Within a thousand years, all were able to kill a level 74 monster on their own easily. Now, it was time for the hardest time to fight up since silver section. Gold-section to diamond section.

It would be necessary, though. You had to kill a level 85 monster to reach diamond-section because of compression, and I needed diamond-section. After the tournament, I would grind to level 80, but until then, I needed to train the nobles. Now, all the nobles were masters of their weapons, but not truly masters. For the next few thousand years, I would teach them how to manipulate essence. Manipulation of essence was an essential skill. I had heard something about all people who got a legendary class knowing how to manipulate essence.

After all nobles had started killing those extremely weak level 74 monsters with ease, but were unable to kill a level 75 monster solo, I brought them all into my house again.

"Now, it is time that you learn the true building block of reality: essence.

"Idiot Earthling scientists or whatever called the building block of everything atoms. Later, they found that those were made of electrons, neutrons, and protons, or whatever. And that was made of leptons and quarks or some idiot nonsense.

"However, that field they called physics isn't useful. As most of you have discovered by now, it warps under immense pressure. Otherwise, how would it be possible for an attack at negative 500 degrees or colder?

"The true building block of reality is essence. Leptons and quarks or whatever are actually made of essence.

"However, it is not possible for even the most powerful god to control essence physically. Doing so would be a move like what did you call it made? Oh, now I remember, Don Quixote.

"No idiot level 0 can destroy all windmills, and similarly, no idiot level 73 can manipulate essence physically.

"Instead, essence exists in multiple dimensions. Even a level 1 can tap into the other dimensions.

"There exist many dimensions. Essence makes up all, yet it would be a fool's endeavor to manipulate essence in all dimensions except one, although you can tap into any. Only within the first dimension, the true dimension, can essence be manipulated.

"However, to enter the other dimension, your consciousness must leave this dimension. Not even me, your great Emperor, can manipulate essence while fully within this dimension.

"To manipulate essence, one must understand what essence is, on a fundamental level. To understand essence , you must understand health, mana, and stamina.

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"By this point, you are accustomed to blue boxes. Have you ever really thought about health, mana, and stamina, though?

"Cast a skill. You can feel the mana coming out of your body with mana sense. However, mana exists within your body.

"Cast a channel spell. Feel the mana inside moving from your heart to other areas.

"That should be easy. Go to the training room, and cast all your spells. However, don't focus on your spell's performance. Feel your mana moving through your body. It will move within some pathways. I want you to cast your spells enough that you have a perfect map of your pathways. Come to me, your great Emperor, once you have memorized all your pathways by heart."

I left those piddling nobles to memorize their pathways. It would take a while, and that was only the first step to understanding essence. After that, I'd have them feel the experience when killing monsters.

After that, I'd get their consciousness to lock onto their pathways. They'd be able to access the true realm at that point, but basically as a baby.

After that, I'd have them practice moving essence and all that stuff.

I tried the seed of eternal truth again, but got no farther.

I did a quick scan for resistances against me. The elf was handling any problems that cropped up, though.

I went onto Venus. I crushed a few of those level 85 bosses, but then I decided Venus needed some level ups. I went into its core, and then started pouring my whole mana regeneration into it.

I was just alone with my thoughts, with no cultivation to be done, no work for the Empire to be done, or nothing. I was just alone.

Alone in life.

That was the somber reality. Ever since leaving Holthar, I had had no one that had half a brain for cultivation.

Sure, there was that elf, but the elf seemed more like a betraying opportunity seeker. If a large empire attacked, the elf would probably betray the Empire.

Why?

Why had it all happened? Why, and how, did I get teleported to this desolate slum? How did the first race come?

I began to see visions. Someone on an altar. A diamond-section standing over them, manically laughing. That person dying a thousand deaths, each worse then the previous one.

The first one was a quick beheading.

The 999th one was a large monster of pure blood appearing, killing the person over millions of tortured eons.

The thousandth one was a simple beheading. Blood wrote on the wall, "Young one, I have been looking for you."

An eerie shadow crept into the room. It spoke, slowly and softly, with a large echo. Eerie.

"Young one, you are the chosen of Almthar. Your fate was decided the day you were born.

"I, Ylmthar, am here, because for all your life, I have been constructing your death."

I had enough of this bullshit. I swung my hammer.

A shield of pure shadow blocked me. "Pathetic attempt, young one."

I tried to remember that name. Almthar, Almthar, Almthar. I finally remembered it.

What the fuck?

Almthar didn't exist. Everyone knew that.

It was some myth that up to level 200 existed, but only two had ever reached it: Almthar and Ylmthar.

Almthar was the embodiment of life. Ylmthar was death.

Each had a chosen, who would fight.

I repeated the a chant. "Almthar holthak Ylmthar."

I was in a pure white area.

"Welcome to the realm of light, chosen of The Above One." It was a voice I recognized.