Birth of the Demonic Sword

Noah didn't limit himself to use his dark matter whenever he had the chance. He first tested how much the inheritance allowed him to cheat.

The tests became impossible to overcome whenever Noah tried to use his "Breath" or mental energy, even if he limited them to the simple boost of his physical strength.

The same happened when he deployed the dark world or used the dark matter to create the fiendish armor. The "strength" tower only tested his physical prowess and gave rewards meant for his body. Unless the test expressly said so, he couldn't use his abilities.

However, the inheritance didn't react when he used the dark matter to activate his innate ability. It seemed that the tests saw the dark vessels as an extension of his physical strength, and the same applied to his dark flames, even if they weren't useful most of the time.

Noah didn't mind those restrictions since he knew that his innate ability gave him another advantage that other hybrids didn't have. The fact that he could indirectly use the energy inside his fourth center of power gave him the battle prowess of a cultivator instead of making him rely only on his physical strength.

That advantage allowed Noah to clear multiple undefeated challenges in a row. Those tests often involved heavy or tough materials that he had to lift or destroy, and their reward matched their difficulty.

Most of the undefeated tests were challenges that peak middle tier hybrids didn't bother to approach. They were too simple for existences at that level, and their rewards wouldn't help them in the breakthrough.

Moreover, the members of the Legion cared for each other. The strongest existences in every layer often ignored trials that they could overcome easily to leave some resources to the weaker hybrids. Greed didn't move their actions since they were placing the well-being of their organization above simple rewards.

Noah didn't respect that unwritten rule. He didn't belong to the Legion, and he wouldn't hold back even if he did. He didn't hold back in front of the chance to obtain valuable resources.

Various pills and potions began to fill his separate space as Noah cleared trials. The number of hybrids following him to admire his physical prowess also increased as he moved through the second layer.

Noah couldn't avoid attracting attention. His body's level wouldn't normally allow him to defeat those challenges, but his innate ability gave him the chance to clear most of the easy ones on the first try.

The hybrids following him couldn't even complain. Noah was theoretically weaker than some of them, but he could clear trials that they couldn't even approach. That alone turned him into a celebrity during his first journey through the inheritance.

'Eight life-saving drugs between potions and pills, three high-energy containers that I can eat right away, and a small rank 7 space-ring,' Noah summarized his gains when the easy challenges were over. 'The inheritance is slowly giving me better rewards. I wonder what the hardest challenge in this layer would award.'

The second layer was so vast that there didn't seem to be an end to its trials. Those barren lands even hid magical beasts and plants featured in some challenges that created a few livable areas. That environment resembled a small world that the Legion had yet to explore fully.

'I guess it's time to start fighting seriously,' Noah thought as he glanced at the group of hybrids behind him.

Noah didn't want to show all his abilities to that audience. He didn't know if the inheritance would react to his companions, but he preferred to keep them hidden unless he found something complicated.

That was exactly what he was aiming to find now. Noah continued to approach every challenge in his path, but he tried to pick the most difficult ones to obtain better rewards.

The layout of the second layer was relatively easy to understand. The farther Noah went, the harder the trials became. He only needed to cross the pillar leading to the third layer to reach an area filled with seemingly impossible challenges.

The signals in those areas had also become scarcer. Only a handful of trials were still considered unfinished. The others were hidden somewhere inside the second layer.

'I can only hope to find something eventually,' Noah concluded in his mind. 'I can't give up on these resources. This inheritance is basically asking me to become rich.'

Of course, Noah didn't care about his wealth, but the currency of the Immortal Lands was quite valuable. The Soul Stones contained raw laws that he could absorb to quicken his growth, and having many of them would allow him to use them more often during his training sessions.

'Defeating the Steeled Boar in a physical battle, no "Breath" or mental energy allowed,' Noah read from one of the signals placed in the deeper areas, 'This sounds hard.'

Noah's dark world enhanced his senses and allowed him to find traces of the Steeled Boar. The creature was hiding in one of the few livable areas in that barren land, and it fed on the magical plants that grew due to the high density of "Breath" in the air.

The Steeled Boar was a rank 7 magical beast near the peak of the middle tier. It was nine meters tall, and it featured a brownish metallic skin that acted as a natural form of defense. Two thick curved tusks grew from the sides of its mouth, and its aura carried the intense hunger that it felt.

When Noah neared the livable area, the Steeled Boar came out of its lair and shot in his direction. Noah didn't even need to search for the creature anymore at that point. He could hear the noise created by its heavy steps from kilometers away.

Noah activated his innate ability as he turned toward the creature. His fingers took the shape of claws that he didn't hesitate to slash at his opponent. Yet, lines shone of the creature's body when the inheritance sensed that Noah had relied on the sharpness in his aura to launch that attack.

The black line that came out of Noah's hand crashed on the Boar's head without doing any damage. The inheritance was boosting the creature's physical might since Noah had tried to cheat.

The Boar also accelerated during its charge. The empowerment given by the inheritance had allowed the creature to gain an explosive speed that made it crash directly on Noah.

Noah couldn't avoid that blow. He could only stretch his arms and make sure that the creature's tusk wouldn't hit his body or any vital point.

The impact flung Noah away. He couldn't fight the creature while the inheritance empowered it. He had to wait and perform evasive maneuvers to deplete the surplus of energy that was filling the Boar's body.

The shining lines eventually vanished, and Noah could finally dive back into the fight. He didn't use any trick at that time. He charged directly at the Steeled Boar and used his fists, legs, and teeth to overcome the beast with the only method allowed in that trial.

The battle soon transformed into a test of endurance. The Boar couldn't suffer much damage since its skin protected it from most blows, but its internal injuries began to accumulate as Noah's assault continued.