“Oh wow!! Th-thank you! Thanks to you, Master, I’ve made it this far-”
[That’s also true. It’s important for the learner’s mindset to be correct in order to grow beyond the teacher.
Although your talent may be limited, you’ve already established the right attitude, so you’ve surpassed your limits. Be proud of yourself, my disciple.]
A shiver ran through my entire body from the compliments so uncharacteristic of my master.
In that moment, memories of the long hours of training in the space of secret art flooded my mind.
The time spent swinging, swinging, and swinging again.
While I might not compare to the strongest knight who can split a giant monster in two in one go, this was a monumental day for someone like me who had lived as a guide in my past life.
[Well then, let me tell you about the way to break free from the shackles we discussed back then.]
“Finally…”
My master circled around me briefly, radiating an unknown aura, and at some point, he disappeared, and I too found myself escaping from the dark space.
*
A vast plain… the fresh scent of flowers. An unfamiliar atmosphere…
‘Where on earth is this?’
As I regained my senses, I realized I had fallen into a space where the endless horizon was covered in waves of green and pink.
‘It’s beautiful… I wish Yeon-hee could have come with me.’
I gazed at the scenery and soon realized that this place was somewhat different from the real world.
“Let’s go.”
“Clap, Clap, Clap?!!”
‘Whoa!’
A deep male voice suddenly rang out from behind.
Even though I had activated my senses sharply, I couldn’t even perceive a presence.
‘What the… my eyes…’
The man looked to be in his late 40s but exuded the aura of a seasoned veteran who had been through thick and thin. He had a sturdy physique.
‘… Clearly not one of our kind. Yet, it’s strange how he feels extraordinarily beautiful.’
Though he appeared humanoid, he had four eyes, stood three meters tall, his skin was so clear it looked translucent, and his silver hair waved as if suspended in a vacuum.
‘The joints of his limbs are incredibly solid. Tough as iron yet still supple. I wonder if someone can train their natural body to such an extent?’
Just by the way he approached me, I could tell how exceptional this man was.
The reason I referred to him in the past tense was that the man who was now before my eyes was trapped inside an orb.
‘Why didn’t I recognize him? Just feeling his aura…’
It dawned on me.
The man who had called out to me was none other than…
‘Master…’
“Mm. Yes. Let’s move for now.”
I followed my master in silence, observing as he never broke eye contact with me. In his gem-like sparkling four eyes, curiosity bubbled over, akin to looking at a child.
“Why do you not ask anything?”
‘Can you even focus with four eyes?’
“What? Hahaha! And that’s your question? I was wondering if you’re not curious where we are going or how we ended up in a place like this.”
‘I’ll know where we’re going once we get there, and I’m honestly not even curious about how we came here. Just looking at you using secret art shows how capable you are.’
If he had summoned me to the world I lived in, I might have been more curious.
“Hahaha—, yes, you’re right. But it’s truly fascinating, isn’t it?”
‘What do you mean by that?’
“I haven’t brought many here, but each time, they tend to reveal their true essence. Yet, here you are, still in your armored form. You are quite the subject of research.”
‘True essence… I see.’
Larmishiel, the moon goddess, had at least revealed my true appearance for a brief moment, but it seemed the master of this space lacked that capability.
‘My true form, my essence… is it really Yoon Han-gyeol?’
Considering I had never once sought out my old creaky apartment in this life, I wondered if I ever cherished the self who lived as Yoon Han-gyeol.
After a while of walking, I began to see a shabby hut.
‘No roof… did they stop building mid-way?’
It was an incredibly run-down place.
But the presence of the old woman sitting inside offset that.
‘……’
“There’s no need to be too scared.”
How could I not be scared?
The aura emanating from that old woman far surpassed Jo Gi-man, and it even exceeded the dignity of my master in his prime.
‘There are just too many strong beings in this world…’
The King of the Undead.
The path I had to walk felt even further away.
But as long as the journey was enjoyable, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for it to continue forever.
[Have a seat.]
I sat opposite the old woman along with my master.
‘It’s strange… absolutely strange.’
I thought she was just a grandmother, yet why was her face distorted like a hazy fog, making it impossible to see clearly?
‘It feels like not being able to see a Great Being…’
The presence she embodied was one of a transcendent being I couldn’t even dare to grasp.
In any case, as soon as they faced each other, they began discussing matters unrelated to me for quite a while.
[It’s foolish to keep seeking answers in an endless world.]
“We are all foolish, which is precisely why we move forward.”
[Even what you perceive as forward can sometimes point backward.]
“It’s still better than being stagnant.”
Their conversation continued, but metaphor and euphemism were buried everywhere, making it hard for me to catch much of it.
[Well… Azamun. After all, you are still in a cage, aren’t you? If you had accepted my proposal, it would’ve been good, tsk tsk—]
“I have no regrets, but I must apologize for not being able to show you a better sight.”
[Time is of the essence. Speak your business.]
“How it happened, I ended up with a disciple. I humbly ask that you show this foolish boy the way.”
[Huh? A disciple? You? The hero ‘Azamun’ has changed quite a bit. The you I knew wouldn’t have made such a request.]
“Water flows and merges continuously.”
[Hoho— is that so? But you won’t mean anything to me if you can’t pique my interest. Does your disciple possess such a fate?]
“I believe you will be satisfied.”
At my master’s confident proclamation, the old woman’s face, which had been hidden, began to stare at me intently.
[Heheh— Oh ho ho? Surely— hmm! I see— hee hee hee—]
‘What the heck is going on? I’m suffocating over here.’
The old woman, somehow enjoying herself, kept laughing, while I, stuck right in front of her, felt like I was going to die from the pressure.
‘It’s clear that I’ve transported only my spirit here, yet the overwhelming presence is this strong…’
Suddenly—
With a sharp clap of her hands, she looked between my master and me and said,
[My dear skeleton, if you wish to gain what you desire, you must duel with your master for life and death and win. Then you shall be free from the shackles.]
‘… W-What?! W-What do you mean?!’
A thunderous proclamation struck me.
The old woman seemed to already know my circumstances, but her proposed solution was completely outrageous.
‘You want me to… kill Yeon-hee? I-I can’t do that…!’
I was so overwhelmed by her terrifying aura that I couldn’t even speak properly.
But she nodded knowingly and comfortingly said to me,
[Oh, dear skeleton, I understand what worries you. But you will surely find a way. One day I will show you a small path to follow, and all you must do is walk it diligently.]
She assured me that if I just continued as I had been, the way ahead would become clear.
It meant there wouldn’t be a real chance for Yeon-hee to die in our duel for life and death, and I would definitely be able to navigate through it if I walked forward quietly as myself.
[However, there is one condition.]
‘Of course… there’s no such thing as a free meal.’
The thought of what she might want made my temples twitch.
[Just give me three of your lives.]
‘…?! Again with the lives?’
The suggestion was so unexpected that it left me momentarily dazed.
In my panic, I looked next to me at my master for help, but…
‘H-He’s gone?!’
Now there was only the crone and me in this space, surrounded by an overwhelming feeling of floating in the universe, with everything painted in blue.
It seemed I had entered her unique space the moment she made her offer.
[No, no, no! If that proposal gets into the hands of Azamun, he’ll definitely throw a tantrum.
You would not know how much I care about him. Poor skeleton.]
‘Ha… since you care so much for that boy, can’t you just do it for him?’
[As you said, there’s no such thing as free in this universe.]
‘… I see, you’re reading my mind too.’
[Iheehee—]
I found myself deep in thought.
The bondage of being unable to be more than an aura’s distance from Yeon-hee.
And it wasn’t just about breaking that; to just show the way for the duel of life and death between us, I would have to give up three of my lives.
Even the fragment of a Great Being wouldn’t take just one life from me…
‘Is this even right?’
This felt like a thoroughly unfair contract.
Especially since not long ago, I had been scolded mercilessly by my master and Yeon-hee.
‘I’m sorry, but I can’t give you my lives.’
If I were to offer three lives to a being I had only just connected with, that wouldn’t be fair to the “Fragment” that had blocked the blue-eyed threat for me.
[What…? Don’t you truly wish to be free from your shackles? I see that’s an important condition for you right now.]
‘Of course I want that, both for me and Yeon-hee, but… I have to consider if it’s worth giving away my life in exchange for it.’
As I calmly expressed my views, the semi-obscured face of the old woman began to faintly reveal itself.
‘……?’
[Then, how about two?! Two will do, right?!]
Two or whatever, I just didn’t want to do it at all.
[Just one then!]
‘No way.’
[W-What?!]
Gone was the calm demeanor I initially saw; the flustered old woman left me even more bewildered.
‘Still a bit regretful. Oh dear—’
Realizing that being able to read minds might be more of a nuisance than it seemed.
It felt like playing a card game while laying my cards on the table.
But it couldn’t be helped.
In this space, it seemed I was destined to lose no matter what I did.
‘Is there anything else I could offer…?’
As I quietly continued my thoughts, a few options suddenly popped into my mind.
‘What about the spirit of a spirit…?’
This was from the ‘asymbiotic species’ I had defeated recently, and I had 39 of their souls.
One of them was from a seeker I had fought who had been tainted by chaos.
‘Spirits are rare themselves… If that doesn’t work, then I’ll just leave.’
I threw that card out on a whim.
But, as I proposed it, I couldn’t help but think that it might not be enough to impress such a grand being.
However.
[The spirit of a spirit, hmm… Are you really going to go for it? You don’t seem to enjoy all that number crunching, do you?]
Despite my casual mention of it, she clearly reacted to the mention of the spirit of a spirit.
[What kind is it? It wouldn’t be something low-class like ‘Dark Pointer’ or ‘Chaos Nebilus’, would it? ‘Annihilation Ravir’ isn’t on the table either. Their souls have already piled up in my collection.]
Looks like the spirit of a spirit wasn’t something I could exclusively keep after all.
‘You’re more discerning than I expected…’
[………..]
I thought that quietly as I spoke carefully to the old woman.
‘It’s the spirit of a being called Crystalride.’
[Hm?! Crystalride?! Let’s take a look then.]
I took out a small, delicate ice crystal from my space and showed it to her.
Once it was withdrawn from the space, the spirit of Crystalride curled up with its little stunted arms hiding its face.
[Oh ho? This is quite a rare find. If I’m not mistaken, they command humans, right?]
‘That’s correct, but…’
[Very good! To have the essence of its shape intact!]
Luckily, the old woman seemed to be fond of the spirit of Crystalride, and the transaction proceeded smoothly.
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