"You are truly amazing, Charlie… You have created something that we dwarves have failed to do for hundreds of years… HA HA HA HA… I wonder what kind of expression other Dwarves would show if they knew about this…"
Although Gareth the Dwarf, his focus wasn't on Forging like other Dwarves, he focused more on enhancing his main strength as an attacker.
"Can you make another Space-Time Cache?" Finn asked seriously.
"I can." Charlie nodded.
"Would you be willing to sell a Space-Time Cache to the Loki Familia? Tell us the price!" Finn didn't worry about the price at all.
The Loki Familia is one of the top two Familias in Orario, along with the Freya Familia. Their finances are beyond question.
"..."
Charlie didn't answer immediately and carefully considered the selling price of the Space-Time Cache.
'Since I want to make the Space-Time Cache a premium item so it has a high selling price, I can't give it a price that's too high. If no Familia can afford it, then it will backfire on myself.'
'Hmmm… I should sell it for how much…'
It's true that Charlie already had the idea of selling the Space-Time Cache to make money quickly, but he wasn't too serious about thinking about it. Especially since he didn't have any connections in Orario, it's useless to have a good item if there are no buyers. After all, his target buyers are big Familias.
"100 million valis or a Grimoire. You can choose one of the transaction methods." Charlie gave an answer after pondering.
"Riveria, you still have a Grimoire, right?" Finn asked Riveria.
"Yes, there are still some Grimoires that are unused."
"That's great! Then, the Loki Familia will buy the Space-Time Cache by exchanging a Grimoire." Finn said quickly, afraid that the other party would change their terms.
In fact, the Loki Familia didn't have much money left. Most of their funds were spent on this expedition.
Equipment maintenance, potion purchases, food and drinks, and so on. All of this requires a lot of money.
There is a possibility that the Loki Familia will be in debt if they experience an unforeseen event that causes a major loss during the expedition. There has been a precedent for this in the history of the Loki Familia.
Therefore, Finn preferred to exchange a Grimoire instead of buying the Space-Time Cache with money.
"The item will be given after you return to the surface, what do you think?"
"No problem."
The business deal went smoothly, Charlie and Finn were satisfied with this transaction.
"Charlie, would you like to spar with me?"
Seeing the serious discussion end, Aiz, who had been watching, now spoke.
"What are you talking about Aiz? Charlie is only Level 2, while you are Level 5, that—"
"But Charlie fought Bete without losing."
Aiz interrupted Riveria and pointed out that Charlie's strength couldn't be measured like a typical Level 2.
"Okay, I agree." Charlie answered lightly.
Since the people involved had agreed, Finn and the others didn't say anything anymore. Then they looked for a suitable location for sparring, not far from the campsite.
The other members of the Loki Familia were interested in the actions of the executives who gathered. So they came to ask what happened to Tiona and Tione. After learning that Aiz would be sparring with Charlie, who was a rising adventurer lately, they didn't want to miss the opportunity to watch. Even Bete came to watch the sparring.
"Sorry for suddenly asking you to do this. But I want to test how strong you are." Aiz held the Desperate Sword with a perfect stance. Her golden eyes stared straight at Charlie.
"No problem. As it happens, I also want to test my swordsmanship progress, the Sword Princess is the most suitable opponent for this." Charlie, with his steady breath, raised his Damocles Sword, his legs slightly bent, ready to dash at any moment.
"..."
The next moment, both of them moved at the same time.
*CLANK* *CLANK* *CLANK*
The clang of sword meeting sword echoed, shattering the silence of the night.
Charlie and Aiz moved at lightning speed, clashing sword techniques, making those who saw them terrified. The countless clashes of the Damocles Sword and the Desperate Sword left beautiful white and yellow sparks.
The adventurers watching were stunned by their incredible speed. Aiz is Level 5, so they thought this was normal. But Charlie is Level 2, he moved with incredible precision. Every slash and block seemed to be practiced repeatedly until perfect. His swordsmanship, though not as strong as Aiz's, had incredible sharpness and speed.
"How is this possible?" Lefiya muttered in disbelief. "That hooligan man is only Level 2… how can he match Aiz-san?"
*CLANK* *CLANK* *CLANK*
Meanwhile, although Aiz's face remained flat and calm, her mind was spinning rapidly, analyzing every move of Charlie.
'He's fast… Too fast for someone at Level 2. His strength is also unexpected… So this is the power of a hero when receiving Falna? If only father had received Falna back then…' Aiz thought sadly, remembering her parents.
*CLANK*
Desperate met Damocles again, and Aiz pushed Charlie with her Level 5 strength. However, Charlie remained standing, although it was clear how heavy the push was.
'The level gap between us is too big. Even though all my stats in basic abilities are EX Rank, I'm still Level 2. In the end, defeating Level 5 is impossible without Spirit Art.'
Although Charlie thought so, he didn't intend to use Spirit Art in this sparring session. After all, Aiz only pressured him with the difference in basic abilities between them.
*CLANK* *CLANK* *CLANK*
The two of them clashed again, this time Aiz started to get serious. She increased her speed, sharper and stronger attacks began to rain down on Charlie. Her sword danced in the air, leaving silver shadows every time it slashed. Charlie felt that every time he blocked an attack, his hand trembled slightly due to the impact of Aiz's strength.
However, amidst the pressure, a faint smile appeared on his face. To others, the smile might seem crazy, but to Charlie, this was the moment he had been waiting for. This is the feeling of fighting someone far stronger than him, and even though he knew he was at the limit of his abilities, he felt excited.
*CLANK* *CLANK* *CLANK*
On the other hand, Aiz began to notice a slight change in Charlie's fighting style. Every time she attacked with greater force, Charlie shifted his body position slightly to reduce the impact of the attack.
Every move of Aiz, although fast and strong, seemed to be anticipated by Charlie.
'Such sharp observation skills.' Aiz thought while fighting. 'He's reading my movements… Taking advantage of any weaknesses to defend. As father said, the talent of heroes is amazing, they develop in battle.'
*CLANK* *CLANK* *CLANK*
Sweat began to drip from Charlie's forehead, but he kept moving, matching Aiz's attacks. The clang of their swords showed no sign of stopping, as if these two fighters were trapped in the rhythm of a deadly dance.
'With strength and experience… I can't match Aiz… In my previous life, I never used a sword. As I expected, fighting Level 5 without using Spirit Art, I have no chance of winning.'
Charlie could feel his hands numb from parrying Aiz's barrage of attacks. However, he could also feel his swordsmanship making progress every second. It must be said that the Prodigy Swordsman Skill was beginning to show its true potential.
Gradually, he began to be able to match Aiz based on swordsmanship alone.
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