Dawn Traveler - Chapter 9

Kid Rescue

Part 1

‘This doesn’t feel like a person…….. And it is only repeating the same simple-minded will.’

Hereseh nodded his head after Jiss hesitated.

“You have done well to detect the anomaly and stop. It is necessary to stay alert and continuously observe the flow of mana. I will take care of this.”

Hereseh was first to turn the corner. Then a single floating sword appeared before him!

“I see it is the flying sword spell. Even during my time in the magic tower, many magicians memorized this magic praising its usefulness.”

This magic bestowed magician’s will upon the sword and was tasked to eliminate any intruders.

Though the magic was only around the 4th circle level, this magic required significant effort to accomplish since the user needed to pour offensive abilities and consciousness into the object.

The magic was also more convenient than a conventional trap, since it recognized the owner and the people allowed entrance by the owner.

The sword was also effective at repelling monsters, however it took a 5th circle magician to fully utilize it because the magic sword was difficult to maintain.

“Let’s keep moving. This gives me some expectations.”

At the end of the cave was where the magician once resided.

In the wide laboratory and studies, there were about 100 books, parchments, magic ingredients, and considerable amount of gold and gems.

The magician’s corpse was on the top of a bed.

Just as they predicted, the corpse that was nothing but skeleton conveyed his death must have been about 100 years ago.

“It seems the magician died in his sleep. It is common for this to happen to magicians who lived alone and never raised a disciple. Name is…… it seems the name of the magician was Raven looking at the self-written notes.”

Hereseh and Rendall collected the bones and gave the magician a burial.

Basic etiquette grave robbers showed to the deceased during the scavenge!

Nedhand and Grona appraised profitable treasures and stored them in the magic bag.

They also wrapped some expensive crafts separately, so they wouldn’t be scratched or damaged.

Jiss did not have anything particular to do so he just observed the party.

‘It seems the profit will be quite good. Should be able to fetch at least around 10000 gold through the black market.’

A dead magician’s dungeon was generally very profitable. Since the magician’s fortune consisting of books, parchments, magic ingredients, and treasures were entirely inherited.

Though typical children were ignorant when it came to economics, Jiss understood and thoroughly calculated.

As Hereseh typically appraised magical equipment, exceptional equipments were typically repaired and used by the party.

Nedhand’s axe, Rendall’s boots and gloves, Laurelle’s robes were all found this way.

Magicians have a much higher desire to collect things, so they carried better equipment the better their skills were.

“Now, this you can use.”

Hereseh found a small sword and handed it to Jiss.

“What is this sir?”

“It is a sword with a magic sharpening enchantment.”

“So this is the magic gear I’ve only heard about?”

“The sword’s enchantment is effective to an extent, it will cut a typical sword in a clash. The enchantment level is quite high. Use it with care. If you use it on an animal, a rather gruesome aftermath can occur so do not be shocked.”

“I will use it with care sir.”

Jiss accepted the sword with two hands.

The weight and the length fitting for a child, who has not fully grown yet.

High noble children are sometimes given magic swords earlier but Jiss didn’t feel envious.

This was because swordsmanship did not improve or even sometimes deformed when one depended solely on the sword’s sharpness.

Jiss removed the child sword from his hip and equipped the magic sword. He felt a satisfied feeling as if he just became a legitimate swordsman.

Of course he knew actual encounters were more important, but honestly he did not yet want any confrontations.

“Now. Let us all leave. There shouldn’t be any reasons to prolong our stay.”

“It’s been awhile since we made quite a harvest.”

The trip back to the Elves’ Forest after leaving the dungeon.

The group saw a traveling party of hundred or so goblins equipped with various weapons.

Laurelle said worriedly.

“Hm. It seems like the goblins are moving to attack something, looking at how they are traveling in a group.”

Rendall thought similarly.

“The public order must  have been devastated after the Earl Parker’s family fell. There is a small town where people are living in the vicinity. It seems the goblins are moving to attack there.”

“Do you think we should stop them?”

“Definitely.”

Goblins were truly the worst amongst the monsters.

Even though they weren’t that strong, they moved in packs and boasted fearful fertility rate.

If they were left to spread, they attacked and slaughtered humans, elves, dwarves, beasts and all other races with indifference.

They were easily dealt with when the empire’s army was dispatched, however it was this goblin race that dealt boundless damage to the surrounding area until the army’s arrival.

Of course they are also never completely annihilated, thus they continued to live in dungeons, caves and in the mountains.

“Please let me deal with this.”

Grona took out her bow. Jiss also took out the bow he had received from Lishiansus.

“The bet is still on right?”

“Of course.”

Shooshooshook!

Grona and Jiss fired the arrows the moment they were loaded onto the bow strong.

From untrained eyes it would seem they were just playing around to shoot as fast as they could, however the arrows impaled the faraway goblins’ bodies.

“Kuuuekkk!”

“It’s an ambush.”

Goblins violently collapsed. Some goblins darted off and some hid behind rocks and trees as well.

Grona and Jiss targeted the goblins that were trying to run first, then targeted the ones hiding.

Even though shoddy and poor, these goblins were even wearing armor.

They were wearing leather or steel padded clothing, and even hung tree branches on themselves.

Arrows were the main problems goblins faced when attacking villages, so they were at the least equipped with an armor.

However Jiss and Grona accurately only targeted their heads and their hearts.

It was mutually beneficial to swiftly cut the life line.

Even though they were goblins no one wanted to see them squirming in agony, not to mention goblins did not assist their injured comrades.

– It is really amazing he can keep up this much.

Initially Grona was going to go easy on Jiss to give him some confidence. However it did not look like Jiss’s speed was falling behind her at all.

The arrows that were fired from Jiss’s bow were accurately impaling the goblins.

– Should I speed up a bit. If he is talented, it is important to keep his confidence in check. It should be fine to go maximum power.

Goblins faced a calamity as Grona and Jiss showered them with arrows in competition.

Ghostly arrows that flew from distances impossible to see with bad eyesight.

Few arrows stabbed the ground and trees, some broke after hitting rocks, but most arrows stabbed away the goblins’ lives.

“Eeeekeeek! Attack’s a failure!”

“This is not going to work. Retreat!”

Grona hunted 31 and Jiss hunted 25.

“You did really. But since you lost the bet, please do the dishes.”

“Euuk. I thought I was gonna win for sure.”

Rendall and Laurelle looked at Jiss proudly.

There was nothing shameful about losing to an elf in archery.

Though he did learn archery from Lishiansus, to think he would display such magnificent archery.

– He is my son after all. It would be fine to say his archery is at an elvish level after he matures a bit more. That kind of archery is truly fearsome on the battlefield.

Nedhand and Hereseh were forcefully hiding their astonishment.

– This kid is not bad. It seems he has good combat sense, should I teach him how to use an axe as well?

– Even though archery and magic are of different fields, if his observation, reflexes, and focus are of this level……. he definitely has to become a magician.

In actuality Jiss did not try his best either.

‘I wouldn’t have won even if I went full throttle.’

Jiss wasn’t just learning how to rapidly and accurately fire from Lishiansus, but was also learning high level skills and tricks as well.

He was not yet at a level to dominate a space and grant that mana into an arrow, however he still had many other usable skills.

For example he knew how to load multiple arrows onto the bow and fire them towards a single point, or load mana into an arrow and explode it mid-flight to blow away the surrounding area.

The skills were still not all that powerful due to his inexperience, however they were more than enough to injure and capture more goblins.

Not just that, the Moregis bow Lishiansus gifted Jiss shot arrows extremely far and fast with just a slight pull of the bow string.

If Jiss had properly pulled the bow string all the way back, the arrows would have completely pierced the goblins with a destructive wave.

Part 2

‘My skill raised significantly as well.’

Jiss hung the bow on his back satisfied.

The happiness from being able to go on adventure with his parents, now that he had secured two important equipments, a sword and a bow.

Grona thinly opened her eyes. Even though she was a dark elf, she was also cute due to her smallish stature.

“There is a person.”

“What?”

“The person is tied to a stick the goblins were carrying. It seems the person is still alive.”

Jiss wasn’t paying attention to any of the goblin’s belongings because he was too busy firing arrows.

Experienced Grona was first to notice.

“I should check it out.”

“I shall come as well.”

“Can I…..”

“Jiss. You stay here.”

Grona and Nedhand slowly approached with their bodies lowered.

Goblins are cowardly creatures, however they become ruthless when in a group.

Goblins knew how to observe and ambush and the group had to be weary of humans of other professions as well.

‘I wonder who it is.’

Jiss used the golden string connected to the person and read his mind.

The string was established the moment they had saved the person’s life.

– Uwah. I thought I was going to be eaten by the goblins, to think I was saved by humans. I just barely survived.

The person was celebrating the departure of danger.

– Cheh. To think they kicked me out of the village just because I hit some kids. I almost became goblin food.

Grona untied him and brought him to the party. He was a small boy, even smaller than Jiss, and seemed to be around 10 years old based on how he looked.

“He..hello. Thank you for rescuing me. I don’t know how I can ever repay this debt.”

The boy spoke with mature manners, unfitting of his age. And as he spoke, he was busy rolling his eyes side to side.

-Uwah. What’s this. Dwarf and dark elf. Top of that a priestess and a warrior, and there is even a mage. I don’t know much about magicians but he seems like a big deal based on his atmosphere.

“Cht cht. You must have had much hardship. Are you hungry?” (Zix: Cht cht = tongue ticking sound.)

The boy nodded his head furiously at Rendall’s statement.

“Yes sir. A little bit.”

“It’s not much but you can eat this.”

The boy slowly ate the hard bread, while dipping it in water, as he observed his surroundings.

He was young but he was a boy used to poverty.

“Right. So what happened to you?”

“Ah. So my hometown is Jenun village, which is part of Earl Haellot territory. But I lost my parents early last year…..”

– It should be fine if I don’t mention all they did was drink all day and then they ran away with all the money in the house.

“I wanted to do something great in the future so I was traveling around to gather experience.”

“You must had much hardship.”

“Yes. It is a time of struggle for everyone. Still, I was able to scrape by helping out merchants.”

– Merchants are so stingy. It’s not rare for them to work you for days and even midnights. Why should I work if I can just take food and supplies from kids.

“I was recently staying at Ruboi village when I was following the crowd, but I ended up being kidnapped by the goblins the second I left the village.”

“I see. So what do you plan on doing from now on. If you know a village we can take you there or we can hire merchant traveling towards that direction to escort you there.”

“If you don’t mind, may I know your party’s destination?”

“Yes. We are first going to Ellim.”

“Then could you also take me there?”

– Ellim is a big trading city. The city is uninvolved in the civil war, so the condition there should be a little better. Good. I should be able to find myself a new place there since nobody will know me.

“Yea let’s do that.”

Rendall decided to not ask questions and just take him to Ellim.

Rendall, Nedhand and Hereseh all nodded after glancing at each others’ eyes.

There was no way these individuals, who had plethora of experience traveling, would completely believe the words coming out from a small kid like this.

The kid was simply too calm considering what kind of dangerous situation he was just involved with the goblins.

All they thought was bringing the boy to Ellim would be the end of their relationship.

The road to Ellim.

The boy brought Jiss to a quiet place while Grona was gone for night-watch.

“So you are twelve? I am actually twelve too. It’s fine if I speak comfortably right?”

The boy was actually a year younger but he lied to equal himself with Jiss. He had not seen Jiss shoot arrows while he was tied up.

“My name is Mabin. What’s yo name?” (Zix: Mabin is talking rudely here, like a thug or something.)

“Jiss.”

“Your introduction is a lil short. But I am generous when it comes to that kinda things, so you don’t have to be so tense. Anyways got money? Hand em over.”

“………”

“If you don’t empty your pockets while I am still being nice, I can’t guarantee what’s gon happen next. I will have you know, breaking a few limbs of fresh grass smelling kids like you is easy. By the time you have a nose bleed, I won’t forgive you even if you beg while crying.”

“Em. Then I will give you this.”

Jiss took out a gold coin from his pocket and gave it to him.

It was a coin he kept as a souvenir from the magician’s dungeon.

“Th..this is real gold. Are you really giving this to me? You aren’t kidding right?”

“Yea. It’s your medical fees.”

“Even though it was a little tough when I was captured by goblins, I am not hurt anywhere?”

“That will come after you are beaten a bit. I was pondering how should I educate you or if I should just leave you alone. This could be called destiny as well, so I guess I will be sculpting a person today. What else can I do right?”

Jiss quietly raised his fist.

Rendall, Grona, Nedhand, and of course Hereseh, there was really nothing weaker than Jiss in the Elves’ Forest.

‘You are really in for it now. Yea. This kind of entertainment is needed a bit while living after all.’

The overflowing joy as Jiss decided to relieve all the stress he had gathered from training and sparring, by guiding the boy on the right path!

Part 3

The party left Mabin to a pub owner.

It was a pub Nedhand sometimes visited to buy beer in bulk, and the owner was a strong man with a mercenary background.

“I will take care of him since I needed a worker at the shop anyway. I can’t promise I will raise him extremely well but I can guarantee he won’t skip a meal.”

This alone was quite a favor since refugees were still pouring in from the Gratess empire.

“That is more than enough. Hey brat. I will visit sometimes so grow up well.”

Hereseh petted Mabin’s head.

The purple bruises that covered the once clear face even after the rescue painted a picture, but no one batted an eye.

There was really no one else but Jiss that could have done this.

– Kids bond by fighting. I was worried he might become a herbivore growing with elves, but I guess it was false alarm.

Jiss was not a normal boy in any sense.

He understood magic since he was an infant, and from 5, 6 years old, he learned how to use his body.

Ever since he realized mana, he had been receiving even more severe training from Rendall!

Rendall also didn’t mind because it was his own son.

– Better than getting beat up outside.

Grona was a dark elf with deep sense of loyalty.

She was listening to the commotion between Jiss and Mabin with her sharp ears during the night watch .

– If by any change Jiss-nim gets in danger, I will eliminate the boy. I will stop his breathe with my arrow. (Zix: Korean, like Japanese, has a respectful way of speaking or referring to a person. Grona seems to use respectful when talking to almost everyone, even Jiss. -nim is pretty much same as -san in Japanese.)

Her arrow was lightly touching the bow string.

Nedhand was a rough dwarf.

When he saw Mabin’s blued up face in the morning, he ticked his tongue.

-Em. Jiss is still too young. If Mabin was a dwarf, only that much of a punishment wouldn’t set him on the right path. With only that much the boy can still chew and eat fine.

Unfortunately for Mabin, all of the adults were on Jiss’s side from the very beginning.

Laurelle, having a priestess background, normally was deeply sympathetic but regretfully she was Jiss’s mother as well.

– Is my baby Jiss hurt anywhere? Even if he hit 10 times, if he is hit once, it’s not worth it. The human body is weak. Especially, my boy is still just a kid……..

Due to this development, Mabin ended up just quietly following the party to Ellim after being trampled on.

Jiss ate at the lively pub with his family before leaving the city.

To grasp the general situation around the world, it had been a long time since Jiss had an opportunity to read the minds of regular citizens.

– Sigh. If I go back home now my wife will throw a fit again. I hope someone looking for a mercenary comes by. If possible a job that requires no fighting.

– The mystery of life, war is truly a big opportunity for our great research and cadaver studies. Instead of making corpses, I should research with a more effective method. I heard there are 5000 fresh corpses at the plain south. If I leave now, I should be able to arrive day after tomorrow right?

– Kakakakaaaht. You fools. It is I, Kesu-nim, the famous king of thieves. All your pockets are as good as mine.

– I want to meet a girl. I want to sleep with a pretty girl. Eeeeuuuhhhh. Why is it so hard to meet women.

– This asshole in front of me……. he is my friend but he’s really human trash.

– Does this retarded asshole still think I am his friend?

Everyone had different desires but everyone lived wanting for something.

He wanted to learn about the continent’s current events but this was to be expected from pub customers.

‘My head hurts. Whatever, things will work out one way or another.’

Jiss spoke to Mabin as the party left.

“Let’s meet again.”

“Yes. Hyung-nim!” (Zix: Mabin is speaking to Jiss respectfully now as an elder. Hyung = Big brother. -nim = -san.)

“Hey. The way you are answering while grinding your teeth, it seems like you want revenge or something next time we see each other?”

“Such a thing……….*grind*. I will be well.”

Part 4

Yeonwoo yawned while stretching his arms.

“Eeeahhhhhh…….Hhhhaaaaahhhhhhaaaa.”

His two younger siblings Yeon-Yool and Yeon-Taejin  were staring at him blankly.

“Hhaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhaaaam!”

The extremely extended yawning session.

Yeonwoo said as if he was tired.

“I want to eat hamburger for dinner.”

“Oppa-nim.  We ate it yesterday but you want to eat it again?” (Zix: Oppa is Korean equivalent of Onii-chan and Oppa-nim is Onii-san. Oppa is when a girl refers to an older brother. Hyung is when a boy refers to a bigger brother.)

“You can consider hamburger as a symbol of the United States. How do you think America became the strongest power in the world?”

Yeon-Taejin thought about it a little bit, then answered without confidence.

“I….I wonder? I am not sure.”

This was a question way too difficult for an elementary 4th grader.

This was because even though he was dreaming to become a scientist, school did not teach these topics yet.

“It’s because of the hamburger. The society couldn’t help but advance after eating such delicious food. Ah, pizza also did quite bit of share as well.”

“……..”

Yeon-Yool and Yeon-Taejin looked their oppa/hyung with eyes of disappointment.

– Something doesn’t sound right about this.
– He’s a fraud!

Yeonwoo.

To them he was the second oldest hyung and oppa.

Due to both of the parents working, Yeonwoo often played with them at home.

He helped them with homework after school and told them of life stories resembling a fool’s dream.

Even though their age difference was only 1 to 2 years, he had so much knowledge.

However their days of unquestioning loyalty was but a story of yesterday!

– Everyday he only wants pizza and hamburger.
– Lazy. All he does is roll the floor everyday.

Lately they looked at Yeonwoo with eyes of defiance.

“You guys are thinking I am wrong right now, right?”

“………”

“You know hamburger places give hero toys and dolls right. Think about the reasoning behind that carefully. It has deep meaning to give us kids hope and dreams, so we will one day help society.”

“Is…. is that so?”

The siblings ended up being convinced since they were still innocent children.

In reality Yeonwoo’s life style couldn’t be considered healthy.

He enjoyed greasy oily food, and he did not exercise at all.

“Khyaaaahh. Look at all the marbling. How long has it been since I had meat.”

Amongst the siblings, he was always the first to rush at the sight of meat. He filled his stomach to the brim then lied down right away.

“Warm heated floor is the best. Ahhhwooo….. so good.” (Zix: In Korea, instead having a heater by a wall, a boiler heats the floor from underneath.)

Sometimes when he bathed, he spoke of how lucky he was while acting like a middle-aged man.

– I mustn’t live like that. Look at that weight gain.
– I shouldn’t be like oppa-nim.

He was able to read Yeon-Taejin and Yeon-Yool’s conception of him change.

Yeonwoo’s body became a little fat for an elementary student.

‘This was inevitable. After living in the Elves’ Forest for days, sometimes even a month, there is no way a hamburger wouldn’t be delicious.’

The flavor he doesn’t get sick of no matter how much he ate.

‘Though I did gain some weight.’

Fit and fast body almost beyond reasoning in the other world, and below average fit elementary student in this world.

‘You need some meat when you are a kid in this world where there are no monsters to fight. If it is necessary I can lose it later.’

Yeonwoo leisurely set his mind.

Part 5

School day next day.

Yeonwoo glanced at the food market with gluttony.

“Em. I want to eat Kimbob and Dukbokki. But in our house two parents are working hard to raise four children…….. Huewooooo..” (Zix: Kimbob is Korean sushi roll.)

Sometimes it was sad to have too many siblings.

For example when they ordered chicken for delivery, it was pitiful.

One chicken, four children, and two parents.

Whenever an order was made on the phone, silence fell upon the house.

Yeon-Jungsoo.

– That’s mine. I won’t share with my siblings. I have to eat two leg at the least.

Yeon-Taejin.

– Uuuaahhhh that marinated chicken is the most delicious food in the world.

Yeon-Yool.

– It’s delicious. Oppa-nims won’t give me any and eat them all.

There were no thoughts of sharing the chicken between the siblings.

‘Yea you all have mouths too…….. This is war.’

But his heart changed a bit when he read his parent’s minds.

Yeon-Chul.

– I didn’t eat dinner either….. But children still need to eat first. Since I can eat later.

Han-Seungmi.

– After paying this month’s rent for the apartment……. Ehueee. Still, I am happy since the children are growing up well. It would be great if we can just keep living happily like this.

Always worrying about money!

Because there were four children, just feeding and dressing them required a lot of money.

‘I need to be understanding of the family’s finances since I am already an elementary student.’

He had no choice but to take and eat the chicken neck, which no one competed for.

Many fun times were had thanks to having many family members but eating was never plentiful.

The reason Yeonwoo was able to eat pizza and hamburger frequently was thanks to his rich friend Goo-Sungmahn.

“Euhm. I should bring him home tomorrow.”

As Yeonwoo was making his stern resolution, someone approached him from the behind.

“Hey Yeonwoo.”

“Yea?”

His childhood friend Jin-Sora was behind him when he turned around.

Even though she was only an elementary student, she was already quite tall and was well dressed.

Even with just one look, you could tell she was growing up cute and beautiful.

Jin-Sora, who he hasn’t seen for long time, looked like tears were about to fall from her eyes any second.

“Want to go to the food market over there?”

“I don’t have any allowance.”

“I will buy.”

“Okay. If that’s the case.”

Yeonwoo knew she was going to tell him something. He could have read her mind right away but he decided to wait instead.

‘It seems she wants to tell me something. I wonder what is worrying her.’

His deep thought was also only momentary.

“Here is your fish cake, Dukbokki and Soondae.” (Zix: Soondae is kinda like a Korean blood sausage.)

The varied order had arrived from the owner lady’s hand to the table.

“Thank you for the meal.”

Yeonwoo mindlessly devoured his food.

“Yea delicious food definitely needs saltiness.  Keeuh. How long has it been since I ate Soondae.”

Anything was delicious after eating nothing but grass in the Elves’ Forest.

This effect was mostly mentally but there was also always a feeling of starvation while he trained hellishly.

He finally gave Jin-Sora attention again after he finished eating.

‘Even me…….. Though I did have a long life, I still can’t help it.’

He filled up his stomach reasonably.

Yeonwoo made eye contact with Jin-Sora and spoke with his best cool manner.

“Hey Sora. Do you have something to tell me?”

“Yea. But….”

“You can tell me anything.”

“You have sauce on your face.”

“Seeuupp” (Zix: Licking noise.)

Jin-Sora spoke when Yeonwoo wiped the sauce.

“So….. I am moving.”

“To which town?”

“Far. To Europe…….”

Jin-Sora’s father, who was a researcher, had to go to Europe for a couple of years. His wife and daughter was following him as well.

Jin-Sora spoke with teary eyes.

“Stay well even though I won’t be here. Yeonwoo.”

“Ye…….eah.”

Was it said women mature faster mentally than men?

Even though she looked like a baby to Yeonwoo just before, she was already becoming quite womanly.

“Eeehuuuheuuk.” (Zix: Containing tears sound.)

Jin-Sora paid for the meal and ran out the door, after looking like she was almost about to cry.

Yeonwoo felt a little empty and lonely when he was walking back to his house.

“Eh….. so. This was all just as I predicted.”

Childhoods don’t last forever.

He knew his childhood friends like Jin-Sora and Yee-Heejin would eventually mature and even find boyfriends.

Some will leave and he will also meet new people as well.

The childhood that passed by after leaving foggy memories.

There was still boundless possibilities and potentials since he was still young.

“You still shouldn’t have left so abruptly since we don’t know when we will meet again.”

Regret poured into his heart.

“I wanted to eat one more serving of Soondae…….”