성황의 아이들 [1]

96

With a hiccup, Seongjin's eyes widened in surprise. He was so shocked that he completely forgot to greet the newcomer.

The Holy Emperor walked slowly towards the bedside, standing there for a moment in silence, gazing down at Seongjin. The temperature around them seemed to drop noticeably, causing Seongjin to shiver involuntarily from the cold.

After a long silence, the Holy Emperor spoke in a calm but frighteningly serious tone, "After bursting the wooden sword, were you planning to explode your own body as well?"

Ah, Holy Emperor already knew how recklessly Seongjin had been manipulating his aura.

Thinking about it, the outcome was obvious.

Had he pushed a little further, his muscles might have burst like the wooden sword.

"That..."

My aura didn't reach its core.

There was no other way to kill it.

There were many excuses he wanted to make, but facing those icy, sharp eyes, only a single phrase managed to escape his lips.

"...I'm sorry."

He truly was sorry. Sincerely.

It hadn't been long since he woke up in the royal palace in Morres's body, but during that short period, he had caused the Holy Emperor so much trouble. He had been seriously injured multiple times, and once, he had even come close to death.

He reflected deeply, bowing his head, and the Holy Emperor's stern demeanor seemed to soften slightly.

"Do you understand? The training method isn't a barrier that limits the aura, but a guideline."

Seongjin inwardly flinched.

The Holy Emperor had noticed that he had abandoned the training method in frustration when his attacks weren't effective. Indeed, Seongjin had thought at the time that adhering to the training method was creating a limit for himself.

However, what Seongjin actually did was force his still insufficient aura outward through his arms, using his body like another wooden sword. He was recklessly swinging his unstable aura, eroding his own flesh.

If he continued to train and layer his aura as the method prescribed, he would eventually be able to safely project his energy outward more clearly and powerfully.

"Handling aura is like wielding a double-edged sword. The training method is a necessary safety measure in managing that sword. You mustn't forget that."

"Yes, I'll keep that in mind."

"Good."

The Holy Emperor nodded. From his past experiences, Seongjin realized that the lecture was over.

Seongjin, perking up, asked Holy Emperor, "Father, I have a question."

"....."

"I meditated last night, and suddenly, my aura layers increased significantly."

"....."

"Until recently, I was near the 6th layer, but now I'm almost reaching the 7th. I feel like I can properly project my aura outward now. Do you know anything about this?"

Seongjin, engrossed in his questions, failed to notice the Holy Emperor's eyes growing cold again.

"Could this be a result of the healing I received from you? Or is it related to the aura depletion I experienced fighting the spider monster? If I continue to receive such healing or deplete my aura, could it accelerate my training progress......"