Chapter: 984
Swaaaaaaah.
My body trembles slightly in the blowing wind. I sense the chill and slowly lift my eyelids.
“… … Ugh.”
I stagger up, trying to shake off the haze clouding my mind.
I make a conscious effort to regain my senses, but strangely, it doesn’t come easy.
I gathered my energy.
Woof-!
Fortunately, my body quickly felt rejuvenated, and I was able to sharpen my dazed mind. I fully opened my eyes, feeling my senses becoming clearer.
“Ugh. Phew.”
I coughed, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
How did I end up like this?
As I rummaged through my memories, the last thing I recalled surged back into focus.
“Ah—!”
I shivered and looked around.
Clearly, I remembered being with Yarang just moments ago.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself being carried by Yarang, heading somewhere.
After that, I was taken to an unknown space.
And then…
Fruit.
In a moment of impulse, I swallowed the fruit without a second thought. I was caught off guard, having eaten something without knowing what it was. But the bigger issue was that…
I lost consciousness again.
Was it because of that fruit? An unknown energy enveloped my body, and I blacked out once more.
Now, here I was, regaining my senses.
I looked around, bobbing my head side to side.
What?
Narrowing my eyes, I scanned the situation. The place Yarang had taken me to was completely foreign.
Here…
Somehow, this place felt oddly familiar.
Isn’t this where I fainted?
This was indeed the spot where I collapsed after escaping from Yawol.
With memories sharpened and clear, I recalled this much.
Why am I here?
This was definitely not the location I followed Yarang to. Why did I end up here?
Did I… have a dream?
Could it be that everything I experienced was just a figment of my imagination?
No way, I immediately dismissed that thought. How could a dream be so vivid?
Then… did she leave me here again?
Perhaps Yarang brought me back here and left me.
A nagging suspicion crossed my mind.
If it wasn’t a dream, then it was the only answer left.
What?
If that were the case, then what was the intention behind it? After feeding me some strange fruit and making me pass out, why leave me here?
I… have no idea.
The more I tried to understand Yarang’s intentions, the more baffling they became.
Hoooo…
I sighed, exhaling heavily while trying to compose myself.
Since I didn’t know what I had eaten, I just wanted to check my condition.
Hmm?
I had to open my eyes wide to examine my body.
Why is it like this?
This was baffling. I moved my body around to check again.
Once again, nothing changed.
…What?
Why was this happening?
…Is my body alright?
Not only had my deep internal injuries completely healed, but even what seemed like minor wounds had also vanished.
What about my energy?
Half, if not all, has been restored, right?
Even the energy that was nearly depleted had more than half returned.
What the heck was going on?
What is this…?
How did I end up in such perfect condition? It was almost unbelievable.
If I were to guess…
Could it be because of that fruit?
Is it possible that eating that mysterious fruit caused this transformation? If I thought about it, there really wasn’t any other explanation.
Oh, come on…
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If I calculated the time it would take to recover, this is actually great news.
But why?
Why did such fortunate events unfold?
What reason did Yarang have for creating this situation? That was my biggest question.
Why on earth?
Did Yarang know that this would happen if I consumed the fruit?
If she was aware of this and still fed me…
…You.
Do you actually remember?
Isn’t this the legendary sword I once knew? Such thoughts and words bubbled up at the edge of my mind.
Tsk…
I couldn’t blurt that out, though.
I just clicked my tongue, barely managing to cut off that line of thought.
Not yet.
I mustn’t waver. Focus away from Yarang.
Besides simply eating the fruit to restore my energy…
There might be more problems.
Considering there could still be issues with my body, it was best to check first.
Did Noya go back to the Volcano Sect…?
I wondered if Shin Noya, who said he would go ahead, had managed to return properly. With that thought, I moved my feet.
First, I had to get back to the Volcano Sect, so I poured my strength into a mighty leap.
Whoaaaaahh…!!!
“…!!!”
I launched into the air, choking on my own breath.
This crazy…?!
I soared twice as high as I had anticipated.
The force of my leap was not only different, but the speed at which I shot up was also jarringly faster.
While it was true that the air around here was infused with energy, making it stronger…
It wasn’t supposed to be like this?
This was beyond intense—something had clearly changed.
Caught off guard by the sudden surge of power, I lost control and plummeted to the ground.
Kuuuung—!!!
I tumbled on the ground, kicking up a storm of dust.
“…Huh.”
I coughed out the dirt that got into my mouth, clenching my fists several times.
Hah…
What’s going on? My body was overflowing with energy. Compared to my usual state, I felt almost twice as strong.
What on earth happened?
It didn’t seem like my overall realm had improved. My physical capacity remained unchanged.
It was literally just a case of increased strength.
Could that even be possible?
Is it feasible for this to happen without any other shifts in my cultivation?
A question arose, and it was a significant one.
The more I contemplated, the more elusive the answer felt.
Which means…
…I should find someone who knows the answer.
I needed to locate someone who had a grasp of this situation.
And that person? Well, I was already well aware of who they were.
*
Hwaaaaaaaaaa—!!!
Kuuung—!!!
I zipped through the wind, crashing down to the ground.
Sparks swirled as they disappeared into the air, and within that moment, I pushed myself back up.
“Oh…”
My legs felt like jelly.
Controlling my body at this accelerated speed was incredibly difficult.
Because of that, I couldn’t even execute a proper roll upon landing and ended up absorbing the impact with my body.
My bones are all aching, really…
The shock was intense, causing significant pain in my legs.
With a grunt, I moved forward, a few groans escaping my lips.
As I walked, I pulled out a bottle from my pocket and tapped it against my body.
It was a turtle shell.
I dusted myself off a few times and resumed my movement.
Woof-!
I felt something penetrate, and the surroundings changed. I was finally back in the area of the Volcano Sect.
That sensation was becoming more familiar now.
As I returned, the air shifted. Unlike the strong energy outside, this atmosphere felt much like the central plains.
The violet auroras that had once filled the sky were gone, replaced only by an ordinary night sky that adhered to my understanding.
I quietly observed the moon rising, contemplating my next move.
I need to get to Noya first…
I set my direction towards where Shin Noya would likely be located. Just as I made that judgment to leap forward again…
Swish.
“…!”
I instinctively reacted to a sensation I felt ahead of me.
Chook-!!
Kwagagagagak—!!!
With a menacing rush, something sliced past me. Almost immediately after, a fierce gale swept through, cutting down dozens of trees.
What?
Was it an ambush? Cold sweat trickled down my back. If I had been any later, I would have faced peril.
Who would launch such an attack against me?
Just when I was about to raise my energy and take a defensive stance…
“Huh? What is it?”
I recognized the voice, and someone appeared in front of me.
It was Shin Noya.
“…Why are you here?”
“…Noya?”
Shin Noya stood before me, holding a sword. I squinted, eyeing the rippling energy surrounding it.
“Was it you who just swung your sword at me?”
It felt uncannily brutal. Had it been Noya’s blade all along?
“Noya. Are you out of your mind? If I’d been even slightly late, I would’ve been a goner.”
There’s a limit to playful banter. I don’t care about anything else, but right now was genuinely perilous.
If I had hesitated by even a heartbeat, I might have lost a limb.
And yet he just launched that attack. Shock coursed through me, and I glared at Noya.
No…
Noya wore a frustrated expression as he retorted.
“I hurried here because I sensed something strange had come in… Why the heck are you here?”
“…What kind of ‘strange’?”
His words seemed overly harsh. It wasn’t the first time meeting him, so I shot him an incredulous look, but he narrowed his eyes and continued.
“Hey, what happened to your body?”
“What do you mean?”
“Surely you can’t be unaware of how much presence you’re giving off right now.”
“…”
I tilted my head at Noya’s statement.
Presence? That’s impossible, right?
Isn’t it well hidden?
While my vessel has expanded and my level has risen…
With the shedding of my shell or unlocking my powers, my presence had become naturally stronger, so I had made it a habit to manage it closely.
Especially since I had to be more cautious here, I was focused on keeping it in check.
“No, what did you do in a matter of half a day to end up like this…”
Noya seemed to imply that I was broadcasting my presence carelessly.
Is that why he ambushed me?
So because my body feels rejuvenated, my energy and strength increased, and now my presence has had an uptick too…?!
What’s changed so drastically?
I hastily turned my energy around. Just as I would adjust my strength, I also concentrated on taming my presence.
As I did so, I felt the energy gradually condensing within me.
Seeing this, it really does seem to be the case…
Originally, when I tried to suppress that much presence, I would hit a limit where it couldn’t diminish further.
Now, it was effortlessly retracting.
When I was fully confident in suppressing my presence…
“Setting presence aside, what’s with that appearance?”
Noya inquired again.
“What do you mean, ‘appearance?’”
What could he possibly be getting at now? I looked at him quizzically as he pointed the sword he held at me.
On the clean blade reflected my face.
“…Huh?”
I widened my eyes at the sight.
“What? Why do I look like this?”
There was something distinctly off about my face.
Inside my blue eyes, the vertical slit pupils remained, yet something definitely appeared different.
Even the canines visible in my mouth looked unnaturally pronounced.
Even…
My fingernails—were they sharpened somehow, sticking out menacingly?
I looked like… a beast.
No, to be precise…
…Moonlight Tribe?
The beastmen I had seen in this realm.
I had transformed entirely into their likeness, those known as the Moonlight Tribe.
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