Ch.122Karma-Struck NPC. (1)

“What? Another wraith? Sigh, where is it this time?”

When I went to report about the wraith at the guild in a nearby village, the male clerk wrote down the information with a genuinely fed-up expression.

To top it off, after hearing our credentials—that I’m a gold-rank adventurer and Miho is a blue-rank—he even furrowed his brow.

“It’s problematic when a gold-rank adventurer doesn’t hunt undead monsters…”

“I don’t have any magical power, and I came over from Natie in a hurry without any [Holy Attribute Potions]. I hadn’t heard anything about undead appearing in Aigram. Are they common these days?”

“…Oh. So you’re not an Aigram adventurer but crossed the border? I misunderstood, sorry about that. And yes, you’re right. Undead have been rampant lately, so we’re all a bit on edge. Plus, we’ve got adventurers coming in from the Empire, but strangely, instead of decreasing, problems are only increasing.”

According to him, undead monsters suddenly started appearing around Aigram exactly two months ago.

At first, they thought it was just a fluke caused by improperly disposed bodies from the previous demon invasion.

However, due to the unusually strong and numerous undead monsters, casualties among adventurers gradually increased. Eventually, Aigram even sent in the military to fight alongside adventurers in what became a literal war against the undead.

In that war, nearly 20% of the adventurers and soldiers died, but somehow they managed to reduce the growing number of undead.

Wait, such a major incident happened? Not even a rumor reached Natie? Is this for real?

“From what I’ve heard, Natie has had its own series of major incidents recently. That’s probably why. Come to think of it, didn’t you say you came from Natie?”

“What? Major incidents? I was definitely in Natie until recently, but what exactly…”

“I heard that someone in a position called the vice-mayor, no, vice-principal? Apparently, they were kidnapping children for human experiments and forcing spirits into servitude to create a spirit army for war. Haven’t you heard about this?”

Oh, that?

It seems that while the principal was dealing with what the vice-principal had done, rumors spread to neighboring cities. So while news about the undead reached other guilds, Natie was too busy with its own chaos to hear about the undead.

Damn. That perverted old criminal vice-principal is no help. And a spirit army? When was he preparing for war? Is he really insane? Or did the rumors get distorted?

After that, the guild worker, who somehow started venting to me, shared various stories.

He talked about how adventurers from the Empire and Aigram’s own adventurers were fighting over territory, and how the Empire’s situation has been unstable recently.

Hmm, but is there any news about Ponia?

“Ponia? Oh, have you heard about that too?”

“I’m asking because I haven’t heard anything.”

“It’s a hot topic among adventurers these days. You didn’t know?”

When the conversation turned to Ponia, the guild worker seemed to become somewhat more energetic and continued talking.

Recently, Ponia has almost completely driven out the monster parade, with only one mountain remaining. And all the adventurers who have been active there in recent years and moved to other countries are at minimum gold-rank, with some even reaching white-rank, which supposedly appears only once every few decades.

He also mentioned that a certain adventurer who recently moved from Ponia to Aigram reached white-rank despite his age, and since he has a good personality, many people around here have had pleasant experiences working with him.

Does this guild worker have bipolar disorder or something? Is he okay? Earlier he was irritated and depressed, but now he seems happy.

Well, hang in there with your extreme job! The world is only going to get more chaotic from here on out!

As I was listening to the guild worker’s rapidly changing emotional narrative and wondering how to politely end the conversation…

“Hey. Are you going to move? Damn, did you rent this spot or something?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. Thank you for the information. I’ll be going now.”

“Sure. Oh, if you’re looking for Holy Attribute Potions, try that counter over there. They’re 5,000 kan per bottle, but the effect lasts 12 hours.”

“Yes, thank y—”

“Hey! You stupid bastard, move out of the way already!!”

I quietly look at the large man who keeps making a fuss behind me. This is ridiculous.

The guild counters are so empty that most staff are just sitting around with nothing to do.

If I were being a nuisance asking for information during a genuinely busy time, the guild staff—not some adventurer—would have given me a signal to move along.

There are clearly four empty counters beside me, yet this axe-wielding man deliberately came up behind me and started causing trouble. I gave him an incredulous look, and he pulled up the corner of his mouth aggressively, as if that’s exactly what he wanted.

“What’s your problem? Damn, I couldn’t accept a quest because of you!!”

“Excuse me, don’t you see all the empty counters?”

“You annoying piece of shit! I want to be served HERE!!”

…Anyone can see that you’re the annoying one here.

“Sir, please stop. I can help you accept a quest over he—”

“What?!! Is the guild taking this bastard’s side now?!!”

*THUD!!!*

The man cut off the guild worker who was trying to mediate by slamming his axe into the ground.

What the hell is this guy doing? Hasn’t he read the adventurer’s guidebook? If you threaten someone by brandishing a weapon inside a town, I could beat you to death and still get leniency.

“Stop now or I’ll call the guards!”

“Ha!! What? You’re protecting some outsider? Do you know who I am?!!”

“……”

Who are you, exactly?

This attention-seeking jerk suddenly started showing off. When he raised his voice, the guild workers turned their heads away in annoyance. Satisfied with their reaction, he pulled up the corner of his mouth and began introducing himself.

To summarize his long-winded speech, he claims to be the only white-rank adventurer in Aigram.

Hmm… wait, what?

“I am known as the Blood-Soaked Battle Axe…!!”

“Ah! The one the clerk was talking about earlier…!!”

“Yes!! I am that famous…!!”

“So you must be that Aigram white-rank who lost territory disputes with Empire adventurers?”

“!!!!”

When Miho, who had been quietly listening beside me, threw out the fact that I had also noticed, the man’s body staggered and his eyes widened.

Right? That’s what he was talking about earlier, isn’t it?

I looked at the guild worker for confirmation, and he squinted his eyes in agreement.

Ah, so that’s why he was sharp with me earlier too.

I’m a gold-rank adventurer hanging around the guild without taking a quest at this hour, and I ran away from undead. He probably thinks I’m overleveled compared to him.

I understand. It’s the fate of all desk workers to worry that after dealing with one difficult customer, the next might be difficult too.

“What did you just say, you beast woman?”

“Come on, let’s go. I’ll leave so you can accept your quest. Let’s not make trouble, Miho.”

“What, what?!!”

Ignoring the axe-wielding man whose face had turned red from being hit with facts, I told Miho we should leave and walked past him…

*BANG!!!*

“Damn it! I asked what you said!! You mongrel bitch!!”

“……”

The man blocked our path by swinging his axe and striking the floor with its blade. Apparently, he has no intention of stopping.

It seems he wants to take out his frustration from losing his territory on me, a gold-rank adventurer from outside.

[Adventurer: Level 98]

It’s surprising that this guy is level 98 and white-rank. But wow, Aigram’s levels have really inflated? A level 1 village adventurer at 98?

And while I have no magical power, shouldn’t he sense that Miho is stronger than him?

No, I guess that’s why he got pushed out of territory disputes despite being white-rank? What an idiot.

The guild workers behind us started bustling about when he used the blade of his weapon. They’re probably calling the guards to stop him. So, what I need to do here is…

“You bastard!! Tall freak, aren’t you going to control your beast?! Just because it looks human doesn’t mean it can bark like—”

“Shut your mouth, meathead. You’re the dog barking in someone else’s territory after getting kicked out of your own. Who are you calling a beast and mongrel?”

*Stomp.*

I step on the back of the axe he embedded in the floor and pull up the corner of my mouth.

At my action, he pulls up his own mouth corner as if pleased, thinking he’s caught me.

He probably thinks that since I touched his weapon, he can crush me here and then claim it was mutual fault.

Hmm, is he smart or stupid? No, definitely stupid. And this guy even made discriminatory comments against other races. Is this really what a white-rank is like?

“Ha!! While this senior is being nice, leave all your money and that subhuman beside you and get lost. Then my axe won’t have to see blood today…!”

*Twitch.*

“Finish your sentence, meathead. What about your axe?”

*CRACK!!*

He tried to lift the axe I was stepping on, but did he really think I’d lose a strength contest to someone who isn’t even level 100?

Instead, I stepped down harder, driving the axe head halfway deeper into the floor. He started to panic when he couldn’t pull out his axe with his own strength.

Wait, what did he just say? Leave my money and the subhuman? Damn, is this an adventurer? Looks more like a bandit to me.

Is his status window bugged or something?

“And what did you call yourself earlier? Blood-soaked…”

“Wh-what? Y-you, what is this…!!”

The man, panicking that his axe wouldn’t budge, grabbed it with both hands and pulled, but my body didn’t even flinch.

Honestly, Ira’s diving power feels stronger than this.

“Ah! Was it Blood-soaked Pig?”

“Pfft. Wasn’t it Pig Without Blood Drained?”

“Wh-what?!!”

Oh, nice comeback!

Miho chimes in with a laugh when I mockingly ask.

“And pork doesn’t taste good if the blood isn’t drained.”

“We should eat some delicious pork in Aigram tonight. I’ll ask Elder Green Stone to buy us some.”

“Y-you lowborns, what are you saying…!!!”

Finally giving up on pulling out the embedded axe, he swung a fist the size of my head at me.

Hmm, finally swinging, huh? I’ve been waiting too long.

“What am I saying? I’m saying you’re trash.”

*BANG!!*

I put my good head to use by smashing my forehead against his swinging fist. I saw it in a wood encyclopedia before—isn’t the frontal bone harder than knuckle bones?

*CRACK!!*

“ARGH?!!”

Indeed, the internet teachers are right.

He screamed and retreated as his full-force punch broke against my head. I drove his axe completely into the floor and pulled up the corner of my mouth.

“Idiot. Don’t you know that even thuggery requires brains? You should at least use your head like I do.”

Even if the software doesn’t work, it’s good to have multiple uses for hardware, right?

“Wh-what!! Damn!! What kind of head is…!!”

“And, dog, why do you keep calling her a beast and mongrel? Aren’t you not human either?”

“Y-you bastard, what are you saying!! I’m hum—!!”

“Come on, anyone can see you’re a pig, an orc.”

This guy apparently doesn’t know his own race, poor bastard.

I decide to educate him with my fists.

“Discriminating against other races is wrong. Got it? You orc.”

I finally put my law degree to use by turning a pig into popcorn.