After Returning, My Abilities are Infinite

Episode 151. How to kill the gods (2)

“Transcendents aren’t as special as you think.”

“…….”

“There are many Transcendents—as many as the stars in the sky and humans walking the earth in your world. Which is natural because they are born differently from ordinary creatures, and they do not die of old age.”

The Traveler continued to explain bluntly with his hands folded behind his back.

“So, there will be plenty of Transcendents for you to practice. Ones that you can fight with ease with the class you earned from owning a world, and those that are insignificant enough that it won’t be a problem to kill them. Even under those two criteria, there are countless Transcendents that fit that category.”

“Okay.”

“But those aren’t the ones you want, are they?”

I nodded at his words. Yes, I wasn’t looking for a manageable opponent.

“I’ll pick one myself.”

“…….”

“I don’t plan on killing an innocent Transcendent for the sake of practice. And I don’t want to pick an enemy I can easily handle. I’m not going to pick a Transcendent based on how much influence they have either, and I’m going to take full responsibility for my actions. I have only one criterion.”

I glared at the Traveler with all my might.

“A Transcendent that deserves to die. One that could be a threat to me in the future, whose existence itself can cause harm. That would be enough for me.”

I was going to kill any being that fit that standard. I meant to wipe out anything that could threaten me without a trace.

“…Then what help do you need from me? If you are going to take full responsibility and decide your enemy, where should I interfere?”

“The help I need from you is simple. And you don’t need to help me. It’s just a request, after all.”

“What is it?”

At his calm question, I replied without hesitation.

“Teach me your method of killing Transcendents.”

“…….”

“The most definite way to destroy a Transcendent that you found over countless years. Teach me the most effective way to wipe out the beings that are called ‘gods’.”

“……!”

The Traveler’s face hardened. He couldn’t help it because this was a sort of a checkmate.

‘The powers of Transcendents come from images.’

So that would also cause their deaths. The Traveler must have accumulated countless experiences during his many years of life, but his image would also be that much concrete and constant.

His ‘perfect way to kill a Transcendent’ would also apply to himself. And if he were to imagine that his method could be used on him, he wouldn’t teach me the method properly.

‘Which wouldn’t be so bad, either.’

The moment he thinks of it, the Traveler would envision that I might kill him. Which would create a weakness in the concrete image that he built up over countless years. No matter how overwhelming his class and achievements were, it wouldn’t be so difficult for me to break down a cracked fortress.

‘So, what will you choose?’

I looked straight into the Traveler’s eyes.

Very slowly, he opened his mouth.

“Okay, I will teach you.”

“…….”

“The most definite way to kill a Transcendent. The method I mastered over a very long time, which I used the most often. I will teach you everything.”

The Traveler spoke matter-of-factly as if he were explaining a simple recipe. And from that, I could realize one thing.

“It’s a very effective method. You could even kill me if you use it well. So focus. It’ll be a rare method that you will never hear from anyone else.”

The Traveler didn’t think that I might kill him, at all. To be exact, he didn’t imagine in the slightest that he could ever face death.

Looking at him, I gulped. What kind of life did he live over all those years to have such a mindset? Any living creature was destined to worry about death in any situation. But to think that way… what kind of creature did you have to live as?

‘He is completely unshaken.’

A king. An untouchable, lofty position. A natural-born overlord who looked down on all living creatures for his entire life, viewing them as weak, insignificant creatures.

Could I acquire those values if I lived a life like that for an unfathomably long time? Looking at him, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. What kind of path had the Traveler walked?

‘Even if I learn how to completely kill Transcendents, would I immediately be able to kill the Traveler?’

His confidence caused my mind to waver instead.

Any human would be able to reply when asked how to get rid of the water in a puddle. There would be many ways to do it. And even if you asked someone who dried puddles all their life, their methods wouldn’t be so different.

But if that puddle became a sea, would humans be able to drain it using the same methods?

That seemed to be how the Traveler viewed me. Even if he taught me, I wouldn’t dare touch him. He was surprised that I asked, but he was willing to satisfy my small curiosity.

“You may do whatever you want, because we are worlds apart.”

It felt like his eyes were saying that.

“Listen closely. I won’t explain it again, so you’ll have to listen very carefully…….”

His voice felt far away. I listened to him in a daze.

“You must destroy the images that make up Transcendents, and break them down from their core. And actually, there is a simpler method. Having stronger conviction than your opponent—an image that is indestructible no matter how hard it collides. A solid conviction that can crush your opponent’s image and wipe it out without a trace.”

It was similar to the method I thought of—a battle of images. The more I heard, the more similar they sounded. But I wasn’t glad at all, because I couldn’t see any weaknesses forming within the Traveler.

As he continued to explain, I became increasingly hopeless. It was as if a 100-meter-tall giant was teasing a tiny insect by handing it a sharp pick and saying, ‘You can kill anyone if you stab them in the neck with this. Oh, and if you’re lucky, you might even be able to kill me!’

‘The deeper I dig, the more formidable he is.’

I clenched my fist. The entity that made me into a Transcendent was powerful. I could plainly see how he was treating me as a toy, wanting to use me for entertainment. But he was so powerful that I couldn’t even express any will to do anything about it.

I couldn’t even guess how much more I needed to plan. But I hadn’t given up. Even in the dark, I calmly and intently listened to his voice.

‘The moment I give up, my image will be damaged.’

The dagger within me wasn’t rusty yet. The Traveler ended up playing no tricks, but I had to constantly sharpen the blade inside me for the right moment. So that I could instantly rip apart any danger that came my way. So that I could wipe them all out.

“…Thank you.”

For now, it looked like I needed to start with fighting a Transcendent that fit my criteria, the way I had planned. Experience was the most important for any plan to work. When fighting in real life, things might go entirely differently from the way I envisioned in my head. And the Traveler was still too much of a giant for me to handle.

“Of course. I’m always a great help to you.”

The Traveler was already grinning again as he spoke. I forced a smile, keeping my face calm.

Yes. Think of me as a toy, as entertainment, and stay still like that. Don’t do anything. Don’t think of manipulating me, and don’t cause trouble just for your entertainment.

Then I will climb up, stepping on everything else, and prove that I am not a simple toy. So, stay tame and pretend to be my mentor until I become powerful enough.

“Yes, you’re right.”

I replied to the Traveler, smiling faintly.

Pretending like everything was fine.

Just fine.

[The ‘Akashic Records’ analyze the target.]

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[Cannot find the name ‘Traveler’ from the universe records.]

[The story has been erased by a higher ‘something’, or cannot be contained by the ‘Akashic Records’ and has not been recorded.]

[The Akashic Records assesses the level of the target that perceives the user as its ‘possession’.]

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[Level assessment complete.]

[Level: Incomprehensible(不可解)→ Beyond comprehension.]

[The user cannot cope with the target.]

[Avoiding conflict is recommended.]

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[Sincerely.]

* * *

“It’s my first time inside here.”

I departed from the Traveler’s world and arrived at a different place. It wasn’t the place where I fought with the other Transcendent before, but a higher-level place.

There were beings that could crush me in an instant, judging by class, if we fought properly. And there were some who were similar to me. It was a place where a lot of different Transcendents came and went.

Those on the bottom to those on the very top.

So this place wasn’t for stragglers like where I went before. It was a free space where all sorts of Transcendents gathered.

Simply put, the first place I went was like a beginner server, and this was like the free server.

‘It has quite a fancy name, too.’

The resting place for Transcendents that was larger than most worlds.

-Utopia-.

In this place that signified peace, I was ironically wandering around, looking for someone to kill.

“This place is very interesting.”

The place where Transcendents stayed was simpler than I thought. There were no massive harems or lust caverns the way it was described in myths. There were many small pub-like buildings, and tables and chairs were laid out on ordinary streets. The Transcendents were sitting around and chatting.

Talking. From what I heard from the Traveler, most Transcendents killed time by ‘talking’ with other beings.

‘To construct images, second-hand experience will be as important as hands-on experience.’

It suited Transcendents, who grew stronger with their ideas. I sat down at a random table, pretending to wait for someone, and listened to the conversations nearby.

They were talking about what happened in their worlds, and how it caused them trouble. Most conversations consisted of Transcendents whining and asking for advice.

It felt like I was eavesdropping in an ordinary pub.

“I haven’t seen that guy around lately.”

And while I was eavesdropping, a voice caught my attention.

“I had some fun for a while thanks to him……. Hm, did he get caught or something?”

“It’s probably because he ran out of worlds to play with! Do you know how many worlds he destroyed? There are tons of gods wanting to kill him because of that!”

“But it was good entertainment. Pitting worlds against worlds and betting on them. I could understand why humans go wild about sports so much. Haha.”

“……!”

It was a very interesting story.

“Excuse me…….”

I turned my chair slightly, looked at them, and spoke.

“I was interested in that entertainment, but did the manager disappear? Why, it was quite an amazing game……. What a shame. Oh, do you mind if I join and listen in?”

In a voice so cunning that even Transcendents couldn’t help but fall for.