Chapter 308 (1/2)

Act 7

Chirp, chirp.

Su-hyeun could hear the birds chirping when he regained his consciousness. He slowly opened his eyes, got up, and scanned his surroundings. He then noticed a sparrow on a branch over his head.

Chirp.

The sparrow met Su-hyeun’s gaze and chirped again.

He bewilderedly stared at the bird for a little while before coming to his senses.

“A bird?” he said, confused.

The sparrow got near enough. Su-hyeun walked closer, careful not to scare it away.

He should currently be in a ranch located in the middle of Gangwon Province. This place was supposed to be destroyed during the First Outbreak crisis. Humans and animals would find it difficult to live in this desolate land.

Birds were not an exception. Yet, how come there was a sparrow here?

Su-hyeun hurriedly searched through his pockets. But when he pulled out his phone to confirm the date…

Shatter.

The moment he held the phone, the screen cracked.

“Huh?”

Not one to easily give up, Su-hyeun tried to turn it on. He was hoping that it would still work despite the broken screen. After several attempts, he stopped.

He stared at the device, thinking he could still do something about it. He tried each solution he could think of, but none worked. He put it down next to him. Then he repeatedly clenched and opened his hand.

‘Did something change?’

He wanted to know, but he feared the answer—it might disappoint him.

It felt like he had been asleep for a long time. Seeing how a sparrow managed to get this far, he must have slept for more than one or two days. As for the smartphone failing to start up, it could also be due to the battery running on empty; nothing to do with the broken screen.

‘As for my body, it…’

Su-hyeun examined his body. He was feeling light but overflowing with energy. He clenched and opened his fists again. This time, it felt different.

This new sensation, along with a whole new different atmosphere, Su-hyeun felt that the world had become part of his being.

He was still getting used with his newfound strength.

‘Could it be?’ he wondered.

Su-hyeun immediately checked his status.

[Name: Kim Su-hyeun]

[Magic count: 93]

[Magic level: 9]

[Strength: 100] [Agility: 99]

[Stamina: 99] [Reflex: 99]

[Death Aura: 70]

[Skill: Leap * advanced]

[Skill: Transfiguration * advanced]

[Skill: Flame * advanced]

….

[Fatigue: 0]

[Sage Arts]

* Grade: —

* Category: Passive

* It is a type of discipline created by Taoist gods. It improves the purity of magical energy. One can acquire the related skills. A unique ability will manifest when the proficiency improves.

* Proficiency: 31.81%

* Proficiencies for the Somersault cloud and the Palm Leaf is +20%.

“…!”

Su-hyeun’s eyes widened in surprise. Through the Broken Sandglass, he was able to train and polish his abilities for three years. His proficiency of the Somersault cloud, the Palm Leaf, and the Necromancer trait had improved. His understanding of the Sage Arts deepened as well.

He basically achieved the goals he had set out for himself. However, he still felt a bit frustrated as he could not sense any noticeable change despite the improved proficiency.

But now…

‘Is it because time has begun to move again?’ he suspected.

This magical energy transcended the scope of modern science. Scientists persistently worked on the magical energy. Eventually, they discovered the source of this power.

It was nature… The ‘magical energy’ was the power of nature. That power would accumulate in a person’s body. Later on, that person would emit that power. This was the essence of magical energy.

The reason for his magical energy count going up might have something to do with the time moving again. The ‘frozen’ world started spinning again, and the magical energy began flooding back to Su-hyeun’s body.

To put it the other way, it meant that the vessel called Su-hyeun had grown larger than before.

And finally…

‘Yeah, I definitely got it right.’

Now he was sure of it.

—Your body has taken a step beyond the boundaries of humans.

—Acquired the qualification of godhood.

Su-hyeun held on to the memories and dragged them back to the present.

He remembered hearing something about it back then. He received a lot of messages, but he was too sleepy at the time. He didn’t pay much attention on the information being relayed to him. However, after confirming the changes, he realized that they weren’t part of his dream at all.

‘Godhood… Is it…’

‘Godhood’… It was the qualification to become a god. It meant that the power of his body had exceeded the human state. He was now a step closer to the realm of the gods.

A stat that reached the three-digit mark… Su-hyeun was not expecting to reach godhood in this fashion, although he originally set his sights on it.

‘The Sage Arts is a discipline that helps an individual to reach godhood. That’s what he said.’

It wasn’t that hard to figure out why his stats had a sudden increase.

‘He also said that the more one practices the Sage Arts, the closer they would get to being a god and acquiring the qualifications of godhood.’

That was what the Bull Demon King told Su-hyeun in the past. When the latter heard that for the first time, it didn’t make sense. Sure, his stats did improve a bit when he trained for the Sage Arts, but such a result could also be achieved by climbing a tower as well.

But when his Strength stat reached 100 and those messages popped into his brain…

Su-hyeun finally realized what the Bull Demon King meant.

The Sage Arts was a discipline that enabled a mere human to acquire the qualification to become a god and to possess a body and strength that rivaled an actual god.

“Hmm…”

Su-hyeun looked at his hand for a while, and then clenched it. He opened it and then clenched it again, then slammed it to the ground.

When he did—

Ku-gugugugugu—

RUMBLE!