"The Room of Self was here?"
Raon's eyes widened as he followed Glenn's pointing finger.
'Come to think of it, while gathering information about the Room of Self, I never paid attention to where it actually was.'
Although he had obtained information about the Room of Self from various people, including Alice, he was completely unaware of its crucial location.
'How stupid of me.'
He sighed at himself for being too excited about entering the Room of Self.
"Yes. The Room of Self is in the Lord's Manor, specifically in this audience chamber."
Glenn stroked his chin as he explained that the Room of Self was inside the audience chamber.
"That's also why you need my permission to enter the Room of Self."
He smiled faintly, explaining that the entry conditions were stringent because the Room of Self was located within the audience chamber.
"I see."
Raon nodded as he turned his gaze to the left.
'Now that I think about it, Karoon also came out of the Lord's Manor.'
He recalled waiting in front of the Lord's Manor to confirm if Karoon had reached Transcendence.
"Well then, shall we go?"
Glenn nodded gently and stepped down from the platform.
"I'll guide you."
Roenn, who had been standing in front of a pillar, walked towards the door on the right.
'The door on the right.'
A gray door that looked like a wall stood on the right side of the platform. He had often seen the left door open and close, but this was the first time he'd seen the right door open. Roenn took out a yellow key from his vest's inner pocket and opened the right door.
"Please enter."
As he stepped aside, Glenn entered with heavy steps.
"Light Wind Palace Master, please go in as well."
"Yes."
Raon bowed slightly to Roenn and followed Glenn through the right door.
'A corridor?'
What he saw immediately upon entering was a windowless corridor. It smelled of an old building, but the floor and walls were spotless, indicating good maintenance.
-Is this really the place?
Wrath frowned, unable to understand.
-They said it was a mysterious place where time and space axes change, but it's managed so poorly?
'It's not poorly managed.'
Raon shook his head firmly.
'To forcibly enter this place, you'd have to defeat the strongest person on the continent.'
Only martial artists recognized by Glenn could enter the Room of Self. There were very few people in the entire dimension who could defeat him and enter.
-Well, that's true.
Wrath nodded, agreeing that it made sense given Glenn's martial prowess. Glenn stood in front of an old door at the end of the corridor. This door was also well-maintained, but it clearly showed the passage of time.
"This is it."
Glenn opened the old door after confirming that Raon was following behind. The door opened silently, as if well-oiled, revealing the interior.
'Is this the Room of Self?'
It was a room wide enough that a sword swing wouldn't reach the walls. An unextinguishable lamp hung from the ceiling that looked like stacked rocks, and the walls and floor were covered in spider web-like cracks as if they might collapse at any moment. A full-length mirror was embedded in the black wall opposite, also looking so old it might shatter at any time.
Aside from its dilapidated state, it seemed like an ordinary room, making Raon doubt if this was really the Room of Self.
"Head of House, is this..."
"Yes. This is the Room of Self."
Glenn calmly lowered his gaze, confirming that this was indeed the place.
"Hmm..."
Raon let out a low groan as he scanned the entire room.
"You don't seem to believe it."
Glenn smiled faintly, as if he had expected this reaction.
"It's a bit different from what I've heard..."
Raon scratched his forehead as he surveyed the room again.
"I don't know what stories you've heard, but this is the Room of Self that has existed for a thousand years."
Glenn nodded, affirming that they had come to the right place.
'I can't feel anything special.'
He had heard that the Room of Self was connected to a different time axis than the present world, so he expected some special magic to be operating, but seeing it in person, it was just an ordinary room.
'Wrath, can you sense anything?'
Unable to detect anything with his own senses, he nudged Wrath with his elbow.
-Hmm...
Wrath briefly licked his lips as he looked around the Room of Self.
-I can't tell. Is this really the place?
He lowered his eyebrows, muttering that there was nothing here.
"I see. I understand what you're seeing now."
Glenn nodded as if he now understood.
"It's understandable that you're skeptical. This is the only Room of Self I know."
He pointed to the exit where Roenn was standing, saying they didn't have to enter if they didn't want to.
"No, I'll go in."
Raon shook his head vigorously. He wasn't doubting Glenn, he was just curious about the true nature of the Room of Self.
"Sigh."
After exhaling deeply, he entered the space called the Room of Self. Even after stepping inside, nothing changed. It was still just an ordinary room.
'I should unpack first.'
Raon took out a bundle containing Nadine bread from his Subspace Pouch.
'This should be enough.'
Not knowing how long he'd be in the Room of Self, he had packed enough Nadine bread to last for months. Wrath hated it, but Nadine bread was the best food for a place like this.
-Ugh...
As soon as Wrath saw the bundle containing Nadine bread, he frowned and retched.
-Re-remove that disgusting object from my sight! Just looking at it makes me want to vomit!
He trembled, saying he felt like he was suffocating from the rubber smell.
'I can't smell anything though?'
Raon tilted his head as he brought his nose close to the bundle.
-Even your sense of smell is pathetic! How can you not smell that stench!
Wrath gritted his teeth as if holding back curses.
"Is that Nadine bread?"
Glenn flicked his hand as if he had identified the Nadine bread just by the shape of the bundle.
"Yes. I brought a lot since I might be here for a while."
"You won't need that much."
He shook his head, saying two or three would be enough.
"Pardon? What do you mean...?"
Raon exhaled emptily as he looked at Glenn. He couldn't understand why only two or three Nadine breads would be enough when he might spend a long time here due to the changed time axis.
"You'll understand soon enough. No need for explanation."
Glenn smiled softly, saying Raon would naturally understand.
"Hmm, I've taken up too much of your time."
Glenn turned his back after looking at the lamp on the ceiling.
"I hope you find the path you're seeking."
He left the Room of Self, saying he would wait. Judging by the lack of presence outside the door, it seemed he had returned directly to the audience chamber.
"Hmm..."
Raon narrowed his eyes like thin threads as he watched the faintly flickering lamp on the ceiling.
'I still can't believe this is the Room of Self.'
He had expected a hidden cave on North Grave Mountain or a special underground space, but he never imagined he'd be staying in such a small and ordinary room. Honestly, he felt deflated.
'No, more importantly...'
'What am I supposed to do here?' Neither Glenn, Alice, nor Rimmer had told him what to do in the Room of Self. He had no idea what actions to take in this small room to become stronger.
'Maybe...'
He tried operating the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and the Ring of Fire with some expectation, but nothing changed.
-If you don't know what to do, let's just sleep! I couldn't sleep properly yesterday because you were so restless!
Wrath waved his hand, suggesting they catch up on sleep first.
'That's not a bad idea, but...'
Raon shook his head as he sat on the floor.
'I think it's better to meditate first.'
After reaching Transcendence, mental training became more important than physical training. He had been trying to gradually increase his meditation time, and this seemed like a good opportunity to focus on meditation.
-When you meditate, the noise in your head echoes and it's too loud!
Wrath pressed his face close, saying they should sleep instead of doing boring meditation.
'Then shall I make it not boring for you?'
Raon grinned as he looked at Wrath.
-As if you could! It's not easy to pique my interest!
Wrath nodded, challenging Raon to try if he could.
'Then to keep our Wrath from getting bored...'
Raon took out a Nadine bread from the pouch he had placed on the floor.
-W-wait a moment! On second thought, now is perfect! I'm not bored at all...
'Nope. Too late.'
Ignoring Wrath's waving hands, Raon put the Nadine bread in his mouth. The dry, rubbery taste created a heavy storm in his mouth.
-Ugh...
Wrath, who had been muttering about being bored, rolled on the floor with foam in his mouth.
-How can you... when it's painful for you too...
He trembled all over with reddened eyes. Fortunately, he didn't seem bored anymore.
'As I've said before, it's edible for me.'
While it couldn't be compared to delicious food, Nadine bread had its own taste. He could enjoy it sufficiently.
-You Nadine bread-like bastard...
Wrath collapsed after saying something that could be either praise or an insult.
'It's finally quiet now.'
Raon threw the limp Wrath next to the Nadine bread bundle and sank into the world of meditation.
* * *
"..."
Glenn remained in the old corridor, watching the Room of Self where Raon had entered.
"You don't need to worry too much."
Roenn stood behind Glenn and chuckled.
"I'm sure Raon will return having gained a lot."
He ended his words with a confident tone, showing his trust in Raon.
"It doesn't matter whether he gains anything or not."
Glenn shook his head with his eyes closed.
"Raon can grow even without the Room of Self."
He had gained confidence after watching Raon's duel with Karoon. Raon had the qualities of a martial artist who could reach higher than anyone else, regardless of the Room of Self. The realm beyond humanity that even he couldn't reach. Only Raon could reach that end, ignoring causality.
'Of course, that's not just Raon's power.'
Raon's special talent and abilities were aided by the demon king he called a friend. It was because of that child's help that Raon was who he was now.
'I'd like to meet him.'
Before time completely disappeared, he wanted to meet the demon king and thank him for taking care of his grandson.
"Of course."
Roenn nodded, saying that Raon could become stronger in any situation.
"Still, I can't help but have expectations. They say the stronger the Zieghart blood, the more one can gain from the Room of Self."
Glenn opened the door to the Room of Self with a faint smile. The dim room where Raon should have been meditating had turned into a small library filled with the smell of old books, and it was empty.
"It might just be my hope, but..."
Glenn closed the door to the now-empty room, wearing a soft smile.
"I think Raon will return having gained quite a lot."
* * *
Raon clicked his tongue roughly as he opened his eyes.
'It's not working.'
Despite meditating for quite a while, nothing had changed. He was still in the empty room, facing the mirror.
-I told you meditation wasn't the answer!
Wrath snorted, saying Raon should have listened to him.
'You just said we should eat ice cream!'
There were bead ice cream and some snacks for Wrath in the Subspace Pouch, but he had no intention of eating them now.
'By the way, how much time has passed?'
Being in a place without windows made his sense of time ambiguous. It felt like four days had passed, or maybe a week.
-What four days? It's been two weeks!
Wrath shook his head, saying a week had passed long ago.
'Two weeks? But I've only eaten three Nadine breads?'
-I'd rather starve than wake you up!
He shook his head, saying it had been over two weeks in terms of time.
'That's strange.'
As a Transcendent, he should be able to maintain his sense of time even in a dark space, but his and Wrath's perception of time was vastly different.
'It seems the time has already started to distort.'
It looked like the effects of the Room of Self, where time and space were said to change, had begun to manifest.
'Should I practice some swordsmanship then?'
Fortunately, the ceiling was high and the room was quite spacious, so he could practice swordsmanship as long as he didn't use aura.
-You only do boring things.
Wrath yawned and lay on his stomach on the floor, showing no interest.
'Then should I eat the Nadine bread you're interested in...'
-N-no! I'm very interested!
He raised his sparkling blue eyes, saying he would watch intently.
'I didn't expect this threat to work so well.'
It seemed he would need to carry a set of Nadine bread to threaten Wrath from now on.
'Let me know if you see any areas that need improvement.'
After asking Wrath for advice, he raised the Heavenly Drive above his head and then brought it down. He unfolded all the sword techniques he had learned, from basic swordsmanship to Sky-Piercing Thunder, before lowering the Heavenly Drive.
'It didn't take long.'
At first, it took a long time because he had learned so many sword techniques and principles, but after repeating them so often, he could now unfold all the techniques in a short time.
-Don't you get tired of repeating the same sword techniques?
Wrath wrinkled his nose, unable to understand.
'It feels new every time I do it.'
Training was always fun and enjoyable for him because he could feel himself growing with each sword swing.
-I should have stolen that damn talent...
Wrath licked his lips regretfully.
'Should I do it one more time?'
He concentrated well because the room was dark. As he lifted the Heavenly Drive to practice swordsmanship again, the lamp on the ceiling suddenly went out as if a wind had blown.
'Huh?'
Why did the light suddenly go out? Thinking it was strange, he raised his gaze and met eyes with himself in the mirror.
'Something is...'
There's a sense of dissonance with the self in the mirror. Although he had golden hair, red eyes, and was wearing a black training uniform, he looked like a different person. As Raon was frowning and looking at the mirror, a blue mass rose behind him.
'Wrath...?'
Wrath, who should only be visible through his eyes, was reflected in the mirror.
'Impossible!'
Startled by the incomprehensible situation, he took a step back, but his reflection in the mirror remained standing in place.
'Could it be...'
As Raon bit his lip hard, the lips of his reflection in the mirror curved into a gentle smile.