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[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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Chapter 08: Adelia von Goldheart (1)
“Whew…”
Thankfully, I managed to escape from the Underground Arena without much trouble.
At first, the discrepancy between the game’s graphics and the real-world environment had thrown me off, but as time passed, I gradually became more adept at navigating the place.
Once I got outside, I immediately set off toward my next destination.
‘By now, Karayan’s probably figured out that Frostglow’s a fake, right?’
Well, most likely.
The Ruins Guild’s appraisers might not look it, but they were the real deal. Their appraisal accuracy rivaled that of the Relic Survey Corps, a professional organization that roamed the continent unearthing artifacts.
More importantly, if Karayan used her 【Gilded Eye】 skill to inspect Frostglow again in detail…
‘…No, wait.’
Now that I think about it, Karayan’s ability is still unstable at this point.
She hasn’t fully awakened yet. If anything, the limited information provided by the skill might actually end up interfering with the appraisal process.
That might even explain why she had been so convinced Frostglow was genuine.
‘I feel like there was a storyline where she got burned because she trusted that unstable skill too much…’
Ugh, whatever.
My head hurts just thinking about Karayan, so that’s enough of that.
In any case, I probably won’t be seeing her again for a while.
‘First, I need rest.’
Maybe it was because I’d gone through way too much all at once.
I was exhausted. It felt like I could collapse any second.
My vision spun, and my head throbbed.
…Considering I’ve been dragging around a fragile body with every stat set to 1, it was kind of impressive I’d made it this far.
‘Good timing. I’ve just arrived.’
Step, step—
Before I knew it, I’d reached the city center and began surveying the area.
A gloomy, damp, sunless cityscape.
The streets were crowded, but few people looked even remotely presentable.
Some staggered and giggled like they were high; others had lost limbs, now replaced with magitech prosthetics.
It was a place that practically reeked of crime and illegality.
“Dark City Dungard.”
That was this place’s name.
Located on the southwestern edge of the continent, it was the Ruins Guild’s base of operations.
A lawless zone formed as a refuge for criminals exiled from other cities.
At one point, various gangs and crime syndicates had laid claim to the area—but after countless bloody turf wars, it was the Ruins Guild that finally seized dominance.
At this point, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say the entire city was under Karayan’s control.
‘This is it.’
Stop—
I paused in front of a building as those thoughts ran through my head.
Unlike the haphazard, run-down architecture all around, this structure was relatively neat and stylish. A lodging facility.
A sign above the entrance read:
【Ruins Royal Stay】
One of the few high-end hotels within the world of Loel.
It was no exaggeration to say this was the safest place in all of Dungard.
‘The room rates are ridiculously expensive, but the level of security and service makes it worth it.’
For someone like me—desperate for a secure place to rest—it was the perfect choice.
As for the hefty room charge? I could just use the money Karayan gave me.
I walked into the hotel lobby and booked a room immediately. Then, following the staff member's guidance, I moved through the corridor and up the stairs toward my assigned room.
Before long, I arrived at the door.
“Please enjoy a pleasant stay.”
Creak, thud—
I closed the door behind me as the polite staff member left.
Maybe my stamina had reached its absolute limit—just climbing those stairs had left my legs shaking.
I needed to lie down immediately and give my battered body a break.
“Haaa…”
I flopped onto the bed.
The soft mattress wrapped around me like a cloud.
As the tension drained away, a deep drowsiness washed over me.
This was the first moment of true comfort I’d experienced since arriving in this world.
“……”
Rustle—
Face buried in the pillow, I slowly turned to the side.
Outside the window, the sky was already growing dark.
The long, long day was finally coming to an end.
Only now did it begin to feel real:
…That I had actually survived the tutorial hellhole known as the Underground Arena.
‘I really made it out alive.’
Clearing the tutorial without dying.
It was an achievement countless veterans had attempted—yet none had ever succeeded.
Because the system itself was rigged to ensure players would die there.
But I hadn’t just survived the tutorial.
I’d killed the Human Butcher, Barba.
I’d even swindled the Ruins Guild out of the Featherblade and 100 million shillings.
Pulling off all that during the game’s opening act—especially in a body with average stats of 1—was nothing short of astonishing.
‘If I’d slipped up even a little, I would’ve died.’
I mentally reviewed everything that had happened today.
The fight with Barba the Human Butcher.
The tense negotiation on the top floor of the Underground Arena with Karayan.
Each and every moment had carried the weight of life and death.
Like walking a tightrope over a pit.
Maybe that’s why this brief moment of comfort felt all the more precious.
“……”
And yet… I couldn’t help but worry.
Now that I was stuck in this cursed world, I knew I’d have to face dangers like today’s again and again.
Even with the Soul of the Swordmaster, surviving in the world of Loel with average stats of 1 would never be easy.
‘Which means…’
I needed a plan.
Some kind of strategy—anything—to survive this wretched world.
* * *
Step, step—
The next morning.
Having left the hotel, I strolled through the city streets, going over the plan I’d drafted last night.
“First, I need to grow stronger.”
Power.
In this primal, brutal world, strength was more vital than anything else.
Sure, I had my trump card—the Soul of the Swordmaster—but...
‘…That ability alone isn’t reliable enough to entrust my safety to.’
For starters, the skill’s duration was a mere 0.01 seconds.
In a world where danger could strike at any moment, relying solely on such a brief window would be reckless.
‘More importantly, the skill has a long cooldown too.’
Technically, it was a toggle-type ability, so it didn’t have a traditional cooldown… but the problem was elsewhere:
[MP: 0/1]
Because both my Mana and Insight stats were locked at 1, I’d effectively ended up with a cooldown anyway.
See?
Even after a full night’s rest, my MP was still at zero.
‘With a Magic stat of 1, it should finish regenerating about now…’
Tick—
[MP: 1/1]
‘…There we go.’
To be honest, the solution to this problem is incredibly simple.
No need to overthink it—just dump all my points into magic-related stats.
Once I do that, I could kill any enemy in sight with a single click of that skill.
‘However…’
Slick—
I paused, thinking for a moment, then looked up at the translucent window hovering above me.
[Lv. 1]
Realistically, my level should be much higher by now.
After all, I did take down Barba the Human Butcher, who was Lv. 71.
Taking out someone like that while still at level 1 should’ve earned me a ridiculous amount of EXP.
…If this were a game, that is.
‘But this isn’t a game. This is reality.’
Still, that did let me infer something important:
This “system” I was seeing was just a UI—a visualized status display.
It wasn’t the kind of simple, stat-boosting growth system you’d see in a typical game.
‘And if I think about how Lost Elder handled its "lore settings"…’
Leveling up to get stronger wasn’t even meant to be a viable strategy in this world.
‘…Which means I’ll have to grow stronger by other means.’
And last night—
The first method that came to mind was this:
[Sacred Piece]
They’re said to be remnants of ancient gods scattered across the continent…
But put simply, they’re rewards you earn for clearing specific Trials.
‘The types of rewards vary widely.’
Skills. Traits. Potions. Currency.
From minor trinkets to Divine Artifacts and top-tier gear.
Whatever form they came in, they were all capable of drastically boosting my current capabilities.
‘Of course, in my current frail state, I can’t go chasing after Sacred Pieces.’
Trying to challenge a Trial while your average stat is 1?
That’s just asking to die. It’s suicide.
So here’s the clever workaround I came up with:
‘I’ll just get carried.’
"Getting carried"—also known as “riding the bus.”
In other words, I’d latch onto a high-level NPC and have them do the hard part for me.
I’d scout out someone capable of clearing the Trials in my place, delegate the dirty work to them… and then take the reward for myself.
“……”
But that raises a key question: Where do I even find this bus driver?
And assuming I do find someone strong enough, how exactly am I supposed to make them do what I want?
Finding someone strong and obedient, someone who won’t betray me, is a tall order.
Especially considering how bleak and unforgiving the world of Loel really is.
‘Fortunately…’
I didn’t have to worry about that.
Because ever since yesterday, a “suitable candidate” had been tailing me.
* * *
Step—
A dark alley in the city of Dungard.
Deep within that alley, I came to a halt.
Standing in the narrow, unlit passage, I muttered, “How long do you plan to keep following me?”
No response.
Only silence.
But I kept talking anyway.
“I’m not the patient type, you know.”
“……”
“So let me ask one last time. How long are you going to keep tailing me?”
Another beat of silence.
But this time, it didn’t last long.
Step, step—
After a moment’s hesitation, I heard soft footsteps approaching.
And before long, a woman emerged from the shadows.
[Lv. 77]
A lion.
Yes, that was the first image that came to mind.
A woman who reminded me of a beast king—a lioness.
Long, disheveled platinum blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Snow-white skin, marked by small battle scars.
I recognized her instantly.
Her character was one I’d seen countless times beyond the monitor while playing Loel.
“Adelia von Goldheart.”
One of the candidates I had in mind to serve as my “bus driver.”
“……”
Of course, level 77 isn’t exactly god-tier in this world.
At most, she was a well-known powerhouse in this region.
But across this vast continent, there were plenty of monsters stronger than her.
Hell, even Shadow Knight Loren, who I saw earlier, was level 84.
And yet, there was a very good reason why I specifically sought out Adelia von Goldheart: Among all the NPCs in the game, she has the highest growth potential.
One day, she’d kill one of the Twelve Swordmasters… and take their place.
She was destined to become one of the strongest characters in the entire world.
And starting today, I was going to make her one of mine.
It wasn’t going to be hard.
I’d played Loel for twelve years—I knew practically everything about Adelia von Goldheart.
‘Including what she truly wants.’
Now…
It was time to start acting again.
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[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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