Pick Me Up Infinite Gacha! - P.M.U Chapter 247: Demonized Human (2) (Part 2)
I turned my gaze.
At that moment, my reflection appeared on the drawn blade of Bifrost.
The first thing I noticed was the vertical, slit-shaped black pupils in my eyes.
[‘Han (★★★★★)’ has entered a state of Demonization!]
Sssshhh.
Tearing through my pale skin, pitch-black scales began to emerge.
Crackle! Crackle!
Crimson lightning arced from the scales.
‘This… isn’t human.’
Scales covered my entire body, and my red eyes gleamed eerily.
The image of myself reflected in the blade looked like a monster.
I sheathed Bifrost.
[‘Han (★★★★★)’ has exited the Demonization state.]
In an instant, I was back to my human form.
Goo Goo Con approached me.
<Now you can feel it, can’t you?>
“A little.”
<I warned you. Once you start, there’s no turning back. In terms of pure power, that Velkist fellow isn’t even a tenth of what you are now. You’ve become something completely apart from other humans. You’ll also have to learn how to suppress this power if you don’t want to accidentally kill your comrades.>
“The gap is that large?”
<The kid who borrows the power of the White Dragon, the archer girl, and the beast-tribe kid… they might be able to follow in your footsteps, at least to your heels.>
I sighed.
<The strong are always lonely.>
“I’m not too fond of getting stronger alone. Team play is more efficient.”
That’s what I knew to be true.
I’d been raising Niflheimr’s 1st party evenly for that reason.
<Then why not grow strong enough to ignore such petty concerns of efficiency?>
“…”
<Don’t be foolish. The humans here will never be able to catch up to you. The balance was broken the moment you awakened me. You asked for power, and I gave it to you. What’s with all the complaints, tsk tsk.>
Goo Goo Con circled around me as he spoke.
<Soon, you’ll become a complete being, needing no one’s help. Only then will you be able to defeat that prince.>
“A complete being…”
<Do I really need to explain? You already know.>
I crossed my arms.
I could guess what he meant.
‘A hero capable of executing missions solo.’
Reconnaissance and analysis, combat, assassination, offense, defense… close-quarters and long-range, small and large-scale battles—being capable of all of it alone.
‘… A one-man army.’
In my knowledge, there were only two heroes capable of that.
First, El Cid, the number one ranked hero.
And second, Niflheimr’s sub-master, Seris.
Other members of the 1st party had their own vulnerabilities in one or two areas.
Take Ridigion for example—he was nearly invincible in duels but lacked efficiency in large-scale battles. Nihaku was the opposite. Yurnet and Myuden had their own exploitable points as well.
‘Seris has none of those weaknesses.’
She was nearly perfect in every aspect.
Because I had designed her that way.
She could perform at her best in any environment.
‘So, I’m supposed to become like that?’
That Seris turned out the way she did was almost a stroke of luck, even for me.
I wasn’t sure I could pull it off again, even if I tried a hundred times.
<Are you thinking of backing out now, after coming this far?>
“I was just lost in thought.”
I smirked.
If Halkion’s words were true, a gap was now opening between me and the rest of the 1st party, one they might never bridge. Of course, they could eventually catch up if they had enough time, but I didn’t have that luxury.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
All I needed was to climb to the 100th floor.
Then, I’d finally part ways with this wretched place.
<All you need to do is focus on growing stronger.>
Halkion scoffed, staring at me.
The pigeon’s brown eyes narrowed, and suddenly a wave of dizziness washed over me.
It was a strange but familiar feeling.
I opened my eyes.
The barren wasteland I had seen earlier stretched out before me again.
<Now that we’re bound by contract, I will make you the strongest in Townia.>
Halkion’s spear was aimed at me.
According to him, this place was a shared mental space, born from the melding of my mind with Halkion’s.
Therefore, it wasn’t bound by the laws of physics.
‘He said I’d better get used to coming here.’
I planted both feet firmly on the ground.
Halkion smiled lightly, still pointing the spear at me.
<Time here flows dozens of times slower than in Mobius.>
“…”
<You don’t need to worry about the outside world. Everything here is happening within your consciousness. In this place, even if you die, you can be revived countless times. Do you understand what I’m saying?>
There was no need to beat around the bush.
I immediately drew my sword from its sheath.
<My power is an invincible shield and an unstoppable spear. It can deflect anything and pierce everything. I’ll teach you the true way to use the Black Dragon’s Blood.>
“I don’t really…”
<Hm?>
“I don’t want to rely on that power too much.”
I smiled, twirling my sword.
“I’ve seen plenty of people fall apart relying only on their imprints.”
While the power of this imprint was incredible, I couldn’t depend on it alone.
Its purpose was to aid my sword in cutting my enemy’s throat more efficiently.
It should never become the master.
‘Advanced Swordsmanship is within reach.’
I was only one step away from reaching the level of a master.
<How amusing. Do you reject my power?>
“I’m not rejecting it. I’ll use it when I need it, as a useful tool.”
<A tool, huh. I wonder how long you’ll hold on to that notion.>
Crack!
An immense pressure descended on me, causing me to stagger.
It felt like a massive steel beam was pressing down on my head.
My feet sank deep into the ground.
<I’ll start with ten times the usual force.>
“Do as you like.”
This much wasn’t too hard.
I was used to training with dozens of kilograms of sandbags strapped to me.
‘How many times will we fight?’
A hundred? A thousand?
Maybe even more.
I’d probably start to understand a bit of what Aaron felt like.
‘What’s important is…’
Becoming the master of this power, not its slave.
How I use this strength is up to me.
No matter how powerful the skills and imprints may be, in the end, it was always the hero wielding them.
I had seen countless heroes crumble because they were intoxicated by their abilities.
‘An invincible power, huh.’
There’s no such thing.
I stood ready, prepared to swing my sword at the Halkion before me.