“Whew. That should do it.”
Geon-hyeok collected Dave's cloak and all his belongings, then buried his body and made a grave.
The sun had set before he knew it, and the sky had grown dark.
How many hours was I asleep?
“Tonight…… I should rest in the cave.”
He built a campfire with branches he had gathered outside.
“Element Magic(Element Magic) - Fire(Fire)”
His mind was full of the magic and swordsmanship Dave had learned.
Dave had originally been a high-grade demon.
He had probably intended to pass all his abilities to Astan, but…….
Unfortunately, Astan's body could not contain everything Dave had possessed.
“Still, I can use fourth-circle magic, and my Sword Aura is at the lowest Swordmaster level…… The swordsmanship comes from a fairly distinguished family, too. With these skills, even a high-ranking house would welcome me as a knight.”
Of course, he had no intention of taking a job as a knight for another house.
For now, he needed to reach Rabin Village and make a plan for his revenge.
“No. Should I prepare for an assassination attempt first?”
Even for a crown prince, murdering a noble was plainly a serious crime.
And the crown prince had admitted that he was the chief culprit behind the assassination of the former Count and Countess of Payson.
Would he really leave Astan alone…… now that Astan knew his secret?
“Should I just run away and live as a commoner?”
In that case, the Payson family name would vanish into history.
“……I'd spend the rest of my life feeling uneasy.”
Yes. Running away had never truly been an option.
“Well, even if an A-rank assassin came for me now, I could handle it…….”
Besides, there was no guarantee the crown prince would send an assassin at all.
There was no proof that he had killed the Count and Countess of Payson.
And the person accusing the crown prince of a crime would be a lord who governed a single village.
A noble with the lowest title of all: a knight.
“No one would believe me.”
Geon-hyeok gave a bitter smile and rested his chin on his hand.
“For now, I'd better work as a mercenary and strengthen my abilities.”
Even if he wanted to seize the regressor's fortuitous encounters, reaching the Zervion Empire would take an enormous amount of time.
He did not even know how many kingdoms he would have to pass through on the way.
So I know what happens in the novel, but I can't do anything with it.
Geon-hyeok sighed and lay down on the cold stone floor.
***
In the crown prince's bedchamber at the imperial palace of the Rabadian Empire, a man and a woman were entangled in an intimate embrace.
The man reclining on the bed with a golden-haired woman in his arms was Laiard E. Rabadian.
He met the eyes of his fiancée, Cecilia, and grinned.
“To get rid of Astan…… would it be better to send an F-rank assassin?”
F-rank assassins handled odd jobs.
Cecilia gave a snort of laughter and nodded.
“Even a street thug should be enough. That child never properly learned swordsmanship or magic, and House Payson has not a single private soldier…… It is worse off than a commoner.”
“True. He will not have a coin to his name, either…… Leave him alone, and he will starve to death on his own.”
The two of them giggled with derisive laughter.
“Besides, I wonder whether he can even make it to Rabin Village.”
“Even if he has left the city, a magic beast might kill him on the way…… For now, let us watch what happens until he reaches Rabin Village.”
Keeping his younger siblings from rising up against him was more important at the moment.
He could dispose of Astan at any time without even a rat or a bird noticing.
Cecilia nodded once and nestled into Laiard's arms.
***
“Fuck!”
As soon as Geon-hyeok came down from the mountain, he ran into a group of goblins.
Were these the ones that chased Astan?
No, I can think about that later.
Right now, I have to kill them all.
SLASH—!
Geon-hyeok cut a goblin's throat with Dave's dagger.
The sight of blood pouring out was gruesome enough to turn his stomach.
He gritted his teeth.
Goblins rushed at him from every direction.
Even at a glance, there had to be at least ten.
“Element Magic(Element Magic) - Fire Burst(Fire Burst)!”
BOOM—!
Geon-hyeok flinched at the explosion and stumbled backward.
“This…… is third-circle magic?”
Three goblins were caught in the explosion and fell to the ground.
DING!
[Level up.]
DING!
[Level up.]
His level jumped by five just from killing ten goblins.
-SKREE! SKREEE!
What now?!
Did the explosion draw them here?
More goblins emerged from the undergrowth.
“Th…… this is fucking shitty……!”
Geon-hyeok backed away and quickly blocked a goblin's attack.
CLANG—!
“Die!”
His dagger sliced through the goblin's neck.
'……No explosions.'
He needed a spell that could bring down many enemies in one blow without making much noise.
“Element Magic(Element Magic) - Wind Blade(Wind Blade)!”
WHOOSH—!
A huge blade of wind cut through the air and turned some ten goblins charging from ahead into shreds of flesh.
'This is fourth-circle magic…….'
Its power was far more savage than that of a third-circle spell.
Its range was in a different league, too.
-SKREE……!
Did magic beasts feel fear, too?
The goblins began to retreat, slowly backing away.
Geon-hyeok kept his guard up and looked around.
Have they really gone?
“……I should collect the magic stones first.”
Ordinary goblins were two-star magic beasts that veteran C-rank or B-rank mercenaries could kill.
In the novel, the magic stones from two-star magic beasts generally sold for 20,000~30,000 wid.
That meant they were worth about 200,000~300,000 Korean won each.
“And that's the price for one…….”
If he collected the magic stones from the goblin corpses before him, he could obtain at least several million won in cash.
For Geon-hyeok, who had nothing to his name, it was an amount he desperately needed.
“How am I supposed to walk five hours to Rabin Village?”
He had to account for the possibility of encountering more magic beasts.
And besides…….
Gurgle.
“Fuck.”
He had no food, either.
Nor did he know the proper way there.
He had checked the official notice he had received from the imperial knight again, but it showed only a rough direction.
There was no way to tell exactly where the village was.
'The sun rises in the east, so…… is southeast that way? First I should find a nearby village or city and sell these magic stones.'
He could go to Rabin Village after that.
If he happened to reach Rabin Village first, so much the better.
SLASH—!
“Ugh…….”
When he cut into a goblin's body, a red magic stone appeared in its chest.
Thick, sticky blood coated his hands.
It felt nothing like cutting pork.
“Uegh!”
He could not stop himself from retching.
Muttering obscenities as he finished collecting the stones, Geon-hyeok eventually vomited and sank to the ground.
He had killed thirty-one goblins in all.
“With this much…… at least I won't starve to death.”
Geon-hyeok wiped his mouth with his sleeve, then skinned a goblin and made a pouch for the magic stones from its hide.
“Oh, that reminds me…….”
*Name: Astan
*Race: Vampire
*Grade: Intermediate
*Title: -
*Nation of Origin: Rabadian Empire
*LV: 12
*Strength: 60
*Agility: 50
*Stamina: 50
*Magic Power: 350
*AP: 110
*Skills: Magic(+), Basic Swordsmanship, Crode-Style Swordsmanship, Sword Aura(+), Thrall Conversion(+)
*Help Available
He had gained eleven levels in ten minutes.
Well, at the beginning, that was only to be expected.
Levels rose quickly at the start of RPG games on Earth, too.
He had also received ten AP for every level gained.
Geon-hyeok split his newly earned AP between Stamina and Magic Power.
“Let's go.”
With his pouch of magic stones over his shoulder, Geon-hyeok started across the plain.
If he kept walking, he was bound to see a village somewhere.
Yes, that was what he thought when he first set out.
SWISH!
“Aaagh!”
He had already encountered close to a hundred magic beasts along the way.
He had found a mountain and fed himself on fruit growing five meters above the ground.
He did not know whether the fruit was safe to eat, but…….
It looked like an apple.
It tasted sweet, too.
“I'd better take a few more, just in case.”
Clutching a leather pouch full of 1~2-star magic stones and fruit in both hands, Geon-hyeok descended the mountain.
“I can hardly carry any more…….”
Should I cut down a tree and make a cart?
With the feeling that his journey would drag on, Geon-hyeok bit his lip.
“No, he said it was only a five-hour walk to Rabin Village! How much farther do I have to go?!”
Fortunately, no more magic beasts appeared.
But after two days of walking, the mental exhaustion and stress had inevitably built up.
Geon-hyeok sighed, spent the second night sleeping outdoors as well, and set off again as soon as the sun rose on the third day.
He ate fruit for breakfast and lunch and walked for what seemed like another hour.
As he trudged along in a daze, vast rice paddies appeared before him.
“A…… a village……!”
Yes. Rice paddies meant there was a village nearby.
Geon-hyeok cheered and looked around.
“Th…… there it is!”
Several wooden buildings stood about 2~3 kilometers away.
“A village! A village! A village!”
Geon-hyeok began to run like mad.
I miss people.
I miss cooked rice.
I miss a bed.
When he was about five hundred meters from the village, streams of tears ran from his eyes.
“Aaaah! It's a village!”
How could he possibly express this joy?
The village streets were full of people.
It seemed larger than he had expected.
“Ex…… excuse me!”
Geon-hyeok stopped a passing middle-aged man who had pulled a cloak over his head.
“Ugh! That smell……! What is it?!”
The man shoved Geon-hyeok away, his face twisting.
“Could you tell me where the Mercenary Guild is?”
“The guild? Go that way. And stay back! Your breath stinks!”
Oh, right. I haven't brushed my teeth.
The man whipped his head around and hurried off.
Wounded by the encounter, Geon-hyeok walked on with a bitter look.
“Is this…… the Mercenary Guild?”
It was a two-story wooden building on a plot of about thirty-three square meters.
The sign read ‘Mercenary Guild.’
It's smaller than I expected.
Geon-hyeok opened the door and went inside.
“Wel…… come?”
The female clerk had been greeting him warmly from the reception desk, but her brow furrowed when she saw his appearance.
“Uh…… yes, what brings you here?”
Geon-hyeok placed the leather pouch on the counter and took a step back.
The middle-aged man had grimaced at his breath a moment earlier.
He should be a little careful, then.
“I'd like to sell all these magic stones.”
“Magic…… stones?”
The clerk tilted her head and opened the leather pouch on the counter.
“……?!”
More than a hundred one- and two-star magic stones gleamed red inside.
“Please buy them. Also, could I use your shower for a moment? I got lost and haven't been able to wash properly…….”
“Ah…….”
The clerk's eyebrows twitched, and she edged back slightly.
Geon-hyeok smiled bitterly.
It still hurt.
“Th…… there aren't any showers. There is a well behind the building, though…….”
“Yes, that will be enough.”
“Then I will calculate your payment while you use it. You can go through the back door over there.”
Geon-hyeok nodded and headed toward the back door as the clerk directed.