A flat, open area amid mountain forest. Surrounded by magnificent nature. The peaceful silence not found in big cities provided tranquility. Rina was brought by Jinyo to the Anonymous God's Sword Garden on the mountain behind the estate. In the blink of an eye upon stepping in, she could sense the difference between here and the entire world.
A small 10-acre plot of land. A garden cottage with one large tree. Barren ground with no roads cutting through. Far from all civilization. Little did anyone know it was invaluable beyond comparison. The faint spiritual energy flowing in the air had a concentration a hundred times greater than the outside world. Just breathing in and out was like having impurities in the respiratory tract cleansed.
Ryse and Gretel ran around exploring the empty area that didn't even have a single blade of grass yet. There was nothing to attract small children's attention, but they were happy to sit, breathe, and watch the clouds drifting by.
"I never knew the area behind the mountain had such a good place. I lived here for many years for nothing."
"Not at all. It just appeared last night."
"Just appeared? What a strange thing to say. Both the cottage and the soil preparation—if you didn't spend at least a month, there's no way it could be done. Are you saying it was conjured from thin air?"
"It seems the ancestors pitied me for being the last heir. So they sent an opportunity down from heaven to their descendants. No, actually, heaven is probably disgusted with me right now." Jinyo grabbed a wooden sword to show off. Focused his mind, spreading planar to coat the sword's surface, making it sharp. Rina's eyes twitched, alternating to look at his face. Something unbelievable had happened.
"Why can you use planar again? Did your injuries get better!?" Rina exclaimed loudly. Her face flushed hot and red. The Sword Spirit was weak—couldn't compare to other swordsmen. But when the person using it was Jinyo, for her it was an impossible miracle. A flame as small as candlelight would someday become a fire that burned cities to the ground. It was the beginning of a new life.
"Yesterday I bound with a strange system. But because I couldn't prove it, I didn't say anything. But now I can prove it. Both being able to use power again and this land that appeared with one click. Not just that. I also saw abnormalities in genetics. Both Ryse's and Gretel's."
"So that's why you made that face when looking at the kids. Both their health checkup results were normal. No complications or genetic diseases at all. Just by looking you can see things that the latest technology of this era can't find? That's just delusional nonsense. Laughable."
"No matter how delusional it seems, if it can be proven to exist, you have to accept it. That's the scientific principle I believe in. The power from this system might be science advanced beyond what people of our era can understand. But the fact that it gave me power is real."
"You speak quite befitting a doctor. If so, then help prove it so I'll believe. With the scientific principles you uphold." Rina furrowed her brow. Ruby-red eyes burning like flames. She stared into Jinyo's eyes. Like she was digging through everything in his head. Pressure emanated from the white sword attached to her left waist. If he couldn't prove it to her with her own eyes, Rina would draw her sword and strike him. Even if he was her son's father, there were no exceptions.
Rina is angry. It was appropriate that she was angry. If she accepted that the system's power was correct, it meant her son had a serious genetic disease. That's why Jinyo didn't tell her that he had seen Ryse's death with his own eyes. Even if he had to hurt her heart, he had to prove the facts. Persuade her to believe that Ryse and Gretel had problems.
"I got the power to see dominant genes and recessive genes of living things. Power values. planar scope and level. And the power to see flaws in combat techniques and abnormalities in the body."
"Just by looking you can tell? If so, then tell me how much planar I have. All my power stats. Even the government hasn't updated my database. Even if you search, you won't find the correct numbers. If you're off by even one digit, I'll kill you."
"Alright. I accept your challenge." Jinyo's eyes slowly changed to red. Invisible pressure threatened Rina. As if confronting a formidable enemy. Her being was bathed in saliva and thick tongue. Like being swallowed whole into a mouth. It was something disgusting and frightening. Her gaze slid down to her waist. Without knowing when, she had inadvertently placed her hand on the sword hilt.
"Rina Erindel. Level 51. planar scope General Tier 2. Number 241,699."
"Correct."
"Strength 555. planar Quality 614. Response 503. Mental Power 318. Intelligence 389. Charm 565." Jinyo stated every value he saw. His gaze watched the young woman's reaction. She stared back silently. But still hadn't drawn the sword from its sheath.
"You survived."
"Phew."
"What truly enviable, convenient power. Others have to queue all day at the office for inspection. You can see through everything completely in just a second. And not off by even a single digit. But this still isn't enough."
"Why isn't it enough? I told you every single number. I can tell you dominant and recessive genes too."
"Not necessary. Continue proving." If you're really sure, persuade me more. Her eyes said that.
"Rina really is Rina. Never changes at all." Jinyo laughed softly. If it were him, just having someone tell him all his stat numbers correctly, he'd be shocked beyond composure. But Rina's expression barely changed.
"I'll see flaws when fighting. Rina, please perform a movem—"
"Perfect timing." Rina drew her sword from its sheath and struck. Jinyo raised his thin arms, managing to block in time. She suddenly attacked without warning. The pressure lurking through the sword made his heart skip beats.
"What are you doing!"
"Come fight me, Jinyo."
"No way! How can I fight Rina?"
"I hate weak men. The ones who babble about not wanting to fight, I hate even more. If you're a real man, endure my sword for a hundred movements. Then you'll know every flaw in my swordsmanship. Examine me thoroughly. Like how you loved dissecting my techniques when we were young."
"The power doesn't work like that—agh!" Jinyo screamed when Rina's peach blossoms scattered throughout the Anonymous God's Sword Garden. Illusions created by planar. The pain as if being stabbed by hundreds of blades made his body unable to stop trembling. Jinyo focused his concentration on the sword blade until the sword became sharper.
Rina slowed her speed down to match Jinyo's power. A few minutes later, Jinyo lay gasping on the ground. Defeated, unable to handle even twenty movements. His face flushed when struck by the spell of Song of a Hundred Flowers. Rina leaned her face into Jinyo's vision, who still couldn't stop his heart from pounding. She who was already beautiful became even more magnificent in his eyes.
"Bullying the weak."
"I'm not apologizing. If you're really good, get strong enough to bully me back."
"Remember your own words." Jinyo sat up, opening the system window that had much more information than when fighting monsters.
[Song of a Hundred Flowers]
Training Difficulty: SS
Movement Efficiency: S
Magic Efficiency: A+
Proficiency: Grandmaster Level 99
Flaws: 11 points
Abnormal Status: [Chronic Meridian Injury 2 black stars] [Bone Chill 1 black star] [Weak Liver 0.5 black stars] [Muscle Tears 6 locations]
"Rina... you have a meridian injury?" Meridian injuries were very serious for power users. Especially if chronic, it meant it had been there a very long time. Must have gone through brutal battles. The body bearing heavy damage. Especially for women, the symptoms were worse than for men.
"..." Rina froze when she heard his words. Beneath the intimidating-looking black cloak was hiding a body full of countless wounds from countless battles.
"Injured this severely and you still want to go to Zone 86? Your condition should retire yourself already."
"That's overreacting. Just this level of injury."
"Not at all. It's a chronic injury. If you die, what will Gretel do?"
"Then heal me. If you can heal me, I'll agree to believe in your delusional system."
"You... why don't you love yourself like this? Don't you think about your child at all? You didn't report your injuries to higher-ups, did you? That's why they let you go."
"You have no right to meddle in my life, Jinyo. We're not anything more to each other." Rina began raising her voice at the young man who was crossing the boundaries she had set. Her fierce tone clearly drew the line of relationship between the two. It was both cold and cut deep into the listener's heart. The gaze looking at her softened. Only pain remained.
"Do you remember how I lost my mother? It's true I'm not anything to Rina. But I don't want my children to be like me. Gretel is still too young. He can't live without you."
"I... I'm sorry." Rina spoke softly when she realized her temper was too harsh. The more Jinyo showed pain, the more the hole in her chest became hollow.
"It's okay. I know. I'll do something about it myself. So I can send you off with peace of mind."
"Healing injured meridians in one month—even professional doctors can't do that."
"If the system is technology more advanced than we currently understand, proving facts is my duty. And you are the test subject in the research topic of whether the system truly exists." Jinyo uttered words strung together in sentences packed with his essence. No matter how stubborn Rina was, his duty was to prove until he could persuade her to believe. No matter what method he had to use or how many times he had to do it.
A cool breeze blew through the two figures. Rina opened her mouth slightly, exhaling a long breath. Turned her face to look at the cottage where the children were sheltering from the sun, playing on mobile phones, oblivious. They had no idea how much their father and mother were dedicating themselves for them. But it might be good that they were still innocent and in their own world.
"Never mind then."
"Why?"
"Even if you understand the role as a child, you don't seem to have the heart of a parent at all. No mother can be at peace knowing her child won't live long. Proving it wasn't necessary from the start. I was just looking for an excuse that it was wrong. That's all."
"Rina..."
"Will Gretel and Ryse die, Jinyo? Don't you dare lie to me." Rina pressed urgently. Jinyo didn't know what expression the young woman had right now, but there was one sentence he had to speak. Whether it was truth or a lie.
"As long as I'm alive, they won't die."
Jinyo returned to his study. On the whiteboard was written in magic marker:
[Topic]
[Change Rina's sword proficiency to King tier + Heal chronic meridian injury]
Technique proficiency levels went from Basic, Common, Expert, Grandmaster, King, Emperor, and finally Immortal.
Currently Rina was at Grandmaster tier, Level 99. Just a bit more and she'd be Level 100, the highest level in Grandmaster tier. Becoming a Grandmaster at age 28 was unbelievable. Relying on overwhelming talent and fortune. The result was severe injuries that affected lifespan. Everyone wanted a long life. Some people didn't have the right to choose how to live.
If he wanted to increase Rina's survival chances, he had to change her technique proficiency from Grandmaster to King. Remove weaknesses that affected life like chronic meridian injuries. Jinyo himself still didn't fully understand the system's power. Rina was the test subject helping test how powerful it was.
All 11 flaws were written down on paper. Copied from the system window exactly every sentence. Except for line drawings that he lacked artistic expertise to copy. He taped them onto the paper. Finally was the matter of treatment. Jinyo picked up the Nature Synthesis Technique scroll and opened it. The second chapter's content had profound knowledge about meridians far beyond current medical knowledge.
Current medical technology could examine the human body completely. But knowledge about meridians used to drive planar was still new, not discovered long ago. Meridians used to drive planar connected from one organ to another differently from normal humans. The higher the power level, the more complex. The amount of data that could be collected wasn't much.
Jinyo himself still couldn't prove the content in the second chapter because he'd never used it in practice. Treating Rina was a path to prove knowledge advanced beyond humanity by hundreds of years.
"I will help you. Because you're important to me."