Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Chapter 32 The Greatest Monster That Even Mocks the Gods
I am not the kind of pathetic human who underestimates his opponent and gets caught off guard due to carelessness.
I had already faced each of the avatars multiple times and completed my analysis of the power they wielded.
In a notebook, I had organized their characteristics one by one using a cipher that only Estelle and I knew.
'I'm glad I made this just in case.'
Among the skills integrated through All-Mastery was one called Cryptanalysis, and at that time I thought it would be good to have my own cipher, so I had created one together with Estelle.
Even if someone saw this, it would look like a diary with everyday content, so they wouldn't find it strange.
Interpreting and summarizing the contents of the notebook, it was as follows:
Zeus, wields lightning. Prefers mid-range combat using a spear and is also strong in long-range combat utilizing lightning.
Indra, wields lightning. Specializes in ultra-close combat using a Vajra. Long-range combat is also possible, but prefers to use lightning to enhance the body.
Odin, all-rounder. Uses swordsmanship, magic, and divine arts harmoniously, and despite being an avatar, fights most cleverly. Pure physical strength is inferior to Demon Kings, but was the most troublesome.
Shakyamuni, martial artist. Like Baal, the type that pushes through with pure physical strength. Mainly uses Shaolin-style martial arts and has the sturdiest body among those I've faced. Seems to have learned external martial arts.
Yahweh, priest. Specializes in buffs, healing, support using pure divine power, and long-range combat. Contains the most energy in the body among the gods who sent avatars.
These were the characteristics of the gods.
Each had their own individuality, and Zeus, Shakyamuni, and Yahweh who pushed through with pure physical strength alone were easy to analyze, but those who fought in unique ways like Indra and Odin took some time to analyze.
That's not to say the gods who fought with pure physical strength alone were weak though. Fighting with pure physical strength alone also meant there was no need to bother with technique.
'If I meet them in their true forms, they might be more troublesome.'
Because high pure physical strength would be combined with intelligence.
The Demon Kings didn't antagonize Earthlings, so there wasn't really a need to analyze them thoroughly, but I did it just in case.
Baal, the giving tree. The best patron who gave generously of how to handle energy, how to fight, and even offered his body to help me create my first Legendary-grade artifact.
Agares, psychic. Has various psychic abilities but basically uses telekinesis and prefers to dominate the surroundings. Also wields powerful forces related to space itself.
Vasago, analyst. As if predicting my next move, engages in numerical battles with very efficient movements. Overwhelming power is needed to the point where prediction becomes meaningless.
These were the characteristics of the Demon Kings.
If Baal saw my evaluation of him directly, he'd probably split me into pieces.
'But you can't see it, can you?'
Even if he did see it, he wouldn't be able to understand the content.
The fact that Demon Kings are stronger than gods as individual entities seemed to be true, as their avatars were basically stronger than the gods and were quite troublesome to face.
If the gods felt like natural-born strongmen who researched to better wield the power they had from birth, the Demon Kings felt like hard workers who had grown strong from the bottom up through sheer effort.
They perfectly understood their own abilities and knew how to wield them at a professional level without any particular waste. From what I could see, the avatar seemed to carry some of the main body's disposition.
Rather than showing consistent reactions for each avatar, they each fought in different ways and different battles.
Their combat methods each held high value, and the God Demon Annihilation Dance that had devoured the combat methods of the highest-grade gods and Demon Kings was becoming more lethal.
The God Demon Annihilation Dance, which was only level 4 when I first entered the second round tutorial, had already reached level 6.
It was growing at an incredibly steep rate that was hard to believe for a divine martial art.
It was as if their avatars were like a buffet prepared for me. I was happy because there was so much to extract and devour.
'One is no longer enough.'
If I tried to absorb all their advantages one-on-one, it would take too long.
I planned to face two or more simultaneously and extract them more thoroughly.
"Tutorial Monster. Zeus's Avatar. Odin's Avatar."
At first, I simultaneously summoned the avatars of Odin and Zeus, who I was more familiar with compared to other avatars since I had used them to create martial arts.
There was the more familiar Baal, but I had already stripped him clean down to the bone in the first round, so there was nothing more to gain.
What I wanted to gain from Zeus wasn't just simple speed, but how to handle that speed more effectively. What I wanted to gain from Odin was how to fight cleverly.
I was worried about what would happen if the two avatars fought each other instead of targeting me, but fortunately that didn't happen.
As if they only targeted the summoner, the two naturally coordinated their attacks and rushed toward me.
No, Zeus was simply attacking me, while Odin in the back was cleverly providing support.
Even though they were avatars with intelligence close to zero, they instinctively used more efficient methods to face me.
Unless you've professionally trained in coordination or practiced together, the first coordinated attack usually results in movements interfering with each other.
But because Odin moved to match Zeus's movements, a perfect coordination was completed without any tangled parts.
'This will help in creating formation techniques.'
What were the advantages of Earthlings? They lay in overwhelming numbers and potential.
Since their bodies hadn't been exposed to mana for a long time, they could actually sense mana more easily than other worlders.
Among Earthlings, while there were geniuses and dunces, there were virtually none who couldn't even use mana.
According to what I heard from Estelle, the number of other worlders who could sense and use mana comprised a small percentage of the population.
But all of us humans could use mana. What if the existence of formation techniques like Shaolin's One Hundred and Eight Arhat Formation were added to such Earthlings?
We could properly show what overwhelming numerical violence meant.
'This is much better.'
Facing the two simultaneously, my understanding of them was rising more quickly and steeply.
My understanding of Zeus's movements and Odin's cleverness was accumulating explosively.
Facing the two simultaneously didn't just make it twice as hard, but three times more difficult or more, yet I was rather enjoying it.
In the first round tutorial, there were no more crises to speak of and no methods to grow, but now in the second round, the means to become stronger were overflowing.
[God Demon Annihilation Dance's level increases.]
It wasn't even just me getting stronger. When I shared the combat methods I discovered with my companions, each absorbed them in ways they needed and became stronger.
As time passed, I summoned avatars in increasingly varied combinations to face them.
Soon two weren't enough, so I summoned three avatars simultaneously to raise the difficulty further.
From three onward, I had to experience the crisis of death, but that crisis made me grow more. My senses became more refined and the speed of absorbing their advantages increased.
[God Demon Annihilation Dance's level increases.]
When I became proficient at facing three, I simultaneously summoned four avatars. I faced death against avatars for the first time in a while.
"Interesting?"
An ordinary person would feel pain and fear from death and wouldn't repeat the same attempt, but I'm different. The number of times I died and revived in just the first round exceeded the hundreds.
The death agony that felt like chewing raw flesh, the sensation of death that constantly sank the mind to the bottom and planted fear—these were all too familiar to me.
There was even a day in the first round when I shed tears because dying was too scary and difficult, but I had already left all such weaknesses in the first round.
Death meant trials I couldn't handle.
And trials I couldn't handle were equivalent to stepping stones for growth. If I could just overcome this trial, I could advance to the world beyond.
It meant there was still room for growth. Being able to intuitively see the path forward was nothing short of blissful for someone like me who was crazy about getting stronger.
[God Demon Annihilation Dance's level increases.]
Soon even four avatars felt easy. As I absorbed their combat methods and advantages, my martial arts and skills themselves were leaping to higher dimensions.
The know-how that beings beyond specifications had accumulated over their lifetimes was accumulating bit by bit in me, who was merely human.
It was no different from becoming their unofficial successor.
What emotions might they be feeling watching a being no different from a bug absorbing all of their everything?
Perhaps they were regretting sending avatars for the tutorial. They probably never imagined such a human would exist.
'Shock and awe. You damn brats.'
From the moment I could fully face five avatars, I felt something changing within me.
[God Demon Annihilation Dance's level increases.]
[God Demon Annihilation Dance's proficiency has reached maximum.]
Zeus and Indra's speed, Odin's cleverness, Shakyamuni's solidity, Yahweh's support, Baal's mercy... no, domination, Agares's efficiency, and even Vasago's composure.
All of it became one within me. It was leading God Demon Annihilation Dance to another realm.
[God Demon Annihilation Dance and the enlightenment gained from beings beyond specifications melt into a single ability.]
[Please name the new ability.]
It wasn't a simple martial art.
As if it wasn't a joke that I had become their successor, God Demon Annihilation Dance was advancing to a different dimensional realm beyond martial arts.
Something beyond specifications was being created that would allow me to wield, even if just a little bit, the abilities used by the highest-grade gods and Demon Kings I had faced.
Something so special was born that even the system no longer used the word martial art but expressed it with the word ability.
Power that didn't confine itself to specifications and could develop infinitely.
My own path with no visible end, accepting everything from gods and Demon Kings and holding the possibility to surpass them.
"Transcendence Limitless Path."
That new power clearly established the direction I should take going forward.
Not simply killing them, but absorbing everything of theirs and advancing to become a higher-dimensional being.
I naturally moved my hand to partially imitate their authority. Agares's Spatial Domination was faintly unfolding from my hand.
'Once I get used to it, I might be able to use it more strongly.'
Since I had just obtained the ability, my proficiency was still low, so I could only use power so weak it couldn't even be compared to the original.
But it wouldn't stay this way forever. As I became more accustomed to wielding their abilities, as the skill's proficiency increased, it would show abilities of a different dimension.
Later, it seemed possible to display power surpassing the original through complex applications mixing two or more abilities.
"I need to get used to it quickly."
Having obtained such an attractive ability, I had no intention of letting it rot away. I immediately summoned avatars and began adapting to the new ability.
When it came to learning how to wield their power, wouldn't it be more effective to learn directly from them?
Perfect teaching materials were right before my eyes.
I just had to watch and imitate.
'You really give so generously. Masters.'
The greatest monster that even mocked the gods had been born.
If the gods watching over Han Yeong-min had heard this, they would have had a fit.