Chapter 21 – Leveling Up (Part 1)

 

The leader's eyes narrowed, and very fiercely.

"How did you hear about the Spiritual Imprint?" This is not something that young warriors may be aware of.

Of course, the first place I found out about this was the game. It's impossible for a professional gamer like me not to know about such a basic thing.

So I said frankly:

"I read it in a book.

There was nothing to admit, because I had already confirmed that this information could be easily found in books in the library.

"The book says that the Spirit Imprint was very helpful in the fight against the elves during the War of the Sacred Relics..."

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!

Bursting into laughter, the chief interrupted my words. To be honest, it was pretty damn scary, but I didn't pee because the laughter sounded pretty joyful.

"Have you read the book?" How ridiculous! Both Ainar and you to see the simultaneous appearance of two strange students!

Fortunately, in the eyes of the chieftain, we were only young barbarians, eager to learn.

— ... If the content of the book is true, I want to get this secret art.

"Of course, I have no reason to refuse a Spiritual Imprint if a warrior demands it!" But, young warrior, there's a problem!

"A problem?"

"It costs a lot of money.

Damn, I got scared out of nowhere. Why did he say something obvious in such a serious tone?

Creating a Spiritual Imprint requires a lot of expensive ingredients. The problem with higher-level prints wasn't the money, but the fact that if the ingredients weren't available, there was a lot to do to get them.

"HAHAHA!" It's commendable that you've come this far after reading the book, but it seems like you haven't learned that much yet!

"I have money. How many?

The chief looked at me as if I were a cutie.

"The cost of the Imprint of Immortality is about 800,000 stones!"

I frowned.

Ugh, 150,000 gems more expensive than in the game.

However, I can pay for it.

"I'll pay."

"What?"

— ... Will you pay?

The chief and Einar shouted at the same time.

Before they could pester me with questions, I opened my pouch and took out one 500,000 stone and three 100,000 stones. At the same time, doubt appeared in the leader's eyes.

"Björn, son of Yandel, where did you get so much money?"

It would be a shame if he didn't ask. I even thought out my lines in advance. He even rehearsed the story with Ervena.

To put it bluntly, I said that I met an elf on the 1st floor and treated her like a slave, and when the essence happened to appear, her sister paid for it...

— Ха-ха-ха-ха-ха-ха!!! Эти идиоты!

"You'll be the first to rob those cunning ferns!" Bjorn, son of Yandel!

The barbarians liked this story more than I expected. Not only Ainar and the tribal leader, but also the elders who were far away were coming up and laughing. Are there really so many grievances between them?

"Ha-ha-ha-ha!" I don't know how long it has been since I laughed so much!

Soon the chief took 600,000 stones from my hands.

And? I'm sure he just said 800,000 stones...

As I bowed my head, the chief touched my shoulder.

"My gift for a young warrior who has shown outstanding qualities!"

It felt like my shoulder was dislocated, but the reward was nice.

Damn, 200,000 stones in a word!

Our leader had the same hot-tempered temper as all barbarians. I screamed from the bottom of my heart.

"From now on, I will try to become a better warrior by breeding more ferns that come my way!!

"I'm looking forward to it!" Bjorn, son of Yandel, a young warrior!

Is this what it means "the more you look, the more attractive it becomes"?

Gradually, I began to like the barbarians.

The Spiritual Imprint was a kind of enhancement technique. His principle was that he endowed the body with a special ability by infusing it with the "spirit" present in the magical ingredient. For the same reason, all barbarians were covered with tattoos.

I think I've read that they had to be tattooed in infancy, while they had a relatively pure soul, so that the soul outline would be visible as adults. That was definitely the context.

"I'll give you another chance to think about it. If you choose this path, you will not be able to get the imprint of another path. Will you do it anyway?

— Of course.

I knew about all the other ways, so I can't change my mind. The top-level Imprint of Immortality was the core of my leveling method, and even without that, all of the Imprint of Immortality's abilities were basically highly effective abilities.

"It looks like the elders have arrived as well, so it's time for you to go."

"I'm going."

After Ainar left, the chief took me to the shaman's tent.

And then the ritual officially began.

"Hmph, your chain is pretty clean. If you continue to keep your heart pure, the spirit will give you greater strength in the future.

The blindfolded shaman uttered words I couldn't understand and poked a needle into the tattoo on my upper body.

And...

"Uhhhh...

"Don't hold back, young warrior. You can scream. Everyone does it.

"Ahh!!

It felt as if the pain, 10 times stronger than the potion, had overcome my body.

***

Damn, I thought it was a regular tattoo. Do I have to experience this pain every time I ascend to a higher path?

"All right, it's over. I'm tired, so you can go.

By the time the shaman said the words I was waiting for, it was already dark outside. The chief of the tribe who had brought me here was nowhere to be seen.

"Thank you.

"This is the first time a warrior has thanked a shaman," he grinned.

Hmm? Did I do something wrong?

I didn't know, but I left the tent before he could suspect anything.

[You have activated Imprint of Immortality: Stage 1]

[Natural regeneration has increased significantly].

[Your Constitution has increased by 20].

Although I was mentally exhausted, strangely, my body was full of energy. Was it fortitude? It was a very strange feeling. I almost felt an unknown force in my body.

I should check this in more detail later.

"Open the door!"

After leaving the holy land and returning to the inn, I tested my newfound abilities several times, and then fell down and fell asleep.

***

Another day passed, and morning came. I went back to the business district I had visited with Ervena the other day.

This was in order to put the remaining 900,000 stones into himself, thanks to the leader's discount.

— You came not so long ago. Do you want to sell something again?

"No, this time I came to buy it.

I needed a new weapon. I sold the hammer I got from the Thief of Hearts, along with the rest of the equipment from last time. It felt good in the hands, but the hilt was too long to be used as a one-handed weapon, making it uncomfortable.

"I want to see a one-handed club."

"A one-handed club...

As a result of my battle with Einar, I decided that it suited me better than something sharp.

Sword-type weapons require skill and craftsmanship.

Well, there's nothing that can't be done with enough practice, but...

The weapon itself would only be used in the early stages anyway, so the effectiveness was insufficient. After all, once I get the essence I need, I'll just focus on using the shield.

"Hmm.

The clerk scanned me and showed me a one-handed club that didn't look like a one-handed club. The lightest one seemed to be 3 times heavier than the two-handed hammer I sold.

Is it a one-handed weapon?

"These are all one-handed clubs preferred by barbarians.

Oh, yes, they're crazy about them.

Even my shield was simple equipment made of a piece of iron, but...

"I want something simpler.

- I see.

I didn't need something as awkward as this. Such a weapon will have destructive power in every blow, several times stronger than my last weapon, but...

The monsters on the 1st floor were already one hit. I wasn't going to fight a big monster, so there was a good chance that carrying such a weapon would be just burdensome.

Soon the clerk brought a new weapon.

"What about these?"

Of course, they were also far from normal, but for the body of a barbarian they were just right. I chose a medium-sized mace.

"How much does it cost?"

- 250,000 stones.

250 000? Last time, I sold 6 weapons for only 350,000!

When I frowned, the salesman added:

"The manufacture of this weapon itself is not difficult, but the iron content is high, so there is nothing you can do about the price.

Got it.

I accepted this explanation. Although not without complaints.

"If you change the price to 220,000 stones, I'll buy it right away."

When I tried to bargain, the salesman looked at me curiously.

... What kind of frivolous life did these barbarians lead?

"Anyway, no one will buy such weapons.

"Many barbarians often come for him.

Well, maybe if it's the first weapon you show them.

"The barbarians I know wouldn't choose something so mediocre." Most importantly, most barbarians prefer sharp-bladed weapons, such as an axe, rather than blunt weapons.

When I added these reasons, the clerk agreed to the deal so easily that it almost knocked the wind out of my sails.

"Good. I'll sell it for 220,000 jewels.

... Maybe I should have said 200,000.

[Overall Item Level +85]

Anyway, after that, I went and bought 2 more pieces of equipment.

Firstly, a set of half-armor.

[Overall item level +57]

It resembled a bulletproof vest in shape, but was made of flat iron. The price was 360,000 stones, but I was able to buy it at a lower price because I happened to find one of the right size.

If it was made to order, I would pay 2 times more... As well as the helmet that I bought second.

– It will take 3 days. Write your address and I'll ask someone to deliver it to you.

In the case of helmets, they had to be made to order, because they had to fit snugly to the head. Instead of abandoning the design altogether, I managed to negotiate a relatively cheap price of 170,000 stones.

[General Item Level +47]

As a result, I was left with about 50,000 stones.

... I don't think I'll be able to eat more meat in the future.

***

My daily routine was as follows.

Wake up at 7 am, then have breakfast with Ervena.

"Wow, there are even potatoes in today's stew!" she exclaimed happily.

"But why do you eat breakfast here every day?" I asked.

"It's delicious and cheap!"

After eating, I went straight to the library. Walking slowly, I managed to get in as soon as it opened at 8 o'clock.

— [Parsitiev].

By this time, I had become accustomed to the incantations of this chronically tired librarian.

"Good luck then."

Of course, we had not yet had a normal conversation.

*Rumbling!*

After reading until 4 p.m., if possible, I always tried to eat at a restaurant I'd never been to.

Mm, this place is expensive but tasteless.

But there were a lot of researchers here, so you could eavesdrop on their conversations.

"Isn't Ainar here yet?"

"Yes!" Until she comes, I will confront you!

After eating, I headed to the barbarian dormitory, which meant I would be there around 5 p.m.

Starting from the 7th day of training, I began to compete with other barbarians. Like them, I took off my outer clothes, swung my fists, strangled them by the cheeks and fought fiercely.

Although it was far from the systematic fighting technique that I expected... Duels with barbarians, whose instincts and intuition were extremely well developed, ultimately helped me a lot, since I was a barbarian too.

[Reflexes improved slightly after repeated training].

[Flexibility improved slightly with repeated training].

[Dynamic visual acuity has increased...].

[Constitution +1].

Now I had a better understanding of how to use this body.

"Bjorn, Yandel's son won!!

"The greatest warrior!!

Even without the help of new equipment, I sometimes beat Einar. She was skillful, of course, but her weakness was that her fighting style was always the same. I've given her some advice on this, but it seems to have become a habit that isn't easy to fix on your own.

"I'm tired!" I'm going to bed!

"Me too!"

"A wise warrior knows when to rest!"

At 9 o'clock in the evening, all the battles, reminiscent of real battles, were over. Then I dragged my body, covered in sweat and mud, back to the inn. By the time I finished washing, Ervena was coming to see me again.

"Uncle!" Hurry up with the bathroom! The food will cool down!

"Good.

Not every day, but about 5 times a week, we met again in the evening to eat and chat. Most of the conversations were about ordinary things, like what Ervena was doing and how she was feeling that day.

"Aren't you tired of coming here for an hour?"

"Not?" Cheap and delicious food here!

Cheap and tasty," she says.

I didn't understand why she was here when she had an older sister who made a lot of money.

"Thank you for the food!"

By the time we finished eating, it was already around 11 pm. When that time came, Ervena was also returning to her inn.

"Good night, then." By the way, I won't be able to come tomorrow.

"If you came, you wouldn't be able to see me. It looks like we'll both be busy tomorrow.

Until that moment, my daily routine was repeated.

After checking the time, I quickly went up to my room and fell directly on the bed. A month has already passed.

And...

[23:41]

There were about 24 hours left before the opening of the labyrinth.

***

[Bjorn Jandel]

Level: 1

Constitution: 46 (new +21)

Spirit: 36

Special Abilities: 1

Item Level: 202 (New +185)

Total Combat Strength: 133.5 (New +67.25)