Chapter 1321

A few years ago, Deus set out on a journey to find a disciple he could pass down the techniques he had created.

He encountered countless individuals during his journey, each possessing immense talent. They possessed talents that most would describe as a gift from the heavens, and they were quite diverse, too.

Some were masters of weapons, some excelled in hand-to-hand combat, and others possessed an understanding of magic that far surpassed others.

Among those talented individuals, one stood out—Beowulf. Beowulf was a genius among geniuses, one born with extraordinary talent that would only come once in a few generations.

Even though he was a genius that would appear only once in a few generations, Deus did not even consider him as someone fitting to be his disciple.

‘Tsk... Not a single one of them is worthy.’

Deus did not want a talented individual to be his disciple.

Why?

It was all because he had no need for someone born with exceptional gifts. Decades ago, he had already taken in a so-called genius, and the result of that was a disaster. It was an eye-opening experience for Deus, and it made him realize something very important.

‘Talent isn’t the only thing important. Having talent or not hardly matters. What’s so important about something you’re just born with? Tsk, tsk...’

Deus had reached a realm where he could infuse talent into a person born with none, so there was no reason for him to specifically seek out gifted individuals as disciples.

What he was searching for was something entirely different, and that was—

“Damn it all! Have all those with guts died off or what?! What happened to the youth these days?!”

He wanted someone with grit. Someone who would never give up no matter what kind of situation they were in, who would not avoid a fight, even when they knew they couldn’t win, and who would not wallow in despair.

What he wanted was someone willing to use their teeth and bite into their enemy if their limbs were ripped off.

A stubborn individual with the persistence of a rabid beast, that was the kind of disciple he wanted.

One day, someone caught his eye. The young man was weak and did not possess a shred of talent. In fact, he was so hopeless that most would even balk at the idea of taking him in as a disciple.

“Bring it on, you sons of bitches! I’m going to take you to the grave with me! Come at me!”

However, the young man possessed a blazing fighting spirit. Even when facing more powerful opponents or being completely outnumbered, he refused to back down.

The young man fought back no matter what situation he was in and did whatever it took to bring at least one down with him. He was ruthlessly hunted down. He died and revived countless times, but he never gave up.

‘Hm? That young man reminds me of myself in my younger days...’

Deus immediately took a liking to the young man.

There were many similarities between the young man and himself when he was still young.

The young man had no luck, no money, and no talent.

He only knew how to work like a dog with little results, yet his dreams were so unrealistic for his current situation.

Still, he was extremely competitive and refused to give up.

‘That’s it. He’s the one.’

Deus marked the young man as a potential disciple and began observing him.

The young man was none other than Han Tae-Sung. He was not a person of this world, but rather, one of the Adventurers who had come from another world.

***

Deus had always emphasized the power of one’s will.

The energy source Siegfried was relying on, Primordial Force, was a force that could take any form depending on the will of the one using it, allowing him to do almost anything with it.

If there was one thing Deus always repeated and stressed, it was the fact that everything depended on one’s mindset.

“Hoho! If my mind chooses to see this lake as an ocean, then it will become an ocean. What’s the big deal about catching a tuna by then? I perceive this place as an abundant pool, filled with all sorts of fish, be they freshwater or saltwater fish!”

Be it when he was fishing, performing miracles, or teaching Siegfried about the power of faith.

“Anything is possible if I will it, my disciple.”

“The will of mortals is the greatest power of all.”

He always repeated and stressed the same thing.

‘Ah...’

Scenes from the past flashed through Siegfried’s mind.

When he crushed Acheron, the Immortal Alchemist. When he performed the Divine Demonic Vessel Fusion and defeated Lucifer, the Chief Archangel.

It was his will.

His belief that he could do anything. His belief that he could defeat his opponents had carried him through those trials. Each time he set his mind on something was when he would gain enlightenment, and whenever he gained enlightenment, he would break past the wall and advance to a higher realm.

‘So that was it...’

Siegfried finally understood what it meant.

“I have already taught you everything.”

What Deus had said was true. He had indeed taught him everything. From the very beginning, Deus had already taught Siegfried the true meaning of invincibility.

In order to attain enlightenment, one didn't have to do anything special. It was merely the act of revisiting what one already knew and steeling one's resolve.

Of course, one would have to endure bone-crushing pain and gain experience through countless battles to truly reach enlightenment, as succeeding through willpower alone was impossible.

Willpower by itself could achieve nothing. Showing off one’s mental fortitude without having the skills to back it up was nothing more than the musings of incompetent fools!

A true warrior would invest every ounce of strength they had in honing themselves while overcoming extreme mental anguish and physical torment.

Someone who had been tempered that way had a formidable will, and with such a will, the impossible was nothing. If someone with powerful will backed it up with painstaking effort, then they would reach a whole new realm.

With such a mindset and effort, one could attain enlightenment, and once that happened, nothing would be beyond their reach. This was nothing new, and it was knowledge that had always been there.

However, one would have to endure all sorts of hardships and trials, bounce back after falling, and keep persevering in order to truly understand it.

That was how it had been for Siegfried. He had lost his original resolve and completely forgotten Deus’ teachings during the battle against the Creator.

Even when facing the Creator, Siegfried did not lose his grit, had not given up, nor had fallen into despair. However, his mind gradually grew weaker and weaker after dying again and again at the hands of the Creator.

Even though he possessed a Universal-rated weapon and the ability to revive upon death, he hadn't been able to do anything against the Creator. That powerlessness slowly crept into his mind, causing him to doubt himself.

No matter what he did, no matter what strategy he used, it was useless. He couldn’t find a single clue on how to win.

As a result, Siegfried slowly lost confidence in his own abilities, and he doubted whether he could even win against the Creator. He had confidently marched into this battle armed with the will to crush the Creator somehow and protect this world from utter destruction.

However, the powerlessness he experienced started to chip away at his will.

Fortunately, things were different now. The Creator had explicitly mentioned that Yong Seol-Hwa’s will was more powerful than Siegfried’s own, and Siegfried gained enlightenment from that statement.

He looked back at the path he walked, regained his composure, and steeled his resolve once again.

‘I have to...’

Siegfried closed his eyes and emptied his mind. He let everything around him fade away, including the fact that he was locked in a battle against the Creator.

‘No, I will win.’

Bit by bit, he honed his will.

‘I am strong. I am overwhelmingly stronger than the enemy before me. No matter what it takes, I will win. If I decide that I will win, then I will. If I believe I’m strong enough, then I am strong. I am... invincible.’

BOOM!

A radiant burst of light erupted from Siegfried’s body, and his fleshly body began to undergo reconstruction.

***

The enlightenment caused Siegfried to suddenly grow explosively.

[Alert: Congratulations!]

A notification popped up in front of his eyes, followed by a string of others.

[Alert: You have attained enlightenment!]

[Alert: You have leveled up!]

[Alert: You have reached Level 651!]

[Alert: Congratulations!]

[Alert: You have ascended to the great realm of Arc Grandmaster!]

Siegfried had broken through the wall and stepped into a whole different realm.

[Alert: Congratulations!]

[Alert: You have successfully achieved class advancement!]

[Alert: Your class has changed from Invincible Emperor to Debuff Master!]

In the end, it all circled back to debuffs. He started off as the Debuff Master, became the Lord of Despair, and then the Invincible Emperor.

Now, he returned to being the Debuff Master.

And then—

[Alert: Siegfried’s Will Armor Set has maximized your potential!]

As soon as he stepped into the realm of Arc Grandmaster, the Forced Blooming authority from Coral Emperor Theodosius came to life.

The Forced Blooming allowed Siegfried’s level to rise explosively, and this was only made possible because he had already attained enlightenment.

The realm of Arc Grandmaster was a whole different realm compared to others, so the process of gaining experience just to level up no longer applied in this realm. Something like experience was nothing more than numbers to someone who had already comprehended everything.

[Alert: You have leveled up!]

[Alert: You have reached Level 652!]

[Alert: You have reached Level 653!]

[Alert: You have reached Level 654!]

[Alert: You have reached Level 655!]

[Alert: You have reached Level 656!]

[Alert: You have reached Level 657!]

(omitted...)

[Alert: You have reached Level 900!]

[Alert: You have reached Level 901!]

(omitted...)

[Alert: You have reached Level 997!]

However, the level-ups did not stop there.

[Alert: You have reached Level 997.1!]

[Alert: You have reached Level 997.2!]

[Alert: You have reached Level 997.3!]

[Alert: You have reached Level 997.4!]

(omitted...)

[Alert: You have reached Level 997.9!]

Siegfried’s level increased in decimal increments from Level 997, and the level-ups finally stopped at Level 997.9.

Why did it stop at such an odd level?

It was all because that was the final threshold at which he could remain free from the law of causality. Level 998 was already in the realm of the gods. The God of Blacksmithing, Vulcanus, was a demigod at Level 998. The First Black Dragon, Inkarthus, too, was also Level 998.

In other words, Level 997.9 was the ultimate level, the very endpoint, that could be reached by a mere mortal.

If Siegfried’s level were to increase by even 0.1 and reach Level 998, then he would become bound by the law of causality and be forced to sever all ties with this world.

However, he was free from the law of causality and could do anything in this world as long as he remained at Level 997.9, even if that meant killing the Creator of the world.

[Alert: You have obtained a new skill!]

When he gained a new skill, a whole different world unfolded before his eyes.

Now, at long last, he had finally grasped the power of true invincibility.

***

The Creator was visibly surprised.

“You've attained... enlightenment?”

As the creator of the world, the Creator was able to perceive exactly what kind of change Siegfried had experienced. In the Creator’s eyes, Siegfried had been nothing more than a slightly strong and tenacious mortal.

However, that was no longer the case.

Thud... Thud...

In the blink of an eye, Siegfried completed the reconstruction of his body and achieved the same Divine Demonic Fusion Vessel.

The Divine Demonic Fusion Vessel he achieved before was done by borrowing the power of the Chief Archangel and the Demon King. While he had wielded unimaginable power that time, it was not a power that belonged to him.

However, it was different this time. He had attained this perfect form through his own strength alone, without anyone’s help.

There was only one reason this was made possible. It was all because he had succeeded in unifying good and evil into one form.

“Thank you,” Siegfried began by offering his gratitude. Then, he smiled and added, “I realized the truth thanks to you.”

The Creator, looking visibly stunned, muttered in response, “Siegfried von Proa... Just what exactly are you? Are you really just a mere visitor from another world?”

Siegfried paid no heed to the Creator’s reaction and let out a long exhale, “Phew...”

Thud!

After letting out a long breath, he let go of the Annihilation’s Grasp, dropping it to the ground.

It was truly shocking.

To think that he would discard the Annihilation’s Grasp, a Universal-rated weapon, while facing the Creator.

However, he did not stop there.

Click... Clack!

He even unequipped the now badly battered Siegfried’s Will Armor Set.

Still, that was not all.

He removed every piece of equipment he was wearing and put them all away into his Inventory.

Now, he was completely unarmed.

He stood with nothing but ordinary clothing on him. He wasn't wearing even a single item. At this very moment, he needed nothing. Other than his own strength, he was confident he did not need to rely on anything else.

He didn't need Annihilation’s Grasp, the Siegfried’s Will Armor Set, and not even the Rabbit Foot of Regression, which was another Universal-rated item in his Inventory.

Then, he took a single step and closed the distance between them.

“I admit that you’re stronger than me. And I know that it’s impossible for me to become stronger than you, no matter how much I struggle,” he said calmly.

What Siegfried said was just plain obvious. Unless he became a god and a being bound by the law of causality, it was basically impossible for him to surpass the Creator.

“But if I can’t become stronger than you. If becoming stronger and winning is impossible...” Siegfried trailed his words and flashed a faint grin.

“...!”

“I don’t have to become stronger than you. I just have to make you weaker.”

Fwoooosh!

A spontaneous combustion engulfed the Creator.

In the blink of an eye, crimson flames flared up and devoured the being who had created this very world.