At the same time, the sound of footsteps, breathing, rustling clothes, and swishing sounds due to air resistance became more distinct. That was why there was no need to spread magic out to form an outline. If he could combine those countless details in his head, he could feel it without seeing. And as if to prove this-
「Agility stats increase by 0.0007%.」
Whenever his body moved, Yoon-seok’s agility rose.
「Agility stats increase by 0.0003%.」
「Agility stats increase by 0.0012%.」
「Agility stats increase by 0.0009%.」
As many as a thousand challengers attacked him. However, Yoon-seok wasn’t satisfied. Someone once said time’s more precious than gold. It should be used more efficiently.
“…”
The pair of heavy dumbbells was increased to 45T after enhancing them five times with the 6x fatigue increase option. He just grabbed them, but his whole body was already drooping. On the other hand, the attacks which initially felt harmless became as fast as lightning.
‘…No, did I get that slow?’
Cold sweat was dripping down Yoon-seok’s back. But, his smile deepened. Yoon-seok knew from experience the sweetness that would come after this bitter part.
「Agility ability increases by 0.0086%.」
「Agility ability increases by 0.0132%.」
「Agility ability increases by 0.0091%.」
Therefore, he lifted the dumbbells slowly. It was incredibly hard to lift the weight while avoiding the enemy attacks, but…
「Strength stats increase by 0.00256%.」
「Durability stats increase by 0.0014%.」
「Endurance stats increase by 0.0021%.」
The reward was as sweet as the refreshments made by Elle. Yoon-seok thought he now understood the King of Steel’s words.
—Collide and break. And melt into the mold and collide again! That’s the life of steel.
His tendons were broken and reforged. Nevertheless, Yoon-seok didn’t stop.
「Strength stats increase by 0.00256%.」
「Durability stats increase by 0.0014%.」
「Agility stats increase by 0.0113%.」
He could tell without needing to look at the appearing messages. The weakness in his body was broken, and the will of steel took its place.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
One set, two, three… how long had this exercise continued?
Suddenly, Yoon-seok stopped moving and opened his eyes.
“…?”
Everyone was frozen in place and watching Yoon-seok with strange looks.
Dumbbells. When they saw those familiar yet odd objects, they arrived at only one question.
Why? Did he gather all these busy people just to do weight training? It wasn’t like it increased his stats…
”…No way, does it increase his stats?”
The stunning astonishment broke under that murmur. How could one increase their stats on their own without using points? It was a kind of ability that had never been seen or heard of before, but it sounded credible. Of course, one question remained.
“Why did he ask us to come here?”
If strength increased due to dumbbell exercise, they didn’t have to be here. As one thousand people gathered, the question was also solved quickly.
“Your agility goes up every time you avoid us.”
“…Don’t make me laugh!”
One man chanting a spell shouted. His cry was full of denial, but that trembling voice contained an obvious hint of shame. Most of the challengers here must be feeling the same though they didn’t reveal it.
“He… he called us here… just for this…?”
When they heard from Ashton that he needed them, they dropped everything and rushed over. It wasn’t just curiosity about the buzz and fame. This was the most powerful challenger, the Guardian of Earth. They felt rewarded for their efforts when they heard that man needed them.
—Are you sure? Did he call for us?
It invoked in them a sense of respect and appreciation none had felt before.
—Everyone, step back from the center and put down your weapons.
It was the same when they were told to gather in the mock duel and fight against only one person. Something big was ahead of them. Maybe they gathered this many challengers to try and select a few, so they fought harder to be recognized. But the truth they finally faced was brutal.
“It’s all for training…?”
Challengers on the 15th floor and above were treated with respect everywhere they went. Did they fall into that illusion without realizing it because people kept praising them? As the public said, they weren’t that great at all. They’d gone back and forth between life and death so many times and gained monstrous powers, but…
They were just convenient exercise equipment in front of this guy.
“…What have I been doing all this time?”
A deep sense of emptiness dominated each of them. It was an emotion that they wouldn’t have felt if they hadn’t gathered 1,000 people and suppressed them with overwhelming force. Not as a training opponent, but a training tool…
“…You’re going to admit that!”
One Japanese challenger rushed to Yoon-seok with a katana. Dozens followed him, but some were different. They immediately left the duel feeling severely insulted by that brutal truth.
“…You call busy people and treat them as tools? What a load of crap.”
Of course, in terms of total ratio, it was only a fraction. But they felt the differential gap in their power and their limits that they couldn’t overcome.
‘…I used to be like that too.’
Jovan Trosian, one of the few mission rankers on Earth, felt weird as he watched them. When he met Yoon-seok for the first time, he also struggled with that sense of shame for a long time. And he asked Yoon-seok to vent his emotions-
—…What should I do to become this strong?
Yoon-seok replied:
—Well, I don’t know. But I know why you’re weaker than me.
—Because I’m a mission challenger.
—No. It’s because you didn’t challenge what you thought you couldn’t do.
From that day on, Jovan asked himself several times. Did I do my best? Am I the one who set the limit? At the end of so many questions, Jovan admitted that he lacked. As a result, he was freed from those limitations he drew and was able to take a real step forward.
’But there’s no need to explain this in detail…’
To those who shared the same worries and suffering, Jovan smiled and shook his head. There was no need to say it. Because wasn’t it happening in front of him now?
Whoosh!
Close his eyes and avoid the attacks, all while lifting the dumbbells without a break. This wasn’t being done because it was too easy for that man.
Whoosh!
Sweat dripped off him like heavy rain. His biceps shook whenever he lifted the weights. Jovan knew as soon as he saw it, he was overcoming his limits even at this moment.
“…”
Those walls couldn’t be climbed through effort alone. They would have to think about it before they could move on. Did we try as hard as him? Were they as desperate to exceed their limits? Probably not.
Look at that man.
“Insane… he’s insane…”
His muscles convulsed and stretched under his skin. It didn’t seem like he felt no pain, but still, Yoon-seok moved without stopping. Even if his blood vessels burst, bruises forming on his arms, or blood flowed from his pores. Yoon-seok’s arms never stopped.
“…Why does he have to go to such lengths? He’s already that strong.”
Someone muttered that, but Jovan felt like the remark was wrong. It was because he’d gone to such lengths that he could be this strong. Jovan smiled, recalling an article he read in the newspaper a few days ago.
’That guy is mysterious? That’s ridiculous.’
Yoon-seok was just silent even then. While they went on TV programs, went in and out of mock duels to show off their powers, and gathered articles to make scrapbooks, Yoon-seok continued to sweat in the dark as he trained.
“I can’t…”
Someone else spoke. Jovan thought that maybe like those who left the duel angrily, this man might ignore it and run away. No, most people might do that.
“But if it’s about helping… I can do it, too.”
The man who had lowered the sword helplessly lifted it again, and he ran toward Yoon-seok. It wasn’t just him.
“Training tools? What’s wrong with that?”
“I knew it from a long time ago that he’s an invincible monster. But in other words, it means we’re good enough to help.”
“If I can lift a sword to help him, I will do it again and again.”
“You never know. If we continue, we might make him open his eyes.”
Those who fell into despair stood up on their own. But Jovan knew. Yoon-seok just moved forward quietly, doing what he had to do, but the fact remained it was him who raised them.
“There was a time when I almost died during an exploration. At that time, when the Tower of Truth-seeker was cleared, my magic power increased, and I could barely make it out alive thanks to that. I will pay him back for that kindness.”
“Me too! Without him, do you think challengers would be treated this well?”
“My family’s safe thanks to the timely arrival of that spacecraft.”
Turning despair into stepping stones, the people who stopped began to move forward again. Jovan smiled as he drew his sword. He observed for a while because he was worried, but he couldn’t stay still anymore. But then-
Whooooooosh-!
Yoon-seok belatedly confirmed the new phrase.
「Detection complete.」
「Leader of the Light has been activated.」
「A total of 34,121,857 people are following you.」
He was asked to wait for a while to finish scanning the members. Who knew it would activate almost a month later? Yoon-seok froze.
’It exceeded 30 million people?’
The number was way higher than he’d imagined. He heard Guwon-gyo was increasing its forces on Earth, but these many believers were gathered already?
‘…It was worth the wait.’
Yoon-seok next checked the following phrases.
「An invisible light will shine on the members. It can only be confirmed between members, and the degree of light changes according to faith.」
’Is that it? No, but that’s too much…?’
Half of the challengers were emitting light. Perhaps because the color was black to match his magic, it looked like some devil’s army when hundreds of them were gathered.
Yoon-seok then turned his head to Ashton.
“…”
If the others were the army, Ashton must’ve been the devil.
「Characteristics of the Leader have been designated.」
「Characteristics: One strength – the number increases when followers use strength. This figure is shared with all followers, and when the figure is filled, both followers and leader have their strength increase by +1.」
「Level 1: 0/100,000,000,000」
Yoon-seok finished checking his characteristics. Depending on the number of followers, the speed of magic recovery increased. It also had a characteristic that shared that buff when they were nearby, besides having Resolve, which Elle also possessed.
It felt like Elle’s ability.
’…Why am I like this?’
Yoon-seok didn’t know why, but…
「Level 1: 97,811/100,000,000,000」
The gauge was already filling up.
Spring had also come to the desolate highlands. Young leaves sprouted across the ground.
Stepping over them, a young beast-woman was sweating hard. A hand-written scripture was in front of her as she worked.
Before long, a passer-by stopped to speak to her.
“What are you working on?”
“E-Elder Jang-Il!”
“No need to be so polite.”
The girl, greatly surprised to see the middle-aged man, replied shyly and with a kind smile.
“…I was training alone after reading the scriptures.”
“The scriptures?”
Jang-Il noticed the scriptures spread out in front of the girl. New Testament version 16:3, a new paragraph was written on the open page after reading his actions last night.
“It was recorded last night, but it’s already in your scripture.”
“…Because it’s from him.”
Jang-Il stroked the girl’s head with a warm smile.
“My, my. So how was your training?”
“Don’t be in pain. Don’t be afraid. I weigh all sins in my hands, and this hardship will strengthen me.”
“I recorded it myself last night, so of course, I know. Would you care to explain?”
“It’s for me to bear the weight of my sins.”
Jang-Il rubbed his chin with a strange look.
“Bear your sins…?”
“Yes. It may sound profane to the elder, but I interpreted this phrase differently.”
“Tell me.”
“He said that hardships will strengthen me, and our freedoms were taken away because we were weak. Until I met him, being weak was a crime of evil.”
The beast-girl’s eyes glinted.
“Maybe that’s what he wants from us. To not be afraid of pain but to carry the weight of the crime they spoke of and be strong.”
“…Excellent.”
Jang-Il clapped. What a perfect interpretation.
“There was a reason why he saved you directly on the day the war began.”
“…I’m embarrassed.”
“I will officially attach your interpretation to the scripture, and I will notify all our brothers accordingly. From now on, it is mandatory to train half the day every day.”
“But for those who are challengers, this kind of training won’t help.”
Jang-Il smiled as if he was looking at his cute granddaughter.
“My, my. But fortunately, you still have more to learn.”
“…Please teach me!”
“How can he only be talking about physical strength? When facing sin head-on and hardship reaches its peak, the spirit bound in the past will truly find freedom.”
And it was about ten days after that conversation-
“Revelation! Revelation has come down…!”
“…As expected, he’s watching us!”
The same phrase appeared simultaneously before their eyes as they ran across the plains with their backs laden with rocks.
「Characteristics of the leader have been designated.」
「The number increases when followers use strength. This figure is shared with all followers, and when the figure is filled, both followers and leader have their strength increase by +1.」
It was the moment when their mandatory training time tripled.
“Finally…! We’re finally able to give strength to him!”
“Woahhhhhhhhhh!”
“Come! Bring a rock! D-Double! Double the weight!”
There wasn’t a single doubt between them.
「Level 1: 97,811/100,000,000,000」
Even if several walls blocked their way in the future, their will couldn’t be stopped.
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