"Father... no..."
It's horrific.
I resented my own weakness for being unable to stop this gruesome situation.
"I... I can't do it..."
Father is expecting this of me.
He prepared this for me, hoping I would eat it deliciously...
'What I wanted to eat wasn't mint chocolate chicken...!'
Even I had my limits, and mint chocolate chicken was one of them.
A chicken that should never have been born in this world was atrocious from its appearance to its smell.
The moment I ate this, I would die.
I saw a future where The Death of Han Yuyeon (2/2) was realized.
But I couldn't outright tell my father, who had brought this chicken for me, "I hate this."
While I was lost in worry, Sir Mint Chocolate Chicken whispered.
— Eat me... eat me... and avenge me...
"Huh...?"
— I too... never wanted to become something as horrible as mint chocolate chicken...
"...So that's how it was..."
— I am... my dream is...
Sir Mint Chocolate Chicken, seated alluringly, spoke.
— To become fried chicken... was my dream...
"......!"
The moment I heard that wistful voice, I felt a new calling.
Grabbing the alluring drumstick, I promised.
"I understand... I shall... avenge you. So please... rest in peace..."
— Thank you... Then now... eat me.
Holding back tears, I took a bite of the drumstick, and felt yet another calling.
What is this. It's delicious.
Perhaps my calling is to spread the greatness of mint chocolate chicken to the world?
No. Get a grip. I promised. To avenge him.
"Om nom nom..."
But I, Han Yuyeon. The authority of flexible transition.
Taking revenge on the genius who invented mint chocolate chicken would be a loss for humanity.
Please die for humanity, Sir Commoner who could not become fried chicken.
"......?"
It was a dream.
I was chomping away at a huge piece of meat I had covered with my blanket.
What is this. It's delicious.
Wouldn't it be even more delicious if I spread mint chocolate on it?
It was heavy, so I stored it in subspace for now.
[Cloud Iron Beast Foreleg Meat (A) has been stored in subspace.]
To think he would sponsor such a delicious thing out of the blue. Just how great a being is the Celestial Authority?
I didn't know how long I had slept, but I got up and greeted the sky.
"Hello. I am Han Yuyeon."
[The Guardian of the Sword Realm greets you.]
[The Sage of the Star Archives greets you.]
[The Celestial Authority greets you.]
[The Hand that Bestows Form greets you.]
What. The stars above were twinkling like crazy, and messages were pouring in nonstop.
Why on earth? I thought hard, and the answer came quickly.
It was the power of the Maid's Grace Double Peace.
"VV."
[Numerous Constellations gaze upon you with satisfaction.]
As expected, that was the correct answer.
It was burdensome with so many eyes watching, but I had work to do.
Goal. Become a Maid expert.
The Guardian and the Sage must have come too, so I showed them the wooden sword and staff I had prepared and spoke.
"Father. Grandfather. Can I learn swords and magic at the same time?"
[The Guardian of the Sword Realm bestows grace upon you.]
[The Sage of the Star Archives bestows grace upon you.]
Thud, rustle.
A fish and a clump of grass fell at the same time.
— You don't have to call me father.
— My child. I was too indifferent to your situation. I have no intention of forcing a title upon you, so call me as your heart desires.
"Huh."
Why are they acting like this all of a sudden.
The thoughts of the Constellations are truly inscrutable.
I was happy to have gained a father and a grandfather, but...
"If the Constellations don't like it, I'll do that..."
[The Guardian of the Sword Realm starts in surprise.]
[The Sage of the Star Archives vehemently denies it.]
"??"
More falling fish and grass.
Sir Fish spoke.
Hi, I'm Fish.
Sir Grass spoke too.
Hi, I'm the Strongest in the Universe.
I bowed my head and replied.
Nice to meet you, I am Han Yuyeon.
— It's not that I dislike it. I think of you as my daughter.
— Listen without misunderstanding. Where in this world would there be a reason for me to dislike you?
"Hmm."
For now, my mouth was bored, so I chewed on Sir Grass and thought.
The Strongest in the Universe is nothing special.
Now the seat of the Strongest in the Universe shall be occupied by a Maid.
"Father. Grandfather."
[The Guardian of the Sword Realm rejoices.]
[The Sage of the Star Archives rejoices.]
The Strongest-in-the-Universe Maid, gripping the wooden sword and wooden staff in both hands, spoke.
"I will become a Magic Swordsman expert."
[The Guardian of the Sword Realm despairs.]
[The Sage of the Star Archives despairs.]
As expected of family, their reactions are identical.
"So what should I start with?"
Thud—
A fish and a descendant of the Strongest in the Universe fell.
Was this revenge? I esteemed that spirit and quickly popped the grass into my mouth and chewed.
[The Sage of the Star Archives expresses doubt.]
Then I checked the letters written on the fish.
— If you wish to walk the path of the Magic Swordsman, wait a moment.
"Huh."
Wait!
A Maid faithfully carries out orders.
I sat still and admired the sky.
The twinkling of the stars was truly beautiful.
***
Constellation Gallery.
This place, where the Han Yuyeon fan club had rapidly swelled, had changed so much that it could be called the Han Yuyeon Gallery.
It was because Han Yuyeon's sleep talking was so powerful.
「Father... no... I... I can't do it...」
At first, they wondered if she was being abused by her father.
Because otherwise, she wouldn't have been whimpering in a voice filled with terror.
But Han Yuyeon, who had been shedding tears for a while, spoke in a low voice as if making a resolution.
「I understand... I shall... avenge you. So please... rest in peace...」
Only after hearing those words did the Constellations realize.
Ah, Han Yuyeon wasn't being abused... She had lost her father to something.
And she had promised revenge before her dying father.
She couldn't bear to refuse her dying father's last request, so she had no choice but to give that answer...
The Constellations who grasped the situation fell solemn. At the same time, Han Yuyeon felt incredibly admirable.
How hard must it be for a child who is only 10 years old to endure without showing her sadness, pretending to be calm?
[Yuyeon is so kind...]
[But did the father ask a young kid to get revenge for him?]
[Our Yuyeon can do whatever she wants~!]
[If I were Yuyeon's dad, I would have made her smile every day]
For Han Yuyeon, who was even changing the disposition of the Constellation Gallery, two Constellations engaged in a serious discussion.
[Title: Grandarchive, get in here]
Author: Swordgeezer
(Picture of Han Yuyeon chewing up Grass without even reading the letters on it)
My daughter seems to hate even reading your letter so much that she's chewing it up, but since she says she wants to become a Magic Swordsman, I'll ask.
How do you think we should combine my sword and your magic to make a fine Magic Swordsman?
For Yuyeon's sake, Yuyeon must become the strongest.
— Grandarchive) Conversely, isn't she storing away your fish because she can't stand to even put it in her mouth?
ㄴ Swordgeezer) Hasn't Yuyeon already filled her stomach with my fish before?
ㄴ Grandarchive) How pitiful Yuyeon must be to have filled her stomach with nothing but that greasy fish.
ㄴ Excuse me, sirs, please stop fighting and have a healthy discussion for Yuyeon's sake.
ㄴ Grandarchive) Ahem. I shall write again, so come find it.
[Title: Swordscum, come here]
Author: Grandarchive
Even an ignorant fool like you who knows nothing but swords must know that Yuyeon chose me.
You must know that Aura Core and Mana Circle cannot coexist, right?
In a situation where she can only choose one of the two, why would she mention a Magic Swordsman?
It means she will engrave a Mana Circle in her heart and use the sword as a side.
So you teach her self-defense swordsmanship.
I must teach Yuyeon the path of the Archmage, so I hope you will not waste her invaluable time.
— Indeed, a Magic Swordsman is basically a mage.
— Isn't a Battle Mage holding a sword basically a Magic Swordsman anyway?
— Swordgeezer gg lol
— If you start a fight again just because you lost the argument, that's really gonna be ugly ddd
— Swordgeezer)......
Swordgeezer could not refute it.
Because, as Grandarchive said, Aura Core and Mana Circle could not coexist.
While body strengthening was possible with a Mana Circle, it was far less efficient than strengthening with an Aura Core.
Since magic could not be handled with an Aura Core, becoming a Magic Swordsman meant making the Mana Circle the main focus and growing primarily through the magical path.
The moment Swordgeezer tried to shoot a resentful glare, a new post went up.
[Title: Straighten up, Swordgeezer]
Author: Explainer
(Picture of Han Yuyeon doing the double peace sign)
In my opinion, Yuyeon can engrave both an Aura Core and a Mana Circle.
It's ambiguous because no one has tried it as a Maid before, but I think the chances of it working are over 99%.
(Maid Class description picture)
「Maid: Versatile. A word that truly exists for the Maid. Whether this becomes an advantage or a disadvantage depends on the Maid's capabilities.
- Can learn all skills without restriction.
- The maximum rank of all skills except exclusive skills decreases by 1 level.」
See, it says you can learn all skills without restriction?
But Aura Core and Mana Circle are classified as skills.
In other words, the Maid Class has a high probability of being able to become a Magic Swordsman in the truest sense.
So straighten up, Swordgeezer.
If it's for Han Yuyeon, instead of hanging your head, teach her one more thing.
— Swordgeezer)!!!
— !!!
— !!!
— !!!
— Explainer) Guys, say something other than exclamation marks...
Maid.
The infinite possibility contained within it drove the Constellations mad.
[Title: So basically, a Maid is]
Author: CreativePain
Can learn Mana Circle and Aura Core at the same time
Can also learn Sacred Stigma, Shamanic Contract, and Draconic Speech at the same time
So it probably means it's a broken class that can learn alchemy, crafting skills, and everything else on the side?
Why did no one know until now?
— Because all the kids who got stuck with Maid escaped on Easy 10th floor.
— Even the somewhat competent ones got out on Hard 30th floor.
ㄴ Aha?
— Explainer) You bastards speak so well here...
Han Yuyeon was the strange one from the start.
It was nonsensical from the moment she cleared Hell difficulty Floor 1 with ease using the Maid class, which had extremely weak early-game combat power unlike other classes.
Her talent was top-tier among all humans they had seen so far.
The moment such a rough gem gained the guarantee that she might be able to 'learn everything without restriction,' the Constellations unanimously cheered on Swordgeezer and Grandarchive.
— Hurry up and teach her Mana Circle and Aura Core first.
If it were confirmed that Mana Circle and Aura Core could coexist according to Explainer's logic, watching over Han Yuyeon would become considerably more enjoyable.
***
Hi. I'm Fish.
Hi. I'm the commoner of an era defeated by a Maid.
Nice to meet you. I am Han Yuyeon.
I checked the fish and grass that had fluttered down.
— First, you must form an Aura Core in your heart.
— First and foremost, let us create a Mana Circle in your heart.
"Huh. Are you telling me to engrave the Aura Core first, or the Mana Circle first?"
I asked while munching munching on Grass, and the stars twinkled for a moment before an answer came back.
— Let us try engraving the Mana Circle first, then forming the Aura Core.
"But what is a Mana Circle and what is an Aura Core?"
An enormous lengthy letter arrived in response to my question.
If I, who read it diligently, were to flexibly summarize it,
Mana Circle = The power that allows you to handle mana with your will.
Aura Core = The power of will that strengthens the body and weapons.
Whew. I wonder why they sent something so simple in such a long letter.
Next time, I'll have to ask for a three-line summary.
"Then I'll try making the Mana Circle first."
[The Sage of the Star Archives gazes upon you with satisfaction.]
I closed my eyes for a moment and focused inward.
I am Han Yuyeon. A flexible Maid.
Thanks to my flexible thinking, feeling mana wasn't difficult.
I could feel mana from the fallen trees. I could also feel the mana scattered inside my body.
It was mana that simply existed without any definite will imbued within it.
First, I greeted the scattered mana.
'Nice to meet you. Let's communicate.'
With the determination to communicate, I gathered the mana, rotated it, and drew a circle in my heart.
If I lost focus, the form would scatter.
If I gave it will, it would become orderly again.
Just like chicken.
'I want to eat chicken...'
Gasp. The mana transformed into the shape of a chicken.
At this rate, the rotation would become unbalanced.
I imbued my will and persuaded the mana.
'Even if you take the form of a chicken... you cannot become a chicken...'
Sulking.
Having taken its circular form again thanks to the cold hard facts, a different thought suddenly came to mind.
A Mana Circle is the power to handle mana with will.
An Aura Core is the power of will that strengthens the body and weapons.
Aren't the two very similar?
Whether handling mana or putting power into the body and weapon, from afar, they were ultimately the same.
Unwavering, firm will and purpose.
The two powers share the same origin.
'Whether one becomes fried or seasoned is decided by people... but the origin is ultimately chicken, just like that.'
To solidify my direction, I steadied my breath.
The rotating mana circulated throughout my body.
I fully contemplated my inner self and unified my will.
The moment I established the will to handle both mana and aura, a heavy sensation settled in my heart.
It felt as if it would explode the moment I touched it.
Boom. It exploded. And so Han Yuyeon died.
end.
The moment the curtain fell, something exerted its presence within Han Yuyeon's body.
Its name was the Grass, Strongest in the Universe.
[Numerous Constellations are aghast.]
I could see more and more things that needed organizing.
I opened more passages within my body and closed unnecessary ones.
So that my will could flow flexibly in any situation.
When the rotating mana formed a stable circle and my breathing had completely stabilized, I felt an omnipotence on a different level from just moments before.
「Acquired Mana Circle (E).」
「The 'Magic Power' stat has been unlocked.」
「Acquired Aura Core (E).」
「The 'Aura' stat has been unlocked.」
"Huh."
Is it supposed to end this quickly?
The moment I tried to ask the Constellations, the sky flashed intensely.