Chapter 619 (2/2)

Did he expect them to help him? This wasn’t so casual a scenario that they had the leisure to take the time and determine right and wrong. At the time, they needed to arrive on time to participate in the tournament. Not that Randidly felt very guilty. Why was this guy bringing his sister to the tournament in the first place…?

If she had come in with him, would he now be arguing that she should come to the front lines with them on their mission? Surely not. So perhaps it was for the best that she didn’t come into the city.

Giving his head a firm shake to disperse the wandering thoughts, Randidly turned and looked at Skarch Top, the rather long-limbed final member of their team. She was calmly sitting in front of the large package she was carrying yesterday, slowly unwrapping it.

With nothing else to do, Randidly settled down to watch her. After a few minutes, it became clear that his suspicion was correct; what she had within was a spear. But as Randidly looked at it, his eyes widened in shock. It was an extremely long spear made out of a dark blue metal. The blade had a pure silver sheen.

And the entire thing was covered in Engravings.

Almost helplessly, Randidly leaned closer. In his mind, he had achieved some pretty substantial things in the realm of Engraving. His invention of the runic language to assist in the deployment of drones was especially challenging, and his success had come with a commiserate reward.

But now, looking at the tightly wound and organic runes on the spear, Randidly couldn’t help but feel that he had only scratched the surface. What he had accomplished was what someone could do in a few years. What Skarch was holding was a weapon that could only be made if several generations of masters spent their lives raising an individual who was a mix between a savant and a civil engineer.

Just parceling out space on the spear to the different runes alone would be an extremely exhausting task. Add that to the trouble of forging the weapon into the shape that would be able to handle the energies running through it…

Skarch smiled at him. “You like it? It is rare to find one among the Spearman School who can appreciate quality work when they see it. My family's finest accomplishment.”

“It’s… wow.” Randidly wasn’t sure what to say. His eyes continued to trace the runes, mesmerized by their shape. It was slow going, but Randidly was content to sit and the spear. Laughing softly, Skarch pulled back the last layer of canvas over the base of the spear and smiled down at it. After glancing up at Randidly, she joined him in being lost in its bends.

Every time Randidly moved a little further down the spear, he felt shaken to his core. Although the energy demands were impossibly high… this spear contained almost a dozen different aspects. Although he couldn’t figure out exactly how each one worked, they were clearly bound together.

In addition, Randidly realized something very important about this spear; it had the capability to grow.

When he obtained the Engraving Encyclopedia from that wandering Style, he had been told that it was possible to do such a thing. But to see it with his own eyes…

Before he could wonder whether the two parties he knew of that were related to growing Engravings were related, Randidly simply looked in wonder at the masterful mechanism that allowed it to happen. Even with his own mediocre ability with Engraving, Randidly could clearly tell how invaluable such a spear would be. As far as he could tell, the main function of the spear seemed to be a Skill akin to Haste.

With a sigh, Randidly leaned back. “I don’t suppose you have the information on how to make such an Engraving?”

Abruptly, Skarch’s face turned wary. “I do not. You do well not to look to me for answers. This... is ultimately a failed product.”

As Randidly opened his mouth, Silo arrived, leading a grey-haired woman by the arm.

“Youngster, there was no need to take an old woman this far…”

“Nonsense ma’am, I was walking this way already. It’s my pleasure to escort you the rest of the way…”

“Ohoho, you certainly are a charmer, aren’t you?”

“Only if kindness is charming. I just think that some people need to take the time to slow down and appreciate their lives. If you do that, you can reach out and touch the lives of so many in a positive way... and that, more than anything, is what the world needs.”

After waving the old woman off, Silo turned to the group. “Oh, did I keep you waiting? Let’s head out. Our Sergeant is waiting at the Southpoint Beach.”

Randidly looked at Silo, rather nonplussed. Who the fuck was this weird guy? Did he have a hero complex?