Light poured out from the hollowed tree trunk.

I stepped closer and reached inside.

Something small fit into my hand—small enough to grasp with one hand, almost insignificant in size.

But—

“So this is why I regressed to this specific point in time… was it all for this?”

I smirked as I examined the item I had pulled from the massive tree.

This hidden piece, obtainable only by the first person to discover it in the Misty Forest Dungeon, was invaluable.

In my past life, it became Seo Jieun’s primary item, the foundation that elevated her from an ordinary supporter to one of the best hunters in her field.

It was no exaggeration to say that this item defined her. Its value was beyond imagination, enough that even Swallow could recognize its worth.

“Oh, Master, what is that? It’s tiny, but it looks pretty valuable.”

“Heh, even you can tell, huh? This is a hidden piece—something so rare you couldn’t buy it even with a fortune.”

“A hidden piece? It just looks like a bracelet to me.”

The item I pulled from the massive tree was indeed a bracelet.

Made of platinum, its design was simple and unassuming at first glance.

But appearances can be deceiving.

“Yeah, it’s a bracelet. But when you inject mana into it and activate its skill…”

I slipped the bracelet onto my wrist and activated its ability in response to Swallow’s question.

Woooooooom!

The bracelet vibrated, and a transparent shield enveloped my body.

Though outwardly it seemed like nothing had changed, Swallow’s reaction was immediate.

“Oh? Impressive, Master. It’s a transparent armor covering your entire body.”

Swallow adjusted his sunglasses with a wing, clearly impressed.

“Heh, how’s that? Pretty amazing, right?”

Seeing Swallow, who usually mocked me, now admiring the bracelet, filled me with a sense of pride.

I smirked and looked at the faintly glowing translucent text hovering above the bracelet.

[Bracelet of Trust]
[Grade: Heroic.]
[Effects: Defense +80, Magic Resistance +10.]
[Skill: Armor of Trust (A) – Forms a transparent, mana-based armor over your entire body. Consumes 100 mana per second.]
[This is a growth-type item.]
[Growth Condition: Locked.]

The Bracelet of Trust.

An A-rank skill attached to a heroic-grade item.

It had the exact same stats as the one Seo Jieun possessed in my past life.

Item grades ranged from Common to High, Rare, Heroic, Legendary, and Mythic.

Skills and traits followed a similar hierarchy: starting from F-rank, then E, D, C, B, A, S, and SS.

While this item’s grade was the third highest, its true value far surpassed its listed rank.

Not only was it a unique hidden piece, obtainable by only one person, but it was also a growth-type item capable of leveling up.

If listed on the global item exchange, it could easily fetch billions of won.

“Haha, regression is incredible.”

I chuckled, staring at the bracelet.

This was the very item Seo Jieun had treasured in my previous life—something I hadn’t dared touch.

According to the original timeline, she should have been the one to discover it.

“But first come, first served.”

By using knowledge from my past life, I claimed it for myself.

“Wow! That’s an amazing item, Master. But how did you know it was here?”

“Huh? Didn’t you say my memories were mixed into your head? Shouldn’t you know?”

“Not everything transferred. A lot of details are missing.”

“Is that so? Well, I’ll explain later. I’m in a hurry right now.”

I deflected Swallow’s question, promising to explain later, and quickly turned to leave.

As much as I wanted to brag about my instincts and perfect memory, returning late could arouse Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun’s suspicions.

But just as I was about to head back, an unexpected problem arose.

[Lv. 58 Lake Guardian.]
[Lv. 52 Lake Spirit.]
[Lv. 52 Lake Spirit.]

“Rooaaar!”

“Master, watch out!”

“What the—ugh!”

As I rushed back to avoid suspicion, monsters wielding spears emerged from the lake and attacked.

Caught off guard by their sudden ambush, I barely reacted in time. Normally, their thrown spears would have pierced right through me.

But—

Clang!

[Activated.]
[Armor of Trust (A).]

I instinctively activated the bracelet’s skill, enveloping myself in its transparent armor just in time to deflect the attack.

Narrowly escaping death, I leapt sideways to put distance between me and the monsters, frowning.

“Ah, that’s right. She mentioned there were monsters near the hidden piece… How could I forget?”

I recalled how Seo Jieun had bragged about this place whenever she got drunk.

“Hiccup! Hyunsoo oppa, do you think I got this for free? Finding it was pure luck, but hiccup! The lake monsters were no joke. I almost died, you know!”

She had stumbled upon the hidden piece while sneaking off to relieve herself out of sight. Fighting off the lake monsters had been an ordeal for her.

Now, it was my turn to face them.

“Roaaar!”

“Tch…!”

Three lake spirits floated above the water, charging at me with long spears.

Two were level 52, and one—a mid-boss—was level 58.

At my current level of 51, all three monsters out-leveled me.

I was outnumbered and outmatched.

These were the same monsters that Seo Jieun, who was in her 60s at the time, had struggled to defeat. For me, running was the most logical option.

But—

“I have the hidden piece. And I have my experience from my past life.”

I chose not to retreat.

If I ran, the monsters would follow me straight to Seo Jieun and Choi Taehun, revealing that I had claimed the hidden piece.

“They’d demand their share and take it away, just like before.”

This wasn’t mere speculation.

In my previous life, they had stolen other hidden pieces and rare items we’d found during raids, using similar tactics.

“I’ll kill these monsters and keep the hidden piece for myself!”

Resolving to fight, I launched into battle.

Despite being under-leveled, I was confident I could win using the hidden piece and my experience as the Sword Emperor.

My judgment was spot on.

“Haaaah!”

“Rooaaaar!”

The three lake spirits charged at me, thrusting their spears with ferocious intensity.

But I emerged unscathed.

Dodging the two spirits’ attacks with a twist of my body—

Clang!

—and deflecting the Lake Guardian’s strike with the Armor of Trust, I retaliated.

Slash!

“Graaagh!”

Though I couldn’t kill the spirit in a single blow, repeated strikes with my worn sword eventually took it down.

[Lv. 52 Lake Spirit defeated.]
[You have gained experience points.]

Water droplets scattered as the first mob fell.

“Oh, Master! You’re quite strong!”

“Heh, this is nothing. Why aren’t you helping, though? Useless bird.”

“I’m a pacifist. Cheering you on from here is more my style.”

“Tch, what a waste of a companion.”

I had hoped Swallow would fight alongside me, but the bird just flapped around in the air, watching.

Not that it mattered much.

“Haaaah!”

“Graaaah!”

Slash!

[Lv. 52 Lake Spirit defeated.]
[You have gained experience points.]

Though the fight wasn’t easy, I managed to defeat the second spirit using the Armor of Trust.

Now, only the mid-boss Lake Guardian remained.

“Graaaah!”

Roaring in fury at its fallen minions, the Lake Guardian hurled its spear, unleashing a massive water cannon.

But—

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The transparent armor deflected everything.

“Just die already, you bastard!”

I shouted confidently, charging forward as water splashed harmlessly off my armor.

Even with my low level and subpar weapon, the hidden piece gave me an overwhelming advantage.

I didn’t have to worry about defense or dodging; I could focus entirely on attacking.

But just as I prepared to strike—

[Mana is depleted.]
[Remaining Mana: 0%.]
[Armor of Trust is deactivated.]

“Huh? What the—?!”

“Master!!”

With the armor gone, the water cannon struck me full force, sending me flying backward.

I tumbled across the ground, landing with a heavy thud.

“Ugh… damn it!”

The tumbling finally stopped when my body collided with a tree.

Cough, cough. Damn it. I didn’t think my mana would run out this fast…

I had been so focused on the fight that I forgot how quickly the Armor of Trust consumed mana. On top of that, my low magic stat meant my mana reserves were already pitifully small.

It seemed I’d have to rely solely on my raw skills to defeat the Lake Guardian.

Spitting out blood pooling in my mouth, I forced myself to stand. But—

Wobble.

I lost my balance and collapsed back to the ground.

There were no broken bones, but I had sustained internal injuries. If not for the bracelet’s magic resistance reducing the damage, I’d have either passed out or been rendered incapable of fighting altogether.

“Grrrr…”

The Lake Guardian chuckled lowly, as though it recognized it had wounded me. It conjured another spear of water, its attack poised to strike.

“Damn it… Under normal circumstances, this thing wouldn’t even be worth my time!”

Grinding my teeth, I glared at the creature.

Before my regression, I could have crushed this opponent in a single blow. But now, without the Hidden Piece, I couldn’t even stand on equal footing.

All the swordsmanship I had mastered in my previous life was gone. I remembered the techniques and their movements, but without the stats and mana circuits to back them up, they were useless.

Swinging my sword in this weakened state would produce nothing more than a clumsy imitation—no aura, no precision.

To make matters worse, my current weapon wasn’t powerful enough to deal significant damage to the Lake Guardian quickly.

If I fought it head-on in my current state, I would die before I could take it down.

I needed a solution. But before I could think of one—

BOOM!

The Lake Guardian fired another water cannon from its spear before I could rise.

“Shit…!”

With the Armor of Trust inactive and no time to dodge, I raised my sword defensively, bracing myself for the worst.

But just as I clenched my teeth in anticipation of the impact—

Something unexpected happened.

Swallow, who had been idly watching from above, suddenly swooped down in front of me and flapped his wings.

And then—

[Your Charming Companion uses a magnificent shield.]

Wooooom—CLANG!

A brilliant blue barrier materialized, deflecting the Lake Guardian’s water cannon.

I smirked as I pushed myself upright.

“What’s this? I thought you weren’t going to help.”

“The protagonist always makes their move in the nick of time. It’s more stylish that way.”

“You’re still obsessed with looking cool, huh? Whatever. Thanks.”

“I must warn you, Master: I can’t keep protecting you. Your low charm stat limits the amount of power I can use.”

“…Is that so?”

“Indeed. I can’t attack, and I only have one more shield left in me. Once I use it, my energy will be completely depleted, and I’ll have to unsummon myself. Can you handle the rest, Master?”

So much for Swallow being a "pacifist." He’d been conserving his strength all along.

One more chance. That was all I had.

Gripping my sword with both hands, I sprang forward.

“One chance is all I need!”

Thud!

Pushing off the ground, I charged at the Lake Guardian.

“Rooooar!”

The monster roared and rushed to meet me.

Having realized its ranged attacks were ineffective, it switched to close combat.

Its spear shot toward me, aiming to pierce my skull.

If I didn’t block or dodge, the outcome was obvious.

But—

“Haaaaah!”

I didn’t block or dodge. Instead, I swung my sword with both hands.

The spear’s tip came perilously close, but I trusted—

I trusted Swallow’s promise to protect me.

And that trust turned into an opportunity.

[Your Charming Companion uses a magnificent shield.]

CLANG!

The spear was deflected by the violet barrier Swallow conjured.

Seizing the moment, I swung my sword downward with all my strength.

[Activated.]
[Powerful Slash (E).]

The skill imbued in my worn sword activated as I brought it down.

Powerful Slash didn’t require mana but could only be used with a two-handed grip.

Without Swallow deflecting the spear, I wouldn’t have been able to attempt this attack.

The risk paid off.

SLASH!

The Lake Guardian’s watery form split under the weight of my sword.

But—

“Rooooar!”

“What the—?!”

Instead of being cut down completely, the monster twisted its body at the last moment, losing only one arm.

Furious, it reversed its grip on its spear and swung it downward in retaliation.

“Master…!”

[Your Charming Companion has exhausted all its power.]
[Unsummoning.]

Swallow vanished, leaving behind a faint wisp of smoke.

With my only defensive option gone, the Lake Guardian realized its advantage and committed to the attack.

But—

“You… made one mistake.”

The monster had underestimated me.

I was the Sword Emperor in my previous life.

Within the range of my blade, I feared nothing.

“You shouldn’t have underestimated me!”

I twisted my body, narrowly dodging the descending spear, and swung my sword upward.

The blade cut through the monster’s watery form with precision.

SLASH!

[Lv. 58 Lake Guardian defeated.]
[You have gained experience points.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Rewards: Intelligence +1, Stamina +2, Magic +2.]

Blue droplets scattered into the air as my level increased.