Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: The Birth of the 0th Realm
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As soon as my Defense stat broke through 50, the changes swelled uncontrollably.
My entire body felt like it was ablaze.
This wasn't ordinary heat.
It was a fundamental transformation, as if every cell in my body was being completely restructured.
Far more intense than any previous awakening.
In that swamp of new sensations...
I...
...felt like a long time had passed.
Since I'd been barely clinging to my consciousness like this.
My sense of time was distorted.
I had no idea how long I'd been enduring. A minute? An hour?
I was simply holding on desperately amid the endless vortex of shifting sensations.
Yet there was only one reason I could grasp this thread of awareness.
My will, already forged to perfection.
My highest ideal: to become a god.
That unchanging, solitary path was what sustained me.
More than the rationality assuring me that rewards would come after enduring this eons-long agony.
The fierce yet serene upheaval raged on, then finally passed.
In the end, light arrived. Or perhaps it was darkness.
After the transformation ended,
I awoke and opened my eyes in the boss room.
It matched the last place in my memory.
Regaining my sense of reality at once, I waited for a message to appear.
I already felt a new power rooted deep within me, and with changes this massive, surely something would pop up.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, a system message floated before my eyes.
'Realm?'
I paused at the unfamiliar term, then immediately opened my status window.
Transcendence Lv.36
Alignment:XRealm:[0th Realm - Unique Cataclysm Incarnate]Unique Ability:[Universal Resistance]
Skills:[Domain 3rd Grade], [Demi-God Body 3rd Grade], [Grasp Complete 2nd Grade], [Precision Enhancement 2nd Grade], [Wave Strike 1st Grade], [Origin Extraction 2nd Grade], [Divine Charge 2nd Grade], [Mana Manipulation 1st Grade], [King's Intimidation 1st Grade] (Item)
[Permanent Side Effect: Body Fracture]
A new field had been added between Alignment and Unique Ability in my status window.
Realm: [0th Realm - Unique Cataclysm Incarnate]
This was the new status info born from breaking through 50 in a stat.
I tried to tap it for details, but learned nothing.
The only message was that it couldn't be viewed because it didn't belong to the system.
'Not part of the system?'
I checked the new [First Realm] title I'd just acquired. Since it came from the system, I could view it normally.
0th Realm...
I spread my palm and probed the changes within.
Deep in my body, drawn by sensation to a source utterly alien from my demi-god power.
New power flowed swiftly from the source to my fingertips.
Then, a searing jet-black crimson aura began rising from my palm like heat haze.
This was the power of the 0th Realm.
The polar opposite of the golden divinity in my demi-god power—a domineering aura that seemed poised to destroy and overwhelm everything.
The instant I sensed this power flowing from the source, I knew intuitively.
This would become an indispensable force for me, just like my demi-god power.
The new title offered no immediate help.
But it was undoubtedly significant.
Before pondering the meaning of my realm's designation—Unique Cataclysm Incarnate—
I set realms aside for now and checked my other rewards first.
The first thing that caught my eye was the newly evolved skill.
The effect was straightforward: increased mana efficiency and freer control over mana.
But this "freer control" went beyond mere improvement in handling.
I tested it by moving the mana in my body.
Before, I'd had to release it roughly, like opening a dam's floodgates. Now, I could manipulate it with the finesse of adjusting a thin stream of water.
I couldn't form sword aura yet, but I could now reinforce my body with mana.
This would greatly aid in handling my demi-god power too.
Unlike my own Mana Manipulation,
Mana Operation was a standard boss skill anyone could gain by defeating the boss.
And the [First Legend] achievement I'd earned today evolved Zone 4's boss skill by one grade.
That was why it had evolved.
Just a hypothesis, but
if there were second or third legend achievements ahead,
I could keep gaining uniquely evolved skills alone.
And this evolved Mana Manipulation?
Undeniably a skill with tremendous potential.
Especially for advancing to a technically superior level over my rivals.
Finally, I checked the boss item: [Champion's Helmet].
+1 Mana stat and tougher bones.
Not bad, but it couldn't compare to my equipped [Giant King's Crown].
I couldn't give up the +2 Strength and [King's Intimidation] skill.
Maybe sell it later.
I turned my thoughts back to realms.
Did realms change every 50 stats?
If so,
until now, I hadn't even reached the 0th Realm— I'd only just taken my first step.
Just getting started?
Indeed, recalling those transcendent beings shaking dimensions beyond the key's passage...
My current power was still insignificant by comparison.
I began testing the jet-black crimson power the system called Unique Cataclysm Incarnate.
First, channeling it into my sword. It seeped in naturally, like demi-god power.
Next, body reinforcement. That worked too.
'I can wield it like demi-god power or mana.'
But there was one issue: once used, it felt like everything poured out at once, making repeated use difficult.
Like an all-or-nothing ultimate technique.
Fortunately, the depleted power recovered faster than expected.
Next, I tried using demi-god power and Unique Cataclysm Incarnate on my body simultaneously.
But the two forces clashed violently, refusing to blend.
What about the sword?
I infused both into my magic sword.
Surprisingly, unlike my body, the sword accepted both without resistance.
A bizarre sword aura blending golden light and jet-black crimson.
On a whim, I launched it in that state.
Schwaaak—!!
A massive golden sword aura tore through the air, jet-black crimson swirling within, cleaving empty space.
It actually flew?
Now I could project pure sword aura without borrowing Divine Charge's power.
I instantly realized this was thanks to [Mana Manipulation].
Not forcing demi-god power into the sword like before— it adjusted precisely on its own.
Previously, the sword aura after Divine Charge used amplified demi-god power exceeding normal levels, merely expelling the overflow in sword form.
Not true projection.
Only the Zone 4 boss among monsters could project sword aura. A sign of higher realm.
This Unique Cataclysm Incarnate power was like an additional power source.
In effect, it substituted for amplified demi-god power.
Elated by this advancement in combat technique,
I kept trying to use both powers in my body simultaneously, but failed to progress beyond that. Proficiency still lacking.
With everything checked, it was time to head back.
Traces of the Skeleton Champion I'd slain littered the boss room.
From tomorrow, I'd clear it in seconds— no more scenes like this.
Reflecting on the bountiful gains from here, I slowly made for Zone 3.
Heading back to Zone 3 via Zone 4.
Though dark, this world stayed dim until past 10 a.m., so I couldn't gauge the time.
My body was thoroughly fatigued.
I felt in every fiber how truly long this battle had been.
At the forest entrance, I ran into Siron and his group.
They'd waited for me all this time, no doubt.
Siron approached at once and began his report.
I listened, then cut him off midway.
"What time is it now?"
"5 a.m., sir."
Truly late.
I'd spent nearly 17 hours in Zone 4.
I didn't know how long the realm change took, but the battle itself was lengthy.
I didn't order them to recover materials from the monsters.
This hunt, I'd gathered all materials and loot myself.
But from tomorrow, I'd have them do it.
Siron couldn't hide his curiosity, but lacked the courage to ask.
I parted from them and dragged my weary body to clear the remaining monsters in Zones 1, 2, and 3.
Hunting took under 2 hours. The lower zones were already hyper-optimized.
Having claimed all that experience, I headed straight to my lodging.
The community boards were uneventful. Just hype and speculation about everyone gathering for the tournament.
Before sleep,
I revised future plans to fit the new info from today.
'I barely managed all hunting in Zones 1-4 in one day, but from Zone 5, I might not have time for everything.'
I recalled the many events in Zone 4.
A day that differently strengthened my dimension. Much to reflect on.
But as I tried to refine my plans further, fatigue from today's realm change overtook me.
For the first time since becoming superhuman, I succumbed to drowsiness and fell into deep sleep.
How long did I sleep? Upon waking, I immediately noticed something different.
Surprisingly, several small jet-black crimson orbs slowly floated around my lodging.
I realized at once they were my power, so any alarm vanished instantly.
I reached out and touched one.
It seeped into my body, but had no effect.
At that, I understood something and released Unique Cataclysm Incarnate power.
Touching an orb again, my depleted power refilled instantly.
Learning one more fact about this power,
I looked around closely and sensed the jet-black crimson faintly drifting in the air beyond the orbs.
Does it accumulate over time like this, eventually clumping into orbs?
Though the orbs had merits, they had drawbacks too.
If this happened every sleep, someone might eventually spot this power.
I had a passerby summon Siron.
To the arriving Siron, I asked his thoughts on the phenomenon.
"I don't see anything..."
Invisible to him? Just me?
Further checks confirmed it was visible only to me. A relief.
Siron awkwardly left soon after,
and I shifted thoughts from the orbs to yesterday's gains.
Thus time passed, reaching noon on day 19.
As expected, system messages appeared right on cue at noon.