Survival Story of a Sword King - Chapter 23

Win Over Magic with Muscles (4)

An idea immediately came into Ryu Han-bin’s mind after finding Artis trustworthy.

“If I sell my items under his name, it will make my life a lot easier.”

As a level 5 Swordsman, he couldn’t just sell all the Devil’s Spirit Stones and magical tools he had looted without raising suspicions. However, if he sold them using the name of the Level 36 Mage Artis, there wouldn’t be any problem.

“The process would be a lot safer.”

Even if he went to another city, he would still need to consistently act like a normal hunter. It would be more believable to hide behind Artis, just like when he hid behind Buckman earlier. It wasn’t a bad proposition for the mage either.

“You are a hunter too. I’ll be able to help you.”

The level 72 Lich was honestly easy to deal with.

“I am definitely not one of the weaklings in this world.”

Artis laughed.

“What are you even talking about…”

Ryu Han-bin was the strongest among the people Artis had ever seen. No, he was the strongest of all the creatures Artis had seen in his life. When a dragon laid an egg, it left. It wasn’t part of a Dragon’s instinct to raise their children. Not even Artis had met his parents before.

He had never met any of his kin. He didn’t find any when he lived in the wastelands like a beast, or even during the times after learning the “Dragon-Human Morphing Ability” from his natural bloodline magic after raising his intelligence.

It left him unsure as to who’s stronger between Ryu Han-bin or a fully grown dragon, but he didn’t doubt the Earthling’s immense power.

‘Even though his strength is absurdly unbalanced.’

Artis had no reason to reject Han-bin’s proposal. They both lived among humans, with their identities hidden. He didn’t keep a cold mien or acted all high and mighty for no reason. It was his way of keeping people away to prevent them from discovering his identity due to his own recklessness.

If he were with Ryu Han-bin, he wouldn’t need to hide his identity.

“I agree. It’s hard for me to find someone as strong as you to become my subordinate.”

They reached an accord.

Artis reached out his hand to initiate a handshake.

“I look forward to our partnership.”

Han-bin shook his hands with a bright smile.

“Me too, Artis.”

* * *

His real name was Artis Amphiter Ragnawalker. Originating from the Dragon language, it was the name that was engraved into the egg’s soul.

“I don’t need to hide my name since humans don’t find it strange. You can continue calling me Artis.”

The Swordsman also introduced himself properly.

“Your real name is Ryu Han-bin? Is Ryu your last name?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I can call you Han-bin, right?”

Ryu Han-bin felt a little worried. Unlike Artis, his name didn’t fit into this world.

“It would be better if you’d call me Eric. We might get caught otherwise.”

“Can I call you Han-bin when we’re alone, then? It’s the name your parents gave you when you were born, after all.”

For Artis, it was disrespectful to call someone using their alias for no reason when he knew what their real name was. The Dragon seemed to have high regard for real names.

“Don’t worry, Han-bin. I’ll be careful in front of others. Latna’s Dragons do not make such simple mistakes.”

“If you say so, then I’m fine with it.”

“Then about our way of talking…”

“What about it? Can’t we just keep talking to each other like this? We’re partners, you know.”

Artis’s tone became serious. “We might be in the same team and are physically in the same age group, so it seems natural, but you’re a lot stronger than me, a Dragon. Don’t you want to be honored?”

“No, thanks.”

“Right. I’ll continue to talk as usual then.”

Ryu Han-bin curiously looked at Artis.

“Fire Dragons are the same as Red Dragons, right? Aren’t Red Dragons usually quick-tempered and violent?”

Yet Artis had a fairly calm and prudent personality.

Artis frowned, “Where did that prejudice come from? I know there are no dragons on Earth.”

“People imagined them to be as fierce as flames since they could breathe fire.”

“That’s ridiculous. Would a human have a better personality simply because they had golden hair?”

Clicking his tongue, Artis continued.

“What kind of people have such crazy imaginations? Individuals’ characters and inclinations are based on their living environment and values. It’s impolite to stereotype a whole race based on one’s pleasurable guess!”

“Is that so?”

Ryu Han-bin could only scratch his head. Artis healed at an incredible pace as they talked.

He could even walk now without limping in pain.

“Let’s stay for a little bit longer.”

Artis glanced over the smashed Kobold’s cottage.

Ryu Han-bin curiously asked Artis.

“What are you looking for?”

“The Devil’s Spirit Stones of the Kobolds.”

It was a low-class monster, which meant its stones were only worth a few pennies, but he couldn’t just throw away money.

Han-bin grimaced.

“I don’t think it’s worth the trouble to pick all of them up.”

Most of the Kobold corpses had been smashed and scattered among the debris due to the Lich’s magic spells.

“We’d have to clean the place up to find the corpses.”

Artis replied as he didn’t understand Han-bin’s point.

“What do you mean? I can just use magic.”

He activated a spell.

“Rooting!”

The whole mountain was covered in a magic circle.

Simultaneously, Devil’s Spirit Stones began to float from all over their vicinity, all of which gathered at where Artis was sitting.

Upon opening the pocket of his backpack, the stones flew in all at once.

Han-bin’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Unbelievable! There’s actually a spell to collect multiple Stones at once!”

“What made you think there wasn’t one?”

“I just assumed that’s the case…”

Thirty low-grade Devil’s Spirit Stones from Kobolds were only worth a few pennies. Of course, it was a huge sum for Ryu Han-bin, but it wasn’t much for Artis, an advanced hunter.

After collecting the Stones, he headed for the rags left by the Lich. The Lich itself did not leave anything behind, but the clothes it was wearing remained. Normal rags wouldn’t have caught his attention, but the one the Lich was wearing was studded with gold and precious stones.

It also wasn’t possible to use Rooting magic to collect it.

Artis laughed as he retrieved the gems one by one.

“It’s worth the effort.”

“This is troublesome. The stones are scattered all over.”

Regardless, they still kept on looting the trinkets.

Picking up a small emblem, Han-bin tilted his head.

“What’s this?”

Letters were embossed in the middle of the item.

Ryu Han-bin could easily read the text.

He didn’t even need to use the Language Communication Skill.

It was written in characters he’d known for a long time already.

Great Earth

“It’s in English?”

Even the words were familiar.

Artis became frightened when he saw the emblem.

“Oh, my God! It is a sign of a Goddess Slayer!”

It was the symbol of Great Earth, an alien group that planned to kill the Wind Goddess.

Ryu Han-bin had also heard about the alien group.

“That Lich, was it a remnant of the Great Earth? But I heard they’re all dead.”

“They should be, but…”

Artis had a concerned look on his face. It wasn’t only humans that feared the Goddess Slayers. Other intelligent creatures of the Latna Continent also feared them. Goddess Slayers attempted to destroy the world they lived in, after all.

Urgency filled his words.

“This isn’t normal. Come on. We need to inform the Mage Guild.”

Han-bin held him back.

“In order to do that, you’d need to reveal that you fought with that Lich. Are you sure about that?”

A lot of Artis’s dragon blood still remained at the scene. If an investigation team came, they would be able to discover Artis’s real identity easily. Ryu Han-bin would also be suspected.

“You’re right.”

Artis regained his cool.

“I’ll keep quiet about it for now. We’ll let them know when the time is right.”

Only after the traces of Dragon blood had been erased would they be able to tell the Guild about it in a way that would keep their secrets hidden.

“Just in case, I’d like to search a little more. Help me, Han-bin.”

“Sure.”

Both of them scoured around the place for more useful items or information.

However, they found no other clues.

It was just a living quarter of ordinary Kobold, nothing unusual.

“I guess there’s nothing more to find here.”

“Hmm…”

“Let’s go back to Onpros, Artis. There’s nothing more we can do here anyway.”

“That’s right.”

Artis eventually gave up on his lingering thoughts.

“Okay. Let’s go back.”

* * *

Three days later, Ryu Han-bin and Artis reached Onpros city.

At that same moment, two individuals showed up at the site of the burned Kobold Cottage.

One was a pale middle-aged man with a faded blond hair, and the other was a young woman with brunette hair.

The brunette woman said.

“This is where Shin Ha-joon died, Richard.”

“I know.”

The middle-aged man called Richard looked around in wonderment.

“Search, Activate. Due date, four days. Range, remaining traces.”

A letter of light floated up in one of his sights.

[Search for the remaining energy.]

[Traces of magic have been found.]

[Paralyze, Chain of Curse, Entangle of Gehenna, Air Elemental, Whip of Death, Inferno of Abyss…」

“Most of them are Shin Ha-joon’s magic. Although low-level magic is sometimes seen…”

Richard tilted his head. According to this trace, the Shin Ha-joon faced a mage that was no stronger than level 40.

“There’s no way such a weak enemy could beat him.”

Shin Ha-joon, a Suitor from Korea, was a man who abandoned his human body and turned himself into a Lich. Whatever killed him should’ve left some form of a trace.

But they found nothing– no Mana, Prana, Aura, or Force that could be strong enough to damage the Lich.

“But it is clear that Shin Ha-joon died here. It’s stated in the Guidelines.”

“I know, Leslie.”

Looking back at the woman called Leslie, Richard asked, “Is there any way to defeat the Lich without using Latna’s four powers?”

“It’s not like there isn’t.”

She shrugged.

“If someone used force that surpassed the four powers, wouldn’t it be possible to kill the Lich like putting it in a huge hydraulic press and pressing it hard to make it powder?”

Richard frowned, “Is there someone strong enough to do that in this world?”

A man around the same age as Richard appeared behind a tree. He had jet-black hair, wore light-gold armor, and carried a set of twin blades.

“There aren’t many creatures that have that level of power.”

Richard turned towards the man.

“Did you find something, Alejandro?”

He raised his finger.

There was a dark fluid on his fingertips.

“Dragon Blood. I can’t get any other, though, since three days had already passed.”

“A dragon?”

Certainly, if it were a Dragon that had been over 500 years old, it would be possible to crush a Lich with pure physical power.

Nevertheless, Richard raised an even more mysterious question.

“All of Latna’s Dragons belong to ‘Upper Draconium,’ right? Why did the Dragon attack us, their allies?”

“Maybe there is a traitor.”

If so, it was impossible to ignore.

Alejandro asked Richard, “Should I track, scout, and get rid of it?”

“Will you be okay alone? It wouldn’t be easy if you’re up against a Dragon powerful enough to harm Shin Ha-joon.”

“No problem. I have this.”

He pointed at his necklace. Richard looked relaxed.

“Oh, yeah, well.”

“Then let’s start right away. As luck would have it, I found something useful while chasing after Shin Ha-joon.”

Alejandro snapped his fingers.

A creature soon flew from the other side of the forest and landed on the vacant lot.

It was a large Wyvern with thick shackles around its neck and a gagged mouth.

Leslie looked surprised.

“A Wyvern? And it’s well-trained too?”

“Is it a valuable item? I accidentally found it in this forest.”

Alejandro beckoned.

“Bow your head.”

The Wyvern obeyed meekly.

The Wyvern could only weep as it bowed its head even though it didn’t want to. Due to the magic gag and shackles, if it resisted, it would lose its life. It cried softly as it allowed the middle-aged man to ride behind its back.

‘Hiiiirgg…….’

It hadn’t been that long since it survived an Alien’s beating, yet it was already in trouble due to another Alien.

With a kick at its side, Alejandro ordered the Wyvern.

“Fly!”

Effir, the Wyvern, sighed deeply as it flapped its wings hard.

‘Oh, my fate…….’