Ch.11The Library’s Hidden Piece (2)

After receiving the book containing the cultivation technique from Lilly, I moved to a different location.

The library wasn’t suitable for practicing cultivation techniques, and fortunately, there was an appropriate place nearby.

Currently, this city has three buildings officially recognized for adventurers, excluding the various guilds.

One is the library where I was until just now.

As I’ve already explained, it’s a place where various knowledge necessary for adventurer activities is stored.

Another is the Adventurer Guild Management Branch.

A place that exists solely for the management and supervision of adventurers and adventurer guilds.

It handles quest applications and various civil complaints, and in emergency situations, it can be said to be a place that unifies all guilds in the area.

And the last one is where I’m heading now.

It’s the training hall, equipped with everything from sparring arenas to private rooms for individual training.

‘Sometimes, I wonder if these are adventurers or martial artists from a wuxia novel…’

It says enough that there are even martial arts tournaments directly hosted by the Adventurer General Guild.

With these thoughts in mind, I soon arrived at the training hall.

Compared to the nearly empty library, there were noticeably more adventurers visible here.

“What brings you here?”

“I’d like to use a private room. Here’s my adventurer badge and the usage fee.”

In a way, it made sense.

If someone were the type to sit still and read books diligently, they would typically choose a profession other than being an adventurer.

“What the hell, why did you summon me again?”

Having secured a private room without much difficulty, I summoned Lilly again.

Her reaction wasn’t great, thinking she could finally rest, but what could she do when I held the authority?

“I just sent you back briefly for the move.”

“Then you should have said so from the beginning…”

Like an office worker who thought they were off work only to be suddenly called back in. I responded nonchalantly to her resentful gaze.

“I forgot.”

“I can tell you’re lying! You did it on purpose, didn’t you?!”

Unfortunately, since my lie didn’t work, I was punished with ear-splitting screaming. Thanks to that, I had to cover my ears and wait for her to calm down.

“Sigh… You’re not even a succubus, yet you act so much like one.”

“I’m troubled by that too. I wish I knew how to stop it.”

I shrugged in response to Lilly’s sigh-filled words, as if there was nothing I could do. She looked at me with slightly worried eyes for a moment before changing the subject.

“Anyway, why did you call me? I thought you’d be training for a while now that you’ve received the cultivation technique.”

“Ah, well, I need a little help with that training part.”

Getting the cultivation technique was good, but there was still one problem waiting for me.

Right now, I only roughly know how to use magic power, but I don’t properly understand cultivation techniques.

‘I could learn it on my own if needed, but…’

There’s a fairy right in front of me who can teach me the basics of cultivation, so why go through unnecessary hardship?

“Please help me learn the cultivation technique.”

“Ah, that’s right, unlike the other apostles, you didn’t receive the evil god’s blessing.”

Lilly nodded in understanding after hearing my words.

Then, as if she couldn’t help it, she sighed and continued.

“Well, alright. I’ll specially help you. Take off your robe and sit somewhere suitable.”

After removing my robe and placing it in a corner, I sat down. Lilly flew behind me and placed both her palms on my back.

“I’ll only teach you the basics, so learn well.”

“Understood.”

When I signaled that I was ready, magic power began to flow into my body.

“You don’t need to respond, just focus on the movement of the magic power while listening.”

The magic power that flowed into my body gathered into a ball-like form. Then it began to move slowly along the pathways in my body.

“Cultivation techniques are basically created to accumulate magic power and clean the magic circuits. That doesn’t change whether you become a mage like me or a swordsman like you.”

The magic power that started from my back continued to move to my arms, legs, chest, head, and then to my horns and wings.

“Magic power isn’t simply good because there’s a lot of it. Its purity and how clean the magic circuits that use it are also important.”

These are clearly settings that everyone knows.

At the same time, they were things that only existed as settings.

But watching the magic power move and reflecting on those words, what I used to accept as mere settings now approached me as reality.

“And it’s important to imbue your accumulated magic power with your own color. You might not understand it well right now, but at least remember it.”

After her words ended, the magic power completed one circuit around my body and disappeared.

Only then could I open my eyes, which I had closed for concentration, and I was captivated by the lingering sensation of a vague feeling.

“For someone just learning cultivation techniques, your magic circuits are quite clean.”

“Whew… Is that so?”

“Yes, though it’s only relatively clean, so don’t even dream of neglecting circuit maintenance.”

“I have no intention of being lazy before I’ve even properly started.”

I answered, telling her not to worry, and then closed my eyes again to concentrate.

“It’s hard to grasp the feeling with just one try, so after a short break…”

“I’ve got it.”

“Huh? Got what?”

“The feeling. I’ve got it.”

Answering briefly, I began to move the magic power inside my body as if to prove it.

The magic power began to move along the circuits as Lilly had taught me.

As the magic power started to move along the circuits, the partially functioning magic circuits began to activate.

Then a vitality that wasn’t there before filled my body.

If I had been crawling until now, it felt like I was finally learning to take my first steps. However, the more I activated the magic circuits, the more clearly I could feel something hindering the flow of magic power.

“I can definitely understand why circuits need to be kept clean.”

With those words, the magic circuits became quiet again.

After confirming the cessation of the magic circuits, I opened my eyes again to find Lilly looking at me with an expression that seemed quite bewildered.

“How many shocks am I going to receive in one day…”

“Why? Is it because I have no talent or something?”

I leaned my face closer to her with a mischievous smile as she looked flustered. In response, Lilly immediately pushed my face away from her with disgust.

“I get your playfulness, but read the situation. That level of deception could get you stoned with impunity if someone passing by threw a rock.”

Of course, due to her small size, her arms were also short, so even pushing with both arms didn’t make much difference.

“But what are these other books?”

Having finished her worried advice, she pointed to the books placed alongside the cultivation technique, expressing her curiosity.

“Ah, those. Since I don’t have any sword techniques mastered, I brought what seemed appropriate from what was immediately available.

Besides that, I also borrowed basic textbooks on cultivation techniques and sword techniques to learn the fundamentals.”

Unlike the cultivation technique that I could immediately get as a final item, sword techniques weren’t the same.

It would be nice if I could immediately get even a semi-final item, but that’s difficult in the current situation.

It would be too risky to wander around without proper sword techniques.

That’s why I had no choice but to bring along what seemed usable from the library.

‘While the cultivation technique can’t be called complete right away, it’s not like sword techniques that can be easily switched out if desired…’

For now, I had to be satisfied with both at that level.

Not knowing my thoughts, Lilly could only make one comment while checking the books I had brought.

“I can understand the basic textbooks, but even though I don’t know much about sword techniques, just by looking, they seem far from just ‘appropriate’.”

She was right.

If I were to grade what I had brought, they would all be B-grade to A-grade sword techniques.

If an ordinary adventurer had obtained them, they might bow in gratitude while learning them.

However, for someone like me who knows all sorts of things, they weren’t satisfying enough.

And if I wanted to find any clues about the ending, I needed the best preparation.

Moreover, since my current ultimate goal was the evil god, I shouldn’t be satisfied with just that level.

“Well, I’m planning to cut down the evil god.”

“Yeah, get stronger and make sure to kill that damn bastard.”

Responding to my words with a faint smile, Lilly closed the books she was examining and flew back up into the air.

“You seem to have already learned the basics of the cultivation technique, and I can’t teach you the advanced parts because our paths differ, and I don’t know anything about sword techniques. It seems like there’s nothing more for me to do.”

She seemed to be hinting that she wanted to go back and rest since there was nothing more for her to do.

That was indeed the case, and seeing her quite tired appearance, I nodded and granted her request.

“Alright, rest well when you go back.”

“Yeah, you have no idea how tiring today has been because of you. I need some rest.”

Just as her figure was about to disappear, enveloped in light, she paused her return and asked one more question.

“Ah, before I go, let me ask one last thing.”

“What is it?”

“You’re not going to use that cultivation technique’s name as is, right? Do you have a name in mind for it?”

It seems she was also bothered by the title “Anyway, Awesome Cultivation Technique.”

Having experienced the same deflating feeling when I first obtained the cultivation technique and checked its item name, I sympathized with her and reassured her.

“Of course I do.”

While I don’t usually pay much attention to item names, this one was too much, so I had something prepared separately.

“It’s the Heavenly Ascension Technique.”

“Isn’t that a bit too grandiose?”

“It is.”

Since I came up with it when I was captivated by the technique’s performance, it ended up being quite grandiose.

Still, I had no intention of changing this name. The performance and effects of this cultivation technique matched the name perfectly.

“But it’s that good of a cultivation technique.”

“Is that so? Well, good is good then.”

* * *

In the distant past.

Lilly, who had received a book from five individuals, was looking at them with an incredulous expression.

“Are you really going to name it that? The cultivation technique that the five of you created together?”

“Anyway, if the person who’s supposed to be its owner doesn’t appear, it won’t be revealed to the world.”

Only one person spoke as a representative, but all the others seemed to agree.

Nevertheless, as Lilly showed her displeasure, the man spoke as if to persuade her.

“We all think that if someone comes to take it, they’ll give it the most awesome name. So, don’t be like that.”

Adding, “It’s also an opportunity for you, who has no friends, to make a new friend,” was just a bonus.

“No friends?! Do you want me to hit you?!”

* * *

After being holed up in a private room for three days.

“Nngh…”

I stretched and got up, my body stiff from repeatedly studying books and meditating for a long time.

“Maybe it’s time to go out and do some farming.”