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Chapter 209: The Dark Room (2)

“Are you saying this is a place where I face my apparition?” asked Eugene.

“To put it simply, yes,” answered Gion, scratching his chin. “Though I don’t know if it’s… appropriate to call it an apparition.”

“It’s like looking in the mirror, right?”

“Well, I don’t think it was quite the same as looking at a mirror. In a sense, the phantom I faced in the Dark Room was ahead of me.”

Gion, Carmen, and Gilead all gave slightly different explanations since what one saw in the Dark Room was purely dependent on oneself.

“Even their… appearance was different. So even though the projection was my own, I didn’t necessarily think it was me of the present moment.”

“They felt immature at first,” muttered Gilead. “But that was only true at the beginning. Once you begin to understand your opponent and attempt to cross blades with them, the undeveloped version of me in the Dark Room changes. It changes to the current version of yourself, followed by an improved version.”

“But that’s not only true for warriors,” Carmen said while crossing her legs and grabbing the cigar between her fingers. “No matter how good a person is at objectifying him or herself, everyone imagines an ideal version of themselves. Someone who is slightly faster and slightly stronger. Someone capable of doing something impossible for your current self.”

The Dark Room projected the ideal self. Although it didn’t imbue anyone with any actual significant changes, it would project a superior version of oneself.

“The Dark Room is a place where you face such a version of yourself to train. In a way, it’s a very harsh place,” said Gilead with a wry smile before looking back at Carmen. “Neither Gion nor I succeeded in overcoming the ordeal of the Dark Room at first. As a result, we ended up causing a lot of trouble for Lady Carmen and the elder of the former generation.”

If one fell to the phantom of the Dark Room, their body would be taken over by the phantom. However, the phantom possessed no ego, nor would one lose control of their body for life. According to previous cases, the phantom would only have possession of one’s body for half a day at most. However, losing control of one’s body for half a day could still result in catastrophic results, so it was required for those who had already overcome the trial of the Dark Room to keep watch at the entrance.

“It was pretty tough back then, and I think it’ll be even worse this time around,” said Carmen.

It was understandable. Gilead, Gion, and Carmen were well aware of Eugene’s strength. He couldn’t be thought of only in terms of the White Flame Formula. The image of Eugene fighting against Iris was still vivid in Carmen’s memories. Gion and Gilead also knew well how powerful Eugene was. They had seen Eugene since he was young and had acknowledged from the bottom of their hearts that Eugene might even exceed them in some ways. Moreover, now that he had reached the Sixth Star of the White Flame Formula, if, by chance, Eugene lost to his phantom, it would be an arduous task to subdue him.

“An ideal version of me,” whispered Eugene before sinking deep into thought. Indeed, the phantom of the Dark Room presented a troubling issue for Eugene as well. It was very simple for Eugene to imagine an ideal version of himself. Since he had memories of his past life, he knew he had yet to catch up to his past as Hamel, though he was quickly growing stronger after being reborn.

‘Can I beat it?’ He contemplated it with only logic and reason. ‘If I use Ignition and the Empty Sword, for a moment, I should be able to overpower it since this body is capable of handling their use. However, if I fail to win at that moment, then I will lose.’

After coming to a conclusion, Eugene raised his head.

“Can I bring in weapons?” he asked.

“No,” Carmen answered immediately. “You will enter the Dark Room with your bare body, but you won’t need to worry about not having a weapon. The moment your phantom appears, your weapons will already be in your hands.”

He had been hoping to cover his shortfall with the weapons he had never possessed in his past life, but it had been a futile thought.

“What if I conjure up a version of myself so strong that it’s impossible for me to win?” asked Eugene.

“The Great Founder has left us, his descendants, with an ordeal that is definitely possible to overcome,” answered Carmen. She secretly winked at Eugene before continuing. “I imagined myself as a dragon before entering the Dark Room, but I didn’t actually come to face a dragon. The phantom I saw then… was just slightly stronger than I was back then.”

It made sense. If the phantom was as strong as one’s imagination, it would definitely be impossible to overcome for some. Eugene noticed that Carmen had emphasized the word dragon

 and continued to wink at him, but he simply ignored her.

“And you don’t only come to face your phantom in the Dark Room,” said Gilead with a smirk. “I’ve yet to come that close to dying, but… once you enter the Dark Room, what you experience before you face your phantom…. I think it is similar to how your life might flash before your eyes before you die.”

“How your life… might flash before you?” asked Eugene in confusion.

“That’s right. The things you experienced while living as a man will flash before your eyes. Perhaps that is also the magic of the Great Founder. Your phantom emerges from the past you have experienced,” Gilead explained in more detail.

The Great Vermouth had been both a brilliant warrior and a distinguished wizard. In some ways, his magic had been on par with Sienna, and even Sienna had recognized this fact.

“What happens if I defeat the phantom?” asked Eugene.

“The White Flame Formula will change,” muttered Gion. “Not to say that your current White Flame Formula is unstable, but once you defeat your phantom in the Dark Room…. You should feel a remarkable change.”

But none of the three could give an exact explanation of the changes Eugene would undergo with his White Flame Formula. The Sixth Star of the White Flame Formula formed a flame that was different from before, a flame that was completely tailored to oneself. It was impossible to imagine what kind of changes the flame would bring after overcoming the Dark Room.

“I understand,” said Eugene before standing up. “I have nothing else to prepare. In that case, may I head there right now?”

“It sure is good to be young,” commented Gion before following suit. “If you happen to lose, I will definitely make sure to stop you, so don’t worry too much.”

“Even if you lose, you can try again until you win. Well, as long as you don’t become disheartened and lose the will to fight along the way,” said Carmen while stealing a glance at Gion.

Gion cleared his throat with an embarrassed expression before responding. “But it’s definitely possible to be disheartened if you find yourself helpless against your opponent.”

“The more familiar you are with victory and are far from defeat, the easier it is to break your heart…. Eugene, the Blood Lion, that’s why I am slightly worried about you. You are a genius ignorant of defeat since a young age,” said Carmen.

“Can I be honest with you? I feel more bothered that you call me the Blood Lion than defeat, Lady Carmen,” responded Eugene.

“How come? Don’t you feel more motivated? I didn’t have a cool nickname like that when I was your age. Of course, now I’m known as the Silver Lion, which is much, much cooler than Blood Lion,” said Carmen with a satisfied smile. She looked genuinely proud of her nickname.

Eugene disregarded her and took off the Cloak of Darkness. He contemplated for a moment whether it would be better to let Mer or Kristina know before heading to the Dark Room, but he didn’t come to find it necessary. He didn’t know how long it would take for him to overcome the Dark Room. Eugene wasn’t arrogant. He didn’t dare assume he would clear the Dark Room in a single attempt.

‘It’s good that it doesn’t matter how many times I fail. It means that I can attempt it over and over again.’

He had no idea how the trial would change the White Flame Formula, but apart from that, Eugene liked the idea of reflecting and overcoming himself. The phantom he would come to face in the Dark Room would be stronger than his current self, but not to an absurd degree. Carmen had imagined herself as a dragon, but she had not faced such a creature. As such, Eugene imagined that the phantom was a realization of a possibility. In other words, it was probable that the phantom would be himself in the future, a form embodying the possibilities and ideals derived from his current self. Eugene’s heart fluttered at the thought of facing such an opponent, even if it was simply an illusion.

‘Perhaps….’

Why had Vermouth created such a bothersome thing for his descendants? Was it to train future generations? Perhaps, but…. No, Eugene stopped himself from thinking useless things.

Gilead, Gion, and Carmen took the lead and headed to the treasure vault underground. Eugene followed them while holding his cloak. It was the first time he was visiting the treasure vault since he pulled out the Holy Sword. Once the lion on the doorknob of the room devoured Gilead’s blood, the door opened.

The weapons that Vermouth once used were no longer here. The Holy Sword Altair, the Storm Sword Wynnd, the Devouring Sword Azphel, Thunderbolt Pernoa, and the Dragon Spear Kharbos were with Eugene, while Gedon’s Shield was with Cyan and the Phantom Rain Sword Javel with Ciel.

Deep inside the treasure room was a large, blank canvas in an antique frame. The canvas was as big as a person, and Gilead stopped once he arrived in front of it.

“Show your respect,” said Gilead before taking out the seal of the family head from his inner pocket. Eugene looked around with a puzzled expression, but he followed suit once he saw Carmen and Gion bow after getting on one knee. Finally, Gilead went down on one knee as well. He had the seal carefully cupped in both hands and brought it closer to the canvas. Suddenly, the white canvas began to ripple. Delicate lines started appearing on the blank page, and colors bloomed as well.

Soon, they were kneeling in front of a portrait of the Great Vermouth, the founder of the Lionheart clan. The drawing was quite familiar to Eugene. During his childhood, he had seen similar portraits in his parents’ house in the Gidol mansion.

This was the original, a portrait of Vermouth first painted three hundred years ago. It was protected with magic to prevent the colors from fading, but apart from that, the original painting exuded a different atmosphere compared to the copies. It was graceful.

Eugene gazed at the portrait in a daze. It was the same portrait he had seen many times since he was young. Vermouth’s face was no different from the memories of his previous life, and his expression and emotions were portrayed the same as well. However, the original portrait presented Eugene with a stronger sense of recollection of Vermouth from his past life.

“The door to the Dark Room is connected to this portrait,” said Gilead before carefully placing the seal on the portrait.

Fwoosh!

Vermouth’s portrait suddenly disappeared, and a painting of a stairway leading to the basement took its place. After confirming the change, Gilead stood up and stretched his feet towards the canvas.

Although the stairway existed inside the canvas, it wasn’t actually a painting. Gilead started making his way down the steps of the canvas, and the other two followed behind him. Eugene belatedly stood up before walking into the canvas.

‘…Completely ridiculous.’

A fucking monster — Eugene genuinely thought. He reached into the cloak and grabbed Akasha, but this space magic made absolutely no sense even then. No, in the first place, was this truly magic? He could understand that it was a world created by isolating space, but….

‘Is this truly magic?’

He headed down the dark stairs. Although he could see through the dark in most cases, this wasn’t one such time. Although he was holding Akasha, he could not see the magic that formed this space — or rather, this world.

Eugene had studied most of the magic books in the Hall of Space in Akron. The authors of the books had all been renowned masters of space magic in their own era, but he did not recall any magic even remotely similar to what he was seeing now. Was it perhaps just magic on a higher level? Or perhaps it was something else entirely.

He could not figure it out, but there was one thing Eugene was confident about. No archwizard could possibly comprehend this space with magic. Eugene was also a wizard, and although he wasn’t quite at the level of an archwizard, he dared to define this world with his knowledge.

This wasn’t magic.

“This is as far as we can go,” said Gilead. After climbing down the stairway for a while, the group of four had arrived at the bottom. On the far side of the darkness was a door with a subtle glow.

He continued as he pointed at the door, “Open that door and walk along the road. You will eventually reach a place riddled with complex magic circles.”

“You won’t need to sit down. The moment you get there, the Dark Room will show you,” said Gion before patting Eugene on the shoulder. “Again, it’s fine to lose. Rather, it would be strange not to suffer a single defeat. To be honest, I… feel the same way as Lady Carmen. You’re not used to being defeated, so….”

“No,” said Eugene while shaking his head with a smile. He placed his cloak on the floor. “I’ve been defeated many times, so I’m familiar with it.”

“What?” Gion wasn’t sure about what Eugene said out of the blue.

“It’s not just well known,” Eugene replied with a shrug.

Hamel Dynas, not Eugen Lionheart, had suffered countless defeats, and most of them were at the hands of Vermouth. Being discouraged by defeat? What was there to say? He had been discouraged as much as his many defeats, but he had simply dusted himself and stood up again. So Eugene strode forward without hesitation. After crossing the darkness, he arrived at the door, which opened on its own to welcome Eugene.

When he took a step forward, the world changed. The door had opened the way to a seemingly impenetrable darkness, but once he walked in, a bright space greeted him. To be more precise, it was a white space, an area where nothing existed. This space somewhat resembled Vermouth’s tomb in the Black Lion Castle. However, Eugene could see nothing like the temple that existed in the tomb.

“I thought this was supposed to be a dark room,” muttered Eugene. The space outside the door had been dark enough to befit the name, but this place was completely white. However, the whiteness of the space made him feel even more out of place.

The mana in Eugene’s Core fluctuated violently contrary to Eugene’s will, so he quenched it before walking through the Dark Room. Then, he saw the magic circle that Gilead mentioned. It was a complicated array of strange patterns on the floor. Eugene stared at the magic circle before he walked in.

It looked as if the letters and symbols belonged to an ancient language, but unfortunately, he could not decipher the magic circle. In fact, he couldn’t even read any of it.

“Where the hell did you learn this kind of magic?”

Eugene gave up trying to read the magic circle and walked inside. Contrary to his expectations, however, nothing happened. There was no activation of magic even though he had walked into the circle.

“What the hell?” grumbled Eugene while continuing forward straight out of the magic circle.

The moment his foot left the circle, Eugene felt slightly dizzy.

“Huh?”

He looked ahead as he stood fixated in his spot. He saw a boy he knew well. The boy wore sandbags that weighed more than himself and even wore heavy armor while swinging a long spear. It was Eugene from the past.

But that was only the beginning. After that, the past of Eugene Lionheart started to unfold in front of his eyes.

He grabbed Wynnyd.

He lit the spark of mana for the first time in his body.

He studied magic in Aroth.

He drew light from the Moonlight Sword in a desert tomb.

He drew the Holy Sword from the treasure vault of the Lionheart family’s main house….

Eugene watched as the events played out one after another. The boy became a young man with the current of time, and the appearance of the young man — his current self — scattered and disappeared. What greeted him afterward was a scene of his previous life, the death of Hamel. Eugene watched with an expressionless face as Hamel died with a gaping hole in his chest.

Time started flowing backward from the end. The life of Hamel was longer than Eugene’s, and although Eugene had not yet met an end, Hamel’s life was given both a beginning and an end. Eugene was shown many things starting with his own death. It was a life he missed but could never return to.

He saw many things, including Hamel at his prime, during his immature days, when he worked as a mercenary before becoming Vermouth’s companion, and times far before that, when he was much more immature and weaker.

A boy from a small village came to hate demons after losing everything. He did not want to live idly like the many other orphans who kept a low profile while living their pathetic lives. He never possessed a grand sense of justice. Rather, he wanted to pay back the demons in the exact same way they had taken from him. It was an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. So the boy grasped a dull blade and became a mercenary with a single goal in mind.

Finally, even the boy disappeared.

‘Is it starting now?’

The ideal version of himself would now appear as a phantom, and the phantom would be stronger than him. Eugene prepared himself for the trial and corrected his posture. He felt nothing in his grasp yet, and he saw no phantom. However, it would come soon….

“What’s this?”

Suddenly, the space became distorted. Eugene felt the space around him twist, then felt something starting to permeate the void of the white space.

There was a smell of blood.

He saw a man staggering through a battlefield littered with hundreds, thousands — no, even more corpses than that. The man had been walking for a while already, and the only thing Eugene could see was his drooping shoulders in the distance.

Crack.

The scene changed once more, but the stench of blood remained. However, the man was no longer stumbling across the battlefield anymore. Instead, he sat on top of a mountain formed from corpses. A sword stained with flesh and blood lay on his shoulder. But even now, Eugene could not see the man’s face. The man was sitting with his back to Eugene, staring at a battlefield located in the far distance.

‘Who is this?’

Eugene looked up at the man with surprise. Although he couldn’t be sure, it was entirely possible that the man sitting on the mountain of corpses was the same man who had been staggering on the battlefield. Perhaps Eugene could see his face if he got closer.

He felt his necklace burn.

Fwoosh!

A strong, sudden gust of wind swept everything away. Eugene stared ahead while pressing down on his hair. He could no longer see the corpse-ridden battlefield or the man.

However, there were countless weapons.

Weapons that Eugene had used since his previous life were strewn, stabbing into the ground. Before he knew it, a common, long sword was in his hand.

“What?”

It wasn’t just the weapons that appeared.

A man with as many scars as Hamel on his face and body was looking his way. Eugene Lionheart, with a rougher appearance, was staring straight at Eugene.