Ben slowly clenched his fists.
"Haa..."
"It feels like I’m twice as strong as before."
He could clearly feel the increase in both his physical strength and the amount of celestial energy he could control.
A smile appeared beneath his helmet.
"Time to slaughter some more."
Ben drew the white longsword from his waist.
Although he had never formally learned swordsmanship, the weapon felt surprisingly natural in his hand.
Its balance was perfect, and every swing felt smooth.
The remaining goblins rushed toward him from every direction, shouting in their own language.
Ben calmly stepped forward.
His sword flashed once.
A goblin was cut in half.
The White Ruination covering the blade immediately spread through its body, reducing it to white ash before it even hit the ground.
Another goblin charged from behind.
Ben turned and slashed again.
The second goblin met the same fate.
One after another, the goblins fell before him.
Some were cut down by his sword.
Others were struck by White Ruination Missiles whenever they tried to attack from a distance.
Within minutes, the forest floor was covered with piles of white ashes where goblins had once stood.
Once again, a large amount of celestial energy flowed into Ben’s body.
The familiar surge spread throughout his entire body, strengthening him further.
However, after waiting for a few moments, he realized something.
"It isn’t enough."
"I still haven’t reached the Third Stage of the Grey Realm."
Ben understood immediately.
The higher his realm became, the more celestial energy he would need to advance again.
He opened his system interface.
Since there were no more goblins nearby, he decided to improve himself before continuing.
He scrolled through the long list of rewards stored in his inventory.
Weapons.
Potions.
Skill books.
Artifacts.
Technique manuals.
After a few moments, he found what he was looking for.
A movement technique.
[Serene Celestial Steps]
Rank: Rare
Type: Movement Art
Description:
A movement technique that allows the user to move with light, silent, and fluid steps by channeling celestial energy through the legs.
Increases movement speed, agility, balance, and reaction speed.
As mastery increases, the user can change direction instantly, leave afterimages, and move across difficult terrain with ease.
Current Learning Method: Skill Book.
Ben smiled.
"This is exactly what I need."
He immediately took the skill book out of his system inventory.
Without hesitation, he crushed it in his hand.
The book dissolved into countless particles of light before merging into his body.
A flood of knowledge entered his mind.
In just a few seconds, Ben understood every basic movement of the technique.
The system confirmed it.
[You have learned the Movement Art: Serene Celestial Steps (Lv.1).]
[Movement Speed has increased.]
[Agility has slightly increased.]
Ben instinctively took a single step forward.
His body moved several meters almost effortlessly.
He blinked in surprise.
"So this is a movement technique."
A smile appeared beneath his helmet.
"This should make hunting the remaining goblins much easier."
He immediately activated Serene Celestial Steps.
Celestial energy flowed into his legs.
His movements instantly became lighter.
With a single step, he covered several meters.
Another step carried him around a large tree with almost no effort.
Ben quickly became familiar with the movement technique.
He then headed deeper into the forest.
More goblins soon appeared.
This time, Ben didn’t slow down.
Using Serene Celestial Steps, he closed the distance in an instant.
His white longsword flashed.
One goblin fell.
Another slash.
A second goblin turned into white ash.
Some goblins tried to surround him.
Ben calmly stepped between them.
His movements were smooth and precise.
Not a single attack managed to touch him.
Whenever a goblin tried to escape or attack from a distance, Ben simply raised his hand.
"White Ruination Missile."
Several white projectiles shot through the air.
They struck their targets with perfect accuracy.
The goblins barely had time to scream before the White Ruination spread through their bodies, reducing them to white ash.
The battle continued like that for quite some time.
Ben alternated between his sword and White Ruination Missiles.
Whenever enemies were close, he used his sword.
Whenever they were far away, he used the missiles.
The goblins couldn’t put up any meaningful resistance.
A few attacks did manage to reach him.
Crude swords.
Wooden spears.
Poisoned darts.
They all struck his white armor.
Ting! Ting! Clang!
Every attack bounced off harmlessly.
The Epic-rank Knight of Ruination Armor completely blocked the goblins’ attacks.
Not a single strike managed to leave even a scratch on the armor.
Ben didn’t receive a single injury.
He simply continued advancing through the forest, calmly cutting down every goblin that stood in his way while celestial energy continued flowing into his body with every kill.
Ben continued moving deeper into the forest.
Hour after hour, he hunted goblins without stopping.
Whenever he encountered a group, he eliminated them with his sword or White Ruination Missiles.
The continuous battles gradually improved his control over celestial energy.
His movements with Serene Celestial Steps also became smoother with every fight.
As more goblins fell, more celestial energy flowed into his body.
Again and again, he felt his strength increase.
The system repeatedly notified him of his progress.
[You have broken through to the Third Stage of the Grey Realm.]
...
[You have broken through to the Fourth Stage of the Grey Realm.]
...
[You have broken through to the Fifth Stage of the Grey Realm.]
...
[You have broken through to the Sixth Stage of the Grey Realm.]
...
[You have broken through to the Seventh Stage of the Grey Realm.]
Ben stopped for a moment and took a deep breath.
"So this is the Seventh Stage."
He could clearly feel the difference.
His body was much stronger than when he had first entered the Celestial Realm.
The amount of celestial energy inside him had also increased several times over.
He looked around.
The forest had become unusually quiet.
Very few goblins remained nearby.
Most had either fled deeper into the forest or had already been killed.
Ben wiped the white ash from his sword before returning it to its sheath.
He looked toward the sky.
The golden sun was slowly disappearing beyond the horizon.
The sky gradually turned orange before fading into a deep blue.
"It took the whole day."
Ben stretched his arms.
Despite fighting from morning until sunset, he didn’t feel very tired.
Instead, he felt full of energy.
The continuous breakthroughs had kept his body in excellent condition.
He smiled beneath his helmet.