Path to Transcendence

Chapter 680: Balance

There were a few things that he was worried about. Firstly, he wasn’t able to leave, which was a large issue in itself. Secondly, the sun in the distance was quite dangerous; that much was obvious. His skin was still being burned, and he quickly covered his body in as many protections as he could think of.

The heat still made it through, but this way, he was able to keep up with the damage. His new healing skill was really proving its worth, though. [Phoenix Incarnate] was almost exactly like his old skill in how it operated. But it was enhanced in almost every way. Lower mana cost, less stress on his mind, and faster regeneration speed.

It was already a pretty perfect skill, and these additions were the best things he could have asked for.

Seeing that his skill was able to outpace the damage he was receiving, he felt a lot more comfortable. And was able to examine the sun off in the distance with a little more care.

It didn’t seem like the sort of object that would give off immense waves of heat. It floated off in the void with a quiet coldness to it. The red hue it gave off was dark, almost like a dying light. It was also a different kind of heat than he’s experienced before. It wasn’t necessarily scorching hot like others, but there was this danger and sharpness to it that felt immeasurably more perilous than other flames or sources of heat.

Not a single flicker of fire or a ripple of heat came off the surface. Nothing he could spot anyway. Which was very odd in itself. Flames were volatile by nature, but this object in front of him wasn’t something he’d ever encountered.

If he were to compare it to something, it would be like watching the surface of a quiet lake. If that lake were composed of highly compressed flames.

It both fascinated and unnerved him.

But he couldn’t help thinking about the opportunity it presented to him. He didn’t know if this was planned or just sheer luck, but he felt like this was the perfect thing for him. He’d been attempting to gain a Concept with the wolves, but he understood he was missing something.

And he had a weird feeling that this sun could hold the answers to his questions. So, despite being constantly burned and healed. He didn’t make moves to leave the void. Rather, he stayed there and focused his entire attention on the sun in the far distance.

Perhaps it was because he’d just been meditating and experimenting earlier, but his sensitivity was heightened. And he wasn’t going to waste it either.

[Calm Before Ruin] activated, dragging him into the skill’s depths. His mind was sharpened significantly; it was as if the world narrowed until it was just him and the red sun.

What he didn’t understand about the sun was how calm it felt despite its extreme potency. It didn’t seem right and felt like there was another thing at play. He wanted to find out how it worked, and what better way to do this than to stare at it directly?

Thankfully, if he burned his eyes and went blind, he could always have them healed. This realization made him snort with amusement. Sometimes it was really nice having a powerful healing skill.

***

Julius didn’t know how long he’d been at it, but at this point, he’d already healed his eyes a few dozen times. He’d already used a lot of mana, but fortunately, he had a little life spirit who’d gotten really good at healing and was able to help him.

That said, he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep this up for long. He gave himself another ten minutes before he needed to leave.

So he used those ten minutes to the fullest. His mind had never been so active; it was all full blast as he tried to analyze the sun and what made it tick.

But he belatedly realized that was the whole problem. His mind was in such a frantic state, whereas the sun was the complete opposite. He scoffed at his folly. There was no way he could connect with the Concept if he was actively doing the antithesis of being calm.

And so he quickly tore down everything he’d done so far and tried something new. He cleared his thoughts and forced himself to become as calm as possible. But it still didn’t work the way he wanted. His mind was still too full of ideas and other thoughts.

It didn’t help that he was still being burnt alive, but it wasn’t like he could help that at the moment.

His new focus skill was really powerful, but he knew that he hadn’t gotten close to using it to its full potential. The skill was called [Calm Before Ruin]. Calm was in its name, and there must be something he could do to help him achieve such a state despite his current situation.

He did have an idea he wanted to try, though. And so he delved deep within the skill once again; this time, he ramped up the ruinous aspect of it. The destructive energy rushed out of him, and he quickly gathered it tightly. Instead of infusing his body or soul with it, he decided to use it against his own mind.

It might not have been the best idea, but he wanted to explore all options. And to his credit, it actually worked.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

He didn’t know whether his focus skill really required something like this or was simply adapting to his new technique, but his mind went completely blank. All of the annoying thoughts he couldn’t get rid of or the sensation of pain from being burnt were so quiet, they were practically silent.

It was inside this silence that he finally began to feel something. It was the heat coming from the sun, but there was something else. Something infused in the heat. A tranquility and aspect of total control that he’d never seen from flames before.

It wasn’t just controlling fire, but it was controlling the rage of it. That was why he wasn’t able to feel any volatility; everything was controlled so precisely that nothing went to waste. It was purposeful and powerful.

It was during this time that he could also tell that the sun was dying. It was nearing the end of its lifespan, but that didn’t make it any less scary. If anything, it was more daunting. As if it had nothing to lose. Yet, still after all of that, not a single bit of it went to waste.

He didn’t know what finally did it. But one moment, he was allowing himself to feel the sun’s heat without a thought, and the next, he found his soul filled with an unknown energy.

He knew instinctively that he was right on the precipice of understanding something, but before he could take that final leap, he held that feeling in place. He didn’t know what was going to happen to him inside this void if he fell unconscious. For all he knew, he’d be asleep for half a day, and by then, his mana would be out, and he would be nothing but a pile of ash.

He had no doubt that Drasil would help him as best as he could, but there was no need to take the risk. He’d gotten what he wanted from the sun and decided to leave the second he grasped ahold of it.

Then, with as much force and power as he could gather, he supercharged his Space Concept along with his [Void Step] skill in a similar way to how he used the anti-domain technique he learned from Doren. He’d never done something like this before. His spatial skills were typically enough to get through anything.

The power he felt surging through his skill and body was incredible. It was like being injected with pure lightning. Julius had nowhere else to put this energy except one place. And he felt the entire void tilt on its side and shake from the energy he was releasing.

It didn’t seem to want to let him go, but he was a stubborn person, and so he didn’t give it a choice. The void split in half as his skill destabilized and ripped open a hole into space. He didn’t waste a second, immediately shoving his body into the tear.

Unlike normal, the transfer wasn’t so easy. The ripples of space and the voidʼs deadly nature destroyed his body. It was like someone put his body into a trash compactor and then shoved it through a paper shredder, and spat him out the other side.

He groaned and could feel himself bleeding all over the ground. However, it wasn’t that bad. He was only missing a few organs and a leg. He sat up with a laugh. He didn’t know whether or not he should be embarrassed that he didn’t think this was that bad. His standards for getting injured were not the norm.

When he looked around, he noticed that he was back in the same barrier as before. Only this time around, there weren’t any people around. He was alone. But that wasn’t all, either.

Hovering several feet in the air, just above a platform up ahead, was a red orb. Essentially a miniature version of what he’d seen in the void. But that begged the question of whether that sun in the void was the real thing, or was this orb the real thing?

Judging from the overwhelming power that came from the sun and comparing it against the orb floating in front of him, he already had an inkling which was which.

However, that wasn’t to say the orb was completely different. It had the same similarities, and it was perfect for his current purpose. It gave him something to use as a reference. That feeling he’d been holding onto was still there, and now that he was back in the real world, he let it flood through his soul.

It was shockingly easy, and he felt himself getting pulled into his soul space, where he was greeted by the rest of his Concepts. The Phoenix Concept was the brightest by far, but that wasn’t a surprise. It was a crazy, powerful Concept and the reason why he was able to power his regeneration to the extent he did.

His Space Concept and Concept of Will were the next brightest ones, followed closely by his Concept of Sharpness and Concept of Force. They were all pretty close in strength, enough that he didn’t really see that much of a difference; it was more dependent on the situation.

However, within this crowd of glowing orbs, he saw a smaller orb flowering into existence. It was funny how easy this felt; the other times he’d gained a Concept, it was a huge pain in the ass. He remembered the countless days he spent burning or injuring himself.

Yet, this was different. As if something were encouraging him along and aiding him when he needed it. Was this what a Concept Enlightenment reward felt like, had he ever chosen it?

The feeling he’d gotten during his experimentation with the wolves and time spent in front of the red sun were slowly merging into one memory. It was as if everything fit perfectly, and he let it do its thing.

The glowing orb gradually enlarged and became brighter. And as this happened, the ripples of energy it released became a little more noticeable. It was a pleasurable sensation, one that made him smile widely.

Then he was suddenly experiencing a bunch of old memories. Memories like the time when Drasil was born. The times when he tried new and exciting foods. When he celebrated with his friends back in Heston. Even everyday things like enjoying breakfast in the cafeteria.

Countless memories flooded into him and went straight into the orb.

It wasn’t just happy memories, though; there were plenty of violent ones trickling in. The times when he got hurt fighting monsters. Or the night when the Hyperius Estate was attacked. Things that evoked anger and sadness.

But funnily enough, these memories didn’t ruin the happiness he was feeling. If anything, it accentuated the good ones. The contrast made them feel more vivid and important.

And it was around this time that he understood what this new Concept represented. It wasn’t like his other Concepts. This one was different.

It was supposed to be a pillar that the other Concepts and his soul could lean on when he needed some balance. A reminder that he didn’t need to fall into the chaos. A serenity that calmed his soul. But also a burning passion that could warm and light up the darkest abyss.

He smiled softly when he gazed upon the recent notification.

Congratulations, you have acquired the Concept of Balance: Burning Serenity.