"Friendly fire...?"

"That's right. I'm a hero!"

"A hero!?"

The mage muttered blankly. Hearing an undead claim to be a hero must've shaken them considerably; they had already stopped attacking. Lee Shin-Woo was relieved, but then Jin shouted in fright, "The ground. The ground!"

"Tch..."

The problem was the spell cast earlier was still around. The wall of sharp icy thorns continued to surge several dozens of meters upward! It wasn't the time to be relieved!

"Hah!"

Without thinking, Lee Shin-Woo conjured a Melting Double Bone Axe and threw it hard. The axe shattered the wall's sharp edges and exploded the moment it was lodged; even though their reaction was a little delayed, Lee Shin-Woo and Jin somehow managed to come out relatively unscathed amidst the shards of ice.

"I thought we'd become skewers," Jin grumbled.

"Don't worry, there’s no flesh left of us to grill... Wait, no. It's my fault. I'm sorry. Stop shaking."

"You're terrible. You know that? Absolutely terrible."

"It was all my fault. I'm really sorry. Please stop shaking."

"It certainly doesn't seem like you've been affected by the curse..." the mage said suddenly.

Lee Shin-Woo and Jin had been struggling to survive, and they ignored the mage completely in favor of getting to safety, and still they couldn’t relax.

"Are you really heroes?” asked the mage. “Even though you're undead...?"

The slim woman reached out from under her robe with a crystal-like orb in her hands; she seemed ready to strike with her magic depending on how they responded.

"We're undead, but we're definitely heroes. If..."

Things weren’t looking good. Lee Shin-Woo assumed that they would have to fight the mage sooner or later, so he spared some attention to analyze her magic while thinking up lines that only a hero would know to say.

"If you don’t believe me, would you like to access the chatroom and check?"

"The chatroom... Right, there was that."

That turned out to be the right way to go about it. The mage’s hostility towards them subsided noticeably. Lee Shin-Woo was ready for her to attack and yell, “Death to all undead” even after acknowledging his claim, but fortunately, she seemed to have abandoned all thoughts of attacking them.

"It was impossible to ascertain your identity, so I thought maybe... I couldn't bring myself to discard the possibility that you might be some unknown undead. Sorry for attacking you."

"Ah... That reminds me..."

She'd even given them an earnest apology! Lee Shin-Woo inspected her thoroughly, but he couldn't figure anything out about her. A hero's fundamental ability of checking an adversary’s level and identity didn't work on her. Now that he thought about it, it didn't work on Jin or Ye Jin-Jin, either.

That should be enough to prove that she was a hero like Ye Jin-Jin, but… Lee Shin-Woo decided he'd double check in the chatroom later.

"I'm Lee Shin-Woo. This is Jin. He’s a hero as well."

"Kratia Melloi[1]."

The mage threw her hood back, revealing her face while telling them her name. She was a young woman whose beauty matched her captivating voice; he had guessed her sex based on her shorter stature, but she looked younger than he'd expected, which shocked him.

Her eyes were blue like the sky or a frozen sea with large pupils. The most striking part about her was her lavender hair, which ran down messily in all directions like she didn't bother to comb it. Her looks were a good match for the magic she wielded.

In any case, I've never seen someone called Kratia Melloi enter the chatroom before... Wait a sec.

Assuming that she wasn't lying, which Lee Shin-Woo was leaning toward since she had given them her name and shown herself, there was someone who matched her description.

"How long has it been since you arrived here?"

"Three weeks."

"As I thought..."

She was the 'newbie' he'd heard about in the chatroom a short while ago. The one who had entered once before immediately leaving because she felt uncomfortable with all of the seniors' attention on her. His seniors did say that she hadn’t entered again following that incident.

What surprised him was that her magic had reached such a level after only three weeks. Lee Shin-Woo couldn't even make a proper assessment of her power, which meant she was at least higher than level 5. If that was the case, though, she must have started out powerful, or had received the power from the goddess.

"Would I turn into undead like you over time?" Kratia Melloi asked, her eyes shone with traces of fear.

Lee Shin-Woo and Jin shook their heads at the same time. Her question made clear that she was indeed a newbie.

"We were turned into undead because of our wishes,” said Lee Shin-Woo. “We did get something in return, but I won’t really recommend it."

"You became undead because of your wishes? ...As I thought, that woman's got a mental disorder or something."

She nonchalantly insulted the goddess and shook her head. And even though he hadn’t asked her about it, she reached out with her hands still gripping the orb and said, "I don't like other people touching me. When I asked for ice that could grow, she gave me this."

"Huh, so she could fulfill that wish because you were already strong..."

Even if Kratia had been a powerful mage in the beginning, there should be a limit to what the goddess could grant her with her powers; Kratia ended up getting an artifact that could grow on its own, which might have been the best choice for her.

If her seniors had heard their conversation, they would’ve said something along the lines of “You should've asked for a skill that improves the effectiveness of ice type abilities!” and got frustrated in her stead.

"Shin-Woo, what are you going to do?" Jin whispered, breaking Lee Shin-Woo out of his reverie. Jin had always been easily frightened, and he seemed to still be afraid of Kratia if the way he kept trying to hide behind Lee Shin-Woo was anything to go by.

Is this the same guy who’s courageously declared that we’d die together or not at all? Lee Shin-Woo gently stroked Jin's back to reassure him before bidding Kratia farewell.

"I don't think there are a lot of cases like us. Be careful from now on. We’ll get going. It was nice meeting you, Kratia Melloi."

"Wait a sec."

Lee Shin-Woo hopped onto Jin’s back and turned to leave, but Kratia suddenly stopped them in an urgent tone. Lee Shin-Woo could feel Jin screaming internally, hoping and failing to make a smooth retreat.

"I know I've been somewhat foolish. Please teach me the way of this world."

"If you just enter the chatroom, our seniors will scramble to teach you. Especially Lloyd and the prince."

"Those guys make me uneasy. And I haven't seen their faces even once..."

Kratia was quite insistent. Their seniors did have a tendency to be way too excited when a newbie entered, so it was understandable that she would be uncomfortable. Moreover, Lee Shin-Woo could tell that she wasn’t a fan of socializing even though he hadn’t known her for long.

Nevertheless, wasn’t it weird for her to trust an undead over a human even though she hadn’t met the other heroes in person? That was what Lee Shin-Woo thought, at least.

"You’re okay. And... I'm curious."

I don’t think she’s the type to like undead more than humans. Lee Shin-Woo tilted his head, wondering what he had to say. Then she added something that caught him completely off guard.

"The way you use your magic. I want to learn it too."

Lee Shin-Woo was surprised. "Oh, you were curious about that?"

"I'm not asking for a free lesson. I have a good grasp on magic as well. There's probably stuff that I can help you two with."

The situation was taking a turn beyond his wildest imagination. Lee Shin-Woo was going to turn her offer down, thinking it would be a waste of time, but he stopped for two reasons.

First off, no matter how he looked at it, she was clearly a professionally trained mage, and would know more about magic across the board. There's a chance he'd benefit from this exchange of knowledge. Of course, there was also a chance that he would gain absolutely nothing.

Secondly, he hadn't yet found a way to create a high-ranking administrator’s seal. If he could learn a thing or two about changing the property of mana from her, that would be progress, wouldn’t it...? It wasn’t a bad bet to make, and it would be better than hunting golems at a snail's pace.

"Shin-Woo, you’re not going to take it, are you?" Jin asked.

"Well, it actually doesn't sound too bad..."

Jin grumbled in a slightly displeased tone, "Is it because she's pretty?"

"I'd like to act immature and senseless like that someday."

Lee Shin-Woo scoffed and turned to Kratia. He'd made up his mind and talked it out with his partner, so it was time to negotiate terms in earnest.

"We can't stay with you forever."

"Two weeks."

"Promise us that you'll cooperate with us wholeheartedly even if you don't gain what you want."

"You have my word. I promise upon the everlasting mana."

"Promise that whatever goes on between us, you will keep your lips sealed."

"Likewise."

"Alright. Then we'll be in your care for two weeks. So..."

"Call me Kratia. Nice to meet you, Shin-Woo."

Lee Shin-Woo extended his right hand without thinking, a habit from his time as a human, and Kratia grabbed his skeletal hand without hesitation. She really didn't care that he was undead, and proved that she was only interested in his knowledge and ability.

Though their purity had manifested in different ways, she and Ye Jin-Jin were quite similar.

"Then what do I do...?" Jin asked from beside him.

"What are you talking about? You're the one who needs systematic instruction on magic. We're a package deal, remember?"

"I knew this would happen..."

Despite his complaint, Jin was strangely touched that Lee Shin-Woo was looking out for him. Noticing his change in attitude, Kratia appeared to be concerned about something, and her eyes brightened; she then tilted her head and shifted her attention back to Lee Shin-Woo.

"Let's get going,” she said. “I want to know how your power works."

"Wait. Didn't you want to learn about all the common knowledge you were lacking?"

"We’ll do that with the time we’ve left at the end."

She wasn't changing her priority. From the very beginning, her primary focus had been magic. Lee Shin-Woo shrugged. That gave him a glimpse into her personality. With no other things to do, he started talking.

Lee Shin-Woo and Jin explained that they had a special contract, and the connection formed through Horseback Riding allowed them to share their skills and resistances with each other; the revelation clearly disappointed Kratia.

"But it's fine,” she said. “The way you use your mana is plenty interesting. There's a lot I can learn from your freewheeling style. The mana you've accumulated is amazing, too, seeing as how you’ve gone from not knowing anything to your current level."

"I'm more envious of the mana you've accumulated up to this point, though..."

Unlike Lee Shin-Woo, who utilized his mana directly, Kratia had studied for countless years and ultimately, developed a special method to transform her mana.

Lee Shin-Woo was manipulating mana purely through his will and skills, while Kratia calculated the countless ways in which the mana could morph beforehand, and brought about the desired change at the right time. Lee Shin-Woo's method of handling magic was clumsy in comparison.

"You’re not using mana like a mage. Nor are you similar to a knight. To be specific, Shin-Woo...you fight like a monster gifted with supernatural powers."

"...Isn't it because I'm an undead?"

Lee Shin-Woo flinched the moment she pointed that out, but managed to maintain his composure. However, Kratia firmly shook her head.

"An undead being can't create this many mana patterns. You may even understand the essence of mana better than I do. If I can imitate even a part of what you do, my magic would undergo a groundbreaking change..."

"I don’t understand a thing you’re saying, Shin-Woo." Jin muttered.

"Just memorize everything for now. It'll come up in the test."

Lee Shin-Woo was able to make some progress. Kratia taught him the magic theory established by scholars and mages, and he was able to figure out how to more effectively handle his mana, which he'd been wielding purely on instinct up until now; on the other hand, Kratia got a hint on how to improve her magic by learning about Lee Shin-Woo's skills and peculiar method of using magic, which went against common sense.

"Ah, so this is how you do it,” Lee Shin-Woo said. “Just by introducing a few basic patterns, I can apply my magic much faster than before."

"H-How did you learn that already?" Kratia asked.

One week into the arrangement with Kratia, Lee Shin-Woo had already succeeded in making substantial progress. She had thought what she taught him would come in handy someday, but he was progressing at a speed beyond her imagination.

[Low Rank Mana Bone has reached Lv10 and evolved into an intermediate skill. Your understanding of magic deepens, and you can more effectively store more mana in your bones. The power of your mana increases as well. Magic has increased by 30.]

[You have fulfilled a portion of the conditions necessary to achieve the Joker's innate skill. There is only one step left before you become a true Joker.]

And at that very moment, Lee Shin-Woo got a message he hadn't expected at all.

[A quest has begun!]

[Joker's mana]

[You are extremely free-spirited, and are capable of imitating anything. That's right. You can even imitate another person's mana. It's fine if you have a special mission, and if you don't, that's fine as well. Please acquire a high-ranking administrator’s authority by replicating a golem's mana.]

[Quest reward - 3 permits to Goddess’s Secret Shop, Joker's innate skill]

1. T/N: Probably a loose Fate/Stay Night reference to the El-Melloi line of magicians.