Episode 57
In the end, I returned that day without being able to find the underground library.
I thought about investing a day or two more to look for it, but there is no time to waste now.
Because we need time to prepare for the retreat.
Huh-.
A raised fist is visible.
A fist surrounded by pitch black gloves came right in front of my nose and blocked my vision, so it felt like I had suddenly entered the night.
Huh!
Before it was completely midnight, I twisted my head and returned to daylight.
The opponent’s offensive is just beginning.
He opened his outstretched fist and immediately snatched my collar.
Over the past few days, the memory of being thrown down over and over again came to mind, and my body naturally gained strength.
However, this time, instead of forcing himself to struggle, he instead put his strength into the other person’s pulling force.
I did some somersaults and landed a pretty cool landing.
“… … .”
A line was drawn on the corner of Keian’s mouth as he threw me away.
“It’s a great trick.”
“… “It’s because you took care of the situation.”
Instead of holding on to the hem until the end, I let go midway.
If I hadn’t done that, I would have landed in a much messier situation.
This is what happens when you land on your back or butt.
“It’s a mock battle, right? “You don’t necessarily have to go all out.”
That is correct.
This is a mock battle to raise the sense of real-life combat, and the purpose itself is to promote each other’s growth.
‘It would be nice to fight almost in real combat, but… … .’
Neither Kean nor I have any particular lack of practical experience.
In that case, it is better to train in a way that complements each other’s weaknesses.
Dang-dang-.
A bell rang somewhere far away.
You may not believe this grim bell, but it signals lunch time.
We looked at each other and then let our guard down at the same time.
“great job. “Thanks to you, I gained a lot.”
“This is what I tell you.”
These are not empty words.
I have been sparring with Keian for a week and have almost eliminated the gap between my mind and body.
If it weren’t for someone as skilled as Keian, it would have taken a few more weeks.
The finer the adjustments, the more high-class partners are needed.
Anyway, I felt light because I felt like I had finally finished one of my homework assignments.
“It’s finally tomorrow.”
Keian, who was following one step behind, spoke as he passed by.
“I know.”
I’m talking about a retreat.
It starts tomorrow, so I have to move now this evening.
Since I don’t have anything else to do, I plan to eat lunch, pack lightly, and then leave right away.
“It is said that a total of 43 people are participating in the retreat.”
“hmm. Is it a lot or a little?”
“It’s more than last time. It’s the same on average. Moreover, it is said that there are many exceptionally talented people in this period.”
“okay?”
“The third son of the Helvin family and the youngest daughter of the Rubyetta family, and although he did not participate in the protection ceremony, the only son of Lord Ranger Hyde… … .”
I roughly remembered what Kayan was talking about.
“And there are the three daughters of the Goodspring family.”
It was somewhat surprising to hear that Seren remained.
As a good spring guy, there was no particular advantage to participating in Badniker’s retreat.
Rather, considering the relationship between the two families, participating may be detrimental.
It may seem that they are dissatisfied with or feel that Goodspring’s curriculum is lacking.
This is not something that should be recommended at the family level.
‘He probably doesn’t know this either.’
Although he is an unusual guy in many ways, he is not stupid.
“I heard that a carriage is leaving for the retreat camp in the afternoon.”
“carriage?”
“They said you shouldn’t bring anything except clothing and weapons. “I heard that all basic necessities are provided over there.”
“aha.”
It’s convenient because they can tell you the information you need without having to ask.
It’s such a good thing to have a butler who is good at his job.
I feel like I know why the other guys in the mansion coveted Keian.
Perhaps there is no other person in Badniker who is this versatile?
‘I wonder if I can take the Seven Deadly Sins Sword.’
I thought about it for a while, but decided to just go with it.
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It’s not specifically used as a weapon, but since it looks like a sword, it won’t be stopped.
The only thing that catches me off guard is the magic tool I received from Iron Blood Master, but since this looks like an ordinary ring, I think it’ll be fine.
After eating and washing up, I changed into the lightest clothes I could and was about to leave the room when I suddenly heard a knock on the door.
“come in.”
“yes.”
And what appeared was an unexpected face.
“So you… … .”
“It’s Jane.”
That’s right, Collector Jane.
The guy who refereed the sparring between me and Hector.
I haven’t forgotten.
Because I thought it was a name that didn’t suit what it looked like.
“What’s your business?”
“The head of the family ordered me to convey this to you.”
Then he handed me something.
It was a very luxurious looking wooden box, and it opened automatically with a clicking sound.
What was inside looked like a red jewel.
“what’s this?”
“This is Yeongok.”
“Young-ok? ah-.”
The elixir that Sanghyeolgong said he would give me.
The name was Yeongok.
I looked down at the guy named Young-ok with sad eyes.
‘I heard that many elixirs have strange appearances… … .’
Can I eat this?
It’s too big to swallow, and it feels like all your teeth will fall out if you chew it.
“Then I’ll just leave.”
“wait for a sec.”
Jane is about to leave, but looks at me with an expression on her face that asks what’s going on. He’s a polite guy who seems oddly rude.
Are all collectors actually weirdos?
“I need more explanation. “Didn’t the matriarch say anything else?”
“You didn’t have anything in particular.”
“hmm… … .”
Jane said as I looked embarrassed.
“But if you’re asking for an explanation about spirit prison, I can give you the answer.”
“oh. please.”
“This is an elixir called spirit jade, or spirit jade. “It can only be obtained from a very few spirits.”
“From a spirit?”
“Of course, spirits have no physical concept. Of course, you don’t get anything by defeating it. “That’s generally true, but mad spirits are a little different.”
“What is a spirit that has gone crazy?”
“It is literally a spirit that has run amok. “That’s what we call a spirit that has stayed in the world of phenomena for too long and has materialized against its will. I heard that getting a body from a spiritual being is no different from falling.”
Having a body is a disaster… … .
It’s a concept I don’t understand at all, but I thought it might be possible since spirits are beings that don’t belong to the category of living things in the first place.
“Looking at the color, it looks like it was obtained from a fire spirit, and that of the highest level. “I heard that the head of the family went to the Tasmas volcanic region not long ago, and I think that’s where he got it.”
“How to take it? “Can I just eat it?”
Usually, the better the elixir, the more likely it is to change into a liquid or jelly-like form that is easily absorbed by the body the moment you put it in your mouth.
Although it looks like a gem at first glance, it may be surprisingly easy to eat… … .
“If it were an ordinary spirit prison, it would have been like that, but… well. “You will probably have to dissolve and digest this slowly.”
“aha. Like rolling ice in your mouth?”
“That’s not it, it’s done with mana.”
right. I thought so too.
I was just joking because his expression was so stiff.
I nodded and said.
“Thanks for the explanation.”
“Then I’ll just leave.”
This time, Jane left, and I immediately tried to inject mana, or internal energy, while holding the spirit jade in my hand.
“… oh.”
My hands feel warm.
The moment this hard metal touched mana, its outer layer peeled slightly, and the polar energy was absorbed into me little by little… … .
I immediately understood what Jane meant by ‘melting and absorbing.’
‘Amazing?’
The extreme energy flowing out of the spirit prison was so pure that even I, who had mastered the First Chloride Ball, did not need any further refining.
It means that you can absorb and accept it almost as is.
‘furthermore-.’
The results that can be achieved with spirit prison will not be limited to simply improving one’s strength.
By injecting mana, I figured out the approximate structure, and the structure of this spirit prison became stronger the deeper I went into it.
In other words, it means that the inner energy and mental power consumed in the melting process increases as time goes by… … .
If you look at the bigger picture, the process of melting this spirit prison itself will be a training exercise.
Perhaps by the time I digest all the spirit prisons, my level will have improved significantly?
“… “You are worthy of the head of the family.”
It doesn’t end with simply giving a reward, but also throws in clues to become stronger from there.
He was a man of iron blood who put more emphasis on the growth of his children than anything else.
“good.”
For the time being, I will not let Youngok go away from my arms.
However, I didn’t have a good way to store it, so it seems like I have no choice but to just carry it around for now.
What if someone asks what that is at the retreat?
“They say the matriarch gave it to me.”
* * *
Afterwards, I ate, washed, changed into the lightest clothes I could, and left the mansion.
There was a large carriage in front of the main gate of the mansion.
A knight in front of me looked at me and smiled brightly.
“hello! “Master Luan.”
“hi. “Good evening.”
“haha. The weather hasn’t warmed up yet. Are you going to the retreat?”
“huh.”
“You can get on.”
I nodded and got into the carriage, where there was an unexpected face.
“… Ugh.”
It was Hector.
This guy had a face that said he saw something he couldn’t see, but when our eyes met, he secretly rolled his eyes.
“what.”
“… “What do you mean?”
“That’s not the expression you’ve seen on the youngest child.”
“Hey, the youngest.”
Hector turned his head with a bug-bitten expression.
If you think about it, bumping into this guy wasn’t unexpected.
This guy is also of Badniker blood, which means that he of course lives in his family’s mansion.
This means that there is nothing strange about riding in a carriage parked in front of the main gate.
Anyway, I sat in front of Hector.
The good news is that because it is a luxury carriage, it has plenty of room inside.
‘It’s a strange carriage.’
The seats were soft, and there was something nice smelling inside.
Apart from that, there were no windows inside.
This meant that there was no way to check the outside world, but if my senses were not wrong, it seemed like the sound from the outside world was also blocked.
A carriage that might be used to transport some kind of criminal.
Of course, the intention can be guessed.
Perhaps it was to hide the exact location of the retreat camp.
As I was thinking quietly, the entrance opened slightly, and the knight from before poked his face in.
“We are planning to leave immediately. “Have you both forgotten anything?”
We nodded at the same time.
“Has confirmed. It will take about three hours.”
“It’s taking a long time.”
I don’t know the exact size of [Butterfly Forest].
However, if it takes three hours by carriage with this level of equipment, it is not surprising that the distance is about the same as a village.
This is also a distance from which you can never return to your hometown if you do not know the exact distance or direction.
“If you get hungry along the way, please let me know. “I will prepare a simple snack for you.”
“huh.”
The driver bowed his head and left.
‘Has it set off?’
I guess it seems like that.
Although it didn’t feel real because I couldn’t feel the carriage clattering at all.
“… “You seem to be friendly with Sir Walter.”
While I was in a daze, Hector unexpectedly spoke to me.
After thinking for a moment, I realized that the name of the knight who had just greeted me was Walter.
“It’s not bad.”
“how? “It must have been a while since you came home.”
“Brother, are you being sarcastic?”
“Well, not really.”
Hector shook his head and then said.
“Sir Walter is a member of the Iron Blood Knights, and among them, he is a man with great pride. So much so that his name was included in the special unit selected by his uncle.”
By uncle, I am referring to Luke Badniker, the leader of the Iron Blood Knights.
“aha. That’s why.”
“What do you mean?”
“I fought against him once, and he fought better than other knights.”
“You’re fighting?”
Hector made a puzzled face.
For the past week, I have stayed at the training center all the time the sun is up.
But of course, the training center is not just for me.
The knights watched me competing with Keian, and some of them, who could not overcome the spirit of the warrior, asked me for a mock battle.
There is nothing wrong with fighting with various people, so I accepted it… … .
… This means that Walter was a relatively good fighter among the knights.
When I briefly explained the above circumstances, Hector muttered with a bitter expression.
“You have been recognized by the Iron Blood Knights.”
“To overdo it. “I just competed a few times.”
“That is recognition. “Because they never want to fight with someone they don’t approve of.”
Hector said that and looked at me.
“Luan Badniker, although I lost in sparring, the retreat will be different. “I will definitely get a higher score than you here.”
He declared with a serious face, as if he had made some kind of decision.
Suddenly, I remembered what Sanghyeolgong had told me to aim for first place.
‘Could it be this guy too?’
Maybe so, but I didn’t really ask.
After that, the conversation stopped and I was able to get lost in my thoughts again.
The great figure came to mind, memories of the sacred mountain passed by, and finally, the image of Master came to mind.
– Don’t let your guard down.
What Master said from beyond the mirror.
– Remember, youngest.
– If this meeting hadn’t happened today, you would have died in a month.
It’s already been a week since I heard that story.
In other words, there is a high probability that a major crisis will come to me in about the next three weeks or so.
And the retreat lasts for a total of 6 weeks.
In other words.
‘… ‘At this retreat, I might die.’
I looked at the wall of the carriage for no reason.
For some reason, I felt like I wanted to see the scenery outside.
fantasy,
