Chapter 21: Level Up (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 21: Level Up (1)
The chief's eyes narrowed, and very fiercely at that.
"Where did you hear about the Spirit Imprint? It's not something a young warrior like you should know about."
Of course, the place I had originally learned about it was the game. There was no way that I, a pro gamer, could be oblivious to such a basic thing. I didn't have to admit that, however, because I had already confirmed that this information could easily be found in books at the library.
"I read it in a book," I said bluntly. "In the book, it said that Spirit Imprints were a great help in fighting the elves during the War of Sacred Relics—"
"Hahaha!"
Interrupting my words, the chieftain burst into laughter. To be honest, it was fucking scary, but I thankfully didn't end up pissing my pants because the laughter sounded quite joyous.
"You read a book? How funny! Both you and Ainar—how strange it is to have two odd students like you show up at the same time!"
Fortunately, in the eyes of the chieftain, we were just young barbarians full of a desire for knowledge.
"...If the contents of the book are true, I want to receive this secret art."
"Of course, I have no reason to refuse a Spirit Imprint if a warrior demands it! But young warrior, there is a problem!"
"A problem?"
"It costs a lot of money."
Dang, I had been scared for no reason. Why was he saying something as obvious as that in such an ominous tone?
A Spirit Imprint required a lot of expensive ingredients. The problem with higher-level imprints was not the cost of the ingredients, but that if there were no ingredients available, there were a lot of things you'd have to collect.
"Hahaha! It's commendable that you've come this far after reading a book, but it seems you haven't learned everything yet!"
"I have money. How much is it?"
The chief looked at me like I was a clueless child.
"The cost of an Immortality Imprint is, well, about eight hundred thousand stones!"
I frowned. Ugh, that was 150,000 stones more expensive than the game, but still, I could pay for it.
"I'll pay."
"What?"
"...You will?"
The chieftain and Ainar both shouted at the same time.
Before they could bombard me with questions, I opened my pouch and took out one five-hundred-thousand stone and three one-hundred-thousand stones. At this, suspicion appeared in the chieftain's eyes.
"Bjorn, son of Yandel, where did you get so much money?"
It would have been a shame if he hadn't asked. I had even planned my lines in advance and rehearsed the story with Erwen.
Gruffly, I explained that I ran into an elf on the first floor and had been treating her like a slave when an essence happened to appear in front of her by chance. Then I made her sister pay the price for it...
"Hahaha! Those idiots!"
"You're the first to ever rob those sly fern faces, Bjorn, son of Yandel!"
The barbarians liked this story even more than I expected. Not just Ainar and the chief of the tribe, either—the elders who hadn't been anywhere near us also came over to laugh. Did they really have that much bad blood with the elves?
"Hahaha! I don't know how long it's been since I've laughed like that!"
Soon the chieftain took six hundred thousand stones from my hand.
Huh? I'm sure he just said eight hundred thousand stones...
As I cocked my head, the chieftain patted my shoulder.
"Consider it a gift, for a young warrior who has shown the mark of greatness!"
It felt like my shoulder had just been dislocated, but the reward was sweet. Shit, two hundred thousand stones with just a few words!
Our chieftain's personality was as fiery as any barbarian's. I cried out with all my heart, "From now on, I will make sure to become an even greater warrior by screwing over even more fern faces that come my way!"
"I look forward to it, Bjorn, son of Yandel, young warrior!"
Was this what people meant when they said, "The more I look at it, the more attractive it is?"
I was gradually starting to take a liking to the barbarians.
***
A Spirit Imprint was a kind of strengthening technique. The idea behind it was that it bestowed a special ability on a person's body by infusing the "spirit" present in a magical ingredient into the body. It was also the reason why all barbarians were covered in tattoos.
I think I read somewhere that they had to be tattooed as infants while they still had relatively clean souls so that the soul pathways could be completed in adulthood. That was definitely the gist I got from it.
"I will give you one more chance to reconsider. If you choose this path, you cannot receive the imprint of another path. Will you still continue?"
"Of course."
I knew about all the other paths, so there would be no changing my decision. The higher-level Immortality Imprint was at the core of my leveling method, and even disregarding that, all the abilities you gained from the Immortality Imprint were mostly higher-quality ones.
"It seems that the elders have arrived, so you should go now."
"I will."
After Ainar left, the chieftain took me to the shaman's tent. Then, the ritual officially began.
"Hmm, your pathways are fairly clean. If you continue to keep your heart pure, this spirit will provide you with great power in the future."
The blindfolded shaman spoke words I couldn't understand and poked a needle into the tattoo on my upper body. And...
"Ughhh..."
"Young warrior, do not hold back. You may scream. They all do."
"Aaargh!"
It felt like a pain ten times as strong as any healing potion was overwhelming my body.
Damn it, I had thought it was just a regular tattoo. Would I have to go through this pain every time I went up to a higher level?
"Okay, it's over. I'm tired, so you may leave."
By the time the shaman uttered the words I had been waiting for, it was already dark outside. The chief of the tribe, who had brought me here, was nowhere to be seen.
"Thank you."
"This is the first time a warrior has ever thanked a shaman," he chuckled.
Hmm? Did I do something wrong?
I didn't know, but I got out of the tent before he could get suspicious.
[You have activated Immortality Imprint: Stage 1. Your healing factor has greatly increased.]
"Hahaha! I don't know how long it's been since I've laughed like that!"
Soon the chieftain took six hundred thousand stones from my hand.
Huh? I'm sure he just said eight hundred thousand stones...
As I cocked my head, the chieftain patted my shoulder.
"Consider it a gift, for a young warrior who has shown the mark of greatness!"
It felt like my shoulder had just been dislocated, but the reward was sweet. Shit, two hundred thousand stones with just a few words!
Our chieftain's personality was as fiery as any barbarian's. I cried out with all my heart, "From now on, I will make sure to become an even greater warrior by screwing over even more fern faces that come my way!"
"I look forward to it, Bjorn, son of Yandel, young warrior!"
Was this what people meant when they said, "The more I look at it, the more attractive it is?"
I was gradually starting to take a liking to the barbarians.
***
A Spirit Imprint was a kind of strengthening technique. The idea behind it was that it bestowed a special ability on a person's body by infusing the "spirit" present in a magical ingredient into the body. It was also the reason why all barbarians were covered in tattoos.
I think I read somewhere that they had to be tattooed as infants while they still had relatively clean souls so that the soul pathways could be completed in adulthood. That was definitely the gist I got from it.
"I will give you one more chance to reconsider. If you choose this path, you cannot receive the imprint of another path. Will you still continue?"
"Of course."
I knew about all the other paths, so there would be no changing my decision. The higher-level Immortality Imprint was at the core of my leveling method, and even disregarding that, all the abilities you gained from the Immortality Imprint were mostly higher-quality ones.
"It seems that the elders have arrived, so you should go now."
"I will."
After Ainar left, the chieftain took me to the shaman's tent. Then, the ritual officially began.
"Hmm, your pathways are fairly clean. If you continue to keep your heart pure, this spirit will provide you with great power in the future."
The blindfolded shaman spoke words I couldn't understand and poked a needle into the tattoo on my upper body. And...
"Ughhh..."
"Young warrior, do not hold back. You may scream. They all do."
"Aaargh!"
It felt like a pain ten times as strong as any healing potion was overwhelming my body.
Damn it, I had thought it was just a regular tattoo. Would I have to go through this pain every time I went up to a higher level?
"Okay, it's over. I'm tired, so you may leave."
By the time the shaman uttered the words I had been waiting for, it was already dark outside. The chief of the tribe, who had brought me here, was nowhere to be seen.
"Thank you."
"This is the first time a warrior has ever thanked a shaman," he chuckled.
Hmm? Did I do something wrong?
I didn't know, but I got out of the tent before he could get suspicious.
[You have activated Immortality Imprint: Stage 1. Your healing factor has greatly increased.]
[Your Physique stat has increased by +20.]
Although I was mentally exhausted, strangely, my body was full of energy. Was this the power of a spirit? It felt very strange. I could almost feel an unknown presence in my body. I should look into it in more detail later.
"Open the door!"
After leaving the holy land and returning to the inn, I tested my newly acquired abilities a few times, then collapsed and fell asleep.
***
Another day passed, and morning came. I went back to the market district I had visited with Erwen the other day. I wanted to invest the remaining 900,000 stones I had, thanks to the chieftain's discount, in myself.
"You're the one who came in the other day. Are you looking to sell again?"
"No, this time I came to buy."
I needed a new weapon. I had sold the hammer I had gotten from the heartstealer, along with the other equipment from my stint in the dungeon. The hammer hadn't felt bad in my hands, but the handle was too long for it to be used as a one-handed weapon, which made it awkward for me.
"I want to see one-handed blunt weapons."
"One-handed blunts..."
As a result of my battle with Ainar, I had decided that something like that suited me better than something sharp. Sword-type weaponry required skill and technique. Well, there's nothing you can't achieve with enough practice, but...
The weapon itself would only be used in the earlier levels anyway, so it was pointless to spend too much time learning it. After all, once I managed to acquire a particular essence, I was just going to focus on using the shield.
"Hmm."
The clerk studied me before showing me a one-handed blunt that didn't look like a one-handed blunt. The lightest one seemed to be three times heavier than the two-handed hammer I had sold.
This is a one-handed weapon?
"These are all one-handed blunt weapons favored by barbarians."
Oh, yeah, those guys would go crazy over these.
Even my shield was a simple piece of equipment made of a lump of iron, but...
"I want something a little more plain."
"Understood."
I didn't need something as flashy as the ones he had shown me. Weapons like that would prove to have a destructive power in each blow that was several times stronger than my last weapon, but...
The monsters on the first floor were already one-shot kills. It wasn't like I was going to fight against any large monsters, so there was a strong possibility that carrying a weapon like that would just end up being cumbersome.
Soon, the clerk brought out new weapons.
"How about these?"
Of course, these were also not at all standard, but for a barbarian's body, they were just right. I chose a mace of moderately average size.
"How much is this?"
"It's 250,000 stones."
What, 250,000? Just the other day, I sold six weapons for only 350,000!
When I frowned, the clerk explained, "The crafting of the weapon itself is not difficult, but there's a lot of iron that goes into making it, so the price can't be helped."
Oh, I see.
I accepted that explanation. Although, not without complaints.
"If you adjust the price to 220,000 stones, I will buy it right away."
[Your Physique stat has increased by +20.]
Although I was mentally exhausted, strangely, my body was full of energy. Was this the power of a spirit? It felt very strange. I could almost feel an unknown presence in my body. I should look into it in more detail later.
"Open the door!"
After leaving the holy land and returning to the inn, I tested my newly acquired abilities a few times, then collapsed and fell asleep.
***
Another day passed, and morning came. I went back to the market district I had visited with Erwen the other day. I wanted to invest the remaining 900,000 stones I had, thanks to the chieftain's discount, in myself.
"You're the one who came in the other day. Are you looking to sell again?"
"No, this time I came to buy."
I needed a new weapon. I had sold the hammer I had gotten from the heartstealer, along with the other equipment from my stint in the dungeon. The hammer hadn't felt bad in my hands, but the handle was too long for it to be used as a one-handed weapon, which made it awkward for me.
"I want to see one-handed blunt weapons."
"One-handed blunts..."
As a result of my battle with Ainar, I had decided that something like that suited me better than something sharp. Sword-type weaponry required skill and technique. Well, there's nothing you can't achieve with enough practice, but...
The weapon itself would only be used in the earlier levels anyway, so it was pointless to spend too much time learning it. After all, once I managed to acquire a particular essence, I was just going to focus on using the shield.
"Hmm."
The clerk studied me before showing me a one-handed blunt that didn't look like a one-handed blunt. The lightest one seemed to be three times heavier than the two-handed hammer I had sold.
This is a one-handed weapon?
"These are all one-handed blunt weapons favored by barbarians."
Oh, yeah, those guys would go crazy over these.
Even my shield was a simple piece of equipment made of a lump of iron, but...
"I want something a little more plain."
"Understood."
I didn't need something as flashy as the ones he had shown me. Weapons like that would prove to have a destructive power in each blow that was several times stronger than my last weapon, but...
The monsters on the first floor were already one-shot kills. It wasn't like I was going to fight against any large monsters, so there was a strong possibility that carrying a weapon like that would just end up being cumbersome.
Soon, the clerk brought out new weapons.
"How about these?"
Of course, these were also not at all standard, but for a barbarian's body, they were just right. I chose a mace of moderately average size.
"How much is this?"
"It's 250,000 stones."
What, 250,000? Just the other day, I sold six weapons for only 350,000!
When I frowned, the clerk explained, "The crafting of the weapon itself is not difficult, but there's a lot of iron that goes into making it, so the price can't be helped."
Oh, I see.
I accepted that explanation. Although, not without complaints.
"If you adjust the price to 220,000 stones, I will buy it right away."
When I tried to haggle, the clerk gave me a curious look.
...What kind of a pushover life did these barbarians lead?
"No one else will buy this kind of weapon anyway."
"Many barbarians often come in looking for things like this."
Well, maybe if it's the first weapon you show them.
The barbarians I knew wouldn't pick something so middling. Most importantly, most barbarians preferred a sharp-bladed weapon like an axe rather than a blunt weapon. When I threw this reasoning out there, the clerk agreed to the barter so easily that it almost took the wind out of my sails.
"All right. I'll sell it for 220,000 stones."
...Maybe I should've said two hundred thousand.
[Overall Item Level has increased by +85.]
Anyway, after that, I went around and bought two additional pieces of equipment.
First, a half-armor set.
[Overall Item Level has increased by +57.]
It was shaped like a bulletproof vest but made of a flat iron plate. The price was 360,000 stones, and I was able to get it at a lower price because there happened to be one in stock that was just the right size for me. If it had been made-to-order, I would have paid twice as much... like the helmet I bought next.
"It will take three days. Write down your address and I'll have someone deliver it to you."
In the case of helmets, they had to be made to order because they had to fit snugly on the head. Instead of giving up on my plan altogether, I was able to reach an agreement at the relatively low price of 170,000 stones.
[Overall Item Level has increased by +47.]
As a result, I had about fifty thousand stones left.
...I don't think I'll be able to eat any more meat anytime soon.
***
My daily routine was this:
Wake up at 7 a.m., then breakfast with Erwen.
"Wow, today's stew even has potatoes!" she cheered.
"But why do you eat breakfast here every day?" I replied.
"It's delicious and cheap!"
After eating, I headed straight to the library. If I walked slowly, I could head in as soon as it opened at eight o'clock.
"Parsytiev."
By now, I was used to being on the receiving end of the chronically tired librarian lady's spell.
"Good luck, then."
Of course, we still hadn't had a proper conversation yet.
Growl!
After reading until 4 p.m., if possible, I always tried to eat a simple meal at a restaurant I'd never been to.
Mm, this place is expensive but bland.
But there were a lot of adventurers around, so it was a good place to eavesdrop on their conversations.
"Is Ainar not here yet?"
"No! Until she comes, I will face you!"
After the meal, I headed to the barbarian dormitory and made it there around 5 p.m. After my seventh day of training, I started sparring with the other barbarians as well. Like them, I took off my shirt, swung my fists, strangled their necks, and fought fiercely.
Although it was far from the refined fighting style I was expecting... The matches with the barbarians, whose instincts and intuitions were extremely well developed, were a great help to me in the end, since I was a barbarian too.
[Reflexes have improved slightly with repeated training.]
[Flexibility has improved slightly with repeated training.]
[Perception has...]
[Your Physique stat has increased by +1.]
Now I had a better sense of how to use this body.
"Bjorn, son of Yandel, has won!"
"The greatest warrior ever!"
Even without the help of the new equipment, I occasionally won against Ainar. She was definitely skilled, but her weakness was that her fighting pattern was always the same. I gave her some tips about that, but it seemed it had already become an ingrained habit that she wouldn't be able to easily fix.
"I'm tired! I am going to sleep!"
"Me too!"
"A wise warrior knows when to rest!"
By 9 p.m., all the spars, which were more like actual battles, ended. Then, I took my sweaty and dirt-covered body back to the inn. By the time I finished washing up, Erwen dropped by to see me again.
"Mister! Hurry up and take a bath! The food is going to get cold!"
"Okay."
Not every day, but about five times a week, we would meet once more in the evening to eat and chat. Most of the conversations were about normal things like what Erwen did and how she felt that day.
"Aren't you tired of walking an hour to come here?"
"No? The food here is cheap and delicious!"
"Cheap and delicious," she says.
I didn't know why she was here when she had an older sister who made a lot of money.
"Thank you for the meal!"
By the time we finished eating, it was around 11 p.m. At this point, Erwen usually headed back to her inn.
"Good night, then. Oh, and I can't come tomorrow."
"Even if you did come, I wouldn't be able to see you anyway. After all, we'll both be busy tomorrow."
Up to this point, this had been my daily routine.
After checking the time, I quickly went to my room and fell straight into bed. A month had already passed. And...
[23:41]
About twenty-four hours remained before the labyrinth opened.
***
[Bjorn Yandel
Level: 1
Physique: 46 (New +21)
Spirit: 36
Special Ability: 1
Item Level: 202 (New +185)
General Combat Power: 133.5 (New +67.25)]
When I tried to haggle, the clerk gave me a curious look.
...What kind of a pushover life did these barbarians lead?
"No one else will buy this kind of weapon anyway."
"Many barbarians often come in looking for things like this."
Well, maybe if it's the first weapon you show them.
The barbarians I knew wouldn't pick something so middling. Most importantly, most barbarians preferred a sharp-bladed weapon like an axe rather than a blunt weapon. When I threw this reasoning out there, the clerk agreed to the barter so easily that it almost took the wind out of my sails.
"All right. I'll sell it for 220,000 stones."
...Maybe I should've said two hundred thousand.
[Overall Item Level has increased by +85.]
Anyway, after that, I went around and bought two additional pieces of equipment.
First, a half-armor set.
[Overall Item Level has increased by +57.]
It was shaped like a bulletproof vest but made of a flat iron plate. The price was 360,000 stones, and I was able to get it at a lower price because there happened to be one in stock that was just the right size for me. If it had been made-to-order, I would have paid twice as much... like the helmet I bought next.
"It will take three days. Write down your address and I'll have someone deliver it to you."
In the case of helmets, they had to be made to order because they had to fit snugly on the head. Instead of giving up on my plan altogether, I was able to reach an agreement at the relatively low price of 170,000 stones.
[Overall Item Level has increased by +47.]
As a result, I had about fifty thousand stones left.
...I don't think I'll be able to eat any more meat anytime soon.
***
My daily routine was this:
Wake up at 7 a.m., then breakfast with Erwen.
"Wow, today's stew even has potatoes!" she cheered.
"But why do you eat breakfast here every day?" I replied.
"It's delicious and cheap!"
After eating, I headed straight to the library. If I walked slowly, I could head in as soon as it opened at eight o'clock.
"Parsytiev."
By now, I was used to being on the receiving end of the chronically tired librarian lady's spell.
"Good luck, then."
Of course, we still hadn't had a proper conversation yet.
Growl!
After reading until 4 p.m., if possible, I always tried to eat a simple meal at a restaurant I'd never been to.
Mm, this place is expensive but bland.
But there were a lot of adventurers around, so it was a good place to eavesdrop on their conversations.
"Is Ainar not here yet?"
"No! Until she comes, I will face you!"
After the meal, I headed to the barbarian dormitory and made it there around 5 p.m. After my seventh day of training, I started sparring with the other barbarians as well. Like them, I took off my shirt, swung my fists, strangled their necks, and fought fiercely.
Although it was far from the refined fighting style I was expecting... The matches with the barbarians, whose instincts and intuitions were extremely well developed, were a great help to me in the end, since I was a barbarian too.
[Reflexes have improved slightly with repeated training.]
[Flexibility has improved slightly with repeated training.]
[Perception has...]
[Your Physique stat has increased by +1.]
Now I had a better sense of how to use this body.
"Bjorn, son of Yandel, has won!"
"The greatest warrior ever!"
Even without the help of the new equipment, I occasionally won against Ainar. She was definitely skilled, but her weakness was that her fighting pattern was always the same. I gave her some tips about that, but it seemed it had already become an ingrained habit that she wouldn't be able to easily fix.
"I'm tired! I am going to sleep!"
"Me too!"
"A wise warrior knows when to rest!"
By 9 p.m., all the spars, which were more like actual battles, ended. Then, I took my sweaty and dirt-covered body back to the inn. By the time I finished washing up, Erwen dropped by to see me again.
"Mister! Hurry up and take a bath! The food is going to get cold!"
"Okay."
Not every day, but about five times a week, we would meet once more in the evening to eat and chat. Most of the conversations were about normal things like what Erwen did and how she felt that day.
"Aren't you tired of walking an hour to come here?"
"No? The food here is cheap and delicious!"
"Cheap and delicious," she says.
I didn't know why she was here when she had an older sister who made a lot of money.
"Thank you for the meal!"
By the time we finished eating, it was around 11 p.m. At this point, Erwen usually headed back to her inn.
"Good night, then. Oh, and I can't come tomorrow."
"Even if you did come, I wouldn't be able to see you anyway. After all, we'll both be busy tomorrow."
Up to this point, this had been my daily routine.
After checking the time, I quickly went to my room and fell straight into bed. A month had already passed. And...
[23:41]
About twenty-four hours remained before the labyrinth opened.
***
[Bjorn Yandel
Level: 1
Physique: 46 (New +21)
Spirit: 36
Special Ability: 1
Item Level: 202 (New +185)
General Combat Power: 133.5 (New +67.25)]