D.I.O

In essence, the Bright Tai Chi Sword utilized the power of Tai Chi to assimilate all the powers in the world with the user’s. To further explain, it didn’t follow the physical qualities of the world, such as a 2-powered defense blocking a 3-powered attack, thereby leaving a 1-powered attack. Instead, the Bright Tai Chi Sword added the 2-powered defense with the 3-powered attack and created a 5-powered attack. And so, it was impossible to defend against the Bright Tai Chi Sword. If the target raised their defense, it would only be added to the attack. The only routes were to avoid the strike or get hit.

Of course, the Bright Tai Chi Sword had limits. If the target’s defenses were more powerful than the attack against them, the sword technique’s effect wouldn’t apply. However, Merlin felt that Arthur’s understanding and usage of the technique were perfect. No one could defend against his attacks.

Also, using any sword technique to block the Bright Tai Chi Sword would result in the same conundrum. Although someone could try to block the skill with just their sword’s properties, they would inevitably have to imbue it with sword qi to use their sword technique. So, this sword qi would ultimately be added to the Bright Tai Chi Sword attack and further hinder the defender.

“Hahaha! I’m not that great after all.”

Merlin stooped down to pick up the bee’s drop: a single wand. Although the monster had six wands, this was the only piece of loot. Merlin’s mind was filled with various thoughts, and the Golden Pill Immortal Technique was overflowing with aura, but he stopped it from emanating outward.

“I now know how to proceed in my martial arts path.”

With this said, Merlin didn’t feel like his talents were lacking compared to Arthur’s, but he knew that they weren’t superior either. In the end, Merlin decided to train more to catch up to Arthur’s level in the sword technique.

However, that wasn’t a fun proposition.

Whoosh.

The magic circle imprinted on his right hand started circulating magic power, growing clearer. Merlin had a grand plan in his mind. He’d establish a large tower using magic power.

Of course, this idea was insane. It was like trying to construct a building that had two to 300 floors without a blueprint. Magic system creation required an immense amount of time, effort, and constant critical thought. Magic power wasn’t like internal power, which pulled energy from the world and purified it within one’s body. Magic power was gathered from the outer world and directly used, which restricted how much magic could be cast.

In contrast to an individual’s body that they had complete control over, magic power was something foreign. This meant that as a user gathered increasing amounts of magic power, it would become more difficult to control it. Hence, unlike internal energy capacity, which grew as the user aged, magic power capacity didn’t increase unless there were active efforts to raise it through a viable magic system. Creating such a perfect system when they first started was a foolish, impossible concept. Or so it seemed…

However, there was a human who could do this.

Whoosh.

The jade-colored magic circle turned into a purple jewel. However, this change only lasted a moment, as it soon turned green and became an emerald.

/You have created a magic stone: Jade!/

/Your Jade has changed into an Amethyst!/

/Your Amethyst has changed into an Emerald!/

/Spiritual power (Type: Magic Power) has increased by 103 points!/

Merlin’s magic power had reached 150 points or 200 tetra. The conversion rate was half a year per point until the user had a hundred points, one year per point from 100 to 200, and then two years from 200 to 300. This was different from internal energy, where the points were multiplied after each additional hundred, from 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x, and so on. As such, Merlin’s additional magic power in the 100 to 200 range had given him two tetra for every point. In truth, Merlin’s magic power should have been even higher, but he was restricted again by the level restriction.

“… Ugh, so annoying. I need to hurry and get to at least Level 5.”

Until this moment, Merlin didn’t really feel an urgency to increase his levels rapidly. After all, he wasn’t aware of bonus points or occupations. To Merlin, levels simply allowed users to use certain items or increase their ability stats. Yet, right now, since he was hitting another restriction, he felt the necessity to level up.

“Test room.”

Whoosh.

As he mumbled this, Merlin drew a horizontal line in front of him with his fingers. Soon, a boundary in space appeared.

“Enter.”

Shortly after, the boundary opened.

/You are entering the Testing Room. You will be immobile for the next 30 seconds. You will be vulnerable to attacks, so be sure to remain in a safe location. Please cancel the entrance if you are not in a safe location./

The battle was raging on behind him, but Merlin didn’t give it any thought. If another monster recognized him, he’d be in trouble, but the monsters were preoccupied with their battle, so…

Zip.

Merlin was sucked through the boundary.

***

“All three were incredible. Is this the power of those recognized as one in a quintillion?”

“Right. I never would’ve thought that three Irregulars would appear out of a population of just seven billion, but it happened. To be honest, it’s fortunate that there’re three.”

“Why?”

“If there were only one, they would most likely have become depressed or caught in a routine, as they’d lack a challenge and drive to improve. However, with three… things will become interesting.”

The two conversed with each other on the moon. Yes, the moon. However, it wasn’t the moon that you saw from Earth; this moon had a diameter of 1,700 kilometers and was a fourth the size of Earth. Dynamic Island wasn’t a planet. It was a separate dimension that didn’t exist in the known universe, and it would just waste energy to build a new object there. As such, in addition to the moon, they recreated a sun with a radius of one kilometer in their separate dimension. These two celestial objects were quite far from the users, so they probably wouldn’t discover the truth.

“Still, there’s something weird. Why did such talented individuals have average lives on Earth? Isn’t this comparable to seeing a dragon amongst a pit of snakes? Their abilities should’ve been easily recognized,” asked the young man.

Then, a middle-aged man with silver hair and a fedora answered.

“Put simply, they acted like normal people. They did it to protect themselves.”

“To protect themselves? Living normal, average lives was protection?”

“Humans don’t recognize beings that exist outside of their comprehension. One in a quintillion: Irregulars are exceptionally talented individuals, but that doesn’t mean they’re superhuman. Unless they possess the strength to match their talents, they’d only be ostracized if they exposed themselves.”

“So, those three hid their talents?”

The middle-aged man shook his head.

“Not exactly. Those three possessed were so outstanding that they recognized their extraordinary talents at an early age, so they suppressed their talents even before their personalities and egos were fully formed.”

The middle-aged man had met all three Irregulars in person. Despite being talented beyond any imagination, all three lived typical, everyday lives. Other than the few people they trusted, no one else knew of their talents.

“Before their egos were fully formed… then, you’re saying that they subconsciously repressed their talents?”

“Yes. Merlin compartmentalized and handled this by running away, Cruze stifled herself mentally, and Arthur put in tremendous effort toward other areas.”

“… Huh? I can understand the first two, but suppressing your talent by focusing on other areas? Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”

“Think about it, Melton. If you knew something when you first saw it, how would you react if you saw it a hundred or a thousand times?”

“Uhm… I’d know about it better?”

Melton tilted his head, confused about where the older gentleman was leading him. The middle-aged man shook his head. Melton’s line of reasoning was logical, but working hard in other areas didn’t matter to other people. For instance, if someone focused entirely on an apple and they memorized the word ‘apple,’ since this isn’t challenging, anyone could do this effortlessly. If anyone wrote down the word ‘apple’ a thousand times and read it aloud each time, would anything change? Nothing would change. An apple is an apple.

“Overt effort is just a way to waste time. However, that Arthur guy kept concentrating on the same, dreary things. He essentially brainwashed himself to repeat the process and not think of other matters. So, everything became justified through effort. Obviously, once he gained this thought process, he believed that effort was the reason behind every achievement.”

The middle-aged man had completely broken down and understood the three Irregulars. Although he wasn’t an Irregular, his age and vast experience with them allowed him to make accurate assessments.

In reality, few Irregulars actually reached his level of knowledge and understanding. In many cases, their tremendous talent was poison. Moreover, they often had their talents stripped away by their compatriots. And in regards to the three being discussed, the Irregulars would also deny themselves and stunt their growth.

“However, this world is a bit different. Rejoice, little ones. This world, this space that we created, will allow you to push your talents to 120 percent.”

Here, three Irregulars had entered. No one knew what miracles or chain reactions this experiment would create.

“Oi~ I came by to see what’s fun~!”

A space opened beside the two before someone stepped out to join them.

“Oh, boss, you’ve come- ack!”

“Miss. I already told you to call me ‘miss,’ right?”

Melton nursed the lump forming on his head as he stared at the black-haired lady who’d just arrived. She was 170 centimeters tall and wore high heels, which made her tower over most others. She also constantly looked incredibly confident. Though her beauty would turn heads wherever she went, Melton narrowed his eyes at her.

“Goodness, really? Miss? Excuse me, but I’m much older than you. I might look like this, but I’ve lived my share of years.”

Despite his valid complaints, the woman just shrugged.

“I don’t care about age. Looks and combat prowess are what count.”

“Wow! How could someone so obtuse truly exist-”

The woman lost interest in their conversation, so she strolled past Melton mid-sentence and walked over to the middle-aged man. They were incredibly far from the players below, so it was impossible to see any of the events occurring. Regardless, she looked down as she spoke.

“How’s it going? Everything running smoothly?”

“Yes. We’ve also found some results that we weren’t expecting.”

“Unexpected results? Are you referring to the Irregulars?”

While she talked, she checked the status of Arthur, Cruze, and even Merlin, who had entered the Testing Room. She was capable of doing this because she was the designer and owner of Dynamic Island. Anyone that logged onto DIO couldn’t avoid her gaze.

“Wow, they’re exceptional. Their abilities have already improved to this extent in such a short period. One of them has a low level, but he can dramatically raise it if he wants as his skills develop.”

Then, she checked on the general user population. She watched as the users fought against the wave of monsters in various clothing, using an eclectic mix of items as they did so. Gradually, she started smiling.

“Hmm… I’m starting to feel nostalgic.”

“About?”

“Nothing. Anyway, in regard to those Irregulars, their rapid development is wonderful, but they hit a barrier soon.”

The middle-aged man nodded.

“Of course. There’s a reason why the overwhelming majority of transcendents aren’t Irregulars.”

Tremendous talent could also become poison. No, to be honest, it was poison. Furthermore, all Irregulars had something hindering them mentally, and unless they resolved this, they wouldn’t be able to fully ‘understand.’

“So, are you planning on helping them?”

“Don’t joke around. Help does not allow one to ‘understand.’ ‘Understanding’ is strictly something personal; no one can push or pull someone to ‘understand.’”

“Yeah. If we could help someone understand, we wouldn’t have created this system.”

All dimensions were currently on high alert at the moment. Most importantly, their overall combat strength and the primary way to differentiate between them was determined by how many transcendents they had. If transcendents could help others become transcendents, then scouts wouldn’t need to traverse the universe to find potential candidates.

“Irregulars… very interesting. I know someone that’s just like one of them.”

The middle-aged man turned his head to look at the woman.

“You know of a transcendent who’s an Irregular?”

“No. The being I’m speaking of went the traditional route of making achievements and developing a craft. I suppose they’re incomparable to outliers like these Irregulars, though.”

Bleep!

“Hmm?”

A mechanical beep rang out, and immediately afterward, the woman’s ring started glowing softly. In the air, a space opened up, and a young man in completely white clothing stepped out. To be more specific, the young man was a projected image.

“What is it?”

Yes, miss. Someone in the New World is urgently requesting a meeting.

“Really? Wow! It’s convenient having you around.”

Hahaha…

Melton couldn’t help but smile when he realized that the young man was being forced to serve the woman.

“Alright. I’ll be there soon, so make the proper preparations and arrangements.”

Yes, miss.

After replying, the young man vanished. Then, the middle-aged man spoke up.

“Are you planning on joining hands with the New World?”

“You know where I stand. I can’t contend against the New World.”

“The Union won’t like it, though.”

“It can’t be helped.”

The woman turned around to leave, and a dimension portal door appeared before her. As he saw her start to walk through, the middle-aged man said, “Those Irregulars, they remind me of you. No, actually, you’re quite similar to them, no?”

Flinch.

The woman momentarily froze. Then, she swung around to face the middle-aged man.

“It looks that way, doesn’t it?”

“There are too many similarities.”

The middle-aged man was expressionless, but Melton was on edge as he witnessed this. The atmosphere seemed tense. Since he had the lowest power level, Melton couldn’t help but dislike this sort of suffocating atmosphere. However, soon, the woman changed the ambiance.

“I guess you can come to that conclusion, but it is incorrect.”

“No?”

“No, I’m not an Irregular. I’m not.”

The woman smiled broadly.

“I am an original, the only one in the universe.”

After jokingly commenting, the woman vanished.

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