LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 78
Chapter
The duel didn’t end after just one round. Over and over, Enok shouted for “one more” to quench the thirst burning in his throat.
“One more time.”
“…Don’t you think you should take a break now?”
“I’m fine.”
Luckily, since we were in the yard, we couldn’t destroy the house with our powers. Still, simply moving my body had turned the yard into a total mess.
After hours of clanging metal, it was no surprise when passing elves stopped by to take a look, and even Rionne had been glancing out from the house.
“Okay, just a moment…! I can’t go on any longer!”
As the sky turned pitch black, the duel finally came to an end.
Filoti collapsed, exhausted, in the yard. Enok magically cleaned him up and dragged him onto a chair at the table.
“Let’s eat.”
“Thanks for that…”
Rionne, having served the meal right on time, sat down next to Enok with a smile.
“By the way, Enok, where are you planning to go next?”
“Hmm… Good question. I was originally thinking of heading to the magic region near the Elf Union.”
“Oh, that place?”
Magic regions refer to extremely dangerous parts of the world, as the name suggests. However, even among magic regions, the one near the Elf Union wasn’t suited for Enok’s level.
“I didn’t think I’d become a Grandmaster this quickly.”
“Ha…”
Filoti, sitting next to him, chuckled at the absurdity. But what could be done? Enok himself knew he was growing fast, but becoming a Grandmaster this soon seemed a bit much.
In fact, the star he had raised, ‘Heavenly Death,’ was supposed to serve as a dagger against the Ziwei Star, but due to how quickly Enok had grown, it had lost much of its meaning.
Would it be a bit dangerous if he stagnated like this for ten years?
But really, that couldn’t happen. Honestly, he was confident that even if he just laid in bed for ten years, he’d be stronger than this.
“Thinking about it, at Enok’s level, it’s rare for a dangerous magic region to exist. I mean, it wouldn’t make sense if there were too many like that.”
A Grandmaster-level martial artist finding a dangerous magic region? Such a place wouldn’t exist unless something like a demigod inhabited it.
It wasn’t that such dangerous places didn’t exist where Grandmasters gathered, but those folks were more likely to be called monsters than anything else.
It was proper to categorize them as spirit beings or something similar.
If he were to go and start beheading them, it wouldn’t be surprising if he immediately became a public enemy across the continent.
“Still, it’s alright, Enok! Even if you become a public enemy, your sister will always be on your side!”
[Good lesson there, you brat.]
Amid the chiding voice of Undine, Enok began to think of his next destination.
‘Places that are worth going…’
Nothing particular came to mind. Should he find that God of Life and Death he had heard about before? The thought crossed his mind, but he felt it was a bit premature.
If he recklessly sought him out, wouldn’t he end up getting crushed the moment their eyes met?
Lately, he had been feeling that as he climbed higher, the gaps between levels became ridiculously wide.
Right now, even though Filoti and Rionne were both Grandmasters, Filoti wouldn’t stand a chance against Rionne, probably even if he brought a hundred of his friends.
Even among Grandmasters, it was evident that something like a demigod would be completely of a different caliber. Isn’t it true that Rionne hadn’t crossed the barrier of demi-gods yet?
‘Speaking of which, I wonder what the Master of the Forest is doing these days.’
The first demigod he had met. He heard he was recovering from an injury, and now that he thought about it, he felt lucky.
If something had gone wrong and the Master of the Forest genuinely attacked, he would have bid farewell to this world. The fact that he was alive was a miracle.
“Anyway, Enok, if you have nowhere to go, how about visiting that friend again?”
“Friend?”
“That Ziwei Star, you know. His name is…”
As Rionne and Enok exchanged glances, they awkwardly smiled. What was his name again? He couldn’t remember.
“Zikfrein Le Demisto.”
“Oh? Rionne, long time no see.”
Yonia, who had now effortlessly opened the door and settled into a chair at the table, spoke up.
“Sigh, Mom wouldn’t let me go out.”
“Well, it makes sense. They say you almost got kidnapped by elf hunters, so it’d be even weirder if they allowed you outside.”
Enok thought, popping the last piece of meat into his mouth.
Demisto. Should he give it a visit?
It felt like an okay idea.
*
Before setting out for Demisto, Enok decided to request a duel every day, intending to train as much as he could with the elves of the Elf Union.
His opponents were elves who had also become Grandmasters. At this point, facing Masters felt a bit underwhelming.
“Ugh…”
Naturally, he could no longer continue his winning streak. He had just barely become a Grandmaster, and expecting to maintain that victory was a bit greedy.
Though his capability had surpassed that level, there were still elf veterans who had lived long lives and could match Rionne’s skills.
“Wow, didn’t you just turn twenty?”
“I’m eighteen!”
“…That’s quite unbelievable.”
An elf man named Hiter, who delivered Enok his first defeat, shook off his aching fists. He was the most skilled in the village, yet even he felt a chill from Enok’s rapid growth.
“Rionne wasn’t this strong back then.”
“You knew Rionne when she was that young?”
“Of course! I saw her when she was learning to walk!”
“…So how old were you?”
The elf man, Hiter, chuckled softly.
“About a thousand and one hundred.”
“…You’re an elder then.”
“What? Hahaha!”
Hiter burst out laughing at Enok’s words. How could he call himself an elder? If you asked anyone in this village, they’d likely have more years than this human boy.
“Ah, right. I heard Rionne popped by for a moment earlier. Seems she has something to give you.”
“Rionne?”
Enok stood up and dusted himself off.
“She looked like she had something for you. Her mouth was grinning like crazy.”
“Oh! Then I’ll go see her.”
Bowing his head slightly, Enok started walking.
“See you again!”
The gentle flutter of Hiter’s hand as he waved goodbye was filled with laughter.
*
“Rionne, were you here a moment ago?”
As Enok returned home and asked, Rionne blinked her eyes in surprise.
“Did Hiter tell you?”
“Yeah. He said you looked like you had something for me.”
“Ugh, Hiter really has no sense.”
Rionne pouted her lips and extended her hand toward Enok.
“Enok, could you pass me those gloves?”
“Here.”
Rionne took the gloves from Enok and inspected them closely.
“They’re quite worn out. Though it doesn’t seem like they’re that old.”
“Well, it’s been a while since I’ve had my share of trouble.”
“Thinking about it, that’s true.”
Rionne’s smile faded slightly as she tucked the gloves into her chest.
“Why? Did you like them?”
“Hmm? Oh, heh. I’m not stealing them or anything.”
“If Rionne wants them, then you can have them.”
“Really?”
Rionne grinned playfully and poked Enok’s nose.
“Just wait a moment?”
After disappearing for a while, she returned about five minutes later, holding something black.
From the aura radiating off it, it was evident that this was anything but ordinary clothing.
“Here, Enok. I didn’t think I would get to give this to you so soon.”
As Enok blinked in surprise upon receiving the clothes, Rionne pointed towards the room.
“Want to try it on? You can change in here if you want.”
“Really?”
Rionne’s cheeks slightly flushed as she stiffened.
“…Just kidding. Go change inside and come out.”
“Okay.”
Enok entered the room and changed into the clothes. Both the top and bottom were entirely black.
The gloves Rionne had taken were also included, but to be precise, the old gloves were now inside new black gloves.
“Am I supposed to wear both?”
He slipped the gloves on and immediately felt something peculiar. Suddenly, the two gloves fused into one.
“Whoa…”
What could this be? Curious, he waved the clothing around and quickly realized the mana conduction was unusually high.
It felt as if resistance was nearly zero. As he poured mana into it, the stiff collar transformed into something razor-sharp.
‘Not bad!’
Even ordinary clothing could serve a purpose. However, that was almost wasteful. This outfit, on the other hand, was efficient enough to use as a weapon.
Stepping out of the room, Rionne was waiting with a wide smile, clapping her hands.
“You look great!”
“But suddenly, what is this? A new outfit?”
“I asked Riraum to make it for me a while back. An Adamantium full set.”
“Adamantium?”
He felt like he had heard that somewhere, and as he was tilting his head in thought, Undine let out a deep sigh.
[If you sell that, you could buy half the kingdom. No, didn’t Riraum say he was one of the ten great blacksmiths? You could probably buy a quarter with it.]
“Hmm, is it that great?”
[…Who’s dog’s name is half the kingdom?]
“The entire kingdom wouldn’t stand a chance against Rionne either.”
Undine fell silent, unable to retaliate. Instead, Rionne chuckled and spoke up.
“Actually, it’s not easy to put a price on Adamantium. There’s hardly any stock available.”
“Is it really okay for you to give something like this to me? You should keep it for yourself, Rionne.”
“Not a chance. Having you safe and sound is the greatest gift to me.”
Rionne gently ruffled Enok’s hair.
“Anyway, it’s such a precious item that there may be people who would want it. I initially wanted to give it to you when you became a Grandmaster, but looks like I’m giving it to you earlier than expected.”
“…Thanks. Really.”
“Don’t mention it.”
With a giggle, Rionne reached out her hand.
Is she suddenly wanting to shake hands? Without any thoughts, as he took her hand, she gently shook it and whispered softly.
“Actually, I wanted to say this.”
Rionne’s eyes glimmered with a light green hue, and the mana surrounding her flowed like a gentle breeze, caressing Enok’s cheek.
Sensing some intention behind these movements, Enok also began to maneuver the external mana. Rionne’s will intertwined with his, creating a beautiful aurora of green and purple in the air.
Seeing that scene, Rionne laughed brightly, truly like a blossoming flower.
“Welcome, Enok. To the world of the superhumans.”