Demon King: Hero, don’t run away!

Yang Yu wasn’t boasting. After countless battles large and small, he became a man with eight-pack abs.

However, he didn’t turn into the musclebound hulk you see on TV; instead, his muscles were very well-balanced.

”To defeat such musclemen, you don’t necessarily have to meet them head-on; you can use some skills.”

Nagasarro said: ”Of course, I know.

In general intuition, people believe the more muscular one is, the greater their strength.

Actually, it’s completely different.

I can roughly judge one’s strength and know how powerful Yang Yu is.

If Mr. Yang Yu were to stand among a group of musclemen now, most ordinary people would surely underestimate him as the weakest among them.

Is it because those hulks’ muscles are all fake that they can’t beat the ’slender’ Yang Yu?”

”Are you trying to say that strength enhancement is not just about enhancing muscles?”

Nagasarro did not deny, ”Exactly.

A person’s strength is determined by much deeper factors.

This applies to magic as well.

Knowing the basic structure of magic, if there’s not enough magic power to drive the magic array, it’s all in vain.”

”So what exactly determines a person’s power? And how does this relate to your choosing me?”

Nagasarro tapped his head, seemingly unsure where to start.

After thinking for a long time, Nagasarro finally chose his entry point:

”Many people in this world don’t know that if defeated by another, or killed by someone, the victor or killer can extract some strength from them.”

Yang Yu slowly raised a question mark.

”Through constant fighting and training, one can also absorb energy from the air and grow stronger.

Although the methods are slightly different, the underlying logic is the same.

Yang Yu should know there’s a saying in alchemy about turning stone into gold.

Most of today’s alchemy is deceptive; they utilize reactions between substances to create compounds. As long as certain conditions are met, most things can revert to their original state; the fundamental nature does not change.

To make an inappropriate analogy, it’s like how water becomes ice when cold, and ice turns back into water when heated.

Stone is stone, and gold is gold; there’s no relationship between substances and compounds, and they cannot transform into each other.

I wonder if my explanation still makes sense to Yang Yu.”

Yang Yu nodded, thanks to nine years of compulsory education; he still had some impression of this knowledge. He couldn’t bring himself to spout nonsense like saying mercury is liquid silver.

”It’s good that you understand.” Nagasarro focused his gaze, ”But can stone really not turn into gold? Please pay attention, what I’m about to say may overturn your perceptions.”

Nagasarro took out a piece of dried tea leaf and split it into two, then into four.

Yang Yu roughly knew what Nagasarro wanted to say next, but he patiently listened.

”Many things in the world can be decomposed like this. If there were ever smaller blades and they kept being divided, could they be divided to an absolutely indivisible state?

As long as those tiny blades are combined into pieces of material, they can still merge back into the original object.

You and I, as well as this world, are composed this way.

If I told you now that the indivisible state can indeed be divided further, but not as simply as splitting in two, it’s more like dismantling a completed puzzle piece by piece, how would you feel?

The manifestation of the indivisible state of stone and gold is different.

By breaking the puzzle of the indivisible state of stone and assembling the puzzle pieces into the indivisible state of gold, stacking them part by part, would that turn it into gold?”

Trying to recall past knowledge, there might indeed be such a possibility.

Nagasarro was going around in circles, but he should be talking about atoms, protons, neutrons, and such particles.

”It might be possible, but truly dividing an object to the infinitely small, and having to disassemble smaller pieces like a puzzle to reorganize them, is utterly preposterous.

After going around in circles, you still haven’t told us the principle of growing stronger.

Could it be that strength grows on such a level?”

Nagasarro nodded seriously.

Yang Yu nearly spat out his tea, questioning: ”Really?”

Nagasarro nodded seriously again: ”Though I don’t know how it’s done, it’s indeed based on this principle.

After a puzzle is pieced together to form something, seemingly something else adheres outside, and those things are the source of our power.

People grow stronger because more things adhere to those things.

There is a special standard by which giant dragons measure human strength called energy level; its height is determined by the amount adhered.

Through the human body’s network, those things can release unprecedented power.

And can affect surrounding unseen small things, for our use, enabling our everyday skills.”

Yang Yu couldn’t have imagined that knowledge which requires a lot of victory points to hear in the Giant Dragon Library would be directly given to him.

This mystery seems to be entangled with the design issue of this world.

”So what distinguishes transcendent beings... from ordinary people?”

”So-called transcendent beings can more effortlessly accumulate those small things within their bodies and influence the surrounding people, making it easier for them to accumulate those small things in their body.”

Yang Yu slapped his own forehead, ”So why don’t you just say they get stronger more easily than ordinary people, and those around them also get stronger more easily?”

Nagasarro’s expression changed to a smile, ”So, as I said, it’s very simple.

... Sounds simple, but transcendent beings like you are incredibly rare throughout history.

Furthermore, the reason I’m explaining these underlying logics to you despite the effort is to lay the groundwork for the underground maze we’ll discuss later.

Haven’t you wondered from whom we learned these things?”

”Now that you mention it, I’m rather intrigued.

Such knowledge isn’t something the average person could know.

I’ve heard that [Corpse Collection Coffin] belongs to a group of tomb guardians.

Whose tomb are you guarding?”

Facing Yang Yu’s question, Nagasarro’s smile faded, slowly giving an answer:

”Ancient hero... Lux.”