Chapter 80

Remnant

Every night, Aiden and Reaver ended up getting the crap beaten out of them by Meyer, and because of that, whenever they entered the Mental World, a stark contrast always lingered between him and Meyer.

On one side was Meyer, who looked ready to unleash all of the day’s pent-up stress on Aiden and Reaver, and on the other were Aiden, who had reached a stage of resignation, and Reaver, who was still half-dead.

But this time, the atmosphere was different from usual.

There were mainly two reasons for that.

The first was probably because Aiden was holding something Meyer had never seen before.

“What’s that?”

“Just got myself something new. Looks good, right?”

Honestly, it wasn’t exactly the kind of thing one would brag about like a brand-new outfit.

Meyer’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the white cube floating near Aiden’s body.

He stared at it for a moment, eyes fixed, then eventually spoke up in a tone of admiration.

“You made that? Liquid metal?”

“…You recognized it?”

“Used your head for once. Equipment that can change shape at will? You can use it as both armor and weapon. What did you mix?”

“Star Metal and ectoplasm.”

“You really went out of your way to pick the hardest materials to get. Must’ve taken quite the effort.”

Hearing praise from Meyer, of all people, was incredibly rare. But judging from the item description, it wasn’t an overreaction at all.

---

-Item Info-

[ Aether ] [ Special Equipment ]

[A liquid metal made by melting Star Metal and using ectoplasm as a power source. The form can be freely designated, and it is specialized for imbuing supernatural power.]

▶ You can freely designate its form at will!

▶ 100% ability conductivity. Imbue it with supernatural power, and its effect is amplified!

▶ Near-permanent durability. Even when damaged, it repairs itself automatically!

Unique Ability

◆ Discharge

Specialized for attacks that fire the imbued supernatural power outward. When using a sharpened attack in the form of ejecting energy, attack power is greatly amplified.

---

What should I even call this?

Rather than just a weapon, it felt more like an all-purpose tool—something that wouldn’t be out of place with that name.

The fact that it could become anything—gun, sword, armor—meant it could adapt flexibly to any situation. And with just a bit of creativity, the possibilities went even further.

And the real highlight was its unique ability, born from the combination of perfectly compatible materials.

‘…Attack amplification, huh.’

Although it ended up taking the form of an all-purpose tool rather than a traditional weapon, its primary function was still clearly offensive. And in that regard, the added effects were top-tier.

The simpler and more intuitive it was, the easier it was to use. Especially for someone like Aiden, whose specialty lay in forming and firing supernatural energy at his enemies, it meant virtually every one of his attacks would now come with an amplified punch.

‘A few good combinations are already coming to mind.’

And when you throw in the ability to freely change its shape, dozens of potential tactical and strategic attack combinations flashed through his mind already.

‘…Thinking about it again.’

There probably weren’t many blacksmiths capable of handling Star Metal to begin with, and even fewer who could also manage to fuse it with ectoplasm. The fact that Ganesha had introduced him to such a person overnight made her seem even more impressive.

Even if she had added a few unnecessary comments.

—Right? A truly skilled craftsman. Such a versatile kid. Would you like me to introduce you sometime?

—…

—It’ll be a fascinating experience. I’ll make sure you meet.

—…No, there’s really no need for th—

—I said I’ll make sure you meet, okay?

As Aiden recalled that conversation, his face involuntarily scrunched up.

He definitely didn’t want to meet whoever it was—it gave off an ominous vibe he couldn’t quite shake but in any case...

[Getting all puffed up over a worthless little thing. So pitiful. That thing couldn’t even put a scratch on me—]

“How about I kill you ten more times today?”

[…]

“Since I just pulled a new piece of equipment, wouldn’t be a bad idea to test it out on you. You in?”

[…]

Reaver looked like he was about to throw out another dumb remark, but Aiden quickly shut him up—prompting Meyer to turn his head once more.

And this led to the second reason why today’s atmosphere was so different.

“…By the way.”

Meyer spoke with a bewildered tone.

“Who’s this now?”

More precisely, he was referring to the woman standing beside Aiden, smiling brightly.

Aiden ran a hand down his face and answered.

“Say hi, Senior. This is—”

“Nice to meet you!”

Before he could even finish, the woman next to Aiden gave Meyer a deep bow.

She wore light gear—just the bare minimum for armor.

Flowing golden hair. Blue eyes. A few freckles sprinkled across her face.

But below that face, scars covered nearly every visible patch of skin, evidence of countless battles. She looked like a seasoned warrior who had crossed the line between life and death more than once.

Of course, in contrast to her brutal-looking body, her beaming smile was pure and carefree—like the radiant sun itself.

“I'm Teresa Adelaide! This guy over here killed me once!”

“……”

“When I came to my senses, I suddenly found myself here, and I heard the Knight of Dawn was around! I have so much respect for the Knight, it’s unbelievable!”

“……”

“Wow, I still vividly remember getting smacked by something he made! It hurt like hell, seriously! I even died once more because of it! Speaking of dying, it reminds me of my very first battle!”

Meyer looked utterly hollowed out.

Seeing the Knight of Dawn with that kind of expression was extremely rare but no one could blame him. Anyone caught in that kind of overwhelming energy would react the same.

…Aiden figured Meyer was now experiencing exactly what he felt the first time he spoke with Teresa.

“—Man, I really thought I was going to die back then. I think the only reason I made it through was because of all the training I’d burned into my muscles! So when I heard from Aiden here that they train every night, I didn’t understand the situation at all, but I still thought, ‘Hey, I want in!’—”

“……”

Meyer slowly turned his gaze back to Aiden.

Meanwhile, Teresa’s endless monologue showed no signs of stopping…

“Hey.”

“Yes.”

“Is she that ‘Warden of the Realm’ or whatever?”

“Yes.”

As for why she was here—this was the reason:

---

-Item Info-

[ Soul Connector: Modified ] [ Special Equipment ]

[A bracelet containing the top-class soul of the ‘Knight of Dawn’. Grants access to the unique space Mental World, which only those who’ve reached a certain level can enter. Within that space, users can make direct contact with spirits.]

[Due to the influence of ‘Special Ectoplasm,’ you may summon the soul of any spirit you've contacted—provided they have manifested in the material world at least once.]

▶ Selected Spirit: ‘Warden of the Realm’, Teresa Adelaide

---

So that’s how it happened.

Honestly, even Aiden had freaked out a little once he actually brought her back.

This was the same person who had once tried to rip him apart without a second thought.

And yet, even though she had been forcefully revived from death, she’d grasped the situation in mere minutes—understood it, accepted it, and moved on like it was nothing.

—Oh, so that means I’ve died twice and come back twice?

—…Yes.

—And you killed me the second time?

—…Yes. I sincerely apol—

—No worries! Come to think of it, I was trying to kill you back then too! So we’re even, right?

…Just like that.

Even Aiden, who had been trying desperately to calm her down, looked flustered.

Then Meyer, now wearing a sour expression, looked at him with a skeptical gaze and Aiden quietly met his eyes.

“She’s seriously a knight so great she even earned a title?”

“……”

“Seriously?”

…Normally, at this point, wouldn’t someone ask how he’d even brought her back?

Now that he thought about it, this guy missed the mark pretty often too…

---

▣

One thing was certain—Teresa wasn’t just hard to keep up with, she was also completely out of her mind.

“Ahahaha! This is fun!”

“……”

Having just gone through this Mental World’s infamous tradition of ‘endless death training,’ Teresa burst into cheerful laughter. Meyer and Reaver both froze in visible horror.

“You just keep coming back no matter how many times you die? That’s amazing! You could get stronger so fast with this!”

“Right?!”

“……”

…Seeing Aiden genuinely agree only made their expressions twist even more.

Their faces clearly said: You’re telling me these lunatics actually get along?

And there was no doubt Teresa wasn’t just saying those things to be polite. The system prompt that popped up before Aiden’s eyes proved it.

---

-System Message-

▶ Affection level of ‘Teresa Adelaide’ has increased.

▶ You may now copy 1 skill.

---

Aiden blinked at the message.

No, it wasn’t just surprising that he could copy a skill like this—

‘Last time, I’m sure…’

He’d raised Teresa’s affection before, but back then he’d been awarded a large sum of points to buy potions instead of a skill.

Most likely, now that they could “interact while alive,” he was able to copy a skill directly.

‘…So even skills that couldn’t originally be copied—if I can just interact with the target, I can get them.’

Another new discovery.

As long as the target was alive and capable of emotional connection, his skill copying ability had no real limits.

In other words, as long as he fulfilled the necessary condition of affection, he could copy a skill from anyone. Even someone who had once died and been brought back.

“……”

A few ideas came to mind right away.

There were some targets he had desperately wanted to steal skills from but had given up on because it had seemed impossible.

But now that he knew this? He might just go for it.

Like, say… that monster currently serving as a holy knight under the Pontiff in the Holy Crown Kingdom…

“So, Aiden.”

While he was lost in thought, the knight beside him—now a crumpled mess slowly regenerating like him—grinned and spoke.

The way she casually dropped his name, even though they’d only just met, made her overwhelming sociability hit home all over again.

“You let me in on something this fun, so I’ll at least hear you out.”

“…Sorry?”

“You’re doing something shady to Noel, aren’t you?”

“……”

Yeah.

That question struck so directly, it left him speechless.