episode_0028

Three goblins appeared ahead.

I swung Whisper of the Wind as I charged forward.

—Swish.

One head flew clean off. At the same time, I kicked off the dungeon wall and hurled my bloodstained dagger at another.

—Thud.

Pushing off the wall, I spun midair and slashed my sword across the last one’s throat.

[Skill: Physical Arts has leveled up.]

—Clean.

Risiel’s admiration followed.

But I couldn’t afford to bask in it—another goblin was already targeting me from behind.

‘Should I test it out?’

Aura Control (B).

Something—not mana—seeped out from within me.

‘Release.’

—Whoosh!

“Ghk…!”

One goblin collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

At the same time, a dull ache pulsed in my head.

‘Did I overdo it?’

Still, now that I’d done it once, I could adjust next time.

I beheaded the unconscious goblin.

—”Y-you… Did you just use aura?”

‘Yeah, starting to get the hang of it.’

—”What… You can wield aura freely?”

‘Not to that extent.’

I’d just brute-forced it. Risiel’s words were exaggerated.

If anything, it was closer to how Risiel had described that monkey’s reckless mana release.

‘I want to refine it further.’

But for now, this much aura control would suffice.

Next: Mana Control.

‘Like wrapping mana delicately around my body.’

I spread mana through every corner of myself. The blue energy within me seemed to amplify my abilities.

“Kyeek…!”

Fortunately, this was a dungeon.

Plenty of opponents to test on. I gripped my sword and faced forward.

‘Ten goblins.’

Fighting them alone might be overwhelming, but—

‘Good chance to level up Bloodstained Dagger.’

I grinned and lunged.

—

‘A monster.’

That was Risiel’s thought as she watched Hanyuseong fight.

A monster.

Not an exaggeration. She, hailed as a genius since childhood as a scion of the World Tree, had to admit—

‘The world is vast.’

To think such a monster existed.

Copying swordsmanship just by observing it? That alone wasn’t unheard of.

She could do the same.

But replicating techniques developed by other races—and even grasping their essence?

‘Impossible.’

Yet here was someone who could.

Hanyuseong.

What was he?

‘At first, that was why I noticed him.’

But then, the shocks kept piling up.

His swordsmanship, though slightly unrefined, was complemented by archery skills surpassing hers—and he seamlessly blended physical arts into his swordplay.

Then, at some point, his mana control grew precise.

‘And now, even aura…’

Aura.

Releasing mana was something anyone could do upon entering the dungeon, even talentless commoners.

But this aura was different.

A power only a handful of geniuses could wield.

In the entire world, those capable of it were vanishingly rare.

And here he was, using it like it was nothing.

‘Absurd.’

And yet, he was also unnaturally skilled at stealth—as if cloaked in darkness itself.

With that, he was no different from the world’s most dangerous assassins.

That sniper shot he’d unleashed like an explosion last time—

‘…The elves could be in danger.’

Her own kin were at risk.

Leading Hanyuseong down a dark path might be one solution, but—

That wouldn’t end well for the elves.

But.

‘Since when did I care about my kin?’

Instead, a more selfish thought took root.

Dark Moon.

A lost secret technique of the Dark Moon Clan.

Hanyuseong wielded it effortlessly.

Which meant—

‘The true secret of Dark Moon might be…’

Risiel chose selfishness.

She wanted to witness Dark Moon in its entirety.

—

‘Huh.’

After I swung my sword, Risiel’s gaze changed. More intense, if I had to describe it.

‘…Did I mess up?’

I was confident in my swordsmanship.

Maybe mixing in physical arts had thrown her off. Did she dislike my style?

‘Well, she’ll tell me when she’s ready.’

If she intended to sabotage me, she could’ve done so already—under the guise of correcting my form.

But she hadn’t. If anything, she’d helped.

I flicked the blood off Bloodstained Dagger and pressed forward.

‘About thirty so far.’

Only five magic stones.

Not a great haul.

‘But I’m getting the hang of it.’

How to handle aura.

How to refine mana control.

I kept slaughtering goblins to stack Bloodstained Dagger’s effects—until I noticed something odd.

The dagger had grown longer.

‘About 10 cm?’

Thief’s Pinnacle granted me extreme dexterity—letting me handle even razor-sharp wires without injury, as if wearing gloves.

“Kyeek!”

I sliced through an oncoming goblin’s throat.

Bloodstained Dagger’s stacks didn’t seem to have increased yet, but the length change was puzzling.

‘Focus on the goblins first.’

“Kyeek—!”

Five goblins rushed me.

Bloodstained Dagger left crimson trails. Whisper of the Wind drew emerald arcs.

Those trails severed goblin necks in clean strokes.

‘…Kinda underwhelming.’

Maybe hobgoblins would be better.

The thought reminded me of the Champion.

That thing would’ve been a real fight.

‘But challenging it alone now…’

Would be suicidal.

Honestly, I could win—

‘But I’d need to brace for at least one broken bone.’

I’d left my party behind to solo the dungeon.

No point wrecking my condition over unnecessary injuries.

After a while of goblin genocide—

Bloodstained Dagger transformed.

If it had been a dagger before, now it was—

[Item] Blood-Imbued Sword (B) A sword that grows stronger with spilled blood. ◇Unlocks new abilities every 100 kills. ◇Can use Blood Spirit Aura with absorbed blood. ◇+4 Agility ◇Shape-shifting.

Shape-shifting?

I examined the now-transformed blade. It had lengthened—now about the size of a standard shortsword.

‘Let’s try extending it further.’

The blade elongated with a slow shink— too sluggish for combat.

‘Could mess with opponents’ senses, though.’

More surprising was that it still had unlockable abilities.

Even now, it seemed far superior to Whisper of the Wind or the Champion’s Sword.

‘Could it reach A-rank?’

I gripped the transformed blade in my right hand.

Until now, Whisper of the Wind had been my main.

‘Need to practice with this too.’

My dual-wielding had used mismatched blade lengths, but—

Something told me Dark Moon’s next stage required equal-length swords.

No—the vision Thief’s Pinnacle showed me had featured identical blades.

After more goblin slaughter—

Whenever I sensed other explorers, I’d hide in shadows to avoid them.

Then, at some point—

A shower of white stardust settled around me.

‘Finally.’

Level up.

—

With my goal achieved, I left the dungeon.

The moment I leveled up, my body felt light as air.

Level-up effects:

A massive boost to physical abilities, plus a new skill.

And on very rare occasions—a Gift.

‘Got lucky.’

I was one of the rare few.

But—

My body felt full.

Uncomfortably so, like I’d overeaten.

[Gift: Violet (A) acquired.]

‘…What’s this?’

A color?

No clue what this skill even did.

—”You?”

‘Yeah?’

—”Did you get another Gift upon leveling up?”

Risiel’s question gave me pause.

Had something changed?

—”You have. Your appearance is noticeably different.”

‘How?’

Exiting the dungeon, I headed for the guild.

‘Loot payout…’

Hadn’t gathered much.

Carrying loot would slow me down, and hiding spots weren’t spacious.

Still, I had to report.

My party was wiped out—a mandatory death notice.

I joined the shortest line in the crowded guild hall.

But—

‘Why…?’

Eyes. Everywhere.

Not hostile—more like… intensely interested.

‘Are they staring at me?’

Not paranoia. They were.

‘…Risiel, how do I look?’

—”More alluring.”

‘Huh?’

—”Your eye color changed. To violet.”

‘Violet?’

I glanced around for a mirror. Spotted one about 30 meters away.

Sharpshooter’s Eye let me see my reflection clearly.

‘Violet irises.’

Messy black hair, now paired with glowing violet eyes.

And—

‘…Charismatic?’

Something about them felt hypnotic. Even I struggled to look away.

‘…This isn’t good.’

First, I needed to check the Gift.

[Gift] Violet (A) ◇Imbues the user with violet energy.

Violet energy?

The description ended there.

‘But it feels powerful…’

From experience, Gifts with vague descriptions tended to have broad applications.

‘I’ll find a use eventually.’

“Ah, hello…”

The guild clerk spoke shyly. Weird—Erme had said they were all gruff and irritable.

She’d complained about it over dinner often.

‘Why so polite?’

I was guided through the payout with unusual courtesy.

Unlike Erme, my processing was swift. Then again, she’d handled four shares.

Inside, Volkan loitered.

‘Does this old man do anything?’

“What, kid. You…”

“What are you doing, old man?”

“You leveled up?”

“Yeah.”

“Got a peculiar Gift, didn’t you?”

“…Seems so.”

“Well, you look fine. Probably harmless.”

‘Harmless?’

I moved past him. Unlike Volkan, Hilda—a kind-eyed woman—guided me inside.

‘The Gift said violet energy imbues me.’

Time to figure out what that meant.