Only I Am A Reader
chapter-178

Walking back from the large cave at the end of the tunnel, Leo didn't encounter either Yeon or the mischievous Blade Spirit. So he only left behind what he received other than his new clothing before visiting the waterfall once more.

'That's one step taken.'

Whisshhh..shhh…

As the freshwater splattered down on Leo's body, his mind cleared up even more. It had been over a year, and he seemed to have achieved a lot of things. In reality, however, everything that he had done till this point could barely count as moving forward from the starting point by one step.

This was merely the start, but his target was still far ahead. Just like Baekho and Yeon endured 5 years of suffering, the protagonist had his own share of suffering. Of course, that only remained to be the case till he received his cheat. Regardless of the nurturing he received, Leo knew that he would only die if he were to encounter the current protagonist in a hostile state.

'That should change a bit soon though…'

Just like his own experience as Arthur, Leo was a firm believer in only looking forward. The current him was still weak, but that remained debatable even one day later. However, just like it had the smallest direct impact, the first step was always the hardest! Once it was finally taken, not to mention walking, running, or even flying was possible!

"Not bad."

Staring at himself in the mirror after changing into his new attire, Leo half-praised himself. Now that his clothes complimented his ink-like hair, he was a step closer to the image of the man who stood beside the future Heavenly Demon. Having been used to it, Leo cut a part of his old robes' belt and tied his hair in a ponytail once more, it was time for a proper emergence!

With firm steps that hid away the signs of his exhaustion, Leo walked back only to find the door of the cave next to the big one opened. Some little perception enhancement through the use of Internal Energy was enough to tell him that there were people inside that one instead of his original destination, especially since no one tried to hide their presence, to begin with.

"Ohhh, not bad at all."

The first voice that made its way to his ears was Cheon Jeong's, she was sitting at a wide table in a seat opposite to Yeon's, looking at Leo like some sort of old lecher.

'Not bad indeed.'

Looking at the steaming hot plates on the seat next to Yeon, Leo ignored the weird Blade Spirit. He was curious about the last reward that he was supposed to receive, but it turned out to be a meal similar to the one that first phase survivors received. It seemed like Iyeolhan had more than noticed Leo's state very well.

"Mhm."

Yeon nodded as Leo sat down and started eating, starting her own meal as well. Leo wasn't sure if she was nodding at the food or her senior's words, but he decided to focus on the plates in front of him.

'I missed this.'

This was eating that wasn't like eating, every bite or spoonful would explode with both flavor and energy as it flowed past his throat. A meal like this tasted the best after breaking through one's limit with training, but it also suited his current state of exhaustion very well.

If Leo was to describe how it felt, it was like that special bowl of chicken soup that he drank when he had a cold. The only difference was that the feeling of warmth and recovery was momentary back on Earth, but now his body was recovering in real-time.

However, even in the middle of such a joyful meal, Leo couldn't help noticing a prominent difference. Unlike the usual effect where the energy rampaged throughout his body, disorderly recovering his internal and outer injuries, a new order was established. The energy was cycling throughout his body in a certain route, maximizing the restoration and equally distributing its content.

'Is this… 'Body of Accelerated Recovery'?'

Anyone else would also come to the conclusion that this was an effect brought by the new abilities he obtained, but Leo's guess wasn't that hazardous. Rather, he recognized that the flow route that the energy took to be alongside his Energy Channels! Undeniably, this had to be a change brought by his achievement!

Those who already condensed Internal Energy possessed the ability to regulate their energy to a certain extent, but Leo didn't even have to control that. Simply put, so many resources had been poured into his body that a single push from him gave birth to a new body function. From this point of view, it was likely that Yeon possessed a similar ability if not one superior to it.

"Why don't you join? It's not bad to eat something like this once in a while instead of those Grain Balls."

Leo's immersion in the actions taking place inside his body was broken by Cheon Jeong who appeared to be enjoying the meal even more than he was. Now that Leo took a look around, he noticed another set of plates a few seats away from them. He had already guessed it, but Iyeolhan had already sat down. Such a meal didn't have much effect on masters like them, but the flavor of the food was something that he couldn't deny missing.

The small talk between the two prompted Leo to take a quick glance at the little girl next to him. She still looked small even after a whole year had passed, but Leo's view on their relationship wasn't exactly the same.

'What do I mean to her…'

[ Plot Change has been detected. Unique Event occurrence has been detected. ]

[ The Reader's character has managed to push forward his emergence, current achievement level is remarkable. Slightly deviating from the dictated path. ]

[ You have received 49 Reading Points. ]

'And… What does she mean to me?'

[ Plot Change has been detected. Unique Event occurrence has been detected. ]

[ The Reader's character and The Secondary Main Character associated with him had achieved a simultaneous achievement. A new order had been set in play. ]

[ You have received 156 Reading Points. ]

The questions weighing on Leo's mind remained unanswered, but everything had already been entangled before he knew it…