Chapter 212 : Chapter 212
Chapter 212 - Tornava Continent (13)
I could not quite think of what would emerge from that portal.
There was almost no chance it would be a monster.
Even the highest-ranking species would not be a match for me in terms of sheer class, and the Abyss would know that.
I had already confirmed that my strength easily surpassed a Hatchling after facing Rosie several times; it was also highly unlikely a Dragon would be summoned from that portal right now.
'Appropriate measures, huh.'
The message from the Abyss clearly stated that appropriate measures were needed to protect the law of causality.
This meant it would not send a pushover to face me.
If it was not a monster or a Dragon, what else could there be?
A human from another dimension? Or an exotic race? Of course, there might be experts I do not know in the countless dimensions that exist in the world, but the Abyss would not recklessly summon a resident of another dimension here.
'What on earth could it be?'
CRACKLE!
At that moment, the portal emitted sparks and the surroundings flashed brightly. The being that appeared before me looked in a way that surpassed all the predictions I had made.
It was a face more familiar than my own, which I see every day. It was also the being I knew best in the world. Shimmering blonde hair and indifferent blue eyes. In his right hand, he held a famous sword that seemed capable of pacifying the entire world.
The absolute ruler of Kalia, Johan Raven. The being that appeared before me was my very own past life.
"A doppelgänger?"
Since it could not possibly be the real, living Johan Raven, it had to be a doppelgänger. It was a harmony that was entirely possible for the Abyss. After all, a doppelgänger of myself, Seo Ji-han, had already appeared in Elysion's Castle.
"It is my appearance from just before I died to the Red Dragon."
I could feel the power of those days from the Johan in front of me. The fiend nodded.
"This will not be an easy fight."
"I agree."
Johan would also be looking at my current self and gauging the power I possessed.
Although I had not fully recovered all my past strength, Johan would not underestimate me.
I, too, was another Johan Raven, gifted with talent from the heavens.
[The quest has been changed to protect the law of causality.]
[Defeat the doppelgänger of Johan Raven.]
Protection of the law of causality... I did not know what those damn words meant, but this was the first time I had seen the Abyss make such an unreasonable move.
"Raise your sword."
Johan's solemn voice. My entire body's senses seemed to tingle at that familiar tone. It was a feeling I had not felt since facing the Dragon. Even when I was reincarnated as Seo Ji-han and had a pathetic body, I had never felt this level of tight tension in front of someone. Even if I lacked power, I never lost my mental sense of superiority.
My friend! It is no different now!
Reading my mind, the Holy Sword reminded me of a fact. It was no different now. Although I had lost my past power, I was reincarnated with my spirit fully intact, and I had accumulated new enlightenments in my new life. There was no reason for me to be inferior in terms of mental class. In fact, my current self would be higher by at least a paper's thickness.
I looked at Johan and lifted Bastian. Then, without hesitation, he unleashed his first move.
BANG!
Sword and sword collided. I was Johan, and Johan was another me. We could see through each other's minds. If I looked two moves ahead, Johan would prepare three moves ahead, and vice versa. Ultimately, it meant this was not a fight that would end in one or two exchanges.
BANG!
Our reading of each other's moves continued even as the space vibrated violently. In fact, if a clash of strength and power continued, it was already determined which side would be at a disadvantage.
My hardware was still clearly different. Since both Johan and I knew that, Johan's sword began to become a bit more aggressive. Of course, I also moved forward, managing my strength to ensure I did not fall into a defensive posture against him.
BANG!
Johan would also vaguely know. That my spirit was a tiny bit higher than his. I also had to keep in mind that Johan was fighting while calculating even that. Fighting myself was an incredibly difficult task.
CRACKLE!
BOOM!
As massive amounts of mana collided with each other, both of us were pushed back by the repulsive force, and the distance between us widened. I summoned my daggers at the same time.
SWISH!
SWISH!
SWISH!
Three daggers flew in succession. The three intense straight lines suddenly began to draw a chaotic and ever-changing sword path. Johan stood upright, watching the trajectories of the three flying blades. He took the three meteor showers head-on.
BOOM!
Johan stood there loftily, with only a single drop of sweat falling.
"Your style has changed a bit."
I nodded at his words.
"Because I was reborn in a new place with a new body."
"Interesting."
"It is."
I looked at Johan and smiled. Instantly, his holy sword was surrounded by mana. My spirit also tightened as he looked ready to make a decisive move.
"Already?"
I knew well the meaning when Johan revealed that aura. It meant a strike of a real sword without any variations would be unleashed. It was a will to skip the word-play-like reading of moves, where one counters a move by aiming for a reversal, and then prepares for a reversal of that reversal.
"Sometimes simplicity is the most certain way."
This must be calculated confidence. He had found a reason to be certain of his own victory. Since the opponent before me was none other than Johan, I could not help but be tense.
SWISH!
Finally, Johan lunged forward, throwing his decisive move.
My friend! What do you plan to do!
I also could not promise a next move in this situation.
It was about unleashing the best move that Johan had failed to calculate.
I had also established my own formula for victory.
Fear of the opponent is something that eats away at oneself.
I cleared my mind and put only pure mana into my sword.
And at that moment, the Monkey tribe's holy item, the Bracelet of Dynamis, resonated.
'This is...?'
This holy item, which had been treated as a bluff even among the Monkey tribe, emitted a mysterious power and enveloped my entire body.
I felt my mind clear and a cluster of light form in my head.
Originally, this holy item was known to draw out the wearer's potential.
I could not know if such a harmony had truly occurred, but the momentary flash gave me one certainty: that I had finally surpassed my past self.
And my best move was unleashed.
SWOOSH!!
[You have defeated the doppelgänger of Johan Raven.]
[You have cleared the quest.]
[The law of causality is twisted once more.]
[You have obtained the 'Map of Causalitas.']
An unexpected development. The journey in Tornava ended in an unforeseen situation. I only hoped that Heo Jeong-ah and the old man, Heo Gyeong-woo, could safely return to Earth.
***
Surpassing my past self. I thought it would not be a matter of the distant future, but it became a reality sooner than expected. This was the greatest achievement I gained in Tornava.
My friend! You have finally reached a level where you are useful!
The fact that the map to the Red Dragon Devrias's nest had become much clearer was also a great achievement of this journey.
"The time is drawing near."
My friend! Not yet! Do you want to become a pile of ash once again!
Of course, I knew better than anyone, even if the Holy Sword did not say it. But I was now one step away from the pinnacle of the sword. That one step could be taken this very day, or it could be something that remains unachieved even after a hundred years. And the final achievement in Tornava was the Map of Causalitas.
The Abyss did not provide a detailed explanation of this map, but there was one fact I could guess: there was a high chance that the place in this map was related to the twisted law of causality of the Abyss. I should confirm this with Rosie. She was a Hatchling who had become increasingly useful lately.
"It has been a while, Rosie."
As always, she was engrossed in gourmet food. Today it was spicy braised chicken. Rosie greeted me while even mixing rice with the sauce.
"Unit Leader Ji-han, you have become stronger."
As expected, the Hatchling's eyes were sharp. She noticed it immediately. She continued speaking while scraping the fried rice.
"I wouldn't even be a match for Unit Leader Ji-han anymore."
I was sorry, but that had been the case even before I went to Tornava.
"Then what about a Dragon?"
"Don't underestimate a Dragon. The years they have lived are fundamentally different."
Rosie's evaluation was not much different from Bastian's. But I did not seek out Rosie today to have my level of strength confirmed.
"I came because I have something to ask, Rosie."
"Unit Leader Ji-han, you know you're using me too much lately, right?"
"I buy you dessert instead."
"Mint chocolate alone won't be enough today."
"I understand. I'll throw in milk caramel along with the mint chocolate."
Only then did Rosie show a satisfied smile.
"The law of causality that the Abyss speaks of. What is it? I heard it is currently twisted."
"I knew it was something like that!"
"Explain it. It seems Earthlings enter the Abyss but cannot return because of that."
And because I cleared the quest in Tornava, the law of causality had become even more twisted. If this is not resolved, the connection between Earth and the Abyss will be completely severed.
"The reason the Abyss's law of causality is twisted is probably because someone has been running around using cheat keys."
"Cheat keys?"
"The Abyss likely has an appropriate line set for each quest. It is the idea that challengers must undergo trials befitting the difficulty of the quest. But if someone goes around breaking all those laws while using cheat keys, the Abyss has every right to be angry."
"Does the law of causality being twisted have that kind of meaning?"
"Cheat keys are dishonest things."
I had never heard of anyone using such things.
"Hmm."
"So perhaps the Abyss decided to just freeze all quests so that no one can clear them?"
The intervention of the will of the Abyss was a fact. In Tornava, it ensured that Earthlings could not remember their quests through the Rabbit tribe. It was highly likely it played similar tricks in other dimensions according to their respective circumstances.
"Then the most certain way would be to find the fiend who uses those cheat keys."
"I suspect that might be you, Unit Leader Ji-han."
"Me?"
"Yes. I don't know the whole journey you've had in the Abyss, but I can roughly guess. You must have gone around doing things that exceeded the Abyss's calculations."
"But it is not like I used cheat keys."
"I don't know. I don't know everything about you. In fact, when I first saw you, I almost thought you were a Hatchling."
At that moment, a thought occurred to me.
'Surely not reincarnation?'
If the Abyss regarded reincarnation as a cheat key, I would have nothing to say.
This was clearly not a normal situation.
If the law of causality of the Abyss was twisted because of me and other Earthlings were unable to return, I had no choice but to resolve it myself.
The Map of Causalitas I received as a reward this time might be the key to unravelling this situation.
The Abyss was a place that always provided a solution.