The Will That Never Breaks
The moment Warren helped pull me out of the water, the skill's duration ended.
Indomitable Will effect has ended.
I collapsed flat on my back, completely drained. Warren rushed over immediately.
“Kael…! Are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay!”
“I’m fine. Just… give me a minute to catch my breath.”
He looked so worried that I forced out the words with what little strength I had left. It wasn’t a lie to reassure him. My whole body ached and I felt utterly exhausted, but after a short rest I figured I could at least sit up. Surprisingly, aside from my torn and shredded clothes, my body itself had no serious injuries. All thanks to the skill I’d gained after defeating the troll chieftain.
It was a passive that granted temporary invincibility when you took fatal damage.
“But you got hit by a bomb…”
Warren, who didn’t know the full story, still couldn’t hide his concern.
“That thing… it was all noise and no bite. Must’ve been a dud.”
Even as I said it, the absurdity hit me so hard I couldn’t help but chuckle weakly while lying there. Looking back, the fact that I’d deliberately tanked an incoming bomb with my own body was completely ridiculous. Still, seeing me laugh seemed to ease Warren’s worries.
This really was the only way.
I already knew the boss used bombs because I’d faced him while playing as Warren. Normally, the plan should have been a quick strike to take the leader out first. But the situation hadn’t allowed it. Warren was tied up fighting the two minions, and I couldn’t risk throwing Magic Missiles at a guy covered in explosives. So I went with the next best option.
I deliberately let myself get hit by one of his bombs to trigger Indomitable Will. Thanks to my pathetic constitution, the skill activated before the bomb could even fully detonate. For the next thirty seconds I became an untouchable diamond. After that, I grabbed a sharp piece of rubble from the shattered cave wall, charged the boss, and dragged him into the water with me. With the skill still active, I beat him down underwater with the stone, snatched the necklace, and escaped.
“That was seriously amazing,” Warren said with a relieved smile once he saw I really was fine. The tension had finally left his shoulders.
“You too. You worked hard.”
All that remained was heading back, but my body still refused to cooperate. I needed a little more time to recover.
“If there’s anything worth taking, could you gather it up? I think I need to rest a bit longer.”
I asked the only one of us still in decent shape to handle the looting. The blacksmith’s request had been to retrieve his wife’s necklace, but if any of the other stolen goods were still usable, it made sense to take them. Most importantly, the bandits had also taken the blacksmith’s money.
“Oh! Right. Don’t worry about it, just rest.”
Warren’s eyes sparkled as he answered and got to work. It might have been my imagination, but he seemed genuinely happy to have something useful to do.
He stuffed one of the bandits’ bags with bundles of coins and every halfway decent item he could find. While he worked, I somehow managed to recover enough to move my arms and legs again. Even carrying the heavy bag, Warren still helped me up and supported me as we walked together.
“Sorry I made you carry everything alone.”
“Don’t say that. Who do you think got us this far?”
Watching his pure, happy expression, I really felt how young Warren was. Maybe because I’d already lived in this world for quite a while, he felt less like a game protagonist and more like an ordinary boy his age. The whole thing had started as a way to make some money, but now I felt strangely embarrassed.
Leaning on Warren’s support, we finally left the cave. At night, unlike during the day, most kobolds stayed inside their dens. Instead of roaming in packs, only the occasional lone straggler appeared. Because I was so exhausted we had to stop and rest several times, but thanks to Warren we made it safely down the mountain.
At the base of the slope, we saw the blacksmith’s house with lights still leaking out even at this late hour.
“Mister!”
“Warren! You’re back!”
The blacksmith, who had heard us outside, came all the way to the door to greet us. The inside of the house still showed signs of breakage and damage, but it looked like he’d cleaned up somewhat. He sat us down at the table and served us tea.
“Thank you so much.”
The blacksmith held his wife’s recovered necklace with deep affection. Then he patted Warren’s shoulder.
“It’s not that I didn’t believe in your skills, but it was getting so late I was worried. You did wonderfully.”
“No, sir. It was all thanks to my friend here. We never would’ve found the necklace without Kael.”
“Oh? So the friend you made after entering the academy is already this impressive.”
The blacksmith chuckled warmly and kept thanking me as well.
“Let’s see… An old man like me can’t just send two young fellows away empty-handed after they did so much for me.”
He rummaged through the bag Warren had brought, pulled out one of the bundles of money, and set it on the table.
“Here. This is your reward.”
The bundle was surprisingly heavy.
“No, sir. We can’t accept this much. We’ve already been in your debt for so long…”
Warren waved his hands in surprise at the size of the payment.
This old man’s secretly loaded. Just take it.
I kept the thought to myself. From what I remembered, this blacksmith was quite skilled and had saved up a decent amount. When I’d completed this quest as Warren in the game, even if you only brought back the necklace, he’d still given you the money from the strongbox the stupid bandits had buried in the ground because they couldn’t find it.
“Now, now. Are you trying to turn this old man into someone who doesn’t even pay his debts?”
“But you need to repair your house… and fix up the forge too…”
“I can handle all that myself, so don’t you worry. Especially when I’m talking to a boy who was starving not long ago.”
The blacksmith glanced at me and added,
“And I can’t very well send your friend home empty-handed, can I?”
At that point Warren finally gave in.
“…Thank you, sir.”
He stood up and bowed deeply. The mood seemed to call for it, so I awkwardly got to my feet and copied him. The blacksmith told us he was the one who should be grateful and patted us both on the back.
“Wait here a moment.”
He disappeared into the back room and returned with a single sword.
There it is.
When playing as Warren, the real prize of this quest wasn’t the money—it was this sword. It looked plain at first glance, but it had been custom-made for him. It made channeling mana easier, so it was perfect for a magic swordsman. Thanks to this blade, Warren would be able to grow much stronger.
“It may not look like much, but it won’t disappoint you. Use it well.”
The blacksmith handed the sword to a bewildered Warren.
“But I already received money…”
“With your current skill, you should be able to handle it just fine now.”
The blacksmith cut him off, clearly refusing to take no for an answer. Warren stared down at the sword resting in both his hands with wide eyes. He looked completely stunned by the unexpected gift.
“…Then you should take this.”
After closing his eyes tightly for a moment, Warren suddenly held the sword out to me. I was caught completely off guard.
“Huh?”
“Everything—beating those guys and getting the mister’s belongings back—was only possible because of you. So this sword belongs to you.”
He insisted that he still needed more training and that only someone truly qualified should have it, practically shoving the weapon at me. In my confusion I ended up accepting the heavy blade without thinking.
Wait, no. I can’t even use a sword.
I was grateful for the thought, but as a mage this was completely useless to me. The weight alone was already beyond what I could swing around. It was essentially Warren-exclusive gear, and since it looked so plain I couldn’t even sell it.
“No, Warren. A fine blade like this should be used by someone who knows how to wield it. It’s perfect for you.”
“…Really?”
“You’re really good with a sword. You’re going to become an incredible magic swordsman someday.”
Grunting with effort, I pushed the heavy sword back into Warren’s hands. What I said wasn’t a lie. Warren had incredible talent that he himself didn’t fully realize yet. This sword was exactly the kind of tool that would help that talent bloom. Of course, it would still depend on how he used it from here on.
“Thank you…”
Warren gripped the sword tightly again. His expression grew firm, as if he’d made some kind of vow, and he gave a single strong nod.
“The young friend has quite the discerning eye.”
The blacksmith, who had been quietly watching, finally spoke up.
“Since you both accomplished this together, it wouldn’t be fair to only reward one of you. But because of those bandits, I won’t be able to use my forge for a while…”
He muttered to himself as he walked over to a cracked desk, pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen from the drawer.
“I’ll write you a letter of introduction to another blacksmith. He doesn’t take just any commission, but if you show him this, he’ll make something perfectly suited for you.”
It was a recommendation letter for the legendary blacksmith Gavin. Essentially a free pass to have custom equipment made. Gavin was a famous artisan who only accepted orders from those with a proper introduction, and his weapons were of the highest quality. His specialty was, of course, swords.
The problem was…
Ah. I’m a mage.