Chapter 236: The Storm of Darkness
The night was dark.
After finishing dinner, I sat alone at the table on the first floor.
My gaze rested on the framed painting hanging on the wall.
Animal Friends like this painting!
The title of this painting was <The Girl Left Alone>.
A black-haired girl in a white dress stood alone in a field, gazing into the distance.
As though a wet brush had been swept across the canvas without restraint, the girl's black hair scattered through the air with a smooth, glossy sheen.
The field in the background had been blurred together with indistinct brushstrokes, yet because of that, the light falling across the girl's shoulders stood out with even greater clarity and depth.
It felt so lifelike that the girl in the painting seemed as though she might turn her head and look at me at any moment.
A work where loneliness and brilliant colors were paradoxically intertwined.
It was the painting I had purchased on the system's recommendation when I visited the Doradoz Auction House to buy Krovanium.
At the time, I had summoned all of my Animal Friends and let them admire the painting.
……Not a single one of them could take their eyes off it.
'Lapin was the same.'
Even today, Lapin had looked at the painting hanging on the wall over and over again.
Since Lapin was also a Spirit Creature, I thought she would be affected by it as well, so I asked her about it.
She answered like this.
'I don't really know why either. But whenever I look at this painting, my heart feels warm.'
Just in case, I had even visited the small art gallery inside the Academy with her.
However, Lapin had shown absolutely no interest in any of the artworks there.
Like the other Spirit Creatures, Lapin reacted only to Darein's paintings.
'Darein... Even in the game, he barely had any connection to the protagonist.'
I had cleared every ending in the game countless times, yet this was all I remembered about Darein.
He was the disciple of the Great Sage Gilley.
He was a painter from 300 years ago who had created hundreds of paintings.
Unfortunately, I knew nothing beyond that.
'……He was such a minor character that he didn't even have a single illustration or line of dialogue in the game. So what connection could he possibly have with Spirit Creatures?'
At least there was one fortunate thing.
I'd be able to obtain Darein's paintings from Hilda, despite how difficult they were to acquire.
Although it was suspicious that Hilda was willing to hand them over so easily under such simple conditions, it was still in my best interest to accept her offer.
'……Anyway, it's time to prepare.'
I rose from my chair and stepped outside.
After grabbing a lantern from the Upgraded Livestock Shed storage room, I walked out into the field.
Setting the golden lantern on the ground to illuminate the surroundings, I took a deep breath.
The moment I clenched the empty air, Dukbi's card, wrapped in dust and darkness, appeared in my hand.
'……Let's do this.'
At that instant—
Rumble-!
A black storm erupted above my head and swallowed the surroundings in the blink of an eye.
It was almost identical to the Dark Veil I had witnessed when Dukbi was still a boss monster, as a massive circle of darkness spread outward with me at its center.
The darkness towered far above my head, spinning violently enough to seem capable of sweeping away even the surrounding air.
The place where I stood was the very eye of the black storm.
This Eye of the Storm was an absolute domain granted solely to me.
'The diameter of the storm is roughly six or seven meters.'
Judging by its size, it covered about as much space as a large room.
'It's not particularly wide... but honestly, that's even better.'
I drew the Titanium Sword from my Subspace.
Grasping the air with my other hand, a flame-infued card appeared, and fire immediately engulfed the blade.
'I can maintain this domain while using other cards as well.'
I swung the blazing Titanium Sword through the air several times.
The usual Wolf Swordsmanship.
There wasn't the slightest change to my combat ability.
'The maximum amount of time I can maintain this domain without any penalty is fifteen seconds.'
Time gradually passed.
Fifteen seconds.
'……Now comes the real challenge.'
I widened my eyes, gritted my teeth, and concentrated.
Sixteen seconds.
My hands began trembling.
It felt as though the blood vessels in my arms had constricted, leaving them numb and ice-cold.
Seventeen seconds.
My breathing grew ragged.
A crushing pain slowly tightened around my heart.
Eighteen seconds.
The taste of blood spread through my mouth.
Pain shot up my throat and stabbed into my nerves.
Nineteen seconds.
A searing pain raced through my spine like electricity.
As if that weren't enough, I even began hearing whispers that seemed to echo beside my ears.
'Damn it... My consciousness...'
My vision gradually darkened.
It felt as though my mind itself was collapsing.
The violent pounding of my heart had become unbearably unpleasant.
'That's enough. I'll stop here.'
Just before reaching twenty seconds, I dismissed Dukbi's card from my hand.
The Storm of Darkness swirling around me vanished in an instant.
All the pain battering my body disappeared, yet my breathing remained heavy, and sweat continued dripping from my forehead.
I leaned against a nearby tree and sat down to rest.
'Everything about it is great... except extending the duration is incredibly difficult.'
I'd already tested Dukbi's ability here yesterday.
Just like before, I hadn't been able to exceed twenty seconds.
It was an impassable wall.
'Still, I had no choice. If I'd forced it even one second longer, I honestly couldn't guarantee what would've happened to my body.'
As I rested with a hand pressed against my chest, the Animal Farm system appeared before me.
An Animal Friend is desperately looking for the Farm Owner! Pboeng~!
It seemed to be a summons from Dukbi.
I took out Dukbi's card and summoned him into the air.
Pboeeeng-!
With an awkward little jump, Dukbi landed clumsily on my palm.
After regaining his balance, he looked up at me.
Pboe... Pboeng....
His cry sounded slightly sorrowful.
Was he worried because I'd pushed his power too far?
“This isn't your fault. I forced myself on purpose. Don't worry. I won't overdo it anymore.”
Pboeng...!
Poof-!
Only then did Dukbi seem reassured.
After giving a short reply, he returned to the Farm system.
'Making even a Spirit Creature worry about me... I'd be a failure of an owner if I kept this up.'
I took a towel out of my Subspace, wiped away the sweat, then drank some water as I reflected.
Dukbi's ability was incredibly appealing.
But the longer it remained active, the greater the risks became.
A true double-edged sword.
'I can somehow manage nineteen seconds... but anything beyond that is impossible.'
I summoned Dukbi's card once more and stared at it.
The information about its ability flowed back into my mind.
'No matter how many times I look at it, it's still ridiculous.'
This Storm of Darkness could honestly be called my ultimate trump card.
'The Cleaner possessed strength comparable to at least the upper-middle ranks of the Knight Commanders.'
There was no doubt the Cleaner remained one of the strongest individuals alive at this point in time.
Yet Dukbi's ability was so overwhelmingly broken that it could withstand even the Cleaner's attacks.
'That's how most Darkness-type abilities are.'
In exchange for power overwhelming enough to destroy all balance...
They demanded an equally brutal price.
'If only I could maintain it for twenty-two seconds... no, twenty-five.'
Given my current state, that was practically impossible.
As a Spirit Creature's level increased through bonding and fighting together, its abilities gradually became stronger.
However, reaching a duration of twenty-five seconds before the official battle began seemed impossible.
In the end, all I could do was continue growing steadily while preparing for the future.
Yes.
If I kept growing, perhaps I could one day maintain it for a full minute instead of merely twenty-five seconds.
'……One minute.'
Assuming I could theoretically maintain it for an entire minute...
Aside from the Seven Calamities, there probably wouldn't be many opponents left who could stand against me.
All I could do was continue growing and hope that day would eventually come.
……Just then.
Step.
Step.
Footsteps approached from behind.
Even without turning around, I already knew who it was.
When I looked over my shoulder, I saw exactly the person I expected.
It was the Manager, distinguished by his neatly groomed mustache and formal suit.
“Mr. Manager. What brings you here at this hour?”
“I'm on my nightly patrol, sir.”
The Manager lifted the lantern in his hand slightly and smiled kindly.
“So the Young Master is here again today.”
“……So you knew.”
I had been training here every day to prepare for the Cleaner's attack.
The fact that the Manager had said today as well meant he had already noticed my special training several days ago.
“Well, I am the guard of this Upgraded Livestock Shed, am I not? Naturally, I couldn't help but notice.”
“I suppose that's true.”
The guard stood beside me and quietly surveyed the surroundings.
“Young Master, this is a wonderful place. If one were to train here, even a troubled heart would surely calm itself.”
“……”
Though he hadn't said it outright, the Manager seemed to have realized that I was facing some sort of obstacle.
That must have been the insight that came with experience.
The Manager was also someone who existed outside the flow of the main story.
Seeking advice from him wasn't a bad option.
More importantly, he had once served as a Knight Commander of the Empire, giving him vastly more real combat experience than I possessed.
All I had was knowledge of the game's strategies.
Compared to the true powerhouses of this world, my actual combat experience was severely lacking.
Especially since the opponent I would soon face—the Cleaner—was one of this world's strongest individuals.
Moreover, someone with countless real battles behind him.
'Even if I know the strategy perfectly, unexpected variables can still arise because of the difference in combat experience.'
Listening to the Manager's advice certainly wouldn't hurt.
“Mr. Manager, have you ever fought a swordsman from the assassin line?”
“An assassin type... Heh, heh. Back in the day, I fought enough of them to grow tired of it.”
The Manager raised an eyebrow slightly, answering as though recalling old memories.
“I think I'll be sparring with an assassin-type cadet soon. They're much stronger than I am, but the terrain itself favors me. I absolutely don't want to lose. This is someone I have to defeat.”
“……Ho. I see.”
The Manager remained silent for a moment, quietly gazing across the dark field.
Eventually, he spoke.
“As you already know, Young Master, a sword's greatest destructive power comes from its tip and the middle of its edge. But an assassin's dagger slips inside your guard.”
Drawing the old wooden practice sword hanging at his waist, he continued.
“If your opponent steps inside your reach, then conversely, it also means that he has stepped inside yours. Do you know what assassins fear the most?”
“……What is it?”
“The moment they realize the space they've stepped into is actually a massive trap laid by their opponent.”
Using the wooden sword, he drew a circle on the ground.
“I don't know exactly what sort of advantageous location you were referring to, Young Master. But don't think of that place merely as somewhere to fight.”
He scraped away the entire inside of the circle with the wooden sword.
“Make that space a part of yourself. No matter where your enemy sets his foot, make him feel as though he's already standing in the palm of your hand.”
That night.
Clang-! Clang-! Clang-!
I sparred against the Manager.
Without using any Spirit Creature abilities, I faced him relying solely on swordsmanship and instinct.
The spar continued until my arms ached and my shirt was completely soaked with sweat.