Chapter 349
Impressive.

It was rare to hear such high praise from Chris.

In truth, Joo Wang, head of the prestigious Joo family of sorcery, was regarded as the top formation master in the alliance.

Even though the small-scale formation Chris had just conjured was improvised on the spot, it was as solid as an iron fortress.

Not even the highest-ranked mages would find it easy to break through this formation.

Yet, there was one unfortunate truth for Joo Wang.

“This might be the last time anyone calls Joo Wang the ultimate formation expert.”

Mana extended from Chris’s hand, tracing intricate patterns in the air.

“What are you doing? No way…”

Joo Wang sneered, sensing what Chris was about to attempt.

“You dare challenge me with a formation?”

A formation duel!

Both parties simultaneously deploy their formations, and the one with the deeper mastery and more refined technique shatters the other’s.

“Foolish.”

“To challenge Joo Wang with formations?”

The apprentices watching thought Chris had finally lost his mind.

But as Chris’s formation gradually took shape, Joo Wang’s expression stiffened.

He was beginning to realize the true power of Chris’s formation.

“Ah, there’s one thing I haven’t told you.”

Chris smirked.

“I’m actually quite well-versed in formations.”

In his previous life, after the era of destruction began, Chris had surpassed even Joo Wang to become the foremost formation expert.

“Of course, back then I hadn’t fully mastered mana, so my expertise was mostly theoretical.”

But now, he had the ability to wield that theory freely.

Whoosh!

The formation unfolded, and Joo Wang’s eyes widened as if they might tear.

A formation embodying death, life, and destruction.

It was the very same Life-Death-Destruction Formation that Joo Wang himself had deployed.

“How… how do you know the Life-Death-Destruction Formation?! When did you steal our family’s secret technique?!”

“I didn’t steal it.”

“Then how do you have the exact same formation?”

“It’s not the same. Look closely.”

Joo Wang’s face turned pale as he examined Chris’s formation.

Far paler than before.

“…It’s completely different? But how can it be so identical?”

Different, yet the same.

It was a strange paradox, but true.

Chris’s formation was implemented in a completely different way from Joo Wang’s, yet the resulting phenomenon was identical.

In other words, Chris had seen the Life-Death-Destruction Formation once and perfectly recreated it in his own unique style.

An unbelievable feat.

“I told you, it’s not the same. Look carefully.”

As Chris’s formation fully manifested, Joo Wang’s complexion grew even more ashen.

Chris’s claim was no lie.

His formation was even more perfect.

“That can’t be!”

Boom.

The two formations clashed, shaking the space around them as if an earthquake had struck.

Formations manipulate space and phenomena through harmonization and directional transformation according to the user’s will.

When two formations collide, victory depends on whose harmonization and transformation are more refined—and right now, Joo Wang’s formation was losing ground.

“No… I can’t lose.”

Joo Wang bit his lip.

He now fully understood that Chris was an unfathomable monster.

But when it came to formations, he was still the best.

“There’s no way I’ll be defeated…”

Then, in that moment—

Flash!

As Chris’s formation embodied the meaning of life, death, and destruction, Joo Wang couldn’t help but gasp.

“…Ah.”

It was a reaction similar to that of Hwi Wang, who had knelt earlier.

He had realized something.

The greatness of the formation Chris had unleashed.

“The ultimate harmony closest to perfection.”

Because Joo Wang himself had reached the pinnacle of formation mastery, he could feel just how absurdly impossible that harmony and transformation—and the meaning contained within—were.

“Something I could never reach in my lifetime…”

Stunned by the sublime beauty, Joo Wang reached out his hand.

At that moment, his own formation collapsed with a loud crash, shattering the surrounding space.

Joo Wang slumped down, his eyes vacant from the shock.

“……”

Everyone in the hall swallowed hard at the sight.

No one could accept what had just unfolded before their eyes.

“Th-this can’t be.”

“Did he really win?”

“Against all the heads of the families?”

Chris smirked and turned his gaze toward another pale figure at the round table—the head of the Jeon family, William.

“Are you going to try your luck too?”

“…I’ll pass.”

“Good. Then I have instructions.”

A thunderous command rang out.

“Accept new students at the Cainfer Training Institute. The candidates are those five heads of families over there.”

The moment the round table heads were lured in as fresh recruits.

---

Chris’s actions had completely upended the round table families.

It was only natural.

The heads of the families were to enter as trainees and receive instruction!

“This is impossible!!”

“We must never comply!!”

The retainers of the round table shouted in anger, but the heads themselves were too ashamed to speak.

Even all five combined hadn’t been able to land a single blow.

Any words they might utter would only deepen their humiliation.

“Damn it, everyone just shut up.”

But the retainers, unaware of their masters’ feelings, only raised their voices further.

“He must have pulled some trick!”

“Exactly. Otherwise, how could the heads have been defeated so thoroughly?!”

Those who hadn’t witnessed the duel truly believed this.

The situation was too absurd to accept at face value.

“Please, just be quiet!”

The heads silently begged inwardly, but they were trapped.

They couldn’t deny the duel’s outcome, yet admitting it openly before their retainers was a blow to their pride.

Then another incident occurred.

Chris sent a letter to each of the round table families.

“If any family refuses to acknowledge the duel’s result, come find me.

You may attack together if you wish. If you can even touch my sleeve, I’ll nullify the previous duel’s outcome.”

A letter that treated the round table families like dogs.

Chris added one more condition.

All the defeated must become his students.

No true martial family could resist such a provocation.

“This time, we will show him the greatness of our round table!”

The top warriors from each family issued challenges, and the results were as expected.

All of the round table families ended up under Chris’s tutelage.

After forcing the last challenger to kneel, Chris whistled quietly to himself.

“So simple. They were naive to begin with.”

In truth, the round table families weren’t evil.

They were just proud, arrogant frogs in a well, and though they hadn’t committed any great wrongs, they had stood at the forefront during the era of destruction.

Their simplicity and arrogance were, in a way, signs of their purity.

“If they were truly evil, I wouldn’t have bothered putting in so much effort.”

From then on, Chris spent his time teaching the trainees and the round table families.

At first, everyone resisted, but gradually, the atmosphere began to shift.

“…The teachings aren’t bad.”

One retainer of the round table said reluctantly.

It was a surprising compliment.

They had ground their teeth through the harsh lessons, which seemed designed to torment them.

But over time, they could feel their skills improving.

“…Hmm, I’m still not sure.”

“Your sword seems sharper than before. You don’t really mean that, do you?”

“I… I recently had a realization. Of course… I can’t say the hero’s teachings didn’t help at all.”

Lamed, head of the Ilseom family, blushed slightly as he stammered.

Though embarrassed and denying it, Lamed was the one who felt it most keenly.

The hero’s teachings were making him stronger.

“…Maybe the hero really does care about us.”

That misunderstanding began to take root in everyone’s hearts.

Evan played a big role in fostering that atmosphere.

“Snap out of it! Is this all you can do? The hero is making such an effort for you, and you’re already tired?”

Evan served as an assistant instructor, constantly reminding them of the hero’s grace, heart, and dedication.

At first, it was irritating, but perhaps due to the power of suggestion, they gradually began to believe it.

Of course, it wasn’t all gratitude.

The lessons were so cruel it felt like they were designed to make them suffer, and resentment naturally flared.

“The hero is doing this for all of you. If you understand even a fraction of that grace, get up and train!”

“Damn that guy!”

“More devilish than the hero himself!”

“When I get stronger, I’ll make sure to punch you, Evan, even if I can’t reach the hero!”

Evan took the brunt of their hatred, which in turn softened their resentment toward Chris.

In any case, progress was steady.

“Not bad.”

Bang!

Chris fought duels with the heads again and again, thinking to himself.

There was a reason he faced them every few days.

On the surface, it was for teaching.

But in truth—

“I’m making their secret techniques mine.”

Chris never forgot his true goal.

Helping the round table grow was important, but the main focus was his own strength.

“If this continues, your vessel will collapse, and you’ll meet death.”

As the Grand Mage had warned, he had to complete the power of light.

“The problem is, it’s not easy for me either.”

It was an arrogant thought.

The word “completion” wasn’t something anyone could use lightly.

Even the Sacred Ancestor, who stood far above Chris, probably wouldn’t claim to have fully mastered the power of light.

“Truth is, no path ever truly reaches completion.”

No matter how much one grows, you only ever approach the ultimate—you never fully arrive.

So, the “completion” Chris spoke of carried a different meaning.

“I have to establish Seonghwi’s entire essence within my own worldview.”

Establishing a worldview.

Every top-tier powerhouse above the upper 8-star rank had, in their own way, built their own worldview.

This firmly established worldview would later serve as the foundation for the 9-star realm known as the Descent of Creation.

However, even the strongest warriors above upper 8-star rank only established worldviews within their own specialized fields. But now, Chris aimed to establish a worldview encompassing all of Seonghwi.

It was a reckless ambition, but one he had to accomplish.

“To do that, I need to absorb as many secret techniques from the Union as possible.”

That was why he had deliberately come to the Cainfer Training Institute—to teach, yes, but also to absorb.

While imparting his knowledge, Chris was quietly assimilating every secret technique he encountered.

He had already been at the institute for over a month, absorbing an immense wealth of techniques.

“But it’s still not enough.”

Chris shook his head.

“I need the advanced vision of white magic.”

That was his greatest vulnerability at the moment.

“I have to obtain the secret techniques of the Magic Noble Houses and the Mage Tower.”

During his last duel with the clan heads, the head of the Magic Noble Houses hadn’t appeared.

That was because the head of the Magic Noble Houses wasn’t on the same level as the other clan heads.

Archmage Duma.

A top-tier powerhouse above upper 8-star rank, and one of the strongest figures in the Union aside from the Sacred Sovereigns—someone even Chris dared not underestimate.

“I need to put in more effort.”

Forcing the Round Table to kneel was just the groundwork.

His true targets were the Magic Noble Houses and the Mage Tower.

“Neither the head of the Magic Noble Houses nor the Mage Tower’s tower lord are opponents to be taken lightly.”

For reference, they were two separate individuals.

The head of the Magic Noble Houses was Duke Duma, an archmage at the upper 8-star level.

The tower lord of the Mage Tower was Heffelman, a Sacred Sovereign at the 9-star realm.

These two were the Union’s most powerful white mages.

“It should be about time they start taking the bait.”

Just as he thought that—

A sudden chill ran down the back of his neck.

He sensed danger.