Roy looked at the bald man with the most honest look he could make and said, "I'm certain that I have learned the aura circulation method that you taught me."
"You sure?" Arlo asked again.
"Mm-hmm." Roy voiced out his confirmation.
Arlo looked heavenward, feeling as if this world was too unfair to mortals like him.
The first part of the Limit Breaker Technique was ridiculously complex.
AD
To make it work, you needed to create an endless cycle of aura circulation in the body.
It could be created by injecting aura into fourteen major arteries, then directing aura from there into countless capillaries, then redirecting the aura from the capillaries into veins that would carry the aura back to the fourteen major arteries, and then repeating this process again and again.
Arlo took three days to learn it, even when guided by his father.
It wasn't because he was stupid or his father sucked at teaching.
This was the most challenging part of the technique to memorize.
It required more than just mental strength and fortitude and memorization ability to learn it.
Luck also played an important part.
AD
For example, Badulf took seven days to learn it. Considering how foolish he was, it should have taken him 7 months. It was all thanks to his teacher that he mastered it so fast. Such a teacher could only be obtained through luck.
Roy, however, took less than a minute, surpassing them both.
That's why Arlo was in such disbelief.
"I only learned what you taught me. Why are you so shocked?" Roy didn't know that Arlo thought it would take him hours to learn.
Arlo's mouth opened and closed. He was at a loss for words.
"Roy, your achievement is similar to a miracle. But you'd better keep it to yourself. Others might kill you out of jealousy if they found out about this. If this ever becomes public, you will become public enemy no.1. If the fools that accepted the kiss of chaos because they couldn't see any other way to break their chains of limitations heard what you did, they would sneak into the empire to kill you out of jealousy and vanity."
Arlo warned Roy after a few moments.
His warning was taken seriously.
Roy knew the most about Chaos and its followers.
The novel he read back on earth was all about the protagonist fighting them, after all.
Most people served Chaos for the same reason GhostWalker did.
They wanted to surpass their limitations in the most easiest way possible, which was to hold a ritual and sacrifice humans, especially powerful and young ones, to Chaos.
AD
However, it cost a fortune to have the ritual circle created. That's why not many could do it.
Low-ranking servants needed to slave away for Chaos and work hard for decades to gain its blessing.
GhostWalker had received the support of his organization, but even then, he had to spend his entire fortune to create one ritual circle through which only three people could be offered to Chaos in return for power.
No wonder he was so angry at Roy after the latter ruined his master plan.
Anyway, while most had to give up their humanity and become slaves to a higher being to exceed their limitations, Roy was about to surpass his in the time it takes to pee.
The difference was too big. It won't surprise Arlo if they commit suicide bombing in order to capture or kill him.
"That's a lot of "ifs." Nobody will ever find out about this as we'll keep it to ourselves."
Their eyes met before they nodded at each other.
This was their way of saying that they would take this secret to the grave.
Arlo: "Okay, now try it out yourself. Breathe in the energy of the world into the very blood vessels you guide your aura into. That's when you'll truly start the process of exceeding your limitations."
Roy: "This is what I have been waiting for."
Following Arlo's teaching, Roy activated his newly learned aura circulation technique. At the same time, his breathing pattern changed into one that allowed him to breathe in the world's energy in thick amounts.
『An endless aura circulation cycle has been created in your body!』
『The Manual of Shadow First Chapter has been activated! You can absorb aura from the world and store it in your body』
These notifications sounded in his ears as waves after waves of the energy of the world entered his body through his pores.
He imagined guiding them towards the same blood vessels where he had injected his aura.
AD
His imagination became a reality thanks to his Aura absorption technique called Manual of Shadow.
The two different types of energies didn't clash in his blood vessels.
They were wide enough to hold both of them and let them flow freely.
To his surprise, as they were passing through each other in his blood vessels, they went against his will and closed on to each other like magnets.
Roy felt alarmed.
"I can't let them clash in my blood vessels, or I will be seriously damaged!"
However powerful Roy's technique was, he couldn't stop the world's energy from sliding over his aura.
As that happened, maybe because of friction or some other reason, something unimaginable was generated in his blood vessels.
『Because of the friction between the world's energy and your black aura, black lightning was created in your blood vessels.』
AD
From there, they coursed through his entire body, electrocuting him an uncountable number of times.
"Argh!" A painful and bestial roar escaped Roy's mouth as arcs of electricity burst out of his body, with him at the center, flashing ten meters across.
"Thud!" Looking like charcoal, Roy dropped to his knees, his eyes showing only white.
His mouth opened, and smoke came out of it.
『Ding! Congratulation. You were struck by the black lightning you created numerous times. As a result, your body was both internally and externally tempered!
『Your Strength has increased to 55 points!』 𝒇𝚛𝙚𝙚𝘸𝙚𝗯𝓃𝗼ѵ𝚎𝘭. c𝑜𝘮
『Your Agility has increased to 57 points!』
『Your Stamina has increased to 59 points!』
『Ding! Congratulation. You have endured more than you possibly could. Your endurance has increased to 35 points.』
『Ding! Congratulation. You've exceeded the known limits known to the unawakeneds of the Far West. It's now possible for your basic stats to go beyond 50 points.』
『Ding! Congratulation. You've gained 1% lightning resistance.』
『The skill lightning resistance has been self-created.』
『You've lost 7 HP.』
『Remaining HP: 3 units.』
Roy choked on the smoke, coughed out mouthfuls of blood, and then started laughing maniacally.
AD
"Finally! My stats have permanently exceeded 50 points!"
He was close to death, but that did nothing to suppress the joy he felt after defying fate.