Chapter 67

People’s gazes turned towards Ellie as she firmly hugged me, as if to say “Absolutely not.”

As I worried that I might suffocate, Rize questioned in a puzzled voice.

Given her looks, just the act of asking a simple question felt overwhelmingly intimidating.

“To get to know each other and then suggest it? What do you mean by that?”

“I mean exactly that. You heard it from the headmaster, right? Sivar doesn’t really know much about the world yet. What if we take him somewhere and he gets a bad impression?”

“Hmm.”

Rize crossed her arms, seemingly considering the valid point made. Clearly, I couldn’t be compared to an ordinary person.

An ordinary person would have definitely rejected Rize’s suggestion outright or would have come around after some deliberation.

However, my situation was a little different. I was someone who had lived in the wilderness, now crossing over to civilization.

With that background, my own subjectivity would naturally be a bit compromised. Rize likely thought the same.

And just as I expected, Rize nodded and spoke with an understanding tone.

“That could be the case. What’s the student’s name?”

“Ellie.”

“That’s a nice name. The student’s words are quite persuasive. While I could forcibly take her along, that would only strengthen her resistance.”

Rize, still with her arms crossed, nodded her head approvingly. When I casually glanced at her, I noticed her impressive forearm muscles.

“But we can’t just leave things as they are. Ellie, you do know how strong Sivar is, right?”

“Yeah. I don’t know the details, but I know he’s incredibly strong.”

She probably just heard about it, as she wasn’t there. Hector made a reckless advance and was thoroughly defeated.

He pushed through until the berserk state activated, but after that, he was completely overwhelmed.

Even though Ellie was far from combat, she already knew to some extent how strong I was.

After all, she had seen me easily fend off the massive hands of that Mankey and even go beyond that to kill it, so it would be weird if she didn’t know.

“As long as Mr. Sivar can’t control his true nature, that strength can also be directed at Ellie. I can help.”

“And how will you help? Will violence be involved?”

“I can’t answer that with a definitive no.”

Rize answered nonchalantly as if to say, “What kind of question is that?” She boldly admitted she would resort to violence if necessary.

With that, Ellie clung to me even tighter. I could barely turn my head to breathe before, and now that’s impossible.

Thump- Thump-

In a near panic before I suffocated, I urgently tapped on Ellie’s shoulder. Thankfully, she understood and slowly eased her grip.

Now I understand why someone might suffocate because of a pillow. If this is even cozier than a pillow, how can I stand it?

“Phhuh!”

“Did you just come up for air?”

Kara chuckled at my ragged breathing. Regardless, I leaned back against Ellie’s chest once more.

Normally, I’d be conscious of everyone’s eyes on me, but that thought had completely vanished. Right now, Ellie was the only one I could trust.

It was Ellie who strongly rejected Rize’s suggestion and it was Ellie who defended me.

…I just wanted to bury my face in her chest because it felt too comfortable. How could I hold back?

“I’ve realized something after decades of pilgrimage. As long as there is life, violence is inevitable, not because it’s human.”

“…That doesn’t sound like something a saint should say.”

“I’m aware of that. Violence is a clear evil. But if that evil is necessary, I will gladly use it to eliminate the source of suffering.”

That is precisely why Rize was different from other saint characters. Typically, a saint embodies pure goodness, but Rize is chaos in its purest form.

She has a fundamentally kind heart and she’s good enough to act on it. Yet, she’s realistic and unreserved about violence.

It’s a belief that embodies the essence of Chaos. Add to that her stunning looks and refreshing personality, and it’s no wonder she’s so popular.

“Oh, just to clarify, I’m not going to beat up Mr. Sivar or anything. It’s more for precaution for his berserk state. I heard from Rod that once he enters that state, unless you knock him out, it can be pretty tough.”

“…”

With my cheek resting on Ellie’s chest, I looked over at Rize. Just one of those giant fists seems enough to knock me out instantly.

Even grappling with her would be hopeless. Her physical abilities definitely surpassed mine.

In every aspect, Rize was a superior version of me. Physique, skills, traits… there wasn’t a single thing she wasn’t better at.

Just like Rod, my wilderness instinct screamed out. There’s no way I could win against that person.

“…So, have you already decided how to train?”

At Rize’s suggestion, Ellie, seemingly affected, asked cautiously. She added that my opinion was important too.

To this, Rize flashed a grin, revealing her bright white teeth. That boisterous aura stood out.

“To freely control the berserk state, we need to be able to trigger it intentionally. That’s the first step.”

“…But it’s normally activated when you feel a death threat. Is that even possible?”

Luna asked. Just like she said, a berserk state isn’t something you trigger intentionally.

If it were, it would be categorized as an ability rather than a trait. It’s a game changer.

“By conventional wisdom, yes. However, saying it’s impossible without even attempting is nothing but nonsense. Nothing has ever been proven wrong, has it?”

“But still…”

“The first thing the God of Chaos taught me is that there is no common sense in the world. The fact that people can go berserk in the first place is already nonsensical. Mr. Sivar is far removed from conventional thinking, isn’t he?”

“…”

I was immediately countered. It’s best to avoid arguing with Rize whenever possible.

She may appear to be a simple-minded brute at first glance, but she’s a sage who has spent decades on a pilgrimage.

She has encountered various human archetypes and, with countless experiences under her belt, her mindset is quite open.

Moreover, as a devout follower of Chaos, she tends to take strange happenings in stride.

“But as things stand, it would be difficult to trigger the berserk state deliberately. There have been very few instances of it actually activating.”

That’s true. Though I entered the berserk state when I fought Hector due to the circumstances, normally, it’s hard to activate it.

The condition itself is ‘life-threatening’, right? How do you intentionally pull that out? Especially when tenacity is in play?

In gaming terms, it’s like barely triggering it when your health is at 5%. Unless I’m close to that state, the berserk won’t activate.

But Rize’s thinking was different. More accurately, it shattered convention.

She donned her signature cheerful smile and, raising her fist, stated.

“Instead, I’ll assist you. To help you learn the sensation that comes when the berserk is activated. We’ll harness that sensation to trigger it intentionally and, ultimately, control it.”

Damn, that’s terrifying. The thought of her smiling like that gives me the shivers.

Even her tone somehow felt like she was willing to grant mercy, yet it was disconcerting.

“…So ultimately, you’re saying you’re going to use violence.”

Ellie, sensing my fear, patted my back in comfort. It felt grounding.

“That’s not the same thing. Awakening a sense is vastly different from inflicting direct harm. Do you know the term placebo effect?”

“Yes. It’s when a non-effective treatment actually leads to a patient’s recovery, merely by convincing them it’s real.”

Ellie must have learned the fundamentals of medicine, being in herbal studies—more like treatment methods according to symptoms.

“My method will be somewhat similar. Think of it as a form of hypnosis. You won’t actually die, but I will help you feel as if you are close to death.”

“Is that even possible?”

“Absolutely.”

Rize confidently affirmed. Who could possibly doubt Rize, a saint revered as Gwonseong?

I wasn’t entirely sure what the principle behind it was, but maybe it wouldn’t hurt to trust her this one time. Still scary, though.

Well, now that Rize has presented her method, I just needed to grant my permission. Ellie stroked my hair and asked for my opinion.

“Sivar, what do you think? I want to help you, but I’m not familiar with combat.”

“…”

“I’m sorry I can’t assist. But I promise to grant you something you wish after.”

How about you let me touch your chest? Then everything will be forgiven.

The words nearly slipped from my lips but I stifled them. I was already enjoying this enough.

Leaning against Ellie’s chest, I glanced at Rize. She no longer insisted and appeared to respect my choice.

‘For now, I have no choice but to reject it.’

For the upcoming events, it would be hard to do it for the time being. I’d likely be free starting a week from now.

If I could truly control the berserk with Rize’s help, that would be a significant advantage.

The berserk itself is a trait that enhances strength several times over, and if I could turn that into an ability… it’d be like icing on the cake.

Moreover, Rize is stronger than Rod. With both the Sword Saint and the Gwonseong in tandem, the probability of an incident occurring would be low.

“Right now. No.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means not right now.”

Kara answered in my place. She was now speaking to me with a respectful tone.

As mentioned earlier, I couldn’t afford to do this for the next week because of the priest event. If I miss this window, I’d have to wait till the next quarter.

However, there’s no absolute lack of time. The weekend is coming up soon, so I can make time then.

And… it seems like I should at least see it with my own eyes. What kind of method Rize will utilize.

“Method. Experience.”

“They want to see how you intend to use the method, even if just a demonstration.”

“That’s so interesting. How do you both understand what Mr. Sivar is saying so well?”

This time, Ellie translated for me. Both Ellie and Kara understood perfectly even when I spoke in fragments.

They probably don’t realize it themselves. I have no clue either how they get it.

Anyway, I need to witness the method. Rize momentarily set aside her curiosity and opened her mouth to explain the ‘method’.

“First, it will be difficult to show here. Shall we step outside for a moment?”

What kind of method could she be planning? I was puzzled for a moment when Rize turned to Rod to ask.

“Is that alright?”

“As long as it’s not on the ground, it’s fine.”

“It might rain, though.”

“Do as you wish.”

Rod seemed to have some idea of what method she was going to reveal. Is this how powerful people converse?

Following Rize, we stepped into the backyard. It was quite spacious, with a forest behind it.

Even as I stepped outside, I carefully hugged Ellie from behind. Rize was intimidatingly close.

Perhaps seeing me act adorably, Ellie playfully fidgeted with my hand. Gripping my fingers didn’t seem uncomfortable.

“Sivar. I’m okay, but don’t do that with others, especially girls. The waist is quite sensitive, you know.”

“Okay.”

She even gave me such advice in between. Kara shot a sidelong glance at us, but I ignored it.

Eventually, we arrived at a vast space, just waiting to see what Rize would show us.

“I’m going to demonstrate the method I will use on Mr. Sivar. Just a heads up, it’s not direct harm, and in reality, it’d be much milder.”

As she spoke, Rize gradually got into position. She slightly spread her legs and looked up at the sky.

Then, she bent her knees slightly and slowly pulled back her right arm. I had an inkling of what this position suggested.

“Ha!”

Once she assumed her stance, she delivered a crisp front kick towards the sky. At first glance, it looked like a perfectly ordinary punch.

Quack!

Before the air split as if glass shattered.

“…What is happening here?”

“Is that… a crack in the air?”

It was a seemingly light punch, but its impact exceeded imagination.

The others, except Rod, couldn’t believe their eyes.

Crack!

Meanwhile, the crack in the air began to widen. Would it break apart?

Fortunately, it calmed down after a short while, but the effects of ‘breaking’ space slowly began to surface.

“W-What the…?”

“Huh? Why that—whooa?!”

Luna blurted out anxiously as Kara looked to the sky with terror. Kara also gasped in shock.

It was unusual that they, who generally remained unphased, were so taken aback. I slowly lifted my head.

“…Oh.”

The current time was around 4 PM. Being summer, it should be bright like morning.

But look at the sky now. Some patches are dark like night, others are sunset-colored, while some appear oddly clouded.

It wasn’t merely the distortion of space but the sky itself had been disheveled. The impact was greater than what Rod could slice through with his sword.

If Rod’s swordplay was neat and concise, Rize, with just one punch, seemingly shattered space entirely.

Just like that, with a simple punch.

Thud- Drip-

Raindrops fell on my face. Just as mentioned, there was indeed a sky raining.

“This is the method I intend to use on Mr. Sivar. It’s just an example, and the intensity would likely be less.”

“…”

Rize’s voice echoed in my ears. I slowly lowered my head and looked at her.

“The placebo effect is a form of hypnosis. And…”

With her cheerful smile, Rize spoke.

“The method I’ll use is also a form of hypnosis.”

It bordered on frightening.

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