The Beginning of Knife King's

After Lena and I defeated the giant slime, we worked together to collect the magic cores.

"Ren... I'm sorry for hugging you like that earlier," Lena said shyly.

"It's alright. I don't mind," I replied.

Once we finished collecting the magic cores, we returned to the village by carriage as usual, chatting along the way.

"When we fought the giant slime, why were there so many ice shards falling from the magic circle compared to before?" I asked. I hadn't expected so much ice to rain down when finishing it off.

"It's because I have a talent for casting magic. Right now, I can only chain spells together," Lena explained.

"So, your maid probably has a talent that enhances support magic, right?" Uncle Gonzo commented, referring to how Lena assisted when he slashed at the swarm of slimes earlier.

"Yes, I can enhance support magic to be about 2-3 times more effective," Lena said.

We continued talking until we reached the village where Uncle Gonzo and I lived. We disembarked from the carriage, but as I stepped down, a group of rocks came flying toward me. I barely dodged them in time because I wasn't prepared. Looking up, I saw a group of delinquent kids in the village throwing rocks at me.

"Ha ha ha! It's that talentless guy!"

"I heard he registered as an adventurer. Ha! A talentless person like you becoming an adventurer—what a joke!"

As they laughed and taunted me, Lena grabbed my hand and led me toward the Adventurers' Guild, with Charlotte and Uncle Gonzo following close behind.

"Don't listen to them. Rain is Rain. Even without talent, you managed to defeat a giant slime," Lena said, her words comforting me.

When we arrived at the guild, I immediately handed over the bag containing the magic cores to the receptionist at the counter.

"I'm here to complete the quest," I said.

"Alright, please place the materials here," she replied.

I placed the bag on the counter, and the receptionist seemed visibly shocked.

"Wow... there's a giant magic core in here!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, I encountered a giant slime," I explained.

"What?! Don't tell me you defeated the Giant Slime all by yourself!" she asked in disbelief.

"No, I had help from my friends and Uncle Gonzo," I clarified.

"I see. I'll take this for assessment now," the receptionist said, taking the bag and heading to the back.

While waiting, I reflected on the victory. It felt like luck played a big part since I had help. If I had been alone, I probably wouldn't have won.

After a while, the receptionist returned. "The assessment is complete. You've been promoted to Rank D Adventurer for defeating the Giant Slime and completing six quests," she announced.

I received about six silver coins for the mission. Afterward, I rejoined Lena and the others.

"Here are three silver coins as your share for this mission," I offered.

"It's fine. Keep them. I have plenty of money," Lena said.

"Aren't you returning to the capital? It's getting late," I asked.

"We'll be staying here for a while," she replied.

Hearing this, I recommended a good inn with great service before we parted ways and went home.

At home, I practiced using aura, slowly concentrating and channeling it throughout my body. Time passed as I focused on covering myself entirely with aura. During this process, I felt tiny particles of light floating in my house. I realized it was mana, something Lena had explained on our way back from the southern forest.

I tried gathering the mana as Lena had instructed but instead of forming it into a spell, I merged it with my body, creating a unified flow of mana within myself.

Knock, knock!

"Rain! It's time for training!" Uncle Gonzo called out.

Opening my eyes, I realized it was already morning. I quickly headed out to train with Uncle Gonzo, skipping any preparation.

After finishing my push-ups, runs, and sit-ups, Uncle Gonzo handed me a wooden knife.

"Alright, let's train like this today. I'll use only my fists, and you'll use the wooden knife. If you manage to land a hit on me, you win," he said.

Uncle Gonzo then took out a coin and said, "When this coin hits the ground, the match begins."

As soon as he tossed the coin into the air, I prepared to attack.

Clink!

Using aura to enhance my speed, I lunged at him, attempting a stab. However, Uncle Gonzo evaded by leaning to the side and countered with a swift uppercut. His punch was much faster than expected for a man of his size. I barely blocked it with both arms, but the impact sent me flying back.

I quickly regained my footing, focusing my aura on the knife and my body, then launched another attack. This time, I swung horizontally, but Uncle Gonzo dodged by jumping into the air. Thinking he couldn't dodge mid-air, I thrust the knife toward him. However, he wasn't where I aimed.

"Not bad, but not enough to win," he said.

Hearing his voice behind me, I turned just as his punch was about to hit my lower ribs.

Thud!

I took a solid hit, but thanks to my aura, I endured it. Knowing I couldn't win this way, I decided to take a risk.

Suddenly, everything around me seemed to freeze, as if time had stopped. Moving carefully, I positioned the tip of the wooden knife against Uncle Gonzo's neck. When I deactivated the ability, time resumed, and Uncle Gonzo realized he had lost.

"What... was that?" he asked.

I explained what I had done. I had condensed my mana into a core and released it explosively, using the surge to enhance my speed for a brief moment.

"You created a mana core, huh? Let me tell you something. We swordsmen call that a 'core.'"

According to Uncle Gonzo, a core is a concentrated mass of mana stored within the body to boost aura. However, using it recklessly could be fatal, as any mistake could cost your life.

After finishing training with Uncle Gonzo, I headed to the Adventurers' Guild to prepare for my first Rank D quest.

End of Chapter4