A new day, a beautiful day.
Bologue stepped into a brief vacation. Although the vacation was only a few days, the feeling of having nothing to do was quite nice.
Climbing out of bed, the feeling of getting on track became clearer in his mind, but it was inevitably followed by a lingering cold sensation.
It hovered over Bologue’s head, always pricking his nerves at unexpected moments.
Fortunately, Bologue didn’t let his doubts about the Chess Player trouble him for long, treating them as his own wild thoughts. After all, he wasn’t even a Condenser yet and had no ability to enter the game.
First, he needed to become a Condenser. Thinking about these things now would only lead to pointless mental exhaustion.
Yawning, Bologue washed his face and brushed his teeth, emphasizing the point that, although a somewhat obsessive executioner, he still maintained a semblance of decorum. His razor scraped repeatedly across his cheeks, obstinately removing nonexistent stubble until everything was clean.
Standing before the mirror, Bologue gazed at his reflection, his hair unkempt, his sharp eyes hidden amidst it.
Slowly raising his hand, Bologue tried clenching his fist a few times, clearly feeling the fullness of his strength. Compared to before, there was no particularly significant improvement, but the strength was palpable.
Blueish light points flickered before his eyes, the mysterious power known as Soul Shards.
After raiding the Nom Clinic, Bologue had slain several Demons, extracting Soul Shards from their corpses. This unknown power wrapped around him, providing a significant amplification.
Nearly a year had passed since Bologue first came into contact with this strange power, during which time he could clearly feel the benefits the Soul Shards brought him, like a mysterious force vaguely circling around him.
Bologue recalled the intermittent surge of power during his battles, which made him swift and lethal... He now suspected that he had unconsciously grasped the Extreme Technique known as "Ethereal Amplification."
He wasn’t sure how other Condensers learned this Extreme Technique, but to Bologue, it seemed his ability to absorb Soul Shards had caused a large reserve of pure Ether to accumulate within his body, suppressing Bulimia Nervosa while also strengthening him.
With every fight, as he vented his rage, he released power, enhancing his strength to swing a heavier Hammer.
This way, everything seemed reasonable. Setting aside "Resurrection," Bologue was merely an ordinary person. Even with the assistance of Alchemy Armament · Shock Hammer, it was difficult to cause massive destruction.
But now, the more battles he fought, the more berserk power was granted to him.
Bologue began to look forward to what would come next.
Becoming a Condenser, possessing his own "Secret Energy," learning more Extreme Techniques, and bringing down fire upon villains.
After tidying himself up, dressing, and sitting on the sofa, Bologue glanced at the clock, turned on the radio, and counted one, two, three, and when he reached four, the sound of static crackled, accompanied by harsh music, and a male voice began.
"Hello, listeners! I’m Dudel, your loyal friend broadcasting twice a day. Welcome to this program!"
This was a music radio program named "Gray Mist, Industry, and Delicious Shrimp Crackers." Many of Bologue’s records were discovered through this radio station, but perhaps due to niche tastes, Dudel’s show wasn’t widely popular, airing only in the early morning and late night.
"Today’s new track for everyone is..."
A burst of song emanated from the radio, distorted and accompanied by some buzzing static, the sound quality quite poor, but it was considered decent to Bologue.
He hummed along, raising his hand to play with the sand table before him, reenacting past wars.
Looking down from above, one could see that the terrain inside the sand table bore some resemblance to the map of Opus, except this sand table lacked the city-spanning Great Rift, offering only vast plains and legions galloping upon those plains.
Legions came from all directions, their numbers as vast as a sea of sand, encircling the lone city in the center of the sand table, determined to destroy it by fire.
Bologue focused intently on all this, and in his trance, he could even hear the roaring sounds of fighting.
The sand table replicated an extremely famous battle, marking the final punctuation on modern history’s most frenzied and terrifying war.
That was a story from seventy-two years ago.
The southern Kagader Empire rose, devouring various nations and incorporating them into its massive territory. Just when it was about to reach the northern Rhine River Basin, the northern countries united to form the present-day Rhine Alliance to counter it.
Their fierce clashes drove the war into madness, dragging more and more countries down, eventually evolving into a world war known as "Scorched Earth Fury."
This war lasted six years, with smoke and fire encompassing the entire continent. After countless sacrifices, the two behemoths focused their final battlefield on a particular city-state.
The Holy City of King Solomon.
From the beginning to the end of the war, King Solomon maintained a stance of neutrality, viewing his city-state as the City of Scholars, where scholars would only record the war and not participate in it.