Episode 90
If it weren’t for Fresia, I wouldn’t have gotten the Vampiric Ring, nor would I have won Kashmir’s heart. It would’ve been nearly impossible to catch the attention of the Mages, too.
In the end, it was like receiving the greatest gift.
“I suppose I should return the favor with a filial gift or something. After all, she is my great-aunt.”
Chris was strolling along, speaking casually about things that would surely make Fresia’s blood boil—if she were listening.
That’s when someone stepped in his way.
“Hey.”
It was Maysak, the mama’s boy.
With a deeply furrowed brow, he glared at Chris with a menacing look.
“Don’t get cocky. Soon enough, I’ll be the one cutting your throat and feeding you to the dogs.”
A rough threat.
But Chris barely reacted.
Normally, he might have snapped back, but this time he just stared silently at Maysak.
‘Why does this guy look so easy to handle?’
Of course, Chris had always underestimated Maysak before.
But this time, it wasn’t that.
‘I don’t feel threatened at all. It’s like looking at someone weaker than me.’
An unexpected realization.
Maysak was a four-star.
By objective standards, he was even stronger than Chris, who was only three-star.
With all that murderous intent radiating off him, Chris should have felt threatened—but he didn’t.
In fact, it was laughable.
Like watching a weaker opponent puff themselves up in a cute, futile show of defiance.
At the same time, Maysak felt something similar.
Looking at Chris was like hitting a solid wall.
Even while threatening him, Maysak felt the threat coming from Chris instead—as if locking eyes with a wild beast.
And the reason both felt this way was simple.
‘I’ve gotten stronger.’
It was because of his experience in the underground garden.
Chris instinctively realized:
‘I’ve already earned the right to break through this wall. Now it’s just a matter of cleaning up the aftermath.’
Without even realizing it, Chris had stepped into the realm of four-star!
But because his progress had been so sudden, an imbalance remained, keeping him shackled to the three-star rank for now.
‘Once I fix this imbalance, I’ll reach four-star immediately.’
He hadn’t even been three-star for six months, and now he was on the verge of four-star.
A speed that would make every genius in the world look pathetic—but Chris felt nothing special as he spoke to Maysak.
“Step aside.”
“!!”
Surprisingly, Maysak hesitated and took a step back.
He was overwhelmed by Chris’s presence.
Maybe it was instinct telling him that Chris was now above him.
“Oh, and just so you know.”
Chris gave Maysak a crooked look as he stood frozen.
“If you bother me again, next time I won’t hesitate to kill you.”
“……!!”
Chris’s cold gaze pierced straight through Maysak’s heart.
“Remember that.”
He meant it.
Ever since Fresia tried to trap and kill him, Chris had already crossed the line.
He had decided to wait for the right moment to kill Maysak.
‘Keeping him alive will only cause trouble later.’
Maybe sensing Chris’s sincerity, Maysak couldn’t say a word and just swallowed hard.
Chris left him behind and returned to his quarters.
[Oh ho ho… The young master has returned? The maiden has been eagerly awaiting your arrival. I’ve heard the news.]
“Yeah, good to see you.”
[Then, how about a glass of maiden’s blood juice?]
“Before that, could you clear the area? Make sure no one comes in for the next few days.”
[??]
Chris smiled slyly.
“I have work to do.”
It was time to get stronger again.
Meanwhile, Maysak returned to his room and smashed his furniture to pieces.
“Damn it!! Son of a bitch!!! Arrogant bastard!! I’ll definitely kill him!!!”
He was furious, unable to admit that he’d actually felt threatened by that guy.
The servants trembled silently, saying nothing.
They knew better than to get involved—one wrong move and they’d be cleaning up a corpse.
With his eyes blazing, Maysak searched for a scapegoat to vent his anger on.
Just then, a cold voice cut through the tension.
“What’s going on here?”
“Mother!”
Fresia frowned and raised her hand.
Smack!
Maysak’s face flushed bright red.
The servants gasped and hurriedly slipped out.
“Mother…”
“What a pathetic sight you are.”
Maysak lowered his head.
Watching her son like this made Fresia’s blood boil.
She knew all too well how lacking he was.
But still, she couldn’t let go of the last thread holding her hopes together.
He was all she had left.
“I’m giving you one last chance. I’m assigning you to the Dark Ghost Squad. You’ll be the temporary leader of the vacant position.”
“!!”
The Dark Ghost Squad was the elite combat unit of the Dark Mage faction.
Specialized in covert operations like sabotage, terror, and assassination.
Leading them would be a chance to earn countless merits.
“Th-thank you. I will make sure to earn merits worthy of this.”
Fresia sighed deeply.
This was a huge risk for her.
She had begged her husband, Marquis Langham, on her knees to give Maysak one more chance.
Still, it wasn’t enough to grant him the official leader position—only a temporary one.
Maysak would have to prove himself worthy to be promoted later.
“There’s something else you must do.”
“What is it?”
“Kill that bastard, Chris.”
“!!”
Fresia’s eyes glinted coldly.
“Use the power of the Dark Ghost Squad during your missions to kill Chris. I’ll create the opportunity for you.”
Chris took a deep breath.
He was breaking through the four-star barrier.
It was taking longer than expected.
Because he had deliberately chosen a difficult path.
‘Simply breaking the wall was something I could’ve done before.’
Four-star: Black Sword Transformation.
Not just manifesting the black sword, but mastering the ability to freely change its form and apply it in various ways.
Honestly, Chris found it laughable.
‘What’s so hard about that?’
Even prodigies—and those called geniuses—had to use various techniques to manifest the black sword in reality.
They’d set up a core pillar, maintain the flow of magical energy through specific incantations, even rely on magic circles.
These methods weren’t shortcuts.
They were the textbook standard for three-star Mages to manifest the black sword.
The difficulty of reaching four-star lay in being able to manifest the black sword without any of these aids.
A challenge on a completely different level.
That’s why four-star was the true wall Mages faced for the first time.
Up to three-star, anyone could reach it with enough effort.
Follow the rules, and eventually, you’d manifest the black sword.
But from four-star onward, effort alone wasn’t enough.
Innate talent was required.
Many spent their entire lives trying and failing.
But Chris was different.
From the moment he first manifested the black sword, he never relied on any technique.
He simply used it as naturally as his own limbs.
So mastering four-star black sword transformation was easy for him.
If he wanted, he could break through the wall and succeed right now.
‘But it’s not enough. What’s the point of just transforming the black sword?’
Reaching the level of black sword transformation allowed countless applications, but in the end, it was still just a black sword.
It didn’t satisfy him.
‘Is there a way to surpass the limits of the black sword?’
In truth, Chris had already surpassed those limits.
His black sword, imbued with his will, wielded power unlike any other.
But increasing that power further was impossible.
‘What about transformation? There are limits to black sword transformation. Can I break those limits?’
Though called black sword transformation, it wasn’t possible to change it into any shape at will.
There were fixed forms:
Black Sword Shield.
Black Sword Spear.
Black Sword Mist.
Black Sword Ring.
Black Sword Flame.
And so on.
Did those limits have to exist?
Normally, no.
Black sword transformation wasn’t about molding it like clay.
You had to follow certain rules.
But—
‘When I cut the Spider Queen’s neck.’
Chris narrowed his eyes, recalling that moment.
The black sword then was infused with infinite magical energy beyond limits.
That wasn’t black sword transformation.
It was a monstrous anomaly born from Chris’s insane talent.
However—
‘It’s not different.’
Chris raised his sword.
Flash!
The sword split.
He was mimicking the splitting sword technique Jupein had shown him.
Though he’d only seen it a few times, his skill was on par with Jupein’s.
An unfair talent.
And Chris didn’t stop there.
‘More. More.’
Sixteen, thirty-two, sixty-four.
In his mind’s eye, the sword split infinitely.
An intangible illusion within his imagination.
Within that infinite mental image of swords, he moved his will.
His will infused the imagined swords.
Magical energy filled them, and all those infinite swords became real, surging forward.
Infinite swords filling the world.
“!!”
Chris’s eyes snapped open.
‘That mental image just now.’
How to describe it?
It was far beyond mere black sword transformation.
Something much higher-dimensional.
Yet it was still black sword transformation.
Just like when Chris cut the Spider Queen’s neck, what he did wasn’t different from black sword transformation.
The moment he realized it, Chris understood that he had reached the rank of 4-star.
Flash!
A black shield blossomed from his hand.
It was a Black Sword Shield.
But it wasn’t like any ordinary Black Sword Shield.
His shield immediately transformed into a long spear, then shifted again into a whip-like chain.
Anyone watching would have been stunned.
Normally, once you’ve implemented a Black Sword transformation, changing its form like that is impossible.
Each Black Sword form—shield, spear, chain—requires its own unique seals and techniques, which conflict with one another.
More importantly, these forms share no common ground, so transforming between them is fundamentally forbidden.
To use a different form, you’d have to develop it from scratch.
But—
“It works?”
Chris toyed with the Black Sword like a shape-shifting toy, switching forms at will.
He had unlocked the ability to perform infinite Black Sword transformations, free from any constraints!
An achievement impossible even at the upper 4-star level.
“Well, technically, this is still lower 4-star in terms of accomplishment.”
But there was an unexpected bonus.
“I’ve reached perfect 5-star as a Seonghwi of the Union.”
Chris stretched out his hand.
Flash!
A flawless aura blade burst forth.
Originally, he was only barely stepping into the true 5-star stage, but somehow, he had become a perfect 5-star.
Lower 5-star rank.
He had become an “Elder Knights” class.
“Maybe it’s thanks to that infinite sword from earlier in my vision that I advanced in the Union’s realm.”