《The Villain has Perished》
Chapter 1 Prologue: Reincarnated #Once Again
?Tears streamed down my cheeks as my knees scraped against the cold, rugged ground.
I couldn''t describe my happiness at this moment.
It took 18 years for me to reach this step. For the past 18 years, it was nothing but continuous struggle. But, finally, I reached my goal.
Finally, I
"I am dead!"
It was a pain off my shoulders!
Hooray! Who knew death could be thisforting!
"Cease these foolish acts, this instant, mortal! We have allowed you to chooseCbecause your karmic value is nullCnot because we wish to witness such tomfoolery." A distinct voice entered my ears.
? Heaven
? Hell
? ???
A blue screen buzzed in front of me, as if telling me to get done with it.
Lifting my head, I scanned my surroundings. This was the ce I found myself in after my death.
Dressed in white clothes, and standing in front of the Judges of Afterlife, behind me was a long line of deceased souls, while in front of me was something I could only describe as a portal.
''Is that my neighbor, Mrs. Abaca? She looks hot even in death.''
Noticing a few familiar faces, thest moments of my previous life reyed in my mind.
''An asteroidCthat was supposed to pass by earthCsuddenly changed its course and crashed into the moon, tumbling the moon towards earth and ultimately wiping out humanity.''
Surprisingly enough, the notion of death wasn''t scary. Maybe I wasn''t afraid because this was the 2nd time I died?
''How did I die the 1st time, again?''
As I tried to rekindle those hazy memories, I realized I could barely recall anything from my 1st C my original C life. It seems spending 18 years in a new world and a new identity had affected me a lot.
"Choose your destination."
The voice of the head Judge echoed again, hurrying me to make a choice.
"Heav"
"Rejected"
My lips twitched at the swift rejection.
"Why? Isn''t it an option here?"
The judge at the helm of the Jury gave me a long look. When I thought I wouldn''t be receiving an answer, he pushed his sses over his round, hairy snot and grunted.
"Overpoption. Heaven has be too crowded. You should havee early if you wanted to go there."
Did he just say I should''ve died earlier?
''Huh, is it okay for a judge to suggest suicide?''
Looking at the options, I thought hard and decided. "Then Hell?"
Thest option was not exined, but I knew about it. It had a low chance of reincarnationand having learnt my lesson from 2nd lifeI wasn''t going to choose that option ever again!
Reincarnation sucks!
Repeat with me Reincarnation sucks!
I''d rather suffer in Hell!
''How bad can it be?''
The head jury yed with his whiskers and hit the table with his hammer. "Before you can sign up for Hell, you''ll need to do apulsory tour."
Thwap!
My vision flew out of my body and I saw people. A lot of people.
They were undergoing their punishment on River Agony and Suffering while being whipped by red-skin humans with horns.
But there was something wrong here.
"Ah~ More~"
"Harder~"
"Yes~ Just like that~"
"Harder!~ Harder!~"
The sinners were crying with blissful expressions. Rather, the horned beings were the ones suffering mental damage thanks to their entric personalities.
Thawp!
"Do you want to go there?" My vision flew back into my body and the head Judge asked again, this time rubbing his soft furry cheeks. "Centuries of punishment messes with the heads of people going there. You will also be like that in a few decades."
My hair stood on ends.
Hell no!
"Can I die again?"
"Why don''t you choose the third option? You might reincarnate and, if you are lucky, you will get one blessing." Amused, the Judge with the appearance simr to a goat spoke.
While the rat-like Judge, the head of the Jury, read something on air and nodded to himself, "An unfortunate ident, indeed. But fret not, the likelihood of the same possibility is near impossible."
''But not zero.'' I muttered in my mind.
The other 41 Judges, sensing something amiss, conjured my life report.
"No wonder he is refusing"
"He was reincarnated as a retard heh"
"With his memories of an adult and the brain of a child, it must have been hard to live"
"Oho? He even ate shit, thinking it was desert? I can see why he doesn''t want to"
Some looked at me with pity, some mocked while most were amused, but ultimately, they lost interest in a few seconds.
"It doesn''t matter. Mortal, you need to make a choice"
BOOOM!
"There you are, you bastard! What were you saying about my novel!"
A bewitching voice that could make anyone swoon interrupted the judge, followed by one of the walls of the hall being blown to smithereens.
Realizing that the voice I heard before I died was the same, I sneaked away while I could. The voice belonged to the ''God'' who brought the moon down as Divine Punishment.
"Where are you running?"
Sadly, my body was held in an airtight prison as the ''God'', aka author of the novel I cussed on the daily basis, caught me.
"Cough cough, My Lady, wwhat are you doing here?"
The head Judge was scrambling to find his sses, but the ''God'' dismissed him casually. "I''m taking him."
"But that person has to go through the cycle of nirvana. Even if it''s you, we can''t allow that, mydy."
''Tell her! Go! If you seed, I''ll give you an extrarge cheese slice!''
"That goes agains" He turned to me with narrowed eyes. "As you wish, mydy. I''ll handle the matters on our side."
T-this rat betrayed me!
''Forget cheese, I''ll use a rat trap next time!''
TakC takC
Staring down at me, the ''God'' tapped the armrest asionally.
She was the very embodiment of celestial grace and beauty. Her long, flowing hair was the color of soft rose, shimmering in the light of the heavens. It cascaded down her back and over her shoulders in loose, ethereal waves, framing her delicate features with an otherworldly glow.
Her gown was as white as the clouds that floated above, billowing around her in a gentle breeze that seemed to be of her own making. It flowed like a river of silk, trailing behind her in a long, majestic train. Her wings were the color of freshly fallen snow, with feathers that seemed to shimmer in the light, catching every hue of the spectrum in their iridescence.
''See what I did there?''
That''s the useless description talent I learned from thousands of novels! Fear my greatness, mortals!
"Me-meloine, what are you going to do with him?" Behind the Goddess was a white-haired boy roughly around my age, my age in my 2nd life that is.
With an air of arrogance around her, Meloine spoke with a smile that didn''t reach her eyes.
"Dear Reader ''SmarterThanEinstein'', youmented daily on my web-novel, didn''t you? I must say all of yourments were very ''encouraging''."
"Thements weren''t that bad."
Weren''t the readers free to express their opinions?
They were!
A passion of indignation was set aze in my heart but then I recalled how I died and doused those mes.
Mind you, I wasn''t afraid! This was only a temporary retreat!
Ѧd n?a| om Yes, it was a tactical retreat!
Melione read a few of myments.
"Ew, this protagonist there should be a limit to emo."
"Author, are you dumb? He can level up and has regressed once, but he can''t beat a low-level boss? Ptui! Useless Protagonist and useless author."
"No way, no way does he think he can kill a ''Dev'' with the power of friendship? Dude, use your System!"
"Author is an idiot. His imagination is smaller than a newborn''s little brother."
"Author is maidenless and fatherless. That must be whC"
"S-stop it, sis." The boy behind her turned beet red.
See, thements weren''t that bad!
"Isn''t it enough?" I gathered my courage. "You killed everyone. That should be more than enough."
Unlike what the news dered, the collision of the asteroid and moon wasn''t an ident.
How did I know this?
Before the asteroid changed its course, I received a message that said:
[For your crimes of infuriating this Goddess, your entire race shall receive Divine Punishment and perish!
-The Author of Re:Apocalypse]
The text messages weren''t supposed to have voice content but, at that moment, I took it as a harmless prank andughed it off.
"Of course not"
The goddess flung a piece of paper at me with a smirk.
"Choose your method of reincarnation."
? Gacha
? Wish
Gacha meant reincarnating with a random high-tier ''blessing''.
By taking the second option, one can receive anything they wish for. Yes, A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G.
Infinite mana, a system, necromancer blessing, waifus, supreme talent, you can ask for anything!
The catch was, whatever you ask for will be degraded by at least a hundred folds to make it ''fair''.
Of course, I was given the same choices in the past.
''Goddarnit! I''m not doing this again!''
"You''ll be reincarnated inside my novel." She was smiling mockingly, but excited nheless. "Dear reader, if it is you, you should be able to do better than my ''stupid'' and ''edgy'' protagonist."
Color drained rapidly from my face at the thought of reincarnating into that novel.
"You d-don''t mean I will be reincarnated into ''Re:SSS Rank Gamer in Apocalypse'', do you?"
Divine punishment!
Dare I say, to live in that hellish novel was worse than a divine punishment!
For what? I cursed the Author?
How was I supposed to know the author was a God!?
Rather, she should treat mevishly! I was the only one who read that dumb novel!
''I must convince her otherwise before she reincarnates me!''
"About the curses. They aren''t my fault." I couldn''t help but grit my teeth as I recalled my life. "This was my 2nd life, but I was born with the thinking capacity of a child, unable to tell right from wrong. It''s the fault of the angel who reincarnated me!"
Because the angel messed up, I lived my life as a dimwit.
What proof did I have?
''I read that damned novel! Why would a sane person do that?''
"What sphemy! ming angels of"
"Continue" Meloine cut off the white haired boy and threatened me. "If what you are saying is true, we willpensate you reasonably. A fault with angels is a serious issue. But if you are lying"
rackC
The armrest turned into dust at her mere touch.
I spoke with a firm tone, "The third option from the cycle of nirvana has a small chance of reincarnation. But reincarnation is guaranteed if you have an angel''s help."
Melione nodded at my words while barely suppressing her increasing excitement and beckoned me to continue.
She seemed greatly excited by the fact she was going to reincarnate someone inside her novel.
"The angel''s job is to set parameters for reincarnation. But the one with me didn''t take her job seriously!"
Only now I was realizing that the life I lived was worse than animals, and that angel was responsible for that!
And this wasn''t all! Speaking the next words made my blood boil.
"What was that ''Oh Saviour, please save our world'' crap! All she did was, reincarnating me in a world without mana!"
I was tricked, fooled, andpletely bamboozled!
''I swear if I ever get to meet that beetch again, I''ll make her pay dearly for it!''
Talk about being unfair! I had the strongest ability, but it was a world without mana!
A Normal World!
And as an icing on top, they turned me into a moron!
What part of reincarnation was lucky!?
"Hmm? Did I say something wrong?"
Raising my head, I noticed Meloine and the boy staring at me with strange expressions.
"Was that angel" Meloine turned to the boy with furrowed brows. "..me?"
The boy looked away and nodded. "He was the one you reincarnated half-heartedly after father kicked you out of the house."
My mind nked.
''Beetch''
And my mouth moved on its own.
"I will choose the 2nd method and my wish is"
Raising my arm, I pointed at Melione.
"Reincarnate with me."
Somehow, I was now looking forward to reincarnating.
Chapter 2 The Villain Has Perished
?"Did I reincarnate sessfully? But then where am I?"
Currently, I was standing in a vast expanse of white world. Everything around was pure white in color, making it difficult to judge the dimensions of the area I was in.
A screen appeared before me.
|| 02:10 minutes left before transfer ||
"I haven''t reincarnated yet?"
"Not yet. A problem urred and led to dy at thest second."
"Who''s there!?" My eyes widened at the unexpected answer. But, even after scanning the surroundings, I didn''t find anyone else.
"Pardon for the inconvenience. I should''ve introduced myself first. I''m Zagerus, the ''white-haired kid'' who was standing behind Melione, my elder sister."
Zagerus introduced himself while emphasizing on the words ''white haired kid''.
"That reminds me, where is Melione?" The corner of my lips curled. "I don''t see her anywhere."
Just recalling her protesting against reincarnating with me was enough to fill me with boundless happiness.
Hehehe If I''m going down, I will pull you down with me.
"She is here with you. I separated you two to avoid minor inconveniences to me."
Zagerus whispered thest part in a barely audible whisper.
"You have it hard too, huh."
Shockingly enough, my wish was given a green light. Of course, Melione protested, saying it was sphemy to dare such a wish.
She, in no way, wanted to enter her own world.
I could understand her. To give a brief reason, it was best for one to read the Synopsis of the novel she wrote.
The Multiverse has crashed.
The blessed have lost, failing to stop the eventual end.
Unable to conquer the Apocalypse, countless worlds have fallen.
As onest desperate attempt, the surviving worlds have been merged.
The final blessed, thest survivor from the World of System, the sole SSS rank Gamer, Jae-sung, has been summoned.
Jae-sung, who once stood at the peak of his own world, dominated the Apocalypse with his Gamer System.
The hero, however, was betrayed by the one he trusted the most at hisst step.
When everything seems to have ended, Jae-sung suddenly finds himself in the past, a few months after he was transmigrated into the World of Swords and Magic, before the worlds merged!
"This time I won''t fail! I won''t make the same mistake twice!"
Pledging to himself, the hero again walks towards the peak. This time, he won''t stop at any cost!
But was everything as simple as it seemed? Who are the ones behind the Apocalypse? How did the worlds merge? Who are ''they''?
Come walk the journey with the once hero turned rogue and find answers along with him.
The novel started with the protagonist, Jae-sung, regressing to the past in the World of Swords and Magic C one of the few worlds where Apocalypse had yet to begin.
In [Re:SSS Rank Gamer in the Apocalypse], every world faced their own version of Apocalypse and fell to it.
The apocalypses varied greatly. From [Zombies] of an urban world, to supreme beings like [Magic God, Solomon], to even [Aliens], [Venerable Heavenly Demon], [Magi Madoka Pulea], [Kaijus], [Advanced AI] and many more.
With the fall of countless worlds, the remaining worlds werebined for onest stand against the Apocalypses.
Yet, not only did the survivors not help otherworldlers, they also fought amongst each other despite havingmon enemies.
It was a chaotic world where enemies lurked everywhere and one wrong move could get you killed.
"Zagerus, am I going to regain my current memories after the Apocalypse starts or will I start from childhood?"
"I am not allowed to tell you that."
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I brooded.
Ѧd n?a| om ''If I get my memories from early childhood, the World of Cultivators is the best to gather skills. But if I get my memories when Apocalypse is about to start, I won''t have enough time to grow strong, the World of Swords and Magic is the most favorable candidate in that case.''
''Well, nothing really matters if the Apocalypse started already. By that time, all worlds would''ve merged.
Nodding to myself, I stared at Zagerus once again.
"Also, since Melione is counted as my wish, she would also be downgraded. Did I get that correct?"
"Indeed, that is what is causing a dy in your transfer."
Hehehe
My worries vanished instantly. Jumping on cloud nine, I could almost hear herining.
"Stop jesting! How can a mortal''s wish bring a Goddess'' fall?! Halt this foolishness this instant!"
I didn''t know I was into this kind of thing, but the frustrated voice of Meloine was healing my soul~ I could feel the years of humiliation and emptiness being washed away~
"ZAGERUS!"
With an angry bellow, a gust of powerful wind smashed into me and something akin to a curtain was lifted from my eyes.
Suddenly, I found new figures in this white world C Two, to be exact.
A silver, mist-like figure was floating in the air and talking to the golden figure made of fire.
"Elder Sister, this is the punishment father has decided for you. He wants you to learn to take responsibility for your actions."
"Even then, this is too much, that world"
"Nice to meet you, Miss Goddess~"
"It''s you!"
The moment our eyes met, she lunged at me.
Like a feral cat, she kept trying to kill meonly for her to pass right through my body, as if I wasn''t here to begin withand I continued to wave my hand with a beautiful and friendly smile in return.
"Why can''t I kill him!? I wouldn''t need to go there if he is no longer alive!"
"That''s because the two of your souls are now connected. None of you can kill the other and if one dies, the other will die too."
"What!? What kind of disrespect is this!?"
"Ha!? I never asked for this!"
Even I couldn''t help but shout in anger. I had no ns of killing Melionethere was no point to her reincarnation if she diedbut this wasn''t what I had in mind!
Sighing, Zagerus shook his head.
"You get what you wish for, mortal." He then turned to Melione. "Elder sister, this is your punishment. I won''t be hearingints any longer."
Slowly, the silver misty figure of Zagerus began to dissipate.
While we were yet to recover from the shock, Zagerus spoke in my mind.
''Human, do not think for one instant that no one has noticed your trickery.''
His voice wasn''t warm and cozy anymore, but cold and emotionless that would make one''s hair stand on end. I could feel a grim reaper breathing down on my neck, ready to devour me.
''Just because you masked your intent by calling it revenge, do not think you could fool me. I may have left elder sister with you, but if any kind of harmes to her because of you, you will regret being born.''
With that, his figure dissipated.
|| 02:10 minutes left before transfer ||
|| 02:09 minutes left before transfer ||
|| 02:08 minutes left before transfer ||
''Tsk, I got caught.''
The timer resumed shortly after.
Ignoring Melione, who was yet to ovee the previous bombshell, I sat with crossed legs, trying to calm my growing excitement.
It was true that the world of Re: Apocalypse was extremely dangerous, but it was marvelous too.
A strange yet mesmerizing world where magic, technology, history, cultivation, games, superpowers, and many moresbined!
It had endless possibilities.
The ever-expanding world was the reason I continued reading that dumpster fire.
I may have been an idiot in my previous life, but I could feel emotions, nheless. Day and night, I felt suffocated, as if something was restricting me, tying me, chaining me down. But I couldn''t pinpoint the reason.
The emptiness and sadness gnawed at me from inside, eating me alive.
I could''ve ended my misery by killing myself, yet I couldn''te up with something this simple too. Like I was living in a dream, I understood everything, but nothing at the same time.
''But I''m free now. I can do anything I want.''
Reincarnating in a world where death was always one step behind you?
I''ll take it.
I don''t care if I be an extra, a viin, or the protagonist himself. I will live for myself.
In this life, I won''t make the mistake of lying down. I''ll aim for the top!
|| 01:01 minutes left before transfer ||
|| 00:58 minutes left before transfer ||
"Why are you excited? Aren''t you worried about reincarnating in my novel anymore?"
"Nope~"
''Did she run out of gas already? But what is happening to her?''
The golden flickering mes of Melione were slowly dying, leaving a visage simr to mine. I caught a glimpse of a helpless smile on her face.
"Why do you think Gods allows reincarnation and gives them gifts?"
"Don''t know, don''t care. You can answer if you want, though."
"It''s for entertainment. They want to see strugglesomething they do not haveand thus they give gifts for an appropriate price."
"Price?"
"Did you honestly believe the blessings are free? There is always a drawback of proportional value." She looked at me with pity. "The cost of your blessing made you reincarnate into a mystic-less world with cognitive dissonance in your 2nd life, your blessing was that powerful. And this time you asked for a bona-fide goddess to reincarnate with you."
I raised my eyebrow.
"That sounds bad."
"...Bad? Only bad?" Angrily striding toward me, she red at me.
Her drop-dead gorgeous appearance was being revealed from inside the dying mes. It was hot, and I mean literally, the mes were yet to be dousedpletely.
"We will need to pay a price of the proportional value! We don''t know what it is! How are you so calm?!"
"What happened has happened. You can''t change the past." I shrugged. "Besides, I''m happy enough that I can think freely."
"You!!!"
|| 00:30 minutes left before transfer ||
While Melione was losing her mind and I was internallyughing at her, suddenly, a huge ck shadow ambushed us.
It angrily shouted at us.
"Mortals, I do not know who you are, but you dared to intrude upon my vessel?! Face my wrat"
Sat!
A crisp sound echoed as the angry young maiden in front of me swung her palm and made quick work of the intruder. The ck shadow burst into thousands of pieces at Melione''s p attack and disappeared into nothingness.
"There goes thest of my divinity."
"You should''ve asked its identity before killing it."
This ce wasn''t simple. In that regard, the ck shadow might be someone we shouldn''t kill. Not to mention, it called us intruders.
Unfortunately, Melione had recovered from her slump and reverted to her haughtiness.
"Hmph! Who dares to insult this goddess! Whoever they may be, they should know their."
<>
"..."
"..."
"I-it''s not that Solomon, is it?" Her voice was shaking as her neck turned toward me like a creaking door that hadn''t been oiled in ages.
I smiled back in response.
"It''s the same one."
Magic God, Solomon.
The leader of the 72 Daemon Kings and the final Apocalypse of World of Swords and Magic.
"T-then"
"We killed the final boss C who was supposed to turn into a new leaf and help the protagonist C on our first day."
F for us.
Chapter 3 The Villain Has Perished But Not His Family
?In a lush night illuminated by the pale moonlight, one could hearughter and multiple voicesing from the castle. The castle, outshining the moonlight by illuminating everything far and wide, drowned the surrounding silence with its festive atmosphere.
Inside, the banquet hall was decorated with tapestries, paintings, and ornate furnishing of the highest quality.
The nobles were dressed in their finest and most borate attire to showcase their wealth and social status. Just the fact that the Duke Lionel invited them to his banquet uplifted their social status by a dozen times.
"Will we get to meet all three new Lions today?"
"Maybe? I heard that the Wallowing Swordsman and Ice Princess have returned after negotiating with neighboring kingdoms. If so, we will see all the three heirs today itself."
"What about the Duke and Duchess?"
"Them too!"
"It will be my first time watching the strongest Swordsman of our Swordsmith Empire, the sole Empire on Kamera Continent! I wonder if Duke Aries Lionel"
"Hushh! It''s Duke Aries S Lionel. Don''t get the name wrong."
"ButC"
"Hushh! Hushh! Are you a country bumpkin? The Duke recently inherited his master''s name, and thest person who spelled his name wrong lost his tongue!"
"Ehehe, this is my first time here. It hasn''t been long since I inherited my father''s estate, so there''s much I don''t know."
The 2nd noble''s eyes glinted at the words ''not long ago'' and ''much I don''t know''. He spoke while hiding his greedy smile.
"Let me guide you in that case!"
"Can you? That will help a lot!" The 1st noble was almost jumping in happiness, not knowing he was in thepany of a wrong person. "Do youuhmknow why the Duke is having a banquet?"
Giving him a long hard stare for a few moments, the 2nd noble answered.
"To select his heirs for the Rite of Passage." The 2nd Nobel continued to speak before he could also question the Rite of Passage. "The Empire is searching for talents to send an expedition for the recently discovered 3rd continent, Spirit Continent."
"Thank you for telling me everything. I am Jae-sung Gildart." The blue-haired noble smiled back in politeness.
"That''s a unique name."
"Haha, I get that a lot."
The hall was filled with simr talks about the recently discovered continent, and the three heirs of the Duke.
Amidst all, the banquet table was the focal point of the room. It had exactly five empty seats. Two for the Duke and Duchess, and three for the heirs.
Tok Tok Tok
Silence engulfed the chattering hall as the sound of footsteps came from the top of stairways.
The Duke continued his descent. His steps radiated strength and confidence, with a powerful aura that demanded attention. His blonde hair and his beard simr to a lion''s mane further entuated his rugged and regal appearance, giving him an imposing and almost mythical presence.
Behind him were the duchess and the three heirs.
Among the heirs, the silver, snow-like hairs of the young woman and her perfectly sculpted figure drew the attention of almost every male in the hall.
At the same time, the gazes of women were ensnared by a young man and his lively appearance who walked beside the Ice Princess.
Finally, at the end, was another young man who strode forward lethargically. Ironically, although he had silver hair simr to his mother and elder sister, nobody was paying him any attention.
His appearance was entirely different from anyone in the banquet hall. His sunken cheek highlighted his weak constitution, while his twig-like limbs were shaking continuously as he walked.
The family settled on the table.
"Greetings and wee, esteemed guests.
Today I, Duke Aries S Lionel have invited all of you as a member of the nobility. I have been entrusted with great responsibility from the mighty crown, that is to choose the heir who will oversee the Rites of Passage.
This toast is for the discovery of the new continent and prosperity the Great, his Majesty!"
"Cheers!"
"Toast!"
"Let''s drink all night!"
"All night~ All night~"
The crowd drank their drink in one gulp as a form of respect to Duke, however
Clink!
nkC! nkC!
"Ackkk..ggh.."
The third heir suddenly dropped his drink and clutched his throat. Making weird noises, he fell and white foam escaped his mouth.
Silence
No one moved a muscle. They couldn''t believe what they had witnessed.
"Who." An oppressive presence spread into the hall, windows cracked, the furniture started creaking, everyone forgot to breathe and their bodies froze under the murderous gaze of the strongest man on the continent. "Did this?"
Gulp
The nobles who were conversing happily moments ago nced suspiciously at each other, fear evident in their gazes.
Before the nobles knew, the Ice Princess and Wallowing Swordsman were standing at the two exits, to stop anyone from escaping.
''Duke might not care about that trash, but this was a public assassination! He won''t let the murder go, or it will stain the Lionel Family name!''
''Lionel Family holds their pride as their most important possession! The assassin must have prepared to die if they dared to kill an heir of the Lionel Family in their banquet itself! ''
''Shit! Why did Ie here?! What if Dukes kills everyone here in rage!?''
''If I''m going to die anyway, I should dere my love for the Ice Princess!''
Fear leads to irrational decisions. Decisions one won''t make normally. But it seemed the night of surprises had yet to end.
Someone shouted.
"The third heir! He is alive!"
The third heir''s body twitched. His silver hair, that had been dirtied from the cuisine ced on the table, was slowly turning ck.
"Haaaaaah! Haaah! Haah!"
Under the shocked gazes, the third heir opened his eyes while hungrily devouring the air. Wiping the white froth, he scanned his surroundings with a calm gaze. An eerily calm gaze.
pnd,no?1,o "Sol, are you alive?"
A tear fell from the duchess'' eye.
Raising his head, the ck-haired young man looked at the duchess with unfamiliar eyes and slowly nodded.
"Yeah, I"
"Kyaa! It''s ck hair!"
"A fiend has possessed the third heir!"
"He used ck magic toe to life!"
"It''s a devil!"
"I love you, senorita!"
Amotion erupted at the transformation of his hairs. The crowd was shaking intensely as they stared at him.
Suddenly, the third heir grabbed his head as if he was in intense pain and closed his eyes. His eyes were moving rapidly behind the eyelids.
"Silence!"
A singlemand from the Duke brought the crowd under control, again.
"Sebas, bring Sol to his room."
A butler appeared from the Duke''s shadow and bowed. He helped the third heir C who had lost consciousness and brought him away.
The Duke turned back at the crowd.
"Do not think for one instance that I will let anyone leave until I find the culprit!"
He roared angrily, however, his true thoughts were different.
A smile was threatening to break into face as he reyed the scene of ''his'' third son''s ck hair.
''Your Majesty Solomon, finally you have awakened.''
Pushing the windows open, I bathed in the gentle embrace of dawn. I then stood in front of the mirror inside my bedroom and gauged my reflection.
A young-man with ck hair greeted me. He had sunken cheeks and a ghostly paleplexion. Needless to say, if someone told me this young man was on his deathbed, I would agree with you in a heartbeat.
Coincidentally, this young man was me.
''Of all kinds of hair colors, it had to be ck.''
In this world, a person''s hair color generally matches their personality. Naturally, ck hair wasn''t much appreciated and was mostly associated with dark magic, ill omens, and taboos.
It had been 3 days since I regained my memories.
When I first opened my eyes, I found myself in the middle of a banquet. However, back then, the memories of 18 years of my current life had suddenly rushed into my head and I fainted.
Later, I found that someone had poisoned my drink, but the culprit had yet to be caught. The healers were surprised that I could survive the potent poison in my drink.
In the past 3 days, I made a lot of discoveries.
There was big news, Big news, BIG news, and B.I.G news.
Let''s start with the big news.
I was in the World of Magic and Swords and there were exactly 177 days left for ''Coalescence'', the merging of all surviving worlds.
How did I know this?
It was thanks to the two lines appearing at the corner of my vision.
|| Time Remaining for Coalescence: 177 days left ||
<>
''Five more minutes and I can finally see my status.''
Melione wasn''t with me when I woke up. I looked around the mansion but didn''t find her. I could feel the general direction of her location and that she was in good health, but that was all. We had yet to get in touch with each other.
The Big news was my identity in this world.
I was Sol Lionel, the third heir of the Dukedom of Lionel C one of the two Dukedoms of the Swordsmith Empire, the sole Empire on the Kamera Continent. The other two continents were the East Continent, and the recently discovered Spirit Continent.
My father was Aries Lionel, the strongest man on the Kamera Continent and a peak Saint rank. The elder sister, Ice Princess, and the elder brother, Wallowing Swordsman, were also among the powerhouses of the empire.
Although I was the son of a concubine and my biological mother was dead, I lived my life while enjoying my privilege as a Lionel.
I was born with a golden spoon in this life
''As if I can say that!''
This brings me to the BIG news.
Spirit Continent, the new Continent where every kingdom and Empire are sending their expeditions, is inhabited by uhhSpirits.
The highest ranking spirits were called Daemons and numbered 72.
And, my four family members were all possessed by Daemons.
There were 5 spies of the King of Spirit Continent, [Magic God, Solomon] inside the Lionel House! And I killed him!
I grabbed my head and crouched while writhing in agony.
''I need to run away.''
My C ''Sol''s'' C body hadn''t been possessed by any Daemon. Clearly, I was left because I was the vessel of Solomon to descend on this Continent without leaving his throne.
''I can bet they think I am Solomon, thanks to my ck hairs!''
The Daemons possessing my family had yet to realize that I wasn''t Solomon, but the gig would be up at any moment.
Daemons were hardcore fanatics who would do anything for Solomon. It wasn''t wrong to say I had one foot in the grave the moment they came to know about Solomon''s death and whole body in the grave when they identified Solomon''s killer.
They wouldn''t be able to get in contact with the Spirit Continent due to geographical limitations and mana storms, even so there could be something else that might give my identity off!
Lastly, the B.I.G news.
There was no Sol Lionel in the novel. The Duke Aries had only two children.
Either Sol died in the banquet originally or Solomon possessed Sol and left before Jae-sung hunts down the Lionel family.
Yeah, the B.I.G news wasn''t the absence of Sol in the novel. It was the fact that the person who betrayed Jae-sung in his first timeline was Wallowing Swordsman, my elder brother, who had been possessed by a Daemon.
Though, Jae-sung wouldn''t know about Daemon possession until muchter in the novel, and by then he would''ve hunted every Lionel.
The one who told Jae-sung about the possession was Solomon.
Ding!
<>
<>
''Sigh, let''s check my status first. I need to know my capabilities beforeing up with a n.''
Chapter 4 Interface
?The rankings of this world followed skills, not the stats. In general, one could say, stats were like raw fuels, while skills were the devices that ran on those fuels.
Fuel was important, but the devices were more important.
To give an example, in my 2nd life, there were incandescent bulbs and LED bulbs. LED bulbs used less than 75% energy than incandescent lighting but still produced better results.
Like that, Skills were the hardware that needed stats to act as their fuel and ranked skills were better quality hardware.
Depending on the skills, an ascender can generate mystical phenomena while having low stats too. Of course, a minimum threshold of stats was necessary nheless C and this was what the first three ranks did.
The ranks went in the order:
Beginner
Intermediate
Proficient
Master
Grandmaster
Saint
King
Emperor
Tyrant
Anything above Tyrant rank was a whole different realm altogether.
The first three ranks (Beginner, Intermediate, Proficient) are known as Mortal Awakening.
From the Master rank, one gets ess to ''World Link'' and ranked skills these people are called Ascenders.
However, after Coalescence, when all the worldsbine, the ''World Link'' will change and the connection will be rerouted to Tower of Babel.
Tower of Babel was a spiritual interface that acted as the ''Multiverse Link'', the superior version of ''World Link''. It allowed one to learn skills faster than one did from ''World Link''.
''Interface''
[Floor 0]
[Shop]
Two lines appeared in my vision. Since I have yet to reach any rank, the other options weren''t unlocked, and I had ess to only Floor 0 right now.
I chose the first option.
My soul flew out of my body, and I found myself standing in an 8X8 white room.
Closing my eyes, I could sense my body standing stationary in the real world.
Inside the white room, there was a small white table in the middle and had a ck book resting on it.
Walking to the book, I flipped it open.
Each page held a different information.
Name: Sol Lionel
Age: 19 years
Race: Demi-Human
Rank: N/A
Profession: N/A
Coins: N/A
[Stats]
Physique: 2.00
Magic Power: 100.00/100.00 (Dormant)
[Skills]
Lvl.3
Lvl.1
Lvl.6
''Ha Ha Ha''
A hollow chuckle left my mouth. I had to double check what was written in the book to make sure I wasn''t misreading.
''I''m not human? Wasn''t my mother a normal maid whoter became a concubine?''
Father was human. I had no doubt about it because it was explicitly said in the novel.
''It''s surprising that mother was a nonhuman, but what''s more, she didn''t belong to a normal non-human race.''
My stats proved that.
The average physique and Magic stat for normal humans was 10. Those who have gone through 1st mortal awakening have 30 stats on average.
''What the hell, mother? Who were you?''
Stats and their growth are greatly affected by one''s race. A human wouldn''t have such high stats before the third mortal awakening.
And, I had 100 stats in Magic Power even though I had yet to go through first mortal awakening!
Other than these two, there were two more hidden stats: [Luck] and [Wisdom].
''My family is possessed by Daemons and my mother was a non-human. What''s left? Is Mother alive and hiding somewhere because it would spell trouble if she were with me?''
Tsk, what is this, a third-rate webnovel?
Wait!
What if this is a webnovel? You know, like one of those conspiracy theories that says our universe is a B+ grade science project resting on the bookshelf of an alien.
''Heh'' I shook my head. ''Something that involves me can''t get anything less than A+ grade.''
I was too great for a B+.
So, that theory was wrong!
Snorting, I read my skills description.
''I have three skills.''
*
pnd`no?1--o
''The skills are good, but why does it look like a scammer skill-set?''
and were useful, especially . But the name was quite unique.
Sighing, I decided to ignore the weird skills.
''I will have to awaken my Magic Power before I can use any skill and that means going through the first mortal awakening.''
Coincidentally, I was already nning on doing that today.
was the Lionel family sword technique. It is said to have endless series''bined into it. Phantom Series, Wallowing Series, Ice Series, Sun Series, and countless more.
What made Celestial Swordsmanship remarkable was that each series was the peak of its respective sword technique.
However, only if the series is a perfect match for you, can you reach its true potential, otherwise it will be no different from a good sword technique.
It had a near infinite series, making it impossible to know what series suited you best. The only person to have mastered his series was the first head of Lionel Family, the Ghost Swordsman.
''At the end, it''s time for dessert. My blessing!''
Smacking my lips, I carefully turned the page.
[Attributes]
''Two attributes?''
Flipping further, I did not find any exnation on the attribute.
Attributes were abilities that came from oneself. Only a very rare minority has an attribute, and this was the first time I saw double attributes.
'' is from the blessing that I got in my 2nd life, so must be my attribute of this life.''
Thinking back, I could guess what this attribute did. I have experienced its effect many times.
I then read about the Summoner attribute.
This wasn''t an issue. Rather, my excitement bubbled.
It was pleasant news that was an attribute and not my profession, because I had my eyes set on a specific profession, one that would give me a massive advantage over everyone.
''It''s good that I''ll get to see my attribute in action today! Sebas should being any time soon with''
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Right on cue, someone knocked on the door in the real world.
I willed it, and found myself back in the real world, out of the white room.
"Enter."
"Please excuse"
A man with white hair sporting a tuxedo entered.
"Young master, I bought the magic stones you requested."
A smile appeared on my face.
''First Mortal Awakening, here Ie!''
Chapter 5 Summoner
?"These are the magic stones you requested, young master."
Sebas, the head butler, ced a heavy pouch on the table.
Turning around, he gave the open window a quick nce and carefully looked at me. I could ''read'' the curiosity in his gaze.
"Pardon me for my insolence, but why does the young master need those magic stones?"
I ignored Sebas and checked the contents of the pouch.
''10 high-quality magic stones. It''s more than enough''
While Sebas waited for my response, I finally faced him.
Taking a deep breath, I reminded myself. ''Don''t mess up. Speak normally.'' and spoke each word carefully with an indifferent tone.
"I can''t remain weak forever."
As I managed to utter a normal sentence, I inwardly pumped my fists.
It wasn''t what I wanted to say, but it was good enough.
There was a reason I barely spoke anything since I regained my memories. It was the way I spoke.
''I didn''t speak arrogantly!''
pnd`no?1--o Sebas, who understood the intent behind my words, was muttering in a quivering voice.
"Yyoung master did you f-finally ovee mydy''s death?" His hands were shaking and his eyes became wet.
His words stabbed into my heart.
''It wasn''t because of grief, Sebas, it was because I was a coward. While my family was being controlled like a puppet, I left them alone. Only thinking of myself, I refused to help them.''
Despite my thoughts, the words that left my mouth were different.
"Behave yourself. You have your dignity to maintain as the head butler of Lionel House."
"Yes, young master!"
Sebas smiled and wiped his tears.
I could remember that day vividly. It was a warm morning, like today.
Although I lost my mother at an early age, the rest of the family never ostracized me. Father, elder sister and elder brother, even my stepmother, all loved me dearly.
Everything changed that day.
Father was no longer the father I knew. My elder siblings changed. Elder Mother''s words as she sang me lubies didn''t feel the same anymore.
I retched.
I shouted at them.
''Who are you?''
I didn''t let theme near me.
But it seemed I was the only one who noticed the difference. No one in the house, the maids, the cooks, the gardeners, not even Sebas, noticed the difference.
From that day, I lived estranged.
Powerless as I was, the anger slowly morphed into fear. Fear of beings who possessed my family, and yet no one was able to realize this.
''It must have been the attribute that let me notice the difference.''
In the past few days, I noticed it repeatedly, and the interface confirmed it. It was thanks to the attribute that I could read the surface level thoughts and emotions of others.
''The only difference between me, who was not possessed, and my family was mortal awakening. So, I adamantly refused to go through mortal awakening in the past.''
''But it''s different now. I know their weaknesses and strengths. I won''t hide any longer!''
Even at this moment, I was thinking of ways to save my family. With the Coalescence in tow, the schedule was tight, but it should be enough.
And the first step to my envisioned future would begin here!
"Young master, I''m ready. You can begin any time."
I nodded to Sebas, who was sitting behind me with his palms touching my bare back.
Exhaling loudly, I punctured the mana stone with a thin mana needle.
It took me a few minutes to create the mana needle. Though calling it a mana needle was exaggerating it, it was nothing but a simple amalgamation of ambient mana.
Without going through mortal awakening, a normal human can still manipte ambient mana to a small degree, depending on the size of their dormant mana pool. Since I had a whopping 100 Magic Power stat, my mana pool was naturally extraordinarilyrge.
Absorbing the mana from the magic stone, I pulled it inside my heart.
From the arms that held the mana stone to the lungs and finally the heart. Holding the mana until my heart felt like bursting, I started spinning the mana in circles.
The rotation speed slowly increased.
The mana coagtion was harder than I thought. Gritting my teeth, I focused on making the mana circle small enough while increasing its density at the same time.
''This is difficult''
Controlling mana wasn''t as difficult as it was multitasking. I had to maintain the mana stream from the mana stone into my heart continuously, while creating a mana heart inside my heart at the same time.
It was slowly bing unbearable.
Abruptly, I felt a cool, warm sensation flowing into me from behind my back. Knowing it was Sebas trying to use his mana to help me maintain the mana stream, I let him inject his mana inside my body.
Normally, one wouldplete months of practice before forming their mana heart. One could do less training and use others'' help like I did, but it wasn''t advisable.
Allowing someone else to inject their mana into your body was no different from putting your life in their hands. One small error even if by mistake from the one helping you and you would die instantly.
''But I don''t have time to learn mana control leisurely when Coalescence will start in less than 6 months. I need to reach Master rank before that.''
I trusted Sebas enough to trust him with my life and he had more than sufficient skills necessary for the task.
Seba was the only one who stood with me when everyone else called me crazy forbeling my family an imposter. He treated me like his own son.
Back then, he was the one who believed me and helped me to look for evidence against Daemons. Though nothing came up to prove that my family was possessed and he had no choice to give up.
It was a bitter pill to swallow, but I never med Sebas. The Daemons were too cunning to leave a trail.
A few hourster, the mana inside my heart coagtedpletely.
Ding!
<>
<>
A wave of powerful energy washed over me and my tiredness from the hours-long exertion vanished in an instant.
I felt like I was born anew!
The notifications continued.
Ding!
<>
<>
<>
<>
Ding!
|| +50 Life Points ||
Exhrated by the newfound power, I walked over to the mirror.
My appearance has remarkably improved by arge margin. Though I was still thin, I couldn''t be called scrawny anymore. But it wasn''t my appearance alone that changed.
My muscles had grown stronger and the lethargy I felt constantly had reduced considerably. Deep inside me, I could feel my mana pool grown by arge margin.
''Life points? This is the first time I''ve heard about them. Are they rted to my attribute?''
Turning around, I thanked Sebas, who was looking at me with a warm smile.
"Good work."
I tried to thank him.
''This personality! It won''t let me say thanks, let alone smile!''
Not taking offense to my words, Sebas bowed.
"It is my pleasure to be of use to you, young master."
Ding!
<>
Suddenly, a ck-colored book with a thick hard cover appeared in front of me.
''Is this a Grimoire? How do I use''
The book opened and showed me the first page.
Name: Sol Lionel
Life Points: 50
upation: Summoner
upation Level: Level 1
Summon Capacity: 10
umted Life Points to next Level: 50/100
Skill(s) Unlocked: ,
Avenue(s): Insect Avenue (Locked), Beast Avenue (Locked), nt Avenue (Locked), Reptile Avenue (Locked), Undead Avenue (Locked), Mecha Avenue (Locked), Spirit Avenue (Locked), Titan Avenue (Locked), Divine Avenue (Locked),....
Ding!
|| Use 50 Life Points to unlock Insect Avenue? ||
|| Confirm Y/N ||
Chapter 6 Avenues
?"Young master? Is everything alright?"
Lifting my eyes from the grimoire, I nodded to Sebas.
''He can''t see Grimoire?'' Noticing theck of his reaction to the floating book, I sighed inwardly. If no one could see the Grimoire, then this could be a hidden card for me in the future.
Sebas didn''t leave despite my gestures hinting at him to do so. I also knew the cause of it.
''Sigh, so today is the day.''
"Speak."
"Thank you, young master." He gave a small bow again. "My lord has requested your presence for the family dinner tonight."
"He shoulde himself, if he wants to meet me."
An awkward silence descended.
Sebas stared at me.
I stared at Sebas.
''Ahhh! It came out of my mouth by itself!''
"I''ll ry your intentions, young master."
Sebas acted as if this was a natural response C my natural response C and left.
I calmly turned around and sat on the edge of my bed. Thankfully, my prideful trait didn''t let me express my shock and stupefaction. I continued sitting with a calm demeanor, even though no one was watching me.
In nobility, one''s conduct and bearings were the most important. And yet, I rudely asked the family head toe himself. Not to mention that person was someone who C if I got exposed C would hunt me to the end of the world.
"Haaah"
''I can only try to not repeat something like this in the future.'' Sighing, I focused on the Grimoire. ''Let''s see what my attribute can do.
|| Use 50 Life Points to unlock Insect Avenue? ||
|| Confirm Yes/No ||
I tapped on the word ''Yes'' written on the Grimoire.
Ding!
|| -50 Life points ||
|| Insect Avenue Unlocked! ||
The pages turned by themselves.
CC
[Insect Avenue]
Baby Tarant, First Mortal Awakening (New)
Jet Dragonfly, Master (Locked)
CC
On the page, there was an image of a small spider shining brightly. Above it was a blurry image of a dragonfly. There were more images above those but I couldn''t make out their shapes or information.
Species: Baby Tarant
Rank: 1st Mortal Awakening
Summoning Cost: 25 Magic Power
Housing Space: 5
Physique: 15
Magic Power: 50
Skill:
Description: Baby Tarants are by nature curious beings who love to explore. They have innate quality to hide their presence, which helps them to traverse dangerous areas despite their weaknesses.
C
CC
''It has a skill?!''
My eyes widened in surprise. Well, as wide as my prideful and expressionless trait allowed me to.
''My total summon capacity is 10, while one baby tarant needs 5 housing space. So I can summon two of them at once.''
I decided to start slow and summoned one Baby Tarant.
|| Summon Baby Tarant? ||
''Confirm''
A small magic circle appeared on the ground. It had runes drawn inside that shined faintly and I felt something leaving from inside me.
Shortly, the circle dimmed and disappeared, leaving a fist sized spider behind.
It had brown fur with ck stripes across its body and 12 eyes.
Ѧd n?a| om Stridting, the baby spider looked around curiously and jumped everywhere with its 10 legs.
''Ohhh, naisu!''
It took me only a moment to realize that I didn''t need to spend mana to maintain the baby spider.
This, along with the fact that it had a skill, made my excitement skyrocket!
''Let''s check the skill''
Closing my eyes, I muttered.
""
Instantly, the world around me changed.
''Whoa, this is better than I thought!''
Everything was a lot bigger. The chair, the door, the room too, felt like an enormous expanse ofnd. My visual acuity increased by many folds, along with my color perception.
It wasn''t disorienting as much as I thought it would be.
Above all, I had a full 360 vision!
''I don''t need to worry about someone sneaking at me with this! And the high color perception can substitute for night vision!''
But there was a bigger discovery.
''I don''t need to spend my magic power to use the skills of my summons!''
My vision continued to change rapidly as the baby tarant jumped from one corner to another. Completing its expedition, the spider jumped out of the window before I could stop it.
"Wait!"
Landing onto a shrub, it picked itself and roamed.
''Is it autonomous?''
The baby spider entered an area where many people were training with weapons, and
I lost my connection with it.
''Huh? What happened?''
Suddenly, I found my vision back to normal. I attempted to use again, but it didn''t activate.
''Did someone kill the Baby Tarant?''
It might have been discovered, but I wasn''t worried. By appearance alone, the baby tarant looked no different from a normal spider.
''Still, it would be a problem if it didn''t leave a corpse behind and disintegrated into nothingness.''
I didn''t know much about my attribute yet, so I decided to stop summoning until I found a ce where it wouldn''t create problems for me to get caught, as it seemed the summoned monsters had their own will.
Satisfied by the discoveries, I checked the Insect Avenue in detail.
|| Insufficient funds. User needs 10,000 Life Points to unlock Jet Dragonfly ||
Going back to the pages, I read my details about Avenues.
[Avenues]
Insect Avenue - Unlocked
Beast Avenue - Requires 100 Life Points to Unlock
nt Avenue - Requires 500 Life Points to Unlock
Reptile Avenue - Reach Master rank to check unlock requirements
There were more avenues after this, but all of them had rank restrictions along with other requirements to unlock them.
''Insect, Beasts, nts, Reptiles, Undeads, Mechas, Spirits, Titans, Divine Beings, I can summon them all!''
And, although I couldn''t read them, there were more avenues after this!
Summoner attribute was OP!
A shiver ran down my spine. I could see myselfmanding a legion of monsters who attacked endlessly!
''First, I need to level up and increase my life points!''
My eyes glinted, and I picked the leftover magic stones.
''It''s time to level up!''
Sebas walked over to the training grounds.
A few minutes ago, he was notified of amotion created on training grounds and asked to resolve it.
He frowned as reached his destination.
Other than the two peoples, who were standing near the edge of the grounds, and therge number of arrows sticking near the entrance, everyone was training diligently.
He could feel the awkwardness of the people as they gave side nces to the two persons at the edge every few seconds.
Sebas walked to the two people standing at the edge of the ground.
"Your highness, is there something we can help you with?"
Sebas bowed to a young woman with vivid pink and an air of confidence about her.
Her features were delicate and symmetrical, withrge, expressive eyes that sparkled with intelligence and wit. Her skin was smooth and radiant, glowing with health and vitality. The light pink hair of hers was styled in loose waves that framed her face, drawing attention to her striking features.
"There is, Mr Sebas." She spoke confidently and gracefully. "I would like to know the identity of the one responsible for maintenance of the Lionel estate."
All the while she was speaking, her eyes were ring at the arrows sticking near the entrance.
Sebas appeared troubled.
"I apologize, your highness, but I would need to know the reason for your question before answering you."
He bowed deeper when Charlotte turned her re at him, but he didn''t relent.
Jae-sung, who was standing beside Charlotte, was looking at her with a weird expression.
Most of the nobles who had been proved innocent returned after the banquet, while a few were held back.
Jae-sung, a baron ranked noble from the countryside, and Charlotte, the 2nd princess of the Swordsmith Empire, also stayed.
However, these two had a different motive for staying back. They were nning to leave with the convoy of the heir selected to oversee the Rite of Passage, as they were also participating.
Both of them got acquainted with each other at the banquet after Charlotte saved Jae-sung from being tricked by a few vicious nobles and losing all his belongings. They had been training together since then.
Jae-sung was surprised to find that Charlotte was the 2nd princess of the Empire. He had seen her graceful and confident demeanor, but in his defense, she never revealed her identity explicitly and was a very down-to-earth person C a quality that bes increasingly rare as you climb the hierarchy of noble status.
That was not to say she was weak. Shockingly enough, she was able to keep up with him inbat.
She was strong, charismatic, and kind. But
Jae-sung reyed the scene that transpired a few minutes earlier, in his mind.
''Kyaaa! Why is there a bug here!? It''s too big! Kill it! No, eradicate it! Annihte it!''
There was not a shred of her confident and graceful self left as she shot a barrage of arrows to kill the bug.
However, the corpse of the so-called bug Charlotte killed was never found.
Despite her ims that the bug was a fist sized spider, no one believed her. Not when there was not a single smudge of blood at the scene of crime.
It baffled Jae-sung that she wasn''t worried about how she made a fool of herself but whether there were more bugs.
"Forget it, then." Charlotte ultimately sighed. "Maybe it was my mistake. I might have been stressed too much after the events of the banquet."
She stood up and left to continue training, followed by Jae-sung.
Sebas, who was looking at the two youngsters, thought.
''Should I set up a meeting between the young master and them? It will motivate the young master if he meets with strong warriors of his age. He might make some friends too.''
Chapter 7 Daemons
?Ding!
<>
<< +0.1 Physique >>
<< +0.1 Magic Power >>
The notifications told me about the progress I made from the 9 magic stones.
The growth of stats is greatly affected by race. For pure humans, their stat would never go higher than 100 in normal conditions.
Ding!
|| umted Life Points: 551 ||
|| Your upation Leveled Up! ||
|| Your Summon Capacity has increased! ||
|| You gained a new skill! ||
Name: Sol Lionel
Life Points: 501
upation: Summoner
upation Level: Level 2
Summon Capacity: 100
umted Life Points to next Level: 551/1000
Skill(s) Unlocked: , , (New)
The Life Points given by each mana stone were different. And now I have as many as 501 Life Points!
''Yes! I leveled up!''
The benefits were enormous! The summon capacity increased by 10 times! And I got a new skill too!
Seeing my progress with my eyes was exhrating and addicting.
Proceeding to the other page of the Grimoire, I brooded over the next avenue I should unlock.
[Avenues]
Insect Avenue - Unlocked
Beast Avenue - Requires 100 Life Points to Unlock
nt Avenue - Requires 500 Life Points to Unlock
I didn''t take long to make my choice.
''I can ask for more magic stonester, anyway.''
|| Use 100 Life Points to unlock Beast Avenue? ||
|| Confirm Yes/No ||
I tapped on the word ''Yes'' written on the Grimoire.
Ding!
|| -100 Life points ||
|| Beast Avenue Unlocked! ||
The pages turned by themselves. And more information was added.
[Beast Avenue]
Great Boar, Second Mortal Awakening (New)
Hound Wolf, Master (Locked)
''Offh, the life points needed for the next unlock are quite a bit.''
While thinking of ways to earn Life Points, I read about the Great Boar.
Species: Great Boar
Rank: 2nd Mortal Awakening
Summoning Cost: 100 Magic Power
Housing Space: 20
Physique: 250
Magic Power: 10
Skill:
Description: Great Boars normally live in groups. They take great pride in their strength and never back down from a challenge.
C
CC
''I don''t think I can summon it here.''
While I was reading the information, someone knocked on the door.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Y-young master, may Ie in?"
It was a soft voice that made someone feel rxed when they heard it. My brows creased as I recognised its owner.
"Enter."
A young maid walked in. She wore a dressbination of white and blue with high-knee stockings, and a short C very short C skirt.
"These are y-your medicines for today, young m-master."
''Sigh, she''s here again.''
After I started calling my family Imposters, the healers diagnosed me as mentally ill and I was put on an indefinite prescription. Her job was to make sure I ate those meds regrly.
Mind you, despite acting like her scaredy-cat, her physical strength was nothing to scoff at. She never hesitated to resort to strength when it came to feeding me my meds. In her defense, she''ll cutely(acting) say that this was her job, and she would do anything if it was for me.
As expressionless as I was, I could feel myself frowning.
"Hiiek! P-please don''t hit me, y-young master."
She started sweating at my changed expression and retreated with quivering legs. The corner of my lips almost twitched when she covered her face.
Her appearance alone, at this moment, would make anyone''s protective instincts re up.
''No wonder, my skill is Level 6. Just looking at her makes me want to p her.''
The young woman in front of me was Y Einsberg, my personal maid appointed by the family, and thest spy from the Spirit Continent.
She was a Daemon, whose only job was to feed me these medicines every day.
''What are they even feeding me?''
Y didn''t move and stood beside me until I ate it.
I had tried spitting the medicine, out-right-refusing, acting to eat but keeping it hidden in my mouth and more methods in the past, but nothing ever worked on her.
Y opened her mouth and spoke, "Young master, t-today you''ll have dinner with the family. It''s Duke''s will."
I nodded with an expressionless face while looking at the window. It seems the night arrived while I was busy absorbing mana stones.
''They are asking me for a family dinner, even though I ate alone all these years. It seems this is Duke''s way of saying, I''ll have to be the one to go meet him.''
It was a suitable response from a Duke to his son, but not a Daemon to his King.
''Is this some kind of test? Do they think I''m Sol, not Solomon? Was I mistaken?''
I stood up and chose to dress ordingly for the asion. All the while, Y stared at my back.
Yes, would you look at that?
Though she is a Daemon, she is my personal maid, even if in name only! Yet, she doesn''t bother to help me dress up! What type of maid was she!?
Mind you, I was perfectly capable of dressing myself.
But we were in a nobility setting world! It was perfectly normal for servants to help their masters wear clothing!
''Why do I sound like a pervert?''
I finished and left the room with Y in tow.
The Lionel estate truly was beautiful. I knew this beforehand, but walking down the halls, I was again reminded of this fact.
Sculptures of lions stood on sides of the wide halls at regr intervals. Though my room was in one of the rather less maintained sections of the estate, it was better than the pces shown in the television dramas in my 2nd life.
|alivefiend.how? |
|.ck hair..don''t look.|
|I should..Lionel estate dangerous.|
"Y-young master, why did you s-stop?"
"It''s nothing."
I stopped looking at the servants and continued walking. I didn''t need my attribute to know what they were thinking. Most of them were afraid of me after I miraculously survived, and my hair turned ck.
allowed me to read surface level thoughts, intentions, and emotions of others depending on their facial expressions, bodynguage and unconscious habits they weren''t aware of themselves.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Young master is here, my lord."
"You may enter."
Y pushed the door open and stood at the side.
Entering the room, the first thing I noticed was the absence of servants. The only people present were my four family members who were possessed by Daemons.
Duke, Duchess, Ice Princess, Wallowing Swordsman, and finally, my personal maid. These were the 5 Daemons who had infiltrated the Lionel family, my family.
"Come sit." The Duke beckoned me.
Nodding my head, I walked to the empty chair at the end of the table and sat across from the Duke.
Clink! Clink! Clunk!
The noise of cutlery hitting the porcin utensils echoed as everyone ate in silence.
The Duke was sitting at the far corner of the table and the duchess was sitting next to him. Seated beside the duchess was the Ice Princess, and in front of her was the Wallowing Swordsman.
Finally, I was eating at the other end of the table, opposite to the Duke.
It was the first family dinner in years where everyone was present. A farce, if nothing else.
"How is the food? Everything here has been prepared to suit your liking." The Duke was the first one to break the silence.
"Do tell me if you want anything more." The Duchess added with a smile. "I prepared the dinner myself for you."
My hands grew cold. The food wasn''t anything I''ve ever seen, let alone eaten.
"It''s good."
The silent clinking of cutlery continued.
It was clear whose favorite these dishes were. Solomon''s.
''But why are they talking ambiguously? Are they giving me my space because they think I''m Solomon, or is there another reason?''
''Do they have doubts about me being Solomon?''
It might be possible.
But I didn''t have enough evidence to form an answer yet.
The Duke spoke again. "When do you n to return?"
I stopped eating and looked up.
pnd,no?1,o "...!"
All of them were staring at me, waiting for my answer. Even couldn''t tell what they were thinking.
''Return? What does he mean by that?'' The gears of mind worked like never before as I reviewed information from the novel and connected it with the reality I was living. ''In the novel, all Lionels except Wallowing Swordsman went missing before the Coalescence. Jae-sung had to scourge the entire continent to locate them. Only to discover they were in the Spirit Continent.''
Time was ticking, and they were waiting for my answer.
''Did all of them leave with Solomon for the Spirit Continent? Is that what he means by Return? But aren''t they here in the Kamera Continent for a mission? Did theyplete it?''
I didn''t know what the Daemons were doing in this Continent. Jae-sung was never able to find the answer, as the Daemons killed themselves rather than answering.
''I should act like Solomon? But this might be myst chance to act like ''Sol'' if they have any doubts about me being Solomon.''
While I was using everyst brain-cell, my mouth moved on its own.
And I spoke arrogantly and carelessly, too.
"Return? I''m living in my home. Isn''t returning what you do when you are going back to your home?"
Speaking my part, I started eating again while crying internally.
''I did it. This useless personality! Wait for me to return, I''ll stitch this mouth! Just you wait!''
But I also knew, despite my thoughts, this was my anger, my powerlessness speaking. I could never see eye-to-eye with these Daemons, and my prideful personality only made the matter worse.
Suddenly, a bout of heartfeltughter rang.
"Hahaha, little brother, father meant returning from Rite Of Passage. You are the one who will be presiding over it. Father was speaking about that." The Wallowing Swordsman wiped the tears that were forming fromughing too much. "Your prudent personality is the same as ever. You too, father, you are still a klutz."
I nodded to them and spoke.
"I''ll be leaving first."
Pushing my chair back, I stood up and turned around to leave.
''That was a close call. It seems they were testing if I''m Solomon or Sol. But I should leave before I mess up more.''
If I was following proper etiquettes, I should''ve waited for Duke to leave before leaving. Though, given my C Sol''s C personality, this was something he would definitely do. After all, there weren''t many chances to insult Duke while avoiding punishment.
"Sol." Duke''s words stopped me from leaving immediately. "You can stop taking your prescriptions from today."
"I will do so."
Finally, I left the hall.
''HaaaaaThat was stressful. But with this, I''m sure. They believe I''m Sol, not Solomon.''
"Y-young master, is your dinner finished?" The maid in skimpy clothing, Y, asked me.
"Obviously. I wouldn''t have left the room otherwise."
Tok Tok Tok
I started walking down the hall while referring to my memory.
"Where are we going, young master? Your r-room is not that way."
"Training."
Night had fallenpletely by now.
I wouldn''t have been able to sleep today after everything that went by. So, I decided to train in my sword techniques.
''Oh? There are some people training at this time of the day?'' I thought while noticing the pair of pink-head and blue-head that stood out from the crowd.
Whooosh
A gust of cold wind blew and Y muttered, "It''s c-cold."
I smirked as I watched Y shivering from the corner of my eyes, thanks to her light clothing. She probably wasn''t feeling cold, butining because those clothes hurt her pride.
I was the one to order her to wear those clothes.
Why?
Because Daemons had pride! Especially Y!
A few years ago, Y let her prideful self out for a moment. Realizing that, I instantly ordered her to start wearing revealing clothes.
''Hmph! I may be weaker than you Daemons and have weaker authority.'' I snorted inwardly. ''But not you, Y! You don''t have a higher authority than me! It was your worst decision to be my maid!''
I walked to the weapons stand and chose a wooden sword.
''But don''t worry, soon I''ll stop these little tricks ande at you for real.''
"Y, choose a weapon. We''ll train together."
Chapter 8 Soul Eroding Poison
?Inside the dining room, the Lionels ate in silence after Sol left.
Finishing his dinner, Duke looked at every member before speaking, "I think our doubts have been dispelled. Finally, after a thousand years, his majesty Solomon has been revived. The vessel we chose this time was perfect to hold his soul."
The moment Sol''s hair had turned ck, all of them believed they had seeded. But theck of action from Solomon''s side in the past days made them rethink their evaluation.
pnd,no?1,o Thus, today, they overstepped their boundaries and invited King Solomon to judge him.
Ice princess, Sol''s elder sister, opened her mouth. "Indeed, but he seems to have lost his memories."
The Duchess held her cheeks and blushed. "The way he chose the head seat, his confident gait and chilly gaze, all of it was the same as I remember him to be."
A smile spread across the Duke''s face as he said, "It''s his Majesty, after all. He didn''t flinch even as he retorted after realizing our strength."
He recalled how Solomon tried to defend his home. "His Majesty must have inherited the memories of the boy and yet he was nothing like him."
Before, despite being arrogant, Sol never retorted directly C he was afraid of the Daemons C unlike what he did today.
The Duke continued to spat, "That damned brat took too many years to give up. If it wasn''t for the revival conditions, I would''ve tortured him toplete the process faster."
While they were busy praising Solomon to the heavens like diehard fangirls, the Wandering Swordsman interjected.
"Are you sure it''s King Solomon? His memoC"
Swoosh!
A small gust blew.
The next moment, Ice Princess and Duchess were standing besides Wandering Swordsman, their des out and pressing against his neck.
"Shut. Up." The Duke red at him. "We confirmed it was him, his majesty, when he used his power of creation this morning. This meeting this insult we only did it to satisfy you."
Intense heat came out of Duke''s body. He stood up and pointed his de at the Wandering Swordsman.
"Don''t. Judge. My. Patience."
"Hahaha, I was joking." The Wandering Swordsman, Jared, raised his hands. " I was the one who saw that monstering out of king Solomon''s room''s window and reported to all of you, wasn''t I? I only wanted to know why father was ignoring us."
ring at him, Duke ced his sword in the sheath and turned to Duchess, "Stop concocting Soul-eroding poison. He won''t need those ''medicines'' anymore."
He looked at everyone before speaking his final words, "It will take a while before his majesty recalls everything. Let him do what he wants, he has woken up from a long slumber after all. We can dy our return, 6 months should be enough."
Jared stood up and walked toward the door. He waved his hand with his back facing others. "I''ll continue looking for the one who poisoned King Solomon''s drink during the banquet."
I was breathing heavily while standing beside Y. Beads of sweat glistened over Y''s body and her clothes stuck tightly to her body, all the while she was breathing heavily too.
Pointing the tip of my sword in front of her face, I beckoned her. "Get up. Let''s continue."
"N-not again, young master! We''ve been at it for the entire night! My b-body is too sore to move!"
"Don''t worry, I''ll start slow this time."
"Y-you said the same thingst two times" Tears threatened to spill from Y''s eyes as she desperately refused from going for another round.
I didn''t have a wink of sleepst night and was tired thanks to the intense physical activities too, but all of it was nothing in front of this satisfaction!
She, a Daemon, was a few ranks higher than me, and training with her increased my skills at an astonishing rate!
Ding!
<>
<>
''Sweet! Just in time!''
Closing my eyes, I muttered ''Interface'' and, going inside Floor 0, checked the diary.
*
*
>
leveled up when reached Level 2.
And, this time, I unlocked a new move!
''I can''t wait to increase my swordsmanship level and use other skills!''
The Phantom series contained 5 basic, several advanced and higher-level techniques. Two of the basic techniques were Phantom sh and Phantom Step.
I had the knowledge about the other techniques too, but given my current ability, I wouldn''t be able to execute them. This was why they weren''t shown in my records.
Suddenly, I felt a group of people approaching me in reality and I left the white room.
"I expected better from an heir of the Lionel House than to force his maid to train with him all night!" The pink-head who I had noticed yesterday was leading a group of trio and barked angrily. "Nobles like you are an insult to the empire who treat their people like objects!"
Thergest of the trio, who had a bushy beard and looked no different from a speaking chimpanzee, also added. "Young master, Y hasn''t gone through 1st mortal awakening. It is too much to ask for her to undergo a rigorous training session along with you, someone who has gone through mortal awakening."
I looked at the group closely.
''The chimpanzee is the sword instructor of my House. But who are these two?''
Noticing his condensing smirk, it wasn''t difficult to understand that he was the one who had riled the pink-head.
''Pink hair, pink hair.'' I dug into my memory. ''Is she someone from the royal family? If not, I don''t see how she has the courage to talk down a Lionel House member.''
To insult me, an heir candidate of the Dukedom, publicly was the same as asking for a Capital Punishment.
"P-please don''t me, young master. He was h-helping me to train because of my request."
"Oh you poor soul. You don''t need to cover for him." The pink-head rushed to Y and helped her stand. "With me here, he won''t do anything wrong to you!"
Thest of the trio, the blue-head, was ufortably shifting in his ce. He couldn''t decide if he should help the pink-head or not. After all, they didn''t know the full story behind my actions.
''Dang, is quite useful in situations like these.''
I whistled internally, as I understood the individual intent of the trios with a single nce.
The chimpanzee was here to watch me make a fool out of me, the pink-head wanted to save Y from my evil clutches, and the indecisiveness of the blue-head made him unable to reach a conclusion.
"Why are you standing still like a statue!? Is it because I hit the mark? Answer me, Sir Sol!"
''Ugh, she is still going on? It''s early morning too. Someone shut this high-pitched rm before I go deaf.''
Before themotion escted further, I raised my arm to stop the pink-head and turned to Y.
"Y, who are you?"
"Y-young master''s personal maid."
"There you have it." I faced the pink-head whose anger was reaching the boiling point. "She''s my personal maid, not yours. I get to decide what I want to do with her."
"Y-you!!! Don''t you hav-"
"Would you take her as your personal maid then?" I swiftly cut the pink-head.
"H-huh? What are you talking about?"
"You are trying to save her, aren''t you? If you want to do that, you need to take her away from the Lionel estate." I spoke as a matter of fact. "I''m asking if you are ready to take responsibility for your words, or are your words empty sce that you are speaking for your own satisfaction from delivering a half-assed momentary justice?"
"E-eh..?"
The pink-head suddenly backed away with wide eyes.
"It is thetter, it seems. Let''s leave Y, we need too"
''!!!!''
For a moment, Y was emitting intense killing intent. Carnage and Destruction dominated her thoughts in that instance.
My back was covered in cold sweat instantly.
''What was that? Why did she get enraged suddenly? Is it because I took it too far this time?''
"Young m-master?" Back to her normal self, Y muttered weakly.
"It''s nothing, Let''s go."
Iposed myself and left after giving the blue-head onest nce.
''Che. That''s fantasy for you. Why is a random no-name mob this handsome? I would''ve believed someone if they told me he is the protagonist.''
Shaking my head, I smirked internally.
If my ck hair was something that singled me out of the crowd, for the protagonist it was his ashen white hair.
''But that pink head, is it her? The 2nd princess and one of the two heroines from the World of Swords & Magic?''
''Looks like I''ll be meeting the protagonist soon.''
Chapter 9 Forest Of Silence
?"Young master, p-please reconsider your decision." Y scurried behind me.
A few hours had gone by after the morning training session. I was now leaving to board the convoy for the Rite of Passage.
"I won''t be taking you along with me."
"B-but why?"
I stopped and turned around to face her.
"Do you want toe with me at any cost?" She bobbled her head up and down. "Okay, you can but"
Watching the expectation in her eyes, my brows creased slightly.
''If I didn''t know better, I would''ve thought that she was actually sad that I''m leaving her behind and wants to stay with me. Doesn''t she have any shame as a Daemon?''
Even the weakest Daemons are of King rank. It felt weird on many levels as I saw her, a being who could tten cities with a wave of hand, acting like an abandoned puppy.
I continued, "But before that I want a detailed map of our Continent. It needs to have political borders, agricultural and climatic divisions, major to minor mana currents and ley lines as well."
Her small mouth hung open in shock.
"Y-young master, publicly distributed maps are crudely made to avoid exposing a nation''s geographical weaknesses. W-where would I find a well-drawn map of that caliber?"
"That''s your job toplete. You cane find me once you have the map."
Leaving Y behind, I stepped through the doors of the mansion and left toward the line of carriages waiting outside.
''With this, the problem of the map should be solved.''
The map was a necessary piece of my ns revolving around the preparations for Coalescence. There were more pieces that I needed to collect, and two of those were in the next town I was about to visit.
The two pieces were Crown of Massacre, a High-Epic grade bound-type equipment, and the holder of the armament [Word Magic].
The grades of the equipments went like this:
Common
Umon
Rare
Unique
Epic
Legendary
Mythical
In every grade, there are three sub-grades: Low, Intermediate and High.
High-Epic grade was the highest grade one could get as of now. Anything above that will only appear after the novel reaches Vol 6, when ''they'' descend.
Sebas, who was waiting for me, greeted me. "You are looking fine today as well, young master."
He took me towards my carriage. All the while, I scanned the convoy.
''5 participants, 3 Knights, 47 soldiers, 10 mages, and no healers. What is this pathetic level of escort? Are they hell bent on insulting me?''
ording to Sebas, the healers had left a few days before for the Rite of Passage. The convoy with me had few knights because Duke wanted me to feel free and didn''t want me to feel restricted by keeping an eye on me.
''He isn''t even trying toe up with excuses anymore. Isn''t this another way of showing that Lionel House doesn''t care for me?''
It only made me aware of my situation again. I didn''t have anyone to depend upon in this world. If I wanted to achieve my goals, I had to keep moving, even if alone.
''Sigh, maybe it will be better if I create my own Knight Squad and Mage Squad in the future.''
The convoy left the Lionel Estate and moved to the south. Our goal was to reach Aieznl estate, the vassal estate directly below Rapthial town.
Rapthial town was under Viscount Daorn and a major trading hub of the Kamera continent.
The area between Lionel Estate, Raphtial Town and Aieznl estate was all covered by Forest of Silence. The forest was mainly known for its rumors of having a Griffin as its ruler.
''It''s boring.''
Two days passed as I kept absorbing the mana stones that I had Sebas bring to me before leaving.
During that time, I rarely left my carriage.
In fact, my only human interaction, ever since I boarded, was the chef responsible for bringing me my food. It didn''t help that when we left Lionel Estate, it started raining and continued ever since, forcing me to halt my sword training temporarily.
But my grind never stopped.
[Physique]: 7.10
[Magic Power]: 203.10/203.10
My Physique and Magic Power had increased a lot. In particr, Magic Power wasn''t showing a decrease in growth rate, rather it was improving faster than Physique.
It only made me more curious about my race. Since Demi-Human meant any race that had part human in it, I couldn''t pinpoint my race easily.
My summoner upation also leveled up.
Name: Sol Lionel
Life Points: 1591
upation: Summoner
upation Level: Level 3
Summon Capacity: 1000
umted Life Points to next Level: 2,241/100,000
Ѧd n?a| om Skill(s) Unlocked: , , , (New)
Avenue(s) Unlocked: Insect Avenue, Beast Avenue, nt Avenue
C
Description: A flower species that loves to sing. They sing songs depending on their moods which are affected by the time of the day.
C
CC
''The cost of Magic Power required for summons is increasing steadily, too. It makes one wonder how much a high ranking summon would cost.''
skill seemed to be hinting that a Summoner must prepare before entering a battle. Either that, or you must have a dragon heart to have enough mana to create new summons mid-battle.
''My attribute will help greatly when chaos spreads after Coalescence. I should focus more on gathering Life Points and unlocking more summons.''
Two more days passed in simr fashion and my mana stone stock emptied.
I then started storing as many Baby Tarant inside cards as possible. By the time we reached Rapthial town, I had stored 50 baby tarants in cards.
Watching the city of trades on the horizon and the endless rain, I stretched in excitement.
''Let''s get to work.''
Chapter 10 An Experiment
?The downpour continued as our convoy entered the Rapthial Town. Amidst the rain, I pulled the curtain of my carriage and peeked outside.
Rapthial Town was a major trading hub of the Kamera Continent with a massive poption of 300,000 people. The hustle and bustle of the town during the day would beparable to major metropolitan cities from my 2nd life. But the rain had forced the crowds to stay hidden and only a few people were loitering around.
''I choose you, Baby Tarant!''
I picked a that had Baby Tarant inside it, and threw it into an empty alleyway. I continued throwing one card into every few alleyways until I had 20 cards left with me and then stopped.
When I was done, I willed the Summoner cards to release the baby tarants inside them. I had experimented previously and came to the conclusion that the summons inside the cards can be released regardless of distance.
Using this way was another experiment I came up with to test my summons and their limits.
The convoy would be staying in Rapthial Town for today only before resuming our journey tomorrow. I needed to get the two pieces necessary for my future ns in this town before that.
But the town was toorge for me to find the location of the shop I needed to visit in one day by myself.
This was where Baby Tarants and their skill came in clutch.
Their description said that these little spiders like to explore. If they followed the description, the spiders should travel in different directions and go to ces that are less visited.
''Well, I don''t need the exact location. All I need is an approximate location, even roughndmarks should work.''
Shortly, the convoy reached Viscount Daorn''s mansion.
The soldiers along with knights were guided towards the back of the mansion, while several high-ranking servants led me who was being followed by the chimpanzee sword instructor, and the 5 participants that included the pink-head and the blue-head from yesterday.
|Is that 2nd princess?! She''s more beautiful than the rumors portrayed..|
|ck Hair!!! rumors true!|
|....possessed.fiend|
|....who .with.2nd princess?|
The thoughts of the servants who came to guide us mostly revolved around 2 topics: Me and the pink-head from before.
Yeah, the pink-head was the 2nd princess and the blue-head with her was the protagonist, Jae-sung.
''Jae-sung is supposed to regress during the Rite of Passage. This must be why his hair is yet to turn ashen white.''
I was nning to get involved with Jae-sung toplete a few of my objectives. But I decided to take it slow.
For one, Jae-sung carries intense hate toward Lionel Family due to the betrayal in 1st timeline, and secondly, I was a variable that didn''t exist in 1st timeline.
It was best to let the events take a natural course and get acquainted that way, rather than being the one to make the first move to get involved with him. If I did that he might think I was suspicious and that would make matters worse.
As we entered the mansion, a few people were waiting for us at the doorsteps.
"It''s a pleasure to be in your presence, your Highness." A slim man whose oiled hairs had been slicked back bowed to the pink-head and turned to me next. "I heard about the recent happenings during the banquet, Sir Sol. I cannot but thank the heavens for saving a noble soul like you."
pnd`no?1--o "The pleasure is mine, Viscount Daorn." The pink-head curtsied and left.
"The viscount is jesting." I added.
The pink-head was a warrior first and the princess third. Although she was well educated and had a graceful demeanor, she disliked following ''useless'' noble etiquettes through and through. In her head, everything was fine as long as she continued on her path of strength.
With the greeting done, the group split up.
I turned to the chimpanzee, the Lionel House sword instructor, and ordered, "You got the entry from this passage already so stop following me."
His brows twitched.
|Since when. this idiot. retorting? He seemsdifferent.Possessed actually?|
The servants and the knights were supposed to use the back door to enter the mansion and then led to servants quarters to rest.
The chimpanzee had followed me because he believed it to be beneath himself to use servant quarters.
I left while leaving a few words to the chimpanzee, "I will ignore your rude actions for once, but don''t expect me to be merciful again."
Trantion: Do whatever you want but don''t use my name at your discretion again.
''Hah, at this point, I give up. How did my words change when the first sentence I spoke came out normally?''
Not knowing the chimpanzee''s thoughts, I left to the guest room provided to me.
Cluck!
I closed the door behind me and looked at the room.
The room wasrge and spacious, with high ceilings and tall windows that allowed plenty of natural light to flood in. It was furnished with high-quality wooden furniture, arge four-poster bed with feather-stuffed mattresses, embroidered cushions and drapes, while the floor was covered with luxurious rugs or animal hides.
Sitting on the sofa, I closed my eyes and muttered, ""
Then for the next dozen minutes, I alternated between different baby tarants until their magic power emptied and looked at the town through their eyes.
I was able to recognize a fewndmarks. The experiment also helped me understand more about my summons.
Firstly, no tarant had died yet. The description about them being sneaky seemed true. I rarely found anyone looking at the tarants.
Secondly, the magic power used for the summons skills was supplied by the summon themselves.
Third, I had no control over their actions. This was probably because they were low rank summons and the higher ranked summons should be more intelligent.
But this didn''t mean low rank summons were unusable. If I set the surrounding conditions to match their descriptions ordingly, the summons would be useful.
In this case, the baby tarant were exploring the town. Their objective matched with mine and they became useful.
''There is no useless summon, only useless summoner, eh?''
With the experimentpleted, I opened my eyes.
Picking my sword, I left the room for the training courtyard. Previously, I had asked the maid who guided me to the guest room and thus knew of the training courtyard''s location.
It didn''t take me long to reach the destination.
"Again!"
"One, two, three, hah!"
"Are your runts not being fed! I can''t hear a single shout! Louder!"
"One, two, three, hah!"
"Even my grandma can do better strikes! Swing harder!"
"One, two, three, hah!"
The soldiers of the Viscount House were training diligently. Looking around, I noticed that the courtyard was not wet despite the intense downpour thatsted till this morning.
''The weather is beginning to get worse with each passing day. Sometimes it would rain, then a drought mighte the next day due to intense heat. I also heard that it snowed in the middle estates of the empire, a ce that is known for their searing hot climate throughout the year.''
Shaking my head, I walked to a corner to practice my sword.
The climate changes were happening due to mana currents going haywire. It was the omen of theing disaster, which sadly only the protagonist would have been able to recognize.
Schwing!
Schwing!
I started training with the sword that I had brought from Lionel House.
This sword was a random sword I picked from storage. Since I was the only one connected with Tower of Babel as of this moment, the item information wouldn''te up until it was a bound-type equipment and I wouldn''t know which equipment was better.
It was the same with those living in this world, World of Swords & Magic.
They cannot ess the interface nor their soul book. This is why people of this world would not know the existence of ranked skills until Coalescence.
Rather for them, only four ranks exist: First Mortal Awakening, Second Mortal Awakening, Third Mortal Awakening, and Ascended.
Since, there is a clear growth in stats with every Mortal Awakening, it is easy to differentiate the first three ranks. But, after the Third Mortal Awakening the stats barely grow and this leads to themon belief that Third Mortal Awakening is the peak of power progression.
The only reason Ascended rank came into existence was thanks to the clearbat ability difference between Third Mortal Awakening and higher ranks. It will be after Coalescence that humans learn to differentiate the ranks thate after the Third Mortal Awakening.
While I believed correction, I hoped that I would spend the time until night time training peacefully, I was soon interrupted,
Thwack!
I felt a sudden impact at my back that pushed me a few steps forward.
"I didn''t know the young master Sol, also trained. Did the young master skip his medicines because his personal maid isn''t here? Is that why he is behaving ''normally''? Hahaha!"
"What did you just do?" I faced the chimpanzee who had pushed me.
"Oh, pardon my rude actions." The chimpanzee bowed exaggeratedly. "I only greeted the young master normally but I forgot that the young master is too weak, and might have pushed a bit forcefully."
|You insulted... me? Brat you think you greater than me.to retort. See..how I put you in your ce..|
I stopped using as I didn''t need it to understand the situation.
''To put it simply, this monkey face thinks that he can push me around (pun intended) because that''s what he has been doing for the past years.''
"Haah", I couldn''t help but sigh at his childishness.
"What is it? Is the young master getting tired?"
Themotion gathered a few gazes. Suddenly, my eyes fell on the blue-head and the pink-head among the crowd.
And, a n slowly appeared in my head.
Chapter 11 First Fight
?By now, everyone in the courtyard had stopped training and a small crowd formed around us.
''Well, although I said a n, I only need to sit back and reap the benefits.''
Let the events run their natural course. It was what I was going to do to bag the ultimate prize, Jae-sung.
"Young master is training! It''s an auspicious day!" The chimpanzee spread his arms. His loud words caused more spectators to gather.
|you dare.insult me..you failure?|
Reading his ugly thoughts, I let him continue. "Would the young master allow me to help him train? As the Lionel House sword instructor, I have faith in my capabilities."
He didn''t wait for my response and added the exact words I had heard from him tons of times in the past.
"But I might harm the young master by mistake if I train with him, as he is too weak." The chimpanzee chortled. "But don''t worry, my nephew will help the young master by giving him a few pointers."
The crowd buzzed.
|Lionel house.insultheir?|
|No respect.3rd,...heir.useless|
|failure..|
|he..crazy called his.imposters|
Ignoring the crowd, I was looking at the chimpanzee with appreciation.
''How can you carry a conversation when I have yet to speak a single word all the while you keep insulting me? Dude, you should have been born in a modern world and be a politician with this talent.''
I genuinely felt that he was wasting his innate talent by focusing on swords. Well, this must be why he could never climb higher than the position of a sword instructor.
One of the three knights that came with our convoy, the nephew of the chimpanzee, stepped forward. "You called, Sir?"
"I did, Matthew. Could you help the young master Sol and give him a few teachings in the way of a sword?"
"It will be my pleasure, Sir."
Then, with a practiced movement, he stood in front of me.
''Wow, they arepletely ignoring me, aren''t they?''
The more I saw the chimpanzee, the better he seemed. He didn''t let me speak until he created such a situation where, if I left without epting the spar, it would be the same as letting him smear mud on my face.
I had no choice but to ept. However, my likelihood of victory against a knight who has trained since childhood was almost null.
The chimpanzee turned to me. "My nephew is not an ascender like me. He should be a perfect sparring partner for the young master, shouldn''t he?"
"I''m thankful to the young master for sparring with me." Matthew smiled disdainfully. He understood that the reason the chimpanzee asked him to fight me was to insult me.
In other words, he had to beat me senseless, like he used to do, back in the Lionel estate.
The crowd was waiting for drama to begin.
Everyone could tell Matthew, who appeared to be around my age and a trained warrior, was stronger.
''He is in 2nd mortal awakening. His stats must average about 50 to 60. He is at least 5 times stronger, faster, and sturdier than me.''
In short, I had no chance of winning. If I fought normally, that is.
''He got me good. Or so he thinks, doesn''t he?''
Nodding, I went toward the weapons racks and picked two real swords.
The crowd went into a frenzy when I threw one of the swords to Matthew. They didn''t try to whisper anymore and eximed loudly.
"He is using a real sword in a spar!!?"
"What is Sir Sol thinking!? Isn''t he known as the trash of Lionel Family!? He is putting himself in danger with a real sword!?"
"I heard that he was crazy from childhood! Maybe the rumors were true!"
"You must be correct. Or it makes no sense to not use a training sword, since Sir Sol is clearly weaker!"
The chimpanzee and his nephew grew tense at my sudden act, whichpletely contrasted my past actions.
"Pick the sword. Why are you hesitating?" I beckoned Matthew.
He took a moment to respond, "Young master Sol, using real swords for a spar is extremely dangerous. It might cost an injury one cannot afford."
"Don''t worry about it." I added carelessly. "Since you think you are qualified to teach an heir of Lionel House, you wouldn''t make a mistake like that, am I wrong?"
"Hahaha, young master is absolutely correct." He smirked. "It seems the young master has something in store for me. Though, I hope it is nothing off-putting, such as the young master, depending on a flimsy trick to win."
Both of us stood across from each other. The chimpanzee, acting as a referee, was about to start the spar, but I interrupted him.
I called out to the Vice-Commander of Viscount Darn''s army, "Sir Gab, could you be the one to preside over our spar? I wouldn''t want anyone to use Sir Chimpa. Sir Varnish of supporting me and unfair y when I win."
Somehow, my auto trantor suddenly stopped working, and I almost said chimpanzee out aloud. What a disaster avoided, phew~
The baldy, ahem, the Vicemander stepped forward, "I will be delighted to do so."
"Heh, you think you can win?" The chimpanzee muttered in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear and joined the crowd.
"As actual swords are being used, the spar will end the moment anyone makes a decisive strike." The Vice-Commander Gab nodded to me and Matthew, and yelled. "Then, begin!"
BamC!
Matthew kicked the ground and dashed forward without waiting for a moment. His face had a cruel smile as he thought of ways to insult me.
I stood motionless, with the tip of my sword pointing to the ground.
"First lesson, always stay alert on a battlefield!"
Schwing!
Shifting my weight, I bent my back and the tip of Matthew''s sword cut through the air a few inches in front of my face.
"Good!" His attacks rained like a barrage. "Next lesson, never drop your stance!"
ng! ng!
The echoing of metal hitting each other reverberated in the crowded courtyard.
In a short few minutes, fresh cuts appeared over my clothes. I continued dodging and blocking Matthew''s strikes to the best of my ability.
Matthew''s grin distorted little by little as he slowly cornered me.
When it seemed that I was able to keep up with Matthew, a powerful strike struck against my de.
nngggg!!
My body skidded a few meters back, leaving a trail on the ground.
Matthew, who did not have a single drop of sweat on him unlike me, taunted. "Young master has a good stance and technique, for an amateur, that is. If he trains for a year or two, he might be unparalleled."
Sneering, he retook his stance.
His arrogant and haughty expression left no room for doubt. Those words weren''t spoken with my good intentions in mind.
''It''s time.''
I spoke while using skill. "The left one."
Matthew went into a daze for a moment before returning to normal. "Is the young master speaking weirdly because he hadn''t taken his medicines? Heh, I guess, I''ll stop holding back and end the spar early so that the young master can rest."
BaammC!
He quickly appeared in front of me. His speed was unlike anything before. Clearly, as he said, he had been holding back.
But I was ready for him.
Schwing! x3
Suddenly, three sword shes attacked Matthew! One from left, one from right, and one from above. Each attack was aiming for his vital points!
His eyes widened at the abrupt attack, and he was a split secondte to dodge. He had no choice but to counterattack.
But Matthew suddenly stiffened. The swords were real! If he ignored the attack and counterattacked, he would be fatally injured!
In the do or die condition, his body moved on its own and he blocked the left strike!
"No! Not th"
nggg!
A metallic echo rang!
Stupefied, Matthew was left shell-shocked. Shouldn''t the left side have been a fake that I spoke about to catch him off guard?
"!!!"
pnd`no?1--o He quickly retreated. Right, the spar hasn''t ended!
Matthew took a few deep breaths to calm the adrenaline rush. "I..it was good, but the young master shouldn''t be conceited. He merely took me by surprise thanks to his parlor trick."
Calming down, he quickly regained his confidence, "I''lle for real th"
A loud yell cut off Matthew.
"The match has ended! Winner, Sir Sol!"
Vice Commander Gab pped his hands to gather everyone''s attention and shouted at the crowd. "The spar is finished. What are you guys gawking for? Return to your training! Viscount doesn''t pay you runts to sit and waste your time!"
"It was a splendid disy of meticulous nning. To win a battle before it even began, I have learned a lot from Sir Sol." The Vice Commander then bowed to me.
"Sir Gab is overestimating me. Instead, I must praise Sir Gab''s timely judgment."
It took Matthew a few seconds to register our words. It didn''t seem he understood why I won.
He went into an uproar. "Surely, the vicemander is jesting! He nevernded a decisive strike. Surely, thest strike was dangerous, but I blocked it impably!"
pC!
Standing in front of Matthew, I didn''t let him continue speaking and used .
''Oh, red cheeks in first strike? Naisu!''
Finally, I had the chance to use my highest ranked skill!
"W-what are you doin-"
pC!
"I asked what is the meanC"
pC!
"St-"
pC!
"S-"
pC!
"Ple-"
pC!
The crisp sound continued to echo as I kept pping his cheeks. I wasn''t nning on stopping until my magic power emptied, but someone grabbed my hand.
"Sir Sword Instructor Varnish, I don''t recall giving you the permission to touch me."
I red at the chimpanzee, who was threatening me by releasing his pressure.
He tightened his grip and spoke, "Young master, abusing a knight is the same as insulting their master. As a knight of Lionel House myself, it is my duty to protect Duke Lionel''s honor with my life on the line."
Nodding, I stepped back. "In that case, Sir Varnish should continue on my behalf."
"...Why?" Sensing the confidence behind my words, he hesitated.
"Matthew insulted Lionel House''s family swordsmanship by calling it a ''parlor trick''. And he did that twice at that."
I spoke decisively.
"Celestial Swordsmanship was created by the Ancestor head during the Ragnarok when humanity was pushed to the brink of annihtion. The Ancestor head saved the empire and its citizens by ying the mighty dragons with his swordsmanship." I added coldly. "Your nephew''s words were no different from spitting in my ancestor''s face, and every Lionel who has practiced the sword technique of our house."
Color drained from the nephew-uncle duo as the implications of their earlier actions sunk into them.
"Tell me, Matthew" I whispered in his ears. "Your Knighthood or your head. What can you afford to lose?"
Bam!
Matthew struck his head on the ground.
"Y..young master, please find it in your magnanimous self to forgive my mistake. The excitement from the spar made blood rush to my head, and I spoke the wrong words."
"Beheading?"
Trantion: In that case, should I help you to let your blood drain from your head?
Bam! Bam!
He struck his head harder each time.
"P-please, young master, please."
The loss of knighthood is no different from a death sentence. A knight who has been let go by his lord would never be housed by any other lord, especially if it was a Duke household that relinquished the knight. No one wants to fall out of favor with those with authority.
If he chose to save his life, Mathew would have no choice but to be a mercenary or a bandit. Since it is easy to recognize someone who had gone through mortal awakening at a nce, anyone who meets Mathew will realize that he had been thrown away and he would never get a normal job.
Relinquishing his knighthood might seem an easy punishment, but it was social execution. Even then, in the future, he would live by putting his life on the line every day, opposite to the easy life he lived as a knight of the Lionel house.
The chimpanzee was also kowtowing.
"Young m-master, please forgive Matthew."
"Didn''t I tell you something earlier?"
CI will ignore your rude actions for once, but don''t expect me to be merciful again.
His eyes quivered along with his figure, recalling those words.
I stared coldly at the duo.
This wasn''t the first time they attempted to insult in front of a crowd like earlier. They had done it a lot of times in the past.
Before I regained my memories, the Daemons in my household never cared for what I did, and treated me as if I wasn''t there to begin with. With this began a cycle, where most servants believed that Lionel house didn''t care for the 3rd heir, me.
The bullying started small, but it slowly snowballed until soldiers and low rank servants would use me to vent their frustrations too. To them stepping on me, someone who they could not afford to touch in normal conditions, let them feel the forbidden sense of exhration and continue with their stressful life.
And like a stupid bitch I was, I stopped Sebas from helping me out of the situation.
The reason?
There was no reason. I had too much pride to let anyone else help me. Believing myself to be thest Lionel, I continued to strive with pride, even if that meant destroying myself from the inside.
''And these guys were trying to humiliate me here, too. They even gathered a crowd to ramp up the disgrace I would experience if everything went as they nned.''
Ignoring their pitiful cries, I looked at the darkening sky. The time to leave for my primary objectives in this town wasing closer.
"Make a choice by tomorrow morning. I''m magnanimous enough to give you enough time to decide."
Leaving the final words that thoroughly destroyed them, I left.
I wanted to live a life that, when I look back at the end of my journey, would make me smile in satisfaction. A life that would make anyone feel jealous and think: I also want to live like him.
For that, the only way was to reach the zenith. To aim for the top!
And the first step was removing these parasites who lived by leeching off me.
Leaving the courtyard, my eyes fell on the pink-head standing in the crowd beside Jae-sung.
She was loathing me at this moment.
''That''s another goal achieved.''
One strike, two birds. With this, I removed a pest from my past and the 2nd princess had a negative opinion of me cemented in her mind.
I could feel myself smiling.
Ah, right, I''m expressionless. My bad, I could feel myself smiling, internally.
Chapter 12 A Terrible Person, A Terrifying Warrior
?A few minutes before the spar began.
Xiu! Xiu! Xiu!
Three arrows fiercely tore through the air and struck the target across the courtyard. Charlotte, who had emptied her quiver while training, stepped toward the weapon racks to restock on the arrows.
"I''m getting stronger. I can feel it." She muttered excitedly under her breath while clenching her fists.
Ascended rank was the zenith, most believed this fact to be 100% correct. Charlotte herself belonged to those believers before.
She smiled faintly as she recalled how distraught she became after reaching Ascended rank. The possibility of being unable to be stronger had shaken her greatly.
But with this, she was sure. Ascended rank was not the end.
Charlotte was about to leave after restocking when she noticed Jae-sung staring at someone in the courtyard. She walked up to him, "What are you doing? Shouldn''t you be training at this moment?"
Jae-sung was a mystery to her. He was a countryside noble who had been adopted by his parents, the Baron Gildart and the Baroness.
Nevertheless, Jae-sung wasn''t hesitant to reveal his origins. It was as if he didn''t know how much his image was being degraded as a noble from epting the fact that he didn''t carry noble blood.
Moreover, his actions and habits were unlike any people she had met. Almost like he didn''t belong to this ce.
But the most eye-catching fact about Jae-sung was his strength. He was an Ascended rank too.
Most humans can never hope to reach Ascended rank, let alone stepping into that rank before 20s. It was an unheard feat, almost like a fairytale from legends.
In the whole Empire, the number of ascenders wouldn''t reach 3 digits. It was astonishing, baffling, and borderline suspicious that Jae-sung wasn''t well known despite being an ascender at a mere age of 21.
Jae-sung, who heard Charlotte''s question, took a moment to answer, "I''m watching Sir Sol train. His swordsmanship is beautiful."
His words pulled her gaze, and she ended up watching Sol too.
He was swinging his swords, only that. But his bearing, as he repeated the stance, his presence as he swung his sword continuously, was sharp and imposing.
For a few minutes, Charlotte forgot about her earlier opinion of Sol and, mesmerized, ended up watching Sol along with Jae-sung.
It was then it happened.
Thwack!
"I didn''t know the young master, Sol, also trained. Did the young master skip his medicines because his personal maid isn''t here? Is that why he is behaving ''normally''? Hahaha!"
Varnish, the sword instructor of Lionel House, interrupted Sol''s training.
As their conversation heated up, a crowd formed around Sol and Varnish. It was easy to notice that Varnish didn''t have good intentions for interfering with Sol.
But the opinion of the crowd surprised Charlotte, "What is everyone doing? An heir of Lionel House is being insulted and they are enjoying it?"
Themotion gradually escted into a spar. And Sol had to fight a trained knight.
Charlotte didn''t have a good opinion of Sol for his past actions, as she saw him forcing his maid to train, but she couldn''t bear watching more of what was happening in front of her.
Like hyenas, the crowd was waiting for Sol to show weakness and ready to devour him. Not one soul was trying to take his side.
She stepped forward to help him, but suddenly Jae-sung held her hand.
"Wait. Don''t interfere."
"Why? Are you like them too?" She red at the crowd, who had no intention of stopping Varnish.
Jae-sung shook his head, "Watch Sir Sol closely. Does it look like he needs our help?"
"What are you"
Charlotte ended up swallowing her words.
Sol, who was being insulted from all sides, wasn''t cowering. He was standing tall, his gaze unfaltering, and his appearance poised. Like a lion, he was fearless and bold in the face of the adversary.
"Let''s wait before interfering. I don''t think Sir Sol would appreciate our help, and uhmm I''m sorry", Jae-sung let go of her hand.
Charlotte was a princess. It wasn''t eptable to touch her without her permission.
Suddenly, the crowd exploded into murmurs.
"He is using a real sword in a spar!!?"
"What is Sir Sol thinking!? Isn''t he known as the trash of Lionel Family!? He is putting himself in danger with a real sword!?"
"I heard that he was crazy from childhood! Maybe the rumors were true!"
"You must be correct. Or it makes no sense to not use a training sword, since Sir Sol is clearly weaker!"
Jae-sung and Charlotte frowned.
At that moment, a cold and chilly voice spread, which forced the crowd to quieten.
"Pick the sword. Why are you hesitating?" Sol spoke slowly..
Gulp!
As Mathew and Sol conversed, someone from the crowd gulped nervously and whispered in a tiny voice. "Is he is he going to kill the knight?"
Sol was weaker than Matthew. But his appearance and gait at this moment was invoking an unnatural fear in them.
The match began.
"As actual swords are being used, the spar will end the moment anyone makes a decisive strike." The Vice-Commander Gab nodded to Sol and Matthew, and yelled. "Then, begin!"
It continued as expected.
Sol was weaker, and he was being toyed with by the knight.
The crowd sighed unknowingly.
"Maybe we were being paranoid."
"Right. He is known to be the shame of Lions. There is no way he could win."
When Sol''s defeat was all but certain, he spoke a few words, "The left one."
pnd,no?1,o From there, everything happened too quickly for most to notice. Matthew appeared in front of Sol and attacked. At the exact moment, Sol used a parallel three sword strike.
nggg!
Unable toprehend what just happened, Matthew, who was muttering gibberish, was cut off was a loud yell.
"The match has ended! Winner, Sir Sol!"
Vice Commander Gab pped his hands to gather everyone''s attention and shouted at the crowd. "The spar is finished. What are you guys gawking for? Return to your training! Viscount doesn''t pay you runts to sit and waste your time!"
"It was a splendid disy of meticulous nning. To win a battle before it even began, I have learned a lot from Sir Sol." The Vice Commander bowed to Sol adding to the confusion of the crowd.
The crowd went into an uproar.
The corner of Jae-sung''s lips were shaking as he forced himself to stop grinning, "N-no way. How did he think like that?"
"What? Do you know why Sir Sol won?"
Jae-sung nodded to Charlotte. He opened his mouth to exin, but a sudden crisp echo rang.
pC!
"W-what are you doin-"
pC!
"I asked what is the meanC"
The echoing continued.
pC!
"St-"
pC!
"S-"
pC!
"Ple-"
pC!
The atmosphere of the courtyard was plunged into ear-piercing silence that was being broken by the echoes of p only.
Sword Instructor Varnish tried to interfere, but Sol shut him off swiftly.
The crowd was the same as before. If earlier they were enjoying Sol being humiliated, it was now the other way around. However, they couldn''t deny that they were afraid of Sol at this moment.
In front of everyone, Sol logically and reasonably cornered Mathew and cut off his escape route. He was unyielding and upromising as he passed his judgment.
Leaving a fewst words, Sol left without looking back.
But there was a difference. Unlike how when entered the courtyard he was either ignored or mocked, the gaze of people watching his parting back was different.
They were in awe and fear of the Lion who had taken his first steps today.
"What was that?"
Someone muttered from the crowd when Sol left the courtyard. Those words brought everyone out of their stupor. They felt like they could finally breathe again.
Everyone gave a short nce at Matthew and Varnish and proceeded to ignore them. Although Varnish wasn''t punished, Sol''s actions as he ruthlessly punished Matthew were imprinted in their minds, and they were afraid of associating with Varnish, who was originally responsible for the earlier conflict.
When the crowd was about to resume their training, a surprise yell echoed. "Right, why did Sir Sol win?"
The gazes focused on Sir Gab, the one who had acted as the referee of the spar.
Gab scanned the crowd before speaking disapprovingly, "Does not a single of you lot know why Sir Sol won?"
"I have an idea, but I don''t understand what you meant by ''meticulous nning'' and why you praised Sir Sol.", A soldier of the Viscounty answered.
Gab scoffed and pointed at Jae-sung, "You blue-head it seems you are the only one who noticed! Exin it to these runts why they have junk for brains!"
Jae-sung was a bit surprised that Gab had managed to notice his reaction earlier ande to the conclusion that he knew why Sol won.
He nodded and spoke in a loud voice, "The condition to win the spar was making a decisive strike. Sir Sol''sst strike was that decisive strike that allowed him to win."
Gab smiled and questioned Jae-sung, "But the knight blocked thest strike. That goes against the condition of victory."
"Yes, however, Matthew didn''t know which strike out of the three was real. The reason why Sir Sol said ''The left one'' wasn''t to warn Matthew of the actual attack, but it was groundwork for his victory." Jae-sung turned to the crowd before continuing. "If Mathew didn''t listen to his earlier warning, he couldn''t have blocked and thus lost, but even if he blocked, it can be said that he only blocked thanks to Sir Sol''s warning. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have been able to do so."
The crowd buzzed, and their opinions varied greatly. While most understood the reasoning behind Sol''s victory, a few couldn''t help but notice the w in Jae-sung''s logic.
"But in the end, Sir Matthew was able to block, wasn''t he? How was that strike a match-ending strike?"
"The sword. They were real." The one to answer was Charlotte. She was shocked when she realized the answer.
She continued, "Would Matthew have blocked Sir Sol''s strike if he didn''t warn him? Maybe or maybe not. We can never know the result of what never transpired.
In reality, Matthew blocked, and he shouldn''t have lost. But he still lost, because of the rules of the spar.
After all, no one knows what would have happened if Sir Sol didn''t warn Matthew.
The miniscule chance of Matthew failing to block the attack gave Sir Sol the victory because if he couldn''t, he would''ve died as the swords were real. In other words, it was a decisive strike.
It didn''t matter if Matthew blocked or not, the rules of the spar were in the favor of Sir Sol."
Matthew didn''t lose. The only reason Sol won was because Gab had to give him victory due to the spar''s rules.
Using actual swords, waiting until Matthew used a powerful strike that made him unable to dodge, adding a few words, andstly, executing everything without a mistake.
Charlotte had to acknowledge.
Sol might be a terrible person, but he was a terrifying warrior who used his wits to achieve victory, not his strength.
Jae-sung was grinning at the careful and subtle nning of Sol, when a familiar chime rang in his ears and a golden screen appeared before him.
Ding!
[Quest Received!]
[A+ Grade Quest: Defeat Sol Lionel in a fair spar.]
[Chain-type Quest]
[First chain clearance reward: Celestial Swordsmanship:??? Series, +5 STR, +5 AGI, +5 VIT, +5 DEF, Memory Fragments]
Jae-sung almost spat in surprise when he saw the grade of quest.
"A+ grade? Isn''t anything above A grade near impossible toplete? Why am I getting an A+ grade quest to defeat someone who is 3 ranks lower than me? It seems Sir Sol is tough enough that even my system thinks I can''t win."
Despite hisints, he was smiling.
"This game will be fun."
Chapter 13 Word Magic
?''Meh, the spar didn''t go as I wanted it to.''
While waiting for the night to fallpletely, I was looking back at my earlier spar and thinking of ways to improve.
Originally, after Matthew blocked my strike, I was nning to kick him in the nuts.
It is a trashy move, you say?
Heh, in a fight, the only thing that matters is the result. You must do everything to win, even if it means destroying the opponent''s future generations!
But back then, my legs refused to budge and obliterate his family jewels. Since my primary n was foiled, I used to put Matthew in his ce.
''That was satisfying~''
To spend the free time, I closed my eyes and used to explore the town. The skill didn''t allow me to share other senses with the tarants like smell, touch, and hearing, but it was fun, nheless.
''25,26,27,28 did two tarants die?''
The baby tarants were only first mortal awakening rank, so it wouldn''t be a surprise if a knight encountered them and eliminated them after thinking of them as monsters. Still, I decided to look into this matter when I had the chance.
The downpour had stopped, and the town was buzzing with activities. Vendors and buyers were on every corner of the street. People were going to and fro,pleting their daily activities without minding the overcrowded areas.
My goals in this town were, Crown of Massacre and the holder of the armament [Word Magic].
Crown of Massacre is a High-Epic grade bound-type equipment that increases Physique stat depending on kill count. It was a must have equipment that I had my eyes on.
What''s better was the fact that the holder of the armament and the crown of massacre are in the same ce. I wouldn''t need to wander to too many locations to get them both.
Armaments are inheritances that are created from attribute-holders. By extracting the attribute from the holder, it is possible to imbue it into an external object. The resulting object is called Armament.
Armaments were overpowered equipments that defiedmon sense. But this wasn''t why I was aiming to get the armament [Word Magic]. It was because of the profession I was aiming to get.
Dev, that was the profession I was gunning for. Being an armament holder was one of the ways to have a chance of obtaining the Dev profession. This profession was going to give me much needed unfair advantage over everyone in the future.
To understand the importance of the Dev profession, one would need to know more about Coalescence.
Coalescence is the merging of all surviving worlds and parts of annihted worlds. But every world has different sets ofws and rules that govern it. This makes the worlds ipatible tobine.
It was the job of Dev profession holders to make sure thebination of worlds proceeds smoothly! It wasn''t wrong to say that they were the gods of the new world!
The profession was something I had to get, no matter what, for my future. I wasn''t nning onpromising it.
''When all is said and done, the first thing I need to do is bring the armament holder on my side and take the armament from her.''
There were two issues, however.
The holder herself didn''t know that she was an armament holder and the method to remove her armament was very troublesome.
It would take me a few weeks at the earliest to get [Word Magic] from her.
As for her permission, I wasn''t worried about it. She would give me her armament happily, because it was no different from a curse for her.
A few hourster, it was time for me to start.
''I should get going.''
Picking the bag I brought from the Lionel estate, I wore a robe that hid my hair and face.
I opened the window and got ready to sneak out of the mansion.
The baby tarants had helped me locate my destination, so I wasn''t worried about getting lost.
pnd`no?1--o
Coating my body in magic power, I climbed the window sill but stopped mid-way through my endeavor.
A question popped into my head.
''Why am I trying to sneak away? Wouldn''t it be the same if I walked through the front door?''
Tsk, it seems I''ve read too many novels where the protagonist hides everything he does for no apparent reason.
Shaking my head, I left the room and decided to leave from the front door.
I didn''t change my method of venture because my room was on the 3rd floor and I was afraid of falling, definitely not.
"Sir Sol, where would you like to visit?"
"It''s Luffy, not Sol."
I corrected the knight who was following me.
Draped in robes that hid our appearance at a nce, we were roaming on the streets of the town. When I was leaving the mansion, the Viscount requested me to bring a few of his knights, as a security measure.
I told him that this was a private tour, and I wasn''t nning on revealing my identity, but he didn''t relent until I agreed to bring two knights with me.
''Hehe, this was why I gave Matthew a grace period until tomorrow. If I stripped off his knighthood today itself, he would''ve been thrown out of the Viscount''s mansion, and I would''ve met him while I was roaming outside at this time, leading to an unnecessary issue!''
But I foresaw everything and avoided the problem before it became a problem!
''Sometimes, my genius, it''s frightening.''
"Yes, SiCLuffy, where should we go?" The talkative one of the knights, Mernan, asked again.
Mernan was short and robust, packed with firm muscles underneath his clothes, while Rowan, the tall and silent one, although seems lethargic at a nce, was quite fast.
Thinking a bit, I answered Mernan. "We should go to a tavern. I''ve always wanted to taste the famous green ale of Rapthial town."
"Green Ale, it is then! I know a suitable tavern in that case!" Mernan''s face brightened at the mention of ale.
He guided us through back alleys and less crowded areas. With the downpour no longer continuing, the town was jam-packed during the night, too.
''It''s going to be troublesome to break free from them.''
It wasn''t an issue to bring these two to my destination, but it definitely was an issue if they heard what I was going to say.
The chances were high their job wasn''t limited to protecting me but watching my actions and reporting them to Viscount. Because of my actions during the spar, the Viscount must be trying to know why I was different from rumors.
I dropped 3 with Great Boars inside them.
''This should help me escape them and also allow me to test the Great Boar in realbat before using it in the field.''
When we were at a sufficient distance from the dropped cards, I willed to release the boars after taking onest nce at the two knights with me.
Mernan was smilingzily while muttering ale repeatedly, and Rowan looked like he was dazed. They appeared rxed at a nce, however, noticing their muscle movements beneath their robes, I knew, these two were acting to make me lose guard and watching my actions closely.
''Release''
"Kyaaaa! A Monster!"
"There is a big boar here! Run!"
"Run for your life!!"
"It''s attacking me! Someone save me!"
The Great Boar ran behind a tall and muscr man. I turned to the two knights who were hesitating beside me. They wanted to help, but they couldn''t leave me alone.
"The two of you should help. I don''t mind waiting for a few minutes."
"Thank you, SiCLuffy." Mernan nodded to Rowan and dashed to the boar.
He swiftly saved the victim who was being chased by the Great boar, and shed with the boar. The results of this experiment were apparent in a few minutes.
Although, Great boar was one rank weaker than Mernan, due to its innate high physique, it was stronger than him. The reason Mernan had not yet lost was because the Great boar didn''t have intelligence and Mernan was slowly chipping at its stamina while inflicting small injuries at it.
Satisfied with the result, I released the other two boars.
Themotion intensified instantly, and Mernan''s expression paled. The people were confused and terrified of the monsters that were appearing among them out of the thin air.
Finally, Rowan, who was standing beside me, apologized to me and rushed to help Mernan.
Their attention was wholly on protecting crowds and defeating the boars, and I used the gap to escape.
Silently moving through the crowd, I kept using the
. To maintain the skill, I had to use on the baby tarants roaming in the town to refill my magic power a few times.
When I was a sufficient distance away, I used on the three boars.
''Good, no one was injured seriously.'' I muttered while using of the baby tarant I left at the scene.
Dusting my palms, I smiled. ''Clean and swift. That''s how you do a job.''
With the knights out of the way, I reached my destination fairly easily.
''ve Trade & Co''
Those were the words written on therge board above the gate in front of me.
Chapter 14 Succubi
?Subi, that was the code name of the holder of the [Word Magic] in the future.
She was said to be the most beautiful woman in existence. A nce at her would bewitch anyone and they would happily be her ve.
However, that beauty was not natural. It was granted to her by [Word Magic] during her childhood, when she carelessly wished to be the most beautiful person to exist.
She was overjoyed and enthralled when her wish was granted. It was a dreame true. People would flock to her, treat her like a princess, move to hermand without a single hesitation.
Her joy, however, was cut short when the people and their endearment became obsessive. Her wish became a curse for her and she was, at the end, forsaken by her homnd, by the few people who hadn''t lost their sanity yet.
Being thrown away, she had no choice but to enter human society. At first, she was hopeful, maybe, just maybe, humans would be different, her charm wouldn''t affect them.
But her hopes were cut short and shattered beyond repair. Humans were worse. Her appearance wrecked a never seen havoc in history as princes and kings fought each other for her.
Presently, she was still bound by her moral values, not using her charm to her advantage or for devious means. But a specific event after Coalescence will be the straw that breaks the camel''s back, and she''ll embrace her calling with open arms.
From there, she bes a cunning and insidious enchantress who would use others for her advantage. Later, earning the code name: Subi.
In the novel, she was the first ''Dev'' whom Jae-sung fought against, and she was one of the reasons his humanity was restored after the betrayal he suffered in the 1st timeline.
She wasn''t a viin by any means. Her only fault was that fate had dealt her the wrong cards.
Lumine, the light that illuminates the darkness, that was her name. But, s, her name waspletely opposite to the life she lived.
Ѧd n?a| om ''She is the central piece that holds all of my ns, revolving around the Coalescence''s preparations, together. I have to bring her to my side today itself, or my schedule will risk being ruined.''
With those thoughts in mind, I entered the ''ve Trade & Co'' shop.
C
In the World of Swords & Magic, ves were an officialmodity that were sanctioned by kingdoms and the empire.
That is not to say, buying and selling ves was socially eptable, though. Majority of the poption frowned upon very and their ownership.
Looking around, I saw various ves put on disy. All were standing naked for the customers to appraise them.
Some of the ves had bulky figures and scars running through their body, some were weak and feeble, a few had clean and bountiful physique. There were ves for every job present, be it guarding, fighting, menial tasks, or pleasure.
With the bag resting on my shoulder, I walked up to the counter and stood in front of the receptionist.
She took a brief look at my appearance before speaking, "Is there anything I can help you with? If it''s about a specific type of product, you can tell me the specifications, or you can look around and see if something catches your eye."
|ragsmust be a tramplooking around and buying nothiC|
Before she couldplete her thoughts, I ced a heavy pouch on the reception.
Thud!
"Show me the special products."
She opened the pouch with furrowed brows and peeked inside. Instantly her eyes widened and her behavior took aplete 180-degree turn.
"Sir, pleasee this way."
The receptionist swiftly guided me to a separate room and asked me to wait for the owner. In her own words, the owner of the shop was the one who presents the special products of their shop.
''Money is the same in every world, huh. It can change how others interact with us in a heartbeat.''
The pouch had a portion of money I took out of my savings before leaving the Lionel House. Although it wasn''t much for me, it was a hefty amount for average citizens.
Hehe, you heard it right. I was bragging! I will repeat, I was filthy rich!
I had to wait for a few minutes for the owner toe. In the meantime, I took a look at the room.
It was a grand and impressive space, designed to impress and awe those who entered it. The furniture was made of wood and adorned with gold.
On the other side of the room, there was arge firece. The room itself was adorned withrge, intricately woven tapestries depicting scenes of Ragnarok from history.
Cluck!
The door opened and a round-bellied young man with beady eyes, sporting luxurious clothes, entered.
|hidingface.must be nobletrying to mask his fetishes|
"Good day to you, Sir. I must apologize for my tardiness before we begin."
Exchanging a few pleasantries, he led me to a different section of the store.
This area had barely 2 digit customers looking through it. The ves were also different.
"Our shop has one of the best collections in the empire, I believe Sir would find a product matching his tastes here." He muttered while wiping his forehead.
I scanned the lobby.
For one, every ve was female and, secondly, they were all non-humans. A small fairy with wings, a tall woman with a strong body and wolf-like ears, a petite girl with scales over her body. The diversity was never-ending.
Taking a short stroll through the lobby, I returned to the owner, "Is this all?"
"No, of course not, Sir. We have plenty of products."
Another lobby, another customers, another ves, and another stroll, "They are good but I was wondering if you had something different."
"Do not worry, Sir. If anything, special products are the only thing we don''tck. There are plenty where they came from."
Like that, I continued to reject all the ves that were shown to me a few more times.
In between our continuous trips from one section to another, I caught the owner thinking
|Doeshe swingthat way?|
Cough, cough, I almost spat and told him that he was wrong. However, I had no choice but to continue in order to meet Lumine. She was in apletely different section of the shop, after all.
''This humiliation, I''ll remember it!''
I could only grit my teeth in frustration and anger, when the owner took me to sections with male non-human ves, before taking a stroll and rejecting again.
Finally, the mental torture ended yes, it was a torture. Before it was good, butter I was made to watch bulky naked men!
''My eyes! I need holy water!''
At the end, we went back to the room where we started. Seated across from each other, I initiated the conversation.
"The choices were good, but something felt missing. Don''t have ves that are. in unfortunate condition."
"I see! Sir wanted to see those types of products."
He smiled while rubbing his palms together. His thoughts, on the other hand.
|H-hehis fetishes are beyond me|
''Should I just beat him before meeting Lumine?'' I seriously considered those thoughts for a moment. This guy had too many carefree thoughts! And they were too insulting!
He nodded to me and pushed the table at the center of the room away.
Crouching, he swept his hand over the floor, until something clicked and a section of floor shifted upwards. He ced his fingers in the gap and pulled the lid open.
Immediately, a pungent odor of egest and rotten flesh spread into the room.
"I apologize for the smell, Sir. But it is even worse down there. Does Sir want to continue?"
Holding back the urge to gag, I nodded. "Lead the way."
The rancid odor grew stronger as he walked down the hidden stairways to the basement. Honestly, it wasmendable that I didn''t double over to retch.
The atmosphere inside the basement was second to only a few horrors from my old life. The air was sticky and pungent.
What seemed to be corpses were thrown inside cers without a regard. A few were groaning, but inside this little-hell, not a soul was present that was both: alive and well.
Most were dead, a few were alive with half rotting bodies, while a rare minority managed to stay alive with fatal injuries gnawing at their lives.
The owner had his mouth covered with a cloth and spoke in a heavy voice. "These are the failed products that are returned by their owners. Although they are second-hand products, Sir might find someone to his tastes here. As for their lives I cannot guarantee they''ll live more than a few days."
His words were cruel, but his thoughts were strangely silent. He seemed to be loathing this scene himself.
I nodded and walked around.
Walking in front of every cer, I continued to count their numbers until I was standing in front of the 7th cer from the east side.
"Open this cer."
Inside the dark cer, one could faintly make out the visage of a young woman. She was covered in dirt and litter.
From where I was standing, it was difficult to make out her other features, but from the small movements of her breathing, she was certainly alive.
"T-that, Sir, you shouldn''t waste your time on her. S..she has contractible health diseases."
He continued to dish out excuses, but when he saw that I wasn''t moving, he sighed.
|Don''t say I didn''t warn you.|
"Wait a minute, Sir. I''ll bring her out."
I shook my head in response. "I want to check the product here. You should leave and give me some time alone."
Taking out another pouch, I threw it at him.
"As you wish." His face morphed into that of pure disgust at my words. Taking the pouch, he gave onest nce at the woman inside the cer before leaving.
|He wants. to do it here? Good thing a trash like himwill leave the worldtoday|
I could only shake my head. My image had fallen to rock-bottom in his eyes.
And honestly, I didn''t care about what he thought of me. There were more pressing matters to attend that required my immediate attention.
Pushing the metal door open, I entered the cer.
Chapter 15 Crown Of Massacre
?A young woman with her face hidden behind a wooden mask was sleeping in front of me. Her clothes were grimy and her hair was soiled enough that I couldn''t make out their original color.
Her most striking feature, however, were her ears.
The top half of her ears were missing. If one was to recreate an image of her ears in their mind, given their angr shape, the result would not be human ears, but rather long and pointy ears.
"Stop acting. I know you are awake." I called out to her.
She didn''t budge,ying still like a corpse.
The silence continued.
However, I didn''t move either and stared down at her.
And eventually, she moved. "What do you want?"
Her voice was bewitching, yet melodic. The mask was hiding her face, but I felt that it was the most beautiful face one could ever have. My mind was urging me to remove the obstruction hiding her face.
I could feel my sanity slipping away after hearing her voice once.
''This is dangerous. I better hurry.''
Thud!
I threw the bag that I brought onto the ground and took out the two shovels from inside it.
Passing one shovel to her, Imanded. "Dig."
Then, without waiting for her response, I picked the other shovel and started digging.
ve Trade & Co
The enormous building was built over a cemetery. It was thanks to that, if one digs at its basement, they would find tons of corpses.
I was searching for one such corpse that carried the ''Crown of Massacre''. The novel only said, ''Lumine was lucky enough to find a corpse with the crown beneath her cer when Coalescence began.''. So, I had to struggle to locate it in reality.
An hour and three wrong pitster, ourbor bore result.
Ting!
The tip of my shovel struck a hard surface, which was vastly different from the skeletons that we had unearthed since the start.
We pulled the coffin out and ced it on the cer floor a few minutester.
Lumine, who had yet to speak another word, then stood at the side. I didn''t pay attention to her and stared at the lock ced on the coffin.
ng!
The lock broke when I struck it with my de. Thereafter, I hid the de back inside my robe and opened the coffin.
''There it is!''
Resting on top of the ck skeleton was a blood red crown.
Taking a closer look, I could hear voicesing from the crown, voices that were asking for carnage and mayhem.
I muttered a useless sentence to throw them C the ones watching me C off guard, "The information wasn''t wrong."
Making sure the crown didn''t touch my bare skin, I wrapped it thickly with cloth and pocketed it.
The crown needed to be purified before bonding with it. Or, I would slowly go insane from blood-thirst like its previous owner, the ck skeleton. After all, unlike Lumine, I didn''t have the power of charm to cancel out the crown''s blood-thirst.
Purifying the crown wasn''t difficult. It required me to kill a few monsters and using the Coins the currency of Tower of Babel earned from doing so, purchase the ''Grace Dew'' from the [Shop].
With one of the two pieces achieved, I turned to my 2nd piece and spoke out aloud.
"I know you are watching. Come out."
A few minutes passed, but the shop owner didn''t reveal himself. Sighing, I faced Lumine, who was standing still like a doll.
"Will you call out to him? I don''t think he is going to listen to me."
Rustle!
At my words, a shadow at the corner of the basement moved.
"I didn''t think Sir would catch me. First, I would like to apologize for having misunderstood Sir''s intention." The owner smiled while looking at my robes. "But what did Sir dig out of the ground?"
Ѧd n?a| om "You don''t need to know."
Throwing three pouches of money at him and crying internally because of my bleeding wallet I pointed at Lumine.
"Deduct her price from it. I''m buying her."
"S...sir, you should reconsiC" His voice shook but before he couldplete his sentence a third voice cut him off.
"Fatty, don''t bother. He knows about me. The earlier farce was to distract us and mask his intentions before he came out with his actual objective." Lumine ordered.
The owner nodded and silently went back to the corner of the basement. Lumine then shook her head and faced me.
"You are here for me, aren''t you? Your earlier actions almost had me fooled, but then you tried to buy me in the end and spoiled your actual goal ofing here."
''It seems that they think I was faking the digging. Well, that works in my favor.'' I didn''t respond.
She added, "But I''ll ask for the sake of it, why did youe here?"
Listening to her, the feeling of lightheadedness intensified. The air I was inhaling felt different. I could feel my consciousness blurring.
I swiftly bit my tongue.
The pain brought the much needed rity and allowed me to think straight.
It made me realize that she had been using her charm since the beginning. I was a fool to think that the mesmerizing voice at the beginning wasn''t intentional. It was done intentionally.
My hand crept toward the Crown of Massacre. ''If something goes wrong, I''ll use the crown. The madness effect should be able to resist her charm. But let''s not turn to extreme measures too early. I doubt she is trying to harm me.''
Lumine asked again, "Someone must have told you about me. I want to know about that person and I won''t do anything to you."
I didn''t answer.
Since I regained my memories, this was the first time I felt thankful for my prideful trait. It was helping me not to say anything against my will.
I bit my tongue harder.
Watching my motionless stature, Lumine spoke in a hesitant and worried tone. "You must have wanted to see my face. It should be why you came here, didn''t you? Don''t. It will make you a mindless puppet. I''m hiding here because I don''t want that to happen to anyone else again. So, please tell me who told you about my location."
I finally spoke after sorting my thoughts. "Name: Lumine Von Stargaze, Race: Elf. Persecuted by her fellow Elven vigers for destroying peace and serenity of the vige. Currently, she is living in hiding among humans."
Lumine shook slightly. It was a miniscule reaction, but it didn''t go unnoticed by me thanks to my attribute.
As if a flip had been switched, her demeanor changed entirely.
"You aren''t here on someone else''s behalf, huh?" Her voice wasn''t worried, hesitant, shocked, cold, or enraged, just empty. "Since you seem like you are here with an objective in mind, tell me. Why are you here?"
This was the real Lumine.
She might have been abused repeatedly and tragedies filled her life, but she wasn''t the one to cower. Her motto was to face problems head-on.
With her true self bare, I removed my robe, revealing my hair and face.
|ck hair!|
|...ck hair!|
The owner and Lumine''s thoughts were clear in that instant. It was surprising because, since the beginning, I hadn''t been able to read Lumine''s thoughts.
"I''m Sol Lionel, the 3rd heir of Lionel Dukedom." I dered. "I want your aid in assassinating my family."
Chapter 16 Two Letters
?"Power struggle for the dukedom?" Lumine took a moment to answer.
She pondered, "I would''ve rejected you instantly if you wanted me to enve someone with my ability but, though your request is different, I cannot ept it. I do not help with anything rted to murder or, for that matter, affecting others'' lives negatively."
I neither affirmed nor denied her.
Revealing that I had a method to remove her curse, [Word Magic], might''ve helped to convince her, but it was also dangerous.
pnd,no?1,o It was a sensitive topic for her and she might use her charm to force the answer out of me. Besides, I didn''t have anything to prove my words either.
"Are you refusing me then?", I questioned her amusedly.
Lumine frowned.
Thinking hard, she took a dozen minutes toe to a conclusion.
"You said you are a Duke son, didn''t you? Help fatty grow his business and I''ll help you in exchange."
I didn''t question her change of heart because I knew the reason behind it. Instead smirked inwardly at her confidence, as she didn''t worry about the strength of targets of assassination.
''She thinks she can kill them. How cute.''
In the end, she was no different from a frog in the well. The difference between Saint rank and King rank might be only one rank on paper, but in reality, it was no different fromparing a toddler to a world level athlete.
The reason I was requesting her help was because of the special connection between Elves and Spirits. Elves are sensitive to the presence of spirits and can detect them fairly easily.
The more important reason was slightly different, however.
Due to the pact formed between the Elven ancestor and Solomon thousands of years ago, spirits cannot harm elves unless elves are in the position of aggressors.
These two facts: Detection and Protection, was why I needed Lumine to guard me. Defeating the daemons needed more meticulous nning and came after that.
I nodded, "I''ll help you after youplete your side of the job. Before that, I won''t have any power in the house to help you."
"I''ll take your words on it, but never forget: If you ever try to weasel out of this deal, I''ll make you my puppet."
"Deal."
With that, the heavy air in the room dispersed.
The owner, Kash, and I were sitting in the room as we waited for Lumine.
She left to change and sort her appearance after I told her to do that if she was toe with me. I was supposed to meet her 10 minutester at the shop''s main gates.
In the meantime, I recalled the details about Lumine.
Lumine''s condition was unique.
She lost the ability of [Word Magic] after her first wish was granted. This made her unable to remove her curse.
The mask she wears was to prevent others from being bewitched by her identally. Moreover, she has to make conscious efforts to suppress her charm, or it might make others drawn to her even with her mask.
This wasn''t all, however.
Elves prided themselves in their long and pointed ears. An elf with sliced ears is seen as defective and frowned upon in every society.
Sliced ears are a sign that their vige had abandoned them and left them to suffer alone, believing that killing them was allowing them to rest and they you shouldn''t get such luxury. For elves, who are known for their peaceful natures, to loathe one of their own to this extent makes other races believe that the abandoned elf has to be an evil of unprecedented level.
All of this forced Lumine to live in hiding. As for her poor living conditions, I could infer that it was because she felt guilty and wanted to punish herself for her past actions.
Although it wasn''t her fault, it also wasn''t correct to say that she had no hands in the ruination of many lives that fought over her.
I turned to Kash, "Bring me two nk pages. I''m going to write two letters and I want you to deliver them."
The reason Lumine agreed to help me despite her qualms about hurting more people was because she was suspicious of me. She wanted to find out how I came to know about her past, which no human should have known about.
"Wait a minute, I''ll bring it."
Taking the papers from Kash, I wrote in the first letter about the fact that the Swordsmith Empire was preparing for war.
"Is this true!? Are we going to war!?" Kash''s eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he peeked over the contents of the letter.
"No, but we are going to make this news seem like the truth."
"Thank the heavens. If our Empire prepares for war, it won''t affect this continent alone. The East continent will also get involved and try to take advantage of the war by striking when we are down." He sighed. "Besides, if the news is fake, won''t others notice it easily?"
Closing the letter, I passed it to him. "You don''t need to worry about that. What you need to do is supply copies of this letter into the ck market and make sure it reaches the East continent too."
Kash was a ve trader who inherited his father''s business recently. Although he was a 3rd mortal awakening warrior, he changed his career path and seeded his family business due to his father''s dying wish.
He should have his connections and trade routes that will allow him to spread the news faster and wider than if I were to do the same.
Truth be told, Kash didn''t need to supervise the information spreading to the east continent. As long as it went into the ck market, it would be enough, however.
''Do you think I forgot what happened hours ago? No, I didn''t! Now I''ll make you overwork to death!''
Muhahaha
Not knowing what the future held for him, Kash interrupted my inner monologue, "Why are we doing this?"
"You don''t need to know."
With that, I began writing the 2nd letter.
The 1st letter''s job was to prepare other kingdoms and the continent for when the Coalescence begins.
In the novel, Jae-sung didn''t do anything to save others. Of course, I don''t me him, because he didn''t have the resources to do that, and he was blinded by revenge at that time.
But unlike him, I have the ability.
I wasn''t nning on bing a messiah that would go around saving others. But if a single letter from me can save countless lives, then I did not see why I should not do that.
With everyone preparing for war due to the Empire''s threat, they will be prepared unlike in the novel and would be able to fight back when the cmities arrive and Coalescence begins.
''And who knows, maybe new heroes will rise after surviving through the uing ordeals. If my actions save countless lives, shouldn''t there be at least one gem among them?''
Completing the 2nd letter, I gave it to Kash, too.
"Transport this letter to Elven forest. I don''t think I need to tell you its location."
He repeated the same question, but I answered this time.
"What is this for?"
"To help Lumine remove her curse."
"!!!!" He sucked in a sharp breadth. "Y..you are lying! If you had something like this, why didn''t you use it earlier during negotiations!?"
"Calm down, you are a businessman. You shouldn''t lose your cool easily." Shaking my head disapprovingly, I continued. "Do you think Lumine would''ve believed me if I said that? It could''ve made the matters worse instead. Besides, it''s true that I need her help, this is the repayment for that."
Kash took a few deep breaths and calmed himself.
He gave me a sharp look and muttered, "How do I believe you that you are not lying?"
"You don''t. I, for one, know that you would continue to doubt me, no matter the proof I present. And simrly, I also know that you treat Lumine as your own blood, as if she is your daughter. This is why you can resist her charm and haven''t been bewitched by her, yet."
Keyword: Yet
In the future, it will be when her charm bewitches Kash, thest person who genuinely cared for her, that Luminepletely breaks and turns to the dark side.
I stood up after noticing that the 10 minute deadline that Lumine gave was almost up, "You can read the letter and decide if you want to parcel it. I''ll leave the decision to you."
Sol left after leaving a few words, "You can read the letter and decide if you want to parcel it. I''ll leave the decision to you."
Lumine, who heard Sol leaving the room, btedly realized that she had been eavesdropping on Sol and Kash, and rushed to the main gates where she had told Sol to meet her.
''Why did I run away?'' Only after reaching the gates, she thought that she had no reason to run away like she did, but she was here already and decided to wait for Sol.
Sol eventually reached the main gates, and they left together.
Noticing her sporting a blue one piece that went well with her lush blonde hair, hemented, "You look good."
Not knowing how to respond, she simply thanked him for the praise. Because of her condition, Lumine was wearing the wooden mask C as it had the ability to suppress her charm C and her grotesque ears would make her appear hideous, if anything else, without her charm. This made her unable to understand how she ''looked good''.
The duo did not directly return to Viscount''s mansion, as Sol had to buy a few ingredients.
Sol had been missing for 3 hours. His absence had caused an uproar. And since the milk was already spilled, Sol decided that a few more minutes won''t hurt.
''What was that?'' Lumine questioned herself again.
Although she went to dress properly, she ultimately decided to only bathe and wear normal clothes.
Thus, she was able to arrive early and thought of meeting them in the room rather than the main gates, contrary to what had been decided earlier.
''He can remove my curse?'' Although she was trying to not think about it, she found her mind returning to the same topic.
She didn''t want to be disheartened again when the result would fail. But those words wouldn''t leave her head.
The 2nd letter Sol wrote and asked to deliver came to her mind. ''Is he trying to help me to settle back with the elves after helping me?''
''I know for a fact that the elven vige does not have anything that can help me. In that case, all I can think of is that he truly wants me to help me and that includes my grievances with the vigers.''
Sol knew about her past. He had proved it already.
''But why does he think I won''t believe him? It is not like I''ll eat him alive if he mentioned my curse.''
She stared at his cold visage that didn''t let his true thoughts out, and muttered.
"You''re weird."
Chapter 17 Rumors
?Going back to the Viscount mansion I found that Viscount had suppressed the news about my disappearance.
He did that to prevent the chaos from sprouting that might''ve been caused after the news of the Duke''s son going missing spread. In the meantime, he was using his knights to search for me.
Since I went missing for only 3 hours, the rush died down fairly easily and without much issues.
Viscountter asked me the reason I left the knights, and I answered back saying: I went on a stroll and reached a ve shop. There I decided to buy a ve.
Yes, I know it wasn''t the best excuse. In my defense, I had thought of better excuses, and I used them too but what came out of my mouth was entirely different!
Suddenly, I couldn''t lie and spouted those honest words!
Ultimately, Viscount could only nod. It looked like he had much to say, but as I was a Duke''s son, he could only swallow them and ask me to at least notify them if I was ever to do the same in the future.
Just recalling that scene was enough to make me cringe. It was almost as if I was a young master using his family name to suppress others''ints!
.Okay, I was a young master and I was doing just that, but it wasn''t my fault! It was my mouth''s fault that didn''t let me give a proper excuse! If I could speak normally, at least the Viscount wouldn''t have felt what he felt after listening to the reason I gave!
The next day, Matthew was stripped of his Knighthood and made to leave the Viscount''s mansion. He had chosen to live with the stigma of a failed knight.
Later that day, the convoy decided to leave, too.
We resumed our journey in the afternoon and it had been 2 days since.
Presently, I was sitting inside my carriage and it was almost time for dinner.
I opened my eyes when i felt my consciousness blurring. This was the sign of mana exhaustion.
Taking out a mana stone from the bag, I started absorbing it to refill my mana. These mana stones, along with a few more items, were bought by me after I left Kash''s shop.
With my magic power refilled, I went back to my task of creating and storing my summons inside the summoner cards.
At the same time, I shifted the curtains of my carriage and peeked outside.
There I found the soldiers and others talking amongst each other. Quite a few of those topics revolved around me.
After the spar with Matthew, a great number of rumors about me were spreading unceasingly.
Out of those rumors, two were the highlight.
''The third Lion is no longer a cub.''
''A fiend is possessing the third lion.''
It was as I expected and hoped for from that spar. Now, I needed to remove the 2nd rumor and my previous ruined image will improve by leaps and bounds.
Don''t misunderstand, I didn''t care much about maintaining a good public image, however, I needed to obtain the highest authority possible in the Empire to push my n of mass mortal awakening forward. And the first step to gain authority was improving my image.
''Mass mortal awakening'' was one of the projects I needed toplete in order to prepare for Coalescence. The project was to have as many humans go through mortal awakening as possible.
But it was easier said than done. In this world, the Empire and kingdoms had strict restrictions on who was allowed and who was not allowed to go through mortal awakening. Only nobles, their knights, and rich people who bought the permit with money were allowed to awaken.
A mesmerizing voice soon interrupted my thoughts, "What are you doing, Sol?"
My eyebrows twitched at the mention of my name and I turned to Lumine, the only other person inside my carriage.
Her mask was what I noticed first. It was the same wooden mask with intricate patterns and carvings that suggest a deep connection to nature. At the same time, her ears, which had their top halves cut, seemed to be pulling my gaze to them.
I knew that pointed ears were an elf''s pride, yet Lumine was at ease, not trying to hide them underneath her blonde hair that fell in waves around her shoulder.
Although she was only sitting in front of me, it was taking me all of my willpower to keep myself under control.
"Oh?" Lumine put her palm above her mask, where her mouth should''ve been, and spoke teasingly. "Are you displeased because I called you by your name, Sol? I know that I''m posing as your personal ve, but can''t I call you with your name when we are alone?"
Again, my eyebrows twitched.
"Your expression changed slightly this time. But you need to work harder." Lumine giggled.
This had be a norm after three days. In short, Lumine has been trying to get a reaction from me after I ignored her once three days ago.
''What does she even mean that I ignored her!? She just said ''You''re weird'', was I supposed to say I''m not!?''
Since I didn''t know how I should reply to herment, back then, I ignored her. I did not do that because it was a bother to answer, definitely not.
Faking a cough, she spoke like a mother teaching her child. "Sol, you should stop having a ''Stay away from me! Or, I''l kill you!'' face at every waking moment. Or you''ll have wrinkles before old age."
I closed my eyes and chose to ignore her, as I have been doing for the past days. I was now having second thoughts of bringing her along with me.
"Wait, don''t ignore me! I''m bored! At least tell me what have you been doing with those ck pieces of paper for the day!"
Opening my eyes, I gave her a nk look. "Bored? Didn''t you spend most of the time alone in the cers? You should be ustomed to getting bored."
"But I''m really curious about those pieces of paper! Why is your mana disappearing after you put it inside them? Are they absorbing your mana? But they seem no different from normal paper." She spoke excitedly.
''Sigh, she is enjoying this, isn''t she?''
In front of others, Lumine either goes silent or says minimal words with a serious tone. Was it that much fun to bother me?
I answered while keeping the card inside my robe and pulling another empty card out. "I''m preparing for the hunt."
"Hunt? What are you going to hunt?"
"Are you curious?"
She nodded.
pnd`no?1--o I scoffed. "Let''s eat first. I''ll answerter if I feel like it."
"Wait!"
Before she could stop me, I left the carriage to have dinner.
Murmurs and whispers entered my ears as soon as I stepped outside.
Most of the members of the convoy seemed afraid, or at least intimidated from my appearance. Lumine followed behind me and we sat at a different campfire that soldiers prepared hurriedly.
A member of the convoy sporting a white apron came to me, "Young master, will you be having our dinner out in the open today? Also, is there anything different you''ll like to have? Please say a word and we''ll prepare the best dishes for you."
"I''ll have the usual here only." I turned to Lumine. "Is there anything specific you would like to eat?"
"None, young master." She replied curtly.
My eyebrow twitched, again.
She became minimalist with her words as soon as others were around! Why was I suffering for hours!
''Tsk, I should have brought an open carriage to keep her shut."
The dinner arrived a bitte.
While we were having dinner, arge shadow suddenly appeared above me.
"Stop acting, you fiend! I know that you are not the young master, but an evil spirit who has possessed him!"
Suppressing the smile threatening to break onto my face, I turned to look at the one who interrupted my dinner.
''As I thought, it was a good choice to eat out in the open today.''
Chapter 18 Apocalypse
?Apocalypse
It was the eventual end that muste to every world.
The reason for the Apocalypse was a simple one. It was the concept upon which the multiverse was built
''What can, will exist.
Ѧd n?a| om What is, will end.''
It dictated that everything imaginable must exist and all that exists will reach its end and thus cease to exist.
Apocalypse is the end thates to a world at the end of its life cycle. It can be a virus, an alien civilization, a civil war, or natural cmities. They are, what you would call, the natural providence.
However, surprisingly, the worlds refused to ept their end. They defied thew that told them to die and fought against the Apocalypses!
By giving their blessings and support to one of their residents, the worlds created ''Blessed'', or ''Protagonist'', whose job was to defeat the ''Apocalypse'', better known as the ''Viin''.
If the blessed won, they would be able to save their worlds after oveing the viins. If they lost, their world would end.
Each world has their own protagonists that were given the job to triumph over viins. Coincidentally, all of them lost.
The blessed couldn''t ovee the hurdles on their path. Unlike the stories we read, the protagonist lost, no, ''every'' protagonist lost. In reality, the viins always win.
The Apocalypses swiftly proceeded. The worlds were annihted.
In the end, ''they'' gambled. To save the multiverse from ending, every world wasbined with the 7 surviving worlds as their foundation.
With the Apocalypses joining hands, the danger became greater than ever. However, the great merge ''Coalescence'' was the only choice to salvage and protect what was left.
The one who shouldered the burden of saving the multiverse was the sole surviving blessed, Jae-sung.
Jae-sung was originally a resident of the World of Systems. In his world, every person had a unique system. Knight system, Harem system, Superstar System, Artist System, there was no end. And Jae-sung had the strongest system of all, the Gamer system.
His system allowed him to level up and increase his base stats. It gave him skills as rewards forpleting quests. He could create legendary items from thin air and gain the unique abilities of others'' systems.
But he couldn''t save his world. The stronger the world, the more dangerous the Apocalypse. In the end, his world was also destroyed.
He didn''t die however, and found himself in the World of Swords & Magic. He was missing his memories. All of his skills, items, and stats were lost and he had to start from the beginning.
Then Coalescence happened. He struggled, fought, despaired, triumphed and finally, he reached the end.
He won, or so he thought.
At hisst step, Jae-sung was betrayed by Jared Lionel. Jae-sung never expected the one who was his master, his sworn friend, and his rival to backstab him.
And as they, the greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment and regret thates with failure. When Jae-sun regressed, his first thoughts weren''t to save the multiverse or stop Apocalypses, but to kill Jared.
His goal was Jared initially, but my possessed family rubbed him the wrong way and since he already had a beef with Jared, he let edgy take control. One thing led to another, and he killed every Lionel.
Long story short, Jae-sung''s hatred changed him from a kind and curious guy to goal-driven and strength obsessed person. He became edgy and emo. Well, notpletely. He did care for hisrades, although he didn''t show it anymore.
''And my goal is to use his camaraderie for myself.''
Once he regressed, chances were high that he would go for the nearest Lionel, me, and use force to make me talk. Moreover, as I was a new variable in this timeline, he wouldn''t trust me easily.
If I couldn''t have his trust, then I needed someone else''s trust, Charlotte''s, to act as my shield until I sorted matters with Jae-sung. Jae-sung and I had the same goals, the Daemons, and he was a powerful piece. Using him was the easiest and most effective way to save my family.
It was for this reason I was making myself seem like the lowest of low as an individual in Charlotte''s eye. It was to make a strong impression on her after I guided her to realize that everything was a misunderstanding on her part and I always had good intentions at heart.
Sniff I mean, it was correct, wasn''t it? I''m a good person at heart. Right?
''Charlotte is a back-up n in case I''m weaker than Jae-sung after he regresses in a week.''
Lifting my eyes, I stared at the chimpanzee who had interrupted my dinner with Lumine.
''Everything depends on if the Varnish acts as I predicted.''
It would be decided today if leaving Varnish unpunished previously was a good choice or not.
"Stop acting, you fiend! I know that you are not the young master, but an evil spirit who has possessed him!" He used me vehemently. "The young master I know would never punish an honest knight like Matthew the way you did!"
Although no one showed it openly, everyone in the convoy felt more or less the same as the chimpanzee.
"Look! He even brought his evil subordinate! The evil elf! He thinks that all of us are foolish to believe the obvious lie that he told us by calling her a ve!"
Lumine sucked in a sharp breath at his usation. She was surprised. Her charm should''ve deterred the chimpanzee from calling her evil directly in front of her. I had a hint as to why this was possible and it was not good news.
Schwing!
He pulled his de out and pointed at me. Veins wiggled on his neck and he angrily shouted.
"These two fiends are in cahoots! They n to harm Lionel House!"
I looked at the members of the convoy and listened to their whispers.
''Good job, chimpanzee. You''ve done your part. Leave the next steps to me.''
Varnish pointed his sword at Sol. He could hear people around them whispering.
"Honestly, I also felt it was weird when the young master''s behavior suddenly changed."
"True, when the young master punished Sir Matthew, I could barely breathe from suffocation. It was as if I was standing in front of the Duke himself! How can the young master Sol, who couldn''t even punish his servants, do that!?"
"But wouldn''t the Duke household know if the young master was possessed? Why would they leave it be?"
"Shhh, don''t tell others, but I''ve heard that the fiend has dirt on Duke and is forcing them to stay quiet."
Jae-sung and Charlotte frowned. They had heard rumors about the trash third lion, but what they saw themselves waspletely different. Oftentimes, they would doubt if the rumors about Sol being possessed were true.
Varnish inwardly grinned. ''It is going well! If I push more, I should be able to force him to go to the Lake of Purity inside the Forest of Silence! There is no way he''lle out of the forest alive!''
The water from the Lake of Purity was known to burn anyone with impure intentions. If Sol wanted to prove that he was not a fiend, he would have no choice but to go there.
''I can kill him inside the forest and no one would ever know!'' Varnish''s gaze carried a dangerous glint in them. ''I don''t know if he is possessed or not, but he almost killed Matthew. There is no way he will leave me alone because I was the one who abused him the most! I need to kill him with this chance!''
The forest of Silence was arge area that was divided into three sections: The core section, the middle section and the outer section.
The outer section was inhabited by hundreds of mortal awakening monsters. The Imperial army and armies of various nobles regrly cleared this area. It was to make sure that the monsters lurking inside did not leave the forest. This area was rtively safe that could be traversed by civilians too.
The middle section was where the danger abruptly shot up. Hundreds of Ascended monsters and thousands of mortal awakening monsters lived here. In the past, the Imperial army and the Royal Knight brigade, along with countless soldiers from nobles from across the Empire were almostpletely wiped out when they attempted to kill the monsters living there.
Lastly, the core section. Nobody had set foot there in the past 500 years of the recorded history. But legends had it that it was the territory of the mythical beast, Griffin.
Varnish smiled cruelly. ''Theke of purity lies in the middle of the outer section. Although that is a rtively safe area, he''ll need to bring an ascender with him. Out of the three ascenders, I''m the only one he can bring! I''ll use this chance to eliminate him!''
Theke of purity was nearest to their present location on the road. Varnish had calcted the distance before he made his move today. The only problem was bringing Sol out of the carriage. Sol never left the carriage. But maybe the stars were today in Varnish''s favour, Sol left his carriage by himself.
Varnish was nning on dering that Sol was burned by the Lake and had measures prepared to do that.
Sol scanned the crowd and looked back at Varnish. "What proof do you have? I believe you know that a baseless usation wouldn''t go unpunished."
His eyes and tone were monotonous as always. Almost as if he had predicted this to happen.
The bone chilling thought made Varnish lose hisposure for a moment, but he regained it the next second. "Y-your hair! Why did the young master''s hair change to ck from white!? Because you, the fiend, is possessing him!"
''What was that? Why did I think he predicted it?'' Varnish''s instinct were telling him to stop what he was doing but for some reason his body wouldn''t stop. "If we are talking about proof, what proof do you have! Can you prove that you are not a fiend!?"
It was done. Now he only needed to talk about theke.
"You need a proof? I''ll give you one."
Under the bewildered gazes of crowd and Varnish, Sol stood in front of Varnish. Sol''s gaze stopped at the 2nd sword resting at Varnish''s waist. A pitch ck sword. He pulled the sword out of the scabbard before anyone could react.
"Gylothyn, the sword of beheading. A treasured sword of Lionel House that was given to Sir Varnish when he ascended."
The sword was forged from a dark metal radiated an aura of darkness. The de was long and slender, with a razor-sharp edge that glimmered menacingly in the dim light. It had a striking and ominous appearance, evoking a sense of danger and power in those who see it.
"Ahh" Varnish unconsciously stepped back when he saw his neck being reflected on the de of the sword.
Sol ignored him and looked at the crowd, specifically at the Jae-sung and Charlotte.
"I''ll go into the Forest of Silence and bring the water from theke of purity. Theke''s water should be easy enough to recognize and I''ll consume it in front of everyone. Until then, I''ll take this sword." Thest words were spoken to Varnish.
His meaning was clear: I''ll prove that I''m correct but you''ll pay with your life in exchange.
Gritting his teeth, Varnish stepped forward. This wasn''t the time to be afraid and stop. "I''m in ordance. But we''ll need to have a few soldiers and one of the ascenders apany Sir Sol for secu"
"I''ll go alone." Sol swiftly cut him off.
Varnish frowned. Just when everything was proceeding as he wanted Sol put a unnecessary condition forward. ''I have prepared a contingency n if this was to happen, but it''s best if I go along with him. I can''t leave any loose ends!''
"As the head security of the convoy I"
"Silence." A chilly voice interrupted him. "That wasn''t a request. It was an order."
With those words Sol entered the forest, alone.
Chapter 19 Three Goals
?A figure dashed through the forest. The trees blocked the moonlight, yet one could faintly see the features of the figure. He was charming, handsome, dashing, cool.... wait let me check more adjectives. He was elegant, captivating, alluring, fascinating. The darkness couldn''t hide the figure''s devilish attractiveness.
Moonlight shined on the figure and revealed his identity. It was me!
I know. All of you must be saying that I didn''t praise myself enough. But what can I do? Words weren''t enough to describe my greatness!
While I was praising myself to heavens, my right foot got entangled in a root protruding out of the ground.
I tripped. And nearly fell face first into a tree.
''My handsome face was almost scarred.''
A cmity has been avoided! Rejoice!
''But aren''t scars also cool?'' I scoffed. ''Heh, everything is cool if it''s used by me!''
The forest was thick and overgrown. It made visibility practically zero. The moon hiding behind the clouds wasn''t helping, either.
Three hours had gone by when I entered the forest. I have been advancing nonstop since the beginning. I was tired. But Varnish had given me the perfect chance to grow stronger, I couldn''t waste it.
''What a good guy you were chimpanzee. I won''t forget to reward you handsomely.''
I knew Varnish was going to make a move today. It was why I ate outside when I had never left my carriage previously before today. To let Varnish ''force'' me into entering the forest and reach Lake of Purity. This was why I didn''t punish Varnish along with Matthew.
Varnish had a strong-with-weak and weak-with-strong mentality. Before I couldn''t do anything to him and he bossed me around. But he now saw me behaving differently and feared that I would punish him next.
I had three goals for manipting Varnish. First was to get an excuse to enter the Forest of Silence. The second reason was to bring Charlotte to my side. By next week, Charlotte would see me in apletely different light. Thest reason was to confirm my suspicion. It was rted to why Varnish could resist Lumine''s charm.
''I should forget about everything and focus on my first goal. The other twoester.''
Lumine was staying behind with the convoy. It was dangerous to leave her alone, but I couldn''t bring her with me. Stray monsters from the forest oftentimes attack the travelers who use roads near the Forest of Silence. As our convoy was going to stay in the same ce until I returned, it had a high chance of being attacked.
I had repeatedly instructed Lumine to hide her strength, but without a guaranteed assurance I couldn''t help but worry. After all, hiding her strength was necessary for the future.
Two hours went by in a simr fashion. I took a quick break and tried to understand the forest''s physiology to pass the time.
''I can''t hear anything besides my own breathing and footsteps. The wind isn''t too strong or weak, but there is no noise of rustling of leaves.''
The silence was noisy.
Forest of Silence got its name from its eternal silence. Inside the forest, you can''t hear the noises created by trees. Even if you havepanions, if the distance between you and them is more than 30 meters, you can''t hear them too. The monsters were no exception.
To ovee this restriction, the monsters of the forest have adapted in different ways. Strong sense of smell, infrared vision, or simrly sensory abilities aremon in monsters belonging to the Forest of Silence.
Five minutes passed. It was enough rest. I continued my journey in silence. Nothing of note happened, other than me dropping a few baby tarant cards.
An hourter, a change urred.
Rustle!
A faint noise emerged from my vicinity. I wouldn''t have been able to notice it under normal circumstances. But inside this silent forest, the noise was too loud.
I pulled Gylothyn from its scabbard and vigntly scanned the surroundings. At the same time, my hand unconsciously went toward the cards inside my robe. However, I decided against using my summons to fight.
Originally, I had 30 Great Boars, 40 Daisies, and 40 Baby Tarants in my deck. Out of those, I left five baby tarants with Lumine and the daisies weren''t forbat - they were my emergency magic power potion.
''This is the best chance to use my skills in realbat. Besides, the monster should be 1st Mortal Awakening. It is weak. I shC''
Swoosh!
Bang!
Suddenly, a brown fur shed before my eyes. Something grazed my cheek and struck the tree behind me. A drop of blood trickled down from the fresh cut on my right cheek.
In the next second, a powerful force struck my abdomen. I was thrown off my feet.
A monster about seven feet tall on two powerful hind legs that end in wed, three-toed feet stood a few meters away. The monster''s body was hulking and muscr, with a wide chest and massive shoulders that sloped down to a narrow waist. Its arms were thick and powerful, withrge, round fists at the end of each arm.
''Which idiot said 1st Mortal Awakening monsters are weak? It was a straight knockout if I wasn''t prepared!''
I swiftly stood back and held the ck sword with both hands. The bipedal monster covered in fur was punching empty air, as if taunting me. I looked below. My clothes were torn and a small brown armor could be seen inside.
That''s right! I was wearing thin bracers, shin guards, cuirass, and a tasset inside my clothes! I came prepared!
I wasn''t anywhere near the Lake of Purity yet. Here, only monsters of 1st mortal awakening roam. Yet, I couldn''t react to thest attack.
My heart was thumping heavily inside my heart. I was excited!
Swoosh!
The monster punched with its right arm. Shifting my weight, I rolled to the right. At the same time, I kept my eyes peeled open to look for openings.
''It has thick legs, which means it should be fast. It can also stretch its arm to attack at long range.''
The fists struck me 3 times. But they weren''t fatal hits, as I always dodged at thest second.
''It has a 5 meter attack range. A two second gap is created before it can attack with the same fist. But the monster alternates between the two fists while attacking to punch. It covers for its gap in this way.''
Throughout the battle, I kept my distance while dodging and, when possible, reflecting the attacks. Even at the same ranks, monsters are stronger than humans. However, it doesn''t mean humans can''t win. Unlike monsters, we humans can think and that gives us the advantage over mindless monsters who are controlled by their instincts.
''I got it.''
Ѧd n?a| om Waiting for the next attack, I pulled the other sword out. I was now duel wielding.
The fist shot in my direction. Shifting my leg, I narrowly dodged the punch. I tensed my muscles at the same time and swung the sword at the monster''s elongated arm!
The monster howled and without pulling its 1st punch attacked with its other fist.
Not wasting a moment, I threw the other sword at the monster and dashed toward it. The monster''s 2nd punch changed direction and struck the sword away. But I was already in the range!
Putting my strength into the grip, I powerfully shed!
Schwing!
''You''ve got to be kidding me''
The de passed through empty air. The monster jumped into the air at thest second. While it was yet to fall down, the monster pulled its punches and rained its fists.
Just as I dodged twice, its attack finally connected.
ngg!!
The force almost brought me to my knees.
Landing on the ground, the monster tried to retreat. It couldn''t fight in closebat and needed to create distance to throw punches. But I didn''t let it do that. Kicking the ground, I bolted behind it!
Bam!
The monster''s arm stretched and shot at me. Yet, I didn''t dodge! Under the monster''s confused gaze, I grabbed its arm and pulled!
It lost its bnce and fell! In the vulnerable position it couldn''t attack properly! Yet, when I swung my sword, it attacked the de blindly!
Schwing! x3
Three arcs attacked from different directions! It was a gamble. Even I couldn''t tell if the monster would block this attack or not. The chances of sess were only 1/3!
ng!!
The metallic echo rang! My arm shook, and the de flew away!
Hurriedly standing up, the monster kept its eyes on the flying de and then looked at me. It was about to attack
Spurt!
However, another sword pierced through its heart! It was the sword that I had thrown at the beginning!
The monster had fallen next to the sword that I tossed to distract it before. It was because of this that I took the gamble with only 1/3 chances of sess. If the monster blocked my original attack, it would be rxed and use that time to stand back. My goal was to use the gap and finish it with the other sword on the ground!
Thud!
The monster''s eyes gradually lost their radiance. Its lifeless body fell to the ground.
And a string of notifications appeared in my eyes.
<>
A smile appeared on my face.
<>
Chapter 20 Shop
?Ding!
<>
<<100 Coins awarded!>>
|| +50 Life Points ||
My brows jumped in tion.
''I can get life points by killing monsters!''
It was only a hunch, but the notification confirmed my doubts. Killing others can get me life points! Also, unlike mana stones that are rare, monsters were dime a dozen!
The notifications continued.
Ding!
<>
''Interface.'' I muttered under my breath.
[Floor 0]
[Shop]
[Language Trantor] Level 0
Three lines appeared in front of me. Higher floor ess to the Tower of Babel was only possible from Master rank.
The Language trantor skill was a basic skill that every ascender connected to Tower would receive. Its job was to makemunication between the residents of other worlds easier. It is a basic skill but at higher levels it bes a terrifying power.
I opened the Shop function and went through the list.
[Basic Sword] Low Common, Cost - 1000 Coins
[Wooden Shield] Intermediate Common, Cost - 5000 Coins
[Butchering Knife] Low Common, Cost - 6000 Coins
''The prices are as outrageous as ever.''
The Shop had a famous nickname in the novel ''Rip-off Luxury Store''. The prices of the items weren''t fixed. It depended on the necessity of the item.
You are injured and need first aid? Here, the medicines are only 10,000 Coins!
You are stranded on an ind filled with monsters? Ourtest offer gives you a Lowmon grade sword for 20,000 Coins!
You are standing in front of an armory? Che, we have a 500 Coins Lowmon grade sword if you want.
The equipment from the shop can be used only by the buyer. It is destroyed if others try to use it.
It was expensive. It couldn''t be shared. Hence, the nickname ''Rip-off Luxury Store''.
That said, the shop wasn''t useless. You could buy items without expending any resources other than coins. You could buy water in the desert, mosquito repellent in the middle of the forest, and toilet paper in the washroom! The advantages couldn''t be ignored!
If you knew what you were going to need, you could also buy the items beforehand at cheap prices.
[Grace Dew] Low Umon - 30,000 Coins
''That''s surprising''
30,000 Coins for Grace Dew is the original price. But I knew that it could be used to remove the curse from the Crown of Massacre I had in my possession. In other words, I needed the item. Yet, it was being sold at its original price.
''They'' didn''t know about my knowledge of the future.
That was the conclusion I arrived at.
The hidden use of Grace Dew would be discovered by one of Jae-sung''spanions in the future. They discovered that the Dew had a synergizing effect and could only be used for the Crown of Massacre. It was a knowledge I received by reading the novel. It would make sense for the prices of items to remain the same if ''they'' didn''t know about the knowledge I received from the novel.
''Good, this is good.''
The corner of my lips were twitching. I could feel myself grinning.
''I can buy items I will need in future at low cost, and''
''They'' don''t know about future knowledge. It was a jackpot, bigger than the Crown of Massacre, or anything else, for that matter.
Removing these thoughts before it became dangerous, I calcted the number of monsters needed to buy the ''Grace Dew''.
''300 1st Mortal Awakening. The number isrge, but it will go down drastically if I hunt stronger monsters.''
Reconfirming my goals, I continued traveling.
The darkness of the forest seemed to engulf me. The only light came from the asional beam of moonlight filtering through the canopy of trees above. My senses were heightened, and I became acutely aware of every heartbeat. I could audibly hear the blood rushing through my ears. The silence was almost deafening, but I was slowly getting ustomed to it.
I was traveling in the direction of the Lake of Purity. However, my main goal was deeper inside the forest. It was the nest of Griffin. If I had to be exact, it was the ''Port'' under the Griffin''s nest.
A Port is the essible gateway to a small part of a world annihted by the Apocalypse. However, if I wanted to survive there I needed to be stronger than I currently was.
Even before thinking about the Port, there were countless hurdles to consider. Griffin''s nest was in the core section. To go there, I needed to traverse through the dangerous middle section that was filled with thousands of monsters. One wrong move and I was dead.
Moving sneakily until one reaches the core section is the only way to remain safe. Jae-sung was no different. He had done the same in the novel.
However, I had different ns.
''I will wipe out the monsters in the middle section.''
The time limit was 5 days, and my goal was to do something that neither the Imperial army nor the protagonist could achieve.
''The first step is clearing the horde of monsters guarding the Lake of Purity.''
My feet didn''t stop running even though I was tired. There was no rest for the wicked, after all.
''This works!''
I was holding a potted daisy in my arms. It wasn''t nted in the ground. But it could use its skill of repelling the monsters away.
The flower was slowly swaying while humming in an unknownnguage. It was peaceful and serene.
I held the nt-type summon closely and peeked from my hiding. A few dozen meters away from me were two monsters.
The monster closer to me was a massive creature that stood on two powerful hind legs. It was covered in shaggy ck fur and its eyes were bright red. The monster''s head was broad and rounded, with a snout that jutted out prominently.
The one farther from me was a graceful and majestic creature and stood on four delicate legs. It was covered in a brown sleek fur. However, the most striking feature were the monster''s antlers branching out from its head in a beautiful and intricate pattern.
They were injured with blood sttered across their fur. Ignoring their injuries, they were circling each other while ring aggressively.
The bear lunged forward, its massive paws shing at the air. The deer monster darted to the side, evading the bear''s attack with ease. It retaliated with a swift kick from its powerful hind legs, striking the bear squarely in the chest. The bear stumbled backwards, growling in pain.
But the bear swiftly retaliated with a fearsome roar. The two creatures collided with a thunderous crash, fur and antlers flying as they grappled for dominance.
The bear''s ws tore at the deer monster''s nk, leaving deep gouges in its fur. But the deer monster was quick and agile, twisting and turning to avoid the worst of the bear''s attacks. It struck back with its antlers, scoring a ncing blow on the bear''s shoulder.
The fight raged on, each creature gaining and losing ground as they battled for supremacy. Blood stained the ground beneath them, evidence of the wounds they had inflicted on each other. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the bearnded a decisive blow, knocking the deer monster to the ground with a powerful swipe of its paw.
Gasping for breath as the bear loomed over it, the deer monstery still.
Spurt!
However, a ck de stabbed the bear monster from behind. The monster stared at the deer monster in front of it. Until itsst breath it couldn''t locate the sudden attacker.
The deer monster swayed. It didn''t have strength left to continue. But it was determined to defeat me. Although the monster was determined, its body wasn''t.
"Don''t resist."
With a swift and practiced motion. I plunged the de into the monster''s forehead.
Ding!
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<<200 Coins awarded!>>
|| +100 Life Points ||
I got to work immediately and made a small cut over where the monsters'' hearts should have been. Every being that has reached 1st Mortal Awakening contains a magic stone. For the residents of World of Magic & Sword, it was their heart.
The mana(magic) stone taken from living beings contains more mana. However, the stone automatically dissolves into thin air within 24 hours of the creature''s death. These mana stones had to be used before that time limit. This made them a raremodity and only a select few individuals could use them.
They were different from the high grade mana stones I used previously. The ones I used were extracted from ley lines. The mineral mana stones don''t dissolve into thin air and have roughly the same purity. Though, these mana stones take a lot more time to absorb aspared to mana stones extracted from living beings.
''Aigoo, my bag is getting heavy. I need an inventory to store items.''
Theck of storage rings or simr magic had forced me to bring only a scarce amount of items with me. I was carrying pieces of armor, a few rations, first-aid, extremely bright and smelly firecrackers, and blue zoa berries which were used to create prank food that can upset the stomach.
These were the bare minimum necessity for my trip C the berries weren''t actually. I had them on me before leaving.
Of course, I could''ve bought more items. But it would''ve been too embarrassing if after the arrogant words I spoke to the chimpanzee, I had to pack my things before leaving.
The mana stones were collected in a short while. I ced them in the bag. Then, I started moving again.
It was when I was practicing my sword while on the move. Something clicked inside my mind. It was as if I finally understood where to ce the final pieces of the puzzle.
A notification appeared in my vision and confirmed my doubts.
Ding!
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Ѧd n?a| om
-
>
-
>
''I can finally use the main skill of the Phantom Series!''
The information as well as instructions on how to perform the skill were already in my head. But I couldn''tprehend them. It was no different from trying to read an unknownnguage.
The notification was telling me that my understanding of swords has reached a point where I could grasp the movement and execute the skill.
I stood in front of empty air and swung my de. There was a tree to my right but I shed ahead.
Schwing!
The de curved to the right at thest second. A small cut ran across the tree''s trunk.
''Hmm.'' I closely examined the gash and used the technique a few more times. ''I can bend the de roughly 30 degrees. It isn''t much but it''s a start.''
The results were better than I expected. A lot better.
''It isn''t a ranked skill, yet. But it''s already useful enough! I can''t wait for its advancement!''
The Bending de was the central technique of Celestial Swordsmanship: Phantom Series. At highest mastery it can cut through dimensions! It bes an unavoidable attack that is no different from teleportation!
''It''s the first day but the rewards are already great!''
I smacked my lips.
This wasn''t the time to be satisfied! It was time for a raid!
Chapter 21 Madness
?The rays of emerging dawn reflected on theke''s serene surface. Theke''s water was sparkling unnaturally. Around it were hordes of monsters. Some were resting, some frolicking, while some were ying with each other.
Unlike the rest of the forest where monsters fought for supremacy against each other, the surroundings of theke painted a peaceful picturesque scene.
My brows furrowed looking at the scene. I was standing on top of a tree to scout the situation from far away.
pnd,no?1,o ''The number of monsters is over 200. It''s more than I anticipated.''
In human settlements, the rumors of Lake of Purity foretold about theke''s ability to purify evil beings by burning them. However, that was a lie. Theke had no such ability.
Those rumors were created and spread by the ruling ss, the nobles, to hide its actual ability. Although the monsters guarding theke prevented stragglers from using theke and finding its worth, the nobles'' cautious nature made them weave the rumors and manipte the public into believing them.
''I should get to work.''
The sun was peeking from the horizon and I decided to climb down. However, I didn''t move for a few good minutes.
''I climbed the tree easily, but how do I climb down?''
I was massaging my back while rushing through the forest. Indeed, I skipped the narration of my descent down the tree. But I did not do that because I almost broke my back after falling. Nothing like that happened, definitely not.
Through the corner of my vision I could see a considerable number of monsters only a few hundred meters away. Yet, the monsters did not attack me. Part of the reason was the sound-nullifying trait of forest and part was theke itself.
Lake of Purity can dissolve magic stones and the mana they contain into itself. This allows those who enter theke to absorb mana directly from the water. Absorbing mana with this method shortens the time needed for advancing through Mortal Awakening ranks.
Advancing from 1st Mortal Awakening to 2nd Mortal Awakening can take anywhere from 3 years to 5 years, depending on one''s talent. Likewise, the amount of time required for reaching 3rd Mortal Awakening after 2nd Mortal Awakening is roughly 5-10 years on average. If correct conditions are met theke allows one to reach 2nd Mortal Awakening within 1-5 days! And 3rd Mortal Awakening in 3-5 weeks!
Theke was the reason why the Empire and its nobles clear the outer section of the forest of the monsters regrly. Under the guise of protecting civilians, they use theke to advance their loyal subjects and heirs in a short span of time!
It wasn''t all rainbow and sunshine, though. There was a reason why the Empire used theke only asionally. The cause were the monsters. The monsters using theke rotate daily with those in the middle section. In other words, a new batch of monsterse to theke every day.
Even if the Imperial army defeats the monsters guarding theke, they will have to fight new monsters the next day, and again new monsters the next day and again and again. Not only does this cycle continue, but it gets worse. The ascended rank monsterse out of the middle section if the horde of monsters going to theke keep getting killed. When that happens, the Imperial army no longer has a chance to win. They''d get ughtered.
Thus, the Imperial army and the nobles only attack once every few years to avoid enraging the ascended monsters resting inside the forest.
It took me a few minutes to reach my destination. I was hiding behind a tree with an enormous trunk. Behind me were two small hills. The path between the hills blocked anyone from attacking from the sides and I was nning to use it.
I took out the Crown of Massacre from my bag and wore it.
<>
"Ag..rghh"
My eyes turned bloodshot. Veins protruding on my neck almost seemed to burst. My breathing turned heavy and a cacophony of strange noises erupted inside my mind.
<<1%... 4%.... 5%...18%....>>
Kill Burn Murder Destroy Rage Annihte Demolish Obliterate Decimate Wreck Devastate Ruin Shatter Smash Crush Ravage Deste Conquer Consume Overwhelm
<<25%... 40%.... 59%...89%....>>
Murder Kill Kill Destroy Kill Murder Kill Destroy Kill Kill Destroy Murder Kill Burn Murder Burn Destroy Burn Murder Burn Burn Burn Murder
To stop the voices from dominating my mind, I held my sword in inverted grip. I took deep breaths.
Haaaah! Haaaah!
And with a swift motion plunged the de into my right thigh.
"!!!"
Unbridled pain shot through my body. Waves of intense heat pulsed through my body with the injury as a central point. I clenched my jaws tightly to stop myself from shouting.
After what felt like an eternity the voices dulled.
<<...100%!>
<>
Ding!
Grade: High-Epic
Kill Points: 00
Description: The crown stores the resentment of those it has killed. It uses resentment to empower its user.
*Note: The crown has been afflicted with the curse of madness and bloodlust.
The voices finally shut-up. It allowed me to take a breather and apply the first-aid on my injury. I checked my wound and sighed in relief. The wound wasn''t deep. I won''t have any problems in fighting ahead.
Originally, my n was to gather the Coins and buy ''Grace Dew''. After that I would purify and use the crown. But I realized my naivety. I was going to fight hordes of monsters without a back-up. Each of those monsters was stronger than me and a single stray attack was enough to kill me.
It was humiliating but this was the truth. As of now, I was weak. So, I decided to use the crown.
The crown cannot be used until it is purified or I have a way to counter the curse. But that wasn''t my goal. Even without being purified the crown will store the numbers of kills. This way, the moment I purify it, I can use it inbat. If I went with my original n, I would''ve gained the kill counts only after purifying it. It would waste all the monsters I was going to kill until the crown was purified.
''It will take at least 5-7 days before I''m consumed by the bloodlust.''
I closed my eyes and listened. The voices hadn''t vanished yet. However, they were barely audible. I had a week before I would lose my sense of self to the crown. It was more than enough. I would gain the Coins to purify it today itself.
Everything was in ce. I sighed softly and muttered.
"Release"
Monsters flocked to theke of purity in droves. If one was toy their eyes on the scene they would see monsters of all kinds. Bears, kangaroos, typus, zebra, crocodile. The monsters had simr appearance to the animals from Sol''s 2nd life. There was one major difference however. These monsters were massive and frightening to look at.
Average size of these ferocious monsters went from 3-5 meters to some reaching tens of meters in height. The towering giants covered the area surrounding thekespletely. The monsters numbered less than 300 but more than 200. It was the size of a small army.
The fact that the majority of monsters consisted of 2nd Mortal Awakening rank and around 50 of them were of 3rd Mortal Awakening rank was even more terrifying. The numbers were enough to wipe out several cities and towns.
Sol was looking at such a scene with a focused gaze. A whisper left his mouth.
"Release"
Three great boars appeared from the cards, in the middle of Sol''s current location and the monsters inhabiting theke. The boars wererge and intimidating, roughly the size of a mini truck. Saliva spilled from their mouth and they charged into the monsters of theke.
At first the monster did not pay attention to the great boars. They were their own kind, the monsters thought. The great boars however didn''t seem to think the same. With another roar they shed with the first line of monsters!
Surprised shrieks erupted. The two massive tusks of the boars impaled different monsters each. Flinging their heads aggressively, the boars threw the monsters into the crowd! A frenzy took ce!
Ding!
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The monsters finally responded. They growled and circled the three aggressive boars. But despite the numerical disadvantage, the boars didn''t retreat. Instead as if the impossible odds were a sweet nectar, they didn''t hesitate to dive into it!
Against tens of monsters there wasn''t much the three boars could do. The result was decided swiftly. Yet, the boars killed two more monsters with their dying breath!
Ding!
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<<500 Coins awarded!>>
<< +4 Kill Points! >>
|| +250 Life Points ||
The monsters were infuriated! The peace in the vicinity of theke was broken! Their anger turned to the boars and they stomped on them but the boars vanished into thin air!
They searched for the enemies but found nothing! Amidst their confusion, a distinct shout echoed. It was a human voice.
"I''m here, my points!"
A ck haired human was taunting them!
Chapter 22 How A Summoner Fights [1]
?Sol''s goal was to ess the Port under the Griffin''s nest. However, let alone surviving in the different world connected through the Port, even reaching the Port was nigh impossible. His biggest hurdle was the middle section which was filled with an unknown number of ascended rank monsters.
To ease his journey Sol was trying to take over the Lake of Purity. It was to advance in rank by using theke, before he had to enter the middle section. In this case, where every monster was way stronger than himself, Sol''s goals where he had a close deadline were stupid.
He was weaker than average knights, he didn''t have a backup if something were to go wrong, unlike Jae-sung he didn''t have a system that makes him stronger by killing monsters. It didn''t make sense that he was thinking of aplishing what the Imperial army couldn''t aplish.
But Sol had two things that supported his confidence in achieving his goals.
An ability that made him no different from a one-man army and the presence of mind to make the most out of that ability.
Most would think of Sol''s aim of achieving what nobody could do as foolish. But Sol never cared what others thought.
Because actions speak louder than words.
pnd,no?1,o
''I know I was the one to taunt them, but can''t theye in fewer numbers!''
My feet didn''t stop running towards the two hills. The two hills were at a distance from theke and out of the views of the monsters. A group of 7 monsters was rushing behind me!
It didn''t take long to enter the passage between the hills. There was a reason why I came here. The steep sides of the passage, which are the hills, blocked anyone from using a path other than the two entrances to set their foot into this passage. There were only two entrances and this prevented me from an ambush as long as I was careful.
I prepared traps too, but only a few. I didn''t have much time to make many traps nor did I have many coins to buy truly useful ingredients from the shop. I had to make do with whatever I had.
The ground beneath my foot trembled. Clouds of dust were kicked into the air. The group of enraged monsters was about to enter the passage. I could feel my heart pounding heavily against my chest. My breathing was heavy with tension and anticipation.
''Let''s do this.''
With a strange cry, the monster at the forefront of the horde leaped into the air. The four-legged monster with antlers on its head was faster than the other six monsters behind it. While the others were yet to enter the passage, it had already covered half the distance between us.
''I can''t block the passage until every monster is inside. Otherwise, my summons will be sandwiched between them.''
Facing the monster wasn''t a good choice until things were in ce. I began retreating. The monster, however, was faster than me. It covered the distance swiftly. At thest step, it leaped with its antlers facing forward to impale me.
Its footnded on the ground and I was only a few meters away. Suddenly, the sound of twigs snapping echoed and the ground beneath the monster sank. Without dy, it fell into the pit I had dug beforehand.
"Haah! Haah!"
I was prepared for the possibility of a fast monster joining the pack that would get baited with my taunts. If that happened I would need to summon my monsters earlier than nned and I would miss the perfect timing. To avoid that, I dug a few small pits.
The pits were small enough that the monster could jump out of them without problems and it had no extra traps to injure them. But it did its job. To slow the monster until the other monsters entered the passage.
Finally, the other 6 monsters were inside the path between the two hills.
''Release''
Two Great boars appeared behind me. At the same time, two more boars came out of the cards at the entrance on theke''s side. The monsters were now trapped inside with the boars blocking the path.
Reacting instinctively, the monsters recognized the boars as the simr ones who destroyed the peace and tranquility of theke. Without further ado, the boars also attacked. I couldn''t control the boars, but simr to baby tarants, they followed their description.
I didn''t enter the fray recklessly and waited. The battle was 7 v/s 4. We were at a disadvantage but I didn''t summon more boars.
If I wanted I could crush these 7 monsters in an instant by summoning all of my 30 Great Boars. But that would be foolish. I was aiming to whittle enemy monsters'' numbers by taunting them repeatedly until only a small group was left.
To win, I didn''t need to be careful of the number of monsters nor their strength, but my magic power consumption. Magic power was the fuel I needed to summon the great boars and one great boar needed 100 MP to be summoned. It was almost half of my total MP.
If I ran out of MP, I would need to wait 2 hours to replenish my MP without external means. This made it clear
''I''ll summon only enough boars to make sure I don''t sustain losses in terms of MP exchange. I can regenerate my MP with monsters'' mana stone after all.''
The air shook as the boars shed with monsters. Fur, scales, and blood spilled into the air, filling the air with a rustic taste. The monster that had fallen into the pit jumped out, but the boars behind me had long reached it by then. With a forceful thrust, the monster was flung back to its group.
Ding!
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<< 100 Coins awarded!>>
<< +1 Kill Point >>
|| +50 Life Points ||
It didn''t take long for the first death to ur. The monsters were more in number but the boars had higher efficiency!
The Great Boars were madly charging, biting, and attacking the enemy without any hesitation! Although all monsters were trying to kill boars, they were attacking without the slightest bit of coordination and oftentimes attacking each other due to their high numbers.
''Tch, that damn snake. ''
A white snake roughly the length of 3 Great Boarsbined was crushing one of the boars by coiling around it. The snake was by far the strongest monster in the present horde. Before the boar was killed I canceled my summon and refilled my 10 MP.
The other 3 boars were in not much better condition. Though 2 of 7 monsters were dead, in a few minutes, all the remaining boars would die from the piling injuries.
I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. The cold hilt of the sword in my hand felt especially chilly at the moment. Mayhem was ensuing in front of me. Monstersrger than cars and jeeps were wing, snarling, biting and pouncing at each other, and I joined in the chaos!
Thick mana wrapped around my body, enforcing my physical capabilities. I kicked the ground and darted ahead!
The boar nearest to me was fighting against two four-footed monsters. The first monster had six eyes and ck-white stripes running across its body. The second monster was more dangerous. It had many 5-meter-long spikes protruding out of its back and was capable of pulling them out with its tail and throwing them.
I jumped on top of the boar with a single leap.
As my footnded on its brown fur, using the momentum gained from the jump, I bent my legs and tensed my calves. Like a bullet shot from a gun, I released the tension stored in my legs in a single burst and jumped toward the first monster!
While in the air, I threw my spare sword at the second monster. ng. It struck its hard scales and didn''t do any damage. But the attack distracted it.
Inded on the first monster''s head. Before the it could notice me, a small intruder on the battlefield, my sword pierced through its eye.
Ding!
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<< 100 Coins>>
<< +1 Kill>>
|| +50||
A flurry of notifications erupted in the corner of my vision. I jumped down and retreated, not waiting to be crushed below the monster''s falling corpse.
The 2nd monster shrieked and threw a spike in my direction. I increased the density of mana on my legs. The slightly higher reinforcement allowed me to dodge the attack.
But the monster was about to attack again. Its monstrouslyrge body was rushing to tten me. Just as it was about to continue, the boar that it had neglected pierced its brain with its tusks.
Ding!
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<< 200 Coins>>
<< +1 Kill>>
|| +100||
A short spark coursed through my head. I swiftly looked at the battlefield and smiled grimly.
''Another boar was killed while my attention was preupied.''
It was now two boars and me v/s 4 monsters. The white snake slithered around the battlefield. Contrary to my assumptions, it wasing towards me!
The monster instinctively understood that it had to kill me to win. But, I didn''t hesitate and rushed at it too! If I killed the white snake our side would win!
''I can only summon one more boar. Anything more and I''ll suffer losses from this fight.''
My feet didn''t stop. The gears of my mind churned to find a way. A way to kill the white snake with a single reinforcement.
Using any more than 1 extra boar was out of question. This was the first fight and many more were toe today itself. The battles will grow tougher as time passes. If I had to incur losses on my first fight that meant the same would happen in the next fights. It would be meaningless if I won the fight but lost the war!
The distance between the white snake and me rapidly closed. The remaining two boars were rushing to thest three monsters. A card appeared in my hand.
I flicked my wrist and threw the card in the air. The flying card was small enough that the white snake didn''t notice it. And the moment it was directly above the snake''s head
''Release!''
A great boar dropped on top of the snake and crushed it!
Ding!
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<< 200 Coins>>
<< +1 Kill>>
|| +100||
Every Great Boar was the size of a mini truck. And they weighed over a few tons! Its weight was more than enough to kill the unaware Great White Viper by crushing it!
With the Great White Viper dead, the tide of battle changed in our favor. It was now 3 Great Boars and me v/s 3 monsters!
I turned to the boar that killed the Great White Viper. Though I couldn''t control the boars, they would never harm me. It was an instinctive understanding on my part as their summoner. And up till now, they had not once tried to attack me.
The boar didn''t rush into the battle immediately, however. It was staring at me with a wronged gaze. Almost as if it wasining about the hical treatment it received from me.
"I won''t do that again." I coughed awkwardly. ''I won''t do that with you again.''
It took a few minutes to end the battle. With equal numbers on both sides, the fight was easier than it was in the beginning.
Ding!
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<< 400 Coins awarded! >>
<< +3 Kill Points >>
|| +200 Life Points! ||
Breathing heavily, I dropped to the ground. Only a single boar remained on the battlefield with me. I stored it inside a summoner card and felt my MP drain.
Corpses of monstersy strewn and smashed around me. Yet, my heart wasn''t disgusted.
''I won!''
An inexplicable burst of happiness and excitement surged through me. I felt alive at this moment!
''That was fun! Let''s do it again!''
Basking in the warm feelings, I didn''t move for some time.
I then used my sword as support and stood up. My gaze swept through the corpses of monsters. In about 15 minutes, I extracted their magic stones.
''4 Magic Stones from 1st Mortal Awakening monsters and 3 from 2nd Mortal Awakening monsters.''
''I can refill 150 MP from 1st Mortal Awakening monsters'' magic stones on average and roughly 400 MP from 2nd Mortal Awakening monsters'' magic stones.''
The loot was satisfactory for the first battle. I used 1600 MP for the battle. It was a profit of 200 MP! That meant 2 more boars!
The MP gained might seem little, but that was because the monsters that came after me were mostly 1st Mortal awakening. As I keep bringing more monsters, over time, the monsters chasing after me would consist mostly of the 2nd Mortal Awakening. After all, only a few 1st Mortal Awakening monsters were present near theke, most were of 2nd Mortal Awakening.
Muhahaha!
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!
The magic stones from monsters are also easier to absorb. It takes one minute to absorb them at best! I can use these stones during battles!
''This is the best!''
''This is the worst!''
I was running like a bitch chased by her suitors with my tails between my legs!
''Shit! Why did I have to be greedy!?''
The sun was shining brightly in the sky while the sky itself was colored in orangish Fuck, I don''t have time to givementary! It was almost evening!
A thin line of sweat gathered on my forehead. A 30-strong monster horde was chasing after me! And 90% of those monsters were peak 2nd Mortal Awakening!
Invisible tears slid down my cheek.
''Throughout the day, I was hunting the monsters by having a small group chase after me. This was going to be thest group I would hunt before shing against the 3rd Mortal Awakening monsters that are responsible for guarding theke.''
I recalled my foolish thoughts. Drunk on my victories, I decided to go big before the final battle of the day. In short, I tried to have a slightly big group of monsters chase after me to get more spoils.
''Thirty hulking monsters are trying to hunt me! How is this a slightly big group!''
Why was I in this predicament? To understand, I would need to reiterate the events from when I eradicated the 4th group of monsters.
Chapter 23 How A Summoner Fights [2]
?[shback to the morning]
"Haah! Haah!"
I wiped the sweat from my forehead and stood, using my Gylothyn as support. The sun would reach its peak in a few hours. It was still early morning now and I hadpleted hunting my 4th monster group.
''The numbers of monsters are increasing every time.''
The 1st group had 7 monsters, the 2nd had 9, there were 10 monsters in the 3rd group and the 4th group had 13 monsters. The majority of monsters being 2nd Mortal Awakening wasn''t helping either.
A familiar chime echoed in my head.
Ding!
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''I finally learned these two!''
Body strengthening was an active skill that boosted physical abilities by coating the body in mana. It was one of the most basic skills to have and yet no one could deny its usefulness!
Whereas Increased Mana Absorption was a passive skill. You can absorb mana from the atmosphere, mana stones, or other sources to regain mana faster! Above all, it also affects mana recovery speed!
It was tiresome to check my stats while standing, so I sat down. I took out 3 green pills from my bag and ate them.
Grade: Low-Common
Description: Restores your very stamina slightly. Effects can be stacked. The bottle contains 30 pills.
I bought them in the morning before I attacked. It cost me all the coins I had left after creating the traps. I could buy more of them now that I had extra coins, but you can guess, they got outrageously expensive!
''Scammer Shop!''
Name: Sol Lionel
Age: 19 years
Race: Demi-Human
Rank: Beginner
Profession: N/A
Coins: 5400
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[Stats]
Physique: 21.91
Magic Power: 110.00/231.45
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[Skills]
Level 4
Level 3
Level 7
Level 1
Level 1
''The coins are steadily increasing! I can''t wait until I get enough coins to use the Crown of Massacre!''
My skills were also growing!
The reason behind my fast skill progression was the Tower of Babel. With my spiritual link connected with the Tower, unlike others who are connected to the world link, I can progress faster than others, at least until coalescence begins and everyone also gets connected to the Tower of Babel.
The spiritual link, or link for short, is the reason why one can break through their limits and learn ranked skills.
A world link connects its residents spiritually. It allows anyone on the server to tap into other residents'' records unconsciously and learn from them. Server is what the collection of individual links is called, and the record is the information that the world spirits have on their residents.
Learning a skill isn''t an individual effort. You are tapping into records of those who had learned a simr skill in the past, learning from them and mastering those techniques. Two things of note were that you can''t tap into records of those who are alive, and you can only tap into records of the past, not the present.
Ѧd n?a| om We cannot actively tap into the link. It happens passively and we have no control over it. Rather, it was correct to say it happens continuously and unconsciously.
Tapping into others'' records and making those skills yours were two different factors altogether. The link was a support at best. It won''t develop your skills without personal effort.
The multiverse link, Tower of Babel, allowed users to tap into every world link. Hence, a faster progression because you get to tap into a very specific simr technique. The reasony in the vast number of records, muchrger than those avable from a single world link.
Though it was cheating, I was going to use this advantage to my heart''s content! The connection to the Tower was not harmful, after all. Not yet, at least.
[shback ends]
''Ah, hell naw! I wasted too much time with a useless shback!''
The monsters were almost at my tail! I used my skill!
Level 4
A cool sensation spread over my body as mana wrapped around me. My head felt strangely clear. It was as if a murky fog covering my mind was slightly lifted. It was addicting honestly.
''Strange, I don''t think the body strengthening skill should clear my mind at level 4 This isn''t the time to be brainstorming though! Run bitch, run!''
My mana was being drained rapidly. I used the mana stone to refill my MP. Thankfully, the was now Level 5, and the process ended swiftly.
With the increased stats, which wereparable to a beginner 2nd Mortal Awakening, I was able to buy a few more seconds.
My point with the shback was that the fights became easier thanks to the skills. The skills were also undergoing tremendous growth, as I was using them in real battles.
-
After learning from my mistake from first 4 hunts, I only baited the small group of monsters from thekeside every time. To not get overwhelmed by their numbers.
In total, I eliminated 10 groups of monsters that averaged 12 monsters each. Roughly 70 of those monsters were 1st Mortal Awakening, and the rest were 2nd Mortal Awakening.
However, the 3rd Mortal Awakening monsters were now beginning to pay attention to me. They numbered over 50. It didn''t help that it was almost evening. I decided to make thisst hunt, beforeunching a full-scale attack at theke.
Since I was sessful till now, I dared to pull arger group. But identally called too many!
I entered the passage between the two hills and popped thest 5 stamina recovery pills into my mouth. The effect was apparent quickly. The heaviness of my muscles lessened, and so did my dull movements.
''Ugh, all my traps are gone except one.''
The monsters running at the forefront,rge birds that couldn''t fly, fell into pits. Just as half of the monsters entered the passageway, I released one boar.
At the edges on top of the hill on my right, there were numerous tree trunks hacked and ced in a particr order. The preparation of the logs took me a few good hoursst night. I also had to buy a saw from the Shop. Thankfully, the hard work was going to help me now.
''Release''
A boar came out of the card beside the logs on the hill. The boar unknowingly pushed one log forward due to the location of the card and the log. The log rolled ahead and pushed another log. It created a domino effect and
Dozens of tree logs fell from the hills!
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Ding!
<>
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<<>>
<<>>
<< 1200 Coins awarded! >>
<< +6 Kill Points! >>
|| +600 Life Points! ||
Too many monsters were chasing after me. But I was, of course, prepared! Six monsters died to my trap!
By the time the logs fell, almost all monsters had entered the passage. The ones who died were thest 6 monsters at the end of the pack.
The monsters were disoriented thanks to the massive shocks created by the falling logs. I didn''t give them time to rest and released 15 boars!
Ding!
|| Number of Greats Boar summoned: 15 ||
|| Great Boars'' Physique will be temporarily strengthened! ||
|| Great Boar Physique: 250(+2.5)! ||
Seven boars sandwiched the panicked monsters from both sides! Chaos erupted!
The sound of system notification continued in my ears like a waterfall! It was as mesmerizing as it was overwhelming!
I didn''t hold back either. With a mana stone in my left hand and a sword in my right hand, I rushed into the fray!
A cool sensation enveloped my being and my physical stats almost tripled!
I went deeper into the battlefield while killing the monsters that were fatally hit by the boars. Despite the lower numbers, we had the upper hand in this fight, but that wouldn''tst long.
''Summon Great Boar x2''
The moment my feet reached my destination, I summoned two more boars in the middle of the enemy monsters! The monsters were flung away when two massive boars appeared beneath them!
The battle was progressing quickly and the boars were also dying at a swift pace. I had my eyes peeled open to summon the ones who were about to die and summon new boars.
The monsters who had the number advantage quickly began to lose their advantage as the number of boars never fell below 15. The more they killed, the more boars appeared!
Spurt!
My sword pierced the ostrich-like monster''s head.
Wiping my forehead, I took out another mana stone from my pocket and started absorbing it.
The boars were dying at a fast pace. My mana absorption was barely keeping up. If I didn''t have skill to remove boars who were near death and refill a bit of my mana instantly, I would''ve lost this tug of war already.
It might seem like I was winning, but the results were just as uncertain as when the battle had begun. I was walking on a tightrope.
My hand swept across my face, and I realized.
A grin was etched on my face.
Chapter 24 Paradise
?Eliminating thest group was rather tiring. It took me almost an hour to finish them all. But the rewards were also worth it. I collected the magic stones and started moving.
''25 magic stones of 2nd Mortal Awakening, and 5 from 1st Mortal Awakening monsters.''
In thest fight against those 30 monsters, I didn''t hold back in summoning boars to assist me and fight. It was to get an idea of how to fight againstrge numbers with active summoning.
I scouted the situation at theke. Under the golden setting sun, theke appeared like a paradise hidden on earth.
''123 monsters alive. Of those, at least 50 are 3rd Mortal awakening. Tsk, it''s going to be tough.''
The evening had descended and so would night in a few hours. The next batch of monsters would likelye tomorrow at early dawn. That left me with barely 10 hours to finish everything.
''For my breakthrough to 2nd Mortal Awakening, I''ll need to spend at least 3-4 hours in theke. That leaves me 6 hours to get the work done.''
The pieces needed to conquer theke were assembling in my head.
''6 hours aren''t enough to prepare traps. The monsters aren''t leaving theke anymore too, even if I taunt them. It''s most likely that the 3rd Mortal Awakening monsters aremanding them to stay put.''
Monsters gain intelligence from Master rank. But even before reaching that rank, they have rudimentary intelligence.
The reason why 3rd Mortal Awakening monsters were stopping the other monsters froming after me had to be one of the two: They realized that I was dangerous after I eliminated 30 monsters horde or they don''t think I''m worth their attention but don''t want more monsters to die as it might enrage their masters, the ascended rank monsters.
''As I thought, this would be thest battle for theke. I will have to finish them in a head-on sh.''
However, 50 3rd Mortal Awakening monsters were too strong for my boars to take on. Not to mention our forces numbers were roughly 1/4th of the enemy forces. If we fought head-on, I won''t have enough MP to maintain a constant number of boars. Mana recovery wouldn''t be able to keep up. It was barely enough in thest fight. Back then, the enemy forces were only twice as many as us and didn''t have any 3rd Mortal Awakening monsters.
''No matter how I think about it, this is the only way.''
At mymand, a ck grimoire appeared in the air.
Name: Sol Lionel
Life Points: 16,251
upation: Summoner
upation Level: Level 3
Summon Capacity: 1000
umted Life Points to next Level: 16,901/100,000
Skill(s) Unlocked: , , ,
Avenue(s) Unlocked: Insect Avenue, Beast Avenue, nt Avenue
[Inscet Avenue]
Ѧd n?a| om Jet Dragonfly, Master (Locked)
Unlock Cost: 10,000 Life Points
-
[Beast Avenue]
Hound Wolf, Master (Locked)
Unlock Cost: 15,000 Life Points
''Which one should I unlock?''
The next battle would be iparably easier if I had Master rank summons with me. There were a few problems, however.
Without unlocking the summons, I couldn''t view their stats, skills, or description. Heck, I didn''t know the star rank of the summons either!
From Master rank, every rank has 5 sub-ranks. The sub-ranks go from 1-star, the lowest, to 5-star, the highest. Stars represent the number of ranked skills an ascender has for that particr rank.
1-star means one ranked skill and 5-star means 5 ranked skills. The ranked skills have their own ssification system too, but that wasn''t something I needed to discuss now.
''I don''t know what I should choose. Jet Dragon Fly, or Hound Wolf? Which one will help me better in the battle?''
The Hound Wolf seemed to be an attack-type summon like the Great Boar. It would help tremendously if I unlocked it. I also had no idea about the Jet dragonfly honestly. It wouldn''t be funny if it turned out to be a scout-type in this situation where I needed a fighting-type summon.
''But can I even summon them? It takes almost all my MP to summon Day-time Night-time Daisies and they are 3rd Mortal Awakening rank. I doubt I will have enough MP if it''s a powerful master rank summon.''
Ugh, this was hard.
But thinking too much was only a waste of time when I had no information to base my decision on. I swiftly made my decision and tapped on the grimoire.
..
.
..
.
''36 boars, 41 daisies, and 15 baby tarants, five of those tarants are with Lumine. In terms of fighting force, all I have are 36 2nd Mortal Awakening Great Boars and myself.''
The evening was about to leave, giving way to the night. In the few hours between defeating thest group of monsters and starting the attack on theke, Ipleted my deck by constantly using the mana stones to refill my MP.
My brows creased. ''Over 50 3rd Mortal Awakening monsters, and 100 2nd Mortal Mortal Awakening monsters are guarding theke.''
A few more monsters starteding to theke after the evening. Good news was that the monsters guarding theke chased away the 1st Mortal Awakening who came to theke. Bad news was they epted 2nd Mortal Awakening monsters.
We were outnumbered by arge margin.
''If only I could use the Master rank summon to fight, sigh.''
Species: Hound Wolf
Rank: 2-star Master
Summoning Cost: 600 Magic Power
Housing Space: 50
Physique: 305
Magic Power: 400
Skill:
F, F
Description: Hound Wolves have a keen sense of smell. They are natural-born predators and when they smell a prey, the prey can no longer escape from them.
CC
Hound Wolf had two ranked skills! Two!
but it needed 600MP to be summoned.
''Sigh, there is no need to cry over spilled milk. I should rather think about reaching the 2nd Mortal Awakening. I will be able to use Hound Wolves then!''
The preparations were done. This was the best I could do without risking damaging my schedule. Taking onest glimpse at the grimoire, I released one great boar.
''Oh, it''s the boar that I threw to kill the Great White Viper.''
The boar had received a scar over its left eye, so it was easy to distinguish from other boars. I jumped over it.
"Let''s go."
Chapter 25 Paradise Turned Hell
?Magic God Solomon
He was the Apocalypse of a weak world, the World of Swords & Magic. Despite that, he was one of the strongest and the most feared apocalypse in the multiverse. The reason were his two abilities:
The all-seeing eye that allowed him to gaze anywhere in the multiverse and peer into the past without any restriction.
And the ability to create life.
Solomon could create an infinite army in an instant. Numbers were useless against him. He would know your schemes before your allies because of his all-seeing eye. Even in the multiverse, where there was no shortage of bizarre abilities, he stood at the pinnacle.
It was honestly scary to have Solomon as an enemy. Thankfully, he joined Jae-sung''s side in Vol 10. However, I was reincarnated when the novel reached Vol 12, so I couldn''t say that Solomon didn''t betray Jae-sung in the future and how it ended.
I could vividly remember the chapter when Jae-sung fought Solomon for the first time. It wasn''t a battle, but a one-sided massacre. Jae-sung was absolutely thrashed. There was a line Solomon said at the end of the battle, ''You are alive after taking that attack? Rejoice plebeian, you have amused me and earned the right to live one more day.''
Solomon wasn''t even trying to fight! He was the very definition of OP! Later, it was also exined that Solomon was weaker than in his prime. Solomon had long lost his abilities and had been able to recover only the all-seeing eye and life creation. And yet, he was feared across the multiverse.
Now, why was I praising Solomon to the ninth heaven?
Ignoring the loss of the absolutely necessary manpower C because a certain arrogant angel killed Solomon C the answer was Solomon''s life creation ability.
Life creation was different from my summoning, yet at the same time, it was dreadfully simr. Was it a coincidence that Solomon was going to descend in my body?
In the past days, I hade up with a hypothesis: Solomon was dead before my reincarnation, or he was gravely injured. The Daemons were trying to revive him in my body and that is their mission in the Kamera continent.
If not, the coincidence of Solomon using my body when both of us had simr abilities was too scary. The chances were infinitely minuscule. This is why I believed my hypothesis to be correct.
But if I was correct, did my Summoning abilitye from Solomon originally? After all, even if I had the summoning ability, there had to be a logical exnation for how I got the ability in this world and Solomon did say he ''regained'' life creation.
The reason why this issue wasplicated was that was an attribute and an attribute belongs to a soul, not the body.
If Solomon was revived in my body in the novel, how did he take over my attribute? Did he evolve into after that?
Or, was everything a coincidence? Was it by chance that Solomon and I had simr attributes?
I needed to look into my origins, my race, to know what the non-human part of me belonged to. That was my only lead to these mysteries.
''Hehehe~ I need to know if I can get Solomon''s other abilities! They are too useful and powerful to pass up on!''
..
.
..
.
The monsters guarding theke of purity raised their heads. Far away, they could see a cloud of dusting in their direction.
A boar was charging at a frightening speed and causing dust to be kicked into the air. It was the only summon I had released as of now.
The time of judgment came shortly. Finally, both sides shed.
However, I threw the firecrackers into their midst just before we made contact with the monsters. The monsters were simrly charging at us. I covered the boar''s eyes for a few moments.
An intensely bright detonation took ce. The monsters who were nearest to the firecrackers lost their vision and crashed. However, that wasn''t all. An extremely pungent smell spread through the air. They started acting crazily and went on a rampage, attacking their allies too.
The monsters of the Forest of Silence had highly sensitive vision and sense of smell topensate for the loss of hearing. The firecrackers I threw had a bright re, bright enough topete with the re of the sun, and an extremely pungent smell that would stick to the ground and take a few hours to wash away. I bought the firecrackers back in Rapthial Town for this specific purpose today.
With their senses bombarded with too much information, the monsters couldn''t attack. I flicked the 35 boar cards into the air and released the boars inside them!
Ding!
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The boars fell on top of the monsters and ttened them like pancakes! Over 10 monsters died in the first sh!
I ignored the constant flux of notifications and ran ahead. For uncertain reasons, I could feel the judging gaze of a certain boar with a scar on its left eye on my back. Must be my imagination.
My stats tripled, and I rushed with greater fervor. The monsters were slowlying back to their senses, but the boars were also killing them at a frightening pace. The towering monsters were shing against the Great Boars. It was as if I was running through andmine, not knowing when I could suddenly die.
I took out a new mana stone and absorbed it. At the same time, I used on another boar. This was the 3rd time. My MP was running out faster than I could recover it.
Suddenly, a monstrous maw appeared on my left side. A hippopotamus-like monster was trying to eat me alive. I was about to dodge when a 7-meter monster was flung at me from the right side. There was neither space nor time to dodge anymore.
'' x4''
Four Great boars came out from the ground. The boars stabbed the hippopotamus monster through its jaw with two tusks of two boars. The monster on my right was rammed and, like a volleyball, thrown back before it couldnd.
The 3rd Mortal Awakening monsters finally joined the fray. The tip of the scales was thrown in their favor.
''Shit! and mana stones can''t keep up anymore. I need to use them!''
My sword stabbed through a monster''s skull and using that as a foothold I jumped forward. My goal was to reach theke.
'' x5!''
My MP refilled instantaneously and I summoned another boar! Each daisy gave 20 MP upon using cancel. Five daisies meant 100 MP in one go! And I had 40 daisies to use!
Theke was now only 20 meters away from me. But before I could continue, a boar and a four-legged monster crashed in front of me. The two were fiercely wrestling for hegemony.
I grabbed my spare sword and pulled my arm back. My back was taut like a bow, and I threw the sword. The attack was only supposed to distract the monster so that the boar could kill it. However, contrary to my expectations, the attack hit its mark, the monster''s eye.
A notification different from before rang.
Ding!
Ѧd n?a| om <>
C
C
The mayhem was too chaotic. I couldn''t wait until I reached theke. I used and tossed the bag filled with mana stones into theke.
Sizzle!
The noise was distinct. I could hear it vividly as the mana stones dissolved into theke. With this, I was left with only 10 2nd Mortal Awakening monsters'' mana stones.
The battle continued. Against the monsters who were stronger and more numerous than us, our forces were rapidly draining.
Many-a-times, I was almost crushed by the fights between two monsters. But I continued to salvage the monsters who were dead and threw their mana stones into theke.
Haah! Haah!
ng!
My sword shed against the hooves of a 4-meter-long bull. Sparks flew into the air and my arm shook. I could feel my stamina rapidly draining. Even if I could recover my MP quickly, draining it all and refilling it in such a short time was taking a toll on me.
A soft glow enshrouded my figure and I bolted ahead. The bull monster stomped its hooves. I rolled at thest second and slid in between the monster''s limbs. My body continued to slide for a few more seconds.
Just as I was under the approximate location of its heart, I pushed my sword upward. The de was met with resistance. But I increased the mana strengthening and swung my sword in a wide arc.
Ding!
>
Before the notifications could end, I rolled away and the corpse of the monster fell with a heavy thud.
The situation on the battlefield wasn''t any good either. The boars were almost undying as I kept summoning and canceling them, but the monsters were stronger.
The number of monsters was falling rapidly, yet the 3rd Mortal Awakening monsters were an undeniable headache. It was taking 3-4 boars to stop one 3rd Mortal Awakening monster. The only reason we hadn''t lost yet was because the monsters were too many and the 3rd Mortal Awakening monsters were themselves having a hard time finding a gap to attack us.
The situation changed rapidly again.
The water of theke surged, and a fragrant odor seeped into the surroundings. It was concentrated ambient mana, and it worked like a drug for the monsters. Their movements became heavy, and they went into a daze.
The ability to evolve rapidly pulled the monsters towards theke, but the actual mechanism behind it worked on the concentrated mana.
Theke uses the ley line and the mineral mana stones underneath it to convert its water into concentrated mana.
However, there is a limit to the amount of dissolved mana the water can hold. When the amount of mana goes above that limit, it escapes into the atmosphere, and the monsters can sense this ambient mana. They are then overtaken by their instinct and happilye here.
I recreated this phenomenon by artificially saturating theke using mana stones. And this was the result!
Spurt!
<>
The tide of battle returned to our side! The monsters were trying to retaliate but they were like a drunkard, unable to respond to the attacks!
Their reactions, uracy, and ferocity rapidly fell. So did their numbers!
Only the 3rd Mortal Awakening monsters could put up resistance, but their strength had also considerably weakened. It did not help them that I was concentrating summoning boars near them, not letting the monsters rx.
''We can win at this pace!''
Haah! Haah! Haah!
My breathing was too heavy after an hour of constant fighting. Because I could die if a monster identally stepped on me, I couldn''t afford to drop my vignce.
To cover for my gaps, I was spreading mana around me and using it to sense my surroundings. It was worse than my other five senses and had a short range. But I could barely open my eyes due to exhaustion, so I had no right toin.
The number of monsters continued to fall. Nevertheless, I continued to throw mana stones into theke.
My summons weren''t affected by ambient mana. They couldn''t evolve and didn''t have the same reaction to the concentrated ambient mana as the monsters. This was why they weren''t intoxicated.
Unlike the soldiers and knights, my summons didn''t feel fear and valiantly charged into the numbers. They didn''t get tired and I could keep summoning them to maintain their numbers.
I could also summon boars in the enemy lines and take them by surprise. All these factors made the impossible possible. A single human defeating the monsters guarding the Lake of Purity!
''60 monsters left''
ck, blue, red, green, blood of all kinds was sprayed in the surroundings. Corpses and their organsy out in the open. The alive, however, continued to sh, crushing the dead underneath their feet.
It was no longer a paradise but a hell.
Ding!
<>
C
C
''It took too long to''
Something entered my mana sense. The feeling was vastly different from the normal monsters. My hair stood on the ends. It all happened too suddenly.
The intruder moved towards me. A heavy force struck me from the back.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
My body rolled over and bounced a few times beforeing to a stop. A rustic taste filled my mouth. As I stood up, blinding pain coursed through me, warning me of the broken bones.
The intruder, no, the ascended rank monster picked me up.
The monster was holding me with its massive nails that connected to its eerily long arms. It stood 10 meters tall, covered in coarse and matted fur of a brownish-gray color. It had a simian face with a long snout filled with sharp teeth and piercing yellow eyes.
I tightened my grip. The sword was still in my hands.
Synchronized Skill:
Schwing! x3
Three arcs slithered towards the arm holding me in the air. The illusionary as well as the real de bent and twisted before striking.
My attacknded, but nothing changed. I wasn''t let go. Instead, the tails of the monster shed. I was going to die, my instinct red rms at me.
'' x4!>''
Four Great Boars, each the size of a mini truck, appeared beneath me. They attacked the baboon monster. However, the next second they were ripped apart by the tails. The tails didn''t stop moving and struck me.
I didn''t die. The great boars reduced the power behind those tails, but it was enough to blow me away. The pain was overwhelming. It hurt all over. My consciousness was seeping away from my grasp.
Ssh!
..
.
..
.
The ascended rank monster stared at Sol''s drowning figure. The monster instinctively knew that Sol was themander of the enemies. But he was too weak and easily disposed of.
The Great Boars roared and attacked. However, in front of its adamantium-like tails, they couldn''t do anything. Atst, only a boar with a scar on its left eye was left.
Suddenly, a whirlpool formed on theke, and it surged violently.
The baboon screeched when the human was standing on the edge of theke. His body was covered in blood, he was breathing heavily, he didn''t have the energy to lift his head. However, he continued holding his sword.
The monster attacked instantly. Its tail tore through the air, aiming for Sol''s neck. The human had to be eliminated quickly. It could feel fear creeping into it. The human was injured, but he was dangerous.
In response, Sol stepped forward.
Swoosh!
A gust of wind blew and Sol disappeared. Was that a hallucination? The monster thought, but suddenly a voice came from behind.
"Theke helped me think clearly. You have my gratitude."
Schwing!
The monster spun its waist and looked back. However, its body didn''t respond. Instead, its vision spun and it saw a human donning a ck crown, standing behind a headless body. Then darkness engulfed its sight.
Chapter 26 Breakthrough To The Next Rank
?[shback - When Sol was thrown into theke]
Ssh!
''My consciousness. it''s. fading.''
The sparkling water of theke wrapped me in its gentle embrace. I was slowly losing strength, and my consciousness was slipping away from my grasp. It was taking my all to fight against lightheadedness.
''That monster was of Master rank.''
I had no chance of winning. Master rank was too powerful for me to fight head-on.
''Why did I do something as foolish as entering the battlefield? It would''ve been safer to fight from the sidelines by repeatedly summoning boars.''
The mana from theke rushed into me. It was as if a murky curtain was being lifted from my head. I felt a simr sensation whenever I used body strengthening, only this time the feeling was a lot stronger.
''What was I nning if Master rank had entered?''
There was something. I had a n in case an emergency like that was to happen. The answer was on the tip of my tongue. Just a bit more and I would recall it.
As those thoughts ran through my mind, I drowned deeper into theke. The mana concentration continued to increase and with it increased the cool sensation on my head.
''The crown! It was the Crown!''
A jolt ran through my body. I had forgotten about the crown!
That wasn''t all. I recognized the stupid decisions I made throughout the day! The crown''s bloodlust had made my mind dull without me catching on!
''The crown''s bloodlust was stronger than it was supposed to be. If the mana in theke didn''t suppress it momentarily, I would''ve never remembered that I could use the crown. Why did this''
''No, the reasons cer. I need to defeat the Master rank monster before anything else. And I need Grace Dew for it.''
[Grace Dew] Low Umon - 30,000 Coins
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The price was exorbitant, but I had killed enough monsters for that amount.
Ding!
<>
A transparent vial with ck liquid appeared in my hand and I used it on the crown. Although I was inside theke, the contents of the vial didn''t dissolve into the water.
Ding!
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<>
Ding!
<>
A vortex appeared from the crown and the crown changed from red color to ck. Before I realized I was standing on the edge of theke.
The Master ranked monster attacked.
Its tails tore through the air. They were rapidly heading for me. In response, I simply stepped forward and.
''Activate Crown''
Ding!
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<>
''Duration: 1 second''
Ding!
<>
[Physique]: 22.9 [Physique]: 290.9
Swoosh!
Suddenly, I was standing behind the monster.
..
.
..
.
[shback ends]
Ding!
<>
<< 500 Coins Awarded!>>
<< +1 Kill Points! >>
|| +500 Life Points! ||
"Haah! Haah!"
A rainfall of notifications burst in front of me. At the same time, the headless corpse of Adamantium Tailed Baboon fell and my Physique boost ended. The Master rank monster had been killed sessfully! And by a 1st Mortal Awakening ascender at that!
Grrr! Grrr! Grrr!
but this wasn''t the time to celebrate.
pnd,no?1,o ''46 monsters''
Almost 50 monsters were still alive. They had considerable injuries and only a handful of them were of the 3rd Mortal Awakening. However, I had no energy left to move and fight.
My limbs felt as heavy as rocks. I was unable to move an inch.
''The Kill Points are also emptied. I can''t use the crown again.''
Rawr! Grrr!
The monsters didn''t attack immediately. They were shaking from fear as they saw the headless ascended rank monsters.
There was only one boar left on the battlefield. It wasn''t attacking due to its injury that had rendered it immobile.
''What do I do? I can summon 2 boars before emptying my MP, but that won''t do much. And it will take a dozen seconds to refill my MP. Can I remain alive until then?''
A head-on fight would end in my defeat. But there was one way to win. A stupid way.
I took a deep breath.
''Return''
Half of my MP emptied, and the boar was stored inside the summoner card.
My body was rejuvenated for a short while and I could move again. Using the chance, I picked the head of the ascended rank monster and threw it into the horde of monsters.
The monsters flinched and retreated.
Ignoring their threatening growls, I walked towards them. Step by step.
Just as I reached the horde, the monsters retreated. The stench of the 1-star Master Adamantium Tailed Baboon was keeping them at bay.
The 3rd Mortal Awakening rank monsters were slowlying out of the horde. Saliva dripped from in between their jaws and they growled at me. I didn''t falter and continued moving ahead.
I could feel my heart beating wildly against my chest. I was doing something stupid, but this was the only way.
The crowd of monsters continued to retreat whenever I stepped forward.
Law of Jungle.
The Strong rules over the weak. And I killed their leader in a single moment. The monsters were afraid. With my [Reader] attributes I could confidently say, the monsters who didn''t fear death were afraid of me at this moment.
..
.
..
.
''Haaaah, I got out alive.''
I dipped my body further into the soothing water of theke. It was to help my body absorb more mana.
''I almost thought that those 3rd Mortal Awakening monsters would pounce on me and kill me.''
A few minutes ago, I walked through the horde of monsters and entered theke. Thankfully, the smell of blood from the ascended rank monster was enough to steer them away. They didn''t have a stronger monster tomand them, or my bluff wouldn''t have worked.
''If I had faltered even once while walking, they would''ve attacked.''
When the monsters realized that I wasn''t afraid and had no opening (I was acting), they retreated into the forest. In simpler terms, the monsters ran away after their leader died.
''There shouldn''t have been a Master rank here though. Was it here by chance, or?''
''The crown too. I almost died because of it.''
It seemed that the bloodlust of the crown increased with the number of monsters I killed. The mana seeping into my head was a counter to it and it was why theke''s water allowed me to think clearly.
I could only sigh in frustration at the daring C and borderline foolish C method of fighting I had been using under the crown''s bloodlust. It was even worse that although I had long realized that using body strengthening, aka mana, was somehow making my head clearer, I couldn''t connect it with the crown''s bloodlust until I was thrown into theke.
My fingers slid at the pointy tops of the crown and I looked at my reflection.
''The crown is invisible.''
It was one of the special perks of a bound-type equipment. They can be turned invisible or visible depending on the user''s choice. If you lose the bound type equipment, you can also summon them back to yourself.
Hehehe~ The equipment wille to you when you call for it, no matter where you are!
My body slipped deeper into theke. Theke''s rejuvenation effects were miraculous. All of my fatigue had been washed away already.
''I should breakthrough now.''
Ding!
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Three hourster the mana inside me reached satisfactory levels.
The mana stone inside my heart had yet to be condensed to its limits, but there was no need to wait. I can continue condensing the mana heart even after reaching the next rank, after all.
Ding!
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I could sense immense power coursing through my veins. My vision improved and I could see farther than before even in the night. The injuries that had been inflicted on me healed rapidly. My muscles became dense and firm. It was addicting and warm. Almost as if I was born anew. It felt like the shackles binding my mortal self were lifted.
Ding!
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>
The improvement in my mana flow reinforced my skills! They leveled up easily! I learned a new skill too!
Ding!
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Chapter 27 A Fiend
?"Shit! Shit! Shit! What is that fiend!?"
Matthew hurriedly ran through the thick jungle in the middle of the night. He had been waiting for Sol to fall asleep before running away.
"Uncle said that it would be easy to eliminate him in the forest. But what is this! He really is a fiend! No way can that thing be a human!"
Varnish had a backup n if Sol was to enter the forest alone. It was to have Matthew assassinate Sol.
The n was to use the monsters of the forest to kill Sol. However, Matthew was shocked at what he witnessed!
"He can create monsters out of thin air! If he isn''t a fiend, then what is he!? A-and how did he kill that Ascended rank monster?"
Matthew couldn''t kill Sol with his own hands, or he would be caught. It was because of this he used something else, Enra Aroma.
At first, Matthew didn''t n on meddling to kill Sol. He believed that Sol would be killed by the monsters. However, Sol''s ability to summon monsters of his own and have them fight for himself changed Matthew''s opinion.
Matthew had secretly marked Sol with Enra Aroma, a peculiar odor that attracts monsters. It caused over 30 2nd Mortal Awakening monsters to chase Sol. However, Sol didn''t die but won!
"Did Sol know that I had been watching him? Is that why he used his monsters scarcely every time? To hide his strength?"
In the beginning, Sol summoned 3 boars, then 5, sometimes 7 or 9. It was the first time Sol summoned 15 boars and that shocked Matthew to his core. Nevertheless, the real surprise came when Sol summoned over 30 boars to kill the monsters surrounding theke. It turned out that 15 boars weren''t his limit!
"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" Matthew punched a tree besides him. "I risked my life and baited the ascended rank monster! That should''ve been enough to kill him! How!? How did he kill that ascended rank monster!? How much strength is he hiding!?"
Matthew had been watching closely. But he couldn''t follow Sol''s movement when he killed the Ascended rank monster. One moment Sol was standing at the edge of theke, and the next moment he was already behind the monster.
Anger and fear clouded Matthew''s mind, and he again punched the tree.
"Why is he even hiding his strength!?" He roared, but in the corner of his mind Matthew knew the answer: Sol was aware that he was being watched. So, he was using only minimum strength to win. It was to give a wrong estimate of his strength to his enemies, who were watching him and bait them into attacking him.
Matthew scoffed, "Heh, if it was someone else they might have been fooled and revealed themselves. But I''m not like that. Thankfully, I baited the ascended rank monster. Although the monster died, it made me realize that Sol, no, that fiend was hiding a lot inparison to the strength he had shown."
Rustle!
Suddenly, a distinct noise came from above. Matthew pulled out his sword without hesitation and shed at the source of the noise.
"Sigh, it''s just this monster."
The branch fell to the ground along with a fist sized spider-like monster. Matthew had seen quite a few of these since the morning and knew that they wouldn''t attack him.
He was about to put his sword back into the scabbard when he sensed a presence behind him. He immediately attacked. The de of the sword shed with a hard surface and his arm shook.
A four-legged monster with 3 heads was drooling at the sight of Matthew. In response, Matthew jumped back to create a distance between them.
He carefully watched the monster''s movements and the faint mana it was emitting. He then muttered in a grave tone. "....It is a 3rd Mortal Awakening rank monster. Did it follow me because of the faint Enra aroma on me?"
To bait the Ascended rank monster that attacked Sol, Matthew had used a very small amount of Enra aroma on himself, too.
Just as the monster attacked, Matthew retreated while facing it. He clicked his tongue. "I''m afraid that the fiend knew that I was following him. If not, I wouldn''t have waited until he fell asleep to run away. I can''t waste too much time here."
He bent backwards and two ws whizzed past his face. At the same time, he covered his legs in mana. He then kicked upwards.
The monster whimpered when the kicknded in between its ribs. Its next attack was dyed due to the pain. Matthew used the monster''s shoulder as a foothold and jumped higher into the sky.
He pulled his sword back while airborne. A subtle golden hue covered his de.
''Holy swordsmanship 5th verse: Eminence of Dawn''
A huge golden arc shot from his de. The surroundings were covered in an intense, bright light. And the arc of golden mana beheaded the monster.
"Huff! Huff!"
Hended on the ground, beside the corpse of the monster. The attack he used had considerable strength, but it was taxing on the body. If not for the urgent situation, Matthew wouldn''t have used it.
"I should leave quickl"
Spurt!
"Huh?"
Matthew looked below in confusion. A sword was stabbed through his left thigh. Then came the realization.
"Ahhhhh!!! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!" He bellowed. "Who attacked me!?"
An intense golden hue, iparable to the previous attack, covered his de. His eyes turned bloodshot and, limping, he scanned the surroundings.
"Reveal yourself! Who was the one to attack me!?"
Veins throbbed on his neck as he shouted. It wasn''t clear if he was behaving this way due to pain or anger.
Suddenly, a familiar voice answered. "Why? What would you do after knowing that?"
"S-sol?"
A ck-haired young man came out of the darkness of the forest. He was roughly around 190 cm tall and had a slim yet robust figure. He had a well-defined jawline, an athletic build with broad shoulders and a trim waist. Sol''s had a scrawny appearance in the past due to the treatment he received, but after undergoing through 2nd Mortal Awakening his true appearance was no longer hidden.
Matthew flinched when his gazended on Sol''s expressionless face. Even in this situation where he was ready to attack, Sol''s gait was unhurried and calm.
But what pulled his attention was Sol''s hair. Those ck hairs didn''t shine in the slightest, almost as if they were sucking all the light falling on them, like the darkness of the abyss.
"St-stop! If you take another step, I''ll attack!" Matthew gripped his de tightly and the mana in the surroundings churned.
The trees shook violently and the ground quaked. It was enough to show that Mattew who could achieve this feat at 2nd Mortal Awakening was talented.
"I said stop!"
Sol, however, never stopped walking. Despite the rampaging mana, Sol''s figure didn''t waver once. Finally, he stood across Matthew and spoke.
"What happened? Weren''t you going to attack?"
"Huff! Huff! Huff!" Matthew was panting. His back was drenched in cold sweat and his limbs were trembling fiercely. He wasmanding his body to move, but it wouldn''t budge. "Yyou what did you do tome. Huff! Huff! Wh..hy can''t I move?"
A small smile appeared on Sol''s visage when he listened to Matthew''s usation. Yet, his eyes remained tranquil. "I didn''t do anything. Isn''t it because of ''fear'' that you can''t move?"
"Wh-why would I be afraid of you? Don''t spout nonsense!?"
Matthew''s body finally moved. He swung his de at Sol, but Sol was faster. He pulled the ck de out of his scabbard and severed the arm that Matthew was using to hold his sword.
"Argghh!!"
Blood spewed out of the stump that was once Matthew''s arm. He hollered in pain and thrashed around wildly.
"Aren''t you afraid because you saw how I killed the monsters you baited?"
Those words spoken in a calm tone were enough to bring Matthew out of hysteria. He spoke with his face covered in tears and snout.
"D-don''t kill me. I c-can help you"
"Hoh? You pulled yourself together fairly quickly." Sol muttered amusedly. "Speak. I shall decide your fate after listening to your words."
"Temr! I''m a Temr!"
Matthew jumped at the chance that Sol gave him. He revealed a golden badge that had a shield and an eagle engraved on it. However, Sol didn''t respond. Maybe Sol didn''t know of the importance of Temrs. With those thoughts, Matthew continued.
"We Temrs are the covert knights of the Holy Order. Our job is to infiltrate different noble families and report about them to the Church. I..if you kill me, the Holy Order will be immediately notified of my death and the location of death. They wille here! If that happens your secret will be out!"
Holy Order was the knight order belonging to the Church. Their military might wasparable to the Imperial Army. They weren''t weaker than the Swordsmith Empire and they had connections all over the Kamera Continent.
If the Holy Order tried to investigate Sol, he would be no different from a mouse caught in a trap. Conversely, if Sol left Matthew live he would get a spy that would inform him of Holy Order''s movements.
However, Sol''s gaze was still cid. He didn''t seem to be moved after hearing Matthew''s secret. Only one sentence came out of his mouth.
"Is that all?"
"No! If you keep me alive, I can help you get revenge on my uncle! Not only him, but all others who belittled you! And, and, I will help you hide your stren"
Spurt!
A ck de prated Matthew''s heart. Blood dripped through the tip of the de that came out of his back. He despairingly raised his head and stared at Sol.
"Wh-why?"
Why did Sol kill him? Why not leave him, since he could help Sol? Why even ask for a reason, if he was going to kill him nheless? Why was he hiding his strength?
pnd`no?1--o "I knew already. That you belonged to the Holy Order." Sol crouched and whispered in his ears. "How does it feel dying, but not knowing that you had been dancing on someone else''s palm the entire time?"
Sol turned around and left after taking Matthew''s Temr badge. An epiphany struck Matthew and he muttered.
"D-did you knowinglye out of the carriage? Why? Since when had y-you been nning this? Was it since our spar?"
Those words sapped Matthew of his remaining strength. However, he didn''t want to die while writhing in the agony of ignorance. The answer wouldn''t mean much, it wouldn''t allow him to live again. But at least it would give him a sense of satisfaction before his death.
"Do you want to know?"
Matthew weakly nodded. Sol quietly stared at him for a few moments. "I never promised you an answer."
He left with those words, without answering Matthew. Matthew''s eyes widened and his expression twisted. Why did Sol stir his curiosity if he was never going to answer? Was it fun to ridicule a dying person? Was it too much for Sol to let him die in peace?
"F-fiend"
And, breath finally left Matthew''s body.
..
.
..
.
Sol was returning to the Lake of Purity. In his hands was the golden badge of Temrs that he took from Matthew. He raised his head and gazed at the moon. A whisper escaped his lips.
"I never said that you were dancing on ''my'' palms."
Chapter 28 Demon King Of End
?''Ah, kill me! That was too embarrassing! Who talks like that!?''
After dealing with Matthew I was returning to theke of purity. But the events that urred in the past few minutes kept reying in my mind. It made my face burn from shame!
''Speak. I shall decide your fate after listening to your words.''
''Ahhhhh! It would''ve been fine if I spoke those words jokingly, but I did not! I was serious back then!''
Is this what they call 8th-grade syndrome? Just thinking of the words I spoke to Matthew was sending goosebumps across my body.
''I need to find a way to stop the discrepancy between my intentions and my actual words! Or, everything I speak in the future will be a ck history like today!''
It took me a few dozen minutes to calm down. With that, I rearranged the order of events in my mind.
''I wasn''t able to read Matthew''s mind as I could do originally. He was under someone''s control.''
Reader attribute didn''t give me a proper mind-reading ability. It only allowed me to read snippets of someone''s intentions and thoughts. Also, if a person had good control over their expression, habits, or subconscious actions, they can fool my Reader Attribute.
In the past, I could read Matthew''s intentions albeit barely. But today, I couldn''t do that at all. It was simr to how I couldn''t read Varnish''s thoughts yesterday, when he came to disturb me and Lumine over dinner.
''Like I thought, someone had been following my every movement since the beginning. I don''t know if I should be happy or sad though.''
''Well, I should be happy right? After all, someone admires me so much that they are sacrificing their sleep to watch over me. What a good fan, but sniff sniff I''m sorry, my fan. I can''t answer your love.''
Imaginary tears slid down my cheeks as I realized how heartbroken my fan would be if they knew my thoughts.
As for realizing the existence of my fan, it wasn''t really that hard.
After my first baby tarant died in the Lionel Estate, I was aware that someone might have seen it. Nevertheless, at that point, I couldn''t be sure that someone connected the spider with me. I wanted an answer to that but I had no chance to do that.
The chance dide, however. It was the spar I had with Matthew. I realized that I could use this chance to see if someone was keeping an eye on me.
I could''ve rejected the spar or lost, but I purposely acted unlike my previous self and won. My actions that were different from my previous self served to make the ones following me suspicious.
At the same time, 2 baby tarants that I used in the town died. This reaffirmed my doubts about someone monitoring me.
Baby tarant can only be killed by someone of 1st Mortal Awakening or higher. However, knights are rare and baby tarants'' description explicitly said that they avoid danger.
It was too coincidental that a knight of the Rapthial Town found the baby tarants in such a big town and killed them all while the two baby tarants were unable to escape.
The one who killed wasn''t a knight.
What confirmed my doubts was Varnish resisting Lumine''s charm. It was only possible if the one controlling Varnish had a higher rank than Lumine.
In short, I purposely acted differently in the Raphtial Town to pull those hiding in shadow into the light. And it worked wonders. They took the bait and used the situation I set up to see if I was actually different from my past self.
''The one following me has to be someone among those 7: The 5 Daemons in my family, Melione, or the one who poisoned me during the banquet.''
''If I go through the process of elimination, it can''t be Melione, Y, or the one who poisoned me.''
Y, my personal maid, would be busy creating the map I told her to. A map with the requirements I asked for wouldn''t be avable even in the ck market. It had to be done by Y personally. She won''t have time to follow me.
Melione was a goddess originally. But after reincarnating with me she must''ve lost her abilities. Of course, I can''t be sure until I meet her. However, looking at the time I spent with her, I can confidently say that she isn''t bright enough to make a n to test me. She seemed like someone who would head first into a problem and think of the solutionter.
As for the one who poisoned me at the banquet, they should''ve already killed me in this forest. Since I was alive, thus my fan was someone else.
''It is probably Jared who is following me alone, or all the daemons have a hand in it.''
Jared was a special case even among the Daemons. He was one of the two direct aides of Solomon. It was possible that he knew more than the other daemons and had reasons for keeping an eye on me. As for the 2nd aide, they never appeared in the novel nor was their identity ever revealed.
''Well, they can watch all they want. After all, they can''t harm me after knowing that I have an ability simr to Solomon.''
My summoning was simr to Life Creation. This was why I had been unting my ability inside the forest. The daemons who are fanatics of Solomon will hesitate before harming me.
This won''t work in the long run, I knew that. The daemons will eventually intervene personally. Nevertheless, it was enough as long as this trick gives me a few months of time.
''That''s it about those thoughts! Let''s focus on this!''
A screen was flickering in front of me.
|| User has eliminated Matthew Gosen, 2nd Mortal Awakening ||
|| +1 Soul Point ||
Back when I killed Matthew I didn''t receive Life Points but something called Soul Point. This was a first for me too, so I was also confused.
''What is a Soul Point?''
The screen before me changed as if answering me.
|| Soul Points are the currency the user can receive from eliminating survivors. ||
''And what is a survivor?''
|| Survivor: The term used to refer to the residents of the 7 worlds that will serve as the foundation after the Coalescence. ||
''The 7 worlds that will serve as the foundation are the worlds that have yet to fall to the Apocalypse.''
''I don''t know the use of Soul Point, but I don''t think they would be useless. And I can get Soul Points by killing the residents of the 7 worlds.''
I nodded to myself.
''Is it just me or is my ability telling me to murder people to get stronger? Isn''t that the job of the Apocalypse? Why me?''
Ding!
|| User has met the hidden requirement to unlock the upation advancement quest! ||
|| Hidden requirement to unlock upation Advancement quest: Soul Point ||
upation Advancement Quest!
Requirement: Destroy the cores of the 7 world spirits that serve as the base worlds. A World Spirit is the governing entity of a world. Your quest to destroy their cores and kill them.
Reward: upation - [Demon King of End]
"..."
I took a deep breath and reread the quest.
''Base worlds'' was another term for the 7 surviving worlds. World Spirit is the entity that supervises the records of a world. Only the worlds that haven''t fallen to an Apocalypse have a World Spirit. If all world spirits died, then the multiverse would also die.
At this moment, only 7 world spirits are remaining. And my quest was to kill them.
''Yep, it is asking me to be an Apocalypse.''
I closed the quest window with a smile. If the multiverse died then where am I supposed to live!? Also, I was a pure soul who couldn''t harm an ant, let alone bing the source of mass genocide. My heart was too fragile for something so cruel!
''Sigh, so are Soul Points useless?''
Ding!
|| Detected Soul Point with user ||
"What is this?"
|| Would you like to unlock the hidden avenue [Soul Avenue]? ||
pnd,no?1,o ..
.
..
.
"He killed Matthew without hesitation~"
A figure was watching over Sol''s retreating figure. He was sitting on a branch at the top of the tree hundreds of meters away from Sol. Yet, he could see every movement of Sol clearly.
"It was a good choice to have those two knights target Sol after manipting them. They helped me analyze a good amount of data."
He smacked his lips and a smile blossomed on his face.
"Extreme change in behavior, no sign of recovering King Solomon''s memory, ck hair, and an ability simr to life creation or maybe it is life creation. My dear little brother, didn''t you change too much too quickly?"
Unlike other Daemons, Jared never once believed that Sol was Solomon. To confirm his doubts, he manipted Varnish and Matthew into attacking Sol. The two knights, Varnish and Matthew, didn''t even know that their thoughts were being influenced by a third party.
It was even easier to get the answers out of Sol. It seemed Sol was impatient to grow strong because he knew about the Daemons possessing his family. Or else Sol wouldn''t be exposing his ability inside the forest. After all, there was no guarantee that no one was following him.
"He is quick-witted to realize that Matthew would also target him inside the forest. But sadly, he doesn''t know about me. If not, he wouldn''t be showing all his cards out in the open."
Under Jared''s gaze, Sol reentered theke. Sol had recently broken through to the 2nd Mortal Awakening, and he was already trying to advance as much as possible before moving toward the middle section of the forest.
"Everything is happening as King Solomon had predicted~ His soul piece inside that body was destroyed and the body''s original owner took control. He also gained his majesty''s abilities to an extent."
He stood up and stretched.
"Well, his majesty had prepared a backup n if those predictions were toe true. I should get going and retrieve the ck skeleton before returning to monitor Sol."
Chapter 29 Hidden Avenue
?|| Would you like to unlock the hidden avenue [Soul Avenue]? ||
"There are more Avenues than the ones shown?"
The Grimoire originally had 9 Avenues that I was able to see. Insect Avenue, Beast Avenue, nt Avenue, Reptile Avenue, Undead Avenue, Mecha Avenue, Spirit Avenue, Titan Avenue, and Divine Avenue.
But after the message a new Avenue appeared on my Grimoire.
"Unlock Soul Avenue"
Ding!
|| -1 Soul Point ||
|| Soul Avenue has been unlocked! ||
|| Congrattions on discovering your first hidden avenue. You will be rewarded 10 Soul Points and 10,000 Life Points! ||
|| +10 Soul Points and +10,000 Life Points! ||
The pages of Grimoire flipped and the information written on it was updated.
Name: Sol Lionel
Life Points: 19,471
Soul Points: 10
upation: Summoner
upation Level: Level 3
Summon Capacity: 1000
umted Life Points to next Level: 35,121/100,000
Skill(s) Unlocked: , , ,
Avenue(s) Unlocked: Insect Avenue, Beast Avenue, nt Avenue, Soul Avenue (New)
[Soul Avenue]
Level 1
??? (Locked)
Soul avenue turned out to be different from other avenues. It didn''t unlock summons but skills.
The in-depth information about skills was written on another page dedicated solely to Soul Avenue.
??? (Locked)
Unlock Cost: 10,000 Soul Points
"The skill can be used only once?"
There was more information written in the grimoire.
''Although I can use the skillter, I shouldn''t dy it. After all, the forest is a dangerous ce and no amount of high grade items can be too much, to reach the inner section safely.''
''But what should I enchant?''
All I had on me were low grade items except the crown and maybe Gylothyn too.
''I can''t enchant the crown. It would be troublesome if its kill point system changed after strengthening it.''
Crown of Massacre uses Kill Points that are gained from killing others to temporarily increase Physique stat. The increase in stat is equal to the total amount of Kill Points in possession divided by the duration of activation.
Strengthening the crown can possibly alter the kill point system. Even if the strengthening won''t be a drawback, it can certainly be one if the change was too drastic. I had aplete and well-thought-out n of how I had to proceed in the forest. The crown was important in those ns and a change at this point can cause unnecessary dy and I wasn''t too keen on that. As I was on a strict deadline.
''I''ll enchant the crownter, let''s use Gylothyn this time.''
The process to enchant an item wasn''tplicated. I only had to ce my palm on the ck de and mutter, "Enchant"
|| Applying on Gylothyn ||
|| -10 Soul Points ||
|| Enchantmentplete ||
|| The equipment has been bound to the user: Sol Lionel. Please check its status to confirm the changes. ||
|| Congrattions, the skill has been generated! ||
''It became a bound-type equipment? If all items be bound-type with then the skill is a lot more useful than I thought it was.''
Grade: High-Rare (Upgradable)
Attack Damage: 50-75
Durability: 247/250
Skill: F
Description: This sword belongs to a legendary swordsman who once stood at the peak of swordsmanship. It has lost its edge due to the passage of time and neglect. Nheless, this is a trusted sword of the once legendary swordsman and it is iparably better than anything in the same grade. Restoring the sword may bring pleasant surprises.
Upgrade Cost: 100 Soul Points
My eyes almost popped out when I checked Gylothyn''s stats.
''It became a growth-type sword on top of being a bound-type sword? It also gained a ranked skill''
I had to pinch my cheek to make sure I wasn''t dreaming.
High-Rare grade equipments are mostly used by Grandmaster rank warriors and above. It was an overpowered weapon for a 2nd Mortal Awakening rank human like me.
The ability to grow wasn''t something I had imagined. Bound-type equipment is rare, but every powerful ascender will have one or two bound-type equipment.
A growth-type equipment was a lot more scarce inparison. It can be the cause of wars between high-rank ascenders to get its ownership. It was an extraordinary even among rare treasures.
''I think I should upgrade to Level 2 as soon as possible, then.hehehe.''
skill was better than my wildest imagination! It made the strengthened items bound-type as well as growth-type!
I was drooling at the thought of having multiple growth-type equipment.
Level 2
Unlock Cost: 1000 Soul Points
Description: Increases the limit of items to 5 at level 2. The probability of gaining a skill is also increased.
''Only 1000 Soul Points? So, I need to kill 1000 people and no, no! What am I thinking! I shan''t give in to temptation!''
''But 5 growth-type equipment the exchange is fair''
''No! I already decided! No genocide!''
''But''
The dilemma was real and I couldn''t help butment. If only killing monsters gave Soul Points too. There wouldn''t have been a problem then!
''Forget it, I should focus on the skill for now.''