The Genius Archer Who Became a One-Man Army

Chapter 12

Attribute-imparted weapons are distinctly different from magical weapons.

Magical weapons, like a magic sword, have magic forced into them through inscribed magical runes.

Therefore, it requires an excellent mage capable of creating intricate runes, and it takes a long time to complete.

However, there is a fatal flaw with magic swords.

Weapons, by nature, are bound to be damaged during battles.

If the area inscribed with the magical rune is damaged during combat, the magic within the sword becomes unusable.

As a result, a magic sword can only be used a few times, ranging from once to three or four times at most.

Despite the astronomical cost, its practicality is significantly low.

In contrast, attribute weapons are less effective than magic swords but possess considerable durability.

This is because they do not have inscribed runes or magical formations but instead have attributes directly imparted into them.

However, a downside is that only a limited range of weapons can accept attributes.

“So, you want me to infuse this sword with the essence of the fire attribute?”

“Yes, rather than using a spell like Fireball, please channel the pure essence of flame into this sword.”

“Is that even possible? Even if it is, will anything change by infusing this piece of metal with the essence of fire?”

“I don’t know, which is why I want to try.”

“Hahaha, a commoner spending 5 gold for this? Even the scions of noble families wouldn’t do such a thing.”

5 gold is enough for an ordinary commoner to live for 2-3 months.

For some, it may not be a large sum, but it is not a small amount either.

Especially for a commoner, as the mage mentioned.

“Well, alright. For me, it’s a profitable side income. Plus, I’m a bit curious myself.”

“Thank you.”

Lian stepped back and spoke to the mage.

“Shall we begin?”

—

“This place… it still exists.”

[Garden of the Passing Breeze]

A small, outskirts inn where he had stayed when he first came to Bellotra to save money.

The vegetable stew and the cozy bed here had left quite an impression.

Creak.

As he entered, a savory yet sweet smell wafted to his nose.

A middle-aged woman wiping the tables smiled at Lian.

“Welcome to the Garden of the Passing Breeze.”

“Ah… yes, do you have a room available?”

She resembled the innkeeper he remembered, but she wasn’t the same person.

Though it was a bit disappointing, Lian didn’t show it and asked.

“Yes, how long will you be staying?”

“I’ll probably need a room for about a week.”

“Then there’s a quiet room at the end of the second floor. It should be suitable.”

Lian nodded at the innkeeper, who answered with a kind smile.

‘Is this different from what I remember…?’

One reason he remembered the innkeeper was that when he first stayed here, the innkeeper was about his age.

But the puzzle of his memory soon clicked into place.

“Mom, do I clean here?”

A young girl holding a rag emerged from the kitchen.

She appeared to be about one or two years younger than Lian.

Lian instantly knew who she was.

‘It’s her daughter.’

She looked very young, but it was clear she was the same person as the innkeeper in his memory.

“Customer, is something wrong?”

“Ah, nothing. You said the room at the end of the second floor, right?”

“Yes, shall I help you with your luggage?”

The innkeeper looked at what Lian was carrying.

It was something wrapped tightly in white cloth, making it impossible to tell what it was.

Lian shook his head.

“No, I’ll carry it myself.”

With that, Lian quickly ascended to the second floor.

“Phew…”

Entering the room, Lian locked the door and took out his sword and breastplate.

To avoid attracting attention, he had wrapped them in black cloth, then again in white cloth.

‘To think it would turn out like this…’

He closed the window tightly and placed the items on the floor. Then, he slowly unwrapped the cloth.

“…Success.”

A soft glow emanated from the long sword and breastplate.

Lian knew what this was.

‘When an attribute is imparted, there’s a phenomenon where the magic temporarily manifests as light.’

Though it would disappear after about a day, this light was the most definite proof that the attribute impartation was successful.

Of course, during this time, no one would understand what attribute impartation was.

The intensity of the light was not very strong, merely indicating a mid-level success.

But that was enough.

The most important thing was that it was a success.

‘However…’

There was a major issue.

The mage who performed the magic was now interested.

While there wouldn’t be an immediate problem, once these attribute weapons hit the market and people learned about attribute impartation, the situation would change.

“It means I need to proceed somewhat quickly.”

Lian had invested 5 gold in creating these two attribute-imparted weapons.

But once these attribute weapons were known, the entire Mage Tower would delve into the field of attribute impartation.

At that point, it would cost at least 10 gold to attribute a single weapon.

Even then, success wouldn’t be guaranteed.

Since the moment Lian created attribute-imparted weapons, the information was no longer known to him alone.

Sooner or later, the fact would spread.

Moreover, there was another task to tackle.

Selling the attribute weapons would be a challenge, as potential buyers were limited.

Only those who could invest a significant amount of money and had the ability to use magic would be interested.

‘In other words, nobles.’

Later, even skilled mercenaries who could handle magic would buy them, but initially, that wasn’t feasible.

‘Attribute-imparted weapons must remain a symbol of privilege among nobles. They should compete among themselves to buy them.’

It wasn’t about selling many; it was about maintaining scarcity.

“To do that… I need a reliable trading partner.”

In his past life, Lian had taken an interest in various fields.

Not for any grand reason.

As a commoner turned soldier, he believed knowing how the world worked might be beneficial.

So, every time he went on leave, he paid attention to various issues, regardless of the field.

He listened to people’s stories in taverns or songs sung by wandering poets.

As a result, he naturally learned about significant issues.

This was why Lian, an ordinary soldier unable to use even a speck of magic, knew about attribute-imparted weapons.

“I need to start investigating.”

From now on, every step would require great caution.

‘If I truly have returned 20 years into the past…’

It’s like knowing the future that will happen. However, Lian did not become arrogant.

‘Just by my actions, the Eagle Company was not wiped out and survived.’

Even that has changed the future.

This means that even among the future events he knows, some could have changed.

That’s the part he should be most careful and concerned about.

Lian organized his plans once again and moved somewhere.

* * *

Adelson was the head of a small trading company named Hamel.

He lifted the beer in front of him with a satisfied smile.

How long had it been since he had time to himself like this?

‘I barely had any rest for the past two weeks….’

He had to manage a tight schedule to finalize the deal in Bellotra.

Everyone in the trading company had a hard time, but thanks to that, he could enjoy this sweet rest.

“Ah… I should rest well today without thinking about work.”

This trip to Bellotra didn’t make a lot of money for Adelson, but it was inevitable to maintain his credibility.

It was a bitter experience to earn little money despite the hard work.

He only felt sorry for the people who always followed such an incapable leader.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been here too.”

A small pub in Bellotra that he had visited as a child with his father.

It was a bar frequented by those running trading companies.

Although it had grown in size since then, it still felt cozy, perhaps because of the memories with his father.

Creak.

Just as Adelson was drinking his beer, someone entered the pub.

It was a young man with a face that didn’t quite fit the place. He went to the counter and seemed to talk about something with the pub owner.

“…What’s that?”

Normally, he wouldn’t have been interested.

But for some reason, he found himself curious about the boy who didn’t fit in.

Soon, the boy, looking troubled, furrowed his brows and tapped his fingers on the table.

Nod.

After bowing politely and leaving, Adelson stood up.

“Who was that?”

“Don’t know. He asked for a list of trading companies, saying he was looking for one to trade with.”

“A list of trading companies?”

“Yeah, but his condition was a bit funny. He wanted companies that had been running for more than ten years and traded with nobles. So, I told him about a few.”

“More than ten years… and trading with nobles?”

That wasn’t an easy condition to meet.

There wouldn’t be many companies that fit that description.

“And it’s strange. What kind of deal is a kid like that trying to make? Probably just wasting time.”

“Did you mention my company?”

“Hamel? You don’t trade with nobles. And you’re not a large company.”

“Why don’t we trade with nobles?”

“Heh, because you’re not a large company?”

“That’s true.”

Adelson scratched his head awkwardly and looked towards the pub’s door where the boy had exited.

Something… something…

“Did he not mention who he was?”

“No need to ask?”

Adelson nodded at his words.

He felt a strangely uneasy feeling.

Adelson immediately left the pub and headed to where his company members were.

Although it was not a large company, there were still more than forty members.

They had rented a small lodging place entirely.

“Oh? Chief.”

“Chief, didn’t you say you had something to do and would come back in the evening?”

Adelson usually left the place for the employees to relax after work.

Him coming back so soon meant something was up.

“I need to find someone.”

The members nodded at Adelson’s words.

* * *

“…Hah, was it a wild-goose chase?”

He had visited quite a few pubs frequented by merchants in Bellotra.

The reason was to find a trading company that would deal in attribute weaponry.

‘None of them seem trustworthy.’

It was something for himself, but also related to Walter.

He couldn’t take it lightly.

However, Lian didn’t have much time left.

“Hmm…”

His mind became complicated.

Although he hadn’t thought it would be easy, he didn’t expect not to find a single suitable trading company in such a big city.

It was because he didn’t have detailed information about the trading companies.

The conditions Lian set were certainly not easy.

But it was a very important and necessary task.

‘Perhaps my shallow knowledge is the issue…’

Finding a company that had been operating for more than ten years was to ensure it was well-managed, and those trading with nobles were likely to deal in high-priced goods.

But more important than these conditions was that the company needed to be trustworthy.

‘I have to return to the base in a few days. I need a reliable company to handle my work here.’

But just by the names of the companies, it was hard to judge.

Most of them didn’t exist in the future or had issues due to corruption.

There was no company that felt right.

‘For now… I’ll try again tomorrow. I can’t ruin things out of impatience.’

Lian had spent over twenty years on a fierce battlefield where lives were on the line.

The battlefield was a place where human desires were exposed raw.

Naturally, he became well-versed in human nature.

Knowing how people could change due to greed, he couldn’t make a hasty decision.

‘If things don’t work out… I’ll have to find another way.’

“Whew…”

Lian calmed himself and closed his eyes.

Just one day.

‘Let’s try for just one more day.’

Lian nodded as if making a resolution.

At that moment,

Knock knock.

“Sir, there is someone here to see you. How should I handle it?”

A polite voice came along with the knock.

Lian stood up abruptly at those words.

“A visitor…?”

Is there anyone who would come to see me in Bellotra?