Free Web NovelChapter 229: A great display
Myuri: [THAT WAS AMAZING!!! Did everyone see that?! Kyle actually pulled it off! Ehehehe! Kyle is the absolute best!]
Tharos: [That was cool.]
WarHorse: [HAHAHA! THAT’S MY BROTHER FOR YOU! Did you see that?! He got beaten around, refused to quit, and still found a way to win! RAAAH! THAT’S THE SPIRIT!]
One-Eyed: [A great display, indeed.]
[God Of Mischief shows a satisfied smile.]
SnakeQueen: [Trickery in a duel of honor. What was I even expecting?]
Myuri: [Oh, come on! It worked, didn’t it? A win is a win!]
WarHorse: [Exactly! If the enemy falls over, who cares how it happened?!]
SnakeQueen: [Spoken like someone whose solution to every problem is hitting it harder.]
WarHorse: [And it works surprisingly often!]
Kyle let out a sigh after reading the last few messages. The complaint was obvious, but he chose not to dwell on it.
The warrior was still standing, though he no longer seemed interested in continuing the battle.
[Host, you have achieved the quest.]
[The reward will be delivered as soon as you exit the Temple.]
Kyle nodded. He was curious to see what kind of reward awaited him.
"You did well, warrior," the man finally said. "Using a distraction to create an opening. You never lost your resolve during the battle and instead found a way to turn the situation around."
"That’s only because you held back from hitting me the entire time," Kyle replied, resting the sword at his side.
"Didn’t I tell you? I wasn’t truly fighting you. I merely wanted to assess your worth." The man smiled. "And I was right. You are worth the effort."
Kyle raised a brow. "Effort for what?"
The man’s grin widened.
"To share my knowledge with you. So that one day, you may claim this place and finally liberate me."
[Ding! The forgotten warrior <Hashu> lingers at the heart of the Temple. Continue challenging him and absorb his fragment. Once no fragment remains bound to the Temple, his soul shall finally be set free.]
"Hashu..." Kyle muttered, the revelation leaving him stunned.
"You already discovered my name? That’s unfortunate. I planned to tell you myself on the day you defeated me." Hashu spoke with a grin that revealed little of the sorrow hidden beneath it.
"Do you really think I can defeat you?" Kyle asked.
It wasn’t false modesty. He had seen firsthand what the man was capable of.
There had been countless opportunities during the spar for Hashu to seriously injure him, yet the warrior had restrained himself every single time. Holding back like that required far greater skill and control than simply striking an opponent.
"With some training, certainly. You already have the fundamentals. The only thing holding you back is your own way of thinking." Crossing his arms, he continued, "I will slowly tear down those limitations and shape you into someone your current self wouldn’t even recognize."
Kyle gave a wry smile. "That sounds encouraging... and terrifying at the same time."
[Host, someone is about to arrive in the room.]
The system’s notification appeared shortly afterward.
Kyle bowed to the man. "Then I’ll see you later."
The man nodded before returning to his seat.
"I am always waiting here. Come back whenever you wish."
Moments later, Kyle was pulled through the same passage once more. When his vision cleared, he found himself standing inside the bathroom.
Knock Knock
"Kyle? Are you inside?"
Amanda’s voice came from the other side of the door.
"Yeah, just a moment."
He quickly washed the hand that still bore faint burn marks from handling the coal.
Raising his head, he looked into the mirror.
There wasn’t a single trace suggesting he had left this place during the past few minutes.
After giving himself one final inspection, he unlocked the door and stepped outside.
"Ah, hey. Did you bring the noodles?" he asked, trying to sound casual.
Amanda placed the bowls on the table and let out a tired sigh.
"I’m telling you, that place is more crowded than the morning trains. The line was ridiculous."
Kyle chuckled as he took a seat.
"Well, it’s famous for a reason. The prices are cheap, but the food is amazing. I’ve barely eaten noodles as good as theirs."
There was something about the blend of spices they used. No matter the time of day, the noodles always came out rich and savory.
They never rushed the cooking, either. Every bowl felt as though it had been prepared with genuine care.
"Anyway, forget about it. Come on, let’s eat."
She handed him a pair of chopsticks, and the two began enjoying the steaming bowls of broth.
The noodles were topped with small pieces of chicken, two boiled eggs, mushrooms, green onions, and a layer of spicy oil floating on the surface.
For Kyle’s empty stomach, it was the perfect meal.
[Host, would you like to receive the reward?]
Kyle glanced at Amanda before asking, ’Do I need to lie down or something to receive it?’
[It is recommended that the host remain stationary and avoid reacting to the incoming flow of information. The process should take no longer than a minute.]
Kyle stole another glance at Amanda before replying,
’Then begin.’
[Command accepted.]
[Initiating fragment transfer to host...] fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
[Establishing bridge...]
[Process commencing in 3... 2... 1...]
For a brief moment, Kyle’s chewing stopped.
A sharp stinging sensation pierced his mind.
Closing his eyes, he focused on the foreign memories pouring into him, flowing through the corridors of his mind and gradually becoming part of his own recollection.
Training.
Days of training.
No... months.
Months spent repeating a single technique over and over again.
A lone man stood beneath the blazing sun, relentlessly striking a training dummy. He paid no attention to the cuts covering his body or the exhaustion weighing down his limbs.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The same movement.
The same strike.
Repeated thousands upon thousands of times until it was etched into his very soul.
He could feel it all. The frustration.The determination. The unyielding spirit that refused to give up.
The man had been obsessed with learning something.
No... not learning.
Creating.
He wanted to forge a technique that belonged entirely to him.
A technique Kyle had experienced firsthand today.
A reflexive follow-up attack that functioned more like muscle memory than a conscious decision.
It wasn’t something that was thought through in the heat of battle.
It simply happened.
The body moved before the mind could catch up.
"Kyle, have some mushroom. You like these, don’t you?" Amanda suddenly said, picking up a large mushroom slice and extending it toward him with her chopsticks.
Kyle had barely opened his eyes when he saw the mushroom slipping from her chopsticks.
"Ah?"
Before Amanda could even react, another pair of chopsticks had already appeared in its path.
Snap.
The grip was far too strong. frёewebnoѵēl.com
The mushroom split in half between the chopsticks, the pieces tumbling onto the table.
For a moment, silence hung in the air.
Amanda stared at him while Kyle stared at his own hand.
Neither of them was paying attention to the food anymore.
"Kyle...what was that just now?" Amanda finally broke the silence and asked him.
Kyle shook his head, "I don’t know myself."
But whatever it was, he loved it.
°°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading.
