Chapter 30
Chapter 30
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Twin Gorge (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
On a night when the half-moon slyly tilted toward the horizon, the residents of Eckl Village had gathered closely in the village chief's house for a meeting. The chief had just finished explaining the agreement he'd made with the mercenary.
"...So, we've agreed to pay 20,000 luden for him to take out the monsters. I'm sorry, but to cover the fee, we'll need to collect more money. Any questions?"
The villagers' faces were all stiff with tension. As one person spoke up, the others jumped in one after another, voicing their opinions.
"How did that mercenary even know there were more monsters? I went there myself at the time, and there was only one."
"20,000 luden is too much, Chief... We barely scraped together 10,000, and now you're saying we have to collect more? How are we supposed to survive until harvest season...?"
"Can't you negotiate with the mercenary again? He's still a person—he's got to have some conscience, right?"
"That guy's way out of line. Taking advantage of desperate folks to line his own pockets..."
The chief listened silently for a while. The more he heard, the deeper the wrinkles on his forehead grew.
Once the villagers had vented, he rubbed his dry face with a heavy heart. No matter how ignorant these backwater bumpkins were their whole lives, they couldn't possibly be this stupid.
"Are you all idiots?"
"..."
"If I gave one of you 20,000 luden, would anyone here volunteer to risk their life fighting that monster?"
Silence.
The clamor died down in an instant. The villagers awkwardly glanced at one another. The chief let out a low sigh.
"Don't take other people's lives lightly just because they're not your own. Even someone earning money off that risk values their life just as much. If someone came haggling over your life, would you be okay with it?"
The man who had suggested bargaining and the woman who had cursed the mercenary both hung their heads. But the middle-aged man who had actually gone to the gorge still couldn't shake his doubts.
"Still, isn't it weird that there are two monsters? My friends and I who went there saw only one, clear as day. How does that mercenary know about something even we didn't see?"
"I don't know about that part. But one thing's for sure."
"..."
"If that mercenary gets pissed off, he could slaughter us all in a heartbeat, grab the money, and leave."
The atmosphere turned icy.
Everyone sucked in a sharp breath. Shock filled their eyes, and goosebumps prickled their arms. Hic! Someone let out a massive hiccup.
The chief was absolutely right. Hadn't that man single-handedly wiped out the mercenaries the villagers wouldn't have dared touch? If he'd wanted, he could've done far worse than what those mercenaries had.
"...Of course, the odds of that happening are low. Every Atalan mercenary I've met valued their honor. But that doesn't mean we can treat him carelessly."
"..."
"Listen up. Think about it—this is an opportunity we can't pass up. When will another mercenary with that kind of power and no ill will toward us pass through our village? We can always earn back lost money with time. But a missed chance? That's gone forever."
The villagers lowered their gazes, lost in thought.
It didn't take long. They weren't thrilled, but they couldn't argue with the chief. Reluctantly, everyone agreed to chip in for the 20,000 luden.
Few realized just how dramatically they'd been pulled back from the brink.
A spring rain fell after a long hiatus.
The hazy sky was a dull gray. The earth drank it in thirstily, new green shoots reaching up from the soil, glistening with droplets. Gentle breezes carried the rain at a soft angle now and then. The weather was mild, the downpour light—perfect for parched folks to welcome with open arms.
But the travelers in the procession had no time to savor it. Uneasy tension laced their uneven steps. The village youths guiding the way kept stealing anxious glances at the barbarian, while the merchant laden with gear fidgeted nervously.
A warrior on the cusp of battle ignored prying eyes. He simply checked his weapons with detached calm.
He pressed his thumb lightly against Mosquito's blade. It sliced a paper-thin cut into his skin. He'd sharpened it on a whetstone last night and oiled it with camellia oil. Good thing, too, with the rain.
The throwing axes needed no maintenance. They'd shattered countless skulls and pierced iron-like scales, yet the edges gleamed as sharp as newly forged. It boggled the mind how dwarves, capable of crafting such masterpieces, had ever lost to humans.
His outfit was simple: a tunic with straps across the chest, reinforced with leather pants. The villagers had hastily tailored it to fit Kadim. He'd tossed his old rags and skipped armor—it was too cumbersome. Besides, the monsters at the destination wouldn't care about such things.
Twin Gorge.
Kadim knew it well. It was a famous spot in the game, and he'd passed through it in his first playthrough.
Legends abounded, passed down through generations. Twin siblings who broke a pact with a mage? Incurred a god's wrath? Killed each other in a feud? The endings varied, but one constant: the cursed twins reincarnated eternally to guard the gorge's entrances.
The quest revealed the truth—no curse. The spot was just monster heaven, drawing them repeatedly. They spawned in pairs not from reincarnation, but because mates nested there to breed.
The truth is often more mundane than the myths. Well, the gorge got famous not for legends, but for the sweet EXP loot...
The Twin Gorge monsters gave hefty experience points. True to the tales, they respawned periodically at both entrances. Camp and farm, and you'd outpace random hunting. No wonder it became a leveling hotspot.
Kadim couldn't farm EXP like in the game, first playthrough or now. But this time, he'd scored a juicy 20,000 luden reward. No urgent need for cash, but more was always better. He'd need it for Duncan's future wages.
Hunting monsters was as routine as slaying demons. A fine chance to test his growing body, too. He'd brought a canteen just in case, but he resolved to kill without demon blood.
"The gorge is up this path. We'll wait here, sir."
The youths ended their guidance well before the gorge, faces pale with fear. Only Duncan, playing pack mule, stuck with Kadim.
Muddy trails led to towering terrain. Forest on one side, rock on the other. Twin cliffs rose like a giant's shoulders in fine robes. Between them, a narrow gash like an axe-hewn crevasse.
And at the mouth, defying the rain, stood the guardian monster.
"Wait here, Duncan. Come when you see the fight's over."
"B-Be careful, milord!"
Kadim left Duncan and advanced alone.
Up close, the beast's enormity hit home. Tree-trunk height, bulging mass. Ash-gray skin like rock. Its tiny eyes atop a hooked nose evoked grotesque menace over mere ugliness.
Twin Gorge gatekeeper: troll.
- Grur... gruk...?
As he approached, it cocked its head—just like before. It felt like time-traveling back.
Hm?
Not exactly the same.
The look was similar, but a faint difference. A hazy, clammy aura clung to it...
...Demonic energy?
Impossible.
Demonic corruption would've warped its form. This looked no different from the last one.
Plus, this energy was far thinner than true demonic power. If demon qi was thick fog, this was candle smoke—diluted, mixed with something...
...
He couldn't guess the change. But that wasn't important now.
- Grurrruk! Grurrruk!!
First, face the troll.
Whatever's different, carving it up will tell.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The troll charged with earth-shaking steps, a withered tree trunk gripped by the roots in both hands. Kadim waited for it to close in.
Trolls boasted thick hides and regeneration. Not iron-plated like hydras, nor rapid enough to heal vitals instantly. Sever the neck or crush the heart, and they dropped easy.
So Kadim targeted the head. Waiting until its sluggish reflexes couldn't dodge.
- Groooaaar!!
Ten paces away, it reared back to swing. In sync, a metallic whirlwind sliced from Kadim's hand.
Shraaaack!
Perfect aim, but the troll's raised arm blocked—aimed for face, hit forearm. The axe tore it ragged.
Crunch-crack!
- Guok! Groooaaar!!
Flesh regenerated around the buried blade. Kadim felt no regret. Battles brimmed with variables. Better to swing again than dwell.
He dashed low under the thrashing troll, Mosquito in right, mud in left fist. Distracted, it missed him closing in.
Claiming rear position, a flash-horizontal slash.
Sliiiice!
The heel skin was thinner. Tendon and flesh severed; blade gulped blood. Before regen, he smeared mud over the stump.
- Groooaaaargh!!
Mud grains blocked reknitting. Leg-crippled, it wobbled to one knee. It swung the tree at him anyway—too slow. He'd pivoted to sever the other heel.
Sliiiice!
Mud again, pronto. Balance gone, it toppled. Kadim dodged the fall, then plunged back in.
- Guok! Guok! Groooaaar!!
Desperate final swing with its arm. He turned its momentum: speared wrist with upright blade, yanked sideways. Muscles shredded, gore sprayed.
Crunch-crack!
- Groooaaaargh!!
It crashed screaming. No limbs left intact. Any twitch yielded only mud-mixed blood.
The warrior seized the opening. Retrieved axe from arm, delivered finisher.
Crack-boom!
Blood gushed from the thick neck. Too stout for one chop. Like felling timber, he hacked repeatedly.
Crack! Crack! Splurch!
Finally, the head rolled into the muck. A dying rasp escaped the stump.
- Gaaah...
Twitching limbs stilled. Regen spasms ceased. Lukewarm rain pattered on the cooling corpse.
"..."
Victory without demon blood—effortless.
Kadim rinsed blood from his face and approached the body methodically.
Nothing unusual compared to past trolls. Rain even made it easier. Mud beat plain dirt for halting regen—nice bonus.
...So what was that aura?
As the troll expired, the energy faded fast. He slashed skin, rummaged guts.
Squelching organs yielded to his grip. He squeezed heart, lungs, intestines. Fecal blood oozed from the rear—no anomalies. No signs of demon consumption.
But he caught it: as eyes strayed, dark remnants dissolving in pooled blood.
"...!"
"M-Milord? What are you... Ugh! Blergh! Urk—bleeech!"
Duncan had snuck up, puking at the eviscerated troll. No time for him. Kadim hurried off.
To the gorge's far side—for the other one.
Rain pattered on broad leaves. Village youths sheltered under trees, chatting idly.
"Think that mercenary can really take it solo?"
"Dunno... If not, we save 20,000 luden, right?"
"Money's not the issue—we might be stuck in this dump forever."
They half-doubted the lone mercenary's prowess.
Impressive as wiping the bandit mercs was, trolls were another beast. Common sense said bring an army or mage for those.
"No way he solos a troll..."
"I bet he can. Didn't you see him hurl that axe?"
"Axes like that work on people, not monsters..."
Debate raged among youths who'd never bagged more than a boar. Then one pointed up.
"Huh? What's that?"
"Yeah?"
"Smoke, right?"
Black smudge against gray sky. They frowned in unison.
"That's... toward the 'No-Return Forest.' Lightning strike? Wildfire?"
"Should we check if it's a big one?"
"Nah, rain like this? It'll fizzle out."
Made sense. Pale sky, steady drizzle. Normal fire would snuff itself.
But this wasn't normal.
Smoke thickened. Acrid claws raked the air. Fiery fangs pierced the canopy. Flames didn't die—they roared fiercer with time.
"W-What? Fire's growing!"
"Why isn't it going out?!"
"Damn it! If that spreads, the village is toast..."
Crimson glow danced in their eyes.
Hellfire rampaged through the demon-haunted woods.