Chapter 38 - Bone and Flesh Reforging
Translator: Dusky90
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Bone and Flesh Reforging
‘Hm? What’s this?’
Kairos, who had been slumbering peacefully within the mace, was roused as an overwhelming storm of energy washed over him.
‘Wait, where am I now? And what’s this idiot doing over there, freaking out like that?’
Seeing Otto screaming inside some strange basin, Kairos tilted his head in confusion.
But the realization struck him only a moment later.
‘B-Bone and Flesh reforging?!’
Kairos stared in disbelief as he realized Otto was undergoing [Bone and Flesh Reforging] inside the basin.
[Bone and Flesh Reforging] referred to a process in which a powerful individual who had reached a certain level of mastery gained enlightenment and used the power of their own mana to reconstruct their body.
Bodily reconstruction!
[Bone and Flesh Reforging] referred to the idea of breaking past the limits of the body you’re born with and forging a far stronger physique.
‘Bone and flesh reforging using some kind of concoction? This is ridiculous! This is a scam! Total bullshit!’
The sheer absurdity left him speechless.
To Kairos, [Bone and Flesh Reforging] was a privilege reserved exclusively for those who had attained an advanced realm of power.
Yet that shameless fellow was attempting to achieve [Bone and Flesh Reforging] artificially through a magical substance.
‘He’s no ordinary scoundrel. To attempt bone and flesh reforging through such underhanded means.’
It was at that moment.
“Seriously… this is… complete crap….”
After enduring prolonged agony and screaming himself hoarse, Otto finally went limp and lost consciousness.
‘You idiot!’
Kairos was alarmed when he saw Otto like that.
‘You foolish brat! Wake up! Now! If you lose consciousness in the middle of bone and flesh reforging, it’s the end of everything!’
But Otto had already lost consciousness, and Kairos’s shouts could not reach him.
‘Tsk. Figures. Try to cut corners, and walked straight into his own death.’
Kairos clicked his tongue while watching Otto’s body dissolve into the golden liquid.
As an absolute powerhouse who had once dominated an entire era, Kairos knew exactly what it meant to lose consciousness midway through [Bone and Flesh Reforging].
‘Foolish brat. You were clever enough, but I guess this is as far as you go. They say one is undone by one’s own schemes, and you embody that perfectly. You tried to take shortcuts and ended up paying the price, so don’t harbor too much resentment.’
Just as he was silently offering a prayer for Otto’s passing.
‘Wait. If that Pansy bastard dies, what happens to me?’
The realization hit Kairos all at once.
‘Don’t tell me… I’ll be trapped here again, forced to endure countless ages?’
If Otto died, there was no question that the promise he had made with Kairos would be impossible to fulfill.
That would mean Kairos’s hope of finally finding peace by destroying the mace containing his soul would be completely dashed.
‘Damn it!’
Panic set in.
‘You shameless bastard! Wake up! Now! If you die, what am I supposed to do!’
He had no intention of passing yet another several hundred years bound to a mace like a stray wraith.
At this point, he simply wanted to rest.
‘Damn it all. There’s no helping it.’
In the end, Kairos chose to help Otto.
*Wooooong!*
Kairos drew upon the energy contained within the mace and channeled it into Otto.
Taking Otto’s place, he began controlling the rampaging mana, guiding the [Bone and Flesh Reforging] process back onto the proper track.
As a former absolute powerhouse who had once dominated a third of the continent, controlling such rampant mana was trivial for Kairos.
Having gone through [Bone and Flesh Reforging] twice before, he was adept at controlling the out-of-control mana.
* * *
Several hours later.
“Gah!”
Otto jolted awake, bolting upright as he gasped for air.
*Splash!*
Golden droplets splashed up.
It seemed he had blacked out inside the basin and had been half submerged in the liquid.
“Am I… still alive…?”
Otto stared at his hands in a dazed stupor.
He had been sure he was going to die….
- Have you finally come to your senses?
At that moment, Kairos’s voice echoed in his mind.
“Huh?”
- You stupid, clueless fool. This mess happened because you tried to force [Bone and Flesh Reforging] through cheap tricks.
“Tricks? Bone and flesh reforging? What are you talking about?”
Otto was well versed in [Territory War], but he was utterly clueless about the realms attained by true powerhouses.
It was knowledge that could never be obtained through gameplay alone, which was why Otto failed to understand Kairos’s words.
- I’m talking about bodily reconstruction!
“Huh?”
- [Bone and Flesh Reforging] involves immense pain. Enduring that pain while controlling mana demands inhuman levels of mental strength. Even if you try to cheat the process, without the willpower to endure the agony, bodily reconstruction is impossible!
“I don’t really understand what you’re talking about…?”
- You ignorant fool!
Kairos exploded in irritation.
- You failed to control the rampaging mana and passed out, so I was forced to intervene in your place!
“R-Really…?”
- Had I not intervened, you would have long since dissolved into nothing but blood!
It was only then that Otto grasped the reason he had survived.
‘Ah! He helped me while I was unconscious!’
Even Otto himself had believed death was inevitable, yet there had been a clear reason he was still alive.
“Seriously, thank you. I honestly thought I was done for.”
- I have no interest in being thanked by a Pansy like you. It was nothing to me.
“Still, that doesn’t change the fact that I’m grateful.”
- All I want is for you to keep your promise. I have extended mercy, so you had better honor your word. Understood?
“Of course.”
Feeling grateful that Kairos had saved his life, Otto firmly resolved to destroy the mace no matter what.
‘Wait a second.’
Then a sudden thought crossed his mind.
“Why…?”
- Huh?
“You could’ve taken over my body. But instead, you just helped me?”
- What would I even do with a body like yours?
Kairos answered bluntly.
- I have no lingering attachment to this world anymore. Even though that bastard Argonne betrayed me and I failed to fulfill my grand ambition, I once stood at the peak of an era. I’ve already experienced everything worth experiencing. Why would someone like me bother taking over your body?
“Ah, I see?”
- All I want now is to rest. It’s too late to even think about taking revenge on that bastard Argonne.
“Okay.”
From that moment on, Otto trusted Kairos completely.
Why?
Because Kairos had every opportunity to take Otto’s body and yet refrained, and because he was a departed soul with no lingering ties to the living world.
‘Right. I guess he really does just want to rest now.’
Understanding Kairos’s feelings, Otto expressed his gratitude once more.
“I won’t forget the promise.”
- You shouldn’t.
“Do you feel kind of bad about it? That this is the only way I can pay you back?”
- Hmm. If you really want to repay me….
Kairos spoke cautiously.
- Just give me a drink now and then.
“Alcohol???”
- Let me borrow your body from time to time so I can at least enjoy a drink. I ask for nothing more than that.
“That’s not difficult.”
Otto readily agreed to Kairos’s request.
After all, he owed him his life. Refusing something like that wouldn’t make any sense.
- R-Really?
“That’s nothing hard.”
- Hm! At least you know how to repay a favor!
“Either way, thank you. Once we leave this place, I’ll make sure you get a drink.”
- Alright.
With his conversation with Kairos concluded, Otto opened his status window to examine his current condition.
* * *
[Notification: The [Body Modification] quest has been successfully completed!]
[Notification: Your body has been fully reconstructed!]
[Notification: You have attained the [Divine-Demonic Body]!]
With Kairos’s assistance, the [Body Modification] process was completed without incident.
[Divine Demonic Body]
A physique strengthened to enable the use of the Immortal Emperor’s authority.
Its bearer attains unmatched potential as a magic swordsman, capable of mastering and freely employing both magic and swordsmanship.
Effects:
- Skills strengthened by +7% per level
- Stats increased by +7% per level
- All stats increased by 20%
- Health regeneration increased by 200%
- Mana regeneration increased by 200%
- Stamina regeneration increased by 200%
- Swordsmanship proficiency increased by 25%
- Magic proficiency increased by 25%
- Zero waiting time when switching between swordsmanship and magic.
‘Perfect.’
Otto smiled after confirming that he now possessed the [Divine Demonic Body].
From this point forward, Otto de Scuderia was no longer a garbage-tier character.
His base attributes were strong, and his growth rate per level exceeded that of other characters by seven percent.
This gave him superior leveling efficiency and extremely high growth potential.
In addition, any magic or swordsmanship he learned received a twenty-five percent proficiency bonus, enabling him to develop at a much faster pace than others.
Above all else, the most critical effect was the absence of any cooldown between swordsmanship and magic.
Within the established setting, swordsmanship and magic relied on fundamentally opposite methods of mana operation, making simultaneous use impossible.
Switching from swordsmanship to magic required reversing the flow of mana, which usually meant a cooldown of more than twenty seconds.
The same was true when switching from magic to swordsmanship.
For this reason, attempting to use magic and swordsmanship together was considered highly inefficient.
Given that mastering even one discipline was difficult, pursuing both was generally seen as a concern for much later.
In battles where life and death were decided in a fraction of a second, halting mana control for twenty full seconds was practically suicide.
That was why magic swordsmen were such a rare existence.
The Kuntachi family had been able to produce exceptional magic swordsmen over the generations thanks to a special mana control technique that greatly reduced this cooldown.
Even so, it was far from perfect, and completely eliminating the cooldown was impossible.
But Otto was different.
Swordsmanship when using swordsmanship.
Magic when it came to magic.
Without any cooldowns, he could pressure his opponent with sword techniques while simultaneously unleashing devastating magic.
‘Body modification complete. Now… it’s time to go learn swordsmanship.’
Leaving behind the basin where he had completed his body reconstruction, Otto passed through a narrow tunnel and ventured deeper into the [Sanctuary].
Soon, a spacious, dome-shaped hall came into view.
At its center stood a knight clad in ancient armor.
‘Akan… the NPC who teaches the swordsmanship once used by the Immortal Emperor… In the game, all you had to do was talk to him and he’d teach you.’
Otto hesitated to approach Akan carelessly.
After nearly dying earlier due to underestimating the differences between reality and the game during the [Body Modification] quest, he couldn’t help but feel wary.
‘Careful.’
With his guard up, Otto slowly approached Akan.
- You who have entered the [Sanctuary].
A deep, heavy voice flowed out from beneath Akan’s lowered helmet.
- You have succeeded in acquiring the body that will become the foundation of Invincibility.
“Uh… I guess so?”
- I have been waiting for you for a very long time. A thousand years, to be exact….
“Sorry I’m late. It wasn’t intentional. Haha….”
- Now that you have entered the Sanctuary, I can finally fulfill my duty. One who has stepped into the Sanctuary, I will teach you the Sword of Invincibility. Will you learn this swordsmanship?
Up to this point, everything was exactly the same as in the game.
“If you’re willing to teach me, I’d be grateful to learn.”
- Very well. Since you have entered the Sanctuary, you are qualified to learn the Sword of Invincibility. Here, take it.
Akan took out a sword from subspace and handed it to Otto.
- From now on, I will teach you the Sword of Invincibility.
“W-Wait a second!”
Otto was taken aback.
“Weren’t you going to teach me verbally? Why are you giving me a sword?”
- What are you talking about?
“Huh…?”
- How could swordsmanship ever be taught through words alone?
“Then if you show me, can I just follow along?”
- You’re talking nonsense.
Akan smoothly drew a sword without an edge.
- Swordsmanship isn’t mere exercise. It’s something you learn and master with your body.
“Y-You mean… physically?”
- Here I come.
The next moment.
*Flash!* *Smack!*
Stars exploded before his eyes.
*Whiiirl!*
The world spun wildly around Otto.
“Uhh?”
Otto looked dazed, feeling as if something had just smacked the top of his head.
“W-what… why am I… so dizzy….”
*Thud!*
Otto collapsed to the ground.
- Is this truly all the reaction speed of one who has entered the Sanctuary?!
Akan shouted angrily and swung his sword at Otto.