Understanding Inner Ability

"Young Master!"

Bertio jolted slightly at the shout from his servant, who seemed to have misunderstood what had just transpired.

"Young Master, what just happened?"

After barging in without permission, perhaps out of panic, the servant examined Bertio with concern, occasionally glancing at the door that bore a deep, horizontal sword slash.

"W-why is there a sword slash on the door? Or perhaps, has someone attacked the Young Master here?!"

The Devourer Card reverted to its original form, and Bertio stashed it away before allowing the servant to enter. He was a bit annoyed at being disturbed just as he had achieved something that, to him, could alter his bleak destiny. However, he did instruct the servant to bring the clothes he would wear tomorrow, and he understood, even though the servant entered without permission.

"Is Young Master alright?"

"Don't worry."

Several pairs of clothes were laid out on the bed after the servant received instructions from Bertio. Normally, he didn't care about his appearance. But this time, for some reason, he felt the need to present his best look. Of course, he couldn't let someone else choose his attire.

"You can leave."

"But-"

"Go. I can choose my own clothes."

It wasn't that Bertio underestimated his servant's ability to pick clothes; he just didn't trust servants ordered to assist in his daily life.

For the past few years, since realizing that having a servant only made one more vulnerable to scrutiny, he no longer had a personal servant. The servant he ordered to fetch his clothes was just a common servant who roamed around his residence.

Bertio intended to choose his clothes on his own, but he was unsure of his best appearance, relying solely on personal opinions.

"Hmm, this might be good," he mused, gazing at himself in the mirror, only to shake his head. "No, the color doesn't quite match. Or maybe this one."

It took Bertio half an hour to decide which clothes he would wear the next day. His eyes were a little tired, but his curiosity about the old book absorbed by his inherent abilities outweighed his drowsiness.

Since discovering that the Devourer Card could transform into an absorbed object, Bertio felt the emergence of new organs in his body, like another mysterious hand. He could sense it, and now he wanted to understand the changes in his body. The feeling originated from the old book that had now merged with his inner ability.

Bertio became increasingly convinced that the recent sensations he experienced stemmed from the absorption of objects by the Devourer Card. When he controlled the Devourer Card to absorb a sword as an experiment, he could feel the addition of a new body part, just like how he sensed the presence of the old book in his body.

Perhaps, tomorrow, he would be a bit tired, but he couldn't resist examining what had changed in his body. An old book appeared in his hands. This time, Bertio wanted to comprehend the book more, not just by reading its contents. There are many factors that determine how one can move. However, Bertio couldn't find anything that could make the book open according to his desire.

How could a book move without a driving mechanism?

"Nothing is impossible with magic. Unfortunately, I can't use magical energy because of my inner ability. Maybe with magic, I would find it easier to just open a page in the book."

Bertio flipped through page after page without revealing any of the book's content. His mind was more focused on the feelings within him, but he couldn't reach them at all. It was like a heartbeat that never stopped; he could only feel it in his chest, and yet, his heart couldn't be touched.

"Ah," Bertio, rubbing his chin in deep thought, started to relax his facial expression. "Right. That's true. Why should I move the book when the book itself serves a different function than a hand?"

Hands can be moved and can move something. During meals, spoons or food couldn't possibly come to the mouth by themselves; that's where the role of hands came in. Similarly, with legs, which are used for walking or changing locations. Eyes, another organ in the body, have the primary function of seeing. Bertio saw the functional comparison of his body organs as a reference that a book, now a part of him, shouldn't be forced to perform an impossible role.

Can someone climb a tree using their ears, which have the primary role as hearing aids?

"So, what is the role of a book?"

A lot can be done with a book. It can be a tool for storing memories, a repository of knowledge, a confidant for pouring out one's feelings, entertainment containing intriguing stories, and much more.

"For a book filled with writing, it means storing a wealth of information. This book should be someone's record; maybe I can find out what's written inside?"

After concentrating with closed eyes for a few minutes, attempting to understand the content of the book, Bertio did not get the expected results. Whether it was unsuccessful or his assumption about the function of the book he absorbed was wrong, he chose not to stop trying.

It wasn't a total failure. Bertio felt he had slightly better understanding of the old book. The closer he got, the more he tried to fathom the book's interior.

In the evening, one's mind can become wild. With an imagination that improved, Bertio began to cease understanding the old book in his hands while thinking of something else.

Feeling played by fate, he thought of becoming strong. Even though he gained new insights into his inner ability, it wasn't enough. He had to be strong, both physically and in inner ability, and of course, techniques that could be used in combat.

Then, as if responding to Bertio's long-suppressed deepest desire, the old book in his hands glowed brightly before flipping its pages on its own.

Bertio, reading the contents of the open page, found a new hope.

For Bertio, unfamiliar with martial arts, the words written in the book were easily understood. Strangely, both the writing and the language were not familiar to him; he had never seen the letters written in the book. He only realized this difference after reading its contents for quite some time.

Bertio had only read a few pages of the content, but being impatient, he chose to practice it immediately to prove the validity of the book's teachings. After sitting cross-legged on the bed, Bertio regulated his breath. His position was not specifically defined, but he felt comfortable.

"Okay. I just need to clear my mind first. It says, inhale deeply, hold for five seconds, then exhale slowly, and hold the breath again for ten seconds. That's quite simple."

According to the book, this breath regulation method could quickly clear the mind. Bertio had to do it until successful. Only after successfully doing it, he could proceed to the next phase of training. This training was called the Surreal Tempering Method, like entering a virtual world existing only in the mind of those who practiced it.

It had only been a few minutes since Bertio began the training, but sweat had soaked his entire body. He seemed oblivious, as his eyelids showed no sign of opening.

As the book stated, Bertio, following its training method, could unlock the hidden world within himself. For him, it felt like he had been practicing in a virtual world for hours, while, unbeknownst to him, only an hour had passed since he started the Surreal Tempering Method.

In that virtual world, he kept repeating the same movements he had just read in the book. He regretted rushing into the virtual world, which had experienced difficulty trying to clear his mind, so only a small part of the basic technique made him continue practicing. It would be a shame to stop now, or he would choose to sleep once he exited.

While still performing the movements, a sudden dark shadow moved towards him, as if it would slit his throat with a short, sharp object. Bertio quickly drew the sword from the Devourer Card and parried the attack aimed at taking his life.

The resounding metal sound indicated that the shadow was not just a hallucination.

In the same position as when Bertio was still in the virtual world, he did the same in the real world. As he suspected, someone was attacking him discreetly. The person was now right in front, dressed all in black, holding a dagger.

"Who?"

Without responding, the assassin swiftly arced to the side to thrust her dagger into Bertio's neck. Her movements were fast, especially with her black attire and the slightly dim room atmosphere; not many people could see her clearly. However, again and again, her attacks failed to land on the target.

Bertio, who managed to hold off the assassin's attack by gripping her slender wrist, didn't let go easily. Bertio's hand that deftly held off the attack secured her wrist at the back, and his other hand pressed the front of her neck using the back of his forearm. Then, he slammed the opponent backward, pushing her with all his strength onto the bed with him on top.

Curly and long eyelashes, beautiful green eyes that shone under the moonlight even though they trembled as they stared at him, the soft texture of the skin on her upper face just by looking at it, and the long disheveled blonde hair on her neck—Bertio could easily guess who intended to take his life.

Bertio didn't know her full identity; all he knew was that the assassin was a woman.

"I'll ask again, who are you?"

The cold, chilling voice resonated through his heart. The assassin bit her lower lip, her eyebrows drawing closer, forming subtle wrinkles in the middle. The information she had received was clearly mistaken. Contrarily, Bertio, supposedly inept in various aspects, possessed the ability to protect himself.

"S-sorry."

After all, she carried out the assassination plan out of necessity. The assassin, a woman, teared up, suppressing her cries while continuously apologizing.

"Please, forgive me, Young Master Bertio."

Her voice trembled, making her words less clear.

"You know my identity, yet you still have the audacity to try to kill me?"

Bertio maintained a cold tone, while the lower arm pressing against the woman's throat, who had almost taken his life, softened slightly.

Hearing Bertio's sarcastic question, the woman dared to look directly into the pair of brown eyes in front of her. Strangely, the gaze of those eyes gave her a sense of courage. Maybe she could rely on him, she thought, considering whether she should silently rebel against the young man.

"I sincerely apologize. I had no other choice but to do it."

"Hm," Bertio slowly released his grip. Despite having just undergone the Surreal Tempering Method training, he gained enough confidence to protect himself from the woman tasked with taking his life. He sat down and said, "Tell me everything you need to tell me. Maybe I'll let you go if I'm satisfied."

The assassin sat facing Bertio with her head bowed. After considering everything, she thought there was no harm in trying. Perhaps, everything would get better if she chose the right person. There was no guarantee Rainautz would truly free her family even if she succeeded.

Why not take a middle ground instead?

They would focus on facing each other, while she could take advantage of the opportunity to save her family, she thought. After a brief silence, she no longer hesitated to disclose everything to Bertio.

As suspected, those who sent someone to eliminate him were the ones behind it. Moreover, Bertio had no blood relation to them, so it wasn't surprising that she appeared as an obstacle to them.

However, after hearing everything, Bertio got an idea and even thanked them.

"Hey, want to collaborate with me?"