Chapter 99: The Level of Existence
[Wake up.]
“...Hah!”
I shot upright in bed at Reto’s command. When that thing stimulated my heart to wake me up, I had no choice but to obey.
If used well, it could be a perfect wake-up alarm. But at this rate, it was going to become a serious nuisance.
I glanced out the window—it was dark.
A pale moon, veiled by cloudy skies, told me it was late at night.
Remembering the training I had just endured, I checked my arms and legs.
I had passed out with my body completely broken, but now, my condition was as if I hadn’t trained at all.
Even my ragged, suffocating breathing was now calm and steady.
For a moment, I wondered if that insane training had just been a bad dream.
[I don’t understand.]
“...Understand what?”
[You are strange.]
“I think you’re far stranger. What human could endure training like that?”
Surrounded by elite dwarves, I had been beaten like a dog on the chopping block.
When Reto first described the training, both the dwarves and I had been dumbfounded. But since it was Reto’s order, the training was forced upon me.
And now?
Honestly, if I had to do it again, I’d probably collapse right away. It was training no human could withstand.
Without Retonicalus’s Heart and the Ring of Desire, I would have died on the spot.
[I expected you to endure it. After all, you’re someone who can talk to me without hesitation.]
“Is that supposed to be strange?”
[Do you think it’s possible for someone with weak willpower—unable to overcome their instincts—to converse with me? The same goes for the Ring of Desire. If your ‘level of existence’ didn’t match mine, it would have been impossible for you to claim it. That’s why I find you peculiar.]
“Level of existence?”
A moment of silence passed.
Reto’s words reminded me of a particular ability: the power that protected my mind against Reto’s overwhelming presence.
In a way, it felt like a gift—a special power given to me. It had saved me countless times in life-threatening situations.
‘Mental Barrier.’
As the term “Mental Barrier” crossed my mind, Reto spoke again.
[You are under someone’s protection.]
“...Someone’s protection?”
[For a human, your level of existence is absurdly high. I now understand why. It’s not because your level is inherently high, but because you’re being protected. Who is it? If this protection surpasses even my level of existence, it must be a power greater than mine. Yet, I can’t think of any such name.]
Who else could it be? It must be whoever threw me into this world. Of course, I don’t know their name. All I can assume is that it’s some twisted divine prank.
For once, Reto seemed genuinely confused.
Was this really so shocking to him?
For me, this ability was just something I’d discovered after narrowly surviving many close calls in this world. I didn’t fully grasp its uniqueness.
But Reto seemed to think otherwise.
He interpreted the Mental Barrier as a blessing—an extraordinary power granted by someone to protect me.
[That blessing is special, even to me.]
“Special to you, Reto?”
[Without that blessing, you’d have been no different from the countless hosts I’ve had before. The Ring of Desire is the same.]
“So, without it, I’d have ended up like the dead from the abandoned mine?”
[Exactly. That blessing acts as a safety mechanism for both you and me.]
“And if the blessing were to disappear…?”
[You would either be consumed by my level of existence or overcome it. It would be one or the other. But you still have time to grow.]
“......”
Hearing it so directly made me realize just how special the Mental Barrier was. Perhaps, out of all the abilities I had gained, this was the most powerful one.
But Reto’s words also planted a sense of urgency within me. If I didn’t grow stronger, the day the Mental Barrier disappeared, I’d become just another ordinary host.
What would I do if I lost this ability?
It felt like some kind of beginner’s package with a built-in expiration date.
Now, I had another powerful motivation to grow stronger. This only made me thirstier for training.
“So, what’s the next step in my training?”
[...]
Reto fell silent. It seemed like he needed a moment to think while reviewing my current abilities.
That brief silence felt like an eternity to me.
If Reto gave up on me, I’d be in trouble.
Even though I had tasted hell for just a single day, I wasn’t planning to give up.
Neither I, nor the memories of the previous assassin host I had inherited, possessed specialized knowledge on developing unique powers like Aura or Magic.
I could obtain abilities and artifacts from the storyline, but to strengthen those abilities, I absolutely needed Reto’s help.
‘In a way, it’s like walking the path of a successor.’
A ritual to inherit the legacy of the Absolute Being, Retonicalus. Though, if the training were to stay as insane as it was yesterday, I’d definitely refuse. There was no way I could endure it.
[The intensity of the training can be reduced below your current limit. But if that happens, you won’t reach the level of strength I envision.]
“What is the level of strength you envision?”
[To never die.]
Reto’s final words weighed heavily on my chest.
Just how strong did one have to become to survive in this world?
What kind of enemies was Reto expecting me to face?
The road ahead felt impossibly long.
[Are you disappointed? Your pulse is slowing.]
“Well, I’ll give it my best. For now, I’m just satisfied you haven’t given up on me.”
[There’s no need to feel disappointed. There’s still a way forward.]
“What do you mean?”
[You have a unique ability. If you develop it, it will more than make up for your shortcomings—no, it will make you even stronger.]
“What ability are you referring to?”
[The power to imbue attributes.]
The power to imbue attributes.
He must be talking about Enchant, my innate divine power.
Since Reto was a part of my body, he knew my abilities better than I did.
What potential did he see in Enchant?
[There’s no rule that says attributes must only be applied to equipment.]
“W-what?”
[Think about using attribute imbuement to reinforce your body. Your physique should be able to handle it… probably.]
“...Probably?”
I immediately thought of the daggers that had shattered because they couldn’t withstand the overload of my Enchant power. Only high-quality dwarf-forged weapons could endure the strain.
‘There’s no way my body is tougher than dwarf-forged gear!’
My body would break apart.
What the hell was he planning to kill next?
When I pointed this out to Reto, he replied as if I was pitiful.
[That’s because you lack control over your imbuement power. The overload issue likely only arose recently, correct?]
“W-well, yeah?”
After I reached the fourth star, the power to imbue attributes had grown stronger, leading to the overload problem.
Could this ability actually be controlled?
[There’s a lot to fix. Looks like you’ll have to give up on sleeping.]
“No, wait, what?! Humans need sleep!”
Among human needs, the need for sleep is often considered the strongest. Even a single sleepless night can leave you groggy, and after three days, maintaining sanity becomes impossible.
While hunger can be ignored to the point of starvation, the urge to sleep is something humans simply cannot resist.
Reto was the ultimate stickler for results.
Damn it, he seriously wasn’t planning to let me sleep, was he?
[With my help, you can last about a month without sleep. Pain without death fuels growth. It will also help unlock your potential.]
“...You’re insane. A month?!”
[You asked for this. You wanted to become strong enough to never be killed. Did you think only humans existed in this world? To survive against beings beyond humanity, you need to abandon human conventions.]
That hit hard.
Since I was the one who had made the request, it was too late to back out now. Knowing Reto’s personality, showing hesitation would probably make him abandon me altogether.
[Dawn is breaking.]
At Reto’s words, I looked out the window. The vast walls surrounding the territory were bathed in the light of the rising sun.
Our conversation had lasted all night, and now morning was here.
[Prepare yourself. Today’s training is the same as yesterday.]
“You’re telling me to go through that again?”
[Of course. Without a solid foundation, no matter what you plant, it will only produce trash. What can you do with a body as flimsy as paper?]
Flimsy as paper, he says.
With this body, I felt like I could take on a musclebound orc in a fistfight and win.
But according to Reto’s standards, I still fell far short.
“If you’re planning to knock me unconscious again, at least give me a heads-up. I need to mentally prepare.”
[You should be able to walk back to your quarters today.]
Am I supposed to trust that more than myself?
It seemed that even though I had found a safe nest, my hardships were far from over.
No, perhaps I was creating these hardships for myself.
Maybe this was my destiny as someone branded with misfortune.
Sighing, I began stretching my body.
Annoyingly enough, I felt fantastic.
Sleepless training.
An extraordinary healing factor.
The best mentor.
If I endured, I would undoubtedly grow stronger.
And it would happen faster than I ever thought possible.
As I sighed again, I glanced over at Fenry. She lay sprawled on the bed, purring comfortably.
A few days ago, I’d been exactly like her—completely at ease.
I’d never been more envious of her than I was now.
For no reason, I felt a twinge of resentment.
And so, I reached for her snacks.
***
In Dorneth’s office.
Of course. As expected, Dorneth was stationed in his office even in the early morning.
He looked like he’d been up all night dealing with paperwork related to the abandoned mine.
The dark circles under his hollow eyes only reinforced my resolve to never, under any circumstances, become a lord.
“You’re planning to do that again?”
“Why? Did you think I’d stop after just one day?”
“If you want to die, go do it alone! Do you even know how shocked my fiancée was when she saw the state you were in?!”
Was Sharbadin’s shock really that big of a deal? He looked ready to bite my head off.
I’m the one who almost died—why’s he so angry?
Besides, Sharbadin being shocked by the sight of blood?
‘We’ve waded through literal pools of blood together. Shocked, my ass.’
She probably just got mildly startled.
“Can you call on the dwarves who helped me yesterday?”
“I can summon the knights, but Natone left early this morning on a mission.”
“A mission? Is it an important one?”
“It’s related to the abandoned mine. Do you want to hear the details? We’ve roughly outlined the next steps.”
“We’ll have to coordinate with Lady Fenry once she regains consciousness, won’t we?”
“True.”
“Then I’ll wait to hear about it with her later.”
The fact that the curse of the abandoned mine had been broken was a massive incident with far-reaching consequences in Tobaron. It required careful preparation.
For now, the matter was being kept secret, so discussing it after Fenry woke up wouldn’t be too late.
At this moment, my priority was training.
Once the blood pact was forged and we began clashing with the Butcher, a whole new battle for Tobaron’s leadership would begin.
Just thinking about the Butcher’s subordinates—all of them stronger than me—made me realize how crucial this training was for my survival.
“Anything else you need?”
At Dorneth’s question, Reto interjected:
[Prepare stronger steel clubs. Yesterday’s ones were too weak.]
“......”
Well, it’s not like I planned on dying today.
But who knows? Maybe I’d actually manage to walk out of there on my own this time.