readbooksol Chapter 106 : To Become 4th Rank (1)
Chapter 106 : To Become 4th Rank (1)
To Become 4th Rank (1)
When people play RPGs, what do they usually look into first?
They try to find out which Class is good and which ones are inefficient.
You get items or skills after creating a character,
but your Class is not something you can change.
Of course, in modern online RPGs, you can change your Class with cash,
but Belkhazium, that god-awful game, had never gotten a patch since its release—it was a free offline game.
'Even the developer, who distributed the game anonymously on the web, should have left it alone...'
At any rate, Belkhazium, famous for its unmatched hardcore difficulty and freedom,
also made you choose two things during character creation.
The first was gender, and
'The location of mana generation.'
You had to choose where your mana would be generated: top hole or bottom hole.
At first, I wondered why they would divide Classes that way.
I simply assumed top = mage, bottom = warrior.
'In truth, the bottom hole is positioned in the lower abdomen like the dantian, and the top hole is in the brain.'
That's why, in the game, strength—which was expressed in levels—
was called 'rank' for martial artists and 'circle' for mages.
Thus, each Class built up the initial mana hall they acquired up to level 4,
and upon reaching level 5, they grew the mana hall in the opposite direction to become even stronger.
Martial artists upward, mages downward.
Due to this difference, I heard that mages could use Brain Voice from the 3rd circle,
while martial artists could only use it from the 5th rank.
'... But then, how is the battalion commander able to use Brain Voice when he's only 4th rank? I'll have to ask about this later, too.'
I could talk forever about the game's settings and power balance,
but there was only one conclusion I wanted to make.
'Damn. I messed up my build and ended up with a failed character.'
When Jeros told me I should have gone down the path of magic, I thought he was just messing with me or being sarcastic,
but after hearing it again from the battalion commander last night, I started to regret it a little.
Of course, that didn't mean I was filled with regret.
If I hadn't awakened my mana hall on the day of the sparring tournament, I would have died at the hands of Flaco.
I just couldn't help but feel a bit of regret.
"Aren't you paying attention?"
"!!"
Ralph's Sword Energy came flying at me heavily, snapping me back to my senses.
But since it wasn't fast, I blocked it with Strong Sword. CHAK!
Because of the Blood Iron kitchen knife, I could now do things like this, too.
"I told you not to rely on your equipment!"
Lately, Ralph doesn't stop nagging during sparring.
Cheng, kikik!
'Says the guy who only got strong thanks to gear.'
I wanted to say this, but I couldn't.
Sparring with Ralph, who's still a 4th rank, was still a difficult realm for me.
"Can't you go easy on me, just a bit?! Easy!"
"You wouldn't need me to if you'd just stay focused—"
Thunk! With a sound, Ralph's big chin swung up diagonally.
My spinning back kick had landed squarely on his face.
"Oh."
I let out a surprised gasp, elated at finally landing a blow after a long time,
but Ralph's mood seemed to be the exact opposite of mine.
Big-jaw smiled mercilessly and muttered in a low voice.
"That was good just now. Now let's move on to the next stage."
Damn. There's still a higher difficulty left?
***
Ralph had been gradually increasing the difficulty of our sparring openings.
And today, we reached stage three.
I didn't know how many more stages were left,
but every time Ralph raised the level, I had to take a beating. Damn it.
"Good work."
Ralph left me sprawled out on the ground and walked away.
Now it was time for the other platoon leaders of the 3rd company.
"Huff. Huff."
Catching my breath, I tried to continue my train of thought that had stopped.
Last night's conversation with the battalion commander had been more beneficial than I thought.
My vague goals became a little clearer.
'For Schutmann's ambush, becoming 4th rank myself is the minimal requirement.'
I didn't know how the battalion commander calculated that five 4th ranks were needed for the ambush to succeed, but it was clear that five had a much higher chance of success than four.
That's why I should have been hurrying to reach 4th rank as soon as possible.
'The problem is, I have no sense of how to do it.'
I hit 2nd rank as soon as I learned to use mana,
and it took less than a month to go from there to 3rd rank in the minor Demon Realm.
But I got stuck at 3rd rank and three months went by.
Of course, it's not really 'as much as' three months, but 'only' three months.
I'd heard that prodigies who held a sword all their life might reach 4th rank only in their twenties.
Advancement was difficult even with years of training,
and you needed talent on top of that.
"Huff, huff."
But I had no talent with the sword.
Even if I knew every item, skill, artifact, OOPArts, and major NPC's boss patterns—
Ian, in this medieval fantasy reality, had no talent with the sword.
But—
'You think I'm going to give up that easily? Me?!'
Look how far I'd come.
I'd endured and endured,
got stronger by making and selling food,
and even survived having my lower body cut off.
This kind of bodily fatigue—
I thought I could overcome it all with willpower!
"Grrr!"
Once again, I tried to raise my upper body for another round with Ralph.
But—
"If you do any more now, you won't be able to move tomorrow. Just stay still and rest, man."
Ralph gently pushed me and I flopped right back down.
I just lifted my head and looked at the platoon leaders from Ralph's company, who were wiped out.
'He doesn't spare me, but he's even tougher on the other officers.'
The old saying about frogs not remembering when they were tadpoles came to mind,
and Ralph sat down next to me and scolded me.
"Where's the guy who told me to take it easy?"
That remark, that nuance.
It sounded familiar—ah!
'When Ralph was training like his life depended on it for his match against Keil, I was the one who told him not to let impatience ruin the future.'
I said it with the intention of telling him not to rush and miss his future.
Hmm.
I guess I'm starting to have some meta-awareness of my psychological state.
"Whew. Huff. Thanks. Huff."
I expressed my thanks to Ralph and set my sword aside.
I thought I'd just take a good rest, but Ralph asked,
"Did something happen to you?"
"Why? Huff."
"You had unusual strength today."
"Maybe I just ate well."
Actually, dinner had been plenty bountiful.
Since I'd hunted an Ice Bear myself, not a wild boar.
But my attempt at changing the topic didn't work on Ralph.
"You don't need to use all your strength just because you have it. You're growing quickly enough anyway."
Ralph said this while staring into the distance.
Looking up at Big-jaw hyung from where I lay, all I could see was his chin,
but the mood was quite serious.
"I only reached 4th rank after I turned thirty, but looking back, I wonder why I tried so desperately to get stronger.
I guess when the time comes you'll become 4th rank, too, probably much faster than me. So take it slow."
Listening to Ralph, I had plenty I wanted to refute.
He didn't get to 4th rank through his own efforts, but through my generosity and as a gift from me,
and if Ralph hadn't worked like a madman, I would never have given him the Fragment of the Firmament.
And according to Jeros, I could never become 4th rank no matter how hard I tried.
"Huff. Huff. Huff."
But I didn't voice any of those thoughts now.
Now was the time to fill my brain and body with oxygen to speed up recovery.
So instead of arguing, I simply listened to what Ralph had to say.
"But Ian. Why do you want to get stronger?"
It was a sudden question,
but Ralph's voice was utterly serious.
I felt like I should give some cool or philosophical answer,
but my reason for wanting to get stronger was too basic.
'Because I couldn't survive without getting stronger.'
That was true in the past—and it still was.
Only, now I wasn't fighting just for my own survival.
'To protect the shop and Granfen.'
At some point, the people who had become precious to me—I wanted to protect them.
But I couldn't say something that cringe-worthy out loud.
So I picked an appropriate answer.
"Because it's fun. Getting stronger. Huff. Huff."
That was my third reason.
I went to training every day to live and to protect,
but the feeling of myself getting stronger was also a thrill.
'And unlike in modern times, I gained superhuman abilities, which was part of it.'
So at some point, I started to enjoy the training itself.
To be honest, there was also a sense of superiority over getting stronger than others.
But Ralph looked at me like he couldn't believe it.
"What? You think getting stronger is fun?"
Ralph, who'd been staring into the distance, turned to look at me.
Big-jaw's gaze was as if he was looking at a weirdo.
"You're saying you enjoy training and pushing your body every day?"
"... Right. Don't you, Ralph?"
Ralph raised one corner of his mouth and gave a wry smile.
"Hmm. Maybe when I was a kid. Hmph."
He continued, eyes wistful.
"From a time I can't even remember, I stopped enjoying it. Looking back, most of the training just felt like suffering."
Honestly, I was shocked.
How could someone who said training was miserable
end up with the nickname of 'old training maniac'?
But looking quietly at his big chin,
I could kind of understand why he considered training a pain.
'Because he spent so long running into the wall of talent.'
No matter how much he struggled to break through, it wouldn't budge.
That must have been a miserable time.
Suddenly, I recalled a conversation with Jeros.
He said to me, exactly:
― You have no talent, and 3rd rank is your limit. You can't become 4th rank."
― Any effort beyond that might be wasted effort.
The limits of talent—it's accepted as a law in this world.
In such a world, just what was Ralph thinking as he held on to his sword into middle age?
It's hard to imagine.
'The more I know, the more I respect hyung.'
That's why I was even more satisfied about giving him the 'Fragment of the Firmament'.
Because I made sure his effort wasn't 'wasted'.
So I asked him,
"Then why do you want to get stronger, Ralph?"
Now that I'd caught my breath, I sat up and asked.
I gazed absentmindedly into the distance in the same direction as Ralph.
In the far distance, I could see the spirit stone quarry.
'Is it still within the dead-counting range of that labyrinth? Creepy.'
Just as other thoughts started creeping in, Ralph's voice brought me back.
"... I can't say."
What the—? I answered honestly, but this middle-aged guy suddenly just launches a 'that's a secret'?
I stared at Ralph, dumbfounded—
and saw his big chin clench up with muscle.
'I guess the reason's serious.'
But for some reason, that only made me more curious.
What sort of story made Ralph such a workaholic, so obsessed with strength?
I nudged Ralph's side with my elbow.
"Isn't that way too unfair? I told you honestly, you know."
Maybe my logic got to him—he glanced at me and muttered,
"... If you don't laugh, I'll tell you."
"Who'd laugh at your reason for wanting strength? Come on, spit it out."
I kept prodding him,
and Ralph bit his lip hard as he fiddled with the white scarf around his neck—
the commander's scarf he received at the departure ceremony upon promotion.
'Now that I think about it, he always wears that.'
It's a symbolic accessory, like a Korean army dress uniform.
None of the other company commanders wore it.
I was about to ask if it wasn't too hot now that it was spring—
"Ah, no! I still can't say!"
His girlish reply left me speechless.
I snapped out of my stunned state and was about to retort when—
"And also! Don't be too hard on Ruth."
I became speechless again.
The look in his eye as he mentioned Ruth shone with caring for his subordinate.
"He may seem rough and dim, but if you handle him right, he's very tractable.
He awakened mana a week ago, so he's clearly working hard where no one can see."
... Huh? For real?
He didn't say a word to me—
that he'd awakened mana.
"Uh, um... ha ha ha."
Ralph saw my expression and spoke awkwardly.
"Wait, don't tell me you didn't know?"
To think Ruth hid from me the fact that he'd become a 1st rank. Haha.
You're dead, kid.
***
*
Third day of the march.
It was the same barren plain beside a gorge as always,
but our march came to a halt.
"Halt! From now on, set up a temporary encampment."
Caught off guard, I immediately turned to Zaiya and asked,
"Aren't we supposed to arrive at the frontline today?"
"Yes, that's right. This is our frontline."
Damn. What?
I looked around again.
This land was nothing like the 'frontline' I imagined.
'Ah, right. The frontlines I saw in movies were from World War II.'
No trenches, no bunkers, no barbed wire.
So the medieval era really is different.
'Looking back, even at the spirit stone quarry, battles were just straight-up brawls.'
It was astonishing.
How did fewer than a thousand soldiers, closer to 500, last here for half a year, continuing the war?
As I mulled over this, Ralph spoke.
"Still, come to think of it, this year's war is bearable thanks to your mess team."
More shock.
So until I showed up, Granfen's soldiers
just survived eating stone bread at the frontline?!
'It's hell. This is hell. Medieval times were hell.'
No wonder. No wonder the soldiers stared at me so hungrily on the first night at the spirit stone quarry.
All for a reason.
"Whew. That's all the more reason I have to work hard."
I ordered Zaiya, Ricky, and Ruth to set up the temporary kitchen and set out to hunt.
There was a simple reason I went myself rather than sending Ricky.
'I need to fill out the Bestiary while I have these chances.'
I remembered something you'd receive after catching 100,
but I'd put it off due to lack of opportunity until now.
From yesterday, I decided I'd do it myself.
'Let's catch a higher-grade monster today if I can.'
As I set out with this intention,
Ricky called out from behind me.
"Platoon leader, you should be careful! Monsters sometimes show up around these gorges!"
"I don't need you worrying about me. And it's boss, not platoon leader!"
"Ah! Yes, boss!"
As I was about to leave again,
I remembered something I'd forgotten, and shouted to my squad members.
"And Zaiya, Ricky!"
"Yes, boss!"
"Yes, boss!"
"Make sure to take full advantage of Ruth—he's become 1st rank!"
The moment I finished, Zaiya and Ricky's burning eyes turned toward Ruth.
With everything here taken care of,
it was time for me to go hunting.
***
*
Even in the North, april means the snow starts to thaw.
Especially since we'd come south from Granfen.
Which meant, naturally, less snow.
'It's tough finding game.'
The hunting lessons I had from Flaco were for winter.
I could track in the snow,
but now that the snow was half-melted, tracking was even harder.
'Damn, maybe I should've just made Ricky do it.'
I had a hint of regret, but it was too late.
So, after wandering the rustling, crunching forest paths for a while—
BOOM! CRACK-CRACK!
It sounded like a tree fell nearby.
A flock of birds flapped up into the air,
and the ground trembled.
'What was that?'
Maybe it was one of those monsters Ricky mentioned?
But it's okay.
If my memory of the game served, the monsters you encounter in this area were obvious.
As a 3rd rank, I could handle it.
'At worst, I can definitely run away.'
With that thought, I sprinted straight toward the suspicious spot.