Chapter 2 - {I Fell into the World of a Romance Fantasy} 2
{I Fell into the World of a Romance Fantasy} 2
Translator : Elizabeth
As the roar subsided, a strange silence settled in.
The massive Troll that had been roaring as if to tear people apart just moments ago.
That terrifying monster had now become a bloodied lump of meat, embedded in a boulder.
In front of it, a 15-year-old boy could be seen dusting off the dirt from his fist.
"Phew."
That boy, Kang Jin-ho, briefly caught his breath and looked down at his fist.
White and smooth skin. A fine hand without a single callus.
It was a visual that made it impossible to believe this was the weapon that had just smashed a boulder and exploded a Troll.
'Even looking at it again, I can't get used to it.'
Back when he attended a boxing gym on modern Earth, his wish was to burst just one sandbag, but as soon as he came to another world, he burst a Troll.
He couldn't tell if this was a perk of dimensional travel or if there was some other factor involved.
However, one thing was certain.
Growl—.
The fact was that he was hungry right now.
"Ah."
Kang Jin-ho rubbed his stomach awkwardly.
Thinking about it, it was natural.
He had no idea how long he had been trapped in the dimensional rift before coming out.
Having spent a long time in the pain of his body twisting and reassembling, feeling hunger was a natural physiological phenomenon.
It was then.
The villagers, who had been holding their breath, poked their heads out from behind the bushes one by one.
"Is, is that thing dead?"
"In one hit? That monster?"
"Oh my god…."
In their eyes, fear and awe were mixed half and half.
The overwhelming martial power shown by a young boy.
It was salvation, but at the same time, another form of fear.
Kang Jin-ho wasn't particularly pleased with those gazes, but he wasn't in a position to be picky right now.
'Let's make some money first.'
Knowledge as an avid reader of fantasy novels flashed through his mind.
The cliché that Trolls have excellent regenerative abilities.
That meant there was a high possibility that the bastard's heart or blood would be used as ingredients for potions.
Its leather would also be tough, likely making it popular as material for armor.
'If you catch it, looting is the universal rule.'
Kang Jin-ho approached the Troll's corpse without hesitation.
Looking closely, the state of it was even more wretched.
Intestines had burst out, and bones were crushed.
The foul smell of blood stung his nose, but Kang Jin-ho didn't bat an eye.
He was about to starve to death right now; was a weak stomach the issue?
Just as he was about to rummage through the Troll's chest area, someone ran over urgently.
"E-Excuse me! Young Master!"
Turning his head, it was the middle-aged peddler he had met at the forest entrance earlier.
The peddler ran over, sweating profusely, and bowed deeply before Kang Jin-ho.
"Oh my god, thank you so much! If it weren't for you, Young Master, not only us but my wagon would have been completely smashed. You are our lifesaver!"
"Ah, yes. Well."
Kang Jin-ho nodded roughly.
Actually, rather than a sense of justice to save anyone, it was closer to swinging his fist to save himself.
But there was no need to go out of his way to correct that fact.
"By the way, Mister."
"Yes, please speak!"
"How much is this worth?"
Kang Jin-ho pointed to the Troll's corpse with his chin.
The peddler's eyes widened.
He scanned the Troll's corpse and let out a series of exclamations.
"It's expensive, of course! This fellow is quite large, even among Forest Trolls. Especially the magic stone (Ma-seok) embedded in the heart and the blood containing regenerative power are items alchemists can't get enough of."
The peddler continued, looking at the part where Kang Jin-ho's fist had made contact.
"The leather also has damaged parts… uh… the belly side did burst, but the back leather is intact, so it should fetch a decent price."
'As expected!'
A smile spread across Kang Jin-ho's lips.
Even if it was a Romance Fantasy, it seemed the economic laws of the fantasy world were pretty much the same.
"Then will you buy it, Mister?"
"Pardon?"
"How much would I get if I sold all of this? I want to cash out right now."
At Kang Jin-ho's proposal, the peddler made a troubled expression.
"T-That is… the goods are certainly good, but I don't have that kind of money on hand. To purchase all the byproducts of a Troll this size would easily cost dozens of gold coins, and since I am a small-scale merchant…."
"Ah."
Kang Jin-ho let out a short sigh.
Come to think of it, there was no way a peddler traveling between rural villages would be carrying a huge sum of money.
"Then isn't there a big city nearby? I think I could sell it if I go there."
"There is a city, but…."
The peddler trailed off, gauging Kang Jin-ho's reaction.
Then he asked cautiously.
"Excuse me, Young Master… do you perhaps have an 'Identification Plaque'?"
"Identification Plaque?"
"Yes. According to Imperial Law, to enter a city with walls or to formally trade monster byproducts, an Identification Plaque proving you are a citizen of the Empire is essential. Or you must at least have a Guild Card."
Kang Jin-ho's expression stiffened.
Even if he put his hands in his pockets, all he would grasp was dust.
It was the harm of the Trip.
Since only his body came dangling along, there was no way he would have an ID.
"What happens if I don't have one?"
"You could be caught by the city guards and dragged to a forced labor camp, or if you're unlucky, sold as a slave. Monster byproduct trading would have to be done through the black market, but it's hard to get a fair price there, and it's dangerous…."
"……."
'This is crazy.'
Kang Jin-ho swallowed a curse inwardly.
What good was being strong?
Because he didn't have a single piece of paper, he looked like he wouldn't be able to touch a penny even after beating a Troll to death.
Of course, he could break through the guards with force, but that was a shortcut to becoming a criminal.
He had just started adapting to this world; he couldn't become a wanted man from the get-go.
'To live in this world first, I need a legal identity.'
It was when Kang Jin-ho was scratching his head in a bind.
The peddler, gauging Kang Jin-ho's reaction, spoke up carefully.
"Um… Young Master. If it isn't rude, may I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"Well… judging by your attire, you don't seem to be a commoner… and seeing that incredible martial power or your fine hands, you seem like the son of a noble family… are you perhaps a runaway… no, are you currently training away from home?"
In the peddler's eyes, Kang Jin-ho must have appeared peculiar.
His outfit was unfamiliar (modern clothing), but he had white skin that looked noble despite the dirt.
On top of that, martial power capable of beating a Troll to death with bare hands.
He was too alien to be called a commoner or some countryside mercenary.
Then the answer was one.
'A young master from a prestigious knight family who secretly came out to see the world.'
The peddler's delusions had quickly reached a conclusion.
Instead of correcting that misunderstanding, Kang Jin-ho grinned and decided to use it.
"Well, it's roughly similar. Due to some circumstances, it's difficult to reveal my identity. And I lost my Identification Plaque."
"Ah! As expected, that was the case!"
The peddler slapped his knee as if to say, 'I knew it.'
Eccentric training of nobles or running away due to family discord was a staple repertoire of bards, after all.
"Then Mister, isn't there a way? A way to earn money or dispose of these byproducts without an Identification Plaque."
When Kang Jin-ho asked slyly, the peddler pondered for a moment before opening his mouth.
"It's not that there is absolutely no way."
"Oh?"
"There is a place I am heading to right now. It's a place called 'Barony of Kales,' which appears if we go about half a day more by carriage from here… have you perhaps heard of it?"
"It's my first time here, so I don't know it."
"If it's there, you can enter even without an Identification Plaque. No, rather, they will welcome you with open arms."
Kang Jin-ho's eyebrow twitched.
A territory that doesn't even check IDs in an Empire that is a status society.
The common sense circuit of a modern person rang a warning alarm.
"That's a bit suspicious. Doesn't that mean they accept criminals or wanted men indiscriminately?"
"Haha, that's correct. Actually, it is a place where criminals also flee and flow into."
"……Pardon?"
"Because it is such a rough place."
The peddler smiled bitterly and continued.
"The Barony of Kales is nicknamed the 'Cursed Land.' Although it is adjacent to the North, it is too remote to receive the protection of the Winter Grand Duchy. Thanks to that, monsters appear incessantly."
"Aha."
"Monsters are pouring out, but the troops to block them are insufficient…. So the Lord accepts mercenaries or hunters without asking about their background. Because people who can fight with a sword right now are urgent."
Absence of public order. Rampant monsters. A lawless zone.
Just hearing it, it was a chaotic territory unfit for human habitation.
But to Kang Jin-ho's ears, it sounded different.
'It's a land of opportunity.'
No need for an identity.
Many monsters = Ways to make money are everywhere.
And above all, it was the perfect place to test and adapt to this overflowing power of his.
"Moreover, farming is almost impossible there, so the main source of income is processing monster byproducts and exporting them to the outside. If you take that Troll you caught there, Young Master, you will be able to sell it for a fair price."
"Are merchants okay? You said public order is a mess."
"Hoho, if merchants like us don't exist, the people there would starve to death. Since we are the ones supplying food and daily necessities, the Lord also thoroughly guarantees the safety of merchants. As long as we don't meet monsters, that is."
The peddler glanced at the Troll's corpse.
That gaze was clear.
'If I accompany a Young Master with monster-like martial power like this, my safety will also be guaranteed.'
'That person needs my martial power. And I need an identity.'
Their mutual interests aligned perfectly.
Kang Jin-ho needed identity laundering and money, and the peddler needed a powerful escort.
"Alright. Let's go to that Barony."
"You thought well! Please get on my carriage. I will serve you comfortably during the journey."
Color returned to the peddler's face.
He ordered the villagers to skillfully start dismantling the Troll's corpse.
Kang Jin-ho watched the process and organized his future plans.
'First, let's survive until the original story begins.'
10 years.
That is the time remaining until the original story starts.
To survive in this world during that time, no, to live proudly since he had fallen here anyway, he needed 'Power,' 'Money,' and 'Status.'
'A cursed land….'
Kang Jin-ho clenched and unclenched his fist feeling the rattling vibration of the wagon.
The power felt within his palm was unfamiliar yet reassuring.
"I should go and register as a mercenary first."
If it followed the old fantasy novel clichés, he would probably be able to make an ID card after solving a few requests at the Mercenary Guild.
Anyway, for the current him, using his body would be easier than using his head.
"We are departing!"
With the coachman's shout, the carriage began to roll.
Kang Jin-ho smiled bitterly as he looked at the receding forest.
He fell into a world inside a Romance Fantasy, but instead of romance, he was starting with manual labor beating up monsters.
But it couldn't be helped.
'Let's survive first and see.'
The most important thing was survival.