021 — Just How Much Was She Holding Back

Jinwoo immediately drew his sword and faced the Elf. Bulkar also took his stance, brandishing a thick hammer that looked dizzying just to look at.

However, the Elf’s expression didn't change at all. Despite being the sole target of their hostility, she didn't seem to perceive it as such.

Was it the余裕 of the strong? Or did she simply have no intention of fighting, and thus did not respond to their hostility?

“Ah! That $%!@!$ the one I gave you $#@.”

On the contrary, upon seeing the white jewel sword Jinwoo was holding, she clapped her hands in delight. Come to think of it, she was the one who had given him this sword.

Jinwoo frowned slightly.

It felt strange to be pointing a gifted sword at the person who gave it to him. His conscience pricked him.

“What business?”

Jinwoo asked in his clumsy Elvish—no, the continental common tongue.

“Huh? You speak #$@?”

“Learned. A little.”

Just as when he first met Bulkar, she seemed incredibly pleased that Jinwoo was using their language.

Then again, if Jinwoo met a foreigner who could speak even a little Korean, he would be very happy too. It would make him want to help them for no reason.

That was just for someone from a different country; for someone from a different species and a different world to have learned their language, it was impossible not to feel a sense of goodwill.

‘Although, she was showing me goodwill even before I learned the language…’

He had thought it was a momentary whim, which made the current situation all the more puzzling. That whim was still going strong long after the first Gate.

Although he could only feel goodwill from the Elf, neither Jinwoo nor Bulkar could lower their weapons.

This was especially true given that they had been pursued by Dark Elves until just yesterday.

Seeing their cold reaction, the Elf raised both her hands and spoke.

“Not enemy. Not here to fight.”

It felt like she was deliberately using simple words so Jinwoo could understand. Even such a thoughtful consideration was far from what an enemy would do.

Jinwoo and Bulkar exchanged signals with a sidelong glance. Should they fight, or should they talk?

Bulkar seemed to be fifty-fifty. It felt like he was leaving the decision to Jinwoo.

After a moment's thought, Jinwoo asked just one thing.

“The attack. By Dark Elves. You know?”

Did she know about the Dark Elves who had attacked them?

The place where they were attacked and this waterfall cave were quite far apart, but you never knew.

The Elf smiled brightly and answered.

“No idea!”

…So she had nothing to do with the Dark Elves?

Was she lying, or did she truly not know?

A silent moment passed. Bulkar wore a dubious expression, while Jinwoo couldn't erase his suspicion.

And the black-haired Elf, smiling with an innocent expression.

In the end, Jinwoo lowered his sword. Bulkar asked quietly.

“Are you sure?”

“No choice,” Jinwoo replied with a grimace.

He hadn't lowered his sword because he trusted her words or her lack of hostility. There was a more fundamental reason.

‘I can’t win.’

He had been feeling it distinctly from the start. She was not an opponent he could handle at his current level.

When facing the werewolf or the Dark Elves, he hadn't had any particular thoughts. He just thought, if I cut them, they get cut, and that’s what happened.

But he didn't think he could cut this Elf. Although he could clearly sense her flower bud-like blue flame, he didn't feel like his sword could ever reach it.

In other words, the choice was never theirs to make.

“Me too, companion.”

They had no way of refusing her as she bulldozed her way into becoming their companion.

He considered running away, but judging by her demeanor, she would just keep following them. Hadn't she stalked him until the very end in the first Gate?

‘Is her hobby observing humans?’

There was no way such a hobby existed… or so he wanted to say, but he couldn't be certain. She might actually be an Elf with such a hobby.

In the end, Jinwoo and Bulkar were forced to accept her as a companion.

“Name. Rona Garcia. You?”

“Jinwoo. Kang Jinwoo.”

“Bulkar.”

And so, they exchanged names.

Upon hearing Jinwoo's name, Rona's eyes seemed to sparkle with the brilliance of the sea.

---

One human, one Dwarf, and one Elf.

A strange cohabitation began in the waterfall cave, with no other people in sight.

Bulkar carved out one side of the cave to build a furnace and set up tools and a workbench for forging and hammering.

He drew a waterway from the waterfall, using it for his work, for drinking, and for washing. His skill at carving through the hard cave walls was quite impressive.

Right now, he was refining the blue ore he had mined in bulk from the previous vein to produce higher purity iron.

“This is an iron called Sky Steel. It looks messy and dark like this, but the more you refine it to a higher purity, the more it takes on the color of the pale sky. It has an affinity for wind, water, and lightning.”

“I don’t really get it, but it sounds amazing.”

“Of course! Most iron is compatible with only one element. There aren’t many that have an affinity for three!”

Throughout the refining process, Bulkar looked like he was having the time of his life.

Even as he worked hard, sweating profusely in front of the hot furnace, he didn't look tired at all.

Such positive energy tends to affect those around, so both Jinwoo and Rona enjoyed watching Bulkar work.

Incidentally, it had already been over two weeks since the three of them started living in the waterfall cave. Spending that much time with two native speakers, his language skills had improved a lot.

“Well then, I’ll be heading out for the day.”

“Alright, alright. Be safe out there. Don’t die.”

“I want to go too, Jinwoo.”

Jinwoo mainly scoured the nearby forest, and Rona always followed behind him.

With nothing to do in the cave and no way to help Bulkar with his work, it was only natural for her to go outside.

He had once asked if their search efficiency wouldn't double if they explored separately, but Rona had shaken her head and refused.

After that, he just let her follow him.

The good thing about Rona coming along was that the danger was greatly reduced.

Jinwoo himself was already among the stronger individuals on the 1st Floor, but there were still elements of uncertainty.

Rona, however, was different. She walked through the primeval forest as if it were a stroll in the park, without a hint of caution in her steps.

It was the stride of someone confident they could defeat any being that appeared on the mere 1st Floor.

“How high up did you say you’ve been, Rona?”

“The 5th Floor!”

Hearing that dizzying level again, Jinwoo quietly swallowed his saliva.

“I want to challenge the 6th Floor someday, but I’m still struggling on the 5th, so it’s not easy.”

“It must be a really tough place.”

“It’s a place where even breathing is difficult, so I have to prepare thoroughly every time I go.”

From what he heard, Rona was at a level where she operated on the 5th Floor.

The 5th Floor… to Jinwoo, who was still roaming the 1st, it was a level he couldn't even dream of reaching.

Generally, the 3rd Floor and above of a Gate were referred to as the upper floors.

According to the Management Bureau's recommended standards, the 3rd Floor was where B- to A-class Hunters primarily operated.

The 4th Floor was for A- to S-class Hunters, and the 5th Floor was a place recommended only for S-class.

Chartia had mentioned that the 5th Floor was the level she used to frequent during her active days.

That meant Rona was on par with Chartia, an S-class powerhouse in Earth terms.

Moreover, Chartia was a support type with many utility skills, while Rona was a combat type who used a sword. In terms of pure strength, she was superior to Chartia.

‘I was so surprised when Chartia took over the library.’

To think there was someone who surpassed that Chartia in combat power. It was a good thing he hadn't attacked her when they met two weeks ago.

‘What would have happened if I had ignored her request to join us and attacked?’

He didn't even want to imagine it. His head probably would have been separated from his body the moment he swung his sword…

Just then, Jinwoo spotted a blue portal.

“It’s a blue portal.”

“You found another one. I’ll mark it on the map.”

Rona marked the location of the blue portal on the map of the surrounding forest that Chartia had roughly drawn.

It was a rough map drawn from atop a high tree, so it didn't show detailed paths, but it gave a general idea of the forest's shape and location.

“Is this the fifth one?”

“Well, that’s a decent number.”

As the word ‘another’ implied, this was the fifth blue portal they had found.

As Rona said, it was a decent number. Their search had lasted for two weeks, and exploring the forest with Rona was incredibly fast, allowing them to cover a considerable area.

Considering how vast a forest they had scoured in these two weeks, five actually seemed a bit low.

However, Jinwoo felt a little wronged.

“When I was desperately searching for one, not a single one showed up…”

It was the same in the first Gate and when he was being chased by the Dark Elves. When he was desperately searching, he couldn't find a single one.

But now that he had some breathing room, they were popping up left and right. Jinwoo couldn't help but feel it was unfair.

“By the way, Jinwoo. Do you have the ability to cut souls?”

“Souls?”

Rona asked something completely out of the blue, in a tone as if she were just making small talk.

“Why so suddenly…”

“It’s a very frightening ability for Elves. Even Benville retreated, trembling in fear.”

“Who’s Benville?”

“Oops.”

She covered her mouth and glanced around as if she’d made a mistake. Then she quickly added.

“The bear you took down last time. That bear’s name was Benville, and I saw you cut him down.”

“Come to think of it, you treated my wounds and left the sword for me back then. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Rona replied with a bright smile. It was hard to tell if she was smiling because she was happy to be thanked, or for some other reason.

“Souls… so that blue flame must be a soul.”

“So you do have that ability?”

“Well, probably. But why are Elves scared of it?”

“Yes. Souls are very important to Elves.”

He thought that there couldn't be any living being for whom souls weren't important, but after hearing Rona’s explanation, he understood.

The cycle of an Elf’s birth, death, and reincarnation centered around the World Tree. And the fact that the number of souls was naturally decreasing, causing the World Tree to wither.

Hearing that, he understood why Elves considered souls so special, and why they went around killing other species in Gates.

And why his ability was a threat to them.

“So that’s the situation… But why are you sticking with me? If you’re an Elf, shouldn’t you be scared of my ability?”

“Are you going to cut me?”

“If I have to.”

“Jinwoo, you’re such a bluffer. At your skill level, you couldn’t cut me even if you trained for a hundred years.”

Rona said with a giggle. It was true, but it still hurt his pride a little.

I’ve awakened a sword skill too, do I really need a hundred years? Pouting, Jinwoo sighed and shook his head.

“But I’ve been really curious. Why did you follow me in the previous Gate? And why did you leave prey for me at night?”

He was finally asking the question that had been on his mind for so long. He had been looking for the right timing ever since they started talking more, and there seemed to be no better time than now.

As if she knew this question would come someday, Rona tapped her chin with her index finger.

“You want to know?”

“Yeah.”

“To be honest, I don’t know either.”

“???”

What kind of answer was that?

As Jinwoo stared at her as if she were something strange, Rona burst out laughing.

She was a woman who laughed easily, though he didn't know what was so funny. Well, it was better than being sullen.

“I didn’t know either, but I think I’ve figured some things out recently.”

“What did you figure out?”

“After I left the last Gate, I thought about it a lot at home. A few possibilities came to mind, but I wasn't sure. But meeting you again this time has narrowed it down to one possibility. You’re a spirit, aren’t you?”

“…What? A spirit?”

Of all the things he had heard so far, this was the most random question. Jinwoo asked back, dumbfounded.

“When I first saw you, I felt a sense of familiarity and closeness. There are only a few beings an Elf would feel that way about. Either another Elf, or a spirit.”

“So since I’m not an Elf, I must be a spirit?”

“Yes.”

“You’re right that I’m not an Elf, but I’m not a spirit either. I’m human.”

“You might be human now, but you could have been a spirit before you were born. In fact, the Hunters of your world? They use the abilities of their past lives, don’t they?”

“That’s true, but.”

Suddenly, a spirit?

‘I’m not so sure.’

Honestly, it didn't really resonate with him.

Chartia had said her past life was an Elf. He hadn't felt anything special when he heard that either.

Rona was saying his past life was a spirit. That didn't particularly click with him either.

Just because he didn't feel it didn't mean their opinions were wrong, but…

In the first place, he still had no clue what his past life was. Maybe he would figure it out as he awakened more skills.

“If I’m a spirit, why do I have an ability like soul absorption? Isn’t that cannibalism?”

“‘Spirit’ is a very broad category, so that’s not necessarily the case. A lion, which is an animal, eats a rabbit, which is also an animal, but you don't call that cannibalism, do you?”

“That’s true.”

“Still, a spirit that eats other spirits is a rare case, so in our world, we classify them separately as Demonic Spirits. They are usually much stronger than normal spirits, but they are also just as dangerous.”

“My past life was a Demonic Spirit…”

“Since you’re good with a sword, I thought you might be a Sword Demonic Spirit? If so, all of my feelings and actions would be explained.”

Rona spoke with a tone of conviction, as if she had already reached that conclusion.
It was strange how her opinion was completely different from Chartia's. Perhaps they each had a different perspective.
‘Still, I have one candidate now.’
In any case, gaining a clue about his past life’s identity wasn’t a bad thing.
Perhaps feeling better after getting everything off her chest, Rona made a suggestion.
"It seems like it will take some time for Bulkar to make the sword. Shall I teach you some swordsmanship in the meantime? You might even recover some memories."
"I'd be grateful."
It was a sudden offer, but there was no reason to refuse. In fact, it was something Jinwoo had been secretly considering.
He had been thinking about looking for a swordsmanship dojo or academy, but a lesson from an S-class swordsman was 100 times better than any academy.
He had been hesitant to ask her to teach him her skills, so he was relieved that she had brought it up first.
"Alright. Let's use this stream as our training ground."
The two faced each other, swords in hand, at the stream next to the waterfall. The ground was covered in smooth, round pebbles, making the footing uneven.
Still, they could wash off their sweat immediately, and the sound of the cascading waterfall was refreshing. There was no more invigorating space than this.
"Get into your stance."
"I don't really have a special stance."
Despite his words, Jinwoo raised his sword and aimed it at her.
It was the stance his body had mastered after swinging a sword thousands of times, the one that made it easiest to cut.
Gulp.
Jinwoo swallowed. He was already tense, wondering just how incredible an S-class sword would be. What if he was sent flying without being able to parry a single blow?
‘Learning works best when your levels are somewhat matched.’
If the gap between master and student was too vast, you couldn't properly learn what you needed to.
If a national soccer player tried to teach a child who had never kicked a ball before, what could they teach other than the absolute basics?
It would be a great shame to spend this precious opportunity to be taught by an S-class Hunter learning only the fundamentals.

"Here I come!"
In contrast, Rona was extremely light-hearted. To Jinwoo, this was a heaven-sent opportunity, but to Rona, it was merely a way to pass the time.
Her steps were so light she seemed to bounce on the pebble-strewn ground, her weight almost imperceptible.
Lightly, yet in an instant, she closed the distance to Jinwoo and swung her sword. Receiving the blow was Jinwoo’s sword, held by a stiffly tense arm.
However.
Clang!
"Huh?"
A sword went flying. It spun through the air before falling and sticking deep into the pebble ground.
Before Jinwoo's eyes stood Rona, who had lost her grip on her sword.
"Oh?"
Jinwoo was just as bewildered as she was. He was sure she had been holding back, but he couldn't even guess by how much. To think her sword would be sent flying in a single blow.
"Again, one more time."
Rona pulled her sword from the pebbles and charged again. This time, her eyes were a little more serious.
Clang!
Her sword snapped in half and flew into the air.