Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: The Warrior Recalls His Memories
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Rabbit guild members and adventurers overcame their overwhelming disadvantage to claim the reward from the second chamber. Watching this, Balak was profoundly impressed.
"Heh heh heh... Truly impressive."
"Those folks who never gave up until the end are the real deal."
"Exactly! They're the epitome of heroes!"
To think they'd clear that place with total newbies!
Ah... This is romance incarnate.
It truly stirs the heart.
And to witness iaijutsu here of all places!
In his past life, iaijutsu was treated as an assassination tool, or else a trash martial art with zero practicality, or just fictional nonsense.
But in a fantasy world like this, would it have those flaws?
No, it could overcome the weaknesses of a pure fighter, just like with the second brother.
So!
"Po-bro."
"You called?"
"Block off the shortcut for a bit."
"Brother Balak, are you planning to focus on training?"
"Yeah. And little bro, can you and Zephyra handle the mini-dungeon?"
"I'll stake my life on keeping it spotless."
I've got some great brothers.
Leaving the dungeon to them for a while won't cause any issues.
In exchange, I set up a magic tool to signal me once they officially clear all the chambers, and I told Karian not to enter the training room unless absolutely necessary.
Alright, preparations are complete.
The moment he entered the newly renovated training room, Balak shed all his armor for the first time since arriving in the dungeon.
Freshly motivated from the recent battle, he decided to run through everything from start to finish. Closing his eyes briefly, he recalled the past.
His mind sank into the depths of the ocean.
Just as all light and sound vanished—
The empty darkness soon transformed into a vibrant forest, which shifted to a lush mountain range, until a small cabin appeared near the summit.
Beneath the worn roof, in the yard, two figures emerged.
A child with horns sprouting from his head, and an elderly man leaning on a cane with a hunched back.
"Old man! You're teaching me that today, right?"
"Yes, I'll teach you my fist. But Balak, make a promise with me first."
"A promise?"
"Yes, promise me you won't engage in meaningless killing."
"...Do I have to make that promise?"
"Remember, great power comes with great responsibility. Power becomes the greatest calamity when given to a master without heart."
"Got it. I promise. My fist... won't be used for killing without reason."
Unlike Balak, who was of the demon race, the old man was human and awfully straitlaced.
He was also unimaginably strong.
Yet, whenever he gazed at the sky with eyes full of regret, it seemed he carried a truly tragic past.
"Good. Now that I've heard your vow, listen well. The first is heart. You must never deceive yourself about why you clench your fist or why you fight."
"Heart?"
"Yes, pour your heart into the fist that becomes your weapon. Be honest about what you fear, what you crave—hide nothing. Fail to do so, and your entire life may shake."
The old man tensed his fist, and the surrounding fallen leaves rose in unison, swirling around him.
"The second is mana. The will born from your heart must flow through your body. Mana is your will, the flame of life."
"Can't I just grow my mana reserves with the herbs you bring?"
"You could see it that way, but to become a true powerhouse, you must wield that vast mana fully with your will."
The old man then stopped speaking and thrust his fist toward the sky. The power behind it pierced the clouds and surged forward.
"The third is the body. Even if heart sets the intent and mana carries it, if the vessel shatters, nothing is achieved."
"It all boils down to fundamentals, huh."
"Yes, everything stems from the body. Only when these three unite can you approach the essence of power."
"Hmm, so a single punch is that profound?"
"Balak, what I said isn't just for fists. It's the foundation for any weapon—sword, spear, bow, whatever."
"Then how long do I have to train these fundamentals?"
"Fundamentals aren't built once and forgotten. They're what you always return to. No matter how high you climb, if they crumble, you fall in an instant."
"So that means..."
"For life."
The young Balak listened, quietly opening and clenching his hand.
The old man stroked his head fondly, as if finding it adorable.
Revisiting the old man's words from the past, not a single one was wrong.
However—
"Balak, so how did my words make you feel?"
"Can I be really honest?"
"Of course."
"You're just an old geezer trying way too hard to sound cool!"
"Cough?!"
He beat around the bush too much!
Honestly, even half the advice he gave later was still beyond comprehension.
No, really—make your body sway like ocean waves, handle it like clouds drifting in the sky... What the hell does that even mean?!
It was like that moment in some game when the green midget mutters, "Hmm... Is that how it is? So that's it. Ah, you wouldn't get it anyway."
Anyway, the problem for him was the 'heart' aspect. Just as the old man said, he needed to keep refining all three fundamentals from the beginning.
Returning to reality, he activated the defensive scrolls in the training room to reinforce it, then slowly began loosening up.
First, heart.
He assumed a stance, resolved to swing his fist with unwavering determination.
Second, mana.
That heart—that will—flowed through his body, compressing and intensifying as mana surged.
Third, body.
The mana seeped into his flesh, steadily strengthening it. Just as he was about to thrust his fist forward—
The old man's most straightforward teaching resurfaced.
It was this:
'Whatever you do, always pour your sincerity into it.'
Yes! Sincerity!
So now, time for 10,000 punches of heartfelt gratitude!
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Balak began his training, and the first 100 were fine.
But as he kept thrusting beyond that, the vibrations rattling the barrier grew stronger, turning the entire Abyssal Pit into pandemonium.
KABOOOM!!!
KABOOOOOM!!!
"Kyaaaaak!!"
"Waaaah!!"
"Th-the cityyyy!!"
Soon, all dimensions connected to the first floor shook, unleashing a massive earthquake.
Every ongoing plan in the dungeon halted immediately, and the emergency response council convened.
"What do we do?! The city we barely built on the 50th floor is collapsing!"
"We've evacuated everyone there, but the damage is catastrophic."
"Shouldn't we just tell the champion to stop training?"
"Tell a martial artist in the zone to stop?"
"......Yeah, that's not happening."
"Th-then..."
As everyone frantically brainstormed—
Lich Alterion, unscathed thanks to his pre-made defensive spells, tapped his chin thoughtfully, his bones intact.
"Alterion, what's up?"
"This incident... I think we can use it."
"Lich, what do you mean?"
"Zarkan, the whole dimension is shaking hard right now. Makes you wonder what happened to the administrators hiding somewhere, doesn't it?"
"Ah, yeah, we could look at it that way."
"What are you even talking about?"
"The entire Abyssal Pit is shaking at regular intervals. We just need to find the anomalies in the distortion."
As Alterion said, Balak's punches were causing the whole dimension to quake rhythmically.
But if there was a spot that didn't shake, or shook oddly?
That was likely where the administrators hid.
"I'll track down that distortion."
"But what about this crisis? If the champion keeps training, these quakes will just continue."
".........."
Alterion had no sharp answer for that, awkwardly averting his gaze.
But here was the most seasoned and wise among them!
"I have a solution."
"Lord Zarkan?"
"You have a way?"
"Dragons like us usually make lairs in caves. What do you think happens if a big quake hits?"
"The cave collapses... right?"
"There's a way to prevent that."
Zarkan then explained dragon-standard construction magic to everyone.
"So... layer defensive barriers that move independently?"
"Exactly. When the quake hits, the first barrier shakes fully, but the second less so, the third even less—absorbing the shock progressively."
"That's why dragons live quake-free in caves! Brilliant!"
"Inserting structures between barriers would amplify the effect."
"That's standard design. So, lich, how long to find the dimensional twist?"
"One hour per 10 floors. Ten hours total."
"Perfect! While you do that, we'll build defenses using Lord Zarkan's method!"
"Then what about us warriors?"
"Uh... well..."
Thus, the Elder Council—those specializing in magic—scurried to resolve the crisis.
The warriors, with nothing specific to do, dispersed to maintain dungeon security.
And when the entire Abyssal Pit rocked, how bad was it on the first floor, directly hit by the waves?
RUMBLE RUMBLERUMBLE!!!
BOOOOM!!
"Ah... This is Brother Balak's sincere training."
"It's truly the path we must follow, Brother Ferguson."
Ferguson and Orek simply attained enlightenment.
"Uwaaaah!! What is this!!!"
"Escape! Get out now!!"
"Just in case, let's..."
Everyone challenging the first floor made a snap decision and emergency-evacuated.
Even in the mini-dungeon—
"Th-the sky island is fallingggg!"
"Our playgroundggg!"
The internal mechanisms of the sky island near the portal linking to the first floor malfunctioned from the relentless shockwaves and began plummeting downward.
What about outside?
"F-faster!"
"Here!! We need more power!"
"What the hell is going on!"
"That demon was this strong?"
If the vibrations from the Abyssal Pit spread outward, it would spell total disaster.
In the end, the gods themselves intervened outside, barely containing the quakes.
After ten tense hours, Balak—having revisited his fundamentals—felt utterly refreshed.
The Elder Council had Karian install barriers around Balak's training hall, and the incident seemed resolved.
But this was merely the prelude.
"What is this vicious power radiating out constantly...?"
"I'll personally investigate these anomalies!"
"Cr-cracks in the walls...?"
"Threat level upgraded. Commencing pursuit."
"Meow...? (Master?)"
The ultra-deep floor bosses, peacefully residing in their layers, began stirring one by one.
Episode 5: Old-Timer END.