Chapter 4: Spiritual Treasure and Magical Wolf
I, who once sat upon the throne of ten different dimensions...
was slain by a stone dagger. But that dagger was no ordinary weapon—it was the Stone of Destiny, feared even by the gods themselves.
After the stone turned back time, I found myself at the age of 133, still a "Magic King."
Reunited with young "Mi Min," I decided on my initial goal after the reset:
to replace my spiritual core with a better, higher-quality one, located in a cave on the mountain I was on, alongside a spiritual treasure.
However, the real problem was the magical beast guarding the treasure. I wasn't sure if it was the same Shadow Wolf I remembered or another creature.
...
[Niveish · Year 1165 of the Unification Era]
"Ta... ta... ta... ta..."
The rapid footsteps of 'Sayru' echoed above the trees.
'Sayru' was swiftly making his way to the cave, moving between the trees.
"I forgot I can't float now... It's such a pain to avoid all these magical beasts."
'Sayru' remembered that he was no longer an emperor who could float in the air at will.
Floating is a skill acquired by a mage—Martial artist—after breaking through the 8th star. It's a trait of the magical ancestor, considered one of the strongest entities, especially since he becomes stronger than the earth and is on his way to challenge the heavens.
This trait is only acquired if one becomes a magical ancestor or higher, but 'Sayru' is still a Magic King. For this reason, many magical beasts now pose a threat to him.
Therefore, he had no choice but to avoid them by jumping between trees.
"I've arrived... This is the cave."
After reaching the cave, 'Sayru' looked around.
"Hey... What are you doing?"
While 'Mi Min' was still present in 'Sayru's' mental sea to recover, she asked him telepathically what he was doing.
Knowing that even if 'Mi Min' appeared, others wouldn't be able to see or sense her—only 'Sayru' could.
"I'm looking for a sturdy branch to carve inscriptions on the cave wall... It should be enough to protect us while we're inside."
'Sayru' replied as he continued searching.
"Fool... If you're talking about the time you'll be replacing your core, I'll be there to protect you... Why are you wasting time?"
"Actually, I was planning to activate the contract between us after I finish..."
'Sayru' spoke about the contract—a spiritual contract between an immortal and a sacred spirit. Once this contract is established, that spirit becomes the spiritual guardian of the immortal mage, bringing great benefits to both.
Sacred spirits are very rare. Only five of them had contracts with 'Sayru' in his previous life.
'Mi Min' is considered the top-ranked sacred spirit among them in both strength and age.
But an ordinary mage could never contract with them due to their weak spirit. Only immortals, who have a chance among billions, could be lucky enough to contract with one.
"As you know, my strength may be weak now, but my spirit is strong enough to rival a divine spirit, not just a sacred one... What do you think?"
'Sayru' closed his eyes to look internally at his spirit... finding it a golden crimson color...
The spirits of mortals and immortals have grades classified by colors.
White is the lowest grade, and golden crimson is the highest.
"Hmm... Alright, fine. I also want to evolve with you quickly... But if you dare to look at my inner form like last time... I'll kill you, you pervert!"
'Mi Min' appeared, exuding killing intent as she spoke, showing a look of contempt on her face.
"Ugh... Alright, alright. Don't look at me like that. I'll start drawing the inscription."
This time, 'Sayru' would draw a level 3 inscription.
This inscription has the ability to conceal magical energy, sounds, and aura waves, keeping away anyone or any beast trying to approach the cave.
"I'm done. Let's go in."
'Sayru' entered while 'Mi Min' disappeared. The cave was silent, but there was a faint light at the end.
That was the spiritual treasure.
"Hoooh... Do you think I can't sense you while you're trying to hide and emitting killing intent towards me?"
After 'Sayru' spoke, he heard a rustling sound in the darkness.
Then, a completely black beast appeared, its red eyes glowing in the dark.
It was the Shadow Wolf.
"Grrrrr..."
"Finally, you've appeared. Seems my luck is bad to face a level 5 beast... And I thought it was level 4... Has it evolved?"
'Sayru' noticed that this wolf was different from the one in his previous life. Now he's in real trouble, as it's known that a level 5 beast equals the strength of a 6-star mage, meaning this Shadow Wolf is currently stronger than 'Sayru'.
"Looks like I have to use my trump card to survive now..."
'Sayru' took out the branch he had been drawing inscriptions with.
A beautifully shaped aura appeared at the tip of the branch, resembling a drop of water with a purple flame inside.
"Hey, wolf... Be proud that you'll die by the aura of my sword!"
Sword aura isn't something simple that anyone can possess. A swordsman gains sword aura only after years of experience and after finding their path in the sword.
'Sayru' swung the branch, which then turned to dust.
At the same time, everything the swing passed through was cut... Even a level 5 beast wasn't spared... Its head was severed instantly.
"Seems I overdid it... But if I had regained my full aura, this mountain would have been split in two with the same power I used...!"
'Sayru' continued towards the light until he reached it.
He found a golden box. After opening it, he found the high-quality core he was seeking, along with the spiritual treasure—a long wooden smoking pipe.
"Do you want to return to that smoking habit... And here I thought I'd never see you smoke again."
"This spiritual treasure's function is to convert magical herbs into magical energy for me to absorb... Besides, it's better than nothing..."
'Sayru' took the pipe, and after opening it, he pulled out a long, thin sword from inside. The sword was transparent, as if made of glass.
"There's also an additional gift with it—this sword... Anyone seeing such a long pipe would suspect it and believe it's a treasure, but the real treasure is the sword inside... This is a spiritual sword!"
'Sayru' took out the sword and made simple swings, but they left significant marks on the cave wall.
"Anyway, I'll start activating the 'Heart Creation' technique. The process will be difficult, so don't disturb me... I'll also need the corpse of this wolf and its spiritual core, so don't touch them."
'Sayru' sat on a rock inside the cave, then raised the high-quality spiritual stone in front of his heart and released his mana.
"Alright, alright."
The Heart Creation technique goes through several stages...
The first is destroying the magical stars and emptying the mana from the spiritual space, causing 'Sayru' to experience severe pain, and the most important thing is not to lose consciousness.
The second is destroying the old spiritual core, which will cause serious internal injuries, putting him on the brink of death.
The final stage is merging the new core with the heart, and due to the internal injuries, this will be the most dangerous stage.
After successfully merging, 'Sayru' must use the mana he expelled to heal his internal injuries.
...
After 3 months...
It was dawn, and the sun had begun to rise...
Inside the cave, 'Sayru' was in a meditative position, continuously absorbing mana.
"Hooof... The first star has formed. It took longer than I thought. What took the most time were the first three stages after the merge. The heart and body stages went smoothly, but the soul stage was the hardest due to my internal injuries... But the great thing is my cultivation speed has increased by at least 50 times... It was worth all that pain."
'Sayru's' appearance changed slightly, as his body became strong and muscular after expelling impurities due to the process.
"It's not over yet. After gathering the necessary components, I'll soon make my body have a special constitution..."
"What? Are you saying you've found a way to obtain a body with a special constitution?"
'Mi Min' appeared, shocked by 'Sayru's' words.
"Yes, and not just a special constitution, but a divine body with a sacred constitution!"
'Sayru' smiled as a devilish grin appeared on his face.
"W-What!! A divine body!"
---
Mage - Martial Artist Levels:
0 - A mage's - Martial artist's - life begins by merging the 'spiritual core,' passing through three stages:
Heart Stage
Body Stage
Soul Stage
Then the actual levels:
1 - Novice Mage ~ 1-Star Mage
2 - Warrior Mage ~ 2-Star Mage
3 - Expert Mage ~ 3-Star Mage
4 - Master Mage ~ 4-Star Mage
5 - Magic King ~ 5-Star Mage
6 - Celestial Mage ~ 6-Star Mage
7 - Primitive Mage ~ 7-Star Mage
8 - Magical Ancestor ~ 8-Star Mage
9 - Magical Exalted ~ 9-Star Mage
10 - Magical Saint ~ 10-Star Mage
Each level is divided into 9 stages.
For example: Magic King at stage 7.