I Became the Only Non-mage in the Academy-Chapter 269: Transcendence

“Hmm…”

Ershil let out a sound as if the sunlight was too bright.

I glanced at the rays of sunlight and recalled yesterday.

-Uh… Huh… So, so happy, Master…♡

-Heh, heheh. Ma, Master’s seed…

Somehow, I ended up forming a master-servant relationship with Ershil.

‘Well… These things are usually just for show.’

It was like a lubricant to smooth our relationship. If there was a problem, it’s probably just one thing.

Updat𝒆d fr𝑜m freewebnøvel.com.

-…

Black Heaven didn’t obey like it used to, and now it secretly spied on me.

-So, Master had such tastes, huh…“

‘No.’

-But… that intensity…

‘…’

I kept my mouth shut. It might have been an unspoken answer, but every time I opened my mouth, it felt like I was being played.

‘At this point, it feels like it’s pretending to be dumb while mocking me.’

Well, it did regain its memories.

I casually threw on a T-shirt and shorts. The Black Heavenly Demon Sword stuck to my side like glue.

This was one of the functions it gained as it evolved.

It fully embraced my black energy, amplifying it and moving according to my will.

-It’s like a telekinetic sword. But its strength is weaker than I thought.

‘Seems pretty useful to me.’

-Master’s enemies from now on will be beings beyond transcendence.

‘True.’

A telekinetic sword was indeed insufficient against opponents of transcendence and higher.

-Are you really going to do it?

‘I have to.’

I sat on the bed and thought.

Apostilization.

The ability to share my power with another—this was what I must use on Ershil.

Originally, it wasn’t a power I would have used.

It was not like I whimsically granted it to the Witch Maiden, the Elder, or that pink-haired something-or-other.

Back then, my power was unstable.

Even when using the Energy of Defying Heaven, I could mix flames to make them mine and enhance my control, but looking back, the control wasn’t as impressive as it seemed.

However, that changed when my Absolute Stat Black reached 10.

After devouring the Black God, who originally wielded black energy, my control over my power improved exponentially. It became something I could nearly wield perfectly.

If there’s any lingering concern:

‘I feel like there’s still hidden power I don’t fully understand.’

The power derived from the Abyss that came with consuming the Black God.

Even now, I faintly heard the sound of the Black God’s body being chewed as I failed to fully digest him in one part of me.

‘But the essence of the form is mine.’

I took pride in being able to control at least that much.

“Hmm…”

Ershil shifted in bed.

I stroked Ershil’s head as she tossed and turned.

Ershil smiled faintly.

Chaos Abomination.

It was a mixture of evil.

Born from chaos, it devoured others, using them as nourishment to grow.

An incomprehensible monstrosity.

Some said it was born from the land of chaos, while others claimed it arose from the remnants of a god.

One thing was certain:

It embodied all the malice in this world, mingled with the presence of the Great Evil.

Although classified as a Great Evil, it did not associate with others of its kind.

The reason was simple—it had no intelligence.

It could not speak. It did not learn language.

It had no memory, unlike other living beings. There were records of it falling into the same trap multiple times.

It simply existed, bearing hatred toward all life.

While other Great Evils could communicate, this one could not.

It hated everything that lived.

Whether it be a hero, villain, or Mine, it made no distinction.

It merely killed and used them as sustenance.

The sole reason it continued to exist despite its lack of intelligence:

It was strong.

So strong that even transcendent beings hesitated to approach it. Its overwhelming power set it apart from other Great Evils.

Even apostles detested it, and in some cases, it could devour dragons.

A gnawing sound echoed in the empty cave, accompanied by the sight of someone barely clinging to life.

“Kihihihit.”

Mad Evil burst into laughter.

Approaching this entity was a challenge for him, yet Mad Evil remained in this place.

It was for a mission he had to complete.

Killing his replicas was acceptable.

The problem was the entity’s ability to consume even the original form. If it devoured something, it didn’t just kill a replica.

‘Like that man back then…’

He recalled a man holding a dark sword.

Previously, in Japan, Mad Evil had corrupted a Sword Saint.

But Mad Evil didn’t stop there.

Having lost many Great Evils, he sought to create new ones.

‘The plan was perfect.’

The Sword Saint fell.

Mad Evil believed this would deal an enormous blow to Japan.

At the very least, he anticipated a sacrifice of tens of millions.

At most, perhaps offerings in the billions.

Killing countless minor deities in Japan and offering them might have allowed him to summon an Evil God.

Mad Evil’s Hidden Power.

Mad Evil had attempted it even by unleashing his hidden power.

However, it was thwarted by a single man.

‘The Savior.’

His appearance was not that of a savior.

Instead, he exuded the charisma and strength of a Demon King ruling over hell.

Yet, his eyes—those eyes were unforgettable.

When they looked at him, the only emotion they conveyed was sheer annoyance.

Mad Evil felt humiliated by that gaze, but there was nothing he could do.

The Black Light.

The black sword, seemingly capable of engulfing everything, even felt like it could swallow him whole.

If struck by that blade incorrectly, it would go beyond injuring his replica—it would impact his original body. He instinctively knew that his main body could die if that happened.

“Can you do it?”

Mad Evil stared at the Chaos Abomination.

No, he stared at the Chaos Abomination devouring the Vicious Abomination.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Daji, a fox yokai also known as Illusionary Evil, had sought revenge and attacked the Savior. However, she was so terrified by his power that she attempted to flee.

Her end was nothing more than this:

Devoured by the Chaos Abomination, she became just another part of it.

“So, what are you going to do now? The One Who Burns Darkness will be enraged…”

“That’s nothing to worry about. I’ve already offered a separate sacrifice to Him.”

Even Mad Evil, as wild as he was among the Great Evils, knew better than to offend the Evil God.

No matter how many times he had spiraled into madness, he understood one thing:

The entities that exist above, in the outer realms, are far more malicious than even beings like himself.

Mad Evil gazed at the Chaos Abomination with dark eyes.

“You must kill the Savior.”

If not, all of them would die.

At the Merchen Family Training Grounds.

I was currently at the training grounds of the Merchen family.

It was a place only the head of the family could access, but since Ershil had used it before, I was allowed here.

The reason was simple:

Ershil refused to accept my power.

‘No, it wasn’t outright refusal.’

I recalled our earlier conversation.

“Can’t we do it later?”

“Later?”

“Yes, um, right now is just… so…”

Ersil, blushing and hiding under the blanket, murmured those words, seemingly reminded of last night.

…Looking back, I realized I had lacked consideration.

Even Kim Ara had struggled, so it made sense that Ershil, a wizard apprentice, would find it challenging too.

That’s why I suggested testing the new power I had gained in the training grounds, and Ershil agreed.

“If it’s that, I have a personal training ground. I’ll inform the butler, so just follow him.”

That’s how I ended up here.

‘Not bad.’

The place was rich in mana.

The magical formations that trapped mana made it an abundant source. Most renowned locations in this world have similar setups.

Not that it was of much use to me.

I sat in the center, crossed my legs, and closed my eyes.

‘I need to create it before transcending.’

Once transcendence was achieved, everything began to ‘complete’ itself.

The culmination of everything I had built thus far would soar to unprecedented heights. While it sounded wonderful, it’s not entirely ideal.

Completion signified the end of possibility.

In other words, growth ceased.

Even if I were to transcend now, it wouldn’t be an issue, but…

‘The Absolute Stat ?? is the problem.’

What kind of power would you grant me?

Black Heaven suggested that the Power of Preservation might be decent.

White embodied creation, while black carried the power of destruction. It said possessing preservation, the balance between them, wouldn’t be a bad choice.

‘Conceptual Stats govern the very concept itself.’

I considered it.

The best course of action I could take.

Black Heaven’s suggestions were reasonable powers.

But was that the best? I found myself questioning it.

‘Exclude transformation, engraving, and destruction.’

My powers currently exist in two forms: white and black.

Flow and preservation. These were forces I had not previously possessed.

But I had knowledge.

Knowledge gleaned from the game into which I poured 30,000 hours of my life.

‘The Absolute Stat surpasses the Conceptual Stat. Black Heaven’s knowledge only scratches the surface.’

But the more I wielded these powers, the more I felt something else.

A sense that these powers were bound by ‘certain rules.’

‘No matter what I do, they’ll ultimately be subordinates of the Black Stat and White Stat.’

If that’s the case, I must find a power that doesn’t overlap with black yet remains closest to it.

After much deliberation, I opened my eyes.

Good.

I’ve decided.

[The Absolute Stat ?? transforms into the Absolute Stat… Preservation.]

It was the right choice.