[You have successfully learned the first Bian, ‘Jeol’.]

[You have successfully comprehended the exuviae of the Monkey King, ‘72 Bian’.]

[You have made an achievement that is not easily accomplished. Additional karma will be provided.]

[You have acquired 5,000 karma.]

[You have acquired an additional 3,000 karma.]

....

[The skill ‘72 Bian’ has been created.]

[72 Bian]

[Rank: ???]

[Proficiency: 1.2%]

[Description: It is the skill that the Monkey King Sun Wukong learned from his teacher. Sun Wukong became the king of the yokai with this skill.Each Bian has its own characteristic, which makes it difficult to learn them all. After learning all Bian successfully, you can become a hero or a demon.]

[*Wind Cloud

Clouds and wind are properties of the world. You require a deep understanding of the structure of power to handle them.]

[*Balance

It connects the laws of nature to the user. The skills affected will become more efficient and the likelihood of their success increases.]

[**Comprehended Bian

- Jeol: the skill to pull power out instantly. This skill requires attention and focus. Failure to achieve Jul results in being afflicted with ‘Confusion’. A minimum of master-level power is required. The chance of success increases as the sword skills of the user increase.

- ???]

‘It worked!’ Yeon-woo’s eyes widened. He had tried several methods already, but Seventy-Two Bian was too difficult. After all, it was a skill that belonged to the Monkey King. However, once Yeon-woo began to grasp the patterns of the large statues, he managed to learn the first Bian. It was a lot different from what he expected.

He thought they were similar to magic or spells, but it turned out that Bian dealt with the laws of a specific space. ‘A power that deals with space.’ The first Bian that Yeon-woo had finally learned was Jeol, the will to cut. His will to split something in pieces would be reflected onto space, and magic power would affect the space accordingly. All of Yeon-woo's skills and abilities were organically combined into one and implemented to produce this extreme result.

Yeon-woo was tired, but he was overjoyed that he’d managed to achieve this. Although it was only the first step, he was closer to finishing it than he’d previously been. Once he understood the rest of the Seventy-Two Bian, he would be able to comprehend the entire legacy of the Monkey King. ‘Whew.’ Yeon-woo exhaled deeply, his Dragon’s Blood circulating and increasing his strength. His empty Magic Circuit was slowly filling with magic power. This was the best part of Dragon’s Power: regaining his strength in a short amount of time. Although it didn’t completely remove his exhaustion, it was enough. With a little more time, he’d find a way to defeat the large statues, and so he made another move.

『You dared disturb the king’s eternal sleep—but you have proved your qualification. Our work is done.』 The large statues spoke as one then stopped moving. Their bodies began to crumble and scatter into dust. After a few moments, there were only twelve piles of sand left in their place. Yeon-woo was taken aback, but he understood that since he’d managed to do one of the Seventy-Two Bian, he’d proved his qualification.

[You have successfully passed the 2nd test. The 3rd test will begin after the countdown. Please get ready.]

[0:01:00]

[0:00:59_99]

[0:00:59_98]

....

‘Just one minute?’ He frowned at the ridiculously short time. He didn’t even have time to think. Before long, the hall began to vibrate again, and the throne at the top of the stairs and the wall behind it split in half. With a boom, it revealed a hidden area that was so dark that Yeon-woo couldn’t tell what was inside.

[0:00:00_01]

[0:00:00_00]

[The countdown is finished. The 3rd test is beginning.]

Yeon-woo had no idea what was about to happen. He swallowed nervously as his territory disappeared, and he felt the heavy constraints of the fifth mountain once more. However, his Extrasensory Perception was more powerful than ever.

He widened it to look inside the hidden area, but he only felt as though he were being absorbed by darkness. It felt a little like when he’d first entered the dungeon. It had felt creepy back then, but this time, it felt even more profoundly dark and empty. However, he had no other choice but to enter.

When he finally made it up, he was surprised to see that the area contained a large field with grass and flowers waving from a soft breeze. The air smelled of ripe fruits, and he could see a vast forest and a mountain beyond the field. It appeared just like the descriptions of paradise. He couldn’t imagine what the test here would be like. Previously, he’d been in obviously life-threatening situations, and he didn’t know what his next step ought to be.

Suddenly, an energy appeared in the sky, and a great dragon with blue scales and red eyes glided through the air towards him. He didn’t look like any of the Draconic species in the Tower. He had a long body and horns like a deer, and in one paw, he held a round Cintamani Stone.

The dragon exuded holiness and dignity and seemed to be a being of a higher class than the Legendary Beasts. ‘He might even be at Urd’s level.’ Yeon-woo’s eyes trembled. Urd had overwhelmed him, but the dragon’s presence was even more majestic. Was he a dragon god?

However, gods had domains, and he didn’t know if that was possible on the twentieth floor. Perhaps it was a god related to the Monkey King. He thought that the Legendary Beasts in his Philosopher’s Stone might wake up, but they stayed dormant.

The dragon slowly descended until he was standing in front of Yeon-woo, who finally saw just how colossal he was from up close. It was hard to tell where his body ended. The dragon looked Yeon-woo over and asked, 『Are you the new piece?』

‘Piece?’ Yeon-woo narrowed his eyes at the unfamiliar word.

『Perhaps the word “successor” would be more appropriate. Are you the new successor?』

Yeon-woo nodded. 『Yes.』

『Climb on my back.』

Yeon-woo thought the dragon was going to take him to the test site and quickly got on his head. The dragon turned his head and shook himself. In an instant, they were already in the clouds. 『I’ll release you from your constraints first.』

The Cintamani Stone glowed and Yeon-woo’s senses rushed back. His eyes widened slightly at the refreshing feeling of the breeze against his face. They were moving at a rapid pace but he didn’t feel cold. The wind felt fresh, as though it were blowing his worries away.

The scenery below was incredible, and even Yeon-woo, who wasn’t easily moved, couldn’t help exclaiming in astonishment.

『Heehee.』 The dragon god laughed at Yeon-woo’s reaction.

As Yeon-woo was preoccupied by the view below, the dragon god took him to a mountain that was covered in fruit trees. There was a sweet scent in the air, but it wasn’t cloying. It just smelled natural and pure. A man sat on a rock at the peak, his hair flowing all the way down to his ankles. He had golden eyes that shone like jewels and a good-humored face.

Although his presence seemed weaker than the dragon god’s, upon closer inspection, it clearly wasn’t the case. All the rules of the world rotated around him. His Consciousness was light but powerful—and most of all, it was familiar. This was the Consciousness that had made the marks in the dungeon—the Monkey King.

Although he had begun as an animal, he’d grown powerful enough to be a god who sat next to the god of the heavens. The Monkey King waved. As the dragon god placed Yeon-woo down, he said “Ooh, you must have been tired from the weight.”

The dragon god didn’t reply, as though he were annoyed, and the Monkey King grinned as the dragon god flew up into the sky. “It was fun teasing him when he was younger. But maybe because he’s a teenager now, he doesn’t even react anymore, hehe.”

Yeon-woo didn’t know how to feel as he looked at the laughing Monkey King. He had entered the Monkey King’s Palace thinking of taking everything he could, but he didn’t know he would meet the king himself.

“What’s going on? Is your heart thumping and your head dizzy because you’re in the presence of a celebrity?”

“What?”

“Hehe. You don’t have to deny it. I understand that it’s difficult to believe that someone as awesome as myself exists. Everyone who’s come here has had a hard time breathing, and I’ve even seen a couple of heart attacks. Whew, can’t believe I suffered through all that. You’re better than those kids, though. I like it.”

As he listened to the Monkey King praising himself, Yeon-woo thought he was a lot different from what he’d imagined.