LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 975
<975 – Experience Points Doubled (12)>
The pain in Oknodie’s instep, betrayed by the fake Lin he trusted, was as great as the suffering of betrayal itself, making him grimace.
“Lin, how could you do this?!”
“…”
“No matter how many times I’ve lured you out to steal the eggs from the cockatrice’s nest or tossed you into a giant centipede’s den covered in the snake’s blood, this is too much!!”
The sympathy that used to linger in Jiang and Sing’s gazes, as they looked at Oknodie like the owner bitten by a pet dog, vanished.
Now, it looked like nothing more than a pitiable and self-inflicted scene of karma.
“Shall we go in, sis?”
“Sure.”
The two let Oknodie’s scolding about how ungrateful the fake Lin was wash over them, barely paying any attention.
There was no need to worry about how to enter the frame.
The entire frame simply opened up like walking through a curtain or diving into water.
Swish.
The sound of Oknodie faded quickly, making the ears feel dull as if submerged in water.
As they crossed the dimensional boundary, although the sound didn’t fade dramatically, it was clear that a divide separated them through the frame.
The density of mana was significantly lower, and they could feel the inefficiency of all their skills drop to an endless low.
“It’s the lower realm.”
“It is low in mana.”
If the place where mana was collected more easily was called the upper realm, then the opposite, where mana was harder to accumulate, is the lower realm.
The Picture World was unquestionably classified as a space with decreased mana density.
‘When I saw it from the entrance, I couldn’t believe it was this chaotic. How dangerous must the beings trapped inside be to allow for all this?’
Jiang, who had only glimpsed the spirit of the Picture World, could only assume based on the sight of the spirits mercilessly beating students and mimics alike.
However, Sing, having experienced the [How to Become a Master of the Cult] textbook world, already had the know-how on surviving in the lower realm.
Unlike the tense Jiang, she knew how to endure.
“If you abuse skills from the middle realm, your mana reserve will deplete, making it harder to escape the lower realm. For now, lower the usage of your energy to the level of natural mana in the lower realm.”
“Thank you, sis.”
“The master of the lower realm will unleash its godlike strength through the bonded realm that blankets this little world. We need to analyze what that function is and how similar effects can be created through combinations.”
“Oknodie did provide some hints on that.”
“Right. You said [Swordsmanship].”
Swordsmanship.
The dark past from the days of the Eastern Empire flashed through Sing’s mind.
A time she never wanted to return to.
Yet, she had to go back for the sake of revenge.
In Sing’s [Origin] realm, there was Lin and Oknodie, but on the other hand, there was also revenge.
Just like calling forth a character slot, Sing buried her original self—the lonely assassin—under layers of her past.
‘The past of devastation. My sister must have suffered greatly, having lived in a state where I was almost dead because of its influence.’
Jiang suddenly realized.
Why she felt such affinity toward Sia.
It was because they were alike.
The darkness harbored in the past.
A lurking intent, ready to snap at any time beyond the loose present.
Yet, awakening the ‘origin’ for both of them—a dark past that could never be called a ‘memory’—was not just the draw toward one another, nor merely reflections of the past.
[Is this a newcomer?]
“!!”
“…!”
The spirit of the Picture World.
One who inscribed the ultimate of [Swordsmanship] onto a world.
The intent of a master of the lower realm flew towards them.
[Your only task is one.]
[To defeat me.]
[The deadline is infinite. The number of attempts is also unlimited. Challenge me until your heart breaks and crumbles into eternity.]
The entity Jiang and Sing laid their eyes upon.
The moment Jiang beheld the appearance of the being wrapped in the ultimate of swordsmanship, his eyes shook violently.
“Sword Saint Reinhardt…?”
The strongest swordsman in the world.
The peerless swordsman of all ages.
No one under the sky had ever surpassed him, the strongest swordsman.
Thus, he was called the sword saint, having reached a state as high as the stars in the night sky.
This transcendent swordsman, trapped somewhere within the small, cramped [Picture World], awaited them.
*
Back in the days of a lecture, time rewound.
Oknodie had once faced a named NPC known as the closest subordinate of the sword saint.
“The one who lost to Sword Saint Reinhardt after battling a hundred matches. The one who lost his right arm yet reclaimed his spot at the top of the Swordsmen’s Guild. I am the Blue Wolf Swordsmen’s Master.”
The one-armed swordsman.
Master of the Blue Wolf Swordsmen, [Jaosu Swordmaster Gael].
━━━━
[Swordsman Training Event]
During summer vacation, train hard as a swordsman aiming for a higher realm.
○ 9.9% chance to join the Blue Wolf Swordsmen.
Main Event – Rise of the Young Wolf
━━━━
[Rise of the Young Wolf Event]
Belonging to the Blue Wolf Swordsmen, aim for as many results as possible until the end of the vacation. As your results grow, your rewards will increase, and special events will open.
○ Obtain [Blue Wolf’s Boots] for ordinary results.
○ Obtain [Blue Wolf’s Boots] and [Blue Wolf’s Armor] for outstanding results.
○ Obtain [Blue Wolf’s Boots], [Blue Wolf’s Armor], and [Blue Wolf’s Cloak] for exceptional results.
Follow-up Event – Deputy Chief Challenge
○ Obtain [Blue Wolf’s Boots], [Blue Wolf’s Armor], [Blue Wolf’s Cloak], and [Blue Wolf’s Great Sword] for legendary results.
Follow-up Event – Master Challenge
━━━━
A player wielding a sword who disregarded all campus events and favorability events solely focuses on enhancing their physical power triggers the swordsman training event.
Anyway, the memes suggesting that all masters are just noise grew rampant, given that the master had deadly skills.
The true master of swordsmanship allowed only for the event boss battle, [Jaosu Swordmaster Gael].
A hidden boss who could only be challenged with specs plastered as [Equipment Luck], [Catalog Collection Luck], and [Mana Compress Luck].
His notoriety was well-known among the players.
-What year is this boss even supposed to be defeated?
-I’m a third-year student who entered the 991st year and attempted for five full years until 999, and I still lost.
-Why are they raising this warrior? Even with the Holy Mirror on, they can break everything with one arm.
In the repetitive school days, the players could accumulate countless experiences, yet they could not reach the level of [Jaosu Swordmaster Gael].
The being who cruelly crushed and trampled him back in the days of his ‘two arms’ was none other than Sword Saint Reinhardt.
“Isn’t this a bit too much? The name of the sword saint is too harsh for those kids to bear.”
“True, it seems.”
“Knowing and still sending them—what a naughty kid. Sending friends to [Tomb of the Sword], prepared by the Director as a trap for those who covet the Picture World’s treasures. Did you not consider those two as friends at all?”
It wasn’t unreasonable for Sadi Chocolate to harbor such questions.
Trials that cannot destroy a person’s will make them stronger, but trials that destroy a person’s will lead to eternal demise of the soul.
Lifetime efforts.
The status of their later years.
Opportunities for growth.
All of those would be trampled, crushed, turning even the joy of talent and effort into mere ashes.
“Hey, you don’t mean that, right? I even checked first just in case!”
“Checked? What do you mean?”
“Isn’t it obvious when you see it?”
Oknodie’s nonchalant and braggadocious attitude seemed somewhat alarming.
From the context of the conversation, Sadi Chocolate began to realize a terrifying possibility.
She rummaged through the memories implanted in Oknodie’s mind, trying to uncover what lay hidden.
“This is…!”
“Hehe. How do you like my security test?”
The Director’s main house.
The lower realm where all spirits within the grand mansion are preserved.
A similar scene unfolded for all of them.
Oknodie’s image of entering beyond frames, books, and exhibition halls!
Just when she was about to say, “When did this happen?” she realized.
Oknodie often employed a certain trick.
Doppelganger Technique.
Oknodie had already sent one of his duplicates to each lower realm.
And through the results, he had proven why the lower realm was merely a lower realm.
By conquering all lower realms.
Through the recovery of the Director’s arrangement.
While chatting with Sadi Chocolate, and while Sia was rising to become a master of the cult.
Unseen to even Sadi, he had naturally finished absorbing the Director’s true legacy as his own.
Even the dreadful trap world where Sword Saint Reinhardt sleeps, the [Tomb of the Sword]!
“Is that possible?”
That was an honest question.
Oknodie was undeniably amazing.
It was clear that he was the vessel of the foreign god, a being without fear under the sky.
In the middle realm, he was a daunting powerhouse, hard to find a match against.
But Reinhardt—who exactly was he?
Even Oknodie’s memory retained terrifying remnants of that being.
-There was a genius swordsman named Reinhardt ten years ago. I want to break his sword, to master it. All manner of skilled swordsmen rushed in like moths to a flame only to be annihilated. Because of that, the current eminent swordsmen, who call themselves masters, are now nothing but a generation of diluted shadows.
-The lesson you need to learn is not to be seduced by Oknodie’s wealth and assets. Just as those who were bewitched by Reinhardt’s swordsmanship lived success, yet followed one after another into death, leading their clan to decline.
The Grand Bishop Olosst of the Church of Amore once testified about the downfall of the eminent sword families.
A single generation’s mastery of swordsmanship retreated well over a century.
The fame of Sword Saint Reinhardt carried the meaning of fear, burying countless advanced sword techniques beneath the stars in the night sky.
To face that without even the original body but rather a replication scattered in all directions?
“How on earth?”
However, Oknodie did not allow her to glimpse the answer sheet.
“Not telling!”
“…”
“Hehe. While I won’t show you the answer sheet, I can give you a hint.”
“…Just tell me that.”
“Well, you see, those transcendental beings who surpass realms instinctively realize that they cannot ascend to a higher level based solely on the trajectory of their life’s journey. They come to the same conclusion.”
“Same conclusion?”
“If one cannot reach transcendence through a single trajectory, then mustn’t they accumulate countless trajectories to rise to the height of transcendence?”
“!!”
“Exactly. It’s the Doppelganger Technique!”
The sword saint is not one.
“There are swordsmen sharing the name Reinhardt. Occasionally, swordsmen arise bearing the same name because they admire him, but among those, uniquely strong Reinhardts often emerge, right?”
Memories of Oknodie’s past flickered in Sadi Chocolate’s mind, triggering a chain of recollections.
━━━━
[Giant Drop]
– Eungchilgeom Hiscliff: An evil ride that evokes Rung Nosa.
– Sword King Reinhardt: I’ve made a resolution. The moment I exit this ride, I will become the giant slayer. Such vile giants must be eradicated.
– Omoshiroi: Quite entertaining. Thanks to that, I thought of an interesting test. Sending my gratitude to the original author.
━━━━
━━━━
[Dragon Train]
– Sword King Reinhardt: I made a resolution. The instant I exit this theme park, I will annihilate all the wicked dragons lurking in the dimensional realm.
– Demon King’s Four Kings Aridity: I’ve seen new possibilities in desiccation. The emotional desiccation through the obliteration of feelings. Hehehe. I truly thank you.
– Okashii-ne: Hehehe. If so many of these dimensional coordinates are lined in sequence, then the God of Death may descend, yet it’s ever so strange to place such a door in major facilities.
━━━━
The Sword King Reinhardt who visited Oknodie’s theme park.
━━━━
[A list of the idle fourth-year students from the Production Department with free time]
*Minato Yuu
– Heir of one of the seven major workshops of the continent, the Yuu Workshop.
– Currently developing equipment to hunt the Demon King’s Four Kings as part of the graduation project.
– Planning to join the hunting party for bonus points.
– Can be found at the dedicated workshop in the Workshop District.
– Due to the weekly event from the Dragon Principal, the average temperature of the continent has risen by 2.5 degrees, causing monsters to emerge from the plants, leading to issues in gathering materials.
*Reinhardt
– Youngest vice-leader of the White Shield Knights.
– Currently developing equipment to hunt the Demon King’s Four Kings as part of the graduation project.
– Will also personally participate in the hunting party as he creates flying swords that encapsulate vision swordsmanship.
– Can be found at the Mana Compress facility.
– Currently facing difficulties due to a lack of distinguished swords needed to craft the flying swords for the hunting preparations.
*Grim Reaper
– Elite assassin from the Silence Clan.
– Currently developing a shinigami’s scythe as part of the graduation project.
– Challenges the grand achievement of the Reaper Strike.
– Can be found at the dedicated workshop in the Workshop District.
– Currently suffering due to an inability to commit homicide for several days.
━━━━
The youngest vice-leader of the White Shield Knights, Reinhardt.
Different yet the same.
They were all Reinhardt.
Like small stars forming a constellation around the single star of the sword saint.
The sword saint is not a single star but rather the owner of a constellation formed by countless stars.
“What if we can know the ‘past’ and ‘origin’ of a certain technique? We can infer what the sword that reached ‘ultimate’ and ‘transcendence’ was built upon. If I simply fill my own answers there, surpassing it becomes simple. Just like how a correctly arranged spell becomes magic.”
Witnessing the brilliance of Oknodie, who was adept in both sword and magic, Sadi Chocolate pondered.
“Should I build a grave for Jiang and Sing?”
And how would those two possibly follow that?