Chapter 11: The Black Hammer Gang (1)

The corpse of a colossal alpha wolf lay surrounded by the mangled bodies of its pack. Their silver pelts, stained crimson, had long since lost their original luster.

The last wolf couldn't even put up a decent fight.

Thunk!

——Whimper, whine! Kkhiiii……

Blood poured from its muzzle as Kadim drove his blade into the back of its skull. But then the crimson stream reversed, flowing back into the beast's mouth. The 'Mosquito' greedily devoured every last drop, leaving nothing behind.

Squelch!

Kadim crushed the wolf's withered head underfoot and yanked out his blade.

A thin wisp of smoke rose from his shoulder as all his wounds healed completely, not just the bite marks on his calf, but even the fatal wound the Paladin's spear had left behind.

The barbarian warrior was back to perfect condition.

"...Whew."

He caught his breath for a moment, staring at the blade that had drunk so much blood.

Just as he'd expected, the Blood Drain effect was incredibly useful. Its healing speed was incomparable to something like ‘Self-Healing.’ At least now he didn't have to worry about dying helplessly from serious injuries.

But that didn't mean he could afford to get careless about taking damage.

The weapon's low grade meant the Blood Drain efficiency wasn't great. To go from being beaten half to death back to perfect condition, he'd need to slaughter dozens of monsters like he just had. And if he got injured in the middle of that? He'd need to kill even more...

The most critical weakness was that the Blood Drain effect was useless against enemies without blood in their bodies.

‘…Even so.’

It was an undeniable fact that he had acquired a rather useful weapon and survived a crisis that should have meant a certain death.

Plus, [The One Who Forges Names] wasn't a one-time deal. Once enough time passed for him to receive the blessing again, and another moonless night arrived, he'd be able to get another weapon with new special effects.

For now, this was enough. To hope for too much from the start was to court disaster. The experiences of his first life had taught him the virtue of patience.

He kicked aside a wolf corpse that had dried up like jerky, wiped the flesh scraps off his blade, and hung Mosquito back at his waist. After roughly peeling off the blood clots stuck in his hair, he leaned against a tree trunk for some much-needed rest.

Rustle—

The merchant who'd been hiding in the bushes finally showed himself. His face was still pale and haggard from being overwhelmed by the killing intent.

Twitch.

"...Huk."

Duncan recoiled in horror at the sight of the still-twitching wolf corpses. He didn't even have the courage to poke them with his foot, so he just ran straight toward the butcher who'd caused this massacre without looking back.

"M-my lord...? What in the world happened here? Ah, and that crimson light from before, what was that? A-Are you alright? I saw smoke rising from your skin… Huh? Huuuh?”

He finally noticed that all of Kadim's injuries had healed.

Duncan's eyes went wide as saucers.

"How did... how did all your wounds disappear..."

Like most ordinary people in this world, magic and miracles were akin to tales from another realm to the merchant.

Sure, he knew that somewhere out there, strange things beyond common sense were happening. But to Duncan, those stories felt infinitely distant. Knowledge without experience is just a hollow shell.

But now he'd witnessed a miracle with his own eyes.

He felt as though the everyday life and common sense he had held onto for decades had been shattered to pieces, and that he had been suddenly dropped into a completely different world.

...Though the one who'd really been dropped into a different world was the barbarian standing before him.

Kadim didn't answer Duncan's questions. Saving his life was sufficient; he was under no obligation to kindly resolve his curiosities. Instead, he turned the tables and asked what he himself was curious about.

"Why didn't you run, merchant?"

“E-Excuse me?”

"Had you fled when I was busy dealing with these pests, I would never have been able to chase you.”

Ah.

Duncan let out a small gasp and gaped like a fish. He'd been so focused on nursing Kadim that he hadn't even thought of running.

Kadim gave a barely audible snort of amusement.

In the end, it was for the best. Had he abandoned Kadim and fled, Duncan would surely have become wolf food.

As they got closer to the southern border, the vacuum of law and order was becoming apparent. This was a crime-ridden territory where one could only survive through exceptional personal might, the protection of a group, or a miracle of their own.

Having come this far, running off alone and leaving the barbarian behind was no longer an option.

A whitish light began to spread through the tangled leaves, which were intertwined like torn fabric. The flowing starlight hid itself behind the pale afterglow brought by the morning sun. The long, blood-soaked night was ending, and a new dawn was approaching.

Kadim closed his eyes and spoke, "Keep watch, merchant. I'm exhausted and need to get some sleep."

"..."

"If you're thinking of running off while I'm sleeping, make sure you are not caught. Run to the ends of the earth if you must. If I catch you this time, I'll pull your guts out through your ass and make rope out of them."

“Y-Yes?”

It was impossible to tell if the words were a joke or spoken in earnest.

Duncan had no choice but to greet the dawn with cold sweat and sleepless eyes.

***

Duncan glanced back and forth between the map and the surrounding terrain, his gaze darting up and down.

"Hmm..."

After careful deliberation, he made his judgment.

"It'll probably take another ten days or so to reach the Alliance territory, my lord. The southern lands are mostly controlled by the Empire, so it takes longer to reach the border than in the central regions."

Kadim raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Can we cross the border without any problems? I'd rather not run into more Paladins if I can help it."

"Yes, yes. That shouldn't be a problem. That's exactly why we came to a place where the borders are loosely guarded, isn't it? Well, we might run into bandits instead of Paladins, but those guys wouldn't stand a chance against you, my lord..."

He'd seen the barbarian single-handedly demolish enemies three times now. Duncan's faith in the barbarian's martial prowess was rock solid. Unless a massive bandit army launched a coordinated assault, nobody could match this barbarian.

"We'll need to restock supplies on the way. Is there anywhere decent to stop between here and the border?"

"Yes, my lord! There's a small fortress called Molden along the route. It's tucked away in such a remote corner that the Order's influence probably doesn't reach there."

"Good. Plan our route to stop there, and then explain how we'll proceed once we reach Alliance territory."

"Yes, sir! The Alliance territory actually has better roads than the Empire. The territory is relatively small and commerce is highly developed. If we follow this shortcut, we'll hit the main highway called the 'Golden Road,' and from there we can make a straight shot to Vestana!"

The merchant confidently presented the map.

Sure enough, just as he said, a major road labeled Golden Road stretched from the Alliance's many major cities all the way to the eastern coastal city that was their destination.

The problem was the shortcut the merchant had indicated. That route was tangled with all sorts of terrain that didn't look safe at all.

‘This won't be an easy journey. Still, it's way better than the old days...’

Three hundred years ago, the eastern part of the continent had been a battleground where countless small kingdoms, duchies, and city-states vied for power. Naturally, people became xenophobic and unwelcoming to outsiders. Especially giant barbarians who might cause all sorts of trouble.

‘...Even Melissa, that girl, looked at me like I was some kind of bug when she first saw me too.’

Actually, the xenophobia of the easterners hadn't been the real problem back then. Who could possibly look favorably on a barbarian who randomly showed up asking to travel together with them? Especially when the other party was a young female mage who'd spent her whole life as a bookworm...

'Atalan from the Wasteland, bronze skin, ridiculously tall and built like an ogre! (Half-blood between human and monster? Is that even possible? → See Research Topic #31), immediately requested to travel together upon meeting (Human trafficking? Slave trader's lackey? Very likely a criminal!! Caution advised!!!)'

That's the kind of record Melissa had left after their first meeting. The barbarian's lips curved into a faint smile as he recalled the pointless memory.

Anyway, it was fortunate. Now that the chaotic region had been unified into the Free Cities Alliance and supposedly didn't discriminate much against barbarians. Kadim matched his pace to the merchant’s and continued the march.

They hadn't walked far before they stopped.

"..."

"..."

They silently looked into the distance.

Their luck had definitely been good up until now. They had been able to approach a settlement without once having to draw a blade.

But now, at a distance, Kadim could see some suspicious figures brandishing weapons and shouting.

They didn't seem to be one group. Looking closely, the party was split into two people facing off against a group of seven.

The strange thing was that the seven were cowering before the two who were yelling at them.

"Merchant, what does that scene look like to you?"

“W-Well, my lord… Judging by their attire, they look like bandits, but as for what they’re doing, I can’t be sure…”

Kadim listened carefully. He kept hearing someone yelling "Don't talk shit!" over and over. There seemed to be some kind of argument going on, but the wind mixed with the voices made it hard to make out the exact content.

Either way, getting involved didn't seem like it would lead to anything good. Kadim was about to head in a different direction.

That's when several of the bandits suddenly looked their way.

"...!"

"They're here!"

"Really..."

All seven started running toward them at once.

Tch.

Kadim clicked his tongue and waved his hands dismissively. Duncan immediately hid behind him. Kadim gripped his hand axe in his left hand and raised Mosquito with his right.

But even seeing the threatening barbarian's appearance, the bandits didn't panic. On the contrary, they nodded in satisfaction as if things were going well, then turned around just in front of Kadim.

As if… welcoming a steadfast ally.

"Hey! Come over here, you fucking bastards!"

"What was all that shit you were spouting earlier? Come on, run your mouths one more time!"

"Said there was no way he'd come? No way my ass, you little shits! Here he is, big as life!"

The two people left in the distance were completely flustered. They looked at the menacing barbarian once, made eye contact with each other, looked at the barbarian again, then exchanged meaningful glances.

Finally, both tucked their tails and ran.

The seven bandits burst into delighted laughter.

“Khahahak! Look at ‘em! Look at those morons scurrying away like rats!”

"Yeah, go tell your dipshit boss! Tell him Agon's Raging Horn has arrived!"

"Hehehe! You're all dead meat now!"

But Kadim couldn't laugh along with the bandits.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Hahaha! Oh man, my sides. Those nobodies thought they were hot shit just because they had numbers, and look at them now..."

"I asked what you're doing."

"Ah, I knew I could count on you! Our boss isn't just anybody, you know? With the boss's connections, if we can call in just a few more people, we could take over this whole territory..."

“I will ask one last time. What are you doing.”

Only then did one of the bandits snap to attention and turn around. He nodded casually and extended his hand for a handshake.

"Ah, my apologies! It's an honor to meet you, uh... barbarian sir! Wait, should I be calling you Agon's Raging Horn? Sorry! I don't know much about barbarian etiquette!"

"I'm not Agon's Raging Horn. I have no intention of helping you people. I've got places to be, so I'd appreciate it if you'd get out of the way."

The atmosphere instantly chilled.

The bandits exchanged nervous glances.

They all looked clearly flustered. Realizing he wasn't reinforcements, the massive barbarian's build suddenly felt incredibly threatening.

Still, they had the advantage. In a fight, numbers were everything. No matter how vicious he looked, one guy couldn't take on seven. True to form as natives of this lawless zone ruled by might-makes-right, the bandits brazenly stepped forward.

"What, so then you're..."

"..."

"What the hell? You just pop out of nowhere confusing everybody. Worthless piece of shit..."

"..."

"Hm? Who's that hiding back there? And who’s that hiding behind you? A porter? Hey, hey, hey, don’t run away, come here. I’m not gonna eat you, pal. What, you got a gold bar hidden in that bag?”

"Huk, huk..."

Duncan hid completely behind Kadim. The bandit tried to push past Kadim to snatch the bag but Kadim grabbed the guy's shoulder and blocked him.

The bandit scowled and snapped at him.

"Hey, barbarian guy. You can't just confuse people out of nowhere and then be this uncooperative. We're about to fight those assholes without any backup because of you."

"..."

“Hah, fine. So you’d rather die than let me touch your pockets, is that it? Tsk, well then... yeah, how about this? You look like you can handle yourself pretty well, so why don't you come with us and fight those guys? You can pretend to be Agon's Raging Horn."

"..."

“Aah, it’s not hard! They won’t know who’s who anyway. In the middle of the fight, just shout something like this every now and then. Uwoooargh! I am Agon's Raging Horn! I'm a super strong barbarian! I've never changed my underwear in my entire life!'"

"Pffft! Hahaha!"

"Hehehe..."

The rest of his crew burst into mocking laughter. Encouraged by his buddies' response, the bandit's shoulders rose with pride. He decided to poke at the barbarian's pride a little more.

"Payment-wise, we'll call it even if we don't take your bag! Actually, honestly, if you hadn't shown up, things wouldn't have gotten this fucked up, right? Hell, if you're gonna call yourself a man, you should take responsibility for the shit you start!"

"..."

"Wait, you're not actually a woman under all that, are you? Sorry, sorry, I'll apologize if I got it wrong. I've never met a barbarian before, you see. Don't really know how to tell the males from females..."

"Hahaha! Ahahaha!"

"Hahaha! Oh god, I'm dying here!"

Their tense facial muscles were now completely relaxed. To take this much mockery and just stand there, he had to be nothing but a big coward. They felt embarrassed for being scared just by his appearance.

The lead bandit's fear completely disappeared too. He smugly patted the barbarian's forearm.

“So, we have a deal, you’ll come with us, right, barbarian sir? Oh, right, right! It’s not right to keep calling you that now that we’re business partners. Could you tell me your name?”

Kadim was happy to oblige.

"Kadim."

THUNK—!

At the same time, he buried his axe in the bandit's skull.

He didn't forget to introduce himself to the rest of the stunned bastards either.

"The Great Warrior of Atala."

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