〈 Chapter 41 〉 Skill Test

*

The rain started pouring.

Having purchased a raincoat in advance based on my experience in Basilium turned out to be helpful.

But there was one problem.

The incarnation device I was looking for: Libero.

I had no idea where he might be.

He had no home or workplace.

However, it wasn’t that I didn’t have any suspicious places in mind.

‘Where should I start?’

After a moment of pondering, I made my decision.

‘I guess I should check that tavern first?’

It was a pub Libero often frequented.

That seemed to be the place with the highest probability.

But by the time I arrived, the tavern was already closed.

‘This makes things awkward…’

Now, I was really at a loss.

I could search every alley, but that felt uncomfortable as Sakh wasn’t exactly a safe place.

Just as I was walking away from the tavern, something caught my eye down a narrow alley.

‘Huh?’

A man lay motionless like a corpse.

His vacant eyes were pointed toward the sky.

If a stranger saw him, they might mistake him for a homeless corpse. But I knew who he was.

There’s no way he could be dead.

Plop, plop.

Footsteps echoed in the puddle on the ground.

But the man did not look at me.

Not until I called his name.

“Mr. Libero.”

Only then did he turn his head and gaze at me.

One would be cautious if a stranger called out to them, yet his eyes remained empty.

It felt like he was saying, “What will you do just because you know me?” And maybe, that was true.

“I’ve been looking for you.”

Of course, after arriving in Sakh, I found him relatively easily compared to what I had worried about. I must’ve been lucky.

But the journey to get here had been quite perilous.

I had turned down Gwen’s proposal, defeated the Demon King to open the second inheritance, and left the village, inadvertently getting involved with Ershiarah.

Thinking about how all that effort was just to meet this man felt somewhat ironic.

‘To think my eventual meeting would be with this homeless mister.’

It was true. He was indeed a homeless man right now.

But he wasn’t just any ordinary homeless person.

“Do you know me?”

“Of course. I came to fulfill the promise you made with your ancestor.”

I deliberately infused my voice with the authority of the Leim Royal Family.

Upon hearing my voice, the man finally showed a hint of interest.

There was a clear difference from his previous empty stare.

“So, what do you want?”

Honestly, I wasn’t sure how to infuse the authority of the Leim Royal Family into my voice. I was just trying to sound as serious as possible, but it seemed to work.

Then, the conversation could move quickly.

“I want power.”

There was something I had once said to Gwen.

“Sure, my swordsmanship is higher than most my age. But let’s be objective. If I were to become your successor, could I really become a high-ranking hero?”

Gwen’s swordsmanship alone was utterly insufficient.

“Then, someone must exist who can help you reach that level?”

He exists.

And he was right in front of me now.

“Power…”

He pondered my wish.

“What kind of power do you want? Just so you know, I won’t grant impossible wishes. I promised your ancestor that.”

“I understand.”

A power that’s impossible to give would refer to political influence or intellect.

But what I wanted was definitely something he could provide.

“There’s only one power you can give me, isn’t there?”

“Well, that’s true.”

He stood up.

Once he straightened his hunched posture, his robust physique became apparent.

It was a build that Allen, no matter how hard he tried, could never match. I was a bit envious.

But the difference wasn’t just in physique.

“Then let’s see your level.”

His skill and mine were worlds apart.

The casual wording of “let’s see your level” didn’t feel casual toward me at all.

Still, I couldn’t back down. Otherwise, coming all this way would be pointless.

‘Don’t be nervous.’

My heart was still racing.

But the tension that had seeped into my body vanished.

Now, I was in a state where I could truly fight.

‘Inventory.’

I reached out into thin air and pulled out the Relic Gravitas Replicant.

Seeing this, Libero was visibly impressed.

“Your aura isn’t that strong. Was it that this had a divine seat attached?”

I had no reason to hide from this man.

Moreover, my strength stat seemed to have gone up a bit, so even though I had adjusted the weight of the sword, it felt lighter than before.

My swordsmanship, while still at B+ ranking from training with Gwen, had seen a reasonable increase in actual skill due to various battles and exercises.

I was still weak, but certainly stronger than before. Plus, I would mobilize the ‘Wind’s Power,’ which I had leveled up to B rank during my travels.

I intended to pour everything I had into this.

However, the outcome was already predetermined.

‘It would be impossible to defeat that man.’

Yet, I would still do my best.

That way, he could properly evaluate my level.

So…

“Please draw your sword as well.”

“Surprisingly bold for someone who looks like you.”

Now, he was fully interested in me.

“Alright. You seem to intend to give it your all, so I can’t just barehand it against you.”

He lifted his hand toward the air.

But unlike me, a sword didn’t burst forth from the air.

Instead, red particles flowed from his hand, gathering and forming into a sword.

“Given that you aren’t surprised, I take it you already know my identity.”

It wasn’t that I wasn’t surprised.

I was controlling my body with Absolute Obedience, so it wasn’t evident.

However, I did know who he was.

“Even though you know my identity, you still sought me out? It’s almost suspicious that you’re truly the descendant of that coward.”

He said this as he held his sword ready.

“Now, show me what you’ve got.”

There was no need to hold back.

When it’s time to fight, he won’t be careless.

If that’s the case, pouring everything from the get-go was the answer.

‘Relic Gravitas Replicant.’

I reduced the weight as much as possible.

‘Wind’s Power.’

I applied Wind’s Power to both my feet and sword simultaneously.

This was made possible after leveling up to B rank.

With the help of Wind’s Power, I closed the distance to Libero swiftly.

Swish!

The wind at my feet sliced through the falling rain, creating a sound.

In an instant, I brought my sword into his range and swung it.

It was a slash I could confidently say was among the fastest one could achieve with a longsword.

And with that slash…

‘Relic Gravitas Replicant.’

The weight of the sword became heavy enough to be impossible to hold.

Yet, the sword continued on its intended path.

It was a strike that even a typical hero would hesitate to block head-on.

Thud.

However, Libero effortlessly deflected that attack with his sword.

Then, he nonchalantly muttered to himself.

“What a hefty sword. It resembles Gravitas, but is this a replica?”

Yeah, I was expecting something like that.

The moment the sword veered offtrack, I lowered its weight again.

Then, I tried to forcibly redirect its course using Wind’s Power.

But once again, it failed.

“Is this a unique power you’re using? Perhaps divine power?”

I gritted my teeth.

And then I twisted my foot, applying Wind’s Power.

I used the technique I learned from Gwen, combined with Wind’s Power.

Simultaneously, I swung my sword as before.

Clang!

Once more, it didn’t work.

“Is this swordsmanship from the Reedval Family? It’s a bit different from what I knew.”

He was leisurely analyzing my swordsmanship as we exchanged blows.

‘Damn it, Wind’s Power!’

I spent a little too much mental power on that, but I needed to create some variables.

I used Wind’s Power to elevate my body.

While it wasn’t a very high altitude, this would suffice.

‘Relic Gravitas Replicant!’

I spun in mid-air, using Wind’s Power to control my body.

The rain, entwined by the wind, scattered like a little storm.

Simultaneously, I swung down the Relic Gravitas Replicant, imbued with its maximum weight, toward Libero.

The conclusion happened in an instant.

No, could I even use the term ‘conclusion’ for a fight where the outcome was already decided?

With accurate yet restrained movement, he deflected my sword.

The Relic Gravitas Replicant slipped from my hand and landed on the ground with the weight of an ordinary longsword.

I lost.

I had expected such a result.

I knew that this much of a disparity existed.

But experiencing it firsthand was different.

A wall.

It was a wall unlike the one I saw on my way to Sakh.

If that wall allowed for some visibility, this one felt utterly impenetrable.

Like a massive dam, a being whose ascent was forbidden.

“Ugh…”

As I sat exhausted from the overwhelming effort, he approached and handed me my sword back.

I accepted it and returned it to my inventory.

“You truly wield skills that far exceed your talents.”

I agreed.

I had shown him everything I could put on display.

If I hadn’t received such an appraisal, I would’ve felt disappointed.

“You mentioned power, right?”

“Yes.”

An insignificant talent.

Everything I currently possessed was a surplus.

But still, I needed more power.

“How much power do you need?”

“The power to become a high-ranking hero. No, I even want to aim for a saint-level hero.”

Ever since the trial, I had been fixated on that thought.

I didn’t want to acknowledge my limits, and I saw Libero as the means to break through those boundaries.

But he looked at me with a cold expression.

“I clearly said, I cannot grant impossible wishes.”

He declared firmly that it was impossible.

“Don’t you have any other wishes? I feel like I could grant you something merely to become an ordinary hero.”

It would be a lie to say my heart didn’t waver at that moment.

However, the reward from the trial wasn’t anything else.

I told him.

“If that’s the case, then prove it.”

“Huh?”

“Prove to me that I cannot become a high-ranking hero. Then I will acknowledge that and step back.”

He looked at me, flabbergasted.

“Hey, there are things in this world that you can know without having to prove them strictly.”

“No, even if that’s true, I have to prove it. Even if the result of that proof turns out to be false…”

I recalled the summer of that year.

I remembered the coward I was.

What the trial had given me wasn’t anything but the remorse I had lost.

I no longer look away from my past simply because I regret.

As long as I regret…

“I can’t give up.”

At that moment, for some reason, Libero’s eyes widened.

He seemed to ponder for a moment.

The raindrops continued to patter on my raincoat in the silence.

“Follow me, boy.”

*