Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The Swordsmanship Genius Who Transcends Through a Pact Chapter 9

With those words, the great warrior's body began to crumble.

Watching him finally break apart piece by piece, Ian let out a small sigh of relief.

“Hoo.”

By then, Tarian had already approached and was looking at Ian.

“Young Master.”

“Ah, I'm fine...”

“As expected, Young Master, you're insane.”

Ian stared blankly for a moment at Tarian, whose voice sounded slightly more excited than usual.

“That's a compliment, right?”

“The greatest compliment of my life.”

Tarian smiled brightly.

* * *

-I was trapped in this place for countless years.

-A life spent endlessly waiting for something. I thought that was my fate.

-Thanks to you, I was able to witness you defeat a mighty warrior of the past with your own hands. As a warrior, I offer you my thanks.

[You have successfully completed your Pact with the Ancient Northern Steel Sword (Normal).]

[The proficiency of ‘Northern Swordsmanship (A)’ has increased.]

[‘Northern Swordsmanship (A)’▶‘Northern Swordsmanship (A+)’]

[‘Northern Swordsmanship’ has reached the Master level!]

Messages rapidly filled my vision.

The Master level.

A stage reached once a skill's proficiency rose beyond a certain point.

In practical terms, the skill was nearing completion.

‘I didn't expect it to rise this far.’

In the game, raising proficiency alone would've been enough, but now that this was reality, things were a little different.

If proficiency represented knowledge, then only by fully embodying that knowledge could someone truly be called a master.

And the Master level wasn't merely some title.

‘You get additional effects.’

[Northern Swordsmanship (A+)]

[Rank: Normal]

[Description: Swordsmanship used by northern warriors. Crude, but heavy and solid.]

[Master Level: Reduces the chance of dropping your weapon or having it destroyed.]

I clenched my fist as I looked at the newly added effect.

For a moment, exhilaration surged through me at having reached such a level.

“Young Master, I believe we should clean this place out.”

“Looks that way.”

The ice that had covered the entire chamber began melting, and the weapons trapped inside started falling free.

The dungeon would begin collapsing before long.

“Come inside.”

“I-Is it already over?”

The soldiers began entering with bewildered voices.

“See those weapons over there?”

“Yes.”

“Move them.”

“Pardon?”

With that, I immediately stepped forward and took Frostfang.

At the same time, the surroundings began melting even faster.

“We'd better hurry.”

“I'll help.”

With Tarian joining in, we quickly led the soldiers toward the dungeon exit.

Then I realized the greatsword the ancient warrior had left behind hadn't disappeared, so I grabbed that as well.

Thanks to the brief rest they'd gotten, the soldiers were in decent condition.

We barely made it out before the dungeon began collapsing behind us.

‘We got everything worth taking.’

Frostfang, along with the greatsword the ancient warrior had wielded.

On top of that, I'd reached the new Master level.

And my standing had risen from Sword Beginner to Sword User.

-This user is a young warrior.

-To defeat the great warrior and take hold of me.

-You have passed the first trial.

[You have successfully completed your Pact with Frostfang (Rare).]

[You have acquired ‘Frost's Blessing (C)’!]

A message suddenly appeared in front of me.

‘The Pact is already complete?’

The thought surfaced instinctively.

I hadn't even expected to complete a Pact with Frostfang.

Frostfang was a Rare-grade sword at minimum, so naturally I'd assumed it would demand a much more difficult condition.

And yet.

‘It's already completed.’

While I stood there confused, Frostfang's voice continued.

-The Pact had already been formed.

-To possess strength befitting my rank, and to pass the trial.

-Young warrior, you have earned that qualification.

I'd already earned the right?

Did swords above a certain level choose when to form their own Pacts?

It hardly mattered, since completing them was up to me anyway.

Besides...

‘If it called that the first trial, then there must be several more stages ahead.’

That was welcome news.

It meant another way to grow stronger. Apparently there was a reason Frostfang was known as a demonic sword.

And the effect of Frost's Blessing was simple, yet astonishing.

[Frost's Blessing (C)]

[Rank: Rare]

[Description: Frostfang's blessing envelops the entire body. Mana efficiency increases, and frost infuses your mana. Occasionally, Frostfang inflicts the Curse of Frost upon the target.]

‘Elemental mana and the Curse of Frost?’

From the description, it seemed to inflict a freezing debuff on enemies.

It was practically an additional skill in itself.

Since Frostfang itself already possessed cold energy, the synergy was impossible to overstate.

Even setting aside the increase in mana efficiency...

‘This is insane.’

And it was my first Rare-grade skill.

A clear sign that my standing had advanced another stage compared to before.

“Your presence has changed.”

“Has it?”

“Yes. You feel completely different even compared to a moment ago.”

I gripped Frostfang and swung it around experimentally.

As expected, I still couldn't properly release mana.

My next objective would be training my magical power and learning to manifest mana.

“As far as swordsmanship alone is concerned, you could already be considered among the upper ranks of Sword Users.”

“Still a long way to go.”

“...Indeed.”

Tarian seemed about to say something, then gave up with a resigned expression.

Of course, I understood my growth rate better than anyone.

It was on a completely different level compared to anything before.

But I was still hungry.

‘I need to grow stronger.’

There was still plenty of room to improve.

“Whoa, what are all these weapons...?”

“Don't these look like weapons actual knights would use?”

“At this level, gulp.”

Greed appeared in the soldiers' eyes as they looked over the weapons they'd collected.

They really were high-quality weapons.

Top-class gear that was hard to come by in the Rashid territory, which already lacked both money and skilled craftsmen.

“You'll be able to receive some once we return.”

“...!”

“Though distribution will depend on skill.”

I intended to hand out most of these weapons generously.

After completing their Pacts first, of course.

“By skill, you mean...”

“I-I'll train! I'll train even harder!”

Motivation began burning in the soldiers' eyes.

‘I was planning to give some to the people here anyway.’

Probably better not to tell them that.

These were already men who had advanced one step further than the other soldiers from sparring with me.

If they were willing to train proactively too, I couldn't ask for more.

“Then let's head back.”

After gathering the monster materials we'd collected nearby as well, we began returning to the territory.

Between the weapons and all the other spoils, we ended up with nearly a full wagon's worth of supplies.

The dungeon wasn't particularly far from the territory, but it was already late, so the return trip still took quite some time.

“At this pace, we'll reach the territory around dawn.”

“Better to camp here and head back afterward.”

We'd dealt with the dungeon, but the surrounding area wasn't completely stabilized yet.

While everyone prepared camp, I examined the greatsword we'd obtained this time as well.

-You are the one who granted my master rest.

-I can clearly see the makings of a warrior in you.

-I ask that you grant me rest as well.

[Grant rest to the Weary Ancient Northern Greatsword (Normal)]

[0/1]

This Pact felt different from the others.

A sword asking for rest.

‘It wants me to break it.’

There was a strong sense that it didn't wish to be wielded by anyone else.

Well, I didn't know exactly when that dungeon had formed, but the sword had undoubtedly been used for a very long time.

“All right.”

There was no reason not to grant its request.

I slowly gripped Frostfang and swung hard at the greatsword.

Clang-!

“...?”

Perhaps confused by my sudden bizarre behavior, Tarian looked at me strangely.

The greatsword, already cracked just like its master had been, soon snapped cleanly in half and reached the end of its usefulness.

-Warrior, thank you. As a final gift, I leave this with you...

With those words, the voice disappeared.

[You have successfully completed your Pact with the Weary Ancient Northern Greatsword (Normal).]

[You have acquired ‘Hide of Bitter Cold (C)’!]

And just like that, I obtained another new skill.

Its effect was incredibly straightforward.

[Hide of Bitter Cold (C)]

[Rank: Normal]

[Description: A method of physical training used by ancient northern warriors. The skin becomes tougher and wounds are less likely to form.]

‘Oh, this is...’

A skill I'd never seen before.

Ancient northern warriors had only ever existed as lore in the original game, so I'd never even considered that they might have unique skills.

This was the kind of skill that deserved a good evaluation on its own merits.

It effectively increased defense, making the build even more useful.

‘Does it increase natural healing too?’

The wound beneath my bandages already felt as though it were closing faster, so the skill seemed to grant a certain degree of regeneration as well.

“Nice.”

“It certainly is a fine sword. To break such a greatsword without so much as chipping.”

“Well, that too.”

Tarian had apparently misunderstood what I meant, but there was no reason to correct him.

Despite being an ancient weapon, Frostfang's edge was still honed razor-sharp.

‘Perfect as my main weapon.’

I couldn't exactly face the powerful enemies waiting in the future with wooden swords and training iron swords forever.

After taking turns standing watch through the night, morning arrived, and we gathered our spoils before heading back to the territory.

“F-Finally!”

A soldier murmured quietly.

After the exhausting journey, the outer walls in the distance gradually grew larger.

“Ian!”

And standing in front of them, apparently having come out to meet us at some point, was my brother.

“Brother.”

“You came back safely.”

Relief was clear in Cain Rashid's expression.

“You've worked hard.”

“Not at all. You're the one who's had it rough, Brother.”

His eyes really were full of fatigue.

After watching him for a moment, I began showing him what we'd brought back.

“W-What in the world is all this?”

“Spoils from the dungeon, along with materials we obtained while subjugating monsters.”

“Ian.”

“Yes?”

“You really are our family's lucky charm.”

With those words, my brother immediately pulled me into a hug.

I didn't exactly have a hobby of being hugged by men, but it was surprisingly warm.

“The number of monsters near the territory has been dropping rapidly. We should be able to resume trade normally again.”

My brother continued with a bright smile.

“Rather than standing around here, let's hurry inside. The soldiers must be exhausted too.”

“We should.”

“I also have something to tell you.”

“...?”

“An invitation arrived.”

My brother showed me the letter as he spoke.

Its contents were extremely simple.

The ruler of the North.

The Empire's great bulwark.

It was an invitation from the Grand Duchy of Vahen.