“Someone like me…”
“Yes.”
Ashoka’s eyes glinted with an eerie fervor.
“You are astonishingly indifferent to your lifespan. Even though I warned you that using the void would cut short the lifespan of your human species, you prioritized completing the Taiji Sword.”
“Whether it’s a hundred years or a thousand years… does it really matter? I’ll be fighting the Martial God before then anyway. It’s better to gather strength no matter what.”
Seong Jihan looked at Ashoka as if he were making a fuss over nothing.
There’s an enemy called the Martial God, and until he is defeated, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a hundred years or a thousand years.
Rather, this relentless pursuit of strength is more advantageous for survival.
“But wasn’t there temptation for you?”
“That’s…”
“It’s a natural instinct for living beings to want to continue living. Yet, you unhesitatingly draw from the void. Truly… with not an inch of hesitation.”
Seong Jihan recalled a moment from earlier at those words.
When Ashoka mentioned lifespan.
It really hadn’t bothered him at all.
This wasn’t just a one-time occurrence.
When he first accepted the void, it was the same.
Even afterward, whenever topics about lifespan came up, his thoughts were always the same.
‘What’s important is gathering strength right now, not how long my future self will live.’
This perception was unwavering for Seong Jihan.
“Strength needs to be perfected to overcome the Martial God. I think it’s perfectly reasonable.”
“Then why didn’t you take the easy path of sacrificing others to achieve power?”
“You mean the offering of sacrifices? That’s… not my style.”
Seong Jihan responded, unknowingly picturing the various versions of himself within the Taiji’s Lost Soul.
How did they gain their strength to end up there?
“Hoo-hoo…”
Meanwhile, Ashoka’s smile deepened at Seong Jihan’s answer.
“You’ve passed both tests. You are the person I’ve been waiting for all this time.”
“…The tests were the sacrifices and the void?”
“Yes.”
Ashoka, who had said to obtain the Red stat and come to him at the lowest floor, had other criteria to test.
Would he stray down the unjust path for power and offer up humans as sacrifices?
And would he show no regret at the moment he needed to forsake his lifespan for the completion of the sword?
Seong Jihan had passed both expectations set by Ashoka.
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“The conditions to oppose the Martial God are sufficient… but there remains one final test.”
“What is it?”
“Talent.”
Ashoka extended a finger.
“You must prove your talent in martial arts.”
What?
That’s ultimately the most important aspect, isn’t it?
Seong Jihan looked at the Taiji.
The void within it was surging, almost ready to erupt.
“Does drawing the sword from within the Taiji mean passing the final test?”
“Yes. If you draw out the sword, not only will the throne be inherited to you, but further rewards will be granted. Just draw it out.”
It seemed as if Ashoka was more eager for the completion of the Taiji Swordsmanship than even Seong Jihan himself.
Ignoring Ashoka’s enthusiasm, Seong Jihan focused internally.
Unlike Dongbang Sak, he knew he had to use the void as the sword’s material.
‘…It’s not easy.’
Even if he had clues, completing the sword was an entirely different matter.
The void, amplified by the half-mask, continued to pour into the Taiji.
Some parts coalesced within, while others dissipated.
As this process continued,
[Void decreased by 5.]
The void, which usually increased while using the mask, was now decreasing for the first time.
‘The void… is disappearing here?’
This means there’s no longer any need to worry about the void threshold.
If it rose too high, it could simply be eliminated within the Taiji of the Taiji Swordsmanship.
As Seong Jihan realized its unexpected practicality, his eyes sparkled.
But then,
Crack…!
A crack formed in the half-mask.
‘No way, a crack here…’
The Void Processing Mask made by the World Tree Alliance.
Although it had been useful for amplifying his strength,
How long had he owned it for it to already be like this?
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As the mask cracked, the flow of void grew unstable.
Watching from below, Ashoka let out a regretful sigh.
“Everything else was in place… but maybe you lack talent…”
Seong Jihan, who had reached the pinnacle of humanity faster than anyone, frowned at the notion of lacking talent.
“It’s quite an annoying comment.”
‘Stabilize the flow of void first.’
Controlling the chaotic void within the fractured mask,
Seong Jihan continued to forge his sword.
Initially, he attempted to create a sword resembling the Eclipse Dark Sword, which he was most familiar with.
‘Maintaining a sword of that size is impossible with the current state.’
Creating a sword the size of Eclipse was too challenging with the lack of void.
‘…I should complete it even if it’s small.’
After all, Ashoka’s test was to draw a sword made from void within the Taiji.
The form of the sword was irrelevant.
How much time passed since Seong Jihan set his mind?
Swoosh…
The previously stable Taiji began to swell and destabilize again.
A powerful energy seemed ready to erupt from within.
“…Is this the end?”
Noticing this, Ashoka placed his hand on the Golden Wheel behind him.
The wheel’s ends were golden skulls, where Ashoka began manually turning the wheel, which had been rotating automatically till now.
Suddenly,
Chiiik!
Within the fluctuating Taiji, Seong Jihan drew something out.
Then,
“What is that…?”
Ashoka’s hand, which was pushing the Golden Wheel, stopped.
* * *
“Hmm… This is it.”
Swoosh…
Seong Jihan pulled his hand from the Taiji.
What he held was a handle of a sword emanating violet energy.
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“…”
Ashoka, who silently watched, took a step forward.
Whoosh!
His body, which was on the deepest floor, suddenly appeared beside Seong Jihan.
“Hmm… it’s ambiguous.”
“Ambiguous?”
“Yes. Your talent.”
Ashoka, more serious than ever, examined the object Seong Jihan had drawn.
“It’s not talent that vastly exceeds your kind… yet it’s beyond the scale of humanity.”
“Talent that vastly exceeds the kind… was that the level of talent you were hoping for?”
“Yes. I hoped for someone at least a notch below Dongbang Sak.”
Is he saying Dongbang Sak is in the category that vastly exceeds standard talent?
‘I already knew he was a monster, but I didn’t anticipate his talent to be rated so highly.’
Seong Jihan felt dumbfounded and asked Ashoka,
“Am I disqualified then?”
“No, let’s see…”
Whoosh!
Ashoka’s body leaped back to the deepest floor in a blink.
So fast, even Seong Jihan’s eyes couldn’t follow.
‘The third disciple Ashoka… his talent seems significant too.’
Seong Jihan closely watched Ashoka as he moved across space with a single step.
The talent that vastly exceeds the species… could he have been referring to himself?
“Hold that item and come to me.”
“Alright.”
With the violet sword handle in hand, Seong Jihan descended.
Rumble…
The Golden Wheel behind Ashoka moved a rotation.
Up until now, the wheel would reverse time.
Sss…
But as violet smoke rose from the sword handle,
“Oh…”
Seong Jihan’s body remained unaffected by the flow of time.
Rumble. Rumble.
The Golden Wheel attempted to reset, turning several times automatically.
But even when everything else was restored,
Seong Jihan’s position did not revert to the past.
Without interference,
Thump!
Seong Jihan easily landed on the deepest floor.
“So close.”
As Ashoka rewound time, it seemed impossible to descend completely.
But once blocked, reaching the bottom was quick.
However.
‘I was definitely slower than when Ashoka descended earlier.’
His movement that crossed space with a single step.
Even for Seong Jihan, who could understand and learn all of humanity’s martial arts, this movement was mysterious.
Not understanding it, he stood puzzled.
Ashoka looked at him with a complicated expression.
“It actually works…”
Ashoka continued observing Seong Jihan’s sword handle, lost in thought.
After some contemplation, Ashoka opened his palm.
Sss…
A golden crown materialized in his hand.
“I promised you the throne.”
He handed it over to Seong Jihan without hesitation.
As soon as the golden crown touched Seong Jihan’s hand, a message appeared.
[Inherited the throne from the constellation ‘Ashoka.’]
[Inherited traits of Ashoka far surpass the player’s.]
[Constellation trait ‘Dominion’ level increases by 2.]
‘Level 2…!’
Ashoka’s Dominion level was reportedly at 8.
Although he couldn’t fully inherit it, raising his Dominion level by 2 in his current state was a significant growth.
“And the additional rewards and information… I cannot grant yet.”
“Not until the sword is drawn?”
“Indeed.”
Ashoka looked regretful as he stared at Seong Jihan.
“For greater rewards, I need to destroy the Golden Wheel myself… but I still lack complete faith in you.”
“Hmm…”
“But if you overcome yourself in the abyss, my faith might grow.”
Overcome oneself in the abyss?
Seong Jihan was puzzled, but he widened his eyes as a realization hit him.
‘Could he be referring to the Taiji’s Lost Soul in the abyss?’
The ruler of the northern abyss.
Within the Taiji’s Lost Soul were various fragments of Seong Jihan.
Ashoka specifically mentioned overcoming oneself in the abyss, making it likely that he was referring to the Taiji’s Lost Soul.
“How do you know that?”
“If you overcome yourself, I will tell you.”
“…Huh. You seem to know everything. Are you really Ashoka?”
“Ashoka is merely a facet of me. My essence is… a mere fool, wandering and lost.”
A foolish existence.
Yet this being not only knew the void of the Taiji Sword but also the identity of the ruler of the abyss?
Seong Jihan looked at the Golden Wheel behind Ashoka.
A device with the power to reverse time.
‘Is it related to that…?’
As Seong Jihan watched closely,
The Golden Wheel suddenly disappeared.
-What? The game ended without notice?
-Even Seong Jihan won.
-What just happened…?
The chat began to flow.
The blocked BattleTube had been unblocked.
“Well then… I’ll look forward to good results.”
Ashoka smiled faintly and bowed slightly to Seong Jihan.
After the greeting,
Swoosh!
He vanished instantly.
‘…His true identity is unknown.’
Seong Jihan stood there for a moment, staring at where Ashoka had disappeared.
[You’ve cleared the constellation game ‘Coronation Ceremony.’]
[Logging out from the special map ‘Calamitous Flames.’]
Seong Jihan exited the game map.
