Mutual Exchange

Clang—!

The sound of metal violently colliding erupted, accompanied by a shockwave that kicked up clouds of dust.

Still within the ruins of that same battlefield, Faust was locked in a duel with a tall, burly Hollow. This one was clearly of a higher rank than the others, clad in thick, sturdy plate armor that still shimmered with the faint light of runes despite having endured countless bloody battles.

Never-extinguishing embers burned along the edges of its tattered cloak and breathed through the gaps in its armor. A dense crest of feathers atop its helmet draped over its shoulders like long, ash-white hair.

Clang, clang, clang—!

Every strike of the crisp, frequent exchange sent out visible ripples of force. The heavy, rain-like blows made Faust's arms go numb, yet he was excited beyond measure.

It had been a long time since he had fought such an exhilarating battle. Although the prince was not exactly a battle maniac, having inherited the better part of the 【White Court martial saint】 path, how could he be anything less than a competent warrior?

Especially here, in the unrivaled Falling Golden Age—a trial ground that belonged almost exclusively to him. No one else had such a miraculous opportunity to trade blows with enemies from the Golden Age.

In the high-intensity clash, Faust eventually gained the upper hand. He lunged forward, closing the distance to the tall Hollow knight in a single step.

Thud—!

A straight punch slammed into the knight's face, sending out ripples of pressurized air. Under the strike that made even the atmosphere tremble, the tall Hollow teetered. It quickly retreated, sinking its knees low and holding its greatsword horizontally across its chest, becoming as still as a statue.

“Here it comes...”

Faust immediately grew alert. He had been killed by this finishing move several times already. If he could hold his own in a regular exchange, he was utterly helpless once this move was unleashed.

A single strike, as swift and lethal as a flash of light, would result in his decapitation, bisection, or being run through!

Boom—!

The Hollow knight's stillness felt like an eternity, but in reality, it lasted only a heartbeat before its figure vanished from the spot.

With a thunderous crack, layers of sonic boom clouds suddenly appeared where the knight had stood. The fragile earth beneath its feet disintegrated into fragments before being blasted away by a powerful impact. A howling gale accompanied the coming blade!

However, Faust's repeated challenges had not been in vain.

The veterans of the Golden Age were all pure stat monsters, truly strong in a simple and unadorned way. Yet, the path system was not entirely useless; it at least had its merits in terms of mechanics.

The 【martial saint】 path could be fully nourished through combat. If one was constantly subjected to an opponent's moves, it was possible to secretly learn their battle techniques.

And this move had already been recorded in the prince's status panel.

【Steel-Cutter of the Divine Hymn】

【A sword technique said to have been created by the smiths who forged greatswords to carve through mountains. Even the majesty of a thousand peaks could not withstand the fervor of the son of man.】

【With this technique alone, we offer bare iron and glowing silver to our God and Lord, for we shall build His kingdom upon the earth.】

【Our concentrated will is enough to pierce through solid rock.】

There was no logic to it; if anyone asked, it was simply the mechanics. Regardless, he had stolen this battle technique full of the beauty of stats. This was what one might call a mutual exchange.

Because he had mastered it, the move that had previously killed him in an instant now had a trajectory Faust could roughly perceive. At the critical moment just before the blade could claim his head, Faust seized the opportunity.

Parry!

The parry, which required extremely strict timing, was successful. The tall Hollow's aggressive finishing move was directly blocked. Faust's gauntlet deflected the blade, and he immediately followed up by snatching the heavy sword from the knight's hands.

Pshhh—!

While the tall Hollow knight fell to the ground in a state of stun, Faust plunged the stolen heavy sword into its chest cavity and violently ripped it open.

Having suffered such a heavy blow, the tall, burly Hollow finally stopped moving and collapsed.

“Huff... huff...”

Faust panted heavily, sitting on the ground to relax.

Over the past few days, whenever he had free time, he would enter the dream to kill. It was difficult to maintain a sense of time here; he simply repeated the same actions endlessly—slaying, hacking, and piercing every Hollow he saw!

He hacked apart twisted beasts made of stitched corpses with a greataxe; he impaled trampling centaurs with a spear; he cut down elite, fully-armored knights with a longsword...

Naturally, on such a vast battlefield, there were plenty of enemies stronger than Faust who had killed the prince several times.

But it didn't matter. Having grasped the beauty of stats, even if Faust couldn't win temporarily, he could just keep at it. Through the curse, he could eventually win in a fit of rage.

After all, enemies who had turned into Hollows could never improve again. Their hatred and malice were fixed at the moment they lost their sanity. Faust, however, could experience an overwhelming, explosive fury. Even if it lasted only a moment, it was enough.

Using that brief moment of rage, he could use absolute stats to ruthlessly trample and crush his opponents!

The curse granted Faust nearly infinite endurance. The only thing limiting him was mental fatigue, but even that was hardly a concern. Faust didn't feel the slightest bit of boredom.

Because what truly drove him was the joy of growth.

Through constant observation, familiarity, and personal experience, Faust's skills were growing at a rapid pace. The last time he had developed this quickly was when he was being pummeled by Teacher Mystoria.

【You have finished clearing this Forging Altar. Hmm... not bad. It was faster than I imagined. Well? Do you need to expand the dream for further trials?】

“Mephisto, how much more have you prepared?” Faust asked.

【As long as you are willing, I can weave the entirety of this falling era. You could not explore it all even in a lifetime.】

【It is still early in the outside world. Do you wish to continue training? I intend to project some fiends next.】

Learning extensively within a dream was no easy feat. The weaver of the dream had to fully understand all the information, a condition so strict that almost only a fairy could achieve it.

This was something only a fairy could do. In other words, it was Faust's exclusive benefit.

The prince of Qingxi nodded with satisfaction.

“No, let's withdraw for now. Even when training, one must balance work and rest.”

...

Faust woke from the dream. Just as he was about to stretch his limbs, he realized he was held in a warm, soft embrace.

Shifting his gaze, he saw Yusewood's cold yet beautiful face, looking as though she were immersed in a wonderful dream.

That face, as dignified and radiant as an elf's, looked exceptionally sweet at this moment. Her arms were locked around Faust like he was a large stuffed doll, her shameless cushioning squeezed and deformed against him.

Her silver-gray hair was scattered across the bed, adding a touch of lethargy to the princess. The unique fragrance of a young girl wafted into his nose.