Chapter 134: friend (2)

After finishing breakfast, we headed straight to the Adventurer’s Guild.

In the Karma Empire, my adventurer rank was Silver. When I approached the receptionist and asked if there were any designated requests for me, the same request that Shu and Su had received had also been assigned to me.

“I’ll take that one.”

“That request?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm… I wouldn’t exactly recommend it…”

The receptionist trailed off, shaking his head at my response. But when I insisted, he gave in and stamped the request form.

As I accepted the request, Shu and Su followed suit and accepted it as well.

“Ruins under the sea… how are we even supposed to explore that?”

“Are they planning to make the adventurers dive or something?”

“Haah…”

Maybe it was because they were twins, but Shu and Su began exchanging opinions based on the contents written in the request.

“There’s a high chance we’ll have to go underwater.”

“Since we’re going out to sea, we should pack plenty of dried fruit and drinking water. There’s only so much the client will provide.”

Chatting with the two of them, we left the guild. The mission was scheduled to begin a week from now.

Since there wasn’t much we needed to prepare immediately, we headed straight back to the inn.

Just as we were approaching the inn, the topic shifted to my skills as a swordsman.

They were probably curious whether my ability was genuine, especially considering I’d traveled across various countries and had been issued ranks from Silver up to Gold.

“Do you really want to see?”

“Yeah.”

“Yup!”

With both of them that eager, I had no reason to refuse. I smiled lightly and led them to a small open area behind the inn.

The place was used to store various miscellaneous items but was perfect for a quick sparring session.

Resting my hand on my hip, I turned to Shu and Su and said,

“So, who’s going first?”

“What do you mean, who’s going first?”

“Weren’t we just watching you show off your swordsmanship?”

They tilted their heads in confusion at my question. I nodded and continued.

“I’ll show you, but I want to see how skilled you two are too.”

In short, I was proposing a spar. The best way to measure each other’s strength wasn’t just by watching—it was by exchanging blows directly.

The first to step up was Shu. With a tense expression, he drew his sword.

Shiiing–!

His drawn sword glimmered with a faint bluish light. A mix of light blood and oil scent lingered around it, suggesting it had been recently used in real combat.

Seeing Shu ready, I also drew my sword.

Shiiing–

The blade I unsheathed was the Ice Dragon Sword. Of course, I couldn’t go all-out against these two, so I suppressed the sword’s power as much as possible.

Even so, I couldn’t completely contain the chilling aura that leaked from the blade, and a faint white mist trailed along its edge.

“Whoa… what is that sword…?”

“Cool, right?”

“Where did you even get something like that…?”

That would be a long story. I hadn’t even started explaining that part yet.

“Well, whatever…”

There was no signal to begin. The moment our swords were pointed at each other, the spar had already begun.

With a nervous look, Shu began to move.

The sharp aura he gave off made it clear that being recognized by Selion and receiving a Silver rank from the Swordsman’s Guild wasn’t a lie.

His footwork resembled Selion’s enough to suggest he had observed and mimicked her movements, at least roughly.

Watching his approach, I licked my lips lightly.

Maybe it was because my level as a living being had increased, but I didn’t feel any real sense of danger, even with a Silver-ranked swordsman before me.

Then Shu made his move, boldly closing the distance in a flash.

Clang!

The moment our swords clashed, his was deflected. His stance faltered, and he quickly backed away in surprise.

The force behind his sword was light.

I could sense he didn’t want to hurt me—a considerate attack, but one I didn’t need.

That kind of concern was unnecessary. I wasn’t so weak that I needed him to hold back.

“There’s no strength behind it. Come at me with everything you’ve got.”

“Are you sure…? These are real blades…”

“Did you forget? I was issued a Gold rank in other countries. That means even if you come at me full-force, you still won’t win.”

At my words, Shu nodded stiffly. Re-gripping his sword, he came at me again.

This time, his slow movements suddenly accelerated. As he pushed off the ground, dirt scattered high into the air.

It was a burst of physical enhancement using mana.

Against an ordinary opponent, his sudden speed would’ve been overwhelming.

Taking a wide arc, Shu aimed for my blind spot—but I calmly turned my body and swung the Ice Dragon Sword toward the incoming blade.

Clang!

The same pattern repeated. Shu swung his sword with a rigid expression, but every strike was blocked in advance by the Ice Dragon Sword.

Clang! Clatter!

Sparks flew as the blades slid against each other. He’d tried a power struggle, but the one being pushed back wasn’t me—it was him.

Standing firm without taking a single step back, I held off Shu’s force with just one hand. Then, his sword slipped—and drew a cold crescent in the air.

A crescent-moon slash. It wasn’t the sloppy version taught by the old gatekeeper back in our village, but a genuine and refined Elune’s Flash.

Just as the smoothly gliding blade formed a half-moon shape, I swung the Ice Dragon Sword and struck the flat of his blade.

The impact created a small vibration that ran up the sword and spread through Shu’s arm.

Zzzzzt–!

“Ggh…!”

Clutching his arm in pain, Shu stumbled back. His sword had already clattered to the ground.

It was a technique using Dragon Fear.

Instead of spreading it out indiscriminately, I focused the pressure on a single target. Shu must’ve felt like a giant monster was crushing his arm with its jaws.

Resting the Ice Dragon Sword on my shoulder, I smiled lightly.

I’d been a little worried about them choosing the adventurer’s path like me, but seeing their skills, I felt relieved. At the very least, they wouldn’t starve to death.

“W-What was that…?”

“Your hand’s numb, right?”

“Ugh… it’s weird…!”

Shu looked down at his right arm with a tearful face. He let out a sigh and picked up his fallen sword.

“You’re really strong…”

“Impressed?”

“Yeah…”

Next up was Su. I lightly swung the sword resting on my shoulder and pointed it at her.

“Your turn.”

“Do I really have to?”

“Yup. I want to see what you can do.”

Eventually, Su stepped forward with her sword drawn. Unlike Shu, whose presence felt sharp, Su exuded a cold, eerie stillness.

Though they had trained in the same swordsmanship, the auras they gave off were completely different.

Just as Su exhaled a shallow breath, a sudden flash shot toward me in a straight line.

Clang!

A precise strike aimed at my opening. When it failed, Su quickly pulled back.

Her blade trembled faintly as she retrieved it. Like Shu, she seemed to reserve her mana-enhanced strength for critical moments only.

Unlike her brother, Su had a clear grasp of both my weaknesses and her own strengths.

She used her long limbs to maintain the minimum distance at which my attacks couldn’t reach her.

Of course, that strategy only worked as long as I didn’t move. I took one big step toward Su.

Her sword swing, mid-flight toward me, abruptly changed course. As the moonlight bent in midair, the chill of the Ice Dragon Sword sliced into its trajectory.

Clang!

Her swordsmanship was broken. The warped moonlight scattered into sparks, and Su’s sword flew into the air.

“I lost…”

Judging from how she used mana to reinforce her body, she clearly had talent for it.

I figured I could teach them the martial arts techniques I had created. If they wanted, I could even help them become mages. I had the power to do that, after all.

A week passed.

The day of the request had arrived. Over the past week, I’d worked to teach the two of them the cultivation method I had developed.

My system involved laying out mana pathways inside the body and guiding the mana along these paths whenever the user chanted the incantation.

So, learning this required a basic understanding of magic.

Fortunately, both of them had natural talent for magic, so they were able to learn the technique without much trouble.

The method I taught them was a stripped-down version that combined Brightfire Dragon Form and Azure Dragon’s Ice Spirit, leaving only the basic incantations and removing all dragon-related content.

Because all the dragon aspects were removed, it lacked destructive power and sudden mana surges—but it was much more stable as a result.

If they continued training properly, I was certain they could receive a Gold rank from the Swordsman’s Guild someday.

“Did you pack everything you need?”

“Yeah.”

“Underwear?”

“I packed it…”

“We’re going into the ocean, so make sure to bring plenty of towels too.”

“Su…”

I sighed lightly and looked up at her. She tilted her head as she dug through my bag from behind.

“What?”

“I’m not a kid. I’m stronger than you.”

“I know.”

“Then don’t ask the obvious.”

“Okay.”

“If you get it, tie my bag shut.”

“Okay.”

Su nodded obediently and tugged the leather strap of my wide-open bag, instantly closing it tight.

As I left the room with Su, we found Shu leaning against the hallway wall in his leather armor.

Wearing it made him look like a proper adventurer—it seemed this was his adventuring gear.

“Well then, shall we go?”

This was my first request with childhood friends.

We couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. I walked confidently toward the inn’s entrance, leading the way.

Whinny–

Waiting at the entrance—as if it were the most natural thing—was Nightmare. That sharp creature had clearly escaped the stable on its own.

I climbed onto Nightmare’s back as if it were routine. My view instantly rose, letting me look down at Su and Shu.

With a slightly smug feeling, I pulled the reins.