N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
C 294
"Uh...."
A faint groan escaped from Raon's lips, which had been frozen in place as if he was dead, after he had put on the helmet.
Merlin lifted the corners of her mouth as he watched Raon, whose chin was trembling.
"It seems to be almost over."
Seeing the physical reaction, it seemed that the battle between Rockta and Raon in the mental realm had come to an end.
"His mental strength is stronger than I anticipated..."
Originally, the expectation was that Rockta would awaken as soon as he adapted to the physical body, but seeing that it took more than three hours to gain control over the body, Raon's mental strength was much stronger than expected.
"Still, the winner is Rockta." (you wish! lmao)
Raon's pupils were red.
Seeing the blue light glimmering in his eyes within the mask, it was clear that Rockta had emerged as the victor.
"It was a good decision to give him the soul elixir."
Had she not given him the soul elixir beforehand, the battle in the spiritual realm could have lasted much longer, and there was a possibility that Rockta could has lost.
Despite using up most of the elixirs she had, Merlin was satisfied that things were unfolding as planned.
Wooong!
Using telekinesis, Merlin lifted Raon, who had been seated in a chair, into the air and gently laid him down on the floor.
Now that the spirit was taking over the body, Raon needed to avoid any external stimuli, so lying on the floor was better than sitting in a chair.
"Finally meeting again..."
Rockta was not only a knight who protected her but also family with whom she had spent a lifetime.
Just thinking about reuniting with Rockta after centuries caused her heart to flutter.
Though she hadn't slept or rested for over a week, she wasn't the least bit tired.
She just wanted to see Rockta.
After confirming Raon's safety, Merlin stepped back and turned around.
The Sword of Judgement (Death Knight) remained fixated on Raon, just as it had been from the beginning.
"How are you?"
"...."
Despite Merlin's question, the Sword of Judgement continued to gaze at Raon without answering.
"Feeling a bit tingly, perhaps?"
"...."
At that, the Sword of Judgement's shoulders trembled ever so slightly.
Merlin looked at the Sword of Judgement as if she had expected this reaction, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"Sorry, but..."
She turned her head away again.
Gritting her lips as she looked at the helmet emitting a faint blue light, she spoke again.
"I'm in a dire situation too. I can't make any concessions."
* * *
"Hehe..."
Wrath rubbed his nose with his round hand, which had turned into a swollen lump, and sniffled.
"You're the fifth person to have punched the king."
"Fifth? You've been taking quite a beating."
Raon looked at the now-blueberry-like Wrath and chuckled, resembling a tropical fruit-flavored candy.
"Is he really the Demon King?"
"Listen properly! It's not someone who received a punch, but someone who threw a punch! Among those five, you're the first one to have defied the king to this extent!"
Wrath exclaimed with a muffled tone.
"Ugh, I've been hit so many times I can't even count!"
"Oh, I'm counting. It's precisely 294 times."
"What..."
Wrath's eyes widened. He hadn't expected to be hit that many times.
"294 times? You're saying 294 times? Even if you intended to hit, you couldn't have hit that many times!"
"You might not realize it, but the sensation of the hits is no joke."
Raon lightly chuckled while looking at Wrath who was grumbling.
Wrath's cheeks were puffed up, and his size was just right for a satisfying punch.
It was like hitting a premium punching bag floating in the air.
It had a slightly addictive feeling of impact.
"I've... I've been hit that many times by a human? This must be a dream. It has to be a dream..."
Wrath buried his face in his plump arm and shivered, overwhelmed by the reality of becoming a tropical fruit-flavored candy after once displaying overwhelming strength and beauty.
"I'm sorry, but my revenge hasn't even started yet."
Raon looked at Wrath, who was whining, and coldly grinned.
"Oh, your revenge hasn't started yet? Don't tell me you're planning to hit me again! After pummeling me 294 times, you're still thinking of hitting me? Do you even have a conscience?"
Seemingly disliking being hit, Wrath's rambling sped up more than twice his usual pace.
"I have a conscience too. I won't hit you harder."
"Then..."
"Ah, I remember. You said You will eat mint chocolate for three meals a day."
"What..."
Wrath's pupils shook like marbles.
He seemed more afraid of not having the chocolate mint than being hit.
"From today, you'll only have Nadine Bread. You won't get anything else."
"But... but I like mint chocolate! That bread tastes like rubber, even worse than tasteless!"
"I'm fine with it."
Raon calmly shook his head.
Having lived without caring about taste since his past life, as long as he could fill his stomach, taste didn't matter to him.
"Ugh..."
Wrath's eyes swayed as he realized that Raon's eyes were serious.
"I can't let that happen! Not that!"
He exclaimed, his anger and chilliness surging.
However, due to expending too much energy manifesting his true form, his power was feeble.
"Nadine Bread is torture! Even eating rubber would be better than that!"
Wrath weakly tried to create an icy fist of rebellion.
"In the human realm, there's a saying."
Raon twisted his chin, raising his right fist.
"A punch that comes in well is beautiful, and a punch that goes out is even more beautiful."
With those words, he lunged at Wrath.
Wrath bounced like a rubber ball and crashed into a corner, flattened against it.
"Ugh, more, hit me harder..."
Wrath stretched out his body with his arms spread wide, his mouth agape.
"I hit you gently."
Raon smirked.
If he hadn't held back, Wrath would be completely crumpled up by now.
"I, I can't stand for Nadine Bread! I'd rather you hit me..."
Wrath protested vehemently and sent forth a chilling fist.
"Humans have a saying for this."
Raon tilted his head to the right and raised his right fist, smiling coldly.
"A well-behaved fist that goes out deserves a beautiful returning fist."
With that declaration, he struck Wrath.
Wrath, despite his feeble effort, was launched backward and hit a corner, defeated and deflated.
"Kkuhek, more, hit me harder..."
Wrath spread out, mouth agape, before his eyes rolled up.
"I haven't finished speaking yet."
Raon turned his head to the right.
A small dragon-like baby dragon was stuck flat on the ground.
It was Rockta, who had admitted defeat and been pushed out of the space.
"Now it's your turn. Shall we start with a punch, or should I go straight to..."
"I've already admitted defeat. If you have any questions you want to ask before I disappear, feel free."
Rockta sighed shortly and closed his eyes.
"Disappear?"
"Those who lose in a battle of spirits are absorbed into the winner's soul and disappear. In other words, I'm not even worth hitting now."
He nodded, his head drooping like a knight's. It was a far cry from his first appearance.
That's correct. The information I should hear from Rockta is not about Eden, but about this world.
"What changes when your soul is absorbed by me?"
"Your soul's level will significantly increase. You will be able to use the abilities I used before."
"Abilities?"
"To put it simply, your aura will rise, and you'll learn the swordsmanship and cold manipulation I used, you'll reach a higher state even without training."
Rockta calmly shared various pieces of information, as if sensing his impending death.
It was unexpected, as Raon had thought he might rebel or stall for time.
"To grow further from here..."
Raon clenched his fist tightly.
Even though he had already won his bet with Wrath, absorbing Rockta's soul to enhance his stats and power would be more like killing two birds with one stone.
"One more thing. How can you develop this mental realm?"
He wanted to learn more since Wrath had hinted that this place was a hint for becoming a Grandmaster.
"Experience."
"Experience?"
"Even if we share the same experience, each person feels and realizes it differently. This world is like a building that you build based on the countless experiences you've had. If you look up, you'll go higher, and if you look down, you'll become more solid."
Rockta explained that this world changes based on the thoughts and experiences each individual has.
"Wrath was right."
As Crumpled Candy had said, if he accumulated many experiences and developed this place, he might someday be able to turn it into his own world as a Grandmaster.
"Now, it's about you."
Raon asked about Rockta's personality and preferences.
He wanted this information to pretend to be Rockta to Merlin after this realm ended.
"My name, as I mentioned, is Rockta Deport. The Blue Dragon..."
Surprisingly, Rockta accurately provided this information as well.
"Lastly, what is Merlin's purpose?"
After hearing about Rockta's personal information, Raon inquired about Merlin.
"To bring me back to life and live together as before."
"Live together? Are you planning to commit a massacre like in your previous life?"
Raon mentioned that Rockta and the others had massacred countless people by summoning monsters.
It seemed they were trying to recreate that in the present.
"No, it's not like that. Just living together. I am the only remaining family to that person."
Rockta lowered his eyes.
"Living together as family?"
Now that he thought about it...
Raon turned his head towards the place where the frozen castle had disappeared.
When the castle collapsed, there had been a log cabin similar to Merlin's room inside.
It seemed that way.
"Merlin was the princess of the Sirkon Kingdom. She lost a lot and I was her only family left."
"Sirkon... Was that the kingdom you destroyed and established?"
"That's right. However, it was also a kingdom that had already perished before we established it. Well, I don't have time to explain in detail."
Rockta smiled slightly, looking at his fading body.
"Princess Merlin had a difficult life. She had her own reasons..."
"Are you kindly answering with that intention?"
Raon stared at Rockta with a cold gaze.
He wondered why he was giving such cooperative answers, and he suspected it was because Rockta wanted him to take care of Merlin after leaving this realm.
"Everyone has their reasons."
Everyone living in this world had their own reasons.
He understood that much, which was why Merlin had come so far.
"I suppose so. We both know that we've committed great sins. But she's just..."
Rockta couldn't finish his sentence and turned into a frosty foam, disappearing.
Strangely, his eyes didn't seem regretful at all.
Kwoong!
As Rockta completely disappeared, the mental realm began to shake.
"What's this?"
"What do you think it is? Half of him was completely absorbed into your soul, causing the chaos in this world to come to an end."
Wrath crawled over like a caterpillar and let out a deep sigh.
"So, does that mean we're going back to reality?"
"That's right."
Looking at his realm shaking as if an earthquake had struck, Raon smiled.
"I gained more than I thought."
The rewards from winning the bet against Wrath and the abilities he would gain by absorbing Rockta surpassed his expectations.
"And..."
Turning around, he gazed at his small and feeble realm.
He closed his eyes, hoping that through more experiences, this small and insignificant space would transform into a place that could achieve the Grandmaster rank.
"Come back sometime."
"That..."
Amidst the shaking realm, Raon heard Wrath whisper.
"Are you really only going to eat Nadine's Bread? Huh?"
Even at this moment, he was thinking about eating.
Perhaps his desire for mint chocolate was sincere after all.
He was quite an extraordinary guy.
So, Raon decided to be honest with him.
Yeah. That's right.
* * *
"Umm..."
Raon opened his eyes.
Before he could examine the magic circle engraved on the ceiling, the figure wearing the mask of a noble appeared in front of him, pushing her face close.
"Do you recognize me?"
For the first time, there was a sense of urgency in her voice.
Her voice was full of anticipation and madness.
Raon slowly rose to his feet and met the trembling eyes of the masked Merlin.
"Are... you…. princess?"
He imitated Rockta's tone, his voice slightly trembling.
"Ah..."
Merlin stumbled backward as if her legs had given out.
The eyes within the mask vibrated intensely.
"Rockta. Rockta. Rockta!"
She held Raon tightly and endlessly called out Rockta's name. (lolololol)
"We finally meet! Finally..."
"I'm sorry, but my memories are still a mess. The memories of Raon Zieghart and my memories are mixed together..."
Raon continued to imitate Rockta's tone and shook his head.
"I still don't know."
"It's okay. It will get better with time. Like how you used to be."
Merlin sobbed as she tightly clung to his neck.
Unexpectedly, a fresh scent of spring flowers wafted in the air.
'This woman is sincere.'
Seeing Merlin's trembling arms, Raon narrowed his eyes.
She called him her last remaining family member, yet Merlin seemed to be cherishing this situation beyond mere happiness.
"Are you alright, Your Highness?"
"Don't worry about me."
Merlin raised her head and smiled.
"Are you hungry? I've prepared your favorite foods."
Food?
Even in the midst of all this, Wrath was focused on the food.
Truly ridiculous.
"Come on... Oh."
Merlin gestured to Raon but collapsed before she could finish.
"Your Highness?"
Raon held Merlin and checked her condition.
She seemed completely drained of energy.
It felt like her mind had completely given in to extreme fatigue.
'Collapsed from exhaustion, huh.'
Come to think of it, he had never seen Merlin resting.
She personally prepared meals, constantly worked on something, and never seemed to stop moving.
Considering the enormous amount of mana imbued in these six magic circles, it was unlikely that she had been doing all of this alone.
'She pushed herself too hard.'
During the past hours, she hadn't rested at all, tirelessly preparing magic.
Now that the tension was released, she had fainted due to exhaustion.
Raon lifted Merlin, who was unconscious, and stood up.
"..."
The death knight helmet stood in the same posture as before he wore the helmet of the dragon, as if frozen in place.
"We should let Your Highness rest. Move aside, please."
Raon held Merlin as gently as possible and gave a small gesture.
"..."
The Death knight helmet didn't immediately step back.
It stared at Raon with the same emotionless eyes.
A peculiar light, indescribable in words, emanated from its cold gaze.
"Didn't you hear me say 'move aside'?"
"..."
Only after saying it a second time did the Death knight helmet step back.
As it moved away, an exit appeared in the wall, just like when it first emerged.
"Thank you."
Raon nodded at the Death knight helmet and, cradling Merlin, exited through the passageway.
"..."
The Death knight helmet stood there like a statue until Raon, carrying Merlin, left the room.
When the rotating passage closed again, its hand trembled slightly.
* * *
Raon returned to the log cabin and laid Merlin on the bed before glancing at her Mask.
"Aren't you going to to open it?"
Wrath, who had returned as the small cotton candy, pointed at Merlin's mask.
'She might get annoyed when she wakes up.'
If he touched the mask and Merlin woke up, it might stick to him and be difficult to remove, making it hard for him to move freely.
He needed to carefully examine Rockta's memories while she was unconscious and create a solid script.
"You are quite the persistent guy. The king must have been curious and tried taking it off."
'I need to focus. Stay quiet.'
Rockta's memories of now were like faint clouds drifting in the air.
He had to concentrate and capture those memories if he wanted to thoroughly deceive Merlin.
"Hmph. I have nothing to say."
Wrath turned his head in a huff.
He was normally the kind who wouldn't be bothered, and as he tried to concentrate, a message popped up in her mind.
[You have won the bet against <Wrath>.]
[All stats increase by 10 points.]
[Trait <Poison Resistance> rank has increased.]
[Trait <Spiral Force> rank has increased.]
It was a message notifying him of the rewards he had earned from his bet with Wrath.
It was a substantial amount, but the message was still ongoing.
[You have achieved your eighth consecutive victory against <Wrath>.]
[Due to the 8-win streak, additional stats have increased.]
[Strength has increased by 3 points.]
[Agility has increased by 3 points.]
[Perception have increased by 4 points.]
A streak message.
It informed her that he had achieved eight consecutive victories against Wrath, resulting in an additional increase in stats.
A surge of excitement and thrill ran down his spine as hie attributes increased significantly.
"Whoa..."
Wrath opened his mouth wide in shock as he read the message.
While the stats were important, he seemed astonished by the fact that he had lost eight times in a row.
But the messages weren't finished yet.
[You have absorbed the soul of Draconian Rockta Deport.]
Underneath that were more rewards he gained from absorbing Rockta's soul, spread out like a carpet.
"Darn it!"
Wrath gritted his teeth at the messages.
"How can you expect me to keep my mouth shut with this nonsense!"
His eyes glared fiercely up and down.
"Why does the king have to take 294 hits and lose his stats! You demon-like jerk!"
