Report
Page 9
“The Tower Lord arranged the contract for me. I’m not just anyone, after all.”
Elena turned her gaze to the window as she spoke, watching the dirty, rundown streets of Oldor blur past. She placed her hand gently on her pristine white dress, untouched by a speck of dust.
‘How obnoxious...’
Her self-satisfaction, often subtly revealed in her letters, seemed to be part of her nature. Yuri didn’t answer but instead fell into thought.
‘The Tower Lord arranged a contract with the Salho Sect?’
That meant Elena was even closer to Orca tower than Yuri had initially thought. It wasn’t just a matter of bringing her along for a Tier-4 request. The Salho Sect was notoriously secretive.
Elena might very well be in line to become Orca’s disciple.
‘But she’s not his official disciple, right?’
If she were, Elena would have certainly boasted about it in her letters, and rumors would have spread.
“A fourth-tier request and the Salho sect? The Tower Lord must really favor you. Are you their disciple or something?”
Without a clear answer, Yuri decided to ask directly.
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“Disciple?”
A bitter smile appeared on Elena's face as she gazed out the window, her eyes cold.
“I’m not quite there yet. I’m working toward becoming one.”
“Working? What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. It’s true the Tower Lord favors me, but that doesn’t mean I’m the most special. Including myself, three people are currently competing to become the Tower Lord’s disciple.”
In the game, there was no NPC introduced as Orca’s disciple.
‘Salho sect...’
What was even more surprising than the close relationship between Orca and Elena was that Orca, the Thunder Mage, had arranged for an assassin from Salho sect to be hired for his apprentice.
When players hired Salho assassins and then encountered Orca in the game, they would be met with unique dialogue and often a hostile reaction. Orca despised the Salho assassins so much that the encounter would immediately turn into combat.
[The smell of blood is foul.]
[How thin the skin of a beast who feeds on the lives of others truly is.]
Yuri remembered experiencing this event. The sheer absurdity of hiring an expensive assassin, only to have them fried by Orca's lightning...
‘And now he's assigning one to his apprentice?’
The realization that thirty years had passed since the game’s setting really hit home. For Orca, the Thunder Mage, to change his stance like this, there had to be a significant reason.
Page 11
In the Tower of Dercia, core lightning magic spells were essential for climbing the path of a Lightning Mage. In the game, if you killed enough NPC mages from Dercia, there was a chance they would drop spellbooks. But in the real world...
‘It’s unlikely they carry such valuable books on them. If they did get captured, they’d probably be tortured for their magic.’
If the possessor was violent and aggressive, that would be a real possibility.
Losing his subordinate mages to such attacks might have been enough to make Orca reconsider and come up with a new strategy.
The Lightning Mage path was popular in Seronis, and there were plenty of guides for it in the community.
Before committing to his current “Pantless Fighter” concept, Yuri had tried different builds, including a Lightning Mage. He remembered benefiting greatly from a guide by an overseas player named THOR123.
THOR123 had achieved first place on the Hall of Fame, so he must have been reincarnated into this world as well. Whether he was still alive or not was uncertain, but it was worth keeping in mind.
“How long until we arrive?”
“A week or so, if we hurry.”
As the silence stretched on, Elena, still gazing out the window, suddenly turned her head towards Yuri.
“Yuri, do you want to become a mage? Or a warrior?”
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It seemed Elena had been pondering her own thoughts as well. With a serious expression, she quickly continued speaking.
“If you want to become a mage, I can help. I can’t teach you the magic of Dercia, but I can teach you common spells.”
“Is it even possible for someone like me, who hasn’t studied magic at all, to start now?”
“...It would be difficult.”
Elena accepted the truth. She frowned and crossed her arms.
“The earlier you start learning magic, the better. But that applies to martial arts as well, doesn’t it?”
“No.”
A voice suddenly chimed in from the coachman’s seat.
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“While it’s true that it’s better to start young, to prevent the build-up of impurities in the body and ensure your meridians remain open, starting martial arts later isn’t necessarily a disadvantage. In fact, some argue that beginning after one’s muscles and bones have fully matured is better.”
“I wasn’t asking you, Haryeong.”
“I was merely answering since I heard the question.”
Though Haryeong’s face wasn’t visible from the coachman’s seat, Elena’s expression was in full view, and she was glaring openly in her direction, clearly displeased.
“Regardless, starting late does come with its disadvantages, doesn’t it?”
“External techniques can stimulate the meridians and naturally clear impurities from the body. In that regard, martial arts are easier than magic.”
“That can be applied to magic as well. Dercia’s magic—”
“You already said you can’t teach Dercia’s magic.”
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Yuri, who had been quietly listening, interjected. Elena flinched and stared at him, surprised.
‘Is he... siding with her?’
Her wide eyes seemed to ask that very question. Though Yuri felt a bit uneasy under her gaze, he continued speaking.
“I think I’m more suited for martial arts.”
“What...?”
“I’ve always done physical labor, after all.”
Yuri’s age wasn’t a limitation for him. Even if he learned martial arts at a much older age, he could still catch up to those ahead of him, thanks to being a possessor. However, there was no need to flaunt that in front of Elena.
Thus, Yuri chose martial arts for now. It would allow him to hide his true abilities from Elena, a genuine mage, and it was true that he had done physical work in the past.
“B-but, magic is far superior to martial arts. It’s more convenient, and...”
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“My lady, that’s not a wise thing to say. I may be in your employ, so I’ll hold back my opinion, but if another warrior heard you say that, they wouldn’t take it kindly.”
Elena’s shoulders trembled slightly at the correctness of the statement. She gripped her skirt, taking a deep breath, and then nodded firmly.
“You’re right. I’ll correct myself. Haryeong, my words were rude.”
“I believe one of your few virtues is how quickly you apologize, my lady.”
“Few virtues?”
“People with only virtues are rare, my lady.”
At Haryeong’s response, sparks crackled around Elena. Her body trembled, and she quickly withdrew the mana as she noticed Yuri staring at her.
“H-Haryeong is always like that.”
“And you? Do you crackle with electricity at the slightest thing, too?”
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“Not like a Pikachu, no.” Elena hastily pressed down her hair, which had lifted from the static.
“It’s a habit.”
“A charming habit.”
In a world with smartphones, that habit would eliminate the need for a portable charger—a convenient quirk, indeed.
“So... Haryeong, will you teach Yuri martial arts?”
“Are you insane?”
The answer came immediately.
“No amount of money could make me do that. Besides, if I taught him the techniques of Salho sect, both he and I would be dead.”
“So, if it’s not Salho sect techniques, it’s fine?”
Page 17
“I could teach him basic combat techniques. But that will come at a cost.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“I’ll warn you in advance, though. I can’t teach him any cultivation techniques. If you really want him to learn martial arts, you’ll have to find an appropriate cultivation method yourself.”
“That won’t be a problem.”
With that, Elena fell silent. Her displeasure was apparent as she slumped her shoulders, gripping her skirt tightly.
“Ahem.”
Yuri cleared his throat quietly, glancing at the openly sullen Elena.
“So, where will I be staying?”
He had followed them this far, but they hadn’t yet told him where he would be living. Was she going to rent him a room at an inn? Surely she wouldn’t buy him a house.
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“At my place.”
“What?”
“What’s with that reaction? Of course, you’ll stay at my place.”
Elena, confused by his surprised expression, seemed strange herself.
“There are plenty of rooms, so don’t get any weird ideas.”
“No, it’s just...”
“Unlike your place, mine has an indoor bathroom.”
Yuri immediately fell silent.
Having a bathroom inside was a significant consideration.
