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? ──── ? ??? ? ──── ?

A week has passed since he entered the ‘Sky Road’. It has been a while since he had stayed in a labyrinth for this long.

In the meantime, Do-joon did not look away and moved straight up. In fact, he couldn’t even glance aside even if he wanted to.

He means what else should he do.

The only path was to go forward, so it was natural to head upward.

However, even after running for a week, he was still on the stairs.

A journey where there’s no end in sight. Still, the reason he could not give up or stop in the middle was that he had goals and achievement.

The goal was simple. Defeating the boss of this labyrinth, which was probably at the top, and advancing to the next labyrinth.

There’s no way that there will be no boss, so this road will end someday.

And achievement is..

Kwaaang!

Ttudug!

It meant breaking the stone statues that appeared occasionally and from time to time to extract their power source.

[Copied successfully.]

[The “Power Source of the God of Infidelity”, which became the material, has been destroyed.]

[The copied abilities are adjusted according to the “classification” of the item.]

[Additional option]

– Attribute: Mana Recovery Lv7

The level of mana recovery achieved in a week was already 7. Compared to when the level was 1, the efficiency increased unbelievably.

‘On the first day, it was just like an auxiliary.’

He could feel it, but it feels like something that didn’t exist. The amount of recovery from this characteristic itself was not so large.

But now it’s different.

Now, the amount was recovering enough to show a significant difference in battle.

Even if for some reason the supply of mana through breathing was blocked, it seemed to be okay for a while. With this characteristic alone he will be able to withstand to some extent.

That amount was slowly coming in through his whole body.

‘It’s a pity it doesn’t increase the amount of mana itself.’

That’s inevitable.

If it’s an option that increases the mana quantity itself?

Then, this power source item becomes a nonsensical item. Because it would mean that it is an item that constantly increases the mana by just leaving it alone.

If it was such an option, it would be a legend level, not a rare one.

‘Where is it just to recover though. It’s helping me a lot in this labyrinth.’

This characteristic is of great help in this labyrinth. As his resilience increases, he would need less rest.

During that time, he pushed his feet once more, climbed the stairs, recovering bit by bit.

Thanks to such a virtuous cycle. He was able to rise quite a lot in a week.

The problem was that even after all of this, the scenery did not change, let alone see the summit.

Also, this was not the only achievement over the past week.

‘I’ve mastered the technique to a certain extent.’

A technique of shooting the body by creating wind at the tip of the toes.

The principle itself was simple but never easy. The force of the wind that caused it should not be dispersed, but should only be collected on the legs, and no sound should be made in the process. Making noise was a large weakness in itself.

It is a problem even after manifestation there. He had to balance his body and freely choose between landing and walking.

If he simply shoots his body up, it’s just a jump. It can’t even be called the running style.

Now he can control all of these processes, even if it is insufficient. He needs to practice it till he completely mastered it.

Of course, raising the level here is a future task. It was still far from the state of stepping on the sky that Kalish was talking about.

For reference, when Do-joon perfectly unfolded his technique.

― The name of this technique is Cheonro.

Only then did Kalish tell him the name.

― Knox is known to ride horses that tread on the sky.

“A horse that treads on the sky?”

― According to myths, countless people fly in the sky. However, Knox’s version was the only one where it’s described as “stepping”. It is said that it can run non-stop to the other side of the continent which is a month-long journey, and it only takes less than three days. It was called Cheonro because it was literally a thunderbolt for the beings of the earth.

At the same time, Kalish also talked about the origin of the thunderbolt.

As he listened to it, he suddenly had a question and asked.

“Isn’t it something like stepping on the sky when the realm around rises?”

― That’s what happens.

“But from what I hear, it sounds like a technique that was created for that purpose in the first place, right?”

At first, it was said that they were stepping on the sky, so when martial arts reach the extreme, such a feat is possible, he simply thought so.

But now that he heard the name and origin, doesn’t it seem like it was made for that purpose from the beginning?

― Well, I don’t remember exactly, but I think so. I don’t like vague things.

“Is it vague?”

― That is the case with most of the martial art techniques in my knowledge. There are many things where martial arts itself has become bizarre when putting in a useless philosophy. Just thinking about it makes me sick.

Kalish spoke in a tone that seemed to be getting tired.

“Do you mean your martial art is different, Kalish?”

― Of course! I think it was very simple from the beginning. The scenes of Knox’s myth keep repeating one by one in my mind and make my heart race. That too is very specific.

The continent’s best warrior created martial arts with a clear will, so there is no way that the result was sloppy.

One of them is Cheonro.

It is said that he was inspired by Knox’s horse, the only horse in mythology described as stepping on the sky, and tried to reproduce it.

To do that, he simply studied the difference between flying and stepping and thought about what to do to step on the air.

In the end, if the height rises, it is not possible to carry out such a journey, but it is a martial art created to carry out such a journey in the first place.

“It’s good.”

And Kalish’s philosophy came to Do-joon. When he felt exhausted and wanted to collapse, it is because of a specific goal and expectation that made him take one more step.

Isn’t it the same reason why Do-joon goes in and out of dangerous labyrinths and dungeons and nevertheless trains without a break?

All of his daughter’s ailments got better, and she went to college just like everyone else, got a job, met a good person, and started a family.. ...

Isn’t he constantly whipping himself while drawing such a scene in his head?

― Right? It’s not that hard to be a martial artist in the first place. It is said that the inferior being trains to defeat the enemy, and the master trains to defeat oneself. In the end, what it means to be the best me I can imagine is to become the best martial art person.

Perhaps that’s why Kalish’s teachings were always straightforward and clear. Should he say that it feels like scratching an itchy spot?

Do-joon’s rapid increase in skill was also thanks to his good teaching.

As he ran while talking about everything, there was no boredom even in the unchanging scenery. If he were alone, it would have been quite a torment.

Sleep, eat and run.

Repeat that for two more days.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Do-joon felt as if he was passing through something. He stopped because it was the first time something like this had happened.

He looked at the path that passed by as it was.

‘There’s nothing?’

There was nothing different.

But he couldn’t help but ignore the feeling of the moment. Probably because from that moment on, he felt that the air around him had changed somehow.

‘It feels like I’m in a different place.’

However, the same view was still there. A place where only clouds, fog, and stairs exist.

Feeling uncomfortable, Do-joon slowed down the speed of going up the stairs a little.

And after a while.

For the first time in nine days, he found a landscape other than the stairs.

It was a small manor that wasn’t that big.

* * *

― What building is it?

“I do not know.. .. .”

Do-joon approached the manor with great vigilance.

What he can see is a wall, a large door, and the roof of a tiled house seen above the wall.

It looked like a house that would appear in history books.

“I guess this is normal.”

― Then there must be Boss Monster.

“Maybe.”

Squeak—

Do-joon opened the front door and entered cautiously.

What kind of a boss is there? Will it be a stone statue again? That was the most usual thing.

But there was no one inside.

A building and a small pond on one side. And a tree with a lot of fruit. What fruit is it? Isn’t it peaches?

Do-joon went in while looking at the yard. Just in case, the return skill is ready to be used at any time.

But suddenly.

Squeak. Thud!

He heard the door closing behind him. It didn’t close suddenly like in a horror movie, but it was the sound of a slow closing like an automatic door.

Do-joon turned around and checked the door. Not all of a sudden, but it wasn’t a good feeling. To see the entrance to the boss room close by itself.

‘If I think of leaving, I can return home or just cross the wall.’

Still, he wasn’t too worried. The door was closed, but there were plenty of escape routes.

With that in mind, he looked at the yard again.

There was something there.

“....!”

It was a spot where no one was there until just now. But it appeared like a ghost without a trace.

He couldn’t help but be surprised by this. Do-joon grabbed the spear reflexively. However, the tip of the spear was not as sharp as usual.

Because what appeared was not a monster, but a human.

“It’s my first time having a guest.”

An old man with white hair. He mumbled bluntly.

“You .. .. Who are you?”

There’s someone who talks in a labyrinth? That in itself was not surprising. Wasn’t the Kalish he’s holding right now the one that he found and brought back from the labyrinth?

But being able to speak does not necessarily mean that he is an ally.

When Do-joon asked without letting go of the string of boundaries, the old man glanced at him with a spear raised.

“Put down such a thing and come in. I’ll treat you to a cup of tea.”

Then he turned around and began to walk briskly towards the mansion.

Do-joon slightly relaxed his posture as he showed his back without hesitation. But he didn’t put Kalish away.

The old man continued with his back towards him. Do-joon used his insight on the old man.

Upon that.

[???]

Fit rate

– 0%

Do-joon opened his eyes wide in the reflected information window.

‘This is..’

It’s the same situation as with Siewellin. And when he was told to get her name back.

[A hidden quest has been created]

[Quest]

– Collect forgotten names.

– A name is the reference point of existence to distinguish itself from all the nameless things in this world. A soul whose name has been forgotten will eventually forget its existence and only perish.

– If you find a name, the soul will leave a mark of its memory on the star again.

After looking at the old man’s information window, a hidden quest appeared. This is the third hidden quest he received.

The contents were the same as the labyrinth of the collapsed temple that brought Siewellin.

But the difference is.

‘Siwelin was a ghoul, and the fit rate was over 70%.’

The opponent’s condition was different. Unlike Siewellin when we first met, that old man was seemingly an ordinary person. The fit rate was written as 0%.

Does 0% mean that he doesn’t have any combat ability?

But as if denying that thought.

—.. .. Be careful. He is quite a strong player.

Kalish spoke in a low, subdued tone. It was the most serious voice ever, completely different from usual.

‘Even when I was fighting with the elf, his voice wasn’t this serious.’

Looking back, at that time, the elf, Eldora, had a 0% fit rate. Still, he was strong. He must have been stronger than any A-class hunter.

‘It doesn’t mean that the fit rate is a measure of strength.’

It can be a general standard, but it cannot be an absolute standard.

He found the exception twice in such a short time, so it’s not unreasonable to think that way.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to come in?”

The old man looked back and spoke. It wasn’t a particularly welcoming atmosphere, but it didn’t show any hostility either.

―.....

Kalish was quiet. Even if Do-joon didn’t notice, Kalish wouldn’t miss it.

The fact that he was quite like that meant that he really had no hostility toward his opponent.

Soon after, Do-joon slowly followed the old man. Kalish was still hanging over his shoulders.