Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Trial and Error
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I've never seen the Spirit Mountain in its entirety, but I know its general shape.
A perilously thin and long rocky mountain.
Naturally, the path down was bound to be a treacherous cliffside trail.
“Hooo…”
I let out a sigh.
Today marked the seventh day, a full week.
During that time, my progress was…
[Current Progress: 1.44%.]
“…I think I'm screwed.”
At this rate, I wouldn't even see the ground if I ran nonstop.
It meant I needed a change of method… The problem was ‘how’.
“…Hmm.”
There was one thing I wanted to try.
*Step.*
I stood at the edge of the precarious cliff path and looked down.
Beyond the fog, I could faintly see the path.
If the Spirit Mountain's cliff path spiraled up the mountain's surface…
Then just jumping down would be much faster than walking honestly.
“Can I do it without internal energy…?”
It certainly looked higher than the roof of the Bednicker main estate.
No matter how trained my body was, it wasn't a safe height.
But…
“…”
Since when have I ever worried about every little thing like that?
*Tap.*
I leaped without hesitation.
*Swoosh—.* The air resistance made it hard to keep my eyes open, but I stared straight down.
Naturally, a precise landing is more important than the jump itself.
The landing spot was a precarious and narrow cliff path.
A misstep wouldn't end with a simple ‘Oops! My bad!’
*Thud…*
Fortunately, I landed with my posture intact.
A sharp pain shot up from the soles of my feet to the crown of my head, but I let out a sigh.
[Current Progress: 1.51%.]
[FAD's One-Liner: A cowardly shortcut! You're quite the clever one!]
“Shut up.”
I let FAD's words go in one ear and out the other.
* * *
It was a crude method, but it was certainly effective.
[Current Progress: 9.84%.]
In an instant, I had passed the one-tenth mark.
This was the result after just five days of adopting this method, and twelve days since I began my descent.
‘My leg strength seems to be getting better, too.’
FAD called this method a shortcut and what not, but what if this was actually the standard way to do it?
…I realized how wrong I was the very next morning.
*Beep—.*
[Current Progress: 10%.]
It was the moment I achieved a memorable 10 percent.
*Kuuuung!*
“Ugh…!?”
The sudden pressure flattened me to the ground like a frog.
“Whaaaat is thiiis nooow…!”
It wasn't a simple matter of feeling unwell or anything like that…
My body suddenly felt ten times heavier, making it difficult to move.
“Ha, haha…”
In this state, I couldn't even walk slowly, let alone run.
“…Son of a biiitch—!”
Letting out a hollow laugh, I couldn't stop myself from cursing.
My dear Spirit Mountain, you've changed so damn much in the short time I've been away…!
*Thump…! Thump…!*
I moved forward one heavy step at a time, as if I had become a giant.
Naturally, the physical strain was no joke.
One thing was clear.
I could no longer use shortcuts like jumping off the cliff.
If I jumped now, my whole body would be turned to pulp, or I'd misstep and fall into the thousand-foot abyss.
So, do I have to go back to walking the path honestly?
With this body that feels as heavy as a thousand pounds?
…I tried walking, just to see.
“Gggghhh…!”
Drool trickled from my mouth.
My movements were grotesque, more like contorting my body than moving it.
Still, it was the body of a fifteen-year-old.
Even if my basic stamina had improved after the Jewel Mountains and the training retreat, I was still very weak.
After just twenty steps, I collapsed flat on my back again.
“Hah, hah…”
Sweat poured from my entire body as if I'd sprinted 20 kilometers, and my legs, especially my thighs, burned as if they were scalded.
“Damn it…”
I forced my head to turn and look down the cliff path.
Still, there was nothing but fog.
The ground was nowhere in sight, and if I had to go through this crap every twenty steps…
Even 1,000 days wouldn't be enough, let alone 100.
‘100 days…’
To be precise, I had 87 days left.
Could I really set foot on the ground within that time?
Impossible.
The moment that word appeared in my mind.
*Beep—.*
[Call RAN-4700 Type-A?]
[Y / N]
I lifted my head.
And in a slightly dazed state, I looked at the screen FAD had displayed.
“…Hey.”
[Yes.]
“You said I could call my fourth martial brother through you, right?”
[That is correct.]
“Then… is my fourth martial brother watching me right now?”
[…]
For the first time, FAD fell silent.
[That is correct.]
It replied.
“…”
I snapped to my senses as if doused with cold water.
Before my mind could wander into useless thoughts, I slapped both my cheeks.
*Smack!*
“…Hoooo.”
I couldn't let my fourth martial brother, of all people, see me in such a pathetic state.
To me, my martial brothers were like real brothers, but at the same time, they were rivals.
Of course, all four of them were towering trees I couldn't hope to climb right now, but one day, I wanted to surpass them all.
This was a thought I'd held long before my eldest martial brother went astray.
Though I'd never told anyone.
[Call RAN-4700 Type-A?]
[Y / N]
Suddenly, another thought occurred to me.
Could it be that this message wasn't from the box, but from my martial brother's judgment?
That he predicted I would give up around this point.
Using that simulation thing he always runs.
When I thought about it that way.
“…That pisses me off.”
I have a twisted personality.
Strangely, I get more motivated when I'm looked down on than when people have high expectations for me.
So this rebellious spirit is a key part of who I am.
*Flop!*
I flopped down on the cliff path.
Even with my heavy body, spreading out my limbs made it somewhat bearable.
‘First, I need to cool my head…’
Let's list the disadvantages first.
A limited time of 50 days.
A destination with no end in sight.
Internal energy that won't recover.
And the positive points…
No need to eat anything.
No need to sleep.
Rapid physical recovery.
“…Huh?”
At that moment, I felt like I had a small realization.
I wanted to shoot up to my feet… but I couldn't, instead pushing myself up like a slug.
And I sat cross-legged.
It wasn't as bad as standing, but even sitting felt like an ordeal.
‘My spine feels stiff…’
I did my best to ignore the stabbing pain and began circulating the Flame Arts of the Greatest.
*Fwoosh…*
As I've said before, the most outstanding secondary effect of the Flame Arts of the Greatest is physical regeneration.
If that effect combines with the effects of the Spirit Mountain—
“…Ah.”
It was just as I expected.
The muscles that had been torn to their limit were rapidly healing.
“I'm not some kind of troll…”
My recovery rate was so fast it was grotesque even to me.
At this rate, couldn't I regenerate a few fingers in an instant if they were cut off? Of course, I had no intention of testing that theory.
Anyway, I got to my feet.
And with my recovered body, I once again took heavy steps forward.
With each step, fatigue piled up, and my whole body felt like it was being torn to shreds.
‘Not yet…’
I ignored my body's screams and kept walking.
And at the point where I truly felt I couldn't walk anymore, I collapsed to the ground… and circulated my energy again.
I repeated that process for a full day.
And the next day…
*Step.*
I somehow managed to walk normally again.
I still looked like I had a sprained back or leg, but it was a massive improvement over yesterday's clownish gait.
“…Leg strength.”
I pounded my tense thighs with my fists.
It was damn hard, but at least I could see the way forward.
* * *
It might sound surprising.
Even on the Spirit Mountain, where there's no boundary between night and day, there's a way to sense the passage of time.
*Caaaaaw—.*
Just once a day.
A strange cry echoes from beyond the fog.
A crow? An eagle?
I wasn't sure, but I imagined it was some kind of monstrous bird I'd never seen before.
In any case, I was grateful to it.
I could feel the flow of time thanks to that FAD thing, but that cry made it feel like a new day was starting.
The Spirit Mountain's personal rooster, you could say.
“Heave-ho…”
I got up.
Today marked 30 days, exactly one month.
What had changed during this time?
For one, my body had become quite trained.
To what extent? Enough to sprint for a full 10 minutes.
Of course, afterward, I'd have to collapse on the spot and hurriedly begin circulating my energy…
Repeating this process, I realized something.
Running was one thing, but circulating energy was even more important.
Was it because of the limited 100-day period?
Lately, I've been pondering ways to circulate my energy faster.
[Current Progress: 17.6%.]
The fact that I hadn't even reached 20 percent fueled that desire.
My pace was getting faster, but it was still tight.
‘And I don't even know what unexpected events await me further down…’
Just like how my body weight suddenly increased.
“…Circulating energy.”
Originally, the purpose of all energy circulation is fundamentally to enhance internal energy.
Naturally, the core incantations are specialized for that purpose.
Therefore, the outstanding recovery and regenerative abilities of the Flame Arts of the Greatest could be seen as secondary effects.
It felt somewhat misaligned with my current goal.
Since I wanted to maximize recovery rather than enhance my internal energy.
“…”
I was hesitating one last time before putting my plan into action.
In fact, I'd been agonizing over this all day recently.
Running, circulating energy, even during brief rests, I couldn't get this thought out of my head.
But…
There really was no other way.
“…I have no choice but to tweak the incantations a bit.”
I said it lightly, but it was a life-or-death matter.
I knew how dangerous it was to modify the incantations of a cultivation art.
Internal energy circulates inside the human body, and in that process, it naturally passes through vital points time and again.
If the modified incantations failed to account for those points, or if something unexpected happened…
…Besides, it's not like this martial art was flawed in any way.
The martial art I conveniently called the Flame Arts of the Greatest was originally named the Arts of the Greatest of All Time - Fire Attribute.
Unlike the White Sun Eclipse, it was a divine art created entirely by my Master, from start to finish.
I knew full well how arrogant and insane it was for someone like me to modify it.
I know, but I'll do it anyway!
Still, at my current level, shouldn't a slight modification be possible?!
“Uweck!”
Not a chance.
When I circulated my energy according to the arbitrarily modified incantations, the energy channels throughout my body twisted, and I ended up vomiting bright red blood from the backlash.
Normally, it would have been an internal injury requiring dozens of days of bed rest…
But the damaged energy channels regenerated quickly after a short while.
The damage to my internal organs was the same.
This was just my guess, but it seemed that here, as long as you didn't die, any wound would heal.
In other words, it was a crazy stunt I could only pull off right at this moment.
“…Is there any other martial art modification in the world as crude as this?”
This was like some crazed alchemist conducting human experiments on his own body.
Still, as crude as it was, it was also intuitive. I could immediately recognize errors or missing elements in the incantations and correct them.
At the same time, my thoughts continued without stopping.
Why was the Flame Arts of the Greatest so excellent at physical recovery?
It's because the internal energy generated by these incantations has the properties of a flame.
Flames are often seen as symbols of warmth that thaws the body, of life, and of rebirth…
But they are also called calamitous flames, feared for their indiscriminate incineration.
So in my view, it's the most contradictory element among the Five Elements.
The Flame Arts of the Greatest created by my Master is, without a doubt, a hegemonic martial art.
Therefore, its greatest effect is maximizing the power of the techniques used…
This is why the White Sun Eclipse, inseparable from the Flame Arts of the Greatest, is such a destructive martial art.
But…
Does it have to be that way?
If the starting point of the Flame Arts of the Greatest is flame, couldn't I focus on its gentler aspects?
It wouldn't be a huge deviation from its essence.
‘…Wait a minute.’
At that moment, what suddenly crossed my mind was one of my biggest headaches: the latter half of the White Sun Eclipse techniques.
The Martial God had advised me to make the latter half stronger than the first half…
But is that really necessary?
In any fight, the transition between offense and defense should be the most fluid.
So, if I were to make the latter half focused not on attack, but on defense or evasion…
And if that transition became faster and more fluid than anything else…
Wouldn't that be the true, complete form of the White Sun Eclipse?
“Haha…”
I burst into a hearty laugh.
They say inspiration strikes at the most unexpected moments, and this was a perfect example.