Chapter 324: I Just Can't Kill Them
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 324: I Just Can't Kill Them
I turn away from the Regressor and focus my mind.
Geon (乾), Gon (坤), Gam (坎), Li (離). The four directions in which a human can extend their Qi.
Geon is Heaven. In other words, all of creation. It allows me to influence the world around me. I extend my Qi with the Geon Qi Art to grip the handle. Hand and handle become one.
Gon is Earth. It centers the world and plants me firmly within it. The essence of the Gon Qi Art is to truly understand how small I am compared to the vast world and to plant my feet firmly on the ground. With my Qi Sense, I feel the flow of the ground beneath me.
Gam is the Body. From here, the world and everything else becomes irrelevant. The body is a small microcosm, isolated by a thin layer of skin. By infusing Qi into muscle, bone, and flesh, one transcends the limits of the human body…
“Ugh. My Qi is already…”
…However, this is where I’m a bit weak. The Gam Qi Art affects the entire body, so it consumes several times more Qi. A weapon can break and be replaced, but the body is another story.
After steadying my posture as much as possible, I gathered a minimal amount of Qi in the muscles connecting my waist and arms to hold on. Even this mouse-tail’s worth of Qi helps. If I can just hold on like this…
“Woof! Arf! Woof!”
Was it because she sensed I was in danger? Azzy stuck her head out toward me and barked furiously. She even twitched, looking like she was about to leap out at any moment.
Yes, man’s most precious friend. She’s only barking, but I’m grateful. Dogs really are a comfort.
“Azzy. You’re the only one for me. But don’t worry. I’ll definitely…”
“Awoooo! I can’t take it anymore!”
With that, Azzy leaped off the sled.
Her form blurred past me. Leaping over me and landing far ahead, Azzy scrambled back, the sound of her paws urgent as she chased after me.
Huh? Wait a minute. Was that thumping excitement I felt from her… the thrill of a game?
“Woof woof! Tail chase!”
“It was your hunting instinct?! Aaaahhh!”
“Arf! Woof, got it! I’ll let go!”
“If you’re going to let go, don’t grab it in the first place! It’s shaking!”
Every time Azzy appeared at the edge of my vision, the sled shook like crazy. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to intend to tackle me and knock me over, but her constant nudges were throwing off my balance.
This is bad. If it were a human messing with the sled, I could read their intentions and prepare, but since it’s Azzy, I have to rely purely on my own skill! And I have no confidence in that!
“This is seriously dangerous! Hilde! Emergency! Emergeeencyyy! Help me!”
As I screamed for help, Hilde asked with a perfectly nonchalant smile.
“Shall I offer some assistance?”
“Yes! Quickly!”
Hilde shot to her feet. With a serious expression, she placed her hands on her hips, then stretched her arms and legs alternately as she shouted.
“Fighting, fighting! You can do it, Father! You have ‘me,’ after all!”
“Stop just cheering! Give me some actual help!”
“If I were to give some advice, bend your knees a little more! Your lower body looks a bit weak, Father!”
“How is advice actual help?!”
And I can’t help having a weak lower body! The King of Humans isn’t exactly known for his leg strength!
Dammit. To think she’s just standing there enjoying the sight of my suffering. I’ve been through a lot, but I’m still the King of Humans, for crying out loud.
I shouted, filled with malice.
“Just you all wait! When I get stronger, the first thing I’ll do is land a hit on every single one of you!”
“Yeah, please do.”
Especially you! Regressor, you’d better be ready!
*
“Woof. All used up.”
Just as I was about to collapse from exhaustion, Azzy saved me.
Or should I say, ‘saved’ me. When it looked like I couldn’t hold on any longer, she just grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and leaped up in one go.
My arms are stiff. My back aches. My hands are trembling, and my calves are swollen. I have no strength left in my body, and my energy won’t move as I command.
“That was fun! Woof! Let’s play again later!”
“Spoken like a true dog…”
We’re both Beast Kings, yet one of us uses up all his Qi just to hang on to a sled, while the other can run at a similar speed and still have energy to spare. This is definitely unfair.
As I lay sprawled on the floor of the Cataphract, running on fumes and spite, the Regressor spoke to me.
“You’re out of Qi already? Unbelievable! For someone who’s even learned the Gon Qi Art, you’re pathetic!”
“…It’s not like I wanted to be born this way. If I could have chosen my body before I was born, I would have picked yours, Shei-ssi.”
“You think I got my strength for free?”
I don’t know about your strength, but you definitely got your regression for free. And if you got your Qi, mana, and artifacts because of that regression, then yeah, you got them for free.
The Regressor scratched her chin and looked down at me.
“Anyway, your balance seems better than I thought. There’s no problem with how you release or manage your Qi. It’s just…”
“Just what.”
“…you have a disastrously small amount of Qi. It’s only slightly more than an ordinary person who’s never trained at all.”
Thanks. For stamping your seal of approval on something I already knew.
“But it’s fine! In fact, it makes things simpler. If you don’t have enough Qi, you just need to increase it!”
“Easier said than done. How do I do that?”
“There’s a simple way. It’s expensive, though.”
The Regressor drew a circle in the air with her finger. A round hole appeared in the air, tracing the path of her fingertip. She reached into it and began rummaging around for something.
Seeing this, Hilde covered her mouth.
“Whoa. Shei. Is that…?”
“It’s my pocket.”
“That’s Rene’s Pocket, isn’t it? You had one of those?”
“Just one.”
“There are only four of those in the entire world! And you say ‘just one’? Are you some kind of prince?”
“I wish.”
‘This is… hmm, Alchemic Gold. This is for emergencies. Not this either. Ah. Found it.’
Brushing off the difficult question, the Regressor swished her hand around a few more times before pulling something out. It was a small wooden box secured with a black lock. She opened it with ease and held it out in front of me.
“Here. This. It’s an elixir.”
A white orb wrapped in medicinal paper was revealed. A rich fragrance, slightly fishy yet fresh, filled the air. I lifted my head just enough to look at it.
“An elixir?”
“Yes. How much of it you can absorb depends on your skill, but…”
An elixir, huh. I’m not so sure about this.
But there’s no reason to refuse a gift. This is my first time having a real elixir. Who knows? Maybe this will help me regain my strength.
Besides, this elixir is…
“Wow, the Ivory Pill! Isn’t that the rare elixir that can only be made from the essence of an elephant?”
Hilde, who had been sniffing the air, recognized the elixir and exclaimed in admiration. Part of it was genuine awe, but she was also giving the reaction the other person wanted in order to draw out a conversation.
It was a common social tactic, but her opponent was the Regressor, the furthest thing from common. The Regressor answered nonchalantly.
“That’s right.”
“How did you get it? I heard elephants treat the bodies of their own kind with special care, so it’s hard to even find a fresh carcass!”
“I picked it up somewhere.”
“Wow. What a half-hearted answer, practically radiating ‘I don’t want to tell you’! She picked up a Divine, she picked up an elixir. What in the world do you all see in a person like this to stick with her?”
Tyr responded to Hilde’s grumbling.
“I would answer with affection, and if that’s not enough, I would add that it’s a begrudging affection. Our time together has been short, but it has been memorable.”
‘B-Begrudging affection…?’
You’re shocked by the weirdest things. Of course it’s begrudging affection. Did you expect it to be pure, sweet affection?
“By the way, Shei. I’ve heard that one should consume an elixir in the most comfortable and stable state possible.”
“That’s right.”
“However, no matter how I think about it, the top of this violently shaking carriage does not seem like a ‘stable state.’ Shouldn’t we move Hu to a place that doesn’t shake before he takes the elixir?”
“We should.”
“For example, a comfortable and tranquil place like my coffin would be more than sufficient…”
‘My coffin is like my own body. I can eliminate even the most minute vibrations. Hehe, I’ve been wanting to put Hu in my coffin for a while. What a perfect opportunity.’
“Ah, that won’t work. To digest the Qi, it’s best to do it on solid ground.”
“…Why is that?”
“The Qi doesn’t settle well if you’re in motion. It especially causes some problems when using that Qi for the Gon Qi Art. It’s better to stop and absorb it slowly.”
“Even in my coffin?”
“A coffin is still moving, isn’t it?”
Slightly disappointed, Tyr replied curtly.
“Then, since we are not stopping, I suppose Hu won’t be taking the elixir.”
“No. The sun is setting. We’re in the Fallen Dominion’s sphere of influence now, so let’s take a short break before we continue. Besides, the golem has reached the limit of its communication range, right?”
The golem didn’t answer, merely gripping the steering wheel. Seeing as there wasn’t even any static, it seemed the limit had been reached a while ago.
“Didn’t you say you were in a hurry? Is there a reason to rest?”
“Yeah. It’s best to travel through the Fallen Dominion during the day if you can. You’ll probably understand once you see it, but…”
That’s true.
The Fallen Dominion is a land where everything changes. Even the terrain is no exception. A today that is no different from yesterday does not promise an unchanging tomorrow. It is a land of distrust, where nothing can be believed because everything is in flux.
“Look. It seems someone has made a camp over there. Let’s go check it out.”
The Regressor muttered, looking at a flickering campfire in the distance and the faint silhouettes of people around it.