Chapter 20

The crystallized essence of the refined Dragon Heart. Though now empty, it could still serve as a vessel if I injected mana into it.

I tested it immediately. When I pushed mana into the crystal, it stored it effortlessly. I then drew it back out. Since it was my own mana, my body absorbed it naturally. I tried again, pushing mana back into the crystal.

Would repeating this eventually fill it?

My assumption was wrong. The mana entered, but then gradually dispersed and vanished.

What about raw essence?

Even monsters and beasts held mana. Conveniently, the Death Knights had left behind a few fresh corpses.

Using the Absorption Technique, I drew mana from the carcasses. The filthy energy entered my body. I carefully controlled it, making sure it didn’t mix with my own, and pressed it into the crystal. The murky mana seeped inside.

“…It works.”

Even after some time, the mana didn’t dissipate. It remained stored within the crystal.

Still, it was troublesome. Maybe magic would help.

I shifted to another corpse and cast Mana Drain. At least I didn’t have to touch the body, and the efficiency was better. The output was higher, though still inconvenient.

Couldn’t I just channel it directly into the crystal? Let’s try.

Holding the crystal in my hand, I cast Mana Drain again. At first, it only sucked the mana from the crystal itself, but after tweaking the formula and adjusting the target and flow path, I succeeded after a few tries.

Mana from the corpse flowed straight into the crystal. The result was murky, tainted mana. Useless for powering a magic circle—it could even corrupt one. I would need to purify it first.

One solution unlocked another.

An unfamiliar exhilaration rose in me—the thrill of intellectual discovery. I felt like a scholar of magic as I carved a new inscription onto the crystal’s surface. A purification spell.

The theory was simple: before absorbing, the mana would pass through a purification process. The more mana there was, the longer it would take, but it would work.

Time for another test.

I hunted down two monsters, forcing their mana out. Their screams filled the air. The energy was still foul, but because it came from living beings, it wasn’t quite as dirty as before.

This time, the mana went through a layer of purification before being absorbed into the crystal. I pushed larger quantities in one go. The absorption worked, though sluggishly. Just draining one creature’s worth of mana took far too long. Stronger monsters would naturally have even more.

Clearly, I needed a new approach.

What if purification wasn’t tied to the absorption stage? What if it happened separately—or continuously?

Another spark of inspiration struck. Ideas flowed endlessly, one feeding into the next.

I carved another magic circle into the crystal. My space was limited, but with swordsmanship-honed precision, the delicate etching wasn’t difficult.

A modified purification spell. This time, it would activate periodically, automatically cycling the mana stored within. The process consumed a little energy—roughly 1 unit of mana to refine 10—but the tradeoff was worth it. I wouldn’t need to monitor it, and storage efficiency increased.

“My first artifact.”

I raised the crystal.

Within its translucent core, currents swirled like a tiny storm. Mist-like. Cloud-like. A constant rotation, cleansing the mana. The once-gray haze slowly brightened.

Satisfied, I tucked it into subspace storage.

Now I had a goal. A small step, but it gave me clarity and direction.

How much mana would I need? I didn’t know yet. But if I gathered enough over a hundred sleeps and used it to attempt dimensional teleportation, I’d at least know the shortfall—and how much more was required.

“Let’s go hunting for mana.”

I led the Death Knights and set out in search of more prey.

Geographically, the Crimson Empire stood firmly in the very heart of the continent, its eyes set greedily on all four directions. And it was the northern kingdom of Widav that first fell into its trap. A master-level swordsman had been cast out in disgrace, and with that expulsion Widav found itself caught in the Empire’s snare, its weakness firmly exposed.

Yet Dumaine, the one who had been exiled, cared nothing for politics or kingdoms. All that remained inside him was an obsession with becoming stronger.

He wandered aimlessly. Whenever he encountered someone who seemed even a little powerful, he forced them into a duel. Countless lives were lost as a result, and his infamy spread like wildfire across the land. Before long, the continent burned with a new rumor:

The Tower Master of Widav, Hazabut, had defected to the Crimson Empire.

Widav Kingdom was thrown into chaos. It was bad enough to lose a Sword Master, but now, in the span of a single day, their Tower Master had disappeared as well. They immediately began an internal investigation, trying desperately to silence the rumor. But rumors needed no legs to travel, and before long, the whole continent knew.

The defection of a 7th-class mage wasn’t just a devastating loss in military strength. It was also a blow to morale. The Tower Master was the pillar of Widav’s mage society. His betrayal sent shockwaves through the hearts of countless mages.

“How could the Tower Master possibly…?”

“This must be a lie, some false rumor spread by our enemies!”

“I can’t believe it.”

Their trust in him had been absolute. His defection left the mages of the Tower in despair, and Widav’s military strength crumbled in the short term. Overnight, Widav became easy prey.

The other kingdoms watched closely. In the far south lay the Poseidon Kingdom. To the west, the free-spirited Cross Kingdom. To the east, the mercantile Geneva Kingdom. And to the north, the kingdom of magic itself—Widav.

On paper, the kingdoms were allies. In reality, they eyed each other’s weaknesses like wolves circling prey. For the moment, though, none dared invade Widav. Each was already straining every resource to resist the endless pressure of the Crimson Empire at the continent’s center.

Instead, the trouble began within Widav itself. With the capital stripped of much of its core strength, the provinces started to stir. Strange winds blew through the local territories, whispers of rebellion riding on the air.

“Gray Butcher…”

“Hmph. What a ridiculous nickname.”

Dumaine scowled. He disliked the name, and as he did, killing intent exploded outward like a storm.

The man before him turned pale in an instant, as though pierced by invisible thorns.

“Heh… with that killing aura, you think I’d dare cross swords with you?”

The man couldn’t move, even as Dumaine mocked him with a sneer.

“Th-the Empire won’t leave you alone for this!”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Dumaine tilted his head, voice low.

“I’ve killed eighty-four so far, yet no hunter has come close to finding me. Do you know what that means? It means if I kill you here, no hunter will come for me either.”

Even though it was just a remote village in a small fief, it still paid taxes to the Empire.

After wandering south from Widav, Dumaine had eventually crossed into Imperial lands. Along the way, in his countless duels, he had slain eighty-four people. And by his own twisted standard, he had quenched his thirst with the blood of the stronger ones.

But the man trembling before him now? His blood wasn’t worth drinking.

“Pick up your sword. You’re supposed to be the strongest one in this village, aren’t you?”

Dumaine drew his blade.

The man clenched his teeth until they hurt.

‘There’s no way I can win!’

Dumaine was a Sword Master. His failed attempt to steal the Empire’s treasure and his subsequent banishment from Widav was a tale known across the continent. People might not even know the name of the duke ruling their own land, but they knew Dumaine. By fame alone, he was unrivaled.

But the man didn’t want to die. He wasn’t a hero. Yet Dumaine was forcing him to play one.

“Or, if you prefer, your entire village can come at me together.”

Dumaine swept his gaze around. Everywhere his eyes lingered, shoulders flinched. Only then did the man notice the villagers watching anxiously from a distance. They were terrified. If he didn’t step forward, everyone would die.

Why had he trained with the sword in the first place? He only wanted to become a knight. Failing that, at least a mercenary—someone who could earn coin and live well. That was why he had picked up the blade. And yet, now it had brought him this curse.

For the first time, he regretted ever lifting a sword.

Closing his eyes, he drew his weapon.

“…Keep your promise.”

“Of course. I have no interest in the weak.”

Dumaine grinned like a snake.

I could feel how much time had passed. It was no wonder—I had already slept ten thousand times.

Since arriving in the Demon Realm, I had kept count of every sleep cycle. Sometimes it was a short nap, sometimes long rest. Sometimes I wouldn’t sleep for two stretches in a row. But in total, ten thousand sleeps.

Circulating my qi relieved fatigue, so I didn’t need to sleep. But whenever I did, my mind felt calmer, clearer. Waking from sleep always left me refreshed. Sleep was good—though it also proved I still hadn’t mastered complete control over my own mind.

During those years in the Demon Realm, my body had grown. Without trimming, my beard quickly grew shaggy. I rose, stretched lightly, and groomed it just enough not to get in the way.

Next, I inspected my blade. The edge was worn and chipped. I had already replaced my sword five times. Yet the intervals between replacements grew shorter. That meant one thing—my control over mana, my inner power, had become finer, sharper.

If my realm advanced further, I would one day be able to slay countless monsters with nothing more than a branch.

I headed toward my usual hunting grounds. Recently, I had found a particularly efficient prey.

Creatures stronger than Death Knights, carrying far more mana, yet taking less time to kill. Their attacks were fierce—one hit could mean certain death. But their strikes were predictable enough to evade. That was why I had been hunting them relentlessly for a long time now.

“Krurwooo…”

The creature’s body was massive, almost shapeless—a swollen lump without clear distinction between upper and lower halves. Its hide was thick and leathery, with six eyes planted across its body in every direction. It had no legs, only a squirming, creeping motion that carried it forward.

“Kak-turek!”

The beast spotted me and lurched closer, wobbling grotesquely. Even with more than ten meters between us, it struck first.

Its outer shell split open, transforming into whip-like appendages that lashed out with terrifying speed.

I twisted my body lightly, dodging.

Swaaaak!

The whip smashed into the ground where I had just stood, carving a deep crater and cracking the earth around it.

In the short distance it closed, the beast had already lashed out eight times.

Up close, its grotesque form was even more vivid. It stood chest-high to me, its maw taking up half its face. I had seen that mouth crush solid rock before.

As soon as I stepped into striking range, another split opened on its body, shooting out a sharp spear-like protrusion. It wasn’t metal, but it stabbed with the same lethal intent.

I deflected it sideways with my sword, the impact reverberating painfully up my wrist. Another spear shot out from elsewhere. I slapped it aside with my palm, using the rebound to slip free, then unleashed sword aura, hacking into the beast relentlessly.

After dozens of strikes, its outer shell finally peeled away, exposing wounds. Once the first cracks appeared, the rest followed naturally. The hardened hide sloughed off, leaving raw flesh vulnerable.

“Krrrryiiiii!”

The exposed wounds glowed, and the beast thrashed wildly. I stepped back and hurled my sword into one of the openings—only the hilt remained visible.

The creature writhed in a frenzy, lashing in every direction. That was the sign—it was almost over.

Eventually, the frenzy subsided. I pulled the crystal from my robes and pressed it against the beast’s body.

“Krurrrr…”

Mana surged from the corpse into the crystal, sucked in effortlessly.

I had refined the crystal countless times. Two more magic circles had been added to its surface, making it more efficient and user-friendly. Now, all I had to do was feed mana into it, and it would absorb, purify, and store energy on its own.

Compared to Death Knights, this beast yielded far more mana.

Its body dimmed, the last glow fading as it collapsed lifelessly.

“One million, huh…”

According to theory, I would need to hunt a million of these creatures to activate the dimensional teleportation magic circle.

One million.

Normally, at most, I could kill ten in one outing.

If a beast carried more mana, its territory was wider, meaning it took longer to find another. On a lucky day, maybe twelve. But compared to one million, it was a drop in the ocean.

Could I really survive long enough to reach that number?

The thought made me weary. Only constant training in swordsmanship and magic kept me enduring this grind.

All I could do was keep doing what I could.

Twenty thousand sleeps.

That was how long it had been.

And in that time, many changes had taken place.

I had become stronger—not just a step above, but transcendent. A strength on an entirely different plane.

My body had been restructured. Hair fell away. My skeleton twisted, broke, and reformed. My meridians had been scoured clean, secondary veins activated. Even the demonic energy saturating my body was purged. Mana now flowed freely, circulating with perfect efficiency. My vessel had widened and reinforced, no endless spring, but a deep and inexhaustible well.

In martial terms, I had reached the Realm of Transformation.

I could now wield sword aura so dense it had crossed into sword force—sword qi refined into pure might.

It was a strength far beyond ordinary sword aura.

The monsters and beasts I faced crumbled easily. Mana obeyed me fully, guiding my body precisely as I willed. My sword struck where I wished, scattering sword force like storms.

Death Knights fell within five exchanges.

And the massive lump-like beast—the one I once needed dozens of strikes to cut down—now perished in only two.