Chapter 129: Chapter 128: Good Morning

That day.

On the day when rain poured down in the slums, why was my body shaking so violently?

“Why are you shaking so much?”

It wasn’t just because the raindrops clinging to my body were cold.

Nor was it because there were decapitated corpses strewn beneath me.

Because I couldn’t understand…

“I’m scared, aren’t I? Right?”

Unable to comprehend the phenomenon that unfolded before me, I had defined her, who had been with me until then, as a terrifying entity.

No matter how cruel, there was always a reason, and no matter how strong the enemy, there was a tangible form.

But what she had done was a phenomenon beyond my understanding.

“…Vivian.”

There she was, appearing before me again at this moment.

Vivian Platonis.

A scholar affiliated with the Magic Tower, a woman who introduced herself as a ‘witch,’ an alien entity.

“…Hehe.”

Since that day, I swore I had never forgotten about her.

And that’s understandable, because one of the reasons I had wanted to become a hero was because I had no choice but to leave her side helplessly.

To be with someone I had given my heart to. To be with someone who had given their heart to me…

In this cruel world, that would be impossible without power.

“You seem quite stronger than before…”

She appeared before me again, examining me with half-closed eyes, and quietly began to raise her hand.

With her thumb and index finger touching, she pointed precisely at me…

Snap!

The moment I instinctively ducked, a chilling sensation began to wash over me from above.

Had I been a bit slower, my head would have been gone.

Without even realizing I was dead, my headless body would have crashed to the ground, bleeding and convulsing.

Splash!

Before I could recover from the shock, the sound of liquid spurting came from behind me.

And as I quickly turned my head, my face began to be covered with a sticky liquid.

The iron-like smell that wafted from it felt all too familiar.

“Ah…”

But even the nausea that arose was swallowed up by the exclamation I made upon recognizing the corpse that lay before me.

“Ah, Airi…?”

Airi Haven.

One of the most precious people to me.

“Ah, I missed.”

Even after taking such a precious person away, she simply raised her finger again with a gruff voice.

Just like before.

“So, I just need to shoot once more, right?”

Without any particular emotion for killing a person, she simply prepared to exert her power towards her target again.

“Wait, just a moment…”

If I don’t dodge, I’ll die.

But at this moment, another person had appeared behind me, following Airi.

Merilyn Sutherland.

Like Airi, another person precious to me.

“Don’t, please…”

If I don’t dodge, I’ll die.

But if I dodge, she dies.

“It’s already too late.”

Ignoring my desperation, the moment her finger flicked, the world turned upside down.

And then, with a thud, a violent shock hit my body.

I immediately knew it wasn’t from Vivian’s attack.

After all, if I had been hit by her technique, I wouldn’t have felt such an impact, and more importantly, my senses were much clearer than before.

“Gasp, Gasp…”

Yes, it was a dream.

The cold sweat running down my body and my pounding heart told me that what I had just experienced was a nightmare.

Both Airi and Merilyn were safe.

And Vivian hadn’t done such things.

Not yet…

“…Vivian.”

The last time we met was half a year ago.

Since that day, I had somehow succeeded in awakening the power befitting a hero, but even then, I could only define the memory of that day as a nightmare.

No matter how much I’ve awakened the power to confront dragons, the picture of standing by her side completely never formed in my mind.

“It’s not enough.”

Yes, I needed power.

“It’s insufficient now.”

I needed strength so great that it wouldn’t bow even to entities far beyond the enemy knights I faced that day.

A few weeks after returning to the empire from the Dragon’s Tomb, I stayed at my original home, taking some time to rest.

Well, calling it rest was a stretch; it was more like being forcibly restricted.

The news of the war that had occurred there reached the Empire’s leadership, but given the severity of the situation, they decided that thorough verification and procedures were necessary.

They needed to assess the damage and gains from the war, and whether I was truly the person most deserving of credit for what had happened…

Until all that was confirmed and I was summoned, I was under house arrest, which restricted my activities. I couldn’t participate in adventurer activities or use official routes such as checkpoints.

The silver lining was that I could still roam freely within the capital without special permission, meaning I could still train and build my strength without raising any eyebrows, as long as I didn’t harm anyone.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Whack!!!

Therefore, whenever I had free time, I spent it in the backyard, hitting a dummy to refine my power.

It wasn’t just about swinging weapons.

What I was currently using was a result of imitating the memories instilled in me.

Since even a slight fading of memory would noticeably diminish my senses, I needed repeated experience to fully make it my own.

Whoosh!

The specialty of the person who originated this memory was not fighting a fixed enemy but engaging in melee against multiple enemies on the battlefield.

Because it always involved facing multiple enemies, flexibility to deal with various opponents with each movement was necessary, and sometimes it was essential to seize their weapons or use items buried in corpses.

It meant constantly switching weapons and adapting their usage seamlessly.

Whoosh!

Utilizing that memory, I transformed the magic sword in my hand into a spear, and as soon as I swung the spear, I changed it into an axe.

The moment the previously light weapon was enveloped by a heavy sensation, I quickly shifted the strength of my muscles and posture to proceed with a throw.

The thrown axe hit the dummy with a bang, creating a light magical explosion.

The dummy, exposed to the attack, was shaken by the spring attached below, offsetting the physical impact.

If the power had been stronger, it might have been possible to destroy it, but that would not be easy for me now.

“…Indeed, without armor, this seems to be my limit.”

Unlike her, my body wasn’t fully developed as a hero yet.

I could imitate her senses and techniques, but I couldn’t replicate the physical adaptability to mana that my body needed to absorb.

Therefore, to exert the same power as when I fought the enemy knight, I needed artifacts or equipment that could supplement external mana.

Not just any mana, but something like armor embedded with a high-ranking demon’s mana core.

“…Somehow, it feels like I’m becoming more of a rag doll over time.”

Reflecting on my strength one by one, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of futility because none of it was achieved through my own efforts.

The equipment, the techniques, and even the battle experience were all accomplished through someone else’s help.

If I were to continue growing by relying on others, I might someday face a situation where I’d become obsolete.

“…I’m still not strong enough.”

I needed power.

Not just borrowed from someone else, but strength that I could train myself.

Whoosh.

And I had a vague idea of the direction I needed to take.

I had already learned how to communicate with spirits to inherit Tacchia’s memories, but that didn’t mean I had to use her techniques exclusively.

‘Your growth is overwhelmingly faster than expected.’

‘I’m not particularly aware of it; is it that impressive?’

‘With my help, you’ve caught up in just one month with results that would take at least a few years. I knew your ability applies to spirits as well… With this rate, it might be good to research your unique usage when you have the time.’

Jang, my first teacher, often said that my abilities matched well with the spirits.

So, if I mastered spirit arts that relied on my abilities, it might become a unique skill that belonged only to me.

“…Let’s concentrate.”

To research that technique, I stopped beating the dummy, sat down in a cross-legged position, and spent time in meditation.

It wasn’t just about summoning weapons through the spirits but communicating directly with the cluster of spirits with their own will.

Whoosh.

In the end, what appeared before me was a cluster of spirits taking on a human form.

Their form resembled mine because spirits have a tendency to instinctively project the appearance of the one who summons them.

Of course, even though they were projected, there wasn’t much they could do.

Spirits dispersed once they were summoned and released, which meant everything they did would reset.

“Um, hello? Do you remember me?”

This was the difference between how I and ordinary people handled spirits.

Ordinary people’s communication with spirits reset each time, but even the scattered fragments of my spirits were subtly drawn to me, so every time, the cluster created was somewhat identical to the previous one.

To put it metaphorically… while others retained about 0.1% of their communication results, I could retain over 50%.

Whoosh.

“…Haha, yes. I’m glad too.”

Pleased with the response that seemed to recognize me, I smiled contently, realizing the shape had become more distinct than before.

Initially, the lower body was almost invisible, but now, a physique almost identical to mine has formed.

“Then, can we try doing it like last time?”

However, if only the body had formed, it would just be like having an extra laborer.

The important thing was how effectively this formed body could be used in actual combat.

Whoosh~

The spirit cluster raised its hand following my lead and summoned a weapon just as I had.

A temporary material creation using mana that generates physical force.

The summoned form was limited to what it was familiar with, but the spirit cluster had succeeded in imperfectly replicating my techniques.

“Then, try swinging it at that dummy over there.”

…Whoong?

However, it didn’t seem capable of following instructions beyond that, standing there blankly.

It wasn’t that it didn’t understand my words, but spirits learned by imitation, focusing solely on mimicking without their own judgment.

“So, you have to do it like this. Like this.”

Hoping that repeated teaching would someday help them learn to fight on their own, I swung my sword, and the cluster mimicked my movement.

Switching weapons and performing complex techniques, they followed, albeit with a few seconds’ delay, and the end result was almost identical to mine, accompanied by a physical force.

If they could act more autonomously, it would be like having an ally with similar power to mine… No, wait. Couldn’t this be useful even now?

Whoong?

As I took a step back, the spirit cluster mirrored my movement, stepping back while facing me.

When I raised my hand, the cluster raised its hand in the same direction as if looking in a mirror.

Just like looking in a mirror… Could this mean that in battle, they would perform the same actions as me but attack from the opposite direction with a time lag?

“You’re working hard today too, I see.”

Just as I had this thought, a familiar voice reached my ears.

Turning to the source of the voice, I was greeted by a familiar face.

“Ah, it’s Tashian.”

Tashian Pheloi.

After resolving an incident a few weeks ago, we formed a familial bond, and now we even live together.

“Tsk.”

However, in response to my cheerful greeting, what came back was a light chop towards my forehead.

It wasn’t painful, but it was enough to feel her sentiment.

“My son.”

Her voice was soft and full of affection, confirming her feelings.

A smile played on her lips as she spoke in a slightly disappointed tone.

“How many times have I told you to call me mom, not by my name?”

“Ah, um… Do I really have to?”

“We promised to do so. You’re not planning to break that promise, are you?”

“Ah, no. It’s not that, but…”

Indeed, my will to keep her alive was strong, but wasn’t this too much?

No matter how much of Tacchia’s personality I possessed, my identity as Woo Hyo-sung had become stronger as she handed over the reins to me.

Unlike her, my feelings towards her were far from pure familial bonds, so I had a strong aversion to calling her that title.

“M-mo…”

Still, I had to do it.

I tried to open my mouth reluctantly at her urging…

“Mo?”

“…Mommy.”

“…”

“I-I’m sorry.”

Was she angry?

Or was she disappointed, regretting making a promise with me for not living up to her expectations?

“Hehe~”

But contrary to such worries, Tashian broke the silence with laughter.

When I looked up again, I saw her smiling brightly, meeting my eyes.

“Of course, we have a lot of time to spend together in the future, so there’s no need to rush.”

Her smile was bright, unlike the rough and tired impression I had first seen.

“Good morning, my son.”

She openly expressed her willingness to accept even my awkwardness.