C548
[This woman is…]
Lucas touched his face.
... Should I hide the face of "Lucas Traumen"?
But, how? I can't use illusion magic. I can distort my facial features by contracting facial muscles and bones, but that also requires a minimum preparation time.
And Min Harin has already entered the cave.
...It's too late. I can't hide it.
So, what should I say? What expression should I wear?
Unable to reach any easy conclusion, Min Harin approached closer and closer.
And then, she quietly sat in front of Lucas.
She lifted her head slightly and looked at him.
“…!”
No. It's different.
At that moment, Lucas realized.
Clearly, Min Harin didn't show "those kinds of signals" at all.
She walked confidently, sat precisely on the cushion, and lifted her head to fix her gaze on Lucas's face.
But her eyes didn't reflect Lucas's image.
Min Harin wore a patch over one eye, but in reality...
[She's blind.]
She is in a state where she can't see.
[But it's not that she can't see anything. That woman is seeing the world with a completely different view.]
'A completely different sense? Has she awakened the Eye of the Mind?'
Or perhaps, in exchange for losing her sight, her other senses have developed to an abnormal level.
[Hm. It's not such a simple concept. That woman….]
Residue hesitated for a moment.
[But, can I talk about that woman? After all, you told me not to advise you.]
"Harin isn't a magician from the Magic Tower, so it'll be fine...And instead of calling her a woman, shouldn't we call her something else?"
After all, she was once my disciple.
[You're picky.]
Residue grumbled and continued.
[The world that young woman sees is formed only by waves and souls.]
"...What do you mean?"
[You must also know about the Upper Universe.]
Lucas nodded.
The Upper Universe, a colossal universe where only the Absolutes exist, and where all beings who become Absolutes receive their basic education, roles, and missions.
[Most Absolutes don't know it, but there exists a universe with properties completely opposite to the Upper Universe.]
"...A Lower Universe?"
A rough comment came unexpectedly at the sudden statement. However, Residue simply nodded.
[That's right. You've even guessed the name.]
That attitude left him speechless. Of course, Residue wasn't one to joke around.
"...Why didn't I know such a universe existed?"
[You don't need to know. It's a place only "Transcendents who can't become Absolutes" can enter.]
"Transcendents who can't become Absolutes…."
[Yes. Those who possess the power to transcend the framework of mortals but haven't "met God." Those types are drawn like a call to the "Lower Universe."]
"And then what?"
[I don't know.]
What kind of answer is that?
[To be exact, I didn't need to know. Back then, this venerable didn't care how that universe was.]
It made sense. From Residue's perspective, who was the Lightning God, the Lower Universe was literally a stage for losers.
[What I do know is that the Lower Universe has rules different from those of a normal universe, and there you can obtain power equivalent to paying some kind of price. And the power that young woman has obtained is of that kind.]
Min Harin has undoubtedly become explosively strong in a short period. She couldn't have reached that level by normal means.
However, there are still some points I can't understand. There are so many different ways to become strong in this world.
"Is there any reason to think Min Harin went to the Lower Universe?"
[Those who have been there leave a unique trace. It's something you can't see with your naked eyes.]
"...It seems I'll have to use the power of Omniscience."
Lucas sighed and murmured to himself.
"Then, has she become so strong by giving up her sight and her arm?"
[That's all you can see, but...]
Residue muttered significantly.
[...she might have sacrificed something more than that.]
Something more than that.
Lucas's heart filled with regret.
Why?
That question reached his lips, but he held it back. It made no sense to ask Residue, and he still didn't want to reveal his true identity to Min Harin.
He turned his gaze back to her.
The images he had seen in the "Fountain of Wisdom" were heavily distorted by noise, but now that he saw her face to face, he realized that she had indeed changed a lot. It's no wonder he didn't recognize her.
Not only her hair, but also the corners of her eyes, which used to gently curve, were gone. It was hard to imagine a smile on her tightly pressed lips.
What was the last conversation they had?
Did they part on good terms?
What burden did I leave her with?
-Please, bid me farewell with a smile.
He had forced the crying girl to smile. It had been a selfish act, because he thought it was the last time. Back then, Min Jarin was young. She was immature and weak.
But now...
"Are you a wizard?"
Min Harin asked, tilting her head. Her expression was indecipherable, even to Lucas. He preferred to look into people's souls through their eyes, but it was difficult to guess her thoughts by looking into her empty eyes.
"...Yes."
Lucas responded, altering his voice. There was no need to use magic. It was enough to slightly change his tone.
"I see."
Min Harin nodded indifferently. It didn't seem like she had realized Lucas's true identity. Unless his performance was good enough to deceive her.
"It's a pleasure to meet a wizard in a place like this. Have you also come to seek the 'Hope Flower'?"
"Hope Flower?"
"Yes."
Her cold voice continued.
"It's a mystical flower that rarely blooms in a snowy meadow untouched by humans for ten thousand years."
“…”
If such a special flower exists in this field, perhaps finding it is the goal of this test.
Of course, it would be better to have heard it from the master of this floor.
"Why are you searching for the Hope Flower?"
"It's something I need for my work."
Min Harin replied indifferently and then glanced towards the cave's exit.
...she doesn't need to turn her head.
If Min Harin truly perceives her surroundings through waves and souls, her vision isn't limited to one direction but extends like a radar detecting everything around her.
[She's still pretending she can "see."]
'...'
[It's natural. She doesn't seem to feel shame or inferiority about being blind. That means she's been acting this way for so long that it's become a habit.]
The reason was easy to guess. She didn't want others to know. For instance, her other fellow disciples.
...In that sense, Min Harin remained the same.
"...Looks like the snowstorm isn't going to stop anytime soon. Seems like the 'Ice Spirit' is very angry."
Min Harin spoke again.
"Suddenly, would you mind if I close my eyes for a while? I had an exhausting job before coming here."
"...Go ahead."
"Thank you."
Min Harin responded briefly and then closed her eyes. In the blink of an eye, her breathing became regular. Apart from a slight tilt of her head, she seemed to be asleep.
Thinking about it, Min Harin seemed tired from the moment they met.
- Physical fatigue.
It seems that the inhabitants of the "Lower Universe," even after gaining a power that frees them from the mortal frame, cannot become transcendent beings. They still have to inhabit a body of flesh and bone.
It's different from Lucas, who could switch between body and transcendent being at will.
Lucas sat for a few minutes and then got up cautiously.
[Where are you going?]
"To take a look. See if I can find the Hope Flower."
[Are you going out?]
"It's okay if I don't expose myself for too long."
He would have to use some mana, but unlike the normal Void World, here it was possible to replenish it enough, so there wasn't much of a problem.
Of course, the snowstorm hadn't stopped or lessened in intensity. It even seemed to have worsened. It didn't seem to be the fault of the weather or terrain, and perhaps the "Ice Spirit" Min Harin spoke of actually existed.
"Two hours? That's how long I can endure outside."
Three hours if he pushed a bit more.
Lucas set a time limit and left the cave, wrapping his body with the skirt of his robe.
Fwooosh!
A cutting wind like blades greeted him immediately. Feeling his skin tearing, Lucas covered his face even more.
"Huuuuff..."
His exhaled breath dispersed like mist. Lucas stepped firmly through the crunching snow underfoot. In the opposite direction from where Min Harin had come.
[It's like looking for a needle in a haystack. She wouldn't have come out in this glacial cold without careful consideration, so she must have something in mind.]
"I know this snowstorm was artificially created."
[Oh.]
Lucas kept walking in a determined direction.
About 30 minutes had passed. He felt the skirt of his leather robe stiffening like a board. It felt like it would break with just a little force.
The snowstorm intensified. Sometimes, sharp, ice-like pieces scratched his body. His sight was completely white; he couldn't tell if his eyes were open or not. The snow reached his calves, and walking was like swimming in it.
[...The worst part is having to share this feeling of misery with you. Who would have thought that at the end of my life as Ruler, such a miserable journey awaited me.]
"Haha..."
Lucas forgot about the cold for a moment and chuckled. A life full of suffering, certified by the Ruler himself.
"My life is quite dynamic, indeed. Get used to it. You'll get bored in the future."
[Despite having that power, only fools like you would be suffering.]
"Isn't it a refreshing experience?"
[Not at all, shut up.]
At that moment, he began to feel the snow gradually weakening. Until a moment ago, he couldn't even see properly, but here it seemed he could loosen the edge of his tight robe a bit.
After walking a little further, the flying snow and wind disappeared completely.
"……."
The snowstorm hadn't stopped. Lucas glanced back. A few strides away, there were still gusts of snow whipping.
But this place was surprisingly quiet. It wasn't cold anymore. As if there was a thin wall between the outside and this place.
"Could the Hope Flower be here?"
Lucas murmured as he looked at the tranquil moonlit meadow.
[That doesn't seem to be the issue.]
Residue spoke with a sinking voice, and Lucas soon understood what he meant by the 'issue' he mentioned.
The white snow was speckled with blood, and in the center someone lay fallen.
[That man─]
"…"
Lucas headed there without a word. The fallen person wore a robe and was already dead. The mark was a gaping hole in the abdomen. Bones were clearly exposed, and the internal organs and blood, still warm, horrifically spilled onto the snowy field. Eyes full of pain, nails torn, and marks on the skin. He had scratched his own body as if he were mad with pain.
"...A magician from the Magic Tower."
[So, this guy is...]
"Yes. He must be the administrator of the 23rd floor."
The wind wasn't blowing. But Lucas felt one side of his chest cooling.
After a brief silence, Residue spoke.
[In that direction.]
"…"
[It's the direction that woman was walking, isn't it?]
Lucas closed his eyes.
Tags:
TGMRA (Novel)