The Unexpected Guest
The festival preparations wrapped up in the blink of an eye. They must have stocked supplies ahead of time on the assumption that the subjugation force would win, because the city launched straight into celebration the very next day. The air crackled with festive energy. Between the feasting, drinking, and nonstop revelry, time slipped away before anyone noticed.
The sun that had climbed over the mountains passed noon and sank behind the peaks once more. Even after the moon and stars claimed the sky, the festival's fire refused to die down. After all, this was only the first night of a three-day event.
"The warriors have seized victory and returned!"
"Their pockets bulged on the way home, and the carts groaned under heaps of gold and treasure!"
"We bring back victory and honor from the battlefield! Growth and pride are ours!"
Drunken townsfolk staggered arm-in-arm through the streets, belting out songs they'd invented on the spot. Given that a triumph on this scale was rare even in the history books, their euphoria made perfect sense.
I, however, stayed clear of the crowds and holed up in the adventurer's lodge. Part of it was the bone-deep exhaustion from chaining the escort request directly into the War Ant nest raid. But the real reason was simpler: I finally had time to spend the mountain of experience points I'd racked up from all that monster hunting.
Sitting in a chair, I watched the glowing motes of light drifting lazily around me.
"I've unlocked or upgraded skills whenever I needed them, but there's still so much experience left."
Wiping out the ants had given me a serious windfall. This wasn't some game with infinite monster respawns. I'd never imagined racking up this kind of haul in the real world.
As I gazed at my plentiful reserves with deep satisfaction, Adela—who had been rolling around on the bed with Ratatoskr—tilted her head at me.
"Argo. Why are you smiling?"
"Because I get to pick up some new skills."
"New skills?"
Adela cocked her head, then immediately went back to tumbling across the sheets with Rata. She still wasn't fully adjusted to human society, so she seemed far more comfortable staying inside the room than venturing out.
Leaving the two of them to their game, I mentally listed my current skills.
Summoner line—Ikelos Summon, Rune Golem Summon, Lesser Dragon Summon (breath restricted), Increased Summon Limit, Phase Escape.
Pathfinder line—Terrain Search, Path Search, Map Creation, Eagle Eye.
Wild Tamer line—Taming.
Ten skills total. For the length of time I'd been active as an adventurer, that was a reasonable pace. My only real complaint was the lack of skills that directly boosted my personal combat ability. Luckily, I now possessed a ridiculous amount of experience.
"With all the experience I gained from the ants, that particular problem is solved."
This much should be enough to patch up my lacking talent and strength. I was definitely gifted, but when stacked against true geniuses, my light dimmed considerably.
"I wonder what those two are up to these days."
I pictured the siblings who should be studying at Orbis Academy in the Central region right about now. I'd watched their extraordinary natures—sun and moon incarnate—since they were small, so I wasn't worried. Still, as a friend from back home, I couldn't help being curious about how they were living.
"They're probably doing fine."
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't picture them struggling, so I set the thought aside and refocused on my skills. What I needed most right now was something that would directly raise my close-quarters combat power.
"The immediate priorities are the Weapon Master's Aura Mastery and Weapon Mastery, plus the Elemental Sorcerer's Mana Specialization, right?"
After that came the Summoner skills. The North's situation was such a mess that personal fighting strength mattered, but my core class was still Summoner. I'd chosen it for the absolute survival guarantee of Phase Escape, but it would be a shame to pick a job and then barely use it.
Summoner skills offered the best efficiency when spending experience, after all.
"Let's start with the ones I've already decided on."
Aura Mastery
Weapon Mastery
Mana Specialization
As I burned through experience points in sequence, a profound sense of fullness swept through my entire body. I closed my eyes and absorbed the knowledge the Mystery poured directly into my mind.
The most efficient ways to use aura. The proper handling of weapons. The optimal flow of mana. All of it came naturally. I instinctively understood the weak points in my previous fighting style, and fresh insights flooded me on how to wield both aura and mana with perfect smoothness. It felt like the two forces had become extensions of my own limbs.
The clearest change, however, was in my mana capacity.
Sssssss—
The moment Aura Mastery and Mana Specialization opened, the vessel holding my mana expanded dramatically. Fresh power rushed in to fill the larger space, and an indescribable feeling of completeness flooded my consciousness.
I barely managed to suppress the sudden urge to test my new strength in battle and let out a dry chuckle.
"Ha. So this is what geniuses feel every single day?"
I realized it instinctively. I had finally reached the same starting line as those siblings. Even so, I was still years behind them, and the gap felt almost overwhelming. But that was fine. My growth was only just beginning.
I decided to raise the skill levels through actual practice later and moved straight on to the next batch.
"Time to unlock some Summoner skills too."
Here I focused more on strengthening existing abilities than opening new ones. I unlocked Improved Summon Efficiency, then poured everything else into Increased Summon Limit and Lesser Dragon Summon. Regular summons gained experience just by being called out, but the Lesser Dragon had so many restrictions it was basically a one-use skill. Raising its level to loosen those limits became my priority.
Increased Summon Limit — Rank Up
Lesser Dragon Summon — Restrictions partially lifted
I burned through experience like a man possessed. When I finally checked how little remained, I clicked my tongue.
Gaining the stuff is hard, but spending it is way too easy. It wasn't a small amount by normal standards, but compared to what I'd started with, it was barely a speck. I let out a long sigh. I had no idea when I'd ever accumulate this much again, so the loss stung more than it should.
Still, my abilities had been massively reinforced. That satisfaction led my gaze to one final skill.
"Affinity, huh."
This one belonged to the Wild Tamer line. It made raising affinity with tamed creatures much easier. Higher affinity provided small stat boosts to those monsters, which was why I'd unlocked it in the first place.
"The remaining experience fits perfectly. Might as well."
After confirming the numbers, I smiled with satisfaction and unlocked the skill. Expecting the usual rush of fulfillment, I closed my eyes in anticipation.
Any moment now the pleasant fullness would spread through my whole body… through my whole body… my body…
"Why don't I feel anything?"
I opened my eyes, puzzled. The satisfying surge I'd felt with every previous unlock was completely absent. I was still wondering about my perfectly normal state when—
"Sniff, sniff."
"What are you doing?"
"It smells nice."
"Kiiit."
At some point Adela and Rata had drawn close. Both wore relaxed, comfortable expressions. That told me the skill had activated successfully.
Strange. A bug? Worried the Mystery might be malfunctioning, I examined the power residing within me more carefully. The only response was a distinctly sulky, mischievous ripple from the Mystery itself, clearly annoyed at being doubted by its own master.
"Sorry. You just feel different from the others."
I apologized to the silent protest in my head, then tried to figure out what made this skill unique. Was it because of my class? Some special quality of the experience points? Different mana? No clear answer came to mind.
"Well, the skill is working. I guess I can let it slide."
I was about to move on when Rata climbed onto my hand. The little guy expertly scaled my arm and pushed his head forward, demanding pets. I stroked him without thinking. Adela, now clinging to my knee, watched us with open fascination.
"It's amazing."
"What is?"
"That squirrel. It looks incredibly close to you, Argo. Animals that possess Mystery are usually very wary of people."
"Well… yeah. For some reason animals have always liked me a lot. Back when I worked at the guild they even called me a dru—"
I stopped mid-sentence as realization struck.
That was it.
My existing talent was why I hadn't felt the usual fulfillment. Adela's comment had given me the missing piece. The hypothesis that an ability I already possessed simply didn't trigger the sensation cleared my mind completely.
I turned to her with genuine gratitude.
"Thanks. You just solved a mystery for me."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Adela looked utterly confused, having no context for my sudden thanks. I was about to explain when—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Excuse me. Is Argo inside?"
The sound of someone rapping on the door made me stand. This was an adventurer's lodge, so random salesmen were unlikely. A visitor, then?
"I don't remember inviting anyone."
Surprised that anyone would come looking for me, I opened the door with a quizzical expression. Whoever had come all the way here probably hadn't done so without good reason.
"I'm Argo. What can I do for you?"
The person standing in the hallway was massive. His body looked naturally gifted with muscle that radiated pure presence and density. The aura he gave off without even trying was far from ordinary. Even my most conservative estimate put him well above me in strength. I regarded the powerhouse with open interest.
The man bowed his head politely.
"I apologize for the late visit. However, there is someone who very much wishes to meet you, so I had no choice but to come."
"Using someone stronger than me as an errand runner? Your employer must be someone important."
The man's expression turned odd. He scratched the back of his head and corrected me.
"To be precise, I didn't come here as a mere errand boy."
"Wait, what do you—"
"I wanted to meet the central figure of this recent subjugation force myself."
The answer didn't come from the giant, but from a voice behind him. Because the man filled the doorway so completely, I hadn't noticed anyone else. I quickly leaned sideways to look past him and froze.
There stood an unexpected guest.
Beautiful silver hair and eyes the color of rubies. Unlike his warrior-born brothers, he had been born with a frail constitution—an unfortunate soul. In exchange, heaven had granted him an almost supernatural talent for finance and administration. Among the robust people of the North he had grown up unusually delicate, earning him the nickname "Flower of the North." Veil Edenberg, third son of the Edenberg family, gave a light wave and a playful smile.
"It would be rude to summon a warrior who's exhausted from battle, so I came in person."
His ruby eyes sparkled with unmistakable mischief.