Chapter: 143
“…And so, Envers decided to go for the experience. Some call it dimensional magic, others call it illusion magic—Professor’s magic.”
“Hmm… What does he think about it?”
“Envers? Well, he seems a bit unsure… Anyway, what should I prepare for him?”
Upon Selvier’s question, Niolle reminisced about her past experiences. Should she advise him to listen carefully to the crazy wizard’s words? To protect his loved ones so his heart doesn’t shatter…?
No, it might be better to believe everything is fake. He always seemed to have a weak mental state.
Moreover, she heard that this time, it would be a solo mission for Envers. There wouldn’t be anyone around to lift him up if his spirits broke. So, maybe just telling him to treat it like illusion magic wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Then what kind of helpful tips should she give him?
What’s the most necessary skill for a foreigner thrown into a different world with different times, buildings, backgrounds, and common sense? Niolle found her answer.
Utility.
If you can’t predict what kind of adversities and hardships you’ll face, then you should at least have the ability to twist and turn your body in any trial. So…
– Simple things would do, like an artifact. How about giving him a flashlight or a lighter?
“What are a flashlight and a lighter?”
– Ah, well… you know… a small light emitter and a small flame generator. Since Envers isn’t a wizard, he’ll encounter lots of inconvenient situations. I think he’ll need tools to fill in what he can’t do.
“Definitely…”
Niolle’s words made sense. Selvier nodded and ran through a mental list of artifacts she could make.
– ● A small igniter and a short wand that emits conical light
– ● A scroll for drying clothes and a potion that increases fire resistance
– ● A scroll that spews black smoke
– ● A big explosion scroll
“I can make one of each. Thanks, Niolle. That helps.”
– No problem. But Selvier… are you interested in Envers?
“Not at all. Like I said before, I already have someone I like.”
– Your childhood friend, right…?
Selvier nodded. Envers was quite far from her ideal type, and even if he were closer, she wouldn’t have had those feelings for him.
No matter how much a stone rolls down a hill, you can’t pull out a welded stone.
“The moment I decide to look for new love is when my childhood friend is either dead or has rejected my feelings. Until then, I have no intention of liking anyone else… and.”
It didn’t seem she would.
Niolle blinked slowly, indicating she understood. Then this time, she prepared some advice for Selvier.
She had already heard about her childhood friend five times. Unless Selvier was seriously distorting her memories under severe delusion, he must be an attractive man.
If he’s alive somewhere in this world, the probability that other women are interested in him is extremely high.
Then Selvier, as a contender, would need to dive into the romantic battlefield. It might even be a harder situation than Niolle competing with Tara.
If you remain defensive, you’re bound to be strangled.
The more cornered you are, the more aggressively you need to strike back to find a way out. Just like Niolle had gathered her courage and tried flirting with him.
Niolle pulled out a piece of obscene material made from a fabric scrap out of her closet.
– Selvier, want to try this on?
“Suddenly? Uh… What, what is this? Ugh.”
Caught off guard by the unspeakable lingerie, Selvier failed her mental check. Judging by the shape, it seemed to be a type of clothing meant to cover the lower abdomen, yet it was something far removed from what she understood as functional.
Why on earth is she asking me to try this on? As Selvier floundered in confusion, Niolle sent her a telepathy message calmly.
– A woman needs a weapon, Selvier.
“A, a weapon…?”
– If you can make efforts for someone you love… how much effort can you make, Selvier?
“……!!”
How far are you willing to go? Are you willing to put aside embarrassment and pride to win someone’s love? At Niolle’s whispered words, Selvier lightly grasped the unspeakable lingerie.
She drew her magic sword…!
===============================================================
In front of the closed Tower of Trials, the beggar and Envers met again in a clearing in the mountains. Envers was about to head to the Martial Arts World soon, so the beggar intended to tell him various pieces of information to prevent him from getting into trouble.
The language barrier would be taken care of by the magic-wielding wizard, but even if they could communicate, it wouldn’t be easy living as a foreigner in the Central Plains.
However, if he utilized the connections and knowledge from his former ties as the captain of the Open Faction, he could navigate things wisely. The beggar sat down on a tree stump.
“Are you ready to leave?”
“Yes. Thanks to my friends… they’ve packed various things for me.”
Envers unpacked the bundle he had brought and laid the items out on the ground.
A firework set made by Selvier. High attack power.
A food bag made by Luna. Good cost-performance.
Even if magic were to mess up and Envers fell into a secluded mountain, these items would buy him time until someone found him. The beggar nodded slowly.
And he proceeded to give Envers the following information.
– ● How to find the Open Faction’s martial arts (Look for the beggar with a knot around the waist)
– ● The cave at the bottom of the Heavenly Mirror Lake (There is elixir but guarded by a serpent)
To conclude, the beggar looked at Envers and began to speak.
“I have already conveyed the martial arts of the Open Faction to you, so today, I’d like to ask a small favor.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“I have an unfinished obligation.”
A peculiar emotion seemed to flicker across the beggar’s wrinkled face.
It was a touch of lingering attachment, a sense of regret.
He had no regrets about dedicating himself to the peace of the martial world. The power of the Heavenly Demon and the forces of the Demon Cult he led were formidable, and it was impossible to stop them without risking one’s life.
He had paid dearly to repel the Heavenly Demon and drive him away with his life. He was a monster, and if given just a little more time, he would have held the world in his grasp.
However, one thing remains. The severed martial vein of the Open Faction lingers as a regret.
The Ta-gu-bong martial arts—the symbol of the Open Faction—was practically expressed with the beggar. Now, caught in the dimensional gap, he was trapped in the other world, leaving him without even a secret technique or corpse to retrieve.
Martial arts flow naturally with the river of time, but he had severed that river himself. How much regret must future Open Faction practitioners feel?
Thus, the beggar asked Envers.
“The flow of time is incomprehensible, too high for humans to fathom. I do not know how much time has passed in the Central Plains.”
“………”
“However, if the group of beggars that carry the name ‘Open Faction’ still exists, I would like for the Ta-gu-bong martial arts to be restored. This is not just my personal martial art but something that should have been passed down through the Open Faction.”
“…I promise to fulfill that!”
Envers answered firmly. He wasn’t entirely sure about the value associated with martial arts passed down through generations.
He had never been born into a family of deep traditions or had been exposed to the weighty ideals flowing through time.
He simply felt pity for the beggar’s regret and thought that, having received teachings, it was a matter of loyalty to keep his word.
[Flowing with History: Return the Ta-gu-bong martial arts to the Open Faction.]
Envers Redburn, downhill.
===============================================================
I’m trembling.
I unconsciously clench my fists, and my steps feel heavy.
In the Martial Arts World, where all sorts of martial arts are tangled up, if I fall alone into that strange world… I will surely face hardships. But, that means I’ll also gain plenty.
Envers fiddled with his lips. The moon’s promise gave him strength.
As with the Tower of Trials, the crazy wizard had explained that as long as he had his life, he would survive, and he had also heard that every fifteen days he would return.
Thus, excitement outweighs fear.
Just as Envers was about to step onto the magic circle with his heart racing, the crazy wizard casually spoke to him.
“Do you believe in fate?”
“…What do you mean by that?”
The crazy wizard began to speak with a somewhat unexpected remark, cryptically warning Envers about the future he would face.
“There is ‘gravity’ in connections. The brief moment you met the Heavenly Demon, the threads of your fates became entangled. Neither too deeply nor too lightly. You will surely be drawn together.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Depending on your choices, you might encounter the Heavenly Demon’s legacy. Even if your own abilities are lacking, if you’ve made good friends, you will surely reach it.”
The crazy wizard raised his index finger to his lips. This gesture holds both secrecy and silence. He continued.
“Therefore, allow me to give you a little advice—uncovering secrets is always a difficult path, just like it was in the Tower of Trials.”
“………”
“Some secrets are like sleeping bears; they are safer left undisturbed.”
Then, have a wonderful time.
With those words, the crazy wizard glanced at Envers.
[??? : ‘Secrets’ discovered, in a hard-mode route, cleared the martial arts session.]
===============================================================
The curtain rises on the martial arts session.
He will encounter rare allies among the vast crowds of martial arts practitioners. The subsequent choices will depend on him.
Whether he’s on the Demon Cult route, the righteous path, or the heretical path, the endings will converge into one point. However, the meanings will differ.
That said, there were some modifications to the original plan regarding the heroines.
Originally, I intended to pair him with a woman who is a teacher, an older sister, and an attacker with a two-hit penetrating strike in a general sense, but I saw it.
I clearly witnessed Luna’s heroine moves with mine own eyes.
It wasn’t just me; others had seen it too. That night, the lab had been turned upside down. Yuna nearly screamed with excitement, and Pink-Balrez couldn’t hold back and copied my finger kiss.
Seeing that, Yuna likely poked my lips dozens of times with her fingers. This needs to be tantalizing, not overwhelming; using quantities feels more akin to lip-smashing than kissing.
Yet, finding her jealous side endearing was nice. It wasn’t that she was burning with rage, splitting me and Pink-Balrez in two, more like “Why are you eating two candies?” kind of feeling.
They both knew it was all fun and games; they could play around together.
But occasionally, I do wonder if it wouldn’t be so bad to get a little closer than just play.
Anyway.
To prevent Luna from falling into unintended NTR, I scrapped the existing heroine plans. Instead, I decided to focus a bit more on martial arts.
I would poke at all the clichés: fateful encounters, realizations, serendipitous entanglements, falling off cliffs, and stumbling into caves, and discovering secret techniques in mysterious mountain ranges.
And in the inn, I’d set up trendy dishes like carbonara…
“?”
“Why do you look like that, Tower Master?”
“What did you just say?”
“That, um… I’ll set up carbonara in the inn…”
Why? Until the day I die, I thought this would be true martial arts. And in reality, this world has no one who knows anything about martial arts.
So, whatever I say becomes the definition of martial arts. Instead of placing something like green leaf tea and noodles, I’m ensuring a sufficient feast for users by including trendy menus…
Huuuuh.
Yuna took a deep breath as if she were inhaling all the air in the world and raised her voice from the depths of her lower abdomen.
“HA──!!!”
“……!!”
“If you don’t get your facts right, you’ll be in serious trouble…!!”
I’d never seen Yuna express herself this strongly before. It finally dawned on me. Her first preference for reading was romance, but martial arts held second place.
Yuna Violet Iris was a certified martial arts otaku!
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