Chapter 25: Strangeness and Trust?!
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Sayru had finally lost his temper after dying so many times.
Even the calmest version of him had turned furious at what was happening.
"Tsk… I should've known it from the start, from that feeling I had."
He rose from the cold ground amid the pitch-black darkness, then began running north again, faster than before.
"Mi Min? Can you hear me?"
He kept shouting her name while running endlessly—
But no answer came.
That silence only made his doubts grow deeper.
Sigh~ "Losing my temper this quickly… it's nice to be young again, really. Even though this body looks like it's in its twenties, the vitality it holds is unmatched… I think I need a proper fight to cool off~"
After a few moments, Sayru regained his composure and continued his sprint forward.
.....
"I've arrived…"
He reached the same village he had visited the very first time—the one he now suspected was the source of everything strange happening to him.
Sayru approached the wooden gate, but he didn't go in.
Instead, he sat before it, crossing his legs into a meditative position.
Since he had no Mana—or rather, could not use it—he simply focused on calming the wild vitality inside him after all that constant running.
When he was done, he opened his eyes but remained still, quietly composed.
Time passed.
An hour. Two hours. Ten hours.
And still, Sayru sat unmoving.
At first, a few children from the village came close, curious about him, but they soon lost interest and left.
Even though villagers passed by the gate constantly, no one seemed to care about the stranger sitting before it.
Then night fell.
Sayru stood up, looked toward the sky… and smiled.
Finally, he walked through the gate and entered the village.
His steps were straight, confident—almost as if he remembered the paths perfectly.
He went directly toward the same house he had visited the first time he arrived in this world.
He knocked twice on the door.
And, just like before, a little girl came out to greet him.
Then, the exact same sequence of events replayed—word for word.
After finishing his talk with the girl's father, he moved toward the exit to "ask the chiefs," as before.
But this time… even though he opened the door, he didn't leave.
"Sir Hero… are you alright? Does your stomach hurt?" the little girl asked bluntly.
"Don't worry, little one. My stomach won't fall ill from a mere cup of warm tea."
At last, he stepped outside.
And strangely—this time, he did not die.
What did he do differently to change the outcome?
That was the question that even I would be asking now.
"Old man, you're coming with me to the next village," Sayru said coldly.
"Y-Yes, Sir Hero!"
The two left the village together.
…..
After walking for a while, the old man began acting… oddly.
"Why are you trembling like a frightened rat now? I thought the monsters of this world were supposed to be weak against your kind," Sayru said, eyeing him suspiciously.
"I-I'm sorry, it's just that the chief of the next village enjoys eating certain monsters' meat. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind helping me hunt a few?" the old man replied, voice shaking.
Sayru found his excuse strange—but followed him anyway.
"Fine. Lead the way."
They changed course, heading deeper into the forest.
After a short walk, the "prey" appeared.
The old man immediately charged at one of the beasts, while Sayru watched carefully from behind.
So they really can kill monsters without Mana… but their techniques—these martial arts—they're… strange.
What Sayru observed shocked him:
The villagers' martial arts were lethal, designed to stimulate the body's vitality while directly targeting the monsters' vital organs.
It was as if those fighting styles were created solely for this world.
If I were to use that art myself… I might lose control over my own power.
Unfortunately, that made the technique useless to him—his vitality was far too immense.
After gaining a basic understanding of the style, Sayru joined in, crushing the monsters with his bare hands alone.
A beast lunged from the right—Sayru swung his arm once.
The creature's head exploded, its blood scattering into the air.
And strangely enough, Sayru seemed to enjoy it—just a little.
.....
After several minutes, the two finally finished off the ten monsters that had surrounded the area.
The old man collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.
"S-Sir Hero—hah… hah—you're truly amazing!!"
He was astonished by Sayru's simple yet devastating combat style.
Sayru's movements consisted of only two actions—move and destroy.
Simple gestures, but deadly when combined with his Divine Body.
"Enough talk. Let's go to the village," Sayru said flatly.
"Y-Yes, Sir Hero!"
And so, they continued their journey until finally reaching the desired village.
It was one of the same villages where Sayru had died before.
Yet this time, he appeared utterly calm—no trace of tension at all.
"We've arrived, Sir Hero!"
The old man turned, waiting for Sayru's permission to enter.
So… she's here too, huh? Looks like stupidity really is contagious if I didn't notice something so obvious earlier, Sayru thought, smiling faintly as he stared up at the night sky.
How strange.
Sayru was acting… unusually calm—too calm.
"Before we go in, there's something I need to say," he said suddenly.
"Y-Yes, what is it, Sir Hero?"
"You know… the one thing I despise most is betrayal.
And you… you've betrayed my trust."
With a single motion—
Sayru severed the old man's head.