Reset Life – Chapter 226

Chapter 226: I Will Test That Life of Yours (1)

When I was born, there were two possibilities. One was that my body hair would change, and the other was that it wouldn’t.

The very first differentiated possibility lived thousands of lives. Due to an error in the ability engraved in the soul, it was a curse to repeat one’s life eternally.

He, who had lived like that, returned to the origin like a salmon returning to the river where it was born. To the very short point in time from when that very first life began.

“When I first met you, when I met you who was nothing but a lump of blood, I already had a body that could resist any divine law. That’s why I could manipulate the possibilities assigned to you! My father, the person I hated and loved hundreds of times, hired quite a skilled shaman for you. I stole that role. Because I was able to deceive even the timeline of history that God had created! I felt rewarded by that work, but at the same time, I felt devastated! Because your life flowed exactly the same as the one I had experienced! I didn’t know where that soul, the only one that could kill me, would go if it died as it was!”

I could hear the next words without even listening. The guy’s passionate thoughts flowed directly into my head.

Perhaps the fact that he had touched my body hair had influenced my life to flow almost exactly like his.

According to the rules God had established, my soul was supposed to go to another parallel dimension without any memories and settle into that body along with the Parallel Dimension Eruption Ability.

However, if that happened, Artshever would not be able to fulfill his desire to die.

That’s where he came up with a plan. To come to this parallel dimension and change the body hair of this body before my soul entered. Just like what he did to my first body.

That way, the future of this body would also live the same as Artshever’s first life.

In other words, it means that this body becomes the most optimal for my soul to enter.

Because the soul is supposed to follow the memories of life.

That’s how he used the time difference between parallel dimensions and the error arising from the law of transfer possessed by the Originator’s soul to create the present.

“How is it! This stage I created! I deceived even the eyes of the gods and escaped even their hands! I was thrilled when you started actively changing your life. With this, I can do it! Finally, I can die!”

He chuckled. He laughed as if he were truly happy to be crazy. He held his stomach and let out a muffled laugh.

Suddenly, the sound stopped.

“I hate you.”

“……”

“So I wanted to make you feel it even once. What death is like! Even if you didn’t create it intentionally, I hated the reality that I, the closest to you, was struggling like this for death! I hate you because you are at my origin! I hate you!”

It doesn’t make sense. He thinks so too. But self-hatred is always pure hatred that doesn’t make sense. I hate it for no reason, for existing.

However, self-hatred cannot exist on its own.

“I love you.”

“……”

“My heart pounded at the sight of you living a different life than me, living a life that rose from death! Because I was just like you! Just like smiling contentedly while looking at your childhood! My chest felt like it would burst with affection for you! I even thought about just helping you with your work and achieving the things you wanted to do that I couldn’t!”

And Artshever, who hates me.

It was as if the love-hate relationship that everyone has for themselves had appeared right before my eyes. I couldn’t do anything but struggle with the torrent of his thoughts.

Poor guy.

He’s my fragment who has gone through so many of himself that he’s lost himself.

He’s the one who had to endure an enormous amount of time between unavoidable self-hatred and uncontrollable self-love. Originating from me, he is the very other side of myself.

“The second life! Yes! I was happy then too! Because it was different from yours, in that life, I brought down the Third Prince and reformed the Second Prince’s personality to make him a great Emperor! And I worked day and night to fix everything I regretted. Yes! Just like Baius Extoria!”

***

“Indeed, you have excellent skills.”

“You too.”

They had already exchanged dozens of blows. Levidian thought that she was right not to interfere.

The halberd that Baius Extoria uses. At a glance, you can see that it’s a weapon crafted with great care by a master.

There’s nothing else.

The power to block Al’s onslaught, covered in magic armaments, was solely from his skills and experience engraved in his body.

‘Al made a blunder. He doesn’t realize that the reason why martial artists prefer and avoid magic weapons is that their true skills don’t come out properly. He’s been a mercenary for too long.’

Her discerning eye, which had reached the peak of the sword, was far more accurate than those who knew her thought. Only her lover, Risel, knew her closest to the truth.

In fact, she could tell if she could win against her opponent before even crossing swords. It’s a fact she’s never told anyone. Because it’s not a story that’s easily believed.

This discerning eye is an innate ability.

It was a year after she had just entered the Hall of Martial Arts. She felt that she could defeat a senior who had entered five years before her, and from then until now, that premonition had never been wrong.

Even with her eyes, when she fought Baius Extoria, the outcome wasn’t easily seen. If she didn’t lose her concentration until the end, there would be a chance to win, but overall, the odds were tilted in Baius’ favor.

He was the owner of such skill and ability.

He blocked Al’s fist, which was extending with full force, with the wide blade of the halberd and simultaneously twisted the direction to change its trajectory. Then, he attacked with the short blade at the end of the shaft.

Because of the force that was already advancing, Al was inevitably exposed to the attack. However, his armor could easily ignore such a blow.

Clang!

Sparks flew, and Al began an attack that disregarded defense. Levidian shook her head slightly as she watched.

‘That’s not Al’s fighting style. He’s become too attack-oriented since wearing the magic armaments. The reason for avoiding magic armaments is that the dependency becomes too high. If he used his original fighting method, there would be a chance to gain the upper hand, but…… Would he understand if I told him? What is Risel doing?’

She thought of her lover who had gone beyond the door she was leaning against. Like Al, he had received magic armaments, but thanks to the unique sword called Brandione, he couldn’t use them much either.

Above all, he was growing remarkably even after he started sparring with a real sword. At this rate, in about ten years, he would be one of the best swordsmen on the continent.

She thought that far and then shifted her gaze back to the battle unfolding before her eyes.

Al’s original style was a quick attack that penetrated and relentlessly struck vital points. Because of his lean body, he couldn’t expect great destructive power, but his speed became destructive power, a practical fighting method.

Now, even that had dulled considerably.

In his desire for excessive power, the weapon was eating away at his true skills. If he were the kind of person who could understand if told, he would have been told already.

‘Risel said it. He has an inferiority complex towards Lucy and has a solitary personality. It’s hard to fix such a person until they realize they’re wrong. Hmm, should I seriously correct him after this is over? There’s nothing more pleasant than raising a strong person.’

In her mind, Levidian, who was the instructor at the Hall of Martial Arts, was raising her head. The reward of raising a strong person with her own hands is like a drug. Once you get a taste of it, you can’t escape. Maybe this is why people want to become teachers.

In this battle, she was a perfect bystander.

She wouldn’t step in unless Al’s life was hanging by a thread.

The two people fighting now were well aware of this fact. If there’s one thing that characterizes martial artists, it’s that they can tell without having to say anything.

Above all, she bears the title of King. There’s no betraying that pride.

Al thought he would end this fight with his own hands from the beginning. Only then would it have meaning. He had to defeat this man who had reached the peak of the martial arts path to be qualified to be equal to Lucy.

‘He’s one of the Eight Strongest on the continent. Then I should also climb there and make it the Nine Strongest on the continent. Only then, when he introduces me as his friend, can I stand tall.’

There are plenty of similar cases even among ordinary friends. Relationships where they consider each other equal, but one submits without feeling negative emotions like inferiority, are especially common among male friendships.

Al had seen such scenes many times while working as a mercenary. They call each other friends, but when you look closely, one person’s opinion becomes the main one, and the others respect it. And everyone is satisfied with it.

They say there’s a teacher among three people walking together.

If the other person is truly better than you and there’s nothing to criticize, or if they have the charisma to prevent complaints from erupting, they are naturally treated as the leader of the group. No one says anything about it.

‘But Lucy and I are different! He and I should be on par!’

It’s not Lucy’s problem. It’s Al’s problem. He knows better than anyone that Lucy isn’t the type of person who would care about such things.

So he wants to be equal.

Where he looks, what he chases, what he aims for.

He wants to see from the same eye level.

It was the driving force behind Al’s life so far. But that had crumbled before the middle-aged martial artist in front of him.

He sees a wall.

Levidian was strong in his eyes. But he didn’t think she was insurmountable. In fact, hadn’t Risel, who was on par with her, defeated her once?

Baius is different.

The sturdy legs and shoulders standing beyond the 1.8-meter halberd. Eyes that never miss the opponent’s movements. Yet, a mouth that can smile leisurely at any time.

He was a wall.

‘In this world……! There are no insurmountable walls! And if there really is an insurmountable wall, I will break it!’

A resolution close to self-hypnosis gripped his fist tightly. The magical power emanating from the magic armaments covering his entire body made his body even lighter.

If he used the blow that broke the walls of Pelasion here, he could overcome even Baius……

Al’s movements stopped.

“Huh?”

Baius tilted his head.

The young man in front of him had the same recklessness that reminded him of his first life. He was similar in that he dug into vital points with a quiet yet needle-sharp sense.

He was a little duller than when they first met, but it’s something that comes to martial artists like a cold in the changing seasons.

Just like when he killed the Spear King, Redbane, in his previous life.

‘I didn’t mean to do that.’

He still smiled bitterly when he thought of that time. There was never a time when he hated himself more than then.

He remembered the incident that had burdened him with the infamous title of “Spear King Slayer” in his previous life.

There was a martial artist who had challenged the Spear King, who was called the strongest among the continent’s strong.

When the wandering martial artist, wielding a halberd that wasn’t quite suitable for his use, challenged the Spear King to a duel, the Spear King’s entourage laughed, saying that another moth had flown into the flame.

When the Spear King accepted the challenge and the duel began, those who came to watch couldn’t help but be astonished.

The power contained in each of Baius’ blows was enough to bisect a person, and the blade of the halberd, aiming mercilessly for vital points, seemed to split even rocks.

The Spear King deflected or parried all those blows with his elegant and smooth spear techniques, and occasionally thrust a blow that could pierce even the heart of lightning.

The duel between the two continued for hours.

In the meantime, they understood each other and conversed through their weapons. Just as scholars make friends through heated discussions, martial artists make friends through heated duels.

At that time, Baius considered Redbane a friend.