Black Blade
The long-awaited Level 5. But this was no time to sit back and relax. Especially not while listening to the Game Master’s endless droning.
“……Cut the bullshit and hand over the 3rd-level spells already. I already know everything I can learn.”
[My, aren't we in a hurry.]
“You know damn well why.”
Solomon swallowed a curse and continued.
“I’ve reached Level 5. The bonuses I’ll receive are as follows.”
He had no time to waste listening to the Game Master’s leisurely nonsense for even one more second.
· 2 free Attribute Points. (Total: 6 points held)
· 2nd-level spell slots increased from 2 to 3 (⚁⚁⚁).
· New 3rd-level spell acquired and 1 3rd-level spell slot secured (⚂).
“Correct?”
[Wow, it seems you know more about this than I do now.]
Solomon ignored the Game Master’s sarcastic tone.
“I will learn a 3rd-level enhancement spell.”
[You haven’t even looked at the list of available spells…….]
“So what? I already know everything I can learn.”
Solomon spoke while suppressing the burning frustration in his gut.
“Next, I’ll spend all 4 Attribute Points to learn the Survivalist trait and save the remaining 2 points.”
[Ah, Survivalist.]
The Game Master smiled with clear amusement beneath his robe.
[That is a very wise decision.]
Where a human mouth should have been, a sliver of writhing darkness split open like a crescent moon.
Survivalist
: Restores injuries and status ailments that cannot normally be healed during rest.
In the rules of this game, rest was just rest. It didn’t magically heal internal injuries that spilled blood and shattered bones, nor did it cleanse curses or status effects laid by others.
That was exactly why Solomon needed this trait so desperately right now.
It deviated from his original plan. He had intended to use the 6 saved Attribute Points on something else.
But a build only mattered if you survived long enough to use it.
“We’re done here, right? It was disgusting working with you. Let’s never meet again.”
[Oh, we’ll be seeing each other again very soon.]
Solomon spat the words out impatiently. The Game Master replied in an exceedingly relaxed whisper.
[If you manage to survive here, that is.]
“What?”
At those words, a sound rang out. The sound of dice rolling.
Ambush Detection Success!
A chill deeper than any he had felt in his life gripped his heart and raced down his spine.
His eyes snapped open. The moment they did, his body was already moving. There it was—inside the underground reservoir of District 1.
‘Just as I thought……!’
An ambush during rest. This wasn’t a room in Hotel Snark. Rest taken in a danger zone always carried risk. Even so, the decision had ultimately been correct.
‘My wounds…… have healed.’
Not a perfect 100% recovery. But he could clearly feel that the injuries had ‘healed.’ There was no way a short nap could mend broken bones and stop internal bleeding. That was far removed from the laws of this world.
It was a rule of the game.
The Survivalist trait, which healed a certain amount of injuries and status ailments that could not normally be recovered during rest.
On top of that, the restoration of his spell slots and the newly learned 3rd-level spell.
Black Blade
Tag — 3rd-level spell, Shadow attribute
: Forges a blade using shadow magic to increase sharpness and adds *4 damage* on attack.
: Deals double damage during an ambush.
When used normally, it only added 4 damage. Hardly impressive for a 3rd-level spell.
But the true value of this spell lay in what followed. The fact that it doubled damage during an ambush.
“Activate.”
Veil of Darkness
Tag — 2nd-level spell, Shadow attribute, Enhancement Tuning (Master of the Veil)
: Spreads a veil of darkness that treats all of the caster’s attacks within the area as *minor ambushes*.
: Inside the veil, the caster gains increased defense and evasion, while enemies suffer reduced accuracy.
Without hesitation, Solomon activated the 3rd-level and 2nd-level spells in succession.
Available Spell Slots
: 1st-level spells — 5 uses (⚀⚀⚀⚀⚀)
: 2nd-level spells — 2 uses (⚁⚁■)
: 3rd-level spells — 0 uses (■)
Shaaak!
The shadow blade plunged toward the creature from within the veil. The instant a fountain of blood erupted, Solomon did not hesitate.
“.”
Immediately after, a shadow rose from behind the creature and took human form. It was perfectly mimicking the ambush Solomon had just demonstrated inside the veil.
The creature changing its target due to the pull of that magical power was merely a bonus.
He didn’t use the invisibility spell. There was no need to waste spell slots recklessly.
More importantly, there was no need for it. From the previous fight, he had already gained an empirical understanding of ‘how much damage needed to be dealt.’ He knew roughly how many life points the creature had and how to shave them away.
‘The veil is active and I used Black Blade. The damage output itself is more than enough.’
The moment the Shadow Mimic recreated that strike, Solomon delivered another blow. The damage required to kill it had already been exceeded.
The ambush blades striking from both sides tore the creature apart in an instant. He didn’t even take much damage himself.
‘Way too easy.’
It was hard to believe this was the same monster as before…….
Insight Success!
“?”
Solomon was dumbfounded. So that’s why things had gone so smoothly.
[The world isn’t that kind.]
“……”
‘Then I didn’t need to use Black Blade in the first place.’
Anger surged as the realization hit him.
‘Hoo, pure and wholesome thoughts. Pure and wholesome thoughts…….’
Solomon calmly assessed the situation. Fortunately, Black Blade was a sustained enhancement spell, so it wouldn’t disappear so easily. As long as he didn’t collapse here, it would definitely help in the next fight.
‘I’ve already used it, so there’s no time to waste.’
That was why he had even less leisure to linger. The moment Solomon tried to head deeper into the underground labyrinth—
Thud!
A heavy sound echoed. Had another monster popped out? Solomon forced a breath through his clogged throat and turned toward the source of the noise.
“Ah.”
After turning, he immediately spat out a string of curses.
It was a ladder.
The ladder connecting the surface and the underground had just been lowered.
It descended with the elegant grace of a brand-new luxury car or a freshly lowered lifeline, as if offering Solomon a hand of salvation.
Incidentally, someone was hanging from the bottom of the ladder. Judging by the work uniform, they had probably come to repair the facility.
With this, it was safe to say he had effectively passed Lord Bawry’s test.
“Lululu, shitty job, shitty workplace……”
The worker hummed a tune as he reached the floor, then noticed Solomon’s presence and promptly fell on his ass.
“W-what the hell!”
“A sitting duck.”
“What……?”
“Don’t mind me.”
Solomon answered as if it were someone else’s business, leaving the creature’s corpse sprawled at his feet behind him.
“Anyway, mind if I borrow the ladder?”
“Y-yeah, go ahead.”
He didn’t want to spend even one more second in this sewer-like place. As he climbed the ladder toward the surface—
[The Gaze from the Depths is upon you…….]
A strange, chilling message rang out, making his back feel oddly cold.
* * *
Solomon left the nightmarish underground reservoir, immediately exited District 1, and searched for the ‘door’ leading to Hotel Snark.
The passages were installed in the city’s back alleys and shadowy places where human eyes rarely reached. The hotel in the gray zone where the boundary between life and death blurred.
A place that could not be entered by ordinary means could only be accessed through extraordinary methods.
“Oof.”
The moment he returned to the hotel, someone appeared before him as if they had been waiting.
“My, my. Look who it is.”
“……”
It was the monocle-wearing elf broker, Yuria.
“Unbelievable. It’s none other than Lady Yuria, who personally foresaw future threats for my sake and even gave me a warning!”
“……”
Polite and refined words flowed from Solomon’s mouth like never before.
“What brings you to find me today? Has another unknown future threat appeared? I’m so honored I don’t know what to do with myself.”
“That is correct.”
“?”
The sarcasm in Solomon’s voice came to an abrupt halt.
Like a crying child who suddenly stopped upon hearing about the bogeyman.
“And……”
Yuria trailed off and fell into a brief silence.
“I will not ask for your forgiveness. I know that would be impossible.”
After the silence, she knelt. Right in front of Solomon, on the cold lobby floor where quite a few of Hotel Snark’s residents could see. The sight must have been extremely rare, because even the walking corpses and skeletons showed rare signs of surprise.
“Since receiving the first oracle as a Priestess of the Lake, the most unforgivable, the most…… in my life.”
Even amid the murmuring crowd, Yuria lowered her head further and continued.
“Actually, it’s not the absolute worst…… nor the second…… but the third……”
“?”
“It was roughly the fourth most irreversible mistake I have ever made.”
“You really have lived a life full of irreversible mistakes.”
Solomon was even more dumbfounded. So this was why people said shamans ruined lives.
“You caused three even bigger accidents than this?”
“……I have lived a long time.”
“You cause that many accidents with your divination and no one says anything?”
“That is why I am doing this job now.”
“Ah, so that’s why you’re like this.”
Solomon spoke, unable to contain his growing disbelief.
“Wait, you even wrote a resignation letter, so why did you cast another divination? You were already fired anyway—did you have nothing left to lose?”
“……Ugh.”
Apparently it was quite humiliating. Yuria bit her lip in a way that was very unlike her. At this point, Solomon was starting to get genuinely curious about what kind of catastrophic blunders she had caused during her long elf life.
“The rest…… let us continue inside the Tea Lounge.”
After her confession(?), Yuria rose to her feet.
“I will take full responsibility and handle the aftermath properly.”
“……I’m not sure if I can trust that.”
Solomon asked with a doubtful expression. Yuria did not answer. Only the fact that her long ears were flushed red with far more shame and humiliation than usual was noticeable.
Insight Success!
It was a rather useful insight. Especially for Solomon, who had nearly bought a one-way express ticket to the afterlife thanks to her prophecy.
‘And she said another future threat has appeared.’
He was now holding two such tickets in his hand.
After all, this mess had started because of her prophecy. Was it really right to receive after-sales service from her again in this situation? Solomon hesitated for a moment, then followed Yuria as she walked toward the Tea Lounge.
There was already far too much that had been spilled to hesitate now.