Chapter 3: Two bodies, One Soul

So, it seems getting hit by a vehicle is a necessary step to obtaining a golden finger—even if it wasn't a dump truck.

Just kidding!

"But usually, protagonists who have such miraculous encounters end up transmigrating... Well, I guess this technically counts as transmigrating, but why didn't my main body transmigrate?"

The overlapping voices came from two distinct sources. The two owners of those voices stared at each other.

Soul Completion had pushed Bai Qi's soul power beyond a certain limit, granting him partial understanding of the Mysterious Space and the full context of the situation.

First, the true nature of the Mysterious Space remained unknown—its origins, purpose, and lifespan all shrouded in mystery.

The only certainty was that this space existed in higher dimensions, beyond the comprehension of human perception and intelligence.

Second, the central core of the Mysterious Space was currently lodged within Bai Qi's soul.

He hadn't merely been hit by a vehicle; he had been struck—literally—by the Mysterious Space itself!

And it was a literal one-shot hit to the soul!

As the Mysterious Space invaded Bai Qi's soul, his soul was replicated countless times. These soul fragments then dispersed from the Mysterious Space into countless universes across the Multiverse.

Bai Qi understood immediately!

This was clearly a script written by some proctologist!

But then another question arose.

But then another question arose.

"Shouldn't the symptoms be different?"

Bai Qi's words overlapped perfectly with the young girl's clear, ethereal voice.

Bai Qi gazed intently at the girl's flawless, smooth-like body. Focusing his thoughts, a pitch-black dress materialized around her figure, completely obscuring the breathtaking view.

A black-and-white checkered headscarf covered the Crystal on her smooth forehead.

This was getting dangerous!

The girl took a light breath, trying to calm the burning, complex emotions churning within her.

It was obvious now: the girl and Bai Qi were one and the same—completely, utterly, and absolutely one!

What was going on?

Bai Qi and the Blue-Haired Girl raised their eyebrows in confusion. Then, they continued absorbing information extracted from the Mysterious Space, hoping to find answers in the data.

Fortunately, he quickly discovered the cause.

After the Mysterious Space had replicated his soul countless times, it had infused the remaining 'kinetic energy' into his Origin Soul, shattering parts of it.

Bai Qi had no idea how many copies of his soul had been created, but he estimated there were roughly two or three fragments of his Origin Soul.

These "Origin Souls," along with the replicated souls, scattered throughout the Multiverse. One of them entered a particular world and, guided by its mechanisms, found its way into the womb of a pregnant woman.

And so, the young girl was born.

Since the dawn of the Cosmos, it has been in a state of perpetual division. Given its virtually infinite scope, every world depicted in human fiction—from movies and anime to novels—is not merely possible, but certain to exist!

If you give enough monkeys enough typewriters, they'll eventually produce the complete works of Shakespeare!

Therefore, Bai Qi found it unsurprising that his world had a corresponding fictional work in the real world.

Elemental Gelade, a classic anime Bai Qi had been meaning to watch.

(TL Note: I have never heard of this so forgive me if terms are incorrect.)

In some distant world lived a people as mysterious as dreams, their voices as gentle as celestial melodies, their power as legendary as ancient tales, their hearts as pure as angels, and their beauty as exquisite as poetry.

Longing for the sky, reaching for the sky...

Mysterious yet beautiful, pure yet gentle, powerful yet fragile—they were the Weapon Tribe, the Edel Raid!

Edel Raids, or Holy War Angels, are virtually indistinguishable from humans in appearance. The only way to identify them is by their Elemental Gelade, a luminous cyan crystal that shimmers on their foreheads.

The Elemental Gelade is essentially the Edel Raid's life force, akin to a human heart.

Depending on their tribe, the color, position, and even shape of the Elemental Gelade can vary.

Through Synchronization, a process of merging with a human partner, an Edel Raid transforms into their ultimate weapon form, fighting alongside their human companion.

Typically, an Edel Raid can only synchronize with one human at a time. The bond remains unbroken until either partner's lifespan ends or the Edel Raid's Elemental Gelade is destroyed.

Among the Edel Raids, seven noble and powerful tribes are revered as royalty within their race. They are known as the Seven Glittering Jewels.

Over countless eons, the Seven Glittering Jewels have grown increasingly rare. Some have vanished entirely, while others have retreated into seclusion, gradually fading into myth. Then, a young girl suddenly appeared.

Even among the Seven Glittering Jewels, the Metherlence clan ranks among the most prominent. Their ultimate descendant, her name is...

"Reverie Metherlence."

Otherwise known as Ren.

Gazing at the dreamlike young girl before him, whose beauty resembled a jade sculpture, Bai Qi couldn't help but whisper her name aloud.

"Can we synchronize?" Ren asked, offering Bai Qi her delicate, jade-like hand.

He gently took it, the soft, supple texture against his palm utterly captivating. He couldn't bear to let go.

He could clearly sense the terrifying power contained within the Elemental Gelade. His eyes widened in surprise. "It's actually possible?!"

When an Edel Raid synchronizes with a human, their power primarily depends on two factors.

The first is the Edel Raid's own bloodline. Ren, as the final scion of the Metherlence clan, the clan of Wind, could be considered the strongest wind-type Edel Raid in the world.

The second, and more critical factor, is the level of intimacy between the Edel Raid and their Covenant Partner.

Even with an extraordinary bloodline, an Edel Raid cannot fully unleash her power if her bond with her Covenant Partner is weak. If the intimacy falls too low, the Synchronization will automatically dissolve.

Conversely, if the two share a profound spiritual resonance, not only can the Edel Raid surpass the limitations of her bloodline, but they might even awaken legendary miracle powers that defy all expectations.

This realm existed only in legend because, throughout the history of the world, only the first Edel Raid and her Covenant Partner had ever reached it.

Yet Bai Qi and Ren had achieved Synchronization... with themselves!

What need was there for mental resonance?

Their baseline was others' ceiling; they could effortlessly wield the ultimate Bloodline Power of the Seven Glittering Jewels!

But now there was a new problem...

"We're not even in the same world!" Bai Qi and Ren groaned in perfect unison, pinching their temples in exasperation.

What good was achieving Synchronization in this Mysterious Space if they couldn't even use it?

"How do we... wait!"

After Ren's soul returned, Bai Qi's Soul Power had grown at least threefold. When he once again probed the Mysterious Space with his enhanced power, the feedback left him utterly astonished.

The Mysterious Space possessed the ability to traverse worlds!

Any living being or object smaller than Bai Qi's "volume" could pass through the Mysterious Space Nexus and travel between worlds.

The average human volume is about 0.06 cubic meters—but that's calculated by compressing the body into a bloody pulp.

Meanwhile, the Mysterious Space's gateway was shaped like Bai Qi's "figure."

Although Ren was nearly 500 years old, she looked like a 14- or 15-year-old girl, easily small enough to fit through the passage shaped like Bai Qi's physique.

Normally, when a 500-year-old soul merges with a 25-year-old soul—even if the latter is an Origin Soul—the resulting individual's cognition and personality would lean toward the older soul's.

However, Ren's 500 years were almost entirely spent in slumber; she had slept for 485 of them! Moreover, since her soul originated from a fragment of Bai Qi's own, her personality differed from the original story, retaining traces of his traits.

Most importantly, the Mysterious Space Nexus had shielded Bai Qi from mental intrusions, preserving his Soul Algorithm—what others might call his personality and identity.

Processing the information flooding his mind, Bai Qi's grin widened uncontrollably.

This was the true meaning of the "Noble Assistance" divination sign!

The noble benefactor was none other than himself!

An overwhelming surge of exhilaration coursed through him. Bai Qi exchanged a glance with Ren, and their figures vanished from the spot in rapid succession.

Her butterfly-wing eyelashes fluttered gently as the young girl, sleeping like a princess in a fairy tale, slowly opened her eyes. But all she saw was pitch-black darkness.

She blinked adorably, then wrinkled her delicate nose, feeling completely stifled yet somehow managing to breathe.

Instinctively, Ren sat up straight.

Thud!

"Ah! That hurts!"

Clutching her throbbing forehead, now marked with a red welt, Ren kicked violently upward. Brilliant sunlight pierced the darkness, causing her eyes—which hadn't seen the sun in centuries—to squint.

The bizarre sensation of the Dual Body Spirit mechanism left Ren momentarily disoriented.

It felt as if someone who had grown up with only one hand, one leg, and one eye had suddenly become a complete person with two of each. The difference in the ease of familiar movements was staggering.

Ultimately, it was still "herself," so Ren quickly adapted to her new state. Yet the bewildered expression on her porcelain face lingered.

What the hell? Where's my house?

How could my entire mansion just vanish?

Her cute face scrunched up in confusion as she tried to recall what had happened before she fell asleep.

Ugh, I must have slept for too long and forgotten!

Whatever, I don't care!

Ren climbed out of the sleeping coffin emblazoned with the emblem of the Seven Glittering Jewels and surveyed her surroundings.

The room resembled a storage area, with wooden crates stacked haphazardly. Inside...

"Holy crap!" Ren exclaimed, her outburst utterly incongruous with her super-cute appearance.

The crates overflowed with gleaming gold coins, sparkling crystals, and an assortment of weapons—short swords, daggers, spears, and more.

Ren realized this wasn't a storage room at all; it was a treasure vault!

Of course, she was one of the world's top Edel Raids, arguably the most valuable treasure on Earth. Who would store such a treasure in a dusty storeroom?

Even without knowing Ren's identity, the peacock malachite-inlaid silver-gray sleeping coffin alone hinted at the priceless treasure it contained.

Though Ren had grown up in the isolated Edel Raid Village, she possessed a basic understanding of the outside world.

Such a disorganized treasure vault typically belonged to a band of thieves.

Like the pirate crews in One Piece, some treasure-hunting groups might lean toward adventurism, but most were vicious and ruthless bandits.

In her un-Synchronized state, an Edel Raid possessed no special abilities, merely a physique slightly superior to humans.

This alone wouldn't be enough for Ren to escape the armed Treasure Raiders.

She couldn't gamble on whether anyone would recognize her as one of the Seven Glittering Jewels, so...

Ren took some gold coins and gems from the wooden chest, selected two well-crafted longswords with appealing designs, and lay back down in her sleeping coffin, closing the lid.

If the gold coins were high-purity gold, Bai Qi could make a small profit.

But if it wasn't gold at all, but a metal unknown on Earth, then...