Chapter 95

But every time their spear and sword clashed, he grew stronger at an astonishing speed.

In an instant, he caught up and surpassed him, unleashing his sword energy.

‘...Another genius, perhaps.’

A kind of genius, just like the one who had always outdone him.

Another one who would mock his efforts.

No matter how many years he worked hard, a genius could surpass him in just a moment.

A realm that he could never reach, no matter how hard he tried, was achieved by the genius as if it were a joke.

They would even find it boring, wondering why they couldn't overcome such a trivial thing, unable to understand the slowness of ordinary or dull people.

Geniuses could never understand the frustration of those left behind, no matter how much they wanted to follow.

This time would be no different.

He would probably sneer and point at him.

- Show me.

- Show me your limits, show them to me.

But this one was different from other geniuses.

He kept receiving his spear.

He neither overwhelmed him nor played around.

He was appreciating the pure skill, the spear technique that Balte had honed.

‘...Alright, I'll show you.’

His consciousness bloomed, and his determination grew.

He didn't want to lose.

He didn't want to be defined by his limits.

With all his might, he unleashed a series of attacks.

He swung his spear until his hands were bruised and flesh fell off.

He opened the way for Balte's spear to fly even further. Without getting bored or sighing, he watched seriously, as if he were a teacher.

And when everything was burned to ashes.

‘Ah...’

Before he knew it, his spear was imbued with external energy.

He couldn't believe it.

But this clear sensation of energy was no illusion.

Despite all his efforts, he had never reached this realm.

Snap!

Someone approached and tapped his shoulder.

That person.

A genius, and the one who had taught him.

The benefactor who had pulled him out of the unconsciousness.

‘Ah.’

At the same time, Balte's body slowly collapsed.

His whole body felt as heavy as a block of metal.

His eyes closed involuntarily.

But a smile played on his lips.

It was a long-overdue feeling of liberation.

How long had it been since he felt such an emotion?

He couldn't even remember now.

‘Is this what it feels like to be recognized by someone...’

Perhaps he just wanted to be recognized.

The one word that he most desperately needed might have been that his efforts were not in vain.

That he had worked hard.

That he had done his best...

Balte bowed his head to the invisible benefactor.

*

His whole body screamed in pain.

‘I overlooked the absence of Seo Saintess.’

It was only natural, having moved his body like a madman without any treatment.

It was remarkable that he hadn't fainted.

But from here on, he had to climb alone.

‘This is the realm of the Immortals.’

The part of the mountain that only those who have entered the realm of external energy can climb. It was called the 'Immortal Realm.'

And once you reach the Immortal Realm, the cultivation of 20th level and above becomes a bit easier.

I climbed the mountain, leaving the fallen spearman behind.

‘There is a gaze following me.’

I had been aware of the gaze that had been following me since I left the realm of the Chaos Cultivator.

I didn't feel any immediate hostility.

But the gaze was not ordinary.

The way it was openly revealed suggested that the other party was interested in me as a human being.

‘There is no hostility, but there is curiosity. They want to fight but are holding back. Are they waiting for me to become stronger?’

It's highly likely.

I didn't care much.

After all, they wouldn't be able to follow me to where I was going.

‘Sure enough, it's here.’

My goal is the Immortal Realm, but not just the Immortal Realm.

The hidden path within the Immortal Realm.

【The hidden trait 'Mutant' reveals the hidden path.】

【A path leading to the 'Temple of Cultivation' has been discovered.】

I launched myself off the cliff.

*

“T-That...!”

The practitioner gasped in shock.

The man who had climbed to the Immortal Realm suddenly threw himself off the cliff.

Rushing to the cliff and looking down, the man was nowhere to be found.

“A-Aria!”

The problem was that Aria had also jumped off the cliff.

But the Aria who had jumped was already beside the practitioner.

Of course, this was not strange.

This was the Immortal Realm.

A place where not everything is as it seems.

“...Even if you jump, you should come back like this. Where did he go?”

“...”

Aria was also puzzled.

In the Immortal Realm, there are no paths other than the designated ones.

If you deviate from the designated path, you are bound to return.

Yet the man who had jumped off the cliff had disappeared.

On the other hand, Aria, who had jumped from the same spot, had returned.

‘Where did he go?’

A genius like himself.

He thought he had found the only one who could empathize with him in this lonely world.

But he was still weak.

He possessed brilliant talent but was still growing.

He needed to become stronger by climbing the mountain.

So he planned to stick with him once he reached the summit and was somewhat complete.

If that happened, he believed without a doubt that his own skills, which had been stagnant for a year, would advance.

But he disappeared.

Like a ghost.

...What is this strange feeling of loss?

‘He will come back.’

If he is of the same kind, he will surely desire to conquer the summit.

He won't give up halfway.

So when we meet again, I won't let him go.

Aria glanced down the cliff and headed for the summit.

*

《You have entered the ‘Temple of Cultivation’ for the first time.》

《The restrictions are removed due to the temple's effects.》

《Your honor increases by 50.》

When I opened my eyes, I was in the temple.

‘The restrictions really have been removed.’

What was even more surprising was that the restrictions I had set while climbing the mountain of the practitioner were gone.

My vision was clear, and my whole body felt as light as if it were flying.

Perhaps it was because this temple was higher than the mountain of the practitioner.

‘There must be a reason for removing the restrictions.’

However, I couldn't relax.

I slowly looked around.

Though it was very old and decayed in many places, the symbols of the temple around me revealed its identity.

‘This is the temple of Baal.’

Black goat sculptures.

It was undoubtedly one of the Four Fiends, Baal.

But how could the ‘Temple of Cultivation’ be the ‘Temple of Baal’?

‘Perhaps it was a place where Baal trained, or a place left for future generations.’

After all, it wasn't built for human cultivation.

Without the hidden trait ‘Mutant,’ it would have been impossible to intrude.

It was undoubtedly a place built by Baal for his own training.

I had a reason to be certain.

【Cursed Spirit Stone】

A massive rock, towering 5 meters high!

A rock made of a special material that can only be damaged by sword energy.

I've never seen one this big before.

《The ‘Cursed Spirit Stone’ only reacts when both curses and external energy are used simultaneously.》

《It takes a thousand strikes to inflict 1mm of damage.》

《Successfully striking the ‘Cursed Spirit Stone’ greatly increases the proficiency in curses and external energy.》

《Destroying the ‘Cursed Spirit Stone’ allows you to obtain a large amount of proficiency experience left by ‘Baal’.》

...Only a fiend like Baal would prepare something like this for training.

A thousand strikes to barely chip 1mm.

To break this spirit stone, it would take tens of millions of strikes.

It would take years to strike a single rock tens of millions of times.

It might even take a lifetime to break just this one rock.

But it was undeniably attractive.

‘Increase in external energy proficiency!’

External energy, which only manifests after level 20.

The increase in external energy proficiency means an increase in sword proficiency.

From level 20 onwards, it's all about sword energy.

‘Moreover, destroying it grants a large amount of proficiency experience.’

I don't know how much, but if Baal left it, it must be a significant amount.

It's impossible to break it alone.

But what if I'm not alone?

Chirp!

Swallowing the core of a corpse crow, my body swelled and changed.

And.

Caw! Caw!

Caw!

Over a hundred corpse crows were instantly summoned.

It would take a lifetime to strike a thousand times alone,

But with over a hundred corpse crows striking simultaneously, the time would be drastically reduced.

It's not just ten times faster, but even more time-saving.

The Baal Helmet, which has evolved to its ultimate form, is helpful here.

The summoned corpse crows are basically of the curse type and can mimic the skills I use.

External energy is no different.

In the game, sword energy was classified as a type of skill.

‘This is completely tailored for me.’

A smile naturally formed.

To set up external energy training like this.

Perhaps because the fiend called Baal had a different way of thinking.

It even felt like Baal had left this for me.

Caw!

Soon, the flock of corpse crows, imbued with curses and weak external energy, began pecking at the rock.

*

《Your external energy proficiency has greatly increased.》

《Your sword proficiency level has increased to 21.》

《Your ‘Advanced Corpse Crow Summoning’ skill has reached level 11.》

Caw!

Caw!

Caw!

As time passed, the number of corpse crows increased exponentially.

Already over 200 were flying in the sky.

And as the number of corpse crows increased, the speed at which cracks formed in the spirit stone also increased.

Crack!

Continuously pecking at the cursed spirit stone, cracks soon began to form.

Boom!

Before long, the cursed spirit stone split exactly in half.

At that moment.

《You have destroyed the ‘Cursed Spirit Stone’.》

《You have obtained a large amount of proficiency experience left by ‘Baal’.》

《Your sword proficiency has reached level 25.》

《You have completed the hidden quest.》

《You reject the reward.》

《You challenge a higher proficiency level.》

《All the thrones of the Hall of Heroes are now paying close attention to you.》

《You have discovered a ‘Baal Talisman’ inside the spirit stone.》

“...”

Devastating options

I was momentarily speechless at the reward that exceeded my expectations.

Thanks to the large amount of proficiency experience left by Baal, my sword proficiency instantly reached level 25.

This kind of ‘ultra-fast growth’ was something I had never experienced before.

No, it was more like a bug-level growth.

‘From level 20 to 25 on just one rock. Who would believe it?’

Even I, who experienced it firsthand, found it hard to believe, so it's natural that others would doubt it.

Just a solid rock.

Someone would have to work tirelessly with a spirit of perseverance to achieve what I did in an instant.

‘The thrones of the Hall of Heroes must be equally amazed.’

How astonishing must it be for all the thrones of the Hall of Heroes to refocus on me.

After the seventeen thrones split, they seemed to avoid giving me attention, but this bug-level growth is something they can't ignore.

‘There has never been a case of giving proficiency experience as a reward.’

Never.

While there have been a few instances of giving ‘a large amount of experience,’ it was always for leveling up, not for proficiency experience.

So when I first saw the description of the spirit stone, I was a bit puzzled.

‘Baal left it... not as a reward, but for succession.’

Perhaps the proficiency experience left in the cursed spirit stone is not a reward.

Perhaps it was left by Baal to pass on his ‘proficiency’ to a successor.

In that case, I am an uninvited guest.

‘Baal Talisman.’

Baal was a tree that gave without reservation.

If I broke the cursed spirit stone, the Baal Talisman would automatically be obtained.

I understand the intention.

Baal probably wanted his successor to break the spirit stone after ‘enduring all hardships’ and take the talisman along with the proficiency experience.

If Baal saw how I broke the spirit stone, he might have collapsed, clutching his throat.

“Good luck.”

In any case, it was good luck.

While I had expected there to be a hidden place on the mountain of the practitioner, I never thought I would find the Baal Talisman here.

I picked up the essence that glowed faintly in the rock crevice.

A round, bead-like shape.

This black pearl-like object was the Baal Talisman.

‘Truly magnificent.’

I marveled at it.