76 – Chapter 76 – The Grove of Wood 3 –
I am currently swatting at bugs.
More accurately, I am treated like a bug.
“Kikik. Move quickly. Before I want to kill you.”
Thud-
Thud-
Thud-
I could say that what I am doing now is like catching flies with a fly swatter.
Yggdrasil is trying to beat me with a huge hammer that appeared out of nowhere.
He’s not trying to kill me, but running away from here seems to be a kind of training.
I don’t know if it’s correct.
Since the training method for this technique hasn’t been revealed in WFS.
Besides, it wasn’t a technique that playable characters could learn in the first place.
“But since it’s difficult for me to protect the main story from the moment of my reincarnation 23 years ago, I thought it would be good if I learned it myself…”
World Fantasy Saga is an online game.
And online games primarily focus on the fun of gameplay.
They don’t prioritize the story.
Therefore, even if the player character is strong in the online game, there are often other entities that are stronger in terms of setting.
Users want the fun of playing, whether it’s hunting or raiding.
I don’t think I need to be the strongest in terms of setting.
The reason why multiple users defeat a raid boss is also for this reason.
So, I shouldn’t just follow my character’s growth route.
If I do, I will just be one of the many attacking members.
So, it was good to come this far…
If there is a problem, I don’t know if it’s correct because the related process that the player doesn’t learn is not shown.
“In the first place, when you level up in the game, all you do is allocate stats and skills. What is there to learn?”
I don’t even have a status window.
I don’t have any given background since birth.
All I have as a reincarnated being are memories of the future.
The setting only provides thorough objective facts.
That’s why I need to make effort to become stronger.
No matter how difficult it is.
However, this is still a bit strange.
“So, what does this have to do with the Guihon Sword Technique!?”
“If you know about the Guihon Sword Technique, don’t you have any idea what it is? hehehe. Because it deals with spirits and ghosts.”
What nonsense.
The Guihon Sword Technique is not a sword technique that deals with spirits and ghosts.
It’s a method of slicing off the soul connected to the physical body to see the soul.
Of course, the act of slicing off souls may seem fraudulent.
But that alone is nothing.
If you have the power to slice off souls, you will be at a disadvantage if you use other techniques.
“Of course, the reason the Guihon Sword Technique is fraudulent is because it slices off souls.”
However, even if it’s fraudulent, it’s meaningless if you can’t learn it.
That’s why I kept pestering Iglassyl.
What does this have to do with anything?
“What do you mean? The best way to interfer
I had almost died thousands of times before.
And I was even in a body that had died once.
I didn’t know about anything else, but when I was kidnapped by the cult, it was a constant cycle of torture until I was on the brink of death and then escaping.
In such a situation, why would they do this to me?
“Of course, there’s no way he’s lying. He acts as he pleases, but he’s not unintelligent.”
That guy summed up what happens when a brat has both strength and brains.
Strong and somewhat clever but lacking social skills.
This is why home education is important.
“Hex… Hex…”
After catching insects, the next training was waiting.
Naturally, there was no break.
Nevertheless, Yggdrasil seemed somewhat satisfied.
With a wicked smile, he looked at me.
“Kikik. You’ve got some spirit left. Now it’s time for a real fight.”
“I… I haven’t done anything yet.”
“That’s the point, kikik. You can’t practice forever, you know?”
Saying that, Yggdrasil took something out from somewhere.
It was an unidentified incense emitting a strange scent.
For a moment, the possibility of it being poison lingered within me.
But he’s stronger than me.
I decided to trust that he wouldn’t kill me using such a method.
“What is this? Smelling it makes me feel dizzy…”
“Yes. If you mix this properly, you’ll appear to be alive but in a dead state. Then the basics will be complete.”
“But you had the skill to put me in a living dead state all along. Why didn’t you do that before? Tell me. Why did you do this to me?”
“Well, you have to consider willpower, right? I did it because I knew you had at least a minimum of willpower. My master experimented with this and gathered 100 people who survived.”
Sleeping pills are a double-edged sword.
While they work, they make you feel no pain during surgery, which is great.
But if the dosage is too high, you may fall into an eternal slumber, or even anesthetize areas that shouldn’t be, potentially leading to death.
Of course, whether you can overcome that with mental strength is questionable.
“If you have strong mental power, you can overcome it. I don’t know how or who discovered it, though. Kick kick.”
“Well, that’s easy. Easier than I thought. I thought it would take longer to just lay the foundation.”
“You could die if you mess up, you know? From what the master said, hundreds of people died just doing this one thing. Kick kick.”
What? Survive with a one in a hundred chance?
And those who survived will fight in a battle royale again?
Just how many orphans were there?
Were some of the kids not orphans?
Back when the population was smaller than it is now, a few thousand would have been the population of a city.
I wonder how such a thing was possible.
In medieval Europe, a city would have had a population of a few thousand.
Ainz could be lying to scare me.
Only others would know the truth.
“So, what are you going to do? Kick kick. By the way, this is just the basics, and after this, you have to do all sorts of things. Kick kick kick. If you’re going to give up, just save my body and don’t bother.”
“I have to do it. This is just a small price to pay for learning the Qi Blade Technique.”
“Kick kick. So, you know what the Qi Blade Technique is, right? It seems like you’re determined to learn it no matter what.”
In the meantime, Ainz was curious about how I knew about the Qi Blade Technique and asked me about it.
There shouldn’t be anyone apart from the Empire’s swordsmen who knows about the Qi Blade Technique.
The reason he killed them wasn’t just because they confined him. It was because of this.
If Ainz had let him live, he didn’t know when he would surpass the swordsmen.
“The Qi Blade Technique. It’s a sword technique that can sever the connection between the soul and the body, unlike conventional sword techniques.”
“Selling souls, huh? Right. But that alone is nothing, right? Even if you just cut the neck, the soul will automatically go to the afterlife. Kick kick.”
That’s right.
Just separating them like that would damage the soul and there would be no way to observe it.
Separate the soul.
In itself, it’s nothing, as I said before. But as I mentioned earlier, the soul and the body interact with each other.
Even though they are the same soul, a zero-year-old me and a twenty-seven-year-old me have different souls.
The techniques that were in the body are absorbed into the soul.
That’s why if you can completely separate the soul, you can read the techniques.
And even awaken the True Skill of the target.
“The technique to learn about the awakening of the target theoretically killed. Evolving swordsmanship. In fact, it’s something closer to a foundation rather than a swordsmanship, practically speaking.”
“hahahaha, you know it well. So, do you also know the drawbacks?”
“It’s the inability to learn other awakening methods. But since the Guihun swordsmanship itself is a top-tier sword skill, it doesn’t matter. Ultimately, once you ascend, it’s all about the awakening or unique magic battles.”
“hahahaha-hahahaha, a clever one has arrived.”
The awakening of others’ targets can be learned in a limited yet definite manner.
If this fact were to be known, undoubtedly, numerous people would seek Yggdrasil.
They would dare challenge death. In reality, many have sacrificed their lives to gain power.
This is why the Guihun swordsmanship concealed this fact.
The Guihun swordsmanship is a technique that entirely opposes conventional sword skills.
Unlike sword techniques that damage the physical body, it’s a technique that harms the soul.
Hence, the more one excels in swordsmanship, the closer it becomes to learning being impossible.
Due to this, Gumsung could not learn this technique.
However, whether it was due to the inherent madness of Yggdrasil or because of this technique, Gumsung couldn’t ascertain.
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Inability to endure the essence of living beings, it wasn’t about becoming mad like that.
And he believed one should not resurrect such entities as Grand Essence, Sword Ghost Yggdrasil, and others like them.
He concealed his swordsmanship entirely.
Moreover, as he could potentially surpass Gumsung someday, he did it even more so.
Hence, the Guihun swordsmanship, at its core, the world’s best in potential, was buried somewhere in this land.
Until I found it.
“Well then… I’ll start.”
“hahahaha, refreshing. It’s quite fine. hahahaha-hahahaha.”
Yggdrasil took out the incense sticks, crushed a few, lit some.
After a brief preparation, an unidentified liquid was created.
This had to be consumed.
“Then let’s try to see your soul. Understanding your soul. That’s the first step. hahahaha.”
Without hesitation, he drank it.
At least I’ve seen scenes of this in WFS.
That’s why I asked earlier if this was the right training method.
“You know what to do, right? Recognize the soul. At the moment I find you, you’ll be able to escape. hahahaha.”
It means a suitable physical existence for the soul exists.
On the contrary, it is said that the traces of the body are deeply imprinted in the soul.
This is why, if one can see and read souls, there is nothing hidden, and even concealed techniques can be seen.
And if you understand the method of reading… you can also comprehend the awakening of the Oracle.
That’s why mastering the Gwisin Swordsmanship is a necessary step in this process.
Understanding the Oracle awakening is not something that can be written down.
It’s like the proverb that says, “You may know the path through ten miles of water, but not the heart of a single human.”
It’s about reproducing a technique forged by melting down everything, from a person’s thoughts, experiences, regrets, desires, aspirations, will, talents, skills, and body.
It’s like fully understanding the person themselves.
Imagine an ambidextrous swordsman creating an Oracle awakening technique that produces the same efficiency as using both arms.
But to understand that person, you must thoroughly know the experiences, thoughts, and body of an ambidextrous swordsman.
That person is the one who overcame the world’s challenges with the desire to use both arms while living as an ambidextrous swordsman.
However, the soul is an intermediary influenced by the body and the mind, among the few.
That’s why, if you see the soul and understand the method…
Ultimately, you can reproduce the Oracle awakening.
Of course, there may be techniques that cannot be used due to physical limitations or lack of talent.
“So, you must learn it.”
The merit of being able to reproduce the Oracle awakening is attractive compared to anything else.
So, I must learn it.
Because I have confidence in learning from observations alone.
I had that confidence since my time in Korea.
“I’ll have a drink.”
*Gulp*
The drinking time was short.
And my time falling asleep was even shorter.
[Farewell. I hope you come out of this well. I’d be happy if you succeed. hehehe.]
As the last greeting from Yggdrasil.
My consciousness in the material world was cut off.
—-
As I sink into a deep sleep, I begin to feel unfamiliar sensations.
I might have entered my inner mental world.
I have waited for a long time.
Until my soul was formed.
The events here are places that the player character has not seen before.
I don’t know how it will unfold.
But I am not nervous.
Because I have faith in myself.
As long as I can survive somehow.
After a long time of floating, a being emerges.
The current me. And it looked exactly like me in Korea.
A soul.
The soul that was manifested in this surreal world was there.
“Are you happy?”
And that being asked me.
If I am happy.
“No.”
I replied as well.
How could I be happy?
“Then why are you like this? You know everything.”
Why am I like this.
Knowing that the afterlife exists.
And knowing that there are other dimensions.
That’s probably why they’re asking why I am like this.
Even if the world ends, they will eventually go to the afterlife.
They don’t disappear.
“You can’t always be happy. You just hope for occasional happiness. You know that too, right?”
My life. It was almost filled with pain, especially in the final moments.
But for one person. I endured while thinking of that occasional angel that comes.
Life is tough and difficult. But sometimes hope and happiness come.
That’s how we live.
“Even if I lose an arm. If I caused harm to others, it’s fine. Even if I fall, as long as I can stand up again, it’s fine.
Even if it’s not enough now. If I can laugh and be happy later on.
Although everyone hopes for eternal happiness.
I know that it’s impossible.
And lastly, the most important thing remains.
“So should we give up now? You’re not ‘me,’ after all.”
That soul that reveals my imagination.
It’s not me.
That’s why, from the moment I saw it, I have never once called it me.