Chapter 174: Choice (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 174: Choice (2)
Elders first—this was one of the three fundamental principles and five moral tenets of Confucianism that outlined the hierarchy between children and adults. But when in Rome, you had to do as the Romans did.
Age means nothing in this world.
In Rafdonia, hierarchy was determined based on individual strength, and separated the weak and the strong. According to that law, I had zero reasons to put up with this man.
"...It seems the chick doesn't know his place."
"Do you want to be beaten up by a chick?" When I stood up, the air in the room instantly turned murderous.
"What?" The tanned blond was startled, as if no one had ever come out swinging like this before.
Mr. Bear quietly put his hand on my arm, a gesture to stop. "Yandel."
At this, the chicken regained his triumphant smile. "Why don't you listen to your teammate? If you apologize on your knees, I'll let this slide."
What was this prick talking about? I just challenged him to a duel instead. "Shut up and let's fight."
This was the only type of personal dispute permitted by the city. If you agreed to a duel and it was fought fairly in the presence of a notary, it was not classified as assault. Although if he died, it would be a headache. But to prevent that, I just had to rein in my strength.
"...Do you realize what a duel means?"
"I don't care. I just want to crush your head."
"Deranged bastard..." I guess he'd never met such a savage adventurer before because Blondie looked completely lost. Well, I was sure he didn't suspect he would be challenged to a duel today after coming to a team to brag.
"What are you thinking so hard about? Are you afraid this chick will beat you up?"
"...I have no reason to deal with a madman." Blondie snorted and stood up.
So that's the tactic you're going with.
The mental high ground of not wanting to stoop to a madman's level, huh... The method for handling that was simple. "Chicken."
With one word, the blood vessels on Blondie's forehead stood up. I guess he didn't want to speak to me, though, because he took his anger out on Derves, who was next to him. "Pepe, you should be more picky about who you invite. Hanging out with a barbarian like that will drag your reputation down too."
Derves made no reply. To be exact, he didn't have the chance to. The tanned blond whipped around and headed to the exit after saying that.
Trudge, trudge.
His back was straight and his gait cocky, but I noticed visible proof that Blondie was feeling both humiliation and contempt.
"Abman, did you see? His face is red."
"Yeah, I guess he knows shame." Even Mr. Bear, who tried to stop me at first, didn't hesitate to dunk on him with me. If you couldn't beat 'em, join 'em—this was a highly desirable mindset for a teammate of mine to have. However, I guess this insult was hard to bear.
Step.
Soon, Blondie's feet stopped in front of the doorway.
"Oh, he stopped. I wonder if he'll accept my duel."
"Of course he won't. It's obvious this punk is nothing without his clan."
Blondie whipped his head around and looked at me. When I glared at him tauntingly, he spoke through gritted teeth. "Barbarian, don't think you can act up just because you've gotten some petty fame."
"Okay, and?"
"With that attitude, you won't ever get higher than the fifth floor."
I laughed without meaning to. Who did he think he was? "That's funny," I said, slowly walking forward. "I don't know how long you've been an adventurer, but you're the idiot who chickened out against a newbie like me. You're the one who can't hunt on the fifth floor without a clan, and who'll spend the rest of his life picking up breadcrumbs on the fifth floor. I'm the one who reached the fifth floor in just eight months. I'm the one with a nickname, unlike you, and who formed my own team to climb even higher. I'm the one who's already recognized for my potential and talked about as the successor of the barbarian tribe's chief." Standing right in front of him now, I patted him on the shoulder. "Now, which one of us will be on the upper floors in a few years' time?"
Blondie couldn't say anything to that. Standing at his average human height of 5'7", he could only look up at me.
I kindly lowered my face so I could speak into his ear. "Now, get lost. If you want to go tattle to your clan, that's up to you."
When I opened the door for him, Blondie left in a daze.
Slam.
I closed it immediately. When I turned around, everyone was looking at me. I went back to my seat and sat down. "Problem solved. Let's keep drinking."
Strangely, no one said anything.
Geez, you're making me embarrassed. Have you never seen a barbarian solve things with words before?
The silence was short-lived. The surprise at the sudden incident subsided and we chatted while clinking glasses. The main topic, of course, was Jack Johnsonville, that cowardly wimp.
"Hahaha, did you see his face when you challenged him to a duel? I'll never forget it as long as I live."
To my surprise, no one berated me. Well, if he was aggravating someone he'd just met, he had to have been even worse to them. "But why did you keep inviting him?"
"He may be condescending, but he told us information that only a clan member could know."
Hmm, I guess his loose lips were useful in some ways. If so, I felt a bit bad.
"Don't worry too much. We haven't been playing along with him much recently so he's been coming less. He would've gone somewhere else soon enough."
"If you say so."
"Oh, and one more thing. You won't have to worry about him. He's at the bottom of his clan, so he won't dream of retaliating against you."
"Haha, Pepe. That's not the problem. With his personality, he'll be too mortified to say anything and keep it to himself."
"Hmm, maybe. Well, if he does say something, it'll just get him treated like a fool by his clan."
Nice and neat. Impatience was the right answer here.
Even if the clan does retaliate, what are they going to do? Ambush us in the labyrinth?
If a large clan was ever caught doing that, they'd be severely punished. They would never cross a line like that for a low-level grunt.
All they can do is try to limit experience points at worst.
They could abuse their power to prevent us from gaining experience points in a certain area. I didn't know about one specific zone, but the fifth-floor clans had close relationships with each other. Therefore, ending up on their blacklist would result in enormous restrictions on your ability to level up. This didn't apply to me, though. To start with, I had no intention of paying for experience points, anyway. Why would I pay the clans when I could just hunt in the mirror?
"Okay, and?"
"With that attitude, you won't ever get higher than the fifth floor."
I laughed without meaning to. Who did he think he was? "That's funny," I said, slowly walking forward. "I don't know how long you've been an adventurer, but you're the idiot who chickened out against a newbie like me. You're the one who can't hunt on the fifth floor without a clan, and who'll spend the rest of his life picking up breadcrumbs on the fifth floor. I'm the one who reached the fifth floor in just eight months. I'm the one with a nickname, unlike you, and who formed my own team to climb even higher. I'm the one who's already recognized for my potential and talked about as the successor of the barbarian tribe's chief." Standing right in front of him now, I patted him on the shoulder. "Now, which one of us will be on the upper floors in a few years' time?"
Blondie couldn't say anything to that. Standing at his average human height of 5'7", he could only look up at me.
I kindly lowered my face so I could speak into his ear. "Now, get lost. If you want to go tattle to your clan, that's up to you."
When I opened the door for him, Blondie left in a daze.
Slam.
I closed it immediately. When I turned around, everyone was looking at me. I went back to my seat and sat down. "Problem solved. Let's keep drinking."
Strangely, no one said anything.
Geez, you're making me embarrassed. Have you never seen a barbarian solve things with words before?
The silence was short-lived. The surprise at the sudden incident subsided and we chatted while clinking glasses. The main topic, of course, was Jack Johnsonville, that cowardly wimp.
"Hahaha, did you see his face when you challenged him to a duel? I'll never forget it as long as I live."
To my surprise, no one berated me. Well, if he was aggravating someone he'd just met, he had to have been even worse to them. "But why did you keep inviting him?"
"He may be condescending, but he told us information that only a clan member could know."
Hmm, I guess his loose lips were useful in some ways. If so, I felt a bit bad.
"Don't worry too much. We haven't been playing along with him much recently so he's been coming less. He would've gone somewhere else soon enough."
"If you say so."
"Oh, and one more thing. You won't have to worry about him. He's at the bottom of his clan, so he won't dream of retaliating against you."
"Haha, Pepe. That's not the problem. With his personality, he'll be too mortified to say anything and keep it to himself."
"Hmm, maybe. Well, if he does say something, it'll just get him treated like a fool by his clan."
Nice and neat. Impatience was the right answer here.
Even if the clan does retaliate, what are they going to do? Ambush us in the labyrinth?
If a large clan was ever caught doing that, they'd be severely punished. They would never cross a line like that for a low-level grunt.
All they can do is try to limit experience points at worst.
They could abuse their power to prevent us from gaining experience points in a certain area. I didn't know about one specific zone, but the fifth-floor clans had close relationships with each other. Therefore, ending up on their blacklist would result in enormous restrictions on your ability to level up. This didn't apply to me, though. To start with, I had no intention of paying for experience points, anyway. Why would I pay the clans when I could just hunt in the mirror?
"Come on, let's drink, then!"
As the drinking team continued, talk about Blondie gradually subsided. What replaced him was the topic of Noark's conquest.
"Bjorn, your team won't be participating?"
"Yes, I have a bad feeling. Derves, what are you going to do?"
"We've already decided to put one foot in. The labyrinth is just as dangerous."
"I see."
"Most of us here will probably do the same. The rewards are enticing. If you do the math, it's money you'd only be able to earn after over a year of adventuring."
"I wish you a safe return."
"Haha, thank you."
I didn't bother saying anything about that decision. There was no one here with less adventuring experience than me. They were not going to change their minds because of a stranger's advice, and it went against etiquette too. Even a barbarian should stay in their lane when it came to certain things.
"It's getting late. Let's start going home. Abman, you'll be in trouble with your wife."
"...I told her I'm with Yandel, so it's okay."
"Oh? Your wife seems to have a very good opinion of this guy, then."
The meeting ended after 2 a.m. Actually, one or two people left before that for their own reasons, but I stayed until the very end.
"Will you come again next time?"
"If you invite me."
"Okay, I'll let you know through Abman."
I wasn't able to get any useful information right away. All I got was a glimpse into the mindset and logic of regular adventurers. But I planned to participate next time, too, assuming they returned alive. I was curious how the conquest would go.
"Thanks to you, I drank well!"
When we got out onto the street, the chilly night air wrapped around my skin. When I first got here, it was early spring. Now, autumn was coming to an end. "Let's go."
"Haha! Yes, let's go!"
Mr. Bear was much more cheerful than usual, probably because he'd chugged down all that alcohol. In fact, he had drunk so much that it was surprising he could even stand up properly, but his mind seemed sober. That didn't mean he could find his way home, though.
I feel like I've gotten closer to him tonight.
The carriages had stopped running by now, so I walked all the way to District Seven to drop Mr. Bear off.
Mrs. Bear was infinitely kind to me, perhaps because of all the money her husband had earned from this expedition. "Thank you for bringing him home. Would you like to stay and rest for a bit? I have something perfect for a hangover." After being treated to hot honey water, I headed home.
Home, huh?
The word stuck to my mouth now.
Click.
As I unlocked the door, the one behind me opened at the same time: Room 207, Missha's room. "Mmm, you'rrre back now?"
"Oh, were you awake?"
"Why werrre you so late? Why do you smell like alcohol?"
I lingered in the hallway for a while to tell her about the gathering I attended with Mr. Bear.
"Oh, right... You must be tirrred. You're like a real leader now." Exchanges like this were part of the job for adventurers. Missha patted me on the shoulder for my hard work. "But what's that paperrr bag in your hand?"
"Come on, let's drink, then!"
As the drinking team continued, talk about Blondie gradually subsided. What replaced him was the topic of Noark's conquest.
"Bjorn, your team won't be participating?"
"Yes, I have a bad feeling. Derves, what are you going to do?"
"We've already decided to put one foot in. The labyrinth is just as dangerous."
"I see."
"Most of us here will probably do the same. The rewards are enticing. If you do the math, it's money you'd only be able to earn after over a year of adventuring."
"I wish you a safe return."
"Haha, thank you."
I didn't bother saying anything about that decision. There was no one here with less adventuring experience than me. They were not going to change their minds because of a stranger's advice, and it went against etiquette too. Even a barbarian should stay in their lane when it came to certain things.
"It's getting late. Let's start going home. Abman, you'll be in trouble with your wife."
"...I told her I'm with Yandel, so it's okay."
"Oh? Your wife seems to have a very good opinion of this guy, then."
The meeting ended after 2 a.m. Actually, one or two people left before that for their own reasons, but I stayed until the very end.
"Will you come again next time?"
"If you invite me."
"Okay, I'll let you know through Abman."
I wasn't able to get any useful information right away. All I got was a glimpse into the mindset and logic of regular adventurers. But I planned to participate next time, too, assuming they returned alive. I was curious how the conquest would go.
"Thanks to you, I drank well!"
When we got out onto the street, the chilly night air wrapped around my skin. When I first got here, it was early spring. Now, autumn was coming to an end. "Let's go."
"Haha! Yes, let's go!"
Mr. Bear was much more cheerful than usual, probably because he'd chugged down all that alcohol. In fact, he had drunk so much that it was surprising he could even stand up properly, but his mind seemed sober. That didn't mean he could find his way home, though.
I feel like I've gotten closer to him tonight.
The carriages had stopped running by now, so I walked all the way to District Seven to drop Mr. Bear off.
Mrs. Bear was infinitely kind to me, perhaps because of all the money her husband had earned from this expedition. "Thank you for bringing him home. Would you like to stay and rest for a bit? I have something perfect for a hangover." After being treated to hot honey water, I headed home.
Home, huh?
The word stuck to my mouth now.
Click.
As I unlocked the door, the one behind me opened at the same time: Room 207, Missha's room. "Mmm, you'rrre back now?"
"Oh, were you awake?"
"Why werrre you so late? Why do you smell like alcohol?"
I lingered in the hallway for a while to tell her about the gathering I attended with Mr. Bear.
"Oh, right... You must be tirrred. You're like a real leader now." Exchanges like this were part of the job for adventurers. Missha patted me on the shoulder for my hard work. "But what's that paperrr bag in your hand?"
"Oh, I bought some apple skewers at the night market on the way back."
"Hm? But you don't like those."
"Don't you two like them?"
Missha chuckled. "Nyaha, you're like a dad." Missha took a skewer from the bag and returned to her room with it in her mouth. I'd give the rest to Ainar tomorrow.
Click.
I set the bag down on the table and quickly washed up. Cool air slid in through the window, and I sobered up a bit.
Not bad.
This was one of those days when I started to have that thought more often.
***
After the gathering, slightly busier days followed. Now that we had money, it was time for an upgrade.
"Ainar, go get an Imprint from the holy land."
"I don't have money."
"I will lend you some."
"Th-that's...!" When I first lent her money, Ainar had acted like she was receiving free cash, but as the number grew bigger, she was beginning to realize the size of her debt. "How much longer will I be broke!?"
Well, maybe a year or so? After that, I still planned to tell her what to spend the big money on every step of the way. Anyway, it took three days for her to get the stage three Imprint.
"You look better than I thought. Didn't it hurt?"
"It hurt!"
"But?"
"But pain is natural for growth!"
Oh, right... that was right. Barbarians had a different mindset from ordinary people. Ainar's imprint was Slayer, a typical imprint for warriors that bolstered various battle stats. For the third-stage Imprint, she chose Predation, a well-performing passive skill that restored a certain amount of Soul Power when you killed your opponent.
For now, let's stop at stage three and raise it to stage six once we earn more.
Missha made progress in the meantime, too. Ainar's terrifyingly rapid growth was probably making her impatient. As a result, Missha spent most of the money she earned this time on Beast Blood.
"Bjorn! I finally did it!" She had finally achieved her first awakening with her Soul Beast. Her newly obtained power was Glacier Blessing, a top-notch, overpowered ability that reduced the energy consumption of ice-attribute skills and items by half.
I didn't expect her to get that before the sword...
Were these reparations for past hardships? Ever since we reached the fifth floor, everything was going smoothly.
"But are you still going to use that equipment?"
"These are fine on the fifth floor."
It wasn't like I didn't spend money, either. I sold the expandable backpack I'd been using up to now and used almost all of my money to purchase a subspace ring. A person's heart could be so devious. Even the expandable backpack had started to feel uncomfortable now.
Well, I was going to change it later anyway, so I might as well buy it in advance.
Personal storage was a necessity in the labyrinth. You never knew if you'd be separated from your team. More importantly, it was possible to store divine items in subspace, too.
There's nothing in the world that can't be done with money.
Determined to continue earning more money, I got ready to go out. I had a meeting with Rotmiller.
"Thankfully, you came on time today."
"Well, I'm a scout now too."
"Haha, I like your attitude."
Since a few days ago, I'd been meeting up with Rotmiller every day to receive scout training. Of course, not for free. Like with blacksmiths and other skilled professionals in the Middle Ages, asking for free classes was straight-up theft. I'd been paying a considerable fee every day.
"I haven't been to the fifth floor myself, so I can't teach you how to get around there. But I've studied up on it a lot, so I can give you some advice. Oh, learning how to make a map would be a great help."
I learned the basic knowledge required for a scout and a few tricks and bits of know-how that only experienced practitioners could tell me. On top of that, I was given special training to develop a better sense of direction. Little by little, I learned everything Rotmiller had worked hard for years to create.
"...Teaching you like this makes me think that it might not be a bad idea to set up a training center."
"Good idea. Anyone would want to learn from you."
"Haha, your flattery..."
After class with Rotmiller, I headed to the inn to have dinner with the others. Erwen joined us today.
"How do you always find me here? I might have gone out."
"Mm... I just know. It's an elf's instinct, I guess."
"You wish. You just keep coming until you find him."
"Missha is right! You liar!"
"...Both of you, stop."
Every time Erwen came around, these two got snippy. It wasn't that I didn't understand why. Barbarians hated elves, and Missha just didn't like them.
I wish they'd get along since they might be teammates one day... Am I asking for too much? I might have to reconsider adding Erwen to the team.
As we ate, we learned what Erwen had been up to recently. Apparently, her sister had decided to join a clan as a contractor for a few months. Afterward, she said she would be hunting on the fifth floor. The life of a rich family, I guess.
"I'll leave now! See you next week!"
After dinner, I headed up to my room, washed up, and spent time resting. It was late, but I didn't bother sleeping.
[Your soul has resonated and is being drawn to a different world.]
After all, it was that day of the month.
"Oh, I bought some apple skewers at the night market on the way back."
"Hm? But you don't like those."
"Don't you two like them?"
Missha chuckled. "Nyaha, you're like a dad." Missha took a skewer from the bag and returned to her room with it in her mouth. I'd give the rest to Ainar tomorrow.
Click.
I set the bag down on the table and quickly washed up. Cool air slid in through the window, and I sobered up a bit.
Not bad.
This was one of those days when I started to have that thought more often.
***
After the gathering, slightly busier days followed. Now that we had money, it was time for an upgrade.
"Ainar, go get an Imprint from the holy land."
"I don't have money."
"I will lend you some."
"Th-that's...!" When I first lent her money, Ainar had acted like she was receiving free cash, but as the number grew bigger, she was beginning to realize the size of her debt. "How much longer will I be broke!?"
Well, maybe a year or so? After that, I still planned to tell her what to spend the big money on every step of the way. Anyway, it took three days for her to get the stage three Imprint.
"You look better than I thought. Didn't it hurt?"
"It hurt!"
"But?"
"But pain is natural for growth!"
Oh, right... that was right. Barbarians had a different mindset from ordinary people. Ainar's imprint was Slayer, a typical imprint for warriors that bolstered various battle stats. For the third-stage Imprint, she chose Predation, a well-performing passive skill that restored a certain amount of Soul Power when you killed your opponent.
For now, let's stop at stage three and raise it to stage six once we earn more.
Missha made progress in the meantime, too. Ainar's terrifyingly rapid growth was probably making her impatient. As a result, Missha spent most of the money she earned this time on Beast Blood.
"Bjorn! I finally did it!" She had finally achieved her first awakening with her Soul Beast. Her newly obtained power was Glacier Blessing, a top-notch, overpowered ability that reduced the energy consumption of ice-attribute skills and items by half.
I didn't expect her to get that before the sword...
Were these reparations for past hardships? Ever since we reached the fifth floor, everything was going smoothly.
"But are you still going to use that equipment?"
"These are fine on the fifth floor."
It wasn't like I didn't spend money, either. I sold the expandable backpack I'd been using up to now and used almost all of my money to purchase a subspace ring. A person's heart could be so devious. Even the expandable backpack had started to feel uncomfortable now.
Well, I was going to change it later anyway, so I might as well buy it in advance.
Personal storage was a necessity in the labyrinth. You never knew if you'd be separated from your team. More importantly, it was possible to store divine items in subspace, too.
There's nothing in the world that can't be done with money.
Determined to continue earning more money, I got ready to go out. I had a meeting with Rotmiller.
"Thankfully, you came on time today."
"Well, I'm a scout now too."
"Haha, I like your attitude."
Since a few days ago, I'd been meeting up with Rotmiller every day to receive scout training. Of course, not for free. Like with blacksmiths and other skilled professionals in the Middle Ages, asking for free classes was straight-up theft. I'd been paying a considerable fee every day.
"I haven't been to the fifth floor myself, so I can't teach you how to get around there. But I've studied up on it a lot, so I can give you some advice. Oh, learning how to make a map would be a great help."
I learned the basic knowledge required for a scout and a few tricks and bits of know-how that only experienced practitioners could tell me. On top of that, I was given special training to develop a better sense of direction. Little by little, I learned everything Rotmiller had worked hard for years to create.
"...Teaching you like this makes me think that it might not be a bad idea to set up a training center."
"Good idea. Anyone would want to learn from you."
"Haha, your flattery..."
After class with Rotmiller, I headed to the inn to have dinner with the others. Erwen joined us today.
"How do you always find me here? I might have gone out."
"Mm... I just know. It's an elf's instinct, I guess."
"You wish. You just keep coming until you find him."
"Missha is right! You liar!"
"...Both of you, stop."
Every time Erwen came around, these two got snippy. It wasn't that I didn't understand why. Barbarians hated elves, and Missha just didn't like them.
I wish they'd get along since they might be teammates one day... Am I asking for too much? I might have to reconsider adding Erwen to the team.
As we ate, we learned what Erwen had been up to recently. Apparently, her sister had decided to join a clan as a contractor for a few months. Afterward, she said she would be hunting on the fifth floor. The life of a rich family, I guess.
"I'll leave now! See you next week!"
After dinner, I headed up to my room, washed up, and spent time resting. It was late, but I didn't bother sleeping.
[Your soul has resonated and is being drawn to a different world.]
After all, it was that day of the month.