Ch. 341..350
Chapter 341 – Lioness
Shang looked at the wheel after the announcement.
Today, he would break his old record!
Eventually, the wheel stopped at an image of a female lion wearing a fur coat over her… fur coat.
SHING!
Shang’s enemy appeared, and he studied it.
It was an icy blue lioness with thick fur. There were additional lines of even thicker fur going across its sides and back, giving it a sort of artic feel.
It wasn’t very difficult for Shang to guess what its Affinity was.
The jester slowly lifted his hammer and struck the bell.
DING!
The lioness opened its eyes and looked at Shang with hungry eyes.
Without hesitation, it immediately charged forward.
Shang readied his sword. The lioness was very fast, and Shang would only be able to rival its speed with his different Blasts.
Its claws and teeth were obviously also extremely dangerous.
‘Good Speed, strong attack, and probably an adequate defense. This will definitely be harder than the ant, but it should still be doable.’
BANG!
Shang also charged forward at his full speed, and the two of them very quickly reached each other.
Shang released a slash as the lioness tried to bite him. The lioness quickly realized that it would be hit by the attack, but instead of retreating, rage appeared in its eyes.
CRACK!
It angled its mouth and opened it. The sword broke through the top of some teeth, but the lioness quickly bit down, taking hold of the sword.
Shang knew that his body couldn’t be compared to the lioness’s, which meant that his sword was stuck.
As it kept hold of the sword, it quickly lifted one of its paws.
SHING!
Terrifyingly deadly and long icy claws came out of its paw, and it struck towards Shang.
At that moment, Shang narrowed his right eye.
WHOOOM!
The icy claws turned back into Mana when they reached Shang.
Domain of Entropy!
The attack missed, giving Shang an opening.
Shang quickly grabbed the blade of his sword with his left hand. His arm quickly froze over and broke into icy splinters.
However, the sword in the lioness’s maw began to burn fiercely.
The lioness opened her mouth in pain, letting go of the sword.
Instead of grabbing his sword, Shang jumped.
At the same time, Sword moved by itself, changing its position so that it pointed straight into the lioness’s throat.
BANG!
Shang kicked the back of his sword’s handle, shooting it straight into the lioness’s throat.
CRKSH!
Sword broke through the back of the lioness’s throat, but it got stuck in the bone.
However, the fiery heat immediately unleashed, and the lioness jumped away as it tried to get rid of the sword with its paws.
Shang heard some painful screeching come from the lioness, but he didn’t let up.
BANG!
He immediately charged after her.
The lioness hit Sword with one of its paws, throwing it to the side.
Shang reached the lioness without his sword and lowered his stance as he remained standing in front of it.
Rage filled the lioness’s eyes, and it quickly pounced at Shang.
Shang remained standing, and for just a moment, time seemingly stopped.
The lioness was in the middle of a jump towards Shang as he stood before it, weaponless.
But at that moment, Sword’s grip entered Shang’s hand.
Sword had become quite a lot more powerful over the last three months, and the more powerful it became, the faster and more agile it could move.
Even though the lioness had thrown it away, it quickly changed its trajectory and reached Shang.
Then, from Shang’s lowered position, he struck upward with all of his power.
The lioness was in the middle of its jump, and there wasn’t much it could do now. The best thing it could do was protect its head with its legs.
Shang struck.
BANG!
A paw fell to the side!
However, the attack of the lioness hadn’t been stopped.
It was still flying towards Shang, and it would do its best to bite Shang into pieces!
Shang quickly noticed that his opponent’s legs were not ready for an attack, meaning that only the bite posed a danger to him.
Defending from something like that wasn’t difficult.
BANG!
Shang punched the lioness’s snout. It didn’t receive any major injuries from that attack, but the force slowed the lioness down while shooting Shang back.
BANG!
The dangerous maw closed right in front of Shang, barely missing him.
The lioness landed on its three remaining paws. It had adapted to its missing limb very quickly.
Shang didn’t let up and immediately charged forward again.
Surprisingly, the lioness also charged at Shang, even though it was missing a leg.
Its speed had slowed by quite a bit, but Shang didn’t become reckless.
Shang readied another strike, but then, something surprising happened.
The lioness turned its head away from Shang, turned its body, and performed a shoulder check!
Shang’s mind quickly analyzed the situation, but there wasn’t much time.
Even though such an attack had an obvious opening and wasn’t really dangerous, Shang’s instincts told him that he should block.
Shang interrupted his attack and put Sword in front of him to block whatever was coming.
SHING! SHING! SHING!
At that moment, the furry lines on the lioness’s side and back turned into terrifying icicles!
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The lioness’s body hit Sword’s side, and the icicles broke as soon as they hit it.
However, Sword was not wide enough to block off Shang’s entire body, and two icicles went past it, hitting Shang in the shoulder and outer thigh.
Shang’s body quickly began to freeze over, but he counteracted the freezing force by releasing several Ice Blasts to gain some distance.
The lioness immediately charged after Shang, not letting up.
Just when Shang landed, it performed the same attack again.
‘Don’t use the same attack twice!’ Shang thought as a light appeared in his eye.
Shang’s sword struck forward.
WHOOOM!
The icicles turned into Mana as Shang activated his Domain of Entropy once again.
CRAAACK!
With the added power of the lioness’s charge, Shang’s strike managed to cut deep into the lioness’s body.
The lioness roared and fell to the side, its body flailing around in pain.
Shang pulled his sword out and unleashed another attack.
CRACK!
Another leg was destroyed during the attack, and it became impossible for his opponent to stand up.
With one of the two opponents being unable to stand, the fight was already over.
Shang took care not to get hit by the icicles again as he methodically inflicted more injuries on the lioness. Activating his Domain of Entropy cost a lot of Mana, and he didn’t want to waste it.
When the lioness was close to death, Shang touched its body and performed Darkness Absorb.
In an instant, Shang had fully recovered, but the lioness was still alive.
Since there was no more life energy Shang could use, he simply ended the fight.
A second later, the cheering returned, and Shang took a deep breath.
‘I received a couple of injuries, and I used a bit of Mana. However, I didn’t reach my limit yet.’
Shang looked at the vanishing corpse for a bit.
‘I might have a shot at beating level nine.’
Chapter 342 – Ice King
Shang took a deep breath and waited.
“Level nine: Powerful Mid Commander Stage beast,” the mechanical voice said.
The wheel spun again, and Shang looked at it. He knew that the next fight would be very difficult.
“Let’s make this one more interesting,” the jester on top of the wheel suddenly said as he snapped his fingers.
Everything inside the wheel vanished and was replaced by a single picture.
It was a Powerful and graceful blue lion sitting on a throne.
Surprisingly, this image didn’t appear as kid-friendly as all the other ones.
Shang quickly guessed the identity of his next opponent.
SHING!
And when Shang’s opponent appeared, he got his guess confirmed.
The lioness from before was probably part of this magnificent lion’s pride.
It was a male lion, and it was absolutely massive.
It was over five meters high and over ten meters long. Its entire body was filled with long, glistening hair, and its mane was impressive beyond belief.
Its head was encased in some form of icy armor that mimicked a crown, and its four legs had thick and powerful armor made of ice covering them.
Its tail was over five meters long and graceful. The sheer power and majesty this lion gave off just by standing there were shocking.
“That’s an Ice King, and I want to know if you can beat it,” the jester said with a smirk.
Ice King.
Shang had never heard of these kinds of beasts before, but he guessed that this beast had to be powerful if humans called it a king.
Shang could already guess that the Ice King was very powerful. After all, this Ice King probably had several of these lionesses serving it. To rule over so many beasts with quite impressive power required even more impressive power.
At this moment, Shang felt a feeling of pressure he hadn’t felt since fighting Vice-Commander Wilbury. The Ice King might not be as powerful as Vice-Commander Wilbury relative to Shang’s power, but it was definitely very dangerous.
As Shang readied his sword, the jester lifted his hammer and struck the bell.
DING!
The Ice King slowly opened its eyes and glanced at Shang with pride.
It barely paid any attention to Shang.
For some reason, Shang felt like the pride wasn’t misplaced.
BANG!
Nevertheless, Shang charged forward with an Ice Blast.
As Shang reached his full speed, the Ice King only kept looking at him calmly.
When Shang reached a distance of about 50 meters, the atmosphere changed.
The clear sky above Shang was replaced with dark-grey clouds. An instant later, white wind shot down from the skies and violently whirled around the Ice King.
It was essentially a powerful blizzard, which had the snowflakes and icicles replaced with powerful Ice Mana.
CRK! CRK!
Shang’s body froze almost immediately!
At this moment, Shang received a massive shock.
He had been frozen at such crazy speeds?!
His body was just a bit weaker than a Peak Commander Stage warrior, and this Ice King was only at the Mid Commander Stage!
Did that mean that the Ice King could freeze warriors two levels above it without even getting serious?!
It was almost like this Ice King was as powerful as a Mage!
The lioness’s usage of Ice Mana was basic, only being able to summon some icicles on its body.
But the Ice King summoned a gigantic attack that required terrifying control and a great amount of Mana to pull off!
This was not just a powerful Mid Commander Stage beast!
Something like the metal tiger Shang had fought before was a joke against that!
Even the Serpent Shang had fought earlier would lose easily if it were on the same level as the Ice King!
And that attack obviously wasn’t even its full power!
After all, its entire body was encased by powerful icy armor, and its body was gigantic!
Its close-combat abilities were probably ridiculously strong as well!
BANG!
Shang released several Ice Blasts, filling his body with Fire Mana. The Fire Mana counteracted the Ice Mana, unfreezing Shang’s body and transforming the ice on his body into steam.
‘This is not something a normal warrior can fight against,’ Shang thought as he accelerated again. ‘I can only fight it due to my Affinity.’
‘It’s like there is a fundamental difference between this beast and a warrior, a difference that can’t be overcome with only training!’
‘You can be the most talented, experienced, and knowledgeable warrior in the world, but you will get frozen anyway. The only way to get through this attack is to have an extremely powerful body or be a Mage!’
This was the first opponent where experience, hard work, creativity, and training weren’t enough to beat.
This enemy demanded all these things, but it also demanded higher inherent qualities. Qualities someone couldn’t get by training or fighting.
But that was as things stood right now.
A really powerful Mage could probably beat the Ice King, but Shang guessed that an average Mage wouldn’t be able to win.
Usually, an average Mid True Mage could play with all kinds of Mid Commander Stage beasts. They were not a danger.
But this thing was different.
This thing could probably beat an average Mid True Mage!
In a way, Shang got reminded of himself.
Beasts were considered to be beneath Mages.
Warriors were also considered to be beneath Mages, but Shang had managed to break out of that stereotype and actually jump levels against Mages.
Shang was part of a group of beings considered far weaker than Mages, just like beasts.
And if warriors could have such an outstanding member like Shang, who could jump out of that classification, why couldn’t beasts?
This Ice King might be one of the very few beasts that could actually put up a fight against the truly powerful Mid True Mages.
Just like Shang, it was an extremely outstanding member of its group.
‘But I can still fight it!’
Shang released one Ice Blast after the next to keep his body from freezing, which had the positive side-effect of increasing Shang’s speed by a lot!
Shang was at his most powerful when he fought in very hot or very cold environments!
Chapter 343 – Relentless Attacks
BANG!
Shang released one of many Ice Blasts and reached the Ice King.
The Ice King still kept looking at Shang with its arrogant eyes.
And when Shang reached the Ice King, it slowly lifted one of its legs and stamped down.
BOOOOOM!
An explosion of icicles came out of its leg, blasting in every direction.
When Shang saw these icicles, he felt a mortal threat. They were so hard and powerful that they would probably punch a hole into his body!
Suddenly, the area around Shang cleared, and the icicles turned into more Ice Mana.
Domain of Entropy!
However, Shang was shocked by how much Mana he had just consumed.
‘I just used up 40% of my Mana just to deal with these icicles?!’ he thought in shock.
Nevertheless, Shang struck at the Ice King’s leg.
CRACK!
Shang’s sword hit the icy armor on the Ice King’s leg and cracked it, but he didn’t manage to even reach its skin!
But at this moment, all the Ice Mana from the dispersed icicles gathered on Sword as it stuck inside the armor.
The Ice Mana of the storm had a will on it, but the Ice Mana of the icicles was free for Sword to use!
However, instead of releasing a powerful freezing blast, a large and icy edge appeared around Sword.
Shang put more power into Sword, and Sword used the Ice Mana and its own power to also increase its power.
CRRRRRKSH!
Shang finished the slash, and Sword came out of the armor.
Shortly later, an icy liquid poured out of the crack in the armor.
It was the Ice King’s blood!
Shang had managed to cut apart its skin and a bit of muscle.
Sadly, Sword hadn’t even reached the bone.
It was only a superficial injury.
When the Ice King felt the pain coming from its leg, rage appeared in its eyes.
And then, it roared.
WHOOOOM!
An incredibly powerful shockwave hit Shang, throwing him into the distance. At the same time, even more Ice Mana gathered around him, speeding up the process of his body freezing.
The entire world seemed to shake under the apocalyptic roar filled with dense and dangerous Ice Mana.
Shang had to release several Ice Blasts to retreat and counteract the Ice Mana assaulting him, but he managed to survive the roar uninjured.
At that moment, the Ice King finally fully looked at Shang, and Shang could see pure anger in its eyes.
CRK! CRK! CRK!
More ice came out of its body and solidified, encasing the Ice King in a thick armor made of ice.
Even its mouth, eyes, and nose were encased by ice.
There was not a single opening in its perfect defense!
SHING! SHING!
Then, several spears made of ice came out of the Ice King’s armor, giving its majestic presence an additional feeling of pure aggression and danger.
The Ice Mana around its body thickened even more, turning the air around it icy blue.
CRK! CRK!
The ground below the Ice King cracked beneath its feet as it slowly lowered its stance.
And then, it exploded forward!
BOOOOM!
With an icy explosion, the Ice King shot right at Shang.
Its speed was so fast that Shang could barely react!
BANG!
Shang shot to the side with an Ice Blast, barely managing to evade the dangerous strike of the Ice King’s claws.
But at that moment, Shang felt an intense feeling of danger.
Out of instinct, Shang used Sword to block his side.
BOOOM!
An insane power hit Sword, ramming it into Shang and throwing the two of them over a hundred meters into the distance.
It was the Ice King’s long and powerful tail!
The bones in Shang’s arm and chest broke, but he quickly used his Mana to fix them.
While Shang was still flying, he heard another explosion and felt the cold approach of death.
The Ice Mana around Shang intensified again as the Ice King reached him while Shang still hadn’t even recovered from the previous attack!
BANG!
Shang released several Ice Blasts in the air and changed his trajectory as he slowly regained control over his body.
The mighty strike of the Ice King missed as Shang passed it.
BANG!
And then, another explosion of icy spears came out of the Ice King’s body as Shang was still in the air.
“Sword!” Shang barely managed to shout as he let go of Sword.
On its own, Sword quickly aligned itself between the icicles and Shang as Shang angled his body so that the soles of his feet pointed at Sword.
CRK! CRK! CRK!
Several icy spears hit Sword and pushed it towards Shang’s feet.
Usually, Sword wasn’t big enough to fully block such an attack, but as Shang’s body was angled now, it became possible.
BANG!
Shang kicked Sword forward with all of his power, and the ice around Sword became thicker and sharper.
CRACK!
The flexible and powerful tail of the Ice King hit Sword’s edge.
Sword’s icy edge broke, but a huge part of the ice armor on the tail also broke. There was even a bit of blood flowing out.
Only now did Shang truly realize how dangerous the Ice King was.
It had released three devastating attacks, one after the other, without pause!
And that wasn’t even the end!
BANG! BANG!
When the Ice King realized that its tail swipe had failed, it summoned two long and powerful icy spears above it.
These two were not as brittle and weak as the previous icicles.
And then, it shot the icy spears directly at Shang.
Sword was too far away from Shang right now, which meant that he had no way to properly block the icy spears.
Shang’s focus reached its peak, and he felt like time had slowed down.
BANG! BANG!
Just when the two ice spears reached Shang’s vicinity, he simply spread his legs and kicked their tips to the side.
This required absolutely perfect timing and insane control over his body.
But he had pulled it off.
The icy spears angled to the side, and Shang extended his arms.
And caught them!
Shang’s hands began to freeze, but by physically touching the attack, Shang managed to destroy the will on the ice spears.
An instant later, the will on them was completely destroyed, and the ice spears vanished.
Shang had once cursed this ability when he had accidentally absorbed the Ice Mana in the Ice Wood on his sled wagon.
But now, it became a lifesaver.
A huge part of Shang’s Mana got refilled by absorbing the Ice Mana inside the ice spears.
The Ice King noticed and performed another tail swipe while turning its body.
Shang was still in the air due to the earlier roar. That was how fast these attacks had come!
Just before the tail swipe reached Shang, Sword managed to regain control of itself and also reached Shang.
Shang unleashed a strike at the tail.
BOOOM!
A huge part of the tail’s armor exploded off, and a deep cut was left inside the tail.
This time, Sword managed to reach the bone.
But at the same time, Sword was pushed into Shang due to the force, breaking more bones. Even though Sword couldn’t cut Shang, without the black armor, Sword would have probably still cut apart Shang’s chest muscles just due to the raw force.
BANG!
Shang’s body hit the ground and rolled backward.
And at that moment, the Ice King exploded forward again.
Its attacks were relentless!
Chapter 344 – Using Everything
Shang was barely in a condition to dodge. Even more, the Ice King had become much more accurate with its claw attack.
So, Shang was forced to do the only thing that could give him some value out of this clash.
Shang pointed Sword right at the approaching claw.
CRACK!
The ice around Sword exploded everywhere while the ground beneath Shang turned into a crater due to the Ice King’s sheer force.
Sword’s handle was pushed back, breaking Shang’s arms, hitting the black chest plate, punching a hole in the chest plate, and lastly, burying itself into Shang’s gut.
Like he had been pierced by a thrown spear, Shang was thrown into the distance by Sword.
However, receiving this injury wasn’t for nothing!
Sword had pierced through the Ice King’s paw, coming out of the other side!
Icy blue liquid poured out of the paw, and the Ice King’s eyes became even more infuriated.
Shang and Sword quickly used their power to get Sword’s handle out of Shang’s body as they flew into the distance.
SHING!
And then, Shang’s armor vanished.
His armor had weakened the injury by a lot, but now, it was only a hindrance.
It had a huge hole in the middle, and the bent metal had buried itself into Shang’s body.
The armor had transformed from protection into a hindrance, which was why Shang quickly put it into his Space Ring.
But just like before, the Ice King immediately reached Shang again with its incredible speed.
Its injured paw didn’t even slow it down!
Shang had already healed his injuries, but he was starting to run low on Mana. He only had around 40% left.
Meanwhile, the Ice King kept releasing insane amounts of Ice Mana in wide attacks. It was almost like it had a bottomless well of Mana!
BANG!
As the next strike approached, Shang used several Ice Blasts to shoot over the claw. Due to the previous injury, the Ice King had stabbed its claws forward instead of slashing, giving Shang a chance to avoid the attack.
Shang flew over the attack and approached the Ice King’s head.
But then, Shang’s eyes widened as he looked into the opened maw of the Ice King.
A terrifying amount of Ice Mana had gathered in its mouth.
Shang felt death approaching.
And then, a terrifying beam of concentrated Ice Mana shot directly at Shang.
If he got hit by that, he would die immediately!
Out of reflex, Shang activated his Domain of Entropy once again.
It was the only thing he could do.
He couldn’t evade nor block, leaving only his Domain.
It was a complete shot in the dark, but Shang had a suspicion.
As soon as the beam of Ice Mana entered Shang’s Domain, it changed.
It changed from Ice Mana into Neutral Mana!
The Neutral Mana harmlessly washed over Shang.
‘It works!’ Shang thought. ‘I can turn matter into Elemental Mana, but I can also turn Elemental Mana into Neutral Mana.’
‘But I also have to use Mana to do that.’
Right now, Shang’s Mana storage had bottomed out.
There was nothing left.
However, Shang was now directly in front of the Ice King’s gigantic head.
Shang readied a slash.
BANG!
Suddenly, an explosion of thick Ice Mana appeared between the Ice King and Shang.
The Ice King was thrown into the distance while Shang was thrown to the ground.
They were now over 50 meters apart again.
Shang gritted his teeth as he landed on his legs.
But when he saw the Ice King’s body sliding on its icy claws, Shang’s right eye widened, and a fire appeared inside it.
This was the first time the Ice King didn’t have the initiative!
The Ice King had always been the one initiating the attacks, and it hadn’t given Shang any opportunity to unleash his own attacks!
But now, it was defending!
‘I’m out of Mana! This is the only chance I will get!’
Shang held Sword tightly and prepared a slash.
Then, he spoke one word.
“Ishah!”
A streak of black fire.
One single slash, stretching over 50 meters.
Shang had vanished, leaving behind a streak of black fire, and appeared below the Ice King in a single instant.
Mana Step!
Sword had shrunken to its original form, the one it had assumed after it had become a sword for the first time.
The Ice King’s torso above Shang had a deep cut going through it.
The icy armor had completely vanished, but so had Shang’s entire skin.
Shang had sacrificed his skin to activate his Domain of Entropy.
Shang’s Domain of Entropy had dealt with the icy armor, and Sword’s Entropy had cut through the body.
For an instant, time seemingly stood still.
And then, a shower of blue blood rained onto Shang.
Shang’s entire body began to freeze from the blue liquid, which made him realize that this was the source of the Ice King’s endless Mana.
As soon as the blue blood hit Shang, his body absorbed it, filling up Shang’s mana storage again.
Sadly, the Mana inside Shang’s mind remained empty due to Mana Step.
BANG!
Shang immediately used an Ice Blast to jump out from under the Ice King as his skin regrew.
In comparison to the far more powerful Entropy Ability, the damage Shang received from his Domain of Entropy could be healed with Mana.
BOOOM!
A second later, an oceanic wave of icicles shot out of the Ice King’s body.
Even though Shang had jumped to the side, the icicles still drowned him.
Shang activated his Domain of Entropy yet again, but blocking this attack consumed nearly all the Mana he had just regained.
This had been a fully powered explosion of the Ice King’s Mana.
BANG!
Then, Shang immediately unleashed another Ice Blast to charge back at the Ice King.
At that moment, the heavy icy storm in the surroundings subsided for the first time since the beginning of the fight, signaling that the Ice King could no longer afford to waste any Mana.
The Ice King’s face looked exhausted after unleashing such an insane explosion of icicles, and Shang saw his chance.
He reached the Ice King’s head in an instant, which the Ice King hadn’t expected.
It had just unleashed more Mana than ever before, and, in its mind, it was impossible for its opponent to immediately reach it.
Yet, Shang was here now.
The Ice King only noticed Shang when he was already in front of its left eye.
At that moment, Shang’s skin turned into dust again, and the Ice Armor covering the left side of the Ice King’s head turned into Ice Mana.
And then, Shang’s bloodied figure stabbed Sword right into the Ice King’s left eye.
Even though Sword was much thinner than before, it was still well over a meter long…
Enough to bury itself into the Ice King’s brain.
SHING!
Silence.
The Ice King no longer moved, a skinless and bloody figure in front of its destroyed left eye.
An instant later, Shang put his left hand on the Ice King’s head and used Darkness Absorb.
The Ice King’s body fell to the ground, and Shang’s ravaged body quickly regained its vitality.
Even though Shang had absorbed enough life energy to fully heal his body, the Ice King’s corpse didn’t look any worse than before.
It simply had that much life energy.
Shang landed beside it and took a deep breath.
And then, the cheering returned.
Chapter 345 – Power Hierarchy
Shang took a deep breath as the cheering roared around him.
This was the most powerful beast he had ever fought, and it was also different from all the other ones.
It had a nearly infinite well of power, and its blood was filled with Ice Mana. Shang had never seen any beast like that before.
The wheel returned, but it didn’t begin spinning. Additionally, there was also no announcement.
Shang looked over at the jester.
The jester looked back with furrowed brows.
Then, the jester looked at Sword.
Shang knew what the God wanted to know.
SHING!
Shang summoned several pieces of ore from his Space Ring. He had been digging for ore for three months, and he had enough ore to spare.
Then, Shang put Sword into the ore, and Sword promptly started to absorb it.
When the jester saw that, a grin appeared on his face.
The God wanted to know if Shang wanted to cheat the system again by using a powerful attack but also not wanting to pay the price.
With his actions, Shang showed that he was willing to pay the price by using his own ore.
After a couple of seconds, Sword was finished.
“There is a problem,” Sword said.
Shang furrowed his brows and looked at it. “Yes?”
“I feel like my control over Entropy has lessened. I think the effects of the Entropy ore are not permanent.”
Shang scratched his chin.
‘It actually makes sense. Sword had only absorbed the Entropy ore back when I returned from the battlefield. That was years ago, and it has used the attack several times by now.’
SHING!
Shang summoned the other half of the pedestal. Luckily, he hadn’t thrown it away.
Sword quickly absorbed the other half and regained its control.
“I think the stronger I become, the more of the Entropy ore I use with my attack,” Sword said. “I estimate that, with my current power, I can only unleash the attack three more times before I lose the ability.”
“I need more ore, and it has to be stronger,” Sword explained.
Shang scratched his chin. “It makes sense, actually. It would be surprising if one piece of General Stage ore could keep you going until the very end. What about the Entropy ore around these huge black buildings under the ground?”
“I’m still too weak,” Sword answered. “By my estimations, the outer wall is made of Entropy ore that’s, at least, at the Peak of the Fifth Realm. I need to reach the Fifth Realm myself to even attempt to absorb it properly.”
Shang frowned but nodded. “So, we need to search for a Commander Stage piece somewhere.”
“Yes,” Sword answered.
After Sword absorbed the ore, it regained its old size and shape.
Then, Shang looked at the jester. “What was that beast?”
“The Ice King,” the jester said with a grin. “Or, at least, one of its progenies.”
Shang lifted an eyebrow.
The jester only grinned back.
They didn’t say anything for several seconds.
“Well, I presume I can tell you a bit,” the jester said with a chuckle. “You amused me quite a bit, and your progress definitely hasn’t disappointed me.”
Shang didn’t answer.
“The Ice King is one of the most powerful beasts in the entire world,” the jester said. “It might not be in the top ten, but it’s definitely in the top 1000.”
Shang’s insides shook when he heard that.
When the humans talked about the entire world, they only meant the five Kingdoms.
However, when the God talked about the entire world, he was actually talking about the entire world.
This included all these powerful existences that Shang had never even heard of.
“I presume that Zone Beasts are weaker than this Ice King?” Shang asked.
“They can’t be compared,” the jester said with a smirk.
“The humans that call themselves King in these lands are only small children playing pretend,” the jester said. “The true Kings are in a Realm these people don’t even know of.”
Shang tried to guess how strong the Ice King actually was, which was when he remembered something.
“What about the Lightning Emperor?” Shang asked.
Shang still remembered that extremely powerful woman that had teleported him with a wave of her hand. She had said that the black buildings belonged to the Lightning Emperor.
The jester’s smirk widened. “Quite smart.”
For a couple of seconds, the God thought about if he wanted to answer the question or not.
“Emperors are more powerful than Kings, right?” the jester said with a knowing smile.
Shang’s right eye narrowed.
This told him a lot!
The real Ice King belonged to the top 1000 beasts in the world, but the Lightning Emperor was stronger than the Ice King.
The Lightning Emperor wasn’t even called Lightning King, but Lightning Emperor. This probably meant that he was an entire Realm stronger than the Ice King.
‘So, I have actually met someone that worked for one of the most powerful humans in the entire world.’
‘The Lightning Emperor, huh? I wonder what kind of person he is.’
‘Lightning Emperor. Mage Emperor.’
‘They are probably at the same Realm. Of course, the Mage Emperor was probably more powerful.’
Slowly, Shang was able to grasp the power hierarchy of this world.
And it was massive.
The Dean could kill Shang in one hit.
Duke Whirlwind could kill the Dean in one hit.
King Skythunder could kill Duke Whirlwind in one hit.
A Zone Beast could kill King Skythunder in one hit.
The Ice King could kill a Zone Beast in one hit.
The Lightning Emperor could kill the Ice King in one hit.
The Mage Emperor could kill the Lightning Emperor in one hit.
And then…
Shang looked at the jester.
When Shang had met the God for the first time, he hadn’t been able to grasp the God’s true power.
Only now did he truly realize how unimaginably powerful the God was.
Sure enough, the entire world was his playground.
This entire world was only a toy.
All existences in this grand world, no matter how powerful, only existed to amuse the God.
This thought woke a lot of complex emotions.
Chapter 346 – Warrior Trials
Shang thought about this dynamic for a bit, but he eventually focused on the trial again.
“I’m ready for the next level,” Shang said as he readied his sword.
“You don’t need to get ready,” the jester said with a smirk.
Shang glanced at the jester.
The jester only continued smirking. “I’ll give you two points for this fight since it was so difficult. I’ll count this level as levels nine and ten. So, if you want to continue, you will directly enter level eleven.”
“Do you want to fight an average Late Commander Stage beast?”
Shang furrowed his brows.
He knew exactly what that entailed.
Sadly, or luckily depending on the viewpoint, there was a rock-paper-scissors principle going on here.
Could an average Late Commander Stage beast win against the Ice King?
Probably not. The Ice King would surely win.
Yet, Shang had won against the Ice King.
So, wouldn’t he be able to win against an average Late Commander Stage beast?
Sadly, no.
The only reason Shang won against the Ice King was due to several things unique to him.
The constant presence of the icy storm not only didn’t affect Shang, but it even strengthened him.
Additionally, the Domain of Entropy was very useful against Mana-based attacks.
In a way, Shang had perfectly countered the Ice King.
Yet, he wouldn’t perfectly counter his next opponent.
The body of his next opponent was so much stronger than Shang’s that he probably wouldn’t even be able to break through its defenses.
So, while the Ice King could kill an average Late Commander Stage beast, and while Shang could kill the Ice King, Shang couldn’t kill an average Late Commander Stage beast.
In a sense, Shang was definitely weaker than the Ice King in terms of total power.
Shang knew that he had lucked out.
In fact, even a weak Late Commander Stage beast might be able to kill Shang.
It entirely depended on what kind of opponent Shang would have received.
But an average one?
No shot.
“So, I have ten points now, right?” Shang asked.
“Correct,” the jester answered.
Shang took a deep breath.
“I don’t think I can win against an average Late Commander Stage beast. Do you think I have a shot?” he asked.
The jester chuckled a bit. “Knowing your own power is important.”
“You will lose.”
Shang nodded.
That was what he had expected.
Dying was still something Shang didn’t want to experience, and he also didn’t think that there was much to gain from fighting such an opponent.
His opponent was probably so much stronger that Shang wouldn’t even be able to learn anything.
He would probably just get overwhelmed and die.
“Then, that’s it for the beasts,” Shang said.
“Alright,” the jester said.
But then, he looked at the wheel below him, and the wheel began to spin.
“I want to know what you would have fought.”
Shang also looked at the wheel.
After a couple of seconds, it stopped on a green bird with a spear in its hand.
“Spear Stork,” Shang said.
He knew that beast very well.
“Yep, you would have lost,” the jester said.
Spear Storks were insanely fast, and with it being three levels above Shang, it would be so fast that Shang wouldn’t even be able to react.
He would die in one shot.
After that, the wheel for beasts left as two other wheels appeared, one for Affinities and one for weapons.
The jester sat on the wheel for Affinities.
But instead of starting the wheels, the jester only looked at Shang.
“Enjoy your free wins,” the jester said with a chuckle. “In the next trial, I’m going to change things up.”
“Having you fight simulated future warriors is no longer accurate since your arrival changed the world of warriors faster than I assumed.”
“But I also don’t want you to keep fighting these same warriors but stronger. You would rack up points without end.”
Shang looked at the jester. “So, what will you do?”
“Not sure yet,” the jester said. “I might remove the warrior category altogether and lower the thresholds for rewards or make you fight the ancient variants of the warriors. I will decide which when the time comes.”
‘Fighting ancient warriors?’ Shang thought. ‘I might actually learn about new ways to apply my power. In a way, it allows me to peer into the past, at the time when warriors were equal to the Mages.’
“But for today,” the jester continued. “You will be fighting normal, average warriors. Enjoy it while it lasts.”
And then, the wheels began to spin.
Shang didn’t even look at the wheels anymore.
It didn’t matter what they landed on.
Shang’s body was nearly equal to a warrior at the Peak Commander Stage.
Shang had defeated an average Mid Commander Stage beast without having to use everything.
Could an average Late Commander Stage warrior beat an average Mid Commander Stage beast?
No.
Would a powerful Late Commander Stage warrior be able to?
Maybe. It would be a tough fight.
“Oh right, I forgot,” the jester said.
“Level one: Weak Initial Commander Stage warrior,” the mechanical voice said.
“There we go,” the jester added with a grin.
Shang didn’t look over.
He still wasn’t a fan of this circus.
He was fighting for his life and future while the God was designing the entire trial to be absolutely ridiculous.
It was like a family laughing at the funny way the chickens in front of them were fighting to the death.
It was fun for them but horror for the chickens.
SHING!
Shang’s opponent appeared.
He was a young man with silver hair and a silver spear. His entire equipment looked ostentatious, almost like he was afraid that others didn’t know that he came from a wealthy background.
The jester lifted his hammer and struck the bell.
DING!
The warrior opened his eyes.
BANG!
And he was dead.
Shang’s speed was so fast that he couldn’t even react.
Sword bisected him without any issues.
Shang was still not a fan of killing people that hadn’t done anything to him, but there was nothing he could do about it.
For his own power, he had to kill these people.
It didn’t matter if they were real or not.
It didn’t matter if they were willing to be here or not.
It didn’t matter if they wanted to fight or not.
Shang had to kill them.
If he didn’t, he would forever regret it.
He needed this trial.
He needed the rewards.
He needed more power!
The cheering returned just like the wheels.
“Level two: Average Initial Commander Stage warrior.”
And the wheels spun as Shang waited for his next victim.
Chapter 347 – Second Strongest Class of Warriors
BANG!
Shang’s sword hit the spear of his opponent.
The young man opposite Shang was thrown backward with a lot of force, and Shang charged after him with an Ice Blast.
He readied another strike.
BANG!
Shang’s strike was blocked again, but the young man was blasted into the ground due to the overwhelming force of Shang’s attack.
BANG!
An explosion of lightning appeared between Shang and his opponent, but the explosion vanished just as quickly.
Domain of Entropy!
The young man opened his eyes wide in terror and shock.
Shang slashed another time at the young man lying on the ground.
The young man lifted his spear to block.
BOOOM!
The surroundings were turned into a crater as the young man’s body got buried even deeper into the ground.
The young man’s bones broke, and he couldn’t lift his spear anymore.
Shang readied another strike.
BOOOOM!
The person below Shang was cut into two pieces by Shang’s sword.
Since the beginning of the fight, the young man had been in a disadvantaged state. Shang’s attacks were just relentless.
Shang quickly absorbed the remaining life energy of the corpse to recover.
Then, the cheering returned, and Shang readied himself for his next opponent.
“Level ten: Weak Late Commander Stage warrior,” the voice announced.
The two wheels returned, but Shang didn’t even look at them.
A couple seconds later, Shang’s new opponent appeared.
It was a middle-aged man who looked like an experienced warrior. However, that didn’t say very much. There were no inexperienced warriors at the Late Commander Stage.
Every single warrior at this Stage had been a genius in the General Stage, but since everyone was a genius, no one was.
After the bell rang, Shang charged forward again and reached his opponent.
The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes and readied his shield.
He would block Shang’s attack with his shield and counterattack with his sword.
Shang readied his sword.
BANG!
Yet, instead of attacking with his sword, Shang kicked the shield diagonally.
The warrior’s eyes widened.
Wasn’t his opponent supposed to be at the Initial Commander Stage?! How was his body so strong?!
The warrior’s shield was thrown to the side, leaving him open.
BANG!
Several Magic Circles blocked Shang’s attack.
Shang readied another attack.
BANG!
Shang’s sword cut through the body of his opponent, and the fight was over.
The cheering returned.
Shang didn’t even look at his opponent.
By now, he had made peace with his actions.
If he could choose, he wouldn’t kill these people, but he had to.
He needed the power.
There was no point in thinking about something he couldn’t do anything about.
“Level eleven: Average Late Commander Stage warrior.”
After some seconds, Shang’s opponent appeared.
It was a woman with long green hair and two curved swords.
DING!
The bell rang, and Shang charged forward again, leaving behind a trail of icy mist.
Shang’s charge didn’t faze the woman, and she entered a combat stance.
Wind Mana gathered around her and her blades.
SHING!
She performed a quick slash, and a wave of fast and sharp Wind Mana shot at Shang.
BANG!
Sword blocked the wave, destroying it.
SHING! SHING!
The woman released another two waves, and the Wind Mana around her exploded as she also charged at Shang.
BANG!
Shang used a Fire Blast to jump over the waves, but the woman appeared before him at that moment.
Her body was spinning with a terrifying amount of sharp Wind Mana.
BANG!
Shang used another Ice Blast to evade, but it was like the woman knew where Shang would go, and her angle changed.
SHING! SHING!
Another two waves of Wind Mana shot at Shang.
WHOOOM!
Shang had to activate his Domain of Entropy to destroy the two waves.
BANG!
Then, Shang charged at her with a Fire Blast.
Shang reached her and released a slash.
BANG!
The woman released another wind blast and jumped backward, evading Shang’s slash.
But at that moment, a wave of Ice Mana came out of Shang’s sword, which shot directly at her.
BOOOM!
A big part of the woman’s body froze, making it difficult for her to move.
BANG!
Shang released another Fire Blast, several parts of his body turning to ice as he reached her.
WHOOOM!
The Domain of Entropy activated again, turning the gathered Wind Mana around her into Neutral Mana.
Her eyes opened in terror.
BANG!
Sword slashed downward, and the Magic Circles of the woman’s armor blocked the attack.
BOOOM!
However, her body hit the ground, creating a crater.
BANG!
Shang released another Ice Blast, some of his blood exploding outward.
He reached her in an instant and released a powerful strike.
BANG!
Shang’s opponent died, and he absorbed the remaining life energy inside her body.
The cheering returned.
However, Shang could only furrow his brows.
‘She was more powerful than expected,’ Shang thought. ‘She’s only an average Late Commander Stage warrior, and her body is weaker than mine. However, her Battle-Strength was actually quite impressive.’
Of course, Shang knew exactly why his opponent had been so strong.
‘Late Commander Stage. It will take several years for me to reach that, and I’m already advancing at rapid speeds.’
‘Every single Late Commander Stage warrior is probably already 60 or older. They have several decades of combat experience.’
‘They are no longer the people that use the techniques of their predecessors, but the people that create the very techniques that everyone else uses.’
‘The students of the Warrior Academy learn the techniques of these people.’
‘Right now, I am fighting people that have many times more experience than me when it comes to battle. The only reason why my Battle-Strength can even keep up is that I’ve been in so many genuinely dangerous battles.’
‘Fifty casual battles can’t compare to one truly dangerous battle.’
‘However, they have also all been in their fair share of dangerous battles.’
‘I need more experience and more training over the next couple of years. I have to stay at the very forefront of my Stage in terms of Battle-Strength.’
The wheels returned, but this time, Shang looked at them.
“Level twelve: Powerful Late Commander Stage warrior,” the mechanical voice said.
Shang could no longer take his next opponent lightly.
He still remembered his fight with Vice-Commander Wilbury, and this fight would have the same level of opponents, just higher.
A powerful Late Commander Stage warrior was more powerful than an average Peak Commander Stage warrior.
This meant that Shang would be fighting the second most powerful class of warriors in the world, excluding the Dean.
Shang knew that he had no chance against a powerful Peak Commander Stage warrior.
He was simply too young and inexperienced to win against these monsters.
However, he should be on the level of a powerful Late Commander Stage warrior.
If Shang managed to win this fight, he would have twelve points, but these twelve points actually meant fourteen points. After all, the next two levels shouldn’t be a big issue after that.
This fight would decide if he would get eleven or fourteen points from the warrior category of the trial.
The first wheel soon stopped.
The field where it stopped was empty.
This meant that Shang would be fighting someone without an Affinity.
They wouldn’t be able to use any elemental attacks, but their body would be more powerful.
Their body would be about as powerful as Shang’s body.
Not having an Affinity was on the rare side, and Shang hadn’t fought many of those people before.
Then, the second wheel stopped on a singular long sword.
SHING!
Shang looked over at his opponent, and his eyes widened.
About a hundred meters away stood an older man with long gray hair. He wore a silver uniform, and he held a nearly 1.5-meter-long sword in front of him with both hands.
His closed eyes and expression spoke of peace, experience, wisdom, and power.
He was one of the most powerful warriors in the world.
Shang gulped and became nervous.
The jester lifted his hammer with a mad grin.
DING!
And he struck the bell.
The old man opened his eyes and peacefully looked at Shang.
“You’ve already grown so powerful, Shang,” he said without any surprise.
Shang’s heart was racing.
He could deal with killing the other humans, but he didn’t want to kill his current opponent.
“Please tell me you are not the real one,” Shang said.
The old man closed his eyes and showed a small smile. “I’m happy to hear that. It means that you still care for us.”
“No, I’m not the real one,” he said.
“I am a copy that has only just now been created.”
“No matter if you kill me or I kill you. I will cease to exist after our fight.”
When Shang heard that, he released a sigh of relief.
“Then, let me see how far I have come, Teacher Mervin!” Shang said as he readied Sword.
The old man also readied his sword and opened his eyes.
Shang felt intense pressure radiate out from his opponent.
“Show me the path you have created,” Teacher Mervin said as he slowly entered a combat stance.
Chapter 348 – Teacher Mervin
BANG!
Shang exploded forward with an Ice Blast.
Teacher Mervin only lightly moved his sword.
Shang swung his sword with one hand, keeping his other one ready to counter whatever Teacher Mervin would throw at him.
Shang released his strike.
Clink!
Shang’s eyes widened in shock.
Teacher Mervin had only lightly moved his sword, and all of Shang’s power was thrown to the side.
In Shang’s vision, Teacher Mervin’s sword hadn’t moved very fast, but at the same time, it felt like it had moved impossibly fast.
It was almost like time moved differently for Teacher Mervin.
It was like Teacher Mervin had only gently brushed some stalks of wheat to the side to pass.
It was effortless, clean, and easy.
And then, Teacher Mervin’s sword moved towards Shang’s chest.
It moved slowly and with ease.
Shang quickly pointed his arm forward to release a Fire Blast to retreat.
Teacher Mervin only smiled.
BANG!
Shang released his Fire Blast, but his mind nearly stopped.
Teacher Mervin’s sword had suddenly moved in a circle, and all the Fire Mana that had left Shang’s hand began to spin and shoot diagonally to his right.
And there was no recoil!
Shang’s body didn’t move!
Teacher Mervin’s sword peacefully moved forward.
And entered Shang’s chest without any resistance, piercing through Shang’s heart.
Time seemingly stopped.
Shang couldn’t comprehend what he had just witnessed!
Then, one of Teacher Mervin’s hands left his sword and touched Shang’s chest.
BANG!
Shang was thrown away as Teacher Mervin pulled his sword out of Shang’s chest.
Shang rolled several times on the ground, and his warrior’s body instantly healed his heart.
After quickly standing up, Shang looked with shock at Teacher Mervin.
Then, Shang smiled bitterly.
He had already lost.
If Teacher Mervin had wanted, he could have cut Shang in two. He only needed to move his sword.
Yet, instead of killing Shang, he had thrown him away, knowing fully well that Shang had a warrior’s body.
Shang was only alive because Teacher Mervin didn’t want to kill him.
At this moment, Shang realized that he had overestimated himself.
Yes, his body was nearly on the level of a Peak Commander Stage warrior, but he was far too young and inexperienced.
How much time had Shang had to practice his swordsmanship?
Shang was training his body, his Mana control, his Affinity control, basic Spell casting, and his swordsmanship. But at the same time, he also needed to hunt, gather ore, and fight.
There was so much for Shang to do. He simply didn’t have the time to practice his swordsmanship.
However, if Shang had only focused on his swordsmanship, he wouldn’t be as powerful as he was right now.
All these different aspects of Shang’s power contributed greatly to his Battle-Strength.
He couldn’t neglect any of them, and he hadn’t.
Shang’s swordsmanship was definitely outstanding amongst the Initial Commander Stage warriors.
Yet, he was like a child in front of someone like Teacher Mervin.
He simply hadn’t had the time.
“There was no finesse in your attack,” Teacher Mervin suddenly said. “You simply attacked. Is that your Path?”
Shang looked at Teacher Mervin in uncertainty.
At that point, Shang was questioning if his method of fighting was correct.
Teacher Mervin’s words rang true.
Shang was only moving his sword forward in a way to attack. From time to time, he was also moving it to the side to block and parry with it.
Shang thought back to some of the warriors he had fought.
They had moved their weapons in very delicate and quick ways. Their weapons sought out the tiniest opening in their opponent’s defense and homed in on them.
However, Shang didn’t forget to look at the full picture.
He was fighting against people many decades older with far more experience, and he still managed to win.
He definitely wasn’t weak.
Not in the slightest.
At that moment, Shang thought about his battles with the beasts and Mages.
He was surprised to find that the feeling he got was very different.
In front of the warriors, Shang saw his inadequacies, but while fighting Mages and beasts, Shang didn’t feel like he was inadequate.
In fact, Shang felt like his battle style was perfect for fighting Mages and beasts.
And that was when he realized something.
“Yes, this is my Path,” Shang said.
Teacher Mervin had just criticized Shang’s attacks and had asked Shang if that was truly his Path.
Yet, Shang had doubled down.
Yes, this was how he fought, and he was happy with it.
Teacher Mervin only smiled. “Why did you choose that Path?” he asked.
Shang looked at Teacher Mervin, and a smile appeared on his face.
“Because warriors are not my enemies,” he said.
“Your Path is incredibly powerful, and I feel like a helpless child in front of you,” Shang said. “However, your Path is optimized for fighting other warriors.”
“You are one of the most powerful warriors in the world. If there were a grand tournament where all warriors would gather to fight, you might even enter the top 10.”
“But what if the tournament were a comparison of points? What if every warrior had to fight Mages and beasts to gain points?”
“Would you still be in the top 10?” Shang asked.
Teacher Mervin’s smile didn’t vanish.
“Yes, I would be,” he said.
Shang’s eyebrows lifted in surprise.
“However, your analysis is correct,” Teacher Mervin said. “In fact, you managed to find the very flaw in my Path that took me years to find.”
“I always trained against other warriors, and I even kept my Stage suppressed and my weapon weak to give my enemies a chance to win.”
“Don’t think of me as arrogant when I say that I am probably the most powerful warrior when it comes to fighting other warriors in the entire world. If the Dean were on my Stage, I would be confident in beating him.”
“Even if he retained his current experience,” Teacher Mervin said with a grin.
This surprised Shang and his eyes opened wide in shock.
“Then, doesn’t that mean…?”
Teacher Mervin nodded.
“Yes, Shang.”
“I consolidated my Path around 30 years ago.”
“If I wanted, I could reach the True Path Stage by strengthening my body.”
Chapter 349 – True Path
Saying that Shang was surprised would be an understatement.
He knew that Teacher Mervin was powerful, but he hadn’t known that he was this powerful!
Teacher Mervin could actually reach the True Path Stage if he so chose to!
“Then, why are you a Late Commander Stage warrior?” Shang asked in shock.
Teacher Mervin chuckled a bit. “Didn’t you already find out the reason why?”
Shang was confused for a second, but then he realized.
“You don’t want to only fight warriors,” Shang said.
“Correct,” Teacher Mervin said with a nod. “When I was 123 years old, I found my Path. I realized my goal, and after decades of training, I finally unlocked the ability to beat any warrior comparable to me in level.”
“It has always been my goal to be the most powerful warrior. After all, I am a warrior, and just like any other warrior, I want to be the best.”
“But when I reached my goal, I realized something.”
“There was so much more in the world.”
“High Mages could fly without a Spell.”
“I wanted to fly.”
“Zone Beasts could do whatever they want.”
“I want to do whatever I want.”
“And, even more, many Kings in the past vanished without a trace. They didn’t die, but they simply vanished.”
“I’m pretty sure that there is a wider world beyond the Abyss, and they probably went there.”
“I want to go there.”
Then, Teacher Mervin sighed.
“However, I have already achieved my goal.”
“I was the most powerful warrior.”
“Yet, I couldn’t do any of these other things.”
“Achieving my goal felt empty after realizing all of these things.”
“That’s when I realized that I chose the wrong goal.”
“I chose the wrong Path.”
“I found my Path, but this was the Path of a different person.”
“With these new realizations, I was no longer the person that chose that Path.”
“I needed a new Path because my old Path was no longer useful for my new goals.”
“And for the last thirty years, I concentrated on increasing my Battle-Strength when it comes to fighting beasts and Mages.”
“About ten years ago, I managed to widen my Path.”
“I know how to fight beasts perfectly.”
“I achieved that Path while fighting a Late Commander Stage Crevice Lizard.”
“Crevice Lizards are one of the weakest Late Commander Stage beasts that exist, and I nearly died in my fight. But in the end, I managed to win.”
“I was the only Commander Stage warrior in the world that could win against a beast on my level solo, even if it was one of the weakest.”
The more Shang heard, the more his respect grew.
Killing a beast on the same level as oneself as a warrior without the Procedure was unreal.
This was like Shang fighting a weak Late Commander Stage beast if one included his Procedure. He could theoretically win, but it wasn’t a sure thing.
This meant that Teacher Mervin was probably just as good, if not better, when it came to fighting beasts than Shang!
Teacher Mervin’s smile widened. “And for about the last ten years, I’ve been focusing on Mages. I’m learning a lot from Vice-Dean Ranos.”
“And when I can finally beat a Mage on my level, I will be ready for the True Path Stage.”
“But I don’t know how long it will take. It might happen tomorrow. It might never happen. I don’t know.”
“That’s my reason for staying in the Late Commander Stage,” Teacher Mervin finished.
Shang had had no idea that Teacher Mervin was this outstanding.
For the entire time, Shang had assumed that Vice-Dean Ranos was the most powerful Commander Stage warrior, with Vice-Dean Soran being just below him with a couple of other warriors.
Yet, there was this hidden monster.
Shang had always felt that Teacher Mervin was a bit special amongst the teachers, but he hadn’t thought that he had already condensed such a powerful True Path.
“Do you understand what I want to teach you?” Teacher Mervin asked.
Shang nodded. “Yes,” he answered. “Condensing a Path doesn’t mean that I should reach the True Path Stage.”
“If I feel that my goal is inadequate, I should look at myself and see if I am happy with my own power.”
Teacher Mervin nodded with a smile. “Do you want to be the strongest warrior in the world?”
Shang shook his head. “No.”
“I want to be the strongest.”
There was a great difference between these two statements.
The strongest warrior in the world was the Dean.
But the strongest being overall?
Shang glanced at the jester.
The Dean and the God couldn’t be compared.
“You are walking a more difficult Path than me, Shang,” Teacher Mervin said.
“Your goal is to be the strongest, no matter what you fight. May it be warriors, Mages, beasts, Abominations…”
Teacher Mervin glanced at the jester.
“Or Gods.”
The jester only grinned.
“You have to work harder than anyone else, and you might need to take more time than anyone else. If you want to build the tallest building, you need the widest foundation.”
“Are you willing to do that?”
“Are you willing to see younger warriors and Mages overtake you in total power while you remain at the same level?”
“Are you willing to see the world be changed by others while you remain on a level of power that has no other option but to adapt to the very changes other powers decide to implement?” Teacher Mervin asked.
Shang took a deep breath.
Everyone wanted to change the world, but not many had the power.
Right now, Teacher Mervin was showing Shang his future.
In the future, Shang might have created a True Path so powerful that he could fight powerful High Mages without being at the True Path Stage.
Yet, the world was still run by the Kings and Zone Beasts.
King Skythunder might leave or die and be replaced by a King that didn’t like warriors very much.
Shang might be forced to run away and hide.
Shang might see the Dean and his friends die right in front of him while he had no other option but to run, hide, and train.
He could become powerful enough to resist the Kings if he advanced, but then, he might miss his true goal.
This meant putting his own goals over the lives of everyone else and maybe even above his own happiness.
Shang would be working towards the most distant, nearly unachievable goal.
In Earth terms, one could say that Shang would refuse to take a break, find a hobby, and find a relationship until he earned a billion dollars.
Was he willing to forsake all of this just to have a shot at achieving his goal?
Was he willing to sacrifice everything?
Shang looked at Teacher Mervin.
“Yes, I am willing,” he said, fire in his right eye.
“There is nothing more important than my goal.”
“Nothing.”
Teacher Mervin only smiled bitterly.
“This is not what I want you to choose,” he said. “What’s the point of being powerful when your life is grey and you have nothing else to live for?”
“I wanted to teach you this lesson when you were younger…”
Teacher Mervin sighed.
“But, apparently, I failed.”
Shang felt a bit guilty about disappointing Teacher Mervin, but he didn’t falter.
At that moment, Teacher Mervin readied his sword again.
“However, you are an adult now,” he said. “It is your choice to make. It is your Path.”
“And even if I don’t want you to walk down that path, as your teacher, it is my duty to help you achieve your goal.”
Teacher Mervin slightly moved his sword.
“Let me be the first to help you on your True Path.”
Then, Shang also readied his sword.
Chapter 350 – Forsaken Future
A sword pierced Shang’s heart again.
He wasn’t surprised.
He lost count of how many times that had already happened.
He didn’t know how long they had been fighting.
He only knew that it had been incredibly long.
The foreign Mana inside Shang’s chest had already vanished months ago.
Yes, the two of them had been fighting for months.
Initially, Shang felt nervous about missing an opportunity to strengthen his body.
After all, it just needed a bit of time for him to strengthen his body after hunting another beast.
However, Teacher Mervin very quickly convinced Shang.
“Strengthening your body is the easiest part of your Path. It only counts as a single step.”
“You can strengthen your body whenever you want, but you don’t always have someone ready to teach you.”
“Right now, only your swordsmanship is important, nothing else.”
That was when Shang ignored his body and everything else.
Only learning from Teacher Mervin was important now.
They had fought for so long.
SHING!
Shang’s heart was pierced again as Teacher Mervin’s sword mimicked the horn of a beast.
Teacher Mervin was incredible at mimicking beasts. Whenever he mimicked a beast, it was like Shang could see its image.
This time, it had been a huge octopus, but suddenly, the octopus had grown a horn.
Shang had been prepared for ranged attacks, tentacles, and even its beak.
Yet, the horn had gotten him.
This hadn’t been the first time it had happened.
“How am I supposed to fight something, which then suddenly changes into something else in a moment?” Shang asked.
Teacher Mervin only grinned. “This is the Path you have chosen. You need to be stronger than everything at once.”
“But how is that possible?” Shang asked with a sigh. “I can adapt to many kinds of attacks, but I can’t be prepared for all of them at once. I would need to perform several movements at the same time or be at several places at the same time.”
“I can’t strike up, down, left, and right at the same time without dispersing my power.”
“There is only so much I can do,” Shang said.
Teacher Mervin’s smile widened.
“I don’t know,” he said.
Shang knew what was coming next.
“I don’t know how you can achieve something impossible like that.”
“However, this is the Path you chose, and it is your duty to find a solution.”
“I am only here to help you. I can’t lift you up, but I can act as a wall that you can use to vault further into the sky,” Teacher Mervin explained.
Shang had been fighting for so long that even the God had left. The jester itself was still there, but it had lost all signs of life.
Obviously, the God was not interested in watching Shang train with the same opponent, but he also knew that this was a good thing.
The more powerful Shang became, the more interesting his journey would be.
“You have no responsibilities right now,” Teacher Mervin said. “And as a copy, I also have no responsibility.”
“We have all the time in the world.”
“This is a luxury that nearly every warrior in the world wishes for.”
Shang knew all of that, but it was still difficult.
How long had they been fighting?
There was no day or night in his inner world.
It was unchanging, and Shang had long since lost his feeling for the passage of time.
Yet, Shang continued fighting Teacher Mervin.
He felt like he had made no progress.
He always lost in one strike.
The inner world seemed endless.
Time seemed endless.
And Teacher Mervin’s power seemed endless.
Time lost all meaning.
It was like Shang was reliving the same moment again and again, and yet, the moments were all slightly different.
It was like Shang was trying to do something impossible.
The more he was learning, the more he felt like he knew nothing.
The more he knew, the less he knew.
Before Teacher Mervin had appeared, Shang could have stated with confidence how he would fight different opponents and how he would win.
But now, only emptiness appeared in Shang’s mind.
All the beasts, Mages, and warriors blended together in his mind.
Nothing made sense anymore.
It was like everything in existence had become relative.
There was no certainty.
There were only guesses and probabilities.
Was Shang powerful?
Probably, but he didn’t know.
How much time?
How much longer?
Shang moved only on instinct.
He wasn’t certain what he should do, but he was doing something.
The more he fought, the more he felt like he was no longer himself.
Shang hadn’t said a word in forever.
He was only fighting and adapting.
What was he doing again?
Right, fighting.
Why was he fighting?
Right, to become the strongest.
But was he actually progressing?
Was he?
…
Was he?
…
Maybe?
…
He should be progressing, right?
…
Right?
…
So much fighting.
…
Why was he fighting again?
…
Time.
Time was endless.
There was so much to do, but with endless time, there was so little to do.
He was fighting, right.
“Alright, that should be enough.”
Shang suddenly shook his head, and his right eye focused.
It was like someone had just dumped a bucket of cold water on him.
“What?” he asked in confusion.
“That’s enough,” Teacher Mervin said with a laugh.
“Enough?” Shang asked, still confused.
“Yep, we fought enough. We are done. The training is finished,” Teacher Mervin said. “I think this is a good moment. You adapted very well, and your growth is astonishing. However, if you keep fighting me, I fear that you will start to adapt to only me. You need to fight others.”
Shang could still scarcely believe that the fighting was over.
“How long have we been fighting?” Shang asked.
Teacher Mervin only laughed.
“I have no idea.”
Shang only looked at the laughing Teacher Mervin with surprise.
“Well, I think it’s time for me to go,” Teacher Mervin said as he readied his sword.
Shang knew what Teacher Mervin was about to do, and he didn’t feel comfortable letting him do that.
Killing oneself was different from someone else killing them.
“You don’t have to,” Shang said. “I can do it for you.”
Teacher Mervin only smiled as he looked at Shang.
“It’s not about could but should,” he said.
SHING!
And then, Teacher Mervin’s sword entered his head.
Teacher Mervin’s corpse fell over and the jester regained life.
“Took you long enough,” he said.
Shang didn’t even register the God’s words as he looked at Teacher Mervin’s slowly vanishing corpse.
He knew that the Teacher Mervin in front of him was only a copy, but for some reason, Shang’s emotions exploded at this moment.
Was he grieving for Teacher Mervin?
No, Shang knew that the real one was still alive.
Yet, for the first time in a long while, Shang actually fell to his knees…
And tears ran down his cheeks.
It hadn’t arrived yet, but Shang knew what it was.
This was his future.
For his own goal, he would most likely see those dear to him die.
He could stop it.
Shang could have just abandoned the trial.
Sure, he wouldn’t have done that since Teacher Mervin was only a copy, but he had the power to stop it.
Yet, for his own goal, he was ready to sacrifice someone else.
This time, it was only a copy of someone Shang had a deep connection with.
But next time, it might be a real person.
This was Shang’s future.
This was the Path he had chosen.
And at this moment, Shang wept for the other futures he had forsaken.