO to another solar system after forcefully logging in the majority of earthlings onto DIO, the number of casualties and damage inflicted on Earth from his abrupt action was immense. The casualties numbered in the billions, not millions, so there was no need to say more. But even so¡­ Earth was currently much noisier and more clamorous about another incident than the vast casualty damage from that forced log in. ¡°Of course. In fact, we¡¯re kind of at a loss on how to proceed with this situation ourselves. It¡¯s become even more difficult and murky because those damn dragons are playing dumb. Moreover, it¡¯s extremely rare for beings like us, who belong to the Reaper Organization, to come face-to-face with living beings in the material world.¡± A large number of people died in the mass forced log in incident. This was a fact. But at the same time¡­ those people didn¡¯t truly die. ¡°Yeah, I can see how it¡¯s a mess. It¡¯s been a bit hard for many people to accept that one could die in reality but still be alive in DIO.¡± People who experienced their own deaths in real life realized that they existed in DIO, and those who didn¡¯t die also realized this fact. CH 271 The act of moving a mass amount of a planet¡¯s souls was a strange phenomenon, unprecedented in human history; however, based on Tan¡¯s motive, this phenomenon was an eventuality. The Noblesse, no, to be more specific, Tan, didn¡¯t necessarily want the physical death of earthlings; he wanted their [souls]. Since earthlings were born and grew up on a planet where there were no spiritual pathways, this absence of spiritual pathways gave rise to abnormal spiritual qualities in earthling¡¯s souls. If Tan¡¯s plan had worked¡­ DIO, which was installed on the moon¡¯s surface, would have been moved to one of the planets managed by the Noblesse, and with it, the souls of billions of earthlings. Of course, these users¡¯ physical bodies on Earth would perish, but this didn¡¯t matter to Tan, as he only desired their unique souls. ¡°But that goes against providence.¡± As a Grim Reaper, Myung stated the existence of souls in the material world, even though their physical bodies no longer existed in the material world, was a sensitive issue for the Reaper Organization, the largest and greatest force in the Nether world. The Nether world did not intervene in most aspects of humans¡¯ lives, but it had strict rules in place, to the point of paranoia, when it came to those humans¡¯ deaths. ¡°So, what decision has the Nether world made? Are you planning on taking all the souls in DIO whose physical bodies have died on Earth?¡± ¡°In principle, that¡¯s what we should do, however¡­ phew.¡± Myung sighed deeply. Just as Yongno said, Myung would have liked to resolve the problem neatly by guiding all the souls to the afterlife the moment their physical bodies perished after Tan¡¯s intervention. Of course, that would result in countless casualties, but that wasn¡¯t Myung¡¯s fault. However, if the Nether world, to be exact, the Reaper Organization, was able to operate so freely, Tan wouldn¡¯t have dared to make the choice to kidnap human souls to begin with. The Nether world was powerful, but because it was so powerful, it was bound by various restrictive rules, so it couldn¡¯t move freely in the material world. If the Nether world was less restricted, Necromancer-type abilities and schools of thought would no longer exist in the material world. ¡°In general, a planet¡¯s deity tends to reject extraterrestrial interference until the planet¡¯s inhabitants develop abilities, their civilization blooms, and advances into space. This is even more so the case for Earth, which was blessed by Syndroia. Even the slightest violation of the rules will cause the Earth¡¯s deity to become hysterical, like an old maid who¡¯s lived alone for 300 million years.¡± ¡°A planet deity and Syndroia¡­¡± A planet¡¯s deity referred to Earth¡¯s main God, and Syndroia referred to the being that coordinated the Great Dimension. These were titles that Yongno was already aware of. Information regarding [Genesis], or the creation of the world, and basic information about gods were readily available in DIO¡¯s library. From the start, the Noblesse didn¡¯t hide any information about the Great Dimension and [external forces] from the users. Case in point, the introductory video, the one every user watched when they first logged onto DIO, showed Level 50 gods. ¡®Well, since they tried to use users as guerrilla warfare soldiers, special agents, and even spies against the Union¡¯s enemy forces spread throughout the universe, I guess it¡¯s natural that they wouldn¡¯t hide anything regarding the wider Great Dimension. If users are too ignorant about the wider universe, it would be difficult for users to become effective workers.¡¯ The ultimate purpose of DIO was to mass-produce powerful users, and in addition, the Noblesse would use these mass-produced users in [Missions] for their own purposes. Therefore, it was dangerous in many ways to falsely explain the structure of the universe to users. With their main bodies on Earth, users could be sent out to dozens of galaxies within the Noblesse warp systems¡¯ [range of control] that the Noblesse had installed in DIO. The Noblesse would suffer considerable losses if users were deceived, from a lack of understanding about the universe, by the Union¡¯s enemies while performing their missions. ¡°By the way, is a planet¡¯s deity really that powerful? If it¡¯s the Nether world, you must have a lot of god-level beings, no?¡± ¡°On a planet with a developed civilization, like Earth, the planet¡¯s deity is at least a higher-ranking god. In addition, from birth, a planet¡¯s deity is protected by the Godly World, so no one would be foolish enough to contend against a planet¡¯s deity.¡± Myung calmly explained the situation to Yongno. From Yongno¡¯s perspective, Myung seemed to be overtly kind and understanding. ¡®Unless this guy¡¯s personality is innately pure and good, it seems the situation in the Nether world is more dire than I originally thought.¡¯ Igniz, who broke into DIO, was killed by Merlin, and as a result, all of Tan¡¯s plans were fundamentally thwarted. In addition, it was not an exaggeration to say that, since Merlin acquired the right to control DIO¡¯s system, Merlin became DIO¡¯s main operator and administrator. Actually, to be precise, Merlin was the sole operator of DIO. Merlin defeated Igniz and memorialized the day as Independence Day. One may think that such a grandiose term was being misused, but this was not the case. Due to the enormous losses that were recently suffered, many earthlings didn¡¯t yet realize that they¡¯d become completely freed from the interference of extraterrestrial beings; hence, they had truly gained independence. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to Tan?¡± ¡°Public opinion is against him¡­ it¡¯s to the point that Tan might be dropped from the Noblesse Senate. Since the Nether world has also filed a complaint to the Union regarding Tan, it¡¯ll be difficult for the Noblesse to turn a blind eye and try to bury the issue.¡± Tan¡¯s liberation of Igniz, who had previously violated Union Law and who was officially seen as a serious criminal, placed a great political burden on Tan. Even though Tan had the stature as an elder of the Noblesse, Tan couldn¡¯t completely hide his despicable actions, which took advantage of the shady loopholes within Union Law. If he had succeeded, Tan might have gotten away with his shady acts, but since he failed, Tan¡¯s options were greatly limited. In other words, Tan could no longer act or move carelessly. ¡°Well, anyway, that¡¯s not important right now. Let¡¯s go back to the main issue,¡± Myung stated. ¡°You mean the people in DIO?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Many people died in the mass forced log in incident. The problem was that only their physical [bodies] were dead. Those who died in the large-scale forced login incident were still alive in DIO, even though their real bodies had perished on Earth, were buried, and given funerals. This lack of a physical body was a [natural] result for most beings who had their souls stored in DIO. DIO NPCs were a prime example. However, the current situation shocked and confused many earthlings, who didn¡¯t even know the existence of souls, let alone information about soul transferring and storage. ¡°So, what will happen to those people?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you already know the answer to that.¡± Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Myung¡¯s voice was calm, but the underlying meaning contained in his words was by no means light. In short, Myung was telling Yongno that he wanted Yongno to use DIO¡¯s management system to log out the souls from DIO. ¡°You¡¯re asking me to kill hundreds of millions of people?¡± Of course, as DIO¡¯s main operator, it was a simple task for Yongno to log out the users. It was even possible to shut down the server itself and kick out all users from DIO, so logging out a few hundred million or so users wasn¡¯t too big a task. However, if the souls of these specific users, whose physical bodies had already died in the real world, were sent back to Earth, their souls would all be transferred to the Nether world. It was extremely rare for a bodiless soul to remain on Earth. ¡°Why should I commit such a massacre?¡± ¡°Because it is in line with providence and the status quo.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Yongno laughed heartily. Of course, Yongno knew that the Grim Reaper in front of him was strong enough to kill him a hundred times over, but at the same time, Yongno knew that Myung would never be able to do that. If beings from the Nether world were able to act freely in that way, there would be no reason for Myung to show up and explain the situation so kindly and in detail to Yongno. If one had overwhelming power and moral superiority, why would one have to explain oneself to another? It would be enough to just enforce the rule. ¡°Are you saying that you¡¯ll go against providence and rules of the Nether world?¡± Myung had been smiling kindly, but soon, Myung¡¯s expression hardened, and his voice became cold; along with his chilling voice, the surrounding space seemed to freeze. Even Yongno, who had been preparing for Myung¡¯s change in mood, felt short of breath. ¡®Wow, amazing. His level is beyond the early 20¡¯s¡­ perhaps it¡¯s the latter half of the 20¡¯s? No, maybe Myung¡¯s already a mid-rank god (Level 30)?¡¯ As Myung revealed his momentum and aura, Yongno felt a power that even the Grand Masters residing in DIO wouldn¡¯t be able to contend against. If Yongno had to define the power level based on his experiences¡­ ¡®Perhaps¡­ the Emperor Rank?¡¯ Myung didn¡¯t launch a direct attack or mental suppression move, but a sense of fear washed over Yongno. If Myung really had the intent to kill and released his true power, Yongno might die from just Myung¡¯s stare. Considering that high-ranking beings rarely exerted their powers in the material world, Myung¡¯s show of force didn¡¯t seem to reveal his dominance over a single planet but over the greater universe. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± But even so, Yongno wasn¡¯t intimidated. There was no reason for Yongno to feel intimidated just because the opponent was strong. In the end, weren¡¯t beings like Myung restricted from freely operating in the material world? ¡°¡­ Ugh, you¡¯re driving me nuts.¡± Myung let out a deep sigh after seeing Yongno¡¯s stiff attitude and listening to his response. Violating the laws of the Nether world was an unforgivable act, but strictly speaking, those who violated the laws were the Noblesse, not Yongno. Moreover, since Yongno was a natural citizen of Earth, as he was a human being born on Earth, the Nether world couldn¡¯t really enforce any punishments upon Yongno. CH 272 The Reaper Organization and the Nether world couldn¡¯t even interfere with a magic-wielding DIO necromancer user, a being that was closest in principle with the beings of the Nether world. In other words, their hands were tied when it came to Yongno. Myung possessed enormous power and authority as one of the head figures of the Reaper Organization, but just as the police on Earth couldn¡¯t arrest ordinary citizens without cause, Myung also couldn¡¯t punish or interfere with Yongno without good reason. On Earth, corrupt police officers or prosecutors may take advantage of gaps in the law or even go against the law outright, but the beings of the Nether world strictly adhered to their rules and regulations, and if they were to ever waver from their clearly marked paths, they¡¯d instantly be hell-bound. Myung was a Nether world being with great mental powers and an almost infinite lifespan, but he would rather die and enter the Samsa-ra system, the reincarnation system, than spend a thousand years in hell. ¡°Fine. Then let¡¯s negotiate and come to an agreement.¡± ¡°Negotiate over hundreds of millions of souls? I need to continue living on Earth, so I don¡¯t really want to make any drastic decisions that¡¯ll jeopardize my life and social standing on Earth.¡± Of course, Yongno wasn¡¯t an angel who would sacrifice himself for others, but since they were talking about hundreds of millions of souls, Yongno had no choice but to be a bit more pensive. Of course, they were talking about souls whose bodies had already perished, with only their souls remaining in DIO, but still, Yongno was reluctant to be the one who decided to send hundreds of millions of human souls to the Nether world. ¡°Hey, do you want to go to hell when you die?¡± Surprised by Myung¡¯s sudden question, Yongno asked, ¡°Do you have the authority to do that?¡± ¡°Of course¡­ I don¡¯t.¡± Seeing Myung shaking his head, Yongno couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡®What is up with this guy? Is he just naive, or is there something that prohibits him from lying?¡¯ If a being from the Nether world threatened someone that they¡¯d be hell-bound after death, even the most steel-hearted beings would feel a momentary sense of loss. Death was something no one could escape. However, instead of telling lies or threatening Yongno, Myung was trying to negotiate with him. In one sense, this was a very fortunate situation for Yongno. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Yongno offered a proposal that he had thought of beforehand. ¡°Well, why don¡¯t we do this¡­¡± *** In the international conference hall, hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, influential people from all over the world were gathered. Presidents and famous politicians, as well as the CEOs of large corporations, the heads of major media outlets, and oil conglomerates, in other words, virtually anyone who had a profound impact on the world, were gathered in the conference hall. They were currently socializing in groups of two or three with drinks in hand. It was a conference spearheaded by Merlin, who officially bore the title of [Great Mage]. The meeting was ultra-exclusive; only three politicians in Korea, including the president, were allowed to attend. Only the invited individual and a few entourage personnel were allowed within the conference hall, but even so, the conference hall was filled to the brim, which exemplified just how important it was for anyone invited to be at this meeting. ¡°Oh my, is that¡­¡± ¡°Oh my goodness¡­ I guess, by this point, it¡¯d be more accurate to state that he¡¯s no longer human.¡± ¡°I heard offhand that he had reached a god-like realm¡­¡± However, there was a sole figure whose presence alone overwhelmed the place, even amongst the collection of prominent people. With a perfect body ratio of 8.5:1 head to body ratio, Seyoung, with his eyes closed, was seated at his reserved table wearing a vibrantly white tuxedo, which seemed to be completely free of even a speck of dust. The politicians who were determined to make a connection with him at this conference, and even the representatives of media outlets who vowed to interview him no matter what it took, didn¡¯t dare approach Seyoung. The presence and intimidation he radiated were so intense that even the foolhardiest of people wouldn¡¯t be able to muster the courage to approach him. We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. ¡°Would you like to have your meal served, Mr. Seyoung?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood to eat anything. Just bring me a drink.¡± Behind Seyoung, the knight of light, who dominated the surrounding, stood Sanae Ayase, a beautiful woman of mixed Slavic and Asian descent, with a tall, well-trained, slender yet voluptuous body. She preferred wearing revealing clothes, but currently, she wore an all-black conservative woman¡¯s suit. Of course, even with this getup, she couldn¡¯t completely cover her voluptuous chest and her beautiful legs, which were exposed under the hem of her skirt, but unlike her usual playful self, she exuded a much more intellectual and sophisticated flair. ¡°Who is that woman?¡± Eunhye asked Yongno. ¡°That¡¯s Sanae Ayase. She may look like a large chested anime character, but she¡¯s one of Japan¡¯s top-class diplomats, and she¡¯s fluent in seven different languages. She¡¯s Level 13, and after the Japanese crisis, she started following Seyoung and claims to be his personal secretary. Her total devotion to Arthur is to the extent that she¡¯s reviled for being a traitor by her own countrymen. Perhaps she¡¯s doing all that to apologize for the whole of Japan. That may be her intention¡­¡± Muttering this last line under his breath, Yongno walked towards Seyoung. Seyoung, who was lightly sipping on his drink, raised his head. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been a while, Seyoung hyung. The atmosphere around you has changed considerably since the last time I saw you.¡± Hearing Yongno¡¯s words, Seyoung sighed and chuckled. It was a chuckle filled with many heavy thoughts and feelings. ¡°Well, a lot of things have happened since we last saw each other¡­¡± As the two began to talk, the conference hall stirred. Yongno had moved toward Seyoung while concealing his location, and this location concealment was only unraveled once he started talking to Seyoung. ¡°Wait¡­ He¡¯s the great mage¡­ when did he arrive at Seyoung¡¯s table?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been on the lookout for him, but I didn¡¯t even see him enter the conference hall. Also, how come the detection system didn¡¯t detect his presence?¡± Everyone was in a state of confusion. Even the Master location detector, provided by the Noblesse, couldn¡¯t properly locate or detect Yongno beforehand. In other words, this meant that Yongno could infiltrate any place in the world and kill anyone. ¡®However, those gathered here probably wouldn¡¯t have tried to track my location or oppose me. They all know what happened in Seyoung¡¯s case.¡± Arthur, who was able to photonize his body and circle the Earth seven times in a single second, was a catastrophe-like existence who could defeat and collapse any national superpower single-handedly. Of course, unlike Merlin, Arthur couldn¡¯t avoid being detected by the Master location detector, but he was capable of flying to the other side of the Earth in less than a second, so he could kill anyone in the blink of an eye, or less time than it took to recognize his location. Since people were familiar with Arthur¡¯s power, they didn¡¯t dare challenge Yongno. If someone stated that ¡®A great mage is too powerful! He must be regulated!¡¯ then one would naturally say, ¡®What about the knight of light? Shouldn¡¯t he be dealt with first?¡¯. No one could contain or regulate the knight of light, so it didn¡¯t make any sense to even attempt to contain a great mage. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s an honor to meet the famous great mage.¡± ¡°Ah, Seyoung hyung, don¡¯t say stuff like that. I¡¯m already embarrassed about all the attention and that stupid title.¡± Of course, Yongno was not a great mage. He defeated two beings who were in the transcendence realm, but that feat was only possible under very special circumstances. Yongno himself couldn¡¯t guarantee that he¡¯d be able to eventually enter the transcendence realm. Having reached the end of Level 19, Yongno felt that he¡¯d hit a [limit] more than a [wall]. Even Yongno, a genius amongst geniuses throughout the universe, was having a hard time breaking through. ¡°Anyway, why did you call me? I already know that you¡¯re in control of DIO.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ you already knew? Well, since I have it, I should use it, and unless I want everything for myself, I need to work with the various nation states throughout the world.¡± ¡°Okay. So, why did you call me?¡± Hearing Seyoung¡¯s words, Yongno laughed. ¡°This isn¡¯t a joke, and I never thought I¡¯d say something like this¡­ but¡­ in order to protect Earth and humanity, I need your strength and cooperation.¡± ¡°For the sake of Earth and humankind you say¡­ and you need my help? The help of a slaughterer?¡± Arthur gave a self-deprecating smile and took a sip of his drink. His remarkable perceptive powers and sense had already picked up on the various complaints that were directed at him. - He¡¯s a slaughterer and must be held accountable for his devious actions! No matter how many people he saved and how much he contributed to the safety of humankind, he shouldn¡¯t be above the law! There were many people, not just Japanese, who had this opinion of Arthur. Human rights activists, eminent scholars, politicians, entertainers, etc.¡­ On the whole, what they said made logical sense. This was because, according to existing morality, customs, rules, and laws, even if someone has accomplished a tremendous feat, if he or she murdered another human being, and more so if he or she murdered many people, he or she shouldn¡¯t be forgiven and must be held accountable. Unless the killing of another was done during war time or if it was hidden from the law or people, one must stand trial for committing such a heinous offense against another. However, this logical argument collapsed upon itself with two simple words. ¡®Who¡¯ and ¡®How¡¯. The statement that everyone should be equal before the law was nothing more than fantastical idealism. To begin with, apart from right and wrong, who would dare to put handcuffs on Arthur? The police? The army? Even the great powers were in a rush to appease him, let alone try and condemn him. ¡®I should probably be grateful to Seyoung. Even though I¡¯m not a transcendent, everyone is wary of me because of what he did.¡¯ Although Yongno was called the [Great Mage], it was just a nickname given to him because of the premium of being the strongest mage user, [Merlin], on Earth. Even the general public, as well as all Master level users, knew that Merlin wasn¡¯t a transcendent. However, from the standpoint of the heads of state, including those of the most powerful countries, Yongno wasn¡¯t a being who could be suppressed or leashed. Commonly, Arthur, Merlin, and Cruze were collectively referred to as the Heaven above the Heavens. In other words, the general public saw these three as being on [the same level]. For ordinary people who do not realize the steep wall that one must overcome to be a transcendent, it was impossible to guess when Merlin or Cruze would reach the transcendent realm. If anyone tried to bully or control them now, and if the two suddenly crossed the barrier of transcendence, wouldn¡¯t they harbor malice against those who tried to bully or control them? CH 273 Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡®Seyoung is that case.¡¯ Most countries, including the United States, adhered to the policy of absolute appeasement towards the Heaven above the Heavens because no one wanted to [become] the second Japan. Of course, even if that wasn¡¯t the case, Yongno had already become an untouchable existence the moment he acquired the authorization to operate DIO. ¡°Come to think of it, what is Cruze doing these days? Strangely enough, I haven¡¯t heard any news about her,¡± Seyoung said while quenching his thirst with the drink prepared on the table. Though he spoke at a normal volume, none of the others seated around him could hear what he was saying. Seyoung¡¯s words only reached Yongno¡¯s ears. ¡®He¡¯s utilizing some sort of polyphonic communication. Is it a modified version of speech using internal energy?¡¯ After checking the pattern of Seyoung¡¯s internal energy polyphonic speech to possibly utilize it later on, Yongno answered, ¡°She¡¯s been doing what she¡¯s always been doing. She has potential and remarkable skills, but she¡¯s not very interested in developing that potential through training and hard work. It¡¯s as if¡­¡± ¡°As if?¡± ¡°I guess you could say she¡¯s more like a normal person.¡± Cruze, like Yongno and Seyoung, was an Irregular, but her temperament was extremely ordinary. Her talents were so great that she had reached a level of excellence even with such a temperament, but in the end, she couldn¡¯t develop any further. No matter how much talent a person had¡­ their talent wouldn¡¯t naturally grow and bloom without effort and hard work. A goal [line] wasn¡¯t always readily present and observable, but to cross that invisible [line], a person had to work extremely hard or be so interested and infatuated with the process that they continued pursuing it even when they faced a barrier. ¡®But Cruze doesn¡¯t have that interest, so she¡¯s just like a normal person.¡¯ Eunhye, a black-haired beauty who wore a men¡¯s suit that had a snug fit around her body like a bodyguard or secretary¡¯s uniform, laughed inwardly after hearing the exchange between the two geniuses. Many socially and economically successful people often gave lectures and life-changing advice. These people had overcome hardships and adversity and lived comparatively successful lives, so their words of advice were like gold. Nevertheless, not everyone would change after hearing such wise words. In the first place, what these socially and economically successful people stated in their lectures was not a great secret. Upon reflection, one would say that their words of advice were [natural] universal principles, which everyone already knew. The only difference was in the degree of application. In other words, anyone could become a better existence if they tried. Even a student with a low IQ could go to the university they wanted if they studied every day with such firm determination and belief that they would die otherwise. Moreover, anyone could succeed in a diet if they desperately exercised and controlled their food intake. Hence, these words of advice that successful people gave were usually [normal] principles everyone understood and lived by unless they suffered from illness or a disability that prevented them from practicing these principles. Likewise, if a person found something that they really liked and enjoyed, they could produce results that surpassed their talent. Even if they hit the limit of their talent and faced a barrier in their growth, they would be able to keep going if they derived pleasure in the work itself. This would in turn present them with opportunities for further growth in the future. However, most people didn¡¯t derive pleasure from their work. Regardless of talent or constitution, most people were just normal human beings. ¡°You¡¯re saying her talent is extraordinary, but her willpower is not extraordinary?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to see it as just a matter of willpower. To be honest, I don¡¯t have much willpower either.¡± It was difficult to say that Yongno¡¯s willpower was at the same outstanding level that could often be seen only when he went on adventures or when he conducted research. Perhaps one might say that Yongno¡¯s willpower was just a bit above average. Merlin had never lived a firmly structured life revolving around focused training for even a week, and he had never endured the pain that came with such a rigorous program. Whenever he came up with a new idea, he conducted experiments, proved various hypotheses, and tried new things. ¡°Hmm, that makes sense. It isn¡¯t easy to find a job one loves¡­ Huh?¡± Seyoung, who had been muttering quietly, suddenly stopped. This was because a fox with soft silvery fur had stood up on the table. ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t I tell you to stay home?¡± ¡°Hmpf. You were planning on having all this fun without me, eh? I¡¯ve already learned to speak Korean fluently, and I¡¯ve learned how to use magic power in this place as well.¡± Miho wagged her six tails. She was the seed of conflict that Tan, the previous top operator of DIO, had sown to make Arthur and Merlin, who were the top two DIO users, fight against each other¡­ Despite that, Tan¡¯s conspiracy fell apart when Merlin completed the Editor Blade and seized DIO¡¯s operating rights, so Miho was now just another being living in reality. ¡°What is this? A six-tailed fox? It doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯s a summoned being, but how can she be here?¡± ¡°She¡¯s able to be here because of a deal I made with Tan.¡± It was a general and simple statement, but Seyoung roughly guessed the situation. Seyoung too had seen how Tan cured his mother¡¯s incurable disease after striking a deal with him. ¡°I see. Be careful. It¡¯s a little funny for me to say this of all people, but¡­ people like Tan don¡¯t give things out without expecting something back in return.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Although Yongno had only been thinking of reviving Miho in DIO, he had still been suspicious of the fact that Tan sent Miho into reality, which could only be done through a very complicated process. Since Yongno was now the top operator of DIO, he understood just how laborious and complex it was to obtain a permanent body for a DIO NPC so that the NPC could exist in reality. Even with their vast resources, the Noblesse couldn¡¯t have found it easy to do. ¡°Yongno, it¡¯s time.¡± ¡°Alright. I should start getting ready. Well, actually, I¡¯m not sure if this can be considered a meeting. Oh, Seyoung hyung, just follow my lead and support me, yeah?¡± ¡°What are you planning to do?¡± ¡°Well, simply¡­¡± Yongno smiled and stood up from his seat. Feeling the eyes of various influential people, including the presidents of each country, focus on him, Yongno said aloud, ¡°A large-scale system patch.¡± After that, he made his way to the podium. There was a large screen and several chairs and tables that he needed to maneuver around to get to the podium, but Yongno cleared these obstructions in an instant. Rather than a gathering, the conference room soon felt like it had become a lecture hall. ¡°Nice to meet you all. My name is Yoon Yongno.¡± As he said this, Yongno raised his right hand. Bam! When Yongno clicked his middle finger against his thumb, a strange wave spread out, and people started exclaiming: ¡°Huh?!¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± With a calm expression, Merlin continued, ¡°As stated beforehand, it is forbidden to record today¡¯s meeting. There are a few things I¡¯ll say today that¡¯ll create quite the stir if word gets out.¡± The people in attendance realized that Yongno had just destroyed all the recorders and cameras that had been secretly placed throughout the conference hall. Yongno had rendered all those devices useless with a single snap of his fingers, which was why the attendees had groaned and exclaimed aloud. ¡®He¡¯s using magic openly.¡¯ ¡®So, the reports about Yongno being able to use supernatural abilities without manifesting are true.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ve also heard that he knows of some way to allow people around him to be able to use their superpowers without manifesting.¡¯ The gazes of the heads of state, who had already heard about and knew of Yongno¡¯s ability to use his powers on Earth, became even more serious while looking at Yongno. They noticed that Yongno, who usually didn¡¯t care about others, was going to explain something important. The act of destroying the tape recorders and cameras gave support to this line of thinking. ¡°Hmm. There¡¯s a lot to explain¡­ For starters, let me start with something light,¡± Yongno said. It wasn¡¯t necessary for Yongno to use the large screen behind him. He simply continued to speak with everyone¡¯s eyes on him. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of creating an organization for the mass production of talented people.¡± ¡°A talent development program¡­ I don¡¯t think you¡¯re talking about Masters.¡± The one who spoke aloud had a face that Yongno was familiar with. The speaker wore a suit that clung to his well-trained body, and his light brown hair was neatly swept back. He was Christian Michael Bay¡ªthe eldest son of the chairman of Mega Giant, a huge movie and broadcasting company, and now a member of the U.S. Congress. With his enormous wealth, Christian Michael Bay¡ªwho had the DIO ID Bruce Wayne¡ªwas Merlin¡¯s main customer in DIO, and because of their constant engagement, the two had built a considerable friendship. Since Christian had spent over tens of billions of won in purchasing so many of Merlin¡¯s reinforced items, it would be weird if the two didn¡¯t know each other. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to develop Masters that match those in the DIO system. The DIO system¡¯s development structure is much too well organized to compete against.¡± That wasn¡¯t all. The best physical body for development was provided by the DIO system for all users, and more than tens of thousands of complete books and aids, which were hard to find even in the entire universe, were provided in DIO¡¯s libraries. Moreover, the system was structured in a gamified way to guarantee motivation and fun, so the learning effect over time was beyond one¡¯s imagination. ¡°Are you saying there¡¯s a way to activate Earth¡¯s barren spiritual pathways?¡± At Christian¡¯s words, Yongno gave a small exclamation, ¡°Oho. Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± In truth, no one denied the existence of supernatural powers. To try and sustain the status quo, a few religious organizations had made absurd claims and had gone as far as to issue public joint statements against the existence of supernatural powers. Nonetheless, Masters openly manifested in reality and used their magic and other spiritual powers, so there was no way the public would believe such absurd religious claims. No matter how unrealistic magic power and martial arts might seem, there were many people who were using such powers right in front of the public¡¯s eyes. Since this was the case, they could understand why they were unable to become Masters, but why was it that earthlings were unable to use superpowers at all? There were many ¡®normal¡¯ people who had this question. This was an obvious line of thought. Why weren¡¯t there people with supernatural abilities born on Earth? CH 274 ¡°Don¡¯t be so surprised. This is a widely debated and theorized idea among scholars and Masters. Most of you here probably know it too. Having said that, most of you have probably already guessed it. Officially, starting from tomorrow¡ªthat is, from December 15th¡ªI plan to start selling artificial spiritual pathways to the public.¡± At Yongno¡¯s words, the entire conference hall started to stir. The man who came as the Chinese president¡¯s representative asked, ¡°Does that mean that real humans can become superpowered people without time constraints?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be hard for people to become Masters, or high-level beings for that matter, even with the artificial spiritual pathway, but the artificial spiritual pathway will allow anyone to develop into Level 2 beings. However, there will be many difficulties in their growth and development since these are, after all, artificial spiritual pathways.¡± ¡°You mentioned that they¡¯ll be up for purchase, so the price¡­¡± ¡°Also, the available inventory¡­¡± Questions started popping up here and there inside the conference hall. It was a strange sight to behold, considering the lofty social position and power of those gathered at the conference hall. Eunhye, who was standing behind Yongno like his personal bodyguard, gave a bitter smile. ¡®This isn¡¯t a meeting¡­ This is a press conference.¡¯ Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Of course, Yongno had called upon political leaders and official representatives of each country because he had many issues to discuss with them. Yet, the fact that they were excited like high school students who had just finished taking an exam meant that Yongno¡¯s message to them was sensational. ¡°A large-scale patch¡­¡± Seyoung, the knight of light sitting silently among the noisy and excited crowd members, muttered what Merlin said earlier. Seyoung knew that the world would face a period of great upheaval starting today. Various acts that were unimaginable just a few years ago and would have been ridiculed when mentioned in public were now going to become a reality. ¡°I have a question. Since Mr. Merlin took control over DIO¡­ is it possible to provide Gem Points to Masters for free?¡± Everyone hesitated after hearing Christian¡¯s poignant question, which pierced to the core of the matter for many of those in attendance. Taking everything into account, this question was a much more important issue for many attendees than the availability of artificial spiritual pathways. If Yongno could give people unlimited gem points, users could sustain manifestation infinitely on Earth. These manifested users would be able to wield a powerful force that couldn¡¯t be compared to those using artificial spiritual pathways, who¡¯d be restricted to Level 1-2. However, Yongno shook his head with a regretful expression. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, but it¡¯s impossible. It takes money.¡± ¡°Money? No matter how high the price is, if we all join forces¡­¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m talking about Earth¡¯s currency?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Everyone was at a loss for what to say after hearing Yongno calmly speak about a different scale of currency. Even Christian stuttered at Yongno¡¯s unexpected remark. ¡°W-well, if it¡¯s not Earth¡¯s currency¡­¡± ¡°The Gem Point¡¯s original name is Gerult. It is the universe¡¯s currency.¡± Unlike the currency used on Earth, which existed as a form of credit, Gerult was a resource and a rare metal. If one had to make an analogy to something similar on Earth, Gerult could be seen as something close to gold, which enjoyed high liquidity in the marketplace. ¡°For a DIO user, who is largely made up of data, to manifest outside the system, Gem Points¡ªor Gerult¡ªare required. Though, the problem is that even though I hacked and took control of DIO¡­ I wasn¡¯t able to clean out the Noblesse¡¯s pockets.¡± Of course, DIO¡¯s mission system was still active, so one could complete [requests] and receive the [compensation for completing requests] like before, but Yongno and all earthlings for that matter were being shunned by the Noblesse, who were the backbone of the [Union] and essentially ruled over the entire universe. No matter how good the users were as mercenaries, there wouldn¡¯t be many organizations in the universe that would be prepared to turn their backs on the Noblesse and entrust the DIO system with their requests. ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°Right. From a cosmic point of view, our Earth is a beggar planet. We don¡¯t possess any Gerult¡­¡± Of course, if the Earth joined the Union and entered the Union¡¯s integrated trade network, it would gain economic power by selling its manpower and resources or at least make some income through tourism. However, the problem was that Earth was completely isolated from the outside world. Comparatively, Earth¡¯s civilization level was low, so the deity of Earth was strictly protecting Earth from external influences. Of course, without the Earth deity¡¯s protection, Earth could be plundered and destroyed if a cosmic pirate group of Stage 3 Civilization or higher were to enter. ¡°Well, that¡¯s where we¡¯re at with Gem Points¡­ Shall I continue with my talk?¡± Yongno said, clearing the heavy atmosphere. ¡°I am thinking of making a research city. Of course, there will be one in DIO and one in reality. Ultimately, I plan to produce and sell dozens of magic items through these research cities. However, to start, I¡¯m thinking of producing enchantment stones. I¡¯m also thinking of building a power plant. As to what kind of power plant, I¡¯m tentatively calling it a mass-eliminating power plant.¡± Every time Yongno announced more details of his planned ¡®update¡¯, the entire conference room bubbled with commotion. None of Yongno¡¯s words went unnoticed; every word he uttered led to something that would change the world as they knew it forever. Nevertheless, Yongno, who slowly unraveled his plans, took a light breath and continued, ¡°Well, that¡¯s the [official] story.¡± ¡°The official story?¡± ¡°Well, come to think of it¡­ everything I¡¯ve stated up to now can¡¯t really be kept secret.¡± People nodded their heads at Yongno¡¯s words. Each of the things Yongno stated would have a huge impact on the world; this was why they couldn¡¯t be kept secret. How could such miraculous changes and events, which were bound to have a tremendous impact on the world, remain secret? Those who recalled how Yongno destroyed all the tape recorders and cameras noticed that Yongno¡¯s announcements were far from over. ¡°What I am about to tell you now is top secret. Well, even though I say this, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll eventually leak out because there are so many prying ears and loose lips among us. But remember, if any of you spill the story, you will face a commensurate penalty.¡± As Yongno¡¯s calm eyes scanned the conference room, everyone in attendance became nervous, and the conference room soon fell completely silent. Yongno then said¡­ ¡°A grim reaper paid me a visit.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°What? A grim reaper?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± The tense air in the room seemed to deflate all at once. The commander-in-chief of each country, their deputies, and the various influential people who could move the world all looked at Yongno as if he had stated something totally absurd. ¡°Are you joking?¡± ¡°A grim reaper? C¡¯mon¡­¡± ¡°Are you talking about some religious figure? Like from heaven or hell?¡± Some of the attendees openly jeered after hearing such a fantastical claim, but Yongno didn¡¯t bat an eye at them. No, rather, Yongno chuckled as if he was having fun. ¡°Does it sound like I¡¯m joking? Even if I told you he came because he wanted to resolve the discrepancy of souls existing in DIO while their physical bodies are no longer on Earth? He wanted to take these souls to the Netherworld.¡± ¡°What¡­!?¡± ¡°Such¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s, ah, but¡­¡± Everyone started to panic. Earthlings who had died on Earth but still existed in DIO due to the large-scale forced log-in incident were essentially dead people. Funerals had already been conducted for these deceased, and society had been overturned due to the enormous shock and confusion of the existence of souls. Of course, not everyone thought that the souls of the dead were trapped inside DIO. There were also those who thought that NPCs, with information derived from living people, were created within DIO. However, right now, Yongno was saying that these existences were in fact the actual [souls] of the dead and that the [Netherworld] existed. ¡°Let me say it again. A grim reaper paid me a visit. He wanted to retrieve the souls trapped in DIO, so he made a [deal] with me.¡± Yongno continued his explanation, and the giants and titans of the world listened intently to his words. CH 275 If someone were asked a year ago to pick the most famous person in the world, several people would have been mentioned: the President of the United States, a world-renowned singer, a Hollywood movie star, and so on. However, if someone were asked now to pick the most famous person in the world, there would be only one answer: Arthur¡ªthe Knight of Light or also referred to as the Knight of Brilliance. Arthur had acquired divine status in a human body and eliminated the extraterrestrial threat to humankind, and he was the first user to step into the transcendent realm. Just a few weeks ago, hundreds of thousands of casualties occurred daily on Earth. It wasn¡¯t unusual to see a powerless country destroyed or a government collapse overnight, but Arthur solved this humankind crisis swiftly. This was all possible because Arthur removed the Dimension Terminal, which the Legion troops used as a summoning portal, and the Darkness, which was used by the Grotesque to infect human beings. The Legion nor the Grotesque had any bases within a ten-million-light-year radius of Earth¡¯s solar system, so the two forces could no longer inflict much harm on Earth and its inhabitants unless they reestablished a relay point to exert their power across the large expanse of space. ¡°In other words, you¡¯re a world-class hero. Above all, didn¡¯t you make a video of the entire process of saving Earth from Legion forces and air it in all the countries around the world?¡± The countries that had negotiated and contracted with Seyoung were not limited to just Korea; most countries around the world were now contracted with Seyoung. Even China, which largely excluded the participation of foreign heroes within its borders, Cuba, which was a dictatorship, and Iran, which was famous for its strict control of the media, had broadcasted Arthur¡¯s video and informed the public of Arthur¡¯s achievements. ¡°That¡¯s a very roundabout way to ask why I chose to go in such a direction,¡± Seyoung commented. ¡°Hahaha, was it that obvious?¡± Yongno good-naturedly replied. No one was around Yongno and Seyoung, who were currently smiling awkwardly. After the international conference meeting, the Knight of Light and the Great Mage began their own full-fledged conversation. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s natural to be curious. I¡¯m sure most people weren¡¯t really expecting any act of sympathy from me at the time.¡± ¡°Right. I would have understood if you had saved the Earth without anyone noticing¡­ No, more than that, it seemed a bit strange that you were still trying to save people after causing such an uproar in Japan. Moreover, it would have made sense to me if you took such action much later on, but you acted so soon¡­¡± Yongno turned his head and looked out the window. It had become winter. The world outside the window was slowly being covered in a white blanket as snow lightly fell and gathered on the ground. Seyoung had removed all the world¡¯s Dimension Terminals and Darkness, but he hadn¡¯t done that as a charity project. Additionally, there was a considerable time gap between those removals. This was because Seyoung had stated conditions in exchange for his services. Seyoung required that a country provide him with supranational authority, a considerable number of resources, and a concerted media effort at the national level to publicize his [heroic story]. In addition, Seyoung left the relay points in countries that didn¡¯t accept his offer. A country¡¯s citizens couldn¡¯t really be angry at their government when all countries faced attacks from the Legion and Grotesque. However, if it ever became known that tens of thousands of victims and immeasurable property damage were occurring daily because a country¡¯s government refused Arthur¡¯s proposal, the people¡¯s anger against their government would inevitably rise. Seyoung had accomplished the feat of removing the extraterrestrial crisis for humanity, but it was not an act that was done purely for heroism. Like the heroes in Hollywood movies who did not act or move for nothing, Seyoung had a clear purpose. The countries that contracted with him knew what the results would be if they agreed to his conditions, but in the end, they had no other choice but to listen to him. Even though he had destroyed all the relay points that were currently present¡­ this was just the first step. There was no guarantee that the Legion and Grotesque wouldn¡¯t recreate some or all of their relay points. The aliens¡¯ attack could start again at any time, so it was a huge burden for a country to not contract with Arthur, who could travel around the world at the speed of light and easily handle any safety concerns. ¡°¡­You even went as far as filming a video and broadcasting it¡­¡± After hearing Yongno¡¯s words, Seyoung laughed, ¡°Hahaha, yeah. I guess it does look strange and out of character for me, huh? Well, it was unavoidable.¡± In truth, Arthur¡¯s reasoning for why he instructed the countries to broadcast his video clip was obvious. It was to let the whole world know and imprint in every person¡¯s mind that Arthur had saved the Earth and humankind. The scariest yet most dumbfounding thing about all this was that Arthur had truly saved Earth and humanity; there wasn¡¯t even the slightest fabrication in detailing his actions. The result of Arthur¡¯s actions gained him adulation from the people of the world and brought about the deification of Arthur, the Knight of Light. Heroes with transcendent superpowers in Hollywood movies hid their identities for a reason. Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Unlike those with minor superpower abilities like Spider-Man or the X-Men, worldwide fame didn¡¯t just end with acquiring fame for those with mighty powers like Superman, who could overturn the world order alone. For a being with transcendent power, worldwide fame and respect became real power and currency. If Arthur wanted, he could even become a nation¡¯s president after naturalizing as a citizen of that country. All kidding aside, even experts predicted that if Arthur were to naturalize as a US citizen at this very moment, he would be able to become the president in record time without any issue. That wasn¡¯t all. If he were to create a religion, he would be seen as the second coming of Jesus, and people all over the world would worship him as a god. ¡°No matter how I think about it, I still can¡¯t quite understand.¡± If someone else other than Seyoung had done what he did, Yongno wouldn¡¯t have cared as much about the reason. It wouldn¡¯t have been difficult to understand regardless of whether it was for worldwide fame or power, which were things that everyone wanted. Nevertheless, Yongno would probably interpret that person¡¯s action as being too worldly. The Seyoung that Yongno knew was a man without much sympathy, especially after his mother¡¯s death. Before his mother¡¯s death, Seyoung had been a hero who seemed to have come straight out of a fairy tale because he was righteous and altruistic, and he had no qualms about sacrificing himself for the sake of others. However, Seyoung had become a completely different person after his mother, who had been his only living family member, died. So, even with his supercomputer-like brain, Yongno couldn¡¯t understand Seyoung¡¯s motives. To say that Seyoung¡¯s personality had changed as a result of shock was an oversimplification. If Seyoung were to have destroyed Japan and disappeared somewhere, Yongno would understand, but Seyoung had chosen to save humankind. Seeing Yongno¡¯s puzzled expression, Seyoung answered, ¡°Of course, I¡¯m doing all this with a purpose in mind.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you.¡± Seyoung spoke calmly, but the firmness of his voice made Yongno aware that Seyoung would not divulge his purpose, no matter how persistently Yongno might ask. It was true that Seyoung and Yongno were close friends, but their friendship didn¡¯t extend to the realm of telling each other everything the other party wanted to know. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s talk about work.¡± ¡°Alright. Come to think of it, you are much more amazing than I am. You took control of DIO, no?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ A kind of illegal seizure, if you will.¡± Tan, who had been the sole owner and operator of DIO, had conducted illegal actions and dealings to exclude Jenica, the Empress of Magic, from DIO and deploy Igniz, a criminal, as a chess piece in his illegal schemes. Due to this, Tan didn¡¯t have the moral authority nor the time to regain DIO. If Tan wasn¡¯t careful, he might even lose his position as an elder in the Noblesse, so he didn¡¯t have the energy or the time to care about what was happening on Earth. ¡°Thanks to what you did, the Noblesse¡¯s interference on Earth has substantially weakened. To be frank¡­ the real hero might not be me but you.¡± Seyoung smiled and recalled the ¡®patch notes¡¯ that Yongno had explained to the influential people that attended the conference. Each patch note was so shocking that just one of those changes would throw the entire world into immediate disorder and chaos, and Seyoung already knew what that meant. ¡°You¡¯re thinking of raising the Earth¡¯s civilization level.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Also, I¡¯m planning to accomplish this with a balanced approach that sufficiently develops both our magic civilization and machine civilization levels.¡± Of course, raising the level of Earth¡¯s civilization was something the enemies of humankind, the Legion and Grotesque, were also aiming for. If the civilization level of Earth increased, the level of mechanical soldiers that the Legion could dispatch would also be raised, which could ultimately bring about the fall of humankind. The Legion continuously deployed mechanical soldiers that humans could counter against when attacking Earth. The overwhelming difference in numbers and the existence of Masters were the reason why the Legion were constantly defeated and why their forces were destroyed. Moreover¡­ the Legion¡¯s superior scientific power, which was clearly superior over anything on Earth, was concentrated and available in the remnants the Legion forces left behind. Of course, there was no way that the level of Earth¡¯s civilization would rise just from the Legion¡¯s constant invasions. However, if one studied the remnants of the Legion forces over a long period of time, Earth would inevitably develop into a mechanical civilization. Of course, this wouldn¡¯t happen if all humankind decided to collectively dispose of the remains of the defeated mechanical soldiers, but how could anyone control humankind¡¯s desire for scientific advancement? Earth would naturally follow a mechanical civilization development path because of this, and if that continued, it would be possible for the Legion to send more powerful mechanical forces. Under this scenario, human extinction was a foregone conclusion. ¡°Of course, Earth¡¯s eventual downfall from its one-sided development in mechanical civilization only makes sense if you¡¯re not part of the equation.¡± Nonetheless, this logical scenario fell apart when Arthur, the Knight of Light, entered the realm of transcendence. No matter how many mechanical soldiers were sent to raise the mechanical civilization level of Earth, it was impossible to contend against and handle Arthur. ¡°Yes. If there¡¯s a pseudo-transcendent being like me on Earth, it becomes almost impossible for extraterrestrial beings to interfere in our world¡¯s development. Moreover, the home field advantage of being born and raised on Earth is truly enormous. Things would be different if a high-ranking god were to interfere, but there¡¯s no way a high-ranking god would get involved in such a trivial planet as Earth,¡± Seyoung said, nodding in agreement with Yongno¡¯s assessment. Then Seyoung smiled and added, ¡°But you know¡­ that¡¯s not true, right?¡± ¡°¡­ Yeah.¡± Everyone in the world knew that Seyoung was a transcendent being. Everyone assumed that Seyoung had attained transcendent enlightenment and entered the realm of a lower god. Yet, the truth was a bit different. CH 276 ¡°You could say that I¡¯m a half transcendent. No, to be precise, should I say a two-third transcendent?¡± The realization of transcendence, commonly called the transcendent realm, was usually completed by acquiring three abilities (although there were many exceptions): basic mana control ability, absolute mana control ability, and one¡¯s synchronization and resonance with all things. The basic mana control ability referred to the ability to [recognize] and control the smallest unit of mana, absolute mana ability referred to the ability to control any type of mana with just a single thought, and the synchronization and resonation with all things was done by synchronizing with the world to express one¡¯s will upon the world. Each of these abilities could be seen as a great power in and of itself, but the effects were different when all three abilities joined to form a trinity. The basic mana control ability granted freedom to the transcendent soul from the lower laws, absolute mana provided a divine position that could encompass all powers and granted the transcendent being divinity, and the ability to synchronize with all things completed this divinity by [engraving] the existence of a transcendent person and their divine status onto the world. Of course, since all three abilities were powers reflective of lower gods, a transcendent being¡¯s divinity, divine position, and divine status were relatively weak. ¡°What are you missing?¡± ¡°Synchrony with all things. At the time, I had no choice but to sacrifice the [possibility] of obtaining that realization in order to forcibly enter an unattainable realm. Of course, I didn¡¯t know these details when I forced my transcendence.¡± The moment Yongno noticed that Seyoung¡¯s condition was strange had been when he saw Seyoung fight the Legion¡¯s Named. Seyoung, who was able to photonize his own body, had obtained a fighting power that was incomparable to what he had before he transcended, but there was a fatal problem with that development. ¡°And so¡­ you can¡¯t use strong qi.¡± ¡°Yes. If I, who can move at the speed of light, could use strong qi, I would have been quite a formidable existence.¡± ¡°¡­ Not just formidable¡­ you¡¯d be a walking doom bringer.¡± From the moment it became possible for Seyoung to move at the speed of light¡­ Seyoung became an overpowered being who could achieve a one hundred percent hit rate and a one hundred percent evasion rate, so to speak. No enemy would be able to hit him as he moved at the speed of light, and no enemy could hope to escape his attacks, which were also shot out at the speed of light. However, the problem was his power¡ªnamely, the power behind those attacks. ¡°Obviously, I can¡¯t accelerate at the speed of light while maintaining my physical body. That would require an infinite amount of energy.¡± Arthur¡¯s photonized body and the items that he photonized along with it could be said to have a total weight that was extremely close to zero, so Arthur didn¡¯t face any problems moving at the speed of light and attacking his enemies. Of course, photonization made it nearly impossible to inflict considerable physical damage on the enemy, but hadn¡¯t Arthur already proven that he could use his destructive magic power and sword skills to cut through composite armor in his non-material and nearly weightless state? ¡°I guess the problem is with enemies that can withstand your sword qi.¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s unfortunate, but¡­ Even though I¡¯m at the level I am now, my overall firepower hasn¡¯t improved that much compared to before.¡± Even more problematic now was that even if Arthur trained, he wouldn¡¯t be able to aim for the [upper] level of transcendence. By forcefully obtaining power that he should not have been able to obtain yet¡­ his spiritual qi, which was innately powerful due to his status as an Irregular, became distorted. ¡°I can organize and refine my enlightenment and increase various minor aspects of my being, but I can¡¯t grow and develop like I used to. Well, I was determined to break through, so it can¡¯t be helped.¡± Seyoung broke out into a smile¡ªa defeated smile. Yongno shook his head. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t change the fact that you¡¯re still the strongest person on Earth. Without you, things would have been very difficult for the world and its people.¡± Yongno and Merlin, who could be said to be Yongno¡¯s avatar, were currently overwhelmingly powerful. In particular, Merlin¡¯s Irrational Hand Strike, which could perfectly control and output an unheard-of amount of amplified internal energy, and the No Living World system, which made it possible to amplify internal power to an incomprehensible degree, were the pinnacle of irrational power that couldn¡¯t be seen anywhere else in the universe. In fact, hadn¡¯t Merlin already used an amplified Irrational Hand Strike of six thousand four hundred years of internal energy to defeat DIO¡¯s Skill Master¡ªMarionette Hold, who achieved extreme levels in all of DIO¡¯s skills? Hadn¡¯t he also defeated the red dragon Igniz, who invaded DIO to regain control of DIO¡¯s system for the Noblesse? Even so, Yongno¡¯s power on Earth was incomparable to Seyoung¡¯s. Of course, Merlin would most likely be able to defeat Arthur in DIO. Actually, Yongno could block Seyoung from accessing DIO itself, but in the real world, the situation was quite different. ¡®But the applicability of my abilities is still poor. It¡¯s already hard enough, if not near impossible, to land my Irrational Hand Strike on my intended target.¡¯ Obviously, the amplification of internal energy through No Living World and its linkage to Irrational Hand Strike formed the pinnacle of irrational power, so Merlin¡¯s hand strike worked even against transcendent beings. The problem was that his attack was only powerful; if his opponent avoided the attack, it would spell the end of Merlin. Meanwhile, Arthur, who could photonize his body just by consciously thinking about it, could move at the speed of light, which would make it easy for him to avoid Merlin¡¯s hand strike. ¡®Well, if I even tried to use one thousand years of internal energy in real life, my body would become an unrecoverable mess.¡¯ Merlin was able to output six thousand four hundred years of internal energy in DIO because he could use the [non-destructive setting] through the Editor Blade. If he tried to output that much power in his real-life body, his physical body wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the coursing power and collapse instantly. ¡°Shall we stop with the chit-chat and get down to the main point?¡± While Yongno was organizing his thoughts, Seyoung took out a few items¡ªa metal plate the size of his palm and a black marble the size of his fist. ¡°Oh, this must be¡­¡± ¡°Yes. This metallic plate is the Spirit Record that contains the soul of the Named Legion, and the black marble is the Grotesque¡¯s Core of Darkness. I don¡¯t have any use for these two items¡­ but they¡¯re not trivial items, so I held onto them. I never thought I¡¯d be using them like this.¡± Obviously, these items were very important since they possessed strategic, rather than useful, value on Earth. This was because Earth didn¡¯t have spiritual pathways, so it was fundamentally impossible to properly utilize these items. Merlin could recreate an artificial spiritual pathway by using a technique that enabled the materialization of his Heavenly qi, but it was impossible, even for Merlin, to create such high-level spiritual power items like the metallic plate and black marble in Seyoung¡¯s hands. ¡°Alright. Let me get out my items as well. Saying so, Yongno opened a subspace, and twelve jewels poured out. ¡°This is what I gave my party members and Cruze¡­ a [growable] spiritual pathway generator. It¡¯s not easy to make, so these are all I have right now. But if you need more, I can make them and give them to you over time.¡± Yongno was the only one who could make a spiritual pathway generator, which he was able to design and create through his studies and experiences in magic stone crafting, and it took a lot of time to make a single growable artificial spiritual pathway. This meant Yongno was offering a truly blockbuster deal, yet Seyoung shook his head lightly. ¡°I no longer need growable spiritual pathways. I¡¯ll probably need some lower-level spiritual pathways, but I can just buy them through the normal marketplace. Ah, rather, could you offer bulk sales instead?¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s not difficult.¡± Yongno nodded. After all, he knew it was possible to mass-produce as well as outsource the production of Level 1 to Level 2 artificial spiritual pathways. He also knew that Level 3 and 4 artificial spiritual pathways could be produced in a short amount of time. Of course, Yongno was planning to control and limit the number of sales as the use and effect of spiritual pathways would shake the world and cause considerable turbulence in society for the time being. In addition, the sales would give him enormous wealth and power. A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. Of course, Yongno still didn¡¯t have a clear grasp of Seyoung¡¯s ultimate purpose¡­ Nevertheless, at the very least, Yongno didn¡¯t feel that Seyoung would do anything to hurt him, so Yongno extended his right hand to Seyoung. ¡°Well then, good luck in the future. No matter how it is now, the Noblesse will not completely give up on Earth.¡± ¡°Yeah, of course,¡± Seyoung said as he smiled brightly and shook Yongno¡¯s hand. His brightly smiling eyes were quietly burning with intensity. *** Cataclysm *** ¡°Stop immediately! You evil monster!!¡± ¡°Amitabha, stop. Trying to reach heaven with such a false consciousness is absolutely unforgivable.¡± Blood flowed like a river. The whole area was full of corpses. Hundreds, thousands¡­ no, maybe even more bodies than that that were piled up, and an altar, covered with blood and flesh, was at the center of that mountain of bodies. Dozens of people ran toward the altar while exuding a mighty fighting aura and momentum. An essence of light shone in their eyes as if each one of them were a powerful warrior. Just with the presence of these warriors alone, the thick evil monster qi that covered the area around the altar was pushed out forcibly. The auspicious energy flowing around the warriors made them look like celestial knights. CH 277 ¡°Oh, my. It¡¯s amazing that you¡¯ve made it up here even though I sent out so many of my underlings. Indeed, you truly are the Three Emperors and Five Gods¡­ No, perhaps it¡¯s more appropriate to state Two Emperors and Three Gods now?¡± Among the corpses, a beautiful woman with white skin and shiny silver hair stood up. The silver tails that swayed behind her back indicated that she was not a human but a high-ranking fox monster. ¡°¡­ Die.¡± At that moment, there was a thick scent of plum blossoms as plum blossom leaves appeared and poured down on Heavenly Flower¡ªan evil monster widely known as the worst monster in the history of the lower world, or the world beneath the heavens, and who was given the title as the Witch of Desolate Nation. Ring! The unfolding scene of the plum blossoms was too beautiful to be considered an attack. Anyone wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid staring unguardedly. Yet, Heavenly Flower felt a sharp killing intent contained in the plum blossoms and swung a couple of her tails to disintegrate the petals rather than letting them touch her body. Bam!! With a roaring sound akin to that of a heavy hammer hitting an iron plate dozens of times, Heavenly Flower destroyed all the plum blossom leaves and frowned. ¡°Oh, my. You have no manners, young lady warrior. Swinging a sword before we even have a chance to talk¡­¡± ¡°There are no manners I need to keep in front of the likes of you, bitch.¡± The attacker was a black-haired woman dressed in clothes that clung to her body. With her distinctive facial features, dark eyebrows, and red lips, the attacker possessed a beauty that was rarely seen in the lower worlds. Heavenly Flower felt that the woman¡¯s short hair and extreme coldness in expression were her only shortfalls. The atmosphere the young woman exuded made it difficult for anyone to approach her. At twenty-six years of age, she was the youngest in the group, but she was already an expert swordsman and possessed the title of Goddess of Plum Blossoms. She was also known as the Flower Mountain¡¯s First Sword. ¡°I¡¯ve always pointed out that your speech is a bit rough at the edges, but today, I have no choice but to agree with what you said, Goddess of Plum Blossoms.¡± An old monk with a white beard made his way to the front. His name was Sovereign Fist. He currently held the title of the First Man in the Lower World and was the former leader of the Shaolin Temple. Standing beside him was the Sword Emperor, the current leader of the Demonic Cult. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t feel good about this. I don¡¯t want to be a participant¡­¡± ¡°I also feel the same way¡­ but we can¡¯t help it. No matter how dumb Jooyoung was, we must avenge Jooyoung¡¯s death.¡± ¡°Must kill¡­ must avenge¡­¡± Every one of the group¡¯s members, who were currently exuding their fighting spirit, was a renowned existence in the lower worlds. Quite a few organizations and groups would be eliminated from existence even if only two or three of them mobilized. Even so, Heavenly Flower stood before them and scoffed. ¡°You all make an interesting combination, but¡­ you¡¯re too late in joining forces.¡± ¡°You evil woman! You bewitched my older brother and caused a great battle to occur, and after that, you followed him around everywhere he went. But now, you¡¯re acting so high and mighty. How dare you show that dirty face in front of me and act so proud?!¡± Growl! Black strong qi blazed from the Sword Emperor¡¯s sword along with the cry of a beast. The Sword Emperor was using Heavenly Demon¡¯s Strong Qi. This was an ability that burned all energy, and it was also one of the three main abilities of the lower world! ¡°Oh, my. I¡¯ve always thought this before¡­¡± Heavenly Flower said with a smile after seeing the Sword Emperor¡¯s sword attack, ¡°But I really want to eat you.¡± Boom! The Sword Emperor¡¯s body trembled as his body was lightly shaken. What was reflected in his lowered eyes was a hole in the middle of his chest. ¡°¡­Oh, no.¡± After those words, the Sword Emperor collapsed. Heavenly Flower was suddenly deliciously devouring a liver that was dripping with blood. Of course, this wasn¡¯t a normal situation. The Sword Emperor had already reached a realm where it was hard to consider him a human being. He was a killing weapon capable of fighting for a while even if his heart, let alone his liver, were removed. Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Yet, he surprisingly died instantly, even though there was no loss of blood loss other than that from having his liver removed. This was because Heavenly Flower hadn¡¯t simply pulled out his liver; she had pulled out the Sword Emperor¡¯s true qi along with it. Among the five primary organs, the liver was the organ in charge of tree energy, and it was widely thought that the liver was the first organ to awaken once a person woke up from their sleep. The liver stimulated the vitality of the entire body, and it was said to house a person¡¯s consciousness while they were asleep at night. Because of this¡­ some monsters with special powers would pull out their opponent¡¯s vitality¡ªno, their opponent¡¯s true qi by extracting the other¡¯s liver. It was also for this reason that the evil fox monster plucked out and ate the liver of a living being. ¡°Oh, my god. She was able to kill the Sword Emperor in one blow?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true that monster bitch was always strong, but it wasn¡¯t to this extent!¡± ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± The heroes looked at Heavenly Flower with expressions of disbelief. Of course, the eight-tailed Heavenly Flower was a strong and dangerous being, but her power didn¡¯t originate from her fighting prowess but her powerful Magic Eye, which could be used to bewitch her opponents. So how did she manage to eliminate the Sword Emperor with just one blow? Nevertheless¡­ the reason soon became clear to the group members. ¡°N-nine-tailed! This witch! She¡¯s evolved!¡± ¡°Oh, my god! How could she have already evolved¡­¡± ¡°Amitabha. This¡­ This is the wrong path. If one completes a thousand years¡¯ worth of achievements, the way to heaven will open itself, but to choose an unnatural path towards the transcendence realm¡­!¡± When a fox monster gained its ninth tail and became a nine-tailed fox, its level of power would be drastically different from when it was an eight-tailed fox monster. The fact that Heavenly Flower, a member of the fox species, had obtained her ninth tail¡­ meant that she had reached the realm of transcendence and thus was no longer restrained by anything in the lower world. Having risen to the point of transcendence by robbing others of their true qi rather than through legitimate training and achievement, Heavenly Flower growled disapprovingly at the heroes standing in front of her. This was especially the case for Sovereign Fist, who was called the most powerful being beneath the heavens. ¡°What, a thousand years¡¯ worth of achievements? You really are something¡­ You¡¯re an existence that can barely live a hundred years, yet you¡¯re talking about a thousand years like it¡¯s such a simple concept!!¡± Heavenly Flower trained by stealing the true qi of others, but it had taken hundreds of years for her to reach transcendence, so even this [shortcut] wasn¡¯t something easy. Sovereign Fist had the appearance of an old man¡­ but to Heavenly Flower, it seemed like she was being disparaged by a spring chicken upstart that was essentially just a lump of blood and bones. Of course, Sovereign Fist¡¯s words were not wrong. Spirit monsters and creatures, including fox monsters, could shed their mortal frame and step into transcendence if they completed their original spirit body by accumulating a thousand years¡¯ worth of achievements. However, that was something easier said than done, of course. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that it was too difficult for you to gain karma and achievements over a thousand years?¡± ¡°Of course! A thousand years¡¯ worth of achievements doesn¡¯t mean I can just exist for a thousand years and focus on training throughout that time. I need to constantly build a solid soul foundation for a thousand years to become a transcendent being. You¡¯d probably go crazy just doing that for your measly hundred or so years of life!¡± The process of gathering achievements was not made difficult because of any sense of pain or boredom. Rather, it was because one had to face a small ordeal once a year, a difficult ordeal once every ten years, and an immensely difficult ordeal that was difficult enough to destroy all of one¡¯s gathered achievements up to that point once every hundred years. The ordeals were given by the world that one belonged to, not by some being, and it was mainly conducted in a way that hindered one from achieving success. They usually appeared in the form of self-doubt in one¡¯s development, personal concerns about one¡¯s training and developmental path, and questioning one¡¯s bondage to one¡¯s fate. The ordeals would also show up as natural disasters, the sudden appearance of enemies, and so forth, so it was possible to be confronted with a very diverse array of ordeals and trials. In particular, the ordeals and trials given at the thousand-year mark were so vicious and terrible that even practitioners who had nearly completed their millennium¡¯s worth of achievements would famously fall apart and fail in the final ordeal and thus fail to reach the transcendence realm. This was why many monsters at the cusp of reaching the transcendence realm, after accumulating the necessary karma and achievements through painstaking efforts for a thousand years, would often face an unassuming opponent. That opponent would come by and snatch away the monster¡¯s core, seizing all the achievements that the monster had achieved over the past thousand years. At that moment, the Goddess of Plum Blossoms laughed at Heavenly Flower. ¡°So, in the end, you didn¡¯t want to gather the necessary karma and achievements, so you went around and took people¡¯s lives, right?¡± The Sword God and Sovereign Fist soon followed up with similar remarks. ¡°All I hear are excuses.¡± ¡°Did you think we¡¯d sympathize with you?¡± Obviously, the heroes didn¡¯t listen to her explanation and say something like, ¡®Ah yes, I understand your pain and why you took that route.¡¯ As Heavenly Flower said, these heroes only lived for around a hundred years, so they couldn¡¯t really sympathize with a being that could live a thousand years. Above all, Heavenly Flower was an enemy who had harmed their families and relatives. Even if she were to spit up blood and die an excruciating death, they¡¯d readily clap their hands with joyful hearts, so why would they ever acknowledge or try to understand her predicament? Boom! At that moment, the air around Heavenly Flower burst out. A member of the group had launched a surprise attack with enough energy to destroy an entire mountain range, but Heavenly Flower didn¡¯t even raise an eyebrow. ¡°Oh, my. You all are truly dumb assholes. Don¡¯t you know what it means that I¡¯ve got my ninth tail now? Well, since the last transcendent before me appeared 300 years ago, you probably don¡¯t realize or understand the magnitude of my position.¡± Heavenly Flower easily deflected the Divine Hundred Steps attack, one of the most powerful attacks in Shaolin martial arts. Her nine tails floated in the air and swayed as if unaffected by gravity. CH 278 ¡°Die, witch!¡± ¡°Avenge Jooyoung!¡± They all charged with their own unique weapons in hand. Although their fighting aura was fierce and mighty¡­ Crack! Crack! They had no chance of winning. In the end, they were all brutally slaughtered. Heavenly Flower¡¯s eyes, which shone as if they were bright jewels, slowed and eroded the attackers¡¯ movements once they entered her field of vision. ¡°Hahaha! So weak! Weaklings! Oh, this is so fun and exhilarating!¡± Heavenly Flower laughed loudly amid the scuffle as blood splattered and bones broke audibly. Just like that¡­ heroes with prominent names in the lower worlds perished one by one like flowers falling to the ground. *** Miho woke up. After blinking her eyes for a moment with a blank expression on her face, she looked around quietly. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Oh? Ah yes. Ugh¡­ I-I¡¯m¡­ okay.¡± ¡°How are your memories?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I got them back. I seemed to have been a fox monster before entering DIO.¡± Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Tan, who was initially an NPC and who later became the main operator for DIO, had sent Miho to Earth to deteriorate the relationship between Merlin and Arthur. Having fully awakened after regaining her previous life¡¯s memories from before DIO, Miho nodded with a bewildered expression. She wanted to show a calm demeanor, but her mind was unorganized and scrambled. Merlin, who noticed Miho¡¯s state of mind, spoke up as if something had just popped into his mind. ¡°Oh, I have something I need to work on, so you don¡¯t mind if I step out for a moment, right?¡± ¡°Ah! O-oh, of course not! Hurry and go!¡± ¡°¡­ Yeah.¡± Click. Merlin closed the door behind him and left. The fact that he suddenly left despite having waited for her to wake up showed how considerate Merlin was being. However, Miho, who was unsettled by her previous memories, did not pay attention to or notice Merlin¡¯s consideration. ¡°Really¡­ I really was an evil monster¡­¡± Miho recalled the words that Sungmuk had once stated. ¡°Bear in mind¡­ Those who dared to accept basic NPC contracts, which were no different from slave contracts, had reasons for doing so.¡± The contracts that general NPCs, which made up the majority of DIO, had with Noblesse were relatively straightforward. DIO offered these beings a second life as these beings had already died in the real world. Moreover, these beings existed in limbo as wandering ghost souls in the real world, so continuing to live while handling relatively menial tasks in Dynamic Island was a considerably good opportunity for them. The situation was similar for hero monsters like Sungmuk. Of course, existences like Sungmuk had to constantly fight with users¡ªor, in other words, they had [no choice but to experience death] as a result of their positions within DIO. Nevertheless, death in DIO was not very painful, and they could live freely when not engaged in battle. Additionally, beings who took on the position of hero monsters did it of their own accord, so the roles they were given usually fit their natural warlike tendencies. ¡®But for the vast majority of slave-like indentured general NPCs, the situation is different¡­¡¯ NPCs who didn¡¯t know that DIO was a virtual world and who performed assigned roles were so-called slave contractors who had to lose their memories of their previous life. This was quite a harsh condition because losing one¡¯s memory was the same as losing one¡¯s sense of self. So these NPCs would be put in a position where they were no different from beings who were reincarnated after dying. Hence, it was better to go to the Netherworld than to work as a slave in DIO. ¡°Absolutely. For certain. Surely. In any case, only those who are guaranteed a one-way ticket to hell would sign such a slave contract. That¡¯s why I despise DIO contractors.¡± Because of Sungmuk¡¯s words, Miho had braced herself to some extent regarding the truth of her past. She had some idea that although she might look cute and innocent now¡­ she might have been a serial killer who killed for pleasure in her life before DIO. Perhaps, her original self¡­ might have been a villain that her current self couldn¡¯t even imagine. However, the truth was even more unimaginable than what she had braced herself for¡­ A sigh escaped Miho¡¯s lips. She had been a nine-tailed fox, an evil monster beyond her wildest imagination. She had slaughtered hundreds of thousands of beings and robbed them of their souls and energy. She had been an existence that would have looked down and scoffed at even the evilest of serial killers. Miho, who had been sighing nonstop, suddenly stopped sighing. ¡°Eh? Wait¡­ But why is my ego intact?¡± Of course, Miho didn¡¯t want to become someone else, so she had placed various defenses and used a variety of defensive techniques on herself so that she wouldn¡¯t succumb to her past life¡¯s memories. However, how was it that she remained largely unaffected despite realizing that she hadn¡¯t been a mediocre existence in her previous life and instead a transcendent nine-tailed fox? Even if it wasn¡¯t to the point of being robbed of her ego, wouldn¡¯t it make more sense for her to be tainted or influenced to some extent due to reconnecting with her past life¡¯s memories? ¡°It was like I observed everything from a third-person perspective. Ah, but I¡¯m sure it was me¡­ Wait, what is going on?¡± Miho felt confused. *** Merlin¡¯s expression hardened after he left Miho behind. He glanced back and murmured, ¡°I¡¯m worried¡­¡± In truth, returning Miho¡¯s original memories to her was a gamble for Merlin. It was because the Miho he knew was a pure and cute six-tailed fox, born and raised on the Phantom Monster Magic Islands; she was not a wandering ghost soul whose identity was mostly unknown. ¡°First off, it doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯s changed considerably¡­ but I¡¯m unsure. Anyway, since I¡¯m now DIO¡¯s operator, giving the memories of her previous life back to her is an easy task, so I granted her request. But I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ve made the right choice.¡¯ Merlin turned around and sighed once more. ¡°Ugh, Sungmuk, why did he have to provoke her¡­ Why did she suddenly want to regain her past memories?¡± Looking back, Merlin felt that Sungmuk¡¯s reaction to Miho was quite strange. As the Sword Sovereign, Sungmuk was an existence that singularly pursued power and didn¡¯t care much about those around him, yet he always reacted sensitively and critically towards Miho. ¡°Does he have some sort of deep-seated resentment against the fox species?¡± Merlin didn¡¯t know, but he had hit the nail on the head. However, after mulling over this question for a moment, Merlin logged out from DIO. Having obtained DIO management rights, Merlin was able to connect to DIO 24 hours a day. Nonetheless, he had many other things to do in reality, so he didn¡¯t stay logged on for very long. ¡°Anyway¡­¡± With a small sigh, Yongno got up from his bed. An observer would have found it strange to see Yongno waking up so suddenly after having fallen soundly asleep just a few seconds earlier, but for Yongno, this was nothing special. In fact, most people who accessed DIO woke up in this fashion. When a user logged into DIO, their body went into a half-sleep state, but their soul would be active in DIO. In the meantime, DIO¡¯s system provided vitality to the logged-in user¡¯s real body. This was the reason why their body felt refreshed after logging off and returning to their real-life body; it was as if they had woken up after a good night¡¯s sleep. ¡°Hey, bro. The US Secretary of Defense is waiting for you. I believe his name is John Kingsley.¡± The voice that Yongno heard immediately after logging off DIO belonged to Kwan Youngmin, a dimension-shifter who had firmly taken the position of Merlin¡¯s chief secretary. Everything about Youngmin, ranging from his birth to how he grew up, was hidden behind a veil of mystery. Youngmin was known as the only access point for someone to connect or speak with Yongno, so he became a powerful person behind the scenes. ¡°¡­ You¡¯re¡­ quite handsome.¡± ¡°What? Huh? W-what are you talking about all of a sudden?¡± Youngmin, who was standing like a picture with a calm expression on his face, turned beet red as he made a puzzled expression. Youngmin had a slender frame and was 171 cm tall, so one wouldn¡¯t say that he was a tall figure. Nevertheless, he had a small face and possessed body proportions that would make female models instantly feel a sense of defeat. Youngmin was basically a handsome young man with fine facial lines and porcelain-like skin. Youngmin essentially acted as Yongno¡¯s, or the Great Mage¡¯s, sole agent, so his face was publicized here and there. This caused Youngmin to have a vibrant following, an active fan base, and a large fan club, which led to constant advertisement and modeling offers. ¡®But who Youngmin truly is¡­ Now that¡¯s a completely different story.¡¯ Youngmin, at least the Youngmin that Yongno knew, was a sword demon who wielded powerful swordsmanship abilities and skills. The only swordsman on Earth who was stronger than him was Arthur. Although Youngmin looked naive and kind-hearted, he was a Master who wouldn¡¯t be pushed around even if he faced the Sword Sovereign Sungmuk head-on. ¡®Also, he possesses a murderous killing intent and spirit¡­ I don¡¯t know where that comes from.¡¯ Youngmin¡¯s swordsmanship, which was filled with killing intent and spirit, was incomparable to swordsmanship practiced by ordinary users, who practiced and trained under systematic pathways. It was to the extent that Yongno found it somewhat absurd that Youngmin, who initially introduced himself as a high school student, possessed such a bountiful amount of killing intent within him. ¡®What kind of chaos and hardships did he experience?¡¯ Although Yongno found Youngmin¡¯s seemingly infinite killing intent a bit unsettling, Youngmin¡¯s normal disposition was extremely calm. Had Youngmin been a blood-crazed madman, Yongno would not have kept him close no matter how great his ability was. ¡°Come to think of it, have you given up on the idea of returning to your hometown, your home universe?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t given up on that. It¡¯s just that there¡¯s no point in me constantly thinking of that while I¡¯m stuck here, so I¡¯m just doing what I can do for now.¡± Yongno clicked his tongue after seeing Youngmin¡¯s calm and cool logical demeanor. Youngmin had fallen into an unknown parallel universe and a completely foreign planet out of nowhere, yet he adapted almost seamlessly. This went to show just how foundationally strong Youngmin¡¯s mentality was. CH 279 ¡°Anyway, that old man came alone?¡± After hearing Yongno¡¯s words, Youngmin nodded. ¡°He¡¯s beefed up his body. That person¡­ I think he¡¯s installed an artificial spiritual pathway for a Level 3 life force in his body.¡± ¡°¡­ Well, that makes sense. I predicted that people would widely adopt and use artificial spiritual pathways. Seems like my prediction was correct. Surely that¡¯s the reason why his physique has improved so much over such a short period of time. If he¡¯s attained a Level 3 life force, that means his body has essentially returned to its prime.¡± If an artificial spiritual pathway had a restricted low-level ceiling, what spiritual ability would be the most effective and popular on Earth? The answer was life force. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re here!¡± A muscular man sitting with a flushed face got up from his seat with a smile when Yongno entered the reception room. The man looked like he was in his mid-to-late 40s because of his taut skin and tight muscles, but Yongno, who knew the man¡¯s real age and original appearance, was mildly surprised by the old man¡¯s current appearance. The man¡¯s name was John Kingsley. He was the current U.S. Secretary of Defense and sixty-three years old this year. In the past, he had been a veteran of multiple special forces, but at sixty-three, he had been just another obese old man with a sagging neck. He had been so morbidly obese that he couldn¡¯t look down and see his toes. ¡°I¡¯m Yoon Yongno.¡± This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Yes, Mr. Merlin! I used your artificial spiritual pathway, which is being sold in the US, and the effect is amazing! I wondered why you only released a limited inventory of artificial spiritual pathways specialized for life force, but now I see why you made that choice.¡± John raised his right arm with an excited expression, showing off his considerable bicep muscles. The suit John wore swelled up like it was about to tear and burst at the seams at any moment. John¡¯s muscle fibers were like reinforced bars bundled together, and there were popping sounds coming from those flexed muscles. ¡°Well, of course. Life force is the most optimal spiritual power to [ingest] or take in external energy. As a superpower, life force consumes mana, but it also consumes calories to exert power. It¡¯s possible to restore one¡¯s strength and life force by consuming food and the calories that come with it, so one can easily burn fat this way.¡± This was an element that bothered life force users in DIO. After a prolonged fight, a life force user needed to eat a large amount of food, so how could it not be bothersome? However, the life force characteristic of having to consume calories to operate took on a completely different meaning in reality. ¡°This is tremendous and groundbreaking. It¡¯s amazing to see how all my flabby flesh has turned into muscle; I never thought I¡¯d look young enough to seem like I¡¯m in my 40s ever again. Of course, I also went through a rigorous training regiment, but¡­ Regardless of how hard that regiment was, for me to be able to look like this in a week¡­ I feel like I may look even younger if I continue¡­¡± It was an era where there was an overflow of people who risked their lives to lose weight. With the advent of this artificial spiritual pathway specialized in life force, the concept of food overconsumption and caloric intake would no longer be a topic of conversation. In addition, life force spiritual power, which made a user¡¯s body into the [ideal] form, allowed users to quickly develop their muscular structure through training. So, even if a life force user was old, the user would gradually return to his or her physical prime. This characteristic wasn¡¯t experienced very well in DIO because the system there maintained a user¡¯s appearance, but in reality, this opportunity to become healthier and younger was nothing short of a miracle. This characteristic might not make someone immortal¡­ but for most people, this sort of opportunity would essentially be looked upon as providing them with immortality¡ªa power that humankind has longed for in their dreams. ¡°So, what brings you here?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I was too excited and got ahead of myself. I¡¯m here to purchase artificial spiritual pathways in bulk. I want to make sure that America purchases more of them than any other country.¡± Originally, John, as the US Secretary of Defense, had no reason to come and make a request in person. Nevertheless, John had no choice but to go directly to the source because of his personal experience with the artificial spiritual pathway and his realization of the enormous value the artificial spiritual pathway would have on people. Just as the emergence of gunpowder weapons reconfigured the existing forms of warfare, which were initially conducted with blunt metal weapons, the artificial spiritual pathways would create a large class of people with special abilities in reality. These people would undoubtedly have a tremendous impact on modern warfare and society. ¡®If we don¡¯t keep up with these changes¡ªno, if we don¡¯t get ahead, America may lose its current position as the top world power!¡¯ The manifestation of Master-level users¡ªusers who were Level 10 or higher¡ªmade these users superhuman and impervious to even modern weapons. Even so, these Masters were a minority and had to deal with the critical shortfall of a manifestation time limit. Though the value of Masters as tactical weapons was great, they had clear limitations. However, if there were a hundred thousand or a million people with superpower abilities, even with the level limitations¡­ ¡®The landscape of power and war will completely change!¡¯ Even John, who only possessed power commensurate with a Level 3 life force user, could deflect a rifle bullet if he was focused and determined enough to do so. The strength of his bones had become stronger, so his skeletal structure possessed enough strength to deflect a bullet from hitting even his skull as long as it was not a direct hit. Of course, this defensive capability was due to the unique defensive characteristics of the life force spiritual power. Yet, what if bullets¡ªno, large explosions couldn¡¯t hurt one¡¯s forces? And how much more powerful would those forces be if they were fully armed? ¡°We were planning to start selling the artificial spiritual pathways anyway. That was why I sent you a prototype.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve heard about that, but I just want to hear the terms accurately. What would be the price and quantity available for purchase?¡± ¡°A Level 1 artificial spiritual pathway will average around five thousand dollars. However, even if it is mass-produced, it will be difficult to produce a substantial quantity right now.¡± ¡°What about the Level 2 artificial spiritual pathways?¡± ¡°I plan to sell it at ten times the price of a Level 1 artificial spiritual pathway. Level 3 will have one more zero added at the end of the figure for the price of a Level 2 artificial spiritual pathway.¡± In other words, a Level 1 artificial spiritual pathway would go for around 5 million won, and the Level 2 and Level 3 artificial spiritual pathway would be sold at 50 million won and 500 million won, respectively. It was a considerable price from the point of view of the general public, but John Kingsley was unperturbed. ¡°That¡¯s relatively cheap. Have you ever thought about putting conditions on the sales?¡± ¡°No. There shall be no conditions.¡± ¡°Hmm, rather than selling them openly on the market, perhaps¡­¡± Knowing that artificial spiritual pathways would turn ordinary people into capable people, John was certain that most influential people would want to put restrictions on the sale of artificial spiritual pathways. Artificial spiritual pathways would be seen in the same light as guns or strategic resources¡ªresources that the state would want to control. However, Yongno shook his head. ¡°If Earth were at peace, things would be a little different¡­ but right now, it¡¯s more important to raise the power of [humanity] as a whole.¡± ¡°You mean¡­ all of humankind?¡± ¡°Yes, all of humankind.¡± John Kingsley groaned after hearing Yongno describe the scale of sales for the artificial spiritual pathways, which surpassed the scope of any nation¡¯s national interest. Of course, a person who liked to nitpick another¡¯s words might say something along the lines of: ¡®If you¡¯re so concerned about humankind, why aren¡¯t you providing these things for free?¡¯ Nevertheless, John Kingsley wasn¡¯t such a fool. No, rather, he was a competent politician, so he nodded and gave up on pursuing his line of argument. In the first place, what could he say to a person who said he was doing this for the greater good of humanity? Moreover, Yongno wasn¡¯t even an American. Additionally, as the United States Secretary of Defense, John Kingsley was a powerful individual and wielded considerable international influence, so he knew that the Great Mage Merlin¡¯s worldwide reputation and power were tremendous. It was possible for John Kingsley to disappear from the face of the Earth without a peep if Yongno desired it. ¡°Hahaha. I guess it can¡¯t be helped then since it¡¯s for the sake of humanity. Oh, and if a Level 4 artificial spiritual pathway is created later, would it be possible for me to switch artificial spiritual pathways?¡± John¡¯s words seemed to have been prepared and well thought out in advance. Yongno replied, ¡°If you¡¯re able to fully utilize the artificial spiritual pathway installed in your body, you¡¯ll be able to upgrade to another model, and it would be for less than half the price.¡± ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s how it works¡­ All right. First off, we¡¯d like to purchase one million Level 1 artificial spiritual pathways, one hundred thousand Level 2, and ten thousand Level 3s.¡± John spoke of a huge quantity of artificial spiritual pathways as if it was nothing. Of course, his request might seem like a small number to buy on a national level, but a purchase of one million, one hundred thousand, and ten thousand Level 1 to 3 artificial spiritual pathways had a total price of a whopping fifteen billion US dollars. In Korean won, that would work out to roughly fifteen trillion won. ¡®He accurately sees the value of the artificial spiritual pathways.¡¯ Yongno thought highly of the other party. Perhaps the United States wanted to purchase many more artificial spiritual pathways, but John decided to request an appropriate quantity. It seemed that he was more focused on building a firm relationship with Yongno rather than seeking immediate gain. ¡°Hmm. If you perfectly master a Level 3 artificial spiritual pathway, I¡¯ll upgrade you directly to a Level 4 model. I¡¯m still the only one who can do that after all.¡± ¡°Hahaha, that would be great.¡± Standing up with a satisfied expression, John shook hands with Yongno. Then after making a few more practical contracts, John left. ¡°Bro, there are more people waiting to negotiate with you.¡± ¡°How many countries?¡± Youngmin grinned after hearing Yongno¡¯s question. It seemed that Youngmin found this situation interesting and entertaining. ¡°Seventeen.¡± ¡°Ugh. I¡¯m going to be so busy¡­ Ask them to come in in pairs,¡± Yongno answered with a sigh. This was¡­ the beginning of the cataclysm. *** The sale of artificial spiritual pathways began. Yongno used Pathway to Hell to burn the other world''s evil spirit. He also used magic stone crafting to amplify his own mana and internal power to produce twenty million Level 1 artificial spiritual pathways, five million Level 2 artificial spiritual pathways, and one million Level 3 artificial spiritual pathways. The final price for a Level 1 artificial spiritual pathway was between three to seven million won, thirty to seventy million won for a Level 2 artificial spiritual pathway, and three hundred to seven hundred million won for a Level 3 artificial spiritual pathway. The price differed depending on the type of spiritual power of each artificial spiritual pathway. Among them, life force was the most expensive, while the cheapest was magic power. Of course, the price wasn¡¯t set because one side had the upper hand; it was set by Yongno based on the productivity and amount of spiritual power that Yongno deemed necessary. Even the cheapest artificial spiritual pathways¡ªmagic power¡ªhad a price that ordinary people couldn¡¯t even fathom, which meant that he had released a considerable quantity at once. Yet, even this quantity was insufficient, so the actual market price was treated as 1.5 times the price he set. CH 280 As Yongno¡¯s artificial spiritual pathways hit the market, various broadcast media stations passionately reported on the miraculous performance and usefulness of the artificial spiritual pathways. [Successful production of a complete cure for AIDS with the power of magic at the Cadein Research Lab!] [Paul Simpson, a 370 kg obese man, lost 180 kg through exercise in one week after equipping a life force artificial spiritual pathway!] [There is no medical emergency we can¡¯t handle. Book your visit to Massachusetts General Hospital¡¯s Divine Power Treatment Team!] [Stage 6 chakra user, Aidelin, utilizes Giant Gate (Third Gate) on minerals to develop a miracle alloy called Aidelium!] If there had been no information about supernatural powers on Earth, there would have been widespread confusion and doubt about the validity of the claims people with special abilities were making, as well as the concept of supernatural powers. However, since DIO started its service a year ago, users had already spent nearly six years of DIO time, excluding any extended time that they might have spent in the training room, familiarizing themselves with superpower abilities. Most DIO users would have daydreamed at some point, ¡®What would I be able to do if I had such superpowers in real life?¡¯ That daydream was now a reality. In addition, there was a condition that [only experienced users with a certain spiritual power level or higher of each type of artificial spiritual pathway were qualified to equip them]. In other words, unless a user [experienced and achieved] a certain level within a spiritual power area in DIO like life force or magic power, they wouldn¡¯t be able to equip an artificial spiritual pathway. In some cases, a user would have to reset their character stats and redevelop their character up to a certain level in a specific spiritual power area, or they would have had to have achieved a certain spiritual power level sometime in the past. If the abilities users wanted to utilize in real life were different from those they used in DIO, it would have caused a massive headache for many of them. Nevertheless, the artificial spiritual pathway conditions were ultimately low enough that most [ordinary people] could fully achieve them in a short period of time. In fact, Level 2 in DIO could be obtained just from clearing the basic quests, and Level 3 was a relatively low barrier to overcome if one put in a bit of effort. It was now an era where anyone with a few million won could become a person with special abilities in real life. Furthermore, unlike Masters, who had great power but could only act as tactical weapons due to the manifestation time limit restraints, these normal people could continually exert their abilities and immediately produce substantial [results]. Of course, those who equipped themselves with an artificial spiritual pathway could only use abilities at or below Level 3, but Earth was already a late Second Stage mechanical civilization. When these additional special abilities, which hadn¡¯t existed until now, were added to the accumulated scientific mix, magic sciences and spiritual sciences started to bloom. That wasn¡¯t all. [Merlin Corporation¡¯s Annihilation Power Plant is now online and operational!] [Astonishing power generation of 91,927 MW (megawatts) since the start of operation! The entire energy needs of Korea and more have been met from just one Annihilation Power Plant!] [Merlin states, ¡®If need be, it can produce ten times as much energy as it is producing now.¡¯] [A new energy revolution era has opened!] Yongno razed Cheonan City, which had been destroyed by the Legion and Grotesque forces¡¯ attacks, into a wide plain and placed a huge magic circle in that space. Of course, an Annihilation Power Plant or an anti-gravity energy creation system weren¡¯t things that the Earth in its current state and civilization level could understand even if the technology was presented and given to the earthlings, let alone create. As a cosmic genius, Yongno could utilize his connections to contact the Celesti¡¯s representative, Manbo, or Myung from the Netherworld to obtain blueprints for the Annihilation Power Plant or anti-gravity energy system. However¡­ ¡®No. That wouldn¡¯t help.¡¯ That¡¯s right. Even if Yongno got ahold of such blueprints and fully understood them, it was still impossible to build an Annihilation Power Plant or an anti-gravity energy system on Earth. How could Yongno recreate a pinnacle Third Stage mechanical civilization technology on Earth, which was only at the Second Stage of mechanical civilization? It didn¡¯t matter how much of a genius Yongno was. There was no technical infrastructure to support such advanced technology, and theoretically understanding how the tech worked wouldn¡¯t lead to any practical results. However, individual superpower abilities were different from the limitations of a civilization level. In the Middle Ages or, at the extreme, even in a low and primitive age like the Stone Age, a single great genius or wise person could be born. They could realize the principles of the universe and step into the transcendent realm. Rather than civilization level, a person¡¯s superpower abilities could allow them to easily transcend the limitations of an entire world and the limitations of a planet¡¯s civilization level. Of course, such a thing was rare, even from a [cosmic point of view]. Nevertheless, such cases did exist, and Yongno was undoubtedly a genius on a cosmic scale. Ultimate spell, Mass Annihilation. Ultimate spell, Energy Control. There were many transcendent realm NPCs in DIO¡ªmore than what one could count on both hands. It wasn¡¯t too difficult for Merlin to access these transcendent realm beings¡¯ ultimate magic spells. Of course, since Yongno had yet to set foot in the transcendent realm, he couldn¡¯t cast ultimate magic spells. Nevertheless, after choosing the necessary ultimate magic spells among the dozen or so available ultimate magic spells, Yongno was able to study the functional mechanisms of the ultimate magic spells, fully understand the foundational principles and systems they operated under, and reinterpret them. This was exactly what Yongno did for two ultimate magic spells. He was able to bring the ultimate magic spells down to a usable level by boldly discarding unnecessary parts, completely [deconstructing], and reconstructing the entire spell. Of course, activating such a spell would place a considerable mental burden on Yongno, about hundreds of thousands of times greater than that of any normal spell. In addition, more than ten conditions were required before Yongno could even cast these reconfigured ultimate magic spells. However, the important takeaway was ultimately that Yongno was now capable of using such ultimate magic spells. ¡®I can¡¯t do it alone. But with the help of 10,000 mages, each executing different parts of the ultimate magic spell, my hypothesis that ultimate magic could be recreated on Earth has been proven correct. Moreover, the level of safety is quite high for a system that produces this much energy.¡¯ If Yongno were to have decided on deploying an anti-gravity energy system instead of an Annihilation Power Plant, catastrophic destruction would occur if anyone carried out a terrorist activity or acted with malicious intent against the system. In the worst-case scenario, an uncontrollable black hole might form, which would cause widespread destruction. Even modern nuclear power plants in use today would present truly astronomical damages and destruction if they were attacked or mismanaged. Above all, when it came to energy production, environmental pollution was always a concern. However, the ultimate spell, Mass Annihilation, was a completely different concept from anti-gravity energy production, which utilized the power of black holes or nuclear power. If an artificially created black hole, which was placed under tremendous pressure in an anti-gravity energy system, went out of control, it would be difficult for even a transcendent to regain control over the system. Yet, a magic phenomenon maintained by magic power would naturally disappear when the mana that maintained the magic phenomenon was fully consumed or dispersed. Moreover, if a set limit were placed on the size or mass of the object that was annihilated, the Annihilation Power Plant would become a safe eco-friendly energy production system with no possibility for large-scale accidents or radiation. The Annihilation Power Plant designed and created by Yongno continuously produced energy by performing material destruction in units of 0.01g. Additionally, thousands of mages were always managing the magic circle, so it was possible to sufficiently control the generated energy, even if the system went out of control. According to Einstein¡¯s formula, E = mc^2, the amount of heat that could be released from 1 kg of matter when mass was converted into energy was equivalent to 21 Mt (megaton) of TNT, which was close to that of a nuclear explosion. So, the magic circle and the 10,000 mages who maintained the magic circle could continually operate the system and maintain output as long as they didn¡¯t exceed certain mass limits. In this fashion, it was possible to generate an infinite amount of energy by destroying useless resources without consuming any other goods. Click. A door opened, and Youngmin entered the room. ¡°Bro, the people over at Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO) want to meet with you.¡± ¡°Tell them to get lost.¡± ¡°Indeed. You¡¯re not a person who has time to meet with such lowly KEPCO people. I¡¯ll send the lawyers. Oh, also, you¡¯ve received a few complaints and some lawsuits.¡± ¡°Lawsuits?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll send the lawyers to take care of those as well. Dang, we should really make a dedicated legal team or something to take care of all this stuff.¡± ¡°Already on it. They¡¯ll be introducing themselves and greeting you soon.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah? Dang, bro. You¡¯re so quick.¡± Although Yongno and the Great Mage Merlin had gained worldwide fame and influence, there were always bloodsucking mosquito-like people and organizations circling around him. Great changes were taking place in Korea and around the world thanks to Yongno. The income he brought in was an astronomical amount, so one could imagine how many people and organizations were eagerly trying to take a slice of that income. Of course¡­ there were those who were economically hurt by Yongno¡¯s [patch]. This was mainly the case for those with vested interests in the status quo and those who had existing wealth or power. These people could not keep up with the changes and thus could no longer benefit from or exploit the economic system. Those who tried to somehow get their hands on Yongno¡¯s profits, those who wanted to reduce their risk, and those who sought compensation for their losses constantly tried to contact Yongno. If Yongno were an overnight sensation who didn¡¯t know any better about cutthroat business tactics, he might have felt overwhelmed by these people¡¯s persistent pursuits. ¡°If there¡¯s anyone who¡¯s doing something stupid, you can use my personal connections, financial power, or whatever you deem necessary to deal with them. You can even use force if you like. I¡¯ll take care of the backlash.¡± ¡°Hahaha, don¡¯t say such scary things, bro.¡± Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Most people would pick Arthur, the Knight of Light, if they were asked to pick the most famous person in the world right now. Arthur¡¯s fame and power stemmed solely from his strength, the ¡®good¡¯ image he built up to this point, and the general populace¡¯s respect and worship due to his mythical achievements. However, the Great Mage Merlin''s fame, power, and influence mainly came from Merlin¡¯s hacking of the DIO system and his acquisition of DIO¡¯s operating rights. In other words, Merlin was known more for obtaining something of power, rather than being powerful. In addition, as [Magic Civilization] bloomed on Earth, where only [Machine Civilization] and Yongno¡¯s materialization of qi through Qi Heaven had existed in the past¡­ Merlin¡¯s influence grew stronger. As a result, the world changed. Naturally, the Korean government as well as many countries, including the United States, tried their best to recruit him. Nevertheless, Yongno, who was not patriotic and had no intention of belonging to any specific party, vehemently ignored all their efforts. CH 281 Click. While Yongno was looking over some papers at his desk and talking about this and that with Youngmin, Eunhye, dressed in a men¡¯s business suit, and Miho, with her six tails trailing behind her, opened the door and entered the room. Unlike Eunhye, who was walking calmly, Miho ran and jumped onto Merlin¡¯s lap with a proud expression on her face. ¡°Merlin! Look at me!¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not a fox-species being anymore¡­ You can¡¯t just jump onto my lap¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense and look here!¡± With an excited expression, Miho sat with her hips on Yongno¡¯s lap and her arms around his neck. Miho stared with wide eyes straight into Yongno¡¯s eyes. ¡°¡­Jeweled Magic Eyes?¡± ¡°Yep, I regained them both! Hahaha, I didn¡¯t think I could make new ones!¡± Miho¡¯s eyes were shining red. It wasn¡¯t just that the color of her eyes changed to red; her eyes shone as if her eye sockets were inlaid with red rubies. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ amazing. And it¡¯s not just one eye but both eyes.¡± In the past in DIO, Miho had died in place of Merlin and given Merlin one of her Jeweled Magic Eyes in the last moments of her life. Considering that the Jeweled Magic Eye was a spiritual organ with spiritual power, Yongno hadn''t expected that Miho could restore her Jeweled Magic Eye. Since Miho had experience in developing Jeweled Magic Eyes once before, it wouldn¡¯t have been strange if she were able to recreate the Jeweled Magic Eye again at some point much later on. Nevertheless, even if she were able to do that, Yongno had expected that it would only be one eye. ¡°That¡¯s awesome.¡± ¡°Yeah! Isn¡¯t it great?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ If you can keep reproducing the Jeweled Magic Eyes after I pluck them out, we¡¯ll be able to produce Jeweled Magic Eyes like a fully operational factory¡­¡± ¡°What sort of terrible thoughts are you having?!!¡± Shouting something along the lines of ¡®I hate you!¡¯, Miho swung her fists at Yongno wildly. Miho had been a high-ranking fox being in the past and was currently a capable magic power practitioner. However, Yongno was a being who was on the cusp of reaching the transcendence realm in DIO, so he was easily able to dodge Miho¡¯s attacks although Miho was trying her best to strike him. ¡®Hmm, is my real body around Level 13?¡¯ Yongno¡¯s real body¡¯s [spiritual powers],strength, stamina, HP, agility, and so on weren¡¯t comparable with those of the body he possessed in DIO. In fact, Yongno¡¯s body in DIO was more like a biological weapon than a physical life form. No matter how hard a person trained or tried, the limitations of their real physical body were clearly set and apparent. Training beyond this limitation would only overtax their body rather than lead to further growth. This [physical] limitation had nothing to do with willpower or grit. It was just physically impossible for a person to jump a distance of ten to twenty meters or lift and throw an object weighing several tons with only a bit of effort. However, the [user¡¯s body] provided by DIO¡¯s system was different. Unlike their real body, a user¡¯s DIO body not only became stronger as they put in more effort, but it was also able to take advantage of system bonuses, such as the level-up bonus stats. (Of course, at some point, the body would cease to develop through simple training alone, but the upper limit of a DIO user¡¯s body couldn¡¯t be compared with that of a real body.) Therefore, it was possible in-game for users with high HP to be unaffected by firearms or for users with high strength stats to throw a dump truck with their bare hands, even if they had not learned any technique or ability to do so. So, what would happen once spiritual power was added to a user¡¯s body? Bam! ¡°Ouch!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just joking around, so don¡¯t get overexcited. Here, have some cake.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ Ah! Is it cheesecake?¡± Miho, who had a disgruntled expression on her face just moments ago, became delighted when she saw a cake on the table. She was a young woman who liked meat, which fit the palate of a fox-species being. Yet, perhaps because she had been recreated as a girl in real life, she had since developed a sweet tooth. ¡°Oh, but Yongno¡­ I can do almost everything I was able to do previously with these Jeweled Magic Eyes, but I can¡¯t seem to do mind control like before. I can¡¯t even do a simple hypnotization. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m being blocked or anything; it just doesn¡¯t work. Is there something wrong with this planet?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s right. Someone banned psychological attacks from working on this planet.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°If I had to guess, I would say that it''s either the Celesti or the Netherworld. They¡¯re the ones who are the most hostile toward the Noblesse.¡± Of course, it wasn¡¯t that difficult to interfere with the minds of today¡¯s human beings, who didn¡¯t have the mental defensive barriers that all users enjoyed in DIO. In fact, Yongno, who was able to use spiritual power on Earth through the Seal of Heaven that Mary (who was now Snowflake Flower) had engraved, had traveled around the world and brainwashed the leaders of each country before the psychological attack restrictions were enforced. However, once the Legion and Grotesque forces¡¯ attacks on Earth began, the Noblesse decided to interfere and influence Earth directly, leading to all mental interference abilities being banned on Earth. Essentially, someone had manipulated Earth¡¯s [laws]. ¡°Wow. Oh, my¡­ If such a thing was possible¡­ it would have to have been a transcendent being, right?¡± ¡°A transcendent would indeed be able to implement such a law¡­ If they were a magic-power type of being, like a mage or shaman, that could [prepare] for a large-scale spell, they may be able to use sacrifices and a planetary-wide spell to implement such a law¡­ But in this case, it would be reasonable to assume that a being of intermediate or higher rank intervened.¡± ¡°Intermediate rank¡ªI can¡¯t even begin to imagine what kind of existence that would be¡­ Didn¡¯t you say that a nine-tailed fox was a lower-rank god? Perhaps a ten-tailed fox would be considered an intermediate god?¡± Seeing Miho¡¯s perplexed expression, Yongno fell into thought. He assumed that the being who placed the restrictive law on Earth was a transcendent being of intermediate rank, but the information he had was too little to use to identify anyone. Although Yongno was connected to the Netherworld and the Celesti realm to some extent, neither could be called a [close partner]. It was better to side with the Celesti, who provided Yongno help in this and that, than the Netherworld, which strictly obeyed Union law without any room for interpretation, but how could Yongno trust either of them completely? It wasn¡¯t like either side had his best interests at heart. After organizing his thoughts for a moment, Yongno suddenly turned his head and looked at Eunhye. Dressed in a men¡¯s business suit, Eunhye stood steadfast and undisturbed amid the tumultuous and raucous atmosphere. It was as if time had stopped for her; her straight and upright posture was as distinct as a figure in a painting. ¡°Come to think of it, did things go well?¡± ¡°Roughly. Your recipe for the artificial spiritual pathways has spread amongst the viable producers, and many have started production. The patents are also being fully recognized and enforced.¡± Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. ¡°What about the production volume?¡± ¡°It seems like a low volume for now. In other words, like internal power users making handmade reinforced items, the producers need to spend a long time making each artificial spiritual pathway.¡± The reason why Yongno was able to use mana on Earth, where spiritual pathways didn¡¯t exist, was because he was able to execute Qi Heaven, which allowed him to materialize qi. ¡®If Mary hadn¡¯t taught me how to use Qi Heaven¡­ I would be living a different life. Manifestation has a time limit, so what I can do with manifestation alone is limited. In the end, I might have been just another Master-level user enslaved by the state.¡¯ However, whether by chance or inevitability, Yongno mastered Qi Heaven and succeeded in inventing Pathway to Hell, which was capable of [producing] tremendous spiritual power. These two things together made it possible for Yongno to mass-produce artificial spiritual pathways. Then when people with special abilities became a reality through the application of artificial spiritual pathways, it also became possible for people to produce artificial spiritual pathways and exert superpowers, just like how Yongno had done with the Seal of Heaven. ¡°By the way, won¡¯t most mages be able to create artificial spiritual pathways?¡± Eunhye asked. ¡°That¡¯ll be difficult unless one¡¯s a high-ranking mage. Mages who specialize in aligning and rearranging mana are incomparable to internal energy users when it comes to focusing and concentrating mana. Rather, it would probably be easier for chakra or aura users to create artificial spiritual pathways.¡± Of course, Qi Heaven wasn¡¯t the only way to realize the materialization of qi on Earth. In the case of the Formless Mind technique, which was an attack technique that martial artists who specialized in dark arts could use, it was possible to materialize qi when their command of the technique went past a certain level. Nevertheless, there was no problem even if one didn¡¯t learn this specialized technique. This was because learning any qigong technique would suffice. Aside from Yongno¡¯s Qi Heaven, there was the Heavenly Demon Cycle Qi, which was something that those who mastered Heavenly Magic Divine Technique would have mastered¡­ or the materialization of qi that was used by aura users to make sword-shaped qi fly through the air¡­ After learning any of these qigong techniques to materialize qi and learning Yongno¡¯s ¡®artificial spiritual pathway recipe¡¯, which was patented in that dreary name by Yongno, one would be able to create artificial spiritual pathways. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it difficult to get patent recognition? I didn¡¯t think your recipe would be in line with existing patent laws¡­¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t difficult. There were many countries that were anxious to look good for our Great Mage Merlin, especially the United States. They gave Yongno many concessions. Furthermore, many patent laws were newly created and added because of the need for spiritual sciences to develop,¡± Youngmin explained. Originally, in order to register a patent, an applicant had to put their patent application through an international search and international preliminary examination. The applicant also had to submit a translated application to each respective country and undergo all kinds of verification and further examinations. Yet, for Yongno¡­ CH 282 ¡ªOf course, the Merlin Corporation decided not to sell the artificial spiritual pathways in countries that didn¡¯t enforce the patent law. ¡ªWhat! That¡¯s bullshit! ¡ªBullshit?! Ha, that¡¯s rich. Your country won¡¯t enforce the patent laws and protect intellectual property rights, so why should they sell artificial spiritual pathways in your country? Although there was some media backlash, Eunhye was able to wade through the difficulties and complete her work in getting artificial spiritual pathways to market. Merlin¡¯s name value and Yongno¡¯s popularity as the Great Mage made her work much easier. The world was changing because of artificial spiritual pathways, and national leaders weren¡¯t blind to these changes. ¡°Oh, it seemed like the Chinese side was going to do something. They acknowledged the conditions and let them be put in place, but it seems they¡¯re generally dissatisfied,¡± Eunhye stated. ¡°They¡¯re probably burdened by the thought of Korea, their next-door neighbor, growing too big. Their voice in the political arena is weakening because of people like me and Seyoung,¡± Yongno commented. The case was similar for Japan. If Japan were in a normal state, they would have tried to check Korea at every corner. However, having been vehemently defeated by Seyoung, Japan was now living in a sort of dark age, so it didn¡¯t have the means to make such political moves. ¡®Even if Japan were operating normally, what could they do? A public appeal won¡¯t work, media play is useless, and since Yongno operates DIO, any political pressure would only result in firm counterattacks.¡¯ Yongno was a major transnational force that couldn¡¯t easily be reckoned with. His military and technological power transcended the existing systems of the world, so he was relatively free from any pressure. Of course, if the national powers were to make the decision to murder Yongno, they¡¯d probably be able to hatch some sort of plan to do it. Nonetheless, how could they move recklessly when they knew that extraterrestrial beings existed outside of Earth? ¡°Oh, and this.¡± ¡°A Level 2 artificial spiritual pathway¡­ Whoa. This isn¡¯t one of mine, right?¡± Yongno opened his eyes wide when he saw the black jewel that Eunhye took out. Miho, who was still eating cheesecake while sitting on Yongno¡¯s lap, tilted her head. ¡°Is it that surprising? You¡¯ve already publicized the artificial spiritual pathways recipe, so others can start making them now, right?¡± ¡°Right, but I didn¡¯t expect anyone to be able to make a Level 2 one yet. It¡¯s normal for the first few prototypes to fail, and even if they eventually succeeded, I expected that it would be after at least a month¡¯s time¡­ Is there anyone other than me who has learned mana amplification? If it could be done so easily, Leighann wouldn¡¯t have made such a fuss about getting a patent¡­¡± Yongno was able to quickly create artificial spiritual pathways because he could amplify mana by colliding magic power and internal energy, a reaction that caused mana amplification. Nevertheless, it took quite some time, even for him, to create an artificial spiritual pathway. He was only capable of mass-producing artificial spiritual pathways because of Pathway to Hell, which was an abundant source of energy. Hence, Yongno found it immensely surprising that others were already able to create them despite the large amount of energy required to produce Level 2 artificial spiritual pathways. ¡°Perhaps it might be possible if a person consumed their own innate Genuine Qi¡ªor in other words, their true qi¡­ But no one would be foolish enough to take such a step to use their own true qi, right? In the end, it¡¯s necessary to condense and create with recoverable spiritual power, but the amount of energy required is tremendous¡­¡± ¡°What if several people are making it together?¡± Yongno shook his head after hearing Miho¡¯s question. ¡°Even if a group of people learn and practice the same type of internal energy technique, it¡¯s impossible to make the same artificial spiritual pathway unless they¡¯re all the same person. Eunhye, who made this? Is it someone I know?¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t know them. I looked them up; it seems like they¡¯re twins who both practice martial arts.¡± ¡°Twins? Ah¡­¡± Looking at Yongno, who was surprised at the unexpected response, Eunhye explained, ¡°Of course, they¡¯re not just normal twins. Even twins can¡¯t do everything identically. But these two are twins who are virtually the same in every way, even their mentality and psychological state.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Certainly, if that¡¯s the case, they¡¯d be able to operate an even and identical production process. Even if one of them reaches a limit, the other could take over. They could take turns working, having one work while the other takes a break and recuperates. Since the recipe is open to the wider public, it seems like all sorts of novel approaches are being taken.¡± Yongno frowned. He would have never thought of such an idea, but it seemed that the effects of this novel approach could have greater applications if it were properly applied. It was true that identical twins were relatively rare, but weren¡¯t there also cases of identical triplets or even identical quadruplets on Earth? Of course, the probability of identical quadruplets being born was extremely low, around one in thirteen million. However, if those the quadruplets that were born were all able to reach Level 10, the Master class, as internal energy users¡­ ¡®It might even be possible for those people to create a Level 5 artificial spiritual pathway. No, wait, if expectations were to be lowered and some efficiency given up, wouldn¡¯t it be possible for brothers and sisters, not just twins, to synchronize their minds and souls? Should I try this out?¡¯ The novel idea suddenly raised a new set of ideas in Yongno¡¯s mind. Of course, even if this new avenue of production was possible, it didn¡¯t compare to the [mass production] capabilities of Pathway to Hell. Nevertheless, since most of the motivation for magic research started with [interest], Yongno had the heart to try these new ideas even if they didn¡¯t produce any spectacular results. However, Eunhye lightly grabbed Yongno¡¯s arm at that moment. ¡°There is some other business to tend to. I don¡¯t know what just popped into your mind, but it will have to wait till next time.¡± ¡°Other business?¡± Eunhye calmly nodded. ¡°The guests have arrived.¡± *** At the Magic Tower *** A sports car stopped in an expansive parking lot. A tall woman, with a height of 174 centimeters and long black hair, stepped out of the car with a man, who was 10 centimeters taller than her, was dressed in a neat suit, and had a sturdy body and distinctive features. ¡°Where is this place? Didn¡¯t you say we were going to Yongno¡¯s house?¡± Boram commented. The tall woman looked at the parking lot, which was bigger than a decent-sized soccer field, and the huge wall in front of them with a dumbfounded expression. On one side of the parking lot was a sizable restaurant as well as various convenience facilities. ¡°This is his place,¡± Taewoong answered. ¡°This is Yongno¡¯s place? Isn¡¯t this a planned city?¡± ¡°Yeah, the scale of this place defies all building permit regulations and laws¡­ but there¡¯s no one foolish enough to enforce such laws, especially if it¡¯s against the Great Mage. It¡¯s impossible to try Yongno for violating criminal law, let alone some local building ordinances or rules.¡± Although they had virtually disowned Yongno¡­ Yongno¡¯s parents were still alive. Additionally, Yongno had an older brother, who was six years older, and an older sister, who was three years older. Yongno¡¯s older brother, Taewoong, had set his hopes of becoming a soldier from a young age and later graduated from the military academy, stepping on the path to becoming a typical elite officer. Yongno¡¯s older sister, Boram, had gone on to attend a prestigious foreign university. A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled. In truth, Taewoong and Boram were children any Korean parent would be proud of. These two people were handsome and beautiful, possessed sincere and bright personalities, and were excellent in academics and sports¡­ They both lived perfect elite lifestyles as if someone had drawn out their ideal lives. They were what was often referred to as the typical ¡®mother¡¯s friend¡¯s son or daughter¡¯ that everyone was compared against. In fact, compared to these two splendid siblings, Yongno had been like an ugly duckling. He had been a typical loser who maintained mediocre grades in a decent high school. Then he later completely crashed and burned on his high school entrance exams and ultimately give up on going to college. Yet, now¡ªa year later¡ªthe situation had completely changed. ¡°Why? Why can¡¯t we enter?¡± a reporter shouted near an imposing wall in front of some guards. ¡°Because this is private property, and the Great Mage has already stated that he is refusing all visitors.¡± ¡°Private property! This was previously Cheonan City, a public city! There¡¯s no way all this land is privately owned! Also, does it make sense to build such a large wall on such a vast land and block entry?¡± A few of the reporters tried to force themselves into Yongno¡¯s home, but the guards blocked their way with firm expressions on their faces. ¡°If you¡¯re unhappy, talk to the government. This building was built after paying a sufficient price to the government and obtaining all required permits. And above all¡­¡± One of the guards, Kang Sukhyun, widened his eyes and scanned the surroundings. As he did so, a gentle qi shockwave emanated outward from him. Kang Sukhyun was an internal energy user, so he was able to materialize qi and create pressure. Kang Sukhyun continued, ¡°What you stated isn¡¯t a good enough reason to trespass on this area.¡± The reporters, who were famous for their blunt voices and harshness, didn¡¯t dare retort. It wasn¡¯t just because of Sukhyun¡¯s overwhelming aura but also the strong will that oppressed their spirits. Meanwhile, Taewoong, the eldest son of the Chief of Staff and a lieutenant colonel in the army, muttered quietly to himself. CH 283 ¡°Hmm¡­ he¡¯s equipped with a Level 3 internal energy artificial spiritual pathway. It would be difficult for guards to buy a Level 3 or higher artificial spiritual pathway, so it¡¯s probably the case that Yongno distributed artificial spiritual pathways to his guards. Or at the very least, he sold it to them with a steep discount.¡± Artificial spiritual pathways were selling like hotcakes and were spreading throughout society rapidly. They weren¡¯t cheap, but since it cost three to seven million won to purchase a Level 1 artificial spiritual pathway, it was still a price that most ordinary people could afford. A Level 0 civilian who wasn¡¯t equipped with an artificial spiritual pathway couldn¡¯t compare in terms of power, efficiency, and a plethora of other metrics with a person equipped with a Level 1 artificial spiritual pathway. Essentially, having an artificial spiritual pathway became a social necessity. ¡®However, the situation is completely different for Level 3 artificial spiritual pathways.¡¯ Twenty million Level 1 artificial spiritual pathways that had been produced and put out in the market, but only one million Level 3 artificial spiritual pathways had been produced and made available worldwide. Moreover, the price for these Level 3 artificial spiritual pathways ranged from three hundred million won to seven hundred million won a piece. Yongno¡¯s first production run had sold out in an instant, and even though the artificial spiritual pathway recipe had been made public for others to produce, the additional production couldn¡¯t keep up with the overwhelming market demand. Additionally, the price of three hundred million won to seven hundred million won for a Level 3 artificial spiritual pathway was just the starting price. Many wealthy people, who were able to install a Level 3 artificial spiritual pathway, didn¡¯t even consider equipping a Level 1 artificial spiritual pathway and only sought a Level 3 artificial spiritual pathway. Due to this, the price of a Level 3 artificial spiritual pathway skyrocketed. Above all, the problem was that only the Great Mage could currently create a Level 3 artificial spiritual pathway; in other words, there was a bottleneck in the production. Even though the manufacturing recipe and method had been spread widely, there were few people who could make a functioning Level 2 artificial spiritual pathway, let alone a Level 3 artificial spiritual pathway. ¡°Ugh¡­ but didn¡¯t those other people go inside earlier?¡± ¡°They are guests, not reporters, so please step back. If you continue to camp at the entrance like this, I will have to call the police.¡± Since Yongno¡¯s house was guarded by such powerful security guards, it was close to impossible to break into Yongno¡¯s house. Above all, the walls surrounding Yongno¡¯s mansion were equipped with all sorts of defensive magic and crime prevention systems, so one had to pass through the main entrance. ¡°Excuse me.¡± ¡°Mr. Yongno is not taking any interviews¡­ Hmm?¡± Sukhyun, who calmly tried to block the other¡¯s approach, momentarily hesitated, and corrected his posture once he saw and felt who he was speaking to. Just as Taewoong had felt Sukhyun¡¯s spiritual power earlier, Sukhyun now felt Taewoong¡¯s spiritual power, which was at a Level 3 state. Sukhyun knew that a person with a Level 3 artificial spiritual pathway wasn¡¯t an ordinary citizen unless he or she received [preferential] treatment like himself. However, instead of Taewoong, it was Boram who answered. She spoke up, ¡°Uhm, you see¡­ A few days ago, my brother and I called and said we were coming to visit. We¡¯re here to see Yongno.¡± ¡°You speak his name so openly and indiscriminately¡­¡± Sukhyun said. For a moment, he frowned with displeasure, but he soon had a realization and straightened his posture. ¡°Ah. Please wait a moment!!¡± Boram, who was taken aback by Sukhyun¡¯s sudden shout, saw Sukhyun turn his head back toward the large wall. Sukhyun started mouthing some words without any sound. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s using Thousand Li Speech.¡± ¡°Thousand Li Speech?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a way to transmit one¡¯s voice over a considerable distance¡­ But being able to use it so easily with just a Level 3 artificial spiritual pathway means that the guard is quite an advanced internal energy user. His level in DIO must be at least Level 8. Yongno¡¯s using such a talented person as a security guard?¡± While Boram was still feeling bewildered, the entrance door opened. The size of the door they had entered through earlier was considerably large as it was a door that led someone into an enclosed area the size of a city. However, the door that just opened was a relatively small one and would only allow a few people to enter at a time. Sukhyun, who had kicked out the reporters earlier, spoke while manipulating a palm-sized metal plate. ¡°If you wait in the waiting area, someone will come by shortly and take you to the Magic Tower.¡± ¡°Magic Tower?¡± ¡°Ah yes. That¡¯s the name of the place where the Great Mage resides. It will take about two minutes to get there.¡± Boram had trouble understanding Sukhyun¡¯s words. ¡°Two minutes? But I don¡¯t see any tower nearby¡­ Will we be getting in a car to get to the tower?¡± It was a natural question. Yongno¡¯s [mansion], which occupied one-third of the huge plain that had formed after razing an entire city, was close to fifteen kilometers in diameter. Considering that a horse traveled fifteen kilometers an hour and that the average human¡¯s walking speed was only three to five kilometers per hour, this meant the area was large enough to take someone several hours to walk across. Just then, a voice spoke out matter-of-factly from inside the waiting room, ¡°A flying disc will be coming soon. Right now, it¡¯s being used to move something to the warehouse.¡± It was only then that Boram noticed that others were already in the waiting room. The one who spoke was a girl with red hair who appeared to be in her late teens, and standing beside her was an ordinary-looking man in his early to mid-twenties. Beside him were two others¡­ ¡°Eh? Isn¡¯t that Leaf?¡± ¡°Hello! I¡¯m your lovable superstar, Leaf!¡± Leaf stood at 165 centimeters tall, but because of her small face and perfect body proportions, her body profile looked sleek and tall. She was a beautiful girl who struck an elegant pose. With blonde-dyed hair and the adornment of a leaf-shaped brooch, Leaf was an idol singer at the peak of her popularity. She was often referred to as Korea¡¯s national younger sister. ¡°Loveable superstar my ass. No, more than that, why are you here? Are you scheduled to perform here¡­ eh? Mr. Sunghyun? You¡¯re here, too? Did Yongno call you in?¡± Seokwoo, who was the current Chief of Staff and the father of Boram and Taewoong, lived in a luxury apartment where many celebrities lived, so he had come across Kim Sunghyun, who was the CEO of SH Entertainment, and Leaf several times in the past. This meant that his Seokwoo¡¯s son, Taewoong, also came into frequent contact with Leaf and Sunghyun. ¡°I came because I have some business matters to attend to. However, I couldn¡¯t schedule a meeting with Yongno as a lowly entertainment agency CEO, so I¡¯m using Leaf¡¯s friendship to grab a meeting with him.¡± ¡°Eh? A person of your stature can¡¯t grab a meeting with Yongno?¡± Boram exclaimed. However, Sunghyun just shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t overestimate me. There¡¯s no way one can enter this place with just the title of a CEO of an entertainment agency. Even high-level legislators can¡¯t come into this place.¡± ¡°No, no, wait a minute. What did you just say? Leaf has a personal friendship with Yongno?¡± Boram suddenly waved her hand and asked a question as she overheard Sunghyun and Taewoong¡¯s conversation. ¡°Are you hearing about this for the first time? I heard that Yongno wasn¡¯t close with his family, but I didn¡¯t think it was true.¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know why it¡¯s become like this either¡­ Anyway, how did the two of them get to know each other?¡± Boram asked. ¡°They met by chance. He helped her when she fell into some trouble. He also wrote [Star on the Ground] for her.¡± Yongno had saved Leaf when she faced some trouble with some delinquent male students, and he also helped her gain independence from her exploitative guardians. ¡°Eh? Star on the Ground was composed and written by Yongno? But that¡¯s an absolute masterpiece!¡± Unlike Boram, who was making a fuss, Taewoong maintained a calm expression. In fact, from his point of view, there was nothing surprising about whatever Yongno did. ¡°Ah, something¡¯s coming.¡± ¡°Looking back, he was such an extraordinary guy. Why did he live so quietly when he was young¡­ hmm?¡± Boram, who was speaking under her breath, suddenly stopped mid-sentence. After meeting two familiar faces, Leaf and Sunghyun, in the waiting room, Boram had forgotten that there were two other visitors present. One of them was an ordinary-looking man with a relatively ordinary physique. He seemed to have an unremarkable presence as there didn¡¯t seem anything special about him. Nevertheless, his body looked relatively firm and trained. The other was a foreigner with red hair, who was not remarkably beautiful but had a slim figure. ¡°Come to think of it, the guard said a flying disc was coming. What¡¯s a flying disc?¡± Though Boram knew what a flying disc was in theory, she assumed that it wasn¡¯t meant literally. The red-haired girl shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no need to explain. You¡¯ll see soon enough.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Huh?¡± ¡°What the¡­¡± At that moment, something shimmered in the distance. It wasn¡¯t emitting a bright light, but it was a vivid color. Then¡­ Boom! ¡°Wow¡­ What is this¡­¡± ¡°Is this some sort of UFO¡­?¡± The disk, which looked as small as a firefly from afar, soon reached the waiting room in an instant without making any sound. Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. The silvery disc was only ten centimeters thick but had a diameter spanning five meters. It seemed to shimmer in the sunlight because of its color and material. ¡°Now, please get on. We¡¯ll arrive at the Magic Tower shortly.¡± ¡°Eh? You want us to ride this? No, rather, it seems to have flown here, but on what principle¡­¡± ¡°Oh, my. Such an abnormal thing flying around as if it¡¯s just a natural occurrence¡­¡± Boram, Leaf, and Sunghyun were all perplexed and dumbfounded as they stared at the flying disc. It was a completely unfamiliar object, so they couldn¡¯t help but hesitate. However, the red-haired girl and the plain-looking man calmly climbed atop the disc. CH 284 ¡°Ugh, hurry it up you country bumpkins! I¡¯m busy¡ª Ouch!¡± ¡°Hahaha, sorry about this lady¡¯s mouth. She¡¯s not very good with the Korean language.¡± ¡°What are you talking about, you fool? I¡¯m much better at Korean than you¡ª Ouch! Stop pulling! It hurts!!¡± Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. The plain-faced man gave a reassuring smile as he stretched the red-haired girl¡¯s cheeks. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be nervous. Even though this flying disc may look flimsy, I assure you that it¡¯ll be able to carry us all safely to our destination.¡± ¡°Wait, the two of you aren¡¯t equipped with artificial spiritual pathways, right?¡± Taewoong commented. Since artificial spiritual pathways were foreign to a human¡¯s body, it was virtually impossible for a person to hide the unique presence of an artificial spiritual pathway they were equipped with even if they had completely assimilated the artificial spiritual pathway with their body. Of course, it was possible for a person to hide their presence through the use of martial arts, but they couldn¡¯t hide one¡¯s energy and aura when they were face to face with another person in such close proximity, just like how close the party members were to each other right now. It might be possible for a person to hide their energy and aura if they were equipped with a [fully functional] Level 10 or higher artificial spiritual pathway¡­ However, as far as Taewoong knew, the highest level of artificial spiritual pathways available in the market was Level 3¡­ The red-haired girl shook her head. ¡°Dude, just get on. Do you think Merlin is trying to kill us?¡± Listening to the young girl¡¯s exasperated yet logical words, everyone climbed onto the flying disc. The flying disc, which was five meters in diameter, was large enough to allow the entire party to climb atop it with ease, and it soon floated upward. ¡°This¡­¡± Taewoong¡¯s facial expression, which had maintained a sense of calm until now, hardened. He couldn¡¯t feel the inertia that he should have felt when the flying disc rose upward. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just a floating spell that¡¯s been placed on this flying disc; it also has an inertia control spell placed on it. This sort of object can¡¯t be created unless it¡¯s done by a Level 10 mage or higher.¡± Whoosh! The surrounding background seemed to be pushed back in an instant. Even though the flying disc accelerated to hundreds of kilometers per hour in just a moment, the party members atop the flying disc didn¡¯t feel the slightest pull. Whiz! ¡°We¡¯ve arrived.¡± When the flying disc stopped, the red-haired girl jumped down. The place they arrived at was a building that looked to be about thirty stories tall. ¡°That was fast.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t just fast¡­ It didn¡¯t shake no matter how fast it moved, and I couldn¡¯t feel any sort of wind resistance¡­¡± Taewoong couldn¡¯t help but mutter in disbelief after experiencing the excessive performance of the UFO-like flying disc. Of course, many of them played DIO, so they had all experienced something like this in-game, but those were experiences that were restricted to the game, not experiences that could be had or witnessed in real life. Although magic had started to appear and take hold in reality, it still seemed absurd that something so advanced like this flying disc already existed. As soon as they got off, Boram looked at the flying disc, which went away in an instant as if it had finished its assignment and had other things to do. Then she turned her head toward the building. ¡°Anyway, why is this called a tower? It looks like a normal building.¡± The word ¡®tower¡¯ gave her the impression and expectation that she¡¯d arrive at a spire-like building, so Boram mumbled her confusion aloud as she approached the building. Yongno currently attracted the world¡¯s attention, but little was known about the layout of his mansion. Many rumors circulated about all kinds of buildings and [gardens] existing in this space that occupied one-third of a city¡¯s land, but not a single picture of the inside circulated on the Internet. ¡°Come to think of it, a lot was said about this building.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean, Taewoong?¡± ¡°Its image isn¡¯t capturable through satellite imagery. Not even the shape of this building can be photographed.¡± If someone were to try to take a satellite picture of Yongno¡¯s mansion, all they would see was a dot of sparkling silver light. It was possible to see everything on the outside from within the building, but it was impossible to see what lay inside the building from the outside. ¡°Moreover, it¡¯s warm here. Even though it¡¯s not hot enough to say that it¡¯s like summer weather, it¡¯s hot enough to be like spring weather. However, it¡¯s freezing outside.¡± Winter was in full swing, with Christmas just around the corner. It wasn¡¯t too windy in the area, so the actual temperature that one felt wasn¡¯t that cold, but all the visitors were wearing thick clothes anyway. Boram took off her coat. It seemed that the perimeter fence surrounding the mansion had a function that regulated the internal temperature; the temperature had changed significantly the moment they stepped through the building¡¯s entrance. ¡°Welcome.¡± Then the space shuddered and shimmered with a snapping sound, and Eunhye appeared in her tight men¡¯s formal business suit. This was a common way for a user to appear in DIO¡­ but knowing full well that this was happening in reality, Taewoong groaned inwardly at the scene. ¡®Oh, my God, space travel. It¡¯s something that could spark a logistics revolution.¡¯ Taewoong had divided his spiritual power focus between both life force and magic power in DIO, but he was knowledgeable enough in magic to know that magic power and its capabilities would have a tremendous impact on reality. Actually, the world had already completely changed in the span of a few weeks after Yongno revealed his artificial spiritual pathways. The even more shocking thing was that only the Level 1-3 artificial spiritual pathways had been unveiled. Once higher-level abilities were utilized through higher leveled artificial spiritual pathways, the things that could be done in reality would increase almost exponentially. ¡°Oh, Eunhye. Long time no see.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a while.¡± Sociable by nature, Boram had maintained a certain level of friendship with Eunhye. Of course, it wasn''t as close as it would have been if Boram hadn¡¯t spent most of her time abroad before entering a university in Korea. Nevertheless, Boram talked on the phone more often with Eunhye than she did with her own younger brother, Yongno. ¡°Anyway, where¡¯s Yongno? I always see his face on TV, but he never answers his phone.¡± ¡°He¡¯s been a bit busy. We¡¯ve all been busy.¡± This conversation was between Boram and Eunhye while Taewoong kept silent and listened. The red-haired girl and the plain-looking man followed suit without a word. Bam! As they moved to a place where a strange pattern was engraved on the ground, the surrounding background changed. Yongno¡¯s Magic Tower was a building without stairs or an elevator, so the only way to move between floors was through teleportation. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re all already here. I¡¯m almost done setting dinner~!¡± When they arrived at a sort of dining hall, they saw a white-haired girl wearing an apron setting a dining table. Seeing her tall, slender body, curvy features, and impressive jade green eyes, Boram, as well as everyone else in the party, hesitated momentarily. ¡°Oh, how can this be¡­ Mary? No, wait, is it really her?¡± ¡°Is it some cosplay costume?¡± ¡°No, wait, look what¡¯s above her head!¡± When Boram shouted, everyone in the party raised their eyes to the lettering above the white-haired girl¡¯s head. [Merlin¡¯s Guardian] [Snowflake Flower] ¡°Wait a minute¡­ She has an ID floating above her head even in reality?¡± ¡°No, wait. More importantly, why isn¡¯t her ID ¡®Mary¡¯? Instead, it¡¯s ¡®Snowflake Flower¡¯? What is going on¡­¡± ¡°Shut it, and sit down. You all are so loud.¡± The one that growled wasn¡¯t a human but a ferocious-looking monster with green skin and a snub nose, which made his nostrils flare upward. The monster had tightly packed muscles rippled all over his body. His body proportions did not normally exist in reality, so everyone just stood around as if they were frozen. ¡°¡­ Sungmuk?¡± Amidst the chaos, the girl with red hair, who had been relatively calm up to that point, stiffened after seeing Sungmuk and took a few steps back. Seeing this, Sungmuk chuckled. ¡°Oh? Long time no see, kid.¡± ¡°Loading!¡± At that moment, the red-haired girl¡ªCruze in disguise¡ªconjured up dual pistols. Although the pistols looked like gunpowder weapons, they weren¡¯t modern weapons; they were plasma pistols made with the scientific power of a Third Stage Civilization. Cruze¡¯s compact weapons packed a larger punch than any modern firearm, but she didn¡¯t immediately pull on the pistols¡¯ triggers. ¡°What? Huh!? An orc! An orc in real life?!¡± ¡°Oh, my God. The Sword Sovereign¡­!¡± Mary¡ªthe initial guide who accompanied and helped all users initially acclimate to DIO¡ªwas a popular and celebrated figure, not only in DIO but also in the real world. However, when it came to being famous, or infamous in this case, the Orc Hero Sungmuk was second to none. It was not an exaggeration to say that he had the highest name value among the monsters that users fought against. However, letters were also floating above his head. [Tamed by Merlin] [Sword King Sungmuk] ¡°What? Tamed? [That] Sungmuk was tamed?¡± ¡°Wait, before being surprised by that¡­ shouldn¡¯t we be surprised that all of this exists in reality?!¡± ¡°Being able to summon NPCs into reality¡­ I know Merlin has the authorization to operate DIO, but this¡­¡± ¡°No, wait. Weapon materialization¡­ You must be Cruze!¡± The scene was like a blazing crucible of roaring confusion. Although the beings present didn¡¯t immediately enter battle, the atmosphere became more and more tense as the seconds passed. Then¡­ CH 285 ¡°All right. Everyone, stop.¡± There was a deep ¡®Bam!¡¯ sound like that of a clap and its subsequent reverberation, and the entire party stopped moving. However, they didn¡¯t stop voluntarily. They could no longer move; it was as if someone had forcefully stopped time. ¡°This¡­ What¡¯s going on?¡± The pause only lasted a moment. It was only for a very short period of time, less than a second long, but it was still surprising to everyone that their bodies, which were equipped with spiritual pathways, could be forcibly taken over. For those equipped with artificial spiritual pathways, a second was enough time to inflict considerable damage on one¡¯s opponent. ¡°I told you guys to prepare a meal for our guests¡­ What¡¯s up with this heated atmosphere?¡± The side of a wall opened and revealed Yongno. Behind him as always was Youngmin, who calmly followed after Yongno, and Miho, who followed closely behind them with her six tails gently swaying behind her. ¡°Wow! What are all these dishes? I¡¯ve never seen this type of food before.¡± ¡°I prepared Korean food to commemorate my visit to Korea. I referenced the Surasang, the Korean traditional royal dining spread. According to Korean tradition, there are supposed to be three tabletops filled with various starters and dishes, but I decided on preparing a twelve-dish spread as a base. Moreover, I didn¡¯t know if the food would fit everyone¡¯s taste, so I also added some Western and Chinese style cuisines.¡± Cruze released the materialized dual pistols after seeing how Mary¡ªno, Heavenly Flower¡ªhad filled the dining table with an overwhelmingly bountiful spread. It was to the extent that it seemed the dining table would give way under the heft of the dishes. Cruze sat down in front of one of the many dining sets, which consisted of a spoon and chopsticks, that adorned the gorgeous dining table. ¡°What is all this? It doesn¡¯t seem like a normal spread¡­ It¡¯s imbued with mana.¡± ¡°You can think of it as a kind of medicinal food. If you eat any of the dishes, your energy will be restored, and you won¡¯t be as sensitive to cold or heat for a while.¡± Mary was a complete being as she was composed of many [selves] from various dimensions. If she had prepared the food as DIO¡¯s Skill Master, Marionette Hold, her food would have [extended the lifespan of the person who ate her food and made them look at least ten percent younger]. This was because she was capable of creating medicinal food beyond one¡¯s imagination. However, after she had gained independence from the DIO system, Mary became Heavenly Flower, the Heavenly Sword Master, so she only possessed a few remnant abilities of her previous self. ¡®Well, even those few remnant abilities are still overwhelmingly useful and powerful.¡¯ After gaining independence and becoming Heavenly Flower, she lost most of her abilities and was only able to use martial arts, but she was able to master most of the arts that didn¡¯t belong to the realm of [supernatural abilities]. This allowed Heavenly Flower to be an excellent cook, a proficient accountant, and an all-around generalist who could handle politics and business at an excellent level. ¡°Big Sis, Big Bro¡­ it¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Yeah, long time no see. We actually tried to come over a few times, but Dad kept stopping us, so we never got around to it. You¡¯ve become so amazing and popular that it¡¯s been hard to get a meeting with you.¡± As expected, Boram spoke in a lively manner and smiled. She then sat down in one of the dining table chairs. Yongno also sat down, and Eunhye, who had just appeared and walked right beside him, naturally sat next to Yongno. The moment Miho tried to sit on the opposite side of the table across from Yongno¡­ ¡°Phew.¡± Seeing Heavenly Flower sneak in front of her and plop down on the chair she was moving to, Miho cried out with wide eyes, ¡°Ah! Heavenly Flower! That¡¯s where I was planning to sit!¡± ¡°Hahaha, there¡¯s no seating chart, right? Whoever sits down first gets the seat.¡± ¡°Eh? But¡­¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes gathered on the two, who were having a weird exchange, but Heavenly Flower maintained a confident attitude. ¡°Yongno is so busy all the time, so it¡¯s hard to get close to him unless we eat a meal together.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± For a moment, the room fell into silence. Eunhye, Miho, and Leaf¡ªwho had just sat down in a position diagonally across the table from Yongno but was facing Sungmuk¡ªall flinched. ¡®We were all coexisting so quietly, but she¡¯s now throwing a curveball out of nowhere¡­¡¯ ¡®Is it because his family members are present?¡¯ In truth, all the women present were great beauties¡ªeven Eunhye, who wore a men¡¯s business suit. Eunhye had distinct features and a well-trained body; her looks were good enough for her to pass off as a celebrity. Meanwhile, Miho¡¯s pointy fox ears, which protruded above her head, and her six tails gave off a cute, girlish charm. Then there was Leaf, who possessed the title of Korea¡¯s national younger sister and was beloved by the entire nation. She possessed good looks and a slim body on top of many other mesmerizing attributes. Even Boram, Yongno¡¯s older sister, possessed an urban charm-type of physical beauty. However¡­ Heavenly Flower¡¯s beauty was on a completely different level. Shiny silver hair, tall height, and a slender body¡­ a voluptuous chest and an alluringly concave neck¡­ Heavenly Flower¡¯s beauty harmonized all aspects of her being, from her physical appearance to the way she carried herself. She was a woman of great mature beauty. The word ¡®beauty¡¯ was more appropriate for her than the descriptions of pretty or cute, which were more apt for the other women in the room. Even when Yongno, who wasn¡¯t particularly interested in women, first saw Mary, he immediately thought that if an entertainment agency or studio got ahold of her to model something, she¡¯d be able to earn hundreds of millions of won, if not billions, even if she were just a foot or hand model. We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. Plop! While everyone was motionless and momentarily stunned by Heavenly Flower¡¯s words, Miho walked towards Yongno and plopped herself down on Yongno¡¯s lap. ¡°Ah! Miho!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Uh, sitting like that¡­ That¡¯ll make Yongno uncomfortable.¡± ¡°Ah~ it¡¯s fine. I sit like this on his lap all the time. He¡¯s never mentioned that it was uncomfortable for him before.¡± Yongno sighed at the sight of Heavenly Flower and Miho bickering while Eunhye observed the two from the side. ¡°Let¡¯s just start eating.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Miho, come see me later.¡± ¡°Hmph! I¡¯m not afraid of anyone who tells me they want to see me later!¡± ¡°Here, try this.¡± Boram¡¯s eyes narrowed at the sight of these unique beauties arguing with each other while dutifully following Yongno¡¯s every word. ¡®Oh, this little brother of mine¡­¡¯ Yongno was previously a person who was reluctant to interact with others. Boram, on the other hand, could easily approach everyone, no matter what group she joined¡ªeven if it was a group of jealous, beautiful women. Yet, even Boram hadn¡¯t been able to completely crack Yongno¡¯s shell, which just showed how much Yongno kept to himself. ¡®I guess he¡¯s gotten a lot better.¡¯ Yongno was currently one of the most famous people in the world, and his influence extended beyond Korea. However, what Boram meant when she said that Yongno had gotten better wasn¡¯t about his ability to interact with others or his popularity. Boram felt that Yongno had overcome the unique dark and depressing aura that he exuded whenever he met others. ¡®What the hell happened? What the hell did dad, mom, and Taewoong do to him? Why was he in such a terrible state for so long? What the heck happened that was so terrible that no one wants to talk about it?¡¯ Although Boram¡¯s thoughts were turbulent and jumbled, the mealtime went by quite swimmingly. The food was surprisingly delicious. Taewoong was silent, but the rest of the people in attendance actively talked about various subjects. ¡°Wow. By the way, your place is huge. There are so many celebrities who want to come here¡­¡± ¡°Celebrities want to come here? Why?¡± Yongno tilted his head at Leaf¡¯s comment. Politicians and entrepreneurs not just in Korea but all around the world wanted to enter Yongno¡¯s mansion as they were all eager to have a word with Yongno. Why though? ¡°It¡¯s obvious. This place is the most famous and trending place in Korea¡ªno, in the entire world. It¡¯s ¡®the¡¯ hot place. This place is considered to be the headquarters of magic items that produce infinite energy, which is then distributed and used by everyone all over the world. Above all, Merlin Emrys is the world¡¯s most powerful mage and the strongest being in the world alongside the Knight of Light. If anyone stays here, even if it¡¯s just for three days and two nights, that person would probably receive calls from all sorts of media outlets for the next three years minimum to talk about what they saw and experienced in this place. Wow! This is delicious!¡± Leaf chattered and ate while speaking to Yongno. As Leaf was an accomplished singer, her tone of voice was pleasing to the ears. Additionally, she was so full of energy while giving her explanation, so she looked like a bird chirping in satisfaction. If her fans saw this image of her, they would have saved a video clip and kept it in their families for generations. ¡°Oh, Leaf, by the way¡­¡± ¡°So, back then, at the apartment, the CEO¡­ Ah! What were you going to say Yongno?¡± Leaf took a sip of her fruit drink and then turned her head toward Yongno. For some reason, Yongno felt that Leaf seemed more feminine than before. Once Yongno realized the source of that feeling, he said, ¡°Your chest is huge.¡± Spit! Leaf spit out her drink. Her projectile-like spit was so strong and had such great coverage that it seemed like it would drench not only Yongno, whom she was looking at, but also Heavenly Flower and Eunhye, who were seated on her left and right respectively. However, the moment Yongno raised his right hand, the liquid moving across the air stopped as if someone pressed pause while playing a video game. ¡°Be careful.¡± ¡°Ack! Hey! How can you be so direct and indiscreet about such a personal matter!?¡± ¡°Did you get breast enhancement surgery done?¡± ¡°No! No, of course not! I equipped an artificial spiritual pathway and these two mounds popped out! Besides, it didn¡¯t get that much bigger!!¡± Of course, Leaf didn¡¯t have a particularly large bust. If one were to say that she was previously a flat wall, one would now say that she was now a solid A-cup. However, looking at Leaf¡¯s new image, Eunhye murmured something under her breath. CH 286 ¡°Actually, it¡¯d be more apt to state that it¡¯s grown infinitely ¡­ since something appeared from nothing¡­.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± A blood vessel appeared on Leaf¡¯s forehead. ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s come to this. I¡¯ve never liked you anyway; let¡¯s step outside!¡± ¡°L-Leaf¡­ calm down¡­.¡± Leaf¡¯s rage exploded, and Sunghyun grunted as he tried to hold her back. Of course, Leaf was an employee of Sunghyun¡¯s agency, and she normally acted timid in front of her boss, Kim Sunghyun, the CEO of SH Entertainment. Yet, Leaf had entirely lost her temper and all inhibitions after she heard Eunhye¡¯s comment. At that moment, as Miho sat on Yongno¡¯s lap, she stared at Leaf and said, ¡°Merlin, I feel divine qi from that girl.¡± ¡°What? That can¡¯t be¡­ she¡¯s a life force user.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to be her aura.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yongno¡¯s eyes momentarily widened before quickly relaxing. This was because he realized two things. The first realization was that a new extraterrestrial entity must have started to intervene on Earth. If the aura Miho sensed was divine qi-based, that meant the godly world, the Celesti, or another Union group member, like the Elohim, were involved. ¡®Now that I think of it, the Noblesse are kicking up a fuss, but the Elohim are being way too quiet.¡¯ The two main powers of the Union, the Noblesse and Elohim, weren¡¯t close. The Noblesse were born with a noble lineage and tended to look down on other species, and some even went as far as to openly discriminate against other species. The Elohim disliked this aspect of the Noblesse, as well as the unfair advantage that allowed the Noblesse to easily transcend just by existing. Although, the Noblesse needed to put in some effort to achieve this feat. In other words, the Elohim were envious of the Noblesse. Moreover, some Elohim hunted the Noblesse for their transcendent spiritual organs, such as a dragon heart, to become stronger. This illustrated just how contentious the factions¡¯ relationship was. Even on Earth, which was comprised of a single sapient species, humans divided Earth into separate regions, created political differences between progressives and conservatives, treated those of other races differently, and started arguments and wars based on religious beliefs. Since the situation was like this on Earth, how terrible would it be for transcendent species that possessed different lifespans, behaviors, and ways of thinking? Most importantly, the Noblesse and Elohim were two forces that dominated the Union, which essentially ruled the entire universe, so skirmishes and conflicts were inevitable. ¡®Of course, I did help kickstart the most recent spat. No, come to think of it, I couldn¡¯t have gotten this far without the Celesti¡¯s help. If not for them, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to get my hands on DIO¡¯s operating rights.¡¯ Manbo had succeeded in riding the unprecedented skill tree of a sleep master in DIO, and he transcended through Channeling. In fact, although no one knew, Manbo was the first user to reach the transcendent realm. And, following the Celesti¡¯s order, Manbo lent his treasured item, the Dream Celestial Dagger, to Yongno, though the dagger disappeared after Yongno took over DIO. This way, Yongno could secretly infiltrate DIO with the dagger¡¯s unique power. If Yongno couldn¡¯t avoid the peering eyes of the Noblesse and their ever-vigilant operators, it would have been impossible for him to make the Editor Blade. The Noblesse would have entered DIO and stolen it as soon as it was produced, and on top of that, they would¡¯ve prevented Yongno from creating it again. In other words, without the Celesti¡¯s help, it would have been virtually impossible for Yongno to gain DIO¡¯s operating rights. So, in truth, the Celesti played an integral role in his current success. ¡®The problem is that it ended there. They helped me up to that point and never contacted me again.¡¯ They only helped as much as necessary. In the first place, Yongno knew he couldn¡¯t consider the Celesti and the Elohim allies. Not all beings of the Celesti world were kind, and there was no guarantee they¡¯d act friendly and assist him just because they were both part of the overarching human species. Everyone acted based on their own benefit. In the end, they worked together because of a mutually beneficial outcome. However, Yongno knew it was dangerous to believe they were helping out of the goodness of their heart. A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. ¡®Anyway, this little fox girl¡­.¡¯ And the second thing Yongno realized was that Miho had awakened an ability that Yongno himself did not possess or know of. Obviously, in terms of sensing aura and energy, Miho wasn¡¯t at Yongno¡¯s level. Yongno¡¯s powers came from internal energy and magic power, but he could sense every type of spiritual power. If even he couldn¡¯t discern this aura, how could Miho? ¡°Miho, who were you in your previous life?¡± It seemed like a random question. Yet, Miho had suspected that Yongno would ask this, and she leaned her head against Yongno¡¯s chest and whispered. ¡°A nine-tailed fox.¡± ¡°¡­ Dang, you were an exceptional being.¡± ¡°Hehehe, yeah, I guess so.¡± As he saw Miho smile with a somewhat bitter expression, Yongno didn¡¯t press further for details. Yongno trusted Miho. If she believed there was something Yongno needed to know, he had faith that she¡¯d take the initiative to bring it up. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s all calm down now.¡± When Yongno clapped his hands lightly, the clamoring settled down. However, Leaf didn¡¯t forget to get in a few last words. ¡°I didn¡¯t develop them myself.¡± ¡°Hahaha, I know what you mean.¡± Once someone used an artificial life force spiritual pathway, their body changed into the most ideal body type for their frame, and after developing beyond a certain stage, they [evolved]. For low-level life force users, unnecessary fat was simply compressed and transformed, and their entire body grew more muscular as the fat was burned off. However, when a life force user exceeded a certain level, their body evolved. If a life force user over Level 15 had a strong desire, such as [I wish I had four arms!], while they wouldn¡¯t immediately sprout two additional arms, their body and muscle structure would gradually develop and evolve to possess four arms. First, bones would start to split, or new ones would grow so that their skeletal structure could support four arms. Then, their muscle structure would strengthen to move those extra arms. And if the life force user maintained this aspiration, they would eventually acquire two additional arms, which they could then move freely. ¡®In other words, Leaf was eager to enlarge her chest. Perhaps it¡¯s still in the process of growing¡­.¡¯ And at the same time¡­ Leaf¡¯s physical change meant that she had attained a considerably high level as a life force user. In general, a Level 2 artificial spiritual pathway specialized in life force could only result in basic physical improvement. To be able to evolve even with this limitation meant¡­. ¡®She¡¯s a Master.¡¯ Leaf, adored by the Korean public for her cuteness and affectionately called the nation¡¯s younger sister, was a relatively powerful individual who had reached the Master level as a life force user. ¡®It seems that these days, even dogs and cows are becoming Masters.¡¯ However, even when he noticed such a huge secret or at least a huge secret for Leaf, Yongno didn¡¯t think much of it. Becoming a Master was by no means an easy feat, and once an individual reached that level, they became someone worthy of respect. However, achievements and accomplishments were relative. After the implementation of Yongno¡¯s patch and [plan], users who recently became Masters didn¡¯t possess much power. Of course, the more Masters there were, the better, but seeing Masters was no longer surprising. In the early days of DIO, there were only a few Master level users, but now, there were hundreds. ¡°Oh, come to think of it, what brings you here, Mr. Sunghyun?¡± asked Yongno as he turned his attention to the CEO. Yongno had no interest in the entertainment industry; he only knew Sunghyun because the latter lived in the same apartment as his parents. When Yongno met with his estranged family and confirmed they were still afraid of him, he bumped into Sunghyun in the elevator. Sunghyun had mentioned that Yongno had an intriguing voice and suggested that Yongno sing professionally. Countless trainees who dreamed of becoming stars wished for such a chance encounter, but Yongno wasn¡¯t in a good mood at the time, and he naturally refused Sunghyun¡¯s offer. And after that chance meeting, Yongno composed some music for Leaf. Although Yongno received several more offers to join the entertainment industry, he turned them all down. However, it appeared as if Sunghyun hadn¡¯t given up on his pursuit¡­. ¡°To make you a singer.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m just kidding. To be honest, I wanted to meet you for a long time, and Leaf mentioned that she had some business with you, so I tagged along.¡± ¡°Certainly, if you had tried to come alone, I wouldn¡¯t have let you in.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s cold.¡± Sunghyun put on a sad face, but the general atmosphere of the conversation was quite pleasant. Sunghyun looked at the people around him. He wanted to speak with Yongno alone, but he sighed after acknowledging that there were too many busy and important people here who had priority over him. ¡°Well, I can say that my business has mostly been completed just by coming here, so let me talk about Leaf.¡± ¡°Leaf? What¡¯s up with Leaf?¡± Leaf had been sitting dumbfounded for a moment as Yongno expressed his confusion, but she soon spoke up. ¡°I found some strange tattoos on my body. Wait a sec.¡± Having said this, Leaf quickly took off her blouse. Sunghyun flinched in surprise at this sudden action, but luckily, she was wearing a T-shirt under her blouse. ¡°Ugh! Give me a warning before taking off your top! Are you trying to scare me to death!¡± ¡°Ouch! CEO, don¡¯t hit my back!¡± There was a brief commotion, but instead of getting distracted, Yongno focused on the traditional Chinese characters engraved on Leaf¡¯s arms. There were two idiom phrases, ¡®Worry Wart¡¯ and ¡®Inconsiderate Troublemaker.¡¯. ¡°¡­ Traditional Chinese four-character idioms?¡± Worry Wart was a four-character idiom that meant ¡®to be very worried about something that one did not need to be worried about,¡¯ and Inconsiderate Troublemaker meant ¡®one who was careless and thoughtless when acting.¡¯ If someone tried to create a connection and combine the two phrases, the result would mean something along the lines of ¡®acting carelessly because one was constantly worried about unnecessary things.¡¯ CH 287 ¡°Yeah, tattoos. These appeared on my arm a couple of weeks ago, but they¡¯re not ordinary tattoos. They change every so often,¡± Leaf explained. ¡°And that isn¡¯t all. Those characters¡­ have a strange power,¡± Sunghyun added. ¡°Strange power?¡± When Yongno asked for clarification, Leaf made an embarrassed expression before replying. ¡°I can¡¯t explain why, but strange things keep happening. The other day¡­ before getting my artificial spiritual pathway, I got in a car accident. The tattoos changed into some strange Chinese characters, and afterward, all the occupants were teleported out of the car.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t some strange Chinese characters. The idioms were ¡®Crisis Situation¡¯ and ¡®Emergency Escape,¡¯¡± Sunghyun added. Yongno looked at the engraved characters as he listened to Leaf and Sunghyun¡¯s explanation. Fortunately, once Yongno directed his attention toward the area, he could feel the divine qi aura emanating from the arm. However, the problem was that the divine qi was too high level. ¡®My goodness¡­ this must¡¯ve been created by a monstrous being at Level 30 or higher.¡¯ No matter how much Yongno focused his senses and explored the mysterious characters, he could only read the superficial information on the surface. Of course, he could possibly understand the tattoo¡¯s magic system if he destroyed them and interpreted their composition, but there was no need to invite an unknown, formidable entity¡¯s animosity. ¡®Damn.¡¯ Inwardly, Yongno cursed and gnashed his teeth. To think that a monstrous being at Level 30 or higher, a mid-rank god, would meddle in Earth¡¯s affairs¡­. Yongno knew there were few mid-rank gods in the entire universe. So, why were so many getting involved with Earth, a tiny planet in the vast, expansive universe? ¡°Yongno?¡± ¡°Ah, yeah. Um, thankfully, it doesn¡¯t seem like those tattoos will present much of a problem. They¡¯re there to protect and aid your development.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m unsure of. I only know the tattoos¡¯ source. They were made by an Immortal.¡± For a moment, silence reigned after Yongno¡¯s calm reply. Sunghyun looked puzzled before he sighed. ¡°Ah¡­ I really hate how such absurd words have so much persuasive power now.¡± ¡°What the hell are Immortals¡­ if things continue like this, are angels and devils going to pop up soon?¡± ¡°Well, there are one or two religious groups proclaiming that the end times are approaching¡­.¡± Lea Schmidt, or Cruze, had been eating and keeping quiet when she saw everyone sigh, and she soon spoke up. ¡°Eh, don¡¯t worry about it too much. The Celesti seemed relatively nice.¡± ¡°Ah, now that I think of it, you were the one who introduced me to Manbo. Do you have any means of contacting the Celesti?¡± ¡°Um, no.¡± Yongno¡¯s brow furrowed at the sight of Cruze responding so matter-of-factly. Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed that Cruze didn¡¯t even think about making a connection with the Celesti outside of her single deal with Manbo. At the least, Cruze was an Irregular, so why was she like this¡­. ¡°She¡¯s quite stupid, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°What? What is this old idiot talking about?¡± At Dongsoo¡¯s, or Lancelot¡¯s, calm words, Lea screamed. Seeing how the two seemed to be comfortable with each other, Yongno asked, ¡°Oh, come to think of it, Lancelot, why are you hanging out with Cruze- I mean Lea, so often?¡± ¡°We¡¯re siblings.¡± Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Lancelot¡¯s real-life body, which could be described as a typical Asian male with no special features other than an ordinary, slightly good-looking face, didn¡¯t look anything like Cruze. Lea Schmidt looked like a conventional Westerner with brownish-red hair and blue eyes. Actually, to be frank, there were no similarities at all. No, the dissimilarity was so strong that it seemed impossible for the two to be related in any way, shape, or form. Since this visual discrepancy was readily apparent, Yongno instantly understood their relationship. ¡°You two are related by adoption. There¡¯s no way you¡¯re biologically brother and sister.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct. She has no cuteness gene to speak of.¡± ¡°What the hell? How come that makes me feel worse?¡± Dongsoo laughed as Lea ferociously growled. When he saw that natural and gentle smile, Yongno¡¯s expression hardened. He sensed a feeling he had never felt before. ¡°¡­ What¡¯s wrong?¡± As Eunhye knew Yongno and could read his emotions better than anyone else, she sensed the unusual atmosphere and spoke up. Then, Yongno pointed at Dongsoo. In truth, Dongsoo was one of the few users Yongno was friendly with. He was the first player Yongno talked to when he started playing DIO. Within a month of DIO¡¯s service starting, Lancelot reached the level of Master, and as pioneering members of that special class of initial Masters, Lancelot and Merlin went on several missions together. Moreover, Merlin¡¯s Irrational Hand Strike was a special move that Merlin created after gaining inspiration from Lancelot¡¯s stab. However, while Merlin continued to develop, Lancelot largely remained stagnant. For quite a long time, Lancelot didn¡¯t or couldn¡¯t level up, even after realizing the true meaning of stabbing early on. Lancelot was a pioneer, but countless other users soon overtook him. Presently, with the number of Masters increased exponentially, easily exceeding hundreds of users, Lancelot faded away and became just another mediocre Master, one who didn¡¯t even stand amongst the so-called Rankers, the top DIO players ranked by fellow users. ¡°He¡¯s Lancelot- no, actually, his real name is Dongsoo. Dongsoo hyung, please stand,¡± said Yongno. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on? What¡¯s the matter? Why are you setting such a serious mood?¡± Lea responded. Sensing something unusual in the air, Lea got up and stood in front of Dongsoo, but Yongno didn¡¯t pay any attention to her actions as he continued speaking. ¡°Lea, why are you here?¡± ¡°¡­ I came to ask you to equip my brother with a growth-type artificial spiritual pathway. In return-¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± Poof! While Lea was flustered, a light shot out from Yongno¡¯s hand and struck Dongsoo as the latter stood behind Lea. Yongno had taken out a diamond about the size of a baby¡¯s fist, cast several spells on it, and then fired it toward Dongsoo. Essentially, Yongno planted a [seed] in Dongsoo¡¯s body. Even though Yongno previously gave all the ¡®seeds¡¯ in his possession to Arthur and had only recently produced this additional seed, Yongno didn¡¯t hesitate to use it. ¡°Hmm¡­ Merlin, isn¡¯t a growth-type artificial spiritual pathway worth hundreds of billions of won?¡± ¡°Hundreds of billions of won? No way, it¡¯s not that cheap. However¡­ if I feel it¡¯s worth it, then I won¡¯t hesitate to part with one. To be honest, I¡¯m actually a bit bewildered and surprised to have discovered an unexpected powerful ally.¡± Sungmuk was surprised when the utterly dumbfounded Dongsoo received such a priceless item from Yongno. Yet, Sungmuk soon frowned when he saw Yongno¡¯s gaze turn towards him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Spar.¡± Sungmuk had been eating a meal and ignoring the surrounding situation, but now, he briefly hesitated after hearing Yongno¡¯s reply. Thud! ¡°Hahaha! At last! You¡¯ve finally decided to move that precious body of yours! Let¡¯s fight without the non-destructive setting¡­ make sure you fight with all your might¡­.¡± Excited, Sungmuk pulled out his Divine Red Sparrow Sword. In truth, he had wanted to fight Yongno several times up to now, but the latter didn¡¯t gain much enjoyment from combat and avoided giving give Sungmuk any chance to fight him. Thus, this resulted in Sungmuk¡¯s delight and clear happiness at this unexpected opportunity. However, Yongno shook his head. ¡°Not with me¡­ I want you to spar with Dongsoo over there.¡± ¡°What? Who the hell is that?¡± Obviously, Sungmuk didn¡¯t know Dongsoo, and consequently, there was no way that Sungmuk would know who Lancelot was. To be fair, Lancelot wasn¡¯t a conspicuous user. Although Lancelot was one of DIO¡¯s first Masters, he couldn¡¯t even block Sungmuk¡¯s basic sword strike, so there was no way Sungmuk would remember such a user. In fact, it would have been weird if Sungmuk knew Lancelot. Startled, Lea materialized her pair of plasma pistols to block Sungmuk¡¯s potential attack. ¡°Hey! What kind of shit is this? Why are you pitting Dongsoo against that guy all of a sudden?! That guy is a monster even I can¡¯t beat!¡± ¡°Just because you can¡¯t beat him doesn¡¯t mean Dongsoo hyung can¡¯t. Dongsoo hyung is at a higher level than you.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± Lea couldn¡¯t help but mutter the same words over and over again, as Yongno¡¯s explanation made no sense to her. It wasn¡¯t because she was stupid; it was because she didn¡¯t think it was possible. She was currently Level 18, so if he was at a higher level than her, that meant¡­. ¡°He¡¯s right. I¡¯m Level 19.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°What? You? Level 19?¡± Everyone looked at Dongsoo in amazement, seeing him in a new light. Of course, Lea, who could be said to be Dongsoo¡¯s younger sister, was the most surprised. ¡°What? How the hell are you Level 19?¡± ¡°I just reached Level 19 recently.¡± ¡°What? Eh? What did you just say? Huh?¡± Lea made strange noises with a puzzled look on her face. It was something that she could have never imagined. Lancelot, a half-assed aura user who had yet to find his main attribute and still couldn¡¯t materialize a single aura stone¡­ was Level 19? ¡°Sungmuk,¡± Yongno repeated. ¡°Ugh. Fine. I¡¯ve never even heard of this guy, but if you say he¡¯s Level 19, I guess he won¡¯t be a total waste of my time.¡± Sungmuk got up and stood in front of Dongsoo. As he felt Sungmuk¡¯s tremendous fighting spirit enveloping him from all directions, Dongsoo made a bewildered expression. CH 288 ¡°Hey, Yongno. It seems the growth-type artificial spiritual pathway you planted is starting to operate, but I haven¡¯t even reached Level 1 with it yet.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. You can still manifest.¡± When a user manifested, their body in DIO, which was essentially seen as a biological weapon on Earth, would [overlap] with their real body. For this reason, Master level users could recover from incurable diseases, heal their injuries, and even remove any innate disabilities with just one manifestation. So, as long as an individual could manifest, their physical body would become healthy, regardless of their current status or pre-existing conditions. Hence, when a user manifested with a [seed] planted in their body, that action would cause the seed to grow rapidly. Thus, it was possible to grow and instantly obtain at least half of one¡¯s manifested spiritual power. In other words, over half the power of an individual¡¯s DIO character could be obtained through manifestation. ¡°Um, but I don¡¯t have any gem points to manifest.¡± Anyone could tell that Dongsoo either didn¡¯t want to or couldn¡¯t manifest, but Yongno pointed the tip of his chin toward Sungmuk. ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange that there¡¯s an orc here? Even though we¡¯re in reality?¡± Everyone in the room paused. In truth, they were all curious about this discrepancy. Users manifesting in reality was a [function] that had existed for a while and was widely known, but no one had been able to materialize and summon DIO NPCs or tamed monsters into reality. Did it make sense that an orc, classified as a monster, was roaming around in real life? ¡°¡­ Lancelot Du Lac.¡± Crackle! Visible static crackles, like the static noise from an old television, spread over Dongsoo¡¯s body. For an instant, he became blurry, but afterward, a new figure appeared over Dongsoo¡¯s frame. The coat Dongsoo had been wearing, which was neat and formal, disappeared. Soon, Dongsoo was covered with silver-colored armor, specifically made to minimize any interference with his range of movement. ¡°As you may have already guessed, this building, my Magic Tower, is an [extension] of DIO¡¯s territory. Essentially, you are all standing within DIO.¡± The Magic Tower was a masterpiece made by Yongno, and its construction consumed a lot of his time, effort, manpower, and money. He had operational control over DIO, and he expanded the service so that DIO and Earth overlapped in this specific area. ¡°This is how NPCs can exist and live here at all times. In turn, this means that, while a user is on the premises, they can manifest indefinitely and utilize their items from DIO. Of course, a user can¡¯t move their items or maintain their manifestation outside the Magic Tower. There¡¯s nothing I can do about that.¡± As Yongno calmly explained, he waved his hands lightly, and the dining table and food atop it was pushed back. Those in attendance were seated and consequently got moved as well. Lancelot and Sungmuk now faced each other in the center of the dining room. ¡°Gear 1.¡± Eventually, Lancelot took out a black spear, Dark Spirit, which he had obtained after defeating a high-level demon warrior who appeared as the main enemy in his Level 19 test. He didn¡¯t like this weapon much due to the demonic qi it naturally possessed, but, at the moment, it was the best weapon he had. Whoosh! A light wind spread outward from Lancelot. He didn¡¯t swing his spear or emit any aura power. The wind blew just from his act of [holding his spear]. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°This is¡­.¡± ¡°Oh, my god¡­ look at his posture¡­.¡± For a moment, everyone paused with bated breath. In Boram¡¯s case, she¡¯d reached Level 9 as an aura power and internal energy user, and she felt a sense of suffocation when examining Lancelot¡¯s posture. His posture seemed absolutely flawless. By just standing there, he made an observer feel like they were short of breath and stifled. Lancelot, standing still as if he was a photograph, didn¡¯t even telegraph any anticipated movement or even signs of life, for that matter. However, his presence could not be ignored. ¡°¡­ I apologize for looking down on you. I¡¯ll prepare accordingly.¡± Sungmuk soon corrected his posture, having previously placed his Divine Red Sparrow sword on his shoulder with the feeling that he was being used as a test dummy. Based on Sungmuk¡¯s sparkling eyes, Yongno could tell that he was relishing the upcoming fight. ¡°He¡¯s strong.¡± Even Eunhye muttered involuntarily, and she¡¯d been standing silently up till now. Though Lancelot hadn¡¯t done anything yet, everyone in the room felt and understood a great deal from his posture. ¡°It¡¯s amazing. It¡¯s highly unlikely, but it¡¯s as if he¡¯s repeated that posture hundreds of billions of times.¡± Lancelot lowered his spear and stared straight ahead; it appeared as if he didn¡¯t sense the surprised gazes around him. In truth, Lancelot wanted to fight Sungmuk. ¡®Of course, I¡¯ll probably lose.¡¯ After chuckling inwardly, Sungmuk held his sword upward towards his midsection while facing Lancelot. ¡°I¡¯ll let you make the first move.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll gladly oblige.¡± Lancelot answered lightly and took a deep breath. He focused his mind and stepped forward, still maintaining that intense level of focus. Even though he was slowly advancing, his legs were planted firmly on the ground as if they were rooted, and his upper body maintained a stable posture without even a hint of shaking. However, Lancelot soon broke that posture and turned. Ripple. His muscles tightened, and he burst out with explosive power. His extremely elevated spirit radiated aura power, and the emanated aura power covered his entire body. Soon, his tightened muscles were released, and he rotated, starting from his lower body, then transmitting to his arms through his knees, waist, and shoulder. For an instant, the tip of his spear blurred. Ping! Since the spearhead broke through the speed of sound, his spear shot out without making any noise. Even though he was only using his body to stab, the speed of his attack was far faster than a bullet! However, Sungmuk¡¯s Divine Red Sparrow deflected the tip of Lancelot¡¯s spear. ¡®Aha¡­ I knew it! However!¡¯ Sungmuk had completely blocked Lancelot¡¯s strike, but without panicking, Lancelot withdrew his spear. He concentrated his attention and moved his arms while maintaining a high level of focus. Ping! Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Lancelot¡¯s attack was blocked once more. He pulled his spear back and stabbed again. Ping! Another attack was blocked. Another stab was launched. Ping! Another attack was blocked. Another stab was launched. Ping! Another attack was blocked. Lancelot stabbed again, and again, and again. Whoosh! Clang! When Lancelot stopped moving, complete silence fell in the relatively vast dining room. Everyone was staring at the center of the room with shocked expressions. ¡°That¡­ such a crazy¡­.¡± Sungmuk groaned, having been pushed back more than ten meters. He could no longer hold his Divine Red Sparrow with his right hand, so he shifted it to his left hand. ¡°H-how many times did he stab just now? I think I saw about a dozen¡­.¡± ¡°I think it was over 50 times.¡± As a result of Lancelot¡¯s speed, almost everyone only saw a buzz of movement, like a bee flapping its wings. Lancelot¡¯s spear movement slowly faded away, and a tremendous roar soon followed it as Sungmuk flew dozens of meters backward. ¡°Ugh, what the hell. What is this? He¡¯s just ignorantly stabbing, right? He¡¯s just stabbing non-stop, no?¡± Cruze had manifested after seeing Lancelot¡¯s unexpected Level 19 appearance, and she groaned aloud. Yongno looked toward Eunhye. ¡°How many times did he stab?¡± ¡°Hundreds of times¡­ I think¡­ I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°Eight hundred thirty-two times, to be exact.¡± Lancelot had launched close to a thousand stabs in an instant. His attack was so great that even Sungmuk had lost mobility in one of his arms, and the latter could take on submachine gun bullets without batting an eye. However, Snowflake Flower shook her head. ¡°That user is done for.¡± Yongno nodded after hearing her comment. ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s an amazing feat¡­ but he has no chance of winning.¡± ¡°Eh? What are you two talking about? Didn¡¯t that orc get hurt just now?¡± Of course, Miho tilted her head with a confused expression, as she wasn¡¯t well-versed in martial arts. In the span of one breath, Lancelot had put Sungmuk on the defensive, so how could he have no chance of winning? While Miho was still in a state of puzzlement, Sungmuk¡¯s counterattack began. Bam! Plum blossom leaves flew out as he swung his sword. The scene was gorgeous and beautiful, but Sungmuk¡¯s attack was a killing technique that could slice through the toughest composite material just by brushing against it! Whoosh! Clang! Lancelot¡¯s spear seemed to blur once more, and soon, all the plum blossom leaves rushing toward him were deflected. Whoosh! ¡°Ugh!¡± Though Lancelot had deflected against all the plum blossoms, solid red lines appeared all over his body. He had undoubtedly blocked all the attacks, but he had still sustained injury. Bam! And at that moment, Sungmuk¡¯s body disappeared and reappeared at Lancelot¡¯s side. This was an almost pinnacle-level Nine Palace Steps and its resulting Sudden Body Movement! It was an ultra-high-speed rush move that was no different from teleportation. ¡°¡­!¡± However, Sungmuk¡¯s face soon distorted. The tip of Lancelot¡¯s spear was right before his nose. Clang! Sungmuk¡¯s Divine Red Sparrow collided with Lancelot¡¯s spear. Lancelot¡¯s spear tip moved so fast that even Sungmuk couldn¡¯t make any headway without running into the spear. There didn¡¯t seem to be a way for Sungmuk to deflect the spear tip and get closer to Lancelot. If the sword and spear touched each other even once¡­ Clang! Lancelot would launch hundreds of attacks in just a moment. His spear tip, which looked like a rushing tidal wave to Sungmuk, continued to strike out. CH 289 ¡°Ugh!¡± Sungmuk¡¯s sword soared upward, creating a fatal gap in his defenses for a brief moment. Yet, the Purple Mist Singular Qi emanating from his body blocked all of Lancelot¡¯s spear attacks. Moreover, Sungmuk¡¯s left hand, which clashed with Lancelot¡¯s spear, was fully functional. This was because Sungmuk was utilizing a defensive martial arts move called Chilling Plum Blossom. By enveloping his body and sword with Singular Qi, Sungmuk could endure Lancelot¡¯s continuous assault. Drip, drip¡­. Blood dripped onto the floor. His entire body was ravaged, bearing significant physical injuries. And who was wounded like this? It was Lancelot. ¡°Damn, Lancelot! Are you okay!?¡± A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. Cruze jumped in front of Lancelot, started by the state he was in. It was risky intervening in such a high-level fight, but fortunately, Sungmuk sheathed Divine Red Sparrow as if he had no intention of continuing the spar. Then, he circulated his internal energy to heal his right arm. The fight was already over. Sungmuk had a resounding victory. If the two continued to fight for ten more seconds, Sungmuk might¡¯ve sustained a more severe injury, but Lancelot would have surely died. However, Sungmuk had an unsatisfied expression as he soon spoke up. ¡°¡­ What the hell is up with you? Why weren¡¯t you defending yourself?¡± It was a short confrontation, but Sungmuk had gone all out, and his sword attacks were fatal; even just one of his strikes would''ve been terrifying and deadly to any lesser being. Yet, Sungmuk found it strange that Lancelot suffered considerable injury despite blocking all of Sungmuk¡¯s attacks. Moreover, Lancelot¡¯s wounds weren¡¯t just moderate grazes - they could cause excessive bleeding if left unchecked. ¡®What is up with this guy? While he intercepted my attacks, I still injured him¡­ Whenever we clashed, the shockwaves alone wounded him¡­.¡¯ Although Sungmuk was an internal energy user, he knew that aura power users could protect themselves by covering their entire bodies with aura power. That sort of defense likely couldn¡¯t stand against Sungmuk¡¯s sword strikes, but at the very least, the defendant shouldn¡¯t be severely injured from the shockwaves of a parried attack. Of course, if ordinary people were near the two fighters, they would have been swept away by the constant backlash, but how could Lancelot, one of the principal forces responsible for the shockwaves, allow himself to be hit? Lancelot shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t try.¡± ¡°No? If you tried, then that means¡­ wait, no way¡­.¡± Sungmuk, a warrior at the peak of his field, quickly grasped the situation. He realized that the way Lancelot manipulated his aura power had been exceedingly awkward and deformed for someone at that level. Lancelot¡¯s attacks were flawless. In fact, when Lancelot held his spear, even Sungmuk momentarily thought that there was a chance he¡¯d be [defeated]. Lancelot had projected an incredibly intimidating aura and momentum. However, the problem was that such aura and momentum were only present when Lancelot attacked. ¡°You can¡¯t¡­ defend?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not as if I¡¯m not trying.¡± As he saw Lancelot¡¯s wry yet defeated smile, Yongno narrowed his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s the same as not defending. This is truly abnormal. With your ability to accelerate your body to such an extent and fire such rapid, fast attacks¡­ Why are you so slow and uncoordinated at switching between attack and defense? At your level, how can it take you two whole seconds to switch between the two?¡± That¡¯s right¡­ It took Lancelot two whole seconds to go from attacking to defending and vice versa. For someone who was Level 19, this speed was unacceptable. Two seconds at Level 19 was no different than taking ten years to reload a machine gun in the middle of a battle. ¡°Can you lower your attack power and increase your defense? You can just let some minor attacks through and take the least amount of damage possible.¡± ¡°In my current state, if I increase my defense by ten percent, my attack power will decrease by 20 percent.¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s a really extreme battle pattern. Why the hell did you decide to go down that route?¡± In truth, Lancelot¡¯s defenses weren¡¯t weak. If it were to be compared, Lancelot¡¯s current defense could block rifle bullets without difficulty. However, that was Lancelot¡¯s objective defensive ability. When considering Lancelot¡¯s tremendous offensive power, it was more practical to state that his defense was virtually non-existent. ¡°Um, hey, Merlin. What do you mean?¡± Miho asked. ¡°Hmm. I can¡¯t estimate someone else¡¯s aura power to its exact value, but if Dongsoo hyung¡¯s defense is about ten right now, his attack is around 300. However, he¡¯s saying that if he increases his defense to 11, his attack power will decrease to 240. And if he tried to raise his defense a little more¡­ well, the result would be a no-brainer.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± In other words, if Lancelot raised his defense by only five to 15, his attack power would drop by 100 to 200. This sort of unbalanced and deformed growth and development was something that Yongno couldn¡¯t understand. Why would anyone choose such a weird path? What sort of cultivation and training would one even carry out to obtain such a result? How could Lancelot get to Level 19 using such an unbalanced and deformed approach? Clap. Clap. As Yongno clapped, the distant tables gathered again in the center of the dining room, and Yongno sat down first before speaking to Lancelot. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s not a secret, can I hear your explanation? How did you get to Level 19?¡± ¡°In essence, I used a bug.¡± Everyone paused after hearing Lancelot¡¯s calm response. Thoroughly dumbfounded, Cruze spoke up. ¡°DIO has a bug?¡± It was a natural reaction, but Yongno responded differently. ¡°Shall we move to a different location to speak privately?¡± In this era, the value of high-level users was increasing. It was to the degree that the number of Masters in a country ultimately determined that nation¡¯s international status. Wasn¡¯t this why the small, relatively obscure Republic of Korea became famous? Due to the two superpower Masters, Yongno and Seyoung? Even Yongno, the operator of DIO, couldn¡¯t arbitrarily adjust a user¡¯s level. However, what if Lancelot¡¯s words were true? What if Lancelot truly did exploit a bug in the system to reach Level 19, a level on the cusp of the transcendence realm? As far as Yongno was concerned, Dongsoo was a ubiquitous and common user; if Dongsoo could use a ¡®bug,¡¯ virtually anyone could do the same. In other words, if Dongsoo could do something like that, eventually, others would as well. ¡®And level correction isn¡¯t something that would be considered a light patch.¡¯ Even for users in the same realm, such as the Master level, the difference in combat power between the body of a Level 10 user and one at Level 19 exceeded a hundred times. No, apart from that, the gap that a Level 10 Master held over a Level 9 player was as far and wide as the heavens and the earth. After all, that Master had the ability to manifest - the Level 9 player didn''t. Therefore, if a bug that allowed users to level up existed in DIO, the value of that information would be priceless. It was a situation where Yongno, unaware of such a bug, had to protect his system operation rights, but Lancelot shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not so incredible that I need to keep it a secret. It¡¯s just mindless, repetitive training, a form of skill training.¡± After hearing Lancelot¡¯s calm response, the thoroughly confused Cruze tilted her head. ¡°No, wait. What does that even mean? You just raised your skill rank by filling up your skill training points?¡± ¡°¡­ What kind of bug is that? Is that even a bug?¡± The fact that a user¡¯s skill level rose as they accumulated skill training points was basic information, something constantly repeated to users during the initial tutorial missions. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a bug because it can be exploited to go beyond the developer¡¯s intentions. The developers wouldn¡¯t have thought that users would rise to Level 19 solely through successfully training a skill repeatedly and accumulating success training points like that.¡± After hearing Lancelot, Snowflake Flower sighed with an exasperated expression. ¡°There¡¯s no way a human being can go to such extremes during training¡­ Is that what you¡¯re trying to say?¡± ¡°Oh, yes, Ms. Mary. That sounds about right.¡± Everyone implicitly acknowledged that it was impossible to become a Master purely through gathering success training points. When a player¡¯s skill was Rank 9, often called the rank of the outsider who had just obtained a new skill, the rank automatically rose after 100 successful skill attempts. So, anyone could develop a skill to Rank 8. Additionally, players only needed to perform 1,000 successful skill attempts to reach Rank 7. However, if one made a mistake or performed the skill insincerely, the success training point value wouldn¡¯t increase. Thus, players needed to be persistent and constantly focused, but as long as they attempted the skill earnestly and successfully, they could easily accomplish 1,000 successes in a day or two. Users did not have to endure too much to raise a skill rank to Rank 7. However, as a skill ranked up, the successful training value increased by ten times. That meant 10,000 successes to reach Rank 6, 100,000 successes to go from Rank 6 to Rank 5, and one million successes for Rank 4. Then, 10 million, 100 million, one billion, and finally, in order to become a Master in a skill, the A rank and often called the character rank, one needed to gain ten billion successful training points. ¡°I¡¯ve never even heard or seen a being who reached a Master rank in a skill after accumulating the necessary success training points¡­.¡± Ten billion. Sure, it was a number that was finite, but still¡­ ten billion. This was the number of units often seen in the news in terms of money being splashed around in a market. However, in terms of doing something, an [act], ten billion times, the situation and comprehension of such a number were completely different. One minute was 60 seconds, and one hour was 3,600 seconds. And a day had 86,400 seconds, and a year had 31,536,000 seconds. CH 290 In other words¡­ Even if a user were proficient and could successfully perform a skill every second, the time it would take them to level that skill from Rank 9 to Rank A would be¡­ ¡°Three hundred and seventeen years? 317 years?! Even if you performed a skill once per second, it would take more than 300 years to gain ten billion training points!¡± Lancelot shook his head after seeing the shocked expression on Cruze¡¯s face. ¡°It doesn¡¯t take that long; my movements are much quicker. Besides, occasionally, if I¡¯m lucky, I''d succeed in performing the stabbing skill at a rank higher than my intended output.¡± ¡°You¡¯re speaking as if your words make sense, like it¡¯s something normal or logical¡­.¡± What was most surprising was that Lancelot didn¡¯t [just] reach the Master level through brute force. ¡°Oh, my god¡­ so that person created an SS Rank skill by acquiring all 100 billion, one trillion, and ten trillion training points? That¡¯s how he reached Level 19?¡± ¡°Crazy¡­ even if there is a training room¡­.¡± ¡°For goodness¡¯ sake¡­.¡± ¡°How many years has he experienced? This isn¡¯t something that could be accomplished in one or two centuries, right?¡± Everyone looked at Lancelot and muttered comments with utterly exasperated expressions. This wasn¡¯t just so simple as ¡®trying.¡¯ Even if someone consistently studied night after night for five consecutive years, they would be stressed beyond imagination. If an individual joined the military as a medic, two years of service would seem like an eternity. As for practicing a single move for hundreds of years in an empty space¡­ Was a human truly capable of doing such a monotonous task for so long? This went beyond any concept of ordinary effort; it was waist-deep in the realm of utter madness. ¡®In other words, he only practiced that one attack. Well, even if he trained other skills, the difference in training frequency was so overwhelmingly one-sided toward that single skill, so¡­.¡¯ When his thoughts reached this point, Yongno looked around the dining table. Fortunately, Lancelot and Cruze had finished their meals. ¡°Cruze, starting today, you and Lancelot should stay here.¡± ¡°What? Why? What are you trying to make us do?¡± ¡°I want to make some armor for you two. Though Lancelot reaching level 19 and the way he got there is shocking, I can¡¯t just stay still and idly watch a potentially powerful force die in vain. You also realize that Lancelot needs all the defensive help he can get, right?¡± ¡°Ah, ugh. Sure.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Yongno was surprised by this unexpected news, but he soon shook off his astonishment and made a rational decision. Although Lancelot went through an absurd process to get to where he was¡­ rather than focusing on the method itself, Yongno decided to focus on the [result] - obtaining another powerful ally, a must-have Level 19 talent. His enemies were strong, and Yongno didn¡¯t know when they would strike. He desperately needed to gather a greater, more powerful force. ¡®Ah, also¡­¡¯ Yongno was about to take Cruze and Lancelot to his work area when he abruptly stopped, seeing a familiar man and woman enter his field of vision. Work was important, but he had to resolve some problems first. He turned his head and looked at Snowflake Flower. ¡°Snowflake Flower, please take Lancelot and Cruze to the work area. Tell Quiet Heaven and Ellie to construct some possible magic systems for those two.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Please continue to produce magic stones. I think I need to make a few reinforced weapons.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Snowflake Flower nodded obediently and guided Lancelot and Cruze out of the dining room. Soon afterward, Sungmuk stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going to tend to my injured arm. I¡¯ve had enough to eat.¡± ¡°You¡¯d better go to the infirmary.¡± ¡°Hmph. I don¡¯t need any outside treatment. I just need to circulate my qi a few times.¡± As the room became quieter, Yongno spoke to Miho, who was still sitting on his lap. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Miho, can you show Leaf and Sunghyun around?¡± ¡°Um¡­ okay. I¡¯ll bring them around the area for about an hour and come back.¡± Normally, Miho would have complained, but since she was quick-witted, she quietly took Leaf and Sunghyun out of the room. Everyone living in the Magic Tower knew how to use the space movement magic circles, so the noisy dining room soon fell silent. The only people remaining were Boram, Taewoong, and Eunhye, who was standing beside Yongno. ¡°Uh, well¡­ It¡¯s a bit weird that this large dining area suddenly became so quiet. Hehehe.¡± Boram smiled awkwardly. In truth, she knew what was about to come. After all, Taewoong didn¡¯t say a single word at the table during their meal, let alone introduce himself. While Taewoong wasn¡¯t talkative, he was definitely not a passive person. Most importantly, Boram noticed that Yongno didn¡¯t initiate a direct conversation with her or Taewoong while everyone was dining. ¡°I¡¯m not going to beat around the bush, so I¡¯ll get straight to the point¡­.¡± Finally, after clearing the room, Yongno spoke in a cold voice. ¡°Why did you two come here?¡± ¡°Yongno¡­¡± Boram could¡¯ve been excused for feeling somewhat offended by Yongno¡¯s tone of voice, and she tried to say something, but Taewoong restrained her. With a somber expression, Taewoong looked straight at Yongno and said, ¡°Father has resigned from his position as Chief of Staff.¡± ¡°Why did he resign? As long as the world knows that I¡¯m his son, everyone around him would probably bend backward to-¡± Yongno paused. It was a fact that Yongno was a genius. That was why, even though he usually didn¡¯t have the slightest interest in his father, Yongno instantly understood Taewoong¡¯s expression. Yongno knew why Taewoong had come to visit, despite how the latter was always reluctant to see Yongno and avoided him like the plague. ¡°¡­ I see. Father is thinking of entering the political arena.¡± Yongno spoke in a frigid tone. ¡°Moreover, if he¡¯s willing to give up his high government position as Chief of Staff¡­ the only logical explanation is that he wants to run for the Korean presidency.¡± Taewoong did not deny Yongno¡¯s words, which immediately grasped the core point. Moreover, everything that Yongno said was true. However, the words that followed made even Taewoong flinch. ¡°You¡¯ve come to tell me not to hinder whatever he¡¯s planning to do. Neither father nor my older brother would be crazy enough to ask for my help, right?¡± ¡°No. That¡¯s not it. Father is caught up in something much more significant. If you object, he¡¯ll immediately quit-¡± Taewoong started to explain. ¡°What? Wait, I can¡¯t keep up with the conversation. What are you two talking about? Hinder? Why would Yongno hinder father?¡± Boram stepped between the two, embarrassed by the standoffish atmosphere that was miles beyond tense. In the past, when Yongno was forcefully brought to a secret state lab after being betrayed by his family and subjected to inhumane biological experiments, Boram had been out of the country. So, she didn¡¯t know why Yongno¡¯s relationship with the rest of her family was so atrocious. Her father was strict but caring, her mother was loving and considerate, and her older brother was capable and accomplished, as he could do anything he set his mind to. However, Boram felt they had done something wrong. Her family, quite literally the picturesque example of a wonderful and happy household, always changed the subject or avoided anything related to Yongno. No matter how bright and intelligent she was, Boram was unaware that her family had sold out their youngest child and subjected him to become a living test subject. That assumption could only be made by a deranged conspiracy theorist, not a person with any sense of logic and compassion like Boram. ¡°That¡¯s because they know I detest them.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± Of course, Yongno had no intention of telling the world about his past. During the brief period he could manipulate other people¡¯s memories, Yongno actually did some formal document editing and memory manipulation. Merlin, the Great Mage, was subjected to biological experiments as a child? If this fact became known to the world, it would become a huge topic, as interest in Yongno was exploding day by day. Sure, there would be those who would sympathize with him, but there would also be those who¡¯d despise him as a mutant. And perhaps¡­ There might be someone who thought his genius was based on some sort of [success] as a living test subject, a creation within a lab. If that were to occur, not only would people regard him as the result of a test, but the scientists behind the experiment would be allowed to resume their cruel and maddening tests to produce such amazing results again. Yongno, with his strong sense of self-pride, naturally didn¡¯t understand why people would take this course of action to try and improve another living being or oneself. Yet, at the same time¡­. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious why I detest them? No child would ever like a father who sold them to a biological experiment lab just to get a promotion.¡± Yongno couldn¡¯t watch idly as his family went about their business and laughed as if nothing had happened, the people who gave him away and made him experience a living hell. ¡°W-what? Biological experiment? Test subject?¡± Boram¡¯s face was slowly twisting with anguish. She had anticipated many different situations and scenarios, but Yongno¡¯s words were more shocking than anything she could¡¯ve ever imagined. She hurriedly turned her head to face Taewoong. ¡°Taewoong?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Taewoong didn¡¯t offer a response. However, that silence already conveyed his answer. As he saw Boram¡¯s astonished expression and Taewoong sitting silently, Yongno laughed coldly. Yongno was by no means a saint. He actually thought that he was a greater, magnanimous person for not taking revenge on his family, who gave him immense trauma. Even when it was possible for him to manipulate other people¡¯s memories, Yongno chose not to alter his family¡¯s. If they forgot about the [sin] they had committed and later came to him to ask for his support or help, Yongno knew that he wouldn¡¯t be confident enough to keep his composure at that time. CH 291 ¡°I¡¯m a genius, Boram. You know that, right?¡¯ ¡°Uh, yeah, of course. But¡­ a test subject for a biological experiment?¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m lying? Look at Taewoong¡¯s face. Go back to Father and ask him yourself. When I was young¡­ Father drugged me- no, wait, was it Mother? Anyway, ask them if they know what happened after I was drugged and dragged away. They ripped open my skull with scalpels and pierced my brain with needles. No matter how much I cried out in pain, no one offered help or comfort. They referred to me as an inhuman mutant - Subject Number 21. They conducted all sorts of experiments on me. I also saw countless other children die after undergoing similar tests.¡± Yongno¡¯s deep-seated anger and hatred, which he had suppressed by keeping himself busy throughout the day, burst out like a rushing flood. Boram¡¯s face turned white, and Taewoong couldn¡¯t keep a straight face either. As they were from a relatively powerful and affluent family, Boram and Taewoong had already obtained Level 3 artificial spiritual pathways. Yet, even so, they still couldn¡¯t put up a fight if Yongno decided to kill them. After all, Yongno¡¯s real body was essentially in the middle levels of the Master realm. Finally, Taewoong spoke up. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re sorry? You¡¯re saying that you¡¯re sorry? Hahaha! Hahaha!¡± Yongno burst into laughter when he heard Taewoong¡¯s apology, which seemed like a quiet sigh. Words of apology or remorse were of no use to Yongno anymore. Through no fault of his own, his own trusted family members had thrown him into the depths of hell. Recalling that time was so horrifying and agonizing that Yongno had to have his memory sealed to preserve his sanity. Right now, he could accept and process that experience because he had trained as a high-ranking mage and martial artist, but if he were an ordinary person with a reasonable mind, it wouldn¡¯t have been strange if he went mad or bat-shit crazy. However, Taewoong continued. ¡°I was¡­ I was scared¡­ so scared¡­.¡± Irregulars were usually born in a world where the stage of civilization was far below their level. In these circumstances, it was normal for others to accuse an Irregular of being a devil or an alien. This was why nearly all Irregulars suffered horrible deaths at the hands of the people from their world. Talented individuals were precious, but it must also be understood that humans, and most other species for that matter, had an instinctive fear toward those who acted or thought differently. Unless they were born in a transcendent species that evolved to the highest order, like the dragons, Irregulars, with their innate genius and talent, wouldn¡¯t be seen in the same light as their peers. So, of course, Yongno was considered an abnormal existence since childhood. If Taewoong had been around the same age as Yongno, or even younger, he wouldn¡¯t have felt that Yongno was so unnatural. In fact, Boram had met Yongno a few times when he was young, and she didn¡¯t particularly remember him as exceptionally weird or talented. She always just chalked Yongno off as [a younger brother who was outstanding for someone his age]. However, Taewoong was six years older than Yongno. Both Taewoong and their parents had no choice but to live with the knowledge that Yongno was utterly different from them. Yongno began copying other people¡¯s words just three hours after his birth, and in three days, he developed language skills sufficient enough to carry a conversation. Physically, he grew so quickly that he could run before he was three weeks old. It was unbelievable for anyone to think that he was a normal kid. ¡°At the time, Father was a lieutenant general in the army, and he had many connections, but he couldn¡¯t even make the time to throw my first birthday party. Instead, he was concerned that outsiders would consider it weird for a one-year-old to be the same size as a kindergartener, with a vocabulary that would impress even adults as well.¡± At that time, Yongno greedily learned everything he could and ate more than a fully grown adult. He showed a regular growth rate once he reached the size of an elementary schooler, but that was only because his development was centered around his mind from that point forward. Even though Earth didn¡¯t possess any spiritual pathways, Yongno showed early signs of being a life force user. ¡°And the older you got, the more you¡­ despised me and everyone around you. It was impossible to slap your head or tell you to quit acting like such a know-it-all. It sounds ridiculous, but when you were a child, you were strong enough to overpower five or six older kids without even breaking a sweat,¡± Taewoong said. Undoubtedly, Yongno was Seokwoo and Miran¡¯s youngest child, but the apparent sense of alienation that his parents felt towards him made it difficult for even them to get close to him. In addition, Yongno didn¡¯t limit or hold himself back. Of course, he didn¡¯t advertise or openly talk about his genius qualities, but he also didn¡¯t feel the need to hide the things he could [obviously and easily] do. It was around this time that Yongno intervened when a cute little girl, Eunhye, was being sexually assaulted and beaten by her stepfather. It was Yongno who saved her. Although Seokwoo was a high-ranking military general, he couldn¡¯t entirely hide Yongno or his actions. No, to be frank, he found it impossible to control Yongno. Yongno respected and listened to his parents, Seokwoo and Miran, to some extent, but he was never a child who dutifully obeyed their every word. ¡°In addition, state officials approached Father and Mother, saying that you were special and needed to be managed by the state. If we knew you¡¯d become a living test subject for some twisted, inhumane experiment, our parents would have rejected their advances.¡± However, it was too late when his parents realized something was wrong. The [Institute] had an extraordinary interest in Yongno¡¯s genius, and an order came from [above]. Even with his high rank, Seokwoo couldn¡¯t do anything to stop them from taking his son away. He was forced to stand down and relent. ¡®He seems to be telling the truth.¡¯ Though he didn¡¯t want to understand, Yongno knew Taewoong wasn¡¯t lying. No, to be more precise, it didn¡¯t matter anymore for Yongno. His father, Seokwoo, his mother, Miran, and his older brother, Taewoong¡­ Yongno knew, since long ago, that none of them were innately evil. But¡­ However¡­ ¡°So, you¡¯re saying it wasn¡¯t intentional? None of you could do anything, right? So what? Now that everything has worked out, no matter what I experienced, should we conveniently forget about the past and only look forward to the future?¡± When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Even if Yongno had overcome that traumatic experience, he couldn¡¯t easily put aside the painful memories that destroyed his ego and the ten years of living in fear and ignoring reality. Whoosh! Murderous intent ran rampant, and a sharp aura and momentum began to emanate from Yongno as if a bundled-up ball of thread was finally unraveled. Red light emitted from his left eye, and gold light from his right eye. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Taewoong was completely overwhelmed by the oppressive aura and energy, but he continued to face Yongno without lowering his head. Yongno¡¯s gaze sharpened at this. ¡°If you¡¯re truly sorry, then die.¡± Yongno¡¯s hand slowly descended toward Taewoong. The attack was slow, but the force behind the blow was tremendous. Taewoong felt the oncoming aura and energy of the strike¡­ but he didn¡¯t attempt to defend or run away. ¡°No, Yongno, don¡¯t!¡± Boram screamed. Yet, Yongno¡¯s oppressive aura immobilized and restrained her entire body. And thus¡­ Bam! Without even the chance to scream, Taewoong collapsed to the floor. ¡°Taewoong!¡± Boram ran to Taewoong before letting out a sigh of relief shortly after. Even though her older brother¡¯s face was swollen, she knew that was the full extent, a superficial injury. Once Yongno saw this, he spoke to his sister. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to see this, sis. You had nothing to do with it.¡± ¡°No, no. I¡¯m sorry, too. I should have paid more attention and cared more. Even though I knew something was wrong, I didn¡¯t act.¡± As he saw the tears welling up in his sister¡¯s eyes, Yongno smiled bitterly. Yongno had no regrets about verbalizing what he¡¯d gone through, but he did feel a bit regretful that his kind, blameless sister would now carry a sense of guilt. ¡°Tell him when he wakes up¡­ that he¡¯s been forgiven.¡± ¡°Oh, then-¡± ¡°However¡­¡± Yongno cut off his sister and stated, ¡°There are things in the world that cannot be erased.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Seeing how Boram was lost for words, Yongno continued. ¡°Tell them that they have no need to worry. I have no intention of interfering or meddling in any of their affairs, and I will not seek revenge. Let¡¯s just keep our distance like we¡¯ve been doing up to now.¡± ¡°¡­ Sure. If that¡¯s what you want and what you¡¯re comfortable with.¡± Boram nodded with a sad expression. And after that, her figure, along with Taewoong¡¯s, disappeared. Yongno had teleported them out of his home. Sigh. Yongno let out a deep sigh as he looked at the empty spot where his siblings had been just a moment ago. This issue had to be resolved at some point¡­ but still, that didn¡¯t make it any easier. Perhaps this was why Yongno had delayed seeing his family, even though he recently had some spare time. The gap between him and his family was too wide and deep. Though they were family, there were things in this world that couldn¡¯t be covered up and forgotten. Squeeze. Suddenly, Yongno felt someone hugging him from behind. It was a sudden and unexpected action, but Yongno didn¡¯t bother looking back. ¡°Good job.¡± Yongno sighed after hearing Eunhye¡¯s whisper in his ear. ¡°Good job? I just acted hysterically and so unadult-like.¡± ¡°Good job.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think-¡± ¡°Good job.¡± ¡°¡­ Yeah.¡± Yongno sighed as Eunhye continued to hug him tightly. And then, there was silence. CH 292 *** A Fake Divine Being *** In a gorgeously decorated room, beautiful statues could be seen throughout; furthermore, masterful paintings dotted the walls, created by genius artisans who poured their lives and souls into these works. The spacious bed, which could easily accommodate five or six people, gave people a chance to rest comfortably and regain their peak physical condition. Additionally, the soft blanket atop the bed was so light that someone may not even know it was covering them. Even so, the blanket would certainly provide the utmost comfort and warmth. It was a room so luxurious that anyone would have widened their eyes in astonishment. However, Tan, the one currently occupying this space, showed no joy or relaxation. It was a wonderfully decorated room¡­ but there were no windows and only one door. In addition, since the building itself was protected by an absolute magic system, Tan would find it difficult to use any of his abilities. To put it bluntly, the room was a high-end prison. ¡°What brings you here? Have you come to have a laugh at my expense?¡± ¡°How could I ever dare to do such a thing, Elder?¡± In front of the confined Tan, a man with shiny blonde hair, which hung down the side of his head, prostrated himself. Like Tan, he was also a Noblesse with an emperor lineage, but even so, he did not presume to compare himself to Tan. Although Tan had lost most of his power and was barely holding onto his position as a Noblesse elder, he was a survivor of the Mythical Era - an era starting at the beginning of time itself. He was also the king of all arrogant beings and someone popularly called the Beast of the Apocalypse. Moreover, for whatever reason, there were rumors circulating that Tan had even regained some of his former abilities. So, nothing beneficial would come from offending him. This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Then what brings you here, Seventh Prince?¡± ¡°Please, just call me by my name.¡± ¡°Stop saying nonsense and get straight to the point.¡± Tan growled in a low voice. He wasn¡¯t originally this grumpy and violent, but the accumulated stress and defeats from recent incidents were enough to drive him to the brink of madness. ¡°The Watcher¡¯s Bell has rung.¡± This news was enough to stimulate Tan¡¯s interest. The Watcher¡¯s Bell was one of the Watcher¡¯s treasures, and a Watcher was a conceptual being who monitored the universe through their connection to the Akashic Records. The Watcher¡¯s Bell could ring autonomously when it detected a new transcendent. There were many variables in the world, though, so a ring didn¡¯t necessarily completely guarantee that a transcendent was born. Yet, at the least, its accuracy was over 80 percent. Thus, it was considered fairly reliable. ¡°¡­ And you think it¡¯s Merlin?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t tell exactly. The target isn¡¯t specified, as you know.¡± Though the prince didn¡¯t give a definitive answer, Tan shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t have to verify anything. There¡¯s no way that guy hasn¡¯t reached the transcendent realm. After all, he could handle Igniz alone. No, even if he¡¯s only a pseudo-transcendent, his speed of growth is absurd. While Igniz only stayed in the War Dragons for less than three years before being kicked out, does it make sense that a recently-transcended kid could defeat a former War Dragon?¡± When Igniz invaded DIO on Tan¡¯s orders, Merlin killed the dragon in one blow using his signature Irrational Hand Strike, which contained 6,400 years of internal energy. This incident was kept strictly confidential; however, it was impossible to hide how Merlin took over DIO afterward. Arthur wasn¡¯t even considered a candidate as the newest transcendent being. If people were asked which DIO user was the strongest, everyone would undoubtedly say Arthur, but he used an inappropriate process to overcome what should¡¯ve been an insurmountable barrier. In this way, Arthur had essentially stunted his growth permanently. Hence, it wasn¡¯t possible for Arthur to stop Igniz. Even though Igniz was a criminal¡­ she was by no means a weak dragon. Furthermore, wasn¡¯t Igniz equipped with the powerful Numbered transcendent weapon, Muspelheim? ¡°Yet,t that human¡­ is truly absurd. He¡¯s only lived a few decades, but he¡¯s been able to leap over developmental barriers like they¡¯re nothing; it¡¯s as if entering the transcendence realm is just another boring step for him.¡± One of the reasons why the Elohim were jealous of the Noblesse was because the latter could transcend just from [getting older]. In contrast, as the Nobless took roughly 1,000 years to enter the transcendence realm, they thought it unreasonable that lower species could transcend, especially since some couldn¡¯t even live for 100 years. The Noblesse complained that the lower species took an inordinately short period to become transcendents. Compared to humans, this criticism was even more compelling when considering that dragons, being born with higher levels of intelligence and magic power, couldn¡¯t transcend without living for a thousand years. Dragons had a 99 percent chance of transcending if they reached the required age. Meanwhile, species equivalent to humans only had a one in tens of billions probability of producing a transcendent. At the lower end, some human species could only produce a transcendent at a rate of one in every 100 billion; yet, the growth rate of those beings was astonishing. ¡°So, what¡­ what¡¯s your purpose in coming to see me?¡± ¡°The committee¡¯s judgment is that if Earth is left unchecked, the astronomical resources we¡¯ve invested in DIO will be lost forever.¡± The resources used for making DIO were on a scale that even the Noblesse couldn¡¯t ignore, and they exerted influence throughout the entire universe. The staggering amount was equivalent to half of the Union¡¯s annual budget. No matter how wealthy the Noblesse were, how could they idly watch as their precious resources were taken from them? If it weren¡¯t for the Elohim¡¯s interference, a fellow Union member that was always a thorn in the Noblesse¡¯s side, the Noblesse would have already mobilized tens of War Dragons and forcefully taken back DIO without any regard for Union Law. ¡°Hahaha. Of course, what you¡¯re saying is true, but¡­ if you insist on coming here while I¡¯m under arrest and bringing me this information, you¡¯re essentially saying that you want to use me as a disposable knight on your chessboard.¡± Tan smiled bitterly. He had used Igniz in the same manner. ¡°Why would we do that? We¡¯re saying that you should take care of your own mistakes.¡± Dragons, the main faction of the Noblesse, were individualistic beings by nature. The dragons from the protoplanet would even laugh rather than seek revenge or help if a human killed one of their own brethren. Hence, the committee¡¯s response was logical and in line with the dragon species¡¯ worldview. ¡°Hahaha¡­ fine. I¡¯ll correct my mistake.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve made a wise choice. My underlings will assist you with the finer details.¡± Bow. After expressing his respect, the prince removed the ring he was wearing and placed it on a table. The ring was ornately decorated, but unsurprisingly, it wasn¡¯t an ornament. Tan was in a prison, after all, so the prince was leaving behind a way to escape. ¡°Once you¡¯re done, please rest on Planet Aden. I heard the scenery there is quite pleasant.¡± Tan was expected to remain on Planet Aden for several hundred years. However, since the Noblesse¡¯s power wasn¡¯t going anywhere, once things blew over regarding DIO, Tan would be able to operate and resume his activities as he did in the past. Bam! And that evening¡­ The safe house, where high-ranking Union political prisoners were held, exploded. *** Yongno, or Merlin as he was known in DIO, produced and sold an immense number of artificial spiritual pathways throughout the entire globe. In fact, people expected that the manufacturing method to produce these pathways was done through mass production, not manual labor. In other words, Yongno had produced so many goods that no one expected the process to require such extensive work. However, contrary to the public¡¯s expectations, the manufacturing method of artificial spiritual pathways required manual work, and the subsequent pathways that went to the market were produced in this labor-intensive fashion. Hence, everyone soon realized that artificial spiritual pathways couldn¡¯t be mass-produced - they had to be made by hand. To create an artificial spiritual pathway, a martial arts user had to learn the requisite production technique and how to process their internal energy to reflect certain special properties. Moreover, the spiritual power that went into an artificial spiritual pathway could only be from a single creator¡¯s [source]. Consequently, it took quite a long time to make even a single pathway, as a significant amount of spiritual power needed to be consumed. Currently, close to 50 million artificial spiritual pathways had been released to the general market, and many people equipped with these pathways would then, in turn, create more and contribute to the overall production numbers. Yet, even with an ever-increasing number of manufacturers, production couldn¡¯t keep up with demand. This was why many couldn¡¯t help but ask the same question¡­ How the hell did Great Mage Merlin gather so much spiritual power as the [source] for his first batch of artificial spiritual pathways? His pathways were identical creations, so they had to have been created from a single source. Obviously, the answer was Merlin¡¯s groundbreaking invention, Pathway to Hell. ¡°Wow, this is a scam-like creation. To be able to infinitely produce such a tremendous amount of spiritual power¡­.¡± Yongno shook his head when he heard Miho¡¯s admiring words, which she stated after feeling the tingling flow of immense spiritual power from Pathway to Hell. ¡°There¡¯s no way it¡¯s an infinite source of spiritual power and energy. I¡¯ve been using it for a while without any issues, but because I¡¯ve extracted so much, I can see the bottom. At most, I think it has about 15 days left.¡± Pathway to Hell, which was initially the size of a modern refrigerator, had been expanded to be as large as two shipping containers. This was done through constant reconfiguration and expansion to extract greater amounts of spiritual power and energy. CH 293 [Ah¡­.] In Pathway to Hell, blood-curling roars had constantly erupted since the beginning of its operation, but now, only low groans could be heard. Yongno¡¯s calculation that Pathway to Hell could run for about 15 more days was based on this observation. ¡°Well, I guess I did extract a great deal of energy.¡± Most of the magic items Yongno created and used on Earth were made from Pathway to Hell¡¯s energy. While mana couldn¡¯t be utilized properly on Earth due to the lack of spiritual pathways, Pathway to Hell made it possible for Yongno to create enormous amounts of mana. Rather than drawing mana from the surroundings, Pathway to Hell operated by burning karma to [produce] energy, similar to burning oil to generate heat. Then, this energy was converted to mana, giving Yongno the ability to create mana on Earth. ¡®Dang, that evil spirit really accumulated a lot of karma. Its luck must¡¯ve been poor for it to fall to Earth and become like this.¡¯ As he manipulated the magic circle beside Pathway to Hell, Yongno pulled out a spiritual pathway. With a magic circle spell converting the energy from Pathway to Hell into mana, Yongno condensed that mana and produced an artificial spiritual pathway specialized in spiritual power. ¡°My only regret is that I can¡¯t make seeds through this process.¡± ¡°Oh? Why not?¡± ¡°The energy from Pathway to Hell isn¡¯t high-quality, so I¡¯m converting it into mana. That being said, the energy created is definitely more versatile than mana power or electricity.¡± Electrical energy, or electricity, was used worldwide on Earth because it was easy to transfer from one point to another, converted quickly into other types of energy, and had a wide conversion and application range. However, under the lens of spiritual power principles, electricity was just a type of attribute energy. So, outside of some special cases and exceptions, it was impossible to turn electric energy into mana power. This was why the following law existed: Mana Power ==> Attribute Energy Attribute Energy =/=> Mana Power This phenomenon occurred because mana power was a higher form of energy than attribute energy. ¡®And since strong qi has the highest level and quality, it can be converted into any energy¡­ man, if I had that cheat-like strong qi, I could expand the scope of my research so much¡­.¡¯ While grumbling, Yongno organized the artificial spiritual pathways pouring out from the magic circle beside Pathway to Hell. Eunhye and Miho took these newly-minted pathways and packaged them into cases. ¡°Yongno.¡± ¡°Huh? What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Production has been cut in half.¡± ¡°I know. Production will probably come to a complete halt soon unless I provide a new [fuel] source.¡± ¡°You mean an evil being?¡± ¡°A very, very evil being. Pathway to Hell won¡¯t even start unless there¡¯s an immense quantity of karma.¡± More importantly, only one soul could be imprisoned in Pathway to Hell. Though Yongno had researched other options, he couldn¡¯t think of an energy-producing contraption that could imprison more than two souls. Pathway to Hell¡¯s shortcomings, at least up to now, didn¡¯t present an issue. The spirit from another dimension possessed unimaginable evil karma. It was to the point where Yongno could only assume that the spirit had abused and killed hundreds of thousands of innocents or more. The evil spirit presented such an extensive reservoir of evil karma that Yongno had to reconfigure and expand his original Pathway to Hell design. Consequently, this allowed him to create much more artificial spiritual pathways than he initially estimated, thus accumulating a considerable stockpile. Needless to say, Yongno made out like a bandit thanks to the spirit¡¯s evil karma. ¡°What if we operate two Pathway to Hell contraptions?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not possible. Pathway to Hell requires a material that is no longer available.¡± Pathway to Hell was something Yongno had made relatively easily after having an epiphany, a sudden flash of inspiration; however, unsurprisingly, special material was needed. This special material couldn¡¯t be obtained- no, rather, it was more accurate to state that someone would have to risk their life to do so. ¡°The Grotesque likely won¡¯t conveniently hand one over to me. They¡¯re probably gnashing their teeth and fuming after I made them lose one already.¡± As Yongno grumbled, he started pouring all sorts of rubies, sapphires, and other jewels into the pathway-producing magic circle. Of course, the jewels used were not real but were artificially made from aluminum oxide. The artificial spiritual pathways would have been easier to make if Yongno used real jewels, but the expense per unit would needlessly increase. Furthermore, if the pathways were made without jewels and only mana, the expense per unit wouldn¡¯t increase, but Yongno would have to go through additional steps, which was more work than he was willing to do. Hence, utilizing these artificial jewels was a compromise. ¡°Oh, bro. You finished today¡¯s production?¡± ¡°Yeah. The production time is shortening day by day¡­ oh, isn¡¯t that Seyoung hyung?¡± After returning to the main living room with Miho and Eunhye, Yongno tilted his head as he saw a familiar face on the TV. [Wow!] [Long live the Knight of Light~!] [Oh, the God of the people~!] [Forgive our sins~!] [Messiah. You are our savior.] People were enthusiastically shouting and praying. The video feed showed some people fainting after yelling until they lost their voices. The breaking news caption at the bottom of the screen read [Knight of Light, Seyoung, visits Japan]. ¡°Hmm. Hey, I haven¡¯t been watching the news lately. Can you tell me what caused these changes?¡± Seyoung was praised worldwide for saving countless people from alien attacks and stepping into the realm of a god with a human body. Yet, undoubtedly, many people hated him as well. He had killed and murdered other humans, though Seyoung stated that his actions were carried out as vengeance. Seyoung had massacred the entirety of the Japanese far-right group involved in his mother¡¯s death, and later, he took down the national military forces that had come to punish and subdue him. About 50,000 casualties had been reported so far. Some human rights activists, prominent scholars, politicians, and celebrities denounced his existence at that time. They saw him as a murderer, and they believed he deserved to be judged. Of course, such claims were few and far between, and many of these voices were controlled or silenced by their respective states. The Knight of Light was so powerful that even a nation¡¯s military couldn¡¯t hold him down, and the recent massacre proved that he didn¡¯t always act mercifully. As such, countries were careful not to provoke Arthur, as he could easily wipe out an entire nation from the face of the Earth if he wanted. However, there was a country that constantly provoked Arthur¡­ Japan. Arthur defeated Japan. This wasn¡¯t a metaphor; it was a fact. Japan was defeated, unable to overcome a single human being. The Japanese military, global political influence, or anything else the Japanese government tried to throw at him couldn¡¯t stop Seyoung. Obviously, the damage to Japan¡¯s pride was enormous, and among the Japanese, the far-right groups rallied and united under the banner of patriotism and collectivism, and they slowly began to show their extreme thoughts and actions in public. However, while that was occurring, other movements were also mobilizing and growing in Japan. ¡°They started to regard Arthur as a sacred, God-like being.¡± ¡°Oho, they¡¯re worshiping an existence that they detest and hate?¡± Originally, Japan itself was quite a religious country. In Japan, where countless gods existed, the distinction between superstition and religion was ambiguous, and many religions with masochistic doctrines existed. To these people who had lived under such a religious culture¡­ Arthur left an indelible impression, regardless of whether that impression was good or bad. And above all, Arthur didn¡¯t originally hate Japan for no good reason. There was a clear justification for his hostility. While this didn¡¯t justify massacring tens of thousands of people, this rationale was why a certain public opinion started to rise and take root, believing that the Japanese should seek forgiveness from Seyoung. Some even went as far as to martyr Arthur and view him as a modern-day messiah. And the religious organization created by these people, the Church of Brilliant Light, started expanding with tremendous momentum, supported by several politicians and businessmen who hoped to dilute Arthur¡¯s hatred of Japan and somehow gain his favor. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t think right-wing groups would stand still as all this happened.¡± In Japan, these right-wing groups had held deep ties to politics, as well as close relations with the Yakuza, for a long time. For example, if someone globally criticized Yasukuni Shrine and protested, the police - public authority figures who were essentially an extension of the Japanese government - would interfere. Oftentimes, the Yakuza would also get in the way of the protestors. In other words, Japan¡¯s far-right groups were not a minority with unique tendencies but an axis of power that could exert considerable influence within the nation. Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. In fact, there were Japanese politicians who supported far-right ideas or praised imperialism or ethnic superiority, and weren¡¯t these people elected by a landslide? However, Youngmin shook his head. ¡°The power of the far-right groups in Japan is not what it used to be.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Politicians and companies that previously supported far-right groups are giving up their affiliations one by one.¡± It was too much of a burden for Japan to be hostile towards Arthur, who was so powerful that even the United States wouldn¡¯t dare to confront him. So, far-right ideology and groups directly hostile to Arthur were rapidly gaining less support. What was the point of hating the Knight of Light through law or forming negative public opinion? Above all, the Yakuza had virtually been completely annihilated; anyone with negative feelings towards Arthur had to be careful. CH 294 ¡°Still, I don¡¯t believe they¡¯ll back down so easily,¡± Yongno said while watching the live news broadcast. He continued, ¡°There are plenty of foolish idiots in the world.¡± Indeed, just as Yongno said, the cameras started focusing on a new group of people. [Do not rot the spirit of Japan!] [Dirty murderer! Evil Korean, disembowel yourself!] Thousands of protesters with pickets and banners emerged. There were two leading groups that denounced Arthur and insisted on reestablishing Japan¡¯s spirit. One was the Make Japan Great Again Association, which was a group of citizens who didn¡¯t tolerate Japan giving an inch to any foreign entity) and the Patriotic Youth Group. [Go away, the Make Japan Great Again Association is a disgrace to Japan!] [Japan¡¯s shame originates from you all! Don¡¯t embarrass Japan!] [None of you know any shame!] The argument between the Church of Brilliant Light, Arthur¡¯s steadfast followers, and the Make Japan Great Again Association and Patriot Youth Group quickly escalated. Arthur¡¯s followers wanted him to have affable feelings and a positive impression of Japan, so they resented the anti-Arthur parties who ruined their endeavors. Simultaneously, the Make Japan Great Again Association and the Patriotic Youth Group were angered that a Japanese group would actively deflate Japan¡¯s spirit and lower the nation¡¯s international standing. ¡°News like this has been popping up nonstop.¡± Miho¡¯s eyes widened when she heard Eunhye mutter under her breath. ¡°Oh, right. Can¡¯t this be considered a live broadcasting accident? Shouldn¡¯t they have stopped recording?¡± ¡°Ah, Miho, I see you¡¯ve learned a lot about modern media. You even know about live broadcasting accidents.¡± ¡°Are you making fun of me?¡± While Yongno and Miho bickered, the unfolding scene on TV started to grow increasingly violent. Arthur¡¯s followers and the anti-Arthur groups began yelling and swearing at each other. ¡°It seems like one side has decided to stick to their guns even in the face of death,¡± Yongno murmured. Indeed, the anti-Arthur protesters seemed prepared to die for their cause. In truth, Arthur was a murderer, and he detested the Japanese far-right groups. However, didn¡¯t groups with these same beliefs kill his beloved mother? Moreover¡­ even if he killed some people, no one could punish him. If Arthur swung his shining light sword and killed all of the anti-Arthur members right now, no one could stop or hold him accountable. ¡°Is it some sort of samurai spirit?¡± Youngmin made a puzzled expression after hearing Miho¡¯s question. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s a bit dubious labeling it as samurai spirit just because they¡¯re risking their lives. Well, some people think that the samurai spirit is nothing more than a yakuza¡¯s last gasp, but- huh?¡± Then, the scene on the news suddenly changed. Arthur appeared and stepped in front of the anti-Arthur protesters, striding toward them. However, the protesters didn¡¯t seem afraid in any way. Instead, they appeared to be prepared for death, so there was nothing to fear. Above all, they knew that countless cameras were capturing what was occurring. The events taking place would be disseminated all over the world. Even if Arthur weren¡¯t interested in presenting and maintaining a good reputation, he¡¯d still be reluctant to slaughter those who were much weaker and couldn¡¯t resist. So, if he killed such helpless people, international public opinion would surely go against him. However, what Arthur chose to do went beyond Yongno¡¯s wildest imagination. Step. Arthur walked towards them. He took brisk, confident steps, and each one seemed to weigh down the world. And he shined. A bright, brilliant light. From Arthur¡¯s back, a dazzling halo of light spread in all directions. Of course, the light didn¡¯t cast a glare on the cameras, as it wasn¡¯t real. Yet, everyone in the living room could feel the light, and the power it possessed, emanating from Arthur. ¡°It¡¯s spiritual pressure - the type that a high-ranking being exerts on a low-ranking being.¡± Spiritual pressure was an oppressive force that weighed down on a target through the overwhelming power of one¡¯s soul. This force wasn¡¯t effective when used on a being of a similar level. However, if a high-ranking being attacked someone of a lower rank, unless the latter possessed extraordinary willpower, the low-ranking being couldn¡¯t completely overcome the pressure. ¡°Even though Arthur is an imperfect, pseudo transcendent¡­ he¡¯s still entered the transcendent realm. In front of him, no amount of willpower would be of any use.¡± Arthur acknowledged and even called himself a half-transcendent, but that also meant he had reached the level of a half-god. If he directly radiated spiritual pressure through his soul¡¯s power, less than ten beings on Earth could resist. Plop. Plop. Up till this point, the protesters had been foaming at the mouth while hurling slurs and shouting angrily at Arthur. Now, however, they started kneeling in front of him one by one. Any hatred towards Arthur immediately collapsed, and in its place was a sense of submission, which originated from the depths of their minds. Of course, some held onto their anti-Arthur sentiments. Protestors who had family members killed by him or those who were deeply enraged by his misdeeds endured for a brief moment, but those efforts only lasted for a fleeting instant. Arthur¡¯s spiritual pressure was powerful and overwhelming. Hence, the last few holdouts soon collapsed and submitted. [Please¡­ forgive me.] A protestor said as if vomiting something from his mouth. A sense of guilt surged in the protestor¡¯s heart, stemming from within his mind. He realized that everything was his fault. He started to reconsider why he was reproaching Arthur and making Arthur sad. Why was he hurting Arthur so much? In fact, why was he even shouting at Arthur? He, along with many others, soon felt a sense of unbearable shame. [Please forgive me!] [Please forgive me!] [I was wrong!] [W-we are sinners!] As if that guilt was contagious and rapidly spreading, the protesters started shouting and begging for forgiveness. They shed tears and repented, and soon, they tore the pickets and banners that they¡¯d been holding. This entire scene was caught on camera and spread across the world through a live feed. ¡°Ugh¡­ why is he using so much spiritual power? What¡¯s the reason? Is he planning to do something with Japan?¡± While watching the unfolding live news feed, Yongno frowned. Even Yongno was influenced by Arthur¡¯s spiritual pressure. This pressure was so powerful that it was being transmitted through the TV screen to the people watching the news. ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time he¡¯s done this either.¡± Yongno¡¯s expression subtly shifted after hearing Eunhye comment in a low tone. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying he¡¯s not overexerting himself this one time¡­ he¡¯s been doing this quite often? Yet, the strength of his spiritual pressure is abnormally high and unnatural. For a pseudo transcendent to be able to exert-¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying. What I meant is that he¡¯s always maintained this level of spiritual pressure in public.¡± ¡°Right. Every time he comes out on the news, he¡¯s exuded this spiritual pressure. He was like this when he gave a speech in Washington and also when he was invited to visit Beijing.¡± ¡°Based on what I¡¯m seeing, it seems that it¡¯s possible to exert a light attribute spiritual pressure. Perhaps that¡¯s because Arthur transcended with the light attribute. Of course, even so, it probably isn¡¯t easy for him to maintain such high spiritual pressure. Yongno grew pensive and concerned after hearing Eunhye, Miho, and Youngmin¡¯s responses, respectively. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Poof! In an instant, Yongno utilized his magic power to teleport himself to the scene. ¡°Ugh.¡± And as soon as he arrived, he unequivocally felt the overwhelming spiritual pressure bearing down on him. Yongno frowned as he felt the spiritual pressure, which spread to its surroundings like light. ¡°What is he trying to do?¡± The spiritual pressure of a transcendent being had a tremendous effect on mortals. This was why the Union¡¯s laws restricted transcendents from utilizing their spiritual powers in front of lesser beings. Under Union Law, such an act was considered a criminal offense on the same level as using mind control. In other words, it was no different from spiritual violence. Even if a transcendent didn¡¯t do anything in particular, their existence alone could make lesser beings submit to them. Individuals would lose the will to resist when first encountering a transcendent, and if these encounters were repeated, they would eventually start following and praising the transcendent. This was a different concept from mind control or brainwashing, as these two acts necessitated an active action. However, being overcome by a transcendent¡¯s overpowering soul and succumbing to it was as [natural] as water flowing downwards. However, Yongno still didn¡¯t know what Arthur¡¯s goal was. ¡°Why is he doing this?¡± If it were someone else, Yongno would have thought that they sought world domination. It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV. It was quite possible to accomplish something like this using overwhelming spiritual pressure. If someone implanted a huge influence in lesser beings¡¯ minds, the whole world would inevitably support the transcendent whenever necessary. ¡°But Seyoung hyung isn¡¯t pursuing such a thing, right?¡± Yongno was certain. Arthur, or at least the Seyoung he knew, had no desire for fame and didn¡¯t even care about public reputation either. Seyoung possessed an innate heroic personality, and he didn¡¯t particularly care about what others thought of him. ¡°What is his purpose?¡± Arthur lost his purpose when his mother died. Undoubtedly, seeking revenge was an immediate goal, but it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to state that he had exceeded that goal already. Yongno had expected that Arthur would choose to disappear from the public and tuck himself away where no one could find him, but Arthur¡¯s actions went an entirely different direction. Arthur was more active than ever as he traveled around the world and made public appearances. CH 295 ¡°The time for punishment is over.¡± Arthur began to speak. Despite using a low, subdued tone, his voice could clearly be heard, and regardless of the distance, it seemed to resonate in the souls of anyone listening. ¡°We apologize for our shortcomings! We were wrong!¡± ¡°Forgive us!¡± The anti-Arthur protesters prostrated themselves and apologized profusely. Arthur spoke once more. ¡°I do not resent you.¡± Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°But we-!¡± ¡°We are sinners!¡± It was abnormal to see these people desperately apologizing as if they¡¯d completely forgotten what they were feverishly shouting just ten minutes ago. They said things like, [Dirty murderer! Evil Korean, disembowel yourself!] However, after being exposed to Arthur¡¯s overwhelming, intrusive spiritual pressure, the protestors didn¡¯t consider their current actions irregular. ¡°¡­ I forgive you.¡± ¡°But-!¡± Arthur sighed deeply as he looked at those gathered, who seemed like they were about to harm themselves at any moment. His eyes appeared full of worry and remorse. However, Yongno knew this was all part of an [act]. Arthur was deliberately creating this situation. In the end, Arthur looked at the protestors and stated, [I forgive you all for your sins.] People began to emotionally cheer, shedding tears of joy after hearing Arthur¡¯s spirit speech. His words seemed as though they were being deeply engraved in the protestors¡¯ souls. And in that frenetic and joyous atmosphere¡­ ¡°What the hell¡­.¡± Yongno muttered to himself with a thoroughly perplexed expression. ¡°What are you doing, Seyoung hyung?¡± *** The physical world. The Union, the largest organization in the universe, prohibited its members from contacting or interfering with planets at the 2nd Stage of Civilization or below. This Union Law was implemented so that lower civilizations wouldn¡¯t be harmed or unduly influenced as they developed. Furthermore, the purpose of this guarded approach was to protect the development of diverse cultures throughout the lesser worlds. However, this law wasn¡¯t created arbitrarily. Was cultural diversity so important? Since the current universe was 14 billion years old, all the different cultures had already emerged. No, apart from that fact, the Union wasn¡¯t a naturally benign and benevolent organization. Why would they protect the development of a lower-staged civilization¡¯s cultural diversity? It would have been more reasonable and logical to force civilizations to join the Union or to colonize individual planets under the Union umbrella rather than implementing a relatively hard-to-enforce law. However, this prohibition wasn¡¯t made for any of the aforementioned reasons but for a more practical motive. The Planet God. When a civilization arose on a planet, the respective Planet God was born in parallel with the civilization. This sort of Planet God could be said to be the [most common] high-ranking god. Despite being the most common type of high-ranking god, a Planet God was by no means easily ignored. From birth, a Planet God possessed a high divine position, so it could be said that a Planet God started at the same level as a Demon King. Since a Planet God was not meant for combat, its fighting strength was weaker than that of a mid-rank god, but it was endowed with powers from the Creation God. As such, it possessed almost all the powers of a true [God]. And amongst its collection of abilities, the most powerful one was the Great Heavenly World. A Planet¡¯s God could [ignore the worldview] outside of the planet under its control or forcibly lower its planet¡¯s stage of civilization. In other words, if someone brought a space battleship of the 3rd Stage of Machine Civilization to a planet below the 3rd Stage of Civilization, the Planet God would remove or disable the battleship. Likewise, if a transcendent with enormous power appeared on a lesser-developed planet and interfered with its civilization, the Planet God would use its divine power, Great Heavenly World, to make the transcendent utterly powerless or drop their [rank] by one level. Unsurprisingly, this was a severe penalty. To put it simply, a general low-level transcendent would revert to being a mortal and would have to worry about their lifespan once again. As for a middle-rank transcendent, that is, an existence of the Emperor Rank, they typically wouldn¡¯t fear anything in the physical world, but the Planet God would make them lose a rank and become a low-rank god. In terms of DIO¡¯s level formula, beings between levels 30 to 39 would drop to levels 20 to 29. Therefore, when a resident, someone born and raised on a planet, transcended, it was virtually impossible to interfere with or influence them from the outside. After all, the respective Planet God would mostly protect that individual. If one was unlucky, even a middle-rank transcendent could be killed by a lower-rank god. So, why would a transcendent recklessly enter a lesser-developed planet? Those in the Emperor Class had more to lose, as there were less than a hundred of these beings in the entire universe. In the end, the Union Law [prohibiting contact with planets at or below the 2nd Stage of Civilization] was mostly followed. The only exceptions were cases where someone had a rank high enough to directly contend and overpower a Planet God. Additionally, the law was put in place to avoid infuriating a Planet God. However, not all planets had a Planet God. An accident may have caused the Planet God to disappear, the Planet God could have abandoned its planet, or the Planet God faced an issue and may not have performed its role properly. In these cases, alien beings would often plunder the lesser, unguarded planet. ¡®Those damn Planet Gods are always in the way.¡¯ Tan had recently recovered a sizable portion of his previous strength and power and regained his mid-rank transcendent status. However, that wasn¡¯t enough to fight a Planet God. The Planet God usually didn¡¯t preemptively deny access to its planet, though, so Tan could still enter Earth. ¡®The problem is, taking such an action is dangerous.¡¯ The Watcher¡¯s Bell had rung toward Earth, meaning it was highly likely a transcendent had been born there. Tan¡¯s current level was 34. If he were to be ranked down due to Great Heavenly World, Tan would drop to Level 24. Obviously, even if his level dropped to that extent, he would be stronger than a spring chicken who had just become a transcendent. However, Tan had to remember that Yongno had defeated Igniz, who went to Earth with a considerably powerful transcendent weapon in tow. The difference between Level 19 and Level 20 was huge, but the disparity between Level 20 and Level 26 was not as wide. Of course, it wasn¡¯t a small difference, but it could be overturned depending on each combatant¡¯s mindset, luck, circumstances, or the surrounding environment. Due to this, the Noblesse couldn¡¯t do much when DIO, and consequently, the astronomical resources put into it had been stolen from under their noses by a mere human. The only reason Igniz didn¡¯t face the Planet God¡¯s penalty was that the surface of Earth¡¯s moon was not yet recognized as Earth¡¯s human domain. If Igniz had descended upon Earth, its magic power would have been limited by more than 90 percent. So, the type of magic spells Igniz could use would be reduced to Class 5 to 6, and the humans would¡¯ve killed Igniz while the latter couldn¡¯t properly launch an effective attack. To some extent, Igniz could have exerted some of its natural draconic body¡¯s powers, but a dragon that wasn¡¯t supported by considerable amounts of magic power was nothing more than a gigantic monster. ¡°Hahaha. I¡¯m having so many useless thoughts¡­.¡± Yet, even so, as Tan looked down on Earth from outer space, he smiled bitterly. A dark blue aura began to revolve around him. And at that moment¡­ ¡°I should have done this from the start.¡± His figure disappeared without a trace. *** Surprise Attack and Copying *** Seyoung, Arthur, the Knight of Light or the Knight of Brilliance, traveled all over the world. And this wasn¡¯t an idiomatic description - Arthur quite literally went around [the entire world] many times over. He had already visited most countries. In fact, in less than an hour, Arthur even went to more than ten nations to reveal his existence and make his presence known. This was possible because he could go anywhere on Earth in an instant. With his Body of Light ability, he could turn his body into photons. ¡°I heard that, in China, around a million anti-government protestors took to the streets in one city. This was solely because the Chinese president said that Arthur was nothing more than greedy¡­.¡± After Eunhye spoke, Yongno nodded as visible beads of sweat rolled down his brow. CH 296 ¡°This phenomenon didn¡¯t only occur in China, either. Most countries have essentially prostrated themselves before Seyoung hyung. The moment someone sees Seyoung, even if it¡¯s just once, they become his follower. So, it¡¯s useless to try and stir up public opinion against him or use propaganda to sully his name.¡± Yongno made a name for himself globally, but his fame was nothing compared to Arthur¡¯s. When Arthur decided to spread his transcendent-level halo all over the world, it engulfed and influenced everyone, the only exception being a select few with exceptional mental prowess. ¡°If the information and material in the Great Library aren¡¯t false, then even if he¡¯s a transcendent, it¡¯s probably extremely difficult to maintain such a halo for an extended period. He¡¯s likely able to do so because of his attribute power or other personal abilities.¡± As he¡¯d successfully turned his internal energy into photons, Arthur could scatter a halo around himself, with it having a radius of ten kilometers. Furthermore, the halo could even exert some influence through a broadcast, like watching a TV. The halo wasn¡¯t simply composed of physical light but spiritual light as well. Though it couldn¡¯t attack a viewer¡¯s eyes via the camera transmitting the image to the screen, lower beings who [witnessed] the light would instinctively feel fear towards Arthur. In other words, it was akin to what someone the size of an ant would feel toward a person as large as an elephant. Regardless of an individual¡¯s disposition or age, they would be affected. Whether someone was an average person, a psychopath, a pastor, a middle schooler, a child, or an adult did not matter. The moment they witnessed Arthur¡¯s halo, they¡¯d be overwhelmed with the sensation of facing a huge [living being], like a massive, seemingly insurmountable mountain. This enormous difference in spiritual power weighed down on the observer and ultimately made them succumb to Arthur¡¯s influence. However, as he infused magic power into a magic circle, Yongno shook his head. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand. While he can rapidly gain global support by brainwashing people as he¡¯s doing now, that¡¯ll grow increasingly useless once people build up some resistance. There¡¯s no way Seyoung is unaware of this, so he must have other intentions.¡± Pop! As soon as Yongno finished speaking, sparks appeared, and the magic circle collapsed with a small explosion. Yongno frowned as he stood up in frustration, having been muttering while concentrating on the magic circle. ¡°Damn it¡­ again¡­ Why isn¡¯t it working? What¡¯s wrong?¡± With an irritated expression, Yongno recalculated the formula for the magic circle. This work wasn¡¯t something that could be done in a short period. Yongno had roughly grasped the overall framework, but various necessary verifications, experiments, techniques, and details still needed to be sorted out. ¡°You¡¯re going too fast.¡± As he heard Eunhye, Yongno gulped down the juice that she had brought and took a deep breath. ¡°There¡¯s not enough time. Right now, Earth is only quiet because of the checks and balances from various other forces, but we¡¯re still in a precarious state¡­. If we can¡¯t muster an offense, we¡¯ll continually be forced on the defensive.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you expecting this all along?¡± ¡°Yeah, but still¡­.¡± Recently, Yongno was plagued with a sense of intense anxiety. Of course, this wasn¡¯t just a vague sense of anxiety. Yongno possessed a near-psychic crisis-sensing ability, and he could feel that others in the wider universe were plotting against him. Although he didn¡¯t know the details, Yongno sensed that he was gradually being forced into a corner and that things were going against his favor. However, despite feeling this overwhelming pressure, the problem was that, logically, there was nothing pressuring him to move so quickly. ¡®There¡¯s no particular reason, but why do I feel so anxious? There¡¯s still a lot of time left¡­ The Noblesse can¡¯t do anything at the moment, right?¡¯ Yongno wasn¡¯t the only one who believed that the Noblesse had their hands tied and couldn¡¯t do anything to Earth or DIO for the time being. The Elohim, the Reaper Organization, and even the Noblesse themselves felt that DIO had to be left alone for now. After all, the Noblesse¡¯s political position within the Union and Tan¡¯s place in the Noblesse had changed unfavorably after Igniz¡¯s death. The aforementioned dragon had been illegally released on top of committing multiple other criminal acts. If the Empress of Magic were still alive, the situation would have already ended. It was true that the Elohim had been holding the Noblesse in check. However, if the latter sought to merely regain their right to operate DIO, a system made with the Noblesse¡¯s money and resources, the Noblesse would have been justified. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. However, once Tan rebelled against Jenica, the Empress of Magic and essentially the creator of DIO, the service¡¯s operational rights became a bit murky. After he usurped Jenica¡¯s position, Tan planned to drag out his time as the system¡¯s main operator, gain full access to the DIO system, and eventually end up with complete control. Yet, it took Tan much longer to gain full access to DIO than he had initially expected. Hence, when Yongno eventually came along and took over DIO, the situation grew completely twisted for Tan and the Noblesse. Currently, the situation was already trending toward a political fight between the Noblesse, Elohim, and the Reaper Organization, one of the main factions in the Nether World. Due to this, no significant threats or actions would be taken on DIO or Earth until the three groups reached a compromise. In other words, as of right now, each side was warily keeping the other in check. Yongno was currently preparing for what would eventually come [after] the three reached an agreement. He judged there was no possibility that something could happen right away. Yet, why did he feel so unsettled and anxious? Why did he feel like he was running out of time? While muttering nervously under his breath, Yongno took out his jeweled sword, the Editor Blade, and stabbed the destroyed magic circle. ¡°Data Patch.¡± After stating the trigger phrase that activated the power contained in the weapon, Yongno¡¯s aura shot through the Editor Blade and instantly restored the destroyed magic circle. This sort of restoration could only be done in Yongno¡¯s Magic Tower. Although Yongno could take his Editor Blade outside the confines of DIO and his Magic Tower, it would just be another beautiful sword with no additional functionality. Since the Editor Blade was made of Anyform stones, which comprised DIO, it could only work inside the service. At that moment, the door on one side of Yongno¡¯s lab opened. Sungmuk and Snowflake Flower soon entered. ¡°Ah, why don¡¯t you just give up?¡± ¡°Ugh, stop chattering in my ear and nagging me like a little girl.¡± ¡°Hmph! You¡¯re right. I¡¯m a little girl, so I¡¯ll chatter and nag you some more!¡± After overhearing the two¡¯s conversation, Yongno spoke to Sungmuk, ¡°Are you planning to try again?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll eventually make that damn ball of flame succumb to me.¡± Whoosh! ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯ve returned once more!¡± Sungmuk raised his fighting spirit as he stared at a glowing staff. This wasn¡¯t just some slight excitement from Sungmuk. The object he was looking at was worth the challenge; it was Transcendent Weapon Number 734. Muspelheim. After slaying Igniz, the red dragon, Yongno stole Igniz¡¯s Transcendent Weapon. It was an immense haul, but the problem was that Yongno couldn¡¯t use it. ¡®This weapon judges whether one is qualified to use it.¡¯ Though Yongno killed Igniz, the one previously recognized as qualified to use the Transcendent Weapon, Muspelheim didn¡¯t identify Yongno as its master. The weapon either knew that Yongno had used a sort of one-use trick attack, or there were other conditions he didn¡¯t fulfill. Yongno could carry Muspelheim since Igniz had died, but the moment he tried to use Muspelheim and activate its powers, the weapon spewed out its powerful flames and made it impossible to wield. ¡®I really want to break it down and figure out its structure¡­.¡¯ Yongno smiled bitterly. The truth was, Yongno wished he could dismantle Muspelheim. He wanted to grasp a Transcendent Weapon¡¯s mechanism and internal workings and absorb that knowledge for use in the future. However, a Transcendent Weapon had a durability equivalent to that of a transcendent being, and the Stage of Civilization contained within Muspelheim, or any Transcendent Weapon for that matter, far surpassed that of the Earth. The Transcendent Weapon exemplified the pinnacle achievement of a civilization¡¯s magic and mech development. Moreover, Muspelheim wasn¡¯t just any Transcendent Weapon - it was ranked within the top thousand of its kind. No matter how hard Yongno tried, it was impossible to understand the structure and activation principle of the weapon by examining the outer structure. However, if Yongno wanted to access the Muspelheim¡¯s internals, he¡¯d have to unleash an Irrational Hand Strike that contained at least 3,000 years of internal energy. ¡®If I had many Transcendent Weapons, I would have eventually found a way to dismantle Muspelheim¡­.¡¯ However, knowing the astronomical value of a Transcendent Weapon, especially one that was Numbered, Yongno didn¡¯t dare dismantle Muspelheim. All jokes aside, [one would have to sell Earth ten times over] to reach a value equivalent to Muspelheim. Since this was the case, how could Yongno seriously consider dismantling such a valuable weapon? This was why Yongno decided to use Muspelheim as a transactional chip when he would eventually have to deal with outside entities. Before that moment arrived, Yongno kept Muspelheim within the Magic Tower. Undoubtedly, Yongno couldn¡¯t deny that he wanted to use Muspelheim when he transcended. ¡°Why are you just standing there? Go and stop that idiot.¡± ¡°Huh, why? Isn¡¯t it okay? Sungmuk¡¯s body is completely inside DIO, so it can be restored at any time.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just going to stand idly by and watch him harm himself? I mean, just look at him.¡± Whoosh! ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°See! He¡¯s on fire again!¡± When Igniz died, Muspelheim had taken the form of a staff, so after grabbing the Transcendent Weapon, Sungmuk was set on fire. Sungmuk tried to muster a resistance by enveloping his entire body with a layer of singular qi, but that layer was burned away in an instant. Fling. Yongno threw his Editor Blade at Sungmuk, who was on the verge of dying from being burnt to a crisp. The Editor Blade flew gently through the air and struck Sungmuk¡¯s back. Of course, it did not physically penetrate Sungmuk. Rather, the Editor Blade [assimilated] into his body and accessed Sungmuk¡¯s data. Woong. And at the same time, Sungmuk¡¯s body recovered immediately. ¡°I know his body is just data within a system, but it¡¯s still amazing to see such rapid recovery. I never thought such a complex form could be recovered and reconstructed so easily.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not difficult to make an entirely new body. I have full DIO operational and management rights, so I can virtually do whatever I want.¡± After hearing Yongno¡¯s explanation, Snowflake Flower¡¯s eyes twinkled. ¡°Ah! So, can you change one¡¯s species as well?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not difficult at all.¡± Yongno turned to Sungmuk. ¡°Sungmuk, should I give you a new body?¡± Sungmuk had been looking at Muspelheim and recovering his energy when he replied. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten used to this body and completed my martial arts abilities with it. What are you talking about? No, I don¡¯t want to start over in another body.¡± Sungmuk shook his head as if he heard something utterly useless, but Snowflake Flower made an exasperated expression. CH 297 ¡°Eek! Why are you saying you don¡¯t want to change, you idiot?! Do it now! Why are you so adamant about keeping that yucky orc body?!¡± Snowflake Flower insisted. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this orc body?¡± Sungmuk blandly replied. ¡°Everything! It¡¯s not a good look!¡± After watching the two bicker for a moment, Yongno returned his attention to the magic circle engraved on the floor. For some reason, a sense of urgency was pushing him to research and produce results as quickly as possible, so he couldn¡¯t help but feel as if his head was caught in a vice. ¡°¡­ If I can complete this Unified Soul Catcher, earthlings will become completely free from the influence of extraterrestrial beings.¡± However, though Yongno understood the general gist of what he needed to do, he lacked a few core technologies. Yongno believed he¡¯d barely see any results even if several months or even years passed. ¡°Want to take a break?¡± Eunhye asked from the side. ¡°Don¡¯t tempt me. Ugh, this is giving me a headache. I want to stop. I want to do something else.¡± To be honest, Yongno had never studied or trained with exceptional grit or diligence. In the past, Yongno only researched what he wanted, and he based his training on the random thoughts and ideas that popped into his mind and interested him at the time. So, rather than slowly progressing with a specific goal in mind, Yongno only conducted proper research or trained earnestly when he had an unexpected, intriguing idea. However, the idea he was currently working on was a concept that would have an enormous impact on humanity and far exceeded Earth¡¯s magic civilization level. Thus, Yongno had trouble progressing and developing the project with such a vague, fragmentary theory. Even he, an Irregular and universal genius, needed to spend a lot of time researching and verifying his concept¡¯s various components to produce tangible results. Hence, at that present moment, Yongno felt himself nearing his [limit]. ¡°What should I do¡­.¡± If he researched, he¡¯d undoubtedly obtain results, and if Yongno continued to work with those findings, he¡¯d obtain new data¡­ as this cycle of research and results continued, Yongno felt an increasing sense of pressure pushing against him from all sides. The more urgency he felt, the slower his research progressed. To put it one way, as he felt an increasing need to do something, the less motivated he became. ¡°This is starting to become a huge issue. This damn motivation problem of mine is reoccurring and at such a critical moment¡­ I don¡¯t have time for this paralysis¡­ I¡¯m running out of time¡­.¡± Yongno had to somehow push through, but that was easier said than done. If it was so easy to push through, why would any scholars or artists suffer from writer¡¯s block or creative slumps? ¡°Try researching something else.¡± ¡°At the moment, this is the most vital task, so how could I consider researching anything else? I don¡¯t have much time left, so I must succeed¡­.¡± Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. ¡°Hey, Merlin!¡± Then, Cruze ran into the lab and shouted. After she entered the tower, Cruze was in a perpetual 24-hour state of manifestation. ¡°Let¡¯s make Earth Breaker and Genocider!¡± Cruze confidently exclaimed as she held out a piece of metal the size of her fist. On it, a pattern of eight intertwined rings could be seen. Yongno didn¡¯t know, but the metallic object Cruze presented was the Rolling Heart, a key component of Earth Breaker. ¡°If we can make Earth Breaker and Genocider, we¡¯ll be able to get a good smack in on those damn Noblesse!¡± With her materialization ability, Cruze could create high-level scientific weaponry capable of exerting tremendous power. However, as she made weapons of a higher civilization level, her materialization became less efficient in terms of the energy required. Of course, from the start, her ability to materialize things was a cheat-like ability. Cruze had the all-powerful skill to create any weapon as long as she understood its internal structure. Moreover, Cruze also had the flexibility to make any materialization she desired, delete it at any time, and reimagine new ones. Unsurprisingly, this ability of hers came from her high-level genius ability, something all aura power users envied. Yet, with such genius, she had to sacrifice other areas. Energy efficiency was one of those tradeoffs. To make up for her weakness, Cruze tried utilizing pre-materializing items and consuming them when needed, as Yongno did with magic stones. Unfortunately, Cruze could not use this option. Her manifestations took up a portion of her overall aura power capacity, so when she created something, the aura power she used reduced her total capacity. Hence, if she maintained a materialization, doing so would permanently lower her overall amount. Due to this, she decided to utilize a completely new method and approach. If she couldn¡¯t save materialized items without lowering her total aura power, she would materialize the tools and equipment needed to produce the final products. In other words, Cruze chose to materialize a vast infrastructure rather than one end product. This change of thought and approach was quite effective. No matter how powerful a weapon she materialized, the item would eventually disappear after the manifestation period ended. Furthermore, if creating and maintaining this weapon constantly drained her aura power, Cruze would eventually exhaust her total capacity. Therefore, Cruze concluded it would be better to create a foundation from which she could continually materialize an assortment of weapons. Most importantly, she knew exactly how to make the items she materialized. However, Yongno had a sullen expression. ¡°Hmm, about production¡­ Can those two weapons be mass-produced?¡± ¡°No, mass production is impossible. For weapons of this level, I¡¯m faced with a materialization time limit for the tools needed.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± Yongno mulled over the problem for a while. He didn¡¯t feel that Cruze¡¯s materialization ability possessed much merit. Over time, Yongno had widened the skill gap between himself and Cruze, so her unique materialization ability didn¡¯t seem so powerful or useful anymore. Above all, after potential enemies reached a certain power level, they could easily block Cruze¡¯s attacks. ¡®Well, maybe Earth Breaker is worth using? Genocider is useless because it kills everyone indiscriminately- no, wait. I shouldn¡¯t be casting this sort of idea aside so easily¡­.¡¯ Earth Breaker, a thick sword that shook the dimension just by existing, was a weapon from the 4th Stage of Civilization. It could control gravity and repulsion and, by extension, manipulate spatial vectors. Genocider was an antimatter cannon that utilized the tech from the most advanced 3rd Stage of Civilization; this cannon¡¯s explosive power was tens of times greater than a modern atomic bomb. Didn¡¯t the great powers of the world, including the United States, fear Cruze more than Arthur? This was because if Cruze suddenly went mad and materialized her antimatter cannons, she could blow away a country or two without breaking a sweat. ¡®Yet, why do I see her in a lesser light?¡¯ Yongno pondered for a while. Why did he have this preconceived impression of Cruze and her ability? Was it from when the Emperor of Martial Arts, Regrants, caught Cruze¡¯s antimatter cannon attack, Genocider, with his bare hands? As long as one overlooked how Genocider didn¡¯t discern between friend and foe, it was essentially an ultimate attack. However, Regrants neutralized the threat without much difficulty. Even so, this didn¡¯t mean that Cruze¡¯s attack was weak; rather, Regrants was just too formidable. ¡®Now that I think about it, it¡¯s kind of weird¡­.¡¯ The Emperor of Martial Arts was, undoubtedly, a great being. Even in the entire universe, Regrants had a prominent reputation. He was almost comparable to a monster and could probably survive a stint in a black hole or endure a dimensional strike. As such, it went without saying that an antimatter cannon wouldn¡¯t trouble Regrants. However, that was only the case for the Emperor of Martial Arts; it wasn¡¯t the same for the other Grand Masters present during that joint battle. Based on Yongno¡¯s judgment, a 1 kg antimatter explosion at close range would cause enormous damage to even the most accomplished transcendents. Didn¡¯t Yongno kill two transcendents with his 6,400-year Irrational Hand Strike? Although the transcendents he defeated were classified as gods, albeit lower-class, they weren¡¯t immortal. Even lower-level energy could inflict considerable damage on transcendent beings if the amount reached a certain threshold. Most transcendents could likely easily block such antimatter attacks, but if they took the hit head-on, they¡¯d suffer a considerable blow. ¡®I see.¡¯ And at that moment, Yongno realized why he had taken Cruze¡¯s power and ability for granted and not considered including her in his main force. ¡®At least, from the transcendent¡¯s perspective, Cruze is an entity that can be ignored. Unknowingly, I took on their point of view¡­ and didn¡¯t see any hope in her.¡¯ Yongno recalled the scene when Cruze had fired her antimatter cannon. Back then, Yongno wasn¡¯t surprised that the Emperor of Martial Arts could grab her attack with his bare hands, but thinking back on it now, he felt a sense of incongruity regarding the scene. ¡®None of the Grand Masters prepared any defensive spells, though they should have known that the AOE nature of the antimatter attack didn¡¯t discern between friend or foe. It seemed that they didn¡¯t even try to dodge. Despite being aware that Cruze had fired, they weren¡¯t concerned in the slightest. It¡¯s as if¡­ as if they knew the attack could be neutralized with a single gesture.¡¯ Yongno¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡®Why? What do they know? The force of such a large antimatter attack wouldn¡¯t be trivial. In terms of power alone, it¡¯s enough to exceed my Irrational Hand Strike, which used 6,400 years of internal energy. Even if the attack isn¡¯t focused, as it¡¯s an explosion of lower-level energy, it¡¯s still a spiritual attack¡­ wait¡­ a spiritual attack?¡¯ Great discoveries sometimes occurred by chance. If Yongno had heard Cruze yesterday or tomorrow instead of this exact moment, his mind would not have processed her words like it was now. He wouldn¡¯t have contemplated them any further. He could only think and ponder in this manner because he questioned why he had [excluded Cruze from his main force]. Otherwise, his focus would¡¯ve been solely placed on the impending alien attacks and his need to further his research, casting aside Cruze¡¯s words. However, right now, Yongno was mentally fatigued, as he was forcing himself to continue researching. Consequently, he clung to a glimmer of an idea, one that had suddenly come to him without realizing it. Tired of being constantly worried, he found an outlet to think about something else, and because of that, he suddenly arrived at the [correct answer]. ¡®Materialization can be disabled!¡¯ ¡°Uhm, Hey there, Merlin? You alright?¡± Cruze waved her hand in front of Yongno¡¯s face, but Yongno paid no attention as he focused. Although Cruze¡¯s ability was close to omnipotent, it had a fatal weakness. Usually, aura power users chose only one object to materialize. They would pick a sword, a gun, a watch, and so on. They¡¯d keep the item in their hands for a considerable amount of time, grasping its feel, smell, volume, and weight until they memorized the item¡¯s properties. Once they could fully recall the item¡¯s shape and size, even with their eyes closed, they could materialize the item with their aura power. Later, they¡¯d be able to imbue their special abilities and attribute powers onto that materialization. On the other hand, Cruze used a special rule. She utilized a programming foundation to repeatedly install and uninstall items as long as she possessed the memory capacity required. This meant that she could materialize or install a weapon whenever she needed it! However, the special abilities and attribute powers she could imbue in her materialized weapons would be limited to [mechanical phenomena] rather than [magic phenomena], and above all¡­ since Cruze maintained the flexibility to continuously change what she materialized, the object she created would have a weak concentration of spiritual power. ¡®In this way, if someone dissipated her materialized aura power, no matter if it¡¯s an antimatter explosion or attack, it would all revert to the most basic component of energy, mana. This is because Cruze is utilizing materialization, not material creation!¡¯ Transcendents recognized and dealt with the smallest unit, mana. As such, they could easily reduce a lower [level] power into its fundamental building block. ¡®No, it¡¯s not that Cruze¡¯s attack is particularly easy to neutralize and deconstruct ¡­ it¡¯s just that transcendents can effortlessly neutralize a lesser attack. Mana¡­ right¡­ they can essentially deal with things under the principle of mana!¡¯ ¡°Uhm, Merlin? Are you still with us?¡± Cruze asked. ¡°Hush. Quiet,¡± Eunhye muttered under her breath. ¡°Huh?¡± While Eunhye dragged Cruze away, Yongno began to grow calmer. CH 298 What was an ability? It was the manifestation of mana. What was mana? It was a combination of Force, Essence, and Ether. And if one could recognize these building blocks and control the fundamental concept of [basic mana]¡­. Ting! A golden aura flowed out from Yongno¡¯s left hand. It was his internal energy from the Golden Pill Immortal Technique. Soon, a white aura emanated from the transparent diamond embedded in his left hand. This aura was the magic power of the Seven Jeweled School of Magic. Creak! Then, as he placed his hands together, a noise, like scratching glass, resonated. Yongno was versed in using both powers; however, internal energy and magic power did not fuse well. While it wouldn¡¯t cause a tremendous backlash, like when divine power met magic power, the meeting of the two different spiritual power types still caused a significant reaction. This was primarily why magic swordsmen stored magic power and internal energy separately. However, Yongno found a way to use this natural repulsion force to amplify his overall power output. This was also the foundational principle by which Merlin stored his Howling Spells in magic stones, a feat that had thoroughly surprised the Great Mage Leighann. Crackle! Creak! Mana began to crystallize between Yongno¡¯s two palms. With this amplified magic power, Yongno started producing his magic stones. When Merlin first discovered this production mechanism, it took him a month to make a single magic stone. Afterward, once Merlin gradually got used to the process, he reduced the production time to three days, but that was the limit. Three days was the minimum time required to maintain amplification and harden the magic power into a tangible product. Yet, at this moment¡­. Crack! A blue jewel formed in Merlin¡¯s hand, revealing a top-quality sapphire. ¡°Ah, I see¡­ this¡­ this is how to control the essence of mana.¡± Surprisingly, this process only wasted a marginal amount of his power. If he had to quantify it, around half a year of internal energy and ten tetras of magic power were lost. Unlike the violent internal energy that arose when No Living World amplified energy, the consolidated energy of the newly-crystallized magic stone was stable. All of this became possible because he dealt with the essence of mana. ¡°Basic mana control ability.¡± Yongno had realized basic mana control ability. Basic mana control ability, one of the three abilities required to reach transcendence, was the ability to recognize and control Force, Essence, and Ether. By learning this, Yongno gained the power to utilize mana in any environment. ¡°¡­ You¡­ you¡¯ve finally stepped into the transcendence realm?¡± Sungmuk asked, having stopped wrestling with Muspelheim after sensing a sudden change in Yongno¡¯s spirit. It was an obvious question, but the answer wasn¡¯t what Sungmuk expected. ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that. Originally, people will often need three abilities to enter the realm of transcendence, so having one ability doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ve transcended. In other words, rather than saying that my level has risen, the more accurate phrase is that I¡¯ve obtained a superpower¡­ Eh? Cruze, what do you have in your hand?¡± ¡°¡­ I showed you earlier. What are you talking about?¡± While grumbling and complaining, Cruze handed the Rolling Heart to Yongno. By obtaining the necessary alloys and reagents from Yongno¡¯s laboratory, Cruze materialized the required tools and equipment to produce physical end products. In other words, she used aura power to create the tools necessary to create permanent items rather than materializing an object for a finite time. Yongno took the Rolling Heart and stared at it. When he first laid his eyes on the Rolling Heart ten minutes ago, he felt nothing special about it. However, after gaining the basic mana control ability, Yongno instantly noticed the value of the fist-sized piece of metal, which had eight intertwining rings. Brr! Once Yongno imbued his mana into the object, each ring started to rotate in different directions, exerting a force that attracted anything in the surrounding area. If he changed the pattern of the magic power he injected, he could also produce a repulsion force. ¡°This should be pretty useful.¡± As he muttered under his breath, Yongno picked up the Editor Blade he had thrown a while ago. He didn¡¯t intend to use the Editor Blade; he just wanted to place it back in his inventory. Bang! Yet, at that very moment¡­ The sapphire in Yongno¡¯s hand melted into the Rolling Heart, and with the amplified repulsion force generated, it flung the Editor Blade away. The Editor Blade spun in the air and landed on Muspelheim, the fire-blazing staff still in one corner of the room. ¡°Oh, dear. It just went ahead and consumed the consolidated stabilized mana.¡± ¡°If necessary, it can also change the course and deflect incoming attacks by manipulating spatial vectors.¡± ¡°You should have told me that in advance.¡± When Yongno grabbed the Editor Blade, which was stuck in Muspelheim, the staff came along with the Editor Blade. Since Muspelheim was a weapon that needed to recognize its [owner], Yongno couldn¡¯t properly use it, but he had no issue moving the weapon because there was no attack or use command placed on it. However, at that moment¡­. Bang! With an explosion, the ground- no, the entire building shook. The outer wall of the Magic Tower cracked from the impact, which originated outside the building. Boom! In this urgent situation, Yongno threw the Editor Blade toward the tower¡¯s outer wall. With Muspelheim still stuck in its blade, the Editor Blade flew through the air before getting pinned to the wall. ¡°Data Patch!¡± Once Yongno uttered the activation phrase, the cracked outer wall restored itself. However, unlike Muspelheim¡¯s fiery attacks, which were recognized as [part] of the Magic Tower, it wasn¡¯t as easy to restore destruction caused by an [external] attack. Bang! Eventually, once the tower¡¯s outer wall was breached, and the internal portion gained direct access to the [outside], the furniture and equipment inside the Magic Tower started turning into particles and dissipating. The data of these objects couldn¡¯t exist in the real, material world. ¡°Quiet Heaven! Separate the floor I¡¯m on so it is the only one connected to the outside!¡± [Hey, you stupid master! Now is not the time to worry about the building! Look outside!] Yongno looked up after hearing Quiet Heaven screams from the system control room. ¡°Long time no see.¡± ¡°Tan¡­ How are you¡­?¡± A middle-aged man in a suit and a gray fedora floated before the recently-created hole in the outer wall, which was large enough for a dump truck to pass through. It was Tan. He was one of the head figures of the Noblesse, who had previously run and operated DIO. He had taken control of DIO by bringing down the Empress of Magic, the creator of DIO and a founding member of the Senate, a place that even Ancient Class dragons couldn¡¯t easily enter. As Yongno had hijacked DIO¡¯s operating rights, Tan was the last being Yongno wanted to see. ¡°Hmm¡­ but something seems off,¡± Tan commented. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°What? What are you talking about?¡± Yongno remarked. Yongno grew alert and emitted his magic powers, but Tan didn¡¯t take any action to attack. This was because Yongno was much weaker than Tan had initially anticipated. ¡®Wait. This kid isn¡¯t even in the transcendence realm. So¡­ he¡¯s not the one who recently transcended?¡¯ Tan couldn¡¯t comprehend this incongruity. If Merlin, the one presumed to have killed the red dragon Igniz, had not reached the transcendence realm, then who did? Flash! Then, a blinding ray of light struck Tan, who had been immersed in his thoughts while hovering in the air. It was a surprise attack without forewarning, but the dark blue aura floating above Tan¡¯s head easily blocked the abrupt light-based attack. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here, too¡­ Seyoung¡­ hyung?¡± After Seyoung appeared like a thunderbolt, Yongno was about to greet him but hesitated. This was because the power Yongno felt from Seyoung was on a completely different level from the last time they¡¯d met. Whoosh! A glowing halo appeared around Seyoung. Even though Seyoung was emitting a halo as before, the light felt stable and robust, unlike the precarious and unstable nature that Yongno had previously sensed. And that wasn¡¯t all. The powerfully concentrated light of Dustin, the draconic sword that Seyoung held, made its existence readily apparent. ¡°He¡¯s using¡­ strong qi?¡± This shouldn¡¯t have been possible. When he sacrificed his potential to gain immediate strength, Seyoung couldn¡¯t develop further, no matter what kind of realization he attained. However, the moment he saw Seyoung¡¯s strong qi, Yongno devised a hypothesis that could explain what he was witnessing. ¡°Could it be that¡­. Hyung, did you go and brainwash people to gather divinity?¡± ¡°Yes. I needed to resonate and synchronize with all things.¡± When the basic mana control ability, absolute mana control ability, and synchronization with all things formed a trinity, one would become a lower-level god with divinity, a divine position, and divine status. These were the hallmark components that led down the path of transcendence. However, Arthur had already become incapable of obtaining the ability to synchronize with all things. Thus, he chose a different, non-traditional approach. He first created the foundation for his divine status by being worshiped globally. By doing so, he gained a divine status and thus obtained the ability to synchronize with all things. If it had been Earth at any other period, no matter how much worship Seyoung received, it would have meant nothing¡­ but Seyoung already had power equivalent to a transcendent. Most people on Earth worshiped him, and that collective worship exerted spiritual power. ¡°But¡­ this kind of power is dangerous.¡± ¡°It¡¯s also not sustainable.¡± Seyoung¡¯s divinity originated from others¡¯ worship, not from his own power. As such, it was possible that his divine status could disappear at any moment. The moment the people¡¯s faith in him weakened or degenerated, Seyoung would fall from grace. Moreover, the divinity created by the worship of countless people would gradually eat away at him over time. Even transcendents born as humans would be burdened if they were exposed to the spiritual power of billions of human worshipers as mere lower-class gods. ¡°Hahaha! This is really funny. Could it be that you are the transcendent being born on Earth? I would never have thought that the Watcher¡¯s Bell would ring from such an approach.¡± Tan had been thinking for a while when he burst into laughter. He spoke as he looked at Arthur, who was constantly scattering his brilliance through his halo. ¡°I see. The pseudo transcendent has now become a fake transcendent.¡± Yongno frowned after hearing Tan speak with such a laid-back attitude. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Why is this guy so relaxed and outspoken?¡¯ Yongno had never expected this scenario. Tan was the type that did things behind the scenes; he wasn¡¯t a being who acted openly. ¡®Shoot. I¡¯ll have to fight him head-on with martial arts and spiritual powers. I haven¡¯t prepared anything yet, but I must contend with him directly?¡¯ Yongno didn¡¯t have a chance to consider anything else. This was the worst timing. He had a hunch that time was running out, but still, this progression of events was too fast. Above all, Yongno never anticipated that a mid-class divine being would make the first move without any countermeasures. CH 299 ¡®What is he thinking? Is he just planning on catching us without considering the aftermath? Why the hell did he choose to disregard all liabilities and attack us here? Why is an ancient dragon thousands of years old taking such a huge risk!¡¯ While Yongno was in a state of panic, Seyoung immediately attacked Tan without any chitchat. Flash! A beam of light cut through the air. Its strong momentum and aura seemed to split the world in half, but Tan¡¯s image had already disappeared. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Right there!¡± Another burst of light. Seyoung¡¯s light attacks seemed closer to flashes of light from a burst cannon than something shooting from his sword. ¡°Funny.¡± However, as Tan gestured lightly, the beams of light bent and burst through the clouds before dispersing harmlessly. Tan had deflected the beams and changed their trajectory. Arthur looked at Tan as the latter stared back without a hint of surprise. The user said, ¡°¡­ Why did you kill my mother?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Didn¡¯t that happen between you humans?¡± Tan responded calmly. His confident attitude was enough to easily dupe someone into accepting that Tan had nothing to do with the death of Arthur¡¯s mother. Yet, Arthur repeated his question. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering about the reason. Why? To me, you were a benefactor who saved my mother¡¯s life. Wasn¡¯t I already, for all intents and purposes, your subordinate? I would have carried out any request, no matter how difficult. So, why?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I already state that I had nothing to do with your mother¡¯s death? I don¡¯t know why you think I would do such a thing when, as you said, you¡¯re no different from my subordinate. Is it that you need a target to resent for the death of your sole family member?¡± ¡°I thought it over several times - the reason you killed my mother¡­ But I couldn¡¯t figure it out.¡± ¡°Hey, you¡­.¡± ¡°Why did you have her killed?¡± The atmosphere and mood became serious. However, rather than focus on the conversation, Yongno scanned his surroundings, gauged his magic power capacity, and estimated the power level of the other parties. Although Yongno overheard the discussion, his curiosity wasn¡¯t going to take precedence. If he was put in an unavoidable situation, he needed the means to fight back. ¡®Earth¡¯s Planet God is suppressing Tan from utilizing his full power, but even so, it¡¯s still an uphill battle. Although he¡¯s suppressed, he¡¯s still a complete transcendent.¡¯ Of course, Yongno had already defeated two transcendents recently, but those victories were only possible because special conditions had been met. ¡®Think.¡¯ How could he kill two transcendents? How were those feats possible? It was because his opponents had been careless. Undoubtedly, his Irrational Hand Strike was a powerful attack. Six thousand four hundred years, or a little over 100 cycles, was more internal energy than a being should be capable of carrying. However, this force was put into a single blow, enough to overwhelm a superpower several levels more powerful. A single blow destroyed Skill Master Marionette Hold¡¯s strong qi defensive barrier and Igniz¡¯s magic barrier, which stood dozens of layers thick. Furthermore, Merlin¡¯s Irrational Hand Strike continued and finished off his opponents. That fact alone spoke volumes. If used properly and repeatedly, the Irrational Hand Strike could regularly defeat transcendents¡­ but it had a fatal flaw. ¡®They can just avoid it.¡¯ The scary thing about Merlin¡¯s Irrational Hand Srike was that the enormous energy concentrated on a single point. If this were reframed, though, it also meant that if the target deviated from that single point, the damage would drop dramatically. Due to this, Yongno took advantage of Mary and Igniz¡¯s carelessness to land the perfect strike. In Mary¡¯s case, by utilizing DIO¡¯s non-destructive system setting on his allies and wasting her time, Merlin tricked Mary into strengthening her defenses without taking other precautions. As for Igniz, Merlin took advantage of the exact moment Igniz entered DIO to exact his finishing blow. However, when he stood face-to-face with a transcendent like the situation with Tan¡­ ¡®There¡¯s no opening. I can¡¯t win.¡¯ In this case, it was actually bad luck that Arthur could utilize strong qi. Since Arthur grew stronger on top of being as fast as light, his attacks had reached a level where even transcendents needed to remain vigilant. Thus, Tan wouldn¡¯t be letting his guard down anytime soon. ¡®No, actually, that¡¯s not the only problem.¡¯ Flash! Bam! Yongno¡¯s expression turned more severe as he watched the battle. Seyoung was turning into a brilliant ray of light, while Tan blocked every attack by casting barrier and quick-cast spells. To be honest, in terms of power level, Arthur should¡¯ve been defeated long ago. Even after just a few glances, Yongno clearly realized this fact. However, the battle didn¡¯t continue until now because Tan was toying with Seyoung. ¡°Is this all you have to show for yourself? Is this all you¡¯ve got?¡± Tan blocked Seyoung¡¯s attack with a relaxed smile. Yet, Yongno read something different in his expression. ¡®There are no gaps.¡¯ This battle did not go on for so long because Tan was toying with Seyoung; instead, Tan was being extremely careful to prepare for the unexpected. Tan had heard the news that Igniz, whom he had confidently sent to retake DIO, had been killed. Hence, Tan knew that Yongno and Arthur possessed a [trump card]. ¡®Irrational Hand Strike can cross through space, but still¡­ I can¡¯t land a hit when he has his guard up like this.¡¯ Any surprise attack was futile against the current Tan, who was not only maintaining his vigilance but was a pinnacle martial artist as well. Obviously, Irrational Hand Strike was an intangible, silent, dark art form of attack shrouded in secrecy, but how was Merlin supposed to hit such an alert transcendent? If Yongno used his trump card, he¡¯d only be wasting it and opening himself up to a counterattack. ¡®Moreover, I can¡¯t even use the maximum output right now. Unless I somehow pull him into the Magic Tower, my Irrational Hand Strike would be limited to 1,600 years of internal energy. I¡¯d also have to risk my life as collateral just to produce that amount.¡¯ The [Non-Destructive] system setting couldn¡¯t be established in reality, as it was a DIO system calibration that could only be applied within the boundaries of the service. As such, this further decreased the chances that Yongno¡¯s Irrational Hand Strike could incapacitate Tan. Of course, the situation would be a bit different if Tan stepped into the Magic Tower, but¡­. Yongno judged that Tan wouldn¡¯t be that stupid or foolish. Somehow, Yongno had to find a solution outside DIO¡¯s boundary. For these reasons, Yongno turned his head to tell his party to safely flee the area. ¡°Hey, Eunhye¡­¡± ¡°Arc Ilensia.¡± Instead of answering Yongno, Eunhye manifested. With a quiet chant, a magic tattoo appeared on Eunhye¡¯s skin, and soon, black armor covered her entire body. Her black leather armor, which covered her face and hid her eyes, showed that she wasn¡¯t planning on backing down. ¡°¡­ Merlin Emrys.¡± After he muttered his own manifestation chant, Yongno¡¯s body was covered with static noise, and in an instant, he was wearing a red robe. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t leave me out!¡± Then, Miho jumped down from inside the Magic Tower, wearing a white coat and holding Hydra, a red staff taller than herself. The lack of the six tails always hanging from her hips meant she had manifested as a user. When Merlin looked up, he saw Cruze aiming a sniper rifle from the corner of the broken tower wall, with Lancelot standing beside her. ¡®If Sungmuk and Snowflake Flower were here as well, we would have made quite an imposing force.¡¯ However, that scenario was impossible. The two were DIO NPCs and only existed in the Magic Tower, the expanded boundary of DIO¡¯s system. Even if the outer wall of just one floor had a hole, the two could no longer exist there. ¡°¡­ I might die.¡± As he looked at Tan as the latter leisurely dealt with Arthur, Merlin muttered under his breath. Despite fending off Arthur¡¯s constant attacks with all his might¡­ Yongno felt that Tan wasn¡¯t taking his eyes off of him, not even for a moment. If Merlin cast a teleportation spell, Tan would probably have a countermeasure ready and waiting. ¡®Neither the Celesti World nor the Nether World is responding¡­ I knew I couldn¡¯t count on them; I knew they weren¡¯t trustworthy¡­ so why didn¡¯t I prepare more beforehand?¡¯ As Yongno smiled bitterly at the despondent situation, Eunhye looked at him and spoke. ¡°It¡¯s okay if I die¡­¡± She spoke in a low voice. ¡°... as long as I¡¯m with you.¡± ¡°Eh! Don¡¯t even think of scoring some points in this situation! I already died once for Merlin¡­ you know that, right?¡± Miho cracked a joke while preparing herself for battle. It was time to fight, even if the odds of winning seemed slim. Yongno raised his right hand. ¡°Come.¡± When he cast a Calling spell, the Editor Blade he had thrown to repair the Magic Tower¡¯s broken outer wall came flying back to his hand, and soon, Yongno wielded the dagger. Boom! And once he grabbed the Editor Blade, Muspelheim, the burning staff, rolled on the ground. ¡°Hmm?¡± Everyone briefly froze after seeing an unexpected scene. Muspelheim was suspended in the air as it was still stuck to the Editor Blade. However, Muspelheim was also burning and rolling on the ground. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Forgetting the somber atmosphere, Merlin, Arc, and Miho looked at the two staffs. ¡°Two staffs?¡± That¡¯s right. There were two staffs. The two Muspelheims were quietly burning. CH 300 *** The Light Goes Out *** Arthur¡¯s strongest power was photonization, which he completed through his unique realization of the light attribute. Originally, his understanding and use of photonization were limited to endowing his internal energy with the properties of light, but once he transcended, he could turn mana into photons and convert his body into light. After fully mastering this ability, Arthur¡¯s comprehension and application of light went beyond the laws of physics. His attacks were so swift and powerful that no one could defend or evade them, as most talented people could [only] perceive sniper bullets that traveled at several times the speed of sound. However, if the opponent was a transcendent, the situation was slightly different. Ting! The light Arthur emitted collided against Tan¡¯s defensive barrier, causing the ability to scatter harmlessly in all directions. These were not simple beams of light but concentrated qi attacks in the form of strong qi; yet, even these attacks were easily rendered useless before Tan. ¡°I have to give it to you - the speed of your attacks is amazing. However, as long as the source is light-based, I can refract and scatter it.¡± Strong qi was resistant to and could be imbued into any attribute; it was capable of being heated to several hundred million degrees or even frozen to the extreme, reaching a temperature of absolute zero. Furthermore, strong qi could be spread out like light or become as hard as metal. Therefore, to fight an enemy who freely utilized strong qi, one must know how to resist all, or at least most, attribute types. Moreover, strong qi associated with no attribute could only be blocked with an equal amount of force. However, in Arthur¡¯s case, his strong qi was concentrated solely on the light attribute through photonization; in other words, it was limited to a single attribute, which made it easier to combat. ¡®Damn it, the concentration of energy and qi is too weak.¡¯ Arthur didn¡¯t take the wrong path. Since he had focused his strong qi on the light attribute instead of a more diverse approach, while he lacked the advantages of such diversity, he also avoided the weaknesses. In the first place, other Grand Masters couldn¡¯t emit their strong qi at the speed of light or turn their bodies into photons and, by extension, light. As a result, Arthur had a leg up in effectively utilizing his strong qi as a form of attack. Above all, complete photonization freed his existence from most of the limitations living brought. /Moving at the speed of light frees one from needing to eat or breathe!/ To put it one way, Arthur was capable of space travel. Since it only took him 1.3 seconds to travel to the moon, Arthur could freely use strong qi to enter the Astral World, allowing him to travel not only between star systems but also to other galaxies. Even throughout the entire universe, it would be difficult to find a being with a similar level of enlightenment in an attribute type and such a unique ability. Ting! His path was not wrong. ¡®He¡¯s strong.¡¯ Alas, in the end, the problem was the difference in their capabilities. Bam! Arthur¡¯s Bursting Sword Light, which had been causing nonstop, deafening explosions up to that point, dissipated. Despite having his level reduced by the Earth God¡¯s Great Heavenly World authority, Tan¡¯s fighting power was still beyond Arthur and Merlin¡¯s imagination. Even if his abilities were suppressed, he was a monster among monsters who had lived for at least thousands of years. Flash! Another one of Arthur¡¯s beams of light crossed through the air, and it seemed to split the world in two, but Tan effortlessly moved through space and dodged. ¡°Take this!¡± Arthur sent another beam of light at Tan. Arthur was now spewing out attack after attack. It didn¡¯t seem like he was swinging a sword, but instead, firing a semi-automatic particle cannon! ¡°Insignificant being.¡± However, as Tan gestured lightly with his hands, the beams of light bent toward the clouds and disappeared harmlessly. His attack had been refracted and deflected, but Arthur seemed unperturbed as he spoke up and asked once more. ¡°Are you not going to tell me why you had my mother killed?¡± ¡°Ha! I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re blaming me for something that you humans did to yourselves. Do you have any evidence I was involved? If you want to place the blame on me, you must have some sort of evidence, right?¡± Tan exhibited such a proud and confident attitude that any objective bystander would think he was free of guilt, but Arthur¡¯s guess was correct. Even if it was a far-right Japanese figure who murdered his mother, Tan was the one who set the stage for her eventual death. Yet, Tan wasn¡¯t worried. This was because he was convinced that no one would discover the truth of his involvement. Even if someone found out, they couldn¡¯t prove it because Tan did not directly intervene. He had only manipulated some easily-influenced people from behind the scenes with a small portion of the resources he had accumulated from operating DIO. As a dragon, Tan had lived a long time, a period that was hard to fathom for nearly all living beings. So, his level of cunning and position within the dragon species was incomprehensibly high, commensurate with his old age. He had dealt with all types of issues and situations perfectly and thoroughly, except those that couldn¡¯t be hidden. Hence, even for a [minor] thing, like murdering Arthur¡¯s mother, he took all the necessary steps to hide his association. Even if the Union¡¯s Inspection Affairs Department, renowned throughout the universe, were mobilized, regardless of their investigative abilities, they wouldn¡¯t be able to catch even a whiff of Tan¡¯s involvement. That was how perfectly he had conducted and executed his plan. He had left no traces that could be found by a physical or psychic inspection. ¡°Evidence? You¡¯re asking for evidence?¡± However¡­ ¡°Hahaha! Do you see me as some sort of prosecutor? Do I look like a judge to you?¡± Arthur snarled while holding Excalibur, which was emitting a bright light. ¡°All I need is an assurance, a personal certainty. And right now¡­.¡± Arthur glared at Tan before finishing his sentence. ¡°I am absolutely certain.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Arthur¡¯s tone was so firm and final that Tan remained silent for a moment. Tan realized that no matter what he said, nothing would change. He wouldn¡¯t be able to convince Arthur. After all, Arthur was an individual. If Arthur felt so sure and based his judgment on his unique intuition as an Irregular, which was close to being a psychic power, excuses would be meaningless to him. Even if Arthur didn¡¯t possess tangible evidence or a foolproof argument to prove his point, he was an individual who could think for himself and decide what he wanted to believe. In other words, Arthur would choose to act based on his own convictions. ¡°This¡­¡± Since this was the case, Tan had no reason to cling to his useless efforts of hiding his involvement and convincing Arthur. ¡°Things have become quite convoluted.¡± Tan thought his plan was perfect and airtight, and it truly was impeccable. He had smoothly removed Jenica, the Empress of Magic who had the highest authority in DIO, and successfully obtained DIO¡¯s operating authorization. This system could mass-produce transcendents, and thus, it represented a massive value on a universal scale. If Dynamic Island Online (DIO) could send users anywhere in the universe through its mission system, DIO would be the goose that laid golden eggs. DIO would continuously generate tremendous wealth for the Noblesse and influence the universe in ways that even the Noblesse couldn¡¯t have fathomed or done themselves. At the present moment, the navel was bigger than the belly - more resources had been invested into DIO than what was currently being outputted. Yet, in the next 100 or 1,000 years, the system would produce countless transcendents. This outlook was what made many salivate and grow wary of DIO. Perhaps Tan was planning to regain his former glory and stature through DIO and its bright future. ¡°Ever since a specific moment, nothing seemed to go according to plan. Who was it¡­ who was stopping me at every turn? Was it the Elohim?¡± Tan¡¯s plan began to go awry little by little in the most inconsequential places, and now, it had reached the point of total collapse. Most importantly, he faced the incomprehensible situation of having DIO stolen right under his nose by a single user. The operational rights and authorization of DIO were supposed to be completely contained, controlled, and impenetrable. ¡®Moreover¡­ that guy isn¡¯t even a transcendent being.¡¯ Even as he watched Arthur, Tan focused on Merlin, who was standing off to one side. If Merlin were a transcendent and had reached the level of a Great Mage, Tan would have expected Merlin to make a move by now. Since the situation was clear, Merlin should have acted immediately and attacked him. Unexpectedly for Tan, Merlin wasn¡¯t a transcendent. Merlin was still a lowly being who had yet to realize the truth of the world. ¡®Strange.¡¯ And this realization made Tan more nervous. It was because he judged that it should have been impossible for Merlin to defeat the red dragon Igniz, especially since Igniz possessed a Transcendent Weapon, Muspelheim. No matter how much wisdom and experience Tan had, there was no way that he could have anticipated Merlin¡¯s Irrational Hand Strike. Who in the world could imagine a non-transcendent delivering a blow with 6,400 years of concentrated internal energy? Due to this, Tan had the following thought. ¡®There must be a third party involved. That third party is manipulating everything from behind the scenes, but who the hell are they?¡¯ Of course, this was Tan¡¯s misunderstanding. However, because he thought in this manner, he couldn¡¯t readily release his full power. He felt that someone was waiting for a gap in his defenses to land a critical shot. In fact, this was the reason why the battle between him and Arthur dragged on for so long. Though he was weaker from the Earth God¡¯s penalty, pseudo-transcendents still couldn¡¯t stand against him. However, he couldn¡¯t wait any longer. ¡°It was a rather elaborate, elegant, and foolproof plan¡­ but it¡¯s all been for naught.¡± Tan¡¯s sincere mood towards Arthur changed rapidly, and at the same time, a powerful aura of spiritual pressure started spreading around him. Tan¡¯s face, previously calm and relaxed, cooled to a terrifying level, and it was paired with a fitting murderous spirit and intent that exuded outward, causing one¡¯s skin to tingle. ¡°As expected, you were the one who killed my mother.¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re already convinced, what¡¯s the point of double-checking?¡± Tan sarcastically spoke as he rose into the air. Arthur immediately converted into light and tried to hinder Tan¡¯s flight, but at that moment, a transparent ice crystal appeared and struck him. ¡°Ugh!¡± As if hit by a hammer, Arthur¡¯s body slammed into the ground. His body, which he had photonized into light, had returned to its original physical state. From the sky, Tan spoke with a surprised expression. ¡°That should have pierced straight through you, but you converted the damage so that it hit a larger surface area rather than a single point. You handle the transformation of your attribute quite freely. However, it looks like you only have two options.¡± Phew. Arthur took a breath without answering. His shattered body transformed into a bright light for a moment before returning to its physical form. When this occurred, there was no trace of his injuries. His regeneration was close to what one would expect of an immortal. It seemed that Arthur couldn¡¯t be killed unless he was defeated in one blow or if all of his spiritual energy was consumed. ¡®Even though I¡¯ve gained this much power¡­.¡¯ Arthur gritted his teeth. He had attained a divine position, divine status, and divinity, and he had forcefully risen to the level of a transcendent. He had obtained enough power to be called a god. In fact, in the wider universe, beings who had just entered the transcendent realm were defined as lower-class gods. These gods were what was often referred to when denoting transcendents. However, Tan was more than that. Although he was forced down to a lower-leveled transcendent, equivalent to Arthur¡¯s current level, there was still a difference between him and Arthur. Although it wasn¡¯t an overwhelming quality, Tan had lived longer and experienced many more things, so Arthur¡¯s relatively short life on Earth was incomparable to Tan¡¯s. Tan had only extended the stalemate with Arthur because he was being careful, not because he couldn¡¯t quickly overwhelm the user. From the start, the odds of Arthur winning were close to nil. /I am the one who will trample you and make you cry./ ¡°He¡¯s started in earnest.¡± And then, a booming echo rang out from the sky. Finally, Tan began to cast his ultimate magic spells, which he hadn¡¯t used up to now. The method he used was Word Command. Without having to calculate complicated formulas or redistribute and deploy mana, just by expressing his will, Tan¡¯s words carried power. It was a unique ability of the dragon species, often called Draconic Language, but the power he emitted now was at a level few dragons would even dare to dream of wielding. Creak! Strong qi in the form of a beam of light directly hit Tan, but it bounced off harmlessly alongside a noise like glass being scratched. Then, Arthur decided to soar into the air, but the energy field stretching hundred of meters out from Tan blocked him. ¡°Ha!¡± Instead of being discouraged, Arthur took out a new sword and swung it. Whoosh! With the sound of tearing fabric, a silver sword adorned with transparent jewels pierced the energy field and fell toward Tan¡¯s head. It was Arthur¡¯s dragon-killing sword, Ascalon, an SS Class magic item made specifically to kill dragons! ¡°Hmph!¡± Tan snorted lightly and outstretched his hand, activating a magic spell that created a spiritual qi shield around him. He displayed such a smooth use of magic and a high level of control that it seemed impossible. Bam! However, at that moment, Tan¡¯s divine figure momentarily staggered after a sniper rifle¡¯s bullet hit him. Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Whoosh! Using this opening, Ascalon brushed past Tan¡¯s shoulder. Thus, the chant for Tan¡¯s ultimate spell was interrupted and broken. Rather than being happy, though, Arthur gritted his teeth. ¡®It was too shallow! Just a flesh wound!¡¯ Arthur sighed in pity, but Tan¡¯s anger seemed to have been stoked. As he faced a situation where his intentions and actions had been interrupted, his calm eyes started to shine blue with fury. /How dare you./ Since Tan was already in a state of perfect combat readiness, even a single growling word made everyone¡¯s heart tighten. Having opened a gap for Arthur, Cruze felt cold sweat running down her back. ¡°Oh, his eyes are so scary.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let up. Shoot another bullet.¡± Lancelot held a black spear before him as he stood in front of Cruze and raised his aura and momentum. While he specialized in attack rather than defense, it was impossible for him to approach Tan, so he decided to focus on protecting Cruze instead. And at that moment, as Cruze tried gathering enough power for another attack, a shining blue crystal appeared and hovered above their heads. The destructive magic contained in it was enough to make the viewer instantly feel sick. ¡°Focus!¡± ¡°Can you really afford to say such a thing at a time like this?¡± After completing his spell, Tan turned his attention towards Arthur without looking back at Cruze and Lancelot. He was certain that Cruze and Lancelot would surely die from his spell. ¡°Hmph!¡± Just then, Lancelot¡¯s arms became a blur. Soon, the space in front of him grew distorted and swallowed the shining blue crystal. Poof! Accompanied by the sound similar to a balloon bursting, the shining blue crystal disappeared without a trace. ¡°¡­ What?¡± Tan¡¯s eyebrows twitched. This wasn¡¯t solely because a user he¡¯d previously disregarded had blocked his attack; it was because, for a moment, he ¡®didn¡¯t know¡¯ what Lancelot had [done]. CH 301 ¡°Argh!¡± However, Lancelot couldn¡¯t avoid injury. Though Lancelot could neutralize Tan¡¯s attack with his stab, his arms were ravaged in the process. If Tan¡¯s attack continued, it would spell the end for Lancelot¡­ but Arthur took advantage of the dragon¡¯s brief shift in focus and rushed toward Tan, sending out another light attack. ¡°I told you to focus on me!¡± Arthur shouted. Furthermore, Arthur¡¯s assault wasn¡¯t the only attack Tan had to face. Boom! Tan frowned as he felt dozens of attacks hitting him simultaneously. If Tan had his way, he would have captured the insignificant human who had [neutralized] his strike. Then, he¡¯d run some experiments to find out how the human had done such a thing, but unfortunately, Tan couldn¡¯t afford to divide his attention. Woong! Woong! Various spatial rifts started appearing, and soon, figures in unique garb poured out. There was a swordsman covered entirely with metallic armor, a robe-wearing mage, and a fighter whose body itself seemed hard enough to defend him. ¡°Oh! I know that guy! Isn¡¯t he DIO¡¯s operator?¡± ¡°I never thought I¡¯d be fighting the operator. Now, this is what I call a final battle.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t relax or lose focus. I heard that this monster is currently in the mid-to-late Level 20s.¡± ¡°Is it stronger than Igniz?¡± Users started pouring out from the spatial rifts. They were all powerful individuals at the Master level. Once Tan realized how these players were summoned, he exuded dark blue spiritual qi. ¡°Utilizing DIO¡¯s mission system¡­ Hahaha! Setting me as the target - you dare! You¡¯ve designated me as a boss monster?!¡± Crack! Crunch! Tan¡¯s tsunami-like spiritual power wave started affecting the gathered Masters. Some blocked it effectively, but others succumbed to the overwhelmingly powerful force. ¡°Woah! Be careful!¡± ¡°Shoot! Dang, he¡¯s strong!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have system buffs! Everyone, keep your wits about you and maintain your focus! Still, since we have Arthur on our side, we shouldn¡¯t be at too much of a disadvantage!¡± Even when their colleagues died after standing beside them just moments ago, the surviving Masters didn¡¯t bat an eye. This was because these people had appeared as [users]. The users materialized in the real world through DIO. So, while they may face a slight penalty if they died, it was not an eternal death, as it would just be a death to their in-game character. Moreover, these Masters had faced death many times over. ¡®Shit! It would be so simple if I just destroyed their souls.¡¯ Tan gnashed his teeth. Tan knew he shouldn¡¯t annihilate these users¡¯ souls. Although these users were currently his enemy, they would all become valuable resources once Tan defeated Arthur and Merlin and regained operational control over DIO. It didn¡¯t matter if he killed the users, but many problems would occur if he messed with their souls. ¡°In the end, I guess it can¡¯t be helped. If Gerult manifests, this is all for naught anyway.¡± Growling, Tan raised his spiritual qi. ¡°I shall kill all of you.¡± Rumble! Dozens of monkeys that had been sniping and neutralizing the falling lightning attacks turned to ash and scattered. To be precise, all of the monkeys weren¡¯t annihilated. One was scorched beyond recognition, but it escaped. Cruze had been hiding behind Lancelot and continuing to fire toward Tan when she screamed in surprise. ¡°Wukong! Are you okay?¡± A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. ¡°I¡¯m not okay! I thought I wouldn¡¯t sustain much damage because it was a 1 in 35 chance he¡¯d land a blow on me, but to attack all my images at the same time¡­ he even damaged me!¡± ¡°¡­ Since you¡¯re crying like a baby, it seems you¡¯ve avoided death.¡± ¡°Seems I¡¯ve avoided death?! Hey, you cold-hearted master, a direct hit would have killed me!¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying you avoided getting hit directly, right?¡± ¡°Ugh! This master of mine has no sense of empathy or concern!¡± Cruze¡¯s pet, Wukong, sighed when he saw that his master had not even turned her head to see if he was okay; however, since the situation was dire, Wukong didn¡¯t continue protesting. Since he had avoided a direct hit, he escaped with his life, but Wukong suffered severe injuries. At that moment, a red energy aura wrapped around Cruze¡¯s pet, Wukong, and healed his scorched body. And that wasn¡¯t all. Meanwhile, Lancelot had been trying to heal his broken arms using potions when the aura enveloped him too. Under its effects, he recovered quickly. ¡°This precious aura comes from a great healing spell. Receive it with honor and appreciation.¡± Next to them, a girl in a white coat stepped down as she held Hydra, a red staff taller than her. She wasn¡¯t a famous user, but everyone present knew who she was. ¡°Miho¡­.¡± Tan¡¯s plot to instigate a fight between Merlin and Arthur threw Miho to Earth with her fox body. This was how she retained her tails in real life. However, the moment she manifested, she became a human user, as DIO converted one¡¯s real-life body into a human avatar in-game. Thus, manifesting removed her tails. Miho wasn¡¯t the only one that appeared in the area. ¡°Tear everything down. I shall gather my wrath and¡­.¡± Arc, whose body was entirely covered with black armor, quietly whispered a spell as she strode forward. Merlin¡¯s pet Quiet Heaven and Arc¡¯s pet Ellie were perched on her shoulders. Also¡­ ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± Actually, that was all. With a confused look, Wukong glanced at the red-feathered eagle that flew into the air. ¡°Hey, Quiet Heaven¡­ Where¡¯s your master?¡± ¡°Merlin didn¡¯t come. He has something else to do.¡± ¡°What? This freakishly powerful monster is invading, but you¡¯re telling me your master has something else to do?¡± Wukong looked at his old friend with a puzzled expression, but surprisingly, Quiet Heaven nodded. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s actually quite important.¡± ¡°Wait, what can be more important than this? He has something more urgent?¡± ¡°Yeah, it seems that way. Hahaha, it¡¯s very important¡­.¡± ¡°Hey, Quiet Heaven¡­ Mr. Shepard?¡± Exasperated, Wukong had called out to Quiet Heaven using its real name. Not getting a response, Wukong turned to Ellie, a cat with green eyes and black fur that had a faint blue glow. ¡°Sally, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me by my real name, you idiot¡­ Well, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter anymore now that our contracts have been terminated. Regardless, something came up, so Merlin won¡¯t be joining us for a while. We need to buy him some time.¡± ¡°No, wait¡­ you both know you¡¯re speaking gibberish, right? That guy is Tan¡­ Tan! He¡¯s an elder of the Noblesse, and in the old days, he was called the King of the Arrogant and the Beast of the Apocalypse. No matter how important other matters may be, we¡¯re not in a situation where people can just leave for other things! How the hell are we supposed to fight Tan with our strongest ally missing?¡± Wukong screamed, but everyone else prepared for battle. Nobody seemed to care or listen to Wukong¡¯s hysterical cries. ¡°One, two, three, four!¡± Miho swung her red staff as if she were twirling a baton, and soon, fluttering flames appeared around her. This was one of the fox species¡¯ unique abilities - fox fire, and it began to amplify with the addition of her magic power. ¡°¡­ We will come together and accomplish what we set out to do. So, enwrap and solidify¡­.¡± Arc was still walking forward while chanting. With each step, the magic power swirling around her body intensified madly. ¡°Have you all gone deaf and dumb? Where is Merlin? What is he doing right now? Hey, Mr. Shepard¡­ Quiet Heaven! Where the hell is your master?¡± Of course, it was quite logical for Wukong to have such a hysterical reaction to Merlin¡¯s absence. The battle was rapidly reaching its climax. With this battle, the fate of DIO, the users, and the many beings connected and entangled to the service would change forever. It was a momentous occasion, likely marking a milestone in human history. Yet, during this critical time, one of the strongest powers that everyone acknowledged unequivocally was missing¡­ However, Merlin¡¯s pet, Quiet Heaven, lightly clicked its tongue before speaking. ¡°Tsk. You¡¯re not acting like the famed Wukong of old. Stop being such a worry wart and prepare.¡± ¡°To be specific, the Great Sage Heaven¡¯s Equal was the one who spread his prestige and made my name known throughout the land¡­ wait, enough with my name and reputation¡­ where the hell is Merlin?¡± ¡°He¡¯s conducting some research.¡± Wukong¡¯s thick eyebrows twitched after hearing Quiet Heaven¡¯s simple answer. ¡°Research? Research?!¡± Wukong looked back. With a roar, a strong qi-based light attack cut through the sky. ¡°He¡¯s conducting some sort of research right now?¡± As the newly-added forces began attacking, Tan couldn¡¯t use his ultimate magic attack. The Masters were attacking non-stop, preventing Tan from gaining the chance to cast one. All the players knew everything would end if Tan completed his large-scale ultimate magic spell. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Seeing such a desperate battle, Wukong made a thoroughly exasperated expression. ¡°Research¡­ In this situation? At a time like this?¡± *** Meanwhile, Merlin was in his lab inside the Magic Tower. Although he hadn¡¯t been here for long, he had already run numerous tests on Muspelheim. ¡°There¡¯s no denying it¡­ Both Muspelheims are real. Even if one is deemed a fake, it has the exact same power and performance as the other.¡± Since he was not recognized as the owner, Merlin couldn¡¯t use Muspelheim as a weapon. Furthermore, he couldn¡¯t access its structure to understand its activation principle, so Muspelheim was essentially a useless hunk of junk. Defeating Igniz and obtaining Muspelheim was a greater gain than all the drops he had acquired so far combined, but once he wielded Muspelheim, he found that it did not benefit him whatsoever. Regardless, Merlin, a gifted researcher, studied and ran tests on Muspelheim ever since he got his hands on it. At this moment, he was going to bear the fruits of his labor. Of course, a higher being, someone more powerful than Merlin, could be deceiving him by presenting two Muspelheims¡­ But who would do something so useless? And why would anyone spend such considerable resources to create a fake Transcendent Weapon? ¡°This¡­ perhaps¡­¡± Merlin summoned his Editor Blade. And, as he stared at the two Muspelheims, he revised a hypothesis. ¡°Data Patch.¡± Boom! As soon as he whispered the trigger phrase, the Editor Blade recoiled and bounced off, hitting the ceiling. Merlin lifted his hand and squeezed his tingling wrist. The Editor Blade disappeared like a flickering image and returned. ¡°As expected, this doesn¡¯t work.¡± Just like how a transcendent was a [singular, independent figure], the same was true for a Transcendent Weapon. Moreover, Muspelheim was a Numbered that ranked within the top thousand of its kind. Since Muspelheim burned and existed by its own power and will, respectively, others could not interfere and overwhelm it through external force unless they possessed a staggering amount of power. Even after entering the tower, Muspelheim wasn¡¯t subject to DIO¡¯s system. This was also the same for Igniz when she entered DIO, as Igniz was an external transcendent. If DIO¡¯s [system] could affect these transcendents, Merlin would have restrained and captured Igniz like he did Sungmuk, whom he made into his pet. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything with it despite holding it¡­.¡± For a moment, Merlin thought Muspelheim was like a locked compressed file; he undoubtedly had it in his possession, but he couldn¡¯t unlock the file and utilize its content. Then, an idea popped into Merlin¡¯s head. ¡°Wait a minute¡­ a file¡­ that means¡­¡± If one tried to create a large new program, for example, a masterpiece game, a huge amount of manpower and money needed to be consumed. First of all, programmers were required, and illustrators to draw in-game illustrations would be necessary as well. Scenario writers and storytellers would create quests and stories, and software engineers would oversee and supervise all aspects of software production and processing. When creating a large-scale game, spending tens of billions of dollars was expected. However, even with such enormous expenditure, making this game would take several years. Programmers, illustrators, storytellers, and other resources were required. It would take many years, even if countless people spent hundreds of millions of dollars. ¡°What about copying, though?¡± It was a completely different case if someone wanted to copy an existing game. Even if it took countless people several years and tens of billions of dollars, once a person got their hands on the source file, copying the data was simple. All one needed was a computer and¡­ One¡¯s fingers¡­ ¡°¡­ Nonsense.¡± Merlin laughed at the absurd assumption. How could such a thing be possible? Nevertheless, as always, existing evidence was more important than theory. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll give it a try¡­ since I have Pathway to Hell¡­.¡± As he focused his mind, Merlin activated his Editor Blade, and then¡­ The Noblesse and Elohim¡­ and even the gods throughout the universe¡­ all who were watching him¡­ ¡°Data Copy.¡± ¡­ They watched as Merlin exploited a [Universe Error]. CH 302 Whoosh. Merlin quickly found the source from where an enormous amount of mana was flowing out; he also felt a very weak sign of life from that source. The mana was being sucked out from the source and flowing into a familiar reservoir. ¡°Pathway to Hell.¡± [Argh!] The evil spirit of another dimension, which was entrapped in Pathway to Hell, screamed aloud. It was the evil spirit that had crossed dimensions, along with Kwan Youngmin, a high school student from another dimension. Eventually, the evil spirit was caught and imprisoned by Merlin after it tried to take over Eunhye¡¯s body and exert its powers. ¡®Come to think of it, I still don¡¯t know this spirit¡¯s identity.¡¯ To be frank, Merlin never bothered to find out the evil spirit¡¯s identity. The only thing that mattered to him was that the evil spirit possessed an unimaginably large reservoir of bad karma. Although the spirit was easily caught after falling into a planet that didn¡¯t possess spiritual pathways¡­ Perhaps the evil spirit was a great being, possibly even a Demon King, in its previous dimension. The evil spirit had to have abused, corrupted, and killed hundreds of thousands of innocent souls to have accumulated so much bad karma. And from such an evil spirit, which possessed so much bad karma¡­ [Turn it off¡­ ah¡­ ah¡­] The evil spirit was being completely reborn as a new being after having all of its karma burned off. Woong! Finally, the last drops of mana, which were produced from burning the spirit¡¯s karma, poured out and gathered in the air. The collection of mana soon burst into flames. And that was it. Merlin intuitively knew that the Editor Blade had [failed] to copy Muspelheim. The evil spirit was a being with a tremendous reservoir of bad karma, but most of its bad karma had already been used to copy Muspelheim once already. Even if Merlin burned all of the spirit¡¯s remaining bad karma, it wasn¡¯t enough to copy Muspelheim once more. ¡°This¡­ this really goes against every law, rule, and logical structure that exists in the universe.¡± Merlin looked at the two Muspelheims. Under the traditional framework of power and creation, Merlin didn¡¯t have the [resources] to create a Transcendent Weapon. No, to be more precise, even if he drained Earth of all its resources, he still wouldn¡¯t have enough resources to create a Transcendent Weapon. If Earth had such a treasure trove of resources, even with the existence of a Planet God as a deterrent, alien beings would have desperately broken through Earth¡¯s defenses and dominated humankind to take advantage of the planet¡¯s resources. Having said this, in front of Merlin were two Transcendent Weapons and various core components that made up the Transcendent Weapon. The mana created by burning the evil spirit¡¯s bad karma was transformed into a Transcendent Weapon and some parts. ¡°This should have been impossible.¡± It was possible to recreate a Transcendent Weapon through some mana. If he could make a Transcendent Weapon with such little effort, how could one state that a Transcendent Weapon was an invaluable treasure that was difficult to produce even if one sold off ten planets? Among high-ranking transcendents, there were many who used a planet¡¯s mana as if it was a part of their bodies. If a Transcendent Weapon could be created just by gathering mana, tens of millions of Transcendent Weapons would have already been created and released into the wider universe. Although the amount of mana produced by Pathway to Hell was enormous, for high-ranking transcendents, such an amount of mana was what they normally used on a daily basis. ¡°In other words, it¡¯s not that mana itself has been consolidated and converted into a material. Rather, this¡­ this¡­¡± Merlin, who was organizing his thoughts for a moment, looked at the flaming embers in his palm and realized that the composition of mana that composed them was very familiar. ¡°All forms are non-forms.¡± The realization that all forms were non-forms¡­ a being became capable of creating non-existent forms by grasping the archetype within them, not the form itself, and by ¡®knowing¡¯ the principle that information = energy. This was Cruze¡¯s unique power, something that the other Irregulars, Merlin and Arthur, couldn¡¯t imitate. However, this composition of mana was visible in Muspelheim, which had been successfully [copied]. ¡°However, what¡¯s absurd is that it isn¡¯t disappearing after a certain amount of time passes¡­ doesn¡¯t this mean that matter was created? Is such a thing possible?¡± It was a phenomenon that couldn¡¯t be understood under the current framework of spiritual science, let alone the laws of physics. E = I; Cruze¡¯s realization that energy = information was a kind of power realized in reality based entirely on her mental power and aura power data. In other words, if her concentration broke or her aura power ran out, her materialized item couldn¡¯t be maintained. However, there was no sign that this copy of Muspelheim would disappear anytime soon. Moreover, there wasn¡¯t an existence maintaining it. Through this, Merlin realized¡­ ¡°It¡¯s a bug.¡± Anyone else would have been confused and struggled to somehow make sense of this nonsense, as it went against traditional knowledge and logic, but Merlin [understood] what had occurred in a flash. He did not understand the principle, but he understood the fact that the phenomenon that was happening right before his eyes couldn¡¯t be explained by the traditional principles that dictated the universe. ¡°But then what? Is the developer and operator who created this universe going to fix this discrepancy?¡± But if such a transcendent being was going to move and correct this discrepancy, it should have already acted. This sort of discrepancy would have been sorted out as soon as it came up, regardless of whatever situation was arising on Earth or to humankind. Click! Merlin approached Pathway to Hell, which occupied one side of the lab, and unlocked one of its sides. Once he did so, Merlin, using his Magic Eye, saw the soul residing inside. It shone brightly and scattered a soft light. ¡°Who would believe that this was once the soul of such a terrifying evil spirit?¡± Inside Pathway to Hell was a pure soul. The soul was transparent and didn¡¯t contain an ounce of malice or evilness, as all of its bad karma had been incinerated. Merlin didn¡¯t know it, but the soul¡¯s state was the most basic form of a soul, a form that couldn¡¯t even be seen in the Nether world¡¯s hell. If the king of the Nether world had seen this soul, he would have taken it to the Nether world at all costs, even if he had to break the laws of the world and his own rules. [Bro! I¡¯ve sent out all the users through DIO¡¯s mission system! I¡¯m planning to leave now as well!] Right then, Merlin heard Youngmin¡¯s whisper message. Merlin suddenly had a thought and spoke up. ¡°Youngmin, the purification process of the evil spirit is over. Do you want it?¡± [Huh? I can have it?] ¡°An evil spirit absent of bad karma is useless to me. I¡¯m not even a necromancer, so¡­¡± [¡­] Youngmin was silent for a moment after hearing Merlin¡¯s words. He had crossed dimensions with the evil spirit. Since Youngmin probably had some history with this evil spirit, Youngmin was probably feeling a bit hesitant and unsettled. [Thank you. Of course, if I don¡¯t go back to my home planet and to my own dimension, that thing wouldn¡¯t be very useful, but¡­ anyway, bro, when are you coming?] ¡°I¡¯ll just take care of a few more things, so hold down the fort a bit longer. If Tan does anything strange, just retreat. If he gets all hot and bothered, he might do something extreme, like using an Armageddon spell or something.¡± [Okay, bro.] The whisper message was cut off. Merlin placed the evil spirit¡¯s soul in a container that he had prepared in advance. A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. Now the question was¡­ how to create another new [copy] of Muspelheim. ¡°I need a new fuel source for Pathway to Hell.¡± It wasn¡¯t as simple as finding another evil spirit. Pathway to Hell was a miraculous invention that produced an enormous amount of mana, but not just any soul could be used to operate it properly. What Merlin needed was a true villain, a being that possessed a large reservoir of bad karma. This large reservoir was needed just to start Pathway to Hell. ¡°If I scour the Earth, I may be able to find some¡­ but I can¡¯t afford to do that right now.¡± Merlin hesitated because he didn¡¯t know whether it was right to treat the souls of others as [fuel], but when it came to a new fuel source, Merlin already had some beings in mind. Besides, having subjugated the evil spirit to Pathway to Hell, didn¡¯t Merlin already make his choice? In addition, the fact that Pathway to Hell only operated on bad karma made his decision quite easy. ¡°I¡¯ll use the slave contractors.¡± The NPCs and hero monsters of DIO were beings who were contracted and worked within DIO. The staff who worked in the village to the hero monsters, like Sungmuk, were all contracted employees. However, among those who took on the role of monsters, there were also those who entered into unfavorable contracts. These NPCs, whose memories had been erased, were used by the Noblesse at will. As a member of the Noblesse, Quiet Heaven, who could be called a kind of full-time DIO employee, called these beings [slave contractors]. Because the sins they committed during their lifetime were so enormous and evil, the bad karma accumulated before their eventual death was so great that they would inevitably fall into hell; these beings had no other choice but to sign unfavorable contracts and essentially enslave themselves to the operators of DIO rather than face eternal purgatory. Miho, who was now with Merlin, was one of those who had signed such a slave contract. ¡®Miho¡­¡¯ Merlin gritted his teeth as he recalled Miho¡¯s image. Thud! Suddenly, the entire Magic Tower vibrated and shook. Realizing that the battle outside the tower was getting fiercer, Merlin shook his head to clear his thoughts. ¡°I must hurry.¡± He mumbled to himself quietly and raised his right hand. Woong! According to Merlin¡¯s will, the inner core of his Golden Pill Immortal Technique awakened, and soon, 100 years of internal energy was being sent to his outer planets. The internal energy of 100 years passed through Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, and was amplified to 200 years, 400 years, 800 years, and 1,600 years respectively. [Crackle!] [Crackle!!] And the two spirits dwelling in Merlin¡¯s body, Younghwi and Shining, woke up. Merlin created Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars through his concerted effort and amazing genius, but originally, the limit of the Golden Pill Immortal Techniques No Living World was limited to the creation of one to two planets. With Earth¡¯s solar system as a template, Merlin had created 4 planets by himself. However, Mars was the limit, even for Merlin. But, after defeating the Golden Dragon in the New Continent and acquiring the Chintamani Marble, he was able to open up a whole new set of planets, Jupiter and Saturn, by providing the newfound external energy source to his two spirits. Woong! And once he awakened Jupiter and Saturn, Merlin was able to further amplify his 1,600 years of internal energy to 3,200 and then to 6,400 years. In this manner, 100 years of internal energy was amplified to 6,400 years, or roughly 100 cycles of internal energy. ¡°Really¡­ every time I see it, I can¡¯t find another way to describe it other than to say that it¡¯s so absurd.¡± ¡°Ah, Sungmuk, you¡¯ve arrived?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here, too. Anything I can help out with?¡± Merlin licked his lips at the sight of Sungmuk and Snowflake Flower approaching him. To be honest, these two¡¯s powers were wasted as an auxiliary force. Sungmuk, an extreme fighter and master of Plum Swordsmanship, and Snowflake Flower, who was a powerful Skill Master and a being who ranked in the top five amongst all users in DIO, were considerably powerful existences. However, since they were NPCs that could only exist in DIO, they couldn¡¯t participate in the current battle against Tan. If Tan entered the Magic Tower, it would have been a different story, but Igniz had already set a precedent of what not to do, so there was no way Tan would commit such a foolish act. Merlin shook his head as if to shake off any remaining regret. ¡°Oh, yes. You both, especially Sungmuk, may like this new role.¡± ¡°Something I would like?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing special.¡± Sungmuk made a puzzled expression after hearing Merlin¡¯s incomprehensible words; however, whether Sungmuk felt confused or not, Merlin raised his right hand, which was loaded with 100 cycles of internal energy. Beneath his hand was Muspelheim, blazing with fire. ¡°I need to break this.¡± CH 303 Thunder and lightning struck down. A rain of fire and ice rained down as an innumerable number of blue crystals penetrated, exploded, and hardened around everything. Tan¡¯s fighting style was overwhelming and seemingly flawless. Based on his seemingly infinite amount of mana, Tan poured hundreds of spells down on the Master level users. ¡°Stay on him! Don¡¯t give him any openings!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t die in vain! Give 100% from the start!¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s start another attack! Follow me! Also, please keep the buffs coming!¡± ¡°Oh man, this guy¡¯s so strong! This is crazy!! I¡¯ve heard a lot about dragons, dragons this and dragons that, but it¡¯s really no joke facing off against one!¡± The Master level users weren¡¯t pushovers. Each of them perfected their skills and abilities in their respective domains, and they were all specialists who had experienced thousands of battles. And above all, each of them was equipped with Divine Weapons, a Master Weapon and a Master Skill. ¡°Operate Divine Weapons. Splinter! Final Crescent!¡± A crescent moon rose over the body of Sword Master Ohje, who shot upward toward the sky like a bullet. Tan saw Ohje¡¯s sword strike coming towards his defensive barrier, but he couldn¡¯t stop it. This was because Ohje¡¯s attack was a perfectly timed attack in tandem with the other Masters¡¯ attacks, which limited his range of motion. Because of this, Tan, who saw his defensive barrier being shaved off, fired off some more blue crystals, but¡­ ¡°Ha!!! Operate Divine Weapon! Giga Hulk!!!¡± With a shout, Hanma, with glowing green tattoos covering his entire body, clashed against the blue crystals that were shot out toward Ohje. The crystal shrapnel from the resulting explosion merely lodged in his skin; it didn¡¯t pierce through or tear into his body. /Trivial things!!/ As Tan shouted in anger, he gathered strength and made dark clouds appear overhead. Tan was determined, so he exerted his strength to create an environment favorable to himself. However, though he was the one who created the present environment, someone else took advantage of it before he could. ¡°Operate Divine Weapon. Excalibur.¡± Rumble! A bolt of lightning fell and was sucked into Arthur¡¯s Light Sword before being shot off as a violent lightning strike towards Tan¡¯s defensive barrier. Though it was a relatively simple form of attack, it was still surprising that someone could utilize and take advantage of another¡¯s magic environment so quickly and also launch a powerful attack. Woong! However, at that moment, thousands of crystals were fired off all around Tan, like a porcupine shooting its thorns in all directions. ¡°Damn it! Hide behind the tankers!¡± Crack! Boom! Ohje, who had activated his Final Crescent Master Skill, couldn¡¯t even let out a scream before turning into particles of light. His character¡¯s body quickly dispersed in the air. Hanma, who temporarily canceled Giga Hulk, had dozens of crystals embedded throughout his body. The Masters¡¯ joint action had truly amazing power, but Tan¡¯s force was overwhelming. His defenses and resolve were unshakable, even in the face of the Masters¡¯ joint maneuvering. The remaining Masters couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of nervousness, as they didn¡¯t know if any of their actions were effective or not against Tan. ¡°The situation is dangerous, association president! More than a third of the Masters have already been defeated.¡± ¡°What about resurrection?¡± ¡°The gem points that Merlin provided have almost all been used up. Moreover, our collective power is plummeting because of the system¡¯s death penalty.¡± Christian Michael Bay, who was directing the entire battle while receiving reports from several other Masters, frowned. ¡°What happened to the support team that Arthur mentioned?¡± ¡°They¡¯re almost here! Their estimated time of arrival is 30 seconds!¡± ¡°What about the broadcasting station?¡± ¡°There are many reporters who were already stationed near the Magic Tower, so they¡¯ve already started filming! Also¡­¡± Saying so, the speaker pointed to his back. Some of the personnel they had brought in were already setting up their cameras. ¡°¡­ Good. We have to all work together!¡± Christian was widely considered to become the next President of the United States. The reason why Christian, who was previously just another rich person, was able to become a strong presidential candidate of the United States, which can be said to be the world¡¯s most powerful country, was because he faithfully played the role of an [American Hero]. Of course, there were others who were stronger or more powerful than him among the Master level users, and above all, there was Arthur, who was perfectly suited to being the public face of a national hero, but Arthur had risen to such a high level that the position of President of the United States seemed too limiting for a person of his stature. ¡®The pool we play in is completely different between me and him.¡¯ Christian was aiming to become the next President of the United States, which was arguably the highest political seat on Earth. But right now¡­ in the ongoing battle, such a politically powerful seat meant nothing. They were fighting against a being from the greater universe; a being who regarded the Earth as a planet on the margins of civilization; moreover, this being possessed godly, divine powers. Christian knew that he wasn¡¯t and couldn¡¯t be the main character here. He had always looked at the world in a self-centered perspective, but right now, on the battlefield, he was just a supporting character. ¡®Since this is the case¡­ I¡¯ll be the most perfect supporting character.¡¯ Christian smiled and straightened his posture. From far away, more than a dozen cameras were filming him. ¡°Bruce Wayne.¡± Once he stated his manifestation trigger phrase, Christian¡¯s entire body was covered in black armor. Repentant Ivan¡¯s Dark Helmet, Despairing Kara¡¯s Gauntlet, Pained Cyril¡¯s Boots, Hateful Alistair¡¯s Greaves, and Saddened Adin¡¯s Armor. And to top it all off, there was the most famous item in DIO, the [+11 Spirit Armor], and Christian, no, Bruce, as he had now manifested and taken on his DIO character, had spent billions of dollars to complete and enhance his current set of gear. And as human history had proven countless times¡­ the power of money was great. Clunk! Clunk! Woong! The various parts of his armor interlocked with each other and moved. His full set of Spirit Armor, with each piece of the set being a Rare Rank item, became S Rank gear after all the components were gathered, and reached the SS Rank after the +11 reinforcement. This made Bruce¡¯s gear similar in performance to Ascalon, the dragon slaying sword currently held and used by Arthur, and Bruce was the only user who possessed gear at this level of performance. The gear was so overwhelmingly powerful that it could equal most Master Weapons in terms of force. In addition, what he held in his hand was another one of Merlin¡¯s masterpieces, a +10 Dark Magic Sword, so, in his gear, there was nothing that wasn¡¯t a treasure, which even included the clothing and accessories inside his armor. Even the armor on the Black Unicorn he rode on was top notch. Moreover, each piece of gear perfectly complemented each other, which Bruce had arrived at through meticulous calculation, design, and planning, so the overall effect of his gear was more than the sum of its parts. And on top of all that¡­ ¡°Operate Divine Weapon. Dark Knight.¡± Black spiritual qi rose up, covered his Spirit Armor, and created a cape-like scattering effect behind him. Dense and powerful magic power covered his entire body. His skills weren¡¯t the best¡­ but they were only eclipsed by the skills of the Heaven above the Heavens. Bruce was undoubtedly a powerful Master, but among the top-level Masters, commonly referred to as the Heavenly Beings, he possessed relatively mediocre abilities. He constantly trained and sought to become stronger, but that was the case with other top-level Masters as well. But at this very moment¡­ Whoosh! He¡­ was undoubtedly the most powerful Master level user outside of the Heaven above the Heavens. Boom! ¡°Ugh! This guy!¡± When Bruce entered the scene, the tides of war shifted. The users had been on the defensive, but that position changed in an instant. Protecting himself perfectly with the SS Rank Spirit Armor, Bruce dug into Tan through a path that even Hanma and Adol, the most powerful tankers in DIO, couldn¡¯t access and swung his Dark Magic Sword. ¡°With Darian¡¯s Glorious Sword¡­¡± Taking advantage of the gap Bruce created, Adol stepped back and began to recite a chant. ¡°¡­ I protect the weak and act according to my convictions¡­¡± Huge amounts of divine power rushed out from Adol. The divine power covered not only his Tower Shield but also the armor that covered his entire body and the sword in his hand. ¡°¡­ I shall always stay humble and never lose courage¡­¡± Even in the midst of Tan¡¯s raging magic power storm, Adol calmly concentrated and completed his chant. ¡°Give me the strength to stand firm and not collapse in the face of trials¡­¡± Adol held up his Tower Shield and moved forward with tremendous force, like a locomotive moving forward without any hesitation. The heavy momentum and aura projecting from Adol would make any opponent lose their fighting spirit. Adol had activated his Master Skill. Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. ¡°Oath of Chivalry.¡± Adol¡¯s Master Skill, which was more like a kind of buff that increased all stats of its intended target by providing an enormous buff to one¡¯s Magic Resistance and defenses, had become even more powerful than before. This was because Adol¡¯s unwavering spirit and firm conviction grew as he continually went through and overcame agony and tribulation. Bang! Along with the sound of an explosion, the magic storm emitted by Tan was completely blocked. In front of Tan, light and darkness gathered and burned. ¡°¡­ You guys¡­ are quite useful.¡± Arthur, who had come down behind the Master users¡¯ formation, made a surprised expression. This was because he didn¡¯t think that the other Masters could output such great force. Even though all users started at Level 1¡­ the gap between the three Irregulars and the rest of the users had widened considerably. There was a big difference between the power that could be exerted between these two groups. However, now that they were collectively facing off against a mighty common enemy, Arthur could see that their collective force was substantial and couldn¡¯t be underestimated. Even if these other Master level users were to never reach his level of ability or skill, they were still the chosen few amongst billions of users who rose to the top because of their considerable talent. ¡°I haven¡¯t forgiven you yet.¡± And looking at the surprised Arthur, Adol muttered in a low voice. Even though they were fighting on the same side for all of humanity¡­ Adol still held the belief that Arthur¡¯s actions in Japan were wrong, as Arthur had slaughtered tens of thousands of people for his personal revenge. ¡°Hmpf, I see you¡¯re still a romantic with lofty ideals. But it¡¯s useless.¡± Arthur raised his head and looked at Tan, who was emitting a huge amount of magic power. ¡°No one shall be in a position to even think of forgiving me.¡± Instantly, Arthur¡¯s body turned into a beam of light once more. ¡°Nobody.¡± CH 304 *** The Light Goes Out II *** ¡°No one shall be deemed worthy to be in a position of forgiving me.¡± Instantly, Arthur¡¯s body turned to a beam of light once more. ¡°Nobody.¡± Arthur disappeared. And soon, the heaven and earth were divided. It was a blow like the wrath of a god tearing the world apart, but in a world that was being split in two, the main target, Tan, stood steadfast. Utilizing powerful defensive spells and muttering Draconic Language spells, Tan scattered Arthur¡¯s strong qi light attack. Bang! Creak! The heavens and earth were instantly filled with light once more. In a one-on-one battle, Arthur had no other choice but to be pushed back; however, once many other Masters participated in the battle, the battle became more even. Moreover, there was the added benefit that Arthur could conserve his power. ¡®Hmm, it seems like they¡¯re digging in for a long battle.¡¯ Tan thought. Even though the ongoing battle was tense, Tan possessed an overwhelming advantage. Although the Masters¡¯ attacks were landing, Tan wasn¡¯t suffering any significant damage. Additionally, Tan wasn¡¯t planning on conducting a battle of attrition. The only restriction that Tan faced was the level penalty. Unfortunately for the Masters, Tan¡¯s mana levels, his magic power capacity, didn¡¯t seem to be particularly limited. Even though he consumed a tremendous amount of magic power to maintain the storm-like environmental conditions, it still seemed that he had an inexhaustible supply of mana that he could pull from. And that wasn¡¯t all. Tan was created by the Creation God himself to execute the role as the universe¡¯s Enforcer, and though Tan had fallen from grace, he was still able to pull from the bottomless pool of mana that existed throughout the universe; it was like his existence itself was as a draconic spiritual pathway. In truth, if he continued to expend his current levels of mana consumption, he¡¯d be able to maintain this state for an entire year without breaking a sweat; in other words, Tan wasn¡¯t burdened or restricted by his magic power levels. Even if the battle wasn¡¯t going his way, it was just a short-term annoyance rather than a perceived threat. On the other hand, what about the Masters? They were holding up relatively well, but those with low power were being swept away by Tan¡¯s attacks and were dying one by one. Since they suffered an absolute loss in their exchange with Tan, it was difficult to see the Masters gaining the upper hand with their measly numbers, as only tens of hundreds of Masters were present, especially since their cumulative power levels as a group were constantly decreasing. ¡®Just what are they aiming for?¡¯ Puzzled, Tan steadily blocked the oncoming enemy attacks and counterattacked to deal with a couple other Masters. Since many of the Masters had already died once, even if they reappeared, it was difficult for them to effectively muster a proper attack at the same level as before their death. ¡®Hmpf. They seemed to be reviving at a steady rate¡­ but there is a limit to the Gerult they can handle. They should be reaching their limits fairly soon.¡¯ Once Tan had this thought, he started completing another spell chant. Whoosh!! From high above the sky, five or six fighter jets flew into the airspace above the battlefield with a roar. However, since the fighter jets couldn¡¯t get close to Tan and the Masters, as the shockwaves and constant explosion of spells didn¡¯t make the airspace conducive to flight, the fighter jets flew a safe distance above the chaos and dropped something onto the battlefield. Boom! Boom! Although these objects were released hundreds of meters above the ground, they slowed down several times in the air and safely landed in the battlefield; it was 12 Masters. For the Masters, such a feat wasn¡¯t that surprising, but Tan¡¯s eyebrows twitched when he saw the newly arrived Masters, as he felt that something was off about them. ¡°Those guys are¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare look away while battling me¡­ Ha!¡± Hanma shouted out loud and charged toward Tan, but Hanma soon found himself stuck in the ground like a nail hit by a hammer. Hanma¡¯s face twisted into a frown. ¡°Ah man, the ground is too soft!¡± ¡°What do you mean the ground is soft? It¡¯s asphalt! Don¡¯t be stupid; maintain your space control ability! Is reinforcing your physical body the only thing you learned as a life force user?¡± Hanma grumbled with a puzzled expression at Jeros¡¯ scolding words. Jeros was sitting cross-legged with closed eyes to regain some of his expended magic power. ¡°It¡¯s hard to maintain space control continuously¡­ but¡­ are you meditating in the midst of all this?¡± ¡°Of course. Didn¡¯t you see my post about [Recover anywhere! Properly utilizing meditation during battle] on the user discussion boards? It¡¯s been the highest viewed post this month. I gave lectures at all kinds of universities to state the importance of this mindset and ability, so of course I¡¯m able to meditate under these conditions.¡± ¡°Hmm. You¡¯ve been quite active haven¡¯t you¡­ Ack?!¡± Crack! Hanma yelled and raised his hands to defend himself, but a falling crystal shattered both his arms and pulverized his head. Since Hanma had been immobilized on the ground, he was an easy target for Tan. Whoosh. Hanma¡¯s figure disappeared after changing into particles of light; however, he soon reappeared in a normal state right next to where he had just disappeared. However, possibly because of the mental shock he received from his sudden death, Hanma looked slightly dazed. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± ¡°Ah? Ah, yeah, I¡¯m okay. My stats have been reduced so much that if I revive one or two more times, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be of any help¡­¡± Hanma looked up at the sky with a strange expression on his face. Tan, who was floating in the sky, had a perpetual magic storm emanating from his body. ¡°¡­ What¡¯s the matter¡­ Have you lost the will to fight because you keep dying? Do you want me to place a healing buff on you?¡± Hanma shook his head when he saw Jeros¡¯ concerned expression. It seemed that Jeros was concerned that Hanma had received some sort of mental shock due to his successive resurrections. ¡°Ah, s-sure. I¡¯m okay. It¡¯s just that¡­¡± ¡°Ack!¡± Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. At that moment, a Master level user, who was attacking with his bow from the outskirts of the battlefield, was hit by a falling bolt of lightning and collapsed. Of course, this type of scene happened several times, so neither Hanma nor Jeros were surprised by it, but that didn¡¯t mean they were blind to the seriousness of the situation. Since they were veteran fighters, they knew exactly where they stood in this battle. ¡°We need to do something. We need to strike a decisive blow or deploy a combat method that doesn¡¯t cause us to sustain so many casualties.¡± ¡°Huh? Ah, ah¡­ right.¡± ¡°¡­ Hanma?¡± Though Jeros was raising a serious concern, Hanma still had a somewhat aloof expression. It was as if Hanma was looking at something far away; his pupils were out of focus. ¡°Hmm.¡± Hanma, who had been ignoring Jeros¡¯ gaze, crouched down. Then he looked at Tan floating in the sky before putting strength into his legs. ¡°The Eight Ways of Fighting.¡± Boom¡­! His muscles twitched and a sound resounded out like iron being forcefully bent. His thigh muscles swelled, and steam rose from his body. ¡°Earthly Thunder Strike.¡± In an instant, Hanma¡¯s figure disappeared. And immediately afterward, the ground he had stood on exploded as a tremendous roar reverberated throughout the surroundings. Whoosh! ¡°Oh, that idiotic madman! Why did he do that right next to me!¡± After deploying a defensive barrier to block the shockwave of Hanma¡¯s move, Jeros clicked his tongue. Even so, Jeros maintained his gaze on Hanma as Hanma went up into the sky. ¡°What the hell is he planning to do?¡± Tan wasn¡¯t an opponent that one could successfully attack by simply flying at him at a high speed. In fact, weren¡¯t all the Master users¡¯ previous attacks, which took advantage of Tan¡¯s gaps, all blocked and hit with counters? ¡°What a headstrong fellow,¡± Tan commented. Indeed, Tan instantly recognized Hanma¡¯s oncoming attack and fired out a shockwave attack. Hanma flew up at a speed faster than a modern bullet, but since Tan was a transcendent being who could recognize such an approach in an instant, Hanma¡¯s attack was essentially useless. However, at that moment¡­ Boom. In an instant, right before being neutralized by Tan¡¯s shockwave attack, Hanma changed directions. His timing was so perfect that even Tan couldn¡¯t respond properly! Bang! The Twelve Ways of Fighting. Utilizing a sky-walking skill to quickly change direction, Hanma approached, punched out, and struck Tan¡¯s defensive barrier. And in an instant, Hanma reached out and ¡®tore¡¯ Tan¡¯s swaying defensive barrier. ¡°This¡­ son of a bitch!!¡± Rumble!! When a thunderbolt thicker than a human torso hit Hanma, Hanma, who was tearing through the barrier, couldn¡¯t withstand the attack and fell towards the ground. However, Tan wasn¡¯t able to land a killing blow on Hanma. Although Hanma died a little while ago and had his overall stats reduced, Hanma, as a life force user, had somehow increased his stamina stat. Due to this newfound opening, the other Masters fiercely attacked and pierced through Tan¡¯s gaps. ¡°Yap!¡± As Bruce rode on his Black Unicorn and passed Tan by, his sword qi, which had been trapped in his sword since it had been impossible to land a blow on Tan, spurted out like a whip and struck Tan¡¯s defensive barrier. Ilyia, who had succeeded in opening the Earthly Gate (7th Gate) of the dagger, something she had done for the first time in her life, pierced a hole in Tan¡¯s defensive barrier with the dagger¡¯s aura powered sword qi. - Get off me! In the end, Tan, who couldn¡¯t stand the attacks any longer, activated a Draconic Language spell and shook off all the approaching Masters. He looked in disbelief at the Masters, who were flung in all directions. ¡®They¡¯re¡­ growing¡­?¡¯ That was exactly what was going on. The Masters were growing at a tremendous rate while fighting against him. Of course, this wasn¡¯t the case for all the Master level users. This was because there were a lot more Masters who instantly perished, as they couldn¡¯t withstand his attacks. Most Masters gradually consumed their strength and eventually lost their focus, which made them ultimately succumb to their deaths. However, unlike [most], some Master level users showed incredible growth during the battle. These Master level users were completely different from just 20 minutes to even 10 minutes ago. There was no doubt the number of Master level users was decreasing, but the remaining Masters achieved a stunning speed of growth; it was to the extent that the Masters¡¯ collective power output didn¡¯t greatly differ from before. ¡®Nonsense! Isn¡¯t this something that only happens in some fantasy hero story!¡¯ The scene was literally like something from a fantasy novel. Masters were changing and growing while facing a mighty foe, and that was affecting the outcome of a battle, which should have concluded with Tan as the obvious winner. ¡°Humanity¡¯s god, we have arrived.¡± ¡°Finally, this is the final fight.¡± ¡°Sir Arthur¡­¡± Moreover, the newly appeared forces who fell from the sky also got on Tan¡¯s nerves. This was because his transcendent senses were telling him that the 12 newly revealed beings were abnormal. ¡°Arthur, what the hell are you planning to do?¡± Tan asked as he looked at Arthur. This act of questioning was possible because the battlefield was in a momentary state of lull, as Tan had forcefully pushed away all the users who had approached him just a moment ago. ¡°What do you mean what am I planning to do¡­¡± Arthur raised his sword at Tan. All of a sudden, the Masters floating in the air with magic powered flying shuttle-like mounts or pets surrounded him in a circle and looked at Arthur and Tan, who were facing each other. ¡°I¡¯m planning to kill you.¡± Tan laughed coldly after hearing Arthur¡¯s low voice. ¡°If you think that¡¯s really possible, you¡¯ll be greatly disappointed. Do you really think that the battle has gone on as a stalemate because our power levels are similar?¡± Tan never even considered that he¡¯d be defeated. Moreover, the truth of the matter was, there was nothing to sway him from this perspective. Arthur had transformed from a pseudo transcendent to a full transcendent by using a non-traditional shortcut, but still, he had just barely stepped on the front mantle of the transcendent realm. Among transcendents, Arthur had entered the lowest level of transcendence; in other words, Arthur had gained 0.00% experience within Level 20, if the Level system was quantified in experience percentage. On the other hand, Tan was an Emperor Class transcendent power, which was a very rare existence even in the vast universe, and even though he had sustained a downgrade penalty, his overwhelming power, abilities, and skills did not completely disappear. Although there was a limit to the attack power he could generate through those abilities and skills, the fact remained that he could still output overwhelming attacks through his current collection of overpowering abilities and skills. Even if a transcendent of the same level appeared, Tan was confident that he¡¯d easily win in battle. However, at a moment like this, a kid who managed to become a newbie transcendent through a shortcut method was stating that he¡¯d kill Tan after gathering a bunch of abnormal humans. Even if Tan was further restricted and faced even worse conditions, he felt that it was impossible for Arthur and his motley crew to defeat Tan. ¡°You are too full of yourself. You¡¯re too conceited.¡± ¡°Heh¡­ Conceited? Am I being conceited?¡± Rumble! The blue spiritual qi arose, and the surrounding air began to vibrate. However, Arthur didn¡¯t flinch. ¡°Fine.¡± While responding, twelve beams of light radiated from behind Arthur. The ones emitting the light were the 12 Masters who fell from the fighter jets earlier, and the energy qi waves emanating from their bodies were emitted as light to their surroundings. ¡°Hey, wait a minute. What¡¯s this? Isn¡¯t that Arthur¡¯s photonization?¡± Jeros commented. Adol, who was half-covered with his Tower Shield, narrowed his eyes after hearing Jeros, who was watching Arthur and Tan while preparing a spell. As he was also an internal energy user, Adol knew just how abnormal the current situation was. ¡°To think that there are 12 other people who have succeeded in transforming their internal energy into light¡­¡± It should have been impossible. Only Arthur had succeeded in transforming his own qi energy into light; other Masters couldn¡¯t even think of imitating such an ability. However, the 12 Masters flying behind Arthur were emitting a light so intense that the other Masters could feel the same intimidating feeling in the 12 Masters¡¯ lights as they did in Arthur¡¯s. ¡°What the hell is going on? Weren¡¯t those guys just average at best?¡± CH 305 ¡°What¡¯s happening? Weren¡¯t those Master-level users just average at best?¡± During the battle, Miho supported the users by casting spells from afar, tilting her head as she looked at the 12 newly-arrived Masters. She recognized every one of these players except for one, and based on her recollection, they were all low-level Masters or weaker. Of course, in the grand scheme of things, each one of these Masters was a genius. Masters were so rare that, excluding those who died, only about 350 existed out of the 4.5 billion DIO users. This meant that only 1 out of every 12 million people reached the Master level. However, comparisons were always relative. Not all Masters were the same just because they reached the Master realm. There were clear tier divisions between users at Level 10 to Level 19. Moreover, those who hit the wall known as the so-called [limit of one¡¯s talent] couldn¡¯t develop or grow any further. In fact, several Masters weren¡¯t present in this battle against Tan. Among the Masters, some didn¡¯t have much power, and summoning them was essentially a waste of gem points. In other words, these unqualified Masters weren¡¯t even given the option to take the mission since it would have been a waste of Gerult. ¡°Right. Only Uld is above Level 13. Everyone else is a low-level Master.¡± Arc threw off her crumpled helmet and looked at the woman who stood at the forefront of the group. That woman was Sanae Ayase. With her fluent linguistic skills, as evident by her ability to speak fluently in seven different languages, and her physical attractiveness, Sanae became a top-class diplomat after she became a Master and met Arthur. Originally, the Japanese government planned to use her to appease Arthur and bring him over to their side, but after Sanae witnessed how a Japanese right-wing group murdered Arthur¡¯s mother, Sanae became Arthur¡¯s subordinate and personal secretary. She stuck to Arthur¡¯s side and helped him in all his endeavors. In fact, she was so dedicated and effective that many far-right Japanese forces labeled her as a national traitor. ¡°It is time.¡± Ayase spoke as she unraveled her wings of light. As he heard Ayase- no, Uld, Arthur turned his head. Though Tan was right in front of Arthur, staring at him, the latter looked away as if Tan didn¡¯t matter. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s okay, no¡­ Hahaha. I was about to say some nonsense.¡± Arthur steeled his will, which had been shaken for a moment, and stood steadfast and tall. Then, he looked past the shining Uld towards the other 11 Masters. ¡°I would¡¯ve liked to give a final speech, but I don¡¯t have time to do that before such a powerful enemy. Just remember this¡­.¡± Whoosh! The light emitting from Arthur¡¯s body grew brighter. ¡°I will be with you.¡± ¡°Humanity¡¯s God, my God.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The 12 brilliantly shining Masters started gradually increasing their energy output with bewitched expressions. Tan¡¯s eyebrows twitched after seeing such an unusual scene. ¡°What the hell is everyone waiting for?!¡± shouted one of the initial participants of the battle. Bang! Tan attacked, and soon, an explosion sounded out; however, it didn¡¯t cause any injury. Without any warning, the other Masters had sprung into action, surrounded Tan, and blocked his strike. ¡°I don¡¯t know what Arthur and his crew are planning to do, but make sure Tan is preoccupied!¡± ¡°¡­ Damn it! I feel like I¡¯ve been given some supporting role all of a sudden!¡± ¡°Well, to be honest, weren¡¯t we all just in a supporting role from the start?!¡± ¡°Hahaha! I never thought a group of guardian knights would appear to protect their human god!¡± Tan exclaimed. Tan gave a hearty laugh before releasing another attack. This time, he sent out a shockwave based on his enormous reservoir of magic power, but Cruze¡¯s sniper shots, Aung Nina¡¯s Divine Hundred Steps attack, and Jeros¡¯ Thunder Spear spell crashed against the skill and reduced its power. Eventually, the weakened shockwave couldn¡¯t pierce through Adol¡¯s Tower Shield, as Adol had moved in front of Arthur to defend him. ¡°I am Jane Austen.¡± ¡°I will be with you.¡± ¡°It is an honor, Humanity¡¯s God.¡± The woman who approached Arthur and spoke smiled brightly. Then, her body let off a radiant glow, and soon, Arthur absorbed her. ¡°I am Elaine Sciolino.¡± ¡°I will be with you.¡± The next person, another woman, also turned into a beam of light and was absorbed by Arthur. ¡°¡­ What¡¯s happening? What are you doing?¡± As Adol stood before Arthur, protecting the latter with his Tower Shield, he spoke as he felt the humans behind him disappear one by one. Everyone who stood there just moments ago was definitely present and gave off tangible human auras, but Arthur was absorbing them and making them disappear. The longer this went on, the stronger Arthur¡¯s energy became. Previously, the spiritual pressure Arthur exuded was already unmatched by any other Master. Now, however, Arthur gave off such immense spiritual pressure that Adol felt like he¡¯d explode just from being exposed to it. ¡°You bastard! What sort of crazy thing¡­!¡± Tan screamed as he was the only one present who understood exactly what Arthur was doing. Yet, Arthur didn¡¯t pay any attention to him. ¡°I¡¯m Shin Donghyun.¡± ¡°I will be with you.¡± ¡°I am Oda Kazumasa.¡± ¡°I will be with you.¡± All these individuals¡¯ bodies glowed before being subsequently sucked into Arthur¡¯s body. Recently, Arthur made a transaction with Merlin in exchange for 12 growth-type spiritual pathways. He¡¯d given the core components of the Named Rank Legion forces that guarded the Dimension Terminal as well as the Spirit Record and dark cores, which allowed the Grotesque to infect humans. And once Arthur made that exchange¡­ He caused all sorts of incidents around the world with his overwhelming spiritual pressure. Unsurprisingly, his main objective was to gain divinity by being worshiped by the masses. Yet, at the same time, Arthur used the opportunity to search for individuals with sufficient spiritual power to become Masters but who were weak enough to succumb to his spiritual pressure and worship him unconditionally. ¡°I am John Carnell.¡± ¡°I am Jin Tsai.¡± ¡°I am Lilia.¡± These were all individuals who had received a growth-type spiritual pathway from Arthur. However, Arthur didn¡¯t hand over the same spiritual pathways Merlin provided; he had customized them. Since people from Earth lacked naturally occurring spiritual pathways, Arthur realized he could control the development of the spiritual pathways by imbuing them with his own qi energy. And thus¡­ Arthur could [merge] with everyone who had accepted his reconfigured growth-type spiritual pathways. ¡°This is crazy! Once souls are mixed, they can never return to their original form! Even if your spiritual power rises temporarily, you¡¯re just taking a shortcut to eventually ruining yourself!¡± Tan pushed back all of the Masters¡¯ attacks once more and shouted in frustration. He yelled because this wasn¡¯t the result he wanted. An Irregular was a rare ¡®resource¡¯ difficult to find even after scouring the entire universe¡­ Hence, losing such a valuable resource was a huge loss. Tan¡¯s line of thinking went this way because he believed that DIO would return to his grasp soon; he was certain that he¡¯d eventually regain control. In fact, even while fighting fiercely, Tan was careful not to extinguish the Masters¡¯ souls whenever he attacked. Similarly, although he intended to kill Arthur, Tan had no intention of damaging the user¡¯s soul. After all, in due time, all the souls within DIO would be valuable resources under his possession. ¡°Hahaha. That guy is worried about my soul.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re so valuable that even your enemies would be reluctant to relinquish you. Arthur, no, since this is the last time, may I call you Seyoung?¡± ¡°As you please.¡± In the end, Arthur absorbed all the Masters except one¡­ Only Uld remained as she stood beside Arthur. Actually, she was special. While the other 11 Masters had lost half of their intelligence and reasoning ability after Arthur¡¯s spiritual pressure bewitched them, Uld had volunteered for the customized spiritual pathway. Of course, installing a spiritual pathway that contained Arthur¡¯s qi energy wasn¡¯t just so simple as deciding whether or not to accept it. The recipient had to be fully committed to sacrificing their physical being and existence, which was why Arthur drove most of his followers to become half-crazed fanatics. Yet, although Uld had the spiritual pathway installed, she had decided to do so with a clear conscience. Arthur could see the truth, and he knew what that meant. ¡°If we had met under different circumstances, we might have had a slightly different relationship, no?¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± Uld laughed after hearing Arthur¡¯s answer. ¡°Thank you.¡± Then, Uld soon turned into light. Arthur looked at the beam and gritted his teeth. ¡°I will be with you.¡± Whoosh. Once all 12 Masters turned into light and became one with Arthur, an enormous light radiated from him. The light was so intense that everyone had to step back, including Tan. ¡°This is impossible¡­ amplification through mixing multiple souls?¡± Tan made a bewildered expression. Meanwhile, Arc had watched the unfolding scene from afar, and she muttered under her breath as she replaced the armor that had been damaged by Tan¡¯s previous attack. ¡°Arthur is right.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Certainly, Tan was careless.¡± Tan tried to understand everything using the boundaries of his frame of reference and worldview. In most cases, his logic and expectations would be proven correct. Tan had lived for a long time, and he was also a great mage who understood the truth of the world. ¡°Yet, you can¡¯t measure an Irregular with a standard measuring stick. He looked down on all lesser beings because he¡¯s a bit stronger, but that made him miscalculate the present situation.¡± Merlin created an amplification technique that even countless transcendents before him had never discovered. Moreover, Merlin made Pathway to Hell, which was something that only the Nether World possessed, and, above all, he made the Editor Blade. This abnormal perspective and thought process wasn¡¯t a matter of realm. It was a kind of realization that arose from the special [Insight] that an Irregular possessed, and Merlin was an extremely exceptional Irregular at that. In this manner, Arthur had acted beyond the logical scope and framework from which Tan viewed the world. To fight Tan, a transcendent far more powerful than he, Arthur had researched various approaches. Then, fueled by vengeance, Arthur worked within the environment at his disposal and devised a truly novel, outside-the-box idea. Ting! In Arthur¡¯s hand, Ascalon let out a cry. It cried because Arthur¡¯s newfound spiritual power, which had its already-massive quantity amplified, was flowing into it. No, to be precise, the spiritual power wasn¡¯t flowing into Ascalon. Adol was closest to Arthur, and he realized what was going on and groaned. ¡°What is this¡­ Body and Sword Union?¡± The term indicated a tier or realm. Body and Sword Union didn¡¯t refer to a specific skill like Sudden Body Movement. Instead, it was a realm where one¡¯s sword skill reached its peak, allowing the swordsman to wield their sword as if it were an extension of their body. Body and Sword Union was also used to describe the state in which one¡¯s sword and soul became one. ¡°You¡­ What are you doing¡­.¡± And in this case, the realm was beyond the phenomenon that Body and Sword Union usually denoted. Arthur became [one] with his sword; however, there was nothing metaphorical or symbolic about this union - it was a true union. Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. Tan couldn¡¯t tell the difference between Arthur and Ascalon; in other words, he couldn¡¯t tell the sword apart from the talented human being. At this moment, Arthur¡¯s soul was one with Ascalon¡­ Arthur had become a being no different from a sword spirit. ¡°It¡¯s simple. Since I can¡¯t reach a level where I can swiftly kill you¡­.¡± Laughing, Arthur lifted Ascalon and aimed it at Tan. Though Arthur had essentially abandoned his human identity, his physical body remained, so there was no issue with him utilizing the abilities and skills his former body possessed. ¡°¡­ I decided to create a weapon that could kill you.¡± Flash! Light exploded outward. It kept getting bigger and brighter. As he sensed an ominous feeling stimulate his spiritual being and warn him of impending trouble, Tan shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t mess around! Do you really think you can beat me with that silly weapon?¡± ¡°You still don¡¯t understand what I¡¯m saying. I¡¯m not planning on using this to fight you. I just¡­¡± Arthur slightly lowered his stance. ¡°¡­ just¡­¡± Soon, Arthur stabbed forth with Ascalon. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m just planning on killing you.¡± Flash! It was a simple move, and, as if cutting pudding, the attack cut through Tan¡¯s defensive barrier with ease. Tan looked at Ascalon in amazement. ¡®How?¡¯ However, Tan couldn¡¯t afford to contemplate Arthur¡¯s sword attack any longer. Fortunately for him, he recognized what was happening, and even in that fleeting moment, Tan vividly saw the trajectory of the stab. ¡®Should I block it? Should I evade?¡¯ It was a lightning-quick attack, but as a great mage, Tan could devise a new defensive technique to block it. Furthermore, Tan could also avoid the attack entirely by crossing space. Arthur¡¯s attack had already broken through his defensive barrier, but Tan noticed that Ascalon had no more remaining energy. Thus, Tan could choose to block or dodge. He simply had to make a choice, or at least, that¡¯s what he thought¡­. ¡°What?¡± At that critical moment, Tan unconsciously opened his mouth and groaned. Tan couldn¡¯t choose any of the options he presumed he had at his disposal. And on Tan¡¯s chest¡­ Pluck. ¡­ the dragon-slaying sword embedded itself. CH 306 If an eagle was born among chickens, how would that eagle see the world? When Seyoung initially understood the world, he felt a terrible sense of alienation. He was different from everyone else. This was even the case with his mother, the one who brought him into the world; in essence, Seyoung didn¡¯t feel the slightest sense of belonging. ¡°Mother.¡± ¡°¡­ Huh? Yes? What? Huh? Did you just say something?¡± Following Seyoung¡¯s birth in the hospital, Hye-ran first [conversed] with her child during the drive home after she picked him up from the newborn nursery wing. Those around her advised Hye-ran to take some time off and recuperate at a birth care center, but she was confident in her own health. No matter how pleasant the center was, Hye-ran had confidence that her house was far safer and more hygienic, so she decided to care for her child there. Right as she walked into her house, Seyoung opened his mouth and spoke up. Hye-ran had been cradling Seyoung in her arms. ¡°Quietly¡­ I have something to tell you, so don¡¯t make a fuss.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Obviously, there was no way Hye-ran couldn¡¯t make a fuss. Her baby wasn¡¯t just a month or a week old¡­ he had just been born three days ago. And his vocalizations weren¡¯t anything like whining but, instead, fully formed sentences. ¡°Don¡¯t look so taken aback. Don¡¯t look too disappointed, either.¡± ¡°D-disappointed?¡± ¡°Yes. Disappointed.¡± Seyoung viewed the world in this way. Hye-ran couldn¡¯t walk around with her child. She couldn¡¯t even dream of publicly holding his first birthday party. Of course, Seyoung could remain patient for short spurts, so it was possible to take him to his grandparents¡¯ house occasionally. Yet, in general, Seyoung was arrogant and cold. ¡°Don¡¯t think of me as your child, as I don¡¯t have any particular feelings when it comes to you being my mother.¡± He said it so directly and callously that it was hard to believe a child as cute as an angel could say such a thing. ¡°However, since you went through the pain of giving birth to me and are the one who¡¯ll raise me, then in your later years, I will make sure you live a life of luxury, a life anyone would envy. You must have already guessed that I have the ability to accomplish such a thing, right?¡± Seyoung was an incredible genius, one that had never been seen throughout human history, but he didn¡¯t understand the concept of human emotion. This was why he told his biological mother that he¡¯d pay her back for whatever he received. ¡°W-wait¡­ can I ask you something?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Are you¡­ my child?¡± ¡°To be precise, yes, I am your biological child. A pure human, not an alien or something else.¡± Having said this, Seyoung didn¡¯t feel any attachment to or affinity for humans. In his eyes, aside from himself, humans were an inferior species. Perhaps this way of viewing and understanding the world was a natural result for Seyoung. After all, how could a soaring eagle regard a chicken crawling on the ground as a relative? Simultaneously, however, Seyoung understood that humans ruled the world he was born into, regardless of their inferiority. He also knew it would have been more advantageous to buy time by acting like an average child for a while before telling his mother the cold, hard truth. ¡®That isn¡¯t necessary, though. This woman is soft.¡¯ Seyoung instinctively grasped this reality. Thus, he showed his mother his true self, and through her help, he was able to grow even faster. Seyoung took this route because he wanted to develop the power to control the world and not be ruled by anyone. If he had grown up the way he had envisioned¡­ Perhaps humanity would have faced a Demon King-like existence earlier, a higher being who viewed humans as lesser beings and wanted dominion over them. However, there were always unpredictable hardships and unexpected occurrences¡­. ¡°Oh, hot damn. You surprised me.¡± Such an unexpected occurrence arose much quicker than Seyoung expected or ever imagined. ¡°What the hell is with this little kid? You surprised me.¡± ¡°Ack¡­ ugh¡­¡± Seyoung bled out on the ground after being stabbed. He wasn¡¯t caught completely off guard, but still, he suffered a mortal wound. No matter how much talent he possessed, a child less than a year old still had limited physical abilities. ¡°Ah! Seyoung!¡± The screaming Hye-ran also wasn¡¯t in good condition. She had suffered various injuries, so her entire body seemed powerless as blood constantly flowed from her numerous stab wounds. ¡°Why¡­ why?¡± Hye-ran couldn¡¯t contain her astonishment at the look of utter ferocity filling her relative¡¯s normally good-natured face. ¡°What do you mean why¡­.¡± She had been careful and wary of her surroundings. However, Hye-ran had never thought that the person in the neighboring apartment, her own cousin, could do such a vile thing. ¡°I just did it because I wanted to.¡± The catchphrase of a certain movie, ¡®Every murderer is someone¡¯s neighbor,¡¯ was being carried out in reality. As the local neighborhood serial killer, Hye-ran¡¯s cousin had been keeping his head down for a long time due to the heat from an ongoing police investigation. When he learned that Hye-ran was living alone as a widow, he visited her. ¡°Seyoung¡­ don¡¯t hurt Seyoung. I¡¯ll give you whatever you want¡­ if it¡¯s money-¡± ¡°Ah~ Ah no~ that won¡¯t do. You¡¯ve seen my face, so you¡¯ll have to go. Besides, this little bastard knocked out some of my teeth; there¡¯s no way I¡¯m letting him go.¡± The man was wearing work gloves as he laughed and kicked Seyoung in the head. Bam! Seyoung had been moaning after collapsing and rolling on the floor, and he was unable to even scream. Yet, the man soon made a curious expression. ¡°This kid is quite strong. Don¡¯t people usually die after they¡¯re kicked like this?¡± Having killed many living things, from small animals to adult women, the man knew the location he needed to aim for and the amount of force required to kill his target. However, in Seyoung¡¯s case, the baby didn¡¯t even faint, let alone die. Instead, the man saw that Seyoung was glaring back at him with wide-open eyes. ¡°This cheeky little bastard¡­.¡± The man wiped the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and picked up a knife. Typically, he would have inflicted a bit more pain on his subject before planting the final killing blow, but this time, he didn¡¯t prolong the process. This was because he felt a sense of danger from Seyoung, who was lying on the floor. As a serial killer, he was no longer a complete human nor a beast, but something in between. Consequently, by roaming through modern society as if it were a jungle, he developed more sensitive instincts than the average human. Hence, the man sensed that the infant in front of him, a child too young to even be considered a kindergartener, was a beast. ¡®I need to stay alert and not let my guard down.¡¯ This thought was why he firmly grasped his knife. Outwardly, he maintained a snarky attitude, but inwardly, he was nervous. A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. ¡®Kill.¡¯ Fortunately for him, his opponent had lost the strength to resist after a few blows. However, the moment when he went in for the killing blow¡­. ¡°No!¡± Slash! It was Hye-ran, not Seyoung, who was stabbed by his knife. Even though she was severely weakened, Hye-ran had desperately thrown her body to shield her son. ¡°Ah~ This lady is really¡­.¡± The man wasn¡¯t surprised. The maternal love of a mother and what such a mother would do for her child wasn¡¯t something new to him. ¡°Please. Please, I¡¯ll do anything¡­.¡± ¡°Go away!¡± Slash! Whoosh! He slashed wildly, but Hye-ran desperately clung onto Seyoung, defending him. Her flesh was cut open, revealing her insides as blood gushed out, but she didn¡¯t care. ¡°Lady, you¡¯re really bothersome. If you show maternal love like this, won¡¯t that make me look like a bad person?¡± The man could no longer restrain himself as a smile bloomed on his face. A bad habit of his had shown itself. Born as an elite member of society with a golden spoon in his mouth, the man had awakened and embraced a murderous streak within himself, which had cruelty twisted his fate, making him into what he was now. However, he had carelessly forgotten that he was dealing with a beast, and this was a huge mistake. In his efforts to attack Hye-ran, he had forgotten Seyoung momentarily, and the man was soon met by a blow aimed at him from below. Bam! A flash of silver light rapidly swung through the air like a thunderbolt and forced the man¡¯s chin up. As his fairly well-trained body stumbled, the man gritted his teeth and looked at what had struck him. ¡°A¡­ a ladle? This cheeky little bastard attacked me with a ladle¡­.¡± Grinding his teeth, the man tried to straighten his posture, but his concussed brain wouldn¡¯t let him maintain his balance. Seyoung swung his arm as if it were a whip, using the ladle like a pendulum at the end and dealing a powerful blow beyond the man¡¯s expectation. And as he stumbled, Seyoung swung the ladle once more¡­ Bam! That was the serial killer¡¯s last memory. ¡°Mother.¡± Without looking back at the fallen man, Seyoung rushed towards Hye-ran, applied pressure to close her open wounds, and pushed her falling intestines and organs back inside her body. Alas, Hye-ran¡¯s injuries were too severe. The murderer had carried out numerous brutal killings, and his knife wasn¡¯t just for show. ¡°Seyoung¡­ Seyoung, are you okay? Are you safe?¡± ¡°Is it really time to worry about others?¡± Though he was chastising his mother, he couldn¡¯t hide his shaking eyes. His mother was dying. ¡°Why¡­¡± When Hye-ran took the blow meant for Seyoung, the murderer didn¡¯t show any sense of surprise. The maternal love a mother held for her child was nothing new to him. Yet, this wasn¡¯t the case for Seyoung. ¡°Just¡­ why?¡± Seyoung was confused. He had noticed that she [knowingly] put his life before her own. ¡°What do you mean why?¡± Hye-ran smiled even as she struggled with the pain surging through her. She looked at Seyoung as if he were a child for the first time, as he had always acted and spoken like an adult. ¡°Now that I get a good look at you, Seyoung, I see that you¡¯re just a little child who acts and talks like a genius.¡± A child born with an Irregular¡¯s talent could be called a monster, but even so, Seyoung was only a child, and his ego was still underdeveloped. The absolute and unconditional love shown by Hye-ran at that moment had a tremendous impact on him. If Yongno¡¯s ego was established from anger and fear, and Lea Schmidt¡¯s ego came from loneliness, then it could be said that Seyoung¡¯s ego was formed from Hye-ran¡¯s love and sacrifice. ¡°Seyoung, my child¡­ There isn¡¯t a particular reason why I love you. I don¡¯t need you to be special and shower me with riches later on, nor do I want you to bring honor to my name by becoming someone great.¡± Blood flowed down from the corner of Hye-ran¡¯s mouth. Her injuries were so fatal that even if she were taken to the hospital, there would be little to no hope of saving her. ¡°But¡­ but¡­ not like this¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Seyoung. It¡¯s okay,¡± Hye-ran said with a bright smile, as if she was truly happy. ¡°Because I¡¯m your mother.¡± *** His consciousness gradually grew clearer, and Arthur chuckled. ¡®Oh¡­ I must have fainted and zoned out for a moment.¡¯ Arthur felt a strong sense of exhaustion, but he refocused his mind and held Ascalon firmly in his grasp. Despite thinking that he had momentarily passed out, that brief amount of time was fleeting. As he raised his head, Arthur saw Tan¡¯s figure¡­ with Ascalon pierced through the latter¡¯s chest. ¡°This can¡¯t be. No way¡­ no way¡­ just by mixing some souls together¡­.¡± Tan growled like an enraged beast, and the space around him shuddered and wavered. Yet, it was more accurate to state that a feeling of horror, more than anger, stirred him. ¡°A Transcendent Weapon¡­.¡± CH 307 ¡°A Transcendent Weapon¡­¡± Tan was in disbelief about what he was seeing. Tan had seen various Soul Weapons in the past, but there were almost no weapons that rose to the level of a Transcendent Weapon. How could a Transcendent Weapon be created with only 12 souls? Was it possible to create such a powerful weapon without utilizing the souls of an entire species or the consumption of an enormous amount of magic power and other resources? ¡®Even if an Irregular¡¯s soul forms the fundamental basis for the weapon¡­ This is unprecedented.¡¯ Even Tan, who had lived an innumerable number of years, had never seen a case where a Transcendent Weapon was made without the help of an enormous infrastructure. Since ancient times, only high-level or higher gods had been able to create Transcendent Weapons without consuming an exorbitant number of resources. ¡®Did someone intervene and assist him?¡¯ Most people would be surprised if a college student created a groundbreaking computer in his or her garage. They¡¯d probably call that person a genius. But what if that same college student built a space shuttle from scratch, without any infrastructure or prior institutional knowledge? Would people marvel at that person¡¯s creation and call him or her a genius? The answer was no. If someone were to create such a paradigm shifting creation, which relied on information and tech that wasn¡¯t even created¡­ People would feel disbelief, not amazement. ¡®This can¡¯t be. This is impossible.¡¯ Similarly, Tan reacted the same way. Even amongst the most unrealistic and unlikely scenarios he had prepared for, Tan had never imagined that such a thing could be possible, so it was only natural that he assumed that Arthur received help from a higher being. And that was why¡­ ¡®Come to think of it, Jiang Ziya resides on this planet. In order for the Elohim to keep me and the Noblesse in check, perhaps¡­¡¯ With this momentary hesitation, Tan had lost his [last] chance to undo his mistake. Sss. ¡°Ugh!¡± Ascalon¡¯s point stopped twisting and spinning. Tan felt a strange, indescribable sensation spreading from around his heart. ¡°How¡­¡± Tan frowned at the eerie feeling, but that was all. Of course, he wanted to push Arthur away and pull out the sword that was digging into his heart, but if that were possible, he would have done so already. ¡®I¡­ can¡¯t resist?¡¯ Though Tan was still able to control his inexhaustible amount of magic power, he wasn¡¯t able to generate the [will] to resist Arthur¡¯s attack. It was the same case when Arthur first impaled Ascalon into his heart. Tan had plenty of time to dodge or block Arthur¡¯s attack, but for some reason, he wasn¡¯t able to move. He had looked on blankly, as if he was bewitched, as Ascalon approached and then dug into his chest. Others would have been confused as to the reason, but Tan, as a great mage, immediately noticed the cause. ¡®The characteristics of the Heavenly Draconic Being he employed is completely hostile to my being!¡¯ Arthur, who could be said to be the strongest user, was famous as a swordsman who utilized light-based sword skills, but the characteristic that the Noblesse were more interested in was Arthur¡¯s talent as a summoner; in other words, the Noblesse were keener on Arthur¡¯s power as a Heavenly Draconic Being. A Heavenly Draconic Being possessed a soul that was the most compatible, the most beautiful, and the most comfortable for dragons, and since Heavenly Draconic Beings boasted perfect compatibility with dragons, Heavenly Draconic Beings amplified the energy output of dragons and vice versa. The Noblesse called such beings Dragon Lovers, as these beings were beloved by all dragons across the universe, but currently, Arthur had taken his Dragon Lover¡¯s soul and took the most opposite, detrimental direction possible for a dragon, which meant that Arthur, who was now a Soul Weapon, was the most detrimental existence for a dragon. ¡®Shit¡­!¡¯ Tan¡¯s expression twisted. Just as a man who has the strength to physically resist when a peerless beauty pushes him down onto the bed does not do so, Tan clearly saw Ascalon¡¯s sword path as it was approaching him, but his being refused to take any action to block or avoid it. An ancient dragon like Tan shouldn¡¯t have been so powerless, but the attractive power of a Heavenly Draconic Being was that overwhelming. However, if one were to ask if such a thing couldn¡¯t be overcome, the answer was no; it could have been overcome. It would have been difficult for any other ordinary Noblesse member, but Tan was a being who had lived through eons of time. ¡°Cheeky¡­!!!¡± As a huge magic storm raged around him, Arthur gave a bitter smile. ¡°Gee, you¡¯re tremendous. Ascalon has a power neutralization function, but you can still output so much power even though you¡¯ve been stabbed in the heart.¡± Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°You bastard, how dare you¡­¡± After Tan¡¯s anger reached its peak, he started to calm down. Finally, Tan threw away whatever feeling of loss or greed he had regarding Arthur. ¡°I guess I have no other choice but to annihilate you.¡± Whoosh!!! Tan¡¯s magic storm raged and blew Arthur away. Arthur held on to Ascalon¡¯s handle, but his arm was torn off as if it were made of clay, and soon, Arthur found himself rolling on the ground. ¡°Arthur!¡± ¡°Damn it, get into a defensive formation around him!¡± The Masters surrounded Arthur to protect him, but in the end, taking such an action was a mistake. Boom! Bam! At about the same time, dozens of Masters exploded without even the chance to properly scream. The remaining Masters, stunned by the sudden death of their compatriots, hesitated. ¡°What? What just happened?¡± ¡°Hey, how come the whisper function isn¡¯t working?! No, more importantly, those Masters who just exploded have completely disappeared from my Friends¡¯ List window¡­¡± The Masters had been able to maintain a relatively equal battle with Tan because of their collective strength, but also because of their unique characteristics as users. In other words, they were able to contend against Tan because users possessed immortality. It was the single most important characteristic for the users. Since a user¡¯s main body was located in a safe place, not on the battlefield, even if one died during battle, it was not a real death. Because of this, the gathered Masters attacked Tan, who possessed absolute power over them, without hesitation. Even if one were to die, one didn¡¯t truly die in the normal sense. One might face a slight penalty from the DIO system, but for all intents and purposes, one continued to survive. However, when Tan attacked in earnest, the situation drastically changed. ¡°Since I¡¯ve been dragged this far down¡­ I¡¯ll have to bear some losses.¡± Tan still considered the souls of the Masters as his [property] and was reluctant to damage them. Though he had been killing off the Masters, Tan had made sure that he didn¡¯t damage their souls. But now, Tan lifted that self-imposed ban. Boom! Again, several Masters exploded. It wasn¡¯t a physical explosion but more like a complete [deletion], as not even a remnant or corpse was left behind. As a powerful tanker on the frontline, Adol was fully exposed to Tan¡¯s attack, so he had to face it head-on. Pop! ¡°Ugh¡­ Ack!¡± The strongest tanker in DIO, Adol, who was evaluated by many users to be one of the top Masters who were next in line after the Heaven above the Heavens in terms of defense, rolled on the ground as he felt a pain in his heart; it was as if someone or something was trying to rip out his heart. There were no visible wounds on his body. His gear was also intact and fine. However, Adol knew he had suffered an irreversible blow. ¡°He¡¯s employing Soul Extinction!¡± ¡°Argh. After all, he was DIO¡¯s past operator, so he¡¯s able to evade DIO¡¯s defensive Marduk System¡­¡± ¡°Retreat!!¡± The Masters, who had attacked Tan without fear, quickly stepped back. If they were being affected by a powerful, overwhelming attack, that was one thing, but just by being nearby Tan, all the Master tankers had perished except Adol. ¡°Oh my¡­ to take such a drastic action against lowly humans. Aren¡¯t you ashamed of calling yourself a great dragon?¡± Arthur, who was facing Tan, gave a snarky smile. Arthur knew that Tan had exploited a loophole in DIO¡¯s user protection system; it was a loophole that Tan knew of because he had previously been the main operator of DIO. DIO¡¯s Marduk System possessed a powerful defense function that protected users from mental interference and spiritual attacks. Of course, as with all defense systems, it wasn¡¯t absolute, but at the very least, it shouldn¡¯t have allowed a Soul Extinction skill to erase the souls of all the Master level users within the range of Tan¡¯s skill. This result occurred because Tan was knowledgeable about the gaps in DIO¡¯s Marduk System through his experience of previously running DIO. ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re really getting on my nerves to the very end.¡± With Ascalon still stuck in his heart, Tan looked at Arthur. Having already consumed his soul to create Ascalon, now a Soul Weapon, Arthur wasn¡¯t affected by Tan¡¯s Soul Extinction spell. In truth, Arthur was only a phantom shell maintained by fragmentary thoughts. ¡°Well, even so, my deep-seated resentment has faded considerably. As expected, it¡¯s bullshit whenever people say that revenge is futile.¡± While floating in the air, Arthur met eyes with Tan, who was looking down at him. Arthur¡¯s body gradually faded and was becoming more and more translucent. ¡°¡­ What are you talking about?¡± Arthur laughed after hearing Tan¡¯s confused voice. ¡°I¡¯ve successfully taken my revenge.¡± The madness in Arthur¡¯s eyes, which had engulfed and consumed him until now, disappeared. Arthur now seemed extremely calm and stable, almost tranquil. Seeing this change, Tan suddenly burst out with laughter. ¡°Hahaha! What? You got your revenge? Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°By sticking this sword through my heart?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Arthur nodded his head, not paying any heed to Tan¡¯s blatant ridicule and sarcastic remarks. And just then¡­ /Crack!/ The sound of something hard being crushing, like rock or steel, rang out so clearly and loudly that it seemed to enter the minds of everyone around them. The reverberation was so intense that even the Masters who were surrounding Tan from a distance trembled unconsciously. Of course, the sensations that Tan felt were on a completely different level from what these Masters felt. ¡°¡­ What?¡± The initial shock and bewilderment Tan felt when he was stabbed in the heart by Ascalon was due to the fact that he suffered a blow from a mere pseudo transcendent; though he was surprised, he didn¡¯t feel a sense of crisis. His current human body form was illusory. Even if he couldn¡¯t extract Ascalon from his heart right away, the situation would be resolved once he left the planet, so he¡¯d be able to escape with only minor injuries. As long as he didn¡¯t die instantly, he¡¯d be able to escape. Currently, Tan was a transcendent being with the authority of an intermediate god. The moment when the Earth God¡¯s penalty was released, his minor injury wouldn¡¯t even be considered injuries. Even if Ascalon reached the level of a Transcendent Weapon, it was not enough to kill an intermediate transcendent god in one blow. In other words, though Tan was taken aback by Arthur¡¯s powerful attack, and had his pride hurt, based on the result of their battle, Tan judged that, on balance, he had obtained a Transcendent Weapon for relatively free. However, Tan suddenly realized that he had made a grave mistake. ¡°Do you know why I chose Ascalon instead of Excalibur as the basis for my soul-based Transcendent Weapon?¡± Arthur remarked. ¡°¡­ You bastard.¡± Crack! Crack! Ascalon was solidifying its grip around Tan¡¯s heart. Arthur grinned at Tan, who was taken aback when he realized that he couldn¡¯t stop the process. ¡°One¡¯s Master Weapon is a summoning-type weapon that manifests for a certain period of time, so using Excalibur as the base for my Soul Weapon, which is created by training one¡¯s soul, was a possibility. Since my Transcendent Weapon is based on my soul, which reflects the characteristic of photonization, Excalibur, with its attributes of lightning and light, matches better with my personal qualities than does Ascalon, with its attributes of metal and water. It would have been more natural and logical to have chosen Excalibur to be the basis of my Transcendent Weapon.¡± However, Arthur had chosen Ascalon rather than Excalibur even though there was a risk that the overall strength and power of his Transcendent Weapon may be weaker, and Tan, realizing that Arthur had made this conscious decision for a reason, recalled Ascalon¡¯s second name. ¡°¡­ Dragon slaying sword, Ascalon.¡± ¡°Right. I chose Ascalon because it¡¯s a dragon slaying sword.¡± Ascalon, an SS Rank magic weapon which was said to be named after the holy sword that defeated a dragon, was one of DIO¡¯s strongest weapons. Arthur had obtained the sword after battling Zygmunt in the Seadragon¡¯s Temple in the deep sea. Zygmunt had handed over Ascalon to Arthur and told him about the sword¡¯s origin, and Tan, who was the previous main operator of DIO, knew of this transfer and of the sword¡¯s qualities and background. ¡®A sword made by an ancient species, who were destroyed by dragons, that contained the vengeful yearning of their species.¡¯ Even though this ancient species completed Ascalon, they were eventually defeated and had their existence completely annihilated from the universe. However, after their complete defeat, instead of being lost, their masterpiece sword found its way into DIO as just another one of the spoils that the draconic species and the Noblesse had gathered over the years and invested into the DIO project. Even though it was a weapon that was explicitly produced to kill dragons, the Noblesse decided to keep the sword instead of destroying it because of its expert workmanship. In other words, they decided to keep the sword as a sort of trophy. /1. Dragon Slayer 2. Apocalypse Tree 3. Pacific 4. Dragon Extermination/ Even the dragons couldn¡¯t find fault with this collection of four spells, which were created and imbued on Ascalon to harm the dragon species. Considering that dragons, who made their reputation throughout the universe as the masters of magic, saw Ascalon in this light, one could tell just how highly they thought of the sword and just how much hatred the creators of the sword had for the dragon species. And now, that sword¡­ Crack! Crackle! Ascalon firmly lodged itself in Tan¡¯s heart and took root. Tan¡¯s mighty output of mana became Ascalon¡¯s fuel source, so Ascalon ¡®s bond with Tan was getting stronger as time progressed. ¡°Until the day you die, that sword will never fall out. Ascalon has anchored to your soul, so even if you survive this battle, the wounds and pain you suffer now will be with you forever.¡± Hearing Arthur¡¯s words, Tan desperately tried to resist the magic power exerted on his heart by Ascalon, but it was already too late. It might have been possible to dislodge Ascalon if Tan had driven it out with all his might the moment it got stuck in his heart, but his arrogance and prejudice eliminated that possibility. ¡°Hahaha! The likes of you¡­ a mere worm¡­ you dare!!!¡± Rumble!! As Tan contorted his face like a wicked demon, the space around him roared as if it was a living beast. The rushing momentum was so terrifying that the surrounding Masters found themselves unconsciously crouching down for cover. However, Arthur wasn¡¯t affected by the reverberations. ¡®Mother¡­¡¯ Starting from his fingertips, Arthur¡¯s body began to turn into particles of light. His soul had been consumed as the main raw material to complete the dragon slaying sword, so his being¡¯s dispersion was a natural result. ¡®Mother¡­¡¯ As Arthur¡¯s consciousness and vision became increasingly blurred, he started seeing a figure. Uld, who had already melted into his soul, smiled and took his hand. ¡®Let¡¯s go, Arthur, no, Seyoung.¡¯ ¡®Yeah¡­¡¯ And finally, Arthur¡¯s figure disappeared without leaving a trace behind. All that was left was Ascalon, which was firmly embedded in Tan¡¯s chest. ¡°Arthur¡­ you bastard¡­!! Arthur¡­!!!¡± Though Tan roared with anger and madness, Arthur was no more. The bright existence of Arthur, who brightened the future of humankind as a good filial son, a hero of humankind, and even as a god of humankind, was finally extinguished. Though his physical presence was no more, memories of his life and achievements remained vividly in the minds of many beings¡­ ¡­ like a flash of light. CH 308 *** Leviathan *** Rumble¡­ Whoosh! Huge dark clouds gathered in the sky. A fierce wind blew from all directions, and heavy thunder rumbled incessantly. ¡°What happened? What¡¯s with this unusual atmosphere? Didn¡¯t Arthur launch his finishing blow¡­ but it doesn¡¯t seem like that guy is going to die anytime soon.¡± ¡°Damn it, it¡¯s still not over¡­¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have Arthur anymore, so now we¡¯re left to deal with that monster¡­¡± Although the collective combat power of the users was surprisingly powerful, it was absolutely not at the level necessary to face off against a transcendent. The reason they were able to fight Tan on somewhat equal footing so far was because Arthur was in charge of the Masters¡¯ attacks. The other Masters could only play assisting roles in the combat; they weren¡¯t able to take the lead in attacking Tan. Now that their side¡¯s main attacker had bowed out, if Tan outputted the same attacks as before, they¡¯d surely be defeated. ¡°Argh¡­ Arthur!! Ah!!¡± Tan grabbed Ascalon¡¯s handle and let out a pain-filled groan. Tan wasn¡¯t neutralized or in a moribund state. His monstrous HP, as the Beast of the Apocalypse, was too large for him to simply fade away and die after suffering a mere human¡¯s attack. But, even so, he couldn¡¯t pull Ascalon out from his chest. /¡°Until the day you die, that sword will never fall out. Ascalon has anchored to your soul, so even if you survive this battle, the wounds and pain you suffer now will be with you forever.¡±/ Crack. Crackle. Tan¡¯s body was crumbling. As Ascalon, which was embedded in his heart, took root with the assistance of Tan¡¯s enormous reservoir of magic power, his soul, feeling a sense of crisis, was beginning to shed its human form, which Tan had been using as a shell. ¡°Argh¡­!!!¡± Tan screamed out. And at that moment¡­ Tan¡¯s body exploded. ¡°What¡­ what¡¯s going on?!¡± ¡°Everyone, back away!¡± When Tan¡¯s body exploded, bits and pieces of his human body shot out all over the area. To be precise, the unfolding scene was a phenomenon closer to an expansion than an explosion. Surprised by the sight of Tan¡¯s humanoid body instantly turning dark blue and seemingly covering the entire world, the Masters screamed and scattered in all directions, but the spreading dark blue qi energy was faster than they were. Crack! Crack! The dark blue qi energy chewed and swallowed the Masters who came into contact with it as if the qi energy was a hungry ghost. Among the Masters, some were able to avoid the qi energy by retreating to a safe distance, but those who couldn¡¯t were sucked into it. Rumble! ¡°Try stopping it! Do any spells work?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not responding to any of our spells! I don¡¯t think it¡¯s natural or magic related!¡± Seeing the Masters screaming as the unavoidable dark blue qi energy wave approached them, Cruze threw her sniper rifle onto the ground and stood up. Her aura powered sniper rifle dispersed into particles and disappeared, which freed up some of her memory. However, Cruze needed much more memory than what she freed up from the sniper rifle, so she utilized her hidden card. ¡°Operate Divine Weapon! Crown of Nihility.¡± After her murmur, a brilliantly shining white crown appeared atop Cruze¡¯s head. The Crown of Nihility, her Divine Weapon, allowed her to instantly amplify her memory. And with that increased memory, Cruze materialized a new weapon. ¡°Operate Earth Breaker! Come out and smash everything! Smash everything Earth Breaker!¡± The 4th Stage of Civilization strategic weapon, Earth Breaker, which controlled the forces of attraction and repulsion and manipulated spatial vectors, soon appeared. Earth Breaker wasn¡¯t originally intended to be used as a personal weapon; it normally only appeared on a few Terra-Class giant warships. However, presently, Cruze reproduced it in the form of a [sword]. Earth Breaker manipulated spatial vectors and the direction and size of a designated force. In other words, Earth Breaker defied the laws of physics and the conservation of energy. Theoretically, if the given input energy was infinite, the output of Earth Breaker would also be infinite. What was even more frightening was that Earth Breaker could control directional force while maintaining free range of movement. Due to these characteristics, Earth Breaker was mainly used for terraforming or destroying entire planets, hence the name Earth Breaker. Whoosh! A huge repulsive wave collided against the rushing dark blue qi energy. Although she had been using Earth Breaker as a kind of vector cannon, Cruze instinctively knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to completely block the power radiating outward from Tan¡¯s body. Cruze¡¯s judgment was proven correct. Her huge repulsive wave pushed the dark blue qi energy with terrifying momentum and somewhat changed its direction. The sight of the weakened and receding dark blue qi energy wave was truly majestic, but Cruze soon turned pale. ¡°Damn it! If I could have deployed Earth Breaker for 12 seconds, I would have been able to completely neutralize the qi energy attack!¡± Cruze had even activated her Master Skill, Repeated Phantasm, but even so, Earth Breaker only operated for 4 seconds. If she only used it as a vector cannon, she would have been able to operate Earth Breaker for 20 seconds, but the power output under that operation wouldn¡¯t have allowed her to weaken Tan¡¯s attack. However, the moment she reached her materialization time limit, another being jumped into the fray. ¡°Earthquake, Part Two.¡± The command was uttered with a whisper, but to Cruze, the words sounded like roaring thunder. Cruze suddenly realized that Arc hadn¡¯t used a single drop of magic power during the entire battle and had been spell chanting the entire time. Throughout her long-winded spell chant, Arc had accumulated an immense amount of magic power. In this manner, Arc was able to output a tremendously large amount of magic power all at once. However¡­ ¡°You idiot! Stop immediately!! No matter how powerful the Blackyak Sect¡¯s battle spell chant is, it can¡¯t stop that attack!¡± There was a limit to the power a single Master had. Though some Masters had realized their superpowers incredibly quickly and reached high levels, their given game-play time was too short. If users were given 10 years, 100 years, or even more time¡­ then it may have been possible to produce a collective attack that could neutralize Tan¡¯s. However, as of right now, the only ones who overcame the absolute wall of time and achieved power output beyond their gametime were the Irregulars. Because of this, after shouting a warning, Cruze focused on summoning Earth Breaker once more. She was concerned that her Divine Weapon would only operate an additional second without any other memory support skills and that she¡¯d have to face a permanent stat loss, but she judged that, with Arthur now out of the picture, she was the only left that could contend against Tan. However, before she could resummon Earth Breaker, Arc¡¯s magic spell triggered first. ¡°Wailing Wall.¡± Crack. As her black armored fist struck the ground, the ground, which had been flattened like a mirror from Tan¡¯s sweeping qi energy wave, rose up with tremendous force. ¡°What? Huh? What is this?¡± Cruze and the other Masters were left speechless after witnessing the inconceivably large output of magic power that exploded out in an instant. The ground shook fiercely. Like the surface of a wavy potato chip, ridges started to form on the earth¡¯s surface. It was as if the entire Earth¡¯s crust had been compressed and split apart. Boom! With a single blow, the entire surrounding terrain, extending for tens of kilometers to the left and right, was lifted, effectively blocking the dark blue qi energy wave from advancing. This phenomenon was possible because the earth itself was reinforced with Arc¡¯s magic power. Whoosh! As the retreating Masters saw a wall of earth, which could easily bury quite a few cities, suddenly appear between them and Tan, they collapsed onto the ground in surprise. ¡°What? What happened?¡± ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± When they came to their senses, the earthen wall had already pushed to the area where the filming crew was filming the battle. As they checked their HP and status, the Masters saw the dark blue qi energy gathering and increasing in size on the other side of the earthen wall. Tan¡¯s figure could no longer be seen. ¡°Arc¡­ who the hell is she?¡± We are "pawread dot com", find us on google. Even in the midst of all that was going on, Cruze looked towards Arc. Even though she had exerted a near-miraculous output of magic power, Arc seemed relatively calm and relaxed. ¡°Cruze, just now¡­ that attack¡­¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Cruze answered while barely maintaining control over her wildly undulating aura power. ¡°It was an Ultimate Magic Spell¡­¡± Cruze was taken aback. She was thoroughly confused¡­ there was no prior context to justify such growth, especially from a user who was largely a nobody for Cruze. If Merlin had deployed such a spell, she would have understood, but a user, who Cruze thought was just moderately accomplished at best, was able to release such a powerful ultimate magic¡­ However, the situation on the battlefield was so urgent that Cruze couldn¡¯t afford to watch Arc in amazement for long. Thud! ¡°Uh, uhm, this can¡¯t be¡­¡± The dark blue qi energy wave was blocked by the huge earthen wall, but the dark blue qi energy continued to gather and expand. Like an endlessly inflating balloon, the dark blue qi energy grew as if it was planning to cover the whole world. The dark blue qi energy rose in height against the earthen wall, and soon, the qi energy overflowed over the earthen wall. However, the most concerning and serious issue wasn¡¯t that the dark blue qi energy was expanding. The really serious problem was¡­ Crack!!! That great mass of energy¡­ Began to take on a form and mass. ¡°¡­ No way¡­¡± Most humans were unfamiliar with living things larger than themselves, but Masters were relatively unconcerned with the size of other living things. An ordinary modern person would instinctively feel fear if a dog was taller than the height of one¡¯s own waist, but a DIO user, who often battled against huge [enemies], wasn¡¯t as sensitive to another being¡¯s size. However, at this moment, the ordinary people filming the battle and the gathered Masters, who even fought against a dragon in the past, felt a similar feeling. Rumble! Just the act of raising its head created a gust of wind that made it impossible for anyone in the vicinity to stand upright. The being was so large that it wasn¡¯t possible for a normal human to see and make out its entire body. ¡°What the hell is that?!¡± ¡°This is crazy¡­¡± The ground shook. The scale of the newly formed being was truly enormous; unlike when the ground shook when Arc deployed her magic spell, the current shaking was a pure physical phenomenon. In other words, it wasn¡¯t shaking because magic power was being exerted onto the earth; the earth was essentially screaming as it couldn¡¯t withstand the load that was exerted by the being¡¯s existence. Ordinary humans would only feel the shaking of the ground, but the Masters, with their developed superhuman cognitive abilities, saw how the being¡¯s large size was crushing multiple nearby cities. The place where they were fighting was the courtyard of the Magic Tower. Considering that in the past, Merlin completely leveled Cheonan City after it suffered considerable damage from the Legion and Grotesque¡¯s attack and built the current Magic Tower in the middle of the space, the fact that the monster could be so large as to crush surrounding cities was hard for the Masters to mentally process. [My God¡­ how big is that thing? It¡¯s expanded well beyond the borders of Cheonan City and has overflowed into neighboring Onyang City¡­ No, at this rate, it may have already entered Pyeongtaek City and Jincheon county.] [That thing¡¯s left leg¡­ has reached the sea.] [It¡¯s tens of¡­ no, close to a hundred kilometers tall. How can such a creature exist?] A few Masters had boarded their flying shuttles and flew up into the air to get a better view of the monster. When they communicated the monster¡¯s overwhelming size to the Masters below, everyone fell silent. Dragons were considered super-large monsters, as they were often 100 to 300 meters tall. However, in comparison, the size of this monster was beyond anyone¡¯s comprehension. ¡°Should I interpret this as a failure or an honor?¡± Quiet Heaven stated aloud. ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s more desperation than anything else,¡± Ellie responded. Unlike the humans who were in a state of confusion, Quiet Heaven and Ellie, two of the three pets who knew the true identity of the monster, seemed detached. In truth, it was the first time they had laid eyes on Tan¡¯s true body as well. ¡°The Noblesse elder isn¡¯t holding anything back. I never would have thought that he¡¯d bring out his true body to an outskirt planet like this¡­¡± ¡°Leaving that aside, shouldn¡¯t the Elohim be mobilizing at this point¡­? I don¡¯t think a lowly commoner like me fits in this mythical-scale battle ¡­¡± Tan¡¯s true body was so large that it made one wonder if human existence and its influence were smaller than a speck of dust in the wider universe. The dark blue skin covered the monster¡¯s entire body, and the monster was so tall that its head pierced through the clouds. In truth, Tan possessed a completely different appearance from other dragons in the dragon species. If one had to somehow describe Tan¡¯s appearance, one would say Tan looked like a Black Draconic Tortoise; the head was of a dragon, but the body was of a tortoise, however, this only described his overall shape. Tan¡¯s body was also covered in scales and clumps of hair, a combination that looked grotesque. Tan¡¯s appearance made the Masters question whether they could put Tan into the category of a dragon. However, Tan was known throughout the universe as one of the primeval dragons that existed from the beginning of time. He was a mythical being who destroyed countless worlds and even fought against the Messiah. ¡°At last, he makes his appearance¡­ The King of the Arrogant, the Beast of the Apocalypse.¡± Wukong, who had been still, spoke with a grave voice. ¡°Leviathan.¡± CH 309 ¡°Leviathan.¡± A gust of wind suddenly blew. City-sized pupils slowly opened and laid their eyes on the world. The pressure exuding from those eyes was so strong that the Masters and everyone else around the world who was watching the scene through their television sets grew terrified. A heavy sense of intimidation descended upon everyone, as if one was facing up against an immovable mountain. Moreover, there was an intense hatred that seemed to burn within one¡¯s soul. Everyone who saw those eyes sensed a singular meaning in their mind. /I¡­ ¡­ despise you all./ The ordinary people who were taking pictures of Tan¡¯s monstrous body with their cameras couldn¡¯t help but collapse onto the ground and relieve themselves. Some even grasped their chest and rolled on the floor before their movements stopped for good. ¡°His true nature is finally coming out¡­ I can hear the sound of all the image making that he¡¯s done over the past tens of thousands of years going poof and disappearing into thin air. Well, should I at least be glad that he¡¯s not Satan?¡± Quiet Heaven shook his head when he heard Ellie click her tongue and comment. Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. ¡°Since this isn¡¯t the end times, that isn¡¯t something he can do even if he wanted to. However, it does seem like he¡¯s been pushed into a corner. For an old dragon like Tan to not be able to control his own emotions¡­¡± Compared to Quiet Heaven and Ellie, who both seemed relatively calm, Wukong was restless. ¡°Hey, shouldn¡¯t we retreat? No, before that, why is there no news from the Elohim? Are things progressing so quickly that the Noblesse aren¡¯t able to check what¡¯s going on? Have the gods¡¯ brains rotted after being held up on a pedestal for so long?¡± ¡°Oh, our great and esteemed Son Wukong¡­ You were always talking so highly of the Celesti, but where are they now?¡± ¡°When was I ever praising the Celesti? The only being I respect is the Great Sage Heaven¡¯s Equal!¡± Contrary to their rugged names, the Stone Monkeys, of which Wukong was a part of, were a species that possessed a lot of power within the Noblesse organization; however, their origin was more closely related to the Elohim, not the Noblesse. Case in point, Son Wukong, was the great saint of the Great Sage Heaven¡¯s Equal. Wukong was a renowned Elohim fighter of the highest rank, and his presence, name, and achievements had been engraved in the annals of the [universe]. Thanks to this, even in the subconscious of Earth¡¯s humankind, who existed on the outskirts of the universe, his name was known, which allowed him to carry his name with pride¡­ but in the current situation, his name value was of no use. ¡°Well, if Great Sage Heaven¡¯s Equal came in-person then I might be a bit impressed,¡± Quiet Heaven muttered. ¡°Heck, it doesn¡¯t even have to be Great Sage Heaven¡¯s Equal! No, shouldn¡¯t we at least expect someone at a lower level to mobilize? Everyone¡¯s always making a fuss and crying out for order and justice every day, but where are all those beings now?¡± Wukong stopped speaking and raised his head to look up at Tan. The ancient magic dragon, whose size couldn¡¯t be properly discerned if one stood in front of it, stood without any movement. ¡°It¡¯s pure chaos right now¡­ but why isn¡¯t he making a move?¡± Tan didn¡¯t even need to use an ultimate magic spell. Just by kicking off the ground, jumping up, and rolling around on the planet, Tan would cause a global, no, a planetary catastrophe. His overwhelming mass transcended the power of most material weapons. But before their thoughts could go any further, a voice interrupted them. ¡°Hey, bird brain.¡± ¡°Call me Quiet Heaven.¡± ¡°Sure, bird brain. Where¡¯s Merlin?¡± ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s a good question.¡± ¡°That bastard, why is he so late to the party!¡± Cruze gnashed her teeth while restoring her depleted aura power. Even for her, a largely closeted figure, Arthur was somewhat of a friend. Although they had drifted apart recently, Cruze still felt heartbroken after seeing him die. However, the current situation was urgent. She couldn¡¯t afford to mourn Arthur¡¯s death. It was because Tan¡¯s body, which was so large that Cruze had to crane her neck and raise her head nearly to its limit to see his head, which was almost more than a kilometer away, was incredibly daunting and powerful. ¡®In the end¡­ do I need to use¡­ that? On Earth?¡¯ Among the weapons she had programmed into her arsenal, there were three types of exceptional limited arm weapons that she could call upon. There was Earth Breaker, a strategic weapon of the 4th Stage of Civilization, which controlled the force of attraction and repulsion and manipulated spatial vectors. There was also Infinity Shelter, which was another creation of a 4th Stage of Civilization, that separated time and space to protect everything within a given space. And then, there was¡­ ¡°Genocider.¡± Genocider was a product of the 3rd Stage of Civilization. Of course, such a weapon easily surpassed the level of Earth¡¯s technology, which was in the 2nd Stage of Civilization, but unlike Earth Breaker and Infinity Shelter, two advanced tech weapons that modern Earth scientists couldn¡¯t even understand even if the tech was presented right in front of them, Genocider was within the range that humankind could understand with its current knowledge and tech base. Considering that there was a limit to the total amount of energy output that Cruze could produce due to the nature of materialization¡­ Genocider was the most effective and efficient amongst the three limited arm weapon options at Cruze¡¯s disposal. ¡°You¡¯re thinking of using an anti-matter cannon?¡± Cruze gritted her teeth after hearing Lancelot¡¯s words. ¡°Do we have any other option besides that? Look at the size of that thing¡­ that monster is at least 100 kilometers in diameter. Do you think any other attack will work against that thing? Even if you stab its eyes with your spear, you probably won¡¯t even be able to penetrate its cornea.¡± When antimatter, which operated under the opposite concept of matter, combined with matter, it annihilated the object at that moment and converted matter into energy. The energy emitted by antimatter was the combined mass of the matter and antimatter, and in theory, when antimatter annihilated in pairs, energy equal to 43 billion times the input mass. In other words, just 1 gram of antimatter had the explosive power of 43,000 tons of TNT, which meant that it could exert more power than a nuclear bomb. Even Cruze wasn¡¯t sure what kind of damage the destructive power of an antimatter cannon would have on Earth if she decided to use Genocider. At the very least, the people living in South Korea, Japan, and parts of China would probably be affected by it. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± However, Lancelot continued speaking in a calm voice. ¡°I¡¯m asking if you¡¯re okay.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Cruze¡¯s body staggered. In truth, she had nearly reached her limit. She had been keeping a transcendent, Tan, in check for a while, and she had recently materialized Earth Breaker to its time limit, so she had expended a tremendous amount of her stamina and will power. Additionally, this wasn¡¯t only the case for Cruze. ¡°Darian¡¯s Mercy¡­¡± ¡°Body, Virtuous Gate (5th Gate), open.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­ I can¡¯t seem to recover even if I eat¡­¡± The number of Masters who were healing each other¡¯s injuries and recovering their won consumed spiritual powers had decreased to an incomparably small number. The battle had been fierce and contentious up to a certain point, but then, Soul Extinction happened. ¡°Did you check?¡± A white man in a suit answered Bruce Wayne¡¯s question. ¡°Yes. The IDs and accounts of those who perished have all been deleted¡­ their real-life bodies are also confirmed to be in a state of coma.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Even though he wasn¡¯t an expert, Wayne had studied spiritual power studies, so he knew about the connection between one¡¯s body and one¡¯s soul. Even if one¡¯s physical body was alive, if the soul was gone, the being was, for all intents and purposes, a dead existence. Although a soulless person may look like a person in a vegetative coma state¡­ their condition was far worse than a person suffering under a normal coma. Strictly speaking, being soulless was worse than suffering a normal death. If one¡¯s soul was annihilated, one wouldn¡¯t even be able to naturally flow to the Nether world and reenter the circle of life. ¡®Our side¡¯s force has decreased tremendously. Should I at least be glad that I kept my distance at that critical time?¡¯ Bruce Wayne frowned and checked the status of the remaining Masters. The number was less than thirty. Just in case, Bruce Wayne had his underlings check the status of the Masters who were caught up in Tan¡¯s [expansion], so when he found out that those individuals had their existence annihilated as well, he knew the situation was grave and serious. Moreover, most of the remaining Masters were wounded. ¡°Adol! Adol, are you okay?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ I¡¯m okay¡­ ugh.¡± Coughing up blood, Adol made an expression that the divine power cleric, who was emitting divine power to heal Adol¡¯s wounds, couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Your condition isn¡¯t improving! I don¡¯t understand¡­ on the surface, it doesn¡¯t seem like a serious injury!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ to be expected. I should have been dead, so it¡¯s actually abnormal that I¡¯m alive.¡± Adol responded as calmly as possible even though he was suffering from a tremendous sense of loss and physical pain. Bruce Wayne, who was watching him, expressed his confusion. ¡°What do you mean that you should have died?¡± Bruce Wayne asked Adol. ¡°I was caught up in Tan¡¯s Soul Extinction. But¡­ my Master Skill, Oath of Chivalry, had the effect of instantly strengthening my soul, so I was able to somehow endure his spell.¡± Adol had lost more than 30% of his soul. Luckily, Adol didn¡¯t suffer any loss of memory, since his body, to be exact, his brain, had not suffered any damage; however, the loss of his soul had a devastating effect on his ego. That wasn¡¯t all; Adol would have to live a life of struggle, as he would have to continue to endure a sense of endless loss and pain forever. ¡°Black, is it possible to cure him?¡± At Bruce Wayne¡¯s question, the Black Unicorn that Bruce Wayne was atop of snorted. ¡°Brr! A cure? Cure a lost soul? Maybe if you had some sort of infinite revival spell?! Are you mad?¡± ¡°Do you want to starve to death?¡± ¡°¡­ If an esteemed high-level transcendent were to step in, he may be healed, master.¡± ¡°For example?¡± ¡°The most realistic possibility is Darian, who is known for being benevolent. By the way, that user is a follower of Darian, so if he serves Darian for a long time, he will be blessed and will have a very high probability of regaining parts of his missing soul.¡± ¡°So, what is the specific probability?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a high probability. About 1 in 10 billion.¡± ¡°¡­¡± In the end, after excluding the Masters who were unable to fight, including Adol, the actual number of available Masters was only about twenty. However, even those who remained weren¡¯t in a fit state due to repeated deaths during their prolonged battle against Tan. ¡°We¡¯re in a pretty desperate state, but it¡¯s a bit bizarre¡­¡± Bruce Wayne looked around him. The whole place was filled with heavy silence. There were quite a few Masters who were talking here and there, but they were all whispering. The sight reminded Bruce Wayne of the cause of this tension. ¡°No, wait. Black.¡± ¡°Brr! Yes, master?¡± ¡°How come¡­ How come that guy isn¡¯t moving? Based on the mood and momentum he exuded earlier, he seemed like he was about to run out of control, no?¡± ¡°Brr! You call that a question? The reason is simple.¡± Bruce Wayne¡¯s pet, Black, looked up at Tan. ¡°It¡¯s because¡­¡± Black spoke up to that point before shutting its mouth. It was because Black realized that the situation in which Tan, who had been madly furious just ten minutes ago, was just standing still was definitely not normal. ¡°¡­ wait¡­ what¡¯s wrong with him?¡± *** Tan, the being that was on everyone¡¯s mind, spoke in a calm tone of voice using spiritual speech. [This was an accident.] [No. This wasn¡¯t an accident. Since I¡¯ve been observing from the sidelines, you must be thinking that I¡¯m just a dumb scarecrow.] Standing on the bridge of Tan¡¯s nose, which was large enough to be able to erect dozens of buildings on it, a cute-looking penguin spoke in a cold spiritual speech voice. [I¡¯ve kept quiet and just watched all this time, so you must take me for a dumb mute now, huh?] [I¡­] Tan cleared his mind and settled his temper. His anger rose to the point of dizziness, but he knew that now was not the time to increase his enemies. [Don¡¯t push it¡­ I might lose my cool and fall off the deep end.] [Oh, so you¡¯re resorting to threats now.] [Do you really want to see what a threat is? Shall we put an end to everything?] The cute looking penguin giggled after hearing Tan¡¯s growl. The penguin¡¯s two short wings fluttered. [Hahaha! Wow, you¡¯re really mad right now, aren¡¯t you? I didn¡¯t know you could still exert such emotion at your advanced age.] [Stop. Anyway, you and I are both bound by law and preset rules, so let¡¯s negotiate. You already know that I have no intention of causing great harm and damage to this planet, right?] Of course, the number of casualties already caused by Tan¡¯s actions weren¡¯t negligible, but in the first place, the existence of the Planet God, the penguin in this case, was to manage [civilization] itself, not to value every single life. Earth¡¯s Planet God was a powerful untouchable existence with a high divine position, so the word omnipotence was the most apt descriptive term to describe its powers. If the Earth Planet God had a love for humanity and valued every single life, humankind would have had to live under absolute rule, where no war or murder could ever exist. [That¡¯s true, but¡­ let¡¯s hear what you have to say first. What do you want?] [Operating rights of DIO and Muspelheim. Even though what I¡¯m doing right now is beyond what I¡¯m allowed to do, you probably know why I¡¯m taking such extreme actions. Both DIO and Muspelheim were originally mine.] [Hmm, your explanation is a bit different from what I know.] Although the Planet God was an independent being that didn¡¯t have any connection with the [outside] universe, it knew the general situation due to its omniscience, which was one of its famous and powerful powers. Since more than 80% of DIO¡¯s system was made possible by Jenica, the Empress of Magic, Tan, who essentially robbed Jenica, had little ground to claim ownership over DIO. Of course, Tan¡¯s intention and meaning was to use his previous ownership of DIO as the basis for his claim, but if that was the case, shouldn¡¯t Merlin, the outstanding talent who currently [owned and operated] DIO, have just as strong of a claim? [It¡¯s just a transitory change in ownership. DIO belongs to me.] [It¡¯s hard for me to agree with your claim. Well, at least in the case of Muspelheim, I might be able to understand¡­ Huh?] The Planet God, the penguin, suddenly stopped speaking. The penguin was so surprised and taken aback that it clasped its beaks together unconsciously and let out a large snapping sound. [What? What about Muspelheim?] [Muspelheim is¡­ Hahaha! Oh my God. Cheeky! Hahaha!] Seeing and hearing the penguin¡¯s annoying laughter, Tan grew restless. The penguin acted in this manner because its [omniscience] characteristic had conveyed new information to it. [What is it?] [Hahaha! Oh my! This is why humans shouldn¡¯t be overlooked!] Tan frowned as he saw the penguin burst out into another fit of maniacal laughter. [What¡¯s going on?] [As for what happened, it doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯ll ever be getting Muspelheim back.] Saying so, the Planet God fluttered its two short wings. And at that moment the world turned gray¡­ ¡°What is it? What the hell did you bring over to my planet?¡± An Asian girl with a slightly cute impression appeared without any warning, as if she had been there from the beginning. Tan frowned at the sight, but the penguin chuckled. [Ah, sorry. I have some possible good news for you. Didn¡¯t you say that you were worried because demons kept crossing over and coming to your planet?] ¡°So, you brought me this lump?¡± [Ah, don¡¯t be angry~ It¡¯s an opportunity to deal with your problem without having to do any heavy lifting. Just the aftershock of the upcoming battle will be enough to chase away all the demons that have been troubling you.] At the penguin¡¯s words, the girl furrowed her eyebrows. ¡°Chasing away all the demons just from the aftershock of battle¡­ Your humans are that strong? You don¡¯t even have a proper transcendent in your human population, no?¡± With an anxious feeling, Tan looked at the two Planet Gods that were conversing on the bridge of his nose. As long as he could get his hands on Merlin, his primary goal, and the Magic Tower, it wasn¡¯t a problem to be dragged along by these Planet Gods, but his intuition sounded a warning. Something about their conversation seemed off. [You guys¡­ what are you discussing? Do you intend not to negotiate?] Since a Planet God was an entity that managed a civilization, it always operated and moved from a macroscopic perspective. Even if hundreds of thousands of war refugees died every day, even if the entire Earth was shaken to the core by the attack of extraterrestrial beings, the Planet God would only bring down sanctions based on a set of predetermined [rules]. Knowing this, Tan firmly believed that, even if Earth¡¯s Planet God was angry at his actions, it wouldn¡¯t immediately react with an extreme decision. Above all, Tan possessed a wide range of resources and experience to [negotiate]. However, the Earth¡¯s Planet God, which was in charge of the planet where DIO existed, that is, the penguin, just laughed as if it was having loads of fun. [I don¡¯t think negotiations are necessary.] [What? What are you talking about¡­] Rumble! In an instant, a gale blew around them. It was because Tan¡¯s neck, which was taller than a modern skyscraper, larger than a city, larger than a mountain range, had turned. [Oh my, oh dear¡­] The penguin commented. The Magic Tower, which seemed firmly embedded on the ground, came into Tan¡¯s field of vision. The tower was quite large, but from his point of view, the tower was the size of a toothpick. However, Tan clearly recognized the small presence inside the collapsed wall of the tower. Merlin. He was holding up a bow. And soon, a red line extended towards Tan. Tan, who grasped the identity of all things occurring within the space with his transcendent perception, screamed out. [You crazy son of a bitch!] CH 310 The Masters, who had been nervously watching the monstrously large Tan, groaned at the sudden change of their surroundings. ¡°The crater¡¯s gone! No, wait, I can¡¯t even see the rocky ridge that was just raised by the earthquake¡­ No, more importantly, what are these buildings? Weren¡¯t all the buildings near the Magic Tower razed? The tactical system and my smartphone are also not working!¡± ¡°Something¡­ something has changed. Could it be that we¡¯ve switched locations? But this place still looks like Korea¡­¡± The sky had suddenly turned gray, and, in a flash, numerous buildings appeared out of nowhere. The Masters who were originally from abroad didn¡¯t know the local geography, so they weren¡¯t aware of where they were, but the Korean Masters were able to recognize the identity of the newly appeared buildings. ¡°This is Cheonan City, before it was razed,¡± Arc murmured. Miho asked Arc in a low voice, ¡°¡­ The place where the Legion and Grotesque forces ran amok?¡± ¡°Yeah. However, it¡¯s not as simple as stating that the surrounding buildings have been restored. Something feels off¡­¡± Everyone around Arc made various subtle expressions after hearing her calm explanation. ¡®Who the hell is this girl?¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t know her identity, but thanks to her, I was able to survive¡­¡¯ ¡®If it was Merlin, I would have understood, but there¡¯s another user who can use an ultimate magic spell?¡¯ Arc received the others¡¯ questioning gazes, but unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t time to answer any of their questions. ¡°Grr¡­¡± ¡°Kyak!¡± From the ground, from the walls, from the sky, and from inside the buildings¡­. the growls of beasts echoed. The facial expressions of the Masters changed when they felt a rush of demonic qi. ¡°What the hell? Aren¡¯t those demons?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s more appropriate to state that they¡¯re demonic beasts¡­ Everyone, be careful! These things are strong!¡± Unlike the Heaven above the Heavens, who were recognized for their skills, Bruce Wayne, who was the de-facto leader of the lesser skilled Masters, shouted out. He shouted because he noticed that the strength of the newly revealed monsters easily exceeded that of the average Master level user in their party. However¡­ ¡°Kyak!¡± ¡°Grr!¡± ¡°Screech!¡± All the shadow demonic beasts that initially appeared while exuding fearsome demonic qi soon disappeared as they went back into their shadow forms. ¡°What? What happened?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve hidden themselves through some form of shadow camouflage! Keep your guards up¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, just get together, you idiots.¡± The Masters¡¯ eyes gathered at the origin of the irritated voice. Cruze, who had spoken out, was carrying a huge sniper rifle. Even though she was the weakest amongst the Heaven above the Heavens, her skillset and power were considerable and demanded respect, so the murmuring amongst the Masters died down as they regained their cool. Internally ruing his inevitable position of having to play second fiddle to Cruze, Bruce Wayne, who had commanded the Masters up until now, asked, ¡°Do you know about these things?¡± ¡°How would I know? But no matter how great these monsters are¡­¡± Cruze smiled and looked up at the sky. Tan, or Leviathan, wasn¡¯t moving, but it still exuded a tremendous presence and aura. ¡°Naturally, they¡¯re not going to rear their heads in front of that monstrous beast.¡± ¡°That means¡­ at the very least¡­ we can assume that it wasn¡¯t Leviathan that changed locations, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re pretty smart, aren¡¯t you?¡± Cruze nodded and looked around. The number of Masters was dreadfully small, as they had reduced in number considerably. ¡°We took on many casualties. Moreover, there are a lot of people who weren¡¯t able to make it here¡­ The only able-bodied Masters are Hanma, Jeros, and Aung Nina. Of course, that¡¯s not counting your party.¡± Cruze frowned after hearing Bruce Wayne¡¯s words. ¡°What about Adol? I saw that he was injured, but¡­¡± ¡°I was able to confirm that he logged out. He¡¯s lost part of his soul, so he¡¯s as good as dead.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s too bad that he¡¯s gone¡­¡± With a nervous expression, Cruze bit her fingernails, then, she turned around without a word. Bruce Wayne furrowed his eyebrows, but, since he had interacted with Cruze for a considerable amount of time in DIO, he cleared his thoughts and started taking care of the other Masters. ¡°Do you need a tanker? Even though I¡¯m not a defensive expert, I think I can block things fairly well.¡± Lancelot, who had been silently following Cruze as if he were her bodyguard, offered his help with a puzzled expression. He had a fighting style that focused exclusively on attacks, but his singular attack style was why he was good at countering enemy attacks and [offsetting] them. Although they had been put in peril repeatedly, Tan¡¯s attacks had been blocked by Lancelot up to now, so Lancelot was wondering why Cruze was seeking Adol, a veteran shield tanker. Right then, Cruze spoke some unexpected words. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°¡­ Can you sit this one out?¡± Lancelot hesitated after hearing Cruze¡¯s words. When he turned his head, he saw Cruze avoiding his gaze. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t feel good about this one. You should go into the tower and come out with Merlin¡­ Whoa?!¡± Bam. Cruze grabbed her forehead and groaned after sustaining a quick but fierce blow to her head. She was capable of countering any type of surprise attacks, but no matter how talented she was, the level of martial arts ability that Lancelot had developed so far wasn¡¯t easy to counter, especially from such close proximity. And towards Cruze, who was taken aback by the blow, Lancelot spoke out. ¡°Your words just now¡­¡± Lancelot continued speaking in a low voice. ¡°¡­ is greatly insulting to me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Cruze gritted his teeth at Lancelot¡¯s tone of voice, which was drastically different from normal. Of course, she knew what he was saying. She knew how Lancelot got to this point; she was gifted with her genius, but Lancelot had nothing. He had cultivated his skill single-mindedly for hundreds of years. Such a thing was simple to state, ¡®hundreds of years¡¯, but if anyone seriously considered the implications and extent of that time span, it¡¯s easy to see how improbable such a feat would be for any normal human being. Even if one repeatedly studied every night for five years to take a single exam, the stress one received would be beyond anyone¡¯s imagination. If one joined the military as a medic, two years would seem like an eternity. Hence, was it possible for an ordinary human mind, which would never have experienced hundreds of years, to be able to cope with such a long span of time, never mind cultivating throughout that entire time? ¡°Still.¡± Nonetheless. ¡°Can you retreat this one time?¡± ¡°¡­¡± This time, Lancelot hesitated. Cruze had never shown such consideration and a soft side before. As he held her shoulders with both his hands and looked at her face-to-face, he saw a frowning young red-headed girl looking back. ¡°¡­ What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I have a bad feeling. That monster¡­ I don¡¯t feel good.¡± ¡°Is it your intuition?¡± Lancelot knew from experience that, with her fearsome talents, Cruze was incomprehensibly endowed with great intuition. Moreover, the hit rate of her intuition was very high. Cruze slightly hesitated before responding. ¡°That damned bastard was strong before, but I feel that things have gotten worse. We can¡¯t resist¡­¡± ¡°Lea Schmidt. Byun Miri. Cruze.¡± Lancelot cut Cruze off and spoke lightly. He called her by all her names, her German name, her Korean name, and her DIO ID. ¡°Uh, yeah.¡± When he saw her hesitate, Lancelot, Byun Dongsoo, spoke clearly. ¡°I won¡¯t stop.¡± [Resolution], which enabled his endless effort and endeavor, wasn¡¯t something that Lancelot put away whenever it was convenient to do so, like putting something away in one¡¯s pocket when one was at a disadvantage and then taking it out later when it was convenient. ¡°Even if the end is total destruction and annihilation¡­ I won¡¯t stop.¡± If Lancelot stopped even once, he¡¯d never be able to go again. And because he knew this quality about himself all too well¡­ he wasn¡¯t planning on stopping. He¡¯d rather die running than stop before reaching the finish line, or whatever goal he was satisfied with. ¡°¡­¡± Cruze was lost for words as she peered into Lancelot¡¯s brightly shining eyes. She saw an unbreakable determination in his eyes. She had been born with talent, but she never had the [preparation] and training mindset to match it. As she gritted her teeth and remained quiet, the Masters suddenly began to stir. ¡°Merlin?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Merlin! He¡¯s finally come out!¡± Merlin looked up at the gigantic body of Tan with a calm expression. Before anyone knew it, Arc and Miho, who were always with him, and their three pets, were flying towards him. Youngmin, the dimensional-shifter, also approached and stood by Merlin¡¯s side. This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV. ¡°Merlin! Did things go well?¡± ¡°Yeah. Oh, but rather than that¡­¡± Merlin threw something towards Miho. Miho caught the item and made a blank expression. ¡°¡­ A Soulstone?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the last slave contractor left in DIO.¡± Hearing Merlin¡¯s incomprehensible words, Miho frowned with confusion. ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m still around, no?¡± Miho was an NPC who lost all her memories and was suppressed by DIO¡­ which was proof that she was a slave contractor. Ordinary contractors weren¡¯t subjected to such sanctions, and above all, she herself recalled the memory of her previous life as Heavenly Flower, a nine-tailed fox who was also called the Witch of Desolate Nation. ¡°No.¡± But even so, Merlin shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s the last one.¡± ¡°What are you talking¡­¡± ¡°Operate Divine Weapon. Olympos.¡± Ignoring Miho¡¯s bewilderment and reciting his Divine Weapon activation phrase, Merlin brought out a large longbow that looked like it was made of jewels. It had a completely different appearance from before, as it now looked like some sort of masterpiece that was carved out of jewels. Creak! As soon as he pulled the bow¡¯s line, the bow seemed to protest, and in turn, a great amount of potential qi energy was created. The gathered Masters were surprised by Merlin¡¯s sudden appearance and subsequent action. ¡°Are you planning on striking first?¡± ¡°Hey, calm down! There¡¯s no way an attack like that would work against such a monster right now¡­¡± However, the Masters who shouted and protested took a step back in an instant. This was because they saw a red ruby floating above Merlin¡¯s shoulder. Whoosh. Magic power whipped around Merlin. That was all. However, that simple movement of magic power conveyed a thousand words and caused everyone to instantly shut their mouths. Even after seeing Tan¡¯s extraordinary true body¡­ Merlin wasn¡¯t just gathering magic power. He was exuding a tremendous power, as if [one world was being converged into one point]. ¡°No, no, wait a minute¡­ what is this?¡± ¡°Sparks¡­ sparks¡­ can this be¡­¡± Even though they were at the lower end, the pets, who had experienced the wider universe as members of the Noblesse, shuddered with surprise. And the ruby, which was exuding such a terrifying power¡­ Whoosh! The ruby turned into an arrow of flame and was tautly strung to Olympus¡¯s bow line. ¡°Howling spell.¡± Merlin let go of the arrow. ¡°Apollon.¡± CH 311 *** Intruders *** In the ancient past, a time so long ago that it was difficult to quantify, there were violent beings that no one could do anything about. These beings were more human than humans, more emotional than humans, and more violent than humans, yet these beings possessed godly power. They were the Olympian gods. To them, the laws of the universe and the duties of a god had no particular meaning. They were born with the power of a god and lived amongst other gods, so their outlook on life and the world were no different from those of ordinary humans. Their numbers increased unrestrainedly, and they often interfered with the flow of fate without any hesitation. Before the Apocalypse, the Olympus Divine Realm boasted tremendous power, enough to rule over the entire universe, and there were dozens of beings whose [names] were engraved in the annals of the universe. However, even though they had possessed tremendous power, no, because they possessed so much power¡­ in the end, the Creator¡¯s gavel fell. And so, they perished. With over ten high rank gods, hundreds of lesser divine gods, and innumerable deities below them, these Olympian gods, who terrified the entire universe, disappeared overnight. Their presence and mark were forever engraved on the [universe], but these gods, who were supposed to be immortal, became Lost Gods; they lost their power and were thrown into the other side of the universe. This process was so brutally thorough that the number of surviving gods numbered less than five. - Ah¡­ And at this moment. - Amazing. One of the Lost Gods, who had lost its power long ago and disappeared from the universe, opened its eyes. ¡°Wow, my goodness¡­ I¡¯ve heard a lot of wild rumors about Irregulars, but this seems a bit much.¡± The girl sitting on the bridge of Tan¡¯s nose looked at the burning man who was floating in front of Tan¡¯s face. In front of Tan, who was as tall as a mountain range, the burning man was nothing more than a speck of dust, but, even so, he wasn¡¯t an existence that could be ignored. This was because of the power the burning man exuded. The power of a tremendous storm. [The Sun God.] - It¡¯s been a while since I saw you, Apocalypse. It would have been nice to converse with you ¡­ but it doesn¡¯t seem like that¡¯s possible. Hearing the god¡¯s low voice, even Tan couldn¡¯t help but be in awe after feeling the god¡¯s presence; the sensation he received made Tan want to curl up his large body into a ball. [Oh, shit.] However, before Tan could do so, the body of Apollo, a man exuding waves of heat, exploded. Flash! The sun rose in the gray world, and the light became a storm. The swirls of light started striking Tan¡¯s body with terrifying force. Ah!! The gray clouds that had covered the sky evaporated and disappeared altogether. And that wasn¡¯t all. Leviathan¡¯s body, which had been standing like an immovable mountain range, flew to one side after an enormous explosion, an explosion so intense that it seemed as if the heavens and earth were collapsing. Just by standing in that space, one¡¯s perception and senses became distorted. However, soon afterwards, Tan, in his Leviathan true body that was as large as a mountain range, stood up. ¡°Wow, look at the power. Crazy,¡± the girl commented. [Isn¡¯t this at Ten Class level? One would think a Demon King had descended.] This level of power, which was created from simple physical force, was equal to the explosion of several dozen nuclear bombs, so, in actuality, humankind could reproduce such an output of power if it had to, but the body of Leviathan, which was born with a mighty divine status, couldn¡¯t be touched or damaged from such lower-level energy explosions. Forget being struck by a nuclear bomb, even if Leviathan was sucked into a black hole, it would be able to escape without any damage, such was the existence of the Demon Dragon of the Apocalypse. However, right now¡­ [You dare¡­ you dare¡­] Leviathan¡¯s body was a mess. Its whole body was glowing red, like an iron that was just taken out of a hot furnace, and its huge back was bent as if it had been hit by a huge hammer. Unquenchable flames burned all over Tan¡¯s body, and though those areas looked small relative to his big frame, the actual size of the flames covered an area that was comparable to most forest fires. [You dare¡­ take my Muspelheim and¡­!] One didn¡¯t have to enter the transcendent realm to use ultimate magic spells. There were shortcuts in the world, and if one turned the history of the universe upside down, one would find an infinitely large number of cases where talented beings demonstrated abilities beyond their level. Numerous offerings, enormous goods, or special materials¡­ evil warlocks could offer sacrifices to output powerful spells beyond their ability levels, a scene that wasn¡¯t considered uncommon. Moreover, there had been many times in the history of emperors and kings of empires consuming astronomical amounts of manpower and goods to realize great magic on a grand scale. The method Merlin was using now was such a case, outputting a spell beyond his abilities through the use of a special material. In other words, Merlin had used up Muspelheim to launch such a powerful attack. [Hahaha!! Hot damn, you¡¯re sure a crazy one. Consuming a Transcendent Weapon to output one magic spell!] While floating next to the penguin, the girl spoke out. The penguin nodded its head while fluttering its palm-sized wings. As Planet Gods, the girl and the penguin possessed the power of omniscience, and the two also knew of Merlin¡¯s true identity even before he attacked. ¡°Certainly, such an act is crazy and unimaginable. To deal with Tan, who isn¡¯t trying to destroy the Earth, but just trying to dominate it, he used up an entire Transcendent Weapon, a priceless item that one wouldn¡¯t be able to obtain even if one sold off five or six planets.¡± A nuclear bomb was a powerful weapon. Needless to say, even if only one nuclear bomb was used, the tides of war would change. But what if a nuclear bomb with the power to blow up a city cost $9,000,000,000 US dollars? Was there any country that would seriously consider using a nuclear bomb? However, Merlin made that exact illogical choice. It was a crazy imbalanced exchange wherein the output value wasn¡¯t anywhere as high as the input value. ¡°If this happens, no matter how important a piece of ¡®property¡¯ Tan sees him as, Tan will never forgive him. Wow, this is going to be bloody.¡± [Ah, I¡¯m curious about what¡¯s ahead, but my foreseeing ability is being blocked by that damn Demon Dragon.] The Planet Gods laughed and joked around. They had no intention of interfering with the battle. This battle, in their eyes, was nothing more than a private war between two parties. For them, it didn¡¯t matter who owned DIO; they just needed to maintain the rules. Although these Planet Gods were called the mothers of civilization, they were not very caring figures. ¡°So, roughly, what do you think will happen?¡± [What do you mean what will happen? Of course, in the end, Tan will prevail. That human¡¯s last attack was extremely powerful¡­ and it may have made the difference if Tan was still in his human form, but it¡¯s impossible to kill Tan now since he¡¯s brought out his true body.] ¡°But can that really be called a victory for Tan?¡± [Well, you have a point.] Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original. Tan¡¯s main body, Leviathan, which Tan hadn¡¯t revealed for thousands of years, had the same durability as the body of a Demon Lord, even with the level down penalty in place. Leviathan was a completely different concept from Tan¡¯s human form manifestation, which the users could have possibly defeated. However, if this was the case, why didn¡¯t Tan invade Earth in Leviathan from the beginning? ¡°It¡¯ll be a battle in which both sides will lose in the end. Perhaps Tan¡¯s downfall begins today.¡± [It¡¯s a pity that a Demon Dragon existence will soon become an existence that¡¯s only talked about in the annals of history.] As the two conversed, they looked up at Leviathan, who had quickly risen up like a thunderbolt. From such a movement, the Earth¡¯s crust became distorted, and a major earthquake occurred. Tan¡¯s mountain range-like back was instantly flattened as he straightened his back. [Merlin!!! Arthur!!! You damn bugs!!!] The entire space rumbled after Tan¡¯s angry roar. The roar was so powerful that even the Masters couldn¡¯t stand the pressure and collapsed or crouched down onto the ground. The shout was proof of how angry the Demon Dragon of the Apocalypse was, which had existed since the beginning of time. ¡®Come to think of it, what was Arthur thinking? Why did he embed Ascalon, the dragon slaying sword, into Tan¡¯s heart and not his head?¡¯ If Arthur had embedded Ascalon into Tan¡¯s head, not into his heart, Tan¡¯s human form manifestation would have died, as it wouldn¡¯t have been able to endure such a strike. Of course, if Tan¡¯s human form manifestation was killed, Tan would have eventually recovered within 3 years at the shortest and 10 years at the longest, but still, wouldn¡¯t Arthur have at least been able to put out an urgent fire? However, Arthur embedded Ascalon into Tan¡¯s dragon heart. And because of that¡­ [¡­ What?] The penguin¡¯s fluttering two wings came to a halt once a rush of intense foreknowledge came to him. The surroundings had come to a complete halt; everything was as still as a picture. The girl floating next to the penguin groaned, as if she had experienced the same foreknowledge and felt the same sensation as the penguin. ¡°What is that?¡± However, the Planet Gods weren¡¯t the most shocked amongst all the beings in the area. Tan, who was enraged and had raised his magic power to strike a blow, felt an emotion close to surging fear when he laid his eyes on Merlin. Merlin pulled back on his bow once more. ¡°Howling Spell.¡± There was a [new arrow] notched on his bow. ¡°Apollon.¡± Bang! Distorting the space, a red ray of light passed through the air. Tan struggled and spasmed when he saw such an unprecedented force flying towards his head once again. Tan planted his feet firmly on the ground and moved his head to avoid the red ray of light. Rumble! When Tan¡¯s head, which was huge, moved like a whip to avoid the oncoming ray of light, a storm raged in its wake. Arc, who seemed unperturbed, protected the Magic Tower and the surrounding Masters from the storm that swept away all the surrounding buildings before rising into the sky. ¡°Hurricane.¡± An unbelievably large amount of power gathered in Arc¡¯s hands, and soon, the power took the form of a whirlpool, wrapping around the Magic Tower and the Masters to protect them from the storm. Arc¡¯s spell was unbelievably powerful for something that didn¡¯t have a pre-chant, but Tan couldn¡¯t afford to divide his attention to such trivial details. Bam! The red ray of light barely passed Tan¡¯s head before disappearing into the distant sky. Considering that Merlin¡¯s arrows moved at about half the speed of light, Tan¡¯s evasion ability was unbelievably good. However, before Tan had a chance to catch his breath, the red ray of light that had disappeared behind him appeared right in front of his eyes. Boom! [Ack!] When the arrow, which had apparently disappeared, appeared right in front of him and struck him, Tan screamed and tumbled back over several tens of kilometers. He was pushed back so much that he smashed up against the Taebaek Mountains and destroyed nearly three quarters of the mountain range. Moreover, one of his legs and his head fell into the East Sea. ¡°The arrow circled the Earth once.¡± [No, wait, the fact that the arrow circled around the Earth isn¡¯t what¡¯s important right now, right? Before that, how was he able to shoot out two such shots?!] Those who had the power of omniscience understood. Merlin¡¯s great magic, which brought back the Lost God Apollon, who was a supernatural being close to a Ten Class, into the material world, was a miracle that could only be possible if Merlin used up a considerable resource. In Merlin¡¯s case, that considerable resource was Muspelheim. Such an act would have made the gods sick, as they would have considered this exchange too wasteful. However, the incongruence was that Merlin should have only been able to bring out the miracle once, since he had ¡®wasted¡¯ his Transcendent Weapon. ¡°Could it be that he somehow increased the energy efficiency in a way that we don¡¯t know of?¡± [Nonsense. There¡¯s no way something like that could be possible, and even if it were, there¡¯s no way our omniscience wouldn¡¯t have picked up on it!] The penguin shook its head after hearing the girl¡¯s question. However, the girl continued. ¡°But you saw what just happened¡­ he issued the same attack twice, no? There¡¯s no way some crazy being would have provided another fire-type Transcendent Weapon to him during this heated battle, right?¡± [That¡¯s true, but in a magic system of that scale, it would have to be a Flame Dragon to achieve twice the level of efficiency, right? That kid, who hasn¡¯t even transcended yet, can do such a thing? That doesn¡¯t make sense.] The two Planet Gods were perplexed and confused. The foreknowledge that they were receiving from their omniscience seemed incongruent. Whoosh! Along with a rush of magic power, a red ruby appeared on Merlin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°¡­ What?¡± [Nonsense. This doesn¡¯t make any sense.] Even the Planet Gods, who were considered omnipotent forces that roamed the vast cosmos as Untouchables, and who no one dared to go up against due to their overwhelming power, were lost for words. The Demon Dragon of the Apocalypse, Tan, who had existed since the beginning of time, also made a confused expression as if he had seen something incomprehensible. However, without caring about any of this¡­ ¡°Howling Spell.¡± A [new] arrow was notched on Merlin¡¯s bow. ¡°Apollon.¡± CH 312 ¡°Apollon.¡± As the red ray of light hit Leviathan¡¯s body and gave off a booming sound, as if the heavens and earth were collapsing, Leviathan¡¯s body rolled across the ground and fell into the East Sea. Actually, the expression that Leviathan fell into the East Sea wasn¡¯t totally accurate. The East Sea boasted a considerable water depth, but it wasn¡¯t large enough to take on the body of Leviathan, which was huge enough for its body to peek through the clouds. Rumble! Like a thunderbolt, Leviathan rose up. That action alone caused a string of natural disasters, from storms and earthquakes to a tsunami. Leviathan was immensely large. Even if its mid-level divine status and divine position, and even the superpowers of its divinity were excluded, Leviathan¡¯s physical presence itself was destructive enough to cause human civilization on Earth to perish. Leviathan¡¯s staggering stature, which was capable of containing dozens of cities on its back, possessed a mass commensurate with its size; thus, the power to move such an epic amount of mass couldn¡¯t be explained by the laws of modern physics, as the existence of Leviathan itself escaped the framework by which humans understood the world. This unbelievably large and inexplicable existence was the Demon Dragon of the Apocalypse, Leviathan, Tan¡¯s true body. However, whether that be the case or not¡­ ¡°Howling Spell.¡± Merlin notched another arrow and pulled back on his bowstring. ¡°Apollon.¡± Giving off a telltale plopping sound, the bow launched the arrow across the air. It was an attack that seemed light and feathery, but¡­ as a large target, Leviathan couldn¡¯t avoid the attack. Moreover, Leviathan constantly consumed an astronomical amount of power just to protect its own body. Even when Tan tried to take advantage of an opening to counter¡­ - Oh dear. Aren¡¯t you embarrassed to resort to such trivial tricks, Apocalypse? It''s been a while since I¡¯ve seen you, but you¡¯re making me increasingly angry by not meeting me head-on and constantly avoiding me. The magic power of Tan, who tried to cast an ultimate magic spell from a distance while momentarily disabling his defense, was crushed by an enormous godly power, and soon, Tan¡¯s gathered magic power harmlessly scattered and dispersed. A huge being was burning brightly in front of Tan. [Sun God!!] -Ah~ I feel so good. It¡¯s like the glory days of old. The Sun God gazed up at the sky with an elated expression as he gently soared upward. Earlier, the Sun God had exhausted all his power and finished his momentary manifestation, but somehow, he was recharged with a phenomenal amount of energy, and his withering manifestation, which had started to disappear into the void, was resummoned. - I don¡¯t know how this is possible¡­ but since the opportunity has come, I should enjoy it, right? When the Sun God finished speaking, another burst of light exploded, and once again, Tan¡¯s body caught on fire. [Nonsense! How is this possible!] Leviathan squirmed and screamed. Tan felt as if he was in a nightmare. ¡°Howling Spell.¡± No, the situation was much worse than any nightmare he could have. ¡°Apollon.¡± The red beam of light was no longer aimed at Leviathan. The subsequent rays of red light flew into the sky, was sucked into the body of Apollo, the Sun God, and transformed into energy that would sustain his divine status. And Apollo, who received such power, made a bow made of heat waves and flames. It was a waste of energy for him to summon a weapon after being summoned himself, but for whatever reason, his summoner was supplying an unlimited amount of energy. Moreover, the quality of that supplied energy was top notch. If a divine being like him had such resources, there was really nothing the Sun God couldn¡¯t do. Flash! When another beam of fiery light was emitted, the sea beneath Leviathan¡¯s feet evaporated and completely disappeared without even the chance of becoming steam, and at the same time, Tan¡¯s body was pushed back dozens of kilometers as if he had been hit by something unimaginably huge. The seemingly simple beam of fiery light contained a spiritual wave, spiritual heat, and even physical force. Leviathan, who possessed phenomenal strength and power, could only defend desperately. ¡°Wow, wait. This is no joke¡­¡± The girl, who was looking down at the battle from the sky, groaned after sensing the powerful blow that should have only been possible for a high-ranking god. ¡°Leviathan might actually die.¡± It should have been impossible. It was a similar feeling to seeing a world-class martial artist fighting against a 3-year-old toddler and having the fighter¡¯s ribs crack and his intestines ruptured from the toddler¡¯s punch. The thought of Leviathan¡¯s death never occurred to the omniscient Planet Gods, or anyone else in the universe for that matter. Even the high-ranking gods, who were said to be beings who could see the past and future of the entire universe, had never considered this possibility. [Hmm, I see¡­ He has that thing stuck in his heart while having to fend off attack after attack¡­ if things progress as they have, it¡¯s fairly likely that he¡¯ll die.] ¡°Don¡¯t we need to save him?¡± Leviathan wasn¡¯t meant to die in a place like this. He was a living part of the universe¡¯s history and had existed since the beginning of time. Furthermore, he was a divine tool of the Creation God, as he directly received and executed the orders of the Creator. However, Tan had fallen from grace and had reached this low point in his illustrious career and life. If he still had the strength and power he had in his heyday, even those with higher divine position would have had a hard time meeting his eyes. [Hmm, I can answer that question in two words.] ¡°Two words?¡± Looking at the puzzled girl, the penguin answered. [Us? Why?] It was true that the penguin had mostly turned a blind eye to the Noblesse¡¯s violence and activities on Earth, even though he was the Planet God where DIO was being operated. In particular, the penguin had just observed Tan¡¯s actions even though they were within the scope of sanctions if the authority of the Planet God were interpreted in a broad sense. However, the penguin¡¯s lack of action wasn¡¯t because it supported Tan or the Noblesse. ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess you¡¯ve got a point¡­¡± The two Planet Gods were merely the custodians of their respective civilizations, so they weren¡¯t on anyone¡¯s side. They enforced the rules and laws they were tasked with, so they were more like observers than anything else. If the Planet Gods expanded their authority or wielded their authority at will, many civilizations in the universe would have had to serve the Planet Gods as their masters. [Well, having said that, I don¡¯t think that huge guy will die.] ¡°Hmm? What?¡± Bam! The moment the penguin finished speaking, a red line was drawn in the air again, and Apollo¡¯s body, which had been blurry, burned more clearly. A mythical godly power that was impossible to properly comprehend! Leviathan possessed great durability, so it would remain intact even after being hit by hundreds of falling meteorites, but currently, Leviathan was taking on considerable damage and would likely perish if things continued as they were. Moreover, the mighty carapace that protected Leviathan¡¯s body had all but cracked and melted, and flames had penetrated and burned his internal organs. Based on the momentum on the battlefield, it seemed likely that things would only get worse for Leviathan. Possessing the power of omniscience as a Planet God, the girl could tell Leviathan¡¯s condition. If Merlin shot just one more arrow, Leviathan¡¯s existence would be completely erased from the universe. But at that moment¡­ ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. There are those others.¡± The penguin laughed after hearing the girl¡¯s words as she spoke and nodded with a realization. [Yeah, even if they act based on their own goals and objectives, in the end, they¡¯re all still on the same side.] The penguin¡¯s voice, while speaking the last line, was full of contempt. But at this very moment, for the penguin at least, the most important thing wasn¡¯t the [eventuality] of the conclusion. The penguin fluttered its wings and looked down at Merlin. [Anyway, besides that¡­] The penguin made a puzzled expression. [How many damn arrows is that guy planning to shoot?] *** ¡°Oh my God, get down!!!¡± ¡°Oh man! What is this! Dude, in the end, we¡¯re both the same human being, right? But why is his firepower on a completely different scale¡­ Argh!!¡± The Masters huddled around the Magic Tower as they screamed and ducked for cover. Flash! And again, a burst of light covered the world. The transmitted power was difficult for the Masters to comprehend, let alone measure. ¡°This is nonsense. No matter how out of the ordinary Merlin is, this is unreasonable!¡± Arthur, who had reached the transcendent state after successfully photonizing his body, had also been an unspeakably powerful existence, but the power that Merlin was showing off was on a completely different level. Whoosh! Mountain ranges crumbled and the land cracked. Lava rose from the ground, and the sea evaporated without even the chance of becoming water vapor. Soon, the sea bottom was clearly revealed. It was a battle of truly mythical proportions. Surprisingly, however, the Masters didn¡¯t face much collateral damage from the fierce battle. This was largely because Merlin¡¯s attacks were not merely explosions of power but [miracles] performed by a being with a divine status. The force created by a miracle was completely free from providence and law. That was why the ones who suffered collateral damage from the battle were a completely different set of beings. ¡°Kyak!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± The demonic beasts that were hiding secretly in the dark shadows screamed. Their desperate attempts to hide themselves were all in vain. Soon, all of them evaporated without even being able to muster a proper resistance. The divine fiery light that covered the whole world represented the divine status of the Sun God. The light was so intense and powerful that a lowly demon wouldn¡¯t be able to endure it. Within the shadows, there were even beings that were powerful enough to be equivalent to upper-class or top-class demons¡­ but even so, those slight differences meant nothing in the presence of Apollo¡¯s divine status. ¡°Oh my goodness.¡± The observing Masters sighed as they watched the demonic beasts evaporate and disappear. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see Abyss-Class Shadows being massacred en masse like this. Over there, that Drakle¡­ that¡¯s a monster that I can barely manage to defeat 1:1, but¡­¡± Youngmin stared outward with a blank expression while standing close to the Magic Tower. The monsters, each with a fighting power equivalent to thousands of soldiers in a modern army brigade, disappeared as if they had never existed. It was a scene of such tremendous destruction that even the [Great Sage], a transcendent who existed in Youngmin¡¯s dimensional world, wouldn¡¯t be able to recreate. A quick look at "pawread dot com" will leave you more fulfilled. ¡°You know those beasts?¡± ¡°Of course. I hate to admit it, but Another Plane is like my hometown¡­ huh?¡± Youngmin¡¯s words trailed off. Youngmin had answered absentmindedly, but once he sensed something off, he turned his head to find the speaker. It was a girl who was taking cover next to him. Youngmin¡¯s eyes grew round. ¡°Choi Baedal, how did you get here?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Oh, I guess you use a different name in the dimension you¡¯re from.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Leaf tilted her head at the sight of Youngmin muttering some incomprehensible words. Leaf had been invited to the Magic Tower, so she had gotten to know Youngmin to some extent. However, Youngmin also seemed lost. ¡°No, wait, why are you here? You¡¯re not fit enough to be here,¡± Youngmin stated. ¡°I was watching from afar, but for whatever reason, I was suddenly dragged here. Anyway, stop being so hard on me; I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m here either!¡± Leaf had risen to the level of Master, but that was it. She was just one of many newly minted Masters, and above all, she had not succeeded in changing her DIO occupation, which was a condition a user had to fulfill to be called a [real] Master. When a user reached the Master level, he or she would receive an occupation transfer quest from the Grand Master of a Holy Land. And the moment he or she cleared the quest, he or she would receive an occupation, a Master Skill, and a challenge qualification to obtain a Master Weapon. One needed to obtain all of these to be recognized as a true Master. However, as a being from [Earth], Leaf reached the Master level relatively easily, but she didn¡¯t build up the skills and abilities to match her position. Although she was a Master in terms of level, she wasn¡¯t qualified to be involved in a battle with Tan, so she had recused herself and watched the battle from a safe distance on a TV broadcast feed, but then, suddenly, she was dragged into this place. ¡°Gosh. I don¡¯t even know how to fight.¡± Youngmin put on an exasperated expression when he heard her words and saw her sigh. ¡°¡­ You don¡¯t know how to fight? You, Choi Baedal?¡± ¡°Why are you calling me Choi Baedal? Who the hell is Choi Baedal? Also, do I look like a martial artist to you? You may think I can fight because I¡¯m a life force user, but I reached the Master level with [Gathering] and [Transportation]!¡± However, despite her unfamiliarity with fighting, Leaf had been thrown into this battle. Although it wasn¡¯t of her own accord, she was somewhat aware of why she was put in this situation. ¡®It must be because of my tattoos.¡¯ On both of her arms were written the idiomatic phrases ¡®Reflection and Thought¡¯ and ¡®Fulfillment after Struggle¡¯. The phrases were written in stylish handwriting, as if a master calligrapher wrote it with a brush drenched in ink. ¡®Why did this happen to me?¡¯ Leaf couldn¡¯t understand. She hadn¡¯t met a person with a mysterious background who placed some spell on her, nor had she taken something like an elixir, but all of a sudden one day, these strange letters had appeared and settled on her body. The tattoos weren¡¯t doing her any harm, but she had no way of doing anything about them, so she tended to ignore them most of the time; however, the tattoos had placed her into this dangerous environment. Woong! ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on?¡± Leaf frowned at the strange sensation she suddenly felt on her arms and took off the gown she was wearing. The letters on both of her shoulders, as her shoulders were clearly visible in her sleeveless tee, changed into new phrases. [Crying and Laughing.] [Helplessly Spoiled.] CH 313 [Crying and Laughing.] [Helplessly Spoiled.] ¡°Huh? What is that?¡± ¡®Crying and Laughing¡¯ meant laughing reluctantly when one was in a situation where all one could do was cry. ¡®Helplessly Spoiled¡¯ meant being strong headed to the point of not being able to do anything. However, Leaf couldn¡¯t read these two Chinese idiomatic phrases. Even if she could read the Chinese characters, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to figure out what they meant. How could she, who had devoted nearly her entire life to dancing and singing rather than studying since her middle school days, know such ancient Chinese idiomatic phrases? Besides, the important thing wasn¡¯t the contents or meaning of the old proverb. Crack. Leaf felt her bones twisting, and a huge force soon began to pump and course through her body. The process was so fast and abrupt that her body, which had an artificial spiritual pathway installed, screamed out in pain. However, that wasn¡¯t the only problem. ¡®W-what¡¯s going on?! Why is this happening?¡¯ Leaf was horrified when her own body began to move on its own. However, contrary to her chaotic state of mind, her body¡¯s posture was extremely stable. Swoop. Regardless of her will, her body began to walk forward. She was walking towards Merlin, who was currently pulling on his bow. Whoosh!!! Merlin¡¯s figure shimmered. Just the act of pulling his bow¡¯s string back caused the surrounding area to shake from the reverberating aftershocks, as Merlin was concentrating an enormous amount of power onto his arrows. However, even though he was wielding such tremendous power, or rather, because he was having to deal with such tremendous power, Merlin didn¡¯t notice Leaf approaching him or feel her approaching presence. Even though he was the main reason why the mythical existence, Leviathan, was being driven to its death, Merlin was still a mere mortal who had not reached the transcendence realm. ¡®What the hell is this¡­¡¯ Leaf calmed herself down and desperately tried to resist the aura, a divine qi, within her. Weirdly, the divine qi seemed to be comforting her. However, no matter how friendly the divine qi felt, it had suddenly taken control of and manipulated her body as it pleased, so there was no way Leaf would be happy with such a controlling, foreign aura. But even so, the power seemed to persuade her. Leaf kept hearing whispers that this was something she had to do and that it couldn¡¯t be helped. And then, information started pouring into her mind, which told her exactly what the divine qi, the aura that was swirling through her, was trying to do. ¡®You¡¯re going to make Merlin¡­ Yongno¡­ into an Immortal god?¡¯ Leaf, who desperately tried to concentrate her will to resist the divine qi, fell into a state of confusion. She was convinced that the information she had just been given was unmistakably true. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. But that truth and her current feeling of confusion were two completely different matters. ¡®What the¡­ is this a good thing or a bad thing?¡¯ Her will, which had been resisting the raging divine qi within her, was shaken. It was because the information she was given made her unable to be [certain]. The voice, which stated that Merlin would become an ¡®Immortal¡¯ with its help, didn¡¯t sound so bad, so she couldn¡¯t muster the will to resist the divine qi at all costs. And, in fact, this was exactly what the Celesti wanted, but¡­ Flinch! At that moment, a light beam attack shot down towards Merlin from the sky. Leaf, who had been confused on whether to act or not, was thankful for the clear-cut opening. ¡°Ugh¡­ whatever!!!!¡± Truth, Dragon Cannon Suddenly, a white light burst without a sound. The formidable divine qi neatly erased the attack that was headed for Merlin. And that wasn¡¯t all. Boom! A hole opened in the faraway sky, revealing a deep blue sky for an instant. And a gigantic [something], which had appeared and had launched the previous attack on Merlin, gave off a spark as it disappeared into a spatial rift. ¡°Leaf? What¡¯s going on?¡± Merlin, who was just about to use another Howling Spell, felt his hair stand on end; he had felt a tremendous aura passing by his head and into the sky. Luckily, the aura wasn¡¯t aimed at him¡­ but if it was, it would have dealt Merlin a powerful blow, something he couldn¡¯t have done anything about. However, what caught Merlin¡¯s attention when he turned to Leaf wasn¡¯t Leaf herself, who was bewildered by the unfolding scene, but a semi-translucent person on the other side of her. ¡°Man, nothing is easy.¡± An Asian man in his mid-30s, whose face was unremarkable as it gave a general impression with no special features to speak of, sighed deeply. Merlin didn¡¯t feel the man¡¯s presence until he showed up and opened his mouth to speak. Merlin made a blank expression for a moment; it was because Merlin was already acquainted with the man. ¡°¡­ Kang Sang¡­¡± Merlin met him as a child. Kang Sang was the only one who acknowledged Merlin¡¯s talents, which were beyond any framework of traditional understanding and often went against the laws of modern physics. That wasn¡¯t all. Although Merlin lost his memory and had forgotten what had happened to him as a test subject in the lab many years ago, Merlin recalled that Kang Sang was the one who saved him. If it wasn¡¯t for Kang Sang, Merlin would have either died in the lab or escaped and become a vengeful monster. Of course, the three pets, who were engrossed in the mythical battle, called him by his official name, not his real name. ¡°Oh my god! That¡¯s Jiang Ziya!¡± ¡°I was expecting the Elohim to step in, but¡­¡± Jiang Ziya, with his real name being Kang Sang, was the teacher of the ancient King Wen of Zhou, and a feudal lord during the Qi Dynasty. Jiang¡¯s life read like a legendary tale. He was famously known as the person who coined the term ¡®Jiang¡¯ to describe a person who leisurely lived life whilst fishing, but the reality was that he was an elder-level God who only served the great Laojun and no one else. ¡°Why¡­¡± A sense of confusion flickered in Merlin¡¯s eyes. This was because the sudden appearance and action that Jiang Ziya took was made without any context. Of course, the Celesti World had intervened for Merlin or humanity many times before, which was a fact that Merlin was also well aware of. When Leviathan, Tan, staged a coup against the Empress of Magic, Jenica, and gained control over DIO, Merlin was able to counterattack and take over DIO due to the Dream Celestial Dagger, Manbo¡¯s treasured item. Manbo had handed over his treasured item to Merlin because the Celesti ordered Manbo to do so. If it wasn¡¯t for the help of the Celesti World, Merlin would have continued to be just another DIO user, and he wouldn¡¯t have been able to produce the same results as he had come to produce. As long as Leviathan was in control of DIO as the main [operator], what Merlin could do inside DIO would have been extremely limited. ¡®Also.¡¯ Merlin looked at Leaf, who stood nervously beside him. He didn¡¯t know exactly what her real identity was, but he sensed a tremendous aura from her. Although she was relatively weak, the enormous force that dwelled within her granted her power equal to that of a near transcendent. Even though she still possessed her will, she was in a state closer to an avatar, a vessel through which a higher being descended. Natural, even for the Celesti, bestowing such power onto someone wasn¡¯t an easy feat. ¡®However¡­¡¯ This was what perplexed Merlin. ¡°Why now?¡± Based on his senses, the power of Jiang Ziya was powerful and noble. Jiang Ziya, who no longer hid himself in the shadows, possessed great authority and power. Even though Jiang Ziya faced a level down penalty from the Planet God, he was still at the level of a divine transcendent with intermediate god powers! That power was on par with a fully awakened Leviathan, so if Jiang Ziya had intervened earlier, the crisis would have ended a long time ago. ¡°Why now¡­ is not the right question. Besides, more than anything¡­¡± After giving a deep sigh, Jiang Ziya continued. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything anyway.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean¡­¡± Whoosh! The moment Merlin was about to ask a question, a circular sphere made up of countless letters appeared mid-air. Jiang Ziya gave a bitter smile as he saw the surrounding Masters go on alert due to the sphere¡¯s sudden appearance. ¡°Those damn vultures are here.¡± Right when he finished speaking, the circular sphere disappeared, and five shadows descended from it onto the ground. And at the same time¡­ Ping! It all happened in a moment. Merlin couldn¡¯t even react properly until a slim man slashed at him across the space. It was because the man moved frighteningly quickly; the man had perfected a form of absolute martial arts and had reached the extreme of quickness. Bam! ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± Merlin soon heard two shouts. The man, who had shot out like an arrow towards him, bounced back at a speed faster than he had rushed in. Leaf had suddenly placed herself in front of Merlin and had taken a defensive stance. ¡°Ugh, what are you? Are you Elohim?¡± The man growled while aiming his sword towards Merlin and Leaf; a dwarf girl and draconic being, who were standing next to him, shook their heads in unison. ¡°Man, you¡¯re such an idiot. Shouldn¡¯t you have at least read the battle report before jumping in?¡± The dwarf girl commented. ¡°Who was the one who said elves were calm and thoughtful beings?¡± The draconic being added on. For some reason, the newly appeared beings seemed carefree, as if they couldn¡¯t see Jiang Ziya standing next to Merlin, but that was only for a moment. All of their faces hardened as a flashing, tremendous light emanated from behind them. [Argh!! You!!!] Leviathan screamed out. - Hahaha! Come on, Apocalypse! Let¡¯s play some more! The ground shook and rumbled. Leviathan convulsively rose up and tried to move towards the direction of the newly appeared beings, but Apollo had kicked him away. ¡°Wow, just wow. To have summoned Apollo of all beings.¡± Feeling the tremendous power and aura emanating from Apollo, the newly revealed beings momentarily forgot about Merlin as they watched the battle between Leviathan and Apollo. ¡°All kidding aside, at this point, it¡¯s beyond great¡­ It''s kind of scary.¡± ¡°Crazy how someone was able to successfully summon a being like that. I heard all Olympian gods are crazy.¡± ¡°Leviathan is taking a beating. What a crazy scene¡­¡± The newly appeared beings let out sighs as they voiced their astonishment at the bizarre scene. The species types of these newly appeared beings were eclectic. Of the five, only two were human-like in appearance. The other three were from an unfamiliar species, even for Merlin, who had a relatively large amount of knowledge regarding the species that existed throughout the universe. ¡°Ancient human, dragon, and even a flying fish type of species¡­¡± The aura of power the five exuded was considerable. They weren¡¯t full transcendents¡­ but they were at the pseudo transcendent level. Merlin had never seen such beings before. ¡®Those beings are at the same power level as Arthur?¡¯ In other words, the newly appeared beings were pseudo transcendents. In a more negative way, one may describe them as fake transcendents. However, since there were five of them, their collective power couldn¡¯t be ignored. Depending on how well they worked with each other, their collective force may actually be enough to take down a skilled transcendent. ¡°Yongno¡­¡± ¡°Are you okay, Merlin?¡± Miho and Arc, who had been unable to approach due to Jiang Ziya releasing a divine qi shot earlier, appeared in front of Merlin. ¡°Things are getting more dangerous and troublesome. I never would have thought those good for nothings would appear¡­¡± Ellie, who was sitting on Arc¡¯s right shoulder, spoke in a slightly nervous tone of voice. Quiet Heaven, who was sitting on Arc¡¯s left shoulder, also made a serious expression. ¡°The civilization level must have risen. No, since their power level has been capped at the pseudo transcendent stage¡­ it must be that the civilization level is on the verge of going up.¡± ¡°You know them?¡± ¡°I know them all too well, that¡¯s the problem.¡± Quiet Heaven growled at the sight of the five beings approaching them. ¡°Basara¡­¡± CH 314 ¡°Basara¡­¡­¡± Basara was a powerful criminal group that even the Union, which ruled over the universe, couldn¡¯t get rid of. With dozens of planets and tens of thousands of ships under their control, the Basara acted as the pirates of the universe. Moreover, along with the mechanized forces of the Legion and the monsters of the Grotesque, the forces of Basara were known as one of the three great adversaries of the Union. ¡°Dealing with just one Leviathan was already a headache¡­¡± While Merlin, Arc, and Cruze¡¯s pets groaned, the Masters, who had been hunched over during the mythic battle between Apollo and Leviathan, began to gather. This was because Merlin, who had been vigorously attacking Leviathan, was suddenly bound by an unknown energy once a new set of enemies appeared. ¡°What are those guys? Aliens?¡± The gathered Masters whispered while taking combat stances. The man and woman had a human form, so their looks were familiar, and another two were in the form of beasts, one that possessed the head of a whale and the other the head of a dragon. These two were also relatively familiar appearances for the Masters, who had fought all kinds of monsters in DIO. However, the last being, a fish-like being, was a completely foreign existence to them. They had never laid eyes on that type of species before. For convenience of description, the existence could be described as looking like a fish, but its scales and half-transparent body resembled a dragon¡¯s carapace, which made one think that it might be a spirit or a divine creature rather than a physical creature. However, Cruze, who was aiming her sniper rifle at the newly appeared group, focused her attention on the whale-headed man that stood behind the fish-like being. ¡°What¡­ is that?¡± Even though there was quite a distance between them, the moment Cruze met the whale-headed man¡¯s eyes, she felt all the hair on her body stand on end. It wasn¡¯t a reaction and feeling one had just because one sensed that one¡¯s opponent was strong. Cruze felt something foreign yet familiar from the whale-headed man. An existence like a mutant, something that shouldn¡¯t exist in the world according to normal laws. ¡°My goodness, that guy¡­¡± Cruze, who realized why she was so focused on the whale-headed man, groaned aloud. ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­ an Irregular¡­?¡± As she murmured, the whale-headed man turned his head and met eyes with Cruze. ¡°Aha, you must be the junior amongst the three Irregulars with the least presence.¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± Cruze instinctively pulled her sniper rifle¡¯s trigger. Her newly developed plasma rifle could fire a plasma projectile that inflicted shock and heat damage on its target. The whale-headed man was about 300 meters away from Cruze when he deflected Cruze¡¯s plasma bullet with his right arm. This was an unbelievable feat when one considered that the original distance between them was about 600 meters. In other words, the whale-headed man rushed towards her right when the bullet was shot off, so the man had met the bullet at the halfway point! Boom! Suddenly, the space in front of Cruze distorted, and then a sound shockwave, like a bursting balloon, struck Cruze. Belatedly, Cruze returned the plasma rifle to aura power and materialized her twin pistols. ¡°Wow, that surprised me,¡± the whale-headed man commented. With a pale face, Cruze saw the whale-headed man fanning his reddened right hand. ¡®Shoot, my reaction time was too slow!¡¯ Her enemy was clearly a step above her in terms of power. She had been maintaining her distance to launch sniping attacks, but her enemy had bounded across that space before she had the time to react. ¡°Be careful.¡± Lancelot had stepped in front of her. Lancelot, too, was equally perplexed. If it wasn¡¯t Lancelot¡¯s stabbing, which was completed through trillions of repetitions, the enemy¡¯s attack would have been impossible to react to. The whale-headed man utilized his quick speed to literally penetrate the gaps in one¡¯s consciousness. In truth, Lancelot¡¯s defensive stabbing was done subconsciously. However, it wasn¡¯t just Cruze and Lancelot who were surprised. ¡°Who are you? You¡¯re not an Irregular¡­ you¡¯re not anything. No, based on what I can sense, you¡¯re just a normal, common human being, no? How is a guy, who isn¡¯t even qualified to be a part of a main force, able to react to my speed?¡± The whale-headed man looked at Lancelot with a curious expression. But that only lasted for a moment. ¡°Well, I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter who you are.¡± A whale-headed man, who had white skin and a height of nearly 3 meters, gave a wicked smile. ¡°You¡¯ll just be swept up with all the other trash.¡± Once he finished speaking, he charged again. It was the start of battle. And they weren¡¯t the only ones whose battle had started. Bang! ¡°Oh! What is that armor? It can block my Magic Bullet of Erosion?¡± A girl holding a huge pistol that didn¡¯t match her relatively short height whistled as she saw Arc blocking her bullets. And soon, an elf man passed by the pistol-wielding girl. ¡°Hahaha! Ooh! Ah! Block it like you did before!¡± ¡°Uh, uh¡­? W-what¡­ did he do something to me¡­?¡± Leaf moaned as she felt the powerful divine qi that protected her shake from an unknown curse. Looking up, she saw a fish wielding its sword at her while muttering curse spell chants. ¡®Ugh! Even though the instructions have been inputted into my mind, they¡¯re so hard to use!¡¯ Leaf was being assisted by a system, which gave her instructions on how to lift the curse that was brought upon by the curse-wielding girl, but the level of the curse inflicted on her was too high to overcome with just information and a set of instructions. Though she was receiving all sorts of help from the Celesti World, which was equivalent in quality to allow her to output power at the level of a transcendent¡­ that did not mean that Leaf was capable of being a transcendent being. Meanwhile, Merlin was clashing with the dragon-headed being, who was wielding a weapon similar to a samurai sword but with a laser as its blade. Zeng! ¡°Ugh!!¡± Merlin gritted his teeth after blocking a blow. The impact of the blow was transmitted into his body through his right hand and shook his innards. Realizing that his full power was not enough to face the opponent head-on, Merlin quickly summoned another one of his Flame Rubies and placed it over his shoulder, but¡­ ¡°Oh dear! Do you think I¡¯d let you wield something terrifying like that!¡± Merlin had no choice but to counter the draconic being¡¯s next oncoming slash with his Irrational hand strike. However, Merlin was at a disadvantage. His greatest weapon, amplification of his internal energy, was a one-hit kill type of move, so he couldn¡¯t use it properly against an enemy who was pressing him tightly. ¡®Dang it! I can¡¯t continue fighting like this!¡¯ The situation was becoming worse for Merlin; the fighting style of his opponent was directly oppositional to Merlin¡¯s strengths in battle. Merlin was skilled in sniping his enemy¡¯s gaps, in other words, landing a one shot one kill move. There wasn¡¯t much he could do against an enemy who clung so tenaciously to him. Moreover, his opponent was clearly stronger. ¡°Ha!¡± ¡°Get out of here, fox!¡± ¡°Yikes?!¡± Miho, who had raised her fox fire to create a penetrating fireball that was as sharp as an awl, screamed at the sight of the dragon-headed being easily neutralizing the fox fire. ¡°Fire immunity?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m immune to magic, you silly fox!¡± Bang! With an explosion, Miho¡¯s body was shot off and destroyed dozens of surrounding buildings before disappearing in the rubble. Merlin wanted to immediately run and check on her condition, but that was the worst of the worst decisions he could currently make. Instead, Merlin summoned a Flame Ruby and refocused his attention. Woong! An enormous amount of energy roiled. Its power seemed truly inexhaustible. Even if Merlin gathered all the power he had and amplified that power hundreds or even thousands of times, he wouldn¡¯t be able to amass anywhere near the power of the Flame Ruby. However, because the power was so strong, it was rather difficult to use. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what I just said?¡± The dragon-headed being¡¯s sword, which moved like it was an illusion, fell towards Merlin¡¯s head. ¡°I can¡¯t let you wield something so terrifying.¡± With the colossal impact and aftershock, Merlin was sent flying backwards. The good news was that the Merlin was able to prevent the dragon-headed being from snatching his Flame Ruby. However¡­ ¡®This isn¡¯t good.¡¯ Merlin let out a groan as he felt blood running down his throat. Merlin was able to activate magic of such tremendous power that even a cosmic monster, Leviathan, was driven into a corner and into a dying state, but it was too difficult for Merlin to escape the current situation he found himself in. In one sense, this was an obvious result. How could one use a missile to block a sword-wielding opponent? ¡°I guess¡­ it can¡¯t be helped!¡± Merlin swung Irrational Hand strike and pushed the draconic being aside. Surprised by the sudden [amplified] attack, the draconic being was instantly pushed back quite a distance. ¡°Apollo!¡± At Merlin¡¯s shout, the Sun God, who had been trampling Leviathan while floating high in the sky, looked down at Merlin. The Basara, who were pressuring Merlin¡¯s party and driving them into a corner, were frightened by the scene. ¡°Eh?! Surely not, right?¡± ¡°Whoa, whoa¡­ really?¡± But whether they panicked or not, Merlin shouted. ¡°Get rid of these guys first!¡± Holding the Flame Ruby and shouting with all his might, Merlin released a huge energy shockwave, which spread in all directions. It was a first-order command that used the same energy as the one used to summon the Olympian god. However¡­ - Hahaha, this guy. The being Merlin was speaking with¡­ - Do you think¡­ Wasn¡¯t a normal being¡­ - ¡­ you can order me around? Apollo wasn¡¯t a normal summoned ¡®being¡¯. Thud! Merlin¡¯s knees were bent violently just by the wind qi dwelling in Apollo¡¯s spiritual words. Fortunately, this phenomenon wasn¡¯t just restricted to Merlin and the Masters but also to all the alien pirates. Whoosh! Everyone looked up at Apollo with terror-filled expressions. Apollo emanated an absolute divine status! Although he descended to the material world through Merlin¡­ in the first place, he wasn¡¯t an ordinary summoned creature. Even if he lost everything right now, his power as the god of the highest and most brilliant sun wouldn¡¯t disappear. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Under the tremendous pressure exuded by Apollo, Merlin gnashed his teeth. ¡®I miscalculated!¡¯ Merlin had acted too rashly. He used his Howling Spell as a power source to recharge and maintain Apollo¡¯s summoning; however, for a moment, he had forgotten why he had specifically chosen that approach. It was an undeniable fact that the Data Copy loophole he discovered was a miracle, an error of the world, something that even the gods hadn¡¯t even considered or thought of. Taking advantage of this loophole, Merlin could perform miracles that neither gods nor Demon Kings could do. But that didn¡¯t mean his overall ability power would change. In fact, this was an obvious fact. How can he freely use magic at the Demon King level, that is, Ten Class, when he himself had not risen to the level of transcendence, let alone pseudo transcendence? Even Muspelheim, which Merlin had acquired after killing its original owner, Igniz, wasn¡¯t recognizing him as its owner, so it was only natural that there would be limitations in dealing with such a powerful summons. Because of this, rather than creating and controlling the magic power and its system himself, Merlin turned to creating a flame attribute vessel that Apollo could descend into. And this workaround was effective. Coincidentally, since all of the Howling Spells he was using were using the names of the gods of Olympus, the great miracle of advent succeeded without a hitch. However, this didn¡¯t mean Merlin had full control over the descended god. - I am very grateful to you. I am very happy now. It¡¯s been hundreds, no, thousand times more exciting than being in that beggarly nothingness. Seeing Apollo looking down at him, Merlin felt a tinge of regret. Of course, Merlin could make excuses. When Apollo was first summoned, Apollo moved according to his will, so there was plenty of room for misunderstanding. ¡®But I guess he wasn¡¯t truly listening to my orders.¡¯ Merlin now realized this fact. Apollo wasn¡¯t following the [order] contained in his spell. It was just that Apollo personally had ill feelings toward Leviathan, so he took this opportunity to unleash his anger towards Leviathan. Apollo continued speaking. - It¡¯s not like you can summon me for a thousand or tens of thousands of years, so you¡¯re not one to give me orders. Apollo¡¯s eyes were full of madness. Actually, it would be rather strange if Apollo¡¯s eyes were calm and serene, since he was once a being who occupied the top position and ruled the entire universe before losing everything in vain. Just then, Merlin thought¡­ ¡®I think I can maintain the summoning¡­¡¯ Apollo assumed that ¡®there must be a limit to this source of energy¡±. However, if desired, Merlin could [copy] Muspelheim over and over again as much as he wanted. When you''re just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Moreover, his Pathway to Hell didn¡¯t have any durability issues, and there were countless wicked beings in the world. ¡®But¡­¡¯ At this moment, Merlin couldn¡¯t say this aloud. The sense of madness he felt from Apollo made Merlin hesitate. What would happen to him if he announced that he had the power to continue Apollo¡¯s advent? Would Apollo be grateful and follow his orders? Would Apollo, with his strength and pride as a god, lower himself and be subservient to Merlin? What if Apollo revealed his greed instead? ¡®If that happens¡­ I¡¯ll be making an enemy more terrifying than Leviathan with my own hands.¡¯ - Be careful. Don¡¯t overstep. Merlin was glad when Apollo returned his focus to Leviathan and stopped intimidating him. It seemed that Apollo was clearly aware of the fact that his summoner was Merlin. However, the problem was that when this happened, Merlin was back to square one; the situation hadn¡¯t changed. No, to be precise, it didn¡¯t even return back to square one. Woong! Woong! The space shuddered, and an eerie sensation pressed from all around him. It was a precursor to the interference of two new forces, who had decided to move after being convinced that Apollo wouldn¡¯t help Merlin. CH 315 Woong! Woong! The space shuddered, and an eerie sensation pressed from all around Merlin. It was a precursor to the interference of two new forces, who had decided to move after being convinced that Apollo wouldn¡¯t help Merlin. Rumble! Black lightning struck down, split space, and revealed a gray giant. With an almost human-like appearance, the female being stood still with her long hair, which matched her skin color, gently flowing. ¡°Darn it, it¡¯s Sadness. Of everyone they could have sent, why that woman?¡± The elf man, who was driving Leaf into a corner with furious force, took a step back before frowning. Likewise, the other alien pirates, who had been attacking the Masters, distanced themselves from their opponents and opened a gap. This was because the alien pirates realized that if they focused too narrowly on defeating the minnows, in this case the Masters, they¡¯d be caught in turn by a powerful enemy. ¡°Damn it. In this sort of situation, Caesar would definitely throw his weapon.¡± ¡°Those guys would be simple trash if the situation was normal¡­¡± Unlike before, the alien pirates spoke in grave tones of voices, which made the Masters feel unsettled. ¡°Sadness? Isn¡¯t that the highest Numbered in the Grotesque? The top slayer of Grotesque, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, Number 1¡­¡± That wasn¡¯t all. Whoosh! A wormhole opened out of nowhere, and soon, a steel giant appeared. It was a Gigas, a mechanized weapon that someone rode in and piloted, but at this moment, no one was riding in the newly appeared Gigas. This was because the Gigas had an ego of its own. ¡°Ah, damn it. Another celebrity.¡± ¡°Celebrity? But that¡¯s not even a person.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Alexander¡­ wouldn¡¯t you consider it a celebrity?¡± The Gigas was a Legion member that had completed its own soul and possessed its own name, that is, it was a Named. Named-class Legion were famous for being powerful, but Alexander was a particularly famous Gigas among them. ¡°What the hell? That¡¯s a human-like Gigas¡­¡± Cruze¡¯s face turned pale. Although she was briefly freed from the unidentified Irregular pirate¡¯s attack, who had been attacking her nonstop like crazy, she knew the overall situation on the battlefield had gotten worse. Gigas, a state-of-the-art mechanized weapon that was widely used throughout the universe, had a classification system called Divine Takeover. The classification classes were God, Star, Human, Beast, and Machine. Since the Gigas that appeared had the title of a [Human], Alexander, it should have been considered a mediocre mechanized weapon, according to the Divine Takeover classification class. However, as a member of Legion, this Gigas had obtained a soul and perfected itself, completely transcending the limits of its mechanized body. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that a machine, which had been produced in a factory or wherever, could become a transcendent being¡­ Moreover, that Gigas was made to be piloted¡­¡± Alexander had perfected itself and reached the transcendent realm. There were dozens of similar Human-class Gigas models in the wider universe, but Alexander proved to be on a different level from the rest, as it was able to gain self-awareness, so its powers had become comparable to a God-class Gigas! Though Alexander was considered the fifth in Legion¡¯s Numbered, the five Basara beings were all pseudo transcendents, and Sadness, who was famous for her strength and power, was only a high-level demon herself, so Alexander outclassed the others¡­ However, the Basara members and Sadness didn¡¯t seem fazed. In fact, their reaction was natural. Each of their camps, the Basara, Legion, and Grotesque, had forces stationed throughout the wider universe, but all three sides were limited to who they could send. Those who had landed and appeared on Earth were the maximum level of force that the three forces could send considering Earth¡¯s civilization level restriction. [Accept the great calling. You are the hated target!] Letting out a powerful spiritual word, Sadness took control of the surroundings. And at the same time, the back of Sadness, the first slayer of Grotesque, exploded as she spread her translucent wings. ¡°Sadness¡­¡± Sadness said as her long gray hair fluttered. ¡°¡­ shall accompany your death.¡± A bloody spiritual pressure descended and oppressed the surroundings. Among the Masters, some collapsed onto the ground and groaned. But not everyone was overwhelmed by her show of force. ¡°Kikiki! Don¡¯t be so full of yourself, you witch!!¡± When Chan, an assault soldier of Basara, raised his huge sword, a volcano-like eruption of internal energy spread around him. Chan was a High Elf, commonly referred to as a ¡®chosen elf¡¯. Currently, he was exuding the energy he had accumulated over his 2,700-year lifetime. ¡°Be considerate of your age, old man. You¡¯re outputting a lot of internal energy for a being who hasn¡¯t even reached the full transcendent realm.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t die for nothing. Maintain the formation.¡± The draconic being who was fighting against Merlin, and the dwarf girl who attacked Arc with her heavy weapon, stood to the left and right of Chan. However, they weren¡¯t right beside Chan; they were about one step back. [Confirmed. Bloody Square is complete¡­] When the fish floating in the air began to emit a strange wave from behind them, the whale-headed man, standing in the middle of them all, quietly opened his eyes. ¡°This should be fun.¡± As he gave out a hearty laugh, a mighty wave erupted. When their individually different powers came together and meshed with one another, their powers harmonized and amplified, allowing the collective to enter the [transcendent] realm, comparable to that of Alexander and Sadness. [Oh, my goodness.] And the penguin, who was looking down at this unfolding scene, shook its head. The situation was completely different from when the Masters and Merlin¡¯s group first fought against Leviathan. Now, there were three more transcendent parties; moreover, these three weren¡¯t underestimating Merlin and his party. And that wasn¡¯t all. There was representation from the universe¡¯s major force. There was Elohim and Noblesse, who represented the majority power of the Union, which currently ruled over the universe. In addition, there was representation from the Legion, Grotesque, and Basara, which were considered the Union¡¯s main adversaries¡­ The girl, who was this dimension¡¯s Planet God and who was standing beside the penguin, looked over at the penguin and quietly grumbled. ¡°You dummy. The crap you brought in is multiplying and getting out of hand.¡± [I didn¡¯t expect this to happen¡­ But it¡¯s quite funny. The situation has turned into a free for all with all the major powers of the universe stepping in.] The penguin narrowed its eyes. Of course, originally, the penguin had no intention of meddling in the human¡¯s affairs, and it didn¡¯t seem like the penguin¡¯s stance would change anytime soon¡­ however¡­ [I¡¯m a bit angry that everyone is just acting as they please¡­ they¡¯re just assuming I won¡¯t intervene¡­] When the penguin displayed its displeasure, the surrounding space shuddered. As a high-rank transcendent, the penguin¡¯s emotions exerted an influence on the material world. Seeing the penguin act this way, the girl widened her eyes. ¡°Hey, are you thinking of interfering? You¡¯re not broadening your interpretation of the situation to suit your emotional whims, right?¡± Intervening now was a completely different matter from when the penguin, Earth¡¯s Planet God, teleported everyone, including Leviathan, Tan¡¯s true body, to Another Plane, which was another dimension of Earth that the girl managed as its Planet God. The sudden appearance of Leviathan on Earth was a clear indication that a walking [disaster] had appeared, but the alien beings that were invading this current space, Another Plane, were mere terrorists or opportunists. [What are your thoughts?] ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what I think. Even if you change locations again, in the end, this is still something that has to do with your planet.¡± The girl took a step back and didn¡¯t commit to any position. The jurisdiction of such a decision fell on the penguin, so it was a natural response. But for whatever reason, the penguin turned its head and met the girl¡¯s eyes. [What if I asked for some help?] ¡°¡­¡± The girl frowned because she knew what the penguin meant by [help]. In the end, what the penguin wanted was consent and backing. From the start, the penguin outranked her, and even more so, the penguin was given authority by the power vested in the Creator God, the most powerful being of all, so there was no way the penguin lacked strength or power. As Earth¡¯s Planet God, the penguin didn¡¯t need any additional strength or power, but it did need a wider interpretation of the law, namely, the penguin needed a companion to share the burden of extending its interpretation of the current situation to give itself justifiable reason to interfere. And since the girl was Another Plane¡¯s Planet God, her support would go a long way in giving credence and support for the penguin¡¯s interpretation and subsequent actions. ¡°Well¡­ Normally, I would have told you to take your crap and to get out of here, but¡­¡± [But?] After seeing the penguin tilt its head in anticipation of her answer, the girl looked down at the tightly grouped Masters. Among them was Youngmin, a handsome young man who was passionately wielding his sword with a serious expression on his face. *** In the meantime, Merlin groaned as he watched the three forces tenuously holding each other in check. ¡°This isn¡¯t funny. What the hell is there in this little corner of the universe for all these forces to act like this¡­¡± Merlin wanted to activate the Flame Ruby in his hand right away, but he knew he shouldn¡¯t activate its magic power. Though the three newly appeared forces were currently keeping each other in check, Merlin knew that all three, the Basra, Grotesque, and Legion forces, were keeping their eyes on him, so any sudden move on his part would make them react swiftly. ¡°Can you help me?¡± At Merlin¡¯s words, Jiang Ziya, who was standing on one corner of Merlin¡¯s field of vision, shrugged his shoulders. For some reason, the three enemy factions didn¡¯t seem to recognize his presence. Even the pets, who had recognized him in the beginning when Jiang Ziya first appeared, didn¡¯t seem to recognize his presence anymore; it was as if the pets had forgotten about him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but standing still like this is my limit.¡± ¡°Not doing anything is your limit?¡± ¡°Yeah. Doing nothing, as I¡¯m doing now, is the limit of my help.¡± After saying so, Jiang Ziya looked at the three enemy factions; all three were major enemies of the Union, and all three had their eyes on Merlin. Of course, these three factions presented a huge problem. However, the real problem was¡­ - Hahaha! The Sun God raised his body. His size had suddenly grown so large that he seemed to fill the sky. Leviathan, the ancient dragon that existed since the beginning times, also called the Beast of the Apocalypse and the King of the Arrogant, was burning under the pressure of Apollo¡¯s tremendous heat wave. ¡®Such tremendous power¡­ Moreover, that guy isn¡¯t facing any level down restrictions or penalties.¡¯ Even when one considered that Leviathan was currently in a level down state due to the Planet Gods penalty, the power Apollo wielded was just too overwhelming powerful. Once, twice, three times, four times¡­ Apollo had received an incredible amount of magic power from Merlin, and because of this, it didn¡¯t seem like he¡¯d be disappearing anytime soon. Of course, there were bound to be limits and terms, but, in the first place, this sort of miracle shouldn¡¯t have been possible for a non-transcendent being. ¡°Even I, a high-level god, don¡¯t understand exactly what you¡¯re doing. Got it? Right now¡­ the whole universe is in awe of your actions,¡± Jiang Ziya explained. Merlin, who was narrowly focused on the situation on Earth, didn¡¯t know, but currently, all kinds of information was being transmitted to Jiang Ziya¡¯s mind from all corners of the universe. Even from the highest place in the Celesti World, instructions and requests for explanations were flooding in, so what more needed to be said? Even Daode Tianzun, the ruler of the spiritual world, didn¡¯t properly [understand] this situation. ¡®The situation has gotten a bit twisted.¡¯ The chessboard itself was shaking. This battle was no longer just a matter of ownership of Earth and of DIO. Considering the circumstance, it was natural that the Union¡¯s enemies mobilized. This was because these universal factions, the Basara, Legion, and Grotesque, were always frantically looking for a way to flip the chessboard and overturn the status quo. Bang!! ¡°Ouch!¡± Bruce Wayne, the de facto leader of the Masters, who was taking a defensive posture, couldn¡¯t even let out a scream as he flew away like a baseball hit by a bat. Chan, the elf swordsman who lightly smashed Bruce Wayne away, spoke with a vicious smile on his face, an expression that didn¡¯t match his beautiful appearance. ¡°There¡¯s no reason for us to fight against Merlin first, right? Since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s clean up the surroundings first!¡± After Chan spoke, Sadness laughed softly. ¡°In the end, you too will die.¡± Alexander also nodded his head with a heavy metallic note. [Agree.] The faces of the Masters become pale at the sight of the newly appeared enemies pouncing on them. Merlin gritted his teeth as he squeezed the Flame Ruby in his hand. The act of squeezing the Flame Ruby was to make a threat. Merlin was letting everyone know that, in the worst case, he¡¯d let the power of the Flame Ruby run wild and destroy everything. The Flame Ruby was also the reason why the newly appeared enemies didn¡¯t directly confront Merlin and stood a distance away from him. Theft is never good, try looking at [ pawread dot com ]. ¡®Everything¡¯s ruined.¡¯ However, in the end, Merlin realized that the newly appeared enemies didn¡¯t value their lives very much. For the gigantic forces that these enemies represented, even the enormous power of a transcendent was an acceptable [cost] of doing business. On the other hand, Merlin had no intention of dying, so his threat was essentially just a bluff. But right then¡­ ¡°Meteor Strike. Part One.¡± With the feeling of something clicking, a bundle of magic power ran rampant. It was the trigger to Arc¡¯s prepared spell. Once the prepared spell was activated, and once her magic power was rearranged according to the established rules of the prepared spell, mana rushed into Arc¡¯s hands. Whoosh. Sensing the incomprehensibly powerful destructive power swirling in Arc¡¯s hands, the party members looked back at Arc in surprise. They couldn¡¯t see her facial expression, but they could clearly see her black armor shaking as if she was screaming internally. ¡°Hey, wait a minute¡­ Enchanted Meteor Strike? She enchanted a meteorite magic spell? In both hands?¡± The dwarf girl, who was part of Basara¡¯s party, made a shocked expression. The dwarf girl couldn¡¯t comprehend how such a magic spell could exist. But no matter what the others were thinking, Arc continued to raise her hands, and then¡­ ¡°Demolish Hand.¡± Just like that, her two hands collided in the air. CH 316 ¡°Demolish Hand.¡± Arc¡¯s hands collided in the air. Boom! In an instant, a fan-shaped shockwave swept away the attacks launched by the three factions towards the Masters. This happened so suddenly that the three factions didn¡¯t even have a chance to properly respond. ¡°What the hell is this¡­!¡± ¡°What is going on!?¡± Sadness spread her skin-like wings and crossed them in front of her to shield herself from the shockwave, and the Basara pirates got into a formation to create a defensive barrier. These were high-level defensive techniques, but they were still swept away by Arc¡¯s attack and pushed backwards with ruthless momentum. Arc exhibited a truly terrifying and powerful physical energy attack! For those with high-leveled abilities, physical force was just a low-level energy movement that one quickly understood and moved on from, but the issue with this current show of physical force was its scale. The transcendent-like physical force, which concentrated the impact of a meteorite dozens of kilometers in diameter on a single point, distorted the dimension as it crossed through space and struck them. [Verified. Variable located.] However, one of the three factions, no, to be more specific, a mechanical being, reacted differently. Boom! Suddenly, a wormhole opened in the air, and a 15-meter-tall giant descended from Arc¡¯s side and, without even a second of hesitation, shot its fist at Arc. Arc wasn¡¯t able to properly register the lightning-quick blow. [Removing variable.] Arc didn¡¯t react. No, even if she was aware of the attack, she wouldn¡¯t have had time to react to it since she was still dealing with the recoil of her ultimate magic spell. Instead, someone stepped in between her and Alexander. It was Miho, who had been blown a considerable distance away by the dragon-headed Basara earlier. ¡°Stop!¡± Alexander ignored Miho, who screamed with outstretched hands. Alexander had calculated and concluded that it didn¡¯t need to pay attention to the low-level being in front of it. Of course, the fact that Miho had moved so quickly, when all the other Masters were still in shock and rooted to the ground, raised some questions, but¡­ rather than stopping and worrying about what Miho had done or the strength of her attack, Alexander considered it more important to eliminate its intended target. But at that moment, nine tails appeared on Miho¡¯s backside¡­ Bam! A relentless heat wave hit Alexander. *** Incomprehensible *** ¡°Wow, there¡¯s no answer. So untalented.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Eunhye gave a bitter smile after hearing the words of the man who sat in front of her. Was he saying that she didn¡¯t have any talent? She grew up with a stepfather, who tried to rape her on many occasions, and her biological mother, who was jealous of the attention her daughter received rather than shielding and taking caring of her biological daughter, who was always at risk of being raped by her stepfather. It was literally the worst kind of family environment on could have, but Eunhye persevered and never gave up. She desperately resisted and overcame everything that was thrown at her, and she freed herself from any restrictions and restraints with her own power. That wasn¡¯t all. Without anyone¡¯s help, she trained and honed herself academically, which allowed her to successfully enter the [Institution], an organization that not only influenced the USA but also the world. Of course, all of this was possible thanks to her unyielding spirit rather than her talent¡­ but if she were an ordinary person, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to accomplish such a feat. However, the man in front of her was telling her that she was untalented. ¡®But since this person said it, I can¡¯t deny it.¡¯ Eunhye let out a defeated sigh in her heart. And at that appearance, the manly man sitting in front of her flinched and then shook his head. ¡°Ah, sorry. It was harsh of me to say you¡¯re untalented.¡± ¡°No. Compared to the Emperor of Martial Arts¡­¡± ¡°I should have said that you possess a mediocre level of talent.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Seeing how Eunhye was at a loss for words, Regrants, an absolute being whose title as the Emperor of Martial Arts was recognized in every corner of the vast cosmos, spoke sternly. ¡°There¡¯s absolutely no chance that you¡¯ll reach transcendence before you die.¡± To Regrants¡¯ words, a man with light green hair, who was sitting cross-legged with his upper body upright on a large rock answered. ¡°She¡¯s at the margins, you mean.¡± ¡°Fine, at the margins. Anyway, her determination is ambiguous, and her talent is ambiguous. If I had to say it another way¡­ she¡¯s just another run-of-the-mill genius. If one can ascend to the transcendent realm with this sort of determination and talent, then 10,000 out of 6 billion beings would be able to ascend to the transcendent realm.¡± Eunhye looked around as she listened to Regrants¡¯ cold assessment. Only darkness could be seen outside a 15-meter radius where she and the two men resided. She recalled the first time she came here¡­ ¡®T-this!! So unlucky¡­!!¡¯ This was the last scream she heard before falling into this place¡­ before falling into this illusory space. Originally, she was the only one who should haven fallen into the illusory space, but when Thousand Scents, the White Divine Celestial Dragon, discovered a fatal flaw and opening in Regrants¡¯ defenses, Regrants was pushed into the illusory space with the power of Thousand Scents¡¯ Chintamani Marble. Thus, in the end, both Eunhye and Regrants were sucked into this illusory space. Up to this point, no one would deny that everything had happened by accident and chance. The twist was that there was someone who saved the two. Both Eunhye and Regrants should have been engulfed in the illusory space¡¯s nothingness and annihilated. ¡°Ah, by the way, Milleion.¡± ¡°Yes? What?¡± ¡°If a god is immersed in this chaos, won¡¯t even a god lose all its power and assimilate into the chaos?¡± The illusory space, or chaos, was a realm of pure chaos that was close to the source of the universe; thus, even a god wouldn¡¯t be able to escape from this space, whether one mistakenly entered it or not. This place was literally a gap in the universe. In fact, it was not normal to be able to maintain such a peaceful atmosphere in a place where neither time nor space existed. This was why the Noblesse had instantly concluded that Regrants had perished. ¡°That¡¯s right. You may not be aware of it, but there were quite a few high-level gods that were swept into this place in the past. Well, they were all fake, unskilled gods though.¡± ¡°But we¡¯ve been fine for a lot longer than what we can expect, no? How could this be?¡± Milleion, the man with light green hair who had been seated cross-legged, opened his eyes before answering Regrants¡¯ question. ¡°Because¡­¡± ¡°Because¡­?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m such a special being¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Regrants frowned, causing his forehead to scrunch into a triangle shape. He felt so disgusted that he wanted to jump at Milleion and unleash his mighty power on him, but it was true that Milleion had saved his life, so Regrants held back. ¡°Ugh, whatever! Anyway, this girl¡¯s talents are average at best. She may reach a halfway decent level of power, but it¡¯ll be nearly impossible for her to reach transcendence. Well, if she tries really hard, she might be able to reach transcendence, but there¡¯s a limit to what one can accomplish with effort alone¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­¡± Eunhye asked. Seeing Eunhye making a bitter smile, Regrants stated, ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is that you need another path, another means to obtain transcendence.¡± Having said this, Regrants thought of Tan and the people in power in Noblesse who had supported him. In truth, Regrants never had much interest in the user training system, DIO, which Tan and those in power in the Noblesse had ordered his participation in. However, since he had fallen due to Tan and the Noblesse¡¯s pursuits, he felt that it was more than reasonable to bring Tan and the Noblesse down with him. ¡°Are you planning on using your power?¡± ¡°What about you? To be honest, she¡¯s a magic warrior, so she needs your help more than mine.¡± ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m a bit busy¡­¡± Milleion thought for a moment and then nodded. ¡°Okay, if there is a pseudo transcendent warrior, Tan¡¯s plan will go awry. Moreover, since Tan¡¯s going to be leveled down due to the Planet God¡¯s penalty, there¡¯ll be a limit to the power Tan can generate.¡± ¡°¡­ Uhm, excuse me?¡± Eunhye¡¯s expression subtly changed once she felt that the two were discussing something without her input. Based on what they were saying, it seemed that they were going to try and help her develop, but didn¡¯t they just say that she was untalented and unable to reach the transcendence realm? And as if understanding her feelings, Regrants spoke up. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. There are other ways to reach transcendence besides talent and hard work.¡± ¡°There¡¯s another way other than talent and effort?¡± Eunhye was puzzled by Regrants¡¯ words. Was there another path? Was there a shortcut to transcendence? Regardless of Eunhye¡¯s questionable gaze, Regrants smiled and continued speaking. ¡°Yes. There¡¯s another way other than talent or hard work. We call it¡­¡± A heavy and gigantic ball of energy began to build up in his right hand. ¡°¡­ unexpected fortune.¡± *** ¡°Ugh¡­ ugh¡­ What the hell is up with magic immunity? How can magic immunity be a thing? Such a scam¡­¡± Miho groaned after receiving a huge blow from the attack of the dragon-headed Basara, an attack that had broken through her fox fire. In a single blow, both of her arms were broken and eight of her ribs were shattered; she had been mortally wounded. The blood flowing down her throat was mixed with pieces of her internal intestines, so it wouldn¡¯t have been strange if she perished at any moment. However, the most pressing issue was¡­ ¡°My Hydra¡­¡± Miho groaned when she saw that her red staff had been broken in half. Although all the spells she had stored into Hydra had been used on Tan, it was difficult for her to currently deploy great healing spells on herself since her main magic gear had been destroyed, which took away her spell correction function. ¡°Ugh, it¡¯ll take too long for normal healing spells to help me recover from these wounds¡­ huh?¡± Miho, who had been grumbling, stopped muttering when she realized that a bright light was leaking from inside her arms. It was the light from the Soulstone that Merlin had thrown to her earlier. She remembered what Merlin had said to her at that time. /It¡¯s the last slave contractor left in DIO./ ¡°I don¡¯t know what he meant by that¡­¡± The word ¡°last¡± was what threw her off. Since she was one of the slave contractors, how could there be a last? If he had just said it in passing, she wouldn¡¯t have thought much of it and moved on, but since Merlin insisted on reaffirming, ¡®That¡¯s the last¡¯, it was natural for Miho to think that Merlin¡¯s words had a different meaning. ¡°Was he saying that I¡¯m not a slave contractor?¡± Miho shook her head to shake off the thoughts that were popping up in her mind. That couldn¡¯t be a possibility. She was an NPC who lost all her previous memories, as they were suppressed by DIO¡­ and since she operated in DIO as an NPC without her memories, she was absolutely certain that she was a slave contractor. Above all, didn¡¯t she recall her past memory of being Heavenly Flower, a nine-tailed fox who was notoriously called the Witch of Desolate Nation? Woong! As Miho pondered for a moment, the Soulstone in her hand began to shine brighter. Miho realized that the Soulstone had been soaked with her own blood. And then¡­ [The situation has become interesting.] A familiar voice echoed in her head. ¡°W-what? Who is this?¡± [You ask a question that you already know the answer to.] The other being spoke in a seductive, but weak tone of voice. [I am Heavenly Flower. I am a nine-tailed fox who was also called the Witch of Desolate Nation.] ¡°Uhm¡­ so you¡¯re my past memory? The past me?¡± [Past memory my ass.] A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled. The being sighed as if she found Miho¡¯s line of questioning pathetic. And at the same time¡­ Whoosh! Miho¡¯s surroundings changed. Before she knew it, Miho was standing at the foot of a huge altar where a cool breeze was blowing. ¡°This place¡­¡± It was the only place that she retained in her memories of her previous life. It was the place where Heavenly Flower, an evil monster, announced to the entire planet that she had reached her transcendent state after killing countless martial art heroes. However, unlike her recollection, when the altar was filled with blood and corpses, the current altar was clean. Moreover, sitting in the middle was a being she had never imagined seeing again. ¡°Ms. Heavenly Flower¡­?¡± It was the NPC who had taken care of Miho and raised her like her sister, like her mother, back when Miho was an NPC living on the Phantom Monster Magic Islands. Although Miho escaped DIO, came out into reality, and lived a completely different life as a player than when she was an NPC¡­ this Heavenly Flower, the eight-tailed fox in DIO, gave Miho, a six-tailed fox back then, love and support. [I am not that eight-tailed fox from back then, you fool.] This Heavenly Flower, the Witch of Desolate Nation, clicked her tongue as she looked at Miho, who was looking at her with confused eyes. ¡°No?¡± [No, I¡¯m not. And you are not a six-tailed fox either.] When Heavenly Flower stated this, Miho¡¯s six tails began to shrink one by one. However, this didn¡¯t mean that Miho¡¯s powers were diminishing. Miho was going through the process of returning to her [original] appearance. Miho asked in a trembling voice. ¡°Then¡­ what am I?¡± [It¡¯s not difficult to comprehend.] Finally, looking at Miho, who had only one tail left, Heavenly Flower spoke. [You are the ninth.] CH 317 The situation changed drastically. The metallic body of Alexander, who was beaten back by the tremendous heat wave without being able to put up much of a defense, was flung away while glowing red from heat. Arc, who had been stunned for a moment after casting her ultimate magic spell, raised her body and blocked the enemy faction¡¯s path. The pirates of Basara, who had suffered a considerable blow, were taken aback; they were taken aback by the absurdity of the situation rather than a sense of danger or fear. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a case where a six-tailed fox turned immediately into a nine-tailed fox¡­¡± ¡°Besides that, who is that girl? Could it be that she was sealing her own powers and memories?¡± ¡°Two transcendents appearing out of nowhere¡­¡± Likewise, the first slayer of Grotesque, Sadness, who had been hit hard and pushed back, looked at Miho and Eunhye with a strange expression on her face. However, unlike Basara¡¯s pirates, she didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, she moved. Bang! When Sadness¡¯ fist flew out like a beam of light and collided against Arc¡¯s fist, a formidable shockwave spread out from the clash. And from that blow, Sadness obtained a lot of information. ¡®I¡¯m still stronger.¡¯ The first slayer of Grotesque, Sadness currently possessed spiritual power beyond her normal capacity, as she was equipped with Caesar¡¯s spiritual abyss armament and the Hatred dwelling in it; in terms of level, she was currently a transcendent being at around Level 25. Although Arc was at the pseudo transcendental realm, after utilizing a mysterious type of skill, her level was able to just pass the transcendental realm cutline of Level 20. If she was determined and driven, and with the current power level that she possessed, she would normally be able to kill anything within a 10-kilometer radius¡­ Bam! But at that very moment, Sadness¡¯ temple caved in, and her neck snapped with a blood-curdling sound. She had a huge stature, gray skin, and a very attractive physical figure, but her body was soon disfigured with a huge palm print stamped on her right side. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°The darkness dwells and the light burns¡­¡± Arc, while muttering a spell chant, rushed towards Sadness, who was about to say something. The two¡¯s fists collided once more, and again, another shockwave spread out. Merlin, who had taken a step back from the action after landing a blow on Sadness, suddenly had a thought pop into his head while he was recovering his magic power and internal energy. ¡®Something¡­ something has changed. What is it?¡¯ When he used Irrational Hand strike on Sadness, he felt a subtle sense of something foreign covering his entire body. It wasn¡¯t anything that was harming him. No, rather, Merlin felt something huge and unknown trying to [correct] him. However, the feeling was unfamiliar and foreign; moreover, his senses couldn¡¯t grasp the foreign force¡¯s identity. ¡®Thoughts and ideas¡­ things are starting to pop into my mind.¡¯ And those thoughts were exceedingly useful. ¡°Oh my god.¡± Amid the fierce battle, Merlin groaned. Merlin suddenly realized the final piece of the puzzle to complete his Unified Soul Catcher production process. Unified Soul Catcher was the name of the project that Merlin had been researching and pursued desperately to counteract Tan and the Noblesse¡¯s eventual invasion of Earth. The Unified Soul Catcher was a new technology that, once complete, would become a considerable roadblock for all alien beings who planned on invading Earth! However, even as he started the project, Merlin knew that it wouldn¡¯t be possible to complete it before Tan appeared and interfered. All Merlin had was the idea and overall framework; he was still missing several core technologies. If unlucky, the project may have taken a long period of time to complete, such as several months, several years, or even decades! What made it more difficult for Merlin was his inability to conduct research, especially on a single topic, for a long period of time. ¡®Yeah, I probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to complete the project if it had gone on for several years.¡¯ Rather, it might have been more possible to garner results if Arthur had learned magic and led the research. This was because large-scaled research required [perseverance] rather than momentary realizations and epiphanies. One had to endure grueling long research and conduct numerous experiments, so there was no way that Merlin, who was naturally unsuited for prolonged and sustained efforts, could do such [uninteresting] work for several years. But at this moment¡­ The entire process was shortened, and a perfect foundation was laid due to a sudden thought. And that wasn¡¯t all. Crack. The internal energy of the Golden Pill Immortal Technique in his left hand met with the magic power of the Seven Jewel School in his right hand. The two spiritual powers repelled and amplified before crystallizing. The crystalized product was a combination of Force, Essence, and Ether. It was an instantaneous production ability that was made possible because Merlin had acquired the basic mana control ability, one of the three necessary abilities for one to enter the transcendent realm; however, Merlin had gone one step further. Whoosh¡­ The crystallized magic stone in Merlin¡¯s hand stabilized. Since the magic stone was instantly solidified magic power, it should have been something that naturally dispersed over time, but, as if it had been hardened over a long period of time, the magic stone became a physical jewel. Even the power was strengthened, as this new magic stone was able to output 5 times more energy than its predecessor. ¡®This is crazy. I can store magic stones that are created in an instant?¡¯ Internally, Merlin couldn¡¯t help but sigh. This was because he realized that if he had this ability previously, the result of his battle with Tan would have turned out much different. If he had collected hundreds of these magic stones in advance and poured them out in his attacks, even a transcendent would have a difficult time facing off against him. No, if Merlin had created his Unified Soul Catcher in the first place, Tan wouldn¡¯t have been able to invade Earth. Rumble! A thunderbolt struck Sadness, who was launching attacks at Arc. Among his Howling Spells, Merlin used Lightning Blade of Zeus, which was the most powerful spell he had in his arsenal to contend against a single target. ¡®The Unified Soul Catcher is now obsolete. Even though I now understand the full production process, it¡¯s a job that requires a considerable amount of manpower and time¡­ two luxuries I don¡¯t have.¡¯ While producing a magic stone to cast another Howling Spell, Merlin organized his thoughts. The enemy was strong, and the ongoing battle was fierce. ¡®But still¡­ This is crazy. Other thoughts and realizations are constantly popping into my mind¡­ Oh man! I can use my Jeweled Eye and Gold Eye in that way as well!¡¯ Ideas sprung up non-stop in his mind. Inspiration and epiphanies appeared like successive flashes without a break! Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just Merlin who was experiencing such a phenomenon. ¡°Wow, no way.¡± Jeros opened his eyes wide as he looked at the ball of flame in his right hand. ¡°Wait, am I finally going to succeed? At such a time?¡± ¡°Hey! Stop muttering and fight! These guys are too strong!!¡± ¡°Ah, right! Fireball!¡± As he waved his hand, a ball of flame slowly flew out from Jeros¡¯ hand. Having been pushed back onto the ground due to the dragon-headed Basara¡¯s attack, Hanma was flabbergasted after seeing Jeros¡¯ spell. ¡°Man, how long are you planning to use that weak fireball spell¡­¡± ¡°Final.¡± The orb of flame, which initially moved slowly, rapidly accelerated. The dwarf Basara girl fired her magic bullets to block the incoming fireball, with full confidence that her bullets would naturally intercept Jeros¡¯ fireball, but Jeros¡¯ fireball exploded after meeting her bullets and continued to accelerate towards its target. Bang! And as the fireball made its way to the middle of the pirates and exploded one last time, the Basara pirates¡¯ formation started to unravel. The overall power level of the fireball was moderate, but the fireball''s success in reaching its intended target meant that Jeros was able to effectively attack an opponent who was clearly at a higher level than himself. Using the gap created by Jeros¡¯ fireball, the other Masters started launching their own attacks. ¡°Body, Sword, Flame. Human Gate (6th Gate), Open.¡± Ilyia¡¯s body burned red. She had opened her inner microcosm, and soon, her body itself became an attribute. This sort of change would have been impossible if she was an internal energy or magic power user, but since she was a chakra user who could open her own inner microcosm and created a set of overarching laws for that mini world, this complete change of her being and essence was possible. ¡®Hmm. I¡¯m taking a gamble¡­¡¯ Ilyia¡¯s body, which had transformed into a single ball of flame, flew into the center of Basara¡¯s formation. Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Her chakra power undulated chaotically and violently. This was the first time she opened three elements at the same time; moreover, what made this feat even more astonishing was that she was opening her Human Gate, the primary element for a chakra user. ¡®¡­ but, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll fail.¡¯ And as she had this thought, her attempt proved to be a success. ¡°Flaming Heaven Sword.¡± The flames emitted by Jeros¡¯ fireball merged with her chakra to form a flaming sword. The Flaming Heaven Sword, which looked as though Ilyia had melted her whole body to form a sword shape, was at a level that even the pirates of Basara, who presented a considerable collective fighting power, couldn¡¯t dare ignore. [Stop it!] The other Masters react to the words of the fish floating in the air. ¡°We won¡¯t let you! No way!¡± ¡°Ohm (¦¸)!¡± Hanma¡¯s body, which was essentially no different from a locomotive, struck the pirate¡¯s outer formation, and by using Divine Hundred Steps, which allowed Hanma to concentrate all his strength in an instant, Hanma flew towards the whale-headed man, who was located at the center and acted as the core of the formation. Of course, there was no way that Shen, the whale-headed man who was born as an Irregular, like Arthur, Merlin, and Cruze, and had traveled throughout the universe for the past 300 years, would succumb to such a blunt, brute-force attack. Crack! ¡°Ugh!¡± Aung Nina¡¯s head was shattered when Shen deflected and modified the direction of Hanma¡¯s Divine Hundred Steps attack to shoot toward Aung Nina. Feeling that something was unusual and off, Shen sought to reduce the number of Masters as soon as the opportunities presented themselves. Bam! But right at that moment, Cruze¡¯s bullet punched a hole in Shen¡¯s chest. The elf swordsman, Chan, had stood in front of Shen and had been operating a sword shield, but for some reason, Cruze¡¯s bullet wasn¡¯t affected by his sword shield. And Ilyia, who had turned herself into a flaming sword, dug in through the momentary gap that was created from the commotion. Bang! Dozens of defensive barriers, with walls that reached high into the air, were blown away by the powerful, concentrated heat wave. The eyes of the floating fish, that was protecting the Basara pirate formation from the rear, widened. Suddenly, Leaf appeared right in front of the floating fish. ¡°Ah¡­ I get it now. This is what a teleportation coordinate is.¡± [S-shoot¡­] ¡°No!¡± The Basara pirates were horrified at Leaf¡¯s sudden appearance within the boundary of their formation, so they tried to move and counter her, but before they could, a white orb rose from Leaf¡¯s hand. Kunlun Jade. A burst of light exploded outward, and instantly, the body of the floating fish-shaped alien was literally erased from the world. Only a single translucent tail fin remained, possibly because of the fish¡¯s origins being closer to a spiritual creature than a physical being. Poof. Shen gritted his teeth as he watched Leaf use teleportation. Though Leaf had moved behind him, he was momentarily disabled due to the bullet lodged in his heart. ¡°Ack¡­ ack¡­¡± While gasping for air, Cruze laughed aloud. She had used a large amount of her aura power to launch the bullet attack, so she had exhausted herself. ¡°Have you ever heard of a variable probability bullet? Well, have you, whale-head?¡± ¡°You¡­!¡± Shen¡¯s white face contorted into an ugly frown. It seemed that Shen¡¯s pride was hurt by the fact that he was hit by someone he looked down on. However, the attacks weren¡¯t over. Bang! ¡°Ack!? You?¡± ¡°It took a while to come back because I was blown so far away.¡± Bruce Wayne¡¯s dark magic sword was surrounded by black air currents and flames. Chan¡¯s face distorted at the clearly different operating method that Bruce Wayne was deploying compared to before. ¡°What is up with these guys!? Did they collectively take drugs or something!?¡± The Basara pirates couldn¡¯t hide their astonishment at the Masters¡¯ sudden show of force and increased power levels. In terms of overall power, the pirates were still at an advantage, but the battle atmosphere had completely changed. What was more serious and concerning was that the Masters¡¯ capabilities and powers were [growing]. And such explosive growth at that! However, there was one person in the party who didn¡¯t seem affected by the [correction]. ¡°Huh? I¡­ I feel like something is tickling me¡­¡± Lancelot looked at his party members, who were all flinging themselves across the battlefield and having a grand time, before looking internally to confirm his condition. Nothing had changed. He felt as though something was trying to appear in his mind, but that was all. Lancelot wasn¡¯t endowed with a sudden epiphany or an increase in power like the rest of his colleagues. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He closed his eyes and checked his body condition for a while before turning on his user status window. It had been quite a while since he viewed his status window. After all, what mattered to him was never his stats, titles, or occupations but his capabilities. ¡°My title, occupation, and level are the same¡­ Hmm? Current Condition is reading¡­¡± Lancelot narrowed his eyes at the words [Gaia¡¯s Blessing] in his status window. He tried to turn on the detailed description function, but the description was just written as ¡®???¡¯, so he couldn¡¯t figure out what the blessing was. However, after seeing his stats, Lancelot was able to quickly discover an abnormality. Overall, among the stat areas where he had 400 points, a clear anomaly could be seen. ¡°Hey, what is this?¡± DIO¡¯s stat system started at 20 points for every beginning user, and an explosive amplification of power occurred for the user at every 100-point threshold. Of course, the higher the point total in any category, the more difficult it became for a user to develop further in that stat area. Additionally, it took an exponential amount of bonus points to increase stat areas once one reached higher stat point totals. Because of this, even if one reached the Master realm, the average stat in any category was usually less than 300 points. Theoretically, if one put all of one¡¯s bonus points into one stat category, one could reach 400 stat points by the time one reached the Master realm, but such an extreme stat distribution would eventually lead to self-destruction, so it was better to divide stat points evenly. The important thing to keep in mind here was that the maximum stat points was 999 for any single category. This system maximum was widely known in Dynamic Island, so there was no doubting it. ¡°But¡­¡± Boom! Bam! For a moment, forgetting that he was standing in the middle of a fierce battlefield, Lancelot stared blankly at his last stat category. ¡°My luck stat is¡­?¡± There, it was written¡­ /Luck: 1,000 (???)/ CH 318 ¡°My luck stat is¡­?¡± There, it was written¡­ /Luck: 1,000 (???)/ *** Clang! Bang! ¡°Ugh, each step is so heavy¡­ Gear #3!¡± Youngmin threw away the black sword in his hand, which he had used to deflect the rain of bullets that poured down on the Masters, and switched his weapon to a greatsword that shone with golden light. [Impediments.] ¡°Ack! I¡¯m so scared¡­ so scared!¡± While making a sarcastic fuss, Youngmin fiercely stared at the opponent in front of him. Youngmin felt as if his whole body was light enough to fly away, and his mind was so clear that he almost felt like everything had become transparent. And that rolling momentum was transferred to his greatsword¡¯s blade. ¡®Oh my goodness.¡¯ He was well beyond his best condition. Normally, it would have been hard for Youngmin to deflect a single magic bullet, but currently, he was able to clearly see the trajectory of all the enemy¡¯s attacks as if he was viewing someone drawing the lines and curves in real-time. On top of that, his natural killing intent as the Celestial Killer was brought out; it was as if a disobedient child was given a chance to run amok. He parried, avoided, and cut down every attack. Considering that his opponent was a transcendent, this sort of feat should have been absolutely impossible. ¡®It¡¯s like an extended moment of enlightenment.¡¯ Youngmin had experienced such moments before. The moment when he was completely exhausted from swinging his sword for days on end and was on the verge of fainting, or the moment when he faced a mighty enemy, or when he faced a desperate crisis where he could be decapitated with one false move¡­ Whenever he reached that moment, he experienced a burst of tremendous growth all at once. Although relatively young, Youngmin was given the title of a Sword Demon because he had surpassed those critical moments many times in the past. Those moments weren¡¯t tests that could be overcome through effort alone. Inspiration and enlightenment were fickle like that. Those who possessed inspiration and enlightenment could be prepared and ready, but being prepared and ready didn¡¯t necessarily mean that one could gain inspiration and enlightenment. ¡®If this sort of thing was quantified as luck¡­¡¯ Under this line of thought, Youngmin was experiencing a fortuitous opportunity of a lifetime! No, even the word lifetime wasn¡¯t enough to properly explain just how rare this sort of occasion and opportunity was. This ridiculous amount of luck was at a level that very few beings had ever experienced in their lives. ¡°Hahaha! Hahaha!¡± His innate qi energy as a Celestial Killer combined with the internal energy he accumulated throughout his lifetime as a Celestial Killer to create black flames all around his body and on his weapon. Slash! The armor on Alexander¡¯s upper arm, which Alexander had been using as its leading body part when attacking, was sharply cut off. Youngmin¡¯s sword attack, which rose to its peak in an instant, destroyed even a transcendent¡¯s armor, which was protected by the transcendent¡¯s enormous spiritual power. [Eliminate.] However, after delivering such a mighty blow, Youngmin was defenselessly exposed to Alexander¡¯s subsequent attack. Even if Youngmin was able to momentarily display the peak of his fighting power, his opponent was still a transcendent, a more powerful being. ¡°It¡¯s good to take the initiative and strike first, but don¡¯t get too excited! You might suffer a counter!¡± The one who saved Youngmin from this precarious situation was Miho, who transformed Youngmin into foxfire for an instant to reel him in. Youngmin smiled as he quickly turned back into a human. ¡°Hahaha! Thank you, Ms. Nine-tailed Fox!¡± ¡°Nine-tailed Fox¡­ eh, whatever.¡± ¡°Well, that is what you are, right? Hahaha!¡± The temperament of Youngmin, who smiled cheerfully, was completely different from his usual calm demeanor. Surrounded by black flames that burned and flamed up like fire, Youngmin exuded an extremely desolate atmosphere, and adding his beautiful appearance on top of that desolate aura, Youngmin exuded an indescribably bewitching atmosphere. ¡°You¡¯re in a bit of a strange state.¡± ¡°Hahaha! This is my original energy and aura. Ah, today is very refreshing indeed! Hahaha!¡± ¡°¡­ You¡¯re acting like a psychopath.¡± After she grumbled some complaints, Miho¡¯s eyes started to shine like jewels. Miho¡¯s Magic Eyes didn¡¯t normally work against Legion forces, who were originally mechanical lifeform and impervious to magic power, but the power of her jeweled magic eyes had reached an ultimate level, so they had a direct effect on the material world; this allowed Miho to run mental interference on Alexander. ¡®I don¡¯t understand.¡¯ It was a fierce battle, but even so, Miho¡¯s mind was complicated. She had gained her ninth tail, but the feeling she felt was closer to puzzlement than joy. ¡®Why did she give up her powers so easily? Because she¡¯s Miss Heavenly Flower? No, that being was the true Heavenly Flower, the Witch of Desolate Nation¡­¡¯ Miho felt that she had met the true Witch of Desolate Nation. It was a reasonable guess. It made sense that the Witch of Desolate Nation would have signed on as a slave contractor, and since she herself recalled the memories of the Witch of Desolate Nation, the image she saw matched the image of the previous Witch of Desolate Nation. However, Miho couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of suspicion. The being she saw was too small and weak to be the true Nine-tailed Fox. And above all, Miho knew that her own memory was imperfect and untrustworthy. Why did the memories of her previous life, her life as the Witch of Desolate Nation, begin at the point after she had slaughtered the heroes of the martial world? What happened to her memories before that time? Why did Miho only recall the memory of the bloody altar? ¡®The ninth¡­¡¯ The truth was simple. Because that was when Miho was born. ¡®The ninth tail¡­¡¯ The real Heavenly Flower, the Witch of Desolate Nation, wasn¡¯t Miho, it was the Eight-tailed Fox Miho had met in DIO, Ms. Heavenly Flower. Miho was just a temporary personality and identity created after Heavenly Flower¡¯s ninth tail fell off. But now, in the end, it was Miho who became a full-fledged Nine-tailed Fox being, not the original Heavenly Flower. ¡®And that¡¯s why it¡¯s so hard to understand.¡¯ Miho couldn¡¯t understand how such an evil, sinister, and cruel being like the Witch of Desolate Nation could give up everything, seemingly on a whim, and offer her power to Miho. Bang!! ¡°Shoot!¡± When her mind started wandering, her hands started fumbling over themselves. Of course, she was in a state of [correction], but even so, those corrections had limitations. Gaia¡¯s Blessing was the power of fate, which maximized the [possibilities] of the subject who was receiving the blessing. However, even though the blessing was given by a Planet God, the blessing couldn¡¯t offer very much, in terms of power, to a being that had already reached the transcendent realm. In other words, Arc and Miho had already maximized the benefit of the blessing, as it had pushed them across the threshold of transcendence. In truth, amongst everyone who received the blessing, Miho benefited the most. Even as a secondary personality, as Miho was the personification of Heavenly Flower¡¯s ninth tail, Miho was able to fully acquire Heavenly Flower¡¯s power. Even though Miho herself was only a six-tailed fox, there was still the extreme and rare [possibility] that Heavenly Flower, who had no future anyway, would give up herself to protect her soul. In other words, Gaia¡¯s Blessing had increased the likelihood of Heavenly Flower giving up everything so that Miho, a part of her, could receive her powers and live on. Also, the parties that received the blessing weren¡¯t the ones who most accurately grasped the blessing¡¯s powers. [Gaia, in the end, you intervened. To apply the fate of a hero to such a wide range of subjects¡­] Tan commented. - Oh, they¡¯re coming back with a roar. How exciting and interesting. The Beast of the Apocalypse, whose existence seemed to want to crush the whole world, and the Sun God, who was emitting a huge heat wave that seemed to burn up the sky, stopped fighting each other and looked down at the ground. Grotesque¡¯s first slayer, Sadness, was being pushed back by the combination of Arc and Merlin. Although Merlin was unable to demonstrate an equal level of combat power compared to that of Sadness, the situation changed completely once Arc entered transcendence and realized her powers. When Arc, who was a magic power user but possessed strong durability as a fighter and had a fighting style commonly referred to by DIO users as a [Tank Mage], took the initiative to head the frontline, Merlin was able to focus on outputting powerfully amplified Irrational Hand strike attacks and sniping attacks with much more composure from the backline. Alexander, a Named Legion, lost one arm to the combined attacks of Miho, who was wielding a considerably powerful monster qi as a Nine-tailed Fox, and Youngmin, who wielded his black flames. The pirates of Basara, like Alexander and Sadness, found themselves in the same precarious situation. ¡°Shit! They keep resurrecting!¡± ¡°Also, why are these guys getting stronger!?¡± The Masters [evolved] at every moment. Those who had been given the maximum heroic fate through Gaia¡¯s Blessing were now exploding [all] of their potential on the battlefield. Though the three factions were still superior based on objective power, they couldn¡¯t find a way to combat a collective force that was getting stronger with every passing second. ¡®Not good.¡¯ Tan¡¯s eyes narrowed. The tides of battle were flowing against him. If the Masters won, Merlin would be able to support and recharge Apollo again, and if that happened, it would eventually spell the end for Tan. ¡®What if I retreat?¡¯ This thought quickly flashed through Tan¡¯s mind, but¡­ Throb! Tan felt the sharp sensation of pain that was transmitted throughout his body from his heart. ¡®Arthur.¡¯ Ascalon, a Transcendental Weapon that was created specifically to kill dragons, was playing a tremendous deterrence role. And the stronger this deterrence became, the stronger the feelings of inferiority and hatred burned in the depths of Leviathan¡¯s heart. [This won¡¯t do.] - Hmm? Hey, it seems you¡¯re misunderstanding something¡­ [It¡¯s you who is mistaken.] At that moment, Leviathan opened his huge mouth, which was so large that it seemed like it could swallow a decent-sized city. A huge amount of turbid blue air rushed into his mouth. It was a huge force that was on a completely different level from anything Tan had shown previously! - You¡¯re out of your mind! Using [Absolute Authority] without permission from the Creator? Aren¡¯t you a part of the universe¡¯s law? [What? Wasn¡¯t this what you guys did all the time when you were all alive?] - Ah! Taken aback, Apollo laughed lightly before turning himself into a single ray of light. And when that ray of light hit Leviathan¡¯s head before Leviathan could spit out the huge energy that it collected in its mouth¡­ Flash! Leviathan¡¯s head burned fiercely after a terrifying flash. However, the blue air currents that had gathered in Leviathan¡¯s mouth didn¡¯t dissipate. [¡­ It is because they are trying to forget that the heavens existed from ancient times and that the earth came out of water and was formed by water by the word of God. Because of this, the world at that time was destroyed by overflowing water¡­] Tan muttered. - Oh, shit! You¡¯re mad! You¡¯re using your power to recreate the great flood!? [Stop now! This is neither the last days nor the end of days! According to the laws bestowed upon me as the Planet God¡­!] the penguin exclaimed. [Don¡¯t do anything stupid, Gaia. Even if I flood this place, nothing will happen to your precious human civilization on Earth, right?] Tan responded. [That¡­] When the penguin, Gaia, hesitated and panicked, Apollo awakened and mustered all the energy within him. - I lay an order upon you! Brilliant Light! After his mighty cry, the sun rose in the gray sky. And Tan sent out his unfinished power toward that sun. The sun represented Apollo¡¯s absolute power, Brilliant Light. Whoosh! The two powers canceled each other out and disappeared as if nothing had happened. Tan¡¯s power of flood was a higher power than Apollo¡¯s Brilliant Light, but Tan had utilized his power before it was completed. Even so, Apollo frowned. He was aiming to nullify Tan¡¯s attack, and though he had achieved just that, Apollo knew that there was no way that the offsetting of Tan¡¯s authority could have been done so easily. - Huh, what¡¯s going on¡­? Wait¡­ y-you? [You were always such a stupid being.] - You tricked me!! You tricked me you damn Beast of the Apocalypse!!! The whole world shook as Apollo displayed his anger and rage. And at the same time¡­ Rumble! Black lightning struck down and caused a part of space to split open, revealing a naked woman under the bolt of lightning. She was a slender beauty standing at about 170 cm with pink skin and shiny blonde hair. She was smiling brightly. Whoosh! A wormhole opened and a round metal ball popped out from it. With a diameter of about 1 meter, it was an item made from ordinary modern household items¡­ but at this moment, the power contained within it was truly beyond one¡¯s imagination. Tap. And finally, a man wearing a beret and military uniform appeared. He looked at his body for a moment, then looked at Leviathan with a puzzled expression. ¡°Thank you, but¡­ why is he like that? Is it someone who hated you during his previous lifetime?¡± ¡°Captain? Captain, how did you get here?¡± The faces of the Masters, who had been excitedly driving the enemy factions into a corner, soon turned sour after seeing the newly arrived enemy forces. ¡°Wait a minute¡­ They can just come at will now?¡± ¡°That, that¡­ Isn¡¯t that Happiness? The most famous among the Grotesque¡¯s Slayers¡­¡± ¡°This is crazy¡­ three more transcendents?¡± Like the Masters, the Planet Gods, the penguin and the girl, were at a loss for words. ¡°Why¡­ why has it become like this?¡± the girl said aloud. [This is insanity. You¡¯re ¡®consuming¡¯ your life in a place like this?] the penguin commented in a flabbergasted tone of voice towards Tan. If a rat entered one¡¯s house and took away one¡¯s precious ring, of course it was a normal reaction for one to try anything in one¡¯s power to get it back. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if that person tried to exterminate the rats out of anger if he or she couldn¡¯t get his or her ring back. But¡­ would someone sacrifice themselves, like a terrorist attack where one would wrap bombs all over one¡¯s body, just to kill those rats? This wasn¡¯t a normal response. A quick look at "pawread dot com" will leave you more fulfilled. ¡°I would have never imagined that he¡¯d go to such lengths¡­ using his authority to forcibly raise the level of civilization¡­¡± The girl groaned as she saw Leviathan, who couldn¡¯t even control his own massive body, collapse onto the ground with a thump, and Apollo, who consumed all his energy, scatter into the air. And then¡­ ¡°Now then! Shall we start over in earnest?¡± Along with a pleasant voice, a whirlwind of strong qi struck Merlin¡¯s party. CH 319 ¡°Now then! Shall we start over in earnest?¡± Along with a pleasant voice, a whirlwind of strong qi struck Merlin¡¯s party. Bang! Arc stood at the forefront to block the raging strong qi. Her armor, which was made up of extremely compressed mana, was successful in resisting the strong qi, a qi energy that was able to interfere with all existing attributes. ¡°Hahaha! It was so frustrating to only be able to look down on what was happening atop the ship!¡± Volcano, the captain of Basara¡¯s 12th ship, [Flame], laughed heartily as he kicked off the ground. ¡°Why was it so hard for you all to break through this?!¡± Bam! With a roar, the whirlwind of strong qi whipped up once more and exploded its flames, eventually blowing away Arc¡¯s body. The black armor that covered her entire body was shattered into pieces. [Accept the great calling. You are the owners of pleasure!] Along with a spiritual speech that spread throughout her surroundings, Happiness, who was a beautiful human specimen, grew wings, like those on an angel, on her back. ¡°Ah¡­ ah¡­ I¡¯m so excited. I feel like I¡¯m part of a moment in history~¡± ¡°¡­ Move out, now,¡± Sadness stated in a mechanical voice. Apparently, Sadness didn¡¯t seem to get along well with Happiness. [Exterminate.] [Oh, as always, you are so reticent.] The sphere, M-4, about 1 meter in diameter, spoke out. The M-4 model, which was produced to conduct ordinary housekeeping and secretary functions, was sold throughout the universe, and existed in every corner of the universe, as more than 100 million units were produced and sold to date. The M-4 spoke calmly to Alexander instead of rushing at the enemy. Of course, Alexander, who had just been in the middle of a fierce battle, ignored the M-4¡¯s comment. Bam! Pop! A quick look at "pawread dot com" will leave you more fulfilled. ¡°Quiet Heaven¡­?!¡± The sudden ring of a fired bullet caught Merlin by surprise. Merlin¡¯s expression hardened because he saw the body of his pet, Quiet Heaven, which was floating next to him, being slammed by the bullet. All this happened so instantaneously, so suddenly, that it was impossible to stop it from happening. Merlin didn¡¯t even have enough time to raise any of his defenses. ¡°Ellie!¡± ¡°Oh shoot, Black¡­¡± ¡°Wukong!¡± Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just Quiet Heaven that suffered such a fate. Arc, Bruce Wayne, and Cruze¡¯s pets were also killed simultaneously. From the start, they were the weakest beings with the least fighting power on the battlefield. This disaster had befallen them because they had gathered close together due to the sudden appearance of new enemy forces all around them. [All Noblesse terminals have been removed. Currently in the process of removing all Elohim terminals as well. Clearing the way to create a firm connection.] Alexander stated. It was a statement that sounded close to an order, but M-4 responded with a bright tone of voice. [It¡¯s been a while, Mr. Alexander. How are you doing?] [Perform the mission. Maintain focus on the mission objective.] [I¡¯m having a pretty good time these days.] [Perform mission.] Alexander put some strength behind its voice. However, M-4 didn¡¯t seem to care. [Actually, I¡¯m going through something right now that could change the fate of Legion itself. It¡¯s top secret, but should I tell you a little bit about it?] [Focus on the battle¡­] Alexander responded in a tone that seemed to ask why M-4 was even present, but Alexander knew it couldn¡¯t ignore M-4 and act on its own accord. Unlike Alexander, which was produced to become a combat weapon, M-4 was just a general bot that was used to conduct household chores or menial office tasks¡­ in other words, M-4 was a legacy item of an ancient civilization that had reached the 5th Stage of Civilization before disappearing from the universe. The power M-4 possessed may be that of a low-level transcendent, but the influence M-4 had on Legion as a whole was by no means small. [Well, to be frank, do we really have to join this battle?] [Get things together, M-4. I observed an enormous burst of information from that human over there. If we secure that human, we might be able to overcome the Singularity. And if that should happen, we might even be able to reach the 5th Stage of Civilization¡­] [Hmm, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. Anyway, let¡¯s hang back and observe.] [But¡­] Alexander hesitantly looked at the forces of the other two factions, the Grotesque and Basara. Alexander thought that if it and M-4, the representative Legion forces, stood behind and didn¡¯t participate in the battle, the other two factions would have a higher chance of acquiring the human (Merlin), the source of the explosion of information. Moreover, in reality, things seemed to be progressing in this direction. ¡°Eh?!¡± Jeros, who was about to cast a spell, was being choked by Happiness, who flew faster than a bullet to reach his location. The Hero¡¯s Fate blessing bestowed on him by Gaia was a very powerful correction¡­ but the blessing didn¡¯t give him the strength to overcome a transcendent, a being who had already surpassed its predetermined fate and destiny. ¡°Don¡¯t just kill them off. They¡¯re able to resurrect.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so? Then¡­¡± ¡°S-sparks and flames, give me¡­ eh?!¡± Happiness¡¯s red lips locked onto Jeros¡¯ mouth as he hurriedly tried to complete his spell chant. Happiness had a voluptuous and curvy body, no different from an alluring human¡¯s body, so she gave off an erotic air; however, her actions were more gruesome than anything else. Creak! The faces of the Masters distorted as they were affected by the sonic shockwaves spreading throughout the area along with a sound like fingernails scratching a blackboard. ¡°Soul Drain!¡± ¡°Jeros! No!¡± Hanma, Jeros¡¯ best friend, charged at Happiness like a thunderbolt after seeing his friend in danger. Currently, his ability and power were at the highest level they had ever been in his entire life! Using his strongest attacking and rushing move, Earthly Thunder strike, Hanma made his body faster and stronger than that of a cannon ball. ¡°I feel sorry for you.¡± However, everything was relative, especially power. Bam! Hanma¡¯s body, which was harder than steel, no, probably much harder than that, was crushed like a piece of paper. What caught him, as he was blown away, were wings that seemed to be made of the same film as those of a bat¡¯s wings. Sadness looked at Hanma with a melancholy expression and raised its hand casually into the air. Hanma tried to resist, but, as if his body was experiencing a seizure, he couldn¡¯t move properly, so he was fully exposed to the downward blow. Crack! Sadness ripped out Hanma¡¯s heart with its sharp claws, took it up to its mouth, and then chewed on it. What Sadness did wasn¡¯t just the act of eating the human organ that supplied one¡¯s body with blood; it was spiritual predation. At the same time when Hanma¡¯s heart was eaten, Hanma¡¯s soul was torn apart and absorbed by Sadness. And Jeros, who was kissed by Happiness, faced the same situation. These acts meant that the two users had met their complete deaths. Of course, their physical bodies were still alive on Earth, but since their souls were destroyed, their physical bodies would also slowly die. ¡°Not like this¡­ not like this¡­¡± A futile, helpless death. Bruce Wayne gritted his teeth as he watched his fallen colleagues dumped on the ground like garbage. ¡®This is absurd.¡¯ Hanma was the Earth¡¯s top life force user, and Jeros was China¡¯s top mage. Truly, the two were talented amongst the talented, the top few among billions of users. But even so, to the transcendent monsters who descended from the greater universe, Hanma and Jeros were nothing more than frogs that had lived their whole lives inside a deep well. No matter how much effort they gave or how determined they were, to these transcendents, the humans on Earth were as inferior to them as insects. ¡®Don¡¯t be so cocky.¡¯ Bruce Wayne¡¯s breathing became shallower. From his dark magic sword, and from his body, dark energy flowed out. With the Hero¡¯s Fate blessing, Bruce Wayne was able to reach the pinnacle height of the Dark Magic Technique at this very moment. ¡®I will survive.¡¯ With a firm determination, his figure melted into the shadows. Bam! However, a single slash of sword qi mercilessly cut through the shadows. The elf swordsman, Chan, smiled coldly. ¡°I hate cowards who hide themselves the most.¡± Bruce Wayne¡¯s body rose from the shadows. Although his soul was unharmed, unlike his comrades¡­ he had taken part in the battle through manifestation, so essentially, his life was over. ¡°Take this!!¡± Meanwhile, divine qi exploded in front of the group. At the point of explosion, one could see Leaf blocking and defending Volcano¡¯s attacks with a powerful aura powered revolving around her body. ¡°Man, what¡¯s up with this little girl?¡± ¡°Captain, she¡¯s protected by a blessing from the Planet God, so be careful and vigilant.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s Hero¡¯s Fate you¡¯re talking about, I¡¯ve already faced that sort of blessing several times in the past¡­ but¡­ this is absolutely not Hero¡¯s Fate.¡± Merlin continued to create magic stones as he peeked over at Leaf. Amongst everyone, he was the only one who knew how Leaf was capable of unleashing power similar to that of a transcendent. ¡®Kang Sang¡­¡¯ Maintaining a translucent appearance, Kang Sang stood behind Leaf like a shadow. He didn¡¯t imbue her with specific powers, but it seemed like he was helping her in other ways. ¡®However, it¡¯s still an uphill battle.¡¯ Although Volcano was surprised by Leaf¡¯s forceful reaction, he was relaxed enough to chat with his subordinates. Even if Leaf was able to barely hold out, her chances of winning against Volcano were infinitely small, nearly close to zero. ¡®As expected, the only answer is¡­¡¯ Crackle! ¡°Ugh!¡± Suddenly, a burst of light flashed, and Merlin staggered. He was just about to take out a Flame Ruby and activate a spell when he was struck by an attack. The attacker was a spherical machine standing in the distance. M-4 spun around. [Well, I¡¯m just watching for now, but I can¡¯t allow you to summon Apollo again. That¡¯ll make everything much too complicated.] ¡°No, this¡­¡± Merlin looked in disbelief at the handcuffs binding his arms. No, it wasn¡¯t just restricting his arms. With a locking sound, his arms and legs were firmly bound. ¡®I wasn¡¯t able to sense the oncoming attack¡­ even though my senses are super heightened¡­¡¯ At the moment of astonishment, a spark burst. Crackle! ¡°Merlin!?¡± Arc, who was swapping her gear after her full-body armor had been shattered, caught Merlin as he was falling down. Unlike the other Masters, Merlin didn¡¯t die. However, this was to be expected; the main purpose of the enemies of the Union, who all sent their representative forces onto this battlefield, wasn¡¯t Earth nor DIO. Their main objective was Merlin. And the battle wouldn¡¯t stop with his collapse. ¡°Hahaha. How bittersweet.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes. I am also sad that I have to kill a human like you.¡± The heart of Aung Nina, a monk who dedicated her life to Tibet¡¯s independence, was ripped out, and her soul was eaten up by Sadness. ¡°¡­ Shit.¡± Ilyia, who was stealthily moving and aiming to land a blow, collapsed into two pieces after being struck by a flaming blade. The flaming blade, which was reinforced with strong qi, burned her soul. ¡°Operate Limited Arms! Come out and smash everything! Smash! Earth Breaker!¡± ¡°Counter Soul.¡± The limited arms weapon, which Cruze was barely able to create with the last remaining aura power that she could scrap together, dispersed harmlessly in the air in vain. Before she knew it, Shen, the huge whale-headed man, was standing in front of her. ¡°You can¡¯t keep using the same battle technique in front of your enemy. Once one figures out your combat style, one can cancel your combat operation at any time.¡± Shen was laughing at her. Of course, for someone to do what he explained wasn¡¯t easy¡­. He, like Cruze, was born with the talent of an Irregular. Even if that tremendous talent acted as a roadblock and prevented him from rising to the transcendent realm, the vast amount of experience he accumulated as an Irregular gave him the upper hand. ¡°But it is interesting. Is this your ¡®personality¡¯?¡± Not all Irregulars were the same, as they were each born with strong individual personalities and proclivities that even other Irregulars couldn¡¯t easily imitate. In Arthur¡¯s case, it was his talent as a Heavenly Draconic Being, and in Merlin¡¯s case, his talent was as a kind of [developer]. And in the case of Cruze, her talent was the ability to convert aura power into data and re-implement that stream of data into a weapon¡­ her talent could be described as a [designer], which was what Shen associated as her unique ¡®personality¡¯. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I guess I¡¯ve been rambling on. Well, you guys are like leftovers anyway, so I guess it won¡¯t hurt to show off my own personality before eliminating you.¡± Shen was a bit angry. This was because he lost his old comrade to an opponent that he looked down upon, albeit only because his opponent was receiving the Hero¡¯s Fate blessing. ¡°Wow, the situation is so bad that even my Celestial Star¡¯s killing intent isn¡¯t running rampant,¡± Youngmin murmured. ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­ something¡­ I feel like I¡¯m on the cusp of realizing something,¡± Lancelot muttered. The only other beings left were Youngmin, who was exuding a lively atmosphere, and Lancelot, who was muttering something incomprehensible under his breath. Arc was dealing with Sadness, Miho was dealing with Happiness, and Leaf was dealing with Volcano. Since these three were preoccupied with their own opponents, they could offer Cruze or the others any help. No, to be precise, they were in greater danger than Cruze and the others. The difference in power between Arc, Miho, and Leaf and their respective opponents was rather severe. ¡®I have to stop this.¡¯ Cruze, after noticing Shen¡¯s anger, became determined and sharpened her eyes. Fortunately, she received the correction qualities of Hero¡¯s Fate, so all kinds of ideas and inspirations were welling up in her head. But was it really possible to fight a proper battle with her current physical condition? She couldn¡¯t conjure her Master Skill or Master Weapon, and her aura power had bottomed out. Whether or not Cruze was in a state of despair, Shen continued speaking. ¡°Look, look closely. This is my personality.¡± Whoosh! Numerous magic characters appeared on his whole body. ¡°Quintillion.¡± Shen laughed manically as his magic power rose. However, at that moment. Bam! Shen¡¯s Spell Library, which had been activated and fully operational, disappeared with a light sound; it was like a candlelight had been extinguished. No, to be more exact, his Spell Library had been annihilated. ¡°¡­ What?¡± Then, an ink-colored spear stabbed at Shen, who was still flustered. CH 320 ¡°It¡¯s Quintillion.¡± Shen laughed manically as his magic power rose. However, at that moment. Bam! Shen¡¯s Spell Library, which had been activated and fully operational, disappeared with a light sound; it was like a candlelight had been extinguished. No, to be more exact, his Spell Library had been annihilated. ¡°¡­ What?¡± Then, an ink-colored spear stabbed at Shen, who was still flustered. Bam! Shen deflected the oncoming spear stab with his fist. Lancelot murmured as he felt a strong reverberation transmitted through the tip of his spear. ¡°It¡¯s not enough¡­ what is it¡­¡± ¡°Lancelot?¡± Cruze, who snapped her head towards Lancelot, asked aloud with a sense of confusion in her eyes. She didn¡¯t ¡®understand¡¯ what Lancelot had just done. And she wasn¡¯t the only one who felt this way. ¡°Wow bro, what did you just do? It¡¯s like¡­ it¡¯s like you just erased his attack,¡± Youngmin commented from the side. ¡°Is this something that arose because of the Hero¡¯s Fate blessing?¡± ¡°It felt so¡­ foreign!¡± Bam! When a barrage of bullets suddenly started raining down, Youngmin ran out and knocked them all away. Youngmin¡¯s mind, sharpened like a blade through Gaia¡¯s Blessing, had increased his cognitive and reasoning ability like crazy, so he was able to perfectly recognize the bullets¡¯ paths even though the bullets were imbued and accelerated by magic power. However, Chan¡¯s huge sword soon appeared amidst the deflected bullets. As a High Elf, often referred to as the ¡®Chosen Elf¡¯, the strength Chan had accumulated over his terrifying 2,700-year lifetime, which was outputted in the form of internal energy, wasn¡¯t something that he often used. Hence, Chan was able to output nearly 4,000 years of internal energy in an instant. Whoosh! In terms of martial art-style expression, 4,000 years of internal energy equaled 66 cycles. In terms of DIO¡¯s stat point system, this meant that Chan was exhibiting over 900 points in the internal energy stat category. This allowed Chan¡¯s internal energy to create tsunami-like shockwaves just from the release of his energy. The shockwaves were so powerful that it wouldn¡¯t have been strange if an entire mountain was instantly leveled! Bam! However, as soon as Chan¡¯s energy appeared, it disappeared. ¡°Huh¡­ what happened?¡± Basara¡¯s raid leader, Chan, frowned. He couldn¡¯t comprehend what had just happened right in front of his eyes. ¡°Quintillion!¡± Shen¡¯s magic power exploded out once more as Shen overtook Chan, who seemed flustered and immobile. Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original. Bam! But Shen¡¯s burst of magic power also disappeared. ¡°Wait, what the hell is going on!? What is this?¡± Quintillion. It was the term that referred to Shen¡¯s talent as an Irregular. It was a term commonly used to describe mutant geniuses, which were extremely rare existences throughout the universe. Shen was proud of his Irregular talent. Unlike other Irregulars, he was born with a special social status, as he was born into a royal family, and as a result, he grew up being revered as a great existence. Additionally, his ability, which was completed under these optimal living conditions, was the Great Library of Magic Spells, or Spell Library, which was created after Shen had gathered tens of thousands of spells. Quintillion, which was the compilation of all these spells, intertwined the spells in his Spell Library, which allowed Shen to activate countless spells all at once; this ultimate move used various spells to protect the caster and to destroy a designated target. Because the nature of the magic itself was so exceptional, even transcendents couldn¡¯t easily reproduce the ultimate move. ¡®What did that guy do? Some sort of Dispel?¡¯ However, even Shen¡¯s ultimate move was countered and nullified. With thousands upon thousands of spells intertwined together, Quintillion was a nearly impossible move to counter, yet someone had countered it¡­ that should have been impossible unless one was a great mage. ¡°What the hell! Who are you?¡± Shen, who didn¡¯t pay any attention to Lancelot until now, felt like he was about to go crazy. It would have been understandable if Cruze had attained enlightenment out of the blue and blocked his attack, but how could a supporting character, who seemed to come out of nowhere, block his move so completely? However, no matter how much Shen huffed and puffed, Lancelot didn¡¯t seem to pay any attention. No, to be more exact, Lancelot himself didn¡¯t know exactly what was going on. ¡®Something, something¡­¡¯ The fact was, Lancelot had not benefited much from Gaia¡¯s Blessing. It was no wonder. Gaia¡¯s Blessing, Hero¡¯s Fate, was a power that maximized one¡¯s fate and potential. Lancelot had already grown and developed beyond the limits of his potential. The mere fact that Lancelot was Level 19 wasn¡¯t normal. He had gone far beyond the preset maximum point of his given potential. Lancelot, or Byun Dongsoo, was a true living cheat code. He got to where he was now through a quirk in the system rather than through a miracle or achievement. By increasing his stab skill rank after executing the requisite number of skill successes, he had overcome his [wall], which would have normally taken him much longer to overcome, if at all¡­ in other words, Lancelot had taken advantage of a gap in DIO¡¯s system. Bam! ¡°Woah¡­ ack! What¡¯s this?! This isn¡¯t martial arts!¡± Chan, who had trained in martial arts for thousands of years, gnashed his teeth at Lancelot¡¯s vanishing spear attack. Chan couldn¡¯t even recognize or visually see the movement of Lancelot¡¯s spear anymore. Moreover, Chan¡¯s sword, which normally glowed a divine silver light color, had disappeared as if it had been erased. The cross section of the missing sword¡¯s blade was as smooth as a mirror. If one couldn¡¯t even figure out what the opponent was doing, but if one fell into the opponent¡¯s attack [radius], would one be able to block the unknown attack? ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ martial arts?¡± Lancelot, who momentarily stood still from bewildered, parroted what Chan had just mentioned. Chan was right. Lancelot wasn¡¯t using martial arts; this was because Lancelot wasn¡¯t a martial artist. It was easy for anyone to misunderstand because Lancelot used a spear as his main weapon¡­ but the fact was, Lancelot had never learned proper martial arts. He only learned how to stab. Bam! Bam! Bam! Lancelot had raised his spear skill to the SS rank by repeating hundreds of billions of stabs¡­ no, trillions of stabs over hundreds of years in the training room, but strictly speaking, that was just a [piercing] move, not a [spear] art. Also, Lancelot couldn¡¯t even predict the movement of his enemy during his stab move, nor did he move from his standing position. If a proper martial artist had seen what Lancelot had done in the training room, that martial artist would have shaken his or her head. For starters, the practice of repeating only a stabbing move every day was a complete waste of time when viewed through the lens of a martial artist. Martial arts were, after all, techniques for fighting. Repeating a simple stab move without thinking about defense or evasion, and not even assuming or predicting the enemy¡¯s movements, was absolutely not a formal or even an effective way of training. It was pure labor. A grind. However, as a result of his labor and grinding, Lancelot was able to become a Level 19 user. He developed despite repeating an act that many if not everyone would have viewed as a simple waste of time. ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ martial arts.¡± Lancelot¡¯s expression subtly changed. He felt something tickling his brain. He felt as though something was appearing and then disappearing within his mind. He could sense that something was there, but he couldn¡¯t seem to obtain it. An intense inspiration, something he had never experienced throughout his entire life, was currently stimulating him. Gaia¡¯s Blessing, which had not been of much help to him until now, was pushing him into a realm that he would have never reached with his own powers and effort. It was a moment of surprise and epiphany that would never happen again. ¡°This¡­ No, it is¡­¡± Whoosh!! Lancelot exuded aura power. The aura power didn¡¯t seem to have a particular characteristic. This was because, even though he had reached Level 19, Lancelot was still in a state where he couldn¡¯t properly materialize his aura power. Obviously, this was an anomaly considering that it was generally accepted that aura power users could materialize their aura power in some form or direction by Level 5, but after Lancelot received confirmation from the White Divine Celestial Dragon, Thousand Scents, that the reason he couldn¡¯t materialize his aura power was because he simply lacked talent, Lancelot gave up and just forgot about the whole thing. Moreover, all he was doing was a stab move anyway, so there was no reason or occasion to develop his aura power materialization skill. Whoosh! The aura power explosively increased. Lancelot, who stood absent-minded, was given a new rank, and his soul was developing to befit the rank that was bestowed upon him. And thus, his soul now possessed the quality to accept all the developments and upgrades associated with the rank. ¡°That¡­!¡± Even Lancelot didn¡¯t know that what he¡¯d been refining for hundreds of years wasn¡¯t a simple stab move. Though he reached the SS rank in stabbing, that attainment was just a symptom, not the cause. What he refined all that time was¡­ His spirit. ¡°Ah man, don¡¯t be ridiculous! You¡¯re telling me that guy¡­! That homely guy reached transcendence? What the hell is going on!?¡± Realizing that Lancelot was in the process of ascending to the transcendent realm, Shen¡¯s face uglily contorted. It was a complete flip-the-script moment. Unlike other Irregulars, Shen, who was born with a special status as a member of a royal family and who grew up revered as a great existence, took great pride in his innate talent as an Irregular. In fact, his colossal genius was surprising even to those who had already risen to the height of transcendence, so what more needed to be said? However, Shen had lived over 300 years. He was now over 350 years old. Even though he had now reached a point where he couldn¡¯t go against the limit of his lifespan, even with the help of magic and technology, he still wasn¡¯t able to overcome the wall of transcendence. If one considered that Shen brushed up against the wall of transcendence when he was only 50 years old, one could understand just how desperate Shen wanted to overcome that wall, especially since he considered himself a peerless genius. ¡°Everyone, get down! I¡¯ll take on the first wave of attack¡­!¡± ¡°Stay back, you idiot¡­¡± Bam! Bam! The dwarf girl, who pulled out her huge gun barrel from her inventory subspace, and the dragon-headed man, who tried to protect her, were erased from the world. Even Chan, who always rushed into battle with fearless momentum, was caught by surprise by Lancelot¡¯s attack and had no choice but to pull himself back. ¡°No, wait. No matter how close he¡¯s getting to the transcendent realm, is this sort of thing normal? Even those who have already reached the transcendence realm wouldn¡¯t be able to eliminate us with one blow, right?¡± A transcendent being was, of course, an absolute being who crossed a certain threshold, but it was still possible to muster a resistance, to some extent, if one was a being that wasn¡¯t far behind in terms of power level. This was the reason the Masters had been able to collectively fend off Tan, a great mage, when he first descended onto Earth. However, to think that someone who had just reached the transcendent realm, not even a veteran, was able to erase not just one but two Basara pirates with a single blow¡­ ¡°¡­ That¡¯s it.¡± For a moment, Shen¡¯s eyes brightened. Even though he essentially gave up his pursuits of becoming a transcendent and joined the pirate group, he was still an Irregular. He soon realized the characteristics of Lancelot¡¯s power. ¡°Non-Attribute!¡± The God of Magic classified the attributes of the physical world into twelve classifications, and three of these attributes were attributes that lower beings weren¡¯t allowed to touch, so those three attributes were often referred to as the three major attributes, or the absolute attributes. Those attributes were time, space, and emptiness. Almost everyone who studied the spiritual world started their studies by leaving these three attributes out of the equation. Even in the realm of magic, which was said to have the highest degree of freedom among all spiritual abilities, these three attributes were only used in a limited way. ¡°How entertaining. A non-attribute¡­ something I¡¯ve only heard of in legends.¡± Even Shen, who had traversed across the universe as a member of the pirate group Basara, had never seen an existence that handled a non-attribute properly. Occasionally, he¡¯d come across talented beings that dealt with such powers, but those beings were only able to deal with the non-attributes at an insignificant level. Whoosh! Shen raised his magic power. ¡®The power of non-attributes is creation and extinction.¡¯ Non-attribute was an extremely rare and powerful power, but there were plenty of ways to attack it if one understood its roots. Crack! A rock fist, bigger than a decent-sized modern apartment, appeared from the ground and attacked Lancelot. Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! As if an invisible eraser were erasing it, the front part of the rock fist disappeared without leaving behind a speck of dust. However, the power that protected Lancelot quickly ran out. His ability wasn¡¯t something that could be maintained indefinitely. ¡°Don¡¯t struggle, just die¡­¡± Shen remarked. ¡°Shut up! You die!¡± Cruze shouted. Bam! Shen¡¯s left shoulder, which had been generating magic power like crazy, was blown away. As the flow of his magic power was disturbed, the rock fist lost its power and collapsed onto the ground. Chan, who was trying to protect Shen, was unable to achieve his goal due to Youngmin, who still had his Celestial Star killing intent swirling around him. ¡°You bitch¡­!¡± ¡°Hmpf! I was trying to hit the center of your body.¡± Cruze, who stood to the right of Lancelot, was slightly floating in the air while holding a large-caliber pistol that was completely different from the ones she had used so far. On the opposite side of Lancelot was Youngmin, who was wrapped in his dark killing intent. Whoosh! And in the meantime, Lancelot¡¯s basic mana control ability, absolute mana control ability, and synchronization with all things were completed, forming a trinity. Each of those abilities became a low-level divinity, divine position, and divine status to create a new transcendent being. However¡­ Slash! The completed divine status was destroyed. Lancelot¡¯s body was divided in half, and soon, his upper body and lower body fell towards the ground. [Excluded.] [Hmm~ I don¡¯t really like interrupting the moment when a new transcendent is born, but¡­ I guess it¡¯s too dangerous to just let a new power enter the fray.] [Absolute Attribute.] [Yes, yes¡­ you took the appropriate action.] Listening to the conversation between the two machines, Lancelot came to his senses. He felt the transcendent power that had been faithfully filling up within him dispersing. ¡°Ah, darn it¡­¡± His opportunity to rise to the transcendent realm was the result of great luck that could only be described as fortuitous chance. Gaia¡¯s Blessing had given him a moment of enlightenment, something he would never experience again. And in that moment when he was enjoying his improbable luck, it was a great misfortune that a powerful enemy, who could interfere with his transcendence process, was present. CH 321 Lancelot¡¯s opportunity to rise to the transcendent realm was the result of great luck. Gaia¡¯s Blessing had given him a moment of enlightenment that he would have never had otherwise. And in that moment of fortuitous luck¡­ Crack! Crack! Unluckily for him, the moment he stepped into the transcendent realm, there was a powerful enemy who interfered with his transcendence; this could only be described as a great misfortune, the worst luck one could have. ¡°Lancelot!¡± With a pale face, Cruze caught Lancelot¡¯s upper body. Red blood gushed out from his body, which had lost all its gear. This sort of phenomenon happened when one¡¯s manifestation was forcibly canceled. ¡°You idiot! You shouldn¡¯t have appeared with your main body in the frontline; you should have stayed in the backline¡­!¡± ¡°No, no. Even if I appeared on the battlefield through the DIO mission system, the result would have been the same.¡± Lancelot, who chuckled dejectedly, frowned in pain. He felt a very strong and foreign energy eating away at his soul. Crack! ¡°¡­ This is¡­?¡± Realizing what was going on, Cruze raised her head. Alexander stood back as if its business was over. M-4 explained. [Transcendent Weapon, Alexander¡¯s sword. Since this is also a version of Earth, you must know of the legend of Gordian Knot, right?] In 333 B.C., after capturing Goldion, the capital of the Lydia Kingdom, which was under the rule of Persia, Alexander severed the Knot of Zeus, or otherwise known as the Gordian Knot. It was said that if anyone was able to cut the Gordian Knot, that person would become the conqueror of Asia. At that time, Alexander stated that fate wasn¡¯t made by legend but through one¡¯s sword. Thus, the [special characteristic] of Alexander¡¯s sword was that it could cut fate. Hence, the effect was¡­ ¡°Damn it.¡± Like the soul of Hanma, a powerful martial artist, and Jeros, a great mage, before him, Lancelot¡¯s soul began to scatter. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Lancelot laughed bitterly as he felt his consciousness gradually fading away. ¡°I thought¡­¡± He didn¡¯t consider himself a martial artist, but still, he had trained for a long time. Since he had essentially lived ten times longer than a normal human¡¯s lifespan, practicing and training in one stab move, it wouldn¡¯t have been strange for others to think that he was an accomplished martial artist at first glance. However, his training wasn¡¯t in martial arts. It was¡­ Crack! His soul slowly disappeared from the deadly scar left by Alexander¡¯s sword strike. The divine status that would have allowed him to transcend his existence in the physical world, also disappeared. Thud! ¡°Ack!¡± With a heavy echo, Leaf rolled on the ground before jumping up to her feet. She still retained a sleek posture, but her disheveled dress and the blood running down her mouth illustrated that she was on the losing end of her fight. ¡°You machines over there are actually doing some work and starting to pull your own weight now, huh?¡± Volcano, who had sent Leaf tumbling, appeared in front of the group. His body was wrapped in a roaring heat wave, which made him look like an incarnation of fire. ¡°Even though his flame actuation isn¡¯t at Arthur¡¯s photonization level¡­¡± Leaf commented. Leaf, who collided with Volcano, glared at him while gritting her teeth. Volcano looked like he was an incarnation of flame itself, but it was just a self-defense technique. Volcano didn¡¯t turn his entire body into flame, like how Arthur turned his whole body into light through photonization. Volcano had changed his name to Volcano after acquiring his great skill [Volcanic Inhalation], so his current form was ordinary for him. However, the problem was¡­ Volcano¡¯s ¡®ordinary¡¯ combat form was a truly daunting defensive form. ¡°I can¡¯t break through his natural defenses¡­!¡± Moreover, Volcano¡¯s form utilized the fire attribute and strong qi, so every time Leaf launched an attack, she sustained damage herself. Thud! Arc descended next to the party members. She held Merlin, who looked lifeless, in her left arm. ¡°Be careful. If you get hit by Sadness¡¯ mental attack while fighting Volcano, even your defensive barriers won¡¯t work.¡± Arc always wore full body armor, including a helmet, so her party members never saw her face, but right now, her facial expression wasn¡¯t hidden by anything. Even though she was in the best state relative to the other party members¡­ her armor had been thoroughly smashed and rendered useless. Tap. And finally, Miho with a flushed face, joined the group. ¡°Ugh, what is up with that girl!? She¡¯s able to cast enchantment spells on a Nine-tailed Fox?¡± ¡°Ho-ho-ho! Let¡¯s play some more, kid.¡± Happiness, a naked beauty, smiled as she chuckled and stuck out her slender, long legs. Seeing this scene, Youngmin¡¯s face turned red. ¡°Hey!¡± Youngmin hurriedly shook his head after hearing Miho¡¯s outburst. ¡°Oh no, I wasn¡¯t looking! I¡¯m currently in a bit of an oversensitive state, so it can¡¯t be helped!¡± Although Youngmin was able to perfectly stabilize his Celestial Star¡¯s killing intent state due to Gaia¡¯s Blessing, his senses were still in a very heightened state. In truth, in such a state, he should have been slaughtering everything in his surroundings without a care in the world. ¡®Damn. This seems like the perfect place for all of us to die. I can¡¯t believe there isn¡¯t a single being I can deal with easily.¡¯ In Youngmin¡¯s original world, there was only one proper transcendent, and even that one transcendent acted more like a bystander than anything. But what about this place? Wasn¡¯t this place crawling with transcendents? ¡®This is tough.¡¯ The battlefield was so intense that the Celestial Star, who was famous for being unable to control his anger disorder, was evolving into an anger management being. ¡°Are you still watching!¡± Miho screamed toward Youngmin. ¡°Stop,¡± Arc stated. This time, Arc blocked Volcano¡¯s heat wave attack. ¡°It¡¯s time for you trash to leave.¡± ¡°Who are you calling trash! You guys should be the one who should scram! This is Earth!¡± Sadness and Leaf collided. ¡°I¡¯m so excited¡­¡± ¡°Ugh! I hate this girl!¡± At the same time, Miho collided with Happiness. The remaining party members had gathered to protect the fallen Merlin and Lancelot, but¡­ the remaining members¡¯ power was insufficient to contend against all the opponents, so when the fierce battle ensued once more, many of the party members were left defenseless. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this.¡± Shen, who activated Quintillion again, glared at the exposed party members with cold eyes. The elf swordsman, Chan, was also concentrating his internal energy into his sword. However, Cruze kept looking at Lancelot, or Dongsoo, in her arms. Her aura power rose like a cloud and attached to his half-cut body to stop the bleeding, but the main issue was that Lancelot hadn¡¯t suffered just a physical wound. ¡°I wasn¡¯t deserving¡­ I didn¡¯t say what I always thought because I wasn¡¯t deserving enough, but¡­¡± Dongsoo¡¯s face was pale. His eyes, which lacked vitality, were already in a state where he couldn¡¯t properly see the face of Cruze in front of him. ¡°Don¡¯t talk! Get your head on straight, you idiot! Concentrating your aura power on one point and crystallizing it will increase your soul defense¡­¡± Cruze desperately explained the best course of action for Lancelot, but Lancelot didn¡¯t seem to listen. Instead, with the last remaining strength he had left, Lancelot spoke, ¡°Y-you¡­¡± Breathing hard and ragged, Lancelot continued, ¡°You have no talent.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± Cruze¡¯s expression turned dumbfounded at Lancelot¡¯s words, which seemed to come out from left field. Shen, who had been taking a hostile stance towards Cruze, responded to Lancelot¡¯s words. ¡°Talent? A guy as common as a stone on the side of the road is talking about talent?¡± An Irregular¡¯s talent was not something that even the gigantic forces that controlled the entire universe could easily see or understand. An Irregular was one in a quintillion, or 10 to the 18th power, an absurd unit of 18 zeros when expressed in numbers. Merlin¡¯s Earth, which produced three such Irregulars, was abnormal; if one searched throughout the entire universe, the number of Irregulars, not counting Merlin and the others on Earth, wouldn¡¯t exceed five. Moreover, most Irregulars died before they reached full maturity. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! Don¡¯t think that you¡¯re special just because you almost reached the transcendent realm! It¡¯s ridiculous for you to pretend that you know about something you don¡¯t truly know about¡­ you just got lucky and almost jumped over the final hurdle by chance!¡± Although Shen had met many transcendent beings after joining Basara, which allowed him to travel across the universe, he had never lost confidence in himself. Even if he didn¡¯t reach the transcendent realm¡­ he always considered himself special. Even the great mages who reached the highest levels were startled whenever they talked to him, so what more needed to be said? The final hurdle before transcendence. That was Shen¡¯s only problem. If he could overcome that hurdle, that seemingly insurmountable wall¡­ if he could just overcome that wall¡­ he had no doubt that he¡¯d become a far more special and far more powerful transcendent than any other transcendent. ¡°Actually you¡­¡± But Dongsoo paid no attention to him. He maintained his gaze on Cruze. ¡°¡­ you¡¯re just a girl.¡± ¡°Am I¡­ just a girl?¡± ¡°Yes, my dear little sister.¡± Theft is never good, try looking at [ pawread dot com ]. Dongsoo, who had fought with all his might and trained with a sort of obsession that bordered on madness, had a more accurate understanding of Cruze than she did of herself. In his eyes, she was just an ordinary girl. To him, she was just an ordinary high school girl. ¡®No one could see it because of her overwhelming talent.¡¯ If he was someone with mediocre talent and an extraordinary spirit¡­ She was someone with extraordinary talent and an ordinary spirit. And¡­ just like innate talent, innate temperament and spirit were not things that could easily be overcome. ¡°What are you saying all of a sudden?¡± However, upon hearing his words, Cruze just gave a dejected laugh. What did it matter? The enemy was already right in front of her eyes, and they were all on the verge of death¡­ ¡°Do what you love. Yeah¡­¡± However, regardless of the situation, Dongsoo smiled as if he was having fun. ¡°You might like to be an engineer.¡± He recalled the various parts and plastic models that filled his little sister¡¯s room, Byun Miri¡¯s room. She always said she tinkered with things for fun, but he knew she liked machines and everything mechanical in nature. If DIO wasn¡¯t so focused on combative tendencies, she might have found her true aptitude and career long ago. ¡°You should make technology that will surprise the entire universe¡­¡± ¡°Lancelot? Byun Dongsoo?¡± Cruze hurriedly shook Lancelot¡¯s body when she heard his voice gradually fading. However, it was to no avail. More than 90% of his soul, which was struck by Alexander¡¯s sword during his transcendence process, had already been extinguished. And his remaining soul was in a precarious state. ¡®Ah¡­ such a waste. I was so close.¡¯ From the world¡­ ¡®I had almost realized something.¡¯ ¡­ Lancelot¡¯s existence was completely erased. ¡°¡­¡± Cruse looked down at Dongsoo¡¯s lifeless corpse with a blank expression. Through her spiritual power, she was able to perceive with painful certainty that Dongsoo¡¯s soul had completely disappeared. ¡°Dang¡­¡± Youngmin clicked his tongue and stood in front of Cruze and Dongsoo. The two enemies in front of him, Shen and Chan, were formidable opponents. Even though Youngmin had fully awakened his Celestial Star and its Celestial Killer instinct, it was impossible to predict whether he would be able to defeat them. ¡°Dongsoo¡­¡± Not caring that she was in a precarious situation, Cruze looked down at Dongsoo¡¯s corpse with a blank expression. Dongsoo''s eyes were closed, and he had an unfamiliar but strangely comfortable expression on his face. ¡°Hmpf. I¡¯m glad that idiot, who doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s talking about, finally died.¡± Hearing Shen¡¯s malicious comment, Cruze lifted her head. Seeing her dazed expression, Shen responded with some more twisted commentary. ¡°He was just lucky. He reached transcendence without either extensive knowledge or experience.¡± Shen couldn¡¯t accept it. He couldn¡¯t accept that a normal being, who wasn¡¯t born with a great lineage or talent, could reach such a lofty state. ¡®It¡¯s all because he received Hero¡¯s Fate. The result is no different from other high-level gods who created transcendent beings!¡¯ Shen convinced himself of this view and suppressed a certain emotion that was arising from within him. And the face of Cruze, who was dazed at such a scene, began to distort. ¡°You.¡± She gently placed Dongsoo¡¯s body onto the ground. ¡°You.¡± And then, she raised herself up. ¡°What, you little girl? Are you angry?¡± ¡°You!!!¡± Whoosh! Her aura power, which had been near empty, started to flare up and burn as it exploded outward. The fearsome aura power inside her was converted into data and began to design all sorts of cutting-edge weaponry. Truly extreme growth! However, seeing this, Shen¡¯s expression became cold. ¡°Don¡¯t act childish, you little bastard child!!¡± His completed ability created by gathering various magic spells, Quintillion, was activated. Whoosh!!! His great library of spells, Quintillion, shot out dozens of hundreds of spells. The power and effect of each spell was small, but the intertwined spells combined and amplified each other to create a powerful effect. Bang! Cruze¡¯s aura power, which produced weaponry through data, was shattered and scattered. Quintillion was easily destroyed by Lancelot¡¯s stabbing blows, but that only happened because Lancelot¡¯s power was directly opposed to Quintillion; without such a diametrically opposed force, Quintillion was nearly unstoppable. ¡°Don¡¯t look down on me! Did you think that your anger would make a difference!? Do you think a great realization will come from the sadness of losing a loved one?¡± It was something that Shen himself had hoped for dozens of times and even tried to take advantage of in the past. But at each turn, it was all for naught. It wasn¡¯t possible to reach transcendence through such impulses of emotion. When the lover he loved passed¡­ when his family members passed¡­ even though he ultimately abandoned his nation and tribe, he still couldn¡¯t jump over that final hurdle. ¡°There is nothing you like and nothing you want to do! Even if you grind your teeth desperately to achieve something, in the end, that¡¯ll just bring you common results!¡± At Shen¡¯s words, Cruze¡¯s eyes fluttered. What he said was true. She had no goals she wanted to achieve, especially at the cost of her life. Neither did she ever find anything that she truly liked. Dongsoo was right. She wasn¡¯t talented. She possessed an unreasonable [cheat code] as an Irregular, but because of it, she wasn¡¯t able to complete herself. She wasn¡¯t able to realize her potential. This was because a user who played a game on cheat-mode couldn¡¯t truly develop one¡¯s skills. ¡°It¡¯s a vicious strength that you can¡¯t throw away later on when you decide you don¡¯t want it.¡± All of Cruze¡¯s aura powered weaponry, everything she had brought out through her data system, were completely destroyed. Although she achieved dramatic growth for a brief moment¡­ she had just reached the pinnacle of her development. However, Shen had remained at that pinnacle for a much longer time. If the battle was prolonged, there was no chance Cruze could beat Shen. Zeng! ¡°Ack!¡± Youngmin gnashed his teeth. He had his hands tied dealing with the elf swordsman, Chan. In terms of sword skill alone, Youngmin was half a degree higher, but the difference in their internal energy levels was so great that he suffered losses every time they collided. ¡®This is dangerous¡­¡¯ The situation was getting more and more dire. Moreover, it seemed that Shen was planning on launching his final move. The moment Shen¡¯s magic power was being amplified¡­ ¡°Hahaha. Oh my¡­¡± It was a familiar voice for Cruze and Youngmin. ¡°It¡¯s so funny that, in these last moments, just when you¡¯re about to give up¡­¡± It was a voice that shouldn¡¯t have existed anymore. ¡°W-what?!¡± ¡°No, why¡­ how!?¡± Hearing the astonishment in the enemies¡¯ voices, Dongsoo looked down. He saw his physical body, which had just died. He looked to the side. There, he saw Cruze staring back at him with a blank expression. ¡°Dongsoo¡­ oppa?¡± ¡°Yes, Ms. Byun Miri.¡± Whirl. When he stretched out his hand, a long spear, shining silver, appeared in the empty air. It was one side of his Absolute Attribute, a side called Creation. [Unintelligible. Impossible. Error.] [It can¡¯t be. How can this be¡­] All the transcendents, including M-4, who had been watching the situation with a relaxed attitude until now, looked at Lancelot with astonishment. And, in the midst of that chaos and everyone¡¯s astonishment¡­ ¡°At last¡­¡± Dongsoo laughed. ¡°¡­ I understand.¡± CH 322 [Unintelligible. Impossible. Error.] [This can¡¯t be¡­ How can this¡­] All the transcendents, including M-4, who had been watching the situation with a relatively relaxed attitude, groaned aloud as they looked at Lancelot. And, in the midst of that chaos and everyone¡¯s astonishment¡­ ¡°At last¡­¡± Dongsoo laughed. ¡°¡­ I understand.¡± It wasn¡¯t in martial arts that he trained for dozens of hundreds of years. If one believed that one could improve in martial arts through a training regimen that only consisted of stabbing, then one wasn¡¯t just delusional, one would be considered an idiot. ¡®Yeah, all that time, martial art wasn¡¯t my true pursuit. I only started such an abnormal regimen to fill the skill requirements as effectively and quickly as possible.¡¯ However, that process, which Lancelot considered a cheat, trained him in something other than martial arts. It trained his spirit and mental fortitude. ¡°It was probably the right choice to choose aura power over internal energy back then. If I had continued training in internal energy, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do this¡­!¡± Pop! Crack! A sword blade made of swirling heat flames was soon embedded in Dongsoo¡¯s heart region. However, Volcano, who had swung this sword blade with all his might, made a puzzled expression instead of a contemplative smile. ¡°No, wait¡­ what is this?¡± It was because his shoulders, including his right arm, which was holding the sword blade, had been completely [erased]; it was as if his whole right arm had been erased with an eraser. ¡°Why risk your life for a probing attack?¡± Volcano¡¯s sword blade attack, which he carried out to probe Lancelot¡¯s existence, had instead caused Volcano to suffer a mortal wound. However, it couldn¡¯t be said that Volcano was careless or complacent, as the exchange was clearly a loss for Lancelot. Whoosh! The flames caused by the strong heat waves started to burn Dongsoo¡¯s body. Volcano¡¯s Flame of Destruction burned the soul as well as one¡¯s physical body. Of course, if one was a transcendent being of the same level, one would be able to resist the flame¡¯s force and minimize the damage¡­ but Lancelot burned easily and eventually collapsed like a normal person. ¡°Hmm, I see¡­¡± And soon¡­ ¡°¡­ it¡¯s hot.¡± Dongsoo reappeared and stood where he had just fallen. It seemed as though he had been entirely unaffected. ¡°This is crazy.¡± ¡°Impossible.¡± [Unintelligible.] [What is this¡­] Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV. Even the transcendents, with their great mighty powers and vast life experiences, were stunned when they saw the scene. This was because it was a phenomenon that couldn¡¯t be explained by any past experience or conceptual theory. It had nothing to do with dying or resurrecting. ¡°Am I crazy?¡± Volcano let out a groan as he moved his left hand towards where his right arm should have been. ¡°It¡¯s like¡­ it¡¯s as if a [destroyed] being has [created] itself again, no?¡± The meaning behind Volcano¡¯s exasperatedly stated words seemed so absurd that the observers couldn¡¯t help but doubt their visual senses. However, Volcano immediately turned his head in surprise. A tremendous aura and momentum began to emanate from the fallen Merlin. Woong. The facial expressions of Volcano and all the other transcendents hardened and became serious. If the same situation had happened a little while ago, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered. In fact, how many times did they successfully interrupt Merlin when he tried to use his Flame Ruby before? However, since Dongsoo was using an unknown power to block their path toward Merlin, the current situation didn¡¯t bode well for them. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Wasn¡¯t he completely subdued?¡± [Stop him! The power we¡¯re feeling right now is the same as when Apollo first descended¡­] Puff! All the enemies who tried to approach the fallen Merlin soon scattered in all directions. Before anyone knew it, Dongsoo, holding his silver long spear, was standing next to Merlin. ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to say this cool line for a while, but I never thought I¡¯d say it under such conditions or in this type of situation,¡± Dongsoo said after lightly swinging his long spear. ¡°Anyone who approaches without permission will inevitably die.¡± There wasn¡¯t an explosion or sharp sense of killing intent emanating from Lancelot. He just stood his ground quietly. However¡­ ¡®He¡¯s disappeared.¡¯ All the transcendents standing on the battlefield felt the same sensation at the same time. Lancelot had disappeared. From a physical point of view, nothing had changed¡­ But at that very moment, after stating a few words, all the energy undulations and interference in the place where Dongsoo was standing dissipated. Even with their heightened senses, the transcendents couldn¡¯t sense any presence. It was as if Lancelot¡¯s existence, when looked upon through their spiritual sensory realm, had completely disappeared; it was as if Lancelot had fallen into a deep hole. At this moment, he became a superstar-like being which couldn¡¯t be recognized with any form of information acquisition ability, including foresight. [This can¡¯t be¡­ All the coordinates around him are disappearing!] M-4 was thoroughly exasperated and astonished. Woong. Space began to distort around Merlin¡¯s fallen body. It was pure power¡­ a tremendously huge force. ¡°Crazy¡­¡± ¡°W-woah¡­ it¡¯s a power almost as great as His Majesty¡¯s?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t speak nonsense! The total amount might be similar, but the realm is lower!!¡± ¡°But no matter how low the realm may be, the scale is¡­!¡± Even Sadness and Happiness, remarkable [talents] who may ultimately evolve and lead the entire Grotesque faction at some point in the future and who had descended down to Earth as the Grotesque¡¯s representative forces, began to feel a sense of danger, not a sense of interest. It was just a simple concentration of power¡­ but Merlin¡¯s emanating energy was beyond common sense. Moreover, it was still increasing. Pop! Sadness, who shot out like a bullet towards Merlin, soon rolled across the ground after an explosion rang out. Her inertial control failed as one of her wings, which was harder than any metal in the world, was completely erased from existence. ¡°What is this¡­¡± Sadness, who swiftly raised her body, gritted her teeth with a frown. This was because Dongsoo was employing a suicide tit-for-tat strategy; if he was going to go down, he was planning on bringing down everyone else with him. ¡®I can¡¯t avoid it!¡¯ Lancelot¡¯s level wasn¡¯t overwhelmingly higher than hers, but if Lancelot, who specialized and focused solely on attack, constantly exchanged blows with her without caring about the damage he would receive, she wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid considerable damage. Hence, Lancelot seemed unstoppable. Of course, on balance, Sadness was able to benefit overwhelmingly from that [damage exchange]. Plop! Beyond the destroyed Lancelot, which was split lengthwise, like how firewood was split, after sustaining Sadness¡¯ attack¡­ ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s still impossible for me to overwhelm an opponent through skill alone.¡± Lancelot was [created], once again, and returned in a normal state. ¡°Nonsense.¡± ¡°What is this? Doesn¡¯t this mean he¡¯s immortal!¡± Beings with immortality-like transcendent vitality weren¡¯t common, but it wasn¡¯t impossible to find them if one looked hard enough. Some beings were blessed by gods or were born with a transcendent lineage that allowed them to survive even if their heads exploded or to even resurrect themselves if their bodies were burned to ashes. However, Dongsoo¡¯s case was something entirely different. ¡°¡­ That bastard. No way, did he¡­¡± Shen¡¯s face contorted in astonishment as he took a step back from the battle, which was a level of combat that was completely out of his league. ¡°Did he engrave himself to the universe¡­?¡± *** ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen something like that.¡± [I¡¯ve never even heard of it before.] The two Planet Gods floating in the sky clicked their tongues after seeing Dongsoo¡¯s figure, which seemed to freely handle destruction and creation. Because they belonged to the upper hierarchy of the Creator God¡¯s system, in other words, because they were able to handle non-attributes, they could grasp Dongsoo¡¯s current state more clearly than anyone else in the world. [To think that a low-class transcendent could carve and engrave his presence into the universe¡­] The penguin gave out a hearty laugh. What the penguin just stated wasn¡¯t a light admission. Among the high-ranking gods, there were only a very limited number who successfully engraved their presence onto the universe. ¡°Even I couldn¡¯t engrave my presence¡­¡± [Why would a Planet God engrave one¡¯s presence, you idiot. Forget a Planet God, it¡¯s even hard for high-ranking gods to engrave their presence onto the universe.] As it gave its assessment, the penguin looked down at Dongsoo. ¡®It¡¯s really hard to put into words¡­¡¯ Even though Dongsoo was only a low-class transcendent¡­ the [divine status] he possessed had grown to a level that rivaled a great god. Moreover, his ability to synchronize with all things in the world had successfully assimilated with the greater dimension itself¡­ Hence, it was fair to say that Dongsoo had become an imbalanced existence. At this point, his high level of achievement in synchronization with all things could forcibly pull up his other two necessary transcendent abilities, basic mana control ability and absolute mana control ability. ¡°Hmm, but this is truly amazing. This is the first time I¡¯ve ever seen a guy who was born with a non-attribute talent.¡± [What?] At the girl¡¯s words, the penguin frowned. [You really have no interest in humans, do you? Originally, more than half of the human species are born with non-attribute talents¡­] Possessing a non-attribute wasn¡¯t rare; actually, being born with a specific attribute talent was considered more abnormal. If one had a clear attribute of one¡¯s own, one could quickly acquire the special abilities of that corresponding attribute. The reason why Masters all seemed to possess a personal attribute affinity was because there was a threshold that was difficult to cross without a level of [talent]. Even in the case of those with aura power abilities, whose personal attributes were more important than any other spiritual power area, the majority of those who didn¡¯t possess a personal attribute usually couldn¡¯t exceed Level 5. ¡°In other words, that guy realized his non-attribute ability because he wasn¡¯t biased towards any other attribute?¡± [Yeah, that¡¯s right. That¡¯s why I¡¯m so taken aback right now. I¡¯ve never heard of such a case.] The power of non-attribute was creation and destruction. It was a power that only Planet Gods, through the hierarchical power system set up by the Creator God, handled. Destruction, or annihilation, could be imitated through magic or other abilities, but the realm of creation was a matter that delved into a completely different dimension. ¡°If we¡¯re talking about the realm of creation, not recovery, what are his limits?¡± [His mind¡­ no, his will is the limit.] The girl¡¯s expression hardened after hearing the penguin¡¯s answer. This was because the penguin¡¯s answer had truly mind-blowing implications. At this moment, Dongsoo was literally the embodiment of his own will. In other words, his resurrection, no, to be clearer, his ability to recreate was limited only by¡­ ¡°If his spirit doesn¡¯t yield¡­ he¡¯ll never perish?¡± [Right.] ¡°Oh my goodness¡­¡± At this point, burning Dongsoo¡¯s body or annihilating his soul was meaningless. If one didn¡¯t somehow subdue his mind and will, Dongsoo would continuously recreate himself into the physical world. But who could subdue his will, which was supported by his unyielding mind? Whoosh! At that moment, Merlin¡¯s collapsed body once again burst out with tremendous power. Merlin¡¯s enemies, which was in essence humankind¡¯s enemies, tried to subdue him with all their might¡­ but they couldn¡¯t overcome Dongsoo, who freely wielded the power of creation and destruction. [Oh, come to think of it, there¡¯s that guy, too.] ¡°Actually, that guy is the bigger problem. In fact, it¡¯s all because of him that things have gotten this far, no?¡± If what Dongsoo achieved was a human victory that could be evaluated as ¡®how can such a thing be possible¡¯, Merlin¡¯s case was a bit different. He was¡­ [What the hell is that guy?] ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Even those with omnipotent abilities and skills couldn¡¯t figure him out. Merlin was a perfectly incomprehensible existence. *** When Dongsoo reappeared, expressions of surprise and disbelief had greeted him. Any normal being would have felt at least a slight bit of discomfort from the sudden attention, but for Dongsoo, this attention didn¡¯t matter; he was focused on one thing and one thing only. ¡®What is mental strength and fortitude?¡¯ The answer came quickly. ¡®It¡¯s the power to carry through with one¡¯s will.¡¯ Although he was an extremely ordinary genius, if one could use that term in the broadest sense, Dongsoo definitely had an extraordinary side¡­ an extreme sense of sincerity and devotion. If he wanted to study, he studied every single day. When he decided to work out, he never gave up halfway through a workout regimen. Of course, he too heard the voices of temptation at every turn and moment. Whenever he woke up in the morning without getting enough sleep, he wanted to give up everything and sleep for another 5 minutes. When he studied every day, there were quite a few times when he wanted to just take a break and rest for a day or so. When it came to working out or dieting, there were days when he just wanted to give up and eat as much as he desired. This was natural. This was because Dongsoo was a human being. However¡­ He carried out his will to the end. He had been broken, had failed, and had faced regret and despair over and over again¡­ but at the very least, he never gave up. And the moment when one truly succeeded in overcoming oneself, to practice self-denial to such an extent¡­ ¡°Hahaha. What is this? Is this a joke? This isn¡¯t funny!¡± [I really can¡¯t believe it.] ¡°I¡¯m going to go crazy.¡± Since his birth, Dongsoo had reached a realm that even other extraordinary being had never reached. ¡°What was your name again?¡± When Volcano, the captain of Basara¡¯s 12th ship [Flame] and a mighty warrior, asked Dongsoo this question, Dongsoo calmly answered. ¡°Byun Dongsoo. Well, you can call me Lancelot.¡± ¡°Yes, Byun Dong Soo. If you¡¯ll excuse me¡­ Can you put into words the realization you¡¯ve just reached?¡± Most, if not all, of those who reached the transcendent realm have their own unique realizations. This was because it was very difficult to get to a destination without having a clear path. Under this analogy, Dongsoo had a clearer [way] than anyone else. ¡°Singular spirit.¡± Effort, just good old-fashioned effort. ¡°There¡¯s no other option.¡± This concept was the direction and foundation of his soul and spirit after being broken and trained countless times. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! Something like that¡­ What kind of realization is that¡­!?¡± With a voice full of defeat and disapproval, Shen, who had been pushed to one side of the battlefield, shouted out. ¡°That¡¯s so obvious and simple!¡± And at the moment, when Shen was shouting, Merlin, who hadn¡¯t moved so far, got up from the ground. CH 323 Clunk. Clunk. Merlin opened his eyes to a familiar noise and vibration. His entire body felt lethargic, and he had no strength. ¡°What is this place¡­ am I inside a train?¡± He sat on a seat made of a luxurious material, so he felt as though his whole body was completely submerged in the lavish seat. Merlin had a dumbfounded expression on his face. All the seats around him were quite spacious, and there only seemed to be 12 seats in one car. Furthermore, the inside of the train car cabin was so quiet that Merlin involuntarily lowered his voice when he spoke out. ¡®I¡­ based on my last recollection¡­¡¯ While making himself as small as possible, Merlin tried to recall his memory. Fighting against the anti-Union factions, he was ambushed by the Legion force¡¯s attack. It was an unavoidable situation. His opponents were beings that had reached the transcendent realm a long time ago, and Merlin¡¯s physical condition wasn¡¯t normal at the time either. ¡®And in that state, I was looking for an opportunity to resummon Apollo.¡¯ However, unlike when dealing with Leviathan, his new enemies had seen the appearance of Apollo and knew of his ability to summon him, so they had been wary of his every movement. And once they started to become wary and cautious, it was next to impossible to properly use his Flame Rubies. This was because Muspelheim¡¯s core, which possessed [exclusive] power in and of itself, couldn¡¯t be used properly unless Merlin maintained the highest level of concentration. ¡°¡­ Lancelot.¡± It was then that Merlin remembered Lancelot¡¯s name. Yes. It was him. It was Lancelot who had turned everything around. Because Lancelot bought him some time, Merlin was able to recall a [method]¡­ ¡°What is up with this guy? How did he get in here?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Having been lost in thought, Merlin quickly lifted his head. Suddenly, a man in a training suit was sitting in the seat opposite him. Overall, the man had a cool impression, and unusually, he had yellow-green hair. ¡®Huh? I¡¯ve certainly seen him from somewhere¡­¡¯ While Merlin was still thinking about who the man was, he heard a new voice. ¡°It must be His will.¡± ¡°Well, of course, that¡¯s obvious. Who would dare ride this car if it went against His will?¡± Merlin turned his head. There, a man with long red hair was sitting with his legs crossed, his gaze seeming reluctant to leave the gray cover of the hardcover book in his hands. ¡°¡­ Ah!?¡± And at that moment, Merlin¡¯s head turned like lightning toward the man with yellow-green hair. ¡°What¡­ why?¡± The man with light green hair had an unsatisfied expression on his face, but Merlin didn¡¯t register it. This was because Merlin recalled the last time he had seen this yellow-green haired man. ¡°Level 50¡­¡± Merlin recalled how the man in front of him and the foe he was fighting at that time collided against each other and subsequently engulfed and destroyed an entire galaxy. Right, Merlin had seen him before. The man was the one that appeared in DIO¡¯s prologue video. At that time, his DIO guide, Mary, had told Merlin, who was bewildered by the tremendous battle scene, about the man. ¡°That¡¯s an Absolute God. In your worldview, where Grand Masters who are Level 20 are considered insurmountable monsters, that being is on a completely different level. Based on DIO leveling standards, he¡¯s a Level 50 being. This video clip is just an illustration of a wider worldview and a reminder that there are beings like this that exist somewhere out in the wider universe.¡± According to DIO¡¯s level system, Level 20 was a low-level transcendent, which included Grand Masters and great mages; Level 30 was a mid-level transcendent, which included the existence of Demon Kings and Emperor Class beings. Though it was often said that the universe was wide and filled with all sorts of existences, the truth was that one had no true enemies once one reached Level 30. However, the man in front of Merlin was a greater level than that. Moreover, the man wasn¡¯t even a Level 40 being. Merlin couldn¡¯t fathom what a Level 50 being signified. ¡®An Absolute God¡­¡¯ Seeing Merlin groaning involuntarily, the man with yellow-green hair made a surprised expression. ¡°Eh? Level? Wait, is this guy from¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. He¡¯s a user of the 2nd generation talent development system that Jenica created. He¡¯s an Irregular as well.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ Jenica, that rascal, she made a much better system than what I expected.¡± At the words of the red-haired man who still didn¡¯t take his eyes off his book, the yellow-green haired man looked at Merlin with a set of curious eyes. Trying to remain as calm as possible, Merlin asked a question. ¡°You both are¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Merlin¡¯s expression hardened after he saw the man nod his head. ¡®Oh my god.¡¯ They weren¡¯t just giants. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the two in front of him were among the strongest and most powerful beings in all the dimensions of the universe. God of Martial Arts, Poong-ho. And the God of Magic, Flame Dragon. It was widely known among the Masters that these two, who were also members of the 12 Zodiac Gods, defeated the former God of Martial Arts and the God of Magic respectively to ascend to their current position as Absolute Gods. The Masters knew of this fact because the Empress of Magic, Jenica, who was the developer of DIO and a disciple of Flame Dragon, had left bits and pieces of information within DIO of this fact. Moreover, Poong-ho came out in the prologue, so what more needed to be said? But the important issue for Merlin right now weren¡¯t these things. Woong! Merlin concentrated and pulled out his Editor Blade. He checked his inventory stock. Luckily, the stored items were in good condition. ¡®I don¡¯t know how things will turn out, so I need to remain vigilant¡­¡¯ When Merlin gave an order to Apollo, Apollo had said, ¡®It¡¯s not like you can summon me for a thousand years.¡¯ But what Apollo stated wasn¡¯t true. ¡®Thousands of years, ten thousand years¡­ Well, it¡¯s possible to maintain the summon if I live sparingly and conserve energy¡­¡¯ By burning the evil spirit, specifically the evil spirit¡¯s karma, that had crossed over from another dimension in Pathway to Hell, it was possible for Merlin to produce countless artificial spiritual pathways. He had made so many that nearly everyone on Earth could possess one. Additionally, that evil spirit¡¯s karma allowed him to reproduce a 100% copy of Muspelheim, which was said to be difficult to buy even if one sold off five or six planets for it, and Merlin had further succeeded in reproducing the core of Muspelheim. That single evil spirit¡¯s soul, with its enormous evil karma, had allowed him to do this much. It was an immensely effective and efficient process. ¡®But now, with all those slave contractors in the New Continent¡­¡¯ Woong! The Flame Ruby, which contained the essence of Muspelheim, hovered around the Editor Blade before disappearing into Merlin¡¯s [inside]. ¡®With the tens of thousands of slave contractors at my disposal¡­¡¯ The slave contractors were all atrocious beings that were now bound for Pathway to Hell. Whoosh! Once again, another Flame Ruby disappeared inside Merlin. Of course, Merlin didn¡¯t ingest or absorb it. If he swallowed Muspelheim¡¯s enormous power, his body as well as his soul would have incinerated instantly into nothingness. ¡°I see.¡± And Flame Dragon, who hadn¡¯t even looked at Merlin until now, raised his head. ¡°You were the originator of amplification.¡± ¡°¡­ the originator?¡± ¡°Yeah. But it¡¯s funny¡­ I know about the process and functions of amplification, but I hardly know anything about you¡­ everything seemed to be going well, but after only 400 years of operation, a bug emerged.¡± ¡°A bug¡­¡± We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google. Merlin was puzzled by the Flame Dragon¡¯s incomprehensible words. [We¡¯ve arrived.] ¡°Ah, finally, we¡¯re here. Let¡¯s head off, Cain!¡± ¡°Hmm. Dark, hold on.¡± Flame Dragon, Cain, gestured toward Poong-ho, Dark, to wait for a moment before grabbing a handful of his red hair, which reached all the way down to his waist. Clip. Cain lightly clipped a bundle of his hair. He bundled the cut strands up like the leeks sold in the market before handing the bundle to Merlin. ¡°¡­ What is this?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take it off your body, even for a second. If you go [outside] at your level, He will forget you.¡± ¡°Tsk. Cain¡­ you¡¯re too kind, man. Don¡¯t worry too much and come quickly. As you said, it must be His will.¡± Saying so, Dark got off the train first and Cain followed soon after. Merlin, who didn¡¯t even know where he was, moved to get off the train while continuing to place Flame Rubies inside of himself. Poof! ¡°Eh!?¡± And in that moment, the world changed. [Let¡¯s go now! Hurry!] [Don¡¯t rush me.] A huge dragon, whose whole body was made of flames, and a tiger, with yellow-green fur, were moving away at high speed; however, Merlin didn¡¯t even consider chasing after them. [This¡­ what the hell is this?] His depth perception had disappeared; it was as if a dimension, based on a three-dimensional worldview, had been taken away. The world reflected in his eyes was, so to speak, like a still life drawing that was drawn with a brush and paint. It was horizontal and vertical, but there was no height or depth, and yet, Merlin could see that there was movement. [Oh! Did the youngest come in? Really?] Just then, a bald black man walked up from his side. The man didn¡¯t look normal. The man looked like an SD character (Super Deformation Character) whose head was as large as the rest of its body combined. [¡­ You are?] [Hmm? Ah, what the heck? I thought a new 5th Stage of Civilization was formed, but it¡¯s just an individual. You¡¯re not even at the highest level¡­ How did you get here?] [I don¡¯t know.] [You don¡¯t know? Then it means that it was His will¡­ Well, good timing. I was bored at the moment anyway. Follow me.] The man smiled happily and held out his hand toward Merlin. Not feeling any sense of malice from the man, Merlin finished inserting a Flame Ruby [inside] himself before stretching his hand to grab the man¡¯s outstretched hand. [Huh¡­ What?] However, Merlin couldn¡¯t hold the man¡¯s hand. When he tried to hold the man¡¯s hand, which Merlin saw quite clearly in front of him with his own eyes, he couldn¡¯t grab anything. [Hmm? Wait a sec. What dimension do you see this place in?] [Everything looks like it¡¯s in 2D. Even the color looks like something from a painting.] [What? A painting? Ugh¡­ that¡¯s gross. Even though you received Mr. Cain¡¯s scales, your cognitive ability is still low.] The man grumbled something along the lines of, ¡®I knew he had lost affection for his work, but was it to this extent?¡¯ before moving his own hand to take Merlin¡¯s. [Well, at least you didn¡¯t recognize me as a ¡®sentence¡¯¡­ I guess that¡¯s something, no?] While the man was grumbling ¡­ ¡®What?¡¯ For a moment, Merlin had the feeling that the man was reading him. It didn¡¯t feel like the man was intrusively digging into his inner world; it felt more like a huge, unknown gaze was sweeping through his life. When Merlin showed his surprise, the man put on an apologetic look. [That wasn¡¯t intentional. However, you¡¯re like an open book, so it¡¯s difficult not to look while we¡¯re touching.] The man threw out a half-hearted excuse that read along the lines of, ¡®Even if I look, it¡¯s only the table of contents, not the entire book¡¯, before he nodded his head. [Well, thanks to that, I roughly understand the situation. Follow me.] Merlin began to move, led by the man who was striding forward. Merlin wanted to resist, but he couldn¡¯t. Without the man holding his hand, Merlin wouldn¡¯t be able to take a single step in this bizarre space. ¡®I¡¯m so dizzy¡­¡¯ Merlin, who currently perceived the world as a two-dimensional space, felt like there was three-dimensional movement. The inevitable confusion he felt as he moved through the space made him feel queasy. And, as Merlin was feeling confused and dizzy, the black man spoke out. [Ah, my introduction is late. I¡¯m called Human.] [I¡¯m a human, too¡­] [Of course, you are. If it¡¯s uncomfortable, please call me Person.] [Alright, Person.] After obediently nodding his head, Merlin asked the question that had consumed his mind after waking up in this strange place. [Where is this place?] [Where is this place¡­ Okay, since it¡¯ll be a bit boring while we traverse down this road, shall we talk?] Person said as he smiled. [Based on my observations, your human civilization is currently in the 2nd Stage of Civilization, right?] [Yes.] [Then¡­ let¡¯s see. Assuming that there are no major accidents or great wars that would cause your civilization to retreat, in about 150,000 to 300,000 years from now, your humanity will be able to go beyond the 2nd and 3rd Stages of Civilization and reach the final stage, the 4th Stage of Civilization.] Person smiled as he stated his explanation. It was as if he was saying, ¡®of course, that would be difficult and improbable, but anyway.¡¯ [After reaching that stage, the entire universe will become a perfectly recognizable area for your humanity. It will be possible to measure the exact size of the universe as well as to move from one end to the other. Your humanity will be able to consume most of the stars in the universe like fuel, and if you raise an army, you will have tremendous power. You may even be able to capture gods.] [That¡¯s amazing.] [An endlessly developing civilization is such a scary thing. However, however¡­] After that, Person let out a deep sigh. [The problem is that when the stage of civilization reaches that level, one has no other choice but to realize the truth that one doesn¡¯t want to know.] [The truth one doesn¡¯t want to know?] [Right. In this universe, there exists a Creator, who created the universe and all dimensions¡­] Person¡¯s facial expression, which had been full of smiles up until now, turned serious for the first time. [The truth is that the great and wonderful civilizations that are created, their rich history and immense power¡­ all of those things are just fleeting thoughts to him.] Merlin realized at a certain point that Person was talking about his own personal story, not the human race Merlin belonged to, but instead of pointing this out, Merlin asked. [What do you mean by thought?] [In other words, nothing truly exists.] Person¡¯s footsteps stopped as he spoke in a low voice. Whoosh! Suddenly, a gust of wind blew. They were now in an empty space with a single huge tree. Merlin, who was intimidated by the power that was oppressing his entire body, could see dozens of children and small animals sitting and playing with each other around the huge tree. [Anyway, going back to the beginning, do you know where this place is?] Person asked with a smile¡­ a smile that was on a ridiculous 1:1 head to body ratio face¡­ But Merlin felt a tremendous amount of pressure from Person. This was because Merlin felt an unimaginably huge civilization and a long history from Person. [This is outside the universe in which we were born and raised. It is a place that only beings independent of Him can reach.] When He first opened His eyes, there was only Him. Feeling lonely, He made a universe. However, the world created from nothing only existed, in the end, in His imagination and thoughts. [I was wondering how he¡¯d make his way here, but it seems you guided him. Did you take care of him because he¡¯s your junior?] At that time, a yellow-green tiger approached quietly and spoke to them. However, the tiger wasn¡¯t a big figure; it was almost the same size as Person. Likewise, a red dragon, situated nearby, was around the same height as well. Person answered. [He¡¯s the fourth human to come here, so I felt a responsibility to take care of him.] [The fourth human?] When Merlin parroted Person¡¯s incomprehensible words, Person pointed to one side. [Besides me, the other two are relatively famous, so you probably know them. They seem to be well known to your civilization.] [What are you talking about¡­] Merlin tilted his head before following Person¡¯s hand and looking at where Person was pointing. There was a young monk sitting quietly with a calm expression on his face and a blonde boy with an angelic smile. [The Reincarnator and the Savior.] [Should I know those two?] Looking at Merlin, who was still thoroughly confused, Person laughed. [I¡¯m fairly sure you know them.] CH 324 [Should I know those two?] Looking at Merlin, who was still thoroughly confused, Person laughed. [I¡¯m fairly sure you know them.] [Wait, are they¡­ no way, right? But they¡¯re a completely different race¡­] In truth, Merlin had heard of reincarnators and saviors before, and some of those beings popped into his mind when he heard the children¡¯s titles, but it was still hard for him to believe. A reincarnator? Reincarnation was a largely Buddhist concept, but it wasn¡¯t a concept exclusive to just Buddhism, so how could one be definitively titled the Reincarnator? Besides that, the Reincarnator was blonde and white, not a Middle Easterner or Central Asian figure. How could the Reincarnator, who should have been a Galilean Semitic to be exact, be white? Was the Reincarnator¡¯s image something that was created by later generations? [What does one¡¯s outer shell have to do with anything? What you know of them is not their true selves. Anyway, those two have visited my civilization several times as well.] [¡­ Huh?] The moment Merlin expressed his confusion at Person¡¯s incomprehensible words, the little monk boy got up from his seat. And then, the young monk took a step forward. Step. He walked. And then, according to his movement, lotus flowers bloomed. And by the time the number of lotus flowers reached ten, then eleven, and then twelve¡­ the young monk had completely escaped the spatial realm that contained the tree and was facing a being [outside]. - Screech! Screech! The outside being was an indescribably ugly monster. It was not so big that it towered over the small child monk, but it was by no means an ordinary monster. [¡­ What is that?] The monster¡¯s eyes shone brightly. Countless stars were born and disappeared inside its eyes, and countless galaxies swirled around its body like blood. Merlin realized that the monster, which was standing in front of the child monk, could destroy an entire universe. The non-universe conforming monster was no different from a universe in and of itself. But at that moment, Person grabbed Merlin¡¯s shoulder and said, [That being is just an unfinished toy. Look behind it.] [Behind¡­ it?] With a dazed expression on his face, Merlin raised his head after hearing Person¡¯s words. And there¡­ [She] was there. Whoosh! A steel tower stood diametrically opposite from the huge tree; there, Merlin saw a black-haired girl sitting in front of the tower. Unlike her surroundings, which looked neatly drawn as if everything was part of a still life portrait, the surroundings of the girl sitting on the other side was turbidly distorted, as if drawn by a mad expressionist artist. [Consider yourself fortunate.] As it was not easy for him to face her, Person spoke in a slightly weary tone of voice. [If you were a lower-rank god, you would have gone crazy the moment you laid eyes on her. Just like how an ignorant ghost doesn¡¯t recognize a detrimental talisman, you¡¯re okay because your level is so low. In fact, it¡¯s even hard for me to look straight at her.] [That¡­ That¡¯s¡­] Merlin¡¯s entire body trembled. He trembled because he felt an endless sense of innocence from her. However, there was a sort of malice in that innocence, like an innocent child smiling while tearing off the wings of a dragonfly. [What the hell is that?] [That¡¯s Her. She¡¯s the beginning of all problems.] [Beginning of all problems?] In response to Merlin¡¯s question, Person nodded his head. [Yeah. She¡¯s the only Other Being.] When He first opened His eyes, there was only Him. And due to His loneliness, He made the universe. Since that was the case¡­ If that was the reason He created the universe, because of His loneliness¡­ Perhaps¡­ [The war 400 years ago, was it because¡­] [Oh! You¡¯re smart enough to figure that out at once, huh? Yesterday, no, as you said, the war that spread throughout the universe 400 years ago was actually something that should have been an impossibility. Because He loves his creations and creatures¡­ which is the reason He always managed His universes with care.] In the past, there was an existence called Asura, who was called the other side of the Creator God and was the one responsible for maintaining order in the entire universe. It was said that Asura¡¯s power of control was so strong that even gods with transcendent powers couldn¡¯t interfere with the fate of the universe except by very limited means. [But you¡¯re saying that¡¯s no longer the case?] [Right. He is not as interested in His own works and ideas as He used to be. In fact, it is for that reason that He promptly got rid of His ¡®other side¡¯, Asura. Moreover, He¡­] Person gave a bitter smile. [He is not alone anymore.] Merlin looked at the girl. She was laughing. Obviously¡­ she wasn¡¯t laughing at Merlin. In her eyes, she saw only one thing. Merlin turned his head to follow her unshakable gaze. [He] was there. ¡°You¡¯ve arrived, bug.¡± A man so huge that Merlin¡¯s height didn¡¯t come up to His knees was sitting and leaning against the trunk of the tree. A man with such a presence that Merlin couldn¡¯t understand how he didn¡¯t notice Him earlier when he first arrived at this place and laid eyes on the tree. There were all kinds of animals around Him. A dazzlingly bright bird and a bird with colorful feathers. Various kinds of dragons, including Flame Dragon; a cute monkey; Poong-ho; a lion; even a snake and a cat. Other than that, there were boys and girls who looked human, but they were all fast asleep against His body. [Who are you calling a bug?] Merlin asked involuntarily, but He didn¡¯t even look at Merlin. No, to be precise, His gaze never left [Her] for a second. ¡°I will give you a little authority. And some qualifications.¡± When He spoke up to there¡­ Boom! A thick booklet appeared over Merlin¡¯s hand and fell into his grasp. While still maintaining his gaze on Her and not looking toward Merlin, He continued, ¡°Move according to the Rules.¡± That was the end. He didn¡¯t explain anything. Why wasn¡¯t He punishing Merlin? Didn¡¯t He just call Merlin a [bug]? He didn¡¯t even seem inclined to fix the situation Himself. Perhaps from now on, even if Merlin fell on his knees and begged for His attention, or even attacked Him with a burning sense of resentment, He would no longer show any interest towards Merlin. ¡®Has¡­ He gone mad?¡¯ And at that moment, Merlin was shocked. ¡®My heart hurts.¡¯ Even when he came here, Merlin had no reverence for Him. The Creator? So what? Father of all things? Was there anything that He did that helped Merlin? But even so, the moment Merlin realized that He had no interest in Merlin, a feeling of extreme sadness washed over Merlin. Merlin prioritized His feelings over his own. Hence, Merlin felt a deep sense of sadness that seemed to originate from the depths of his soul. [Person.] [Yes, junior. You¡¯ve come a long way.] [There is no need to say that. That thing, no, I mean She¡­] [I know. Dangerous, right?] Merlin looked at Her. Beautiful yet ugly. Good yet evil. Pure yet corrupt. Huge yet thin¡­ It was impossible to describe Her in one word. However, there was one word that came to Merlin¡¯s mind while he looked at Her. Destruction. [Why isn¡¯t He having Her removed?] [Who would dare? Us? Even if we have become singular beings, She is more than that.] At his words, Merlin looked back at Person. [What if it was Him?] [Of course, if it was Him, it might be possible to remove Her. He also knows that She is dangerous.] It was impossible to be ignorant of Her wickedness and malice. Wasn¡¯t it a situation where these monsters, all of which were her creations, were continually trying to erode and infiltrate His creation? All of Her creations went [outside] and wreaked havoc on the physical universes, leaving hardly any highest-ranked gods, if any at all, behind. However, nonetheless¡­ [But why would He do such a thing¡­] Person sighed deeply. [¡­ when all of His attention is solely centered on Her.] *** ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! What kind of enlightenment is that¡­!?¡± Merlin opened his eyes to the sound of Shen¡¯s defeated and disapproving shouts. ¡°That¡¯s so obvious and simple!¡± Merlin felt as though his head was blank. His surroundings, which had changed from 2D to 3D, felt foreign and awkward, most likely because he was kicked out so suddenly, just as abruptly as when he entered that space. ¡°Merlin, are you okay? What is that above your head?¡± ¡°Above my head?¡± At Arc¡¯s sudden words, Merlin lifted his head. And there, he saw the following text floating in the air¡­ [GM Merlin] ¡°What the heck is this¡­¡± As Merlin grumbled and got up, something fell to the ground and cracked open. When he looked down to see what it was, he saw red scales. ¡°It was hair originally¡­ ah, whatever. It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Merlin took a quick look at his body. His body was in optimum condition. Moreover that [method] he tried to deploy, when Lancelot was buying him some time, was successfully completed. He succeeded in creating a miracle that no one could imitate, which would mark the history of spiritual power and talent studies. But why did he not feel happy? ¡°The size and scale of what I received is so monstrously big¡­¡± Merlin looked around with a blank expression on his face. The three great enemies of the Union were besieging him and his party members. They were transcendents with powers that would be worshiped as gods in any low stage civilization. However¡­ ¡®Were they always this small and weak?¡¯ [Stop.] [Wait. Please pause.] The two Legion members called out to him, but instead of answering, Merlin started walking with a thick book in one hand and a jeweled sword in the other. After walking about four to five steps, the jeweled sword in his hand, the Editor Blade, turned into a circle-shaped pattern and was engraved on the cover of the book. ¡°It¡¯s a book of rules¡­ so I¡¯ll call it a Rule Book,¡± Merlin murmured to himself. ¡°What the hell are you? How can you handle such power without a divine position, divinity, or divine status¡­?¡± ¡°Hahaha, you¡¯re going to have to stop right there¡­ huh?¡± The two Grotesque members tried to block Merlin, but Merlin was able to ignore them and pass between them. In the end, Volcano, who tried to step in front of Merlin, couldn¡¯t stop him. ¡°What¡­ What the hell is going on? Why can¡¯t I attack him?¡± Volcano was confused, as he was unable to wield his sword, even though he had made up his mind to sever both of Merlin¡¯s legs. There was nothing wrong with his body. He didn¡¯t suffer from some sort of mental attack, nor was he disturbed or interfered with in any way, but for some reason, he was unable to fulfill his will. ¡°Well, I guess it makes sense¡­ He has big muscles and is good at fighting¡­¡± Merlin turned the pages of the Rule Book. Rustling sounds of paper being flipped over could be heard. Countless amounts of information were being sucked into his head. ¡°A Rank 9 public official shouldn¡¯t be able to beat up a minister rank official.¡± This was the effect [He] had on Merlin. After all, every being was a mere thought that existed in His imagination, so they couldn¡¯t deny the effect of the qualification He bestowed upon Merlin. It was quite a vicious force; one would probably be unaware of Merlin¡¯s qualification even while one suffered from its effects. [Turn it off¡­ I hate it¡­ I hate it¡­] Then, collapsed on one side, like a huge mountain range, Leviathan¡¯s body began to shake. There would have been nothing strange if Leviathan were to die right now, but Leviathan moved from its desperate will. And that wasn¡¯t all. Crack! Pop! Leviathan¡¯s huge body started to get smaller and smaller. It was a compression, not the destruction of its body. In addition, Leviathan¡¯s skin color, which was close to black, started changing to red. ¡®¡­ I see.¡¯ Seeing all this happening, Merlin realized something. ¡®He became interested in me not only because of my Editor Blade¡­ but also because of this guy.¡¯ The fact that He, who can be said to be the universe¡¯s law itself, had sat idly by and only observed the rules that governed Earth, which wasn¡¯t facing some sort of Apocalypse or end of days scenario, being broken several times, meant that [He] had largely turned His interest and focus away from His work. It was also proof that the entire universe had become [loose]. We are "pawread dot com", find us on google. [She] was born between 400 and 500 years ago, based on the flow of time in the physical world. This was the point where other beings in the great universe, not just the beings bound by His [Rules], began to change. ¡®Tan isn¡¯t the problem. The real problem is¡­¡¯ Merlin felt a chill run up his spine. ¡®The real problem is the Planet Gods.¡¯ However, Merlin didn¡¯t have time to think about this thought for long. Whoosh!!! Leviathan was getting smaller and smaller. Its color was also getting redder. It looked like it was on fire. [Hate it.] It was Apocalypse. An existence that announced the end of everything in a world that entered the end stage. It was Satan.