00017 <-- Episode 17 When the world changes, humans change too (2) -->
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A week has passed since the Sungshihan group started staying in their new house.
During that time, Shihan devoted himself to recovering his lost speculation and magic power. In the meantime, he also did not neglect to learn about the current situation on the continent through Alita and Zenon.
The six kingdoms that currently rule the continent of Terranor.
These were divided into two strong, two medium, and two weak countries according to their respective national powers.
At first, the six kingdoms did not have a large gap between them. Except for Shihan, the other six revolutionary heroes all had similar skills, similar reputations, and similar power.
But as the decade passed, the gap in national power became quite large.
The two powers were the Kingdom of Lillestein, founded by the Red Lillestein, and the Papacy of Inasius, founded by Karen Inasius, the female pope of Kronlizate.
Currently, these two countries have the largest population and wealth in Terranor.
The Kingdom of Saparan, founded by the white Saparan, and the Kingdom of Palos, founded by the silver Levina, belonged to the second group. Although they also possessed considerable national power, they were considered to be inferior to the two countries mentioned above.
Lastly, the country of Theorant of Thunder and Fire and the country of Zexengard, the Earth Destroyer, were the two weakest.
Perhaps because they both came from the Sword Hire faction, their policies were not rational and they were unable to make much progress over the past ten years.
However, it is not the case that the national power of the six kingdoms differs by several times.
If the weaker Kingdom of Theorant and the Kingdom of Zexengard join hands, even the stronger Kingdom of Rilstein and the Church of Inasius will not be able to handle it on their own.
That’s why it is said that there is quite a bit of friction between the six kingdoms at present.
“The most recent big thing that has happened is the Kagon War.”
Alita said, recalling two years ago.
The Kagon War broke out over control of Kagon City, during which the Kingdom of Lilstein and the Church of Inasius raised armies to take over Kagon City.
The remaining kingdoms, fearing that this would lead to a full-scale war, intervened to mediate, and the mediation they did was quite violent.
Sapharan incited Zexengard to declare that if either side took Kagon City, the Kingdom of Zexengard would join the opposing side.
From Zexenguard’s perspective, it wasn’t a bad story at all.
Just by stepping foot in, you will gain access to a part of the wealthy Kagon City.
Eventually, Lilstein and Karen Inasius, who were stuck in a bind, made a pact and shared control of Kagon City with Zexengard.
“They say everyone is bickering.”
Shihan smiled coldly.
From his perspective, it wasn’t a bad story. If the six of them had been together, revenge wouldn’t have been easy even if Shihan had regained his former strength.
‘I expected that we wouldn’t be on good terms, though.’
Even blood brothers are bound to have differences of opinion as they gain power and increase their followers.
There is no reason why there has been so much bloodshed in the royal family. Even if they are colleagues who are not related by blood, there is nothing to see.
Of course, historically, there have been truly great and excellent kings who ruled justly… … .
‘If they were that decent of people, would they have kicked me out to Earth in the first place?’
Shihan looked at Alita with a bitter smile.
“By the way, is practice going well?”
The two were currently out in the backyard of the house, training. Shihan was recovering his fighting and magical powers as usual, while Alita was practicing her newly acquired fighting skills.
“Ugh, that’s… … Ouch! Another failure.”
Alita, who had been struggling, made an impression. Her pretty face became strangely distorted and ugly, and then quickly returned to its original appearance.
“This is difficult.”
“There’s no need to rush too much. It took Levina over a month just to lay the foundation.”
She was currently practicing the Thousand-Year-Old Skill she had learned from Shihan.
It was a skill she had been longing for. In the past, she had thought they would soon break up, so she had no regrets, but now the situation has changed. When she had some free time, Alita begged Shihan to teach her the celestial toilet.
Even from Shihan’s perspective, it would not be good if her identity was revealed, so he readily agreed.
Shihan explained it slowly once more.
“Don’t be so hasty. Calm down and think of an invisible hand covering your entire face. Then, let the speculation seep in as if you were putting something on. Rather than changing your face with speculation, it would be more accurate to say that you put on makeup with an invisible energy and then fix it with speculation.”
Alita tried once more. And failed.
“… … Oh, but it’s still too difficult. Is there any other explanation?”
The explanation of the time limit for the change of the world was always the same. It was always the same expressions, the same metaphors. Usually, when a teacher teaches a student, he explains things in a more multifaceted way.
Shihan smiled bitterly.
“Actually, I don’t know what this is about either. I didn’t make the toilet like that.”
“Huh? Then what is the explanation?”
“That’s the explanation that Levina gave to her subordinates after she mastered the skill of the toilet. I just repeat it like a parrot… … .”
Alita rolled her eyes, dumbfounded.
“Then why don’t you just teach me as soon as the time comes?”
“That’s impossible… … .”
Shihan scratched his head.
“I’m not a Terran, I’m an Earthling.”
***
Earthlings and Terrans have similar physical characteristics. There is no precedent yet, but they may even have offspring.
But there were some areas where the differences were particularly stark.
“I feel a sense of power or magic in a completely different way than the Terranoans.”
This happened when Seong Si-han was learning fighting skills and magic in Terrano.
He didn’t have a particularly genius brain or body. Naturally, he had a hard time learning martial arts, moving his body, and memorizing magic spells.
Unlike schoolwork, I didn’t slack off or anything because it was something that was life-threatening, but I still managed to get the hang of it after repeating it over and over again.
But it was absurdly easy to feel and use speculation and magic power.
“Alita, how did you feel and operate the speculation? You probably spent a long time concentrating, developing your senses, and taking it step by step?”
“Yes, isn’t that obvious?”
Speculation is the third force that creates the internal and external synchronization of the life energy that all living things are born with and the natural energy that spreads throughout the world.
Since it is not an energy that is born with you, you need to put in effort to detect it and a more advanced sense is needed to handle it.
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To use a metaphor, wouldn’t it be similar to going through a huge warehouse with your eyes closed, looking through each item and selecting only the items you need?
“I didn’t. I was just able to perceive it naturally.”
To Seong Si-han, an Earthling, the warehouse itself was obvious. He didn’t need to feel around or look around; he just had to glance at it and take the items.
For him, speculation was a ‘natural energy that existed in the world’ that he didn’t even have to concentrate to detect.
“The same goes for magic power.”
Magic is a type of mental energy that directly intervenes in the natural world and distorts the laws of this world.
This energy, which is advanced through meditation, is no different from speculation from the perspective of Shihan. It feels like it exists naturally in the same way.
Also, it was much easier to operate it since its existence could be clearly recognized.
From the perspective of a Terranor, no matter how much speculation or magic power one feels, it is necessary to develop a separate sense to handle it. However, there is no need for that for Shihan.
All you have to do is be conscious of it and move your arms and legs.
Alita’s mouth opened wide in shock.
“What is that?”
She also knew that concept. That was the realm of the so-called superhuman swordsman, where the mind moves as soon as the spirit moves.
Is that a feature that comes preloaded?
“This is a total scam!”
Shihan laughed with a snicker.
“That’s a scam. That’s why I told you. I’m not exactly a genius.”
This is what allowed the time limit to reach the extremes of speculation and magic in just three years.
While others are eating beans one by one with long chopsticks with their eyes closed, he can open his eyes wide and scoop up beans with his bare hands and put them in his mouth. His progress cannot be slow.
“Wow, Earthlings are going too far… … .”
Alita muttered, seeming dejected. Then suddenly she asked.
“But I don’t know if that’s necessarily because he’s an Earthling. Couldn’t it just be that Shihan is just a genius?”
If all Earthlings had such talent, the time spent training up until now would be too much of a shame. It would be better to think that it was just one unlucky genius.
Shihan shook his head.
“That can’t be right. According to Lilstein’s research, that’s why the otherworldly monsters are so powerful.”
Among the seven revolutionary heroes, the one who studied Rusclan’s otherworldly summoning technique the most deeply was Lilstein.
In order to find the weakness of the light, he delved deep into the mechanisms of that transcendent magic, and achieved some results.
“Since I had a test subject, I was in a more advantageous position than other magicians. Sapharan was stronger against direct attack magic than summoning or beast magic.”
Lilstein developed a reasonable hypothesis about the abnormal strength of otherworldly monsters.
Speculation and magic are unknown energies that must be newly discovered by the creatures of Terranor. On the other hand, to the beings of the other world, not only speculation and magic, but everything about Terranor is completely unknown.
So as they cross dimensions, their bodies and senses are reconfigured to fit the reality of Terranor.
In the process, speculation and magical power are also recognized as ‘natural realities of Terranor’ by beings from other worlds.
“Even the monsters of the other world aren’t that strong in their own world. They gain that level of strength by dimensionally moving to Terrano and obtaining the spirit and magical power of this world.”
In other words, Seong Si-han’s talent was not innate, but a side effect that arose from crossing dimensions.
“I see. So the ability to control time is not something that you get because you’re an Earthling, but something that you’re from another world?”
“Yeah, after I returned to Earth, I tried teaching speculation to some of my acquaintances, but they all had no clue.”
Alita nodded, convinced. Still, the feeling of injustice did not go away easily.
“But if you just cross the dimension, you can suddenly acquire such superhuman talents, right? I’m so jealous… … .”
“Because of that, I was dropped naked into a world I had never seen before, and had to live a desperate life, cold and hungry, always in danger of my life. Do you still envy me?”
“Oh, that’s true.”
Alita is also a talented swordsman who has reached the level of a fighter in her teens. She must be an object of envy for ordinary people.
But her skills were built on tears, sweat, and blood, always being chased, living in hiding, and having her life threatened.
Are you jealous of this?
If you were to ask Alita to trade her speculation for the lives of ordinary people, she would agree in a heartbeat.
“Anyway, for that reason, I can teach you the method, but I can’t explain it to you. You figure it out on your own. But once you get the feel of it, I can guide the flow of speculation for you.”
“It seems that initiation must be done through one’s own efforts.”
At the end of the time limit, Alita also gave up and went back to practicing the Thousand-Year-Old Man. After struggling hard, she sighed deeply again.
“Ouch, that’s difficult.”
As expected, I envy Shihan’s ability. Alita tilted her head as she stared at him.
“By any chance, if we send a Terran to Earth and then have them return, would they gain abilities like time limits?”
Shihan had a blank expression.
“Well? I hadn’t thought about that… … .”
***
As it turned out, the small talk had gotten too long. The two stopped talking and went back to their respective trainings.
Alita is working hard to make her face look like a squirrel, and Sihan is also quietly meditating. In the house, the sound of wood gnawing can be heard faintly again today. It seems like Zenon is doing something.
“… … Doesn’t that guy practice cultivation?”
Alita shrugged her shoulders at the question of time.
“The new furniture I bought is so messy. I thought I’d clean it up a bit before I start.”
In order to save money, Shihan and his party bought their household items mostly from second-hand furniture from a failed inn. As a result, there was a lot of dirt and grime here and there on the furniture.
Of course, Zenon didn’t allow that. He’s been making a fuss about cleaning the furniture for a week now.
“Are you going to get stabbed with a sword again?”
“You cut it so thinly as if it were a sheet of paper?”
“Well, that’s also training.”
Without paying attention, Shihan began to meditate again. Alita also silently used the speculation according to the usage of the Heavenly Beast.
For a while, silence fell over the backyard. Only the silent wind swept across the yard.
“uh?”
Suddenly, Shihan raised his head and looked into the air. Alita asked in surprise. Shihan’s face was frozen hard.
“Why is that?”
Shihan looked around as if he couldn’t understand. Of course, there were walls and buildings on all sides, so he couldn’t see anything. But what he could sense now was the situation hundreds of meters away, beyond that.
“What is it? Why do I sense the aura of a demon in the city?”
A rather fierce presence of demons could be felt from across the street. There were about 30 of them, and each and every one of them was on the level of the boss-level Ignis Wolf I had encountered before.
Alita made a face of inadequacy.
“No way? No matter how small it is, it is the capital of a country.”
This is not the capital city of La Tencel, a remote village. It is a fortress city that has been particularly careful about its defense. Even a proper regular army would not dare invade, so there is no way that a demon would show up.
“I guess so?”
Shihan scratched his head, embarrassed.
Even if the time limit was as clear as vision in detecting energy, it would have been enough to cause confusion at this distance. Even a person with two eyes could not have mistakenly seen an object hundreds of meters away, right?
“I need to come to my senses too. It’s been so long that I think my senses are going out of whack.”
As Shihan turned his head, feeling embarrassed, a faint voice was heard from across the street.
“Eww!”
It was a scream, small but unmistakable. Alita blinked.
“… … Is it true?”
***
In the slums of La Tencel, where the traces of poverty were deeply ingrained as if they had been there for a long time, about thirty demons were roaring.
“Kuaaaah!”
The air shakes and the yellow mane sways. At the same time, blade-like claws fly in, soaked in blood.
Giant monsters, three meters tall, roamed the streets, gnawing their cruel teeth at the poor. Screams and cries erupted from all directions.
“Eww!”
The true identity of the demon was Leokan, a bipedal demon with an appearance that looked like a mix of a lion and a chimpanzee. Unlike Ignis Wolf, it has no special abilities, but instead possesses terrifying strength.
As the horde of Leocans charged, the flimsy buildings collapsed and dust rose.
“Save the people!”
The survivors run away frantically. Blood and corpses are already strewn all over the streets.
The Capital Guard arrived late, but they were unable to respond. Leokan was a demon of a higher level than Ignis Wolf.
It was a monster that ordinary soldiers without the power of speculation would not even dare to attack. It was difficult to just raise the shield high and maintain the position.
“Maintain formation!”
“Shoot the arrow!”
It was a crucible of chaos. The air was so murky, with the murderous intent of the Leocans, the fear of the people, and the cries of the dying all mixed together, and it could be felt even from afar.
Shihan frowned as he ran down the street.
“No, you built such a strong fortress and allowed the devil to invade? How messy must the military be… .”
Alita, who was following behind, also tilted her head.
“How did Leokan get down here? They don’t usually move around deep in the mountains.”
Zenon glared as he grabbed his greatsword.
“Don’t worry about it later, Alita. Isn’t saving people a priority right now?”
Alita hesitated for a moment. She didn’t want to stand out in front of people as much as possible.
On the other hand, Seong Si-han had a completely carefree expression. After all, his face had already changed.
‘Ah, I should learn how to use the toilet quickly too. Then I won’t have to worry about things like this.’
Anyway, I can’t just stand by and watch innocent people die right before my eyes. Alita also drew her sword.
As I was running so hard, I saw a herd of about ten Leocans chasing people in the distance.
Shihan said a word to Zeno.
“Don’t let your guard down, Zenon. You’re not wearing armor right now.”
While Shihan and Alita are training and are properly dressed in combat gear, Zenon came running straight from cleaning the house. Thanks to this, he is only holding a large sword on his bare body.
But Zenon didn’t seem to care at all.
“You don’t have to wear armor to be a knight. A true knight proves himself with a single sword! Isn’t that what Higher Shihan said?”
“… … So I’m telling you, I don’t remember saying that?”
Zeno took the lead and leapt forward. His two-meter-tall body sliced through the air, extending his massive greatsword.
“Taaaat!”
Zenon activated his attack and struck Leokan in the head. Leokan tried to block it by crossing his claws, but it was useless.
The sword, imbued with the power of a bankrupt, split the demon’s skull in one breath and dug deep into his chest.
“Kwaaah!”
With a desperate scream, one of the demons was easily slaughtered. Normally, the fighting power of the average Leokan is at the level of a boss-level Ignis Wolf, and is no match for Zenon, a knight-level swordsman.
“Well done, Zenon!”
“thank you!”
Shihan and Alita also dropped their swords. Once again, the two demons retreated, spraying blood. The other groups of Leocans who had been chasing the poor also turned their heads because of the three people who suddenly appeared.
The group of Leocans that had joined surrounded the three.
More than ten demons began to growl and approach.
“Okay, I’ll look away for now.”
With a relaxed expression, Shihan sensed the presence around him. He felt three swordsmen running towards him from afar. Judging by their level of fighting spirit, all three were at least knight-level.
‘There won’t be any more damage.’
If we joined them, we could easily take down a group of Leocans like this even if Shihan didn’t show his true abilities.
With relief, Shihan and his party attacked Leokan again.
One of the knights who came running shouted.
“Stop!”
Shihan and his party continued swinging their swords at the demons. They didn’t think that they were being spoken to. People were dying right before their eyes, so how could they possibly tell them to stop in this situation?
And that prediction turned out to be true.
“Didn’t I tell you to stop!”
The knights drew their swords and blocked the path of Shihan and his party. The air rang with thunder as the clash of swords and swords took place.
Boom!
In the meantime, the Leocan group retreated without any major damage. Zenon shouted in bewilderment.
“What are you doing?”
One of the knights spoke with a blunt face.
“This place is now under the control of the Black Lion Knights! Civilians, stand down!”
Alita also cried out in disbelief.
“We’re free-hire! We’re trying to help!”
But the knights didn’t seem to care at all. They just kept repeating what they had said like parrots.
“Civilians, stand down! This is the king’s command!”
The party was speechless at the thought. Then another knight burst out into a shout.
“If you tell me to step down, I will step down. Why are you complaining so much? Are you planning to disobey the king’s orders?”
Shihan’s face hardened.
Something was off about the situation. Common sense would have it that there was absolutely no reason to object to the participation of a force as powerful as Shihan’s party.
‘What is this scheme?’
