Chapter 654

The training Su-ho had told Jack he would go do was none other than training with Shiva.

After finishing the pizza he had brought with him, he wiped the oil on his hands on his clothes and said,

“Yeah, I came right away. When I thought about the order of handling things, it seemed better to meet you first.”

- I’m honored. So, did you pass with your master?

“Of course I passed. It’s all thanks to you. But after passing, I realized I had only just barely taken my first steps.”

Su-ho told Shiva about [N O V E L I G H T] the things he had experienced in the meantime.

Then Shiva laughed in admiration.

- Haha, that friend called Sword Demon is amazing, isn’t he? From what I hear, he must have started as a human, yet he reached such a realm. Truly amazing.

“Can you do it too?”

- I was a god from birth. A god of destruction, at that. So if I make up my mind and decide to do it, I can do it as much as I want.

“From birth.......”

Then Shiva could not be used as a teacher for the Mind Sword.

How could someone who had been able to do such a thing as naturally as breathing from birth know the principle of something like the Mind Sword?

Shiva knew that too, so he drew the line first.

- You know, right? I can’t teach you that. ℯℯ𝑙.

“I know. He said whether it’s the Formless Sword or the Mind Sword, I have to accomplish it alone anyway. I agree with that opinion too. That’s why I came to find you.”

- What does that mean?

“If I learn a lot of different things, won’t I be able to reach the realm of the Mind Sword faster? In that sense, I’m thinking of learning the rest of Vacuum Style now. Since I’ve realized up to the third form, now the fourth form and fifth form are left, right? The fourth form and fifth form are the Semi-Pinnacle and Pinnacle, right?”

- That’s right. The fourth form and fifth form are the Semi-Pinnacle and Pinnacle. But.......

Shiva’s eyes curved as he continued speaking.

- Perhaps, just as you said, you may be able to realize the learning you want from another learning.

“What do you mean?”

- I mean Vacuum Style may help you learn the Mind Sword. Ah, of course, I’m talking about the Formless Sword as a whole.

Shiva continued speaking.

- In that sense, let’s move straight to the story of Vacuum Style. Vacuum Style is broadly divided into five forms. The first three forms are Point, Line, and Plane. Then what comes after that?

“I know the fourth form. Body, right?”

- That’s right. You know well. The Vacuum Style I created starts from something small, and those things gather to create something new. Point, the beginning and the smallest existence. Those gather and become Line. Lines meet again and become Plane. And when Planes gather, they form a three-dimensional Body. Then what comes next?

“Mm.”

What came after Body?

From an artistic point of view, nothing came to mind after a solid shape.

At Su-ho’s pondering, Shiva smiled.

- It wouldn’t be fun if I told you right away. There is meaning in realizing a subtle principle on your own too.

“I agree. Then I’ll figure out the Pinnacle later, and first let’s learn the Semi-Pinnacle.”

- Good. As I said earlier, the Semi-Pinnacle is Body. Actions that began as Point are extended long into Line, and stretched out to become Plane. Then what should Body do?

“If it’s as you say, shouldn’t I make several Planes and combine them?”

- Similar. But this isn’t art. Strictly speaking, it is closer to magic.

“Magic?”

- I am a god of destruction, but I also practice medicine and dance. And beyond simple martial arts, I create things that are like magic. So you must understand Vacuum Style that way too. Beyond the act of martial arts that simply moves with the physical body, at a certain moment it must become a magic-like act where the world of imagery is incorporated. Yes, to put it simply, from the Semi-Pinnacle of Vacuum Style onward, it can be called the world of imagery.

“The world of imagery.......”

It was a type of explanation he was hearing for the first time.

Perhaps because of that, he felt as if he understood and did not understand at the same time.

Then, suddenly, he recalled the Semi-Pinnacle of Vacuum Style that Samar Rishi had used in his previous life.

He had always placed a ball at the center and created something with a sense of volume through the act of stroking and polishing its surface with both hands.

The objects created like that sometimes became projectiles, sometimes explosives, or sometimes enormous obstacles.

‘What he mainly used was creating objects, destroying them, and scattering the fragments around.’

Whatever it was, it had been very aggressive.

But was that truly what Shiva wanted to say?

Shiva knew that Su-ho was a regressor.

And that Su-ho had met a Fighting God in his previous life who had learned up to the fourth form.

‘Until the secret of Transcendents was learned, the highest grade permitted to humanity was S+.’

And the acquisition grade of the three forms he had learned until now, up to Plane, had also been S+.

But now Su-ho could acquire beyond S++ and even up to SS.

And if Su-ho’s prediction was correct, from the Semi-Pinnacle onward, he should be able to obtain SS-grade sufficiently.

Su-ho’s eyes narrowed.

“If it’s the world of imagery, then imagination is important. If what you want to say is not that Body is simply about stacking Planes to create a sense of three-dimensionality, but that something beyond that can be done...... are you perhaps talking about something like creation?”

Creation.

That was the conclusion Su-ho had reached.

Because Shiva had said this was not art, but magic.

Something that began as if drawing a picture ultimately formed a sense of volume and became a single object.

If that was not creation, then what was it?

At Su-ho’s answer, the corner of Shiva’s mouth slowly rose, and at the same time, the corners of his eyes lowered.

- That’s right. Correct answer.

Surprisingly, it was the correct answer.

Shiva continued speaking with a smile.

- As expected, you are a talent worthy of my desire. That’s right. From Body onward, it is the realm of creation. That is why I expressed it as magic.

“It feels good to have guessed right. But.......”

Vacuum Style Destruction Fist Art had seemed focused on destruction from its very name, yet now suddenly creation?

On top of that, from Body onward, he was not even sure whether it was still the realm of martial arts.

What was the point of agonizing alone?

He asked right away.

“Why is creating something with Body the realm of martial arts?”

- Sharp. Strictly speaking, it is not the realm of martial arts. I am the god of destruction. And Vacuum Style is a technique created to carry out even more fundamental destruction. So, if you examine it closely, this is the realm of destruction.

“Still, it doesn’t really hit home.”

- Simply hitting and breaking things only with fists does not mean everything is destroyed. For better destruction, tools suited to the situation are also necessary.

“I see.”

When he thought of the way Samar had fought, he could understand it to some extent.

He too had created many auxiliary means through Body for more efficient destruction.

- Then shall we begin? Body is simple. From now on, this is the world of imagery, so the better your imagination is, the easier it will be to implement Body. Combine Planes and make one three-dimensional shape you imagine.

“Is the reason it has to be a shape because shapes are the easiest stage?”

- That’s right.

Su-ho recalled the method Samar had used.

The act of spreading his palms and rubbing them as if polishing a sphere.

Then he soon shook his head.

If he kept thinking of the method someone else had used, he would become buried in it and develop a fixed idea.

So I have to start with my own method.

Shiva had said that from the Semi-Pinnacle of Vacuum Style onward, it was the world of imagery.

So he decided to use his imagination and try making one three-dimensional object.

Su-ho raised one hand and spread it open.

Then he looked at his palm as if glaring at it.

Seeing that sight, Shiva smiled as if he found it interesting.

Now then, what kind of first Body will you show?

Usually, people mainly created triangles or squares.

The reason was that they were the easiest.

The principle of Body was to create it by layering Plane over Plane.

Because of that, most people thought of a cube first.

Even if they were a little more special from there, it was a tetrahedron.

At that moment, a round sphere appeared before Su-ho’s eyes.

A sphere about the size of a volleyball.

Its color was black.

Shiva’s eyes narrowed.

A circle?

Was it the process of making another shape?

No.

That was the finished product.

Shiva’s eyes widened.

- A circle? No. Before that, you succeeded at this in one go?

“You said it was the world of imagery. So I just imagined it?”

- Ha, hahaha.......

Shocked, Shiva let out a hollow laugh.

There were two reasons.

No matter how much Su-ho knew about Body, as far as Shiva knew, this was his first time attempting Body.

Yet not only had he perfectly performed Body on his first attempt, he had created not a triangle or a square, but a circle?

At Su-ho’s expression, which seemed to say he did not understand why, Shiva explained.

- You look like you do not know the reason...... First, setting aside the fact that you succeeded at Body in one try, I was surprised because it was a sphere.

“So why?”

- Do you know how people normally create their first Body?

“Not really?”

- Everyone follows the procedure in order. Since Body is the stage after Plane, first they draw Lines with their hands and make Planes. Then they crumple or attach them in this way and that to make a three-dimensional object. But you just created a three-dimensional object directly, did you not?

“There’s no reason that shouldn’t work, is there? You said it was the world of imagery, so I just imagined it in my head.”

- That is why I’m saying it’s amazing. On top of that, for your first three-dimensional object to be a circle. Usually, people make triangles or squares, which are the easiest to imagine. That is because, rather than the concept of attaching Planes together, a circle is a form one can imagine only by wrapping a large Plane around like a cloth.

“Mm, that’s true too. But I imagined it a little differently.”

- How?

“I just imagined a Point. At first, I was also going to follow the procedure like you explained, Point, Line, Plane, and so on, but when I placed a Point in my head, it looked like a sphere. So when I thought of it as a black sphere and focused my mental image, it suddenly popped out.”

- Wh-what?

“Why? Is this not how you do it?”

- Ha...... haha...... hahahaha!

At Su-ho’s answer, Shiva burst into laughter.

The laughter that began slowly soon became loud laughter, and he was nearly shedding tears.

Wiping the tears from his own eyes with his fingers, he said,

- No, it is excellent. Truly excellent. I have never seen that kind of way of thinking. As expected, you are a fellow who exceeds my expectations.

And then.

[ Shiva fully acknowledges you. ]

[ The System has also decided to fully acknowledge the talent you possess in Vacuum Style. ]

[ As a result, your ‘Vacuum Style’ has become sufficiently qualified to proceed to a higher realm. ]

[ You have mastered ‘Vacuum Style Fourth Form - Semi-Pinnacle : Body(SS)’. ]

[ For achieving a great feat, the System gifts you 10 bonus stats. ]

Su-ho was finally able to officially obtain the Semi-Pinnacle of Vacuum Style.