Chapter 109
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Things That Do Not Exist But Could
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"No weapon fits me perfectly, so what am I supposed to do?"
I figured the high-and-mighty one would throw a fit, declaring me hopeless and raging about.
I'd even braced myself for the possibility of being kicked out of this mental space. I couldn't let some isolated illusion get the upper hand and toy with me like this.
"Your accumulated energy is overflowing to an excessive degree, yet you've yet to encounter a tool to properly harness it... Truly the worst misfortune for any martial artist."
"?"
But instead of anger, she spoke as if genuinely pitying my misfortune.
With a crackle, the space distorted, and she extended a slender hand from her seat.
"Show it to me in detail. I'll make the judgment."
As the energy pushed against my skin, seeking entry, I sighed and let it in. If it tried to climb into my head, it'd be best to blast my skull with mana and escape this mental realm via suicide.
Noticing the blocked paths here and there, she smiled more deeply, as if reading my thoughts.
"A bear of a man acting like a fox with a dozen tails. No need to be so scared."
"..."
Something a bit more ferocious than mana whipped through my body below the neck, racing through its circuits at high speed.
"Let's see... No signs of marrow refinement, so not a full body transformation. No traces of rejuvenation either. This astonishing frame of yours is barely past thirty? Hahaha! How intriguing."
As the energy probing my body withdrew with a slurp, I released the mana flow that had been shielding my head.
Having roughly pegged my age as under thirty, she lowered her extended hand and leaned back in her chair.
"Satisfied now? I've eaten plenty of good stuff."
By "astonishing frame," she probably meant all the hidden pieces I'd stacked up by devouring them. Before she could suspect more, I preemptively confessed one, but she clicked her tongue and denied my words.
"Tsk—what nonsense. Suddenly acting humble in a way that doesn't suit you? Gluttonous ghouls who gorge on elixirs without mastering the five fundamentals litter the world."
Was this esteemed figure seeing something in this blob of blood that I didn't know about?
I kept my mouth shut instead of blurting out a pointless question, and she lowered her crescent-moon smile, speaking in an utterly serious tone.
"Even I, who dares claim near-omniscience in such cases, find this troubling."
"...What?"
Who refers to themselves so boldly while admitting to being troubled...?
She had me trapped in this sterile mental space, insisting the situation baffled her.
That thing believing itself near-omniscient with utter sincerity was missing a screw. I made a mental note.
This was a foolproof tip from two lifetimes: folks that unhinged bring far more exhaustion than amusement if you stick around long.
How could I grab what I needed quick and bail from this white house on the hill? As I racked my brains, she broke the silence after her "troubling" remark.
"The reason this body left its legacy in five forms is to observe what each successor wishes to see in overcoming their trials, gaining power, and wielding it in their own way."
"So what."
I wasn't interested—spit out the sword and get lost.
As I leaned in aggressively like I was demanding it, her closed eyes furrowed her brows for the first time.
"I said you could speak freely, but... you're prickly to the end, kid. Once the necessary steps are done, I'll return the weapon, so calm down and listen."
"...Eyes hurt in here. Don't wanna stay long. Wrap it up quick."
White everywhere I looked. The eye strain was no joke, like staring at a flashbang in the dead of night.
"Hmm...? Isn't it beautiful just to behold? Pure white embodies beauty, overwhelmingly positive among colors, far beyond the negative."
Yep, definitely unhinged—man, woman, whatever. Every word piled fatigue onto my mind in thick layers.
"Fine, whatever. Get to the point..."
"Ah, right. Nearly veered off track. The children who inherited this body's legacy... not one was lacking. Bloodline, wealth, virtue, talent, perseverance—the history of time praises them as flawless paragons and greats."
Hearing that, I blurted out the thought popping into my head without a filter.
"Flawless? I'm the opposite. Bloodline, the first condition, is rotten from the start."
Her lips finally curved back into that initial smile.
"Indeed. Not this time. You've no knowledge or appreciation of art, so you can't grasp this beautiful space."
Said without malice... Arguing with her type just hurts my mouth.
I had zero art knowledge, so I let it slide without snapping back. Any detour would stress me more.
"..."
"Which makes it all the more wondrous. From a muddy starting point, you climb faster than those perfect heirs in clearing trials... Yet calling you a hero to right the chaos? Nothing fits but 'hero among lechers.'"
Her words carried the musty scent of dusty tomes and an old attic. She gleefully spilled lecture-like wisdom.
"Why 'redemption' for the first trial? Why this ordeal? You've never pondered the deep meaning of the 'redemption' task given to you. You only rejoiced at awakening Nachal's white flame. Thus, the task I pondered deeply—"
Unlike the game, she evaluated even that? What a vicious skill. Just taking first steps, and picturing four more of these seats killed my enthusiasm.
'What to do to switch skills...'
I tuned out her rambling with one ear while pondering alternatives if I ditched this form—directions and countermeasures.
In the game, playable Robert needed certified Bolt marquis bloodline for his bound weapon—impossible for me.
"...Are you listening to me?"
Noticing my attention drifting endlessly, she stopped mid-sentence, calling my mind back with a peeved tone.
"Uh... yeah."
Couldn't lie about not listening due to conscience, so vague reply. Her mouth let out a heavy sigh.
"Ha! Fine... To proceed with future trials, answer my questions. No lies from now on."
"What if I answer truthfully?"
"If deemed no issue, I'll grant the weapon per original procedure."
"...Ask away."
Her ever-closed eyes slowly opened.
Beneath the lids gleamed amber-gold orbs like polished topaz. The aura from those golden pupils far surpassed Rike's eyes.
I swallowed dryly without thinking.
"Are you a 'Regressor'?"
Calling me "kid" before, now "you." With eyes open, her tone softened, like a different person.
Regressor? That actually exist? Not me, anyway.
"No."
"Do you possess future sight... or clairvoyance?"
"No."
"Do you know all future trials and their solutions?"
I nearly brazenly said no, but meeting her golden gaze, I sighed softly and confessed.
"...I do."
Unfazed by my foreknowledge, she continued calmly.
"Did you learn it through a contract with someone?"
"No..."
...
...
Questions continued for a while, but none directly probed how I knew.
Closing her now-wide eyes, she tapped the chair arm thoughtfully.
"Holding off on the kid inheriting my trials for deeper thought..."
"...Don't take back Nachal, that'd be trouble."
Honestly, of the five forms, Nachal was what I needed most. Her brows dropped, signaling genuine offense.
"This body isn't so petty as to reclaim a gift...! A promise is a promise; I'll keep mine. The weapon... the one the kid chose earlier... Hm?"
Trailing off, she suddenly looked up into empty space, freezing for a good while. Uneasy, I probed.
"What? Not backing out now, are you?"
Snapping from subtle anxiety, she ignored me, muttering to herself.
"Contradiction meets contradiction. Indeed... this too is inescapable fate and providence?"
Raising her tapping hand high, she thrust one arm into empty space.
A smug smile played on her lips. Spending ages in mental space— wasn't that level of soliloquy pathological...?
"What is it? That irreverent look, like pitying the poor thing?"
"No, nothing..."
She wiggled her hand embedded through space, speaking in an offhand yet excited tone.
"Heh heh heh—feels like I'm playing matchmaker. Rejoice, kid; a fine child eager to go to you... Take a look."
"Eager to go... to me?"
Talking like a wedding broker, she withdrew her hand from the subspace.
Shhhrrrr—
"Even I find it fascinating that this shy child made such a decision for the first time."
From empty air emerged a chain shimmering with black light, swimming gently above her hand.
Her pulling something from nothing felt like my Inventory. I stared blankly at the chain.
"Once, fretful gods, terrified by prophecy, forged it to bind one wolf."
"...!"
The chain slithered toward me like a water snake swimming space. I knew this child's name.
"The sound of a cat's footstep, a woman's whiskers, a bird's spittle, a stone's roots, a fish's breath, a bear's leg sinews... Dwarves used them all up crafting this; things nonexistent in that world now. May exist in your world, but its very being symbolizes contradiction."