Chapter 193
Chapter 193
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 193
Chapter Title: Lil and Sepiro
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‘Defying Heaven magic...!’
The pupils of Transcender Lil trembled faintly.
It was magic that seemed to defy the heavens themselves, violating the natural order.
Not that the heavenly punishment, which should fall from the sky, was rising from the ground instead.
Guoooooo!
Chiruk! Chirururuk!
The magic was alive.
The intensely blazing lightning had coalesced into the form of a massive beast.
The lightning beast prowled around Park Chan-woo, lingering there.
It scorched everything it touched, scattering bolts across the entire laboratory.
Yet it was hard to call this ordinary lightning magic.
A colossal beast of lightning that even exuded murderous intent.
Magic took countless forms, but this was the first time she'd seen one like this.
‘It’s like a ferocious deity.’
A god of savage, ominous lightning.
But the ‘heavenly punishment’ that Park Chan-woo had invoked was far removed from such magic.
Heavenly Punishment.
A punishment sent directly from the heavens.
The name was grandiose, but it was simply ordinary lightning magic.
No matter who cast it, it always took the same form.
Yet when uttered from Park Chan-woo’s lips, it manifested in an entirely different shape.
Just like the real heavenly punishment.
Like a beast dispatched by the heavens to punish a sinner.
‘It’s magic infused with Dragon Word.’
Dragon Word.
The draconic power of spoken command.
That’s why it was defying heaven magic.
Not merely creating phenomena through words.
But how could the power of dragons emerge from the mouth of a human like Park Chan-woo?
What’s more, it wasn’t even ordinary Dragon Word.
Dragons grew stronger in the power of their words with age.
If he could conjure a lightning beast with mere words like that, it had to be the Dragon Word of an ancient dragon... or something even higher.
Suuuuu!
Soon, the lightning beast, having lost its target, evaporated into thin air.
“Is this how it’s supposed to be used?”
―….
Lil gazed at Park Chan-woo in silence.
He was the type to restrain his emotions tightly.
Yet when it came to magic, his eyes sparkled as he asked.
The only time his emotions surged and his expression shifted was when magic was involved.
Lil thought to herself.
‘A pure, unmatched passion for magic.’
Truly a pure soul.
At least when it came to magic, he was endlessly like a child.
Long ago, in memories too distant to recall, she too had harbored such pure longing.
But at some point, perfecting magic had become her mission, her duty.
Curiosity, fun, even the smallest spark of passion had long faded.
Yet the human before her was different.
His passion grew like a snowball rolling downhill with time.
It wasn’t as if he had consciously tried to use Dragon Word.
‘…Reversing his mana amplified the power of his words. Surpassing mere incantations, he wielded strength akin to an ancient dragon’s Dragon Word. In other words.’
What did this mean?
Did Park Chan-woo possess an ancient dragon’s heart?
But if he did, his base stats couldn’t be a mere 1.
More importantly, simply possessing a ‘dragon heart’ didn’t grant the ability to use Dragon Word.
Dragon Word was a racial trait of dragons.
The traces of ‘Wish’ she sensed from him had no connection to Dragon Word either.
There was only one conclusion.
‘Is Park Chan-woo’s essence—his soul—magic itself?’
If a god of magic existed, perhaps it dwelled within him.
Reversing mana meant probing one’s essence.
Like swimming upstream to the source where the water first flows.
By touching that essence, his latent potential had awakened.
It was such an bizarre phenomenon that no other explanation fit.
“…Guess that’s not how it’s used, then.”
―…No, that was correct.
Lil shook her head, correcting him.
Park Chan-woo’s magic was simply unique.
No matter what she taught, she couldn’t predict the form it would take.
Could this even be called proper instruction?
When the magic he unleashed was utterly unlike her intent.
―Do you know that mana has stages?
Of course. Her deliberation didn’t last long.
Time was running short.
She had to maximize his understanding of magic.
He still couldn’t handle high-tier magic in this state.
“You mean the names based on mana density?”
Park Chan-woo asked in a serious tone.
When mana density exceeded 100%, it was called ‘divine power.’
But Lil shook her head once more.
―Stage 1 is ‘Awakening.’ Stage 2 is ‘Flow,’ and Stage 3 is ‘Coalescence.’ These are the basic three stages of mana that form magic. You’ve just passed ‘Flow.’
“You’re saying I’ve only reached Stage 2?”
―Most mortals stop at Stage 1, ‘Awakening.’ Those who can reverse mana are exceedingly rare.
Only upon achieving mana reversal did one truly settle into Stage 2.
“How many stages are there in total?”
―Nine. From Stage 4 onward are the advanced stages: Resonance, Creation, Dominion. From Stage 7, the ‘Transcendence’ stages: Transcendence, Divinity, Genesis.
…A long road ahead.
Yet Park Chan-woo smiled.
The more walls to overcome, the more room to grow stronger.
“What stage have you reached, Master?”
―I’ve reached the threshold of Stage 7, ‘Transcendence.’
Transcendence stage.
The first step of the highest tier.
That alone made her a Transcender, having completed magic that resounded across the entire Abyss.
At this point, he couldn’t help but wonder.
His mouth went dry with thirst, and he couldn’t hold back.
“……Do you know what stage Dragon God Sepiro has reached?”
―Sepiro’s shell is at the ‘Transcendence’ stage like mine, but his true body has attained Stage 9, ‘Genesis.’
She spoke matter-of-factly, but it was a shocking revelation.
She was clearly distinguishing between shell and true body.
In other words, Lil knew the true identity of that mad ‘Transcendent Dragon.’
【I shall grant you the greatest despair.】
【Humans, begone.】
The nightmare resurfaced.
…Just a single command to vanish.
With those words, humanity perished.
Everyone turned to dust and faded away.
Decades of accumulated effort turned to nothing.
All the sacrifices made to conquer the Abyss were in vain.
…Stage 9, Genesis.
A being at the pinnacle of magic could effortlessly destroy a world.
‘Can I surpass it?’
It still felt impossibly distant.
He looked up, but couldn’t even glimpse it.
He had only just settled into Stage 2.
If even Lil was at Stage 7, when would he reach Stage 9?
That was when.
―If we judge solely by mana stages, Sepiro is undoubtedly ideal. But precisely because of that, he cannot surpass Stage 9.
Lil suddenly said.
He couldn’t help tilting his head.
Weren’t there only nine stages of mana?
“What do you mean by that?”
―Born as a dragon, he treats mana too lightly, wielding it without understanding its essence. He uses it like a slave, lacking any foundation.
Foundation. Fundamentals.
Dragon God Sepiro would scoff if he heard this.
But Lil’s tone carried unwavering conviction.
And he agreed, to some extent.
‘He dismissed the basic magic I wielded.’
That was Sepiro’s weakness.
Underestimating Park Chan-woo, who relied only on fundamentals, led to his heart being seized.
Why bother with basics when a word could summon the highest-tier magic?
“But didn’t you say mana has nine stages?”
―There is one more stage that unifies all. True completion, the hope Sepiro desperately craves. His every interest is but a frantic struggle to reach that stage.
Sepiro ignored everything not sparking his interest.
That interest hinged on pieces that could lead to ‘true completion.’
“What’s the stage of completion called?”
Stage 9 was Genesis.
A power that could create worlds.
Anything beyond was hard to grasp.
Soon, Lil spoke.
―The end of all phenomena, called ‘Apocalypse.’
The unexpected name left Park Chan-woo momentarily stunned.
Lil continued.
―Only the ‘Creator’ who birthed the Abyss has reached Apocalypse. Sepiro, who refuses to grasp mana’s essence or the Abyss’s true nature, can never touch it.
The word ‘Creator’ made Park Chan-woo’s shoulders twitch.
“The Creator who made the Abyss... really exists?”
―Existed.
“Existed? Not anymore?”
―Vanished.
Vanished.
Gone, erased.
“Then ‘Easter Egg’ is indeed a trace left by the Creator?”
―Easter Egg? First I’ve heard of it. Even we Transcenders know little of the Creator. Only that he suddenly vanished. Do you have one?
He had thought—believed, even—that Easter Egg was the Creator’s legacy.
Yet even a Transcender didn’t know of it.
After a brief moment of thought, Park Chan-woo pulled ‘Easter Egg (001)’ from his inventory.
“...This is it.”
―Hmm... A peculiar egg. Too crude to be the Creator’s legacy. I wouldn’t know.
Lil clearly had no idea either.
If even Transcenders were clueless, few knew the truth of Easter Eggs.
‘Sepiro might know.’
He might even possess one.
The one who’d explored the Abyss most extensively.
―And.
Suddenly, Transcender Lil’s voice lowered.
Park Chan-woo turned to look at her again.
Whoosh!
As Lil extended her hand, a tiny shooting star appeared in her palm.
The essence of ancient tomes.
Magic manifested through it.
Slowly, Lil gazed at her own magic and spoke.
―My magic exists to reach that final completion: ‘Apocalypse.’