Chapter 20 : Real Treasure (1)

There was a clear difference in levels even within the same rank.

‘Just like how I, at the beginning of the 4th rank, can’t defeat a mage who has reached the peak of the 4th rank, no matter how hard I try.’

Especially the gap between the ‘beginning’ of a new rank and the ‘peak,’ on the verge of the next rank, was beyond imagination. The gap between the beginning and peak of the 7th rank was even greater than the gap between the 1st and 6th ranks.

“I knew it in my head, but…”

I hadn’t expected it to be this extreme.

I looked up at the corpse of Ilerios, its head severed, lying on the ground. Even in death, its massive size forced me to look up. Ilerios, a 7th-rank monster, possessed overwhelming mass and the ability to shoot lightning from its back.

In truth, lightning wasn’t its only ability. It also had a crowd-control skill, roaring like a dragon to immobilize opponents, and an ability to charge like a thunderbolt.

But Lilia had effortlessly sliced it apart before it could even showcase all of its abilities.

There was only one reason this was possible.

She wasn’t just a Sword Master.

The peak of the 7th rank.

Among the dozen or so Masters in the Empire, she was the only one standing before the wall to the next rank.

It wasn’t for nothing that Lilia was sharpening her blade of revenge against the remaining six ducal families. If she were an ordinary woman, she would have abandoned her quest for revenge long ago.

Each ducal family boasted power and influence rivaling the Imperial family. To dream of revenge against such families required commensurate talent.

And Lilia possessed that talent.

“I’m not a swordsman or a knight, so I didn’t understand the swordsmanship you just showed, but that was an incredibly powerful technique, wasn’t it?”
“Hmm… It’s powerful if you say so, but when you break it down, it’s not that extraordinary.”
“…Is this some kind of riddle?”

I approached Lilia with a look of disbelief. She sheathed her sword with an enigmatic expression.

“If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to.”

If that technique was Lilia’s trump card, it was better for me not to know. Thinking that, I replied. Lilia sighed.

“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you; it really is like that. Hmm… If you had some knowledge of swordsmanship, you would have understood immediately.”

Lilia, with a resigned expression, explained briefly.

“What I just performed wasn’t my family’s swordsmanship, nor was it a style I created myself. It was just ordinary Soft Sword.”
“Soft Sword?”
“A style that deflects the opponent’s attacks and pursues them relentlessly, like flowing water.”
“There seem to be more types of swordsmanship than I know.”
“Just as magic has various fields like Flame Magic, Ice Magic, and Lightning Magic, swordsmanship also has various forms and directions.”

The way of the sword (Kendo) varied depending on the individual and the style.

Strong Sword, which relied on overwhelming strength to swing the sword with full force.

Fast Sword, which cornered the opponent with rapid attacks.

There were many other styles.

And in Lilia’s case…

“Originally, I practiced Soft Sword, which gently cut down opponents, like a dream forgotten upon waking. But swordsmanship, you see… when you master it to the extreme, it all becomes the same.”

That’s how Lilia’s Ten Thousand Swords technique was born.

Was it called “all rivers flow to the sea”?

Lilia’s sword, which once flowed like water, had reached its peak and become like the ocean. That ocean connected to other streams she hadn’t walked, and Lilia could now manifest almost any form of swordsmanship.

“That’s why knights called her Ten Thousand Swords.”

Ten Thousand Swords, Lilia.

She said she was embarrassed by that name, but she looked at the empty air with a nostalgic expression. She looked so wistful that I couldn’t bring myself to speak.

After a long silence, Lilia finally spoke, resuming the conversation.

“So, what are you looking for?”
“Huh?”
“There’s a reason you came to this dungeon. Surely you didn’t come all this way just for this monster’s corpse…”

Lilia said, storing Ilerios’s corpse in her subspace bracelet. The corpse of a 7th-rank monster could be used in various ways. The bones could be made into weapons, the hide into armor, and the resulting items would be treasures coveted even by Sword Masters.

However, I hadn’t brought her here just for monster byproducts.

“Let’s see… It was around here, I think.”

I scanned the center of the arena, where Ilerios had been sitting when we first opened the door. If my memory was correct, it should be nearby.

I walked around, examining the ground, and then…

Thump, thump.

I found a spot where the ground felt different. It felt hollow underneath.

“Here it is.”

I immediately focused my mana to create a hole in the ground.

[Mage ‘Ziek Haren’ casts ‘Divine Tree Art’.]

Creak! Screech!

Instantly, a tree grew, pushing aside the dirt floor, and I heard the sound of metal tearing. The strange sensation must have been because this area was covered with metal.

“Stairs.”
“Let’s go down.”

I stepped onto the stairs first. I went first in case they collapsed, but they were made of stone and were sturdy. After confirming their safety, I extended my hand to Lilia.

Seeing my outstretched hand, Lilia gracefully took it.

“Please, escort me.”

Swish. Lilia took my hand and followed me down.

Our destination wasn’t far. It was about five stories deep.

As we reached the bottom of the stairs…

Fwoooosh!

Something glittering in the distance caught my eye.

“No matter how I look at it, this seems to be the end… There’s no gold filling the place, no mountain of magic books.”
“The dungeons you’ve seen must have had those things?”
“Not just the dungeon my family conquered, but most other dungeons are like that, I hear. They say their wealth increased tenfold because of all the treasures from ancient civilizations they found.”
“Unfortunately, this is all there is here.”

At the bottom of the stairs, in the underground chamber, was an altar. And at the center of that altar, a beautifully carved stone glittered.

Lilia looked at it with a dumbfounded expression.

“Just this one thing?”
“As you can see, this is it. You can look around; there’s no space to hide treasure here.”
“You’re right. That means this small stone has the same value as a mountain of gold… You knew what this was, so you brought us here, right?”

I nodded at Lilia’s confident expression.

“A rune.”
“A rune?”

Lilia looked like she had never heard of it. Well, it was understandable. It was an item completely forgotten in modern times.

“A relic from the Holy Kingdom of old.”
“The Holy Kingdom? Something made by the Holy Kingdom?”
“You know when the Holy Kingdom existed, right?”

Before the current Asterique Empire was founded, about a thousand years ago, the continent was in an era of war. Nations long forgotten in history waged war endlessly, and countless people died in the process.

And at the center of it all was one kingdom. It was called a kingdom, but divine authority was stronger than royal authority, so modern history called it the Holy Kingdom.

The Holy Kingdom, upholding divine authority, waged war to unite the world under God. Uniting under God meant, in effect, placing all nations on the continent under the rule of the Holy Kingdom.

Many nations resisted the Holy Kingdom, but its military power was the strongest in the world. Just as the Holy Kingdom seemed poised to unite the continent, he appeared.

“The first Emperor of the Empire.”
“You know.”
“Of course. It’s the founding myth of the Empire. As a descendant of a founding hero, I have to know.”

Even though those founding heroes were later overthrown by other factions. Of course, I didn’t voice that thought. It might hurt her, so I kept it to myself.

“The Holy Kingdom didn’t react much to the unexpected appearance of the Empire, but after clashing once, they experienced the Empire’s strength firsthand. The Holy Kingdom hastily tried to check the Empire, but the Empire, with its powerful vassals, was no match for the Holy Kingdom.”

The Holy Kingdom, losing ground in the war against the Empire, initiated a project. A project with a high probability of failure, inhumane, and contrary to the teachings of the church.

“In the old books, it was called the Chimera Project.”

Chimera. A mythical monster said to be created by combining numerous creatures. It was said that when the Chimera swung its massive legs, mountains crumbled, and when the dragon on its tail breathed fire, the sky burned.

“The Holy Kingdom tried to obtain the power of the Chimera.”
“How… Ah… Don’t tell me?!”

Lilia seemed to have caught on at the mention of Chimera.

“Yes, you’re probably right.”

The Chimera of myth was said to be a combination of many monsters. If so, perhaps humans could create a Chimera? Humans, monsters… the ingredients were already all around.

So, they immediately began experimenting.

“The Holy Kingdom conducted experiments to combine monsters. To cut to the chase, the experiments failed.”

However, it wasn’t a complete failure. It was a product of chance, but they succeeded in creating something similar to what the Holy Kingdom desired.

“A stone that allows humans to use the abilities of monsters.”

That was the rune.

“It was said that since it was created by chance, mass production was impossible.”

The Holy Kingdom desperately tried to mass-produce runes. They prayed to God and accelerated their research. But perhaps the creation of the runes themselves was a miracle of God, because mass production proved impossible.

Eventually, the Holy Kingdom, pushed to the brink of having its capital captured by the Empire, distributed all the runes to its holy knights, intending to defeat the Empire with that power, but ultimately failed.

The runes, few in number to begin with, disappeared with their owners. Only seven runes, which failed to find owners on the battlefield, were placed in dungeons like this.

‘To think I’d obtain it like this.’

Originally, I had no intention of getting this. To conquer Taehaksan Cavern, I needed to accompany several powerful knights or an overwhelmingly strong individual like Lilia. I met neither condition. I didn’t have the money or connections to hire 6th-rank knights, and the latter was practically impossible. I never imagined I would obtain a rune at this time.

I reached for the rune on the altar.

‘With a rune, I can cover my lack of talent.’

I had been stuck at the 4th rank for years. If I obtained a rune that allowed me to use monster abilities, I might not be able to break through the wall, but I could bypass it. It wouldn’t be a stepping stone to the 5th rank.

It might allow me to unleash firepower comparable to, or perhaps even greater than, that of a 5th-rank mage while still at the 4th rank.

As that thought crossed my mind…

“…”

I suddenly wondered what the point was. I wanted to become a Grand Mage because it was my childhood dream and because I wanted to proudly shout at the family that abandoned me. Obtaining a rune wouldn’t make me a Grand Mage. It would just make me stronger.

If so, then perhaps rather than me…

“Lilia.”
“Why are you just standing there calling my name? Didn’t you come here because you wanted that?”
“This. Do you just want to have it?”
“Huh?!”

Wouldn’t it be more fitting for Lilia, who dreamed of revenge, to have it?