UNLOCK: I CAN SEE MY STATS

chapter 53 : Reka kingdom P3

The air in the tent was heavy, saturated with the scent of burning wax and damp leather, the warmth of breaths mingling with the dampness of aged fabric. The eyes fixed on Marcus were like drawn swords, weighing every movement, analyzing every breath, as if trying to peel away his layers until they reached his core.

"What do you think, Marcus?" Teris asked, her tone sharp as a blade, her hands tightly clasped on the wooden table, the joints of her fingers showing white under the skin.

He lifted his head slowly, as though some hidden weight was pulling his neck toward the ground, and stared at the row of faces waiting for him. He left no room for surprise or anger on his features, only a stony coldness. They had summoned him at the first light of dawn, after spending the night together, shaping his future without granting him a single word. And now, the decision lay before him, sharp as an unexpected thrust in the fog.

His eyes slid toward Darius, the old fox, who offered him a narrow smile that never reached his eyes, the smile of a man watching his prey cornered, needing only one step before being finished.

"Marcus!" Teris’s voice snapped through his thoughts like a whip across the back of a wild horse.

"So…" he said, drawing in a slow breath, "you want me to infiltrate the Kingdom of Rika… and spy."

"Exactly." Teris replied without hesitation, the word leaving her lips with a coldness that allowed no debate.

"But I’m just a soldier in the medical team!" he said with measured sharpness, "I don’t think this mission..."

His voice was cut by a short laugh from Darius, a laugh without warmth, without soul. "A soldier in the medical team… yet he possesses a miraculous technique." He said it as if it were a suspicion, not a merit.

Korvan leaned forward, his hands pressing firmly against the table as though anchoring the ground beneath his argument. "Son, I know this is surprising, but we are bleeding men, one after another.

And you…" He paused, the words chosen like the careful selection of a knife before the thrust, "you’ve proven yourself capable of far more than your position suggests."

Silence fell, as if the tent itself held its breath. Then Korvan leaned slightly closer, his voice dropping to a weighty tone. "If you succeed, you’ll receive a reward, an A-rank technique of your choice."

Marcus scoffed inwardly at the offer, as if his inner voice spat out the words. Tch… an A-rank technique? Please, old man… I’d give you an S-rank technique myself if you’d just spare me this mission. But his face remained devoid of any hint of mockery.

In truth, this might be a good opportunity to develop my strength without restrictions. The thought flashed in his mind, making him lift his head slightly toward Korvan. "Alright, I accept… but…"

"Speak your mind," Korvan said calmly, though his eyes studied Marcus like a hunter watching the final movements of his prey.

"I want a spear made of Onti Ellter metal."

A heavy silence followed Marcus’s words, as though the letters he spoke hung in the air, weighing more than lead. Some of the generals exchanged glances, while a look of astonishment mixed with mockery appeared on Darius’s face.

He shifted his chair slightly back, then leaned forward, elbows resting on the table, his voice slow, laced with biting scorn.

"A spear of Onti Ellter metal?" he repeated, as though reciting an absurd line heard from a child. "Do you realize, boy, what you’re asking for?"

His eyes narrowed, as if measuring a man trying to haggle in the market of kings.

"Onti Ellter is not a metal handed out so easily. It is rare, precious, found only in limited stockpiles under heavy guard. A single piece of it could be worth the price of a small city."

His fingers moved slowly across the surface of the table, as if brushing away dust that wasn’t there, before he added, his voice growing colder

"You’ve asked for a reward before even starting the mission, as if you’re certain of returning alive. As for us, we don’t hand out the kingdom’s treasures just to satisfy the ambition of a soldier in the medical team, even if he is… gifted."

He glanced at Korvan from the corner of his eye, as though expecting him to put an end to this request, then returned his gaze to Marcus, a narrow smile curling his lips.

"If these are your conditions, then we may need to reconsider assigning you in the first place."

Marcus’s expression did not change at Darius’s words, as if all this objection left no mark on him. He let the silence swallow the moment before speaking in a calm voice, its depth holding the firmness of mountain stone.

"I don’t want an A-rank technique."

A few eyebrows rose, and a short murmur passed between the generals, but Marcus didn’t turn toward them. He continued with the same confident tone:

"I’ll give up the reward entirely, in exchange for receiving the spear. Onti Ellter metal will serve this mission better than any technique."

He fixed his gaze on Darius, as though daring him to object again, then added slowly, as if setting forth an argument beyond dispute:

"You want me to cross the borders of a neutral kingdom and return with proof to confirm your intelligence. The spear will be the only guarantee I need, while the technique… I can obtain that myself, in my own way."

The generals exchanged glances until Rickard stepped forward, his hands clasped behind his back, his voice steady yet cautious.

"Marcus… even if we wanted to, we can’t give you a spear made entirely of Onti Ellter metal. What we have is rare, and most of it is allocated for strategic weaponry."

Marcus showed no sign of annoyance, only lowered his head slightly, as if he had expected this reply. Then he said with measured calm:

"I don’t want a full spear. I only need twelve kilograms of raw metal. I’ll be responsible for forging it myself."

Darius shifted in his seat, his eyes narrowing before opening his mouth:

"This is madness! Even that amount..."

But Korvan cut him off with a sharp raise of his hand, without taking his eyes off Marcus. Silence reigned for several seconds before he spoke slowly, as though his words were being carved into stone

"You’ll have your request. The metal will be in your possession before you depart for the border."

Marcus nodded in thanks. He had wanted this metal badly, for it was known that Onti Ellter was an excellent conductor of Eternal Energy, capable even of amplifying it slightly while reducing consumption. As for why he chose the spear over a sword or another weapon, it was because, in the past, this had been his favored weapon.

"Very well, you may withdraw now. You have twenty-four hours before you set out on your mission…" Korvan said calmly.

….....

Elsewhere, far from the camp by thousands of kilometers.

The castle rose before the eyes, towering like a spear of stone and steel, piercing the heavy clouds. It was Aliliam, the royal fortress of the Kingdom of Rika, a jewel of power and wealth, though the kingdom’s size barely exceeded that of a large city.

Its walls, clad in rare metals, reflected the sunlight like sharp blades, and its watchtowers scanned the horizon with eyes that never slept.

At the heart of this impregnable stronghold, inside the throne hall clad in black marble and gold, sat King Miguel Williont, surrounded by the royal banners bearing the silver crest.

His gaze was steady, carrying in its firmness the wisdom of decades of rule, as he looked down toward where the envoys of the Land of Iron stood, waiting for him to speak.

Miguel narrowed his eyes and said in a calm tone, "So, what has brought you to my humble kingdom…?"