Chapter 91: Achieving Gold and a New Mission

It was already surprising that a girl as small as me wielded a greatsword, but hearing that she was a half-dwarf made it even harder to believe.

Was I staring too obviously?

Standing on the sparring ground, the girl was wiping down her greatsword when she spoke.

“What are you looking at?”

“Ah, no… It’s just…”

“You’re wondering if I’m really a descendant of dwarves, right?”

“Uh, well… Yes.”

The girl laughed softly at my answer, as if she was used to this kind of reaction.

“I’m not entirely sure.”

“Huh…?”

“In this country, Raorum, people as small as me have been born from time to time for ages. Over time, they gathered and started spreading rumors—claiming we’re descendants of dwarves. It’s a story that’s been passed down for generations.”

“Hmm…”

The girl smiled lightly and swung her greatsword back and forth.

The heavy sound slicing through the air made it clear that her weapon was no ordinary blade.

I observed her with a curious gaze. Having seen dwarves with my own eyes, I could easily spot similarities.

However, the only resemblance between this girl and the star-forging dwarves I had encountered was their short stature.

“I’m Tera. What’s your name?”

“I’m Seris.”

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

I was already prepared. I had left anything that could hinder my movement back at the inn, meaning I could fight without delay.

I took a slow breath and drew my sword.

That was the signal. As soon as I aimed my sword at Tera, her demeanor shifted.

The playful expression vanished, replaced by a serious focus. From her small frame emanated a terrifying pressure.

Her short legs stood firm.

With her massive greatsword angled slightly, she looked like an unyielding fortress.

And like a fortress, she didn’t move. She simply stood her ground, unwavering.

Staying in a defensive standoff didn’t suit my style. I could analyze my opponent while fighting.

My superhuman senses made that possible, and I trusted in that ability.

The moment my cautious step pushed off the ground, my weight shifted forward, unleashing a rapid thrust aimed at Tera’s wrist.

Tera reacted immediately. With a flick of her wrist, her greatsword tilted slightly, deflecting my blade at an angle.

Though the attack missed, it had only been a probing strike to gauge her reaction.

Since I hadn’t committed my full strength, I could seamlessly transition to my next move.

My extended right leg became the pivot as my body twisted.

While my legs tangled in a complex footwork pattern, the power generated from my waist surged through my arms, carrying the momentum into a spinning slash.

The blade, glimmering faintly with starlight, sliced toward her—but once again, it clashed against Tera’s greatsword and stopped cold.

At that moment, the impenetrable fortress opened. Tera launched her counterattack.

Boom!

As her foot lightly tapped the ground, a massive shockwave spread out, almost throwing me off balance.

At the same time, her dark greatsword came slashing toward me.

This was no ordinary sword strike.

The force behind it was overwhelming, and the sweeping range made it difficult to evade.

Given the sheer power she was channeling, it was wiser to dodge than to block.

Whoosh!

I ducked low, and the shadow of her massive blade whizzed past overhead.

As the gust from her swing tousled my hair, Tera was already preparing her next strike.

Raising her arms high, she lifted the dark greatsword above her head.

In the next instant, she brought it crashing down toward where I stood.

Crash!

I barely leaped aside in time.

The blade struck the ground with such force that it dented the reinforced floor of the sparring arena.

The display of raw power was shocking.

Tera was stronger than any swordsman I had faced so far. It was hard to believe such strength came from a girl her size.

Was this the feeling my past opponents had when they faced me? I swallowed dryly as fragmented memories flashed through my mind.

The battle continued relentlessly. Just as I was getting used to Tera’s movements, she began altering the speed of her swings on purpose.

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

Tera trailed off, standing a short distance away, watching me.

She had deliberately created space—giving me a moment to catch my breath. To her, I must have seemed like a novice.

If this kept up, I wouldn’t earn the Gold rank license.

That meant the gold coins I paid for the assessment would go to waste.

While I wasn’t strapped for cash, I had no intention of throwing money away for nothing.

I steadied my breathing and spoke calmly.

“What do I need to do to pass?”

“Hmm… When you make me bleed, maybe?”

She was an official examiner for the Gold rank. She wouldn’t go back on her word.

I began rapidly spinning my mana circle.

The moment I invoked mana, my body started to transcend human limits.

I couldn’t afford to drag out the fight.

I had to unleash everything in a brief burst and withdraw my mana before it transformed my body too far.

Zzzzzing!

As the hum of mana intensified, power surged through my body, enhancing every muscle and nerve.

The engraved seal of the Battle Warrior ignited in response.

Had Tera sensed my change? Her expression hardened as she gripped her greatsword more tightly.

Without hesitation, I kicked off the ground.

With my body now enhanced twice over, my speed was incomparable to before.

There was no need to adjust to the sudden increase—my instincts, now approaching those of a monster, handled it seamlessly.

Clang!

Swords collided.

Unlike before, when I avoided the dark greatsword, this time, I stepped forward to block the attack.

The weight and immense power transmitted through the clashing blades were heavy, but I didn’t back down.

As time passed, the changes in my body became more pronounced.

My teeth tingled—a sign that fangs were about to emerge—and the back of my hands, covered by gauntlets, likely had red scales sprouting already.

As my body transformed, my physical abilities increased further.

The balance of power, which had been evenly matched, began to tilt to one side.

Clang!

Sparks flew from the clashing swords as the dark blade began to falter slightly.

I seized the moment, relaxing my grip on the sword and swiftly closing the distance between us.

Since Tera wielded a greatsword larger than her body, she wouldn’t be able to swing it effectively if I got too close.

Swish!

I glided forward, cutting through the air like the wind.

As his massive blade swept past, it barely grazed my armor, drawing a thin line of blood.

Without hesitation, I reabsorbed the mana coursing through my body.

As the spinning mana circle pulled the energy back, the changes to my body began to subside.

“I passed, right?”

Tera’s rigid gaze locked onto me. she had set the criteria for passing herself—and I had met them.

Blood trickled down from Tera’s right arm, which held the dark greatsword.

“Were you hiding your true skills until the end?”

“More or less.”

“Smart move…”

“So, did I pass?”

“Of course you did… But how old are you?”

I tilted my head at Tera’s question. I had entered this world at the end of my thirteenth year, so I should be about fourteen now. At most, I might be fifteen.

“Fourteen?”

“Fourteen…?”

“Or maybe fifteen…?”

“This is ridiculous…”

Tera’s face twisted in disbelief. she clearly had trouble accepting my words. Still, a pass was a pass.

Without further comment, Tera began processing the issuance of a Gold-tier badge.

“Here. Take it.”

After following Tera around various parts of the Sword Guild, I finally received my Gold-tier badge.

As I admired the gleaming gold badge, Tera spoke up.

“That’s not pure gold.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah.”

Well, it made sense—crafting a palm-sized badge entirely from gold would be expensive.

I nodded and slipped the badge into my pocket.

With my business at the Sword Guild complete, I headed straight to the Adventurer’s Guild.

I needed to earn a lot of gold to commission a custom-made full-plate armor set.

Being a Gold-tier adventurer opened up far more lucrative job opportunities than when I was a Silver-tier.

Most of these jobs, unsurprisingly, were related to nobles.

As expected, tasks for the nobility paid well. Some quests guaranteed dozens of gold pieces.

As I stood there, absentmindedly staring at the job board, a man approached me.

He was a guild employee. Just like the receptionists in the Karma Empire who posted requests, he was pinning new job notices to the board.

He placed a new request on the Gold-tier board.

Dungeon Exploration Recruitment

• Positions: 2 Swordsmen, 1 Ranger
• Rank Requirement: Gold
• Exploration Site: Breath of the Dwarves
• Duration: Minimum one week
• Reward: 1,000G
• For further details, contact the guild reception.
  [Royal Family of Laoum]

“That’s…”

Before the receptionist could leave, I tugged at his sleeve.

“Excuse me!”

“Huh? What?”

Annoyance flickered across his face as he turned to look at me, but it quickly disappeared the moment he saw me.

I smiled up at him.

“About that dungeon exploration request—can I get more details?”

“This one? Seriously? Sorry, kid, but this is a Gold-tier mission.”

In response, I smiled again and pulled out the Gold-tier badge I had just received less than an hour ago.

“Uh…”

The receptionist gaped at me, alternating his gaze between me and the badge.

The gleaming gold clearly caught the attention of other adventurers nearby, and soon, whispers filled the room.

Among the murmurs, I caught someone wondering if I might be a half-dwarf.