Surpassing the Wall
Every time the blue lightning flashed, the solid floor shattered. The sturdy Rune Golem crumbled like a cookie, Ikelos split apart despite its resistance to slashes, and Umbra took a beating without being able to do anything. I bit my lip at the sight of Vergo rampaging in a way that made the barriers set by Gold-class adventurers seem meaningless.
"Hahaha! This isn't the end, is it?"
I glared at Vergo with sharp eyes as he laughed and rampaged boisterously. His eyes glowed blue, and his speed was so great that I could barely catch his afterimage. I didn't know what technique he was using, but every time his claws swung, lightning flashed and destroyed everything in their path. Even then, it didn't seem like he was going all out.
"Krarrararara!"
"That guy sure has a loud voice!"
Even as I wore a hollow expression at the sight of the half-dragon's scales, which had succeeded in transforming, shattering like cookies, I kept my mind racing. I hadn't expected to win, but I couldn't let it end with me just taking a one-sided beating. Recalling the scheme I'd barely managed to squeeze out, I signaled to Yotun.
"Yotun! I've got a good idea!"
"Hmm? Oho, that kind of method?"
When I relayed the plan through our soul-bound contract, Yotun read the strategy flowing into his mind and grinned.
"A radical method, but I like it."
"If I don't do at least this much, how am I supposed to land a hit on that guy?"
As Yotun created spears of ice in the air, I dispelled my Ikelos armor to prepare for the operation and stepped forward to face Vergo. Vergo, who had been touching the Irregular Laserdon fleeing in terror and Protisha resisting with foxfire, stopped his actions upon seeing me boldly step forward.
"Interesting creatures. They don't run even while afraid."
"Kuu, kuueeong....."
"Kyaeng....."
It seemed he hadn't attacked the monsters to the point of killing them since they were considered living beings, as both monsters scrambled behind me, panting. Their cute appearance didn't match their massive frames, but on the other hand, it made sense—they were so terrified of Vergo that they'd even cast aside their pride.
When I opened a rift connected to the Water Realm to let the monsters, pushed to their limits by Vergo, rest, they trembled but refused to enter. Seeing them burn with the will to fight alongside me until the very end, I smiled faintly and closed the rift.
"Right now there are only two of them, but they're grateful creatures."
"But simply using them won't let you surpass the Gold-class wall you desire."
"Are you telling me to exclude them?"
"The aura within your body isn't the entirety of your power. The summons you call forth, the monsters you've tamed—they're all your strength. Others may not know it, but you can embrace their power."
Vergo, who had stopped rampaging as if the game was over, offered serious advice. I straightened my posture and organized my thoughts at the precious teachings of a Master-class adventurer. Vergo had seen my fusion power. It seemed that completely merging with just one type of monster wasn't enough. Since Vergo wasn't a fool, he must have considered that when he spoke.
"Gold-class... In other words, those called Masters in the Central region are warriors who have surpassed their own limits. So you too must find where your own limits lie and discover a way to overcome them."
Finding one's limits was an incredibly difficult task, but through my experiences so far, I had realized the extent of my limits, so it wasn't hard to guess. Vergo, seeing my expression, looked satisfied.
"From your expression, it seems you know roughly where your limits are. Then I suppose I should help you find a way to break past them."
Vergo's entire body was dyed in blue light. His already massive frame grew even larger through his beast transformation, and the aura emanating from his whole body became so intense it was suffocating. Glancing at the arena floor being softly sliced apart, unable to withstand the power of his claws, I sent the operation I'd discussed with Yotun to everyone in my mind and spread mana throughout my body.
"In other regions, they talk about enlightenment or whatever to cross the wall, but in the end, it's all the same! Have confidence in yourself and smash through the wall! Pour everything you have to surpass your limits!"
I charged toward Vergo, who was shouting arrogantly. The summons that hadn't been destroyed scattered in all directions to fulfill their roles, and Protisha consumed all her remaining mana to cast a large-scale buff. At the forefront, I used Blink to move above Vergo's head and thrust my sword-spear.
"Have you reached the wall? Has your growth stagnated? If so, have confidence in yourself! The you of now is a warrior who has finished preparing to surpass the wall!"
When Vergo's claws blocked my attack, Ikelos copies that had rushed in from all sides attacked in various forms. As wolf claws, knight swords, beast fangs, and sharp shard masses surged forward in all manner of shapes, Vergo lightly stomped his foot.
"If you're afraid of failing, seek help from those you can entrust your life to! If you suffer internal injuries, your family will bring medicine to save you! If you wander, your teacher will guide you! If your heart breaks, your comrades will walk alongside you!"
A massive shockwave erupted from Vergo's stomping foot, sending the summons charging from all sides crashing into the barrier. Though it was an overwhelming sight that could have broken my spirit, I paid it no mind and used Blink repeatedly to swing my sword-spear at Vergo again. Umbra, who had finished recovering in the shadows multiple times, also burst out from Vergo's shadow at the perfect timing.
"The wall presents a fair standard to everyone! If you surpass your own limits, that wall which felt so thick will collapse on its own and show you the path forward!"
Vergo stomped on Umbra rising from the shadows with his foot, struck my wrist to snatch the sword-spear, and threw it aside. The sword-spear flew as if space itself had folded and embedded into the wall, its entire blade buried with an enormous cloud of dust. It was an overwhelming sight, but the more overwhelming it was, the more my heart burned. Yes, this much was necessary to be the hero who saved the North. I smiled as I looked at the warrior who had walked the path before me and reached the pinnacle.
While his attention was drawn, the half-dragon and Yotun, who had finished preparing on Vergo's left and right, completed their preparations. As they unleashed the laser breath and frost storm spear, completed by investing all their mana, Vergo stood in place and raised both arms.
"Even so, if you're afraid, believe in me! I am living proof of someone who climbed up through that very method!"
A massive blue wolf silhouette appeared above Vergo's back. As the divine beast Fenrir, who had devoured everything and ultimately even an evil god, opened its great maw, all sound in the world vanished for an instant, and the laser breath and frost storm spear disappeared as if they had never existed.
"If I can do it, so can you."
At Vergo's expression filled with conviction, I let out a sigh. In the end, none of my attacks had succeeded, and I'd only received teachings. Though I wanted to land a hit on that irritating face, every method had failed.
"You're saying I can do the same?"
"No? This is the path I reached, not a path you can reach. Your path is something you must find for yourself."
When I spoke, Vergo returned to his usual playful demeanor as if he'd never been serious, and I let out a dry laugh.
"So, were those words the truth?"
"You mean the things I said?"
"From what the branch manager said, it sounded like anyone could become a Master."
"To some extent, it's true. The phenomenon called enlightenment is a kind of self-confidence, after all, since it's about surpassing limits."
From a macroscopic perspective, enlightenment and self-confidence were similar. Perhaps because they were the teachings of a Master-class adventurer, hearing them spoken aloud gave the concept some shape in my mind.
"If your confidence in yourself is sufficient, the wall will be willing to open a path no matter how many times."
"It sounds really easy when you put it that way."
"Why do you think our ancestors created the concept of a 'wall'? Because you can't break through with an ordinary mindset, countless warriors have despaired."
I shook my head at Vergo's smooth attitude. Was this really the same Blue Fanged Wolf who had shown such a magnificent appearance just moments ago? I felt like I understood why Luna always sighed.
.....Still, it wasn't a bad sight.
After sorting out my complicated feelings, Vergo asked with a playful smile.
"So, did you get a feel for it?"
"Roughly."
At Vergo's question, I spat out an answer and closed my eyes. Thanks to the Master-class adventurer generously sharing his enlightenment, I had gained confidence in a path that had been like an endless ocean. Until now, I'd been unable to take a step forward because I was worried whether this was the right path. After hearing Vergo's words, I resolved to charge forward.
"Huuu, hooooo....."
With the irresponsible thought that Vergo would clean up if I failed, I organized the enlightenment and conviction rushing into my mind. I spread my senses wide. I understood the earth, understood the air, understood the sunlight, understood mana. Thanks to the Pathfinder skill, everything around me became clearly comprehensible, but this wasn't enough. When I tried to understand everything in the world from a more macroscopic perspective, a gaze turned toward me.
────────!
The vast sky looked down upon me. The wide earth placed me upon its body. The free wind caressed me. I forced a smile at the gaze of the incomprehensible, something beyond human understanding, watching me. It was the same gaze I'd felt when I first used Phase Escape to move while fighting the ants. Back then, because I knew nothing, I hadn't noticed why the unique dimension had sent its gaze, but now it was different. Realizing who the owner of this gaze was, I forced my mouth open to greet it.
"I-Is this... the first time... we've met...?"
Even as my entire body screamed, I forced out a greeting, and the world stirred. Just from that flow, I suppressed the scream that threatened to burst out at the sensation of my bones being crushed throughout my body. Suddenly, the force pressing down on me vanished, and a gentle wind brushed my cheek. At the feeling of it caressing an infinitely small existence, my consciousness sank like a puppet with its strings cut, and through the gently blowing wind, I felt a faint pleasure.