“Don’t be too surprised.”
“Yoo Jin?!”
Rex’s jaw dropped in shock, staring at me as if he was seeing a ghost come back to life.
By the way, the fact that Rex can see me now…
“You’ve come properly.”
This is Rex’s Inner World.
It means a space where one can briefly escape the laws of the world and create illusions.
Turning around, I see a thick, massive tree trunk that’s too big to take in at once.
Above it, branches spread wide and dense, as if protecting the land below.
The World Tree.
The World Tree, which had frozen to death and left only its bare skeleton, still remained in its former glory here.
Perhaps it longs for those old days.
I suspect that living World Trees are common to all elves’ Inner Worlds.
“What in the world is this…?”
“Don’t worry. This is your Inner World. If you get too agitated, there’s a risk of collapse, so calm your breathing first.”
“Ugh!”
“I didn’t mean to tell you to hold your breath…”
Rex seems flustered, not understanding what’s going on.
But since this place isn’t a manifestation of Belphegor’s trauma, I don’t think he’ll be too shaken.
I should be able to stay here for quite a while.
‘But the awakening conditions… They’re ruthless.’
I can’t help but chuckle incredulously amid all this.
The conditions for awakening in your Inner World are far too cruel.
First, you need to have a certain level of sight to see souls.
And the second condition is to clash wills with each other.
Here, ‘will’ refers to pure will.
Wills infused with magic or swords don’t count.
It has to be as pure as my sword aura.
In other words, the opponent also needs to clash with the same secrets to awaken their Inner World.
Even among those who can wield secrets, you could count them on one hand.
Those who would have to clash fiercely with each other to reach enlightenment?
No wonder this mysterious realm isn’t recorded in texts or passed down in tales…
‘Is this what the God of Underworld was talking about?’
The God of Underworld mentioned that even though I had already satisfied all conditions, I still couldn’t awaken.
That was probably referring to my battle with Transylvania.
Both of us had our sight to see souls open, and we clashed our wills, but…
Transylvania, now a dead Blood Ghoul, had lost both soul and Inner World.
That’s why I clearly lacked the final step needed for awakening.
I can certainly say that the God of Underworld’s words cursed me with terrible luck…
“Am I dreaming right now? Or am I seeing an illusion?”
“Do you hate that I came back to life so much? It’s real, so stop pulling at the seams. No, more accurately, this is not reality… but another kind of reality.”
Can a world unconstrained by the laws of existence even be called reality?
In fact, saying it’s a virtual reality would not be incorrect.
Determining which of them is fake and which is real is another matter I’ll set aside for now.
“The opponent I was just fighting… that was you, wasn’t it? Am I wrong?”
“You’re correct.”
“And if I go outside, I will lose the memories of this place. By someone who wants to erase your record…”
You’re quite perceptive.
It seems I won’t have to go into a long explanation just to convince you.
But since when has Rex been this sharp and straightforward?
“Who did this? Who did it to you? Draken?”
“Actually, it wasn’t done by anyone else; I erased my own existence.”
“What?! Why… No, that’s not the important thing right now. The fact that you brought me here means you’ve got something to say. Speak. Give me orders.”
“…”
He seems surprised for a moment, but quickly hardens his expression and kneels before me.
What the hell happened to this guy in almost three years?
It’s so unfamiliar that I find it utterly bewildering.
“An order?”
“It wouldn’t be surprising if you grabbed the full power of the alliance as soon as you returned. The alliance was created based on the information and struggles you provided… So, the fact that you reached out to me even in this obstructed state means you’ve found a way to break through this situation and more importantly, to defeat Draken, right? If that’s the case, I’ll follow any order! Time is of the essence!”
“Right. Then here’s the order: keep this in your possession, Rex.”
“What is this…?”
I handed Rex a mana stone.
It’s something I’ve used until it became worn down.
But now, it’s become useless since I’m using a magic sword to channel my mana more efficiently.
“Let’s see how far you can hinder perception. Can you truly obscure even if the whole world covers me?”
“…!”
All those who can recognize me will forget me.
Every tiny hint of my existence will be erased.
Then, if I can make it so that no matter where I go or what I do, they can’t help but recognize my existence, what happens then?
‘Let’s find the opening.’
It’s still too far from freshly constructing my Inner World.
So, to begin with, I want to look for hints.
Perhaps it’s even possible to be recognized by the heroines without creating my Inner World.
That alone would be enough for me.
Even if everyone in the world forgets me, as long as I can be seen by them, that’s all that matters.
I’ve sacrificed everything to get here for just that.
“Is this all there is to it? Are there no more orders-”
“Either way, you won’t be able to remember any specific orders given to you. And more importantly… it’s time to go.”
“…?”
Swish, swish, swish.
A slight vibration resonates through the ground.
It’s not enough to be called an earthquake, but…
Clearly, the world is shaking due to Rex’s agitation.
Got it!
At that moment, grass and dirt explode upwards, and a pale hand pushes its way up.
“Rex… Rex…!”
“Ah!”
Crawling onto the ground, a horrifically disfigured elf resembling a mummy emerges.
The lower half of her body is severed and missing.
Her upper body is clad in tattered armor, proving her status as a high warrior.
She was calling out Rex’s name in a bizarre voice, crawling like she was driven mad.
“My revenge! What about my revenge, brother!!!”
“Uh, brother! No! No…”
“I’ll be leaving now.”
Has Rex still not gotten over his trauma?
Just as I was about to pull him out forcibly, Rex’s shaking gaze suddenly grew firm.
He strides forward towards his brother’s corpse.
Thinking about it, this world is still only vibrating slightly.
There isn’t a significant shake to the point of collapse.
Rex’s agitation definitely isn’t large.
“It was your fault! Why did you take an army and kill innocent people?! Explain that first!”
“Huh? Uh…?”
“Explain! If you’re my real brother, not some illusion born from my nightmares, you should be able to answer! Speak!”
“…”
The corpse of the elf, struggling in midair as Rex held it by the collar, was writhing with its mouth wide open, making grotesque sounds.
But then, in that moment, it suddenly closed its mouth and went silent.
And then poof.
The corpse turned to ash and flew into the air without a sound.
‘Well done.’
This is not reality; this is a world under my control.
Rex has instantly awakened to that fact.
This guy is certainly talented.
He might catch up to my level in no time.
Once we leave this place, Rex will forget the memory of meeting me, but next time we meet, I can simply tell him again.
At the very least, I’m no longer alone.
I now have someone who can recognize me, albeit in a limited way.
I’ve gained a comrade who can contemplate with me.
That alone could be considered a significant achievement.
“Then let’s meet again next time.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it. I’m always just learning from you…”
“No. Thanks to you, I’ve also started to understand Merida-style secrets to some extent.”
“What?! In that short moment?”
I’ve gained something from Rex too.
Merida-style secrets.
He’s managed to recreate the secret that has been lost and passed down through the ages.
“Was it Landgrid? Impressive.”
The best defense is an offense.
What people commonly refer to as offense-defense unity is actually a term describing the intricate intertwining of offense and defense.
But, to be precise, offense-defense unity does not achieve both at the same time.
They’re merely closely linked and executed rapidly.
It’s not ‘simultaneous.’
So, it’s commonly believed.
Attack and defense can’t be executed at the same time.
But what are secrets?
They represent the will to bring what seems impossible into reality.
Thus, the impossible becomes possible.
The contradiction of offense and defense occurring simultaneously becomes tangible.
A shield that aims to pierce through the opponent reveals itself in the form of will.
That is the secret Rex has given birth to.
Landgrid.
Originally, only someone who dedicated their life to training Merida-style should barely attain it…
But as someone who has already learned another secret, I could see it.
The path to achieve Merida-style secrets.
It wasn’t an easy road, nor a smooth one.
But the fact that I saw it held great importance.
For those only seeking shortcuts, simply having seen the road they might never traverse is already remarkable.
Knowing of a long, treacherous path differs greatly from not knowing where to go at all.
‘With just one secret, it’s not complete.’
I realized that after setting down the magic sword and only holding a sword aura forged from my ‘will.’
Dakia-style secrets alone aren’t sufficient.
A will to strike with certainty while overcoming the limitations of offensive defense.
And the will to step forward to protect those behind me in offense-defense unity.
When these two merge, I can visualize a transparent sword of will gradually starting to take shape in my hand.
Just one more thing.
If I gain another secret, I might be able to complete this sword.
“This is…?”
Around that time.
The entire world shook violently, and a massive earthquake occurred.
Now it’s genuinely time to escape.
…
…
…
“Huh?!”
Again.
Once more, my memory cut out.
I hurriedly gathered my thoughts and struggled to assess my current state.
I recall the enemy’s attack rushing at me.
But what shape was the enemy’s attack… what was it?
Damn it. I can’t remember.
Anyway, I must have countered it and…
Correction. I must have countered it…
Now, roughly one second has passed since then.
“…!”
As I surveyed my surroundings, everywhere except my position was completely devastated.
There are no signs of magic being cast at all.
What in the world did I do to cause this chaos with my sword?
Clutching my somewhat battered sword tightly, I focused on the front.
There’s an enemy… no.
An enemy that I believe I have.
“Huh?”
Suddenly, I felt a sense of unease.
It felt like something was being held tightly in my hand.
I discovered a black mana stone clutched tightly as if it was something precious.
What is this?
Why is this thing suddenly in my hand?
A chilling thought flickered through my mind; could it be some self-destructing weapon?
But no matter how I examined it, there were no such indications.
No, more than that…
I feel as though I had a conversation with ‘someone.’
Not a short exchange, but rather a fairly long and meaningful chat.
In just one second?
I know it’s not possible, yet I can’t shake off this bizarre feeling.
As I was caught in such confusion…
“Who stole our dear one?!”
“…!”
A chilling voice resonated across the field.
It wasn’t a loud voice, but it stretched forth and struck directly at my ears.
One side of the barrier crumbled away.
And beyond the barrier’s edge, emerged a wolf beastman with blue hair.
She wore a furious expression and gritted her teeth while carrying a massive sword — the Frost Duchess.
“Why bother penning it up with a barrier? Just freeze everything already!”
Crack crack!
The moment the Frost Duchess stomped her foot down, everything began to freeze from her toes, turning into a snowy field.
