Chapter 107: Encounter (1)

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In the midst of the silent misty field.

Carl sat alone, cross-legged.

It was the rare opportunity to have time to himself, as the busy week’s schedule was finally drawing to a close.

Because of that, he could truly say it had been a long time since he last practiced martial arts.

For a master of Carl’s caliber, practicing martial arts in everyday life was entirely possible.

However, it was also necessary to set aside time to focus while silently reflecting, so it was better to dedicate time for it.

“Calm the inner self.”

He maintained a serene mental image.

All study began with settling the body and mind.

He calmly observed his inner self and accurately assessed his own condition.

The third level of the Lone Origin Supreme Martial Art still seemed just out of reach, yet no one could say when he might break through that wall.

“What’s interesting is that advancing in rank wasn’t only aided by martial arts achievement.”

As mentioned earlier, a master of Carl’s level could practice as naturally as breathing, even in daily life.

Among those moments, the most helpful experiences were those involving interactions between people.

It was the same when he awakened Maximilian into a Heart Demon, and also when dealing with people like Yuriana and Lacis.

The mindset and psychology when dealing with others affected him as well, bringing positive changes.

Just spending time interacting with people served as a foundation for martial arts.

Was this the power of a supreme martial art?

Or was it a natural truth he had simply not known?

“Is this why masters, upon reaching a certain level, stop formal practice and venture into the martial world?”

Carl, who had been an assassin, had spent most of his time alone, except for the acts of killing and their preparation.

Since the martial arts he originally learned were not orthodox, he was not entirely sure, but in any case, it seemed to be good news.

Shaaah.

The Bright Heaven Martial Art and the Celestial Demon Martial Art flowed simultaneously through Carl’s body.

The orthodox and demonic energies traced paths of natural and reverse flow, respectively.

They advanced along opposite directions without mixing, forming a symmetry.

But eventually, they were bound to converge into a single point.

A single flow emerging from different branches.

Soon it would achieve complete unification.

“From the lone origin, it shall become singular.”

The unique secret of the Lone Origin Supreme Martial Art, which harmonized opposing energies.

The resulting majestic lone origin energy exuded a noble aura as it coursed along his meridians.

More unruly than the Celestial Demon Martial Art, yet more dignified than the Bright Heaven Martial Art.

If there were a perfect martial art, one might think this was it, flawless in every way.

“…….”

Normally, this would have been the end.

But today, unsatisfied, he tried something bolder.

Shyaaak!

The flow of energy shifted.

The lone origin energy, racing through his meridians, transformed into a spiraling vortex and galloped like a wild stallion.

Its speed had already surpassed limits, and even Carl could not predict what would happen next.

Of course, it was extremely dangerous.

Martial arts, at the supreme level, were composed of intricate structures and precise balances.

To reverse them and allow them to run wild without risk was impossible.

Being a supreme martial art made this even more perilous.

“But it’s doable.”

Carl gritted his teeth.

He had repeatedly calculated to reach this point.

He consulted Yuriana and confirmed through trial and error in different stages that the theory itself had no flaws.

Of course, Yuriana did not know much about martial arts, but she provided valuable advice on handling energy, mana, and similar forces.

Her magical knowledge far surpassed his in that regard.

Shyaaak.

The lone origin energy finally broke free of Carl’s control and raced with its own will.

If he tried to forcibly stop it now, it would cause severe internal damage.

It would either explode, break through, or be stopped.

Reaching one of those three outcomes was necessary to finish this dangerous experiment with minimal damage.

Carl did not stop.

Accelerate, accelerate, accelerate…

He had already reached the point of no return.

He focused on speed as the key point.

The Lone Origin Supreme Martial Art combined the depth of the Bright Heaven Martial Art with the unruliness of the Celestial Demon Martial Art.

It was both unruly and profound.

It was inevitably heavy and deliberate.

That meant its speed was slow.

But because it was heavy, once it gained speed, it became an unstoppable monster.

And that monster was now raging within Carl.

At first, it moved slowly, but at a certain moment, it gained spiral momentum and reached a critical peak.

Kwaaaang!

An explosion erupted inside Carl.

The impact was enough to shake his body, even in a cross-legged position.

The uncontrollable Lone Origin Supreme Martial Art finally hit a wall and was stopped.

Had it instead exploded or broken through, it could have provided the clue to reach the next level.

Thus, it was frustrating.

Shaaah.

Carl swept the weakened lone origin energy aside.

That would be enough for today.

After dispersing and consolidating all the energy, he exhaled deeply and opened his eyes.

Walik.

And he immediately coughed up bright red blood.

It was inevitable.

After operating such heavy lone origin energy violently and having it collide with a wall, the recoil had to be endured by Carl.

It was fortunate that he could recover with only minor internal injuries.

“Phew.”

Wiping his mouth with a tired expression, he waved his hand to erase the blood scattered across the misty field.

Just as he was about to close his eyes to recover from his injuries, a message from Lacis arrived through the archive.

[Lacis]: Carl, what are you doing?

Recently, Lacis, who had strangely kept a distance and grown awkward around him, had returned to her usual self as if nothing had happened after the last lecture.

Carl considered it good news, so he lightly sent a reply.

-I was training in the misty field.

[Lacis]: Can I come?

-That’s fine.

Lacis would be a suitable sparring partner.

Since she knew he was hiding his true strength, it would be okay to push him a bit.

She would likely have come precisely because she wanted that.

Carl continued his energy-guiding exercises until she arrived.

After some time, the door to the misty field opened, and Lacis peeked her face in.

“Carl.”

“You’ve come.”

Carl, having just finished circulating his energy, exhaled briefly and shook himself to rise.

But before he could properly stand, he wavered and sank back to the ground.

The internal injuries had made him cough up blood and caused slight dizziness.

“……!!”

Seeing this, Lacis widened her eyes.

She had never seen Carl like this before, so her surprise was even greater.

Stepping decisively into the misty field, Lacis supported the staggering Carl and asked.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

“……It’s nothing serious. I overexerted myself a bit during training.”

Sniff sniff.

Lacis casually listened and smelled the air.

She confirmed that a faint scent of blood remained.

“Are you really okay? You’re not seriously hurt, right?”

“I’m fine. More importantly, maybe a light sparring session…”

“No, overexerting yourself isn’t good. Your body isn’t in top condition, so there’s no need to join in unnecessarily. Let’s go to the medical room now.”

“No, I’m fine……”

Carl tried to insist he was okay.

But before he could finish speaking, her strong grip pulling his arm forced him to grin wryly.

“I know well from having sick family members; holding it in damages your body. That has nothing to do with strength.”

“Haha……”

Carl gave an embarrassed laugh.

Lacis ultimately led him to the medical room and received a potion from the healer to hand over.

With her watching intently, he couldn’t avoid drinking it.

Thus, Carl opened the potion’s cap and drank it in one gulp.

“…….”

Even so, he felt a slight relief in the discomfort caused by the potion.

Coughing up blood meant that his energy channels had been damaged.

It indicated physical tears within the body.

The potion was an effective remedy for such injuries.

After confirming that Carl had emptied the potion, Lacis nodded.

“Don’t overexert yourself today; just rest.”

“I will.”

Carl obediently nodded.

Given the circumstances, it seemed best to quickly handle the internal injuries.

He decided to lean on the bed and wait until he stabilized.

Lacis stepped out briefly, saying she would fetch some supplies.

“…….”

Carl leaned against the bed and silently gazed out the window.

……Such care still felt unfamiliar.

The martial world, especially the assassin’s world, was pure survival of the fittest.

Those who couldn’t prove themselves didn’t survive, and even survival wasn’t a right.

Would he, with time, sink into the same habits and become like them?

Whether that would lead to a positive path or a path of elimination remained unknown.

Clack.

Feeling vibrations near his feet, Carl looked down at the edge of the bed.

“…….”

Carl’s eyes widened in genuine surprise.

A small-framed woman leaned against the foot rail of the bed.

……Even if distracted by thoughts, his senses weren’t dulled.

Yet he hadn’t noticed her until she shook the bed.

‘Who is that?’

Judging by her attire, she was a second-year senior.

Smaller than other students, round bangs, and slightly messy hair at the back as if she had just lain down.

Soon, her blurry red eyes met his gaze as she leaned against the bed rail.

“……Blood.”

“Blood?”

“The smell of blood……”

The woman parted her lips slightly.

“Tasty……”

“Rachel.”

Slap.

Someone appeared behind her and struck her head with the edge of a hand.

The woman called Rachel collapsed backward.

The person behind her was a beautiful woman with pale green hair.

Like the first senior, she sighed at the helplessness of the second-year friend sprawled on the floor.

“Where did you go? I told you not to move from the bed.”

“……I was hungry.”

“Come on, let’s go. Don’t bother someone who’s sick.”

“Hmm.”

She dragged Rachel away from the bed.

Rachel’s blurry eyes followed Carl.

They were filled with lingering attachment.

Watching her swallow, Carl felt a subtle, creeping unease.

“Ah, sorry. Rachel has a rather unusual personality. Uh, ah, Carlos junior?”

“I’m first-year Carl. Seira senior.”

“You know me?”

“I saw your name tag when you were the library’s librarian.”

“Ah, you have sharp eyes.”

Seira gave a small laugh and nodded.

“We’ll talk later. I’ll clear this up first.”

“Understood.”

With a light nod, Seira pulled Rachel out of the medical room.

Carl watched them until their presence fully vanished, then rubbed his nose and murmured softly.

“The smell of corpses?”

It seemed he had accidentally encountered some interesting people.

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