Ever since I had produced Blue Lightning before.
I had done everything I could to reproduce that phenomenon, but unfortunately, I hadn’t achieved much.
When I focused, I could barely release an electric current, but it wasn’t at a level I could use in combat.
Crackle!
But now, I think I understand.
How to produce Blue Lightning.
‘My body is moving smoothly.’
Proper breathing, becoming one with the sword, heightened senses, precise posture and movement, swift footwork, appropriate manifestation of mana, ideal activation of my mana circuits, and more.
When every element came together perfectly, my swordsmanship unfolded naturally.
I could tell just how rough and crude the swordsmanship I had been using until now had been.
It was an incredibly profound feeling.
Just like that, I faced the world head-on.
Crackle!
The world flashed in a dazzling blue.
The mana flowing from me, the breath I exhaled, even the air currents stirred by my movement—everything was being sublimated into blue electric currents.
Crack-crackle!
As I dashed forward, the currents dashed forward too.
The visible current caused friction, writhing even more violently.
And when it reached a certain speed.
Kuooh.
The sound of the Blue Lightning changed.
It became rougher.
Kuaaah!
It sounded just like a lion’s roar.
The Blue Lightning sweeping around me surged fiercely toward the Water Spirit.
The same thing happened from the opposite side.
Do Si-eun’s Blue Lightning had surged forward as well.
Kieeeek!
And so, two bolts of lightning struck down, delivering an electric shock to the Water Spirit.
Then Do Si-eun’s sword and mine cleaved through the Blue Lightning and slashed the creature diagonally.
Kiiiii….
The Water Spirit’s body, split into three pieces, collapsed at an angle.
Soon, as if to announce that the assessment match was over, a message appeared.
[You have achieved the feat of earning the recognition of the patriarch of the Divine Sword Do Clan.]
[You have obtained the alias “Lion Cub.”]
[You have achieved the feat of defeating a boss monster at a young age.]
[You have obtained the alias “Boss Baby.”]
[You have cleared the Gate.]
“…What is this?”
* * *
In the game, if you accomplished a specific feat or received a certain evaluation from people, you could obtain an alias.
So I could roughly guess why I had suddenly obtained aliases.
‘The people watching the assessment match probably changed their evaluation of me.’
It was written in the message to begin with.
That I had earned Grandfather’s recognition.
It seemed I had shown him something he liked.
‘Well, even I think so.’
Praising myself like that, I decided to check the aliases.
Lion Cub and Boss Baby.
Because of the conditions required to obtain them, they were aliases that had never appeared in the game, where Kang Han-byeol was the center.
[Lion Cub]
◆ Alias Origin
―A compliment sent by Do Ye-ik, the current patriarch of the Divine Sword Do Clan, to Do Gyeon-u, who displayed skill befitting the Divine Sword Do Clan.
◆ Effects
―Receives a certain amount of attention from those who know the status of the Divine Sword Do Clan.
―Increases the effects of skills bearing the name “Beast King Style” by 10%.
First, Lion Cub.
For me, as someone who used the Beast King Style, an alias that raised the effects of the Beast King Style by as much as 10% seemed fairly useful.
‘But if I go around with that alias equipped, does that mean people will call me Lion Cub…?’
It was an alias with the meaning of praise, but hearing it over and over might still get annoying.
Even so, the effect was worth it.
Next was Boss Baby.
[Boss Baby]
◆ Alias Origin
―An alias reflecting the feat of killing a boss monster at a young age.
◆ Effects
―When fighting a boss monster, the probability of becoming its highest-priority target greatly increases.
―When fighting a boss monster, all physical abilities increase by 10% of their original physical ability values.
It wouldn’t help me in everyday situations, but when fighting a boss monster, there probably wouldn’t be an alias better than this.
Its effects were outstanding.
‘Ten percent of my original physical ability values, huh….’
Even in the game, there had been a few aliases related to boss monsters.
But aliases like Boss Baby, which weren’t limited to a certain type of boss monster and raised all physical abilities by a full 10%, were rare.
‘It’s a shame it increases them by 10% of my original stats, but still, this is more than good enough.’
However, there was a problem.
I furrowed my brow.
‘If I equip this, I’ll draw aggro from boss monsters?’
The greater the effect, the greater the price.
The possibility of becoming the highest-priority target meant I would have to accept considerable danger.
While it would be highly compatible with Guardian-type fighters who usually handled aggro in a party, it didn’t seem to suit me very well, since I was supposed to be responsible for damage output.
At least with the help of Evasion Instinct, it might be somewhat better.
‘I’ll have to use this depending on the situation. Not recklessly.’
After swiping the message away with my hand, I called up my status window.
Then I fell into thought.
“Hmm….”
[Would you like to replace the alias “Rabbit” with the alias “Lion Cub”?]
[Yes / No]
Only one alias could be equipped at a time.
So if I wanted to equip Lion Cub, I had to swap it with the alias I currently had equipped.
In other words, I had to remove Rabbit, the alias that represented Do Gyeon-u in the game.
That was why I couldn’t help but agonize over it.
Rabbit’s effects were nothing to scoff at either.
[Rabbit]
◆ Alias Origin
―A name referring to Do Gyeon-u, who does not suit the spirit of the Divine Sword Do Clan.
◆ Effects
―Receives a certain amount of attention from those who know the status of the Divine Sword Do Clan.
―Increases evasion rate by 30%.
Even if the attention mentioned in Rabbit’s effects wasn’t positive attention, I couldn’t ignore an effect that raised evasion rate by as much as 30%.
If I, with my Luck stat already sitting at 25, removed Rabbit, my evasion rate would drop significantly.
‘It’s not like I can raise Luck, either.’
Raising the Luck stat was difficult, so it would be better to spend that time raising other physical abilities instead.
More importantly.
‘I mustn’t forget my weapon.’
Do Gyeon-u’s strength in the game lay in combat utilizing Evasion Instinct.
In order to maximize my Gift, I couldn’t give up my evasion rate.
I reached a conclusion.
“It can’t be helped.”
[Yes / No (Selected)]
The effects of Lion Cub were tempting, but.
As expected, there was no alias better than Rabbit for daily use.
‘I should use Lion Cub when I need attack power, or when I attend family gatherings.’
I closed the message.
Around then, Do Si-eun spoke to me.
“Were you looking at the message saying we cleared the Gate?”
“Well… something like that?”
“For that, you were staring into empty space for quite a while….”
“Ah… I was looking through the messages I’ve received from Gates until now.”
The people living in this world didn’t know that aliases had effects.
They simply accepted them as a means of publicity to raise a Hunter’s prestige or leave an image in people’s minds.
That was because this was reality, not a game where a system appeared.
So I roughly glossed over it.
“I see. And… here.”
“Noona, this is….”
Do Si-eun, who couldn’t see any messages other than those provided by the Gate, didn’t think much of it.
Then she handed over what she was holding.
“It’s the Gate Key. It dropped to me after we defeated the Water Spirit.”
“Why are you giving this to me?”
The Gate must have judged that she had contributed the most to the clear.
Even so, the fact that she handed the key over to me was nothing but puzzling.
Then Do Si-eun said…
“If you hadn’t proposed cooperation, we wouldn’t have been able to clear the Gate.”
“….”
“I don’t know what the Gate thinks, but that’s what I think. That’s why I’m handing the key over to you.”
Thank you. It’s thanks to you.
She brushed back her fallen hair and smiled softly.
Seeing that smile, I couldn’t refuse.
“All right. Then I’ll take it.”
“Okay.”
I received the key from Do Si-eun.
I didn’t know what the people watching us through artifacts would think, but she had decided to hand over the credit for ending this assessment match to me.
It was then.
Splash!
For an instant, the sound of water rang out.
A woman landed in the center of the lake, where only the two of us had been standing.
Judging from the Regulus Clan uniform she wore, she seemed to be a Hunter serving the family.
“Congratulations on clearing the Gate.”
“….”
When our eyes met, the woman bowed her head lightly in greeting.
Soon, she raised her head and stated her business.
“If you hand the Gate Key over to me, I will deliver it to the patriarch.”
“….”
Come to think of it, after clearing the Gate, we were supposed to hand the Gate Key over to a nearby Hunter.
I nodded.
“Yes, here you go.”
“Then I have received the Gate Key. I will also report that Young Master Do Gyeon-u and Lady Do Si-eun were the main contributors in clearing the Gate.”
“Yes, please do. By the way, how should we leave?”
The Gate that led out of this world was always created near the Gate Key.
If she took the Gate Key, the location of the Gate would move as well.
I asked with that in mind, thinking of the Gate that must have appeared somewhere nearby.
Then she pointed to one side.
“The Gate is currently over there. I intend to leave only after confirming that everyone who participated in the assessment match has exited, so you do not need to worry about returning. If you need an escort, I can…”
“No, we can go by ourselves. It’s not like we’re in such bad shape that we need support. Right?”
“Yes, we’re fine.”
“…Understood.”
The Gate was at the edge of the lake.
The Hunters who had been hiding until now were supporting the people who had participated in the assessment match and taking them there.
We decided to follow them.
Before that, there was something I needed to check.
“There’s something I’d like to ask.”
“Yes, please speak, Young Master Do Gyeon-u.”
“In the case of spoils obtained during the assessment match, who owns them?”
“That is….”
Because we had been so busy taking the assessment match, there had been no room to collect the spoils dropped by monsters.
Since that was deeply regrettable.
I wanted to at least take the spoils that came from the Water Spirit.
‘The corpse of the Gate Boss is floating right in front of me. I can’t just leave it behind like this. And the Water Spirit is Rank 3, isn’t it?’
I glanced sideways at the Water Spirit’s corpse.
The creature’s body, separated into three pieces, was unable to sink and was floating on the surface of the water, which had sealing magic cast on it.
It looked incredibly appetizing.
“The spoils obtained from the family’s Gates basically belong to the family…. Please wait a moment. I think it would be best to inquire.”
Perhaps having realized my intention, the woman glanced at the Water Spirit’s corpse.
Then she tried to contact someone using a communication artifact, but…
“Ah, Captain. The matter is…”
[If he wants it, let him take it.]
“….”
[Spoils belong to the victor.]
Before she could even continue speaking, Grandfather’s voice suddenly flowed out.
We had never expected Grandfather to be the one to answer, so we stood there dumbfounded.
It seemed he had been watching us the whole time.
“Er… the patriarch has given his permission. Ownership of the spoils belongs to the person who defeated the monster in question.”
In any case, good was good.
Having received Grandfather’s permission directly, I decided to search the Water Spirit’s corpse.
“That’s great. Then we’ll take the Water Spirit’s spoils. Noona, since you fought together too…”
“I’m fine.”
At that moment, Do Si-eun told me she would yield ownership of the spoils to me.
“Really?”
“Yeah, you take them.”
I had no reason to refuse.
“Then I’ll gratefully accept.”
Soon, I split open the Water Spirit’s chest and took the mana stone from within.
The mana stone was firmly fused with the creature, so I had to use force to tear it out.
After prying out the mana stone like that.
‘Is there anything else besides the mana stone?’
I watched the creature’s corpse as it turned into particles of mana and disappeared.
Then I noticed a shape about to fall into the water.
I quickly snatched it.
[Intermediate Physical Ability Spellstone]
◆ Consumable Classification
―Spellstone
◆ Detailed Description
―Contains power that contributes to the target’s physical abilities.
◆ Detailed Effects
―Upon absorption, gain 1 remaining point. At this time, the remaining point can only be used on physical abilities below 80.
“….”
“It’s a magic stone? Those don’t appear often. You got something good. Have it appraised once we get outside.”
“…Noona, thank you. Really.”
“Hm?”
Do Si-eun would never know.
Just how rare the yellow gem in my hand was.
It was a jackpot.
There was no other way to put it.
‘All that suffering was worth it, really.’
A magic stone that raised the stat you wanted, rather than a specific stat, was extraordinarily precious.
On top of that, it was intermediate-grade.
‘I should exchange this magic stone for remaining points and use it when the time comes.’
Considering how hard it became to grow once a physical ability’s value exceeded 70, it would come in handy then.
“Let’s go now too, Noona.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Satisfied, I put the magic stone away.
Now we decided to leave the gate.
It was then.
“Come to think of it, Gyeonu.”
Do Si-eun called out to me as I walked ahead.
I stopped and looked back.
Could this noona possibly be…
“You’re not asking me to hand over the magic stone, are you? Sorry, but this is mine now.”
“…”
A needless anxiety rose in me.
What if she took the magic stone from me?
As if defending the bag at my waist, I hunched over and revealed my wariness.
She seemed at a loss for words.
Soon, she sighed and said,
“I was going to congratulate you.”
“For what?”
“For bringing forth Azure Thunder this time. I forgot to say it earlier. It was really cool. I saw you in a new light.”
“…Thanks. You were cool too, Noona.”
Right, she wasn’t the type to give something and take it back.
I lowered my guard.
When we came out of the gate, the supporters waiting outside approached us.
They examined my body thoroughly.
“It doesn’t look like you’re seriously injured. We’ll heal what can be healed, and lightly treat the parts that can be left to recover naturally.”
The wounds quickly closed with the supporters’ healing magic.
They said the remaining injuries would also disappear cleanly with time.
Not long after that…
“Everyone did well! In particular, Si-eun and Gyeonu’s skills were impressive.”
Whatever had him so delighted, Grandfather emerged from the gate roaring with laughter, along with the other adults.
My family was there too.
I tried to head toward them, but…
“Mom, Da—!”
“How admirable! You broke the Second Family Head’s record!”
“…!”
Grandfather blocked my path and suddenly pulled me into a firm embrace.
Even I was shocked, having been hugged by Grandfather for the first time, and it seemed everyone standing nearby was shocked as well.
‘Is it because I brought forth Azure Thunder? He’s incredibly happy…’
Held in Grandfather’s arms,
I could glimpse people staring at me with their mouths hanging open or their eyes wide.
“But do not become arrogant because of this. Be humble, and devote yourself to constant progress.”
Grandfather must have been aware of those gazes as well, but he paid them no mind and patted my back.
I simply stayed still.
‘How long has it been since Grandfather praised me?’
I carefully searched my memories.
When I was young, after I failed at rabbit hunting and came to be mocked as Rabbit.
It seemed Grandfather’s attention had left me from around that time.
That made this feel all the more meaningful.
It did feel good to be acknowledged by the family again.
On the other hand,
‘Status Window.’
I decided to use this opportunity.
Reciting the words inwardly and bringing up the Status Window, I manipulated the screen without letting Grandfather notice.
[Would you like to replace the epithet “Rabbit” with the epithet “Lion Cub”?]
[Yes (Selected) / No]
I replaced the epithet.
With this, Grandfather’s goodwill toward me would grow even greater.
I opened my mouth.
“Then… Family Head.”
“Yes, Gyeonu. What is it?”
“May I take part in the report?”
At my question, Grandfather answered heartily.
“Of course! Of course you may!”
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss