SCWED 10

Chapter 10

The sun had already set, yet Ethan had no time to rest. He had gone straight into the secret vault he had discovered.

‘This is incredible.’

Perhaps because of the heavily guarded atmosphere, the secret vault was dark, filled with a heavy, oppressive air.

Under the faint glow of lanterns placed throughout the walls, gold coins were piled up like mountains, glittering brilliantly.

And it wasn’t just gold coins.

Silver coins and other currency occupied one side as well, while polished gemstones were neatly arranged among them.

Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and even rare black opals.

Their radiance spread strangely, emitting mesmerizing colors.

The reason Ethan had been brought here was to receive his reward for passing the test.

Realizing that fact once again, Ethan grinned mischievously and asked Walter,

“Is all of this mine?”

“Unfortunately, all of it is going to be confiscated and returned to the Imperial treasury. Only one item belongs to you.”

“…The poverty of a man surrounded by riches.”

“There have been cases where people got too greedy and lost a hand.”

“I’ll take my time choosing.”

Feeling that he might actually get hit if he kept arguing, Ethan returned his attention to selecting his treasure.

‘Unless there’s some special reason, I have two choices. Take something incredibly expensive and enjoy it for the rest of my life, or get a weapon.’

But even that deliberation was based on the perspective of an ordinary person.

Since Ethan had no choice but to live as a tax collector, he naturally found himself more interested in weapons.

Passing the piles of gold coins and heading deeper inside, he came upon an area where countless weapons were neatly displayed.

Even at a glance, they were treasures worthy of being called national treasures.

Ethan’s gaze lingered on one place.

Each weapon was an exceptional masterpiece, but what mattered was finding one that suited him.

No matter how good a weapon was, it was useless if it didn’t fit the wielder.

‘So things like this really exist.’

It was like hearing about a Stradivarius violin.

How many people actually got the chance to see one in person?

And the items Ethan was looking at were even more extraordinary.

There was only one of each of them in the entire world.

The first sword he saw was Roar of the Red Dragon.

Hiss—

Magical patterns flowing along the blade glowed red.

The fact that it could breathe fire was interesting, but a greatsword simply wasn’t suited to him.

Beside it was another sword overflowing with magical energy.

‘This is Judgment of the Heavens.’

Crackle!

The blue-tinged blade held lightning within it.

It was powerful, but the moment Ethan reached for its hilt—

Crackle!

Lightning sparked from the sword.

Perhaps because of its ability to choose its master, it rejected him.

“Ptooey!”

“Hey, you brat!”

Irritated, Ethan gathered saliva in his mouth and spat it onto the hilt.

Walter and the tax collectors were furious.

Finally, there was a sword with an elegant, flowing curve.

‘Guidance of the Moon Spirit.’

It emitted light in dark places and allowed its wielder to move without making a sound.

It was certainly attractive, but the moment Ethan held it, he could tell that he wasn’t its chosen master.

‘What would actually suit me?’

Ethan thought back to his origins.

He had once been the master of a thieves’ guild, and was now the head of an information guild.

Because of the nature of his profession, he was naturally accustomed to light weapons.

Massive equipment simply didn’t suit his body.

‘Then I guess it’s got to be one of these.’

Ethan passed the longswords and greatswords and headed toward the smaller daggers.

Every single dagger was refined and razor-sharp.

Ethan picked up several of them, feeling their weight and texture.

One was Night’s Ruckus.

It had a dark sheen and settled naturally into his hand.

The dagger had a silence effect imbued into it, allowing its wielder to ambush enemies without making a sound.

He also picked up Medusa’s Fang, which contained poison, among others.

But they were only candidates.

He couldn’t easily make a choice.

Then—

His hand reached toward another dagger.

At the same moment, the dagger slipped from his hand and dropped.

‘Heavy…!’

When he first lifted it, it was so heavy that it was hard to believe it was a dagger.

His arm nearly sank under its weight.

But something strange happened.

As he exerted force with his hand, its weight gradually became lighter.

“W-What is this?”

Even Ethan couldn’t figure this one out with his knowledge, so Walter explained it himself.

“That is Heavystalker. It’s a special dagger whose weight can be freely increased or decreased.”

Ethan took the dagger in his hand again.

This time, he slowly adjusted to its weight.

It was unquestionably incredibly heavy at first.

But as time passed, it became lighter.

Ethan swung the dagger.

A weighty sensation remained in his hand.

This wasn’t an ordinary weapon.

“What is its weight limit?”

“I’m not sure. Its minimum weight is apparently zero grams, while its maximum weight exceeds one hundred kilograms by quite a bit.”

‘I like it.’

For the first time, a smile spread across Ethan’s face.

“I think this one will do.”

“Good.”

“Thank you!”

Excited, Ethan immediately undid the belt attached to the dagger sheath and fastened it around his waist.

Watching him, Walter asked with an intrigued expression,

“But can I ask you one thing?”

“What?”

“There are plenty of more expensive and powerful items here. Why that one?”

Whoosh!

At Walter’s question, Ethan casually spun Heavystalker before smoothly sliding it into the sheath attached to his belt.

“Because this is the best one.”

He had cleverly omitted the words for me, but Walter merely curled up the corner of his mouth in amusement.

‘I think I understand why Lowfang chose this kid.’

Always an unexpected answer.

And achievements that went beyond those answers.

Walter was already looking forward to seeing just how far Ethan could go.

Early morning.

As usual, Ethan finished his morning jog with Nicholas.

Official training had been suspended because of the commotion the previous night, but for the two of them, training had become such a routine that it hardly mattered.

The shower room.

Whoosh—

After letting hot water pour over him, Ethan slowly drew in a breath.

Then he looked at himself in the mirror and once again realized just how much he had changed.

‘All that brutal training really did pay off.’

Over the course of nearly five months, his physique had improved beyond recognition.

The thin, lightweight body he had when he first arrived here was nowhere to be seen.

His solidly built muscles and lean physique clearly demonstrated the results of his training.

After finishing his shower, Ethan headed to the dining hall with Nicholas.

“It’s crowded.”

“It always is.”

The dining hall was already bustling with numerous trainees.

Ethan and Nicholas sat side by side as usual and began eating breakfast.

Looking at the two of them, the people around them began whispering.

“How did he improve that quickly?”

“I heard Lowfang is personally looking after him. What exactly does that kid have?”

“He’s lucky. I wonder what he took from the secret vault.”

Jealousy, envy, and admiration were mixed together in the gazes directed toward Ethan.

But Nicholas paid no attention whatsoever, casually spreading yuzu jam over his bread before putting it into his mouth.

“Sleep well? Mind if I join you?”

In the middle of all this, Koren suddenly sat down across from Ethan.

Ethan looked at Koren.

They weren’t particularly close.

Unless he had some ulterior motive, there was no reason for Koren to casually join them like this.

With a warm smile, Koren asked Ethan,

“Why? Is there something on my face?”

“No.”

Koren had striking looks, with blond hair and vivid blue eyes.

His well-balanced features and gentle smile gave him the kind of appearance that would likely make him popular with women.

Looking at him, Ethan absentmindedly muttered,

“You just look annoying.”

“What?”

Nicholas and Koren both looked startled.

Koren slightly raised an eyebrow, his expression turning incredulous.

Ethan casually added,

“I was just talking to myself. Anyway, what do you want?”

Koren stared at Ethan for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.

“I just became curious about you.”

Then, in a voice so low that no one else could hear, he said,

“How someone with no sense for mana managed to learn Hittite Body Hardening faster than anyone else.”

“Because I’m talented.”

“Why a First-Class tax collector like Lowfang is interested in you. And what exactly you took from Count Lloyd’s secret vault last night.”

Ethan’s expression instantly turned cold at the direct question.

He didn’t know about the other things, but mentioning Lowfang meant only one thing.

Koren had investigated his background.

Koren gave him a sly smile, confirming Ethan’s suspicion.

“And why is the master of a thieves’ guild here?”

“What?!”

Nicholas stared at Ethan in shock.

But Ethan showed no sign of being flustered.

He merely snorted and replied,

“Really? I have absolutely no interest in you, though. What are we going to do about that?”

Koren’s expression stiffened slightly.

His eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly, revealing his growing irritation.

Ethan casually added,

“This conversation doesn’t seem very productive. There’s nothing for us to exchange.”

Koren curled the corner of his mouth into a mocking smile.

“Are you sure about that?”

Ethan swept his red hair back from his forehead and lowered his gaze before looking back at Koren.

“So what? Are you planning to blackmail me with that information? Or… are you interested in me? Affection? Love?”

Ethan’s teasing retort caused Koren’s cold, sharpened gaze to reveal his disgust.

“I don’t like the fact that trash like you, with no proper background, intends to become a tax collector. So… get lost.”

“Who the hell are you to tell him that?!”

Nicholas suddenly lost his temper and shot to his feet, roughly grabbing Koren by the collar.

Bang!

The dishes on the table collided and scattered, sending crumbs of bread and jam flying in every direction.

Several trainees flinched in surprise.

Ethan sighed and raised a hand toward Nicholas.

“No need to overreact. Leave him alone.”

Nicholas glared angrily at Koren before finally releasing him.

Koren glared fiercely at Nicholas after being released.

But—

“Koren.”

When Ethan spoke again, Koren turned his gaze toward him.

“You’re nothing more than a tax collector candidate yourself. And evaluations aren’t made by people on the same level. They’re made by those above you.”

Ethan leaned back slightly, raising one corner of his mouth.

“From their perspective, you’re an immature brat who can’t even stand on your own, while I’m an immature brat who’s so outstanding that I stand out.”

“So don’t forget your place.”

Koren’s face went pale.

His hands were visibly trembling, but he couldn’t even find a rebuttal.

He could only grit his teeth.

“Ethan really doesn’t hold anything back.”

“Yeah. And Koren seems like a noble.”

The surrounding trainees began whispering.

Some watched with interest, while others cautiously observed the situation and whispered among themselves.

“Nom.”

Meanwhile, Ethan calmly took another bite of his remaining bread.

Strangely enough, the yuzu jam tasted sweet.

But then the shadow that suddenly fell over them made his expression stiffen.

“Ethan. Koren. It seems life at the training camp has become rather comfortable for you two.”

‘No way…’

Ethan turned around with an ominous look in his eyes.