Chapter 5

I didn’t recklessly ask for a huge amount of 100,000 gold without any thought. It was because I had considered why this scoundrel could live as he pleased until his death. The halo of the family, a lot of money, those might be reasons, but among them, nothing was created by himself. It all depended on his parents. That means if the parents wished, they could cut off those reasons. Yet, this Max guy lived as he pleased until the end. So, it’s easy to conclude that the parents didn’t touch him at all until the end. And my guess about that seems to have been correct.

“So, my parents dote on me that much?”

“Haha, yes. Didn’t you say so? Being the eldest son and the only boy, your parents would die for you.”

The guy talking in front of me.

I don’t know this guy. Sitting in the shade waiting for Dolph, this guy came up pretending to know me. At first glance, he doesn’t seem to be of good quality. I roughly guessed. Probably a local thug who drank with this Max guy a few times.

I was about to tell him to get lost, but since I had nothing else to do, I started talking to him to kill some time.

“Ah, that’s right, that was it. But tell me, how did our house make so much money?”

“Hahaha, isn’t it because of the magic stone mines? The Celtrine family’s magic stone mines are famous, aren’t they?”

The guy who easily spills the information I want to know. He doesn’t seem like a bad guy.

So, I picked up the general reputation and rumors about the Celtrine family while talking with him. Thinking I had learned all there was to know from the guy, I changed the subject.

“But you’re a commoner, aren’t you?”

“Haha, what does it matter if I’m a commoner or a noble? If we’re drinking buddies, we’re drinking buddies. Didn’t you say so? Before alcohol, everyone is equal.”

It seems this Max guy had a surprisingly warm side. Well, there’s no distinction between young or old when it comes to becoming a dog after drinking. Ah, but cows shouldn’t be eaten.

While I was thinking this, I saw Dolph running towards me, sweating. I took out a silver coin from my wallet and tossed it to him.

“Buy yourself some alcohol with this.”

It was a token of appreciation for the useful information he had given me.

“Oh!”

The guy, thick faced, didn’t even bother to refuse once and laughed, showing his teeth as he pocketed the silver coin. It seems like this Max guy usually bought alcohol for his drinking buddies out of generosity.

“Haha, then I’ll enjoy it.”

“Um, go, go, I’m busy now.”

I waved my hands dismissively. As soon as the guy left cheering, Dolph arrived.

He was panting heavily, as if he had run with fire on his feet. Geez, how harshly did this Max guy usually treat people? I gestured to him to calm his breath first.

But Dolph seemed to misunderstand it as a gesture to report quickly.

“Huff… Huff… The… The master says… Huff… He will… send… 10,000 gold first… Huff…”

“Alright, sit down and rest. You’re going to pass out.”

Dolph sat down with a look of intense gratitude and calmed his breathing. During that time, I organized my thoughts. As expected, my father didn’t refuse his son’s request. It was such a large amount that he said he would send 10,000 gold first, but the rest of the money would eventually come.

This amount was more than enough as an investment for me. Waiting for the money to come in could be one way, but I didn’t want to waste time like that. I do what I can with the money I have.

“Have you caught your breath?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Then let’s go.”

One of the most important choices for a fighter. What weapon to use. This Max guy’s choice was a sword and bow. Not a bad choice. A sword for close range, a bow for long range, Isn’t that the basic standard tactic? The problem is that the skill grade is the worst.

Swordsmanship E-, archery F+.

With that level, he could probably handle a passing band of bandits. That’s the level of a nobody.

It was urgent to raise the skill grade. But it wouldn’t rise easily just by training haphazardly. It’s the same reason why you can’t become a master of the sword by giving a wooden sword to a child and telling them to swing it 10,000 times a day.

“The important thing is the method.”

The way to build a tower. Only a tower built solidly from the bottom can grow high without collapsing. On the contrary, if the foundation is weak, the tower can’t be built high and may collapse midway.

That means. You have to build a solid foundation. To put it in perspective, the current state of Max’s swordsmanship and archery is like a tower with a messy foundation. In this state, the growth rate will slow down, and even if it grows to a certain extent, it will inevitably hit a limit.

I could assert that.

Why?

Because I’m second to none when it comes to ruining the protagonist’s growth. It took me a long time to find the answer. At first, I naturally only looked for advanced swordsmanship. It was a very natural decision since the formula of role playing games was advanced swordsmanship equals strong power.

I thought that decision was correct until the midgame. I was able to draw a reasonably refreshing power that was enough to play the game without problems. But soon, I encountered a problem.

A message window suddenly popped up as if to warn me while I was enjoying the game.

[Your swordsmanship growth has now reached its limit.]

[The growth rate of swordsmanship proficiency will be significantly reduced.]

“What the hell is this all of a sudden?”

I cursed out loud.

Proficiency needs to rise steadily for it to lead to a grade increase. But a significant reduction in growth? Not a little, not ordinary, but significant? It was an unbelievable situation. I ignored it and continued playing the game.

But.

“…I’m screwed…”

The proficiency that had been rising smoothly,

After that message appeared, it hardly increased at all. No matter what training I did, no matter how much experience I gained on the battlefield, it grew very slowly, like the pace of a crawling worm. Of course, the swordsmanship grade didn’t budge. Growth had essentially stopped. Naturally, the game was ruined

Damn it, where did I pick such crappy swordsmanship.

I blamed the swordsmanship and thought I had chosen a trap card that only looked good on the surface based on my past gaming experience.

But, The same message appeared again, and growth stopped.

Crazy, another trap card?

Another swordsmanship.

Another stop in growth.

Another swordsmanship.

Another stop in growth.

Wow, I’m going crazy. What kind of minefield did this damn game lay with trap cards?

How many times did I fail?

I realized that I had to identify the cause from scratch.

An instinctive feeling that I seemed to have missed something important. From then on, I tried various things to figure it out. It was only after failing dozens more times that I finally figured it out What the problem was.

That’s why I know now. How to increase the limit and grow steadily and quickly. And I was planning to follow that path.

“Stop here.”

The carriage stopped at my word.

The holy city of Lepheria, where the saint Lepheria Academy is located, was a metropolis.

There were no cities that could be said to be clearly larger than the holy city, except for the imperial capital of the Hyas Empire or the royal capital of the Parene Kingdom.

Like other cities, the holy city also coexisted with light and darkness. The upper district, with well divided clean roads centered around the academy located in the center of the holy city, was filled with fancy highrise buildings and sizable houses. This place was mainly inhabited by the upper class with social status, such as nobles, clergy, knights, magicians, professors, and merchants.

And the middle district, where the middle class genuinely gathered to live. It lacked the glamour of the upper district, but the streets were still neat and the buildings respectable. People’s faces brimmed with the vigor of life.

However, that was only up to the middle district. The lower district, located on the outskirts behind the city, was so poor that one might doubt it belonged to the same city. Narrow streets, broken and uneven from lack of maintenance, were lined with old, dilapidated buildings so close they nearly suffocated you. The streets were filthy with trash and waste, and the unpleasant stench they produced pricked at the nose. The faces of the people bore the hardships and irritations of life. But that wasn’t the end of the lower district. Even within the lower district, there were slums in the back alleys where beggars and orphans lived day to day. This was the reality that the holy city of Lepheria harbored. My destination was among these lower districts. That’s why I stopped the carriage. The streets were too narrow for it to enter.

“Hmm…”

As I got down from the carriage and looked around, Dolph asked with a puzzled face,

“Your Highness, is this the right place?”

He must have thought that I, a scion of a distinguished family, would have no business in such an insignificant place as the lower district. But people should know. That even in the mud, there can be treasure.

“Of course. You wait here.”

I stepped into the lower district.

My steps stopped in front of a two story old wooden building.

[Turk’s Swordsmanship Hall]

As the sign indicated, this was a swordsmanship hall.

A place that taught swordsmanship for money.

Of course, not all swordsmanship halls were the same.Those belonging to individuals with some martial reputation were at least in the middle district. Because they had a certain status.

Which means.

The owner of this shabby swordsmanship hall located in the lower district didn’t have much of a reputation. I knew that, of course. Yet, my visit meant that this swordsmanship hall had something special that only it possessed.

“I’ll enter.”

I made my presence known and opened the door to enter the building. It was a small place, but it immediately felt like a place for training with swords. It had clean, well maintained walls and floors. The problem was…

There was no one.

Not a single person who should be practicing with loud shouts of effort was in sight. It meant the place was deserted.

“Huff, please come in!”

A man welcomed me enthusiastically, perhaps for that reason. A long scar on his forehead was noticeable. It was my first time seeing him in person.

My first teacher at home.

Master of the basics.

Turk.

“I’ve come to learn.”

“Welcome, customer!”

The gravitas was somewhat lacking.

Turk.

He was a peculiar man. A former soldier of the Hyas Empire, he became a mercenary after retiring and then opened a swordsmanship hall when he grew older. The peculiar part wasn’t his history.

It was the swordsmanship he had used all his life, that was the peculiar part. Imperial Style Eight.

The traditional swordsmanship of the empire that every soldier learns. Basic swordsmanship composed of fundamental movements like downward cuts, upward cuts, diagonal cuts, side to side cuts, and thrusts.

It was such a common swordsmanship taught to soldiers that it wasn’t particularly noteworthy.

If one were to translate the general opinion, it would be that it’s a solid swordsmanship suitable for beginners to lay the foundation before learning more formal swordsmanship. That was the extent of its reputation, and how people treated it.

A swordsmanship that no one would look at unless they were a beginner, In a world where there were more than one or two swordsman ships with powerful force or dazzling techniques, people wouldn’t give such swordsmanship a second glance. But one person was different.

Turk. He steadfastly stuck to Imperial Style Eight even when his fellow soldiers switched to other swordsman ships for greater power, and the same was true during his time as a mercenary.

There was only one reason. As a rookie soldier, he had a near death experience on the fierce battlefield and saved his life with Imperial Style Eight.

Since then, he had lived his life relying solely on Imperial Style Eight, which had saved his life.

Thanks to that, he became a master of Imperial Style Eight. Meaning, he became a master of the basics.

‘A true master… no, a light, a light’

Master of the basics. That was a trait.

A trait that could only be attached by mastering the basics of that field. In Turk’s case, he was the owner of Master of the Basics (Swordsmanship).

Anyway, that very Master of the Basics. It wasn’t just a simple trait. A hidden overpowered trait.

Increase in the growth limit of the field, increase in growth speed, and even a slight increase in the power of skills.

Crazy options that were all good without anything to throw away. Apart from everything else, you have to follow this trait to prevent the bottleneck that stops growth. The problem was that this trait was a hidden trait.

Nothing was properly revealed about who the owner was or how to acquire it. If I hadn’t restarted countless times and tried various plays, I probably wouldn’t have known either. But in the end, I found out.

Who the teacher was that could take away the Master of the Basics. And the man in front of me was special. Because he was a grateful true master who could easily provide lessons just by paying him money.

“I’ll pay upfront.”

I said.

“Are you talking about a month’s worth?”

Turk asked with a capitalist smile.

“No.”

“Then?”

“Until I feel I’m done.”

“That’s…”

When Turk seemed confused and scratched his head,

“Take it.”

I placed twenty gold coins on the counter.

A total of 20 gold. An amount completely unsuitable for the tuition of such a shabby swordsmanship hall. This wasn’t charity. It was a courtesy for the teacher who had taught me hundreds of times. And I know.

That he needs money.

“This,This. This is…”

Turk’s eyes widened.

He seemed to have a moment of inner conflict because he was short on money, but he soon shook his head.

“I absolutely cannot accept such a large sum.”

“I will decide how much to pay.”

“No, how can there be such a rule…”

“It’s here.”

“No matter what you say, I can’t handle such a large sum of money. The only swordsmanship I can teach is…”

“Imperial Style Eight.”

At my words, Turk looked at me with a surprised expression.

“That’s enough for me. That’s exactly what I came here to learn.”

“20% gone”’

I grumbled. Because of the damn trait called Wasteful Spending. Wondering if it would be okay to have someone else do it, I had Dolph try to buy something as a test earlier, but 20% still flew away. It seems that as a proxy, one cannot escape the curse of Wasteful Spending.

“Well, it’s a pity, but it can’t be helped.”

I was muttering to myself as I walked down the narrow streets of the lower district. Across the street, I saw the silhouette of a young woman with blue hair. Old and plain clothes. But even such attire couldn’t hide her beauty. Her appearance felt like a single blue flower blooming in a dirty street.

I know her.

And she would know me too.

Why?

Because she’s a fellow student.

‘I’ve encountered her sooner than expected.’

I had anticipated that I would eventually run into her.

Because she’s a student at the same academy?

No.

Because her family home is right here in the lower district.

“…Who are you?”

The first time I encountered this named heroine of the game. A genius magician who, among all the characters in the second year, the protagonist must prioritize building a relationship with.

Elaine of Fire and Ice. The first expression she wore when she encountered me here was one of incomprehension.

“It’s unexpected to see you here.”

I said.

Although it was my first time seeing her in person, I managed a natural expression. The Elaine I know is a good person. She grew up in a difficult family environment, but she has a bright and positive personality without any shadows. Her grades are excellent, and her social relationships are harmonious.

A senior who sincerely encourages and even helps when the protagonist faces difficulties.

Knowing all this, I even managed a smile.

“Anyway, it’s nice to meet…”

“Can you get lost?”

The first words she offered were very beautiful.