Drift Of The Multiverse: [Marvel] [Resident Evil] [DC] [Bleach] [DB]

Img Ethan

Img Arthur

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Before Arthur arrived in this world, Merlin had given him a collection of items, an assortment of oddities that seemed to lack rhyme or reason. Without guidance, they were a puzzle waiting to be solved.

If it hadn't been for the frustration caused by Keno's escape, Ethan might not have thought to finally sift through those items. And without that effort, he wouldn't have discovered something hidden among the collection: a small, seemingly insignificant piece of metal that turned out to be exactly what they needed to solve Arthur's language problem.

The talisman was so ordinary in appearance that it was easy to overlook amidst the clutter. Yet its function was extraordinary, it could transfer knowledge from one person's mind to another. Essentially, it was a tool version of the magic Merlin had once used to instill language into Ethan.

On the surface, it seemed simple: activate the talisman, and Arthur would instantly learn a new language. But things were never that easy.

The talisman wasn't a standalone device. It was merely an auxiliary tool, designed to stabilize the casting process. The actual magic still required a mage's direct control, and in this case, that responsibility fell squarely on Ethan's shoulders.

"So, it's more of a safety net than a shortcut," Ethan muttered as he inspected the talisman.

With his current level of mental strength and magical control, casting such a spell was challenging. The talisman wouldn't do the work for him but would ensure any mistakes he made wouldn't harm either him or Arthur—a safeguard, not a solution.

"Another test from Merlin," Ethan sighed.

It was clear now that this was part of Merlin's design. First, Ethan had to recognize the talisman's importance among the countless trinkets. Then, he needed to rely on his own magical ability to make it work. If he succeeded, not only would they solve Arthur's language problem, but Ethan's own magical skills would improve significantly.

"It's just like the training regimen in the Book of Inheritance," Ethan realized.

The book's mental exercises operated on a similar principle: presenting Ethan with reachable but progressively challenging goals. Each time he succeeded, he grew stronger, and the incremental victories kept him motivated. This approach ensured he never grew complacent or overwhelmed.

"Merlin and this book must be in cahoots," Ethan muttered with a wry grin.

This time, the goal was clear. If he could master this spell using the talisman, not only would Arthur gain fluency in the local language, but Ethan would gain a valuable new tool for future use.

The spell itself wasn't overly complex in principle, but its potential applications were vast. As Ethan traveled to different planes, encountering countless languages, the spell would allow him to bypass communication barriers with ease.

"It could be the perfect solution," Ethan thought. "I'll make a 'language pack' spell and hand one out to any new recruits. Problem solved."

It took him most of the morning to fully understand the talisman. By noon, he had unraveled the mechanisms behind it and had begun practicing the accompanying spell. By the time evening rolled around, Ethan was still hard at work, his determination unwavering.

When he finally called Arthur over for dinner, his progress was noticeable but far from complete.

After they ate, the two decided to check out the guild's training ground. Ethan had envisioned something well-equipped, with various tools and sections for different types of practice. Instead, they found a barren expanse—a giant open space with no divisions, no equipment, and no real infrastructure.

"That's… underwhelming," Ethan said flatly.

The guild didn't provide weights, weapons, or even training dummies. If adventurers wanted to train, they had to bring their own gear. The field was simply a public area for exercising.

Arthur shared his disappointment, but neither lingered on it. After a brief and routine session, they left the training ground, finding little reason to stay.

Their next stop was the guild's reference room. Ethan spent the rest of the day combing through archives and documents while Arthur practiced basic language skills. The young knight worked hard, diligently memorizing vocabulary and pronunciation, but the process proved grueling.

Learning a completely new language isn't easy, especially one so different from your own. After half a month, Ethan had successfully mastered a small spell called "Knowledge Sharing." Meanwhile, Arthur was still struggling, miserably relying on a handful of hastily scribbled notes with basic vocabulary.

Arthur was smart, and his memory wasn't bad, but because he didn't train mental power like a mage, his memory was far from photographic. Just memorizing the pronunciation and common vocabulary of a new language had driven him nearly insane. After a few attempts, he barely scraped by. And that wasn't even counting the challenge of proper pronunciation. In the end, Arthur gave up and simply waited for Ethan to perfect the spell.

Finally, the day came when Ethan told him they could try it, and Arthur breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Not being able to speak was honestly torture."

Ethan couldn't help but laugh at that. To avoid raising suspicion, Arthur had pretended to be mute this whole time. Whenever there were other people around, he had to suppress the urge to speak to Ethan.

The Sea of Calm only had one common language, and while there were slight differences in accents, they didn't affect comprehension. Arthur's situation, however, was completely unprecedented. If he suddenly started speaking but didn't understand the world's language, people might grow suspicious. If they dug deeper, Ethan's biggest secret could come to light.

To stay safe, Arthur claimed he'd recently injured his throat and couldn't speak. Pretending to be mute wasn't ideal, but it was a necessary precaution since it wouldn't be long before communication would become possible.

Today, however, those miserable days were finally coming to an end.

"Don't celebrate too soon," Ethan warned. "My control over the spell might not be perfect yet. There's still a chance it could fail."

Arthur's smile was radiant. "I believe in you! You'll succeed."

But in Ethan's eyes, Arthur's optimism was almost blinding, like sunlight so harsh it might burn.

"Alright then, I'll make sure to succeed!" Ethan declared, somewhat exasperated.

Oddly enough, it suddenly didn't seem so intimidating anymore.

Avoiding Arthur's overly enthusiastic gaze, Ethan focused all his attention on mobilizing his mental power to cast the spell. This particular spell didn't require mana but instead relied solely on precise mental energy. However, manipulating mental power directly came with significant risks. Any mistake could cause irreversible damage to both the caster and the recipient. The process required extreme precision, like performing delicate surgery, with no room for error.

Thankfully, the amulet provided by Merlin acted as a safeguard. If Ethan made any mistakes, the spell would be halted immediately, and his mental energy would be "returned" in a relatively gentle manner.

As for Arthur, he was even safer. Once the spell succeeded, the amulet would record the knowledge and transfer it directly to Arthur without complications. Essentially, as long as Ethan succeeded in casting the spell, Arthur had nothing to worry about.

Ethan's brows furrowed as sweat began to bead on his forehead. Arthur, sensing that the critical moment had arrived, held his breath. He didn't dare make a sound, afraid of distracting Ethan while he concentrated.

But if Arthur had been able to read Ethan's thoughts at that moment, he would've likely drawn his sword on the spot, demanded a duel, and taught Ethan a proper lesson.

"Huh? This is easier than I expected."

"Everything's going so smoothly… Have my mental control abilities improved?" Ethan mused as he stared at the glowing amulet in his hand, momentarily lost in thought.

"Maybe it's because Arthur and I discovered the amulet a bit late? After all, we didn't check our inventory immediately after arriving at the Sea of Tranquility, and we were drifting for quite a while."

Unable to come to any solid conclusions, Ethan looked up and saw Arthur anxiously watching him. He smiled brightly. "It worked. The rest is simple from here."

Arthur let out a deep sigh of relief. His days of pretending to be mute were finally over.

As Ethan promised, the rest of the process was straightforward. He managed to transfer the language knowledge to Arthur successfully. Ethan briefly considered passing on the other languages he knew, like English and Chinese, but the sight of Arthur rubbing his temples in a daze made him reconsider.

Arthur's mental strength was incredibly resilient, but he wasn't a mage. The difference in their mental capacities was vast. Receiving such a significant influx of new knowledge all at once was taxing, and Arthur needed time to process and adapt before they could try again. Overloading him could cause real harm.

"Well," Ethan said, "it looks like we'll need to wait a while before transferring another language to you."

Arthur, still slightly dizzy, nodded in understanding. He hadn't expected such serious side effects, and now he just wanted to rest.

"I think I need an early night," he muttered, bidding Ethan farewell before heading off to recover.

Ethan, however, wasn't ready to sleep just yet. With Arthur's language issue resolved, it was time to deal with his own priorities.

He turned his attention to the guild's database. Over the past few days, he had skimmed through its extensive directory and identified the information he wanted to study or record. Unfortunately, much of the content couldn't be removed from the premises and could only be accessed within the archive. With that in mind, Ethan planned to spend the night in the reference room.

"I'll bring the Book of Inheritance to copy anything important for future use," he decided. While his memory was exceptional, he wasn't at the level of elite mages who could recall every detail effortlessly. Occasionally, even he found himself struggling to remember specifics.

In simpler terms, his memory was just that of an ordinary person with some enhancements. To ensure he didn't overlook anything vital, recording key information in the Book of Inheritance was the safest option.

Just as he stepped out of the accommodation area, he overheard two middle-aged men standing nearby, their conversation immediately catching his attention.

"Did you hear? Hand of Fire Sean is dead. His name and his equipment have been passed on to Keno, his former first mate."

"Oh? Are you sure?"

"Word around the port is that an adventurer encountered the Flame Sovereign and had to sacrifice half his supplies just to escape."

"Damn. So even with a new owner, the Flame Sovereign is still as ruthless as ever."

"Exactly. Best to steer clear of the Flame Sovereign in the future. I hear he's been raiding adventurers returning from the sea lately in these waters."

"Really now..."

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