Chapter 94

Moving slowly yet naturally like flowing water.

Whoosh!

... The spearman was charging towards me.

Finally found it.

Swish!

I raised my sword and deflected the thrust.

In response, the spearman drew even closer, tracing continuous arcs.

Deflect and he presses in, attack and he clings on.

He’s using the spear’s range to the extreme, making things difficult.

A master of the spear.

Clearly someone who has honed their spear skills to the level of a master through a lifetime of practice.

‘Strange.’

But, it’s strange.

Despite possessing such intricate skills, there’s no hostility from him.

No killing intent, no malice.

He’s just moving instinctively.

It means he’s not acting with calculation.

Truly the pinnacle of unconsciousness.

‘Someone who can wield the spear to this degree unconsciously.’

It’s intriguing.

Moreover, my opponent is also an existence with the maximum restrictions set, just like me.

Yet, he can still move to this extent.

He doesn’t have the ‘Mutant’ hidden trait like me.

‘He’s been in this state for at least a year...’

It means he’s fully adapted.

Evidence that he’s been swinging the spear with all his senses lost for at least a year.

At least a year, perhaps even much longer.

‘Not normal. However...’

It’s easy to say, but can anyone really wield a weapon for years without any senses?

Can it be done with the single-minded determination to reach a certain level?

‘... I’m not normal either.’

I smile inwardly.

It’s not easy to encounter a master of such pure technique.

That’s why I decided to engage.

I needed someone to spar with anyway.

*

How much time had passed since then?

After continuously exchanging blows with the spear, I felt a strange sense of familiarity.

I can’t be sure, but it’s because the spear technique he uses is definitely different from the usual.

Typically, a spearman’s attacks are concise.

But the spearman in front of me is focusing on ‘combo attacks.’

‘Up to 8 combos. Each combo is smoother and stronger than the last. This...’

It feels familiar.

The feeling of these combos.

It’s eerily similar to ‘that class’ that can use ‘Rampage’ after reaching 10 combos.

‘Could it be...’

No.

It can’t be.

There’s no way.

But the more time passed, the more the denial turned into acceptance.

There’s only one spearman in the world who sticks so closely and unleashes combos.

‘Could this be the spearman character I abandoned while leveling up...?’

Oh my.

It seems to be.

Two years ago, I logged out after leaving the character in the Practitioner’s Mountain and never logged in again.

It was also around the time I was focusing on completing Wilhelm, and the skill level just wouldn’t progress.

‘Crazy.’

It’s unbelievable.

But why is he still alive here?

He should have been killed by someone long ago.

After all,

‘8 combos for two years? He must have had some talent.’

The spearman character had no talent.

The Spearman class was quite useful with a maximum skill level of 20, but the problem was the most important skill, ‘Rampage,’ which could only be used after reaching 10 combos.

To reach 9 and 10 combos, one needed to be able to use ‘External Qi,’ and even with a max skill level of 20, this required separate talent.

For example, talent in sensory aspects and handling the energy of nature had to support it to some extent.

Of course, I had set some basic talent when creating the Spearman character, but it was far from enough to generate External Qi.

‘... Setting the maximum restrictions was a mistake.’

The lack of talent and the many restrictions were toxic.

As a result, it lost its appeal.

What’s the fun in swinging a spear all day on a black screen?

The skill level progressed slowly, and there were many things to manage, so I remember giving up without hesitation.

That character, who had survived alone in this hell and was now swinging a spear at me.

‘Seems to have maxed out the skill level at 20.’

After two years, it seems the skill level has reached the maximum.

However, he still hasn’t generated External Qi.

Is it because of the lack of talent needed to generate External Qi?

‘Generally, to generate External Qi, one needs talent and a master.’

Even with talent, one must learn the techniques from a ‘master.’

Of course, if one has overwhelming talent like me, that process isn’t necessary.

Or one can continuously train in External Qi.

There are meditation or internal energy cultivation methods in the game that can transform one’s energy into External Qi.

However, it’s abnormal not to generate External Qi after two years.

After all, this is the ‘Practitioner’s Mountain.’

The real reason for the existence of the Practitioner’s Mountain is for External Qi training. Even meditating at the top of the mountain after reaching level 20 should naturally generate External Qi.

There must be something wrong.

The reason the Spearman hasn’t generated External Qi yet.

‘... This is also my karma.’

If I hadn’t known, I might have ignored it, but I can’t turn a blind eye to it right in front of me.

After all, like Isaac and Isabella, this is a character I raised.

I can’t just abandon a Spearman who has trained alone for two years.

‘I need to find out.’

I need to properly examine what the problem is.

My experience and perspective have changed since then.

*

“Lady Aria, are you going to the Chaos Realm again today?”

The practitioner asked, but Aria didn’t even react as she descended the mountain.

She was originally at the top of the Practitioner’s Mountain.

A land filled with the energy known as the ‘Heavenly Realm.’

There’s no need to descend, but she goes to the Chaos Realm every week when it opens.

The reason is simple.

‘Every time she turns the spearman into a mess...’

When the Chaos Realm opens and the spearman appears, the sparring begins.

But it’s one-sided violence.

She pushes the spearman to the brink of death and then returns.

‘Lady Aria dislikes those without talent.’

The spearman has no talent.

What’s the point of setting the maximum restrictions?

What’s the point of working so hard without rest?

He hasn’t generated External Qi in years.

So, it’s a form of pressure to make him give up and leave the Practitioner’s Mountain.

This has been going on for well over a year, yet the spearman hasn’t left the mountain.

‘The reason he’s still alive is partly due to this.’

If not for Aria, the spearman would have died long ago.

The perception that he’s Aria’s creation prevents anyone from touching him.

Here, she is the queen.

She was the fastest to reach the Heavenly Realm since her appearance in the Practitioner’s Mountain.

Her overwhelming talent and formidable abilities are enough to shock both practitioners and trainees.

‘He’ll probably die again today.’

The practitioner shook his head.

Why doesn’t the spearman give up?

He should clearly feel the lack of his talent by now.

Moreover, even with the maximum restrictions in the Practitioner’s Mountain, the pain and suffering are still present.

‘At this point, it’s beyond stubbornness; it’s foolish. Tsk tsk.’

He clicked his tongue and descended to the Chaos Realm.

Suddenly, Aria stopped.

“...?”

The practitioner couldn’t help but tilt his head.

The spearman is there, but there’s someone else too.

“Ah... I heard there was a human who recently entered the mountain with the maximum restrictions. It must be him. But it’s strange. How did he reach the Chaos Realm so quickly...?”

He heard this news just a week ago.

A stubborn human had just entered the mountain.

With all restrictions set to the maximum and a poor skill level, the practitioner was certain he would die soon.

“Wait. Level 19?”

The practitioner rubbed his eyes and opened them wide.

... He’s not seeing things.

He clearly heard that the skill level was poor, yet level 19?

Is this possible in such a short time?

“2, 20! He’s reached level 20!”

At that moment, the practitioner witnessed the level-up.

Level 20 is a benchmark.

A realm that even geniuses struggle to surpass.

But what happened next was even more astonishing.

“... Sword, Qi...!”

External Qi, sword qi, was emanating from the sword.

To generate sword qi immediately after reaching level 20.

Even with overwhelming talent, this is impossible.

He had never seen such a case in his long career as a practitioner.

“...”

Aria’s usually emotionless eyes showed a hint of interest.

*

《Your Sword Proficiency has increased to 20Lv.》

《Achieving 20Lv in Sword Proficiency has unlocked ‘Sword Qi.’》

《You have generated Sword Qi. Damage increased by 20%.》

《Sword Qi damage increases with your Sword Proficiency level.》

《You have met the conditions to use ‘Heaven and Earth Split: Earth.’》

Reaching level 20 and generating sword qi made the technique I used against the dragon available.

Heaven and Earth Split: Earth.

A sword technique that resonates and destroys all attacks.

The technique I used when the dragon attacked.

The minimum requirement was ‘Sword Qi generation,’ so it’s natural.

‘I understand the problem now.’

At the same time, I figured out why the Spearman couldn’t generate External Qi.

‘Unconsciousness. That was the problem.’

Due to spending too much time in the darkness, unconsciousness was created.

Unconsciousness was the only means to protect oneself from all threats.

But this deep unconsciousness was also blocking new learning.

So, I need to awaken it.

The consciousness. Of the Spearman.

The method is simple.

‘Until one of us falls.’

Just keep fighting!

To break this unconsciousness, all the accumulated efforts over two years need to be released.

Additionally, I resonated to guide the Spearman’s consciousness to awaken.

When the fight had become so long that it was fading from memory.

Thud!

The Spearman fell to the ground and fainted.

With a faint External Qi surrounding the spear.

*

How long has it been since I felt such interest?

No, this level of interest is probably the first.

Aria was bored for a long time. The year-long plateau and the feeling that everything in the world was dull.

That’s why she was almost angry at the boring and talentless ones.

The human spearman was one of them.

A person who spent years in the mountain without generating External Qi, wasting time.

She believed he would stay at the same level for life.

So, she always pressured him to give up, telling him he had no talent and should leave the mountain.

‘External Qi...’

If that’s the case.

The spearman finally generated External Qi at the end.

The energy flickering around the spear was clearly it.

But this was possible only because of the newly appeared human.

A human who, like the spearman, had the maximum restrictions set.

‘Genius.’

He seemed to be of the same kind as her.

Using sword qi immediately upon reaching the realm and guiding the spearman to generate External Qi showed an overflowing talent.

She had never seen such a thing.

Not even in Kramdel, not even from the White King or the Four Guardians.

She had met many strong people, but none had given her such a profound impression.

Thump! Thump!

Her heart raced wildly at the sight of him.

“... Finally found it.”

Baal Talisman

Spearman Balt fell into the deep sea.

Despairing over his lack of significant improvement for over two years.

Yet, he didn’t give up the spear.

He firmly believed that his efforts would eventually pay off.

But every time he left the Chaos Realm, Balt was inevitably disappointed.

‘A brilliant talent far beyond someone like me.’

He doesn’t know who it is.

But there was someone who always overpowered him with overwhelming skill.

This existence seemed to be telling him every time:

-You have no talent.

-Those who only work hard are not needed in this Practitioner’s Mountain.

-Just give up and leave.

The opponent seemed to mock his efforts, becoming stronger with each moment.

At first, the gap wasn’t that large, but now it’s so vast that it’s out of sight.

Surely, a chosen one with a brilliant talent.

A talent far beyond his own.

‘Balt. Swing the spear. If a hundred times isn’t enough, do a thousand, if a thousand isn’t enough, do ten thousand!’

He gritted his teeth and pushed himself even harder.

However, the saying that effort never betrays is wrong.

The more time passed, the more the gap in skill and talent widened, and Balt couldn’t help but feel discouraged.

‘Balt, don’t weaken. Too much thinking will get you devoured.’

Ultimately, he locked himself in his unconsciousness and began to swing the spear exclusively.

Until today.

‘Who is it?’

Someone else was now right in front of him.

Clearly someone who, like him, had the maximum restrictions set.