episode_0061

The aftermath of the battle with Kali is far from insignificant.

The vast forest still burns, left unattended.

Countless elf remains return, creating a sea of tears.

Elves are now climbing the world tree, searching for a new role for it.

But there is no more time to waste in Elvengard.

Yuria will soon come rushing, and I must leave before that.

I have done all I can here.

Let’s leave the remaining issues for the elves to resolve themselves.

“I feel bad for leaving with things still unsettled.”

The training ground where I lost.

In the center, a fallen tree lies broken.

I might have caused unnecessary trouble.

It seems like a hassle to clean up.

“You’re late! The carriage is about to leave… Oh! Yujin, you forgot your sword!”

Alicia scolds me, but then looks surprised when she sees my waist.

Indeed.

The sword that is always strapped to my waist is missing.

But the sword is definitely here.

What nonsense is this?

“I brought it properly.”

“Huh?!”

Swish.

As I touch the small bag fixed to my belt, it instantly transforms.

In no time, the bag becomes a long leather sword sheath hanging from my waist.

A new ability acquired by capturing Kali.

‘Camouflage.’

“What, what is this? Non-attribute magic? Another new awakening?”

“Yes. Let’s go with that.”

“It’s a new type of magic I’ve never seen before. What rank is this? Yujin, won’t you come with me to the Tower of Magic? If you let me study that magic for a while, I’ll pay you a fair wage…”

“I absolutely refuse.”

As I firmly reject her, Alicia’s ears droop visibly, and her rabbit ears wilt.

If I go to the Tower of Magic, I’ll immediately skyrocket to a Tier 1 research subject.

After all, there’s no one else in the world who can’t use Tier 1 attribute magic and learns from scratch with Tier 5 non-attribute magic like me.

Unless I’m crazy, I won’t go to the Tower of Magic to dissect myself.

“Are you leaving now?”

Leaving Elvengard.

The farewell crowd that awaited us stands at the crossroads.

Of course, it’s not much of a crowd, just the High Elf elders and priestess.

“Leaving at such a chaotic time.”

“You have worked really hard. Your achievements should be recorded as a hero for future generations, but… due to the circumstances, it’s regrettable and we apologize.”

“Oh, no. It’s okay.”

Recording as a hero for future generations.

That would be a disaster.

Although I said it’s really okay with a wave of my hand, the elders seem touched, thinking it’s a sign of humility.

This is driving me crazy.

“It was a mutually beneficial trade.”

“Still, we are grateful. If we don’t do it properly, the honor of our Elvengard will not be preserved. Please accept this gift. We couldn’t prepare much due to the circumstances…”

Bowing, the elder hands me a wooden box.

It’s just the size of my palm, like receiving a ring proposal.

Feeling awkward, I quickly open it.

“This is…”

“The finest gemstone crafted by the top artisan of Elvengard for 10 years. It’s on a different level, no, on a different dimension of performance compared to the gemstones traded in the market. Please accept it as a token of our gratitude.”

The gemstone emits a radiant light.

Indeed, it surpasses the level of ordinary gemstones.

It’s probably not something made to be sold in the first place.

Perhaps it was made for rituals or something.

From the fact that it was crafted for 10 years, this is already an item that can be valued.

‘This is a lower-tier version of the gemstone I’m using now…’

But maybe my standards have become too high.

Before meeting Tae, I might not have known.

But now, this kind of gemstone doesn’t catch my eye anymore.

“Thank you very much. I will make good use of it.”

“Thank you for accepting! Thank you!”

Finally, the elders smile with joy on their faces.

They may be really modest, but it’s still a decent gift.

‘It’s perfect for regifting.’

I’ve accumulated a huge debt with the promissory note Cornelius gave me.

Next time I go to Cologne, I should give it as a gift to Cornelius.

And maybe get about 100 more promissory notes.

Briemga’s promissory notes are highly trusted and come in handy in various situations.

“Miss Priestess, do you have anything else to say?”

“Uh, um, that… well…”

Mia pushes through the elders and steps forward, unable to meet my eyes, her gaze fixed on the ground, fidgeting fingers not knowing how to rest.

The lingering feeling from last night hasn’t faded yet.

“I received a huge misunderstanding last night…”

Just imagining it makes me laugh in disappointment.

An opportunity to build friendship with the hidden NPC whom I haven’t spoken a word to until now?

I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I ran to him a month later.

I never imagined that the NPC’s mind would be filled with such sinister thoughts.

So why didn’t I do it?

Am I a coward?

“Since Mia is 76 years old, in human years…”

It’s a simple division.

An elf reaches adulthood at 100 years old.

A human reaches adulthood at 20 years old.

So if you divide 76 by 5, you get Mia’s human age…

“Oh, dizzy.”

Just imagining it makes everything seem distant.

There’s a reason Mia looks so young.

Suddenly, as an achievement is broken, a system window pops up saying, ‘Acquired the trait, Early Adopter,’ which I didn’t want to see.

“Uh, yesterday!”

“I enjoyed the meal, Lady Mia.”

“Ah…”

The hesitant expression on Lady Mia’s face turns pale.

It seems like she’s despairing, thinking I drew a line.

I’ve already forgotten about yesterday’s trivial mistake.

Mia trembles for a moment, then hesitantly nods her head.

“Y-yes… Goodbye…”

“Then, until next time.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll visit regularly to hear the Prophecy of the World Tree. We can’t exchange such important secrets through letters, can we?”

“That’s right! You’re right!”

Finally, Mia lifts her head and smiles brightly.

A crying face may have its own charm, but a smiling face is the most beautiful.

“I look forward to our next meeting.”

“Yes! I’ll wait for you! Guarding the Prophecy of the World Tree!”

It all starts with friendship.

Starting with friendship.

After saying goodbye to Mia and about to leave…

“Farewell, Archangel Jackson.”

“Take care of Evgenia’s beloved.”

“Brother! Brother! Hyeong!”

“…?”

A desperate voice is heard from behind.

Turning around, I see a boy running towards me, being stopped by soldiers.

Who was that boy again?

“Give it back! You have to return the hat!”

Ah, he was the kid I gave my baseball cap to.

When the soldiers gesture that it’s okay, the boy rushes over and hands me the hat.

“I used it well! It looks a bit weird on me, but wearing it made me feel strong like you!”

“Who said I’m strong?”

“My father! In the dungeon… Ah, this is a secret…”

The boy’s face turns thoughtful as he stops himself from speaking.

It seems like he heard about me from a survivor of the dungeon.

Taking a deep breath, I kneel down to his eye level.

“Here, take this.”

“Yes? Really?”

“Yes. But promise me one thing. Don’t talk about me to anyone else. Understand?”

“I’ll remember! I want to learn swordsmanship! I want to become strong like you!”

An elf learning swordsmanship.

A valuable talent.

I feel like giving him some advice.

Even though I haven’t reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, I’m the only one who has trained in the Three-Stage Swordsmanship to the brink of enlightenment.

“Really? Then if the opportunity arises, don’t learn the Merida Style swordsmanship.”

“Why? It’s an advanced swordsmanship only learned by chosen elven warriors…”

“If I say don’t learn it, then don’t. Got it?”

“Yes…”

The traditional elven swordsmanship, Merida Style, passed down through generations in Elvengard.

Damn it, whatever.

The only advantage of the Merida Style is its unpredictability.

Since it’s so bad that no one uses it, no one can predict it.

Of course, that’s only when compared to other swordsmanship that has been trained to the brink.

Even if you realize the enlightenment, the Merida Style won’t suddenly become powerful.

“Seriously, what a ridiculous balance level.”

It feels like a game that went downhill without any balance adjustments right after it opened.

I remember people talking about which swordsmanship was good in the beginning and which one was the best, but after exploring it for 12 episodes, it turned out to be all nonsense.

After realizing the enlightenment, I doubt the Merida Style will suddenly become strong in the 13th episode.

“No way.”

It won’t happen.

Even if it does, I won’t reach that level in this 13th episode.

I’m just someone who forced myself to learn swordsmanship on a talentless body.

Reaching Level 11 in the trait, the enlightenment of swordsmanship, is a realm only allowed for a few extraordinary beings in the world.

“So, do you have a recommended swordsmanship to learn…?”

“I’ve learned all sorts of things, you know? Elves are chosen warriors, but no matter how hard they try, they’ll always be overshadowed by human swordmasters.”

Elders murmuring in the background.

Sorry, but that’s just the reality of it.

Even if the elves were to establish their own exclusive swordsmanship, they’d be lucky to have a hundred students.

But the scale of the humans is on a different level.

A single faction can have anywhere from 500 to 10,000 students.

In total, that’s at least 100,000.

With so many people competing and developing their swordsmanship, it’s only natural that it would excel.

It’s not about discrimination between races, it’s an unavoidable limitation.

“Go to the Swordsmanship Academy. I’ll write you a recommendation. When you reach the age to become independent, take this with you.”

“The Belfast Academy…?”

He wrote down the name of a reputable academy on a note and handed it to the boy, who accepted it with gratitude, bowing his head.

So, why did I write a recommendation for that academy when I have no connection to it?

Not yet, at least.

“I’ll have to visit there eventually.”

There’s a small matter I need to resolve with that swordmaster over there.

I’ll mention it when I go to solve it.

The elf boy will come looking for me later.

There’s plenty of time.

He still has about 20 years until he reaches the age of independence.

“Thank you, sir! For saving my father, and for all of this…”

“Fix your hat properly.”

He doesn’t seem to know how to wear a hat properly, as it’s tilted to the side.

Taking off the hat, I straightened out the folded part and firmly placed it on the boy’s head before standing up.

“Yujin. Take care of yourself, okay?”

“Then I’ll be on my way.”

“Goodbye. I pray for the blessings of the World Tree on your journey. And for your safe return to this place…”

The carriage is waiting.

I should probably hurry.

I waved to Mia once before turning away.

And from then on, I didn’t look back.