“Wow, I really put effort into this, and it collapsed in one go.”
A one-eyed individual with spectacles was present.
A handsome man with golden, glossy, short hair wore a gray robe adorned with a sinister red inverted cross.
Despite the plan falling apart, the man was smiling.
In front of the smiling man, shadow-like Mines were kneeling.
-What should we do?
“Do you know who did this?”
-...We are still identifying. It happened too quickly; in an instant, a thousand Mines were killed.
“How interesting. Hardly anyone among our Great Evils can specifically target and eliminate Mines like that.”
The man looked towards Pyongyang with a smile. Originally, this place was meant to be a stronghold for the Mines today.
A third of the insignificant lives here were meant to be used for building an altar to sacrifice to their god, and another third would have become offerings, marking an event in history.
The rest were to be handed over to the cooperating Nazi Empire...
“Find out immediately. Once a plan starts, the most important thing is to block variables. If there’s a transcendent monster nearby, the plan will be very difficult. Use whatever means necessary to find out.”
-Understood!
The Mines dispersed in all directions.
However, the man knew that more than half of these beings would not return alive.
“Hmm, perhaps a real Apostle has descended.”
Contact was lost in an instant.
And all the Mines were dead. Lee Seo-ha didn’t know much, but the darkness he possessed severed all connections with the Mines in an instant, absorbing them entirely.
The man thought.
Such a force that specifically targeted the Mines indicates a strong hatred for Mines. It was clear who would be the most troubling in the current plan.
He tried extracting information by sparing the lives of these insignificant beings, but they all spoke the same.
A black abyss overturned the ground, devouring all the Mines. Beings who would abandon others for their own survival wouldn’t lie about something on which their lives depended. ṙ
So, it really must have happened...
“The problem is that I can’t think of any being with such power.”
The man stroked his head.
He thought it was an easy task, but it turned out to be more troublesome than expected.
“It’s already troublesome because one axis died, and the schedule is tight.”
The most sinister evil. Although not impressive in combat strength, she was ranked among the Great Evils due to her specialty in illusion magic.
He couldn’t believe it when he heard that this being was killed by a student during an outing.
“Tsck. It seems like today is going to drag on...”
The man thought, stroking his head.
He tucked a black book under his arm and stood up. Exerting power here was irksome because of the attention of others, but it was just irksome. Such a variable wasn’t enough to distort a plan into which he had put much effort.
“Just as well, kill them again.”
The man grinned.
Such power and such evil beliefs allowed him to make such a statement.
Great Evil.
That was the entity the world referred to him as.
Boundary’s Power.
The power dormant in the ruins couldn’t just be pushed through with force. This place was already divided by boundaries, judging who could inherit its power.
Therefore, only beings with brilliant wit and beliefs untainted by evil could penetrate these trials, reach the place with the Boundary’s Power, and gain it.
The problem was that the master of the boundary was very cautious, making the trials difficult.
-No, what kind of trials last for three hours straight!!
There were incredibly many.
Eternal Heaven looked irritably at the site where the trials took place.
“Well, it’s not a problem.”
While not easy enough to solve with eyes closed, he could immediately tackle the introductory part of any trial given his talent and Reading(-).
-No, how can there be so many exams!?
-Master, this sneaky guy couldn’t possibly have hidden power at a level similar to the Energy of Defying Heaven!
Eternal Heaven and Black Heaven were furiously complaining.
Honestly, I was getting tired too. What kind of exam goes on for three hours non-stop?
“The level is higher than when I first tried.”
Although the difficulty increased with level, it felt particularly unfriendly to me.
I didn’t get it.
It was just that I had quite a few expectations for the being that would inherit the power I had built up over my lifetime. It was just that it was bothersome when directed at me, and I disliked dealing with it.
I went inside. Like in a game, each area changed dramatically as I moved through.
A giant door appeared, and there was a statue with the head of a lion engraved on it.
[There was someone who impulsively became a Mine. A man became a Mine for the sake of avenging his family. Can this man truly become a good Mine?]
A voice flowed from the lion’s head.
There were circles and X’s marked, and I naturally stepped towards the X.
-Since old times, I’ve thought you really hate Mines, Mr. Seo-ha.
-Of course. Mines are a race not worth associating with. Even if it’s for the sake of family vengeance, that’s just the first step towards destruction.
The giant door opened automatically. Beyond it was darkness, not a single light in sight.
I stepped in without hesitation. The space that had been a cave until just now flipped after passing through a single door into a pure white space with just one door.
-...To pass through a single door and encounter such a spatial technique. Even the top figures don’t find this easy, but indeed it matches the power comparable to the Energy of Defying Heaven.
-Master, even the previous master could handle this much.
-What nonsense are you spouting? The previous Heavenly Demon crudely tore space apart. Are you saying a scarf knitted by a child over a month and one crafted by an artisan are the same?
‘Everyone, quiet.’
I silenced them as they were being too noisy.
I headed towards the center of the pure white space.
[Congratulations on passing all the trials.]
A dignified male voice echoed through the room.
[This is the place where all transcendent beings and gods have desired the power of my boundary. I have left everything of mine here... Successor who will inherit my power, take the power of the boundary and annihilate all evil!]
With those words, something like an altar appeared in the center of the room, and a black orb materialized.
-...Someone grandiose. Pride in their own power is also tremendous.
-What. It’s natural for beings who have attained transcendence with their own power to have that much pride.
,
Boundary’s Power.
The power dormant in the ruins couldn’t just be pushed through with force. This place was already divided by boundaries, judging who could inherit its power.
Therefore, only beings with brilliant wit and beliefs untainted by evil could penetrate these trials, reach the place with the Boundary’s Power, and gain it.
The problem was that the master of the boundary was very cautious, making the trials difficult.
-No, what kind of trials last for three hours straight!!
There were incredibly many.
Eternal Heaven looked irritably at the site where the trials took place.
“Well, it’s not a problem.”
While not easy enough to solve with eyes closed, he could immediately tackle the introductory part of any trial given his talent and Reading(-).
-No, how can there be so many exams!?
-Master, this sneaky guy couldn’t possibly have hidden power at a level similar to the Energy of Defying Heaven!
Eternal Heaven and Black Heaven were furiously complaining.
Honestly, I was getting tired too. What kind of exam goes on for three hours non-stop?
“The level is higher than when I first tried.”
Although the difficulty increased with level, it felt particularly unfriendly to me.
I didn’t get it.
It was just that I had quite a few expectations for the being that would inherit the power I had built up over my lifetime. It was just that it was bothersome when directed at me, and I disliked dealing with it.
I went inside. Like in a game, each area changed dramatically as I moved through.
A giant door appeared, and there was a statue with the head of a lion engraved on it.
[There was someone who impulsively became a Mine. A man became a Mine for the sake of avenging his family. Can this man truly become a good Mine?]
A voice flowed from the lion’s head.
There were circles and X’s marked, and I naturally stepped towards the X.
-Since old times, I’ve thought you really hate Mines, Mr. Seo-ha.
-Of course. Mines are a race not worth associating with. Even if it’s for the sake of family vengeance, that’s just the first step towards destruction.
The giant door opened automatically. Beyond it was darkness, not a single light in sight.
I stepped in without hesitation. The space that had been a cave until just now flipped after passing through a single door into a pure white space with just one door.
-...To pass through a single door and encounter such a spatial technique. Even the top figures don’t find this easy, but indeed it matches the power comparable to the Energy of Defying Heaven.
-Master, even the previous master could handle this much.
-What nonsense are you spouting? The previous Heavenly Demon crudely tore space apart. Are you saying a scarf knitted by a child over a month and one crafted by an artisan are the same?
‘Everyone, quiet.’
I silenced them as they were being too noisy.
I headed towards the center of the pure white space.
[Congratulations on passing all the trials.]
A dignified male voice echoed through the room.
[This is the place where all transcendent beings and gods have desired the power of my boundary. I have left everything of mine here... Successor who will inherit my power, take the power of the boundary and annihilate all evil!]
With those words, something like an altar appeared in the center of the room, and a black orb materialized.
-...Someone grandiose. Pride in their own power is also tremendous.
-What. It’s natural for beings who have attained transcendence with their own power to have that much pride.
-Yes, yes. Mr. Seo-ha, you should quickly take the power.
‘I should.’
I strode over and touched the black orb on the altar.
...Emotion.
【Boundary Orb (S+)】
An orb imbued with the power of the boundary.
When consumed, it grants the power of the boundary to the consumer.
: Upon consumption, the Conceptual Stat "Boundary" is unlocked.
The black orb, by consuming it alone, grants a power comparable to the Energy of Defying Heaven.
‘Really a fine power.’
I tuned my body with Black God Martial Arts.
Preparing to absorb powers from other domains, I also numbed my taste buds as I touched the black orb and placed it in my mouth.
[Conceptual Stat "Boundary" is created.]
[Absolute Stat "Black" absorbs Conceptual Stat "Boundary". Absolute Stat "Black" increases by 1.]
‘Oh.’
I marveled softly and then hesitated.
The black inside me surged. The power of the boundary added to the swirling constellation of black.
‘This...’
Sweating, I quickly inspected my inner power. Nine constellations floating within my body spun fiercely and resonated. The internal boundaries began to collapse.
-No, wait...!
-Eternal Heaven, be careful! Don’t get swept away by the Defying Heaven!!
The surroundings shook.
The power that my body couldn’t contain began to sweep the surroundings, creating a massive flow.
Whoooooosh─!
The distinctions made by the boundary began to collapse. The massive flow swallowed everything. There was nothing that could resist it.
Because that flow was part of the fundamental laws that composed this world.
‘...This is.’
A vast universe began to form inside me. According to the laws overseen by the Absolute Stat, the flow of power methodically constructed within my body.
Like stars floating in the universe, constellations rose within me. One, two, three... their number rapidly increased.
‘24.’
And then the constellations merged.
[Conceptual Stat "Form" is integrated into "Black".]
Eventually, three stars rose within me.
But their size was vast, and they could hardly be called mere ‘stars.’
Because those stars were,
‘The Energy of Defying Heaven, Boundary, and Form...’
The conceptual powers I possessed.