Half Price Only
“Hold it right there! Don’t come any closer. I’d prefer we talk from a distance.”
“…Why?”
I took a small step forward to speak with him, but Alkest recoiled in alarm and shouted.
“At the very least, put that sword away! If you get any closer, you’ll run me through with it!”
“Ah.”
Right. I was still pointing my blade at him. I’d completely forgotten after Alkest introduced himself.
“What’s with that reaction? You’re acting like you had no idea you were threatening someone with a sword.”
“…….”
Sharp as ever.
“Besides, you’re not unaware of what you currently look like, are you? Unfortunately, I don’t possess any power worth calling combat strength. If you truly wish to talk, I’d appreciate it if you showed some consideration and stayed right there.”
I nodded obediently at Alkest’s words.
Yeah, that was another problem. My current appearance was undeniably intimidating. After dealing with those kobolds, their blood had splattered far more than expected, turning me into something straight out of a horror movie—a blood-soaked killer.
“Judging by your reaction, you seem to understand what I’m saying.”
“I’m well aware of my own state.”
“To view one’s own condition with such objectivity… truly impressive.”
Alkest spoke while carefully studying my gruesome appearance.
“You couldn’t have committed murder around here, so I assume you were cleaning up the kobolds that roam this area?”
“That’s right.”
“That’s fortunate. It saves me from a rather annoying task. You have my thanks.”
“Then how about giving me a reward?”
“Hah. In this situation, shouldn’t you say something like ‘it was only natural’ and claim no thanks are necessary?”
Who do you take me for, a pushover?
Well, if the other party had nothing, I wouldn’t have asked for compensation. But the man before me was someone who didn’t deserve any pity!
He seems to be in a pretty good mood. Maybe I can squeeze a little something out of him.
Alkest was one of those people whose personality was incredibly difficult to read. Still, it was clear his mood was excellent right now.
“Hey, do you happen to have any wa—”
“Kyaaaaah!”
“Kaaak! Grrrr!”
“Grrrng. Kyak!”
Before I could even finish speaking, a pack of kobolds burst out from the bushes. Their numbers were on a completely different scale from before. At this point, it almost felt like a gate had opened.
“Oh dear. It seems they’ve noticed outsiders near their nest. I expected this, but they arrived far too qui—”
Alkest stopped mid-sentence, glanced at me, and nodded in understanding. I could roughly guess what he was thinking.
Of course. Those creatures had been glaring at me with pure hostility from the very beginning.
“I see. So that’s what it was.”
“You noticed as well. Yes, kobolds have keen senses of smell. They caught the scent of their kin’s blood, flew into a rage, and rushed here. Judging by their numbers, it looks like every last one that had slipped out of the gate has gathered.”
“Then I won’t have to go looking for them.”
“Aren’t you afraid?”
His question—whether I felt any fear facing such a large pack of kobolds—made me let out a dry chuckle.
Afraid? If I felt fear toward creatures like these, wouldn’t that be an insult to all the opponents I’d fought until now?
Clack.
“Kyaaaa!!”
“Kyrrk! Kyaa!”
“Kyaaaaah!!”
The moment I pulled out the kobold daggers I’d claimed as trophies from the previous fight, their hostility surged even higher. The situation was so tense that they looked ready to charge at the slightest signal.
Yet both Alkest and I continued our conversation as if there was nothing to worry about.
“Quite the twisted personality, I see.”
“It’s because I don’t have any proper weapons.”
“Didn’t you obtain a weapon from the academy?”
“My weapon is a bit… special.”
If I take it out and swing it, it’ll shatter instantly.
Alkest interpreted my words in his own way.
“I see. So you can’t use a blade meant for butchering cattle to kill a chicken.”
I didn’t bother correcting him.
“You’re not planning to step in?”
“Those creatures aren’t even paying attention to me, and as I said earlier, I lack any power worth calling combat strength. I’ll leave it to you.”
Well, I was the one who’d dragged them here in the first place.
I gave a light nod and stepped forward in front of Alkest. The kobold pack immediately faltered and retreated. They wanted to kill me, but their wariness and fear of me ran even deeper.
Alright then. I’ll make the first move.
“Kyaaaaaaa!!!”
“Kyraaaaaak!”
“Grrrk! Kyaaak!!”
I charged forward like an arrow, wrapping the Heavenly Demon Divine Art around my blade. Since there were so many of them this time, I decided to add Ghostly Qi as well.
Crack. Crunch.
As I reinforced my body with Ghostly Qi, the sound of my muscles and bones twisting echoed. But I was used to it by now, so it wasn’t an issue. There were no major side effects either.
Slash.
Thanks to the physical enhancement from the Ghostly Qi, I felt almost no resistance. It was like slicing through tofu. I swung my sword relentlessly at the kobolds, who still hadn’t fully processed the deaths of their kin.
“Kieeeee!!”
“Kyaaak…”
“Krrk… Kaak.”
As expected, the sensation of killing something in reality still felt unfamiliar. The fact that my opponents died so easily only amplified that sense of dissonance.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
I couldn’t even count how many swords I’d gone through during the fight. The kobolds’ daggers were poor quality, so they broke even faster.
Crack.
Whenever a blade failed to withstand the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and shattered, I simply snatched another from the kobold I’d just killed and kept swinging. The silver lining was that replenishing weapons wasn’t particularly difficult. All I had to do was reach down and a new one was ready.
Slice.
After continuously swapping weapons like that, I finally took down the last kobold.
“Hoo…”
It took 15 minutes and 40 seconds to eliminate them all. Far too many unnecessary movements. The battle dragged on because of it.
Before I could even catch my breath after the fight, Cheonma’s critique rang out. I glanced over at the kobolds I had faced. Fifteen minutes and forty seconds to handle all of them?
If I had been an ordinary academy student, I probably would have been thrilled by those words. A typical first-year would have received praise simply for surviving rather than defeating them.
But I’m not like them.
I couldn’t afford to be judged by the same standards. Was I the same as those ordinary people? Even if this was a game world, how many battles had I fought while traveling across it? And who was the one currently teaching me?
I quietly nodded at Cheonma’s words. She already knew what I desired.
Whoa. Hearing it laid out like that, I realized I’d made quite a few mistakes. But from Cheonma’s tone, it seemed she wasn’t finished yet.
Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.
“Hm?”
“To wipe out so many kobolds in such a short time—truly impressive. It’s hard to believe this is the skill of a first-year academy student.”
I had been concentrating on Cheonma’s feedback when the untimely applause shattered my focus.
“Looks like I ended up receiving your help again.”
“Then instead of just words, how about giving me something?”
“Hah. Can’t you tell by my appearance? I’m a penniless beggar with nothing to give.”
What a liar.
Even if his outfit did look like a beggar’s, I wasn’t falling for it.
“Tsk. You’re not buying it, huh?”
“A real beggar wouldn’t be loitering near a gate conducting research.”
“I noticed it during the fight earlier, but you’re surprisingly intelligent despite your looks.”
“Want me to cut you down with my sword?”
“I’ll pass. I still have many things I need to do.”
Alkest gestured toward the horde of kobolds I had slain.
“In that case, instead of paying with my life, I’ll make you a proposal.”
“A proposal?”
“How about selling those creatures to me? If you do, I’ll specially grant you the qualification of a guest and allow you to trade with me.”
Hah. I never expected him to offer a deal first. My goal had been to open trade with him, but I hadn’t thought it would go this smoothly. And with the status of a ‘guest,’ no less!
“A trade, huh. So you really aren’t a beggar after all.”
“Kukuk. Don’t say that when you were never actually suspicious. You were already certain, weren’t you?”
What a ghost of a man.
I’d tried my best to act otherwise, but he’d seen right through me. Still, it seemed he didn’t yet know that I was aware of his true identity. As long as the important information stayed hidden, that was fine.
“Even though I look like this, I have confidence in my abilities. Trust me.”
“…Alright. I’ll accept your proposal.”
“A wise choice.”
Snap.
The moment I agreed, Alkest lightly flicked his fingers. Behind him, chains made of mana appeared and began wrapping around the kobold corpses. They twisted through space and dragged the bodies into a sub-dimensional pocket. I stared at the sight in a daze.
“Focus over here, will you? We still have a trade to complete, don’t we?”
“Ah, right.”
“Then allow me to show you the goods.”
Snap.
When Alkest flicked his fingers again, a long display shelf appeared before us, neatly arranged with various items that greeted us warmly.
Hah. He’s a better alchemist than I expected. To think he’d be willing to sell items of this caliber.
She sounded genuinely impressed as she examined Alkest’s wares. I was just as shocked. Every single item on display was of far higher quality than I had anticipated.
“You look surprised.”
“I didn’t expect the goods to be this good.”
“Haha. I told you—I have confidence in my skills. And for some reason, I have a feeling I’ll be trading with you for a long time. That’s why I brought out only the highest-grade items I had.”
I’d thought only named characters who had traded with him for a long time could see items like these. Just what had he seen in me to show me such things from the very first meeting?
“Go ahead and choose what you want. Since this is your first purchase, I’ll sell them at a special discount.”
The words snapped me out of my thoughts about his intentions. I looked up immediately.
Did he just say he’d sell them cheap? I stared at Alkest with an expression that asked if he was serious. This was the same man who had never once lowered his prices. It was clearly suspicious. I should ask him what he really meant before jumping to conclusions…
“I’ll sell them at half the fair price. I’ll specially offer them at half off.”
“I’ll buy everything here.”
Yeah. If he’s offering a discount, why would I complain?