The Dawn of Growth (Part 3)
Once we properly flipped the board, no one in the unit bothered me anymore.
Even the proud knights started giving me a wide berth, let alone the regular soldiers and maids. Some even looked at me with fear, muttering that they couldn't read my mind. It was only natural after the Darlton incident exposed our true nature.
If anything, what surprised me was how the vice-commander of the knights, Gilbert William, suddenly treated me with visible warmth despite his subordinates rotting away in the underground prison.
But once I learned through the Mankyung monocle that his kindness stemmed purely from curiosity and caution, I saw no need to reciprocate his interest.
Thanks to the laziness of the squadron leader, the Duke of Otis, and the hostility of his subordinates, I could focus on the game without a single interruption.
In the end, I achieved level 120. That meant only the next step of the Arsia quest remained: defeating the named monster in a blood battle.
The next challenge of the Arsia quest was, of course, the duel against the named monster.
[Named Monster: Fallen Knight Jennet]
Unusually, this enemy wasn't a monster but a middle-aged knight in human form. He wore a traditional full-plate knight's gear: half-shield, half-armor, and a round shield in one hand. Compared to Arsia, the heavy tank who relied on raw defense, he was a lighter close-range damage dealer.
“I thought I needed real combat experience fighting a knight who uses Aura, but it looks like it worked out just in time.”
“Sorry, but I have to kill you.”
The Vanguard system's ability to turn ordinary humans into combat machines was terrifying enough, but even without special equipment, knights were never easy opponents. Aura alone could boost both attack and defense, turning a human into something bordering on superhuman. Even if soldiers' combat power had risen thanks to modern times, a knight continuously spraying Aura was unbeatable. They could chop off your head in an instant if you stood there slack-jawed.
“Arsia, focus on defense. I'll handle the damage.”
“Understood.”
While Arsia set up her defensive stance, I cast a spell in one smooth motion.
“Then let's begin.”
Accompanied by the same arrogant declaration as always, the Fallen Knight Jennet advanced. His outer appearance looked relaxed, but the atmosphere he gave off was anything but friendly. Unseen waves of energy erupted from his entire body like steam, flickering and rising. Soon that energy coalesced and focused on his sword, turning into flickering flames that revealed a terrifying presence. It was the trademark of a high knight: Aura Fire.
Just like during the Demerich incident, this quest monster stood a full rank higher than both Arsia and me.
-Pot!
I continued casting calmly, eyes fixed on every movement of the enemy. The Fallen Knight raised his sword horizontally, then slammed his foot down with a heavy thud.
It was as if he had teleported straight in front of me. I widened my eyes in shock, and Arsia immediately swung her shield.
-Kwaang!
There it was—the terrifying thing about knights. They could actually execute the impossible movements seen only in comics.
The first clash was probably to test my shield's defense. He brought down his Aura Fire with a straight, honest strike.
“......”
But his blade felt even more solid than I expected. The Fallen Knight furrowed his brow, reversed the rebound of his sword, and suddenly came for me from behind. A spinning slash that used the shield's recoil to its fullest. The attack was so smooth and fluid that I barely followed it with my eyes.
Still, I trusted in Arsia's defense and unleashed the spell once it finished casting.
-Cheong!
As expected, Arsia blocked it perfectly.
“Fire Sword!”
Then the four-circle magic that reminded me of flying swords, Fire Sword, manifested and charged straight at the Fallen Knight. For five full seconds, the fiery blade whirled like a mad thing, aimed right at him. It was the kind of spell that would definitely draw a knight's attention.
“Hup!”
-Bang! Paang!
But the high knight title wasn't just a title, was it? He perfectly dispelled my magic, right down to the last detail.
‘This fight is going to last a while.’
Of course, I didn't take zero damage, but compared to his total HP, the damage was minimal. I clicked my tongue and began casting again while Arsia stood firm in front of me, guarding my back.
-Kwaaang! Cheong! Cheong!
From then on, it was a fierce battle between the one who wanted to block and the one who wanted to pierce. The Fallen Knight Jennet slithered like a snake, looking for openings, while Arsia blocked every single attack aimed at me. I watched every movement of those two people closely and kept swinging the balance scale with magic.
“Ugh......”
As our fierce exchange continued, my magic tips finally tipped the scales. Arsia's defense, which was so solid it could be called unbreachable, finally made the Fallen Knight feel flustered for the first time.
-Pit!
Of course, I couldn't let my guard down just because I had the advantage. Even though it wasn't a fatal blow, his agile movements let him graze my cheek and shoulder several times. It stung, but I didn't consider it worth worrying about.
So I used every spell I had at my disposal, thinking of useful attacks and analyzing his patterns.
“Kuk!”
The result was that the number of solid hits I landed on him gradually increased.
-Pit!
At first the sword's trajectory wasn't visible at all, but now it was starting to come into view.
“Die.”
And the moment Arsia's defense was finally breached.
I lightly deflected the sword coming for my throat. His expression grew even harder, as if he had just realized he couldn't land a solid hit on a mage who moved as slowly as a pre-freeze state.
-Cheong!
Arsia, with a furious look, swung her shield and sent the Fallen Knight flying once again, and the same situation repeated.
“Ha, are you using me as a stepping stone?”
His voice was full of disbelief. The moment his attack had pierced Arsia and still failed to reach me, his momentum was completely broken.
And the fierce battle that lasted roughly thirty minutes gave me the feeling that I had grown even stronger. The thousands of monsters I had hunted with a body synchronized to reality had not been in vain.
[You have defeated the named monster, Fallen Knight Jennet.]
[You have cleared Arsia Quest Stage 5.]
* * *
Sixth floor of Manuel Lucas's tower. The realm of a fifth-circle high mage. Though policies differed by country, the Lheinhatz Kingdom always granted the title of Baron and offered the chance to join the imperial magic squad. Considering I had only just obtained Arsia and it had been less than twenty days, the growth speed was astonishing.
“No matter how many times I look at it, it's always a wonderful sight.”
I licked my lips while gazing at the treasure box that had become visibly more splendid. And the moment I touched it, the message that greeted me was even longer than before.
[You have acquired the 2nd Circle route.]
[The amount is too large to receive via account transfer and online currency.]
[A new account will be created at the Elysia Union Bank.]
[The Elysia Union Bank online service will be installed at the terminal.]
[Account and password will be automatically saved.]
I had always received my money through online currency because receiving it via domestic bank accounts risked tax investigations. But even online currency had its limits. The amount couldn't exceed a certain threshold.
So I was granted the actual asset in the form of creating an anonymous account at the Elysia Union Bank, which was thoroughly protected by privacy.
The Elysia Union Bank was owned by the Elysia Union, made up of elves, dwarves, and other races across the continent. Almost all transactions were conducted non-face-to-face, from account creation onward. That was why it was used so heavily for underground funds. The main customers were nobles and merchants who pulled money out for tax evasion. As a result, the bank had few customers but the largest deposit volume in the world. To those running the country, it was an eyesore, but it remained safe because of the tacit consent of the world's nobles and the bank president's special lineage.
‘An Elysia Union Bank account should be fine.’
It was a bit of a pity that such an option hadn't been available from the start. So I wasn't worried and looked at the next reward.
[You have acquired the Istro Staff.]
[You have acquired the Istro Robe.]
[You have acquired the Istro Armor.]
[You have acquired the Istro Shield.]
[You have acquired the Istro Short Sword.]
[You have acquired the Istro Arming Sword.]
……
This time the rewards were equipment, but the message kept coming and I had to stop and stare.
[You have acquired the Istro Halberd.]
[All Istro equipment will be transmitted to reality. Please log out and check your inventory.]
A total of thirteen pieces of equipment had been rewarded. The only mage-exclusive equipment I would actually use was the robe and staff, and the rest were all combat equipment.
‘Is this for Arsia?’
Short sword, arming sword, bastard sword, two-handed sword, saber, spear, halberd. It was as if he was giving me whatever weapon I wanted, like a buffet of choices.
‘Well, the more equipment the better. Besides, the Grand Duke Lucas wouldn't be giving out ordinary cold weapons.’
Although no detailed explanation was provided, I guessed that these might be equipped with the same mechanism as the Vanguards wore. Arsia's current equipment was already excellent, but that was the world of Chronicle Online set in the medieval era. In the real world where Vanguards ran rampant, simple cold weapons were useless. And the one who created the Vanguard equipment wasn't Manuel Lucas?
I was full of anticipation for every piece.
[The Fifth Circle has been generated.]
I continued to train magic for a long time, and once I was ready, I logged out to check the rewards in reality.