Rupegia Ch. 04: Nour's Gift

The third and final is a bald human man with a boring face. He specializes in [Blessing Magic] and [Light Magic], knows a little bit of [Wind Magic], and has some training in sword and shield. He allows being used as a sex slave, even for other men.

Oh, boy...

I blink repeatedly to clear my mind from the weird thoughts.

All of their contracts are for either one or two decades, which is perfectly acceptable to me.

So, who is the best: the girl mage, or the dragonkin? The dwarf woman is also attractive because of the healing magic. With the amount of money I have, I can buy more than one, but can I really take care of more than one person for now?

I think hard and thoroughly, but I don't think that I should make a decision right now.

Seeing my indecisiveness, Ghulam suddenly suggests, "Mr. Ryder, would you be willing to wait two days before you make a decision? I have a new shipment coming, and there are two great jewels there, even better than the ones here."

This takes me by surprise. Who could be better than the dragonkin and the genius magician?

"What about these ones, aren't they going to sell in the meantime?" I inquire.

He gracefully shakes his head and responds, "I can hold them until the shipment arrives, and you have priority because of your recommendation. Also, the ones I've shown to you are my jewels, and slaves of this quality normally take a few months to sell. It's unlikely anyone capable of buying them is going to come so soon."

I see no reason not to wait, and I was already going to relax for a few days, anyway.

"Alright, I'll wait," I accept.

I want to come back and eat these cookies again. The brown one isn't made of chocolate, but it's still a delicious mix of vanilla with a fragrant fruit that goes perfectly with the tea, which seems to be a mix of ginger and cloves, and it tastes really good.

--

I leave the Golden Necklace and waste time until noon by window shopping on the main street, then I change back to my normal clothes and go to the hunters' guild for training.

"So, you're still alive?" Toga sternly questions me, mildly surprised.

Not even a greeting, just a mean gaze and straight words.

"Uh, were you expecting the contrary?" I ask worriedly.

He snorts, looking a bit peeved, then nods and answers, "You didn't come back for more training. That usually means you recklessly delved into a dungeon and got yourself killed."

I chuckle self-deprecatingly. "Wow, that's not far from the truth, but I played it safe and went to Royd's Kerfuffle."

He purses his lips reprovingly. "Even that was dangerous. Did you hear an Orc Headhunter was found at the sixth level? That could've been you."

So, this means you care about me, Toga? Awn, I'm touched.

I smile wryly and confess, "Well... t-that was me. I fought the Orc Headhunter with three other people."

Toga doesn't even twitch, he just stares at me, judging my words, then he looks at one of the guys at the bench, the same one that healed me after the last beating I got.

"Harper! Who was the guy that killed the Orc Headhunter?!" He yells.

"I think it was some Wolf Ryder!" The healer yells back.

Toga slowly turns his head towards me in a perfectly creepy movement, then he stares at me even harder, as if his eyes could pierce my soul, and I see a small smile forming on his mouth.

"So, Mr. Slayer, are you here for more training?" He sternly asks, his voice sounding even more threatening than before.

I avoid his gaze and tense up. "Y-yes... I would like to spar again," I meekly answer.

He immediately throws a wooden sword at me. "Pull up your guard!"

And then he beats me again, even harder this time.

The other students and teachers start cheering me, encouraging me to not give up, crying in joy every time I manage to block, and flinching with every blow I receive. I think some are even betting, but I can't pay any more attention to them because my life and dignity are on the line.

This time, Toga doesn't just beat me, he turns it into a marathon of a beating. He wears me down until I'm about to break, then he lets me rest for a precise amount of time, only to wear me down to my limit once again. He makes me last the whole afternoon and only ends it when I can barely stand anymore. The beating is so bad that I even get bloodied.

Then he suddenly stops and lowers his sword. "That's enough. Today was a productive day, and I'm pleased with the results," he calmly states, and I swear his voice is tinged with sadism.

More like pleased in seeing me suffer.

"Thank you... for the session." Those are all the words I can say until I'm fully healed, and it takes two instructors to heal me back to full HP.

--

I got back to the inn, and Selina cheerfully greets me.

"Welcome back, Mr. Ryder, did you fight something fearsome again today?" She asks with a slightly teasing tone.

"Just a bloodthirsty instructor," I answer with a wry smile.

She raises her eyebrows in surprise, then immediately exclaims, "Ah! I-I'm sorry..." And covers her mouth with her hand as she giggles.

I shake my head tiredly. "Don't be, it's training... it's a life I chose."

"Thank you for your effort." She bows and sends me a wink, then walks away while smiling.

When I get back to my bed, I take a look at my stats. My "Endurance" and "Willpower" increased by 1 (now 9 and 13), and [Block], [Parry], and [Dodge] increased by 3 (now 2+4, 0+4, and 2+4), which is rather impressive. Though I guess I just didn't have much of a chance to use my sword for attack during this beating.

Then I remembered that there's a skill called [Shield Use], so why didn't I learn it, already? Is this an offensive skill like [Sword Use]? Do I need to attach a blade and kill something with it so it doesn't count as [Shield Bash]?

Whatever. If it isn't increasing, then I'll just ignore it for now until I learn more about skills.

This is my progress so far:

--

['Wolf Ryder Skill Report']

['Physical']

[Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level]

[Sword Use: 8+2 | Dodge: 2+4 | Parry: 0+4]

[Block: 2+4 | Sense Presence: 5+0]

['Magical']

[Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level]

[Mana Efficiency: 4+0 | Mana Recovery: 4+0 | Reduced Mana Cost: 4+0]

[Fire Magic: 1+0 | Electric Magic: 1+0 | Blessing Magic: 5+0]

[Nature Magic: 5+0]

['Miscellaneous']

[Skill Name: Level]

[Andraste Language: 10+0]

--

['Info']

[Name: Wolf Ryder | Age: 18 | Race: Human]

[HP: 100 | MP: 135 | Magic Power: 190]

[Level: 10]

['Stats']

[Strength: 8 | Endurance: 9 | Dexterity: 9]

[Speed: 10 | Intelligence: 20 | Wisdom: 15]

[Willpower: 13 | Charisma: 10 | Piety: 3]

[Perception: 15 | Sanity: 9]

['Other']

[.Status Effects: 'NONE'.]

[.Titles: 'NONE'.]

[.Affiliations: 'NONE'.]

[.Companions: 'NONE'.]

[.Crimes: 'NONE'.]

--

After that, I go to sleep, and I have a few confusing dreams about fighting, so I don't sleep very well.

--

Today, my body is way too sore for training, and it hurts to even walk around.

Since I don't have much to do, I wanted to talk to Selina, but she's way too busy this time. Our relationship is kind of awkward. It's not like we're close friends, and I can't call her anytime I want. Also, we only talk during mealtime, and I don't even know where she goes outside of that.

Since I don't know what to do, I eat my breakfast and spend the morning in bed, dozing on and off until it's almost time for lunch, then I get the energy to walk around and search for some exotic food.

I find a place with a super spicy Dragolite soup, and it has a hint of curry in it. The problem is, it's hotter than Satan's butthole, so it takes me some effort to eat it, but I do it. I'm not weak to spicy food, so I wonder what the hell was the cook thinking when he made this.

Then I decide to go to the hunters' guild to train magic. People should already know I have Fire and [Electric Magic], so I'm just going to train my mana pool.

I tell the manager that I'm going to train with [Fireball], and he gives me the ok, so I go to the furthest corner of the magic training area. Over here, people won't notice that I don't chant, and I can also stay far away from Toga's sadistic gaze.

I observe the other mages as they cast [Fireball], and I notice that they can cast a very small one almost instantly. I think about putting points in [Mana Control] so I can change the size of the [Fireball] and mimic them, but I don't think it'd be necessary to go to this level of deceit.

I put all my points into combat skills and start casting [Fireball] until my mana is exhausted. I can only cast it twelve times until my MP is gone, then I put all my points in [Mana Recovery] and meditate until I'm back to full. I try casting it thirteen times, but I nearly faint from the blackout, and due to embarrassment, I decide to not do it again.

I feel tempted to put on [Blackout Resistance] to get used to the pain of casting spells with negative MP, but the adventurer tips book also said that this lowers one's lifespan since it uses the caster's souls to fuel the spells, so I think I might pass it.

Training [Mana Overuse Resistance] might be more useful, though, since I only need to let my MP fall too low or use it up too fast to risk suffering from loss of senses, painful headaches, or sore muscles due to mana overuse. The tips book also advised that mages should exhaust their mana every day before going to sleep until they develop [Mana Overuse Resistance], but it doesn't seem like a lot of people follow this advice.

If I keep practicing my magic like this every day, then maybe I could learn it in a year, but it'll take a lot of diligence.

I quickly realize that this sort of training is really taxing mentally. A headache always flares when I start running low on mana, so it takes quite a lot of effort for me to concentrate on meditating, but I manage to keep a steady rhythm going until it's almost dusk, then I go back to the inn.

I'm starving.

It seems that using mana makes you more hungry than normal as I have to ask for a second serving of the already generous meal the inn gives.

"What's gotten you so hungry?" Selina gently asks as she puts down the plate for me.

"It seems training magic makes you super hungry," I quickly answer and dig in.

She sits down and coos in wonder. "O~h? You can use magic, too? That's amazing. What spells can you cast?"

I swallow hurriedly and reply, "Oh... it's nothing, just a small [Fireball] and support spells for myself, like [Regeneration] and [Wind Armor]."

She giggles cutely. "'Nothing'? You're quite humble. A magician who knows the sword is such a romantic way of fighting."

I stop eating and frown in confusion. "Uh... what do you mean by 'romantic'?"

She cutely rests her chin on her hand and starts talking excitedly, "Most stories of heroes are about people like you: melee fighters with a trump card in magic. They live dangerous and exciting adventures that give them the wisdom to push their powers to the limit.

"My favorite is about a mage whose entire strategy revolved around finding the chance to cast a single [Shocking Touch] on his enemy's most vulnerable spot. His way of fighting was all or nothing, and he bet it all on that spell when he fought a dragon. A huge, dangerous, and feared monster being brought down with a single, simple spell. He was so witty he convinced the dragon into getting close, even though it knew what the adventurer was capable of. I got chills when I read that book."

Is this what a normal girl of this world thinks about or are you just special?

"Indeed, it sounds like a poetic fight," I coolly reply and chuckle.

Selina gives me a smile that melts my heart and continues telling her stories excitedly.

But then I remember Lily...

It's hard to admit this, but I believe I'll have to live in this world for a long, long time. My growth is slow, transmigration is something unknown to the natives, and I have absolutely zero idea about why I'm here. I don't even have a mentor figure to guide me and then get killed in the middle of the story to give me an impetus to fight.

I'm stuck here, and if "God's" message wasn't a lie, then it's for the rest of my life.

What happened on Earth? Did time stop? Are they looking for me? Are they even still alive?

The way Selina looks at me is quite obvious. The signs are there.

I know that Lily wouldn't wait for me, and I shouldn't wait, too. We aren't idealists who believe in the existence of "true love," we're bitter realists who just found happiness with each other.

The subtle glances, the brief smiles, the slow inching closer, the dozens of excuses Selina finds to touch me. I can't ignore it.

Lily and I wouldn't want the other to spend who knows how long waiting for me to return. We love each other to the point we'd want the other to find happiness, even if it isn't together. We're just that pragmatic.

Selina makes me laugh and lightens my mood, but there's nothing she can do to fix the storm of emotions brewing within my heart.

I can't just do this all by myself forever. I need someone to rely on... but I'm too scared to get close to anyone.

Then I remember the raven-type woman and shiver.

I'm so goddamn fucking lonely I think that's what keeps my "Sanity" so low.

--

I drop on my bed with a sigh, then I curl up into a ball.

It hasn't been even a month, and I'm already breaking down, but to be fair, in just a few days I've already gone through enough life and death situations to last an entire lifetime on Earth.

I need to think only about myself, otherwise, I don't think I'll last long. I'm the only thing that matters right now! I should think only about my survival!

I clench my fists in anger.

This world will have no mercy for someone delicate like me, so I need to change, but I don't want to.

Silent tears run along my cheeks, and I cry myself to sleep.

Lily, I'm sorry...

--

I have a nightmare of the Headhunter staring at me with his beady little eyes. It does nothing to me except stare like an ever-present threat.

--

Today, I wake up with my body feeling better, but I'm still not good enough to be beaten into pulp again. My "Strength" didn't increase, too, so I think I should start a muscle training regimen. I can just do some quick exercises before bath like I did on Earth, but I need something to replace dumbbells.

I look at my MP and see it increased by 30 (now 165). That's a nice amount. I can certainly cast [Fireball] one more time now. No "Magic Power" increase though, so I wonder what's needed for that.

Breakfast is bean salad with not-corn crumbs and a leg of Rabid Rabbit. Honestly, the cuisine around here is not bad, but I just really miss rice.

Now, what do I do today? I'm not really in the mood for exploring the town since my head is still heavy with the thoughts from last night.

I feel like I've mentally cornered myself. I'm stuck in a dilemma caused by two conflicting parts of my beliefs. Any decision I make will end up hurting a part of me, so how should I even start to make this choice? It's easy to find the logical path to follow, but it's hard to actually go through with it.

I try to pick up the romance book to read, but I can't concentrate, so I just absentmindedly turn around the pages without absorbing anything.

--

After wasting my morning, I just pick a random stall and eat lunch on the street. I barely even pay attention to what I'm eating, I just know that it's bland.

After that, I decide to hurt myself and go to the training ground to increase my MP again.

This time, Toga doesn't stare so much at me. He seems satisfied with the amount of pain I'm giving to myself.

Besides forgoing shame and losing my senses five times from blackout, nothing really happens, and I just robotically repeat my training sequence with [Fireball] followed by [Mana Recovery]-enhanced meditation. It gives me a bit of a headache from overuse, though.

After dusk, I come back and absentmindedly eat my dinner. Selina isn't serving today, and I don't ask why.

I go to sleep with my mood worse than when I woke up.

--

I dream of the Gargling Goblin again. This time, I tell him to fuck off, but it doesn't help, and I wake up in the middle of the night sweating cold.

--

Selina wakes me up, and I immediately look at my MP. It increased by 50 (now 215). It's quite a large amount, so I believe I did well on yesterday's training.

Now, it's finally the day to buy a slave. I anxiously eat my breakfast, then I go to the Golden Necklace.

I don't even know what I want from it anymore...

The same butler-like old man greets me with a bow, "Welcome again, Grand Sir. Would you like to go to the meeting room immediately? I'll call the Head; the new shipment is ready for inspection."

"Sure, please do," I whisper back, a bit aloof.

The moment I enter the room, I remember the heavenly cookies and tea, and my sweet-tooth aching takes some of the edge off.

The not-butler comes a few seconds later with a tray of cookies and tea, then leaves me alone to devour them, and I notice that there's double the amount than the other day.

Did he notice I liked them?

Then Ghulam comes in and does a quick bow. "Welcome again to the Golden Necklace, Mr. Ryder. I'm glad you waited. I'm sure that you'll be pleased with the new shipment, they're astounding."

He sits and claps his hands, then the not-butler opens the door.

Two women come in, two beautiful women. I suck in a breath and freeze.

Astounding indeed.

The first is a fox girl. She has light brown, almost orange hair styled in a cute bob cut, a diamond-shaped jaw, thin lips, a small nose, round, orange eyes, and pointy orange fox ears on top of her head. Such an incredibly cute face.

When she walks, I see an orange fox tail dangling about, and it even has a white tip. It looks so soft I want to hug it.

The second is an elven girl. She has silver straight hair that's so glossy it almost shines, an adorably short stature, skin as white as snow, an oval face, upturned blue eyes that look almost Asian, a small and pointy nose, small red lips, and the unmistakable long pointy ears of the elves protruding at a right angle from her head.

That's honestly not what I thought he meant when he said the new slaves would be even better than the previous ones. I imagined a bigger monster than the dragonkin would appear or something like that. And judging my current state, I don't think I should be in this room with these two girls.

Ghulam smiles at me with grace, making it hard to look away from him as he announces, "These are my two new prizes. The werefox is Alissa. She's an offering from an exclusive deal Rabanara has with the Misty Low Forest. They raise and train a slave every five years, then sell them to us. It took me a lot of luck, but I managed to acquire her.

"She has been taught since she was a child that her destiny is to be a combat slave, and due to her beauty, she has also been trained on how to serve a man. She's the most skilled archer and hunter of her clan, and you won't find someone better than her outside of a Lord's retinue. Her 'Speed' and 'Dexterity' are very high, which gives her pinpoint accuracy and high lethality. Her olfact and hearing are extremely sharp, and she even has the rare [Sense Presence], making her the perfect scout. She was also trained in the traditional lifestyle magic, so she's ready to live even among the nobility.