Chapter 160 - Above the Water's Surface
The growth system of wasn't much different from other RPGs, and the sa was true for the required experience points.
At lower stat ranks, the required experience was small, so growth was rapid, but upon reaching higher stat ranks, the experience requirent increased exponentially, slowing down growth. That kind of system.
That system applied to in the sa way. What would that an?
‘The more I grow, the longer the intervals between growth bearing fruit beco.’
It was a more frustrating problem than I thought. Even though I knew I was moving in the right direction, distrust would blossom within as I experienced those countless deaths.
‘Is this really the right path?’
There was no denying that the thod I was trying was working effectively. However, that was in the realm of reason.
In the realm of emotion or spirit…… I realized that such a clear fact didn't have much of an effect.
Not that I gave up, though.
[ System : deaths have been overco. ]
[ System : Strength increases to [B]! ]
That was because whenever distrust flickered in my heart as my spirit wore down, the evidence of growth was shoved in my face.
To call it by another na…… yes, sothing that could be called hope.
Despairing at the lack of progress in reality, therefore distrusting, and then seeing hope again…….
Such a ridiculous farce of distrust repeated itself.
There certainly exist enemies that you cannot win against even if you stake your entire soul and life.
That was truly a renewed thought. Doesn't this world assign a value to a life and soul from the mont of its existence's birth?
It was only natural that one born with a low value could not defeat one born with a high value.
‘It's not a statent that applies only to this world, but it's undeniable that it's harsher here.’
Offering Rain Enlight's life and soul just once is, of course, not enough to defeat the First Astros, Grændal, Salvatio, and Akmandar.
Because Rain Enlight. That is, my soul and life, did not have that much value.
Therefore, I repeatedly offered my soul and life to the world. It was sothing that couldn't and shouldn't happen⋯⋯ but who cares.
I died ten tis.
[ System : deaths have been overco. ]
I felt the pain of death a hundred tis.
[ System : deaths have been overco. ]
Even that was not enough, so the ti of my pain and death eventually exceeded a thousand tis.
[ System : deaths have been overco. ]
By the ti I surpassed a thousand regressions in this incident alone, I looked back on myself, and there were certainly remarkable achievents.
[ System : The rank of 『Combat Sense』 increases to A ! ]
『Combat Sense[A ]』
: The degree of sensory understanding of combat.
: You gain a bonus on all combat-related checks.
The first thing that caught my eye was the growth of 『Combat Sense』, which had been stagnant at A-rank.
In the case of this trait, unlike other stats that simply required accumulating experience, it demanded a ‘high level of enlightennt’ about combat for growth.
‘That's why even in the original work, it wasn't a skill raised through simple leveling, but grew each ti a certain story branch was passed.’
Looking back, that was certainly the case. Drawing out an appropriate level of power to block the enemy's attack with optimal strength, deflecting the enemy's interception with optimal movents⋯⋯.
It was a situation where the most fundantal sense of coordinating combat couldn't help but be trained.
And the stage I reached was A , just below the trait's maximum of S-rank.
I had accumulated combat experience that even renowned Senior Knights, and furthermore, Master Knights, would find hard to follow. That's how it could be interpreted.
『Origin Magic Proficiency[C ]』
: The degree to which Origin Magic is mastered.
: Currently proficient in Origin Magic at the [Senior Knight] level.
It wasn't imdiately useful, but⋯⋯ there was definite progress in visionary magic as well.
It ant that as a result of intentionally training Origin Magic by pouring all my magic into 『Space Perception』 with every death, it had beco a reasonably useful rank.
‘Or maybe⋯⋯ it was trained in the process of dying a lot like before.’
Considering that the initial trigger for obtaining Origin Magic Proficiency was the repetitive deaths from 『Overcoming Ten Thousand Deaths』, there would be an influence from that side as well.
Anyway, what I had was an ability that could be described as nothing short of transcendental.
And although there was certainly remarkable growth due to it, the goal I aid for by utilizing that ability was truly shabby.
Just to escape this situation.
That was a realistic goal. To put it differently, it was a story that in this situation, I couldn't guarantee that I could overwhelm and kill those three even if I died ten thousand tis.
I was aware of that, and so I thought.
‘Pathetic.’
That even with a stroke of heavenly luck, it was only this much, I had no way to handle the sha of my own incompetence.
Yes, it was definitely pathetic.
“I was sowhat surprised, but⋯⋯ is this all you could co up with?”
That was what Grændal had said while killing in the early stages of the regression, after I had put all my strength into a single blow.
“Hoho, did you panic? To think you'd break your own body to sohow get us off you.”
In the middle of the regression, seeing deliberately carry out unreasonable attacks to train myself, Salvatio muttered so.
“To think of deflecting them all, know your place.”
In the latter half of the regression, when I was getting used to the enemy's attack patterns, Akmandar would often send such a cold smile.
Well, it's true. It was a natural reaction from their perspective.
They were living only one life, and in that one life, my actions were contextless nonsense.
The sa as a self-destructive move that invited death.
But regardless of their justification, it could not be denied that it was a humiliating thing for .
A mocking expression as if looking at sothing pathetic.
Or an expression as if they had expectations for my level but were disappointed.
I'll admit it, watching them, I would feel a sensation as if my insides were twisting.
Perhaps those sensations were what pushed to survive.
Disbelief, misery, contempt.
The over one thousand regressions were riddled with negative emotions.
『Iron Will[S]』
: The owner of a strong ntality.
: You receive a bonus to resistance to ntal abnormalities and pain tolerance.
‘If this trait didn't exist, I might have gone mad long ago.’
But even amidst such negative emotions, there was still no great progress to be seen.
Even though I knew their patterns of action, even though I had raised my stats by repeating a thousand tis, I was still struggling to even buy a few minutes of ti against them.
I knew there was progress, but weren't there still countless deaths left?
[ System : deaths have been overco. ]
Living my 1,493rd life, I was still lost in such thoughts.
Just how much value did my efforts have, I wondered.
Do you know the saying ‘effort never betrays you’? That saying is certainly true. It's just a cheapskate.
Because of that, effort often feels like it betrays people. It's because it's virtually impossible for soone without talent to break through a situation or beco surprisingly strong with a moderate amount of effort.
But.
Sotis, it happens.
The debris of effort, which seed to be scattered on the floor as if not properly accumulated at all, piles up, and piles up again⋯⋯.
A ti when, without you even realizing it, that achievent bursts forth.
***
Clang-!
Until I t Grændal's sword strike with my own and prepared for the subsequent deflection, it was the sa as usual.
A blow of the sa level as before had entered , and the stamina consud was also of that extent.
It was just that so stray thoughts remained in my head, that was all.
‘Why am I repeating this damn thing?’
A question that I had thought about for over a thousand deaths but couldn't find an answer to.
Therefore, a question I had neatly folded away sowhere deep in my mind. It was slowly starting to surface again.
The answer to that almost unconscious question was, naturally, unknowable.
Swish-!
Then, before Grændal could use a trick to deflect my sword, I deflected the clashed sword first.
As I always had.
I say it so calmly, but I was deflecting it much more smoothly than a few hundred tis ago.
And at the sa ti, the scene progressed.
Fwaat-!
Ah, it's the sa scene.
The scene where I make Grændal readjust his posture, taking him out of the front line for just a few seconds, and then Akmandar's magic arrows co flying.
Those dozens of magic arrows, in the shape of eagles, were still blocking my path forward.
It ant that even after hundreds of battles, I just couldn't properly deflect that barrage.
In that situation, there were two options.
Either Salvatio would charge in during that opening and crush .
Or if I moved toward Grændal on the opposite side to avoid him, Grændal, who was now closer, would quickly regain his stance and stab to death before I could finish dealing with the arrows.
Well.
The point was that I had to deal with these magic arrows cleanly.
Although their ever-changing trajectories were still not properly captured by my eyes.
Shhhk-!
The magic arrows floating in the air begin to fly at .
And.
Unlike before. I start to feel like ti is flowing a little slower.
‘Ah.’
It was a realization.
A realization that sothing had changed from before.
No, was the expression wrong? Perhaps it was just that what I had built up until now was finally starting to be felt.
And, at the sa ti as I saw through the trajectory of those flying arrows⋯⋯ I thought.
An unsatisfactory answer to the question I hadn't been able to answer until now.
The deaths so far were like grabbing my head and pushing it under the water's surface.
The world that had bestowed those deaths upon made feel my spirit and even my will to live grow faint, and wanted to give up.
Through disbelief, contempt, misery, and pain.
But looking back now, it was like that.
‘Were all those things that tried to drown , actually what kept alive?’
My mind felt clear.
The path forward was also clearly visible.
If so, what was left?
“⋯⋯Shall we go and end this.”
It was ti to raise my head above the water's surface.
Well.
That was the story.
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