Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Imparting the Technique
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The expected time, the expected place.
The person I was looking for was sitting quietly right where I imagined.
It was also a place I'd visited once before.
The space of the Garda Clan. The spot where Liru had burned the belongings of the bereaved family to perform the funeral rites.
"...Great Clan Leader. Fist Saint. Kasa Garda."
I quietly tossed those words at Kasa's back as she sat on the coastal cliff, puffing on her pipe.
"I've come to receive your teachings."
The moment she heard that, Kasa burst into laughter.
"Ah, we were that close, huh?"
"..."
Sure, it did feel a bit ridiculous saying something like that.
Kasa and I had never really interacted as master and disciple. Up until now, all I'd done was basic physical training with Liru, just as she'd told me.
"How'd you know I was here?"
Without a word, I plopped down beside Kasa.
"...I already knew this was your favorite spot."
The reason this place had become the Garda Clan's private property was simply this person's personal taste.
"Especially now."
I let out a sigh and continued.
"I figured if the situation was interesting enough that you wanted to 'watch,' you'd be sitting here observing."
I'd seen it multiple times before, but Kasa Garda's 'insight' was far beyond ordinary.
Her ability to pierce through the essence of things was so sharp, it almost seemed like it was her true talent rather than her punches.
In other words.
She was probably munching on popcorn, watching me speedrun with two demons hot on my tail.
"Having multiple fuses dangling from your tail isn't just a little funny."
Kasa chuckled again and continued.
"I get that you did it on purpose, but you really thought you'd go that far?"
"..."
As expected of her.
Even without much contact with me, she had perfectly grasped my current situation.
"...Then you must know why I've come to you."
I set down the bundle I'd brought with a thud.
"We don't have much time, Kasa."
Unicorn horn, water dragon scales, flame demon heart, ice tiger claws.
Items I'd gotten from hunting the rulers of the demon realm, all fed into the AI Sephira in the Hall of Fire to craft these.
I glanced at my watch and continued.
"...Only about 30 minutes left now."
"You held out impressively until the time was down to that. You kept insisting my fist arts were absolutely necessary."
"Because I trusted you."
And that trust was still valid now.
This world had smacked the back of my head plenty of times, but there were still absolute truths that never changed.
At the very least, humans with 'saint' in their titles were already superhumans worthy of the name, and Kasa, called the Fist Saint, was one of them.
Forget everything else—if she'd drilled me relentlessly on just basic physical training, there had to be a reason.
And her waiting until this absolute final moment for me to show up meant there was good cause.
"...You wanted to show me something once, didn't you?"
"..."
It was the same in the game.
During the scenario, if you met the conditions via a personal quest and took her as your master, she'd endlessly make Eliya do weird physical training as daily routine.
Most players got fed up with the time sink and negligible rewards, skipping the whole quest.
But if you endured to the end, right before the boss fight, she'd demonstrate that decisive move.
An event where she'd casually reveal an absurd ultimate technique, saying, "From what I've observed, this is the skill that suits you best."
'...No clue how seeing it once lets you copy it perfectly.'
Eliya would always have that "enlightenment" cutscene vibe, and bam, the skill was yours. No idea how it worked. System magic, I guess.
But since all those 'game-like' rules had held true so far, I trusted the same would happen for me.
That's why I'd stayed silent until now.
"..."
Hearing me, Kasa grinned and set her pipe down on the ground.
"You know a lot, kid. Felt that way since we first met. Always moving like you 'know in advance.'"
Kasa puffed thick smoke from her pipe and smirked.
"Feels like the second time."
"The second time?"
"There was another guy like that before. Someone who knew everything and just... 'repeated' it."
"...Was that guy wearing a mask or something?"
"You know him?"
I did know him.
Though I'd only met him once.
"...Not close."
In the end, he was someone I absolutely had to kill.
Kasa tilted her head at my words but soon changed the subject.
"Anyway—"
Kasa's gaze lingered on the bundle I'd placed beside her.
"—if you trust me that much, I should give something back."
Inside were one prosthetic arm and two prosthetic legs.
Things to replace this person's lost limbs.
Even with materials like these, if I was right, they could only substitute for Kasa's body for a very short time.
"How much have you trained your body?"
"..."
At those words, I looked down at my own body.
It had grown compared to before.
Shoulders broader, abs defined, overall much thicker.
Brought back old memories.
Before becoming Dawood Campbell, I had what anyone would call a sturdy build.
Of course, this was far from just "a bit better"—it held no deeper meaning.
"That should be enough."
With that, Kasa fiddled with the 'prosthetics' strapped to her body, testing them as she stood.
"Kid, I know why you're doing something this reckless."
Kasa spun her arm and grinned.
"You're not the type to risk this just to save your own skin."
"..."
"You're agonizing over it, agonizing more, then agonizing again. All to ensure no one within your reach gets hurt."
Kasa closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"You're always the kid who picks the painful path where you get hurt instead of others."
"..."
"The intent you carry... I can see it. The fear that because of who you are, others might get swept up."
The moment I heard that.
An image flashed through my mind.
Allan Ba-Tor.
A human turned into an avatar by Tatiana, just to summon an ancient god. A human offered as a 'sacrifice.'
Someone I'd never even met.
But he'd died 'because of me.'
If I'd acted differently, if I hadn't provoked Tatiana, if I hadn't caught the Seer's eye.
He could definitely have lived, but in the end, he was sacrificed to Tatiana.
"..."
The butterfly effect born from my existence.
The inevitable uncertainties spawned by my actions to survive.
As Kasa said.
Someday, it could crash down on the people around me.
"Of course, I can't save everyone."
I responded calmly to Kasa.
Yeah, I knew that.
I pulled off all sorts of insane stunts with my reincarnated knowledge, but even I couldn't handle every crisis.
There would definitely be people I 'let slip away.'
But still.
"...Those people absolutely not."
At the very least.
Not the women who would do anything for me, because they like me, for my sake.
That included the two half-mad ones coming to tear me apart right now.
The whole reason I'd done this was because I couldn't bear to see those two go wrong.
"..."
If my thinking was correct.
Making those two go berserk right here was the only way to save them from the 'threat' bearing down.
"Hmm. The kind of dangerous women who could blow your life away if you slip up even a little."
"Yes."
"Normal people would ditch them and run in that situation. Got some special reason?"
"..."
I closed my eyes and answered.
"...I don't want to go through the same experience twice."
There are memories in this world that are enough with just once.
Etched into the brain, the soul.
Ones that leave scars unhealed even after decades.
"Experiencing a 3-second difference is plenty once."
"..."
She clearly had no idea what I meant, but Kasa just gave a wry smile and nodded.
"...A soul with many wounds."
No reply, just another wry smile as I scratched my head.
It wasn't something to be proud of, sure.
"So, kid. That's exactly why you can do it."
At those words, my expression turned serious too.
If memory served, this was the line right before Kasa 'imparted' the technique in the game.
Soon, 'fist arts' began swirling around Kasa's body.
Fist arts were an extremely rare talent even in the tribal alliance. Right now, only Kasa and Liru could use them around me.
'...First time seeing it used properly, I think.'
Fist arts also had the strangest properties among all abilities.
One of the few that let humans will 'miracles' into existence.
From what I'd heard, it was vague, but that was the only way to put it.
What was certain.
Among all abilities, it was the highest risk, highest return.
No wonder I'd freaked out and stopped Liru when she tried using it before.
"You just need to train your body enough to 'mimic' what I show you. Make the basic vessel for that, nothing more. No need to take anything else from me."
Kasa grinned and said.
"I can only show it once."
Then.
The Fist Saint drew her arm back.
Fist arts gathered beneath the pulled arm. Slowly, she thrust it forward.
"Don't miss it."
It was a languid gesture stretching toward the sky.
Too leisurely to call a strike at anyone. Unbelievable as an attack from one called Fist Saint.
But with that motion alone.
"...Fuck."
The sky.
Crumpled.
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