Ch.97Chapter 97. Undead Hunter Woohyo

An excavation site formed around a mountainous area.

Despite being outside the empire’s territory, it was clearly a well-funded garrison zone with significant investment.

In addition to the workers for excavation, there were merchants who came for supplies and trade, imperial soldiers gathered to protect them, and adventurers who came to fulfill requests.

Naturally, causing trouble in a place of such scale would inevitably make one the center of attention.

“You’ve really turned things upside down quite spectacularly. I heard Marcus has been exhausting himself trying to calm the commotion.”

While resting and being questioned in an isolation facility guarded by soldiers because of the incident, I gave Jean Cleo, who had come after hearing the news, an awkward smile in response.

“Well, what happened was…”

“No need to explain. I’ve already heard everything from the prophet lady.”

Right. If he entrusted Irie with conducting the training, they must have already shared the details.

Just as I was thinking how convenient it was not having to explain, his gaze shifted toward the armor leaning against the corner of the room.

“So, was that previous incident the result of unleashing a high-ranking Demon Tribe’s potential? To withstand such power and achieve meaningful results—truly remarkable, I must say.”

“Ah, no. It’s not that impressive. From the beginning, that power came from the armor, not from me…”

“What difference does it make that you used a tool? Most people would be too intimidated to even use such an item, but you wielded it admirably and achieved significant results, didn’t you?”

Jean spoke earnestly to me as I tried to explain that I had merely relied on the power of a tool.

His sincere smile and the hand he placed on my shoulder conveyed genuine appreciation.

“Even the most talented swordsman with the most illustrious lineage is useless without a sword in hand… In a world where everyone is born with different qualities, it would be foolish to declare something worthless just because it fails to meet a single condition.”

“Yes, that’s true, but…”

“Have confidence. At least from my perspective, you’ve admirably overcome the first hurdle to becoming a Hero.”

Right, my goal is to become a Hero.

I still don’t know exactly what kind of Hero he’s referring to, but if I can obtain power as he said, I should be able to achieve anything I want.

Restore Tashian Pailoi, gain recognition from others, and even find a way to coexist with both Irie and Merilyn—I could live as I wish, even in this world.

“Well, you seem sufficiently rested, so let’s continue with the next training. We’ll need to do some mountain climbing—are you confident in your stamina?”

As I was gathering my resolve, Jean handed me back the armor I had removed.

Feeling that my fatigue had mostly dissipated, I confidently answered as I put on the armor he offered.

“You don’t need to worry about that. Using my body is what I’ve done most since coming to this world.”

I can survive being thrown anywhere.

For someone like me, whose only perceived strength was survival, mountain climbing barely qualified as exercise.

-Murmuring voices.

The problem, however, was that since this was a place where people lived, I had to be concerned with more than just training.

As I left the isolation facility and walked through the excavation site, I became aware that the surrounding gazes were focused on me.

Not just the workers dispatched for the excavation, but also merchants trading goods, adventurers seeking requests, and even the soldiers controlling the area.

“That thing just now—was that caused by him?”

“Yes, it’s definitely him—the otherworlder wearing black armor.”

It seemed the earlier commotion had become widely known among the people at the excavation site.

Well, it would have been strange if it hadn’t attracted attention, considering it could have caused a landslide if only the weapon had held up.

“But doesn’t his face look familiar?”

“Ah, yes. I remember now.”

Additionally, my ability ensures that people who have encountered me don’t forget me.

Anyone who had met me before could immediately recognize that I was the same person who had caused the incident.

“That’s the Hero Hunter, Hyoseo…”

“I’d heard rumors, but I never imagined it would be to this extent.”

But why do people who remember me always remember my name like that?

No, seriously, it’s strange. My ability specifically makes people remember my name correctly, so why do they keep dropping my surname?

“Isn’t the name ‘Hyoseo’ strange?”

“I heard somewhere that even his battle cry is ‘hyoseo-hyoseo.'”

“That’s not something a human would do.”

“Maybe he can hunt fallen heroes because he’s abandoned his humanity?”

Damn, how distorted have these rumors become?

But it would be futile to try correcting rumors that have already spread so widely.

“By the way, there’s something I’ve been curious about.”

Just as I resigned myself to enduring as usual, Jean, who was walking ahead toward the mountain ridge, stopped leaning on his staff and turned slightly toward me.

“At my age, my memory often fails me, but I find your name remains distinctly clear in my mind.”

“Ah, that’s probably because of my ability.”

An ability that hardly needed to be kept secret.

After I briefly explained it to him, he chuckled while stroking his beard.

“So in essence, it’s an ability that ensures you’re never forgotten?”

Yes, that’s all there is to this power.

Of course, thanks to this ability, I was able to rapidly develop Tashian Pailoi’s sense of self, but considering how it led to Pailoi’s rampage and withdrawal, it wasn’t entirely beneficial.

Rather, thinking about how I’d been burdened with the infamy of being a “Foreign Laborer” and “hero killer,” I couldn’t shake the feeling that currently, the disadvantages outweighed the advantages.

However…

“That’s a power perfectly suited for a Hero.”

“…Pardon?”

His evaluation was the opposite of what I had expected.

When I expressed my confusion, Jean resumed walking and spoke with a hint of bitterness.

“No matter how strong or noble they were, there have been heroes who failed to leave their names in history and were forgotten.”

“…”

“…Let’s continue.”

“Ah, yes.”

Forgotten heroes.

The moment I heard those words, my gaze gradually lowered until it settled on the spear in my hand.

Although there was no response now because its heart was closed, it could still function perfectly well as a spear.

But at this moment, what I was thinking about was the soul that became the medium for this weapon…

The story of someone who used the name “Tachia Pailoi” before the craftsman who made this weapon.

‘Ironically, before hearing the results, this world was hit by countless calamities that rendered such things meaningless. Even the kingdom that waited for her return began to irreparably deteriorate due to an unidentified plague.’

A hero who was acclaimed but forgotten in history because the kingdom that should have remembered her perished.

The thought that this being had a connection to the man before me was certainly no misconception.

****

Anyway, from now on I would begin training in earnest under his guidance.

Following him alone, I eventually climbed a mountain path and entered a cave that had been bored into the mountain.

The reason we took a different route from the workers on the way up was because excavation work prioritized locations where safety had been secured.

“Now, let’s find some suitable targets for training.”

“Ah, yes. We’re also going to exterminate the Undead at the excavation site, right?”

From what I’d heard before coming here, this excavation site, where dragon bones had been discovered, was already inhabited by numerous Undead.

Initially thought to be naturally occurring wild Undead, there were now testimonies of collective behavior and even sightings of Undead digging tunnels.

Based on the circumstances, one could interpret that someone was attempting to excavate dragon bones from this mountain using Undead for some reason.

“Yes, Marcus is quite determined about it. He’s even issuing requests to adventurers to completely exterminate all the Undead on this mountain.”

It was likely the work of a necromancer affiliated with a cult or beings like liches belonging to an Undead legion.

Although humans currently had the upper hand, the imperial army wouldn’t let their guard down given the importance of the operation.

If they became careless even slightly and failed to secure the dragon bones, it could go beyond a mere loss and become a threat to humanity.

“Originally, I was just planning to find a suitable place for quiet training, but since Marcus is keeping an eye on us, we should produce some results to appease him. I hope you can help with the extermination while we look for training targets.”

“…I don’t know the details, but it seems you’ve fallen out of his favor.”

“Heh, from his perspective, I must look like I’ve been wasting time all these years.”

Tap, tap.

Inside the cave, we relied on lantern light to navigate.

Unlike the tunnels equipped with rails and central axes, this area hadn’t been touched by human hands yet, giving it a desolate atmosphere.

It was so dark that without light, one couldn’t see an inch ahead, making reckless work impossible.

The task for adventurers who accepted the request was to explore this cave like a dungeon, and once safety was secured, hand over maps and reports to prioritize the safety of workers.

-Kirruk, kraa!

Ah, speaking of dangers, here they come.

As I gripped my spear shaft and aimed the tip, the shadows moving around the cave began to appear in the light of Jean’s lantern.

Naturally, they weren’t human.

According to what we’d heard from the supervisors beforehand, we were the only ones assigned to search this cave.

-Uooo, uooooo.

-Kyarruk, kaaaa.

Groans forced out of dry throats.

Along with ominous magical energy emanating from their eyes and the stench of decay.

A group of Undead, which I had seen quite often in this world, had responded to the presence of the living and come to find us.

“Well, it seems our training ground has been found by some obstacles first. Can you handle them?”

“Yes, Undead like these are manageable.”

At least from what I’d heard before coming here, no particularly dangerous Undead had been discovered.

I could handle ordinary Undead even without Pailoi’s help, but given their numbers, I couldn’t afford to be careless.

The most frightening thing about Undead is when they have numerical superiority and charge without fear.

-Ugh, ughhh…

-Uh, uhhh…?

But when the distance between us and the Undead narrowed, rather than charging at me, they stood still and stared blankly at me.

As I wondered why they were suddenly acting this way…

-U, Uhyooo…

-U, Uhyooo…?

The moment I heard the groans escaping from their mouths, I realized what was happening and gradually relaxed my body.

Right. This had happened before when I encountered them in a dungeon months ago.

Undead are essentially beings that came back from death.

With their brains—which should preserve memories—rotted away, they’re essentially in a state no different from dementia.

As a result, without the intervention of a caster or higher entity, they’re left with only a strong obsession toward the living.

And my ability forcibly imprints my name into the consciousness of anyone or anything that possesses awareness.

-Uhyooo.

-Uhyooo, uhyoooo…

In other words, Undead with no capacity for thought end up in a state where they can only repeat my name, the only thing left in their minds.

Unless they were Undead with consciousness like the Four Knights, it was easy to understand why ordinary Undead didn’t charge at me.

Yes, I could understand, but…

-Uhyoooooo~

-Uhyooo! Uhyoooooo!!!!

…Damn it.

Now they’re even straining their necks while making a fuss.

-Slash, slash!

Whatever the case, standing stupidly makes them easy to deal with.

After cutting down all these annoying creatures with my spear, silence finally returned to the cave.

Seeing that they didn’t charge even when their comrades were killed, I didn’t have to worry about them rushing at me out of some sense of camaraderie.

“Ho ho, it seems your ability has unexpected uses.”

Jean expressed admiration as he watched me easily annihilate the Undead group.

He seemed pleased that the work had become easier, but having eliminated the Undead, I couldn’t feel particularly cheerful.

-U, uhyooo…

See, even now, one with only its head remaining was squeezing out its last bit of strength to call my name.

I generally try not to harbor ill feelings toward my parents, but with incidents like this happening repeatedly, my resentment couldn’t help but grow.

Mother, Father in heaven, why did you give me this name?

On second thought, it’s not heaven but the other world, but anyway.