I Became the Youngest Disciple of the Martial God

Chapter 177

Chapter 177

All of a sudden? Why?

That was my first thought.

I didn't feel any particular regret, nor did I wish to regress, so what had triggered the blessing?

Are there activation conditions other than my emotional state?

The only thing I could think of right now was... death. But that was absurd.

That means I died...?

Without even realizing it?

No way. How is that possible?

I wasn’t trying to sound arrogant, it was just a fact.

I’d been neither asleep nor defenseless. I’d been walking in the middle of enemy territory, so my guard and senses had been heightened to their peak.

So, what... All of a sudden, I died of natural causes...?

It was hard to believe.

Then, this place... Was it some kind of border between life and death?

Jingle.

“...Mm.”

The sound of the bell brought me back to my senses.

I didn’t know what exactly had happened, but from an efficiency standpoint, there was nothing bad about regressing now.

I didn't know how far I would regress... but it wasn’t like my current situation was good.

If I went back, I’d have a lot more useful information and a lot more options.

In other words, choosing to regress was definitely the better option.

So I walked to the left, toward Spirit Mountain.

Jingle.

When I heard the bell once again...

“...”

An old memory suddenly resurfaced.

* * *

I was in complete darkness.

It was expected since my eyes were covered, but it was not natural for a thin piece of cloth to block out all light.

In that sense, the blindfold given to me by Second Senior Sister was a fascinating object.

The moment I’d put it on, my vision had been plunged into darkness as if night had suddenly fallen.

It made me feel slightly nostalgic.

Spirit Mountain was always shrouded in white mist and faint light 24/7. In such a place, it was rare to experience darkness.

Jingle.

I wondered if it was because my eyes were closed.

This time, the sound of the bell reached my ears more clearly than before.

To the right. About ten steps... eight, five...

The sound of the bell grew closer and closer... When it was close enough, I thrust my left palm toward it.

My palm pierced empty air. I didn’t feel even the brush of cloth, let alone a body, leaving me baffled.

Thwack!

“Ow!”

I winced at the pain in the back of my head and crouched down. The pain was intense, like a steel bar had been driven into my skull, and tears welled up in my eyes.

With a low chuckle, a gentle hand ruffled my hair, and the blindfold blocking my vision was removed.

“You can't rely solely on your hearing,” came a gentle voice that seemed to soothe my throbbing head.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and replied, “...If I can't see, I have to rely on my ears.”

Second Senior Sister habitually unfolded her iron fan with a soft fwop. “Luan, do you think I rely solely on my hearing?”

“Um...”

“You've heard that losing one sense sharpens the others, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Well, that isn’t entirely wrong... although it is less sharpening and more better utilizing the remaining senses.”

I looked at my second senior sister. “Hmm...”

I had never seen her eyes beyond the cloth that covered them. According to her, she did not have any.

She had no eyeballs, and it was not a birth defect—she had lost them later in life. Her eyeballs had been gouged out by someone else.

Senior Sister often said how fortunate it was that what she had lost was her eyes.

“It's a good thing I only lost my two eyes.”

Apparently, among the five senses, sight was the least important for a martial artist.

“...”

Only when it was lost could one fully utilize other functions.

I think I understand, somewhat. Like the way I trained my swordsmanship with only my left arm after the tendon in my right arm was severed.

“I've lost my sight, but I still have five senses. In addition to the four traditional senses, I have gained a sixth.”

When one reached that state, they could hear the whisper of the wind with their skin, taste the flavor of stone with their nose, and see the movement of rippling water with their ears.

“In a battle between two masters, the easiest sense to deceive is sight.”

“Ah.”

Her explanation helped me understand the concept a bit better.

Even basic hand-to-hand combat and feints were carried out under the assumption that the opponent was “seeing.”

According to Senior Sister, freeing oneself from that bias allowed one to see more, even without eyes.

“But what about the bell sound just now? I definitely attacked where the sound came from...”

Senior Sister laughed softly and unfurled her iron fan.

The bell on the end of the fan rattled vigorously, but it made no sound.

“Uh...”

“It is a sound technique, although it is not a grand one.”

As soon as she finished speaking...

Jingle.

“...!”

The bell sounded not from my sister in front of me but from a distance away.

I whipped my head around, but sure enough, there was nothing there.

“Wh—”

“It is a simple trick. During battle, I continuously ring this bell, allowing my enemies to hear it. Then, the moment I disappear, they rely on their hearing, even if for a moment, hoping to hear the bell somewhere.”

Seeing where this was going, I said, “You use this trick to mislead them, making them think you’re in one place while you ambush them from another.”

Senior Sister patted my head. “Exactly.”

To be honest, it felt a little weird. Not even Eldest Senior Brother treated me like a child like she did.

But it was not a bad feeling, only a weird, unfamiliar one.

If I had an older sister, would I feel like this?

Was this what it felt like to have an older sister? I did have a few half-sisters, but... it wasn’t like we had good relationships. Our relationships were actually worse than those of strangers. I couldn’t even remember some of their names...

“...”

I continued onward.

The scenery changed again.

Three young heroes were in the midst of a battle, their injuries growing in number... but the horde of puppets showed no sign of diminishing.

They look dangerously close to being swept away.

I saw Charon throw his sword at the princess.

The princess, who had been sitting leisurely, jumped in surprise. It seemed she had not expected the sudden attack.

Stab!

The flying sword pierced her. She let out a piercing scream and collapsed to the ground.

The attack hit its mark, but at a cost.

Throwing a weapon was, of course, a costly move, especially when done at full power.

Even throwing a small ball at full force was taxing, but Charon had thrown a long sword.

In an instant, his entire body was left wide open to attacks while his hand was empty.

Smack!

A nearby doll struck Charon’s face. His left eyeball might have been crushed.

The moment Charon slammed to the ground, dozens of puppets fell atop him at once.

Grind.

Gritting her teeth, Sellen spread her arms. A storm of cold swirled in all directions.

Although Evan and even the fallen Charon got swept up in it, she must have thought it was better than leaving them as they were.

“...”

Are you still not turning back?

Turn back right now.

It's not too late.

It was as if some unseen voice was whispering to me.

I...

Step.

...Did not stop walking.

At the same time, I was forced to rethink the power of the blessing I possessed.

At first, I’d regarded it as a tremendous opportunity.

I’d thought of it as just a convenient power that allowed me to change and undo the past, to challenge a foe or event again and again, even after making poor choices.

However, it wasn't that simple.

A sudden thought had crossed my mind that made me rethink everything.

If I were to return to the past, what would become of their achievements, their determination, their struggles, and most of all, their growth?

The answer was obvious: It would all simply vanish.

That... somehow felt like trampling on their dignity as humans.

Perhaps even having such thoughts was arrogance. After all, most people prioritized their lives over any mission.

But...

Regression was the blessing I possessed.

It was my power.

If this power were to fall into someone else’s hands, it would inevitably be wielded by their subjective standards.

By my standards, I made a difficult decision.

I decided that it was still okay.

Step.

The path ended. Darkness still surrounded me, but that was just what I felt.

The scenery had changed to something blatantly different from what I had seen before.

A blood moon hung at the edge of the darkness.

“...”

The blood moon began to spin as if it had gone mad.

Blood-red clouds emerged from all directions, forming a certain shape.

“...”

A monster shaped like a tongue.

A skeleton draped in a black robe.

Though a bit sloppy, I recognized them.

Demon lords?

The Demon Lord of the Green Tongue and the Demon Lord of the Black Swamp.

Between them was a human figure. Though it looked as simple as a child’s doodle...

That’s me.

I could tell that human was me. But what happened next was even more absurd.

The two demon lords grabbed my arms and started yanking as if playing tug-of-war.

“What the...”

I was lost for words at the sight before me.

What could I even say?

It looked exactly like two kids fighting over a favorite doll.

Except the kids were demon lords, and the toy was me. Even I, someone who laughed easily, was unable to laugh at all.

Riiip, riiiiiip.

The arms of the Luan doll were about to be ripped off.

As I watched the scene with a mixture of distaste and faint anxiety...

Shhhk!

A new figure descended from the sky and swiftly cut down the two demon lords.

The two demons, wounded by the sword, glared at the new figure before slowly vanishing like mist.

The newcomer was clad in full armor, draped in a tattered black cloak.

An unfamiliar presence.

But I felt like I recognized it.

Despite the armor... the sword and blade clutched in its hands, the spear strapped to its back... they were all too familiar.

“...”

I instinctively placed my hand on the hilt of the Dark Star Blade at my waist, and then I heard a voice from somewhere.

[Their... desire... I... understand.]

A voice like a broken record.

I realized the voice was coming from the blood-lit moon beyond.

[Possessiveness.]

A low voice whispered.

[I... too... want... to have... you.]