Chapter 265

Chapter 265
## Chapter 265

—

### New Technique

《’Threat’ has been identified.》
《’Iron-Blooded Monarch’s Heart’ has been triggered.》

Power was woven into that stare.
The presence of Lyca was so immense that even a wordless look was categorized as a ‘threat,’ having long since moved beyond the limits of the crowd gathered there.
He was a titan who had once stood on equal footing with ancient, primordial entities.
When he released his full aura, had he not briefly even eclipsed the Heavenly Demon?
Lyca was a warrior who occupied a spot among the absolute strongest figures in the history of the world.

And yet, even his ‘threat’ failed to crack the ‘Iron-Blooded Monarch’s Heart.’
It was a Hidden Trait that granted its owner, quite literally, a heart forged of iron and blood.
It served as a flawless defensive mechanism that insulated the user’s psyche against all hostile auras or overwhelming pressure.

“…?”

Lyca couldn’t suppress a flicker of confusion. There were few in existence who could endure his gaze. Such a thing was considered impossible for anyone below the level of a Transcendent who had devoured the stars. Yet, the man currently meeting his eyes without flinching was nowhere near the rank of a ‘Transcendent.’

‘4?’

The digit 4 hovered above the man’s head. It indicated his level was only 4.
Was this not a mistake? At such a level, it would be normal for a person to collapse or die on the spot just from being in Lyca’s line of sight. To think a mere Level 4 was staring him down from the front!

‘The Archangel’s data cannot be flawed.’

There was no chance the numbers were wrong. The Archangel of the Evil God Cult possessed an ‘Authority’ specifically designed to analyze and quantify data.
An Archangel was a being that could manifest miracles to uncover the truth. Therefore, Level 4 had to be the reality.

‘Perhaps mind-protecting gear, a tool, or a Hidden Trait.’

He weighed the options, but none felt right. It wasn’t gear or a tool. To completely nullify his pressure, one would require an item of at least Unique grade. It was illogical for a Level 4 to possess a treasure that would be considered a national asset in any kingdom.

If that was ruled out, only a Hidden Trait remained…

‘But the requirements to unlock the Iron-Blooded Monarch’s Heart cannot be met at Level 4.’

Even for those blessed with incredible genius, manifesting the ‘Iron-Blooded Monarch’s Heart’ was an arduous path. No mortal entered the world with their abilities fully polished from the start. Of course, there were anomalies. Those who appeared human but were something else entirely.

‘Players.’

These were the beings the Evil God Cult labeled as ‘Sinners.’ They were born with a multitude of talents. A rare few even entered the world with their ‘Hidden Traits’ already active. Was it not inherently unfair? That some could reach a peak others couldn’t touch in a lifetime without putting in the basic work.

Despite Lyca possessing talent that mocked the heavens, he had still bled for his strength. He practiced his sword the moment he woke, while he ate, and while he handled his affairs. He even maintained his physical conditioning in his sleep. Compared to that, how irrational were the Players?

‘Regardless of talent, I have no desire to see a Player become an heir to the Eight Excellence.’

Though the purpose of this competition was to scout the world’s finest talents, he had zero intention of taking a Player as a pupil.
Essentially, were they not outsiders who didn’t belong to this realm? Even if he instilled in them the duty and mission required of a successor, they could simply vanish the moment things became difficult.

‘There are no Players present.’

He was certain of this. In the end, a Player was a parasite. They were like spirits inhabiting a host. Such a union created a flaw in the balance between the body, the soul, and the psyche. The Archangel was currently flagging ‘unbalanced ones’ whose three essences were misaligned, and there was not a single person in the Tower of the War God currently flagged. They had been thoroughly screened.

If so, who was this man? A Level 4 who wasn’t a Player.

‘…I suppose the truth will surface if I keep observing.’

Lyca looked away. He would discover just how unique the man was as the competition unfolded.

—

The ‘Warrior’ rank bouts, meant for those between Level 1 and Level 5, were conducted on the 2nd floor. As the lowest bracket of the event, there were fewer contestants, and expectations were naturally low.

The seating area was mostly empty, and the arena itself was practically an eyesore. Seeing the dust dancing in the air, it was clear the place hadn’t been touched in ages.

‘It’s been quite a while since I was here.’

In the middle of the ring, I found myself drifting into the past. The time I took the form of an Emperor Penguin to scale the Tower of the War God alongside Auriel, the bunny-girl elf. That ruse was meant to hide my face and bait the administrator, Sansha, but it ended with Sansha’s death. I had ended her with the unique skill ‘Supreme Sword’ that belonged to the Supreme Sword Saint.

“Look, if you want to keep living, just quit. I’m not very good at holding back.”

A voice pulled me back. …Right. Thinking back on it, I was in the middle of a duel. Ten seconds had already ticked by since the start. The man across from me, gripping an axe, looked ready to commit murder. A person with a faint heart probably would have collapsed right there.

【Lv.5】

He was Level 5, the peak of the ‘Warrior Champ’ bracket. Judging by his aura, he’d likely received a boost to his power just to manage a scratch on the Hard Gicheon Stone. A ‘Buffer’ was standing nearby, feeding him strength in real-time.

‘Isn’t that technically cheating?’

Well, looking at it now, there weren’t actually any rules against external buffs. I tightened my fist.

“If you want to keep living, just quit. I’m also not very good at holding back.”

“You arrogant prick. Are you mocking me?”

“I’m being entirely honest.”

“Fine, die and regret it.”

*Fwish!*

The man brought his axe down with lethal force.

*Kwaang!*

In an instant, the man was launched across the ring and slammed into the stone wall. His axe was in pieces, and his ribs were caved in. He died on impact.

“Wh-What?”
“What did I just see?”

The crowd blinked in unison, shouting in disbelief.

“Hyun of Adrium City, the winner!”

Hearing the official’s call, I dusted off my palms and began to walk away.

‘I really can’t gauge my own output.’

It was the Celestial Whale Talisman slotted into my Primordial Armor. Because of it, my stats had become absurd, but it created a secondary issue. I genuinely couldn’t modulate my power. I mentally checked the details of the talisman.

【Celestial Whale Talisman (Great Calamity)】
The core of the Celestial Whale, a disaster-tier beast that broke the world’s axis.
Currently boosted by 1.5x through the Primordial Armor.
Strength +30
A random extra hit dealing up to 1.5x the current Strength stat is applied.

…To think one talisman could boost a single attribute by 30 points.

‘It’s ridiculous even looking at it now.’

During my time in Pangaea, I’d never encountered an item that pushed a single stat that high. The bonus strike of up to 1.5x was equally wild. It was likely the most useful talisman I’d gained from the rewards of Main Quest 11. My combat numbers had skyrocketed because of it.

‘Can these even be called the stats of a Level 4?’

I clicked my tongue, reviewing the values listed under ‘Stats’ in my menu.

Level: 4
Strength: 90 (60+30)
Stamina: 56
Agility: 60
Intelligence: 56
Mana: 92

‘A total stat pool of 354…’

That was on par with a standard Level 9. Beyond that, my Strength and Mana were in an entirely different category.

‘It means a random bonus of up to 135 Strength points can trigger.’

The special effect of the Celestial Whale Talisman. Anywhere from 1 to 135 points of power were ‘added’ to a hit. This was calculated purely from the Strength stat. This meant even a glancing blow, once registered as a ‘hit,’ would become devastating.

‘If that had hit the maximum roll, that guy would have been reduced to dust.’

It was a bit grim, but it was a tournament where lethal force was permitted. It was a venue where you died if you didn’t give it your all. I walked out of the arena in silence.

—

After three days, the tournament’s hierarchy began to take shape. Rumors about potential winners started to spread. Public interest was largely split between two brackets: the Knight Champ and the King Champ. High levels meant flashy fights, and the frontrunners were all household names.

“…Is that the full summary?”

Lyca, reviewing the reports, questioned his knights. They nodded and carried on.

“Yes, sir. Aaron, the son of Cardinal Johansson from the Goddess Cult, and Husta, who trained under the Mercenary King, are the favorites for the ‘Knight’ bracket.”

“For the ‘King’ bracket, it’s a tight race between Hugh of the Dercian line, Arkan, the last of the Darkan family, and Hanches, the Sun Knight.”

“Aside from them…”

*Thud.*

Lyca dropped the papers. High-profile figures from across the globe had assembled, and many were recognizable. Yet, none of them seemed to truly ‘impress’ Lyca.

“What about the ‘Warrior’ bracket progress?”

“Well… it’s not particularly noteworthy.”

The knights looked awkward. The Warrior matches were essentially the ‘leftover’ rounds. While there was a name being tossed around, it paled in comparison to the others mentioned.

“Speak. You clearly left something out of the report.”

“A man named ‘Hyun’ from Adrium is being hailed as the only real contender.”

“Hyun?”

“Yes, this man. However…”

He reluctantly produced a separate report. The stats for ‘Hyun’ were listed: 10 wins, 0 draws, 0 losses. Even though the rules stated three losses meant elimination, he had a flawless streak. So why the hesitation?

“Of his 10 victories, 7 were won because the opponent ‘forfeited.’”

“Seven forfeitures?”

“Yes. Word is he killed every person who didn’t surrender so brutally that the rest gave up out of pure terror.”

The data backed it up. He killed with one strike, and it was a gruesome sight. As a result, contestants were dropping out left and right. Since the Warrior bracket had lower-level participants, many lacked the stomach for a death match. Thus, the knights didn’t think he was worth mentioning as a ‘proper’ favorite.

Lyca, however, saw it differently.

‘It’s that man.’

The one who had stared him down. He was someone who understood how to dominate a crowd. The smartest way to avoid a fight is to present the most undeniable ‘threat.’ Had he not made a bloody example of the first three to ensure the next seven didn’t even try? Moreover, the three he had killed were not weak enough to die from a single casual blow.

‘…There is something there.’

Something even Lyca couldn’t quite put his finger on. Settling his thoughts, Lyca gave an order.

“Transfer every participant with 10 wins to the 10th floor.”

“All of them, sir?”

“Every single one.”

“Understood.”

The knight bowed and exited. This competition wasn’t just about raw power. it was about providing a fair chance to everyone.

‘They will all start from zero.’

It was a trial to see how they handled a situation where their previous knowledge became useless. He wondered if anyone would actually pass. In fact, he doubted if anyone would even grasp the core of the test. The difficulty was so extreme that even Lyca wasn’t sure of the outcome.

—

When we stepped onto the 10th floor of the tower, we were greeted by a single volume.

“Read this and internalize it.”

One of the Eight Excellence Knights addressed the crowd. There were roughly a thousand people gathered on this level. Everyone immediately focused on the book.

‘Mirror of Life and Death (Saeng-sa-gyeong).’

The threshold between living and dying. It was a strange title. That wasn’t the only oddity; massive mana stones were positioned next to the knights. No one could guess their purpose.

“We just have to master it?”

“Correct.”

The knight confirmed the man’s question. Just master it. It was a vague instruction, but seemingly simple if it just required reading. However, it wasn’t long before the atmosphere turned sour.

“What is this?”
“There’s nothing in here!”
“How are we supposed to learn from a blank book?”

When they flipped the pages, there wasn’t a single word. There was nothing to look at, let alone study. The knights remained completely silent.

‘Are the words hidden?’
‘Is there a trick to how it’s viewed?’

They tried every trick in the book, but the outcome remained the same. Not a single character surfaced. The experts and geniuses were losing their cool. Some were already whispering that the whole thing was a scam.

‘Hmm.’
‘What is the meaning of this?’

A tiny group seemed to be reading as if they’d found a clue. But even they were clearly struggling. Not one had managed to turn the first page.

*Thud.*

Except for one. One man snapped the book shut and stood up. Less than ten minutes had passed since they started.

“…Hyun of Adrium.”
“If you quit before mastering the technique, you are disqualified.”

Was he just giving up?

*Step, step.*

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, I walked toward the center where the knights stood. Then, I rested my hand on the large mana stone beside them.

And then.

*Fwhiiiiing!*

The energy from the stone was violently pulled into my fingers.

《You have successfully mastered the ‘Heavenly Demon Absorption Method’ by applying the deep truths of the ‘Heavenly Demon Divine Art.’》
《You have drained all the energy from the ‘Mana Stone (Extra Large).’》
《Mana has grown from 92 to 95.》