Chapter : 33
I’ll Save You in the Bad Ending Route
Wind Spirit Mage
It had been two hours since I started training with Aaron. I’d lost track of how many monsters I’d fought alone so far. My throat was parched, and my legs kept going weak.
“Swing until the end! Put strength in your legs!”
But Aaron’s words spurred me on like a whip. I stood up and slashed at the shadow wraith lunging at me. When it was defeated, skill experience points increased.
Through the Observer’s Sight, I could see how many monsters I had cut down.
[‘Shadow Wraith’ 76/100 defeated]
I was gasping, my heart felt like it was going to burst. Eiran’s stats were absurdly weak for a prolonged battle.
‘It’s really a curse to be possessing such a weak body…’
I felt my hand tremble around the rapier. My hand holding the sword had gone numb as I mechanically cut down the oncoming wraiths.
Whenever my mana seemed about to run out, Aaron would toss me a mana recovery potion.
“Keep going! If you give up halfway, it counts for nothing!”
I took the potion, replying with the kind of resolve fueled by desperation.
“I know! I won’t give up!”
The refreshing potion gradually eased my dizziness.
“Here they come again.”
Four monsters charged at me from behind.
“Kyahhh!”
I mimicked a scream and attacked the shadow wraiths one by one.
When I cut down the eightieth wraith, I could move no more. My legs went completely limp, like a wind-up doll with its spring unwound, and I collapsed to the floor.
At that moment, a shadow wraith attacked from behind. Its magic darkened my vision.
‘What… is this? Monster magic…?’
It drained all the strength from my body and made me feel like I didn’t want to do anything.
‘I… don’t want to move… I just want to rest…’
Negative thoughts surged in.
‘Why did I have to possess this body in this world and do this? Where is the real Eiran? Will I survive the Orion trial? How long will I be stuck in this world…’
Sleep began to overwhelm me. The irresistible drowsiness made me feel as though I were being dragged into an eternal nightmare.
Just as my body lost all strength, my vision suddenly cleared. Aaron had wrapped his arm around my shoulder, holding a sword in his other hand, and slashed the shadow wraith.
The wraith disappeared cleanly with a single swing. I panted, staring blankly at it. As I regained my senses, I felt Aaron glaring at me with a frown.
‘Uh oh, I’m about to get scolded.’
I could already imagine what he was going to say. I lowered my head, ready not to be hurt by his words.
“Eiran, are you having a hard time?”
But his voice was strangely gentle.
“Huh?”
I looked up, and the frown on Aaron’s face was gone. He was simply gazing at me calmly. Somehow, his hand on my shoulder felt soft.
“Huh?”
Seeing a side of Aaron I’d never seen before left me speechless.
He took my hand holding the sword and drew it toward him, making me release the rapier. He carefully examined my palm.
“…You were forcing too much strength. Your skin is torn.”
“Huh? Yes…”
Aaron was right; my hand was battered. Because Eiran’s attacks were weak, I had unconsciously gripped the sword too tightly. He looked at my worn hand and asked softly:
“Shall we take a short break from training?”
“Huh?”
Again, I just said, “Huh?” I couldn’t think of anything else to say. This wasn’t the Aaron I knew. I even wanted to ask if something had happened to him.
The one who had just been shouting at me to get my act together—where had he gone?
‘Why are you suddenly asking so kindly?’
The question rose in my throat, but I swallowed it. One thing was clear: his hand holding mine was warm. I swallowed once more without realizing it.
My ragged breathing calmed, and I felt renewed strength in my body.
“No, I’ll keep going a bit more.”
I felt power return to my voice. Somehow, I felt like I could do better.
“That’s right. Not much left now. Stand up and fight. Remember your resolve.”
Aaron looked into my eyes and whispered encouragement. My legs, which had been limp, now lifted me powerfully.
My racing heart felt like a pump infusing me with energy. I stood, gripped my sword, and faced the shadow wraiths again.
Shadow wraiths were monsters that looked like screaming ghosts. They clung to humans, forcing endless despair, self-loathing, and helplessness—sometimes driving them to suicide.
To defeat them, I had to strike while filling my sword with mana. Feeling the few remaining wind mana, I looked for the right spot to strike.
Aaron wrapped his hand around mine from behind.
“You’re forcing your strength again.”
His large, warm palm covered mine.
“A sword isn’t just about strength. It’s about harmonizing with your legs. Think about putting your weight into your attack.”
I felt his instructions flow into my body.
The shadow wraith’s dark eyes rolled as it charged at us. When I applied force to the sword, Aaron guided me on how to angle and weight it.
“Yes, charge forward with your intent!”
My rapier compressed the wind mana and pierced the shadow wraith precisely.
“Kyaaa!”
The wraith screamed and vanished cleanly. I felt the wind mana swirl strongly through my body.
[ activated!]
My body felt lighter, and my mana began recovering fully.
“Awakening… good. I can do more!”
A horde of shadow wraiths came from behind, but I was untouchable now.
I defeated the eightieth monster.
[‘Shadow Wraith’ 81/100 defeated]
[Critical activated!]
I cut down two at once. They crumpled like paper.
[Wind Swordsmanship C level up!]
I could go on.
I could go on.
“Keep pressing in!”
With Aaron’s final words, I cut the hundredth shadow wraith. The surroundings shimmered, and the illusionary magic of the training ground began to fade.
[ perfectly cleared. Training complete.]
The window that appeared before me confirmed I had successfully completed the training.
At that moment, I felt a magic circle forming under my feet.
As the light rose, Observer’s Sight activated.
[System. New skill acquisition available.]
A list of skills I could now learn appeared. I gasped, staring at it. There were all kinds of attack skills, including the ultimate, .
But I lowered the window carefully.
‘I have to pick a skill that fits my soul.’
Aaron and Lowen had advised me to do so.
In this situation… there was a skill most suited to me.
[Can observe situations within a 50m radius. Required stat: Intelligence 300+]
A skill most useful for scouting in games. With my current high intelligence, this was the skill for me.
It might seem weak or useless, but I decided to trust the information I had received from Aaron and Lowen.
‘I can use this skill effectively.’
With trembling hands, I slowly selected . As my finger touched it, green wind swirled around my ears and eyes. The scent of wind filled my nose, clearing my mind and cooling the sweat on my forehead.
[System. ‘Wind Scout’ acquired.]
“What skill did you get?”
Aaron looked at me with curiosity. To him, I must have looked like I was staring into nothing. I sheathed my sword and answered.
“I acquired a magic called .”
“? Ah… a wind-elemental information magic? It lets you hear the surroundings, right? Useful for scouts.”
Aaron’s mind was already turning.
“If it’s that magic, it could be used to navigate mazes during the trial…”
At that moment, a window appeared with a ding, covering Aaron’s face.
[System. Skill ‘Wind Scout’ awakened to E rank.]
“Could be really useful…”
Ding!
[System. Intelligence ‘9999’ Skill ‘Wind Scout’ upgraded to D rank.]
Huh?
I couldn’t hear Aaron anymore.
[System. Intelligence ‘9999’ Skill ‘Wind Scout’ upgraded to C rank.]
[System. Intelligence ‘9999’ Skill ‘Wind Scout’ upgraded to B rank.]
[System. Intelligence ‘9999’ Skill ‘Wind Scout’ upgraded to A rank.]
[System. Intelligence ‘9999’ Skill ‘Wind Scout’ upgraded to AA rank.]
…
Too many windows appeared to even see Aaron’s face. His voice was completely drowned out.
‘W-what is this…?’
The Observer’s Sight displayed the final window.
[NEW. SSS rank skill acquired.]
SSS rank
- Can hear within a 5 km radius.
- Negates soundproof magic.
- Cannot be sealed.
- Can hear sounds wherever desired.
- Can acquire maps.
‘This… is…’
I couldn’t even speak. The first skill I gained in Eiran’s body was SSS rank.
‘No way…’
I was so thrilled I felt like crying. Swinging my sword non-stop for two hours and following Aaron and Lowen’s advice had been an excellent choice.
Well done. I won. I made the right choice. I got an SSS skill.
“Why are you like this, Eiran?”
“No… it’s nothing… I’m just happy I finished the training well.”
My chest was so full I could barely speak.
“Good work. If you train that magic hard, it will rank even higher.”
‘What do I do if it’s already SSS?’
I couldn’t tell Aaron. I had no idea how useful an SSS skill could be. I was most curious about the “can acquire maps” effect.
“.”
I activated with my mana. A map appeared.
[Current location: Loas Academy – Training Ground]
Two blue dots blinked on the map.
[Aaron], [Eiran]
‘This… is like a game map…!’
It was a magic that showed the positions of other characters relative to me. Now I could instantly know where everyone else was. Perfect for my Intelligence 9999!
Aaron came over and patted my shoulder twice. My excitement hadn’t subsided, and I was out of breath.
“Good work. Let’s pack up and leave.”
“It’s thanks to you, Aaron.”
I thanked him.
At that moment, one of the blue dots on the map moved toward the training ground.
[Freya]
“Are you two here?”
I turned my head as Freya entered the training ground. I realized immediately:
This skill shows the location of all characters. I would never be ambushed again.
With this, I could handle any variables that arose in the Orion trial.
