Chapter 55: The Descent and an Unexpected Encounter

Chapter 55: The Descent and an Unexpected Encounter

As the time for descent approached, I felt a sense of regret and tried to reduce my sleep and focus more on training.

'What is he doing every night?'

Deshurun would enter the cabin before me and I could sense him doing something throughout the night, but it could have been personal matters, so I ignored it.

"Psh!" Clap Clap!

I successfully performed two consecutive sword auras.

Of course, I still felt uncertain about using them in actual combat.

'Come to think of it, Nickel also used sword auras during fights.'

I had always believed that he would handle things well in combat, so I didn't pay much attention to how he fought.

But now, faint memories of his unique movements and not just fluidity remained.

'It's frustrating.'

I had asked him to teach me sword techniques, but he only focused on basic swordsmanship.

Of course, I also hadn't properly communicated my request, but I hesitated to ask him to teach me those intricate details.

Now it was time for me to sleep, so I put away my sword and entered the cabin.

"Are you finished?"

"Yes. I'll go in first."

"Alright. Rest well."

What is he writing?

I glanced at him, sitting at a small desk and writing something, but I didn't pay much attention and went into the room to sleep.

'In a day or two, it'll be time for the descent. I should be able to arrive on time.'

It felt like I was trying too hard to fit into his schedule, but his teachings were too valuable.

Especially when it came to mana manipulation, there was still much for me to learn, to the point where I was tempted to just enroll in the Academy.

'Of course, that wouldn't be possible.'

Soon, Louis and the other important playable characters would enroll.

In order to prevent the world's destruction, I had to subtly guide them in the right direction.

When playing the game, I had quests to follow the main storyline, but now there were no reins holding them back.

'Of course, I can't control them as I please.'

But it would still be better than doing nothing.

Especially in the case of Louis, I had high expectations for him.

It was only natural since I had played as him for half of my two-year gameplay, creating a strong attachment.

The thought of meeting him soon kept me awake on that sleepless night.

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As I woke up during the early morning hours, feeling the crispness of the air, I stepped out of my room and noticed the empty cabin.

I thought that Deschurn must have briefly stepped out, so I contemplated whether to go for a short mountain walk. But in that moment, I noticed a book lying in front of the door.

'Why would he leave it here?'

Is it for me?

When I picked up the book, I saw the title, the ink still fresh.

[Muageom (Sword of Selflessness)]

It's an item label. Could it be...

"A swordsmanship manual?"

I tried to calm my racing mind as I held the book.

But it was difficult to remain calm.

A swordsmanship manual written by Deschurn Polon, the renowned master of swordsmanship.

Deschurn had always been a mysterious figure, and apart from Louis, I had never encountered any episodes related to him.

And even Louis had never received personal instruction from Deschurn.

'Is this truly a swordsmanship manual left by Deshurun?'

Then, in his haste to retreat, he stumbled and fell.

The man got up from his spot and approached the boy.

"Don't... don't come any closer!"

The boy shouted, but his appearance was more like a frightened kitten hissing than anything threatening.

However, the man, who had set up a campfire, did not approach the boy any further. Instead, he returned to his spot and gestured after cutting the meat.

"Do you want some?"

The boy's throat audibly gulped, but he shook his head.

"T-Thank you, but I should be going."

However, contrary to his words, he couldn't easily leave.

Observing the boy, the man added spices to the cut meat and took a bite.

Just watching how much he enjoyed it made the boy's stomach roar.

"Uh..."

Tears welled up in the boy's eyes for some inexplicable reason.

He didn't want to die. He didn't want to die in a place like this, guarding a mere sword.

But for the sake of the noble mission and for the villagers who had died protecting it, he had to do his best to hide this sword.

At that moment, the man grilling the meat tore a leg off the rabbit, sprinkled some spices, and licked his fingers.

Then, he got up from his spot and approached the boy.

"D-Don't come any closer..."

"There's water here too, so eat together."

The man placed a water jug and the rabbit leg in front of the boy and then stepped back.

With a blank expression, the boy reached out with trembling hands and took the meat and the water jug.

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'Why are you here?'

I struggled to hide my complicated feelings as the figure suddenly appeared before me.

'Benjamin Anikios.'

The boy standing in front of me was none other than the second playable character following Louis.

Since it was still before the start of the game, he should have been in the secluded village of Lujin, isolated from the world.

From his appearance, it seemed like he had gone through quite a struggle.

Fortunately, he still possessed the Dark Sword, Rubens.

'He was the master of the Dark Sword and a genius with the sword.'

While Louis was a multi-talented prodigy who excelled at everything, Benjamin, on the other hand, was a genius who received tremendous bonuses when it came to swords, thanks to his special ability as the "Master of the Sword," a unique attribute that only he possessed.

It was originally set that he could become the owner of the Dark Sword due to this special attribute.

'But how did he end up wandering around with the Dark Sword like this?'

According to the original plan, he was supposed to be recognized as the owner of the Dark Sword in the village and embark on a journey to seal the true power of the Dark Sword.

Until he set off on his journey, his main story was supposed to revolve around training in the village, similar to how other characters trained at the academy.

It was puzzling why he ended up in this sorry state.

It was pitiful to see him dozing off immediately after eating the meat, clearly exhausted from his struggles.

'This reminds me of Seongbo.'

I recalled Park Seongbo, the youngest member of the special forces team who would behave exactly like this after tough training or missions.

As I gently covered him with a blanket, a random thought crossed my mind.

'How should I handle this guy?'

Let's think positively.

He is a child with tremendous potential, enough to become the second playable character.

Since things have turned out this way, what if I make him completely on my side?

'It would be a complete win-win situation.'