SLASH!
Her hand was severed. She screamed in pain.
Suddenly, the old man opened his eyes and saw the Rivenas in front of him. The moment he laid eyes on such a creature, fear gripped his heart. He collapsed, unconscious.
Rivenas turned her head toward the young man who had cut off her hand.
Lucien took a deep breath, then swung the stick again. Such a weak, pathetic creature. I will end this quickly.
Though he had no special combat training, he swung the stick with the precision of a seasoned swordsman. Each movement carried a strange weight, as if the stick had become a real blade. It felt like it had sliced clean through Rivenas.
But she regenerated again.
She leapt from where she stood and landed on Lucien. Her mermaid tail coiled tightly around his neck, trying to crush it.
Lucien struggled to stop her, but his body was too weak. He had lost all the strength and progress from his past life.
He clenched his fist, took a deep breath, and punched her straight in the face.
In that moment, a burst of spirit energy erupted from within him. The force cracked her skull.
She sprang back. Her head wasn't regenerating. She twitched violently from the pain.
Lucien tried to steady his breathing. I'm too weak here. I can't even defeat such a lowly creature.
Suddenly, the Rivenas began to sing. Her melodic voice echoed around him, making Lucien's senses slip away.
He clutched his spinning head. Her voice... it's making my mind go blank.
Her voice carried a strange enchantment. Lucien tried to resist, but his body was beginning to obey her call.
CRACK!
Lucien broke the little finger on his left hand. The pain snapped him back. He charged at the Rivenas.
She stared at him, stunned to see him regain control.
Before she could react, his wooden stick sliced cleanly through her body like a knife through butter.
Her body collapsed to the ground. Dark greenish-blue blood began to pool beneath her.
Lucien walked toward the corpse and began searching for her heart. It was located in the same place as a human's.
It was still beating. He crushed it in his palm.
He turned toward the sea, stepped into the shallows, and washed the blood from his hands and the stick.
Then he lifted the old man and began walking toward the village. Now these people can live peacefully. These Rivenas usually dwell along small island shores in the middle of the sea. Maybe this one came here by mistake.
---
When Lucien reached the village, he laid the old man in his bed and gently closed the door to his house.
Afterward, he walked toward the old tree and lay down beneath it.
---
Suddenly, he felt someone shaking him.
"Mr. Kaelhart! Mr. Kaelhart!"
The voice felt familiar. As Lucien opened his eyes, he saw the old man standing before him, looking deeply worried.
"I remember seeing a creature, but I'm still alive... What happened to it? Did you defeat it? Or did it run away?"
The old man fired off questions in quick succession.
Lucien rubbed his eyes and looked around.
All the villagers were gathered around him, waiting anxiously for an answer.
He smiled faintly and said, "You can all sleep peacefully now. I've defeated that sea monster. There's no longer any threat."
As Lucien gave his answer, the villagers erupted in celebration.
They hugged one another with relief and joy.
"Yes, now we are safe!"
"Thank you, Mr. Kaelhart!"
"We are all in your debt!"
Suddenly, multiple windows popped up in front of him.
[+100 Credits!]
[+100 Credits!]
[+100 Credits!]
[+100 Credits!]
[+100 Credits!] x10
The windows multiplied rapidly, covering everything around him. He couldn't even see the villagers' faces anymore.
What's all this? Are these... positive credits?
Does this mean I can finally buy things now? he thought, eyes scanning the glowing screens.
---
Suddenly, someone grabbed his hands.
It was a little girl in formal village wear, her face bright and innocent.
"Mr. Kaelhart, you're our hero! Please marry me!" she said with a wide smile.
Lucien gave a small smile and gently patted her head. "Not happening."
He stood up and dusted off his clothes.
The little girl pouted. "Why? Am I too young to be your type?"
Lucien didn't answer her.
Type? I've never had any preference.
Born in a time of war, I never had the chance to form a real connection with anyone. I was carried into battle before I even took my first breath. My mother was a warrior. She fought through countless wars while I was still in her womb.
And when I was finally born, she was already dying — her last breath spent on the battlefield, during the war against the demon civilization.
I was born in a military camp, surrounded by fire, steel, and death.
---
Suddenly, the girl's mother gave her a light smack on the head and looked at Lucien with an apologetic smile.
"Sorry for my daughter's behavior," she said.
"There's no need to apologize," Lucien replied. "She's just a child. She'll understand things better when she grows up."
He turned and began walking out of the village.
But before he could go far, the eldest elder woman reached out and grabbed his wrist.
"Where are you going, Mr. Kaelhart?" she asked. "You haven't even seen how we welcome our guests. We're not letting you leave so easily."
---
The entire day passed in celebration. Lucien didn't even get a moment to relax or check the system market. He was constantly being dragged from one place to another.
But none of it irritated him. In fact, it made him happy.
For the first time in his life, he felt something like this.
That night, when all the villagers had fallen asleep beneath the tree after feasting, Lucien sat quietly, gazing up at the green moon.
It felt like something distant, something far beyond his reach for now.
But someday, just maybe, he could reach it.
Lucien shook his head.
I shouldn't just go with the flow of the world. Now that I have some time, I can finally check the market.
He stood up and walked toward the entrance of the village.
"Market," he said.
A window appeared in front of him.
[Activating the Market!]
With that, a new interface opened before his eyes. It was a marketplace, filled with countless items, each tagged with a price.
He looked toward the bottom left corner of the screen. That's where his balance was displayed.
[1400 Credits]
He began scrolling through the weapon section, hoping to find something better suited for fighting monsters.
There were many weapons, but they were all listed under a grading system he didn't recognize.
"How does this grading system work?" he muttered.
Instantly, another window popped up:
[Absolute > Venerable > Mythical > Superior > Epic > Rare > Common]
"So that's how this thing works," he said, nodding to himself in understanding.
He continued scrolling. Each weapon within its grade was marked with stars.
"Three-star Rare? Four-star Common? So there's a star ranking within each grade... but how does it work exactly? Is five-star the strongest or one-star?"
He waited for an answer, but nothing came. The system remained silent.
"The system isn't replying," he muttered. "But from what I can tell, it should work like this — each grade has its own star ranking. Five stars is the strongest in that rank, and one star is the weakest."
---
Suddenly, a sword caught his eye.
He clicked on it and a new window appeared, displaying its stats.
[Weapon Stats]
[Name – Atman Blade]
[Cost – 1000 Credits]
[Grade – Rare Sword]
[Rank – Four Star]
[Level – 1]
[Element – Spirit]
[Main Skills – Spirit Control Lv1, Spirit Vision Lv1]
[Additional Skill – Hell Ragnarok Lv1]
He stared at the screen, a bit shocked.
"Why is a high-grade sword selling for so little when even some Common-grade weapons cost over 1000? Maybe it's a malfunction... not my problem anyway."
He shrugged and tapped the [Buy] button.
For a moment, nothing happened. There was no sword, no confirmation.
"Where's the swor—"
[Congratulations!]
[First Successful Purchase!]
[Title Acquired: Divine Trader!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up! x10]
Another window popped up.
[Player Stats]
[Name – Lucien Kaelhart]
[Level – 12]
[Race – Human]
[Age – 28]
[Position – Rank 9 Combatant]
[Titles – Time Traveller, Divine Trader]
"Is this... my personal information?" Lucien muttered.
"What's this level system? And I'm a Combatant… Rank 9? That's the lowest, isn't it?"
He stared at the screen, eyebrows slightly furrowed.
"I remember being a Rank 2 Combatant in my past life. But back then, I was so focused on reaching the Sorcerer Grade that I barely paid attention to my Combatant rank."
He looked around and noticed a chest-shaped icon in the top right corner of the screen.
Clicking it, an inventory window opened in front of him.
There it was — the Atman Blade.
He tapped on it, and the sword materialized in his hands.
It felt a bit heavy, slightly difficult to wield. That was probably because of his current low level.
He swung it a few times, testing its weight, then returned it to the inventory.
After that, he walked toward the old woman's house.
She mentioned a map kept somewhere inside. Before the morning comes, I should take it and leave. I need to find a place where I can grow stronger.
He quietly searched through the house and eventually found the map.
With that, he stepped into the dark, silent world outside — leaving the village behind before the sun could rise.
---
The next day, the villagers were busy with their daily tasks. Most of them believed the royal guard had already left after completing his duty.
But then, a carriage rolled up to the village entrance.
A man in royal armor stepped out. The villagers paused and began murmuring among themselves.
The man had a long face and an arrogant smirk as he spoke.
"You should all feel honored. I, a Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Mira, have arrived to save you from that sea monster."
The villagers frowned in confusion.
"What? But a royal guard already took care of it," the old man said.
"What? How could another royal guard do it? No one else was sent here! I am the one officially dispatched by the kingdom to save you!" the guard shouted.
But no one seemed to believe him.
In their hearts, they had already accepted the true royal guard — the majestic young man with black hair, dressed in flowing black robes.
The old woman, watching quietly from the crowd, slowly began to understand everything.
She smiled softly and let out a quiet chuckle.
Thank you, Mr. Kaelhart. You truly are a selfless, kind-hearted person.