The silver badge the shop owner mentioned.
It was like an identification card issued by the Adventurer Guild.
Not so much to prove one’s real identity, but more to prove one’s skill.
They were divided into copper, bronze, silver, and gold.
I’d heard that you had to pass a test conducted by the Adventurer Guild to receive a badge matching your skill level.
‘Good thing I signed up for this and that.’
I lifted my head and looked up at the massive building.
[Adventurer Guild]
A flag fluttered, emblazoned with a symbol of crossed boots and swords.
I opened the door and stepped inside.
The place was filled with adventurers equipped with all kinds of gear.
Swords, axes, and bows were basic.
There were also crosses and maces.
All kinds.
In the huge hall, there was a bulletin board plastered with request notices all over it.
“Shall we take this one?”
“Doesn’t look bad.”
“Isn’t this too dangerous? To raise my rank this time, I have to take down this guy.”
Passing by them, I moved deeper inside and found a space dedicated to new adventurers.
The New Adventurer Reception.
“No, that crazy lunatic just came out of nowhere and beat us up like that.”
“He’s a mage. He used magic.”
“He even took all our money. Sucked the life out of us. That damn bastard…”
I spotted the same trio of thugs I had met earlier.
In front of them was a woman who looked like a receptionist of the Adventurer Guild.
“Th-That guy…”
“That guy is the one who did this to us.”
“Give me back my money, you bastard! I let it slide before, but not anymore.”
The receptionist ignored the trio and gave me a bright smile.
“Welcome. Is this your first time visiting the Adventurer Guild?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll help guide you. Could you please step aside for a moment?”
She gave a sharp smile toward the trio.
I got a sense of their standing here from that.
A chuckle escaped me.
I moved forward lightly, and they tensed up, backing away cautiously.
“What brings you here?”
“I came to register as an adventurer.”
“This is your first time, right?”
“Yes.”
“What rank do you want?”
“Silver.”
“The silver badge is only issued to those with over a year of adventuring experience. For now, you’d have to start at the bronze rank…”
“I don’t have time for that. Isn’t there any way to get a silver badge immediately?”
“…There is a way, but it’s very dangerous.”
“That’s fine.”
The receptionist pulled something out.
A face was drawn on it.
Underneath were listed crimes they had committed in detail.
Murder, arson, rape, and more.
Almost human scum.
“These are criminals who once held silver badges. If you capture one of them, we issue a silver badge.”
“I think I’ve seen this guy before.”
“He was in the Labyrinth Third Floor Residential Area, right? The one who caused trouble for you.”
“That guy had blond hair and wore glasses… Huh? This face is exactly the same?”
The trio of thugs who had approached my side started acting like they knew the criminal list.
The silver-haired man they pointed to.
Six months ago, he’d received a silver badge and had murdered three party members who entered the Labyrinth with him.
“You know where he is?”
“No.”
“I don’t know.”
“Who’s that guy anyway?”
“Too bad. If I knew, I’d give you half the bounty.”
The thugs grabbed the wanted poster and strode ahead.
“What are you waiting for? Hurry up!”
“At this rate, he’ll get away.”
“With that slow pace, how do you expect to catch him?”
We left the Adventurer Guild together and headed toward the Labyrinth.
“But you really can catch him, right?”
The bearded thug’s question made me curious too.
“How strong is a silver badge holder?”
“You’re going to hunt him without knowing how strong he is?”
The ones walking ahead all stopped.
“Keep walking as you are.”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
“Alright.”
“Explain how strong they are. There must be some criteria.”
Then the bearded thug came beside me and matched his pace.
“Those who hold silver badges are usually intermediate Sword Experts—meaning people who can emit Aura.”
“And mages?”
“5 Circle.”
“What level is that?”
“…Not really sure. Silver badge mages are rare, so there’s not much info. I’ve only heard they’re 5 Circle.”
“Then how strong is a gold badge? Are there gold badge mages?”
“Rudmil is one. I’ve heard he’s 7 Circle. A strong enough force to move alone through the Labyrinth’s depths.”
Listening to their explanations, I grew curious about my own strength.
How strong am I right now?
I have S-rank skills, and enough mana to use those skills multiple times.
I should at least be A-rank.
Including the Guardians, my overall combat power is above S-rank, but personally, I didn’t feel like I was S-rank yet.
‘I should check when I get back.’
General Yi Sun-sin also said: “If you know your enemy and yourself, you will never be defeated.”
Not only knowing the enemy’s situation but also understanding myself was necessary. Because many enemies would come.
“This is the entrance to the Labyrinth.”
“Let’s go.”
“You’re sure about this, right?”
“I’ll do the capturing. Just guide me. If it feels too dangerous, run away.”
I followed the trio of thugs down into the Labyrinth.
Following their directions, we took stairs descending downward.
Repeating this, we came to a place where quite a few people had gathered.
Tents were set up here and there, each with a campfire in front.
“Boss, that’s him.”
The thugs pointed to a man with blond hair and glasses.
I went to where he was and sat opposite him.
“Kron?”
“Who’s that?”
“If you don’t know who he is, why are you fiddling with your sword?”
“There are weird people here. If I slip up, my neck’s the first to go.”
His voice didn’t tremble, his acting was so good I almost believed it.
I judged it was an act because of detection magic.
I could see distortions of mana from him.
He was using magical tools or magic to change his appearance.
There were also little habits I noticed.
‘You said no need to spare him, right?’
I pulled mana from the Dragon Heart and cast a spell.
Gravity Hand.
Kwang!
Kron slammed to the ground and passed out instantly.
I clicked my tongue watching him.
“If that’s the case… he must be at least 5 Circle.”
I handed over the unconscious Kron and received the silver badge.
“How did you do it in just an hour…”
“A trade secret.”
The receptionist’s eyes went wide as I left.
I split the bounty exactly in half and handed it over to the trio of thugs.
“If you try to shake down the wrong person again, be prepared.”
“Yeon!”
“I’ll follow your orders, boss!”
“My lord! I obey your command!”
Leaving the noisy thugs behind, I returned to where the shop was.
Opening the door, the shop owner let out a deep sigh.
‘Why such a reaction?’
I had expressed my willingness to help with revenge, so why the sigh? I looked at the shop owner curiously.
“Like you said, I brought the silver badge. Is there anything else you need?”
“Close the door and come in.”
I did as he said, closed the door, and sat where I had eaten earlier.
The shop owner brought over a warm cup of tea.
Plunk.
He set it down in front of me and sat across.
“You’re the fifteenth.”
“Huh?”
“The fifteenth Successor of the Lord to come persuade me.”
So I wasn’t the first?
I was a little surprised by the shop owner’s unexpected answer, but it made sense.
It was well known that I wasn’t the only Successor of the Lord.
“So, being the fifteenth means all those who came before failed?”
“Ten of them couldn’t get the silver badge and left. The other five left because they couldn’t help me get revenge.”
The shop owner’s expression caught my eye.
Not a trace of hope.
Now I understood why he sighed and told me to come back only after getting the silver badge.
‘He’s already thinking they’ll all fail.’
All hope had vanished for those 14 before me, and barely any expectation remained.
“Nothing will change anyway. Don’t waste your time and go back.”
“That just makes me more determined.”
“Well, I did what I had to. Do as you please.”
The shop owner pulled something out and placed it on the table.
A black scale.
It was about the size of a palm.
I grabbed it and felt something on its surface.
“Come back once you’re able to pierce a hole through this scale. There’s an empty field on the outskirts of the village for practice.”
Rrrr!
He pushed back his chair and stood up.
He placed the bounty money earned on the table and turned around.
“First, prepare just 30 servings of the special Labyrinth meal.”
“Wait.”
The shop owner entered the kitchen and came out carrying a picnic bag. A delicious smell wafted from inside.
Had it been prepared in advance?
Seeing this, I thought he hadn’t completely given up yet.
“It’s rice balls. Eat them, and if you’re not full, come back for more.”
“Then I’ll come again.”
Grabbing the bag filled with rice balls, I headed to the empty field the shop owner had told me about.
Since the shop itself was near the outskirts, finding the clearing wasn’t hard.
“Calling this a clearing…”
It was more like a complete ruin.
Full of traces of someone having unleashed a barrage of magic.
Blackened scorches, cratered earth.
Land where no living thing could survive.
I stood in the middle, put down a rice ball, and lifted the black scale with my left hand.
“Fire.”
I tried to light a small flame, but the scale showed no reaction.
‘Should I try using the strongest thing I can?’
I formed a pillar out of earth and fixed the black scale atop it.
I took a step back and stretched out my arm.
Flames erupted, taking the form of a bow. I pulled my right hand back to form an arrow.
I imbued it with the laws I knew.
I poured all the mana in the Dragon Heart to create a Blue Flame Arrow blazing with azure fire.
This was the strongest attack I could currently use.
Hoo!
The Blue Flame Arrow left my hand, stirring hot wind as it rushed toward the black scale.
Kagagagak!
The arrow couldn’t pierce the black scale and vanished after consuming all the mana.
Watching the disappearing flames sparked a determination inside me.
“This is fun.”
Gurgle!
A strong signal from my stomach made me pull out a rice ball and eat it.
Even one was satisfying enough to fill me up.
With this, I could practice magic to my heart’s content, something I couldn’t normally do.
“Let’s see who wins.”
After filling the Dragon Heart with mana through Meditation, I raised mana again and cast magic.
Woooong!
Kwaaaaang!
How much time had passed?
When my eyes were open, I cast magic; when hungry, I ate; when sleepy, I slept, losing all sense of time.
And for good reason.
“This is fun.”
The mystery and subtlety magic brought was so entertaining.
Above all, I loved being able to freely wield magic.
Like being possessed, I plunged deeply into it.
I wildly cast spells with both hands, mixed magics of different elements, and tried all I could.
Getting used to magic like that.
As I learned about mana, I felt clear changes happening in my body.
‘My physical abilities are improving.’
In the process of constantly pouring out what I had and accepting the new, my body grew very fast.
Normally, I would have been hungry, but I wasn’t.
The power behind my magic was stronger, too.
Even the same magic had completely different power.
Above all else.
I saw a new path to magic.
A new world I reached through enlightenment.
In that world, I found an answer.
“Hoo.”
I exhaled lightly and focused my mind.
I felt the mana floating around clearly.
I observed the mana.
I observed my body.
Pumping mana in the Dragon Heart, I actively activated the mana to temporarily raise my physical abilities.
Done.
‘Let’s finish this and go back.’
Slowly, I sketched in my mind a strong spear that could pierce through the black scale’s nullifying power.
I shaped it and imbued it with laws.
On the firm and harmoniously established laws, I blended the special traits of the element I understood.
Not just from what I gained on the status screen, but from the senses I’d derived by looking directly.
Ssssss.
Slowly opening my eyes, a spear made of pure white wind floated in the air.
It spun endlessly but remained completely calm.
Like the calm before a storm.
“Hoo.”
The completion of a spell was to give a name to that form. I had already thought of one while envisioning the spell.
The dragon’s fang that would tear everything to pieces.
“Dragon Fang Spiral Spear.”
The completed spear surged toward the black scale according to my will.
As the spear lightly struck the black scale, it created a fierce storm, shredding everything apart.
Kwaggaggaggagang!
The raging wind spread in all directions.
Jjeojeok.
Jjeojeojok.
The black scale, unable to withstand the spell’s power, cracked and crumbled into dust.
With it, the Dragon Fang Spiral Spear charged on.
Beyond swallowing the black scale, it devoured everything in front of me.
Kwaaang!
A massive wind burst, creating a huge hole.
A hole so huge and long that it stretched out of sight.
Done.
“…What is this…”
The shop owner, who had just come to bring food, appeared.
I saw Balak’s face and smiled.
“Let’s go get your revenge.”