Chapter 66: Just This Once (2)

Heaven-Surrendering Martial Art, Limitless.

Against Limitless, it was the worst choice—Manifestation of Thoughts.

Because Limitless was a martial art created to destroy it.

The martial art shatters the opposing manifestation due to the tremendous ripple it causes.

But in exchange, the user's body also takes a toll.

In my previous life, during my third life, I created this martial art.

I probably created it when I reached the High Realm, the Flowering State.

At that time, I wanted to be able to shatter the manifestation of my enemies by any means possible.

I had just created the Heaven-Surrendering Godly Technique, surrounded by enemies.

Even then, like now, the martial arts I used were beyond my realm.

However, martial artists at the peak of their prowess were quite overwhelming.

Unlike this world, reaching the pinnacle meant solidifying one's Manifestation of Thoughts.

Naturally, they could project their manifestation out into the world.

Their prowess was problematic.

No matter how much I honed my Heaven-Surrendering Godly Technique, destroying my enemies's manifestation was daunting.

If I had also honed my manifestation, there wouldn't be any problems.

'My manifestation of the mind's image isn't for combat.'

A mirror—my manifestation was a mirror that stores the best version of myself.

It didn't sit well with me that many guys, who wouldn't stand a chance against me without their manifestation, were swarming in to use it against me.

Then, I discovered something.

Great Sky.

I stumbled upon it by chance and created the Great Sky Dancing Divine Mantra.

And I realized that the Great Sky effectively destroys anyone's manifestation.

Therefore, it is the state of being Limitless.

In some ways, it's a power considered the end of everything.

The power, brewed from the purest energy, shattered all manifestations.

Those who followed me during my time as the Blue-Eyed Martial Emperor would have looked at me with awe.

They called me the Martial Emperor who could make the heavens surrender.

For martial artists, manifestations are like the sky.

They nurture their world, harboring their deity.

Yet, I went around destroying all of them.

The righteous factions feared me endlessly, while the evil factions wanted me dead.

And for the demonic cults, half supported me while the other half wished to see me as their enemy.

Well, I ended up dying in the end.

Anyway, that is the beauty of the Limitless Martial Art.

A martial art specialized in destroying the opponent's manifestation.

But this power had a tremendous backlash.

'If there's any consolation, that would be it.'

Beneath the academy flowed a Spirit Vein.

And I possessed the Young Dragon's Heart, the Heavenly Martial Body, and a magic specialized in healing, the Brilliant Blazing Fire.

Even then, I had to recuperate, though it would only take a day.

'When else would I rest if not now?'

Teaching the troublemakers and creating lessons for them was harder than I thought because my students were following my lessons so well.

Judging by the visible progress, I thought reaching the current level would take at least another six months.

'They are following better than I expected.'

This is good.

Because having suddenly appeared in this world, they will become my strength.

"Ah, you were here?"

"Did you come?"

Leaning against the building and pondering over various things, Yoo Eunchae spoke to me.

"Where's Abel?"

"Well, he'll survive somehow. More importantly, did you see how much I managed to snag?"

From her subspace, Yoo Eunchae took out a white bundle. A heavy sound thudded.

Did she really clean them out?

"It seems the Viper gang had put a considerable bounty on the dangerous guy who was supposed to come today. Well, it looks like he got caught by the Sword Saint and died."

"That guy was considered dangerous?"

"…Uh, well…the master is a bit of an exception."

Yoo Eunchae said, looking up at the sky.

"But what was the last thing you used?"

"Limitless."

"The extreme of nothingness. It definitely seemed powerful enough to obliterate the Sword Saint's manifestation."

"You saw that?"

I looked at Yoo Eunchae with a rare surprise in my eyes.

Seems like she has much better eyes than I thought?

"But it's not the extreme of nothingness."

"What?"

"The purest qi is called Great Sky. The martial art derived from it is from the stage right before, called Soul Origin Qi."

"…?"

Yoo Eunchae tilted her head. It wasn't so much that she didn't understand, but rather, my theory seemed too nonsensical.

'Was she always this useful?'

I was astonished by that expression.

"What's with that look?"

"Ah, Abel has arrived."

"You were alive, tsk."

Yoo Eunchae clicked her tongue.

Shortly after, he appeared, wearing a slightly tattered suit.

"The mask is nice. It spares me from seeing that unpleasant face."

"Do you want to wear a mask too?"

"What? Are you saying my national treasure face is unpleasant?!"

"National treasure, my foot."

To be considered a national treasure, you'd need to bring the Duke of Extermination or the Heavenly Demon into this world.

As if someone like you could.

"More importantly, what happened to the Sword Saint?"

"He probably won't be able to move for a while."

"Excuse me?"

I barely grazed him with the Limitless, but still, it was the Limitless.

Moreover, the Limitless destroyed his manifestation.

Manifestation of Thoughts is certainly a powerful weapon, but the internal injuries are severe when it is destroyed.

'Of course, he'll be able to regain his senses soon.'

I've defeated countless foes.

Among them, some were defeated by the Limitless. And most warriors share one trait.

They either break upon seeing my Limitless or use it as a stepping stone to rise higher.

The person known as Sword Saint might break and never be able to wield a sword again.

'I didn't get that feeling, though.'

He'll probably rise again.

He was pretty stubborn. The basic swordsmanship combined with his Unique Traits was quite impressive, too.

'Just that, the basics are a bit lacking.'

The three sword arts of ascending.

Perhaps that alone would not pose a problem at his current level, but it will be quite difficult at the High Realm.

Dreaming of ascension would be hard for him.

'Unless his traits make it possible.'

If he trains hard for about 30 years, there might be a possibility.

After all, the advantage of a trait is being able to do what one cannot.

I looked at Abel.

Abel's goal was to bring the leader of the Viper Gang to his knees.

And Yoo Eunchae's goal was to dismantle the gang.

Both were accomplished.

If it weren't for the Sword Saint's interference, things would have ended quite well as they were.

'I'm pushing my body too hard.'

My body is complaining of fatigue.

It's natural since I forcibly used the ultimate technique, which I shouldn't have been able to at this stage.

"Have you both achieved your goals?"

"…Yes, for now."

"Ah, I snagged something quite interesting from the Viper Gang. Shall I share it with you?"

"Something interesting?"

"Yes."

Yoo Eunchae nodded and rummaged through the bundle.

"Ta-da, it's an elixir!"

She pulled out a glass bottle.

Inside the glass bottle Yoo Eunchae took out was a golden liquid.

'Oh.'

The contained mana was extraordinary.

Mana was refined and purified. Then, clean mana was infused into a well-mixed assortment of fine materials.

'…Is this really a good item?'

If ordinary people drank it, they would probably never fall ill in their lifetime, and all sorts of waste would be expelled from their bodies.

"An elixir? Why was that in the Viper Gang's vault?"

"It's the pinnacle of potions that can currently be mass-produced. Not the god of alchemy… but did you know it's only produced in 100 bottles annually, even in places called the Philosopher's Stone?"

"Really?"

To mass-produce such a thing, this place must be quite something.

'Magic and martial arts may be outdated, but is everything else proper?'

Well, since there are Unique Traits, anything could be possible.

"Raiding the Viper Gang got us the best item. This one's for the master. Oh, there's also a wire. Should I give it to you?"

I looked at the elixir. For something called an artificial potion, it was very well made.

I was intrigued.

It seems Yoo Eunchae wasn't wrong about it being interesting.

"No, that's okay. The elixir should be enough."

Ding.

I checked the information on the elixir.

Elixir

A panacea.

It cleanses the body upon consumption and recovers from all minor illnesses.

- Upon first use, all stats increase by 5.

- Upon first use, all toxins are removed.

- Upon first use, lifespan increases.

"But still…"

Among the things said to be good, none are truly good.

First of all, the first one.

It's good that all stats increase by 5.

I tend to increase my stats quickly, but that's not the case for others.

Even for someone like me, it's hard to increase stats.

So, this is an advantage.

However, the second and third are ambiguous.

Eliminate all toxins? I've already eliminated all toxins.

Third, increase in lifespan.

By entering into mana, people are granted an enormous lifespan.

Without a unique constitution, ordinary people can live up to 120 years without much trouble.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say this elixir is made for the general public.

'But it's not without potential.'

This, if modified well, could be transformed differently.

There are a few problems, though.

But, with the support of the principal and riding on an enormous grant, that's me.

Most of those problems can be solved.

'Let's research this later.'

There's something more important than that.

It's time to really start resting.

'It takes about an hour to get to the academy by train from Seoul.'

Thanks to the existence of super-fast trains like personal injuries and superconducting trains.

"Shall we start heading back?"

"Let's. But how long are you going to walk around in a coat and mask that screams middle school syndrome?"

"…"

I took off the mask.

I thought it wasn't too bad.

I hid the mask.

As for the coat, well, it always suits me, so I might as well wear it.

On my way home, I casually used my phone to place an order.

What I eat is simple.

Meat.

I don't care whether it's chicken, pork, or beef. The duck is good, too. I ordered beef at a place selling steamed chicken flavored with soy sauce on pig's feet, beef tartare, and noodles.

'And sweet desserts on top of that.'

Normally, these would be fattening.

But what the Great Sky Dancing Divine Mantra demands are such energy-consuming foods.

Not just meat, a Chicago pizza loaded with cheese, and a giant cake ordered from a nearby cafe.

It's a bit pricey since it's a 24-hour cafe, but I'm not worried about money.

After spending about 500,000 won, I sat down on the sofa.

'It seems about time to start.'

I took out a bead.

The subspace (B) that Yoo Eunchae had found for me.

However, I have the Subspace (B), a trait locked inside my body because the container is full.

If I became stronger, things would naturally resolve themselves, so I left it alone.

I became stronger.

The things called vessels became infinitely tougher and larger.

But accordingly, my traits evolved, too.

Moonlight (A+) to Soul Origin Qi (S).

Celestial Body (A+) to Heavenly Martial Body (S).

'If things stay this way, I won't know when they'll unravel.'

So, I had to open it forcibly.

The locked trait is the Subspace.

The power of the time attribute I possess, Eternity.

If I study Subspace and Eternity…

'I might be able to apply the powers of time and space to magic or martial arts.'

In my second life, it was hard to get a proper grasp.

And it was the same in my third life.

However, in this cycle, acquiring things related to this could significantly boost power.