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Chapter 13

The physical training with Barundel only ended by evening.

Because the potions were all gone and Barundel advised against further training, saying it would be poisonous to the body.

I didn\'t like it because it didn\'t turn out as well as I thought, but now that I think about it, I\'m really glad I listened to Barundel.

"Ugh... I’m seriously about to die."

Arms, legs, shoulders, torso...

There wasn\'t a single part of my body that wasn\'t sore.

I was so exhausted that it wouldn\'t have been surprising if I fainted right then and there.

I had definitely pushed myself too hard, relying too much on the potions.

I never thought basic training could wear me out this much.

But fortunately, the results are promising.

‘I can already feel my muscles growing.’

With the combined effect of the potion and pushing my body to the limit during training, my muscles were growing at an incredible pace.

Maybe by tomorrow the injured muscles will have healed and become stronger.

I\'m slowly getting closer to the image of the mage I want to become.

Just as planned.

…But here\'s the problem.

Step, step.

Glance.

“…What are you looking at?”

“…Ahem!”

As I walk down the street now, everyone whose eyes meet mine seems suspicious.

The silver-haired knight\'s words keep replaying in my head.

– ...Next time we meet, I’ll take your heart. You’d better remember that.

Of course, maybe I\'m just being paranoid.

There\'s no way the silver-haired one would have someone tailing me, right?

Surely, they wouldn’t resort to something so underhanded.

A knight, of all people...

On second thought, maybe they would?

That guy definitely didn\'t seem normal in any way.

“Sigh… This is seriously bothering me.”

Swoosh.

In the end, I let out a sigh and changed my route.

If I go straight to the inn like this, the uneasiness will keep me up all night.

At the very least, I needed to figure out what kind of person this knight really was to feel at ease.

After passing through a dark alley, I arrived at an old office.

It looked similar to the other shops around the plaza on the outside.

But seeing that it was tucked away in such a secluded spot without a sign, I knew it was exactly the place I had in mind.

Creak.

"…Welcome."

As I stepped inside, a man sitting at the desk casually waved his hand.

He was dressed entirely in black from head to toe.

He was also wearing small glasses perched on his nose that didn’t quite fit his appearance.

As I pulled out a chair and sat down across from him, the man asked.

"You look new… Do you know what kind of place this is?"

"Of course."

To put it simply, this is an [information center].

Unlike eavesdropping in a tavern, you could get much more detailed information here.

Well, I would have to pay a hefty price for it.

Still, the quality of the information is solid, making this a place I’d always visit when progressing through quests in the game.

“Alright, tell me what you’re curious about.”

“I want to know about someone named Shuharn.”

“Shuharn… Shuharn… Ah, that knight?”

I subtly nodded.

So, he does know him.

I felt relieved and picked up the pouch of gold coins that were in my bag, but then I was startled for a moment.

‘Why does this… feel so light?’

I had taken a massive amount of gold from the hideout vault, and this pouch held everything I had.

It was my entire fortune.

But when did it become so light?

What annoyed me even more was the fact that, as I recalled my recent expenses, it started to make sense.

‘…I really spent a lot.’

Lodging fees, potion costs, training expenses, food I bought at the plaza to sate my hunger.

I only spent what I thought was necessary, but when I added it all up, I realized the expenses were greater than I thought.

And considering the money I’ll need going forward… damn it.

“…Looks like I’ll have to make more money before entering the Magic tower.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Ah, nothing. Let’s begin.”

I can think about this later.

Thud.

The man tilted his head in confusion as I placed a gold coin on the table.

“…What are you doing right now?”

His expression was as if to ask whether I was playing a joke on him.

Tch, one gold coin was enough in the game.

Curse this inflation. No wonder I’m running out of money.

“Hold on. I’m getting the rest.”

I nonchalantly pulled out more gold coins from my pouch.

The total payment ended up being ten gold coins.

Once the man stashed the coins in his drawer, he finally spoke.

“Shuharn is a knight of the Kingdom of Balkan.”

“The Kingdom of Balkan?”

“Yeah, his rank is low-tier, but he’s so talented that even most mid-tier knights can’t handle him.”

“Why is someone like that in Asteron?”

“Hm, hold on a sec.”

The man immediately rummaged through his drawer.

There was the sound of papers shuffling before he pulled out a document.

“Ah, here it is.”

The document was a profile with information about Knight Shuharn.

[Shuharn Philedia.]

[Eldest son of the Philedia Family.]

[Age: 29.]

[Rank: Low-tier.]

Along with various other well-organized details.

‘Pretty professional. I chose the right place.’

I hadn’t expected much since this was the first information broker I stumbled upon, but this was quite satisfying.

Many places just charge you for common knowledge, after all.

I skimmed through the document, thinking I could come back here again in the future.

While I was looking it over, the man added some details.

“According to our staff\'s investigation, Shuharn was sent to Asteron about a month ago. He’s probably aiming for a rank promotion.”

The ranking system for knights advances step by step through annual promotion exams. From apprentice to low-tier, low-tier to mid-tier, mid-tier to high-tier...

The problem is that the promotion exams are only held once a year, so it takes a long time to move up.

‘I went through my share of struggles too.’

For the zombie swordsman character I used to play, the slow ranking promotions often halted quest progress, so I aimed for promotion based on achievements instead.

This could be done by earning merits in war or repelling a demonic invasion, for example.

If you gathered enough merits and recognition, you could rise in rank outside of the normal exam process.

Shuharn likely came to Asteron hoping to earn achievements.

But that still doesn’t explain everything.

“What is there in Asternon that has him dispatched?”

He could easily rack up merits by hunting demons around the Kingdom of Balkan. There’s no reason for him to come all the way out to a distant place like Asteron.

There had to be another reason.

“Well, I’m not sure about that.”

“…”

He leaned back in his chair and adjusted his glasses.

Despite claiming not to know, he had a smirk creeping up on one side of his face.

There was only one reason for this.

“Here.”

He wanted more money, of course.

I handed over five more gold coins.

But instead of grabbing them eagerly like before, the man just stared at me.

“Hm, this information’s a bit more expensive.”

…This money-eating hippopotamus cub.

Holding back my frustration, I took out five more coins.

Only then was I able to hear the reason why Shuharn had come to Asteron.

And—

“...Listen carefully. A month ago, the \'Prophecy of the Blood Moon\' descended upon Asteron.”

“…What?”

That was far more valuable information than I had anticipated.

“Are you sure that’s true?”

“It’s reliable information. One of our agents was there in person the day the prophecy was declared.”

“…”

I tried to maintain a calm demeanor, but to be honest, my heart felt like it had dropped.

I hadn’t expected to encounter such a major event this soon.

Especially not one of the rare big events from the game.

‘…This is seriously annoying.’

[The Prophecy of the Blood Moon].

Just like the name suggests, it’s an event where the moon turns blood red.

But the moon itself isn’t the main issue here.

‘…It’s an invasion.’

On the day the moon turns red, the demon race invades a continent on a massive scale.

This time, it seems like they’ve chosen Asteron.

Which means blood will soon flow in Asteron.

“The exact date is... three months from now.”

Right. In three months.

Sigh… now it all makes sense.

The reason why a knight like Shuharn has been staying in Sector 6 of Asteron started to make sense.

“He’s aiming for glory and promotion… He’s not just trying for a mid-tier rank, is he?”

“…Oh, sharp, aren’t you? Yeah, he’s probably aiming to jump straight to high-tier knight with this war. It means he’s pretty confident in his skills.”

A guy aiming to be a high-tier knight, huh?

No wonder he was insanely strong.

The puzzle pieces in my head were finally starting to come together. But there was still one thing that bothered me.

“…Why did he target my heart?”

“Your heart?”

Why was he trying to kill me?

Of course, I had a few theories.

Maybe the silver-haired guy is a servant of Valefor, like the redhead.

Or perhaps it had something to do with some characteristic related to hearts.

But for some reason, none of those explanations felt right.

There had to be something else...

Then, as if a realization dawned on him, the man let out a sigh.

“Oh! You’re that guy, right? The mage who broke through the front gate and entered Sector 6!”

“…”

“Yeah! I knew I’d seen you somewhere before!”

…How did he connect that to the heart thing? Does it really make sense to assume that just because of the heart comment?

At first, I tried hard to deny it.

“No, I’m not.”

“Oh, don’t give me that. Now that I look at you, you’ve got the exact same face as the one on the wanted posters.”

“…Is that so?”

Damn, there’s no way out of this now.

I’d hoped to keep that under wraps.

“Haha, so you’re the crazy guy, huh?”

The guy opened his mouth after muttering something so good for a while.

“Alright. Seems like you’re still in the dark, so I’ll tell you. Consider it a freebie.”

“What are you telling me?”

“The reason. It’s already all over town—Shuharn threatened to take your heart, didn’t he?”

“…Yeah, he did.”

“I’ll tell you why.”

The man gestured for me to come closer, and that’s how I solved the final mystery.

***

Thud.

As soon as I entered my room, I collapsed onto the bed.

The man’s words were still echoing in my head like an aftertaste.

- Shuharn, that fucking bastard is suffering from Mana Deficiency Syndrome. He’s sitting on a ticking bomb.

Mana Deficiency Syndrome.

It’s a condition that occurs when your body doesn’t have the essential amount of mana it needs.

If you have this disease, you need to continuously absorb mana from external sources to survive.

Whether it’s by drinking expensive elixirs or using someone else’s heart as a remedy.

That’s why he was after my heart.

I don’t have any fond feelings for the guy, but I did feel a bit sorry for him.

\'I thought you had it all because you were so arrogant.\'

He was born with good looks, a strong physique, and a natural talent for swordmanship.

But why would someone like that suddenly have a Mana Deficiency Syndrome?

Even the gods can be cruel.

…Not that I’m in any position to pity someone else.

“Looks like we’ll be clashing sooner or later.”

I’d thought I could convince the silver-haired knight, but if it was Mana Deficiency Syndrome driving him, there was nothing I could do.

Unless a miracle had suddenly occurred and the deficiency had been cured, he would have tried to kill me until the end.

My heart would have made for a far better ingredient than any other mage’s.

But...

Whoosh!

“…That wouldn’t do.”

I had no intention of going down easily.

Feeling sorry for him didn’t change the fact that my life was at stake.

Even if the odds had been slim, I had to at least put up a fight.

If I could have officially learned light magic at the Magic Tower, I might have had a chance.

Vroom!

A magic circle had formed through a complex process in the blink of an eye.

I stared blankly at it, lost in thought.

“…”

It had been two weeks since I entered this world.

The only things I had learned were the basic spellbook given to me by the redhead and the modified spells I created myself.

The war against demons was to begin in three months, and if I had run into the silver-haired guy on the street...

Things could definitely have been worse.

However, one thing had been clear, both then and now.

Whether my opponent had been a demon army or the silver-haired knight…

Time had been on my side.