Chapter 35

Chapter 35. Are You All Even Alive?

The fight ended just like that after Jaden fainted. That was because a Knight, who had suddenly stopped merely watching, appeared and halted the fight.

“Enough. Do not cause any more commotion.”

“Pardon? The fight is not over yet.”

“Do you not understand me when I tell you not to cause a commotion?”

“I understand what you mean, but this is not a commotion! We are saying we will punish that damned savage bastard! That bastard dared to touch one of ours! Our leader ended up like that too!”

Of course, the Jackdaw Mercenaries had no intention of staying quiet after seeing their leader beaten. But even so, how could they dare refuse a Knight’s command?

“So you are saying you will defy me now? Do you want to die?”

“Eek! I-I am sorry!”

They had no choice but to take the unconscious Jaden and withdraw.

The situation was quickly brought under control.

Balun was brushing the dirt off his hand axe when the Knight, who had been leaving, stopped and came back to speak to him.

“That was an impressive fight, Barbarian.”

“Mm?”

“You are far more useful than that crow leader bastard. There was a reason Lord Gregory praised you so much.”

As Balun tilted his head at those sudden words, the Knight asked him a question.

“How much do you train in a day?”

“Usually, I train a lot. I start when the sun rises and stop when it sets. But I cannot train much right now.”

“So you train all day.”

“That is right.”

“Do you have experience in war?”

“I do.”

“I knew it. I thought so.”

Balun could only feel puzzled.

What was with these sudden questions?

Was this a background check?

“I understand. Rest.”

“Understood.”

“I will give you one piece of advice.”

“Advice?”

“Show proper courtesy. That will extend your life.”

The Knight said that as if issuing a notice, then turned and left.

As though he had been waiting, Michael ran over.

“Brother! Are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I am fine. I am not hurt.”

“That is a relief. That was nearly disastrous.”

“It is fine. Balun won.”

“To be clear, I was not talking about the Jackdaw bastards. I was talking about that Knight. You almost had your head cut off by that man.”

“By that Knight?”

“That is right!”

“Why would that happen?”

“You spoke informally to him, brother! And your tone was arrogant too! He may not look it, but that Knight is a Noble!”

Balun tilted his head. I spoke informally? Arrogantly?

“He let it pass generously because he knows your Continent’s Common Tongue is poor. If it had been any other Mercenary, I am certain one of their arms would have been cut off on the spot.”

“I do not understand at all.”

Balun truly could not understand Michael’s words.

That was only natural, because he had no idea what his own way of speaking sounded like.

When Balun used the Continent’s Common Tongue, his speech became extremely rough and macho. It was because he had learned the Continent’s Common Tongue from the priest Ulan, who was also a Barbarian.

However, Balun was not aware of that fact at all.

Rather, he believed that he was speaking very gently in his own way, so how could he understand what Michael was saying?

“Even if you remember nothing else, remember this one thing. When dealing with a Noble, speak with respect.”

“Respect……”

“If you keep only that in mind, you will not have your neck cut off for misspeaking.”

“Understood. I will keep that in mind.”

Balun nodded, but inwardly, he was aghast.

The more he experienced this world, the more terrifying it seemed. Having one’s head cut off for saying one wrong thing? What kind of barbaric world was that?

“Ah, right. There is one thing I want to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Jaden. Why did you spare him?”

“Should I have killed him?”

“Not quite that far, but I thought you would cut off at least one of his arms. That way, he would serve as an example!”

Balun was dumbfounded by those words.

What did they take him for, a psychopath?

What was even more absurd was that the other Mercenaries nearby were nodding along in agreement.

‘No, even if we got angry at each other, cutting off an arm is a bit…….’

It was not as though one cut off a coworker’s arm just because they had a quarrel at the company.

Besides, Balun did not want to become mortal enemies with the Jackdaw whatever bastards.

Why would he needlessly make enemies?

……But he was not confident he could explain all of that at length, so Balun said this instead.

“We are comrades. I do not kill comrades. We get along. That is why.”

At that, Michael stroked his chin and nodded.

Admiration appeared on his face.

“You showed mercy. The composure of the strong, I suppose.”

“What?”

“I respect you. I mean it. I would not have been able to do that…….”

Then Michael raised his thumb.

Even the unaffiliated Mercenaries beside him agreed.

‘What kind of nonsense is this now?’

Balun could not understand them at all and only kept expressing his confusion.

***

After the incident on the first day, from the next day onward, almost no one picked fights with Balun.

That included even minor things.

In other words, even discriminatory actions disappeared entirely, such as pretending to pinch their noses when passing him, mocking him by saying, “Hey, monkey!” or jeering at him to go back to his own world.

‘This is why people cannot afford to look easy. Once you show them, they do not touch you.’

However, everything had its pros and cons. The incident with Jaden produced a slight side effect.

It created wariness.

“Why are you staring like that?”

“H-Huh?”

“Do you have something to say?”

“Uh, no.”

“How bland.”

Balun chuckled as he watched the Mercenary hurriedly turn his head away.

‘They really are something. As if they have nothing better to care about, they are watching a comrade.’

Some people had begun observing Balun. They seemed to be mostly the lowest-ranking members of each group, and it appeared they had been ordered to keep an eye on him.

Balun did not particularly care. Rather, he found it amusing. It felt as though they were engaging in a needless battle of nerves.

Balun was quick-witted. He had already grasped almost everything about what an Exploration Party was and how it operated.

An Exploration Party was a cooperative relationship, but also a competitive one. It was made up of groups from different organizations.

They tried to keep other groups in check in order to achieve their own interests. That was why they kept being so conscious of Balun.

‘They must be afraid I will distinguish myself. That is why they keep trying to observe me.’

Unfortunately for them, Balun had no intention of distinguishing himself. Balun only intended to complete the request safely.

Think about it. There was no additional incentive, so why would he go out of his way to invite hardship?

It was said that one could gain fame by making achievements in an ancient ruin Exploration Party, but Balun was not even remotely interested in such a thing.

Would gaining a little fame produce money or rice?

Would they give him land or something?

‘Let’s just do my own share. That is the right choice.’

Balun fiddled with his money pouch. It was packed full of coins and felt quite heavy. There was roughly four hundred and fifty gold inside.

Once this request ended, he would receive the remaining two hundred and fifty gold. Then he would have more than seven hundred gold.

He had already decided what to do with that money.

‘After I finish this request, I will go find the Rogue Guild. I will learn techniques like stealth.’

Balun had learned from the Mercenaries he had grown fairly close to that one could learn Rogues’ techniques at the Rogue Guild. Among those Mercenaries, there had been a Rogue.

There were dozens of Rogue Guilds all over the world, and they said that if one went to any of those guilds and paid a large tuition fee, one could learn their techniques.

‘If I am going to invest anyway, I should invest properly. I should go to the place with the best reputation. Even if it is expensive, that will be the right choice.’

The money felt precious, but there was no helping it. This was all an investment.

This was a world ruled by the strong. If he became strong, money would follow.

Probably.

Balun searched through his memories. How flustered had he been when the assassin woman had suddenly used stealth? He had been lucky then. If not, he would have been helplessly done in.

That technique would undoubtedly raise his survival rate dramatically.

‘Even if magic is impossible, stealth should be possible. If I learn stealth too…… Heh heh.’

Balun let his imagination spread its wings. Imagining himself stylishly splitting enemies apart while using stealth already made him feel thrilled.

He had a feeling. This was truly the technique that suited him perfectly.

Since he would not be visible, there would be no dangerous work either. How good was that?

‘Even if I go to the most reputable place, seven hundred gold should be enough to cover the tuition. I will learn diligently and find my path to a brighter future. That is right.’

Balun’s thoughts suddenly stopped. That was because the front of the group had halted.

“What is it?”

“It seems we have arrived at the destination. They are ordering us to set up camp.”

Had they finally arrived?

Balun stretched his neck out and looked ahead, but he could not see anything. All he could see was a winding mountainside.

“I do not see it.”

“It is not there. Over there. To the left.”

“The left…… Huh.”

Balun closed his mouth. There was something to the left.

Below the slope spread a wide basin.

Within it, hidden by vegetation, were unmistakable traces of something artificial.

Broken fences, collapsed watchtowers, stone buildings covered in vines…….

“My goodness. To think there was something this incredible inside the Delpuram Mountain Range…….”

Balun nodded along with Michael’s admiration. It was not because he knew what the Delpuram Mountain Range was. It was simply because the scenery itself was magnificent.

‘This view is unbelievable. It looks like something that would appear in a documentary.’

It felt as though they had discovered an ancient city that had been buried for ages.

FWEEEEET!

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

Suddenly, a loud voice came with the sound of a whistle.

“Monsters! A large number of Goblins!”

“Goblins?”

Balun blinked. Where were they……?

“Huh.”

Balun closed his mouth. Green figures were swarming below in the basin.

At the very least, there seemed to be a hundred of them.

‘Are there not too many?’

Of course, he was not frightened.

How could Balun, who had fought and defeated even a Troll one-on-one, be afraid of mere Goblins?

He simply found it strange. The fact that this many Goblins had gathered in one place, that was.

‘Well, it does not matter.’

Balun gripped the two-handed axe hanging on his back. The time had finally come to put this one to use.

***

Weak before the strong, strong before the weak.

Balun could truly be called the very embodiment of that shameless principle.

He quickly lowered his tail before those stronger than him, but in front of the weak, he was more triumphant than anyone else.

And by Balun’s standards, Goblins were weaklings.

That meant there was not even the slightest need to be afraid.

“Hahaha! Die, all of you!”

Balun’s axe danced again and again. Every time his axe was swung, a Goblin’s head flew into the air, and their blood sprayed everywhere.

His performance was so remarkable that those nearby stopped fighting the Goblins and stared.

“He was much crazier than I thought…….”

“I truly did well not to attack him. If I imagine that axe striking my neck…… Ugh.”

“You were going to pick a fight with someone like that? I gave up on fighting him the moment Jackdaw got beaten.”

“I thought it would be different if I fought him. You only know who is stronger after measuring them against each other, do you not?”

“Pfft, do not make me laugh. If you had fought him, your body would have been split in two with one swing of his axe. He can crush rocks, so a human neck would be nothing to him.”

Balun did not hear the murmuring voices behind him. He was completely immersed.

‘Heh heh heh. The performance of this axe is insane!’

Balun was completely excited. The axe cut far too well.

This axe performed better than any axe Balun had ever touched in his life.

It was light, sturdy, and powerful.

Even when he used it with his raw strength, without using Enhancement Art, it boasted ridiculous cutting power. That said everything.

It was truly fascinating. What metal had it been made from? It was certainly a lump of iron.

But more than anything else, the best part was that it did not break even when he used Enhancement Art.

BULGE!

Balun’s muscles swelled. Strong muscular force was transmitted into the axe, and the axe trembled. When he swung the axe with all his might, two Goblins were sliced horizontally at the same time. A perfectly clean cut surface was visible.

‘This is insane. Absolutely insane.’

He could feel it.

The feeling that this would become his lifelong companion.

He would absolutely keep it from breaking and repair it as he used it.

‘Kids. I look forward to working with you from now on. Let us do well together. But are you all even alive?’

It was called an Ego Weapon, but he wondered if there was actually any ego inside it.

No, they did not answer even when he spoke to them.

They had definitely been there in the mindscape…….

Well, perhaps he would be able to talk to them someday. According to Seria, communing with an Ego Weapon took at least five years.

‘But why are there so many Goblins?’

Balun looked around. There were still many Goblins. At a glance, there seemed to be about forty.

That meant that even after they had killed so many, that many still remained.

“Hoo, they are persistent. These green monster bastards.”

Michael came up beside Balun and steadied his breathing. Balun asked him a question.

“Is it not strange?”

“What is?”

“There are too many Goblins.”

“Ah, that can happen. Mana tends to pool in ancient ruins, you see. Monsters react to that pooled mana and form groups.”

Michael shook the blood from his sword and continued.

“That is why there are always a lot of Monsters near ancient ruins. This seems like far more than I expected, though. It must be because the ruins are large in scale.”

“Is that so?”

“I mean there is nothing strange about it. This is how it normally is. That is why they hired this many Mercenaries, is it not?”

After steadying his breathing, Michael ran forward. Balun narrowed his eyes and thought.

‘Even so, it still feels uncomfortable. It feels ominous.’

He understood what Michael meant. But the uneasy feeling did not disappear.

And Balun was someone who trusted his instincts as much as the information given to him.

‘Be careful. Stay sharp.’

Balun hardened his resolve. Balun’s unique suspicion radar began operating.