Chapter 214
The world outside the dimension is serene yet intense.
Serene and intense.
The coexistence of these two words is highly contradictory, yet no expression was more fitting to describe the scene before Edel’s eyes.
Only the occasional streak of light piercing the dark night sky left a faint afterglow.
The pitch-black curtain spread before Edel was calm, like a deep and vast ocean.
However, one would soon realize upon stepping into the sea, drawn by its serenity, that appearances are deceiving.
Beneath the seemingly tranquil surface, razor-sharp whirlpools churn violently.
And the price of glimpsing the secret would be a shredded body.
Ignorance leads to the worst mistakes.
“…Cough.”
But Edel was far from ignorant.
She was acutely aware of the danger posed by the pitch-black curtain before her.
After all, no one naive enough to believe only what they see could have made it this far.
Crossing the wall and stepping outside the world was not as simple as opening a door—it was on an entirely different dimension.
“Phew.”
Having done this once before, why not do it twice?
Stepping into the maelstrom was undoubtedly dangerous, but Edel had no other choice.
She couldn’t just sit idle and become prey for the ones pursuing her.
“…I must go back.”
For the sake of revenge, she couldn’t stop here.
“Go to hell.”
Edel raised her middle finger at the Dimensional Creature, which had crept up behind her.
Woosh—
Without hesitation, she leaped into the torrent.
A few days later, after being engrossed in comic books…
Though I was still holding onto a comic book, the setting around me had changed.
This time, I wasn’t at Da-eun’s house but at Yuki’s gym.
Da-eun, who had been flipping through comic books, suddenly approached me with an open one in her hands.
“How about this? It’s a technique where you focus strength in your index finger to pierce a target. If you master it, you can even use other parts of your body.”
“Like this?”
Thunk!
“…Oh.”
A small, clean hole appeared in a brick, so neat it didn’t even leave any dust behind.
Da-eun froze in place, still holding the comic book.
“…You knew about this?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Then how did you replicate it so easily?”
“Hmm…”
How should I explain this?
After a moment’s thought, I opened my mouth.
“I didn’t replicate it exactly.”
“Huh? But…”
“Just because the outcome is the same doesn’t mean the process is identical.”
Imagine a box containing ten chocolates. Eating all ten by myself and sharing five with Da-eun before eating the rest are two different processes, even though both end with an empty box.
“That’s a unique analogy… But I get it. So you just imitated it well enough to look similar?”
“Yeah.”
Honestly, such things were possible without using any special technique.
Would you really need a technique just to poke a hole in a brick?
…Though, I did wonder where Da-eun kept getting these bricks from.
I tilted my head in curiosity.
“I wonder what kind of technique Kana wouldn’t be able to replicate…”
Da-eun propped her chin on her hand and muttered in a serious tone.
I couldn’t help but react with exasperation.
“…Isn’t your objective shifting?”
While she had ulterior motives, her stated purpose was to help with my training.
But judging by her words, it felt more like she was testing how far I could go.
Da-eun shamelessly replied.
“It wouldn’t be proper training if you could easily replicate everything. Since you’ve done everything I’ve mentioned so far with ease, it makes sense to look for harder challenges, doesn’t it?”
“Hmm.”
…She wasn’t wrong, but why did it feel like sophistry?
The answer was obvious.
Why? Because it was Da-eun, of course.
Afterward, Da-eun continued to push comic books at me, but they didn’t have much effect.
Even Yuki, who had initially shown interest, soon lost interest and busied herself with her own activities.
“…How do you even manage to replicate all this?”
Finally waving the white flag, Da-eun spoke with a hint of exasperation.
“You’re too capable!”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
“Grrr… It is a compliment… It really is a compliment, but…!”
“If it’s a compliment, then take it as one. Why are you so upset?”
“…No matter how many times I watch it, I have no idea how to do it. But Kana, you pull it off instantly just by hearing an explanation. It’s unfair.”
“…Is that so?”
I couldn’t really sympathize with Da-eun’s complaint.
Techniques grounded in realism weren’t hard for me to replicate.
And even if they weren’t realistic, I could somehow pull them off with mana.
Also, I’d heard similar things so many times in the past that they no longer fazed me.
The phrase “incomprehensible talent” was one I’d grown accustomed to hearing.
“Alright, then. How about this one? It’s a technique where you gather the power of the stars and release it in an instant. The downside is that it drains so much energy that the star becomes desolate, but it’s strong enough to destroy an entire planet.”
“…Leaving aside whether I can even use that, is it okay to use something like that?”
She said the star would become desolate.
Wasn’t she considering the fact that the star she’s standing on could end up ruined?
“Hehe, I’m just joking.”
Da-eun stuck her tongue out at me and laughed as I looked at her in disbelief.
“But Kana, I really expected so much from you. What a shame there’s no progress.”
“…?”
“If Kana’s upset, then I’m upset too…”
“You think I’m upset?”
I wasn’t particularly expectant, nor was I upset.
“Is there another Kana around here?”
“Of course not! The only Kana I know is the adorable one standing right in front of me.”
“…Phew.”
What a strange person.
My gaze shifted to Yuki.
Watching our exchange from a distance, Yuki spun her index finger near her temple.
The meaning was unmistakable, and I couldn’t help but agree.
Nod.
I nodded subtly to avoid Da-eun noticing, then began gathering the scattered books nearby and neatly organizing them.
Since I hadn’t expected any results to begin with, I wasn’t disappointed.
The boredom that had clung to me like a shadow had been alleviated, and that was enough for me.
“Did you at least get any flashes of inspiration? Maybe some kind of realization?”
“There wasn’t ‘nothing’ at all.”
“Wasn’t nothing…?!”
Da-eun’s eyes sparkled brightly.
“But it wasn’t the kind of realization you’re thinking of.”
“Ah…”
Her eyes, which had been shining like stars in the night sky, dimmed.
I hated to admit it, but I wasn’t the most imaginative person.
Because of that, I often found myself marveling at techniques depicted in comics.
How could the person who drew this come up with such incredible ideas with a pen instead of a sword?
But such things didn’t help me.
After all, the path I needed to take was one that transcended humanity itself.
The steps I had to climb were far too high to draw inspiration from characters dancing on the pages of a book.
‘Actually…’
There was something else I was curious about.
‘What even is a realization, anyway?’
I knew where Da-eun had picked up the term.
It was an expression commonly used in martial arts novels she loved.
A martial artist, blocked by a wall, experiences a realization and ascends to a higher level.
Unfortunately, I’d never experienced the kind of realization Da-eun described.
The path I’d walked so far wasn’t all that different from sprinting down an open highway.
Sure, there were obstacles here and there, but none of them managed to block my way for long.
I did it because I could, and I succeeded because I tried.
That was all there was to it.
If I had to pinpoint a realization, it would be when I grasped the mysteries of manipulating space during my fight with the Sage.
Even then, calling it a realization felt inaccurate.
Manipulating space was something I’d practiced consistently, and as my level rose, I was able to achieve things I couldn’t before.
So if anything, it wasn’t that I realized something and then grew stronger—it was that I grew stronger and then realized it.
“Hmmm…”
Since I was someone who could accomplish things others couldn’t with just a bit of time, I’d never experienced any kind of sudden epiphany.
“I get it.”
Clasp!
Before I knew it, Yuki had approached and grabbed my hand.
She ignored Da-eun, who was shouting from behind.
“That’s the burden of a genius. Kana, you’re just like me.”
“What’s with the random sense of camaraderie? Get away from my Kana! I said get away!”
“Why am I your Kana?”
“Because I’m the person closest to Kana!”
“….”
Da-eun even activated body strengthening to pull Yuki away.
Yet Yuki stood firm.
Was it because Da-eun’s body strengthening was still immature, or was Yuki’s determination that strong?
Considering she could break bricks without issue, it was probably the latter…
‘Why is she so determined about something like this?’
I couldn’t understand it at all.
While I watched in exasperation, Da-eun finally managed to pry Yuki off me.
Panting heavily, she wore a satisfied smile despite her obvious exhaustion.
For some reason, she seemed even more pitiful than usual today.
I quietly shook my head.
—
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