Chapter 8. Adelia von Goldhart (1)
“Phew…”
Thankfully, I was able to get out of the Underground Arena without much trouble.
At first, I was confused by the gap between the game’s graphics and reality, but as time went on, I gradually became more used to finding my way around.
After escaping the arena, I immediately started heading toward my next destination.
‘By now, Karayan’s probably realized that the Frostglow is a fake, right?’
Well, there’s a good chance she has.
After all, the appraisers of the Ruins Merchant Guild are incredibly skilled.
Their precision in artifact analysis rivals that of the professional relic excavation teams that travel across the continent.
And if Karayan examined the Frostglow again with her 【Eye of Color Gold】 skill…
‘…Wait, no.’
Now that I think about it, Karayan’s abilities aren’t stable at this point.
She hasn’t fully awakened yet.
In fact, relying too much on her limited skills might have caused confusion during the appraisal.
That might be the reason she accepted the Frostglow as genuine without suspicion.
‘I think there was even a storyline where she got into serious trouble for blindly trusting her unstable skill…’
Ugh, whatever.
Thinking about Karayan any more is giving me a headache.
I probably won’t be seeing her again for a while anyway.
‘First, I need some rest.’
Maybe it’s because I went through too much in a short time?
I was completely exhausted. I felt like I could collapse at any moment.
My vision was spinning, and my head throbbed.
…The fact that I’d made it this far with a body full of 1s in every stat was nothing short of a miracle.
‘Looks like I’m almost there.’
Step, step—
Before I knew it, I’d reached the city center and began to take in my surroundings.
A gloomy, musty city where not even sunlight could reach.
There were plenty of people on the streets, but barely any of them looked remotely well-off.
People stumbling around like they were high on something, grinning mindlessly. Others had parts of their bodies replaced with magi-tech prosthetics.
It was a place that exuded an unmistakably shady, illegal vibe.
‘The Dark City, Dungard.’
That was the name of this place.
Located on the southwestern outskirts of the continent, this was the home base of the Ruins Merchant Guild.
A lawless zone formed as outlaws and dangerous criminals banished from other cities gathered here.
At one time, it was home to many crime syndicates, but after a brutal turf war, the Ruins Merchant Guild came out on top.
At this point, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that the entire city was under Karayan’s control.
‘This is it.’
I stopped in front of a particular building as these thoughts crossed my mind.
Unlike the randomly built, rundown structures around it, this one was clean and stylishly designed.
Above the entrance, a sign read:
【Ruins Royal Stay】
One of the very few high-end hotels in Roel’s world.
It was no exaggeration to say this was the safest place in all of Dungard.
‘The room rates are outrageously expensive, but they come with top-tier security and service.’
It was a perfect place for someone like me who needed a safe place to rest.
The steep price? I could just pay for that with the money Karayan gave me.
I walked into the hotel lobby and immediately booked a room. Following the staff’s guidance, I moved through the corridors and up the stairs toward my room.
Before long, I arrived at my door.
“Please enjoy your stay.”
Creak—thud.
I shut the door behind the polite staff member.
Had my stamina hit its limit? Even climbing the stairs just now had made my legs shake.
I wanted to lie down and soothe this tired body as soon as possible.
“Phew…”
I collapsed onto the bed.
The soft mattress enveloped me in comfort.
As my body relaxed, a wave of fatigue washed over me.
It was the first true moment of comfort I’d felt since arriving in this world.
“…”
Rustle—
With my face buried in the pillow, I slowly turned my head to the side.
Outside the window, the sky had already grown dark. The long, long day had finally come to an end.
Only now did it truly sink in.
…I had survived the infamous hellhole known as the Tutorial Point—the Underground Arena.
‘I really made it out alive.’
Clearing the tutorial without dying.
Countless veterans had tried, but no one had ever succeeded.
The system was designed so that the player was destined to die in the tutorial.
And yet, not only did I survive, I even killed the Human Butcher, Barba.
On top of that, I managed to swindle the Ruins Merchant Guild out of a Feather Sword and 100 million shillings.
Accomplishing all this during the early game, with a body whose average stats were literally 1—it was something to be proud of.
‘Even the slightest mistake could have gotten me killed.’
I mentally replayed the events of the day.
The battle against the Human Butcher Barba. The negotiation with Karayan in the VIP room of the arena. Everything.
Each and every moment had my life on the line.
It felt like walking a tightrope over a pit of death.
Maybe that’s why this rare moment of peace felt even more precious.
“…”
At the same time, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Now that I was stuck in this godforsaken world, I knew I’d have to face dangers like today again and again.
Even with the power of the 【Soul of the Swordmaster】, surviving in Roel with such terrible base stats was not going to be easy.
‘Which means…’
I needed a plan.
A way to survive in this hellish world—no matter what.
Step, step—
The next morning.
Having left the hotel, I wandered the city streets while recalling the plan I had come up with the night before.
‘First, I need power.’
Power.
In this primal world, power was everything.
Of course, I had the trump card that was the 【Soul of the Swordmaster】, but…
‘…I can’t rely on this ability alone to protect myself just yet.’
For one, the skill’s duration was only 0.01 seconds.
In a world where threats could appear out of nowhere, it was reckless to depend on something that brief.
‘And the cooldown is effectively quite long.’
Technically, the skill was an on/off type, so there was no fixed cooldown…
〔MP : 0/1〕
…but because my Mana and Mana Regen stats were both 1, I had a forced cooldown.
See?
Even after a full night’s rest, my MP was still at 0.
‘Since my Magic stat is 1, it should be recovering right about…’
〔MP : 0/1〕
Tick—
〔MP : 1/1〕
‘…There it is.’
The solution to this problem is simple.
No need to overthink—just pump all my stats into Magic.
Then I’d be able to wipe out enemies just by activating the skill.
‘But…’
Rustle—
I paused for a moment and looked up at the translucent screen above my head.
【Lv. 1】
Originally, my level should have been much higher than this.
After all, I killed Barba, who was level 71.
In any game system, killing someone that much stronger should have given me a mountain of EXP.
‘That is… if this were a game.’
But this isn’t a game—it’s reality.
Which leads to another inference.
The system I can see is just a visual representation of my current state.
Like a dashboard—it doesn’t mean I can level up and boost my stats the easy way.
‘Besides, considering Lost Elder’s lore…’
Leveling up for free gains was never really an option to begin with.
‘…Which means I have to find another way to get stronger.’
And last night, one method came to mind before all others.
【Sacred Piece】
The Sacred Pieces—remnants of the ancient gods scattered across the continent.
In short, rewards you get from completing specific “Trials.”
‘The rewards vary.’
Skills, traits, potions, currency.
From basic items to high-tier gear and even divine artifacts.
Any of them could drastically boost my power.
‘But in my current weak-ass state, I can’t just go after them.’
Trying to clear those trials with all stats at 1?
Ridiculous. It’d be suicide.
Which is why I came up with a clever plan.
‘I’ll just get carried.’
Power leveling.
Letting a powerful NPC do all the work while I reap the rewards.
These days, people call it “riding the bus.”
I’d find an NPC to clear the trial for me—then take the reward for myself.
“…”
But here’s the problem.
Where do I find this so-called bus driver?
And even if I do, how do I get them to work for me?
Finding someone strong, trustworthy, and obedient in a grim world like Roel was nearly impossible.
‘Fortunately…’
I didn’t need to worry about that.
Because since yesterday, someone very suitable had been following me.
Step.
Deep inside an alley in the Dark City of Dungard.
I stopped walking and stood still.
Alone in the narrow, dark alley, I muttered softly.
“How long are you planning to keep tailing me?”
No answer came.
Only a heavy silence.
Still, I went on talking.
“I’m not exactly a patient person.”
“…”
“So I’ll ask one last time. How long are you planning to follow me?”
Again, silence.
But this time, it didn’t last long.
Step, step—
After a brief hesitation, I heard the sound of cautious footsteps approaching.
Soon, a woman appeared before me.
【Lv. 77】
A lioness.
Yes, that’s the best way to describe her at first glance—like a lioness queen.
Long, unkempt platinum hair. Blue eyes. Pale skin covered in small scars.
I recognized her immediately—the character I’d seen countless times from behind a monitor while playing Roel.
‘Adelia von Goldhart.’
She was one of my top picks for a potential bus driver.
“…”
Of course, level 77 wasn’t exactly top-tier in this world.
She was just a well-known powerhouse locally.
The continent was filled with beings far stronger than Adelia. Take Shadow Knight Loren, who I just saw earlier—he’s level 84.
But still, there’s one reason I chose Adelia von Goldhart.
‘She has the highest growth potential of any NPC in the game.’
One day, she would slay one of the Twelve Swordmasters and take their place as one of the strongest in the world.
And now, I planned to make her my ally.
It wouldn’t be hard.
I’d spent twelve years playing Roel—I knew almost everything about Adelia von Goldhart.
‘Including what she truly desires.’
Time to start acting again.
