Chapter 5: I’ve Been Waiting for Someone Like You

Before arriving at The Cradle, I had several questions about my abilities.

My Gift, Thief’s Pinnacle (S), seemed like a skill that operated entirely on its own terms.

For example, the sudden dash I used against Han Ul.

Or the way it naturally guided me to suppress my footsteps.

Even finding the ominous nail earlier—these things came to me effortlessly.

“I’d like to confirm just how far this ability can go.”

Despite the challenges, I had spent some time practicing.

I worked on silencing my footsteps, suppressing my presence, and climbing trees using parkour techniques.

“And once I tried it…”

It felt like I had learned those skills, as if they became permanently ingrained.

There were also some noticeable changes.

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“It feels like you’re even less noticeable today than you were yesterday.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Things like your presence or your footsteps. I can see your form in front of me, but it’s like you’re not even there. It’s kind of creepy.”

Through Erme’s peculiar mix of formal and informal speech, I picked up on a few things.

“Once I master a skill, it seems to become semi-permanent.”

Other useful knowledge had come to me as well—such as how to make poison.

“This is…”

While Absolute Theft let me steal things like magic, Thief’s Pinnacle seemed to let me do just about anything.

“It’s practically cheating.”

The more I used it, the clearer it became.

Anything a thief could conceivably do, I could achieve:

Evading enemy attacks.

Making sudden leaps.

Distracting foes and charging at them in an instant.

The last three days had been spent honing these techniques.

“I suppose training while marching does make people stronger.”

Erme had muttered such a comment, but that was a minor concern.

“There are so many things I could potentially use.”

From pickpocketing and managing subordinates to displaying charisma and even training assassins.

I could forge counterfeits, create forgeries, and navigate black markets.

“There’s so much to sort out—I’ll need to organize it all later.”

At last, we arrived at The Cradle.

Teaming up with Erme wasn’t without its perks.

While she had an explosive personality in bad ways, she also had a fiery determination in good ways.

“From now on, leave the money to me,” Erme said, striking a pose like an older brother trying to show off.

“I can’t get you anything too expensive, but if it’s reasonable, I’ll buy it for you.”

She glanced at me cautiously as she spoke. Did she think I was about to demand something extravagant?

“Well, we still don’t know each other that well.”

The first thing we did after arriving at The Cradle wasn’t anything dramatic.

We secured an inn.

“Even if we’re heading into the labyrinth, we’ve all accumulated some travel fatigue. Well, maybe not you, but women need to stay clean.”

Actually, I appreciated the break.

The inn was surprisingly satisfying.

It wasn’t top-tier, but it prioritized cleanliness. The bath was nice, too.

We arrived at The Cradle in the evening, got settled, and spent the night at the inn.

It was a relief to sleep in and take my time for the first time in a while.

“You seem to like the inn,” Erme remarked.

“Yeah.”

“Good to hear. You’ve got this elegant look, but you’re not as picky as I thought.”

“What is she even saying this early in the morning?”

Was it just because it was morning?

“I liked how clean it was.”

“Exactly! Cleanliness is essential if you want to stay in the adventuring game for long.”

I mostly ignored Erme’s chatter and focused on eating the sandwich in front of me.

“This place serves decent portions with good value. You’ve got to have meat and veggies, after all. I’d love to splurge on fruit, but that’s a bit out of reach for now. Just wait a year, and we’ll have plenty.”

In a year, maybe we’d finally be able to eat fruit freely.

After finishing a light breakfast at the inn, Erme dragged me to the blacksmith.

“I don’t need anything, but you do,” she said with certainty.

“Me?”

“Yep. You’ve got two weapons, right?”

She was right.

One was a cheap dagger I’d bought as a spare.

The other was the Blood-Soaked Dagger.

“Both are lacking. One’s too junky, and the other’s too good.”

I had to agree.

Honestly, I hadn’t expected Han Ul to die in a single strike.

When I threw the dagger, I was just hoping it would hit.

“But he did die instantly.”

And the Blood-Soaked Dagger looked far too remarkable just from its appearance alone.

“It’s about the quality of your gear.”

“You should get a backup weapon and maybe a proper sword. I’ll cover the cost.”

“Isn’t that a bit much?”

“Not really. Having solid equipment for defense is always good. Besides, I feel a little guilty about something.”

“Guilty?”

“…I think Han Ul was probably aiming for me.”

“Ah, I see.”

“It’s not much of an apology, but since I can’t just say ‘let’s call it even,’ I want to make sure you have what you need to settle in here.”

“Well, if that’s the case, I don’t mind.”

I felt genuinely relieved.

At the very least, Erme seemed determined to keep her promises.

“And now, let’s talk about something important.”

“Important?”

“The nail and how we’ll divide it.”

Erme glanced at me with a meaningful look.

Hadn’t we already settled everything about the nail?

“I only gave it to her because I didn’t want it.”

I didn’t really want to talk about it anymore, but I had to make things clear.

“You can have it all.”

“I’d love to do that, but I want to stick with you for a long time,” she said, flashing a grin.

Ugh. I hated the sound of that.

When I grimaced, Erme looked at me with a hurt expression.

“Wow, am I really that unpleasant? I’m super pretty, you know!”

“That’s true, but pretty or not, your personality is a bit…”

“Geez, Yuseong! Compliments like that in such a crowded place are kind of embarrassing, you know.”

This is driving me insane.

“To be fair, it’s not like Erme is a bad person.”

Having a reliable damage-dealer and tank like her was always a good thing.

Sure, if she were mediocre, she’d be neither here nor there.

But as someone who could cover both offense and defense, she was invaluable.

As we chatted, we finally arrived at the blacksmith.

“Do you have a preferred primary weapon?”

“I’m not picky with weapons. Oh, but having a few throwing daggers would be nice.”

“That makes sense—you’re pretty skilled with daggers.”

I could use other weapons if I had to, but with the Blood-Soaked Dagger in my possession, focusing on daggers seemed like the obvious choice.

Clang.

As soon as we stepped into the blacksmith’s shop, we were greeted by a man.

He had a thick beard and a short stature, but more striking than that—

“His proportions are different from regular people.”

His head was slightly larger, and his body was packed with dense muscle.

“A dwarf?”

“First time seeing one? Oh, right, The Cradle recently started accepting adventurers from the labyrinth, didn’t they?”

“That gentleman over there is a dwarf who holds the title of Master Craftsman,” Erme explained.

“Master Craftsman?”

“Hoo? You’ve got quite the eye, miss,” the dwarf said with a smirk.

“Of course, of course! I’m a woman with excellent taste,” Erme replied, raising the corners of her lips in pride.

While they chatted, I scanned the room.

“This place looks pretty good.”

Using the knowledge granted by Thief’s Pinnacle, I examined the swords on display.

Each one had excellent balance and flexibility.

It was no coincidence that the dwarf was called a Master Craftsman.

“Huh, he seems to know what he’s looking at,” the dwarf remarked, glancing at me.

“How’d you figure that?”

“Just the way you’re checking for the qualities of a good sword. It shows.”

So even that could reveal a skilled person. Interesting.

I picked out a sword that caught my attention.

“You know how to handle a blade, but this one’s a bit short,” the dwarf said.

It was too long to be called a dagger but too short to be classified as a longsword.

Along with the sword, I picked up a few throwing daggers.

“They sell bows here too?”

My gaze lingered on the bows hanging on the wall.

“You know how to use a bow?” the dwarf asked.

A bow, huh…

“I probably do.”

If Thief’s Pinnacle could provide me with information on throwing daggers and tracking, then learning to use a bow didn’t seem like a stretch.

“I could probably shoot it.”

I picked up the bow and examined it.

It had a stable balance.

A beginner’s bow.

“But rather than this one…”

The black bow over there looked far more appealing.

“That one’s not for sale,” the dwarf said, shaking his head.

“It doesn’t seem to lack draw strength,” I noted.

“That’s not the issue. The bowstring is too sharp.”

“A bowstring… sharp? Why would anyone make it that way?”

“It was a special request from someone who wanted it to be usable as a weapon.”

“And the owner?”

“Can’t you guess? He ended up hanging himself on his own bowstring.”

“……”

What an absurd and pathetic reason.

Still, if the string was as sharp as described, it made sense.

“I’ll have to try shooting it.”

“Go ahead. There’s a practice range nearby,” the dwarf replied.

A practice range? It looked more like an empty lot to me.

“But that bow doesn’t seem to have an owner. Is it really okay for me to try it out?”

“Didn’t you hear what I just said? No, wait—adventurers never listen to what I say anyway,” the dwarf muttered, his gaze turning resigned.

“As long as you acknowledge that any injuries caused by using the bow are not my responsibility, you can do whatever you want.”

“Fair enough. Let’s go.”

I grabbed the black bow and grinned.

Erme watched Yuseong with a look of anticipation.

“He knows how to use a bow too?”

His swordsmanship was already exceptional.

Not to mention his ambush techniques were even more impressive.

Over the past few days on the way to The Cradle, she had watched him train.

“He’s incredible.”

It was like he was born to be an assassin.

Sometimes, watching him gave me chills.

I could see him, but there was no presence—like I was looking at a ghost. I had experienced this a few times already.

“And now he can handle ranged combat too?”

He was a jack-of-all-trades.

No, more than that—he was too versatile.

Every time I saw him, it felt like he was peeling back another layer, revealing something new, like an onion.

“I want him.”

He was a sweet fruit, irresistible.

But with such sweetness came the risk of attracting other bees.

“It’s going to be a little troublesome, but…”

A talent like that would be welcomed anywhere.

Meanwhile, Han Yuseong lifted the bow.

The string was razor-sharp, sharp enough to draw blood with the slightest mistake.

“Oh, wait, here are some gloves and a finger guard—”

The dwarf stopped mid-sentence.

Han Yuseong had already gripped the bowstring without hesitation.

“What the…?”

The dwarf stared blankly at Yuseong.

The string was so sharp it could cut into flesh just from being held.

That’s why its previous owner had mishandled it and lost their life.

But Yuseong held it like it was nothing.

Thief’s Pinnacle.

The terrifying skill that ignored even the laws of common sense was at work again, showcasing his extraordinary dexterity.

“Oh, your form is excellent,” the dwarf remarked.

Han Yuseong focused intently.

Right now, he was trying to grasp the feeling of shooting a bow.

“Normally, learning something like this would cost money and plenty of mistakes.”

But thanks to the dwarf’s generosity, this was possible.

He adjusted his stance. It came naturally—Thief’s Pinnacle was teaching him.

“This is how you use a bow.”

“Wow…”

A voice of admiration broke the silence.

Unintentionally, the onlookers couldn’t help but be impressed by Yuseong’s flawless form.

Something about him felt different.

“A proper rear guard…”

Erme was deeply moved.

And yet, he was also powerful as a front-line fighter.

“Judging by how he discovered that nail, he even has talent in reconnaissance.”

This man is becoming more and more desirable.

He can scout, handle close combat, and is proficient with a bow?

The thief class is usually mediocre unless exceptional, but when someone is this skilled.

“I need to nurture him properly.”

He was superior to any thief candidate she’d ever encountered.

Always calm and collected, ruthless when it came to killing enemies, and adept at reconnaissance.

He was, in a way, the perfect all-around player.

And yet, even after sharing a roof with someone as beautiful as herself, he hadn’t shown the slightest inappropriate interest.

Of course, she didn’t believe it was completely genuine.

There was no way he disliked someone with her looks.

It just meant his self-control was extraordinary.

As Erme’s hazy, dreamy gaze locked onto Han Yuseong, he released the bowstring.

Thwang!

The arrow hit its mark dead center, striking a can and embedding itself into the wooden target behind it.

Erme immediately rushed over to Yuseong and grabbed his hands with both of hers.

“……”

“What now?” Yuseong thought, staring at her impassively.

Looking directly into his eyes, Erme declared:

“I’ve been waiting for someone like you. I’ll make sure to take great care of you.”

Her words, sounding almost like a confession, left Han Yuseong wondering:

“What on earth is she talking about?”

[Main Quest Completed!]

[Check your rewards!]