Chapter 77
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: The Retired Mercenary
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The server must have earned a decent tip, because he brought out the food quickly.
“Eat up for now.”
Abel said as he poured tea into his own cup.
Carlton didn’t stand on ceremony and picked up the bread in front of him.
Only after giving Carlton enough time to fill his stomach did Abel finally speak.
“Mr. Carlton. That’s you, right?”
“That’s me.”
“And you used to be with the Lizard Mercenary Group.”
“That’s right.”
Abel exchanged a few polite questions, then brought up the story he had prepared.
“I heard about you from Mr. Doyle.”
“Doyle? You mean Mad Dog Doyle?”
“Yes. I understand you were in the same mercenary group.”
Carlton leaned back in his chair and nodded.
“Yeah. Good to know that bastard’s still kicking. Back when we fought together, it wouldn’t have surprised me if he’d dropped dead any day.”
“Yes. He’s doing well.”
“So, what’d that guy say about me?”
“That there’s a guy who wields a stupidly huge sword like it’s an extension of his arm.”
Carlton let out a snort at Abel’s words.
“He probably didn’t say only nice things.”
“Apart from that, he said you’re useless at everything else. That if you weren’t a mercenary, you’d have starved on the streets.”
“Hahaha. What a load of crap.”
Despite his words, Carlton seemed to trust Abel even more after hearing the added detail.
And for good reason.
It was a story Abel had actually heard straight from Doyle.
‘It wasn’t a chance encounter.’
When he’d scraped together a job after wandering the streets and finally had some breathing room, Abel had made a plan.
A plan spanning several years.
It included Carlton, and he’d prepared a solid way to approach him.
Getting acquainted with Doyle ahead of time—who had a decent rapport with Carlton—was part of that preparation.
To ease Carlton’s wariness, Abel deliberately spun out more tales about Doyle.
“He’s gone bald? Figures. Last time I saw him, his forehead was already getting wider.”
“He’s completely shaved it now.”
“Tsk tsk. He was ugly enough already; now he’s probably downright hideous.”
“But he got married.”
“What? That guy got married?”
Abel chatted with Carlton like that for a good while before getting to the point.
“So, can we talk about the main issue now?”
“Yeah. I’m getting sick of hearing about Doyle.”
Carlton nodded and leaned forward.
Abel spoke to him.
“I want to learn swordsmanship.”
“Swordsmanship?”
Carlton’s expression turned subtle.
It wasn’t entirely unexpected, but something still didn’t sit right with him.
“Hmm. Just looking at you, your body’s already pretty well-trained. You don’t seem like nobility, but you’re not trying to become a mercenary either.”
Carlton continued.
“More than that, there’s a thick smell of metal on you. You pilot a Gigant? And a proper one at that?”
“Yes.”
“Then why go out of your way to learn a new sword style? From me, of all people?”
The reason for his question was simple.
Piloting a Gigant generally meant you’d received some training.
That training naturally included swordsmanship.
So when a guy like this came to a retired mercenary like him asking for lessons, it raised questions.
Abel answered without hesitation.
“The weapon I recently acquired is a greatsword, just like the one you used. That’s when I remembered the stories from Doyle and came looking for you.”
“Hmm.”
Carlton didn’t answer right away.
But Abel wasn’t particularly anxious.
He knew a straightforward, simple story would land better with Carlton than some convoluted fabrication.
“Fine.”
After some deliberation, Carlton spoke.
“I’m not gonna downplay my swordsmanship. It’s been a while since I retired, but I haven’t slacked on my training.”
Abel listened intently to his serious tone.
“So if you’re serious about learning, you’d better approach it with the same attitude. I’m not just gonna show you a few forms and take your money.”
“That’s exactly what I want.”
“Good. So when do you want to start?”
“Anytime works for me.”
Abel smiled and continued.
“I’d love to start right now, if possible.”
“Yeah?”
Carlton grinned back and stood from his seat.
“Then let’s go. There’s a decent open space behind the inn.”
“Yes.”
“Oh, and just so you know, no backing out. No arguments either. You do exactly what I say.”
“Understood.”
Abel rose to follow him with light steps.
* * *
“Ugh…… Urk.”
“You okay?”
Daniel asked Abel with an unusually serious expression.
Abel replied in a feeble voice.
“……Yeah.”
“You look anything but okay.”
“I’m fine. My legs are.”
“That just means everything except your legs is wrecked.”
“…….”
It was exactly as he said. Abel’s condition was downright abysmal.
He looked like he’d keel over any second while running. His arms trembled intermittently on top of that.
Abel lacked even the energy to respond to Daniel and just kept running silently.
The reason he was in this state was none other than his training with Carlton.
‘It was beyond imagination…….’
In the game, training under Carlton was depicted as highly efficient.
Just two hours would skyrocket your stamina and strength.
Back then, he’d vaguely thought the guy just ran a good program, but experiencing it firsthand was a whole different story.
‘The training was brutally idiotic.’
Carlton’s regimen was simple.
Swing the sword he’d specially made for training. Done.
The problem was that training sword was a solid chunk of metal heavier than Abel’s actual combat blade.
When Abel questioned if it wasn’t too heavy, Carlton gave a crystal-clear answer.
‘Train with something heavier than usual, and your real sword will feel light as a feather in battle!’
He wanted to call bullshit, but he’d already agreed unconditionally to the training methods beforehand, so he couldn’t back out.
“Huff, huff.”
Thinking about the training made harsh breaths spill from his mouth unbidden, but Abel kept running.
He wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed, but he couldn’t.
He needed to build his stamina as much as possible, considering his future schedule.
‘At least the recovery options are solid.’
In reality, that kind of training would’ve wrecked his body instead of building it.
Fortunately, the academy had all sorts of recovery methods available for free.
And so, Abel managed to complete his full stamina training routine with Daniel.
“If it’s too rough tomorrow morning, just skip it!”
After training, he showered quickly, heard Daniel’s farewell, and returned to his room.
“Phew.”
Abel slumped onto his bed and let out a long sigh.
His whole body felt heavy with fatigue, but his mood wasn’t bad.
Maybe because he’d pushed himself so hard—his mind felt clearer.
Abel sat blankly on the bed for a while before glancing at the calendar.
“Time flies.”
He’d always been busy, feeling time slip away quickly, but lately it was even worse.
‘There’ve been a lot of incidents.’
Ever since enrolling in the academy, something major happened every few days.
On top of that, he’d been dealing with Hena’s rampage ever since right after enrollment.
“Still, for the time being…… until the semester ends, it’ll be a break.”
Abel muttered as he lay back on the bed.
The academic schedule would be packed, but nothing major until the semester ended.
Things would get really busy after the break started.
‘You can’t move freely during the semester anyway.’
Even just the training with Carlton—he’d have to figure out how to get outing permission next time.
But once break began, he could roam freely.
Naturally, Abel had his break plans all mapped out.
He had to get everything done before the second semester started.
While others enjoyed a long-awaited rest, Abel would be twice as busy.
‘Come to think of it, when was the last time I really relaxed?’
Since opening his eyes in this world, he’d hardly ever taken a proper break.
No need to mention his street days, and even after settling down, it was the same.
Like a racehorse whipping itself toward the finish line, running and running.
The sense of accomplishment was there, but truthfully, fatigue crept in sometimes.
Along with thoughts like, what am I running for?
“Hmm.”
Abel rubbed his tired eyes with his hand and closed them.
He’d planned to do some breathing exercises before sleep, but today he decided to just crash.
‘Once break starts, maybe take a day or two to really rest.’
Even with his packed schedule, he figured he could squeeze out a day or two.
‘Some kids stay behind instead of going home.’
Go on a trip to the outskirts together, or just check out sights in the capital.
That didn’t sound half bad.
Abel drifted off to sleep amid such thoughts while lying in bed.
Thud-.
Late into the night.
Boom-.
An unidentified sound drilled into Abel’s ears.
Boom-. Boom-.
It sounded like footsteps, or maybe a human heartbeat.
Boom, boom, boom-.
After tossing and turning for a while at the rhythmic noise, Abel opened his eyes.
Boom-.
With his eyes open, Abel stared blankly ahead.
There was only pitch-black darkness. Nothing visible.
‘It’s dark…….’
Thinking to light a lamp, Abel groped around.
But strangely, the artifact he kept by the bed didn’t turn up.
‘Did it roll off?’
Boom, boom, boom-.
“Haah.”
Even as he thought that, the mysterious sound kept tormenting him. Abel sighed and sat up.
He meant to turn on the light to check what it was.
But the moment he swung his feet out of bed and touched the floor, Abel sensed something off.
‘What?’
The floor was cold. Piercingly so.
The weather wasn’t that chilly. Plus, the dorm was always temperature-controlled.
No reason for the floor to be this cold.
And there was one more oddity.
Even in total darkness, his eyes should’ve adjusted enough to make out rough outlines, but nothing.
‘Where’s…… the bed?’
Abel reached out to where he’d been lying, but his hand sliced through empty air.
As if nothing had ever been there.
Frowning at the incomprehensible situation,
‘A dream?’
The thought crossed his mind.
Nothing else explained it.
He’d clearly been lying in bed asleep just moments ago.
But he had no time to pinch himself to check.
-Not much time left.
A voice suddenly echoed in his ear.
For some reason, it felt familiar.