Chapter 126: How a Veteran Wins a Festival (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 126: How a Veteran Wins a Festival (3)
The air changed.
No, it wasn't just the air that had changed.
"Ah...!"
"How can a song be this beautiful..."
"This is... unbelievable."
Goosebumps erupted across their skin.
Their tightly shut mouths slowly fell open.
[Titanic - My Heart Will Go On]
In the past, he had played this with a recorder stuffed in his mouth, completely ignoring the pitch and tempo.
Of course, this was entirely different.
The skill 'Heavenly Melody' didn't just play the instrument; it could recreate the very background and memories of how the song was made.
Along with the gentle melody, a vast ocean unfolded before everyone's eyes.
[Every night in my dreams...]
There was a man who wished to live, dreaming of a new world.
There was a woman trapped in a cage, lamenting her fate and wishing for death.
This song...
...contained the story of those two.
[I see you, I feel you...]
The man met the woman.
The woman met the man.
Like destiny, they found each other.
[Love was when I loved you...]
The man chose to die to save the one he loved.
And...
...the woman chose to live to honor the one she loved.
The song continued to play.
The sorrowful rhythm echoed through the forest.
In a silence so profound that even the sound of breathing had ceased, Jinhyuk busily moved his hands toward the song's climax.
His long, slender fingers gently caressed each and every string of the instrument.
[Once more, you open the door...!]
None of them had ever seen the movie.
That was only natural.
Since it belonged to the world outside the Tower.
But, transcending language and culture, every elf present could feel their heart beating wildly.
It was beautiful.
Because that was the only way to describe it, shivers ran down their entire bodies.
"T-this makes no sense. How could a mere human..."
Teslon's pupils quaked.
The [Dekartan] was an instrument notorious for being difficult to master, even for elves.
Its forty-nine strings each reacted to different types of mana, and the tone it produced varied depending on the angle the instrument was held.
Yet, he was playing it with such dazzling virtuosity.
It was a level of handwork that was hard to believe even while watching it happen.
No, it's not just his hands that are amazing.
His understanding of the instrument, and above all, his deep comprehension of the song he was playing, was enough to give the listeners goosebumps.
Although Teslon had vowed not to show any emotion under any circumstances...
...at this point, he had no choice but to admit it.
His opponent was a monster on an entirely different level, even in the realm of music.
At the same time,
Damn it...
An image of himself wearing cat ears, a tail, and even rabbit shoes flashed through his mind.
Along with a solemn vow never to make a bet with that guy ever again.
* * *
The five-minute performance came to an end, but no applause followed.
It was because everyone was still lost in the lingering emotions of the song.
Clap!
"Woahhhhh!"
It was only after several minutes had passed that the first clap triggered a massive burst of cheering.
"D-did you hear that just now?"
"That's the most beautiful song I've ever heard in my life."
"I'm so glad I'm alive to hear this..."
The elves clutched their chests in awe.
[The fire spirit 'Salamander' shoots up a small flame.]
[The water spirit 'Undine' gulps down a droplet of water.]
Even the spirits were filled with admiration.
Hehe.
The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth curled upward.
When he had come here in the past, he had been permanently exiled for the crime of polluting everyone's ears.
But this time, the tables had completely turned.
But was the recorder really that bad? I thought it was decent...
Who knew? He'd have to try it again if he got the chance. For some reason, he felt confident he could do well next time.
The applause grew louder and louder.
Well, enjoying the elves' applause and cheers was nice, but...
...teasing Teslon, who was standing over there with a face like he'd chewed on a piece of crap, took priority.
"My hands are a bit stiff since it's been a while since kindergarten, but it was still decent enough to listen to, wasn't it?"
He sneered, deliberately using polite honorifics.
This was far more effective than openly swearing or talking down to him.
"Hello? Over there... care to give me an answer? Excuse me? Knock knock!"
"..."
Teslon bit his lip hard.
His lips twitched as if he wanted to unleash a torrent of curses, but that was all he did.
He knew better than anyone that speaking up would only make things worse for him.
"Well, I'll take that as your surrender. Here, these are the extra costume pieces, so please wear them for the rest of the festival."
Jinhyuk smiled brightly and pulled out the extra accessories he had carefully kept in his Subspace Inventory.
"...I was wrong. Can't you let me off the hook just this once?"
"Pardon? Haha. No way. Surely a member of a great race wouldn't go back on his word, right? No, of course not."
"...I'm begging you. Please..."
He looked like he was on the verge of tears.
In fact, if there weren't so many eyes on him, he might have already burst into tears.
Jinhyuk slowly leaned in toward Teslon's ear.
And murmured in a whisper:
"Put yourself in my shoes. If you were me, would you have let me off?"
"...T-that's!"
"Exactly. That's my answer. So put it on. And you know what they say: 'It's easier if you just give up.' If it's too hard, keep repeating that to yourself."
He would rather die than let him off the hook.
There would be no negotiations or compromises.
After all, a war must be fought until one side is dragged down to the absolute bottom.
That way, they would never even dream of climbing back up.
"Haha. It seems our Ranger Captain has been dealt another blow. Please go easy on him. No matter how hot-headed he is, how could he possibly be a match for you, Lord Jinhyuk?"
Penheim, who had approached them at some point, let out a hearty laugh.
"It was just a lighthearted joke. We're actually very close. Right?"
"..."
Jinhyuk placed a hand on Teslon's shoulder.
Smile. Come on, smile a bit.
"Anyway, what brings you here?"
"I came because you won the music contest, Lord Jinhyuk. I'm here to give you your prize."
"Oh. What kind of prize is it?"
"Normally, you are allowed to choose one of our instruments."
An instrument...
Elven instruments were quite rare, so it certainly wasn't a bad prize.
They could be sold for a good price, or used in a romantic setting to instantly boost someone's favorability.
"Can I take a look at them first before deciding?"
"Hmm. If you wish, let us do so."
* * *
Following Penheim, they arrived at a small cave.
"From this point on, you cannot enter with weapons."
"We ask for your understanding."
Clank!
Thud!
The guards guarding the entrance crossed their spears.
I guess they're keeping up some level of security since it's a treasury.
"You fools! This person is the savior who rescued our village!"
"No, it's fine. When in Rome, do as the Romans do."
Shrugging his shoulders, Jinhyuk handed over his dagger and the Twin Dragon Sword.
No matter how formal the procedure, it was only polite to respect their customs since he was on elven land.
He didn't want to cause a pointless scene either.
After passing through a few more checkpoints, they finally reached the deepest part of the cave.
The place where all kinds of treasures gathered by the elves over countless years were stored.
True to its name, the interior was filled with rare and precious items.
"Mogi!"
Goguma looked around, his amber eyes wide.
Wagging his tail, it seemed he had spotted a treasure he liked.
Jinhyuk was equally amazed.
"This is truly magnificent. Honestly, I didn't expect it to be this grand."
"Haha. You flatter us. Ah! Come this way. The instruments are kept here."
Penheim pointed to the instruments neatly arranged on a flat rock.
From the Dekartan he had played earlier to instruments resembling harps and pianos.
The masterfully crafted instruments showed off their elegant forms.
Whichever he chose, he wouldn't regret it.
However, Jinhyuk's gaze was fixed on something else entirely.
Ho.
The exclamation that escaped his lips was filled with genuine awe.
He couldn't help it.
The sacred relics he had once read about in ancient texts: 'Pentagris's Molar' and 'Pentagris's Fang'.
To think he would see them here.
The mythical beast Pentagris was one of the few spiritual creatures capable of freely traversing all floors of the Tower.
Even Jinhyuk had only seen it once from afar...
...so there was no need to explain how difficult it was to find a sacred relic associated with it.
Could the Zhonghua faction have targeted the elven village for this?
Jinhyuk thought about it, but soon shook his head.
No, that's highly unlikely.
There was no way a mere group like Zhonghua or the Murim would know information that even he didn't.
But man, they really are gorgeous.
The Molar was a longbow measuring about 1.5 meters, with the effect of allowing the user to materialize and shoot mana without needing physical arrows.
On top of that, its range and power were rated as top-tier, meaning it had no rivals until the middle floors of the Tower.
It was a top-grade sacred relic recognized by everyone.
The Fang is incredible too.
Jinhyuk's gaze shifted slightly to the right.
A dagger about 38 centimeters long.
Uniquely, it had a surface as black as obsidian, but the blade itself glowed with a faint green light.
It was lightweight and perfectly balanced, belonging to the [Green] grade, the fourth tier among sacred relics.
Gulp.
Saliva pooled in his mouth.
...He wanted it.
The +10 dagger he was currently using wasn't bad, but it was about time he upgraded to a better weapon.
As he climbed higher, stronger and more difficult opponents would inevitably appear.
"Is there any way I could get one of these instead of an instrument?"
"Hmm. I am sorry, but those weapons are sacred relics we received after treating an injured mythical beast. They hold symbolic meaning for our village, so we cannot give them away lightly."
Well, of course.
They wouldn't just hand over an item of this caliber as a prize.
In that case, for now...
"I'll take the Dekartan. It felt like a perfect fit when I played it earlier."
"An excellent choice. After hearing your performance, I too was convinced that nothing suits you better than this instrument, Lord Jinhyuk."
Penheim smiled broadly and reached for the instrument.
[Elder 'Penheim' recognized.]
[The seal is released.]
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.
As expected, there's a security barrier installed.
It's about a 2-star barrier.
In a split second, he had completely analyzed the barrier's structure and the flow of its mana.
* * *
About thirty minutes passed.
After leaving the cave, Jinhyuk parted ways with Penheim.
Penheim left after telling him to enjoy the rest of the festival, and Jinhyuk strolled through the forest along a path with Goguma.
It was right then.
"Mogi!"
"Huh?"
"Beee."
Goguma dropped a dagger he had hidden in his mouth onto the ground.
It was the sacred relic stored in the cave, Pentagris's Fang. Furthermore, somehow hidden beneath his belly was the longbow, the Molar.
"Hey! How could you just take those out like that?"
Jinhyuk put a finger to Goguma's mouth with a serious expression.
Theft!
No, seriously.
Taking someone else's things without permission is a truly bad thing to do.
"Mogi..."
Goguma hung his head low.
This must mean he was reflecting on his actions.
"What? Since we saved the village, it's only natural we receive this much?"
"Mogi?"
"Hmm. I suppose. It might be better for me to put them to good use rather than letting them rot inside a cave."
"Mogi!?!?"
Goguma squeaked as if to say he had never said such a thing, but Jinhyuk kept talking.
"Whew. I guess there's no helping it. I really didn't want to do this, but if we return them now, our cute little Goguma might get in trouble. Seriously, I didn't have even a milligram of such intentions, but we'll just have to keep this a secret between the two of us."
Yes.
This was all an unavoidable act to cover up Goguma's mistake.
Jinhyuk stealthily glanced around.
There were no watching eyes.
He couldn't sense any presence of elves.
And...
...before anyone knew it, the bow and dagger lying on the ground vanished like smoke.