Reincarnated as the Final Villain's Vessel

Chapter 241: An Invisible Wall

The days were passing quickly and turning into weeks without me realizing... like they say, time is like a sword, if you don’t cut it, it cuts you.

I think it likes stabbing me anyway.

We’d passed those damn paper tests, whether I failed or passed I really don’t know.

I didn’t bother myself with seeing the results, it’ll only affect my ranking anyway and I don’t care about that anymore... I ended up getting kind of rich.

And even though the break had officially started already and most of the students and workers left the Axis, it still has a decent number of people in it.

Most of them from the third year doing something or of course the first year getting ready for something else... the Game of Kings.

After Ivan explained it to me a little that day, I remembered it... I mean memories of the game from my past life or whatever.

This was one of the main branches in the story, and as expected Elliot was the one who won this event between the Empires and became a person recognized on a global level at eighteen years old.

After that I remember the Void System started moving and stirring up chaos inside the safe lands to tear down the authority of the Imperial families... I think that was a year or a few months after Elliot’s win... time wasn’t a clear thing in the game.

Anyway, then after that... well after that I died and that was the end of it for me. At least that’s what I remember.

Anyway, there were a lot of encounters with the Void System that were supposed to happen during the period we were in Ancient Earth.

Among them going to Castelta, discovering that lab I was in and the Void System’s great case.

And all of that became useless... this game is still going to be held either way, after all it’s an event like the World Cup from my past life.

I was included among the hundred who’ll be taking part... and that happened without asking, how wonderful... where’s my freedom here.

And it turned out it was the Director’s decision.

The man who stayed absent from his lands wandering around death zones and playing with monsters like a lunatic comes now and makes decisions... wonderful.

Normally taking part would be something very useful for me, and it’s still useful and maybe more than ever.

Setting aside the prizes and so on, winning means getting a clear voice in this world, almost everyone will know you... this doesn’t mean they’ll like you of course.

But being known is better than being unknown for me... especially in my situation now after meeting Medirin.

"Haaa... I don’t know," I muttered as I sighed from all these thoughts.

I ran my hand through my hair, my fingers drowning in sweat while the excruciating pain spread through my bones and tissues.

I was sitting in a training room that had nothing in it but the steel walls, and some machines stacked on the side.

After the Axis became empty it was easy to find new training rooms, even ones better than the one I had... though I don’t need anything special these days.

Increasing my strength was my top priority so I worked tirelessly on breaking through to Rank 4 as fast as possible... just like now.

My essence flowed through my body in large amounts, but instead of being absorbed like what happens during a fight it wrapped around the tissues and muscles and also the bones and destroyed them slowly.

The process needed a lot of focus and precise manipulation so I wouldn’t blow up one of my limbs in an instant, and it was also very painful, like thousands of needles were being driven into every corner of me down to the bone marrow... well the pain isn’t supposed to be like this according to how it was described, maybe it comes down to me exaggerating a little.

But it doesn’t matter... what matters is the speed.

And as the internal wounds formed, the essence flowed to them and I kept it there by holding my focus the whole time, at the same time I stopped my body from using regeneration like it normally does.

In the past weeks I kept this process going all day, and sped it up at times like these, this improved my body’s toughness and flexibility.

My progress through the ranks was supposed to be considered very fast... even Elliot who’s supposed to be this world’s hero was below me in this area... there’s Emeris but she’s something I don’t completely understand yet.

And in the past months the pace of my progress was getting faster over time... whether that was because of the hard work or the circumstances and the environment of Ancient Earth.

But now... now I felt like I was going in circles at the same spot.

Even though my body is getting noticeably stronger... I haven’t gotten closer to Rank 4.

Two weeks ago, I would’ve said my condition was excellent... but now even with pushing myself more than I should I still see Rank 4 far away.

"Maybe I need patience..." I muttered

I’ve always lacked patience when it comes to demanding strength.

...

"Bullshit," I panted as I saw a good-looking young man with dark hair cutting toward me with his long sword, I stepped back and let Jin’s sword pass in front of my face a hair away from cutting me

The essence gathered in my right hand as I swung my sword without backing off, at the right moment Jin managed to turn his attack into a defense and put his sword in front of him... the metal collided with a booming sound

"Aghhh!" The young man’s arms folded under my strike as he let out a pained scream while he flew backward... the training sword barely survived breaking, aware of what was happening around me I leaned my torso a little to the left, letting the arrow tear through the air and pass by their right past me.

I blinked for a moment to find a huge fist covered in a metal layer over it and reinforced with another layer of essence about to slam into my ribs with enough force to break them.

The essence exploded under my foot which gave me the momentum to get away before the strike landed on me, at the same time I raised my right leg wrapped in thick essence and the kick landed on Garon’s side with a loud metallic sound which made his body twist and spit fly out of his mouth as he flew to the far side of the arena.

I gritted my teeth as I forced my body to respond faster even while I felt like my joints were about to come out of place.

My foot landed on the ground as I put my sword in front of my waist, at that moment the arrowhead hit the sword making my fingers tremble, but going against the laws of physics the arrow didn’t lose its force the moment it hit, it kept pushing against my sword, and because of the awkward position this made me feel like my wrist was about to tear.

With a push of essence, I turned the sword which deflected the arrow and made it sink into the shattered ground, for a moment I looked toward the shooter who was a girl with long dark hair... but before I could think about what I’d do with her I felt something wrap around my leg and climb up me.

It was nothing but wooden roots that had grown out of the shattered ground at some point, the essence flowed through my leg as I moved it violently which led to them breaking and me getting free... and another arrow reached me too.

I put my sword in its path and at the moment of impact I changed its direction to fly toward the girl coming toward me, but as if she saw that Leona dodged it easily in an instant.

And the moment she did that someone else was stabbing from my left with his spear, I barely stepped backward without tripping so the spear passed in front of me leaving a wound on my stomach, and the moment the guy tried to get his stance back and raise his spear to defend my sword was already on him.

Ignoring the blood from my wound I struck without backing off, I barely controlled my strength at the last moment before his spear broke and I cut the guy by accident... I let him back off as I turned to face Leona, but the roots wrapped around my leg again which made me trip.

And as expected Leona saw that, and I expected it too... I raised my arm which led to her sword stabbing me there, passing through my flesh and coming out the other side.

Her eyes widened in shock, and she opened her mouth to say something. "...."

But I’d already freed my leg from the roots as I kicked her in the stomach, I barely controlled the force so I wouldn’t hurt her too much.

Leona flew backward like the rest; her sword stuck in my arm.

The arrows kept coming at me every moment, and the others attacked me each in their own way, some of them I know and a lot of them I don’t.

In total there were seven people against me... and I was happy about that... I gritted my teeth as I dropped them one after another.

The arrow shooter barely realized I’d gotten in front of her, and before she could run my strike came down on her ribs.

In the end I panted and felt the wounds all over my body waiting for the next attack... but there was no other attack... just Ellen’s stern voice and dozens of looks on me.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Caius!"