Chapter 8: Garden Frontier #1

Chapter 8: Garden Frontier #1

I’ve never been here before, but the scenery is familiar to my eyes.

This place where I stand is one of the front lines of the empire, which aims to expand throughout the continent.

If this were a game, a dramatic sound effect would play, and the subtitle “Garden Western Frontier” would appear at the bottom of the screen.

The people wandering around had dark expressions.

It wasn’t uncommon to see people with missing limbs.

A village exposed to all sorts of threats, including monsters, hostile kingdoms, and barbarians.

For the residents here, words like future or hope would be the funniest jokes imaginable.

‘Now, what should I do first?’

I checked the tasks ahead of me.

First, I have 450 magic stones, so I shouldn’t forget to improve my stats with them.

And then, I need to get the necessary items with 2100 gold.

What do I need most…

‘Clothes, I guess.’

My lower half felt too exposed.

No matter how much time passed, I couldn’t get used to the cold emanating from the ground.

The cloak alone couldn’t block it.

It’s especially critical when sitting on the ground.

The feeling of sitting on the cold dirt with my bare buttocks… no one who hasn’t experienced it can truly understand.

Even Tarzan wore underwear.

‘Even if I can’t get underwear, I need to get different clothes than these rags.’

I also need to remember to deliver Yuria’s letter, but I don’t know who her brother is right now, so I’ll put it on hold.

I navigated towards the center of the village, recalling the village map in my mind.

Ah, another peculiar characteristic of the Garden Frontier.

“Two swords that are practically brand new. A shield that’s a bit dented but still usable!”

“Five skewers of beast meat, I don’t know if it’s a rat or something, but it’s definitely plump ones I’ve carefully selected-“

“How much did you research before coming? …Never mind. If you’re not going to make the first offer, don’t even talk to me.”

There are no proper shops in this village.

All transactions are based on street-level haggling. Newcomers to the village don’t know who sells what or where.

I stood for a moment, observing the street.

Stalls that open and disappear like lightning without warning. Fights that break out with loud shouts every now and then.

Shh-

A knife flew past my cheek like an arrow as I stood there blankly.

A man bleeding profusely fled in a hurry, pursued by a burly woman wielding a nailed wooden club.

“You bastard! You said if I did as you said, I’d get two armors! Give me back my armor!”

“It was my mistake to trust you!”

The passersby didn’t even care about such disturbances, as if they were trivial.

‘What a mess.’

This was not a welcome sight for me, who preferred large supermarkets with clearly marked prices for each item, even in reality.

But there’s no other choice.

I have no choice but to adapt before this village changes.

There’s no need to rush, so I strolled around the village center, waiting leisurely.

After about an hour of blending into the village scenery.

“We’ve brought the heroes!”

A group of men arrived pulling a cart.

These are the specialty of the western frontier, the so-called ‘Crows’.

It seems I wasn’t the only one waiting for them, as people in the village started to stir from various places.

I also approached the cart.

“Choose carefully! There will be quite a few good finds this time-“

The Crows opened the cargo compartment of the cart with practiced hands.

Soon, dozens of corpses began to pile up on the dirt ground like frozen fish.

This is the true identity of the ‘heroes’ the Crows speak of.

The corpses of adventurers.

‘I knew it, but seeing it in person isn’t a very pleasant sight.’

When venturing outside the frontier to defeat monsters or build fortifications, a large number of casualties are inevitable.

Most of these bodies are left to rot on the spot because it’s difficult to retrieve them…

However, there are corpses that the Crows somehow bring back to the village.

Afterward, valuable belongings that appear to be worth something, such as rings, earrings, or high-quality weapons, are first pocketed by the Crows.

The rest are sold as they are, worn by the corpses, just like now.

‘If I die, I’ll end up like this too.’

It’s a cruel scene, but any adventurer in the Garden Frontier must be prepared for such an end.

In other words, even with the “Immortality” trait, I must be careful not to die carelessly in this village.

Even if I revive, I might end up as a ‘hero’ and be tossed around on the ground like cargo.

Moreover, being stripped bare by countless hands is a bonus.

In any case, it’s time for me to move quickly.

If I hesitate, I might not be able to get decent clothes.

‘I don’t need anything else, just one thing. Definitely size adjustment.’

I mingled with the crowd and examined the clothes of the corpses.

Since my physique is small, normal adventurer clothes won’t fit.

Therefore, finding clothes with the “Size Adjustment” magic rune is the top priority.

‘It’s not a rare rune that can’t be found. I’m sure there are a few if I look carefully.’

I searched with burning eyes, and searched again…

However, I started to get buried under the people. My vision grew darker, and breathing became difficult.

I felt like I was trapped in a writhing, pulsating meat cave, unable to move.

‘What if I die like this?’

There are people under me.

There are people, damn it.

No one hears me even if I shout.

Everyone’s eyes are wide open, busy rummaging through the corpses.

What if I become a hero too…!

My head was spinning from lack of oxygen.

Just then, someone grabbed me by the nape of my neck and pulled me up.

“Phew!”

I gasped for air like someone who had narrowly escaped drowning.

“Th-thank you…”

I managed to express my gratitude with unclear pronunciation.

The person who saved me was a man as big as a bear.

He looked about 2 meters tall.

“You saved my life.”

“…”

The man nodded his head with a stoic expression, then paused for a moment before speaking.

“What do you want-“

“Yes? What do I want…?”

Is he asking for payment for saving my life?

The man continued, looking towards the pile of corpses.

“Tell me. I’ll get it for you.”

“Really?”

“It’s dangerous-“

The man pointed at me and shook his hand back and forth.

He probably meant that I was too small to get into that crowd.

Well, if he’s going to help, I have no reason to refuse.

I pointed to a corpse I had my eye on.

“Then that one.”

The man nodded and thrust his tree-trunk-like arm into the pile of corpses.

Swoosh.

The corpse was pulled out with surprising ease, making my previous struggles feel futile.

“And that one too. Oh, and that one as well.”

As I spoke, I noticed the man’s leather pants were torn in an unsightly manner.

It looked like they were torn by a monster’s claws.

“Do you need pants, by any chance?”

Nod.

“Pants, pants… I saw them earlier. Ah, there they are. Quickly! Someone will snatch them!”

After picking up the corpse wearing the good pants, we moved to another spot.

We got everything we aimed for.

I got a long-sleeved shirt, shorts that reach my knees, and a pair of sturdy-looking boots.

All of them were inscribed with the “Size Adjustment” magic rune.

And this is an unexpected bonus: the boots were also inscribed with a low-level “Durability Enhancement” rune.

“How about those pants?”

“…”

“They’ll definitely fit you, right? Try them on.”

The man shook his head as if in trouble.

‘Ah. Could it be that he can’t change because I’m here?’

Thinking about it, I’m not a man anymore.

It would be awkward to take off pants in front of a girl…

He’s huge, but so shy.

The man held the pants up to his leg and made an ‘OK’ gesture.

He didn’t say anything, but his face showed satisfaction.

“Ah, right. Come to think of it, I need to pay you.”

I almost forgot.

I didn’t have time to settle the payment on the spot, so the man paid for everything first.

It sounds a bit odd, but ‘heroes’ are cheap.

The Crows took all the valuable items first anyway, and the rest were just wearing junk.

If you have the discernment and knowledge like me, you can get items with magic runes, but most items are just duds as they appear on the surface.

As I fumbled in my pocket to get the money…

“It’s okay.”

The man gently pushed away my hand as I tried to give him money.

“Thanks to you, I got good pants too.”

Well, that’s true.

If I hadn’t mentioned it, he wouldn’t have found pants with the “Size Adjustment” magic.

So, let’s call it even.

“Should we just leave the corpses here? Or should we return them to the Crows?”

“Hmm…”

The man let out a sigh.

“If we leave them… it’s pitiful…”

This person, despite his intimidating appearance like a black bear, seems to have a delicate heart.

The man seemed reluctant to leave the corpses behind.

“If you really feel that way, let’s bury them.”

“There’s no proper place-“

“I know a place suitable for burial.”

I took the lead, and the man followed, carrying four corpses on his shoulder at once.

We buried the corpses in the burial ground located in a corner of the frontier.

To be precise, it was the man’s job to move the corpses, dig the ground, and then fill it back in.

I chattered away, offering advice from the side.

After all, everyone has their own strengths.

It’s simply a matter of efficient division of labor.

At least, that’s what I think.

“This way, they might find some comfort.”

Nod.

The man’s face brightened considerably, as if he had shed a heavy burden.

The makeshift funeral ended with him awkwardly clasping his hands together, mimicking something he’d seen, and bowing his head in silent prayer.

“Thank you for your help.”

“…”

He patted my shoulder a few times without saying a word.

A taciturn man to the end.

After finishing our business, we parted ways coolly.

‘Come to think of it, I didn’t even ask for his name.’

That thought occurred to me later, but I didn’t think it was necessary to chase after him and ask.

If he were a named NPC worth befriending, I would have recognized him without him saying anything.

He’s probably just one of the many common human warriors in ‘Nine Stars’.

‘If we happen to cross paths again later, I’m sure we’ll meet.’

I watched the man’s retreating back.

The man’s gait was quite cheerful as he examined the pants he was holding.

He seemed eager to try them on quickly.