Book 2: Chapter 393
Eat her.
At that moment, the scene of Pale’s predation at Flower Mountain flashed in his mind.
“I can’t.”
There wasn’t a need to think too deeply about this.
Lukas refused almost reflexively.
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to become strong like that.”
“I don’t understand.”
Pale mutter in an incomprehensible tone. She appeared frustrated.
“This woman is the best prey for you. This is a great opportunity to eat without any repercussions!”
Kuk, kuk. As she spoke, she poked the woman with her finger.
“No one would blame you for it.”
“That’s not the reason.”
“Then what is it?”
“…”
For a moment, Lukas wasn’t sure what to say. There were many words lingering on the tip of his tongue, but he could not voice them easily.
As mentioned before, Lukas had a few things left that made him a human. Nevertheless, the fact that he was repulsed by cannibalism was, in fact, a clear contradiction.
…Suddenly, he thought of Yang In-hyun’s sword technique.
Everlasting Plum Sword, First Move, Martial Annihilation.
For some reason, he couldn’t get this sword technique, which had defeated him perfectly, out of his head.
That blade had been able to cut all concepts. Even absolute power’s ability to control space was ineffective. Perhaps it even had the ability to cut down the yoke of death and the shackles of the abyss.
He didn’t know how to defeat him, and that fact felt strange to him.
Although the opponent was one of the Twelve Void Lords, his fundamental essence was clearly human. On the other hand, the opponents that Lukas was used to fighting were those who were born as Absolutes.
And yet, the person he would now have to risk everything to face was a human.
That fact made Lukas feel awkward.
‘Is that the reason?’
Did he not feel desperate because his opponent was another human?
Could he still afford to be picky about the means?
…He couldn’t.
He’d seen what the future held if he didn’t become one of the Twelve Void Lords.
“Just.”
Lukas started.
“I can’t do it because I just don’t like it.”
He felt Pale’s gaze on him.
Lukas raised his head and looked at her.
For a moment, their gazes met.
“Do you need a better reason than that?”
Pale chuckled.
“No need.”
Kikiki. She let out a low, cheerful giggle.
“Because what you don’t like is what you don’t like.”
It seemed that she liked Lukas’ answer.
On the other hand, despite making a decision, Lukas’ anxiety deepened.
If cannibalism was the most efficient and basic principle to becoming strong in this world, how was he supposed to grow stronger?
Perhaps at that point, he was looking at the only person who could answer such a question, Pale.
“Is there any other way?”
“Ummm.”
Pale seemed to think about it seriously for a moment. She folded her hands and began to hum. It almost felt like he could hear the sound of her brain rolling from where he stood.
After a while, she swung her index finger as if she was drawing something and said.
“There is. But at your current level, it would be very dangerous.”
Lukas replied to her slightly condescending tone.
“That doesn’t matter.”
He didn’t intend to get stronger while ensuring his personal safety.
In the first place, he knew it was impossible to easily get much stronger in a short amount of time. Radical growth always came with great risk.
Pale looked at Lukas with a subtle expression and nodded.
“Doesn’t matter, huh… Well, you might change your mind if you see it for yourself, but I’ll take you there.”
“Take me there? How?”
Could it be that Pale could also see the ‘road.’.
“It’s not that, it’s because it’s a special place.”
Pale replied with a smirk.
Lukas knew the meaning of that smile, ‘no matter what uncle asks, I won’t say any more’.
It seemed that Lukas could now understand the meanings of Pale’s smiles.
“First off, you won’t be able to carry that woman all the way…”
Pale’s words drifted off slightly and the corners of her eyes lit up.
“Actually. I thought of a good way to deal with her. Since you don’t want to eat her, I’ll just…”
“No.”
“Tch.”
Pale pursed her lips at the sharp answer.
* * *
After a short break, Lukas hurried forward once again.
A round trip didn’t mean the travelling would take the same amount of time.
Strangely, it was taking much longer to go back than it did to leave. This was because of the constant movement of the space. If he was able to better understand those spatial movements, it might be possible to find a shortcut instead of just ‘following the road’.
Or if he were to move a few steps in the right direction and stop, he might be able to go to whichever location he wanted, like a shipwreck being carried by waves.
…But that was a long way off for now.
As he calculated the coordinates, Lukas couldn’t help but think about Flower Mountain.
Not because of Yang In-hyun, or his sword technique.
But Lee Jong-hak, the man who was still trapped in prison.
‘…was that the Lee Jong-hak I know?’
Now that he had some spare time, this thought finally appeared in his mind.
He’d certainly acted as if he knew him, but the fact still remained that the person he knew ‘might be a completely different person’.
In other words, the Lee Jong-hak, in the underground prison could have been ‘another possibility’ that existed in the countless parallel worlds.
It was possible that Lee Jong-hak also met another Lukas there and might have built a similar relationship and memory to what he knew.
…Nevertheless, it was all nothing but his conjecture. And it was something that he wouldn’t be able to find the conclusion at that moment.
The best way would be to compare and contrast his memories with Lee Jong-hak’s, but unfortunately, that was impossible for now since he was trapped in the Flower Mountain.
Someday, if he had the chance, he would have a deep conversation with Lee Jong-hak. (TL: Until then, he can suffer.)
As he had this thought, he suddenly felt movement on his back.
“Kuh…”
A low groan sounded in his ear.
Of course, it wasn’t Pale.
The woman Lukas was carrying on his back, the woman who they’d found laying in the desert, had finally awakened.
“Are you awake now?”
“Wow! She finally woke up!”
“…whe, re…”
A cracked voice leaked out. A voice so fragile it was almost as if it would shatter at any moment.
It seemed that swallowing the jerky hadn’t restored her condition perfectly.
Lukas stopped walking and looked over his shoulder.
The woman had a nauseous expression.
“…put me down.”
He did as she asked.
Swaying, the woman struggled to stand on the sand. She gave off a very unstable feeling, as if she would collapse at any moment.
After taking a few breaths, the woman looked at Lukas and Pale with a slightly solemn gaze.
“You don’t look like disciples of Flower Mountain… Who are you?”
Her stiff voice could not hide her suspicious tone.
To put it mildly, it was prudent, to put it harshly, it was ungrateful. In particular, the bottom lip of Pale, who had sacrificed(?) a piece of jerky, protruded visibly.
“How rude. We saved you.”
“…”
“We should just eat her.”
“Cut it out.”
Lukas stopped Pale before turning to the woman once again.
“You were unconscious in the middle of the desert. Covered in blood. I was able to save you with jerky that Pale, here, gave to me.”
The woman’s expression became a bit more relaxed and she then bowed her head to them.
“I owe you my life. Please excuse my rudeness.”
“You picked it up pretty quickly! Hmph hmph!”
Pale snorted and grumbled loudly.
“…but, why did you save me?”
The subtle trace of vigilance didn’t fade from the woman’s eyes.
For some reason, Lukas felt as though he was looking at himself.
Regardless of if they saved him or not, it would be hard for him to trust people whose intentions he was unsure of. If their roles had been reversed, Lukas would have acted the same way.
“You look like someone from the underground city.”
“Yes.”
“I am acquainted with the Lord of that place, Michael.”
0
“…”
“If you don’t believe me, you are free to continue on your own.”
Like the miglings, she should know the way back to the territory.
The woman seemed to feel a bit conflicted at Lukas’ words, but in the end, perhaps because she made up her mind, she spoke politely.
“I’m not in very good condition right now. I’m sorry, but can I owe you a bit more?”
“We have no intention of entering the city.”
He might bump into a Schweiser who had regained consciousness.
Without revealing his reasons, Lukas continued.
“We can take you in the vicinity.”
“…thank you.”
After she nodded, Lukas turned and started walking away.
Despite her staggering steps, the woman followed without a word.
She seemed to be a proud figure, so it would probably be best to not offer to carry her again.
It was only at that moment that he realised something he should have asked sooner.
“What is your name?”
“…my name is Lesha. And you?”
“I’m Pale.”
The woman, Lesha, seemed to ignore Pale and was only looking at Lukas.
Lukas, who was getting a strange feeling because of her stare, revealed his name.
“…Lukas.”
* * *
As the colour of the sky changed for the third time, Lukas’ party suddenly stopped.
“Do you hear that noise?”
He nodded.
There was a turbulent atmosphere that didn’t suit the tranquil grey desert.
Clang, clang-
There were also the faint sounds of clashing metal. Followed by a loud explosion and what sounded like shouting…
Gradually, a storm-like feeling descended on the windless desert.
The sound of group fighting.
“…no way.”
Lesha ran forward with a stiff expression. Then she started climbing the small sand dune in front of them. By climbing up there, she would be able to see the source of the commotion.
Lukas and Pale followed her.
Lesha, who’d run up first, was able to reach the top of the dune quickly.
And her hunch hadn’t been wrong.
There were two groups fighting in the vast desert below.
On one side were… the Swordsmen from Flower Mountain. There wasn’t anyone he knew in the group, but he could tell their identity from their unique clothing and the Plum Blossom Sword Technique.
On the other side were the miglings. They weren’t alone. There were a mixture of people, who looked like humans, among the dwarves.
Swoosh!
There were also beings floating in the sky, carried by glowing white wings.
They looked like angels that would appear in temples.
“Oh hey~ It’s a War of Existence.”
Pale pretended to make a spyglass with her hands as if she’d found a marvellous spectacle.
“We can’t miss this. Uncle, they seem to be on the same level, let’s watch from here and then wipe them out in the middle!”
“I don’t intend to take a side.”
Someday, he would face Flower Mountain, but if he were to make an appearance now, then it would make avoiding Kwak Do-san’s party unnecessary.
“…this.”
The expression of Lesha, who had arrived before them, was hard.
Biting her lip, she looked down at the battlefield and tried to take a step forward.
“You’re planning on going?”
“Yes.”
“You wouldn’t be much help in your current state.”
“I know that. But I have to go. Those are the ones I have to protect.”
“…”
Those words caused a strange pounding in his chest.
Nevertheless, Lesha fell to the ground after taking a few steps.
He could practically feel the muscles beneath her robes twitching. In exchange for forcing her body to move, the pain must feel like her entire body is being torn apart.
“Dammit, my mana is still…”
Just as Lesha muttered those words, someone else appeared on the battlefield.
It was a white haired man, panting and covered in sweat, Schweiser.
His condition wasn’t good. Just from looking at his expression, one could tell he had long surpassed his limits.
The Swordsmen of Flower Mountain closed in on Schweiser. The blades of their swords digging into his body like the sharp fangs of a ferocious beast.
‘…idiot.’
Head on confrontations were not your expertise.
Lukas sighed.
It would have been better if he didn’t see this sight.
Where was Lord, no, Michael? If he made an appearance, the battle would have been one-sided.
Lukas looked at the battlefield carefully, but he could not find any traces of Michael.
Suddenly, Schweiser’s arm was cut off. This meant that he probably won’t last for another dozen seconds. Considering his current condition, this result was natural.
A cold blade swiftly approached his defenceless neck.
Crackle-
—But a dark red beam of light shot forward and shattered the sword.
“…!”
Schweiser turned his gaze to the top of the dune and Lukas.
“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t take a side?”
He didn’t bother to reply to Pale’s snark.
Flipping up his hood, Lukas slid down the dune.
Because of that…
“Absolute? No way…”
He didn’t hear Lesha’s murmur.
(TL: Sometimes I swear Lukas is the dumbest smart guy in existence.)
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