Chapter 257 - Growth (7)

The Head Elder widened his eyes in surprise. The arrogant, self-absorbed prince had bowed his head. Did this child know what that meant? What had made him this desperate?

Actually, the Head Elder judged Phante highly, despite what he had said.

He said that Phante was simple, but it only looked that way because Phante was direct and honest.

In fact, Phante’s ability to differentiate and judge things was outstanding. Also, if he wasn’t qualified, he wouldn’t have been chosen to be the successor of the throne.

The same went with what he said about being weak. The Head Elder and the Martial King were geniuses, so it wasn’t fair to compare Phante to them. Phante was actually one of the most skilled. There was almost no one around his age who achieved the level of the martial arts he had.

There was just one reason why he was mocking him.

It was to test his patience.

Patience was the most important part of Mugong. When your growth stopped, when you hit a wall, and when you lost in a battle, you had to be able to look back at and reflect on your actions.

If you threw a tantrum and ran away because it was too hard, you could never grow.

This was especially the case for a skill like Blood Lightning.

The skill involved many difficult concepts because it was a Mugong that the Head Elder himself had made, and deep self-restraint was needed to learn it.

You would only be a book with a nice cover if you didn’t have patience.

The problem was that the Phante that the Head Elder had observed until now was too impulsive. It was unacceptable to the composed Head Elder.

However…..

‘He’s changed.’

The Head Elder examined Phante with flashing eyes. The normal Phante probably would’ve kicked the door open to leave or lay down on the ground to throw a tantrum, but he was still standing with his head bowed.

The Head Elder was silent for a long time. He wanted to check if Phante was just playing games or if he had really changed.

In that long silence, Phante didn’t move. That was how desperately he needed the Blood Lightning. It wasn’t just because of his inferiority and desire to defeat Yeon-woo. He still respected him, and Phante had been genuine when he said he would become Yeon-woo’s teeth.

Phante and Yeon-woo couldn’t be split apart anymore.

And with all these emotions, there was one conclusion Phante came to.

‘Strength.’

He grit his teeth.

‘I need strength.’

Like what Yeon-woo said about becoming stronger, Phante knew that he would be nothing if he kept going like this.

Edora agreed with him.

However, unlike Edora, who would gain strength through climbing the floors, Phante needed a more substantial and destructive strength.

He couldn’t forget the Blood Lightning he saw the Head Elder use on the battlefield. The influence the threat of Blood Lightning gave was something he wanted.

This was why he wasn’t going to move no matter what the Head Elder said. Pride? Arrogance?

Were those things important? They were something only people with strength could have.

Some time passed…..

“Haa.”

The Head Elder sighed, shaking his head. Phante realized that he had received a chance. However, he felt like it wasn’t going to be easy, knowing the Head Elder’s personality.

And of course.

“Fine. If you’re this stubborn, there’s nothing I can do. However, you have to prove yourself.”

Phante lifted his head. His back hurt from bending over for a long time, but his eyes were sparkling.

“What should I prove?”

“Your qualification.”

The Head Elder’s gaze was sunken beyond his glasses.

“I’m talking about your qualification to become my successor.”

* * *

‘Qualification…..

Phante was deep in thought as he left the Head Elder’s residence.

Proving his qualification to become the Head Elder’s successor… He didn’t understand what that meant. It probably wasn’t something the Head Elder just said to make Phante leave. The Head Elder wanted to see a reason to give Phante the Blood Lightning.

‘A reason to become his successor.’

Phante looked down at his open hands. The Head Elder was the oldest person in the tribe, but he was also Phante’s great-great uncle.

He was the man who raised the Martial King Nayu to where he was and led the Cheongram family to prosperity.

The motif of Blood Lightning, Lightning Control, was something Phante enjoyed using. That meant he had the most basic qualification.

It would be easier to learn Blood Lightning on top of what he already knew.

Then that meant…..?

Pause!

Phante stopped in his tracks.

‘Shouldn’t I get the Lightning Soul first?’

Lighting Soul. It was what you earned after mastering Lightning Control. Your lightning and body became one, and you could open the path to Strong Energy. Blood Lightning was a Strong Energy Mugong. Of course Lighting Soul was the next most basic condition.

Phante felt like his mind became clearer. The path that he found after its many twists and turns was the same.

Individual training. Lightning Soul was the final result of what users of Lightning Control could gain.

Unlike before, when he didn’t know what to do, he now had a clear goal.

Phante headed out. There was no time to waste.

* * *

“Haa. Haa…..are you saying Phante is doing closed training?”

Yeon-woo panted as he looked at Galliard.

What Galliard said as he practiced Arrow Shadow Leap, a skill that rapidly sped one up, piqued his interest.

“Yeah. I heard he went to the Martial King and insisted for the key to the Myunbyeok Building. Haha.”

“The Myunbyeok Building. Seems like Phante is really determined this time.”

Yeon-woo’s eyes became bigger.

The Myunbyeok Building was in the deepest parts of the closed training buildings.

In there, you had to spend time alone with only a limited amount of food in a 5-pyeong area. It was impossible to open the door from the inside, so it wasn’t something one easily attempted unless one was very patient.

Only people who wanted to train for several years entered it. Phante definitely hadn’t gone in there half-heartedly.

“Also, with the authority of the royal family, he requested to open the Martial Archives. The Elders convened that he was allowed to take 5 different books in with him from the Gold Archive. It’ll probably be hard to see him for the time being.”

The Gold Archive was something that only the king or the Elders could allow the entrance of. However, members of the royal family could enter at least once in their life freely. It seemed like Phante had used this authority.

Like what Galliard said, Phante was definitely determined this time. What kind of expression had he made as he went into the Myunbyeok Building? Yeon-woo was curious, but he wasn’t planning on visiting him.

It was too cringy for each other. Also, there wasn’t any need to do that.

Yeon-woo felt like he knew how Phante felt. The reality of things being easier said than done had probably motivated him.

“And he took 5 books with him…..he’ll have to work hard with that temper of his.”

“It’s easier for people who have had experience studying to study.”

Galliard smirked as he replied to Yeon-woo.

“Also, they say Edora began to climb the Tower. She left quietly with only a note to the Psychic Medium, so it seems like she’s also pretty determined too.”

Yeon-woo nodded his head. He understood their different decisions.

Edora had Insight and the Yang Sword. It was best for her to raise her Insight while using the Yang Sword in actual battle.

‘Edora will do well.’

He was a bit worried about Phante, but his trust in Edora ran very deep.

She hadn’t shown him much, but he knew that she had many things she kept hidden.

If she properly used her Divine Magic Sword, it might be hard for him to win against her.

Yeon-woo lightly shook the dust off his body and got ready again. If the two siblings were that determined, he couldn’t fall behind.

‘Losing to them will be an embarrassment as the eldest.’

With those thoughts, Yeon-woo kicked off from the ground again.

Kwang!

Swek—

As soon as Yeon-woo moved, time flowed quickly again.

* * *

[You have learned about the way to control Consciousness.]

[You have learned Arrow Shadow Leap.]

[Your proficiency in the skill ‘Shunpo’ has increased dramatically. 89.1%]

And like that—

[You have earned a large hint about circulating Consciousness.]

[You have learned Single River Crossing.]

[Your proficiency in the skill ‘Shunpo’ has increased dramatically. 95.2%]

Training continued,

[You have learned how to use Consciousness subconsciously.]

[You have learned Tension Teleportation.]

[Your proficiency in the skill ‘Shunpo’ has increased. 99.6%]

And the time came to bear the fruit of his training.

[You have completely assimilated Consciousness into your body. Extrasensory Perception and your body are being synchronized.]

[You have learned Body Transpose.]

[Your proficiency in the skill ‘Shunpo’ has dramatically increased. 121.6%]

[Congratulations! The proficiency of the skill ‘Shunpo’ has reached the Max.]

[You have gained a method of Bobup.]

[All stats related to the skill will increase.]

[Additional stats are being given.]

[Strength has increased by 15.]

[Dexterity has increased by 19.]

…..

[You have gained a new understanding related to your skill. A Superior skill is being opened.]

[The skill ‘Slide’ has been created.]

[Your proficiency of the skill ‘Slide’ has dramatically increased and succeeded in reaching the Max.]

[You have gained a method of Shinbup.]

…..

[A new skill is being searched for considering the player’s stats.]

[The Superior skill ‘Light Trace’ has opened.]

[You have earned a method of Kyunggong.]

…..

[The proficiency of the skill ‘Light Trace’ dramatically…..]

……

[It is receiving the influence of your traits ‘Demonic Dragon Body’ and ‘Monk.’]

[A Superior skill is opened.]

[Wind Path]

Numbering 80

Proficiency: 0.0%

Summary: The only friend of the Dark Elves, who had to live in the darkness away from the world, was the wind.

The wind doesn’t stay in one place and doesn’t differentiate. Its flow is always free, and the Dark Elves desire to take after the wind. If you linger around the wind like the Dark Elves, you might find a path that you haven’t been able to see before.

*Pathfinding

Every time you use the skill, different skill paths will be shown to you randomly. At the end of every path, there is a different result, and you can see from at least 2 to 5 of them. The higher your proficiency, the more paths you can see.

You currently own three winds (Zephyr, Gust, North Wind).

*Eye of the Storm

You can gather the wind around you and explode it. The storm can heavily damage your surroundings.

**The skill ‘Draconic Eyes’ can be connected for clearer Pathfinding. The number of paths you can see increase and their power is amplified.

**The skill ‘Spirit of the Abyss’ can be connected, and the Blessing of the Wind Spirit will follow.

Hwak!

The changes came suddenly.

He had been practicing controlling his Consciousness and the Body Transpose.

Suddenly, his Draconic Eyes burst open, and he could see ten times more flaws than before.

Yeon-woo felt his world spinning.

In the slowed down world of Time Difference, he got himself together, and he was able to see a whole new world.

The flaws were flowing like rivers. It was only a slight difference, but they all had different colors from each other.

Some were dark, and some were light. There were even some that were large and small, and they covered the entire world.

All Yeon-woo had seen until now were flaws that were bound together like string.

It was the first time he saw them flowing like this.

Yeon-woo realized that this was the ‘Wind.’

The wind that he had felt only through his senses was something that he could now see through his eyes.

That wasn’t all.

Like how he could see the wind, Yeon-woo could see his own body from another perspective.

His senses were completely different. Yeon-woo felt more with his physical senses that were connected to Consciousness, and he skillfully adjusted this.

His heavy body felt light as a feather.

He could feel the wind on his fingertips. Some parts were soft, and some were rough. Not only did he feel the wind, he could feel things beyond it.

Also, Yeon-woo was able to control these all naturally. He spread his hand out.

The wind naturally rolled into his hand in a round form. He blew Consciousness into the form.

Hrsh! The form flared up with fire.

Magic body, his body, Consciousness, and flaws. Everything moved easily. Just a few hours ago, he could only connect them by focusing, but there was no need for that anymore.

“Congratulations. You’ve opened Wind Eyes.”

Just then, Galliard came down from above him. He patted Yeon-woo’s shoulders.

“In our tribe…..yeah. You would be a ‘Hunter’ now. It must’ve been hard for you since you’re not part of our tribe. You’ve done well.”

Yeon-woo shook his head.

“If it wasn’t for you, I couldn’t have even attempted it.”

It was the truth. He couldn’t even imagine how long it would’ve taken without Galliard.

His brother’s first teacher had taught Yeon-woo so many things. He had generously passed the legacy of the Dark Elves down to him. Thanks to that, Yeon-woo was able to break down the wall that had been blocking him.

[You have earned the title ‘Dark Elves Hunter.’]

Yeon-woo was proud of himself as he read the message.

Also, connecting Wind Path to Draconic Eyes and Spirit of the Abyss had been so easy. Because of them, considering the amplified Effects it brought along with it, it wasn’t just a Numbering skill.

‘This…..is almost an Authority.’

It would probably be a mid-Authority. Yeon-woo believed that this Wind Path would change him like the Wave of Fire had.

“How about trying it out?”

Yeon-woo nodded his head and stretched his hand out. The Magic Bayonet wrapped around his hand. He felt things that he never would’ve without Wind Eyes.

It was hard to explain, but it was like he could feel the emotions of the Magic Bayonet. Like how he could see the wind with his Draconic Eyes, he could feel the Magic Bayonet with his senses.

It was crying, saying to wake it up. It wanted to be released from loneliness.

Yeon-woo blew Consciousness inside of it to calm it down. His holiness followed after, and magic power flowed from him. The Magic Bayonet was finally able to release its vestige.

In that moment, Yeon-woo felt like he became one with his sword. He was the Magic Bayonet, and the Magic Bayonet was him. Consciousness had completely synchronized them.

It was the moment that his body became one his sword.

Chingggg—

The Magic Bayonet cried out. Aura formed around it.

It was Sword Strengthening.

Yeon-woo lifted it powerfully to the right. With this, wouldn’t he be able to replicate the Palgwae that was imprinted in his head?