Academy’s Weapon Replicator

Odyssey (14)

Kraken walked towards Mangot.

But that wasn’t the destination.

“Haha, to think I would return to the sea so easily.”

When Kraken was captured by Esther, he didn’t expect to return here again. No, he didn’t expect to leave Obsidian in the first place.

Even as a monster, he knew well the reputation of Obsidian.

There was only one way for a prisoner whose sentence wasn’t over to leave. By dying.

That’s why Renzo really escaped Obsidian through ‘death.’

Kraken had only one life left. The same method as Renzo was impossible.

“But Frondier got me out.”

Frondier who came to Obsidian. Even with a changed face, he recognized him immediately. Just a few words and that infuriating tone and manner. It couldn’t be anyone else.

When he first heard his proposal, he doubted his ears.

Take a criminal outside? And catch the monsters outside?

What surprised him even more was the attitude of Warden Esther.

Esther looked at Frondier with a suspicious face, but in the end, she didn’t block or modify his proposal.

In other words, it was acknowledged. Frondier taking the criminal outside.

“You’ve gained quite a remarkable trust.”

Esther is taking the criminal out of Obsidian. And it’s not even under her own leadership.

This is probably something that will never happen again in Esther’s lifetime, no, in Obsidian’s lifetime.

“Well, it worked out well for me, though.”

Kraken crossed the cape and arrived at the shore.

Swoosh, the waves quietly rolled in. His feet touched the water.

“Mm.”

Kraken smiled as if he was in a good mood.

Kraken is a monster.

A sea monster, to be exact.

A very famous monster often heard of if some fantasy is added.

But this is Etius.

A world greatly influenced by the fame and stories of myths.

“I had a hard time because it wasn’t the sea.”

Kraken’s body gradually blurred into the seawater.

Shedding his human form, his body lost its clear shape and sank into the seawater.

His volume unknown.

His depth unknown.

* * *

Frondier flew near the cape, but the schedule kept repeating.

Of course, Cora’s training continued as well.

Frondier could set up a workshop anywhere as long as there was enough space. Of course, doing such a thing in the village would cause a commotion, so he came outside.

…Actually, at this point, it was almost proven how little Frondier was wary of the outside monsters.

“Shall we try again?”

This line, repeated several times already.

Cora looked at Frondier with a reluctant face.

“Really?”

“Yes. Is it hard?”

“No… Actually, I don’t have any memories.”

Since Cora became the White Tiger, it feels like she has been mentally asleep. Her body may accumulate fatigue, but being in the body of the White Tiger, that level of fatigue is nothing.

‘That’s actually the problem.’

Cora knows she must maintain her sanity while in the state of the White Tiger.

But she can’t, and her opponent in front of her just keeps smiling and repeating the training.

‘Strange. How can he be so relaxed?’

Was the White Tiger that weak?

Is it really nothing special?

Prondier was encouraging Cora to become the White Tiger as if it were a game.

Although she doesn’t remember, was it like playing fetch with a puppy?

“…Fine. Whatever happens, I don’t care!”

“Nothing will happen. Just like always.”

Prondier shrugged his shoulders.

Cora, who seemed displeased with that sight, slowly closed her eyes.

And then, a change.

Boom─

The air inside the workshop became heavy. A huge tension.

As soon as Cora transformed, Prondier, who had been smiling, lowered his gaze as if it had never happened.

He took out a small sword, polished it, and shook his sleeves once to take a stance.

That’s right.

Prondier is also not to be underestimated by the White Tiger.

‘It’s not easy to fight such a beast without getting hurt, and without hurting myself.’

Prondier’s lips stretched into a long line. It was a smile, but also a sign of tension.

He pretends to be relaxed in front of Cora, but the reality is completely different.

‘But I have to do this to reduce Cora’s fear of the White Tiger.’

Cora always looked at the results.

When she was the White Tiger, she doesn’t remember what she specifically did.

She just falls asleep at some point,

And when she wakes up, the surroundings have turned into a horrific scene.

‘It’s scary because she doesn’t understand.’

But that, in turn, becomes an opportunity for Prondier.

The fact that Cora doesn’t know the specifics means she doesn’t know the power of the White Tiger.

Not knowing how strong it is also means not knowing how weak it is.

“Come on, bring it on.”

Cora may not know.

But Frondier is fighting with all his might in this workshop every day.

With just a single small sword.

Grrrr─

As if responding to the low growl, Frondier’s small sword trembled.

Still emitting a black light.

Pingrrr, Frondier spun the small sword in his hand,

Whoosh!

The spinning small sword rushed towards the beast’s head.

The first strike was a woven sword, the original still with Frondier.

Sss, the sword brushed past the White Tiger’s ear. The White Tiger dodged lightly and lunged at Frondier.

Clang─!!

Claws and sword clashed, and Frondier was pushed back.

‘A beast without reason…!’

Frondier clenched his teeth.

Having fought the White Tiger several times already, today.

Frondier was certain.

‘It’s getting used to me!’

The White Tiger is learning now. Frondier’s combat techniques.

Learning from Azje and mastering the swordsmanship and defense techniques Frondier had developed on his own. It was getting used to all of it.

‘Is it possible with just instinct!’

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sword and claws tearing through the air. The high-speed black sword shooting through the empty space.

But even that, the White Tiger seemed to have gotten used to, skillfully blocking and dodging the sudden blade strikes.

Unlike Frondier, who had to subdue the White Tiger without injuring it, the White Tiger was simply trying to kill Frondier.

Every day, its attacks grew sharper, its defenses more delicate, and its killing intent more intense.

And Frondier watched this scene with a smile.

‘……I feel a bit sorry for Cora.’

Prondier brings Cora here under the pretense of training her.

However, during this time, it is not Cora who is truly being trained, but Prondier.

‘At least Azje is cold-hearted but has no intention of killing me.’

To improve technical proficiency, it is right to seek out Azje. If you get hit and roll around with him, your skills will naturally improve.

However, to learn the tension of real combat, the fear of possibly dying, a real enemy is needed.

Baekho is truly an enemy. A very fierce enemy to Prondier.

Just,

Swoosh!

‘Deflect.’

Clang!

As the claw strikes down, Prondier twists the trajectory by pulling back the sword extended diagonally. Prondier rotates his body through the open armpit of Baekho, whose claw is thrusting forward. The blade of the short sword extends within the radius of the rotation.

‘If this gets blocked,’

Clang!

Baekho blocks it with the other claw at superhuman speed.

‘Twist it,’

Prondier tries to slash above the blocking claw by twisting the trajectory of the short sword. Baekho quickly realizes and swings his arm wide, forcing Prondier to retreat.

The distance created between them at that moment.

‘Now.’

Prondier continues to use only the short sword. Both the one he holds directly, the one in the other hand, and the black stream he shoots at Baekho are all Nil Zak’s short swords.

This is a restriction to avoid hurting Baekho, but Prondier has a certain premonition.

The blade tinged with black.

Even if the mana of the nine worlds is released, the color of the short sword remains black.

Among all the weapons Prondier possesses, the only real one is Nil Zak’s short sword.

It is also the weapon Prondier always carries.

‘If, during the process of carrying and using it, my mana starts to seep in.’

Whirl─

Prondier spins the short sword once.

Next, three times.

Then, nine times.

Next.

Pingrrrr!!

The dagger spun twenty times in the air.

That time, just 2 seconds. It spun twenty times in 2 seconds.

When the rapidly spinning dagger was caught again, the handle was precisely in Frondier’s hand.

It wasn’t luck.

Frondier knew that he would definitely catch the handle, not the blade.

Now, this dagger had become an extension of Frondier’s body.

A skilled swordsman always treats his sword as an extension of his body.

…But.

“…Is this what it meant?”

Frondier tilted his head slightly and threw the dagger at Baekho again.

“How about this time?”

“…I don’t remember.”

Cora, who had returned to her original state, answered while chewing her food as usual.

“Don’t you remember at all?”

“Yeah. No wounds at all. Did we really fight?”

Cora asked, looking at her body.

There were some worn marks, but no wounds anywhere, and Cora herself felt no pain.

Haha, Frondier laughed dryly.

‘After that fight, you say you feel no pain. This monster.’

Of course, Frondier had done his best not to hurt Cora, but he had to survive himself.

Half of defense is offense. Only by attacking can you limit the opponent’s offensive options, and there is no safer moment than when the opponent is defending.

So Frondier had continued to attack just enough for Cora to defend.

That must have had its own impact, but no pain at all.

“Hmm.”

Frondier fell into thought for a moment.

Cora herself might think there was no change, but from Frondier’s perspective, things were progressing smoothly.

Cora’s fear of Baekho. That must be eliminated first. Whether she retains her memory or not comes next.

In that sense, Cora was definitely changing. The hesitation in transforming into a white tiger was gradually decreasing, and the anxious eyes when returning to her original form had now become calm.

‘If given enough time, we might be able to see Cora as a white tiger with her rationality intact. But…’

It does take a bit longer, though.

“It can’t be helped.”

Prondier stood up.

“What can’t be helped?”

“Apart from this training, I’m going to try another method to help you retain your memories as a white tiger.”

“…? Is there such a method?”

“I don’t know yet, but well, I have to ask.”

Cora tilted her head in curiosity at Prondier’s words.

Prondier placed one hand on his waist.

“Wait a moment, I’ll go see the gods.”

* * *

Humans won the war against the gods.

At that time, Prondier thought most of the gods would die with that war, but according to Hercules, it was a bit different.

The gods lost their place and fell, but they didn’t die immediately.

They now had a lifespan.

That lifespan was similar to humans, and like humans, they would age and slowly disappear.

Conversely, the gods who didn’t die were still around.

And Prondier knew how to reach them.

“I heard they were around here.”

Prondier, who had come to Olympus, headed straight for the River of Forgetfulness. He got the location from Campe in Tartarus.

Lethe originally belonged to Quinia’s father, Armel.

Armel used the power of Lethe to tamper with Quinia’s memories, which caused Prondier quite a bit of trouble.

The River of Forgetfulness is close to Tartarus. Of course, not only this river but all five rivers that the dead cross lead to the underworld, so it was naturally close to one of those choices, Tartarus.

Even Prondier couldn’t help but feel a bit tense here. The underworld had not been involved in the recent fight with the gods. Hades might appear without warning.

“…Hmm.”

Prondier sensed someone near the River of Forgetfulness with his intuition. No, he knew someone was hiding.

‘When I received Armel’s power, there was no problem, but the true power of forgetfulness held by a real god might be different.’

The opponent was a goddess who dealt with memories. He decided to approach cautiously.

“Is that you, Lethe?”

Frontier called out to someone hiding behind the rock.

Then,

“aaah!”

A scream was heard, and someone jumped out from behind the rock and lay flat on the ground.

“…Hello?”

Even though Frontier greeted, the person just trembled, bowing their head so low that they were completely out of sight.

‘…What are they doing?’