NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11
Angela left behind a string of unintelligible words before collapsing again.
But this isn’t the most pressing issue, so I’ll set it aside for now.
‘Let’s head down towards where the water flows.’
They said in a YouTube video I watched that if you get lost in the mountains, you should follow the water’s edge down.
It’s not perfect, but it’s better than just randomly jumping around.
The stream that had been my bathing and dishwashing spot for a few months has now become my guide.
“Phew…!”
As I distanced myself from the Sara sisters, the magical orb disappeared on its own.
It seemed like it was a device utilizing one of their spells.
Tap-tap-tap!
I squeezed every last drop of energy from my body and pushed “Wind Wave” to its max, but even that was nearing its limit.
After all, it’s close to impossible to perform a technique I just learned without a proper foundation.
With the unique talent of the “Heavenly Martial Body,” I could pull off these tricks with just my sword.
“Ugh!”
A feeling similar to hunger surged through my empty dantian.
The chi gained from breathing was ridiculously insufficient compared to how much I was using.
Grrr…
Once I drained all the energy needed to maintain my sword techniques, the aura of “Wind Wave” that enveloped me faded away.
‘I still haven’t gotten out of the mountains yet…!’
This is… a variable.
The mountainous terrain was far more treacherous and complex than I’d anticipated, consuming far more chi than expected.
‘If I keep going down slowly like this, I’ll definitely be caught.’
The Sara sisters likely had tracking spells.
Without the speed of “Wind Wave,” they would catch up to me before today turns into tomorrow.
Yet, I can’t afford to accumulate chi by just breathing in.
‘I need to accumulate chi quickly.’
But how?
Even with a genius’s body, suddenly realizing a top-tier technique and using it to refill my empty dantian in just a few minutes is impossible.
“Hmm….”
At that moment, I noticed the face of the girl in my arms, writhing in pain.
“…Just a moment.”
Angela’s setup popped into my mind.
The pain she was experiencing now was due to an excessive amount of chi stacking up in her dantian.
‘What if I could transfer Angela’s chi to my dantian?’
This was a concept that didn’t even exist in the game.
In the Valdeon Saga, there were no skills to absorb another character’s chi.
But there were skills of a similar nature.
“Bloodsucking”
A hereditary skill of the vampire race.
It operates on a simple mechanism of absorbing the opponent’s vitality, yet boasts extraordinary usefulness and potency.
Starting a round as a vampire was so easy that it was almost boring.
“Let’s give it a shot.”
Instead of just sitting here, getting robbed by some large fish, isn’t it better to do something?
I laid Angela on the ground and placed my hand on her lower abdomen.
‘I can feel it.’
A sensation I wouldn’t have known before opening my dantian was now flowing through me.
Whooooosh—!
The furious flow of chi rampaged within Angela’s tiny dantian.
Looking at it this way, bringing it into mine seemed even more daunting.
‘Well, let’s just try it anyway.’
Everything is determined by resolve.
I gathered my final reserves of energy and sent it through my hand.
Like a plant setting roots, I aimed to connect my chi to her inside.
-Snick!
‘I’ve made contact.’
The roots of chi touched her lower dantian.
If I could guide the flow of chi into me from here, it would be the end…
Hisssss!
Of course, it wouldn’t go smoothly.
“Gah!”
What was supposed to be a root for absorbing chi instead attempted to suck in my energy.
Her dantian was undulating like a black hole, devouring all power without regard for quantity.
“Cough… ugh….”
Drip—
A trickle of blood flowed from my nose.
As I held out against her raging chi, my mental strength was being mercilessly chipped away.
“Ugh… Aaaah… Ugh…!”
With her eyes closed, Angela thrashed around.
With her upper dantian wide open, she instinctively tried to accept chi regardless of her will.
The division of dantian into three sections and the gradual opening based on levels was essentially a measure of one’s ability to handle that amount of chi.
Now, she was like a newborn attempting to drive a sports car.
“Ugh! It hurts…! It hurts…!”
‘Damn, I’m in pain too…!’
To stop a wildly racing sports car, what must be done?
‘Calming the child inside would work.’
Though I’m not sure if a baby can calm down while racing in a car.
At least Angela is right here within my reach.
I extended my other hand and gently stroked her hair.
“Hang in there… It will be okay…”
“Ugh… Huuuh….”
“You’re doing great….”
As I pulled her small body tighter, her trembling gradually diminished.
‘I’ve pursued Angela countless times, after all.’
What she likes—actions, skinship, food, words.
I’ve memorized every single detail.
“Ugh….”
Slowly, Angela began to regain her composure.
With that, her chi began to stabilize little by little.
‘Got it.’
This was the perfect opportunity.
Now, to pull chi towards me…!
-Hmm, seems like my skills were lacking. I appreciate that you thought of me in this crisis.
At that moment, a dignified voice resonated within my soul.
-I consider myself one who has benefited greatly from you.
-Others might be furious, but…
-This one time, I will offer my aid.
Who are you, speaking to my interior like this…?
-Focus.
I felt an intangible energy over my hand.
It felt like a ghostly hand was resting on it—something transparent and pale was placed there.
-Absorbing something isn’t solely a matter of coercion.
-It’s about making them willingly come to you.
The roots of magic dug even deeper.
I worried about what would happen if the energy I had managed to temporarily suppress became wild again.
Gulp! Gulp!
Angela’s chi began to rise through the roots.
“Oh?!”
-That should be enough. You are wise.
Though the voice faded, the absorption process continued.
My dantian was heating up, rapidly filling with chi.
‘Wow, the speed is insane.’
At this rate, I was gathering chi faster than peak techniques would allow.
After all, it’s quicker to move what’s already full rather than filter and accumulate chi mixed with dust in the air.
“Hmm….”
Is it because I absorbed chi for her?
Angela’s expression, once twisted in pain, has now softened considerably.
“Done.”
I only pulled back the roots after thoroughly filling myself with chi.
“Ah….”
Ignoring the sound of me withdrawing, I quickly organized the filled chi and smiled contentedly.
“Thus, I can acquire such quality chi so quickly.”
If I had obtained this in the game, I’d be in utter disbelief.
Although there’s the downside of needing a target to absorb from, it becomes insignificant with how excellent it is overall.
“Who was that voice…?”
I’d never heard a voice like that before.
It had the tone of a distinguished, classy middle-aged man, but based on what was said or done, he seemed to harbor goodwill towards me.
“…I don’t know.”
No matter how much I thought, no one seemed to come to mind.
But now wasn’t the time for that.
“This time, I’ll descend all at once!”
Having filled my chi, it was now time to operate “Wind Wave” again.
Grrrr!
As I raised my chi, an unexpected message flashed before my eyes.
[You have gained enlightenment due to “Unusual Talent.”]
[“Blessing of Growth” accelerates your growth based on this enlightenment.]
[You have acquired “Star Absorption Technique.”]
‘The Star Absorption Technique, huh?’
I never thought there would be a skill I didn’t even know about.
With a smirk on my face, I sprung into action.
“Now this is fun.”
*
“This… What the hell is happening…?”
A report came in.
Two suspicious individuals believed to be the culprits were seen exiting the mountains.
A clear failure of the escort mission.
This incident would certainly deal a heavy blow to the image of the Guardian Knights.
However, such trivial things held little importance to Ornika.
“C-Captain…?”
Erina’s eyes trembled violently at the sight of ‘it’.
“……”
Corin couldn’t utter a word.
“Grrrr…! Those bastards!!!”
Gale’s voice exploded without end.
This was the camp where the Third Brigade had stayed.
It was a precious space that held traces of times shared together with Alben.
Yet now,
It had transformed into a nightmare.
An atrocious vision one wouldn’t want to face.
Every tent was torn to shreds, and blood was thickly smeared all around.
The hot pot we intended to share was spilled on the ground, having grown cold.
“Ah….”
Ornika’s eyes dimmed.
While she could almost predict what had happened here, she wanted to deny it.
‘No… It can’t be….’
The kidnappers who took the princess had passed through this very place.
Whether there was a magician among the criminals, the security spells they’d set up nearby had been disabled.
‘No… No….’
They must have encountered Alben, who was waiting for them at the camp.
And eliminated any witnesses.
Then, they took away Alben’s body.
‘No… It can’t be true….’
The corpse of a half-elf would be traded at high prices in the black market.
As a plaything for those with eccentric tastes.
‘No… No way.’
-Oh! You’re all back?
-How was the meal? I’m glad it suited your taste.
-Thank you for rescuing me.
What rises from the depths of my soul is unmistakably,
No, it is certainly,
So heavy that I cannot bear it.
‘No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.’
It was ‘despair.’