Chapter 213

Chapter 214. Omniscient Maknun’s Perspective (4)

Da’at, who left a bright red handprint on Gant’s wide forehead, stretched with a grin.

“Feels like I might want to hit him again next time.”

Just as he was wondering where to go next, he looked around.

“How did you do it?”

Dudu, who had followed him from the Heavenly Archery Training Center, asked Da’at out of the blue.

Da’at shrugged and replied.

“Archery? Because I’m a genius.”

“No. You’re not a genius in archery.”

“Even Chief Instructor Gant acknowledged it, so why are you denying my archery skills, Mr. Dudu?”

“That’s not what Dudu is curious about. Dudu is curious about the ‘method’ you used to learn archery.”

“Method? I’m not sure what you mean…”

“Don’t play dumb and tell me. You’re not a genius in archery. But you became one. How was that possible? If you tell me, Dudu will tell you anything in return.”

“Hmm…”

Da’at’s gaze toward Dudu changed.

‘They say all eccentrics are geniuses. This Dudu is no exception. Did he really notice my ‘frame’ and ‘focus coins’?’

There was no need to worry about the frame and focus coins, as even if he explained the concept, no one could replicate it.

But the fewer people who know about a technique, the better. Revealing one’s secrets is foolish.

Still, Da’at decided to share the secret with Dudu. Not only was he confident that Dudu would keep it, but he was also curious about Dudu’s reaction.

“Dudu, this is my signature technique. It’s how I became a ‘manufactured genius.’ Do you understand what I mean?”

“If it’s such a valuable technique, I’ll share my signature technique with you too.”

“Aren’t you an Archer of Sephira? If it’s Sephira’s archery, someone else could teach you, right?”

“Dudu learned Sephira’s Twelve Palaces, but doesn’t use them. Instead, I created my own small archery technique.”

“What is it? I might be interested in exchanging-”

“Release Bow. That’s my technique.”

As he spoke, Dudu created an Aura Arrow in his hand and ‘set’ it toward the sky.

In the blink of an eye, Dudu fixed eight Aura Arrows in mid-air and clapped his hands.

Clap!

Then, something amazing happened. The Aura Arrows fixed in mid-air all shot at once.

Their speed was faster than anything shot from a bowstring. Even Da’at, a 5-Star Master, couldn’t see their trajectory.

“I got tired of carrying a bow, so I wondered if there was a way to shoot arrows without one. That’s how I came up with the Release Bow technique.”

Dudu’s Release Bow was fascinating and had similarities to the Aura Blade, so Da’at thought it was worth exchanging for his own unique technique.

“Dudu, if you split 10 seconds into ten parts, how many seconds is that?”

“Dudu is not stupid. It’s 1 second.”

“Then if you split 1 second into ten parts?”

“0.1 seconds?”

“I call that 0.1 second a ‘frame.’ 1 second is 10 frames. When I look at something, I see it frame by frame.”

“…Dudu is stupid. I don’t understand how that’s possible.”

“Of course, it’s not always like that. Keter might be different… Anyway, I store focus in the form of coins in my mind and use them when needed. This allows me to enter the world of frames and explosively increase my focus in an instant.”

“Is that what’s inside?”

Dudu pressed his forehead with his finger.

“It doesn’t physically exist. It’s a concept of the ‘mental world.’ The maximum number of focus coins I can have is 100. Consumed coins recover at a rate of 1 per hour when not focusing.”

“I understand the concept of the mental world. But I’ve never seen anyone apply it to ‘realize’ it in this world. Da’at, you’re amazing.”

“Not compared to Keter, but I think so too. But what’s truly amazing is archery. Do you know how many focus coins I used just to learn the basics of archery? 30.”

“Is that a lot? Dudu doesn’t know the standard.”

“It’s not an easy concept to explain to others. For example, when I learned Elvish, it took 10 coins. On the other hand, my swordsmanship teacher Joyray’s Aura Blade required 50.”

“Dudu can’t enter the world of frames. That’s how it feels. But that focus coin thing seems worth trying. I want to learn it. Teach me the trick.”

“Well, I can tell you, but I can’t guide you. It’s too bothersome.”

“Just tell me. Dudu will try it alone.”

“In return, you teach me too.”

“Alright. Dudu will teach you the Release Bow technique.”

“Let’s walk for now. I was exploring Sephira.”

“Dudu likes talking while walking.”

And so, Da’at and Dudu became companions. As they explored Sephira, they shared their techniques with each other.

Da’at occasionally asked about various things in Sephira.

Dudu held the position of the Big Dipper, which was clearly a high rank in Sephira.

He knew more than the servants following them. Though he looked like he wouldn’t know anything, Dudu answered Da’at’s questions promptly.

“The sun is setting. Dudu, we should go back. Da’at, can I see you tomorrow?”

Sephira’s territory is vast. Without a horse, it’s impossible to explore it all in a day.

“Of course. I like how well we get along. Shall we explore Sephira together tomorrow?”

“Exploring Sephira is boring, but talking with Da’at is beneficial.”

“Then let’s meet here at the bell tower at sunrise tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow, I want to hear about Keter.”

“Why Keter?”

“From Dudu’s perspective, Da’at is a genius unlike any in this world. Such a genius calls Keter even more of a genius. I’m curious why.”

At Dudu’s request to hear about Keter, Da’at smiled and shook his head.

“I can’t explain Keter with words. Meet him yourself. Trust me.”

“Alright. I’ll meet Keter.”

At Da’at’s firm words, Dudu nodded obediently.

As Dudu returned to his quarters, a long-forgotten sensation slowly awakened in his chest.

Excitement.

Dudu imagined what Keter might look like, how amazing he might be, and spread the wings of joyful imagination.

* * *

Nightfall couldn’t dampen Da’at’s enthusiasm. If anything, it made him stand out even more, like a firefly.

“Seeing things at night feels different from seeing them during the day.”

He even carried a book in one hand, glancing at it while walking. The people of Sephira who saw this were amazed.

“He’s said to be Prince Keter’s acquaintance… No wonder he’s extraordinary.”

“At least he’s not causing trouble.”

“I heard he slapped Chief Instructor Gant’s forehead with his palm?”

“Gant probably deserved it. He was like that with Young Master Keter too.”

Naturally, Da’at’s actions reached the ears of the elders.

“Hahaha! I heard he offered to be Sephira’s advisor. How embarrassing! The position of elder is supposed to be the lord’s advisor! How lacking must we be for him to offer himself as an advisor?”

Leganon laughed bitterly.

“Manners… We must teach him manners. I won’t let Da’at become like Keter!”

Panir was about to storm off to teach Da’at manners right then and there. If Hisop hadn’t stopped him, there would have been a big mess.

Taragon was busy practicing crossbow techniques with his ears closed, while Anis and Mail half-accidentally ran into Da’at.

Their impressions of Da’at were unanimous.

“He’s like a smaller Keter.”

When Keter first came to Sephira, he ran around everywhere causing trouble as if he had infinite stamina.

Though not as much as Keter, Da’at was no less in terms of stamina and enthusiasm.

However, he was clearly different from Keter. He was much more polite, curious, and talkative.

The bloodline of Sephira didn’t dislike Da’at’s actions.

With Keter as a good precedent, they were eager to see what abilities Da’at would bring to help Sephira.

But they forgot one thing. Keter never helped Sephira without compensation.

Da’at also had no intention of working for Sephira without reward.

“There’s no point in being devoted only to become a doormat.”

Understanding the strengths and advantages of the House of Sephira also meant understanding its weaknesses and flaws.

Da’at was planning both to prevent betrayal from Sephira and to extract as much as he invested.

* * *

The border between the southern and western regions of the Lilian Kingdom.

The mountain range facing each other looked like a jar, earning it the name ‘Jar Gorge.’ The terrain was rugged, and even during the day, it was as dark as night, with no trace of civilization.

Two people were walking through this place as if they were out for a stroll in their front yard. It was Keter and Decameron, who had left Sephira.

“Found it.”

Keter, who seemed to be walking aimlessly, stopped at a rocky hill.

The damp, swampy ground, twisted bushes, and a boulder ahead… There was nothing around to suggest any purpose for being here.

But when Keter suddenly punched the boulder, something unexpected happened.

Crack! Rumble!

He wasn’t showing off his strength. The shattered boulder clearly resembled an artificially made door.

“Six Hundred, do you know? Places like treasure-filled ruins… If you go backward from the exit, you can reach the treasure room directly? Without starting from the entrance and going through trials, you can just take the treasure.”

Treasure-filled ruins aren’t made by gods. They’re made by people.

But why hide treasures in such remote places without selling or passing them down?

It’s because there are no descendants, or if there are, they’re not satisfactory.

So, to test those who wish to inherit their treasures or techniques, they create such ruins.

The ruins Keter found originally required passing ‘five trials,’ but-

‘I don’t need to do that.’

In his past life, he had already been to these ruins. Not for treasure, but to use them as a hideout. When he found them, they had already been looted.

But he remembered everything about what was here and where the exit led.

‘But I don’t know when they were looted. Looking at it now, it seems like it was made recently.’

Old ruins would have moss or debris on the ground, but the walls Keter touched were smooth, and the ground was flat without a speck of dirt. The ruins themselves were newly made.

“Well, does it matter? It’s a ruin made to pass things on to others. I’ll make good use of the treasure, so don’t feel wronged.”

After offering a casual consolation to whoever made the ruins, Keter entered through the exit.

After descending for a while, he reached another dead end. It was an Amantiir wall protected by magic, but-

‘Heavenly Power, Stage 3.’

Crack! Smash!

If you’re strong enough, you don’t need to suffer. Keter smashed the blocked wall with his fist and entered the treasure room, whistling.

“No guardian, just treasure!”

In the center of the treasure room was an altar. On it, a thick book bound with chains looked enticing.

“The blueprint for the revolutionary ‘Sticker Magic’ in the magic world. A magic that pairs perfectly with archery.”

Just as he was about to retrieve the book without delay-

Creak.

A door connected to the treasure room opened, and a disheveled middle-aged man appeared.

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

The middle-aged man, seeing Keter reaching for the book, widened his bleary eyes.

“Th-thief!”

Keter scratched the back of his head.

“Did I come too early?”

The ruins weren’t finished; they were still under construction. Unaware of this, Keter had boldly walked in through the back door that no one was supposed to know about.