But every time the spear and sword clashed, he grew stronger at an astonishing speed.
In an instant, he caught up and surpassed, unleashing a sword aura.
‘...Another genius, perhaps.’
A genius of the same caliber as those who had always bested him.
Another one who would mock his efforts.
No matter how many years he worked, 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 them as if it were a joke.
They found it boring, wondering why they couldn't overcome such trivial obstacles, unable to understand the slowness of ordinary or dull people.
They could never understand the frustration of being left behind, no matter how much one wanted to follow.
This time would be no different.
He would probably sneer and point, saying, "Show me."
"Show me your limits, show me."
But this one was different from other geniuses.
He kept receiving his spear.
He neither overwhelmed nor played around.
He was appreciating the pure skill, the spear technique that Valte had honed.
‘...Alright, I’ll show you.’
His consciousness bloomed, and his determination grew.
He didn't want to be defined by his limits.
With all his might, he unleashed a series of attacks.
He swung the spear until his hands were bruised and flesh fell off.
He opened the way for Valte'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 away.
Before he knew it, his spear was imbued with an external aura.
But this clear feeling of energy was no illusion.
A realm he could never reach, no matter how hard he tried.
Someone approached and tapped his shoulder.
A genius and the one who had taught him.
The benefactor who had pulled him out of the unconsciousness.
At the same time, Valte'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, "Your efforts were not in vain."
Valte bowed his head to the unseen benefactor.
His whole body screamed in pain.
‘I overlooked the absence of Seo, the Holy Maiden.’
It was only natural, given that he had 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 aura can climb. It was called the 'Immortal Realm.'
And once in the Immortal Realm, the cultivation of skills above level 20 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 person.
‘There is no hostility, but there is curiosity. They want to fight but are holding back. Are they waiting for me to become stronger?’
They wouldn't be able to follow me to where I was going anyway.
‘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.
The practitioner gasped in shock.
The man who had climbed into the Immortal Realm had suddenly thrown himself off the cliff.
Rushing to the edge, he looked down, but the man was nowhere to be found.
The problem was that Aria had also jumped off the cliff.
But the Aria who had jumped was now 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 he jumps, he should come back like this. Where did he go?”
In the Immortal Realm, there are no paths other than the designated ones.
If one deviates from the designated path, they 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.
He thought he had found the only one who could empathize with him in this lonely world.
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.
...What is this strange feeling of loss?
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 has increased 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 had disappeared.
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 practitioners.
‘There must be a reason for removing the restrictions.’
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.’
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 left for future generations.’
It wasn't built for human cultivation.
Without the hidden trait ‘Mutant,’ it would have been impossible to intrude.
It was undoubtedly a place Baal had built for his own training.
I had a reason to be certain.
A massive rock, towering 5 meters high!
A rock made of a special material that can only be damaged by sword aura.
I've never seen one this big before.
《The ‘Cursed Spirit Stone’ only reacts when both curses and external aura 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 aura.》
《Destroying the ‘Cursed Spirit Stone’ grants 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 millions of strikes.
It would take years to strike a single rock millions of times.
One might spend a lifetime just breaking this rock.
But it was undeniably appealing.
‘Increase in external aura proficiency!’
External aura, which only manifests after level 20.
An increase in external aura proficiency means an increase in sword proficiency.
From level 20 onwards, it's all about sword aura.
‘Moreover, destroying it grants a large amount of proficiency experience.’
I don't know how much, but if Baal left it, it wouldn't be a small amount.
It's impossible to break it alone.
But what if I'm not alone?
Swallowing the core of a corpse crow, my body swelled and changed.
Over a hundred corpse crows were instantly summoned.
Alone, a thousand strikes would take a lifetime,
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 had evolved to its ultimate form, was helpful here.
The summoned corpse crows were basically of the curse type and could mimic the skills I used.
External aura was the same.
In the game, sword aura was classified as a type of skill.
‘This is completely tailored for me.’
A smile naturally formed.
To set up external aura training like this.
Perhaps because the fiend called Baal was a monster, his ideas were different.
It felt as if Baal had left this for me.
Soon, the flock of corpse crows, imbued with curses and weak external aura, began pecking at the rock.
《Your external aura proficiency has greatly increased.》
《Your sword proficiency level has increased to 21.》
《Your ‘Advanced Corpse Crow Summoning’ skill has reached level 11.》
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.
Continuously pecking at the cursed spirit stone, cracks soon began to form.
Before long, the cursed spirit stone split exactly in half.
《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 a hidden quest.》
《You have declined the reward.》
《You are challenging 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.》
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 a single 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.
Someone might spend a lifetime of tireless effort 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 their attention.
After the seventeen thrones split, they had been reluctant to pay attention to me, but this bug-level growth was too much to ignore.
‘It’s unprecedented to receive proficiency experience as a reward.’
While ‘large amounts of experience’ have been given a few times, it was 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 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 ‘endless hardship’ 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.
In any case, it was good luck.
I had expected there to be hidden places on the mountain of practitioners, but I never thought I would find the Baal Talisman here.
I picked up the essence that glowed faintly in the rock crevice.
A round, pearl-like shape.
This was the Baal Talisman, giving the feeling of a black pearl.
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Distributed by Ajit Novel (formerly Ajitoon Novel).