Chapter 436: 53. The Path to Myth
Looking at Hela’s wicked and teasing actions, Fisher’s breath suddenly became extremely rapid. For some reason, even though Hela before him was not even female, she always carried a faint, warm fragrance.
That fragrance was difficult to describe specifically; if Fisher were to give an evaluation, he could only simply say, “It smells good.”
But the feeling resonated, like lying comfortably in the shadow created by a dense field of sunflowers in the afternoon, wrapped in the cool earth yet still able to glimpse the sun in the sky.
He could not help but reach out towards Hela’s single-handedly lifted white robe, wanting to touch her delicate and fair skin through the thin fabric. Just as he was about to make contact, she maliciously let go of the white robe she was holding, as if it were a heavy iron plate that knocked his outstretched hand away.
Before Fisher could react, her bare foot landed directly on his chest, pinning him against the tree he was leaning on.
The shape of her jade-like foot seemed to stamp down on the “infinity” mark that Renee had left, effortlessly erasing and covering the trace that Renee had left behind.
Her clean right foot lightly stepped on Fisher’s chest, accompanied by a sway of her index finger, as if indicating “no.” Yet her gaze was so playful and enticing.
“How did your ability to reproduce turn out like this? Are you a descendant or attendant of the Black Goat? You just got injured and you still can’t calm down.”
“What’s the Black Goat?”
“Hmm,” she tilted her chin, pausing for one or two seconds to think before smiling and saying, “A powerful creature imagined by the angels. Because we have no reproductive ability and think highly of ourselves, for a long time we regarded reproduction as original sin. The Black Goat is such an ugly, unethical, and purely reproductive strange creature, akin to you in some ways.”
“I’ve already reformed.”
Hela smiled and gradually lowered her gaze, as if she saw something and her smile deepened a bit, but instead of teasing the stubborn Fisher, she said,
“Well, it looks nothing like it. But it’s not okay right now; rewards come from efforts. If you give me fun, I wouldn’t say no~ Of course, you can also become strong enough, like crushing me in rank, and then teach me, the bad angel who only teases you, a harsh lesson.”
She still wore a playful smile, yet her body assumed the posture of a shy woman, making Fisher speechless. He rubbed his head and said,
“Like you mentioned before, the method to help me reach the mythical rank?”
“Yes, I do have a way to get you into the mythical rank.”
“You’re not afraid of being the first to suffer if you let someone like me, who’s ignited by desire, enter the mythical rank? Keep in mind that a year ago, my rank hadn’t even reached the extraordinary rank.”
Hela slightly increased the pressure of her foot on Fisher’s breast, her smile unwavering.
“Entertainment always comes with risks; I know this very well. And it seems like your risks are greater than mine now~”
“You’re really a madwoman, but I don’t believe you’re just looking for fun. Even if you don’t help me, you have countless other ways to entertain yourself, don’t you?”
Upon hearing this, Hela retracted her right foot from his chest and squatted in front of him, looking around at the twisted branches, resting her chin on her hand as she said,
“Also, if I were to give any other reason. You saw earlier that you’ve been targeted by an unknown entity, and that entity is of mythical rank. As they say, even the best laid plans can have blunders; it’s possible that next time I’m busy having fun, I won’t be able to look out for you, and you’ll get into trouble?”
“So, who exactly is the mythical being targeting me? The angels of the Holy Realm? Archangel Raguel and Raphael?”
Hela decisively shrugged her shoulders, looking innocent as she said,
“How would I know? There are only 200 mythical beings at most, not to mention that other races might have broken through to the mythical rank as well. It’s possible that the gods can’t tolerate what you’re doing anymore and will send Death to take you away for penance.”
“Is that so?”
Seriously, how petty could the gods be?
If that’s the standard, then many gentlemen in Nali would have been claimed by Death countless times, right?
If one really had to differentiate, perhaps it was just that his range of preferred ladies was broader?
“Clap! Clap!”
“Alright, back to the main topic. Let me tell you how other races enter the mythical rank.”
Hela clapped her hands together, producing a crisp sound that brought Fisher’s scattered attention and rekindled reproductive desires back to the right track, refocusing his gaze onto Hela’s beautiful face.
“You should already know that in a certain sense, the mythical rank can surpass certain rules’ limitations. Essentially, it means the life quality of this individual exceeds the general limits of the rules. However, while the endpoint is the same, there are two different paths that can be taken.”
Hela smiled and raised her first finger.
“First, the path taken by most mythical beings and creatures: [surpassing the rules themselves is more compliant with the rules]. In a certain sense, all beings are followers of order; this mode of ascent actually increases one’s degree of adaptation to the rules. However, it will be very difficult for you to take this path because your starting point is human, the lowest existence in this world’s ranks. The fact that you can climb here already assumes you’ve taken another path, so we’ll focus on the other one.”
At this moment, Fisher suddenly realized something.
That is, while encountering him, others assumed he was a half-blood born to humans and higher races, but Hela had always referred to him as human since her appearance.
Even though his soul had been twisted by the Soul Supplement Handbook and his body strengthened by the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans, she could see at a glance that he was not a half-blood.
Was this the unique insight of those of mythical rank?
He didn’t voice his doubts, and Hela continued with a smile, raising her second finger.
“The second method is actually very similar to that thing you used earlier, what do you call it, [magic], and you seem to be very proficient in this, already establishing quite a foundation. [Breaking the rules to surpass the rules]. This method is not permitted by this world, but you’ve essentially taken many steps already. Even if I don’t tell you, you’ll gradually approach the mythical rank.”
Fisher’s eyes narrowed. He had slowly reached his current rank thanks to the body enhancement from the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans, but just as he had analyzed about the Supplement Handbook earlier, these things were fundamentally like magic, both rebellious against order and fall under [disorder], [forbidden arts]. Even though the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans brought the burden of “increased reproductive desires,” which was nonsensical, it still couldn’t negate that it was written by a Trans.
“You know magic?”
“That thing you just used, although it was my first time seeing it, I could roughly guess its nature. Hmm, let me guess, it can at most cover ranks one to fourteen; if you want to exceed the mythical rank’s powers, you can only achieve that through a simple method like ‘stacking,’ right? Because it is a [half-order], essentially non-order yet needing to fit within order, thus it appears quite strange.”
Hela smiled as she looked at the slightly dazed Fisher but did not confirm if he guessed right. Instead, she continued explaining.
“That’s too far off; let’s get back to the methods to help you enter the mythical rank. You can use methods that break the rules to surpass the rules and free your body and soul from the constraints of order, thus becoming one with both body and soul.”
“Is it that simple?”
“For others, it would be incredibly difficult. All living beings in this world are implicitly followers of order; every mythical being you see, every being of mythical rank must have walked the first path. But for you, it will be very simple, as you already have the two necessary conditions.”
Hela pointed at Fisher’s body, excitedly saying,
“Your soul has mutated to the edge of non-order, and your body has reached a certain level of strength; that’s one of the necessary preparations. The other preparation is that you possess a [catalyst] leading to chaos.”
“A catalyst?”
Fisher was slightly stunned and suddenly realized something, lowering his gaze toward his chest, where the bright purple inverted eight-character mark left by Renee remained. Hela’s cheerful voice continued,
“Yes, you need a catalyst to help you break free from the constraints of order. Generally speaking, this is impossible, but you have a strong sense of chaos, which suggests that traveling the second path will be very easy for you. You just need to extract the catalyst, using its aura to free both your body and soul from the constraints of order to reach the mythical rank. The prerequisite is that your rank has reached the pinnacle of the fourteenth rank. It seems you still have a distance to cover.”
In fact, Hela was referring to two catalysts: one was the mark left by Renee on Fisher’s chest, and the second was the item that Renee had given him, the one he was supposed to throw into the Holy Grail.
Since retrieving the mark on his chest was unlikely, Fisher could only consider using the latter. After all, according to Hela, this mark did not need to be used; he only needed to borrow its aura.
However, such smooth progress also raised two doubts in Fisher’s mind.
First, about the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans. He remembered that before he went to the Southern Continent, when he bonded with Renee, he also received an enhancement of [soul strength], thus obtaining the addition of engraving magic. But after researching Raphael, it seemed that the soul strength had not increased any further.
Thinking carefully, was it really after researching Raphael?
No, accurately speaking, it should be after acquiring the Soul Supplement Handbook and reading it.
If he obtained the Life Completion Manual and read it, would the enhancements from the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans also disappear?
If so, could it be deduced that the enhancements from the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans are essentially like those of other completion manuals? Or rather, is its contributor hoping that the successors of the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans move in a chaotic direction?
This was the first doubt, while the second doubt arose when Fisher looked up at Hela and suddenly asked,
“Why are you so familiar with chaos? You are an angel, you should also be a follower of order, shouldn’t you?”
“I indeed am, and the gods told the Heavenly Lock, World Tree, and the Dragon God a long time ago about the terror and danger of chaos, which as their offspring, we naturally know. But you know, times have been so peaceful for too long. In tens of thousands of years, not a single trace of chaos has appeared, and the duties assigned to a few masters by the gods have become monotonous day by day.”
Hela rested her chin on her hand, smiling at Fisher as she continued.
“So what they really grew tired of were each other, not chaos. Now, the only visible signs of chaos have turned out to be you and these Trans people. Quite frankly, it’s really too weak, and the ranks are just too low. We don’t care much.”
“Do you know why the lies you told the archangels worked? You said you are a Trans, and they actually believed you, precisely because you have a very strong sense of chaos, even more pronounced than that of Little Tang Zeming and Mikhail. So they truly believed that you came from chaos and brought with you techniques that followers of order cannot comprehend.”
As she finished speaking, she observed that the surroundings were gradually calming down. She stretched her body and stood up.
“It seems the earthquake has stopped; we should head back now. In any case, you should first reach the pinnacle of the fourteenth rank, and then extract the catalyst of chaos. Its aura will guide you to the mythical rank without needing any other assistance or help. If you become a bit stronger, I will have an easier time, and honestly, the fun of the mythical rank is much better than the fun of other ranks.”
Fisher felt a lot more relaxed as if the previous injuries and attacks had never happened. He looked at Hela and sensed that the various existences surrounding the completion manual all indicated that this method was indeed correct and feasible.
It seemed that ever since he arrived in the past, Hela had been taking great care of him. Fisher did not believe in a free lunch; perhaps she was also plotting something for herself regarding him?
But it seemed that her plans were aligned with his, so cooperation was a reasonable choice.
He nodded and stood up, sincerely thanking Hela. However, Hela seemed to dislike such formalities, merely pouting her lips, not being polite at all. This girl was clearly not a conventional angel.
Fisher looked at the exposed neck and side of her face beneath her heavy white robe, suddenly feeling a bit itchy in his heart. He recalled what she had just said about rewards and became interested. He vaguely remembered that it seemed to be related to her transforming into a female angel, but he couldn’t recall what Hela’s requirements were.
If this girl were a female angel…
Fisher, who had “reformed,” suddenly stopped his thoughts and asked Hela,
“By the way, isn’t Tang Zeming with you? You came here; is she with the Phoenix Race?”
“…”
Hela, who was barefoot and floating in mid-air humming an unknown tune, slightly froze. She seemed to enjoy singing, though most of the time, the songs she sang were hardly recognizable. But she genuinely loved to sing.
She awkwardly turned her head back, struggling to maintain her signature smile. After a brief pause, her eyes suddenly brightened, and she clapped her hands at Fisher, saying,
“Hide and seek! She’s playing hide and seek with you! Teacher Fisher, you have a glorious mission—little Tang Zeming is hiding somewhere in this forest, waiting for you to find her. Just find her, and there’ll be a mysterious reward!”
“You brought her here?! And just dumped her here?”
Hela whistled, looking at the immediately accusatory Fisher, irresponsibly floating away and instantly flying toward another direction.
“No, no… Oh, look over there! Mikhail and Gouwen seem to be having some trouble. No good, as a good leader who sympathizes with their subordinates, I must go check it out. Teacher Fisher, the task of finding little Tang Zeming is left to you! Good luck!”
“…”
Fisher stood dumbfounded, watching the lively angel wave goodbye while flying further away, raising an eyebrow in speechlessness.
In reality, Hela had initially wanted to bring Tang Zeming down as she thought it’s amusing to see Fisher chased by a lady from an illusion in the woods, but Tang Zeming, as an ordinary human high school girl, was simply too weak. Halfway through flying, she began to vomit. Since Fisher had fallen into a deadly situation, Hela had no choice but to leave her in the woods, planning to come back for her later.
And then she just forgot where she had left Tang Zeming.
Or maybe it was deliberate; for someone like her, this forest was so vast that Tang Zeming would have nowhere to hide. However, being found and wanting to be found were two different matters—Hela fit the former but not the latter.
Fisher intended to use the old method of engraving magic to find Tang Zeming, but at this moment, about a kilometer away in a part of the woods near the Phoenix Race settlement, the transferred person from Japan, Tang Zeming, was lying unconscious surrounded by tall trees, sleeping peacefully.
Upon closer inspection, the surrounding purple mist was gradually dissipating because of Hela’s intervention, and a figure of mythical rank was swiftly moving away amidst a bunch of purple mist.
Due to the presence of two beings at mythical rank, he moved very stealthily, fearing to be discovered by either one.
“Margaret, I’ve failed; that angel discovered me.”
“…”
A hazy dialogue echoed from within the woods, as the unconscious Tang Zeming remained utterly unaware that she had completely exposed herself before a being of mythical rank.
The shadow wrapped in boundless illusionary purple mist stopped in front of the trees, gazing down at the unconscious Tang Zeming.
“…”
“It’s the transferred person who is with them; she might be from the same place as you, and there is another one.”
“…”
“She is innocent; you only need to kill Fisher.”
“…”
“Margaret, she is innocent.”
“…”
The conversation of the figure surrounded by the purple mist only echoed his voice, but after a long silence, he directly bypassed the completely sleeping Tang Zeming and moved further away, leaving Tang Zeming to continue lying on the ground in a deep slumber.
“Uhm…”
She seemed to have fallen into a deep dream, almost as if she returned to the temple inherited from her father, almost as if she were back in her simple room, sitting on tatami in front of a simple wooden table.
On the wooden table were some open books, and beneath those books lay Buddhist scriptures; they seemed to be the scriptures her father had asked her to copy but which she had not done while sneaking around.
She seemed to be doing homework, and it felt like she was watching Tokyo TV’s broadcast of “Neon Genesis Evangelion.”
“Knock! Knock! Knock!”
“Thus have I heard: One time, Shakyamuni Buddha was in the Bodhisattva Hall of Mount Putuo, in the Treasure Adornment Mandala, sitting on the precious lion throne, which was adorned with countless wondrous treasures. The hundred treasures banners surrounded him.”
It seemed her father was reciting Buddhist scriptures.
The wooden fish sounded again.
Tang Zeming turned her head blankly to look at the tightly closed wooden door beside the table, dull and unconsciously thinking this way.
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(End of Chapter)
