A Special Title!
Even though it felt like Seol was now collecting titles whenever he breathed, it still felt amazing whenever he acquired a Special Title or an Inaugural Title.
[[Title: Foolhardy]
Related Achievent: Well Cheer for You (Adventure: Labyrinth of Penance)
Bonus Effect: Your odds of being poisoned are slightly reduced.]
[[Special Title: Gifted]
Related Achievent: Effort Is a Talent Too (Adventure: Labyrinth of Penance)
Bonus Effect: The rate at which your Talent's proficiency increases during study or practice is improved. Additionally, the rate you are inspired is increased.]
Its a title related to Talents.
Seol had two Talents. The first was Monster Cooking, which advanced from Cooking, and Insight.
I was thinking Insight would advance soon too this will help it out.
Based on how Seol received a ssage that Insights proficiency was greatly increased previously, it was likely that Insights advancent would happen soon as well.
And this title would reduce the ti Seol needed to get there.
- Finally
- I thought itd take 3 days at the most, but I guess it really is a deep study.
- It would have went a lot faster if they didnt knock out every ti LOL
- Fainting is just a part of the curriculum
Even so has it been two months already?
It was nearing the three-month point since Seol entered the Labyrinth of Penance. However, he had spent over two months in just the Penance of Patience.
Ive searched a large area around here, but I wasnt able to find any door.
There wasnt a specific, concrete thod to escape the Penance of Patience. Even the Blood Saint wandered around for a while before stepping through a door that suddenly appeared.
Seol slowly started to beco impatient.
[Your ntal Contamination has reached 70.]
That was the ssage that appeared not too long ago.
If it gets delayed any further it could be dangerous.
The next day, Seol approached Toki to receive his council.
So Toki.
Hey, it looks like we have to move our base.
...Huh?
Surprisingly, the first to bring this up was Toki.
"Isn't it slowly approaching the ti... when you have to find the door now?"
......
Lets go then. It didnt seem like the door was anywhere near here. You havent found anything around here, right?
I havent.
Seol had forgotten it.
Toki, too, had co in here as a flagellant.
He needs to find the door as well.
Seol had been searching for the door for two months, but Toki had been searching for it for ten years.
Seol had been forgetting that fact.
Toki smiled wide and spoke to Seol once more.
Lets go find the door.
Since then, Seol wandered the desert with Toki and Chubs.
Fwiiiiiii!
Urgh
Sand continued to enter Seols mouth despite his efforts to cover it.
He had to conserve the water he had barely managed to scrape together.
Even though Seol was sowhat able to solve his hunger, he wasn't satisfied rely because his stomach was full.
Tokis beard had grown to the point that it was practically a bush, and Seol had grown a beard as well.
Fwooosh
Particles of sand clung to their beards.
Haah Haaah
They had been wandering for ten days.
To begin with, they hadnt found the door yet.
Despite that, Toki didnt lose his smile.
Toki remained positive even when Seol, soone who was a bit emotionally detached, struggled.
What about here? We could set our base here for now and resu our search.
...Alright.
Cheer up. At least we dont have to starve anymore, right?
Toki flashed his missing teeth.
Still, Tokis smile was more than enough to wash away Seols pessimistic attitude.
Toki truly was a special person.
He was also soone Seol loved dearly.
This sentint remained true even now, of course.
Seol didnt know how to describe him. Toki was soone who had separated himself from the world and only kept happiness by his side while pushing down his pains.
Even though it seed impossible for soone like that to actually exist, Toki was proof they really did, in fact, exist.
Each night, Toki would say the sa thing to Seol.
I pray that God grants you a pleasant dream.
The reason Seols ntal Contamination did not surpass 70, despite spending over three months here, was likely because he was in there with Toki.
He wasnt lonely.
It was manageable.
As long as he was with Toki.
Smile
Whenever he saw Tokis smile, he was reminded he wasnt alone in this painful desert.
Their days together continued.
Whenever it was bright out, he wandered with Toki.
So, what Im trying to say is that effort wont solve anything, but you shouldnt make conclusions without putting the effort in first. Those without tenacity are pessimistic
Its the fifth ti.
Huh? What is?
Your fifth ti bringing this up.
Hahaha! That still isnt enough!
- Stop Please stop
- I got it! So hes the real boss!
- Gotcha bitch!
Like that, Toki and Seol enjoyed such talks during the day, and
Dash!
Ffft!
Your waist is open!
Urgh!
Fwooosh!
Your legs arent sturdy enough!
Baaaam!
Ah! Sorry!
Seol was tossed into a pile of sand. He spat out sand while dusting himself off and standing up.
I have a bit of sand in my mouth, but Im alright.
Are you upset?
Again!
Haha! Youth really is the best! I love that energy!
Seol wasnt just surprised by Tokis heart.
Baaam!
Urgh
Haha, its just because you lack experience. Your movents arent bad.
Every night, before dinner, Seol and Toki sparred to improve their skills.
Seol's Shadow Summon might have been sealed, but since he could still transform into an experienced fighter when he entered the Night Crow form, a monk made for quite a nice sparring partner.
However
Baaam.
Krrgh
W-Was that one too strong?
Bwrgh
Seol fell to the sand and began vomiting.
Hes way too strong.
Toki was powerful.
This was the true form of Toki, the Unseemly.
Toki, despite being a monk, had nearly zero divine power, and his thod of praying was always different. He did whatever he pleased.
He was clearly a shoddy monk, but the strength that he had accumulated wasnt a lie.
Well he did eat food made from monsters for over a decade his stats must be monstrous too.
Toki was strong originally as well, but he was even stronger now.
How could you throw sand into my eyes like that?
Oh, Im so sorry Should I wait for you to transform as well?
......
- Hes not wrong LOL
- I an you gotta wait for them to transform, right? LOL
- FOR SUUUUUURE
Theres nothing unfair in life.
I never said it was unfair.
Ah, really?
- He knew it himself too LOL
- He admitted it haha
Seol clenched his teeth and shouted again.
Again!
Haha, nice tenacity!
Bam!
Baaam!
Their sparring sessions were a significant help in overcoming the boredom that faced them wandering the desert.
Tokis small teachings helped Seol fill what he was lacking.
One day, Toki suddenly said sothing to Seol.
Let pass down to you my secret skill.
Secret skill?
Watch carefully and learn.
Dash!
Toki sprinted across the sands and weirdly punched the air before gesturing like he clenched sothing.
Now! Attack him!
...What? What are you
Huh?! This is why kids like you need to know how to read the room
Toki then began explaining.
Now, this is a secret skill called Mob Beating...
- Hes just jumping a dude LMFAOOOO
- Hes ganging up on soone LOLLL
- I cant believe he talks about it like a secret skill hahaha
- Toki pulled a Toki haha
- Isnt this just being like, Ill grab him, you hit him!? If its a 17 vs 1, this is what the 17 would naturally do.
- This is too embarrassing to even call a skill HAHAHA
* * *
Seol showed his disappointnt and asked Toki a question.
Is that all?
However, it was Toki who felt more disappointed, not Seol.
Why is it weird? Or are the motions embarrassing?
- Dont be sad!
- You did nothing wrong, Toki!
- Fucking Snowman! Hurry up and learn it!
Seol shook his head.
Not at all. I was just so interested in it that
Haha! I knew youd recognize the point of interest in this. This secret skill isnt used to overwhelm soone when you outnumber soone. That would be too unfair, right?
- What? He knew it too?
- Tokis capable of self-reflection.
"This skill is used by the weak to fight the strong. Now! Follow along. This is Mob Beating.
...this is Mob Beating.
No, I was talking about the movents!
Like a ground move from MMA, Toki put his arms through Seols armpits and clasped them together behind his head.
You can only call yourself a true fight once you are capable of this.
Ah
The weird movents in the beginning are to take away their sight and to get closer. They will 100% notice it if you approach them from behind, especially if they are soone whos strong.
Do I really need to learn this?
You learned the other skills really well. Do you not like this one?
Its not that It just seems like its not useful if only I know this skill
No, you have the completely wrong idea! This skills point, surprisingly, is the person attacking, not the person holding the target.
Seol was surprised by it.
How so?
The attacker must strike imdiately for the one restraining the target to avoid being attacked. Keep that in mind. Drill this into your head! You have to pour out everything when that small opening is created. That's why it's a secret skill. So, um
- Im dropping this course.
- I can feel my course fees crying.
- Can yall see this? This is why college is a scam!
There were so teachings that Seol didnt understand, like that one, but he still learned a lot through their spars.
Dash!
Bam!
In the beginning, Seol had a lot of unnecessary movents in his fighting style. However, now, he moved like an experienced fighter in the backstreets.
The problem was that his movents were now too much like it.
As Seol absorbed Tokis monts and worked on their teamwork, he received a ssage.
[Superb teaching has elevated you to another level.]
[Awakening! You awaken a new skill.]
[You awaken Passive: Debauchee's Movents.]
- Superb teaching SHEEESH
- Haha! Its a success! Youve beco a great debauchee! Now, lets go roll dice!
- Even the system admits that it looks bad LOL
As night ca over the desert, the two went to sleep.
Toki used to have minimal sleeping habits, allowing Seol to enjoy restful nights.
However, as their search for the door continued, Toki's sleeping habits worsened, eventually reaching a point where they started to disrupt Seol's sleep.
...Wh-why should I Why?!
...Toki?
Why should I here!
Toki!
Seol ran toward Toki, who was breathing heavily, and shook him awake.
Krah!
Toki woke up, letting out a loud shout.
Haah Haaah Th-thank you.
Were you having a nightmare?
...Its a dream I have often.
Crackle
Crackle
They struggled to fall back asleep after waking up in the middle of the night.
As a result, the two of them sat by the campfire to warm their bodies.
Seol broke the silence.
What kind of dreams were you having?
...Are you curious?
I am.
Toki thought for a mont before speaking.
Have you ever thought that the fate given to you was cruel?
The fate given to is cruel.
Seol was also a victim of fate.
It isnt every day that you fall from the heavens and get wrapped up in a strange plot.
Like Ive said before, I did not co from the best ho.
Yeah.
Still, even soone like had a dream. I wanted to be an excellent monk, spreading peace and guiding those evil to good through faith. Perhaps, in those days, I believed that becoming a monk was the route to redemption despite my troubled origins.
......
That was probably the first ti that I felt fate was cruel. One day, a priest ca to . He told that he didnt even feel an ounce of divine power from . He doubted if it would even ever sprout.
I see.
Could you imagine how much I despaired? Especially since I believed that a fist without faith was simple violence ah, theres a funny story about that too. The priest who told that was caught visiting brothels with the money the people donated to the church. And because of that, he was beaten to death by the believers.
Toki sighed.
Yeah, even though he died like that the priest's words were right. I had nothing. Not mana, not divine power, not even athleticism.
Still, now youre
"I've managed to refine my body to this extent through my faith, but... this is my limit. Others are going forth into the world to make it better, but Im Im still here. I wonder how unsightly my struggles were to them.
Toki sprinted with all his might, his gaze fixed solely ahead. However, to those ahead of him it would have appeared nothing more than child's play.
Toki, the Unseemly. Thats what they called . Do you think Im unseemly too?
...Not at all.
I lost track of what I was talking about. We were talking about how cruel fate was, right? Yeah
Toki looked like he was in pain.
When I first entered the Labyrinth of Penance and was put to the Penance of Patience, I had guts. I was young, and I had a strong body. I believed I would overco this trial easily and go save the world. Even though I was soone who couldnt even save myself.
Seol had montarily forgotten about it, but Toki had spent years here. Despite his prolonged effort, he had yet to find the door.
Toki kept moving his mouth, but the words didnt co out.
He simply swallowed it over and over.
Until
He said sothing Seol didnt expect at all.
To tell you the truth Im already dead.
...What?
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