Chapter 20

### Chapter 20: New Adventurer Bern (18) – Contest of Wills

There were many differences between the adventurer life Bern had imagined and the actual life of an adventurer. If one were to pick the biggest difference, it would be the amount of time unexpectedly spent on travel.

When he was a Rank 1 adventurer, most jobs were minor errands within the city, so traveling meant only a few dozen minutes on foot. However, the Rank 2 quest to exterminate goblins took over a day just to reach the location, and Rank 3 quests often took several days even when borrowing a carriage.

This meant that the time spent traveling to the destination and returning exceeded the time actually spent completing the quest.

And Bern was someone who didn’t forget the adage that “time is money.”

On the way to Phrencia.

Parking the horse and carriage borrowed from the Adventurer’s Guild to one side, Bern faced Blanka head-on.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

During the travel period, mock battles were repeated every morning and evening.

Now, Blanka, whose posture with the sword seemed quite accustomed, looked at Bern with her sky-blue eyes.

His every movement, each detail, was scrutinized with an intense focus, as though she wouldn’t miss a single thing.

Satisfied with this, Bern pushed off the ground with great force.

However, this time his body moved, not forward as usual, but backward.

Tink.

The leather pouch hanging from Bern’s waist.

Inside were various-sized pebbles, each displaying a different shape and color.

Bern grabbed a few pebbles in his palm and shot them at Blanka by flicking his thumb.

But Blanka had already used two spells.

“Spell for slightly increasing body strength” “Spell for slightly enhancing reaction speed”

Added to the strengthening spells she originally possessed, there was a new one she had bought with the money earned from quests.

While the former affected strength, endurance, and agility, the latter was a spell that enhanced sensory aspects like visual tracking and reflex speed.

An ordinary person might only perceive the thrown objects as fleeting flashes, but with the help of the magic, Blanka coldly cut them down with her sword.

Blanka recalled what Bern had taught her.

“Reinforcing spells for enhancing physical strength are often treated one level lower compared to the methods of martial artists. Because martial artists can amplify strength or senses with willpower, whereas spellcasters have fragmented fields of influence, and their mana efficiency is often lacking.”

“However, after personally comparing—well, getting advice from other mages—I found the spells have clear advantages. Namely, they guarantee a certain level of enhancement.”

“The method of martial artists is multiplicative. [Base Ability * Amplification Rate = Final Result.] The method of mages is additive. [Base Ability + Spell Level = Final Result.]”

“Therefore, martial artists are more influenced by their innate physical abilities. It’s not easy for a frail woman to surpass a robust youth in physical capabilities. But with spells, it could be possible. Spells provide a fixed amount of enhancement.”

“In contrast to martial artists, who must constantly monitor fine-tuned amplification rates, spells, once cast, last until their time limit runs out, so there’s no need to worry about carefully managing mana distribution.”

“Thus, it’s good to learn various physical enhancement spells. Since they’ll remain active once cast, you don’t need to recast them as often.”

Thud! Crack! Crack!

The consecutive projectiles launched at Blanka didn’t give her a moment to rest.

Although she managed to deflect or evade them with her sword or by rolling out of the way, she couldn’t counter them all.

Boom!

One hit her left shin, another her right shoulder.

With power that could easily break bones if not for the enchanted body fortification, the damage was limited to just some bruises.

Clenching her teeth against the faint pain, Blanka lunged at Bern with all her might.

Bern continued to pelt her with stones, attempting to stall her. But the closer she got, the less effective this became.

“Increasingly higher-level spells tend to have larger ranges and more destructive power. Thus, powerful spells can be difficult to use against close enemies. Lower-level spells are often projectile-based and are also tricky to employ at close ranges due to poor angles.”

“Think of the body and magic as separate spheres of action. You should be able to dodge physically while using spells to attack, and swing a sword while using healing spells on yourself. Only then can you face a high-level mage.”

Blanka swung her sword while simultaneously firing low-level fire spells at Bern.

Though the close range made her feel the heat too, she endured with her enhanced body. Even though she was struck occasionally by counterattacks, she pressed on.

While healing minor wounds with the “healing spell for minor wounds,” she used her sword to keep Bern at bay and continued firing attack spells once her wounds had healed.

Blanka’s combat style—recklessly throwing herself into battle without reservation, unleashing an almost savage barrage—might seem to lack consideration for others.

However, Blanka had no complaints.

Not only could she feel her prowess growing rapidly after adopting Bern’s advice, but also she knew that this tactic had been specifically tailored for her.

Sword, attack spells, healing spells.

In contrast to her past where all of her weapons operated somewhat independently, now every tool at her disposal was functioning together as perfectly as puzzle pieces, fully playing their roles.

“How many efforts must have gone into conceiving such tactics?”

When asked how he came up with these ideas, Bern modestly claimed it wasn’t anything remarkable. But Blanka didn’t believe it.

After all, what could a pure swordsman like Bern really know about magic?

It was certain that after much investigation, deliberation, and anguish, he had crafted this result for Blanka’s benefit.

Regardless, the way Bern casually imparted this as if it were an everyday thought, made Blanka strain hard to suppress something rising in her chest.

“Let’s call it a day here. You’ve done well. I can feel the improvement in your skills.”

After the mock battle ended, Bern extended his hand toward Blanka, who had collapsed on the ground, panting heavily.

His face was filled with pure goodwill and admiration, which was hard to believe considering she had just been swinging a sword and shooting fire at him without restraint.

The sight of Bern truly enjoying her improvement as if it were his own achievement was almost too pure, causing Blanka to lower her gaze inadvertently.

“No, Bern, thank you for your efforts. It must have been hard for you to fight with a tactic unfamiliar to a swordsman.”

“Not exactly. I’ve done it quite a bit.”

Blanka chuckled softly.

This man who seemed perfect always tripped up with such awkward and feeble excuses in these moments.

There’s no way Bern, who was no mage, had much experience maintaining the kind of distance typical of mages in battle.

“Lord! Lady! That was a truly magnificent fight! If only there were more people to witness this, but at the same time, it feels like I’m being showered with luxury, and it’s such a complicated feeling!”

“Renya. Shouldn’t you be thinking about additional training too?”

“Ah, this is more than enough for me! I can carry loads, perform reconnaissance when needed, and do errands in the city. This should suffice to pay my keep, no? Hahaha!”

While Bern engaged in pleasant conversation with the enthusiastic Renya, Blanka found herself deep in thought, for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

“What is an appropriate way to repay him?”

Through a ring found nowhere else, he solved her chronic problem of mana deficiency.

He turned her from someone who would have spent their life repaying a guild debt into a proper adventurer once again.

He devised a special tactic tailored specifically for her, someone previously thought to be good at nothing, and has actively helped her with training.

She received so much, yet gave so little in return.

Bern had said merely being comrades was sufficient, but no matter how she thought about it, that didn’t feel like an adequate repayment.

She had considered repaying him physically, but she didn’t believe Bern—who had already rejected her multiple times—would change his mind.

With his high moral integrity, he must shy away from anything that could be perceived as exploiting someone’s sense of indebtedness.

Or perhaps he thought she, still desperate to save her mother, was trying to latch onto him.

Since in the past, she had indeed harbored such intentions, she couldn’t refute it.

“Ultimately, the right moment is yet to come.”

After vanquishing Richi and freeing her mother from his clutches, once there were no more hesitations or obstacles.

Then, truly and purely, she could convey her feelings to him.

***

After several days, Bern’s group finally arrived at Phrencia.

However, what awaited them wasn’t a welcome greeting but outright complaints.

“Rank 3? You sent mere Rank 3 when even Rank 4 adventurers couldn’t accomplish the mission?! Does the Adventurer’s Guild look down on me? How can you expect me to pay for such lackadaisical performance? Filth!”

At the vulgar abuse from Lord Phrencia, Bern and his companions’ faces twisted awkwardly.

A knight standing behind the lord grimly nodded in agreement.

“My lord is correct! This is an act of mockery against you and our Phrencia, and the Guild must be held accountable!”

“Knight Gudrun. Your sentiment is aligned with mine!”

The atmosphere began to darken, and the middle-aged man introduced as the Financial Officer, wearing glasses, nervously tried to pacify the lord.

“Please, wait a moment, my lord. Although these adventurers may only be Rank 3, their skills are comparable to Rank 4. They are the best the Eastern Branch could send, and certainly, there was no intention to insult you.”

“Shouldn’t they have just sent a Rank 4 team if they’re comparable?”

“The Eastern Branch only has one Rank 4 party, the Alses party, which was already stationed here. There simply was no other party to send.”

“Hmph. So much arrogance from the Guild, but they’re nothing special after all. Even the best are barely competent.”

“Uh, my lord…”

The Financial Officer’s gaze darted nervously between the lord and Bern’s group.

While Renya’s usually cheerful face hardened and Blanka’s expression turned hostile, Bern remained blankly staring ahead when Lucidra from the shadows posed a question.

“Hey, didn’t they call you for help with that disappearance thing?”

“Yes.”

“Then why this high-and-mighty attitude if they asked for help?”

“They might not see it as asking for help.”

“What?”

“Do you remember any employer of mercenaries who hesitates when hiring mercenaries? More likely, they pay and then demand the mercenaries to do their job. It’s the same here. The lord sees the Guild and the adventurers it sends as subordinates since he has paid the commission.”

Even when the original party assigned to the task couldn’t solve it, and the new group brought in was ranked lower, the lord had reasons to vent his frustration.

But that was from the lord’s perspective. Bern, who had traveled all the way here with the Guild simply acting as a middleman, had no reason to endure unnecessary insults.

“Hmm. It seems you have quite a few complaints against us, my lord.”

The lord’s face contorted in displeasure.

The look was more about Bern speaking without permission than the content of his words.

Bern smiled at him.

“Well, if the client doesn’t want us, what can we do? We’ll just leave then. We sincerely hope you resolve the problem on your own. Although we’d usually seek compensation for the time and money wasted on this trip, we’ll let it slide. It’s clear from your hospitality that your estate is in dire straits. Surely we wouldn’t rob someone in poverty.”