Chapter 49

“Welcome!!!”

The moment Woojin entered the trading company building, Charlson rushed toward him with his arms spread wide.

“I kept my promise.”

“Indeed you did! Indeed! And not just your promise. All of Hundred Flowers Valley is buzzing! Who could have imagined you would clear the Ice Cave as well?”

Beaming at Woojin, Charlson held out his hand.

[Grade B – Charlson's Request]

[Quest complete.]

[You have completed a quest of Grade B or higher.]

▶ Raoul’s essence gains experience.

▶ Remaining count: 2/3

'Just one more to go.'

The notifications rang out as he took the gnome’s hand.

“Thank you... for saving me.”

Chason, who stood beside his father, bowed deeply.

“Don’t go doing anything pointless again.”

Chason’s face stiffened at Woojin’s words. Apparently, Charlson had given him a severe scolding for going to the Ice Cave out of rivalry with his older brother.

“You tried to slip away while we were fighting Taikan, didn’t you? If you want to win, don’t run with your enemy right in front of you.”

“... Pardon?”

“Whether it’s a monster or your brother.”

Leaving him with that casual remark, Woojin followed Charlson toward the storehouse.

“Th... thank you!!!!”

After mulling over his words, Chason brightened and bowed to Woojin’s retreating back.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For encouraging my younger boy.”

Charlson spoke quietly to him as they headed toward the storehouse.

“I wouldn’t call it encouragement. I was just stating the obvious. Besides, isn’t that what you wanted?”

“What I wanted?”

“If this had crushed his confidence, the rivalry between your sons would be over.”

“Heh heh... So you did it for me, not for my younger son?”

“Of course. You’re the one I’m doing business with, not him.”

Charlson shook his head as if admitting defeat, yet somehow looked pleased.

“A pity you’re human. If you were a gnome, I might have wanted you as my successor more than either of my sons.”

“Does it have to be a successor? There’s a better way.”

“A better way?”

Standing in front of the storehouse, Woojin addressed Charlson.

“Partners.”

He held out his hand.

“Depending on this reward, I think we might be able to keep doing business together. What do you say?”

“Heh, heh heh...”

Charlson laughed as he took Woojin’s hand.

“Very well. No one could have imagined a greenhorn who hasn’t even set foot on the central continent joining hands with the Azen Trading Company.”

[Diplomatic relations established with the Azen Trading Company.]

[Current diplomatic status: Friendly]

[Increasing trust to raise your diplomatic status will grant access to greater rewards.]

Woojin tightened his grip in return.

RUMBLE

Charlson heaved open the door to his private storehouse.

“Take whatever you like. I, too, am a man who honors his deals.”

The treasures shone dazzlingly bright. There could be no treasury to rival this one in the Dark Forest—no, not even on the central continent.

“Take your time looking around.”

Charlson handed him the key with a cheerful smile.

“You can come out now.”

After Charlson left, Woojin tapped the right side of his chest with his fingers.

“Phew!!”

Setsuna, who had been hiding in his pocket, popped her head out and opened her mouth, apparently feeling cramped.

“Wow...! There are so many interesting things.”

Her robe fluttering, she began flying around Charlson’s storehouse, examining its contents.

“Have a good look. That’s your job here.”

Woojin had brought her here for one reason alone. Among the treasures, as plentiful as those on the central continent, were quite a few ancient relics.

'There’s no better place to level Setsuna.'

Just as he had hoped, notifications began ringing out whenever she examined the treasures on display.

[Setsuna absorbs the memories contained in Hidden Venom Fang (Grade C).]

▶ Gains a small amount of experience.

[Congratulations.]

[Setsuna has leveled up.]

▶ 1 → 2

[Setsuna absorbs the memories contained in Ifran’s Jar (Grade B).]

[Setsuna...]

[Setsuna...]

As she held her hands over the relics, faint glimmers of light seeped into her body.

[Congratulations.]

[Setsuna has leveled up.]

▶ 9 → 10

[There are no more relic memories available to absorb.]

[Setsuna has learned new skills.]

▶ Golem Skill: Hardened Skin

▶ Elf Skill: Phantasmal Barrage

▶ Holy Spirit Skill: Mist Step

[The skill tree unlocks at level 10.]

[From now on, skills corresponding to her Traits can be learned every 5 levels.]

'So after these first three skills, she learns one more every five levels.'

It certainly lived up to its SS grade.

[Evil Tale] offered very few basic skills. Each class started with two skills at character creation, with a new skill available at level 30. After that, players had to reach level 50 to unlock the second skill tree.

In other words, four skills were all they had on the way to the central continent.

That was why most players, whether they were tackling the Labyrinth Tower or unable to do so, had no choice but to buy expensive skill books on the exchange.

In that respect, Setsuna’s ability to unlock more than twenty skills by level 99 was an enormous advantage.

▶ Skill: Hardened Skin – Makes a single target’s skin as hard as stone, allowing them to survive lethal damage with 1 Health remaining.

▶ Skill: Phantasmal Barrage – Fires 3–10 mana projectiles, depending on mana consumed.

▶ Skill: Mist Step – Instantly teleports a single target to a location within a 10 m radius.

'These are... incredible.'

Woojin couldn’t help being astonished as he read the skill descriptions.

'Golem skills seem to be defensive, elf skills offensive, and holy spirit skills utility-based.'

Not one of them was useless.

“We need to level you up fast.”

He was looking forward to seeing how Setsuna would grow.

“Kyawk!”

Having absorbed all the light flowing from the relics, Setsuna looked at Woojin and made a strange noise.

“What’s wrong?”

“... They taste bad.”

Woojin couldn’t help chuckling.

“Bear with it. It’s not easy to find equipment this good in the Dark Forest.”

“But I think I smell something tasty over there...”

“Hmm? Something tasty?”

SNIFF, SNIFF

Flaring her nostrils, Setsuna began flying deeper into the storehouse.

“Right here!!”

She was pointing at an ordinary, bare wall.

“What’s here?”

“I don’t know. But it smells sweet.”

Setsuna felt along the wall and swallowed hungrily.

“Hmm...?”

Woojin began slowly inspecting the wall. He detected a tiny crack between the bricks.

'There does seem to be something here.'

He pushed against the wall with all his strength, but the solid surface didn’t budge.

“Of course it wouldn’t open that way.”

There was no mechanical device in sight. Some sort of magical restriction seemed to be in place.

“Give up on this one. Even if it’s a secret storehouse, I don’t think we can get inside as things stand.”

“There is a way.”

“How?”

It happened then.

[Using Mist Step.]

WHOOSH

Setsuna’s body blurred, then vanished without a trace before Woojin’s eyes.

“...!!!”

Before his surprise had faded, Setsuna reappeared through the wall and shouted at him, her eyes wide.

“Master! Come and look!!”

The moment she took Woojin’s hand, his vision blurred.

“Whoa!!”

When his sight returned, Woojin found himself tumbling to the floor, unable to stop his momentum, as though someone had pushed him from behind. He blinked in bewilderment.

“This is...”

He was inside an old, dark storehouse.

THUNK, THUNK, THUNK

Lights came on inside the storehouse as he entered.

'To think Mist Step could even get through a barrier...'

Woojin stared blankly at the wall behind him, which remained firmly shut. Just as he had expected, three magic circles were inscribed on its reverse side.

'What an incredible ability in so many ways.'

Marveling once again at Setsuna’s skill, Woojin slowly surveyed his surroundings.

Three precious artifacts rested in glass cases atop pedestals, like museum exhibits. The items in the main storehouse had been impressive, but Woojin could tell at a glance that these were beyond comparison.

“Setsuna.”

“Yes?”

“Which of these smells the tastiest?”

“This one!!”

At her answer, Woojin smiled with a curious expression.

* * *

“Are you sure this is wise, sir? Simply letting him have access to your storehouse?”

“Heh heh, it’s fine. I can smell it. That boy is going to be a big shot.”

Charlson answered with anticipation in his eyes as he gazed at the storehouse through the window.

“This is an investment. When he turns the central continent upside down—that place has stagnated so long it’s rotting—Azen will ride the winds of change to establish an even firmer foothold.”

He remained full of confidence despite his subordinate’s cautious question.

“What do you think he’ll bring back?”

“Who knows? He’s a warrior, so a weapon, surely. There are plenty of mouthwatering weapons in my storehouse. He’s probably agonizing over which to take.”

Charlson chuckled and leaned back in his chair.

“He won’t open that place, will he?”

“Absolutely not. I hired mages from the Red Tower to build it specially.”

CREAK

When the door opened, Charlson waved in welcome.

“Oh!! You’re back!!”

He hurried over in a single burst and called out as he stopped before Woojin.

“Well? Did you find anything you liked?”

“It was all excellent.”

“Heh heh, of course, of course. Those are treasures I’ve spent my whole life collecting! Don’t think me stingy for only offering one. Every last one is worth a fortune.”

“I agree.”

THUD

Woojin set what he was carrying down in front of Charlson. It was an old box.

“I’m thinking of taking this.”

Charlson’s face froze.

“I got lucky. Found this behind the wall.”

“W-wait. Are you saying you went into my secret storehouse? How?”

“Trade secret. If you want to know, I think you’ll have to pay a suitable price.”

“A price?”

“Throw in a couple more things from the storehouse, and I’ll consider it.”

Charlson let out a disbelieving laugh.

“You’ve become quite the merchant. I don’t know what trick you pulled, but setting that aside, is that really what you want?”

He shook his head and sighed.

“I’m not sure you even know what it is. Being greedy could leave you worse off.”

Charlson pointed at the object Woojin had set down.

“That thing is cursed. Adventurers on the central continent took an interest in it once, but they all gave up in the end, so I brought it here for next to nothing.”

“Then you ought to thank me instead. I’m taking a cursed object off your hands. Don’t I get something extra for that?”

“Honestly... Do as you like. It isn’t even contraband, so I won’t need to write you a permit.”

Charlson waved a hand dismissively as he spoke.

Name: Hermann’s Magic Box

Grade: AA

Description: A magic box created by the archmage Hermann.

▶ Placing an item inside the box gives it a 10% chance of rising one grade, regardless of its current grade.

▶ If the upgrade fails, the inserted item is destroyed.

▶ Rumored to be a devil’s box.

▶ An item that has been successfully upgraded cannot be inserted again.

▶ Each person is given 3 attempts.

“What are you planning to use it for, anyway?”

“It’s time for a change of weapon.”

SHING

Woojin answered as he drew his sword from its sheath.

“Surely you’re not putting that paltry sword in the box? The items in my storehouse would be far better than that blade.”

“It may not look like much now, but this sword can even cut off a dragon’s head.”

Charlson only looked more puzzled, as though he couldn’t understand him.

“Well, even if that old sword is so remarkable, what will you do if it gets destroyed?”

“Don’t worry.”

Name: Raoul’s Dragon-Slaying Sword

Grade: D

Description: The beloved sword of Raoul, an adventurer who was a Dragon Hunter. The sword has no special abilities, but is extremely sturdy.

▶ Attack Power +50

▶ Cannot be destroyed.

▶ Contains Raoul’s essence.

Woojin looked at the sword and chuckled.

“That will never happen.”

THUNK

He placed the sword inside the box.