Chapter 27: Bifrost

Neolan stepped in front of the Monster Core and stared at it for a moment. ’If things can change, then there is no guarantee that I will awaken the same Astrine Blade as last time. Maybe it could become even worse, or perhaps I won’t awaken at all because of the Spiritual Qi I already possess. Well, here goes nothing.’

With that final thought, Neolan raised his hand and placed his palm against the Monster Core. He had no idea what would happen this time, but there was no point in hesitating now.

Just like everyone before him, waves of Astrine Energy immediately rushed into his body through the palm of his hand. A powerful heat spread through his flesh as the energy traveled through his veins, but Neolan didn’t even flinch from the sensation.

Compared to the pain he had endured throughout his previous life, this level of discomfort was barely worth noticing. He remained completely silent, his eyes fixed on the Monster Core as he waited for the Awakening to begin.

Several moments passed as more Astrine Energy continued flowing through his body. Then, without warning, everything stopped. The flow of Astrine Energy ceased completely, and nothing happened afterward. Neolan frowned slightly as confusion appeared in his eyes.

’What’s happening—?’ Before he could finish the thought, something even stranger occurred.

All the colors around him suddenly began to fade.

The colors disappeared from the walls, the floor, the people, and even the Monster Core beneath his hand. Within moments, everything around Neolan had become a world of nothing but black and white.

He immediately turned his head toward his right, and the moment he did, his eyes widened. Every person sitting in their respective seats had completely stopped moving, their various expressions frozen on their faces as if time itself had been captured in that single instant.

Neolan slowly raised his head and looked toward the massive opening above the Association. Even the sky had become completely black and white, and not a single cloud moved in the distance. The air itself had stopped moving as well, leaving the entire world unnaturally silent.

Neolan’s eyes narrowed as he carefully observed everything around him before finally reaching a conclusion. "Did... time somehow stop?"

His Ultimate Comprehension immediately began processing the situation, connecting the strange changes together. ’Is the System responsible for this?’ Neolan wondered as a thought from countless novels he had read in his previous life crossed his mind. Systems often stopped time before granting their hosts something ridiculous, especially when whatever they were about to receive needed to remain hidden from everyone else. It was only a possibility, but considering how abnormal the situation was, Neolan couldn’t completely dismiss it.

[Host is wrong...]

Neolan instantly arched an eyebrow.

For the first time since obtaining the Paradox Sign-In System, it had directly told him that he was wrong.

Until now, the System had only answered questions related to its functions, mechanics, or things it was willing to reveal, and even when Neolan had asked about his regression, it had simply remained silent. Yet now, it had actually corrected him.

’Then who stopped time?’ Neolan immediately asked the question, but the System went silent again. He waited for several seconds, expecting another response, but none came. Just as he was about to question the System again, the space directly in front of him suddenly rippled.

Something began emerging from that ripple.

Neolan’s expression slowly changed as he stared at the object appearing before him. It was something he recognized extremely well, yet at the same time, it felt strangely unfamiliar. The object completely emerged from the distorted space, revealing the unmistakable shape of a sword.

However, this wasn’t an Astrine Blade.

It was a sword completely made of Shadow.

There was no Astrine Energy within it, nor was there any trace of Spiritual Qi. The entire blade was formed from pure Shadow, with countless strands flowing along its edges like slow-moving waves of black water. The thin sword remained suspended in the motionless space before Neolan, its presence alone making him feel a strange sensation that he couldn’t explain.

Neolan’s eyes widened slightly as he stared at the sword.

"Bifrost?"

The name escaped his mouth instinctively.

He remembered using this very sword until his final breath during his battle against the Demon King. Bifrost had been the reason Neolan had always preferred operating from the shadows during his previous life. It was unlike any Astrine Blade that existed on Earth, even though its actual output had only been classified as an SS-Grade Talent.

Neolan couldn’t understand why Bifrost’s emergence would cause something as absurd as time itself stopping. Nothing like this had happened in his previous life.

Back then, Bifrost had simply appeared like an ordinary Astrine Blade during his Awakening, and Neolan hadn’t even seen the grade of his Talent through the Goddess of Niflheim at that moment. He only discovered its actual classification after he had left the Association and checked the information himself.

It had been an SS-Grade Talent.

But even then...

How could the emergence of Bifrost possibly stop time?

Neolan could only wonder about it for a moment before his attention shifted back to the sword. Bifrost slowly moved through the motionless space, its tip pointing directly toward the center of his chest. Neolan didn’t say anything as he watched it approach, because he had already experienced this exact process once before.

He simply allowed the sword to enter him.

The moment Bifrost completely entered his soul, Neolan’s Spiritual Roots reacted violently. An unbearable heat suddenly descended directly upon his soul, far beyond anything he had experienced during the normal Awakening process. His eyes widened as his body trembled violently, and blood immediately spilled from the corner of his mouth.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

The scream echoed through the frozen world.

’What’s... ha...ppening?’

Neolan couldn’t understand what was happening. His Spiritual Roots continued reacting violently to Bifrost’s presence, and the pain rapidly became so intense that even his consciousness began to collapse. His body could no longer withstand the sensation, and before he could gather another thought, his consciousness completely faded away.

His body fell to the floor.

Yet even after Neolan lost consciousness, the reaction within his soul did not stop.

...

...

Time continued to pass for Neolan’s body, although he had no awareness of how much time had actually gone by. Whatever was happening inside his soul continued for an unknown period before a change finally occurred. His body slowly began to levitate from the floor, completely unaffected by the passage of time around him.

Then, his entire physique began to change.

The body of an ordinary Human that Neolan had possessed started undergoing a profound transformation. His hands and legs became increasingly refined, while his muscles and physical structure slowly developed the appearance of a body forged through years of intense training. His physique became more honed and efficient, as though every unnecessary imperfection was being removed.

Yet despite all of those changes, his actual strength did not increase by even a single bit.

The transformation was changing the foundation of his body, not directly increasing his current strength.

That was exactly when a System Window appeared in front of the unconscious Neolan.

[Nine Sovereign Spiritual Roots Have Evolved into Twelve Sovereign Primordial Roots!]