novelInterlude. Must Save, An encounter.
| ← Ch.274 | Ch.276 → |
Must Save had been born in a Silk Line mountain village.
The boy was an ordinary kid except for a slightly unusual name. Children in the same village teased him as to why he had two names. The boy used to be hurt by those words at first. However...
"Must Save, your birth is a foretelling. You will save the world in crisis and become a hero."
"Me... save the world..... ?"
"That's where your second name came from. It's an ancient word for saving."
"Ancient word..."
After hearing the story from his father, the boy no longer felt ashamed of his name. He didn't talk about it, but he was determined to save the world by himself. It didn't end with that. He wanted to be strong.
"Yeah, let's train. The warriors are good at using swords and magic......!"
However, he wasn't that special. His head wasn't bad, but he was only good at counting. It was not enough to learn magic, nor was it an environment in which one could learn magic in the first place.
Even if he tried to train sword art with a rough wooden sword, it didn't work very well, and gymnastics was out of the question in the first place. There was no adult in the mountain village who understood the aptitude of weapons, and so no one was able to teach it to him properly.
"I wasn't a hero born to save the world..."
The boy then turned 12 years old. He was despairing as he swung his wooden sword countless times and looked down at his blistered palms. It was at that moment that the boy had the gift of a miracle.
[Must Save]
[Existence level 1, Dungeon level 1]
[Unemployed]
[Passive Skill - Halberd Mastery Lv. 1, Iron Body Lv. 1 (Unique Skill)]
[Active Skill - None]
[Halberd]
"Hey, what is this...?"
The boy was extremely embarrassed by the sudden appearance of the characters that filled his eyes.
It was natural to think that he was going crazy. What made the situation worse was that the boy could understand the meaning even though he obviously couldn't read the text.
"Am I... really going crazy?"
As soon as he turned away, the mysterious string disappeared from his sight, but he didn't tell anyone about it. No, the expression that he couldn't do anything was accurate.
He didn't want to do anything that would get him more attention because he was getting attention out of his useless long name alone.
Instead, he kept his mouth shut and thought more deeply.
'It must represent me. '
After much consideration, the boy was finally able to come to that conclusion. The string was so simple that it felt so shabby to think that it resembled himself that day.
He was a boy who didn't know what the level of existence was or what a halberd was, but it was something for him to learn about from now on.
"I can do it. Because I'm a warrior......!"
The boy gradually learned about his eccentric abilities. The first attempt was to apply one's ability to others. He succeeded in it after trying again and again. He felt surprised. Others were living in the village...All of them, including his own father, had had little ability.
Most of them had a low level of existence, even if they were not around 1; as for the dungeon level, he could not find anyone who was capable at all.
It was hard to find anyone who was unemployed, and sometimes there were people with clutter like logging, cooking, and lyrics.
'No one has a unique skill. '
The boy was then able to have confidence for the first time. A special eye that was clear that it was only you, like a special unique skill that you were to have! He was special as always!
[Steel Body Lv1 (Unique Skill)]
[Iron becomes harder as you tap it. The same goes for you. The more you suffer, the more you get hurt, the harder your body becomes stronger. ]
[Increases overall body strength; when skills reach a certain level, active functions are opened. ]
The boy realized that the amount of information contained in the string was enormous and that he could manipulate its direction, and immediately used it actively to figure out everything about himself.
[Existence level]
[The power that serves as the basis for the ability of all beings. They grow up when the body and skills are trained, or other beings are killed, and when they have a great influence on the world, they affect the overall ability. ]
[Dungeon level]
[The power of God's trials, the three great dungeons. The deeper you go into the dungeon, the higher your level, and the blessing of God increases your ability. ]
[Passive Skill]
[Always applied skills. ]
[Active Skill]
[Skills requiring conditions for activation. ]
[Halberd]
[Also called a Halbert. It is a type of pole rock that combines an ax and a spear. ]
"Hey, it's...!"
It was no different from a divine revelation. The boy, who had then realized some of the secrets of the world, trembled with overwhelming emotion. Only then could he be sure.
The fact remained that he was a warrior born to save his world. And...
"Dungeon."
'What should I do to be strong enough to fit the name of a warrior?'
* * *
Four years have passed since then, and the boy has grown to an age where he can almost be considered a young man.
He is 16 years old, and he is at the age of working. But he had no intention of living like a normal carpenter.
He had constantly been training himself with the Iron Body unique skill, but he was convinced that the time had come only after hearing that the Sherden Dungeon had been reopened.
"Daddy, I'm going to Sherden."
"What, what? Where is it? You're going to a dangerous place!"
"Only if I go there can I become strong, Father."
The countryside did not overcome the boy's firm determination. Only then did he blame himself for giving his son false hope, but by then, it was too late.
"I'm a hero to save the world. I'll be right back, Father."
"No, you son of a...Save, no matter what. You're going to die."
"I'm not going to die. I'm a hero!"
He boldly separated from his father and embarked on a trip to the dungeon city of Sherden. His ability to identify beforehand added confidence to himself.
[Must Save]
[Existence level 13, Dungeon level 1]
[Unemployed]
[Passive Skill - Halberd Mastery Lv. 3, Iron Body Lv. 5]
[Active Skill - Quick Run Lv. 6, Throw Lv. 4]
The boy's back was hung with an ax, which was made with the money he earned from selling trees, and it was poorly woven with a piece of knowledge about the Halberd.
After a stroke of it, he hurried to Sherden. He couldn't wait to see what was waiting for him, the hero.
"Where are you from?"
"Well, my town doesn't have a name..."
However, the world wasn't very friendly to him.
The boy soon realized that as soon as he arrived at Sherden. No matter how much he looked around, there was no one weaker than himself.
"Tsk, you're a country bumpkin. What is that loose weapon? Don't tell me you're going into the dungeon, you're going to die."
"Well, that can't be..."
[TOM - Sherden Soldier 3, 169]
[Existence level 49, Dungeon level 26]
[Inspection]
[Passive Skill - Sword Lv. 37, Evan's Training Lv. 33]
[Active Skill - Shock Lv. 19, Run Lv. 15, Swordguard Lv. 13]
"When you're here, just enjoy the festival and go back home, kiddo. Come on, get in."
"Oh, well, I mean."
The boy looked at the soldier guarding the gate of the dungeon city of Sherden and swallowed his saliva, and asked carefully.
"Are you the strongest of the soldiers?"
"No, I'm at the bottom."
"That must be a lie...!"
He recklessly contradicted the soldier and rushed into the city.
However, the countless people that appeared as they entered the city, the strings that came to mind every time he looked at them, proved that the soldier's words were not so wrong.
Sometimes, there were weaker people, but most of them were aristocrats of high status, escorted by stronger people. Even a lady selling flowers in a flower shop was stronger than Save.
"What kind of soldier is that strong? What kind of herbalist is that strong...!?"
A man in a mercenary suit, a girl in a shabby robe, pretended to be a wizard and a pretty sister in a strange hat!
All of them had jobs and skills that he had never heard of, and their level was incomparable to Save's.
"Oh, you're an aspiring new explorer."
"Cheer up! But you'd better check the equipment before you go to the dungeon!"
"Ah, ah...!"
Save realized that he was a frog in a well and despaired. The training he had been practicing for four years was nothing! He said he was training hard in his own way, but none of them had a lower level of a presence than himself!
"This is ridiculous. This is ridiculous......!"
Of course, on the way to the city, he found some stronger people.
It was only part of it, and he didn't care because he believed that he would be able to surpass it soon. But it wasn't. He was weak.
'What would you do if you had your own skills? Now that you've become a little stronger, you'll fall at once to a soldier who has trained more than 30 levels of skills!
Even those who had learned their own skills could find it very easy!'
"Why? Why...?"
Even at this moment, the information in his eyes had been given a strict and cold reality on him.
'You're not much, you're just a normal country boy, weaker than a soldier, let alone a warrior!'
"That can't be true. It can't be...."
After trying hard to find someone weaker than him, the boy realized that his actions were nothing more than an escape from reality.
"Who the hell is Evan?'
He had heard about him whilst walking around town. They were clearly stronger than the others who wandered around the city.
He could not have known that this was a minor version of Shine's Newcomer Training Act.
"Who the hell is Evan?"
"What? Huh!"
He asked a soldier patrolling nearby about Evan. His answer was a masterpiece.
"You're a countryman who doesn't know Evan yet...... He's a hero. The hero who saved this city and this country!"
"Hero...."
"You could call him a soldier. Anyway, we can live without any worries because he is in this city. Even if the Demon King appears, it'll be one-shot if Master Evan comes forward!"
Born as the second son of the Marquis, he developed ways while protecting it from the Demon tribe.
'It wasn't me then. '
The hero who would save the world was not himself. It was Evan.
Perhaps he also had the same ability as himself. No, he was sure he did.
It was clear just to hear that everyone knows their skills and develops them quickly. Perhaps Evan's ability was more advanced form his!
'I wasn't...the One."
Until this day, he had been firmly convinced of it. He would be a hero to save the world someday, and he will be the hero of the world!
But all of them were just the delusion of a country kid. He couldn't stand his miserable heart.
How stupid was he to believe his father's words? When Save thought about the past, he wanted to die.
"Where should I go to meet him?"
"Haha, now that you've heard of him, you must have wanted to see him in person! He's probably on patrol by now."
Save wanted to meet him at least once. After doing so, he felt like he could throw away all his vain dreams.
He asked everyone. Actually, it wasn't that difficult. Evan was a man who attracted everyone's attention wherever he went, and he was like advertising where he was.
[Evan D. Sherden]
Save found him. He was as beautiful as he heard. The woman next to him was also beautiful, but she fell short of Evan.
He was complete and flawless. Save went to read his description.
[Evan D. Sherden]
[Existence level 298, Dungeon level 71]
[Ode, Guide]
[Passive Skill - Max Grip, Max Angle, Max Surprise, Knight Training Lv. 92, Leadership Training Lv. 54, Extreme Resistance Lv. 96, Alchemy Lv. 97, Throw Max, Poison Resistance Lv. 91]
[Active Skill - Heaven's Press Lv. 86, Heaven's Throw Lv. 59, Heaven's Step Lv. 81, Heaven's Blade Lv. 35]
[Great Wizard]
He stumbled at the influx of information he had received.
"What, person..."
No, Save could never be a hero. There was no way any warrior could beat Evan.
"No way, no way..."
He felt suffocated because he saw something too shocking. There was a momentary cardiac arrest.
'No, it's not a person. It's possible because he's not human. Yes...!'
Looking at Evan D. Sherden, who looked perplexed, Must Save thought in a faint consciousness.
'He must have been sent by God!'
The boy fainted after this thought passed through his head.
It was the day Evan had acquired a believer.
| ← Ch. 274 | Ch. 276 → |