Chapter 103
The newly created black orb had several advantages. Among them, the most striking was its increased convenience.
Originally, summoning Shadow Thorns required several steps. First, I had to create a Shadow or select an existing one. Then, I'd infuse the desired amount of mana into that Shadow, pull it out, adjust its position and form in the desired direction, and make it erupt.
Still, it was undeniable that the preparatory steps were quite cumbersome. But with the Shadow orb, I could literally just *click* and Shadow Thorns would appear, attacking enemies instantly. This allowed me to attack several times faster than usual.
But what the hell was that *crazy bastard* doing? Not only did he effortlessly dodge the Shadow Thorns that were hard to follow with the eye, but he also flicked his hand and shattered all the rising Shadow Thorns.
I frowned, thinking that I could never get used to that level of strength, no matter how many times I saw it. Soon, I moved my body quickly, trying to get behind him.
If I reached out to grab him, he would vanish instantly, as if what I had seen was an illusion. If I tried to pierce him with Shadow Thorns, a single, light flick of his hand would block everything.
Everything was blocked far too easily. Others might have thought I was repeating meaningless actions, but the more I repeated them, the faster my proficiency increased, and at the same time...
I was gradually catching up to his speed and power, which had seemed utterly insurmountable. Of course, I was still far from enough.
At first, I couldn't react at all to his attacks. But now, I had grown enough to say I was fighting back. If I pushed just a little further, I might even be able to grab his clothes and get entangled with him.
So, even if I experienced the pain of my entire body shattering, my bones twisting, and my flesh disintegrating into thousands of pieces hundreds or thousands of times, I would continue to push forward, believing in this small growth.
"..."
The blessing of infinite life had become a curse, and countless deaths repeated until I no longer felt even skepticism. In this process, I slowly reached out my hand, looking at 'myself'—or rather, the enemy version of myself—who had now become familiar.
*Why is there someone who looks exactly like me here?*
And why are Monsters guarding him? And why can those Monsters use Shadow Techniques? Everything, from start to finish, was incomprehensible. Yet, even in this swamp of questions, one thing I knew was that if I failed to overcome him and gave up... I would eventually hit an immense wall and collapse.
That's why I repeated it, again and again.
To grab the collar of 'myself,' who looked down at me with a blank, hollow expression, and drag him into a mud fight. And to protect the many precious things that had come into being. I continued to repeat this seemingly endless battle.
*
There was a question I had pondered for a long time: why did I, as a being, crave affection so desperately?
And not just any ordinary person, but a fictional character... more precisely, why did I love the character Elysia so much?
Why? To be frank, Elysia's blind faith, as shown in the original story, was not directed at 'me' but at the Protagonist, Dale. I, as a being, had no connection to Elysia; I was merely a third party, an observer.
Why I had poured everything into Elysia, craving a blind—no, *one-sided*—love, I no longer knew.
Truly... why?
Perhaps it was because of the countless deaths I had experienced, but my previously hazy mind felt like it was returning to normal. I let out a somewhat hollow laugh as I looked at the Shadow Thorns endlessly erupting around me.
*Now, it's a meaningless question, so there's no reason to find an answer.*
Still, thinking about it now, it felt like if I didn't believe in *something* when everything fell into despair, I would give up on everything. The thought crossed my mind that it might have been a defense mechanism, almost like self-brainwashing.
And that artificial version of myself had twisted everything, leading to this very situation...
*Now, everything has changed.*
The powerless and helpless me of the past was gone, and I had gained many who could be called Comrades.
And unlike the past, when I spent worthless and meaningless days, now what I needed to do had become clearer.
Furthermore, all these processes had reached a point where they felt like valuable development, not just a repetition of meaningless actions.
So, what am I trying to say?
Even when the pain of my entire body being cut into thousands of pieces came, and the agony of my bones twisting and shattering, it was strangely enjoyable, perhaps because I had Comrades.
Unable to suppress my laughter, I charged at the enemy who looked like me.
I had thought he was an emotionless, unresponsive foe. But as I kept charging with a smile, he began to show faint signs of bewilderment.
"Die, you *bastard*!"
As death had dulled, I became bolder, and my power doubled. I repeatedly used Suicide Attacks and Sacrificial Attacks, things I wouldn't have dared before.
Remarkably, my overall skill proficiency increased exponentially compared to before, so at some point, my attacks began to land on him, little by little.
*It really feels like there isn't much left.*
Mental fatigue continued to accumulate, but the situation was so much fun that I couldn't stop laughing.
As I watched the enemy gradually struggle, pouring out attacks with satisfaction, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
*Come to think of it, that small sun, that Snow-white Orb... could I eat it?*
It looked like an Essence of Power, so I wondered if it would be okay to try eating it. I decided to do something I wouldn't have even attempted normally.
The moment I approached the enemy, I opened my mouth wide and put the small, sun-like object directly into it.
Thinking Daisy would probably be proud if she saw this, I swallowed it. A sensation of my esophagus burning accompanied a massive surge of energy being absorbed into my body.
*...It actually worked?*
Even I had tried it half as a joke. I was bewildered that it actually worked, as a tremendous energy spread throughout my body.
A power, a mixture of divine energy and demonic energy, began to rapidly circulate within me.
*Insane.*
Along with it, a foundation was created that allowed me to ascend to High-grade Expert, a level where there had been no sign of progress before. It then grabbed me and forcibly pulled me upward.
An incomparable, immense power, along with a unique omnipotence, began to flow through my entire body.
As I smiled with satisfaction, watching the absurdly powerful aura emanating from me, another good idea suddenly came to mind as I looked at 'myself' who was bewildered in front of me.
*Doesn't he also have an Essence of Power?*
Given that he still maintained his form, it seemed likely.
As soon as that thought solidified, I immediately reached out and grabbed the one who looked like me.
There was fierce resistance, but it seemed he couldn't easily swat away my hand, now that I had become a High-grade Expert, and he was caught.
*Where would the Essence be?*
After a moment of thought, I decided it might be best to pierce his heart, just in case, and tried to do so with a Shadow Thorn. Unlike before, he tried to swat away the thorn with a somewhat frantic gesture.
*The power is definitely different now.*
Or perhaps his power weakened because I absorbed the Snow-white Orb? I didn't know the answer, but one thing was certain: I felt like I could finally end this. So, unlike before, I launched an all-out offensive against the frantically moving enemy.
* * * *
Shiren sat quietly in front of the Training Ground, stroking the Super Giant Ddungddwaejji, a High-grade Spirit, sleeping in her arms.
Months had already passed since Damian entered, yet he still hadn't emerged. Shiren wondered why, and sadly stroked Daisy's belly.
*I wish he'd come out soon.*
It was hard to say if it was fortunate, but at least no one had been kidnapped like last time. There weren't any particular problems... but that didn't mean she didn't want to see him. As she waited, feeling a bit deflated.
Lorraine, who was passing by, looked at her, handed her a book, and spoke.
"You'll get bored just sitting there. Why don't you read this?"
The cover looked similar to the romance novel she had borrowed before. Remembering how much she had enjoyed reading it last time, Shiren took it. Lorraine then spoke with a playful smile.
"This is the sequel to the book I lent you before... The descriptions are much more intense than last time, and it's a bit, how should I put it... Ah, anyway, just read it. You'll probably enjoy it."
"Okay."
With that, Lorraine fled as if escaping somewhere. Shiren tilted her head, wondering why she was so embarrassed. As she waited for Damian, she opened the book Lorraine had lent her, and what she saw was:
"Take it off."
It was a rather perplexing word.