Chapter 28

Sometimes, a rat cornered will bite a cat's nose. Such bold attacks occasionally turned a losing fight into a victory.

But not today.

"Skreeeaaak—!"

A Rake Badger kicked off the ground.

Spreading its forelegs wide as if to embrace him, it launched into what was commonly called a bear hug. It would clamp its fangs onto the enemy's neck while raking its claws across the back, tearing out the spine.

This reckless assault had claimed many human lives before—

But this time, it had chosen the wrong opponent.

Bang!!

Woojin thrust out his palm and struck the badger square in the chest. With a thunderous boom, the creature was blasted backward.

It lay sprawled on the ground, frothing blood. Judging by the impact, its ribs had shattered; the pit of its stomach was caved in grotesquely.

The remaining badgers faltered at the sight. Even the watching paladins flinched in surprise.

But Woojin himself was dissatisfied.

'That's not quite it.'

He had been trying, now and then, to imitate Bow's palm strike, but with little success. Reproducing that exact sensation was no easy task. Still, if he kept trying, he felt he might grasp it someday.

…Martial arts research could wait. For now, he needed to deal with the remaining beasts.

The two badgers charged at him.

The one in front seemed ready to pounce, then abruptly halted and lowered its stance. At the same moment, the one behind it stomped hard on the ground.

Thud!

The rear badger leapt, vaulting over its companion. Using that acceleration, it swung its foreclaws. Meanwhile, the one that had lowered its stance lunged for Woojin's ankle.

Above and below—simultaneous attacks.

In response, Woojin adjusted his grip on the machete with both hands and brought it down like splitting firewood.

Slash—crack!

Two distinct cutting sounds rang out. The blade sheared through the incoming foreleg, then continued downward to split open the skull of the badger below.

Thud.

The creature collapsed. Its body twitched several times as if refusing death, then soon went limp.

The one that had leapt earlier rolled across the dirt and tumbled away. It was comparatively lucky. Though it had lost a foreleg, it was still alive—for the moment.

"Kyuik… kuik…"

The last badger let out a pained cry, then limped deeper into the cave. It seemed to have belatedly realized there was no chance of victory.

Whistle—

Woojin gave a sharp whistle. Rex immediately gave chase.

The badger fled desperately, but with only one foreleg, it was quickly overtaken. The wolf clamped down on its neck and shook violently.

A pitiful scream burst out—then silence, accompanied by the snap of a breaking spine.

"Let's go."

Woojin called to Conrad's group and proceeded deeper into the cave. Conrad and the paladins followed in silence.

After a moment, Conrad quietly asked the paladins,

"…That hunt seemed almost too easy. Were those beasts simply weak?"

Woojin had essentially subdued three magical beasts with a single gesture and one strike. It had ended so abruptly it was almost bewildering. Lacking expertise in close combat, Conrad struggled to interpret what he had just witnessed.

After a brief pause, one paladin answered,

"Rake Badgers are not powerful beasts, but they are ferocious and far from easy prey. And judging by the traces… that man appears to have wiped out every rat in this cave by himself."
"And that means?"
"…He is extraordinarily strong."

At that reply, Conrad nodded repeatedly, smiling in satisfaction.

"It's been a long time since I've found such talent unaffiliated with any order."

He must be recruited.

***

Woojin had secretly hoped that a Rift Core might be found in the leech rat cave, earning him an additional hundred gold coins.

Unfortunately, no such luck followed.

In truth, that was only natural. A Rift Core would not suddenly appear where there had been none the day before. Woojin had thoroughly searched the cave previously and had long concluded there was nothing noteworthy beyond the rats.

Conrad confirmed this with his own eyes.

"Unfortunately, there is no Rift Core. We will provide the promised compensation once we return to the city."

With that courteous statement, Conrad and Woojin returned to the frontier city.

Soon after, Conrad led Woojin into his office.

"The reward will arrive shortly. In the meantime, let us converse."

At his gesture, a nun approached and set tea and biscuits on the desk—expensive refreshments reserved for honored guests.

The meaning behind the hospitality was obvious.

'He wants something.'

Woojin had intended to collect his payment and leave, but under the circumstances, he would at least hear him out. He bit into a biscuit and waited.

"I will be direct. Jin, have you considered joining the Order Alliance?"

That was unexpected.

"I was planning to. Elder Bow gave me a letter of recommendation."

Woojin retrieved Bow's recommendation token from his coat and showed it.

Conrad looked momentarily flustered.

"…As expected, Elder Bow's eye for talent never fails. This complicates matters slightly… Have you already agreed to join his side?"
"No."

At the time, Woojin had deferred his decision. Bow had simply given him the token and told him to join the Alliance whenever he wished.

Conrad's smile returned.

"Then I too have a chance. Would you consider working in this city? I dare say we can offer you the finest treatment."

The First Frontier City was the largest and wealthiest among the cities in the Demonic Realm.

And it held one incomparable advantage.

"This city lies closest to the Wall. In other words, when the expedition begins, this will be the first land to be purified. Before long, it will become the place where the greatest wealth on the continent gathers."

The moment purification was complete, it would no longer be a frontier city, but an officially sanctioned metropolis of the Alliance—the first reclaimed human territory. Its symbolic value alone would draw immense attention and money.

In essence, guaranteed prosperity.

Woojin had arrived at precisely the right time. If he accepted and settled here, he would share in that brilliant success.

Conrad delivered his speech at length. Even Woojin, who had been suppressing a yawn at first, eventually began listening intently.

'…He certainly speaks well.'

It was undeniably a good offer. The Order Alliance was staking everything on this expedition, and the First Frontier City would taste the fruits first. Even staying briefly could yield considerable profit.

As Woojin pondered—

A squire entered carrying a heavy pouch filled with gold coins. Seeing this, Conrad reached into his robe and took out a recommendation token of his own.

Tap.

He placed his token atop the pile of gold and, with a genial smile, extended it to Woojin.

"Take your time and decide. The gates of the frontier city are always open."
"…Understood."

It would have been rude to remove only the token from the pouch, so Woojin accepted the entire bundle.

He now possessed two recommendation tokens.

'This situation is turning rather strange.'

Still, having more options was not a bad thing. There was time before the expedition began. He would consider carefully over the next few days before deciding his next destination.

Outside, Woojin opened the pouch and checked its contents.

Two hundred and forty gold coins.

There were forty more gold coins than the promised amount. It was an additional reward for guiding them to the leech rat cave and for subduing the three badger-type magical beasts.

'He really is a generous man…'

If he were to serve under Conrad, he would likely enjoy such benefits consistently. Woojin glanced once at the recommendation token resting atop the gold coins. Conrad's name and title were engraved on it.

'…An archbishop.'

Affiliation: Order of Wisdom.

He was an even greater figure than Woojin had expected.

As far as Woojin knew, each Order had only two archbishops. That meant Conrad was among the top three most powerful figures within the Order of Wisdom.

Woojin tucked the token deep inside his coat. Regardless of whether he accepted the offer, losing a recommendation from someone of such status would surely become troublesome.

For some reason, troublesome matters kept piling up.

'Let's eat.'

In the end, it was all for the sake of making a living. He had earned far more than planned, so he might as well celebrate with an expensive meal.

Thinking that, Woojin walked on, scanning the surroundings for a restaurant. As befitted a large frontier city, there were all kinds of establishments—underground gambling dens, taverns, pawnshops, blacksmiths…

Then one of them caught his eye.

'There's even a Relic Shop.'

Relics.

Treasures imbued with spells or blessings. Most were crafted by mages, though very rarely some formed naturally.

Even in the walled city of Yurgis, there had been a couple of relic shops. Whenever he passed by, Woojin used to glance at the items displayed behind glass, along with their price tags.

'They were absurdly expensive.'

Back then, even when he carried over a hundred gold coins, he had restrained himself. Buying a relic had felt wasteful. Magic-infused items were practically the domain of tycoons.

But now, he possessed far more money than before. Too much to simply spend on living expenses. Carrying that many gold coins in cash was inconvenient—the weight alone was considerable.

'If I buy a decent relic, it could greatly help in future hunts.'

The Spearfin Mercenary Company, for instance, had hunted several magical beasts with nothing more than a single "Unbreaking Net." Woojin had often thought about purchasing such an item.

He could eat later. For now, he might as well step inside and take a look.

Having made up his mind, Woojin entered the shop. A middle-aged man with a protruding belly hurried over to greet him.

"Ha ha! Welcome!"

The owner wore a genial smile. Woojin surveyed the interior—and noticed cobwebs stretched across the ceiling.

…Was business that bad?

Not even flies seemed to visit. Gray dust had settled thickly on the webs, and thin spiders lay shriveled in the corners, as if they had starved.

As Woojin silently examined the store, the owner, perhaps growing anxious, spoke again.

"May I ask… what brings you here?"
"I'd like to browse some relics. If I find something I like, I'll purchase it."
"In that case, how about this item?"

The owner retrieved something from a display case—a ring set with a red ruby. Slipping it onto his finger, he waved his hand theatrically like a stage magician.

Then he shouted the activation word.

"Ignis!"

Fwoosh—

A small flame ignited in his palm. Woojin's eyebrows rose slightly.

"It works well."
"Of course it does! This Flame Ring can produce fire for one full minute, and it recharges after half a day!"
"How much?"
"Twenty gold coins."

Woojin tilted his head slightly.

'It's barely stronger than a match… and it costs twenty gold?'

And the duration was only one minute.

Sensing his lukewarm reaction, the owner quickly put the ring away and brought out another item—a bracelet set with a white gem. After fastening it to his wrist, he murmured a spell.

Shhh—

White motes of light gathered in midair. They converged into the shape of a hand. Woojin recognized it at once.

"The Helping Hand spell?"
"Correct! You seem well-versed in magic. Once per day, you can summon this hand for ten minutes."

The Helping Hand.

A spell named after the saying about wanting even a cat's paw when desperate. It created a floating hand to assist with everyday tasks.

'Claire used that spell quite well.'

Woojin had once envied it, but the spell was rather difficult, and he had never learned it.

"How much for the bracelet?"
"Ninety gold coins."

…For that price, it would be wiser to spend a little more and enter the Mage Tower instead.

The relics were far too expensive, and the spells embedded within them felt unimpressive. Thinking that, Woojin asked what he had been curious about all along.

"Do you have anything useful for combat? Something that shoots fire arrows, or creates a wall to block attacks?"

"…Haah."

At that, the shop owner let out a deep sigh. His expression turned oddly melancholy.

"Everyone expects that when they walk in. But to be honest, artifacts are terribly inefficient. The kind of relic you're asking for is rare—and outrageously expensive."
"I see."
"Yes. If such relics were common, wealthy nobles would be kicking mages around for more. Wouldn't they? Just swap accessories endlessly and fire spells without pause."

That was certainly true.

As he listened, a memory surfaced.

'Come to think of it… even Derek and Cedric never showed much interest in relics.'

Hiring people with that money was wiser. Even the sons of the Golden Maggot, who possessed enormous wealth, considered buying relics an unnecessary luxury.

'There's probably nothing here for me.'

Still, since he had come this far, he might as well look around.

As he stepped further inside—

"…What's that?"