episode_0040

I went to receive my reward from Hildayan.

“Here is the reward entrusted by Lord Vulcan.”

A pouch filled to the brim with gold coins and a black box. It looked rather modest, but that only made me more curious. Still, what could this black box be?

“It’s something extremely difficult to obtain.”

Hildayan whispered to me as if sharing a secret.

Extremely difficult to obtain, huh.

‘……What could it be?’

With eager eyes, I stared at the reward before heading back to the inn. The road to the inn was quiet. Blending into the surroundings, melting into the darkness—only a handful could notice me now.

After disappearing like that, I opened the reward in my inn room. There were roughly five platinum coins and thirty gold coins.

‘So this is what platinum coins look like.’

Coins made with platinum (白金), a rare mineral. Each is worth a hundred gold coins. Though carrying them has its downsides—like being prone to black-market dealings—in an era without digital currency, it’s a decent trade-off.

Anyway, five platinum coins and thirty gold coins.

‘……This is insane.’

An enormous sum—enough to buy the house I dreamed of in my past life, with plenty to spare. But in this era, weapons often cost more than houses did back then. What I did was impressive, but was it really worth this much?

‘……Is this right?’

Maybe it includes hush money too. I moved on to the next reward. The black box—the one I was most curious about.

Click.

Opening the box, I saw a transparent vial filled with liquid.

‘……A potion?’

A bit of a letdown, wasn’t it? But upon closer inspection, it didn’t seem like an ordinary potion.

-……Good heavens, that old man must think very highly of you.

‘……? Is this really that good?’

-Good? That’s not even the right word for it. The Elixir of Sublimation is something you’d struggle to obtain even if you offered ten thousand gold.

‘Elixir of Sublimation… sounds incredibly valuable.’

-It is. While it doesn’t compare to the mysteries of nature that bestow new Gifts, in terms of stat boosts, it surpasses them. It’s the perfect elixir for you.

Lysiel was unusually excited. If she said so, it must be true.

In moments like this, emotions are the answer. I used Appraisal.

[Elixir] Elixir of Sublimation ◇When consumed, greatly increases the user’s stats.

‘……Wow.’

Is this the kind of elixir that appears in fantasy worlds? An elixir—though unlike what I knew, this one boosts stats.

‘There’s no special instruction, so I can just drink it, right?’

-That’s fine. The Elixir of Sublimation is consumed by simply drinking it.

As I glanced at Lysiel, she nodded.

I uncorked the vial and poured it into my mouth. How should I describe it? A euphoric sweetness brushed my tongue, then seeped inside.

Whoosh!

Slowly, it began dissolving into my body. And at the same time, my body started changing. My senses sharpened, my strength grew, and I felt faster.

‘……Appraisal.’

▼ Name: Han Yuseong (Lv.3)

Strength: 15→25 Agility: 24(20+4)→35(31+4) Stamina: 15→25 Magic: 15→25 Spirit: 15→25 Perception: 15→25

‘……This is a massive increase.’

I suddenly became way stronger. And I was already beyond an ordinary Level 3.

‘……’

The faces of my party members flashed in my mind—Rosenne, Glasses, Teresa.

Ermana and Viola could probably keep up. Rosenne might too. But Glasses and Teresa? No. At some point, they’d likely fall behind, unable to stay in our party.

‘……I thought it’d be later.’

But it seems that time will come much sooner than I expected.

I was lost in thought for a while, but that’s that, and this is this. I told Ermana I’d take a week off and lazed around in my room.

I really did nothing but laze around. Lysiel, exhausted from watching, begged me to do something, but…

‘……A proper rest period is necessary.’

I had plenty of money and time to spare, so I focused on exploring food. Eventually, I figured out where the good places were. After all that, my mental energy felt restored.

‘Three days of rest, huh.’

Now, four days left. Ermana went into the labyrinth today, and with nothing else to do…

‘Time for some maintenance.’

First, swordsmanship. I headed to the courtyard.

Among the training facilities in [Cradle], the best ones belong to the Adventurer’s Guild. But there are too many prying eyes there.

‘They do have private rooms, but…’

I can’t use them. I have the money, but you need a high level or clan rank to access them.

‘I could ask Vulcan, but…’

I don’t want to owe that old man any more favors.

So, I went to the courtyard. To warm up.

‘……How much I’ve changed.’

Me—someone who knew nothing about violence—now swinging a sword to warm up.

Well, whatever. This is the era I’ve fallen into. I’ll just have to get used to it.

Besides, it’s fun.

‘……I do miss Vulcan a bit.’

But just swinging a sword should be fine with Lysiel’s advice.

I don’t know many sword styles. Just textbook basics, some of Lysiel’s swordsmanship, and fragments of Vulcan’s.

Vulcan’s swordsmanship disrupts the opponent’s flow. Lysiel’s swordsmanship rides the flow to overwhelm the opponent. Both are exceptional. I practiced them with both hands.

‘I want to get stronger.’

What if? What if I had been strong enough to withstand that bastard’s strike?

What if Glasses had been unlucky and died after being devoured by him?

I summoned dark emotions and swung my sword. After a while, I stopped.

-Why did you stop?

‘Someone’s here.’

-Someone?

Before Lysiel could finish her question, a man appeared. A man—though his skin was green.

-An orc.

Lysiel looked at him with disgust.

‘Bad memories with orcs?’

-No, orcs are just ugly.

‘……’

That’s just prejudice. Ignoring her, I studied the orc.

‘Big.’

The orc was huge—roughly 2 meters tall, packed with muscle.

“My apologies. I didn’t mean to interrupt your training.”

The orc bowed slightly as he spoke.

‘……He’s not growling?’

A piece of my internal common sense shattered.

“It’s fine. I shouldn’t have been training here anyway.” “Haha, quite magnanimous. Your sword, however, isn’t.” “You use a sword?” “A bit.”

The orc chuckled as he spoke.

“Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. You can call me Burkan.” “Han Yuseong.” “Oh, from the East? Eastern swordsmanship is quite fierce.”

Burkan grinned as he looked at me.

‘The East, huh.’

The Western Continent is said to have an empire. And the Eastern Continent supposedly has one too.

I don’t know the details, and since I’m not from the East, I shook my head.

“Not from the East? That agile swordsmanship is usually their specialty.”

Burkan smirked and continued.

“Since we’ve met like this, how about a spar?”

Why does meeting someone mean we have to fight? I had a lot to say, but…

‘I like the look in his eyes.’

A blazing gaze—filled with passion. Something I lack.

-You’re really going to fight an orc? Orcs are trustworthy, at least.

‘Orcs are?’

-They value honor differently than you. They love fighting and are violent, but they keep their word once given.

‘And elves?’

-We elves revere peace and love.

‘……’

I gave Lysiel a deadpan stare. We get along now, but remembering our first meeting is horrifying.

I looked at Burkan.

‘A duel.’

Burkan looked strong at a glance. The pinnacle of a rogue’s instinct whispered—Burkan’s level was 4. A monster still beyond my reach.

‘That’s what makes it fun.’

When else would I get to fight someone like this without holding back? I grinned fiercely and accepted.

“We could use an audience, but… judging by your expression, we can start now.” “Then here I come.” “Bring it.”

As Burkan raised a wooden sword, I charged at him.

“Hoh, pretty fast.”

I swung my right sword—Lysiel’s style, riding the flow to pressure the opponent.

Burkan swung his sword wide. It was strange. His strike was coming at me, yet…

‘I can’t dodge?’

That was my instinct. I stepped back and crossed my swords to block.

Boom!

An overwhelming force hit me.

“Hoh, you blocked that? Impressive.” “……”

I didn’t answer.

A strange focus took over. Burkan’s sword filled me with inspiration.

‘A swordsmanship I’ve never seen before.’

From the way his muscles moved, his style was unlike any swordsman I’d faced. It ignited a bizarre craving in me.

“You’re focused, huh? You really know your way around a sword……”

Burkan said something, but I ignored him and moved. I swung my right sword. Burkan blocked lightly. When I slashed with my left, Burkan swung wide, trying to deflect both.

‘Martial arts.’

A kick—aimed at Burkan’s abdomen. But he didn’t dodge.

“Hah!”

-How brutish.

Burkan roared and blocked my kick.

And then—

Crash!

He brought his sword down.

‘Barely dodged.’

I narrowly avoided it. But a little more, and I could’ve—

Burkan’s sword didn’t suit me. But I found a way to counter. I rushed at him, swinging my sword.

In raw strength and stamina, he had the advantage. All I could rely on was agility and perception.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Bit by bit, I chipped away at Burkan’s range.

One mistake, and I’d lose. If he capitalized on it, Burkan would win.

It was like walking a tightrope, but this was my only path to victory.

‘If I used magic or aura, things might change.’

But this was just a test of pure swordsmanship.

As I whittled down Burkan’s defenses and advanced—

Whoosh!

My vision turned pitch black. A world where everything was outlined in white.

‘……This is.’

I’d seen this before. When I practiced Lysiel’s swordsmanship.

Just like back then. The sword technique I gained while wielding Lysiel’s sword—Dark Moon. Similar silhouettes began appearing.

The silhouette I saw when wielding Lysiel’s sword was that of a lone swordsman. Dark Moon—my ultimate technique, erasing everything.

Something similar appeared now. I discarded one sword. Swung the remaining one.

Blood trickled from my nose.

And then—

‘……Black Sea.’

Swoosh!

The darkness split.