Damn. A level 100 monster. A literal god was fighting me.

"Oh, sorry, that was a mistake."

A blast of light hit the monster, and it was then level 95. The light had somehow siphoned the essence.

I would learn that spell later. For now, the level 95 monster was more important. As it was shadow affinity, I started with a beam of pure light mana, condensed. It knocked the monster backwards, and I could feel it took severe damage.

It charged. My new high level armor should take care of some random diamond-section monster. I let it hit, and I felt a bone or two snap. However, I was an Emperor. I would not let this pain do anything.

I moved a few thousand health points to my broken ribs. They healed. However, it had had gone back.

Damn it.

I had missed my opportunity to do severe damage.

It was time for plan B.

I shot six beams of light at the monster. It visibly faltered.

Good.

I charged in like a buffalo with my hammer. Space itself warped under sheer pressure. Time ticked backwards, then forwards. After the charge, I was one second in the past-allowing me to get one free second of fighting.

All three of us, me the monster, and the king, fell to the ground. The king let out a few billion mana. "Sorry. Clicked the level 0 environment button." I wasn't paying attention. I was up, slamming the monster six times with my hammer.

"I enter the Realm of Shadow, and pull out the Essence.

A level 190 monster appeared. The king vaporized it with another beam.

"What the hell was that?"

"The monster's Mandate Phrase. No, that's too strong. I don't think it's possible, but it's probably its True Transcendence, to reach level 150. However, I've never seen one with a monster that isn't system section. Probably some sort of meddling, from the dark side. With me as the anchor of the realm...

"It shouldn't be possible. All seven chains of binding are complete. With a fully chained anchor, and clear true transcendence shadow meddling, it's probably a deviant anchor. No, that's not possible, as chains take a year of focused meditation, or upwards level battle, which is impossible at level 200, and last time, the chains were complete. It hasn't been seven years. Maybe a side anchor? No, there are no side anchors aside from the chosen, a level 84. It would have to be a level 195 side anchor, considering the -5 rule, and the over 100 rule. That would mean a familiar birth side anchor, which, considering the war, won't be possible. "

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That magic theory made no sense, it was just meant for scholars who would faint by the air movement of my hammer. What the actual hell was a side anchor. Still, the rant went on. I tuned out of that completely nonsensical rant, which had transitioned from true transcendences to side anchors to false ktulus to whatever nonsense the king thought of next.

"Anyways," I interrupted the king, "Hellish hounds from a false transcendence don't matter." That was what the king had ranted about next. Hellish hounds from a false transcendence. About the craziest magic theory in existence."

"Class is dismissed early. I need to figure this out. That was something that shouldn't possibly exist. I'll come get you once I'm ready."

I left the area, and went to the weight room. I would just do some normal stuff while I waited for the king to figure out whatever true transcendence or side anchor or whatever it was.

I was at the weight room. I went inside. There were only two other people there. One was using mana to lift the weights, and the other was properly lifting it. It seemed kind of bleak.

I set a bar to level 85, and lifted it, as a warmup. Within a couple minutes, I was mostly good, so I increased it by ten levels. It bore down on my hands hard. I did not falter. I was an Emperor. I would not succumb to this barbell.

I lifted it up.

One. Two. Three.

After ten seconds, I set it down.

I did a quick stretch for my arms, and then went at it again. One. Two. Three. Four.

I got to twenty before the pressure became overwhelming. I would not back down, though.

I stiffened my joints.

I managed to last a minute before I put it down.

My bones hurt like hell. It was like fighting, but there was no real risk. Bones hardly mattered-at this point, with instant healing, the only point was to raise the maximum strength. As stats were just an amplifier, the upper strength limit was just twice your normal strength. You couldn't manipulate your body to be any stronger with diamond section manipulation, as that would make strength completely irrelevant, and wrongfully push down stronger fighters. Diamond-sections could only manipulate their muscles to become twice as strong. That was how it was kept fair. However, if you worked out, your strength would go up, increasing the cap.

I would not falter. I set the barbell to level 100. The reason levels were used was that after level 35 or so, you had to plug in so many numbers into the formula it became easier to estimate your strength as the average strength of a certain level. And I would take luxuries. Sure, it was nice to know the formulas, to get exact amounts, but using levels didn't hurt.

The dumbell was unliftable. I forced all my mana and stamina into my hands to lift it. I was almost there. "I squash your life, and I reap your death."

Power like never before flew into my limbs. I lifted the bell over my head and threw it into the air. I raised it to level 115. It was somewhat a challenge.

I was burning twenty million stamina a plank time. I collapsed.

When I woke up, pain was coming from my whole body. I told it to shut up. That pain could go right away. I cleared my mind. People were standing all around me, constantly casting spells. A medic facility? "Go away."

Those people casting random spells at me could go right off. They had no right to cast random spells on me because I over tapped my stamina. I teleported right out of that building. While other buildings were typically gold, that one had been white, like hospitals on Earth. I didn't like the feel of it. I was the chosen. Those subjects had no right to annoy me.

The monster fighting areas on this planet were just hellholes, so I pretty much had nothing to do but go to the gym.

Or try my more mental cultivation aspects.

I went back to my room in the castle. I tried the seed of eternal truth. However, my mind wasn't focused much, and it failed. I decided I would try the True Transcendence thing.

I figured it was the next thing in the line of phrases to level up. It seemed hopeless right now. The last two had come in desperate battles. I just went to the gym, and worked out for the next two days. The king came.

"Come," he said. "There's a lot I need to talk to you about."