Chapter 77: Request (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 77: Request (1)
It had already been fifteen days since I had returned alive from the labyrinth. In other words, there were about two weeks left until the portal reopened in Dimension Square. I couldn't say I had taken a decent break. While I was completing chores every day, time had just passed without me realizing it. I wasn't the only one who was busy, though.
"Hahaha! Isn't that the famous Little Balkan, Bjorn, son of Yandel? If you have time today, let's have a drink—"
"I'm tired."
Except for Hikurod, who spent the whole time doing nothing, all the members of Team Half-Wit had had a busy two weeks.
First, Brown, having absorbed the essence of a Mimic during our last quest, had devoted himself to training every day to get used to his new ability. "Um, I think I now understand how to use the Sixth Sense ability."
Dwalkie was the same. "...Oh, me? Don't worry about me. I just haven't slept in two days." Now that his financial problems were resolved, he was cutting back on sleep to learn new spells from the Magic Tower. At one point, the dwarf grew worried he might be overdoing it, but he just answered, "No one knows what might happen on the next expedition, right? I have to prepare while I can."
I was proud. When the hell did he get so mature? I was starting to think it was a good idea to stick with this team. Although I had the essence of the Orc Hero, if they kept leveling up at a similar pace, these teammates wouldn't be a hindrance to me.
On our next expedition, we won't have any issues even on the fourth floor.
They weren't the only ones growing, though. In the past two weeks, Missha and I had also undergone a lot of changes. To start with me...
"Hahaha! Congratulations," Hikurod told me. "You received an epithet in three months and even got promoted to a rank-six adventurer. I'm starting to get worried that I'll end up falling behind soon!"
"If you are worried, how about making an effort?"
"Actually, I'm looking for some rare items I can use!"
A few days ago, I was promoted to a rank-six adventurer. Contrary to what I had believed, going straight to rank five was not possible. Starting at rank five, you had to take a test, and in order to take the test, you had to build a kind of public service record by filling requests sent into the guild.
Man, the game didn't have anything like this.
There was no use complaining at this point. The game I played took place about 150 years ago. Over the course of more than a century, this society must have undergone countless updates, just like the library, which had only been under construction in the game.
"Oh, is that the new weapon you bought? It seems dependable just looking at it."
I also underwent a slight upgrade in terms of equipment. First, I bought a new mace to replace the one I lost. It cost four hundred thousand stones, making it more than twice as expensive as the previous one, because it required that much more iron.
[Your General Item Level has increased by +185.]
Its size and weight were overwhelming, but as my strength had increased significantly this time, I had no issues using it.
"By the way, I remember Miss Karlstein said she was going to change her weapon, too. How did that go?" asked Dwalkie.
"Oh, that? I don't even want to talk about it, so ask him." Missha pointed at me.
Mm, I had thought she would quit whining by now. "She bought a pair of swords."
Missha's main weapon changed a few days ago to a Lich's twin blades, which were each about 70 percent the size of a standard sword. I paid 550,000 stones for them at a blacksmith that Hikurod told me about.
"Dual swords?" Hikurod and Brown muttered at the same time, and Missha took the opportunity to whine.
"Right? It sounds weird to you guys, too, rrright?"
"Weird? I think you've misunderstood."
"Hmm?"
"I was surprised because I had been thinking the same thing," Brown said. "Being ambidextrous, using both hands is good, so I wondered if you had any reason for sticking with a dagger."
"...What do you mean?"
"Maybe it's different if you're facing off against a person, but we mainly fight monsters, right? From now on, you will run into a lot of large monsters too."
In summary, it had been a bit concerning to him that she had been using a short dagger, so this worked out well. Perhaps this was a different reaction than she had been expecting, because Missha turned to the dwarf in bewilderment.
"Twin blades, huh? It's definitely not a bad choice. After all, we'll be holding the front lines anyway. Hahaha!" Hikurod, in the tank position, was just pleased that the close-range damage dealer had moved into a full attack role.
Then, Dwalkie spoke up. "I'm unfamiliar with this subject, but I think handling a new weapon, and two at that, will be difficult to adjust to..."
"Right! That's what I was trrrying to say! I might end up getting taken out by a goblin during the next quest!" Missha was bolstered by Dwalkie's sympathy and glanced at me.
All I could say was this: "Then practice more so that you don't get taken out by a goblin."
Again, the easy way was the slow way. It may be difficult to acquire proficiency in a new weapon now, but in the game, an Ice Double Swordmaster was the strongest melee damage dealer in the second half, because there was a super-overpowered numbered item they could use.
"Whew, okay, stop nagging."
"I'm not nagging, but giving you advice for your future."
"That's nagging."
When Missha and I began to bicker, Dwalkie interrupted like a dunce. "But if you don't like it that much, can't you just keep your weapon?"
"Hmm?"
"I mean, it's not like Bjorn is your father. Do you really have to do what he says? To be honest, it seems to me that he is crossing the line, which is making me uncomfortable."
Crossing the line? Well, it might look like that to a third party, but there was one thing he didn't know.
"I-I don't hate it that much. Although it's tough now, there are cerrrtainly some advantages over using a dagger..."
"I-Is that right?" Dwalkie stuttered.
"Yeah, so don't blame Bjorn. The decision is mine."
I had never forced anything on Missha. I just strongly persuaded her with a reasonable incentive.
Hikurod cut in. "Then, for the next expedition, we can aim for the middle of the fourth floor. Hahaha!"
"If possible, when passing through the second floor, I would like to take a route I haven't been to yet," requested Brown.
"Hmm, is it because of experience? If that's the case, I'll have to revise the route."
After we had dinner and finalized the plans for our quest, this week's meeting quickly came to an end. Actually, it was called a meeting, but it was more like a get-together once a week to update each other.
"Dual swords?" Hikurod and Brown muttered at the same time, and Missha took the opportunity to whine.
"Right? It sounds weird to you guys, too, rrright?"
"Weird? I think you've misunderstood."
"Hmm?"
"I was surprised because I had been thinking the same thing," Brown said. "Being ambidextrous, using both hands is good, so I wondered if you had any reason for sticking with a dagger."
"...What do you mean?"
"Maybe it's different if you're facing off against a person, but we mainly fight monsters, right? From now on, you will run into a lot of large monsters too."
In summary, it had been a bit concerning to him that she had been using a short dagger, so this worked out well. Perhaps this was a different reaction than she had been expecting, because Missha turned to the dwarf in bewilderment.
"Twin blades, huh? It's definitely not a bad choice. After all, we'll be holding the front lines anyway. Hahaha!" Hikurod, in the tank position, was just pleased that the close-range damage dealer had moved into a full attack role.
Then, Dwalkie spoke up. "I'm unfamiliar with this subject, but I think handling a new weapon, and two at that, will be difficult to adjust to..."
"Right! That's what I was trrrying to say! I might end up getting taken out by a goblin during the next quest!" Missha was bolstered by Dwalkie's sympathy and glanced at me.
All I could say was this: "Then practice more so that you don't get taken out by a goblin."
Again, the easy way was the slow way. It may be difficult to acquire proficiency in a new weapon now, but in the game, an Ice Double Swordmaster was the strongest melee damage dealer in the second half, because there was a super-overpowered numbered item they could use.
"Whew, okay, stop nagging."
"I'm not nagging, but giving you advice for your future."
"That's nagging."
When Missha and I began to bicker, Dwalkie interrupted like a dunce. "But if you don't like it that much, can't you just keep your weapon?"
"Hmm?"
"I mean, it's not like Bjorn is your father. Do you really have to do what he says? To be honest, it seems to me that he is crossing the line, which is making me uncomfortable."
Crossing the line? Well, it might look like that to a third party, but there was one thing he didn't know.
"I-I don't hate it that much. Although it's tough now, there are cerrrtainly some advantages over using a dagger..."
"I-Is that right?" Dwalkie stuttered.
"Yeah, so don't blame Bjorn. The decision is mine."
I had never forced anything on Missha. I just strongly persuaded her with a reasonable incentive.
Hikurod cut in. "Then, for the next expedition, we can aim for the middle of the fourth floor. Hahaha!"
"If possible, when passing through the second floor, I would like to take a route I haven't been to yet," requested Brown.
"Hmm, is it because of experience? If that's the case, I'll have to revise the route."
After we had dinner and finalized the plans for our quest, this week's meeting quickly came to an end. Actually, it was called a meeting, but it was more like a get-together once a week to update each other.
"Bjorn, are you two leaving together again?" Hikurod asked, glancing at Missha.
"We're going in the same direction."
"Hmm, I mean, you guys have gotten really close recently."
Well, it seems to me that you and Dwalkie are closer.
Ignoring the dwarf's meddling, Missha and I left the tavern. "Oh, right. Bjorn! The equipment we orderrred a while ago is ready to be picked up!"
"It's late today, so I can go pick it up tomorrow."
"But what did you orderrr that it took so long?"
"Oh, didn't I tell you? It was underpants."
"Underpants...?"
Of course, not just plain underpants. Among male adventurers, it was a piece of equipment that was colloquially called an egg guard. Put bluntly, it was a scrotum guard. "I bought it at a slightly higher price because it had to be imbued with magic."
"Eh? W-Why do you need to enchant something like that with magic?!"
"Something like that?"
"N-No, that's not what I mean... Well, I'm sure it's difficult for you to find one that fits, so I can understand..."
What now? "I can't end up naked every time my body grows larger."
The role of a player was to customize their equipment according to the essences they had consumed. So, to prepare for Giantization, I found clothes of the desired size, then enchanted them with Automatic Repair, Shape Change, and Acid Immunity. Because the panties—no, the underpants—I wanted were unlikely to be sold on the market, I spent about nine hundred thousand stones.
"Ah, that's why you enchanted it. I thought it was something else..." Missha released a big breath, implying that whatever misunderstanding she had had had been cleared up. But she seemed to have a new question. "Then... are you just going to be wearing that in the labyrinth?" she asked in a strange voice.
"That's right," I answered proudly.
I didn't have an exact word to describe them, so I called them underpants, but they were actually closer to shorts that went down to the thighs, the kind that cyclists often wore. Besides, they were not made of a tight material but leather, so there was nothing to be ashamed of. Well, I hadn't tried them on myself yet, but there definitely wasn't. Was I not a barbarian? Efficiency was more important than feelings.
Anyway, as the two of us were chatting and walking, we arrived at the inn. "Go to sleep, then."
"Mmm, I will. But do you want me to come with you to pick up the equipment tomorrrow?"
"Don't be lazy; keep swinging your sword while I'm away."
"I'm not being lazy!"
Of course you're not. "I have somewhere to go by myself tomorrow, anyway."
"Alone? Where arrre you going?"
"I am going to the Holy Land," I replied succinctly.
I had money, and I had the essence of the Orc Hero now, which was the core of my training method. It was time to gradually upgrade the level of my Spirit Imprint.
***
I woke up early in the morning and balanced my ledger once more.
The mace, underpants, and double sword combined are 1.85 million stones.
The Beast Blood I had purchased to raise Missha's Soul Beast level was two million stones. The cost of enchanting the lithium breastplate and shield with Acid Immunity was 510,000 stones.
"Bjorn, are you two leaving together again?" Hikurod asked, glancing at Missha.
"We're going in the same direction."
"Hmm, I mean, you guys have gotten really close recently."
Well, it seems to me that you and Dwalkie are closer.
Ignoring the dwarf's meddling, Missha and I left the tavern. "Oh, right. Bjorn! The equipment we orderrred a while ago is ready to be picked up!"
"It's late today, so I can go pick it up tomorrow."
"But what did you orderrr that it took so long?"
"Oh, didn't I tell you? It was underpants."
"Underpants...?"
Of course, not just plain underpants. Among male adventurers, it was a piece of equipment that was colloquially called an egg guard. Put bluntly, it was a scrotum guard. "I bought it at a slightly higher price because it had to be imbued with magic."
"Eh? W-Why do you need to enchant something like that with magic?!"
"Something like that?"
"N-No, that's not what I mean... Well, I'm sure it's difficult for you to find one that fits, so I can understand..."
What now? "I can't end up naked every time my body grows larger."
The role of a player was to customize their equipment according to the essences they had consumed. So, to prepare for Giantization, I found clothes of the desired size, then enchanted them with Automatic Repair, Shape Change, and Acid Immunity. Because the panties—no, the underpants—I wanted were unlikely to be sold on the market, I spent about nine hundred thousand stones.
"Ah, that's why you enchanted it. I thought it was something else..." Missha released a big breath, implying that whatever misunderstanding she had had had been cleared up. But she seemed to have a new question. "Then... are you just going to be wearing that in the labyrinth?" she asked in a strange voice.
"That's right," I answered proudly.
I didn't have an exact word to describe them, so I called them underpants, but they were actually closer to shorts that went down to the thighs, the kind that cyclists often wore. Besides, they were not made of a tight material but leather, so there was nothing to be ashamed of. Well, I hadn't tried them on myself yet, but there definitely wasn't. Was I not a barbarian? Efficiency was more important than feelings.
Anyway, as the two of us were chatting and walking, we arrived at the inn. "Go to sleep, then."
"Mmm, I will. But do you want me to come with you to pick up the equipment tomorrrow?"
"Don't be lazy; keep swinging your sword while I'm away."
"I'm not being lazy!"
Of course you're not. "I have somewhere to go by myself tomorrow, anyway."
"Alone? Where arrre you going?"
"I am going to the Holy Land," I replied succinctly.
I had money, and I had the essence of the Orc Hero now, which was the core of my training method. It was time to gradually upgrade the level of my Spirit Imprint.
***
I woke up early in the morning and balanced my ledger once more.
The mace, underpants, and double sword combined are 1.85 million stones.
The Beast Blood I had purchased to raise Missha's Soul Beast level was two million stones. The cost of enchanting the lithium breastplate and shield with Acid Immunity was 510,000 stones.
If I subtract ninety thousand stones for a month's living expenses...
There were already only 3.7 million stones left. Of course, these were all necessary expenses, so it didn't feel like a waste. Without Beast Blood, it would have taken a long time for Missha to be able to add an Ice attribute to her weapon.
Equipment enchantment should have been done earlier too.
When I first bought the equipment, I had the Ring of the Frost Spirit, and I didn't have any money on hand, so I skipped it. As a result, I'd had to pay five hundred thousand stones' worth of repair costs. Shit, I should've saved money on something else.
After washing off a bit and walking for a while, I arrived at the Holy Land, where the chief of the tribe welcomed me with a small smile on his lips. "Bjorn, son of Yandel! I can no longer call you a young warrior. I hear you have the moniker Little Balkan?"
"That's right!" I nodded proudly as I played the part of a barbarian making a glorious return.
But this was a cold barbarian world.
"So, why are you here?" After exchanging a word or two, the chieftain got straight to the point. Like a barbarian, he cut the small talk very short. To be honest, I had thought that words of admiration, praise, or encouragement would follow.
Well, this lets me save time, which is nice.
Perhaps barbarians were the most rational race in this city. As I seriously contemplated this, I promptly brought up my reason for being here. "I have come to receive a Spirit Imprint."
"I see. I'll call a shaman. Talk to him."
After that, everything was quickly arranged. The chieftain left on important business, and the shaman's apprentice came and led me to the tent.
As I entered, a shaman with impressively wrinkled skin greeted me. "Haha. It's you again."
"How did you know it was me?" I asked.
"Well, it is rare for a warrior to thank a shaman."
No, I meant how did you recognize me while wearing a blindfold?
I didn't ask again. Being a shaman, there must be something mystical about him.
"Are you here to get the second imprint of the Immortality Path?"
"That's right."
"It costs a million stones."
I flinched. "A million stones?"
"Are you not prepared?"
"...That's not it." I was just surprised that the price was the same as in the game. The first stage had been 150,000 stones more expensive.
Clink.
But that was unimportant. I took out the money and dropped it in the jar in front of me as instructed by the shaman. Then he chuckled. "I'm glad you paid the right amount. Last time I received fifty thousand stones less than expected, which was a headache."
"...Fifty thousand stones less? What do you mean?"
"Young warrior, you have nothing to worry about. It's all the fault of the stupid chieftain."
I mean, it still bothered me. I had an inkling, so once I lay facedown on the blanket as instructed, I asked another question. "Shaman, what is the original cost of the first stage of the imprint?"
"It's 650,000 stones."
"...I see."
With that one answer, all my suspicions were confirmed. At that time, the chief said the cost was seven hundred thousand stones. Of course, I didn't think he said that to con me. It was just that I hadn't noticed at the time.
If I subtract ninety thousand stones for a month's living expenses...
There were already only 3.7 million stones left. Of course, these were all necessary expenses, so it didn't feel like a waste. Without Beast Blood, it would have taken a long time for Missha to be able to add an Ice attribute to her weapon.
Equipment enchantment should have been done earlier too.
When I first bought the equipment, I had the Ring of the Frost Spirit, and I didn't have any money on hand, so I skipped it. As a result, I'd had to pay five hundred thousand stones' worth of repair costs. Shit, I should've saved money on something else.
After washing off a bit and walking for a while, I arrived at the Holy Land, where the chief of the tribe welcomed me with a small smile on his lips. "Bjorn, son of Yandel! I can no longer call you a young warrior. I hear you have the moniker Little Balkan?"
"That's right!" I nodded proudly as I played the part of a barbarian making a glorious return.
But this was a cold barbarian world.
"So, why are you here?" After exchanging a word or two, the chieftain got straight to the point. Like a barbarian, he cut the small talk very short. To be honest, I had thought that words of admiration, praise, or encouragement would follow.
Well, this lets me save time, which is nice.
Perhaps barbarians were the most rational race in this city. As I seriously contemplated this, I promptly brought up my reason for being here. "I have come to receive a Spirit Imprint."
"I see. I'll call a shaman. Talk to him."
After that, everything was quickly arranged. The chieftain left on important business, and the shaman's apprentice came and led me to the tent.
As I entered, a shaman with impressively wrinkled skin greeted me. "Haha. It's you again."
"How did you know it was me?" I asked.
"Well, it is rare for a warrior to thank a shaman."
No, I meant how did you recognize me while wearing a blindfold?
I didn't ask again. Being a shaman, there must be something mystical about him.
"Are you here to get the second imprint of the Immortality Path?"
"That's right."
"It costs a million stones."
I flinched. "A million stones?"
"Are you not prepared?"
"...That's not it." I was just surprised that the price was the same as in the game. The first stage had been 150,000 stones more expensive.
Clink.
But that was unimportant. I took out the money and dropped it in the jar in front of me as instructed by the shaman. Then he chuckled. "I'm glad you paid the right amount. Last time I received fifty thousand stones less than expected, which was a headache."
"...Fifty thousand stones less? What do you mean?"
"Young warrior, you have nothing to worry about. It's all the fault of the stupid chieftain."
I mean, it still bothered me. I had an inkling, so once I lay facedown on the blanket as instructed, I asked another question. "Shaman, what is the original cost of the first stage of the imprint?"
"It's 650,000 stones."
"...I see."
With that one answer, all my suspicions were confirmed. At that time, the chief said the cost was seven hundred thousand stones. Of course, I didn't think he said that to con me. It was just that I hadn't noticed at the time.
"The cost of the Immortality Imprint is... well, it must be around seven hundred thousand stones!"
The chieftain was also a barbarian, so he was very weak when it came to letters and numbers.
Huh, and didn't he say that he was giving me a discount of two hundred thousand stones or whatever?
Well, as a result, I was now saving fifty thousand stones, so there would be no loss on my end. Still, I felt like an idiot for being so innocently happy back then.
"Let's begin then."
As soon as the needle pierced my skin, all the worries, concerns, and thoughts that filled my head disappeared. It was the first intense pain I had felt in a long while.
"Young warrior, do not hold back. Even if you scream—"
"Aaargh!"
Fuck, I thought I'd be fine with Pain Resistance. I didn't think it wouldn't work on this.
...I'll have to proceed with the third stage tomorrow.
Apparently, a reevaluation of the plan was in order.
[You have activated Immortality Imprint: Stage 2. Your Endurance and Mana Resistance have increased significantly. Your Physique stat has increased by +20. Your Spirit stat has increased by +20.]
'This would be the longest fifteen minutes of my life?' I had been a fool when I said that.
"Okay, it's over."
The first stage took twelve hours to complete, but the second stage only took ten minutes. However, the pain was beyond imagination, to the extent that I wondered if all the pain I'd had to endure for those first twelve hours had been compressed into ten minutes for this one.
"Haha, I've never seen anyone finish while conscious." At the sight of my half-passed-out form, the shaman giggled like a psychopath. Then he held something out to me. "Here. Pick one. There is still time, so let me steal a look at your fate."
What was this? Fortune-telling? As it was a fantasy world, the accuracy of it must be high...
"It's nothing grand, so go ahead and pick one. I can still determine whether good things will happen in your future or not."
In that case, since I didn't sense any malice, I pulled out one of the dozens of sticks from the barrel without much thought.
Then the shaman was silent for a moment. It made me anxious. "Young warrior, what is your date of birth?"
Uh, I didn't think you'd need to read my birth chart...
As I contemplated how to respond, the shaman giggled again. "Hahaha, that was a joke. How can a warrior know something like their date of birth?"
"...So what is my fate like?"
"It is special. I have seen the fates of many warriors, but this is the first time that I have seen such bad luck."
Hmm, that was exactly what the shaman that my mother went to see a long time ago had said too. I guess my fortune had been rotten from the start.
"You have probably gone through countless hardships that most others only experience once in their life, and will continue to experience them."
"I see." Damn, this was why you shouldn't go to a fortune teller. I already knew that deep down, but hearing a shaman from a fantasy universe flat-out say it made me depressed.
"Don't be too discouraged, young warrior. Bad luck is not necessarily a bad thing for you."
"It's not a bad thing?"
"Your destiny is not just bad luck, but good fortune that is second to none. And if you are not consumed by evil, your bad luck will eventually turn into good luck."
"What do you mean? Say it simply." I wasn't pretending to be a barbarian this time—I was being serious. Was it customary in this trade to speak incomprehensibly, whether here or on Earth?
"Hahaha. It means you are destined to experience countless once-in-a-lifetime events, both good and bad." It felt like my head was vibrating. "It is a fate that many who are deemed heroes are born with."
I didn't know about being a hero, but one thing was clear. There had been countless shitty things that had happened in my life, but in the end, I was still alive and breathing. I just thought it was because I had powerful bad luck. But looking back now, shitty things weren't the only thing that happened to me.
"Haha, it looks like you know what I'm talking about."
Even in the case of the Bloody Citadel, I had almost died when the Vampire Duke Cambormere appeared, but as a result, I was able to acquire the bastard's essence. And the Lord of the Floor? All sorts of insane things went down, but in the process, I was able to obtain the essence of the Orc Hero.
"If it's the fate of a hero, does that mean I won't die no matter what I go through?"
"Of course not." The shaman smiled like he was talking to an innocent young warrior. Then, his mood shifted to something more solemn. "Some are devoured by fate, some conform to it, and some overcome it," he murmured.
"Make it easier to understand."
"It is up to you, not fate."
So you're just going to say things I don't understand the whole time, I see.
Fate or whatever, this changed nothing. I shouldn't even consider relying on something else. I just had to stay alert and do whatever I had to do so that I could survive whatever came my way.
***
[Bjorn Yandel
Level: 3
Physique: 330 (New +20)
Spirit: 124 (New +20)
Special Ability: 115
Item Level: 828 (New +145)
General Combat Power: 772 (New +76.25)
Acquired Essences: Corpse Golem - Rank 7 / Vampire (Guardian) - Rank 5 / Orc Hero - Rank 5]
"The cost of the Immortality Imprint is... well, it must be around seven hundred thousand stones!"
The chieftain was also a barbarian, so he was very weak when it came to letters and numbers.
Huh, and didn't he say that he was giving me a discount of two hundred thousand stones or whatever?
Well, as a result, I was now saving fifty thousand stones, so there would be no loss on my end. Still, I felt like an idiot for being so innocently happy back then.
"Let's begin then."
As soon as the needle pierced my skin, all the worries, concerns, and thoughts that filled my head disappeared. It was the first intense pain I had felt in a long while.
"Young warrior, do not hold back. Even if you scream—"
"Aaargh!"
Fuck, I thought I'd be fine with Pain Resistance. I didn't think it wouldn't work on this.
...I'll have to proceed with the third stage tomorrow.
Apparently, a reevaluation of the plan was in order.
[You have activated Immortality Imprint: Stage 2. Your Endurance and Mana Resistance have increased significantly. Your Physique stat has increased by +20. Your Spirit stat has increased by +20.]
'This would be the longest fifteen minutes of my life?' I had been a fool when I said that.
"Okay, it's over."
The first stage took twelve hours to complete, but the second stage only took ten minutes. However, the pain was beyond imagination, to the extent that I wondered if all the pain I'd had to endure for those first twelve hours had been compressed into ten minutes for this one.
"Haha, I've never seen anyone finish while conscious." At the sight of my half-passed-out form, the shaman giggled like a psychopath. Then he held something out to me. "Here. Pick one. There is still time, so let me steal a look at your fate."
What was this? Fortune-telling? As it was a fantasy world, the accuracy of it must be high...
"It's nothing grand, so go ahead and pick one. I can still determine whether good things will happen in your future or not."
In that case, since I didn't sense any malice, I pulled out one of the dozens of sticks from the barrel without much thought.
Then the shaman was silent for a moment. It made me anxious. "Young warrior, what is your date of birth?"
Uh, I didn't think you'd need to read my birth chart...
As I contemplated how to respond, the shaman giggled again. "Hahaha, that was a joke. How can a warrior know something like their date of birth?"
"...So what is my fate like?"
"It is special. I have seen the fates of many warriors, but this is the first time that I have seen such bad luck."
Hmm, that was exactly what the shaman that my mother went to see a long time ago had said too. I guess my fortune had been rotten from the start.
"You have probably gone through countless hardships that most others only experience once in their life, and will continue to experience them."
"I see." Damn, this was why you shouldn't go to a fortune teller. I already knew that deep down, but hearing a shaman from a fantasy universe flat-out say it made me depressed.
"Don't be too discouraged, young warrior. Bad luck is not necessarily a bad thing for you."
"It's not a bad thing?"
"Your destiny is not just bad luck, but good fortune that is second to none. And if you are not consumed by evil, your bad luck will eventually turn into good luck."
"What do you mean? Say it simply." I wasn't pretending to be a barbarian this time—I was being serious. Was it customary in this trade to speak incomprehensibly, whether here or on Earth?
"Hahaha. It means you are destined to experience countless once-in-a-lifetime events, both good and bad." It felt like my head was vibrating. "It is a fate that many who are deemed heroes are born with."
I didn't know about being a hero, but one thing was clear. There had been countless shitty things that had happened in my life, but in the end, I was still alive and breathing. I just thought it was because I had powerful bad luck. But looking back now, shitty things weren't the only thing that happened to me.
"Haha, it looks like you know what I'm talking about."
Even in the case of the Bloody Citadel, I had almost died when the Vampire Duke Cambormere appeared, but as a result, I was able to acquire the bastard's essence. And the Lord of the Floor? All sorts of insane things went down, but in the process, I was able to obtain the essence of the Orc Hero.
"If it's the fate of a hero, does that mean I won't die no matter what I go through?"
"Of course not." The shaman smiled like he was talking to an innocent young warrior. Then, his mood shifted to something more solemn. "Some are devoured by fate, some conform to it, and some overcome it," he murmured.
"Make it easier to understand."
"It is up to you, not fate."
So you're just going to say things I don't understand the whole time, I see.
Fate or whatever, this changed nothing. I shouldn't even consider relying on something else. I just had to stay alert and do whatever I had to do so that I could survive whatever came my way.
***
[Bjorn Yandel
Level: 3
Physique: 330 (New +20)
Spirit: 124 (New +20)
Special Ability: 115
Item Level: 828 (New +145)
General Combat Power: 772 (New +76.25)
Acquired Essences: Corpse Golem - Rank 7 / Vampire (Guardian) - Rank 5 / Orc Hero - Rank 5]