Chapter 24: Painforged
The moment Elliott stepped into the corridor, he released a long breath.
"Haa..."
A bead of cold sweat slid down his back.
To be honest, when Zelian had fallen silent and filled the room with that oppressive chill, Elliott had nearly lost control of his expression.
The pressure had been suffocating.
He had wanted to escape that heavy atmosphere so badly that the urge to accept whatever Zelian offered had risen all the way to his throat.
But he endured it.
If he yielded once, he would have to yield a second time.
By the third, he would be crawling.
The foundation of any transaction was equality.
Even if that equality was false, created through nothing more than shallow courage and empty confidence, he had held his ground until the end.
And had that not produced the best possible result?
His debt had been settled completely, and he had turned the Black Serpent Syndicate from an enemy into a potential business partner.
'Hm?'
Acke stood in the corridor with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall.
When he saw Elliott approaching, he moved aside with a strange expression.
"Judging by your face, it seems the meeting went well."
Acke deliberately raised his voice.
"It appears you have earned the branch leader's favor. Make certain you do not disappoint him. Maintaining a good relationship with our branch will benefit you as well. Should you ever require anything, speak to us."
His tone was clearly meant for the surrounding members of the Black Serpent Syndicate to hear.
There were many eyes and ears in this place.
Acke was openly informing them that Elliott had a connection not only to him, but to Zelian himself.
It was a small gesture of consideration.
'There is no reason to refuse useful backing.'
When Elliott nodded, Acke passed beside him and whispered quietly.
"Ah, and one more thing."
"What is it?"
"Should someone ever appear whom you desperately want dead, come find me. I'll handle the matter cheaply, at a special acquaintance's rate."
"..."
It was a terrifying offer.
The words had clearly been spoken out of goodwill, yet Elliott could not shake the feeling that becoming too close to this man would be dangerous.
The moment Elliott left the branch, a familiar notification appeared before his eyes.
[Quest completed: Repay the Debt to Survive]
[Time limit ended.]
[Warning removed: Threat of the Body-Surrender and Enslavement Contract.]
The red countdown that had constantly disturbed his vision shattered into fragments and vanished.
"Haa..."
A hollow laugh escaped Elliott.
He had finally broken free from the noose of a life measured in remaining days.
He clenched his fist.
The debt had been repaid.
A stable source of mana stones had been secured.
What remained was genuine strength, enough to protect both his money and his time.
Now he only had to continue advancing along the path of an Adept.
However...
'Is there no separate reward?'
Shouldn't completing a quest grant him something?
This had been a quest upon which his life depended.
At that moment, as though refusing to disappoint him, a new window flashed.
Ding!
[Quest completion reward!]
[Trait unlocked: Painforged]
[Painforged]
[Description: After surviving a crisis of death, your survival instincts have learned to transform pain into nourishment for growth.]
[Effect: Mental Power recovers rapidly whenever you experience physical pain.]
"..."
Elliott's expression twisted subtly as he read the description.
Restoring Mental Power was undoubtedly an extraordinary reward.
Among Adepts, Mental Power referred to both Mental Intent and Arcane Sense.
Arcane Sense served as an Adept's third eye and another set of limbs.
It was essential when controlling Intangible Sword, searching the surroundings, or manipulating Arcane Artifacts from a distance.
Mana could be replenished with pills, but once Arcane Sense was exhausted, rest was usually the only reliable method of recovery.
A trait that accelerated that recovery was unquestionably powerful.
However...
'Only when I experience physical pain?'
The condition was the problem.
His mind would not simply recover on its own.
His body had to hurt before his thoughts became clear.
Was the system telling him that he needed to be struck in order to grow stronger and suffer in order to recover?
Its preferences were truly unpleasant.
"Haa..."
Elliott sighed deeply, but soon began calculating the advantages calmly.
'Even so, this is useful.'
What kind of training did he need to undertake immediately?
Iron Palm Art required burning, striking, and tempering his hands.
The other Warrior Path Arts demanded that he train his body through direct impact and hardship.
If his Arcane Sense recovered whenever he subjected his body to painful training, then...
'When I become exhausted from studying Cultivation Methods or Arcane Spells, I can train my body and recover. Then I can use the restored Mental Power to continue practicing my spells.'
It was not quite an endless cycle, but it would allow him to train two or three times harder than ordinary people.
Even in battle, being struck during a dangerous situation might become an opportunity rather than a pure disadvantage.
Elliott organized his thoughts with a bitter smile.
Whatever its unpleasant condition, there was no reason to reject a useful trait.
He continued toward his next destination with renewed energy.
Elliott eventually arrived at a quiet stretch of river far from the city.
Until now, he had not even dared to come here.
The reason was simple.
The Soul-Trace Spell placed upon him by the Black Serpent Syndicate.
This river lay far beyond the outer districts and required a long walk to reach.
Had a debtor wandered toward such an isolated place, the Syndicate might have assumed he was fleeing under cover of darkness and removed his head immediately.
As a result, Elliott's condition had become miserable.
It had been more than two months since he had properly washed.
His own nose had nearly gone numb from the smell.
He could only imagine what others had endured around him.
"Haa..."
Of course, leaving the Outer City carried its own dangers.
Arcane Beasts sometimes appeared in this region.
It was said that most of them avoided settlements where the presence of humans gathered densely.
The likelihood of encountering one was not especially high.
'But an enormous Arcane Beast appeared in the middle of the market only a few days ago. That means the possibility is not zero.'
Unease slowly crept through him.
Misfortune had a habit of arriving at the worst possible moment.
Who could say that he would not encounter an Arcane Beast on the very day he came here to wash?
Elliott shook his head forcefully.
'I cannot spend the rest of my life smelling like a sewer.'
Even if he were destined to die, it would be better to die after washing away the layers of filth.
Casting aside his unease, Elliott stripped off his clothes.
Splash!
Without hesitation, he threw himself into the cool river.