Chapter 233  

Gabriel dispelled the blue energy on his fingertips and looked at Yu-Seong with narrowed eyes. Sensing the piercing stare, Yu-Seong involuntarily tensed up and swallowed hard.

"You planned this from the beginning, didn’t you?" Gabriel said.

"...I can't deny it. Haha," Yu-Seong said with a nod as he sheepishly scratched his cheek.

In fact, since lying wouldn’t work in this situation, it was better for him to confront it sincerely.

"To be honest, this is my worst-case scenario. Given that I’ve broken the rules, I never anticipated that my master would support me, and... Truth be told, I tend to get easily frightened," Yu-Seong explained.

"I don't want to die!" Green yelled out, then grinned. “I can hear the whispers of your heart. That’s why you had no intention of confronting Eveheim in combat, didn’t you?"

Although he appeared to be a boy on the surface, Green was a monster who had lived for over a thousand years.

'He even seems to be able to read thoughts to some extent...'?

According to the original novel, there was such a character among the transcendent beings, and it seemed to be Green.

"But still, I try not to delve as much as I can. Otherwise, it would torment both of us," Green said.

"...You're very considerate," said Yu-Seong.

"I think so too,” Green said with a smile.

Yu-Seong inwardly nodded before Green continued, "Becoming a common disciple of the three of us is undoubtedly a remarkable event, a situation that won't occur again in the human world. However, even if you were to truly reach the realm of transcendence, fighting against Eveheim would present an absolute life-or-death situation.”

"...I know."

In fact, that was why Yu-Seong considered this situation to be the worst. Great power came with great responsibility—a line from the Spider-Man cartoon that Yu-Seong quite liked, and it perfectly encapsulated the current situation.

"Still, I don't think it’s completely impossible. In any case, I am choosing to confront Eveheim in order to survive here, and thanks to that, I’d have the opportunity to train under all three of you. However...the problem is that the time given to me is at most one year," Yu-Seong said.

He only had a year to surpass the S-rank and reach the realm of transcendence—a daunting task within such a short time. In fact, the task appeared to be logically impossible.

"In one year, it's impossible for you to even get close to Eveheim’s level. Your talent is decent, but Eveheim is the first one among us who entered the realm of transcendence." Ok-Rye, who had taught Yu-Seong once, calmly assessed the situation.

Then, she smiled and looked at Gabriel. She added, "But that doesn't mean that this task is entirely impossible.”

"I know. Now that we've made the decision to teach him, we must ensure that we do it properly..." said Gabriel as he stared at Yu-Seong directly with his blue eyes. "Now that you have understood and accepted your fate, I will dedicate myself to assisting your growth. What I mean is—"

Before Gabriel could finish speaking, Green popped out between the two and interjected, "There's no need to say it! That kid already knows everything.”

"What...?" Gabriel narrowed his eyes and glared at Ok-Rye.

"No, I didn't say anything," Ok-Rye said as she waved her hand and shook her head once again.

"The situation is a bit unique, but there's no reason to doubt it. I'll guarantee it!" Green said.

Gabriel, who had been full of suspicion, let out a sigh and nodded in response to Green's words. He said, "Fine. Since we don't have much time, we can discuss the details later.”

"You are about to initiate Time Dilation right away, right? How much can you extend it? May I inquire about that?"

"First, let me put it more realistically. One year is not enough. We need at least three years," Gabriel stated.

Both Ok-Rye and Green nodded in agreement.

Indeed, no matter how far Time Dilation was pushed, there was a limit.

"...I mentioned about a year to my party, but if the three of you are in agreement, I will follow your suggestions," Yu-Seong nodded and agreed.

After all, it was much better to train for a longer period and grow steadily rather than risking death through haphazard training.

‘Actually, the most concerning thing is the variables that may arise while I’m away…’

However, since Yu-Seong had already ended up in the worst-case scenario, there was no way around it.

"Alright. My disciple has agreed. Then, Gabriel, if we have three years, how much can you extend it?" Ok-Rye asked.

"If it's within this sanctuary, I can extend it to a maximum of five hundred years," Gabriel replied.

Yu-Seong, who had read the original novel and had a rough idea of what transcendent beings were, was still greatly surprised by Gabriel’s words.

‘He can extend three years to five hundred?!’

Even though it was only possible because they were within the sanctuary of the transcendent beings, which essentially served as a gathering spot for energy and also the point from which mana stones spread across the world, the scale of this ability was still beyond comprehension. Yu-Seong now understood why the achievements of transcendent beings were not revealed until the completion of the first chapter of the original novel.

‘This completely throws off the balance, doesn't it?’

On the other hand, he couldn't help but think that it made perfect sense for Superbia, the sole surviving Demon King of Pride, and Eveheim to be selected as the ultimate bosses of Chapter 2.

‘There are beings who would not step up at this stage.’

They were monsters who had reached an entirely different level. Even though Do-Jin had gone back in time, he had not reached the same realm as the transcendent beings.

‘Perhaps in Book 2, he eventually reached the level of a transcendent.’

Yu-Seong gasped, feeling the distinct and significant difference in scale. Gabriel, noticing his reaction, said with a frown, "Of course, that's just the maximum. When it's my turn, I would have to train you and maintain the Time Dilation simultaneously…so the limit would be around 250 years.”

"That's still incredible," Yu-Seong remarked.

Could a skill that allowed for the extension of 3 years to 250 years be considered mere magic? Yu-Seong thought that it would be more appropriate to call it a miracle or an extraordinary transcendental power

Meanwhile, Ok-Rye and Green, seemingly unsurprised by this revelation, nodded in agreement. The three transcendent beings thus engaged in a discussion among themselves regarding the allocation of time.

"It's definitely better to divide the training time rather than doing it all at once," Green commented.

Gabriel nodded. "Even though he is the son of Baek Yu-Ri and has considerable talent, we must be cautious not to administer too much at once. Otherwise, it could cause him to collapse instead..."

"If that's the case, I'll take on the initial training. In terms of establishing the foundation, I can handle it with about fifty years of training," Ok-Rye said as she stepped forward.

"Then, can I have a hundred years?" Green raised his hand with an excited expression.

"Make it seventy-five. Even a century is too short to showcase my abilities," Gabriel said.

"Ehh, Gabriel, you're so greedy."

"Hmph..."

Ignoring Green's grumbling and letting out a snort, Gabriel approached the blue door that belonged to him, took a seat, and focused his concentration. Within less than a minute, the surrounding space began to ripple and shift with a short echo.

“The Time Dilation has started. Well then, shall we get started, my disciple?” asked Ok-Rye.

“Then, I’ll be out! It's boring just watching anyway. See you in fifty years, my disciple!" said Green enthusiastically.

Just as Ok-Rye rotated her arms and casually cracked her neck to warm herself up, Green yawned and waved goodbye. He headed toward the green door to exit the sanctuary.

"Oh, wait. Green."

As if something had suddenly occurred to her, Ok-Rye grabbed Green.

"Yeah, what's up?" asked Green.

"Now that I think about it, that guy who died in this place earlier seems to be of some use,” said Ok-Rye.

"Oh, you mean the Demon King?" Green said.

“Can you bring him back to life?" asked Ok-Rye.

"I can't fully resurrect him because Gabriel completely annihilated him. If it's only his physical abilities...it might be somewhat possible. But it won't have any sense of self or consciousness," Green explained. "Please," Ok-Rye requested.

"It's for the sake of the disciple, so it's no big deal," answered Green, smiling and nodding.

Afterwards, he waved his hand and the green energy in front of the green door began to gather into the form of a living being. Half an hour later, Acedia, who had been completely annihilated, appeared before Yu-Seong with a vacant expression in his eyes.

"Oh my..." Yu-Seong exclaimed, unable to contain his astonishment at the truly remarkable sight.

Just as Yu-Seong was captivated by what he was witnessing, Green rubbed his nose and waved his hand again. He said, "Then, really, I'll see you in fifty years!"

Fifty years was a span of time far surpassing Yu-Seong's entire life thus far. Although he couldn't fully comprehend its magnitude, Yu-Seong understood that such a significant amount of time would indeed elapse. It appeared as if there was an abundance of leisure, but in reality, that wasn't the case.

As if to prove that very point, Ok-Rye, touched Green’s Acedia in a few places and then smiled in satisfaction. She said, "Training your body to this extent should ensure that nothing can hurt you. Now, it's your first trial.”

The motionless Acedia's body then creaked as it began to move forward.

"I'll adjust the strength appropriately, so fight as much as you can. You can’t die here anyway. I won't release the mana seal, so you'll have to rely solely on your physical strength," Ok-Rye instructed.

It was a simple and crude training, but Yu-Seong didn't doubt Ok-Rye's method.

‘She has always favored this kind of approach.’

Above all, there was no room for doubt. Acedia’s fist sliced through the air, appearing in front of Yu-Seong’s face in the blink of an eye.

‘Ah!’

In fact, it wasn't due to Yu-Seong's own will that he had evaded the attack. Ok-Rye had suddenly appeared behind him, gripped his collar, and thrust his arm forward.

Bang-!?

Yu-Seong's eyes widened in surprise as Acedia was forcefully pushed back. He hadn’t actually moved of his own will; instead, he was being manipulated like a puppet by his teacher.

"Relax your body and clear your mind. This is beyond the realm where your consciousness can respond. I'll engrave the movements I teach you into your very being. This is the first step," Ok-Rye explained.

"I will...!"

Before Yu-Seong could offer a complete reply, Acedia's kick came rushing toward him. Under Ok-Rye’s control, he was forced to avoid it as cold sweat dripped down his forehead.

‘In this state, for fifty years…’

Even though it was the sanctuary of the transcendent beings, where he wouldn't age or die, it was by no means an easy task. However, Yu-Seong would endure and continue moving forward. Eventually he would reach transcendence. After that, he would return to the world where he rightfully belonged.

Indeed, the path ahead was already determined. As he made this promise, Yu-Seong was now destined to protect the world and was unable to withdraw anymore.

‘Please wait for me, everyone.’

He made a firm resolution in his heart, and a blazing determination surged within him.

***

In front of a logistics warehouse in Incheon, Eveheim's eyes sparkled with interest as he gazed at the setting sun with a somewhat relaxed expression.

"This is an earlier visit than I expected," he remarked calmly, turning his gaze to the sword pointed at his neck.

"I heard that you're the leader of the Demon King Worshipers," Do-Jin said to him with a cold gaze.

"...Well, I do hold such a position," Eveheim replied.

"Let me get to the point. Bring the Demon King of Sloth here," Do-Jin said.

"Well, that's an...interesting demand. If I could bring him, wouldn't I have already done so? I mean, I am the leader of the Demon King Worshipers, you know?”

"There must be a way. Bring him back, no matter where he is. I'll kill him," Do-Jin said.

"That doesn't sound like something you should tell me." Eveheim smirked and shrugged at the rough threat.

At that moment, Do-Jin's sword flew from his grip.

Taken aback by the unexpected development, since he hadn’t even sensed any mana, Do-Jin attempted to reach for his sword. However, before he could grasp it, Eveheim's hand swiftly shot forward and seized him by the throat.