Chapter 491. Toward the End

There were extra conditions. It was only expected when Chi-Woo was reaching the highest tier that even surpassed his brother, the legend’s tier. Of course the promotion would come with special conditions.

—The growth system’s Challenger tier is nothing more than a placeholder.

Yet Chi-Woo’s forehead creased after he heard that.

—As the name would suggest, a Challenger is a person who challenges.

—Um...ah, yes. To explain it in a concept that you will understand, it’s like challenging for the champion title.

In other words, rising to Challenger tier didn’t mean you would be a champion, but that you would gain the right to fight the champion.

—Thus, the Challenger will simply gain the qualifications to challenge, and they wouldn’t gain special privileges as they did with the previous promotions.

Mamiya continued.

—But regardless of that, you will have to offer your merits.

Chi-Woo was even more confused about the conditions. The growth system’s core principle was that heroes offered merits to the god they served to expedite their growth. Thus, what Mamiya had just said went against the growth system's very founding principle.

‘Is this perhaps why Chi-Hyun stopped increasing his rank from Grand Master tier?’ Chi-Woo thought.

‘Then, I won’t do it either,’ Chi-Woo wanted to say, but stopped. The growth system was one of the systems that allowed the current Celestial Realm to exist. There must be a reason such an unbelievable condition was put in place. But if that wasn’t the case…

‘Come on…there’s no way,’ Chi-Woo thought there was no way what he was thinking was right and decided to listen further.

—Yes, I understand how you feel. You must be wondering if we really are asking you to give up a great number of merits just for a title. It’s not like you are some hopeless pushover.

Chi-Woo smiled when Mamiya clearly read his thoughts.

—Of course, we aren’t asking you to simply give up your merits. We would just be robbing you then.

Yes, that was certainly the case. Chi-Woo nodded, and Mamiya smirked.

—But for me to tell you the reason behind these conditions…we need to change the topic once more, so I ask for your patience.

Then, Mamiya continued.

—The Challenger tier is the highest tier that even surpasses the Grand Master tier. It’s not a tier given to just anyone. Thus, a user must meet a total of three conditions to reach it.

Mamiya raised his hand and spread out his thumb, middle finger, and pinky.

—The first condition is to reach Grand Master tier.

—The second condition concerns whether or not the user realistically possesses the worth and principle to challenge the goal they are wishing to fulfill.

Chi-Woo’s eyes opened slightly wider. Worth and principle?

—The salvation of Liber can’t be the end of it… You have to know exactly what you will fulfill by saving Liber.

In other words, Chi-Woo had to have a goal greater and more concrete than saving a world. Mamiya’s mystical voice continued.

—Extinguishing Bael and returning the Abyss King to nothingness were all good. They all left a positive impact on the salvation of Liber, and they are important to highlight when discussing your promotion to Master or Grand Master tier.

Then came the twist.

—But all those things are only concerned with the salvation of Liber. Of course, you could claim the contrary for the Sernitas’ case. Nevertheless…

After saying all this with a smiling face, Mamiya’s eyes suddenly narrowed.

—But that’s not even nearly enough to qualify one for Challenger tier.

Chi-Woo finally understood what Mamiya was saying. A Challenger was someone who did a challenge that anyone would feel a sense of awe and admiration for. Only after doing that would he earn the Challenger tier.

—And the third…condition is merits. I told you before that the Challenger tier is like gaining the right to compete for the champion title.

Chi-Woo nodded.

—The battle is not over just because you earned the right to challenge. How do you think you can become a champion then?

“You will set up a match and win it.”

—Yes, it’s as you say. Then, what do you need to do to set up a match?

Chi-Woo blinked hard. He didn’t understand what Mamiya was getting at now.

—There’s no need for you to overthink it.

Mamiya said while smiling.

—You need money. A match can’t be set up with only players. There needs to be a stadium, and you need to pay for the entrance fee. Isn’t that right? The match will only materialize with money poured in.

“Uh…that’s true, but…”

—That’s the role merits play in the promotion to Challenger tier. That’s why you need to offer merits.

Chi-Woo looked like he had no idea what was going on.

—Your explanation is too secular.

The White Horse General complained, and Mamiya responded regretfully.

—I only tried to explain the matter in the context of the culture user Chi-Woo was brought up in.

—Even if that’s the case, you went too far. How could you compare it to an entrance fee…seriously!

The White Horse General shook his head and cleared his throat.

—To challenge something can also mean that you are fighting something head-on. Thus, diving into a challenge is no easy task. That’s especially the case for great challenges.

—A challenge that isn’t hard can’t even be called a challenge in the first place.

The second condition already made it so that the challenger’s challenge couldn’t be easy. It forced the user to set a goal where they would have to face countless struggles and hardships.

—Thus, the merits the user offers when promoted to Challenger tier are used to help the challenger a little bit when they face the expected hardship to reach their goal.

Chi-Woo’s mouth gaped slightly open. He finally understood Mamiya’s analogy now. Chi-Woo’s challenge wasn’t Liber’s salvation or the Sernitas. It was the will of the universe—the law of causality. It was so that no one could control him and force him to do their bidding again. Thus, Chi-Woo was determined to become a being greater than any existence who looked down at the universe. Of course, it was easier said than done, and the universe’s will would continue to hinder him. It would probably intervene in the upcoming war with the Sernitas, and this was the foreboded hardship that the White Horse General talked about.

“Hm…I get what you’re saying, but there are some parts that I still don’t understand. If this is an opponent that I will inevitably fight in the end, I don’t know what’s the point of offering merits. Why would I have to offer merits to secure a challenge that’s going to happen regardless?”

—The merits don’t determine the result of the challenge, but provide the cause for it.

Mamiya responded again.

—You’re the one who will have to jump into the match and see it to the end. But in that whole process, the merits you offered will provide something that can influence the situation in favor of the result you wish for.

“Wait. Does that mean….?”

—Yes. It means that it doesn’t just set up a match. To expand on the analogy, you’ll be able to duel in the stadium you picked on the day of your choice.

In other words, Mamiya was saying that merits wouldn’t affect the hardships that would come from the process of rising to Challenger tier, yet it could provide a little something to influence the result. In the great war, Chi-Woo faced his enemies at the gate after making preparations. He was only able to endure thanks to these preparations. On the other hand, when he was fighting the Abyss, he fell into the Abyss King’s trap. Thus, the war that his team should’ve overwhelmingly won turned out to be more difficult. And knowing from personal experience the difference between fighting on home ground and playing an away game, Chi-Woo understood how important all these factors were.

Chi-Woo didn’t even expect much. He just needed a small clutch when hardships came his way. If only he could get that, he wouldn’t hesitate to offer his merits.

“Then, how much will I have to offer…”

—Hmm...to tell you the truth, this is the condition that’s a bit questionable.

Chi-Woo’s eyes opened wide in surprise.

—First of all, the number of merits you have to offer isn’t set in stone.

Having thought of using about 1 billion merits, Chi-Woo began to feel a bit nervous.

—The bigger the stage you are trying to set, the more money you’ll need. Thus, the amount of merits you need to offer depends on the Challenger’s goal…

Mamiya glanced at Chi-Woo and smacked his lips.

—But your challenge is something not even we dare to try.

If Chi-Woo’s goal had been something like, ‘Bringing peace to the galaxy including Liber so that another galaxy-level crisis doesn’t happen again’, the amount of merits Chi-Woo currently possessed would’ve been enough. But what Chi-Woo was planning to challenge was something that far surpassed such a goal; it was to step on the entire universe. There was no existence who could fathom how great of a challenge this was and how much merits this task would require. The only definite thing was that he had nowhere near the number of merits he needed to reach Challenger tier.

“Do I really need to offer merits? Can’t I just do it…?”

—It’s not impossible, but you’ll be giving up the advantages for the fight without rising to Challenger tier.

Chi-Woo frowned. The only option left seemed to be lowering his goal, but that would also make everything meaningless. Chi-Woo let out a long sigh.

‘If I could, I want to…I really do…’ Facing the upcoming battle with the Sernitas where Liber’s survival was on the line, Chi-Woo desperately needed this chance. And thus, Chi-Woo felt the same anxiety he had felt right before he arrived at the Astral World. The anxiety he had felt at that time was turning to reality now, and unable to stop it, Chi-Woo lost Philip as a result. If he let go of this matter saying it couldn’t be helped…Chi-Woo felt like he would lose someone even more precious to him than Philip.

“It probably won’t be enough with 1 billion…no, even 2 billion, right?”

—Unfortunately…

Mamiya sighed.

—We also want to grant your request, but there are processes you must take. You must know it after going through the judgment. This is…

It appeared that even the gods had no choice.

—If there’s something that you can use as a loan…

It was then someone chimed in. Both Mamiya and Chi-Woo turned to the source of the voice simultaneously.

—He has one. Flora.

La Bella continued.

—Not long ago, that child made a new vow. She said she would offer everything for you.

Chi-Woo’s eyes widened. Did Flora say that? But why? Mamiya also knew what kind of existence Flora was and what kind of ability she possessed.

—Hm, but with one life…

Yet Mamiya still appeared dissatisfied with the deal.

—No, she’s betting on everything, not just her life. I’m sure you all know what kind of existence she will become in the future.

Everyone knew that. Flora’s potential surpassed even Ru Amuh’s, and after gaining the Heaven’s Vessel, her already boundless dormant potential became infinite possibilities. Flora didn’t stand out as much because of Liber’s unique situation and the fact that she was near Chi-Woo; but if she had been in a normal world, she would have been the center of all the talks.

The fact that a starving girl who didn’t know anything managed to defeat one of the Abyss’s chasms after training for a short period of time already showcased her potential. At the least, it seemed definite that she would become an existence whose name would be known across the universe. And with some effort, it wouldn’t be a reach to predict that she would acquire status akin to a god’s. Thus, it was shocking that a girl with such overwhelming potential and talent would be leaving her entire future in Chi-Woo’s hands.

—Ha…I can’t believe it. That child had no emotions to speak of not so long ago. Why would she…

Mamiya was very surprised, but it wasn’t like he didn’t know what it meant for Flora to bet on everything.

—Still, it’s not enough.

—Even if you give most of your merits and offer Flora, who could become even greater than us someday, it will only fulfill the minimum amount of merits necessary.

—Of course, considering how great your challenge is, we could say that it’s still impressive…?

Mamiya suddenly trailed off. His face was blank as he stared at Chi-Woo. It was the same for the other gods. All of them looked flustered and murmured amongst themselves with no concern for their own dignities. And Chi-Woo was just as shocked. A part of his chest heated up, and streaks of light began to seep out of his clothes. Not long afterward, a piece of paper emerged from Chi-Woo’s chest and floated into the air. Chi-Woo’s eyes widened.

—Isn’t that…!

Mamiya looked up at the piece of paper with shock and confusion.

—Yes, I forgot about that.

The White Horse General laughed wryly. Of course he would know what it was since it was what had brought him to this place.

It was the special talisman Chi-Woo’s mentor had made for him—the Three Gods of Heaven. This was the last remaining talisman left.

—This is really surprising. Did he really see this far into the future? A mere human did… No wonder King Yeomra made all that fuss.

The White Horse General shook his head, awe-struck. Mamiya also looked like he was still in a daze. One of Chi-Woo’s talismans had summoned a high-ranking general of the Jade Emperor, White Horse General, to Liber and maintained his ascension. Furthermore, another one, the Talisman of Indra’s Divine Retribution, had allowed for the manifestation of the legendary weapon, Vajra, which belonged to a ninth Celestial ranking god. Though the first two talismans were of such levels, the third one was one that Chi-Woo had sworn again and again to never use unless absolutely necessary. It was something he had preserved for the most urgent situation.

Thus, Chi-Woo was baffled. He wondered how much discipline and an unbelievable amount of merits a person would need to accumulate to be able to draw a talisman like this. He couldn’t fathom it, but with this…

—…That’s enough.

With Chi-Woo’s merits, Flora, and this talisman, Chi-Woo could guarantee his challenge. There was nothing more to check since Chi-Woo’s will had already been confirmed many times.

—Will you embark on this challenge?

La Bella asked.

“Yes.” Chi-Woo nodded like he had been waiting to be asked and answered without a moment of hesitation. “I will take on this challenge.”