Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Why Are You Coming Out From There?
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An NPC who gives a quest for acquiring [Regeneration] and [Hardiness]...
“Jamil, I never expected to run into you here.”
“Oh, Theodore! I heard you were heading to Solen, but I didn’t think we’d meet like this.”
It was Jamil, the action captain of the Sword Mercenary Band.
To be precise, Arturo ‘Jamil’ Azar.
‘Damn it, I should’ve asked for his full name earlier.’
Arturo Azar.
It was the name of the man who would later lead the terrifyingly infamous [Red Bear Mercenary Corps].
Who would’ve thought he was only using his middle name?
If I hadn’t checked the public skill quest, I would’ve missed out on a valuable connection.
‘He’s probably just using Jamil since he doesn’t have his own mercenary band yet.’
Mercenaries generally don’t pay much attention to each other.
In a job where anyone could die anytime, anywhere, who cares about names?
It was also an unspoken rule not to pry into each other’s pasts, since plenty of them had complicated stories.
‘Anyway, since he’ll become the Mercenary King later, it’s best to start building rapport now...’
The ragtag Sword Mercenary Band could function at all thanks to Jamil.
I knew he had skills, but I never dreamed he was ‘Arturo Azar.’
For starters, the Arturo Azar I knew was based in Rosan.
It wasn’t strange that I hadn’t recognized him sooner.
“Wasn’t the Sword Mercenary Band heading to the imperial capital?”
“Yeah.”
“So why are you here?”
“Karl disbanded the band.”
“What?”
“To be exact, he fired all the young mercenaries. Without even paying them properly.”
“Why?”
“The merchant hired new mercenaries.”
“He must’ve been pretty spooked.”
“As you know, screwing up a job on the Golden Road is a fatal stain.”
“...”
If the merchant canceled the contract midway and hired new mercenaries in Dotsk, Karl wouldn’t have gotten much money.
So naturally, he’d fire the young ones. Getting stiffed like that wasn’t uncommon.
“But Karl wouldn’t have kicked you out too.”
“I quit. I didn’t want to stick around under a guy like that.”
Jamil had already been dissatisfied with how Karl exploited the young mercenaries for cheap.
Young mercenaries were inexpensive to begin with, but Karl took it too far.
“So you came to Solen?”
“I heard there’s a caravan leaving for Rosan soon.”
“You’re planning to go to Rosan?”
“Yeah. I’ve got some money saved, so I’m thinking of gathering decent guys there and starting my own mercenary band.”
“As expected...”
“As expected?”
“No, nothing. Have you thought of a name for the band?”
“Not yet.”
“How about the Red Bear Mercenary Corps?”
“Red Bear Mercenary Corps...”
Did I remember wrong?
“That’s a great one!”
Nope, I was right. This guy really will form the fearsome Red Bear Mercenary Corps.
“I’m planning to head to Rosan too. How about traveling together?”
“What? For real?! Theodore, if you’re coming along, I’d be thrilled!”
He laughed heartily and clapped me on the shoulder.
Thank you in advance, future Mercenary King.
Anyway, first things first—I needed to get the quest from him for [Regeneration] and [Hardiness]...
“The road to Rosan is way rougher than the one to the imperial capital.”
“...Huh?”
“Theodore, how about training with me before the caravan leaves?”
This must be it. The quest for [Regeneration] and [Hardiness].
According to the book, succeeding in the training would grant those skills, plus some favor with Jamil.
Of course I had to accept, but...
‘It won’t be as easy as I thought.’
I hesitated for a reason.
This guy was like a ‘red bear’ in name and nature—he only did brutal training.
But public skills and favor—better to grab them when I could.
“...Sure.”
I nodded with effort.
I thought public skills would be easy, but this difficulty was no joke.
And so began my hellish camp with Jamil.
* * *
[Regeneration] literally regenerates a tired, wounded body.
[Hardiness] boosts resistance to external damage.
Monsters on the Cursed Land are all powerful and tenacious. These two abilities were essential to deal with them.
However...
Jamil’s training was fucking brutal.
‘Fuck... I’d rather go back to the army.’
I lay collapsed amid the thick underbrush, staring blankly at the sky.
Jamil, the monster with inhuman stamina, was still running around with thick logs slung over his shoulders.
That’s how he destroyed his body.
Then the ruined body regenerated, growing even stronger.
That was the foundation of [Regeneration] and [Hardiness].
‘Who knew these skills came from such a barbaric method...’
In a game, it’d be something like [Carry 100 logs]. But reality was different.
Days spent in agony as muscles tore, nights in pain as they knit back. And that wasn’t all—dodging Jamil while he ‘trained’ by hunting me was mentally exhausting too.
But.
Thanks to that suffering, I acquired [Regeneration] and [Hardiness] in just three days.
Once I had them, my body changed completely.
It looked more solid, and I didn’t tire easily even against Jamil.
That would definitely make getting [Poison Resistance] and [Cold Resistance] easier.
The other two took a lot of stamina too.
“Theodore! Get up! I found bear tracks! Let’s catch this one for dinner tonight!”
“...No, I’ve got separate business starting today.”
“What?”
Jamil visibly deflated and dropped the log from his shoulder.
The thud was so loud that all the birds in the area flew off.
“You can catch a bear on your own.”
“That’s true, but...”
“See you at the inn for dinner.”
I dragged my exhausted body up, packed my things, and left the forest.
“Whew...”
Spending days with that musclehead made me feel like my brain was turning to muscle too.
Still, my body felt lighter than before, and my overall vitality had increased.
For [Poison Resistance], I bought Poison Berries from [Fruits of the Fearful Night] in Solen’s market and ate them for three days.
Today was day three.
“One Poison Berry today too?”
The merchant recognized me and spoke first.
“Yes. One, please.”
I handed over coins and received the Poison Berry wrapped in soft cloth.
The purple, perfectly ripened Poison Berry looked like a grape at a glance.
Even the scent was similar. The only difference was its fist-sized girth.
I bit into the Poison Berry without hesitation.
Unlike the skin, the pale green flesh overflowed with sweet-tart juice.
At least it tasted good—that was some consolation.
“Jeez...”
The merchant stared at me in disbelief.
Fair enough.
Who eats poison fruit like a snack?
True to its name, the Poison Berry was intensely toxic. Unlike Sweet Berries, it caused severe hives, breathing difficulty, convulsions immediately upon ingestion, and could even kill instantly in bad cases.
Even beasts and monsters avoided it. The only ones interested were mages.
And now here was a guy chomping them down?
‘Even I think I’m crazy.’
Ignoring the merchant’s shock, I munched away. I even swallowed the almond-sized seed at the end.
“Whew...”
My throat burned a bit, but no other symptoms.
Thanks to [Regeneration] and [Hardiness], plus pre-casting [Nature’s Healing] on myself.
Normally, you’d chug stamina potions until the poison wore off, but as a druid, I didn’t need them.
Only the first day upset my stomach a little—now I could even enjoy the taste.
Poison Berries were delicious despite being toxic, so I could see myself craving them later.
Three Poison Berries.
That got me [Poison Resistance].
Now for [Cold Resistance].
‘This one’s the trickiest.’
For [Cold Resistance], I needed ‘ice’ first.
But in this pseudo-medieval land, getting ‘ice’ wasn’t easy.
And it cost a fortune.
A sack of ice was pricier than a sack of barley.
‘After buying ice, it’s back to hard coarse bread for me.’
Not that I minded much.
I could earn money again.
I went to Eisilla, the famous mage in Solen.
She was more merchant than mage, more focused on selling ice she made with her abilities than magical research.
She had her reasons, unfortunate as they were.
She wasn’t skilled enough for monster hunting, but couldn’t just sit idle.
She started an ‘ice business’ to survive, and it exploded.
Sure, mages mocked her as a peddler instead of a real mage, but that beat starving.
Ice was a luxury here, so Eisilla became wealthy beyond her skills.
‘In the game too, unless you were in the polar regions, you had to visit Eisilla for ice.’
It was essential for players heading to Rosan.
Anyway, I bought a sack of ice from Eisilla’s lab—or rather, ice shop.
“Oh my, it’s been slow lately with how cool the weather is.”
“Is that so?”
“Buying this much—you must be throwing a party somewhere?”
“Well, something like that.”
I mumbled vaguely and handed her 50 silvers.
To prevent melting, I stored the ice in my subspace ring.
Noticing it wasn’t ordinary, Eisilla’s eyes narrowed.
“That ring...”
“See you.”
I grabbed my pouch and left before she could ask more. Rumors about Khalid among mages would be a hassle.
Back at the inn, I dumped most of the ice into a small bathtub, saving some on a plate to eat.
Lowering body temperature abnormally to continuously drain stamina would meet the conditions for [Cold Resistance].
Normally, you’d get [Cold Resistance] naturally in snowy mountains or glaciers. But I wasn’t there, so this method it was.
“Damn...”
I thought it’d be fine, but the moment I submerged, I cursed. The cold pierced like skin tearing, straight to the bone.
With ice in my mouth too, I genuinely wanted to die.
I felt my body temperature plummeting. Staying still would just mean dying like a dog.
Whether [Poison Resistance] or [Cold Resistance], the key was enduring the stamina drain until ‘resistance’ kicked in.
Like with [Poison Resistance] using [Nature’s Healing], I cast it again now. Even with [Regeneration] and [Hardiness], the dropping temperature drained stamina fast, so healing was needed simultaneously.
“Urgh...”
Fortunately, my muscles—torn and reformed so many times—held strong.
Once body temperature bottomed out, it stabilized. I seized the moment and entered meditation. Stamina drained and refilled for hours.
“Theodore!”
How much time passed? I opened my eyes to Jamil bursting through the door yelling.
Wait—did I get [Cold Resistance]?
I wiggled my fingers. Sensation intact, movement fine—success.
‘Phew, got it safe...’
Relief hit, and the cold crashed in. Shivering, I looked at Jamil.
“Ice bath in this weather?”
“Ex, ex, explaining’s har, hard—ju, just pull me out first.”
With Jamil’s help, I escaped the hellish ice tub.
Now all preparations for the Cursed Land were complete.