Chapter 135: Future Aspirations

“Ah…….”

Gaon let out a low exclamation.

“I thought it was something big.”

He had expected quite an important story.

But it wasn’t.

Contrary to expectations, it was a very light topic.

“I stopped by the Schutaren Sword Family before coming here. The painting I gifted to Rakid was hanging in the VIP room.”

“Ah, the Lost Mountains painting?”

Kerhen exclaimed as he spoke.

Kerhen also knew what painting Gaon had gifted to Rakid.

It was a landscape of the Lost Mountains region.

“Yeah, I’ve entered the 9th-Circle, and until I find a new goal, I plan to relax there.”

Gaon’s life goal had been to enter the 9th-Circle.

And not long ago, he had achieved that life goal.

Naturally, he had no intention of stopping here.

Gaon planned to find a new goal.

Because goals were the driving force of life.

“Relaxation, huh? I never thought I’d hear that word from you, brother.”

Kerhen had never seen Gaon rest.

It was always training.

Because his longing for the 9th-Circle was immense.

Yet relaxation?

It was a word that didn’t suit Gaon at all.

“But it’s a relief. That you’re resting.”

Kerhen finished speaking with a relieved expression.

And Gaon asked.

“But why did you ask this?”

He was curious why Kerhen had suddenly asked such a question.

It was so out of the blue.

“I know you a bit, brother. You’re the incarnation of goals, constantly seeking and moving toward them, so I was a little worried about what would happen if the goal disappeared.”

The reason Kerhen asked was ‘concern.’

Because it was an unexpected reason, Gaon smiled brightly and said.

“Thanks for worrying. I really never thought of such a concern.”

“Haha, who else would worry like this if not me? Daring to worry about you, brother. But…….”

While laughing heartily like that, at a sudden thought, Kerhen tilted his head.

“Will it still be the same……?”

The Lost Mountains wasn’t an ordinary place.

It was a region designated as a holy site by the demons who crossed over from the demon world.

The place Gaon mentioned was the heart of the Lost Mountains.

There was a very high possibility that the terrain had changed.

“It might have changed, but…….”

Trailing off, Gaon continued with a bright smile.

“I can change it back.”

Changing terrain is a difficult task.

Literally difficult, but not impossible.

Gaon had the power to change it.

“Ah…….”

Kerhen let out a low exclamation.

And to such Kerhen, Gaon asked.

“Can I use the cultivation room a bit more?”

“For that kid to consume it?”

“Yeah, to check if exactly 200ml is needed or not.”

“Of course it’s possible. I’m curious too. If it’s fixed……..”

Trailing off, Kerhen looked at the pouch Gaon was holding.

It was a top-tier artifact he had made himself, and inside the pouch was the elixir stored.

The elixir he handed over to Gaon this time totaled 8 liters.

If 200ml was the maximum one person could benefit from?

Just imagining it made him feel secure.

“But could it end up just increasing energy like with you, brother?”

In Gaon’s case, talent wasn’t enhanced, and no changes occurred in the body.

It simply increased energy.

That could be because the body was already perfect and the talent was perfect, but if it was because he had crossed the wall?

Darion was also a sword master who had crossed the wall.

If the hypothesis was true, Darion might not see much effect either.

“It’s not that the possibility is zero, but it’s probably not high.”

Gaon recalled when the elixir vaporized.

At that time, before vaporizing, the elixir showed a very brief special reaction.

Thinking of that time, Darion should be able to see a special effect.

Gaon went to the reception room, fetched Darion, and headed to the cultivation room.

And upon arrival, Gaon took out the elixir from the pouch.

Then Darion swallowed hard.

The elixir was something that appeared only in legends.

Seeing it in reality made him expectant and tense.

Pour.

Gaon poured 200ml of the elixir.

And handed it to Darion, saying.

“Consume it and immediately prepare to cultivate. I might help, so don’t be surprised.”

“Yes.”

Darion responded to Gaon’s words and immediately consumed the elixir.

“……!”

And Gaon’s eyes flashed.

Unlike with Gaon, the elixir didn’t vaporize immediately.

Instead, it divided finely and spread throughout the body.

And the elixirs that reached their destinations began seeping into the body.

At the same time, changes came to Darion’s body.

Wrinkles began to disappear.

And minor scars shrank, then soon vanished.

That wasn’t all.

Black sweat began pouring out.

It was waste.

Not all of it seeps in.

From as little as 30% to as much as 70% seeped in.

And the unseeped elixir gathered at the navel and began forming a sphere again.

Soon, all the unseeped elixirs gathered.

Compared to the beginning, it was about half the size.

And at that moment, the elixir vaporized and turned into a massive lump of energy.

Darion immediately began cultivating with the Schutaren cultivation method, starting to make the energy lump his own.

Gaon watched Darion cultivating and thought.

It’s not 200ml.

Darion’s body changes could have been achieved with just half the consumed amount, 100ml.

The remaining half was converted into energy.

In other words, it wasn’t fixed at 200ml.

No need to help with cultivation either.

As expected of the next head of the Schutaren Sword Family, as expected of a sword master, Darion was guiding the elixir’s massive energy well.

Gaon silently waited for the cultivation to end.

And not long after, Darion finished cultivating and opened his eyes.

“Thank you.”

Darion stood up and expressed gratitude to Gaon.

Gaon could see excitement on Darion’s face as he expressed thanks.

It seemed the changes obtained through the elixir were considerable.

“How is it?”

Gaon asked Darion.

He was curious.

About the elixir’s effects that worked on Darion.

At Gaon’s question, Darion thought for a moment and spoke.

“First, my body feels much lighter. And the speed of channeling mana has increased…….”

Trailing off, Darion extended his hand to the side.

Swish!

And an aura blade rose up.

It wasn’t long, but it was an incredibly clear aura blade.

“The time to form the blade has shortened, and it takes less mana than before. And…….”

Darion trailed off again and wore a flustered expression.

“How should I explain this……!”

Seeing Darion unable to continue properly, Gaon asked.

“Do you feel like you can wield the sword better than before?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right. It feels like my perspective on the sword suddenly changed…… Should I say my intelligence regarding the sword has increased?”

“I see.”

Gaon nodded as if understanding.

The finely divided elixir had seeped into the head as well.

Probably, the increase in sword intelligence was due to that.

And stopping the nod, Gaon said to Darion.

“Shall we have a light spar for now?”

“Then, see you next time.”

Darion bowed deeply in greeting.

“See you next time.”

Gaon responded to the greeting, and Darion laboriously moved his steps to board the carriage.

Then the carriage departed, and Gaon headed to Kerhen’s workshop.

“Are you leaving?”

“Yeah, I’m about to go.”

It was to exchange farewells with Kerhen.

At Gaon’s words, Kerhen set down the hammer.

And smiled brightly, saying.

“I’ll contact you as soon as this guy is finished.”

“Sure, see you soon then.”

After exchanging farewells, Gaon immediately cast Teleport toward the direction of the Tower of Fire.

And upon arrival, Gaon replenished Pacheonki in the Pacheonki barrier while thinking.

Wow, this much?

As the Pacheonki barrier thickened, the spatial force it could withstand increased.

He could move even farther distances.

However, he hadn’t known exactly how much farther he could move.

And now, having confirmed, Gaon couldn’t help but admire it.

He could move twice the distance as before.

Naturally, he couldn’t see it as his mobility having doubled.

The longer the movement distance, the stronger the spatial force pressure.

In other words, for shorter distances, the spatial force pressure decreases exponentially.

It could be said that his mobility had improved more than twice.

“Teleport.”

Having finished replenishing Pacheonki in the barrier, Gaon cast Teleport again.

This time, to the maximum distance before the Pacheonki barrier thickened.

And upon arrival, Gaon smiled brightly.

20% huh…….

The spatial force pressure had reduced to 20% compared to before.

Meaning he could move the same distance four more times in succession.

I might arrive faster than expected.

Considering the time to replenish Pacheonki, it seemed he could arrive at the Tower of Fire much faster than anticipated.

Not just the Tower of Fire.

Gaon planned to stop by the Tower of Wind, Alter Tower, Gardion Tower, and finally the Varta Kingdom.

“Teleport.”

Gaon cast Teleport in succession.

And not long after, he arrived at the Tower of Fire.

Upon arriving at the Tower of Fire, Gaon headed straight to the central tower.

It was to meet Sillin.

“……!”

“……!”

No one in the Tower of Fire didn’t know Gaon.

No one blocked Gaon in the central tower either, and Gaon was soon able to meet Sillin.

“We greet Lord Gaon.”

Sillin politely greeted.

And Gaon got straight to the point.

“I have a gift to give, could you call Hedow and Rian?”

The mages Gaon planned to have consume the elixir in the Tower of Fire totaled three.

Tower Master Sillin and Vice Tower Masters Hedow and Rian.

In Sillin’s case, consuming the elixir wouldn’t allow entry into the 8th-Circle.

However, she would definitely become stronger than now.

And in Hedow and Rian’s cases, they could cross the wall and enter the 7th-Circle.

Currently, the Tower of Fire’s influence was greatly weakened.

But if new 7th-Circle archmages appeared, and not just one but two?

They could reclaim the lost influence.

“Yes, please wait a moment.”

Sillin said to Gaon and briefly left the seat.

And soon, Sillin returned after finishing the summons, and Gaon took out one bottle of elixir from the pouch.

“……!”

Sillin wore a surprised expression as soon as she saw the elixir.

W-what energy!

It was because of the energy felt from the elixir.

Gaon spoke while looking at Sillin’s surprised face.

“It’s an elixir.”

“……What?!”

Sillin, who was already surprised, was even more shocked upon learning the elixir’s identity.

Pour.

Gaon poured the elixir into a glass while looking at Sillin.

“It’s a gift.”

And Gaon extended the glass.

For now, Sillin took the glass.

But she didn’t drink it immediately.

Instead, gauging Gaon’s reaction, she asked.

“M-may I really take the elixir……?”

What was an elixir?

It was a legendary elixir that appeared only in tales.

Did she dare consume such a precious elixir?

“Of course.”

Gaon nodded.

“There are many things you need to do. Including difficult tasks that are hard to accomplish now. More than that…….”

Trailing off, Gaon shook the glass bottle containing the elixir and said.

“There’s plenty, so drink it without worry.”

“……Thank you!”

Sillin expressed gratitude.

And immediately drank the elixir.

Gaon focused on the elixir.

As expected, the elixir didn’t vaporize immediately.

It divided finely and spread throughout the body.

“……!”

And at the following situation, Gaon’s eyes flashed.