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"System! Can I have the items, weapon, and armor that the rules took away from the bet back? I'm still naked here," Airen muttered. Even with tattoos covering his torso, the chill seeped into his bones, sharper than ever now that the sun's warmth was gone, blocked by the vast wings overshadowing the world. "I need proper clothes."
His storage ring appeared back on his finger, and he let out a small sigh. He browsed through the items he had earned, admiring the armor and weapons—especially a mana-enhancing earring that boosted his mana and stamina by fifty points. But he tossed the armor and sword aside. "These are amazing, but not what I need. I'm not a fighter type, anyway… not without the skills to back it up." After a moment of silence, he exhaled. "Maybe I should find a way out of this world before it kills me for good."
As he floated above the trees, gliding over the forest with ease, he glanced briefly at the dried branches and lifeless landscape poisoned by the release of his wings. The once lush forest was now a brittle wasteland, gray and silent. But he said nothing, nor did he think. He just kept moving forward, propelled by faint trails of earth dust as his face remained expressionless—a dull mask without the glimmer of hope that used to be in his eyes.
The townspeople watching from afar noticed it too. Even though they could hear his thoughts, there was nothing, as if his inner voice had turned to a whisper. There was no sign of the faint, genuine smile he used to have, only a face stagnant and bleak.
After a while, the barren landscape opened up to a familiar field—now a ruined battleground marked by deep grooves and trampled ground.
"…So, this is where the battle was," he murmured, eyes scanning the field. "I'm back near the goblin village." His gaze lingered on the marks in the ground, his expression tightening as memories flickered in his mind. If he'd been watching me here…
In the middle of a wide impact zone, he recognized where he'd been thrown down by the Goblin King's powerful strike. His eyes narrowed. He'd said, 'Even if you survive the fall, there's that'…
Focusing on an empty space near the tree line, Airen swiped a hand in a straight line through the air, as if cutting the fabric of reality itself. "Illusion Break."
The air fractured with a soft hum, like glass shattering, revealing the mouth of a giant cave that hadn't been visible before. The sight of it stirred a faint spark within him, as if the world were finally unfolding its secrets. He stood there a moment, taking a breath before stepping forward, gripping only a hammer in his hand.
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Even though the cave was dark, with no source of light, Airen continued forward, using the wall as his guide. The chill that had crept into his bones slowly faded as he noticed a slim light ahead. Following it, he found a massive griffin chained to the wall, its powerful form slumped in deep slumber.
Wasting no time, he cast reinforcement spells on his body and hammer, readying himself for the encounter. Remembering his newly acquired skills and their abilities, he transformed the ground beneath the griffin into a thick, binding mud and summoned spheres of earth—mud, dirt, and rocks—above the creature's head, spinning them to gather power.
With one last glance at the sleeping monster, Airen shattered the ground beneath it, sending the griffin plummeting down. The creature awoke with a start, its eyes snapping open as it spread its wings, ready to fight. But before it could even let out a scream, Airen released the spheres, each one crashing down like meteors, battering its wings and body.
In that vulnerable moment, as the griffin struggled to regain its strength, Airen charged forward. Summoning an earthen spear beside its forehead, he knelt, gathering his strength, then struck the spear with all his might, driving it through the griffin's skull. The battle was over before it truly began.
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Looking at the pierced head of the griffin he killed, he stepped forward to the iron collar around the monster's neck that chained it to the wall. Pulling out the rune sword he had found before the Goblin King emerged, he thought, With this much blood, it can probably bring your sharpness back to its former state, and with this iron collar, it can repair the quality of the weapon.
With a single thrust into the monster's neck, its body enveloped the sword, radiating blood and iron back to its former glory. As strong force emanated from the sword, Airen let go and stepped back, watching the corpse of the griffin from afar as its body merged with the weapon.
Looking at the vanished iron chain and collar, he saw only a new sword floating in the air. The once rusty and crumbling blade he'd found in the hut was now glimmering with a golden handle, chains at the end, and a blade emanating a sharpness capable of piercing anything it touched.
He spread out his hand toward the floating sword, his prideful look unchanging as he spoke slowly with a smile.
"Go to where your master is!"
As his words left his lips, the blade moved into his hand, showing whose master it would serve. Gripping it tightly, Airen slowly brought the blade next to his face, tracing it downward along his body. As the blade grazed his skin, blood poured onto it, enveloping it with his own essence. The chains at the end of the handle spiraled around his body and bound him.
His face still filled with pride, Airen looked at the tip of the blade and spoke with a satisfied smile.
"From here on out, you will serve me, and I will use you to cut down all my enemies. Their blood will cover your blade, proof that you defeated them, only making you sharper than you've ever been."
"Your name will be Windbringer."
After a brief moment of silence, the blood that had poured from his body formed in the air, creating a sheath for the sword from his own essence. The sword settled into its new blood-forged sheath, and the chain binding itself to Airen's chest tightened before disappearing.
The cave returned to silence once again.
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