Volume 1 Chapter 44 Despicable Challenger I
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
It was early morning when Kian returned from the monastery to ‘The Boar’s Trot Inn.’ He passed by other adventurers who were just starting to wake up and went to his room, tying a letter to Crow’s leg and sending him off to Serena.
The letter mentioned that he had gained Aliona’s cooperation and that they were to meet in front of the monastery on the outskirts of town this evening.
He was pretty sure Serena could read and write, so there shouldn’t be any issues.
If anything came up, she would probably come looking for him at ‘The Boar’s Trot Inn.’.
With that, he jumped into bed and closed his eyes.
He still had his glasses on, of course.
She said something, but he ignored it and let his consciousness sink into the darkness, falling asleep within seconds.
When he next woke up, it was twilight.
”Mm…”
(This is just the right time.)
He propped himself up in bed and stretched.
The room in ‘The Boar’s Trot Inn’ was filled with orange light.
The smell of dinner soup wafted in from outside the window.
’You awake?’
”Yeah.”
He nodded at the voice of his glasses and grabbed the water bottle he had left on the desk.
He opened the lid and took a swig.
”…I feel like I’ve become a useless person. My days and nights are all mixed up.”
’What’s wrong with that?’
”Nothing at all.”
He replied and stood up from the bed.
The floor creaked slightly.
Outside the window, he could see the shops on the main street starting to get busy.
Kian leaned on the window frame and squinted down at the view.
”This happens a lot in this profession. Especially when you go on expeditions to distant hunting grounds, you hardly ever get to be active during the day.”
’Nighttime is nice. It’s quiet, elegant, and the air is cool and clear.’
”And since everyone is asleep, I don’t have to worry about running into anyone while walking outside. …I might be a bit of a people-hater.”
His murmured words melted into the evening’s hustle and bustle.
It wasn’t something he said to his glasses; it was more like a confirmation he was making to himself.
Kian spent some time observing the adventurers going back and forth on the main street until his mind was fully awake.
Elves, dwarves, beastmen, and humans.
Occasionally, he noticed visitors from Azrael, humans with brown skin and desert elves, rushing towards the street stalls as if they were pressed for time.
(Even if I were to die here and now, those passing below would greet tomorrow without a care. My existence would fade away into the void of time, leaving no trace in anyone’s heart…)
If it were Jibril or Sarah, surely a grand funeral would be held, and the townsfolk would mourn for a while.
It wouldn’t be the case that I leave no mark on this world.
(Can I rise to greatness? Where am I headed from here?)
As he pondered this, Kian lifted himself from the window frame.
’A great future awaits. As long as you are with this one, you will eventually become a being at the pinnacle of all races.’
”To reach such a future, first tell me where the ancient equipment sleeping in the ‘Labyrinth of Roses’ is located. If I can obtain that equipment, I will become even stronger.”
Kian replied, then picked up the backpack he had placed beside the bed.
”It’s time. I’ll change and leave the inn. If I clear this quest, I will almost certainly rank up to Rank 8 adventurer.”
* * *
About half an hour after jumping out of the window and avoiding disturbing Esther, Kian headed north along the familiar farm road towards the monastery.
The undulating terrain and vineyards came into view, and soon the monastery’s strangely shaped building appeared.
There were already 2 figures in front of the building.
One was Serena.
The other was Aliona.
Serena was in her usual light leather armor, wearing shorts and knee-high leather boots.
Aliona was dressed in the combat uniform of the Western Church.
She wore a white cloth armor and white pants.
It seemed she was also wearing chainmail underneath, as her usually slender silhouette appeared slightly bulkier.
As for weapons…
Serena had just one long sword tucked at her waist, while Aliona had multiple weapons strapped to her back.
It looked like they were secured with a sturdy leather holder.
The weapons included a long sword that was about her height, a short spear of similar length, and a large iron staff adorned with a big white gem.
Each piece of equipment radiated an incredible magic power.
They were likely some kind of magical swords or divine weapons.
(Ms. Aliona’s true identity is becoming increasingly unclear.)
’Hey, Kian. Why not ask if you can buy either a sword or a spear?’
(That’s ridiculous. Those weapons look dangerous. It would be more realistic to buy ‘The Boar’s Trot Inn’ along with its staff.”)
After replying to glasses, Kian smiled at the two women waiting at the entrance.
”Good evening, Ms. Aliona, Serena. It seems you’ve already introduced yourselves.”
”What do you mean the introduction is late? You should have come sooner.”
”Hehe, good evening, Kian. I never expected your companion to be such a cute girl.”
Aliona was smiling as usual, while Serena looked displeased.
Kian compared their faces back and forth.
”I was carefully checking the equipment. Serena, wouldn’t it be annoying if the weapons of someone fighting alongside you were poorly maintained?”
”From the looks of your gear, it seems like you haven’t maintained yours at all.”
”…Kian, are you really going to go on a quest dressed like that?”
Even Aliona, who had been smiling, frowned as she looked Kian up and down.
It seemed she was referring mainly to the wooden sword on his back and the two clubs he had tucked at his waist.
”I mentioned this to Ms. Serena, but the monsters in the ‘Labyrinth of Roses’ are ghost-type monsters like Rain Wraiths and Night Wraiths. Physical attacks won’t deal any damage.”
”I truly apologize for that. I haven’t had the money to get the magic language re-engraved.”
Serena said this with her dog ears drooping awkwardly.
It was a line that dripped with frustration more than just the feeling of apology.
For her, who seemed to find her purpose in fighting, it must have been humiliating to have only the job of holding a torch and being the light source.
She quietly murmured, “If only I could use magic…”.
Aliona let out a sigh.
”Well, it can’t be helped… If you can handle these two weapons that are just lying around, I’ll lend them to you.”
As she said this, she pulled out a silver dagger and a small white branch from her backpack.
The branch was probably a staff.
It had magic language inscribed on it, and if magic power was infused, the contained magic would activate on its own.
It wasn’t too expensive, and while those above the level of intermediate adventurers might use it, for Kian and Serena, it was something they couldn’t afford even if they wanted to.
”The dagger is made of silver and can cut through ghosts and undead monsters. It’s a fine piece made by elves, but it might break if it tries to cut through hard bones or clash with a steel sword. This sugary-looking white branch can release a burst of magic power that can drive away the evil of ghosts. However, the magic inside the branch won’t activate unless you infuse it with magic power.”
”I really appreciate the offer, but… this equipment looks incredibly expensive. Who exactly are you?”
Serena sent a slightly wary glance toward the elf sister.
Her light blue eyes flickered in the dusk, searching.
However, Aliona replied with a nonchalant expression, “If you live long enough, you’ll accumulate money.”.
”Serena, stop being nosy. Ms. Aliona is a kind-hearted embodiment of beauty, a goddess. Isn’t that enough?”
”I’ve been thinking for a while, but sometimes I just don’t understand what Kian is saying.”
”Hehehe. A proper woman has many secrets. Now, you two discuss and pick whichever one you like. No fighting, okay?”
”I appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t need it. Serena, you should use both. That would probably strengthen our power the most.”
When Kian said this, Serena frowned.
”Are you serious? You plan to swing a stick around against a ghost?”
”I’m the one who lights the way in the vanguard. Plus, if I coat a wooden sword with pine resin, I can at least drive away a ghost. There’s no problem.”
”There’s a huge problem! What will you do if you get isolated in the maze? Kian, you might have to fight a ghost!”
”In that case… I’ll use Absorb Essence.”
Kian answered shortly, raising an eyebrow at Aliona, who looked worried.
”Ah…”
”Essence…?”
The elf sister looked dazed, while the wolf girl tilted her head.
”That’s right. I’ve absorbed a vast amount of magic power from that high elf magician. With my current state, I could crush the opponent’s magic resistance without even having to engage in intercourse and forcibly absorb their magic power.”
(The balance of magic power would likely be negative, though. The magic power used to break through the magic resistance would definitely be greater… but it’s a massive amount of magic power, enough to fill several bathtubs. It should be wasted freely.)
”Serena, just watch for a moment.”
Kian said this and picked up a spider that was crawling on the ground at his feet.
The spider, sensing something ominous, bit Kian’s hand.
However, it caused no damage to his enhanced skin.
As Serena furrowed her brows and watched, Kian held his hand over the spider.
Bssss──.
A white, steam-like substance rose from the spider’s body.
This was the life force.
The spider twisted as if letting out a scream.
It was desperately resisting the sensation of having its life drained away.
Kian did not ease his hand; instead, he released even more magic power, forcibly breaking through the spider’s magic-like resistance.
By the way, if it were a creature with reason and intelligence, it would be mentally broken the moment its magic resistance was breached.
Magic resistance could be equated to mental resistance for humans.
”Wha…”
Serena, who had come close to Kian, widened her eyes.
The spider, whose magic power had been absorbed, finally stopped moving, lying on its back with its legs curled.
It was dead.
Having had all its vitality drained, the spider was no longer a living creature.
”Hmm…, it really wasn’t that great.”
Kian licked his lips and voiced his thoughts.
He dropped the spider’s corpse to the ground and clapped his hands together to shake off the dirt.
The pitiful insect, now lifeless, rolled into the grass, blown by the evening breeze.
”W-What did you do!?”
”I drained its life.”
”Drained its… life?”
Serena asked back, still wide-eyed.
Kian thought she might be frightened, but she seemed simply surprised.
”It’s the magic of a lost vampire.”
Aliona explained quietly from behind Serena.
She continued.
”In simple terms, it’s the opposite of healing magic. Healing magic sends magic power into the target to enhance its healing ability by invigorating its life force, right? This is the reverse. It forcibly connects and drains life force from the opponent.”
”That’s… ridiculous. This is like something out of a story with instant death magic.”
Serena muttered that and shot a sticky gaze at Kian.
Kian shrugged.
”Unfortunately, this isn’t like the ‘instant death spell play’ that kids do. Those with strong magic resistance can’t be affected by the spells, and the toll on us is immense. Those with a lot of magic power, like Serena and Ms. Aliona, can’t possibly drain all of their life force. Right now, the spells are full of flaws.”
”Still, it’s amazing. I can stop earth spears or wind blades with my sword, or dodge them with a step──but this? Just by looking at it, just by directing your intent to kill, it can take a life. I couldn’t even read the signs of its activation, and a mere swordsman without knowledge has no way to resist. I’d be killed before I could even swing my sword and close the distance… It seems I need to reevaluate my opinion of you.”
Serena concluded with a stern look.
”What’s wrong? You can’t team up with someone who uses such insane magic?”
”That’s not what I mean, so don’t worry.”
”Then what do you mean?”
”It’s a long story, so let’s prioritize the quest for now. I’ll talk to you about it later.”
”I see. I hope it’s good news for me.”
”Who knows… We’re the ones asking here.”
”Hmm?”
”──Then, is it okay for Ms. Serena to use both pieces of equipment?”
Aliona forcefully interrupted the flow of the conversation while comparing Kian and Serena’s faces.
A cheerful smile was on her beautiful face, but today, there was an intimidating atmosphere about her.
”Yes, I don’t mind. I’m sorry, but could you lend them to her?”
”Thank you, Ms. Aliona. I’ll take good care of them.”
”You don’t have to take good care of them. It’s fine to be rough; prioritize your life over my equipment. If they break, they break.”
Aliona handed the dagger and staff to Serena with a serious expression.
Serena accepted them with both hands and nodded.
”Okay. But if I break them, I definitely can’t compensate…”
”In that case, you can repay me with labor. I’m also an herbalist, so come work part-time in the workshop at night. I think you can repay me in 2 months.”
”Thank you for everything.”
Serena politely bent down and said that.
Aliona looked down at the girl with a complicated expression.
She murmured softly, “You need to stop acting so childish”.
”…But it’s fine, Ms. Serena. I don’t dislike cute and polite kids like you. So, even though I’m just a temporary member for today, let’s get along.”
”Thank you, I look forward to it.”
”──Well then. Is this enough for greetings? Ms. Aliona, do I need to mention anything about that dangerous weapon on your back?”
”Oh, this? It’s fine for me to use, so don’t worry about it.”
”Got it. We’ll try to avoid touching it as much as possible.”
”That would really help me out.”
When Aliona said that, Kian nodded once.
He looked at Serena’s face, but it seemed like there was nothing in particular she needed to say at that moment.
Kian flipped his ‘Nightshade’ coat and gave the command.
”Alright, let’s go. The horses are already arranged. Ms. Aliona, please ride behind me.”
* * *
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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