92 – 40. New Swordsmanship (1)
Heroic Academy has a system called Memorial Link.
‘In simple terms, each character has an item filled with memories, and if the character possesses it, they gain special effects.’
Useless to other characters, but if the conditions are met, the characters gain a significant effect from the item.
Naturally, the method of obtaining it wasn’t easy.
“After seeing the ending of the game at least once in any way as a basic condition. You have to start a new game.”
It wasn’t just about raising a character different from the ones raised so far.
As mentioned earlier, this is the basic condition for the memorial link.
“After doing that, now you’re actively going out to find items for the memorial link. Of course, you have to search for clues by revisiting the accounts you raised before.”
The item list is provided, but how to obtain them is unknown.
That was the true difficulty of the memorial link.
“Although it requires the tedious task of searching the entire map again… Still, if you manage to get it, it can be a pretty good item.”
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To give a clear example, there is Ariel Volkanov’s memorial link item, a deer doll.
After restarting the game, when you go to her room at the time when Ian withdraws from the position of the head delegate while clearing chapters, you can obtain the item.
If you give it to her, the memorial link is activated, and you can receive insane effects such as immunity to mental attacks and damage correction to all skills.
“Items that give corresponding prices as difficult as they are to obtain. Those are the things that trigger the memorial link.”
The memorial link was not exclusive to Ariel alone.
There were also items for those who later appeared as playable characters.
In other words, Celia Wignoron, Reyna. It also means there are items for Bianca Matyif.
That was the reason.
“This is…?”
“Re-remember, Ian?”
The reason Celia was surprised when she saw the gift.
What she had prepared was a necklace.
A necklace adorned with Christmas roses made of leather and enchanted with preservation magic in the middle.
Not a chain made of high-quality metal, nor an item adorned with expensive gems.
It was simply a flower attached to a strap made of ordinary animal leather.
However, Ian couldn’t help but freeze when he saw the gift she had handed him.
‘Christmas Rose necklace… Surely, it’s an item for Celia’s memorial link. Wearing it grants a passive ability to withstand 10% of damage leading to death with a 10% probability.’
It was an incredibly important item for her.
Why on earth was she giving this to him? In that moment of thought, he recalled her words.
“Do you remember? What on earth does that mean?”
Did this item hold memories of herself and Celia?
As if reading Ian’s thoughts, Celia smiled elegantly and spoke.
“It was the necklace you made for me when you were young… When I said I wanted to see a flower other than a hyacinth, you searched the forest with me, and this was the one.”
“…Did I?”
“Yeah. When I said I thought this flower was beautiful and that I wanted to see it for the rest of my life… you used preservation magic to make this necklace for me.”
Due to the nature of the northern region, seeing flowers was not easy.
The only easily obtainable one was the hyacinth, densely packed in the back mountain.
However… in response to Celia’s wish to see different flowers, Ian would hold her hand, wander through the forest, and search for new flowers.
That was… the Christmas rose.
“We found this rose while wandering through the forest together. It was nice back then…”
Lost in memories, Celia closed her eyes for a moment. Then she opened them, lifting the corners of her mouth.
Ian, on the other hand, just stared blankly at her.
‘Memorabilia containing memories with me… Why is it Celia’s memorial link item?’
Honestly, I couldn’t comprehend.
Well, no wonder it seemed strange.
‘Why? She was just a childhood friend from my younger days. But in the game, she seemed to have no connection with Ian.’
It was a relationship that had been severed in the past. There was no sign of reconnection.
That was the situation. It was a relationship that could be called close, even if it was between two guys.
But… why did this necklace become her memorial item?
‘Was it really such a precious item to her that the memorial link was activated?’
Since Ian mainly played as Aria, not Celia, I couldn’t know the details of her past. But from what I had observed so far, it was not easily understandable.
‘There must be some hidden depth… At least, that’s what I think for now.’
There was no way to know at the moment. Yet, it wasn’t something I could openly ask Celia about.
That was the reason.
“Is it okay for me to have this?… It must be something important to you.”
At first, it was according to her vibe.
With a cautious question, Celia smiled widely and nodded her head.
“Yeah! This has been something that has protected me until now… So, from now on, it will protect Ian.”
It was the moment of receiving the necklace with her words.
“Oh. By the way, if it’s okay, can I fill it up? It might be difficult to fill it alone.”
“Yeah…”
“Thank you. Just a moment then.”
She received the necklace and approached, extending her hand behind Ian’s neck to start tying the necklace.
Once tied. Now, just one more time.
With Elin’s help, the protective spell was cast. It was at that moment, as she intended to secure the strap even more tightly to prevent any potential damage to the delicate leather.
“Oh? This is….”
The moment the bruises on Ian’s neck caught her eye.
Bruises can occur even with a simple abrasion, but having so many bruises on the neck… There was only one thing Celia thought when she saw it.
‘No way. It can’t be…’
As the thought of a kiss mark crossed her mind, she felt the world in front of her turn dark.
***
“Okay, I’m leaving, Ian!”
“Is it really that urgent?”
“Yeah, um! Something came up suddenly! There’s not much time left. Have a great birthday!”
As soon as she put on the necklace, Celia hurriedly left.
She seemed to have something to say, but… why did she leave so hastily?
The question kept coming up, but Ian shook his head.
‘It’s probably not a serious matter… No need to worry.’
It might be something really important, and there was no need to think negatively about it.
Today is his birthday, and Celia came here, even if there was an urgent matter, to give him a gift.
Thinking about it that way was enough.
‘Considering what happened between Celia and me, receiving something like this might be a bit strange.’
A friend is someone you know… isn’t that the relationship?
Even if it’s just exchanging simple congratulations and giving gifts, it can be considered a relationship.
That’s why her gift was even more surprising, and I wondered if it was right to cautiously refuse.
“Especially. If she knows the meaning behind this necklace, it’s even more so.”
Because this memorial link item must be something precious to her as well.
However, when I saw her tearful expression as she handed me the necklace, I couldn’t muster the courage to refuse.
That’s why.
“Yeah… I should just accept it. Even if it doesn’t hold any meaning for me personally. Let’s think of it like a superstition.”
The reason why I decided to accept the necklace she handed me.
Of course, since Ian is a character added later, he won’t be able to enjoy any special effects even if he wears this necklace.
But I could think of it as a talisman that could protect me in times of crisis, just as she said.
“Yeah. The remaining battles will be even more threatening to our lives than before.”
Since they failed to target Ariel once again, the demons will become even more desperate.
Considering the level of traps they had prepared, I could tell that they had done their best.
And now that it had failed, I realized that there were no more opportunities left, and I had to launch an attack with all my strength.
“Moreover, we don’t even know when they will attempt an attack. In that case, there’s only one thing I can do.”
Increase my skills in swordsmanship, which is still inexperienced.
If I can’t do that, it will be impossible to defeat Satan or Lucifer.
“Of course, I still have the experience of swordsmanship that I’ve gained so far… but I can’t just swing my sword recklessly against the Demon King.”
In this case, I was facing monsters that could be cut just by waving my sword.
Satan and Lucifer weren’t going to die so easily.
Their attacks would be much more fierce, demanding precise judgment every moment.
“Am I supposed to swing recklessly every time I face those guys? That doesn’t make sense.”
Swinging without thinking would only result in taking their attacks and falling immediately.
That was the reason.
“Yeah… I have to learn swordsmanship somehow.”
The reason the thought of learning swordsmanship came to mind again was simple.
To defeat the remaining enemies, one had to learn.
The problem was who to learn from.
“If it were as usual, I would go to the instructors in Arc to learn.”
Ian shook his head.
If he searched for instructors in Arc, there would be people who could teach swordsmanship, but they would be on the level of ordinary beginners.
Learning from mediocre individuals in his current state would not only be unbeneficial but also detrimental.
“There’s no one who can teach swordsmanship at my level, except maybe Hailey or the platoon leader. The platoon leader isn’t mainly a swordsman. Hailey, known as the Sword Princess, and my former mentor, would be the most fitting, but…”
Yet, it would be odd to go to someone who had cursed him to be unable to wield a sword and say, “Now that I can use a sword, teach me again.”
Learning from Arc was impossible. Ian concluded that.
The situation of facing difficulties in finding a teacher. Eventually, Ian thought of the last resort.
“If there’s someone with superior sword skills compared to Hailey, and someone I can learn from anytime, regardless of time… There’s only one person. Alex Volkanov.”
If it’s someone who exists within the simulated training and is his own ancestor… He might be a quite decent mentor.
In terms of skill, he even defeated the neck of the ancient god Neltalion. Wasn’t he the one who laid the foundation for the Volkanov-style swordsmanship, known as the swordsmanship of the sword family?
The martial arts he had created were of a level that had never been passed down until now.
‘Of course, detailed training in the cycle of combat is impossible…’
Now is not the time to hesitate between the easy and difficult paths.
If there was a chance to master martial arts, he had to choose it without a doubt.
‘Even if I don’t like it, trying it out first is the right thing to do.’
Thinking so, Ian activated a simulated combat, and he could see.
[Simulated combat has been changed to special simulated combat.]
[Unlike the previous ability to combat the enemies that Neltalion, the descendant of the ancient god, had fought, now you can only combat one fixed opponent. You can obtain special rewards upon victory.]
‘What? Only one person?’
The appearance of the newly changed simulated combat was revealed.
Unable to fight the enemies that were marked with question marks, he could only fight with one person. Is that all?
No matter how you think about it, it can’t be considered a good thing.
‘There may be special rewards, but… is it worth giving up the opportunity to combat other enemies…’
The true value of simulated combat lies in challenging powerful opponents that cannot be encountered in normal situations and growing through the experience.
By directly confronting the historical figures in Neltalion’s memories, he could realize his shortcomings and learn different combat patterns at the same time.
Of course, until now, the only one he had fought was Alex Volkanov, but he thought that if he developed Neltalion, he would be able to fight others as well. What on earth is this?
‘If it’s only one opponent… it’s probably talking about Alex Volkanov.’
At this rate, isn’t it rather a regression? It was the moment when dissatisfaction arose in his mind.
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[The opponent in special simulated combat is fixed as Alex Volkanov.]
[It has become more powerful than before, and a new version of Alex Volkanov with a different pattern will appear. Win against him and acquire ‘Alex Volkanov’s Visionary Martial Arts’ as a reward.]
Once a knight who supported the empire. The moment Ian read the phrase claiming the ability to master the swordsmanship that beheaded the ancient god Neltalion.
In disbelief, Ian shifted his gaze forward and could see.
“Descendant, rise and wield the sword. I will show you the essence of my sword.”
‘Quite different.’
The god Eleks Volkanoth, he stood with a sword in hand.