Flame Soldiers!!
My shout rang out—"Flame Soldiers!!"—and flames roared to life with a whoosh, summoning the fire soldiers.
Fortunately, these flame soldiers, conjured from the Death Flame, were formed from the soul power within the gemstone, so they consumed neither mana nor stamina.
"Three of you hold the front-line monsters! The other two, protect Norpa!"
The soldiers nodded at my command and swiftly formed up into formation.
Familiar Summon — Flame Soldiers
[Grrrrrrr---!!!]
I drew my sword toward the desert wolves charging at us, their massive jaws gaping wide.
"Kill them!!"
"Raaagh!!"
Blocking our path alongside dozens of desert wolves were men wearing massive turbans like Arab warriors, wielding curved scimitars.
Clang!Clang!Clang!!
Red Sickle drew his chakrams, dodging their attacks as he surged forward.
"Kraa!!"
The scimitar flying toward my throat was blocked by my Plunder Sword—crack!—and the blade shattered.
Weapon Destruction Successful!
Plunder's Wail is now available.
Limited Uses: 3/3
As the Plunder Sword absorbed the shards of the broken blade, a green poison aura cloaked it.
Slash!
I severed the arm of the man who'd attacked me without hesitation. Not a drop of blood fell from the cleanly cut limb, and from his shoulder down, it vanished as if it had never existed.
"Ugh, aaagh!!"
He screamed in shock, too stunned to even feel the pain, staggering back. I drew Amur's dagger and plunged it into his side.
"Guh...! Khek...!"
"......"
With the dagger buried in his side, I swung the Plunder Sword in my other hand backward in a wide arc.
Skaaaang!!
The blade whistled through the air, slicing off the leg of an enemy lurking behind me.
"Heok!!"
I grabbed the face of the foe tumbling forward, legless.
Click!Shrrrrk!!
A black gauntlet encased my hand gripping his face, shrouded in translucent, formless energy.
Earth Dragon Fist Used!!
Bam---!!
The punch landed square on his face, snapping his head back with a crunch before he flew off with a deafening ku-gagang!
"You bastard!!"
The last one swung his scimitar in rage, but I wasn't about to get hit by such a sloppy, mindless strike.
"Hup...!"
Just before his blade reached me, I slammed the ground with Earth Dragon.
Thud!Thud!Thud!Kuuung...!!!
The sand erupted as if some massive object had crashed down, forming a thick barrier around me.
Pfook!
The man's scimitar buried itself harmlessly in the sand wall. I sheathed the Plunder Sword, drew Tesaro's sword, and slashed at him.
True Chilya 1st Sword
The sharp sword aura pierced straight through his throat. Sand exploded in all directions instead of blood, and they crumbled to ash in an instant.
"Whew..."
By now, Red Sickle had cleaned up the remaining desert wolves and stragglers, wiping down his chakram blades with a cloth.
'As expected of a Heroic-grade NPC.'
While I'd handled three, he'd taken down six bandits and two wolves.
Daily Commission — Guild
🎁 Reward: EXP Boost Potion (1 hour)
🎁 Reward: 10 Gold
Once the corpses vanished, a small notification popped up. Naturally, our attackers had been NPCs, not players.
Hitting [Confirm] dismissed the window, and a small reward chest appeared before me.
"Daily quests sure are stingy on rewards."
I pocketed the murky potion—like muddy water—and the gold from the chest.
'Even if they're NPCs, killing humanoid types never feels great.'
These so-called grindy daily quests could be done multiple times a day and offered instant completion for player convenience.
"Still, hunting bandit packs gives the most contribution points..."
Why was I, who needed to head to the duchy, grinding quests out here?
Simple reason.
"Yes!"
I clenched my fist and shouted without thinking. Finally, this tedious grind was over.
"Now we can enter the duchy."
"Yeah."
Unlike the Iron Kingdom or Deus Union, the Kal Duchy required a pass unless you started there as a player.
To get one, you had to raise reputation by doing commissions at the guild by the duchy's walls.
Sure, high-difficulty quests could boost favor all at once, but the issue wasn't clearing them—it was avoiding unwanted rumors.
'In the duchy, you have to watch out for NPCs as much as players. The guild at the entrance exists because of the three ducal houses.'
They were in a tense balance of power, desperately scouting talent. The guild was essentially a gateway.
Your activities during commissions got reported to all three houses, and sometimes they'd even make recruitment offers.
'Well, low difficulty but targeting only humanoid monsters let me practice my swordsmanship too. No loss there.'
"That aside... Level 49 is taking forever to rise."
I scanned the area, confirmed no one was coming, and muttered in disappointment.
Since beating Parahum and leveling up, progress had been oddly slow. I hadn't done any major quests yet, but compared to my usual feel, EXP gain was sluggish.
'Maybe because I hunted mostly with first-discovery bonuses? Or do higher-class jobs level slower...?'
Only halfway to 100, and at this rate, my second class change to Chilya Sword Master might come later than expected. Plus, as the sole Mythic class on the continent, there were no comparisons.
In the end, hunt more, kill tougher monsters, clear more quests.
'No matter what, I need that second change before the Calamity hits.'
I sheathed my sword and gazed at the distant duchy.
The capital, Lisal. Small airships buzzed like a mechanical city, iron rails spiderwebbing out in all directions—it felt utterly alien compared to other cities.
"No matter how many times I see it, it's majestic."
The massive magic cannons atop the walls made it look like a fortress.
The continent's most scientifically advanced place oddly reminded me it was a fantasy world only when wyverns occasionally flew by.
"We're heading in now, right?"
Norpa Jeran asked, looking weary from the jungle humidity around Lisal.
The duchy's terrain was uniquely at the desert-jungle border—plants on parched soil bizarrely brimmed with moisture, creating steamy fog from evaporating water at midday.
"Yes. With all the guild commissions done, there shouldn't be issues."
"Sunrise is soon. The noon fog isn't welcome—best hurry."
"Right. How long have we been here?"
"A week as of today."
I nodded. Even in a game, a week outdoors made me crave an inn bed immediately.
That's when it happened.
"Hiiiing...!!!"
A horse galloping down the narrow path through the jungle halted before us.
"Whoa, looks like you put on quite the show. Perfect weather for a fight. Adventurers from the duchy?"
"Who are you?"
Red Sickle eyed the man casually waving from horseback, on guard.
Undaunted by Red Sickle's intimidation, the merchant smiled leisurely.
"Haha, have you been hunting bandit packs around here? That explains it..."
His chatty tone didn't match his burly build as he dismounted.
"I travel to Lisal sometimes—they were such a pain. What are the ducal houses doing, letting bandits roam the capital outskirts? Right?"
He greeted me with a nod.
'...Huh?'
I frowned slightly at him.
"Something on my face?"
He touched his cheek, tilting his head.
"No, just... you look familiar."
"Haha, I get around a lot. Hope it's not a bad memory."
He bantered back.
"Bandits are like cockroaches—always crawling back. And the ducal houses are scouting talent, so it's perfect for gauging skills."
His face stirred an odd feeling, but I played it cool, pretending it was our first meeting.
"Hmm, so they just watch the bandits? Sheesh... Merchants like us suffer. Those dukes can't see past their noses."
He showed me his wristwatch.
"Thanks to you, I crossed this road easy for the first time. No bandits means time saved—and for merchants, time is money."
"What's in Lisal?"
"Oh, got caught up chatting—forgot to introduce myself."
He patted the bundles on his horse good-naturedly.
"Name's Motram. Run a small shop in Lisal. 'Shop' is generous—it's just me."
But unlike his words, the worn pouches were magic bags with expanded space.
"From millet to corn, silk, spices—whatever sells. Try this. From Deus Union—magic tower wizards used special fertilizer. Sweet raw."
He handed us some corn from a bundle.
'Motram.'
I eyed him.
'Motram of Muhar.'
But since he was still just a merchant, no title yet.
'Never thought I'd see you here.'
Ironically, I'd only seen his face and name in reports—no personal connection.
He was just an ordinary merchant now.
But one standout detail from those reports: the hero who saved Muhar Castle's citizens.
'Right, that incident...'
Focused on Eltia Iron Kingdom's Karl Hendrick, I'd nearly forgotten this Kal Duchy event.
Muhar's False Lord.
Seeing his face jogged my memory.
Motram received Muhar after its lordless crisis, keeping it an independent state until the continental war.
War's chaos? By the time I unified the duchy and reached Muhar, it was ruins—no trace of Motram.
'Interesting.'
I studied him. Despite becoming a historic hero, his name color was plain black—Normal grade.
'Did that event trigger his evolution? NPCs can evolve like players sometimes.'
Unfortunately, knowing only from reports, details were nil.
"Sweet, yeah."
Crunch.
I bit into the corn he'd given me.
One thing was sure: that event would be an opportunity—not just for him, but for me.
A chance to level up.