Chapter 294: Newbie (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 294: Newbie (2)
These guys were probably somewhat on guard, too, since they had no information on how strong the new kids in town were. That was probably why they flocked to us as a group of more than ten people like this—luckily for me.
"Take it off. Before it ends up with blood on it."
The moment my words echoed through the alleyway, the man stared at me uncomprehendingly. But before long, understanding began to dawn on him. Everyone, including him, clammed up. This was common in the animal kingdom. When prey ran away, you chased it, believing it to be weaker than you. But conversely, if said prey came out strong, you instinctively realized that something was wrong. Experience told you that you were in danger.
Slide.
The men who had slowly been closing in started widening their distance, wary of a surprise attack. Not that it mattered to me. We were in an alleyway blocked in by three walls. Although it was too cramped for me to use Giantization, it was still fine. There was nothing above to get in the way of me doing this.
Leap.
I jumped over their heads and landed on the other side of the alley. Okay, that blocked their escape route.
"...Kill that guy first!"
The group panicked and rushed at me. Finding their escape route suddenly obstructed, they seemed to think they had to get through me as fast as possible.
Whoom!
Pricks. They're good at dodging.
"Don't just block, avoid!"
"Who's going to get hit by something as slow as that?"
The three people in front of me dodged my mace like eels and swung their own weapons. I could withstand most attacks with Physical Resistance, but some of the attacks fueled by skills succeeded in penetrating my thick hide.
Stab.
Geez, that stings.
If only I had Giantization activated, I wouldn't have bled a single drop. Well, defense wasn't my only way of protecting myself.
Transcendence.
I raised my mace high and entered the command in my head. My selection for Transcendence was, of course, already decided.
Swing.
This combo was effective when dealing with large groups of enemies, thanks to the fact that it tripled my reach.
Whooom!
When my mace slammed down on the ground, it lengthened like a Yeoui Staff and grew in size. Its reach was much shorter than when it was used with Giantization, though.
"H-Holy shit...!"
"Watch out!"
Where are you planning on going in this narrow alleyway?
Kwaaang!
The men hurriedly retreated, but the three at the very front couldn't get out of range in time.
Ah, so refreshing.
Step.
When I stepped past the trio I just turned into minced meat, the rest of the men shuffled back.
"Woman! Get the woman!"
They're just marching straight to their deaths, huh?
It seemed they figured their best bet at this point was to take a hostage because they rushed at Amelia with outstretched arms and swinging weapons. Of course, they had no hope of touching her.
Smack, smack, boom!
Amelia instantly subdued two with punches and kicks, then pulled out a dagger from her thigh and swung it at the neck of another. Although her opponent defended himself by raising his wrists, which were clad in iron guards, that wasn't going to work against a woman who could wield an aura.
Slice! Plop. Plop, thud.
The cleanly severed wrists and head fell to the ground almost simultaneously.
"A-An aura...?"
That was the end of the battle. The moment Amelia used her aura, everyone dropped their weapons. Now that they realized this wasn't an opponent they could defeat, they decided to leave their fates up to our mercy. But it was much too late for that.
"P-Please don't kill us. We'll give you everything we have..."
"What will you do?" I asked.
"Kill them, obviously," Amelia answered without hesitation.
At this, even those who had dropped to their bellies in submission picked up their weapons and began to fight back. "Die!"
You really think that's going to work? It looks like they're only about rank six on average too.
Smack, crunch. Slice!
Amelia and I quickly wiped the group out like we were a two-member plunderer party who had been working together for ages. It took less than five minutes.
It's nice having a strong damager.
I felt reassured in a way I had never experienced on other teams. Was there a way to add her to our party later? Even as I thought that, I made sure to keep moving, swiftly farming the corpses.
"Ugh..." As I was taking off the lithinum breastplate that I had been eyeing from the get-go, the guy stirred and began to tremble. What, he was just unconscious?
Smack!
After hitting him on the back of the head to put him down, I turned to Amelia. "Why did you leave this guy alive?"
"...You said you didn't want it to get bloody."
Ah...
"Th-thanks?"
There was a brief awkward moment, but we wrapped up the looting a few minutes later. For some reason, the farming took longer than the actual battle. Still, the earnings-to-labor ratio was higher than ever.
I think this would be worth seventy million stones in the overworld.
As I gave the loot a cursory scan before shoving it into the expandable backpack, my heart felt full. These were the results of a few minutes of fighting?
I never imagined such a sweet hunting ground was hidden underground.
Perhaps Noark was a good place to live.
Click.
After putting on the breastplate, I also put on some miscellaneous equipment including the matching gaiters. The sizes were perfect, just like the breastplate. Mm-hmm, it was incredibly important for a warrior to wear proper armor.
"Then let's go."
"Oh, right."
The stares of the nearby residents watching through curtained windows were growing uncomfortable, so we quickly left the alley and got back onto the boulevard. Then, following Amelia, I got to take a good look around. I figured that making it obvious that I was new in town could result in another loot-mining opportunity.
Smack, smack, boom!
Amelia instantly subdued two with punches and kicks, then pulled out a dagger from her thigh and swung it at the neck of another. Although her opponent defended himself by raising his wrists, which were clad in iron guards, that wasn't going to work against a woman who could wield an aura.
Slice! Plop. Plop, thud.
The cleanly severed wrists and head fell to the ground almost simultaneously.
"A-An aura...?"
That was the end of the battle. The moment Amelia used her aura, everyone dropped their weapons. Now that they realized this wasn't an opponent they could defeat, they decided to leave their fates up to our mercy. But it was much too late for that.
"P-Please don't kill us. We'll give you everything we have..."
"What will you do?" I asked.
"Kill them, obviously," Amelia answered without hesitation.
At this, even those who had dropped to their bellies in submission picked up their weapons and began to fight back. "Die!"
You really think that's going to work? It looks like they're only about rank six on average too.
Smack, crunch. Slice!
Amelia and I quickly wiped the group out like we were a two-member plunderer party who had been working together for ages. It took less than five minutes.
It's nice having a strong damager.
I felt reassured in a way I had never experienced on other teams. Was there a way to add her to our party later? Even as I thought that, I made sure to keep moving, swiftly farming the corpses.
"Ugh..." As I was taking off the lithinum breastplate that I had been eyeing from the get-go, the guy stirred and began to tremble. What, he was just unconscious?
Smack!
After hitting him on the back of the head to put him down, I turned to Amelia. "Why did you leave this guy alive?"
"...You said you didn't want it to get bloody."
Ah...
"Th-thanks?"
There was a brief awkward moment, but we wrapped up the looting a few minutes later. For some reason, the farming took longer than the actual battle. Still, the earnings-to-labor ratio was higher than ever.
I think this would be worth seventy million stones in the overworld.
As I gave the loot a cursory scan before shoving it into the expandable backpack, my heart felt full. These were the results of a few minutes of fighting?
I never imagined such a sweet hunting ground was hidden underground.
Perhaps Noark was a good place to live.
Click.
After putting on the breastplate, I also put on some miscellaneous equipment including the matching gaiters. The sizes were perfect, just like the breastplate. Mm-hmm, it was incredibly important for a warrior to wear proper armor.
"Then let's go."
"Oh, right."
The stares of the nearby residents watching through curtained windows were growing uncomfortable, so we quickly left the alley and got back onto the boulevard. Then, following Amelia, I got to take a good look around. I figured that making it obvious that I was new in town could result in another loot-mining opportunity.
Well, that was the plan, but even after walking for quite some time, no one took the bait.
"Anyone on our tail?"
"No."
"Still?"
"...No."
Why was this happening? When I cautiously expressed my disappointment, Amelia sighed like I was being ridiculous. "Noark is a small place. Word spreads fast."
Ah, since none of the guys following us earlier had returned alive, no one was going to come after us guns blazing again.
"...Ugh." I clutched my chest and slumped to the ground with a pained expression on my face.
Amelia, startled by this, stooped down. "Are you hurt? I didn't notice any external wounds earlier—was it poison?"
As Amelia hurriedly moved to administer an antidote, I whispered, "Don't worry. I'm pretending I'm hurt."
"...What?"
"Someone might come at us if I do something like this."
"Barbarian, you really..."
I saw disgust appearing in Amelia's eyes, so I quickly got up.
Jeez, you enjoyed farming too. And now you're trying to shame other people for it?
"Just follow me. We might end up having to sleep outside if we're any later."
"Okay."
Anyway, after heading to the city center, we found an inn in the area. Oh, of course, we got one room instead of two. Apparently, if someone were to target us despite the rumors that were spreading, they would be skilled enough to do so.
"Thankfully there's more than one bed."
"All lodgings in Noark are like this, so that's not a surprise."
"Huh?"
"No one in the city would come to sleep somewhere like this alone."
From what she told me, unless you purchased a house with your family, it was common for most people to live with their comrades and party members, which made sense to some degree. Living in groups would be safest in a place like this.
"Yandel, you wash up first. I'll go through the loot in the meantime."
"Ah, I'll be quick."
Once I was done washing up, Amelia went into the bathroom next. After that, we talked for a while.
"What are you going to do with the loot?"
"For now, I'm going to keep it. It'll be worth three times the amount of money if we sell it aboveground later."
"That's a larger difference than I thought."
"It's only natural, considering the supply down here is significantly higher than the demand."
Hmm, that was true—plunderers collected more equipment than mana stones. "But from what you've told me, there's a merchant company that crosses between above and underground. Can't you just sell it to them?"
"Sounds like you've misunderstood something. When I said the equipment was three times less valuable down here, I was referring to the merchant company's rates."
"...I see."
"So if there's anything you need, don't even think about selling gear. That's not how this city works."
Anyway, the discussion about what to do with the loot ended there. After that, we got down to business.
"So, what's the plan now?"
Infiltrating Noark had gone according to plan. We now had two goals we needed to achieve here: 1. Seize the Fragment of Records Stone that was being kept by the castellan and use it to return to our time, and 2. Fulfill Amelia's wish.
I hadn't said this out loud, but it would be difficult to achieve the second goal because fulfilling this woman's wish would mean that the past would have to change.
From the grim expression I saw on her face earlier, I think she's aware of this to some extent...
I wondered what decision Amelia would make when the time came.
"Why are you asking that?"
"In case you changed your mind."
Amelia answered my straightforward question without the slightest hint of hesitation. "You say strange things. Our plans haven't changed,"
So you're not going to give up.
***
Day and night existed in the underground city of Noark, too, but there was no dawn or dusk. During the hours of the day when people were active, the jewels embedded in the ceiling glowed bright, and when it was night, they switched to minimum output.
"It's daytime."
After staying the night, we left the inn once the world outside the window brightened. That alone made me very aware of the fact that I was in a strange city. It wasn't at all typical to see all the doors in sight open and people pour out of buildings as soon as day broke.
"Stop looking around and come with me. We'll be stuck waiting a long time if we're late."
"Oh, all right."
Following Amelia, we arrived at the castle located in the center of Noark. I only saw them in the distance yesterday, but today the castle doors were wide open to welcome a large number of people in.
"Why is everyone going over there?"
"Most of the jobs available in the city are in the castle. Those who don't enter the labyrinth are assigned work there and live off those wages."
Was this a communist country? Well, it was probably because they could survive in a place like this that everyone from Noark was so tough.
[Labyrinth Management Office]
Arriving at our destination, we entered the building. The interior was similar to the Adventurers' Guild and the procedures weren't all that different, either.
"Then see you later."
"Oh, right."
We each stood in a different line to save time. To enter the labyrinth from Noark, there were more hoops to jump through than I previously thought. First of all, not only did a newcomer to the city have to register here, but it looked like they had to pay an entrance fee every time they entered.
How can this place be even worse than Rafdonia?
It was almost absurd to think that Noark had been founded by the Ormi Revolutionary Corps, who had once called for the royal family to be overthrown.
But when is this line going to get shorter? They should at least make you take a number like in Rafdonia. What are they doing, getting all these people to line up?
After complaining inwardly about the slow administration and outdated system for thirty minutes, a group of five adventurers swaggered up to me.
"Hey, brother! Judging by the registration papers you're holding, you must be a newbie, right?" Then, acting friendly, one of the men placed a hand on my shoulder. "We're a little busy today. Can you give us your spot? Hmm? We're all on the same side now. We should be helping each other."
For a moment, I didn't understand what was going on.
What the—? Is this another attempt at put-pocketing?
Well, that was the plan, but even after walking for quite some time, no one took the bait.
"Anyone on our tail?"
"No."
"Still?"
"...No."
Why was this happening? When I cautiously expressed my disappointment, Amelia sighed like I was being ridiculous. "Noark is a small place. Word spreads fast."
Ah, since none of the guys following us earlier had returned alive, no one was going to come after us guns blazing again.
"...Ugh." I clutched my chest and slumped to the ground with a pained expression on my face.
Amelia, startled by this, stooped down. "Are you hurt? I didn't notice any external wounds earlier—was it poison?"
As Amelia hurriedly moved to administer an antidote, I whispered, "Don't worry. I'm pretending I'm hurt."
"...What?"
"Someone might come at us if I do something like this."
"Barbarian, you really..."
I saw disgust appearing in Amelia's eyes, so I quickly got up.
Jeez, you enjoyed farming too. And now you're trying to shame other people for it?
"Just follow me. We might end up having to sleep outside if we're any later."
"Okay."
Anyway, after heading to the city center, we found an inn in the area. Oh, of course, we got one room instead of two. Apparently, if someone were to target us despite the rumors that were spreading, they would be skilled enough to do so.
"Thankfully there's more than one bed."
"All lodgings in Noark are like this, so that's not a surprise."
"Huh?"
"No one in the city would come to sleep somewhere like this alone."
From what she told me, unless you purchased a house with your family, it was common for most people to live with their comrades and party members, which made sense to some degree. Living in groups would be safest in a place like this.
"Yandel, you wash up first. I'll go through the loot in the meantime."
"Ah, I'll be quick."
Once I was done washing up, Amelia went into the bathroom next. After that, we talked for a while.
"What are you going to do with the loot?"
"For now, I'm going to keep it. It'll be worth three times the amount of money if we sell it aboveground later."
"That's a larger difference than I thought."
"It's only natural, considering the supply down here is significantly higher than the demand."
Hmm, that was true—plunderers collected more equipment than mana stones. "But from what you've told me, there's a merchant company that crosses between above and underground. Can't you just sell it to them?"
"Sounds like you've misunderstood something. When I said the equipment was three times less valuable down here, I was referring to the merchant company's rates."
"...I see."
"So if there's anything you need, don't even think about selling gear. That's not how this city works."
Anyway, the discussion about what to do with the loot ended there. After that, we got down to business.
"So, what's the plan now?"
Infiltrating Noark had gone according to plan. We now had two goals we needed to achieve here: 1. Seize the Fragment of Records Stone that was being kept by the castellan and use it to return to our time, and 2. Fulfill Amelia's wish.
I hadn't said this out loud, but it would be difficult to achieve the second goal because fulfilling this woman's wish would mean that the past would have to change.
From the grim expression I saw on her face earlier, I think she's aware of this to some extent...
I wondered what decision Amelia would make when the time came.
"Why are you asking that?"
"In case you changed your mind."
Amelia answered my straightforward question without the slightest hint of hesitation. "You say strange things. Our plans haven't changed,"
So you're not going to give up.
***
Day and night existed in the underground city of Noark, too, but there was no dawn or dusk. During the hours of the day when people were active, the jewels embedded in the ceiling glowed bright, and when it was night, they switched to minimum output.
"It's daytime."
After staying the night, we left the inn once the world outside the window brightened. That alone made me very aware of the fact that I was in a strange city. It wasn't at all typical to see all the doors in sight open and people pour out of buildings as soon as day broke.
"Stop looking around and come with me. We'll be stuck waiting a long time if we're late."
"Oh, all right."
Following Amelia, we arrived at the castle located in the center of Noark. I only saw them in the distance yesterday, but today the castle doors were wide open to welcome a large number of people in.
"Why is everyone going over there?"
"Most of the jobs available in the city are in the castle. Those who don't enter the labyrinth are assigned work there and live off those wages."
Was this a communist country? Well, it was probably because they could survive in a place like this that everyone from Noark was so tough.
[Labyrinth Management Office]
Arriving at our destination, we entered the building. The interior was similar to the Adventurers' Guild and the procedures weren't all that different, either.
"Then see you later."
"Oh, right."
We each stood in a different line to save time. To enter the labyrinth from Noark, there were more hoops to jump through than I previously thought. First of all, not only did a newcomer to the city have to register here, but it looked like they had to pay an entrance fee every time they entered.
How can this place be even worse than Rafdonia?
It was almost absurd to think that Noark had been founded by the Ormi Revolutionary Corps, who had once called for the royal family to be overthrown.
But when is this line going to get shorter? They should at least make you take a number like in Rafdonia. What are they doing, getting all these people to line up?
After complaining inwardly about the slow administration and outdated system for thirty minutes, a group of five adventurers swaggered up to me.
"Hey, brother! Judging by the registration papers you're holding, you must be a newbie, right?" Then, acting friendly, one of the men placed a hand on my shoulder. "We're a little busy today. Can you give us your spot? Hmm? We're all on the same side now. We should be helping each other."
For a moment, I didn't understand what was going on.
What the—? Is this another attempt at put-pocketing?