Chapter 5: Into the Unknown

‘Could everything have fallen apart?’

The worst-case scenario was that every nation had collapsed.

‘No, that’s unlikely.’

The odds were near zero.

‘There’s still Seionia.’

The Holy Empire of Seionia was unyielding, even against a demon king’s descent. 

Judging by the magi’s concentration, other nations likely survived as well.

‘What about the Empire?’

Gaon’s thoughts turned to the Varta Empire, where he had ceded the throne to his younger brother, Piron. Piron had ruled with such skill that Gaon never regretted his choice. 

Given the Empire’s strength back then, it likely still stood firm.

But fifty years had passed. 

Piron, who hadn’t reached the 7th Circle, would be dead by now. 

Breaking from the 5th Circle to the 7th at age seventy was impossible. 

His nephews, too, lacked the talent for such a feat.

‘My grandnephews might still be alive.’

By average lifespans, they had a good chance of surviving.

Having collected the targeted five liters of troll blood, Gaon paused his musings.

“Freeze.”

He sealed the troll’s wound with ice and turned away, leaving the corpse as a warning to any nearby beasts or monsters. 

A variant cave troll’s body would deter most creatures, unlike ordinary remains that might attract scavengers.

Returning to his hideout, Gaon gathered tools for elixir crafting and headed to the herb garden. 

Setting up his equipment, he surveyed the dense array of spirit herbs, his mind racing through countless recipes to determine the most efficient combinations.

Soon, he began harvesting herbs and crafting elixirs.

Four days later, Gaon held up a glass vial filled with crimson liquid, a satisfied smile on his face. 

This was no ordinary concoction—it was a potent elixir, blending Asilena Seeds, Tarunia Roots, and other herbs, amplified by the troll’s blood. 

It was the most powerful of the elixirs he’d crafted over the past four days.

‘Kerhen, that braggart. He really outdid himself with these recipes.’

Glancing at the other elixirs he’d prepared, Gaon exhaled deeply.

Hoo.

After finishing his Heaven-Shattering Method cultivation, he gave a wry smile.

‘Didn’t expect this.’

He had consumed all the elixirs, amassing a vast amount of Heaven-Shattering Qi. Yet, only now—after maximizing his qi with the final elixir—had the second wall of the Heaven-Shattering Method appeared.

Until this moment, his qi had been insufficient to reveal it.

‘At least I can break it right away.’

Unlike the first wall, which had required more qi to breach, the second wall was within his reach.

‘The third wall will likely be the same.’

Facing the second wall, he instinctively knew the third would appear only when his qi reached the necessary threshold.

‘If not for the troll blood, I’d have settled for the 3rd Circle.’

Without the blood’s amplification, his qi would have fallen short, leaving him with only the 3rd Circle and no glimpse of the second wall.

‘I’m curious to see how strong this makes me’.

Anticipation surged. 

What would breaking the second wall bring?

‘Let’s start with the wall.’

Creating the 3rd Circle first might deplete his qi, making the wall’s breach impossible. 

Breaking the wall, recovering his qi, then forming the circle seemed the wiser course.

Gaon gathered his Heaven-Shattering Qi before the second wall and sent it crashing forward.

Boom!

The impact shook the wall, pain lancing through him—far worse than the first wall’s breach.

Ugh!

Gritting his teeth, he pressed on. 

Without his strengthened body, he’d have needed a slower approach. 

But now, he aimed to shatter it in one go.

Boom! 

Boom!

He struck again and again. 

On the fourth impact—

Boom! 

Crack!

The second wall crumbled, its fragments turning to qi and seeping into his muscles and blood vessels, triggering profound changes.

The transformation was overwhelmingly positive, his body growing exponentially stronger than after the first wall.

But that wasn’t all.

‘My senses too?’

His perception sharpened dramatically, rivaling the sensitivity he’d had upon entering the 4th Circle in his past life.

‘I’m only at the 2nd Circle now.’

The thought of reaching the 3rd Circle thrilled him. 

How much sharper would his senses become?

Smiling faintly, Gaon cultivated to restore his depleted qi. 

His smile soon turned wry.

‘Sixty percent gone.’

The first wall had permanently consumed half his qi; this time, sixty percent was lost.

Still, the 3rd Circle was within reach.

Half of his remaining qi would suffice, and unlike wall-breaking, circle formation didn’t permanently drain qi. 

Failure was impossible—Gaon, who had nearly reached the 9th Circle, found the 3rd Circle as effortless as breathing.

Let’s do this.

He began forming the 3rd Circle, his expression calm. 

Soon, it was complete, and he officially entered the 3rd Circle.

Focusing on his senses, he assessed their strength.

‘Late 4th Circle level.’

A satisfied smile spread across his face.

‘At this rate, I might reclaim my original senses by the 7th Circle.’

As an 8th Circle Archwizard, nearly touching the 9th, his senses had been razor-sharp.

If they continued to grow, the 7th Circle might restore them fully. 

The Heaven-Shattering Method’s walls would determine how quickly that happened.

Next, he activated all three circles. 

They spun fiercely, unleashing immense power.

“Ice Wall.”

Crack!

An ice barrier formed in a corner of the herb garden.

“Fire Wall.”

Whoosh!

A blazing wall appeared before it, the clash producing a torrent of steam.

“Wind.”

He gathered the steam with a gust.

“Freeze.”

The steam solidified into ice.

Satisfaction bloomed on Gaon’s face. 

The speed and power of his spellcasting were beyond what any ordinary 3rd Circle mage could achieve, thanks to his past mastery, his potent output, and his fortified body.

Glancing over the herb garden, he thought, Time to go.

He had broken the second wall and reached the 3rd Circle—his immediate goals achieved. 

Now, he would head to a town or city to uncover the truth behind the ongoing demonic invasion and the continent’s state.

Returning to the hideout, he muttered, Gotta pack.

He retrieved a spatial pouch from a chest and filled it with every useful artifact. 

Scanning the chamber one last time to ensure he’d missed nothing, he stepped out.

As he exited the cave, he decided, Tren Village first.

The Central Great Forest, one of the continent’s three great wildernesses, held no major settlements, but several villages dotted its edges. 

Tren Village, in the Kingdom of Lasia, was the closest to Viard Forest.

There was no guarantee it still stood. 

Given the fifty-year demonic invasion and the magi in Viard Forest, Tren could be gone.

‘If it’s gone, I’ll head straight to Seionia.’

Unlike Tren, the Holy Empire of Seionia was almost certainly intact.

Outside, Gaon glanced at the troll’s corpse. 

No longer frozen, it would soon decay.

“Fire Wall!”

Whoosh!

Flames erupted at the corpse’s base, consuming it. 

Turning southwest toward Tren, Gaon calculated.

‘Three days should do it.’

His strengthened body, bolstered by the second wall, would let him move faster and longer. 

At most, three days would get him to Tren.

Hope there’s no trouble.

Praying for a smooth journey, Gaon quickened his pace.

***

“Brother, are we going further?”

Max’s voice trembled with unease as he addressed Dave.

“Scared?” Dave grinned.

“Yes,” Max admitted, glancing nervously ahead. 

“We’re almost at the Great Forest. What if demonic beasts show up?”

His voice trailed off as he stared into the distance. 

A little further, and they’d reach the Central Great Forest—one of the continent’s five most dangerous regions, tainted by magi and mana since the demonic invasion began fifty years ago. 

Even its outskirts occasionally harbored demonic beasts.

“Oh, you coward!” Breed, walking beside them, chuckled.

“How’d a scaredy-cat like you manage earlier?”

Max clamped his mouth shut, shooting Breed a cold glare.

“Whoa!” Breed feigned shock, then smirked. 

“Killing me won’t be so easy.”

“Enough,” 

Dave snapped, irritation creeping into his voice. 

“If we turn back now, we’ll raise suspicion. We need something unique to the Great Forest—”

He froze mid-sentence, halting his steps and raising a hand to signal Max and Breed. 

They stopped, and Dave’s gaze locked onto the path ahead.

Rustle.

Someone emerged from the underbrush—a child, barely in their early teens.

Dave’s guard didn’t waver; if anything, it heightened. 

This was the edge of the Central Great Forest. 

No place for a lone child.