After escaping from the Dungeon where the Rift had occurred—
I broke through the crowd clamoring for an interview and arrived at a Private Training Center.
I had more than enough motivation.
The realization that I had already grown considerably stronger filled me with excitement, and the thought that I could become even stronger made me eager to begin training.
I devoted myself entirely to training for the next several days.
As a result, I became stronger.
So much so that multiple messages appeared before my eyes.
[Your Trait Realm has risen - Second Star]
[Vitality has increased. +1]
[Attack Power has increased. +1]
[Defense has increased. +1]
[Evasion has increased. +1]
[Magic Resistance has increased. +1]
[Vitality’s rank has increased. E -> D]
[The Second Seal on the ‘Limitless Sword’ has been released.]
[Additional information about the ‘Limitless Sword’ can now be viewed.]
I felt proud.
These were the results of believing that my efforts were the correct path and training diligently.
- You look pleased. Did something good happen?
“Yes! I became stronger! Considerably stronger!”
- Considerably stronger? What an arrogant claim.
“My realm rose, and the Second Seal on the Limitless Sword was released. Doesn’t that mean I became considerably stronger?”
I spoke as though defending myself because I felt unfairly criticized.
However, Martial God Jin Cheon-woo reacted strangely.
- ……What? What did you just say?
He sounded deeply shocked.
Even his voice was trembling.
Why was he acting like that?
“Exactly what I just said. My realm rose to Second Star, and the Second Seal on the Limitless Sword was released.”
- Impossible!
Jin Cheon-woo suddenly shouted.
“You startled me. Why are you yelling?”
I protested in surprise, but Jin Cheon-woo turned the accusation back on me.
- Were you not the one who lied?!
“What did I lie about? My realm rose, so I told you it rose. The Limitless Sword’s seal was released, so I told you it was released.”
- It might be possible if you had learned some mediocre Martial Arts, but the Martial Arts you learned were created personally by me, Jin Cheon-woo! They can rightfully be called the greatest Martial Arts under heaven! Even someone blessed with heaven-granted talent would require at least a year to reach Second Star. Yet you claim to have reached that realm in a mere few days?!
“But it’s true…….”
- Nor could the Second Seal on the Limitless Sword possibly have been released already! That should also require far more time than this. How dare you tell such an absurd lie?!
Martial God Jin Cheon-woo continued shouting because he could not believe me.
Was this truly enough to provoke such a reaction?
Was reaching Second Star and releasing the Limitless Sword’s Second Seal really that impossible?
Leaving Jin Cheon-woo to repeat that it was impossible, I opened my Trait’s information.
【Martial God’s Successor】
[Rank] SSSSS
[Description] A Trait that allows its holder to inherit everything belonging to Jin Cheon-woo, the strongest martial artist known as the Martial God
[Current Realm] Second Star
‘It clearly says Second Star. Why does he keep calling it impossible?’
I remembered the changes that occurred when my Trait reached First Star.
The Mind Method, swordsmanship, and footwork had all become easier to execute.
Even Martial God Jin Cheon-woo had been startled by my sudden improvement.
‘I can’t wait. Now that I’ve reached Second Star, the changes should be even more dramatic, shouldn’t they?’
Next, I opened the information for the Limitless Sword.
It was what I was most curious about, and I could not help but stare in astonishment the moment I saw it.
【Limitless Sword】
[Rank] SSSSS
[Description] Martial God Jin Cheon-woo’s sword. The Second Seal has been released.
[Effect] Attack Power increased by 30%, Evasion increased by 30%, Ego, Inner Arts Consumption reduced by 30%, Magic Resistance increased by 30%, Devour
“What in the world……?”
The new effects added after the Second Seal was released were excellent.
They were far too excellent.
First, the effect that reduced Inner Arts Consumption by 30% was so powerful that it could only be described as absurd.
It would be tremendously helpful to me in the long term.
‘I’ll probably be grateful for this effect every time I use an attack that consumes a large amount of Inner Arts.’
Next was the effect that increased Magic Resistance by 30%.
Magic Resistance was the Combat Stat that allowed someone to withstand magic, curses, and various debuffs.
Considering that, this effect was also extraordinarily powerful.
Finally, there was Devour.
“What is this? The only meaning of devour that I know is to eat a great deal.”
The moment I muttered to myself—
- What? Did you just say Devour?
Martial God Jin Cheon-woo reacted.
***
Devour.
It was a new effect that had appeared after the Second Seal on the Limitless Sword was released, and I still did not know what it did.
However, it seemed I would be able to find out easily.
Martial God Jin Cheon-woo had reacted to the word.
- I asked you a question! Did you just say ‘Devour’?!
“Please calm down. Yes, I said Devour.”
- ……How do you know about Devour?
“It became available after the Second Seal on the Limitless Sword was released. I don’t know what kind of ability it is, though.”
- Gasp!
Jin Cheon-woo drew in a sharp breath.
Would he finally believe me now?
- Did you truly…… release the Second Seal on the Limitless Sword?
Unlike before, Jin Cheon-woo’s voice had become subdued.
This was much easier to listen to now that he was speaking calmly.
“I wouldn’t say that I released it. It was released on its own.”
It was an honest answer.
Rather than doing anything specifically to release the seal, it had simply happened while I was training diligently.
- Since you know about Devour, I can no longer deny it……. It is still difficult to believe, however.
“Did I release the Limitless Sword’s Second Seal that quickly?”
- I already told you. It should have been impossible.
“It feels good to hear you say that. It means I accomplished something impossible.”
- ……Was his talent truly this extraordinary? Have I lost my ability to judge people? I did not think it was quite this exceptional…….
Martial God Jin Cheon-woo muttered to himself.
His bewilderment was evident.
Just how poorly had he evaluated my talent in Martial Arts to react like this?
Well, in any case—
“Could you tell me what Devour does?”
I asked Jin Cheon-woo about Devour.
His answer shocked me.
- Devour is an ability that absorbs Life Force.
“It absorbs…… Life Force? Is something like that possible?”
It was an effect that absorbed Life Force!
Was I some kind of vampire now?
- It would naturally be impossible for an ordinary sword. However, what you hold is the Limitless Sword.
“That’s astonishing. Then what are the activation conditions?”
- It will activate the moment you cut an opponent with the sword.
I would have to use it personally to determine precisely how powerful it was.
Nevertheless, Devour sounded like an extraordinary ability based solely on Jin Cheon-woo’s explanation.
‘Perhaps I could absorb Life Force and survive even when I’m on the verge of death. I might even be able to restore my Life Force continuously and become nearly invincible. Of course, I would still have to fulfill the condition of cutting an opponent.’
Now that I had checked the changes to both my Trait Realm and the Limitless Sword, I opened my Status Window to inspect the Combat Stat whose rank had risen.
【Name】Yu-gwon
【Trait】Martial God’s Successor(SSSSS)
【Vitality】D[100] 【Inner Arts】E[75]
【Attack Power】E[96] 【Defense】E[94]
【Evasion】E[96] 【Magic Resistance】E[84]
【Skill】[Limitless Mind Method(SSSSS)][Limitless Sword Method(SSSSS)][Limitless Footwork(SSSSS)][Swing(E)][Thrust(E)]
【Achievement】[Special Beginner][One Who Learned the Martial God’s Mind Method][One Who Astonished the Martial God][One Who Learned the Martial God’s Sword Method][One Who Learned the Martial God’s Footwork][Goblin Hunter][Efficient One][One Who Accomplished the Impossible]
My Vitality, which had risen to D-Rank, immediately caught my attention.
Its value was exactly 100, making it look remarkably neat.
I had achieved this after awakening only a few days ago.
No one would believe me if I revealed this fact on the Hunter Community.
They would probably insult me for lying merely to attract attention.
‘That’s how unrealistic my rate of growth is.’
A smile naturally appeared on my face at my satisfying progress.
However, I quickly composed myself again.
I needed to become stronger.
Reminding myself that I still had a long way to go, I took out the Mana Stones I had kept.
There were the seven Mana Stones I had obtained from Martial God Jin Cheon-woo’s Legacy and the one Mana Stone I had recently acquired after killing the Big-Eared Goblin, the Boss Monster of the Rift Dungeon.
Placing all eight Mana Stones on the floor of the training room filled me with reassurance.
‘If I absorb these Mana Stones, I can increase my Inner Arts!’
It was widely known that Hunters could become stronger by absorbing Mana Stones.
A great deal of information about the process was publicly available, and it was not particularly dangerous as long as one did not absorb them recklessly.
Of course, higher-rank Mana Stones were said to carry greater risks, but I was not especially worried.
‘My Mind Method is exceptionally powerful, after all.’
I had learned a Mind Method classified as SSSSS-Rank.
【Limitless Mind Method】
[Rank] SSSSS
[Description] Martial God Jin Cheon-woo’s Mind Method
I believed I would be able to absorb any Mana Stone without difficulty.
At that moment, Jin Cheon-woo spoke.
- Do you truly intend to absorb those Mana Stones as they are?
“Yes. I’m going to absorb them and then circulate my Mind Method to accumulate Inner Arts.”
Martial Arts-Type Hunters who used Inner Arts also absorbed Mana Stones.
As long as they circulated their Mind Methods properly, they could convert the absorbed Mana into Inner Arts and accumulate it.
However, Jin Cheon-woo said something difficult to understand.
- That is an inefficient method.
“What? Why? I heard that everyone does it this way.”
- I do not know who you mean by ‘everyone,’ but I would never use such a method.
Absorbing Mana Stones to become stronger was considered the standard method, yet Jin Cheon-woo criticized the method itself.
Well…… if the Martial God said it was inefficient, then perhaps it was.
Still, what was the efficient method?
When I asked him—
- Create an Inner Elixir.
He revealed information unknown to the world.
An Inner Elixir.
I had read about such things in martial arts novels.
The protagonist would swallow an Inner Elixir, circulate a Mind Method, and gain a tremendous amount of Inner Arts.
However, I had never imagined they truly existed.
No information about Inner Elixirs had ever been made public.
And yet—
Jin Cheon-woo was not merely telling me to obtain one.
He said I could create one.
“I can create an Inner Elixir? Me?”
- Yes. If you follow the method I teach you, it should not be difficult. However, you will require several ingredients.
“What ingredients?”
- The ingredients are…….
I immediately searched the internet for the ingredients Jin Cheon-woo named.
I searched various online portals and the Hunter Community in an attempt to find information.
‘Why can’t I find anything?’
No matter how much I searched, no relevant information appeared.
I needed information before I could travel somewhere to obtain the ingredients or earn enough money to purchase them, yet there was truly nothing about them anywhere.
It was a troubling situation.
At that moment, someone came to mind.
“Jeong Bo-won!”
He was a member of the Rumor Guild, the country’s foremost Intelligence Guild, and his name was unusually fitting for his profession.
He had said that he wanted to repay me for saving his life inside the Goblin Dungeon where the Rift occurred.
“He told me to contact him whenever I needed anything…… but I don’t know whether he truly meant it.”
I hesitated briefly.
He might have said it impulsively in the heat of the moment.
If I contacted him now, he might not remember me, or he might find me bothersome and end the call.
He might not even answer.
‘Whether it works or not, I should at least try.’
I desperately wanted to create an Inner Elixir.
Still uncertain, I called the number written on Jeong Bo-won’s business card.
[Oh! Is this Hunter Yu-gwon? Of course I remember you! How could I forget the person who saved my life? Where are you? Tell me your location, and I’ll come to you immediately!]
This man was remarkably enthusiastic.