Northern-Style Sparring
Having finally accepted reality, I let out a long sigh and stepped into the sparring arena. Spectators had gathered without me intending it, but I paid them no mind. At this moment, the spar itself mattered far more than anything else.
“Huu.” I exhaled deeply and began stretching. This bout would test the Mystery ability I had gained, but it would also reveal the true extent of my physical skill. The branch head’s intention was likely to keep me from growing arrogant simply because I had awakened a Mystery. At the same time, she had brought me here to hammer home that possessing a powerful body was just as vital.
“Since I’ve never once stood on the front lines, please go easy on me.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
I was curious about my own strength, so even while acting humble out loud, I steadily tensed my body and began circulating mana. As the high-purity mana flowed through me and reinforced every fiber, a small sound of admiration escaped my lips.
“As expected of the Northern Breathing Method.”
Every Northerner can wield mana thanks to the breathing technique the First Great Warrior created in his later years. The Northern Breathing Method builds mana slowly, but the purity it grants is unmatched. It carries the drawback that only Northerners can learn it—possibly because Mystery itself influenced its creation—but that limitation means nothing to actual Northerners. Even outsiders can learn it after living in the North for several years and earning the Mystery’s permission, so those hungry for power always find their way here. Since plenty of people still come seeking the technique, I too rely heavily on the Northern Breathing Method. Its stability is absolute; it can be used in any situation.
“I’m ready.”
“I’m fully prepared as well.”
At Grid’s words I observed him calmly. White fur rose like a mane over the leather armor he wore like a thin jacket. He looked exactly like a barbarian warrior from a game, and I briefly worried whether my attacks could even scratch him. But I reminded myself—this world is fantasy. You would need ballista bolts made of steel just to put a mark on that thin leather. Even if I went all out, I still wouldn’t be able to defeat him.
“Then I’ll come at you with everything I have?”
“Obviously. This spar is meant to test your limits.”
So he wanted to measure not only my Mystery but my physical ability as well. I nodded at Grid’s declaration and accelerated the mana circulating through my body. The faster it flowed, the harder it became to control, yet I manipulated it with practiced ease. I had been considered a minor genius back in the village, after all. If not for those twins, I might have fooled myself into believing I could become the strongest adventurer and set off without a second thought.
“Oh?” Grid reacted instantly once he sensed my mana control. “Your control is quite decent. At that level you could have become an adventurer, no?”
“My skills weren’t good enough for that.”
“Not good enough? You’re already better than most Bronze-class adventurers right now, aren’t you?”
“Still not enough to reach the position I want.”
Grid looked slightly surprised, then the corner of his mouth curved upward. “I see. I understand now.”
He had realized why I never became an adventurer and smiled. There is nothing more dangerous than leaping into the adventurer trade with half-baked talent. Those who grow arrogant from village praise and head to the city only discover they were frogs in a well. In this industry, adventurers are people who grew up being called prodigies and geniuses in both villages and cities.
Even that clumsy-looking Iron-class adventurer over there had accumulated far more mana than average through the Northern Breathing Method and had probably been one of the best fighters in his village. Knowing that most of those people still flounder in Bronze and never advance, I had no desire to share their fate. My courage was simply too weak to chase a dream I might never reach in my lifetime.
‘But things are different now.’
I had obtained an overwhelming Mystery despite my lacking talent. Even if it was pearls before swine, I had been given a chance. Failing to seize it would mean I wasn’t a true Northerner.
“Since I’ve decided to become an adventurer, I intend to aim for the very top.”
“Ordinary effort won’t get you there.”
“It wouldn’t have before I gained the Mystery.”
“So now you believe you can chase the dream you once gave up?”
“I’m not completely certain yet.”
If I was going to be an adventurer anyway, wasn’t it only natural to dream of becoming the strongest? Grid’s smile deepened at my answer. His eyes said he found my ambition adorable.
“Then let’s begin.”
I steadied my pounding heart and kicked lightly off the ground. Thanks to replacing my everyday breathing with the Northern Breathing Method after years of painful practice, my mana reserves were considerable. I used it without reservation and closed the distance to Grid in an instant, driving a mana-infused straight punch toward him.
The punch flew clean thanks to my occasional training, but Grid tracked it with his eyes and blocked it with an open palm. Exactly as I had expected. Without panicking, I used the captured hand as a fulcrum, spun my body, and threw a roundhouse kick at his thigh. The attack came the moment my punch was stopped, yet Grid casually blocked the kick with his forearm as well.
“As expected, it’s nowhere near enough.”
“If I got hit by something like that, I’d have to turn in my adventurer badge.”
Had this been real combat, it would have ended there. With one arm trapped and no way to escape, Grid’s fist would have caved my reinforced body in. But this was sparring, not real combat. He released my hand as if telling me to continue, and I obliged, pouring everything I had into the next exchange.
I distracted him with light jabs, then drew the sparring dagger from inside my jacket and stabbed at his throat. Grid’s hand blade struck my wrist, knocking the dagger away. I kicked the falling blade toward his knee, but it clanged uselessly against his solid armor. I abandoned defense entirely and attacked with pure speed and power. My strikes never touched his skin or even his leather armor—every single one was stopped by his palms.
I used every means available, yet each attempt was blocked without effort. After ten full minutes of relentless offense with the same result, I retreated to recover my stamina. When I stopped attacking, Grid brushed dust from his clothes and nodded.
“Your combat sense isn’t bad.”
It felt slightly embarrassing to be praised by someone who had casually blocked my full-power attacks. But Grid’s satisfied smile seemed genuine.
“I’ve roughly grasped your level. Now show me this Mystery ability of yours.”
“I was planning to.”
Since I now understood that my own skill was nowhere near enough, it was time to use the Mystery. I stepped back, recovered my spent mana through the breathing method, and manifested it.
Until I actually fought, I had been uncertain. Now I realized it clearly: my talent was not enough to defeat the geniuses who had already reached the heavens. Even if I obtained warrior or mage jobs from Argo Saga through the Mystery, the result would be the same. The job advantages would still leave me lacking compared to true geniuses. Thinking of the twins I had grown up with in the village made it painfully obvious.
After finishing my deliberation, I decided which job I would take through the Mystery.
‘I have to choose Summoner after all.’
The moment I chose Summoner, an indescribable sense of fullness surged inside me. A thread-thin passage connected to my soul, and through it the unique dimension that had confirmed the existence of a Summoner proceeded with the contract under mutual consent. I would leave my mark on the world as a Summoner, while the dimension would send forth summons to contract with me in its role as mediator.
Since the job was set, the basic skills that came with it were unlocked. The form of the summons would manifest according to the shape my Mystery provided. The moment the mutually beneficial contract was completed, I instinctively understood how to use the Summoner skills. Perhaps because of the Mystery’s influence, I manipulated the mana as naturally as if I had known the method from birth. A summoning circle formed above my palm.
Grid tilted his head at the elegantly shimmering summoning circle.
“Is that your Mystery ability?”
“More precisely, it’s one branch of it.”
Once the circle completed, a fissure opened and hundreds of large and small shards burst forth. The fragments flew around like ghosts, revealing their presence, before gathering in one place and taking the shape of a living being.
“Grrrrr.”
The summon resembled a wolf overall yet gave off a subtly alien feeling. Its name was Ikelos. According to the Argo Saga game data from my previous life, it drew its motif from the Greek mythological figure Ikelos, the god of shapes. Just as the name implied, it could transform into many different forms. Having taken the shape of a wolf—one of its basic forms—Ikelos glared at Grid with eyes that shimmered blue. Every movement sent the shards composing its body rippling like waves, constantly shifting in a sight both breathtakingly beautiful and threatening.
The training ground fell silent, as if the earlier commotion had never happened.
“......?”
The sudden quiet felt like cold water had been dumped over everyone. The strange atmosphere lasted only a moment before I spotted Grid staring with an ominous glint in his eyes and involuntarily let out a groan.
“Ah.”
Northern adventurers are warriors who protect the North. They crave power and honor more than anyone and wish for their names to spread across the world. In other words, the achievement of becoming the first to subjugate a new monster species was an incredibly tempting prize for them. The stronger and more unusual the monster, the happier they became.
And from an adventurer’s perspective, Ikelos was—
‘To me it’s a summon, but to them it’s a brand-new monster they’ve never seen before!’
A truly delicious prey.
“W-wait…!”
“That thing! It’s my prey!”
Grid, who had completely forgotten this was supposed to be a spar, moved on an entirely different level. His massive frame vanished from sight and reappeared in front of Ikelos. The stone floor cracked beneath his stance as he swung the giant battle axe he had yet to draw until now. Vivid aura clung to the enormous blade that could easily wrap around a person, and it cleaved Ikelos in two.
Shwaaaaaack!
“Krung?!”
Bisected along with the space itself, Ikelos scattered into hundreds of shards and frantically tried to rebuild its broken body. I should have felt reassured that it held an overwhelming advantage against slashing attacks, but the sight only provoked Grid further, so it didn’t feel reassuring at all.
“It doesn’t die in one hit?! Now this is worth fighting!”
Grid’s eyes had already rolled back with battle lust. There was no escaping his grasp. Afterimages flickered across his body for a split second, then a tremendous shockwave erupted from where Ikelos stood. The brute-force barrage of dozens of strikes in an instant shattered the shards into even smaller pieces.
Unable to endure the damage, Ikelos was forcibly unsummoned. Only then did the heated atmosphere of the training ground slowly cool.
“Ah.”
“Ahem, ahem.”
The adventurers who had been forming an encirclement with weapons drawn hurriedly came to their senses and began coughing awkwardly.
“I seem to have shown an unsightly side without realizing,” Grid muttered, looking embarrassed as he recognized his mistake.
As the mood grew awkward, Owen and Werner stepped forward to smooth things over.
“The heat rose a bit too high. Let’s end it here for today and have everyone disperse.”
“Owen is right. Forgetting this is a spar and pulling out weapons—what kind of disgrace is that?”
At their words the adventurers dispersed with awkward laughter. Luna watched them and gave Owen and Werner a look that said they were pathetic. Others might not have noticed because they were distracted by the summon, but she knew. She had seen the purple chains shimmering at the edge of Owen’s sleeve and Werner’s nails that had extended before retracting the moment the summon disappeared.
In a situation where the training ground had nearly been destroyed, she sighed and put away the guardian talisman she had taken out. At least she could be relieved that, as a talisman specialist, she hadn’t needed to intervene.
“Argo. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Ah, no. I’m perfectly fine, but I’m not sure about my summon.”
Thanks to my time as a guild employee, I answered calmly. I gazed at the shattered training-ground floor with bitter eyes. As a former staff member, I knew exactly how much it would cost to replace it.
“I’ll head back first and prepare the written apology Grid will need to submit.”
“Please do.”
I thanked Argo for his considerate escape and turned to look at Grid, who stood there awkwardly. Every time Luna’s sharp gaze landed on him, cold sweat broke out and he averted his eyes. The powerful warrior from moments ago was nowhere to be seen.
I ignored Grid’s pitiful, pleading look and headed for the office to draft the report. The protective magic on the training ground would probably be reinforced soon.