LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 5
Rian’s “neighbor two doors down,” Aila, asked,
“But hey, Chief. Are you really just going to leave Rian like that?”
“What are you scheming now? Trying to steal more stuff?”
Aila had a habit of pilfering wine and snacks from Gerhonday the village chief’s house whenever she got the chance. Being a skilled thief, Aila was someone Gerhonday always kept an eye on.
“Not this time! I just think someone should set him straight. I mean, calling that magic swordsmanship… Isn’t it better to correct him?”
“You really don’t know Rian, do you?”
“What do you mean? I’m the one who knows him best!”
“Correct him? Correct what? It’s best to just let him do whatever he wants.”
“…Huh?”
“It’s better for his magic skills if he just does what he likes. People grow faster when they’re doing what they love.”
This had already been agreed upon with Lilka, Rian’s caregiver.
Rian didn’t need to formally study magic. If left to his own devices, he would naturally become an archmage anyway.
“Wait, are you saying his magic will improve without him studying it? Is that even possible?”
“Do you need lessons to grow taller?”
Still, Aila couldn’t help but worry.
“What if those sharp K-Users start calling him a clueless idiot for not understanding the meta?”
“So what?”
Gerhonday shook his head. Rian couldn’t be judged by normal standards.
“There’s an old saying: ‘If your mind is sharp, your body won’t suffer.’ But if your body is too strong, your mind doesn’t need to suffer either.”
“…What?”
“Self-awareness is only for ordinary folks. If you don’t need it, you don’t need it—HEY! You little thief! That wine has been aging for 320 years! Put that down! STOP!”
Aila was already gone.
“Bravo! Bravo! BRAVO!”
Pon the pufferfish spirit clapped enthusiastically, even though his fins couldn’t meet. His round eyes and mouth widened in delight.
“Post-mortem battojutsu! Bravo!”
A battojutsu performed after defeating the opponent—Pon was completely enchanted by the romantic notion of such a move.
“Pon,” Rian began, “that Immortal earlier used some strange technique on me.”
The peculiar sensation still lingered in his memory. Three gales of wind had suddenly attacked him, but the movements had been awkward and disjointed, as if performed without a true understanding of swordsmanship.
“A skill?” Pon guessed.
“If the leveling system applies to me… should I learn skills like that?”
“Unfortunately, skills are exclusive to the Immortals,” Pon replied.
“Oh, really?”
That was a relief.
“But don’t worry. This world has [Mystics] and [Runes], which are similar to skills.”
Immortals usually focused on leveling up and acquiring skills because it was fast and convenient. Mystics, while similar, had the disadvantage of being unquantifiable.
For instance, a defensive Mystic might sometimes offer protection stronger than a steel shield, but at other times, it could be less effective than an umbrella.
“Runes, on the other hand, require a higher level to craft. They’re artificial creations made by combining various Mystics and special materials.”
“Hmm… So can I get a Mystic that increases my defense?”
“It’s possible, but…”
Pon displayed a [?] symbol above his head.
“With such incredible swordsmanship, do you really need a defensive Mystic?”
Pon hid his irritation at needing to explain something so obvious to Rian. Still, he answered kindly.
“That’s all part of swordsmanship, right?”
Meanwhile, Pon was still reeling from his experience with the Guide Community.
[7-Year Veteran Guide Seeks Advice]
Hello, I’m a 7-year veteran guide. I have a question about a newly summoned adventurer. They’re hunting slimes tirelessly and leveling up unusually fast. How should I interpret this? Any advice on proper development would be appreciated.
Responses:
“Newbie alert, lol.”
“Hey, newbie. Welcome.”
“Lol, I’ve also used the talent compass trick before. Classic cliché.”
“Gotta love the pufferfish exaggerations.”
The administrators didn’t believe Pon’s account.
“A single strike on a Wobbling Slime? LOL.”
“Newbie, if you’re gonna lie, at least make it believable.”
“100% pufferfish, guaranteed.”
“Adorable. Let’s humor them.”
Pon fumed silently, flicking his fins in frustration.
This is real! My summoner defeated the Giant Slime with one strike using battojutsu! They’re an extraordinary talent with a romantic secret art!
“Aw, how cute!”
“A single strike on a Giant Slime? Sure.”
The administrators burst into laughter.
“The pufferfish’s bluffing is unmatched.”
“No wonder pufferfish guides are always teased.”
Just then, Pon received a private message from his supervisor, Brible.
[Brible]: You’re the 7-year veteran, aren’t you?
[Pon]: No, I’m not.
[Brible]: Yes, you are.
[Pon]: I’m telling you, I’m not!
[Brible]: Fine, let’s say you’re not. Pon, listen. You’re a rookie. Mistakes are fine. Even breaking a few things is okay.
[Pon]: What do you mean?
[Brible]: I broke the talent compass myself once. They’re not exactly durable, you know.”
[Pon]: But it spun wildly and exploded!
[Brible]: That confirms it. You’re the rookie.
[Pon]: …Supervisor!
[Brible]: Just report it as accidental damage. Otherwise, the Bureau will dock your pay. They’re petty like that.”
Meanwhile, Rian continued hunting slimes, his current level reaching 10. Though his progress was unusually fast for a summoner, Pon couldn’t focus on Rian anymore.
A new notification appeared.
[Emergency Notice for Guides: Main Scenario Activated]
The “Demon King” scenario has begun.
Guides were mobilized to identify the “Demon King” and narrow down potential candidates.
Note: Pay special attention to summoners aspiring to become mages!!!
For a rookie guide like Pon, the news was nerve-wracking.
The main scenario signified a monumental event in this world—upheaval of the established order, history being rewritten, and the world itself shaking to its core.
“What’s wrong? Something happened?” Rian asked.
“The main scenario involving the Demon King has begun,” Pon replied.
“Main scenario?”
“It’s one of those massive events tied to the Immortals. The name alone reeks of grandeur.”
“True. Demon King, huh?”
“Who do you think it’ll be?”
“No idea.”
The title sounded impressive, but Rian remained indifferent.
When something wasn’t within his sphere of interest, no amount of hype could make him care.
“Anyway, my great and experienced guide, Pon, I’d like to learn a defensive Mystic. Can you tell me how?”
“A Mystic, you say?”
“You do know how, don’t you? Being the great, experienced, and wise guide you are.”
“Of course I do! It’s easy!” Pon puffed himself up confidently.
“There are four dungeons near Erhi. The Eastern Witch’s Dungeon contains a mid-tier reward: the defensive Mystic [Basic Defense].”
The dungeons near beginner villages, including Erhi, were known for their low difficulty.
“Oh, so I can get the Mystic there?”
“Yes, though Immortals usually disassemble it for materials.”
“Disassemble?”
“It means breaking it down into components for strengthening skills or crafting runes. But that’s their business, not yours.”
Rian accepted the explanation with a nod. As always, experience would reveal the truth better than theory.
“Let’s go,” Rian said, heading eastward.
“Beyond the oak tree, you’ll see a purple magic circle on the ground,” Pon instructed.
Sure enough, a faintly glowing purple circle appeared on the ground.
Several beginners were stepping onto the magic circle, their bodies wrapped in violet light before vanishing with a pop!
Wow. That’s incredible.
For Rian, who had never seen such mechanisms before, it was mesmerizing.
This felt like a real adventure—the first steps toward becoming a powerful swordsman.
“When you step onto the circle, you’ll…”
Pon froze.
He suddenly realized his mistake.
Dungeons were designed for Immortals to grow stronger, not for natives or summoners.
Immortals only needed to step onto the circle and select [Enter] when prompted. But summoners required someone with advanced skills to temporarily disrupt the circle’s flow with magic—or brute force their way in.
Alternatively, they had to focus entirely, resonating with the world to discern its intent.
“I see a message: [Would you like to enter?]” Rian said.
“…Oh, right. That’s what you’ll see,” Pon replied, surprised but not overly shocked.
Given Rian’s sensitivity to mana—evident from how quickly he’d activated his unique ability—it made sense that he could read the world’s intent so effortlessly.
“Just select [Yes],” Pon said.
Rian’s behavior was so much like an Immortal’s that Pon tilted his head.
But… can summoners even use the PvP system?
[You have entered the Eastern Witch’s Dungeon.]
This is amazing!
Violet mana surrounded Rian as he was briefly enveloped in darkness, then transported to a completely new setting.
He found himself in the hallway of a large, ominous mansion.
“This is the Eastern Witch’s Dungeon,” Pon declared.
Rian, already aware, chose not to show it. He didn’t want to deflate Pon’s enthusiasm.
“As you walk down the corridor, you’ll encounter several rooms, each containing trials. If you clear them in order, you’ll find the [Basic Defense] Mystic in one of the middle rooms,” Pon explained.
“Trials?”
The weight of the word made Rian tense up.
In his village, trials were reserved for extreme catastrophes: an ice age causing mass starvation, or an entire inland sea drying up from a severe drought.
“Yes, the first trial typically involves [Fox Beasts],” Pon said.
“Fox Beasts?”
Rian’s tension rose further. The fox beasts he knew were nine-tailed mythical creatures skilled in various elemental magics, particularly illusions.
Opening the first door, Rian was greeted by a notification:
[Trial 1: The Fox Den has begun.]
[Defeat 5 Goblin Foxes.]
[Defeat 5 Flame Foxes.]
He looked at the fox beasts.
“Huh?”
They were nothing like the fox beasts he imagined.
These had only one tail and lacked the dangerous aura he’d expected. Some had a single horn on their forehead, while others carried floating rings of fire above their heads.
They looked harmless.
Uncle Heiser always said not to judge by appearances.
Rian kept his guard up.
Pon, watching Rian’s cautious stance, was impressed.
“A lion always hunts a rabbit with full effort.”
“The fox beasts range from Level 5 to 7. Unlike slimes, they’re aggressive. Dungeon variants are even more ferocious,” Pon explained.
While not particularly strong monsters, fox beasts were notorious for being challenging to first-time adventurers.
Most beginners struggled even to kill a rabbit, let alone a fox beast. For someone unaccustomed to fighting monsters, they were a nightmare.
“Goblin Fox bites cause hallucinations, and Flame Fox bites inflict burns, so be careful—”
[You have defeated a Goblin Fox.]
[You have defeated a Flame Fox.]
…
[You have defeated a Goblin Fox.]
[You have defeated a Flame Fox.]
“Simultaneous Battojutsu.”
Click!
Rian sheathed his sword, the glow of mana dissipating like smoke. The sword exuded an aura of mystique, as if it were a divine artifact.
“…Though I suppose this wasn’t much of a challenge after all,” Pon admitted.
After all, Rian had defeated the “Holy Blade of the Arena” with a post-mortem battojutsu. This level of trial was trivial by comparison.
Pon, still a rookie, thought this was normal.
“Next time, I’ll record everything!”
The beginner dungeon wasn’t difficult. The trials in each room were straightforward, though Rian gained valuable insights.
“I can Instant Kill up to five fox beasts at a time.”
The exact number depended on his focus, but five was typical.
“Wolves are stronger than fox beasts. Four is my limit for them.”
After clearing the final “Ashen Wolf” in the room, an alarm sounded.
The surroundings flashed red, and bold text appeared:
[Mid-Boss Encounter!]
A massive wolf beast emerged from a glowing magic circle ahead. Its size dwarfed that of ordinary wolf beasts.
“That’s Kaikan, the Giant Wolf, a wall for beginners,” Pon announced.
“What level is it?”
“Fifteen.”
Hearing that, Rian tensed.
The boss’s level was higher than his.
This was the moment his fundamentals would face their toughest test.
Pon, brimming with excitement, shouted, “Show it your post-mortem battojutsu!”