Episode 187: It
was dark.
The place I was looking at was completely filled with black, unlike where I was.
It was a place with dense trees and little sunlight due to its geography.
It was okay up to that point.
Although it was dark, it wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t see at all, and best of all, there was a hatchling next to me who could use light magic.
The problem lay elsewhere.
‘How many are there?’
A red light was shining in the darkness.
Dozens of eyes.
Crrrrr.
The cries of animals were heard.
‘bear? No, this is closer to a wolf.’
I heard a similar sound at the zoo.
The sound of wolves warning.
However, it is more eerie and much more vicious than the sound I heard at the zoo.
It was okay up to that point. It was dangerous when a large number of wolves gathered together, but it was not so much that it could not be overcome.
“I said I smelled like bastards, and a southern dog came to visit.”
The problem was them.
Warriors riding on wolves the size of bulls.
Warriors with red tattoos.
“Was this Kairos’ territory?”
Somehow I felt like I had gone too far inside.
I thought I had gone too far down through the Elf Forest.
I never thought that that excess would eventually drive me into a corner.
‘I don’t know if I should laugh at this or not.’
Combat is good.
It was an opportunity to figure out what power I had and to increase it even a little.
But there is a time and moderation for that too.
A battle like this was a requirement.
There were not one or two people, but close to ten.
If you include wolves, the number increases even more.
‘There is a hatchling, but...’
I couldn’t reveal the hatchling carelessly.
What if we eliminate all the barbarians here?
If a hatchling shows up and misses even a single word... it’s scary to think about.
I’m sure the savage who survived here will be bragging about having seen a hatchling.
I hope it doesn’t come to that situation.
What does that mean?
It was no different from having to hit and run alone.
“This is an unexpected situation.”
One of them stepped forward.
He was riding a wolf that was 1.5 times larger than the wolves that other barbarians were riding.
Around the wolf’s neck was a leash made of woven skulls of human and elf Red Hawk tribe members.
The same was true for other barbarians.
Each of the wolves they were riding had the skulls of the humans they had hunted hanging from their necks.
As if it were something to be proud of, as if it were a medal.
There was no feeling of ‘cruelty’ to them.
If there was such a thing, there would be no way they would put a skull necklace on the wolf they ride, nor would they wear finger necklaces around their own necks.
“If you don’t want to die, you won’t betray us.”
A barbarian rode forward on a wolf, looked at me and the elf, and said:
His body was almost covered in tattoos as he stroked his chin.
The tattoo went down from the hairless top of his head, continuing uninterrupted to his knees and wrists.
And there was a swirling pattern near the chest.
Warriors’ status is determined by the length and pattern of their tattoos.
‘Daejeon Temple? Or maybe it’s something similar to that.’
He bowed his head as politely as possible, then raised his hand and pointed to a place.
There was a barbarian there whose tattoos only went down to his cheeks compared to other barbarians.
Heat was radiating from his body as he was breathing heavily, probably excited by the thought of fighting.
The great warrior glanced at the barbarian and fiddled with the blade of the halberd with the hand that was not holding it.
“Tsk. Well, that’s good enough to enjoy the glory of the first battle.”
He was licking his lips with great regret, then put the halberd back into the wolf’s side and spoke to me.
“I’ll give you a chance.”
“...?”
“We have someone who has not yet fought a proper battle and has not become a warrior. “Help me become that guy’s opponent and become a warrior.”
I felt repulsed inside as he took it for granted that I would not reject his opinion.
However, it is not good to move quickly just because you are angry.
I calmed down and grasped the situation.
And I felt that they wouldn’t kill me easily.
‘Helping someone become a warrior means... doing it one-on-one.’
Having a one-on-one relationship is not something I would lose.
Rather, it is something that should be welcomed.
It was better to deal with one
warrior than to have them attack at the same time, especially a great warrior .
But there was a contradiction there.
“...What will I get if I accept that offer?”
I just put forward their demands and there was nothing I could gain.
At least they didn’t say that if I won, they would let me live.
“Battle is glory and something that enhances honor. “Is there a price to pay for doing that?”
He frowned, as if my question was strange.
“That’s a good thing among you savages... warriors. I don’t think so. “Tell me what I can gain from that battle.”
“What if there isn’t one?”
“There is no way I would accept that offer.”
“Do you think I need your opinion?”
“well. You don’t know that. I could run away from here...”
As I said that, I slowly took a step back, and the barbarians came rushing out and surrounded me.
They never even created an opening for me to escape.
“Or you could commit suicide.”
He picked up the cotton and aimed it at my neck.
The great warrior laughed at my actions.
He shook his head, laughing at my behavior.
“We don’t care if you commit suicide.”
“I don’t think so. “I guess you don’t want that newbie to become a warrior?”
“....”
I’m not doing this for no reason.
The Kairos tribe considers being a warrior to be the most important and considers dying on the battlefield an honor.
There is only one way for them to become warriors.
Fighting one-on-one with an enemy that is not from your tribe and winning.
Not being able to do that and become a warrior is considered the worst dishonor and is not treated properly.
I was aiming for that.
Because they knew how important it was to become a warrior, they knew they couldn’t miss out on such a great opportunity.
“...There are many opportunities even if it’s not you.”
“no. Not anymore. You recognize only those who win in one-on-one combat as warriors. “If you miss me now, you will never get another chance.”
“under! “You are the only human...!”
“Yes, we can have war. But you will never be able to fight one-on-one. We will always stick together, and that goes for elves as well. And even if they catch you, they will commit suicide right away, so there is absolutely no chance.”
“....”
They all fell silent.
Everyone looked at Daejeon Temple as if they were at a loss for words.
They will follow the opinion of the Great Master.
For them, this was their first time experiencing an unfamiliar situation and they do not like to use their brains.
That’s why they leave everything to their decision maker, Daejeonsa.
Everyone’s attention was focused on him, and after thinking for a while, he opened his mouth.