Chapter 14: The Seasoned Con Artist

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“People may compromise for a time.”

“But the heart must not.”

“Do not forget this anger and helplessness.”

“When there is nowhere left to retreat, ignite this anger. Raise your sword for the weak, for the innocent, for the justice within your heart...”

These were the old knight’s final instructions as he faded away, and his hopes for those who came after him.

[You have obtained part of the inheritance of the Holy Sword: Evil-Slayer (Wrath).]

The memory-dream gradually collapsed and shattered.

That did not mean Rien woke up, nor did Instruction Mode end. In fact, this was merely the beginning.

The next instant, Rien found himself alone once more upon the wasteland where it had all begun. He stared blankly at the grill where they had once shared a late-night meal.

The wasteland had returned to silence. There were no clouds in the sky, no wind. This was the deepest and most vivid landscape in Suul’s memories, yet Rien, standing alone in its midst, felt a little cold.

His state of mind had changed completely.

The more he sorted through the abundance of information and possibilities, the more uneasy and frightened he became.

He gently turned the pages of the book in his hand. The golden Heroic Spirit card seemed unchanged.

The knight in the silver helm continued to roar soundlessly. The face of the man who had dared to raise his sword against the gods...

Ha. He truly looked exactly like Rien himself—an older version of him, one who had endured far too much.

“I thought my appearance had changed the Heroic Spirit card, and that the image on it was a fusion of the two of us. So it had been Suul’s true face from the beginning... Another me. Another traveler from another world—Li Ensu.”

If Rien had possessed a sufficient understanding of the study of souls, he would have known that the “fusion of souls” was essentially impossible. When different soul frequencies were brought together, only expulsion or devouring could occur.

But as Suul had said, Rien was still far too young. His accumulated knowledge was nowhere near enough.

At that moment, Rien had yet to recover from the shock of everything he had witnessed.

He recalled their previous meeting—the subtle sensation of mutual dislike intertwined with mutual understanding. Was that not simply another version of himself?

“Something’s wrong with my field of vision.”

Rien noticed it then. The grill before him had somehow become toy-sized, while his outstretched right hand was covered by a silver glove.

Acting on instinct, he drew his sword and used its reflective blade to examine himself... Only then did he realize it: when had he developed this habit?

“...So this is how we meet? That was fast.”

The self reflected in the “mirror” was none other than the old knight with graying temples.

Had he become Suul? And what meaning did that hold within the dream?

[Notice: During the latter half of Heroic Spirit Instruction Mode, the host will use the body and consciousness of the Heroic Spirit. Please familiarize yourself with it as soon as possible.]

Rien silently regarded the ancient book that had suddenly floated before him.

“So you’re finally dropping the act?”

There was no response.

“Was it you who arranged our fates?”

Rien addressed the volume that seemed as lifeless as a corpse.

But no matter how he questioned it, he received no answer... Yet after witnessing the memories he had just seen, he could no longer believe that it was truly nothing more than a dead object.

Rien had already formed a conjecture—or perhaps merely a hypothesis.

A single soul reincarnated throughout an eternity of ages. At times it was a farmer, at times a knight; at times pure-hearted, at times wicked.

Every life eventually reached its end. When that happened, the book would appear, record that life, and gather it among the ranks of the Heroic Spirits.

[Self-recognition achieved... True-name restriction removed. User-authority restriction removed.]

Was that its way of admitting it?

[Li Ensu’s Heroic Spirit Compendium, Version 2.0]

[Bound subject: Li Ensu. Creator: Li Ensu.]

All right. So you really were done pretending.

But was this implying that the one who had orchestrated everything was also Li Ensu? Some once-powerful incarnation of Li Ensu?

Rien sighed. Even if he knew there was something wrong with this thing, he had no way to escape it. Otherwise, he did not even know how he would die.

What divine gift? This was clearly something he had made himself.

Yet the thought that, when he died, it would once again feast upon his remains at the place of his death and produce a Heroic Spirit card called Rien Sudal made him deeply uncomfortable.

For all he knew, after his sudden death, it might wait a while and then manufacture a brand-new, factory-fresh “Li Ensu.”

[Notice: Only individuals whose strength and will have reached a certain level may be called Heroic Spirits and qualify for inclusion in this Compendium. This Compendium exists solely as a record and auxiliary attachment for an infinite reincarnator. It possesses no reincarnation function.]

Fine. Go ahead and insult yourself some more!

Having been told to his face that he was unworthy, Rien raised the book—but after holding it there for a long while, he still could not bring himself to smash it down.

The notice implied that the book was not a divine cheat at all, merely a plug-in disguised as one, responsible only for recording and controlling matters related to Heroic Spirits.

“Which Li Ensu am I?”

That was Rien’s greatest concern at present. Was he merely a copy?

[Notice: A Heroic Spirit is a virtual personality composed solely of memories and fragments of a soul. There has always been, and will always be, only one Li Ensu. The uniqueness of the power of the heart-soul serves as verification.]

The heart-soul was the fluctuation of the soul. Only beings who possessed souls could wield heart-soul techniques.

Memory was the foundation of personality, and the foundation upon which the mind itself was formed. Suul was Suul, and Rien was Rien.

“In other words, the one who has always reincarnated is me. Li Ensu...”

Yet that seemed even worse.

Rien thought of the legendary tale of the serpent trapped in an endless cycle of reincarnation.

And if his memories were not necessarily restored during each cycle, then the situation was even more tragic.

But why had Suul only recovered all his memories on the final day? Was it because the Compendium could record him more completely only after he developed self-awareness as Li Ensu?

After that, however, no matter what Rien asked, he received no response.

He leafed through the book. Nothing obvious had changed, except that a quest had been unlocked on the final page.

[Ultimate Quest: Find Humanity.]

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“Can’t I just look in a mirror...? All right, you don’t have to hint anymore. I know I’m not human.”

At that moment, Rien also realized that his previous self-understanding needed to be revised.

Since this was not his first reincarnation, there was no reason for him to remain a pure-blooded human from Earth.

Then what species was he, exactly...? He already had an answer. The Heroic Spirit Compendium had practically stated it outright, and his first racial talent was even more explicit.

“Dragonification and beastification? Am I one of the forbidden races of this world? Isn’t this an even worse starting point than Suul had...?”

Those matters were too distant to resolve for now. He would simply have to be careful not to expose his secrets and attract trouble in the future.

After unlocking his authority, Rien also gained a glimpse of the specific contents of “dream instruction.”

The first half consisted of Suul’s instruction of him, which could take any form and even included several standard templates.

According to the records, the instructor’s authority was virtually unlimited. Whether the student passed depended entirely on a single word from the instructor.

“Uh... Is ordinary Heroic Spirit instruction really this difficult? Uncle Suul truly went easy on me... Why does calling him that feel so strange?”

Although he increasingly felt that they were one and the same person, referring to Suul as a third party made the whole matter more and more peculiar.

Yet after browsing the specific rules and examples of Heroic Spirit Instruction, Rien felt ever more grateful that Suul had truly spared him.

Suul could easily have made him labor in vain.

“He could have sent me to reenact some historical battle, or forced me to face a trial head-on and seek the Heroic Spirit’s recognition... I would never have won.”

Instruction was one-on-one teaching. Once the instructor acknowledged the student, the student passed.

But by the standards of a genuine Heroic Spirit, Rien was nowhere near qualified.

If he had encountered a demanding instructor, he might have been thrown into a dream reenactment of some historical battle. Even if the power of the Heroic Spirit card had been exhausted, he still might not have passed.

Suul, however, had merely shown him a recording in accordance with the most lenient basic rules. Along the way, he had hinted at several things that naturally prompted Rien to think more deeply, giving him a better understanding of his current circumstances.

Of course, Suul’s goodwill was not without reason. In Suul’s eyes, Rien had already met the requirements; the rest was merely a formality.

As for when Suul had recognized him...

“When I decided to avenge Will and draw my sword for the weak, I suppose.”

Because he was himself, Rien found it increasingly easy to understand Suul once he placed himself in Suul’s position.

Rien sighed. Those sparring sessions where he had been killed in an instant had certainly helped him grow accustomed to death, but they had probably also given Suul an opportunity to vent his own resentment and anger at having his fate arranged for him.

Compared with Rien’s beginning, Suul’s fate—only fully “awakening” at the very end of his life—was unbearably cruel.

Well, you’re Li Ensu too, so beating you was perfectly justified.

Both Rien and Suul had realized that the one who arranged everything might very well have been another “traveler from another world, Li Ensu.”

“Let’s see what you left me, then...”

The Heroic Spirit had returned to the book, and there was probably not enough remaining power to awaken him again.

But the two requirements he had left behind comprised the second half of the instruction, as well as the tasks Suul hoped Rien would complete on his behalf.

[The Inflexible Justice—the soul inheritance of Suul Daon, the God-Slayer: It longs for a fool who yearns for justice...]

Judging from this newly added title, Brother Suul was even more extraordinary than he had claimed.

There was no such thing in Rien’s own memories. Had Suul deliberately omitted it? Or had the title been conferred upon him after his death?

This inheritance was the true function of the Heroic Spirit Compendium.

The strength of a single person could only influence the world to a very limited extent. This power was far greater than Rien had expected.

If he truly wanted to influence an era and stir up the great stage of history, he would naturally have to scatter enough seeds.

“Pass them through dream trials and entrust them to those worthy of the responsibility...”

That function was rather interesting.

After examining the instructions, Rien discovered that dream instruction was not meant for him. Instead, it allowed him to don the guise of a Heroic Spirit and instruct the true successors of later generations.

The first half consisted of the Heroic Spirit teaching and assessing Rien’s qualifications.

During the second half, Rien, wearing the Heroic Spirit’s guise, would draw several qualified candidates into the dream and instruct them himself.

Rien would serve as the examiner, selecting and cultivating the candidates before ultimately deciding whether the inheritance should be entrusted to one of them...

As for what happened after the inheritance was released, Rien doubted the book intended to interfere—assuming it truly was only a plug-in.

“This is getting interesting.”

As he studied the rules of use, countless ideas began to take shape in Rien’s mind.

“Using it merely to grant power would be such a waste.”

Perhaps this could serve as more than a simple training school.

Anyone qualified to inherit a Heroic Spirit’s legacy could not be weak. Even powerful figures and gifted elites in the real world might be drawn into it.

Used properly, this mechanism for forcibly dragging people into dreams could directly interfere with reality.

“I need connections right now. And here they are...”

The Tail-Cutting Case, which had seemed virtually impossible to resolve in the short term, might actually be solvable if he used this thing well.

Ensuring that the Heroic Spirit’s inheritance continued was a fundamental rule of the Compendium, and an obligation Rien had accepted after completing the first stage of instruction.

The second task, however, was Brother Suul’s personal request.

[Inheritance of the Knight of Judgment and Law: Allow the path of the Lawful Scales, which has already been severed, to be passed down once more...]

The gods were gone, and he wanted Rien to pass this down?

Rien rubbed his forehead. This task was troublesome, and it concealed far too much information.

“There’s something strange about it. I’ll set it aside for now...”

Time was limited. Rien did not intend to wait until next time.

This was a genuine method of interfering with reality. He had countless design ideas, and after running through them in his mind, it seemed truly feasible.

After some thought, he began rewriting the reality of the dream in the manner Suul had taught him, arranging everything directly.

Looking back, that trick of tormenting him with equipment had probably been a form of instruction as well.

This was his dream. His world. With a single thought, he could alter it however he pleased.

If he was going to welcome guests, he naturally had to tidy the house first.

He began by rewriting the landscape of the wasteland.

The wasteland was the home of Suul the Wild Wolf, but it was not Rien’s.

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“Let there be light... light from my homeland.”

Suul had taught Rien how to shape the dream world. Everything followed the heart; everything was permitted.

Raising one hand, Rien rearranged the starry sky according to his will.

Familiar, brilliant stars appeared one by one: the twelve constellations, the Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper.

At least within his own dream, he could shape the sky of his homeland.

Rien glanced around and frowned. This barren land, empty of everything, was hardly suitable for receiving guests.

“Let’s add... a complex of buildings befitting the Hall of Heroic Spirits.”

At his command, the surrounding walls slowly came to life. A palace complex resembling the ancient Greek Olympus rose into being, its murals recording the mythical epics of heroes.

“Clap, clap.”

He dusted off his hands. In the distant heavenly palaces, one illusory figure after another appeared.

If he was going to put on a show, he had to commit to it fully.

Whether as an instructor or a “con artist,” the first things he needed were authority and the other party’s trust. In that regard, Rien was fairly confident.

He patiently embellished the Hall of Heroic Spirits. Even if the usable area consisted of nothing more than the space directly before him, he would still make it feel like a complete world.

This was the hall of the gods, the stage upon which the Heroic Spirits gathered and made merry...

That was right. Rien had already finalized his “scam script.”

“That should do it...”

A classical Greek arena formed the center of the main stage. Behind it rose majestic mountains and a magnificent sky reminiscent of Olympus, while several floating islands drifted in the distance.

Earth’s starry sky glittered overhead. To anyone knowledgeable enough, that meant this place belonged to another universe.

Twelve white marble structures stood in a circle, corresponding to the twelve signs of the zodiac above. Each was engraved with the mythology of its constellation.

High in the starry sky, bronze chains could faintly be seen weaving through rifts in space. From within came the indistinct roars of beasts, as though mythical monsters had been locked away inside.

Rifts in space and the bottomless River Styx surrounded the buildings, making the entire place appear perilous.

That also ensured that neither the spectators nor the actors could simply run to the edge and tear down the curtains of the stage.

At the center of the theater and arena stood a magnificent stage formed from twelve concentric circles. Rien stood upon it, with a vast rift in space behind him. Within it, the shadows of Heroic Spirits peered into reality.

The house was clean. Now came the welcoming of guests.

“Only four slots for the first group? Uh, I can choose one of them in advance...”

Seeing the back door Brother Suul had left for him, Rien smiled. It seemed Suul had already seen through his intentions.

The Heroic Spirit Compendium would select four souls whose compatibility matched the requirements of the inheritance and draw them in. Rien, however, possessed the right to choose one of the four in advance.

“Her.”

Bringing in an acquaintance would make it easier to conceal his identity and guide the development of the stage indirectly.

Once one slot had been determined, the rest were left to true chance. The Heroic Spirit Compendium would draw in the sleepers best suited to the requirements.

What? You met the requirements but happened not to be asleep?

Then you could only blame your bad luck...

“They’re coming.”

Before long, figures wrapped in mist began to arrive.

The first entered the fastest. Cloaked in black fog, he considered the scene for a moment, then turned around and fled without hesitation.

Whoever could match a Heroic Spirit’s compatibility clearly was no ordinary mortal... What kind of evil spell was this, to drag an old man into a dream? Running away was the wisest choice!

Rien fell silent. Apparently, he had to consider the possibility that his guests might simply run away.

He thought about it for a moment, but ultimately did nothing.

He would leave it to fate.

He merely stood in silence at the center of the stage, waiting as figure after figure entered the arena brimming with the flavor of history.

One, two...

When he saw the figure he had chosen in advance, looking around in shock and uncertainty at everything before her, he smiled with satisfaction.

This time, none of them made a break for it. The newcomers hesitated as they looked around at the mythical scenery of this foreign land.

When the final, diminutive figure entered, the surrounding mist stabilized. Rien cleared his throat softly to draw their attention, preparing to begin the scam...

The performance.

“Candidates for inheritance, this is the Hall of Heroic Spirits—the place where the legacies of Heroic Spirits are passed down...”

One pair of eyes after another turned toward him, filled with either astonishment or suspicion.

Rien had already achieved his goal.

But what happened next instantly exceeded his expectations. Before he could say another word—

“...This is the legendary Hall of Heroic Spirits! The great hall lost to history!”

The last figure to enter cried out in delight. She abruptly lifted her head and gazed toward the stars.

“That’s right! This is the Hall of Heroic Spirits. Aries, Libra, the twelve signs of the zodiac... This starry sky is exactly the same as the one recorded in the legends...”

The diminutive figure pointed toward the heavens, her exclamation echoing throughout the hall.

Wait. Was there really such a thing as a Hall of Heroic Spirits? And had he coincidentally recreated its decorations and starry backdrop exactly as they were?

For the first time, Rien was the one left dazed.

“No. It isn’t impossible... This isn’t coincidence. It’s inevitable.”

He understood at once.

“Brother Suul, what on earth did the earlier Li Ensu do in this world’s history?!”

The same person, placed in nearly identical circumstances and given the same cheat, behaving in the same way—it was completely normal, right?

Before Rien’s counterfeit Hall of Heroic Spirits, it was only natural that another Li Ensu had created his own counterfeit Hall of Heroic Spirits.

“Brother Suul, I’m starting to hate Li Ensu too...”

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