Chapter 97
Chapter 97
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Blessing of the Spirit Mountain
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Blessing of the Spirit Mountain.
I still don't know the exact conditions for its activation, but I have a general idea of how it works.
When the Blessing activates, I am transported to the Spirit Mountain. Here, I train for a certain period before returning to my original world...
...but to a point slightly in the past.
This means I can completely change the shitty outcome of the training retreat.
[Your expression has finally improved.]
I made no effort to control my expression at my martial brother's words.
He's a master of psychological warfare who can see through you even with a blank face, so there's no point in trying to hide anything.
Of course, he'd say he wasn't reading my mind, just deducing truth from falsehood based on my complexion, pulse, heartbeat, and breathing...
“But, Brother, what exact point in the past will I return to?”
[It will be before the event that made you feel so miserable.]
In that case...
It would be right after the training retreat began.
Or just before the second special exam started.
My brother didn't seem to know the exact time either, but I was inwardly relieved.
If I had gone all the way back to the beginning, before I met Keian or during the Jewel Mountains period, it would have been a real hassle.
[From now on, everything depends on you. Depending on how you spend your time on the Spirit Mountain, everything could change, nothing could change, or things could even get worse than before.]
“...Way to jinx it before I've even started.”
[Any sentient being should always assume the worst-case scenario. To borrow our master's words...]
“It's better to know you're getting hit than to get hit without knowing?”
[Exactly.]
We looked at each other and shared a brief laugh.
“So, will you be overseeing my training for these 100 days, Brother?”
[I have no talent for teaching. My role here is merely that of a guide and a companion for conversation.]
“Hmm... What about sparring?”
[It's possible if you wish, but I'm not sure you'll have the time.]
Even with 100 days?
I didn't press the matter and just gave a vague nod.
I felt a little perplexed.
“But training... I'm at a loss for what I should do right now.”
[That's why I'm here. Tell me what happened. I'll advise you on the direction of your training.]
“Should I?”
To be honest, I'd been wanting to confide in someone about what I'd experienced and how I felt.
And my fourth brother, along with my eldest, is one of the best listeners.
I briefly recounted the series of events I had gone through at the training retreat.
My brother never interrupted, only nodding from time to time, which allowed me to explain the rather long story without losing my train of thought.
Instead, when my story was finished, my fourth brother asked a question.
[Tell me in detail about the Demon King you saw.]
“Well... for starters, he was enormous. I was a bit out of it at the time, so I can't be sure, but he felt as big as a hill. He looked like he was draped in some kind of ragged cloth and wore a mask that resembled a skull...”
Once again, my brother listened to the whole story before nodding and speaking.
[That's enough about his appearance. You said he killed skilled fighters in an instant. Please describe that process in detail.]
“...I'm not sure. There wasn't much of a process. He just pointed his finger like this.”
I pointed at my brother just as the Demon King had done.
“The one he pointed at just died. They collapsed into a pool of dark, murky blood. I know you dislike this expression, but—”
[It was like magic?]
“Yes.”
My brother took a moment to gather his thoughts.
[From your story, it seems that being known as the Demon King hasn't fully manifested. Yet, to display such power means, in layman's terms, that he's on a completely different level. It's not entirely surprising, considering he was a powerhouse on par with our eldest brother from the start.]
“Is that so... While we're on the subject, just how strong is Eldest Brother?”
[Hmm.]
My fourth brother seemed to ponder for a moment.
Beep, bzzt, a strange sound emanated as lights flickered inside his helmet.
[Naturally, he is the strongest of us five martial siblings.]
“I know that much.”
[To put it more simply... from Second Sister, to Third Brother, to me, and even you. If the four of us teamed up to fight Eldest Brother, our chances of winning would be less than half. And without Sister Cheon, those odds would plummet.]
“Is he that strong?”
[Yes.]
Honestly, the gap was even wider than I had imagined.
It's not that I overestimate myself, but that the other martial siblings are also at an incredibly high level.
According to my fourth brother, it meant that besides Second Sister, none of the rest of us could even put up a fight against Eldest Brother.
[Moreover, Eldest Brother must have taken our master's Spirit Pill by now. He wasn't one to neglect his training, so he must be far stronger than the Eldest Brother I remember.]
“...Thanks for the incredibly demotivating information.”
My fourth brother let out a laugh and said.
[Let's get back to the main topic. In the training retreat you experienced, you had two main adversaries. The first was the High Priest, and the second was the Demon King.]
“Right.”
[First, there's no clear strategy to defeat the High Priest. If you train and elevate your own level, you'll eventually be able to take him down. The problem is the Demon King. By my estimation, there are... two ways to counter his power.]
“What are they?”
[The first is to build up your defense. To increase your physical fortitude enough to withstand the Demon King's crushing power.]
“...Hmm.”
I thought of Luke Bednicker.
At that time, Luke was wearing the armor of the Iron-Blooded Knights, but it didn't seem to have served its intended purpose.
“That seems a bit difficult.”
[You don't necessarily have to train your physical body. Increasing your total amount of internal energy could also work.]
“You mean the method of Protective Aura.”
It's not impossible for me.
Just inefficient.
[Of course, this method has its risks if it fails. If the Demon King's power surpasses the fortitude you've painstakingly built, you'll die helplessly.]
I agree.
Besides, taking an unknown power head-on with my bare body feels unsettling.
“What's the other method?”
[Moving faster than the Demon King's power.]
I understood my brother's words immediately.
“Evasion.”
[Correct.]
Defense, or evasion.
Those were the two methods my brother had suggested for countering the Demon King.
The word 'counter' might sound a bit funny, but it's not like I need to defeat the Demon King himself.
“Fourth Brother, do you think that attack is the kind that can be dodged?”
[A being of that caliber wouldn't point his finger just for show. You might not have realized it then, but there were likely several conditions that had to be met to kill the target.]
“Hmm...”
[Of course, this is all my speculation. I didn't see it myself. So the choice is yours.]
I nodded and said.
There was no need for deep thought.
“I'll go with evasion.”
Considering the characteristics of the Flame Arts of the Greatest, evasion suits my aptitude better than defense anyway.
My fourth brother nodded as if he had been waiting for that answer.
[Good. Then the first thing you must train is your leg strength.]
“Leg strength?”
[Yes. The method for training your leg strength is surprisingly simple. Descend the mountain.]
“Yes... What?”
It didn't sound like he was telling me to leave the Spirit Mountain entirely.
“Do you mean... descend all the way to the ground?”
[The choice is yours, but I wouldn't recommend going that far. You'll lose your life.]
“Hmm...”
[One thing is certain: simply descending the mountain will be sufficient training.]
“Hmm...”
I spent ten years on the Spirit Mountain.
But I never once reached the bottom.
I wonder if there even is a 'ground' in this world.
[The duration, as I mentioned before, is 100 days.]
“What happens if I can't make it down within that time?”
[You'll lose your chance.]
My brother said in an indifferent voice.
[You will return not to the past, but to the failed present.]
There was no other choice.
* * *
[This will be helpful.]
Saying that, my brother rolled up his right sleeve.
I got to see my brother's skin for the first time in a while, and of course, it had the texture of dark gray metal.
A metallic skin that felt more elegant than crude.
A crack soon formed there, and a piece floated up and separated.
Clank, clank...
The separated part of his arm then transformed on its own, taking on a specific shape.
It looked like a flying box, with wings and a front surface as smooth as glass.
[Greetings. I am FAD, a Remote Assistance Drone, an auxiliary function of RAN-4700 Type-A.]
It could even talk.
The tone was somehow similar to my brother's voice, mixed with static.
“What is this flying box?”
[As it just said, it's a remote assistant. It will help you in various ways during your descent.]
“Help me...?”
[Its main function is remote calling. This means you can use it to talk to me.]
“Aha.”
So it was like a communication crystal.
[If you want to give up, use this to call me. I'll be watching.]
I didn't have the slightest intention of giving up, but I nodded for now.
“Alright. I'll start right away.”
Leaving my brother behind, I immediately began my descent.
Naturally, 100 days is not a short amount of time.
For instance, if I were descending from the highest peak in the Jewel Mountains, this much time would be more than enough to get down.
The first day.
I made my way down along a precarious cliff path.
For a full day, without a single break.
Beep-.
[Current Progress: 0.06%.]
“...Huh.”
Of course, I hadn't been moving slowly. At this pace, I would have already reached the bottom of a neighborhood hill.
But I hadn't even progressed one-thousandth of the way.
“...Fine.”
I changed my approach.
This wasn't some leisurely stroll; it was no time to be sauntering along.
On the second day, I significantly increased my speed.
I sprinted down the cliff path.
A single misstep would send me plunging a thousand feet down the cliff, but it seemed like a risk I had to take.
After running like that for about two days, the mountain peak was completely out of sight.
Beep-.
[Current Progress: 0.31%.]
[FAD's Comment: So slow a slug would laugh at you. Ohohoho.]
“This little bastard?”
If it weren't a part of my brother's body(?), I would have smashed it...
I calmed my anger and assessed the situation.
First question.
Was the Spirit Mountain always this high?
Not in my memory.
I had occasionally descended to the mountainside for my master's orders or for training.
Somehow, the feeling and the surrounding scenery were different from back then.
“I don't sense any monsters either...”
I thought the biggest nuisance during this descent would be the hordes of monsters living on the Spirit Mountain.
But it's as if they all moved away; I haven't seen a single one in two days.
Second question.
“I'm not hungry.”
I hadn't eaten in three days, yet I felt no hunger, let alone thirst.
Separately, my body felt tired, but it recovered quickly, and judging by my condition, it seemed I didn't need to sleep either.
These were the perfect conditions to focus solely on the descent... but at this rate, I wouldn't reach the ground even in a hundred years.
“Hah, hah...”
After running nonstop for several days, my internal energy finally hit rock bottom.
I flopped down on the spot for a brief rest.
'I thought I wouldn't have to worry about internal energy anymore, thanks to the Spirit Jade.'
It seemed I was far from that point yet.
“Hooo...”
I caught my breath for a moment, lying in a place that was neither cold nor hot, gazing up at a gray sky that was neither bright nor dark.
I don't know how long I lay there.
Suddenly, I felt a sense of unease.
“...What is this now.”
Third question.
My internal energy hadn't recovered at all.
I quickly sat down and began to properly circulate my energy, but my depleted internal energy showed no signs of replenishing.
It was as if there was a hole somewhere in my dantian.
Of course, that couldn't be.
I wasn't seriously injured.
In other words.
“...Is this another one of the Spirit Mountain's penalties?”
A dry laugh escaped my lips.
So, I'm supposed to reach the ground without any internal energy?
Beep-.
[Call RAN-4700 Type-A?]
[Y / N]
“...Who's that?”
[The individual you, Ruan Bednicker, refer to as 'Fourth Brother'.]
Hah.
I twisted my lips into a smirk and pressed the 'N' on the screen.
“...Fine then.”
I expected it wouldn't be easy anyway.
I glared at the fog-covered cliff path.
“This is more like our Spirit Mountain.”