Chapter 161
Chapter 161
Only then did Zeke realize that the man captured by the knights was the swordsman from the adventurer party he had met in the Giant Mountains and asked again.
"Virgin Rick?"
At those words, Rick's face turned bright red.
* * *
Zeke explained the situation to Nikolai and vouched that Rick's group were not suspicious people.
The Thistle Knights, who owed their comrade's life to him, released Rick's group without protest and served them food and drinks as an apology.
Claire and Arin remained vigilant, but Jason mingled with the northerners who didn't even speak the same language, drinking fire spirit wine with his characteristic friendliness.
Zeke called Rick, the party leader, separately and asked what had happened.
"As you told us, we came north looking for the evil Sorcerer."
He quickly continued.
"We found traces of the Sorcerer near the Ice Mountains and while searching the area, we were chased by suspicious people in black clothes. We barely escaped from them but were suddenly attacked and captured by those northerners."
Zeke was internally impressed by Rick's words.
Although it was Zeke himself who suggested exploring the northern area, he didn't expect them to actually find traces of the Sorcerer.
'They seem to be a much more capable party than I thought.'
Though Zeke didn't know, Rick's party was among the top-ranked adventurer groups.
It wasn't for nothing that the Duke Graham family had specially requested them.
After some consideration, Zeke said to Rick.
"I'll help with tracking down the Sorcerer."
Rick brightened at those words and asked.
"R-really?"
Having personally witnessed his skills when he annihilated dozens of monsters in the Giant Mountains, Rick's expression became very bright.
Some Sorcerers dealt with strange, unpredictable curses, making them difficult to track and confront.
Having a skilled swordsman like Zeke help would make the mission much easier.
Then Rick made a slightly anxious expression and said to Zeke.
"Um, how much should we pay you as an advance payment? Of course it's right to pay the proper amount, but we've already used up the advance payment from the duke's family for operating costs... I'm not sure if we can pay an amount befitting an excellent swordsman like you..."
At those words, Zeke grinned and said.
"You don't need to give me an advance payment. Just give me 30% of the success fee after we complete the mission."
Rick's expression brightened again at Zeke's words.
"Th-thank you! My companions will be delighted to hear that you're helping us!"
Rick left to deliver the news to his companions.
'He's a good party leader.'
Having spent several years as a pack mule for adventurer parties in his previous life, Zeke knew well how many unscrupulous party leaders there were. Someone like Rick who had both skill and character was actually hard to find among adventurers.
Zeke kept a close eye on Rick and his group.
He always had an eye for talented people.
* * *
The next day, Zeke agreed to pursue the Sorcerer with Rick's group and parted ways with the Thistle Knights.
Nikolai expressed his regret to Zeke.
"It's a shame you're postponing joining the Rangers."
"I think our paths will cross again."
"Zeke Murray, we'll forever engrave your name as a friend of our Thistle Knights. Make sure to visit Himonas next time. We'll give you a really warm welcome."
"Alright. Thank you, Nikolai."
After saying their goodbyes, Zeke and Rick's group left the snowy fortress area.
As they walked along the path, Zeke asked Rick.
"You said you have a dungeon in mind?"
Rick nodded and answered.
"Yes. Though not as well-known as the Giant Mountains, there are also many large-scale dungeons in the Ice Mountains."
Jason, who was nearby, continued the explanation.
"Ah, well... the dungeons in the Ice Mountains are quite unique."
"Unique?"
"It's hard to explain exactly. How should I put it. Hmm. More mysterious? There are more instances of unknown powers that can't be interpreted by modern magic."
Zeke nodded at Jason's words.
"Indeed, since Sorcerers are people who seek ancient powers, they would look for unknown powers. So you think they're in the dungeon because of that?"
"Yes, that's right. When we asked around at the basecamp crossing over to the Ice Mountains, we got information that a suspicious person bought equipment and crossed over here several months ago. Looking at the equipment purchased, it wasn't dungeon exploration gear but camp setup equipment. And it was just one person."
"Meaning they planned to stay in the dungeon for quite a while."
"Yes. Moreover, it's usually magicians who want to hole up in dungeons to research something that buy that kind of equipment, rather than adventurers."
"I understand what you mean."
"Looking at the equipment they bought, it probably wasn't an unauthorized dungeon in a completely rough area. They would have wanted somewhere relatively accessible yet not frequently visited by people, so we narrowed it down to dungeons close to the restricted zone."
Jason spread out a mountain range map and pointed to the section marking the locations of dungeons that matched the conditions.
After confirming the dungeon locations, Zeke nodded.
If it had been other adventurers, they would have blindly searched the Ice Mountains, but Rick's party had impressively worked out a logical tracking route.
Zeke decided to explore the dungeon in the Ice Mountains with Rick's group.
After finding the safest route to the marked dungeon on the map, Zeke pretended he had traveled this way before and led Rick's group up the snowy mountain.
Being experienced adventurers, they skillfully climbed the treacherous snow-covered mountains.
As it grew dark, Zeke found a cave to shelter from the cold and began preparing for camp.
Rick's group gaped at the camping equipment Zeke pulled out.
"Goodness. I've never seen a spatial bag like this before."
"It's an artifact I was lucky enough to find in some ruins. Please eat before it gets cold."
Rick's group accepted the soup Zeke quickly made and drank it down.
The warm soup seemed to chase away the cold that had seeped into their bodies.
While eating the soup, Arin remarked curiously.
"I noticed this before too, but this soup you make is really delicious. Do you have a special recipe?"
The soup's taste was possible thanks to the fresh ingredients stored in his inventory and the skills of Atlas's top chefs hired by Decker who made the instant soup.
Since he couldn't tell the truth, Zeke smiled awkwardly and said.
"Isn't hunger the best seasoning?"
Though it was genuinely delicious soup rather than just tasting good due to hunger, Arin somewhat accepted Zeke's words and focused on eating.
After eating, the group decided to take turns keeping watch.
Rick's group gave the first watch to Zeke.
In truth, Zeke had secretly summoned dragon warriors and spread them around the area before entering the cave.
Leaving the watch to the dragon warriors, Zeke sat near the cave entrance and meditated with his eyes closed.
He kept visualizing how to connect the Infinite Chain Technique with the Sun's Golden Swordsmanship.
'A level of swordsmanship that can be executed without using a sword.'
Zeke thought that the Infinite Chain Technique, containing the final insights left by the Arch Paladin, might be the key to advancing to Black Knight.
'Continuously connecting all movements.'
Zeke broke down and reassembled the sword techniques of Agamemnon's Golden Swordsmanship he had learned, trying to connect them.
'It feels just out of reach.'
Then something flashed through Zeke's mind.
The secret technique of Yelin Ishtar he had faced in the southern border region.
Unlike Central Continent swordsmanship, the martial arts that used the whole body to deliver rapid strikes was both unique and powerful.
'The Angle Technique, was it?'
Though her dagger skills were sharp, the core of Ishtar's martial arts was kicks that came from various angles.
Just when it seemed an attack was coming from the left, it would strike under the chin, and when that was dodged, it would change direction to strike down on the crown.
The relatively static Central Continent swordsmanship had difficulty dealing with Ishtar's martial arts that attacked from irregular angles.
Zeke tried to understand the flow by mentally reviewing the secret techniques Yelin had demonstrated.
Each of Yelin's movements was clearly drawn in his mind.
Zeke tried to internalize those strange movements by replaying them dozens, hundreds of times in his mind as if watching a 3D video.
But insight into the technique did not come easily.
'They say the more urgent it is, the more roundabout you should go. If I train calmly, I'm sure I'll see a clue.'
Just as he was calming his impatient mind, he sensed someone behind him.
When Zeke turned around, Rick was standing there.
"It's not time yet, please rest more."
But Rick shook his head and sat next to Zeke.
"I can't sleep. If you don't mind, may I keep you company?"
"Why not?."
Zeke could tell from Rick's expression that he had something on his mind.
Then Rick hesitated a bit before slowly speaking.
"Zeke, I have a favor to ask."
"Yes, go ahead."
"Could you perhaps take a look at my swordsmanship?"
After briefly considering Rick's sudden request, Zeke nodded.
"I'm not sure how much help I can be, but if you need it..."
Rick's expression brightened at Zeke's answer and he jumped up.
Then he drew his sword and took a stance.
Zeke tilted his head looking at Rick's stance.
'This is too proper to be an adventurer's stance.'
Rick fixed his lower body and swung his sword quickly.
WHOOSH!
In the blink of an eye, the sword flashed through the air three times.
Seeing Rick's swordsmanship, Zeke's face hardened for a moment.
'This swordsmanship...'
As he remembered, it was clearly the Five Light Sword Technique learned by the Thebean Royal Guard Knights.
Known for enabling five sword strikes in the blink of an eye, the Five Light Sword Technique was a traditional swordsmanship style with a thousand years of history alongside Thebea.
Zeke, who had introduced himself as a mercenary, didn't show that he recognized the Five Light Sword Technique and calmly replied.
"That's an impressive swift sword."
"As expected, you recognized it right away."
"The level is too high for an adventurer's sword... did you receive formal knight training?"
At Zeke's words, Rick nodded with an awkward expression.
"Yes. It's difficult to explain in detail, but due to family circumstances, I received quite rigorous training from a young age."
"I see. If you received formal knight training, I wonder if a mere mercenary like myself could be of help."
Rick shook his head and spoke urgently.
"Th-that's not true. The divine skill you showed in the Giant Mountains surpassed any knight! Please, even if just a little, share your teachings!"
Rick looked quite desperate.
Watching him, Zeke realized he was facing a wall in his progress.
'He seems to have been stagnant at the Purple Knight wall for a long time.'
In the Draker family, it was common to see people Rick's age advancing to Purple Knight.
Not only Felix who was around Rick's age, but even the younger Liam was already challenging the Blue Knight wall beyond Purple Knight.
In truth, it wasn't that Rick was lacking - rather, their skill and talent were exceptionally outstanding.
In most families, people typically only began to sense and learn aura after reaching adulthood.
Zeke slowly stood up from his spot.
And said to Rick.
"Swing your sword at me with all your might."
Rick was taken aback at those words.
"What?"
"I said swing your sword at me with all your might, you can use aura."
Rick hesitated, unsure what to do while holding his sword.
At that moment, Zeke drew his sword and swung it toward Rick.
"HUH!"
Rick blocked Zeke's sword in surprise.
But unable to overcome that force, he stepped backward and dropped his sword.
Zeke glared at him and pointed his sword at Rick's neck.
"You just died in one exchange with me."
"Z-Zeke. This is..."
"The swordsmanship isn't the problem."
Zeke's sword tip dug into Rick's neck.
"Rick, you're too hesitant."