Chapter 19: Growth

A room bore a plaque inscribed with the characters ‘Bisajeon,’ or ‘Hall of Flying Thought.’

Those who entered this chamber were first struck by its immense size, and then immediately overwhelmed by the grand painting adorning one wall: the Twin Dragons, depicting two dragons vying to ascend to the heavens.

Despite the vastness of Bisajeon, its furnishings were remarkably sparse.

There was only one desk, one chair. Everything—the bookshelf, the sofa, the computer—was present in solitary units.

This was a space created solely for one individual.

“Guild Mu-myeong, estimated casualties over a hundred.”

Beneath the colossal Twin Dragons painting, a man with an impassive countenance read through the news article. This was Park Seonghyeon.

He was officially ranked number one among individual Awakeners in Korea.

He was also the leader of the Flying Sword Corps, the top-ranked guild in Korea.

He was the strongest man in the nation, the Soaring Sword, Park Seonghyeon.

This chamber, fit for a king, belonged entirely and exclusively to him.

“The downfall of Guild Busan, the collapse of a giant, they say….”

Park Seonghyeon’s indifferent gaze drifted towards the man standing rigidly before him.

“What are your thoughts?”

At Park Seonghyeon’s query, Hwang Sanghun, who had been standing stiffly, felt his body tense even further.

He had grown somewhat accustomed to assisting Park Seonghyeon directly, yet his heart still lurched whenever Park Seonghyeon’s eyes took on that inscrutable look.

It wasn’t just Park Seonghyeon; all the leaders of the Five Great Guilds he had met while accompanying him were the same.

Regardless, Park Seonghyeon had asked for his opinion, and he needed to respond swiftly. The man detested anything slow or cumbersome.

“It is true that Guild Baekje suffered immense damage from the Hell Gate incident in Busan. However, its downfall is out of the question, as long as that individual remains in Busan.”

“Indeed. With that old man still thriving in Busan, talk of downfall is sheer foolishness….”

Perhaps satisfied with Hwang Sanghun’s answer, Park Seonghyeon’s gaze returned to the monitor.

“Then, what do you make of this?”

Park Seonghyeon personally turned the monitor, displaying the screen to Hwang Sanghun.

The screen showed a trending video, one that had become universally recognized overnight.

A lone figure stood boldly before a Hell Gate, three or four times their size, holding nothing but a single sword.

Initially, when he first saw it, the figure had appeared female, so he couldn’t even tell if it was a man or a woman. Dozens of Awakeners lay sprawled nearby, yet the enigmatic individual seemed utterly focused on their sword, as if nothing else mattered.

What followed was a scene that defied belief.

The sword swung, and moments later, space itself fractured along the blade’s trajectory.

To say space shattered felt incredibly strange, yet there was no other way to describe it. The space ripped apart as if the screen itself was cracking, and everything, including the Hell Gate, was sucked into a void.

He had watched it several times already, but each viewing, no matter how many, left him utterly aghast.

However, he absolutely could not show surprise or admiration in front of Park Seonghyeon. This was a matter of pride. Moreover, wasn’t he also a swordsman, just like Park Seonghyeon?

This was not the time to look astonished, but to think.

Why would Park Seonghyeon specifically show him this video, which he had already watched repeatedly?

The answer was simple.

He was being told to investigate. To miss no detail, no matter how small.

Fortunately, he had found something worth reporting.

Hwang Sanghun averted his gaze from the monitor and spoke. “Hell Gates appeared in two locations: Busan and Seoul. While Busan suffered incalculable damage, Seoul’s damage was almost negligible due to the appearance of an unidentified Awakened who annihilated the Hell Gate itself.”

Park Seonghyeon showed no reaction.

Hwang Sanghun realized he needed to present new information.

“At that time, the location was undergoing the final practical assessment for Awakened registration. A total of 91 individuals—Awakened from the Association, related personnel, and those taking the assessment—were present at the assessment site where the Hell Gate appeared. A review of nearby CCTV footage revealed no additional individuals entered the area until the Hell Gate vanished.”

“Is there a possibility they possessed stealth skills or invisibility?”

“We considered it, but concluded the possibility is very low. Several Awakened with detection skills were present at the scene. Furthermore, judging from the video, the individual appeared to be a swordsman who had honed their sword skills to an extreme degree.

It has been cross-verified that an Awakened’s characteristics and skills are influenced by their environment and personality. Thus, the prevailing opinion is that the video’s protagonist would not possess stealth skills potent enough to bypass detection skills.”

It was widely known that an Awakened’s abilities were closely tied to their life experiences. The characteristics of those with stealth-like abilities, in particular, were pronounced.

Criminals who had lived lives on the run or those suffering from illnesses that made them fear public attention were prime examples. However, the protagonist in the video, even at a glance, was far from such a person. Moreover, to wield such powerful sword skills and also possess stealth skills? It was almost impossible.

Even if, against all odds, they did possess stealth skills, they would have been caught by detection abilities.

Park Seonghyeon, well aware of these facts, moved on without further comment.

“So, among those 91 people, there’s a coffee-flavored turd?”

“That’s right. And during the investigation, we discovered something else….”

It was a sensitive topic, so Hwang Sanghun continued cautiously.

“Lee Heejin of Mu-myeong was reportedly there.”

“…Lee Heejin?”

Hwang Sanghun gulped, watching Park Seonghyeon’s expression harden abruptly.

Mu-myeong, a guild with the peculiar name, ‘Nameless.’ True to its name, very little information about it had ever surfaced.

Even with the might of the Flying Sword Corps, Korea’s official number one guild, the available information was extremely scarce. What was known was that each member possessed power comparable to High-Rankers, that they vehemently avoided public recognition, and despite that, they committed absolutely no evil deeds.

Among this enigmatic guild, the most known figures were the Guild Leader Lee Yeongsu and his younger sister, Lee Heejin.

“Moomyeong… Moomyeong, you say….”

Park Seonghyeon tapped the desk with his index finger, lost in thought. Information related to the Mu-myeong Guild had to be reported with extreme caution, as it was the information Park Seonghyeon reacted to most sensitively.

“So, the coffee-flavored turd is Lee Heejin…? No, Lee Heejin cannot use a sword. Is it merely a coincidence that Lee Heejin and the unidentified Breaker appeared at the same location where the Hell Gate generated?”

Sensing Park Seonghyeon’s gaze, Hwang Sanghun quickly responded. His quick wit, alongside his abilities, was why he had risen to this position.

“I will immediately investigate any connections! Furthermore, I will promptly investigate and report on any sword-wielding individuals among the 91 people present at the scene!”

After Hwang Sanghun swiftly exited Bisajeon, Park Seonghyeon, left alone, leaned back in his chair and let out an emotionless laugh.

****

Two Hell Gates appeared in Korea in total. While I personally annihilated the one in Seoul, there was nothing I could do about the one that manifested in Busan.

As soon as the Hell Gate appeared in Busan, Awakened, centered around Guild Baekje, quickly formed a perimeter and isolated the area. However, this only led to greater damage.

The monsters spewing forth from hell were formidable. They were a type I had never seen before; each was hideous in appearance, swift, and seemingly possessed an aggressive streak that ignored most injuries as they charged.

According to an Awakened who fought them directly, each monster was classified as at least B-rank or higher. They were certainly strong, but not strong enough to inflict such massive damage. The problem was the unidentified debuff scattered near the Hell Gate.

With stat reductions, the fear status effect, and skill sealing all overlapping, the assembled Awakened were instead slaughtered by the monsters rushing out of the Hell Gate.

Guild Baekje had suffered immense damage once again, even before fully recovering from the Transcendental Being incident.

And this was not just a problem for Korea.

“Beijing, Shanghai, London, Tokyo….”

Hell Gates appeared without fail in densely populated major cities across various countries, and just as unfailingly, they devoured the Awakened who gathered to confront them.

The Hell Gates spewed monsters for about an hour before vanishing. Had they lasted much longer, the damage would have been incomparably catastrophic.

‘This explains why my view count exploded….’

Amidst the global appearance of unidentified Hell Gates that caused widespread damage, if there was one place that uniquely prevented harm, it was certainly enough to generate such a massive view count. In any case, my main curiosities were mostly resolved.

‘Shall I raise my stats?’

Something like this should be done immediately. Otherwise, saving it too long will just make it useless.

[Hidden Shop]

– Stat F-Rank +1: 100 points

– Stat E-Rank +1: 1,000 points

– Stat D-Rank +1: 10,000 points

– Stat C-Rank +1: 100,000 points

– Stat B-Rank +1: 1,000,000 points

– Stat A-Rank +1: 10,000,000 points

– Points Held: 11,054,428 points

Currently, my Strength and Agility were D-rank, while Stamina and Internal Energy were E-rank. My goal was to raise all stats to C-rank.

“First, since I need to raise Stamina and Internal Energy to D-rank… I’ll purchase 140 E-rank stats.”

[Purchasing E-Rank Stat +140 for 140,000 points.]

I immediately used the acquired E-rank stats to increase my Stamina and Internal Energy.

[Stat ‘Stamina’ increases by +84.]

[Stat ‘Internal Energy’ increases by +56.]

[Stat ‘Stamina’ has broken through its limit.]

[Stat ‘Stamina’ has risen to D-Rank.]

I felt a natural energy, which I hadn’t perceived before, permeate my body and settle firmly within me. It was a pleasant, fulfilling sensation.

But then,

“What? Why didn’t Internal Energy change to D-rank?”

[Abilities]

– Strength: D / 37

– Agility: D / 33

– Stamina: D / 00

– Internal Energy: E / 100

Only Stamina had risen to D-rank; Internal Energy remained at 100, not advancing to D. As I pondered the reason, a memory surfaced.

[Stat ‘Internal Energy’ requires more stat points, but will unleash significantly greater power.]

When Internal Energy, a new stat, was created by the resonance of internal power and magic, that message had clearly appeared.

“Then I’ll just buy more!”

With plenty of points, what was the problem?

[Purchasing E-Rank Stat +10 for 10,000 points.]

[Purchasing E-Rank Stat +10 for 10,000 points.]

[Purchasing E-Rank Stat +10 for 10,000 points.]

…

Only after raising it by another 50 did Internal Energy finally ascend to D-rank.

[Stat ‘Internal Energy’ has risen to D-Rank.]

Internal Energy required a total of 150 points to advance to the next rank.

“Now for D-rank stats… let’s see… I’ll purchase 380!”

[Purchasing D-Rank Stat +380 for 3,800,000 points.]

Nearly 4 million points vanished in an instant.

[Stat ‘Strength’ increases by +63.]

[Stat ‘Agility’ increases by +67.]

[Stat ‘Stamina’ increases by +100.]

[Stat ‘Internal Energy’ increases by +150.]

[Stats ‘Strength,’ ‘Agility,’ ‘Stamina,’ and ‘Internal Energy’ have broken through their limits.]

[Stats ‘Strength,’ ‘Agility,’ ‘Stamina,’ and ‘Internal Energy’ have risen to C-Rank.]

A force several times greater than what I had just felt began to surge into my body. Just in case, I sat down and operated the Thousand Thunder Emperor’s Heart Method.

However, I only felt the process of the energy settling in various places and becoming a part of my body more distinctly. There was no phenomenon like the expected increase in Internal Energy.

“Now, I have about 6 million points left….”

From now on, even with Hidden Shop discounts, it would cost an immense amount of points. Raising a single C-rank stat to B-rank alone required 10 million points, so I planned to save them for now. My video views would continue to climb steadily, after all.

“C-rank already.”

I repeatedly clenched and unclenched my fist. The powerful strength was distinctly palpable. Compared to my former self, I truly felt like I could do anything.

I had grown.

“Status Window!”

【Name】

– Park Minhyuk

【Stats】

– Strength: C / 00

– Agility: C / 00

– Stamina: C / 00

– Internal Energy: C / 00

【Attributes】

– Ice 

– Lightning  (True – Dragon Bone Sword)

– Sword 

– Void 

【Unique Trait】

– Stronger with Each Touch

【Traits】

– Endless Talent

– Mana Dominator

– Resonator

– Heavenly Martial Body 

【Trait Skills】

– Ah, Just Let Me Touch It!

– Touch It All You Want! – Lv. 1

【Skills】

– Witch’s Eye (S) – Lv. 1

– Emperor’s Sword Art (SS) – Lv. 1

– Heavenly Thunder Emperor’s Heart Method (S) – Lv. 1