Chapter 46
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Master's Authority
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"Ahem! Don't let appearances fool you—this artifact is quite the piece."
It was a 'Unique', '2nd Tier', 'Accessory' artifact, no less.
Among them, the one Jun had obtained, [Teya's Tear], could even be considered endgame material depending on the situation.
"Um, Senior. Mind if I give it a try?"
"......"
"I'll go for it!"
Taking Jun's silence as permission, Aiden drew his sword and swung at the golem.
Even though it was a serious strike, the golem reacted by raising its arm.
But the golem's arm, thin as a bamboo stalk, was cleanly severed by Aiden's blade...
"......"
"......"
"......"
A heavy silence fell for a moment before Aiden spoke up first.
"I've never disobeyed your orders before, Senior, but... could you reconsider saying no cover is needed?"
Aiden's expression was pitiful.
Instead, it brimmed with resolve to train harder and grow stronger himself.
Jun felt like he'd be even more hurt seeing that look, but it was time to explain properly.
"That's not it... I only filled it with enough mana for one day. Plus, this thing's a growth-type artifact."
"A growth-type artifact? First I've heard of it. Artifacts can grow?"
"Some of them can. That's why this one's 2nd Tier."
[Teya's Tear] was one of the rare summoning artifacts—and an even rarer growth type.
In other words, the longer time passed, the stronger the summoned golem would become.
'With some effort, it could reach the level of that giant divine soldier I saw in the Witch's Forest.'
That would make it viable even at level 7. Purely as a tank, it could handle level 8.
Maybe even higher.
"How does the growth work?"
"Simple. I infuse it with my mana. It starts with a limit on how much it can take, but keep at it steadily, and the capacity increases. This is already pretty grown."
When Jun first summoned the golem, it had been smaller than a goblin.
"To make it battle-ready, it'd take months at least."
"Not necessarily. It's not fully attuned to my mana yet."
If Jun's mana fully synchronized with the artifact, growth would accelerate dramatically.
"It has other uses too. So once this guy's complete, it'd be more efficient for you two to jump into combat than guard me."
"I see... Understood."
Jun had explained that much, so it had to be useful.
Aiden turned to Maya.
"So, how should we sync up?"
The last time Aiden had synced with Jun, it was against monsters.
But back then, they were both level 1 with little combat experience.
It counted as training, but now Aiden was level 3 proficient, and Maya was nearing level 4—proper sparring here would be tough.
"Syncing from scratch is hard. So let's spar."
"Spar... you mean?"
"Yeah."
Aiden's face fell, sour memories surfacing, while Maya seemed indifferent.
"I'll win anyway, right?"
Jun grinned at Maya's casual attitude.
"Won't be as easy as last time."
Skills introduced massive variables.
Like how Maya's sword hadn't broken only because of Aiden's first [Charge].
"And the point isn't to beat each other. It's to read your opponent's mindset."
"Mindset?"
"For example. Maya, say a dungeon group ambushes us. How would you react?"
"Kill 'em."
"You, Aiden?"
"......I'd aim to subdue if possible."
With such different values and goals, their coordination was bound to falter.
Until now, Colton and his mercenaries had masked the issue.
Colton led the fights, and Aiden and Maya just filled the gaps.
"But from now on, it'll often be just us three. We can't fight like before."
In life-or-death battles, poor teamwork could be fatal.
Aiden and Maya nodded at Jun's explanation.
Aiden remembered Colton's impressive teamwork vividly, and Maya understood tribal unity well.
"Start without mana. Aiden, no skills."
"Ack."
Aiden panicked briefly at losing his biggest variable, but accepted it.
As Jun said, this spar was about understanding thoughts.
"Alright... Begin!"
"Hoo."
Back at the inn after the day's schedule, Maya let out a soft sigh.
Three days since starting spars with Aiden.
Jun's idea hadn't thrilled her at first.
Her goal was tracking the Corroders who massacred her tribe.
To her, Jun and Aiden were stepping stones to revenge, not lifelong comrades. Teamwork gains meant little.
It only fueled her impatience.
—Always remember. Impatience brings death here.
Her father's words barely held it back.
The Corroders were strong—strong enough to slaughter her tribe on a level 5 field.
Even her father, who'd once operated at level 6, fell to them.
'I need to get stronger.'
If her ancestors' spirits hadn't urged her to follow Jun, she might've wandered layer 5 alone.
Maybe died in the process.
But they insisted Jun was key to her goal, as if foreseeing the future.
She didn't know how yet.
"......I might get it."
Aiden.
Unlike day one, he was keeping up with her level now—almost like a different person.
He still couldn't read her intent fully, but he was blocking her attack paths more accurately.
Just as Jun aimed: Aiden learning Maya's style.
Conversely, Maya struggled to grasp Aiden's.
He seemed too kind, too good.
She could read his actions' psychology, but unconsciously resisted understanding or adapting.
Her survival methods were worlds apart from such kindness.
"Tricky."
Still, it wasn't meaningless.
Today, she'd glimpsed Aiden's true intent.
"Weird."
Today, Aiden had swung at her with real killing intent.
Conscious or not.
And it stemmed from one of her attempts.
"Can't figure it."
She'd pondered two days to draw out Aiden's truth.
The surefire way: touch a reverse scale.
For Maya, combat itself was hers.
All her styles came from her father.
Every fight recalled him, boiling her killing intent toward Corroders. Always genuine.
So what was Aiden's reverse scale?
After deep thought, Maya deliberately leaked killing intent toward Jun.
Aiden seemed to revere him.
It worked spectacularly.
Aiden blocked her path to Jun instantly, his sword carrying something akin to killing intent for the first time.
Only then did Maya grasp a clue about Aiden.
She still didn't know why he'd react that way.
From their banquet chatter, they were near-strangers.
"......"
Still, it was an emotion she'd need to understand someday. Not just for teamwork.
Her ancestors' spirits, etched in her, said so.
"Today's for gearing up."
"Gear!"
Aiden's eyes sparkled like a pup hearing 'treat'.
First for Aiden: shoes.
He'd noticed before—his leather boots couldn't handle [Charge]'s recoil.
The soles shredded on push-off; in combat, they might tear open.
'Nothing more embarrassing.'
A royal fighting in holey shoes? Unthinkable.
"Maya, throwing weapons for you."
"Thro-wing?"
"Like daggers you hurl."
"Why gimme that?"
It sounded random to her.
Her mains were twin swords. No need for projectiles.
"Your wrist flicks look perfect for it. Paired with your intent-reading, great for ambushes."
"......Got it."
Maya felt uneasy but accepted Jun's advice.
Bradon had drilled her to heed such counsel.
And Jun never issued pointless orders.
'Okay. Grow her per game specs.'
Truth was, Jun hadn't scouted her wrist snap.
Just knew the in-game Maya excelled with thrown weapons as an NPC.
'Her skills aren't fully ripe yet.'
In-game, she had talent for it—worth investing.
Both close-range, so one needed mid-range poke for mutual support.
But gearing was tricky.
No online shopping here.
They spent ages hitting workshops for custom fits.
'No rush for one day.'
A full day yielded no great enchanted gear.
'No leads from Cloi yet, teamwork incomplete.'
Time to shop carefully.
Three days in, Aiden and Maya seemed to gain insights from sparring.
Jun slipped out quietly to the streets alone.
Cloi mentioned assassination risks, but daytime in Black Forest Fortress? No bold fool would target him.
'They'll strike at a fatal moment.'
He wandered merchant and artisan stalls.
Level 1 checkpoints like Black Forest rarely had top craftsmen, but lately, traders flocked for next year's Forest Guardian raid high-levels.
Merchants had ranks too; selling to elites wasn't everyday.
"Hm......"
Still no standout gear.
Good ones too pricey, ill-fitting pricier, or middling.
Better quality for the investment.
Then—
"Hngh!"
"Damn fraud!"
"Don't come back! Kyak, ptui!"
"Be glad you're alive!"
A man tumbled from an alley, rolling on the ground.
His ragged look suggested this wasn't new.
"Th-this...!!"
50s or 60s elder.
Fuming, he pounded the dirt as his assailants laughed and vanished into the alley.
"......"
A mage?
Jun thought so instantly, but no mana.
Weird. He tilted his head.
'Why'd I peg him as a mage?'
His sackcloth was threadbare, form unrecognizable.
Maybe resembled a mage char from his 'Lee Jung-jun' days?
'Nothing but rags in common.'
If just rags, he'd think it every time. Never had.
A flicker of curiosity hit Jun.
Unconsciously, he focused his 'gaze' on the elder.
Through a mage's eyes, probing.
Info flooded his mind.
Not a game NPC he knew.
But one thing.
"......!"
A sense of kinship.
His leather bracelet.
Plain, no grand emblem.
Yet it dredged nauseating memories.
—I never expected this. Meant to nurture your talent.
—My arrogance. Trying to define your level with mere 'talent'.
—To say this... such boundless, arrogant, irreverent talent.
A hypocritical middle-aged man spouting that casually.
Why now?
Probably.
'Lazy Pilgrim's Odyssey......'
He sensed his master's authority in that bracelet.