'I might have misheard him. Yeah… that must be it.'
Arlo cleaned his ears with his pinky and then eyed Roy again.
"I didn't quite get you what you said just then. Care to repeat yourself?"
According to Arlo, there was no way a sane person would think of removing the second limiter right after removing the first.
Heck, he hadn't done it himself.
No one in the empire had
However, Roy was hardly sane.
He was torn by a beast and then eaten to death back on Earth.
A person who dies so miserably is bound to have a few loose screws in his head.
Roy was no different.
Only after dying did he realize how valuable life was.
How could he give up on it again and not do his best to survive the upcoming doomsday?
Survive, survive, survive that was the only thought in his mind.
To realize his goal, he needed to slay Chaos.
And… to do that power, he needed unmatched power!
That couldn't be obtained without suffering every now and then.
He was well aware of that fact.
Furthermore, he was pressed by his system to accomplish the impossible.
He had no say in this matter.
"I'll break the second chain limiting me in half a fucking day! I promise that on my name!"
Roy walked away from the carriage with determined steps and got into a running position as he exclaimed that heroically.
"You're playing with your life! There has never been a person who removed two of their limiters before awakening. Do you know why?" Arlo's expression hardened, and he revealed, "Everyone who tried this stunt died. Unless the help of Chaos is obtained, it's not possible for an unawakened to remove their second limiter. Don't do this. It's humanly impossible. And there's a high risk of dying."
Three heads were poking out of the carriage through the window and looking at them. Arlo and Roy's back and forth exchange didn't go unheard by them. Arlo looked like he was about to rush up to Roy and knock him out. Roy stepped back and signaled him to stop.
"Did you forget what my goals are?" Roy beamed, "I want to become the strongest man alive. I will fulfill my dream even if I have to make the impossible possible!"
Hearing his words, Arlo stopped in the middle of his steps. Who was he to stop a determined man from walking a path that he dared not tread, fearing for his life?
"Let me ask you just this, are you just trying to be a big mouth, or are you seriously planning to accomplish this colossal feat?"
A fierce gust blew between the uncle and nephew, raising dust.
Their eyes met.
The intensity at which the rain fell increased.
Droplets of water tried to make it hard for them to see each other's expressions, but Roy could clearly see that Arlo was willing to hear him out, and Arlo could see a look of endless determination on Roy's face.
"I am! And I will! I wasn't confident about doing it before. But now that I have the advanced-grade recovery potions, I believe I can." Roy said confidently.
"If you really do it, you will be creating history! This will bring unprecedented glory to the Baldwins! Our ancestors in heaven will feel honored to have a descendant like you! They might roll in their graves out of excitement! Hahaha! You crazy bastard, you've my full support."
Arlo threw another storage ring full of potions toward Roy. There were a thousand low-grade potions, 500 medium-grade potions, and 100 advanced-grade potions inside. All potions were of the same category. They healed wounds.
"If you fall short on the potions, let me know. I will pass some of mine to you."
Instead of being the man who tells others that they can't do this and that because he himself had never tried or failed to, Arlo decided to be the person who gives others a big pat on the back and support them in accomplishing their seemingly impossible dreams.
Amelia waved at Roy. "Good luck in whatever you are about to do, master!"
Julian gave him two thumbs up. "My friend, we'll cheer for you along the way!"
"Don't give up, my lord. Since you've decided to accomplish an impossible feat, see it to the very end!"
Delilah winked at him seductively.
"I will let you touch my breasts for three whole minutes if you succeed."
Roy got a boner. What she was offering him was too much. It was now impossible for him not to succeed.
"I thank you all for encouraging me! You've my thanks."
"Good luck, maddest brat of the Baldwins!"
Arlo patted his shoulder encouragingly before entering the carriage.
Mentally communicating with the horses was all that he needed to make them move the magically enforced carriage at a speed of 50 miles per hour.
"Let's do this."
Roy smiled, swept the water gathered on his thick and long eyelashes by blinking his eyes, and bolted after the carriage.
『You've activated the Limit Breaker Technique!』
『You've activated the Manual of Shadow!』
『The effects of the two techniques fused in your blood vessels, resulting in the creation of black lightning that spreads all over your body, tempering it!』
"Argh!" This was the roar of a true masochist that loved pain to the point where he feared not death.
『Your second limiter has become slightly loosened!』
『You were nearly electrocuted to death!』
『Your HP has dropped considerably!』
『Your resistance against black lightning has increased to 2%!』
Even though he was wounded from head to toe, Roy didn't stop running like a ferocious wolf.
He took out a golden red colored potion and drank it.
『You drank an advanced-grade potion!』
『You have recovered your lost HP Bar!』
『You are brimming with energy! Your stamina has been restored to the maximum! Keep on running! And keep on tempering your body with black-colored electricity!』
...
『You were nearly electrocuted to death!』
...
...
...
『Considerable numbers of cracks have appeared on your second limiter』
...
...
...
『You drank an advanced-grade potion!』
『All your wounds have healed!』
Every ten steps, Roy would feel an almighty electric current of the same color as the veil of the night ravaging him from head to toe, leaving him scarred and mentally and physically drained.
But each time that happened, he would drink a bitter potion, grit his teeth and chase after the carriage.
He never let it become a blurry figure in his vision.
It was the only thing keeping him going.
He always kept it in his sight, believing that the sacrifices he was making today would help him save his life and the lives of the people in the carriage two years later when Chaos wages war against the empire.
Just like that, three hours went by.
After Roy had covered a distance of 150 miles in a similar masochist fashion, the system's notifications rang in his mind.
『You are close to removing your second limiter!』
『Your resistance against black lightning has increased to 50%!』
He was feeling absolutely fucked up.
The desire to stop and rest was haunting him.
The potions could heal his wounds. But that didn't mean he hadn't felt the pain of being electrocuted thousands of times already. Going through all that pain made him feel like shitting himself.
If he made his story public and proclaimed himself the King of Masochist, not a single person in this universe or the universes beyond would stand up to find trouble with him.
He deserved to be called that!
Sleep?
Rest?
Close my eyes?!
Place my bum on the road?
All that feels like a luxury to me now!
"No, I can't do any of that! All my efforts so far will go to waste if I do. I need to see this quest to the very bitter end and complete it in order to get what I really want - an absolute upper hand against everyone in Far West!"
While running after the carriage, Roy drank another potion.
He could no longer tell what it tasted like because he had drank it too many times.
But his wounds were healed, and he was able to run without feeling pained.
Three hours later, the carriage came to a stop right before the outskirts of the cold icy land.
Multiple people jumped out of it and turned around to look into the endlessly spanning darkness behind them.
Clouds of mist devoured whatever light the moon shed to illuminate this part of the Far West.
There weren't any lamps to brighten the road either.
This road's only companions were darkness and silence.
But sounds of powerful footsteps emerged not long after, reaching their ears.
And then... a figure bursts out of the misty road, entering their eyes.
At first glance, this person looked like a beggar who was beaten up badly for stealing food from roadside stalls. But if one were to take a closer look at him, they would feel awed by the profoundness in his eyes that dared to hold fate in disdain.
Looking at him, Amelia and Delilah cheered up.
"He has done it!"
"He succeeded in accomplishing whatever he set out to do!"
Roy could be seen stopping just seven steps behind the carriage.
The system's notification rang in his mind.
And… A smile blossomed on his face.
『Ding! Congratulations on permanently removing your second limiter!』
