Chapter 3-2
Caravans and travelers who went over the Bar Khu mountain range only stayed to camp for short periods of time . Rosenheim kingdom’s original resting area for rangers; it was no place that regular people frequented .
“So far, so good . We took a very big chance by coming this way, now only a couple more days and we might reach our destination . ”
“It was a lot of work . ”
Halman laughed .
“This was all thanks to you, Margaux . ”
“You ought to say it straight, Levi . It all started ’cause you killed that guy . ”
Halman, Margaux, Levi, and Gran, were four famous player killers from the United Kingdom of Briton . They lived for the enjoyment of killing other players and taking away their equipment . The notorious quartet was better known as Dwichigi (note: sounds better than “turn-over”) .
However, about one month ago, they had messed with Fearless of the Cloud guild (maybe it is Hermes?) . As one of the ten biggest guilds in the United Kingdom of Briton, and also of the biggest in the whole continent it boasted a membership count of over 6,000 players . Altogether, the guild had tremendous influence, to the degree of claiming supremacy of the United Kingdom of Briton without question .
This meant that even the four members of Dwichigi hadn’t wanted to stay in the area .
In fact, they had wanted nothing to do with it .
Being on the most-wanted list, the four decided to concentrate their time on calmly hunting and leveling up while drunk on brandy, until they came upon someone named Fearless (note: not entirely sure: might be a class, or a rude term for a type of player, rather than “fearless”) .
(Maybe smthg like bastard or asshole, if it’s a female then prob . Bitch . )
“Get out of here . This is our area . ”
“What’s with that guy?”
“What utter bullshit!”
The four were naturally ill tempered . It took a lot of monetary donations to the temple, or some time spent on hunting to remove the red PK symbol . Because of that there was no symbol that made their player killing apparent .
She had continued to claim that the hunting area was hers, while the four drunkenly trash-talked back at her . Finally Levi had had enough (might have the two sides messed up, either she claimed the area, or they did) .
(Note: Brandy/brandywine, might be the name of a person, place or class . Or they are just drunkards) .
“That’s it, I’m killing this bitch!”
“Fearless, I’ll teach you not to mess with me, duel me one on one!”
Normally, others would not have fallen for this . When dining, it was better to share the hearth of a fire when the area was wide enough, rather than to leave them in the cold . So they had killed her, going all four of them at once .
Each of the notorious Dwichigi had slipped back into an attacking position . Besides the brandy, the levels of the four, in regards to the other player, were significantly lower . They attacked simultaneously as a group, focusing on fast attacks . Of course, easily enough, the other player had died in vain .
They had then looted a map .
The forgotten tomb of the dwarf: Durability 1/1 . The place where the short odd geezer fell into long slumber . In the midst of two canyons, underneath the roots of an old tree . Rumbling, pounding! A narrow road . The power from the beginning of the world cannot pass without sacrifice . Seek the sound which does not ring . Author: Ranger Hans R . Berg |
“What is this?”
The laughter of the four had vanished . They had found a treasure map, a unique item .
Ever since then, they had been persistently tracked by the Cloud guild . Only then did the quartet realize that they had attacked a member of the Cloud guild .
“Holy shit! You bloody fool (or noob) . If you had told me that that person had been from the cloud guild I would have never attacked her!”
“We need to end things with them without getting finished off ourselves . ”
“That’s why we’re at fault!”
“Somehow we need to lay low for the time being . ”
For about two weeks, the four had hidden from people and areas with lots of traffic . Yet the Cloud guild had not lessened their attempts at tracking them even by a bit . To avoid death, the four had barely escaped several times by a hair’s breadth . The levels of the quartet had exceeded 220, but they could not have escaped their deaths with just that degree of experience . They had tried to find a way to turn this crisis around .
Halman finally spoke .
“This is weird . ”
“I think so too, don’t you agree?”
“An entire guild can’t be chasing us for just killing one member . ”
“Yeah, going to this extent isn’t normal . ”
“Wait a minute, what about that map we picked up from that girl . ”
“What was it, the forgotten tomb of the dwarf…”
“The map must be extraordinary . Those bastards did not want us, they were after this map . ”
“Hehe”
“Then we should try to find the treasure from this map . ”
Since then, the four had begun to discover the secrets of the map . They had crossed over into other kingdoms to research old books and the background of the map, to interpret the meaning of the phrases on it . As a result, they had come to the Bar Khu mountains .
“Just one can enter the tomb . ”
“Yeah, but what’s the alternative? Most importantly there is no ranger among us, so the trap cannot be dismantled . ”
“It’s… . ”
“It ought to resolve itself by burning out a body . ”
“Thus the whole process goes smoothly, even if the person must die on the way, by the final lightning strike . So…which one of us is going to die?”
Obviously, no one wanted to die . Like the others, not one of the four wanted to be the sacrifice and die at the end of the excavation of the dungeon . Then Gran held a beaming smile .
“Who will be picked to die . ”
“Who?”
“No way it’s me, where are you pointing?”
It was Gran’s finger pointing towards something that had taken their attention .
But he did not point at any of them, not even at himself . Gran was pointing towards the bottom of the mountains . Creaking away, Mapan and Weed’s chariot was arriving .
“Wow… Hello, my name is Mapan, I did not expect to meet people in a place like this . ”
“I’m Gran, and this here is Levi, Halman, and this one is Margaux . ”
“Nice to meet you . ”
The quartet all had big smiles on their face, rejoicing with the arrival of Weed and Mapan .
“The Bar Khu mountains are no place for people, you have come a long way… . what brings the two of you to these remote lands?”
“Yes, we came in order to trade . ”
Mapan went ahead and replied .
“For trade? Then the two of you are merchants, right?”
“Yes, I am a merchant, and Weed over here is a sculptor . ”
“Oh, I understand . ”
Gran had a wide smile . Halman, Margaux and Levi also were trying to hold back their laughter .
‘A sculptor!’
‘What kind of stupid person would choose that as a class?’
That’s what they thought, however, when they dealt with Weed and Mapan, they were entirely polite . This was because their task still needed to be resolved . Of the four, Gran asked thoughtful questions . After being under the influence of brandy, you could read other people even better .
“Anyway, I understand . But you should have met with monsters often if you came across the Bar Khu Mountains? How did you fight against the monsters?”
“That’s due to Weed over here… . ”
Mapan was about to take a moment to explain, but Weed pulled him to the side .
“Weed?”
Weed tried to keep Mapan from divulging the story . Weed had noticed that something was not right, regardless of their attitude . Gran’s eyes were drawn to them, laughing .
“Well, feel free to tell me . Wasn’t it difficult?”
In truth, Weed had a feeling that these four travelers wanted to hide something .
On the broad continent of Versailles, no matter how numerous and overflowing with users it may be, the Monster Paradise is different . You did not meet people here often .
Typically, when you met other people in out-of-the-way places like mountains you would greet them, maybe even eat food with them . And if your destinations matched you would travel together for a while; but these people were far too happy .
They had also been indirectly too delighted when Mapan had told them of their class .
Weed naturally observed their lineup (note: other possible translation, “Weed naturally saw the possibilities for their herpes . ” Lol google-fail) . Gran was standing at the front, talking to the two beside him, and the last one stood behind him .
‘They are bandits . ’
Weed thought .
If you think that monsters were the only risk on the continent of Versailles, then you were absolutely wrong . Rather, encountering users in a place like this was far more dangerous .
Weed told Mapan to act naturally . (could also mean that Weed decided to act “normal” for a sculptor)
“I am a sculptor, but I have a unique technique . ”
“What kind of technique?”
“It’s a kind of yell . When the monsters hear the sound they run away . Want to see it?”
“Yes, I’m curious . ”
Weed gathered his mana to cast the overpowering skill, Lion’s roar .
“khu heng!” (Weirdest roar I ever read! ;P)
At the first sign, Mapan placed both of his hands over his ears, but the quartet, not knowing Weed’s skill, had been caught off guard and its members significantly reeled .
“Damn!”
“What bullshit is this, with just his voice… . !”
Gran restrained the hot-tempered Margaux and Levi, winking back at Weed, while smiling widely .
“What a tremendous roar . Hrmm, that reminds me . I thought I didn’t see anything in the area for a while now, I guess this was the reason for the lack of the monsters?”
The Lion Roar skill .
Weed had not yet formed a party with Gran, so his leadership has not increased .
The additional effects also didn’t take effect .
The only thing they felt was a loud voice .
“Yes, monsters hesitate when they hear this sound, during that moment I escape . ”
The quartet laughed after Weed’s explanation .
‘It’s really not a big deal . ’
‘Yet they seem to be the perfect bait?’
‘We should use these guys at that place . ’
‘We only need 1…’
‘Why not? We take out the remaining one with our own hands; we use this man because the merchant will drop plenty of loot . ’
‘Good, let’s do it . ’
The four came to a conclusion without even talking, communicating through their eyes .
Gran turned a serious face toward Mapan and Weed and said .
“So far, this trick may have let you pass through safely, but the Bar Khu mountain range is a really dangerous place . You could call this meeting fate, so from here on we are going to be your escort . Anyways, I think the road we offer is in good faith, there is no reason to refuse . We would be grateful to accompany you, haha . ”
“Haha! If it is like that, why should we refuse?”
Mapan laughed out loud deliberately . As a weak merchant, it wasn’t a bad idea to accompany a group of 4 strong players .
“It is a pleasure to work with you . ”
Weed also quietly nodded in acknowledgement . He had noticed the situation turning worse, and by the looks in the 4’s eyes he could do nothing but follow…for now .
The fun of an adventure, to travel and see unexplored lands, lies in meeting colleagues . Reliable teammates you can trust . Hunting while getting acquainted with friends, was the kind of fun that made it worthwhile to play Royal Road . At times Weed enjoyed hunting with other players . Since he played so much of the time, it could be unreasonable always being alone, so it was a cool thing to be together with the multitude of other players .
However, this was not the case with this dangerous-looking quartet .
Around the wagon, the four assumed the role of fighting monsters; yet out of the corner of their eyes, they observed Mapan and Weed .
‘Well, he is quite unusual . ’
‘The one engaged in sculpting?’
‘It seems you are right about the sculptor . ’
The four had their mind set . After that build up yesterday, the sculptor was far too aware of their notoriety . Just then, Weed pulled out one of the gemstones . The Dwichigi four turned the focus of their attention on it, and one of them asked .
“Huh? Is that a jewel?”
Immediately, Margaux revealed a deeply curious expression . Mapan replied with a smile .
“Yes, Weed is currently crafting jewels . ”
“Oh, jewelry manufacturing?”
“Nope . ”
“Wow, that jewel… . it’s enormous!”
Margaux’s young eyes were full of greed .
‘Freaking jackpot . ’
‘I’d like that to fall into my lap…’
Weed clenched Zahab’s engraving knife while engraving . But the four were not encouraged enough to start a fight .
‘No point attacking for a standard jewel, we have something far better to hope for . ’
The quartet had already taken the ruse, their thinking biased when they look at Weed and Mapan .
But Weed and Mapan deceived the deceivers!
Now they had to pretend that they had been tricked!
“It is just about time to prepare and eat a meal . ”
“Thank you for offering to your escort, but… . meals served cold…better not . ”
“Haha, no, you just watch . ”
Weed had Mapan give him the items that the quartet had taken from the monsters .
“This is not some kind of poor quality food being served here . ”
“Colleagues, this goes the same way right? It is natural to share the spoils of the monsters we kill . ”
“Go right ahead . ”
The quartets eyes burned with murder .
“This is the absence of shame…”
Mapan smiled widely, but Weed’s suspicion of the situation deepened even more .
‘A favor without reason… such a thing does not exist . If you are not going to attack us, why the hell is it?’ (ok…I seriously don’t know what to do with this! So I left it as it is . )
Typically, anyone who gives a gift does it as a favor to people who were nice; however, Weed had seen that this was a situation that did not call for the dividing of the spoils, and suspected the situation was drastically wrong . Trying too hard was an even more awkward sight . Nevertheless, Weed did not express anything otherwise . In fact, their concerns had almost been buried completely thanks to Mapan . And he truly believed in the good heart of the quartet .
The next day they arrived at a canyon, dozens of meters separating them from the other edge, with dense mist paving the deep valley below .
Crossing the bridge was not as hard as they had first thought anticipated .
“What a bridge! It is far sturdier than it looks . ”
As Mapan went to drive the wagon, Gran came along and obstructed him .
“Gentlemen, gentlemen . Are you adventurers or not?”
“What?”
“I enjoy the beauty of this magnificent view, as much as any adventure . There seems to be something underneath, way down over there . Wouldn’t it be interesting to go that way for a bit? What do you think?”
Mapan was hesitant at Gran’s words . The thing about the continent of Versailles was, that it was well structured . You could go into a forest, you could even climb a mountain, there was no need to move in some kind of wagon or cart . It was common sense, however, that it was easier to cross over steep canyons than to dive down practically into them . What the quartet had proposed just did not seem right .
At the end of those words, Mapan had the weird sense that something about this was odd .
“Well, is that really necessary…?”
You wouldn’t need a philosopher to identify why Mapan tried to refuse . Any merchant would desire to take the safer path . The quartet was completely against that thought .
*seueuk (think of the metal clinking of a sword about to be slid out of its scabbard)
Halman, Margaux and Levi all placed their hands on their scabbards . Weed and Mapan found themselves entrapped already .
A merchant and a sculptor… Although there was no reason to be tense in a situation like this, if you were prepared for it, it still was a touch-and-go kind of moment . Mapan’s strong moment of refusal and duty!
“Let’s go for it . If anything, it sounds like fun . ”
Gran approved with Weed’s words .
“Haha! Knew you’d come around . This will be interesting . ”
Gran and the rest took their hands off their scabbards . Halman smiled .
Weed and Mapan continued moving downwards in the carriage with the Dwichigi quartet leading them . The slope of the canyon was very steep, and the wheels of the carriage were stuck several times . Respectively, they would never have been able to go down, if it wasn’t for the help of the quartet . Gran and Halman pulled from the front, and behind Levi and Margaux pushed .
“Sorry about all of this . ”
“Haha! Not at all Mapan . This amount of work is nothing!”
Gran and Halman acted as if they owned the carriage . Considering the fact that it would be soon, no was no reason to spare some sincerity, the quartet thought .
“Oh, I think there is a trail over there…”
Gran led the way . He went around here and there, occasionally going back the same way .
“Ah, the scenery looks far better over there . It would be preferable if we go back that way . ”
Gran checked out the area in the canyon several times .
Weed took the time to scavenge around!
“Whoa! This one here is a red medicinal herb . Over there is a blue Ceylon plant…!”
It had been reported that there were medicinal herbs at the Bar Khu mountains, and he had heard that at the bottom of a canyon, more sunshine would allow various herbs to root and grow sporadically . Weed eagerly pulled them out and placed them in his bag .
“What are you doing?”
“What do you think I’m doing? I’m pulling out weeds . ”
With Weed wandering around they were delayed and the route took even more time .
“Dammit!”
“I’m going to kill him with my own hands!”
The veins on the foreheads of each of the quartet were pulsing .
After a couple of hours, Mapan was exhausted, and the quartet was as well .
“Hey Gran . Didn’t you memorize the location correctly?”
“Is it just ahead?”
“Wait a minute, we’re drawing too much attention . Weed doesn’t matter, you can easily see that he is just an idiot . But now eve that guy Mapan keeps watching what we do, he’s starting to make me nervous . ”
“Okay . Let’s get on with it!”
Margaux approached the wagon .
“Hey Mapan, I’m actually quite interested in those sculptures . Would you mind asking Weed if he can make something good for me?”
Just to the other side, Levi looked for Gran’s next action . In the meantime, Gran spread out a map of the current location and confirmed the location of the tomb . Gran’s eyes were beaming .
‘Well, we finally made it . Just walked passed it by just a little!’
“Now, let’s go this way . ”
Gran and the quartet had the wagon turn back towards where they had come from .
They searched through the bushes and trees at the end, and finally found the monument marking the tombs entrance . Of the four, only one was smiling .
“Huh? So this lump is a dungeon?”
“A dwarf’s grave?”
“Come on! We are fortunate . It’s about time to go in . We will never get to see what is there if we don’t go inside . ”
“Mapan, Weed! Naturally, you’ll go in first, right?”
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc . . ), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible .
Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters .
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login