Chapter 25: The Choice
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 25: The Choice
“Where will you go, Blood Dagger?”
“I’m not sure. I think I’ll have to discuss it with my clan members.”
“It seems you’ve already decided.”
“To be honest, I’m still thinking it over, Blood Dagger. It would be best if our paths aligned, but if not, it can’t be helped.”
I honestly thought it would be a little amusing if Goff begged me to come with him, but of course, that didn’t happen. If my predictions were correct, Goff was highly likely to go to the Minotaurs of the great plains or the Ogres of the jungle. Those two clans, composed of large brutes, were a perfect fit for his temperament. Personally, I would have recommended the Minotaurs, who could be described as gentle compared to the ferocious Ogres. I believed Goff could become much stronger if he reined in his belligerent nature just a little.
Knowing his personality, he was more likely to choose the Ogres, but it would be rude of me to interfere in such a matter.
Finding our conversation interesting, the Dark Moon elder, who was standing nearby, spoke up.
“The Dark Moon Clan is heading east.”
“The east…?”
“We’ve decided to go with Storm Shadow.”
The east, where the swamps were. I didn’t know his exact class, but he gave off the scent of a rogue type. I had a feeling he’d be a good match for Storm Shadow, as they shared a certain gloomy quality, and it seemed my guess was right. When I smiled faintly at the Dark Moon elder, he spoke to me again with a very uncomfortable expression.
“And Storm Shadow asked me to pass on a message. If you have any intention of moving with them, you should come to them. He was talking about you, Blood Dagger.”
“……”
It seemed I was considered one of the gloomy types as well. Naturally, I couldn’t make a decision right away just because I’d received an offer. I had to give the Dark Moon elder an answer, so I chose my words carefully and opened my mouth.
“Tell him I’ll think about it.”
“Tsk. Very well.”
I started to feel a little envious of the Dark Moon elder, who had ‘definitively’ chosen his path. I, on the other hand, had too much information, which ironically made it difficult to pick just one place.
The first thing I had to consider was that I had ‘returned to the past.’ I knew about a few Named Monsters. Of course, it was all vague rumors—like a ridiculously fast Troll in the east, or a Werewolf in the north who had taken down two Rank 1 Summoners at once—but I had listened intently to the tales of gossipmongers, so I was quite well-versed in this information.
Most of the monsters I’d heard about either had clans or were chieftains of their own tribes, but there were exceptions.
One that stuck in my memory was a group of Green Skins who were living as slaves in a small eastern city. Five years before I died, a human city that had been using Green Skins as slaves was completely annihilated.
It was the work of the slaves who had been held there. I didn’t know his name, of course, but a Troll shaman had apparently led the rebellion and utterly destroyed the entire city.
Though he was eventually killed by the humans who soon descended from the east, I remember the martial power he displayed at the time was so shocking that his story was told for a long time.
Another was a fellow from eight years ago in my past life. He was an Orc hunter who, unusually, did not live in a pack. He was said to have always worn a white wolf’s pelt and shot to kill any human he saw.
Of course, he too met his end on the spear of the Queen of the North.
There was the hope that, if things went well, I could bring these individuals into our clan. That possibility made my decision even more difficult. However, thanks to the general information I had, I could completely rule out the Minotaur Chieftain’s clan on the great plains. The same went for the Ogres of the jungle. Since there was no fixed growth path, being a higher species didn’t necessarily mean you were stronger, but Ogres and Minotaurs were generally recognized as powerful monsters in this world.
Because of this, unless they were exceptionally skilled, most people didn’t invade their territories. For me, who needed to fight many battles, having such a thick shield would actually be a detriment.
Crucially, their disposition didn’t seem to match mine. I didn’t know about the Ogres, but no matter how I thought about it, Minotaurs snorting from their nostrils just weren’t my style. I had no desire to become a cow.
Honestly, the most tempting option was to go west with the Green Goblin Clan to find Choi Seulgi. Killing the Sword Saint and that bastard Shin Duk-ho, along with the other sons of bitches, would be a bonus.
The problem was that our clan’s military strength was far too weak to begin full-scale operations in the west. We were a decent force in the Tutorial, but by the continent’s standards, we were mere fledglings.
‘Ugh….’
It was obvious that even if our entire force, including the Green Goblin Clan, charged the city, we wouldn’t be able to break through their defenses. We would be killed by the men in front of the Sword Saint, let alone the Saint herself, who had been summoned at a young age, had her talent recognized, and was rising through the ranks as an executive of the Saint Knights Order.
The one currently ruling the city was likely Choi Younghoon, who could be called the Sword Saint’s master. He was still strong, even before his retirement.
However.
‘I’m curious.’
Of course, I was curious about how Choi Seulgi was living now. I met her about three years after I first came here, so I had no idea what she had been doing before that.
From what she said, I’d heard she was a decent thief, but seeing her in action, it wasn’t very convincing. I privately felt that she had probably been selling her body since she was very young, but since she insisted that wasn’t the case, I had no way to confirm it.
The truth was, our affection for each other had grown while trading silly jokes; we had never thought about a serious relationship. Of course, I visited her often, and she was slowly getting her life in order, so I had a vague thought that we might get together if the opportunity arose, but who could have known things would turn out that way?
It was only possible because Choi Seulgi was a prostitute selling her body on the streets, and I was living day to day, never knowing when I might die.
It was bewildering to have only confirmed our feelings for each other at the very end, but I was also incredibly curious about how the ‘current’ Choi Seulgi was doing. The best-case scenario would be if I was lucky enough to bring her here, but my body was, from any angle, a ‘monster.’ I’d be fortunate if she didn’t just run away at the sight of me.
I didn’t have the confidence to forcibly hold her down and say, “Actually, you and I were supposed to live together in a past life,” only to see the terror-stricken look on her face.
‘Is there no choice but to think about it more?’
In truth, beyond recruiting new talent for the clan or my personal ‘revenge,’ the most important thing was my own growth. It was a necessary step to achieve my goals, and more than that, I found that I had a surprisingly immense desire for ‘strength.’
Unlike my past, where there was no hope in sight, a path was slowly beginning to appear, and funnily enough, I was starting to enjoy the process of growing stronger.
There are many ways to become strong on this continent, but they can be broadly categorized into two. The first is gaining experience through direct combat. The second is learning.
Of course, entering dungeons inhabited by undead or created by mad mages to earn points or find hidden quests was also an option, but I realized that the skills I possessed were more important than the growth of my physical abilities.
In my battle with the Queen of the North, I had been physically superior. I needed ‘seniors’ from whom I could steal and learn various things, and enemies I could fight.
Thinking about it that way, the north was out; the Werewolf’s fighting style was completely different from mine. The Desert Orc Clan active in the southern desert was the most suitable in that they used many weapons, but considering the clan, Storm Shadow in the east or the Green Goblins in the west weren’t bad choices either. The reason was that, uncommonly for Green Skins, both of these clans employed thieves, rogues, and assassins.
It would be a great help to my clan members, many of whom had chosen the assassin class. Of course, it wouldn’t be bad for me either, since I could learn how to use a dagger.
Frankly, it was giving me a headache.
In the end, I decided to consult with Mev and Jung Hayeon. The eldest of the Five Goblin Siblings also agreed to join the meeting, and so we all gathered inside my tent to rack our brains over where to go.
However.
“I will follow Blood Dagger’s word,” said the eldest.
“The Chieftain should decide something this important!” said Mev, the Fairy Archer.
“I… I don’t really know…”
Even Jung Hayeon, who had been human, began to express that she would leave the decision entirely up to me. Just in case, I asked some of the other clan members for their opinions, but their reactions were even more of a spectacle.
“For Blood Dagger!”
“We will follow any word from Blood Dagger! For Blood Dagger!!”
“For Blood Dagger!”
A meeting to ask for opinions had unexpectedly turned into an event that further solidified my authority. I’d heard that all the other groups, aside from the Dark Moon Clan, the Goff Clan, and our Blood Dagger Clan, had decided to disband and join other clans, so perhaps this reaction was a blessing. Still, this kind of blind, one-man system is definitely dangerous. Because I am not perfect.
Thanks to this, the east with the slave shaman and the north with the lone Orc hunter began to look even more appealing. It sounded ridiculous, but what I truly needed was one wise tribe member who could give me some harsh truths.
Coincidentally, the clan didn’t have a shaman. Recalling Storm Shadow’s sweet offer to join them, my heart began to lean little by little toward the swampy east. I spent the entire night with my eyes wide open, my mind racing endlessly.
Since I wasn’t paying her any attention, Jung Hayeon started the day with a very gloomy expression, but right now, my own situation was more urgent. When morning came, just like the day before, Great Tribe Leader Agar began to summon everyone. Only after finishing the greeting of thumping our chests with our hands could I face him.
“Tell your brothers here of your decisions.”
The first to speak was Goff of the Goff Clan.
“Our Goff Clan will join the Ogres of the jungle.”
It seemed he had chosen to unleash his wild nature rather than restrain it. It was a personally disappointing but not a bad choice. It was likely a decision made not just by Goff, but by all his clan members.
I naturally became curious about what Goff would look like when we met again in three years. The next turn belonged to the goblin elder.
“Our Dark Moon Clan will join the Trolls of the swamp.”
As he’d said yesterday, the goblin elder was going with Storm Shadow. Storm Shadow and Dark Moon placed their hands on their chests and exchanged greetings. Then, Great Tribe Leader Agar looked at me and slowly began to speak.
“What of the Blood Dagger Clan?”
At the Great Tribe Leader’s question, I looked at my clan members lined up to my right and slowly opened my mouth. Everyone’s attention turned to me, and soon, their faces showed a hint of surprise.
“Our… Blood Dagger Clan… will…”