Hmm...
I opened my eyes and saw tall trees surrounding me...
Sunlight pierced through the leaves and branches...
And birds were chirping endlessly, as if caught in a state of pure joy.
"Ugh... Where am I? The last thing I remember is being attacked and…"
I feel something... unusual.
Or rather, unfamiliar.
Did I go back in time?
But I don't recall ever being in a forest like this before...
"…"
I'm completely naked.
Alright then, let's explore this place.
...…
After wandering around a bit…
I noticed this forest looks somewhat familiar.
"Isn't this where I placed the barrier?"
Strange…
A place can't change this much unless centuries have passed…
Impossible!!
And no matter how hard I look, I see no signs of those Chimera at all…
How many years was I in a coma??
No, wait…
If that's really what happened…
Damn it!! My two disciples!!
I ran as fast as I could through the massive trees, searching for a way out…
Running and running…
Until I saw the light.
"The exit..."
And when I left the forest…
I saw a natural view of withered plains glowing with autumn's vivid colors.
"Is it autumn now?"
I started walking in the direction I knew would lead to the capital…
Moving as fast as I could.
"This body... is truly weak!"
Then suddenly...!
I found myself flying through the sky.
"I'm flying? But I can't even use mana anymore?!"
I didn't think too much about it and continued flying toward the capital.
This…
Why does everything I see look so familiar?
...…
It only took minutes before I was already at the gates of the capital.
My flying speed had improved a lot.
If it weren't for my weak body, I could have flown even faster.
Speaking of which...
How am I going to enter the capital?
I'm completely naked…
'Ma—'
Hmm? A voice?
"Master!!"
Kugssa???
How??
Hasn't it been hundreds of years?
How is she still alive…?
Ugh…
When did you become this dumb, Telodeos?
I landed in front of Kugssa…
And as soon as I touched the ground, she hugged me so tightly I could barely breathe.
"Master waaah! Where have you been all this time!!"
"How long has it been since I left the capital?"
The moment I asked, my second disciple appeared before me...
She really did learn the teleportation technique I showed her!
"It's been two weeks since you left the capital, sir..."
She's shaking…
She must have been worried about me too.
This feeling...
When was the last time someone truly worried about me...
My great master… your disciple really missed you.
Great master?
Who's that?
"Master Tel, are you really okay? I... I know you're very strong but even so… even so, please don't leave me!!
Don't leave me! I'll be a good girl!! Pleaaase!"
She's having one of her episodes again…
Sometimes I forget Kugssa is still just a little girl.
I moved closer and hugged her.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. I'll never leave you."
Then I put her to sleep gently.
"Sir… are you really alright?"
"Yes. Take Kugssa and let her rest. I'll go look for something to wear."
"Ah—wait, I have clothes for you in my storage."
Women's clothes?
Well, it's better than entering the city naked.
"Sir… are you really okay? I can't feel even a hint of mana coming from you..."
I put on the clothes she gave me and patted her head.
"I told you, I'm fine."
She finally seemed reassured and left.
As for me, I headed to a spot near the capital…
That place where beginner mages usually train—it's usually empty around this time.
So many strange things have happened to me lately. I need to clear my mind first.
...
After buying clothes in the capital, I went to that place.
Most people call it the Beginner's Arena, but it's really just a vast open plain stretching far and wide.
First, I need to make sure I can still fly...
As soon as I thought about it, my body lifted off the ground and floated into the air.
I'm not using any mana, and I don't feel any external force helping me…
So how am I still flying?
But now that I think about it, maybe it's not flying—maybe it's floating.
It feels like something inside me refuses to let me walk on the ground…
This feeling… where have I felt it before?
Fear? No… contempt...
Fear...!!
Damn it—it's the same feeling I had from the Virtue that killed me!
And not just that...
That stone… the strange energy coming from it and the power used by the Virtue…
It's the same!!
I feel it whenever I float!
And I kept wondering why everything felt so familiar on my way to the capital…
Wait…
Does that mean I'm using it?
Then I've become... a Virtue!?
I tried to use—or rather, summon—that strange power but…
"…"
I can't control it…
Damn it!
What even is this strange power?
Every time I try to reach out to it, it rejects me…
I can understand this power now, after so much struggle…
But why can't I control it?
Unless…
This power has a will of its own?!
Impossible!! That's definitely impossible!
If that's true, then everything I've ever learned—my entire life experience and knowledge—will be shattered…
My entire path will collapse!!
Calm down. Pure energy isn't supposed to have a will. It can't have one…
After all, it's not a spirit or anything like that…
But… what if there is a pure power that has its own will…
Just thinking about it makes me tremble involuntarily.
Wouldn't that mean even the Virtues—those who control their own paths—are nothing compared to this force that is the origin of all paths!?
I lost my calm for a while, until the sun set and the full red moon appeared.
.....
I couldn't keep thinking about it, so I returned to the palace.
The more I thought, the more I felt this uncontrollable fear…
It would only drain my despair, and I can't afford that,
Because after all, this curse that devours despair endlessly still exists, even after I lost contact with my energy core.
Haaah…
So many things have happened recently, I'm just exhausted.
I wonder when I'll go through Body Reconstruction, so I won't be so tired again.
"Hmm?"
Haven't I done that before?
I mean… Zero Birth is just a phase for those at the Legendary Warrior level…
But my body is far too weak to be called the body of even half a Virtue.
Training would be pointless, so I guess Body Reconstruction is the right choice…
Though it's painful.
But training…
Training!
I feel like I'm in that 'how did I forget this—did I lose my memory or something haha' state…
Well… I did lose my memories…
The memories of most of the lives I lived.
I don't know if I did that to myself instinctively, to avoid drowning in despair, or something like that…
But I've started recovering some of those memories!
〔Light Meteor〕 〔Primordial Hell〕 〔Sword-Body Union〕 〔Holy Aura〕 〔Divine Healing〕 〔Blood Devour〕 〔Gluttony〕 〔Lower Barrier〕 〔Ten Realms Technique〕 〔⬛⬛⬛〕 〔⬛⬛⬛⬛〕 〔⬛⬛⬛⚫⬛⬛〕...
Ugh…
Suddenly! They're coming back!!!
"They're baaaaaaaaaack!!!"
Could this… be what people call hope?
If so… it's not such a bad feeling after all!
"M...Master! What happened? Why are you screaming!?"
Ah, crap… I must've screamed without noticing…
"It's nothing. Go back to sleep—I'll need you tomorrow."
Alright! Let's—
[Failure… Hope is nothing but a grand failure.]
Ugh… again? What do you want from me?
What do you mean?
[Your duty is as clear as the stars…]
[Every moment, day and night, think of your path and prove it to the soul of this cursed world.]
[Your duty is to see and accept this path without futile rebellion, and to act within its sharp boundaries without pause or complaint.]
[If you do… you'll be able to walk your own path and challenge me as the only shadow in the world's grand mirror.]
That bastard..!
So you were Pride all along!!
You've been watching me all this time, huh?
You want me to walk a path prepared by your own hands?
In your dreams!
I'll admit, I'm too weak to face my own fate…
Too weak to control my own path…
I'm nothing but a filthy, arrogant, useless weakling!
But still, this weakling chose to walk the path of the weak—and face Pride with despair, you bastard!!
Thank you! I was about to fall for stupid hope and forget my weakness, but thanks to you, I remembered my duty—and my revenge!
Revenge comes first, and then it'll be your turn… and that white-haired Virtue too.
Because even with my overwhelming weakness—I always repay grudges in full.