I was quite startled by the sudden appearance of the Quest window.
It’s been a while. But a Quest, huh. There’s no way I can refuse.
It was basically the same as being forced to take revenge.
If that’s the case, I absolutely must obtain Darkrai’s Secret Inheritance.
With that, not only me, but even the Slaves could become stronger.
“Alright, I promise you. To give you my trust, I’ll do it this way.”
I recalled something I’d learned while buying items at the Magic Tower.
“I swear on my Mana and in my name, Irene, that I will take your revenge for you.”
Wuuuung.
Mana surged throughout my body and then faded away.
“You should know by now what I just did, Irene.”
A magician’s greatest promise—she would understand.
A magician can swear on their own name and Mana.
If you do as I just did, the vow is engraved on your heart, and if you break it, your heart will burst and you’ll die.
I put my very life on the line to gain her trust.
“With this, I believe I’ve given you enough trust.”
“Yes, Solo-nim.”
With that, our objective was set.
The only thing left was for me to learn Darkrai’s Aurora Techniques and swordsmanship.
“I’ll leave the learning for tomorrow.”
“Yes, understood.”
Perhaps my Mana Pledge had quite an impact, as she seemed a bit more docile now.
She would surely grow much stronger before long.
It’s a game trait, so her skills will quickly improve.
Because I have game traits.
With that, I sent Irene back.
“Alright, time to go.”
Before that, I took out two Magic Stones and a Spellbook from the Inventory.
The Magic Stones were lower-grade ones I’d obtained previously and never sold, just left them there.
“Come to think of it, these were the Magic Stones I got around my first Quest.”
That Quest had been quite memorable.
Unlike the Magic Stones, the Spellbook was one I’d acquired recently when buying a Slave.
First, I learned the Spellbook.
-Skill ‘Low-rank Magic Circle’ acquired.
-Skill ‘Mid-rank Magic Circle’ acquired.
-Skill ‘High-rank Magic Circle’ acquired.
Knowledge of Magic Circles began to settle in my mind, one after another.
“Whoa…”
With a throbbing headache, I massaged my temples and started sorting out the new knowledge.
After a short while, once I’d finished sorting it out, I was able to stand up.
In the reception room were Cal, Remia, the Lamia twins, and Cecile.
They all looked a little worn out, as if they’d just finished organizing something.
“Why aren’t you asleep?”
Since it was late at night, I thought for sure they’d be asleep, but apparently not.
“We were just about to go to bed.”
Cal replied.
They were gathering to discuss tomorrow’s tasks one last time.
“I see.”
I headed for the bathroom.
The twin sisters followed to attend to me.
Suddenly, an idea came to mind, and I called Cal and Cecile to follow as well.
“Perfect timing. You’ll get to see something rare.”
I took one of the Magic Stones and embedded it in the left side of the large wooden tub.
The wood was quite thick, so rather than breaking, the Magic Stone was firmly embedded in the tub.
There, I carved a Magic Circle.
Using a Dagger I’d brought for this, I engraved a Magic Circle into the wooden tub, and as I finished, a faint light began to glow.
Next, I did the same on the right side of the tub, embedding the other Magic Stone and drawing a Magic Circle.
Once preparations were complete, I shouted.
“Fire, Aqua.”
Both Magic Circles began to glow, and on one side, water started to flow out, while on the other, a rush of heat poured forth.
In an instant, the tub filled with water, and it was perfectly heated for a bath.
“All done.”
Satisfied, I looked at the four of them and spoke.
“If you clap your hands once, water will come out and be heated just like this. Clap twice, and it’ll shut off. It’s simple to use, so just remember that. If it doesn’t work, let me know.”
“…? Yes.”
Cal answered with a slightly surprised expression.
“Well then, you can go now.”
At my words, Cal and Cecile left.
Even as they left, they looked unsure of what just happened, but they’d figure it out eventually.
“Allow me to assist.”
At long last, I could soak in a proper bath again. Adjusting the water temperature to my liking, I settled in for the perfect soak.
Ah… this feels good.
It was wonderful in so many ways.
Honestly, my original plan for dawn was to wake the Slaves, have them do some drills, and patrol the Village with the three Administration Officers, but I ended up canceling all of that.
Instead, I left the Slaves to Jenny and sent the three Administration Officers for the garrison patrol.
“Do I really need to be there? It’d just be burdensome.”
The Slaves seemed to follow Jenny’s words very well.
Perhaps it was because she was a beautiful woman in an otherwise all-male, dreary place, but Jenny was also like a sky-like senior to them.
She was a former Slave who had become a commoner.
So I didn’t worry about that side.
As for the garrison patrol, what’s the point of the Lord himself going? Would the commoners even be able to speak to me properly?
Sending just the three officers seemed right.
With them gone, I stood with Irene in a small clearing in front of the mansion.
“Alright, show me.”
I asked Irene to teach me the Secret Inheritance.
“I will show you our family swordsmanship first.”
She drew her sword and began to swing.
Whoosh, swish, whoosh.
Her sword dance began.
It started with the three basic motions.
Then, she began to add variations, faster when needed, slow when needed, and at times, the ground trembled slightly with the weight of her strikes.
By the latter half, faint Aurora began to emanate from her sword.
It was very weak—only Jenny and I could probably reach this level.
Tap.
When she finished, a notification appeared before my eyes.
-Skill ‘Darkrai Swordsmanship’ acquired.
-Top-level skill acquired.
-Existing swordsmanship skills have been integrated into ‘Darkrai Swordsmanship’.
-Skill ‘Darkrai Swordsmanship’ Level has been set to 1.
I stood up on the spot.
“Whew.”
Then I closed my eyes and recalled the swordsmanship Irene had just shown.
Simultaneously, my body began to move.
Whoosh, swish, wuuuung!
I perfectly reproduced the Darkrai Swordsmanship that Irene had displayed.
-Skill ‘Darkrai Swordsmanship’ Level has increased.
-Skill ‘Darkrai Swordsmanship’ Level has increased.
-Skill ‘Darkrai Swordsmanship’ Level has increased.
-Skill ‘Darkrai Swordsmanship’ Level has increased.
Each time I performed the swordsmanship, the Level rose steadily.
When I reached Level 30, I stopped.
“Unbelievable…”
Irene stood there, her mouth wide open, unable to believe what she’d seen.
I quietly opened my eyes and took a deep breath.
“Whew, this is great swordsmanship. Definitely different from anything I’ve learned before.”
I called out to the dazed Irene.
“What are you doing? The Aurora Techniques?”
I urged her on.
Though I was learning now, I felt I would grow even faster if I pressed on.
At my urging, Irene snapped out of it and began to explain.
“Our Aurora Techniques begin with breathing. By absorbing Mana from the air through breathing, you let it flow throughout your body.”
Following her instructions, I breathed in and began to draw Mana into my body.
“Don’t rush. You must accept it as it is, slowly and naturally.”
Despite her advice, I could quickly sense and accept the Mana.
As a magician, drawing in Mana was easy for me.
Up till now, Mana had risen on its own even if I did nothing, but now I was deliberately drawing Mana into my body with my will.
Fwoooosh!
Mana surged, centering around my body. More accurately, Mana flooded toward me.
It was so sudden, even a gust of wind blew as Mana rushed into my body. I could feel it filling every corner within me.
Mana spread throughout my entire body, circulating naturally.
“@#&@9%6@^&”
I could hear Irene saying something beside me.
But my consciousness no longer registered her.
I felt only the Mana, only my physical body.
When the Mana that circulated inside me could no longer flow, I felt a shock as if my consciousness was about to be swept away.
Crack, crack, crunch.
All the bones in my body began to twist, then slowly realign themselves anew.
The raging Mana was all sucked into my heart, and once it was firmly in place, it no longer moved.
“Huff…”
Feeling the changes in my body, I let out a heavy breath.
Carefully opening my eyes, I saw Irene sitting a little distance away.
But instead of looking at her, I turned my eyes to the notification window floating in the air.
-Skill ‘Darkrai Aurora Techniques’ acquired.
-Your body has changed due to Darkrai Aurora Techniques.
-Twisted physique has been adjusted.
-Stats have been recalibrated.
-You have gained new understanding of Mana.
-Skill ‘Mana’ Level has increased.
-Magic Power has increased.
-Magic Power Stat has increased.
-Level has increased.
-Level has increased.
-Level has increased.
A series of notifications flooded in.
There was no way I could process it all at once.
But there was one thing I could definitely understand.
“Wow, I’m seriously strong now?”
No, it was impossible not to feel it.
I could sense the changes in my body.
Not just the strength and Mana welling up from within, but a vitality filling every part of me.
Even more surprising was that I’d reached Level 50.
Double congratulations.
“This is insane…”
Irene still seemed in disbelief over what she’d just witnessed.
Her neatly tied crimson hair had become a mess, and her body was covered in dust.
Well, it’s understandable. Darkrai Swordsmanship and Aurora Techniques were never something you could master in a day.
According to her family’s teachings, even with constant effort and time invested, starting at age 10, you’d be lucky to reach usable proficiency by age 30.
And yet, I’d just mastered it all before her eyes in an instant—of course she was shocked.
I quietly walked over to Irene and helped her up.
Then, leaning in, I whispered,
“Did you know?”
At my words, the startled Irene froze, and I added another line.
“I, too, am a person blessed by Shin Yu Sik.”
As I said that, Irene’s eyes went wide with shock.
At that moment—
“Lord, a Monster has appeared!”
From afar, Deckard came running, gasping for breath.
“Where?”
“It’s Village No.1!”
Village No.1 was a number I’d assigned instead of a name to one of the Villages for the three Administration Officers.
It was the first Village I needed to develop.
I turned in that direction and kicked off the ground.
“Dash.”
Skill: Dash Level has increased.
In an instant, gaining speed, I raced toward Village No.1.