Chapter 130
“Hey, Argo… let’s skip this. I recommend Luke as an S-Rank Adventurer. Based on the capabilities he showed during the Volcano Dragon raid, I believe his strength is on par with S-Rank.”
With that, Argo placed the letter back on the table. To sum it up, it meant he recommended me as an S-Rank, which could only be good for me.
“Is the S-Rank purely by recommendation?”
“Not exactly, but it wouldn’t hurt to receive one. It’s not like it’s some random nobody’s recommendation; it’s coming from an actual S-Rank Adventurer. It’s definitely better than going through the formal channels, where there could be complications.”
“Does that mean I’m, like, an S-Rank now?”
S-Rank easy. Do I just need to go down and tea bag the idiots below me? Oh, but I didn’t anticipate this sudden development, so I didn’t prepare any tea bagging items today. Argo interrupted my happy dilemma.
“Unfortunately, that’s not possible.”
“Why not?”
“If everyone could just become an S-Rank by getting recommended, there would only be three S-Rank Adventurers on the continent, right?”
That was true enough, but I didn’t think those people had recommended anyone else. Wasn’t I the first one to be recommended?
“Did you think becoming an S-Rank was that easy?”
“Yep.”
Isn’t it easy if I’ve made it this far in less than a year?
“Don’t speak from the genius’s perspective. It’s a place most people can’t reach even in their lifetimes.”
“Can we at least call it effort? I am a genius of noooooooot! Just give me credit for my hard work!”
If someone heard that, they’d think I’m a talent leech and a effort leech at the same time! I genuinely believe I have worked twice as hard as anyone else. Why? Because while others naturally awakened their magical power and learned to deal with monsters, I spent two years just coming to this world.
With a body like Rock Lee, who has no magical power, making it this far is definitely a testament to my efforts. What else could you call it but hard work?
“Alright, fine… you’re amazing.”
“So why is being an S-Rank impossible, then?”
“You’re still B-Rank, right? It’s against the rules to skip ranks.”
Ugh, that dumb rule! People should live more flexibly! If life is so rigid, you’ll end up with hair loss down the line.
“But with the materials you brought this time, can’t you go up to A-Rank without the promotion test?”
Before I went to Alvheim, I was trying to meet A-Rank promotion criteria. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, but I brought back proof of defeating an S-Rank Monster. Doesn’t that mean I should get a free pass to A-Rank?
“You’re right; if you brought something like that, you could easily go up to A-Rank without taking the promotion test.”
“Right?”
“But…”
You need a justification. Argo said. Do I need more justification? I just defeated an S-Rank Monster, and still can’t make it to A-Rank? That’s absurd!
If that’s the case, I might as well change my title from Adventurer to serial killer. Seeing my face that looked ready to wreak havoc, Argo hurried to explain.
“It’s nothing serious. You just need proof that you’ve taken the promotion test for A-Rank.”
“And what proof is that?”
“It’s simple. Let’s have a duel.”
*
So, we moved with Argo beyond the Empire’s walls to the plains.
“Why come all the way here when there’s a training ground under the guild?”
“If you truly have the strength of an S-Rank Adventurer, as Gideon indicated, the training ground won’t be enough. I don’t want to spend money for no reason.”
That’s a good choice. Come to think of it, when I previously stomped on some Elves, I did smash a few walls.
Back then, the Elves took care of the aftermath, but I’d rather not spend my money on that again.
“Well then, shall we start?”
Argo drew a straight sword that was tied to his waist. It was an ordinary longsword without any special patterns.
Argo struck a stance as if he had his own swordsmanship, and I responded by pulling out my sword from my inventory.
Having shown various forms until now and having the title of Guild Master, I was curious how strong he truly was.
Suddenly, Argo’s eyes sharpened, and with a loud
Isn’t this a duel for justification? Why is he so fired up? I can’t keep up with that energy!
As Argo charged, he swung his sword horizontally from his right hand.
Hey there, we agreed on a duel, right? What’s with the attacks in such a bare place?
I might survive it, but if it hit someone else, they would surely be split in half.
Argo was slower than the Elf and Demon we fought last time, but still faster than me. However, that didn’t mean I could not block it, so I positioned my sword sideways. One of the advantages of the Greatsword is that I can block attacks coming from that direction.
As I blocked Argo’s earnest attack, his left hand followed up directly. At first, I thought it was just a punch, but then I noticed he was holding a sword.
In an instant, he drew a deathly line across my chest.
“Tekkaai!”
“…!”
But I had the invincible Iron Horn. Seeing that my defenses didn’t crack, Argo quickly jumped back.
“What the… is your body made of steel or something?”
“More like better than steel now.”
Initially, I was only slightly below steel. But yesterday, I poured everything into stamina for the 4P, skyrocketing my defense and stamina.
The problem was that the increase in stamina wasn’t really noticeable unless it was during sex. I’ve never been the type to run around; I usually just fly with one jump and hunt with a single attack.
“By the way, I didn’t expect you to wield in dual-wield style.”
Wow! Dual-wielding! That’s amazing! At first, I thought he was using some sort of magic to move the sword from his right to his left hand, but now Argo had swords in both hands.
“Who reveals all their cards from the start?”
“Well, that’s true.”
I still have a pile of skills I haven’t used yet. From the exchange of attacks just now, I gathered that while the Elf and Demon from before were speed-focused, Argo is more balanced.
A jack-of-all-trades with strength, speed, and stamina evenly distributed. His speed was a bit faster than mine, and the impact from blocking his sword felt considerable. Of course, he was still much weaker than me.
“Phew… It feels like just yesterday that you came in wearing that Academy uniform to join the Adventurers’ Guild. When did you get so strong?”
“Considering everything that’s happened to me since, wouldn’t it be unusual if I wasn’t strong?”
I had taken down a few Demons; if I hadn’t gotten stronger, that would be odd.
“Still, I think I’m starting to grasp how to deal with you.”
Well, Argo wasn’t a mindless undead, after all. Naturally, he would try to find a way around this.
Once again, Argo slammed his foot down.
This time, instead of charging straight at me, he made a quick sideways maneuver.
He probably knows that since Gideon recommended him for his strength, he should avoid a direct strength contest with me.
Gaining relative superiority at any given point has its perks. It robs the opponent of one of their strategies. In this case, he’s stealing my chance to engage with him head-on.
“I’ll teach you something you might not know. No matter how sturdy an object is, it can still be split.”
Argo threw the sword in his right hand toward my eyes. I simply raised my sword to protect my eyes, and the ricocheted sword landed somewhere in the dirt.
What’s he planning to attack with after throwing his own sword? Just as I was thinking this, another sword flew toward my face.
“Huh?”
Didn’t you just throw a sword? I quickly lifted my sword to defend and scanned the surroundings, realizing that numerous stone swords Argo had created were now stuck in the ground around us.
‘This looks like something from an anime…’
While I was pondering over allegations of plagiarism, Argo continued his approach using the same tactic, getting closer to me.
If I thought I could ignore him just because he was wielding weaker stone swords with weakened sharpness, I would be mistaken when I saw the bluish light enveloping the stone sword.
“If one attack can’t land the cut,”
“Then you just need to cut twice.” The moment he declared that, two lines were drawn from the right to the left. Simultaneously, blood began to flow from my chest.
Immediately after, Argo quickly retreated as if he’d just landed a finishing blow.
He looked shocked and pointed at me with wide eyes. “What… what’s that?”
Is he genuinely asking me what that is after making that attack?
“It’s blood. Did you really forget something you just sliced?”
“No, I meant that light coming from your chest.”
Does he really want to win this badly that he’s questioning the existence of light coming from my chest? What a strange fellow.
“Hey, I’m not falling for cheap tricks like that. I have fishing experience, you know?”
“No, I’m serious. What is that?”
At first, I thought he was lying and trying to catch me off guard, but looking into his pleading eyes made me curious as well.
So, I looked down at my body to check, and I could confirm that it wasn’t a lie.
The wound on my chest shimmered with a green light, and slowly started to heal. But it wasn’t like some flashy instant heal from a game; it was more grotesque, witnessing the muscles intertwined as they grew back one by one like some inner body mystery I never wanted to see.
‘What the hell is this?’
And just when I thought that:
◈ Skill Information
Name: Blessing of Yggdrasil
Rank: S
Description: Instantly heals the user’s injuries. The speed of recovery is steady. The recovery scene may be somewhat gruesome, so it’s recommended that children do not observe it.
“Ah…”
I could piece everything together upon seeing the sudden information pop-up. It was the skill I received from the World Tree as compensation this morning. I hadn’t even bothered to check what it was.
Though it’s called the Blessing of Yggdrasil, it essentially means ultra-fast regeneration. It’d work so well with the Berserker skill.
“It’s one of the abilities I received from the World Tree for helping out with the raid.”
“…So such abilities could even be granted. I’ll have to revise the records once we get back to the guild.”
Even in summer, the Guild Master isn’t just anyone.
“Speaking of which, are you trying to kill someone with those attacks under the guise of justification?”
“Justification is one thing, and curiosity is another. Do you think it’s acceptable to go easy on someone who might be an S-Rank Adventurer?”
“If that’s the case, can I attack you like I’m trying to kill you then?”
“What…?”
No, I need to. It’s perfect self-defense. I turned my waist and prepped my stance. Unlike Argo’s, which was derived from some technique, mine was just the position I found comfortable.
I waited exactly three seconds before launching myself forward. With two seconds passing by as I flew, it would take five seconds to reach him. And when I did, I swung my sword with the intent to pay him back for the damage I suffered.
Argo, startled, tried to escape with a reflexive move, but I blocked his path with a shadow.
“…What?!”
“As your junior, I’d like to give you a little tip. If you can’t cut me in one go,”
“Then train yourself to gain strength so you can kill me in one hit.”
Argo didn’t have time to process my words as he crossed his swords to defend. He even raised a barrier from the ground, adding another layer of defense.
-BOOM─!
That wasn’t enough to stop me. The sword Argo was holding and the wall shattered, and he flew off toward the forest.
As I watched the scene unfold, Luna approached cautiously and hinted, “Maybe you should take it easy a bit…”
“This is me being easy!”
If I had gone full buff like I did against the Volcano Dragon, Argo would’ve been reduced to a pancake.
