Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

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Before leaving Windmill City, I checked when the ship heading to Monster Island would arrive.

As a result, I learned that a ship would reach the Karma Empire within the next two months.

Two months—quite a leisurely timeframe.

I set off slowly with Nightmare.

Exiting through the city gate, I crossed a flower field bursting with blooms.

“Hm…”

After the flower field, a vast expanse of farmland appeared. The ripening grains waved like golden waves, signaling that the harvest season was just around the corner.

Passing through the golden waves, I reached a forest abundant with greenery. The straight forest path seemed to tempt everything around it with its rich scent of grass.

*

Emerging from the lush forest path, I noticed the surrounding air beginning to chill.

As I got closer to the Karma Empire, the warmth had naturally begun to fade. It had been months since I had left the Karma Empire, yet winter had still not vanished, scattering intense coldness around me.

Nightmare ran without rest, leaving long tracks across the snow-covered plain.

A month and a week passed.

The endless snowy expanse was nearing its end.

The walls of the Karma Empire began to show themselves on the distant horizon.

Thud— thud— thud—

With the sound of heavy hooves, the white snow flew up.

Approaching the castle gate, I pulled on Nightmare’s bridle.

How long had it been since my return? I smiled faintly while gazing at the immense castle walls.

“Stop! Halt!”

Naturally, this was expected, but Nightmare was very large. Not just an ordinary horse; it could easily be mistaken for a monster. As I approached the castle walls, the guards began to raise their weapons in vigilance.

“Hello?”

I leaned slightly to the side of Nightmare’s head and greeted the guards. They looked at me and let out an astonished sigh as if they were trying to remember my face.

Though they couldn’t recall my name, it seemed they recognized my face from passing by. I waved my hand and pulled out the adventurer card from my pocket.

“Is it alright if I go in?”

“Uh, um… I guess that shouldn’t be a problem?”

“Of course.”

I replied to the guard’s question with a bright smile and petted Nightmare’s mane.

It seemed that he found my touch pleasant, as he grinned and wagged his tail.

Did Nightmare look cute enough to make the guards let me in without any extra procedures?

Thud— thud— thud—

Each time Nightmare’s heavy hooves echoed, the attention naturally shifted towards us. He strutted along, enjoying that attention even more.

The first place I headed to was an inn with a stable attached. I needed to choose a good inn with a stable, so my companion, who had worked hard for me, could rest comfortably.

The choice turned out to be a rather luxurious inn. After requesting meat for Nightmare’s food from the inn staff, I headed to the Adventurer’s Guild.

To board the ship heading for Monster Island, I needed to receive a request from the Adventurer’s Guild.

True to the bustling city, the inside of the Adventurer’s Guild building was packed with people. From ordinary residents asking for requests to adventurers living from day to day.

I pushed my way through them toward the large request board. In front of the board, a guild staff member was pinning up requests, and somehow, that face looked familiar.

At that moment, our eyes met in midair. Just as I recognized him, he seemed to recognize me too, his eyes going wide.

“Seris?”

“Hello?”

I didn’t know his name, but anyway, he looked familiar. I greeted him with a light smile.

“It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it? Did you meet with those people?”

“Those people?”

The guild staff tilted his head at my question.

“Could you wait a moment? Let me finish pinning this up, and I’ll tell you in detail.”

“Sure.”

The guild staff, who seemed to be a receptionist, was moving busily. He tore down expired requests and pinned up new ones in their place.

From simple monster extermination requests like goblins and wolves to herb gathering requests that had become hard to obtain due to the ending winter.

Once he finished the work, the receptionist turned to me with a satisfied smile.

“Why were you wandering around so much that so many people were looking for you?”

“Uh… people are looking for me?”

“The wizards and some of your hometown friends came by.”

The wizards? Could he be referring to Rain? The thought of the woman wizard who seemed keen to take me to the Mage Tower crossed my mind.

“Where are they now?”

“Not sure? From how they haven’t been seen lately, it seems they left the city.”

“Hmm… How did those friends of mine look?”

“They were twins with blue water-like hair.”

“Oh, that must be Su and Shu.”

“Right, that’s their names.”

“What were they doing? They weren’t just looking for me, were they?”

“They were acting as adventurers.”

I let out a sigh of relief at the receptionist’s words. It seemed those twins had also left the village to pursue their dreams.

The receptionist, who had been watching me quietly, asked with a small smile.

“By the way, do you have a request you’re looking for?”

“I want to join the expedition to Monster Island.”

“Monster Island…?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…”

“Is that a problem? I heard the ship is arriving around now.”

“It’s not impossible, but… the adventurers who can join the expedition must be at least Silver Grade. You’re still Bronze, right?”

“As long as I can achieve Silver Grade, that’s all that matters, right?”

“Yep.”

“Alright. I’ll go get my Silver Grade.”

“Uh, um… I’ll be waiting?”

I exhaled through my nose and exited the Adventurer’s Guild. I was confident in my abilities. I had trained my sword skills through countless adventures and confirmed my proficiency in swordsmanship during the war against orcs.

Walking with swagger, I arrived at the grand entrance of the Swordsmanship Guild. The familiar smell of metal and oil filled the place.

I fondled the sword tucked into my back as I stepped inside. The interior of the Swordsmanship Guild had not changed at all since my last visit.

I approached a seemingly free receptionist and spoke.

“Hello.”

“Um…?”

The receptionist looked down at me, her eyes wide with confusion. Since it was a face she hadn’t seen before, she seemed to be a newly hired employee.

“How do I apply for the promotion exam?”

“The promotion exam? Oh, do you want to be promoted to Bronze?”

“No. I want to be promoted to Silver Grade.”

The receptionist frowned at my answer. She even tilted her head as if she couldn’t believe what she heard.

“Silver Grade? Really?”

“Yes.”

“Um… Well, for now, could you show me the grade card you have?”

I took out my Bronze Grade card from my pocket and handed it over. The staff member examined it closely, groaning slightly.

“Hmm… The grade card is legit, but the exam can be taken by anyone.”

Muttering to himself, the staff member started filling out the paperwork. He busily moved his pen as he spoke to me.

“The exam fee is 3 gold coins, and after you attempt it, you won’t be able to challenge again for that year, so keep that in mind. Also, you could get hurt during the exam, so be careful.”

As he finished up the last bit of paperwork, the receptionist looked at me, waiting for my response.

I responded and paid the exam fee.

After receiving the money, the employee handed me a small wooden plate from the drawer.

“Take this and head up to the third floor. Show it to the staff resting there, and you’ll be able to take the exam.”

Following the receptionist’s instructions, as I climbed the stairs to the third floor, a considerably spacious area unfolded before me.

As I stood still, looking around, someone began to approach.

In leather pants wrapping long legs and a wide white shirt draped over them, cascading down was a burning red hair.

“Seris?”

“Ah, hello.”

It was a familiar face. Celyon had come up to me.

“Why are you here…? Are you here to take the promotion exam?”

“That’s right.”

I rummaged through my pocket and pulled out the wooden plate I had kept.

Celyon looked quite surprised as she took the plate from me.

“A Bronze swordsman who hasn’t even been a year in wants to take the Silver Grade exam? Are you confident?”

“Of course. I’ve gotten stronger.”

“Hmm… well, okay, anyone can take the exam.”

Celyon said that and turned her body. As I stared in awe, she spoke again.

“Aren’t you going to take the exam?”

“Really? Are you going to oversee my Silver promotion exam?”

“If I don’t want to, I can ask someone else.”

I glanced around, noticing that other swordsmen besides Celyon were there, all of whom looked quite intimidating.

Frantically shaking my head, I trailed behind Celyon.

The place we arrived at together was a wide training ground. The ground was sturdy and not slippery.

“Come on up.”

“Ah, yes.”

This time, Celyon didn’t use a training sword. She drew the sword at her waist.

The sword revealed in the cool light had patterns like flowing flames etched onto it.

“You don’t actually need to win against me. Not that you could, anyway…”

The moment Celyon’s voice scattered, her figure vanished. She moved with such speed that she disappeared from sight.

Clang!

“Cuhk…!”

I let out a groan as I barely blocked Celyon’s attack with my sword, now halfway out of its sheath. Caught off guard, I was pushed back helplessly, rolling on the ground.

“How long do you plan to stay down?”

The promotion exam had already begun. Unlike before, Celyon seemed to have no intention of going easy on me and immediately attempted her next assault.

Celyon’s left leg, which extended forward, became the pivot, and the rotational force from her waist spread through her body to create her next stance.

A thrust.

A sharp flash aimed at my chest sent a shiver down my spine.

I moved frantically, swinging my sword to deflect her attack.

Clang!

As the swords clashed, tiny sparks flew.

The impact traveling down the blade made my wrist ache, but I had no time to relieve that pain. Celyon’s attacks came crashing down like waves without pause.

The swords flying from all directions spread like flames, stealing away my breath. It seemed that a faint flame remained where Celyon’s sword had passed.

During this defending-only phase, I managed to spot a slight opening. Amidst the suffocating heat enveloping me, there appeared to be a solitary exit. It could be a trap, but there seemed to be no other choice but to head towards it.

Without hesitation, I lunged forward. Using my small frame, I dove into Celyon’s space and immediately prepared to attack.

Celyon’s extended leg stomped hard on the ground to switch my body’s balance.

Boom!

Bright starlight began to gather around the blade stretching downwards. Seven stars looked as if they were igniting in the darkness, trembling weakly as if they had completed their preparation to rise upward.

At that moment, I shifted my body’s stance. The balance of my strength twisted, realigning the direction of my center. As all preparations came to completion, I fully launched my sword upward with all my might.

Swoosh!

The starlight shot into the sky, barely grazing Celyon’s cheek. The sensation on my fingertips was excessively shallow.

In that instant, Celyon’s sword blurred into motion.

Its movement far surpassed anything before, and as I attempted to respond, I found myself unable to react against her attack.

Just as the starlight-swaddled sword was about to bend, Celyon’s sword arrived first.

“Hmm…”

I had no choice but to halt my movements. Celyon’s sword rested just below my neck. If I moved any further, my throat would be sliced open, spilling blood.

Watching Celyon’s gaze, I asked cautiously.

“Um, um… did I fail?”

“I told you, there’s no need to win.”

“Does that mean I passed?”

“You’ve improved a lot. You pass.”

Celyon sheathed her sword and smiled lightly. As her smile spread across her face, the pressure that had been weighing me down moments before vanished in an instant.

I sat there, staring blankly at Celyon.

I had felt pride in my rapidly increasing sword skills recently, but it seemed I still had a long way to go to reach her level.

Would the result have been different if I had used magic?

As I remained in a daze, Celyon asked me.

“By the way, why did you suddenly want to take the promotion exam? Are you trying to become a knight?”

“Ah, I’m trying to join the expedition to Monster Island.”

“Oh, that’s perfect timing. I’m going there too.”

“Really? You’re going too, Celyon?”

Celyon smiled at my astonished question and extended her hand. Her hand was calloused, contrasting with her pretty face.