For humanity, the gate was both a disaster and a blessing.
Not only were there new territories, but also various resources including iron ore and rare earth elements, and a vast amount of magic stones.
That was why so many countries didn't completely close the gates, even though casualties were constantly occurring.
And there was a rare reward that came out when the gate's boss or core was destroyed.
"This is…"
What emerged from the box was a sword boasting a beautiful blue-tinged blade.
Compared to the straight sword I was currently using, the size and shape were similar, but there was a difference in the overall design.
In particular, the magic stone attached to the pommel was particularly eye-catching.
"It's an artificial artifact, 'Ghilennium'."
Thanks to the magical revolution that took place in Europe in the past, humanity was able to utilize the magic contained within magic stones, and the collective name for the tools created as a result was magic tools.
Compared to such magic tools, artifacts could only be obtained from gates or boss-level magical beasts, so they were very expensive and their numbers were very small.
Lamenting this, several magic engineers and blacksmiths joined hands, and the creation of the first artificial artifact in human history took place about 100 years ago.
Of course, its performance was somewhat inferior to that of ordinary artifacts, but it was also true that it had superior performance compared to existing magic tools.
"Originally, it was an item stored in the family's warehouse, but as you know, no one in our family uses a sword. I heard from Hyena that you used both swordsmanship and magic in the gate, so do you like it?"
"…"
When I grabbed the sword hilt, the excellent grip, incomparable to the straight sword I had been using so far, greeted me.
It was a little heavier than the straight sword, but not to the point of being burdensome.
Rather, I preferred something this heavy.
"Looks like you like it."
Choi Youngok smiled contentedly as she watched Kang Hyunwoo, who was engrossed in examining the sword.
If she put that sword up for auction right now, it would easily exceed tens of billions.
Nevertheless, Choi Youngok didn't think it was a waste at all.
Rather, she would give him anything more expensive if she could repay him for saving her granddaughter.
Nevertheless, the reason she decided to give Ghilennium to Kang Hyunwoo was because his talent for swordsmanship was too precious to waste.
It was virtually impossible for a 2-circle mage to stand at the front lines in a B-grade gate.
He did what even C-grade vanguard hunters would struggle with.
Even though the burden on the vanguard was less because it wasn't a normal party, this was an achievement comparable to him reaching the 2nd circle in just two weeks.
Showing such talent in both swordsmanship and magic was extremely unusual.
In the first place, even if one had the talent, it was an extremely arrogant act to build up one's skills while doing another.
With ordinary talent, one would only become a failure who was neither here nor there.
But Kang Hyunwoo not only achieved the feat of reaching the 2nd circle in a short period of time, but now he was showing talent and skill as a swordsman.
A 2-circle mage alone wouldn't be able to catch a C-grade magical beast, and conversely, a swordsman of a similar level wouldn't be able to deal with a C-grade magical beast alone either.
Nevertheless, the reason he was able to hunt C-grade magical beasts alone was because magic and swordsmanship had a synergistic effect.
It was safe to say that he had already taken a step as a magic swordsman.
"Thanks to the magic stone embedded in the pommel, Ghilennium will play an excellent role as a medium, better than most wands. In addition, the blade made of mithril is sharp and strong enough to cut the bones of magical beasts of C-grade or higher. Looking only at its performance as a sword, it is second to none even among famous swords."
However, the magic swordsman was practically a dead profession.
Trying to master swordsmanship and magic at the same time with ordinary talent was not much different from digging one's own grave.
Therefore, in accordance with the trend of the times that valued choice and concentration, proper magic swordsmen naturally disappeared.
"Hyunwoo."
There was something she had to tell him, who was trying to walk a thorny path.
Even if it was meddling, she had to convey it in order to repay even a little of the grace she had received.
"Becoming a magic swordsman is a very arduous path."
Finding a teacher of magic and a teacher of swordsmanship was not easy, but it wasn't impossible.
However, finding a teacher as a magic swordsman was close to impossible.
First of all, there was no one in the country who had reached a high level as a magic swordsman. In addition, magic swordsmen overseas had built their own closed society, so it would be difficult for him, who had no connections, to even obtain proper information, let alone a teacher.
In that case, Kang Hyunwoo would have to become a magic swordsman by reaching the point where he weaves magic and swordsmanship together on his own without a proper teacher, but I can say with certainty that it was impossible.
"Even if you dedicate your whole life to magic, only a very few reach the 6th circle. The same goes for swordsmanship. There's a reason why those who know how to use blade aura are treated well."
Choi Youngok wanted to stop him.
She wanted to tell him how important choice and concentration were.
To put it a bit exaggeratedly, he was born with the talent to become a great mage and the talent to become a sword master.
She didn't want him to waste his talent.
Even if he gave up magic and became a swordsman.
Contrary to such sincere concerns, Kang Hyunwoo, who had heard everything, didn't change his expression at all.
"…I'm going to be a mage, though?"
What is this old woman talking about?
Why would I, who is crazy, choose a job that only middle schoolers with the adolescent delusion want to do?
Mages have the huge backing of the Magic Tower, while swordsmen and magic swordsmen don't have anything like that.
'There's a major company called the Magic Tower right in front of me, why would I be crazy?'
If you package it nicely, it's a lone wolf, but in reality, it's the same as a unemployed bum whose only affiliation is the Hunter Association.
"Is that really true?"
"I'm a mage to the bone."
Swordsmanship is for self-defense only.
As I said before, my fate is never to just comfortably cast magic from behind.
Whether it's the underground dungeon or this gate incident, I felt that I needed to be able to handle the front lines to some extent on my own, so I'm learning swordsmanship, but I'm not thinking beyond that.
Of course, if I could shoot out blade aura like the director, I would seriously consider it, but well?
Choi Youngok wore an undisguisable smile at Kang Hyunwoo's reaction.
In fact, whether he walked the path of a mage, the path of a swordsman, or even stubbornly declared that he would walk the path of a magic swordsman, Choi Youngok was going to support Kang Hyunwoo.
In the end, nothing is as important as one's own thoughts.
However, regardless of such thoughts, she couldn't help but feel good at the confident voice of her prospective grandson-in-law, who confidently aimed to become a mage.
"Hyunwoo, can you wait for a moment?"
It was also a grandmother's heart that wanted to give something more to that admirable grandson-in-law.
***
Now that the hectic dinner at Seongbuk Choi's family was already a week ago, I was still wielding my sword at the dojo today.
A lot had happened in the past week.
The media, which had been churning out articles about isolated gates almost every day, had become quiet.
I don't know why, but I cautiously speculated that the upper echelons, including Seongbuk Choi's family, might have intervened.
Since the news was quiet, the public's interest also naturally subsided, and the week I spent in that fierce gate felt like nothing special.
I did everything I could to survive, so it felt a little bittersweet, but more than that, I was worried that Choi Hyena hadn't contacted me at all for the past week.
-I'm pregnant, so take responsibility.
When did she scare people with a sudden pregnancy attack, and now she's been quiet for a week, so I was unnecessarily scared.
But I didn't have the courage to contact her, so I was forced to wait for her contact.
Thanks to that, it was a complicated week, but when I was wielding a sword or meditating like now, I felt relatively comfortable.
So, I naturally spent the past week diligently training in magic and swordsmanship.
Clang!
"Your wrist is getting stiff again."
As time passed, not only did my stamina and muscles increase, but the time it took to swing the sword ten thousand times also shortened.
Of course, since I had to do both cutting and stabbing, it was practically 30,000 times, and now it took a little over 6 hours.
Thanks to that, my hand was a mess with blisters.
Instead, perhaps because the blisters burst and calluses formed, it became easier to grip the sword than before.
In addition, as my stamina increased, my concentration during meditation also improved.
Although I couldn't find a clue to the 3rd circle, my overall skill seemed to have increased almost twice as much compared to when I escaped from the gate.
'At this rate…'
I was confident that I could easily deal with the lizard warrior, the gatekeeper of the first floor of the underground dungeon.
When I had such confidence, I couldn't help but smile.
Just like in a game, when your character gets stronger, it motivates you to play the game hard, the same was true in reality.
"…Did I push him too hard? It's the first time I've seen someone smile while training."
"It's because my teacher is so pretty that I'm smiling."
Jeon Seoha sighed deeply inside at the sight of Kang Hyunwoo, who was smiling and swinging his wooden sword.
She was sure that he had outstanding talent, but overall, he was a strange guy, which was the evaluation that Jeon Seoha had made of Kang Hyunwoo over the past week while watching him.
No matter how much she hit him, he would immediately call her teacher, so there was no point in hitting him more, it would only hurt my arm.
"30,000 times done! Can I go now?"
Jeon Seoha just waved her hand roughly instead of answering.
Kang Hyunwoo, who had become accustomed to her indifferent reaction over the past week, didn't say anything more and quickly headed to the locker room.
He changed his clothes and came out, but Jeon Seoha was still leaning against the corner of the dojo, spacing out.
She was always like that except when she was teaching him.
She didn't seem to use her cell phone or have any hobbies like others.
She was just endlessly guarding the dojo.
She didn't seem to have any intention of attracting trainees by handing out flyers.
Kang Hyunwoo, who had been watching Jeon Seoha like that for a week, felt a sense of kinship with her.
Because he saw his past in Jeon Seoha's eyes.
It was the image of someone who was living without any particular goals or ambitions in life, just breathing because they were alive.
Although they had never had a private conversation, it was undeniable that they had become fond of each other over the past week.
"Anyone would think you're an abandoned dog locked up in a shelter."
Jeon Seoha looked up at Kang Hyunwoo.
Jeon Seoha's lifeless eyes, seen up close, stimulated Kang Hyunwoo, his past self.
"Take it."
"…?"
Something wrapped in paper fell to Jeon Seoha, who was looking at Kang Hyunwoo with eyes that said, why aren't you leaving and still lingering around.
It was jerky for beasts.
Moreover, it was a relatively high-end brand of jerky that was sold in department stores, not a cheap one.
"I thought you didn't take good care of yourself, so I bought it for you."
"I don't need it."
"I can't get a refund, so throw it away if you don't want to eat it."
With those words, Kang Hyunwoo turned around.
Jeon Seoha, who was left alone, stared intently at the jerky.
It smelled good.
"…Doing useless things."
Jeon Seoha, who had been reducing her words to a minimum except when she was teaching him, rarely looked at the jerky and muttered to herself.
It was mainly about her impressions of Kang Hyunwoo and the jerky.
Nevertheless, the dojo that Kang Hyunwoo had left was too quiet, so it couldn't be filled with her muttering.
It was strange.
It had already been a week since he registered at the dojo, but she had never felt like this before.
Frowning at the strange feeling, Jeon Seoha quietly brought the jerky to her mouth.
Crunch-
It was salty and delicious.
***
I hurried home and took out the sword that I had neatly stored in my inventory as usual.
'Wow, look at that color.'
It was the artificial artifact, Ghilennium, that Choi Youngok had given me as a reward a week ago.
[Information on the newly acquired item will be collected]
[Ghilennium]
[Grade: Epic]
[Increases the effect of swordsmanship]
[Increases the power of swordsmanship]
[Increases cutting power]
[Contains a slight anti-magic aura]
[Increases the power of magic]
[Reduces the casting speed of magic]
I see it every day, but I don't get tired of it.
It was always new.
I didn't know if I was such a battle maniac, but when I held Ghilennium, I felt like I wanted to fight.
Honestly, even though it was a reward, I never thought I would receive something so expensive.
I didn't know how much of a big advantage it was to be able to use magic while wielding a sword like using a wand, but I could tell without using it.
This is the power of items.
"You're dead."
[Name: Iris Lemeria Vaihart Pelleia
Age: 524 years old
Race: High Elf
Affiliation: EB-17
Occupation: Great Mage
Disposition: Holy Monarch, Non-killing, Devotion, Vegetarianism······]
[Would you like to rematch?]
[Y/N]
Right now, my head was filled with only one thought.
Let's defeat the terrible lizard and go meet Iris as soon as possible.