Roadside Ambush
The bustling merchant street.
Countless vendors prayed for the goddess's blessing.
The continent's goddess, Sylphia, took turns granting merchants prosperous days.
Today, the water sellers had received the goddess's favor.
"Selling water here."
"One silver coin per barrel."
"Damn it, why is the water so expensive?"
"You think hauling ice water in this heat is easy?"
"Still, it's too much. That's enough to stay at an inn for two nights. Can't you lower it a bit?"
"Don't buy if you don't want it."
Henrik tossed over a silver coin with a sullen face.
The water seller handed him a barrel with small chunks of ice and strode away.
"I'm thirsty too."
"Me too."
"...Don't you two have money? Buy it yourselves."
Henrik grumbled but passed the barrel to Shanette and Iris anyway.
He turned to Kang Yoonsoo.
"Not thirsty?"
"No."
The scorching sun beat down.
The month of the Firebird had ended, giving way to the month of the Sun.
This was the height of summer across the continent.
"I miss the chilled liquor we brought from the Castle of the Dead."
Henrik grumbled while chewing on an ice chunk.
They had stocked up on plenty of food and water for the long journey ahead.
When Kang Yoonsoo reached for a bottle of liquor on a stall without hesitation, Shanette grabbed his wrist.
"Why."
"No excessive drinking."
"Hey, you nagging girl. Isn't it a bit harsh to say that to a guy who craves booze more than drugs?"
Henrik sneered.
But Shanette shook her head firmly.
"No. I will make you quit drinking, Kang Yoonsoo. Drinking that much even in the desert is dangerous. Don't buy any liquor this time."
"No."
"Then at least reduce the amount. Half a bottle a day at most."
"I said no."
Kang Yoonsoo and Shanette glared at each other with sharp eyes.
Henrik chuckled, finding the scene amusing.
Iris asked with curious eyes.
"Is alcohol tasty?"
"It's an adult taste. You wouldn't know."
Iris looked at Henrik with a hurt expression.
"I'm not a child."
"Then are you an adult? Doesn't look like it."
"Henrik is an idiot."
Tears welled up in Iris's eyes.
Flustered, Henrik quickly bought a low-alcohol grape wine for her.
"This is why I can't even tease you. Drink if you want."
Iris took a sip of the wine and frowned.
"It's not as good as I thought. Bitter."
"Really? You eat raw hearts just fine, so why complain?"
"Hearts have a nice, throbbing texture."
"What the hell kind of nonsense is that?"
The group left the market street, each carrying their own load.
Shanette added "making Kang Yoonsoo quit drinking" to the list of impossible things in this world.
She asked dejectedly.
"How are we getting to the Extinction Desert?"
They still had the carriage from the One-Eyed Clan at sunset.
But that carriage had a high chance of being caught in Leffman's surveillance net.
"Whether the caravan leader planned it or not, all the wheels are worn out. It won't make it to the Extinction Desert."
In the end, Kang Yoonsoo flagged down a passing carriage on the street.
They loaded their belongings into the cargo hold and boarded.
The driver turned around and asked.
"Where to?"
"Rabiesk."
"Huh, that's a pretty rough place to go these days. Looking to buy something from the treasure hunters?"
Shanette looked curious.
"What kind of place is Rabiesk?"
"A rugged desert city in the southwest. It's right next to the Extinction Desert, so rough treasure hunters gather there. You can easily find some pretty famous treasure hunter clans too."
The driver scratched his chin.
"It'll take over ten days just to get there. The fare won't be cheap. Is that all right?"
"I'll pay in advance."
"Oh, thank you."
The driver counted the gold coins and drove the carriage.
The carriage carrying them creaked forward.
"So you'll be traveling with us the whole way?"
"First time using a travel carriage? We usually stop at night, and you can take additional rest if you want. I can handle my own meals and lodging, so don't worry about me."
"I see. By the way, may I ask your name?"
"Slang."
The ride in the carriage was peaceful.
Slang occasionally sprinkled water on the carriage roof.
It made the inside a little cooler and more comfortable.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing what the desert is like."
"I've never been to a desert either. But I don't think it'll be very nice."
"Crossing the desert in this heat. What a timely trip."
The carriage left the capital and entered a remote area.
As darkness fell outside, Slang stopped the carriage.
"We'll rest here for today. And thank you."
"For what?"
Slang looked at them and smiled.
"You'll be donating some valuable assets to us tonight, won't you?"
Men wearing masks emerged one after another from the darkened surroundings.
Slang pulled a dagger from his sleeve.
"Hand over everything you have."
They were a band of thieves who disguised travel carriages to rob valuables.
But today, the customers' reactions were less than satisfying.
Normally, people would be terrified or already handing over their valuables, but these passengers merely stared at them with indifferent eyes.
Henrik sighed and spoke.
"Nothing surprises me anymore. You picked this carriage on purpose, didn't you?"
"Yeah."
"You really are an unlucky bastard."
Slang clicked his tongue.
"You don't seem to understand the situation."
He grabbed the woman who looked the weakest and pressed the dagger to her throat.
What happened next was obvious.
When Iris swung her fist, Slang's jaw twisted sideways.
"Gah!"
"Slang!"
The thieves drew their weapons with fierce expressions and approached.
At the same time, fireballs rained down on their faces.
"Aagh!"
"H-hot!"
Shanette drew her scythe from her back and stepped out of the carriage.
Henrik laughed in disbelief.
"No need to burn their faces off, is there?"
"I've gotten good enough with the skill to control the temperature, you know?"
Shanette replied nonchalantly and swung her scythe at the approaching thieves.
One thief in the back line chanted a spell.
"O fierce blue flame's brand! Become my strength and grant me the hatred to punish my enemies, intertwined with the rising radiance and the distorted night stars of rage..."
"Man, this is boring. Why is the incantation so long?"
Thud!
Henrik's doll swung its leg and crushed the thief's lips.
Still seated on the carriage, he casually controlled twenty combat dolls.
Kang Yoonsoo slowly walked out of the carriage.
He placed his hand on his waist, then suddenly realized.
'No weapon.'
Labian's longsword and the Blood Slaughter Sword had been destroyed by Helkin.
All the items taken from the Crossblade Bandits had been offered to create the Little Lich.
He had no weapons now.
"Die!"
A thief gritted his teeth and swung a sword at him.
Kang Yoonsoo ducked to avoid the blade and grabbed the thief's neck with one hand.
"Guh, gah!"
'Should I take it?'
For a brief moment, Kang Yoonsoo considered snatching the longsword from the thief's hand.
But he gave up.
'Let's fight without weapons for now.'
Since this was his final life, he would experience all kinds of battles.
It had been a while since he'd tested his hand-to-hand combat skills.
Kang Yoonsoo slammed the thief he was holding by the neck onto the ground.
"Gah-!"
'The life I lived as a boxer.'
Kang Yoonsoo lightly stepped forward.
When two thieves approached, he naturally dodged and threw punches.
He struck one in the temple and shattered the other's jawbone with rapid blows.
'The life I fought as a kickboxer.'
Kang Yoonsoo smoothly extended his ankle.
He kicked a thief who had ambushed him from behind square in the cheek with the top of his foot.
The sound of bones breaking echoed.
'The life I trained as a wandering martial artist.'
One large thief and three smaller ones approached.
A heavy mace came down right in front of him, while three poison-coated daggers simultaneously aimed for his neck.
Kang Yoonsoo used the twelve-step defensive stance he had developed in a past life.
Thud thud thud thud!
All four thieves collapsed in succession.
'The life I slaughtered as a bare-handed killer...'
Just as Kang Yoonsoo was recalling that rather brutal life, Shanette approached and tapped his shoulder.
"It's already over, Kang Yoonsoo."
Only then did Kang Yoonsoo look up and survey his surroundings.
All the thieves lay on the ground with broken bones.
Slang knelt and begged.
"P-please, spare my life at least!"
Kang Yoonsoo got straight to the point.
"Hand over everything you have."
* * *
"Look at these. Top-grade breeds, no doubt."
Henrik admired the horses while stroking the mane of an ashen one.
Four sturdy horses of various colors stood lined up with reins attached.
"Th-these are the finest horses we have."
Slang spoke obsequiously.
Since this was a remote area, the thieves had been traveling on horseback.
Iris smiled brightly as she stroked the most beautiful white horse.
"Such a magnificent white mane. I like it very much."
"Why? If it's about white manes, we already have one. White."
"Werewolves aren't to my taste."
Iris spoke with unexpected firmness.
Shanette asked curiously.
"Why don't you like werewolves?"
"Even if their form changes, they can identify someone's race by scent. That's why doppelgangers don't like werewolves."
"Ah... I see."
She spoke with a dazed expression.
Since they traveled together so often, she often forgot that Iris was a doppelganger.
Kang Yoonsoo spoke to Slang and the other thieves.
"Money and valuables. Load them into the carriage's cargo hold."
The thieves gritted their teeth in secret, but there was nothing they could do.
Just as the ones who could still walk were placing their belongings in the cargo hold one by one...
Kang Yoonsoo pointed at several thieves without hesitation.
"You, leave behind the earth-attribute staff hidden in your robe and the ring with healing properties. You, remove the earring enchanted with protective magic and hand it over. And you, you've got a jeweled dagger hidden in your back pocket."
He had identified all the thieves' valuables.
As a result, the band of thieves was cleanly robbed down to their last coin.
'Damn it!'
'Just who the hell is that guy!'
A band of thieves who had tried to make a profit had been robbed instead!
It was a ridiculous situation, perfect as gossip to flirt with tavern waitresses.
Henrik connected the four horses' reins to the carriage.
"Ready."
"Let's go."
The four boarded the carriage.
Kang Yoonsoo sat in the driver's seat and cracked the whip.
With different horses pulling, the carriage moved forward at a fast pace.
"Idiots."
Slang sneered as he watched the carriage's retreating figure.
"They never imagined this area is full of traps we set up, did they?"
"We're the ones who set traps that even investigators can't detect."
"Once those guys die, we can just take our stuff back."
"This is our territory. They'll never make it out alive. Kehehehe!"
The thieves chuckled unpleasantly.
* * *
"Why are you driving the carriage that way?"
"There's a trap over there."
Kang Yoonsoo skillfully drove the carriage.