“A regeneration ability…?!”
Roship’s pupils shook at the rare sight.
While there are subhumans born with regeneration traits from time to time, most are limited to regenerating only parts like tails or have extremely slow healing speeds.
However, the Infinite Regeneration (S) trait derived from the Firebird’s Heart has no such petty restrictions.
Spurt!
As Epio continued his breathing, his right leg burst, and bright red blood sprayed like a fountain.
“Ugh!”
Despite the mind-numbing pain, he gritted his teeth and repeated the breathing method.
When it comes to mastering the rampage heart method, the most crucial element is first and foremost the sense to control the wildly raging mana. Next would be the vitality to withstand the rampaging energy, and the mental fortitude to continue the breathing despite the immense risks.
Epio possessed all three elements.
The Precise Mana Control (A) trait.
High [HP] value.
And a sturdy mentality on top of that.
But even more important than those is luck.
If sheer luck allows success in circulating the rampage energy even once, the meridians and body will remember the process, drastically lowering the chance of blood vessels bursting afterward. However, without luck, one might die from a heart rupture right in the first circulation.
Roship had better luck than anyone.
Among his peers who entered the heart method together, there were those with talents rivaling his, but the only survivor was him, blessed with strong fortune.
However… even Roship, who prioritized luck above all in acquiring the rampage heart method, could only be rendered speechless at the scene before him.
“Keuk!”
The seventh bout of coughing up blood.
Pshk! Spurt!
Blood vessels bursting all over his body at every moment.
Thanks to his extraordinary regeneration, the wounds healed immediately.
But he felt the pain in full.
Even though he was enduring intense agony that would traumatize an ordinary human, Epio focused solely on mastering the rampage breathing without a care.
If lacking luck means you can’t properly seize that single opportunity?
Then just increase the opportunities themselves with regeneration ability.
Crude as it was, by maximizing his own strengths and going through countless trials and errors, Epio finally fully acquired the rampage breathing.
“Hoo…!”
Epio began performing the rampage breathing in earnest. Haze began to shimmer around his body.
Whoosh!
Soon, a chaotic mix of rampage energy and tremendous heat erupted from Epio’s body. The temperature in the room rose rapidly, felt on the skin.
It was obvious at a glance.
His instantaneous explosive power had risen to a terrifying level.
I shouted toward Epio, who was repeating the breathing in a trance.
“Epio! Stop it—it’s so hot I feel like I’m dying!”
“…Oh, sorry, Aiden! My body is overflowing with energy!”
Epio snapped back to his senses at my voice. Immediately after, the heat enveloping the room cooled rapidly under his control.
Roship, the head of the Silas school, could only stare blankly at the sequence of events.
Afterward, Roship stuck by Epio’s side and began an intensive lecture on attributes.
Epio displayed outstanding talent, mastering the Silas School Martial Art (A) in just a week. It was a high-grade art, but structured so that anyone who had learned the rampage heart method could embody it easily in a short time.
According to the setting, it enabled not only bare-handed combat but also long-range attacks through energy projection, but since it wasn’t a weapon technique, it seemed to need some modifications to operate alongside Plebelziam.
I asked Roship.
“It’s a bit late to ask now, but is it really okay to impart secrets like this without formally taking him as a disciple?”
“It doesn’t matter since I don’t think a suitable successor besides Epio will appear anyway. I never imagined a regeneration ability of that level existed in the world.”
Roship continued in a self-deprecating tone.
“Moreover, my master focused only on preserving the heart method and art; he had little interest in maintaining the school’s name. From the looks of it, you seem to know all about me and the Silas school’s background?”
I inadvertently closed my mouth.
I hadn’t investigated separately as Roship assumed, but having read the setting book of Reca Chronicles, I knew the history of the Silas school in detail.
The Silas school, with a history of about 100 years, had preserved its secrets through an extremely cruel process.
The previous head, who could be called his master, one day murdered Roship’s parents and abducted him.
In a similar manner, hundreds of children were kidnapped without regard for means or methods, and the head forced them all to learn the rampage heart method to preserve the school’s legacy.
Roship was the sole survivor among all those children.
“The rampage heart method is a technique of love and hate for me. Though I lost all my friends and family, thanks to the power I gained, I made a name for myself and amassed considerable wealth. But it’s also true that it’s a technique born on the foundation of countless sacrifices, so if no suitable candidate appears, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to let it quietly fade into the annals of history.”
Saying that, Roship looked at Epio with narrowed eyes.
“But seeing that guy pour passion into learning the rampage heart method, for the first time in my life, I feel glad I didn’t end this damned school’s legacy sooner. It makes me think that even this blood-soaked heart method and art could be used in the right direction.”
Epio is steadfastly advancing toward his sole goal of finding his foster father, Claire.
The straightforward will and tenacity displayed in that process became the driving force that earned him favor from countless characters, regardless of age or gender, in the original novel.
It seems this Roship fellow has also fallen victim to the Epio virus.
“…The Silas school’s rampage heart method will surely be a great help on Epio’s path ahead.”
I said that while looking at Roship.
It was also a statement laced with my personal resolve.
In the original history, the point when Epio began to grow in earnest was five years later, around age 17.
Though Epio had abundant potential, due to entering heart methods relatively late, he was always one step behind the power inflation in the story.
There were numerous power-up flags, but most of them fizzled out inexplicably, and ironically, he ended up with techniques that couldn’t fully utilize his talents.
He overcame such adverse conditions and stubbornly pressed on, but what awaited Epio at the end was a damnably futile conclusion.
The decisive factor was his defeat in the battle against ‘Hero Avnil’, the Mary Sue character hated by fans of Reca Chronicles.
But as long as I’m here, that won’t happen.
I’ll prepare the most efficient growth route to maximize his potential, and put him on the express train straight to a happy ending.
Thousand Gold Church.
As befitting its luxurious-sounding name, its doctrines also have a strong secular bent, and it’s known that followers of the Thousand Gold God receive blessings that increase financial luck. For this reason, it enjoys support from numerous entrepreneurs and merchants.
I led my party toward the headquarters of such a Thousand Gold Church.
“We four will each donate 10 platinum coins.”
Pointing to Chesa, Epio, and Linia in turn, I handed 40 platinum coins to the church’s priest.
Upon confirming the amount, the priest smiled with satisfaction and said to us.
“May the Thousand Gold God’s blessing be with you. I hope this leads to even greater profits for you.”
[The Thousand Gold God, pleased at receiving heaps of platinum coins, blesses you.]
[Divinity increased by 1.]
Naturally, there’s a reason I gathered nonexistent money to pour into donations. It’s because of the background setting that donating at least 10 platinum coins per person to the Thousand Gold Church grants a free [Divinity] stat point of 1, no questions asked.
[Giving out such a blessing just for some money? What a ridiculous god.]
Plebelziam, having sensed the changes in us four through its unique wave detection, muttered in disbelief.
Of course, this blessing is one-time only.
Moreover, if one’s Divinity value exceeds 5, receiving the Thousand Gold God’s blessing has no effect.
“Why am I the only one left out?”
Clara, now looking at us with a pout, means she can’t raise her Divinity no matter how much money she pours in. Priestesses who have received a share of the Dragon God’s authority are born with a base Divinity value of 7.
I shrugged and said.
“There’s a precept to avoid entanglement with other churches as much as possible, right? Do you intend to break that as a priestess of the Dragon God?”
“Umm….”
Seemingly at a loss for words, Clara closed her mouth.
Soon after exiting the church, I took something out from my bosom. It was the relic of the Circulation Church I had received from Estriel in the past.
Since someone recognizing it could expose my connection to the Circulation Church, it’s an accessory I couldn’t wear openly.
Fortune Wheel Amulet (S)
- Increases mana recovery speed when worn
- Increases Divinity by 1 when worn (non-stackable)
- ??? [Function unlock condition met]
- ???
The third function entry, covered in question marks, caught my eye. As expected, it seems additional functions unlock sequentially as the user’s Divinity value increases.
There were several relics of this type that appeared in the main story.
“Unlock function.”
[Individual Aiden’s Divinity is 3 or higher.]
[Condition met, Fortune Wheel Amulet’s 3rd function is activated.]
Fortune Wheel Amulet (S)
- Increases mana recovery speed when worn
- Increases Divinity by 1 when worn (non-stackable)
- Automatically activates Fortune Passer in crisis situations
- ???
“…Oh?”
I let out an involuntary exclamation.
An amazing function had appeared.
Fortune Passer is an ultra-high-tier faith-based spell of the Circulation Church. It twists causality in a limited way, forcing a fatal blow that would threaten one’s life to miss.
Wearing it is essentially like gaining an extra life, with a bit of exaggeration.
I smiled in satisfaction and put the amulet back into my bosom.
Several more days passed after that.
The promised two weeks had gone by, and we exchanged farewells with Roship and Estriel.
“Pantilis really wanted to meet you and express his thanks, but unfortunately, it seems the connection didn’t form this time.”
Pantilis Monel, the master who taught Estriel the resonance shattering art, was afflicted with a special disease called ‘Bahamutiria’ due to the Dragon Horse Cult’s machinations. I had passed the recipe to cure it to Estriel, and unlike the original history, Pantilis succeeded in saving his life.
But being a severe workaholic, even though he had only recently risen from his sickbed, he was still running around resolving latent issues in the Holy Nation.
He was so busy that I couldn’t even see his face for nearly two weeks.
“We can meet next time I come, I suppose.”
Saying that, I left the Caliroy Holy Nation and set off on the path south.
The road from the Baskaya Knight Empire to the south had a well-paved highway, and by renting a landroller, we covered an incredibly long distance in just about three weeks.
Compared to the time from the principality to Elanore, the absurdly swift travel speed made me chuckle involuntarily.
“It’s like a highway or something.”
I said that, but in reality, the possibility that this road was used like a highway couldn’t be ruled out.
This road, crossing the territories of several countries, was built in the Magitech Empire era. It was too sturdy to destroy, and after international agreements, it was used as a trade route. Thanks to that, some southern nations were completely economically dependent on the Baskaya Knight Empire.
Afterward, when the road conditions worsened, we paid at a nearby territory and rented a spirit horse carriage. Thus, we soon arrived at the entrance to the southern continent, the Umbril Kingdom where the Quentaltin Subhuman Clan was located.
Chesa, stepping down from the carriage, furrowed her brow deeply. Upon closer look, sweat was pouring down her cheeks like rain.
“…Hot. It’s as humid as I heard.”
“And there are way too many bugs!”
Linia made a face as she shooed away the flying insects approaching Chesa.
As you can see, the southern Umbril Kingdom has a typical tropical climate.
Hot and humid, and even a short distance from urban areas, one can easily find jungles or swamps. Naturally, it’s a region where many reptile-like subhuman tribes resembling frogs or lizards have settled.
“We have to endure until we reach the Quentaltin Clan house. They should be coming out to greet us soon…”
I had already formed a connection with the subhuman mercenaries during the Infinite Thunderstone (S) incident. Since then, I’ve been in regular contact with the Quentaltin side via messenger birds, and today we were set to meet formally.
It was at that moment, as I looked around.
“Have you come from the Blispiel Clan?”
The speech was almost devoid of the typical subhuman lisp. I turned toward the voice, and there stood a lizard subhuman of diminutive stature.
I couldn’t help but be inwardly shocked.
Subhumans with appearances far from humans are hard to distinguish, but the one standing before me was recognizable at a glance.
Pale white skin, rare among lizardfolk.
Red eyes shining like jewels.
National treasure-grade hand axes tucked into both sides of the waist.
All were the distinctive features of a certain member of the Continent’s Twelve Heroes, famous as an albino lizardman.
“…For the clan master of Quentaltin to come greet us personally? That’s surprising.”
“I apologize if my sudden appearance startled you. However, given the gravity of the matter, I wanted to meet you as soon as possible.”
The master of the Quentaltin Mercenary Clan and a member of the Continent’s Twelve Heroes, likely the most famous figure in this Umbril Kingdom, slightly bowed his head toward us.
“Pleased to meet you, members of the Blispiel Clan. I am Kubri Lendi-Rolango.”