9
#9 - Maybe Our S-Rank Newbie Has S-Rank Talent Too
In Elysion Sermo, every map has hidden areas.
And the conditions for discovering those hidden paths are completely different from map to map.
Take Rabbit Hill, for example.
When you kill one rabbit, the other rabbits of the same rank nearby immediately begin running away.
If you leisurely follow the fleeing rabbits, they'll eventually disappear into a hole.
Dig up that hole, and you'll discover the hidden dungeon called Rabbit Burrow.
So what are the discovery conditions for Wolf Lake?
Nothing special.
You just need to thoroughly search near the entrance on a night with a full moon.
I found this map completely by accident, but...
No.
My story isn't what's important.
What's important is Celial's growth.
Anyway, why did I bring her here instead of hunting in Wolf Territory itself?
Because hidden dungeons all come with unique buff effects.
For example, Rabbit Burrow grants a 10% movement speed increase and bonus gold acquisition.
So what buffs does Wolf Lake provide?
Increased wolf spawn rate.
+50% experience from hunting wolves.
+5 to all stats.
Simple.
But incredibly powerful.
Of course, it needed buffs this strong just to compete with Rabbit Hill's efficiency.
On the other hand, that also meant we could fight slightly more challenging enemies, gain real combat experience, and still level quickly.
While Celial stood admiring the lake, I waved my hand in front of her eyes.
-Swish! Swish!
"U-Um? Taeyang?"
"Ms. Celial, should we start hunting now?"
"Ah! Yes...! Sorry. The lake was just so beautiful..."
Apologizing because she'd been spacing out was cute enough.
But the reason she'd spaced out was even cuter.
Because the lake was pretty.
To be fair, Wolf Lake really was beautiful.
And that's exactly why I'd never shared information about this place online.
Elysion Sermo was famous for its beautiful maps.
Even among all of them, Wolf Lake easily ranked among the ten prettiest.
How do I know?
Because I've visited every publicly known map in the game.
Sure, there might be people hiding maps only they know about.
But still.
"It's okay. The first time I came here, I spent most of my time staring at the scenery too. It was so beautiful that I kept this place completely secret and never told anyone about it."
Celial's eyes widened.
"You never told anyone? Then... am I the first person you've shown this place to...?"
"Uh... well, yeah. That means only you and I know about this map now. Well, aside from the developers."
After hearing my answer, Celial smiled softly.
"Thank you so much... for showing me somewhere so special..."
It wasn't really special.
If anything, it was memorable.
Definitely not a good memory, though.
Back when I was leveling my Martial Artist, a Lycanthrope aggroed onto me and nearly killed me.
I discovered this map while desperately running for my life.
That's not exactly what I'd call a pleasant memory.
While reminiscing about that painful experience, I heard rustling nearby and immediately shifted into a combat stance.
Drawing my twin longswords, I warned Celial.
"Ms. Celial, prepare for battle."
"Prepare for battle...?"
Even while asking the question, she pulled out Kedalion's One-Handed Sword.
And then—
-Rustle rustle
[Awoooooooooooo!!!]
A wolf appeared.
A Gray Wolf.
The most basic wolf monster.
Against something like this...
"Ms. Celial."
"Yes?"
"Would you like to try fighting it by yourself?"
Let's entrust this battle to Celial.
"By myself...!?"
"If things get dangerous, I'll step in. Don't worry too much."
"But... alone..."
She hesitated.
So I encouraged her.
"You can do it. Just trust me once. And even if you lose, that's okay. I'll save you."
"Don't be afraid, Ms. Celial. You can do this."
Perhaps those words triggered something inside her.
Celial nodded with determined eyes.
"...I'll try."
"Good luck."
After receiving my encouragement, she gripped her sword and walked toward the wolf.
...To be honest, I thought she'd lose.
Celial was level 10.
The Gray Wolf was level 14.
The biggest reason Wolf Territory lost popularity to Rabbit Hill was because wolves were awkwardly high-level enemies.
Compared to their level, they had strong attack power, decent defense, and dangerous charge attacks.
Unlike rabbits, you had to dodge attacks, land your own attacks, and avoid their threatening charge patterns.
Even with Kedalion's One-Handed Sword, the level difference and lack of combat experience should've resulted in defeat.
That's why I stood ready with my swords drawn.
Prepared to rescue her at any moment.
And I soon realized just how arrogant and naïve that assumption was.
Wolves primarily attack with their fangs.
Even now, the wolf circled cautiously while exposing its teeth and searching for an opportunity.
Then, after spotting an opening, it lunged.
-Swish! Crunch!
A vicious bite attack.
But it never reached Celial.
"Mana Shield!"
True to the class concept of using both swordsmanship and magic, Magic Swordsmen learn the fundamentals of both.
Mana Shield was a basic mage spell that converted mana into a protective barrier.
An excellent decision.
-Whoosh!
A quick slash followed.
The wolf, being right in front of her, had no chance to evade.
-Slash!
[Yelp!]
The wolf cried out and retreated to reassess the situation.
But Celial clearly had no intention of letting it escape.
"Mana Shock!"
-Crack! Bam!
[Yeeelp!]
Mana took the shape of lightning and struck the wolf.
The impact sent it flying backward.
Mana Shock was both a mage's basic attack spell and the only ranged harassment skill available at Celial's current level.
Amazing.
Even accounting for the fact that she was a newbie, it was amazing.
Her actions flowed naturally.
Almost as if she already had a combat manual inside her head.
Most newbies panic when faced with aggressive monsters like wolves.
Celial didn't.
Had she played other games before?
That would explain it.
Though honestly, even then, her instincts were exceptional.
She was performing surprisingly well.
-Ziiiiing!
At that moment, Kedalion's One-Handed Sword began glowing blue.
The light of mana.
Mana Sword.
The signature technique of Magic Swordsmen.
The equivalent of a swordsman's Sword Aura.
Using it meant she intended to finish the battle.
"Haaaah!"
-Tap tap!
Celial raised her sword and leapt into the air.
Then, with a very cool pose...
-Whoosh!
She swung.
And split...
...
...
...
The air.
"Eh?"
The momentum of her jump threw her forward.
She lost her balance and crashed to the ground.
The wolf didn't miss the opportunity.
[AWOOOOOOO!]
With a savage cry, it charged.
The speed and ferocity were impressive.
Seeing the wolf's Charge skill, Celial hurriedly stretched out her hand.
"Mana Shield...!"
-Zing
A small Mana Shield appeared in front of her.
But...
"That's going to break."
-CRASH!!!
The shield shattered like glass.
-BANG!
"Kyaaah!"
The wolf's charge sent her tumbling across the ground.
I briefly considered intervening.
But I held back.
The Mana Shield had absorbed enough impact that Celial still had half her health remaining.
Meanwhile, the wolf had less than a quarter of its HP left.
She could do it.
...Well, that wasn't the main reason.
The biggest reason was the look in her eyes.
Because Celial looked absolutely determined.
She had no intention of giving up.
None whatsoever.
[Grrrrrr...]
[Woof!]
-Dash!
The wolf bared its teeth and charged again.
This time it wasn't using a skill.
Naturally, Celial tried to respond.
But that was a mistake.
"Mana Shi—!"
She didn't have enough mana.
When Mana Shield breaks, it causes additional mana loss.
Apparently she hadn't known that.
-CRUNCH!
The wolf bit into her arm.
I prepared to leap in and save her.
But—
"Now!"
-STAB!
Instead of panicking, Celial turned the situation into an opportunity.
While the wolf was biting her left arm, she drove her sword straight into its neck.
The wolf struggled desperately against the pain.
Then its body finally went limp.
Moments later, it dissolved into light.
That's right.
Our unbelievably adorable, lovable, and precious newbie-kun had completely overturned my expectations and won.
...Ah, damn.
She's so cool it hurts.
I'm genuinely glad this newbie is my newbie.