“This is it…”

Hyperblood.

True to its name, a liquid redder than blood sloshed inside the flask.

Bern held it with a grave expression and spoke.

“This is a liquid in which life force is concentrated. Naturally, an ordinary person would die if they simply drank it.”

If one absorbed too much life force at once, the body would not be able to handle it.

Literally, the amount of blood would increase to the point that the body would burst.

“Normally, it should be absorbed as a gas inside an incubator, but unfortunately, that’s not possible in our current circumstances. So, the only way is to drink it slowly.”

“Is that safe?”

“Ordinarily, no. That’s why I’ve embedded an alchemical neutralizing formula so it will be neutralized just before the liquid leaves the flask. With your special physical condition, I judge there shouldn’t be any major issues.”

Luca let out a gasp of amazement and received the flask from Bern.

Bern’s expression became even more serious.

“There’s something most important you need to keep in mind: you must drink this slowly, without spilling a single drop.”

“That sounds simple.”

“It won’t be simple.”

At Luca’s nonchalant reply, Bern shook his head.

“In a way, this is the original version of ‘mop water’. It’s far stronger and more condensed.”

“…!”

Only then did Luca realize what Bern was getting at.

“It’s a much more intense version than ‘mop water’.”

“… Whew. That doesn’t sound easy.”

For once, even Luca found himself nervous.

Even before, he would sometimes gag on mop water, and now this was supposedly far worse?

He couldn’t even imagine what it would taste like.

“There’s no one left to extract life force from. To make more, I’d have to go out and hunt humans.”

“I don’t like the sound of that.”

Luca took a deep breath.

He grasped the cork sealing the flask.

“Let’s get started, then.”

Pop!

As Luca pulled out the cork, he instantly held his breath at the smell rising out.

‘… Can I do this?’

He doubted whether he’d be able to drink it all without throwing up.

It smelled like 100 liters of mop water boiled down and concentrated.

Luca sneaked a glance at Bern.

“…”

Bern was already wearing something like a gas mask.

Luca looked back at the flask, clenched his eyes shut, and brought his lips to the opening.

‘What if it doesn’t touch my tongue?’

Thinking that, Luca ignored Bern’s advice to drink it slowly and gulped down the hyperblood at once.

Gulp.

“Ugh!”

But as soon as he swallowed, the foul stench surged up from his insides.

Luca groaned with the flask still at his mouth, bending over.

His mind reeled.

“S-slow down! Drink it slowly!”

Bern tried to stop him in a panic.

“And don’t spit it out!”

Clinging to consciousness, Luca squeezed his eyes shut and lifted his head again.

Slowly, the hyperblood flowed from the flask into his mouth.

‘God, this tastes awful.’

It was utterly unbearable.

He’d never wished harder that the inner Luca Traverse would take over for him.

“… Gulp.”

In the end, Luca managed to swallow even the last mouthful.

Aside from his eyes turning slightly bloodshot and a bit watery, there were no abnormal symptoms.

“L-Luca. Are you alright?”

Seeing Luca in this much distress for the first time, Ottbo hurried to his side.

Luca turned his head slightly and replied.

“I’m… fine…”

Thud.

Luca collapsed right there.

“Luca?!”

Ottbo frantically supported him.

Bern came over after taking off his gas mask, checked Luca’s condition, and nodded.

“He’s fine. He just fainted because the taste was so unbearable.”

“…?!”

For someone as strong-willed as Luca to faint just from the taste…

Ottbo gulped, looking at the flask that now held not even a single drop.

“He’ll be fine after a short rest. I suggest you get everything ready so you can set out as soon as he wakes up. Stay here and keep an eye on Luca Traverse.”

With that, Bern left the room. Ottbo grunted as he lifted Luca onto the sofa and sat down beside him.

“Phew. Luca…”

He looked at Luca with a worried expression, shook his head, and then rummaged in subspace for something.

“Hmmm…”

It was a magic stone that had been attached to Baron Max’s auto-carriage.

‘I need to modify this before Luca wakes up.’

Ottbo had his own task to accomplish.

* * *

“You have finally arrived.”

“…?”

At the sound of someone’s voice, Luca opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was a breathtakingly beautiful scene, unlike this world.

The sky was boundless, the ground covered with pink peach blossoms, and the scent in the air was intoxicating.

It was the very picture of the utopian peach blossom land.

As Luca was lost in the beauty, the voice called to him again.

“Oh, master of Cheoncheon. Do you like my world?”

“!”

Luca turned his head to see the owner of the voice.

But he—no, she—her face was unrecognizable.

Bzzzt!

Her face was obscured by static, like a mosaic masking her features.

But it was clear from her Eastern-style clothing and stature that she was a tall woman.

“You are…?”

Luca had heard her voice before.

“This seat XXX, though you probably can’t hear it yet.”

She let out a wry smile.

But at the word ‘this seat’, Luca realized immediately.

“You’re Whistle’s previous owner, aren’t you?”

“So she’s called Whistle now? How cute.”

She chuckled softly and waggled her finger.

Two wooden chairs appeared.

She gestured at the seats.

“Let’s sit down and talk.”

“…”

Luca obediently took a seat.

Now that he knew she was Whistle’s previous owner, there was much he wanted to hear.

“First, congratulations. You’re the first master of Cheoncheon who has come here.”

“The first?”

“Yes. This place is…”

She smiled faintly.

“It’s a place that only those who can use Different World can access.”

“Different World…”

The ultimate technique, Different World, that realized a mental landscape using the power of clouds.

But Luca felt confused.

“I’m the only one who succeeded?”

“Strictly speaking, you’re the only one who didn’t just imitate it but actually used it properly.”

“Properly?”

When Luca gave her a puzzled look, she nodded slowly.

“That’s right. Different World requires a special condition to activate properly. And even Cheoncheon—no, even Whistle doesn’t know that condition.”

“What is the condition?”

At Luca’s question, she smiled gently.

“A noble heart willing to sacrifice for another.”

“…”

Luca made a subtle face.

Had he ever truly felt that way?

But then, a certain face came to mind.

‘Bella.’

To save Bella, Luca had used up his life force and nearly died.

It was embarrassing, but that, too, could be considered a noble heart willing to sacrifice for someone else.

“Without it, Different World is just a decorative technique. That’s how I designed it.”

She chuckled softly, placing her hands on her knees.

“Normally, after a successful Different World, you’d come here straight away, but so far your life force has been too unstable. Now that it’s returned to normal, you were able to come.”

Thud!

A peach flew in from somewhere and landed in her hand.

She extended it to Luca.

“Only now can I give you this.”

“What’s this…?”

Luca accepted it, puzzled.

It just seemed like an ordinary peach.

“That’s a fragment taken from Whistle. She’s adorable but naïve, so it was easy for her to be deceived. That’s why I designed it so only someone with the right qualifications could receive the most important part.”

“A fragment?”

“With that, both you and she will benefit greatly.”

Luca examined the peach from all angles.

No matter how he looked at it, it was just an ordinary peach.

He looked back at her.

She smiled silently, gesturing for him to eat.

Luca stared at the peach for a moment, then bit into it.

Crunch.

“!”

As soon as he thought, “It’s delicious,” he felt his body float.

The scenery changed at the same time.

From the beautiful peach blossom garden to the void of outer space.

“There are many forces in the heavens, but the greatest among them is Space.”

Her voice echoed.

“It is the one and the all, finite yet infinite, empty yet full.”

“You don’t need to understand. You have the qualification, so just accept it.”

“O you who can devote yourself to what’s precious, please accomplish what we could not.”

With those words, Luca lost consciousness.

And then, what woke him again—

Beeeeep!

“!”

It was Whistle’s cry.

* * *

“Master! Are you okay?”

“S-sorry, Luca. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t get Whistle to calm down…”

When Luca opened his eyes, he saw Whistle crying and Ottbo looking awkward.

Luca yawned and glanced at his phone.

“Quite some time has passed.”

“Yes. We’re all set to leave as soon as you’re awake!”

Ottbo, brimming with confidence, seemed fully prepared, and Luca smiled wryly.

“Go gather everyone. I have something to discuss with this one.”

“Got it!”

Ottbo left the room, and Luca looked at Whistle.

She glanced at him nervously and spoke.

“Master. Did you meet…?”

“… I think so.”

Even though there was no subject, he knew right away.

‘She must be Whistle’s first master.’

Whistle’s first master.

Someone who took a fragment from the true “Skybird,” a part of nature.

‘I can remember that scene a little now.’

When Whistle was dying, unable to fully absorb the devil stone’s power, she had shared life force and memories with Luca.

At the time, his memories were fuzzy, but eating the peach brought them back.

‘So that’s why the Skybird called Whistle had to use the contractor’s life force.’

Whistle was an incomplete being.

A fragment cut from the Skybird, a divine beast and part of nature, meant to allow it to use some power.

That was why she could only use limited power herself, and to use stronger power, she needed life force from her master.

‘She was a far more remarkable existence than I thought.’

He’d chosen the Skybird, thinking it was just a strong early-game power, a good fit for a protagonist, and a counter to the devil’s power later.

But it turned out to be far more special.

“Um… Master.”

Just then, Whistle called to him nervously.

Luca glanced at her.

She spoke in a worried voice.

“What was… my first master like?”

“I don’t know very well. We didn’t talk much, and I didn’t see her face or know her name.”

“… I see.”

Whistle sounded a little forlorn.

Luca clicked his tongue and turned away.

“I heard your original name was ‘Cheoncheon’.”

“Cheoncheon?”

“And she said your current name, Whistle, was cute.”

At Luca’s words, Whistle’s eyes went wide.

“Cute?!”

“… It seemed she cared about you a lot. She even said she kept the most important fragment hidden so only someone with the right qualification would get it.”

“The most important fragment… the right qualification…”

As Whistle murmured, deep in thought, Luca’s phone rang.

[Notification: The Skybird has changed.]

[Skybird Growth Diary]

[Whistle]

Species: Skybird

Growth Stage: Level 2

Usable Heavenly Powers: Lightning, Cloud, ???, ???, ???, ???, Space

Assessment: The change within you has awakened Whistle’s lost powers.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep