Chapter 23

As Lirisa and I were chatting about this and that, a woman with her long hair let down walked out of the cabin, yawning languidly.

It was Selina.

When our eyes met, she seemed embarrassed and her face turned slightly red before she hastily tidied her hair and clothes.

Then she cleared her throat with a small cough and continued.

"You're both here early? The assembly time is clearly three hours from now..."

"I was bored."

"There was nothing to do."

"...I see. I have a good grasp of both of your personalities. But it's good timing. I was thinking of calling you both separately anyway."

At her words, Lirisa and I looked at each other with questioning expressions.

When Selina told us to wait a moment and gave some instructions to a crew member who was inspecting the airship's main cannon, he left his post for a moment and reappeared holding two rather luxuriously designed boxes in both hands.

"This is a gift for you both."

"A gift?"

Lirisa's expression brightened up like a puppy who had just been told it was time for a walk.

How many people in the world would dislike receiving a gift?

Even if not as much as Lirisa, I must have had a rather bright expression on my face as well.

Without a moment's hesitation, we opened the gift boxes.

"Uh.... Um.... What is this?"

Lirisa, after checking the contents, tried her best to hide her bewilderment.

It was a natural reaction.

Inside the box was a fist-sized, gray stone that looked like it could be found anywhere on the street.

She looked extremely disappointed, yet she tried to understand why Selina had given her a stone as a gift.

At Lirisa's reaction, Selina smiled faintly as if she had expected it.

Her gaze shifted to me.

After checking my reaction, Selina seemed surprised for a moment and then let out a chuckle.

"Don't tell me Ryan's eyes can see even this?"

"...Something like that."

I could have checked the identity of this stone through Dragon's Eye if I wanted to, but there was no need.

Because I knew the identity of this stone.

The heart of a Labias Lizard.

It was an item that could secure a small amount of magic and stamina, and with a small chance, even the authority of poison resistance, but in reality, it was impossible even for a player to directly convert a heart into magic power.

Since the Nurturing System was copied as it was, it would be impossible for a mage as well.

In order to use it, the heart needed to be refined once, and the result of that refinement was this stone.

"How did this happen?"

"Since Unit 707 was disbanded, the items that Unit 707 possessed were naturally returned to the military. The same goes for the Labias Lizard hearts we recovered. But it would be a shame if there was nothing to show for our life-risking efforts, right? So I threw a bit of a tantrum."

"...You threw a tantrum?"

"Yes. A huge one. It's been a while since I felt like an 8-year-old, so I'm feeling a bit restless. But that's not what's important, is it? We'll start the ritual right away, so please hold on to that."

I placed the refined heart on my palm, and Selina placed her hand on top of the heart.

And she closed her eyes.

A faint blue light began to flow out of the refined heart.

I felt a clear energy flowing through my hand and into my body, spreading throughout my entire being.

It wasn't a bad feeling.

The series of processes lasted for about 5 minutes.

Crunch!

Having served its purpose, the refined heart crumbled into dust and fell onto the deck, piling up softly.

Selina, who seemed a little tired, let out a long breath and raised her head.

My gaze met with her red eyes, which shone as clearly as if they were embedded with jewels.

"It's done. Ryan, please check it for yourself.... No. I want to check it too, so I'll use the system. This is my first time granting magic power, so I'm nervous too."

Her words weren't a lie, as Selina's voice was trembling slightly.

Muttering something to herself as if to organize the theory in her head, Selina soon finished her preparations and released a very small amount of magic power.

Then, a system message appeared between me and Selina.

Name: Ryan Kaltz.

Level: 1.

Attribute: None.

Strength: 13 Agility: 10

Mentality: 16 Stamina: 14

Reflexes: 13 Resistance: 5

Magic Power: 0+12

Potential: Unknown.

Nurturing Possible

View Details

Possessed Authorities: Dragon's Eye, Poison Resistance Lv1.

As planned, 4 magic power was added, and my abilities increased slightly accordingly.

Also, separately from that, one stamina was added.

However, an unexpected phrase had been added.

Possessed Authority.

Where normally only Dragon's Eye should have been recorded, Poison Resistance had been added.

Both I and Selina were so surprised that we stared at each other with wide eyes.

"My goodness.... Ryan. Do you know what the probability of obtaining poison resistance through a refined heart is?"

"I don't know."

If my memory was correct, I remembered it being one or two out of ten people.

Selina didn't seem to know the exact number and just kept repeating that I was lucky.

"You're lucky, Ryan. No, wait. I'm the one who granted the magic power, so does that mean I'm the lucky one? Well. What's the point of arguing about it? The result is what's important."

She was right.

What was the point of arguing about who was lucky?

What was important was that I had succeeded in breaking through the low probability of about 15 percent and obtained an additional authority.

With this, my body now had a certain level of resistance to all types of poisons in the world.

Of course, it wasn't literally complete resistance, but a certain level of resistance, so there would be many cases where I wouldn't be able to withstand it depending on the type and strength of the poison.

But it was clear that it would be helpful in various ways.

Excited, Selina immediately granted magic power to Lirisa as well.

Lirisa, who had been watching the ritual that Selina and I had performed, followed along well without needing an explanation.

However, the difference between her and me was that she failed to awaken the authority of poison resistance.

Not only Lirisa, but also Selina, was greatly disappointed as if it were her own matter.

"Ryan."

"What."

"I want to try shooting a bow."

"...Hold it in."

Perhaps because of the sudden increase in her physical abilities, Lirisa couldn't contain her excitement, like a child who had just received a gift and wanted to tear open the wrapping right away.

Unfortunately, however, there was no target for her on the airship.

"This concludes the little event I've prepared. Now, you two.... Yes. You can wait and do whatever you want until the appointed time."

Freedom was given.

Leaving Lirisa, who was restlessly fiddling with her bow, behind, I trained my stamina in a corner of the deck so as not to disturb the busy crew members.

The easiest way to increase one's stats is to receive magic power from a mage.

However, although the efficiency is extremely low, training is also a means to raise one's stats.

Since every single stat point was important, as I was doing muscle exercises that were not in my destiny, I saw three men and women approaching the waiting airship.

From their tense expressions, I could tell at a glance who they were.

They were the new recruits of Unit 917.

I had a slight hope, but Edam's figure was not among them.

Still, had I grown fond of him in that short time?

A sigh of disappointment escaped me for no reason.

* * *

The new recruits, consisting of two men and one woman, looked quite like soldiers compared to me and Lirisa, who looked clumsy no matter how you looked at it.

"I am Sergel Fram. Please take care of me."

A man in his late 20s with short, neatly trimmed brown hair and a small build.

Sergel Fram.

If I were to describe my first impression of him, I would say he was like a textbook example of a new recruit with a stiff demeanor.

His expression was so rigid that it was hard to tell what he was thinking.

Next to him was a woman with short hair and brown skin who looked a little older than Lirisa.

When our eyes met, she smiled brightly and offered a handshake.

"Latia Ram! Age 26! My reason for enlisting.... My father was a soldier, but he died in the war at the hands of the White Hero's named, the Winged Devil. So my reason for enlisting is revenge. Please take care of me until the day I tear that bastard to shreds, senior!"

A bright smile without a single worry, her voice was as clear and transparent as if it had been filtered 10 times.

But the content was not like that, so I felt a cognitive dissonance.

The feeling was also complicated.

I thought she would be difficult in a different sense from The Blonde.

Since she was crazy about revenge, it seemed unlikely that she would cry about being scared to fight, but people like that usually take impulsive actions in certain situations.

A personality that is too strong is a poison.

As if she had the same thought, Selina's expression didn't look very bright either.

After forcing down the sigh that was about to burst out and exchanging a handshake, I shifted my gaze to the last person.

"I am Byan Leje!"

The last to introduce himself, Byan, was also a person with a strong personality.

Unlike Latia, should I say that his external personality was stronger than his character?

It was clear that he was an adult since he had enlisted in the army, was wearing a uniform, and was holding a weapon, but his physical growth stage was, by all accounts, no more than that of a minor.

Another characteristic was the look in his eyes.

It was the look I had encountered countless times after starting my social life and meeting numerous people.

Was it said that the eyes are the windows to the soul?

A strong desire for something was clearly revealed through his gaze.

Seeing that his eyes were fixed on Selina's rank insignia, I had a rough idea of which direction his desire was headed.

'...I'm already tired.'

However, the most peculiar thing was that all three of them were not conscripts who had been forcibly dragged here, but volunteers who had enlisted of their own accord.

Volunteers are those who wish to enter the army of their own free will, so their attitude towards operations is different from that of conscripts.

For that reason, most commanders hope for volunteers, but since it is a matter of laying down one's life for one's country, the number of volunteers is bound to be small.

In addition, considering the probability of being selected as a suitable candidate for the Nurturing System, it seems that it is extremely rare for all the new recruits in a unit to be volunteers.

Selina sighed deeply and muttered that it was the result of her margrave brother's influence.

"It's not like I can argue and tell them to follow the principles now.... Welcome, everyone, to Unit 917. First of all..."

After finishing her self-introduction, Selina did what she had to do.

First, she granted a small amount of magic power to the new recruits and awakened their first authority.

Two of them ended up awakening mediocre authorities, but Byan surprised everyone by awakening a powerful authority called 'Unquenchable Hellfire'.

To explain this authority... it could be said to be the authority to throw an exploding sphere with a power similar to a grenade.

After shrinking for a moment at the pouring praise and focused attention, Byan soon straightened his shoulders and smiled proudly.

After finishing the granting of magic power, Selina, who seemed tired, massaged the bridge of her nose with her index finger and thumb.

"I think this should be enough for now.... Then, I will brief you on the first mission of Unit 917. Please listen attentively."

The first mission of Unit 917.

I had a feeling, but it didn't deviate from my expectations.

The order given to Unit 917 was to secure the tree fruit, if any, that was bearing after the occupation of Outpost 28.

After confirming the briefing, I immediately used Dragon's Eye to confirm that there were no White Hero players at that location.

Of course, I didn't completely rule out the possibility of a new player who didn't use the chat window, but considering the difficulty and characteristics of D&K, the possibility of a player who would just charge in and try to break through was extremely low.

The airship flew to its destination at a high speed.

During that time, we were supplied with equipment, and my murderous intent towards the now-dead Viscount Lemming surged once again.

The difference between the equipment we were supplied with in Unit 707 and the equipment we were supplied with now was so great that it was an insult to even compare them.

"Ryan. Weren't military uniforms originally supposed to be soaked in the smell of sweat? There are no torn or punctured parts.... My goodness, look at this! There's no rust on the arrowheads!"

"I know, right. So shields weren't disposable items that become useless after blocking one enemy attack. Wow, look how securely the handle is attached."

"...Both of you. It's heartbreaking, so please stop. As a commander and a noble like that man, I feel sorry for you."

It wasn't just empty words; Selina was different from Viscount Lemming in every way.

She didn't hesitate to use anything for her soldiers, and if she felt that the supplies were insufficient, she didn't hesitate to use her own money.

That wasn't all.

Unlike Viscount Lemming, who only sent his familiar from a safe place and gave ridiculous orders, she preferred to run around on the field herself.

To what extent?

To the extent that I broke into a sweat trying to dissuade her from putting on the field commander's hat and heading to Outpost 28 herself.

"The commander should stay on the airship. In case of an emergency, a mage needs to be nearby to protect and operate the airship immediately."

"That's.... but."

"You know that, so why are you doing this?"

"......"

She didn't answer the question.

However, as if she understood that if she went to the front line herself, she would not only be of no help but could also put her allies in danger, she didn't insist anymore.

Instead, Selina appointed me as the field commander.

"Then Ryan. There's one thing I'd like to ask of you."

"A favor?"

"Yes. The favor is, please remember that it's okay not to succeed perfectly in the operation. The most important thing is for everyone to return alive..."

Kwaaaaaa!

As I was listening to Selina's words, a sudden roar was heard.

Thinking it was an enemy attack, I hastily grabbed my weapon and turned my head in the direction of the sound.

Far away.

Something was approaching from the sky at a marvelous speed.

It was an airship.

Goosebumps ran all over my body.

If that was a White Hero airship, an aerial battle would begin.

"That's..."

The airship got closer and closer, and thanks to that, I was able to identify the symbol on the flag.

I let out a sigh of relief.

It was the flag of the Alliance.

Unlike me, who was tense, Selina seemed to have known that an Alliance airship would be passing through this area.

Wrinkling her expression slightly and plugging her ears with her fingers was the entirety of her reaction.

"Ah, Ryan, you should plug your ears too."

"Plug my ears? Why?"

"That's because..."

Kwaaaaaaaaa!

Selina's following words were drowned out by the roar.

However, I had a rough idea of what she was trying to say.

Hastily plugging my ears with both hands, I looked up at the airship, the source of the noise, with a crumpled expression.

I wanted to see just what kind of airship could make such a roar, considering that the airships operating in this area were supposed to be micro-sized.

The said airship passed right over the airship of Unit 917.

A large shadow was cast over the entire airship.

"...Crazy."

I couldn't help but doubt my eyes.

It wasn't micro-sized.

Surprisingly, the source of the noise was the sound produced by a large airship flying at maximum speed, overworking its engine.

If I were to compare that large airship to a whale, the micro-airship we were riding could be described as a mackerel.

This was the first time I had seen a large airship with my own eyes since coming to this world.

While I was intimidated by its marvelous size, I also became curious about something.

The airship moved away.

After confirming that the sound had become small enough to have a conversation, I took down the hands that were plugging my ears.

And I asked Selina.

"Selina."

"Yes."

"Why is a large airship flying in this area?"

"Um.... Actually, this is a classified matter, so I'm not supposed to tell non-commissioned officers and soldiers below the rank of officer. But I'll make a special exception and tell you."

"Uh.... wait a minute. I don't think I need to hear that."

Classified?

I had a strong feeling that nothing good would come from hearing it.

However, Selina already seemed to have no intention of listening to me.

She closed the distance in an instant and whispered softly.

"There's an Odin soldier in this area."