Chapter 48

〈 Chapter 49 〉 The Second Trial (2)

*

“Is it really your first time outside the barrier?”

I nodded my head at Gwen’s question.

And acted nonchalantly.

“What, is there something strange?”

“No, usually when people first come out of the barrier, they can’t adapt.”

Of course it’s not my first time.

However, I was just an ordinary-looking countryside boy with no relics to my name.

Gwen, unaware of the truth, muttered.

“Do you have a good adaptation to chaos?”

That was something I had heard before.

Back then, it was thanks to absolute obedience.

‘Still, I’m glad the deal went through.’

No matter how different the route was this time, it was hard to give up on Gwen.

Instead, I didn’t learn Gwen’s swordsmanship. I saved up more SP and inherited [Precocious], and I easily captured the bandit who came into the inn using Libero’s swordsmanship.

And Libero’s swordsmanship was enough to catch Gwen’s interest. Though I was a bit skeptical if it would serve the same purpose as Gwen’s swordsmanship.

“Did we really need a three-day grace period?”

“Yes, but I still needed time to say goodbye to the innkeeper.”

But that wasn’t the real reason.

It was because of an event I had encountered while heading toward the trial with her.

“Oh? Long time no see, hey!”

The high-ranking hero, Ludmilla, who wields a bow.

Just like last time, we ran into her party.

But the event I was aiming for wasn’t this one.

‘It’s better not to get involved with high-ranking heroes unless I’m crazy.’

The prowess of heroes seen at the gate from Basilium to Sakh.

That hero had yet to reach high-ranking status.

To even think about getting involved with high-ranking heroes after seeing that was not a lack of fear but a lack of thought.

‘I’m sure it was right after this.’

While I was reviewing my plans, Gwen finished her conversation with hero Ludmilla.

I didn’t pay close attention, remembering it wasn’t that important.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“Forget everything you heard earlier.”

“What?”

No, this time I really didn’t hear anything.

“My age… never mind.”

But her words reminded me.

‘Now that I think about it, she did have a complex about her age.’

Gwen, who had stopped growing due to [Precocious], looked like a small high school girl, but her age…

For some reason, it felt like Gwen was glaring at me, so I decided to stop that line of thought.

*

“I have to collect a piece of the barrier from this guy, but I don’t know where it is. Will you help me look for it?”

After Gwen took down the golem blocking the path, I easily collected the piece of the barrier from it.

Gwen looked a little suspicious, but given my suspicious traits, she probably wouldn’t worry too much about it.

‘What’s more important is what comes next.’

The awaited event was about to happen.

“What is this…”

At that moment, Gwen looked into the distance.

I also began to feel vibrations on the ground.

‘It’s starting.’

An ambush of three golems.

No, more accurately, it was an ambush by the bandit group.

‘I’ll leave the golems to Gwen…’

What I needed to do was separate the bandits.

‘The bandit leader.’

He was currently waiting to take advantage of the golems.

After witnessing Gwen’s unfathomable power, he would have hidden quietly, but once Gwen exposed his location, he would flee.

‘I think it was over there.’

I pretended to watch Gwen while covertly checking the spot where Gwen found the bandit group.

Night’s Shadow has a limited casting time. He wouldn’t be using Night’s Shadow right now.

‘Of course not.’

I found the location of the leader.

It was easy to identify him due to the lack of a left arm.

‘Now I just need to wait for the timing.’

As the golems rushed in, Gwen slashed the foremost one with the relic ‘Ignis.’

Now was the time.

It was just when the bandits were distracted by Gwen’s overwhelming power.

I headed toward the direction of the leader.

‘It’s a bit disappointing that I don’t have Wind’s Power right now.’

Having it and then losing it made running feel frustrating.

Still, I could reach his side before he noticed.

“Hmm?”

By the time he noticed me, it was already too late.

I swung the Relic Gravitas Replicant I was holding.

It was light when swung, heavy when it struck.

It felt familiar since it was a sword I had handled for a long time.

The sword easily severed his neck.

‘Last time, this guy became a Chaos Beast and gave me a hard time.’

I swiftly snatched Night’s Shadow from his hand and tossed it into my inventory.

Only then did the guy’s subordinates realize my ambush.

“W-What the hell is this guy!”

I had already mapped out their movements.

Using the sword, I sliced through a few of them and slipped into the archer’s blind spot.

A few who hadn’t grasped my level followed me.

But soon their line of sight returned.

Thud.

The last golem fell to Gwen’s sword.

She turned her head and looked in my direction.

“They’re both monsters! Run away!”

Well, it’s not perfect, but it is indeed Libero’s swordsmanship.

Using the effects of Relic Gravitas Replicant that I had become familiar with, it must’ve been incomprehensible to them.

‘Run away, huh.’

Except for one.

I chased one amid the fleeing crowd.

The one holding the spear.

“Gwaah…”

As the smoke cleared, I wiped the blood off my sword on his clothes.

With Wind’s Power, it would have been easier to clean my sword, but it was a pity.

I took the spear from the downed guy.

“That spear…”

“You had your eyes on it since the moment you turned your head this way. It must be a special item.”

Gwen, who approached me, carefully accepted the spear.

“Thank you.”

She put the spear into her inventory.

Last time, she had prayed over it in a place where it was hard to see, but this time it was unexpected.

‘Unlike last time, she doesn’t fully trust me.’

Back then, I only gave off a slightly dubious vibe, but the rest of me had a knowledge level typical of an ordinary boy.

But now, the amount of knowledge I possessed must naturally raise her suspicions.

‘It doesn’t matter. Gwen is thorough about separating public and private.’

A deal to reveal the location of the Relic.

As long as that existed, she would take me to the trial.

That’s what I thought.

“By the way, was it necessary for me to take you to the trial? You seem quite skilled.”

She hit the nail on the head.

In truth, the main reason I needed her was more for securing the relic than for the trial.

As long as I had the relic, I could easily go to the trial.

Now that I had obtained Night’s Shadow, I might be able to go to the trial without her.

Still, I raised the Relic Gravitas Replicant and said.

“I don’t have any relics, you see.”

“Now that you mention it, you seem to be quite familiar with handling the Relic Gravitas Replicant. Have you perhaps used the original Gravitas…”

At that point, her voice trailed off.

It seemed she thought it was too improbable for a country boy from the outskirts of Basilium to have experienced using the 4-star relic Gravitas.

“…Forget it. Let’s just head off like this.”

*

At long last, I arrived at the trial of the God of Regret.

Before me lay a lake covered in fog.

I wondered whether one could enter another trial within this trial… But I guess I would find out by trying.

“By the way, do you know how to undertake a trial?”

I didn’t know last time, but I know this time.

“If you step into the lake, you’ll be pulled down below. Then the trial begins.”

“Is that so? Then let’s wrap up our deal.”

“Yes?”

I couldn’t help but be a bit taken aback.

It was different from last time.

I thought Gwen had simply forgotten and was stepping into the lake.

But upon reflection, that wasn’t the case.

‘From Gwen’s perspective, it would’ve been better to ask after the trial.’

There might be a chance to obtain the ‘Rose Sword’ in the trial.

And she was suspicious that I might be from the Reedval Family based on my swordsmanship.

She had probably thought about trying to get the ‘Rose Sword’ first, and if that failed, she would put her responsibility on me.

However, this time, she didn’t think I belonged to the Reedval Family.

Therefore, there was only one question she would ask me.

“Where is the Rose Sword?”

Once I told her the location of the Rose Sword, she would not undertake the trial.

Because the Rose Sword was not in the trial.

If that happened, my connection with her would also come to an end.

‘It’s a pity, but…’

It was also true that I had nothing more to gain from her.

This time, we would simply part ways a bit earlier.

Nonetheless, feeling a bit regretful, I asked her one last time.

“If you find out the location of the Rose Sword, you’ll retrieve the Relic Gravitas Replicant and leave immediately. That would leave me with no way to return to the barrier.”

However, Gwen coldly countered that statement.

“I saw you toss a dagger-shaped relic into your inventory earlier. I trust you’ll report that to the church later.”

There seemed to be no way out of it.

I handed the Relic Gravitas Replicant back to Gwen and said.

“The Rose Sword is…”

*

‘I thought it was clearly a favorable situation.’

This time, I failed to obtain the Relic Gravitas Replicant from Gwen.

While there are enough alternative ways to obtain a 2-star relic, it felt somewhat disappointing.

Of course, I had resigned to this outcome the moment I decided not to inherit [Swordsmanship (B)]. I had also obtained Night’s Shadow in preparation for not receiving a relic from Gwen.

‘But I’m still on track with my plans.’

After Gwen left, I stood alone at the lake’s edge and placed my foot in.

Now it was time to see how the trial would be implemented.

‘Where…’

My vision plunged beneath the surface, and my consciousness slipped deeper.

‘Huh?’

I opened my eyes, not in a desert.

In a massive room. And at its center stood an equally giant tree.

‘This is…’

The place where I received the reward for the trial with the God of Regret.

‘Did the trial just end? It didn’t feel like it even started.’

I had no memories of it starting.

As I was busy looking around, I was suddenly greeted with an unexpected voice.

­Didn’t think I’d see you again.

The youthful voice where gender was hard to discern.

Just hearing the voice triggered an annoyance within me.

I couldn’t forget the humiliation I had suffered from that guy.

­I thought you’d be weak enough to die quickly.

He was still an irritating presence.

But there was something that made me hesitate to get angry.

“Do you remember me?”

I should be seeing him for the first time in this trial world.

The God of Regret seemed to be speaking as if he remembered me.

To my question, the God of Regret replied.

­I appear to have made another mistake. I had forgotten you were undergoing that guy’s trial.

“‘That guy’? Do you know the god presiding over this trial?”

Like the God of Regret, the names of gods likely reflected their tendencies.

If I could at least hear a name, that would be an important clue to understanding this trial.

­To put it bluntly, we don’t have a good relationship. I’d get an earful for sharing any more information.

That’s unfortunate.

Then I had no choice but to ask something else.

This was the most important thing of all right now.

“By the way, what’s going on with my trial? It doesn’t seem to have started.”

­Huh? Well, under the nature of my trial, even if you redo it, it wouldn’t mean anything. So I just considered it passed. Don’t worry. For fairness, the rewards will be the same as before.

The moment he spoke, a violet-tinged fruit fell from the tree.

When I opened it, inside was the familiar Wind’s Power.

‘The first time I opened it, I was surprised to find nothing inside.’

I immediately learned Wind’s Power.

Just like with swordsmanship, my proficiency gained outside the trial was acknowledged, and Wind’s Power expertise shot up to B in no time.

As the familiar wind began to swirl around me, I finally felt at ease.

‘This is definitely necessary.’

The moment I acquired Wind’s Power.

­Oh right, that guy is quite unpleasant to deal with, so be careful…

Just then, the scenery changed.

I found myself sitting by the lakeshore.

‘Did the god presiding over the trial intervene?’

But at least one important thing was clear.

The presider of this trial was not the God of Regret.

In fact, I had been suspecting all along that the God of Regret was overseeing this trial.

That suspicion wasn’t unfounded, seeing how this trial was mercilessly unearthing my mistakes and traumas.

But the God of Regret had stated that this trial was not overseen by him.

He even implied that he didn’t have a good relationship with the deity overseeing it.

Of course, it was possible he was lying, but for now, it was a valuable lead.

‘A god who doesn’t have a good relationship with the God of Regret…’

Murmuring that to myself, I stood up to prepare for my next move.

“So, is it the Demon King next?”

*