Chapter 248 Gnometree (2)

Chapter 248 Gnometree (2)

Gnometree (2)

The chieftain told me that day:

[If you want my position, become stronger, warrior. And prove that you’re worthy. I’ll be watching you.]

That he would hand over his position to me if I proved I was worthy.

Then how do you prove it?

I didn’t bother asking.

Because there was only one way for a barbarian I knew.

“Let’s move!”

“...You’re a wise warrior.”

The battle that was about to take place inside was moved to the outdoor clearing thanks to my insight.

And...

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!!”

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!!”

...the battle began with battle cries.

Kwaaang!

The chieftain swung his axe, the one he used to behead ‘Orm, son of Kadua’, mercilessly, and I fought back, using all the skills I had learned.

But to summarize the result...

“I won.”

...I lost after about an hour of fighting.

The reason for my defeat was my lack of specs.

After all, the chieftain was a similar type to me.

If our positions were completely different, there would have been variables, but there wasn’t a single unexpected turn of events since I was weaker than him.

‘As expected, it’s still not enough.’

I cleanly accepted my defeat.

Of course, the result might have been different if it wasn’t a spar.

I couldn’t use dirty tricks like spraying [Acidic Fluid] in his eyes, distracting him with nonsense, or biting his neck when he was on the ground.

In short, I fought with my ultimate moves sealed.

Then what about the ‘proof’?

“You’re still lacking.”

The chieftain then said to me,

“Become stronger if you want my position.”

Tsk, I thought the cutoff line was around the 6th floor.

I’m already at that level, aren’t I?

Don’t tell me I have to defeat him to inherit the chieftain’s position—

“To the point where you can’t even compare to an old man like me.”

Ha, as expected.

To defeat an 8th-floor explorer...

‘It will take more time.’

I dismissed my impatience.

It was also one of the advantages of being a barbarian.

I didn’t lose anything even if I failed to inherit the position.

No, I actually gained a lot.

Although my body was wrecked to the point where I had to drink several potions as soon as the fight ended...

‘But I’ve caught up a lot.’

It was different from back then when I was knocked out with a single punch.

We fought for almost an hour.

And...

‘I confirmed six of his essences.’

I confirmed several of the chieftain’s essences.

And I also memorized some of his fighting habits.

I would be able to fight him much more easily next time.

And...

“He fought the chieftain for an hour!”

“Look! That stingy chieftain is drinking a potion!”

“He might look fine on the outside, but he’s not. As expected, Bjorn, son of Yandel, is a great warrior...!”

The barbarians who were watching the spar didn’t seem disappointed by my defeat.

Well, I’m just a 1st-year, right?

“I thought it would take at least 5 more years.”

“Hmm, maybe the chieftain will change sooner than we thought.”

Even the elders were nodding in satisfaction.

Therefore, I gained a lot even though I lost.

On the other hand, the chieftain didn’t gain anything.

‘Yeah, so I actually won, right?’

I regained my motivation after my mental victory.

I got up and looked at the chieftain.

He seemed curious about what I was going to say, as I had been silent the whole time.

“You’re not discouraged, are you?”

“There’s no way.”

I chuckled.

And I said,

“One more time.”

It wasn’t every day that I could fight someone without worrying about dying.

____________________

I fought the chieftain three more times after that, and I lost every time. However, the spar time increased with each fight.

It was thanks to Lee Hansu’s strength, not Bjorn’s.

I’m good at self-reflection.

After all, I’ve experienced many failures in my life, and what I always wanted was to know the reason for my failure.

Finding the reason was my specialty.

‘He has a lot of tricks, as expected of someone with a lot of experience.’

The difference between the chieftain and me wasn’t just specs.

His skill as a warrior.

His situational awareness honed by experience.

His instinctive intuition that allowed him to catch openings even in the midst of battle, where thinking and reacting was too slow.

They were all things I had to learn.

It wasn’t efficient to just be a meat shield after absorbing the Ogre’s essence.Gét latest novel chapters on nov(e)lbj/n(.)c/om

I had to become a better fighter.

It was also the way to protect my companions.

‘If my allies are in danger, I can just eliminate the enemy to make them safe.’

It was like a destiny.

A new destiny for me as a tank.

“...You look like you’ve realized something.”

“Ah, thank you. I’m learning a lot.”

“Haha, that’s what being a chieftain is all about!”

What is this man talking about?

Although it varies from person to person, it takes an average of 4 months to give birth, and the recovery is very fast.

That’s probably why barbarian women are so open to childbirth.

Although it’s a bit strange to say this about childbirth...

Is childbirth always a noble process?

Regardless of pride, if the economic aspect isn’t resolved, the birth rate will inevitably decline.

“Come to think of it, don’t you have any thoughts?”

“...Huh?”

“About children. I heard the female warriors in the tribe are after you...”

Ah, so that’s what they were after.

No wonder they kept touching my muscles, saying how good they were. I thought they were genuinely complimenting them...

“I’m not thinking about it yet.”

“Hoo, why? I know it’s a bit strange for me to say this, but we’re late bloomers. There are even female warriors who are younger than us who have already given birth!”

Could it be because it’s my first time having this kind of conversation?

I was scared for the first time since coming to this world.

Of barbarians.

“.......”

Ainar, seeing me subtly trembling, said triumphantly,

“Ah! Don’t tell me it’s because of Misha? Don’t worry! Misha will understand. We’re barbarians! She can’t even give birth to anything but beastmen anyway!”

Ainar seemed different.

She said she was a cat person in front of the bear-like man, but she was actually thinking like this.

“I’m fine. What about you?”

I changed the subject since it was uncomfortable.

It’s the technique of ‘Shifting Flowers and Connecting Branches’, using the enemy’s strength against them.

“Me, me?!”

Ainar couldn’t hide her flustered expression as the arrow was turned back on her.

The reason was simple.

“I, I can’t even if I want to. What warrior would like a small woman like me...?”

Geez, those damn beauty standards.

I had unintentionally stabbed Ainar in her weak spot.

But just as I was about to apologize...

“And... I don’t want to either.”

Huh?

“Th, that’s right!! After being with you, all the other tribesmen seem young and unmanly!”

Ainar shouted as if she was frustrated.

I was also flustered and said she could just find someone among the older tribesmen, but...

“I don’t like older men!!”

...I received an unexpected answer.

‘She doesn’t like older men, and her peers don’t feel manly...’

It was a troublesome preference.

But to be honest, it was a good thing for me.

If she suddenly got pregnant and couldn’t enter the labyrinth for a few months, it would affect me too.

‘Uh, but how did the conversation even get here?’

The 29-year-old Lee Hansu had turned 30 in this world.

But...

“Anyway, tell me if you change your mind! I’ll introduce you to a good female warrior!”

...this kind of talk was still uncomfortable.

_________________

Two days later.

I went out alone after breakfast and a warm-up spar with Ainar.

Ah, ‘alone’ wasn’t exactly right.

“We’ve arrived at our destination. We’ve already searched the inside of the store, but please be careful.”

The knights’ excessive escort, which I was now used to.

“Right, thank you.”

I casually expressed my gratitude and got off the carriage, then entered the meeting place.

It was a tea house I had visited about three times before.

“Oh, Mr. Bjorn! Over here, over here!”

Shabin Emure, a 7th-grade administrative official, waved at me from a corner table.

Ragna, the librarian, was sitting next to him, looking quiet.

The members of our regular friend gathering were all gathered as I sat down.

“First of all, thank you for coming. You received the Viscount title, so I was really worried about whether it was okay to call you out like this.”

“You’re worrying about strange things.”

“That’s right, Shabin. Do you think this man would change just because he became a noble?”

Ragna said arrogantly as she sipped her tea.

She was right this time.

I didn’t intend to flaunt my noble title.

But...

‘Right, the Viscount title isn’t something to be burdened by.’

Her natural behavior showed how good her family background was.

Well, I didn’t know exactly what kind of family, but...

Judging by how she didn’t even react to the knights surrounding me...

‘I’m even more curious. What kind of family is she from?’

I then turned my gaze towards Shabin.

Unlike Ragna, he was subtly looking at the knights.

Well, it must be uncomfortable.

Let’s just get to the point.

“So what’s the reason you called me out today?”

“Heh, were we only supposed to meet if there was a reason?”

“You have a habit of twitching your nose when you lie.”

“Huh? Re, really? I didn’t know that!”

Well, of course, she didn’t.

“It was a lie.”

“Ah...!”

Ragna chuckled, looking at Shabin’s dumbfounded expression.

“It’s rare to see her like this.”

“That’s only for you. This is nothing to a barbarian.”

Indeed, most people, regardless of age or gender, make that kind of expression when I start acting like a barbarian.

“Enough, so? Tell me what you want.”

Shabin regained her composure at my words and said,

“I’d like to request something from you, Viscount Yandel, on behalf of the Administrative Office.”

Hmm, a part-time job...

Although I wasn’t short on money, money in this world was always lacking, no matter how much you had.

“Tell me, what kind of request is it?”

I should at least hear her out.