Book 2: Chapter 548
[This girl is…….]
Lukas touched his face.
….Should he hide the face of ‘Lucas Trowman'?
But how? He can't use illusion magic. He can forcefully twist his facial muscles and bones to change his appearance, but even that requires a minimum amount of preparation time.
And Min Ha-rin has already entered the cave.
…It's too late. He can't hide it.
Then what should he say? What expression should he make?
As he struggled to come to an easy conclusion, Min Ha-rin gradually approached.
And calmly, she sat down in front of Lukas.
She slightly raised her head to look this way.
“……!”
No. It's different.
In this moment, Lukas realized.
Clearly, Min Ha-rin didn’t show any ‘signs' of it.
She walked with a stable stride, sat down precisely on the cushion, and lifted her head to fix her gaze on Lukas's face.
However, her pupils probably did not reflect Lukas's figure.
Min Ha-rin was wearing an eyepatch on one side, but in fact.
[She is blind.]
─She can’t see anything.
[But it’s not that she can’t see anything at all. This girl is seeing the world through a completely different perspective.]
‘A completely different perspective? Has she awakened the so-called ‘Inner Eye'?’
Or perhaps, in place of her lost sight, her other senses have developed abnormally.
[Hmph. It's not such a childish concept. This girl is…….]
Residue hesitated for a moment.
[But should I even be talking about this girl? Would this count as advice?]
‘Harin isn’t a wizard of the Magic Tower, so it should be fine. …And can you not use the term “girl” but call her something else?’
She was once his disciple after all.
[You're being fussy.]
Residue grumbled and continued.
[The world this youngster is seeing is made up solely of vibrations and souls.]
‘…What does that mean?’
[You must be aware of the top universe.]
Lukas nodded.
The top universe,
a colossal universe where only the absolutes exist, and every being that becomes an absolute receives basic education and assignments right after their ascension.
[Most absolutes are unaware, but there exists a universe with entirely opposite characteristics to the top universe.]
‘…Are you talking about something like a bottom universe?’
His unexpected declaration was met with a sharp retort.
However, Residue simply affirmed it.
[Yes, you've got the name exactly right.]
That response made the other party speechless.
Of course, Residue was not one to joke.
‘…Why didn’t I know about the existence of such a universe?’
[Because you didn't need to know. That place is only accessible to ‘transcendents who cannot become absolutes.']
‘Transcendents who cannot become absolutes…’
[Right. Those who have powers beyond the mortal frame but haven’t met a ‘god.' Such individuals, as if summoned, head to the ‘bottom universe.']
‘What happens if they go there?’
[I don’t know.]
What now?
[To be precise, there was no need to know. Back then, I didn’t even care what that universe was like.]
It made sense.
From Residue's perspective, who once was the Thunderous Lightning God, the bottom universe was literally a stage for the losers.
[All I know is that the bottom universe applies different laws than the typical universe, and one can obtain corresponding powers there by paying a certain price. And the power this youngster has obtained belongs to that kind.]
Min Ha-rin, clearly, had become explosively stronger in a short period. It wouldn’t have been possible to reach such a level by ordinary means.
However, there are still points that are hard to accept.
How many and varied are the ways to become strong in this world.
‘Is there a reason to conclude that Min Ha-rin went to the bottom universe?’
[Those who have visited there leave behind a unique trace. It’s of a nature that your naked eye cannot see right now.]
‘…Do I need to use the power of Omniscience?’
Lukas sighed inwardly.
‘She became so strong by sacrificing her own vision and arm.’
[That’s all you see, but……]
Residue murmured meaningfully.
[…Perhaps she sacrificed even more than that.]
More than that.
His heart grew heavy.
Why?
That question rose to the tip of his throat, but he held it back.
There was no point in arguing with Residue, and he didn't want to reveal his identity to Min Ha-rin just yet.
Once again, he turned his gaze directly to Min Ha-rin.
The scene he saw through the ‘Spring of Wisdom' was too noisy to tell, seeing her again like this, it was clear she had changed significantly. It's no wonder he didn't recognize her.
Her hair, of course, and the kindly drooping corners of her eyes were gone. It’s hard to imagine a smile on those firmly shut lips.
What was the last conversation we had?
Did we part on good terms?
What burden did I place on her?
─Please see me off with a smile.
I had forced a smile on a crying child.
It was a selfish wish because I thought it was the last time.
Back then, Min Ha-rin was young. Immature and weak.
But now…
“Are you a wizard?”
Min Ha-rin tilted her head and asked.
It was an expression that even Lukas could not easily read the intentions behind. He preferred to look into a person’s inner thoughts through their eyes, but it was hard to guess her feelings from her lightless eyes.
“…Yes, I am.”
Lukas answered, changing his tone slightly. There was no need for magic. A slight alteration in his voice was enough.
“I see.”
Min Ha-rin nodded calmly.
It seemed she hadn't realized Lukas’s identity. If her acting wasn’t of a high enough level to deceive him, then that would be the case.
“It’s nice to meet a wizard in such a place. Are you here looking for ‘Hope Herb' too?”
“Hope Herb?”
“Yes.”
Her voice continued coolly.
“It's a mystical flower that blooms rarely on a snowfield untouched by human footsteps for ten thousand years.”
“…….”
If such a special flower exists in this field, perhaps finding it is the purpose of this trial.
Of course, I would need to hear the specifics from a ‘Truth Seeker'.
“Why are you looking for the Hope Herb?”
“It’s needed for a task I must accomplish.”
Min Ha-rin answered calmly then turned her gaze outside the cave.
…There was no need to turn her head.
If Min Ha-rin truly perceives her surroundings through vibrations and souls, then her vision would not be limited to one direction but would be like a radar detecting all around her.
[She’s still pretending as if she ‘can see’.]
‘…….’
[It’s natural. It doesn’t look like she feels ashamed or inferior about being blind, so this youngster has been acting this way long enough for it to become a habit.]
The reason was quite obvious.
She didn’t want those around her to know, such as other disciples.
…That point was still very much like Min Ha-rin.
“…It doesn’t look like the snow will stop any time soon. The ‘Ice Spirits' seem very angry.”
Min Ha-rin spoke again.
“It’s sudden, but may I take a nap? I had a tiring ordeal before coming here.”
“…Please do.”
“Thank you.”
Min Ha-rin briefly responded, then closed her eyes.
In the blink of an eye, her breathing evened out. If not for her head slightly dropping, one would not think she was asleep.
Thinking back, Min Ha-rin had looked tired from the moment we first met.
─Physical fatigue,
It seems that even if those from the bottom universe obtain power beyond the mortal coil, they cannot become transcendent beings. They still have to reside in a body made of flesh and blood.
Unlike Lukas, who could transform into either a physical or transcendent being just by willing it.
Lukas sat for a few minutes, then carefully got up from his spot.
[Where are you going?]
‘Just looking around. To see if I can find this Hope Herb or whatever.’
[You mean to go outside?]
‘It should be fine as long as I’m not exposed for too long.’
It would require some mana, but unlike the usual void world, replenishing it here should be entirely possible.
Of course, the blizzard had neither stopped nor weakened. If anything, it seemed to have grown stronger.
It didn’t seem to be due to the climate or terrain, and perhaps the ‘Ice Spirits’ Min Ha-rin mentioned really do exist.
‘About two hours? That’s how long I can endure outside.’
Maybe three hours if he pushed himself.
After setting a time limit, Lukas wrapped himself in his robe and stepped out of the cave.
Whoosh—
Immediately, a blade-like wind greeted him. It felt as though his skin might be torn off, so Lukas wrapped his face even tighter.
“Hooo…”
His breath whirled away like a mirage.
Lukas trudged through the sinking snowfield, heading in the opposite direction from which Min Ha-rin had come.
[It’s like looking for a needle in a desert. You wouldn't have come out in this bitter cold without any idea, did you? You must have a lead.]
‘I’ve figured out that this blizzard is artificially created.’
[Hoh.]
Lukas continued walking, now with a direction in mind.
Specifically, he walked for about 30 minutes.
The edges of his leather robe felt as if they had turned to icicles. They seemed so fragile that they might shatter with just a bit of force.
The snowstorm intensified. Occasionally, what felt like shards of ice scraped against him.
The visibility was completely white, making it hard to tell if his eyes were open or not. The snow piled up to his calves, making it feel more like swimming than walking.
[…The worst part about this is sharing senses with you. Even the Ruler at the end of his reign wouldn’t have expected such a hellish tour.]
‘Heh…’
Lukas momentarily forgot the cold and burst out laughing.
A life fraught with hardship, certified by a Ruler himself.
‘My life has always been on the dynamic side. Get used to it. You’ll be sick of feeling this way soon enough.’
[With all your power, you’re the only one in the Three Thousand Worlds who would suffer by choice.]
‘Isn’t it a fresh experience?’
[Absolutely not, so shut it.]
Just then, he felt the snowflakes weaken.
Until just moments ago, the visibility was nearly zero, but now it seemed he could loosen the tightly fastened edges of his robe a bit.
After walking a bit further, both the biting wind and the fluttering snow had completely disappeared.
“…….”
The blizzard hadn't stopped. Lukas glanced behind him. A few steps away, the snow was still swirling violently.
But here, it was surprisingly calm. It was no longer cold.
It was as if there was a thin wall between the outside and this place.
“There might be Hope Herb here.”
Lukas murmured as he looked over the tranquil snowfield that shimmered under the moonlight.
[That doesn't seem to be the problem.]
Residue spoke in a subdued voice, and Lukas quickly realized what the ‘problem’ he mentioned was.
There was blood spread over the white snow, and someone was lying at its center.
[That man is─]
“…….”
Lukas said nothing and headed in that direction.
The person lying down was a man wrapped in a robe, and he was already dead.
The cause of death was a large hole in his abdomen. Bones were clearly visible, and his still-warm intestines and blood were horribly spilled out on the snowfield.
His eyes showed the agony he endured, his fingernails were peeled back, and there were scratch marks on his skin. He had scratched his own body madly, unable to withstand the extreme pain.
“…He’s a wizard of the Magic Tower.”
[Then this guy must be.]
“Yes. He must be the administrator of the 23rd floor.”
There was no wind.
However, Lukas felt a chill settling into one side of his chest.
After a moment of silence, Residue spoke.
[This direction.]
“…….”
[Isn't it the direction that girl had walked from?]
Lukas closed his eyes.
*****