Chapter 11

The space within the dimensional rift was a mysterious one.

It was a space of colors mixed like purple, aqua, and pink, and with no gravity, it was impossible to tell which way was up or down.

To make matters worse, the space was twisted, making it feel as if Louis' body would be torn apart.

If he hadn't used the iron-hardening technique, the Qigong Defense Form One "Tetsuzan," he would have been torn to pieces.

After advancing for a while in that space, a crack leaking light came into view.

That must be the exit. With renewed confidence, Louis opened another hole with his Dimensional Slash, released magic from his feet, and jumped into the hole.

"Blinding...!"

Light spread out, covering his field of vision.

As the light gradually subsided... it revealed the mountain where Louis had accidentally fallen into the Infinite Prison.

"I made it... back...!"

It had been a long journey.

He had almost given up many times, but he finally managed to return to his original world!

"Yayyyyyy!!"

Louis savored his joy.

Ah, a world with colors is wonderful! The Infinite Prison was just a white space, so this feels incredibly fresh! The air is delicious and amazing!

Louis was moved by his return. However, he couldn't indulge in it for long.

"Whoops, no time to get carried away. I need to get back to the village first."

He had no lingering attachments to the village, but he wanted to say goodbye to the village chief who had taken care of him.

However, he couldn't tell which direction the village was in. It was understandable, given that the last time Louis had been here was three hundred years ago.

"Hmm... I know! I'll look from above!"

Having come up with a good idea, Louis jumped towards the top of a tree. His body soared over the tree and up into the sky.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

He hadn't expected to fly so far, having trained in a space with nothing, so he quickly used magic to control his posture and looked around.

What he saw was...

"Amazing..."

A lush, green world spread out before him.

To his right front was a massive body of water, which was probably the sea. And the cluster of buildings in the foreground was likely the village.

Compared to this world, the village he had lived in was incredibly small, Louis realized. He had to find a way to help the two of them in this vast world.

Honestly, he was anxious. He had no one to rely on and almost no clues.

"But I have to. They must be even more anxious...!!"

Louis landed and started running towards the village he had confirmed from the sky. It used to take him nearly an hour to get there, but with magic and qigong, he could now reach the village in just a few minutes.

The village, which he hadn't visited in a long time, looked the same as when he had lived there. After all, only about a year had passed.

When Louis arrived at the village, he first went to his house.

The small wooden house was a bit dilapidated from lack of maintenance but hadn't been torn down. Seeing this, Louis felt relieved and said, "That's good."

Returning home after three hundred years, Louis gathered useful items from inside the house.

A cheap knife, a lantern, a map, and a small amount of money. That was about all he could find.

He packed these items into a worn-out jute bag and left the house.

Then he went to his parents' grave at the back of the house. It was a simple grave with a large stone and a single flower placed there. Someone must have visited. Louis knelt in front of the grave and clasped his hands together.

"Mom and Dad, I'm sorry I couldn't show my face. A lot has happened. I just got back, but I have to go again soon."

His father had died in an accident before he was old enough to remember, but he remembered his mother. She had raised him with great effort on her own.

However, she had fallen ill and died young from the strain. ...I've had enough of losing family.

This time, I'll protect them.

"I'll come back with a new family next time. They're both really good people."

With that, Louis stood up and was about to leave the grave when he suddenly heard a voice from behind.

"Is that... Louis...?"

Turning around, he saw a wrinkled old man with a cane.

Louis recognized this person. A year had passed, and he had more wrinkles, but it was definitely him.

"It's been a while... Chief."