Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng

— Rank: Legendary

— Description: A snow ginseng that has accumulated yin energy for a thousand years. It is extremely rare and can only be found in snowy mountains or glacial regions.

— Upon consumption, significantly increases mana. Grants additional ice (氷) attribute energy. Increases resistance to ice (氷) attribute.

What Sungshik had obtained was a legendary-grade elixir!

“I was lucky.”

He was truly lucky. In the previous timeline, the raid team had never obtained such an elixir.

“Of course, they wouldn’t have found it when it was hidden in a place like this.”

Indeed. The innermost wall of the dungeon boss room had a massive hole in it. This was the place where Tenril had resided.

A hidden boss room that had been concealed within the boss room. In the previous timeline, the raid team, barely surviving by the skin of their teeth, had no time or energy to explore such a place. They had simply been preoccupied with escaping, collecting their wounded, and securing what little rewards they had gained, all while keeping an eye on Tenril.

But now, things were different. This time, the dungeon had been completely conquered by Sungshik alone.

Because of that, unlike in the past, he had the leeway to thoroughly search every corner. And so, Sungshik carefully inspected the boss room and discovered the hidden boss room that Tenril had broken out of.

The hidden boss room was located quite deep inside. It took a while to reach after entering.

“Wow, so there was a place like this?”

Seo Haneul, who had followed behind Sungshik, looked around the hidden boss room in admiration. As a superhuman, he had raided many Gates, but he had never once encountered a hidden boss room or a double dungeon.

“Indeed.”

Sungshik, responding nonchalantly, also began to examine the hidden boss room.

“There’s nothing particularly… Wait.”

Blink, blink.

A faint yellow light flickered from one of the walls.

“What is that?”

“Huh?”

When Sungshik voiced his confusion, Seo Haneul turned to look in the same direction.

“Don’t you see anything over there on the wall?”

“…It just looks like an ice wall to me.”

“Besides that, do you see anything else?”

“…No, I don’t.”

Seo Haneul looked at Sungshik with an expression that seemed to ask, “Is this guy suddenly losing it?” From that gaze, Sungshik realized something—he was the only one who could see the flickering yellow light.

“Hmm… One moment.”

Sungshik strode over to the flickering yellow light. Placing his hand on the wall, he closed his eyes.

“A strong chill…”

A powerful cold emanated from beyond the wall. He could sense that something was there. Cautiously, Sungshik gathered heat into his hand.

Drip.

The ice wall began to melt from the point where his palm touched it.

“Oh?!”

Seo Haneul, watching from the side, was startled.

Shhhhh—

Behind the melted wall, a small chamber was revealed. And within it, lay the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, exuding an almost freezing aura.

Extracting the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng proved to be trickier than expected. It was located in a narrow space beyond the small hole that Sungshik had melted.

However, it was a legendary-grade elixir! The mere title of "legendary" made such obstacles meaningless. If anything, the challenge only heightened his excitement.

A short while later, Sungshik successfully retrieved the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng. The sight of it in his hands was mesmerizing. The seven pure white leaves and the snow-white root almost resembled an intricately carved doll.

“Oh… This is no ordinary find. Could this be…?”

“Yes, I think you’re right.”

Seo Haneul, unable to take his eyes off the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng in Sungshik’s hands, received a knowing smile and confirmation in response.

“This is…”

“Ah, of course! This obviously belongs to Big Sir. That goes without saying.”

Even before Sungshik could say he was keeping it, Seo Haneul beat him to it, affirming that it was only natural for Sungshik to take it.

“Then I’ll take it.”

Without further discussion, Sungshik stored the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng in his inventory. Watching him, Seo Haneul continued speaking.

“Congratulations. That’s quite a good find.”

“Thank you. I was lucky.”

Observing Seo Haneul’s sincere, jealousy-free congratulations, Sungshik was slightly intrigued. While it was natural for him to claim it, human nature often made it difficult to suppress greed in such situations. Yet, at least outwardly, Seo Haneul showed no signs of desire.

“That’s impressive self-discipline. At this rate, he might actually reach the Eleven Thrones this time.”

Indeed, the Eleven Thrones eventually reached the exalted rank of the Eight Thrones. Such a level was not achievable through mere physical prowess alone. From the Seventh Throne onward, spiritual enlightenment was a necessary component.

Many superhumans had been blocked by the walls of the Seventh or Eighth Throne because they lacked such mental refinement.

“In that sense, Seo Haneul should at least be able to reach the Seventh Throne.”

Desire. One of the most difficult things to control. It bred impatience, and those consumed by that impatience often found themselves forever unable to transcend into higher realms.

For that reason, Sungshik saw great potential in Seo Haneul.

“I’ll keep an eye on him.”

If he grew well, he could be a reliable ally during the Trial of Night.

Thus, Sungshik obtained the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng. In the end, the flickering yellow light had been a result of his "Insight" skill.

— The special trait of Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, "[S-Rank] Hyper-Sense," has leveled up to LV 6.

The alert had appeared right after his battle with Tenril. His "Hyper-Sense" trait had leveled up through this battle, slightly lifting the restrictions on its special skill, "Insight."

"Insight."

— A special skill of the [S-Rank] Hyper-Sense trait.

— Currently restricted. Can be fully utilized once "Hyper-Sense" reaches master level.

— Allows partial detection of hidden spots and special rewards.

An additional feature had been added to his "Insight" skill—partial detection of hidden spots and special rewards! It was thanks to this that he had discovered the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.

This was an unexpected gain. It also meant he could potentially find more unexpected rewards in the future.

“This might turn out to be quite useful.”

He wasn’t sure if another [Legendary]-grade item would appear, but hidden spots and special rewards, even if not legendary, were certainly valuable.

“Alright, time to get ready.”

Heo Sungshik, who was staying at a nearby hotel after the raid, finally began preparing to consume the elixir.

“At first, I thought about combining it with Coldroot… but the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng alone is more than enough.”

That’s right. Acquiring the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng had made the Coldroot unnecessary. Just consuming the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng alone would provide an overwhelming amount of Yin energy.

“Phew… I didn’t expect to be this nervous.”

Even in his past life, no one had ever consumed three [Legendary]-grade elixirs.

Crunch.

With a crisp texture, the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng passed down his throat. Soon, a wave of extreme cold surged from within his body.

“Kh….”

His entire body trembled like a leaf in the wind. His lips turned not just blue but a deep shade of violet, and his face became completely pale.

Shiver.

A frigid aura began radiating from his entire body. It was so intense that an ordinary person would have frozen to death in an instant. At that moment, it felt as if his internal organs were freezing solid and shattering into pieces.

“Ugh….”

Just as he thought he might actually freeze to death, a fiery energy, coiled in the depths of his lower dantian like an inner core, surged to life. In an instant, it spread out from his dantian, rushing violently through his meridians.

Fwoosh.

For a brief moment, it felt as if his dantian and meridians were being consumed by flames.

“…Guh.”

It was a pain unlike anything he had ever experienced before. The sensation of his organs freezing and shattering combined with the scorching pain of being burned alive. Even though he had mentally prepared himself, this level of agony far exceeded his expectations.

‘Hea… Heaven-Splitting… Heart Technique….’

As his consciousness blurred, he focused on one thing—the Heaven-Splitting Heart Technique, reciting its formulas in his mind.

Fwoosh! Sizzle!

Following the circulation of the Heaven-Splitting Heart Technique, the two raging forces gradually gathered in his dantian.

Whoooosh—

If someone could peer inside his body, they might describe it as a space where flames and blizzards clashed in a chaotic vortex.

Rumble—

The moment those wild energies, which had been ravaging his body, converged in his dantian, they began intertwining in a complex pattern. Then, as if guided by an unseen force, they started flowing through his meridians.

Rumble!

Like a raging storm, the two energies surged through his meridians, making his entire body tremble under their force.

‘Urgh….’

The pain was so excruciating it felt like his body would be torn apart, but he didn’t utter a single cry. He knew that if he opened his mouth and let out a scream, it could become even more dangerous.

Crack, crack.

The sound of his bones and muscles shifting echoed within him. His muscles grew denser and tougher, while his bones realigned into a more balanced, ideal form.

The same transformation was happening to his meridians. The raging energy had forcibly torn them apart, but as a refreshing energy followed, they healed, widened, and strengthened.

This continued for hours.

At first, Sungshik’s face was contorted in pain, but over time, his expression grew calm. He had passed the initial violent transformation and entered a stable state.

Thud, thud, thud.

The energies inside him, which had once rampaged wildly, now followed the guidance of the Heaven-Splitting Heart Technique like obedient lambs. More surprisingly, the two opposing energies had merged into one, achieving a perfect balance.

Flash—

Sungshik opened his eyes, and a brilliant gleam flashed from them. At the same time, the system notification rang.

—Congratulations! You have reached the realm of 7 Stars!

The 7-Star Realm. A level he had never reached in his past life. A realm said to be impossible to attain without exceptional talent.

‘Phew… so this is the world seen by a 7-Star.’

He had glimpsed this world once before, when he obtained the Heaven-Splitting Martial Art. However, the moment he returned to reality, the sensation had become nothing more than a faint memory.

Now that he had reclaimed that lost sensation, an overwhelming sense of liberation washed over him. When he had seen the 7-Star realm in his Future Vision, it had felt diluted, like watered-down wine. But now, the experience was vivid and clear.

‘That difference must be due to the Bone and Marrow Transformation.’

Indeed. The Bone and Marrow Transformation that all Superhumans experienced upon reaching the 7-Star realm.

It was not exclusive to physical combatants. All Superhumans, regardless of their path, underwent this transformation as a rite of passage.

From the 7-Star realm onward, the power one wielded began to surpass human limitations. No matter how well-trained a Superhuman's body was, there was still a limit.

That was why the Bone and Marrow Transformation was necessary. When immense inner energy combined with enlightenment, the body reconstructed itself into an optimal, ideal form, expelling all impurities. Only after surpassing human limitations in this way could one fully harness the power of the 7-Star realm.

However, the transformation at 7 Stars was only a partial one.

—Congratulations! You have successfully completed ‘Bone and Marrow Transformation I.’

—Your Middle Dantian has been unlocked.

—Your ability to control mana has become more refined, and your total mana capacity has greatly increased!

At first glance, this seemed like an enormous physical transformation. But in reality, it was merely a step forward—his ability to manipulate mana had improved, and his mana reserves had expanded.

Of course, compared to 6 Stars, the difference was like heaven and earth.

‘But the true transformation happens at 8 Stars.’

That’s right. The Bone and Marrow Transformation at 7 Stars did not fully open all meridians. Even the Ren and Du Meridians remained partially blocked.

However, the transformation at 8 Stars was on a completely different level. At that stage, nearly all meridians, including the Ren and Du, were fully opened, allowing the Upper Dantian to be unlocked, reaching the state of Heaven and Earth Connection.

In that realm, all meridians connected to form a Grand Circulation—a stage that brought one step closer to infinite mana.

That was why, against an 8-Star Superhuman, sheer numbers became meaningless. The future version of himself he had seen in his Future Vision, who wiped out a third of a hundred thousand magical beasts in a single strike, had been in that very 8-Star realm.

‘And the fact that he fought the Cult Leader of the Demonic Sect for two days and nights without rest was also due to his endless mana.’

Only at 8 Stars could one truly call it a complete Bone and Marrow Transformation.

But just then—

—Having reached the 7-Star realm, you can no longer use the Future Future Vision skill.

—The power of Future Future Vision will return to the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword.

A sudden notification. Upon seeing its contents, Sungshik’s voice burst out in shock.

“What?”