Elixir of the Divine Body – Part 2
I drove my fist straight into him.
Boom!
A deafening explosion tore through the air.
The weighty impact reverberated up my arm.
I could feel it.
Every internal organ — the heart, lungs, and everything in between — bursting apart all at once.
“Keheuk!”
King of Destruction coughed up blood and flew backward.
“Hyung-nim!”
“Minseok!”
Junk Dealer and King of Destruction’s companions jumped to their feet in shock.
I kept my eyes coldly fixed on King of Destruction.
Recovery was impossible.
Even the reinforced steel vest covering his chest had cracked.
The fracture started from the spot over his heart and radiated outward in a spiderweb pattern, until finally—
Crack!
—The entire thing shattered.
From within the fragments, a radiant burst of light rose up.
Strings of magical letters and sigils ascended in unison.
They slowly began to be absorbed into King of Destruction, but the light in his eyes was already fading.
“Kuuk! Keheuk!”
Blood laced with bits of shredded organs poured from his mouth in thick streams.
“What are you doing?!”
His companions rushed to his side.
White Light King attempted to inject divine power into him, but it was already too late.
Once the heart is pulverized, there’s only one way to save him.
“You’ve gone too far! Was it that offensive to you that we wanted to sell the sacred beast materials at a fair price?! Why didn’t you just demand them outright? If you had, we would’ve handed over Iron Fist too!”
White Light King shouted in grief.
Overdramatic.
After confirming that the magical letters and sigils had been fully absorbed, I tapped my armory pouch.
One of the magic chips tumbled out.
A disposable item I always carried after reinforcing the pouch.
Clink.
I crushed the chip and sent the spell straight into King of Destruction.
A brilliant golden light wrapped around him.
And just like that, the pale, ghost-white face began to return to normal.
His shattered heart?
Fully restored.
It began beating again — thump thump thump — as if nothing had happened.
“Huh?”
White Light King and the other three stared blankly at him.
King of Destruction ran a hand over his chest and gave a bitter smile.
“You really are as extreme as they say.”
“I don’t like wasting time.”
“Your master’s disciples are something else. No wonder you reached level 7 at such a young age.”
“Hyung-nim?”
“Minseok?”
“I’m alright. Sir Sword Star used an Elixir on me.”
“W-What?!”
“I didn’t even realize…”
Junk Dealer and King of Destruction’s companions fidgeted nervously.
I sank back into the sofa and waved my hand.
“No need for all that. Sit down.”
“We’re sorry, Sir Sword Star.”
“We really thought you were trying to kill him…”
“Why would I do that? I’m not enemies with King of Destruction. And if a single bottle of Elixir can instantly unlock a superpower, there’s no need to drag things out.”
“Hehehe.”
Junk Dealer let out an awkward little laugh, tension drained.
“I nearly had a heart attack. But King of Destruction seems unfazed. Is this some kind of warrior thing?”
“If taking one hit gets you a new superpower, that’s a bargain.”
King of Destruction gave his body a little shake.
“Still, I never want to go through that again…”
“You’re a bit soft. Do you know how many times Sorin’s had her heart stabbed? Dozens. That’s how she hit level 7.”
“There’s no way that’s a real method.”
“That’d drive anyone insane!”
“No, it doesn’t.”
Because it’s Heavenly Killing Star.
I kept that last part to myself and turned my gaze back to King of Destruction.
The new trait had settled in nicely.
Acquired the trait: [Ironblood]
Quietly, I activated World Trait Sync.
Copied the space within a few meters and scanned it.
In the game, [Ironblood] was a trait where the lower your HP, the higher your attack and defense.
It was likely the same here.
Which meant it synergized beautifully with [Sacrifice].
But there was something in his current set of traits that clashed.
“Let me give you some advice.”
This was the third condition we’d agreed on.
“You should consider removing [Onslaught] and replacing it with a new superpower.”
“[Onslaught]? Really?”
“Yes.”
“Forgive me for asking, but could you explain why? I was under the impression [Onslaught] forms the foundation of the Unified Spirit Circuit.”
So that much knowledge had spread already.
I pointed at his chest.
“It doesn’t mesh well with your new superpower.”
“You mean…”
“If you examine it yourself, you’ll see. The new superpower you’ve acquired is [Ironblood]. The more damage you take, the stronger you become. But [Onslaught] and Unified Spirit Sword have no special synergy with that.”
In fact, they were counterproductive.
The massacre aspect of Unified Spirit Sword restores health and stamina when you take down weaker enemies.
“So it’s better to implant another superpower that works with [Ironblood]. Something in the same category. Or even a [Nine Lives]-type ability would be fine.”
In truth, I never even used [Nine Lives] when I played the game.
I preferred the extreme near-death builds.
Living with just a sliver of HP, ready to drop dead at a single hit.
Maybe keep a Ring of Survival on standby just in case.
“Hmm…”
King of Destruction fell into thought.
His expression was one of deep interest.
But it was his companions who began to panic.
“That’s too dangerous!”
“You could die doing that!”
“Sir Sword Star’s standards are way too high. Thank you for the advice, but we can’t follow in your footsteps. We’re just sparrows trying to keep up with a crane.”
“Let’s stick to the original plan.”
“Even [Ironblood] alone should be good enough in an emergency!”
Using [Ironblood] for crisis management?
What are they talking about…
No, wait.
Thinking about it again, they were probably right.
In the game, going all-in on a near-death build with high risk was the optimal choice.
But here, this was reality.
A single mistake could cost your life.
Choosing a near-death build, willing to risk it all?
And even resorting to self-inflicted damage to trigger effects?
That’s…
I nodded heavily.
“That’s not a bad plan. Even just that much should be enough for you to reach Level 6 without much trouble. Think about the rest when it’s time to aim for Level 7.”
“Thank you for the advice. It was incredibly helpful.”
King of Destruction came up and bowed deeply before me.
Next up.
“You must be Dragon King of Embers, correct?”
“Huh? Ah, yes!”
The woman in steel-reinforced armor sat down before me.
Her face was full of anticipation.
[Firearm Mastery][Full Barrage][Siege Cannon][Emergency Flight]
‘So she’s not like Dragon King of Flight.’
Dragon King of Flight had traits like these:
[Flame Wyvern][Firearm Mastery][Full Barrage]
[Emergency Flight][Glide][Quick Evasion]
Though he had the massive build of a Warrior, his combat style was the opposite.
He was a master of hit-and-run tactics.
“It seems you haven’t infused the Flame Wyvern factor yet?”
“Ah, that… I tried, but I had a rejection reaction…”
“Reaching Level 5 without a mutant factor is impressive.”
“Hehehe.”
Dragon King of Embers gave a shy laugh.
Of course, there are plenty of Reinforced who reach Level 5 with only mutant factors or machine prosthetics.
But it’s still more difficult than doing both together — that’s the point.
“Then maybe consider using the Lava Dragon mutant factor instead of Flame Wyvern.”
“Lava Dragon? That… doesn’t really suit my master’s style…”
“But it would suit you just fine.”
I stared into Dragon King of Embers like I was dissecting her.
The Eye of God activated.
Everything became clear.
A frame that looked delicate but was built with solid bone.
Not especially fast or agile, but with a durable, resilient body.
Tough bloodlines and a sturdy mana circuit.
It was just like the game.
So I should tell her about the build that was most popular there.
“Dragon King of Embers, you are not the same as your master.”
“Huh?”
“Your master, Dragon King of Flight, specialized in mid-range control. He used guns, missiles, and beam cannons with ease. But you are different. From what I see, you’re better suited for long-range bombardment.”
“Th-that’s…”
“You don’t have to become a copy of your master just because you’re his student. If it weighs on you, talk to him. My recommendation is this: remove all movement traits, replace any thrusters in your prosthetics with shield systems, then engrave Siege Cannon and Fusion Heart into your mana circuit. For survival, prep traits like Volcanic Rock or Iron Wall.”
To summarize:
[Firearm Mastery][Full Barrage][Siege Cannon]
[Fusion Heart][Lava Dragon][Volcanic Rock]
A build specialized purely for long-range bombardment.
Dragon King of Embers’ eyes wavered.
“Still… that’s a big shift…”
“The choice is yours.”
Receiving advice is one thing. Whether to follow it or not — also your choice.
Muttering under her breath, Dragon King of Embers stepped aside.
Black Pearl King quickly took her place in front of me.
Same story here.
[Dark Mage][Dark Bombardment][Curse][Mental Calculation]
[Dark Bombardment] was terrifying, no doubt.
When the Dark Demon King channeled mana from Angel King and cast that massive spell, I’d thought it was the end.
If I hadn’t opened the Wall of Shields right then and there, I would’ve lost.
Wouldn’t have earned Mars Swordsmanship either.
I stared directly at Black Pearl King and asked,
“Black Pearl King. What would you say is your greatest strength?”
“M-me?”
He rolled his eyes as he thought.
“Uh… I guess… it’s kind of embarrassing to say it myself, but… my brain?”
“Exactly right.”
His brain was significantly larger than the average person’s.
Deeper folds, more activated functions.
And with the [Mental Calculation] trait on top of that?
He could cast and compute even the most complex spells with ease.
“Then your greatest weakness?”
“Ugh. Do I really have to say…?”
“Shall I?”
“Ugh… It’s my mana. I was born with a relatively weak mana capacity…”
There it was.
Unlike Dragon King of Embers, his entire mana bloodstream was underdeveloped.
From the heart to the spinal cord to the brain, his mana circuit’s output was on the low side.
He had outstanding mana quality, but unlike Kim Mabeob, he had no raw power to back it up.
Overall, he wasn’t bad by average standards.
But it meant he couldn’t reliably handle large-scale spells like [Dark Bombardment].
“Exactly.”
At least he was self-aware.
That helped.
I gave him a firm nod.
“Just like Dragon King of Embers, you can’t perfectly inherit your master’s style.”
“Then what should I do?”
“Focus on curses.”
“Curses?”
“Yes.”
I looked directly at his [Curse] trait.
“You’re already capable of using simple curses, right? I bet they’re quite powerful. That’s because you’re a full-fledged Dark Mage.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Polish your curse skills further. Step into the true art of cursecraft. Go even further — become a curse specialist. If you do, you’ll be able to transform [Dark Bombardment] into an entirely new type of grand spell.”
“What kind of grand spell…?”
“[Curse Bombardment].”
That was the proper way to develop Black Pearl King.
A Dark Mage built around debuff-focused curse magic.
If the Dark Demon King was a destroyer-type, his disciple — Black Pearl King — had to grow in a completely different direction.
There’s a reason his name is Black Curse King, after all.
Black Pearl King smacked his lips.
“Curse Bombardment… Curse Bombardment…”
“Talk it over with your master. It’ll take time anyway.”
“Yessir! Thank you! I won’t forget this kindness!”
Black Pearl King bowed deeply.
Seeing that, Dragon King of Embers snapped to attention and also knelt to bow.
I let out a soft chuckle.
All that remained was White Light King.
Looking at him, half-expectant and half-anxious, I paused a moment to think.
[Priest of Light][Sky Garden][Light Bullet][Mana Sharing]
‘Nothing needs fixing.’
That was true in the game, too.
White Light King only needed to continue on his current path.
But if I had to offer one piece of advice…
“Was it last year? I believe a coastal cave was discovered in Incheon.”
Back when Choi Sunsoo was still Manager Choi.
It was the request I received from the Gaia Cult’s Incheon branch.
White Light King looked puzzled.
Junk Dealer, sitting a bit farther away, slapped his knee.
“Ah, yes! I remember that. It was a cave where traces of a demon were discovered. I heard it was purified not too long ago. Apparently, there was a sealed demonic sword at the end of the cave.”
“That’s the one. Once all four of you here reach at least Level 6, go visit that cave together. You’ll naturally understand what needs to be done.”
“Huh? What’s there?”
“There’s a sacred relic connected to your church hidden there.”
It was White Light King’s personal quest.
If he visited the site after reaching Level 6, a hidden dungeon would unlock.
And at the end of that dungeon, he’d obtain a relic — which would then unlock the quest for the Saint class advancement.
White Light King caught on quickly and dropped into a deep bow.
“Thank you. Once I obtain the relic, I’ll personally repay you in some way.”
“Please do.”
If he became a Saint, a gesture of gratitude was expected.
Whether he could offer me something meaningful remained to be seen.
With that, my guidance was done.
King of Destruction handed me a magic pouch.
It held the four types of sacred beast materials.
As I accepted the pouch, King of Destruction bent at a 90-degree angle.
“Thank you once again. Every word from you, Sir Sword Star, has been invaluable to us.”
“Think nothing of it. It was the least I could do.”
“Honestly, even if you had just demanded them, we would’ve handed them over… But to think you even returned Iron Fist, helped me awaken a superpower, and gave us all personalized guidance… There’s no one in this world as generous and merciful as you, Sir Sword Star.”
“You flatter me.”
“It’s not flattery, truly. Thank you so much.”
“Now I understand how you became so powerful at such a young age.”
“I’ll look to you as a lifelong role model.”
“We sincerely hope you’ll reach Level 9 and become Earth’s greatest.”
I could have taken the materials by force.
But then, how would I be any different from those back in the old world who used to strike me from behind?
Landlords who refused to return deposits and told you to sue them.
The neighbor Mr. Choi who borrowed money and vanished.
The site manager who skimmed my hard-earned pay.
All of them were parasites, scavenging the guts of fleas.
And if I took the sacred beast materials from King of Destruction’s group?
I’d be no different from them.
I couldn’t do it.
Even after surviving over a year in this messed-up world.
Even after becoming a cold-blooded killer who could take dozens of lives a day without flinching.
There was at least one line I didn’t want to cross.
“We’ll see you in Gwangju soon.”
“Take care.”
“Please visit the Colosseum sometime. Not just me, but the entire management team is eagerly awaiting your presence. We promise to serve you with everything we have.”
“Haha. I’ll stop by once this is all over.”
After King of Destruction’s party and Junk Dealer Kim Chunbok left, I quietly made my way underground.
My mansion also had a facility for brewing Elixirs, similar to the one by the Celestial River.
There, I began preparing the Elixir of the Divine Body.
The unsealing of the Heavenly Demon Sword was just around the corner.
–TL Notes–
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finallyy. OP sword incoming