Chapter 264
Erased (2)
There was also another reason IAM suspected that he had met that being.
He slowly looked around the room, his eyes scanning the quiet space as if searching for something. Then, raising a hand to his head, he closed his eyes and focused inward. In that instant, he became certain.
Even without using his Avien, he could feel it. The presence within him—his core. It was deep in his brain, unaffected by whether or not his Avien was active.
He remembered once asking the others about their progression along their paths.
As explained before, as one ascended through the levels, the difficulty of progression grew drastically—the higher one climbed, the harder it became to move forward.
The Novice Level, they'd said, was the easiest. The first step. It was where everyone began, when one was still, for all intents and purposes, almost no different from a normal person—just slightly stronger, their body faintly reinforced by the steady flow of mana. It was the point where most began to understand their limits, the fragile line separating them from true ascenders.
It was also the foundation on which everything else was built, the first and simplest step on a long and difficult climb.
As one progressed through the Novice Level, their body would gradually grow stronger, the reinforcement of mana becoming more stable and refined over time. By the time they reached the peak—around ninety-nine percent—the average Novice ascender was already physically stronger than nearly eighty-five percent of normal people in the world. It wasn't an overwhelming difference, but it was enough to mark the clear boundary between ordinary humans and those who had stepped onto the path of ascension.
IAM had asked the others about this out of curiosity. He had wanted to know how quickly geniuses advanced compared to the average person.
Since the topic didn't touch on the deeper aspects of their Paths or individual concepts, and because he was already an experienced ascender himself, they had been more than willing to share what they knew.
Keeping in mind that this was still the Novice Level—the easiest stage to progress through—Reuel's pace had been remarkable. He was already at twenty-eight percent.
Henry himself was a bit higher, sitting at thirty-one percent—a figure that was just as impressive, especially considering how much of his time was spent training with his sword rather than focusing purely on advancement. His growth reflected steady effort and discipline, and even among talented individuals, that was rare.
Then there was Yohan.
His results had raised more than a few eyebrows when they were first shared. The others had looked at him as though he were something beyond normal comprehension—a freak of nature, and perhaps that wasn't too far from the truth. His progress stood at a staggering fifty-seven percent!! Twenty-nine percent more than Reuel and twenty-six more than Henry.
It was at that moment IAM realized why people were called geniuses. Not because they all excelled in the same way, but because each of them possessed something unique that elevated them above the rest. Yohan's strength, clearly, lay in his deep understanding of his Path—his ability to grasp and apply its essence faster and more effectively than anyone else.
Still, IAM knew that being fast did not necessarily mean being stronger. Once others caught up to the same level, the difference often faded. Advancement speed could open a gap, but it couldn't maintain it forever. Even the one who still held the record for advancing from Novice to Experienced the fastest wasn't remembered as the strongest ascender in history.
Even so, Yohan's progress was incredible—perhaps even record-breaking if he maintained that pace. He might very well surpass the old mark. But IAM knew that progress always slowed near the peak, at ninety-nine percent, and even if Yohan reached that point sooner than anyone else, he would likely fall short of IAM's record. After all, IAM had surpassed it himself—but not through his own abilities.
Especially when compared to his own progress back in the Hold, the difference was striking. In those two months, his progress in the Novice Level had only reached about seven percent. It wasn't bad—not by any means—but it wasn't particularly impressive either.
There had been many reasons for that. The constant danger of the Deadline creatures, the harsh and unstable environment of war, and the complete lack of proper guidance or structure—all of it had likely slowed him down. In truth, it was possible that he had grown even more than the numbers showed, but under those conditions, it had been impossible to measure anything accurately.
Now, as an Experienced ascender, things were different. He had stability, direction, and a better understanding of what he was doing. He was pushing himself harder than ever, and he could clearly see the difference in how much more difficult it was to progress at this stage.
Even after several months, his progress sat at only three percent—a small number on paper, but in reality, it reflected significant improvement compared to his earlier pace as a Novice.
Before all of this, IAM had already accepted that he was in for a long journey. He knew it would take time, and he had no doubts that the others would eventually catch up and even surpass him. But then…
When he had woken up, something had changed. There was a distinct pressure—an unfamiliar weight of understanding—resting deep within his core, as though it had always been there. And when he focused on it, he realized what it meant.
His progress had jumped by ten percent!
At first, it might not have sounded like much, but in truth, that amount was enormous. It was the equivalent of more than a year's worth of progress—achieved in a single step. Just like that, he had saved himself over a year's time.
When he added it all together, he was now at thirteen percent.
It was because of this that IAM became certain he had encountered that being. The realization settled heavily in his mind, the pieces fitting together too neatly to be coincidence. The last time something like this had happened was when he had died—at the hands of Mr. Graveyard.
Back then, it had been that very same being that brought him back to life, and when he had awakened afterward, his progress had inexplicably soared to ninety-nine percent in the Novice Level.
Now it had happened again—another sudden surge, another unexplained leap forward that made no logical sense. The pattern was undeniable.
It was easy to connect the two. If such a phenomenon had repeated itself, then there was only one explanation.
He must have met it again.