Part 2, Episode 151.
Overcome.
The only trait among those Dohyeon obtained in the tutorial that never activated.
Therefore, a characteristic that has been forgotten in a corner of memory since a certain point.
However, the moment it was revealed that this was actually a characteristic only humans could possess, and that none other than the King of Power possessed it.
Oh, so you had that?
The moment even the usually indifferent Lucia showed deep interest simply because it possessed that.
Just how good of a trait is it?
Dohyeon was looking forward to it.
From the need for conditions to bloom to the unique characteristics of humans.
It was extraordinary in every respect.
That is why Dohyeon couldn’t help but ask.
“What exactly is the ability to overcome?”
What is this damn characteristic that looks so impressive?
Lucia readily answered the naturally obvious question.
Overcoming is literally the talent of overcoming limitations.
“Hmm. Is there anything more detailed?”
It couldn’t be more detailed. There is no other way to explain it.
“……?”
For a moment, I thought it was a pun, but that wasn’t the meaning.
Although I have only witnessed three people with the talent to overcome… their conditions were all different. For some, the condition was to overcome the inherent limitations of being human, while for others, it was to break the mold of their own self-imposed potential and soar.
“ah.”
Hehe, I suspect it might be applied differently to each person with talent. It could be about overcoming. After all, what each person has to overcome is likely different.
That makes sense.
Right. But there is one thing that appeared in common for everyone.
With a much more serious expression, what she said was the mental space.
A stage where conditions to be overcome must be achieved.
That takes place exclusively in the mental space within the challenger.
Something that must be achieved solely through one’s own strength, without receiving help from anyone.
I am curious. What you, with your strange aura, will have to overcome. And what talent has blossomed in this way.
Dohyeon did not deny her words.
He himself was also very curious and looking forward to it.
All I can do is guide you into the mental space. Since it normally takes years to realize and enter the mental space on your own, you should be grateful. I have bought you a whole year’s time.
Of course.
Then I’ll wish you good luck.
With her words as the last, a cheerful notification rang out,
[You will be moved to mental space.]
Shortly after, with the message that appeared before his eyes, Dohyeon was transported.
This was the story of how I suddenly arrived alone in this blurry, empty space of nothingness.
And Dohyeon is now.
I was having a once-in-a-lifetime, rare experience.
Clatter
A height of just over 180cm with a wolf-like agility.
Armor that is entirely black with silver mixed in areas such as the shoulder pads.
Black hair and face clearly exposed due to a helmet that became transparent because it narrowed the field of vision.
A silver one-handed sword of moderate length.
“… … I thought it couldn’t be, but the outfit alone is undeniable.”
No matter how you look at it, it is definitely Kaiser from the Demrok era.
A character who was called a symbol of bad luck for lacking a single legendary skill, yet dominated the game as the overwhelming number one ranked player.
Even so… I mean myself, who shone brighter than anyone else.
Well, this is something…
I feel strange.
It was strange to see myself moving through the eyes of a third party, but what was even more mysterious was seeing my appearance from the Demrok days once again.
Because Demlok is a game whose service has ended.
A character I raised with affection, even though people called it a dead game.
How strange it is that the character I thought I would never see again has returned as an enemy.
It’s amazing that this works.
They said it was an AI with performance tens of times better than AlXgo.
Did they recreate the image from memory using biometric information?
However, it is somewhat puzzling that there was a boss that caused a similar phenomenon even during the Demrok era.
Succubus Queen.
As the Queen of Nightmares, she made the target have the sweetest dream and then made it a reality.
But that is only the form.
It’s only natural since the developers are different.
It’s not an existing program, and it’s not something that can be whipped up on the spot like that.
In that sense.
Saa-
That handsome guy who looks exactly like me and is staring intently at me is highly likely to be unable to display the abilities he had during his Demrok days… … but.
Why is that?
[Assume a stance. Combat will begin when you are deemed ready.]
Swoosh.
The way that guy silently strikes a pose is eerily identical to myself.
To be precise, it was like his past self.
Unlike the current stance, which has been slightly altered to efficiently utilize the heavens, this is a stance entirely focused on the sword and the opponent.
Sssss-
And that faint silver light seeping from the sword held slightly to the side.
As time passes, it gradually deepens, eventually shedding its subtlety and emitting a radiance.
‘Sword Aura… … and the Aura amplification effect of the legendary weapon Granterion?’
Everything was exactly the same as himself back then.
Can this really be said to be merely a reproduction of the form?
Above all, merely recreating the form at the site intended for the blooming of the overcoming traits that have been shrouded in mystery for nearly a year?
That was strange, too.
Thump,
Dohyeon’s senses were speaking.
That Kaiser isn’t just a copy of the appearance; it’s the real thing.
I don’t know how this is possible.
Since Demrok is a predecessor to God of Savior, they might have used the remaining information, or the AI must be insanely brilliant.
Thump- thump.
Whatever it was, that wasn’t what was important right now.
Such questions have long since vanished from my mind.
‘… … You’re saying you’re fighting your past self?’
Every time I swallow dry saliva, the pounding of my heart sounds even louder.
What do I look like from the other person’s perspective?
Have I really improved compared to the past? Or have I regressed?
You’ll find out soon enough.
Dohyeon slowly took his stance, making no effort to stop the corners of his mouth from curving into a smile.
In a stance somewhat different from Kaiser’s aggressive stance right in front of me, with more space to easily change steps at any time.
Finally, the moment I quietly composed the breath I had inhaled.
[Preparation is complete.]
[The battle begins.]
The guy moved, and Dohyeon immediately swung his sword.
and.
Rustle-
The neck was severed.
* * *
“This is crazy……!”
As soon as he opened his eyes, Dohyeon cursed as he saw Kaiser standing face to face, as if he had turned back time.
A message that popped up as if mocking him.
[You have been defeated.]
[Would you like to try again?]
Did you die in a single blow?
I had expected a fierce battle, but it was so futile.
Above all, my pride was hurt.
Since it’s a mental space, I did let my guard down knowing I could try again even if I died… but a single blow?
This was not simply a matter of winning or losing.
The gap is this big?
I could tell how he died.
The moment he swung his sword, the guy swinging back instantly wrapped his sword around him like a snake, parrying the attack.
Immediately after that, he attempted to parry the thrusting sword but failed.
chin-
A foot that popped out from the lower field of vision, which was invisible while stuck together, pushed the leg to create distance.
Just as I narrowly missed the intersection, the trajectory of his sword changed from below to a diagonal upward, severing my neck.
The entire process was chillingly fast.
However, that didn’t mean it was impossible to react.
Isn’t it strange that you can’t react when it was a recreation of yourself in the first place?
“… … I couldn’t concentrate at all. Let’s try again.”
Dohyeon closed his eyes tightly and let out a deep breath.
Before I knew it, my heart, which had swelled with excitement and anticipation, had sunk to a cold slump.
As I open my eyes, I see a message still positioned in the sky.
I’ll do it again.
This time, I’m doing it right.
As I steeled myself and shouted, the guy immediately took a stance.
The difference from before is that this time, Dohyeon made the first move.
Having been attacked in an instant just moments ago, I intended to turn the tables on them this time.
The distance narrowed in an instant, and
… … his head was severed again.
“……again.”
Dohyeon, seething with anger at the look on Goyohan’s face, jumped back in.
Pfft!
And the heart was pierced.
“again.”
Pfft, rustle-
His neck was severed by a sword that flew into the dark vision caused by being stabbed in his right eye, his dominant eye.
Squeeze-
This time, it wasn’t sword, but choking to death.
Stabbed, cut, and choked like that.
Rustle- rustle
Dying, dying, and dying again… … .
I wonder how many times I repeated it.
“……her.”
Unlike Dohyeon, who is deeply furrowed brow, I see the nonchalant face of the guy.
It is a familiar scene just from having experienced it once.
It feels just like respawning at a saved location when you die in a mobile game.
Dohyeon let out a sigh and, unlike his burning eyes, calmly assessed the situation.
“…It’s not that I let my guard down.”
It wasn’t that I lost because I couldn’t concentrate.
That was only the first time; from the second time onwards, I focused, and from the third time, I fought with all my might.
And from the fourth time onwards, he utilized all sorts of skills and abilities. These included the Reverse Heaven Technique and the Forgotten King’s Swordsmanship.
But the result was the same. In fact, they died more easily.
At some point, I fought out of sheer stubbornness.
‘… … .’
As a result, I realized that differences in qualifications are unnecessary here.
It is faster, and while there may be differences in skill or item grades and performance, it is merely an advantage.
In the end, if your neck is severed or your heart is stabbed, you die.
The rules here were more like reality than a game.
In other words, what mattered most was each other’s skills.
And although he didn’t want to admit it, Dohyeon was falling behind in skill.
To my past self.
Crunch-
I thought I had grown even more since the recent fight with Demisus.
No, even before that, when I caught the Iron Blood Dragon Species in the tutorial, I actually thought my body felt lighter.
Was it a misunderstanding?
It makes you feel lighter, and that is only natural since full-dive virtual reality is more lifelike than VR.
Was what I thought was growth actually nothing more than chasing past glory?
‘……no.’
Dohyeon shook his head.
It’s true that I’ve grown.
Because the slow world and high level of concentration I saw during the battle with Demisus were indeed a world I had never experienced before.
Aren’t there even more items, traits, and skills than in the days of Demrok?
Whether in terms of gameplay or skill, I have clearly grown.
Why is there such a one-sided defeat despite this?
Amusingly, it was because I had taken too much.
I threw away what I used to have because I was so absorbed in new things.
Unlike myself, who immediately thinks about utilizing the numerous skills and traits I possess, that guy… no, what was my past self like?
No matter what the opponent brought, he destroyed it with only a single sword.
Even if only a tiny gap like a thin thread is visible, it creeps in like a ghost and cuts off the breath.
‘… … Psychological warfare and minor details.’
When my neck was first severed.
The guy lured me into attacking and then kicked my thigh to break my balance.
At that moment, he naturally swung his upper body widely to obscure the view so that the kick would not be visible.
When I countered heavily using the Reverse Heaven Technique, the guy moved elusively, pretending to confuse me, and then pierced my neck in an instant.
Even if the battle continued with the white lion and the blizzard, it was meaningless since one would die if stabbed in the neck just once.
He figured that out like a ghost and instead used the opponent’s confidence to his advantage.
It was like that just now, too.
As he parried the fierce thrust of the sword, he let go of the sword himself before his balance was lost to the deflected blade.
Then, he immediately hooked the opponent’s leg, grabbed their back, and after they fell, applied a rear choke.
The moment it happened simultaneously with Dohyeon escaping using a back grab.
As if he had expected it, the guy performed a trick of cutting off necks with a moving slash as he passed by.
‘… … These are all things I did.’
Amusingly, all of those were battle scenarios he had experienced at least once in the past.
The difference is that the one being attacked was the opponent.
“Is this how it felt from the perspective of the victims? It seems like it would be good to use it now, so why wasn’t it being used?”
He questioned him, but Dohyeon already knew the reason.
Because there are so many good abilities that there is no need to go out of your way to do such things.
There are plenty of legendary skills alone, and there are numerous variables that can be created simply by switching weapons constantly while fighting.
There was no reason to worry about trivial details.
At that moment, whether by chance or not, I made eye contact with him.
His calm, settled eyes held a chilling level of self-confidence and resolute determination.
“……under.”
Dohyeon let out a hollow laugh and covered his eyes with his left hand.
Since when did I become so weak? Since when did I rely solely on skills?
When it reached the very end.
The only things I can trust until the very end are nothing but a single sword and my own body.
Yeah. That’s right.
Dohyeon’s eyes, after letting go of his hand, had become exactly like Kaiser’s.
The eyes from back then, which always overwhelmed the opponent under unreasonable conditions, and.
“Let’s see how far this goes.”
