How to Live as a Knight After the Ending - Chapter 23
Only Noblemtl
Episode 23. The Faraway Night Sky (1)
Ossian and Lorraine successfully completed their mission and returned to Violet Fox.
To Ronan, who welcomed her, Lorraine explained what had just happened.
Carl Jackson’s escape due to Blossom Tier’s interference.
And the appearance of Elise Denarova and the conflict with Blossom Tier.
“I see. Thank you for your hard work.”
“What could be called hardship? I didn’t do anything. This guy did almost everything.”
When Lorraine nodded to Ossian, Ossian shook his head slightly.
“It was nothing.”
An answer that can only come from genuinely thinking that way, not from boasting or being humble.
Lorraine looked at Ronan with a look that said, ‘Is that so?’
Ronan shook his head and opened his mouth.
“First of all, I will make sure to get compensation through negotiations for the omission of information from Blossom Tier. Since you have acknowledged it and handed it over, if we do well, we will probably be able to get at least 2,000 more from the existing compensation.”
“Is that it?”
“Of course, that amount will be entirely used as Mr. Ossian’s compensation. Congratulations. Earning this much from your second commission is a rare occurrence in this industry.”
It seemed like that was the extent of it for Ossian.
To begin with, Carl Jackson was a much weaker opponent than he had expected.
‘It’s not so much that Carl Jackson is dangerous as that the corporate secrets he ran off with were valuable.’
But there was something that clearly caught Ossian’s interest.
It was the existence of a consumable item that Carl Jackson used while running away.
When I asked Ronan about it, he answered right away.
“You mean the capsules?”
“You call that a capsule?”
“Yes. If you came from outside, you might not know. Magic has undergone revolutionary changes over time. Now, magic is easier and faster to use.”
“That capsule thing is what makes that possible.”
“Yes. It’s a method of solidifying ether water and then infusing it with magic. You can put it in a metal capsule and just throw it when you need it, and you can use magic.”
Strictly speaking, it could be seen as a scroll that is easier to carry.
With the effort of making one scroll, more than ten capsules could be made.
Scrolls are also difficult to create unless you are a skilled wizard.
Even the most skilled wizards had a high chance of failure during production.
But the capsule had a very low probability of that happening.
Likewise, mass production is impossible, and this too is not cheap.
Compared to scrolls, it could be considered an advancement of the century.
Now, even ordinary people can use magic by simply holding it.
I was even thinking about taking a few just out of curiosity.
‘Indeed. As science advances, all sorts of new things are created.’
The existence of the capsule was the second most surprising thing I heard today.
first?
Of course, it would be the Black Magic Academy.
‘Now, not only are black magicians coming out into the open and operating openly, but there are even educational institutions that teach them.’
Even though it was a world I had only played in games, I was so immersed in it.
It was as if he had become a wandering knight traveling the world.
To Ossian, the change in the way black magicians were treated was as shocking as a rat turning into a human.
“More than that, Mr. Ossian, what will you do first when you get your salary?”
“repair?”
“Yes. The 70 million Rennes you will receive in the future, including the 5 million Rennes you received before, is by no means a small amount. Of course, it is not enough to live off of for the rest of your life, but it is a very large sum for a sum that you only touch in a moment.”
“hmm.”
Ossian also agreed with that part.
Now that I have earned money, I need to think about how I should spend it.
When I first landed here, I had to worry about food, clothing, and shelter, but now I don’t have to.
Naturally, I ended up with some unintended extra money.
Ronan noticed that Ossian was having such troubles and came up with an alternative.
“If you don’t have anything to do right away, why not get an ID card first?”
“ID?”
“Yes. You must have seen it then. The ID I gave you to go out to the 40s area.”
“Oh. That’s right.”
Tirna is such a huge city that each district is divided into different levels of difficulty.
Because the zones were divided by number, there was natural control by guards as you moved between zones.
In particular, the 40th transit area, where public security was poor and lawlessness was rampant, was one of the checkpoints that the guards watched most closely.
“Identification is quite important within the city. It is proof that you are a citizen of Tirna, so you will not be ignored wherever you go. And the better the identification, the less likely you are to be hindered in moving around the city.”
Ossian remembered the guards conducting the inspection.
The ID card also serves as a pass.
Of course, the better your ID, the less likely you are to be stopped wherever you go.
Ossian stroked his chin.
If his identification had been good, the guards wouldn’t have bothered him just because he was carrying a sword.
In order to avoid any hassle while moving around the city in the future, identification was essential.
“I see. Then how do I get that ID?”
“Usually, you have to apply at the government office where the civil servants work. But there is a separate company that handles this for you. The civil servants in Tirna are very busy.”
This was what was meant by a subcontractor who issued identification cards on behalf of civil servants.
It wasn’t illegal.
Because it was something that was officially approved by the city of Tirna.
“How much money do you need?”
“It varies depending on the level of ID, but if you want to use it without any inconvenience right away, you should consider at least 50 million.”
“It’s a lot more expensive than I thought. Does it really cost that much to make an ID card?”
“Yes. However, since it is a high-grade card, it will be convenient for a long time once you make it. It is an ID card that allows free entry up to Area 25.”
An ID card that allows entry into the 25th zone.
But in other words, it meant that there were areas that could not be accessed even with 50 million won.
‘The industrial revolution, and extreme capitalism. What a great society it has become.’
If you want to go to a higher zone, you’ll probably need more money.
Ossian nodded as if he understood.
“Okay. I’ll make one.”
“Yes. Then I will recommend a good place for you.”
*
I went straight back to my accommodation.
I finished the request faster than expected, but I didn’t have enough time to go make an ID card.
‘There’s been so much going on.’
I sat on a chair by the window and looked at the scenery outside.
Instead of carriages, cars passed by on the streets, emitting white steam.
As I closed my eyes and focused my senses, the sounds I had tried to ignore came rushing back like a tidal wave.
The blaring of car horns, the shouting of drunkards, the plodding footsteps of workers, the water flowing through pipes, the noisy ticking of the barometer.
The eardrum-piercing noise began to spread beyond the house.
I opened my closed eyes and shook my head.
The sharp, sharp sensations dulled again and the noise subsided.
‘If I use my senses a little more, my eardrums will fall off.’
The body of the wandering knight had incredibly keen senses.
I checked some other things as well.
As I concentrated, I felt the passage of time slowing down.
[Time of Battle] has been activated.
But since it wasn’t a real battle, the time it took to unfold was only a moment.
‘First of all, the basic skills that are inherent in birth can be used.’
[Sword Will], which adds accuracy and critical hit bonuses when swinging a sword.
[Enhanced Shield Efficiency], which increases the damage reduction rate when blocking with a shield.
[Battle Time], which slows down time during battle.
[Unwavering Mind], which greatly increases resistance to mind control, illusions, and charms.
I was able to see that I could use the skills unlocked in the early part without much trouble just with [Will of the Sword] and [Time of Battle].
The problem came next.
‘The full [professional skill] cannot be used yet.’
Skills in the game are divided into [Basic Skills] and [Professional Skills].
In the case of [Basic Skills], it is a characteristic that is naturally given by default.
But as is usually the case with games, most professions have cool skills with flashy effects.
That is [professional skill].
In order to learn [professional skills] for each profession, you had to level up and unlock the traits.
You can either complete quests, or learn or purchase skills from other profession NPCs.
‘Of course, since I was a max-level knight, I should have unlocked all [specialized skills].’
It seems like the stats were brought over as is, but it seems like the skills weren’t unlocked.
Or maybe I just didn’t get the feeling.
In games, you could just press a single keyboard button and the skill would activate automatically, but now that it’s become reality, that’s not the case.
But considering that techniques like [Time of Battle] could be used naturally.
In fact, it was more likely that it had not been unlocked.
If so, there will be conditions for unlocking it.
But in a situation like now, there was no way to know what those conditions were.
‘Leveling up… no. How can a character that’s already at max level level level up any further?’
What about job quests then?
That’s also impossible, because there are no wandering knights in this world.
Of course, there are no quests for knights. It is also impossible to learn skills from fellow knight NPCs.
So is there really no way?
no.
My instincts were whispering something else to me, preventing me from making a decision.
There is a way to unlock skills.
‘I need to know what it is.’
Each person born has a different growth path based on their [characteristics].
It is commonly called a tech tree in gaming terms.
Even the warlock I met today is like that.
Warlocks are divided into several techs, including necromancy, dark magic, curses, and corruption.
The magician’s skill also varies depending on the type of elemental magic.
Of course, this kind of tech exists for wandering knights as well.
‘If I could just unlock the specialized skills, things would be a lot easier going forward.’
For now, you can overcome the situation with just your physical abilities, but there are clear limits.
I am not proud of my own strength.
I couldn’t continue to live off of this body alone.
‘Besides, I need to find out why I fell into this world.’
When I opened my eyes, I saw a huge city called Tirna.
Could that really be a coincidence?
Maybe deep in this city, there was a secret that I didn’t know about.
To do that, you needed a higher status, and to get that, you had to earn more money.
‘There’s a long way to go.’
I got up from my seat and fell down on the bed.
You’d better go to bed early because you have to get your ID card issued tomorrow morning.
I closed my eyes, and my languid mind immediately fell into a deep trance.
And when I opened my eyes.
What I saw was an endless plain and a beautiful night sky.
-It was a night when the stars shone beautifully.
On a not-so-dark blue drawing paper, there are dots of various colors shining brightly.
The cool night breeze slid across the grass and tickled my cheek.
I was captivated by the vivid colors of the vast Milky Way stretching across the sky.
So much so that I don’t even wonder why I’m here now.
I walked slowly as if I was being led by something.
The only clothes he’s wearing are the regular shirt and cotton pants he wears to bed. Of course, he doesn’t have any shoes.
The feeling of the grass against my bare feet with every step is unfamiliar.
But even that felt like fun.
As I was walking, I came across a hill. I climbed up on top of the hill.
As I climbed to a higher elevation, I got a better view of the surrounding scenery.
A vast meadow, without a single tree, filled only with grass.
What reached the end of the line that stretched beyond the horizon was the vast, flowing Milky Way.
I looked up at the stars, and at that moment the starlight whispered to me.
[Leader.]
It looks like a man, but it also looks like a woman.
Or an unknown voice that sounds like that of a child or an old person.
[Wanderer of the world. Wedge of the world. Opponent of the law.]
It seems like ripples are forming on the calm waters.
Like an echo echoing down the ridges of a mountain valley.
The voice came to me like a flood and floated away like an ebb tide.
[You. Accumulate karma.]