“Done… it’s done, right? Right?”
“Yeah. You made it within 10 minutes.”
By the time the sweltering heat had subsided and the lush green leaves had begun to turn red, I finally succeeded.
The training that Drakan had first proposed.
“It took longer than I thought. It should have been done two weeks ago.”
“Huh… you’ve got some nerve saying that.”
To be honest, this wasn’t the first time I’d succeeded.
I’d been on the verge of success many times before, but each time, Drakan had interfered.
“But you’ve made progress, haven’t you?”
“Well, that’s true.”
Carrying that boulder up every day had made me too accustomed to its weight.
After nearly two months of living with it as if it were part of my body, it was no wonder my senses had become distorted.
Physically, I could now move swiftly even with the boulder attached.
But my mind hadn’t caught up, and I’d been acting hesitantly.
Drakan must have been frustrated.
It took me a full two weeks to realize that.
Adapting to my changed body wasn’t easy.
The gap between my past and present self was enormous, given the explosive growth I’d experienced in such a short time.
‘Still, the training method Drakan taught me is pretty good.’
The breathing technique he’d been teaching me since the first day.
It wasn’t just a method for meditation or calming nerves.
It was a breathing technique designed to intentionally twist muscles and blood vessels, causing the body to sustain and recover from injuries repeatedly, pushing it to grow in a better direction.
Following it wasn’t difficult, but the problem was that it hurt like hell.
Now, I could manage by just clenching my eyes shut, but during my first attempt, I nearly passed out from the pain, my eyes rolling back.
“Don’t forget it. Keep practicing every day.”
“Yes. Thank you for everything.”
I still don’t know his intentions.
Every time I asked, he gave vague answers and brushed it off, so I couldn’t figure out what he was really after.
But at this point, I don’t care anymore.
For someone who tried to subtly coax me into becoming his successor and failed, he’s been incredibly sincere.
‘Plus, I’ve gained a lot from him.’
During the peak of the training, I was too exhausted to think much about it.
But looking back, the food he prepared for me each time wasn’t ordinary.
‘My body now proves that.’
The mana imbalance that had been such a headache is almost gone.
Even the Dragon Heart that Rozennia had stolen couldn’t fully stabilize it.
That means the things he gave me weren’t ordinary food.
‘They must have been on par with elixirs. I don’t know exactly what they were, but…’
Thanks to that, I’ve reached the point where I’m looking at the 6th rank, beyond the 5th.
Just two months ago, I was stuck at the 4th rank.
I’m growing at a speed faster than I could have imagined, and it’s a bit surreal for me.
‘I spent a year just messing around, and now I’ve reached this point in half a year? Is this even possible?’
It’s been a year and a half since my first possession.
Even though it’s still a few years before the continent faces destruction by the Demon God.
I can’t let my guard down.
Nothing has gone exactly as planned so far.
“Here. Take this.”
“What’s this?”
“What do you think? It’s money. You’ll need to use teleportation magic to get back.”
“…Is it that far? Where are we?”
.
.
.
.
.
“Damn old man. If you were going to hole up somewhere, you should have picked a closer place.”
The place where I continued training with Drakan was located at the southernmost tip of the continent.
If I were to return to Arcane by carriage, it would take over three months.
‘If I didn’t have teleportation magic, the seasons would have changed by the time I arrived.’
Still, he must have had some conscience left, as he handed me a hefty sum of money.
I’m grateful for the elixirs and the training, but the truth is, what he did was closer to kidnapping.
“I’ll have to stay here tonight.”
Teleportation magic has its limits.
The farther the coordinates, the higher the chance of something going wrong.
It’s impossible to reach Arcane or the capital in one go.
Given that the roads and terrain between cities vary, it’s hard to guarantee anything.
But roughly, a month’s travel by carriage seems to be the maximum.
‘Since I’ve already done it once, I’ll have to do it two more times.’
Because of the consecutive incidents, the final exams at Arcane were canceled.
There’s still some time before the vacation, but I should probably head back just in case.
It’s not like there’s nowhere I want to go.
‘I should visit the Isbal region at least once.’
The professor who recommended me to Arcane.
He handed me the recommendation letter and suddenly retired, so I wanted to meet him.
From Theo’s memories, there wasn’t anything particularly strange about it.
But you never know.
‘Since it’s not something I experienced directly, it’s hard to take it at face value.’
If it were closer, I would have stopped by on the way back.
But this place is at the southernmost tip of the empire, and the Isbal region is located in the northwest.
It’s faster to head back to Arcane first and then go from there.
“Ah, finally. Let’s get some good food for the first time in a while.”
I’ve eaten food that money couldn’t buy, comparable to elixirs.
But as the old saying goes, the healthier something is, the worse it tastes.
What my tongue craves now is highly seasoned, high-calorie food.
I barely managed to swallow the saliva already pooling in my mouth as I picked a decent inn to drop off my luggage, then headed to the most famous restaurant in town.
“Welcome. Just one?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then I’ll guide you to your seat.”
The waiter, wearing a friendly business smile, led me to a corner seat.
‘It’s crowded. Must be peak hours.’
As expected of a popular restaurant.
Even though this isn’t a city with a lot of tourists or a high floating population, the place was bustling with people.
‘Let’s see… Oh, they have chicken and pizza.’
This is a fantasy world set in a medieval backdrop, but the original author is Korean.
That means there’s a lot of Korean-style food.
‘There are some ridiculous foods that don’t fit the setting, but who cares? As long as it tastes good.’
I ordered whatever my tongue led me to.
As a result, I ended up with enough food for five people, but I didn’t think I’d leave any leftovers.
‘But did I always like chicken?’
I don’t know.
I wasn’t really into greasy food before.
Living in the mountains must have changed my taste.
***
“Ah… this is it. This is the stuff.”
The meal was satisfying.
After devouring everything I ordered, I rubbed my bulging stomach with satisfaction.
I planned to rest a bit and then head back to the inn to sleep.
‘Huh?’
Until I spotted someone I didn’t expect to see here.
“I’ll take care of it.”
“No. I’ll handle it myself, so leave it.”
“My lord, but…”
“Shut up.”
As I was rubbing my stomach and heading back to the inn.
In the middle of the city, a woman covered in blood and a knight accompanying her were walking leisurely.
People avoided them out of fear, and I didn’t want to get involved either.
I didn’t have the luxury of meddling in unnecessary trouble.
Unless, of course, she was someone I knew.
…Why is Sylvia here?’
This city is far from Arcane.
There’s no reason for her to be here.
Especially not covered in blood like that.
‘The knight next to her is wearing the Duke’s crest, so it must be official business.’
This isn’t a casual visit.
Well, you can tell just by looking at her.
The important thing is that her being here is related to the Winstred Ducal family.
“Sigh, what should I do? I’m curious, but if I tail her, I’ll definitely get caught.”
I’ve gained some confidence in my abilities.
But Sylvia is still on another level.
Moreover, the sharp aura she exuded.
It was clear that she had grown even stronger than before.
‘I didn’t notice before, but now that my rank has increased, it’s obvious.’
The gap between her and me isn’t something you can downplay.
In terms of rank alone, it’s not that big.
But after seeing Drakan, I’ve learned that rank is just a numbers game.
As I was lost in thought among the crowd.
“Kyaaah! Murder! Someone’s been murdered!”
Screams began to erupt from the direction Sylvia was heading.
‘Damn it, I didn’t want to get involved.’
I just wanted to return to Arcane and relax.
But it seems that’s not going to happen.
‘Why does trouble follow me wherever I go?’
At this point, it feels like the world revolves around me, with incidents happening wherever I go.
‘First, let’s find out what’s going on.’
If it weren’t for Sylvia, I might have just walked away.
After everything that’s happened over the past few months, I’m mentally and physically exhausted.
I really wanted to take a break and just relax for a day or two.
But if something happened to Sylvia, I couldn’t just ignore it.
“Ugh, what should I do? I’m curious, but if I tail her, I’ll definitely get caught.”
I’ve gained some confidence in my abilities.
But Sylvia is still on another level.
Moreover, the sharp aura she exuded.
It was clear that she had grown even stronger than before.
‘I didn’t notice before, but now that my rank has increased, it’s obvious.’
The gap between her and me isn’t something you can downplay.
In terms of rank alone, it’s not that big.
But after seeing Drakan, I’ve learned that rank is just a numbers game.
As I was lost in thought among the crowd.
“Kyaaah! Murder! Someone’s been murdered!”
Screams began to erupt from the direction Sylvia was heading.
‘Damn it, I didn’t want to get involved.’
I just wanted to return to Arcane and relax.
But it seems that’s not going to happen.
‘Why does trouble follow me wherever I go?’
At this point, it feels like the world revolves around me, with incidents happening wherever I go.
‘First, let’s find out what’s going on.’
If it weren’t for Sylvia, I might have just walked away.
After everything that’s happened over the past few months, I’m mentally and physically exhausted.
I really wanted to take a break and just relax for a day or two.
But if something happened to Sylvia, I couldn’t just ignore it.