“It was a close call at the end. Had I made a mistake, I could have died or become crippled.”
Body Cleansing is a process that involves several stages.
Purifying toxins with Light, refining with Fire, solidifying with Earth, and ensuring flow with Water.
Each step was far from easy.
The most challenging was the final stage, the Dream Phase.
“One must experience enlightenment artificially.”
Body Cleansing was a supernatural phenomenon.
It involved the body completely transforming in response to enlightenment.
Therefore, it was necessary to induce this enlightenment artificially.
“One of the essential was the Dreamstone. Luckily, I found it easily.”
Using the Dreamstone to experience artificial enlightenment, he managed to achieve Body Cleansing through a secret technique.
Christian sighed deeply.
His breath, clearer than ever before, flowed out.
His appearance had markedly changed.
His body was still skinny, a result of his muscles deteriorating from neglect.
But his internal state was completely transformed.
He was now in the optimal condition to learn swordsmanship.
Moreover, as his skeletal structure had improved, gaining weight and muscle in the future would make him look ideal.
His face had changed too.
It still looked irritable.
As the bad energies from his skin and blood vessels were expelled, his face brightened and gained an air of dignity.
He had the look of a noble aristocrat.
“And there’s something more important.”
Christian introspected.
There, he observed an unbelievable phenomenon.
Below the navel, in the Core, there were two holes!
“Heh, Christian’s style of Body Cleansing was a success.”
This was why Christian had struggled so much with his Body Cleansing this time.
During the process, he had increased his Core from one to two. An inner Core and an outer Core.
It was a crazy attempt.
No one in the world had two Cores.
But Christian had a thought.
“Since the Core is conceptual, and Body Cleansing transforms the body in line with enlightenment, could having the concept of two Cores during Body Cleansing actually lead to having two Cores?”
Others would have scorned such nonsense.
But he succeeded.
There were moments he almost died due to complications, but he managed.
“Heh, good.”
There was a reason for dividing the Core into two layers.
“This way, I can use the powers of Light.”
Light burst forth from Christian’s hand.
It was a first-level magic, ‘Light’!
“Why limit myself to only mastering magical energy?”
In his previous life, Christian had mastered up to level four swordsmanship and magic of the Realm of Light.
Given time, he would have reached even higher levels.
He didn’t want to abandon those abilities.
“This power of light will be my secret weapon.”
He wasn’t worried about being discovered.
Christian had hidden the light Core within the Dark Core.
Thanks to the outer Dark Core, the light Core was completely concealed.
Furthermore, he connected the blood vessels of the Light Core to the Dark Core for a double disguise.
Even if someone looked directly at the Core, there was no worry of being discovered.
“I should use the remaining time to master as much of the Realm of Light’s swordsmanship and magic as possible.”
Once outside, it would be difficult to learn the powers of the Realm of Light..
He had just over 20 days left.
He had to achieve as much as he could within it.
Christian dedicated himself to training.
It was easier to go back up a path he had once taken.
“Huff.”
He inhaled.
It was the breathing technique of the Meyer family, a prestigious swordsmanship family within the Crusade Union, used by the heroes.
As he continued to observe, he accidentally learned it by stealing glances.
‘I suffered a lot because of this.’
Christian had a hard time when he tried to follow the hero Evan’s breathing technique.
How did he follow it, did he ever see his family’s secrets, etc.
Even if he said he just followed by glancing, they wouldn’t believe him. He showed them exactly how, by breathing slowly,
Recalling those time, their faces was still imprinted in his mind.
It was the first time he saw hero Evan making such a dumbfounded face.
– How, how?
After observing Christian’s breathing technique more closely, Evan was even more astonished.
– It’s similar, but different. Better… more exceptional?
Initially, the breathing technique used by the hero was too advanced for a beginner like Christian.
So, he modified it to better suit himself, creating what might be called the Christian-style.
– It’s simpler and more efficient. How is this possible?!
The Hero Evan couldn’t recover from the shock.
‘I just followed the basics of the breathing technique.’
Breathing technique.
Nature has ‘Qi.’
This ‘Qi’ is taken in through breath and converted into ‘Mana’ – the energy of light.
And into ‘Magi’ – the energy of darkness.
As the names imply, ‘Mana’ was more stable and harmless, whereas ‘Magi’ was unstable but destructive and sinister.
Christian discarded all other aspects of the hero’s breathing technique except for taking in the natural Qi and converting it to Mana.
How did he do it?
‘Don’t know, just did what I thought could worked.’
That was the response Christian remembered giving to the disbelieving comrades of the hero.
It just worked.
How are you supposed to do it?
Flash!
Light converged on Christian.
Mana was accumulating around.
A while later.
Christian felt a sense of fullness.
A vessel had been created.
He had reached the realm of 1-star.
‘Did it faster than before. Is it because I’ve done it once?’
How long did it take in his past life?
It didn’t take a day even then.
Well, it’s just 1-star.
He was just beginning to learn, barely stepping into the stage known as ‘Runner.’
Naturally, it would take others at least a year, and even prodigies called geniuses six months, but Christian didn’t make much of it.
‘The road is long.’
Afterwards, Christian continued to train.
Time passed quickly.
How many days had it been?
5 days? 7 days?
Mana continued to fill the newly created vessel.
Quickly.
At an unnaturally fast pace.
The small vessel grew larger and stronger.
And even that vessel became insufficient as Mana overflowed.
Flash!
Mana swirled around Christian’s body.
He reached the stage where his body could be strengthened with Mana.
He had ascended to the 2-star realm, known as ‘User.’
Now Christian’s body was incomparably tougher and faster than an ordinary person.
“Am I now as strong as an average knight?”
Outside the Magic Empire, there were plenty bragging about being knights who hadn’t even reached 2-star.
And it didn’t stop there.
“Flame, arise.”
Crack!
Flames burst forth.
It was a 2-star elemental spell, Fireball!
“Well, I had already figured it out in my head.”
Reaching the 2-star realm was no easy feat, whether for knights or mages.
It wasn’t just about accumulating mana. Knights had to master the technique of reinforcing their bodies with mana, and mages needed to understand the magical formulas that led to the 2-star realm.
But for Christian, who had experienced it all before, it was inevitably easier due to his know-how.
…Well, to be honest, it hadn’t taken him long before either.
“2-star, after all, is just the basics.”
The disciples of sword clans and magic towers, who worked the hardest to reach 2-star, would vomit blood if they heard this.
For ordinary people, it typically took 5 to 10 years to reach the 2-star level.
“Anyway, I need to reach 3-star before I leave.”
3-star.
From that point, one is treated everywhere as a member of the elite forces.
A key force in any knight order.
A central force among mages.
“It’s tight. Let’s do our best.”
It was the moment to redouble his training efforts.
Christian suddenly halted his movements.
As his level increased, some senses returned, and he could feel someone’s presence outside.
“It hasn’t even been a month, has it?”
Christian wondered.
“Are they trying to finish the punishment earlier?”
But it didn’t seem like it.
The footsteps were quiet and cautious.
As if someone was worried about being caught.
“Could it be an assassin?”
A chill ran down his spine.
It was entirely possible.
“I won’t just let myself be caught off guard.”
Christian thought firmly.
The opponent probably thought he was just a useless troublemaker.
So, by exploiting their complacency, he could win.
“Come on. I’ll make you regret it.”
And then.
The opponent had reached right in front of the punishment room door.
Christian tensed up completely, but something unexpected happened.
The opponent didn’t open the door.
Instead.
Through a slight crack in the door,
Thud.
Something was dropped.
“What’s that?”
Christian was startled.
That was it.
The opponent had vanished again.
As if the purpose was simply to deliver an item.
“What is it?”
Christian checked the item carefully and let out a scoff.
“These bastards.”
It was a Dreamstone.
* * *
The intent behind dropping the Dreamstone was obvious.
“They hoped I would get ruined by indulging in the illusion caused by the Dreamstone.”
Christian remembered that he had brought the Dreamstone to induce his Body Cleansing.
The unknown opponent knew this and had schemed to ruin Christian completely by getting him addicted to the Dreamstone.
“Dreamstone, when abused, can have more lethal effects than drugs.”
He tapped the Dreamstone thoughtfully.
“Who could it be? Hmm.”
Christian was able to speculate on a few facts.
First, there was someone who wished for his downfall.
“Perhaps, me becoming a degenerate was also someone’s intention.”
Second, the opponent was an important figure in the family.
“He knew I had brought an Dreamstone when I entered the Punishment Dungeon.”
He had also discreetly approached the highly secure Punishment Dungeon.
This meant that the opponent was thoroughly familiar with the security’s vulnerabilities.
“Or, he could be in cahoots with the guards.”
Christian chuckled softly.
“What a mess.”
The Dark Magus Family, the Count Kazar lineage.
It somehow seemed rotten to the core.
And the head of the family, Count Kazar, was unaware of it all.
“Well, not bad. No, rather good. It worked out.”
It was an unexpected thought.
It worked out?
There was a reason.
“I’ll use it as a stepping stone for my rise.”
His goal was to reach the top of the Magic Empire.
The first target was the Dark Magus Family.
To do that, he needed to first gain control over the branch family he was currently part of, the Count Kazar lineage.
If there were those corrupting the family, they would make excellent scapegoats.
“First, 3-star.”
Christian took a deep breath.
Suddenly, light swirled around his body.
A month had passed as promised.
* * *
“Today is the day you promised with the young master. Don’t you plan to go?”
Count Kazar clenched his mouth shut.
He didn’t want to go.
He dreaded raising his hopes for no reason.
He was bound to be disappointed anyway.
But the butler cautiously suggested,
“Isn’t it possibly your last chance to see the young master? Why not go in person?”
“…”
“Or, perhaps he might have endured well, contrary to expectations.”
Count Kazar let out a hollow laugh.
“Are you serious? He must be lost in hallucinations by now.”
After hearing that his son had taken an Dreamstone, Count Kazar had given up all hope.
“I’m sorry.”
“But I’ll heed your advice. It might be the last time, after all.”
A fierce light flashed in Count Kazar’s eyes.
“I’ll follow.”
“No, I’ll go alone.”
If he opened the door to the Punishment Dungeon and found Christian truly intoxicated by the Dreamstone, he feared he might not be able to suppress his murderous intent.
Count Kazar dismissed the butler and headed to the Punishment Dungeon himself.
Then he took a deep breath and opened the door.
