Chapter 5 – It Exploded
—
“Are you willing to do it?”
No matter how good it might be to borrow the power of a spirit, who would want to offer a part of their body in exchange?
Of course, there may be some, but at least I’m not one of them.
【Why not!? Even without one arm, you can still live normally! You can still walk around just fine!】
Sure, if I only focused on becoming stronger right away, giving up an arm for a contract might seem like a better option.
But—
‘Then I wouldn’t be able to exact revenge with my own hands.’
What matters is that I grow stronger on my own, not by borrowing someone else’s power.
What would I do if that someone changed their mind?
And more importantly—
“No, thanks. I’m not doing it.”
I’m the one holding the cards here, so why should I?
Even if I push for much more favourable terms, Prill would have no choice but to accept them.
【N-no…】
“Bring me another condition. One that doesn’t put me at a loss.”
【That’s just ridiculous!】
“Then stay here for another thousand or ten thousand years.”
【…Argh!】
She let out a frustrated scream.
But I remained calm.
‘I have nothing to lose.’
Even if the contract falls apart here, it’s not a loss for me.
I’ve already obtained one authority, and the negative effects of Overcharged Mana have been resolved.
If my mana starts building up again and causes my body to collapse, I can just release it again using Authority: One Punch.
Whether I form a contract with Prill or not, I’ve already established the foundation to leave my life as a porter behind and start as a Hunter.
In this situation, why should I proceed with a contract that requires me to sacrifice an arm?
Of course, I won’t.
【Ugh! You’ll die like this!】
Whirrrrr-
In the end, she began forming a rotating sphere of ice to intimidate me.
It was the same skill I saw earlier.
‘Frost Bomb.’
If that explodes, the entire area will be swept by a blizzard, freezing everything solid.
‘I can’t block that.’
I could try resisting, but it would be nearly impossible.
The power of the Frost Bomb I saw earlier was at least of a 7-star level.
But there was no need to block it.
“Go ahead.”
【You think I won’t do it!? I can really do it!】
I’ve never seen someone who actually carried through after saying something like that.
And sure enough—
Sssss-
The Frost Bomb disappeared without a trace.
【Hicc… sniff.】
Prill canceled the skill and started to shed tears.
Wait, was she that upset?
【I… I just want to leave this place…】
“…….”
Uh, okay. Got it.
“What’s the new contract condition?”
【I’ll use my own power as the sacrifice… Just agree to the contract…】
“Deal.”
Now, this was a proper contract condition.
***
After forming the contract with Prill, I continued searching the area.
Just in case there was something else worth taking.
【There’s nothing left! Let’s just go already.】
Prill tugged at my sleeve as she spoke.
Having used her own power as the contract’s sacrifice, she had become much smaller and younger.
Her former height of around 1 meter had shrunk to about 30 centimetres.
Her appearance, which used to resemble an adult woman, now looked like that of a small child.
Thanks to that, her puffed-up cheeks looked pretty cute.
“Still, I have to check.”
She may be cute, but I still had things to do.
This place had contained a Dragon’s authority, so there was a high chance something else might be hidden here.
【I’ve been here for ten thousand years. In all that time, I’ve never found anything else.】
Prill continued to whine.
It seemed like she was eager to leave as soon as possible.
“No. Wait a bit longer.”
【Ugh, you’re so mean, Do Yujin. Ughhh.】
“…….”
Does one’s mentality regress along with their physical appearance?
She didn’t feel this childish before.
“Just a heads-up: don’t call me by my name in front of others.”
【Why?】
“If you do, an assassin might come after us.”
【An assassin!?】
It’s been 10 years since I fled from Namgung Myung and the paladins of the Gaiah Order.
I thought they might have given up the chase by now, but I couldn’t let my guard down.
‘Even though I had to tell Prill my ‘true name’ because of the contract…’
If my real name were to slip out in front of others, it could cause serious problems.
【But only you, the contractor, can hear my voice anyway.】
“Really?”
【Yeah!】
“But we still spoke before the contract, didn’t we?”
【I was using my power separately for that! Normally, I can’t communicate with others!】
“I see. Still, be careful.”
【Okay….】
After silencing Prill, I continued exploring the surroundings.
‘If I’m going to conclude there’s nothing here, I want to make that conclusion myself.’
Abandoning my own judgment just because of someone else’s words is foolish.
Thinking and deciding for yourself, and taking responsibility for the results—that’s how it should be.
And in the end—
“See? I found something.”
【…Huh?】
From the ruins of the melting ice castle, I found something.
Something I would have missed if I had stopped searching as she had suggested.
I picked up a sword made of intensely blue ice.
《Everfrost Sword – One-Handed Sword, Unique》
- A sword forged with cold energy over ten thousand years.
- Originally meant for decoration, but became a powerful weapon after enduring the passage of time.
- Inflicts ‘Frostbite’ status effect upon hitting a target.
【…Why isn’t this melting?】
Despite Prill’s power weakening and all the ice structures melting away, this ice sword showed no signs of melting at all.
“Do you know what this is?”
【I made it!】
According to Prill, this sword was one of the ice structures she had created.
She had placed it as a decorative item when she was making ice sculptures out of boredom.
But for some unknown reason, that decoration had turned into an ‘Everfrost Sword.’
“That’s possible. It’s been ten thousand years, after all.”
I nodded in understanding.
Even if something starts off as trivial, ten thousand years is a long time.
It’s more than enough for something to absorb history and be reborn as an ‘item.’
I continued searching through the ruins.
After discovering something like this once, Prill could no longer argue against me.
“Found it!”
And, as if to reward my efforts, I found another ‘item.’
《Everfrost Core – Material, Unique》
- A core imbued with the power of frost.
- Used as a key material when crafting ice-element items.
“I can’t use this right now.”
The Everfrost Core was a material item.
Something I couldn’t utilize immediately.
‘But it’s of unique grade, so…’
If I take it to the Blacksmith’s Guild in Seoul later, I might be able to get a good item made out of it.
For now, that was enough.
After securing the two items, I scoured the area even more thoroughly, but couldn’t find anything else of use.
“Let’s go now.”
【Really!?】
Prill, who had been expressing her boredom with her entire body, cheered up and shouted excitedly.
It was finally time to leave.
***
Thunk.
“Huff!”
I grasped the edge of the cliff and pulled myself up with all my strength.
“Whew, that was tough.”
Prill floated beside me, teasingly flying around.
【Hehe. But I can fly!】
“Good for you. Really.”
【Right? You finally get it now?】
“…….”
Prill, being a spirit, could just fly alongside me, but I’m a human.
I had to struggle my way back up the cliff.
‘There were moments where I couldn’t even see a path forward.’
I had to take some dangerous leaps that could have sent me straight to the afterlife if I missed.
There were more than a few perilous moments along the way, but I finally managed to climb up this seemingly endless cliff.
Once I reached the top of the cliff, I lifted my head and looked forward.
A crimson wasteland spread out beneath the pitch-black sky.
And—
【Oh, it’s the dead humans! There are Orcs too!】
I saw the dead bodies of the Hunters who had entered the dungeon with me and the Orc corpses they had hunted.
‘…….’
Seeing that brought back the memory of the terrifying situation I had just been through.
The Hunters who were after me, the Red Hunter who slaughtered them all.
And—
‘The weakest, most insignificant porter—me.’
But in the end, the only one who survived was none other than me.
“How ironic.”
And ultimately, I’m the one who will benefit the most.
According to Hunter Law, when a party member dies during a dungeon raid, half of the deceased’s equipment is legally awarded to the surviving party member who successfully escapes with the items.
This law was established in the early days of the Great Cataclysm to minimize item loss during dungeon raids.
And right now, I’m the only surviving member of this dungeon raid team.
Just by taking these items out of here, I can legally claim half of them as my own!
“I might not be able to take everything, but whatever—I’ve made some money.”
I quickly began gathering the items.
Weapons, armor, various Hunter equipment, and consumables.
Plus, the mana stones they had collected while hunting the Orcs.
Although those mana stones originally didn’t belong to me, just the other items alone would amount to a considerable sum.
I would end up with an amount of money incomparable to my wages as a porter.
Once I collected all the equipment, there was quite a lot of it.
It wouldn’t fit into a single backpack, and even after taking out my spare bag, there still wasn’t enough space.
“I’ll have to tie them up and drag them along.”
But I had no intention of leaving anything behind.
If I bring it all out, half of it becomes mine. I’ll find a way to take it all.
Just as I was tying the equipment together—
【Wow, amazing! There’s a living Orc!】
“Is everything surprising after coming out for the first time in ten thousand years?”
【Yeah! I want to get a closer look—huh? It’s coming this way.】
“Yeah, yeah. Just keep watching and—”
Wait a minute.
What did you say?
A ‘living’ Orc?
I jerked my head up at the sudden sense of unease.
The Orc roared as it looked at me.
“That guy, it’s….”
【Do you know that Orc?】
“Yeah.”
It was definitely the one that had pushed me off the cliff earlier.
Thud! Thud!
It held a hand axe it must have found somewhere and began approaching me slowly.
“Right, I forgot about that guy.”
I had been so absorbed in the fact that I survived and the item looting that I had completely forgotten about it.
I wasn’t the only survivor in this dungeon.
Shh—
I swiftly raised the Everfrost Sword and took a combat stance, pointing it at the Orc.
【Are you going to fight? Do you need help?】
“No.”
Prill offered to help, but I refused.
“Not right now.”
One day, I’ll have to gauge the extent of the Prill’s power, now my contracted spirit, possesses.
Knowing how powerful she is will help me use her abilities when necessary.
But before that, I need to assess my own abilities.
“I gained quite a bit this time, after all.”
The new abilities I obtained—
It was a priority to understand how strong they were and make them my own.
Before anything else, I needed to assess my capabilities.
‘Let’s start with the Everfrost Sword.’
Kuaaa—
The Orc swung its hand axe, and I blocked it with the Everfrost Sword.
Clang!
‘…Nice.’
The sword was light and sturdy.
It was made of ice, but being of unique grade, it should at least be this good.
However—
‘I’m not used to it at all.’
My posture didn’t feel right.
I had swung a wooden sword a few times before, but I had never properly handled a real sword. It was only natural to feel awkward.
‘It’s also been a while since I had a manageable amount of mana.’
Until now, I had always been in a state of mana overload due to my Overcharged Mana trait.
I had to forcefully use my mana, which led to my body breaking down, or suppress it with Mana Suppressants.
But right now, I didn’t have that much mana in my body.
Due to the Authority: One Punch skill, a large amount of mana had been discharged, and while my mana was recovering rapidly, it was still at a level I could manage.
‘This should be doable.’
Sssss—
I circulated mana through my mana circuits.
It was the act of amplifying physical abilities using mana.
Previously, an excessive amount of mana would have destroyed my body, but now it was different.
A pleasant amount of energy filled my body, accelerating my movements.
I moved my sped-up body, dodging the Orc’s swinging hand axe.
I then thrust the Everfrost Sword into the opening I saw.
Slash—!
Unfortunately, the Everfrost Sword only grazed the Orc’s side.
It wasn’t that the Orc dodged well.
I simply missed.
I had obtained a good weapon, but my skills weren’t good enough to back it up.
My lack of swordsmanship proficiency made it inevitable.
‘I need to train.’
I could clearly feel the need for swordsmanship training.
Ku, oh?
The Orc looked down at the wound on its side, confused.
Frost had started to form over the wound.
‘That’s Frostbite, huh.’
-Inflicts ‘Frostbite’ status effect upon hitting a target.
It was the effect of the Everfrost Sword.
Upon closer observation, I could see that it was somewhat restricting the Orc’s movements.
Kuaaa—
The Orc roared and continued attacking me.
I either dodged, blocked, or deflected those attacks.
‘Easier than I thought.’
It wasn’t difficult.
Handling a single Orc wasn’t a problem for me.
Until now, I had been a porter only because I had to suppress my mana. Physically, I was already at the level of a 3-star Hunter.
And now that I could also use my mana, a 2-star Orc was no match.
This was my first real battle as a proper Hunter.
And I was quickly getting accustomed to it.
My lack of swordsmanship skills meant I couldn’t land a decisive blow yet, but there hadn’t been any moments where I felt truly threatened either.
“Then let’s…”
It was time to test a new skill.
Authority: One Punch.
This skill, a Dragon’s authority, had shown enough power to destroy a cliff when I had an overwhelming amount of mana.
But now, I only had a minimal amount of mana compared to back then.
‘I wonder how powerful it will be?’
What kind of performance would Authority: One Punch show with this much mana?
Could it take down an Orc in one blow?
“Hoo.”
I took a deep breath and adjusted my grip on the Everfrost Sword with my left hand.
Kuuooo!
The Orc didn’t miss the opportunity. It raised its hand axe high and brought it down in a vicious swing.
The hand axe sliced through the air as if it intended to split my head open.
Whoosh—
I twisted my body, dodging the attack.
At the same time, I closed in on the Orc.
Then, I clenched my right hand into a fist and activated the skill.
[Using skill: Authority: One Punch.]
[A small amount of mana is consumed.]
Sssss—
All the mana dispersed throughout my body rushed to one point.
It wasn’t even close to the amount I had before, but thanks to my Overcharged Mana trait, my mana had been recovering rapidly.
All of it gathered in my right hand.
‘It’s not much.’
A small amount of mana.
Barely at the level of a 1 or 2-star rank.
I wondered what kind of performance this much mana would show.
With that curiosity in mind, I extended my fist.
Buzz—
The mana gathered in my right hand began to vibrate.
And then—
As if an oppressed monster had been unleashed, it burst out in an instant.
Thwaaam!
“Huh?”
And the 2-star monster, the Orc, that was struck by that attack—
Even that Orc—
【Wow! It’s amazing to see an Orc explode!】
“…Unbelievable.”
Literally, it ‘exploded.’
—
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