Chapter 50
The Supreme Azure Craftsmanship Grand Method.
A technique created in the twilight years of the old man who had once ruled as an absolute being.
Its grand name might make it seem profound, but in truth, it was simple.
It inflicted pain.
And through that pain, one grew.
‘Honestly, it’s been frustrating.’
No matter how effective it was, the results had always felt vague.
No rank-up notifications.
No explosive leaps in power like those warriors from martial arts novels.
Nothing visibly tangible.
‘But.’
This time, the old man said it clearly.
That when this session ended, I would shed a layer.
His words carried weight.
He wasn’t the type to make things up just to sweet-talk me.
“You’ve endured for quite some time. In doing so, you’ve experienced countless surface wounds and phantom pains.”
“……”
“So let me ask you. Boy, what do you think is the greatest physical pain a human can experience?”
The greatest pain?
I thought for a moment before answering.
“Stripping away the mental and emotional stuff… burn pain? I remember hearing that once.”
“Ho, correct.”
“Right?”
I nodded.
Burning agony.
Just imagining it was dreadful.
Even a small burn made every nerve scream.
Yes, burn pain was undeniable.
But wait a second—
“Hold on, master?”
“Mm?”
“Why are you asking me this? Don’t tell me…”
I looked at him with a wary expression.
The happiest smile I’d ever seen on him spread across his face.
“Ha! Don’t worry, disciple. Your senses have become like iron from all this training. You can endure it.”
“…What do you mean by iron?”
He meant Pain Resistance.
[Skill: Pain Resistance]
[Rank: A]
[Effect 1: Resists pain.]
[Effect 2: The more pain endured, the more dulled the senses become.]
It was A-rank now.
But still—
Beating me wasn’t enough? Now he was going to burn me?
“Master, I’ve been working a lot with smithing lately, and you know what I realized? Iron melts when heated.”
“Ha! True. But doesn’t it become steel through the fire?”
“…?”
I scowled openly.
He continued.
“Don’t worry. This will be different from before.”
“…How?”
I couldn’t not worry.
But I listened anyway.
“Until now, the method was forced. Thirty minutes of endurance without yielding.”
“Endurance? You mean being beaten half to death?”
“Hah! Listen. It wasn’t truly forced. The choice was always yours.”
“……”
He wasn’t wrong.
If I hadn’t summoned him, there would’ve been no massage.
But I had summoned him every day.
And endured every session.
Why?
Because I wanted strength.
It was the surest path I had.
“That alone sets you apart. Genius or ordinary, pain still hurts. Heh.”
True enough.
Even Einstein or Turing—brilliant minds, but not immune to pain.
“Mm…”
“And let me tell you a chilling truth.”
“…What is it?”
“Look at your mouth.”
My mouth?
Why?
I tilted my head—then froze.
Goosebumps rose across my skin.
“…!”
A smile.
I was smiling.
Even as we talked about burning agony, even as my nerves were taut—
The corner of my lips had curled upward.
Ah.
This wasn’t joy.
It was despair.
Somehow, I had become someone who smiled at pain.
“See? That’s why you’re extraordinary. I was wrong to seek a genius. It was fortune that I found a freak like you.”
No, master.
That’s not it at all.
“They say a genius cannot surpass one who trains, and one who trains cannot surpass one who enjoys. You, boy, are one who enjoys.”
“Sounds nice… but it feels depressing.”
Regardless.
He wasn’t wrong.
‘I do want strength.’
Ten years ago, the world changed.
From one ruled by money and power—
to one where only strength mattered.
A world where a simple message rank defined worth.
This was survival.
To live, I had to be strong.
Even when rankers committed crimes, the law couldn’t touch them.
Hunters were beasts thrown into a brutal wilderness.
Sheep among wolves.
And now, here was the chance of a lifetime.
A chance to become a predator.
‘I have to endure.’
Of course I did.
‘I must endure, no matter what.’
I clenched my teeth.
Without realizing, I had balled my fists tight.
“So, what’s the method this time?”
“This time, it isn’t forced. Everything depends on your will.”
He smiled faintly.
I frowned.
“My will…?”
“Yes. For thirty minutes, the method will depend on you. Push harder, and the pain will rise, time will stretch. Fail to press yourself, and it’ll be easy—and over in moments.”
“That sounds… easy?”
“Ha! You think so?”
“……”
“This intermediate stage can be passed in one go—if done properly. But if not, you may never cross it even in a lifetime. You’ll see what I mean.”
Fwoooosh!
Flames burst from his hands.
As expected of the Master of Ten Thousand Arts—
he could wield fire as well.
“So, will you finish in one stroke like a man? Or drag it out like a coward?”
“…Guess I’ll find out.”
“Hah! I know you too well.”
“You know me?”
“Yes. You’re the kind who survives no matter where he’s thrown.”
“……”
“Heh. Draw it out, boy. Draw out that hunger for power inside you…”
The flames closed in.
The method began.
—
Fwoooosh!
I felt it immediately.
‘This…’
Was it hot?
Yes.
Scorching.
The flames wrapped me, searing every nerve.
But still—
‘I can bear it.’
I remembered the first day of beatings.
I had screamed and thrashed like mad.
This was better.
‘Too weak.’
The thought came unbidden.
Because I knew it would get worse.
The old man had said—my will would decide it.
If it stayed this warm, I might as well be in a sauna.
“Ha! Good spirit!”
His faint voice rang in my ear.
I grimaced.
Boom!
Something burst inside me.
The real pain began.
“Hhhngh…!”
I bit my lip.
The agony clawed at my mind.
‘I can do this.’
I shut my eyes tight, focusing.
Pain was just nerves screaming.
Something I’d faced every day.
‘Come at me.’
Most would shrink back.
Run from it.
‘But not me.’
I reached out instead.
Welcomed it.
Let the flames roam freely.
‘Do what you want. Just make me stronger.’
Fwoooosh!
The fire burned.
But not aimlessly.
‘Wait… this path…’
It followed the meridian routes of the Supreme Azure Mind Method.
Burning open blockages the massages couldn’t reach.
Boom! Bang! Boom!
Like fireworks, they burst.
“Hhhgk!”
My eyes snapped open.
The sharpest pain yet.
The true torment had begun.
“Gghhkk!”
Foam spilled from my mouth.
Yellow liquid seeped from my pores, sizzling into vapor.
“Impurities. The primordial filth from the world’s air. Normally impossible to cleanse. You’re enduring well.”
It was the process of cleansing marrow and stripping bone.
“……”
The pain went on.
Hundreds of times over.
My strength drained.
Was it over?
No—
my muscles had burned out.
Even screams wouldn’t come.
‘Am I dying?’
If I could’ve quit, I would’ve.
‘Didn’t he say it depends on my will?’
Nonsense.
The flames, once they had tasted me, wouldn’t stop.
They ravaged me like a dog reunited with its master.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Ruthless.
It felt like an hour had passed.
“Quit if you want. Only five minutes have gone by.”
What?!
I cursed.
“Stop if you like. Cleansing impurities alone is a fine result.”
His voice was smooth, tempting.
Then I understood.
Why he’d said it was hard.
Forced pain was one thing.
But temptation—was harder.
‘Don’t screw with me!’
I steadied my heart.
The old man was a devil.
This was the devil’s whisper.
Another chance?
If I quit now, everything would be wasted.
“Ha! That’s my disciple!”
He laughed, pleased.
But to me, it was infuriating.
“Khahk!”
The pain escalated further.
Like carpet bombing inside my body.
[Skill ‘Pain Resistance’ (A-rank) has advanced.]
[Skill ‘Pain Resistance’ (S-rank) acquired.]
[The skill still has room to grow.]
After what felt like five more hours, the message appeared.
But I felt nothing.
My body and spirit were ruined.
‘Just kill me already.’
I flopped over.
At that point, whether it was a 1,000-ton hammer or a 900-ton hammer, the pain was the same.
I shed silent tears and endured.
Time dragged on.
“Stubborn brat. You lasted the full thirty minutes.”
The old man’s voice faded.
Ah.
Was it over?
At last?
I couldn’t even feel relief.
My senses were gone.
I saw only Dagnard’s panicked face and the old man’s satisfied one.
‘Ha… damn it.’
Well done, me.
Then, slowly, I lost consciousness.
[Congratulations!]
[Your rank has risen to B-rank!]
I passed out before I could even savor the message.