Only I Am A Reader

'Spatial Affinity?'

Similar to the 'Eternal Flame Enhancement' that took time before its eventual development, a new entry had suddenly made its way into Leo's Personal Talents column, taking him by surprise!

In the case of 'Eternal Flame Enhancement', it was just an additional attribute added to his True Internal Fire since he had absorbed a large quantity of the Phoenix's Internal Energy. Other than making his flames last longer, and deal slightly more damage, it wasn't that exaggerated of a buff.

Now, however, something with an even more exaggerated name like 'Spatial Affinity' had popped up just like that. Looking back at the recent time frame, there was only one way to explain its appearance.

'Did I still get something after all?'

As great as an Unrestrained Martial Artist was, something related to the control of space wasn't even something that a Profound Martial Artist could do, let alone an Unrestrained one.

If anything, this change could only be pinned down on the unknown variable which was the foreign otherworldly energy!

First and foremost, what made a Demon Lord a Demon Lord wasn't his unmatchable strength or unbound intelligence, it was their ability to shuttle between worlds, bringing destruction everywhere, and since that was the case…

'Did I inherit a part of the Demon Lord's spatial ability?'

Was it possible that he encountered a situation similar to that of a protagonist? Leo simply couldn't wrap his hands around this matter, but he was more than willing to accept something as overpowered as this!

'How… Would it work though?'

The first thing that came to mind was activation through thought, but no matter how much Leo thought about blinking a certain distance, be that a big or small one, nothing seemed to happen.

Diverting his attention to teleporting an object instead of himself also didn't seem to work. Opening a portal, hiding in spatial gaps, going back to his world… Simple or exaggerated, none of Leo's attempts managed to work either.

'Is it an even more disappointing dud?'

No matter how much he thought about it, Leo quickly accepted the fact that it was even more worthless than the 'Eternal Flame Enhancement'.

To begin with, the concept of 'Affinity' didn't appear to be an actual active ability, but more of a passive one. It could be something as simple as a slight improvement in freedom of movement, or it could be nothing at all!

'That's more like it at least.'

In reality, receiving something incredible would have only aroused Leo's suspicion in regard to his status. On the other hand, the fact that he didn't get everything, as a normal person should, made him feel more comfortable.

'Yeon can have it all.'

He had already experienced what it was like to be 'special' back at the Sword Continent when he discovered Arthur's identity, but where did that get him?

If he didn't already know most of the story's events, he would have only embarked on the hopeless path of a scapegoat. Being special didn't always prove good…

Main characters would always weather the storms brought by their uniqueness to grow stronger and more capable, but what were the unfavored side characters supposed to do?

"Ho?"

Up to this point, Yeon was busy checking herself out, trying to understand the deeper changes that took place alongside her ascension as a Martial Artist. However, seeing the rare melancholic gaze in Leo's eyes had directly snapped her out of it.

"Yeon? What is it like to inherit the Leader's powers? Do you…"

Although he was busy checking out his anomaly earlier, Leo had kept his eyes on Yeon as she was lost in thought, giving her the chance to pick herself up. After all, he could still remember her shaken mentality at the start of the process.

"...Still think that you are not up for it?"

The Yeon in the novel was always resolute, looking ahead with her sword ready to cleave whatever stood in her way, but the current Yeon was a little bit different than that.

Since he didn't let her experience all of the pain that she would have experienced, Yeon had grown up a little softer, and Leo understood the responsibility he held by interfering in this manner.

As such, it was all up to him to become the pillar that would support her and make up for what she lacked. At certain times, emotional support was worth much more than boundless strength.

"I… No. It might be just empty confidence, but all of the doubts that I had before we came here have all been cleared out throughout this process."

Forgetting why she had called out to Leo earlier, a steeled glint sparkled in Yeon's eyes as she contemplated her current standing.

While the process was just a simple power-up for Leo, she had experienced far more as its initiator. Not only did she receive the wills left behind by several generations of Heavenly Demons, but she could also be said to have inherited part of their life experience.

"I definitely am lacking compared to those that had been in my place, but just like you said. In the end, only I could fill up this role and I plan to fully embrace the perks that would come with it."

Although it was only like she had watched a few dozen fast-forwarded movies with certain highlights, Yeon had finally understood what it was like to be a 'Heavenly Demon'.

"At the very least, I will make sure that no one gets to hurt 'our' little world."

A Heavenly Demon was someone unbound by all rules, an entity that stuck to its own beliefs built upon what they held important, and for Yeon… Leo was the core to all of that.

'This might have gotten a little bit too complicated.'

Unlike some dense protagonist, Leo managed to understand a good part of the meaning hidden behind Yeon's words, but he simply didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Righ-"

However, just as Leo was about to force some words out of his throat, a few calm yet strong knocks landed on the chamber's doors.