"Alright. That should take care of locking up."

  After securely locking the mansion, I immediately decided to head to the Adventurer's Guild.

  My current goal is to strengthen my abilities. Additionally, to fully control my skill, *Evil Evil*, I had a certain experiment in mind.

  I arrived at the small Adventurer’s Guild in the vilge.

  The building had a distinctive, sturdy stone exterior, with weathered ste tiles stacked along its outer walls, slightly faded from exposure to the elements.

  The high roof was adorned with a weathervane and copper decorations, the slightly rusted metal glinting in the sunlight. Above the door was an emblem of a crossed sword and shield.

  "Alright."

  With that, I stepped inside the Adventurer’s Guild.

  Directly ahead was the reception desk, to the left was a rge quest board pstered with numerous requests, and to the right was a counter for material purchases. Further inside, there was even a tavern attached.

  Shelves lined with rows of liquor bottles stood nearby. The overall interior gave off an old-fashioned impression, but it was oddly comforting.

  It was the standard Adventurer’s Guild I knew.

  Guilds across the world might differ in scale, but their fundamentals remained the same.

  "Now, about those quests..."

  I stood in front of the quest board.

  Hmm. Well, I don’t pn on rapidly climbing the adventurer ranks. With my knowledge of the original story, raising my rank would probably be easy.

  But I’d rather avoid drawing unnecessary attention here. I don’t want to recklessly hand over information about myself to the Empire.

  "Hey."

  While I was lost in thought, someone called out from behind me. Turning around, I saw a male adventurer standing there.

  Even through his equipment, his muscur build was obvious. His armor looked well-worn but meticulously repaired multiple times. The greatsword on his back was undoubtedly a fine weapon.

  A cross-shaped scar marked his cheek, giving the impression of a battle-hardened warrior.

  "Can I help you?"

  "I’m Baldo. A C-rank adventurer."

  "C-rank? That’s impressive."

  C-rank adventurers were considered upper-tier among adventurers. Many became adventurers seeking quick riches, but few ever broke through the C-rank barrier.

  "And you are?"

  "I’m Yuri. Just a rookie F-rank adventurer."

  "Kukuku… F-rank, huh?"

  He grinned. Something about his smile felt unsettling…

  "Come with me for a sec. I’ll teach you what being an adventurer is all about."

  "Got it."

  I obediently followed him. I wanted to avoid trouble, but if he picked a fight—I’d just handle it.

  Before I knew it, Baldo had led me into an alley. By this point, the area was deserted, with only silence filling the space.

  "Hey, about your gear—"

  I braced for combat. I’d heard rumors about veteran adventurers bullying rookies under the guise of "teaching." My hand instinctively went to the sword at my waist—

  "Huh? Wh-what’s wrong?"

  "? That’s my line. Didn’t you drag me here to beat me up as a rookie?"

  "Whoa, whoa. Well, I guess that’s a fair assumption…"

  He scratched his head awkwardly. Only now did I notice his hands were trembling slightly. I was suppressing *Evil Evil*, but its effects were still present.

  "You’re a dark attribute user, right? I figured you might run into trouble. Your gear doesn’t look too reliable either."

  "So you went out of your way to talk to me because of that?"

  "Yeah. I don’t like seeing rookies get wrecked. Plus, I’ve seen guys suffer because of their own skills."

  I see. So the tension earlier was because of my skill. And despite being afraid of me, he still went out of his way to help—that was genuinely appreciated.

  Honestly, I could’ve managed on my own, but I wasn’t foolish enough to waste his kindness.

  He must’ve been acting out of experience.

  "Are you taking me to a weapons shop?"

  "Yeah. But just from talking, you seem like you’ll be fine."

  "You can tell just from that?"

  "Call it years of experience."

  "I see."

  After that, I entered the weapons shop and decided to buy a new sword. I could’ve just sharpened my old one, but I opted for a new purchase.

  Though this time, instead of a sword, I bought a dagger. Given my future combat style, this seemed more suitable.

  Then, I returned to the Adventurer’s Guild and parted ways with Baldo.

  "Baldo, thanks for everything."

  "Hey, no problem! Let me know if you need anything."

  At that moment, I remembered something.

  "By the way, have there been any unusual monster activities tely?"

  "Huh? Unusual… Not really, I think. Sure, monsters go berserk sometimes, but right now, it’s pretty normal."

  "I see. Thanks for the info. Well, I’ll get going then."

  "Sure! See ya!"

  After parting with Baldo, I immediately headed into the dungeon.

  Hmm. No abnormalities, huh? In that case, the Griffin that attacked Ria must’ve been an irregur occurrence. But I don’t have concrete proof yet. For her sake, I should probably look into it further.

  Shifting my focus, I ventured deeper into the dungeon.

  The dungeon near this vilge wasn’t particurly high-difficulty. Unless you went deep, you wouldn’t encounter high-rank monsters.

  Occasionally, there were stampedes or rampages, but the mortality rate in the upper yers wasn’t high.

  "Is that… a goblin?"

  Goblins were low-rank monsters, but when they formed groups, they could exhibit strength beyond their rank. They weren’t to be underestimated.

  The moment they spotted me, their eyes gleamed wildly.

  Affected by *Evil Evil*, the goblins grew even more ferocious.

  "Alright, let’s try this out."

  I began channeling the mana within me. This time, I’d fight using magic instead of skills. To neutralize this troublesome *Evil Evil*, I needed to improve my magic.

  Magic was activated by channeling mana into a constructed magical formu. However, my mana affinity was dark attribute. No matter what magic or skill I used, the core would always be dark-based, limiting me to that system.

  *"Grrr…"*

  The goblins watched me closely, ready to pounce at any moment. Amidst this, I calmly prepared my magic.

  The reason *Astrea of Frost and Stars* was considered a masterpiece wasn’t just its story—the combat system was another major factor. Particurly, magic allowed free manipution of spell formus.

  **Basic Framework (Attribute Setting)** **Shape Specification (Sphere, Spear, Wall, etc.)** **Output Control (Power, Range)** **Duration (Instant, Sustained)** **Additional Effects (Homing, Diffusion, etc.)**

  The combat style combining these elements had incredible depth. Furthermore, whether you used incantations or catalysts like staves also made a difference.

  But this was a double-edged sword. Magic’s freedom made it slower to cast compared to skills. Thus, handling it required caution.

  Following this flow, I constructed the spell formu and channeled my innate dark-attribute mana into it.

  **"—Dark**

  The spell I deployed was *Dark Lance*. After generating the formu, I set the firing positions above each goblin’s head.

  Then—I unleashed all the nces simultaneously.

  *Thud-thud-thud!* The sound echoed as the goblins were wiped out in one strike. I’d also incorporated a diffusion formu to ensure any missed targets would still be finished off.

  "Not bad."

  The spell construction was completed in an instant. This was Yuri’s talent—and he still had room to grow.

  For the next few hours, I stayed in the dungeon, battling monsters. And finally—I acquired the ability Yuri had awakened in the original story’s climax.

  **"Alright. Now I can nullify *Evil Evil*’s effects."**

  Upon checking, *Evil Evil* was completely inactive, and I could freely toggle it on and off.

  With this, my strength would grow even further. My immediate goal of gaining power was well within reach.

  "Time to head back."

  I turned on my heel and left the dungeon. I’d probably return home before Ria. Maybe I’d prepare dinner for her. With all the gifts we’d received, ingredients weren’t an issue.

  Just then—

  A surviving ghoul from an earlier battle lunged at me from behind.

  "Hm? Ah. Must’ve missed one."

  Its bony frame and ashen skin were accompanied by bloodshot eyes and razor-sharp cws aimed at me.

  *"Groooaaar!"*

  I flicked my index finger and activated a spell. A directional spear pierced the ghoul’s skull.

  "Now, what should I make for dinner tonight?"

  The ghoul’s body disintegrated into mist under my attack.

  All that remained were pure white particles drifting through the air—

  Back at the Adventurer’s Guild, I exchanged my materials for cash.

  "Excuse me. Can I sell these?"

  "Of course!"

  As I finished and prepared to leave, Baldo called out to me again.

  "Hey, Yuri."

  "Yeah? Oh, Baldo. What’s up?"

  "You… Your skill isn’t active, is it?"

  "You noticed? Keep this between us."

  "R-right…"

  Of course he’d notice. Right now, I’d completely deactivated *Evil Evil*.

  But this was a form of innate magic, something yet unrecognized in the world.

  I made sure to warn Baldo, though even if it got out, it wouldn’t be a big issue.

  And with that, I headed back to the mansion—

  **?**

  My name is Baldo. A C-rank adventurer—solidly mid-tier. In my younger days, I worked hard in the royal capital, but after getting injured, I returned to my hometown vilge.

  There, I’ve seen many rookie adventurers. Plenty join seeking quick riches.

  But adventuring is a profession where death is always close. I’ve seen countless half-hearted rookies meet their end.

  That’s why I always try to talk to newcomers. Watching pointless deaths leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

  "Oh? Who’s that…?"

  A new face. His gear was unrefined—clearly a rookie. I decided to approach him immediately.

  "Can I help you?"

  "I’m Baldo. A C-rank adventurer."

  "C-rank? That’s impressive."

  I see. So this guy’s a dark attribute user… The pressure he exudes is intense. But his demeanor is sharp, and talking to him gives off a wise impression.

  "And you are?"

  "I’m Yuri. Just a rookie F-rank adventurer."

  "Kukuku… F-rank, huh?"

  Thanks to Yuri’s skill, I couldn’t help but grin. Damn it, I wanted to come off friendlier. Well, nothing I can do about that.

  "Come with me for a sec. I’ll teach you what being an adventurer is all about."

  "Got it."

  But when I tried leading Yuri to the weapons shop, he suddenly shifted into a combat stance. His movements were so polished it caught me off guard.

  After talking a bit more, I could tell—this guy’s gonna be fine. Honestly, you can gauge an adventurer’s skill just from conversation.

  But Yuri, despite being an F-rank rookie, carried an exceptional aura. Still, as a dark attribute user, he’s bound to face hardships… Once again, I realized how cruel talent could be.

  "Baldo, good work today."

  "Yeah."

  I’d completed a quest and came to sell materials.

  "Oh, right. We recently got some griffin materials. We bought them, but since they’re in good condition, we’re sending them to the kingdom."

  The receptionist’s words reminded me—ah, right, a griffin had appeared nearby.

  "Good condition? No wounds?"

  "Yep. A single clean strike to the head. A very pristine corpse. But we don’t know who did it."

  "Huh. Well, that takes serious skill. Maybe the *Fsh Sword Princess* from the capital passed through?"

  "Probably. Must’ve been S-rank adventurer level."

  While we were talking, I suddenly noticed Yuri standing behind me.

  "Excuse me. Can I sell these?"

  "Of course!"

  "…!?"

  Wait—I didn’t sense him until he spoke up? Was he using some stealth skill? No, Yuri’s a dark attribute user. His presence should’ve been obvious to me.

  After he finished his transaction, I called out to him.

  "Hey, Yuri."

  "Yeah? Oh, Baldo. What’s up?"

  "You… Your skill isn’t active, is it?"

  "You noticed? Keep this between us."

  "R-right…"

  First of all, I’ve never heard of neutralizing dark attributes. Thinking back, even during our first meeting, he was suppressing it heavily. But to fully deactivate it after going into the dungeon…? I’ve never heard of any spell or skill that can do that.

  Schors worldwide have researched dark attributes. Neutralizing it is considered an eternal challenge even for the Magic Association. I keep up with magical academia, and no such technology exists yet…

  There’s no doubt—this is something only I, in this vilge, would notice. Yuri had blended into the environment so seamlessly.

  If this is real… then what the hell is this guy? Not just a genius—an outright monster! In that case, the griffin’s clean defeat makes sense. But why hide his strength? Just who is Yuri…!?

  Wait… I think I’ve heard rumors. The kingdom has an elite covert unit. He might be one of them. That makes sense—disguising himself to investigate regions. Heh. Got me good.

  That level of skill at his age, yet no arrogance. A true prodigy. The world really is vast.

  With composed steps, Yuri left the Adventurer’s Guild behind.

  "Pff… Hahaha… I see. I’ve still got a long way to go…"

  Leaning against the wall, I looked up at the sky.

  I’d witnessed it—a being beyond genius, a true freak of nature.

  But you know what? Seeing him made me realize the fire inside me hasn’t died out yet. Strangely, instead of resignation, I felt my heart stirring with motivation.

  Maybe I’ll return to the royal capital. This might be fate calling.

  I’d meet Yuri again in another pce—but that’s a story for another time.