Only I Am A Reader

Going back home after obtaining a Cold Energy Source, Leo spent the rest of the day rather carefreely.

After having lunch with his family, he spent over an hour together to relieve the sense of alienation that had crept on him after his latest and longest True Reading experience.

No matter how special Leo's mind was, living multiple lives was quite taxing. Even if his psyche didn't completely break down as a result, he still needed to take the occasional rest while holding back his overthinking!

'Only one day left, huh?'

Waking up the following day, Leo once again felt the pressure that he was trying to forget.

He had spent the night picking up the Sword Calligraphy that he had neglected while dealing with the aftermath of his visit to Murim, but that was still far more relaxing than thinking about the soon-to-come meeting!

Aside from the next day where the meeting itself would take place, he only had one more day left!

'It's not like there is much that needs to be done, but…'

In reality, Leo had already prepared everything that he could during the month before he left as well as the day before that he spent outside.

However, the anxiety that came with revealing the true nature of his disguised reality was overwhelming.

'What if it's too much for me to handle?'

Despite the many close calls with death that he had over his other two lifetimes, Leo could proudly say that he enjoyed them to their fullest.

Unlike normal, unpredictable, life, he was in his element. Novels were like Leo's Domain, the place where he felt that everything was still ultimately under his control.

Although that was mostly an illusion of greatness that Leo leaned on, compared to the uncharted territory that he was about to step into…

He would gladly take a few more True Reading experiences over the possibility of a foreseen apocalypse, not to mention something like the invasion that Murim had encountered!

'It's not like I could just not go. Even then…'

He wanted to know every clue he could get about his ability and how to manipulate it to follow his will more, He was also aching to know everything about those who might possess something similar. However…

Leo was worried that he might end up opening Pandora's Box just because of his curiosity!

The situation was no different than someone offering him spoilers for a book that he had yet to get his hands on.

On one hand, Leo would be tempted to know far things had gone or if certain truths had finally been revealed. On the other hand, he was also skeptical.

What if it ended up being either badly overwhelming or underwhelming?

In Leo's case, what he dreaded the most was a reveal that would be too overwhelming. After all, he could handle underwhelming.

Even if reality wasn't that interesting, he had the ability to achieve actual 'escapism', boredom was the last of his worries.

'It all boils down to where I stand.'

In case he was able, Leo naturally wouldn't refuse to be part of the effort to save his main world just like he did in the other two.

However, what if the strength that he felt so elated to obtain actually amounted to nothing over here?

What if attending the meeting contributed nothing other than revealing himself to those who had true strength, forcing him to embark on the path of cannon fodder?

Wouldn't it be better to keep himself hidden till any possible threat revealed itself to the whole world?

With a few more rounds of True Reading, he might be able to accumulate enough strength to stand against it then…

'Again, no.'

Regardless of all of his intrusive thoughts, his heart was already set on braving things as they come. Running away would only give an opening to his negative emotions to turn him into a mess.

Most importantly, almost all of his preparations were for the sake of hiding his identity. If push came to shove, Leo didn't even mind camping out in his Reading Space until everyone leaves.

He went around stocking on food and necessities specifically for that purpose!

'It's still not fully operable as a shelter, but I will cross that bridge when it comes to it.'

Rather than fearing it, Leo impatiently awaited the time of the meeting. Depending on how it ended, he could further prepare himself for the future!

After leaving the bed and washing his face, Leo found himself back in the Reading Space. He wanted to directly check on the Freezing Plum Core, but he forced himself to hold back.

He needed more time to better gauge the result of the upgrade. Besides, there were still a few final touches that he needed to add to his digestion!

Although he had perfectly received Baekho's life experience, his body was now slightly different so Leo still needed to iron out his new Martial Arts to fit him.

In addition, he also wanted to find a point of harmony between Murim and the Sword Continent's Sword Techniques. One was quite inferior compared to the other, but Leo believed that it would be beneficiary to the White Tiger's Transfigurations.

'That's the essence of the technique after all.'

Of course, such a project wouldn't be finished in a few hours, Leo only started it to consume the time that was passing so slowly!

'It's finally been a day.'

Once 24 hours had passed since he had put away the Frozen Plum Core, Leo appeared in front of the Blast Freezer within less than a second.

It was time to test what the limits of accessible Modern Technology could achieve when fused with the mystical treasures of Murim!

'Let's see…'

As his expectant Internal Energy made its way into the Frozen Plum Core for the third time since he came back, Leo's expression quickly turned softer and softer…

'A month… Maybe even two.'

The energy had exponentially increased just as he expected. However, was that truly the limit or was there another way to take this practice shortcut to the next level…?