The news came out of nowhere.
An invitation from the Grand Ducal House.
“The Bahen Grand Ducal House......”
“For now, get some rest first. You look quite exhausted.”
I slowly nodded at my brother’s concerned words.
It was not only me.
The soldiers also looked thoroughly worn out.
Moving all the spoils had taken a fair amount of strength, but more importantly, they had been exposed to the debuff for quite some time.
‘An invitation that would arrive around this time.’
I recalled the events that took place in the North.
After the Great Invasion, numerous families fell, and the North practically entered the sphere of influence of Demons and Monsters.
Even then, the only house that survived and continued serving as a shield was the Bahen Grand Ducal House.
‘The North’s final bulwark, and one of the Empire’s foremost families.’
That was why even after the Great Invasion, they remained in the North and continued to host various events.
The largest among them was, of course, the Subjugation Festival.
An event where participants hunted magical beasts and competed through their results.
‘Practically the only event that occurs regularly in the North.’
At least, that was how it was by the time the game began.
It was not an especially large event, but it still offered rewards put forward by the Grand Ducal House.
But the North was in far better condition now than it would be then, so perhaps I could expect even greater rewards.
‘It also has something of a festival atmosphere.’
Sure enough, when I checked the letter while resting, that was exactly what it said.
The main Subjugation Festival was a competition attended by various well-known figures who had already undergone their coming-of-age ceremonies.
The one I had been invited to, however, was for promising youths who had yet to come of age.
“What do you think? Do you intend to participate?”
“I think that would be for the best.”
It would benefit the family, and I could even receive a reward personally offered by the Grand Duke.
It was practically killing two birds with one stone.
There was no reason to refuse.
“I think so as well. There should be much you can learn there.”
“Probably.”
“I heard you will soon begin preparing to handle mana properly. Do you need an elixir or anything?”
“An elixir? What are you talking about?”
I shook my head.
I knew the Rashid Family’s financial situation perfectly well.
Besides, given enough time, I would be able to obtain something like an elixir without much difficulty.
“Do not worry about the family. Do you think I cannot even do this much for you?”
“Brother......”
“More importantly, it would be nice if you found a suitable marriage prospect while you are there.”
My brother grinned as he said that.
I let out a sigh.
Had he not already said the same thing last time?
“Shouldn’t you go first, Brother?”
“Ahem. I told you last time, did I not? It is not yet the right time for me.”
“The same goes for me. I haven’t even had my coming-of-age ceremony yet.”
Considering that the coming-of-age ceremony required traveling all the way to the Imperial Capital, there was still time.
In any case, before my coming-of-age ceremony began, I wanted to reach at least a level of combat strength comparable to a knight.
‘I still have a long way to go.’
The Skills I had now had more or less determined the direction of my growth.
So what I needed to do next was push this concept even further.
My growth might be fast, but I still was not even qualified to call myself a match for a knight.
‘It’s only a matter of time.’
I intended to make sure of that.
With renewed resolve, I glanced at my brother.
“Then I will assume you are participating.”
“By the way, how is this year’s Subjugation Festival being held?”
“They say it will be on an unprecedented scale. The eldest of the Grand Ducal House will be entering the main Subjugation Festival this year, after all.”
So this was that point in time.
I immediately remembered who the eldest of the Grand Ducal House was.
‘Larissa Bahen.’
By the time the game began, she had already left the North.
And after the Grand Duke, she would become the second person in the Grand Ducal House to reach Sword Master.
She was an absurdly powerful character.
With looks that male players loved and performance to match, she was popular enough to rank highly in character popularity polls.
“So it’s already that time.”
“Hmm? Are you interested in her?”
“No. I’ve only heard rumors that she’s skilled with a sword......”
“Well, she has already defeated a knight at her age.”
Most knights were at the Sword Expert level.
That meant she was at least around that level or higher.
Considering I had less than a year left before my own coming-of-age ceremony, that alone was enough to show how much of a genius she was.
“What? Are you interested after all?”
“Stop pushing it in that direction and explain the rest first.”
“Hahaha. No need to be embarrassed. Another difference this year is that the Grand Duke’s third son will also be participating.”
“So he’ll be a competitor.”
“I suppose so.”
My brother looked at me calmly, a hint of concern in his eyes.
“You are not going to cause trouble for no reason, are you?”
“Brother, do I look like that kind of guy to you?”
“You did not before. Lately, however, you have developed a tendency to charge ahead without looking back.”
I chuckled.
“It’ll be fine. Probably.”
“Probably?”
“I can’t promise anything.”
“You little rascal.”
I burst out laughing at my brother’s slightly troubled expression.
Whatever else he said, I knew the concern beneath it was for me.
“I’ll go train now.”
“Do not overdo it. No, just...... please do not get hurt.”
Leaving my brother’s voice behind, I stepped out of the room.
I exchanged brief greetings with the soldiers and organized the things I had brought back.
‘This sword should be good.’
Just thinking about forming Pacts with the newly acquired swords made the corners of my mouth rise.
After that came the familiar hours of training.
“You are here. Shall we begin immediately?”
“Sounds good.”
My training with Tarian had changed from before.
First, Tarian no longer restricted his movement or used only his left hand.
Instead, he fought with every intention of crushing me at full strength.
CLACK—!
I barely managed to block Tarian’s sword with a sharp impact.
I could only do so because he had deliberately wrapped mana around himself, making his movements visible to me.
We had barely begun training, yet my entire body was already battered.
“Huff, huff.”
My whole body burned.
It felt as though touching me would cause a burn.
I glanced down and saw red marks from the wooden sword covering my skin.
“Young Master, are you certain you can continue?”
“Yeah. Keep going.”
“But......”
“I think...... I’m getting the hang of it.”
If anything, I welcomed Tarian taking the initiative.
It made things much harder, but it also gave me a chance to truly embody the Skills I had just obtained.
“Then I will come again.”
Cold Heart was difficult to improve unless I remained exposed to debuffs for a long time or entered real combat.
So naturally, I focused more on Frigid Hide and Frost’s Blessing.
“Urgh!”
For a moment, I thought I had blocked his sword perfectly.
Then, in an instant, the blade changed course and slammed into my waist.
I had noticed it before, but damn, it hurt.
-A little more! This is nowhere near enough!
-Warriors these days have no grit, no grit! You are supposed to grow by taking hits.
-Tsk, tsk!
Those were the words I heard while training with one of the swords I had brought back from the Dungeon.
‘Shut up.’
Ignoring the voice ringing in my head, I tightened my grip on my sword.
I watched Tarian’s movements and examined the flow of his mana even more precisely.
‘Move.’
I kept trying to move the mana inside my body.
If I had not awakened to magical power, it would have been effectively impossible.
But after acquiring Frost’s Blessing, the sensation had definitely changed.
Just a little.
It felt as though if I could manage just a little more, I would be able to move it.
TAP—
While I concentrated, Tarian’s sword struck various parts of my body.
“Hgh......”
Before, the pain would have been enough to make me drop my sword.
Now, it was different.
I could clearly feel the effects of the Skills I had gained.
“Indeed, I suppose I was worrying needlessly. I will become more serious.”
Mana rippled around Tarian’s body.
‘Watch and feel.’
I had already done this countless times in the previous Dungeon.
CLACK—!
An impact impossible to believe came from a wooden sword, and my palm split open.
It was a sensation I had hardly felt at all since acquiring my new Skills.
As expected, a knight was different.
“Not enough.”
“Do you wish to continue?”
“More.”
And so one day passed.
Then two.
Then three.
The days until the Subjugation Festival flew by.
-You are insane.
-To possess this much grit......
-I acknowledge you.
[You have successfully completed your Pact with the Stalwart Ancient Northern Iron Sword (Normal)!]
[The proficiency of ‘Frigid Hide (C)’ has increased.]
[‘Frigid Hide (C)’ ▶ ‘Frigid Hide (B)’]
As the Pact was completed, the proficiency of my Skills rose once again.
But that was not what mattered to me.
‘More. More!’
I continued sensing mana.
As it accumulated and I repeated the process, the amount of mana I could perceive gradually increased.
At the same time, I studied how Tarian moved and how he used mana.
THOOM!
His sword drove toward my shoulder, and I bit down on my lip.
Blood seeped between my teeth, but I paid it no mind.
‘Just a little more. Just a little.’
I saw the sword coming down as though to split my skull and blocked it.
If I used Frost Step, I could probably evade one or two of his attacks.
But there was no need to do that now.
“Hiss, haa......”
I steadied my breathing and focused on controlling the mana inside my body.
The more I concentrated, the more intensely I began to feel something within me.
‘Cold.’
The first thing I felt was a chill.
As I felt that cold flowing through my meridians, clarity returned to my overheated mind.
‘It keeps flowing.’
The place through which the mana continued to flow was none other than my heart.
Mana began there, spread throughout my entire body, then returned to my heart again.
“Ah.”
An insight.
When I first saw the mana spreading from the Skeletons’ cores.
When I fought the Draugr.
And now, while sparring with Tarian.
The mana I had seen and felt was flowing properly inside my own body as well.
And I could move it.
“Hup!”
Tarian’s sword came at me again.
I immediately concentrated the mana throughout my body into a single point.
My hand.
And beyond that, my sword.
SLASH—!
At the same time, Tarian’s wooden sword—the one that had struck mine again and again—was cut apart.
“To think you would actually succeed.”
“Haa, huff......”
The sound of my heavy breathing seemed unusually loud.
“I did it.”
I succeeded.
That one fact alone made my heartbeat race even faster.
“I fucking did it!”
The results of being beaten for days had finally blossomed in full.
-You really are...... a madman.