Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: The Reality of Unease
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"Th-that, yes, that's right."
The knight replied absentmindedly, his face blank.
Thirteen years old was, no matter what anyone said, an age when one was meant to be protected.
It made no sense that Krash, of all people, had prior experience with World Erosion.
Then, one of the knights nearby nudged his arm.
The Valheim mid-tier knight squadron was, in truth, the lowest rung in the family.
This was infighting among the direct descendants.
If they got involved, blood would surely be spilled nine times out of ten.
"Ah, ahaha! That was a joke!"
So the knight hurriedly laughed it off and stepped away from Krash.
In the meantime, Belokin was glaring at Krash with furrowed brows.
Belokin simply couldn't wrap his head around the current situation.
'How the hell does he have the composure for this?'
The way he'd been during his first World Erosion was nothing like Krash right now.
He should have been panicking, screwing up left and right.
Yet here was Krash, even giving advice to the knights.
'How the hell is that halfwit Krash...'
Krash's utterly changed demeanor from before.
For some reason, it kept making him uneasy.
At that moment, Krash and Belokin's eyes met.
Krash looked at Belokin and smiled.
As if to say, 'Are you under the delusion that you and I are the same?'
Belokin ground his teeth and turned his head forward.
For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to look Krash straight in the eye.
He'd always assumed Krash would remain a halfwit beneath him for life.
Yet the bastard had changed overnight.
A question poked its head up from the deep darkness in Belokin's heart.
What if... just what if.
What if he wasn't the biggest halfwit in the Valheim family?
What if Krash grew like Charlotte and ended up rising above him...?
Then the one left at rock bottom would be...
His teeth clacked together as the doubts kept surging.
'No, no, that's not it!'
Belokin pushed aggressively through the swamp.
His unease was plain as day in his movements.
He'd always harbored jealousy toward Charlotte, who was better than him, leaving his mind in a fragile state.
Ironically, the one safety net for his mental stability had been none other than Krash.
There was always someone beneath him.
And every time he crushed that someone below, Belokin gained psychological comfort.
But now, that one below was suddenly surging upward.
As if it would pierce right through him and climb even higher.
The reason Belokin had brought Krash today was to confirm that he was still beneath him.
But a far more terrifying reality was tightening around his throat.
If Krash rose above him...
There could only be one at the very bottom of the Valheim family.
Belokin's mind was being driven into a corner.
The nagging thought of 'what if' tormented him relentlessly.
"Brother, Belokin brother."
"Wh-what?"
A voice snapped him out of it, making Belokin flinch and look up.
Krash pointed ahead.
"Looks like we've reached the master's lair."
Belokin finally turned his gaze, as Krash said.
Just as Krash described, the swamp's color was gradually shifting to black.
The air reeked of danger—it was unmistakably the master's domain.
"Hoo, easier than I thought. Looks like you're lucky, Krash. It was tougher for me back then."
Belokin shoved down his stray thoughts and forced a smug remark.
As if Krash's first World Erosion experience was no big deal.
And not just Belokin—the knights thought the same.
"No other erosion beasts besides the master, it seems."
The knights spoke with relief.
Fighting in a swamp was a nightmare due to the terrain.
They seemed relieved to have passed without major battles, dealing with bugs at most.
"That's exactly why you need to stay alert."
But Krash snapped at the knights and Belokin.
As Belokin scowled and the knights turned puzzled looks, Krash explained it like it was obvious.
"It means the master's dangerous enough to be rated three stars even without any erosion beasts."
Everyone froze at his words.
Just as he said, the master they faced could sustain a World Erosion all on its own, without minions.
They definitely needed to stay cautious.
But Belokin was irked that Krash had contradicted him.
"Always such a scaredy-cat. It's just three stars. And you lot—letting a kid's words sway you like this?"
Even as he was the one most swayed, Belokin scolded the knights.
Then he placed a hand on the sword at his waist and strode forward.
The knights had no choice but to hurry after him.
Belokin was the center of this mission, after all.
Following behind Belokin and the knights, Krash sensed something far worse than the swamp gas filling his nostrils.
This stabbing in his nose was the thick scent of curses.
'About what I expected.'
This master seemed pretty strong, as anticipated.
'Anyone hit by these curses is gonna suffer.'
Or die before the curse even takes hold.
But since he'd already warned them, Krash didn't worry much.
The Valheim name wasn't some stray dog's—the knights were Valheim affiliates too, and Belokin was direct lineage.
As long as they didn't get complacent, Krash figured they could handle it without issue.
So Krash turned his attention elsewhere.
To the power of the World Erosion itself.
The source of the World Erosion's strength.
Invisible to ordinary eyes, but clear as day to Krash, whose body had endured layers of curses and mastered Extreme Blood Poison Infusion.
It felt like stepping into a fog of gray smoke.
Even a single breath through nose or mouth felt like it would draw the World Erosion's power straight into him.
'Will it work?'
Krash, who had diligently trained Extreme Blood Poison Infusion, knew how to absorb and wield this power.
But theory and practice were different.
Even for Krash, the World Erosion's power was tense-making.
'No—it has to.'
Thoughts of future events flashed by, and Krash clenched his fists tight.
If he couldn't stop the apocalypse, there was no future anyway.
He'd rolled naked in curses before—surely he could handle this.
"Hah."
Extreme Blood Poison Infusion
Absorbing World Erosion power through breath
In that instant, gray smoke rushed into Krash's nose at high speed, spreading through his body.
"Gah!"
Pain wracked his entire body, making Krash cry out involuntarily.
"Lord Krash?"
The startled knights turned, but Krash covered his mouth and waved them off, signaling he was fine.
"Sorry, just tripped."
He forced the words out, hand over his mouth.
Belokin even shot him a look of pity—and oddly, glee.
"Tch, pushing yourself this early in World Erosion. If it's too much, say so. I'll have a knight carry you."
He seemed convinced Krash had finally hit his limit.
As Belokin brimmed with sudden vigor, Krash slowly lowered his hand from his mouth.
What he saw was dark red blood.
Vomiting blood the moment he absorbed the World Erosion's power.
'Yeah, figures.'
World Erosion was a force that warped the surrounding environment.
It was a supreme poison, worse than curses.
Swallowing it raw meant his body rejecting it was natural.
But he had to accept it.
'Extreme Blood Poison Infusion.'
This was why he'd mastered it.
Krash focused on his breathing and heartbeat.
To let his body accept the World Erosion, he slowly blended its power into his aura's flow.
Aura was like a mighty river current.
Constantly circulating without stop, blending in the World Erosion power diluted it bit by bit.
Swallowed up by the vast river of aura.
Demaris Valheim had handled this aura river with exquisite finesse.
And he'd filled the secret manual with those methods.
It was essential for wielding Extreme Blood Poison Infusion.
Krash had read that manual hundreds of times.
Now he could recall every word with eyes closed.
So he concentrated.
To draw out the true power of Extreme Blood Poison Infusion.
Time passed, and his body gradually stopped distinguishing between aura and World Erosion power.
Part of his aura's color turned murky, but it birthed a new clarity.
Pure, pitch black.
A color no other could overlay.
Krash slowly exhaled and opened his eyes.
For a split second, darkness flickered in his pupils before vanishing.
"Ugh."
His body swayed sharply.
The whole world had twisted, dyed vivid red.
The aftereffect of mania from Extreme Blood Poison Infusion.
Demaris Valheim must have lost his mind seeing this world.
Knowing that well, Krash rubbed his eyes.
Time for the temporary technique he'd prepared.
After Demaris Valheim, Green Pine Pavilion had essentially shut down.
But not everyone missed the secret library afterward.
Exactly one person.
Someone who saw the world entirely differently discovered it.
A blind man, pushed to the very back among Valheim direct descendants.
He couldn't read the secret manual despite finding the library.
So he resealed it—but left one manual behind, hoping no one like himself would emerge later.
A sense to replace sight.
Spreading aura like fine threads in all directions to perceive everything.
Sixth Sense.
Sixth Sense
Aura extension: finger-width range / Suppressing mania
'Small.'
Unlike his blind ancestor who'd honed it lifelong, Krash could only extend aura a finger joint's length.
Yet he sensed presences around him and grasped his location.
This wasn't a world blanketed in World Erosion mania.
His mind recognized the world he'd lived in all his life.
The moment he realized that, Krash slowly opened his eyes.
The twisted world before him began fading.
The mania was dissipating.
Not completely gone, of course.
As long as he absorbed World Erosion power, mania would surge again someday.
That's why he needed Bianca's curse even more.
Sixth Sense was just a temporary fix.
But for now, the important thing was that Sixth Sense could suppress the mania.
A stopgap was still a gap-filler.
In that moment, Krash felt he'd taken another step forward.
He was only grasping the joy of growth—something he'd never felt in his lifetime—after regressing.
A chill ran down his spine!
It hit him suddenly.
His head snapped around as goosebumps rose, his lingering Sixth Sense brushing something off.
'Don't tell me.'
"It's the master!"
The moment Krash realized, Belokin's voice rang from ahead.
Krash looked forward: in pitch-black darkness, a bald human face protruded.
The closed-eyed face slowly lifted its lids, rolling its pupils once it spotted Krash.
Then more faces emerged from the dark.
Human, animal, insect—every kind imaginable.
The horrific sight dredged up revulsion when the first human face's mouth slowly opened.
"Kiiiiieeeek!"
Earsplitting screeching erupted as eight arms burst from the darkness.
3-Star World Erosion Master
Intruders detected. Attack commencing.
"Prepare for battle!"
Belokin shouted, blue aura surging from his sword.
The aura morphed into flames—tied to his skill.
A skill that could ignite anything.
Ignis
Aura ignited into flames / Morale boost effect
Belokin had set his aura ablaze.
The knights' morale soared at the sight of his blazing flames.
Belokin's Ignis had the power to uplift viewers' spirits.
Krash, on the other hand, felt queasy.
He'd been badly burned by those flames back when he was helpless.
「This is the difference between you and me! Got it? You're not even in the same league as me, you pathetic worm!」
Who knew where he'd learned such lines.
Belokin's face as he pinned Krash down and scorched his arm with Ignis remained vivid.
Back then, both he and Krash were broken.
And Krash knew.
Even now, he was still broken.
Regression hadn't erased those memories.
'I wonder about you now, Belokin.'
A seventeen-year-old trying to poison his thirteen-year-old brother.
Could you say he wasn't broken yet?
A cold smile crept across Krash's lips.
Perfect timing.
Chance had handed him the opportunity to find out.
By day's end, someone would weep, and someone would laugh.