[Physical growth has been confirmed. Your spirtual level has increased and the halted succession process will resume.]

[Current Progress: 99.8%]

Yeon-woo felt the joy gradually fading from his body and opened his eyes. At the moment, instead of delight or pride, he seemed filled with emptiness, as though he were hungering for more. ‘The vessel is bigger.’

It wasn’t because his magic power had vanished—in fact, it had even increased with the Phoenix’s gift. It was only that his vessel had grown so much that he was left feeling unfulfilled.

The Phoenix’s fire had created a commotion in his body, opening all the circuits, from the ones he couldn’t open before to all the tiny ones he didn’t even know existed. His Magic Circuit had grown larger and sturdier, and the process that would’ve once taken forever was completed in a moment.

Also, Yeon-woo could feel the Holy Fire in his body right next to his heart where the stone was, too. ‘Why did it go there?’ He had been ignoring Leonte’s stone because he couldn’t do anything to it no matter how hard he tried, but he wondered why the Phoenix’s spark had chosen the same location.

He focused all his will on the spot, but the stone remained still. Instead, the fire he had absorbed rushed through the Magic Circuit into his hand, shooting a blue fire that turned into a variety of colors: red, gold, and purple.

It was the Holy Fire that the Phoenix had nurtured which controlled regeneration and resurrection. It was also the origin of the Flame of Life he’d received, and its incredible power did justice to its owner.

[Holy Fire]

[Number 50]

[Proficiency: 0.0%]

[Description: The flame that defines the Phoenix, who is the symbol of resurrection and regeneration. Some say it is the first fire to ever have existed. It’s a pure fire that many gods desire.

[*Purification

It burns demons and curses. It shows a great immunity and resistance to devil element. The strength of this power grows with the proficiency of the skill and heals a part of the body.]

[*Blessing of Fire

Holy Fire is known as the first fire to exist. It has authority over all other fire properties and has high resistance to them. It can show control of fire.]

Number fifty! It was the first numbered skill he had received since Bathory’s Vampiric Sword. Holy Fire was the absolute enemy of any evil properties since it was a power that pushed away darkness and purified curses and demons. ‘It would’ve been impossible to use it with the Black Bracelet under normal conditions, but good thing I have the Mana-friendly trait now.’ Yeon-woo realized how powerful his trait was with this new development.

[Aegis is reacting strongly.]

[The purification of Vigrid is speeding up.]

He could feel Aegis and Vigrid trembling on his back, as though they were glad that he’d received a skill that was compatible with them. But he didn’t really understand what the control of fire meant. Did it mean he could move fire any way he wanted? He knew it wasn’t something that you could do with a mere skill. And on top of that, it was hard to say exactly what kind of fire he could control. He would need to test it out first.

At any rate, Yeon-woo once again thanked the Phoenix in his mind. She had sped up his growth by a few years, and even opening all the circuits was a huge leap. Since Holy Fire was a skill that belonged to the Phoenix alone, it wasn’t something he could’ve gotten on his own. Lizard King Hargan’s Heat Wave couldn’t even compare to it.

However, this wasn’t a simple act of generosity from the Phoenix. If he had neglected Chirpy and abandoned him, the succession process would never have taken place. It was only his concern for Chirpy and pity for the Phoenix that gave him a chance to receive this skill, which was the desperate last wish of a mother who wanted her child cared for.

“Tweet!” Chirpy opened his eyes.

“How are you feeling?’

“Tweet.” Chirpy nodded. He had gotten better from Yeon-woo's warmth.

“You should continue resting, but let’s leave for now.”

“Tweet, tweet!” Suddenly, Chirpy shot up and shook his head urgently. He was still tired, but he wanted to say something.

“You want us to save the other Legendary Beasts?”

“Tweet!”

“But you...”

“Tweet, tweet!” Chirpy jumped up and down, trying to convince Yeon-woo. Yeon-woo muttered to himself that he didn’t really care about the rest of the Legendary Beasts. If the Saber God was planning on getting rid of them all, he didn’t really have a way to stop him, especially since he was ostensibly on the same side.

However, Chirpy said that he didn’t want the other Legendary Beasts to suffer the same thing he did. Despite his exhaustion, he still had the compassion and kindness to think of the other creatures.

“Tweet?” At Chirpy’s insistence, Yeon-woo had no choice but to nod. “OK.”

“Tweet!”

“But there’s a limit to how much I can help. I can’t catch up to the Saber God’s shadow even if we leave now.” Despite his recent improvements, Yeon-woo was aware of his deficiencies, especially compared to a high ranker like the Saber God. No matter how much Yeon-woo thirsted for revenge, he always had to maintain his grasp on reality. The moment revenge blinded him, he would find it impossible to grasp.

Chirpy nodded as if he knew what Yeon-woo was trying to say, also indicating they could escape as soon as the situation became dangerous. With Chirpy in his hands, Yeon-woo made a decision. The closest Legendary Beast was the Void Dragon in the east, and he would head there first.

They were about to leave when a familiar face suddenly appeared. It was Edora. Yeon-woo calmed the nervous Chirpy by explaining she was a friend before he approached her. “Why did you come here?”

“I saw you rushing here, and I was worried.” Edora sighed with relief. She had lost his trail along the way, and it had taken her a long time to find him. “Where is...?”

“Just where I was. Seems like the Cheonghwado is hunting all of the Legendary Beasts.”

Edora’s eyes widened at Yeon-woo’s story. When she saw Chirpy in Yeon-woo’s arms, she quickly understood Yeon-woo’s plans to break away from the Cheonghwado.

“I won’t ask you to help. I don’t plan to ask the One-horned tribe to help me either. But I hope you won’t get in my way.”

“That...” She had been against his participation in this stupid war form the beginning, but she never expected that they would stand on opposing sides. She bit her lower lip, thoughts crowding her head. Finally, she made a decision and pulled her sword close to her chest. “I’m going with you.”

Yeon-woo shook his head. “You don’t need to feel guilty. There’s no need to go that far.”

“No. I want to help. Also, personally, I didn’t like how the Cheonghwado forced our tribe into this war.”

“Seseung-nim won’t like that.”

“I haven’t listened to him in ages. And besides, you’ve only been his disciple for a short time, why are you so worried?”

“Is that so?” Yeon-woo laughed. He suddenly had a thought that the Martial King might be amused by the entire situation rather than angry. ‘Of course, he won’t go easy on us just because we’re his disciple and his daughter.’ The Martial King was that kind of person. “I’ll lead the way since I know where to go.”

“OK.”

Yeon-woo and Edora left without any hesitation, heading to the Void Dragon’s territory.

***

If the Phoenix is a creature that undergoes the cycle of resurrection forever, the Void Dragon is one that endlessly tries to hide himself in the darkness. He doesn’t like showing himself to others and is always in a deep sleep. Because he doesn’t like to be woken up, he buries those who disturb him in the Void.

Although the Void Dragon was a Legendary Beast, it was more accurate to say he was a Magical Creature. He was extremely territorial and had a vicious personality. He was also a unique creature that eroded the mystical world by spreading his Void even while he slept, which made his test the most difficult one out of all the Beasts. ‘Although that’s pretty pointless now.’

As soon as Yeon-woo entered the Void Dragon’s territory, the same devastation he’d seen in the Phoenix’s territory appeared before his eyes. The energy of the Void and lightning that usually enveloped the forest had vanished, and corpses of all types of Magical Creatures littered the ground. The subordinates of the Void Dragon, who also fed off the Void, had their hearts pulled out and their throats slit. ‘I can’t feel the Void Dragon’s presence watching me. That means...’

“Oraboni.”

“Yes.”

Edora’s eyes were trained on the black Void Dragon on the ground. He was immense and was extremely long, and little puffs of the Void floated like clouds among his scales. However, the Void’s color was weak, and it looked like it would disappear at any moment. The Void Dragon was exactly like how he’d appeared in the diary. Yeon-woo approached the corpse to inspect it for clues.

『Hehehe.』A lazy laugh suddenly drifted out.

“What?” Yeon-woo thought the Saber God was nearby and turned his head to the source of the sound. A message popped up in front of his eyes.

[The soul of the Void Dragon is looking at you.]