Were there any special expectations of the Pioneer? Or did he just miss interacting with others? Abellio’s attitude toward Grid was very friendly.

“What does it mean that there are so many burdens on my body and heart that I can’t develop?”

“It means exactly what it means. The skills that burden your body and your heart are inhibiting your growth.”

“Why?”

“Every time you use a skill, your body and heart need recovery and you can’t afford the enlightenment you need for growth.”

“Enlighten...ment?”

“In essence, growth comes from experience but experience will become full one day. At this time, the concept that replaces experience is enlightenment.”

“......”

Grid tried to interpret it as simply as possible. Based on Abellio’s words, growth meant level and experience was, well, experience.

Grid looked back and recalled—in order to reach his current level, he had repeatedly leveled up via accumulating experience through quests and hunting, but then at some point, it became difficult. In particular, the amount of experience required for leveling up had risen too much since he reached a certain level and started raiding the yangbans.

‘Perhaps by killing the transcendent existence that is a half god, the experience that a player can accumulate has reached the limit?’

No, he should think about it in a simpler manner. This had nothing to do with the yangbans. Level 400 must be the maximum level a player can reach via experience alone. To make it easier to level after reaching this point, they needed the concept of enlightenment. So what was enlightenment?

He followed Abellio to the fourth floor and the structure was as complicated as a maze. Based on Abellio’s careful steps, it seemed like it would take some time to reach the destination. This meant there was still time. Grid felt this opportunity shouldn’t be missed and started a barrage of questions. “What is enlightenment? What do I need to gain enlightenment? Do I need to close my eyes and meditate under a waterfall for a certain period of time?”

Grid was troubled as he recalled the scene of the martial god follower meditating under the waterfall. Enlightenment? Meditation? Did he really need to level up that way?

‘Is this really a game? It will be the first virtual reality prayer center. Shit.’

Abellio smiled at Grid who was flustered by the absurdity. “Enlightenment is obtained naturally. In fact, it isn’t something to be conscious of.”

“Naturally...?”

“It is the realization of the skills accumulated in the body and heart in the process of filling the body with skills and reflecting on the heart.”

“Based on just your words, I don’t think it is any different from experience?”

“No, it’s different. Experiencing is something that accumulates when solving an incident or defeating an enemy. Meanwhile, enlightenment can be achieved without doing those things.”

“...?”

Clear quests or hunt to gain experience. This was the ‘experience’ that Abellio was talking about. Then what was enlightenment that could be obtained without clearing quests or hunting?

“Don’t tell me it is shoveling in the air alone... No, does it mean that if I practice by myself, I will gain enlightenment and develop?”

“Haha, it seems that training in the world is called shoveling in the air these days.”

“......”

Training? During the time when he first got Pagma's Sword Dance, Grid had devoted himself to training to connect the footwork more quickly and smoothly. He had even been taught using Braham’s experience with Pagma. To be honest, Grid was tired of training. He had even clicked his tongue when he heard that Kraugel had been training in the mountains for three years in game time.

Did Abellio read Grid’s feelings?

“However, as I said earlier, you already have experience. You don’t have to waste time shoveling in the air and can integrate your training into your daily activities.”

“Do you mean that if I engage in the processes of blacksmithing and fighting, that itself is training?”

“Yes, but you have to do it in a way that doesn’t break the harmony of the heart, body, and skill.”

Finally, it returned to the origin.

“So far, you’ve been pushing the limits of your heart and your body to the extreme. Going beyond the limits is a great experience, isn’t that right?”

That’s right—even when blacksmithing or fighting against strong opponents, Grid went beyond his boundaries, got results, and developed.

“However, your experience is full now and the experience of going beyond the limits is unnecessary. Look back on some of your toughest moments recently.”

“......”

The toughest moments were naturally when he fought the yangbans. Abellio threw a surprising question that hit the key point to Grid. “What did you get when you pushed your body and heart to the limit?”

Unpleasant memories rose in Grid’s mind. After 200,000 Army Crushing Sword, he would use Open Potential and follow up with 300,000 Army Swordsmanship or a five fusion sword dance. He couldn’t even control his body properly and could only stare helplessly at the battlefield. It wasn’t only when he was fighting the yangbans. He was always exhausted every time he had a hard fight and felt helpless and weak for a few seconds.

“You would’ve gained an uncontrollable body and a sense of powerlessness and despair. Your body and heart would be busy sending warnings to you in the extreme crisis and you can’t afford to feel enlightenment.”

“......”

Abellio precisely saw through this. He got a single glimpse of Grid using Open Potential during the test and this gave a complete insight into the recent hardships Grid had faced. Grid felt an indescribable shudder and remained silent for a moment before gritting his teeth. He complained without hiding his feelings, “Then what should I do? Do I have to seal off my strongest skills if I want to improve?”

He had long felt the danger. He wondered if it was really okay every time he broke an arm or shoulder or lost health and physical strength in exchange for using his skills. Damn, it hurt to play the game. How could he play the game when tears came out from the pain?

Grid was certain—there were few people in the world who could keep using their skills while enduring the pain of their arms or shoulders breaking. He was confident that an ordinary person who wasn’t accustomed to the pain would’ve sealed the skills or quit the game.

“No, if you seal up the skills you’ve worked hard to build up then all your efforts would’ve been wasted. That isn’t possible.”

In fact, an average person wouldn’t experience what Grid went through. It was uncommon for a person to have a skill with a penalty of great pain. By the time an average person got that skill, they would’ve completed a body that could handle it.

“You must first harmonize your body, mind, and skill.”

Grid had grown so fast that he suffered side effects.

“Although your heart and body have been completed, the reason you can’t bear it is because you’ve accumulated too many types of skills. The fundamental problem is the fighting energy of the Hero King.”

“Huh? Fighting energy?”

The fighting energy resource generated by the Hero King title was Grid’s greatest power. As he kept fighting, he would accumulate more and more fighting energy, which would raise his stats higher and higher. It was the resource that helped complete Grid’s body.

Fighting energy also didn’t conflict with his other skills and stats. The unconvinced Grid was about to argue when Abellio pulled out his brushes and paint and started drawing something on a piece of paper It was a color that resembled the fighting energy wrapped around Grid’s body. Abellio didn’t stop moving the brush. He continued to paint with the same red-purple colour until the paper was wet and about to tear. “Do you know that the former Sword Saint Muller used a combination of fighting energy and sword energy that was joined together as one?”

Abellio shook the paper and it started to tear. “It wasn’t used as a means to strengthen sword energy and fighting energy but to quell the ferocity of fighting energy.”

“......!”

“Fighting energy is a mythical power. It is a great power that a human vessel couldn’t endure. Even a legend or transcendent will be overwhelmed by the fighting energy. There is no room for enlightenment.”

The stunned Grid brought up the details of the Hero King title.

[Hero King]

[A hero of heroes! You are a living myth.]

‘This...!’

It was stated right there. A myth. In the past, Grid wasn’t sure that the myth class existed and interpreted this as a metaphorical expression, but not now. The myth rated class was an obvious concept and Grid wasn’t yet a myth.

“You must first fuse fighting energy and sword energy. You have to suppress the fighting energy that is invisibly eating at your body and turn it into a complete force. From then on, your energy will be stabilized and your heart, body, and skill will be harmonized.”

[You have acquired new information.]

[The fourth advancement (awakening) public system ‘Enlightenment’ is activated.]

[Enlightenment]

[Continuously gain experience during battles or class-related activities.]

[You are unable to enjoy the effect of Enlightenment due to the ‘fighting energy’ resource.]

“Ah...! I understand what you mean. However, I can’t follow Muller’s progress. What am I supposed to do...”

Step.

Abellio stopped walking through the same section that kept repeating like he was stuck in a maze. Then he pushed at the solid wall to make a new space appear. There was a staircase leading up to the fifth floor. Abellio was already leading Grid upstairs. Grid noticed Abellio’s consideration and was a bit moved.

“Ah! If it isn’t Grid?!”

A familiar voice was heard. Grid looked up and discovered Biban. It was a bit puzzling that a Sword Saint was holding a rag instead of a sword in his hand...

Abellio smiled at the flustered Grid. “He is Muller’s teacher. He only passed on his techniques indirectly but no one can deny that he is the foundation of Muller. Pioneer Grid, I recommend that you learn how to fuse fighting energy and sword energy from Biban.”

“Huh? Biban didn’t seem to know about fighting energy...”

Biban had sparred with Grid but he never mentioned anything about fighting energy. Honestly, Grid didn’t trust that he could get reliable help from him. Biban’s appearance of being down on the floor in a cat pose while cleaning didn’t show any majesty. However, Biban was confident. “I don’t know what it is but I can help you. I can feel from the energy of the insane dragon iron in your hands that you have completed the mission I entrusted to you. This will be a reward.”

“......”

He didn’t know what it was but he was going to help? They were both tower members but why was there such a big difference? Grid looked between Abellio and Biban with a complicated gaze.

TL: For those confused about 'heart', the word used in Korean can mean heart/mind. After discussing it with some people, I decided to keep it as Heart instead of mind due to various reasons. Just consider it as something similar to mentality/mental state.