[Passive Skill: Half-Ogre Strength (B) acquired!]
“···!”
Roan flinched and quickly looked around.
However, Paul was still gathering the spoils as though nothing had happened.
‘W-What the hell is this···?’
Could he have imagined the voice?
No. No matter how much he thought about it, that did not seem to be the case. His body genuinely felt far lighter than before.
‘W-Wait···? Now that I think about it, I feel like I’ve gotten slightly bigger too···?’
The armor that had fit him perfectly before suddenly felt tight around his body.
Roan could not decide how he was supposed to interpret the situation.
“Don’t tell me··· Status Window?”
“What?”
“Status Window! Skill Window! Stat Window! Inventory! Log Out! Log In! Community Window! Cash Shop!”
“···S-Sir Roan?”
When Roan suddenly started making a damn fool of himself like that, Paul was thoroughly bewildered.
But Roan had no attention to spare for him.
When nothing appeared before his eyes, Roan furrowed his brow.
‘As expected, nothing appears···! But the moment I opened that book, I definitely heard a notification saying that I had acquired “Passive Skill: Half-Ogre Strength (B).”’
Looking again, the book that had been in his hands had already disappeared without a trace.
What did that mean?
‘Could it be··· that book wasn’t an ordinary book, but some kind of Skillbook? Maybe I can’t use systems like the Status Window, but I can still use things like Skillbooks.’
However, there was still one question he could not answer.
This was not Roan’s first time killing someone.
Yet for some reason, this was the first Skillbook he had obtained in half a year.
‘Wait···! Now that I think about it, that can be explained too. Skillbooks must be rare items, so they probably don’t drop from ordinary mobs. They must only drop from Named enemies.’
Coincidentally, the last man Roan had killed had possessed a physique and strength so extraordinary that he could hardly have been called an ordinary bandit.
Someone like that could certainly qualify as a Named enemy.
‘Yes··· No matter how I look at it, this has to be right···!’
Roan’s heart suddenly began pounding.
Killing Named enemies could earn him Skillbooks!
If he could make use of this special advantage, he might be able to completely change his fate.
‘Come to think of it, if I suddenly became a character inside a game, it’s only natural that I’d get at least one advantage like this! If I have this ability, becoming an Imperial Knight or even earning a noble title of baron or higher might be entirely possible!’
Even so, Roan had no intention of abandoning his journey to Dragonbane territory.
Contrary to his expectations, the skill he had obtained this time might turn out to be both his first and his last.
Until he could conclusively prove his theory that killing Named enemies caused Skillbooks to drop, he still had to aim for becoming a Landed Knight.
It would certainly not be too late to pursue greater ambitions once his theory became a certainty and he had grown far stronger than he was now.
“···Sir Roan, a-are you really all right?”
Roan had been wearing a serious expression, then suddenly burst into a broad smile, only to become serious again.
Paul approached him with a worried look.
Roan cleared his throat twice before speaking.
“Ahem, ahem. I’m fine. More importantly, have you gathered all the spoils?”
“Yes, Sir Roan! I think we can leave now!”
Paul answered energetically, and Roan nodded in satisfaction.
Afterward, they resumed their journey.
For the first time in quite a while, the sky gradually turning crimson with the setting sun looked beautiful to Roan.
***
Rain continued to pour from the sky.
Baldor stood beside a wagon with a raincoat pulled over his head, keeping watch over the surroundings.
His short stature, thick build, and luxuriant beard gave him the appearance of a quintessential dwarf.
As he surveyed the area with sharp eyes, he suddenly let out a sigh.
“Whew··· It would be troublesome if we ran into bandits in weather like this.”
The Northern Frost Merchant Company, which Baldor owned, was small in scale, but thanks to Baldor’s excellent management skills, it had continued to grow steadily.
It was especially unrivaled when it came to trading military supplies.
This time as well, they were on their way to Dragonbane territory.
Because of the war against Solsgard, demand for weapons and armor in Dragonbane had surged, making this an excellent opportunity for Baldor.
“Company Head, how about we stop and rest for a while?”
At that moment, one of his subordinates, Torin, made a suggestion.
His face was just as exhausted as Baldor’s.
Baldor considered it briefly before nodding.
“Very well. Good idea. Let us rest near that forest. But do not lower your guard. If we become careless in weather like this, we may pay dearly for it.”
The members of the merchant company moved quickly and set up a temporary camp.
Baldor decided to use the opportunity to inspect their supplies.
He entered one of the wagons and checked the crates one by one.
“Swords, spears, armor··· Everything is in good condition. If this deal succeeds, our merchant company will be able to take another step forward.”
Baldor smiled faintly.
Before long, his thoughts were filled with plans to expand the merchant company and secure even larger deals.
However, his smile did not last long.
“Aaaaargh!”
At the sudden scream, Baldor hurriedly rushed outside.
A scene of chaos unfolded before his eyes.
Dozens of bandits were attacking the members of the merchant company.
Blood flowed across the rain-soaked ground.
“Y-You sons of bitches! Everyone, take up your weapons! We have to protect our lives and our property!”
At Baldor’s shout, the members of the Northern Frost Merchant Company immediately responded.
They might have been merchants, but they were seasoned fighters who had spent years traveling dangerous roads.
Baldor himself grabbed a battle axe and joined the fight.
His axe felled bandits with lightning-fast strikes.
“···C-Company Head! On your right!”
Torin suddenly shouted.
Baldor quickly spun around and blocked the bandit who had been trying to attack him.
His movements were agile enough to make one forget his age.
“Thank you, Torin! Your eyes are as sharp as ever!”
However, there were simply too many bandits.
Gradually, the merchant company members began to be driven onto the defensive.
Baldor fought while grinding his teeth, but the situation only continued to worsen.
“Damn it.”
Baldor muttered as he wiped the mixture of sweat and rain from his face.
Had it been a mistake to trust solely in the merchant company’s own fighting strength instead of hiring mercenaries separately?
Baldor regretted the decision, but he quickly steeled himself once more.
“We cannot let ourselves be defeated like this. Tell me! What merchant company are we?!”
“Northern Frost!”
“That is right! We are Northern Frost! Though we may belong to different races, we endured the cold and danger together to make it this far! We cannot submit to bastards like these bandits! So fight to the very end!”
“Uooooooooh!”
At Baldor’s words, the members of the merchant company seemed to regain their strength.
However, willpower alone did not seem enough to overcome the overwhelming difference in numbers.
They cut down bandits without pause, but whenever one fell, another took his place.
Before long, they realized they had been driven into a truly desperate situation.
***
Meanwhile, not far away, Roan and Paul were witnessing the battle.
“S-Sir Roan! There’s a battle happening near the forest!”
Paul shouted excitedly.
Roan narrowed his eyes as he studied the situation.
“Yes, I can see it too. Judging by the situation, it looks like a merchant company fighting a bandit gang.”
“Sh-Shouldn’t we help them?”
“Which side do you mean?”
“What? W-Well, obviously the merchant company!”
“Hmm··· I suppose so.”
Roan pondered the situation.
In truth, his blood was already running hot.
He had been eager to test the skill he had obtained two days ago as soon as possible.
At the same time, however, he was not sure whether throwing himself into such a dangerous situation would be a wise decision.
Countless thoughts raced through his mind.
‘···Still, if I help the merchant company, they should reward me generously. They seem to have quite a lot of goods loaded onto those wagons.’
In the end, after a long moment of deliberation, Roan made up his mind.
At some point, he had already taken the axe he had seized from one of the bandits into his hand.
His original sword had long since been shattered.
“Paul! Stay here!”
Roan spurred his horse forward and shot toward the bandits like an arrow.
It was time to test the power of “Passive Skill: Half-Ogre Strength (B).”