Chapter 126 : The Revival & The Training (Part 1)
[Skill "Soul Emergence" have been activated]
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[It's so dark...]
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[Where am I?]
A question appeared within his mind.
[Did I die?]
He felt his body floating in the darkness.
[I cannot move my body].
He couldn't move an inch and remained rooted to his spot.
[Ughhh...move...move!]
Until...
*TIP*
[Cold?]
He felt a droplet fall on top of his forehead.
*TIP*
And that sensation made him open his eyes.
"...Huh??"
He found himself lying on the ground. His body was covered with bandages that even closed his right eye.
'Unfamiliar ceiling...where am I?'
Then he tried to open his mouth.
"A...aa...aaa." He tried to speak.
'...?! My voice? I can't speak!' He felt his mouth was dry, and his body was a bit colder than usual.
'This is...'
As he tried to figure out why this happened to him…
*TAP*
He heard a sound...
*TAP* *TAP*
...footsteps, and it's approaching him.
'Who?'
Rei was curious when he noticed it, the footsteps stopped and someone stood beside him.
"Ohhh~ ohhh~ I thought you died from that, but it seems what he was telling was true~"
A woman's voice.
'Who...?'
He couldn't move his body, even his neck, so he couldn't see the woman who stood beside him.
"....?"
And since it was dark, he couldn't see her either in this room or this place that was still unknown to him.
But then he saw a glimpse of her looks when she leaned closer to his face....
Red.
It was the color of her hair.
Along with her red lizard-looking eyes with a cross sign in her pupil.
And her face...she looked like an adult woman in her 20s with an unmatched beauty when compared to the Elf Queen whom he had met before.
The woman smiled.
"Hm…to think a mere human can be this fascinating." The woman revealed more of her appearance.
She had a tall figure and large chest while wearing a red dress that looked like it didn't cover her whole body, while her long flowing hair looked like a wave of flames.
"Arise from the dead without any defect...a complete revival~ even a Necromancer cannot revive themselves like that and end up becoming a [Lich]~"
The woman spoke, but the words that he was curious about when she called him [human].
As if....she wasn't a human herself.
'...?'
"Curious why I speak like that while calling someone a [human] when I look like one~?"
"...?!"
That surprised him, as if she could read his mind.
'Nope, I can't~'
And suddenly a voice of that woman could be heard within his mind.
'How...?—'
'Your eyes told me everything of course~'
For a moment, her eyes glowed bright, and he felt something....something that...
[...pierce me through].
That was the feeling he had.
'Who...are you?' Rei decided to ask.
The woman grinned widely, "Me? I am the one you have been looking for~"
'Huh? What do you mean...' Rei was confused, 'Meet her?...but I'm not looking for her or anyone.'
'Ummm...I think there seems to be a misunderstanding here.'
"Ara? Really? I assume you would know." The woman shrugged her shoulders.
'I'm sorry...I don't understand what you—'
"Then let me show you~" The woman cut off his words then she released a red aura around her body.
"...?!"
Then he felt something familiar, 'This pressure...'
It's impossible to mistake it as anything other than what he's thinking, especially after meeting it twice.
'A dragon?!'
"Heh~" The woman scoffed.
But Rei had a second thought, 'No...is it someone who slays a dragon? Since there's no way...a beauty like her is a dragon.'
"Hmmm,it seems you have so many things to learn...[Other Worlder]."
"...?!" Then another surprise struck him when he heard her calling him that.
'You...how...'
"Like I said, I am someone you are trying to find~"
Rei became more confused as he tried to rack his brain to search for some clues.
'She showed her power and the proof that she had the power of the dragon...'
'But the way she speaks as if she wasn't human...and her looks…yeah, she's definitely unmatched in beauty.'
A name appeared above her head when his eyes looked above it.
"Huh?"
The color was black and the name was something that he is familiar with...
It was written on his [Quest].
'No...way.'
The woman grinned widely and opened her mouth, "Yes...nice to meet you, [Other Worlder]~"
"My name is Ignia...the Red Dragon, Ignia~"
[The King of Dragons, Ignia].
Upon hearing her name and seeing her black name on top of her head, he is way more shocked than usual
'What kind of situation is this...!?'
Ignia laughed, "Ara~ are you shocked?~"
'Well who wouldn't...' Rei replied while sighing, 'But how...'
"Heh, a dragon can shapeshift into a human, you don't know about that?"
'No.' Rei replied bitterly.
"Well of course you don't, since only a few can do that and besides, I don't often show this form to anyone~' Ignia spoke while swiping her hair aside and showing off her womanly figure.
"So you should be grateful~ [Other Worlder]~" Ignia proudly explained it to him.
'I see...but wait! It doesn't explain everything yet! Why am I here? And where the hell am I?' Rei decided to trail back to his original question.
"Wow~ you have so many questions."
'Of course I am! Just before, me and my partner were fighting against the King of Destruction! We were so close to finishing the fight and then!—...'
After that, Rei immediately stopped.
'And...and then?...' Rei widened his eyes as he just realized something.
'We....died? No, I died? Huh??...' Rei felt confused as his head couldn't process what just happened.
Ignia just smiled at him, "Well it is understandable, since you had experienced death once—hm? Twice I guess~"
'Death...you mean I died again? But I thought you were the one who saved me...'
Ignia waved her hand, "Nope, I didn't save you," She pointed her finger at him, "...you were already dead when I arrived and I was told to bring you here."
"You were told?...by whom?" Rei stared at her.
But Ignia just simply smiled, "Of course, by someone who is very close to you."
"Huh??"
"Rather than worrying about that...shouldn't you be worrying for someone much closer~" Ignia reminded him.
Rei was confused about what she said, until felt that something was amiss.
'Houston?...Houston?!' Rei called him, he realized that Ray had been awfully quiet.
'Now that I think about it...he didn't talk at all when I woke up, and...' Rei widened his eyes.
'I couldn't sense him at all...did he...no he can't be...'
Ignia leaned her face much closer until her nose touched with his.
'U-uhh??' Rei blinked.
Then Ignia smiled, "Don't worry~ your friend there is safe, I felt a faint presence but he is indeed still alive."
'I-i see...' Rei sighed in relief.
"—But! don't be relieved that fast, he's still in a state where he could break any time~"
'Huh? What do you...'
"Like I said, he's in the state where his soul could break anytime."
"What?! Then how come I am still..."
"Well that's the most interesting part, but what I can conclude is that...in your place, he took all the damage during your last fight."
'Huh?! That couldn't be, we both know well if this body dies...we both will die.'
"Are you that certain?~ Maybe you should check on your status~"
'What?? [Status]!'
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[STATUS]
NAME: Kiritsuka Rei / Ray Houston
JOB : Blacksmith
TITLE : [The Reincarnator], [Time Traveler], [Quick Learner], [Beast Slayer], [Die Hard], [Jack of All Trade], [The Warrior Might], [The Monster Slayer], [Blessing of the Fire Spirit King]
[Level: 89]
[HP: 10/11090]
[MP: 200/2090]
[FATIGUE: 150]
EXP: 300/70500
STATUS POINT : 290
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STRENGTH : 255 (+10)
AGILITY : 179(+5)
VITALITY : 184
INTELLIGENCE : 179(+15)
SENSE : 164(+5)
[SKILL]
Blacksmith Mastery Lv8; Swordsmanship Mastery Lv8; Battle Instinct Lv7; Super Growth LvMax; Fire Magic Lv6; Aura Lv6; Cooking Mastery Lv5; Knitting Mastery Lv4; Alchemy Mastery Lv4; Pain Resistance Lv8; Spearmanship Mastery Lv5; Archer Artillery Mastery Lv3; Shieldmanship Mastery Lv4; Dual Wield Lv1; Soul Emergence LvMax !!NEW!!
Fire LvMax
Blacksmith Flame Lv6
Horizontal Slash LvMax
Vertical Slash LvMax
Omni Slash LvMax
Persona LvMax [Locked]
Imitation Fire Sword Lv6
Shukuchi Lv8
Weapon Breaker Lv4
Intimidate Lv7
Sprint Lv6
Focused Block Lv6
Spear Arts: One Strike Lv8
Spear Arts: Gungnir Lv5
War Cry Lv6
Archery Artillery Arts: Artillery Strike Lv5
Archery Artillery Arts: Cracker Lv2
Weapon Fuse Lv3
Shield Bash Lv1
Shield Rush Lv1
Shield Art : Reflection Lv1
Hell Flame Lv2
Magic Sword : Kagutsuchi no Ken Lv1
Sword Arts: Sky Decapitation Lv1
Shield Arts: Grand Cross Lv1
■■■■■■■ Lv■■
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His eyes fixated on this one skill that he had never seen before.
[Soul Emergence] !!NEW!!
'[Soul Emergence]?'
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[Soul Emergence]
Passive Skill
Cooldown : ????
A skill that allows the user to switch their soul with another soul that lives within the user's body during their death. When the current switched soul who controlled the body and their HP reached 0, it will be forcefully switched to the other soul who still has remaining HP. After this skill was activated, the soul that has been damaged will be put in [Sleep State] so it could be repaired.
(Warning: if all the soul's HP had reached 0, the user will be considered as dead and game over)
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'So...Houston, is in a [Sleep State]?'
"Correct~ he's in that state to repair his soul."
'Then I guess he will be fine...'
"Indeed~ but I am not 100% sure about that yet."
"Huh? Why is that?"
"That's because his soul was damaged a lot worse than you think."
"And from what I see his presence had dimmed down to the point that his existence could disappear any moment."
'D-disappear!'
"Yep, the only thing we could do is wait for him to come back and it depends on how much he is willing to survive." Ignia explained.
"Will he disappear quietly like a mist, or shine bright like a fire to survive in a cold winter~" Ignia wondered while smiling.
'Ughh...' Rei could only listen to what she said, but the fact that his presence couldn't be sensed by him but her…
It frustrated him, because he was his partner and someone very close to him.
But the most important thing is...
'Then...what should I do?"'
This would be his first time after so long, being alone without him.
Ignia folded her arms, "Recover, eat and become stronger, what else?" Ignia advised him bluntly.
Rei looked at her, 'Recover...and become strong.'
"Yeah~"
'Then are you gonna teach me?' Rei turned his eyes at her.
Ignia raised her brows, '"Hmm? Why would I?"
'Huh? I thought you brought me here to train me.'
"And since when I said that?~"
'E-eh?? So you are saying that you brought me here without any intention?'
"I did told you that I brought you here because someone begged me to save your life, and i did~"
"Besides, isn't it you who needed to come at me~"
Rei couldn't refute her words, 'She's right...'
'It would be very shameless to ask her...especially...' Rei gulped when he glanced at her.
A menacing aura that seemed to be screaming back at him, causing Rei to feel pressured despite how calm she looked.
'She is the one who has the superiority here...If I displeased her, I will be dead soon.' Rei thought of it.
Ignia smiled at him, 'Hmmm~ how clever~ to think he knows how to retreat, but what's more...his sensitivity on the danger around him is much stronger than I thought~'
Then Ignia curved her lips widely into a smile, "But, I'll think about it later on~"
'Huh?'
"You are quite interesting~ but I want you to recover first, and then after you fully recover..."
"Find me~" Ignia spoke.
'.....' Rei nodded his head.
'Yes, I understood.' Rei couldn't help but accept her words, since if he tried to do anything funny he might be pushed to his death.
"Oh~ by the way, I will be leaving you with my servant~ he will take care of you~" Ignia spoke.
'Servant?'
Then one person walked to her side.
'....?!'
Rei was surprised when he noticed another presence came out and heard a man's voice.
"Geez, my Queen, don't increase my work like this...it will be bad for my health."
When he glanced at the man, it surprised him even more because the servant she mentioned was....
'a [Dwarf]?'
A dwarf, with a silver white beard stood by her side and a cigar in his mouth.
"Hah? What cha looking at? Is it your first time meeting a dwarf?" The dwarf spoke to him.
'And a rude one...but right, Gudmund was like that at first.' Rei thought while he's reminded of his friend, Gudmund.
"Take it easy, Doldain, he's still injured~ you shouldn't be rough at him." Ignia called his name.
Doldain just sighed, "I know I know, the King's words is absolute."
Ignia smiled and gently patted his head, "Good boy~"
"Hmph." Doldain just stayed still while feeling embarrassed with the way she treated him like a child.
"Now then, I shall take my leave~ treat my guest properly okay?~" Ignia gestured her hand as she walked towards the door.
Rei glanced at her who's making her way to the door, 'Huh?? Where are you going?'
"Me? Well I have some business to do~" Ignia spoke as she stood by the door while turning her head towards him.
'Wait! You're gonna leave me with this guy?!' Rei said to her incredulously.
Ignia smiled, "I can assure you, he will treat you well, since he is one of my most trustworthy subordinate~"
When Rei heard that, he glanced at Doldain who looked irritated and uncomfortable, as if he didn't want to be here.
'His face looks otherwise...' Rei thought.
"And if you are worried of getting attacked or anything, well…you have nothing to worry about because..."
"He is also my most strongest subordinate~"
'The strongest?...' Rei repeated her words.
"Yep, so don't worry~ you are safe in his hand~" Ignia began to open the door, but when she was about to walk out, she stopped.
"So...rest well and focus on recovering~" She spoke as she walked out.
As the door was about to close, Ignia glanced at him.
Their eyes met.
"Come at me~ and show me, whether you are worthy of my time or not~" Ignia spoke before the door was closed completely.
Leaving the two of them alone.
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Then silence befell them as Rei and Doldain just stared at each other.
It was an awkward situation for the two of them, but at least they have something in common.
Rei was dragged here after being saved, and Doldain was also dragged here to take care of someone whom she saved.
The silence was broken when Doldain sighed and began to speak.
"Haahh...my apologies for our King's behavior, sometimes she can be weird and stubborn." He apologized.
Rei blinked for a moment as he nodded his head as an answer.
"Oh right, you couldn't speak, I heard it is only temporary, so you can speak again after you regain your strength." Doldain spoke while taking a seat next to Rei's bed.
Rei nodded his head again.
"Hmmmm...but this is truly fascinating, I heard that the person whom our King brought had already died...but seeing you're still alive and kicking like this is truly interesting." Doldain, who was grumpy before, showed him a friendly smile.
Rei could only blink and nodded his head again.
'Not only that...to think it was a kid who died.' Doldain stared at him, 'perks of living a long life I guess, being able to see so many interesting things….'
As Doldain was thinking to himself, Rei was thinking as well.
'What a strange day...the Dragon I was about to meet, dragged me away from danger. Not only she treated me...she left me with her most trustworthy subordinate.' Rei glanced his eyes at Doldain.
'...and he was called the strongest as well.' Rei thought.
'But...' Then Rei remembered something he had forgotten.
A certain feeling that he always had from his past before coming here.
'To think without you here can be this quiet…Houston.'
The sense of loneliness.
After that, his eyes slowly became heavier.
'Uhhh... I guess taking a rest for a moment...' he thought as his eyes fluttered shut.
'...Isn't that bad.' After that, Rei drifted off to sleep.
Doldain noticed his guest had fallen asleep, "Heh, to think he would fell asleep in this situation."
"But I guess based on his injuries and his condition, resting is a good option."
"Rest now, boy, after that, make sure you tell your story, or else I will get bored to death." Doldain grinned widely as he watched him asleep.
Finally, Rei rested his body after rising from the dead.
But...
This would become a new step and another beginning of his journey.
In this unknown cold land.
To be continue…