Chapter 32
Chapter 32
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Grand Duke's Heir, You've Run Away!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[If others say six, then it's not six.]
Zhenbe and I slowly walked into the Uts River Mine site. Our goal was to hunt down the remaining Freykers.
Even before reaching the entrance, the ground was littered with corpses. There were miners crushed to death before they could flee, and quite a few mercenaries who had fallen in battle.
As I rummaged through one mercenary's pouch, Zhenbe grumbled again.
"Don't disrespect the dead."
"Someone was going to take this money anyway. Isn't it better if we, the ones avenging them, take it?"
I pulled out the coin pouch and grinned contentedly. It was heavy. Mercenaries really were a goldmine.
"Save that talk until we've caught all the Freykers."
"Too late for that. After this, Kara's soldiers and the Alon folks will swarm in and take everything."
With that, I skipped over to another mercenary corpse. Zhenbe shook his head and headed straight for the entrance.
Rawr! Crunch.
Soon, a commotion erupted from inside the mine. Sounded like Zhenbe was going at it with a Freyker.
I glanced over from where I was looting a mercenary body.
'Heh~ That old man's swordplay is a work of art.'
Zhenbe, in his berserk state, was carving through the Freykers like butter. Their tough hides sliced like paper, and their sturdy foreheads burst like watermelons.
It was almost like watching a god in action.
Freykers, the terror of human armies in the Age of Ruin, were nothing but rats in Zhenbe's hands.
But that was it.
There was no awe like what I felt from Grandpa Cloud or Grolmogg.
I'd sparred once with Grandpa Cloud and been hunted by Grolmogg to the brink of death. Even in their leisure, they instilled unimaginable fear. That dread lingered even now, after I'd reached Master level.
I paused my coin-collecting and gazed up at the sky.
'If Grandpa Cloud and Grolmogg had lived back then...'
Grand Duke Cloud and Grolmogg both died before the Age of Ruin. Grolmogg at Grandpa Cloud's hands, and Grandpa from old age.
But if those two had survived, the Age of Ruin might have played out very differently. The end result wouldn't change, but at least the orcs wouldn't have splintered after Grolmogg's death, and the Yosrahim Empire wouldn't have crumbled so pathetically without Grandpa, with rebellions flaring everywhere.
"Grandpa Cloud, seriously. Why not just die quietly alone? Why drag Grolmogg down like a drowning ghost... Ugh, these old fogeys drive me nuts."
I shook my head and resumed stuffing coin pouches into my pockets. It was the future, and I had no way to stop it. How do you talk sense into those stubborn geezers anyway?
No, Grandpa Cloud was the type to cause even bigger trouble if you tried to stop him. Clinging to his leg would just make Grolmogg's survival odds worse.
"Watch out! One's heading your way!"
Zhenbe's shout snapped me out of it. I stood up and scanned around. A Freyker was charging at me, snorting heavily.
I calmly pocketed the coin pouch and gold ring from the nearby mercenary corpse and planted my feet on the ground.
"Human, get out of the way!"
Zhenbe yelled again. I just stood there, even as the Freyker bore down.
I flashed Zhenbe a bright smile.
"Old man? You worried about me?"
Right then, the Freyker lunged. I slid under its belly in a low dive.
Its rough hide scraped my forehead, and sand and gravel pelted my body. Then the blazing sun appeared overhead, followed by its massive tail whipping wildly.
I sprang up, grabbed a split in its tail skin, and launched forward. As its back came into view, I drew Yojjo and slashed in a zigzag frenzy.
Rawr!
The Freyker howled as it tumbled across the ground before going still.
Zhenbe rushed over.
"You hurt, human?"
I brushed off the dust and yanked a Chaos Piece from the Freyker's flesh chunk on the ground.
"Nah."
Zhenbe glared.
"Fight like that, and you'll die."
"But it's the only way to drop it in one hit, right?"
"One hit? This thing's a level 70 danger beast!"
"Yeah."
"Then you approach carefully, gauge it, and take it down."
I waved him off.
"Can't. I'd die."
"What?"
"That's how my world worked. Take your time subduing enemies, and you're the one who gets surrounded. So cut me some slack, old man."
"What kind of life did you live?"
I crossed my arms and rubbed my chin.
"Nothing special. Armies of hundreds of thousands march out, all die but me? Sometimes I died too, but that's the vibe."
"Liar! Even orcs don't wage wars that brutal."
Zhenbe fumed. Fair enough—human history had no equals.
Usually, one in ten dead meant retreat. Worst case, not one survivor.
"Really? Guess I'm dreaming then."
"You!"
Zhenbe gripped Titania tight. Orcs hate jokes.
I poked his side playfully.
"Anyway, what about the rest? We're working here. No time for chit-chat."
Zhenbe relaxed his tense eyes.
"Grunt. The one you got was the last."
"Huh? Why's this the last?"
"It was the sixth."
"Oh~ Sixth, so last one? Who said that?"
"Rumors said six, and Commander Adan confirmed it."
I sighed deeply and shook my head.
"You're so naive, old man. Listen up: if others say six, it's not six. Even eyewitness accounts are often wrong—how can you trust hearsay?"
"No other presences felt."
"Then it's hiding where you can't sense it."
"Where?"
I pointed at the tunnel leading into the Uts River Mine.
"Like in there. Freykers love caves."
Zhenbe flinched.
"For real?"
"Yeah. If there's one, it's the strongest—bosses take the best spots. But don't freak out. Still just a Freyker."
Zhenbe snorted and headed into the cave. Meanwhile, I kept looting coin pouches.
A while later, he returned, sheepishly offering a hefty Chaos Piece. From the seventh Freyker. Easily 800 units.
"Here."
"Good work."
"Oh my. Did my little brother earn all this money?"
Armida squealed at the gold coins spilling onto the table.
I puffed up proudly and hummed.
"Yup~ Who am I? Yahn—no, Kaoyan Anukin. Pocket change like this? Easy money."
"Ooh, how much exactly?"
"750 gold leaves."
I averted my eyes. Total haul: 1,548 gold leaves. The extra 798? My side pocket.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
But the real prize was the byproducts. Especially Freyker hides—perfect for blade-proof armor or clothes. Market didn't value them yet, but no matter. Wasn't selling. You don't sell your life insurance.
"Anyway, I'm impressed, bro. Normally, strong beasts like Freykers need us Valkyries to handle 'em."
"What, you sisters jumping in for Freykers? Overprotecting humans much? I handled this batch fine."
"Hmm, true."
I separated 300 coins. Armida gave a weird look.
"What's that for?"
"Gotta pay my temp worker."
"Who'd you hunt with?"
"Yeah. Some orc geezer fanboy. Nags like crazy. Want an intro?"
Armida waved me off.
"Pass. Sounds annoying already."
I chuckled, tucked the pouches away, and geared up to leave.
"Oh, and how's Shura with her meditation?"
"Good. But worrying—she skips meals for training."
I snickered.
"Don't sweat it. Human instincts aren't dumb. Near death, she'll eat."
"You're so heartless, bro."
"Just let her do her thing. She thinks it's a crucial phase."
"But Master realm comes naturally, not by force."
"Right."
"So why leave her?"
"You're both right."
Armida furrowed her brow. I'd contradicted myself.
"Which is it?"
"Both. Master arrives naturally, without obsession—like you said. But you need purpose too. Who becomes a Master swordsman? One obsessed with the sword, not a farmer. A farmer plowing forever won't hit Master. Impossible. So, sword obsession is key."
"But don't you have to let go of sword greed?"
"Yes. Precisely—the subtle value between 'is' and 'isn't' is the Master realm."
Armida tilted her head.
"But logically, nothing between yes and no."
"Logic says no. Reality overflows with it. Like war: to survive, embrace death to kill foes. Save yourself by risking it first. Absurd paradox logic can't explain—but it happens."
I'd lived those paradoxes in the Age of Ruin. Surrounded in fortresses, those who charged out embracing death survived; hiders starved or got eaten.
[If others say six, then it's not six.]