Surviving without God

A cultivation technique. In the world of , where it is impossible to become strong without contracting with a deity, this was a rare method of development that allowed growth without divine intervention. However, bringing it to any meaningful level required talent and time far beyond imagination. There was a reason Gunther had never even touched it back when he was “Godless.” Attempting to challenge an exalted cultivation method without divine correction would only lead to a result worse than doing nothing at all.

But now circumstances had changed. Gunther shared the knowledge and emotions of the King of Knights, who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts. At least at this moment, it would not be an exaggeration to call him a man who possessed the cultivation technique in its most perfected form.

‘I’m counting on you.’

Gunther focused on the deep and heavy voice resonating inside his head.

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[Gunther, from this moment on remember well the path along which your mana flows]

[We will take the breathing of the Art of the Pure Heart as the foundation and overlay it with the formulas of the Flame of Eternal Torment]

[I will also use as a reference the memories of the man called the King of Flame that you have read]

[This is not a complete solution, but for now it will help soothe the internal wounds]

And the mana within his body began to move.

[First restrain the breath. Do not suppress the energy with force—press the heat striving toward the point between the eyebrows down into the lower energy center. Then to the point at the ankle, and after that to the center of the foot]

Because this was not a full state of possession by a god, control over the mana was only possible through the fusion of the will of the King of Knights and my own. Fortunately, thanks to the knowledge of acupuncture points I had gained during previous training, I barely managed to guide the mana along the path indicated by the King of Knights.

[On the second breath, press down the fire rising toward the point along the spine. If you leave it, it will burn the lungs at once, so gather the energy at the point above the navel and pacify the flame]

Amazingly, the heat that felt like a raging fire smoothly slid below the solar plexus.

[On the third breath, open the point of the chest and scoop the fire out of the heart. Then guide it to the point beneath the knee]

The pain that made the blood vessels throughout my body feel as if they were about to burst still remained, but the flow of energy was clearly changing. The raging flames slowed their course slightly.

[Fire must not be broken by force. Lower it to the point at the base of the pelvis and raise it back to the crown of the head. Just as Heaven and Earth circulate, if the fire circulates it will eventually become your strength]

Around that time—

— Oh? Brother, are you alright?

— The steam stopped coming out...

— No, what the hell is going on?

— Was the sparring too intense?

The pressure in my ears eased, and the voices of the surrounding people became audible. The heat burning my chest sank smoothly below the energy center, and for a moment it felt easier to breathe.

[Mastery of the Art of the Pure Heart Level 2 has greatly increased]

[The flame piercing the heart has not been completely extinguished, but through decisive control of the points you have managed to redirect the flow]

[The power scattered in unstable harmony is absorbed like a reverse current, and the body is restored]

[You have reached Level 3 of the Art of the Pure Heart]

[Mana +5 / Strength +11 / Agility +13 / Endurance +15]

The reduced attributes had recovered to some degree, and the Art of the Pure Heart reached Level 3. Particularly impressive was the increase in mana—twenty points in total. The total mana reserve was now 43. With that much, it would even be possible to release sword energy.

However, I did not stand up. Because I knew this was only a temporary measure. The time limit caused by the status “Internal Burning” had also remained unchanged.

‘It’s coming again.’

For a moment it had seemed as though the flames had quieted. But the silence did not last long. Soon the heat began boiling again, like lava bursting from cracks in stone.

[......I feel embarrassed, Gunther. With the breathing of the Art of the Pure Heart that you have trained so far, this is the limit. I managed to suppress the flames spreading through the vessels for a while, but it is like pouring a bucket of water onto a massive bonfire. To truly solve this...]

‘It’s fine. You did great.’

The King of Knights had truly done everything he could. It was time to bring out the second method I had prepared.

Just as the King of Knights had said, until now I had poured a bucket of water onto a massive blaze. Now it was time to pour an ocean over it.

[The Ruler of the Oceans feels confusion at the sudden change in your condition]

Aside from the three gods, no one notices the fact of regression. I had confirmed that earlier through Flying Ahead of the Wind. Naturally, anyone observing me would feel confusion. And so she, sensing the “dissonance,” revealed her presence. I stared into the empty air.

‘Ruler of the Oceans!’

And I placed all my Karma on the line.

[You place “290” Karma onto the scales]

‘What do you think? This time I raised the stake.’

Compared to the first contracts with the King of Knights, Alphonse, and the Saint, the amount was almost three times larger.

[Alphonse of Red Street clears his throat]

[The Drug-Addicted Saint expresses resentment]

[Flying Ahead of the Wind swallows nervously]

Even a deity of the Official rank like Flying Ahead of the Wind had been satisfied with a hundred and granted a Stigma. No matter how proud she was, she would not be able to refuse. ...At least that was how it should have been.

I did not avert my gaze while waiting for the message I wanted.

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[The Ruler of the Oceans secretly peeks at the scales]

***

The change was instantaneous. Gunther was seized by a strange sensation he had long forgotten. A tickling feeling arose deep in his lower abdomen. Only with the fifth Stigma did he finally realize it—the sensation of receiving a Stigma differed completely depending on the deity.

Shuuuuuu—

The Stigma of the Ruler of the Oceans was endlessly refreshing. As if cold seawater wrapped around his lower body, blue energy seeped inward with a cooling touch. A pleasant yet bone-chilling, dizzying sensation. Without even looking, he knew what pattern had been engraved.

A girl leaning dangerously against the railing of a tower.

Ding!

[Stigma activated: Maiden of the Tower]

— Mana +20

— Mana efficiency drastically increases.

— Passive skill obtained: “Mana Concentration”

(Mana consumption increases, explosive power possible after concentration)

[Mana has exceeded 60 units!]

‘60?’

At the moment Gunther froze at the number far beyond his expectations, a familiar dizziness struck him and his vision blurred. Like a vision, the life of the Ruler of the Oceans unfolded before his eyes.

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A small girl born into a collateral branch of the royal family. Immediately after birth, according to a prophecy, she was entrusted to a great mage with a thick gray beard. From that moment on, her fate had been decided.

A lonely magic tower floating above the endless ocean. That was her entire world.

The endless waves and raging winds were her only companions, and until sleep came the only things beside her were the letters of magic books and the light of the stars.

“...Again.”

Small fingertips repeated countless failures and attempts at recreation. In time the master of the tower met death, yet even after that her days did not change.

They were lonely and heavy days. Falling asleep while gazing at the sea, waking again to grasp magic. That was her life, and it was supposed to be her future.

But one day change came beyond the line of the sea’s horizon.

A powerful knight clad in steel armor. A handsome man smiling as if he were missing a screw in his head. An alchemist timidly lingering to the side with the sharp scent of herbs. These were faces familiar even to Gunther.

She tried her best to pretend she was annoyed and bored, but instinctively she understood—this meeting was the moment when other colors first burst into her cold and empty world. For the first time, a true wave rose in her drifting days.

...It was the beginning of an adventure.

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Gunther opened his eyes again with the sensation of waking from a dream. A flood of messages greeted him all at once.

Ding!

[The power flowing through your vessels fills the entire body, so that even an ordinary strike carries a stream of mana]

[Spirit and body rise together, granting resistance to madness, curses, paralysis, and other status conditions]

[Thanks to the support of powerful mana, the recovery speed of lungs and muscles increases many times over, granting endurance that does not know fatigue even in prolonged battles]

[The power gushing endlessly is strengthened as it passes through the blade, raising the force and penetration of swordsmanship to a level incomparable to before]

[Natural pressure is exerted on the surrounding mana field, reducing the effectiveness of enemy spells and energy]

※ Mana has increased sharply, entering a state of “saturation.” Many effects will not appear immediately—they will unfold gradually as the body adapts.

...And at the same time— 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

— Waaah!

— Kh-h-h!

The surrounding people staggered and stepped back under an inexplicable pressure. This happened because Gunther’s mana had spilled outward uncontrollably.

— Everyone step back!

— Brother has gone crazy!

Fortunately, Eddie and Roanna quickly gathered their subordinates and retreated, so no one was injured.

‘Damn, what the hell is this...’

Gunther repeatedly took deep breaths, trying to calm the boiling mana. Even he himself felt short of breath under the weight of the power filling his body. It felt as if an enormous river had suddenly been placed inside him.

As already mentioned, this was growth even he could not fully predict. The achievements in the technique Flame of Eternal Torment inherited through the grace ◆ had exceeded imagination, and the mana strengthened by the Stigma of the Ruler of the Oceans had gone beyond the limits of calculation. Even among the gods a commotion had begun.

[Flying Ahead of the Wind trembles at the presence of a great deity and folds her wings]

[The King of Ninety-Nine Defeats looks at the Ruler of the Oceans with a wistful gaze]

[The Drug-Addicted Saint waves desperately]

[Alphonse of Red Street whistles, trying to attract attention]

[The Ruler of the Oceans tilts her head slightly, sensing extremely faint familiar presences, but ultimately fails to recognize them]

Just as Gunther barely managed to follow the wildly flashing messages, another appeared.

Ding!

[Personal scenario update! Old means good]

[Hidden condition fulfilled] ✔

Engrave the fourth Stigma of the old gods upon your body.

[Karma acquisition efficiency +15%]

[The status of «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» the old gods who shared Karma slightly increases]

Only two lines, yet the effect was immediate.

[The flows inside your body are in complete disorder]

A mature but cold female voice echoed around him. It was the direct voice of a deity, something that normally never reached the ears without a connection ritual or the expenditure of Karma.

“......!”

Gunther held his breath. The will of the Ruler of the Oceans seeped directly into him.

[This... is Dietrich’s cultivation technique]

[Are you his successor? But why are you in such a miserable state... From the looks of it you are not an official disciple—you must have stolen and learned it somewhere on the side]

[Hm, let me see]

The stream of words spoken to herself did not last long. Immediately afterward it felt as though the mana in his body began moving on its own. The fiery energy of the Flame of Eternal Torment gradually mixed with other currents and became neutralized. The blazing heat slowly calmed and settled heavily within the lower energy center.

[I will guide you. Focus]

The calm but strict echo spread through his entire body. Gunther’s disrupted breathing gradually stabilized, and the uncontrollable flow of flames obediently found its place like a tamed horse.

Ding!

[Attribute debuff removed]

[Time limit of the status “Internal Burning” extended to 7 days]

Gunther was so immersed in the process that he did not even react to the long-awaited notification. His breathing was quiet, but inside his body the current of mana surged ever more violently. With each heartbeat the flames that had not been absorbed clung to it, seeping into blood and bone.

“.......”

A state of self-forgetfulness. It was as though he had forgotten himself while sinking into the waves of power. At the moment when a premonition flashed that he might not only remove the debuff but also take another step forward in cultivation—

[This is more than enough payment for that rat-sized portion of Karma. Handle the rest yourself, or try bringing more Karma]

‘......?’

[And one more thing... my staff. If you do not return it soon, I will rip the Stigma back out]

‘......??’

After leaving that threat behind, the Ruler of the Oceans severed the connection with Gunther.

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[The King of Ninety-Nine Defeats excuses her by saying that she grew up alone, so she is a little lacking in communication skills...]