The Will to Live Is My Strongest Skill

Iron breathed heavily, leaning on his leg and gritting his teeth in pain. Dozens of purple guards formed up around him. His head pounded; his vision blurred.

​The guards moved in unison. Spears shot into the air, and a split second later, they whistled straight toward Iron. Due to the backlash, his muscles barely responded—he simply wouldn't have had time to dodge.

​But the spears never touched him. Freezing mere centimeters from his body, they abruptly pivoted in mid-air and flew back at the guards at breakneck speed. The weapons entered their bodies silently, were absorbed without a trace, and instantly reformed in the guards' purple hands.

​At that moment, the guards' behavior and appearance changed. The purple glow of their shells began to rapidly condense, shifting into darker tones. Above, the storm clouds closed in even tighter. Within the clouds and across the entire Katogida Valley, lightning began striking in all directions without pause, tearing open the earth and turning it to rubble.

​Meanwhile, at the bottom of the fault, a harsh yellow light began to solidify and stretch out, increasingly resembling the distinct shape of a crystal.

​Iron watched all of this, but his vision finally gave out, turning everything around him into a blurry dark smear. A wild pain flared in the back of his head again, stealing his breath. Realizing he couldn't squeeze another second out of himself, Iron weakly dropped his head and said quietly:

​"Lumon... Back."

​Space collapsed around Iron, and he vanished.

​The lightning strikes grew less frequent, the dark glow on the guards' bodies began to dissipate, and one by one, they melted into the air. The clouds gradually calmed, returning to their former menacing but relatively stable state.

​Iron materialized right on the bed on the second floor of the Main Building. He breathed in ragged wheezes, staring helplessly at the ceiling.

​His vision focused for a second, regaining its sharpness. Iron quickly scanned the familiar room, noting the bright windows, the desk, and the simple surroundings.

​He closed his eyes for a moment, whispering to himself:

"Just going to rest a bit..." and immediately fell asleep.

​Five hours later, Iron slowly opened his eyes.

​The sun was already setting outside the window.

​Realizing he had fallen asleep, Iron forced himself to try and get up. But his body completely refused to obey. He remained lying flat, unable to even turn his head.

​Staring at a single spot, he spoke aloud quietly, with broken pauses:

"The energy channel... That those creatures... were feeding from... The channel is directed one way... And they're just using it..."

​Iron tried to think it through further, to calculate the components of these entities and draft formulas so he could write everything down in detail later. But his brain simply refused to work—his thoughts tangled and immediately slipped away.

​He cut himself off and thought:

Yeah... It's hard to even think.

​Iron lay there for another few minutes, simply gathering his strength. Getting up right away wasn't working, but he didn't want to spend the rest of the evening totally powerless, either. Overcoming the weakness, he forced himself up and sat on the edge of the bed.

​"No, I shouldn't spend the night here..." he muttered quietly.

​Iron slowly got to his feet. His head spun slightly, but overall his condition was tolerable. To finally get his blood flowing and wake himself up, he stretched lightly, taking a couple of deep breaths and extending his arms and legs. He felt noticeably better.

​Walking over to the door, he opened it and stepped out into the hallway, just to look at the quiet interior of the Main Building.

​"And that was only one day..." Iron exhaled, shaking his head slightly, and immediately thought: Right, what other kingdoms did I need to visit?

​Lumon instantly brought up the exact coordinates and markers for the required route.

​"Ah, right."

​Collapsing space, Iron vanished instantly.

​He materialized near the borders of the Avers Kingdom—outside, not far from the gates. Surveying the grim walls, Iron merely let out a tired sigh.

​"Damn, it's the exact same thing here..."

​With these thoughts, he headed toward the entrance with heavy steps. Guards were on duty at the gates. Seeing a man approaching with such a dark and heavy glare, the guards instantly tensed up. Deeming him dangerous, they immediately leveled their spears, blocking the path.

​Iron wordlessly pulled a traveler's card from his pocket and showed it to them. The guards exchanged glances, slowly lowered their weapons, and stepped aside, letting him into the city.

​Once inside Avers, Iron didn't even bother looking around. He just walked straight, ignoring the buildings and passersby. After a few seconds of walking, he stopped a random local:

​"Excuse me, where can I get something to eat around here?"

​"Oh, sure," the man replied, nodding down the street. "You can check out that diner over there. It's one of the best in our kingdom!"

​"Thanks," Iron said shortly, and headed in the indicated direction.

​There was no name on the establishment's signboard—just a simple painting of a red bull.

​A whole crowd of people was gathered inside the modest diner. There was noise everywhere, laughter, the hum of voices, and the clatter of dishes. Iron walked further in, glancing at the food on the other guests' tables, and spotted the only empty table in the very back corner of the place.

​Barely had he sat down when a worker rushed over to him:

​"Hello! Would you like to order something?"

​Iron nodded and pointed a finger at the plate of a guy at the next table:

​"Can I get the same thing?"

​The worker looked at the indicated table and nodded:

​"Yes, alright. Anything else?"

​"And some water."

​The worker nodded and left immediately.

​Left alone with his thoughts, Iron surveyed the noisy hall with a slight chuckle and muttered to himself:

​"I think I understand why this place is so popular..."

​The engineer leaned his elbows on the table, rested his chin in his hands, and said quietly:

​"Lumon... If I come back there in a week, will I be able to take it?"

​He paused briefly and immediately added:

​"Or, I feel like it'd be even easier if you've already analyzed it. Or do you still need to be within a few meters of the source itself?"

​"Correct. I need to be in the immediate vicinity of the source to conduct a safe analysis," Lumon's even voice rang out. "The extraction process is possible, but has a high level of difficulty. The crystal forms instantly, after which a ten-minute countdown begins until its unique properties are lost. To maintain the crystal's stability long-term, it must be completely isolated from the retaining rock."

​Iron sighed heavily, burying his face in his hands:

​"Why can't you just tell me everything at once? Why do I constantly have to ask you questions, Lumon?"

​Lumon didn't answer. But a barely perceptible, low hum resonated inside Iron—as if Lumon was slightly upset.

​"When the crystal forms, just teleport it here," Iron added sharply. "But if you tell me right now that you can't do that, you'll only have yourself to blame."

​Lumon remained silent again. Iron exhaled and leaned back against the soft sofa:

​"I see how it is with you."

​At that moment, a girl with long brown hair and light hazel eyes approached his table with obvious interest:

​"Hi, mind if I sit with you?"

​Iron opened his eyes, looked at her, and simply nodded, continuing to study the stranger.

​"My name is Liana. Nice to meet you..."

​Noticing how intently Iron was staring at her, she asked self-consciously:

​"I-I'm sorry, do I look bad?"

​"Ah..." Iron shook his head. "Nope, you look great."

​Liana blushed visibly. Iron, meanwhile, thought to himself:

​Hmm, did they even have clothes like this in the Middle Ages? An oversized t-shirt and pants that look way too modern... Though why am I surprised? They literally have underground technology, organizations, and yada-yada-yada here.

​"Um, could you tell me your name?" Liana leaned slightly closer to the table.

​"Iron Everfall."

​"Iron Everfall—that's a beautiful name."

​"Thanks," Iron replied, adding to himself: At least someone likes my alias. Then he added aloud: "Can I order you something?"

​"Uh... order?" The girl hesitated. "I don't think so, probably better not to."

​"You're a bit too uptight," Iron exhaled and signaled the worker. The waiter rushed over, and Liana immediately started waving her hands:

​"Look, I can't accept this. I really can't..."

​"You remember my order, right?" Iron calmly interrupted her, addressing the waiter. "Could you bring another one just like it?"

​"Yes, absolutely," he bowed and immediately left.

​Iron turned back to Liana and asked point-blank:

​"Where did you buy those clothes?"

​"Oh, I got them for free from my mother."

​"And what does your mother do?"

​"She works at a clothing store."

​"Which one? What's the name of the store exactly?"

​"Shemis."

​At that moment, Iron caught a guy and a girl heading upstairs to the second floor out of the corner of his eye. His suspicions about the specific nature of this establishment were definitively confirmed.

​"Wow, Shemis. Very cool name," Iron said. "The store is probably really popular, right?"

​"Well, I guess so..." the girl nervously played with her hair.

​Iron leaned closer to the table:

​"I'm sure the store is incredibly popular. Why be shy? It's obvious just by looking at you—you’re very beautiful, and guys must definitely chase after you."

​"Well..." Liana replied shyly.

​At that moment, the waiter hurried over to the table and, with a smile, placed a deep bowl in front of them, thick steam rising from it:

​"Here's your Bloody Jelly! Enjoy!"

​Iron just gave a slight nod:

​"Thanks."

​Bloody Jelly... Seriously? Do people really like names like that? The thought flashed through his head as he inspected the food. The dish looked like a rich, dark red soup with large chunks of potatoes and meat, along with small pieces of beets.

​Iron immediately slid the bowl gently closer to Liana:

​"Here you go."

​"What...?" Liana hesitated, looking in surprise from the bowl to Iron. "But you... what about you?"

​"Don't worry, they'll bring my portion in a second," he replied calmly.

​Liana uncertainly picked up the large wooden spoon. Her fingers trembled slightly, and her cheeks flushed again. She scooped up a bit of the thick red broth, blew on it softly, and took her first sip.

​Iron sat across from her, resting his cheek on his fist, silently watching her reaction. Examining her unusual outfit, he made a mental note:

​I should probably change my clothes too... Hopefully, someone in our camp knows how to sew.

​"So, is it good?" he asked.

​"Yes, yes, very!" Liana replied enthusiastically, slightly embarrassed by her own sudden outburst.

​A few minutes later, the waiter brought the second bowl and set it right in front of Iron. He scooped up a spoonful, put it in his mouth, chewed... and barely kept himself from wincing on the spot.

​Wow, pure garbage... Even Eliza cooks better, especially considering her rather modest circumstances, Iron thought with a sigh. But meeting the gaze of Liana, who was earnestly chewing, he just forced a friendly smile:

​"Yeah, it's great!"

​Iron ate a couple more spoonfuls just out of politeness, set the wooden spoon aside, and resting his chin on his hands, spoke at a leisurely pace:

​"You're a local, right? From Avers?"

​Liana immediately lowered her eyes shyly, nervously clutching the spoon and staring at the beets in her bowl:

​"Oh, no... I'm from a very remote village. I get it... I'm a total country bumpkin and I don't fit in a place like this at all..."

​"What are you talking about?" Iron calmly cut her off. "A country bumpkin—so what? I'll tell you a secret: I'm not from this world at all."

​Liana giggled softly and smiled gently, clearly taking his words as some kind of joke:

​"Not from this world, huh..."

​She carefully finished the rest of her soup, picked up a small napkin from the table, and wiped her mouth. Raising her eyes, she looked at Iron with determination. The engineer, realizing what was about to happen, quickly asked:

​"How old are you?"

​"Huh? Um... nineteen," Liana replied.

​"Hmm. You're just a normal girl," Iron said thoughtfully, tilting his head slightly to the side. "Wouldn't you want to become a mage?"

​Liana looked at him in surprise. For a moment, her eyes flashed with pure delight:

​"Yes! I would really love to be a mage!" But in the next second, she caught herself, shrank back, and asked warily: "Are... are you a mage?"

​"I wouldn't say I'm a mage," Iron replied with a faint smirk. "But I'm no ordinary human, either."

​Liana instantly breathed a sigh of relief, her shoulders relaxing.

​"Why do you want to be one so badly?" Iron continued his questioning.

​Liana straightened up slightly, and her quiet voice grew more confident:

​"I want to help people! I really love seeing them happy."

​Iron fell into a thoughtful silence, slowly twirling the empty water glass with his fingers.

​"That's cool," he said in a quiet but dead-serious tone. "But you realize you can help people and bring them happiness without magic, right?"

​"Yes, of course," Liana nodded. "But if you have magic, you're way more useful than an ordinary person!"

​"I won't argue with that," Iron shook his head. "But a person isn't obligated to constantly save people on a grand scale. You can help out with the simplest everyday things, bring joy in small ways—and end up doing even more good than some great mage."

​He finished the last drops of water and waved his hand at the waiter. A few seconds later, seeing the gesture, the waiter rushed over to the table, wiping his hands on a towel:

​"Did you need anything else?"

​"No. Check, please," Iron said calmly.

​"Of course, that will be three silver coins!"

​Iron leisurely reached into his pocket, felt around for a coin, and placed it right on the table:

​"Sorry, this is all I have."

​The waiter happened to glance down at the coin—and literally froze. His eyes widened, and his mouth fell slightly open in mute shock:

​"You... is that really... you have a Uni Coin?!" he gasped.

​Several patrons at the neighboring tables immediately turned around at the shout. The waiter, realizing his mistake, instantly leaned right up to Iron's ear, dropping his voice to a terrified whisper:

​"D-do you have any idea how much this is worth?! It's way too much! We wouldn't have enough change in this whole establishment!"

​Iron stood up from the booth, squaring his shoulders:

​"Don't worry about it, I have plenty of them."

​"But wait, sir...!" the waiter fussed.

​"If they're offering, take it," Iron cut him off and turned around, intending to leave.

​"Wait!" Liana jumped up from her seat with a sharp movement and grabbed his arm. "Maybe... well, maybe...!"

​Iron stopped, turned around, and looked at her bewildered face, red from embarrassment and nerves. He silently reached into his pocket, pulled out another Uni Coin, took Liana's hand, and carefully pressed it into her fingers. Covering her hand with his own, he gently closed her fist, leaned in a little closer, and whispered quietly:

​"It's better if you don't work here. If you really want to help people, this isn't the place. I'm giving you this coin so you can try to change your life. And remember: a chance like this only comes once in a lifetime."

​Pulling back, he met her stunned gaze, turned around, and walked out into the night street.

​Only once he was outside did Iron take a deep breath, looking up at the dark sky of Avers, and say with a sigh:

​"Yeah... People like her don't belong here... Actually, no one belongs here."

​Iron walked slowly and thoughtfully through nighttime Avers, squeezed between grim stone buildings. The city was falling asleep, the streets rapidly emptying out. At some point, realizing that wandering on foot would take too long, Iron made a sharp dash to the right, slipped into a narrow, dark alley, easily pushed off the wall, and leaped onto the roof.

​He ran quickly and silently along the roof ridges, looking for a place to spend the night. On one of the three-story buildings, he spotted a wooden sign depicting a rabbit. Iron slowed down, peeked through the upper window, saw a reception desk inside, and immediately figured he could spend the night there.

​"...Perfect," he muttered.

​Jumping down from the roof, the engineer walked through the door.

​"Hello!" the girl sitting behind the desk smiled welcomingly.

​"I'd like a room for one," Iron said tiredly.

​The girl nodded, quickly filled out a document in the ledger, pulled a metal key from a small drawer, and handed it over:

​"Room five. It's down the hall to the left, at the very end."

​"Thanks."

​Iron gripped the key in his fist and stepped into the quiet hallway. He walked slowly past the doors marked 1, 2, 3, and 4, stopping at the very last door at the dead end of the corridor, which bore the number "5".

​Inserting the key into the keyhole, he turned it with a dry click, walked inside, and immediately bolted the door shut.

​The room turned out to be quite small but cozy: a tiny window on the opposite wall, a neat bed to the right, and to the left—a desk with a chair and a small bookshelf.

Iron took a step forward and, completely drained, collapsed right onto the bed. Without taking off his shoes, he closed his eyes, exhaled heavily, and tried to sleep.

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