Psionic Ascension Starting with The Witcher

Over the next few days, the three traveled westward along the Yaruga River. The area was desolate, with empty houses, ruins, and rotting corpses and bones everywhere, as well as a constant stream of monsters.

With so many corpses, all sorts of demons and monsters came out to feast...

Effensor even caught a glimpse of a stag-headed demon, a gigantic monster carrying a man who was still alive, which sped past him and disappeared into the forest.

Fortunately, the monster ignored him at the time. It was night, and Effinso had woken up in the middle of the night to get up to use the bathroom. He only had a sword with him and no armor. If the stag-headed demon had planned to have another meal, Effinso would have had no chance of survival.

After that day, Effensor would never remove his armor, even when he slept.

The banks of the Yaruga River have become the most dangerous place on the entire continent, filled with monsters, armies, bandits, plagues, famines, and the impending summer floods—all deadly threats.

Those who could run had all run away; those who remained were the ones who couldn't. Occasionally, they would encounter one or two people with boats, but as soon as they heard Effensor say they wanted a ride, they would cautiously row away.

Kayla even tried to open a portal directly to the other side of the river, but problems always arose. Either the portal would land somewhere off-target, or it would be extremely unstable and explode within a few breaths.

Kayla explained that places she hadn't personally visited couldn't be the destination of a portal, otherwise it would keep failing like before.

And so they traveled on and on, stopping frequently, for a full two weeks, until they finally found a relatively prosperous town, having already entered the borders of Temuria.

This is the location of the garrison headquarters on the Temurian border, a fairly safe place. And safety is even more precious in this turbulent time of year, so it's actually more bustling than in previous years.

Cohen and Kayla found a boat that went downstream to deliver military supplies to the garrison, negotiated a price, and agreed to set off early the next morning.

Effensor and Kayla went to a small market in town to buy some supplies. This market was originally only open to soldiers, but in reality, as long as you gave the gatekeeper a little money, they wouldn't even glance at you if you brought an elephant in.

"What do you think of this?" Kayla asked without turning her head, holding up a uniquely shaped stone sculpture. "I think it's cute. Margaret likes little things like this."

She was just talking to herself; she seemed to be asking Affinso a question, but in reality, she didn't get a response at all.

Effensor didn't care about this.

He had already bought bear fat, food, and some herbs, and now he was just accompanying Kayla shopping.

Effensor still longed for the pile of alchemical items and potions he had received from Kayla... If he served this man well and cultivated a good relationship with him, even the smallest gifts he received would be incredibly valuable.

Effensor somewhat understood why Geralt had gotten along so well with the sorceress... the benefits were obvious to everyone.

Where are you staying tonight?

Kayla suddenly turned around and said, but she only glanced at Effensor before turning her head back and continuing to talk to herself.

"We want to stay at the best hotel in town. It must have hot water, good food, Redania beer, and the beds must be down-filled."

"Don't worry about not being able to afford it, I'll cover your food and lodging for today."

Effensor perked up; wasn't this a benefit coming his way?

……

Kayla kept her word.

Evening arrived quickly, and sure enough, Effensor and Cohen sat at a table in the town's most luxurious hotel, facing a table laden with delicacies.

These delicacies are actually exclusively for the highest-ranking officer of the garrison here. The ingredients are transported from Vijma, the chefs are retired and re-employed from the Royal Court of Cordwin, and even the tableware is the same as that used in the Royal Palace of Temuria.

Upon hearing that a distinguished court advisor was arriving, the official readily granted all of Kayla's requests, even exceeding them. However, in reality, all these benefits were enjoyed by Effensor and Cohen.

All of this was for the officer to get a chance to chat with Kayla with a fawning smile.

"What kind of beef is this...?"

Cohen closed his eyes and savored a piece of steak, then suddenly opened them and exclaimed, "Is this what King Foltest eats every day?"

"Actually, we ate better." A half-drunk officer sat at another table, drinking and boasting to Cohen.

"You know, I used to be His Majesty's bodyguard. I had to personally inspect every piece of meat he ate every day. The beef was always the best, and it was different every day. Some smelled of fruit and wood, some smelled rich and oily, and some smelled naturally fresh..."

"You're talking nonsense." Another officer began to expose him, mocking him and revealing his past misdeeds.

"You were just a gatekeeper at the very outermost gate, you never even got to see the king himself... Later, you were so blind, you didn't even recognize the Duke of Elland, and actually tried to solicit a bribe from the duke himself..."

"Hahaha, now the king's personal guards are sitting at the same table as us!"

"Shut your stinking mouth!"

The mocked officer was so angry that he wanted to slam his fist on the table, but when he glanced at his superior who was chatting and laughing with someone in the distance, he held back.

"What do you know! Charging is the rule! All the gatekeepers do it! But a normal duke either wears a fine suit or is surrounded by a bunch of people, who would be as simple as that Duke of Elland! He was dressed like a servant back then!"

"Hahaha..."

The other officers sitting around the other table didn't say anything, they just laughed and joked, which made this man red-faced and irritable, and he started arguing with them without any regard for the consequences.

Effensor ate heartily while watching the spectacle.

In this world without cell phones, the most entertaining thing to watch while eating is the various farces that happen in restaurants.

Cohen didn't seem to understand this principle. He was so engrossed in watching the spectacle that by the time he turned around, the venison skewers had already been eaten by Effensor.

He paused for a moment, then glared at Effensor, as if blaming the other for not leaving him a string of them.

But it didn't matter, the waiter soon brought out a new dish.

Cohen grabbed it and scooped most of the mushroom cream soup into his own bowl as revenge for the venison skewers.

On the other side, Kayla leaned lazily against the table, chatting casually with the garrison commander opposite her.

She held a glass of wine in her hand, taking sips every now and then, and then licking her lips.

She seemed drunk and was swaying unsteadily, as if she might collapse at any moment.

In reality, Kayla's gaze always casually swept over Effensor's back.

Tonight, she will uncover his secrets.

Effensor, however, was completely unaware that someone intended to plot against him.

He was always wary of Kayla, but he was actually waiting for the right time to tell her about his special qualities.

After all, they will have to fight the demons together next. If they don't understand each other, they could make a mistake during the battle and be in big trouble.

However, although he used the enhanced sign several times intentionally or unintentionally, Kayla did not make any move.

This was somewhat illogical. Effensor sensed that this woman was up to something, but she hadn't seen her make any move yet.

Unfortunately, he is not yet able to see through everything.

Effensor ultimately failed to notice the strangeness in the soup—the potion made primarily of mushrooms and the dish made primarily of mushrooms were so perfectly integrated that he couldn't detect it at all.

"Well……"

Effensor suddenly felt very sleepy.

It was as if all the fatigue from the past few days had come out today, leaving him extremely exhausted.

However, after glancing at the chefs chopping lamb legs in the kitchen, Effensor decided to persevere.

We finally get to eat something nice, how can we miss this opportunity?

He picked up the large wooden wine glass and drank the chilled fruit wine inside in one gulp.

The slight spiciness of the alcohol irritated his throat, while the icy liquid stimulated his stomach, energizing Affinso.

Keep eating!

……

Kayla's smile grew increasingly stiff.

She began to suspect that something was wrong. Had she underestimated the physical abilities of the Witcher?

She secretly soaked the fatigue potion that could overturn a table of soldiers in the cream of mushroom soup into it. Although Effensor only drank less than half of it, wasn't that enough to make him collapse?

Could it be that the mushroom soup reacted with some ingredient in the potion, causing it to lose its potency?

wrong……

Kayla noticed that Cohen had become drowsy, which proved that the potion was working.

However, apart from appearing somewhat tired for a brief moment, Effensor seemed perfectly normal the rest of the time.

"Tsk...shit."

Kayla had actually drunk quite a bit, and in her slightly tipsy state, she inadvertently blurted out what was on her mind.

"what?"

The garrison commander sitting opposite her was stunned. After a moment of mental turmoil, he felt that his performance today was perfect.

Why did the female sorceress swear at him?

"Oh, I'm sorry." Kayla naturally covered her mouth, making an apologetic expression.

That wasn't directed at you.

The officer smiled and pretended not to care, changing the subject, but in his heart he was thinking, if it wasn't his problem, then it must be someone else's problem.

His first glance was at the tables in the distance where a large group of officers were sitting. Although Kayla's magic muffled the sound, the red faces of the men showed that these roughnecks were definitely spewing foul language.

Did the sorceress overhear?

"I should have chased those bastards outside to feed the mosquitoes!"

The garrison commander cursed under his breath, thinking how these lousy soldiers had ruined his plans.

Just wait... He'll go back and embezzle half of their monthly pay.

A while later, more time passed.

After a hearty meal, Effensor patted his stomach, untied a knot, and stumbled as he stood up, but thankfully didn't fall.

He then regained his balance and walked steadily up to the second floor, where the hotel rooms were located.

Kayla was delighted, but she didn't get up immediately. Instead, she continued chatting with the garrison commander while waiting for the drug to take full effect.

When Cohen could no longer hold on and stood up to return to his room to rest, Kayla stood up, a polite smile on her face, and said goodbye to the garrison commander.

Her figure disappeared around the corner of the stairs, and the garrison commander also got up regretfully, having ultimately missed an opportunity to climb up.

During his years of wandering and gaining experience in the countryside, he finally met a close advisor to the king. He thought he could use this opportunity to be transferred back to the capital, Vijma, but a group of lousy soldiers ruined his plans.

Just trying to get seniority.

No matter how much experience you accumulate, it's useless if the higher-ups don't give you a hand.

Now that war is imminent, he is still unable to extricate himself.

The garrison commander let out a long sigh, vaguely envisioning his own end—becoming a mere speck in the meat grinder of some bloody and brutal battle.

……

As soon as she got to the second floor, Kayla took off her shoes and tiptoed toward Effensor's room.

She knew that witchers had keen senses, so even though the other party was likely to be drugged, she dared not make a sound.

The fact that the fatigue potion had been working so slowly before proved its unreliability, and Kayla wasn't sure if Effensor was already fast asleep.

She first quietly placed her hand on the door to eliminate the sound, then took out a small nail, tapped it against the door, and the nail disappeared instantly.

The wooden door also miraculously began to become transparent, and it was one-way transparent, so that the view inside could be clearly seen from the outside.

Effensor sat cross-legged on the bed, one hand hanging down, the other making a strange gesture, his head drooping, seemingly unconscious.

Out of caution, Kayla lay down on the floor, disregarding her image, and pressed her head close to the ground to see Effensor's face, which was obscured by shadows.

And she did see something different.

For some reason, Effensor's eyes had lost their pupils and were completely covered by white sclera.

It seems he really has... fainted?

The way he fainted was quite unique.

Kayla's lips curled up; she was becoming increasingly curious about what Effensor's little secret was.

She quickly stood up, patted her clothes, and looked around nervously, a little worried that someone might have seen what had just happened.

Then, she confidently pushed open the door to Effensor's room.

However, she hadn't taken more than a few steps when she stumbled forward and fell, her eyes rolling back like Effensor's. Before she could even realize what had happened, she lost consciousness.

Kayla collapsed in front of Effensor with a thud, resting on his lap, her breathing steady.

"squeak……"

The wooden door slowly closed, and everything returned to silence, as if nothing had ever happened.

In the ethereal and elusive spiritual world.

Effensor stood in the open field, carefully taking in everything around him.

This morning he perfected the Axish sign, found the invisible and intangible power of the mind, built a mental barrier, and completed the improvement from mental connection to one-way mind reading.

So after the meal, he first went to Cohen's room and stole a sip of a vitality potion to relieve his fatigue. Then, he prepared himself and used Axe Mind Reading on the soul fragment in his left hand.

Then he came to this place.

Effensor could feel as if he could control everything here at will... Everything changed shape with his thoughts and became what he wanted it to be.

Here, he is omnipotent, can have his wishes fulfilled, and is in control of everything.

Here... does the mind prevail over material things?

This wonderful feeling did not make Effensor lose himself, because he knew very well that such a thing could never happen in reality.

Therefore, there is only one possibility—this is his inner world.

This place is vast and boundless, with no end in sight.

Effensor carefully sensed this place he had never been before, and soon found a discordant point in the vast wilderness, like a tiny black dot on a white sheet of paper. Although extremely small, it was noticeable at a glance.

He reached out and grasped at the air; something that looked like a shard of a mirror flew from afar and landed in his palm.

Effensor looked down at the translucent fragment, which had the texture of glass but reflected a clear image like a mirror. However, what was reflected on the fragment was not Effensor, but a series of images completely unfamiliar to him.

Or rather, memory.

Effensor saw many of the people he had met before, such as Redeny and Annie.

In this way, we can determine what this fragment is and who it belongs to.

"Is this a fragment of the soul?"

Effensor examined it closely. He had never seen the material of this soul fragment before. Was the soul made of this kind of substance?

Suddenly, the fragment of the soul trembled, and a fleeting, illusory figure shrouded in silver smoke crawled out from it, like the genie in Aladdin's lamp, with only the upper body being human, while the lower body was replaced by silver smoke.

"Who are you?"

"I am the soul within the bottle."

"Redeny?"

"The fact that I was able to regain consciousness means he was already dead. And things have really gone awry; I never expected to see you under these circumstances."

The spirit in the bottle shook its head.

Effensor looked at the figure, devoid of features and only the outline of a face, and recalled what the Monitor had said earlier. It seemed that Redeny was indeed dead; only fragments of his soul remained, continuing to wreak havoc.

"You...are you influencing my habits?"

Memories of the mental world are exceptionally clear.

Instead of using your brain to recall, here you only need a single thought to find what you want from the sea of ​​memories.

Effensor recalled the little things in his daily life, including some subtle actions that seemed like subconscious reactions but were things he had never done before.

"This is unavoidable." The spirit in the bottle nodded. "It's a fusion; two souls merge to create a completely new soul..."

Upon hearing this, Effensor remained calm, but he had already made up his mind that no matter the cost, he would definitely remove this fragment of soul.

We will stop at nothing.

"...Or perhaps, I can turn this fusion into absorption. I can choose to give up resistance and let you annihilate my consciousness. If the remaining memories don't have a unified consciousness, then to you they'll be no different from a first-person autobiography."

"All I need is for you to listen to me tell you about your mission and my wishes."

The spirit in the bottle spoke with sincerity and earnestness, seemingly from the bottom of its heart.

Effensor, however, did not think so. He had never forgotten that the other party was someone who had the ability to influence his personality, and was also a clever and learned mage.

Furthermore, the two parties have no common interests, no past friendship, and no other special relationship. Even the monitor did not tell Effensor the truth. So where does the trust that forms the basis of the transaction come from?

"I don't believe you."

Effensor spoke directly.

He didn't believe in the so-called surrender. And the conditions proposed by the spirit in the bottle, the so-called listening to his story, seemed to him to be a trap.

The reward is the devouring of a soul; the price is listening to someone speak. The two are clearly unequal, and the enormous reward seems like a temptation, enticing Effensor to choose to accept.

This is obviously problematic...

"How can I make you believe me?" The voice of the spirit in the bottle became calm. "Do you think this stalemate is good for both of us?"

"..."

Effensor remained silent, pondering whether he could dismember the man in the mental realm and solve the problem once and for all.

But this soul fragment is already connected to his soul, so attacking it is tantamount to attacking himself... If he acts recklessly, problems with his soul could lead to disastrous, unknown consequences.

Just then, Effensor and the spirit in the bottle suddenly turned their heads to look at the same time.

"Ouch! That hurts!"

A woman's figure appeared out of nowhere.

Kayla cried out in pain and fell forward as if she had tripped on flat ground, making close contact with the ground. In short, she fell face-first into the mud.

Then she looked up and met Effensor's shocked and puzzled gaze.

"Who are you?" the spirit in the bottle asked, puzzled.

"How did you get in!" Effensor demanded.

"Where is this?" Kayla was still confused.