Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Growth - Supreme Purity Material Myriad Perfection Grand Law
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Supreme Purity Material Myriad Perfection Grand Law.
A technique created in his later years by an old man who had reigned as the absolute ruler of a world.
Despite its grandiose name, the principle was incredibly simple.
Inflict pain.
Grow based on that pain.
'Honestly, it was frustrating.'
No matter how effective it was, that had been the feeling all along.
No upgrades in rank.
No sudden surge in strength like the martial artists in wuxia novels.
Nothing visibly changed.
'But.'
This time, the old man had said it clearly.
Once this procedure was over, I'd shed a layer.
The old man's words carried weight.
They weren't light.
He wasn't the type to make up empty flattery.
"You've endured for quite a while now. Thanks to that, you've experienced countless minor ailments like external injuries and amputations."
"......"
"Then let me ask you one thing, lad. Do you know what the greatest physical pain is that tests the limits of a human?"
The greatest pain?
I pondered briefly and spat it out.
"Mentally or miscellaneous stuff aside, hmm... isn't it burning pain? I think I read about it somewhere before."
"Hoo, spot on."
"Right?"
I nodded.
The agony of burning in flames.
Just imagining it was horrific.
Even a brief scald made every nerve scream.
Yeah, burning pain made sense.
Wait, brief?
"Wait, hold on, old timer?"
"Hm?"
"Why ask me something like this? Don't tell me..."
I gave him a subtle look, and the old man broke into a beaming smile.
It was hands down the happiest expression I'd seen from him yet.
"Heh heh. No need to worry, disciple. After all this training, your senses are like tempered steel. You can handle it, no?"
"......What do you mean?"
And tempered steel?
Was he talking about Pain Resistance?
[Skill: Pain Resistance]
[Grade: A]
[Effect 1: Resists pain.]
[Effect 2: Senses dull as pain accumulates.]
It was A-grade now, sure.
But still.
Beatings weren't enough, now he was going to burn me?
"Old timer, I've realized something lately while getting deep into forging... even steel melts when heated red-hot?"
"Heh heh, true. But doesn't that forge something even tougher?"
"......?"
I made no effort to hide my discomfort, and the old man spoke again.
"Worry not. This will be completely different from before."
"......How different?"
I couldn't help but worry.
But let's hear it out.
"The Grand Law so far has been forced upon you, hasn't it? Thirty minutes of training without surrendering."
"Training... not just beating me half to death?"
"Heh! Listen here. Actually, calling it forced is a bit much! The choice was always yours!"
"......"
He had a point.
I could've refused the old man's massages if I'd wanted.
I didn't have to summon him in the first place.
But I summoned the old man every day and endured the Grand Law each time.
Why?
To get stronger.
It was the surest way I had.
"That alone sets you apart from ordinary folk. This isn't about talent versus genius. Even geniuses hurt when hit. Heh heh."
True enough.
Genjis like Einstein or Alan Turing were smart, but not pain-tolerant.
"Hmm..."
"Plus, want me to share a chilling fact?"
"......What is it?"
"Look at the corner of your mouth."
Corner of my mouth?
Why look there?
I tilted my head, then froze.
Chills ran through me.
"......!"
A smile.
It was a smile.
He was talking about burning pain, roasting people alive—horrific stuff.
My nerves were on edge from it.
Yet my lips were curved upward.
Aaaah.
This wasn't joy.
It was sad.
Had I, once so ordinary, become a masochist who enjoyed pain?
"That's why you're remarkable, lad. My judgment seeking a genius was wrong. A stroke of luck, instead. Meeting a freak like you."
No, old timer.
I don't think that's it.
"They say geniuses can't beat those who strive, and strivers can't beat those who enjoy it. You're definitely the enjoying type."
"It's a good saying and all..."
But it sounds really depressing?
Anyway.
The old man wasn't wrong.
'He's right.'
I wanted to get stronger.
For over a decade, the world had changed.
From one where money and power ruled, to one where only strength mattered.
A world judging worth by message ranks and leaderboards.
This was survival.
To live, I had to grow strong.
Plain and simple.
Even if a ranker committed a crime, laws couldn't touch them anymore!
We hunters were like beasts thrown into a brutal wild.
Lambs.
Then came this once-in-a-lifetime chance.
A path to becoming the predator.
'I have to endure.'
Was I going to quit?
'No way. I have to endure.'
I gritted my teeth.
My fists clenched without me realizing.
"So, what's the method this time?"
"This time, it's not forced. It all depends on your will."
The old man smiled.
I furrowed my brow.
"My will...?"
"Heh heh, yes, your will. The Grand Law from now, for about thirty minutes, hinges entirely on your effort. Raise the intensity yourself, and the pain amps up, time drags. Fail to do so? No pain, and it ends quick."
"Huh, so it's easy?"
"Heh heh, you think so?"
"......"
"Listen well. This intermediate stage can be cleared in one go if done right. Done wrong, and you'll never pass it in a lifetime. Experience it. You'll understand."
Whoosh!
Flames erupted from the old man's hands.
As expected of a master of myriad arts.
He handled fire magic too.
"Will you man up and finish in one go? Or whimper like a coward and suffer long?"
"......Who knows. Guess I'll find out by trying."
"Absurd nonsense. Heh heh, I know you well."
"Me?"
"Yes, you're a creepy one. Tough enough to survive anywhere."
"......"
"Heh heh, let's drag it out."
"The craving for power hidden within you..."
Whoosh!
As the old man's hand moved, the flame coiled around me.
The Grand Law began.
* * *Whoosh!
The sensation hit immediately.
'This much...'
Hot?
Yes, hot.
Scorching.
The flames encircling my body seared my nerve cells one by one.
But still.
'Manageable.'
Suddenly, I recalled the first time the old man beat me.
Screaming wildly, thrashing about.
This was actually better.
'Weak.'
I repeated inwardly.
Not by choice—my body's instinct.
'I know it'll get stronger anyway.'
The old man said it.
Everything depended on my will.
Time was more precious than gold.
If it ended warm like this, why not just hit a sauna?
"Heh heh, good spirit!"
The old man's faint voice echoed in my ears.
I grimaced.
Boom!
An internal explosion signaled the real start.
"Hngh...!"
I bit my lip.
Pain amplified, seizing my mind.
'I can do it. I can.'
I squeezed my eyes shut and focused.
Pain was just nerves crying out.
Familiar after daily doses.
'Bring more.'
Ordinary people shrink from pain.
They flee, step back—that's normal.
'But.'
I didn't retreat.
I reached out to the familiar fiery aura, like from Boneo.
Letting it rampage freely inside me.
'Do as you like. Just one promise: make me a bit stronger... help me grow.'
Whoosh!
Flames blazed.
Not aimlessly.
'This is...'
Fire churned through my body.
The path felt familiar.
'Taecheong Heart Technique?'
Yes.
The flames followed the Taecheong Heart Technique's energy channels.
Burning open blocked meridians the old man's massages couldn't touch.
Boom! Bang! Boom!
Exploding like firecrackers.
"Hngh!"
My eyes snapped open.
Dizzying pain hit.
The true agony began.
"Grrk, grrrk!"
Frothy saliva bubbled from my mouth.
Yellowish liquid oozed from every orifice.
Sizzle!
It vaporized in the heat.
"Impurities. Filth accumulated in the body from the dirty world's air—primal contaminants no normal human method could cleanse... You're enduring well."
Shedding hair and washing marrow, reversing bones and peeling skin.
"......"
The pain continued.
Hundreds of waves, too intense for words.
Strength drained from my body.
Done?
No, muscles burned away.
Even screams wouldn't come.
Overwhelming loss gripped me.
'Am I dying?'
Honestly, I'd quit if I could.
'Depends on my will, right?'
Bullshit.
The fiery energy, having tasted me once, wouldn't leave.
Like a puppy reuniting with its owner, it ravaged me wildly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Roughly.
Subjectively, nearly an hour of turmoil.
"Quit if you want. Know this? It's only been 5 minutes since the Grand Law started."
Crazy?
Curses flew.
"Stop if you hate it. Heh heh, opportunities aren't one-time. Plus, purging impurities is decent progress."
The old man's voice slithered sweetly, temptingly.
Then I got it.
Why he said it wasn't easy.
Temptation beats coercion.
'Don't make me laugh!'
I steeled myself.
Yeah, the old man was a devil.
Devil's whisper.
One chance?
This felt like an hour already—if I quit now?
It all goes to waste?
"Heh heh, creepy as ever. Truly my disciple!"
The old man laughed heartily, pleased.
Today, it grated extra.
"Cough!"
Pain intensified.
Like carpet bombing inside.
[Skill 'Pain Resistance' (A-grade) upgrades one step.]
[Acquire Skill 'Pain Resistance' (S-grade).]
[The skill has room for further growth.]
Subjectively, five more hours passed.
Such messages appeared.
But no thrill.
Mind and body exhausted.
'Just eat me already.'
I flopped over.
Pain far beyond human limits.
1000-ton hammer or 900-ton—same agony.
No thoughts.
Just tears, enduring, enduring.
How much time passed?
"Tough bastard... You endured the full 30 minutes."
The old man's voice faded in.
Ah.
Finally over?
No sense of time or place.
Blurred vision showed frantic Dagunar.
And the old man's pleased face.
'Ha, fuck.'
Well done, me!
Slowly, consciousness faded.
[Congratulations!]
[Your grade has grown to B-rank!]
No chance to see the new message atop my view.