Chapter 8

July 12, 2015 - Typo corrections

A roar came from the back. Turning around, I saw a man with a stern beard emerging from the guild's entrance.

Following the stern-bearded man, about four others were heading this way.

Damn, even if I blend into the crowd, what am I supposed to do between the arena and the entrance?

Cursing my own foolish actions, I appraised the opponent who was coming this way to fight Zack.

"It's that bastard Helvrit!"

"I'm cheering for Zack!"

"Go get 'em, Zack!"

Surprisingly, the stern-bearded man—Helvrit, who had an even sterner beard than Zack—seemed to have a lower approval rating. The cheers for the stern-bearded man gradually grew louder.

More and more people gathered in the training ground, which was as large as a soccer field.

There must be over a hundred and fifty people, right?

There were only about seventy people in the training ground and the guild building just a moment ago. Where did all these people come from?

But the number of people kept increasing.

The cheers, roars, and murmurs grew louder in proportion to the number of people. Even people who didn't look like explorers were mixed in.

"Is there something wrong with Helvrit, who is coming this way now?"

While keeping an eye on the stern-bearded man's movements, I shouted to a young man in his mid-twenties standing next to me, making sure my voice was heard over the surrounding noise.

"Wrong? That Helvrit causes problems all the time. Last week, he took three newbies like you into the dungeon and used them up. Not only that, but there are rumors that he attacks other parties in the dungeon, though there's no evidence."

He glared at the stern-bearded man as he spoke, as if he had some grudge. His voice grew louder with the surrounding noise.

"That's terrible. What about the knights? And who are the four people next to Helvrit?"

The young man answered my questions immediately. While I was concerned about the knights, his response about the four followers was as expected.

Indeed, they are skilled. Each of them has a weapon skill at level 2.

They were shouting and pushing the crowd back as they headed towards the center.

They were trying to intimidate, but they were also swinging their weapons in time with their shouts.

What a bunch of jerks. Even though people were making way for them, they deliberately chose to walk through the crowd.

They were probably trying to show off their strength. I remember seeing monkeys do the same thing on TV back on Earth.

Honestly, I don't want to get involved with such people.

Avoiding eye contact, the stern-bearded man passed in front of me.

"What the hell, you're annoying."

I sighed in relief when one of the followers lightly swung his spear at my head.

"Ah!"

"What the hell are you doing!"

A small scream was followed by a man's angry voice. The man who had been swinging the spear was glaring at me fiercely. Still, these people have been glaring at everyone around them.

I reflexively grabbed the spear that was swung at Mariel. I decided to take a stand.

Mariel was hiding behind me. Good, she doesn't seem to be hurt.

"I'm sorry, if I was rude, I apologize. But this fairy is mine. Can you please not be so rough?"

I bowed and slowly released the spear, slipping a silver coin into the man's palm.

"Hey, kid. You think you can get away with this?"

My response seemed to make the spear man think he could get more out of me. He sneered and tried to intimidate me with his voice alone.

"No, this is to calm things down. I'll apologize properly later."

I smiled and bowed repeatedly.

"I get it. Hey, let's go."

With that, the spear man, in a good mood, headed towards the center with the stern-bearded man's followers.

"Michinaga, are you okay?"

"Hey, brother. I'm not saying this to be mean, but you should leave this town now."

Thanking the people who were worried about me, I reassured them and spoke to Mariel to calm her down.

"Don't worry, Mariel. It's okay now, really."

While saying this, I confirmed again that Mariel was not hurt.

I probably look very smug or even evil right now.

Ignoring the worries around me, I checked my own skills.

Swordsmanship Level 2

Type B, consuming Swordsmanship Level 1 and Shield Mastery Level 1—new power obtained through sacrifice.

Unarmed Combat Level 2

Type A, obtained through consecutive activation—still a low success rate.

Shield Mastery Level 4

A standout skill. Probably the tank of the party, obtained through Type C. A stroke of luck. It only activates once every hundred days, but it succeeded on the first try.

Considering the skill level difference, I don't think I would lose in a one-on-one fight against any of Helmut's party members.

Additionally, I have Light Magic Level 5.

Most injuries can be healed quickly.

Yeah, I've grown a lot.

The only thing to be careful about is not being outnumbered. Ideally, I would approach them with a small amount of gold, find a gap, and quietly steal their skills.

Once the skills are stolen, the rest should be easy.

"Party battle!"

"But the numbers don't match. What are we going to do?"

"Helmut's side has one more person."

Party battle? Is it a team battle? Sounds like something from a shonen manga.

Looking towards the center, the stern-bearded man and his followers were glaring at each other.

A circle of spectators formed around them, keeping a distance to avoid fireballs and other magical attacks.

"Shut up! I'll take on two. That will settle it."

The stern-bearded man, still glaring at the stern-bearded man, shouted, and the spectators fell silent.

The spectators fell silent, but laughter erupted from the stern-bearded man's party.

"Hey, you can't even take on one, don't get the wrong idea."

His followers laughed as the stern-bearded man taunted.

"Um, I've never done this before, so I want to know. Is this a matter of life and death?"

"Of course. It's a duel. Usually, it doesn't go as far as death, but serious injuries are common. If you die, you can't complain."

I asked the young man next to me in a low voice, and got the expected answer.

"Do duels happen often?"

"No way. Only fools engage in duels. There aren't many such fools."

The young man, looking at me as if I was a fool, explained.

It seems I asked a foolish question.

Still, hearing that people kill each other didn't evoke sadness or reflection, just a bit of fear and a greater sense of excitement.

Am I influenced by the atmosphere? Have I changed? Or is this just my nature?

There's no point in thinking about it.

I'm certainly afraid, but the excitement far outweighs the fear. I'll follow this excitement for now.

I didn't expect that getting high abilities without much effort would be so sweet.

No, I thought it would be "delicious" to get the skill theft skill, but it's even better than I expected.

I didn't think my desires would so easily overcome my fears.

"Hey, Michinaga. This place is scary. Let's go back. Let's go back and put on clothes."

My thoughts were interrupted.

It sounds like I'm naked or something.

Did he forget about the training with Rody or is he just pretending to leave because he wants to? Mariel is eager to leave.

"It's okay, don't be scared."

I patted Mariel's head lightly and spoke to her.

"Hey, brother. Can we get some pocket money from you?"

While watching the scene in the center, I was suddenly approached from behind by an ominous voice.

Looking around, I saw two people on the right and one on the left, apparently surrounding me. They all looked to be around twenty years old.

"What's this? Let's go outside."

One of the men on the right, smirking, flashed a knife and pointed to the entrance with his chin.

I see, they must have been watching my interaction with the spear man. They seem to have understood that I would easily give them silver coins if threatened.

They acted quickly, which is commendable.

No, that's not it. Is this what they mean by showing weakness invites trouble? It's a classic bullying scenario.

If so, I'm probably the target of bullying.

Just to be sure, I appraised the three of them, but they were weak. They had no notable skills. All of them had throwing skills, but only one had dagger skills, and all were at level 1.

I remember Rody also had throwing skills.

Maybe he was throwing stones during his breaks? If so, these thugs were probably throwing stones seriously too?

Their skills are pathetic, but I considered stealing them as sacrifices. Imagining him throwing stones while carrying luggage made me feel a bit sorry for him.

Still, I can't let them extort money from me. And there's no guarantee that others won't show up.

I'll have to try a bit harder.

"Excuse me, I'm one short. Can I join?"

I walked towards the center, brushing off the three thugs.

Toll and a few others tried to stop me, but I thanked them and continued towards the stern-bearded man.

"Kid, what do you think you're doing?"

The stern-bearded man glared at me fiercely.

"I have my reasons for wanting to fight them. Can you not ask for details?"

I said it as if I had a grudge against them.

No, I actually do have a grudge.

I have to join the duel because I gave the spear man a silver coin. Most importantly, he pointed his spear at Mariel.

"You'll die. Do you understand that?"

The stern-bearded man looked at me sharply, not exactly glaring, but with a lot of presence.

"Thank you for your concern, but I won't die. I have some skills, and I can use magic."

I said I had skills, but it's sad that they are stolen skills, not from training or combat.

"Here, show-offs and brats don't last long. You're both. You have the qualities to die young. If anything happens, don't expect me to take responsibility."

He confirmed this in a stern tone. Hmm, maybe he's a good person?

"Yes, it's fine. I don't expect anyone to take responsibility."

I tried to maintain a calm demeanor, but I wonder if it's working.

My heart is pounding, and my legs aren't shaking, which is strange.

"Since he's calm and says he wants to do it, let's let him."

One of the stern-bearded man's followers said something incredibly heartless and irresponsible.

I'll remember you. I'll get back at you later.

"Hmph. Choose your opponent. Who do you want to fight? You have a grudge, right?"

"Thank you."

I thanked the stern-bearded man and pointed my sword at the man from whom I had stolen a skill earlier.

"I want to fight the broad-shouldered man with the short spear."

"Are you an idiot!"

The stern-bearded man and his followers shouted in unison.

"He's the toughest. He's a master of the shield."

"I won't give him the chance to use it."

I smiled smugly and continued.

"I'll be fine. I have magic, so I'll manage."

I tried to sound bright and light to hide my inner fear and anxiety.

Besides, he's the weakest, so it's the safest choice.

The spear man, who must have heard our conversation, was glaring at me with a red face. I hope he's not the first to fight. I want to watch the others first.

Praying, I saw a man with Fire Magic Level 1 step forward from the other side.

Fire magic, I haven't seen it yet. What can Level 1 do? I hope I can see it in this match. I'm excited.

From our side, a standard swordsman with a sword and shield stepped forward.

At the start signal, our swordsman launched a series of slashes, keeping the enemy at bay.

From the skill levels, our side is clearly superior. The only factor that could turn the tide is the effect of the fire magic.

What!

"Ah!"

My breath caught, and Mariel screamed.

I grabbed Mariel and rolled away. A fireball hit the spot where we were just standing, and flames spread.

"Ugh!"

I rolled further to escape the spreading flames, but it was too late. My right leg was engulfed in flames.

"Get your head in the game, you idiot!"

Zack, hiding behind a large shield, shouted at me.

I couldn't hear clearly, but others also shouted at me.

Maybe I was negligent, but they were at fault, right?

"Michinaga, are you okay? That was a fierce fire..."

Mariel, the only one who was worried about me, lost her words as she looked at my right leg.

"Fire magic suddenly came at us—"

"It's a party battle. It's normal for attacks to come. Get your head in the game."

Zack's angry voice drowned out my words.

Is it normal?

Looking