D.I.O

In other words…

Even if a user were proficient and could successfully perform a skill every second, the time it would take them to level that skill from Rank 9 to Rank A would be…

“Three hundred and seventeen years? 317 years?! Even if you performed a skill once per second, it would take more than 300 years to gain ten billion training points!”

Lancelot shook his head after seeing the shocked expression on Cruze’s face.

“It doesn’t take that long; my movements are much quicker. Besides, occasionally, if I’m lucky, I'd succeed in performing the stabbing skill at a rank higher than my intended output.”

“You’re speaking as if your words make sense, like it’s something normal or logical….”

What was most surprising was that Lancelot didn’t [just] reach the Master level through brute force.

“Oh, my god… so that person created an SS Rank skill by acquiring all 100 billion, one trillion, and ten trillion training points? That’s how he reached Level 19?”

“Crazy… even if there is a training room….”

“For goodness’ sake….”

“How many years has he experienced? This isn’t something that could be accomplished in one or two centuries, right?”

Everyone looked at Lancelot and muttered comments with utterly exasperated expressions.

This wasn’t just so simple as ‘trying.’ Even if someone consistently studied night after night for five consecutive years, they would be stressed beyond imagination.

If an individual joined the military as a medic, two years of service would seem like an eternity. As for practicing a single move for hundreds of years in an empty space… Was a human truly capable of doing such a monotonous task for so long?

This went beyond any concept of ordinary effort; it was waist-deep in the realm of utter madness.

‘In other words, he only practiced that one attack. Well, even if he trained other skills, the difference in training frequency was so overwhelmingly one-sided toward that single skill, so….’

When his thoughts reached this point, Yongno looked around the dining table. Fortunately, Lancelot and Cruze had finished their meals.

“Cruze, starting today, you and Lancelot should stay here.”

“What? Why? What are you trying to make us do?”

“I want to make some armor for you two. Though Lancelot reaching level 19 and the way he got there is shocking, I can’t just stay still and idly watch a potentially powerful force die in vain. You also realize that Lancelot needs all the defensive help he can get, right?”

“Ah, ugh. Sure.”

“Good.”

Yongno was surprised by this unexpected news, but he soon shook off his astonishment and made a rational decision.

Although Lancelot went through an absurd process to get to where he was… rather than focusing on the method itself, Yongno decided to focus on the [result] - obtaining another powerful ally, a must-have Level 19 talent.

His enemies were strong, and Yongno didn’t know when they would strike. He desperately needed to gather a greater, more powerful force.

‘Ah, also…’

Yongno was about to take Cruze and Lancelot to his work area when he abruptly stopped, seeing a familiar man and woman enter his field of vision. Work was important, but he had to resolve some problems first. He turned his head and looked at Snowflake Flower.

“Snowflake Flower, please take Lancelot and Cruze to the work area. Tell Quiet Heaven and Ellie to construct some possible magic systems for those two.”

“And?”

“Please continue to produce magic stones. I think I need to make a few reinforced weapons.”

“Okay.”

Snowflake Flower nodded obediently and guided Lancelot and Cruze out of the dining room. Soon afterward, Sungmuk stood up.

“I’m going to tend to my injured arm. I’ve had enough to eat.”

“You’d better go to the infirmary.”

“Hmph. I don’t need any outside treatment. I just need to circulate my qi a few times.”

As the room became quieter, Yongno spoke to Miho, who was still sitting on his lap.

“Miho, can you show Leaf and Sunghyun around?”

“Um… okay. I’ll bring them around the area for about an hour and come back.”

Normally, Miho would have complained, but since she was quick-witted, she quietly took Leaf and Sunghyun out of the room.

Everyone living in the Magic Tower knew how to use the space movement magic circles, so the noisy dining room soon fell silent.

The only people remaining were Boram, Taewoong, and Eunhye, who was standing beside Yongno.

“Uh, well… It’s a bit weird that this large dining area suddenly became so quiet. Hehehe.”

Boram smiled awkwardly. In truth, she knew what was about to come.

After all, Taewoong didn’t say a single word at the table during their meal, let alone introduce himself. While Taewoong wasn’t talkative, he was definitely not a passive person. Most importantly, Boram noticed that Yongno didn’t initiate a direct conversation with her or Taewoong while everyone was dining.

“I’m not going to beat around the bush, so I’ll get straight to the point….”

Finally, after clearing the room, Yongno spoke in a cold voice.

“Why did you two come here?”

“Yongno…”

Boram could’ve been excused for feeling somewhat offended by Yongno’s tone of voice, and she tried to say something, but Taewoong restrained her. With a somber expression, Taewoong looked straight at Yongno and said, “Father has resigned from his position as Chief of Staff.”

“Why did he resign? As long as the world knows that I’m his son, everyone around him would probably bend backward to-”

Yongno paused.

It was a fact that Yongno was a genius.

That was why, even though he usually didn’t have the slightest interest in his father, Yongno instantly understood Taewoong’s expression. Yongno knew why Taewoong had come to visit, despite how the latter was always reluctant to see Yongno and avoided him like the plague.

“… I see. Father is thinking of entering the political arena.”

Yongno spoke in a frigid tone.

“Moreover, if he’s willing to give up his high government position as Chief of Staff… the only logical explanation is that he wants to run for the Korean presidency.”

Taewoong did not deny Yongno’s words, which immediately grasped the core point. Moreover, everything that Yongno said was true. However, the words that followed made even Taewoong flinch.

“You’ve come to tell me not to hinder whatever he’s planning to do. Neither father nor my older brother would be crazy enough to ask for my help, right?”

“No. That’s not it. Father is caught up in something much more significant. If you object, he’ll immediately quit-” Taewoong started to explain.

“What? Wait, I can’t keep up with the conversation. What are you two talking about? Hinder? Why would Yongno hinder father?”

Boram stepped between the two, embarrassed by the standoffish atmosphere that was miles beyond tense.

In the past, when Yongno was forcefully brought to a secret state lab after being betrayed by his family and subjected to inhumane biological experiments, Boram had been out of the country. So, she didn’t know why Yongno’s relationship with the rest of her family was so atrocious.

Her father was strict but caring, her mother was loving and considerate, and her older brother was capable and accomplished, as he could do anything he set his mind to.

However, Boram felt they had done something wrong. Her family, quite literally the picturesque example of a wonderful and happy household, always changed the subject or avoided anything related to Yongno. No matter how bright and intelligent she was, Boram was unaware that her family had sold out their youngest child and subjected him to become a living test subject.

That assumption could only be made by a deranged conspiracy theorist, not a person with any sense of logic and compassion like Boram.

“That’s because they know I detest them.”

“What? Why?”

Of course, Yongno had no intention of telling the world about his past. During the brief period he could manipulate other people’s memories, Yongno actually did some formal document editing and memory manipulation.

Merlin, the Great Mage, was subjected to biological experiments as a child?

If this fact became known to the world, it would become a huge topic, as interest in Yongno was exploding day by day. Sure, there would be those who would sympathize with him, but there would also be those who’d despise him as a mutant.

And perhaps… There might be someone who thought his genius was based on some sort of [success] as a living test subject, a creation within a lab.

If that were to occur, not only would people regard him as the result of a test, but the scientists behind the experiment would be allowed to resume their cruel and maddening tests to produce such amazing results again.

Yongno, with his strong sense of self-pride, naturally didn’t understand why people would take this course of action to try and improve another living being or oneself.

Yet, at the same time….

“Isn’t it obvious why I detest them? No child would ever like a father who sold them to a biological experiment lab just to get a promotion.”

Yongno couldn’t watch idly as his family went about their business and laughed as if nothing had happened, the people who gave him away and made him experience a living hell.

“W-what? Biological experiment? Test subject?”

Boram’s face was slowly twisting with anguish. She had anticipated many different situations and scenarios, but Yongno’s words were more shocking than anything she could’ve ever imagined.

She hurriedly turned her head to face Taewoong.

“Taewoong?”

“…”

Taewoong didn’t offer a response. However, that silence already conveyed his answer.

As he saw Boram’s astonished expression and Taewoong sitting silently, Yongno laughed coldly.

Yongno was by no means a saint. He actually thought that he was a greater, magnanimous person for not taking revenge on his family, who gave him immense trauma.

Even when it was possible for him to manipulate other people’s memories, Yongno chose not to alter his family’s.

If they forgot about the [sin] they had committed and later came to him to ask for his support or help, Yongno knew that he wouldn’t be confident enough to keep his composure at that time.