Chapter 24

“What is that?”

In the bright midday sun, the Whissen Castle stood tall.

Thud thud thud thud—

As the half-broken carriage sped towards the main gate, kicking up clouds of dust, the guard knights gripped their swords.

“Stop right there!”

At the command of a knight who had drawn his sword, the coachman quickly pulled on the reins.

Neigh—

The horses pulling the carriage reared up high and snorted.

The knights spoke threateningly to the elderly coachman who had dismounted from the driver’s seat.

“Identify yourself.”

“Uh… um…”

Just as the bewildered coachman hesitated under the stern gazes of the knights,

“I am Baron Etvan Jerfelt, lord of the Jerfelt territory.”

The lord, Etvan, descended from the carriage and presented an identity badge emblazoned with his family crest.

“I have urgent business, and though I know it’s an imposition, I must see the head of the Dark Order immediately.”

“Greetings, my lord.”

The two knights exchanged glances after paying their respects to Baron Etvan.

‘Could he have come to ask for the commander’s personal intervention?’

‘It seems so. He looks like he’s been through hell to get here.’

Secrets eventually leak out.

Though Belkan had issued a strict gag order to the knights involved in previous failures, it was nearly impossible to silence everyone in the Whissen Castle, despite his immense power.

Thus, the troubles in the Jerfelt territory had become an open secret among the knights.

“You must have had a hard journey, my lord. It seems urgent, so I will inform the commander immediately.”

As the knight looked at the baron with a sympathetic expression and started to run towards Belkan’s quarters,

“No… that’s not it.”

“What?”

“I’m here to thank the knights you dispatched for resolving the issue.”

When the baron gestured towards the carriage, two individuals in trainee uniforms of the Royal Guards got off.

The knights, seeing them, tilted their heads in confusion.

“Who are they?”

“First time seeing them. Are they new? They seem familiar, though…”

Ignoring the murmurs, the two ran to the back of the carriage and started dragging something out.

Thud—

With a cloud of dust, a massive chunk rolled onto the ground. The knights’ faces changed when they saw the bisected corpse of a Silverback.

They instinctively realized that this was the beast that had been tormenting the knights.

“I will fetch the commander immediately!”

Without waiting for a signal, the knights turned and sprinted towards Belkan’s quarters.

“Baron Jerfelt… did I hear correctly?”

Belkan, who had arrived like the wind upon hearing the news, stroked his thick beard.

Baron Etvan nodded repeatedly.

“Indeed. If there’s even a sliver of falsehood in my words, I will accept any punishment.”

“So, putting everything else aside, that man inside the carriage split the Silverback in two with a single strike?”

Though the method of luring it was more important than the strike itself…

Baron Etvan swallowed his words and added something else instead.

“It wasn’t a single strike. According to what I heard, it took three strikes. The first one the Silverback dodged…”

“That’s not the point. You two, answer me. Did Jin really split that creature in half with one blow?”

Belkan’s voice had lowered significantly. The shoulders of the two trainees kneeling before him trembled.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“I saw it too. His… I mean, Jin’s sword flashed, and the massive Silverback was split in two. It was hard to believe, even seeing it with my own eyes.”

When the trainee responded hurriedly, Belkan approached the corpse and ran his hand over the beast’s abdomen, from which its entrails were spilling out.

His hand was stained with its congealed blood, but that didn’t matter at the moment.

‘This is…’

A corpse holds a lot of information.

This wasn’t merely a matter of using mana to cleave it with strength.

It might be a misjudgment.

But if his suspicion was correct, this was an unprecedented event.

“This isn’t something I can judge alone. Who would’ve thought he’d hide something like this?”

“Yes, yes? What do you mean by that?”

Startled by Belkan’s muttering, Baron Etvan stuttered, but before he could finish, Belkan had already vanished.

“What in the world is happening…”

As Baron Etvan awkwardly looked around, Belkan’s booming voice echoed throughout the Whissen Castle.

“No matter the cost, open the warp gate connected to the main house immediately!”

After the battle with the Silverback,

Jin, who had fallen into a deep sleep, was dreaming. It was a dream from when he was holed up in an inn in the Jerfelt territory a few days ago.

“Hoo…”

In Idrian’s mental domain.

Exhausted, Jin plopped down, panting heavily.

In front of him were piles of monster corpses, stacked like mountains.

They were all summoned by Idrian to match Jin’s current level.

As Jin, who had finally defeated them all, slumped, Idrian shook his head.

“An ordinary person would have had their mind shattered… To think you could withstand this. You’ve exceeded my expectations.”

“I’ve always had a knack for hard work.”

Jin bragged. As Idrian, at a loss for words, was about to snort, Jin added a word.

“Old man, I have a question.”

“Master!”

“Ouch!”

Thud—

Idrian’s iron fist struck Jin’s head. Idrian had a particular obsession with the title of ‘Master.’

Jin, who screamed and rolled on the ground, was in so much pain that he almost cried.

“…Master, I have a question.”

“Alright, what is it?”

Finally satisfied, Idrian met Jin’s gaze.

“I’ve roughly understood mana. But, about the mental domain you mentioned… what exactly is this ‘vessel’? It doesn’t seem particularly useful… It just sits there in the core and feels rather bothersome.”

“The mental domain, huh. That’s a very good question.”

Idrian grinned with his wrinkled face and spoke to Jin, whose eyes were shining.

“I won’t tell you for free.”

“What kind of master are you?”

“Nothing in this world is free. At your age, you should know that by now.”

Taken aback by the unexpected response, Jin’s jaw dropped.

As if expecting this reaction, Idrian chuckled and continued.

“How about this? I’m curious about something from you too, so let’s exchange questions and answers, one for one. How does that sound?”

“Well, alright. Let’s do that.”

Jin agreed to Idrian’s proposal without much resistance.

After all, he was the spirit fused with the Stormbringer, within his inner self.

Since there was no risk of leaking the truth, he figured there was no harm in it.

“Then let me start. That inhuman mental fortitude and resilience. Are you… perhaps not an ordinary human, but a divine being?”

“If by divine being you mean an avatar of a god, then yes, I am.”

“Gotcha!”

Idrian snapped his fingers in delight.

“Why are you so happy? Don’t tell me, you’re like the spirit of Stormbringer, coveting my body…”

Jin slowly backed away and crossed his arms over his chest.

Whack— Idrian’s iron fist struck Jin’s nose.

“What’s with this creepy act!”

“Argh… Master, you’re killing me.”

“If I wanted to, I could cut off your head here and you wouldn’t die. Want to see what it’s like to get broken a few times?”

“No, thanks. Anyway, it’s my turn now, right?”

As Idrian growled, Jin quickly changed the subject.

Idrian, organizing his thoughts, slowly began to speak.

“The mental domain is… It’s a very abstract concept, hard to explain precisely. But think of it as a small world imprinted on your soul, made up of your imagination.”

“Imagination?”

“Yes. Everything you’ve experienced, everything you’ve imagined, you can manifest within your mental domain. Of course, it depends on the capacity of your vessel.”

“Wait a minute. Then, the size of your vessel…”

Jin looked around. The green hills and the vast ocean beyond.

Idrian’s mental domain seemed like an entire small continent.

In contrast, the ‘vessel’ in his inner self felt about the size of a fingertip.

As he compared their vast difference, Jin muttered in frustration.

“But what good is a big inner world? It can’t affect the outside like mana can.”

Perhaps due to the immense difference, he felt a competitive spirit.

Idrian smiled and began to explain.

“Patience. It’s my turn now. You asked, and I answered.”

“Picky, aren’t you?”

“You’re getting more insolent. Want to get disciplined by your master?”

“What do you want to know?”

Knowing he could never beat Idrian here, Jin obediently calmed down.

Idrian looked at him with a piercing gaze and asked firmly.

“Are you really from this world? To be exact, are you Jin Aster, the second son of the Meteor Sword Clan?”

“No, I’m not. My body is Jin Aster’s, but the mind inside is not.”

Without hesitation, Jin answered, and Idrian’s eyes widened.

“Then who are you?! Tell me. Now, quickly!”

“You’ve had your answer. It’s my turn now.”

“Shut up and speak! Who are you, where did you come from, and what’s your identity? Now!”

Idrian’s demeanor changed dramatically. His eyes burned with a fierce light, and a tangible aura emanated from his entire being.

Boom— Boom—

Thunderclaps and lightning strikes surrounded them as the sky darkened and storms raged.

Realizing Idrian was too agitated to communicate, Jin began to speak.

It was a story he’d have to reveal to Idrian eventually. The timing had just come a bit sooner.

“…It’s a long story…”

Jin began to tell his tale.

From the moment he arrived in this world, to the moment he took over the body of the wastrel Jin Aster and narrowly survived by hunting the Silverback.

“…So, that’s why I made such a request of you, Master. To eliminate even the slightest uncertainty. I don’t engage in losing battles. I will win and survive in this wretched world.”

“Ha, ha ha ha!!!”

Idrian, who had listened to Jin’s story, suddenly burst into laughter. It was a thunderous, booming laugh.

“Why are you laughing? Do you think my story is a lie?”

“No, no. I may not have seen it with my own eyes, but I believe your story is true.”

“Then why…”

“Because I’m convinced our meeting wasn’t a coincidence, but fate. Yes, that’s it.”

Idrian muttered as he stroked his beard. His gaze was fixed not on Jin but somewhere far beyond.

“Fate? What do you mean?”

“That’s something you’ll learn in time. Now, you asked what use the mental domain has, right? I’ll answer that.”

Idrian deftly changed the subject.

But since it was the answer Jin was most curious about, he didn’t mind.

“Your mental domain, created by the Heavenly Craft, indeed can’t affect the outside directly, as you said.”

“Then it really is a useless ability?”

“But if you add mental manifestation to it, the story changes.”

“Mental manifestation? What’s that?”

“It’s the technique of manifesting images created within your domain into reality. But at your current level, you…”

As Jin was intently listening to Idrian’s explanation,

• Sir… I mean, young master! There’s trouble. Wake up!

A familiar voice called out as someone shook him vigorously. His vision went black, and he came to his senses. As he slowly opened his eyes, the panicked face of Rat came into view.

“Was it just a dream?”

It seemed like a dream about the events a few days ago had replayed while he was unconscious.

His whole body ached, likely from the aftereffects of overexerting his mental manifestation.

Struggling to move his stiff body, Jin glared at Rat.

“And calling me young master now? Trying to suck up because of the Ovelium I used? Want a new one?”

“Forgive me for not recognizing you sooner. Young master Jin Aster, please, I’ll do anything. Just spare my life…”

Rat whispered in Jin’s ear, his voice filled with fear and terror.

“…”

The air felt heavy.

Sensing something was off, Jin slowly turned his head.

“How have you been?”

Standing by his bed with a stern expression was the head of the Meteor Sword Clan.

Vergo Aster.