The sound echoing in his ears brought realization to Sungshik. He could obtain fragments of divinity through his trait, 'Consumption.'

‘Primordial Devourer.’ He could now obtain the divinity of a quasi-deific being that had spread its fearsome name across the universe as the ‘Primordial Devourer.’

In truth, Sungshik didn’t know the exact narrative or the monumental feats that the Primordial Devourer had achieved. What he had confirmed through the 'Akashic Record' was solely about the trait, 'Consumption.'

However, in the process of learning about the trait, he naturally came to know a part of the legend behind the Primordial Devourer. As mentioned before, the Primordial Devourer was not an ordinary divine being. Thus, even among EX Rank traits, 'Consumption' was on another level. It contained a different caliber of divinity altogether.

The 'Consumption' Sungshik possessed carried the divinity of the Primordial Devourer—a god, not quite absolute, but still wielding the power of a quasi-deity.

‘I did think it was absurd.’

The Sword Emperor and Martial Emperor were also possessors of [EX Rank] traits. There was no doubt they were immensely powerful—figures capable of leaving a significant mark on the world.

Even so, they couldn’t match Sungshik’s potential. If they were capable of making a mark, then Sungshik held the potential to devour the entire world itself.

He had vaguely sensed the difference in potential between himself and them, and now, his curiosity about that gap had finally been resolved.

The Sword Emperor possessed [EX Rank] Sovereign of the Sword. The Martial Emperor had [EX Rank] Blessing of the War God.

Their EX Rank traits fell far short of the class of ‘Consumption.’ Sovereign of the Sword held, at most, middle-grade divinity. Blessing of the War God barely reached high-grade divinity. The gap between them and ‘Consumption,’ which contained fragments of supreme-grade divinity, was astronomical.

So vast, in fact, that it was impossible to even estimate the difference. That alone was proof of how extraordinary the god known as the Primordial Devourer truly was.

‘Primordial Devourer Avar.’

A being who consumed all power and reached the pinnacle. Avar possessed a truly awe-inspiring divine might. Even the War God was a top-tier transcendent on Earth, but when it came to divinity, he had barely set foot into the high-grade class. That’s how great the difference was from the Primordial Devourer Avar.

And the power that could be called the beginning of such a being—was none other than ‘Consumption.’ The initial power that had enabled him to ascend to the position of a supreme-grade god was ‘Consumption.’

‘I can obtain a fragment of that divinity.’

Sungshik’s eyes lit up. The greatest strength of the divinity held by the Primordial Devourer lay in its limitless potential. It could contain any kind of power and digest it as its own. That applied even to other EX Rank traits Sungshik possessed.

“I can obtain divinity from every EX Rank trait I hold.”

That was the conclusion Sungshik reached after gaining knowledge of 'Consumption' through the 'Akashic Record.' As long as he raised ‘Consumption’ to the Master level, everything else would proceed smoothly. Now that the door to ‘Consumption’ had been unlocked, reaching the Master level was no longer such a difficult task.

In the case of ‘Consumption,’ simply devouring things that could increase its class would naturally lead him to the Master level. It was a far simpler and clearer method than expected.

‘Now, let’s get out of here.’

He had already reached his limit in remaining within the space of the 'Akashic Record.' This visit seemed to have come to an end.

Flash.

The space filled with books began to collapse, and Sungshik’s consciousness gradually faded.

―May blessings be upon your path…

Just before his awareness completely vanished, Akasha’s warm voice echoed in his ear.

“Ugh…”

Sungshik let out a low groan and held his head.

Throb.

A stronger headache than expected struck. Accepting the knowledge of the 'Akashic Record' was far more taxing on the brain than he’d thought.

―You have awoken.

As he held his dizzy head, Heaven-Splitter spoke to him.

“…Yeah.”

―Where did you go?

“Huh? Where else… Ah!”

Come to think of it, he hadn’t been able to sense Heaven-Splitter’s presence while connected to the 'Akashic Record.' Only Sungshik himself had been able to access the 'Akashic Record.'

Heaven-Splitter was unaware that Sungshik had connected to the 'Akashic Record.' Sungshik briefly explained what had happened to him.

―Huh, you truly visited the ‘Akashic Record,’ you say?

He could feel Heaven-Splitter’s astonishment clearly. The blade of the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword trembled faintly. It was genuinely surprised.

“Yeah, the book I was reading, 『Chronicles of Puyan』… Huh, the book’s gone now. Anyway, that book had the entry code to the ‘Akashic Record.’”

Heaven-Splitter continued to repeat, “Astonishing, truly astonishing,” unable to hide its amazement.

“Wait, you know about the ‘Akashic Record’?”

―Isn’t it obvious? It’s the 'Library of the Gods'—the place where all absolute knowledge of the universe is gathered into one.

Heaven-Splitter seemed to know quite a bit about the 'Akashic Record.'

―For a human to obtain access to the ‘Akashic Record’… this is truly fortuitous. This is an unprecedented opportunity for you.

Seeing even Heaven-Splitter unable to contain its excitement confirmed just how amazing the 'Akashic Record' was.

‘Well… it is a place where you can obtain such knowledge.’

Books of knowledge that bore traces of shiver-inducing beings just from their titles. The opportunity to access such things was in itself an invaluable and extraordinary chance.

“Anyway, good thing—when I connect to the 'Akashic Record,' my physical body disappears as well, right?”

Sungshik noted that when he had connected to the 'Akashic Record,' his body had vanished too. When consciousness connected, his body had entered a different dimension temporarily.

That was a relief. It meant he wouldn’t have to worry about his body remaining defenseless in the real world while using the 'Akashic Record.'

―So, you obtained knowledge about the trait ‘Consumption’ there?

“Yeah. I was able to learn the secret behind ‘Consumption.’”

Sungshik explained to Heaven-Splitter the knowledge he had gained from the 'Akashic Record.'

―Oh… I’ve heard the name of the ‘Primordial Devourer’ before. So you’re saying the trait ‘Consumption’ is a fragment of that being? I did sense something similar, but this is truly…

Heaven-Splitter continued to express its astonishment.

The Primordial Devourer was such a renowned entity that even Heaven-Splitter knew of him. Though Sungshik hadn’t known, among those who had entered the divine realm, there wasn’t a single one unfamiliar with ‘Primordial Devourer Avar.’

―By any chance, can you access the ‘Akashic Record’ again later?

“I was just about to check.”

Heaven-Splitter’s question was something that Sungshik was also curious about. Wondering if he could immediately access the ‘Akashic Record’ again, he used the skill.

―Insufficient Trait Power to access the ‘Akashic Record’.

‘…Trait Power?’

He didn’t think he could access it again right away, but he hadn’t expected something called “Trait Power” to be required.

He immediately checked the ‘Access Akashic Record’ skill.

[SSS Rank] Access Akashic Record
―Type: Active
―Allows access to the ‘Akashic Record’. Consumes Trait Power upon entry. Trait Power regenerates over time.
―Current remaining Trait Power: 1%

“Hmm.”

Upon checking the ‘Access Akashic Record’ skill, Sungshik immediately understood. This “Trait Power” seemed to be a kind of energy required to access the ‘Akashic Record’.

‘So it automatically recharges over time.’

It was unfortunate that he couldn’t use it again right away, but it wasn’t bad. It meant he could access it again anytime after some time had passed.

“Looks like I’ll need some time.”

―To think you can re-enter just by waiting a bit of time, without any other condition… Hmph…

“Why? If I’ve gotten the entry ticket, shouldn’t I be able to use it whenever I want?”

―What are you talking about? You still don’t fully understand the value of the ‘Akashic Record’.

Heaven-Splitter jumped at Sungshik’s words and continued.

―Even if someone accesses the ‘Akashic Record’ by coincidence, I’ve heard that no one can freely go in and out without conditions. If that were possible, anyone with entry rights would have attained divinity akin to an absolute god by now.

Come to think of it, that made sense. He didn’t know how many people could access the ‘Akashic Record’, but if they could use it freely for ages, they would have all reached transcendental divinity.

Even if they could absorb just a few of those countless multicolored books, they could surely obtain the level of divinity Heaven-Splitter spoke of.

“But in my case, I can reconnect without any condition after some time passes?”

―That’s why it’s absurd. I don’t know how, but it seems you’ve been blessed by Akasha.

“Oh-ho, lucky me.”

Sungshik didn’t know what exactly had happened, but he understood one thing clearly. The fact that he could continue using the ‘Akashic Record’ without conditions was an enormous blessing.

―Then, what knowledge were you planning to seek during your next access?

“Hmm… I was originally planning to learn the overall knowledge of the EX Rank trait, but I might not be able to since my trait level is too low.”

―In that case, how about looking into the secret manual for the trait called ‘Legion of Death’ that you possess?

“Oh…?”

Sungshik’s eyes sparkled at Heaven-Splitter’s unexpected suggestion.

The trait ‘Legion of Death’ he had obtained from the Witch of Hallasan, Lee Eunyoung.

[SS Rank] Legion of Death
―Can summon the undead legion of the 72nd Demon King, Murmur.
―Can summon up to 3 legions.
―Can summon up to 5 legions upon acquiring additional secret manuals.
*Only through black mana can the legion be fully summoned.
*Those who have consumed the trait can be absorbed into the Legion of Death.

As Sungshik checked the trait again, his eyes locked onto the line, “Can summon up to 5 legions upon acquiring additional secret manuals.” He had once thought he should look into these “secret manuals,” and now it seemed possible he could gain that knowledge through the ‘Akashic Record’.

“Oh, nice. I’ll look that up next.”

He didn’t know if he could obtain the actual secret manual through the ‘Akashic Record’, but it was certainly worth looking into.

For now, he couldn’t read high-level knowledge due to his low trait level. But if he sought practical, low-level information he could immediately use, he could also level up the ‘Akashic Record’ trait. A win-win.

“Nice one, Heaven-Splitter.”

At Heaven-Splitter’s unexpected advice, Sungshik grinned and gave a thumbs-up.

Even with just 3 legions, the ‘Legion of Death’ trait had shown overwhelming performance in large-scale battles. If he could summon up to 5 legions, it would definitely be a huge asset against the legions of the Nights of Trial. No more need to worry about mana shortage.

“Since I’ve reached 8-Star.”

Now that Sungshik had reached 8-Star, he could fully draw in external energy. He could now set aside concerns about mana deficiency.

“Alright, then shall we return to the original world?”

According to Heaven-Splitter, several days had passed while Sungshik was connected to the ‘Akashic Record’. Quite a bit of time had seemingly gone by.

He was also curious about what had happened to the battle with Tidian before entering this place. He remembered his attack landing on Tidian, but everything after that was a blank.

He had also taken a hit from Tidian, and his memory cut off afterward. Since Heaven-Splitter had been inside the inventory at the time, he didn’t know what had happened after either.

He guessed that Tidian, like himself, had likely suffered an irreparable injury. Even if he was alive, it didn’t matter. Having broken past the wall and reached 8-Star, Sungshik was confident he could now overwhelm Tidian in a rematch.

Sungshik wasn’t just at the initial stage of 8-Star. With overlapping strokes of luck, he was already nearing an 8-Star+ grade.

On top of that, Sungshik wasn’t an ordinary 8-Star. Thanks to the transformation he underwent while absorbing the power of the Primordial Flame, he could now demonstrate strength surpassing others of the same level.

‘Ah, right. I also got the EX Rank trait—Primordial Flame.’

Fwoosh.

As the flame flared from Sungshik’s hand, he realized it. This ‘Primordial Flame’ was a power that did not fall short of Tidian’s ‘Flame of the Abyss’.

Recalling Tidian, who had once looked down on him, Sungshik muttered inwardly:

‘Tidian, bring it on.’

The moment they meet, no questions, no hesitation—he’d crush him outright! With that thought, he tried to leave the ‘Sanctuary of Puyan’.

“?”

A question mark floated above Sungshik’s head. The portal inside the cave of Puyan—it clearly looked like the exit from this place.

―Cannot be used at this time.

“What?”

Sungshik's voice rang out in confusion as he attempted to use the portal. In the end, it was quite some time later before he was able to return to his original world through that portal.

Nearly two years had passed since Sungshik had disappeared. And half a year had passed since a global Gate Break had erupted across the world.

Flash.

“Phew, finally back.”

Sungshik reappeared at the very spot where he had vanished. Emitting overwhelming mana from his entire body.