Chapter 32

Chapter 32

I Became the Only Non-mage in the Academy.

Episode 32: Invasion (1)

Bright Morning Eyes (晟晨眼).

Eyes that saw the bright dawn.

The words of the Black Heavenly Demon Sword dazzled me.

One of the reasons I deemed the Black God Martial Arts the strongest martial vein had just come up.

The Black Heavenly Demon Sword spoke,

-The Heaven Defying Body is a power unwelcome in this world. Its previous owner, before attaining status, suffered severe persecution. She thought to herself that she wouldn’t leave such a burden to the future Heavenly Demon. The former Heavenly Demon wanted to pass this message to the next generation.

The Black Heavenly Demon Sword, gazing at me, said,

-Your life, which has thus far been like night, may come to an end with your encounter with the Black Heavenly Demon Sword.

“……”

It was a somewhat embarrassing thing to hear.

-Well, since the master possesses an acquired Heaven Defying Body through foresight, its light has somewhat dimmed.

The Black Heavenly Demon Sword looked at me again.

-If you awaken the Bright Morning Eyes, you will see a different world than before.

“How do I learn the Bright Morning Eyes?”

-Infuse your body with the Energy of Defying Heaven. Look at the world through the Black Essence that has settled within you.

I smiled bitterly at the Black Heavenly’s explanation.

‘Too abstract.’

-Hmm, can’t you understand this explanation?

‘Can this even be understood?’

-The previous owner understood with just this.

‘……’

-Just kidding. Take your time to understand. The Black Essence and Black God Martial Arts are techniques refined over decades by the previous owner. They are designed to be easy to understand and comfortable for juniors, allowing one to aim for higher heights as their realm increases.

Black Heaven said this while looking at me.

-And one day, I am the one who will grant the power to overcome trials to the being who will wield the Black Heavenly Demon Sword.

Black Heavenly Sword stated this while caressing its physical form.

-It’s done now. Master, take hold of my body first.

I was puzzled and grabbed the Black Heavenly Demon Sword.

-Then, infuse it with all the Heaven Defying Energy you have.

Following the instructions of the Black Heavenly Demon Sword, I infused it with Heaven Defying Energy.

A strong light emitted from the red line in the middle of the black sword blade.

It felt like a seal had been broken.

Viewing.

[Black Heavenly Demon Sword (S)]

A divine sword once wielded by the Demon Lord.

Forged from black iron and millennium stone, it boasts unrivaled strength and hardness.

Legend says that a soul dwells within the sword.

: Embedded skill 「Sword Soul」

: Embedded skill 「Soulbreaker」

: Embedded skill 「Poison Soul」

: ???

: ???

…A new skill was unlocked.

-The Poison Soul has been temporarily unlocked.

“Poison Soul?”

-Poison Soul (讀魂). It literally means to read a soul. However, this skill is exclusive to the Black Heavenly Demon Sword. It was created to pass knowledge on to future generations and to protect their bodies. But for now, it’s temporarily unsealed and can only be used once.

“……”

The Black Heavenly Demon Sword touched my forehead.

Then, knowledge flowed into my mind like a stream and became etched within.

The method to create a Heavenly Body, known as Bright Morning Eyes, and beyond that, how to manipulate the Energy of Defying Heaven, and the process of forging the Black Heavenly Demon Sword itself.

Various forms of knowledge were imprinted into my brain.

I seemed to have grasped what the Black Heavenly Demon Sword meant by Bright Morning Eyes.

Bright Morning Eyes.

This power, known as the divine eyes, was incredibly fascinating. My vision narrowed, but it’s akin to the information imprinted within the martial vein.

Black God Martial Arts was the most formidable martial vein.

Black God Martial Arts was a martial art that harnessed the Energy of Defying Heaven.

Defying Heaven was a power that negated everything.

However, even for those who didn’t possess Heaven Defying Bodies, many can learn a half-version of Black God Martial Arts.

Even without Black Wings, Black Scale, and Black Vigor.

The reason was simple.

Even without those three, Black God Martial Arts remained an exceptionally powerful martial art.

The secret lay in the ‘eyes’ and ‘body’.

It was neither the fastest movement technique nor the most ferocious sword technique.

A perfect body that could control even a drop of blood and the heartbeat, paired with eyes that perceive anything.

That’s why Black God Martial Arts was considered the supreme martial vein.

The body of Black God Martial Arts transcended all limits of growth.

The eyes of Black God Martial Arts saw everything.

No matter what the opponent did, they perceived it, broke limits, and evolved.

That’s why Black God Martial Arts stood as the strongest martial vein.

‘Even without a Heaven Defying Body, it was so.’

To be precise, what one could learn from Black God Martial Arts were only the ‘eyes’ and ‘body’.

-Then, let me explain how to learn Bright Morning Eyes. First, gather the Energy of Defying Heaven you’ve deliberately left in your body. Don’t collect it as Black Essence.

I followed the instructions of the Black Heavenly Demon Sword.

-Martial artists divide the dantian into three parts: the lower dantian below the navel, the central dantian at the heart, and the upper dantian in the brain. To awaken Bright Morning Eyes, you must first open the upper dantian.

“Isn’t that something you do at the Advanced level?”

Advanced.

The realm where one manipulated the laws of the world at will.

When a martial artist reached an Advanced level, the upper dantian opened slightly, and upon reaching Higher Advanced, they began perceiving the world through the upper dantian.

Considering realms, it’s not a stage for someone like me who had just entered the Lower level and was heading towards Intermediate.

-Normally, yes. But the master doesn’t know much about the Energy of Defying Heaven. The Energy of Defying Heaven is familiar with the upper dantian. The master handles the Energy of Defying Heaven peculiarly, like the previous owner, so the possibility is greater.

“Is, is that so?”

I considered my conceptual stats and dexterity.

I knew these two powers synergized greatly, but to be comparable to the previous Demon Lord?

‘Well, if it seems dangerous, I can just stop.’

I sat down on the floor and directed the Energy of Defying Heaven toward my brain.

-Normally, you’d have to go through the tedious task of opening the Meridians… but for some reason, the master is born with a body that doesn’t need such a process.

The reason was simple.

It was because of the Spirit Elixir and the Spirit Ability Pill obtained after achieving record-breaking results in the Tower of Trials.

My body’s potential had been maximized, and all the impurities were expelled then.

The Energy of Defying Heaven flowed toward the upper dantian, guided by the knowledge imparted by the Black Heavenly Demon Sword.

Along with it, a black human-shaped figure (人形) materialized in my mind.

[Congratulations, junior. My arrangement has taken root in you. May bright things be in your future.]

……This is.

The vibrant voice of someone was etched into my memory.

It seemed to be a message left by the previous Heavenly Demon.

I slowly opened my eyes.

…Had I succeeded?

I looked around.

The view seemed a bit different. How should I put it? It’s as if the air were rippling.

It looked like I had succeeded.

“There doesn’t seem to be much change.”

-Bright Morning Eyes greatly aid in observing life. Anyway, congratulations, master.

I understood.

-And Bright Morning Eyes is an eye that shines even brighter when paired with a physical Heavenly Body.

I retrieved an item from my spatial storage.

It was the Spirit Elixir I got from capturing a Mine, which Seo Ye-bin had given me to enhance my physical strength.

[Body Clarity Elixir (B)]

A pill that clarifies the body and greatly increases physical strength.

: When taken, physical strength increases by +3.

: Blood circulation improves, making the body healthier.

“Quite a decent Spirit Elixir. It was from that monstrous woman, right?”

I nodded at the Black Heavenly Demon Sword’s comment and swallowed the pill.

Blue energy seeped into my body, brimming with vitality.

…Status window.

▼

[Name: Lee Seo-ha]

Strength: 9

Agility: 11 (8+3)

Physical Strength: 15

Dexterity: 9

Concept Stats

Defying Heaven: 10

◈ Talent

「Viewing (-)」, 「Incomprehensible Talent (A-)」, 「Dexterity (B+)」

◈ Skills

「Black God Martial Arts (?)」, 「Bright Morning Eyes (S)」, 「Alton’s Arcane Alchemy (B)」, 「Ikar’s Advanced Spirit Power Control (C)」, 「Black Flash Sword Technique (D)」

◈ Constitution

「Heaven Defying Body (S-)」

Many things had increased in the status window.

The status window particularly highlighted physical strength.

‘…It’s unavoidable.’

To increase other abilities, physical strength was essential.

Whatever it was, physical strength was needed to perform actions that would increase abilities.

It was like a hidden piece.

I looked at the Bright Morning Eyes in the skills section.

The system had rated it as an S grade.

Among the grades I had, excluding the indeterminable Black God Martial Arts and Viewing, it held the highest grade.

‘Normally, it should have been rated A grade…’

It had received an S grade due to the power of the Heaven Defying Body.

‘Lucky me.’

The mid-term evaluation had begun.

In the end, there wasn’t much gain. The Mines were quiet, and nothing unusual happened inside the dungeon.

‘That’s why it’s more unsettling.’

It was unlike the Mines to be this quiet. However, time passed, and the first written exam for apprentices began.

Before the exam started, it was study time.

I was explaining a problem to Seo Ga-yeon.

“Ah, so that’s why the result was weird.”

“Yeah. So, be careful next time.”

“But Seo-ha really knows a lot about alchemy. Thanks to you, I moved up to silver this time.”

Seo Ga-yeon said, her smile beaming.

‘She does have talent.’

Seo Ga-yeon was a Star Magician.

Focusing on alchemy and magic was the best path for her growth.

Yet her recent performance seemed a bit unusual.

If she’s at the silver level, that means she’s in the top 10,000 of the Alchemy Guild.

It would make sense if she had started with alchemy from the beginning, but Seo Ga-yeon had only been studying it for a month.

…Well, good was good.

After Seo Ga-yeon left, I yawned leisurely and perked up my ears.

Usually, many would be studying, but today it was rather noisy.

“Did you hear? An alchemy professor was attacked while walking at night?”

“What? Who?”

“I don’t know. Because of that, the school’s security has really tightened. We might not be able to go out this weekend.”

“Wow.”

…It couldn’t be, could it?

I thought of Seolhwa Ryeon, who mistook me for an elder.

I had warned her to be cautious, but that didn’t mean to target the Mines’ necks.

“Everyone, focus. We will start the written part of the midterm evaluation at 9 o’clock sharp. Cheating is allowed, but if you get caught, you will be immediately expelled. Only those who are prepared or confident they won’t get caught should attempt it.”

For a moment, the professor’s gaze landed on me.

I flinched inwardly, aware that solving the exam with talent reading was tantamount to cheating.

“Let’s start the evaluation.”