36

Chapter 36: The Crystal Mountain

Subin walked toward the enormous crystal mountain at the far end of the underground valley.

With every step, the mana became denser.

The air itself seemed heavier now. Even without deliberately circulating mana through his body, he could feel energy pressing against his skin. The blue crystals surrounding him hummed softly, responding to the massive reservoir beneath the ground.

Subin kept his breathing steady.

He had already learned an important lesson in this place. Mana was not something that always needed to be resisted. Sometimes it was better to understand its movement and move with it.

His newly developed Natural Flow principle helped considerably.

Instead of forcing his body through the dense environment, he adjusted his movements according to the surrounding mana currents. His steps became lighter, his breathing smoother, and his body wasted less energy.

The system responded.

[Natural Flow proficiency increased.]

[Natural Flow: 18% → 24%]

Subin smiled slightly.

He continued walking.

After nearly fifteen minutes, he reached the base of the crystal mountain.

Up close, it was far larger than it had appeared from a distance.

The surface wasn't smooth. Countless layers of blue crystal had formed over one another, creating patterns that resembled the overlapping edges of enormous blades.

Subin placed his palm against the mountain.

Mana immediately surged through the crystal.

His eyes narrowed.

There was no ordinary mana circulation here.

The mountain was constantly compressing mana.

Energy entered from the surrounding valley, moved through the mountain, became denser, and eventually descended toward the natural mana reservoir below.

It was essentially a gigantic natural mana condenser.

The system displayed several notifications.

[Natural Mana Condenser detected.]

[Estimated age: 87 years.]

[Current stored mana: 3,840,000+]

Subin stared at the number.

"Three million..."

That was more mana than anything he had encountered before.

But he didn't become excited.

He knew that possessing a massive amount of mana didn't automatically make him capable of using it.

His own Mana attribute was only 24.

Trying to absorb even a fraction of this mountain directly would probably destroy his body.

Instead, he studied the structure.

His Sword Comprehension activated.

The crystal layers slowly became clearer in his perception.

He could see where mana entered.

Where it compressed.

Where pressure accumulated.

Where it was released.

The entire mountain had a rhythm.

Subin stood there for several minutes.

Then he noticed something.

There was a narrow line running vertically through the mountain.

It wasn't a crack.

It was a perfectly straight channel.

And its shape reminded him of a sword cut.

Subin placed Simple Edge against it.

The sword vibrated.

[Sword resonance detected.]

Subin's expression changed.

He didn't swing.

He simply pressed the blade against the line.

The crystal mountain responded.

A section of the surface slowly opened.

A narrow passage appeared.

Subin looked at Simple Edge.

"You really do like strange places."

He stepped inside.

The passage was surprisingly clean.

There were no monsters.

No traps.

No artificial structures.

Only crystal walls and flowing mana.

The deeper he went, the quieter everything became.

Eventually, even the sound of his footsteps disappeared.

He reached a circular chamber.

At its center floated a single crystal.

It was no larger than his fist.

Compared with the enormous mountain surrounding it, it looked insignificant.

Yet Subin immediately understood that it was the most concentrated object in the entire region.

[Pure Mana Crystal detected.]

[Grade: Legendary]

[Purity: 99.1%]

[Mana Content: 182,400]

Subin stared at it.

"A Legendary mana crystal."

He didn't touch it.

Something about the crystal made him cautious.

Not because it was dangerous.

Because it was too pure.

Even a small mistake in handling it could cause an enormous release of energy.

He studied it from a distance.

His Sword Comprehension activated.

The crystal wasn't simply storing mana.

It was compressing it.

Every layer of the crystal was arranged in perfect balance.

The slightest disruption would cause the entire structure to collapse.

Subin's eyes gradually became more focused.

This was similar to swordsmanship.

A sword's cutting ability wasn't determined solely by force.

It depended on structure.

Balance.

Concentration.

Direction.

A blade with enormous strength but poor structure could break.

A small blade with perfect structure could cut something much harder.

Subin slowly raised Simple Edge.

He didn't touch the crystal.

Instead, he moved the sword through the air.

A tiny wave of Sword Intent passed across the chamber.

The crystal responded.

Its surface brightened.

Subin stopped.

The system appeared.

[Sword Intent resonance detected.]

[Object possesses high structural stability.]

[Recommended interaction: Precision.]

Subin understood.

He didn't need to absorb the crystal.

He needed to understand it.

For the next several minutes, he practiced extremely small movements.

Each swing was only a few centimeters.

No wasted motion.

No unnecessary force.

He imagined cutting a single point without disturbing anything surrounding it.

Again.

And again.

His movements gradually became smaller.

His Sword Intent became thinner.

Eventually, the sword moved so precisely that even the mana surrounding the blade barely reacted.

Subin's eyes became calm.

Then he performed one final movement.

A simple horizontal cut.

There was no explosion.

The crystal remained intact.

But a tiny line appeared across its surface.

The system immediately responded.

[Precision Sword Intent successfully demonstrated.]

[One Absolute Edge proficiency increased.]

[Sword Intent Comprehension: 22% → 24%]

[Sword God Foundation: 33% → 35%]

[Personal Sword Path: 22% → 24%]

Subin lowered his sword.

He hadn't gained a new flashy technique.

Instead, his control had improved.

That was more valuable.

He understood that swordsmanship was gradually becoming less about the techniques he possessed and more about the level at which he could execute them.

A basic slash performed perfectly could be more powerful than a complicated technique performed poorly.

He approached the Legendary crystal.

This time, he extended his hand.

The moment his fingers touched it, information flooded into his mind.

Not words.

Sensation.

Compression.

Stability.

Balance.

A massive amount of mana was being held together by countless microscopic forces.

Subin immediately withdrew his hand.

His forehead was covered with sweat.

"That's too much."

He had only touched it for a fraction of a second.

Even with his exceptional comprehension, he couldn't understand everything at once.

He took a breath.

Then he noticed something else.

The crystal had transferred a tiny amount of energy into his body.

Not enough to increase his Mana attribute significantly, but enough to refine the mana already circulating inside him.

The system confirmed it.

[Pure Mana exposure detected.]

[Mana quality refinement initiated.]

[Mana attribute: 24 → 26]

Subin blinked.

"Two points?"

It wasn't a huge increase, but it was free growth.

More importantly, his mana felt different.

Before, it had been like water moving through his body.

Now it felt slightly denser.

More stable.

He closed his eyes and circulated it.

The improvement was immediately noticeable.

His mana control had become smoother.

His Sword Intent also responded better.

Subin opened his eyes.

"I can use this place for training."

But he wouldn't stay too long.

The environment was simply too dangerous for prolonged exposure.

He looked around the chamber again.

The Legendary crystal remained untouched.

He decided not to take it.

Removing such an important part of the natural mana condenser could destabilize the entire mountain.

There was no reason to destroy something valuable just because he could.

Instead, he stored a few small fragments from the surrounding crystal wall.

The system classified them as Rare+ materials.

That was enough.

Subin turned toward the exit.

As he walked back through the crystal passage, he suddenly stopped.

A vibration came from below.

Not from the mountain.

From the ground.

He looked downward.

The dungeon-core information returned to his mind.

There was a large region beneath the mountain.

The unstable mana reservoir.

The one containing the highest mana concentration beneath the Stone Guardian Ruins.

Subin had been heading toward it.

But now he understood something.

The mountain wasn't the destination.

It was the filter.

The mana was being compressed here before flowing downward.

Subin followed the passage.

The deeper route was much more dangerous.

The temperature increased.

The crystal walls became darker.

Eventually, the blue light disappeared completely.

Subin summoned no external light.

He simply relied on Predator's Sense.

Something was moving ahead.

He stopped.

A heavy breathing sound echoed through the darkness.

Then another.

Subin drew Abyssal Emperor's Edge.

A pair of blue eyes opened in the darkness.

Then another pair.

And another.

Several creatures stepped into view.

They were smaller than the Crystal Horn Beast, but their bodies were heavily armored.

The system identified them.

[Crystal Ravager]

[Level: 34–35]

[Rank: B]

[Quantity: 7]

Subin smiled.

"Seven."

He adjusted his grip.

The creatures charged together.

This time, Subin didn't retreat.

His sword intent spread around him.

Foundation.

Flow.

Control.

Intent.

Edge.

Continuity.

Adaptation.

The seven principles moved through his body almost simultaneously.

His feet shifted.

His sword rose.

The first Ravager attacked.

Subin stepped aside and cut.

The second came from behind.

He turned and redirected its claws.

The third attempted to flank him.

Battlefield Control forced it into the path of the fourth.

Subin's sword moved.

One Absolute Edge.

Two creatures fell.

The remaining five attacked together.

Subin's eyes sharpened.

Natural Flow took control of his movement.

His body moved between them like water passing through rocks.

Every step created another opening.

Every opening became another cut.

Within less than a minute, all seven creatures lay defeated.

[Crystal Ravager ×7 defeated.]

[Experience acquired.]

[Level increased.]

[Level 33 → Level 34]

Subin stood among the remains.

The system continued.

[Crystal Ravager Core ×7 — Rare+]

[Crystal Armor ×14 — Rare]

[Dense Mana Crystal ×9 — Rare+]

He collected the materials.

Then he looked ahead.

The darkness continued.

But now he could hear something.

A low, continuous sound.

Like a waterfall.

Except it was far deeper.

Subin walked forward.

The tunnel finally opened.

He stood at the edge of an enormous underground chasm.

Far below him was the unstable mana reservoir.

It wasn't a lake.

It wasn't a river.

It was a gigantic spherical mass of compressed blue mana suspended within the earth.

Energy constantly entered it from above.

The sphere pulsed slowly.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Each pulse sent a wave through the entire dungeon.

Subin stared at it.

The system appeared.

[Unstable Mana Reservoir detected.]

[Current Mana Density: 74.8%]

[Estimated Stored Mana: 11,600,000+]

Subin remained silent.

Eleven million.

This was no longer simply a resource.

It was a natural phenomenon.

And standing before it, Subin felt something unexpected.

His sword intent was responding.

Not violently.

Not with pressure.

It was resonating.

The same way Simple Edge had responded to the dungeon core.

Subin slowly drew the sword.

The reservoir pulsed again.

Simple Edge vibrated in his hand.

A faint line of light appeared across its blade.

Subin looked at it.

For the first time since he had obtained the sword, a single word appeared on its surface.

[Potential.]

Subin's eyes narrowed.

The word disappeared almost immediately.

He tightened his grip.

Whatever Simple Edge truly was, he would eventually understand it.

But first, he needed to understand the enormous reservoir before him.

He stepped toward the edge of the chasm.

The path downward was visible.

And somewhere below that enormous sphere of compressed mana, the Stone Guardian Ruins continued even deeper.

Subin smiled.

"Let's see how far this dungeon really goes."

He stepped onto the descending path.

The journey continued.