Should he call this a gift from the ferryman?
No, that's not it.
The ferryman didn't push him into the desert, after all.
Then should he call it a gift from that sorcerer whose head he split open before he flew away?
None of it was correct.
It was coincidence and luck, but in other words, it was only possible because of the time he'd spent desperately fighting to seize opportunities.
Encrid stopped thinking and stood up.
He wanted to test something with his body, but first, he needed to get his body back to normal.
The Rebirth God, the body that is endlessly reborn, it was said. So, if he moved, it would get better.
It wasn't based on any theory, just something he felt in his gut.
At least, he wasn't in agony to the point of death anymore.
As he began eating porridge and drinking water little by little, he started feeling better.
"You shouldn't move yet."
Enri tried to stop him from the side, but Encrid shook his head.
"I think I'll be fine."
"Is it because your recovery is good, or do you have some of Frog's blood in you?"
"I've just trained my body relentlessly."
It was the truth, but to Enri, it just sounded like a joke.
It's not like he was kidding around, but who gets up after being on the brink of death from dehydration in two days, and moves around easily in three?
Well, either way, there didn't seem to be a problem.
When Encrid started rotating his arms, bending his waist, and stretching his muscles, a few of the Westerners wandering nearby recognized him.
"Is it okay to move already?"
"Seems like it."
"Of course."
All the Westerners were staying here, and there was no one left to complain about it.
Well, there had been at first, but now, there wasn't.
It was a small oasis village, one without a name. If you had to name it, maybe 'the low wall village'.
Anyway, the Western tribe had taken over this village.
It only took one fight for that to happen.
There were a few criminals from the continent and some exiled Westerners in the village.
Though there was an oasis, the village was small and even more barren than the West. They survived off the scraps the desert provided.
From one side, you could see the desert, and from the other, wasteland.
A few idiots, unable to abandon their habits, took an interest in some of the Western women and made a move.
"Hey, you know you have to pay a fee to stay here, right?"
There were guys who took over the whole oasis and formed a crime guild among themselves.
One of them, a so-called vice-guild leader, stepped forward.
Maybe the weapons the Westerners were carrying didn't look impressive, and their gaunt bodies made them seem easy prey.
Or maybe he was just an idiot.
If you live near the West, you should know how ruthless the Westerners are.
To Rem, both ignorance and insolence were capital offenses. Whether you knew or didn't, it didn't matter.
So, without a word, he swung his axe.
Encrid didn't see it, but according to Enri, it was like watching an axe fly on its own, split the opponent's head, and then return, like some kind of trick.
At that time, Encrid was still unconscious.
"You're awake?"
Just when Rem was finishing his conquest of the village, Encrid woke up for the third time.
The first thing he saw was Rem's face, and for a moment, he thought he was having a nightmare.
"Is this a nightmare?"
It was much easier to talk now, thanks to Enri's diligent care.
"Did you have a nightmare?"
Rem asked, not seeming concerned in the least.
"No."
"Then what are you saying?"
"Move your face away."
"Shit, is that what you say to the person who came to greet you?"
"Yeah."
Ayul, pulling Rem back, chimed in.
"It's not an unreasonable thing to say."
To be honest, his face wasn't that close. It was just a sign of friendliness.
Even Rem ended up chuckling.
"Did you enjoy the desert?"
"It was moderately interesting."
It wasn't a joke. He truly meant it. Wandering the desert had opened a new path for him.
Luagarne had later told him that the Four Western Spirits had gathered the Westerners here.
Dunbachel was lounging nearby, saying she didn't expect to survive.
After stretching and moving around for a few more days, the chief decided to leave, taking everyone except for Rem and Ayul.
"We must return to our original lives now, so we'll be on our way."
The chief asked for nothing, didn't demand anything, and simply left with the Westerners.
Despite their appearance of being poorly fed, their attitude remained dignified.
Growl.
As the chief's stomach rumbled, Encrid pretended not to hear it.
"Come visit us again."
Before leaving, Geom Nares came by and said,
"I'll show you some sorcery then."
"You can show me now."
"I'll spare you for the sake of your health."
For some reason, Rem seemed like the type who'd speak like Geom Nares when he grew old.
"Alright, let's do that."
"Good."
Geom Nares lightly tapped Encrid's chest with a fist.
One by one, familiar faces bid farewell and left, while Ziba was weeping profusely.
"Don't forget me, my husband."
Ziba said.
"Who's your husband?"
Luagarne retorted instantly.
"My purity belongs to you."
Then Ziba, acting as if she hadn't heard, continued, and Luagarne responded each time.
"Since when?"
"I'll never forget you. I'll come back for sure."
"Don't run away. You'll only become a monster's meal."
It felt like watching a comedic skit as the two bantered back and forth.
Encrid silently watched as most of the Westerners left.
He heard they had burned all the preserved food while searching for him, but they left without any sign of pride.
Was this some Western custom? He wasn't sure, but from Rem's words, it didn't seem like that was the case.
"They think what you did for them was bigger. Westerners take what's owed very seriously."
Encrid thought he had received more from them.
After all, there was what he had received from Rem.
Anyway, with the Westerners gone, Encrid spent half of each day practicing the Isolation Technique and the other half meditating.
In meditation, he revisited what had happened today.
Not to relive the suffering.
But to review what he had done, even when his mind had been half-gone.
It hadn't been a fight or a battle, but...
"There's something to learn from everything you see."
That's what someone once said to the prepared.
Who told him that?
He couldn't remember, but they were right.
How had he managed to take one more step when his body was completely drained of energy while walking through the desert?
He had once briefly regretted it.
Should he have pushed harder when he had the strength to speed up?
But Encrid quickly brushed off the idle thoughts and, instead of regret, focused on putting strength into his legs. That was after exhausting all of his energy.
Taking another step in a state of complete exhaustion.
How?
It was willpower. It was Will.
'Refusing is also Will.'
Moving forward is Will.
When you swing a sword, the desire to cut is Will.
A Junior-Knight uses only a part of Will. What about a Knight?
The words of Lierbart, a false Knight under Count Molsen, came to mind.
"You need to master all abilities at the level of a Knight."
That's what he believed, and he modified his body to that end. He became a chimera Knight.
But did that make him a true Knight?
No.
Then why did he make that choice?
Because he focused on what would change when he controlled Will.
Encrid didn't know Lierbart.
But he seemed to understand the desire and ambition the man had.
He wanted to become a Knight. Why was it denied to him?
He swung his sword day and night, so why wasn't it enough?
Starting with desire, falling into despair, he must have seen something different.
To the question, 'What makes a Knight different?' he had answered with strength and speed.
Will was something that allowed humans to transcend their physical limits through invisible force.
Encrid went beyond the premise of mastering all abilities at a Knight's level.
What if you imbue every action with Will?
In trying to mimic a Knight's strike, he filled his body with Will, from his toes to his fingertips.
But what's the principle behind that? Did he know? He didn't. And yet, he imitated a Knight's strike.
"Eat, sleep, and fight."
Can you fill every action with Will, from when you rise to when you sleep?
Wouldn't something change if you did?
It was a sudden thought. A conclusion he had reached while wandering the desert.
Why not start by filling the Isolation Technique with Will?
From the process of intending to move and generating Will to the actual action, there wasn't a single step that was easy.
It wasn't something he could just do right away because he wanted to.
But it didn't matter.
Taking one step at a time was what Encrid was best at.
The thread was clearly visible and within his grasp, all he had to do was keep moving forward.
But this wasn't the only thing on his plate. Rem was waiting for him as well.
"Let me know when you're ready."
He had said that things would be different once he found the sorcery.
And if he wasn't curious about how much had changed, he wouldn't be human.
"Spend more time with Ayul while you're at it."
Once he recovered, it was time to go back. Ayul would likely have to return as well.
"Don't worry about me. I'll wait patiently. But if Rem dies, let me know. I'll have to get remarried."
Rem nodded to Ayul's prayer for her husband, who was still very much alive.
"Yeah, if I die, find yourself another man. But is there anyone who fights better than me?"
Ayul's ideal type had never changed since childhood. A man with the strength to knock her out.
There probably weren't many like that among the Westerners, even if you searched high and low.
"If not, I'll just raise one."
Ayul responded casually.
That might be a Western habit.
Or maybe it was just because she was like Rem, a female version of him.
As Encrid focused on recovery, meditating and repeating the same actions, he didn't know if the method he had found was the right one.
The truth was, even if it was wrong, it wouldn't change much.
He had never known the path before and yet had walked it.
He had crawled along a path that, one day, he found himself standing and walking on, and eventually, signs began to appear along the way.
Even when there were no signs, he had still walked the path.
Encrid stayed in the oasis for another week.
In the meantime, Rem suggested forming a trading company with some of the Westerners in the area.
Thanks to that, the twins returned to the oasis.
"This oasis will dry up quickly if you use too much water. There's not much value in this land."
All there was around here was desert and wasteland, so the twins didn't see much value.
That part was where Enri stepped in to explain.
"There is value."
"What value?"
"What kind?"
The twins turned their heads simultaneously, and while others might have found it interesting, to Enri, it was a little unsettling.
They were Westerners, and they might just hurl the spears they were holding if they felt like it.
Enri had concluded, based on the experience he'd gained from wandering around, that if they succeeded in a trade route to the commercial city, they could make a lot of Krona.
Of course, things wouldn't go as smoothly as planned, but Encrid had said he would help if necessary.
Meanwhile, he had even received a valuable composite bow.
"Take it. It's yours."
Recalling the moment he received the bow, Enri continued while gripping the bow.
"We can sell lizard skins and obsidian from the desert."
"Where?"
"If we take it to the southern trading cities, we'll make a big profit."
"Where's that?"
It was a place unfamiliar to the twins, somewhere southeast of Naurillia, further down toward the southern nation next to the big river.
Encrid had only heard about it, but it seemed Enri had worked there at some point as well.
Because of monsters and beasts, long-distance trade was usually impossible on this continent, but occasionally, someone succeeded.
When the timing was right, and the situation allowed it, that's what happened.
And that's what was happening now with Enri.
Losing the jeweled fox had led to an even bigger opportunity falling into his lap.
The composite bow in his hand alone would be worth far more than the jewels on the fox's ears.
Enri calmly explained, while Encrid stretched beside him.
After resting for a week and drinking plenty of water, he finally felt strength returning to his hands.
"Rem, come out. I'll break that arrogant nose of yours."
Encrid called out to Rem kindly and gently.
Rem scratched his cheek and yawned as he came out.
"Ah, today? No crying if it hurts after getting hit, okay?"
Encrid readjusted his grip on Aker and looked ahead.
He was going to fight and see just how effective this sorcery really was.
On the surface, it looked the same as before.
For a moment, Encrid forgot that Rem was more cunning than he seemed.
And that was the problem.
Whoosh.
When the axe came flying without warning, nearly hitting him, Encrid realized it was twice as fast as Rem's previous axe strikes.
At the same time, he lifted Aker to block.
Bang.
Instead of bouncing off, the axe vibrated against Aker with a high-pitched sound, and then suddenly split into eight branches.
It was only then that Encrid saw Rem clearly. Behind him, something like a faint blue beast loomed, ready to pounce.
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