“I’m finally going home after so long.”

It had been a long time since Heo Sungshik returned home. For some reason, he felt all the tension in his body release.

There was no one waiting to welcome him, but that was what home was. A place that felt like his own safe haven, where he could completely lower his guard. Because of that, his steps toward home were lighter.

‘But this will only last for a short while.’

Recalling the chairman’s proposal, Sungshik let out a bitter smile.

“In two weeks, the S30 summit will be held in China. I’d like to invite you to attend alongside me, Sungshik.”

That was one of the real reasons the association had called Sungshik.

In the long run, they wanted to build a relationship with South Korea’s newly emerged top 7-star superhuman. In the short term, however, they wanted Sungshik to participate in this S30 event.

‘S30, huh…’

S30 stood for Superman Association of 30, an international organization similar to the former G20 in the pre-superhuman era.

While the G20 had been created with a focus on the economy, S30 was established to coordinate among superhumans and address all issues influenced by their power. South Korea was a minor superhuman nation, but thanks to Kang Hanil, they had barely secured a spot in the S30.

The reason the chairman wanted Sungshik to participate in such an international organization was simple.

Since a 7-star superhuman had appeared in South Korea, they wanted to introduce him to the international stage. Less than a third of the nations in the S30 had their own 7-star superhuman. If Sungshik’s presence was revealed, South Korea’s influence and voice in the S30 could significantly increase.

‘And then there’s the large-scale Gate region assault.’

Thinking about the large-scale Gate region made Sungshik’s brows furrow. Hundreds of Gates had been discovered in the Manchurian region. Normally, they shouldn’t have appeared at this point in time.

‘This is definitely the first large-scale Gate outbreak that signaled the start of the Gate Break.’

Even the location was exactly the same—the Manchurian region.

Before his regression, a massive Gate Break had occurred in Manchuria. Hundreds of Gates had simultaneously gone berserk.

The result was obvious. Tens of thousands of monsters poured out, devastating the entire region in a short period. It was only barely contained with the desperate intervention of Chinese superhumans and support from neighboring countries.

That incident had sent shockwaves across the world. It had been eight years since the Great Upheaval, and by then, Gates were no longer considered a threat to humanity.

With the emergence of superhumans, a new world order had taken shape. Gates were seen as mere sources of resources and magic stones—nothing more, nothing less.

‘Which is why the shock was even greater.’

It was only then that humanity realized Gates could still become a catastrophic disaster, but by then, it was too late.

Large-scale Gate regions began forming worldwide, centering around the Manchurian outbreak. Eventually, Gates started spewing out monsters as soon as they appeared.

‘It was pure chaos.’

Unprepared for the Gate Break, humanity suffered its full impact. Many nations crumbled under the assault. In the end, borders collapsed, and an era of great chaos ensued.

‘That’s why this situation is truly strange.’

If this really was the emergence of a large-scale Gate region and the precursor to the Gate Break, then something was terribly wrong.

‘It’s happening almost a year early.’

The timeline had shifted by an entire year.

Even if this was some kind of consequence of Sungshik’s regression, an entire year’s worth of deviation was too much to be mere coincidence.

‘Hmm…’

At that moment, one person came to mind.

Li Xiaoguang. The only other individual who had regressed alongside Sungshik. If he had caused some major disturbances after the regression, this timeline shift might be possible.

“Either way, the conclusion remains the same—I have to go.”

Brushing away his endless thoughts, Sungshik made his decision. There was no point in overanalyzing events that had already occurred. Instead, it was far more productive to anticipate future threats and prepare accordingly.

Since he had already decided to attend the S30, he had to consider how to respond if this truly was the prelude to a Gate Break.

‘Besides, participating in the large-scale Gate assault isn’t necessarily a bad thing.’

After reaching 7-star, Sungshik had noticed that his growth had slowed significantly. Even the effects of the Pocket Watch required some kind of stimulus to amplify.

The Gates currently present in South Korea lacked the conditions necessary for Sungshik’s growth. If a large-scale Gate region emerged, it would be the perfect stage to fuel his progress.

‘And more importantly…’

A faint smile formed on Sungshik’s lips.

Crackle.

He spread open his right palm. Tiny arcs of electricity surged out, covering his hand and crackling with energy.

‘Lightning attribute power.’

That’s right. Sungshik had successfully extracted lightning attribute power from the Unidentified Stone he had recently acquired.

Lightning Essence

• Grade: Legendary
• A stone containing immense electrical energy.
• Holds the essence of lightning.

When analyzed with the (Heroic) Item Appraisal, the Unidentified Stone was indeed confirmed to be a [Legendary] grade item, just as Sungshik had suspected.

Then came the system notification:

— You can extract a trait from the ‘Lightning Essence.’ Would you like to proceed?

Without hesitation, he had accepted.

Thus, he had absorbed the Lightning Essence, obtaining a trait with a straightforward yet powerful name: [SSS Rank] Lightning.

[SSS Rank] Lightning

• ―The power to wield lightning.
• ―The same power once possessed by the dragonkin who commanded lightning.
• ― The destructive power of thunder surpasses all other attributes.
• ― Thunder Attribute Power +45 / Thunder Resistance +45

Heo Sungshik's eyes sparkled as he examined the attribute power and resistance bonus in the trait description.

‘It increases by 45 each.’

Among all the traits related to "attribute power" that Sungshik had possessed so far, this one granted the highest increase in both attribute power and resistance. That alone made him realize something—it was a trait purely focused on controlling "thunder" itself.

That made it even more appealing. Traits like this would likely have great synergy with Sungshik's "Materialization" trait.

At the same time, he realized something else.

‘Through Consumption, I can reach All-Master.’

Sungshik realized that he had misunderstood the limits of Consumption. He had thought that acquiring traits through Consumption simply meant accumulating more traits.

In other words, he had assumed it was like a swordsman acquiring a spear and then a bow, merely adding more weapons one by one.

However, as he gained more traits, he began to understand that their synergy could be amplified depending on how they were combined.

His "Consumption" skill hinted at the possibility of reaching Al-Master. Given that Consumption had no restrictions on absorbing traits, the path to Al-Master might have been inevitable from the start.

The power of thunder he had just acquired was a prime example. If he combined it with the right traits instead of using it alone, he could generate synergy many times greater.

For instance, if he used it alongside one of his existing traits, "Ruler of Wind," which controlled the wind attribute, the synergy would be unimaginable.

Wind and Thunder. This combination of attributes had been proven powerful since ancient times.

― Remember, achieving that level of mastery will require relentless training.

Heaven-Splitter was right. Instantly combining two attributes with perfect control wouldn't be easy. It wasn't just about layering one attribute over another—it required organic integration and harmony, which would demand countless hours of training and effort.

‘No matter what, if a large-scale Gate outbreak occurs, the thunder attribute will be incredibly useful.’

That was obvious. The power of thunder was especially effective in wide-area attacks. Due to its inherent ability to cause electrocution, it was one of the most efficient and powerful attributes for dealing with multiple enemies at once.

If a large-scale Gate appeared and tens of thousands of monsters poured out, Sungshik saw it as nothing more than a massive experience-gaining event.

On top of that, hunting beasts would grant him an enormous amount of coins. With those coins, he could purchase more "traits" and "skills," giving him yet another opportunity to grow stronger.

‘Status Window.’

Name: Heo Sungshik

Titles: 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 (LV 6)
2. [EX Rank] One More Time (Unavailable)
3. [EX Rank] Heaven-Splitting Divine Art (LV 6)
4. [SS Rank] Pocket Watch (LV 6)
5. [S Rank] Hyper-Sense (LV 6)
6. [S Rank] Sword Sovereign (LV 6)
7. [S Rank] Fragment of Light (LV 3)
8. [SS Rank] Army of the Dead (LV 1) (Usage Restricted)
9. [SSS Rank] Phoenix Heart (LV 2) (↑)
10. [A Rank] Frost Crystal (LV 2) (↑)
11. [SS Rank] Shadow Swamp (LV 1) (Restricted)
12. [SS Rank] Vajra Armor (LV 2) (↑)
13. [SSS Rank] Attribute Materialization (LV 2) (↑)
14. [SSS Rank] Ruler of Wind (LV 2) (↑)
15. [SSS Rank] Thunder (LV 1) ― 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-Splitting) Wind Scar
7. [E Rank] Basic Heal
8. [A Rank] Shining Enchant

Compared to his traits, his skills were lacking. Although his "Materialization" trait helped remove many skill restrictions, skills were tools that allowed him to use power efficiently and even amplify his existing strength.

The more skills he had, the better. That was why Sungshik decided that if he gathered enough coins this time, he would also invest in acquiring more skills.

Already, he could feel his power growing. It was as if an invisible wall that had blocked his progress was finally becoming visible.

― Even though that was a fictional world, since you’ve walked this path before, you’re advancing incredibly fast.

Heaven-Splitter could sense it as well. Having already walked this road once, and with the assistance of the Pocket Watch and Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts, Sungshik was reaching a level in the blink of an eye that would take ordinary people decades.

― Honestly, your growth speed is astonishing every time I see it.

Heaven-Splitter had encountered countless Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword masters throughout history, but he could say with certainty—no one had ever grown as quickly as Sungshik.

Hearing the genuine admiration in Heaven-Splitter’s voice, Sungshik grinned and replied,

“I still have a long way to go.”

― Hahaha.

At Sungshik’s response, Heaven-Splitter could only chuckle.

Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye. During that time, he caught up with Kim Subin, Choi Moonguk, and Sung Jihwan.

Although it had been a while since he last saw Choi Moonguk and Sung Jihwan, one thought immediately crossed his mind.

‘I need to train these guys quickly.’

Once his journey to China was over, he planned to map out a course that would accelerate their growth.

Completely unaware of the "death training" that awaited them, Choi Moonguk and Sung Jihwan welcomed Sungshik with bright smiles.

After catching up, Sungshik took a short break, avoiding the overwhelming number of love calls directed at him.

Then, the day of departure to China arrived.

“Let’s go, Sungshik-nim.”