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What’s this “colorless realm” nonsense?

Having never heard of such a concept before, I asked the Necronomicon, “What’s this colorless realm?”

“You’ll find out once you break the high-level seal,” it replied.

“…Come on, you’ve got to be kidding! Why not just tell me outright?”

As I grumbled again, the Necronomicon chuckled softly.

“I have to give you some clues about the ‘upper’ realm, otherwise, how will you work hard on your Demon Path training?”

“Ugh, fine…”

“But now that you’ve reached the final stage, I’ll let you know how to accumulate power to reach the colorless realm.”

With that, the Necronomicon spread its front limbs wide.

“Five great realms. You’ve just gained one of them, known as the No-name Stage. Now, your task is to gain the remaining four.”

“…?”

I crossed my arms and thought carefully about the Necronomicon’s words. Once I understood what it meant, I replied.

“So, since the upper stage of hand seals is the No-name Stage, you’re saying I have to learn the five great elements of magic up to that level?”

“That’s right. Apart from hand seals, the other four elements of the Demon Path—offering, desire, command, and incantation—all have upper stages similar to the No-name Stage.”

“…!”

Four more elements to learn just like the No-name Stage?

“Each time you achieve one, a new level of seal will unlock.”

Indeed, is that how it works!

I was quite impressed by the systematic structure of the Demon Path training. When it suddenly made me perform the Thunder God Sword Dance, I was baffled, but now I saw that I was meant to train rigorously to attain these stages, much like martial arts.

“So, I just need to achieve four more stages… Wait?”

Suddenly, I recognized something odd and addressed the Necronomicon.

“Hey. Setting everything else aside, what’s the deal with offering having its own stage? Isn’t it just about making offerings? Why would that need a whole stage to understand?”

I thought that was a pretty reasonable question, but the Necronomicon snickered dismissively.

“Ha! The little guy who’s just starting to crawl dares to underestimate the Demon Path? How can you judge that?”

“……”

“Just making offerings isn’t enough to mean anything. The ‘method’ of making the offering can also be considered a stage. It might even be the most important among the five great realms.”

With that, the Necronomicon continued, “Anyway, once you achieve all five great realms, the Five Stars will emerge. If you can handle those Stars, then I’ll share the secret of the colorless realm.”

“Five Stars… so magic is magic after all.”

“Hahaha! At your current level, that’s still a long way off.”

“Aren’t you jumping to conclusions? Regardless of details, discovering the No-name Stage in just a few days is pretty fast! I might reach the next levels quickly!”

At my words, the Necronomicon burst into laughter, unable to hold it in.

“Hoohoo! You think just because you’ve realized the No-name Stage that you no longer need to train in hand seals?”

“What? I still have to train?”

“Of course! While gaining the No-name Stage simplifies understanding complex hand seals, your studies are still far from sufficient, and there’s an endless path ahead. If you ask me, you’ll need to spend decades mastering the hand seals alone.”

“……!”

“Hahaha! Moreover, the No-name Stage is merely the foundation you’ve laid. Earning it was like receiving a free lunch. But the other upper stages won’t be that easy to attain. Do you think you’ll get them just because I’m being nice?”

“C-Come on… just help me a little more!”

“No way. Honestly, just helping you this much is way too much for a beginner tutorial… Hoohoo.”

Why was the Necronomicon chuckling like it was having a blast? I decided I couldn’t give up easily. Resolutely, I grabbed at the Necronomicon’s pants leg and pleaded.

“Please! Just one more time! If you could use the training technique once more, it’d be great!”

“Hoo…”

“Please!”

“You really want to take advantage of me, huh?”

My heart skipped at the Necronomicon’s probing question. It finally dawned on me that wanting another training session stemmed from my impatience to gain achievements and my disdain for spending centuries training. I muttered, realizing there was no point trying to deceive.

“If it were martial arts, I’d get it, but this is magic! What’s so wrong about wanting an easy win?”

“Hahaha! You’re still so far off. If you truly understood what magic is, you wouldn’t be making such remarks.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Alright. Instead of the training method, I’ll provide you with another clue. Be satisfied with this.”

“Why not the training method…?”

“You’re not even able to digest the insight you currently have; taking on more will only overload you. Focus on what I’m telling you.”

The Necronomicon insisted, pointing a finger at me.

“I told you that you need to create your own hand seal to unlock the second stage of the seal. So why did the second stage unlock as soon as you acquired the No-name Stage?”

“…Hmm…”

I thought for a moment and replied, “Because the No-name Stage itself is a hand seal, isn’t it?”

“Exactly. Now that you’ve realized the No-name Stage, you understand well. This means the element of hand seals can be replaced with the No-name Stage. Thus, the Thunder God Sword Dance itself has become a hand seal.”

“Hmm.”

“So next, let’s move on… Who does the divine power you summon through the Thunder God Sword Dance belong to?”

“……?”

At this question, I was a bit baffled and replied with confusion.

“Well, it’s obviously the Thunder God Indra! It’s called the Thunder God Sword Dance because it borrows the power of the Thunder God.”

“Well, what if…”

“What do you mean ‘what if’…?”

“If you’re borrowing the power of the Thunder God, then isn’t there a problem? Does that mean you can’t call forth that divine power in a world where the Thunder God doesn’t exist?”

“……”

“And is the limit of the Thunder God Sword Dance also the Thunder God’s limit?”

Uh…? I found myself lost in thought at questions I hadn’t even considered. At the same time, it hit me.

“Wait a sec, isn’t that strange?”

The divine power I obtained from the Thunder God Sword Dance undeniably had the attributes of the Thunder God. So I’d assumed it was the power borrowed from Indra.

But thinking back, I had seemed to use the Thunder God Sword Dance rather well even in worlds where Indra didn’t exist.

What could this mean?

As I wrestled with my thoughts, the Necronomicon looked at me with a gleeful expression, as if enjoying the show, before it spoke again.

“Also, what do you think would happen if you performed the No-name Dance while wearing a mask?”

“A mask? Why even bring that up?”

“Hahaha! You may not understand right now without a body, but… this could be the catalyst for you to ponder the matter of the mask.”

“……?”

“You need to determine who the subject of the law body attached to the mask is… That’s something you must know.”

As the Necronomicon’s cryptic words left its mouth, its figure began to fade away.

Shhhhhh.

“Ugh! Don’t go! Please use the training technique one more time!”

I panicked and tried to grab the Necronomicon, but it was already vanishing like a mirage. It turned to me with a puzzling expression and said, “Kid… here’s your last piece of advice.”

“What is it?”

“No-name equals no-name. Remember this, and you’ll grow quickly.”

Bang…!

With those final words, the Necronomicon completely vanished.

There was not even a trace of its presence left.

“……”

So… it really disappeared. Does that mean I have to train alone from here on out?

As I stood there dazed, the Divine Being Di Jiang, who had been watching our conversation from start to finish, finally spoke up.

[Baek Woong, just from that last statement of the Necronomicon, you now have a task that will take you over a thousand years to complete.]

“…I know that.”

I’m not that clueless. I understood perfectly that the few cryptic phrases it just gave might be far more beneficial to my journey than the Necronomicon’s training technique.

I spoke irritatedly.

“But what now? Sure, I’ve realized the No-name Stage, but I still don’t know how to escape this void! Damn cat…”

That’s right.

The Necronomicon left without telling me how to escape this void!

After clinging on for dear life for that final training technique, I was just feeling desolate since I’d been ignored.

As I nagged, Di Jiang spoke.

[You do know the answer already, don’t you?]

I turned to Di Jiang, confused. “What do you mean?”

[You said a spell unlocks the second-level seal, didn’t you? Since it’s unlikely for a being like the Necronomicon to lie, you must already know that spell. After all, you’ve unlocked the second stage.]

“…Wait? Yes, the second stage is unlocked, but I didn’t gain any new knowledge. Just a sense of clarity… no new spells learned.”

[Then there’s only one answer. Among what you’ve learned, there exists a spell.]

“What? But all I learned was about hand seals…”

In that moment, something clicked in my head, and my eyes widened.

“Aha!”

[You figured it out…]

“Could it be… the No-name Stage?! The No-name Stage itself is a spell that allows one to escape the void?”

As I shouted in surprise, Di Jiang replied.

[The Necronomicon didn’t call the Thunder God Sword Dance a hand seal for no reason… It was a clue handed down to you.]

“…!”

That sounded logical, and it both surprised and flustered me.

“B-But even if the Thunder God Sword Dance can be used like a hand seal, it’s still not technically a spell! If it’s not a spell, how can I use the Thunder God Sword Dance to escape the void?”

[That too was explained by the Necronomicon… The purpose of magic is to borrow ‘power’… Regardless of how you borrow that power, whether it’s a spell, a hand seal, or a dance, does it really matter?]

“Hmmm…!”

[Utilizing the Thunder God Sword Dance to escape the void using the No-name Stage… That would be the shortcut to your exit.]

That made sense.

Finally, I felt as if I had a glimpse of the solution to my predicament, and I felt lighter. So, if I can refine the No-name Stage while mastering the Thunder God Sword Dance, I should be able to make my way out of this void!

Simultaneously, I felt puzzled and asked Di Jiang, “Why are you going out of your way to help me? Aren’t you just indifferent to my situation since it doesn’t concern you?”

If not for Di Jiang’s advice, I would likely have been holed up seeking knowledge related to the Necronomicon’s “spell” and spent decades striving to unlock those upper stages. Di Jiang’s guidance was deeply appreciated. Yet, being an ancient entity from the primordial universe, it shouldn’t really care about my troubles, so I couldn’t fathom why it was so eager to help.

Di Jiang responded, [You shouldn’t be a being meant to stay in this place.]

I frowned at this remark. “What do you mean?”

[As the overseer of this place, I have a bad feeling… If you remain in this void known as the ‘dump data’ for too long… I foresee an unforeseen forbidden interaction might arise. If we stick around too long, it’s no good for either of us…]

“A premonition? What kind of nonsense is that? You can’t base everything on vague feelings.”

[My premonition is based on the law of cause and effect… It’s a Sensory perception that comes from insights… Nothing is more certain than that.]

“……”

[If you don’t want to stay here… accepting my help wouldn’t be a bad idea, right?]

That wasn’t wrong.

I gave a slight smile and replied to Di Jiang. “You’ve got a point. Help me escape soon.”

Ging –

In the next moment, I began to perform the Thunder God Sword Dance. Using the sensation of the No-name Stage, I called forth divine power into my entire being.

Kwahhhhhh!

Slowly, divine power began to settle within me! I could definitely feel how much stronger I had become upon realizing the No-name Stage.

“Honestly, as a mere ‘martial art’, the Thunder God Sword Dance isn’t that formidable… But now that I’m executing it, pure divine power is beginning to infuse me, and it’s boosting my overall level of ‘power’ immensely!”

In the original martial arts system, it was a kind of powerful force you could only obtain through risking your life, but now, during the unfolding of the Thunder God Sword Dance, it enveloped me naturally. Even though my martial arts level hadn’t changed, those facing me while I performed the Thunder God Sword Dance would unexpectedly feel several times more powerful!

It felt as though the Thunder God Sword Dance had become both a martial art and a sort of magic I was embodying!

Seeing this dance manifesting a combination of martial arts and magic was nothing short of mind-blowing.

At the very least, among mortals, the Thunder God Sword Dance would surely rank as one of the strongest martial arts ever!

Even so, it was astonishing to realize that I hadn’t even used a single ounce of the latent divine power I gained as a Reborn Person while executing the Thunder God Sword Dance!

Whoooosh –

As I continued my Thunder God Sword Dance, I suddenly noticed a ‘thread’ appearing.

Whooosh…

“What is that?”

I felt that thread stretching infinitely towards the incomprehensible void. While I contemplated the direction of that thread, I completed the Thunder God Sword Dance, leading Di Jiang to speak.

[The thread of cause and effect that your Thunder God Sword Dance has revealed.]

“Then…”

[If that thread is connected outside, you’ll be able to follow it and escape.]

“Ooooh!”

[But…]

In a lower voice, Di Jiang added, [You’ll have to offer an ‘offering’ to leave.]

 

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