Chapter 38: Nuisance

With the powers granted by mana in this world, Alfred’s body could have been repeatedly healed from death’s door.

Facing near death every single second, for days and months—would the madman sink deeper into madness?

Haa.

My life as X had been longer than Kael’s sixteen years of life.

That might have been the only reason my personality was able to control this body, for my goals to be considered this body’s own goals.

But—

It was clear.

My mind had been working at a tenth of my true capacity.

If not for my strong will to live, I felt like beheading myself for my disgusting acts.

Negotiating with filth and calling a person Master?!

And a vermin at that.

I looked into Arthur Dimitri’s eyes.

The impact on my head seemed to have messed with my soul in some way I couldn’t yet figure out.

Honestly, I didn’t care who was in control of this body.

At the end of the day, I was Kael, and Kael was now me.

But—

I had to figure out some solution.

I needed to ensure that when the time comes, my full power as X should be able to control this body.

If I was in some life-threatening battle, there was no way this feeble mind would be able to overpower strong enemies with such measly capabilities.

I should be able to take control at times like that.

I don’t care about enjoying this life, as long as this body survives any and all things.

Arthur stepped back as his eyes met mine.

I was above everything and everyone.

Daring to make me call him... Master!

This mortal shall be punished for his blasphemy.

Haa.

I took a shallow breath.

The morning was chilly.

I grabbed the sword that had fallen beside me. The arms that were heavy a moment prior felt light as feathers.

I slowly stood up.

Some light jumps would do the deal.

As I jumped, I stretched my hands to the sides, loosening all joints.

Arthur observed me with caution.

"I think the training’s enough for today. You should rest and heal those injuries.

We will continue the session in the evening."

To me, his words meant nothing.

Nobody but my own brain could order this body.

I felt none of the pain I should have felt from my injuries.

Pain was nothing but signals sent by the brain through nerves to inform the body that it was reaching its limits.

For me, suppressing such pain wasn’t even worth my attention.

I was perfectly capable of suppressing those neural signals.

Arthur’s eyes widened as he saw me stretch my back with ease.

There wasn’t a hint of discomfort on my face.

"Don’t overextend your body."

"..."

I didn’t reply.

I felt the balance of the sword in my hand.

Though on Earth I had never held such a primitive weapon, it was not a difficult thing to do.

A weapon is meant to be an extension of one’s body.

And if you had full control over your body, then by my calculations, it shouldn’t be difficult to wield any weapon irrespective of its size, shape, or centre of gravity.

It’s not possible for me to become a swordmaster just by swinging it a few times.

No—that would be arrogance based on stupidity.

But I was confident in my neural control to swing this sword to its full potential against my current opponent, in the current state of my body.

"Kael? Hey... are you alright?

Answer me! Kael!!"

Arthur’s shouts became aggressive.

Me not replying must have worried him.

If he keeps the same attitude towards people other than me...

If that happens, he would be a bigger liability than the value he could provide.

I needed to educate this human.

"Do you take me for an animal?"

My voice was low.

It wasn’t indifferent, nor was it cheerful.

Arthur must have been caught off guard by the sudden change in my behavioural patterns.

"Huh. No, why would I—"

"Then stop yapping about instincts and all."

Arthur’s eyes grew serious.

"No. My head’s alright."

I clarified the misunderstanding that must have brewed in his head.

Though his thoughts were right.

I had hit my head—and the person before Arthur wasn’t the kid he was used to.

I was no longer Kael.

X—that was who I was. Or was supposed to be?

Honestly, I could no longer differentiate whose existence I currently shared.

The merger of souls had blurred the line between the two of us.

"You said my calculations are worthless in fights against creatures of intelligence."

"..."

Arthur didn’t reply.

Haa.

I hate disobedience to my core.

It twisted my guts when my dogs went wild.

I knew the person before me was much stronger, faster, and more experienced than me.

But—

When I think about it, did I have insane physical abilities on Earth?

No.

I didn’t have any special power, and my body was far weaker than my current one.

Still, no nation, no government could stop me.

I had fought against the entire world and still won.

As a mortal in that world, a small bullet could have easily killed me.

So the chances of death were far higher there than in this world.

The possibility of dying in my previous life was infinitely higher than the chance of me dying here.

So fearing someone just because they were stronger than me—

It meant nothing.

Fighting millions while being mortal and fighting an Immortal while being a mere Iron Core—

For me, there was no practical difference.

So I saw no reason to feel hopeless before my opponent.

Arthur Dimitri.

No matter how strong he was—

At the end of the day, he bled just like the millions I had killed in my life—

As X.

And what bled could be defeated.

There was no rocket science behind it, no need to waste energy on feelings like—

Fear.

The word itself felt disgusting when I was supposed to be on the receiving end.

My body, my soul, and my mind were above such a nuisance.