“You both look full of righteous spirit, so how about calling some people over? Might as well settle the hierarchy while you’re at it.”
“Forget it.”
“Come at me.”
“Then Baek Dohyun-ssi, you stay here. Gwak Junghan-ssi, you’ll come with me.”
Baek Dohyun wouldn’t be coming back to the lodging tonight anyway. Tomorrow was the second squad’s sortie. He would undoubtedly spend the night swinging his sword in the Training Hall, preparing for survival.
“Jaeyoung, you should drop out of the magic stone squad. I’ll explain it well for you, okay?”
“What about you, hyung?”
“I have to do it.”
“Then I’ll do it too. I… I’ll definitely protect you, hyung.”
Lee Jaeyoung clutched his clothes tightly as he spoke. His trembling hand brought back the memory of the first day they met. Maybe that was why Sehyun couldn’t say anything in reply. In that silence, Gwak Junghan suddenly asked a question.
“Does the magic stone protect the village?”
“Yes. When a village is first built, the system protects it for about a week. After that, you need to process magic stones to create waves that protect the village. Normally, expanding the magic stone processing plant comes first, but…”
“The village head installed the Training Hall first.”
“Yes. He judged that would raise the survival rate more.”
“Are magic stones absolutely necessary? Houses were expanded without them.”
“That’s because of where magic power comes in. The larger the village grows, the more parts will require magic stones. To build a fortress strong enough to withstand even cannon fire, you need buildings reinforced with processed stones. And later on, magic stones can be exchanged for money. As we live on, you’ll understand why they’re indispensable.”
Sehyun avoided the crowd gathering around the Training Hall and headed toward the lodging. By tomorrow, most people would realize their aptitudes and meet either joy or despair.
“…I’m sorry for earlier. I really didn’t know anything.”
“It’s just a difference in perspective. It’s fine—as long as I don’t have to eat vinegar gruel again.”
“Yes… I’ll get you a good catch tomorrow.”
Even righteousness has its time to back down. Gwak Junghan must have realized now that his sense of justice was useless here.
Suddenly, Sehyun thought maybe he should’ve offered a kinder word to Baek Dohyun before.
His gaze lingered on the Training Hall. Whether Baek had gone inside or was hidden by the crowd, he was nowhere to be seen. His stats must be lower since he hadn’t Awakened yet, but if he was still training like that, it meant he wanted to live.
Not that Sehyun felt attached to him, but neither did he want him to die. He’d rather have him come back alive, speaking bluntly again.
“Let’s go. Baek Dohyun-ssi won’t be coming back tonight.”
Leaving unspoken the thought that this could be the last time, Sehyun tousled Jaeyoung’s hair and moved on. The second squad’s survival rate was still unknown. It would depend on how they trained tonight in the hall. Even that alone could make all the difference.
The real problem was with him.
Sehyun’s eyes drifted down to the Awakening window blinking at the bottom of his view. Unlike before, a “hold time” was now displayed. He didn’t know if this was consideration or pressure, but given the situation, it was highly irritating.
“Sehyun-ssi, instead of you… can’t I go?”
“No, you can’t.”
“…Yes.”
The immediate answer left Gwak Junghan quiet, shoulders slumping. With his massive two-meter frame drawn in, knees hugged together, he looked oddly timid for once.
“Let’s just pray for the second squad’s fortune.”
“…I’ll spread out bedding.”
“Hyung, are you sleeping already? Tonight’s great—we get more space since that guy isn’t coming back.”
Seriously, Jaeyoung? That man might die tomorrow…
Seeing him rejoice over the extra space, it was obvious Baek Dohyun’s fate didn’t concern him at all. Sehyun could only wrap it up as “childlike.” Gwak Junghan didn’t seem too worried either.
Forget it.
Sehyun flopped onto the dry grass Gwak had swiftly laid out. Only then did he realize he’d always been on the receiving end since coming here. He hadn’t once spread the bedding himself.
As always, Jaeyoung ignored the open space and pressed close beside him. Gwak frowned disapprovingly, but when Sehyun gave a look saying it was fine, he sighed and relented.
Sehyun didn’t know why Jaeyoung trusted him so deeply. Maybe it was because he’d been the first to speak to him when he’d fallen into this place.
Still, having someone to rely on in this strange land wasn’t a bad thing. If anything, it could create a powerful synergy.
When he closed his eyes, the room darkened. And then, as always, he quietly opened his eyes again into the void above.
The Awakening window, shoved to the side of his vision, shone all the brighter in the dark. Sehyun stared at it endlessly until sleep finally took him.
* * *
The first thing Sehyun did upon waking was head to the Ability Development Hall. Since it was early, the front of the Training Hall was clear, unlike yesterday.
When Jaeyoung and Gwak Junghan woke and realized he’d left, they would probably rush after him, but Sehyun had something he had to check.
While the Ability Development Hall was filled only with silence, the Training Hall still rang with the clamor of people sweating through drills. Shouts and the screech of clashing metal scratched at his ears. Likely, it was today’s assigned magic stone squad.
Sehyun stuck to his plan and entered the Development Hall. As soon as he opened the door, the dark space blazed with light, the floor’s intricate magic circle glowing blue. Each step he took across the circle sent arcs of light spreading outward.
At last he reached the round monument rising at the center. The blue light surged toward it like a lake flooding its banks.
[May Helveil’s blessing be with you.]
[Would you like to check the traits of your developable abilities?]
The familiar letters hovering above the monument stirred a faint nostalgia. He had seen this message endlessly in his early days, back when he’d come and gone here to raise his vassals.
Exhaling slowly, Sehyun stretched out his hand to the monument. What met his fingertips wasn’t a game graphic but the cold, biting feel of stone.
[Assessing ability development potential.]
He waited as the faint letters flickered and vanished, until finally the words [Assessment Complete] appeared. The instant his hand left the surface, countless bright letters burst around him.
[No developable racial traits found.]
[No developable racial skills found.]
[No developable racial talents found.]
[No developable racial stats found.]
As expected.
He had known it already. The moment Sehyun saw the messages, he turned without regret and left the Ability Development Hall. His next destination was the Weapon Refinery.
Opening the door, he found it a mess, items scattered everywhere as though someone had made a desperate rampage. He sighed, then thought better of it—who wouldn’t be desperate? He began picking things up, stacking them aside.
He was here for one reason: to make a bow. If only there were guns, but in a place where they could barely build huts, that was impossible. Even having iron arrowheads would be a blessing in such poor conditions.
What he really wanted to make was a crossbow, but with no blacksmith and such a low refinery level, it wasn’t even on the list. In fact, the list barely allowed one weapon per category.
Sitting by the forge’s reservoir, Sehyun scrolled the options. In the end, he clicked on something called a “Hebbwood Bow.” It was a lowly D-rank, simple enough that even beginners could make it.
“This’ll do.”
He could make it blindfolded, he thought, and rolled up his sleeves.
At least, that’s what he thought. But it took three failures before a bow was completed—and even then, the quality was abysmally poor.
“…No way.”
He tried several more times, but the results were the same. On the seventh attempt, he put too much force into bending the stave, snapping it clean in half. The shards flew up and left scratches all over his cheek. Frustration welled hot in him.
Then someone appeared in the cluttered refinery, where broken staves littered the floor.
“Um…”
At the timid voice, Sehyun turned, still clutching the snapped stave. A burly man stood there, glancing between the pile of broken wood and Sehyun, looking completely at a loss.
Whether shocked by Sehyun’s disastrous handiwork or pained at the wasted materials, his expression was hardly pleasant.
“Yes, what is it?”
“I… uh…”
He faltered awkwardly, but Sehyun waited patiently.
The man was huge, freckled, with ashen hair. His arms were extraordinarily thick, far out of proportion even to his large frame—arms clearly built for strength. He looked like someone meant to be, say, a blacksmith.
“I… could I… maybe make it for you?”