Chapter 55 - Please Give Me A Harem Success Blessing!
"You passed," the old man said with a satisfied nod.
"I’ll grant you two rewards so you can ask anything."
I fell into deep thought.
There were countless possibilities.
A divine weapon.
An ancient inheritance.
A peerless technique.
My gaze unconsciously drifted toward the sword resting at my waist.
’Tsk! I didn’t even need to bring this thing.’
If I had known a trial awaited me, I wouldn’t have bought this.
And after experiencing those countless cursed lifetimes, there was only one thing I truly wanted.
I looked at the old man with complete seriousness.
"Senior, please bless me with success in creating harem."
The old man’s smile froze.
"...I’m sorry? I-I think you said some-"
"You heard me correctly. Please give me a Harem Success Blessing."
"..."
Silence filled the room.
The old man stared at me for several long seconds before rubbing his forehead.
"I genuinely wasn’t expecting a request like that."
I sighed.
"So it’s impossible?"
A hint of disappointment crept onto my face.
"I wouldn’t say impossible," the old man replied awkwardly.
"It’s just that the current me isn’t capable of granting something that... abstract."
"What a pity."
I shook my head before speaking again.
"In that case, I would like a powerful martial art and guidance on understanding my Aspect."
The old man nodded this time.
"Now those are requests I can fulfill."
His eyes carefully swept over my body.
"Hmm, the Aspect first."
He observed me for a while before his expression gradually became thoughtful.
"You call this merely an Aspect?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your body is unusual."
He tapped the table with one finger.
"I also noticed this earlier and there is a strange harmony within your body. It isn’t something ordinary humans possess."
His gaze sharpened.
"And that vampire’s blood should have transformed you into one of her kind."
I froze at that as he somehow knew about this.
And he looked genuinely intrigued.
"But instead your body assimilated it, not even showing a slightest bit of rejection, as expected, all things return to one."
The old man nodded to himself.
"What a fascinating physique."
’A civilization that develops through multiple paths, this world truly is remarkable. And there is also intervention of great brings here.’
He looked at me once more.
"Your body possesses a form of unity I have never encountered before."
’Did that happen because of the enhancement serum?’
I silently recalled the blue serum I had stolen from the abandoned laboratory.
Perhaps, it had changed far more than I originally thought.
"As for the martial art," The old man stroked his beard.
"I can provide you with a foundation, but the road afterward will be yours alone. Because no martial art remains supreme forever."
He then looked directly into my eyes.
"And regarding your Aspect, I will need to examine your body properly. Only after understanding how it functions can I guide you."
"..."
My expression darkened slightly.
’Does this old man think I’m some peerless genius capable of creating my own martial art?’
That sounded like an enormous amount of work.
Still, I quickly calmed myself.
Opportunities like this didn’t appear twice in a lifetime.
And besides, if the old man had truly harbored malicious intentions, Ysvéra would’ve warned me long ago through our bond.
After weighing everything carefully, I nodded.
"Alright, Senior."
I took a deep breath.
"Let’s begin."
***
There wasn’t much for me to do.
Contrary to what those novels liked to portray, I couldn’t glance at a martial manual once and instantly comprehend it.
Fortunately, the old spirit was surprisingly generous.
Rather than making me memorize thousands of lines of theory, he directly transmitted the martial art into my mind.
It was the foundation and the remaining path would be mine to forge.
’Hmm... a martial art without an origin, let’s call it Originless Martial Art."
I silently gave it a name.
It sounded fitting.
After all, it had no creator that I knew of, only a beginning from which I would continue walking.
Still, strange feeling lingered in my heart.
’I awakened as a Hero...’
Yet here I am, learning martial arts instead of firing lasers from my eyes or throwing lightning from my hands.
I suddenly felt a little depressed.
The old spirit, meanwhile, inspected my body in great detail.
He didn’t simply observe my Aspect.
He explained the principles behind it, pointed out several things I had overlooked, and even suggested different methods of training that might allow me to understand Grand Unity more efficiently.
"That should be enough," the old spirit said with satisfaction.
Almost simultaneously, another portal materialized nearby.
Ysvéra stepped out.
She wore an annoyed expression, her cheeks puffed slightly as though she had spent the last hour arguing with someone.
Without thinking.
I walked over and hugged her.
"..?"
She stiffened.
I simply buried my face against her shoulder.
I needed emotional support.
After all, I had just discovered that the girl I had fallen in love with across countless simulated lifetimes wasn’t even real.
It felt eerily similar when my other self discovered that Spider-Man was fictional and he would never be able to shoot webs from his wrists.
Life was cruel.
Ysvéra blinked twice before awkwardly patting my back.
"Your trial really was that terrible?"
"It was."
I answered without hesitation.
It felt as if she knew everything that happened to me.
Oh my! Is this power of Vampiric Love? She really is surprisingly comforting.
After composing myself, I turned toward the old spirit.
"Senior, I suppose this is goodbye?"
The old man smiled and waved his hand.
"Your appearance here was unexpected, but you brought me quite a bit of benefit. I would say we both profited."
A portal slowly opened behind us.
"You may leave."
I nodded gratefully.
Just before stepping through, however, I suddenly remembered something.
"Senior, may I know your name?"
He scratched his beard.
"It won’t bring you much trouble but don’t go shouting it everywhere. My name is Ishikana."
"I’ll remember it."
The old man nodded with a faint smile.
I immediately opened my arms as Ysvéra appeared confused.
"What? Another hug?"
I shook my head.
"We’re about to appear above the ocean. So I would appreciate it if you became my helicopter instead of letting me experience Titanic."
"???"
"I’ll explain later."
She won’t get my joke after all.
With that, the two of us stepped through the portal.
A few moments later...
The two of us awkwardly walked back through the portal we had just exited.
The old spirit looked at us with an indescribable expression.
"Didn’t I just send you two away?"
"I forgot my sword."
"..."
***
[A/N: Added an image on Chapter 44, check that.]