Chapter 79: Request (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 79: Request (3)
"Bjorn, arrre you going to the Holy Land again today?"
"There was something I couldn't finish yesterday. I'll be back in the evening, so don't skip out on training."
As soon as the day dawned, I headed to the Holy Land to get the third phase of the imprint. The cost was two million stones, the same as in the game. This also corresponded with the fact that the user was given a characteristic each time their Spirit Imprint's level reached a multiple of three.
"Hahaha, I've never seen a barbarian with as much money as you. You have three paths in front of you. There is the soul of flame, the soul of iron, and the soul of the wild." When I put the money into the jar, the shaman asked, "Warrior, what will you choose?"
I listened to the shaman's explanation just in case, but it didn't seem like the reality patch had changed anything. And so... "I will choose the soul of the wild." I chose it without any hesitation because this trait was one of the core features of the shield barbarian.
[You have activated Immortality Imprint: Stage 3. Your Physical Resistance and Fire Resistance have significantly increased. Your Physique has increased by +50.]
[A spirit of the wild now resides in your body. Your base Threat Level is greatly increased. You can now use Wild Outburst.]
Threat Level—in other words, your probability of attracting aggro from monsters just by breathing was increased. In addition, Wild Outburst temporarily increased the user's Threat Level by three times, and I could earn a bonus to my physical stats proportional to that number.
Originally, I only occasionally used this when developing a greatsword barbarian.
In my early days, I often compensated for the barbarians' inability to survive with Immortality Imprints. However, at the time, Wild Outburst had been a double-edged sword. The stronger the character, the more enemies came. Of course, it was different for a shield barbarian.
No risk, high reward.
Monster aggro? As a tank, that was rather welcome. Plus, the increase in Physique not only meant an improvement in sturdiness, but when used in conjunction with Giantization—which greatly increased the user's Threat Level—you could achieve a temporary, extreme payoff.
I didn't realize that I would finish the third phase of the Imprint for Giantization in three months.
While I was satisfied with my growth, it also felt bittersweet. All I had done was struggle to survive, but somehow, I had ended up here.
"I'm tired, so you may leave."
It was 5 p.m. by the time I left with the Soul Imprint. Since Missha had promised to cook beef, I quickly stopped by the library and returned to the inn after double-checking our appointment time. Then, after various experiments, I figured out the conditions for triggering Wild Outburst.
"Behelaaah!"
So that was how it worked.
***
[Bjorn Yandel
Level: 3
Physique: 330 (New +50)
Spirit: 124
Special Ability: 115
Item Level: 828
General Combat Power: 822 (New +50)
Acquired Essences: Corpse Golem - Rank 7 / Vampire (Guardian) - Rank 5 / Orc Hero - Rank 5]
***
For lunch the next day, I headed to the meeting place by myself. The name of the store was "The Promise of Flowing Water," so I was wondering what kind of place it was, but it was just an ordinary dessert shop. Fuck.
"...A barbarian?"
"What the heck? Is the owner in debt?"
As soon as I walked in, all eyes turned to me. Somehow it was even worse than the library. It wasn't like I wasn't allowed to be here.
"Are you Mr. Yandel? Over here!"
It wouldn't be efficient to change seats, so I went and sat down. "Were you the one who made the request?"
"Yes. My name is Shavin Emoor, a rank-seven officer at the Ravigion Administrative Office. You can call me Shavin."
"Sure."
Shavin Emoor, race: human. When the librarian said the requestee was a friend of hers, I had expected her to be young, but she looked to be in her early thirties. She seemed like a nice person, but I'd know her actual personality after some conversation.
"I didn't order because I didn't know what you would like. What do you want to eat?"
"I'll get grilled meat with beer."
"...Pardon?"
"If not, then never mind. I don't like sweets."
"Ah, I see..."
That should be enough of an unspoken protest for being called to meet at a place like this. I hurriedly got to the point. "So, what is your request?"
"Didn't you hear from Ragna?"
"Ragna? Oh, you mean the librarian?"
Shavin seemed startled by my question, then nodded like she understood. "I guess you didn't know her name. Yeah... makes sense for Ragna. Her name is Ragna Litaniel Peprock. She's not a bad kid, so please don't get too mad at her."
I had nothing to be mad about since I had never asked her name in the first place. I repeated the name to myself. "Ragna Litanel Peprock, huh?"
"Not Litanel, Litaniel."
Anyway, that. Why was her name so difficult to pronounce? "...Is she a noble?"
"No, it's not like that..." When I asked the first question that popped into my head, the response I received was quite strange. "I can't tell you in detail. If she finds out, she'll definitely get angry."
So, there was a story behind it, huh? "Tell me the contents of your request."
"It's a simple patrol request. Sometimes criminals and non-taxpayers hide in the sewers, so they require regular patrols. But..." Shavin trailed off, her tone strange, like she was waiting for something.
"...But?"
Just in case, I chimed in, and Shavin's expression shifted in a way that suggested she had been waiting for exactly that. She continued her explanation. "But the adventurers who are usually commissioned for patrols didn't return from the labyrinth this time. As you well know, Mr. Yandel..."
"...Know?"
"There was a big incident on the third floor. It appears they got caught up in that! It's such a tragedy."
I didn't know if it was a tragedy or not, but I did know there was something up with her. "That's why you decided to entrust this request to me."
"Yes. Because it is an official request from the administrative office, it cannot be entrusted to just anyone. So, while I was looking for the right person, Ragna told me about you!"
"I see." I understood the basic context. Except... "Why me? There must have been other people who were better suited."
Now that I had listened to the details, it seemed more like a chore than a commission. The administrative office must have entrusted the requests to adventurers in the same way one might deal with a subcontractor, and the pay couldn't have been that great either. However, even so, the number of people in this city willing to take on this request would have been many.
"...A barbarian?"
"What the heck? Is the owner in debt?"
As soon as I walked in, all eyes turned to me. Somehow it was even worse than the library. It wasn't like I wasn't allowed to be here.
"Are you Mr. Yandel? Over here!"
It wouldn't be efficient to change seats, so I went and sat down. "Were you the one who made the request?"
"Yes. My name is Shavin Emoor, a rank-seven officer at the Ravigion Administrative Office. You can call me Shavin."
"Sure."
Shavin Emoor, race: human. When the librarian said the requestee was a friend of hers, I had expected her to be young, but she looked to be in her early thirties. She seemed like a nice person, but I'd know her actual personality after some conversation.
"I didn't order because I didn't know what you would like. What do you want to eat?"
"I'll get grilled meat with beer."
"...Pardon?"
"If not, then never mind. I don't like sweets."
"Ah, I see..."
That should be enough of an unspoken protest for being called to meet at a place like this. I hurriedly got to the point. "So, what is your request?"
"Didn't you hear from Ragna?"
"Ragna? Oh, you mean the librarian?"
Shavin seemed startled by my question, then nodded like she understood. "I guess you didn't know her name. Yeah... makes sense for Ragna. Her name is Ragna Litaniel Peprock. She's not a bad kid, so please don't get too mad at her."
I had nothing to be mad about since I had never asked her name in the first place. I repeated the name to myself. "Ragna Litanel Peprock, huh?"
"Not Litanel, Litaniel."
Anyway, that. Why was her name so difficult to pronounce? "...Is she a noble?"
"No, it's not like that..." When I asked the first question that popped into my head, the response I received was quite strange. "I can't tell you in detail. If she finds out, she'll definitely get angry."
So, there was a story behind it, huh? "Tell me the contents of your request."
"It's a simple patrol request. Sometimes criminals and non-taxpayers hide in the sewers, so they require regular patrols. But..." Shavin trailed off, her tone strange, like she was waiting for something.
"...But?"
Just in case, I chimed in, and Shavin's expression shifted in a way that suggested she had been waiting for exactly that. She continued her explanation. "But the adventurers who are usually commissioned for patrols didn't return from the labyrinth this time. As you well know, Mr. Yandel..."
"...Know?"
"There was a big incident on the third floor. It appears they got caught up in that! It's such a tragedy."
I didn't know if it was a tragedy or not, but I did know there was something up with her. "That's why you decided to entrust this request to me."
"Yes. Because it is an official request from the administrative office, it cannot be entrusted to just anyone. So, while I was looking for the right person, Ragna told me about you!"
"I see." I understood the basic context. Except... "Why me? There must have been other people who were better suited."
Now that I had listened to the details, it seemed more like a chore than a commission. The administrative office must have entrusted the requests to adventurers in the same way one might deal with a subcontractor, and the pay couldn't have been that great either. However, even so, the number of people in this city willing to take on this request would have been many.
This person wasn't sent by the evil spirit hunters, was she?
In my heart, I momentarily assumed the worst, but the answer I received was absurdly succinct.
"Aren't you the most talked-about person these days?"
"What?"
"Honestly, I was a little curious. I also wanted to meet you in person..." In a nutshell, she took up the role of requesting the administrative office to satisfy her curiosity. "Oh, I'm going to buy some cookies to go for later. Can I brag to my co-workers that you bought them for me?"
"...Do as you like."
Judging by that bright smile, this didn't seem to be an act. "So, what will you do? The pay is only two hundred thousand stones, but it wouldn't be a bad deal for you, either. I'm embarrassed to say this out loud, but..."
Ugh, again? Can't you just tell me straight-up?
It was like she was playing games with me. "...But?"
When I urged her on again with a soulless question, Shavin happily continued. "There are some people who consider receiving a request from the administrative office a reward in itself! And can I also mention that, since our selection criteria are a bit strict, the people we hire are considered by other organizations to be verified talent?"
This time, her statement ended with a question. When looking at this from a barbarian's perspective, there seemed to be a lot of vagueness mixed in to the things she was saying. "So that means that my credibility will also go up." I was a barbarian with a savage body and a modern mind.
Shavin applauded my short and concise summary. "Yes! Simply put, yes! Mm, well... with your reputation, I'm sure you're receiving lots of requests from all over."
"Not exactly." I smiled bitterly. It had been two weeks since I got the reputation of Little Balkan. Nevertheless, this was the first time someone had contacted me for the purpose of commissioning me. I could roughly guess the reason why.
It must be because I am an uneducated barbarian.
There was a difference between being good at fighting and being smart. Maybe I could use this opportunity to alter the public's perception of me. But I shouldn't stand out too much, either... Soon, I made up my mind.
"That request, I will do it."
***
"Then I'll be going now." After hearing the details of the request, the barbarian left the shop without any regrets.
Shavin smiled as she watched him leave.
"He's the first interesting person I've met in a while."
She had wondered why Ragna had brought him up in conversation, but she could see it now. She felt a sense of inner peace after talking to someone innocent, unlike so many others. That child must have felt the same way, no matter how flippant her words were. It was safe to say that it had been a few years since Ragna had brought someone up in conversation first.
Still, I was worried, so I asked to meet him in person. But he doesn't seem bad.
It seemed like he didn't know anything about Ragna, either. Shavin sipped on her tea and got her thoughts in order. Next time, it would be a good idea to set up a meeting for the three of them while staging it as a coincidence. If she left them alone, they would never get to know each other for the rest of their lives.
Maybe I'm going too far...
The time had come for that child to make friends.
***
Two days later, ten days before the labyrinth opened, I arrived at the entrance to the sewer under the guidance of the staff—with the entirety of Team Half-Wit somehow tagging along.
"...Bjorn, you didn't say it was going to stink like this," complained Hikurod.
"I didn't know it was this bad, either. But shouldn't you have expected this when I told you it was a sewer?"
"W-Well, yes, but..."
Yesterday, when we all got together, I brought up the request I received, and this was what happened:
"You don't have to share the payment, but exploring the sewer with all kinds of ghost stories? Hahaha! How can I miss out on an opportunity like that?" Hikurod laughed.
"Can I come along?" Dwalkie requested. "My head's been hurting from reading books every day, so this will be a good change of pace."
"Hmm, the roads in the sewers are complicated, right? It would be a perfect place to test out my new abilities," Brown said thoughtfully.
"A place where criminals go to hide? It might be dangerrrous alone," Missha cautioned.
Everyone was bored with training every day, so it was decided that they would tag along. I just said yes. There was no need to share the pay from the commission, so there was no need to shy away from free manpower.
I don't know about the others, but Rotmiller, the scout, will be of great help.
After passing the map I had received from the staff to Brown, I put a video recording device into the groove of my helmet to record the patrol process. That concluded the preparations. "Let's get going." I took the lead and opened the iron doors, then headed down the damp stairs to the basement. When I reached the last step, there was hardly any light, so I had to light a torch.
"It's bigger inside than I thought."
"That's why there are some people who live down here. Hahaha!"
The flowing gutter water and the ditch next to it painted a bleak picture in the flickering torchlight.
"This way."
Following Brown's instructions, we walked over the ditch, careful not to fall into the water. The farther away we got from the entrance, the noticeably darker our surroundings became.
"Do you know about this? There's a myth that a terrible monster lives in the sewers..." The dwarf laughed and spread rumors like he was just here to have fun.
Missha and Dwalkie naively egged him on. "Dwalkie, could therrre really be a monster here?"
"I heard that all the waste from the Tower ends up in the sewer. If reagents randomly met and reacted with a monster corpse, it might be possible to create such a creature."
"I-is it?"
Of course it wasn't. Our predecessor had been paid 150,000 stones per patrol and had gone in and out of the sewers for two years without any problems.
Splash, splash.
I sighed inwardly and was careful where I stepped. But was it because of the nonstop ghost stories that Hikurod was telling? Every step suddenly sounded a lot louder.
Since the five of us are here, it feels like we're in some sort of dungeon.
Fuck, nothing bad was going to happen, right?
This person wasn't sent by the evil spirit hunters, was she?
In my heart, I momentarily assumed the worst, but the answer I received was absurdly succinct.
"Aren't you the most talked-about person these days?"
"What?"
"Honestly, I was a little curious. I also wanted to meet you in person..." In a nutshell, she took up the role of requesting the administrative office to satisfy her curiosity. "Oh, I'm going to buy some cookies to go for later. Can I brag to my co-workers that you bought them for me?"
"...Do as you like."
Judging by that bright smile, this didn't seem to be an act. "So, what will you do? The pay is only two hundred thousand stones, but it wouldn't be a bad deal for you, either. I'm embarrassed to say this out loud, but..."
Ugh, again? Can't you just tell me straight-up?
It was like she was playing games with me. "...But?"
When I urged her on again with a soulless question, Shavin happily continued. "There are some people who consider receiving a request from the administrative office a reward in itself! And can I also mention that, since our selection criteria are a bit strict, the people we hire are considered by other organizations to be verified talent?"
This time, her statement ended with a question. When looking at this from a barbarian's perspective, there seemed to be a lot of vagueness mixed in to the things she was saying. "So that means that my credibility will also go up." I was a barbarian with a savage body and a modern mind.
Shavin applauded my short and concise summary. "Yes! Simply put, yes! Mm, well... with your reputation, I'm sure you're receiving lots of requests from all over."
"Not exactly." I smiled bitterly. It had been two weeks since I got the reputation of Little Balkan. Nevertheless, this was the first time someone had contacted me for the purpose of commissioning me. I could roughly guess the reason why.
It must be because I am an uneducated barbarian.
There was a difference between being good at fighting and being smart. Maybe I could use this opportunity to alter the public's perception of me. But I shouldn't stand out too much, either... Soon, I made up my mind.
"That request, I will do it."
***
"Then I'll be going now." After hearing the details of the request, the barbarian left the shop without any regrets.
Shavin smiled as she watched him leave.
"He's the first interesting person I've met in a while."
She had wondered why Ragna had brought him up in conversation, but she could see it now. She felt a sense of inner peace after talking to someone innocent, unlike so many others. That child must have felt the same way, no matter how flippant her words were. It was safe to say that it had been a few years since Ragna had brought someone up in conversation first.
Still, I was worried, so I asked to meet him in person. But he doesn't seem bad.
It seemed like he didn't know anything about Ragna, either. Shavin sipped on her tea and got her thoughts in order. Next time, it would be a good idea to set up a meeting for the three of them while staging it as a coincidence. If she left them alone, they would never get to know each other for the rest of their lives.
Maybe I'm going too far...
The time had come for that child to make friends.
***
Two days later, ten days before the labyrinth opened, I arrived at the entrance to the sewer under the guidance of the staff—with the entirety of Team Half-Wit somehow tagging along.
"...Bjorn, you didn't say it was going to stink like this," complained Hikurod.
"I didn't know it was this bad, either. But shouldn't you have expected this when I told you it was a sewer?"
"W-Well, yes, but..."
Yesterday, when we all got together, I brought up the request I received, and this was what happened:
"You don't have to share the payment, but exploring the sewer with all kinds of ghost stories? Hahaha! How can I miss out on an opportunity like that?" Hikurod laughed.
"Can I come along?" Dwalkie requested. "My head's been hurting from reading books every day, so this will be a good change of pace."
"Hmm, the roads in the sewers are complicated, right? It would be a perfect place to test out my new abilities," Brown said thoughtfully.
"A place where criminals go to hide? It might be dangerrrous alone," Missha cautioned.
Everyone was bored with training every day, so it was decided that they would tag along. I just said yes. There was no need to share the pay from the commission, so there was no need to shy away from free manpower.
I don't know about the others, but Rotmiller, the scout, will be of great help.
After passing the map I had received from the staff to Brown, I put a video recording device into the groove of my helmet to record the patrol process. That concluded the preparations. "Let's get going." I took the lead and opened the iron doors, then headed down the damp stairs to the basement. When I reached the last step, there was hardly any light, so I had to light a torch.
"It's bigger inside than I thought."
"That's why there are some people who live down here. Hahaha!"
The flowing gutter water and the ditch next to it painted a bleak picture in the flickering torchlight.
"This way."
Following Brown's instructions, we walked over the ditch, careful not to fall into the water. The farther away we got from the entrance, the noticeably darker our surroundings became.
"Do you know about this? There's a myth that a terrible monster lives in the sewers..." The dwarf laughed and spread rumors like he was just here to have fun.
Missha and Dwalkie naively egged him on. "Dwalkie, could therrre really be a monster here?"
"I heard that all the waste from the Tower ends up in the sewer. If reagents randomly met and reacted with a monster corpse, it might be possible to create such a creature."
"I-is it?"
Of course it wasn't. Our predecessor had been paid 150,000 stones per patrol and had gone in and out of the sewers for two years without any problems.
Splash, splash.
I sighed inwardly and was careful where I stepped. But was it because of the nonstop ghost stories that Hikurod was telling? Every step suddenly sounded a lot louder.
Since the five of us are here, it feels like we're in some sort of dungeon.
Fuck, nothing bad was going to happen, right?