Drop, drop…
I stared straight ahead, holding the Heavenly Blood Demonic Sword drenched with blood in my hand.
Resillian, leaning against the wall made out of broken mirrors, bleeding harshly, jumped to my eyes.
The Sword Fla in the broken sword that he was holding had disappeared long ago.
Resillian glanced down at the deathly wound on his chest and then laughed loudly as though sothing was funny.
"Hahahah… so this is the real Sword Fla, I see…"
Yes.
I had just miraculously entered the realm of Sword Fla and overwheld Resillian's sword.
I broke his blade in half and, at the sa ti, cut into his chest.
It was a wound so huge that everyone would be convinced that no one could ever survive it, and Resillian seed to be aware of that fact to so extent.
"..."
But Resillian didn't obsess with life, nor was furious about his defeat.
Rather, he smiled happily as if he had sothing to learn, and thanked .
"It was a big help for , who couldn't use a real Sword Fla. Thank you, adventurer…"
At the words Resillian had uttered, I shook my head with a face as though absurd.
"The help you gave would be greater. If I hadn't understood the principle of how the Sword Fla works, I wouldn't have been able to use it properly."
It was true.
I couldn't imagine that Sword Ki wasn't just a skill that ca out as a result of the Body and Sword as One.
Body and Sword as One was simply a matter of how far one could handle their mana to the limit with willpower.
By recognizing the sword as a body, allowing mana to perate the sword, and then transferring the willpower along with the mana to form a blade that cuts through everything.
That was the principle of the Sword Ki.
And the decisive move called Sword Fla is the technique of Sword Ki developed by interpreting the principle of Sword Ki at a higher level.
I could see why Namgung Hyuk told that skills are just an imitation of martial arts.
To think that you could affect the laws of reality if you reached a certain level…
An overpowered skill like this couldn't properly be implented even with skills, and its value was quite considerable.
However, in the process of realizing the Sword Fla, I had no choice but to have one doubt.
Sword Ki is one's will that greatly influences mana and twists reality.
And Sword Fla is to maintain Sword Ki with willpower at a higher level and to instill in the mana the nature of destroying Sword Ki.
"…Why didn't you use a proper Sword Fla until the end?"
But it wasn't clear why Resillian had used an incomplete Sword Fla.
He was the one who taught how to activate Sword Fla, as well as the real principle of Sword Fla.
Resillian was enlightened enough, and he probably had the sa level of willpower to wield Sword Fla as I did.
However, he couldn't reach the level of true Sword Fla in the end.
The fire fluttering from the blade was weak and wobbly, as if it could be extinguished at any mont.
As though he couldn't properly transfer the will to the mana…
"Don't tell …"
"Seems like you've noticed. I can't move my mana with willpower properly."
"What do you—"
"I couldn't control my mana since birth."
"..."
"I wanted to walk the path of the sword and beco an imperial knight… but I couldn't. Hahah… I may have had the talent for swords, but I didn't have the talent for mana."
Resillian continued speaking as if it was just his mory of a ti.
"I wanted to prove myself."
I stood still and listened attentively to the voice that I would've previously ignored and decapitated right away.
"I wanted to strike a heavy blow to those who laughed at for not being able to control my mana."
"So I mourned and prayed loudly. That I'd beco their faithful sword if anybody gives the ability to handle mana."
"...And the God of Proof gave you the strength, huh."
"Yes. They allowed to move my mana through divine power. It was a really tiny amount of power to control, but that was enough."
"I was able to materialize the aura, and on the way to the next level, I manifested the fla of the sword."
"But you couldn't use the Sword Fla properly because your ability to control the mana wasn't enough, I see."
At those words, I slowly blinked my eyes and opened my mouth.
"...You were the greatest warrior I've ever seen."
I ant it.
Even among the challengers of the Murim dinsion, there was no one who walked the path of true martial arts like him.
Not just the skills, but even in terms of the character, he was a real martial artist.
"I'm glad to hear that. Adventurer, you were great too."
Resillian smiled and forced himself to say it in a squeezed voice.
"You've proven your martial arts and put your own belief right."
At that, I wanted to tell him that he told everything, but.
Resillian raised his hand to prevent from opening my mouth.
"When you win against soone and prove your martial arts, don't carry any regrets about it."
Gradually, the energy disappears as though the soul is leaking away from Resillian's voice.
"The path of martial arts is to shoulder the karma of the vanished warriors."
His voice beca timid, and soon after, Resillian slowly closed his eyes.
"Win, Win again, Keep winning… and prove your path without regret…"
After he mumbled those words as though he was dreaming, Resillian showed no signs of moving.
At the sa ti, black energy slowly rose from Resillian's body, and that's when I realized it.
「 You have absorbed the soul of the priest 'Resillian'. 」
「 Proficiency increased by 14% 」
High priest Resillian was no longer alive.
「 Innate ability ‘Necromancy’s’ proficiency reached 100%. 」
「 Innate ability ‘Necromancy’ ranked up. 」
***
***
Resillian gave enlightennt when I was shaken, and even beca a support for my ntal state.
Hesitation on the path to prove one's own martial arts is nothing but a luxury. I shouldn't tell what's right from wrong.
And it was inevitably sad that a good man who gave such realization died.
Even if this world was materialized by the Tower of Trials and had no effect on the real word, that fact didn't change.
It's because it was Resillian who gave enlightennt and taught the path of martial arts.
So it was natural to feel sad, and it was natural for guilt to seep into my heart.
However…
"..."
I didn't tremble more or have any confusion.
I just calmly accepted his death and soon laid his body, which was leaning against the wall, on the floor.
Resillian was dead with a light smile, as if he was satisfied.
I looked at his corpse, and after a mont of silence, I brought out the words I couldn't speak.
"Like what you told … I'll win, win, win again. And prove my martial arts."
Currently, I had received so much from Resillian that it was difficult to put a price on it.
As well as the beliefs of a person walking the path of martial arts, I ca to understand the true principle of the skill called Sword Ki.
Therefore, if I don't do this at least, I wouldn't feel comfortable.
「 Administrator ‘God-slaying Swordsman’ gives a faint smile at your actions.」
「 Administrator ‘The Hero of the Collapsed World’ stays silent while watching your actions. 」
「 Administrator ‘White Crane Sword Saint' reminiscences the past in your actions.」
「 Administrator ‘Iron-blooded Monarch’ feels the qualities of a lord in your actions..」
I left the room made of broken mirrors, silently receiving the stares of the administrators.
On the way to the fourth hurdle, I could see the broken mirror gradually changing from its broken form to its normal form.
The mirror that continued, as though it was gradually becoming a normal mirror, felt like myself changing form as I pass through this hurdle.
「 Permanently increasing your stats using the soul of priest 'Johann'. 」
「 Permanently increasing your stats using the soul of priest 'Jane'. 」
「 Permanently increasing your stats using the soul of priest 'Resillian'. 」
As soon as I reached the end of the hallway, I absorbed all the souls just in case.
Because these souls were too good to just spend it as a passive shield.
「 Strength increased by 8. 」
「 Agility increased by 6. 」
「 Stamina increased by 7. 」
「 Mana increased by 8. 」
「 Tenacity increased by 9. 」
I felt vitality all over my body and the pleasure of growing up, which I couldn't feel easily recently.
And.
「 Acquiring one of the skills of Priest 'Resillian'. 」
「 Acquiring skill 'Iron Will'. 」
I imdiately moved my mouth and opened the status window.
「 Han Sungyeun 」
「 Radiance - Conqueror ]
「 Strength - 86 」 「 Stamina - 84 」
「 Agility - 85 」 「 Mana - 79 」
「 Tenacity - 81 」
「 Innate ability - Necromancy (B) 」
「 Innate power - Skill Combination 」
「 Power - Serenity (C-), Realm of Sword fla (A-), Wings of Steel(C ), Sword of Iron-blood(A-) 」
「 Skill - See details 」
I had confird once again that I was truly becoming a monster now.
All stats were rising toward triple digits, and they weren’t far from that.
I imdiately checked the new detailed effect of Necromancy, which had ranked up by absorbing Resillian's soul, in the status window.
Other than the skill rank, the description written below hadn't changed, but…
『 Detailed effect (6) - When absorbing the soul of an opponent stronger than the user, power can be extracted depending on the judgent. 』
The sixth detailed effect created by increasing the rank of Necromancy was a pretty fair ability.
To think that I was allowed to extract power when I absorbed a strong opponent's soul…
Even though that alone was already surprising, I was excited at the fact that this innate ability was at rank B.
'I wonder what kind of abilities will be available when it ranks up a bit more.’
Soon after, I opened the skill window and checked the skill description for the newly acquired 'Iron Will'.
「 Skill - Iron Will(A-) 」
「 Proficiency - 27% 」
「Definition - A symbol of one who doesn't give into despair and challenges the impossible until the end.」
「 Basic effect - When you encounter an opponent stronger than the user, physical stats greatly increase overall, and your concentration goes up.」
「 Additional effect - When the skill is activated, it becos easier to gain enlightennt, and the ntal protection ability is greatly strengthened. 」
It was a skill that had better abilities than I thought.
To think that the physical stats and concentration will greatly increase when dealing with powerful enemies?
It was a skill that was like a ray of light to , who always had to fight against strong opponents.
And it didn't stop there. When the skill is activated, it said that it becos easier to gain enlightennt, and the ntal protection ability increases significantly.
'I guess I'll be using it often since it also has a series of abilities in regards to growth assistance."
With that, I felt satisfied and soon turned off the status window.
Now that I had sowhat checked the things I had acquired, it was ti to move.
Creak—
I slowly opened the door leading to the fourth hurdle, and soon I was able to see the room made of mirrors.
Although there were still cracks in the mirror, it was better than the room made out of broken glass in which Resillian was standing.
"Uh… Seems like Resillian died. This is a bit out of my expectations."
The high priest in charge of the fourth hurdle was a little boy.
"Are you really an ordinary adventurer who's challenging the hurdles…?"
The boy, who seed like he had just turned 10 years old, asked that question as though he was dumbfounded.
I didn't answer that question right away but first looked at the boy who was the guardian of the fourth hurdle.
The boy held a small blade made out of a mirror in his hands and was dressed in a loose-fitting priest robe.
Seeing that the vibe he gives off is different, he really did feel like a real priest of God.
I stared at the boy silently, then spoke with a tired voice.
"I don't really want to have a conversation. Please start the fourth hurdle."
At that, the boy looked at , and then said with a cold smile.
"So that's what happened… You, do you know that? You're out of your mind right now."
To the boy's tone as though he had beco a psychiatrist, I answered flatly.
"I know."
But despite my answer, the boy continued to speak like he was giving advice.
"I don't know what that guy Resillian, who's crazy for martial arts, told you, but you're slowly being consud by the madness of martial arts."
Maybe he can see through my current state?
'To be consud by the madness of martial arts…'
Perhaps the boy's words are the most appropriate expression for my current state.
It was amazing, but that doesn't an I paid close attention to what he said.
"So?"
"The madness of martial arts isn't sothing that ordinary people can handle. Give up the trial, go outside and focus on resting your mind and body for a while."
"Then what would change?"
"At least you won't be killed in vain by here. Stop thinking that you can defeat by only using martial arts."
In short, if I believed only in the martial arts I had and attacked him, he'd be killing .
After understanding the hidden aning right away, I imdiately shook my head and opened my mouth.
"It doesn't matter, so it'd be better for you to start the trial of the fourth hurdle."
"...It's been a while since I saw soone purely crazy about martial arts like Resillian."
"I'm Kairan, a preliminary apostle who serves the God of Proof."
Preliminary apostle.
When I narrowed my eyes at the na of his position, that seed strong just by hearing it.
"Starting now, according to the law of proof, you'll have to prove your flesh to ."
Kairan soon announced the beginning of the fourth hurdle and his eyes lit up.
And—
"Co forth, adventurer who has surrendered himself to madness. Your body will end all the proving here."
After finishing his sentence, small wings sprang up from Kairan's back that sohow felt divine.
They were wings that seed impossible to fly with, but the energy you could feel from them was enormous.
I could feel the flow of a slightly different energy from mana, but that was probably divine power.
'He's amplifying the energy through the wings.'
Just like I used the mana circuit to strengthen my body, he was doing sothing similar.
It seems as though he's strengthening himself through the energy transmitted from his wings.
Having such a powerful ability, it seed right for him to call himself a preliminary apostle.
However—
「 Activating the power ‘Realm of Sword Fla.’ 」
「 Activating the skill ‘Wind's Blessing.’ 」
「 Activating the skill ‘Instant Acceleration.’ 」
I wasn't a real warrior who ca here only with pure martial arts.
「 You've encountered a strong opponent for you to handle. 」
「 Activating the skill 'Iron Will.’ 」
Now, it's ti to finish this damned proof of the body.
——
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