Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy

Chapter: 648

When I said I had obtained the Authority of Purification but had no idea how to use it, Grandpa let out an exaggerated sigh.

[You should know how to use it since you’ve experienced the Authority of Embrace before. It’s the same power; it just encompasses different areas.]

‘R-really?’

Recalling my first use of the Authority of Embrace, it felt much more natural. The moment I decided to embrace the opponent’s resentment and lament, I intuitively knew what to do.

In contrast, the Miracle of Purification was a total mystery. I didn’t have the faintest idea of what to do.

[Didn’t you perform miracles perfectly fine before?]

‘That was a simple skill! If you break it down, I hardly did anything!’

The prayer that came when I used the Miracle of Purification, the divine presence flowing within me, none of it perfectly mirrored my will.

I wondered if there was even half of my intent in it. Asking me to perform this like I did during the miracle is like saying shooting a crossbow with a click is the same as aiming a bow and releasing an arrow.

[Then specify your intentions more clearly. Declare that you will purify Agra's power.]

‘You’re right. That’s it!’

Nodding at Grandpa’s words, I reached out to the fairies once more. With the determination to purify Agra’s power, the divine energy inside me stirred, but oddly enough, I couldn’t manifest any phenomena in reality.

The Authority of Purification was being obstructed by Agra’s power. More precisely, my power was suppressed by the Pope wielding Agra’s power.

‘Grandpa?’

[It can’t be helped. The Pope surely hasn’t taken a fragment of Agra for no reason. You might as well consider the power they wield as that of the Evil God.]

‘That’s not what I’m asking! What should I do now? I need advice!’

Bosses are typically stronger than users. It wouldn’t make sense if they were on the same level or weaker, right?

Even from the perspective of the game, the Pope being stronger than me made sense.

It wouldn’t make sense for me to be stronger than that lunatic who’s lived for hundreds of years since the Age of Myth.

But there must be a way. As Erginius said before, authority is a more comprehensive concept. If I could handle the Authority of Purification properly, surely, a solution would emerge.

[If you’re losing in strength, you need to approach it from a more detailed angle. No matter how solid something is, it crumbles when you hit its weakness, doesn’t it?]

‘Detailed… right.’

Sitting down on the snow, I continued pondering and eventually lay back on the ground.

In simple terms, I felt lost.

The dictionary definition of purification is ‘to make something dirty or impure clean.’ I was sure, as I looked it up when I first obtained the Miracle of Purification.

It isn’t a complicated term at all.

Purifying a polluted lake to restore its original cleanliness is purification, cleaning a messy place is called purification activity, and offering a good heart to a wicked person with an impure mind is also purification. In movies, when they bomb a place occupied by aliens, they call it a purification operation!

As long as someone deems something dirty to be made clean, anything can be seen as purification.

Therefore, the Authority of Purification should inherently be seen as a versatile and awesome power.

[Knowing that, what’s the problem?]

‘It’s too vague!’

What are the standards for what’s dirty and what’s impure? I need clarity on this!

Of course, I know what’s dirty or impure.

Beast droppings or my room after a three-day all-nighter can be firmly called dirty.

A sloppy fox waiting under my bed or a sword saint who rushes in just when I want to steal someone’s husband is indeed impure.

But that’s not what I’m talking about.

For instance, there are the fairies hovering above my head, motionless.

They’re sleeping thanks to the Authority of the End.

What exactly about them is impure?

How do I purify them to erase Agra’s power?

[You’re overthinking trivial matters.]

‘Trivial? No way! This is actually important! It’s crucial to analyze these details to find openings!’

You can’t just think that it’s right and stop there. If you do, you’ll fall behind everyone else.

To secure first place in a speedrun, you need not only superior physicality and luck but also this kind of ingenuity.

At first, it’s hailed as an amazing idea, but later, everyone imitates it, making it meaningless. Still, what’s important is that it remains the first.

Anyway, from my perspective with this way of thinking, the Authority of Purification felt far too ambiguous.

[You should focus solely on Agra’s power. Continuing to ponder the concept of impurity won’t yield any answers.]

‘But, I need to find a way to distinguish what’s impure so I can dig deep into it! Think about it! Some people even deny the very existence of fairies! For those people, they might be able to purify the fairies!’

I said it half-jokingly, but half of me was serious. If I carelessly used the Authority of Purification, who knows what might happen?

Even the fairies’ mere playfulness could seem impure from a narrow-minded perspective. I might unintentionally purify that playfulness away!

‘To avoid the worst-case scenario, I need to rigorously think about what to purify! I need to figure out exactly how the Authority of the Evil God operates and also understand what my own authority can do!’

Hearing my outcry, Grandpa laughed in disbelief.

[Isn’t it you who determines that?]

‘…Huh?’

[Didn’t you shout that out the last time you used the Authority of Embrace? This is my embrace. If you’re going to argue, then argue with the lord who granted you the authority.]

‘Did I?’

[It’s the same thing. The fact that Lord Jushin lent you the Authority of Purification means you are entrusted with its use. What you deem as impure is impure, and what you see as dirty is dirty.]

I lifted my head slightly at the idea that I am the standard, then immediately lay back down again.

So, if I can’t come to a conclusion, it’s ultimately meaningless.

Ahh, I feel even less confident now. At this rate, I don’t think I can do anything with the Authority of Purification.

[Looks like I’m destined to walk until this snowy expanse ends.]

‘If I run straight, something will come out, right?’

[I hope it’s a beast, then. Only then can we fill our bellies.]

‘Huh? Why do we need to hunt? We have plenty of food!’

Right now, my inventory has enough food to last a month for five people.

I had stored it just in case I got sucked into a medium or larger dungeon.

Based on the game’s text, there are stories where you eat monsters found inside dungeons, but I couldn’t even think about touching that!

[You really should’ve been a hero.]

‘Have you ever been stranded in a dungeon, Grandpa?’

[I told you! That hero always loses his way! Even in a few-story dungeon, there’s no need to talk about what happens in a multi-story place.]

Grandpa’s words carried a deep sense of bitterness as he recounted stories of his hardships, while I descended from the snowy mountain and instinctively moved my feet without a second thought.

I had experienced enough of lady luck irritating me before.

I didn’t think my instincts would fail me this time.

Walking through the snow was familiar to me. One of the things I trained excessively at the Allen Family was marching through the snow.

Getting stuck would be no big deal.

But then I thought, do I really need to do this? If I walked lightly like a fairy, I wouldn’t sink in at all.

When I actually tried it, it worked.

From that moment on, I zipped through the terrain like I was walking on solid ground.

But at some point, I started to feel something strange.

Is it realistic that despite running faster than normal speech, nothing is coming out?

[Is this really the original world?]

‘It doesn’t seem like a normal place at least.’

I had a good grasp of the continental geography.

But there’s no geography on the continent where I could run until sunset and still see nothing.

Something is definitely off here.

‘Grandpa. Have you come across any dungeon that resembles this snowy place while dealing with Agra?’

[No. More precisely, it’s impossible. How much power would it take to create a snowfield of this magnitude?]

‘Right? I’ve never seen a dungeon like this either. That’s why I’m so excited about it.’

If this place is endlessly stretched by the Authority of the End, then it’s not entirely impossible.

Would that make sense? It’s a power that grants you eternity by overcoming death, so erasing the end of a dungeon should be no problem at all.

From the perspective of someone wanting to mess with someone else, this is the most efficient dungeon imaginable.

You could torment anyone trapped inside without any preparation.

There’s not a complete lack of strategies, so it doesn’t deviate too far from the definition of a dungeon.

‘My heart is racing because I’m getting too heated.’

Yeah. This place is so efficient it’s disgusting.

With a hollow laugh, I watched the sunset, feeling strangely hopeful that I could bring back the end of this place.

It was entirely different from when I tried to purify the fairies.

I truly believed this was wrong and thought such a place should not exist.

In that moment, wishing with all my heart for this place to return to its rightful form, the crimson snowfield vanished, revealing a brown-hued plain.

I’m not quite sure, but this place felt like the true right world.

The scent of grass brushing against my nose carried that message to me.

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