Everybody Levels Up, Except Me (1)

Ryu Han-bin and Artis returned to the dungeon city of Highten with Effir, whose eyes shone as she looked at the two-story house in front of her.

Is this your home?

Yes. Ill give you the keys to the attic so you can use it.

Using cleaning items, she immediately began to clean the attic efficiently.

I used to watch humans cleaning a lot when I was in the Dragon Knights.

It was almost too hard to believe that she was a Wyvern just a few days ago.

She continued to adapt to the human body while returning to Highten, never neglecting her bare-handed physical abilities as well. If Han-bin were to look at Effirs status using the Guidelines, he wouldve been surprised again.

[Race: Human. Warrior Lv. 10]

She still couldnt operate the magical appliances at her level since the lowest requirement was level 20, but that didnt stop her from being as helpful as she could be.

After cleaning up the attic, she swept and mopped the first floor then took care of Artiss errands.

Youre sincere.

Praising the unique female Wyvern, Artis turned his attention to Han-bin.

Look at her! She doesnt use her level as an excuse to not help around the house!

But the muscular giant remained lying down on the couch.

Felard! Idle!

Gosh, this man

Han-bin suddenly stood up.

Ill start paying for my living expenses.

As part of Artiss payment for saving his life, he took care of Han-bins food, clothing, and shelter.

It left Han-bin with no opportunity to spend his money.

His weapon was cared for daily by him, and he didnt need any other combat equipment since he was disguised as a Valtara warrior.

He didnt need to buy magic scrolls either.

His money was piling up, and he had nothing to spend it on.

Honestly, havent you done enough to pay for your life? I need to help you, too.

Artis thought otherwise.

I dont like your lazy attitude, but I havent even paid off the interest yet.

It was all thanks to Han-bin that he could raise his level quickly while making tons of money.

Artis still owed him more than hes ever paid back.

Han-bin shook his head in reply.

Thats for my own benefit as well. I need to raise your level so we can go to the center of the continent together.

I dont care. I havent paid off my lifes debt yet!

Youre stubborn in the strangest ways. Well, at least I can save up funds.

Clicking his tongue, Ryu Han-bin went back to laying down on the couch.

Artis rolled his eyes.

Im not even surprised about that.

Effir entered the room after that.

Mr. Artis, Ive put all the laundry inside the bucket. Please turn it on.

Okay.

Artis headed to the backyard and put his hand on the circular bucket.

Activate.

It was a magical washing machine.

Upon putting clothes in the bucket, a water spirit was summoned to remove any dirt from them. When activated with the purification and dehydration spells, all the user would have to do afterward was take out the completely clean and dried garments.

It had a simple structure and caused minimal vibration and noise. After usage, the water and dirt were automatically separated to avoid clogging.

It was incredibly eco-friendly.

The problem was the magical washing machines level requirement was Level 30.

Due to it, Latnains were forced to rely on the primitive way of washing clothes through washboards and brushes.

Effir stared at the spinning machine with wonderment.

I have to raise my level quickly, right?

She needed to be at a level that would allow her to operate the right magic appliances on her own to avoid bothering Artis.

Artis laughed gently.

Levels dont rise that fast. Theres no need to be impatient.

Effirs level rose quickly, just like the Dragons who had just transformed into their human forms, but the effect didnt last forever.

I know I should wait for at least two or three months.

But Effir thought differently.

Scratching her head, she had one thought in her mind.

I dont think itll be that difficult to reach level 20 Am I that slow of a learner?

* * *

The next day, Effir nagged on Ryu Han-bin.

Please let me borrow your sword.

Glancing at the black greatsword on his back a weapon that was almost 2 meters long Han-bin thought it was absurd.

You wouldnt even be able to swing it.

No, not that one.

Effir didnt think shed even be able to carry it in the first place.

What she wanted was the twin blades of Alejandro.

I cant use its special abilities because of my level, but I can still wield them, right?

He had no use for the item anyway, so there was no problem with lending it to her, but

What are you even going to use it for?

I want to practice swordsmanship. My level no longer goes up through punching and kicking.

Han-bin was pleasantly surprised.

Have you ever practiced swordsmanship?

Why would Wyverns even want to learn human swordsmanship?

Effir laughed lightly.

I havent practiced it, but Ive seen it in action, and I know a lot about it.

She woke up from her egg and spent 15 years as a member of the Flying Dragon Knights, which allowed her to watch Flying Dragon Knights combat training all the time.

She didnt only know simple training moves, but all the martial arts theories as well.

Nobody hid their secrets in front of me.

Like Earth during the Cold War, most martial arts were treated with utmost secrecy.

Such knowledge wasnt passed on to just anyone. The martial arts masters only taught their techniques to those who were chosen. However, no matter how much they kept it secret, people naturally never felt wary towards their horses.

Thanks to that, I managed to memorize the martial arts of the Flying Dragon Knights.

Why did you memorize it, though?

I didnt do it on purpose. I just listened and watched, and I memorized it subconsciously.

There was no reason to stop Effir from training on her own anyway.

Han-bin was just about to hand over the twin blades when Artis objected.

Those weapons are overly high-level Artifact. If someone else recognizes it, itll cause us trouble.

Wouldnt it be okay? Now one would know until they appraised it with a measuring stone.

The Aliens will see and know with a single glance at it. You have that same ability, Han-bin. Not to mention, the original owner of that twin blades was an Alien.

Youre saying the Great Earth might capture her?

If other Aliens were investigating the death of their friend, openly carrying his items could spell trouble for us.

Still, Effir is wearing the Polymorph Necklace anyway. Doesnt that defeat the purpose?

She can hide the necklace inside her clothes.

The Guidelines couldnt detect all the Magic Tools on their opponent as soon as they saw them.

The user had to search for them first consciously.

Even Ryu Han-bin discovered Alejandros Artifacts a little too late.

If they cant see it, theyll have a hard time finding it. The weapons would be too obvious, though.

Fair point.

Artis wasnt against Effirs training itself.

It would be better if you bought her a weapon for practice.

Well have to go to a weapon shop then.

Effir felt a little ashamed.

You dont have to spend money on me Youve already bought me some nice clothes

Han-bin smiled and shook his head.

Its alright. I have money to spend anyway.

* * *

Ryu Han-bin bought a bunch of weapons in the weapon shop. He carried daggers, long swords, twin blades, gladiuses, and even rapiers. He also bought various shields like round shields and kite shields.

He also had all types of spears and blunt weapons like maces and flails.

Artis was dumbfounded.

Why did you buy so many weapons?

Han-bin responded triumphantly, laying all weapons on the floor.

She should try all the weapons first so she can choose the right weapon for her.

He then looked at the black greatsword he was carrying with a strangely sorrowful expression.

Its nice to be able to choose your weapon with your own will.

What happened to you before?

Effir began to swing the weapons one by one before making a decision.

Dual Swordsmanship is the best fit for me, I think.

The reason she tried to borrow the twin blades wasnt just because Ryu Han-bin owned them.

Im small and quick with my hands, so Ill be able to excel with defense-oriented double swordsmanship. I weigh too little in human form for the aggressive sword and shield style.

Han-bin blinked his eyes.

Isnt it normal for two swords to be more aggressive than the shield and sword?

Effir felt a little puzzled.

Which quack told you that?

Nobody, just

He didnt hear from anyone, but it was natural to consider having two swords to be much more aggressive than having a shield as well, which were used for defense.

Effir looked at Ryu Han-bin with fresh eyes.

Mr. Han-bin is so strong, yet you said something surprisingly strange like that.

Is that so?

Think about it. Between an enemy with two swords and an enemy with a sword and a shield, which one would be able to fight more effortlessly?

Neither, I guess?

He was just going to split them in one hit anyway.

Geez! Assume that they are on similar levels with you.

Han-bin mulled over the thought.

He felt a little confused.

Huh? Do you really think the one with the shield would be easier to beat?

All he had to do was care about the swings of the sword while he destroyed the shield.

On the other hand, he had to keep a constant eye out for counters that could come from any side or both at any time when facing a dual-wielder.

With a shield, youll be able to push the enemy back aggressively to get the advantage.

The enemys attack would be blocked with the shield, so he could attack as aggressively as needed.

When using dual swordsmanship, its more advantageous to keep changing the roles of the left and right swords and adhere to the counter-centered defensive style of swordsmanship.

Defense-oriented and taking advantage of defense-oriented had completely different meanings.

I see.

Ryu Han-bin was impressed.

He never thought about it that way as he only ever had to deal with Demon Dogs until recently.

By the way, what about the remaining weapons? Are you going to get a refund?

She looked at the other weapons except for the twin swords and felt like they were wasting money.

Leave them there.

Hanbin shrugged.

I was thinking of having weapons for practice anyway. Youll be able to develop an insight on your opponents weapons.

Thats right.

Convinced, Effir went out to the yard.

She began to practice in earnest.

Like this Was it this way?

Swordsmanship aside, her movements were closer to looking like she was going on a frenzy.

No matter how much she had seen and heard, embodying and mimicking what shes learned was an entirely different matter.

After watching for a while, Ryu Han-bin and Artis rose.

You can keep practicing.

Well be out for a while.

The two also had work to do.

Artis was almost done digesting all of the energy hes absorbed.

It was time to resume their hunt.

Shall we go to the Rastol Dungeon, Han-bin?

It has a good layout. The monsters are also tough.

Smiling brightly, the silver-haired girl waved her hand.

Take care.