Chapter 21 - Level Up (1)

The chieftain's eyes narrowed. Menacingly so.

"Where did you hear about Spirit Seals? That isn't something young warriors should know about."

Naturally, I'd first learned about them in the game. As a veteran player, there was no way I wouldn't know something that basic.

But I answered confidently.

"I read about them in a book."

I'd already confirmed that the information was readily available in the library's books, so I had nothing to worry about.

"The book said Spirit Seals were a great help in fighting the elves during the war over sacred relics—"

"Bwahahahahahaha!!"

The chieftain cut me off with a roar of laughter. Honestly, I was scared shitless, but he sounded pleased enough that I managed not to piss myself.

"You read a book? How amusing! First Aynar, and now you! Two such admirable youngsters at once!"

Fortunately, the chieftain seemed to look favorably on young barbarians with a thirst for learning.

"... If what the book says is true, I would very much like to receive the secret art myself."

"Indeed, if a warrior requests a Spirit Seal, we have no reason to refuse! But young warrior! There is one problem!"

"A problem?"

"It costs a great deal of money."

What the hell? I'd gotten nervous for nothing. Why so serious about something so obvious?

Spirit Seals required plenty of expensive materials. For quite a few higher-grade seals, money wasn't enough; you needed the materials themselves.

"Hahaha! It's admirable that you read a book and came all this way, but it seems you didn't learn that much!"

"I have money. How much is it?"

The chieftain looked at me as though he found me adorable.

"The Immortal's Seal will cost, hmm, about 800,000 Stone!"

I frowned.

Ugh, that was a whole 150,000 Stone more than in the game. Still, I could manage it.

"I'll pay."

"What?"

"Really?"

The chieftain and Aynar gasped in unison. Before they could pester me, I opened my pouch and took out one 500,000-Stone piece and three 100,000-Stone pieces.

A questioning look appeared in the chieftain's eyes.

"Bjorn, son of Jandel, where in the world did you get so much money?"

I'd almost have been disappointed if he hadn't asked. I'd even prepared a story in advance.

I told them an adapted version of what had happened with Erwin. Basically, I'd worked an elf I'd met on the first floor like a slave, happened to get an Essence, and received payment for it from her older sister...

"Bwahahahaha!! Serves you right, you pointy-ears!"

"You must be the first to fleece those sneaky pointy-ears! Bjorn, son of Jandel!"

The barbarians liked the story even more than I'd expected. Not just Aynar and the chieftain—even an elder who'd been some distance away came over and stood there beaming.

Did they really have that much pent-up resentment?

"Bwahahaha! I can't remember the last time I laughed this hard!"

Then the chieftain took 600,000 Stone from my hand.

Huh? He'd definitely said 800,000 earlier...

When I tilted my head, he clapped me on the shoulder.

"My gift to a young warrior who has shown such great promise!"

My shoulder ached as though it had been dislocated, but the reward was sweet indeed.

Fuck, 200,000 Stone just for saying a few words! Our chieftain sure was generous, like a true barbarian.

I shouted from the bottom of my heart.

"I will keep screwing over every pointy-ear I see and strive to become an even greater warrior!!"

"I look forward to it! Young warrior, Bjorn, son of Jandel!"

Was this what it meant to find someone more charming the more you saw of them?

I was starting to like barbarians more and more.

* * *

Spirit Seals were a kind of enhancement technique. They worked by infusing the body with the "soul power" contained in magical materials, granting special powers.

They were also the reason all barbarians were covered in tattoos. Something about having to tattoo them as newborns, while their souls were still relatively pure, so their soul circuits would remain visible even in adulthood?

That was definitely the lore.

"I'll give you one more chance to reconsider. Once you choose this path, you cannot receive Spirit Seals from any other path. Are you sure?"

"Of course."

I knew every path inside out, so I wasn't about to change my mind. Not only did a higher-grade seal on the Immortal path hold the key to my build, but most of the path's abilities were excellent in their own right.

"It seems the elder has arrived. You may go now."

"I will."

After Aynar left, the chieftain took me to the shaman's tent. Then the procedure began in earnest.

"Hmm, your circuits are quite clean. Keep your heart pure, and the spirits will continue to grant you great strength."

After those incomprehensible remarks, the blindfolded shaman began sticking needles into me along the tattoos on my upper body.

And then...

"Nnnnghhhh..."

"Young warrior, you needn't hold back your screams. Everyone screams."

"Aaaaaaagh!!"

Pain that felt about ten times worse than a potion hit me.

Damn it, I'd come here thinking it would be like an ordinary tattoo. Would I have to suffer this every time I advanced along the path?

"There, it's done. I'm tired. Off you go."

By the time the shaman finally said the words I'd been waiting for, it was already dark outside. The chieftain who'd brought me was nowhere to be seen, either.

"Thank you."

"Heh heh heh. You're the first warrior to thank a shaman."

Huh? Had I done something wrong?

I didn't know, but I hurried out of the tent before anyone could find fault with me.

「Stage 1 of the Immortal's Seal has been activated.」

「Natural regeneration increases slightly.」

「Physical stats increase by +40.」

I was mentally exhausted, yet my body was strangely full of energy. Was this the power of the soul?

It felt incredibly strange. I even felt as though some unknown power was stirring inside me.

I'd have to investigate more closely later.

"Open the gates!"

I left the sanctuary and returned to the inn, tested my new ability a few times, then collapsed into sleep.

* * *

Another day passed, and morning came. I returned to the shopping district I'd previously visited with Erwin, intending to invest all 900,000 Stone I had left after the chieftain's generous discount in myself.

"You visited us before. Are you selling again today?"

"No, I'm here to buy this time."

I needed a new weapon. I'd sold the hammer I'd gotten from Mister along with the other items last time. It had felt pretty good to hit things with, but the long handle made it awkward to use one-handed.

"I'd like to see your one-handed blunt weapons."

"One-handed blunt weapons..."

After sparring with Aynar, I'd concluded that these suited me better than blades after all. Swordsmanship required proficiency. Sure, I could learn with practice, but...

I'd only be using the weapon in the early stages anyway, so it wouldn't be efficient. Once I got that particular Essence, I planned to focus entirely on shields.

"Hmm."

The clerk gave me a once-over, then showed me some one-handed blunt weapons that looked nothing like one-handed blunt weapons.

Even the lightest looked at least three times heavier than Mister's two-handed hammer.

And these were one-handed?

"These are all one-handed blunt weapons favored by our barbarian customers."

Ah, I could see those guys going nuts over them. My own shield was an absurd chunk of solid steel, after all.

But...

"I want something a little more ordinary."

"Understood."

There was no need to buy something so monstrous. Obviously, each blow from a weapon like that would be several times more destructive than what I could manage now, but I was already killing most first-floor monsters in a single hit.

I wouldn't be fighting giant monsters. Equipping something like that would most likely just get in the way.

"How about these?"

The clerk brought out another selection. These were far from standard-sized too, of course, but they were about right for a barbarian's body.

I chose a moderately oversized mace.

"How much is this?"

"250,000 Stone."

250,000? I'd barely gotten 350,000 for six people's weapons last time!

When I frowned, the clerk added an explanation.

"It isn't particularly difficult to make, but there's no getting around the amount of steel it requires."

Ah, fair enough. I accepted that.

Not without a little grumbling, though.

"Lower the price to 220,000 Stone, and I'll buy it right now."

The clerk gave me a curious look when I tried to haggle.

... Just how much were these barbarian bastards getting taken for?

"Weapons like these hardly sell anyway, do they?"

"Our barbarian customers ask for them quite often."

Maybe the first ones he'd shown me. But the barbarians I knew wouldn't choose something so middling. More importantly, most preferred blades like axes over blunt weapons.

When I laid out those points, the clerk agreed to negotiate so easily that it was almost deflating.

"Very well. I'll sell it for 220,000 Stone."

... Should I have offered 200,000?

「Total Item Level increases by +85.」

Anyway, I continued browsing the area and bought two more pieces of equipment.

First was half armor.

「Total Item Level increases by +57.」

The easiest way to picture it was a bulletproof vest made of flat steel plates. It cost 360,000 Stone. Luckily, they had one that fit perfectly, so I got it cheap.

A custom order would probably have cost at least twice as much. Like the helmet I bought next.

"It'll take about three days. Leave your address, and I'll have someone deliver it."

Since a helmet had to fit my head exactly, I had no choice but to have it custom-made. By giving up on aesthetics entirely, I managed to settle on the relatively low price of 170,000 Stone.

「Total Item Level increases by +47」

That left me with about 50,000 Stone.

... It looked like meat was off the menu from now on.

* * *

My daily routine took shape.

Wake up at seven in the morning. Then have breakfast with Erwin.

"Wow, there are potatoes in the stew today!"

"Why do you eat breakfast here every day, anyway?"

"Because it's cheap and tasty, of course!"

After breakfast, I headed straight to the library. At a leisurely pace, I'd arrive at exactly eight and could go inside as soon as it opened.

"Farcitiev."

I'd gotten fairly used to receiving a spell from the chronically exhausted librarian.

"Well, keep up the good work."

"..."

Though we'd yet to have an actual conversation.

GROWL!

After reading until four in the afternoon, I had a quick meal, preferably at a restaurant I hadn't tried before.

Hmm, this place was overpriced and the food wasn't good. Plenty of explorers, though, which made it good for eavesdropping.

"Is Aynar not here yet?"

"That's right! I'll take you on until she arrives!"

By the time I finished eating and reached the barbarians' lodgings, it was around five.

From my seventh day of training onward, I started sparring with the other barbarians too. Stripping off my shirt like them, I threw punches, went for chokeholds, and fought fiercely.

It was a far cry from the systematic martial arts I'd hoped for, but sparring with barbarians whose instincts and intuition were so highly developed ultimately helped me a great deal.

I was a barbarian too, after all.

「Repeated training slightly improves Reflexes.」

「Repeated training slightly improves Flexibility.」

「Repeated training improves Dynamic Vision...」

「Physical stats improve by +1.」

I was finally starting to get a feel for how to use this body.

"Bjorn, son of Jandel, has won!!"

"The strongest warrior of all time!!"

Even without the help of my new equipment, I occasionally won against Aynar now. She was definitely skilled, but her weakness was her predictable patterns.

I'd pointed it out, but apparently they were so ingrained that even she couldn't change them easily.

"I'm tired! I'm going to sleep!"

"Me too!"

"A wise warrior knows when to rest!"

At nine in the evening, the sparring that bordered on real combat finally ended. Then I dragged myself back to the inn, covered in sweat and dirt.

Around the time I finished washing, Erwin would come by again.

"Mister! Hurry up and wash! The food's getting cold!"

"All right."

Not every day, but about five nights a week, we met again for dinner and conversation. Mostly trivial stories about her day—what she'd done and how she'd felt.

"Don't you get tired of walking an hour to get here every time?"

"Not at all! The food here is cheap and tasty!"

Cheap and tasty, my ass. With an older sister who earned good money, why was she doing this here?

"That was a lovely meal!"

By the time we finished, it was around eleven. At that hour, Erwin would head back to her own lodgings without a fuss.

"Good night, then. Oh, and I can't come tomorrow either."

"Even if you did, you wouldn't find me here. We'll both be busy tomorrow."

That was the daily routine I'd been repeating. After checking the time, I hurried upstairs and collapsed straight into bed.

A month had already gone by.

And...

[23 : 41]

About twenty-four hours remained until the Labyrinth opened.