Mana is the manifestation of will.

A will to do something being revealed in an intangible form. According to its use, it was referred to as magic, skills, blessings or abilities.

A strong will required a strong mana but there was a limit to how much will a human could output. For example, it was difficult to add an unprecedented amount of mana into the act of simply smacking someone on the back of their neck, which was why Yu Jitaes Knifehand Strike remained as a D-grade skill.

Ever since the New Era,

The tower of mages located in Northern Europe, commonly referred to as the Silicon Valley of magic engineers, Blue Belt, the centre of magic research discovered something strange during their investigation into skills and magic.

A stronger will required more mana but there was always a wall blocking the way. And once one was to increase the size of their will and overcome that wall, they discovered that the efficiency of their magic would explosively increase.

They discovered 6 walls which they decided to measure with grades.

From the bottom, it was E, D, C, B, A and after the last wall was S grade. Added to that were SS ranked authorities which only sovereigns could access and with several restrictions at that

Later, more objects from other worlds flowed in as more dimensional fissures opened and people realised that intellectual beings of other worlds were also using similar types of grading systems.

Kikril, Kataran, Kutra, Kotrin although they used different words, it was just a different way of expressing 6 walls and 7 grades. This proved that the magic research of Earth had reached the foundations of mana and magic to some extent.

However, there was something strange they also found. Going through the record of a certain Level 5 artifact discovered in a dimensional fissure, they came across a grade higher above the Kulyata (SS) grade.

The superhuman researchers of the time were shocked. Even the sovereign of Earth, Witch Valentine, couldnt proceed after placing a foot into the boundaries of SS grade. Back then, the witch had talked of how it was a world too high for me to climb.

So how could there be a grade above SS?

But despite their repeated research, humans couldnt even come up with any concrete statements about the SS grade let alone what was above (Because the witch, who was the only one in that grade, was scared of human experiments and ran away). In the end, the rank above SS was left an unsolved mystery.

Countless magic engineers and mages struggled to hold back their curiosity.

SS grade alone had the power to shake the entirety of Earth. The reason why the International Superhuman Association could exist, with its nonsensical principle of not allowing other nations to interfere with their military, was because of one individual the witch.

So what could be the EX grade that exceeded all of those grades?

<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] scolds the Authority, [Key (EX)].>

<[Key (EX)]: WHY>

<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] suggests to hide its unnecessary presence.>

<[Key (EX)]: NO>

<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] scolds the Authority, [Key (EX)] again to protect the mortal.>

Kong kong! The white bird constantly drove its head into the leg of the large mechanical human. It was a childish appearance, considering that it was the target of the human races long-time curiosity.

That had been his thoughts on the matter when seeing Vintage Clock.

But looking at the large mechanical human in front of him made him change his mind. The guy had a status and presence fitting the size of its authority.

That was the pinnacle.

The ones he had been faintly sensing from the distance those monsters that decided on the standards of the world were all large and great, so it was Vintage Clock who was the size of a small white bird that was the odd one out instead.

In any case, an authority like that couldnt affect him physically in any way. He was just feeling fatigued by his mind being suppressed by it.

Around 10 centimetres behind the white birds back, a dimensional gap with a length of dozens of metres appeared as a large weapon left from within.

This pair of scissors that had the hour hand and the minute hand of a clock as its blades showed off a presence similar to [Key (EX)] as it slowly revealed its mighty body.

This large pair of scissors with unmatching blades was the [Connection-severing blades]. It was the tool Vintage Clock used before rewinding the worlds time, to cut off the flow of the world.

<[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ( ) >

<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] threatens the Authority, [Key (EX)], its friend.>

Soon, the hour hand and the minute hand of the scissors flew up and headed to a certain part of the mechanical construct.

<[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ( ) >

<[Key (EX)]: OH.>

<[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ( ) >

<[Key (EX)]: OHHH>

<[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ( ) >

<[Key (EX)]: NO.>

<[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ( ) >

<[Key (EX)]: STOP>

<[Key (EX)]: OK>

<[Key (EX)]: OK>

Soon, the large presence of the authority vanished as a pair of yellow eyes appeared in front of Yu Jitae.

Its body was hazy under the veil of darkness.

It was a black cat.

*

From what Yu Jitae knew, EX-grade authorities each had one role and one ability.

Vintage Clocks role was to make sure dimensional records of various worlds like the Earth did not stop. And its ability was controlling the flow of time in specific dimensions, with several restrictions in place.

In other words, it could be seen that the time of this enormous dimension was being rewound by Vintage Clock alone, and that proved how godly an EX grade authoritys power was.

Then what was the ability of [Key (EX)]?

What are you.

[I am. Key. One who opens doors.]

The will of the black cat was conveyed straight into his mind.

Why did you come here?

[Vintage Clock. Requested. Open the basement doors.]

The jet-black cat swung its tail.

Fitting its name, it seemed to be a tool that opened things. He was curious what this basement was, when white bird opened its wings out wide.

<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] clarifies that the [Basement] is the name of the new [room] created inside Vintage Clocks Workshop!>

He did know what the new room was.

Back when he felt the authentic feeling of life once each from Bom, Yeorum, Kaeul and Gyeoul, Vintage Clock had mentioned the opened possibility of new growth, and called it a [room].

But now wasnt the time for him to concern himself with that.

Vintage Clock. You may open the doors of the basement later. Please take me to the top floor of the workshop.

The white bird blinked its eyes.

I must open the records of the dissection experiments of the hatchlings past the 4th iteration. Dont know why but my memories are hazy and I cannot remember them.

<[Vintage Clock (EX)]:?>

Why do you pretend to be clueless. Do you not know my circumstances yourself? There has been a big problem in the 7th iteration and my relationship with the hatchlings is crossing the line. I have never asked for such a process.

His memories of mistreating the green hatchling. For some reason, it wasnt a memory he defined as an iteration and was therefore very hazy, like a scene of a drama from a few years ago.

Thus, he was planning to remind himself of the plain atrocities he had committed and drop the affection he was feeling for Bom.

This was a very very important task.

Because otherwise, it might crumble the extensive zealous efforts of the Regressor in just one blow.

<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] states that the guest cannot stay for long, and requests to go to the basement first.>

The Vintage Clock then fluttered its wings and flew beneath.

It was not going to listen to him at all.

[Follow. To Basement]

When the black cat also started following the white bird, Yu Jitae looked at them going further away and had no choice but to move his body. Although discontent, he still followed them.

In fact he was also curious.

There was a life he had lived through. Though it might have been a wrong direction, the objective of his life had always been power. He wanted to become stronger.

After the 5th iteration, repeating at least hundreds of iterations, he became stronger and after becoming stronger than the strongest existences of Earth BM, Chaliovan, the witch and Oscar Brzenk, he began hunting sovereigns of nearby dimensions.

There, Yu Jitae hunted [Demon Archduke, Baal], [Black Dragon, Lugiathan], [Monarch of the Highest Heavens, Gaum], [Immortal, Shin], [Destroyer of World Tree, Yutahn] etc. By killing all the sovereigns near him, he absorbed their powers.

And at last, his power reached the limit of a mortal.

Even after that, he repeated dozens of lives, throwing his body into whatever possibility that could allow him to become stronger, but Vintage Clock had denied any possibility of growth in him. And yet in the 7th iteration, it was suddenly stating that there was a new possibility of growth.

He was doubtful since it didnt coalign with what it said before, but he was nonetheless curious.

What was waiting for him under this place?

If he were to become even stronger from here, what would he become?

*

There is no reference point in space and there is therefore no direction.

Despite that, after following Vintage Clock and Key, Yu Jitae realised that he was at a place low enough to be called the basement. There was a familiar door there it was a spitting image of Unit 301s door.

Although it felt a little strange, shortly after, he remembered that authorities existing in conceptual appearances tended to show up in a structure familiar to its target.

The original Vintage Clock wasnt actually a white bird. It did not have an actual body.

In any case, this door too was something he had never seen in the workshop. He quietly stood there as the will of the key flowed into his mind.

[Unlocked. May open. The door.]

Let me ask one thing before I go in.

[Rejected]

<[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ( ) >

The black cat sneaked a glance at the bird before slowly raising its body and walking towards him.

[Question. What is it.]

To you authorities, the word existence means the same as mortals. Is that right.

[Right. With conscience. Living in Providence. All disappear one day. Organics that die.]

Then can the thing inside make me live forever?

[That. Cannot.]

Yu Jitae had made an assumption, that him becoming stronger than this would make him into something other than an existence. He presumed that he might become a part of the authorities overlooking the world like Vintage Clock, but that seemed to have been a wrong assumption.

Got it.

Saying that, Yu Jitae pushed open the doors of the Vintage Clocks Basement. Inside he found 11 pillars resembling obelisks placed in an arc with 5 of those pillars lit up.

In the centre of the fan-shaped array of pillars was an altar and above it was a mysteriously formed solid resembling both a rock and a metal buoyantly floating in mid-air.

It looked like a rock crafted by men there was a regular pattern, as if there were multiple staircases attached to it. At the same time, like a crystal of a metal or mineral it appeared.

What is that.

He wanted to ask but both Vintage Clock and Key were tilting their heads in front of the obelisks, and it seemed that these authorities also had no idea.

That was when an illusion appeared in his mind.

Inside the illusion,

Yu Jitae was opening the door, walking into Unit 301.

A very small child with sapphire eyes and sapphire hair started tottering her way towards him with a worried look on her face. She was Gyeoul before shedding her skin.

He raised her up with an extremely natural movement. Gyeoul pulled down his clothes around the chest and confirmed the necklace woven with her hair and scales before glancing at him.

Then, she moved her tiny lips to ask.

Did somessing, happen?

Yu Jitae stayed silent, and baby Gyeoul asked again with a slightly more worried look on her face.

Un? Somessing?

Only then did he reply.

No. Nothing happened.

He then said with a genuine smile.

What about you.

That was the end of the illusion.

By the time he came to himself, he was back inside Vintage Clocks basement.

That illusion.

It was when he returned to the dormitory after fighting Noah in the masquerade. After wasting several months fighting Noah in his dream, he had been mentally fatigued and for the first time, he felt that fatigue melt away after returning to the dormitory.

Wearing a frown, Yu Jitae glanced nearby. There were four lit up obelisk pillars apart from this one.

He laid his hand back on the white obelisk and looked at the recollection with Gyeoul. He wondered why this memory would be here and pondered before coming to a realisation.

<[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ( ??`)???>

[Curious. What is it]

In the 7th iteration,

It was the first time he felt genuinely happy.