episode_0057

I groaned as I made my way to the adventurer’s guild.

‘What the hell are these things even made of?’

Every time I moved, my body felt like it was being dragged down. I didn’t know the reason, but my mana control wasn’t working properly.

‘……Every time I try to control my mana.’

There was a strange, clogged-up sensation. Still, I could guess why Vulcan had prepared these iron weights.

My muscles creaked with every movement.

Each step felt more exhausting than walking tense through the labyrinth.

‘……If I had entered the labyrinth without these few days of adjustment, I’d have been in real trouble.’

After about three hours of wandering around, I found the solution.

Fortunately, releasing them was incredibly easy. If I willed it, I could undo them in less than 0.1 seconds.

‘Is this preparation for unexpected battles?’

Unexpected battles, huh.

I entered the adventurer’s guild.

The guild had countless facilities—places to enter the labyrinth, areas for forming parties with magic, temporary storage for items, and even separate training grounds for high-ranking adventurers.

As usual, I headed to the training grounds.

“Oh, you’re here? But, um… Vulcan isn’t here today.”

“……I’ll just do a quick workout and leave.”

I stuck to my usual routine. Since reaching Level 3, my regular exercises had felt a bit easier, but the iron weights Vulcan and Durin gave me made it feel like I was dying.

‘Well, it’s good that it’s effective exercise.’

But damn, it was hard.

I felt like I was going to die. Still, I could endure it.

This was still far better than fighting for my life in the labyrinth.

After finishing my workout,

I sat blankly in the resting area, staring at a section of the wall.

Though it was quite far, the vision correction from [Bow Mastery] let me easily read the distant text.

‘……A request.’

The labyrinth makes adventurers stronger.

Originally, the strongest among humanity—excluding heroes—were said to be around Level 3 at best.

‘……Me, the strongest in humanity? That’s a bit ridiculous.’

But things were different now.

Most people couldn’t surpass Level 2.

Among them, the elite few considered strong were at Level 5.

In the Empire, they even granted ducal titles to those who reached Level 9.

Anyway, there were requests related to the labyrinth too.

For labyrinth requests, the client would specify the desired level, and if deemed appropriate, adventurers could take them on.

To put it simply:

———————————— [Cradle] Goblin settlement discovered. Eliminate the goblin settlement.

Danger level: Level 3. Reward: 10 gold coins. ————————————

That’s how it was usually summarized.

‘If I recall, Level 3 is roughly equivalent to a mercenary group’s strength?’

But this wasn’t a request I’d take. The reward wasn’t great, for one.

‘……And it’s too far.’

Accepting that request would take at least a week. I’d rather dive into the labyrinth one more time.

As a solo player, I’d be limited to the second floor, but even that would be more profitable.

Still, that was just my situation.

Thanks to [Bow Mastery]’s vision correction and [Thief’s Pinnacle] making me comfortable in darkness, requests like these were actually more popular than expected.

‘Most of them are just small, simple tasks.’

I wouldn’t normally bother with requests unless they offered something special, like a unique item.

After thinking that far, I averted my gaze, closed my eyes, and focused.

‘Let’s try handling mana.’

Mana control—one of the mystical forces in this world.

Mana, fighting spirit.

Right now, I only had two.

If I included more unique powers, I could add [Gift] and [Purple] to the list.

‘Though [Purple] feels like it belongs to mana.’

Every time I used it, there was a strange, surging sensation.

But most of the time, its power felt like it fell under mana.

Anyway, I tried controlling my mana.

Currently, I only used mana for skills or reinforcing my body.

‘This world is a bit odd—things like magic circles, auras, or martial arts don’t seem to exist.’

Yet, strangely, only unique sword techniques did.

‘According to Lissian, you can gain mana through meditation.’

But the amount was so negligible that unless you had an A-rank or higher mana-related [Gift], it wasn’t worth attempting.

If you messed up, the mana could backflow and turn you into a vegetable—so it was better not to try at all.

‘Hmm……’

So, I had no reason to bother with that.

But as I organized my thoughts, I felt a bit overwhelmed.

‘……Even if I gained one more power, could I handle it properly?’

The reason I was worrying about this was simple:

The reward from my changed relationship with Veronica.

[You may now claim your reward.]

‘……I’m not even using my current [Gifts] to their full potential.’

People might curse me if they heard this, but I’d rather have my skills or techniques improve.

It was a bit of a stretch.

I claimed the reward.

What I got:

[Skill: Shadow Dance (B) acquired.] [Technique: Throwing unlocked.] [Skill: Venom Arts (B) acquired.] [Technique: Poison Arts unlocked.]

‘……Oh.’

I got some assassin-like skills.

I returned to the training grounds.

I let the knowledge flooding my mind settle.

‘……These have great synergy.’

[Thief’s Pinnacle (S)]—it allowed me to do most things a thief could, and it meshed perfectly with these new skills.

How should I put it?

‘[Thief’s Pinnacle] teaches me the fundamentals needed for [Shadow Dance] and [Venom Arts].’

It made using them effortless.

[Shadow Dance] was, as the name suggested, assassination techniques—a passive skill.

It included methods using dagger arts, among others.

[Venom Arts] covered analyzing poison, antidotes, coating weapons, lacing food, or even dispersing it in the air toward enemies.

It took the knowledge I already had and made it more specialized.

Since I couldn’t test [Venom Arts] here, I’d have to experiment in the labyrinth.

I walked toward the training dummies.

‘First, [Shadow Dance].’

I pulled out two daggers I kept hidden. Despite the name, it wasn’t anything flashy—just a method of throwing daggers infused with mana.

Swish!

The two daggers flew and embedded themselves exactly where I wanted.

[Technique: Throwing level has increased.]

This time, I drew four daggers and threw them.

Swish! Swish!

All four daggers shot in different directions. Two of them collided mid-air—

Clang! Thunk!

—and embedded themselves exactly as I intended.

-……Impressive technique.

Lissian, who had been silently watching, let out an admiring murmur.

‘Still a bit lacking compared to the skill’s full potential.’

Right now, four daggers were my limit.

If I fully mastered this skill, I could supposedly handle up to ten.

‘But the power is a bit weak.’

Still, poison could make up for that.

With an elf’s alchemy skills, I could brew some.

Even if the local techniques only produced low-grade versions.

‘……Maybe I should buy some?’

I didn’t need to limit myself to poison. Potions for our party would be useful too.

Where could I even buy something like that?

“Alchemy? You’ll want the Alchemist’s Guild.”

Luckily, Hilda kindly pointed me in the right direction.

Following her directions, I headed to the Alchemist’s Guild.

“You don’t look like an alchemist. What brings you here?”

“I’m learning alchemy. I wanted to see equipment for making poison or potions.”

“Ah, then for beginners, I’d recommend……”

I browsed the guild’s selection and picked out something that looked promising.

“How much is this?”

“You’re interested in purchasing that? Its performance scales with skill—for a talented alchemist, its potential is immense! It’s crafted with a fragment of the World Tree, so its mana resonance is exceptional!”

The salesperson danced around the fact that it wasn’t for beginners.

Which only made me want it more.

‘Price is…… 50 platinum coins.’

A staggering sum.

I frowned, but it was the best option available here.

‘Consider it an investment.’

The problem was, to use this, I’d need a place of my own.

‘……Guess I’ll have to buy a house too.’

My expenses were piling up fast.

As I left the Alchemist’s Guild and headed toward the real estate office, I sensed a familiar presence.

“Well, if it isn’t the runt.”

“……Could you at least stick to one nickname? It changes every time.”

“You’re keeping track? How petty.”

No, that’s a perfectly normal thing to care about.

“What brings you here?”

“Just looking into alchemy.”

“Hmm, you wouldn’t bother unless you had a reason…… Did you get a related [Gift]? No, you’ve got too many already to narrow it down.”

Vulcan studied me with narrowed eyes before shaking his head.

“So, you’re here to buy alchemy equipment. With your funds…… Ah, you’re looking for a house too.”

In an instant, he pieced it together and stared at me.

“You’ve got a chance to get a house for free. Interested?”

“Hell yeah.”

My immediate answer made Vulcan glare at me with exasperation.

“Even though I’m the one offering, it’s baffling how you…… No, I should be glad you’re not swayed by money, I suppose.”

He sized me up with a scrutinizing gaze.

I stayed silent.

“Anyway, complete one simple request, and you’ll get a pretty decent house.”

“How decent?”

“Hmm…… Bigger than your average home. It was originally meant for the kingdom’s most distinguished guests. Better than most mansions.”

That sounded perfect.

With a bright smile, I accepted Vulcan’s offer.

“……”

Had I known who the client was, I might’ve hesitated.

“Fufu, as expected, even the most beautiful, most talented saint in history can’t be refused—”

“I’m leaving.”

“W-Wait, listen to me!”

Of all people, I hadn’t expected to run into her.

I stared at Veronica.

Veronica stared back with a blank expression.

“But your request was for someone with thief skills, right? He’s your disciple.”

“Hmm…… Where’d you hear that nonsense? You know anything about it?”

Vulcan glanced at me.

I shrugged as if to say, How would I know?

“First off, this brat isn’t my disciple.”

“Ah, my apologies. Is that how it works?”

“And more importantly, he’s not a swordsman—he’s a thief.”

“……Huh?”

Veronica looked at me, utterly bewildered.

What, why, huh?