Chapter 20
Training and Growth
My usual training routine wasn’t very complicated.
Running 10 km, 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats.
Of course, doing it simply like that wouldn’t yield much effect.
I tried proper form, fast speed, slow speed, but eventually, once I got used to it, I hit a growth plateau.
It would have been nice to extend my workout time, but that wasn’t feasible.
Because of the mana suppressant, I had to earn money aggressively, and in my spare time, I also had to research information about the Gaia Cult and Namgung Myung.
So, I devised ways to increase the intensity of training to make it more efficient in a short time.
One of these methods was…
【Wow…】
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I’ve never seen a master do something this crazy…
“Shh. Huuuuh.”
Squats on a narrow balance beam.
It was a new type of squat I had developed that could train both balance and strength simultaneously.
“Add 10 kg weight.”
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Understood.
Thud!
It felt a bit light, so I added weight to the barbell on my shoulders.
Hmm. Now I can feel the strain.
Next:
“Make the balance beam even thinner.”
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…Understood.
I reduced the width of the surface I could step on.
Even the slightest loss of balance would make me fall.
“Shh. Huuuuh.”
Yet, something still felt lacking.
“Can we make the ground below lava?”
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That’s possible.
“Then do it.”
The area beneath the beam transformed into a lava zone.
“If I fall, I won’t actually die, right?”
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Physically, no, but you will feel the heat vividly.
“Good.”
This was it.
The tension of knowing I mustn’t fall.
With tension came the ability to push myself harder during training.
I was very satisfied.
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Spirit.
【Huh? Me?】
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Master, do you always train like this, risking your life?
【Uh… well, I don’t really…】
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Amazing.
【I’d say he’s just crazy.】
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I agree with that too.
Frill and the assistants were chattering nearby, but I mostly ignored it.
Training was just too fun right now.
‘This is way better than I originally imagined.’
Back when I couldn’t handle excessive mana and had to take mana suppressants, I had tried various training methods up to my growth limit.
But none were truly satisfying.
Either they were ineffective, or the intensity was impossible without mana.
Later, once I could handle mana, I began devising more efficient methods, but…
‘With this, I don’t need any of that.’
Compared to the training I could do here, the old plans were nothing.
Even the unrealistic methods I had only imagined could now be executed with actual techniques.
‘Next, I’ll try changing the ground into a balance board or add wind.’
Of course, squats weren’t the only thing I planned.
Running with random obstacles in a double-gravity space, push-ups while doing handstands on a balance beam, dodging projectiles while hanging upside down on a bar and doing sit-ups, and so on.
Unlike my usual physical training, these were much more practical.
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Wow. I’ve never created anything like this before.
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So these training methods exist!
【Eugene, so that’s why you grow so fast?】
Apart from being treated like a weird person, I had no complaints.
After finishing the basic training, I grabbed the Frost Eternity Sword.
“Huuuuh.”
Holding the sword, I steadied my breathing.
Then I focused and slowly began moving mana through it.
Sssshhhh—
Mana flowing along the circuits, extending through my palms to the sword.
Mana flowing naturally through the sword.
This slightly increased its attack power, but that was it.
‘It’s not an aura.’
This was the limit I had reached.
The endpoint of my progress so far.
‘I need to push mana outside the sword and condense it.’
To break this limit, I had to master the “aura.”
And what I needed for that was…
‘Practice.’
More practice.
But there was a problem.
“The dungeon break is scheduled in about nine hours, right?”
About nine hours in real-world time.
The dungeon’s dungeon break was scheduled around then.
If I wanted, I could use the special training room the whole time, but I couldn’t afford that.
“Margin of error is ±5 hours… hmm.”
Dungeon break schedules are only “planned,” not exact.
Humanity still can’t measure the precise time of a dungeon break.
We can only predict roughly by analyzing mana patterns.
So, to avoid being caught in the break, I needed enough buffer time to escape.
In other words:
“I must leave the dungeon within four hours at the latest.”
Considering the distance to the exit, the time I could use was…
“About 300 hours?”
300 hours.
Roughly two weeks.
And in outside time, just three hours.
This was the maximum time I could train without worrying about the break.
Fortunately, it wasn’t a short amount of time.
“Good.”
Two weeks obtained from a 100x time multiplier.
“I’ll master the aura within this time.”
So I entered seclusion training for these two weeks.
To someone who had longed for more training time, this was a blessing.
“…I did it!”
About two weeks later.
The Frost Eternity Sword in my hand emitted a heat-haze-like mana.
【Congratulations, Eugene!】
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Congratulations, Master.
The aura.
Something said to be reserved for 4-star hunters.
Finally, I had become a full 4-star hunter.
“Status screen.”
《 Do Eugene 》
Overall Combat Level: 4.28
Unique Trait: Mana Overflow
Body: 6,981
Mana: 120,232 (Recovering, no limit)
Skills: One Punch
Current Status: Normal
Even the level displayed on the screen had surpassed 4.
Because I had done various trainings, my physical stats had increased a lot too.
“My mana… has recovered tremendously.”
Thanks to the “Mana Overflow” trait.
“Luckily, my body seems fine too.”
Even though mana exceeded physical stats by fifteen times, there were no issues yet.
Unlike before, my body could handle the mana.
“Seeing the numbers is definitely useful.”
I could now measure my physical limits more precisely.
After checking my status:
“Time to get out.”
I declared my exit from the special training room.
To escape the dungeon before the dungeon break, it was time to leave.
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Understood, Master. Please visit again.
Exiting was simple.
Like when I entered, the view reversed, and I was now inside a cave.
“…That startled me.”
And next to me stood a metallic giant, a Mithril Golem.
“Come to think of it, the special training room wasn’t the end.”
One of the dragon powers I had obtained here was the control of this guardian, the Mithril Golem.
“Did you protect me?”
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Master protection. Guardian duty.
Judging by the reply, it seemed so.
From experience, the Mithril Golem was strong.
Even stronger than me.
‘Level… about 5-star?’
Judging objectively, its strength was equivalent to a 5-star hunter.
It was one level stronger than me after finishing training in the special room.
“Master protection… nice.”
Knowing such a creature was guarding me from potential threats was reassuring.
“Now… how do I take you out?”
And that was the problem.
Even with control of the Mithril Golem, I couldn’t bring it out.
It would stand out too much outside, but that was another problem.
I stood in front of the golem.
“Hmm.”
It was about 4 meters tall.
The underwater cave I entered was narrow.
There was no way something this big could fit.
Just in case, I checked the golem’s info.
《 Guardian – Mithril Golem 》
Overall Combat Level: 5.38
Abilities: Autonomous Combat, Self-Repair, Private Aether Space
Remaining Energy: 5% (Estimated combat time – 5 minutes)
Master: Do Eugene
And there, I found a clue.
“Private Aether Space?”
A unique feature in the golem’s abilities.
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This entity has a private aether space.
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It can freely travel to the space upon the master’s command.
“Oh.”
Two problems solved at once.
I could both bring it out and hide it from sight when needed.
“Then stay there.”
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Yes, Master.
The huge golem instantly disappeared.
All that remained was a pendant engraved with the golem’s figure.
《 Mithril Golem Pendant – Necklace, Unique 》
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Private Aether Space of the Mithril Golem.
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One recognized as the golem’s master can summon it from here.
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Master: Do Eugene
“So it becomes a pendant when stored in the aether space.”
I checked its info and put it on my neck.
Having secured the golem, I exited the underwater cave.
Along the way, I found new information.
[Tenauges Arrangement 1]
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Left by Dragon Lord Tenauges for the final dragon.
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Dragon powers are dormant.
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Non-dragons may be attacked by the guardians.
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Entry restriction: None
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Current number of entrants: 0
“So this is considered a dungeon too.”
Even places with powers had dungeon info available.
The amount of information was significant.
“1… Was this supposed to be the first power I obtained?”
The dungeon’s name, anticipated threats, and current entrants.
Quite a lot could be learned.
And also:
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Time remaining until dungeon break: 48 minutes 24 seconds
This line was at the bottom of the dungeon info.
“…I can know this too?”
I could see the time until the break in seconds.
This was an incredible advantage.
No one had been able to measure dungeon breaks this accurately before.
“This is insane.”
Exclusive information always held high value.
Heh… very good.
The Tenauges System powers were a true feast of benefits.
Feeling completely satisfied, I escaped the dungeon and returned to reality.
And then…
Kuuuaaaah───!
“What’s that?”
【Explosion!】
A blast lit up the dark sky in red.
“…That’s where the Hyunwoong Guild HQ is?”
My expression turned serious.
Whatever was happening, it wasn’t good.
Then:
Bzzzzz.
Dudung-tak!
Both my feature phone and Geumyangtae’s smartphone vibrated simultaneously.
It was a mass message from Hyunwoong Guild.
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All hunters, report to HQ immediately. Now!
A message calling all affiliated hunters to assemble immediately.
They even emphasized “immediately” twice.
“What the hell…?”
Whatever it was, the situation seemed urgent enough that I should go too.
Hyunwoong Guild was important to me.
Bzzzzz.
My feature phone vibrated again.
This time, it was Jihyunwoong calling.
“Hello?”
“Deputy Team Leader Eugene.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Can you come to the guild HQ immediately?”
His voice was urgent.
“I was about to go anyway. What’s happening?”
“An assault.”
“An assault…?”
“Yes. The Gwangcheol faction has invaded.”
Hearing that, I was momentarily confused.
“What excuse are they using? They’ll face legal punishment if they use force like this.”
“Hah.”
Jihyunwoong sighed briefly and continued.
“They don’t care about excuses.”
“Excuse me?”
“Legitimacy aside, they just want to overpower us with force.”
“….”
I hadn’t expected this.
Even though public authority is weak nowadays, allowing a large-scale fight like this is unheard of.
Originally, Jihyunwoong took care to secure legitimacy to prevent political backlash.
But the Gwangcheol faction clearly didn’t care.
“Anyway, come quickly. I’ll go stop them now.”
“Understood. Just wait─”
Before I could finish, the call ended.
They were really in a hurry.
【Are we going to fight?】
“Yes.”
【With whom!?】
“The same punks from last time.”
【Ah, those guys! Great! Let’s kill them all! Shuk shushuk shuk!】
Frill shouted excitedly.
Watching her for a moment, I sprinted forward, pounding the ground.
To crush the Gwangcheol faction punks.
Taaat─!
