“…Wow.”

A girl with striking golden hair, as if spun from fine threads, and vivid blue eyes let out a small exclamation.

Thud! Boom! Thud-thud-thud!

“How is it even possible to do that while holding something like that?”

[Indeed….]

The two—one a living girl, the other a ghost—were completely stunned.

The girl and her ghostly companion had stopped by their neighbor’s house to greet the owner, who had finally returned after being away for over two weeks.

The girl had gone out of her way to tidy up her usually unkempt hair and even put on makeup for the occasion, excited at the thought of meeting and possibly chatting with him.

…She even secretly hoped they might have dinner together.

However, the neighbor, whom she was seeing for the first time in two weeks, had a rather unexpected request for her.

Her reaction to that request was:

“What?!”

It was a somewhat foolish response, but honestly, who wouldn’t react like that after hearing such a request?

Thud!

“He lifted it again. That thing.”

The girl, Irene Windler, couldn’t help but question the physical feasibility of lifting that object she had created herself.

A disk of compressed water.

It was roughly the size of a bull. No, calling it a disk at all was a misnomer. It was more accurate to describe it as a massive lump.

At first glance, it might appear light since it was made of water, but Irene, the one who had crafted it, knew better.

‘How many times did I compress that to get it into that shape, and yet he lifts it so easily….’

She had compressed the water of a flowing river more than twenty times to form it. This meant that its actual mass was far greater than it appeared.

The process had consumed half of her magical power—an amount that would be overwhelming for most mages. Considering that her magical reserves were double those of a typical mage, the feat was even more shocking.

The water lump was a marvel of magic, weighing 800 kilograms per piece. With two of them combined, the total weight came to 1,600 kilograms.

And yet….

“Phew, can you make it heavier?”

“A-Are you sure?”

“I can still manage.”

“…….”

The fact that the weight wasn’t even close to his limit left Irene utterly speechless. The idea that it felt “too light” was more surreal than the water itself.

‘He wasn’t exactly normal before, but now it feels like he’s become even less human….’

What had happened during those two weeks?

Irene’s curiosity grew.

“I’m sorry for bothering you with such tedious requests. I should’ve offered you a meal or a gift in return first….”

Perhaps worried he’d inconvenienced her, he looked genuinely apologetic. Irene quickly shook her head to reassure him that wasn’t the case.

“It’s fine! …But dinner does sound nice.”

“I’ll treat you to something great next time.”

“Hehe.”

Thud!!

As the weight increased again, the ground beneath him caved in slightly.

Each lump now weighed 1,000 kilograms.

Moreover, the bar supporting those water weights had to endure their immense mass, bringing the bar’s weight to an additional 300 kilograms.

In total, the barbell now weighed 2,300 kilograms.

“Add another 700 kilograms.”

“…….”

Now it was 3,000 kilograms.

Irene’s jaw dropped once more as he casually…

Crack!

…lifted the colossal barbell.

He looked like he was exerting some effort, but still…

“----.”

He began performing squats.

Three tons.

He completed 10 sets of 30 reps.

“…….”

[Suddenly, I’m convinced that the pyramids were built by humans.]

“…Me too.”

Watching this, they were certain the pyramids must have been built by humans.

However, they felt the need to make one correction:

‘Our instructor could probably build a pyramid by himself.’

With near-religious conviction, Irene stared in awe at the man she admired—not just a strongman but…

‘Heracles seems like a more fitting term.’

Ssss…!

She watched the living embodiment of Heracles, his muscles dynamically rippling as though alive. Unconsciously, her lips parted as if she were salivating.

…Am I just really hungry?

Ihan noticed the young mage’s subtle drool from the corner of his eye and thought to himself that perhaps he shouldn’t work out for so long.

‘Hmm, next time I’ll just call that magic slave kid instead.’

With a mix of guilt over bothering a young girl who should be out having fun and a resolve to buy her a nice dinner since she seemed hungry, Ihan resumed his barbell squats.

Apologies were apologies, but when the opportunity to train presented itself, one had to seize it!

Lift!

Hoo!

Ihan mentally roared as he hoisted the water barbell.

It was the signal to activate [Diamond Body] instantly. In 0.5 seconds, his entire body was reinforced.

However, since he wasn’t yet fully proficient, the activation sometimes stretched to over a second. When that happened—

Creak!

…His body would scream in protest.

“Ugh.”

Fortunately, his body was durable enough to endure “this level of weight,” and he still felt it was manageable.

The real problem, however, was…

…Dizzy.

Repeatedly activating [Diamond Body] during such strenuous exercise was taking a toll.

Throb!

A sharp pain ran through his head.

Using [Diamond Body] even once required a considerable amount of mental focus. Reinforcing his body like armor might sound simple, but in practice, it was anything but.

In fact, it was one of Ihan’s most complex techniques. Combining it with exercise was…

…Like riding a unicycle on a tightrope while carrying an angry zebra on my back.

The sheer amount of focus required was overwhelming, leaving him lightheaded and constantly on the verge of making a fatal mistake.

Yet, without [Diamond Body], lifting three tons repeatedly would push even him past his limits, significantly reducing the risk of injury.

Most importantly, though…

This is the right path.

He had reached the limits of developing his body using traditional methods. It was time to challenge himself with bolder, crazier approaches.

Especially after…

Witnessing a body like his.

The recent events had introduced him to someone with a physique far beyond his own.

Maximus. A man with a divine golden body, the pinnacle of physical perfection.

His strength and reaction speed overwhelmed Ihan’s abilities in countless ways.

Would you believe someone could match the speed of an arrow with just the force of their stride?

…Unbelievable.

Yet, it was precisely because Maximus was so exceptional that Ihan found inspiration in him.

After fighting him, Ihan had gained a clearer sense of direction for improving his own body.

He would increase his muscle density—a goal he had always pursued.

But more importantly, he would focus on something deeper:

The unification of skill and body.

He would move with the precision of an arrow in flight.

He would maintain [Diamond Body] at all times, even in daily life.

He would master Split-Fist Tiger Stance to the point it became as natural as using his own limbs.

This meant,

‘It’s time for a complete transformation.’

He was planning to induce an “artificial transformation” in his own body.

If his core skills were once active abilities, he intended to rework his body so they could function as passive abilities. This was the solution Ihan had arrived at, and he resolved to make the skills he had mentioned a permanent part of his body.

This was impossible before, but now that he had leveled up—whatever "Level 8" meant—he realized that the capacity of his body had expanded.

This wasn’t a reckless challenge; rather, it was simply taking on new challenges to match his increased limits.

‘The target is 10,000 squats.’

He was working to develop the strength to freely lift 10 tons.

And if he could accomplish that…

‘At the very least, no one will ever call me weak again.’

He would never lag behind anyone in terms of physical prowess.

Boom!

After finishing 10 sets, he carefully placed the barbell back down. Even so, the ground trembled beneath him, a testament to the immense weight he was dealing with.

Of course, the fragile ground beneath him wasn’t at fault.

“Phew, next is barbell lunges.”

The day’s workout wasn’t over yet.

As for the weight…

‘Let’s add another 500 kilograms.’

It was a moment of challenge, testing how much he could handle with [Diamond Body] activated.

But then—

“Knight!”

“…Maid?”

Thud.

Ihan quickly lowered the barbell when he saw a woman approaching. If he accidentally bumped her while lifting, she could get hurt.

‘Hmm, will she be okay?’

Considering her mysterious durability, she probably would, but Ihan shook his head.

Regardless of anyone else, he didn’t want to take risks with her.

Radiating a cheerful energy and a smile so bright it seemed to freshen the air around her, Leyra Winter approached, holding a newspaper in both hands.

“Hehe, Sir Knight, I brought you the newspaper you wanted!”

“You brought it?”

“Yes! I bought it right after it was published at the royal city’s newspaper office!”

“Why go out of your way? It would’ve been delivered later.”

The royal city’s newspaper office was about 10 kilometers away from his house. How had she managed to buy it and bring it here?

Judging by the warmth of the ink, the newspaper couldn’t have been published more than five minutes ago.

‘Could I even run 10 kilometers in five minutes?’

Even if he could, it wouldn’t be possible to arrive without sweating at all.

Yet somehow, with Leyra, it didn’t seem impossible.

Watching her, Ihan couldn’t help but wonder:

Perhaps instead of aspiring to surpass that “Black Lion” guy, he should be aiming to catch up to this maid.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Just… lost in thought.”

“You must be tired! Here, have some lemonade and lemon tart! They’ll help you feel refreshed!”

“…Thanks.”

Ihan silently accepted the lemonade, realizing that, yes, he was indeed tired.

If her peculiarities had started feeling like just another part of his daily routine, was that normal?

“Hm?”

─This tastes amazing.

It goes without saying that much had happened in the royal city during his absence.

As expected:

[The Collapse of the Southern Continent’s Largest Fertilizer Production Site!? What’s Next for the Kingdom?]

[A Royal Storm Approaches: How Will the Monarchy Address This Crisis?]

[The Shocking Truth: Was the Fertilizer Site a Hellhole for Prisoners?]

The largest fertilizer production site on the southern continent had crumbled overnight.

This collapse made it obvious that food production would soon plummet. Riots fueled by fear and uncertainty seemed almost inevitable, and the newspapers of the royal city churned out dozens of editions daily.

Journalists, as always, treated even the kingdom’s potential downfall as nothing more than fodder for sensational headlines.

However—

[“A substitute for fertilizer has already been prepared. To ensure smooth implementation, Princess Isis has announced plans to distribute it freely to farms….” Is this genuine hope or mere propaganda?]

This shocking announcement turned the tide of public opinion, enough to silence critics who had been predicting the kingdom’s doom. Some reporters were even pelted with stones for their earlier sensationalism.

The royal family—or rather, Princess Isis—had acted.

As if she had been waiting for the chaos and attention to peak, she introduced a new type of fertilizer.

Cheaper and more effective than its predecessor, this new fertilizer was revolutionary.

“Long live Princess Isis!”

“No, you fool! Address her as Crown Princess!”

“Ah, right. She’s the heir, after all.”

“Haha, the future of Pendragon looks bright.”

“Hey, isn’t that reporter the one who insulted the Crown Princess in his article?”

“Grab some rocks! That traitor deserves it!!”

Farmers and commoners alike were showering her with praise.

When they learned the old fertilizer had been made from monsters, they had felt disgusted and uneasy. Once they knew the truth, how could they continue using it?

Even though some of the old fertilizer remained, no one wanted to touch it. In this context, the princess’s new, easy-to-use liquid fertilizer was a godsend.

Not only was it highly effective, but Isis’s swift response and personal pilgrimage to reassure farmers made her seem noble and magnanimous.

The enthusiasm was only natural.

…But.

“Isn’t it the royal family who kept the fertilizer’s origins a secret?”

“They’re all in on it, aren’t they?”

“This came out way too fast. Could it be the royal family orchestrated the whole thing?”

Some skeptical voices still questioned the royal family’s motives.

The most damning fact was that the royal family had permitted the existence of the underground facility in the first place.

And yet—

“Look at these treasonous bastards!!!”

“Have you ever gone hungry?! You’re only saying this because you’ve never starved! Who cares if it’s made from monsters?! Fertilizer is fertilizer—it grows crops!”

“The royal family knew about it, sure, but didn’t they eat the same food grown with it? Even the royal farms used that fertilizer, so what’s the problem?”

Public opinion was swayed not by logic or rhetoric but by tangible results.

When people had personally experienced the benefits of the new fertilizer, complaints were drowned out by gratitude.

Considering that, a century ago, hundreds of people starved to death daily, what did it matter where the fertilizer came from?

“Well, even so!”

A few diehards persisted in their criticism, demanding accountability from the royal family.

To them—

“Are you saying the blame lies with the God-King who ascended to Avalon?”

“!!!?”

“If so, prepare yourself. While others might forgive, I won’t tolerate anyone insulting him.”

“Uh, uh… I didn’t mean it like that…”

The tunnels had been constructed during the reign of the God-King. Criticizing the tunnels was tantamount to blaspheming the man revered as a god in human form.

Insulting such a great king?

It was practically begging for death.

“Kill him! Burn that traitor alive!!”

This wasn’t just mob justice—it was divine retribution.

Thus, the situation was swiftly resolved, and Princess Isis’s position as the crown heir was solidified.

Truly….

“…What a terrifying woman. She’s playing everyone like a fiddle.”

Thinking about the woman orchestrating all this from her desk, Ihan felt a chill run down his spine.

…Not from exhaustion, but from fear.