Chapter 253: 253
Chapter 253 – Growth (3)
After that day, the party was busy, like the rest of the Tower .
Boo focused on making the dungeon, and Brahm was busy healing Ananta and restoring the Outer Space .
Shanon and Hanryeong gave their all on understanding the Monkey King’s inheritance and Rebecca on recovering her holy power .
Everyone agreed with what Yeon-woo said, and they realized many things from the war with the Red Dragon .
‘We’re still weak . ’
They had all contributed a lot in the war .
However, they had only taken advantage of the confusing situation . There was almost nothing they did with their own strength .
They realized that the world they knew was small .
Hanryeong, who had been the Saber God, found that his peak wasn’t worth anything after watching the Martial King’s battle .
Also, through this war, Yeon-woo had clearly revealed himself to the world . Now, he wasn’t a rookie to look forward to but someone to be wary of .
Because of that, it was hard to make plans like they had until now . A lot of people would be watching and bothering them .
To protect Yeon-woo from those dangers, they had to become stronger first .
Everyone focused on their individual training . No one said anything about climbing the Tower .
One could climb the Tower anytime, but having the time to train was rare .
Yeon-woo also focused on his training .
He looked over his skills and powers again, and worked hard to completely master the 3rd step awakening .
His desire for the sword became greater .
On the 20th floor, he had continued to train after learning Aura, but unlike magic, he didn’t make that much progress with the sword .
Shanon and Hanryeong gave him advice for this .
「Most people think that they arrive at the end of martial arts once they can create Aura . That’s a ridiculous thought . 」
「Aura isn’t the destination . It’s the beginning, because that’s when you learn what the meaning of the sword is . If you’re proud of merely knowing the meaning, you won’t grow . 」
The two had walked different paths, but what they were saying was the same .
This was only the beginning .
They said that expanding his knowledge of the sword and engraving it into his body was the most important .
“Then what should I do to know its meaning?”
「Extend your consciousness onto the sword . 」
「It’s not just focusing on your sword; you have to become one with it . Then, you’ll be able to complete the body that you want . 」
Yeon-woo understood the gist of what that meant .
Becoming one with the sword . The One-horned tribe called it the Body and Sword as One .
The public said that the peak of the sword was becoming an expert .
From then, Yeon-woo began to train his sword again .
Oong, urrong—
Vigrid always shook like it was glad to see him .
Every day, Yeon-woo did his best to focus his consciousness on the blade .
A few months flashed by like that .
[Time Difference]
[Extrasensory Perception]
In the slower world, Yeon-woo swung his sword again for the millionth time . This was the world of his consciousness, where time ran ten times slower than the rest of the world, so he was now familiar with the movement .
All of his consciousness was absorbed into his sword . Aura occasionally sparked and was bound to his consciousness .
Strong Energy .
Aura had various forms, but they were all called Aura blades .
You were already a master being able to use Aura, so sword users only focused on refining their Aura and didn’t think beyond that .
However, the One-horned tribe split this into 3 different categories .
Sword Energy, Strong Energy, and Formless Strong Energy . Formless Strong Energy was also called Consciousness Strong Energy, and it was still too far for Yeon-woo to reach .
However, Strong Energy was different .
After Yeon-woo’s thorough efforts, he was able to use Sword Energy easily . He was working on moving onto the next step .
The power of concentrating your magic circle and fixing it with your consciousness, Strong Energy .
Yeon-woo wanted to accomplish this and chased again and again after someone in the world of his consciousness .
‘The Palgwae and Martial Extremes . ’
The power that the Martial King had used against the Summer Queen . Yeon-woo had thought of it so many times that he could clearly replicate the fight with his eyes closed .
The King of Martial Arts . The man truly deserving the honorable name . If Yeon-woo could touch the Martial King’s feet, he would be able to escape the limits of where he was .
Puung—
The Strong Energy that gathered at his blade lost its form, and time sped up again .
Yeon-woo let go of his sword from the pain of being flicked out into the world and was pushed back from where he was standing .
“… . . It’s still not working . ”
He clicked his tongue seeing his bloodied right hand . Dragon’s Blood circulated to quickly close his wound . It was his Regeneration skill .
The past few months had been torture to Yeon-woo .
On the Five Mountains of Penances, he had also worked this much, but there, he was limited by the penances so he was able to grow quickly . This time, he couldn’t .
He had to test the limits of his body and focus on mastering it, so it was an endless cycle of boredom .
There was only one movement . Striking his sword down . Although he was putting his consciousness on it, repeating the same movement thousands of times made him feel like he was going to go crazy .
Of course, Yeon-woo didn’t just train his sword .
In fact, Yeon-woo learned a lot during all this time .
The Demonic Dragon Body with the Dragon’s Blessing and the Demon’s Blessing . The Philosopher’s Stone in his Cores . The 3rd step awakening he had forced open on the 21st floor .
His body quickly grew, but his consciousness couldn’t catch up .
He didn’t know where his limits were and what his potential was .
That was why he used Time Difference and pushed himself to the extremes .
At first, it had been effective .
Occasionally, he would awake his powers and break through his limits .
He did it because he trusted in the ability of the Regeneration skill .
He was able to gain the most from the bloodline magic that Brahm advised him about .
Of course, he only learned the basics and used it with his rune magic .
He didn’t even think of touching the harder ones, leaving it to Boo .
Even with just that, Yeon-woo had changed noticeably .
But for some time, he had been blocked by a large wall .
His magic growth paused, and his body didn’t change . The only thing he had left was the sword .
He had arrived at his last limit .
The problem was after this .
He no longer grew .
It would’ve been nice if he made a little progress, but there wasn’t anything like that . The wall was too high . He had swung his sword against it again and again, but he failed every time . Everything was useless .
Yeon-woo wasn’t strong enough to aim for the Palgwae or the Martial Extremes . However, he was at the beginning .
He could begin to learn it, and this was done using Strong Energy .
But he failed to .
He had enough magic power, his body was enough, and his level was enough . He definitely put enough of his consciousness on it too .
However, he was missing one thing .
He just didn’t know what it was .
He went to the Martial King for advice, but he only received an unclear answer .
“It’s because it’s not your path . ”
Yeon-woo didn’t understand what that meant .
“What do you mean, sir?”
“Figure it out on your own . ”
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The Martial King didn’t give him an answer and just smirked .
Yeon-woo sighed . It wasn’t just this time he felt the Martial King’s teachings were like this .
Whenever he asked a question, the Martial King just told him a vague answer and told him to figure it out himself .
Yeon-woo knew he needed to make his own path, but he would’ve liked it if the Martial King was a bit nicer . Although he’d probably never be nice .
In fact, since he knew that he would gain more if he heard this kind of answer, he couldn’t complain . Looking back at it now, the Martial King’s answers were always to the point .
‘He’s probably not saying I’m unfit for the sword . He wouldn’t have tried to teach me the Yin Sword if so . Then what is it? Is he saying Strong Energy doesn’t fit me? That’s probably not it either . Palgwae? The Martial Extremes? Or am I just doing it wrong… . . ’
Yeon-woo just felt frustrated . He had used all kinds of hidden pieces to get where he was and forced Time Difference to improve himself .
There were only a few obstacles when he learned Aura .
He had struggled this hard .
That was why the ‘wall’ was even scarier to Yeon-woo . He didn’t know what he should do from now .
It wasn’t like he could absorb additional Dragon’s Blessings or Demon’s Blessings .
His body was at the right balance for the 3rd step awakening . If this balance was broken, his body could be destroyed .
He also wanted to seek advice from Shanon and Hanryeong, but they had been silent for a while . They were also focused on their individual training deep inside his shadow .
Yeon-woo wasn’t able to find the answer . The time came for him to sit down blankly and organize his thoughts .
He felt extremely dejected .
He coincidentally met Galliard, who was holding a basket that was filled to the brim, while going to the forest .
“What are you doing here? You looked so depressed . ”
“What are you doing here? What’s that in your hand…?”
Yeon-woo’s words faded away . He realized that he had only spoken to Brahm and Sesha after entering the village .
He hadn’t spoken with Galliard recently . He didn’t know what he was up to these days, and the same probably went for Galliard .
Yeon-woo quickly answered with a smile so Galliard didn’t feel upset .
“I wasn’t making any progress with my training . I was in the middle of figuring things out . You’re… . . ”
“Oh, this? Actually, these days, Sesha has been really picky . I was researching how to make vegetables tasty . ”
Galliard grinned looking at the fruits and vegetables in his basket .
There probably wasn’t anyone who was more attentive to Sesha than Galliard . Brahm was busy with Ananta, and Yeon-woo focused on his training . These days, the time he spent with Sesha had decreased .
On the other hand, Galliard was busy taking care of Sesha’s diet and all kinds of other things . The daughter he had before he came to this world was about that age, so Galliard was attentive to Sesha .
His greatest interest was Sesha’s pickiness for food .
Galliard was an Elf from birth, so he only ate vegetables, and Brahm didn’t eat meat frequently . On the other hand, Sesha couldn’t get enough of it . Of course the adult menu wouldn’t taste good for her .
“Try mixing bean meat inside the meat . Last time I snuck it in there and she liked it . ”
“Hm? Bean meat? What’s that?”
“Grinding beans to make it look like meat . It tastes like meat, and with some sauce on it, the smell of the beans isn’t noticeable . ”
“Oh! I can do that? Can you teach me how to make bean meat?”
Yeon-woo needed some rest from his thinking so he nodded .
It wasn’t that hard to make anyway .
He followed Galliard into Brahm’s house, and Sesha ran over to him .
“Uncleeeee!”
“Aw, our cute little puppy . Were you reading?”
Yeon-woo lifted Sesha . In Sesha’s right hand, there was a book that was the size of her head .
was the title of the book . It was a book they had stolen from the Summer Queen .
“Yeah! I’m reading it well! I’m a good girl! But, Uncle . ”
“Yes?”
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“Hehe . Are you here to play with me today?”
Yeon-woo smiled bitterly looking at Sesha, whose eyes sparkled . It seemed he had been too indifferent these days .
His frustration was swept away when he saw his niece so happy to see him . She had missed Ananta so much, but she wasn’t able to speak with her . He should’ve come here more often .
“Yeah . I came to play with you . ”
“Are you going to eat too?”
“Yeah . ”
“Whew! That’s a relief . ”
Sesha put her tiny hand on her chest and breathed out in relief . She was so cute that Yeon-woo laughed .
“Why?”
“You always make yummy food! The food that Galliard makes me is bad!”
Galliard gripped his heart with a hurt face . Sesha just smiled, not caring .
Yeon-woo stroked Sesha’s head . Her tail wagged on the floor . She was as lovable as a puppy .
“Thanks for the tip! Haha . ”
After the meal, Sesha fell asleep .
Galliard lightly stroked Sesha’s head and chuckled . Sesha didn’t know, but one-third of the stir-fried pork she ate today was made of beans .
“She might notice it, so you have to adjust the amount carefully . ”
“Got it . It seems like I’ll have to use the sauce well too . It was a nice meal, and the texture was good, too . ”
Yeon-woo nodded and pinched Sesha’s cheek . Her chubby cheeks rose up and down . She was tightly holding onto Yeon-woo’s forefinger as she slept .
Yeon-woo’s face was all smiles . He always smiled when he looked at Sesha .
He pressed Sesha’s other cheek with another finger . Sesha slightly groaned and frowned in her sleep . She was such an angel .
“It’s interesting everytime I see it . ”
“What is?”
Yeon-woo playfully teased Sesha while she was sleeping and lifted his head at what Galliard said .
“You . You seem to have more emotions now . Before, you were just cold . You have these caring sides of you too . ”
Yeon-woo smiled sourly .
“I think it’s because of Sesha . ”
“Because of Sesha?”
“Yes . I can’t just show a stiff side of myself to her . ”
“I suppose so . Our Sesha is pretty cute after all . I heard she’s loved by all the boys in the village . ”
“Is that so?”
No uncle would be mad that his niece was popular . No . He did feel a bit anxious actually . What if some fool received Sesha’s attention?
Yeon-woo crinkled his face thinking of what to do if someone made Sesha suffer .
Then, he lightly laughed . Galliard was right . Even when he was in the Tutorial, he never had these thoughts . Right now, he only had one wish . It was for Ananta to wake up so she could hug Sesha .
He hoped that Sesha’s face wouldn’t be dark anymore, like the gaze that Galliard and himself were giving her right now .
Children at that age should just grow receiving the love of adults .
“Did you know? You changed a lot too . ”
“Me?”
“Yes . ”
Galliard smiled bitterly . He didn’t deny the fact . In Sesha, he had found happiness that he couldn’t find in his old life .
His lonely life as a hunter chasing Akasha’s Snake was over . Out of Phante, Edora, Brahm, Shanon, Hanryeong, Rebecca, and Boo, he was the only person who was relaxed .
Galliard wanted to say that this was all because of Yeon-woo and Jeong-woo, but he changed the subject because he felt shy .
“But why were you sitting blanky in the forest? You looked concerned about something . ”
“It’s nothing . ”
“I’m saying this because it doesn’t seem to be just ‘nothing . ’ I’m not one to delve into these things, but if you have something bothering you, you can tell me . I may not be able to solve it, but I can be a good listener . Tell me what’s on your mind . ”
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Yeon-woo smiled bitterly . He hesitated . It wasn’t that he was embarrassed, but he didn’t know where to start .
Everything was on the tip of his tongue . It was only after some time that Yeon-woo began to speak .
His growth, hindered by a wall . The Aura that disappeared . His evaporating consciousness .
He felt a lot better after speaking about his concerns .
“Hm . ”
But Galliard didn’t say anything and was deep in thought . Yeon-woo looked at him with surprised eyes, not expecting an answer, and Galliard suddenly burst up .
“Since Sesha’s sleeping, wanna follow me to the backyard?”
Yeon-woo didn’t know what Galliard was thinking, but he nodded his head and left the cottage with Galliard .
In the backyard, Galliard plucked a branch from a persimmon tree . It was a thin branch that was as long as his arm . It looked weak, like it would break with just a touch .
What was he trying to do? Yeon-woo quietly looked at Galliard, and Galliard swung the branch around and nodded with a satisfied face .
Then, he pointed at Yeon-woo with the branch .
“Attack me . ”
Yeon-woo’s eyes widened .
“What are you… . . ”
“Like I said . Attack me . Let’s return to when we were in the Tutorial . Something that’s different is that I’ll fight back . But I won’t use Aura . Of course, you can use it . But just use the basics . ”
What did Galliard want to do? Yeon-woo couldn’t read his mind . He got that Galliard wanted to teach him something, but he couldn’t guess what he was trying to do with the branch .
This kind of fight didn’t make sense .
Yeon-woo was already stronger than most rankers . If he used his powers on top of that, he was confident he could fight against high rankers too .
On the other hand, Galliard wasn’t much different from when he was in the Tutorial . He was at the level of a ranker .
There was no way he could fight against Yeon-woo without using Aura .
However, Galliard just waved the branch at Yeon-woo to provoke him .
Galliard was normally a quiet and calm person, so it seemed like he was trying to teach Yeon-woo something right now .
Yeon-woo pulled out his Magic Bayonet . As he took a step forward, he aimed at Galliard’s left stomach .
It was an effect of the Eight Extreme Fists, moving the sword forward to change it into any direction necessary depending on the defense of his opponent .
However .
‘… . . Huh?’
He was just about to counter the branch that was striking down on the Magic Bayonet, but the branch suddenly wrapped around the Magic Bayonet like rubber and swept across Yeon-woo’s lower body .
Pak!
Yeon-woo fell forward from the intense pain .
He felt numb .
It had happened so fast that he didn’t know what happened . What was the thing that twisted space, and how did the branch stretch out to hit him?
There definitely wasn’t any magic power in it, but his right leg throbbed .
More than anything, what shocked Yeon-woo the most was… . .
‘How… . . is that possible?’
He had definitely followed it with his Draconic Eyes and Extrasensory Perception, but the speed of the branch was incomprehensible . It wasn’t possible .
‘It was like the branch wasn’t a branch… . . ’
While he was making all kinds of guesses, Galliard rested the branch on his shoulder and smiled faintly .
“Do you wanna go again?”
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