An Unexpected Guest

A day had passed since all the trials of the <Festival of Warriors> were completed.

Currently, I was shaking hands with Horman and the other warriors.

Regrettably, Strength and Speed were absent.

It was inevitable, as it would take years for them to return to their original state.

Instead, Hwan and Qi.
The two women stood in for the farewell.

“…Can’t you stay just one more day? I’d like the chance to serve you at night…”
“M-me too… I-I’d like a chance.”

Of course, both were still targeting me.

They babbled some crazy logic that being married makes one more mature and delicious(?).

Fortunately, Moon Bora glared at them fiercely, and they quietly retreated.

The final farewell was given by Horman.

“I wish you could lead this place.”
“I have things to do.”
“I see. There must be a formidable foe you need to defeat. It’s probably for those you need to protect.”

Horman nodded in understanding.
Soon, his gaze shifted to Hwan and Qi.
And… somewhere in the air.
I instinctively realized it was the spirits of Strength and Speed.

The five exchanged silent signals through their eyes.

I was still wondering, ‘Is there something left?’

“This is something the other warriors agreed on. So, if that day comes, don’t worry about it.”
“…Pardon?”

Horman rummaged through his belongings.

What he pulled out was a small ‘anvil.’

It was so small that Moon Bora tilted her head, wondering if it was an accessory.

But as soon as I saw it, my eyes widened.

Because I knew exactly what it was.

“…! Horman, this.”
“You recognize it, don’t you?”

Horman smiled warmly and patted my shoulder.

“When the time comes, use it. It will surely be of help.”
“…Thank you.”

I bowed my head.

With that bittersweet farewell, I could conclude the <Festival of the Fallen>.

Crackle, crackle…

It was a deep evening, long after the sun had set.

I gazed at the mesmerizingly burning campfire.

Naturally, the place I emerged from was the <Land of Forgotten Warriors>, where I first entered.

The statues lay shattered as if they had never been.

―Seha, then this place…
―Yeah, we can’t enter again.

Still, as a matter of principle, I had to report to the <Guild>, so I called Um Jimi.

After roughly passing off her shocked fuss, Moon Bora and I headed to the ‘cabin’ we had reserved.

The cabin, located a bit away from the dungeon, was rented for two whole days, anticipating how things would turn out.

Slurp.

“…! Seha, this is delicious.”
“Seems to suit your taste. I’m glad.”

I smiled warmly, watching Moon Bora sip tea under a cute blanket.

“What did you say this was brewed with?”
“[Dragon Heaven] peel. And as a bonus…”
“As a bonus…?”
“…Ah, that. I-I got it cheap, haha…”

Moon Bora chuckled softly at my words, as if they were silly.

Originally, I was going to say, ‘Ju Na-young said it was delicious too.’

But, for some reason, I swallowed those words back.

I found it puzzling even to myself.

In the past, I wouldn’t have thought much and just said it.

Hmm?

‘That’s strange.’

I placed my hand on my chest.
I noticed my heartbeat had slightly quickened, ever so faintly.

It felt similar to when I hid the fact from Ju Na-young a few days ago, saying, ‘It’s a gift from senior Divine Light Garam.’

‘Hmm?’

An undefined itch swept over me.

I roughly ignored it.

Because right now, that’s not what’s important.

Currently, in front of me, seven dazzling weapons were neatly arranged.

Among them, [Saint’s Sword] and [Khan’s Mace] were excluded.

I examined them one by one.

‘[Nothung], [Black Iron], [Speed Sword], [Red Scales], [Twin Dragon Sword].’

Two-handed sword, Eastern sword, curved blade, dragon-shaped short sword, two Korean-style swords.

All were Hero-grade weapons like [Saint’s Sword], each with special functions.

‘Nothung’ increased the owner’s strength and enhanced cutting power. If the opponent was a ‘Dragon’ type, it dealt double damage.

‘Black Iron’ had an intrinsic <Speed> buff that increased the owner’s speed by a whopping 10%.

Though its duration was short and the cooldown quite long, it was powerful on its own.

‘[Speed Sword] summoned replica swords according to the realm and proficiency of illusion sword when magic was infused.’

As the realm rose, the created swords could be freely controlled.

Since I hadn’t reached that stage, it seemed I’d have to use it just for pressure and obstructing paths.

‘Red Scales’ continuously consumed the owner’s magic but could cast a powerful buff that amplified the power of all ‘Release’, ‘Slash’, ‘Attribute’ system skills by up to 30%.

It was the sword I personally predicted to be used the most.

‘Lastly, the Twin Dragon Swords…’

Like Horman did, it had the ability to trap surrounding entities in a specific barrier.

And the barrier’s ability was still ‘undetermined.’

What this meant was simple.

‘It would be granted a new ability according to my imagery.’

I decided to try using this later in the training room.

‘The last item is the anvil given by Horman.’

I examined the small anvil, about the size of my palm.

“……”

A special event item that rarely appears in ‘GAL.’

I silently and carefully placed it into [Slasla]’s subspace.

It wouldn’t be too late to think about it later.

‘Next are the items taken from the Treasure Room.’

A total of 3 items.

The first was a moderately sized sword, [Helrun’s Tooth], which I intended to give to our Meowi.

The second was a gauntlet engulfed in flames but not hot at all, [Helios’s Judgment].

The last was a staff wrapped around a thick tree trunk, [Staff of Yggdrasil].

All three were Hero-grade equipment, arguably the best weapons obtainable at this grade.

‘I’ll give you two later when we meet…’

First, I handed the [Staff of Yggdrasil] to Moon Bora.

Moon Bora looked at it with shimmering eyes.

Her expression showed she knew how valuable it was.

“Do you like it?”

“It’s not just liking it. This is something you can’t find on the market at all. It could easily be worth billions, no, tens of billions… And it’s even a bound item. Can you really just give me something so precious?”

“I picked it out for you from the start.”

In this world, there’s no <Gacha>.

Therefore, I had to collect all the equipment I could get through hard work.

Additionally, I felt a bit sorry.

As hard as I fought, she danced just as diligently.

“…Sorry. For making you feel embarrassed because of me.”
“No… It’s actually my fault for consuming the rune carelessly.”

Moon Bora and I exchanged glances.

Then, as if on cue, we both laughed.

It wasn’t easy, and we went through a lot…

‘I’m glad I came.’

That’s what I thought.

Moon Bora sipped her tea with a slurp.

She looked at Yu Seha, who was smiling with satisfaction, with a blush on her cheeks.

Hugging the [Staff of Yggdrasil] tightly to her chest, her face turned red.

Yu Seha…
The item he prepared just for her.

That fact made her heart race to the point of pain.

Suddenly, the information window chimed.

The medium that triggered the <Information Window> was the necklace around her neck.

The necklace, imbued with a red aura, had completely turned red, with no trace of its previous bluish color.

[The Little Mermaid’s Voice].

The item Yu Seha first gifted to Moon Bora.

Now, it had partially changed significantly.

And its effects had also undergone a major transformation.

Moon Bora briefly recalled the time she was at the exhibition with Leader Mu Hui.

“…Th-this necklace was made here?”

―That’s correct.

Mu Hui was an entity made of spirits.

Unlike strong spirits like Nangin or Horman, she communicated directly into Moon Bora’s mind.

Mu Hui explained that it had been passed down through people’s words for a long time, being called by another name.

“So, as the [Mermaid’s Voice]…”
―The important point here is that it is in an incomplete state.
“…!”

Mu Hui slowly approached, taking out the jewel that was in the exhibition.

She said that the current necklace Moon Bora was wearing had a side effect of consuming the mind in exchange for increasing power.

Originally, the true power was to convert the consumed mental strength into a deeper mind to unleash potential.

“…! P-Please, I beg you.”

Thus…

It had now transformed into this state.

“……”

Moon Bora fiddled with [Avensia] in silence.

When she told Yu Seha, he was extremely happy and patted her head.

―Nice! Who would have thought there was such a legend? Well done, Moon Bora!

“……”

Moon Bora closed her eyes for a moment.

Even just [Avensia] alone was an enormous fortune…

With the stats raised by dancing as a dancer, and even a staff.

This <Festival of the Fallen Warriors> brought many gains to Moon Bora as well.

Moon Bora glanced at Yu Seha.

Currently, he was absorbed in checking the <Information Window>.

What was certain was that joy was spread across his face.

‘Hehe.’

Moon Bora drew her knees together and giggled.
It was nice to become stronger…
But seeing him happy was even better.

A day full of ups and downs.

After finishing all the checks, the two were about to have a late meal with potatoes and sweet potatoes roasted over the campfire, and dried fish.

It was then.

An unexpected night visitor came to this cabin.

Both Moon Bora and Yu Seha looked at the guest with surprised faces.

“M-Master?”
“It’s been a while… or is it too short to say that?”

Flowing white hair.

The unique, beautiful white martial arts uniform.

With a youthful and pretty appearance that doesn’t seem to surpass that of a middle schooler, no matter how generously you assess it.

<Snow Ice Lady> Cheon Mira.
The mentor of Moon Bora and the professor in charge of the [Understanding of Yin and Yang] class.
It was truly an unexpected first meeting.