I had a twinge of regret, wondering if I should have named it more carefully, but since I thought it through, it should be fine.
(Wow! Something just popped into my head! I think I can read this!)
Rayni, who had suddenly stopped, regained her spirit and waved her hands in the air a few times while speaking.
(Rayni, Rayni! The name you just gave me came to mind! This is amazing! How could this happen?)
I’m not sure if seeing the status window is more surprising than becoming a talking tree, but seeing Rayni’s joy made me feel good too.
(Wowww! Something, something! I feel so strange! Ah! It’s tingling!)
Soon, the drooping branch shot up towards the sky, and three leaves quickly grew on it.
(Look! Three leaves in one day!! I haven’t even eaten your mana yet; how can this be? Is it because I got a name? Hehehe… Anyway, today is going to be the best day!)
Watching the tree dance in joy, I tried to focus again to hear the scream that Rayni mentioned earlier.
But still, I couldn’t hear anything, and suddenly, I caught sight of a massive orb with an overwhelming presence.
‘When did that come in?’
Before I knew it, my master was hovering nearby, swaying.
[Hey, skeleton guy, it’s been a while. Hmm… hoo- hmm-]
The orb master soon revealed itself, circling around me and then exclaiming.
[I don’t see any significant elevation or enlightenment, yet why does your overall balance seem noticeably heightened?]
‘You can feel that just by looking? Impressive.’
I thought that to myself while bowing to my master.
[Hmm- whatever the case, it’s much better than before. Now, let’s get into posture for today.]
‘Yes!’
.
.
.
Thwack-!
‘……’
[Hey- it’s been only a few days since I taught you, and you’ve already forgotten… Tsk tsk.]
‘……’
The next thing that came flying at me was the orb’s headbutt, after I demonstrated a few moves and sword techniques, thinking I did them as taught.
It seemed I didn’t meet my master’s expectations.
After being thoroughly trained for several hours with not a spot left unpunished, I took a moment to ask my master.
‘Master, in your world, did you ever go on expeditions to kill those with blue eyes?’
The organization that Maeng Seong-yong was a part of was actively working to restrain those with blue eyes.
I had asked my master out of curiosity about the cause of the anomalies occurring in this world.
But it was probably a somewhat rude question to someone who already faced a bad ending. Despite that, my master seemed unfazed as he continued to circle the same spot before answering.
[I don’t remember everything, but we did make our efforts. Back then, they were called the Demon King in our world, though they are referred to as blue eyes now.]
‘Demon King…?’
There were rumors online about early awakened ones unintentionally moving to a world with demons and encountering the Demon King.
But those blue eyes surely wouldn’t be one of them.
As I pondered over the term “Demon King,” I cautiously asked my master, thinking about what usually follows a Demon King.
‘Um, Master. Is there a title by which you were known to other people…?’
[Cough- We were called heroes by the people. Looking back, it was a rather excessive title. How can you be a hero if you can’t even protect your own world?]
I asked out of curiosity, but his answer was truly astonishing.
[My companions and I, along with the legion we led, were called ‘the Light of Salvation’ and firmly believed we would save the world. But… it was only when we faced the blue eyes that we came to realize.]
‘What, what do you mean?’
[We couldn’t kill it.]
‘…… Huh?’
[We couldn’t kill that monster. No, it would even be lacking to call it a deity. The ‘blue eyes’ had already ascended to a divine existence. It was not a being that could be defeated within human limits.]
‘That…’
[How many worlds do you think that thing has devoured? I can feel it because I experienced it firsthand. Dozens of worlds had been consumed and ruled by that thing. How can you hope to surpass such an evil god? It’s impossible.]
I couldn’t help but feel flustered at my master’s resoluteness.
‘But if we keep doing what we can… surely a way will come up?’
And that was something my master had told me just a few days ago.
[Complete extermination is impossible. That’s clear. Your best bet is to make it retract its hands from your world. Keep that in mind.]
‘…… Focus only on our world.’
[Exactly. Trying to reach beyond that is too… an utterly unreasonable existence. Of course, its overwhelmingly greater stature does indeed prevent it from intervening directly at times. But if it were to be attacked, the story would change.]
Unless you have the strength to fight on equal footing, absolutely be careful not to provoke it first. If I had known that fact beforehand, I wouldn’t have tried to take it down first. Hehe…]
At that moment, a chill ran down my spine.
‘… This can’t be. You mean, don’t touch it?’
So the actions the association was taking were like putting a switch on a bomb.
‘…… An organization in our world has just been formed. They are probably… trying to do something similar to the hero parties. We are just starting to get involved with them.’
[I haven’t seen what you’ve experienced or the people you’ve encountered, so I can’t make a judgment. But listen well, my disciple. You must be careful. Don’t repeat the same mistakes I made.]
Feeling the sincerity in my master’s advice, I felt a strange sensation at the back of my head.
‘Haa… True. It did seem like there was no plan. Let’s try to at least devise a way to cross over into other worlds. That was my thought…’
[Hmm… If that’s the case, then it’s not a stage to worry excessively about yet. Creating a passage between dimensions isn’t an easy task. Pretending to help while extracting what you need and slipping away wouldn’t be a bad plan.]
‘Uh…’
Does that mean I should just leech off the benefits?
Those didn’t seem to be words from someone who used to be a hero, but that made them hit even closer to home.
[And if possible, it would be necessary to guide them onto the right path. For that, power is needed.]
‘That would be true.’
To think that a former hero would speak about someone who destroyed their world in such a manner.
How severe must that have been for my master to say such things?
Is the existence of blue eyes truly that incredible?
[Surely, the blue eyes are meddling in your world through the strings of other worlds connected to yours. It would be best to keep your distance until you have a clear understanding of the newly formed organization’s intentions. It will be painful, but you must constantly doubt the impending presence.]
I believed firmly that with enough faith, one could overcome any adversity, but reflecting on it now, I let out a sigh mixed with regret.
[We surely had those who provided us with good advice. Yet, we were too caught up in the notion of good, rejecting the greed and ambition that any human must inherently have.
Looking back now, it seems that the opinions of those who held some healthy level of selfishness were more in line with reality. I hope you listen to those kinds of people and hear various views.]
It was a question I had only asked during my break, but my master was unusually chatty this time.
Listening to him made me remember Kang Yeon-su suddenly.
I noticed that compared to other hunters, she was relatively good-hearted yet did not hesitate to show her ambition.
‘Was it wise for Yeon-su to keep her distance from the association…? Maybe she felt some discomfort?’
I suddenly wanted to have a proper conversation with her. Although I had no means to do that at the moment, it remained just a thought.
[Disciple. Regardless of the time it may take, the only way is to purge those tainted by the blue eyes and close the doors connected to other worlds one by one.]
‘I understand…’
I shifted my gaze away from the somewhat hazy conversation and focused again on observing my body.
Seeing me, the orb master spoke once more.
[This is only the second time I’m seeing you properly, but your capacity is truly wondrous and bizarre. It seems your abilities surpass at least several dozen. Am I right?]
‘Yes. There are some abilities I don’t use much, but combined, there are quite a few.’
[Right. Normally, one wouldn’t have that many without overflowing their vessel. Is it because you were born as undead…?]
The orb master continued to circle around, looking genuinely puzzled.
After that, the training continued, and today I managed to take a meaningful step with a technique.
It felt short last time due to it being an incomplete training, but today revealed that it was not the case.
‘This is fun. It’s mentally painful, but it’s fun.’
The adjustment in my posture and the diversification of movements that had previously been uniform delivered a different taste compared to the enhancement I had received from the system.
And I suppose that was largely due to my absolute trust in my master.
‘It’s strange. Having a crystal as my master… and now I’m developing this kind of trust. Could it be because we’ve both possessed the same [100]?’
Maybe we are connected by an invisible line.
Being trapped in this space is also part of that connection.
Observing me for some time, the orb master finally began to vary the training.
[Hmm- Regardless of the techniques I’ve taught you, get accustomed to them anytime you find a gap. Since the growth is evident, I think we can push a little harder now. From now on, layer your sword swings with ‘sense.’]
‘Wow… that’s a bit tough. Do you mean for every swing going forward?’
[Yes.]
I hadn’t said anything about the ability of ‘sense’, but my master already understood what I had.
That meant ‘sense’ wasn’t unique to our world.
Hooow─ Hooow──
‘Aah… It hurts… this is hard.’
[Pain Resistance]
[Pain Resistance]
A mixture of magic and sense, generated when I’d enhanced either my attacks or stealth, or when handling locked objects.
It was a technique that was mentally burdensome for even me to use, and it multiplied the mana consumption several times, so I only ever used it sparingly when absolutely necessary.
Moreover, I hadn’t figured out exactly how it enhanced my attack power.
But hearing my master say to practice using that power gave me confidence that there was something to it.
.
.
.
After a considerable amount of time passed.
Thump──!
The moment my master announced that today’s training was over, I collapsed directly onto the floor.
‘Phew- Ughhhh… it didn’t seem like I swung too much… why am I so exhausted? Haa-’
However, my master didn’t respond to my question as if he hadn’t heard me, muttering to himself and seeming busy with his thoughts.
[Being undead has this kind of effect… but it shouldn’t be possible with just my physical body…]
‘What are you mumbling about over there?’
I asked, curious because he had been doing that throughout the training.
But just then, before I could even hear my master’s answer, another message popped up.
– The Path of the Sword. You have absorbed high-level training from a great being that was close to the pinnacle with high concentration.
– Trait [Penetration] is fixed at 16%(+1%).
‘Huh?!’
Although today’s training was somewhat intense, it was only one session.
But did my [Penetration], which had been fixed at 15% when I changed jobs, increase by 1%?
‘What is this?’
Furthermore, something seemed to be shimmering into existence from the tip of my sword like a mirage.
‘…… That’s something I’ve seen a bit during battles before.’
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