The Lone SF Transmigrator in the Otherworld Forum
Chapter 98: Excuses

"There's more than I expected, huh?"

Karlstein examined the books without rest. Even so, more than half remained. It was truly a vast amount. Although he learned the Spiritual Power Cultivation Technique from Ma Yucheol, he first had to master the Grand Void Cultivation Sutra, and for that, preliminary study was necessary.

"Ugh..."

It felt like his head was about to cramp.

Above all, learning the characters took longer than expected.

Of course, if others knew his learning speed, they would be shocked.

"Gahwi. Are you reading properly before turning the pages? If you just flip through like that, nothing will remain in your head."

Gahwi.

It was the name Karlstein came to use here. A name given by the old man who couldn't pronounce his name properly.

It sounded vaguely similar in the local pronunciation and wasn't bad, so he accepted it.

The woman who just spoke was someone the old man had assigned, Senior Sister Zhang Yihong.

-My master told me to take care of you.

-Although they say your talent is outstanding, you're still a novice. So you can treat me as your Senior Sister.

-The path of cultivation cannot be mastered by talent alone. Remember that arrogance is poison to cultivation.

-Alright. I'll speak comfortably from now on.

A pretty woman, but with a strange quality that seemed to follow a field manual to the letter.

"Haah. How long will this take..."

Occasionally, Senior Sister Zhang's complaints could be heard, but it wasn't incomprehensible. She was taking care of a young boy who couldn't even cultivate yet.

Still, the Senior Sister didn't cross the line.

Perhaps because she was thinking of the future?

In this Xianxia world, ability determined everything.

If he were to develop the talent of a Heavenly Spiritual Root and rapidly raise his realm as Ma Yucheol said, Karlstein could even become her superior one day.

Of course, even if that didn't happen, she didn't seem like someone who would easily cross the line.

"Just do what you need to do. Don't make unnecessary noise."

"Wh-What! You brat! Is that how you speak to your Senior Sister!"

Rather, it was Karlstein who crossed the line.

"There's no need to visit every day, after all."

"It's a task my master entrusted me with. I can't handle it carelessly!"

"I don't think Master meant for you to be a nanny when he asked you to look after me."

"Th-That's..."

"Why don't you just go down and cultivate? Senior Sister, you're in a hurry to cultivate too, right?"

"Ugh."

The reason Karlstein spoke like this was because she had a stubborn side.

Was she just unnecessarily responsible?

It seemed like she wouldn't understand if he spoke casually.

"I'll call if I need help. I also have the talisman Senior Sister gave me for emergencies."

"Th-That should only be used when it's really urgent. It's expensive..."

"And I study better when I'm alone."

"...Alright. I suppose you're saying that out of consideration for me."

That wasn't really it. But there was no need to clear up the misunderstanding.

"You seem to be worried because of the narcolepsy, but you don't need to. Just drop by every few days to check."

"If that's what you say, then I suppose so."

Finally, unable to resist his persistence, Senior Sister Zhang went down the mountain.

A wooden plaque gleamed at Senior Sister Zhang's waist.

A plaque prepared by their master.

Apparently, it was a treasure needed to enter and leave this place?

"Alright then."

Now that the nuisance was gone, he headed to the spring in the backyard.

Originally, he was told not to enter until he mastered the verses of the Grand Void Cultivation Sutra.

"Heave-ho."

Splash-

He threw himself into the spring water that strangely sparkled even in the shade.

"Phew..."

A contradictory sensation of warmth and coolness enveloped him.

He closed his eyes, resting his arms on the edge like an old man in a bathhouse.

Ether.

Regarding the sense of discomfort he had felt since opening his eyes in Xianxia…

It was because he couldn't feel the Ether of his main body.

"Hmm."

Originally, the Avatar should draw on the Ether of the main body.

This is troublesome.

"Hmm..."

It's not like the connection is completely severed though. There's definitely a connection, but...

What could be the problem?

Wait. Could it be?

He closed his eyes and observed his internal state. Closing off his sight, hearing, and even touch, he focused solely on his internal senses. While he couldn't observe internally for long with his main body, there was no problem with the Avatar.

...The connection is definitely there. There is a response.

But, yes. There’s something. Something is off…

A feeling of interception in between?

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.

A subtly familiar sensation.

Isn't this feeling similar to when that platinum egg was absorbing Ether?

If there was a slight difference, it seemed that the energy flowing from the spring water wasn't being absorbed.

The feeling is similar, but it seems subtly different from Ether.

Is Spiritual Power lighter and freer than Ether? Moreover, the energy the old man projected was even regular.

Of course, Karlstein thought Ether was superior if comparing advantages and disadvantages, but he wasn't sure about applications.

On the other hand, the Dimensional Pressure here was much higher.

Hmm.

At any rate, it's a dimension with much to research.

Karlstein began to recite the verses that came to mind.

Woong-

Grand Void Cultivation Sutra.

He had already mastered the first verse. Although he hadn't learned all the books necessary for preliminary study, it was worth trying.

After all…

It was a cultivation technique that holds the Grand Void in the mind.

Grand Void (太虛).

Isn't that just the universe?

That was how Karlstein interpreted it.

Thinking he knew more about the universe than anyone else in this world, he began to learn the technique according to his own interpretation.

This was something neither Senior Sister Zhang nor the old man knew.

Woong-

The sparkle of the spring water he was soaking in intensified. A subtle energy from the spring water enveloping his body pricked his entire body.

Swoosh-

Ah.

He could feel Spiritual Power from the spring water, and it began to be absorbed into his body little by little.

Swoosh-

The absorbed Spiritual Power circulated through his body with a creaking sound. There was no problem as he was used to circulating energy through his body.

However.

Whoo-

The Spiritual Power slowly escaped as if evaporating. How to put it… He was unable to hold onto it?

But he already knew this would happen.

This time…

Karlstein began to absorb the energy with all his might.

Tztztz- Tzz-

The spring water's energy was rapidly absorbed to the point where Karlstein's entire body tingled.

Zzzzt-

No, it was beyond tingling, to the point of numbness.

A truly dangerous act.

However, Karlstein focused on cramming it into his body, whether his body burst or not.

Zzzzt- Psst-

The spring water turned red as his skin burst in places.

Just when he felt he had truly reached his limit.

Flash-

Karlstein opened his eyes and hurriedly turned on the [Integrated Dimensional Community].

-@%!Wel#@come!6@12!35.

Though the text was broken, a connection was made.

Immediately upon seeing that…

"Logout."

Pit-

A dark shadow covered his vision.

At the same time…

Karlstein opened his eyes with a flash.

[You have returned already?]

Aria's voice greeted him.

But there was no time to enjoy the reunion.

"Aria! What about the coordinates of the dimension I just connected to?!"

[The numbers have certainly changed. What happened?]

"We'll confirm later! First, the item transfer!"

[Understood.]

Perceptively, Aria didn't ask what to send.

After experimenting with this and that…

Zfft-

[The relay does not work at all. There are restrictions on the items that can be sent.]

"That's fine! Just send it for now."

[Understood.]

Aria moved her fingers busily to transfer items according to his request.

Just when he thought he could take a breather.

[For some reason, the connection has been cut off again.]

"Hmm..."

[Still, I completed the second transfer. It seems to be basic supplies and conventional weapons, at most.]

"Oh, really?"

Fortunately, things seem to have progressed as Karlstein expected.

"I'll explain later."

Karlstein checked the time and hurriedly entered the capsule to attempt connection to the Avatar.

"Oh right, what about that egg?"

[The Ether Reaction Value has increased slightly.]

As I thought, it was you?

[However, it seems that egg's help is needed when you connect, Master.]

"It was like that when connecting before too."

Fearing it might cause problems again, when it was placed far from his body, he couldn't connect to Xianxia. When placed nearby, there was no problem connecting.

Geez. Should I like it or hate it?

For now, I'll let it slide since I need its help to connect.

Even if it's impossible to draw on the main body's Ether, there are still ways.

[Alright. Please check it for me. I will see you in a bit.]

Karlstein said farewell to Aria and hurriedly connected.

Zfft-

***"He fell asleep again?"

"Yes. As Master said, he seemed unconscious."

"Hmm.... It's troublesome if this keeps happening."

"Is Junior Brother sick somewhere?"

Zhang Yihong's face looked quite worried.

The old man spoke coldly to that.

"That's not for you to worry about."

"...Yes."

"Let's go see for now."

Ma Yucheol put Zhang Yihong on a flying Dharma Tool and hurriedly headed towards Metal Spiritual Mountain where the hut was located.

Zhang Yihong said it hadn't been long since he fell into narcolepsy. She discovered it on her way back after forgetting something.

However, in the meantime, the Junior Brother had been soaking in the Awakening Spring, and his entire body was covered in wounds.

That was why Zhang Yihong urgently came to replace him.

What on earth happened?

I told him not to enter before mastering the Grand Void Cultivation Sutra…

Awakening Spring.

One of the Flame Metal Sect's treasures that greatly helped in awakening Spiritual Roots.

If he entered without learning the technique, his body would burst.

Ma Yucheol hurried, increasing the speed of the flying Dharma Tool.

He seemed intelligent, but does he have a rebellious nature?

If so, there's a need to scold him sternly this time.

After all, the path of cultivation was full of all kinds of dangers.

Such a nature sometimes brought about fortuitous encounters, but it certainly didn’t lead to a long life.

Caution is an essential virtue for cultivators.

However, his mouth opened slightly at a sight different from what he expected.

What is this...?

***Meanwhile, Karlstein scratched his head at Ma Yucheol and Zhang Yihong's visit.

Why now of all times?

Karlstein was in the middle of organizing the items transmitted from the Galactic Empire when he received the sudden visit.

"What... is this?"

Uh, be careful.

That's an enhanced grenade.

"And that is..."

Ah, that's a Sky Board...

"Just what is all this?"

Karlstein, buried among the junk(?), was speechless.

"Uh, um..."

"Moreover, didn't I tell you not to enter the Awakening Spring? If you have wounds, show them now."

Ugh, this seems like it's going to be troublesome.

Karlstein's mind raced.

Is there a way to resolve this entire situation in one go...?

Scratch scratch-

"A person from ancient times suddenly appeared and gave me these... Dharma Tools before leaving."

They were startled.

Huh?

"What?"

"Junior Brother, what did you say?"

"I had no choice but to enter there because this person of old times told me to."

Huh? Why are they making such a fuss?

"Wh-What?! S-Say that again!!"

"J-Junior Brother!!"

Their mouths gaped open.

...H-Huh?