Chapter 70

“Congratulations on your promotion.”

Najin accepted the certificate and nameplate handed over by the supervisor of the promotion exam. The nameplate, which had been black just a few months ago, was now shining red.

‘It seems to be made of a different material too.’

Unlike the green-rank nameplates, the red-rank nameplates were different in both material and shape. As Najin fiddled with the nameplate, the supervisor continued his explanation.

“Becoming a red-rank adventurer means that your reputation is not limited to Cambria. If you show this nameplate outside, you will be treated accordingly.”

Above the red rank, there were only five adventurers of the white rank. Essentially, reaching the red rank meant that one could be considered among the top adventurers in the city… and naturally, top-ranked adventurers were entitled to corresponding privileges.

“As for the privileges you can enjoy from now on…”

The supervisor’s explanation went on for a while. After hearing about everything from the privileges to the detailed description of the quests he could receive in the future, Najin was finally able to leave the central guild.

The moment he stepped out of the central guild building.

The eyes of the adventurers gathered in front of the building poured onto Najin. More precisely, onto the red-shining nameplate he was wearing. Seeing the nameplate sparkle in the sunlight, the adventurers clicked their tongues.

Having set foot in the city just 4-5 months ago.

To them, Najin, who had become red-ranked in such a short period, was a source of astonishment and awe.

What is the red rank? It’s a level many adventurers dream of reaching once they enter the city, a symbol of success for them.

Considering that many remain at the green rank even after more than ten years, reaching the red rank in just five months was indeed remarkable. When something remarkable happens, some will admire it, and others will envy it.

However, few felt the latter towards Najin. Envying a genius would only tire themselves out, and the rumors circulating about Najin’s qualifications were evidence enough.

He knocked down five knights of a duke’s house.

Even facing four of them at once.

And surviving a confrontation with the captain of the duke’s knights…

Whether all the rumors were true or not was uncertain, but it was undeniable that Najin was among the top within the Sword Experts.

-If the rumors are true…

-Won’t he reach the white rank soon?

-Do you think becoming a Sword Seeker is easy? One must become aware of their own essence, and even if they do…

-But to face five Sword Experts at once…

-It was four.

-Four or five.

The adventurers whispered among themselves.

Ignoring their voices, Najin moved on. He had no intention of taking on any quests immediately, but he had things to do.

Whether his nameplate was black, green, or red, Najin’s daily routine remained unchanged. Upon returning to his lodging, he sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.

It was time for training. Again.

After the incident involving Dieta was resolved, a new process was added to Najin’s training: the process of calming his mind. Sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, he focused inwardly.

The mental training that martial artists who have reached a certain level undertake is usually very static and boring. It’s a practice of looking inward and regulating one’s breathing.

But in Najin’s case…

“Hey, have you ever thought about manifesting a lake?”

“What are you talking about now?”

“You saw my sanctuary last time, right? It’s a lake. A beautifully blue lake.”

His mental training was not so static.

Because there was already one constellation residing in his mind. When he closed his eyes and focused inwardly, before seeing the landscape of the underground city, a girl with blue hair would appear in his vision.

The Wizard of the Lake, Merlin.

She sat on the fence, swinging her legs, and let out a long sigh.

“Having lived by the lake for over a thousand years, I kinda miss it. It was my hobby to dip my feet in the lake. Splashing around in the water would calm my mind.”

“So, you want me to create a lake?”

“Yep. Is it possible?”

Merlin nodded vigorously.

Although she hadn’t wished for anything when the scenery was just a dark void, now that the mental image was beginning to form, she decided to be a bit greedy.

“A small lakeside wouldn’t be too bad, right?”

Merlin spread her arms wide, drawing a circle.

If we were being strict, it was more the size of a large basin or well than a lake. Najin wondered what she meant but then thought that this might be part of the training.

After all, mental imagery is about manifesting imagination.

The process of manifestation itself could be considered training.

Even if it’s just a lakeside, in any case…

Merlin must have her reasons for asking. With that thought, Najin closed his eyes and concentrated. He hadn’t seen many lakes. There were none in the underground city, and he had only seen them a couple of times while traveling by carriage.

‘The only one I can think of…’

The lake he saw when he first met Merlin.

Najin quietly recalled that blue lake.

“Oh!”

As he concentrated with his eyes closed, applause came from beside him. When Najin opened his eyes, Merlin was clapping and pointing in front of her. There was a tiny, basin-sized lake.

“You actually made it?”

Merlin smiled brightly, seemingly pleased to see the lake after a long time. It was a proud expression. After taking off her shoes and socks in a hurry, she cautiously approached the lake and dipped her toes in.

Just as she was about to immerse her feet in the lake.

As soon as Merlin’s bare feet touched it, the lake disappeared with a fizzling sound. Merlin, who had been full of anticipation, was left tapping the dirt floor of the underground city with her toes.

“……”

Merlin turned her head sharply to look at Najin.

Whether she was truly disappointed or not, she pouted and stomped on the innocent dirt floor.

“It’s not easy to maintain it.”

“Well, it makes sense… You haven’t seen many lakes…”

Though he said that, disappointment was evident.

Merlin sighed deeply as Najin looked at her with a bitter smile.

“Anyway.”

Najin moved on to the main topic.

Since awakening his mental image, Najin often spoke face-to-face with Merlin in this manner. It helped with his mental training, and it was more comfortable than just talking with voices.

Najin drew a picture on the dirt floor of the underground city.

“I’ve become a red-rank adventurer now, you know?”

“Yep. That’s true. It’s faster than I thought… but now it’s not so surprising anymore.”

“The types of quests I can receive have become more diverse now that I’m red-rank. Especially, I can now take on named quests.”

He drew three pictures on the dirt floor.

Many were interested in Najin now that he had newly ascended to red-rank, and a few of them had sent named quests his way.

“First, a bandit subjugation quest, then an escort mission…”

After pointing to the first two pictures in turn,

Najin pointed to the last picture.

“A quest to search for and subdue a dark mage.”

“That one, you definitely have to take the last one.”

“I thought you might say that.”

Merlin pointed to the third picture without a moment’s hesitation. The quest to search for and subdue a dark mage. The details would be known once the quest was accepted… but Najin was planning to take on the third quest if possible.

“I’ve never fought a mage before.”

“Right. It’s better to gain experience now. You’ll have to fight them over and over again later anyway.”

“With mages?”

“Yep. Dark mages are just the beginning, and demons are generally similar to mages… That’s probably why there are so many mages who’ve made contracts with demons.”

Merlin sighed.

“Mages are a breed that would sell their souls to demons if it meant gaining knowledge. Especially nowadays, when they’re holed up in towers conducting research, there are plenty of them who’ve gone mad.”

“…Aren’t you a mage too, Merlin?”

“Look at you? Mages in my time were different. Holed up in towers for research? We hid in forests, conducting our research while greeting intruders morning and night.”

Anyway, Merlin brushed her hair back and continued.

“Even excluding the witch of the abyss as an exception, you’ll have many encounters with demons, dark mages, and the like.”

“So, you mean to take this opportunity to gain experience?”

“Something like that. Especially with magic, experience and knowledge are important. How should I explain this…”

She pondered for a moment before snapping her fingers with an “Ah.”

“If you don’t know, you get hit.”

“…Excuse me?”

“That’s the basics of a magic battle. Don’t know the counter? Then you get hit. Of course, this applies to swordsmanship and other areas too, but it’s especially severe in magic battles.”

“That’s… not good news.”

Najin clicked his tongue.

He knew nothing about magic. After all, Najin had lived his life completely separate from magic. As Najin sighed, Merlin looked at him with an incredulous expression.

“What’s there to worry about?”

“Excuse me?”

“Have you forgotten who’s by your side?”

Merlin wore a confident expression.

“The first archmage in history to reach the realm of ten rings, the great sage who was the first to define mysteries, the constellation with eleven stars.”

The one who had awakened to all the magic in the world.

Merlin crossed her arms and smiled.

“I guarantee, as long as I’m here, you won’t suffer from ignorance. It’s like carrying around a magic-specific strategy guide.”

“That makes sense.”

“Right?”

Najin circled the third picture.

The quest to search for and subdue a dark mage.

It was the moment when the first quest after becoming a red-rank adventurer was decided.

In a cabin deep in the forest.

The man was scratching his neck. Even as the skin peeled off and blood flowed, the man did not stop scratching his neck as if it were itchy.

“Thought my neck was itchy.”

The man sighed.

“What brings such a distinguished guest here?”

The visitor to the cabin.

The man sighed and welcomed the guest. The urge to shoot an arrow right into that unlucky face surged, but the man barely restrained himself.

It wouldn’t solve anything.

“I’ve come to entrust a task.”

The guest sat on a chair in the cabin.

Without even taking off his robe, he spoke. Just as he was about to explain the task, the man became serious.

“It’s troublesome if you order people around just because you’ve found one weakness. Don’t test my patience.”

“It’s an important task. Probably the last one.”

“The last one, you say. That’s sweet.”

The man chuckled.

“If it’s not the last one, remember that it will be your last breath.”

“I’ll remember.”

“Let’s hear it then. What’s the task?”

“It’s simple.”

“I’ll be the judge of that. Just explain. Briefly.”

“I’d like someone killed.”

The guest laid down a portrait.

The man frowned as he picked up the portrait.

“You want this person killed?”

“Yes. As quietly and cleanly as possible.”

“That might be difficult. If I remember correctly, isn’t this person… quite famous in the city?”

The man pointed to the person in the portrait.

He knew of this individual. A person who had recently stirred up Cambria. Someone who had risen to red-rank adventurer in a short period.

Adventurer Ivan.

The man tapped on the portrait of that person with his finger and asked incredulously.

“The reason?”

“I cannot tell you.”

“Well, there’s no reason to tell a hunting dog, is there?”

The man let out a self-deprecating laugh, gripped the portrait, and stood up. It meant he was accepting the task.

“I hope your words about this being the last time are not false. I’m not fond of being dragged around at this age.”

“Indeed. Not just for you, but for your…”

“Don’t say any more.”

In the dimly lit cabin, where light barely penetrated.

The man’s face was hidden in the shadow, but his eyes glinted like a beast’s in the darkness. It was a chilling gaze that seemed ready to pounce and tear out throats at any moment.

“I understand.”

“…Alright.”

The man began to gather weapons hanging on the wall. Throwing knives, hunting traps, various drugs, a machete painted black…

And a great bow and a large crossbow.

Weapons that could not be drawn by human strength, designed only for those close to superhuman warriors. With thick bowstrings and arrows almost as large as long swords, the man gathered them all and pulled his poncho down deeply.

“Planning to carry it out immediately?”

“There’s no harm in being quick.”

The guest watched the man and said,

“I’ll trust you, Kapman Theosis.”

One of the five white adventurers in the city.

Former ranger of the Techo Mountain Range.

Hawk Eye, Kapman Theosis did not respond to the guest’s words.