A Distorted Fate (1)
For the moment, I'd bought myself some breathing room. From outside, I could faintly hear the knights tearing the mansion apart in their search for me—their shouts and the stomp of boots echoing distantly.
But inside Iris's personal quarters, it was eerily quiet, almost unnaturally so. Probably soundproofed with magic to accommodate a VIP guest like the Sword Fairy. Perfect conditions for meditation.
Feeling the chill from the silk box clutched to my chest, I quickly ran the calculations in my head.
Now I just need to swallow this spirit herb and fully claim the dantian as my own.
But there was one problem.
...Three days is way too long.
Even with the Sword Fairy standing guard, lying defenseless with my eyes closed for three whole days while the knights outside were foaming at the mouth to take my head? No way that sat right.
So there was only one option. Ask Iris for True Qi Guidance again.
If a 10-star Swordmaster used her overwhelming mana to forcibly control and guide the energy in my body, I could cut that three-day meditation down to a single day—or even half.
I steeled my resolve and looked up.
"Sword Fairy, since I'm already in your debt, could I ask for one more—"
"Come to think of it."
Before I could finish, Iris spoke softly from the darkness, her gray eyes glinting strangely.
"Earlier, things were too hectic, so I let it slide. But you said you were my husband, right?"
Thud. Thud.
Her signature heavy, deliberate footsteps.
"Pardon? Oh, that was just a figure of speech. You know, we're in the same boat with the knights swarming outside..."
"A husband and wife as one."
Thud.
With every step she took closer, I swallowed dryly without realizing it.
What's going on? Why the sudden shift?
My panicked feet shuffled back unconsciously until they hit the cold wall. No more room to retreat.
That's when she leaned in, her face right up to mine.
Swoosh—
My vision went dark.
Even with those legendary 'midriff second to none in the world' filling my sight—something the forums raved about endlessly—I wasn't getting excited. Wonder why.
A cool, faint body scent mixed with her hot breath, scorching like it could blister skin, tickled my cheek.
"I never told you my type. Guess what it is?"
She leaned in a bit more, her lips brushing my ear in a whisper.
"...What?"
Diet side effects? My voice came out thinner and shakier than usual from the tension.
She caught that tiny tremor, her lips curving into a sly arc.
"Exactly your type. A guy who's all slim and delicate."
"..."
Sudden casual speech?
Her cold fingers traced my jawline. Following the unfamiliar contours sculpted by a month of hellish training, her fingertips slid playfully.
"Looking all girly and such."
"...Pardon?"
"Makes me wanna bully you senseless."
Her eyes gleamed with a strange heat.
Chills shot up my spine; I nearly drew my sword from my belt—
"Just kidding."
"..."
"So, what's the plan? Start meditating now?"
...Didn't feel like a joke.
But arguing wouldn't get me anywhere.
"Hoo..."
I exhaled, steadying myself, and got to the point.
"Enough teasing. I'm starting the meditation right now. But time's too tight. I need your help with True Qi Guidance, Sword Fairy."
"True Qi Guidance?"
She tilted her head.
"That's a hassle and takes forever. Your dantian's just barely formed—guiding your mana step by step would tie me up for half a day straight."
"Half a day is fine. Way better than three."
"Hm. There's a much more efficient way. Interested?"
"Pass."
No need to think. I shut it down flat.
Efficient method? Locked in a sealed room with a Swordmaster as a noob? Faster than True Qi Guidance? Only one possibility.
No need to say it out loud. It's gotta be Yin-Yang Harmony.
Sure, it's insanely efficient. With a Swordmaster's superior mana quality, something like the Millennium Frost Ginseng would digest in five minutes flat.
"How do you know what I was gonna say? Rejecting me preemptively?"
"Just do the True Qi Guidance."
But there's a fatal risk. The insane condition of skin-to-skin contact aside.
In the Ariel world, if an overwhelmingly stronger being merges energy with a weaker one, the strong can imprint a 'brand' on the weak's mind at will.
In other words, turn me into a mindless puppet or marionette anytime.
She's already suspicious because I know too much. Proposing that now?
Iris stared piercingly instead of answering, her silence heavier than before, crushing me.
Debating? Or had she seen through me and decided to rip away my veiled identity by force?
No guarantee relics even exist up north. Maybe she'll puppet me and squeeze every detail out.
I glanced slyly at the window; Iris let out a snicker.
"You're on high alert, Young Master."
"...Funny?"
"No need to be so scared. I won't eat you. Though it stings to be suspected."
She casually tossed something from her pocket.
I caught it reflexively—a small glass vial the size of my thumb, filled with purple liquid.
"What's this?"
"Neutralizes the Millennium Frost Ginseng's energy instantly, no hassle. Called the Ultra-Fast Absorber."
"Ultra-Fast... what?"
"Emergency elixir I packed before heading north. Drink it and meditate. Five minutes tops."
I stared at the vial, dumbfounded.
No such item in my knowledge. Probably a custom job she kept personally, or a hidden route reward I didn't know.
"Why give it to me just like that?"
"Told you. We're accomplices."
She lounged back on the bed, stretching lazily.
"If you get caught, it gets messy for me too. Now drink up—before the knights start pounding on the door."
"..."
I eyed her suspiciously but uncorked it anyway. If she wanted me dead, she'd have done it earlier.
Gulp, gulp!
I downed the purple liquid in one go and sat cross-legged.
...Now for the real race against time.
......
No idea how much time passed.
Shwooo—
A pleasant euphoria washed over my body. Blocked meridians burst open; my flesh and bones felt weightless, like I'd been a sluggish mollusk until now.
Body feeling feather-light only happens at the 3-star breakthrough.
Did Ariel swordmasters grow this fast normally?
"Hoo, hoo...!"
"This... is impressive."
Bones reassembling joint by joint, muscles restructuring.
Shwaaa— Thump!
"...Hngh?!"
I snapped my eyes open, clutching my chest.
Regaining my senses, a foul stench assaulted my nose. Looking down, my skin was caked in sticky black filth.
Impurities and waste purged through my pores.
"...This is my room."
Iris's icy voice cut from the dark. Turning, she glared with her sleeve over her nose, brows furrowed.
"Clean up before you go."
"..."
I brushed off her jab. Or rather, it didn't even register.
What is this sensation?
My body felt insanely light. Energy coiled in my dantian flowed through veins, perfectly controlling every muscle and nerve.
I scanned around and, entranced, grabbed a spare wooden sword propped against the wall.
"...!"
World of difference. Not the dull, sticky feel from swinging it at dawn training hours ago.
It molded to my grip like an extension of my arm. A flick of the wrist, and mana inside me reacted keenly, gathering smoothly at the tip...
Holy shit! What the hell?!
"S-Sword Energy?"
"Ho..."
Golden energy rippled at the wooden sword's tip.
Iris watched, chin in hand, intrigued. So...
I really jumped straight from 1-star to 3-star?
In Ariel, 1-star to 3-star is heaven and earth. Even talented knights grind years to maybe reach it.
And I blasted through with one elixir and five minutes meditation?
No way. There must be some Easter egg I didn't know about.
Young Master Sian, the early extra villain, had this kind of talent? I needed to test this surging power now.
Gripping the wooden sword, I whipped around to Iris.
She stared back, still pinching her nose against the stench, annoyed.
...I looked away and fixed on the massive window filling one wall.
"..."
"...Plotting something, that look. What're you planning?"
Moonlight filtered faintly through layers of thick security magic formations—befitting a VIP room protecting key ducal figures.
If my memory held, that barrier's durability was tuned to shatter only under a full-power 3-star Sword Energy strike.
Breaking it proves this power is legit 3-star.
The golden energy at the wooden sword's tip flared brighter, responding to my will.
Energy boiled from my dantian, flooding uncontrollably into my right arm via veins.
"...Young Master?"
Iris's voice trembled faintly, sensing the ominous flow.
"Don't tell me you're about to— Wait!"
She reached out urgently, but my feet had already kicked off, launching me into the air.
Body light as a feather. But the wooden sword felt mountain-heavy.
I swung at the window without hesitation.
Kwaaaang—!!!
A deafening roar shook the entire room. Crash-crash-crash— Thud...
Shards of massive glass rained out with whistling winds. Blue fragments from the shattered barrier lit the night sky; room objects tumbled in the shockwave.
⋯Hidden condition achieved.
As the ear-splitting boom faded and thick dust settled, my first thought was this:
I didn't even go all out.
The knights' footsteps and shouts outside cut off abruptly, heavy silence descending.
Cool night wind poured through the wrecked window.
Bathed in it, I stared blankly at the wooden sword in my hand—or rather, just the hilt, the blade shattered beyond endurance.
A feral grin tugged at my lips unbidden.
Turning to Iris—who stood arms crossed, back to the shattered window—I flashed a toothy smile.
"Iris."
"...Speak."
"Let's go to Father right now."
⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯ ⋯
Goddess of Fate detects an anomaly.
Goddess of Destiny detects an anomaly.