Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Romance of Running Away
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Rustle, rustle.
The sound of footsteps crunching through leaves somewhere nearby made me grab my sword and scan the surroundings warily. It definitely wasn't the black market traders. There was only one set of sounds, and those smugglers wouldn't traverse the dangerous Dwin Mountains alone.
And it was unlikely to be a wild mountain beast, either. Even massive predators moved cautiously through here, but these noises were brazenly loud and disruptive.
A monster, most likely. Monsters had zero sense of caution.
What the hell?
Near the base of the mountain path, I spotted trees swaying unsteadily. Three or four shaking at once meant it was something pretty big. No way that was a mountain beast. Unlike plains wildlife, mountain beasts didn't grow to enormous sizes. The biggest was maybe a saber tiger, and even those topped out at three meters.
Then, atop a small tree poking from a rock crevice, a segmented black body briefly emerged. Just a glimpse, but I identified the monster instantly. After all, I was basically a living monster encyclopedia.
A Silkworm.
Silkworms were beast-type monsters—larva-shaped magic beasts about ten meters long. They crushed foes with biting attacks from their massive jaws or powerful body slams, making them tricky opponents.
But their threat level was only around 15 to 20. Slow-moving and quick to tire, they were easy to avoid if spotted first.
That was why even I, in my previous life, had only seen them during the Polk Gate defense—the first major clash between the Prosia continent's army and the monster horde. Their sluggish speed left them far behind the rampaging packs.
"Alright, let's hunt it down."
I drew my sword and slowly approached. Silkworms dropped Chaos Pieces as byproducts, which fetched good money at mage towers or magic shops. Refined and crystallized, they became essence—the key ingredient for magic items.
No matter how tough a Silkworm was, I couldn't just pass it by. I'd escaped prison with nothing but the clothes on my back—a pricey set, sure, but that was the problem. These were imperial gifts from the empire's top artisans for the emperor; good luck fencing them anywhere.
A slithering sound followed as the Silkworm turned toward me. It had sensed me. I lured it to a nearby clearing.
Kieeeh!
The Silkworm burst from the woods, mouth gaping wide like a massive black earthworm from the abyss. It closed the distance in a flash, rearing up for a downward strike to swallow me whole.
Fast. Even for a slowpoke like a Silkworm, their final lunge was lightning-quick. Otherwise, that bulk would starve them out in no time.
I subtly infused mana into my sword. Dodging the swallow at the perfect moment, I slid aside and cleaved its head clean off.
The head tumbled down the slope. The headless body thrashed, spraying blue blood everywhere and snapping nearby saplings at the base. Its strength was impressive, at least.
I approached the still-gaping head, pinned it to the ground with my sword, then jammed a dagger into the nape. With practiced twists, I extracted a small, translucent crystal—about thumbnail-sized, roughly 35 units of Chaos Piece.
Wholesale Chaos Pieces went for 2 silver leaves per unit in the empire, with 1 gold leaf equaling 20 silver. That made this worth about 3.5 gold leaves.
I wiped the blood off on my collar, pocketed it, and moved on. Silkworms had nothing else worthwhile.
Travel money sorted. Now for some fun funds. Heh heh heh.
The Divinum Sanctuary housed the Divinum Main Temple, but it also had the central temple to the Goddess of Corruption, Degenira. A hefty donation there brought priestesses and shrine maidens swarming for paradise-like pleasures. A must-visit.
But the cult of corruption aligned with dark forces, so as a Yosrahim Empire citizen, I could only indulge in neutral zones like the Divinum Sanctuary. When you went, you went all out—or regretted it on the way home.
What's life anyway? Live it up today. That was my motto in this era.
So I kept moving, hunting every monster in sight.
Night passed, day broke, and the sun climbed high. I'd bagged a few monsters en route, filling my pockets with about 110 units of Chaos Pieces—11 gold leaves' worth.
Enough for 36 commoner households to live on for a year. Plenty for my daily fun.
Hm?
I halted at a downhill clearing. A black market caravan had stopped dead, blocking the path. Campfire traces suggested they'd been stuck awhile.
As I pushed through, a young mercenary stepped up to block me.
"Hey, don't think I've seen you before. Who're you?"
I stared at him like he was an idiot.
"Of course you haven't. I'm not with your group."
"Oh yeah?"
The young mercenary peered behind me and tilted his head.
"You're alone?"
"Yeah."
"Crossing the Dwin Mountains solo?"
"If you've got the skills, you go alone. Now move. I'm in a hurry."
As I stepped forward, he blocked again.
"Can't do that. Too dangerous."
"Why?"
"Fight broke out ahead."
"Fight?"
"Yeah. Some big mercenary band is raiding Aim Village up there. We nearly got hit too. Lucky our boss knew someone on their side, so we dodged it. Stay clear—it's risky."
Some rotten mercenaries, then. They pulled this crap sometimes: took jobs when available, turned bandit otherwise, hitting easy villages or caravans.
"Oh? A village here?"
"Yeah. Started as slash-and-burn settlers, but the smuggling route boomed, so they offered lodging and got rich."
Prime pickings for looters—no law around, plenty of loot.
I scratched my head, annoyed. Time wasn't critical yet, but I couldn't linger.
"Which merc group? Damn, I'm swamped."
"Jess Mercenary Group. Pretty infamous."
I recalled hearing about Jess's crew from my friend Hubeo. He'd snagged a tier-3 relic this year, qualifying as a Guardian candidate. For the final trial—the Path of Penance—he'd taken a shady job: subjugating Jess's pillaging band.
Ah, yeah—they were slippery, took over a year to hunt down. Poor Hubeo's in for hell again. Heh...
My face darkened. Truth was, I was getting Yojjo this time too. Last life, I'd bribed a high priest to skip the Path, but now? Broke as hell, no bribe or even fun money.
"Shit. How many?"
"Big outfit. Over 200. And leader Jess is an Expert upper-tier swordsman."
Two hundred? Doable head-on. Their leader was Expert upper, but to an enlightened Master like me? Child's play.
Got to wipe them out. Hurry the road anyway—two birds, one stone.
Simple choice: better I handle it now than waste over a year chasing tails like Hubeo. In my ten-ish-year lifespan, who wastes a year on that? Math wasn't needed.
"Got it. I'm off."
I dashed ahead, ignoring the mercenary's calls.
Over a few ridges, five rough-looking mercs guarded the pass. They drew swords in unison, halting me. Roadblock crew, probably.
"Halt!"
I approached slowly.
"You with Jess Mercenary Group?"
"Yeah."
"Good enough."
My sword whirled like a tornado. Three heads flew. A startled merc grabbed a signal flare; I severed arm and torso in one stroke. Spinning, I bisected the last fleeing one from crown to toe.
"Okay. Five down."
Blood trickled down the slope from my feet. I kicked it aside and looted the corpses.
Mercs carried cash—no banks for job payouts. Family men mailed home; loners hoarded pockets.
Ho ho. Jackpot.
One was broke, but the other four yielded 16 gold leaves. Mercs were goldmines.
Not that I was after money. No, pure altruism: saving villagers from attack, plus clearing my path and dodging future hassle. Even a bastard like me wouldn't kill for coin.
"Here—road fare to the afterlife."
I tossed a silver leaf on the bodies, hummed a tune, and headed for Aim Village. Five for 16 gold? Two hundred could be a fortune.
End of Romance of Running Away