Chapter 55 : Chapter 55

Chapter 55: Dayle (1)

‘Gaius’s Insight’ was a lighthouse that showed me, a seasoned veteran, paths I had never seen before.

Its remarkable efficacy had already been proven several times.

Taking in Clatter.

Seeing through Yuria’s talent.

All of it was thanks to this.

It was purely because of ‘Gaius’s Insight’ that I found the elixir ‘Fierce Conviction,’ which I nearly overlooked.

Among the traits I possessed, it was the best.

No.

I believed it was good enough to stand toe-to-toe with any trait known as Tier 1 in ‘Heroes of Frey’ without falling short.

So there was no way I could ignore it.

Screech……

I dragged a chair and sat in front of the guy.

I stared intently at him, enveloped in a faint aura.

The guy, his eyes covered with thick cloth as per my instructions, sat quietly, only breathing steadily.

Hmm.

What exactly about this guy caught the attention of ‘Gaius’s Insight’?

What potential did he have that made it call him a gem?

The only thing that came to mind was, of course, that.

Frost Bullet.

The creation of a new magitech tool that shouldn’t have existed.

It was certainly an impressive ability.

It couldn’t be used directly in combat like swordsmanship or magic, but depending on the situation, it could yield even greater effects.

In terms of crafting, he was the GOAT, so to speak.

But if that was all, it felt a bit lacking.

Not quite enough to be called a gem.

It seemed like there was more to his abilities, and I calculated that the fastest way to find out would be through conversation.

I organized my thoughts and opened my mouth.

“Been behaving yourself?”

“…….”

“I’m asking. Have you been behaving? Why so quiet?”

“Didn’t you tell me to shut up?”

Oh, right.

“Guess a beating really is the best medicine? Seeing how compliant you’ve become after passing out.”

The guy smirked slightly.

“Pfft. You think I’d be scared of that ticklish kick? Don’t flatter yourself. I’m only showing minimal courtesy because you’re the guild master.”

“Luis. He says your kick was ticklish.”

Shing.

A chilling sound came from Luis’s waist.

“Then I’ll make it scratch.”

“Just kidding. It actually hurt.”

“He says so.”

Luis sheathed his sword again.

“I was joking too.”

“……Damn it.”

It seemed Luis had given him a warning while I was away.

Probably something about showing respect to the guild’s master.

The blindfold method seemed to have worked to some extent.

But separately, the guy appeared to have something specific he wanted.

Compared to his frantic behavior yesterday, his demeanor today was completely different.

One hundred percent.

And as expected.

“I have a request.”

He asked in a deeply serious tone.

“A request?”

“Yes. Will you hear me out? It won’t be a loss for you.”

“Speak.”

“I, Dayle, want to formally request a commission from Shadow.”

I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Pfft, hahahaha!”

“…….”

“Sorry, it’s just so unexpected.”

Was he an idiot or just insanely bold?

Judging by his behavior yesterday, he didn’t seem like someone with much to lose.

Anyway, I was planning to figure out what abilities he had, but this would have to wait.

I had a rough guess about what kind of commission he wanted.

“What’s the commission?”

“Untie this first. I can’t see a damn thing, and it’s driving me crazy.”

I nodded, and Luis removed the blindfold.

“Phew! I feel alive again.”

“Tell me. What’s the commission you want to entrust to us?”

Dayle spoke seriously.

“Get me out of Icata and safely to Norton City. The sooner, the better. The reward will be the Secret Tomes you want.”

As expected, it matched my guess exactly.

“Norton City. You hid the Secret Tomes there, huh?”

“Yes. My hideout is in Norton.”

Norton was a city not too far from Icata.

If I set my mind to it, I could leave now and arrive around sunrise.

“Then why should we take your commission? We could just go there ourselves and find it.”

Dayle twisted his lips as if I’d said something ridiculous.

“Do you take me for a fool? You think I’d reveal the location without any safeguards? The hideout is a place only I know. Even if you somehow found it, you wouldn’t get the Secret Tomes. The seal there only responds to me. If anyone else approaches, the contents burn to ashes.”

If anyone else approaches, the contents burn to ashes?

The Frost Bullet came to mind again.

Like the Frost Bullet, this was a type of sealing formula I’d never heard of before.

Could this guy create new magical formulas as well?

I glanced at him, and he grinned, shrugging his shoulders.

His expression screamed that we had no choice but to accept the commission, exuding confidence.

“What’s it gonna be?”

But he couldn’t hide the slight tremble in his eyes.

Like someone anxious, his left leg shook, and he licked his dry lips.

Yeah. Like Azester’s Small Calamity, there was a chance this was just a bluff.

Furthermore, the claim of a hideout in Norton City could be a complete lie.

A commission not even worth considering.

Normally, I’d have dismissed it immediately.

But I was hesitating.

Not because of the sealing formula he mentioned, of course.

Because of that still-glowing aura.

To make a decision, I needed certainty, and I decided to ask now.

“You don’t use your Evil Eye abilities.”

“Hm?”

The guy, who had been tensely awaiting my response, slightly furrowed his brow.

“What’s that out of nowhere?”

“You’re an Evil Eye, right? But you didn’t use any Evil Eye powers, so I’m asking.”

“What does that have to do with the current situation? And what do you know about Evil Eye?”

“I know plenty. That you’re living weapons created to kill mages and that each eye has different abilities.”

I pulled out the Beast Pouch I’d taken from him and continued.

“The Mana Freeze phenomenon caused by the Beast Pouch was a new technology discovered by Naimus while studying you guys.”

Dayle’s eyes widened as if they’d tear.

“Isn’t that enough to say I know a lot? Yet, when you fought Luis yesterday, you didn’t use any abilities. You just fiddled with artifacts and magitech tools, looking like you couldn’t use any powers at all.”

“…….”

“So I’m asking. Are you a failure?”

The guy bit his lower lip hard, confirming my guess was correct.

It was true.

A half-baked Evil Eye.

It was laughable that such a guy even existed, but it was even more laughable that he’d been chosen by Gaius.

It smelled like a jackpot.

“What is it?”

“……What?”

“Your ability.”

He openly expressed his displeasure.

“Didn’t you want the source of the Secret Tomes? Why do you keep asking about that?”

“It’s related.”

“Related how?”

“Can’t tell you.”

“What the…….”

“Tell me. What’s the ability you have?”

Dayle hesitated.

“If I tell you, will you accept my commission?”

I smiled.

“Of course.”

The answer that came out of his mouth next made me doubt my ears.

“Artifact enhancement. That’s my ability.”

* * *

Artifacts.

Magitech tools that combine the finest materials, like the essence of magical beasts or ancient ‘rune stones,’ with the technological prowess of research facilities and advanced magitech engineering.

When imbued with the power of time, the lives, names, and achievements of heroes, they become ‘unique’ artifacts.

If infused with the power of transcendent beings like gods, demons, or dragons, they’re classified as mythical artifacts.

Some say only ‘unique’ and ‘mythical’ grades are true artifacts, but that’s just ignorance of the immense time, capital, and manpower required to create even a single artifact.

It varies by type.

But the fact that the resources needed for artifact creation can never be limited to a single individual is a universal truth for all artifacts.

That’s why facilities like the Magitech Research Institute and Artifact Research Institute exist.

They house mages who’ve dedicated their lives to magic, magitech scholars, formula researchers, and various experts and technicians.

These are the people who create artifacts, and even they must go through countless trials and errors.

Enhancement is the same.

It’s not as demanding as creation, but embedding magical formulas, altering properties, or strengthening materials all require specialized knowledge, experience, and skills.

Artifact-related work can only be done through the Artifact Research Institute, the sole specialized institution in the nation.

──That was the setting, common knowledge, and established truth I knew in ‘Heroes of Frey’ up to now.

But it was about to be shattered.

No, it had already been shattered.

Because the results were right in front of me.

“You made this?”

“I enhanced it.”

“What.”

I almost said, ‘Isn’t that the same thing?’ but stopped.

Whether it’s enhancement or creation, that wasn’t the important part right now.

At some point, a small table had been placed between us, and on it were a One Hand Musket and a single dagger.

The One Hand Musket was the guy’s main weapon, which I’d seen several times.

A tragic magitech tool, abandoned due to its inconvenience of single-shot loading, abysmal accuracy, and other issues.

The long-barreled ‘Long Musket’ was at least used in the military for its decent lethality, but even that was considered only slightly better than a bow by most.

If you trained your body even a little, you could dodge it by watching the muzzle and since the Long Musket’s accuracy was also terrible, it rarely hit unless the enemy was clustered together.

The only advantage of muskets was one thing: they were easy to learn and simple to use.

But this guy’s musket──,

“I engraved the ‘Tracking Formula’ to improve accuracy and compensated for the lack of lethality by infusing it with frost properties.”

That’s what he said.

The ‘Tracking Formula’ was a magical formula, and he, an individual, had engraved it on a musket.

Skeptical, I picked up the musket to check, and it was true.

A magical formula resembling the ‘Tracking Formula’ was etched on the barrel.

I stared at him with a ‘How?’ look, and his response was absurd.

“I referenced the one on Veneta’s bow and it worked.”

It was the kind of infuriating, smug answer you’d hear from someone saying, ‘Valedictorian? I just studied, and it worked.’

The folks at the Artifact Research Institute would clutch their necks if they heard this.

“And for the attribute infusion, I used a rune stone.”

“…….”

“When did you get so close? It’s a bit uncomfortable, so could you back off?”

Oops. I got too focused and didn’t realize.

I casually moved my face away.

“Then what’s with this dagger? This is mine.”

Indeed.

The dagger next to the One Hand Musket was the one I’d stabbed into his back last time and forgot about.

“I embedded a magical formula in it too.”

“What kind?”

“Barrier Nullification. It’s still incomplete, but…….”

I didn’t hear the rest.

I tilted my head.

“Never heard of that formula.”

“Of course not. Barrier Nullification is something I created by combining the magical formulas in my head.”

I nearly jumped out of my seat but barely restrained myself.

What the hell did he just say?

“So you’re saying you created a new artifact that doesn’t exist in the world?”

“I said it’s incomplete and it’s enhancement, not creation.”

No. This was creation.

And knowing how to enhance meant he could create too.

……Now I understood.

Why Gaius called this guy a treasure.

Even I could see he was a treasure.

A one-of-a-kind treasure on this continent.

So, my hesitation was over, and I made my decision.

“I’ll take it.”

“Take what?”

“The commission. I’ll accept it.”

At that moment, a sharp voice struck my mind.

Tip: Tap/click the left or right side of the screen to go to previous/next chapter.