“W-what......”
Lea de Karayan looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.
Because it must have looked as though I had suddenly thrown the sword away.
‘That’s not it.’
......I had merely dropped it because the sword was too heavy.
〔Strength : 1〕
‘This fucking Strength stat......’
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
Shit. Just how weak was this body?
According to the game’s setting, Frost Sunset was not even a particularly heavy sword. Yet I could not lift even that.
This body was truly goddamn useless.
‘......Come to think of it, I barely managed to lift even a rusted one-handed sword while groaning. How could I possibly carry around a longsword this large?’
I let out a disappointed sigh.
I had been searching for a weapon capable of withstanding the skill, yet I could not even hold a sword in the first place.
It could not be helped. In that case, I would have no choice but to give up Frost Sunset......
‘......No, wait.’
Flinch—.
At that very moment, something came to mind, and I narrowed my eyes.
When I silently stared at Frost Sunset, which had fallen onto the floor, Karayan finally came to her senses and hurriedly asked me a question.
“B-benefactor? I-is something wrong......?”
“Be quiet for a moment.”
“......Yes.”
I silenced Karayan for the time being.
Karayan pressed her lips shut and rolled her eyes in confusion.
Paying her no mind, I slowly continued my train of thought.
‘No matter how I think about it, this makes no sense.’
At first, the unexpected appearance of Frost Sunset had caught me off guard.
But the more I thought about it, the more something seemed strange.
Frost Sunset.
According to the original game’s story, this weapon was not in the possession of the Ruins Merchant Company at this point in time.
Of course, it would eventually fall into Karayan’s hands, but that was a story from the distant future.
‘If so, then the Frost Sunset here......’
Having reached that point in my thoughts, I immediately spoke.
“It is a counterfeit.”
“......Pardon?”
Karayan responded in a flustered voice.
“A-a counterfeit?”
“Yes.”
“I-I apologize, but the likelihood of that is extremely low.”
Karayan began rambling.
“This sword is undoubtedly Frost Sunset, created by the 「Lord of Flames and Blacksmiths」. That fact has already been confirmed—”
I cut her off and asked.
“Did you not say that you acquired this weapon only a few days ago?”
“......”
“Then the detailed appraisal work has not yet been completed.”
After hesitating for a moment, Karayan nodded.
“Of course, we have only completed the first appraisal so far. However, we concluded that the possibility of Frost Sunset being a counterfeit was extremely low—”
“I will not say it twice. Have it appraised again.”
“......”
“What is there to hesitate over? Cross-verification is an essential process anyway.”
At my firm tone, Karayan pressed her lips shut.
Soon, she nodded without a single complaint.
“Yes. Then I will contact an appraiser immediately.”
“You must conduct a detailed inspection under the assumption that it is a counterfeit.”
“......I will make sure to convey that as well.”
Good.
With this, the Ruins Merchant Company owed me another debt.
My single word would surely return to me worth a thousand gold pieces someday.
‘It is a little disappointing that I did not obtain the real Frost Sunset here......’
Then again, even if it had been genuine, it was too heavy for me to carry around.
I shook off that lingering regret.
‘And there is no need to insist on a Divine Artifact with a good active effect.’
After all, I had the skill 【Soul of the Swordmaster 】.
There was no need to greedily seek a weapon with a strong active effect.
‘......So I should focus only on what I had in mind from the start.’
A sword durable enough to withstand the skill, yet light enough for me to carry without difficulty.
A sword with performance good enough to take me to the endgame.
And above all......
‘......The sword I decided to take from the moment I entered this place.’
I turned my gaze toward a sword placed in the corner of the Secret Collection Vault.
A pure-white scabbard.
And beside it, a thin sword lying in place.
I recited the weapon’s name inwardly.
‘Feather Sword.’
Was its name not incredibly straightforward?
True to that name, it was the only sword whose numerical weight was 0.
However, because it possessed no other effect beyond that, the Feather Sword had once been considered the lowest-tier weapon among all Divine Artifacts.
‘......But it is a weapon more suitable for me than anything else right now.’
A weapon with a weight of 0.
That meant it was a sword that even I, with my absurdly low Strength stat, could carry around.
Furthermore, the Feather Sword was still a 「Divine Artifact 」 in name. Its durability was far superior to that of an ordinary sword.
Unlike the cheap sword that had become powder the moment I used Soul of the Swordmaster, this weapon would be able to withstand a Twelve-Star Transcendent Grade skill for a considerable time.
“......”
SHIIING—!
I lifted the Feather Sword.
As expected, it was a sword that even I could raise with ease.
With a satisfied smile, I spoke to Karayan beside me.
“I will take this.”
“......Pardon?”
At my words, Karayan, the Head of the Ruins Merchant Company, responded in a greatly flustered voice.
“T-the Feather Sword? Out of all the items in this vault, you intend to choose the Feather Sword?”
I looked at her and answered indifferently.
“Is there a problem with that?”
“Ah, n-no. It is not exactly that, but......”
Karayan trailed off with a reluctant expression.
She looked at the Feather Sword in my hand as though it were trash.
“......”
Right.
In truth, it was only natural for Karayan to react that way.
Other than its weight stat of 0, the Feather Sword was no different from an ordinary durable sword.
Because it had no sense of weight at all, most swordsmen in the setting even avoided this weapon.
Not only could they not use sword techniques that relied on the sword’s weight, but its grip felt entirely different from conventional swords, creating a considerable sense of discomfort.
‘It is such a shitty sword that the name Divine Artifact feels wasted on it.’
Perhaps that was why.
As I mentioned earlier, the Feather Sword had once been considered the lowest-tier weapon among Lost Elder’s players.
‘......It was “once” considered that way.’
As time passed, users came to learn the Feather Sword’s true value.
Soon, they realized something.
That the Feather Sword had not been given the name 「Divine Artifact」 for no reason.
‘The Feather Sword awakens when it fulfills certain conditions.’
There were many Easter eggs in the original game.
Among them, the most famous was 「True Name Unsealing 」. In other words, it was a system in which certain trashy items gained overpowered performance when they fulfilled particular conditions.
The Feather Sword was one such awakening-type weapon.
Its 「True Name Unsealed Form」 was rated among the best of all game equipment.
Later, it would even overtake Frost Sunset to rank first among blade-type items.
‘If Karayan knew the Feather Sword’s active effect after it awakened......’
Even Karayan, who had been willing to hand over Frost Sunset, would never give me the Feather Sword.
What would happen if Karayan learned the Feather Sword’s true worth later?
Obvious.
She would surely try to buy this weapon back, even if it cost her a fortune.
I smiled to myself at that thought.
‘Good.’
......At least the beginning was smoother than in any run I had played so far.
***
“Take this.”
The moment we left the Secret Collection Vault, Karayan handed something to me.
It was a Spatial Pouch with a Weight-Reduction enchantment placed on it.
After receiving it, I looked back at Karayan with a puzzled expression.
Karayan shrugged and replied.
“It contains 100 million Shillings.”
“......?”
Shillings.
That was the currency used in the original game.
Its exchange rate was similar to that of the Korean won. In rough terms, 1 Shilling was equivalent to 1 won.
Because of that, some players had even speculated that the true identity of the game company, shrouded in mystery, might be a Korean company.
‘Of course, since the setting is an apocalypse, the game’s prices are a complete mess......’
Even so, there was no doubt that 100 million Shillings was an enormous amount.
This money would be of great help as I lived in this world from now on.
‘......No, but why is she suddenly giving me this much money?’
Was she handing me this money simply because I was her benefactor, again?
As I looked at Karayan with that question in mind, she slowly added an explanation.
“It is the reward for defeating the champion of the Underworld Arena.”
“......Ah.”
The moment I heard Karayan’s explanation, a memory I had briefly forgotten crossed my mind.
─The slaves who survive this match will have all their debts forgiven, and will even receive the enormous sum of 100 million Shillings from the Ruins Merchant Company!
Right.
The announcer had definitely said something like that in the arena.
I had been so overwhelmed by everything that I had forgotten about it for a moment.
“We have guaranteed the other slaves who survived the match their freedom along with 100 million Shillings. Thanks to that, the Underworld Arena has suffered a loss for the first time.”
“......”
“Well, Human Butcher Barba had been champion for far too long. The arena needed a new face anyway.”
Flinch—.
Karayan, who had been speaking more freely than usual, suddenly pressed her lips together.
After looking at me for a while with an unreadable expression, she finally asked me a question.
“But unfortunately, that new face will never show itself in the arena.”
“......”
“You intend to leave this place, Benefactor. Am I right?”
Nod—.
I silently nodded at Karayan’s question.
As I had said earlier, I needed to keep an appropriate distance from the Ruins Merchant Company.
Of course, clinging to the Ruins Merchant Company and living off them might be convenient for the moment.
But in the long run, it would never benefit me.
‘More importantly......’
It was unlikely to happen, but what if Karayan discovered that I was not truly her benefactor?
‘......Something truly terrible would happen then.’
Therefore, I had to leave the Ruins Merchant Company as soon as possible.
Perhaps Karayan had sensed that I was about to leave as well.
She continued in a distinctly subdued voice.
“Then, before you leave, could you at least tell me your name?”
My name......
After pondering for a moment, I gave her an answer.
“Well. I have forgotten it, too.”
“......Pardon?”
“It has been so long since I last used my name.”
Karayan looked at me with a flustered expression.
She looked as though she were wondering why I was suddenly spouting nonsense.
But it could not be helped. As I had said earlier, it was better to become involved with the Ruins Merchant Company as little as possible.
“You truly are a mysterious person, Benefactor.”
In the end, Karayan, who had stared intently at me, reluctantly nodded.
“Understood. Then I will not pry any further.”
“......”
“Just one thing...... Please answer only one thing.”
After pausing for a moment, Karayan looked at me and asked.
“Someday, you will visit the Ruins Merchant Company again, right?”
I nodded.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, I answered.
“Yes. Someday.”
This world was exceptionally harsh.
In a situation like this, I had managed to hook a perfect sucker. There was no reason not to make use of her.
If an unavoidable situation arose later where I needed the help of the Ruins Merchant Company......
I naturally intended to return here.