TRPM 13

CHAPTER 13

As I said before, I only remember fragments of information about future villains and the incidents they’ll cause.

At best, it’s the events that were famous enough to reach my ears or those directly or indirectly connected to me.

Even then, those memories could change depending on my actions, so they can only serve as reference material.

But that doesn’t mean the information from before my regression has lost its value.

“Because information isn’t only about incidents.”

The information I remember includes things countless experts in the future had analyzed, reviewed, and published.

For example, information on methods to roughly guess the environment inside a dungeon from outside the gate.

Or information on how to observe a gate before it even forms.

…Or the results of comparative analyses of the activity patterns of the Black Fog.

All that information is stored inside my head.

“And I can use it fully.”

Recalling the activity patterns of the Black Fog, I searched around areas likely to spawn a gate.

Then, after finding traces of a gate that would appear in the near future, I returned at the exact time it was set to open.

Finally, if the dungeon beyond that gate matched my level, I cleared it myself. If it was too low-level to be worth my time, I scattered internal energy converted into mana so other Awakened could notice the gate’s presence.

“It’s better to let others grow with dungeons that won’t help me at all.”

Recently, I had been sending puppets to scout dungeons, leaving the clears to other Awakened.

But today was different.

Today, I had discovered a dungeon that suited my level.

“Strictly speaking, it’s still a little below my level….”

Even so, the dungeon was known to house monsters notoriously difficult to deal with. If I didn’t clear it, it would likely be left alone.

With that thought, I sent my puppet inside.

Whoooosh…!

The first thing that greeted me inside was a fierce wind.

Not strong enough to blow someone away, but strong enough to restrict movement for any ordinary Awakened.

“…A canyon.”

Beyond the wind, my eyes fell upon two towering cliffs.

And dungeons like this usually had one type of monster.

“Flying monsters.”

Creatures that soared freely through the canyon, tormenting Awakened who entered.

Among them—

“Roaaar!”
“Kieeehh!”

The residents of the dungeon revealed themselves, having sensed my intrusion.

Lizards with two legs, tails, and wings.

At first glance, they resembled dragons. But unlike true dragons, their forelimbs were fused with wings.

A subspecies of dragons—Wyverns.

“Now this is a good catch.”

Wyverns were infamous, ranked among the strongest flying monsters. It was common knowledge that unless you were part of a veteran raid party, the moment you saw one, you fled the dungeon.

Even for veterans, if the terrain wasn’t in their favor, fighting Wyverns was avoided whenever possible.

“And this canyon terrain absolutely does not favor Awakened.”

The powerful winds worked to the Wyverns’ advantage, letting them ride the currents.

On top of that, they never needed to land on the ground to rest; they simply nested along the cliffs. Waiting for them to tire was not an option.

“Truly the worst dungeon.”

Before my regression, whoever discovered this dungeon probably reported it. Then, countless mages would have been dispatched to destroy the terrain itself with overwhelming spells.

Not efficient, and poor in terms of reward-to-effort ratio—but still a way to clear such troublesome dungeons.

But I was different.

“Since I came here as training anyway… maybe I’ll seal away my magic and psychic powers for this one.”

For most Awakened, fleeing would have been the sane choice.

But not me.

“And since the enemies happen to fly….”

Why not polish my Light Body Technique here?

With that thought, I focused internal energy into my legs.

Bang!

A split second later, I shot straight up like an arrow.

“Qi-Controlled Soaring.”

Using my qi to defy gravity, I rose even higher than the Wyverns.

They hadn’t even processed what was happening yet.

“Thousand-Pound Drop.”

I shifted my weight to its maximum with qi, plummeting down faster than my earlier ascent.

Crash!

My heel smashed into the back of a Wyvern.

The added mass from qi combined with the accelerated descent far outmatched its scales.

Its body shattered under the impact.

Thud!

The lifeless corpse fell, crashing into the canyon floor.

The other Wyverns finally turned their heads toward me—but too late.

“Stepping on Air.”

A technique that let me run across the sky itself.

I slashed my sword midair, tearing through the wings of nearby Wyverns.

“Not bad.”

Feeling my qi flow more stably, I slaughtered them.

The Wyverns tried fighting back, riding the winds to strike, but their intelligence was low.

They lunged with fangs, claws, and bursts of flame, but never with any real tactics.

“If I were merely fast or strong, this would have been dangerous….”

But the Light Body Technique combined both agility and positioning.

It wasn’t just about moving fast—it was about evading attacks and striking from the best angles simultaneously.

Thus, with minimal motion, I dodged every strike and countered from perfect positions, slicing through their wings.

“Kieeehh!”
“Kyaaak!”

A few Wyverns finally realized the situation and fled.

Though dim-witted, they had enough instinct to learn.

The rest, either too stupid or too stubborn, I finished off as I watched the escapees.

“Fast.”

They weren’t quite as fast as me with my air-stepping technique, but close.

I could catch them eventually, but it would waste too much time.

So instead, I chose a higher-level skill.

“Soaring Void Path.”

Like air-stepping, but on another level altogether—practically true flight.

The pinnacle of the Light Body Technique.

“A realm I never reached before regression.”

But now, through my puppet, I invoked it.

“Kiiehh?!”
“Keekk?!”

In an instant, I overtook the fleeing Wyverns.

Their fates matched their kin—death.

Boom! Boom!

Their heads were severed, their deaths punctuated by twin sonic booms.

For a brief moment, my puppet had broken the sound barrier.

“…Haa….”

After dealing with the last of the fleeing Wyverns, I returned to the ground, cutting the throats of those that had fallen but survived earlier.

I had torn their wings to strip them of aerial dominance, but that alone hadn’t been fatal.

Many had survived the fall—until now.

“Still… I can’t overuse the Soaring Void Path.”

I checked the puppet’s condition.

While powerful enough to reach supersonic speeds, the consumption was overwhelming.

“The qi consumption is way too severe.”

Even though I’d stored an immense amount of qi into the puppet—tens of times more than my real body could normally hold—half of it had been consumed in a single use.

If I were overflowing with qi like in my past life, maybe. But in my current state, it was impractical.

“Well then… enough reflection.”

I murmured, lifting my gaze.

On the cliff above, watching me cautiously, was a creature.

Larger than the rest, darker in color, its body lined with old scars.

“That means it’s lived a long time.”

Most likely the leader of the Wyvern pack.

In other words—the dungeon’s boss.

It didn’t attack right away. Instead, it observed me warily.

“A clever one.”

It was cautious, intelligent, and its presence was overwhelming.

“If only my subspace artifact could hold living beings… I’d try taming it.”

That was how impressive it was.

“Shame… but still.”

If a creature of this caliber was the boss—

“I can expect a worthy reward from this dungeon.”

I raised my sword as if speaking directly to the Awakener System.

Realizing my intent, the boss Wyvern roared.