Chapter 223

Chapter 224. The Hidden Sword of the Swordsmanship Family’s Dullard (3)

“Keter. What’s your name?”

“Orion. I have a last name, but I don’t use it. By the way, could you let go of my hair now?”

“I didn’t even realize I was holding it. It felt nice.”

Orion, who slipped out of Keter’s grasp, walked out of the treasure pile on his own.

Torn and worn-out clothes. The bruises and dried bloodstains visible through the gaps told a story of hardship.

“Pass.”

Keter nodded after seeing him.

Orion also nodded as he looked at the fallen Queen Ant’s back.

“You’re really strong, Keter. Of course, not as strong as me.”

Despite being battered everywhere except his face, Orion confidently spoke to Keter.

Was he truly an incredibly strong individual?

“What are you talking about, weakling?”

Keter raised his hand as if to strike again, but Orion didn’t dodge or defend.

If you’re going to hit me, hit me.

Keter didn’t hold back.

*Slap!*

Orion’s cheeks swelled up, and even tears welled up in his eyes.

Yet, he stood firm. Keter liked that about him.

“Lucky, and resilient… You’ve got the qualifications to tell your story.”

“I don’t want to tell it.”

“Then just die here.”

“It all began on the day we harvested sweet potatoes…”

As Orion, now possessed by the spirit of a storyteller, tried to gather his emotions, an uninvited guest appeared.

*Screeeech!*

The Rock Ants, who had come late to guard their queen, were now charging wildly after seeing her corpse.

Orion calmly asked, “Should I continue?”

“Yeah.”

Keter, with his back turned, shot an Aura Arrow to halt the ants’ advance, and Orion continued his story while looking at Keter’s back.

“While harvesting sweet potatoes, two suspicious-looking people came to me. They grabbed my face, looked me over, drew some blood, and then started calling me ‘young master’…”

A somewhat familiar yet slightly different tale flowed from Orion’s mouth.

“…So I said, ‘I’ve been waiting. Take me away and let me live a luxurious life.’ Because I was the most handsome guy in the village. Anyone could tell I was the illegitimate child of a noble. My mother always had this mysterious look on her face.”

“But then, Ellen—oh, Ellen was one of the guys who came for me—said, ‘The Browning Family has no use for weaklings,’ and decided to test me. At that moment, I thought to myself, ‘I’m screwed.’”

“Whew, I’m out of breath. Do you have any water? No? Guess not.”

Orion plopped down, catching his breath. Meanwhile, Keter’s hands never stopped firing arrows, and the pile of ant corpses grew.

“Long story short, I failed the test. Ellen, who taught me, said, ‘Even a dullard would think you’re a genius.’ It was unfair. Because my sword is in my heart.”

“My mother always said, ‘No famous sword or swordsmanship in this world can compare to a sword forged in your heart.’ I’ve poured all my energy into forging my Mind’s Sword, so I just don’t have talent in regular swordsmanship.”

“No matter how much I explained, Ellen didn’t get it. He demanded I show him my Mind’s Sword, but I refused. My mother always said, ‘Once you draw the Mind’s Sword, you can’t sheathe it again. You must only draw it to protect what’s most precious.’”

“So Ellen drew his sword and threatened me, saying if I wanted to protect my precious life, I should draw my Mind’s Sword. Well, as you can see, I didn’t draw it. Among other reasons, I just got annoyed by his constant threats.”

Keter, who had been silently listening, finally spoke.

“You like it, don’t you? Refusing even when your life is on the line, just because someone thinks they’re strong.”

“Exactly. You understand me, Keter. After that, it was nothing special. I got beaten to near death, threatened with my family’s lives. When none of it worked, they threw me into this ant nest, saying they had no use for a half-baked guy like me.”

“If they didn’t need you, why not just kill you on the spot? Why throw you into the ant nest?”

“They said if I felt wronged and angry, I should live to take revenge. By drawing that so-called Mind’s Sword. Revenge or not, I just wanted to live, so I hid in this treasure pile.”

Orion’s story, with its perfect setup and conclusion, struck a chord with Keter.

“The reason you could hide in the treasure pile without the ants noticing is because you’re a ‘Bodyless,’ right?”

Bodyless (無成肢體).

A cursed body that cannot naturally absorb Aura or Mana.

But it’s not all bad—it’s considered the best physique for an assassin.

No matter how untalented someone is, they still carry a trace of Aura or Mana, making them easy to detect.

But a Bodyless has no Aura or Mana at all, making them impossible to detect through such means.

That’s why Keter couldn’t sense Orion hiding in the treasure pile.

“I don’t know what that is, but Ellen said something similar.”

“Never mind that. The earring in your pocket—where’d you get it?”

It wasn’t a coincidence that Keter grabbed Orion’s hair. Keter had reached in the direction of what he sensed was the Artifact ‘Death Pact,’ and there Orion was. In other words, Orion likely had the Death Pact.

“I stole it from Ellen. Before they threw me into the ant nest. His face when he realized it was priceless. Haha!”

“Even a talent for theft? You’re quite the talent, aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

*Whoosh!*

Keter, who had just thrown Amaranth like a boomerang to kill the last soldier ant, placed a hand on Orion’s shoulder.

“Welcome to Arkana, rookie.”

* * *

Orion had won Keter’s favor in many ways. He was talkative but not noisy, and while he had pride, he wasn’t stubborn.

“Keter. If you’re thinking of sparing me, I’m grateful, but I have no desire to be bound to any group.”

However, Orion immediately rejected Keter’s offer. It wasn’t a ploy to raise his own value.

Even if his life was at risk, he would never compromise his beliefs. That was precisely the kind of pride Keter valued in a person.

‘The difference between someone who treats dreams as mere fantasies and someone who makes them a reality.’

No matter how much he was tortured or threatened, Orion wouldn’t budge. Keter knew this well because he was the same.

That’s why he also knew how to win him over.

“60 gold a month, room and board included. By the way, I’m from Sephira, so you’ll be staying as Sephira’s guest.”

“I had a rough idea after seeing your incredible archery. That kind of skill is only possible for Sephira’s Archers. But as I mentioned, I’m the Browning Family’s illegitimate child. If they find out I’m alive, can Sephira protect me?”

“I doubt the Brownings would go so far as to antagonize Sephira just to get you back.”

“That’s because they don’t know my value yet. If I draw the sword in my heart, I’ll have no equal.”

“Do you plan to draw it?”

“If I have to, I will. But honestly, I don’t know if that time will come. My mother always said it’s best not to draw the sword at all. I appreciate that you see my potential, Keter, but I can’t use my Mind’s Sword for Sephira.”

Orion spoke firmly, but Keter responded dismissively.

“Who said I’m hiring you as a martial artist? I’m hiring you as an entertainer. Sephira needs chatterboxes like you.”

Keter didn’t see Orion as a martial artist. Not because he didn’t believe in the Mind’s Sword—it was a real, albeit rare, martial art.

The Heart Sword (心劍). Like Unity, it’s a state achieved not through the quantity of Aura but through mental training and enlightenment.

And the Heart Sword is the ultimate technique, impossible to defend against. A sword forged from the mind has no process—only a result. It has no form, but its will interferes with the real world, making it impossible to block with physical means.

That doesn’t make it invincible. Through the power of the mind, known as Curse Power (呪力), even the Heart Sword can be blocked.

Of course, Curse Power is much harder to obtain than Aura or Mana, so not just anyone can learn it, but it’s still easier than mastering the Heart Sword.

In any case, Orion seemed offended. But it wasn’t because he wasn’t recognized as a martial artist.

“I’m not an entertainer.”

“If you’re not a martial artist or an entertainer, what can you do?”

“…I know how to farm, but I don’t want to. My best skill is lounging around and eating. Even I think I’m useless. Why are you hiring me?”

“Sephira’s too quiet. Guys like you can liven things up.”

“I’m confident in that… But isn’t your real goal to use me as a political pawn? After all, I’m a Browning by blood!”

Orion puffed out his chest, trying to make a point.

Only because it was Keter did he ‘believe’ Orion’s words. Anyone else would have dismissed them outright.

An illegitimate child of the Browning Family, the strongest family in the kingdom? A Mind’s Sword that, once drawn, has no equal?

Orion was spouting nonsense that could easily get him labeled as a braggart or a lunatic.

Keter, of course, didn’t fully believe Orion either. Not because he seemed like a liar, nor because he recognized him from a past life.

“Whether you’re really a Browning or not, whether you have the Mind’s Sword or not, I don’t care. I just like your audacity.”

“There are plenty of audacious people in my village.”

“But you’re the best among them.”

“……!”

Orion nodded without realizing it. Though it wasn’t something to be proud of.

“You can refuse if you want, but answer within 5 seconds. I’ll just take the earring in your pocket and let you live.”

Since Orion wasn’t important enough to force into joining, Keter gave him one last chance.

“I’ll go. To Sephira.”

Orion placed a hand on his chest and muttered with a determined look.

“My Mind’s Sword is telling me to go to Sephira.”

“Do you have anywhere else to go besides Sephira?”

“…Ugh, I suddenly feel dizzy.”

Orion pretended to faint, and Keter caught his hand.

“I’ll borrow this for a moment.”

Keter took a pair of earrings from Orion’s pocket.

The Death Pact.

The final treasure Keter had been searching for was finally in his hands.

* * *

Keter, who had brought Orion and Six Hundred above ground, encountered a group of people. They looked like mercenaries, but their refined demeanor suggested they were at least knights.

Their leader stepped forward and introduced himself.

“River, leader of the Ultima Merchant’s Windstorm Brigade. We came flying after receiving your signal, Keter.”

‘Flying’ wasn’t just a metaphor for ‘coming quickly.’

Behind them were wyverns. Wyverns with saddles on their backs. The Windstorm Brigade were all wyvern riders.

“This mine is connected to the Rock Ant Nest. I’ve already cleared it out. Ultima Merchant can take all the byproducts.”

“You cleared out the Rock Ant Nest… by yourself?”

River couldn’t believe it. Even as a 5-Star Master, Rock Ants were troublesome opponents. They were ridiculously tough and numerous—definitely not something to fight alone.

“And take this guy to Sephira.”

Keter pushed Orion forward.

River shook his head and said, “Keter, entering the Rock Ant Nest is far too dangerous. Even if you cleared it out, the queen must still be alive…”

As River spoke with concern, Keter’s brow furrowed.

“Are you deaf? I said ‘cleared out.’ The only things alive in the nest are the kidnapped miners. You just need to go in and collect them.”

Orion stepped beside River and said, “Everything Keter said is true. I saw it myself.”

“…….”

River had heard rumors about Keter. He knew about the Southern Palace. But even so, he couldn’t believe it.

A single Rock Soldier Ant was enough to trouble a Master. And they’re a swarm creature. They don’t fight alone.

The queen is no different. The queen herself boasts incredible defense, and she’s guarded by dozens of soldier ants.

And one person took them all out?

‘Unless he’s a 7-Star Prime… How is that possible?’

As the saying goes, you see what you know. River, who had only seen the power of a 6-Star Grandmaster, didn’t realize the vast gap between Grandmasters.

“For now… understood. We’ll investigate the mine first. If it’s safe, we’ll proceed with the recovery.”

River ordered his subordinates to load Orion onto a wyvern, then pointed to his own wyvern and said to Keter, “Keter, you should ride too. We’ll take you to Sephira.”

“Huh? I’m good.”

Keter then took one of the earrings he borrowed from Orion—the Death Pact—and put it on his right ear.

River swallowed hard.

‘He’s even crazier than the rumors said.’

Though he had the sense not to ask, Keter’s actions were completely incomprehensible.

Perhaps that’s why River’s voice carried a hint of caution.

“The Ultima Merchant expects you to return with us. If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask why you’re not returning to Sephira…?”

Keter, while attaching the other earring to Six Hundred’s left ear, casually replied, “Tell them I went to kill myself.”

It wasn’t exactly a lie.

The battle with Hyperion, disciple of the Four Emperors’ Kwonhwang, was an act that could only be described as suicidal.