What…? Where… am I?」
Before I realized, I was standing in an unfamiliar place.
If I remember correctly, I listened to the story of the 1 million years button from the shady old man… and then…
「…Oh right, I pressed the 1 million years button.」
So that means, this is the 『Different World』that the hermit of time mentioned?
As I looked around the surroundings, a white house on clean soil came into view.
And one more thing – large numbers were suspended in mid-air.
00000000 Year 1 Month 1 Day 00 Hour 01 Minute 31 Seconds
It is probably the clock of this world that ticks second by second.
I must leave this world when the clock reaches 1 million years.
In other words, I can do anything I wish with this time.
「Yes… Yes… Yes!」
Yes, Hell Yes…!
With this much time, I can surely win against Dodriel.
I was overflowing with happiness. I tightly clenched my fist.
(But still, to think that crazy story would be true!)
When I leave this place, I must thank the hermit of time.
(No, wait… If I'm not mistaken, my memories will be erased when I leave this place…)
Well, I'm sure it'll turn out alright.
Even if I lose my memories, I will not lose the sword skills acquired here.
After 1 million yearsー the me in the real world will surely convey my thanks.
(Oops, I mustn't procrastinate.)
I immediately drew my sword and started swinging.
Although the time is long, it seems short.
I'm sure 1 million years would pass by in the blink of an eye.
(This is my long-awaited big chance… I can't waste even a second…!)
After that, I continued swinging my sword with all my heart and soul.
The next time I was aware of the time, was when my stomach started growling.
「It's already time for food…」
When I looked at the suspended clock, about 20 hours have passed.
Telling the time in this different world is difficult as there isn't a sun.
「Well… shall I go get some food?」
I discontinued my swinging momentarily and headed towards the one single white house in this world.
「Wow, it's spacious…」
It was much larger than the house my mother lives in and the dormitory I currently live in.
And it was absurdly clean. Not a single speck of dust.
「Let's see… where is the food…?」
According to the story of the hermit of time, there should be a magic food store that generates food infinitely.
I roamed around the house a little and found a huge refrigerator next to the kitchen.
「Is it inside this…?」
As I opened the double-doors of the refrigerator that opened from the middle and looked inside,
「Wow…」
Meat, vegetables, fish and milk – all sorts of ingredients were packed tightly.
I picked up the large tomato that caught my eye, and bite into it.
「....! De-Delicious…!」
A fresh luscious sweetness as though it was harvested just this morning, ran through my mouth.
Then I picked the dried meat and vegetables that didn't need cooking and went to the bathroom immediately.
「Hu-! Huge…」
It was about 10 times bigger than I had imagined.
In additionー
「Aaa-… such nice hot water…」
The temperature was just perfect even though I didn't adjust anything about how it works.
Not too hot, not too cold- the water temperature was just right, I could feel the muscles in my whole body loosening.
After that, when I got out of the bath, I went to the bedroom and before long as I had gotten sleepy.
I have no plans of spending time on anything other training.
If I did that, 1 million years will pass in an instant.
「It's so fluffy…」
The bed in the bedroom had an otherworldly softness to it.
And it was more than just feeling soft.
It also had the strength to wrap around my body tightly.
While wrapped in a light and warm comforter, I murmured.
「This is the best…」
Delicious food.
Pleasant bath.
Soft bed.
And above all else – 1 million years of time.
Nothing can stop this.
This is undoubtedly the best circumstances.
「Hehe, I'm gonna train for 1 million years in this place… I will surely become an amazing swordsman…」
With bright hope and strong ambition in my heart, I fell into a slumber.
It's been 10 years since I arrived in this world, I've been continuously swinging my sword every single day.
After swinging my sword for 10 years, I have come to understand the principle behind it.
(I wonder if my swings are optimized now…)
Anyway, I understood how to swing the sword.
When swinging the sword downwards, there is a timing at which I should exert force, and conversely a timing where I should relax the sword. I finally grasped the idea behind the technique.
At the mark of 100 years, I had already acquired 4 simple techniques.
Light Step, which reduces my own weight as well as the weight of anything I touch
Flash Step, Just a simple no flashy movement technique, Increasing my Leg Strength and Reducing my weight to travel like a wind, the Variation technique based on the principle of Light Step.
Sword Pressure, the most basic technique that is deadly if utilized properly, Using my Inner Ki I was able to slash at a really long distance.
Discharge, The Most Basic Usage of Ki that People Learns in Sword Universities around the age of 25 or so, But Here I was, Able to learn it after 100 years. The Usage is simple, Use Ki to send shockwave and send the opponent flying.
Mundane techniques, that anyone could learn after graduating the Universities, In Royal Sword University, the students can learn it during their time in classes.
There truly is such a vast difference between me and the so-called Geniuses
300 years later.
I am… a little tired.
Not physically, but rather mentally.
Repeating the same thing day after day.
Swing the sword, eat, sleep.
The same thing day in and day out for 300 years.
I was mentally fatigued of this life.
The other day, I took a walk around this world for a distraction.
I stepped out of the main gate.
And...
I was here, in the house yet again
!!!
What?
Again... same result
Again... same result yet again
Surprisingly, this place was only limited to the house.
In conclusion, this different world is nothing but a house itself.
I was lonely.
500 years later.
Lately, no matter what I eat, they all taste the same.
Meat, fish, and vegetables all taste the same.
It feels like chewing on a bland rubber.
I knew full well that my mind was deteriorating.
However, there is no means of getting out of this closed off-world.
With nowhere to voice my dissatisfaction, it grew day by day.
Even the bath doesn't have to be as large as it is.
Just having enough space to stretch my legs is plenty.
Same for the bed too.
Just having a mattress and a comforter should be enough.
I don't need such extravagant facilities.
I don't need them so – please give me a person.
I want to meet someone.
I want to talk to them.
I want to indulge with someone else other than my thoughts.
I wanted to interact with someone badly… That sort of feeling was welling up inside me.
「Mother… Are you well?」
700 years later.
Absolute loneliness.
Maddening loneliness.
I was about to break apart.
I wanted to slip out of here as soon as possible.
Hatred swelled up for the hermit of time who sent me into this hell.
「…that guy definitely knew」
How helpless and cruel this world was.
That's why he begged so desperately.
To make me push the button.
「…I will never forgive him」
With the desire for vengeance in my heart, I continued swinging my sword today too.
1000 years later.
I forgot why I was swinging the sword.
I probably had some sort of objective.
I think there was definitely a reason why I swung my sword so desperately all this while.
But I had forgotten what it was.
5000 years later.
I had a sudden thought.
「If I choose to commit suicide here… can I get out of this world?」
Such a simple thing.
I just have to thrust the sword in hand through my chest.
That is all it takes to escape this hell.
「I can end it… I can finally end this hell!