Chapter 17: The Club-Bearing Mage

The next day.

The character whose playtime had been reset, Sungwoo, immediately logged into War Lord.

[Biometric identification initiated.]

[Account verified.]

[Attempting login with the Sungwoo account.]

[Connecting to War Lord.]

[Become the hero born from the great war.]

[Starting play in War Lord.]

[Remaining time: 07:59:58.]

As he connected to the game, the familiar electronic sounds welcomed Revan.

His gaze immediately went to Houm’s house.

The owner, Houm, was nowhere to be seen.

That was actually a relief.

If Houm had been there, he would have surely used the excuse of the exam to urge Revan to use his skills again.

Revan checked the quest Houm had given him yesterday in the pad once more.

[Follow me (1)]

[Rank: Special, Chain, Arcane.]

[Conditions: Houm wants to pass on the arcane skill he has honed for a long time to those who have passed his exam. If you fail the skill, find Houm again.]

[Reward: To be received from Houm.]

Looks like he drank quite a bit.

Revan wondered how much Houm had actually drunk to make the quest window so worrying.

He shook his head and straightened his outfit before leaving Houm’s house.

No one was around.

Then, he thought,

“They must be over there.”

At the usual place where other Ascendants always waited.

As expected.

Houm was standing guard at his usual spot, surrounded by new warriors who had come after hearing the rumors.

“Ugh...”

“Give up, next.”

“Wow, how the hell do you even carry this? Can someone really lift this?”

“Of course. Someone did just the other day.”

“Stop lying. Who was it? If they exist, at least show their face.”

“Why should I?”

“Because it sounds like a lie!”

Just as Revan was about to greet Houm, a man with a distinct Gyeongsang-do dialect who failed Houm’s exam started causing a scene.

Seeing an opportunity, Revan cut in smoothly.

“It’s not a lie.”

The troublemaker turned his head to glare at Revan.

“Who are you?”

“The one you’re looking for.”

“You carried this?”

“Yeah. But when did you see me? Why are you talking down to me?”

“Hey, you started talking down first.”

“I thought it was okay since you were making a fuss. But if you failed, shouldn’t you move aside? Can’t you see people behind you?”

“Bullshit. Who do you think you are telling me what to do? And how do I know if you really carried this or not?”

“How do you know?”

Seeing is believing.

Sometimes, instead of a hundred words, a single demonstration is better.

Revan let out a cheeky fart and hoisted Houm’s club.

Then, shaking it in front of the troublemaker, he said,

“Beep beep, is there really an idiot who can’t even lift this?”

“Huh? How?”

“How else? Just lift it. What, did you think I was lying? Want to try lifting it again?”

“F*ck, damn it!”

The troublemaker cursed loudly but was left dumbfounded.

Embarrassed but helpful, this only confirmed the situation for the others.

Revan clicked his tongue at the spectacle of the troublemaker struggling with the club.

*Houm?*

Revan shifted his gaze toward Houm.

Their eyes met, and Houm, with a faint smile, greeted him warmly.

“How’s the drinking?”

“I think I’ve had all the drinking I’ll ever need in my life.”

“Such a big fuss for just that. Wait a moment, I’ll wrap this up quickly.”

After asking for Revan’s understanding, Houm gestured swiftly to the lined-up warriors, speeding up the exam process.

As a result, the slow-paced exam finished in the blink of an eye.

And unsurprisingly, there were no successful candidates.

Seeing this, Revan asked casually,

“Seems like no one passed the exam today?”

“That’s usually the case. You’re the exception, little brother. Shall we talk about the arcane skill we didn’t finish discussing yesterday?”

“Yes, please.”

The two moved to a quiet place to talk about the arcane technique Houm wanted to teach Ascendants.

It was none other than ‘Strong Strike’, the most basic attack skill learned by all club-wielding warriors.

“Anyone who walks the path of a club warrior is taught Strong Strike first. It’s the foundation of all basics. But I’ve trained Strong Strike to the next level and created a special version.”

“A special Strong Strike?”

“I was ambitious. I wanted to live better and be stronger than others. But with neither the means nor background, I decided to refine what I had. As a result, I perfected a special Strong Strike only I could use, and that technique brought me great honor.”

“That technique made you a legendary mercenary.”

“Something like that. So normally, when an Ascendant appears, I’d immediately teach them this technique… But as you know, you’re a mage, not a warrior.”

“That’s right.”

“So I’d like you to get comfortable with Strong Strike first.”

[Strong Strike learned.]

The moment Houm finished speaking, Revan’s notification window popped up confirming the skill was acquired.

*Wow.*

Normally, this wouldn’t happen; Strong Strike had been learned automatically, likely thanks to the effects of Multiple Attack.

But the feeling was strange.

“To think that even as a mage, I’d learn Strong Strike again.”

That was natural, as Strong Strike had been Revan’s bread-and-butter skill back when he was a club warrior.

So the feeling wasn’t all bad — more like unexpectedly reuniting with an old, odd ex-girlfriend.

Houm continued.

“I just taught you Strong Strike. It might feel unfamiliar as a mage, but to learn the special Strong Strike I developed, you must master the basic Strong Strike first. So, I want you to hunt down a hundred Amtos near the village using the Strong Strike I just taught you.”

[Quest started.]

[Accept?]

A hundred Amtos.

It was a large number but not impossible.

Naturally, Revan accepted.

“Yes, I’ll catch them soon.”

“Once you’ve caught them all, we’ll talk again. Ah, almost forgot the most important thing. Do you have any club weapons right now?”

“Club weapons…”

Revan almost said no but recalled the Staff of Strength.

However, judging by Houm’s tone, it seemed he would give a weapon, so he answered honestly,

“No, I don’t.”

“Then take this.”

[Acquired Houm’s Club.]

“This is one of the weapons I used in my youth. So don’t feel burdened; just use it comfortably. Oh, you don’t have to return it — it’s a gift from me to you.”

“Thank you.”

“See you later.”

As expected.

Revan took the free weapon and checked the quest details and the items from Houm.

[Follow me (2)]

[Rank: Special, Chain, Arcane.]

[Conditions: To master Houm’s arcane technique, you must be proficient in Strong Strike. Hunt a hundred Amtos near the village using the Strong Strike taught by Houm to master the skill.]

Use Strong Strike at least once and defeat 100 Amtos.

[Reward: To be received from Houm.]

[Houm’s Club]

[Rank: Quest, Unique.]

[Restrictions: Only those recognized by Houm, Strength 50 or above.]

[Durability: 100/100]

[Options:]

[Physical Attack Power +50.]

[Strong Strike Cooldown -10 seconds.]

[Strong Strike Attack Power +20%.]

[Strong Strike]

[Rank: Normal.]

[Rank: (0.0%)]

[Effect: When using blunt weapons, consumes stamina to deal 200% physical damage compared to basic attack power.]

[Cooldown: 30 seconds.]

“Hmm…”

Just after checking everything, Revan was surprised by the options on the weapon received from Houm.

“Why are the club’s options this good?”

A club meant a blunt weapon.

It was also the most common blunt weapon.

So when Houm said he’d give a weapon, Revan assumed it would be something plain.

But after checking the stats, it was way better than the Staff of Strength.

The only downside was that since it was quest-grade, it couldn’t be sold.

*Not being able to resell is a bit disappointing, but this is good enough.*

Revan smiled faintly, packed the item, and thought,

*Before hunting Amtos, I should visit the village elder once.*

This was the main quest’s village elder, Belkan of Helum, rank 4406.

Meeting Belkan wasn’t difficult.

Village elders were like mayors of towns but felt more familiar, making it easy to meet them.

“I wonder if he’s still chopping firewood these days.”

Most 06-level characters in War Lord lived fairly ordinary lives.

If 06s lived active, subjective lives like users, they wouldn’t be able to help with game progression.

Revan retraced his steps to Belkan’s house.

As expected of a retired warrior, Belkan was chopping firewood in his yard.

Revan greeted the lumbering Belkan first.

“Excuse me.”

“Oh? What brings a mage here?”

As expected of Belkan.

Even though Revan hadn’t introduced himself as a mage, the retired warrior recognized it immediately with a knowing look.

That look made Revan feel oddly warm.

“I’m here to serve Helum, so I came to see the elder.”

“Heh, serve, huh? A fine thought from a mage friend. You must have heard something to come looking for me?”

“Yes.”

“Then there’s no need for a long story. The village walls protecting Helum have suffered much damage and need maintenance, but we lack quality stones. So if you truly care for Helum, I’d like you to bring me some quality stones.”

“Yes, I will do so.”

“Good posture. Quality stones can be obtained by hunting Amtos near the village. I’ll be counting on you.”

[Quest accepted.]

[Gather quality stones.]

[Rank: Normal, Repeatable.]

[Conditions: The walls protecting Helum are damaged and need quality stones. Obtain quality stones from Amtos and bring them to Elder Belkan.]

[Reward: A small fee, Belkan’s favor.]

*Huh.*

Revan didn’t quite understand why the Growth Cube suggested gaining Belkan’s favor, but he had done this quest a few times before.

When he first changed class to warrior, he had to grind Amtos for a while to level up, and to earn more experience points, he had taken on Belkan’s repeatable quests.

Revan also accepted a few other Amtos-related quests before heading outside the village to hunt Amtos.

Crunch, crunch—

Amtos were rock-type monsters living near Helum.

Their groans sounded like stones rubbing against each other.

Replacing the Staff of Strength, Revan equipped Houm’s club, relaxed his shoulder muscles, and gripped the club firmly.

*Considering the average level of Amtos is around 10 to 13, and their rock type means they have high defense, this won’t be easy.*

Of course, he knew their weakness.

Amtos were crawling rock monsters with small grooves between their bodies, allowing for critical hits with a sword or spear thrust.

But unfortunately, Revan was a club user.

He had to rely on Strong Strike to take them down without critical hits.

Normally, this would be highly inefficient, but Revan decided to trust his own strength, which surpassed his level, and Houm’s weapon.

Revan marked a nearby Amto as his first prey, raised the club, and muttered.

Strong Strike.

[Strong Strike activated.]

Upon activation, a bit of stamina was consumed, and the club shimmered faintly.

This was the prelude to Strong Strike.

Just how many hits would it take to make an Amto drop a stone?

While pondering this, Revan swung the club with all his might, and then,

[You have defeated an Amto.]

The sturdy Amto fell dead from a single blow.