LIGHTNOVELSTORY chapter 19
19 – Conquering the Labyrinth (4)
Merilda watched Elena moving in the distance absentmindedly and unintentionally had a thought.
I envy her.
Beside the owner, she casually occupied a seat, making him so envious that it felt like he could die.
So envious that he wanted to kill that woman right here, right now—
“…”
Merilda forcibly suppressed the urge, even though her hand rose involuntarily.
She calmly realized that there was nothing to gain by killing the woman at this moment.
Moreover, the moment she might get caught by the owner.
“–”
Merilda, feeling her breath being choked by a sensation akin to suffocation, let out a breath that seemed forced, but soon pushed away the unpleasant thoughts, looking at Elena.
Seeing Elena, who was unaware of how blessed she was, Merilda suddenly wished she could become that woman.
Of course, objectively, Merilda and Elena were vastly different, almost comically so when compared item by item.
Nevertheless, Merilda wanted to become that woman.
If she could, Merilda was willing to give up everything she had built up to this point, right here, right now.
At least, returning to the owner’s side meant more to her than anything else.
…That’s why, with a gaze filled with boundless envy and resentment, Merilda watched Elena.
Grit—!
Merilda raised her hand again involuntarily as she watched Elena entering a room in front of her.
Thud—!
Soon, she forcibly lowered her hand again.
As a subhuman, Merilda instinctively suppressed the urge for destruction that welled up and found herself staring at the room Elena had entered, one of the rooms in the Lord’s Castle.
A room she was very familiar with.
A door with several nail marks on the handle.
“My room…”
It was originally Merilda’s room.
The first room the owner had given her.
“Ah…”
Unknowingly, tears began to well up in Merilda’s eyes.
Although all she saw was Elena entering the room, the scene held a different meaning for Merilda.
“Uh…”
Tears welled up in Merilda’s eyes and streamed down.
She felt as if the place she could return to had vanished.
Simultaneously, it felt like her owner was erasing her.
Erasing and overlaying, as if…
“…”
It hurt so much that Merilda clutched her chest.
Tears of hatred flowed from her fiery red eyes.
“Sob… Hiccup-“
And her gaze was fixed on the door that used to be her room, now Elena’s.
…
…She couldn’t stop self-loathing and despair until the day dawned.
####
A week since Merilda gifted two axes to Elena.
—–
Hero
Name: Elena
Title: X
Star(성): 1 star ★
Affection: (Under measurement)
Stats
Strength: 23↑ Agility: 29↑
Intelligence: 18↑ Luck: 18
Magic Power: 15
-Traits-
Diligent: Strives to perform any task diligently, maintaining maximum efficiency in training and execution.
Penetration: When using a weapon with a talent ‘beyond natural,’ there is a 50% chance the attack will be considered a defense bypass.
-Talents-
Innate talent in the use of hand axes.
-Skills-
[Read]
※ The hero trusts you.
—–
Following Kim Hyun-woo’s wishes, Elena was growing remarkably fast.
“Just in a week, her strength increased by 3 and agility by 4.”
Objectively speaking, the increase in her abilities wasn’t overly dramatic.
Intuitively though, Elena’s rise in abilities amounted to just 7 in total.
However, considering the game itself might not have fixed ability stats from the start, Elena’s progress seemed extraordinary, almost absurd.
“…The journey to reach 5 stars might be a bit far.”
In Arteil, stars ascend sequentially as the overall abilities improve.
For a 1-star hero, if the combined abilities are below 120, they’re treated as 1-star heroes. For a 2-star hero, the combined abilities exceeding 120 upgrade them to 2 stars.
Subsequently, a 3-star hero requires 200, a 4-star hero needs 330, and finally, a 5-star hero necessitates a total ability score surpassing 450.
In other words, Elena, currently at an overall ability of 103, would rise to 2 stars after an increase of 17 abilities. Then, heroes receive ability adjustments based on their stars.
“This is the difference between ordinary soldiers and heroes.”
Even regular soldiers in Arteil possess ability stats, and among the elite soldiers known as ‘Elites,’ some exhibit better abilities than 1-star or 2-star heroes, and even some 3-star heroes.
Yet, why these soldiers cannot defeat heroes lies in the ‘ability adjustment ratio’ exclusive to heroes.
Heroes bearing stars receive a 10% ability adjustment from 1-star upwards.
For instance, if the agility score is 20, with the 10% adjustment, it becomes 22.
Moreover, as stars ascend, the ability adjustments become more substantial.
“2 stars get 20%, 3 stars 30%, 4 stars 50%, and 5 stars 70%… Right?”
Certainly, talent and characteristics matter, but since ability scores serve as a benchmark for strength, this adjustment creates an absolute gap among heroes.
A 1-star hero cannot defeat a 2-star hero, a 2-star hero without exceptional talent and characteristics cannot surpass a 3-star hero.
Moreover, a 5-star hero can elevate their ability adjustment to 100% by raising bonds and affection between lords and heroes.
If the affection level reaches 5 stages, the adjustment ratio surpasses 100%, which made Kim Hyun-woo endure those cunning BMs to maintain heroes’ favor.
As reaching 5 stars, the importance of increased abilities due to the adjustment ratio became incredibly significant.
“In the end, I folded due to those BMs.”
Ultimately, from the moment he entered the game, the bond with heroes became an inevitable factor to obsess over, including Elena.
“But, is it usual to measure affection for this long?”
Looking at the still undetermined affection level, Kim Hyun-woo momentarily cocked his head, suddenly struck by a peculiar curiosity.
“…Come to think of it, what’s the standard for becoming a hero in this world?”
While it was easy to dismiss during the game, being immersed in it sparked a natural curiosity. But soon, he shook his head.
At this moment, that wasn’t what he needed to focus on.
“Loria.”
[Yes.]
“Is the recruitment of soldiers going well?”
[We have about 100 current applicants. However, the number of blacksmiths is not as high, so it might take some time for the supply of materials.]
“To what extent?”
[Considering the production speed, it seems we’ll need about a month to progress with material production.]
“That’s too long.”
[But given the current situation, this seems to be the best option.]
“Display the blacksmith situation.”
The words of Kim Hyun-woo brought to mind the blacksmith situation.
—-
Blacksmith.
Personnel: 13 / 150
Efficiency Ratio: 23% (Efficiency is low due to a shortage of specialized personnel!)
Production Status.
Iron bars / In production. [Daily production quantity / 3]
Helmet / In production. [Daily production quantity / 3]
Light armor / In production. [Daily production quantity / 2]
—-
“It’s certainly low.”
The blacksmith, operating with an unreasonably low number of personnel, perhaps due to the scarcity of specialized occupations among refugees.
“…Even if it’s just a rough estimate, it would be good to have it completed within two weeks.”
[Are you planning to proceed with labyrinth exploration?]
“Yes.”
Kim Hyun-woo planned to explore the first and second floors of the labyrinth when Elena reached level 2.
And naturally, to explore the first and second floors of the labyrinth, he needed soldiers.
‘Actually, Elena could probably go alone.’
Despite Kim Hyun-woo thinking that, the reason for needing soldiers was precisely because of affection.
The labyrinth was fundamentally an unpredictable place, and sending a hero alone to such a place was enough to potentially diminish affection.
“I can’t afford to lose my affection for Elena, even if it means accelerating her growth.”
Kim Hyun-woo, who knows how powerful the affection-based ability adjustment rate is, didn’t want to do anything that could lower the adjustment rate.
Moreover, there was another reason why Kim Hyun-woo wanted to bring the soldiers into the dungeon with him.
“Because I have to catch the turds.”
[Turds, you say?]
Kim Hyun-woo nodded at Loria’s words and replied.
“I’m planning to create a safe zone, a resting space, inside the labyrinth.”
[… A resting space inside the labyrinth?]
Kim Hyun-woo smirked at Loria’s bewildered question.
“It’s better to do business with everyone rather than with a specific class, right?”
With those words, Kim Hyun-woo stood up from his seat, as if organizing his thoughts.
“I should go to the blacksmith.”
He said.
[For what reason…?]
“I need to increase labor efficiency.”
Kim Hyun-woo smiled as he responded to Loria’s question.
####
The T-Inus Bazaar is a huge top that travels across the entire continent, selling every item imaginable in this world, albeit exaggeratedly.
Therefore, every territory in the South Continent hopes for the T-Inus Bazaar to visit their territory.
The goods they sell can only be purchased from them, and once the Bazaar visits a territory, the complaints from the locals noticeably decrease.
That is why every territory wanted the Bazaar to visit, but no territory ever pressured the Bazaar.
Even the Eastern Clan, considered to be the strongest power in the South Continent, did not dare to pressure the T-Inus Bazaar.
There were two reasons for this.
One was that it would be the territories that suffered if their relationship with the Bazaar soured.
The other was the appearance of the guardians that emerge when the Bazaar is threatened.
Because of these two reasons, the T-Inus Bazaar was able to travel the continent freely, without even a single soldier.
And the owner of the T-Inus Bazaar, a girl with red hair.
“If it’s the Lartania Territory, you mean the completely ruined place near the Kalan Kingdom?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm, so the Lartania Territory has been revived-“
In the northern continent, a woman named ‘Adria,’ known as the ‘Witch of Gold Coins,’ listened to the words of her secretary.
“Shall we go once?”
“If you say so, I will prepare immediately.”
“Sure, let’s go. It probably won’t be anything special.”
She muttered with her characteristic calculating smile.
“There might be something she wants.”