Spending My Retirement In A Game

Chapter 944: Breathing Fire

Eisen took a deep breath as he pulled the barrel away from his mouth. The healing potions were quickly doing their job, healing the wounds that had formed on his body. Some of the more serious injuries would be healed if he just logged out for a little while, but that wasn't something he was willing to just do so early in the day. Especially after so recklessly going for the boss monster out of his own selfishness.

He leaned down and grabbed the large mana crystal that was dropped by the boss. Just like any other monster in this dungeon, it didn't leave behind anything substantial, which made all of this even more annoying than it already was in the first place.

"Yo," Brody came jogging toward the old man, jumping over the trail of acid that was left in the centipede's stead, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Eisen replied, undoing his demonic transformation. He still had chunks of flesh missing from his arms. The wounds were giving off steam as they healed through the powerful healing potions, "I feel a lot better now."

Brody scoffed, "Hah, that's kinda funny, with how you're lookin'. Do you need a break?"

Eisen hesitated to reply right away, but he soon shook his head, "I'll be fine. Let's just get to the next floor already and see what it's like."

"Are you sure? We can rest. Let you log out for a moment. Maybe take a breather, with some fresh air? This dungeon is kinda stuffy, right?" Brody suggested, patting his friend on the back. The old man thought for a moment.

"I don't know... I don't want to hold us up."

"Dude, we accounted for this to take like five times as long as it did. With how aggressive you've been, we've got plenty of time to spare. Plus, fighting the other monsters wasn't exactly easy for the others, so taking another breather while Bree analyses the next floor should give you a little time to get fixed up," Brody suggested with a smile, looking over at the old man in front of him as he was clearly considering it. He really did take a lot of damage just now...

"Okay, fine. Once we get to the next floor, I'll take a seat by the stairs, log out for a couple minutes, take a short walk through the garden, and then come back in," Eisen let out a long sigh, while Brody patted him on the back.

"Good man."

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Benjamin groaned as he stepped out of the capsule again. It hadn't actually been that long since he was out here the last time, so he, for once, wasn't absolutely drenched in sweat. It wasn't always like that, but the more he strained himself in the other world, the more his body here reacted at this point in time.

The old man stepped out of his bedroom and quickly walked over to the front door, grabbing a pair of shoes. He quickly walked outside, stepping off the porch.

"When was the last time I just came out here and looked at the stars?" Benjamin wondered, walking over to his garden furniture. He leaned forward and groaned, rubbing his eyes. He was exhausted. So, so exhausted. Why did he react like that? What the hell happened that a mere subconscious reminder managed to make him so... furious? Most importantly, if this is how he reacted just being reminded of that person's existence, then how did he act in the past when actually faced with them? What kind of rage did he feel, and how did he express it?

The thought scared Benjamin more than anything else in the world. He knew that who he used to be in the past after living in that world – the former Eisen – was much more complicated than Benjamin was fearing. That he wasn't some kind of wicked man that only acted in his own self-interest. But who knew if that was always the case? A hundred thousand years were a long time. Even just twenty thousand years were long. He could have been a despicable man before Brody was born over there, and the only ones who would be left to know it were Samuel and himself.

Benjamin leaned back into the chair, looking up at the sky for a few moments. He took a few deep breaths, just letting his mind wander for a few moments. If he already took the time to step out of the other world at such an important time, he should really try to relax.

Breathing in, breathing out. Basically just meditating for a moment, trying to get rid of that lingering anger. That hot lump in the back of his throat. He breathed in through his mouth, and out through his nose. Slowly but surely, while looking into the sky. Until... a flash of light shone out under him. Startled, Benjamin jumped up; his shirt was on fire. Confused, Benjamin ripped off his shirt and threw it onto the ground. He held his hand to his face, feeling hot blood dripping from his nose. Not just warm – but hot. So hot that it would usually be hot enough to burn someone, but to Benjamin right now, it wasn't enough.

"Did I just... breathe fire?"

"Uh... yeah, you fucking did, holy shit."

Benjamin turned around, startled. Behind him in the doorway was Benji, who had a rather complex smile on his face. Clearly it was exciting that his grandfather had just breathed fire, but then again, he just breathed fire, which was obviously not normal. It was a sign that Benjamin's body was growing closer and closer to Eisen's.

"My... my magic is coming to me over here," he whispered. Carefully, like he would in the other world, Benjamin brought his magic to his hand. Before now, his skin was too thick for mana to just pass through, but now... he was able to conjure a small flame. It wasn't much, by any means, but it was fire that he had called on above his palm.

That fire turned from hot to freezing cold, and soon from plasma to solid, as it turned into a piece of stone.

"That's literally insane," Benji whispered, taking a step forward. He reached out to the stone, as if trying to make sure that it was actually real. And it was absolutely, totally, and undoubtedly real. Benji held it in his hand in disbelief, "So you just... you just actually made this?"

"...I guess I did."

Benji looked over at his grandfather. He opened his mouth, hesitantly, and closed it again. A moment later, he opened it again and asked what he meant to ask, "You know... obviously it's all real, and I know that, but... just seeing it like this is... weird. Scary, sort of. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, it's quite terrifying, to say the least. The idea of what could happen if this is let loose in this world..." Benjamin let out a long sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"I mean, it's kind of cool though, right? I mean, it's real magic, here on earth."

The old man hesitated to respond. Magic wasn't supposed to be part of this world. It was a foreign substance, a thing that simply didn't fit in with the rules of this universe. And if that was the case, and Benjamin was changing to fit this foreign substance, he himself no longer belonged here.

It was like he was the Filth that crawled out through the holy in the air. It just made the lump in his throat worse. Painful, even. He could feel the heat pour into his mouth as his breathing grew heavier. Flames soon poured out through his teeth together with his hyperventilating. Benjamin stared at the broken system message in the corner of his eye. He just wanted to tear it out of the air and crack it in half. He wanted to get rid of all of this. Of the flames pouring out through his lips, of those system messages, of the magic coursing through his veins. At this point, Benjamin just wished that he could undo all of this. He wished he never let Samuel into his home back then.

"Pops? You alright?" Benji had taken a step back, trying to get a safe distance away from the fire.

"Of course. Sorry, I didn't want to worry you," the old man said, smiling at his grandson. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, stepping back over to the door, "I think I should get back. I only came out to take a short breather. Are you okay, by the way? Or why are you still up this late?"

"Oh, uh... yeah, everything's fine, don't worry. Just go ahead and get back to the game. I just went to go get myself something to drink before going to bed," Benji explained. His grandfather smiled, patting his shoulder as he walked by, getting back to his bedroom.

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