Published at 31st of December 2025 8:47 am

Chapter 1378: Steps to Advancement

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The first step to advancement: scout the surrounding region.

After the mysterious Mana Core-level giant had stopped by the cave, Adam had grown very paranoid. One had to know that he was already a cautious man, to begin with.

With the arrival of the giant, as well as the possibility that there could be even more Mana Core-level corrupted beings in the Dark Valley, Adam had to make sure that the place near the cave was safe. Well, relatively.

So he spent the next few days—months?—wandering the region around the cave, looking for potential threats. Of course, he was simply scouting and not engaging with other creatures.

It was during times like these that the Artifacts he possessed shone the brightest. The Stealth Cloak concealed his presence, and the Faceless Mask altered his mana fluctuations.

He was, in the truest sense, a ghost.

During that time period that he spent scouting his surroundings, Adam came across several other mutated creatures, each one more grotesque than the last. But again, he did not engage. Only observed.

Far into the distance, in the direction of the depths of Dark Valley, Adam could see corrupted flora emerging from the ground. That was also the direction that radiated the most danger to him. And that was how he knew that the abomination awaited him there.

However, in the time that he spent scouting for potential powerful threats, he did not come across the mighty giant that he had sensed earlier. And he was quite thankful for that.

After ensuring the surroundings were relatively safer for his advancement, it was now time for the second step to advancement: rune magic.

He returned to the cave after getting lost several times on the way, and burning through his rations and... time.

Adam finally began drawing up runic inscriptions. He had decided not to employ the mana gathering formation, as that would undoubtedly draw a lot of attention. What he was focusing on was one thing and one thing only...

Concealment.

Using his own blood as ink and his finger as a quill, Adam inscribed runes beginning from the entrance of the cave, all the way to the back. Every inch of the wall, the floor, and the ceiling was covered in bloody runes.

It took him a long time to complete this step. By now, for the sake of his sanity, he had stopped recording the flow of time. But he was certain of one thing... it wasn’t days or weeks, but months or years.

Half of his rations had been depleted by now.

’When I enter seclusion, my body will slip into a state that is neither waking nor sleeping. In that state, I can lessen my dependence on food and water. Mana alone will sustain me.’

’Now that the second step is over, I will move on to the next step, which is arguably the most important among the steps to advancement. It is on the basis of this that my advancement will even be possible.’

’I must now heal my fractured soul.’

Adam put away the journal and exhaled a heavy sigh.

He looked at the state of his tattered clothes, then at his arms that had grown skinnier. He brushed his hands against his body, and he could feel the outline of his ribs. He caressed his face and could feel the thick beard framing it.

My mind has never been so clear, he thought to himself with a faint smile.

Although my physical health deteriorates, my mind turns sharp.

In the time since he had arrived, he had never once felt the urge to laugh. As time passed, the ravings of the Faceless Mask continued to lessen. They were still clashing against the sinister voices originating from this forbidden zone.

Though his mind had become a battleground for these two sides, he had never felt better, more alive.

Adam pressed his hand against his chest and felt his heartbeat.

Oh, heart of mine, he thought.

Don’t give up. Things will get worse before they get better.

Don’t give up.

Please...

He retrieved the water flask from his ring. He hesitated for a few moments before drinking large gulps from it. This would be the last time he drank water for a very long while, after all.

Satisfied, he put away the flask. Then, he raised a hand and weaved a seal. The blood-red characters all around him flared to life for a split moment before disappearing almost immediately.

The runic formation had been activated. Now, anything that happened inside this cave would take place in a concealed state. Additionally, Adam was also going to keep the Stealth Cloak on as he underwent advancement.

It was now time for the third step.

Adam sat cross-legged on the ground, at the nexus of the runic formation. Then he slowly closed his eyes. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled. He repeated this cycle until his breathing grew shallow, his body stilled, and his presence seemed to dissolve with the world around him.

At last, the boundary between thought and silence thinned.

His senses receded.

Only mana remained.

It circled around him, seeped into his pores, and prepared to reshape him from the inside out.

And in that quiet, suspended state...

Adam began his ascent.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself inside his spirit sea, standing on the surface of the slightly turbulent waters.

He raised his head, and his eyes narrowed.

The sky was fractured in several places. Jagged scars ran across it like scars left by some ancient apocalypse. Each fissure leaked faint strands of unstable energy, warping the air around them with soft distortions.

Yet, despite their severity, the cracks were no longer as deep and disastrous as before. Thin bands of spirit energy were slowly knitting themselves across the fractures, pulling the broken edges together bit by bit.

With the gradual and inevitable flow of time, his spirit sea was healing!

And then there were the voices...

Adam closed his eyes and focused on the two presences. One belonged to the Faceless Mask, faint whispers in the Jotun tongue. The other was far more sinister and otherworldly, something that gnawed at the edges of his soul.

Whatever it was, it was being countered by the whispers of the Laughing God.

Adam opened his eyes, his dark pupils flashing with resolve. Whatever the second source of ravings was, he did not dare to study it. Now was not the time.

He lowered his head, his eyes squinting.

In the depths of his spirit sea rested a pristine white lotus the size of an island.

And on one of its verdant leaves, a dragon slumbered.

"Val..." he murmured.

Adam inhaled deeply, then closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he found himself within the mysterious space inside the Eternal Soul Lotus, surrounded by thousands of orbs of light.

It was time for his soul to become whole again!

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