Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Black Hammer Gang (3)
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"It's true, boss! Please believe us!"
"I saw it with my own two eyes, boss! Well, including this guy's peepers, that's four eyes total!"
The two scouts fervently spilled what they'd witnessed. The rest of the gang members exchanged uneasy glances. The man gripping the pitch-black stone hammer leaned back in his chair and frowned lazily.
As the reaction remained lukewarm, the scouts raised their voices.
"Ah, come on, boss, it's really true! Sure, this idiot only spouts nonsense usually, but I'm not like that, right? Just believe us this one time!"
"What the fuck? When did I ever spout nonsense? This little shit opens his mouth and lies come pouring out like breath..."
"Ha. You brainless goblin-headed fuck, forgot again? Last time when we went out together..."
Bam!
"Enough. Stop right there."
The hammer head slammed into the floor, silencing the scouts instantly. The man propped his chin at an angle and asked again.
"So, you're saying Agon’s Furious Horn really came here? To help the Blood Cave Gang?"
"...Yes."
"Eeeh..."
"You think that makes any sense?"
The hesitation didn't last long. His men nodded stubbornly to the end. Seeing their confident demeanor, the other members began to stir as well.
The leader of the Black Hammer Gang, Crevan, set down his hammer and roughly rubbed his dry face.
'These dumbfucks... What the hell are they babbling about?'
There had been strange rumors circulating for a while. That Agon’s Furious Horn was close friends with the Blood Cave Gang's boss. That he'd soon come here to aid his old friend.
Crevan hadn't believed a word of it, of course. The legendary arena champion coming to help a third-rate bandit crew? Hell, might as well say ancient archdemons and imperial holy knights were heading here too. What utter bullshit...
Yet the scouts he'd sent to scout for easy travelers to rob came back insisting they'd seen Agon’s Furious Horn. It was absurd, suffocating nonsense... but his men were buying it and getting rattled, which only made it more ridiculous.
Still, it seemed like the scouts had seen something. Crevan decided to interpret the situation in a more plausible way.
'Maybe Graham hired some mercenary with cash? Crossing into the alliance lands makes it easy to grab a barbarian sellsword. Probably just brought along some beefy brute to bluff...'
There was no time for quiet contemplation. Even the lookout rushed in.
"B-Boss, we're under attack! The Blood Cave Gang's approaching this place!"
"...What? How many?"
"T-Two... two of them. One's their leader, and the other... we suspect it's Agon’s Furious Horn."
Despite the ridiculously small numbers, the lookout's face was etched far more with terror than disbelief. Whatever it was—Agon’s Furious Horn or not—he'd clearly seen something genuinely threatening.
His men buzzed even louder. Deep furrows formed on Crevan's forehead.
No helping it. He'd have to go check it out himself.
Of course, if it really was Agon’s Furious Horn, a head-on fight offered no chance of victory...
"Position the crossbowmen behind the earthen wall. The rest hide in the bushes and wait. Fire on my signal."
Crevan gripped his pitch-black stone hammer tightly and rose from his seat.
Kadim had thought at first that he'd scored a massive haul.
The total cash plundered from the bandits' hideout came to a whopping 3,200 luden. Enough to buy a luxury villa anywhere. He wondered why such a small-time bandit gang had so much money.
But the merchant brought him back to reality.
"Hmm, 3,200 luden... As expected from a small-fry bandit crew. Not a huge sum, milord."
"..."
Three hundred years had driven up prices and devalued cash. When he asked what 3,200 luden could buy, the answer was barely a pony. A faint shadow of disappointment crossed the stoic barbarian's face.
Still, it wasn't nothing. In fact, he'd gained a lead on treasure far more valuable than gold.
Kadim narrowed his eyes, lost in thought for a moment.
'A throwing axe forged by dwarf artisans...'
As was typical in medieval fantasy games, this one featured elves and dwarves.
But they weren't major players. Eons ago, humans had seized continental hegemony, relegating these minor races to the fringes.
That said, they occasionally made their presence felt in key areas. For skilled dwarves, it was naturally in equipment crafting.
'Minimum rare grade, usually unique or epic...'
Dwarven gear boasted superior base stats and piled on special effects. Comparing it to human-made stuff was an insult. Only priest-blessed holy weapons came close in performance.
But acquiring dwarven gear was no easy feat.
Finding hidden dwarves was step one. Even then, they despised humans and wouldn't sell willingly. In-game quests guaranteed some, but in reality? Near impossible.
Yet now he'd stumbled on a lead for such gear.
This was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. To avoid over-relying on demon blood, he needed top-quality weapons.
Still, taking a backwater bandit's word at face value was risky. Kadim prodded the bandit's back with his knife tip.
"How'd you get that treasure map? How'd you know the hidden loot was a dwarven axe?"
"...Urk, d-don't stab. I'll explain s-slowly..."
Graham, leading the way, groaned again. Clutching the gash on his arm, he painfully recounted the tale.
"That 'treasure map' came from a group of travelers passing nearby. When we asked what the treasure was, they said it was an exceptional dwarven axe... At first, I thought it was bullshit, so I just hid the map anywhere..."
Afterward, similar groups came searching for the map multiple times. Even proper mercenaries later on. That's when Graham realized it was real.
The problem? He couldn't retrieve it anymore.
"...The hiding spot used to be Blood Cave Gang territory. But recently, the Black Hammer Gang settled around there. Even if I just wanted the map back quietly, they'd slaughter us on sight..."
Kadim nodded silently.
It didn't sound like a lie. The details matched up. A poke with the knife had probably scared off any fibbing too...
Meanwhile, Graham began emphasizing just how dangerous the Black Hammer Gang was. Fearing the barbarian might get cold feet and turn back.
But Kadim didn't care a bit.
"How many of them?"
"F-Fifty... N-No, a hundred! Over a hundred! All brutal, savage bastards!"
"Quite a lot. For frontier bandits."
"R-Right? So maybe come back later with more mercenaries..."
"Killing them all would leave me a bit tired."
Graham's eyes widened to the size of fists.
Was this mad barbarian saying he'd take on a hundred alone? Even Agon’s Furious Horn wouldn't find that easy. Not that it was actually around fifty—he'd exaggerated—but still...
Kadim simply thought: Ideally, grab the map without a fight, but that seemed unlikely. Try negotiating if they met, but prepare for battle anytime.
Good call leaving the merchant at the cave. Another prod to Graham's back with the knife hurried him along.
The open grassland path ended, narrowing into a tight valley. This marked the Black Hammer Gang's turf proper. Graham hunched his shoulders, scanning nervously.
A faint bloody stench mingled with the tickling wind. Even Kadim furrowed his brow slightly.
Soon, a low earthen wall came into view.
"..."
They stifled their presence, but it couldn't fool a superhuman barbarian's senses. Six hidden below, taut bowstrings, fingers brushing metal triggers.
'Crossbows at the ready.'
Beside the wall stood a sturdy man wielding a stone hammer. The Black Hammer Gang's leader, Crevan, greeted the bedraggled rival with feigned casualness.
"Never thought we'd meet like this. What brings you here, Graham?"
A quick glance at the barbarian—one second. Masking fear with a calm facade—two seconds.
Graham rolled out another scheme, true to his survival instincts.
"Why'd I come? Foolish question, Crevan. Isn't it obvious? I'm here to declare the end of the Black Hammer Gang. With my dear friend here—the great arena champion, the gloriously named Agon’s Furious Horn!"
Great. Now pit the barbarian against the Black Hammer Gang right away.
'Agon’s Furious Horn? The real champion...'
'My god...'
'...Built like the rumors...'
Murmurs spread through the bushes. They'd hidden their men there for an ambush, apparently. With the barbarian's ferocious looks, who wouldn't waver? Graham licked his dry lips.
Still, the Black Hammer Gang's victory was certain.
No demon or monster could solo over fifty men. But he'd seen the barbarian slaughter over a dozen of his own, so his strength was no joke.
So while they clashed and got distracted, he'd slip away...
"Gaaargh!"
...No dice. Kadim seized Graham's hair like he was skinning him alive and declared flatly.
"I'm not Agon’s Furious Horn. I just want what I'm after—no interest in fighting you lot. If you don't want blood, cooperate reasonably."
"..."
Crevan's lips twisted slyly.
His hunch was right. The barbarian wasn't Agon’s Furious Horn—just a mercenary Graham had bought. Realizing his employer was throwing him to the wolves, he'd turned coat immediately.
But why the stiff attitude still? Hadn't he grasped the situation?
Thud!
He thumped the hammer head on the ground. His men emerged from the wall and bushes in unison.
With fifty-odd gang members at his back, Crevan sneered mockingly.
"Ah, then we must cooperate, mercenary sir. What're you looking for? My boys'll help—no need to be shy."
"...A map. This guy knows the spot, so no help needed. Just clear a path."
"Hmm, a map? This one, maybe?"
Crevan pulled a tattered map from his bosom and held it up. Graham's eyes bulged.
"Wh-Wh-That's it, that's the one! H-How'd that bastard get..."
"Oh, you hid this one, Graham? One of my boys found it under a rock. Saw a few others hunting it before—must be some real treasure marked here, huh? Heh heh..."
"..."
Kadim's instincts screamed. That obnoxious smirk. No way this bandit would hand it over easily.
His premonition proved correct.
Crevan shredded the map to bits. Then crammed it into his mouth, chewed it to pulp, swallowed every scrap, and patted his belly with a jeer.
"Go on, take it back, barbarian. If you can."
The Black Hammer Gang's boss expected despair and rage to twist the fool's face.
But the barbarian showed no ripple.
He just thought: Better extract it before it hits the stomach.
"Gladly."
Kadim raised his sword hilt.