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chapter 13
“You want to learn a skill for moving quickly?”
In the shabby outskirts.
Hanbit headed toward a slum hideout and came face-to-face with a young blonde-haired girl.
[Ria]
Pickpocket Ria.
A fairly well-known name in Edlen’s back alleys.
She didn’t steal recklessly—more like she fancied herself a righteous thief.
“Hmmm.”
Brushing off her shorts as she stood up, she scanned Hanbit from head to toe.
At that moment—
Whoosh—!
With the sound of wind, Ria’s body suddenly vanished.
Tap—
“You’re way too slow.”
Ria reappeared right in front of him, a small pouch in her hand.
“I took a 5,000 gold tuition fee. Pretty cheap, right?”
[You have lost 5,000 gold.]
Just as the system message stated, 5,000 gold vanished from his inventory.
The all-too-familiar flow brought back old memories.
“What? Why aren’t you reacting?”
“You said it was tuition. And you are going to teach me, right?”
“…Of course. I don’t lie.”
Ria replied with a pout.
After stuffing the money into her bag, she turned her back.
“First, try to catch me. You can use any method, but if you don’t catch me, it’s invalid, got it?”
Tap—!
Leaving those words behind, the girl disappeared in an instant.
A message immediately popped up.
Ding—
[Quest]
Ria, who said she would teach you a skill, has run away.
Search Edlen to find her.
Objective: Catch Ria.
Reward: Ria’s Swiftness Skill Book (Rank 1 – ?), 1 stat point, 100 experience
Time limit: 3 hours
-She ran right away, huh?
-If the time limit ends, she comes back on her own.
-Anyone ever caught her within 3 hours?
-Waiting here is actually better.
-Yeah, she just comes home eventually. LOL
Advice from experienced players poured in.
However, Hanbit walked leisurely.
“Huh? You’re going to look for her? Even if you find her by luck, you’ll never catch her.”
“I know.”
“Then what are you going to do? If the time limit runs out, it’s guaranteed Normal grade.”
Yeonwoo asked the obvious question.
The answer was very simple.
“I’ll ask someone who can catch her.”
***
Artsvel’s peaceful general store.
Hanbit barged in and immediately said to her,
“Help me catch Ria.”
“All of a sudden?”
Artsvel, who had greeted him with a smile, changed to a dumbfounded expression.
Her vivid reaction set the chat on fire.
-AI performance is insane.
-What kind of game even is RP?
-She never smiles at me, but she smiles at the Black Dragon.
-Wait just a bit! I’m coming too!
-Breaking news) Bomb Slimes still not found.
-Just keep waiting until tomorrow~
“But how do you know Ria?”
“Aren’t you like sworn sisters? Pretty famous on the hideout street.”
“…Don’t tell me you got pickpocketed.”
Having experienced similar situations before, she narrowed her brows slightly as she asked.
Hanbit shook his head.
“No, we’re playing tag.”
“What are you talking about now?”
This time her brows knit tightly.
“You’ll help me, right?”
“Haa…….”
Artsvel let out a deep sigh.
Then she stood up from her seat.
“Come on. I’ll lock up.”
The two left the shop and headed into the streets.
After glancing around, Artsvel immediately started walking.
She knew exactly where the girl would be.
“So, does she give you anything if you catch her?”
“I want to learn how to move fast.”
“Oh, that?”
She nodded as if she understood.
Artsvel and the pickpocket girl Ria.
The relationship between the two, well-known in the slum hideout, was closer to guardian and ward.
She had taken care of her for over seven years—almost like a real older sister.
Now, it could be called a rebellious adolescent phase.
Meow—
Purr—
As the two ventured deep into the alley, they stopped.
A small staircase where sunlight was the only thing that reached.
There, a girl was playing with cats.
“Ria.”
“Huh?”
At the familiar voice, Ria’s eyes widened.
“I’m busy, so stop playing tag.”
“How did you—”
The girl blankly alternated her gaze between Hanbit and Artsvel.
Then, as if realizing something, she raised her voice.
“That’s cheating! Why did you bring Artsvel unni?! And how do you two even know each other?”
Clearly flustered, Ria wore a wronged expression.
“You said I could use any method to catch you.”
“Well…….”
Confronted with the obvious logic, she was left speechless.
The most effective move against Ria.
That was Artsvel.
“Hurry up and teach him. And you, Ria—come to the shop. You know what happens if you don’t, right?”
“…I know.”
At that warning, the girl’s shoulders slumped.
“Done? I’m leaving.”
“Thanks.”
“What thanks.”
Artsvel snorted lightly and returned to her shop.
Tap—
Hanbit stepped closer and lightly tapped Ria on the shoulder.
Twenty minutes.
That was how long it took to catch the pickpocket girl.
“Want to try some more?”
“No!”
Ria shook off his hand and glared at him with furrowed brows.
Then she pulled out a blue book from her bag and tossed it at him.
“Fast movement starts with proper footwork. Got it?”
Ding—
[Quest completed.]
[Based on clear time, rewards have been increased to the maximum.]
[You have received Ria’s Swiftness Skill Book (Rank 1 – Unique).]
[Stat points increased from 1 → 3.]
[Experience increased from 100 → 500.]
[You have leveled up.]
[1 stat point has been awarded.]
-So this is how it works;
-Agaaaain Unique?!
-How was I supposed to know Artsvel and Ria were sworn sisters?
-Isn’t the web novel the problem at this point?
-Release the original already, seriously.
-What if Black Dragon is the author?
-A perfectly reasonable theory, 인정합니다.
The chat heated up again, but the goal was achieved.
“I’m leaving!”
The girl kicked off the ground and vanished from sight in an instant.
Hanbit immediately used the book in his hand.
Poof—!
With its disappearance, ‘Swiftness’ was registered in the skill tree.
Watching that, Yeonwoo asked with a dumbfounded expression,
“That’s really it?”
“It’s a heartwarming ending. A kid goes to hang out at the shop of the sister who raised her.”
“…That’s heartwarming, right?”
-Heart…warming?
-The kid didn’t look happy.
-Artsvel would be terrifying if she got mad.
Yeonwoo and the viewers didn’t dwell much on the relationship between the two.
They only thought of Artsvel and Ria as NPCs for learning skills.
‘…It can’t be helped.’
Players had never been able to form a proper relationship with Artsvel.
After all, they’d all sent her to prison, making even conversation impossible.
They’d only followed the guidebook diligently, but it was irreversible.
“Not everyone just follows the guidebook, right?”
“I guess not? There are tons of solo players, and not everyone shares info on the community.”
Even if most followed the guidebook, some people walked different paths.
But since Artsvel’s quest had appeared for the first time, no one had found the right method.
Naturally, Ria had remained a barely noticeable NPC as well.
‘So that’s another reason the main story is such a mess.’
The Edlen story described in the guidebook.
Not once did Artsvel or Ria appear.
Thinking it all snowballed from Julio’s scam made it feel utterly foolish.
“Let’s go. Time to learn the next skill.”
“Ah, last one was swordsmanship, right? This one I’m definitely your senior.”
-About to get wrecked hard.
-For real LOL
-Upvote if Roper rage-quits from self-loathing later.
Swordsmanship finally appeared.
Though Yeonwoo said it was his main skill, the viewers were already teasing him.
“Hey, I still raised it to Rank 2, okay? I worked really hard.”
“What grade?”
“…Advanced.”
-Oh, you too?
-Same. Haha.
-Viewer average. LOL
The second swordsmanship skill, Proficient Swordsmanship.
It was just a passive skill evolved from the basic one.
“You learned that following the guidebook too, right?”
“But there wasn’t anything complicated to begin with. You just swing a wooden sword for about an hour and do some simple sparring.”
“Must be nice. You’re not cut out for swordsmanship.”
“…That makes no sense. You’re not getting this one as Unique too, are you?”
-No way.
-This one can’t happen.
-Please say no.
-Info) Swordsmanship has the most players in RP.
-And that player is me.
Viewers who had already learned swordsmanship cried out desperately.
But it was unavoidable.
“Let’s go.”
The two immediately headed into the forest.
Climbing a low mountain along a winding path.
Continuing onward, a small hut appeared near the summit.
[Swordsman Balder]
A middle-aged man sat at a table in front of the door.
A wine jug was in his hand.
“I came to learn swordsmanship.”
Gulp— gulp—
At the question, the swordsman took several swigs.
Then, without even looking properly, he spoke.
“Swing the wooden sword. Until I tell you to stop.”
Ding—
[Quest]
Learn swordsmanship from Swordsman Balder.
If you pass his test, you may learn swordsmanship appropriate to your level.
Objective: Swing the wooden sword until Balder gives the order.
Reward: Linked quest unlocked
Accepting the quest, Hanbit picked up a wooden sword resting to the side.
At that moment, the chat’s atmosphere shifted slightly.
-It took me an hour and a half.
-Feels like there’s a minimum count?
-No, posture matters. You just have to endure to the end.
-Did you forget what Black Dragon did with archery? 30-minute clear.
-Don’t be ridiculous. LOL The shortest ever is 28 minutes.
-The community isn’t everything.
-Still, that’s pushing it.
All kinds of tips and speculation from experienced viewers poured in.
The consensus was that no matter how fast you were, it couldn’t be under 40 minutes.
Reading through the chat, something occurred to Hanbit.
“Want to make a bet? Whether I can do it in under 30 minutes or not?”
“Oh, that’s a great idea!”
Yeonwoo quickly responded, playing along.
-30 minutes. LOL
-You think that’s possible?
-Isn’t there a Sword Association?
[The Sword God has registered a 200,000 won challenge mission.]
[Clear within 25 minutes to succeed. If you fail, no money and bungee jump off a cliff ㄱ]
-Sword God ㄷㄷ
-Slashed five minutes off like a rat. LOL
-Look at that penalty.
-No money either? Worse than the Archers’ Association.
“25 minutes? That’s ridiculous!”
Yeonwoo reacted first to the raised difficulty.
Hanbit pretended to be surprised and replied,
“25 minutes? Hmm……”
“No matter what, that’s too hard, right?”
“Well, might as well try.”
-He’s really doing it. LOL
-Isn’t this abuse of power?
-If you’re mad, just succeed.
-If it’s 25 minutes, I’ll try too.
-Throwing 1,000 won is worth it.
-If he fails, it’s 0 won. LOL
[KitchenKnife has donated 20,000 won to the challenge mission.]
[25 minutes. LOL]
[SwordMaster has donated 70,000 won to the challenge mission.]
[Even so, 25 minutes is a bit……]
…….
“Wow! 800,000 won! Thank you!”
[Prize money: 807,000 won]
With Yeonwoo’s shout, the prize money surpassed 800,000 won.
‘800,000 won?’
Hanbit’s eyes widened at the amount, nearly double the archery challenge.
They said swordsmanship was popular, but he hadn’t expected this much.
“Hoo.”
Letting out a short breath, Hanbit gripped the wooden sword with both hands.
Then he quietly closed his eyes.
-Acting like a pro LOL
-Middle-school syndrome ON
-So he’s the emotional type. LOL
Hanbit’s body, fully focused, didn’t move an inch.
Seeing his unfamiliar demeanor, viewers laughed and teased.
But the swordsman was different.
“……?”
The motion of drinking stopped.
An eerie atmosphere that even wrapped around the silence.
Before he could identify what it was, the Black Dragon’s wooden sword swung.
Whoosh—!
A single motion slicing through the air.
The swordsman dropped his wine jug, a voice escaping his lips.
“Stop. That’s enough.”
