Chapter 606: Purifying Chaos (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 606: Purifying Chaos (10)
*
‘Just how many times have I passed out now?’
The moment he opened his eyes, Jin saw his brothers looking down at him with the same worried expressions as always.
“You’re awake, Brother Jin.”
“I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve heard those words. I’m getting sick of losing consciousness. How long was it this time?”
“Two days.”
“Sigh.”
A sense of defeat—or perhaps it was rage—burned like a furnace in Jin’s chest.
Gulp, gulp!
He downed the cold water Nata handed him, but the heat showed no sign of fading. The more he thought about it, the more his blood boiled. The sheer, spiteful arrogance of the Chaos entity was enough to drive him mad.
“What exactly happened in there? You weren't even inside for two minutes before you were sent back out in that state. For you of all people, Brother Jin, to be…”
“Just tell us what happened.”
“I entered, and it was his subspace. He had grown even larger and was waiting right in front of the entrance. He took me down in a single blow. He even read my every thought—just as I had done to others on the outside.”
There wasn’t much to explain. The battle had been decided in an instant.
“He said that Spirit Energy wasn’t much of a threat in there. That damn bastard… he could speak. He even mocked me, asking how his ‘mighty forepaw strike’ tasted… I’ve never been rendered so utterly helpless before.”
“Is it truly the first time?”
Ban spoke as she sat on the edge of the bed where Jin lay.
Unlike the grim-faced Jin and the other brothers, Ban wore a faint smile, as if she found the situation amusing.
“When you first sought us out, Brother Jin, most of the brothers thought of you as a reckless genius. They assumed you hadn't experienced much defeat and guessed your mental fortitude would be weak.”
“Fighting God Ban.”
“However, you are actually someone quite accustomed to defeat. When you first arrived in Laprarosa, you spent your entire stay getting beaten by the other brothers without being able to lift a finger.”
“That is true.”
“So, do not place any special meaning on this defeat.”
Jin felt his mind snap into focus.
As Ban said, he had already experienced countless defeats. He had endured despair and absurdities far greater than having his strength stolen by Chaos. Compared to the period before his regression, when he was trapped under a curse, the current situation was manageable.
“Brother Jin.”
“Yes, Fighting God Ban.”
“I will ask one thing. Do you still wish to face him with your own strength, without the help of myself or the other brothers?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Then, from this moment on, you begin your training.”
Ban reached a conclusion with simple clarity.
“You have been given three years, Brother Jin. Within that time, the other brothers and I will personally train you so that you can defeat him. And you will have a rematch with him every time you reach a certain level of mastery.”
Unlike Jin, the Pluto Tribe had not experienced the Chaos within the subspace. They could only infer the entity’s power based on Jin’s explanation, and even Jin couldn't gauge it accurately because the gap was too vast.
The only certainty was that, for now, the entity possessed the power to crush Jin instantly.
This wasn't a problem that could be solved by a day or two of training. It meant Jin would have to enter that subspace prepared for death every single time.
“Whether it was luck or some other reason, Brother Jin returned alive this time. Even if you lose the next fight, you simply need to survive and escape again.”
It was obviously a dangerous task, but the Pluto Tribe members recalled what Ban had said before.
“Mmm, I’m worried about Brother Jin, but… as the Fighting God said, you might die during training anyway…”
“And if Brother Jin insists on fighting alone, there really isn’t any other way.”
Jin and the Pluto Tribe members quickly found themselves agreeing with Ban’s opinion.
“Furthermore, the other brothers will undergo this training alongside you.”
“Brother Ban, when do you intend for my next rematch to be?”
“In one month.”
It was an absurdly short amount of time to close the gap. At that, even the other Pluto Tribe members looked uncertain if such a fast pace was wise, but Ban was firm.
“Fight him again in a month and bring back more information. Scouting, analyzing, combat, and escaping—only Brother Jin can do these things. This will be a long and dangerous war. Everyone, move to the Second Training Ground.”
*
That month became the most hellish period of Jin’s life.
And it was truly only the beginning.
‘To think the day would come when I’d wish for tomorrow not to arrive because training was so painful…’
Blegh.
As he retched up gastric juices, goosebumps broke out across his entire body. The Pluto Tribe’s training was inherently more brutal than anything a human could endure, but the Fighting God’s standards were on an entirely different level.
The other Pluto Tribe members were also in a daze, hovering near death. However, they could regain their vitality after just a few hours of rest, while Jin had been training in a state of near-delirium the entire time.
Ban mercilessly informed the exhausted Jin that the date for the scheduled rematch was imminent.
“Brother Jin will rest for one day and enter the gate tomorrow. Therefore, today’s training is concluded.”
Jin was so out of it that he almost misheard the instructions as ‘go rest inside the gate.’
He trudged out of the Second Training Ground and headed toward the Central Training Ground. Ban, of course, had assumed Jin was going to his room. He was about to step through the gate when he was stopped by Tantel and Shaku, who were standing guard. If not for those two, he would have walked straight back into the clutches of Chaos.
“Brother Jin, you’re going inside the gate to rest? There’s no way the Fighting God said that!”
“Training… part of the training…”
“Wait here, I’ll go check. Ah, he collapsed.”
“Gods, let’s get him to his room.”
When he opened his eyes again, he saw a familiar ceiling.
‘The Fighting God told me to go rest inside the gate…! No, that’s strange. Did I mishear him?’
Ban seemed to find the sight of Jin scrambling in confusion amusing, letting out a small chuckle. The moment her eyes met Jin’s, however, she wiped the expression from her face and spoke.
“Let’s go. Round two.”
As always, all the brothers were waiting in front of the gate. Having undergone hellish training until just moments ago, the Pluto Tribe members exuded an aura as sharp as a honed blade.
Jin had only slept for a single day. Naturally, his fatigue hadn't vanished, and his entire body felt as heavy as if it were submerged in water.
And he had to face the second round in this very state.
‘At this point, I’m starting to think the Fighting God is actually trying to kill me.’
If not for his blind faith in his brothers—and especially in Fighting God Ban—Jin would have screamed that this was insanity.
“I’m going.”
“May fortune be with you.”
“Come back alive, Brother Jin!”
Stepping through the gate, everything was the same as before. The sudden darkness unfolded, and the entity’s voice rang out.
[Oh, you’re back?]
Thump!
The moment he faced Chaos, all his accumulated fatigue seemed to transform into pure rage. It was time to test the results of his hellish training…
Exactly three minutes later, Jin stumbled back out of the gate.
[Honestly, you little brat. How long is it going to take before you can give me a real fight? Yawn, I’m bored, so bored!]
Chaos’s mockery followed Jin right until the rift he had cut with his Spirit Sword sealed shut.
“Brother Jin is back alive!”
“5th Fighting King, get the healing ready!”
The Pluto Tribe members swarmed him, but Ban simply spoke in a calm voice.
“Three minutes. Much better than last time.”
“Fighting God Ban, his injuries are even more severe than before! It looks like he only barely escaped by luck again. Maybe we should postpone the third round…!”
“No. The third round will proceed in one month as scheduled. 5th Fighting King, do whatever it takes to ensure Brother Jin can resume training by tonight.”
To Jin, it felt as if there were two devils: the Chaos beyond the gate, and Fighting God Ban right here.
However, alongside his anger, Jin felt a strange sensation.
‘For some reason, it feels like Brother Ban… is certain that I won't die. Is it just my imagination?’
He didn't have time for deep thought. Boras healed Jin just enough so that he could ‘at least move’ by nightfall, and the hellish training resumed immediately for another month.
“I’m going…”
[The moron is back again. You got lucky and ran away last time, didn't you? Today, you die!]
He returned without dying.
“Two minutes and thirty-four seconds. It’s actually shorter than last time!”
“But his injuries are less severe. It seems the evasion training the Fighting God put him through is starting to pay off. Brother Jin, the combat time decreased because you escaped at the right moment, didn't it?”
A similar pattern continued in the fourth round, which took place after another month.
Each time, Jin was defeated with frustrating ease, and Chaos seemed to miss him by a hair’s breadth.
“Three minutes and fifty-seven seconds!”
[Kyah-kyah! Keep trying for a hundred years!]
“Four minutes and twelve seconds!”
[No, no. You can't even cut a single one of my scales like that.]
“Twelve minutes and thirty-six seconds! And this time, Brother Jin returned with only a single broken arm!”
“‘Only’? You want to try getting your arm broken, brother?”
[You’re getting pretty good at dodging my mighty forepaw strike, aren't you? But what are you going to do? I haven't even shown you my super-mighty tail swipe yet.]
“Eighteen minutes and twenty-seven seconds…!”
[Tsk, you’re getting good at running away…! Next time, I’ll definitely send you to the afterlife!]
By the time he recorded eighteen minutes and twenty-seven seconds, a full year had passed.
By then, Jin was facing Chaos with a certain degree of composure. Though still very small, a sliver of hope had begun to appear.
“You talk big for someone who misses me every time. Watching you for the past year, I’ve realized you’re all bark and no bite. See you in a month. Keep your neck ready. And take good care of my energies.”
[I don't want to! No way! Nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah!]
For the first time in a year, Jin found himself letting out a small, involuntary chuckle.
“Oh! Brother Jin has finally returned without any major injuries! Did you land any clean hits?”
“Not yet. I managed to scratch him a few times, but I couldn't land a significant blow.”
“That’s plenty, Brother Jin. Well done!”
That day, the Pluto Tribe was practically in a festive mood seeing Jin return unscathed. Some brothers even wiped away tears, recalling the hellish training process Jin had endured.
For the first time, Ban ruffled Jin’s hair and praised him.
“Well done, Brother Jin. In the next fight, you will truly be able to threaten him.”
“I believe so too, Fighting God Ban. I’ve reclaimed more of my power, and one of the Spirit Sword supreme techniques I’ve been mastering is on the verge of a breakthrough…”
As he answered, Jin’s gaze was fixed on the void beyond the gate.
Suddenly, he felt a flicker of curiosity about what Chaos did in that place when he wasn't around.