System vs Rebirth

Once he thought about it, a reply suddenly came. From the way it talked, it seemed Ardagan finally responded to him again.

[Please take me out.]

‘Huh?’ Noel was stunned for a moment. He hurriedly went to an open area so that he could take out Ardagan without a problem.

It was there he finally found the change from Ardagan.

“This is…” Noel gasped after finding a small circle on Ardagan’s blade. “What is this?”

[Do you remember the time I talked about the fact that our senses are shared?]

‘Yes.’ Noel almost forgot that he was in an open area where he could be observed. So, he immediately stopped talking out loud and returned to using his inner voice.

[We have been sharing our senses this whole time, but the way we sense the world is different, so you might haven’t noticed it. So, I will be telling you directly.]

[The circle on my body is the second slot medal.]

‘The second slot medal? I’m sorry, but I don’t think I understand what you’re talking about. Isn’t the medal related to the amount of my Spiritual Energy Reserve?’

[Yes and no.]

[Even though I am considered a Spirit, I am still nothing but a sword. My sense as an object is different from yours. The way I sense everything around me is reflected in the medal you have.]

[For example, if you’re using the Newbie Medal, which grants you a boost in Sword Mastery, Spiritual Energy, and Rune Mastery. I have to block my sense and focus my power so that I can lend it to you.]

[In other words, the Spiritual Energy increase is basically me absorbing the Spiritual Energy around and creating an additional reserve for you. It, by no means, increases your original reserve. The same applies to the Sword Mastery and Rune Mastery.]

[With that, the second slot medal is basically me growing stronger. You can say that I have gotten stronger and can accommodate more power.]

[If you use the Newbie Medal and the Demon Hunter Medal at the same time. A portion of me will boost you while the other half is there to sense the energy from the demons and share it with you.]

‘…’ Noel fell silent for a moment. He had never thought about this. After the Spirit Link, his senses and sensitivity to the Spiritual Energy drastically increased. He understood that it was how Heisk perceived this world.

However, he might have been blinded by this small achievement that he forgot that he had never thought about Ardagan’s senses.

When he was being confronted like this, he could see the grave mistake he had made.

Noel couldn’t help but look at Ardagan with a solemn expression. ‘It seems that I have wronged you…’

Noel noticed how he had neglected his spirits. He immediately lowered his head and said inwardly, ‘Ardagan, Heisk. I’d like to apologize for being neglectful. Even though I have been trying to find out about both of you, I have realized that I haven’t put any effort into it.’

[You have done nothing wrong. The stronger the power, the more it will blind its owner. Even your ancestor only realized it after wielding me for ten years. Just from how you realize it in just two years has shown your talent.]

[Don’t forget that before I’m a Spirit, I’m just a tool. I’m a tool to kill people. Those people might be your enemies, they might be your allies, or they might be just innocent people.]

[Nonetheless, realizing it, making a change, and putting in an effort is something I appreciate. That’s why I’m ready to support you with all my strength. Just like you, we are going to get stronger so that we can give you more power.]

Noel closed his eyes for a moment. As Ardagan said, he was a tool. Whether it was his blade form or the system, it didn’t change his fundamentals. That was why he had been ignoring the fact he was a Spirit, a living being.

He was his partner, not his tool that he could take advantage of as much as he wanted.

There might be a reason why Ardagan didn’t talk to him. He might be busy making changes or he might not be able to tell the secret. But one thing was for sure, Ardagan was doing his best to support him.

Once he understood it, he looked at the circle on the blade once again and said, ‘Ardagan. I have been thinking about this, but what about my daily training? All those missions still give a permanent boost to my body, right?’

He wanted to know about this because this might be another sacrifice Ardagan had paid.

[You are half correct.]

[If you keep running, you are training your muscles and stamina. That’s the reason why there is an increase in stamina. Of course, I’m also using my own Spiritual Energy to refine your muscle and enhance your stamina. But you can consider it as your body’s true performance.]

[But in the case of the Spiritual Energy from the mission of sparring with your rival, the Spiritual Energy comes from your ancestor.] 𝒆𝙣𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝙚𝙩

[I can’t tell you much about your ancestor because of a promise. But I still retain some of his power.]

[The Ardagan Swordsmanship I have imparted to you is the Swordsmanship that your ancestor created when wielding me. The Fire Spirit Abilities from me come from the two wielders before you.]

[In other words, I am the accumulation of experience of your ancestors. As for the increase of Spiritual Energy, it’s basically you using my reserve.]

[You can say that the mission will stop once you have reached one hundred percent. At that time, we’ll have a perfect assimilation. And that’s the level of the first generation’s wielder.]

“!!!” Noel widened his eyes in shock. He thought the system was already a great help to him and it was a mystical power that couldn’t be described by someone like him.

But it turned out there was a logic behind each reward from the system. It was mystical, yet, it felt so down to earth.

It might look like the system was disappointing since it wasn’t as mystical as one would think. But on the other hand, it showed the sacrifice Ardagan had paid in order to support his wielder.

Noel, who had neglected all this, felt like he wanted to cry. He wanted to apologize to Ardagan.