Where the Hell Had I Ended Up? Was This Still Fuyuki?

Just as Bai Mo stepped through the portal, Great Saber, who should have disappeared into the sea, stopped and turned back, his eyes fixed on the swirling portal that had just swallowed Bai Mo.

"Since you're already here, why hide? Do you miss those days of skulking around?"

With that, a powerful surge of blade aura erupted around the Great Blade Martial God, its force so fierce and overwhelming that it drove back the seawater. And that was merely its spillover. With a thought from the Great Blade Martial God, the energy transformed into a terrifying giant a thousand feet tall, which raised an Enlightenment and slashed at the portal.

"After all these years, this is how you treat an old acquaintance? How heartless."

Under the might of that terrifying strike, the person hiding in the portal finally revealed himself. He had powerful muscles and eyes that seemed capable of seeing through darkness, but more eye-catching still was the glowing cowlick sticking straight up from his head.

Facing Great Saber's incomparably terrifying strike, the man merely reached out with a finger to catch it. Had anyone else dared be so arrogant before the Great Blade Martial God's earth-shaking blow, Great Saber would probably have thought their skull was full of shit. But with this man, Great Saber knew perfectly well what would happen next.

Clink! The blade formed of solid energy dispersed, its residual force exploding outward. That residual force alone blasted the stone tablet that had once recorded the Avici Hell Blade into powder. If even the spillover could pulverize a tablet that took 990,000 horsepower to shatter, surely the person receiving the strike would either die or be wounded.

Not a chance. That slash could not even cut his finger, because he was Bai Wunan.

"Great Saber, have you been enjoying your little game of playing teacher?"

"Bai Wunan, what are you doing here?"

"Heh, nothing much. I was just curious about what you were doing. You clearly could have made him an unrivaled powerhouse in that time, yet you taught him those outdated things from the Martial God Era, while also giving him that thing. Hmm, the kid does have some talent, though. Anyone can see his complete realm is above thirty percent."

"Bai Wunan, since when did I need to explain myself to you?"

"Oh, how cold-blooded. Fine, if you don't want to chat, I won't keep kissing your cold ass. As for that kid..."

Bai Wunan paused and looked back at Great Saber, putting away the teasing look in his eyes.

"I changed his destination. Surely you won't mind, Great Saber?"

And Great Saber? He gave no response, merely turning and leaving, as though everything that had just happened was too trivial to care about. The other man, however, revealed a sinister, alluring smile.

"Bai Wunan, we're already dead. Stop thinking about wreaking havoc in other worlds."

"Really? Do you believe that yourself? By that logic, you should have killed him outright, yet you put so much effort into him. Great Saber, you've always refused to face your true self, even now that you're dead."

Then this world shattered apart... and dissipated.

Bai Mo, meanwhile, found everything within this strange vortex of energy quite novel. Fragments appeared from time to time amid the dazzling streams of light. Looking closely, he saw many things. He saw a beautiful woman dressed as a man draw a sword from a stone. He saw a spear-wielding hero driving a chariot shot dead. He saw flames engulf a holy maiden. He saw... the sea. Another sea.

The fragments in the flowing light stopped, leaving only the sea before him. Instinctively assuming this was the exit, Bai Mo stepped toward it.

"System, where is this?"

"Ding, Fuyuki. Didn't I tell you? Fuyuki, Japan, in the twenty-first century..."

The system's words cut off abruptly, because an extremely strange sight had appeared before them. He saw a harbor on the shore, but the ships docked there were all wooden sailing vessels. He saw people wearing linen clothes, some woven with ancient patterns. He saw people slaughtering tuna with the most primitive tools.

"You're telling me this is twenty-first-century Japan? Are you in your right mind?"

Yet the system did not respond. Bai Mo kept muttering that it had better not play dead on him, and while he was talking to himself, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, hey, if you're going to act crazy, don't crowd the roadside. Get out of the way!"

Bai Mo turned to see who it was, but the blade blank on his back slammed straight into the man's head. The heavy object nearly knocked the breath out of him and sent him collapsing unconscious to the ground.

"That hurt!"

"Ah, sorry."

"Damn it! What the hell is that thing? I thought it was made of wood, but it's actually iron?"

Bai Mo finally got a clear look at him. He had to admit the fellow was fairly good-looking, with dazzling blond hair and a reasonably sturdy build. However, a bump had swollen on his head where the sword hilt had just struck him. He wore a fine suit of armor, but strangely, he had only one sandal.

Wait, why can I understand him? Bai Mo thought. Stranger still, he realized he seemed instinctively inclined to reply in the same language.

"Ding, please don't find it strange. I simply modified your brain a little."

"Gah, you bastard! Just wait! When I become king, I'm issuing a decree banning everyone from carrying large weapons in the streets! Hey, are you listening?"

"Yes, I heard you. But before that, could you answer a question?"

"Huh? What are you babbling about all on your own? Still, I'm a kindhearted man. Since you're in trouble, I suppose I could hear you out."

"Well... where is this?"

Jason had expected that his journey to claim the throne would not be easy, but having made his decision, he could not turn back. What he had not expected was to encounter a whole string of bizarre incidents before even seeing the face of his wicked uncle Pelias. First, the old woman he had helped carry across the river turned out to be Hera, queen of the gods. Now this fellow before him seemed to have lost his memory, asking him where they were.

"This is Thessaly. You don't look like a vagabond, so why don't you even know what brought you to this land?"

At that moment, Bai Mo was screaming inwardly, cursing this goddamn system for being utterly inhuman. It had promised to send him to Fuyuki in Japan to fight some Holy Grail War. He had figured that, whatever else happened, it would at least be the modern era, and he would be able to communicate. Besides, he was a magnetic field powerhouse, after all. Though he was still small fry now, perhaps one day he could grow strong! But what the hell was this?

"System, if you're broken, just say so! Can you stop screwing around with me?"

Thessaly was a place Bai Mo knew quite well. Even before discovering Ocean Comics, he had been interested in mythology. Thessaly was precisely where the famous Argo Hero had originated. Wait, this fellow had said he would become king. Didn't that make him...?

Bai Mo looked down at the fellow's feet. Sure enough, he had only one sandal. The man before him was none other than the captain of the Argo Hero, the hero Jason.

The good news was that he had Magnetic Field Power. Generally speaking, in a world of ordinary people, he was unquestionably powerful.

The bad news was that this world had gods.

Seeing Bai Mo apparently standing there dumbstruck, Jason looked at him in bewilderment. But remembering that he still had important business to attend to, he decided to stop bothering with him and got up to leave. Meanwhile, Bai Mo kept thinking about what he should do now.

The Argo... Although he knew how the story would unfold, in a world with gods, knowing the future meant nothing without the power to change fate. Yet when a figure from mythology appeared before him, Bai Mo could not help feeling his heart surge.

At last, the system's familiar "ding" rang out.

"Ding, host, if you wish to return right now, the system lacks sufficient power."

"Insufficient? You must be joking. This is ancient Greece! Where am I supposed to get energy for you?"

"Ding, host, don't panic. It's precisely because this is ancient Greece that it's possible."

"Explain?"

"It's simple. There are gods here. You just need to find a way to get enough power from them."

Bai Mo swore that if he ever managed to drag the system out, he would shove it into a cave in the Amazon Rainforest that no detector could find and violate it for three whole months!

Some time later, the two had gone their separate ways.

While Bai Mo walked and thought, Jason had already reached his uncle's palace. Pelias looked at him with a headache. He had originally intended to cut out the problem at its root, yet this whelp had survived. Jason was the kingdom's rightful heir, but Pelias was no pushover. He would first pretend to placate the fellow, and afterward... Pelias was confident he had ten thousand ways to toy this inexperienced fool to death.

Bai Mo also reached the shore, treading on the sand. It was the sea all the same, but now he was like someone who had left home and ventured out into the world. Admittedly, this world was a little too vast for him. This was Greek mythology, with demigods everywhere and gods sporting in the heavens.

Bai Mo sighed and continued along the shore, only for something soft to coil around his foot.

Looking down, Bai Mo discovered a sea snake. An ordinary person would probably have panicked in this situation, but Bai Mo appeared completely unconcerned. He simply stopped, intending to wait for the snake to leave. Only someone with power could do such a thing, because he could easily shatter the snake with a jolt if he wanted. But the strong had the right to choose, the right to decide whether weaker lives lived or died.

And Bai Mo did not want blood to pollute the sea, nor did he want a creature that lived in it to die.

But this snake was somewhat strange. It wound around Bai Mo's leg, then slowly climbed up to his waist. Bai Mo frowned and prepared to throw it back into the sea, but just then, the snake suddenly spoke in a human voice.

"Young warrior, you seem lost."

Ah, the snake spoke. Though this is ancient Greece, so that hardly seems worth being surprised about.

"I am a little lost, but why do you call me a warrior?"

"I can sense your strong body, that power no weaker than a child of the gods, and the confusion in your heart. Warrior, if you do not know where to go, visit Athena's temple. The goddess Athena will grant you wisdom, art, and strength, so long as you offer your prayers."

Bai Mo gazed impassively at the snake, considering how to reply. He absolutely could not answer carelessly. The snake was Athena's symbol, and this one had immediately urged him to visit Athena's temple. Barring anything unexpected, Athena had probably sent it. Or, more alarmingly, this snake might be Athena herself in another form. As the goddess of wisdom, war, and art, Athena could indeed grant those things as she claimed. But at what price?

The gods of Greek mythology were no good sorts. Athena was probably doing this because she wanted something. Bai Mo pondered what he had that she could want. If anything, it seemed there was only the system. But the system was his sole chance of returning to modern life. Although that chance required taking a bolt of Zeus's lightning, it was still a chance.

But if I refuse her... refusing a goddess would definitely bring something terrible, wouldn't it? Having a goddess hold a grudge against you is far scarier than having a male god do it.

"I do not desire wisdom or strength. I believe that power gained through blessings may one day be reclaimed, and wisdom gained through blessings may one day leave me outmaneuvered. What could my prayers bring the goddess Athena? They would only leave me ashamed to accept her gifts for nothing."

Bai Mo was gambling that Athena would not behave like the other goddesses. After all, compared with those goddesses who handed down curses at the drop of a hat, Athena was relatively wise. As for the others... the gods in Greek mythology possessed more human nature, and human nature was unstable and prone to losing control.

The snake seemed to consider Bai Mo's words, then looked him in the eyes. Man and snake stared at each other in this strange fashion. After a while, the snake finally spoke slowly. "You are right. In that case, go accomplish great deeds. Visit Athena's temple, and Athena will bless you. Embark on an adventure bearing the goddess's blessing, and through the gods' trials, you will gain strength and wisdom. Then you, too, will have the right to proudly call yourself a retainer of Athena."

After that, the snake said no more, turning and heading onto land.