12

Chapter Twelve - "Valkyrie"

A month had passed.

In an open space, Forseti and Skorch stood facing each other, the former calm and composed, the latter visibly nervous.

Skorch roared and charged forward.

Before they could close the distance, Forseti remained still until Skorch threw a punch, swiftly dodging to the side.

Skorch stumbled, immediately dropping to his knees.

He tried to counterattack desperately, but Forseti moved quicker, stepping on Skorch's left calf and restraining his left arm, rendering him immobile.

Skorch struggled.

However, his compromised position made every movement laborious, and he quickly gasped for breath.

"No need to continue," Skorch surrendered.

Forseti released him, exhaling in relief.

In truth, if Skorch had persisted, he wouldn't have held out much longer.

Over the past month, while Forseti had grasped the basics of paladin combat, the disparity in strength between them hadn't narrowed; if anything, Skorch had grown even more robust and muscular. Despite Forseti's progress, Skorch's development was rapid and aggressive.

Fortunately, Skorch lacked a combative spirit; each time he struggled, he eventually surrendered.

Skorch stood up. "You're improving rapidly. Are you considering joining the military to become a soldier?"

"I've been entertaining the idea," Forseti replied.

Skorch looked surprised. "Why?"

"For the spoils," Forseti explained.

"Booty?" Skorch chuckled. "Are you serious?"

"Absolutely," Forseti affirmed.

He meant it sincerely. Asgard wasn't the simple, lawless realm that Gotham City might be. While its inhabitants were fierce, law and order were well-maintained. Finding a thief was no easy task, and making a fortune as a hero was nearly impossible.

Thus, Forseti saw acquiring power through piety as the most viable path—by becoming a warrior in Asgard, he could earn wealth through the spoils of war.

"Though you're already quite formidable, certainly more than me, I must still remark on your physical condition..." Skorch paused, leaving the implication clear.

"I could serve as a combat medic," Forseti suggested. "Let's not forget, I'm also a pharmacist."

Skorch fell silent for a moment. "You know, I've been thinking of enlisting too. Randolph and the others once killed an ice beast in Jotunheim; I heard its teeth fetched a hefty sum... Forseti, if you're set on being a healer, when do you intend to enlist?"

"Not anytime soon," Forseti replied, considering that he needed to forge the Fist of Verrigan first—after all, doctors didn't dispense weaponry.

As they conversed, Skorch suddenly remarked, "By the way, I want you to meet someone."

"Who?"

"There's a formidable girl in Landvety Town. Though a year younger than you, I think her skill level matches yours. If you're interested, you might want to challenge her," Skorch suggested before walking away.

Forseti pondered briefly before following him.

Landvety Town was the largest settlement in Asgard, encompassing the Landvety Forest, home to Vidal, the god of the forest.

Shortly thereafter, they arrived at the Brave Hunter Tavern, a prominent venue in Landvety Town.

"Haha, fresh game!" A burly man emerged from the tavern with a slain goat slung over his shoulder, drawing cheers from the crowd nearby.

"Tialfi, you still haven't caught a four-horned goat," one man shouted.

Tialfi remained silent.

The tavern keeper approached, inspected the goat briefly, and handed Tialfi a bag of coins, after which he left the goat and departed with his earnings.

The Brave Hunter Tavern bustled with activity, its interior and exterior thronged with people, creating a lively atmosphere.

In a quieter corner, several young faces gathered. Skorch led Forseti over to a dusky-skinned girl and introduced him, "Valkyrie, this is the guy who bested me in a month, Forseti."

Valkyrie? Forseti was slightly taken aback, realizing who she was.

"Hello, Valkyrie."

"Hello," Valkyrie greeted, then glanced at Skorch. "Are you pitting me against him?"

"Haha, yes, I want to see who's weaker between you two, giving me a short-term goal," Skorch explained.

"A short-term goal? Skorch, you sure talk big," chuckled a blond man, the eldest among them, likely in his thirties.

Skorch pointed at the blond man. "I've decided to learn combat skills. Just you wait, Bart."

He turned to Forseti. "And how about you? Up for a match with Valkyrie?"

"Not yet," Forseti declined with a smile.

Defeating a girl wasn't an honorable victory, especially against a prospective Valkyrie—he might not even win, and losing would be embarrassing.

After getting acquainted with everyone, Forseti chatted for a while before heading home.

Upon returning, he retrieved the wooden-handled copper hammer purchased from Hadiya's blacksmith, adjusted himself, took out the holy deed, and entered the experience space of Big Candle Garg.

Big Candle Garg proved more challenging than he had anticipated. He attempted several consecutive challenges, each consuming a Holy Light Strike, yet failed to defeat Garg.

He almost considered using the Holy Shield technique but restrained himself. Spell fragments were expended in the experience space, and wasting a Holy Shield technique for a virtual kobold seemed imprudent.

Thus, Forseti trained diligently, preparing to challenge Big Candle Garg once more today, refraining from employing any spells. Though Holy Light Strike was the Paladin's most basic attack spell, its spell fragments were costly, requiring three draws per use. Forseti aimed to save up a hundred fragments to learn new spells as soon as possible.

The scene shifted, and Forseti found himself in the mine with his copper hammer and holy deed.

"I'm taking your candle!" he shouted, charging toward the depths of the mine in a zigzag path.