I Became a Swordsmanship Genius in the Game

Chapter 104. The Next Destination

The torture known as ‘the time to express gratitude to the benefactor’ had ended.

Keu-eung—

Hyunwoo, who had been sitting for a long time receiving thanks and gifts from the High Orcs, twisted his body and got up.

It was late at night, and even the sunlight that had been filtering through the cracks in the cave had disappeared, but their festival was as noisy as if it had just begun.

Hyunwoo looked around, observing the others.

'Where is Lucas?'

He was the type to loathe noisy places, so he thought he might have slipped out.

But as he walked around looking, he found Lucas surrounded by several High Orcs.

He could also see Conrad clinging to Lucas’s side.

“Brother!”

“Who is your brother?”

“Are you sane, drinking tea at a festival?

Here, take this.

You must have a drink of alcohol!”

“…What is this smell?

It feels like the blood I drank yesterday is coming up.”

“Demonic Mare’s Milk Wine!

It’s a precious liquor that’s hard to come by.”

Perhaps due to not only the spars they had together but also the life-and-death battle, Conrad was actively taking care of Lucas.

What was surprising was Lucas’s reaction.

Judging by his frowning face, he looked very uncomfortable, but he was putting up with it rather well.

“I feel like I'm going to throw up.”

Of course, by Lucas’s standards.

Conrad, who couldn’t take a hint, was also formidable.

“Hahahaha—!

Brother, you are weak to alcohol.”

“I said I feel like throwing up because of the foul smell.

What is this sour smell?”

“That’s its charm.”

Kuh—

Conrad, who had downed a cup of wine four times the size of the one he had given Lucas in one go, smiled pleasantly.

Hyunwoo intervened between them.

“I have something to talk to you two about, could you give us some space?”

“If it's a request from the benefactor, of course!”

Conrad filled a new cup and got up.

The other High Orcs also swarmed away, and in an instant, only he and Lucas were left at the table.

Hoo—

Lucas let out a deep breath as he watched their retreating backs.

“Thank you.

Festivals are… not very welcome.”

For a vampire who valued personal space, a festival where people stuck to you stickily within breathing distance must have been hard to bear.

Still, perhaps because he had gotten used to the group life of the ‘High Orcs’, he seemed to have endured it well.

Hyunwoo chuckled and tilted his cup.

“I didn’t do it for you.

I really have something to say, that’s why I asked them to leave.”

“By all means.

Anything is better than listening to the High Orcs talk about the beauty of their thick forearms.”

“I heard from the shaman.

It seemed you had something on your mind.”

At Hyunwoo’s words, Lucas’s brow furrowed.

“A light-lipped old man.”

In fact, he hadn't heard anything from Gracia, but Lucas wasn't the type to go and confront him.

Hyunwoo just shrugged and waited for his words.

After a moment of thought, Lucas opened his mouth.

“I was worried about the Stigma.

But before that, recovering my body would be the priority.”

Hyunwoo nodded.

As he said, it was more important to recover the mana from the aftereffects of the Stigma first.

Lucas was a talent-filled individual with the potential to grow into the strongest mage in ‘Masal’.

Moreover, he would eventually succeed in using the ‘Stigma’ in the same way as the Undying King.

‘If I just give him a little hint, he’ll figure it out on his own, right?’

Hyunwoo recalled the most important process needed to use the ‘Stigma’ ability.

It was the contemplation of the attribute Lucas possessed.

After a moment of thought, Hyunwoo opened his mouth.

“How about trying this?”

“How?

Is there some way?”

“What is the nature of a vampire’s mana?”

“The nature of mana…?”

“Yes.”

A vampire’s mana.

Its essence was, after all, ‘blood’.

Lucas, who had narrowed his brow for a moment, couldn't answer.

“……”

Just as a person would be at a loss for words if asked to explain air while breathing it every day.

He had probably never thought about ‘blood’, which was like air to him.

“How about starting by thinking about that?”

“You mean about mana?”

“Well, I thought if you think deeply about the nature of mana, you might find some answer.”

“The nature of mana……”

At Hyunwoo’s words, Lucas fell into deep thought.

‘This much should be enough.’

It wasn't a power that could be obtained in a short time anyway, and the rest was up to Lucas.

Hyunwoo stroked his chin and left Lucas, who was lost in thought.

As he slowly moved around, looking around, he saw many High Orcs stumbling about.

An atmosphere you could see at the third round of a company dinner.

No one seemed to care about the ‘benefactor’ anymore.

Wahahahahaha—!

Let’s drink and die today—!

Those who had been living in a rather disciplined life and under rules were all freely enjoying the festival.

Moving to avoid the staggering drunkards, he found a quiet space outside the festival grounds.

A small bonfire was making a tranquil sound, cutting through the silence of the night.

Thump, crack—

Through the flickering flames, he could see the figure of an old man squatting next to it.

The old man holding a cup with his wrinkled hands was Gracia.

He was watching the flames that had shot out from the bonfire with a dazed expression and tilting his cup.

It was a pitiful sight that didn't suit his position.

Swish—

Hyunwoo approached him and sat down naturally.

“Aren’t you mingling with the others?”

“Kek, kek, kek…… what would an old man do, joining in the children’s fun.

It’s better to give them some space.”

Hyunwoo nodded slightly.

Gracia was a man who was like a model of a good superior.

“You will probably be leaving soon?”

“Yes.

There is something I must do.”

“If I had my way, I would keep the benefactor with me and repay the favor, but… a mere old man shouldn’t stand in the way of the Guide’s path.”

Kek, kek, kek…….

Gracia clicked his tongue lower than usual.

A deep sense of regret could be felt in his demeanor.

It seemed his words of wanting to repay the favor were not empty.

Swish—

Gracia offered Hyunwoo a cup of wine.

Hyunwoo took the cup and downed it in one go.

Kuh—

Compared to its sour smell, the deep and rich taste wasn't bad.

Hyunwoo wiped his mouth with his arm and opened his mouth.

“I plan to leave this place as soon as my body has recovered.”

“In that case……”

Thump—

Crack—

Gracia stirred the bonfire with a branch, reviving the dying embers.

Fwoosh—

The embers grew, and the surroundings brightened.

No, it wasn't just because of the embers.

Looking closely, a curse circle was engraved under the bonfire.

Vwoom—

Light emanated from the curse circle, and,

Hook—!

With a short gust of wind, the flames were extinguished in an instant.

Chiii—

Gracia reached his hand into the remnants of the bonfire, which was making a cooling sound.

He took something out from inside.

A small but intricately carved ‘totem’ with several patterns.

He held it out to him.

“Please accept this.”

“This is…?”

“It is a token that proves you are the ‘benefactor’ of the High Orc race.

Wherever you are in the Demon World, if you show this token, you will be able to receive their help.”

Hyunwoo took the ‘totem’ and examined it closely.

Its orange-tinted body and two wings, and on top of the totem, the face of a human woman, he could instantly recognize its identity.

“Is this modeled after the Harpy Queen?”

“That is correct.

It is a totem made from the queen’s body.

It has a mark that only High Orcs can recognize.

And… could you try holding the totem in your hand once?”

Hyunwoo nodded and held the totem in his hand.

Flinch—

The hand holding the totem tingled, and his vision wavered as if there was static.

And a moment later.

Swish—

The sight of Gracia extending his right hand forward came into view.

Holding the totem made his head throb.

As Hyunwoo let go of the totem, the hand in front of his eyes was gone.

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“……?”

Again, Gracia extended his hand with the same motion.

“This is…?”

“It is the ability to glimpse the future.

When my power and the Harpy Queen’s power were combined, a useful item was created.

Kek, kek, kek….”

It was more than useful.

Hyunwoo’s face showed surprise at Gracia’s explanation.

‘Precognition…?’

Precognition.

Literally, it was the ability to see the future.

The time felt like about 1 second later.

In a battle, 1 second was enough for life and death to be decided.

Therefore, an item with the ability of ‘precognition’ was priceless.

It was a precious item that was hard to obtain in the Demon World even with money.

“Is it alright for you to give me such a precious item?”

“Of course.

However, please use it with caution.

Glimpsing the future is a power not permitted to mortals.”

Hyunwoo nodded.

In the game, if you used precognition too often, the character would go mad.

Therefore, precognition had to be used appropriately only when necessary.

As Hyunwoo put the totem in his bosom with a satisfied expression, Gracia continued to speak.

“When the sword-wielding fiend came, I could no longer see the ‘future’ of my clan.

But.”

His red gaze shone even brighter as he stared at him.

“As Sir Guide walked his path, the ‘future’ of our clan began to shine again.

No matter how precious the item, compared to the light that Sir Guide has shone on our clan, it would be no different from a mere bonfire.”

“……”

Gracia praised Hyunwoo to the point of making his face flush.

The respect in his eyes was endlessly elevating Hyunwoo.

‘Adoration’ beyond goodwill.

Well, it wasn't bad for a strong person like him to have feelings for him beyond goodwill.

It seemed as if Gracia would give him his liver and gallbladder at any moment.

Hyunwoo hid his embarrassment, nodded slightly, and put the ‘totem’ into his bosom.

“Now, what path do you intend to walk?”

“Are you asking about my next destination?”

“Yes.

I am very curious about which path Sir Guide will choose.”

“Hmm….”

The next destination.

Actually, he hadn't decided where to go next.

His final destination was the ‘Kormur Dungeon’ to solve Jude’s calamity.

At the end of the dungeon, there was a guy called the ‘Gatekeeper’.

There were two ways to deal with the Gatekeeper.

One was to avoid the battle and deceive the Gatekeeper’s eyes, and the other was to hunt him.

‘The way to avoid the Gatekeeper is to use the Ethereal Cloak.’

The ‘Ethereal Cloak’ was an item that provided the wearer with perfect stealth.

An item possessed by the ‘Stone Monkey King’ of the ‘Volcanic Mountains’, a volcanic terrain.

But.

Hyunwoo shook his head.

The Stone Monkey King.

As long as the agile creature could hide its body through the Ethereal Cloak, he didn't know how much time it would take to catch him.

Moreover, the distance from the rocky mountain to the Volcanic Mountains was also far.

The remaining time was about 9 months.

Even if he used all that time, he couldn't be sure that he could get the item.

‘In that case… it’s better to go in the direction of hunting the Gatekeeper.’

There was an item useful for hunting the Gatekeeper.

‘The Incense Burner of Enchantment’.

The incense burner was almost impossible to obtain, with a high acquisition difficulty, but….

What was certain was that although it would be difficult to obtain the incense burner, it would not exceed the time limit.

An easy task but with no set date.

And a difficult task but one that could definitely be done within the time limit.

When he compared the two, the answer came easily, making his worries seem pointless.

‘Was there ever an easy path?’

It was ridiculous to be concerned about the difficulty now.

Hyunwoo, who had organized his thoughts, opened his mouth.

“I plan to look for the witch.”

“A witch?

Don't tell me… you intend to head to that ‘forest’?”

“Yes.

The ‘Witch’s Forest’.

After leaving the rocky mountain, I plan to head there.”

The next destination was the Witch’s Forest.

A place that held various mysteries like secrets.