Eternally Regressing Knight Chapter 509

509
“This is the wrong way. In the end, I’ll stop here.”

The boatman said.

Same as usual.

Encred looked at the boatman with that thought in his mind.

Grayish, cracked skin, pupilless eyes, and a mouth that seemed like the darkness of an abyss.

Every time I spoke, it seemed like darkness was leaking out of my mouth.

The darkness whispers to us to despair, urges us to give up, and cries out to us to give up.

Why is he whining like this when he’s not even a child? Even a four-year-old wouldn’t whine like this.

“You are having impious thoughts.”

The boatman was as quick-witted as Rem. Encrid was the same whether he was in a dream or not.

“no.”

He grabbed it with confidence.

“… … What a coincidence, I ended up in front of a wall that I built myself after struggling.”

You’re complaining again.

“You have another ungodly thought.”

“no.”

Would the essence change just because it was a dream? It didn’t. Encred’s special ability was fully demonstrated.

The boatman almost got angry for a moment at the shameless answer, but he held back because the discipline he had built up over the years was not shallow enough to shake or collapse to this extent.

“Be careful.”

“yes.”

The answer seemed even more annoying because it was so immediate and obedient.

The boatman missed his body. He missed the days when he had a body.

If you had hands and feet now, if you had any tools to do something physical.

“How does it feel to face an insurmountable wall? Especially when it’s a wall you built yourself.”

Encred tilted his head instead of answering.

Only one day has passed. Isn’t it too early to discuss my feelings?

Well, that’s what I thought.

“Disrespectful!”

“yes.”

“caution!”

“yes.”

“Just don’t answer.”

“you…….”

Encred opened his mouth halfway and then closed it.

“go.”

“… … .”

“Get out.”

“… … .”

Encred nodded, putting his right index finger and thumb together and making a sewing motion to his lips.

It is a sincere attitude of respecting the captain’s opinion and not saying anything when he is told not to.

Encrid thought so and walked away from his dream.

The river swayed, the purple lamps on the boat swayed. The boatman’s arms were shaking.

“Is your heart shaken to this extent?”

The boatman muttered in an emotionless tone. He was left alone on the boat again, looking at the spot where Encred had been.

After all, it was something that had to end someday.

There is no one who can endure facing the repetition of today.

Encrid would also end up staying on the river. The boatman knew it.

Still, what was strange was strange. What was fun was fun.

Some todays are already known to the boatman, but some todays are not even visible in his foresight.

It’s not that the today that was seen has changed, but rather that a today that never existed before has appeared.

That was right now.

The boatman had been on the ferry for many years. He looked back on those years.

Has there ever been a case like this? No.

That’s why it’s so amazing. That’s why the excitement that we had forgotten comes back.

It was annoying, but I also felt like I was sympathizing with the subject of the curse.

The boatman was also amazed.

The fact that the meaning was divided into several directions was also something I experienced for the first time since becoming a captain.

There were those who sympathized with him, those who detested him, those who tried to get in his way, and among them, just a small minority, there was a captain who asked what would happen if that guy ended up getting away with it every day.

It was a meaningless question.

No matter what happens, the end is set.

The boatman knew that from experience.

But just in case.

‘If we move forward ignoring all cause and effect.’

I wonder if that is possible with the will of one human being.

What would he do if something like that happened, the boatman thought.

* * *

‘failure.’

Encred failed, but he didn’t investigate the cause. He didn’t think it would work the first time.

Instead, I tried to relax my nerves, which had been tense without me realizing it.

That was also the reason why Will started opening its doors all the time, at sunset, his favorite time of the day.

It was one way to relieve tension.

Encred took a deep breath and exhaled, continuing his previous thoughts.

I got up and stretched my body with the technique of isolation, and I did the same thing, eating and sh**ting and resting like crazy, and waiting for the sunset.

The article is a reflection on these.

‘How to kill a thousand people.’

How is that possible?

The methods used by each of those who became knights.

Still, Encrid ate well. He stuffed his stomach with food like a savage. He needed to be well-prepared for anything, and eating when he could was also a long-standing habit.

“What went wrong in my stomach?”

Leaving Rem’s insignificant words behind at the restaurant.

“Eating well is also part of training.”

I also let out what Audin said.

“Why don’t we have a sword fight?”

On the way out of the restaurant, Ragna also speaks to him. Does he seem more anxious today than yesterday?

I didn’t know that might be the case.

As soon as I started repeating the new day, the first thought that came to my mind was to relax.

Your muscles would have instinctively tightened and your nerves would have been on edge. It’s a known fact.

There was a brief moment of impatience that had never been felt before. At times like this, yes, swinging a sword and sweating would be more comfortable, but Encred shook it all off.

“Let’s do it tomorrow.”

I don’t know when that tomorrow will come, but I’ll put off the training.

“Where are you hurt?”

Luagarne asks this.

“I’m not hurt.”

Encred answered with a smile and spent the day similar to yesterday.

In the meantime, I continued with the thoughts I was having earlier.

This is how to kill a thousand people.

I think that each knight will use his own unique method.

For example, if it were Oara, she would use a continuous sword. The sword that continues and continues will not stop even if it cuts one, two, three, four, ten, twenty people.

When does that sword stop? Only when an unexpected power is unleashed.

What about Ragna? Normally, he would be slower at cutting down enemies than Oara. But if the opponents are grouped together, it would be a different story.

Encred’s mind pictured Ragna cutting through the troops gathered in a dense shield formation.

In front of Ragnar, all that stands is a handshake.

Even a moderately skilled knight wouldn’t be able to stop that black sword for even a moment.

If Oara’s sword stops in front of a wall instead of continuing without stopping, Ragna’s sword will shatter and break even the flimsiest barrier.

Who is superior? There is no such thing. You have to fight to find out.

Because it’s fair for everyone to die when a piece of metal passes over their body.

How do others fight against a thousand men?

Rem will jump around like a grasshopper, swinging his axe here and there.

I will throw, hit, cut, and do that.

If you were to pick the fastest person to kill a thousand people here, Encred would choose Rem.

Saxony? It’s hard to imagine him killing a thousand men.

If you were asked, what would you say?

“Do we really have to kill a thousand people?”

If there are a thousand people, wouldn’t it be right to aim for that commander?

Wouldn’t you look at yourself with such questions?

It seemed like that.

Thinking about this made me chuckle.

“Did you think of a funny story? Then you can tell me.”

It was Esther’s voice. Encred opened his slightly closed eyes and looked at the black-haired, blue-eyed witch.

The nickname ‘Black Flower’ suited it quite well.

Black hair, glossy skin, big eyes, a high nose, and even rosy lips.

Anyone can see that he has an outstanding appearance.

Wouldn’t any man volunteer to be her slave by seeing the cleavage visible between the robes?

“It’s nothing.”

Encred closed his eyes again. Esther didn’t say anything else.

Encred continued his thoughts as he watched Esther step back and sit on the floor.

Since I don’t know the Azpen knight very well, I couldn’t associate him well with others.

It didn’t seem like the mercenary king would go up alone to fight a thousand men.

What about Audin? What about Audin?

Even if you don’t go up to the top of the article, you’ll probably make a thousand people suffer?

It seemed like it could be possible.

Then what if you are in a position to block the swords, fists, or weapons that the knights are throwing?

Conversely, what if you look at it from the perspective of a soldier dealing with a knight?

Mere luck won’t be enough to stop the knight’s sword. Even if the goddess of fortune showered you with kisses, you’d only survive.

‘I guess so.’

In reality, it is rare for a knight to kill a thousand men. Nevertheless, it is said that a knight is one who kills a thousand men.

It’s called a disaster. What makes it so?

It’s will.

The intangible force called willpower was the source that allowed us to overcome limitations.

The sunset is beginning to set.

Today was similar to yesterday, but different in some ways.

The owl approached and Teresa hummed a song.

Unlike yesterday, it was only humming, but it was also pleasant to hear. Audyn tapped the back of his left hand with his right finger to keep time.

Seeing Audyn also keeping the beat, it seems like he can play any instrument well. Doesn’t he have a special sense of rhythm?

“Martial arts start with the feet, and moving the feet is the beat. Don’t forget that, brother.”

That’s what Audin told me one day.

Encred tried to move Will and sing along to the beat.

Thud, thud. Dudud.

Pull Will out like a drum and plant it on the tip of your foot. I’ve tried pulling Will out and controlling him when necessary.

Now it was time to forget, not control.

Even if we forget, Will must remain as is.

‘Can you keep it while forgetting?’

Yes. There is something I learned from Saxony. It is the way to unconsciously keep your senses open.

“When you learn the art of sense, your ears open. Do you see everything and hear everything? Do you hear everything? If you try to perceive, hear, and understand everything that happens around you, you will go crazy. So, it is essential to select only what is necessary.”

‘Intuition.’

This is why we need something more than the five senses, called the sixth sense.

It is not about examining the information coming in through the five senses one by one, but rather about striking it out sensually. It is about maintaining the skill of the senses unconsciously by engraving the sense of detecting danger into your bones.

“If you go through a hundred near-death experiences, you will learn to walk.”

Saxony said it as if it was impossible, but it was the easiest condition he had ever heard of.

It was much better to hear that it could be done if you try.

I used to say that a kid like Ragna would just have to keep trying.

The thought occurred to me that he was really a crazy, ignorant bastard.

Anyway, there were countless times when I was on the verge of death. In fact, I died countless times.

It wasn’t difficult to instill an instinct to sense danger in the subconscious.

As I kept repeating today, it became natural.

Encred pulled Will away and began the process of forgetting and engraving it into his subconscious again.

Will, whose body was soon filled with blood, began to run wild.

The gathered intangible power formed a single flow and pounded my heart. It felt like my blood was flowing several times faster.

In reality, that doesn’t happen. It’s just Will who moves like that.

Splash.

My heart burst again.

And repeat the day again.

The next day, my lungs were crushed together.

Then some of the internal organs were burned.

It’s okay to use it briefly and then scatter it, but why can’t I collect it and keep it?

I don’t know. We’ll just find out one by one from now on.

Encrid kept repeating.

“You’re stupid.”

Occasionally the boatman would come out, but Encred still pretended to have his mouth sewn shut.

After about fifty todays, I changed my method.

Instead of gathering it all over your body, try holding it by gathering it only in your feet.

It wasn’t easy.

Because it would run wild and spread throughout the body.

How can I hold on?

Is it something that can be solved with senses?

For Ragnar, it was a path he could walk naturally with a brisk stride, but for Encred, it was a path he had to walk while inspecting each and every stone that fell on the ground and clearing them away.

No, I couldn’t even walk in the first place.

‘Doesn’t it matter?’

Encrid crawled instead of walking.

I said it wasn’t like that before.

Since you’ve recently felt your skills improving, isn’t it difficult to go back to the past?

‘not really.’

Encrid’s entire path up until now has been full of challenges. So overcoming them wasn’t difficult.

Is it okay if I just walk down the path one by one? Then I’ll do that.

He had already seen the path. Fixing and repeating was his specialty.

How to activate the Will, how to breathe then, the mindset, the posture, the intangible feeling to control the Will.

I went through everything one by one. So, I just had to do it until it worked.

All he needed was patience, determination, and self-denial.

Examine each one, and if you go down the wrong path, go back and start over. Patience is what is needed to repeat without getting tired.

Even though I experienced repeated failures, I had enough willpower to not waver.

Will’s mental strength to endure the pain that tore through his entire body must have been an exercise in self-denial.

As I was dying, I felt like my muscles, nerves, internal organs, from the tips of my fingers to the tips of my toes were all being torn away.

Actually, it wasn’t that difficult.

Encred could do all of this. It was okay.

All he needed was an unbreakable dream.

And he already had a dream.

A dream that was once torn and torn to pieces like rags.

I’ve come this far by pursuing that dream.

It was the first time. Will, which started from the feet, found stability for a moment.

‘Right foot first.’

The moment you smile in joy, Will goes wild.

Perhaps because he had briefly regained control of his right foot, the process of Will’s body supporting itself from within and exploding was also a bit slower.

“Get out of the way, brother.”

For this reason, Encrid was able to see a strange scene with his narrowed eyes while he was dying.

Light flowed from Audyn’s entire body. It wasn’t a metaphor, but a halo flowed behind him.

The light was visible to the eye and dispersed into particles. It was divine.

Audin radiated light and blood flowed from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.

I don’t know for sure, but it looked like he was prepared to die. His body was incredibly strong, so he might not die. That might be true, but it would be right to do something similar.

Encred barely managed to avoid the approaching light.

I had a feeling that if I reflexively used that light, that divinity, Audin would die or be seriously injured.

Immediately after dodging, Encred died. He was gone without even the strength to say a word.

Just before I closed my eyes, I saw light touch my body, but there was no miracle.

The divine could not perform miracles or raise the dead.

However, just before death.

“Get up, brother.”

Audin’s voice could be heard.

It was said with blood gushing from the eyes and nose.

I knew just by opening my eyes that today was ending and a new day was beginning.

“You crazy bastard.”

Encrid got up and looked at Audin for no reason.

“Did you have a good dream?”

Audin said with a smile as usual.

Encred watched for a moment, then shook his head and got up.

It was time to start a new day.

The right foot was successful and it seemed like he had gotten the hang of it.

Letting go of the past and welcoming the new day, that too was already a familiar thing. Wasn’t walking and running toward tomorrow the only thing he was good at?