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Chapter 7
In my previous life, it took about a month to build a core using the Titan Breathing Method.
Excluding the time spent just learning the breathing technique itself, the actual period of continuous practice was only about half a month.
But this time, perhaps thanks to my experience from my previous life, I was able to shorten the period.
Granted, it was only a few days shorter, but nevertheless, the foundation of my core had finally been laid through training with the Titan Breathing Method.
“…Done.”
Now that the foundation of the core was ready, all that remained was to build the actual core on top of it.
When I created the Holy Core, the trigger was the blessing of the gods during a baptism.
This time, however, I wasn’t making a Holy Core, so I needed a different trigger to form the core.
The core I was creating now was a Force Core, which manipulates aura rather than holy power.
And the most representative and reliable way to create a Force Core was through Hwan-Gol-Tal-Tae (metamorphosis/restructuring of the body).
The purpose of creating this second core was to gain a bodily trait and enhance physical abilities, and to gain that trait, the core had to be built through Hwan-Gol-Tal-Tae.
“Phew… alright, let’s start immediately.”
I took a deep breath, exhaled slowly to steady myself, and began to operate the Titan Breathing Method while simultaneously observing my mental projection.
Within my mind, there were two forms.
One was the Holy Core I had made first, and the other was the foundation of the second core, which had yet to be completed.
I kept the Holy Core fully deactivated and focused only on the foundation of the second core, drawing mana into it.
At the same time, I operated the Titan Breathing Method, allowing mana to flow throughout my body.
Through the mana coursing through every part of my body, the core began to resonate with it.
“So far, so good.”
Resonance between the core and the body was stage one.
“And now it begins…”
In stage two, mana begins to permeate the body resonating with the core, beginning the process of physical transformation.
“Hwan-Gol-Tal-Tae…!”
This process is what is called Hwan-Gol-Tal-Tae, or metamorphosis of the body.
Mana infused into the bones hardens them while maintaining flexibility.
Mana seeping into muscles enhances their strength without hindering movement.
Mana in the skin makes it tougher, yet more sensitive to sensations.
The skeletal system, muscular system, skin, nervous system—every part of the body begins to be reconstructed.
And all of this comes with…
“Ughhhhh!”
Intense pain.
‘I can’t believe this…!’
This wasn’t exaggeration—literally reconstructing the body from the inside out brings pain beyond description.
“Ughhh!”
Just when I thought I was getting used to it, stronger waves of pain would strike, making my mind reel. Then, memories of conversations with my companions in my previous life flashed before me.
“Too bad. If I could go through Hwan-Gol-Tal-Tae again, I could have gained the Titanic Trait.”
“Are you serious?”
“Huh?”
“Think carefully.”
“About what?”
“The pain during Hwan-Gol-Tal-Tae.”
“…Ah.”
“It was so painful that I even thought biting my tongue and dying would be better. Didn’t you feel the same?”
“No, I did. As a paladin, it was the first time I cursed the gods during the process.”
“Right. But if you experience Hwan-Gol-Tal-Tae a second time, you have to go through that pain again.”
“Ugh… the pain that tears your skin? I’d rather just be torn apart.”
“I agree.”
“It’s lucky that Hwan-Gol-Tal-Tae can only happen once in a lifetime.”
That was true—this event was supposed to happen only once in a lifetime.
Crack… crack!
‘Ugh…’
Thunk, thud!
‘Ughhh…!’
Through reincarnation, I had returned to the past before experiencing Hwan-Gol-Tal-Tae. Although this was my first time physically, my memories made it feel as if I were suffering through a second Hwan-Gol-Tal-Tae.
‘…Why does it feel more painful?’
Perhaps it was just my imagination, but the pain this time seemed much worse than in my previous life.
‘Is it more painful because I know it’s coming? Or is the Titanic Trait inherently stronger than the Holy Trait?’
I couldn’t figure out the exact reason, no matter how I hypothesized, and eventually, I lost consciousness under the extreme pain.
How long had I been unconscious?
‘Ugh… what… how many hours have passed?’
Before losing consciousness, the sun had been high in the sky. When I came to, the night had passed and the sun was slowly rising.
“Ughhh…”
I tried to push myself up with my hands, but the sensation of the floor was strange.
It wasn’t exactly soft, but it felt slightly weaker than normal, as if I could break it if I applied all my strength.
I grabbed the bed frame to lift myself, and immediately realized it wasn’t just a feeling.
Crack!
The wooden frame shattered under my grip.
“…?”
It had been a sturdy piece of furniture, yet it crumbled with just the strength of my hands.
‘What the…?’
I slowly regained my senses while letting the wooden fragments fall. Then I remembered what I had been doing before I fainted.
‘…Ah, Hwan-Gol-Tal-Tae!’
I had lost consciousness from the excruciating pain during the process. I focused on my mental projection.
‘This is the Holy Core.’
The first thing I saw was the Holy Core. Until now, it had been the only one. But now, another core existed in my mind.
‘This is the newly created Force Core.’
The second core, created using the Titan Breathing Method, was the Force Core.
‘Then, what about the trait?’
I concentrated on my mental projection to check the most important trait. Unlike the first time, I couldn’t choose the trait, but by activating the core, I could see which trait I had gained.
And the trait obtained through the Force Core was…
‘Titanic Trait!’
It was exactly the trait I had wanted.
‘Success!’
In my previous life, I had to give up the Titanic Trait, but in this life, I obtained it right from the start.
‘Then, maybe the reason the bed frame broke…’
It was probably because the amplified strength of the Titanic Trait had made it impossible to control my power properly.
‘…I need to practice controlling my strength first.’
Although enhanced strength was good, losing control to this extent could be problematic.
‘Can I manage it in a day?’
A week had passed since passing the graduation exam. Tomorrow, I would be assigned a forced mission, so I had to practice strength control today.
I headed straight to the training ground.
Since it was early morning, almost no one was there.
“Oh? Roizen.”
“Roizen? It’s really you.”
“It’s only been a week, right?”
The only people present were apprentice paladins preparing for training and their instructors.
“I need to check something.”
After briefly greeting my companions, I grabbed a wooden scarecrow and a training sword and headed to a corner of the training ground.
“Scarecrow and training sword?”
“You’re not going to practice swordsmanship, are you…?”
“What is he planning to check?”
The three apprentice paladins stared at me curiously.
“Hmm, I wonder what he’s trying to do, senpai?”
“I don’t know…”
All eyes in the training ground were on me. I fixed the scarecrow to the ground and raised the training sword.
“Phew…”
To control strength, I first had to check my limits.
‘Then the first time… go all out!’
I focused my breathing, drew out all my strength, and swung the training sword diagonally with maximum force.
The target was the wooden scarecrow.
‘Will it get halfway in…?’
Though wooden, it was not ordinary wood—it had been heat-treated and oiled for extra durability. Unlike a bed frame, it was extremely sturdy, so I didn’t expect to break it, only to see how deeply the sword would embed.
But contrary to my expectations…
Crack!
The scarecrow shattered completely from the strike.
“What…?”
“The scarecrow… broke?”
“No, it didn’t just break—it completely shattered.”
The apprentice paladins and instructors were all shocked. But the person most shocked was me—the one who had destroyed the scarecrow.
‘Huh…?’
Titanic Trait. I had underestimated it slightly, thinking it was just a lesser version of the Colossal Trait.
‘How did it break…?’
Even swinging at full strength, I hadn’t imagined such a result.
‘If this is the lesser version, then it’s almost no different from the Colossal Trait…’
Even having seen Rena’s Colossal strength up close, I found myself thinking that.
‘Let’s try again…’
Since I couldn’t properly gauge my limit, I went to the warehouse to try again.
‘Where’s the steel scarecrow?’
This time, I brought out a steel scarecrow, one of only two in the warehouse.
‘It doesn’t feel that heavy.’
As its name implied, it was made entirely of steel. Normally, two or three people would be needed to lift it, but I could handle it alone.
“Uh… that?”
“Isn’t that the steel scarecrow?”
“How can he lift that alone?”
“Senpai, was it possible to lift that alone?”
“I’ve only seen someone do it once…”
Carrying the steel scarecrow, the apprentices and instructors looked even more shocked. I placed it next to the shattered wooden scarecrow and swung the training sword with full strength again.
BANG!
The leather padding intended to reduce noise was shredded, and the steel body inside was crushed and split apart with a deafening crash.
