Hulim and Charkin continued deeper into the Safe Zone, and soon the outer urban area disappeared from sight.

  "It’s bigger than I imagined......"

  Hulim said, observing her surroundings.

  "But what was this inner area originally? Why are there so few buildings?"

  She had initially thought the inner area would be like a royal capital, but now it didn’t seem right. Most of it was natural landscape, with man-made structures scattered sparsely—starkly contrasting with the dense urban ruins of the outer area.

  A royal capital shouldn’t be like this. It looked more like a massive garden.

  "Who knows?"

  Charkin replied casually.

  "Only the people from past eras knew what they were thinking."

  "There’s a large complex of buildings up ahead—we can rest there."

  Led by Charkin, Hulim soon reached the place he’d mentioned.

  "This must be the royal capital......"

  Before her stood a magnificent cluster of buildings.

  Even after countless years, they still retained a considerable degree of intactness.

  "The royal capital? Maybe. But I think it’s more like a Church building from the past......"

  Hearing Charkin’s words, Hulim looked again carefully.

  "......It does look a bit like the style of the Seven Days Church."

  "Who cares if it’s a royal capital or a Church—let’s go in and find a suitable spot!"

  Charkin and Hulim entered the complex.

  They quickly found a building with a mostly intact dome.

  Perfectly located on the outer edge of the complex, it overlooked a grassland with only a few trees—offering a wide, unobstructed view.

  However, the style of the building......

  "This really is a Church, isn’t it?"

  "I agree."

  Yes, the building had distinct cathedral-style features!

  It was even a prayer hall—usually the centerpiece of a Church.

  Although it differed in various ways from the modern Seven Days Church, it was presumably an official organization worshipping the Six Gods, with a legacy spanning multiple eras. That’s why many similarities in overall style could be seen.

  "This place is perfect, Hulim. You can use this as your base from now on."

  "Alright."

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  Hulim had no objections.

  She then unloaded the luggage from the Shieldhorn Beast and placed it inside the Church-like building.

  "？？？"

  Wait...... What do you mean, I use this as my base from now on?

  "Charkin."

  Hulim walked back out of the building.

  Charkin was still standing where she’d left him, his luggage still on his Shieldhorn Beast, untouched.

  "Aren’t you staying here?"

  "Nope."

  Charkin nodded.

  "Didn’t I say? I’m going deep underground to mine Fire Dragon Stone, then forge there. That place is extremely dangerous, and it’s almost exclusively filled with Fire elements—not good for your recovery."

  "Huh? But......"

  "Don’t worry, this place is absolutely safe. No monster is foolish enough to break in—nor can they. As you saw on the way, there are only small creatures like horned rabbits and tooth mice here. With your swordsmanship, even a hundred of these little guys won’t be a problem."

  "Um......"

  Hulim thought about it. It made sense, but something felt off......

  "Alright then."

  Charkin climbed back onto his Shieldhorn Beast.

  "Rest well here. The high-concentration mana particle environment will eventually restore your body. As soon as I finish forging, I’ll come find you!"

  "Uh...... Alright then. So...... goodbye?"

  "Hehe~!"

  Charkin smiled at Hulim.

  "See you in a year! Keep up the good work, Hulim~!"

  With that, Charkin urged his Shieldhorn Beast and left without looking back.

  After a long moment,

  Hulim finally reacted.

  Wait a minute......

  Did he just...... leave me here and run off alone?!

  "Charkin, you’re way too unreliable——!!!"

  ......

  As time passed,

  more than a month had passed since Hulim left Langard for Myrnabyss.

  Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh......

  In a ruin area of Myrnabyss, Hulim gripped a pitch-black sword with both hands, practicing swordsmanship relentlessly. The black sword sliced through the air rapidly, letting out a continuous whistling sound.

  Not far from her, a purple Memory Crystal glowed faintly.

  Whoosh——!

  At a certain moment, Hulim stopped swinging the sword.

  "That’s enough for today......"

  Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Hulim walked over to the Memory Crystal and sat down, still holding the Demon Sword Helkem.

  She placed Helkem beside her right hand, picked up the Memory Crystal, and began reviewing its contents.

  This had been her main focus over the past month.

  Olubet Heyerar had left a wealth of useful knowledge in the Memory Crystal. Hulim studied it whenever she had free time—most importantly, learning the swordsmanship Olubet had recorded.

  She had already mastered the first five sword techniques, so she didn’t need to spend much time on them—only referencing and refining her skills.

  The key was the last two techniques.

  They corresponded to Rank A and Rank S respectively.

  The Rank A technique was named "Single-Minded."

  It was extremely special—not a typical offensive or defensive sword move, but a super-perceptive swordsmanship. Once mastered, even if all five senses were blocked, one could perceive everything around them in 360 degrees, and even predict the opponent’s movements.

  It could be said that mastering this technique meant being invincible in a certain sense.

  All enemy attacks could be seen through; all ambushes and tricks would be useless.

  It was undoubtedly an extremely rare and powerful sword technique.

  The Rank S technique was named "Void Annihilation."

  Similar to the fifth technique "Thunder," it was an ultimate offensive move—but "Void Annihilation" elevated the power of attack to an astonishing level.

  Its effect was to gather all the power within one’s body and unleash an unavoidable, absolute strike. Anything hit by this attack would be directly annihilated.

  It was entirely a final burst move that bet everything to pursue the pinnacle of offensive power.

  According to Olubet’s message in the Memory Crystal, the inspiration for "Void Annihilation" seemed to have come from the Forbidden Stone Slab.

  "I wonder how he obtained it......"

  "But 'Void Annihilation'...... It sounds quite similar to that."

  Perhaps Olubet hadn’t returned empty-handed after years of being in contact with the Forbidden Stone Slab......

  After some time,

  Hulim finished studying the knowledge in the Memory Crystal.

  She carefully stored it away in her portable bag.

  Then she picked up her wand.

  She took a few deep breaths to calm her mind.

  Then she focused all her attention on what came next.

  "Let’s do this...... I must succeed this time."

  "Fire Magic—Ignition!"

  Whoosh~!

  A pitifully weak flame floated in the air, as if a single gust of wind could blow it out.

  But even this weak flame—weaker than the first time she’d cast the spell years ago—filled Hulim’s heart with joy.

  Because casting this magic didn’t cause her the overwhelming side effects it once had!

  It meant her body was truly recovering!

  It was just a bit slow......