The moving inanimate object was the statue I had seen when I first entered the cavern.
The statue, positioned right next to the stone coffin, was essentially the guardian of this place.
‘Is it a Golem? No, it’s not just a simple form.’
It stood about 2.5 meters tall.
It had eight arms that were thin compared to its overall thickness.
Each hand held a different weapon: a sword, a mace, a spear, and even its bare fists.
‘A complete set.’
The strangely constructed arms moved without interfering with one another.
Grumble — screech —
Its lower body was thicker than its arms, making it well-suited to balancing its massive size.
It was a form I had never seen before, and even after learning magic, I had never encountered anything like it.
‘It even managed to speak.’
Golems were the primary examples of inanimate objects used as combat weapons.
Generally, any inanimate object brought to life by infusing it with mana was called a Golem.
In that sense, this Stone Soldier was indeed a Golem.
However, I had never heard of one being constructed in such a grotesque fashion.
Usually, people made human-shaped Golems to use as combat units, or dwarves used them for machinery that required great strength.
I had heard rumors that the Empire had one or two “pilot-type” units, but their existence couldn’t be verified.
I could say for certain that this was a form rarely seen anywhere.
Furthermore—
“You have quite a high level of understanding regarding weapons.”
“Die!”
“Not so fast…!”
Rumble — boom!
The lunging Stone Soldier swung its eight arms in a bizarre rhythm.
Despite having eight arms, they did not obstruct each other.
They didn’t even get tangled.
The eight arms coordinated perfectly, targeting me without leaving a single opening.
‘Is its target me?’
It didn’t even look at the other three.
It focused solely on me, as if I had been its target from the very beginning.
Whoosh — swish — thud! Clack!
I dodged its attacks while reading its patterns.
The Stone Soldier, swinging its eight arms, knew how to move its body.
‘It’s as if it has mastered martial arts forms.’
Whoosh—
It swung a fist rapidly; the moment I dodged it, a sword came flying toward me.
When I evaded the sword, a mace swung in as if it had been waiting.
Crash!
It struck the ground.
It was a combination attack.
Each individual strike was tricky to deal with.
It utilized the full power of each weapon, cornering me without giving me a moment to breathe.
Screech!
The spear tip thrusting toward me was so sharp that even I found it difficult to dodge in an instant.
The creator of this Stone Soldier had a level of understanding that far exceeded the norm.
It felt as if a master of martial arts had crafted it.
But there was something more important.
Thud — hum—
Every time my body collided with the creature, the mana inside me was sucked out.
It was being pulled into the Stone Soldier’s body!
‘It’s like the Absorb Star Technique… in this world, I suppose it’s Energy Drain.’
The mana sucked into the Stone Soldier traveled through its body and was instantly shot into the stone coffin.
When my pure mana entered the stone coffin, it was dyed with thick, wicked intent.
It was Demonic Mana.
The Demonic Mana used by Necromancers and Black Mages.
‘I see…’
Energy Drain!
It was a 1st Class spell, but it was a high-level secret technique used by Black Mages.
Absorbing the energy of another being was, by its very nature, a sinister power that had to be forbidden.
‘No wonder it was forbidden in the Murim as well.’
There was a similar power in the Murim: the Absorb Star Technique.
It was a wicked art that stole an opponent’s cultivation to make it one’s own.
While the Absorb Star Technique was a demonic art, it was also a high-level martial art.
Absolute strength!
It was the ultimate martial art for gaining power quickly.
Among the experts of the Blood Sect, there were those who had approached the rank of Demonic Sovereign by mastering the Absorb Star Technique.
There was no faster way to become strong than by stealing the power an opponent had accumulated over a long time.
However, the problem lay elsewhere.
‘The issue is the hybrid internal energy.’
Taking someone else’s internal energy that wasn’t your own was inherently problematic.
Swallowing an opponent’s power instead of refining your own was ultimately the same as swallowing yourself.
If foreign Qi remained in the body, one would eventually be consumed by it.
The Energy Drain here was the same.
If you absorbed foreign Qi improperly, you would eventually be devoured.
If you couldn’t make it your own within a certain timeframe, the person being consumed wouldn’t be the opponent, but yourself.
Necromancers converted that energy into Demonic Mana to make it their own.
‘Even then, it leads to ruin in the end.’
Only a tiny handful of people could control foreign Qi and truly make it their own.
It was the same in the Murim.
And…
‘I tried it myself once.’
In my past life as Jegal Hyeon, I had researched the Absorb Star Technique to cure my blocked meridians, the Jeongmak.
Although my goal was to plant the energy from spiritual herbs into my body rather than an opponent’s internal energy, I had delved quite deep into it.
Back then, it only resulted in the despair of failing to treat the Jeongmak.
But now—
“I simply haven’t used it because there was no opportunity. If I need to, I can use it whenever I want.”
Things were different now.
I whispered quietly while moving my body rapidly, increasing my speed even further.
*Whoosh—*
Evasion through the Heavenly Qi Movement allowed me to dodge the chasing Stone Soldier. I didn’t collide with it. I shouldn’t collide with it yet. The time to collide would be when I chose.
“Intruder!”
The Heavenly Qi Movement, which I used to dodge again and again, was aimed precisely at one goal.
The stone coffin? No. At some point, the stone coffin had become protected by thick Demonic Mana. It was trembling greedily as if begging for more mana. Rushing there immediately would be a suicidal act. I would only be moving exactly as the opponent wanted.
Instead, I had to change the board.
*Thump. Thump.*
I moved my body as if bouncing. To an onlooker, it was a bizarre movement that looked almost like a dance. Every time my feet moved, they dug into the ground.
Faster. Even faster. And deeper.
The torn-up ground began to draw several lines. The systematic lines eventually created the result I desired.
*Hummmmm—*
‘A magic circle. No, a strange formation is more accurate.’
The Soul-Binding Chain Formation. A formation I had created to trap opponents back when I had no martial arts. On top of that, the magic spell “Hold,” which immobilizes an opponent, was overlaid.
Just as magic added to the Heavenly Qi Movement had transformed me into a master of high-level movement techniques…
*Grumble — clack.*
“I-Intruder… Intruder. The intruder…!”
The moment the formation and magic intertwined, the Stone Soldier that had been charging fiercely came to a halt.
*Tremble—*
Its body shook. The Demonic Mana from the stone coffin moved to assist the Stone Soldier, but the construct’s body was firmly rooted. Its entire body had stopped.
This was exactly the moment I had been waiting for. I threw my body forward and lunged at the Stone Soldier. Instead of a sword, I pressed my hand against its chest.
*Hum—*
The thick Demonic Mana reacted greedily. My mana began to drain through my hand.
*Twitch.*
The statue tried to move based on the Demonic Mana it had absorbed. But that was as far as it went.
“…I’ll enjoy this meal. Since ‘Absorption’ is the same as swallowing the truths of heaven and earth…!”
*Sssss—*
With the activation of the Absorb Star Technique, my mana began to pull the thick Demonic Mana toward me.
*Whoosh—*
It was a cycle of being drained and draining back.
‘It’s stronger than I thought.’
***
It wasn’t just mana; the construct seemed poised to steal my internal energy as well. Since I was losing energy every time we touched, the speed of the drain naturally increased now that I had placed my hand directly on it.
I consistently pulled in the Demonic Mana while reciting the core formulas of the Absorb Star Technique.
“Haaa… Mm…”
*Shhh—*
The Demonic Mana was cold. Drawing in foreign Qi was no easy task. The pain was greater than I had anticipated. It was on a completely different level than when I was Jegal Hyeon absorbing spiritual herbs. While spiritual herbs were covered in clear energy, this Demonic Mana was sinister.
‘I have to do this right.’
I had to apply the Mysterious Heaven Absolute Martial Art as a foundation. I had to absorb the foreign Qi as if I were taking in the natural energy of the world. Ordinarily, this would be impossible. However, I had already devised a method for this in my previous life.
I added the mnemonic and twisted the internal energy circulating through my body.
Normally, I would have directed the internal energy straight to my Danjeon through the shortest path. But not now. I had to circulate the internal energy through a very long route, transmuting the Demonic Mana into my own energy along the way.
Instead of the Gugwol acupoint near the chest, I guided it to the Yumun acupoint. Then toward the Gimun acupoint near the ribs. I did not forget the tiny, minute acupoints that didn’t even have names.
Smaller, even smaller.
By utilizing all sorts of acupoints in the human body, I purified the Demonic Mana. I was filtering it as if using a strainer. This was the method I had created in my past life to absorb foreign Qi.
Ordinarily, it was impossible. It wouldn’t work if one lacked a deep understanding of the human body. If the distribution of internal energy placed in the acupoints was even slightly off, the meridians would twist. Furthermore, opening acupoints that hadn’t been opened yet was an incredibly difficult task.
I had to accomplish all of that at once.
*Rumble—*
“Mm…”
As the internal energy spun, my body lurched as if struck by thunder every time an acupoint opened. I was essentially forcing through a process that should have taken a great deal of time.
“P-Punishment…!”
*Ssss—*
At the same time, I had to resist the Stone Soldier as it tried to drain my energy. Defensive against losing power, offensive in trying to take it, and transmuting the absorbed energy into my own—I had to do everything simultaneously.
‘It’s overflowing!’
Any Demonic Mana left over would be converted into mana rather than internal energy! I had to perform countless calculations and tasks all at once!
“…”
*Drip.*
Sweat poured down like rain. I focused with my eyes clamped shut against the streaming sweat. I didn’t have the luxury to worry about anything else. It was perhaps my most dangerous moment.
‘More. More.’
But I grew greedy, like a starving ghost. I continued to suck in the internal energy. It was either a crisis or an opportunity.
*Pop. Crack.*
I broke through the closed acupoints. Using the newly opened points, I accepted the Demonic Mana and poured it into my Danjeon. The internal energy overflowing from my Danjeon was pushed further down.
If that didn’t work, then into mana!
*Hummmmmm—*
The veins all over my body bulged, and my internal energy swirled like an explosion.
*Sssss—*
In an instant, my 3rd Circle was filled to the brim. The stream of mana didn’t stop there; it swirled even more violently.
‘I have a sufficient understanding of internal energy.’
An understanding of internal energy was an understanding of natural energy. And an understanding of natural energy was essentially the same as an understanding of mana.
*Whoosh—*
In a flash, the number of circles increased from three to four.
There was no sudden enlightenment. Perhaps I had already realized the truth long ago. I simply needed an overwhelming amount of mana.
*Snap.*
The 4th Circle settled into place.
It was a growth that happened in an instant! Even this was a miracle brought about by the remaining Demonic Mana. Most of the Demonic Mana was being transmuted into internal energy rather than a mana circle.
“N-Noooooo!!”
The will contained within the Stone Soldier tried to resist belatedly, but the current was already surging toward me.
Demonic Mana. All the internal energy I had lost was returning to my body, swirling within.
*Crack. Pop.*
At that moment, a massive change occurred.