"Anyway, there's a chance that not all twenty will make it in time, but many of our guild members will be back," Maria said.
"That's great."
"I also received news from Sylvalis. They were relieved to hear Aeris is safe, and said they'll be sending people to escort her back to their village."
"What about her condition?" Jan asked worriedly.
"I didn't mention it in the letter—I only confirmed it this morning. I checked on the way here, and… she's still locking herself in her room."
"She's too stubborn to admit it," Sophia muttered, rubbing her temples.
Maria nodded. "That's why I'm planning to give the escort party a letter explaining her condition. I'm sure they have people who know what to do."
"Don't the priests in the church know what's wrong with her?"
"They said they need more information. Could be anything. They asked me to bring her in."
"I'll go talk to her," Sophia suddenly said.
Both Jan and Maria froze.
"I think it's better if you let Jan do it. He has a… better way with words." Maria forced a smile and reluctantly answered.
"What?! No way—it's his shift now. You're not planning to keep me here all day, are you?" Her sister squinted with suspicion.
"But you two don't get along that well, right? And both of you are kinda… hot-headed..."
"Relax, I can handle her." Sophia waved dismissively.
"Handle her?!"
"Yeah." Sophia smiled. "If she refuses, I'll just drag her out by force."
"This is exactly what we're afraid of." Maria buried her face in her hands.
"I said relax! You can count on me!"
Jan sighed. "Alright, you can go. But I need to grab my books first."
"Where are they?"
"At Archevin's store. I'll be right back," Jan said, already halfway to the door.
"Don't take too long!" Sophia shouted after him.
Jan rushed to the market.
He had left his books there, inside his old backpack. He didn't want to waste an inventory slot—just in case he ended up with a lot of loot.
*Ding—* *Ding—*
As soon as he stepped in, Archevin greeted him with a bright smile.
"Hero! Welcome back. What brings you back so soon?"
"I finished the mission. I'm also here to pick up my backpack."
"Whoa!" Archevin's eyes widened. "That was fast!"
"Yeah, I got lucky."
"Well, luck is a stat too," he said, chuckling as he ducked behind the counter. "I kept your bag safe—here you go."
"Thanks."
Jan quickly slipped his old backpack into the new one—this way, he could store multiple books in a single slot.
Then, he reached into his inventory and pulled out the [Sigil Stone], placing it on the counter.
"This is what you were looking for, right?"
Archevin's eyes widened. "Actually… this is better! And the quality—it's high-grade too!"
"Is that so?" Jan tilted his head.
"Yes!" Archevin beamed with excitement.
Jan chuckled. "So, what's next?"
"Oh—yes! The next item I need is an Essence Gem. But since the Sigil Stone you brought is of such high quality, I'd like the Gem to match it. At least B-rank. Unfortunately, that means you'll have to hunt down a specific boss—"
Before he could finish, Jan casually pulled an Essence Gem from his bag and set it on the table with a smile.
"I already have what you need. It dropped alongside the Sigil Stone."
"Oh-ho! I told you, Hero—luck is a stat! And you're clearly blessed with it." Archevin inspected the gem, then grinned with satisfaction.
[Essence Gem (B-Rank) (1/1)]
"Is it that good?" Jan asked, leaning over the counter.
"Oh, you have no idea, Hero. I just came up with the perfect way to forge your sword."
"Really? What is it?"
"Since both the Sigil Stone and the Essence Gem are infused with Dark Element, the materials are naturally synergistic—basically begging to be combined. All we need now is the final component—the cherry on top."
Jan's eyes lit up. "You've got me excited, Archevin. What is it? I'll try to get it as soon as I can!"
"I can't wait to start crafting it either!" Archevin said, tapping his chin. "Okay, for the last item, I'll need the fangs of a Dusklash."
"Dusklash?"
"It's a breed of Lynx."
"Oh! So basically a bobcat?"
Archevin laughed heartily. "You could call it that. But these ones are far more savage. They're quick, hard to spot, and their fangs make excellent blades when forged with steel."
"Where can I find one?"
"They're native to the Forest of Sorrow, down south. They don't move in packs, so they're tricky to track. And the black ones—those are even rarer. If you find one, expect a real challenge."
"Is it that tough?"
"Tougher than you'd imagine, Hero. Many have tried and failed to catch one. I suggest you take it seriously."
"Alright," Jan nodded. "I'll be careful."
────────── Mission: Tools of the Craftsman (3/3) ──────────
Blacksmith Archevin seeks rare materials to forge gear worthy of heroes.
Difficulty: B
Requirement:
[Black Lynx's Fangs] x1
Time Limit: None
Note: The quality of the final item will depend on the rarity of the materials collected.
Upon success, Archevin will request additional materials.
[Accept] [Decline]
────────────────────────────────────────────
Without any hesitation, Jan tapped [Accept].
"Alright, Archevin, I'll try to bring it as soon as possible."
"I would say take your time, but I'm actually too excited!"
Jan chuckled and slung his backpack over his shoulders.
"You're going already?" Archevin asked.
"I'm kind of in a hurry, so I'm heading out now. But I'll come by again when I have the chance—I still need to buy a few things."
"You're always welcome, Hero!"
With that, Jan waved goodbye and left the store, heading back toward the guild.
He had planned to sell some of the loot he gathered during the mission and pick up a few things he felt he was missing—but he didn't want to be late meeting Sophia.
'I'll have to do it some other time.'
He also didn't want to rush his preparations again. He wanted to take his time, picking items that would actually help him during the next hunt.
Preparation wasn't just about buying new gear either—he had also decided to put more hours into training before finishing his mission.
'It can't be helped, Archevin has to wait for a while, even though I'm really excited for the sword as well.'
The last encounter with Dorakon had made one thing painfully clear—he was helpless against serious opponents.
Sure, he could defeat monsters like Dark Elves through sheer power, or by outsmarting them. But when his opponent had just slightly better stats—or more skill—he ended up at a disadvantage.
'Just like Dark Rollo tried to say… my swordsmanship is poor. I need a lot more real combat experience before it can be useful in an actual fight.'
The Kendo he learned back at the dojo was still a sport. Everyone played by the same rules. You stopped after scoring a point. You took breaks. You were trying to win—not to kill.
Even his daily routine and his shadow training with his sensei was designed with points in mind.
That kind of leeway didn't exist in a real fight. There were no points, no rules. No breaks. No winning—until someone died.
'Maybe that's why my Swordsmanship skill hasn't improved.'
It had bothered him for a while. Other skills leveled up, even though he didn't use them as much as he used his sword. But Swordsmanship? It froze at level 4.
Back when he was hunting wolves near Valkeries, it leveled up three times in under two hours. But after that—it stopped.
'That means the system isn't recognizing any actual improvement.'
Jan had suspected it before—the system seemed to automatically acknowledge skills he already had and translated them into this world's format.
"Kendo, batting, throwing—it picked up on all of them quickly, and they leveled up fast."
Skills he had already grasped were seamlessly integrated and scaled to his real-life mastery—sometimes even transformed, like in the case of [Shadow Training].
But new skills like magic… even when he felt so close, it still didn't register.
'Skills like Swordsmanship became tougher to level the moment they matched my real-life skill.'
Still, Jan knew how to tackle that problem.
'Shadow training in the morning. Actual duels with Sophia in the evening.'
That's why—for now—he decided not to chase any new skills and focus entirely on improving what he already had.
'Throwing projectiles turned out to be really important for my fighting style. But I can't treat that as my main form of combat.'
So far, he had managed to survive thanks to his [Throwing Projectile] and [Reflect] skills.
'But both have limits. I won't always have something to throw… and I can't reflect everything.'
Some attacks—like the Dark Orb—couldn't be reflected.
And even if he packed a dozen throwing knives, he'd eventually run out.
'And then… there's magic.'
Jan stopped walking, the guild now just a few hundred meters ahead.
Choosing the right combat style now might be crucial later.
It wasn't about just defeating Dorakon… or clearing the next ten floors… or even surviving the next raid.
It was about climbing all the way to the 100th floor.
It was about overcoming far greater threats… and defeating Saveth.
'Magic has proven itself over and over. If I have to learn one new skill… it has to be it.'
The problem was, unlike Swordsmanship, Jan still had no idea what to do next.