Mage Lineage
As I walked along the path, adventurers bustled about everywhere.
Most were low-level adventurers hovering around level 10.
They gripped swords in their hands or carried massive shields, sweat dripping down as they focused on training.
Rumiel covered her lips with her index finger for a moment and recalled memories from the past.
According to Rumiel's memories, this map right now was the 'Path of Trials'.
To become a warrior, one needed not just combat prowess, but a strong body and unshakeable will.
That's why, unlike other classes, the path to the Warrior's Village was designed like a trial ground itself.
Rumiel recalled the memory of when she first discovered this place.
Back then, she had wondered, 'Does the path to the village in the game really need to be this treacherous?'
It was said that one had to pass this path to be recognized as a warrior.
And that treacherous process remained unchanged even now.
Far away, people were surrounding a Junior Golem.
[Lv.12 Junior Golem]
A mini golem made of small stones.
It had low health but high defense, a monster that was hard to defeat with just raw strength.
So it required caution and concentration to target its weaknesses.
"Ugh, my fists hurt!"
"The defense is too high, the hits aren't landing properly!"
"You idiots! Don't just swing wildly, aim for the weak points!"
The adventurers fighting the Junior Golem were desperate.
But it seemed they were struggling to land proper hits.
Rumiel walked quietly along the path, watching the adventurers training at every spot.
The sight of novice adventurers desperately testing their limits was oddly heartwarming.
And at the foot of a massive cliff, Rumiel slowly stopped her steps.
She gazed at the steep cliff ahead.
To reach the Warrior's Village, one had to climb this cliff directly.
The Warrior's Village was situated high on a cliff.
"AAAAA! I'm falling...!!"
"Endure it, snap out of it! Reach out with your hands!"
"Huff, huff... Just a little more... Just a little more..."
A very high cliff climbing course.
The warrior aspirants were sweating profusely, climbing the rocks bare-handed.
If an adventurer exhausted their strength and slipped, an NPC waiting below would catch them.
"My hand's about to slip!"
"Pay attention! We're almost there!"
"Have we only climbed halfway?!"
Some paused midway to stretch their arms, others occasionally stumbled but managed to hold on.
It was a grueling climbing training.
Rumiel nodded while watching these scenes.
At least there would be climbing ropes or pickaxes, but all the adventurers coming here were fresh level 10 novices.
People who couldn't even afford a single potion.
It was natural that they didn't have money to buy tools.
What warriors needed wasn't just raw strength, but strong will and efficient combat methods.
Learning techniques while fighting, surpassing limits while climbing cliffs.
That was the first trial to become a warrior.
It was a brutish entry condition born from the mindset 'Warriors must be strong'.
Of course, for Rumiel who wasn't a warrior, it was completely irrelevant.
"Teleport."
Instantly, Rumiel's body disappeared in a blue light.
In an instant, Rumiel stood at the very top of the cliff, on a rocky mountain.
She looked down and tilted her head lightly.
Rumiel's ahoge wiggled slightly.
Then, right in front, a magic circle flickering with blue light.
She threw herself into the portal to the Warrior's Village.
"..."
Instant silence.
The adventurers who had been climbing the cliff stared up blankly.
They were comrades, rivals, friends beside them.
With a strong will to arrive first, they were climbing the cliff, arms and legs flailing.
"..."
No one spoke.
No one opened their mouths.
They just clung to the rocks, breathing heavily.
"..."
This ice-like silence continued for a while, until someone's murmur ended it, and their emotions exploded.
"Hey, what was that just now?"
"... Instant teleport?"
"Wait, no, then. I'm dumbfounded."
Once the piled-up emotions exploded, the waves didn't stop.
"This is outrageous!!!"
"Is this even real?!"
"... If I had known, I would have been a mage."
"This is why we are called the Mage Lineage!"
The warrior aspirants' cries echoed from below the cliff.
"We are sweating buckets, gripping the rocks with bleeding hands!"
Someone clenched their fists,
Someone blinked blankly with a hollow laugh.
Adventurers overwhelmed with doubt poured out from everywhere.
¤
Rumiel stepped forward in the blue light.
The light gradually dimmed, revealing a new space.
The floor was covered with rough, flat-laid rocks, and sand was constantly blowing.
No grass or flowers were visible, only rocks and dust.
Buildings were stacked along the rocky mountain, and stone stairs wound along the sloping hills.
At the very bottom was a training ground shaped like a coliseum, and as one went higher, there were lodging, weapon shops, and large buildings that looked like class change halls.
The Warrior's Village had a completely different atmosphere from other villages.
Normally, a village would have a bustling market and people's laughter, but this place was far from such peace.
High cliffs surrounding the village.
Heavy, gloomy buildings nestled between them.
And a low, flowing silence like a forgotten ghost village.
I knew it, but experiencing it with my own body made it even more touching.
Rumiel's eyes sparkled as she looked around the village.
Then,
"Hey, you, shorty."
A low, heavy voice came.
Rumiel turned her head.
There stood a man wearing a deep bamboo hat.
His face was mostly hidden by the hat, only the corners of his mouth faintly visible.
[Lv.100 Satgat]
An NPC from Rumiel's memories.
He would probably soon spout some unique trash talk while striking a pose.
As expected, he scanned Rumiel from head to toe and slowly shook his head.
"Young sprout."
"..."
Rumiel's ahoge drooped.
As expected.
Satgat sighed deeply, looking around the desolate village in the wind.
"This village is one where only the strong can reside, but... where are the strong adventurers?"
He muttered as if talking to himself and shrugged.
Rumiel's eyes sparkled at the words.
She pointed at herself with her finger.
"..."
But Satgat tilted his head, scanning Rumiel again.
Then he muttered mockingly.
"... You?"
Rumiel nodded vigorously.
Vigorously.
Rumiel's ahoge perked up slightly, eyes shining as she stared at Satgat.
Satgat glanced at Rumiel lightly, then sighed again and turned his gaze to the rocky mountain top.
A rough sand wind blew once.
A strong wind crossing the desolate rocky mountain whipped past, making Satgat's clothes flutter lightly.
"... Young sprout."
Satgat said again in a low, firm voice.
"This place is not for kids like you."
Rumiel's expression showed she didn't understand for a moment.
Normally, at this point, the quest window should have appeared.
[Are you ready to hear the hidden story?]
[Accept / Reject]
Shouldn't this be normal?
Rumiel's ahoge stood up straight, pointing at Satgat again.
And at herself.
Again, questioning.
Satgat snorted again.
"Are you saying right now that you are strong?"
He lifted the corner of his mouth faintly under the hat and said mockingly.
"Then prove it."
Rumiel's eyes sparkled.
Was the quest starting?!
But,
"First, survive here.
If you get injured just by acting tough here, I don't know."
With those words, Satgat turned his body.
As if he no longer had any value to deal with.
"..."
Rumiel's ahoge drooped.
It was confusing.
Satgat.
He was originally a very important character in the game.
Even ignoring his level of 100.
The stories he told were not just background setting, but a hidden quest.
The sealing of the temple.
At the end of the underground dungeon, the legendary adventurer tale of sealing the hidden boss 'Demon' with the forgotten hero Dantalion inside the temple.
After hearing this story from Satgat, the player could receive the following linked quest.
Demon Sealing Quest.
To do the Demon Raid, one had to complete this quest first.
That is, Satgat's quest was not only a quest to clear the path for the raid but also...
"I'm grateful for listening to the story. As a reward, I'll give you this."
When the story was finished, Satgat gave a candy.
It was the only quest to obtain the ultimate candy 'Satgat's Candy' that he, who liked sweet things, had repeatedly experimented with.
In the game, it was just a dopping item that raised physical/magic attack by about 100, but as Rumiel remembered the description saying 'Ultimate Sweetness', she wanted to try it once.
But,
For some reason, the quest didn't activate.
Rumiel looked at Satgat again.
This time, slowly, from his toes to his head, carefully inspecting him.
... What was the problem?
Normally, when a strong adventurer came, Satgat should automatically start the story.
But now he was calling Rumiel a young sprout and not even wanting to deal with her.
Rumiel thought carefully.
Previously, Satgat was just a 'quest NPC', but now he had become an entity moving with his own 'standards'.
So, what should she do.
Rumiel shook her ahoge, pondering.
It was a really difficult problem.