Chapter 169

We gathered the remaining treasure in Altz Point. Aside from small jewels and precious metals, there were three important items that we had to retrieve.

The items were listed in the guild journal: the cursed sword, as well as a pair of earrings and a bracelet that were considered as magical items.

However, we could not find the bracelet and were only able to locate the earrings. According to the results of Eleris’s Detect spell, it was confirmed that they were not cursed items.

“These are earrings that are imbued with the Tranquility spell.”

“Tranquility?”

Eleris explained, “It’s a type of magic that calms the wearer’s mind. It’s used to soothe people who are in a state of confusion.”

‘So it functions like a calming pill or tranquilizer... Is that a good thing?’

“Is it a good item?” asked Ellen.

Eleris nodded. “Certainly. Being able to stay calm in a crisis is important, right? It’s not an easy item to make. Of course, I don’t need it, though.”

“I don’t need it either.”

Ellen handed the earrings to me. Ellen was more composed in crisis situations than I was, even with my Divine Spirit. Surely, she wouldn’t need such a magical item.

However, with my Divine Spirit performing a similar role, I didn’t particularly need it either.

“Hmm... I guess I can sell it or something... It should be useful somehow.”

I put the earrings in my backpack for now. Possessing an expensive item was never a bad thing, regardless of who used it. In addition, we managed to retrieve a large number of jewels and gold coins from the luggage in an inn, which we presumed to have been occupied by adventurers.

Although we were taking items that had no owners, it felt oddly guilt-inducing.

We found about twenty gold coins and some other precious metals whose value was difficult to judge accurately.

We decided to split these among ourselves. Since there were more precious metals than money, it wasn’t possible to divide everything exactly three ways, but we chose to overlook that.

“You all can take the magical items. I don’t need them,” said Eleris, maintaining the concept that, as a dragon, she was not greedy for such things. Of course, she still collected lucrative items like precious metals.

“Alright then. I’ll prepare the Teleportation spell,” Eleris said.

It would take five days to return to Saints Point. Eleris intended to reduce that travel time with a mass Teleportation spell.

“... At this point, it would be stranger if you weren’t a dragon,” said Ellen.

“Ahaha... This will take a bit of time, so please sit and rest.”

The fact that Eleris could use top-tier spatial magic seemed to convince Ellen even more of Eleris’s claim that she was a dragon.

We waited by her side for thirty minutes until the incantation was complete.

“It was a roller coaster ride, but in the end, we somehow made it through.”

I never truly held the optimistic expectation that the reconnaissance mission would only involve reconnaissance.

However, I never expected we would end up resolving the entire incident. Even though Eleris’s contribution was significant, Ellen and I had managed to wrap up a pretty substantial case.

“Don’t keep that thing on you for too long,” said Ellen worriedly, constantly glancing over at the cursed sword strapped to my back. “Make a report and hand it over to the Temple straightaway.”

Her concern was entirely understandable.

***

After teleporting back to Saints Point, we reported the events at Altz Point to the Adventurers’ Guild officer. The officer’s log from Altz Point served as sufficient evidence.

“Hmm... zombies... and a cursed sword...”

Once he grasped the series of events, he realized how much more serious the situation had been.

“You not only defeated the horde of zombies at Altz Point but also retrieved the cursed sword?”

“Yes. We couldn’t avoid a fight.”

The guild officer stared at us in shock. He glanced at the sword strapped to my back and wrapped in multiple layers of cloth, unable to hide his unease.

“The principle is generally to leave items acquired by adventurers to them. However, if an item is excessively dangerous, the guild is supposed to take possession of it for a fair compensation.”

He seemed to think that me keeping the cursed sword might lead to further danger, and his statement wasn’t incorrect. After all, it was because of adventurers mishandling a dangerous item that this disaster had happened in the first place.

Ellen and Eleris both seemed to think it was better to leave the sword with the guild and remained silent.

“It’s alright. I plan to take it to the Temple for further analysis,” I replied.

“... Right. Of course.”

He finally seemed to remember that we had the imperial crest, as well as Temple-issued student IDs.

“I’ve only heard things about it, but the Temple truly is remarkable... For such young kids to be able to resolve such a significant case...”

He was unaware of the full circumstances surrounding us, and so found it unusual that we, as students, had managed to handle ourselves in such a large-scale incident. Hearing things about Temple was one thing, but seeing its prowess firsthand was different. Of course, Eleris’s help had been substantial, and we were not typical Temple students, but we didn’t go into those details.

“We assessed the risk to be B-rank, but it turned out to be much more severe. I’ll give you the promised payment of ten gold coins each, plus an additional ten each. So, a total of twenty gold coins each. Additionally, we will further assess the situation and provide extra compensation based on our findings.”

The Adventurers’ Guild was generous. Since the task had been more dangerous than expected, and we had accomplished more than requested, they were willing to give us the maximum payment and provide further compensation after a thorough analysis of the incident.

“I will send the extra compensation owed to the two of you to the Temple... As for this mage, I understand she is not a Temple student...”

“I can collect it from the Adventurers’ Guild, is that alright?”

“Yes, that will work.”

He stared at the three of us for a moment. Whatever expectations he had from us, this was clearly not what he anticipated.

“You are all F-rank adventurers, but with this incident and what happened previously, your ranks will certainly be updated.”

Resolving these two incidents was a perfect demonstration of our skills, and would be enough to see our adventurer ranks rise significantly. The guild officer completed the paperwork necessary to authorize our compensation and handed each of us our own copy. We could submit them to the Adventurers’ Guild at the Egxian Forward Base to receive our rewards.

“You’ve done well. On behalf of the Adventurers’ Guild and countless other adventurers, I extend my gratitude. The guild will do its best to handle the aftermath.”

There was a certain expression of respect in his eyes, especially since we were still so young. It felt quite peculiar.

Ellen looked at me.

Had we truly helped anyone? It seemed like all we’d done was kill things. We had taken on the gruesome deed of killing the dead a second time.

In the end, we didn’t know what were the conditions on the frontier that lay beyond Altz Point. The people there might have already been wiped out by the zombie horde.

Ellen, who needed experience, had gained it. Whether she was satisfied with that or not, I couldn’t tell. I had my own share of uncertainties.

Ellen looked at me.

“Let’s go back,” she said softly.

Whatever the case, our short stint as adventurers had come to an end.

***

Since it was already late, we spent a day resting at Saints Point.

The next day...

We returned to the Egxian Forward Base and received our base compensation from the Adventurers’ Guild. Each of us got twenty gold coins. Our adventurer ranks would be adjusted after a thorough evaluation, and we would be informed about it through Temple once it was finalized.

We were now heading back to Temple. It was also time to part ways with the mage who claimed to be a dragon entertaining herself, Rellia.

At the warp gate in Egxian, Eleris bid us farewell.

Ellen stared intently at Eleris. “What will you do after we leave?” she asked.

“Hmm... I’m not sure. Maybe wander around here and there... Something like that. Though honestly, I don’t want to go through such intense experiences again.”

In the past, Eleris had mentioned being sick of killing. A thought suddenly crossed my mind. I wondered if asking her to protect us in emergency situations was causing her distress.

She continued, “It was only a short time, and saying that I was happy with you all... It feels like something I shouldn’t be saying...”

Although we had many accomplishments, the entire experience couldn’t truly be called good. Killing things and mutilating corpses could never be a good experience.

“I enjoyed being with you two. Truly.”

Though I knew Eleris had to lie to Ellen until the end, I could tell that she was being sincere. Ellen stood silently, just staring at Eleris.

After a long, steady gaze, Ellen finally spoke. “I can’t believe what you’re saying, and I still don’t understand the real intention behind your actions.”

Ellen didn’t believe Eleris was a dragon, but it seemed she was convinced that Eleris was some sort of strange being comparable to one.

Why she had acted the way she did remained a mystery. Nevertheless, Ellen extended her hand.

“Still, thank you for being with us.”

“Ah...”

In the end, Ellen merely acknowledged that we had received help from the suspicious mage named Rellia, and expressed her gratitude. Eleris blankly stared at Ellen’s outstretched hand. For some reason, it seemed as if she might cry.

She took Ellen’s hand, her eyes slightly red. “I hope someday we can travel together again. Not in such dangerous places, but somewhere... prettier and more beautiful. I want to have a journey where we only see good things.”

“I hope for that too.”

Ellen, who had once struggled with interacting with people, was now comfortable saying such things. That was undoubtedly one of the positive changes that had come about through our various trials.

With that, we left Egxian.

[Event Complete – Adventure in The Dark Land]

[Evaluating achievements...]

[You did your best! Great job!]

[Reward: One of Ellen Artorius’s traits will be randomly granted to you.]

[Trait - ‘Hero’s Lineage’ acquired.]

I also received an entirely unexpected reward.

***

Trait: Hero’s Lineage

Description: Heroes possess extraordinary potential compared to ordinary humans. They have unparalleled limits that are far beyond what normal humans can achieve, and their growth rate rarely slows down.

The Divine Spirit trait—the one I received from Olivia Lanche—was another thing I had never consciously set as a trait in the original story.

There were things in the original work that couldn’t be explained by talent alone. For example, why did Ellen Artorius continue to grow in strength rapidly, as if unaffected by the limits that others faced?

This added setting of “Hero’s Lineage” provided a plausible explanation for that growth.

Even so, it all boiled down to one fact: “she can do it because she’s the sister of a hero.” That was the literal meaning of the trait’s name. However, Ellen likely had other traits as well. Unfortunately, there was no way to verify which other traits she possessed.

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

This particular trait concerned speed of growth, and limits. Simply training daily would not mean a consistent rate of growth. Once one reached a certain level, the rate of growth would slow, until one reached a certain limit.

In the world of competitive sprinting, as sprinters grew better and more advanced, the differences became smaller, even to 0.01 seconds. Everyone had their own personal limits. For some, their strength ceiling might be at B-rank, for others, A-rank, or even S-rank.

This trait significantly raised those limits. If my original strength growth limit was at B-rank, now, it could be elevated to A+ or S-rank.

The Divine Spirit trait already provided me with a significant advantage, but this Hero’s Lineage trait was akin to giving me similar—if not identical—growth potential to Ellen.

In short, it was the most crucial trait for me right now, a trait that would allow me to surpass my personal limits.

The Dark Land event promised rewards based on performance, and it seems the overlords recognized the effort I put in this time.

For once, I had achieved a satisfying reward indeed.

Who would have thought I’d be grateful to that stupid candy vendor?

[Strength 8.1 (C-)]

[Agility 8.1 (C-)]

[Dexterity 9.5 (C-)]

[Mana 12.4 (C+)]

[Stamina 12.8 (C+)]

[Control Demon - D] (Unique Ability of Archdemons) (Not usable in the current state.)

[Self-Deception - C]

[Swordsmanship - C]

[Combat Level Assessment: B-]

However one chose to look at it, the practical experience gained on this excursion had propelled me to the next step. The rank of my Self-Deception had increased, and thanks to my consistent training, my Swordsmanship had risen to C-rank. Admittedly, it had already been at this level before our trip to the Dark Land.

Of course, the ranks of my stats were not everything, but it

did

serve as a partial indicator of where I am.

Compared to before, the improvement in my combat level was significant, but a B-minus rating indicated there was still a long way to go.

Of course, even this level of ability was more than sufficient to draw some envy.

I was also entering the phase where growth would typically start to slow down. However, thanks to the Hero’s Lineage trait, that limitation was now virtually eliminated.

The adventure had ended, and I had received an unexpected reward.

However, as we headed back, carrying memories that were far from happy, I found it difficult to feel any spring in my step.