The stone statues’ agility and wisdom wasn"t to be underestimated. It chased him all the way up here. Seeing this, Merlin immediately prepared to escape using his movement technique.
The stone statues persistently climbed the maze wall.
Tud! Tud! Tud!
They pursued him with unbelievable momentum. Although a few fell off the wall, a number of pursuers followed closely.
‘Fatuous! What the h.e.l.l did I do? Why are they still chasing me!’
Merlin decided to head for the middle of the maze faster. He figured that the bizarre light might fend off the stone statues. As he neared the middle, the number of his pursuers began to diminish. When he looked down, he found a number of inactive stone statues.
This place severely oppresses magic users and only magic users will have access to this place. Furthermore, with the amount of traps and stone statues in this place, it’s almost impossible for a magic user to reach the middle. Merlin has only barely qualified by being a pract.i.tioner of Pran.
When Merlin arrived at the center of the maze, he found a huge yard. At the center of the yard is a huge monolith which emits a ma.s.sive amount of magic power.
Thanks heaven!(TL Note: Does he even know what to do with it? xD)
‘If I absorb this, my cultivation will increase greatly!’ Without hesitation, Merlin immediately started meditating. Immediately, he felt a tremendous force gushing through his body in which he promptly converted into Pran.
In just an hour, his body began changing. His flesh began to shrink and his eyes sunk into its sockets giving him an appearance of a dying malnourished child. Then, his body began to swell up and gradually formed. His body now excretes a black substance in every pore.
Zoom! Pran power suddenly spread out throughout the area.
He has successfully reached the 4th level of Pran Gathering. He can now utilize Pran with more flexibility now. He did not think he would be so lucky. Merlin began to diligently cultivate again. In 3 hours, his body began to change again. Blisters popped up all over his body and his body reddened up like it was sunburned. Inside his body, his Pran bubbled and radiated, rapidly building power. Then it erupted, Pran ejected from his body. Every pores in his body breathed out powerful Pran. The blisters then completely disappeared, in its place, black pus came out which signalized the advancement of 5th level of Pran Gathering.
He never thought that he would reach the 5th level in less than a month. Originally, he thought it would take a year due to the nature of cultivating Pran. In order to break through to the next level, the cultivator must gather up Pran 3 times his/her’s original amount which is why as one advances in level, it takes longer to breakthrough.
In his original world, many people were stuck at level 7-9 of Pran Gathering. No matter how high their talent was, it could not affect their rate of absorbing Pran. Only the determined ones would pa.s.s this hurdle. He just arrived at this world and is his great fortune to meet his monolith but it would take longer to breakthrough to the 6th level of Pran Gathering. If he stay any longer, Arthur would be suspicious of him.
Thinking of that, he approached the monolith. He figured that if he were to absorb energy directly from the monolith, it would increase his absorption speed. As he approached the monolith, he saw runes that he could not understand inscribed onto it and a rainbow circle in the middle which makes him want to touch it. Then, without realizing it, he involuntarily laid his hand on the circle.
Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!
The sound of pressurized mana continuously rang. Magic began to unravel in strands around the monolith then… Boom! Magic exploded in the air and spreaded in all directions. The beacon of light that prevented the stone statues from coming closer also disappeared.
Merlin suddenly heard a sound like a great chivalry was approaching.
Shoom! Shoom! Shoom!
The ground started to collapse, creating countless pits and the earth began to vibrate pushing things up and down.
Not long after, a giant golden statue with hundred of weapons appeared but that was the end. The inactive stone statues lying around began to activate and swarm him in the thousands.
Mommy!
What is this!? Is my greed so huge that you have to hunt me down like this!?