Chapter 132 – A Result That Shocked the Scholar

Chapter 132

A Result That Shocked the Scholar

Date : Day 24 of Grimleaf 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.

Hyoren entered Borin's store. The bell above the door clinked softly as he stepped inside.

Sweltering heat immediately greeted him. The familiar rhythmic clang of metal striking metal echoed throughout the workshop.

The dwarf finally noticed Hyoren's presence and looked up.  A flicker of confusion crossed his face.

Borin turned down the forge before grabbing the heated metal with tongs and plunging it into quenching water. The metal hissed and sputtered as the sudden temperature change locked the shape into place.

Afterward, the dwarf approached the counter while wiping sweat from his thick arms.

"Huh? Lad, back already? Something wrong with your sword or shield?"

Then Borin glanced left and right, clearly searching for someone.

"And where's that elven girl?"

Hyoren shook his head.

"I'm alone right now, Borin. And there's nothing wrong with the sword and shield."

He rested his elbow on the counter casually.

"I just want to buy something."

Borin raised one bushy eyebrow.

"Oh?"

Then Hyoren explained what he wanted. The words came steadily.

Throwing weapons. He still possessed Throwing Skill and did not want it gathering dust uselessly. Before becoming a tank, he frequently used Cinder-Maw daggers as side weapons.

Borin nodded slowly while stroking his beard, his fingers working through the coarse hair as he processed the request.

"Cinder-Maw daggers, huh… That's actually an easy weapon to craft, though not many people know about it."

Then the dwarf snorted.

"As expected of Elise's knowledge. That girl really knows how to utilize monster materials."

He crossed his arms.

"Using jaws from Cinder-Maw Ants to create magic daggers... clever."

Hyoren nodded.

"Yeah. Elise taught me."

A faint nostalgic smile appeared on his face.

"They became my trusty side weapons for a while."

Then his expression soured slightly.

"Though... I lost all of them during my last quest. So I want replacements."

Borin looked Hyoren up and down thoughtfully.

"I understand the request… But you're a tank now, right?"

Hyoren smiled.

"Yeah. But I still want flexibility."

He gestured lightly with his hand.

"If monsters slip past my aggro, I want ways to attack them from range. Or at least help regain aggro from ranged enemies."

Borin nodded slowly.

"That part makes sense. But there's one problem."

He demonstrated by pretending to hold weapons. His thick fingers curled around imaginary hilts—the posture instantly recognizable as someone wielding a sword and shield.

"One hand holding your sword. Another holding your shield."

Then he frowned—the kind of look that came from identifying a flaw that could not be easily dismissed.

"So how exactly are you planning to throw a side weapon?"

Hyoren froze. The realization struck him immediately.

Borin was right. If his left hand was occupied controlling the shield and his right hand wielded the sword for parries and counters, then how exactly was he supposed to throw anything?

"...Borin."

Hyoren scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"I actually didn't think that far."

Borin burst into laughter. His loud voice echoed throughout the small workshop.

"You really are something, lad! Hahaha!"

Hyoren could only smile sheepishly.

Eventually, Borin stopped laughing before suddenly smirking. The dwarf raised one finger dramatically.

"But… I actually have something that might suit you perfectly."

Hyoren blinked.

"Hm?"

Borin smirked.

"Wait a bit."

The dwarf disappeared into the back room.

Several moments later, he returned while carrying a pair of black metallic gloves. The material seemed to swallow any light that touched it.

They were long gloves that extended to the forearm.

The design covered a significant portion of the arm without restricting movement. Along the upper side of the forearm section, a mechanism protruded subtly, and Hyoren could see the faint glint of hidden blades embedded within them.

The gloves were more akin to lightweight gauntlets than ordinary gloves.

It still retained the appearance and flexibility of gloves. The fingers could move freely—the joints unencumbered by excessive plating that might have hindered dexterity. But at the same time, it clearly functioned as practical armor too.

Hyoren looked at the gloves curiously. His eyes traced the lines of the mechanism.

"What's this?"

Borin picked up one glove and wore it.

"This is called Ninja Gloves."

Hyoren almost blurted out loud hearing that name.

Ninja? Actual ninja? In Kresneger?!

His expression twitched slightly, but he somehow managed to suppress his reaction. He couldn't say carelessly that he was from another world.

"Ninja? What's that? And what do those gloves do?"

Borin laughed.

"I don't know much about it myself. The traveling merchant who sold these to me just came back from some far eastern territory and bringing this as souvenir."

He shrugged.

"He barely understood them too. But these gloves are interesting."

Then Borin raised the gloved hand toward a nearby wooden plank. The target was a piece of scrap wood that had clearly been used for demonstrations before—its surface marked with various cuts and impacts that spoke to its purpose.

"Watch this."

The glove suddenly glowed faintly. Hyoren immediately recognized Borin pouring Aethell into it.

Then—a blade suddenly shot out from the glove at terrifying speed before embedding itself deeply into the wooden plank nearby with a satisfied thunk.

Hyoren's eyes widened.

"WHOA!"

Borin smirked proudly.

"That's not all."

He poured Aethell into the glove again.

The runes glowed once more. Then suddenly—the embedded blade vanished from the wooden plank and reappeared attached to the glove again

Hyoren stared in shock.

Borin manually removed the blade afterward and placed both it and the glove onto the counter.

"This blade and glove come as a set. The glove contains a runic array that launches projectiles using Aethell. And this blade has another runic array linked to the glove. Once activated, space-time runes teleport the blade back to the launcher."

Hyoren's eyes remained fixed on the weapon. His mind was working through the implications—the tactical possibilities that such a system would enable.

Borin tapped the metallic part of the gloves twice with his thick fingers.

"This glove is covered with thin Mithril-alloy plating. So it's lightweight, but sturdy."

He knocked the forearm section again, producing a sharp metallic sound.

"It'll protect your hands and forearms during battle. Not bad for a weird eastern weapon, eh?"

Then Borin crossed his arms while puffing out his chest slightly.

"And the best part? This hidden weapon uses Throwing Skill as its base. Just like what you need."

Hyoren picked up the gloves and tested their weight. They were lighter than he expected.

Then he examined the blade more carefully. Its shape looked almost exactly like a kunai. The resemblance was unmistakable.

A ninja weapon.

Hyoren's expression twitched slightly again.

But then again, ramen also existed here. So maybe it was the same situation. Perhaps another spirited-away person like Kotaro—had once introduced the concept of ninja to Kresneger long ago.

"This weapon is interesting..."

Borin nodded proudly.

"That's right.You can still wield both sword and shield normally."

Then the dwarf mimed aiming with his arm—demonstrating the action that would activate the hidden mechanism.

"And when you need ranged attacks, just point your arm and shoot."

He grinned.

"No need to throw away your sword or shield first."

Hyoren nodded slowly before placing the glove back onto the counter.

"But a unique weapon like this should be expensive, right? It has two separate runic arrays. The launcher itself... and even space-time magic."

Then he smiled wryly. The expression was one of practical concern.

"My budget isn't exactly high right now, Borin. We just bought a house, so I can't afford overly expensive equipment."

Borin suddenly laughed loudly before smacking Hyoren's shoulder hard enough to nearly stagger him.

“Don't worry about it, lad! This thing wasn't expensive at all.”

Hyoren blinked.

“Huh?”

Borin crossed his arms proudly.

“Sure, it's unique. But nobody wants it.”

He snorted.

“In the first place, not many people possess Throwing Skill.”

Borin shrugged casually.

“And even among those who actually use throwing as their combat style, most prefer direct throwing weapons…  Normal throwing daggers. Throwing axes. Spears.”

Then he tapped the Ninja Gloves again.

“No one really wants hidden weapons like this. People who fight openly think it’s troublesome.”

He leaned forward slightly, his thick beard shifting as a mysterious smile spread across his face.

“And people who like hidden weapons are usually suspicious bastards…”

His voice lowered into a whisper.

“...like assassins.”

Hyoren could not argue with that logic.

Borin stroked his beard—the kind of motion that accompanied the sharing of information he had considered carefully.

"I bought this from the traveling merchant for only 500K Kres."

Then he burst out laughing again.

"The guy practically begged me to buy it! He was almost bankrupt!"

He shrugged afterward.

“I don't even need profit from it. This thing has been dead stock in my store for years. So just take it for the same price. 500K Kres.”

Hyoren widened his eyes.

That was absurdly cheap. He honestly expected such a rare and unique weapon to cost at least ten times more.

But Borin was right. Most people would never consider this weapon useful. Especially because it relied on Throwing Skill and looked suspiciously assassin-like. The combination of niche requirements made it undesirable for the general market.

Which meant, this was probably the perfect weapon for Hyoren specifically.

He genuinely felt grateful.

“Deal.”

Borin grinned widely. The expression was satisfied—the look of a merchant who had successfully moved inventory that had been taking up space.

“Good! Thanks for the purchase, lad!”

Hyoren quickly processed the payment using his guild card.

Afterward, he stored the Ninja Gloves safely inside his storage bag. The items disappeared into the dimensional space with a soft ripple—the kind of visual effect that accompanied the transfer of matter into the void. There was no need to openly carry hidden weapons while walking around the city.

Once everything was done, Hyoren nodded respectfully toward Borin.

“Thanks again, Borin.”

The dwarf waved casually.

“Come back if you break them.”

Hyoren chuckled.

“I'll try not to.”

Then he left the blacksmith store behind while the heat of the forge and rhythmic hammering slowly faded behind him.

***

With light steps—despite the lighter weight of his balance account after buying the Ninja Gloves—Hyoren walked from Borin’s store in the Adventurer’s District toward Oria’s shop in the Merchant District with a satisfied expression.

The feeling of obtaining such a unique weapon still lingered pleasantly in his mind.

The route was already familiar to him by now. It did not take long before he arrived. The door opened with a soft clink. Immediately, the scent of herbs, alchemical ingredients, and strange concoctions greeted him.

Inside the shop, Oria sat in front of a large alchemy table.

The small elf wore blue scholar robes that matched her sapphire eyes. Her long silver hair flowed behind her back, making her resemble Elise at first glance—the same pointed ears, the same silver strands.

Though unlike Elise’s elegant beauty, Oria radiated the atmosphere of an eccentric researcher.

Her workspace was filled with all sorts of complicated apparatus. Boiling cauldrons. Glass tubes arranged into complex formations. Bubbling liquids. Colored smoke rising from various containers.

The entire place looked cluttered beyond reason.Yet somehow–still organized.

Oria was currently busy concocting something, carefully manipulating several connected glass tubes. But the moment she heard the door open, her head turned slightly.

Her sapphire eyes landed on Hyoren. One eyebrow rose faintly. Then she immediately returned her focus toward the apparatus.

She spoke without even looking at him anymore.

“Oh. It’s just you, Hyoren. What do you want?”

Then she added casually. The tone was dismissive but not unkind—the kind of aside that suggested she was more curious about Elise's absence than she was willing to admit.

“And where’s Cow Tits?”

Hyoren already became immune to Oria's nicknames for Elise at this point. The first time he had heard it, he had been shocked. Now, it simply registered as Oria being Oria—a verbal quirk that he had learned to accept as part of her personality.

“Elise’s training alone.”

He approached the alchemy table while looking around the strange workshop.

“She’s trying to learn Mapping Skill. As for me… I want to learn magic.”

That finally made Oria pause slightly.

“Huh?”

She looked genuinely surprised for a brief second before returning her attention toward the glass tubes again.

“Your Magic Manipulation has already reached level 3? That was fast.”

She mumbled while adjusting the flow of bubbling liquid.

“The last time you came here, it was still Level 1.”

After making sure the apparatus had stabilized properly, Oria finally turned around and faced him fully.

Her sapphire eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“What kind of growth rate is that? Even me needed months to level up that skill.”

Hyoren chuckled awkwardly.

“Well… after we parted, I trained a lot and reached Level 2 pretty quickly.”

Then his expression became slightly more serious.

“But Level 3 came during my battle with Hifoppe. It was a life-or-death fight. And my Blessing helped too. Twenty-five percent bonus growth rate.”

Hyoren could explain things more openly around Oria. After all, the small elven alchemist was one of the few people who knew his secret besides Elise and Ina.

Oria nodded slowly in understanding while her pointed ears twitched slightly.

“I see… No wonder your growth is absurd. Blessing enhancement combined with a life-or-death battle… That explains the explosive growth rate.”

At that moment, the bubbling sounds from the apparatus suddenly stopped.

Oria immediately turned around to inspect it. The murky green liquid inside had already transformed into a glowing green color. A healing potion. Hyoren recognized it instantly.

“Done already?”

Oria snorted proudly.

“Obviously.”

She then quickly shut down the apparatus. Afterward, she carefully poured the glowing liquid into glass containers and sealed them skillfully.

Only after securing the potions properly did she finally turn toward Hyoren again.

***

“Fine…”

Oria sighed dramatically.

"I did promise, after all. And unlike some people, I actually keep my promises."

Then she crossed her arms proudly. The posture was one of self-satisfaction.

“Besides, my quota for today is already finished.”

She stood up from the alchemy table afterward and gestured for Hyoren to follow her.

"Come."

Hyoren followed Oria deeper into the shop until they entered another room.

It was a small library. The description was accurate but insufficient—the room contained far more than the word ‘library’ typically implied.

Bookshelves lined the walls from top to bottom.

The shelves stretched from floor to ceiling—packed with volumes of varying sizes and conditions. Some looked ancient—their leather covers cracked and faded with age. Others appeared more recent—their spines still crisp and their pages still white. Thick tomes, scrolls, and stacks of notes filled almost every corner. The sheer volume of written material was staggering.

Despite the sheer amount of books, the room itself felt surprisingly cozy. The clutter that characterized the main shop was present here too, but it felt different—more intentional, more curated. The lighting was softer.

Two small sofas and a low wooden table occupied the center. The furniture was worn but comfortable—the kind of pieces that had clearly been used extensively but still had years of service left in them.

Oria sat down on one of the sofa before gesturing toward the opposite seat.

“Sit.”

Hyoren complied immediately. The sofa cushion dipped beneath his weight—the fabric soft and well-worn from years of use.

Once seated, Oria crossed her legs and stared directly at him.

“Okay. Did you actually read the book I gave you?”

Her sapphire eyes narrowed skeptically.

“And I want to know how deep your understanding of runics and magic already is before I teach you anything.”

She leaned back slightly.

“That’ll determine whether I need to teach you from the very beginning or not.”

Hyoren nodded. The motion was affirmative—a simple acknowledgment that he understood her reasoning.

"First of all, yes. I already read the book."

Oria looked mildly surprised again.

Then Hyoren began explaining his understanding. The words came steadily.

"The first step is manipulating Aethell within your own body. This stage is mainly used for body enhancement. Strengthening muscles. Reinforcing reflexes. Improving physical performance. Even improving sight through Aethell Sense."

Oria silently nodded for him to continue.

"Then the second stage is pouring Aethell into external objects which could be held or attached to the body. Like weapons or armor."

Hyoren glanced toward the bookshelves briefly while organizing his thoughts.

"That's what adventurers use for reinforcement. Coating weapons to strengthen attacks. Or reinforcing armor and shields."

Oria's expression became slightly more attentive.

Then Hyoren continued.

"And the final stage... is emitting Aethell outside the body completely. That's where true magic begins. A spell."

For the first time since the lesson started, Oria's eyes widened slightly in genuine surprise. Then slowly, a small smirk appeared on the tiny elf's face.

"Oh? You actually understood the fundamentals properly. And it seems you did read the book I gave you."

Oria looked mildly impressed.

"Most adventurers are more brawn than brain. Just like that Cow Tits. So I expected you to be the same."

Then she smiled genuinely. The expression transformed her face—softening the sharp edges of her usual demeanor into something warmer and more approachable. It was only the second time Hyoren had seen Oria smile like this. And the first time was when Elise recovered from her life-threatening wound.

"I like diligent students like you... You already understand the concept of Aethell. So what about runes?"

Hyoren scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"That's the part I'm still not good at. The books you gave didn't teach me about runes. so I asked a few people about it."

He thought for a moment before answering. Remembering the lesson from Robert and Fris—the specialist from Harvengald he met during the last dungeon scouting quest.

"I only know that runes are the universal language of the universe. Something that predates Aethell itself. And Aethell uses those runes as a medium to channel energy. Every spell. Every magic tool. Everything involving magic uses runes to form the structure and shape of magic."

Oria nodded, satisfied with his answer.

"That's the gist of it. If you already understand that much, then teaching you will be easy."

A smug smile appeared on her small face.

"I only need to teach you how runes actually work. The rest, you can learn by yourself from books."

Then she stood up and walked toward one of the shelves lining the room. Unlike the shelves filled with books, this one contained various strange tools and magical items. After rummaging around briefly, she returned carrying a simple orb. The sphere glowed softly with pulsating blue light.

Hyoren looked at it curiously while Oria sat back down and placed the orb carefully on the table between them.

"First, before we delve too deeply into magic, we need to know your Attunement Level. That way, we can determine which element suits you best."

Then she crossed her arms.

"Because memorizing the runes for every element is far too troublesome. Only academy scholars waste their lives learning all elemental systems."

Hyoren tilted his head.

"Attunement Level?"

Oria looked surprised for a moment. Her pointed ears twitched slightly.

"Oh. You don't know? I thought since you already understood the basics of magic and runes, you'd know about that too."

Then realization crossed her face.

"Right... the book I gave you didn't actually contain that information."

She crossed her arms.

"Attunement Level is a kind of measure we scholars use to gauge how much a person is naturally attuned to a single element."

Oria lightly tapped the table with her finger as she spoke.

"Everyone is different. Some are highly attuned to Fire, others to Light. And in rare cases, someone might even possess high attunement in multiple elements."

She leaned back slightly.

"But the Law of Aethell is fair. There is no one born with low attunement in every element. A person might have balanced affinity across many elements without excelling in any single one, but everyone in this world has the potential to learn magic. At least one element will always answer them."

A faint smile formed on her lips.

"And attunement level is not everything. Even if your level is low... or even zero, you can still use that element. It just becomes much harder."

She picked up the glowing orb from the table and turned it slowly in her hand.

"The runic arrays needed to form spells become larger and more complicated, which increases the burden on the mind. The amount of Aethell required also rises significantly. Basically, the lower your attunement to an element, the harder it is to cast spells from it."

Her gaze drifted toward the window. For a moment, her expression softened. Solemn. Nostalgic. As if recalling memories from the past.

"There was a weirdo who actually did it..."

A small laugh escaped her lips. The sound was quiet—carrying a fondness that seemed at odds with her usual personality.

"He deliberately trained only in the element he was least attuned to. Everyone thought he was insane."

She shook her head. Her silver hair swaying gently with the motion.

"But somehow, through sheer effort, he managed to keep up with his peers. Said he wanted to prove the Law of Aethell was truly fair. That no one was locked away from any element forever."

Her voice lowered slightly.

"That anyone could learn any element... if they were willing to pay the price in effort."

Then she snorted softly.

"But of course, most people would never bother. They stick to the elements they're naturally good at."

Oria's explanation finally made something click in his mind.

The concept she was describing was not entirely new. Elise had mentioned this before. He couldn't remember whether she had actually used the term "Attunement Level," but the concept itself was familiar for him.

He rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully.

"I see… Now that you explain it properly... Elise did mention something like this before. But it was more of a passing comment, so I never really understood the details until now."

Oria smiled before placing the orb back onto the table. The expression was one of satisfaction.

"Well, that's the general idea. Now, time to measure yours."

Hyoren nodded.

"Okay, Oria. What should I do?"

Oria raised the orb. The motion was demonstrative—lifting the object to draw his attention before she began her explanation.

"It's a simple process. Watch me first."

She placed her hand on the glowing sphere and slowly poured Aethell into it.

The orb immediately shined with bright blue light. The glow intensified for a few seconds—building in brightness until it seemed to pulse with energy—before gradually fading away.

Then Oria lifted the orb slightly, showing the small glass pane beneath it. Words and numbers appeared on the surface.

Attunement Level :

Fire 0%

Earth 0%

Water 80%

Wind 60%

Light 40%

Dark 0%

Hyoren let out a whistle.

Elise had mentioned before that Oria was an advanced Water Magic user. Seeing those numbers now, it perfectly explained why.

Oria tapped the glass pane lightly.

"This is my Attunement Level. I'm naturally talented in Water Magic. And my race also gives me additional affinity."

She brushed aside a strand of silver hair behind her ear.

"All elves receive bonuses in Water and Wind. Humans tend to lean toward Light and Dark. Meanwhile, dwarves are naturally gifted in Fire and Earth."

Hyoren nodded slowly.

He vaguely remembered Elise mentioned it before. Every race had slight advantages toward certain elements. Humans, Elves, Dwarves got bonus on elemental affinity. Meanwhile Beastkin got a bonus on skill acquisitions.

"I see... this is actually pretty easy to understand."

His eyes returned toward the number displayed on the orb.

"So the highest number is 100%, right Oria?"

Oria carefully put the magical tool back onto the table. Her sapphire eyes reflected the pale glow.

"Yes. But only very specific individuals can actually reach that number. Even most geniuses and prodigies usually cap around 90%."

Hyoren raised an eyebrow—the question formed naturally—if 100% was the theoretical maximum but most people could not reach it, then who could?

"Then who could actually reach 100% Attunement Level?"

Oria smiled faintly. Her pointed ears dropped slightly.

"Those who receive Divine Protection from the Gods."

She tapped her chin for a moment before listing them one by one.

She raised one finger.

"Luminara's Saints and Champions possess 100% attunement in Light."

Another finger rose.

"Noctynara's Saints and Truth Seekers possess 100% attunement in Dark."

Now three fingers decorated her hand.

"Gravok's Forge Masters and Divine Miners possess perfect attunement in Fire and Earth respectfully."

Then she lightly gestured toward herself while mentioning the patron goddess of elves.

"And for Sylvana's... Nature Protectors for Water and Gale Walkers for Wind ."

Her voice carried quiet reverence when mentioning them.

"They are existence personally blessed by the Gods themselves. Their connection to Aethell surpasses normal mortals."

Hyoren nodded enthusiastically.

He already knew about Luminara's favored from the stories Archbishop Sherine. But this was the first time he had heard about blessed individuals from the other Gods. The scope of the system was broader than he had realized—each deity maintaining their own network of chosen representatives.

Noctynara's side especially piqued his interest.

So Noctynara also has Saints... also a Truth Seekers... fitting...

A faint thought crossed his mind. For a Goddess of Darkness, Ambition, and Knowledge, the title of Her blessed individuals suited her perfectly. The pursuit of truth was, in many ways, the ultimate expression of ambition and knowledge—the desire to know what others did not, to uncover what was hidden, to pierce the veils that concealed reality from common understanding.

The others were fitting as well. Zalkier wasn't mentioned, probably because he governed skills rather than elements. But Hyoren was certain the God of Skill, War, and Trade must also have his own chosen individuals.

"I see. That's actually really easy to understand, Oria."

Oria nodded, then pointed toward the orb.

"Good. Now, time to check yours."

Hyoren did as instructed.

He placed his hand onto the orb resting on the table and slowly poured Aethell into it. The sensation was familiar—the kind of controlled release that he had practiced many times during his training. The sphere immediately glowed brightly, just like it had when Oria used it. Then, after several seconds, the light gradually subsided.

Both Hyoren and Oria leaned forward to look at the glass pane beneath the orb.

Words slowly appeared. The text formed gradually—materializing on the glass surface as if being written by an invisible hand.

Attunement Level :

Fire 40%

Earth 40%

Water 40%

Wind 40%

Light 125%

Dark 125%

Hyoren tilted his head. He was confused.

The four elemental attunements being balanced at 40% was understandable enough. Maybe he was simply the type with average affinity spread evenly across multiple elements. A jack-of-all-trades without a single outstanding specialty.

But the Light and Dark values were bizarre. The numbers exceeded what Oria had just told him was the theoretical maximum. They were not just high—they were impossible according to the system she had described.

I thought the Attunement Level capped at 100%… Then why does this say 125%?

He turned toward Oria—then froze.

The small elven woman was completely still. Her body had gone rigid—the kind of absolute immobility that came from shock rather than choice.

Her sapphire eyes looked like they were about to leave their sockets. The widening was extreme—her irises reduced to thin rings around pupils that had contracted to pinpoints. Her pointed ears twitched uncontrollably. Even her long silver hair seemed to almost stand on end.

Several silent seconds passed. The quiet stretched between them—filled only by the soft hum of the orb and the distant sounds of the city. Then words finally exploded out of her mouth.

"WHAT KIND OF RESULT IS THIS???"