Time to grow (13)

F-failed?

My... my 1,000 coins... they evaporated in a single second...?

What the hell...

Stunned by the shock of the failed appraisal, I stared at the sword for a while, unable to say a word.

"..."

"W-what happened? My... my sword!?"

"...It says the appraisal failed... 1,000 coins just vanished into thin air..."

"F-failed!? Aww... t-then what do we do?"

"...I guess I have to try again."

Seeing Cheonma staring at the Blue Dragon Sword, looking completely lost after hearing it failed, I felt a surge of stubbornness.

Did it say to shout "Challenge" to retry?

And... it's 500 coins now... then 1,000 later... it's basically telling me to just keep spending coins in a row.

Wow... what a scam...

Fine... I'll do it. Yeah! I'll spend all my coins! You guys won't let me save a single one, right?

"I will retry the information retrieval."

Despite my rough handling as I grabbed the sword to inspect it again, the little dragon just stared at me silently.

"..."

I wanted to act with the discipline of those drill instructors from the Marine Corps TV show I once saw, but... the little dragon watching me made me hesitate. I began to inspect the sword again, starting from the tip of the blade, at twice the speed of my first attempt to fill the appraisal gauge.

Sting!

The moment I looked at the tip of the blade... a pain like needles piercing my eyes washed over me.

Despite the agony, I bit my lip and continued to stare at the blade, slowly inspecting it.

Drip... drip...

Drip... drip... drip...

Drip... drip-drip-drip-drip...

Trickle...

Drip... drip... drip...

In the suffocating silence, as I filled the appraisal gauge, blood-tears began to stream down my cheeks to my chin. The blood-tears reaching my chin soon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠began to drip onto the floor, forming a pool.

"..."

Was I too immersed? The surroundings were so quiet that when I glanced away from the Blue Dragon Sword, I saw the heroes staring at me in horror, their hands covering their mouths and noses.

And...

Especially Cheonma, who had been whining and throwing a tantrum to get the sword appraised—unlike the other heroes who looked horrified, her eyes were filled with worry and welled up with tears.

She's going to cry soon...

I really hope this succeeds this time...

Once I inspected up to the hilt, the screen showed the gauge was 50% full.

Seeing the screen, I turned the sword over and began to slowly inspect the other side.

Snap-

Along with a sound like something snapping in my head, I felt something flowing from my nose.

?

Is this... a nosebleed?

Drip-

Drip- drip- drip-

Something flowed down my philtrum, past my lips, and gathered at my chin, falling into the pool of blood that was growing even faster now, mixed with my blood-tears.

"...N-nosebleed!"

Cheonma, who had been covering her mouth with both hands, lowered one hand to point at me and shouted so all the other heroes could hear.

Ah... why did she have to say that?

It's embarrassing...

A grown man getting a nosebleed...

So awkward...

Think about it, a grown man with a nosebleed...

My concentration nearly shattered by Cheonma's remark, I wiped my face with my right hand and started inspecting the sword again.

...

...

As I finished inspecting the other side from the tip of the blade to the end of the hilt, a screen appeared before my eyes stating the gauge was 100% full.

It's done...

"It's done... Now... I can check it..."

Is it because I focused so intensely for the first time in a while?

No... is it because I lost so much blood?

Suddenly, my head spun, and dizziness washed over me.

"Ugh..."

Splash-

I collapsed right into the tiny pool of blood I had created.

Seeing that, Cheonma rushed over in an instant and supported me.

"Hey! A-are you okay!? Huh!? Answer me! Merlin!!!!!!!!!!!! Heal!!! Heal him, quickly!!!!!!!!!!"

Cheonma, checking my condition with a worried face, called for Merlin to cast a heal on me.

Tap-tap-tap

"I'm pouring heals into him, but he's not responding! What is this? Why is he like this! Hey! Are you okay? Say something!"

It seemed even Merlin was falling into a panic, having never seen a situation where healing didn't work.

Healing isn't working?

I remembered the health potion in my inventory.

I wished for the health potion to appear from my inventory through the sub-space into my hand, and soon, a health potion—a red liquid inside a luxurious flask—appeared in my hand.

The health potion was sealed with a cork stopper.

I held the flask with one hand and tried to pull the cork out with the other.

...

Grrr-

But...

Was this damn body too weak to even pull out a cork just because I lost some blood? I couldn't pull the cork out of the flask.

Damn it...

"Haa... Cheonma."

"Y-yeah!"

Cheonma answered, looking delighted that I called for her.

"C-could you... open this stopper for me?"

"T-this?"

Cheonma asked, pointing at the flask.

"Yeah. I don't have any strength in my hands... I'd be grateful if you could open it and feed it to me..."

The moment I asked her to open it and feed me, Merlin pushed Cheonma aside and whined that she would do it.

"Hey! I'll do it. Give it here! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I want to know why the healing isn't working! Move aside, Cheonma!"

She really is a mage through and through... She must be obsessed with experiments...

Well, I guess that obsession is how she became a 9th Circle Mage...

I handed the health potion to Merlin, feeling like, "Whatever, just do what you want."

I saw Merlin easily remove the cork from the flask as she took it from me.

Pop!

Okay, so now, aren't you going to give it to me or feed it to me...?

I didn't give it to you so you could sniff it and drink it yourself! Ah, don't do that!

I couldn't hear Cheonma's voice, which was muffled by Merlin pushing her aside, as I was busy trying to stop Merlin's actions.

...

...

"...feed it to me...?"

???

Why do I feel a chill...

"Haaaaaa... It's a mysterious flavor... Now, drink!"

"Ugh-"

Merlin, who had finally stolen a sip of my health potion, made an ecstatic expression and forced the health potion into my mouth.

It tastes like Gatorade, what's with this "mysterious flavor" nonsense...

Anyway...

My body must really be empty... I'm feeling chills.

Perhaps thanks to Merlin's help, my health recovered, and my mind slowly cleared, the dizziness fading away.

"...feed it to me... feed it to me... feed it to me... feed it to me... feed it to me... feed it to me... feed it to me...?"

? Cheonma... what's wrong with her?

What has she been muttering to herself for a while now?

Anyway... the performance of the Blue Dragon Sword and the White Tiger Sword in my inventory should be similar... I hope I succeed in the retrieval this time... I even used a precious health potion! It was worth 10 coins!

I called Cheonma, wanting to succeed in the information retrieval quickly and learn about the Blue Dragon Sword.

To succeed in the retrieval, I definitely need Cheonma's help...

The woman who is strong in a crisis... I need Cheonma's help!

"Cheonma! Come here quickly. It's your turn to help me!"

"Yeah... it's my turn to feed you... huh!? It's my turn to help? Is it finally my turn? How should I help!?"

Cheonma, who I didn't know what she was thinking, reacted in surprise at my voice.

Her face keeps turning reddish... is she... hiding something from me?

How can I doubt a comrade... I should trust her...

I didn't think much of it and walked over to Cheonma, putting my arm around her shoulder.

"...Heh?"

"Okay... follow me like before."

"Before? You? Aah... yeah!"

"Three. Two. One. I'll show you by folding one finger at a time, so follow what I say after 'one'. Got it?"

"Yeah!"

Cheonma looked strangely happy.

Is it because she's with a comrade like me?

She knows what's up!

I raised my left hand, made a fist, and then extended my thumb, index, and middle fingers in order.

And then...

After folding my middle, index, and thumb in order, I shouted.

"Three. Two. One! Confirm item appraisal!"

"... ... ... ! ... Confirm item appraisal!"

Cheonma watched my fingers fold, and just as we promised, she followed along perfectly, even if she was half a beat slow.

Cheonma is smart, after all.

She follows along well, doesn't she?

"Successsssssssss! It popped up! It's here!"

"I-it popped up!"

After watching Cheonma jumping around in excitement, I clenched my fist and checked the information with a trembling heart.

The options better not be trash!!!

...

...

?

I know it grants power... but I can use the authority of the Azure Dragon...?

It transcends human strength...

This... is this possible...?

I don't know if the options are... good or not.

I should ask Cheonma.

Closing the screen, I received Cheonma's burning gaze, which looked like it was about to shoot stars, and slowly opened my mouth.

"Uhm... Cheonma?"

"...Yeah? Ah... is it a failure again ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this time...?"

"No... no... I just wanted to ask something."

"...What is it?"

"If... one could use the powers of nature with a sword... would that be amazing?"

"...What do you mean by..."

"What do you mean by that?"

Hwaryeon, who had been watching and listening silently until now, cut off Cheonma and stepped in front of me.

"Ah. Hwaryeon! Ah, it's nothing special... I checked the performance... and it's Water attribute... and Ice attribute...? That it can control nature... Ke-ke-kek!!!"

Hwaryeon rushed at me with insane speed, grabbed me by the collar, and shook me, leaving me unable to regain my senses as my head swayed.

"LIES!!!!!!!!! DON'T LIE TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What? Power of nature? Water attribute? Ice attribute!? Are you saying things that aren't even worth listening to!? Does that make any sense!?"

As my head shook, I could see that Hwaryeon, despite saying that, couldn't take her eyes off the Blue Dragon Sword I was holding.

...You're not being honest...

Your body...

Wants it~

This sword, that is.

Isn't that right, Hwaryeon?

You're not being honest~

But first, stop shaking me... I'm dizzy!

Cheonma!!!

Help me out!!!!

Help Me!!!