Episode 127 Karlstein (1)
Misha Karlstein.
A 5th-year explorer who comes from a pure-blood family but has not been treated as a child because he was unable to make a contract with the soul beast.
‘Hey, my dad wants to see me… … .’
There are some parts that are somewhat predictable.
Because through Misha, I have a good understanding of how the Jeokmyo tribe operates.
“But why aren’t you saying anything? What time do I have to be there by?”
“Uh, that’s… … I don’t think tomorrow will work out. I need to prepare myself mentally… … I need to tell my father in advance.”
“What? What on earth are you talking about? Wasn’t it you who asked me to go with you tomorrow?”
When I asked back as if it was ridiculous, Misha avoided my gaze and twiddled her hands.
“That’s… … I didn’t know you’d allow it so easily… … .”
“So you said we should go tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I thought that was how you negotiated?”
“… … .”
I wonder if I said that, but Misha’s plan seemed plausible in its own way.
If you say you don’t have time, do you plan on naturally postponing the appointment and then moving on to the next time?
“Ugh, whenever I ask you to go out and play, you always say you’re busy, so what’s the big deal this time?”
“Your father called you. Of course you should go and meet him.”
“Huh? Is that so, is that so?”
Misha averted her gaze at the vague remark.
“You, you too… … Why did you say such embarrassing things?”
Hey, when did you say that Suin and Barbarian were men?
***
“Let me know again when we have an appointment, and I’ll be going now. I need to sleep more. Oh, and don’t come tomorrow. I have to leave early.”
“What? You’re sleeping again after sleeping all day?”
“If you keep doing that, I won’t be able to go—”
“No! I won’t bother you, so get some rest!!”
After Misha opened the door and went out, I resumed my sleep that had been interrupted for a while.
And the next morning.
‘Whew, I feel like I can finally live.’
It took me a whole 36 hours of sleep before I finally felt a little refreshed.
You should refrain from using the word ‘life’ in the future.
Anyway, after a quick shower, I headed to the holy place and the elder greeted me.
“It’s been a long time. Bjorn, son of Yandel.”
Where on earth did the chief go?
Advertisements
I was so curious that I asked quietly, and got a somewhat unexpected answer.
“If he’s the chief, he went to the city for a while on business. He’ll probably be back tomorrow.”
“It’s strange that the chief is going out.”
“It’s not common. Anyway, if you have business with them, why don’t you meet the young warriors while you wait? You’d be a good stimulus for them.”
The elder’s promising proposal was politely declined.
I don’t feel bad that I’ve been recognized as one of the Barbarian outputs, but my business today is elsewhere.
“Then, would you like me to call a sorcerer?”
After waiting for a while, the sorcerer’s disciple came and guided me to the tent.
The bald-headed sorcerer with wrinkled hair held a large bear pipe in his mouth and was blowing smoke out of it.
“Kikki, warrior, here you come again. You’re really talented.”
For some reason, the voice is high-toned today.
The pronunciation is a bit awkward, like looking at a drug addict.
“Can I get a soul engraving today?”
“If you have enough money, kik.”
No, that’s not it. I was asking if it was something you could do while drunk.
I was worried inside, but I just opened my wallet.
Clang, clang.
Every time I put in a million-stone magic stone, a corner of my heart ached.
‘Now I’m broke again.’
The cost to receive the 5th level engraving is 8 million stones.
After paying this, I’m only left with about 700,000 Stones. Well, there are still 2 million Stones left in the shared account with Misha… … .
Those funds cannot be used for personal purposes.
“Warrior, you are missing one.”
“… … I was thinking of putting it in now.”
Finally, the calculation was completed by inserting one more magic stone worth 500,000 stones.
Huh, I thought it might work this time.
‘I guess I don’t have to worry about making a mistake along the way.’
I lay down on the bed, trying to focus on the positive aspects as much as possible.
and…….
“Keuhehehehe······.”
“Kick, warrior! Scream louder!”
“Kuaaaaaaah!!”
Soon, a constant pain came over me.
***
“Activated the 5th stage of the Immortal Seal.”
Advertisements
“Your stamina increases dramatically.”
“Spirit level increases by +80.”
***
In [Dungeon and Stone], stamina is an important stat.
It doesn’t have a big effect on combat power, but if your stamina runs out, you will become unable to act.
Even when doing raids lasting several hours, the ‘Stamina Regeneration Assist Scroll’ was considered a necessary consumable.
but…….
‘I didn’t know that this would be a useful stat in real life.’
In the past, I felt the limits of fatigue in the Witch’s Forest. Also, just yesterday, I was in a state of semi-hibernation with my mental powers depleted.
That’s why it feels even more real.
Changes in body and mind.
“Kik, you look pretty okay today.”
Normally, I should have been returned by now, but today, the accumulated mental and physical fatigue feels much less.
I’ll have to check the details later, but if the effect is this good, shouldn’t I be fine even after staying up for two nights?
Of course, if you ask if it’s worth 8 million stones, then absolutely not.
‘… … As expected, engraving is not very cost-effective.’
I guess it might be different in the second half of the game, where skills are more important than money.
In the early to mid-game, it is more efficient to buy equipment or, even better, buy and consume essence…
The way to shorten the growth time is to grow as quickly as possible and save money to increase the imprint.
So, I originally planned to just stamp the first step and not touch it for a while.
I didn’t know I would be eating [Giant] this early.
‘Whew, I went all-in on the imprint, so now there’s only one step left.’
The sense of emptiness over the decline in wealth was fleeting.
I feel a renewed sense of pride.
The moment you reach step 6, you will receive several times the rewards of all the money you have invested so far.
“Warrior, why are you just standing there? I’m tired. Go outside and take a look.”
After being lost in thought for a moment, I heard the sorcerer’s exorcism and left the tent.
Before I knew it, the sun was setting.
I walked along the bushes, carefully checking if Ainar was waiting for me like last time… … .
‘None.’
Ainar was not visible until we reached the city, passing through the dark forest path.
Well, you must be busy since your training is almost over.
‘Come to think of it, there’s only one month left.’
As I passed by the deserted street today, I chuckled.
It’s called time.
Advertisements
It’s so fast and yet so slow.
It seems like only yesterday that I was stepping on traps and limping because I didn’t have leather boots.
***
“Bjorn Jandel”
Level: 4
Physical: 386.1 / Mental: 319.3 (New +81) / Abilities: 345.4 (New +3)
Item Level: 967
Overall Combat Index: 1292.55 (New +84)
Acquisition Essence: Corpse Golem – Rank 7 / Vampire (B) – Rank 5 / Orc Hero – Rank 5
***
Three days later, I boarded a large carriage heading to District 13 with Misha.
Well, the Suin tribe’s holy land is not adjacent to District 7 where we live.
“Hey, are you thirsty? Should I get you some water?”
“It’s okay.”
“How about your stomach? Aren’t you hungry? I brought some things just in case, do you want to eat them?”
Looking at Misha’s extreme attitude, I laughed in disbelief.
“Stop it. I won’t turn back halfway or anything.”
“No, I’m more worried about that. It must be an uncomfortable place for you. Since you’re going because of me, you should at least take care of this—”
“Okay, I’ll sleep, so wake me up when we get there.”
“Yeah, yeah… … It’ll take about three hours, so get some deep sleep.”
I said I was going to sleep before it got any worse and closed my eyes.
And how much time has passed?
As Misha had said, the carriage arrived at its destination at noon.
‘It’s a six-hour round trip… … It’s not like he just goes and sleeps when he comes back.’
It wasn’t that far if you take the straight line, but it took longer than expected to travel because I had to go around District 14, which is a restricted area.
‘Well, that’s probably why he settled here. He probably wanted to be as far away from home as possible.’
“Bjorn, why are you still here? Are you tired? Should I carry you?”
“Okay, you go ahead.”
“Okay!”
After that, I followed Misha, who could be called a local, and explored the streets.
It wasn’t much different from the 7th district I currently reside in.
It’s just that the length is a bit more complicated, and there are a lot of people and dwarves.
but…….
“Okay, we’ve arrived.”
The holy land of the Suin tribe that we arrived at soon differed greatly from that of the Barbarians.
Advertisements
‘I heard about it, but I never thought it would be this much… … .’
It seems that the holy place is located outside the city.
But that’s all they have in common.
Instead of living in shacks or tents built in the bushes, most of the buildings are made of stone, and there is even a road running between them.
also.
“Dad, there’s a barbarian over there. A barbarian!”
There are shops open for business, and families can be seen walking around the streets here and there.
As if I were living here and not in the city.
‘We were all kicked out as soon as we became adults… … .’
The Suin Holy Land was literally like a village outside the city for the Suin people.
But was it weird that I was just blankly watching this?
“Why is it like that…? Is there a problem? No, even if there is, you can’t go back?”
“… … I just did it because I was curious.”
“Huh? You think it’s strange?”
Misha tilted her head as if she couldn’t understand.
I have a lot to say, but I am holding back.
Wouldn’t it be like spitting in my own face to complain about the harsh conditions of the Bavarians?
I just asked around once.
“Are all the original holy places like this?”
“Hey, I don’t know what that means?”
“If you’re a human, shouldn’t you be raising animals in the forest and stuff?”
In fact, the Holy Land of Suin looked like that in the game.
So, it was probably 150 years ago?
“Ah, uh, I think I’ve heard that in the past, people lived like that to keep the traditions… … . It’s so long ago that I don’t really know.”
“… … I see.’
Well, why is only the Barbarian still there?
As I was walking down the street, suppressing my discontent, a huge mansion soon appeared before us.
“Okay, this is our house.”
Nemiral.
Our chief still sleeps in a tent.
As I let out a deep sigh, Misha began to look at me again.
“Oh, don’t be nervous. Nothing will happen. He’s Bjorn, the son of the little Balkan Yandel, right? Our father likes famous explorers. Yes?”
Misha spoke to me as if to soothe me, but it was obvious that she was the one who was doing it.
“You need to calm down. I came to your house, why are you acting like this?”
“Huh? I, I’m fine?”
Advertisements
“Then open the door. How long are you going to stand here?”
At my words, Misha quietly took a deep breath, then rang the bell to summon a servant.
“I’m trying to get inside. Could you open the door for me?”
The servant didn’t respond to Misha’s request, just glanced at her, opened the door, and left.
‘what?’
It was a very heterogeneous appearance.
Well, Misha is out of her half-and-penny days.
‘I heard that her father also knows that she made a contract with the soul beast?’
I looked at Misha absentmindedly, and at that moment, our eyes met, as if she was also looking at me.
The emotion in his eyes was familiar to me.
My ex-girlfriend used to give me this look a lot.
That look in your eyes when you find out something you didn’t want to see.
“Well… you know, Bjorn. There’s something I haven’t told you yet.”
“Speak quickly.”
Misha swallowed hard at my words and continued speaking carefully.
“Only my father knows that I made a contract with the soul beast. So, no matter what happens inside, please don’t get angry. Okay?”
“I guess it depends on what it is.”
“It’s nothing. It’s just a little bit worse than the guy I saw earlier.”
“A little more detail. Then I can respond as well.”
Misha hesitated for a moment at my request, then mumbled with a resigned look on her face.
The verbal abuse from brothers, the teasing under the guise of a joke, the attitude of employees whispering behind your back so that everyone can hear.
There has never been an episode that severe.
I’m sure they selected and presented a mild flavor.
Surely in reality it was much worse.
“Well, of course no one would do that to you. So don’t worry too much—”
For some reason, the corners of my mouth seem to twist.
“Rain, Bjorn? Why are you laughing? Don’t laugh. If you do that, I’ll get scared… … . It’ll all be over later when Father reveals the story. I, I just have to hold back a little longer.”
Misha spoke for her father with a worried look on her face, but I felt that was the biggest problem.
That bastard Abi knew everything and yet he neglected her.
Whatever the reason for that silence.
He left his child to suffer for his own sake.
But on that topic, they called me to this house.
‘I guess you really think I’m a dick.’
Suddenly, a dark, malevolent aura begins to creep into this huge mansion.
It feels like looking at a dungeon full of monsters.
Advertisements
Is that why?
“Behel—raaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”
A cheer came out on its own.
At the same time, the servant who had disappeared without a word reappeared.
“What are you doing, Barbarian! Behave yourself!”
“It’s courtesy… … .”
I approached him, mulling over what he had said.
“You definitely have a head problem.”
Where in the world is there a barbarian who is polite to his enemies?
