Chapter 47: Back to the Trial
“Master.”
“What’s that all about?”
“It roughly means teacher.”
I put down the sword I had been wielding.
It was a situation where the decision on what to do next was made.
There was no reason to hesitate any longer.
“If you’re a teacher, just say that. What’s with the weird wording?”
“I’ve decided it’s time to leave.”
At those words, Libero’s playful attitude changed.
“Have you finally acknowledged your limits?”
For some reason, he seemed somewhat disappointed, so I replied.
“I just have something I need to do first. Once that’s done, I’ll be back.”
The issue of ‘Absolute Obedience’ was not something to be taken lightly.
That’s why I was leaving for the trial now, but I would definitely return.
I still felt there was more for me to learn from Libero.
‘And maybe through this trial, I can find the limits of my swordsmanship as well.’
Of course, expecting that much was optimism.
A trial is, after all, a trial. The pain experienced would likely outweigh any rewards.
Still, I had to go.
“When do you plan to come back?”
“I don’t know. But your lifespan has no limits, so it doesn’t really matter, does it?”
“It would be troublesome if you aged too much.”
Still, he seemed to care about me.
“I’ll be back before you know it.”
The time it takes for a trial varies greatly.
It can be over in an instant or last eons.
However, that’s exceptional; usually, it shouldn’t take more than a week.
‘I should be back soon.’
I thought as I left the basement.
*
‘This is tricky.’
Exiting the barrier at Sakh was different from Basilium.
In Basilium, there were no prying eyes; I could just walk out alone, but here it wasn’t the same.
Sakh had built watchtowers near the barrier to guard against Chaos Beasts that occasionally broke in, so I had to pass through one of those towers to leave.
What I needed for passing was the approval of the Sakh branch of the Church.
Fortunately, the Pathfinder credential I had made in Basilium turned out to be useful this time.
I handed the credential to the staff and said, “Name’s Allen Pleuk. I’m a Pathfinder.”
The staff inspected the credential and, deeming it authentic, asked me, “What is your purpose for leaving the barrier?”
“Excavation of ruins.”
“Are you familiar with the contract terms regarding relic acquisition?”
“I am aware.”
I answered, but it wasn’t really relevant to me.
I wasn’t primarily looking to acquire relics, and thanks to my Inventory, I could easily hide them if I needed to.
“Then please show us the relics.”
The staff pointed to the relic measurement device on the left.
“What?”
“We can’t let you pass the barrier without any relics.”
What to do?
I couldn’t just open my Inventory and show them a relic.
If they were regular folks, it wouldn’t matter, but staff from the Church would definitely know about Inventory.
‘If that happens, my identity as a Pathfinder would be questioned.’
For now, I needed to maintain that identity.
At least while I was still tied to Libero.
That’s when I remembered a clause from the contract.
“I had been putting off borrowing a relic due to circumstances.”
The basic policy for Pathfinders was to borrow relics.
And I had deferred their offer to lend a relic recently.
“Really? If it is confirmed that multiple relics were borrowed at once, fines may be imposed.”
She began flipping through the registry.
“Indeed, there’s no name of Allen Pleuk here. If you borrowed from the Basilium branch, it’s their concern.”
After saying that, she stood up.
“Please wait a moment. As you have not achieved anything yet, I shall lend you a 1-star relic.”
With that, I borrowed a 1-star relic from the Church.
The relic took the form of a ring.
Classification: Accessory
Type: Ring
Relic Grade: 1-star
Description: A relic commonly excavated from ruins across the region. Slightly increases stamina and contains just enough divine power to allow a human to survive outside the barrier.
It was a relic that I had seen scattered around in the game.
While the effect of slightly increasing stamina might sound good, the text’s “slightly” really meant just that.
In fact, I didn’t even notice a tangible increase in stamina while wearing the ring.
‘Well, it’s just for show, so I suppose it doesn’t really matter.’
Of course, it was a bit of a shame for the money spent to borrow it.
“I’m a Pathfinder. I’ve received my passage permit.”
I handed the permit to the guard facing the barrier.
He glanced at it with little interest and turned away.
I similarly moved past and headed towards the barrier.
Unlike Basilium’s red color, the barrier here was completely black.
Even in the already dark Sakh, this was the darkest outer region, but the color of the barrier was so distinct that its boundary was easy to see.
‘It’s been a while.’
I didn’t exit the barrier when I came from Basilium since I entered through a gate.
This would be my first time stepping outside the barrier since defeating the 71st Demon King.
‘Don’t let your guard down.’
I recalled the experience of my first step outside the barrier.
Outside the barrier was a place where losing your life could happen at any moment.
Not letting your guard down didn’t guarantee survival, but letting your guard down guaranteed almost certain death.
“Haah.”
Exhaling deeply, I stepped towards the other side of the barrier.
‘There should be a trial nearby.’
Last time, Gwen knew roughly where the trial was, so we got there quickly.
But this time, not knowing the trial’s location would likely take longer to find it.
*
‘Because there’s nothing here, I’m a bit bored.’
No sleep or rest needed.
Teaching Allen took up about half of my day.
That half was now gone again.
‘What did I do at this time before?’
He glanced around the empty basement.
Teaching that kid had only taken about half a year.
Considering he had lived alone for much longer than that, it was a silly concern.
‘Right, I didn’t do anything.’
Reaching the peak of swordsmanship was impossible anyway.
That said, I didn’t have anything particular I wanted to do.
At most, it would just be trivial hobbies.
Most of my time was spent wandering aimlessly through the streets.
Not only in Sakh, but everywhere I went, I just drifted around with no purpose before ending up in Sakh.
The nickname for me was the Vagabond Libero.
‘I don’t belong in a cozy place like this.’
He placed his foot on the stairs leading out of the basement.
Just then, a murmuring sound came from above.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, he left the Church and headed towards the barrier.”
“No wonder he was so strong. Was he a hero or something?”
I recognized the voices.
‘Those guys again.’
They continued whispering, unaware that Libero was listening.
“Anyway, without that kid, it’s just an old man left in the room.”
“Right, so let’s reclaim our hideout. If we capture that old man, he won’t be able to do anything when the kid returns.”
Libero reached out his hand into the air.
Dark crimson particles gathered at his fingertips and formed a sword.
‘Looks like I’d better stick to the streets.’
He stepped outside the stairs.
*
“Back again, huh, big bro?”
He sat down without replying.
There was a glass set before him, even though he hadn’t ordered anything.
It was the same thing he drank every day.
“By the way, didn’t you bring your nephew today?”
Libero quietly nodded his head.
“What a shame. Unlike you, he was quite cute.”
Libero couldn’t care less.
With time, the branch manager would also forget about the nephew.
That time was almost unbearably short compared to the time he had lived.
Just when he was holding his drink.
Someone sat beside the bar counter.
“I’ll have what I had yesterday.”
It was a man he had never seen before.
He had no memory of running into him while wandering Sakh.
‘A newcomer, perhaps?’
If he had arrived recently, it would make sense.
While Allen was around, he had been holed up in the basement during this time.
Their living patterns had probably never overlapped.
‘By the way, that guy…’
Without turning his head, he began analyzing the man just from the presence he felt.
The power he sensed wasn’t particularly strong.
Not strong, yet he clearly possessed a Stigma and relic.
‘Could he be a hero?’
But that didn’t warrant paying him any particular attention.
Although he hadn’t reached the peak of swordsmanship, he had enough skill to hide his strength.
It was that skill that allowed him to survive on the streets for so long.
“Thank you.”
The man accepted the glass.
He continued to observe the man.
‘The Stigma is weak, but the martial arts he carries are quite impressive.’
It wasn’t a long time. Libero quickly gathered all the information on the man.
The main weapon he used was his bare fists.
And he had reached a level of martial arts that shouldn’t be underestimated.
While Libero was busy observing the man, the man asked the innkeeper.
“Do you happen to know about the Demon King?”
The innkeeper, while wiping a plate, answered as if it was obvious.
“The Demon King? The enemy of mankind outside the barrier?”
“I heard rumors that there’s a Demon King inside Sakh as well.”
Listening to the conversation between the two, Libero thought.
‘That’s quite interesting.’
*
“The White Tiger Gang’s Jin Moo greets the Demon King.”
In the central area of Sakh, at the headquarters of the Company, a man was bowing down.
And across from him sat a black-haired beauty.
“What’s going on?”
Her expression was filled with annoyance.
With so many aggravating matters lately, if he had bothered her with something trivial, he wouldn’t be left unpunished.
“I felt compelled to tell you. Recently, a man from Basilium seems to be searching for the Demon King within Sakh.”
“Is that all?”
“The issue is his identity. When I inquired with an acquaintance at the Church’s Sakh branch, I learned that he is a hero ranked 157th. Moreover, his skills are exceptional, and if he accumulates achievements, promotion to a high-ranking hero is very likely.”
At those words, the Demon King Gineus’s expression changed.
“So in other words, he has come to gather achievements here?”
If he truly possessed the capabilities of a high-ranking hero, even she would feel threatened.
But hearing the story, it became clear that he himself didn’t realize his identity.
‘That actually works to our advantage.’
There were doubts about the man’s identity.
With him coming from Basilium and possessing great skills, it was very likely he was the one who killed the 71st Demon King.
Keeping that hidden would be a strategy to avoid being targeted regarding his promotion to high-ranking hero. He likely planned to reveal it all at once later.
‘I’ve definitely said how I’d respond if the killer of the 71st Demon King came to Sakh.’
She smiled joyfully.
“How convenient that there’s another Demon King in Sakh?”
Standing up, she looked out the window.
A city that never sees the light of day, the night view of Sakh spread out before her.
It looked beautiful, but the security in those dark alleys was the worst.
Surely he would be there as well.
“I’ll have to stir things up even more.”
