Chapter 192: Bifron (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 192: Bifron (2)
Although once a mere colony, the world's sole stronghold, Rafdonia, had transformed into humanity's final home as survivors flocked to it following the apocalypse. This stronghold consisted of fourteen districts.
To start, District One was the royal capital of Karnon, where the royal family and the nobility resided. Its most prominent trait was that no commoner was allowed to enter without permission. Districts Two to Five were Kommelby, a commercial area commonly referred to as the free market. Located on the outskirts of the royal capital, expert artisans and profitable shops were concentrated here. Districts Seven to Thirteen were Ravigion. Occupying the largest area of the capital, about 70 percent of the total population resided in this city. Its key feature was that a Dimension Square, where the portal opened every month, existed in each district.
Finally, District Fourteen was Bifron. Unlike Gnome Tree in District Six, which had been classified as a special district from the moment the city was designed, this district was a very different case. Originally, it had been part of Ravigion, but now it was designated as a prohibited area that didn't even have a Dimension Square of its own.
Creaaak!
This place's gates were now opening so that a single prisoner could be tossed in.
"What are you doing? Get in."
"...Is that it?"
"Haven't you been briefed already? Unless you try to escape, it doesn't matter what you do." The knight who brought me here turned his back on me, apparently uninterested in sticking around here any longer.
Boom!
Before long, the castle gates closed. Only then did I turn around to examine my surroundings.
"A prison, huh?"
As its nickname suggested, this place gave off a different vibe from the other normal districts. If District Seven, where I lived, was abandoned for a hundred years, it might look something like this. There were old buildings in various states of disrepair or demolition scattered around, and the outer wall was covered in filth and graffiti. The streets weren't much different. Waste materials were piled up haphazardly.
Welp. I guess I have to spend twenty days here.
I didn't want to linger by the gate so I just started walking. I could feel wary stares at me. These looks were from the residents of this district, who were wearing shabby clothes over their skinny, bony bodies. Or should I say, inmates?
Scoff.
I couldn't help laughing. How would modern man Hansu Lee from the twenty-first century have reacted to this? He would have surely shriveled up from those stares alone. Along with disapproval, those eyes were filled with greed. I was sure he would be busy looking for a place to hide, unable to utter a word.
"What are you looking at?"
But right now, I was a barbarian of this era with a six-foot-tall, muscular body clad in heavy armor. Even if dozens of those skeletons attacked me, I was confident I could turn them into watermelon porridge in a matter of minutes.
"Behelaaah!"
When I unleashed a Wild Outburst carrying that confidence, the residents watching me from the shadows looked as if they had seen a ghost and gone on their way.
"It's fine! I won't bite!" Watching them, I laughed dramatically and continued walking.
"W-Why is that man screaming out of nowhere...?"
"...Seeing as he came all the way here, he can't be sane."
"Unhinged bastard. It'll be best not to get too close."
I could hear these faint whispers as I walked. It was just the reaction I was hoping for. I refused to attract flies in the middle of all this mess.
This feels like entering a beginner's level.
I had been quite worried because this place was called a lawless land. Or, that was what Missha called it, at least. Now, I was convinced. The stronger man had the upper hand in lawless places, and it could even end up being more comfortable for him than a society where laws did exist.
I can just think of it as taking a nice break.
This barbarian body was sensitive to the natural order of things and was already realizing that I wouldn't have a hard time here.
***
I was walking around and exploring my surroundings when a little boy about ten years old boldly jumped in my way. "Excuse me, Mister New Guy!"
"Did you follow me from the gate?" I asked, just to confirm.
"No? I saw you just now."
"Then how did you know I'm new here?"
"Because I'm seeing you for the first time today. Whenever someone like you comes here, rumors spread fast." That made sense. You just had to glance around at the frail people walking down the street to see why I would stand out.
"What do you want?" Conscious of our surroundings, I spoke in a low voice.
However, this kid did not back down and spoke his mind clearly and loudly without avoiding my eyes at all. "If it's your first day, you haven't found a place to stay yet, right? Let me guide you. I might not look it, but I'm a native here, born and raised."
Put simply, he wanted to be my guide. Of course, it wouldn't be for free. I was sure he hadn't mustered up the courage to stand in the way of a giant barbarian for charity. "Your price?"
"Just give me one hundred stones."
That was pocket change that seemed to be missing a zero at the end. "Fine. Lead the way."
When I coolly accepted, the child took the lead, saying he'd take me to the best place in this area. As I followed the kid, I asked him some of the questions that popped into my head. I had read a few books on Bifron at the library, but it would be conceited to assume I knew everything about this place just from that. First, out of personal curiosity, I asked, "Were you born here?"
"Yes."
"Parents?"
"They passed away."
"I mean, were your parents born here like you?" The child looked like he didn't want to answer that, but he gave in to money in the end. "I'll give you one hundred more stones."
"...Only Mother. I heard Father come from outside."
"For what crime?"
"...Possession and distribution of seditious books. And before you ask, it was a book on whether the taxes paid to the palace are fair or not."
"He was a man of intellect, then." It wasn't that surprising. The nickname Prison Camp had been attached to Bifron in the first place because those who slandered the royal family were banished here. You want to complain that bad, then try living someplace out of reach from our divine protection—that was the gist of the logic behind the banishments, but for the royal family, it was a very clever move. It was a way to drive out rebels while solidifying the position of the sovereign. There was a lot more to gain this way than with hangings.
"How old are you?"
"I'm eleven."
"So you can leave in three years."
I could hear these faint whispers as I walked. It was just the reaction I was hoping for. I refused to attract flies in the middle of all this mess.
This feels like entering a beginner's level.
I had been quite worried because this place was called a lawless land. Or, that was what Missha called it, at least. Now, I was convinced. The stronger man had the upper hand in lawless places, and it could even end up being more comfortable for him than a society where laws did exist.
I can just think of it as taking a nice break.
This barbarian body was sensitive to the natural order of things and was already realizing that I wouldn't have a hard time here.
***
I was walking around and exploring my surroundings when a little boy about ten years old boldly jumped in my way. "Excuse me, Mister New Guy!"
"Did you follow me from the gate?" I asked, just to confirm.
"No? I saw you just now."
"Then how did you know I'm new here?"
"Because I'm seeing you for the first time today. Whenever someone like you comes here, rumors spread fast." That made sense. You just had to glance around at the frail people walking down the street to see why I would stand out.
"What do you want?" Conscious of our surroundings, I spoke in a low voice.
However, this kid did not back down and spoke his mind clearly and loudly without avoiding my eyes at all. "If it's your first day, you haven't found a place to stay yet, right? Let me guide you. I might not look it, but I'm a native here, born and raised."
Put simply, he wanted to be my guide. Of course, it wouldn't be for free. I was sure he hadn't mustered up the courage to stand in the way of a giant barbarian for charity. "Your price?"
"Just give me one hundred stones."
That was pocket change that seemed to be missing a zero at the end. "Fine. Lead the way."
When I coolly accepted, the child took the lead, saying he'd take me to the best place in this area. As I followed the kid, I asked him some of the questions that popped into my head. I had read a few books on Bifron at the library, but it would be conceited to assume I knew everything about this place just from that. First, out of personal curiosity, I asked, "Were you born here?"
"Yes."
"Parents?"
"They passed away."
"I mean, were your parents born here like you?" The child looked like he didn't want to answer that, but he gave in to money in the end. "I'll give you one hundred more stones."
"...Only Mother. I heard Father come from outside."
"For what crime?"
"...Possession and distribution of seditious books. And before you ask, it was a book on whether the taxes paid to the palace are fair or not."
"He was a man of intellect, then." It wasn't that surprising. The nickname Prison Camp had been attached to Bifron in the first place because those who slandered the royal family were banished here. You want to complain that bad, then try living someplace out of reach from our divine protection—that was the gist of the logic behind the banishments, but for the royal family, it was a very clever move. It was a way to drive out rebels while solidifying the position of the sovereign. There was a lot more to gain this way than with hangings.
"How old are you?"
"I'm eleven."
"So you can leave in three years."
"If I prove I'm skilled enough."
I cocked my head. "Skilled? I heard children can leave once they turn fourteen?"
"You only heard half of it. Freedom is only available to a small number of people who show promise in whatever field. Well, they say whatever, but most people aim to be adventurers. It's a lot easier that way and they choose more people."
"Are you aiming for the adventurer side too?"
"No. Scholar."
A scholar, huh? No wonder this kid was so well-spoken. It seemed he'd managed to keep up his education even in this environment.
"You're an adventurer, right? How did you end up here?"
Soon the child started asking me questions too. It seemed he thought it was unfair that he was the only one answering them.
"If you're willing to earn one hundred stones less, I'll tell you."
"It's not even that much money..."
"Adventurers never leave money on the table, even if it's a small amount."
"Oh, so you are an adventurer?" It was too childish of a trick to say he really bested me. But realizing I could hurt him, the kid quickly continued talking. "All right. I'll take a smaller payment. So tell me why you are here."
"I made a small mistake in the city. They told me to come live here for twenty days."
"Twenty days..." Was this an infinitely short amount of time for a boy who grew up here all his life? The little boy chewed his lip and was silent for a moment. Then he asked one more thing. "What rank are you?"
This was personal information I didn't really want to answer. "That wasn't the question you asked. You can keep the one hundred stones. Just answer my questions thoroughly from now on." Like the cowardly adult I was, I dodged that conversation and changed the topic to questions on things that were hard to grasp through books alone, like the prices in Bifron, the social structure, etcetera. Like a true native, he answered each one without much difficulty, but one piece of information made an impression on me: the source of their food.
"The palace sends rations every month?"
"Yes. But the big guys take it all and use it as leverage against the rest of us."
The thugs he had mentioned didn't bother me. A hierarchy was bound to exist, even among the lowest of the low. That was all part of being human. What caught my attention was something else. "This place is more and more contradictory..."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing." My interest in Bifron had been piqued. It felt like this district, which in the game was normal like the rest, had an interesting hidden backstory.
"We're here."
After walking and talking for a bit longer, we arrived at the inn the kid told me about. The first floor was a tavern and the second floor an inn, just like many other shops in the city. Usually, these kinds of shops were occupied and run by thugs.
This is the best place?
I chuckled and opened the door to the inn, which looked to be infested with bugs.
Creaaak.
Surprisingly, there were quite a few people inside, men and women with sturdy physiques drinking alcohol and wearing tattered clothes.
Jingle.
When the rusted bell rang, all eyes inside turned to me. The emotions in them varied: wariness, confusion, curiosity, greed. I ignored it all and approached the counter.
"If I prove I'm skilled enough."
I cocked my head. "Skilled? I heard children can leave once they turn fourteen?"
"You only heard half of it. Freedom is only available to a small number of people who show promise in whatever field. Well, they say whatever, but most people aim to be adventurers. It's a lot easier that way and they choose more people."
"Are you aiming for the adventurer side too?"
"No. Scholar."
A scholar, huh? No wonder this kid was so well-spoken. It seemed he'd managed to keep up his education even in this environment.
"You're an adventurer, right? How did you end up here?"
Soon the child started asking me questions too. It seemed he thought it was unfair that he was the only one answering them.
"If you're willing to earn one hundred stones less, I'll tell you."
"It's not even that much money..."
"Adventurers never leave money on the table, even if it's a small amount."
"Oh, so you are an adventurer?" It was too childish of a trick to say he really bested me. But realizing I could hurt him, the kid quickly continued talking. "All right. I'll take a smaller payment. So tell me why you are here."
"I made a small mistake in the city. They told me to come live here for twenty days."
"Twenty days..." Was this an infinitely short amount of time for a boy who grew up here all his life? The little boy chewed his lip and was silent for a moment. Then he asked one more thing. "What rank are you?"
This was personal information I didn't really want to answer. "That wasn't the question you asked. You can keep the one hundred stones. Just answer my questions thoroughly from now on." Like the cowardly adult I was, I dodged that conversation and changed the topic to questions on things that were hard to grasp through books alone, like the prices in Bifron, the social structure, etcetera. Like a true native, he answered each one without much difficulty, but one piece of information made an impression on me: the source of their food.
"The palace sends rations every month?"
"Yes. But the big guys take it all and use it as leverage against the rest of us."
The thugs he had mentioned didn't bother me. A hierarchy was bound to exist, even among the lowest of the low. That was all part of being human. What caught my attention was something else. "This place is more and more contradictory..."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing." My interest in Bifron had been piqued. It felt like this district, which in the game was normal like the rest, had an interesting hidden backstory.
"We're here."
After walking and talking for a bit longer, we arrived at the inn the kid told me about. The first floor was a tavern and the second floor an inn, just like many other shops in the city. Usually, these kinds of shops were occupied and run by thugs.
This is the best place?
I chuckled and opened the door to the inn, which looked to be infested with bugs.
Creaaak.
Surprisingly, there were quite a few people inside, men and women with sturdy physiques drinking alcohol and wearing tattered clothes.
Jingle.
When the rusted bell rang, all eyes inside turned to me. The emotions in them varied: wariness, confusion, curiosity, greed. I ignored it all and approached the counter.
"Innkeeper, how much is it for one night?"
"Fifty stones."
Once again, that number was missing a zero. "How about a meal?"
"Two hundred fifty stones."
"Two hundred fifty stones..." This was chump change to me, but now that I was actually experiencing it for myself, I realized how different this place was from the outside world. To think the price of food was five times more than the price of housing. These prices were unimaginable in Rafdonia, where the housing crisis was severe.
"I'll sleep here tonight."
"The meal?"
"I'll take it straight away."
"We take advance payment here."
Paying three hundred stones for everything, I sat down.
"I'll get going now, Mister."
"You haven't gotten paid yet."
"Oh, right!" I handed a thousand stones to the child, who had just remembered why he was there. "I... don't have any change..."
"Keep the change. Come sit next to me."
"Pardon?"
"Keep me company until my meal arrives."
After giving me a strange look, the kid collected himself and sat next to me. He answered every question I asked. We passed the time like that.
"Here's the food you ordered." Finally, my long-awaited meal arrived. With no meat to be seen, it was just bread and translucent soup.
"Then..."
I stopped the kid as he tried to get up. "Sit."
"What? But you said until your food gets here."
Geez, did barbarians look like fools to these people? Adding murderous energy to my voice, I said imperiously, "Sit."
Sensing the heavy shift in the air, the child clammed up and sat back down. He pretended not to, but I could feel him trembling even across the table.
I scooped up a large spoonful of soup. "Eat."
"Pardon?"
"I said eat."
"Th-thank you, but I'm not hungry..."
So, that's how you're going to play this?
"If you eat, I'll give you ten thousand stones."
I made an offer the kid could never refuse. What choice would he make now? The answer was really simple. "P-Please spare me..." Like a child born and raised in a shitty environment, he was quick.
There were two reasons why I was able to see through the kid's tricks.
"Did you follow me from the gate?"
"No? I saw you just now."
One, the kid had calmly answered my question with a lie. Well, he had been good enough to not make the lie obvious, but I was fairly confident in my memory. This kid had been hanging around near me ever since the castle gate opened.
"Just give me one hundred stones."
Two, the amount of money he had requested was too low. This was very strange. Tourist destinations always scammed people left and right, but this kid and even the innkeeper didn't think to overcharge me. Of course, this could just be a coincidence.
"P-Please spare me..." But instead of eating, the kid dropped to his knees. I wasn't surprised because I had kind of expected it. This was not the first time the people of this world lacked the creativity needed to pull off a good scheme.
If you want to stab someone in the back, make it a little less obvious next time.
I flipped the table along with the soup I wouldn't eat even if they paid me and got up. At first, I was going to interrogate him to get him to spill the name of his accomplice, but it seemed that wasn't necessary.
"Stop right there," I said to the thugs quietly shuffling toward the door, attempting friendly conversation for a change. Unfortunately, the four men and women—including the innkeeper—were rather busy speeding up their escape.
"Damn it!"
"Run!"
I watched and clicked my tongue in irritation.
Do you really think that'll work?
"Aaagh!"
In a series of fluid movements, I first picked up the kid with one hand, then smoothly activated Giantization mid-step, and then kicked off the ground with Leap.
Smashhh!
My body crossed a distance of dozens of yards in an instant and landed on the ground. With the Recoil effect, the men and women trying to escape were sent flying.
"Behelaaah!" When I followed that up with Wild Outburst, the foursome no longer dared to get up and run away.
Crunch.
To prevent them from escaping, I broke one foot each. It was broad daylight and also in the middle of the street, but oh well. This was a lawless land, after all. No security guards would come running because I used a special ability, either.
"Agh, ah!"
Only then did they come to their senses. Among the four, the man with the face of a rat shouted what sounded like a prepared line. "W-We're from the Western Alliance!"
The Western Alliance was one of the four gangs that controlled Bifron. Apparently, their leader was an adventurer.
"I-If you let us go, we won't retaliate for—"
You wish.
Crunch.
I crushed his other foot to shut him up, but apparently, that made him even more desperate. "O-Our boss is a rank-six adventurer!" Even while screaming in pain, the guy wouldn't stop talking.
I couldn't help but tilt my head in confusion. "Your boss? What do you mean?" He tilted his own head at my quizzical tone like he couldn't understand what the hell I was talking about. I pasted on a friendly smile and bent down to pat the man's head. "From now on, your boss is me."
I had always wanted my own subordinates.
"Innkeeper, how much is it for one night?"
"Fifty stones."
Once again, that number was missing a zero. "How about a meal?"
"Two hundred fifty stones."
"Two hundred fifty stones..." This was chump change to me, but now that I was actually experiencing it for myself, I realized how different this place was from the outside world. To think the price of food was five times more than the price of housing. These prices were unimaginable in Rafdonia, where the housing crisis was severe.
"I'll sleep here tonight."
"The meal?"
"I'll take it straight away."
"We take advance payment here."
Paying three hundred stones for everything, I sat down.
"I'll get going now, Mister."
"You haven't gotten paid yet."
"Oh, right!" I handed a thousand stones to the child, who had just remembered why he was there. "I... don't have any change..."
"Keep the change. Come sit next to me."
"Pardon?"
"Keep me company until my meal arrives."
After giving me a strange look, the kid collected himself and sat next to me. He answered every question I asked. We passed the time like that.
"Here's the food you ordered." Finally, my long-awaited meal arrived. With no meat to be seen, it was just bread and translucent soup.
"Then..."
I stopped the kid as he tried to get up. "Sit."
"What? But you said until your food gets here."
Geez, did barbarians look like fools to these people? Adding murderous energy to my voice, I said imperiously, "Sit."
Sensing the heavy shift in the air, the child clammed up and sat back down. He pretended not to, but I could feel him trembling even across the table.
I scooped up a large spoonful of soup. "Eat."
"Pardon?"
"I said eat."
"Th-thank you, but I'm not hungry..."
So, that's how you're going to play this?
"If you eat, I'll give you ten thousand stones."
I made an offer the kid could never refuse. What choice would he make now? The answer was really simple. "P-Please spare me..." Like a child born and raised in a shitty environment, he was quick.
There were two reasons why I was able to see through the kid's tricks.
"Did you follow me from the gate?"
"No? I saw you just now."
One, the kid had calmly answered my question with a lie. Well, he had been good enough to not make the lie obvious, but I was fairly confident in my memory. This kid had been hanging around near me ever since the castle gate opened.
"Just give me one hundred stones."
Two, the amount of money he had requested was too low. This was very strange. Tourist destinations always scammed people left and right, but this kid and even the innkeeper didn't think to overcharge me. Of course, this could just be a coincidence.
"P-Please spare me..." But instead of eating, the kid dropped to his knees. I wasn't surprised because I had kind of expected it. This was not the first time the people of this world lacked the creativity needed to pull off a good scheme.
If you want to stab someone in the back, make it a little less obvious next time.
I flipped the table along with the soup I wouldn't eat even if they paid me and got up. At first, I was going to interrogate him to get him to spill the name of his accomplice, but it seemed that wasn't necessary.
"Stop right there," I said to the thugs quietly shuffling toward the door, attempting friendly conversation for a change. Unfortunately, the four men and women—including the innkeeper—were rather busy speeding up their escape.
"Damn it!"
"Run!"
I watched and clicked my tongue in irritation.
Do you really think that'll work?
"Aaagh!"
In a series of fluid movements, I first picked up the kid with one hand, then smoothly activated Giantization mid-step, and then kicked off the ground with Leap.
Smashhh!
My body crossed a distance of dozens of yards in an instant and landed on the ground. With the Recoil effect, the men and women trying to escape were sent flying.
"Behelaaah!" When I followed that up with Wild Outburst, the foursome no longer dared to get up and run away.
Crunch.
To prevent them from escaping, I broke one foot each. It was broad daylight and also in the middle of the street, but oh well. This was a lawless land, after all. No security guards would come running because I used a special ability, either.
"Agh, ah!"
Only then did they come to their senses. Among the four, the man with the face of a rat shouted what sounded like a prepared line. "W-We're from the Western Alliance!"
The Western Alliance was one of the four gangs that controlled Bifron. Apparently, their leader was an adventurer.
"I-If you let us go, we won't retaliate for—"
You wish.
Crunch.
I crushed his other foot to shut him up, but apparently, that made him even more desperate. "O-Our boss is a rank-six adventurer!" Even while screaming in pain, the guy wouldn't stop talking.
I couldn't help but tilt my head in confusion. "Your boss? What do you mean?" He tilted his own head at my quizzical tone like he couldn't understand what the hell I was talking about. I pasted on a friendly smile and bent down to pat the man's head. "From now on, your boss is me."
I had always wanted my own subordinates.