Chapter 25: Skills of Survival

[You have acquired the Warrior’s Meal skill.]

“What am I even doing right now?”

Levan first started feeling that something was off the moment he met the village cook and began learning about meal preparation.

Levan had learned from the blacksmith Toolkan, whom he met first, one of the warrior’s virtues: a repair skill he developed himself called 'Warrior’s Repair.'

There were no material gifts.

If anything, just a hammer needed for repairs?

Afterward, he visited a tailor’s shop, but what they handled were only defensive items like armor, and the tailor, unlike Toolkan, didn’t gift any armor nor teach him warrior virtues. Instead, he taught a different life skill.

The skill he learned was none other than the 'Refined Armor Technique.'

Because warriors must adapt their armor according to the situation, this virtue was taught to him.

Besides that, Levan also learned other skills like 'Warrior’s Meal,' which involved eating anything without picky preferences, and skills such as 'Hungry Warrior,' which emphasized maintaining mental stability even when hungry.

He didn’t dislike them.

Looking over the acquired skills, most were actually useful.

But unlike his initial expectations, the predominance of life skills left him feeling somewhat disappointed.

“Could it be that all the villagers are like this?”

Before meeting the next person, Levan checked the information on the skills he had acquired.

[Warrior’s Repair]  

[Grade: Rare, Special, Unique.[  

[Rank: 『(0.0%)]
  
[Effect: Repairs the target. Depending on proficiency, the target’s options may vary.]

[Refined Armor Technique]
  
[Grade: Rare, Special, Unique.] 
 
[Rank: 『(0.0%)』] 
 
[Effect: Rebuilds damaged armor by substituting materials as desired. Options may vary with proficiency.]

[Warrior’s Meal] 
 
[Grade: Rare, Special, Unique.]
  
[Rank: 『(0.0%)』]
  
[Effect: Eats the target. If the target is recognized as food, the character does not die from fatal damage.]

[Hungry Warrior]  

[Grade: Rare, Special, Unique. ]
 
[Rank: ㅁ] 

[Effect: Ability scores do not decrease even if satiety falls below the threshold. However, if eating while below the threshold, meals taste far better than usual.]

*It’s certainly not bad...*

It wasn’t bad at all.

In fact, 'Warrior’s Meal' and 'Hungry Warrior' freed him from satiety constraints, widening his options for what he could eat, so they were quite practical.

But no matter how he looked at it, none of these skills had anything to do with sorcery.

Looking at the skill options he’d acquired, Levan found himself confused about whether he was a sorcerer or a warrior.

“Sigh, what’s the use of complaining…”

He had already learned the skills.

Besides, there were still more people to meet, so Levan resolved not to give up but to keep going.

Even if those he’d met so far were disappointing, maybe the next ones wouldn’t be.

He inwardly reaffirmed his phone call pledge.

~

Warlord was a game with a massive continent called Pantinel as its world.

Its landmass was set to be even larger than Earth.

Because of this, there were still many undisclosed areas and unclaimed lands.

In this context, the Central Tower Association occupied a very small portion of this vast land.

They established a huge Upper Tower, a sort of homeland exclusively for sorcerers—by sorcerers and for sorcerers.

However, as more sorcerers spread worldwide and kingdoms demanded magical manpower, more towers were built, leading the original Upper Tower to refer to itself as the Central Tower Association to distinguish from the new towers.

Accordingly, the Central Magic Academy was directly affiliated with the Central Tower Association, living up to the name “Central.”

It was the top prestigious school dedicated to training sorcerers.

After a long time, an official from the Central Tower Association paid a visit to the Central Magic Academy.

Knock knock—

“Come in.”

With the knocking sound, the door opened as he was invited inside.

The man who appeared was a bright young man named Max, currently a fourth-year senior at the Academy.

“Did you call for me, Principal?”

“Yes, Max, come and sit.”

Max was nervous.

Not just anyone—the school’s principal had summoned him.

Moreover—

Glancing sideways—

Max’s eyes swept the man seated beside the principal.

And what he saw was none other than the Central Tower Association badge.

Only sorcerers working for the Central Tower Association could wear this badge.

“Why am I here, of all places?”

This made Max even more nervous.

He sat beside the principal with a tense expression.

After Max took his seat, the principal addressed the man with the badge.

“This young man is Ai. Based on the divine report, he’s comparable to that one but with a higher chance of victory.”

“Is that so?”

The man with the badge was named Ran.

He was one of the operatives who took direct orders from the Seven Elders and had come to the Central Magic Academy to carry out their commands.

The principal handed Ran a life record book containing all of Max’s information.

The life record book was a report containing every detail about a student, an excellent tool to evaluate a student’s abilities.

Ran skimmed through Max’s life record and said,

“Max.”

“Y-Yes?”

“I’m Ran from the Central Tower Association. Enough introductions. You must have heard from your teachers about Warmage?”

“Yes, I have.”

“Then you also understand Warmage’s relation to our tower?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then this will be easy. Max, the Central Tower Association wishes to grant you the honor of challenging the Warmage.”

“Me? Are you talking to me?”

“Why? Do you refuse?”

“Oh, no! I’m just too surprised...”

“A sorcerer must always remain calm no matter the situation. Our data shows your specialty attribute is 'Fire.' Is that correct?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Moreover, you’re the top student in your class... With that level of skill, we’ve decided you’re more than capable of defeating the Warmage. So from now on, seek out the Warmage, engage in battle, and restore the lost honor of the tower.”

What did this mean?

Though stunned by the sudden mission, Levan understood one thing amidst the chaos:

“This is an opportunity!

Thanks to this, maybe I can finally join the Central Tower Association I’ve dreamed of.”

After doing the math, Max declared loudly,

“Yes! I will definitely accomplish this!”

“Good, very impressive. Now listen to the detailed explanation from the principal. We look forward to your success, Max.”

“Y-Yes!”

Grasping Ran’s offered hand firmly, Max’s eyes suddenly ignited with a fiery determination.

~

“Forget the phone call recovery!”

Having finally met all the villagers, Levan couldn’t help but get angry.

Because the four consecutive life skills he had learned were the best gifts the villagers could offer.

Of course, he did learn one other peculiar skill.

That skill’s name was none other than:

[Battle Drunk]

- Grade: Rare, Special, Unique.  
- Rank: 『(0.0%)』  
- Effect: When drinking alcohol, all stats +10%.

This skill was nicknamed Battle Drunk because it was a drink consumed before battle.

“Battle Drunk definitely has good options. But…”

Although the options were good, the effect only activated when drinking.

This was both a strength and a weakness.

Because drinking would inevitably intoxicate the character.

And intoxication reduced overall stats, so it wasn’t a skill that could be recklessly used.

Moreover, this skill had been taught by 400, a warrior who ran a brewery, insisting that every warrior must live with alcohol.

Despite touring the entire village, Levan’s results were disappointing, and he slumped down, feeling somewhat empty.

“Guess the expectations were too high.”

It couldn’t be helped.

Still, it wasn’t a complete failure, so though disappointed, Levan decided to persevere and move on.

“Oh, come to think of it, I haven’t used the cube yet.”

Before moving to the next place, Levan took out the Growth Cube he had received as a reward from his inventory.

Currently, Levan had only one quest: an epic quest.

But that quest involved waiting for a sorcerer who might never come, so the only thing Levan could do now was use the unopened Growth Cube.

Levan carefully aligned the Growth Cube.

Click click click—

[Successfully aligned Rubix’s Growth Cube.]  
[The god you serve offers you a small trial for your growth. Will you accept the trial?]

“Hmm, I accept.”

[You have accepted the trial.]  
[Quest has started.]

[Dungeon Solo Run]

[- Grade: Special.]
  
[- Condition: Clear a dungeon with entry restriction level 20 or higher alone.]
  
[- Reward: Rubix’s Growth Cube, Rubix’s Skill Cube Fragment, Empty Cube Frame.]

The quest he received was to clear a dungeon solo.

The reason? Unknown.

He just had to do it.

Levan thought.

*Hmm, entry restriction level 20… Ah, that sounds nice.*

He knew exactly where and how to level up until he reached level 100.

Before his character reset, Levan’s level was already 105.

Plus, this was Helum.

Knowing there was a level 20 dungeon nearby, Levan set it as his destination and prepared to leave.

“Oh, I should get ready properly before leaving.”

He almost left without preparation.

Before starting the hunt, Levan decided to buy the necessary supplies.

For example, things like ‘alcohol’ to make use of his newly acquired Battle Drunk skill.

“If I’d known, I should have bought these before meeting the villagers.”

Since Warlord limited playtime, time was precious.

Levan clicked his tongue at his own inefficiency and hurried to start shopping.

After wandering the village for a while and finishing his purchases,

“Huh? I didn’t even talk to that person.”

As shopping neared its end, Levan’s eyes caught someone.

He was none other than a taxi driver working in Helum.

Levan hesitated.

“Is that guy even a Helum resident? Probably not. Sorcerers wouldn’t just be sorcerers for no reason. Besides, I heard from Hudson that the tower even issued an official notice to eliminate me.”

So, he decided to just pass him by.

No point in stirring up trouble unnecessarily.

But then—

“Hey, young man.”

“Huh? Me?”

“Yes, I’m talking to you.”

Despite his resolve to avoid, the taxi driver spoke to Levan first.

Levan began to feel nervous.

This was the first time a taxi driver had approached him, and on top of that, he was mid-quest to fight a sorcerer launching a preemptive strike.

Levan looked at the name tag and favorability level above the taxi driver’s head.

[Run Malro / (Favorability 50%)]

Favorability 50%…

An ambiguous number.

Why exactly 50%?

Could it be because Levan had become a Helum resident?

But one thing was clear—the 50% rating was definitely not hostile.

So he relaxed his guard and decided to respond.

“Why do you ask?”

“I heard you became a Helum resident?”

“So I did.”

“Congratulations. I’m not a Helum resident, but I’ve been operating taxis here for a long time. Although I’m obligated to oppose you as a tower affiliate, since you’re a Helum resident now, I’ll offer you a free taxi ride just this once. Anywhere you want to go, as long as it’s not too far.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Do you think I’d lie?”

An unexpected kindness.

Levan’s chest tightened with emotion.

*The world is still worth living in...*

Could this be the power of 50% favorability?

If he were 400, with programmed algorithms, such kindness would be impossible.

Grateful for the unexpected kindness, Levan decided to take the taxi to the dungeon entrance since he was going there anyway.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Whoosh!

Taxi fares surge steeply when traveling from random areas like dungeon entrances rather than safe big cities.

But as promised, the driver gave Levan a free ride and soon returned to Helum.

Right after returning, Run Malro breathed magic into the necklace he wore around his neck.

This item acted like a user’s whistle and was essential for large affiliated groups.

After charging the necklace, Malro spoke.

“This is Helum’s Run Malro. I have discovered Warmage’s next destination.”

A reply came through the necklace.

- This is the Central Tower Association. What is the destination?

“Warmage’s next destination is…”

After the report, Kuro nodded with satisfaction.