Elves.
In a fantasy setting like Eternal World, it’s natural for them to make an appearance.
However, hearing about elves in the Dune Wild Trail was unheard of.
Of course, it wasn’t an actual NPC that appeared.
But even so, it was shocking enough.
This region had always been known to have no elves.
“It feels like I’ve uncovered so forgotten history.”
Long ago, elves lived in the Dune Wild Trail.
And it was none other than Leonic who had wiped them out.
When Seong looked at Leonic with that thought in mind, Leonic, despite being a skeleton, wore a proud expression and bowed his head toward Seong.
Not that Seong had praised him or anything.
Anyway.
“Elven ghosts, huh.”
The presence of ghosts might suggest that actual elven NPCs could exist.
Even though Leonic said they were all dead.
What if there were survivors sowhere?
Though a long ti had passed, elves were a long-lived race.
If they had survived, it was highly possible they were still alive.
Exploring this possibility might be an enjoyable diversion while staying here.
But then again…
“Not knowing if my skill levels have increased is tough.”
This field was literally a place where one could only train.
With no way to check how much his skill levels had improved, it could have been frustrating.
However, Seong didn’t worry too much about it.
He figured he’d be staying here for a while anyway.
For now, though…
—“Ah-ha! Didn’t you lose to 83 tis?”
—“What nonsense! Even if I’m behind in wins, I’ve taught 30 more students than you!”
—“Hah! Both of you are amateurs compared to , yet you talk so much!”
—“Why don’t we settle who goes first fairly, based on age?”
—“You’re bragging about your age now? As if it matters when we’re all already dead!”
The mouths of the elven knight ghosts were as sharp as their swords.
It seed like Seong needed to handle these ghosts before anything else.
As he hesitated, unsure of what to do…
—“How dare you! Behaving so recklessly in front of our lord! Are you so eager to face annihilation at my hands again?!”
Leonic’s roar reverberated.
As soone who had once invaded this place, Leonic’s presence was imdiately recognizable to all of them.
Yet, instead of fear, the ghosts responded with mocking laughter.
—“Hah! You’re nothing but a skeleton knight. Without the backing of your master, you’d be in the sa situation as us.”
—“Do you think we’d be scared?”
—“Even if you possess great swordsmanship and strength, we will not yield!”
Leonic and Fiora, both already ghosts themselves, glared at the elven knight ghosts.
anwhile, Noktrynnium, who was not a ghost, looked utterly confused.
He had heard that Seong controlled ghosts and absorbed their power, but this was his first ti witnessing it in action.
It was only natural for him to be flustered.
Dozens of ghosts prepared to rush forward, undeterred by Leonic’s outburst.
And Leonic and Fiora, unwilling to back down, looked ready to charge as well.
—“Hahaha! To challenge , the second lieutenant and loyal knight of my lord’s army, you’re still far from being worthy!”
—“Ahh… I, I think so too… I’ll, I’ll fight alongside you…”
A chilling aura emanated from both Leonic and Fiora.
The ghosts flinched slightly.
They couldn’t help but be startled by the overwhelming presence of the two.
Tension filled the air.
In the midst of this, Seong decided to intervene and calm things down.
“Hey, all of you, calm down. And you folks over there, calm down as well. I’ll decide the order.”
—“My apologies, my lord.”
—“Ahh… S-sorry…”
Leonic and Fiora imdiately cald down and bowed their heads.
—“Ahem. If the esteed guest insists…”
—“Hmm, if the visitor says so, then so be it.”
—“That’s a fair solution.”
Though reluctant, the ghosts nodded in agreent.
As ghosts, they had no choice but to obey Seong’s words.
It was only natural.
Leonic and Fiora were no exception.
Though both genuinely appeared remorseful.
Leonic seed worried that he might have displeased his master by stepping forward, while Fiora looked on the verge of tears.
“It feels like I’m taking care of a bunch of kids,” Seong thought, shaking his head with a sigh.
He patted Fiora’s head and reassured Leonic that it was fine.
With that, the situation settled.
Now that everyone had cald down, Seong decided to leave them for a mont and survey the area where he’d be staying for the ti being.
The visible structures appeared to be clusters of spires forming a fortress-like settlent.
So of the spires had collapsed, leaving about five intact ones.
As soone familiar with Eternal World, there was no way he couldn’t recognize what this setup ant.
“That looks like a kind of gateway.”
Out of curiosity, Seong approached one of the spires.
[To attempt the Third Trial of the Knight, you must first pass the previous trials.]
He then sought out the first trial, just in case.
A similar ssage appeared.
[You have not yet fulfilled the conditions to attempt the First Trial of the Knight.]
“It’s still locked, huh.”
It appeared to be a structure that only opened once specific conditions were t.
However, there were no clear instructions written anywhere.
Without even the smallest clue, Seong had a rough idea of what it ant.
It was likely a condition that would naturally be fulfilled as he trained over ti.
Aside from the spires, Seong explored other parts of the area.
There was a massive training ground resembling a parade square, where several golems lay dormant, as well as various rest areas scattered around.
The environnt was surprisingly comfortable.
“This place is quite nice.”
It seed like an excellent location to keep secret and reserve for guild use.
Skill proficiency wasn’t sothing that improved easily, after all.
For Seong, it was even more difficult.
Most of his skill levels were either Legendary or Almighty grade.
The only skill he had recently leveled up was the Aura of Death, thanks to Helena’s assistance.
This was a rare and valuable opportunity.
Even though the only skills he could improve here were swordsmanship-related, he thought to himself:
“This might beco a key skill for .”
After exploring various places, Seong decided to head to the training ground, where he could practice.
Although it was late—considering the ti it had taken to clear the Legion of Calamity event and reach this place—there was still enough ti to train a little.
He could use Leonic’s mories, which he had recently acquired, as a basis for his training, but there wasn’t really a need for that yet.
After all, the more, the better.
As Seong arrived at the training ground, the ghostly spectators were visibly excited.
Among the many ghosts present, Seong fixed his gaze on one who appeared the most robust.
Unlike a typical elf, this ghost had exceptionally developed muscles.
It was evident that his swordsmanship had also evolved in line with his physical build.
What made him more interesting was that, despite his muscular fra, he was strikingly handso.
—“Ohhh! You’ve chosen my swordsmanship, haven’t you?!”
“Yes, that’s what I’m planning to do.”
When Seong replied, the burly elven ghost beca so excited that he started dancing awkwardly, approaching Seong with exaggerated enthusiasm. Slapping his chest confidently, he proclaid:
—“Hahaha! Good choice! Very good! My swordsmanship is on a completely different level compared to those scrawny weaklings.”
“Scrawny weaklings?”
—“Exactly. Hm? Ah, ahh…”
The burly elven ghost suddenly noticed Seong’s physique.
Only then did he realize that Seong looked just as lean as the other elves.
Awkwardly scratching the back of his head, the ghost cleared his throat and corrected himself:
—“Ahem, for soone like you, my lord, your muscles are much better developed than those of any weakling.”
He even switched to speaking politely.
In any case, that wasn’t what really mattered.
What kind of swordsmanship did this ghost possess?
Curious, Seong extended his hand toward the burly elven ghost.
At that mont…
Shwoooo—!
A teal aura began to swirl around the ghost’s body, condensing into a mass that flowed directly into Seong’s hand.
mories and experiences.
Seong absorbed all of it.
The mories of the burly elven knight poured into Seong’s mind like a panorama.
“Ah!”
Countless techniques and a glimpse into the Hall of Knights during its golden age.
Seong now understood everything, including the conditions required for the trials.
Using the mories he had absorbed, Seong recalled the swordsmanship of the burly elven knight.
And then…
[Through your ‘Unknown Power,’ you have achieved sothing impossible at your current level.]
[Strength 8 and Agility 2 have permanently increased.]
These were the sa stat increases he had gained from absorbing the ghost of the royal knight in the Crystal Palace.
This burly elven knight was evidently of the sa caliber.
However, Seong now knew from the mories he had absorbed that the dozens of knightly spirits gathered here were all of equal or greater skill.
Skill experience?
Of course, this was an incredible opportunity.
But considering the sheer amount of stats he could gain here…
“This is insane.”
This place was truly a goldmine.
As Seong’s expression turned intrigued, the burly elven ghost laughed heartily and asked:
—“Hahaha! So, my lord! Isn’t this grand and valiant swordsmanship like nothing you’ve ever seen before? Hahaha! Surely, as a… ahem, as a mage, you must be seeing such swordsmanship for the first ti! So, what do you think? Would you like to give it a try?”
The burly elven knight spoke with overflowing confidence.
He wasn’t wrong.
Aside from Leonic, this ghost possessed the most exceptional swordsmanship skills.
Naturally, Seong felt an urge to test it out imdiately.
Drawing his sword, he headed toward the section of the training ground filled with golems.
But then…
—“Hoho? My lord, while I admire your enthusiasm for wielding such valiant swordsmanship, don’t you think it’s a bit much for a mage to face golems right away?”
“What?”
—“Perhaps it would be better to start with the scarecrows to gradually hone your skills before challenging the golems?”
“???”
What was this nonsense?
Seong tilted his head in confusion.
Start with scarecrows because he was a mage?
Well, it wasn’t surprising that the burly elven ghost didn’t fully understand him.
In that case, he would just have to prove himself.
—“Hahaha…”
The burly elven ghost chuckled nervously, glancing at Seong with a troubled expression.
“Should I stop him now?” he seed to wonder.
Before long…
—“Hey, skeleton. Why aren’t you stopping him? If he gets hurt or bruises his pride, it’ll be on you.”
—“Ahem. Well, being a skeleton, perhaps my vision has deteriorated along with my flesh?”
—“Not that we could stop him even if we wanted to.”
Not only the burly elven ghost but also the other ghosts expressed concern.
To them, Seong, a mage, still seed inexperienced.
Though he hadn’t done anything noteworthy in front of them, they assud as much based on their own judgnt.
What if he lost interest in swordsmanship entirely?
They were filled with worry.
But just as everyone was fretting…
Kugugugu—!
A long-dormant wooden golem activated, grabbing its weapon and charging at Seong, who stood ready with his sword.
Facing the advancing wooden golem, Seong unleashed the swordsmanship he had learned from the burly elven ghost.
The golem raised its arms to block Seong’s downward slash, but the force of the attack generated a powerful gale that enveloped the sword. Seong imdiately followed up with a sharp swing, faster than the initial strike, which shattered the golem’s arms and left a deep gash across its chest.
Crashhhhh—!
It was truly a domineering display of swordsmanship.
Just as the burly elven ghost had boasted, it was indeed valiant and overwhelming.
“Hmm, not bad at all.”
As Seong muttered in satisfaction, the ghostly knights stared at him with their jaws practically on the floor.
—“W-what?!”
—“He absorbed the mories and, just like that…?!”
—“A genius of the ages?!”
—“How could soone with that level of talent choose to be a mage?!”
While the ghosts marveled in disbelief, Leonic smirked and said mockingly:
—“Do not presu that you can comprehend the extent of our lord’s abilities.”
Feeling a rare sense of relief, Leonic shrugged his skeletal shoulders, thinking to himself:
“For him to manage this… truly, my lord is remarkable.”
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