Chapter 16: Eyas, Warrior of the Wind

#1

C.C.A.

[Climbing Champions of America].

A nickname belonging to a scout in the North American professional scene—the foremost among them, at that.

Someone who discovered young prospects and tested their abilities.

Someone who sought talent suited to the professional League, where Climbers competed against one another beyond ordinary tower climbing.

Their avatars appeared and turned toward Hwanung.

There was still a little time before the finals began.

The scouts took the opportunity to speak to him.

“Hello. I’m Eric, from the North American League.”

“I’m Avatar 1993.”

“I’ve watched your videos. Your ability is truly extraordinary. Which brings me to my question… Would you consider joining the North American professional scene?”

Going pro.

Hwanung considered the offer. They were being more proactive than he had expected.

Professionals.

The idols of every Climber, figures ordinary people could only dream of becoming.

These days, they were more popular than most celebrities, and plenty of professionals appeared in advertisements as models.

People called the professional scene a place where stars shone.

Just as people looked to the stars when climbing mountains at night, they did the same when climbing towers.

“The professional scene… I think it’s a little early for me.”

“You’re modest. Then let’s have a match as a test, so I can gauge your skills.”

“…”

Hwanung fell silent under their gazes.

They acted humble on the surface, but their eyes gave them away.

They had come here simply to test and evaluate him.

So many people had already become stars, only to vanish as supernovas.

There were plenty of people, and no shortage of potential stars.

Just as there were countless stars in the universe.

To these scouts, those stars were merely tools.

Just as Hwanung had been when he was a Sherpa.

“Well? Will you take the test? We’ll be evaluating you either way, of course.”

“This seems a little different from the rumors. Was that woman a summon… too? I thought there were more of them.”

“We’ll find out soon enough. Oh, don’t worry. This is a private evaluation, so we won’t be streaming.”

They spoke as though sounding him out.

Hwanung frowned and was about to respond, but someone else spoke first.

“Impudent fools.”

Crack.

Eyas tilted her head to work the stiffness out of her neck, then spoke.

Her voice was cold, sharp as a north wind in the depths of winter.

If a voice could cut, they would have been covered in wounds in an instant.

Venom poured from her lips.

What angered her was their insolence in daring to judge her lord.

“Who are you to judge him? What do you know that gives you the right to run your mouths?”

“What? What did you just say?”

“Do not measure my lord by your paltry standards. There are things you may say, and things you may not.”

“Well, now.”

The C.C.A representatives shrugged, apparently not expecting such hostility.

But their expressions had hardened. Eyas’s words had clearly offended them.

[The finals will begin shortly.]

The impersonal announcement rang out.

Shing.

A chilling metallic note sounded.

Her hwando was chipped in places from the fierce battles.

‘I may have lived that way…’

Gripping the hilt of the sword that had already cut down so many enemies, Eyas strode forward.

She, too, had been treated that way.

Evaluated, sent to the battlefield, made to report her achievements, then evaluated again.

Days spent constantly proving she was different from the rest, her heart in her throat as the scales weighing her worth tipped back and forth.

It was all right for her. She had been raised for that purpose.

Living that way had been a means of proving herself.

But.

“My lord is not someone for you to judge.”

“That’s right.”

Hwanung took up her words.

[The finals begin.]

The barrier separating the two sides vanished, and Eyas ran.

The scouts looked startled as she sped toward them like the wind.

Watching them, Hwanung raised his voice a little.

He folded his arms as though appraising them.

“I’m the one who chooses. So you’ll have to prove whether your organization is worthy of having me.”

It was time their positions were reversed.

Instead of a life spent being judged wherever he went, he would judge the places he might call home.

An extraordinary stroke of fortune, a miracle, had made that possible. And his summons, who trusted and respected him without reservation, supported him on that path.

Already racing forward like the wind, Eyas swung her sword, turning the same thought over and over.

‘I am the sword that fights in my lord’s stead.’

When her companions were with her, completing the task had come before her sense of duty.

But now, she was the only one fighting.

The thought that her lord would fall if she did made her grit her teeth all the harder.

CRASH!

She knew from their first clash.

These opponents would be tougher than she had expected.

They had the skill to reach the finals.

‘But falling here is unthinkable.’

She tried to deceive her enemies with dazzling movements.

Her exhausted body protested with every movement, and the sword kept threatening to slip from her grasp. Even that, she told herself, was merely another trial to endure.

But her opponents were formidable, too.

“Taking on five of us alone? What arrogance.”

“We’ll have to revise our assessment.”

Eyas blocked a sword and sprang back.

The tremendous force behind the blow was too much for her exhausted body to withstand. Rather than resist, she let it push her away.

Her arms and legs had begun to tremble.

She had little Inner Energy left with which to summon the wind.

‘Only enough for one more?’

It made her shake with frustration.

If she hadn’t been alone, if she’d been at full strength, if she’d at least had a better weapon…

“You worthless bitch.”

What good would blaming her circumstances do now?

Berating herself, she struck her cheek hard with her free hand.

The sting and warmth seemed to clear her head.

Eyas stole a glance behind her.

It was fear.

〈Just as I thought. Lowborn trash is useless.〉

〈We picked the bitch up off the street. Let her die there.〉

The situation had been much the same back then.

When she had been left utterly alone.

When she had been cast aside as a sacrifice for the family’s benefit.

The eyes of the person she served then had been endlessly cold, filled with contempt and scorn.

That was why she had looked back, unable to stop herself from wondering, ‘What if?’

For that moment, time seemed to crawl.

But Hwanung’s expression was exactly as it had been at the start.

Instead—

“Eyas! Focus!”

He even shouted to snap her out of it.

Time suddenly sped up. Sensing a sharp surge of killing intent, she raised her sword on instinct.

CLANG!

The tremendous impact sent her flying backward.

She tumbled across the ground and came to a stop in front of Hwanung, then staggered to her feet.

“Are you all right?”

“…Yes.”

“Don’t push yourself. There’ll always be another chance.”

The words hurt, but they were true.

Eyas shook her head.

Gripping her sword firmly once more, she spoke.

“If I fall here, my lord, you will become a laughingstock. They will mock you for years to come.”

“I can just bring out the other summons.”

“Do you think I would stand by and let that happen?”

Her eyes shone, filled with an earnest wish.

[Eyas’s fervent wish reaches the summoner.]
[Eyas, Warrior of the East temporarily awakens.]

She had one wish, and Hwanung felt every bit of the emotion behind it.

To uphold her lord’s dignity, exalt his honor, and stay by his side to the very end.

To act so that he would never be disappointed in her, and constantly seek his affection so that he would never cast her aside.

That was Eyas’s wish.

“Eyas.”

“…”

Sword in hand, she watched the opponents charging toward her.

Yet her ears remained wholly open to her lord, Hwanung.

A rising wind was already sending her clothes fluttering.

Feeling her emotions in full, Hwanung spoke.

So that she, too, could feel his.

“You and I are in this to the end. So don’t be afraid.”

“I shall carry those words in my heart for the rest of my life.”

The wind blew.

Through it, her final opponents rushed toward her.

“Let’s finish this!”

“Let’s end it in one go!”

The wind flowing from Eyas wrapped around her, making her the wind itself.

With a light swing of her sword, the breeze swirling from its tip became a whirlwind and drove her enemies back.

“Urgh!?”

“Eric! What did she do?”

“Go for the summoner first!”

For those who repeated the same foolish mistake, she had only blades of wind.

Eyas raced forward, driving a gale before her.

[Eyas, Warrior of the East → Eyas, Warrior of the Wind]
[SR-rank]
[New skill acquired: Electric Wind]

#2

It was an exhilarating victory.

Hwanung smiled at the battered Eyas.

She beamed back and sank to the ground.

He worried she might be unsummoned on the spot, but fortunately, that didn’t seem to be happening.

“Whew… What a relief.”

“Good work. How does the power feel?”

“It is beyond anything I could have imagined. But… somehow, I feel this is not the end.”

She spoke as she controlled the winds fluttering around her.

It was a mysterious, formidable power.

With it, she could carry out her lord’s commands all the more surely.

A sense of pride welled up in her, and she smiled softly.

Hwanung, too, was quite satisfied with the results of the climb.

Eyas had acquired new equipment, and he had obtained items worth two million won in cash.

Plus Lux.

The special prize for winning was a [Necklace of Nimbleness].

“Oh… It raises Agility by a whole two points?”

A necklace that suited Eyas well.

Then came the messages.

[Eyas has completed her trial.]
[Eyas’s awakening is now permanent.]
[Eyas’s skills are enhanced.]
[Her growth will not stop.]

‘Good. Shall we check her stats, then?’

How high would Eyas’s stats be after her growth?

Heart pounding with anticipation, he inspected them.

[Strength: 32 / Mana: 45 / Stamina: 30 / Agility: 50]
[Equipment: Well-Forged Hwando / -]
[Accessory: Necklace of Nimbleness]

‘Oh, yes.’

Those stats deserved admiration.

Her Mana and Agility, in particular, had risen dramatically.

Ordinarily, Climbers had to invest enormous amounts of time and effort to raise a single stat by ten.

With “Average” Growth Potential, going from twenty to thirty alone took a year on average.

Raising an avatar’s stats by ten without relying on equipment was an incredible feat.

That was why innate potential and starting stats mattered.

But Eyas was different.

‘How many days has it been?’

In roughly a week, her average stat value had risen by nearly ten.

Once again, he realized how tremendous the power of evolution was.

He had felt it when going from N-rank to R-rank, but the difference would only become more pronounced.

And there was something else.

‘She can equip more items, too.’

That was more good news.

Helping her grow was proving quite enjoyable.

Besides, he was curious about his summons’ wishes and personal stories.

Satisfied with all of it, Hwanung spoke.

“Shall we head out?”

“Yes. Thank you so much for believing in me to the end.”

Eyas bowed her head, and Hwanung gave her shoulder a reassuring pat.

With that, their climb through the Knight’s Tower came to an end.

#3

When Hwanung emerged into the lobby, Tete was waiting to greet him.

She wasn’t streaming. Apparently, she had won easily, too.

“When are you going to order your equipment?”

“I’ve saved up enough now, more or less, so I’m planning to order it right away.”

“I think you should start by uploading to YouTube. Edited videos and livestreams are a little different.”

“That’s probably the way to go, isn’t it?”

Tete nodded and told him to contact her anytime.

She also said she hoped she could help him find an editor.

“I’ll look around myself, and get in touch if I can’t find anyone.”

“Understood. Take care, then!”

Leaving Tete behind as she bowed politely, Hwanung headed for his next tower.

There were still plenty of towers to climb, and he was eager to evolve his other summons as soon as possible.