Chapter 202: The Evolved Power
< Chapter 202: The Evolved Power (1) >
It was the moment I held the fifth artifact of the Angel Race.
Intense pain, along with a feeling of exhaustion, consumed my entire body.
"Ugh!"
An overwhelming sensation of fatigue, to the point where I could barely move a finger.
I instantly understood what this meant.
"This is the overload."
The overload and side effects due to the accelerated growth of the new Adam's mark that Shin hyung of this timeline mentioned.
That's what these symptoms indicate.
As expected, five was the limit.'
The anomaly I felt in my body was immense, just as anticipated.
First, let's set the artifact down and catch my breath.'
I dropped the artifact and knelt on the floor, taking deep breaths.
After a short while, once I felt I could move a bit,
"Hoo."
I stood up.
My body felt heavy.
It felt as if I had regressed to day two of my rehabilitation training.
The exact sensation of my body not obeying me.
"Phew. I'm drenched again."
The soaked clothes from sweat reminded me of yesterday.
With trembling hands, I managed to unbutton and take off my shirt.
And just as I completely removed it,
"Huh?"
My eyes widened in shock.
"What's this?"
First, I saw the darkened mark of the Angel Race on my chest.
Of course, having just used the Angel Race artifacts consecutively, it turning black was expected.
But that wasn't what surprised me.
"Was the overload supposed to deactivate all marks?"
Not just the Angel Race's mark, but all marks engraved on my body from various Races had turned black.
This means they've all been deactivated.
"I didn't expect this."
This wasn't mentioned in the Everything about Adam's Mark' gift from Shin hyung.
No, it was mentioned.'
Though this state wasn't described, it did mention that if an overload occurs, the body would be in a state unfit for proper combat for at least a day.'
Indeed, I can't fight properly in this condition.'
I scratched the back of my head.
"The Angel Race's mark hasn't evolved to a higher level."
I wondered if the mid-level Angel Race's mark might evolve to a higher level with the five artifacts, but that was just wishful thinking.
The Angel Race's mark remains at the medium level.
This indicates that evolving the mark isn't so straightforward.
However, it's a natural course, so I decided not to be overly concerned. There are countless artifacts I can acquire.
Given enough time, I'll eventually reach a transcendental stage. There's no need to rush.
"What's important here is how long this overload will last"
The crucial factor is time. Thus, determining how long this overloaded state persists is vital. I opened the notebook titled "Everything about Adam's mark" given by Shin hyung.
As expected, it only mentions, "You'll be unable to engage in proper combat for about a day."
"So, does this mean the overload roughly lasts for a day?"
If that's the case, it's quite a gain. If I can synchronize with five artifacts after just a day's rest, it might not take long to elevate the marks of the Angel or Dragon Race to the transcendental level.
That would be a significant advantage.
"I'll have to observe how it progresses."
But somehow, I feel it won't be too long. I'm confident about that.
"Next"
I flipped about five pages in the notebook.
"Changes in the body of an Adam's mark user according to the acquisition and increase of synchronization with each racial artifact."
That was the title on the page. I focused on the entry at the bottom of the list:
"Physical changes in an Adam's mark user synchronized with Angel Race artifacts."
"1. Increased resistance to mental attacks"
"2. Enhanced quality of sacred power"
"3. Increased efficiency in using sacred power"
"That's why I didn't notice."
Each Race-specific physical change listed here matches the effects of complete assimilation' I knew before the evolution of Adam's mark.
Since the physical changes in other Races like the Beastman, Dream Race, and Elf Race match the effects I knew, it's undoubtedly the same.
"I couldn't detect the 2nd and 3rd effects since I couldn't properly use sacred power."
Before Adam's mark evolved, I acquired a healing characteristic called "divine power", but it's slightly different from "sacred power". "Sacred power" is a more advanced concept, and "divine power" is a subset of it.
"Sacred power is like magic for the Angel Race, and divine power is a force using that sacred power solely for healing."
So, until now, I haven't been using sacred power properly. Therefore, how could I recognize the full assimilation effects of the Angel Race?
"Of course. It's the mark of the Angel Race; there's no way the only benefit would be increased resistance to mental attacks'. Right, of course."
I mistakenly thought it was a minor effect, but it was indeed my misunderstanding.
"With the quality and efficiency of the sacred power increasing the activated Angel Race mark will be a significant force."
I'll need to use it again to truly feel the change, but there will likely be a substantial difference. In the previous battle, when I used holy magic, I felt that the sacred power was significantly more potent.
"Having synchronized with an additional five artifacts"
Wouldn't it have strengthened by at least 1.3 times?
"Well, I'll find out once the mark reactivates."
That's not my concern right now. I'll naturally know in time.
"Okay."
I closed the notebook. It was a quite satisfying experiment.
* * *
The next morning.
"Hmm. Is this some kind of plateau? I feel like your physical condition hasn't changed much from yesterday."
"Right?"
Maybe it's because of the aftereffects of the overload. The 4th day of rehabilitation training seemed stagnant.
"Did you do any strenuous exercises yesterday?"
"Why would I? I'm not foolish."
"True. You should know that rest is the most crucial part of any training regimen."
Even though she said that she seemed unconvinced. Aqua started examining various parts of my body, probably checking for muscle stiffness and hydration levels. It seems she can determine how fatigued my muscles are through that.
"Hmm. You genuinely seem okay."
"I told you, I'm not a fool."
"I see."
Aqua seemed satisfied and withdrew her hand.
"Why this sudden change then? You showed considerable improvement just yesterday morning."
"Who knows?"
I played coy. If I casually mentioned the overload now, it would only result in Aqua intensifying the rehab training.
I also don't want to explicitly mention my capabilities.'
It's not that I don't trust Aqua. I just think it's better to keep certain things concealed. It's like my last line of defense.
"It's fascinating, no matter how many times I see it."
Aqua continued to observe my body and then shook her head in wonder.
"However, your physical condition has always been perplexing. So, it's not unreasonable for something like this to happen. Hmm."
Aqua seemed to come up with an answer on her own and nodded in agreement.
"Let's postpone the planned rehabilitation exercises for today and repeat what we did yesterday."
"Got it."
And so, the 4th day of rehabilitation training began.
* * *
That night.
After confirming that the lethargy in my body had somewhat dissipated, I immediately took off my top and stood in front of a mirror.
"It's been exactly 24 hours, but the mark is still black."
I thought my body was feeling better, perhaps the overload had ended.
It seems I was mistaken.
The notebook mentioned roughly a day, so is there a margin of error?'
Or did using five artifacts at once intensify the overload?
Maybe something occurred that the Shin hyung from the past hadn't anticipated.'
All these thoughts muddled my head.
Ah, this is troubling.'
The prolonged state of overload equates to a delay in the growth of my mark.
That is quite problematic.
Let's see how it progresses by tomorrow.'
There's no point in worrying right now. I got dressed again and stepped outside.
Staying in the room made me overthink, so I felt the need for a stroll. I walked in the garden, gazing at the distinctly visible stars and the brilliantly shining crescent moon.
Fortunately, it seems Demon God hasn't shown signs of any rash actions.'
Even though ten days have passed since that battle, the Demonic Faction has been maintaining its silence.
On the contrary, the calmness is a bit worrying'
There are four battlefields where the Demonic Faction and Savior have fierce confrontations. Normally, battles should be occurring daily in one of those places.
But no battles have occurred in the last ten days.
Both Heavenly God and Ini aren't sure about Demon God's intentions. To be honest, neither am I.
I wonder what Unknown is up to.'
Has he successfully infiltrated the Demon Realm by now? Considering Unknown's nature, he likely succeeded without any issue. But given who he's up against, it's a bit concerning.
Not that I'm worried about Unknown.
I hope he brings some remarkable information from the Demonic Factions side.'
To somehow counter Demon God's overwhelming power, we need to have an advantage in terms of information. The key person for that intel is Unknown. However, given his nature, the concern of betrayal is genuinely significant.
They say that even a toxic plant can be medicinal if used rightly.'
I'll have to mediate well. As I continued my stroll in the garden,
"Mr. Seo-yul?"
"Heavenly God?"
I encountered Heavenly God, sitting in a gazebo at the center of the garden, gazing up at the sky. Was she resting? She wore a more casual outfit than usual, and her hair was neatly tied up, highlighting a different charm.
"What brings you out at this late hour?"
Heavenly God gave a faint smile.
"I had a lot on my mind. Thought a light stroll might help."
I approached the gazebo where Heavenly God was seated and sat down at a reasonable distance.
"And you?"
"Hmm."
Heavenly God looked up at the sky.
"I was gazing at the stars."
Heavenly God's expression appeared quite complex as she said that.
"Do you have something on your mind?"
It's a well-accepted notion in academia that when one feels the need to look up at the sky without any reason, they're usually deep in thought.
"Just A lot is on my mind."
Heavenly God gave a forced smile.
"I'm concerned about the Demon God's silence. And I'm also concerned about your injury"
Her expression seemed rather somber.
"What frustrates me most is my own incompetence."
""
"The god of the heavens is considered the counterpart to the Demon God. It's laughable that such a being, even with the aid of terrestrial powers, can't handle the Demon God."
She chuckled as if mocking himself.
"Ini said the same thing."
"Pardon?"
"Ini said something similar about herself. How pathetic she felt for being bested by Demon God and how she was so ashamed that she didn't know what to do."
Heavenly God's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"Dragon Lord?"
"Yes."
Considering the usually cheerful and optimistic demeanor of Ini, it was a side one would find hard to imagine. That's probably why she was surprised.
"That's why I told her to snap out of it."
""
"I never thought I'd have to say the same to you, Heavenly God."
I looked straight into Heavenly God's eyes.
"Pull yourself together. If the joint leaders representing Heaven and Earth are like this, we can't win any battle."
Heavenly God's smile became even more bitter. Her expression seemed to say she knew it intellectually, but emotionally, she couldn't control herself.
"What does it matter if we've been losing for 7 years? We just need to start winning now."
I said confidently, pounding my chest, as I looked at Heavenly God, who appeared to have lost her self-confidence.
"Besides, you have me now. What's there to worry about?"
""
"You saw it, didn't you? Me using divine power. I'm currently not at my full strength, so it was a bit clumsy, and I'm suffering the after-effects, but given time, I'll be able to use that power effortlessly."
I was lying.
I try not to lie if I can help it, but I felt I had to this time. This was the best way to boost Heavenly God's morale.
"So, just trust me and follow my lead. I'll show you that Demon God is nothing to worry about."
I remembered something a child once said.
Even if it's a lie, it's comforting when someone asks you to trust and follow them with confidence.
It's true.
"Understood?"
With confidence, I looked straight into Heavenly God's slightly trembling eyes. She seemed a bit surprised, her pupils dilated, and then she gave a faint smile.
And then she uttered a single word.
"Yes."
With a single word of affirmation, she nodded.
Soon, Heavenly God's face returned to its usual soft smile, with no sign of anxiety left.
Whew.'
I sighed with relief internally. I was worried that Heavenly God, the de facto leader of the Saviors, might psychologically break down. Fortunately, it was well-resolved.
"Huh? Seo-yul?"
"Yes?"
Heavenly God pointed at my body with a surprised look. I quickly checked myself over.
"There's a light coming from your body"
Just as Heavenly God said, bright lights were emanating from various parts of my body.
Adam's Mark?'
All the marks carved throughout my body, the Adam's Mark, were flickering.
< Chapter 202: The Evolved Power (1) > End.
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