Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: I'm Great at Anger Management
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I got my carry fee from the bald guy.
This time, not just a part of it, but his whole coin purse.
'How dare he think he could get a carry and just walk away.'
Does he have any idea how expensive a dungeon carry is these days?
Office workers with no time pour their hard-earned money into a bunch of polygons just to raise a single number on their status window.
In reality, especially in a situation where I can get some of it back after completing the quest, there's no way I wouldn't take a carry fee.
For the record, he was short on the fee, so I agreed to get the rest after the quest was completed.
And for some reason, he's been avoiding me, sneaking glances my way.
"Luna, what's with that guy?"
"If I were next to someone who tried to bury me alive, I'd probably be the same..."
Buried alive? That's a bit harsh.
He sacrificed himself. If he didn't want to, he would've found a way to escape instead of just standing there.
Just like on the way there, we ran into some goblins and warg wolves, leading to a few battles.
But the way back was the complete opposite of the way there.
Every time a monster appeared, the bald guy would charge ahead and take care of it.
Of course, the bald guy did most of the work on the way there too, but back then he looked like a recruit shaving his head before enlistment. Now, he's like a private first class who's enjoying training a little too much.
Well, thanks to him, things were easy for Luna and me, which was great.
While I was at it, I opened my status window to check what I'd gained from this quest.
[ Information ]
Name: Luke
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Mana: 0 / 0
Level: 32
[ Skills ]
Inventory (F)
Monstrous Strength (B)
[ Stats ]
Strength: 32(+16)
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 0
Stamina: 10
Stat Points: 0
Still impotent when it comes to mana.
Still, seeing how much my strength had increased since the beginning felt damn good.
I gained a whopping 7 levels from this hunt.
I probably got about 3 levels from killing the denture ants. The other 4 must have come from that demon who died out of nowhere.
'Was his name Borg?'
Same name as the weakling demon responsible for the protagonist's early growth.
He was supposed to be hiding somewhere, stockpiling power, only to appear later and become experience points for the protagonist. I guess "hiding" just meant an ant nest.
'But I killed him instead, huh?'
So sweet~
That protagonist bastard, hoarding all this tasty stuff for himself?
If you've got something this good, share it with the heroine! Huh!? Share it with the extras! Huh!? Wouldn't it be great if everyone shared and ganged up on the Demon God!
It's fucking ridiculous how he hogs it all for himself and then faces the Demon God alone later.
I was trying not to steal the protagonist's lucky encounters, but the blood of a Korean who seeks extreme profit flows through my veins. If I'd never tasted it, fine, but now that I have, I can't get enough of this experience.
It feels like grinding in a level 10 burning field with an experience coupon, then suddenly having to grind without them.
'But what's that 16 next to my strength.'
Is it related to the new skill I got?
'Hey, you system bastard. Explain Monstrous Strength.'
As I thought that, a blue window, just like the one I saw when I named my weapon, appeared before my eyes.
◈ Skill Information
Name: Monstrous Strength
Grade: B
Description: A passive skill that multiplies the user's strength by 1.5. Since it only raises strength, it's perfect for a brute.
Just like last time, it keeps adding a snarky comment as if to mock me, when it could just give me the information.
In possession novels, the author always seems to be watching and then shows up around the finale. If I ever meet this one, I swear I'll take a massive dump on their face and turn them into a scatman.
'Anyway. Why is a skill that multiplies strength by 1.5 only a B-grade?'
Then again, there probably aren't many true men like me who go all-in on strength.
A rogue would have higher agility than strength, a mage would have intelligence, and even a frontline tanker would split their stats between strength and stamina.
In that sense, it's been proven that I'm a fucking alpha.
'But I wonder if it's affected by the stat cap or not.'
If it is, assuming the cap is 99, I'd only need 66 points to automatically hit 99. If it isn't, I could add 49 to 99 for a total of 148, showing off some truly broken power. It's an insanely overpowered skill.
'I'll have to grow more to find out.'
Should I just go cheese the Demon God right now?
I can beat him as long as I don't get hit once.
I seriously considered it, but decided against it. Beating the Demon God is basically the ending, and I don't want to see the end so soon after being isekai'd.
'So, killing demons gives you skills.'
That wasn't in the novel. Even if we grow at the same rate, the protagonist and I are bound to be different. I thought I'd have to train or find lucky encounters like him to get skills, but it's actually much simpler.
The world revolves around the protagonist, but he wouldn't throw a fit over me snatching a few demons, would he?
'If he does, I'll just kill him.'
If he throws a fit, I'll kill the protagonist and we can all go down together.
And I'll just get reincarnated.
I steeled my resolve.
***
We returned to the Adventurer's Guild.
"I'm glad you're safe."
Unlike before, when she would have said it reluctantly, Adela's words today seemed to hold genuine concern.
It wasn't that difficult of a quest. Was it because of what she said about Baldwin before we left?
"Mr. Baldwin seems a bit strange. Did something happen?"
Adela asked, looking at the bald guy who was following behind me with his hands politely clasped.
"Maybe he's upset he couldn't become a hero?"
"....?"
It was his chance to be remembered for a noble sacrifice, but he unfortunately survived, so he must be sulking.
'Kuh... If only I'd prepared a little more flour to increase the firepower!'
I should've sent him off in one go so he wouldn't feel any pain. I'm sorry I couldn't.
If we ever do a quest together again, I'll make sure to send him off properly.
"Well... Mr. Baldwin becoming more humble is a good thing, I suppose. Now then, could you show me the proof of subjugation?"
"Don't have any."
"...Pardon?"
"I said, I don't have any."
"Ah. Perhaps you lost it or—"
"Nope, it's just gone."
Adela looked at Luna, not me, with eyes that demanded an explanation.
"Well... it's not that we don't have it, it's that it's... gone..."
"...The more I hear, the less I understand."
"Luke... blew up the giant ant nest..."
"What?!"
Her horrified gaze shifted from Luna to me.
In response to her stare, I gave her a wink.
"Te-hee."
"...Is Mr. Baldwin's state also related to the explosion, by any chance?"
"Who knows?"
"Hah... I shouldn't have even asked."
But if there's no proof, what happens to my reward?
"What about our payment?"
"It seems we'll have to confirm it ourselves first. We can pay you once it's verified."
So that means no money right now.
Shit!
"Adela. Does the Adventurer's Guild have a training ground or something?"
"We do, but... what are you planning to do now?"
What else would I do in a training ground but train? Why is she talking like I've already caused trouble when I haven't done anything yet?
"Hey. Baldy."
"Uh, huh? Me?"
When I called him, the bald guy pointed to himself and asked.
"Is there another bald guy here besides you?"
"W-Well... no?"
"Whatever. Follow me to the training ground."
I wanted to drag him by the hair, but there was no hair to grab.
The bald guy and I followed Adela's lead to the Adventurer's Guild's training ground.
It was a wide, dirt-floored training area in the basement of the guild building. The bald guy and I took one of the sections.
"Hey. Raise your axe."
"....?"
Anyone would be confused, being suddenly dragged here and told to raise their weapon.
"If you don't, you die."
But sorry, I have no intention of not hitting him just because he's standing there.
If he just stands there, he's nothing but a punching bag.
Hearing my words, the guy hastily took out his axe.
The emptiness of seeing your labor result in a payment of zero.
It really pisses me the fuuuuuck off.
Sure, she said they'd pay after confirming, but the bottom line is that today's payment is zero!
It feels like taking a part-time job that promised daily pay, only to be told after finishing that you'll get paid on the regular staff's payday.
The reward is zero. That's because I blew it up. The reason I blew it up is because of that bald guy.
The syllogism is complete.
'It's all that bastard's fault.'
If he hadn't been loitering around in front, I wouldn't have had to make such an extreme choice.
How could I try to blow it up with someone still inside?
It's all his fault for getting in the way.
If he hadn't, I wouldn't have blown it up, and I'd have my reward by now!
"*Hiss. Hiss.*"
"...Luke, please calm down a little."
"I'm calmer than anyone right now."
I am more rational than anyone right now.
I am an intellectual, not some fool who loses their reason to mere anger.
Therefore, I am great at anger management.
So I'm going to rationally beat him out of anger.
"Hey. Baldy. Block properly. Or you'll die, got it?"
At that, the bald guy planted his axe vertically into the ground.
Just like in the ant nest, a rock wall rose up to block the front.
I took out my greatsword.
"L-Luke, you have to control your strength—!"
"Sure! I'll control my strength!"
I'll control it at full power.
I swung the sword with a full swing, like a batter hitting a pitcher's fastball.
*CRACK!*
As the blade touched the rock and dug deeper, the wall that had withstood an explosion shattered like a cookie.
Then, as my sword met his axe.
*CLANG!*
"Aaaaaargh!!!"
With the sound of the axe shattering, the bald guy was sent flying into the wall.
"Hoo... That was refreshing."
I put the sword back in my inventory and dusted off my hands.
"Bring me the carry fee when you get your money later."
With that, I left the training ground with Luna.
The last thing I saw before leaving was a single drop of sweat rolling down the bald guy's face.