Chapter 36

As soon as Raon entered the room, he drew the curtains and locked the door. He had already told them not to enter, but this was just in case.

“Ras.”

He tapped the ice flower bracelet on his wrist to summon Ras.

-You insolent human, do not call the name of the great king so casually.

“If you didn’t want me to call your name, you shouldn’t have told me.”

-How was I to know that you could withstand the possession of the great king!

Ras muttered that he had told his great name as a final courtesy before devouring the human's body and soul.

“Great name or not, are you going to interfere again?”

-As the ruler of the demon world, I keep my word. I will not interfere while you practice.

“Indeed, you must have used up all the power you had been saving.”

Raon nodded. Ras had attacked with full force when he was learning the Manhwa Gong a month ago. There was no way he could have recovered that power so quickly.

-You fool! The energy of anger can be summoned at any time. I only keep my word as a ruler...

“Alright, that’s enough.”

-You tiny human!

Ras trembled and emitted a cold aura as Raon cut him off.

“What a pity. It was another chance to boost my stats.”

-Grrr...

Ras ground his teeth. The cold flames around him began to frost over as his anger reached its peak.

Raon narrowed his eyes at the trembling Ras.

‘I can’t let my guard down in front of this guy.’

Ras is not an ally but an enemy. I must remain vigilant whether I am practicing or training. I must never let my guard down.

“Alright, then.”

He took out a wooden box containing the Guhwadang from his pocket and opened the lid. A strong scent of dry foliage, like that of autumn mountains, filled the air.

The smell is good.

The effectiveness of the medicine could be gauged just by the scent spreading through the room.

“Huh.”

Raon slowly exhaled and put the Guhwadang in his mouth. A bitter and strong medicinal scent enveloped his entire mouth.

‘I was told to chew it.’

Following Limier’s advice, he chewed and swallowed the Guhwadang, which then dissolved in his throat.

Hoooo.

The rich energy contained in the Guhwadang spread through his mana circuits like smoke from a chimney.

He closed his eyes, sat down, and began to rotate the Fire Ring, practicing the Manhwa Gong.

The energy from the Guhwadang circled through his body, expanding his muscles. His dantian tingled and expanded, and his sensitivity to mana soared to its peak.

Whoosh!

The energy, as hot as if it had been heated in a charcoal kiln, raced through his mana circuits.

Whoosh!

The pure cold energy that had melted inside the mana circuits circled through his body along the path cleared by the Manhwa Gong.

‘It was a good decision to use the Fire Ring first.’

The Fire Ring cleaned the cold energy and impurities inside the mana circuits, and the energy of the Manhwa Gong raced through the path like lightning, reducing the waste of the elixir.

The two cultivation methods complemented each other, maximizing their strengths and offsetting their weaknesses.

Whoosh!

The mana from the Guhwadang completely melted, connecting the Fire Ring, his body, and his dantian with a red line.

Raon felt the endless flow of mana and gradually delved deeper into the world of cultivation.

* * *

When the sun set and the sky was painted with the evening glow, Raon opened his eyes.

[Your fourth <Fire Ring> has been created.]

[Your <Fire Ring> has reached the 4-star level.]

[Your <Fire Ring (4-star)> has enhanced your physical and spiritual levels.]

[Your <Fire Ring (4-star)> has increased your strength, agility, and stamina.]

[Your <Fire Ring (4-star)> has increased your energy, mental strength, and senses.]

Raon clenched his fist. Even without the message, he could feel the fourth ring pulsing strongly in his heart.

[Your <Physical Ability (Reduced)> has been removed.]

[Your <Mana Sensitivity (Reduced)> has been removed.]

[Your <Water Resistance> has reached the 4-star level.]

[Your <Snow Perception> has reached the 2-star level.]

Reaching the 4-star level with the Fire Ring was not the only achievement. His <Water Resistance> and <Snow Perception> also improved.

‘Impressive.’

The changes were significant after consuming just one intermediate elixir.

Of course, it wasn’t just because of the elixir.

The effort he had put into training for nearly a year had finally paid off.

Raon turned his shoulders and stood up. His dantian was filled with a hot and cold energy, and his body felt as light as a leaf in the wind.

His physical condition was perfect, as if he had just woken up from a deep sleep. He felt that he could easily crush Marta, who used aura, with his physical abilities alone.

Whoosh!

As he was about to bring up his status window, Ras, who was in the bracelet, shot up in a blue flame.

-4-star?

‘Hmm?’

-4-star <Water Resistance>?

Ras’s voice trembled. It seemed he had only seen the final <Water Resistance> and not the content of the <Fire Ring>.

‘Come to think of it, he didn’t know.’

Ras could see the messages but not the status window. He seemed surprised to learn about the <Water Resistance>.

-You deceitful human! You had 4-star <Water Resistance> and lied to the great king!

“I never asked.”

-Grrr!

Ras’s eyes flashed with a cold light.

-I knew you had resistance, but 4-star? And it’s a growth type. You despicable human!

“Being despicable because of <Water Resistance>...”

Raon chuckled.

‘Seeing him make such a fuss over <Water Resistance>, he would probably go crazy if he knew about the <Fire Ring>.’

If he learned about the <Fire Ring>, which enhances physical and spiritual levels, or about reincarnation, Ras might faint.

‘That’s why I said you can’t beat me.’

-Be quiet. If the great king uses his original power, I can easily turn you into an ice block.

‘But you can’t.’

-You provoke me every time you open your mouth!

Unable to contain his anger, Ras burst into a cold flame and charged at Raon.

Whoosh!

A cold aura that made his lips turn blue swirled around his body in an instant.

“Hmm.”

Ras seemed to have grown, as the cold and emotional stimulation were stronger than before.

‘But.’

The <Fire Ring> and <Water Resistance> had grown even more. In front of the four naturally rotating rings, Ras’s anger was nothing more than a minor annoyance.

Boom!

As he endured the blue cold energy piercing his body, a message appeared.

[You have withstood the attack of <Anger>.]

[Your <Stamina> stat has increased.]

-Damn it!

Ras let out a monstrous roar and left Raon’s body.

-It feels like my limbs have been cut off. There’s no way! There’s no way!

He stopped pretending to be calm and started cursing.

“So I said, you can’t do it.”

-The great king’s power is not just cold. The true power is to stir up the primal emotion of anger. When the great king was in the demon world, he made thousands of demons self-destruct by provoking their anger...

“But it doesn’t work on me.”

-Grrr!

Ras’s blue flames began to turn red. He was in a state of near explosion but didn’t attack again, unwilling to give up his stats.

“Now it’s quiet.”

Raon nodded calmly and opened his status window.

<Status Window>

Name: Raon Zighart.

Title: First Victory

Condition: Curse of the Cold (Six Strands)

Traits: Anger, Fire Ring (4-star), Water Resistance (4-star), Snow Perception (2-star), Manhwa Gong (2-star), Cold of the Cold (2-star), Fire Resistance (2-star).

Strength: 40

Agility: 41

Stamina: 41

Energy: 29

Senses: 53

The first thing he noticed was that the <Reduced Physical Ability> and <Reduced Mana Sensitivity> that had been embedded in his status like anchors were gone.

A smile he couldn’t suppress formed on his face.

His body felt as light as if it could fly, and the sensation of mana entering his pores was not just a feeling.

‘My stats have increased a lot.’

All his stats had increased by at least two levels. His physical abilities and senses were now on par with a regular knight.

‘The <Water Resistance> is a big gain too.’

With <Water Resistance> at the 4-star level, he could easily withstand 4th-circle level water magic in the future.

This resistance would be more helpful in battles against mages or sorcerers than against knights.

‘I’ve gained a lot.’

Although the Guhwadang was a good elixir, he had gained much more than expected. Even his usually cynical self couldn’t stop smiling.

‘I should test out my new body and aura.’

He wanted to check his changed body and aura, so he opened the door.

“Huh!”

“Oh!”

Sylvia and Helen, who were standing in front of the door, jumped back in surprise.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah, no. Since you were practicing, we were guarding...”

“I’m also here to guard.”

Their eyes were slightly bloodshot. It seemed they had been watching over him all night without even breathing.

He spread his senses and found other maids outside the window.

“Hmm...”

Raon closed his eyes. A warmth greater than when he was using the Manhwa Gong warmed his heart.

It felt as if the cold in his mana circuits had been erased, even if only for a moment.

“Thank you.”

He bowed to the two women and the maids outside, feeling both grateful and apologetic.

“Sniff!”

“Lady!”

“Helen, what should we do?”

Sylvia, with tears in her eyes, collapsed to the side.

“Our son has grown so well!”

“That’s right! I have no regrets even if I die now! Lady!”

“Helen!”

The two women hugged and sniffled.

‘This is the hardest part.’

Dealing with Sylvia and Helen was more challenging than Ras’s mental attacks, the cold in his mana circuits, or Glen Zighart’s pressure.

“Huh...”

Raon quickly left the annex as the two women embraced.

* * *

Over the next two days, Raon adapted to his changed body.

His physical abilities and senses were much better than what he had seen in his status window.

When he first wielded his sword, it felt like it wasn’t his own body. The power and speed were on a completely different level.

The reason for such a significant difference was simple.

A change in constitution.

With the <Reduced Physical Ability> and <Reduced Mana Sensitivity> removed from his constitution, his body was at its peak.

His body moved exactly as he thought, and the mana, which had felt like sand, now felt like large beads.

‘This is also a foundation.’

He felt proud of laying a foundation that would allow him to rise even higher, beyond his enhanced martial abilities.

So on the last day of his holiday, he came to the garden to tend the flower beds for a break.

-You fool. When you dig the soil, you should start from the bottom. Mix the soil with nutrients using your hands, not a trowel.

Ras, surprisingly, knew a lot about flowers and trees. Thanks to him, Raon didn’t even need to open the books he had brought to tend the flower beds.

-When the great king was in the demon world, he filled the flower beds with ice flowers. The demons who saw the flowers bowed their heads in reverence. It was both praise and awe...

“Huh.”

It would have been better without his incessant chatter.

Ras talked a lot, especially when he started with “When the great king was in the demon world.” He could go on for at least 10 minutes without stopping.

After listening to stories about the demon world every day, it now felt familiar, even though he had never been there.

-That’s not it! You must handle the petals delicately. If you can’t, freeze them first!

“I understand.”

Raon frowned and flicked his fingers. He planted the flowers very carefully, as if handling mana, and Ras’s nagging stopped.

After finishing the flower bed on the right, he was about to look at the one on the left when he noticed something.

“Hmm?”

A slender figure was walking from the entrance of the annex. Her long hair had been cut short, but it was someone he couldn’t mistake.

Marta Zighart.

Marta, who had been defeated two days ago, was approaching with a frown.

“Is she here to pick a fight?”

Raon shook the dirt off his hands and stood up.

If so, he would welcome her.