Chapter 84: Beyond the Wall

It was a spectacle impossible to look away from.

Countless people had formed around Evan.

They wore horrendous expressions as they poured out blame and accusations toward Evan.

“Ah, Father, I don’t understand why such people would come out of Hyung.”

“I don’t know… Are they from the North?”

Judging by their black hair and skin tone, they were from the North, but their attire was different.

Unique.

No, they were completely unfamiliar, lacking even the slightest concept.

“Tormented by nightmares, huh…”

Clyd recalled what Evan had said before the trial.

He mentioned that nightmares had continuously plagued him.

‘More than nightmares… this is closer to a curse.’

Even just watching, the malice-filled emotions were conveyed clearly.

Could human minds truly endure this?’7′

It was uncertain.

But the severity was deeply felt.

‘What’s most striking is Evan’s strong will.’

Clyd thought of the sword Evan had created.

‘It was a form almost perfect, with no flaws to be seen.’

In this space, the form depends on one’s mind.

And that means the stronger the mind, the more perfect the substance.

Evan had created a wall.

He must possess strength beyond imagination.

Clyd gazed at Evan.

Swish!

Evan’s sword showed no sign of stopping.

***

Evan cut down the humans rushing at him.

‘These aren’t real. They’re phantoms I created.’

With just that thought, he toppled his opponents one by one.

Shing!

Every time he sliced an enemy, voices echoed in his ears.

“Ihan! Why did you!”

“Why did you abandon us!”

“I wanted to live too…”

“Don’t abandon me. Please…”

The malice of the forgotten ones.

Every time he faced those emotions, an unpleasant and eerie sensation crawled up his spine.

But Evan did not stop and kept breaking through his own walls.

[Resonance Rate is increasing.]

[Resonance Rate is increasing.]

[Resonance Rate is increasing.]

…….

His body’s Resonance Rate only continued to rise.

He gradually felt a powerful energy surge through his entire body.

The power he had in his previous world.

‘Is my body truly getting accustomed to the soul?’

He had only intended to take a test, yet this unexpected gain came about.

Evan fueled his will and dealt with his opponents at an even faster pace.

The situation was quickly resolved.

What remained were his former comrades.

And the previous version of himself, Ihan, stood before him.

To reach Ihan, he had to defeat his comrades.

They could be called the greatest walls blocking his path.

‘Then, shall I go?’

The moment Evan took a step forward, his comrades and Hyunseong also charged at him.

Just as he had anticipated, their movements were precise.

They began moving quite fast.

Thud!

One of them struck Evan’s abdomen.

“Ugh!”

The strong impact was felt in his bones.

Their combat power was exactly as he remembered.

It couldn’t be otherwise.

They were creations of his own making.

Thankfully, their weapons and abilities weren’t perfectly replicated.

If their full abilities had been recreated, not even Evan could have survived the moment.

Of course, even empty-handed, it was still difficult for Evan now.

[Resonance Rate is increasing.]

But the more they hit him, the harder his body became.

No matter how they beat him from all sides, Evan sliced through them one by one.

His breathing grew heavy. The amount of blood trickling increased.

[Resonance Rate is increasing.]

With it, Evan’s senses sharpened like a finely honed blade.

He steadied his ragged breath and slowly turned his gaze forward.

The last remaining presence— Ihan.

His true form.

A figure he thought impossible to see in this world appeared before him.

An expressionless face.

A stance showing no sign of weakness.

‘Is his level reflected too?’

Even a fake Ihan like this made Evan doubt whether he could win.

Ihan looked at Evan with indifferent eyes.

And then vanished.

“…Damn it!”

Evan instinctively sensed danger and swung his sword.

Bang!

The clash of blades rang out with a roar as Evan was thrown back.

“Ugh!”

The vanished Ihan was now looking down at Evan.

No moment of negligence.

Evan had thought he’d face his opponent with all his strength.

‘…And yet, this is the result.’

Ihan far surpassed Evan’s reaction speed.

Gritting his teeth, Evan forced himself up.

But Ihan’s figure had already disappeared again.

Swoosh!

Ihan appeared behind Evan and swung his sword aiming for Evan’s neck.

Clang!

Evan barely blocked the blow, but even parrying sent shockwaves rippling through his body.

Crushed by force, his body flew backward and rolled.

“Guh!”

Evan felt the overwhelming gap.

Level, stats, physique— everything was fundamentally different.

Ihan repeatedly hammered powerful punches toward Evan’s abdomen.

Bang!

The force in each fist exploded as Evan’s body bounced away like a bullet.

“Ugh!”

He was completely helpless against such terrifying power. It seemed hopeless.

At that moment, a message unexpectedly appeared before him.

[Your body has begun understanding Ihan.]

[The myth Ihan had achieved has been linked.]

[You have inherited the Conqueror.]

[Added to Mythic Power.]

‘Mythic Power?’

Since Ihan started hitting him directly, his Resonance Rate had increased, and simultaneously a familiar feeling returned.

At a certain point, he gained Mythic Power.

Evan examined the Conqueror’s power.

[Rank: Divine]

[Description: The great conqueror Ihan who saved the world. You can use his power under threat to life or to save the world, but the decision to use this divine-level mythic power requires approval from ???.]

It was a divine-level mythic power.

Clearly several ranks above the Basilisk Slayer.

‘Conqueror means the one who completed all quests in the previous world?’

Evan’s eyes shone with hope.

If he could use the power he had achieved as the Conqueror…

He might be able to overcome this situation.

‘If this is my limit now…’

He wanted to surpass this wall.

Lying on the ground, Evan lifted his head.

Ihan was slowly approaching him.

Evan pushed himself up with his hands.

‘But this last part, the condition that I have to get permission from someone.’

Evan activated the Conqueror’s power.

[You have requested to use the Conqueror.]

[Reviewing approval for divine-level mythic power usage.]

‘Do I really have to get permission from someone?’

The existence that gave him power through the system.

It was unknown territory for the Awakened.

‘Surely a being above the Mediators.’

He had seen them speak respectfully of The One Above, so he was certain.

Whether that existence was truly a god or not, it was always a presence that had helped him even in the previous world.

‘If not for that, I would have died long ago.’

Evan was curious what would happen this time.

[Approval for use of Mythic Power granted.]

[Permission to use the Conqueror has been given.]

[Usage time: (00:00:10)]

The result came faster than expected.

Though the usage time was short.

‘Ten seconds… I can try one or two attacks.’

But it didn’t feel too brief.

Somehow, it seemed enough.

Ding!

An alert sounded in his ears, and a hologram appeared before Evan’s eyes.

[Ihan Lv.999]

[(None)]

[(None)]

Ihan’s figure appeared inside the system window.

Other slots were empty.

‘I did store a body before coming to this world.’

It seemed this Mythic Power selected from among stored bodies to use.

Naturally, Evan had only come to this world once, so only Ihan was available.

Evan selected Ihan.

[You have selected Conqueror Ihan.]

[Applying Conqueror Ihan’s power now.]

At that moment, a colorless aura began to emanate from Evan’s body.

An indescribable, vast power filled him.

‘What is this…’

Evan couldn’t help but marvel at the uncontrollable power.

It felt like the power from his previous world, overlaid onto his current body with Ihan’s strength.

Suddenly, a status window popped up before his eyes.

[Name: Evan Kerthen (+ Ihan)]

[Age: 19]

[Level: 141 (+999)]

[Race: Human]

[Class: None]

[Resonance Rate: 12.9%]

[Vitality: 72,000/… (+95,22…)]

[Mana: 35,500/… (+15,45…)]

[Strength: 322 (+1,910…)]

[Agility: 295 (+2,118…)]

[Intelligence: 305 (+1,350…)]

[Endurance: 320 (+3,520…)]

[Wisdom: 150 (+1,110…)]

[Divinity: 5,321]

[Fire Affinity: 50%]

[Divine Power: Lowest Grade]

[Special Ability of Ihan]

His level had exceeded a thousand.

All the stats from his previous world were now fully applied to the current Evan.

‘Insane.’

It was as if he had summoned his previous self into this world.

This meant the nature of upcoming battles would change drastically.

‘If I use this power well, there’s nothing to worry about.’

Of course, the heavy restrictions meant he couldn’t use it recklessly.

Still, just being able to use it was significant.

[Conqueror Ihan usage started. (00:00:10)]

A stopwatch appeared before his eyes.

Evan took a deep breath and turned his gaze toward the approaching Ihan.

‘If this is it, I can say I’ve surpassed myself.’

Ihan vanished in an instant before Evan’s eyes.

Of course, Evan vanished simultaneously.

In the blink of an eye, the collision between Evan and Ihan occurred.

Kraaaang!

The clash of their attacks sent powerful shockwaves rippling through the surroundings.

Sword against sword.

A battle of breaking or defending the wall of the mind.

But Evan was already certain.

The moment their swords touched, he felt it.

This was a fight he had already won.

Evan and Ihan locked blades and began a struggle of strength.

The balance was tight, but Evan seemed slightly superior.

[Conqueror Ihan usage time remaining. (00:00:7)]

But time was not on Evan’s side.

This power could only be used temporarily.

He had to deliver a decisive strike quickly.

Finally, Evan grabbed Ihan’s sword with his bare hand.

Sharp pain came as if the blade cut his hand.

Though no actual wound formed, the pain felt as real as a cut.

Gritting his teeth, Evan held the blade tight.

With his other hand gripping his own sword, he stabbed toward Ihan’s neck.

Thud!

The moment the sword pierced Ihan’s neck, cracks began to form.

Ihan screamed in agony, then his face completely changed.

“”

It was a painfully familiar face.

Hyunseong’s face, his younger brother, wore a tortured expression.

‘Still struggling to the very end.’

Evan pulled out his sword with a bitter expression.

As Hyunseong disappeared, the situation came to an end.

Having shattered his own wall, Evan surpassed it by one level.

Resonance Rate has significantly increased.]

A blue aura surged from Evan’s sword.

The result of growth beyond his limit appeared instantly.