Bab 22: The Strongest
For a moment, silence filled the small wooden room, allowing Elion and the newborn baby to gaze at each other. Both their expressions scrunched up in surprise as they realized they could communicate in their infant forms.
What the hell? Are talking babies normal in this world? I can set myself aside, but this would be one strange world if that's true.
Breaking the silence, the mother of these two unusual babies blinked as if she remembered something. Her eyes lit up, and she returned a joyful smile as she said,
"Oh, right. I almost forgot I need to name the two of you." Her voice was soft and warm as she placed a finger on her lips, pondering. "I wonder what names would suit you both?"
But before the mother could decide, the newborn opened his mouth again, as if it were perfectly normal. "My name is Verion. Don't give me another name," he said, a smug look on his face.
Huh? How the hell? Elion resisted the urge to voice his thoughts. It seems I didn't mishear. He can actually speak. And he already has a name? Is he a reincarnator or something?
After a moment of reflection, Elion came to one conclusion—this was no ordinary world like the one he once knew. It probably had magic or something similar, and the world's laws here must be very different.
Hearing her baby speak, giving his own name, the mother smiled warmly. "Oh, my… Is that so? Then your name will be Verion," she said softly, looking drained, her strength visibly fading. She then turned to Elion and asked, "And what about you? Does my other child also have a name?"
This woman must be a bit crazy, Elion thought, furrowing his brow in confusion at the situation he found himself in. She expects her newborn to talk like it's the most normal thing in the world.
Even so, Elion made the decision to speak because he thought it would be awkward to go by a different name after a thousand years of being known as Elion.
"Elion." His small voice echoed in the small room, carrying an unexpected firmness, startling his mother and Verion slightly.
"Alright then. Elion and Verion. Such beautiful names for my beautiful babies," the woman said, her gaze beginning to blur as her strength ebbed. "I apologize, my child. It seems I'm exhausted."
Her face was pale, her voice rough and trembling. As her body grew weaker, she lay beside her newborns, her eyes slowly closing.
"Just let me... rest for a moment."
At that, she drifted into sleep on the wooden floor, leaving Elion and Verion exchanging bewildered glances.
-----
"So, who are you really, kid? Why can you speak too?" Verion suddenly asked Elion, breaking the long silence after their mother fell into a deep sleep.
Elion turned his tiny head, glaring at his twin. "Kid? I'm probably much older than you. And shouldn't you explain first why you can talk?"
"Hah!" Verion chuckled, his laughter sounding oddly adorable in his baby voice. "You're much older than me? I've reincarnated three times, and you think you're older?"
Elion stiffened at this revelation but quickly steadied himself. While he didn't want to believe it, he himself was a reincarnator, so reincarnation here might actually be common.
But it was certainly not a common thing—Verion was a special case.
As I thought, he's a reincarnator. He's even been reincarnated three times? That's surprising. But…
"Three times, huh? Still, I bet you're not even 500 years old."
Verion's eyes narrowed suddenly, glaring at Elion, who had guessed correctly. "Don't talk like you've already lived longer than that."
This time, Elion chuckled, showing the same smug expression Verion had earlier. "I have. In fact, I'm over a thousand years old."
Verion's blue eyes widened. "You're lying…"
"Why would I?" Elion asked, genuinely confused. In his life, he'd never lied. His honesty had even caused his parents to divorce, and from then on, his life had turned into a nightmare.
Up to this moment, Elion still couldn't see the point of lying.
Verion sighed with his tiny mouth, resigned to the truth. "Well, I guess that makes you the big brother," he said, casting a gentle glance at their mother, who was fast asleep beside him. "At least in this life, I have a family."
Elion raised an eyebrow at that. "Is this the first time you've had a family?" he asked quietly.
"Yes," Verion replied softly. "I was an orphan in my first life. And in my second life, when I reincarnated into a world where Murim and Arcana coexisted, nothing changed. I still didn't have a family."
Elion fell silent. Unknowingly, he sympathized with his twin. Elion had a family, but could it really be called that after all the abuse and neglect he'd suffered?
But wait… Murim and Arcana? Suddenly, Elion realized something important. However, he lost the chance to ask as Verion continued.
"That's why, in this third life, in this same world, I feel grateful to have been born with a family."
His voice grew quiet, his eyes quivering with a deep sadness hidden behind them, casting a melancholic atmosphere over the small room. But a moment later, his eyes sharpened again, and his expression hardened.
"But I will still get revenge on those bastards who betrayed and killed me!"
With that shout, anger filled Verion's voice, resonating through the room like thunder from the depths of his heart. Energy began to erupt from his body, glowing intensely, as if red and purple flames blazed from within him. The aura coiled around his body in wild streams, shaking the walls of the small room.
In a panic, Elion quickly created a transparent shield with his [Creation] skill, shielding himself and his sleeping mother nearby.
Suddenly, however, the energy rapidly withdrew, absorbed back into Verion's body, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.
"I apologize for my outburst. That was unnecessary," Verion said with a relaxed face, as if he hadn't nearly killed his own mother.
In the midst of the chaos, Elion stared at Verion in disbelief. What the… this guy must be bipolar.
Elion looked toward his mother, intending to release the transparent shield, when suddenly a loud banging came from the wooden door in the corner of the room, followed by a man's voice shouting.
KNOCK, KNOCK!
"Lady Elara, open the door!"
Hearing the furious voice, Elion and Verion glanced at each other, wondering what was happening.
KNOCK, KNOCK!
The man pounded the door again, causing the frail wooden door to shake violently. "Open the door now, or I'll break it down!"
"Break it down. We don't have time for this."
The voice of another man sounded higher-pitched, clearly impatient.
And in the next moment...
CRASH!
A loud noise echoed as the wooden door fell apart, splintering into pieces, revealing two men standing in the doorway. They wore long, black robes typical of martial artists. The man at the front was tall and muscular, while the one behind was skinny with an unpleasant face.
"Well, well, well… what do we have here? It looks like Lady Elara just gave birth," the large man said, his eyes fixed on Elion and Verion lying on the floor.
"And twins at that! I knew this woman had a very strong hole." The thin man snickered as he walked over to Elara, eyeing her with a look of lust.
What did he just say?
Elion's shock quickly turned to fury. Instantly, he activated his [Creation] skill, forming a small, razor-sharp needle.
[You have successfully created a needle.] [3 Imagination Points have been deducted.]
As the needle materialized, Elion used his [Levitas] skill to make it hover in the air.
Meanwhile, oblivious to his surroundings, the ugly man licked his lips, extending a hand to touch Elara.
"I bet she feels—Ack."
But before he could do whatever he intended, Elion flicked his tiny fingers, sending the needle straight into the man's head. Blood spurted from his skull, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, lifeless.
[You have successfully killed a Martial Practitioner!] [You have leveled up!]
[Due to the special effect, every time the Host levels up, an additional million levels will be added.] [Tap to see more details.]
[Lv. 1 → Lv. 1,000,000]
The system notification filling his vision left Elion stunned. The special effect grants me a million levels every time I level up? That's insane! I'll need to check the details on that later.
"W-What?" the large man stammered, staring in disbelief at his fallen companion. "What just—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a surge of red and purple energy erupted, wrapping around the man's head and detonating it.
BOOM!
Blood and flesh splattered everywhere, staining the walls, ceiling, and the transparent shield around Elara.
As the headless body of the man fell to the cold wooden floor, Elion gave a slight smile, glancing over at Verion, whose face was set in a fierce, intimidating expression. His blue eyes glared down, reflecting the blood-red light, and as he spoke, his voice echoed with authority:
"I was once the strongest martial artist in this world. People across all of Murim called me 'The Mad Demon,' and you think I would let a vermin like you disrespect my mother?"
Hadiah
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