Future Vision. A skill obtained from the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword. Thanks to this skill, Sungshik was able to overcome several crises without fail.

‘But if I haven’t even fully manifested the level of 7 Stars, can I really manifest the level of 8 Stars?’

This thought crossed Sungshik’s mind after using Future Vision to draw upon the power of 7 Stars. He had felt that it was difficult to fully extract its power.

It had been the same when facing the queen bee boss. Even after pulling in the power of 7 Stars, it felt watered down. Though he gained power and abilities equivalent to 7 Stars, there was an undeniable sense of instability.

That made him curious. Just how far could Future Vision take him? When he first used the skill, he had seen himself reaching the level of 9 Stars—Transcendent Realm. And even beyond that, something even greater.

The Transcendent Realm—what he had once believed to be the peak of human potential. The faint memory of the divine-like power he had momentarily experienced at that level still lingered in his mind.

But a level beyond that?

He was intensely curious. The realm of 9 Stars was not the end. There definitely existed a 10-Star level. Even before his regression, there had been endless debates among superhumans about it.

“The highest level a human can reach is definitely 8 Stars. Look at reality—none of the 11 Constellations, no matter how talented, have ever surpassed that wall.”

“That’s only because they haven’t spent enough time at 8 Stars. I believe the 9-Star realm exists. Even the Sword Emperor mentioned seeing the wall of 8 Stars, and if there’s a wall, there must be something beyond it.”

“Not just 9 Stars—there must be 10 Stars too. According to the Martial Emperor, his transcendent predecessor, the Martial God, said that the 10-Star level exists.”

Through Future Vision, Sungshik had the opportunity to confirm the truth of these debates. That’s why he wanted to reenter that mental realm and confirm the existence of the transcendent level he had seen.

But ever since he first used Future Vision, that realm had not reappeared. All he could do was pull in power—that was it.

“Well, maybe I would just get crushed by its presence again anyway.”

That overwhelming feeling, as if his very existence was being sucked into the abyss. Even glimpsing the essence of that transcendent realm had been enough to cause that. He believed that only by reaching the level of 7 Stars—where power increased drastically—would he have the qualifications to witness it again.

For that reason, he had been secretly looking forward to it. If he used Future Vision at 7 Stars, would he be able to draw upon the power of 8 Stars? Or perhaps reenter that mental realm?

“As soon as I reach 7 Stars, I need to test Future Vision right away.”

That was his plan. But as soon as he reached 7 Stars, the system message he received shattered his expectations.

―Upon reaching the level of 7 Stars, you can no longer use the Future Vision skill.

―The authority of Future Vision will return to the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword.

“What?”

The sudden development left Sungshik flustered. While he had known that Future Vision came from the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword, he had never imagined it would be taken back.

Fwoosh—

A white light escaped from his body and shot toward the summoned Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword.

“No—taking something back after giving it is the worst!”

Despite his protest, the light was completely absorbed into the sword.

Fwoooosh—

As it absorbed the light, the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword radiated a blinding glow.

―The Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword is regaining its power.

―The ego of the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword is awakening.

“Huh?”

Along with the light, a notification rang out, announcing that the sword’s ego had awakened.

The ego of the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword. The entity known as “Heaven-Splitter,” which had introduced itself as the sword’s spirit, had given him the gift of Future Vision before falling into slumber.

‘I had completely forgotten about that.’

The existence of the sword’s ego had slipped his mind. But now, it was waking up.

―Ah…?

A voice echoed.

―I… am awake again?

The voice sounded hazy, like someone who had just woken up.

―What the hell happened?

Heaven-Splitting seemed completely disoriented.

“Uh… Well… It’s been a while. Hello?”

Seeing this, Sungshik greeted it casually.

After a long time, Heaven-Splitting immediately asked Sungshik a question.

―So, who was that goddess?

“Goddess?”

Sungshik was confused. A goddess? He had never encountered such a being.

―The woman who bound me and turned me into a skill.

That made him realize what Heaven-Splitting was referring to. It seemed related to the “Key of the Heavens” he possessed.

After Sungshik explained what had happened, Heaven-Splitting seemed to grasp the situation. To him, the culprit behind this ordeal was the Key of the Heavens. Even Heaven-Splitting, who had existed for an unimaginably long time, had never heard of such an item before.

―Hmm… If that’s the case, this must be a divine artifact belonging to that goddess.

Heaven-Splitting trailed off while looking at the Key of the Heavens in Sungshik’s hand. He seemed to have a suspicion but lacked confirmation.

“But are you sure you actually saw a goddess?”

―Of course. Do you think I’ve only encountered divine beings once or twice? It was undoubtedly a high-ranking deity.

Heaven-Splitting spoke with certainty.

‘Is this really a divine artifact?’

Yet, another question remained.

“But isn’t this supposed to belong to Saint Peter, a transcendent being?”

―Wait, Saint Peter? That guy?

Heaven-Splitting reacted with shock.

“Yeah, Saint Peter. Why? Do you know him?”

―…I saw him a long time ago, back when I first awakened in this world.

“Huh.”

Sungshik let out a small exclamation. Just how old was Heaven-Splitting? He was only now beginning to grasp the sheer weight of time the sword had endured.

―If that’s the case… then the goddess must be…

Heaven-Splitting fell silent, as if he had figured something out.

“What? Who is it?”

―Ugh, never mind. Let’s drop this issue.

Sungshik asked out of curiosity, but Heaven-Splitter kept his mouth shut.

“No, if you were going to do this, you shouldn’t have said anything in the first place. What are you doing, making me curious and then leaving me hanging? That’s just bad manners.”

―Manners? Hah, do you even know the precise definition of manners? The standards of morality are inherently reflections of their respective eras. If we trace the evolution of moral concepts throughout history… Unlike the early days… the notions of good and evil have…

“Ah… Okay, okay. I won’t ask anymore. Sorry. My bad.”

The moment Heaven-Splitter started launching into a long-winded speech, Sungshik quickly surrendered. The spirit of the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword, Heaven-Splitter, was a fearsome explainer.

―…Once I start talking, I have to finish. Now, where was I? Oh, right, from the era of modernization onward… Hey, wait. Is that your inventory? Don’t put me in there. Hey, wait! Not yet…

“Phew, I should’ve just shoved him in earlier.”

In the end, the Future Vision skill was gone. But the return of Heaven-Splitter’s ego was a welcome development.

‘Weapons that house an ego manifest far greater power, even among those of the same rank.’

That’s right. Weapons with an ego were far superior, even when compared to others of the same grade.

[Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword]
Grade: Mythic

Description: The divine sword of the Heaven-Splitter Sect. A sword imbued with the myth of having once split the sky. It is an indestructible, unbreakable sword.

Attack Power: S (Scales with mastery of Heaven-Splitting Divine Art)

Options:
- +30% increase in Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts combat effectiveness (scales)
- +20% increase in Strength and Magic (scales)
- Ego / Amplification / +10% Magic Amplification
- +20% Mental Attack Resistance
- ?
- ?
- ?

(Option effects scale with the mastery of Heaven-Splitting Divine Art. As mastery increases, hidden options will be unlocked.)

As Sungshik’s rank increased, the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword was steadily transforming into a weapon worthy of its mythic status. Now that he had reached the 7-star level, its stats far outclassed most [Legendary] grade weapons.

“Damn, this is great.”

Before Heaven-Splitter’s return, the sword had only been around the level of a mere Heroic-grade weapon. It had felt somewhat lacking for something of mythic rank. However, with Heaven-Splitter’s awakening, both its stats and options had soared.

“Even at 7-star, my stats shouldn’t have jumped this much. It’s obvious that Heaven-Splitter waking up made all the difference. This is exactly what you’d expect from an ego of mythic rank. Right?”

―…Well, at least you have some sense.

‘He’s easy to handle, huh?’

When Sungshik took Heaven-Splitter out again some time later, the spirit seemed sulky, refusing to say a word. But as soon as Sungshik offered a bit of praise, Heaven-Splitter immediately cheered up. They say the older you get, the more childish you become—was that true even for sword spirits? It looked like handling Heaven-Splitter would be easy from now on.

‘Still, it really is amazing.’

Sungshik hadn’t been speaking out of politeness. In fact, he wasn’t the type to make empty compliments in the first place. The stats were genuinely impressive, and his words had come straight from the heart.

+30% increase in Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts combat effectiveness (scales)
+20% increase in Strength and Magic (scales)
+10% Magic Amplification
+20% Mental Attack Resistance

Weapons that had percentage-based option bonuses were exceedingly rare, even among [Legendary] grade items. One of the few comparable weapons was the Moonlight Blade, often considered one of the very best among [Legendary] weapons.

Since percentage-based bonuses shone even brighter at higher ranks, these were invaluable options for someone like Sungshik, who had now stepped into the high-tier ranks.

In fact, one of the biggest reasons Sungshik had always displayed strength beyond his rank was precisely because of the percentage-scaling coefficients attached to the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword.

“But this ‘Amplification’ option… What is it?”

It was an option he had never seen before. Before he had used Future Vision, there had been a skill called Great Opening, but now that had disappeared and been replaced by Amplification.

―I don’t know the exact details either. However, it seems to have emerged when the skill Great Opening was converted into Future Vision and then reverted back.

After a brief pause, Heaven-Splitter continued.

―From what I can tell… it’s an ability that significantly amplifies the power of existing skills.

“It amplifies skill power? Are there any usage restrictions?”

The idea made Sungshik’s eyes light up. Amplifying skills? If he could enhance techniques like Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts or Wind Scar, the benefits would be immeasurable. His anticipation soared.

―Yes. You can use it only once. And even then, at most once a month.

The moment he heard Heaven-Splitter’s answer, Sungshik’s excitement immediately died down.

“What? Just once?”

―Just once? Do you even realize how powerful it is to amplify a skill?

“Tch, well… I guess it’s better than nothing.”

Brushing off Heaven-Splitter’s words, Sungshik lost interest in even testing it out.

But at that moment, he had no idea just how overpowered this ‘Amplification’ ability truly was. For now, he found his newly acquired trait to be far more useful.

‘Status window.’

Name: Heo Sungshik

Title: Hero of Adversity, One Who Has Touched the Threshold of Transcendence, Demon Hunter

Rank: 7-Star (★★★★★★★) (↑)

Combat Power: S (↑)

Stats:
- Strength: S (↑)
- Agility: S (↑)
- Stamina: S (↑)
- Magic: S+ (↑)

Traits:
1. [EX-Rank] Consumption (LV6)
2. [EX-Rank] One More Time (Unavailable)
3. [EX-Rank] Heaven-Splitting Divine Art (LV6)
4. [SS-Rank] Pocket Watch (LV6) (↑)
5. [S-Rank] Hyper-Sense (LV6) (↑)
6. [S-Rank] Sword Sovereign (LV6)
7. [S-Rank] Fragment of Light (LV3) (↑)
8. [S-Rank] Queen’s Armor (LV3) (↑)
9. [SS-Rank] Army of the Dead (LV1) (Usage Restricted)
10. [SSS-Rank] Phoenix Heart (LV1) — (New)
11. [A-Rank] Frost Crystal (LV1) — (New)

Skills:
1. [S-Rank] Insight (Restricted)
2. [S-Rank] Explosive Strike
3. [No Rank] Translation Skill
4. [S-Rank] Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts (↑)
5. [S-Rank] Heaven-Splitter Eyes (↑)
6. [S-Rank] (Heaven-Splitter) Wind Scar
7. [E-Rank] Basic Heal
8. [A-Rank] Shining Enchant

One of the new traits he had gained from consuming the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng: [A-Rank] Frost Crystal.

And his former [B-Rank] Phoenix Heart had fully absorbed a Phoenix Heart Fragment, transforming into [SSS-Rank] Phoenix Heart. The newly unlocked trait option made Sungshik’s eyes widen.

“Revival, huh.”