"Your task is simple."
"Bet everything—your talent, your potential—and comprehend the sword mark on the Blue Stone!"
"Your rankings will be determined based on how well you can perceive the depth of this sword mark."
"And that ranking will decide the final standings of this Enlightennt Competition!"
After finishing his speech, the middle-aged man waved his hand.
The mist covering the Blue Stone dissipated at last.
The mont the fog cleared, the true form of the sword mark was revealed.
All at once, every single person turned their gaze towards it, eager to witness this so-called legendary sword mark.
Daniel, too, looked over imdiately.
As the mist dispersed, the magic array that had been cloaking the Blue Stone vanished as well.
Then—
A terrifying sword aura erupted from the surface of the Blue Stone!
It was unbelievably powerful…
Even though it was rely a remnant of a single sword strike, everyone present felt as if a razor-sharp blade was pressed against their throats!
And within this sword aura, there was also a hint of destruction.
"This sword… just how terrifying is it?!?!"
"Just standing here, I feel like I'm about to be cut down!"
"In front of this sword aura, I feel… completely exposed!"
Even Veya turned pale, her face contorted in pain.
"This sword aura is too powerful… It's an unstoppable force of destruction!"
anwhile—
Daniel froze in place.
Because from that sword aura, he sensed an incredibly familiar presence.
A presence that shook him to his core.
As the mist completely disappeared, Daniel finally saw it—
The sword mark.
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It was deeply embedded in the Blue Stone.
And the mont Daniel recognized it, his mind went completely blank—
Like he had been struck by a heavy blow.
This sword…
Yes, he knew it.
It was Rose's sword!
That destructive aura within the sword mark—
He could never forget it.
Even though Rose had ascended to the God Realm, she had never abandoned her understanding of destruction and creation.
And this sword strike…
Daniel could feel it—this was a sword Rose had unleashed with her full strength.
—
A Shocking Realization
"Alright! This is your opportunity—focus and comprehend the mark! Ti waits for no one!"
"You have one hour—starting now!"
After these words, the middle-aged man left the scene.
Nearly everyone imdiately sat down in ditation, channeling all their focus toward the Blue Stone, eager to comprehend the sword mark.
Only one person remained standing.
Daniel.
He stood there, dazed, as if still lost in the lingering aura of that sword strike.
Because the one who had left this sword mark was Rose.
To be precise, this wasn't the original sword mark.
It was a replica—a copied imprint of the real thing.
But even with just a trace of its original power, Daniel could tell—
When Rose had delivered this strike, she had put everything into it.
Because within that sword mark, there was a massive amount of destruction energy.
This replica contained only a fraction of that energy, but even that was enough to intimidate the strongest warriors present.
But…
Daniel's thoughts were in turmoil.
After he had created the New God Realm, there should have been no force in the universe capable of threatening Rose.
By then, Rose's strength had reached the level of a Supre Ruler—one of the absolute strongest beings in existence.
So why…
Why would she need to go all out like this?
It didn't make sense.
Unless—
Had sothing happened to the world in his absence?
Daniel exhaled deeply.
He had promised the Creator God that he wouldn't interfere.
He didn't even know how long he had been asleep.
Nor did he know what had transpired during that ti.
Originally, he had planned to take things slowly—
Because he believed that Rose and the others would always be waiting for him.
But now…
That plan had to change.
He needed to find Rose— as soon as possible.
Otherwise…
The thought sent a chill down his spine.
Taking a deep breath, Daniel made a decision.
He retrieved all of the mana stones he had accumulated but had not yet used.
Then—
He threw them into the air.
One by one, intricate array patterns began materializing around him.
—
Confusion Among the Onlookers
"What is Daniel doing?"
"Everyone else is ditating—why isn't he?"
"Maybe… he's not skilled in swordsmanship? So he's unable to comprehend it?"
In the crowd, Betsy and Ed whispered among themselves.
Because while everyone else had already begun comprehending the sword mark, Daniel was still standing there, motionless.
Wouldn't this put him at a disadvantage?
Even Dixon was watching Daniel, his face full of concern.
With Daniel's talent, there was no way he would get stuck at this stage.
It didn't make sense.
Had sothing gone wrong?
anwhile—
Greg noticed Daniel standing idly and sneered.
"Hahaha! I knew it!" he laughed mockingly. "That country bumpkin—there's no way he could comprehend this sword mark!"
"Look at him—he can't even get started!"
"What a joke! Standing there like an idiot… what's the point?"
In the back, the Artisan's Sanctuary representative, Morris, also turned his gaze to Daniel, his curiosity piqued.
Didn't Daniel want to make it to the top ten?
Then why was he just standing there, not even trying?
—
A eting Between Masters
At that mont, a woman approached Morris.
"Morris," she greeted. "What brings you here?"
It was Kara.
Hearing his na, Morris turned around and saw her.
"Kara? You're here too?"
"Yes," Kara nodded. "My student is competing, so I ca along."
As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward Veya.
Morris understood instantly.
"How do you feel about your student's chances?"
"This year's competition has many talented individuals," Kara admitted. "Even making it to the top ten will be difficult."
"But more importantly…"
She hesitated before adding, "This year's Enlightennt Competition has one truly monstrous genius."
Morris frowned at her words.
A monster?
As far as he knew, while this year's competition had several gifted individuals, none of them were truly extraordinary.
"Are you serious?" Morris asked skeptically.
Kara only smiled.
Instead of answering, she took out a magic array core and showed it to him.
"Do you rember this?" she asked.
Morris's eyes widened.
"Wait… isn't that the one I gave you years ago?"
Kara nodded.
"A few days ago, the core array inside it broke down. It was completely ruined."
"No problem," Morris said. "Since we're old friends, I'll just make you a new one."
"No need," Kara replied. "It's already been fixed—and not just repaired. It's been completely upgraded to a higher tier."
She placed the magic array core in front of Morris.
The mont Morris examined it, his face turned to shock.
He knew exactly what the original magic array core had looked like.
But now—
It was completely different.
This wasn't just an upgrade.
It was an absolute refinent, created by soone who had mastered his techniques, perfected them, and improved upon them!
"Kara… tell ," Morris demanded, his voice shaking. "Which master did this?"
Kara simply smiled and put the magic array core away.
"That's why I said…" she replied.
"This year's competition has a true monster."
And that monster…
Was Daniel.
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