Category: I Never Run Out of Mana

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202. Checkmate

It was a night of a downpour of rain.

Wearing the raincoat that Dump handed over, we headed towards the Larkenta castle together.

I was going there after hearing from him that someone who used a special ability had appeared in the Festival of Blood, because I thought that there was a chance it was Barub.

Because the Festival of Blood was a show only for nobles, I needed to increase my status.

There was no information about me to begin with, neither in Larkenta or anywhere else.

After all, I was an otherworlder than fell from the sky.

But since I had plenty of money, I could probably make do by buying my way through.

Since we were in quite the rural area, it seemed that it would take a good amount of time to get to the castle.

Since I needed a bit of time to rest after pouring everything into hunting all day, I didn’t bother speeding up and instead walked to match Dump’s walking pace.

Also, one could not enter the castle before the sun rose.

This meant that even if I did hurry, it wouldn’t let me find out about Barub’s identity.

With each step towards the castle, I began to sink deeper into my inquiries.

If the man called a wild beast in the festival is Barub, that would mean that instead of hunting even a single more monster to get stronger, Barub had become a plaything for the nobles out of nowhere.

The confidence I felt when I first heard the news continued to wither, and now I was half sure and half unsure.

Speaking over the sound of the rain, I asked Dump.

“Hey… Mister. What do you think the one called a wild best could obtain from the Festival of Blood?”

“As I have stated before, an immense amount of material wealth and honor. Not only that, but they should be able to obtain political power as well.”

“Is there anything beyond that? If considering everyone and everything in this world… If someone is so strong that they are without equal, don’t you think that they would be able to get that much wealth on their own?”

“There is something else you can get as you continue to win the Festival of Blood.”

“What would that be?”

“Power.”

“Power?”

“Yes. As you know, when you defeat a monster, doesn’t all of their strength become absorbed by your body?”

“Of course.”

“That isn’t something that only applies to monsters.”

“Are you implying…”

“Yes. That’s right. If a Protector kills another Protector… All the strength of the Protector that was killed gets transferred over to the Protector who killed. With that in mind, one would be able to grow stronger a lot faster than growing through hunting.”

“Butcher’s Sword… The demonic race… Seems this is turning out to be a bigger headache than I had expected.”

“Sir Guardian. If you even have the slightest consideration to join in on the Festival of Blood, please give up on such ideas immediately!”

Dump spoke with a forceful tone I had never heard from him before.

It was filled with frustrations similar to that of a parent warning their child.

“…”

“I believe in your strength, Guardian. Not only do you have strength, but you have good morals. I know that this is a chance for a huge benefit laid out right in front of you. However… One cannot hold the throne forever. It won’t be long before someone who is stronger than the wild beast appears. Just like that, the king will be changed again and the old one will be forgotten. The price for the brief moment of sweetness would be your life.”

“I do not have any intention of doing what you’re worried about. I just want to confirm. I feel as though this might be what I need to get on the trail of recovering my memory. The existence of the wild beast, that is.”

“Hoho. If that’s the case, I’m relieved.”

After finishing what he had to say, Dump looked around before continuing.

“Is this the right path?”

“Should I light up the area?”

“Ah. If you could, I would be thankful. Normally I would be okay with just the moonlight, but tonight really is a night without a speck of light.”

Arriving at a store near the castle, Dump had a cup of alcohol before finding us a place to rest.

Making small talk with him, I had a bit of a snack.

When morning comes, I should be able to increase my status to that of a noble and be able to spectate the Festival of Blood.

There was no way for me to find out if the wild beast was Barub from just looking.

After all, we had set the rules in this world to exclude any spells that allowed the user to identify the nature or detect the energies of their opponents, such as the Eye of Insight.

However, I should be able to notice when the wild beast performs.

The killing intent they exuded wasn’t something I could forget so easily.

“Are you asleep?”

“No. Not yet. It seems that you have a lot on your mind. What’s wrong?”

“It’s about the Festival of Blood.”

“Hoho. Seeings as you’ve been asking about it constantly, it seems that this isn’t something trivial.”

“What did you say when I asked when the battles between Protectors began?”

“Hm… Around a month ago is when the wild beast took the throne. And to my knowledge, I know that it hasn’t been ten days since the fight between the Protectors have started.”

“Ten days… Mister. There is something I wish to ask of you.”

“Ask away.”

“As soon as the sun rises, I will head for the castle to raise my status to that of a noble.”

“Yes.”

“While I do that, could you obtain information on the people who had faced the wild beast so far? If it is money, then I can…”

“Hoho. That shouldn’t be too difficult. After all, this place is enthralled due to the new Festival of Blood. Do not worry and sleep, Sir Guardian.”

“Yes… I understand. Then rest well.”

“…”

Despite a lot of time passing after our conversation, I could not sleep.

I was thinking that if that person really was Barub, there was no way for me to keep up with their growth.

I had already witnessed firsthand the benefit of the Butcher’s Sword back on Earth.

On top of that, I saw the transfer of power similar to this in the demonic realm.

A transfer of power that completely stole it off the opponent…

I knew better than anyone else that this kind of a gap could never be closed.

The amount of thoughts that filled by head became incomparable to what I had when I left Dump’s house.

****

Just like that, I spent the night with my eyes open.

After becoming a god, the desire or need for sleep did not exist, but due to my habits I had when I was a human, I did fall asleep from time to time.

However, due to the frustration I could not control, I couldn’t even do that.

The light from outside the window became blueish in hue, and Dump left now early in the morning to take care of the request I had made before.

After agreeing to meet back home after finishing each of our own list of things to do, I headed straight for the castle.

Despite being so early before dawn, many people were lined up in front of the entrance of the castle.

Observing and drawing a conclusion of the situation, I joined in on the line.

After a short time had passed waiting for the castle door to open, it happened.

“Did you also come here to join the festival, bro?”

“…”

Someone had spoken up to me while tapping me on the shoulder from behind.

Their thin and lithe voice was something that you’d expect from a treacherous retainer from a historical drama.

Turning around, I saw a man that was too large to be called sturdy with an awkward smile.

His voice did not match his appearance at all.

His stomach was bulging out so much that his armor seemed to be custom made to fit his belly, and his chin folded nearly enough to reach his armor.

In his hand was a massive mace, and behind his back was a massive shield that poked out above his head.

I could tell from a single glance.

This was someone who was willingly trying to become a slave in order to participate in the Festival of Blood.

Ignoring what he said, I looked forward instead.

My head was already filled with thoughts, so it was really annoying to be bothered by such rude words.

I loathed being meddled with after all.

However, the overweight man continued asking questions to the point of annoyance.

“Of course… If you’re born a man, you need to at least leave your name in history. Isn’t that so?”

“…”

“My name is Raol. Remember it well. It’s the name of the person who will be defeating the wild beast Demon in there.”

“You. Where do you hunt?”

“Hahah! So now you finally decide to talk. I hunt in the unexplored territories. And alone to boot.”

“To put it simply, the 11th tier?”

“Right! I can catch 10 at the same time easily. How’s it. Don’t I look different now that you know? Hahah!”

“Should give up while you can. Don’t become the meal that only makes them stronger.”

“I guess you don’t know the rules of the festival that well. You don’t fight against the wild beast right away.”

“…”

“After all, I will be serving under Marquis Millions.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ohho! To think that someone trying to enter the festival doesn’t even know this much… There are many nobles in the castle. However, only the title is fancy, as most of them aren’t worth anything.”

“…”

“The only ones who can produce warriors used in the festival are the count and the marquis. The castellan can do so as well, but why would they be interested? Anyways, the wild beast that holds the throne currently is a slave that is being raised by Marquis Millions. How could they end the festival after a single competition? Instead, slaves with similar strengths that have different owners fight against each other. And the end to that is the fight against the wild beast. That is why I’m considering waiting to become a slave of Marquis Millions. I, Raol, will one day take the seat of the wild beast.”

“At least there won’t be a situation where you’d be killed by them.”

“Did you have in mind who you’re going to serve under?”

“I’ve only come here to purchase the title of a noble.”

“Even your jokes are crude. To think that you have the appearance of a Protector, yet say that you’re not a noble. Hahah! Don’t be like that and tell me if you get any useful information.”

“We’ll meet again if we get the chance. If you survive that is.”

“Hahah. Sure. If you don’t have someone specific in mind to serve under, then choose the same one that I have. You have to pick the right place from the start. Got it?”

“…”

As if I was trying to lose this man who spoke aplenty, I quickly headed into the castle.

To think that someone would volunteer after seeing such a crazy ad like this.

I thought to myself that he must not be sound of mind.

However, after listening to him and looking around, I noticed that most of the contestants were Protectors.

The reason why such a large crowd gathered was to volunteer for the Festival of Blood.

Just by defeating a single opponent similar to your strength, you were able to obtain power that would allow you to become twice as strong as you were before.

It was obvious just how enticing the prospect was.

However, they’re going to kill people like themselves for no other reason than for their own gain?

I thought to myself just how fitting the name Hell suited a place like this.

Since I did not have an ID in Larkenta to begin with, I was met with trouble at the gates right away.

Due to my identity that could not be confirmed, it was not possible for me to even enter.

Only after going to a shadier place and handing over a massive amount of gems did the situation somewhat settle.

I realized that as long it was a place where humans resided, morally questionable shortcuts existed and worked, regardless of whether the place was back on Earth, in Hell, or anywhere else.

After that, everything went smoothly.

It didn’t take even an hour before I was able to purchase the title of a noble, and I headed for the Festival of Blood battle arena that was erected at the center of the castle.

Despite being early in the morning, there were so many gathered that there were nearly no seats left to sit down at.

Coincidentally, the festival just began and the announcer was doing introductions while standing in the center of the arena.

“The first battle. Count Cretas’ Garum. Marquis Ideon’s…”

It wouldn’t be long before the wild beast would show themselves.

My hope that the wild beast was Barub had all but disappeared, and instead I was hoping desperately that it wasn’t Barub.

If Barub had chosen the Festival of Blood as a way to grow stronger, then the situation would evolve into where I couldn’t be certain of my victory.

Just like that, the horrible fights continued for quite some time, and the announcer spoke once more.

“I am sure all of you have been waiting for this bloodbath. The last fight for today. Marquis Millions’ wild beast. Demon!”

---

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201. Time Is Fast

It’s been 30 days since I had arrived in Hell.

In the blink of an eye, almost 1/3rds of the time had passed.

I had learned the basics of this world from Dump, and spent the rest of the time focusing on hunting.

I did not dig deep into the strange happenings within the castle that I had first asked Dump about.

It really didn’t matter and I didn’t care what the nobles were up to.

It was because if it wasn’t something that was harmful to me or interrupted in what I was doing, then I really didn’t have a reason to get involved.

With all the effort I’ve put in since, I had grown nearly strong enough to defeat the monsters in the unexplored territories.

I was only able to cross the 10th tier to the starting zones of the unexplored territories and pick apart enemies bit by bit, but this was definitely a huge improvement since the start.

It had come to the point where I couldn’t progress any faster.

While I was hunting, I wasn’t disturbed by anyone, and there were none to look at me with suspicion.

The issue of travel time that had plagued me for some time had been solved the day I saw the skill encyclopedia.

There was the existence of return scrolls in this world.

They dropped from regular monsters at a low rate and they looked like thin rolled up paper.

If I rip that item, then I return to a place I’ve set to.

It was the same with how Warp was used.

Everything was going so well, adding great speed to my growth rate.

It was enough growth for me to nearly regain half of my strength that I had lost since beginning the bet with Barub.

However, you could say that this was just the start.

After all, I finally had the same level of strength as Barub now.

Well, that would be the case if Barub did nothing but breathe in this world.

I had no way of knowing just how strong he had grown all this time.

Hell allowed growth at a rate that couldn’t be compared to the rate back on Earth.

Compared to only receiving 5 points worth of stats after going through an immense amount of hardship, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that this world was made for growth.

However, this was only possible because I had come here with cheat like powers.

If I started as a beginner Protector here, this amount of growth would be impossible beyond imagination.

Was it because I had used all my luck at the start?

Elite monsters did not appear once since my hunting at the start.

That obviously meant that the only skills I possessed were the Cloning Jutsu and Mobile Storage.

I had all the jewels and miscellaneous artifacts sold through Dump, receiving the highest form of currency called cores in return.

To buy the incredibly expensive skill books, the jewels were nowhere enough.

To put it simply, if jewels were iron, then cores were diamond.

I could copy any of the skills that the Protectors used.

However, that was just trying to mimic the appearance of the skills.

I wasn’t able to fully copy the effects and positive benefits of the skills.

If I attacked using the power of the gods, magical energies, and mana that I posses, then it would be stronger than the skills of the Protector, but to obtain few of the skills that I could not even dare copy, such as the Cloning Jutsu, I didn’t have a choice but to gather money.

“To think that no matter where I go, I must grind. What a life I live.”

My proficiency using the storage had already reached the maximum, becoming large enough to shove all of Larkenta in it.

Just imagine how many jewels I could obtain in a 20 hours continuous hunt.

The amount was already more than enough to fill all the rooms of the inn I had rented.

To be able to hold everything, that is why I did not hold back on investing.

Dump had relocated his smithy from the flea market.

It was obvious, since just from gathering all the jewels I’ve given him as a backer, he would have enough to live like a noble.

However, this did not mean he stopped using the hammer.

He had his own grand dream.

Instead of creating garbage miscellaneous goods for the flea market, he wanted to make weapons using rare and expensive materials with his own unique method.

He hadn’t made anything solid yet due to all the failures so far, but I believed that if it’s him, he would succeed in making something amazing.

Until then, I wasn’t going to stop supplying him with goods, and I will be rewarded with his creation eventually.

He definitely could just buy the title of a noble with the money instead of going through hardship like now.

However, Dump did not do so. To be more precise, he couldn’t.

It was because of his hidden daughter, Berlette, was on the line.

While Dump could easily buy the title of noble with the money, his daughter could not do the same.

If the truth comes out that he had been disobeying the order of the castellan and hid the girl all this time, then instead of an increase in status, he would instantly become a huge criminal.

No one knew what was happening to the girls who were taken, but seeing as though none returned and not a single one of them contacted their families back outside with a letter, it was assumed that something vile was happening to them.

“You’ve arrived?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Welcome, Sir Protector.”

“Yes. Nothing happened, right?”

“Of course.”

I found Dump and Berlette, both of whom moved to a new place far from the castle.

It was a remote place also far from the housings, so far that even the soldiers of the castles did not patrol often.

Berlette, who had completely dropped her guard around me, was without her armor and wearing her regular clothes instead.

Not only that, but she wasn’t cutting her hair short anymore and letting it grow out instead.

It seemed that she was finally enjoying life like a person.

“I will be counting on you again today.”

“Whew. You have gathered so much in a short time. I guess it’s proof that your hunting is going smoothly? Hoho.”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

“Then I shall bring the horse and cart.”

“Thank you.”

Seeing the jewels gathered in the Mobile Storage, Dump went outside.

Having solid connections due to working for a long time in the market, he was able to sell this incredible amount of jewels I brought in every couple days.

I was very thankful that he chose to keep on the low instead of standing out.

After Dump left, Berlette, who was boiling soup in the kitchen spoke to me.

“How are you doing recently? Are the lost memories coming back to you?”

“Yes… Well, it’s little, but it’s returning bit by bit infrequently.”

“Is that so? It seems that you’re pretty bad at lying, Sir Guardian.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t think you’re the type of person who can fool anyone.”

“…”

Seeing my flustered reaction due to her unexpected words, Berlette laughed playfully.

I didn’t even know why she said something like that.

She continued.

“A Protector who brings an insane amount of high ranking jewels every three days.”

“…”

“I’m positive you’re one of the few ranker Protectors of Larkenta. But that person doesn’t want to find out about their past? Doesn’t that seem a little strange? It’s obvious that this person would be a noble of incredible wealth and title.”

“That’s…”

“You don’t need to tell me the truth. You could be wanting to forget the past or hide it, after all. It’s difficult to make a decision early, but… I don’t think you’re a bad person, Sir Guardian. Whatever you’re hiding, or whatever the reason for coming to us is, I think you’re an okay person who should continue staying next to my father.”

“Ah… I see….”

“Father said time and time again. He said that it’s almost as if Sir Guardian has come from another world.”

“…”

“That’s why he’s so pure without any stains. If you’re a Protector… It’s hard to be like that here. If my father who is known for being inflexible and stubborn amongst even the merchants recognizes you, then you must be a good person.”

“Unsullied…”

I was unsure just how corrupt Hell was, but could I compare it to the cruel world I experienced?

Berlette’s words about how I was without blemish came as quite the new shock to me.

Not only did it bring me shock, but it felt unfitting.

“All done. You haven’t eaten yet, right?”

“I’m fi-…”

“Not even once. You’ve not joined us for a meal yet. Come and sit here.”

“Yes… Then…”

When the conversation that felt more like an interrogation was nearing its end, Dump came back.

Shaking the water off and hanging up the raincoat that had blocked the rain that fell as if there was a hole in the sky, he spoke.

“All the preparations are complete. If it is urgent, we can leave right away, Sir Guardian.”

“No need.”

“Huh?”

Dump saw the 3 spoons on the meal kitchen table and gave a small smile.

“Berlette. Did you ask Sir Guardian ahead of time?”

“Of course. Right? Sir Guardian?”

“Yes… That’s right. If it is okay with you, then may I partake in the meal…”

“Of course! Not only is it okay. Hohoho. It’s an honor. Please, do sit.”

“Yes…”

“Ah! It almost slipped my mind. Have you seen this poster?”

Dump put down the spoon immediately and went to the corner of the room to bring a piece of paper back.

It was a worn piece of paper with tears all over, almost as if it was torn off from someplace.

Since it was filled with letters I could not recognize at a glance, I merely stared at Dump’s face.

“May I ask what it is about?”

“When I went near the castle to sell the jewels a couple days ago, this is something one of the guards you hired to protect us brought back.”

“…”

“To put it simply, it was a poster that asked people to become willing slaves on their own.”

“To become a slave?”

“Yes. Do you remember me speaking about something called the Festival of Blood?”

“Yes. I remember that you told me it was a cruel game where one fights with his or her life on the line.”

“That’s correct. While the Festival of Blood was treated by the nobles as a simple amusement before, the event was gathering interest from the merchants and the citizens recently.”

“Is that so?”

This wasn’t something that I really needed to give much attention to.

However, since Dump was raising his voice out of passion and doing his best to explain, I was merely giving an appropriate amount of response in return.

However, I heard something in a brief moment that made me lament not being able to read the letters on the poster.

“But within a single month of the festival, apparently someone rose to the position of king of the festival. However, the way this person fights is completely different the way others have fought previously.”

“What do you mean…”

“No one can tell what class of Protector they are. Apparently they use some kind of power that no one has ever seen or heard of before. Not only that, but that power is so strong that no one can tell just how powerful it is, and that there are no enemies worth contesting against them. This poster’s contents state that they’re seeking new challengers.”

“Please continue. Tell me in greater detail!”

“Huh? Sure… Originally, the Festival of Blood was a competition between criminals and slaves, and the Protectors were not involved. However, with the appearance of this beast portrayed on this poster, the fight has changed to a competition between Protectors. The request to become a slave on one’s own will is actually them saying that they want to find someone who can defeat this beast here.”

“…”

“Their advertisement is that they’re giving the challenger who becomes a slave on their own will a chance to defeat the wild beast, obtaining great wealth and honor if they manage to do so. Not only that, the prize includes a great amount of political power that even the Protectors cannot earn.”

I really didn’t register any of the other words.

I only focused on the part about how this beast was ignoring the classes of the Protectors and using a completely different power.

It was because it made me think of someone specifically.

“Barub…”

“Huh?”

“Is it possible that I could spectate the Festival of Blood?”

“Without being a noble, it would be very difficult. Many of the citizens are heavily interested in it, but they can’t see it in person, and the most they can do is listen to rumors told by third hand accounts.”

“I have to confirm that person’s strength myself.”

“What do you mean…”

“Checkmate. I got you. You little…”

Dump and I headed near the castle together.

The thought of processing a massive amount of jewels wasn’t even on my mind.

I only wanted to confirm that person’s strength with my own eyes.

To do that, I needed to become a noble.

Hoping that beast was actually Barub, I quickened my pace.

---

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200. Self Copying and Mobile Storage

“Hm. If it’s a golden scroll, then this should be the right encyclopedia for it…”

“I think I’ve gone through roughly half of it, and it feels like my eyes are burning.”

“Hoho. It’s quite a lot, right? But you cannot be surprised with just this. This encyclopedia only contains skills for the magician class Protectors after all.”

“Huh? Isn’t it this one?”

In the encyclopedia roughly the size of a regular A sheet paper pack, countless pictograms the size of a thumb filled the paper to the brim.

After a long time of searching through the encyclopedia, I found a pictogram that I had seen written on the scroll before.

The pictogram looked like two people that were holding hands.

Dump and I brought the scroll closer and began to check if it was the right one.

“Oh! That’s it. Looking at the name… It’s the Cloning Jutsu!”

“Cloning Jutsu…”

“Confirming the skill name with my own eyes heightens my surprise even more. You really are amazing. The elite monsters the scroll drops from have to at least be rank 8 or 9. These are elite monsters that most Protectors do not dare face.”

“Guess I got lucky. Thankfully it wasn’t an elite monster from the unexplored territories.”

“You’re right. But Sir Guardian, aren’t you a warrior class? Unfortunately, seeing your sword and armor, it seems you won’t be able to use this scroll. Only a Protector with the class of mage can use this skill after all.”

“Is the ability to obtain skills also locked to the different classes here as well?”

“Huh? Here? Well, yes. You can learn the skill, but you can’t use it. It’s because the resource needed to use the skill is different.” ¹

“Can I tell what and how much of this resource I have numerically?”

“No. That’s not the case. However, any Protector can sense the resource they possess. After all, it’s important due to its uses in using skills and taking care of one’s health. You can say that it’s tied to one’s survival.”

“I see. If it’s an issue of having the wrong class, it doesn’t matter.”

“Huh?”

“Ah… What I meant to say was that since I can exchange this with a warrior class skill of the same rank, it doesn’t matter.”

“Of course you can. Since a Cloning Jutsu is quite the high ranking skill, it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’ll get a warrior class skill of similar ranking. Should I bring you the warrior skill encyclopedia as well?”

“No. Let’s first learn about the skill. We can sort out the trading afterwards.”

“I understand. I knew you would say that, so I brought it ahead of time. Let’s see… It’s number 466, so…”

Dump unfurled the scroll that he had brought with the encyclopedia.

The detailed information of the skill that wasn’t included in the encyclopedia filled to the brim with pictograms were written in there.

“Here it is. Number 466, Cloning Jutsu.”

“…”

I was quite surprised at the method of finding the skill scroll’s name and information about it.

The technological skill was far lacking compared to how it was back on Earth, but the systematic, well organized, and detailed encyclopedias and manuals for skills were quite something else.

Only the method of digital and analogue information recording was different, and I felt that nothing was lacking.

While it would take a bit longer to pull up the information, there were no other downsides.

The explanation Dump found about the Cloning Jutsu was as follows.

-Cloning Jutsu-

*For mage class Protectors.

*Makes a clone equivalent to 50% of the resource of the caster. (Depending on the proficiency, possible up to ??%)

*Per clone per minute, 1% of the mage’s maximum resource is used up.

*Depending on the proficiency, the maximum number created can be increased by ??, and a unique ability is given.

“It’s good.”

“Of course. However, the drawback is that it’s hard to use unless you’re in a dire situation. It’s obvious that this skill expends a lot of resources.”

“Is that so? Well, it doesn’t matter to me…”

“Hoho. Of course. You’re going to trade it after all.”

“Then let’s search for the remaining one as well.”

“Yes.”

Cloning Jutsu.

This type of skill did not exist back on Earth.

Mana and mastery of one’s power affected the skill like before, but this type of skill did not exist.

The closest thing to this was calling forth a summoned creature.

The world that Karupedan made. The skills and abilities that came from her mind.

It made me wonder who she planned on tormenting or saving by making things like these.

However, it didn’t take long for my entire focus to be on the Cloning Jutsu.

It’s kind of arrogant to say this, but this Cloning Jutsu was a skill perfect for me.

The limitation on both class and the drain of resources does not affect me at all.

With the Fragment of Time and Space, I had been able to handle any power.

It didn’t matter if the world I was in was Earth, the celestial plane, or even Hell.

Not only that, but I did not have such a thing called resources bestowed upon Protectors.

Thus, this meant that I was able to use all the skills obtained here with mana.

Since there was no way infinite mana could be divided into a percentage, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the clone made would have the same strength as I.

I did not know the maximum number of clones I could make.

Since it hasn’t been that long since monsters and Protectors have appeared, no one knew just how many clones could be made.

And what would happen when one had obtained the maximum level of mastery of this skill, then used to skill with 100% power of the caster?

It wouldn’t be a 1v1 fight, but a ganging up made possible by this skill.

It would be long before I would get this skills’ proficiency to the maximum by constantly using it, then test to see what additional benefits there are.

I was curious about the last part that was written regarding the special ability.

Did it mean that the clone would have the same strength as the caster while obtaining another new ability?

If it goes as I hope for and my clone gets 100% of my strength, and then even obtains a unique ability, then one could consider this skill as an insane one.

After all, it would mean that I would be able to control clones stronger than I.

It was obvious that I had to put great effort into raising my mastery of this skill.

“Here it is!”

Before I could calm down my excitement from obtaining the Cloning Jutsu, Dump had found the other remaining scrolls’ pattern as well.

It hadn’t been that wrong, but Dump really was a helping hand that was worth far more than jewels by the truckload.

I even considered that this relationship could progress into one similar to a family, like Jong Ho and Ho Jin back on Earth.

There was no way to see through a person completely, but his thoughts and character were similar to the people around me after all.

“Have you found it already?”

“Hoho. Compared to the last one, this one was further up in the front.”

“Number 121. Mobile Storage.”

“Even the name alone sounds fancy. Reminds me of Karin’s pocket…”

“Hm… Sir Guadian seems to say things that make me wonder if you’re someone from another world. Well, it’s probably because you’ve lost your memory though, hoho.”

“Is that so? Let’s see what the detailed explanation says.”

“Yes, we should.”

-Mobile Storage-

*At the caster’s will, summons a storage that can store goods.

*The storage and complete obliteration of items follows the will of the caster.

*The size of the storage increases depending on the mastery.

*Living creatures can also enter, but cannot leave the storage without the permission of the caster.

*When the caster dies, the storage also ceases to exist. (Everything both object and living stored also perishes.)

“I’ve heard about Mobile Storage before. This is one of the skills that a Protector must obtain. However, the cost of the skill scroll goes beyond one’s imagination. After all, you cannot obtain this from a regular monster.”

“Yes. It was quite troublesome to store jewels and artifacts, so I’m glad.”

“If this is a skill you haven’t learned yet, then I think you avoid trading it and learn it instead.”

“Yes, I think I should. However…”

“Ah. Is it that you do not know how to use the skill scroll?”

“Yes… It seems that my memories…”

“Hoho. It’s quite simple. All you have to do is twist and tear the scroll apart with a bit of force.”

“It’s a lot more simple than I thought.”

“Yes. Since the method of obtaining the skill is quite easy, I heard that there are fights that break out during party hunting due to those who lose themselves to greed and try taking the scroll for their own. Then will you try it now?”

“Yes. Let’s do so.”

“Whew… I can say for sure that it’s not a good feeling.”

“Hoho. Is that so? This is something that a civilian like me would never get the chance to experience… Huh? Sir Guardian!”

“Yes?”

“My goodness… The skill you’ve just obtained isn’t Mobile Storage, but Cloning Jutsu!”

“Ah… Is that so?”

“Oh no. Such a waste, what should we do…”

“Guess I’ll have to think of it as a costly lesson.”

“Since it already happened, it can’t be helped, but… Ha… Do not worry too much. Both bad luck and fortune coexist, so thinking about it in a positive light like Sir Guardian has said is probably the right thing to do.”

Dump regretted me learning the Cloning Jutsu as if it was his own problem.

His words tried to console me, but it almost seemed as though he was the one who needed consoling instead.

Letting out what seemed like an endless sigh, he even stomped on the ground.

It was to be expected, since he must think that this skill was useless to a warrior class Protector he thought I was.

From his point of view, it must’ve been the same as discarding the scroll on the ground.

Seeing as this was not an act, but a genuine response from him, it was very reassuring for me.

This was the same feeling I was getting when I first met Jong Ho.

I felt a bit remorseful that I was fooling someone like this, but I knew it wouldn’t have to for long.

This was an acquaintance that I would part ways with in a 100 days, but I didn’t approach him with the goal of using him or causing him harm.

And if the situation did call for it, then I did have the intention to reveal my identity.

Of course, I hoped that such a worst case scenario would not come to pass.

After self rationalizing, I obtained the Mobile Storage skill.

“Oho…”

“So this is the storage spell.”

I called forth the storage using the Mobile Storage skill I had obtained.

The air blew violently as if being sucked into a single point, then a space both dark and deep blue appeared.

It seemed Dump, who was someone other than the caster, was able to see it.

As seeing it for the first time, he mouth was agape and it seemed that he couldn’t hold back his excitement.

I threw a small handful of jewels into the tear in space.

Almost as if someone had received them and started to organize them right away, the jewels were sorted immediately.

Not only that, but it was accurately being sorted by size and ranking, filling the corner of the storage.

Looking at me with wonder in his eyes, Dump spoke to me.

“The way to raise the proficiency of the Mobile Storage skill is different from other skills.”

“What’s different?”

“What I mean is that the skill’s proficiency won’t increase by constantly using it. Hm… To put it simply, it’s like renting a room of an inn.”

“A room of an inn?”

“Yes. You can think of the skill Mobile Storage as the owner of the inn. It grows up by eating. It doesn’t care for the jewels you tossed in for storage, but if you toss any items for destruction or as feed, it’ll eat it all. And then it’ll give you space worth the items fed.”

“Such an amusing thing. It’s almost as if it’s alive.”

“Yes. You can feel as though the artifacts you sacrifice to it is a waste, but since Mobile Storage will always play a crucial role, it would be best that you do not hold back investing into it.”

“I see.”

Handing over half the jewels I brought back to Dump, I poured the rest into the storage and spoke.

“Here. Eat. This is your meal.”

-Crunch. Crunch.

---

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199. Opening Act. Festival of Blood.

“Demon. Go forth. Go and announce the start of a new Festival of Blood.”

“…”

“Come! The king of this battlefield is I!”

At Millions’ command, Barub walked towards the battlefield.

Where the corpses rolled about and the stench of blood was heavy, a giant man excitedly wait for Barub’s arrival.

Holding the seat of the king amongst regular civilians in the Festival of Blood for so long, he had become extremely arrogant.

He had the confidence that no matter who the opponent was, he would just pull their heads off and bathe in their blood.

However, the opponent was Barub.

Barub wasn’t a budding greenhorn who just started walking on the path of a Protector, but someone who could kill the average Protectors in the blink of an eye.

Millions and the crowd watched what Barub was doing with complete silence.

Barub, who approached close to the huge man, was without any equipment.

Not only did Barub not have any weapons, but had headed into the battlefield without any armor.

Contrasting that, the huge man was equipped with pretty decent defensive equipment and a weapon, perhaps due to being recognized by all that he had achieved so far.

The first attack was done by the huge man.

“Ugh! Augh!”

“….”

The sword swung accurately at Barub’s neck.

It was a perfect attack that wouldn’t surprise anyone if it cleanly cut off Barub’s head.

For a regular human, it was obvious that this man was very talented in the art of the sword.

However, the moment that the sword touched Barub’s neck, instead of their head being cut off, the huge man’s arm were ripped into shreds before popping like a balloon.

The arm that held onto the sword had evaporated into a steam of red.

Wide eyed from the pain and shock, the man flailed around wildly while backstepping.

See his reaction, Barub quietly muttered.

“You claimed to be a king…”

“AAAAH! M… Monster. Ugh!”

“I shall pull out that insolent tongue for you. I am the king of this world. I cannot tolerate using that term so lightly.”

“Mphh!”

“…”

“How pathetic. Now it really begins.”

Barub’s coarse hand covered the man’s mouth and increase the pressure of the grip on the man’s face.

Without even being able to mutter a whimper, his head popped and blood rained down like a waterfall.

Tossing the limp corpse of the man far aside, Barub stood in the center of the battlefield.

It was obvious that there would be no more challengers.

After all, it was obvious that anyone who wasn’t at least a Protector would have a chance now.

The crowd cheered and Millions gave off a satisfied smile.

“Now! With this, the new festival has started. The rules are the same as before, with the exception that the Protectors can join as well. I look forward to an opponent who can face off against the wild beast Demon. Demon!”

“….”

At Millions’ call, Barub followed him back inside.

It was obvious that the marquis was vile and disgusting, but Barub followed him without much concern.

Barub knew that the marquis was peculiarly similar to with how they were.

Someone who enjoyed a cruel game within the confines of the rules they set for themselves.

No remorse or regret were felt in the slightest for it either.

Barub returned to Millions’ estate and laid down in the large room specifically picked out for them by the marquis.

It had been four days since Barub had arrived in Hell, but other than killing the guard, they had not really obtained any growth.

However, Barub did not feel any pressure to hurry up.

After all, Barub managed to get through the issue with Millions’ ambitions and how it affected the Blood Festival.

They believed that it wouldn’t be long before they were able to obtain vast amounts of strength that could not be obtained even through great effort.

They were positive that this was a wise decision.

Just like how lead or mercury poisoning works in the food chain, killing the Protectors who are apex predators to obtain their strength would be the fastest and most effective way for growing stronger.

However, if there was one thing to worry about, it was the difference between the celestial plane and Hell in terms of strength.

Min-Cheol’s strength was that of killing all the gods other than Karupedan’s. Millions’ strength was far beyond that.

There was a chance that a Protector far stronger than Barub would appear.

However, those who participated in the tournament weren’t swordsmen, but had to be either slaves or criminals to partake in the festival, and that meant that the number of people insane enough to throw away their good life and honorable position to participate would be few.

There was the possibility of enticing potential candidates with rewards, but it would take some time before any fish would take the bait.

If Min-Cheol’s appearance was that of a rugged man in his early 30s with a scar on his face, then Barub had received a body that left a far greater impression.

Barub’s body looked like an elderly in their 50s or 60s, but the body was radiating such a strong energy that no one could even think of trying anything.

A trained body that would make age irrelevant and calm emotionless eyes painted a picture of what an expert would be like in a cultivation manhwa.

Laying on a bed made of stacked straw, Barub looked at the ceiling and sank into deep thought.

“How amusing. To think that I would be acting the role of someone’s lackey… Kuha! After meeting that human, I’m experiencing all sorts of new experiences.”

Barub had finally become fully acclimated to their human body.

Not only that, but they, Barub, were capable of hosting any amount of strength within themselves, because they had enough capacity to do so.

Barub sorted through their future plans as they thought about all the delicious prey that would come their way before long.

However, that didn’t last long.

They could hear sounds from outside.

“Demon. Marquis Millions seeks you.”

“Such an annoyance…”

****

I could hunt up to the 10th tier without any risks.

To be more clear, I decided to be a bit more greedy and headed into the unexplored territories.

However, the monsters there were so strong that I couldn’t even face them.

Taking them one or two at a time was somewhat possible, but due to the sheer number of monsters, to try making a chance to do so was extremely difficult.

It felt as though each regular monster was an elite one.

I arrived at the conclusion that going any further would be difficult and decided to remain at the 10 tier for now.

This actually could be a good outcome.

As I had said before, one’s growth could not be checked with numbers.

It was because stats or levels didn’t increase here.

That was why the only place I could find my limit and confirm my growth was the unexplored territories.

The moment that I am able to kill the monsters in the unexplored territories with ease, or I am able to slowly increase my number of monsters I can handle from one or two, that is when I would know. What better way was there than this to confirm with absolute confidence in my growth.

I finished my hunt along with my needlessly positive self rationalization.

“Aha. Have you returned, Sir Protector?”

“Yes. Nothing happened while I was gone?”

“Of course. Not only did I keep the rooms on the floor you are residing empty, but I had the entire building emptied. Not a single outsider has come on.”

“You didn’t need to go that far… Regardless, I am thankful. Here you go.”

“Oh! I didn’t tell you this because I wanted additional jewels…”

“Please take them. I look forward to your continued cooperation.”

“Yes! Of course! I should do so. You must be tired, so please head in.”

“Yes.”

Finishing my short chat with the innkeep, I went into my room with haste.

It was because I wanted to check on the loot that I had obtained by defeating the elite monster as soon as possible.

The first thing to do in my room was to take off my armor and change into clothing that was commonly worn around here.

I did hurriedly pick up the artifacts, but these items did not have the appearance of something commonplace at all.

Even if I undid the sack right here and now, it was obvious that no one would know what these items were for or how to use them.

The place I planned to head for was Dump’s smithy.

****

“I apologize for coming in almost every single day.”

“No need to worry about that. I thought you’d come so I was waiting for you. For what reason have you come here today?”

“It’s just that I was in the middle of hunting when I met an elite monster that you mentioned before.”

“Oh my! That could’ve been a disaster! How are you in one piece?”

“Yes, thankfully I am…”

“I was quite worried. After all, there is nothing written about elite monsters in the encyclopedia.”

“I noticed. Due to how rare their appearance is, I guess there is no information on them?”

“That’s part of the reason, but all elite monsters have different appearances. No elite monster is identical to another in this world.”

“Are you telling me that an elite monster has a different appearance each time they show?”

“Yes. That’s right. That’s why not even the ranked Protectors can fight them recklessly. Even if they formed a party, they’d be busy running for their lives. It’s to be expected, since there is no information on the elite monster they’re facing. After all, even in the tier 1 zone, an elite monster with the strength befitting of the monsters from the unexplored territories could appear.” ²

“They appear… at random? And they do not carry strength matching that of the tier of the hunting ground they’re in…”

“Yes. Most of the elite monsters are taken care of by the unit serving directly under the castellan, the ‘Knights.’ Sometimes there are some elite monster hunters who try to strike it rich in one go, but this attempt shouldn’t be done unless you have two lives. Why would anyone try fighting an elite monster unless they’re crazy? Well, it is extremely fortunate that you were able to escape without any issues.”

“Hmm… I’m not insane, but I fought against one and won. That’s why I have come here.”

“Huh? You defeated an elite monster? Oho… How fortunate this turned out to be. It must’ve been an elite monster that wasn’t very strong. The Heavens have helped you.”

“Yes… Well, those in the celestial plane aren’t that compassionate, but I guess I’ll have to think of it that way.”

“Huh?”

“Ah. It’s nothing.”

“Hoho. Will you have some tea at least?”

“I’m alright. Due to artifacts spilling out as loot, I hastily picked them up and made my way over here, but since I do not know how these items should be used, I came here to ask for assistance.”

“If that’s the case, then do not worry. I’m not a Protector, but I have seen and learned a lot while being involved in this market for some time.

“Then…”

“Oho!”

“What is the matter?”

“As expected… I did think that you slayed a monster in a high tier zone after seeing the size and quality ranking of the jewels you’ve given to me before, but to think that you were this strong…”

“…”

“You should get your memory back as soon as possible. You must’ve been someone with a high ranking position within the castle…”

“Are these items worth that much?”

“These items are so precious that they cannot be obtained with money or jewels.”

Dump pointed at the scroll that gave off a golden light that was pulled out from the sack while speaking.

Perhaps too uncomfortable to even hold the item with his hands, his hands hovered around thin air, as if an invisible barrier was blocking his way.

Pictographs similar to the ones written on the skill books that exist back on Earth were on the surface of the scroll.

I asked Dump.

“What is this?”

“It’s a skill scroll.”

“As expected…”

The thought of if I had the Eye of Insight, I could find out the use and the effects of the skill in one go really filled me with regret.

It was at the moment that I was going to chastise myself for getting tricked by complacency and forgetting how precious it was.

“Could you find out what skill this is?”

“Please wait a moment.”

“…”

Dump didn’t even look back as he ran out of the store.

Did about 3 minutes pass just like that?

With rough breathing, Dump returned.

In his hand was a parchment similar to the size of the monster encyclopedia.

“Whew… This is the skill encyclopedia. Most information on skills are in here, so I shall give a look over to it to try finding it.”

“Yes. Let us search together. I shall search for this.”

“Understood. Then I shall do this one.”

There were two scrolls that I had obtained after defeating the elite monster.

The pictographs were different from each other, and even the thickness of the scrolls were different as well.

With a great amount of hope, I focused my all on searching for the skills by figuratively staring holes into the encyclopedia.

---

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198. The Real Hunting Begins at the 11th Rank (2)

The number of Frost Queens that had gathered was reduced in an instant.

On top of that, the nearby area became an inhospitable environment unfit for life, covered in both intense heat and cold.

At least for a couple hours, it will be difficult for anyone to get close to said area.

I could see a couple of jewels shining through their broken half transparent forms, and I could see that both the size and ranks of these jewels were nothing like what I had seen so far.

I was positive that the increase in rank was the reason behind such a huge difference.

Not only would this be true for the quality of the loot, but it would also be the case for the amount of strength completely absorbed by me.

I could not check with my eyes due to a lack of indicators, but I was sure that if I kept on absorbing the strength of my enemies, the end result would be amazing.

“Even picking up these jewels poses a problem. I guess I’ll just pick up some of the big ones and throw out the rest.”

Jewels dropped at a 100% rate.

Because of that and how the Frost Queens gathered in a group, the amount of jewels they had collectively dropped was quite a lot.

If I could grow stronger by buying some artifacts with currency, I would be gathering these jewels like no tomorrow, but I had not received any information of such so far, so I couldn’t help but look at these jewels like stones on the roadside.

Due to the sheer amount, I had even dug holes between hunts to not get spotted as I casted Warp, returning to my residence to drop them off.

The 1 pyeong ³ shabby inn room had already been filled to the brim with jewels, and I even had to consider using the next room over.

The presence of the Frost Queen horde that I thought would stream in endlessly had all but disappeared.

At the rate I was going, I felt confident enough to not only take down the 9th tier, but the 10th tier as well without breaking a sweat.

It even made me hope that I would be able to go all the way into unexplored areas.

Shoving some jewels in the sack without much thought, I went onwards.

“Just like Pied Piper of Hamelin.”

Going forwards without being stealthed caused a massive amount of monsters to aggro on me.

Looking behind after running for a while, I saw countless monsters forming a mob group in the shape of a big triangle.

However, there were no issues with this situation.

This was just a part of hunting hordes.

Not only that, but I was sure that the stampede of monsters would have already frightened any nearby Protectors into fleeing.

Also, my form was completely covered by my armor, and I could always change the appearance of my outerwear as needed.

With the castle as the center, no matter which direction in 360 degrees you left outwards to, you could always arrive at each tier without issue, so even if someone did see my appearance now, the chances of meeting again was slim.

Even if someone did see my horde hunting strategy right now, I was sure that nothing would be out of the ordinary.

Wouldn’t there be someone in this world with strength on par with me already?

Others would just see me as a ranker Protector seeking to get to higher tier hunting grounds.

The most important thing here was to not use skills that of an Awakened, but skills that the Protectors here use.

What I was scared of was Barub, not the Protectors of this place.

“The way they’re grouped reminds me of bowling pins. Feels like I should try for a strike?”

The electricity in the air gathered, and dark clouds appeared in the sky.

The entire sky was a clear blue except for the area where the monsters and I were present, with darkness descending swiftly at our location.

The attacks that would follow this odd phenomenon would be far stranger and something grandiose.

After all, this skill was one of the most fantastical skill effects that I had observed so far, and the damage dealt was also among one of the most powerful.

This horde gathering method was also the same method of hunting the Protector who had casted this spell had used.

Isn’t there a saying that copying is the mother of all inventions?

It’s a rule of thumb to copy what looks good and figure things out from then on.

Finally.

The pitch black sky poured down an insane amount of electricity.

Even the range of this skill was vast, and was so vast that it was enough to cover me and all the massive number of monsters that had gathered.

Other than the sound of lightning splitting across the sky and the sound destruction in its wake, I could only hear the sounds of the demonic monsters crying out.

The lightning bolts that dug into the monsters searched for a way out, raviging their bodies in the process and hopped from victim to victim, eroding their lifeforce.

Due to the constant stream of lightning continuing on for quite some time, the monsters began to fall one by one, and eventually, only the jewels remained where the monsters once stood.

For a brief moment, I wondered if I should pick up the jewels in this decimated hunting ground.

“Is this enough to qualify as a strike? But how long will it take to pick up all these… Hm? Seems a single arrogant pin is still alive?”

There was one demonic monster that was leisurely pulling themselves out of the pile of corpses.

The location I was in was probably somewhere at the border between the tier 8 and 9 areas.

Even if this estimation wasn’t accurate, I had not seen this monster anywhere in the encyclopedia.

The encyclopedia was so well made that it exceeded my expectations, serving as an excellent guide.

It was a perfect manual that allowed me to see up to the 10th tier of Hell’s hunting grounds, and was made well enough for me to consider it like a textbook.

To think that such a great encyclopedia was incorrect was hard to believe.

Not only that, but this monster had survived what all the other monsters perished from.

“An elite mob? Looks like today is that day I will update the encyclopedia.”

The monster let out a common monster skill, Fear, which was a sharp howl that now dug into my ears.

The monster’s appearance was like that of half human and half monster.

The top half was that of a feline animal, similar to a leopard or cheetah, while the lower half was that of a human, standing up with their two feet.

Since I had already faced quite a lot of hidden bosses back on Earth, I did not feel any worry for this new development.

On the contrary, I was quite happy with the encounter. I was quite excited for what this monster might drop as loot.

As I heard from Dump yesterday, elite demonic monsters drop talismans that completely outperform craftable ones.

I was also positive that there would be additional benefits to defeating them.

In the blink of an eye, the monster had closed the distance and was attacking me.

“A nameless kitty like you pushes their claws at me the moment we meet?”

I used both the lightning attack I had used just before and Normal Breath at the monster.

I wasn’t limited by cooldowns or mana deficiencies.

I could produce any effect of magic freely to my imaginations.

The monster that had been allowing attacks to go through without any barriers suddenly jumped back to make distance between them and me.

They must’ve realized that they had no chance of winning.

While the breath attack didn’t reach, the electric attack kept chasing after them.

“Oh? You’ve made distance? Against a mage? Looks like the intelligence level of the monsters here are not much different from all the monsters back on Earth.”

It looked like Normal Breath would not reach them anymore.

That meant that I would need to use magics with greater range.

Since I had traveled through the higher tier hunting grounds while hidden, I was able to see some decent spells that were proving very useful.

If I have the time, I was planning on asking Dump for an encyclopedia that explains the skills of a magician.

Accompanied by a chilling sound, thousands of arrows surrounded the area.

It was a skill called Celestial Arrow.

“Shall I begin the hunt?”

I pointed at them.

Similar to how bullets are loaded into a gun before being fired, tens of arrows gathered to each of my sides, readying to fire.

I casted the attack at them right away, and razor sharp arrows flew towards them without hesitation.

“Kyaru!”

With swift movements, they had avoided roughly 90% of the attacks, but due to the sheer number of Celestial Arrows, even being hit by 10% of the remaining attacks dealt a massive amount of damage.

As time passed, they slowed further, and the arrows that penetrated all over their body began to release all sorts of powers like magical energies, torturing them.

The monster that had pushed their claws at me to attack at the start was now fully occupied trying to flee.

However, even their attempt at fleeing didn’t last long.

“Keheh…”

As the monster stopped moving, all the arrows pierced their body, and they perished on the spot.

The scene reminded me that of a hedgehog or a cactus.

On top of the dense pile of arrows that had successfully penetrated, I could see a pretty huge jewel and a few artifacts floating above.

Looking around, I quickly went towards the items and took them, then quickly fled the scene.

It was because I had concluded that it was a bad idea to stay here long at a spot where such a ruckus had occurred.

If this was back on Earth, I would’ve immediately checked what I had obtained, but I pushed down my anticipation and headed for higher tiers.

****

The Festival of Blood was taking place on this battlefield.

A large man was bashing his sword and shield together, trying to get the crowd riled up.

However, the nobles at the stadium seats only talked amongst each other or something other trivials.

So far it was too insignificant to warrant any excitement.

The large man was a slave that held the title of champion for over 2 months.

Besides the Protectors, you could say that this was the strongest amongst the regular civilians.

The nobles had long lost interest in such boring fights.

Since they had no other way than to go see the Festival of Blood to sate their boredom, they had come here, but it had become a place to have talks in order to form connections for the nobility.

It was true that the current situation was far from the original purpose behind the creation of the festival.

A malnourished thin slave went towards the yelling man, almost as if being shoved towards him.

Anyone could tell what would happen afterwards.

As expected by everyone, the slave’s head was lobbed off in a single cut, and the huge man held the malnourished slave’s head that was twisted in a horrific expression in his hand.

From the neck of the body that was sprawled out on the floor, blood spurted out as if it was being pumped out.

Despite the scene being very simulating and cruel, the crowd did not react.

It was then.

“Everyone, please give me your attention!”

“Hm?”

“What is this?”

“It is Marquis Millions!”

Due to his appearance, the crowd’s focus shifted on to him.

Despite holding both position and power only granted to a few, he did not use his power without reason.

He was the subject of respect for those below him, and even those equal or stronger than him could not deal with him as they pleased.

The appearance of a person like him caused a greater stir in the crowd than the bloodletting at the festival.

“Greetings to all the nobility gathered here. I am Marquis Millions.”

“Oho!”

“…”

“There is a reason why I have so rudely interrupted the festivities and appeared before everyone here.”

“…”

“…”

“The fight between regular civilians. I grow so bored that I cannot watch any longer. Isn’t that the same for everyone gathered here?”

“That’s right!”

“You’re correct!”

“A couple days ago, I was able to meet a wild beast that was not tamed. I can see a few of you who were there to witness the moment back there.”

“Is he perhaps talking about the one who smashed the guard’s head?”

“I think so.”

“To revive the Festival of Blood that is slowing losing its meaning, I, Millions… For the amusement of the nobility gathered here! I plan to enter the wild beast into this festival.”

“Huh?”

“No way…”

“Offering up a Protector as tribute for the festival?”

“What do you think, everyone! Do you agree with me? Greater brutality! Do you not want to see more blood?”

“Yeah!”

“Millions! Millions!”

The crowd erupted in applause and cheered Millions.

The roar of the crowd swelled further when Barub appeared at his gesture.

Just like that, the curtain of the Protectors Festival of Blood that Millions and Barub wanted was rising.

“I shall take that as your approval. Firstly, we shall remove the old and announce the start of a new beginning! Demon!”

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196. An Absolutely Different Start

“From now on, your name will be Demon.”

“…”

“How dare you! Show your respects towards Marquis Millions right now! Hurry up and answer him!”

“No. How could taming a beast like this be so easy to do so.”

“But…”

“I said enough. Leave us be.”

“Yes, Marquis Millions!”

“Now… Let us have a private conversation between only the two of us, wild beast… No, Demon.”

“…”

Barub was having difficulty accepting this current situation.

To think that they had been subjugated by someone else.

The feeling of humiliation they had never felt before, they were positive that what they were feeling now was embarrassment.

They had never even considered the thought that another existence stronger than them would exist in this world.

However, in this place where the demonic monsters have recently appeared at, it wasn’t that surprising to find someone as strong as Millions.

The demonic monsters and the Protectors. It was because when these two types of beings were defeated, one would perfectly absorb all their strength.

Just like how it was in the demonic realm.

“What did you want?”

“Kuhahah! You’ve finally spoken, Demon.”

“My name is not Demon!”

“No. From here on out, your name is Demon. I, Millions, has decreed it so.”

“…”

“I shall answer your question. What you want isn’t that amazing.”

“…”

“On the stage that everyone is waiting for, a position without equal… You will become the main character.”

“Main character?”

“That’s right. Warriors constantly fight bloody battles on the daily. It’s true that only the trash like that barely deserves the title of a warrior are everywhere. However, it won’t be like that anymore. Only those with true strength will gather now.”

“Are you talking about how everyone killed each other yesterday?”

“That’s right. We call that the Festival of Blood. It is a very important entertainment and betting event for the nobles, so if I stand in the center of it all… The glory that follows will be guaranteed.”

“I do not need glory. I only want strength…”

“Yep. That’s how it should be! You will become strong. Far more than anyone waiting for their deaths!”

“So that means that I have to take down my opponents?”

“That’s right. The matches will continue. If they are the nobles of Larkenta, then any of the dogs they raise can participate. You must become the strongest wild beast of them all. Obtain the power you want. I shall become the owner of the strongest wild best then.”

“Good. I shall do as you say.”

“If you stay patient for just a couple of days, those with strength will appear. Look forward to it.”

“…”

Barub decided to accept Millions’ suggestion.

To be exact, they had decided to follow his command.

It was because they knew that they would not be able to leave this place alive.

In 100 days, they would be summoned to the celestial realm.

The deal had been made while thinking that they would defeat Min-Cheol, and then rip apart both this world that Karupedan has created and Millions, who wore a fishy smile in front of them.

Obviously the nobles, as well as some within the Larkenta castle’s walls, were able to obtain the power of the Protectors.

Ironically, higher ranking nobles such as Millions obtained even greater power.

However, they hid within the thick walls of the castle and enjoyed a lavish life.

The reason was simple.

There were no separating boundaries between the demonic monsters and their residence, but not once did a powerful demonic monster cross over to Larkenta before.

That was why after setting up the first 10 ranks, the nobles held zero interest towards eradicating monsters beyond that rank.

Barub had been coerced into the Festival of Blood, which was an event that had been garnering popularity amongst the nobles as of late.

However, as Millions had said before, only dull easy fights would continue for awhile.

Nobles that specialized in growing strong warriors were extremely rare, and there were definitely no slaves or criminals that would surpass Barub as of now.

However, that wouldn’t last for long.

The plan was to bring in stronger talents who would want to catch the eyes of the marquis, even if a bit more.

The intense political battle between the nobles had already started.

“What will you do? Even if you join the Festival of Blood right now, it will be filled with regular civilians rather than Protectors. Your body will be soaked only in blood, and you won’t be able to obtain any strength. Will you wait?”

“No. I will still go out there.”

“Good. This will excite the other nobles greatly. This will benefit you greatly as well!”

“….”

“Let’s go, Demon.”

****

“Is anyone here?”

“Yes. On my way out.”

On the fourth day of arriving in Hell, I visited Dump’s smithy.

I looked far more raggedy than the first day, but the pouch over my shoulder was filled with jewels.

The reason I had come to this place was to change the appearance of my weapon and defensive gear.

It was also to repay my helper in Hell.

Since it was quite late into the evening, most of the shopkeeps of the market were busy closing down.

Normally, they would be busy coming out to the entrance to try selling me something.

I waited but a brief moment in front of the store.

“Is there an item you’re looking for, Sir Protector?”

“I’m someone who received help from you before. Do you remember?”

“Ah! Of course! How could I forget. Your name is… Right. Sir Guardian, right?” ⁴

“Yes. That’s correct. So you remember. I came here because I needed to tell you something. Is it okay if I come inside the store to speak further?”

“Ah.. That’s…”

Dump turned around while making a troubled expression and peaked inside the store.

I could hear sounds coming from where he had taken a peek at.

Since I could hear the sound of tupperware being shuffled around, I assumed that he was having a meal with someone.

I was positive that it was Dump’s child that I had heard only the voice of from before.

Remember that he had stressed that the child was a son, I carefully asked.

“It seems that you have a customer inside.”

“Yes… I apologize, but could you please tell me what you wanted to say here?”

“Please finish your meal with your daughter first. I shall wait.”

“Ah, no. I already told my daughter to eat fir… No! He’s my son. My son!”

“Hm…”

A gentle hum filled the air.

“Now, the conversation between us will absolutely not be overheard by anyone else.”

“…”

“The voice that I heard from before was definitely the sound of a woman. And back then, you also had stressed that he was your son back then as you have now, right?”

“That’s…”

“Is it something that I cannot know? As you know already, I had lost all my memories. And since you have given me a great amount of help, I do not hold any ill will towards you, Mr. Dump.”

“I know… I am aware that Mr. Guardian is different from the other Protectors. However…”

“If it is something so difficult to answer, then it is okay. I shall come back tomorrow at daybreak.”

“No. Please come in.”

“Are you okay with that?”

“Even if you leave, you already know everything. I am aware that continuing to try hiding it even after realizing that you already know everything would be too rude.”

“Alright.”

As if giving up, Dump, who was slouching in resignation, led the way in.

I followed while wondering ‘Is he afraid that because his daughter is too beautiful, I’d be tempted?’

As expected, a lady that seemed to be his daughter was seated in the corner of the store, having dinner.

Dropping the spoon that was in her hand, she had a very shocked expression.

Seeing her reaction, Dump spoke up.

“It’s okay. It’s the Protector that visited us before. Greet him.”

“Ah… Hello. My name is Berlette…”

“Yes. Nice to meet you. My name is Guardian.”

“Just as you said, Sir Guardian, this is my daughter.”

“Yes. She is beautiful.”

Despite having short hair, she had a beautifully feminine face that anyone could recognize as a female after seeing.

As if dyed, her hair was jet black, and that only highlighted her pale face.

Her emerald eyes and freckles here and there were quite charming.

Next to her was a helmet.

And seeing as she was wearing armor, she seemed to be a Protector.

I asked Dump.

“Why did you hide her so desperately?”

“I am very sorry to tell you this, but… Starting from a couple years ago, the castle started taking young ladies in.”

“….”

“Ladies from 16 to 19, one taken from each household. And if the child is a Protector, regardless of age or gender, they are all being taken away.”

“What’s the reason?”

“I do not know. However, no one from outside the castle has been able to see the Protectors and young ladies ever again after being taken into the castle. That is why I dared to lie, doing such a thing to you, Sir Guardian…”

“So that is why you hid her.”

“Yes. I committed a sin worthy of death.”

“No. It’s fine with me. However, seeing as how she is dressed, it seems she is a Protector as well…”

“N… No. She is wearing that in order to hide her appearance.”

“I see.”

“If it is money or weapons, I shall give as many as you want. So please…”

The sound of pouches dropping onto the floor rang throughout the room.

“Regarding money, I have more than enough to spill over. And I do not even have the slightest intentions of sending your daughter to the castle.”

“Thank you. Thank you.”

“I will do my best to help your daughter so that nothing bad will happen to her.”

“Just hearing you say that already makes me feel reassured. Thank you.”

“Moving on from that topic, what I wanted to talk to you away from the eyes of others was something else entirely.”

“Ah, I see. Give me just a moment…”

Putting up the sign that informed that the store was closed for the day, he quickly closed the entryway of the store.

Returning back after that, he waited for me to speak.

“Yes, please continue.”

“Could you perhaps alter the appearances of equipment?”

“Of course. As long as I have the materials, I could change them as many times as you wish.”

“Will this do?”

I pointed at the two big pouches that I had plopped down on the floor.

Opening them, Dump was slack jawed from shock and looked at me while speaking.

“To get this much in only 3 days…”

“I managed to do so along the way somehow. So is it possible?”

“It’s plenty. No. Even with just one of the pouches, I should have more than enough.”

“That’s good. How long will it take? I want my helmet, shoes, armor, gauntlets, wrist guards, and weapons all changed in appearance.”

“I do not know how much extravagance you would want your armor to show off, but I only need but one hour for each piece.”

“The appearance should be similar to the armor your daughter is wearing. Something that doesn’t catch the eyes and plain as possible.”

“Then starting as soon as daybreak falls, I should be able to finish by lunchtime…”

“I know this is asking a lot, but I ask if you could start right away. You can use as much materials as you need, and the rest will be payment for your work. Is it possible?”

“Huh? You will be giving me this much as processing fees?”

“Yes. Also consider this as payment for the encyclopedia as well.”

“Ahh… I do not deserve such grace. How could I dare…”

“I will be asking a couple questions while you work. The answers you will be giving me will be far more valuable than any of these jewels are to me, so please do not feel troubled and receive them.”

Taking off the weapon and defensive equipments, I handed them over to Dump.

These were artifacts that could not be moved around, much less equipped, unless you met the minimum stat requirements, but Dump took them without any concern and started on his work.

I concluded that this was only possible because the concept of stats did not exist in this world.

With the sound of his hammer, I began to ask my questions.

“I’d like to know what is happening within the walls of that castle.”

---

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197. The Real Hunting Begins at the 11th Rank

“It’s all finished.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

“It was nothing. Well… I do not know if you’ll like the finished products.”

“As I had thought, your skills are amazing. This is beyond what I had expected.”

“Hoho. You’re praising me too much.”

Dump changed the outer appearance of the artifact in a flash.

His hands moved so swiftly that it would’ve shocked the smith class Awakened back on Earth.

The speed and even the elegance. There were no flaws I could even try nitpicking.

The mix of defensive equipment that each showed off their splendor were now changed into a uniform silver glow.

Even the shapes were so plain that it seemed there wouldn’t be any instances drawing the attention of others.

Also the shape of the weapon had changed as well, changing from the original sword form into a new sword form with the appearance similar to being dipped in ink.

Since the Butcher’s Sword was originally a two handed sword, this new look was better suited.

“Well… I know I’m nowhere good enough, but I tried creating it with my poor skills.”

“What is this?”

“This is an Indomitable Talisman.”

“Huh? An talisman? I do not believe in superstition, but…”

Dump handed me his finished product the size of a thumb.

This piece had many engravings, similar to that of a stamp or a scepter.

Even the glow it gave off was that of a soft golden light, so while I did not understand what purpose this talisman served, I thought it was a decent decorative item.

Seeing that I was looking all over that item, Dump spoke to me.

“Can you show me the right chest portion of your armor?”

“Yes. Huh?”

“There should be a hole there. You just need to slot this in there.”

“What a wonderful decoration.”

“Hoho. It’s not just a decoration, but it should be a big help with your hunting.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The Indomitable Talisman is a type of guarding charm that increases the stats of a Protector when held by them. This is a charm that increases your stamina. I made it while wishing you safety.”

“Oho… There’s probably a reason behind why you only gave me one, right?”

“Of course. You can only have one charm active at a time. Even if you have multiple talismans on hand, only one of their abilities stay active at a time.

“It seems that I now have a reason to get even higher ranking jewels.”

“This was made from the highest ranking jewel you’ve given me. Since it was crafted by my crude smithy’s hands, the shape is less pleasing than what an alchemist could create, but I can vouch for its functionality. It’s nothing compared to what drops from elite demonic monsters… Think of it as a sign of good faith.”

“Both the shape and its capability are more than satisfactory for me. Thank you.”

“Compared to what you’ve done for me, it is far from enough…”

“I shall tell you straight. Until I regain my memories, I think will be needing your help, Mr. Dump. It means that I’ll be relying solely on you for methods to survive and information regarding hunting. And of course, I’m not asking for all this without payment.”

“As much as you want. I should be the one thankful for this.”

“Sorry for troubling you so far late into the night.”

“No worries. Will you like to at least have a meal…”

“Ah, no thank you. I’m fine. I shall head back for now.”

“If that’s the case… Please take care on the way back.”

“…”

“Yes, then I shall be off…”

Equipping the artifacts that Dump finished his work on, I began to slowly prep for my return.

Fumbling with the talisman in the slot of my chestplate, I realized that I needed to get higher ranking jewels.

The Indomitable Talisman only had the function of raising my stamina, but I had come to realize that there had to be talismans with much greater abilities out there.

Until I meet the elite demonic monsters that he had spoken before, this will be very useful to me.

Other than the first greeting, I wasn’t able to have any form of a conversation with Dump’s daughter Berlette.

Unlike Dump, I felt that she was extremely wary of me.

It was to be expected, as he had informed me that all the Protectors here followed the commands of the castellan.

Just like how the Awakened association administered the Awakened back on Earth, the power to move to the Protectors was held by the owner of the castle, the duke that held a massive amount of power.

Unlike the Awakened back on Earth that worked together with the association to obtain skill books beyond ranking, the Protectors here followed the ruler of the castle due to the duke’s brute strength.

It seemed certain that this was a strong dictatorship under the duke.

She probably thinks that I, the Protector, will have a change of heart and drag her to the castle with the flip of a coin, and was staying wary of me.

Of course, that would never happen.

At least for now, her existence wasn’t that important to me.

All I thought of this outcome was how Dump revealed his daughter and the situation he was in, which has strengthened the bond between us as collaborators.

Leaving the store, I did not head for the inn, but headed for the hunting grounds immediately instead.

For me, the need to eat or sleep didn’t exist after all.

****

“Whew…”

Using the Mass Stealth Jutsu, I was able to hide my form and rush to the 7th tier.

It would be convenient to use Warp, which no longer had a cooldown, but I had chosen the other method instead due to how Barub might find me if I used Warp.

Like a dart board, the hunting grounds were spread out with the castle being the center point.

Since the circumference of the hunting grounds grew exponentially larger with each rank, it was true that there was little chance I’d run into Barub.

However, the power Barub held was twice mine.

Since I didn’t know I’d be attacked the moment my Warp was found, it couldn’t be helped that I had to waste one hour each day to travel.

The time would only increase with each rise in rank.

Resting for a brief moment to catch my breath, I used Mega Cure to recover my health.

After that, I did not hunt at the 7th stage, but headed further outwards.

Just like how the dungeons of Earth was, the difference between each level and stage were huge when it came for the strength levels of demonic monsters.

On Earth, it would be the difference between experience points and artifacts that made the distinction, but here, the difference in one’s growth was much more personal.

I had completely hidden my outer appearance. There was no longer a reason for me to stay at the 7th stage, which had grown boring for me.

“Is it around here?”

“Keehik!”

“Keeaaa!”

“Seems like it, since the 8th stage monster Frost Queen is here.”

For the last 3 days, I read the encyclopedia to the point of getting sick of it.

It was obvious, since this was all I had regarding information on hunting.

There were roughly 5 to 6 different types of monsters per tier, and as the tier rose, I could see that the number increased due to the mixed presence of both the current tier’s monsters and the monsters from the lower tiers.

Not only that, but despite not having a clear boundary, I could tell the hunting ground’s scenery was changing as I continued to progress forwards.

This was especially true for the 8th tier, where the air became frigid unlike all the previous tiers.

The monster that let out a laughter that seemed to rip apart the very air itself while appearing before me was the demonic monster representative of the 8th tier, Frost Queen.

It was explained in the encyclopedia that these half transparent ice statue-like figures poured out extremely frigid blasts of air to attack.

They did not act alone, instead choosing to move in a group of 3 or even up to 5, and when their aggro was pulled to start the battle, they would immediately form up ranks and drag in nearby monsters into the battle as well, making them incredibly difficult to hunt without a party.

One amusing fact was that the other demonic monsters did not not even get close to the group of Frost Queens.

As I mentioned before, these monsters did not use physical attacks, but instead blasted out frigid air, so I imagine that they can deal collateral damage to nearby demonic monsters when they attack.

Covering my body with a barrier, I looked around my surroundings.

As expected, as the tiers rose, so did the rate at which I stumbled upon other Protectors.

Not only that, but after the 5th tier, people who traveled solo like me were rare.

While stealthed, I had come to a place where there was the least amount of human presence, so I thought to myself that the chance of meeting Barub here was nearly impossible.

“Since it’s frost, it’s obvious I should take them down with flames, right? No… Even if it makes sense to use this, it’s still too dangerous to do so.”

Did I get too comfortable?

I was mid cast Meteor Call without much thought before hastily canceling it.

It was frustrating that I couldn’t even hunt as I pleased.

I had fallen into the habit of checking for the presence of others, almost to the point of making me wonder if I was putting on a show for someone.

But what choice did I have? If a complete foreigner who casts spells that others cannot and displays destructive force so strong that it would be hard to believe, it was obvious that I would draw a ton of attention.

If any of those eyes that were drawn to me were that of Barub, then there was no denying that it would be a huge issue.

“I should be satisfied with this.”

The Frost Queens that gathered near me with haste blasted frigid air towards me.

Their attacks weren’t visible to the naked eye, but the area around me froze at a rapid pace.

It was almost as if my surroundings were covered with liquid nitrogen.

At the same time, monsters like the Yeti and Ice Gargoyles were falling far back.

Their movements suggested that they did not want to get involved in this fight.

If I started my attack towards them, all the nearby Ice Queens would gather towards me.

Even without bunching up all the monsters by kiting them all to a single spot, I was able to hunt them en mass.

I wasn’t sure if others realized this, but this was quite an easy and simple way to hunt.

Just like that, I blew forth Normal Breath towards the demonic monsters in front of me.

Almost as if I was using a flamethrower, flames burst forth towards them.

Normal Breath was one of the flame magics used by the Protectors here.

The effect was dull, but the skill did quite a decent amount of damage.

It was an area of effect attack that was designed against many targets, and I had already seen in person the skill spewing forth flames without limit.

However, the flames that I was shooting out was an attack tens of hundreds of times more powerful then what the other Protectors used.

I had only copied the appearance of the attack, because this attack was obviously not only infused with mana and magical energies, but also with the powers of the six gods.

“Did I mess up on my control of the flames? I burnt them all into a crisp.”

It was enough to make me wonder if I had stopped at the 8th tier because of fear didn’t have any reason to be fearful.

The representative of the 8th tier, the Frost Queen.

An elite demonic monster, according to Dump. This meant that, if put Earth terms, unless a hidden boss didn’t appear, there weren’t any monsters stronger than the Frost Queen on this tier.

However, when the flames made contact with their forms, not only did their bodies melt, but their entire form had evaporated into thin air.

It was as if I had thrown some straw into a boiling hot blast furnace.

To hide my strength and appearance, I had conducted a small scale hunt, so I didn’t even use half my strength.

However, since that restriction I had placed on myself had been lifted, I could easily defeat the demonic monsters of the 8th tier with such ease.

I came to the conclusion that I would easily be able to get past the 10th tier that the Protectors had founded.

After they had perished like that…

What sounded like boulders rolling down, I could hear around me.

That must be the sound of the Frost Queens in the area gathering towards me.

Since the fight was quite easy, I had planned to hide my form and skip to the 9th tier, but after seeing the sheer number that showed, the desire to do so completely vanished.

“I can now understand why this fight would be difficult without a party.”

It was enough to make me wonder if this encyclopedia really was made for beginner Protectors.

No matter where I looked around me, I could see them.

The entire field had been completely filled with Frost Queens.

Even for a hunting party, these numbers would make it challenging.

All the other monsters, as if gone extinct, had completely disappeared from view.

“Shall I become the reason behind climate change?”

---

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195. The Way They Live

-crack!

The head of the guard that was in Barub’s grasp was crushed in an instant.

The body of the guard that didn’t even have the chance to even scream before dying went limp.

The crowd’s gaze that was focused on the competition inside the metal cage all shifted to Barub at once.

Instead of the boring match, they had noticed something far more interesting.

This was the same for the Marquis Millions, who had sponsored this mediocre fight between swordsmen.

Barub had not expected this in the slightest.

They did not expect the mess that this imprudent act done without thinking things through would bring.

“Oho….. Quite the interesting fellow has come. Even their size and how savage they are…”

“We shall call in the bodyguards and capture them at once!”

“No. I want to tame them. That fellow who is completely mine.”

“Huh? Then…”

“Convey this to the slaves and criminals gathered behind them. I shall grant freedom to the one who who kills them.”

“Yes! As Marquis Millions commands!”

“Hohoho. It seems that an interesting entertainment has appeared amidst the repetitive boredom that was beginning to settle down, Sir Marquis. However, since this is a fight of one versus many… For some reason I cannot pinpoint, it feels as though you’re predicting that this savage will obtain victory?”

“Would you like to make a bet? Let’s not do that and enjoy another glass instead. You can’t leave out the alcohol when we’re enjoying entertainment, right?”

“Yes, of course. Hoho.”

Marquis Millions and all the nobility gathered there filled their glasses with spirit and observed the spectacle unfold.

Barub, who was being treated like a plaything of the nobles, let out a strong killing intent with a displeased look on their face.

Because of that, the tens of people behind Barub that were waiting for their deaths pissed themselves.

Instead of meeting Barub’s gaze, they were almost at the point of fighting each other to get to the corner of the area furthest away from Barub.

To the group that couldn’t do anything but be frozen in fear, the guard shouted at them.

“Marquis Millions has given all you incompetents a chance!”

“Ah…”

“L… Let me live! I’m innocent!”

“If anyone amongst you is able to take that person’s life, the marquis said he will pardon all your crimes.”

The bodyguard kicked a box of weapons, spilling its contents in front of the group.

After seeing how each other would react, each of them began to pick up swords befitting them.

“Now! This is a chance that will never come again! Prove your bravery so that you may repay the marquis’ heavenly grace!”

“Damn it. I’m going to die anyway! Let’s at least try gambling with it!”

“If we all attack together, maybe we’ll have a chance to win.”

“Let’s all go for it!”

“Ugh…”

“Hah! The weak always try to group.”

There was a reason as to why Barub responded to such a boring fight.

When they had first smashed the guard’s head, they had felt something within them physically change.

After the guard had died, they had completely absorbed all of the strength of that guard.

It was similar to what happened when Min-Cheol had used the Butcher’s Sword to take down the radical faction.

For Barub, the way to grow stronger was not through hunting, but by murder.

To steal something that someone had worked long and hard to achieve in a single moment.

This was an idea and a method that definitely matched how Barub was.

Barub looked towards the marquis that had given the command.

They thought to themselves, ‘It won’t be long until your strength will also become mine.’

It was then. While Barub was distracted, their attacks began.

“Hiyaaa!”

“D… Die!”

Tens of people armed with weapons all charged Barub at once.

However, these people were just regular humans, not Protectors.

There was no way that their slashing attacks could deal any damage to Barub.

The moment that the weapons reached Barub’s body, the weapons shook and shattered into pieces.

Barub did not let the vanguard that were now backpedaling to escape freely.

“This doesn’t feel too bad. It’s not that bad of a smell. Amusing!”

“Agh!”

“My… My arm! Ugh!”

The battlefield was completely engulfed in chaos.

Even though Barub had only swung their hand once, there wasn’t a single person out of those who attacked that managed to escape unscathed.

One of them put their hands on their stomach that had been cut clean open, screaming as they tried to forcefully put back their organs that were spilling out.

Another tried to hobble away, clutching onto their arm and leg that had been cut off.

Realizing that this fate would befall upon them soon, the expressions of the members in the rear grew cold and frozen in fear.

Contrasting that were the nobles in their seats, laughing with mirth and enjoying the show.

“Oho! As expected, the marquis’ eye for these things are spectacular!”

“This has become a lot more amusing. If you had made a bet here, it could’ve been very bad, you know?”

“Hohohoho! I wholeheartedly agree.”

“That…”

The situation on Barub’s end had concluded in an instant.

Their robe wasn’t just colored in red, but drenched in blood.

Behind them were corpses. No. There were piles of meat that had been cut apart to the point where one could not recognize what they were before.

Barub, dripping in blood, walked towards the crowd.

Despite seeing that young child’s smile filled with insanity, the nobility did not even blink and continued to laugh.

It happened as Barub tried to jump towards the marquis.

“Urk!”

“Seems it’d be a waste to kill you now.”

“Ugh…”

“I cannot see the desperation in your eyes. Filled with leisure and calmness, I see nothing but arrogance.”

“…”

“Was murdering them enjoyable? So you’ve learned the taste of blood, wild beast. However, you cannot grow by consuming the weak.”

“…”

Barub had been pinned down by Marquis Millions.

Having grabbed by the neck mid air, Barub had been pinned down onto the ground just like that.

This situation was hard to believe.

Barub currently had all the powers of the gods of the heavenly realm, endless mana and the same level of growth Min-Cheol had achieved as an Awakened, and even had all the powers of the demon king.

However, they had been defeated in a single blow from not even the duke, but by Marquis Millions.

It was enough to make Barub wonder why Karupedan had made such a crazy world.

As for what Millions had said, there was no way for Barub to obtain power from butchering tens of those without any strength.

Killing at least those at the strength of guards or those walking in the path of Protectors were the only way to obtain more power.

Millions looked down at Barub, who was struggling from just his arm, and continued to speak.

“The butchering you want to partake in, I shall let you soak in blood to your heart’s content. There will be joyous days to come. You and I… And we shall send out to the world what everyone wants.”

“Damn you…”

“Become my servant.”

“Ugh!”

“What will you do… Will you die here? Or will you stand at the peak?”

Barub was filled with rage that they had never felt before.

They immediately wanted to rip apart Millions, who was talking as if he was something worthwhile.

They never had imagined that they would have to kneel and obey someone else, because they were the peerless absolute existence.

They had believed that kneeling and obeying was exclusive for the weak, and these actions did not suit someone like them.

However, it wasn’t as if there were any other options.

It was obvious that if they refused the commands of Millions right now, they would die a dog’s death right here.

Forget a hundred days, they couldn’t be sure if they’d make it to tomorrow.

Their world that would be taken by that human. Their power and abilities.

Just thinking about it made Barub grind their teeth.

Not even an hour after crossing over to Hell, they had to make such a decision out of desperation.

‘100 days… I just have to endure this for 100 days. This disgusting dimension and world will also be completely destroyed in 100 days anyways.’

Deciding to follow the marquis’ demand, Barub weakly shook their head.

After that, Millionsgave a bright smile to the crowd and raised Barub up.

From the stands came a loud cheer and many applause, with Millions’ name being chanted.

“Wow! Millions! Millions!”

“Millions!”

All the nobles gathered here knew.

They knew how Barub would be used, and what would be Barub’s fate.

*    *    *

“How much to rest here a night?”

“3 Berk, Sir Protector.”

“Because I’m on my way back from hunting, I only have jewels, no currency, but is it possible that I can still stay?”

“Ah, Sir Protector. We do not have enough money to return you the change after receiving a jewel.”

“Hmm…”

Out of all the gems I had, I put the one that was right in the middle of all the sizes on top of the receptionist desk.

I had been able to hunt to the 7th rank.

If I tried my hardest, I could’ve definitely gone past that, but because I was wary of how others may perceive me, I stopped.

The growth I gained from hunting here was definitely different from the way back on Earth.

Unlike Earth, where you would raise your level by gaining experience from killing monsters, you directly absorbed the strength of the monsters slain here.

This meant that you could grow stronger much faster and by far more so than on Earth.

With the leveling up system, despite filling up the exponentially growing experience bar, you would only get 5 points of stats.

Here, however, you would become stronger as you hunted.

Addicted to this growth I could feel from hunting, I had hunted countless monsters, and now the amount of jewels I had were enough to fill up an entire truck.

I did gather them because I was worried that I’d need the money at some point, but to me, these were worth nothing more than rocks to me.

Seeing the jewel placed on the countertop, the eyes of the innkeep went wide as saucers, then lifted their head to look at my face.

“How many days can I stay with this?”

“Isn’t this a C ranking jewel? And with a size like this… You should be able to stay for over 100 days.”

“Is that so? Then please give me a room.”

“Ah, understood, Sir Protector!”

“Also…”

I put a jewel twice the size of the one that I had handed over.

The owner’s vision shook and swallowed down spit as if they were thirsty.

Lookin at them, I spoke.

“The fact that I will be residing here is a secret to all. Understood? If you can keep mum about this, then I shall reward you with far more.”

“Yes… Absolutely! There won’t be a single instance of me speaking out. Please believe me!”

“Good. The amount of time I’d need to stay will be less than 2 hours a day. You don’t need to worry about serving me food or cleaning the rooms, so all you have to do is give me an environment where I can stay as if I’m not here. Ah, and if possible, could you keep the rooms on the floor I’ll be residing in empty as well.”

“Yes! Yes! Sir Protector. Understood. I shall guide you up.”

“Okay.”

The owner dropped everything they were doing and used a lantern to lead the way.

This inn was so old that each step would cause a creak from the boards underneath.

That was part of the reason I had chosen this location to reside in.

This was a place that no one would suspect a Protector would live in.

After obtaining the abilities of gods, I did not feel hunger or drowsiness, so a place of rest could be considered useless.

And to some degree, that would be correct.

I did not sleep or eat.

A place of rest here meant nothing more than a storage space to hold my items.

I could’ve used a mana pouch to carry everything with me, but I needed to make sure to avoid any suspicious activities.

Completing the packing procedure, I left the inn in garments befitting of a bum.

---

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194. Hunting in Hell

“Thank you very much.”

“There’s no need. I hope that your memory returns as soon as possible.”

“Ah….. Yes. I suppose the first thing I should do is to find out which rank of monsters I can defeat.”

“Of course. I cannot find out how strong the equipment you are wearing is, but having your starting point at the edge of the market, which is where rank two begins, and progressing slowly is probably for the best.”

“Yes. I really mean it when I say I’m grateful. I shall continue to visit this place now and then.”

“It is an honor. And also this….”

“Yes?”

Dump pulled out a yellowed ragged scroll from within his clothing.

Made from high quality leather, the parchment seemed quite thick and tough.

While looking at Dump, who handed the item to me, I asked.

“What is this?”

“It might be of help, so please take it.”

“This…..”

“It’s an illustrated index of all the known monsters found from rank 1 to 10.”

“I’m not sure if I can accept this.”

“Do not worry and please take it. I am giving them away as gifts for beginner Protectors.”

“Ah…. Beyond the price, I am very thankful for your kindness.”

“Haha. It’s old because my son had been using it, but since I had made it from the finest leather, it should be serviceable for over a decade.”

“Really, thank you very much. Also, is there an inn nearby?”

“Hm… You really are in a bind. Since you aren’t able to remember your family or home…”

“Yes… Well. Things turned out like this.”

“How long will you be hunting for?”

“Since it is the high noon…. I think I will be doing it until dawn.”

“Huh? Until dawn?”

“I was wondering if I focused my all on hunting, my memories would return…..”

“Still, you shouldn’t overdo it. Time will solve that issue. And on top of that, I worry for your safety.”

“Yes, I shall do so.”

“The inn is at the 9 o’clock direction from the castle’s front gate. Until we meet again, I shall wish you luck. Please come again, Sir Guardian.”

“Yes, thank you. I shall do as you say. Farewell…..”

After leaving Dump’s shop, I headed for where the monsters were located.

Even during that short time, both my eyes and mind were fully focused on the index.

From monsters I was quite familiar with, to the unfamiliar monsters I’ve never seen until now.

In the index, there was information on monsters from rank 1 to 10.

I did not know how many ranks I could handle with the current strength I had, but obtaining the index by meeting with Dump was huge.

I felt as though it was best I could achieve on the first day of falling into Hell.

It happened the moment that I was a bit away from where the shops were concentrated at.

“Keick! Keeick!”

“Oho… There really are no borders, huh?”

I heard the monster’s howling Fear that I could commonly hear in Earth’s dungeons.

If I had arrived here without a goal, that sound would’ve been the signal for me to bail, but right now, it was music to my ears.

“How many ranks can I climb?”

I stopped before I could dash forward with a single step while empowering my Butcher’s Sword with the power of light, darkness, mana, and magical energy.

Quickly dispersing my power, I quickly looked around.

Since I couldn’t use my Eye of Insight, I couldn’t do a perfect scan, but I did not see anyone with my eyesight.

The lower the level of the hunting ground, the more people often gather, but I was relieved to find it otherwise this time.

Using a different alias to hide my identity was just the start.

Even though my form had changed completely, there still was a need to hide the usage of my powers.

If I used all the powers that I had obtained for hunting, Barub would notice and immediately recognize who I was.

After all, they were already aware of all the tricks I had up my sleeve.

It would be uncomfortable, but I had to adjust my powers to a decent level as I hunted.

If I was able to earn money through hunting, the first thing to do would be to obtain equipment.

I was very lucky that the first person who helped me was a skilled blacksmith.

If reforgeable artifacts like bloodstones existed, I was sure that Dump would turn them into wonder equipment.

“Kuehh!”

“Oho? A 5 group party?”

It was then that I saw a group that was hunting as a party.

In a split moment, many thoughts raced past my head.

The monsters around me were tempting to hunt, but I spent a brief time watching them hunt.

I was especially focused on the magic they were letting loose.

Their magic didn’t seem that different from the ones that I had obtained from Earth, but it was to make sure that I didn’t miss out on the smallest of details.

It was then.

“Oh! It’s quite big this time!”

“To think a jewel this big would drop from the 2 rank zone. I think we’re quite lucky today, hyung-nim!”

“It seems so. I feel motivated from the start! Now, let’s pick it up.”

“Yes, hyung-nim!”

Something floated above the monster’s cold corpse.

The shape looked similar to the bloodstones one could obtain on Earth and the demonic realm.

Seeing as to how happy they were, it was obvious that the item had great monetary value.

Or perhaps it was used to empower people’s bodies or artifacts.

Quickly taking the jewel, they continued forward deeper.

“Should I follow them for a bit?”

Scanning around, I casted Mass Stealth Jitsu and Silent.

By doing so, getting close to monsters still didn’t draw their aggro.

Stealthed and even canceling noise, there was no way that I would be found by them.

Well, even if I was discovered, nothing would happen.

Just like that, I continued to track them for 30 minutes.

****

“Good.”

There weren’t a great number that I learned from following them, but the information obtained was going to be quite useful.

Firstly, the jewel they mentioned before dropped 100% of the time.

As I had expected, the jewels were the same as the bloodstones in terms of usage.

They were used to craft weapons or to enhance them, and had monetary value.

Only Protectors could obtain them, and the price differed vastly depending on the jewel’s rank and size.

I did not know how much money I needed in this place, but it was probably better to have too much than too little.

Money was also necessary to keep a mutually beneficial relationship with Dump.

The next information was the real reason why I had followed them.

It was to check the effect that was produced by the magic of this world.

It was because I needed to use my infinite mana in the same way that I had observed.

There was no need to learn the magic’s name or damage, nor did I want to learn.

As long as the shape was the same, it wouldn’t cause too much suspicion.

There were a lot to consider thanks to Barub’s possible presence, but it wasn’t too much of a hassle.

It was because the fruits of my efforts would clearly show after a 100 days.

“Now. Shall I test my limits?”

“Koong koong! Koog!”

“Oho. What was the name….. That’s right. Bug Pig.”

“Koo koong hoong! Kweh ang!”

“Oh my. I’m sorry… Guess this isn’t a place I should stay at.”

Bug Pig was a boar the size of an ox from Earth.

I was able to tell, because I had seen the index beforehand, and both their attack and defenses were written as D-.

Due to how tasty the meat was, they became daily meals for beginner Protectors and a decent source of income.

Their thick and rough fur were durable enough to block the sword of an average person, which was why these were sometimes used as armor for beginners.

But unlike their reputation, the monster perished in a single hit from the lightning strike discharged from my hand.

Not only that, but the monster was cooked into a tasty looking meal.

Due to the smell, I almost obtained an appetite.

It almost made me want to run back here with salt and ssamjang. ⁵

However, the hide and fur weren’t damaged in the slightest, retaining their durability perfectly.

It was as if I had put the monster in a pot and steamed it to perfection.

“Then shall I….”

“Hm…. It would be good if I can get rid of the smell….. It’s still somewhat stylish though, I guess?”

Putting my full trust in the index as if it was a textbook, I peeled the Bug Pig’s hide off with efficiency.

The smell of the meat was quite potent, but the size of the hide was perfect to hide the armor that I was wearing.

The horrible scar on my face, unfriendly appearance, and now with the Bug Pig’s hide that covered me, I looked cruel enough to outdo a barbaric warrior.

Thinking about how well it went with the rest of my look for a brief moment, I used the hide as a sword belt to hide my Butcher Sword.

Since I was able to defeat the representative of the 2 rank monsters, the Bug Pig, I decided to head for the 3 rank right away.

This was just my guess, but I felt as though I would be able to get to at least rank 7 or 8 without any issues.

Despite losing half my strength, I had obtained all the powers of the celestial plane’s gods, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to be able to defeat monsters like these with ease.

That was why I headed for the opposite direction of the town leisurely, towards where the higher ranking monsters would appear.

****

“Hm….. How uncomfortable…..”

Just like Min-Cheol, Barub also fell somewhere in Hell.

Moving their body a little bit, Barub frowned and let out a complaint.

It was to be expected. They who had no form were now trapped in a fence called a body, so it was to be expected that they would feel discomfort.

Moving their arms around and trying to get used to the situation, they looked around.

“Ahhh!”

“Ugh! Die!”

Barub blankly was spectating what was happening in front of them.

Two slender males were swinging their swords in what appeared to be a duel.

There was no wonderful and fancy armor involved, both wearing only ragged worn cloth pieces instead.

The battlefield where they spilled bright red blood was no better.

The sand floor wasn’t smooth due to the pebbles sticking out here and there, and the duel fought within an iron fencing was akin to a prison.

There was no cheering from the crowd, only mockery and jeering instead.

This wasn’t a fight between Protectors or swordsmen.

Giving swords to criminals and slaves, it was a forced fight to the death.

It was but a show for the rich.

Barub watched without much interest.

It was then.

“You little!”

“……”

“Leaving your area! Hurry and return!”

A guard with a spear as tall as Barub pointed their weapon at Barub and threatened them.

Barub was bare save for a robe covering their body.

Since they were a god to begin with, there was no need for them to have weapons or armors in the first place.

Barub looked towards the area that the guard had pointed to.

There were slaves and prisoners waiting to die in turn there.

Barub’s lips twitched for an instant.

It was amusing to see the guard treat them like a slave.

“Amusing….”

“What? You little!”

“Huh? Let…. Let me go!”

The guard thrusted their spear towards Barub, who had ignored their command.

Since these folks were treated as less than human, there would be no hesitation towards killing them.

However, the spear was twisted like taffy, and since the attack closed the distance between them, Barub was able to grab the guard’s head with one hand.

And then.

-crack

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193. The Law of This Place

“Please come this way.”

“Of course……”

“My my. Speak with ease please, Sir Protector. You need not show consideration for someone as lowly as I.”

“Ah…. I prefer this.”

“If you say so.”

I followed the merchant into the shabby store.

It really was one of the shabbiest stores I had ever seen, only separated by a thin veil of cloth from the store next to it.

Since the merchandise handled here were usually armors, shields, and swords, this place was technically considered a blacksmith.

The smell of blood and iron was thick in the air.

Unlike what I had expected, I followed the merchant through a rather long aisle to the back of the store, sitting down on a small desk in an area that I could barely fit my body in.

Afterwards, the owner brought out some diluted soup and a piece of bread, and then spoke.

I thought that this owner was being overly kind, but since I did not know what the title of Protector meant in this realm, I decided to take it in stride without much suspicion.

“Due to my living conditions, I don’t have anything else prepared other than this…..”

“No worries. It hasn’t been long since I had my meal, so I’ll just take the show of good will. Thank you.”

“It seems that what you had said was true, Sir Protector.”

“Huh? What do you mean…..”

“About you injuring your head… Most Protectors are very different from how you are being right now. Until now, I’ve never met a Protector this polite and gentle.”

As if embarrassed, the man smiled.

Moving past that, I immediately began asking away.

“Ah….. Yes. I really cannot recall anything from before….. Well, just as I had said before, I’ll ask a few questions.”

“Yes, as many as you need.”

“These questions can be ridiculous, but I would like you to explain with as much detail as possible.”

“Of course. It seems that this isn’t a relation that I should deal with carelessly.”

“First, I’d like to know exactly what the title Protector means.”

“As expected. I’m not sure where to begin…..”

“…..”

“In this world, a Protector is basically a job. At the same time, it is also a position of rank. If I had to add on one more meaning, it would be everyone’s benefactor.”

“Sounds similar to my own world.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing. Please continue.”

“Yes. Then….. Not that far in the past, monsters began to appear here, in the holy land of Larkenta. No one knows where they first appeared or how they’re coming here. We do not even have the slightest clue.”

“…..”

“After all, we were running to save our lives, and holding on while only thinking of surviving.”

“And then suddenly, these exceptionally talented Protectors appeared?”

“Yes! That’s correct, Sir Protector. Protectors are the chosen ones. Are you beginning to remember somewhat?”

“Ah…. Yes. A little bit, but I think the memory about that part has returned.”

“That’s a relief.”

The merchant definitely said that this place was the sacred land of Larkenta.

It was then that I was absolutely sure.

This was the past that Karupedan was in.

This really was the place that she had spent her hellish childhood.

But monsters are appearing like back on Earth?

This was welcoming news for me, but on the other hand, I did not understand.

Were the monsters added in for the sake of the bet between the Barub and I?

Right now, I didn’t have the luxury to think about it deeply.

The 100 days were set in stone, and the only thing I could afford thinking about during that time was growth.

I continued asking the merchant questions.

“Does that mean that I can only meet these monsters by entering special areas?”

“Yes, that is correct. You must have seen the high castle walls in front of us, yes?”

“Yes. Even if I tried, it was rather too large to not…..”

“The castle walls weren’t that high or thick at first. Due to class differences, us ordinary citizens could not enter freely between here and the castle, but as long as we had some justifications, it wasn’t impossible.”

“Then did it change once the monsters appeared….”

“Yes, that’s right. After the monsters appeared, the duke of Larkenta and its nobles were the reason behind the walls rising in height, increased in thickness, and growing colder than ever before. So much so that we’re not even allowed near the walls anymore.”

“…..”

“This meant that the very place you, Sir Protector, are sitting at wasn’t safe before in the past. It wouldn’t have been strange for monsters to come pop up at any given moment. Just like that, all of the royalty hid behind the walls of the castle, and those without power like I were left helpless in danger.”

“Even though this is a different dimension….. Guess the nature of people do not change…..”

“But now, it is okay. Thanks to the appearance of Protectors, this market area has become stable quite some time ago. The areas a little past this one are still undeveloped, but beggars can’t be choosers. I’m just satisfied that I can carry on with my sales without worry.”

“Hm….. Sorry to interrupt you in the middle of your explanation, but a question comes to mind.”

“No need to worry. Please ask away.”

“You said that Protectors have powers far exceeding that of the ordinary human, correct?”

“Obviously, of course.”

“If that is the case, then no matter the title of duke or other titles such as the marquis, wouldn’t they be forced to kneel during a crisis like this?”

“That would’ve been the expected outcome. However, it seems that god isn’t fair to everyone.”

“What do you mean…..”

“The more well off you were, the more strength was blessed onto you. The majority of the nobles received this otherworldly power, and out of them all, the duke has powers beyond questioning. It really is unfair.”

“Hm….. I see. So most of the nobles and Protectors reside inside of the castle?”

“That’s correct. A few talented artisans are also inside as well. They make artifacts and present them to the nobles. Of course, the products they make would be of the highest caliber made from far greater quality materials than this store has.”

The middle aged merchant spoke in a calm tone while sipping on his tea.

To show this much kindness to a poor Protector who couldn’t buy anything without asking anything in return, his personality was beyond good.

I didn’t plan on coming forward with the full truth, but it seemed that he was far above the qualifications for keeping a decent distance and being mutual benefactors.

He could supply me with information, while I would provide him safety and monetary gains.

I asked him once more as he was about to take another sip of tea.

“Due to how lost I am, I wasn’t able to give proper introductions.”

“Ah. No, I should’ve been the one to give you my greetings… I was so blinded by trying to sell…”

“That’s not the case.”

“My name is Dump. I run the blacksmith. Even though my products cannot match the quality of the items found within the castle, I provide weapons and protective gears that are second to none in this market.”

“I see. Just from looking around, I can see that you are offering high quality goods. My name is Kim…..”

I barely stopped myself from finishing that sentence.

In a situation where I did not know if and where Barub was watching, it was obvious that great danger would follow if I walked around with my name in public.

Since they had hidden their form and power as well, I also needed a new name that matched my newly changed appearance.

The power difference between them and I was currently twofold. If I was found early on and the battle concluded just like that, then it would truly be a pathetic and absurd end.

I had to delay the meeting between them and I as long as possible. The best result would be to meet in the celestial plane after 100 days had passed.

Dump leaned in and asked me, who had stopped mid sentence.

“Huh? Your name…..”

“Ah. I cannot recall. My memory is getting better, so would it be okay if I told you if I do recall later on?”

“Ah. Of course. I’d like to apologize if I rushed you for no good reason.”

“That’s not it. Until then, please refer to me as Guardian with ease.”

“Yes, I will do so.”

I was about to ask about hunting next.

It was then.

“I’m back.”

I heard a gruff and curt voice of a female.

It was then that Dump, who had been keeping a calm expression, could not hide how panicked he was, half standing up and at a loss on what to do.

It was almost as if someone who wasn’t supposed to show had.

‘Was it a family member? A daughter?’ is what I had thought as I saw nothing odd with the situation, but Dump was the opposite, keeping his head low as he spoke.

“Ah! I’m sorry. It seems my child is here.”

“Ah. I am fine. Don’t worry about me and go greet your child.”

“That… Ha… Then… I’ll be back soon…”

“Yes.”

Dump hurriedly ran towards the entrance of the store.

Following that, I could hear the quiet conversation between the two of them, as if they were whispering.

Despite having lost half my original power, there was no way that I couldn’t hear their conversation from this distance.

I ended up eavesdropping on their conversation without meaning to.

“Were you unable to sell a single one today as well? It seems as though sales are dropping with each passing day…..”

“Hush! You. What if you get taken away because you were yelling that loudly!”

“What’s the problem? I already checked if no one was around before doing so. Do you really think that I can’t even notice something as simple as that?”

“Ugh! Since there is a customer inside, leave through this path and quietly stay back home. And in case you sense the presence of anyone near the house, hide in that place. Alright?”

“Really? Are you sure that they didn’t hear?”

“Whew…. Papa will do whatever it takes to talk this situation over, so hurry up and go.”

“Alright…..”

Finishing up the short conversation that seemed to hold a lot of scolding, Dump returned.

Perhaps trying to gauge my reactions, it seemed that he had something that he could not let be discovered exposed just now.

His forehead and face was drenched in sweat, and his eyes had lost their calm and were shaky.

I spoke while looking towards this nervous man.

“Are you anxious….. You look terribly pale.”

“N…. Not at all! It’s because my son had caused some trouble outside. Haha…..”

“A…. son?”

“Yes! Son! A son. It’s because he hasn’t hit puberty yet. He definitely is my son.”

“Ah. Sure…..”

Did I perhaps hear wrong? It was a short conversation with a few lines exchanged between, but I was sure that it was a female voice.

If I hadn’t eavesdropped on their conversation, it was possible that I might have believed what Dump had said and thought the owner of the voice was that of a child who hadn’t gone through puberty yet.

However, right now, I strongly felt that he was hiding something.

Ignoring my curiosity, I moved on to asking questions regarding hunting.

Only after confirming that the conversation was moving towards the topic about Protectors, Dump regained his sense of calm.

“Then about hunting….. I would like to learn about the hunting that is taking place in the undeveloped areas that you spoke of.”

“Since I do not know how strong you are, Sir Guardian, I will explain it in general and simple terms.”

“Yes, please do so.”

“The undeveloped areas are divided from tier 1 to 10. The type and strength of the monsters that appear in each tier differ in massively.”

“Is there a clear divide between the tiers?”

“That is not the case. However, I’m absolutely positive that there are stronger monsters the higher the tiers are. The reason why there are only 10 tiers of classifications is because humankind hasn’t been able to progress past that yet.”

“Interesting. To think that these strong monsters aren’t actively attacking the humans.”

“The only explanation that we could come up with is that we are protected by god. We do not know how long this peace will last… The place that Sir Guardian and I are in right now is tier 1.”

“As you have said, this place really was the territory of the monsters till some time ago.”

“That’s right.”

Like that, Dump’s explanation regarding hunting continued.

---

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