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It’s surprising that a little girl like me wields a greatsword, but even more so when she claimed to be a descendant of dwarves. How could I easily believe that?

Have I been staring too long?

On the training ground, the girl who was wiping her greatsword asked, “What are you staring at?”

“Uh, um, nothing. Just…”

“You’re curious if I’m really a dwarven descendant, right?”

“Uh, well. Yes.”

The girl chuckled softly at my answer, as if she was used to such situations.

“I’m not sure.”

“Huh?”

“In this country, Laolum, there have been short people like me born from a long time ago. They started spreading rumors that we are descendants of dwarves. That’s something we’ve been saying for a long time.”

“Um…”

The girl lightly laughed while swinging her greatsword back and forth. The heavy sound of air being split hinted that her greatsword was no ordinary weapon.

I looked at the girl with a strange gaze. Having seen a dwarf with my own eyes, it was easy to find similarities between them and her.

However, the only thing that resembled the dwarf who wielded stars back then was their height.

“I’m Terra. What’s your name?”

“I’m Seris.”

“Alright, Seris. Let me know when you’re ready.”

There was no need to discuss readiness. I had already left any burdens that would interfere with my movements back at the inn, meaning I could fight right away. I slowly took a deep breath and drew my sword.

That was the signal. As I aimed my sword at Terra, her demeanor changed. The mischievous look on her face turned serious, and an overwhelming pressure emanated from her small frame.

Her short legs stood firm. The way she aimed her massive greatsword tilted at an angle looked like a formidable castle wall. The wall does not move. Neither did Terra. She stood there steadfastly.

Just remaining silent in a standoff wasn’t my style. I could assess my opponent while fighting. My senses, surpassing those of a human, made that possible, and I trusted that ability.

The moment my carefully placed foot struck the ground, my center of gravity shifted forward, resulting in a swift thrust. The sharp tip of my sword aimed for Terra’s wrist.

Right after that, Terra moved. Her hand flicked slightly, and her greatsword shifted sideways, deflecting my sword askew.

Though I missed my target and my upper body was exposed, it was a light attack meant to observe Terra’s movements. Since my stance had no force behind it, I could quickly transition to my next action.

My right leg, which had stretched out forward, acted as a pivot as my body began to rotate. With feet entangled, the strength that originated from my waist extended through my arm, and as my body made a full rotation, I initiated a new strike.

The sword swung wide, absorbing the faint starlight, but once again it was blocked by Terra’s greatsword.

At that moment, the firmly shut castle wall opened. Terra’s counterattack started.

Boom-!

As her lightly extended leg struck the ground, a tremendous pressure and vibration spread out. It was a force that nearly disrupted my stance. At the same time, her gloomy greatsword flew towards me.

This was no ordinary sword. The power contained within it was exceptional. The area covered by the strike was quite broad, making it challenging to evade; however, considering the force behind the sword, it would be better to dodge than to confront it recklessly.

Whoosh-!

A dark shadow swiftly passed over my lowered head. As the pressure burst forth, ruffling my hair, Terra was preparing her next attack immediately.

With arms raised high above, she lifted her gloomy greatsword. Right after, a giant guillotine descended towards the spot where I stood. It seemed she was determined to bring it down with all her might, causing the air to burst forth mercilessly.

Crash-!

The moment I urgently leaped, the greatsword struck the exact place where I had just been standing. The special mineral composition of the training ground floor dented deeply.

I couldn’t hide my shock at the sight. It felt like the strength emanating from this tiny girl was greater than anyone I had faced before. It was unbelievable that such power came from a small body.

Did those who faced me feel this way? I recalled hazy memories and swallowed hard.

The exchanges continued. Just as I got accustomed to Terra’s movements, she deliberately slowed the speed of her greatsword.

“Is this all you got? At this rate, I can’t give you a passing grade…”

With some distance between us, Terra looked at me, trailing off. She intentionally created space, giving me a chance to catch my breath. To her, I must have appeared as an obvious novice.

If this continued, I would never receive a Gold Grade Badge. That meant the gold I paid for the examination would go to waste. While I had some spare change, I certainly didn’t want to throw away my money without reason.

I took a calm breath and spoke to Terra.

“How can I earn a passing grade?”

“Hmm… When my blood flows?”

She was a swordsman with the authority to assess Gold Grade level. She wouldn’t go back on her word.

I swiftly began to rotate the mana circle in my mind. The moment I used mana, my body began to transcend humanity. I couldn’t afford a lengthy battle. I had to pour out everything I could in a short burst and retrieve the mana before any physical transformation occurred.

Zing-!

The sound of rotation, audible only to me, amplified as mana surged throughout my entire body. The mana that flowed out began to enhance my physical form, triggering the activation of the Grand Warrior’s insignia.

Did she notice my change? The expression on Terra’s face tightened as she stood holding her greatsword.

In that instant, I stomped the ground.

My body, now twice strengthened, demonstrated a speed that was incomparable to before. There was no need to adjust to the suddenly increased speed. The sensation of becoming almost monster-like made it possible.

Clang-!

Swords clashed. Unlike before when I dodged her gloomy greatsword, this time I stepped forward to receive her attack. The heavy weight and immense power transmitted through the sword, yet I pressed on without budging.

As time passed, my bodily changes became more pronounced. The tingling in my teeth indicated the emergence of fangs, and the red scales had already begun to sprout on the back of my gauntleted hands. As my body transformed, my physical abilities only increased. The battle, which had seemed evenly matched, began to tilt in my favor.

Clink-!

Sparks flew between our clashing swords, and the gloomy greatsword started to be pushed back slightly. I seized that moment. Releasing the strength from our swords, I swiftly dove into Terra’s space.

Understanding that wielding a greatsword larger than herself meant she couldn’t swing it freely if I got too close, I gambled on my proximity.

Swish-!

Gliding through the air, I swept my sword across her delicate skin, causing a thin stream of blood to spurt out.

Immediately, I drew back the mana that surged within me. As the rotating mana circle returned all my mana, my bodily transformation gradually subsided.

“Did I pass?”

Terra’s hard gaze was fixed on me. She had set the standard for passing. And I had met it.

A thin trickle of blood was now flowing down Terra’s right arm, which was tightly gripping the gloomy greatsword.

“Were you hiding your strength until the very end?”

“To some extent.”

“Good judgment…”

“So, am I accepted now?”

“Of course you’re accepted… How old are you?”

I tilted my head at Terra’s question. I had just turned fourteen in this world, having come here just before hitting that age. I was at most fifteen…?

“Fourteen?”

“Fourteen…?”

“Fifteen, maybe…?”

“That’s ridiculous…”

Terra’s face contorted oddly. It seemed she couldn’t easily believe what I said. But a pass was a pass. Terra immediately began the process of issuing my Gold Badge.

“Here. Take it.”

After wandering around the Swordsmanship Guild with Terra for a while, I finally received my Gold Grade Badge.

Staring at the glimmering golden badge, Terra said, “That’s not pure gold.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah.”

True, if that badge were made entirely of gold, it would cost a fortune. I nodded and tucked the badge into my pocket.

Having completed my business at the Swordsmanship Guild, I headed straight to the Adventurer’s Guild. I needed a lot of gold to craft a custom full plate, so I planned to make some serious money.

As a Gold Grade adventurer, I could take on more kinds of quests than when I was Silver Grade. Most were tied to nobility, though.

As expected, quests related to nobility offered hefty rewards. I stared blankly at a notice promising tens of gold coins when a man approached me.

He was an employee of the guild. Similar to how applicants in the Karma Empire post quests on a bulletin board, this man began to do the same.

He affixed a quest notice to the Gold Grade bulletin board.

Dungeon Exploration Recruitment Notice

Recruitment: 2 Swordsmen, 1 Ranger

Grade Restriction: Gold

Exploration Area: Dwarven Breath

Exploration Duration: Minimum one week

Reward: 1,000G

For more details, please contact the guild’s receptionist

　　　[Laoum Royal Family]

“That’s…”

Before the receptionist could move to a new bulletin board, I tugged at his clothing.

“Excuse me!”

“Huh, huh?”

The receptionist turned at my call, looking down at me. A hint of irritation crossed his face, but it quickly melted away the moment he saw me.

I looked up at him and smiled lightly.

“About that dungeon exploration recruitment notice…”

“Ah…? This one?”

“Yes, I want to do that. Can I get some more details?”

“You want to take this on? You? Sorry, but this is a Gold Grade quest.”

I lightly chuckled at the receptionist’s words, pulling out the Gold Grade badge from my pocket. It had been less than an hour since I was issued it.

“Wow…”

The receptionist stared at me and the badge, blinking in astonishment. Maybe it was the shiny gold that caught his attention? Other adventurers going about inside the building also began to notice me.

In the backdrop of strange murmurs, questions about whether I was a dwarf hybrid floated around.

 

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