Chapter 68: New Realm (1)
Evan’s first trauma, the memory in the arena, lasted ten minutes.
His second memory lasted six hours.
But Gaiard’s trauma was a single day’s memory.
Twenty-four hours.
He regressed based on that day.
Yet, Evan currently used less than an hour of that day.
The time spent opening the mansion’s gate and facing Viper Organization members hidden among the crowd.
―Clang!
‘That’s two hundred and seventy-one?’
He’d seen the Viper members’ faces so often they felt familiar.
‘Now the white-haired one and the long-haired one will charge.’
Endless repetition.
Everything unfolded as he predicted.
“Die!”
“Vampire’s minion!”
They approached, spouting the same words.
Even their attack directions were identical.
―Tap!
Evan lunged forward, dodging attacks from both sides.
With a single swing, he cut them both down.
―Thud.
After countless regressions, most foes were no match for Evan.
‘Now, if I approach that gate…’
The problem was that the mansion wasn’t filled with just ordinary fighters.
“You’re done causing trouble.”
A swordsman appeared before the gate.
With a light swing, he unleashed a horizontal sword aura.
Evan, though familiar with it, didn’t dodge.
Instead, he raised his sword, sending his own aura to meet it head-on.
―Crack!
His aura shattered upon contact with the opponent’s.
Evan dodged the incoming aura that broke through and adjusted his stance.
‘Still not enough.’
Stronger than Evan,
this figure blocked his path.
He was Hagen, one of the closest aides to the Viper Organization’s leader, “Viper.”
“I didn’t know Gaiard had an ally. Not that it matters now.”
Naturally, Evan didn’t know Hagen was such a figure at first.
This was a past he’d never experienced,
and Gaiard hadn’t shared any details.
‘He perfectly conceals his Qi. I thought they were just a criminal group, but an Expert-level warrior? That’s surprising.’
The snake-coil ring, the Viper Organization’s symbol.
Evan had seen it on foes in the hellscape.
But the snake-fang necklace this warrior wore was new.
‘That must mark a high-ranking member. He’s the only one here wearing it.’
From various clues, he was clearly the strongest at this point.
Evan had already regressed dozens of times, blocked by this warrior.
“Why so confident about it not mattering?”
“Because I can handle it.”
“…”
The opponent’s attitude made Evan frown.
Yet, he had to acknowledge it to some extent.
Facing Hagen head-on was suicidal for Evan now.
‘It’s not an impossible situation like Robern or Bryden. If I use the environment, I could take him down.’
But that wasn’t Evan’s goal.
Unlike his past life, where he used every method to defeat enemies,
his aim now was to win through a direct confrontation.
That’s why he kept failing, and why he was failing now.
Because Evan’s ultimate goal wasn’t victory but enlightenment.
Enlightenment to reach the next stage.
“I’ll surpass you and walk through that gate proudly.”
“Surpass me? You, who’s barely awakened Aura?”
“Yes.”
“Dreaming the impossible.”
An impossible dream.
In his past life, he would’ve accepted that.
Going beyond Aura was impossible back then.
‘But now it’s different. I don’t have an exceptional body, but my ordinary one is enough.’
Above all, wasn’t he a man who never gave up?
Evan gripped his sword tightly and charged at Hagen.
―Tap!
Having lived with a frail body his whole life,
Evan always used everything to overcome limits.
He planned meticulously, using the environment and analyzing opponents in battle.
―Clang, clang, clang!
But now, that extreme efficiency was hindering his growth.
So, Evan forcibly emptied his mind,
fighting purely on instinct.
“Your movements are good. But that’s all.”
Hagen praised Evan for dodging his sword.
Though far weaker, Evan’s seasoned movements rivaled his own.
But Hagen judged it insufficient to defeat him.
“Ugh!”
Evan felt it too.
Hagen was an Expert-level warrior, making victory difficult.
Especially in a fight driven purely by instinct.
“It’s over.”
Exploiting a gap, Hagen stabbed Evan’s abdomen.
Despite the searing pain and blood, Evan didn’t release his sword.
“Not yet!”
Always on the defensive, Evan found a needle-thin opportunity.
Before his mind could process, his arm moved, grazing Hagen’s side.
But it was too shallow, a regrettable strike.
“You!”
Hagen, his armor cut, scowled.
He raised his sword and sliced Evan in half.
―Slash!
Evan lost again,
making his record against Hagen 61 fights, 61 losses.
***
Returning, Evan ignored Gaiard and warmed up.
‘His technique isn’t highly refined, but the gap in Qi output and physicality is huge. I can overcome the physical gap, but the problem is…’
The path of Aura he sought was in the realm of pure talent.
Having never surpassed Aura in his past life, Evan couldn’t rely on prior knowledge.
‘It feels like I’ve stagnated at some point. I’m definitely blocked somewhere. And I know exactly where.’
Aura, the act of emitting the Qi flowing within outward, called “release.”
Those who reached this level were called “Aura.”
Then, “restraint,” containing that Qi perfectly within a sword or weapon without wasting any.
Reaching this stage made one an “Expert.”
‘Sword Master? That’s irrelevant. I need to solve the immediate problem first.’
Evan had never reached beyond Aura in his past life.
He only knew how to use a sliver of Qi to its extreme, not enough to be called an Expert.
‘Surrounded by monstrous humans, I never had the chance to learn…’
Ultimately, he needed formal guidance.
Unfortunately, he’d never received such teaching before,
and no mentor was available now.
‘Then there’s one way. Push myself to my limits.’
Evan reached a conclusion.
To charge forward with brute simplicity.
‘Let’s go.’
***
Having decided, Evan left the mansion.
“Come on, Viper scum! I know you’re hiding, so come out!”
His 62nd regression.
Calling out his foes, he tried a different approach.
‘I have infinite lives. I don’t care how long it takes.’
He closed his eyes.
Then, he tucked his right hand into his pocket.
‘No matter how much I try to move by instinct, my life’s experience makes it hard. Plus, their attack patterns are predictable.’
He imposed heavy restrictions to create a crisis.
Then, he heightened his senses and Qi to escape it.
The mindset was that repeating life-and-death crises would lead to some realization.
Naturally, the Viper members, unaware of his intent, were baffled.
A boy not even an adult, facing them with full seriousness, was performing a circus act.
“Crazy guy, what are you doing?”
“He’s desperate to die.”
At the familiar voices, Evan thought he should plug his ears next time.
But before he could finish the thought, he tilted his head at the chilling aura approaching his face.
―Thwack!
Something lodged behind him with the sound of wind.
Likely a crossbow arrow.
‘The goal is one: reach the gate without dying. I’ll have to give it my all.’
He dodged the arrow purely on instinct.
Exactly what he wanted,
though cold sweat beaded on his back despite his immortality.
‘It’s a fresh start. If I pour everything in, something will change.’
He had no time to think.
Someone approaching exuded a lethal aura.
―Clang!
―Whoosh!
The heavy feel of a sword,
the breeze of a projectile nearby.
Sensing the constant threats drained immense mental energy.
―Thud!
Even with focus, he couldn’t block every attack aimed at him.
Like the sword now lodged in his thigh.
“Ugh!”
Yet, Evan kept his eyes closed and his hand in his pocket.
He faced them with only his left hand.
“Is this guy really crazy? Fine, if you’re playing around, I’ll kill you right here!”
The member who stabbed him tried to pull out the sword to finish it.
At that moment, Evan’s sword flashed like lightning, slicing through his neck.
―Thud.
Hearing the head fall, Evan tried to sense the surroundings’ reactions.
‘This is gonna be tough.’
The mansion wasn’t filled only with Viper members.
Hundreds of citizens had come to judge Gaiard.
Distinguishing the killing intent of his attackers amid their clamor was difficult.
‘Standing still makes me prey.’
―Tap!
Evan charged forward.
With the mindset that if they wanted to kill him, they should come try.
And Viper didn’t pass up this provocative opportunity.
“Die!”
“Ugh!”
Pain in his thigh and an attack from a blind spot.
―Clang!
With his eyes closed, he could predict nothing.
The advantage of regression had long vanished.
‘How far have I gone? Who’s standing before me? I don’t know the next step or the one after.’
No matter how many regressions he endured, nothing would feel familiar.
But this was exactly what he wanted.
A man once called a war god couldn’t grow from ordinary battles.
This level of penalty was necessary for meaningful experience.
―Clang, clang, clang!
Evan, who had been stagnating, began to show subtle changes.
‘Damn! Almost opened my eyes. Stop shooting arrows!’
He didn’t realize it, caught in life-and-death moments,
but he was breaking the wall to move from Aura to Expert.
―Thud!
‘Three… Three in the first attempt isn’t bad.’
The man who reached the peak through sheer will was now aiming for a higher summit.