It’s been a few weeks since I left Bethany disguised as a corpse and arrived in Jericho.
I’m doing well.
Not just well, I’m doing ridiculously well.
Honestly, I wonder if this is even allowed.
[Health: 98.0]
[Strength: 96.5]
[Agility: 100.9]
[Magic: 65.0]
The explosive growth in my stats proves it.
I’ve nearly doubled my abilities.
On one hand, it was to be expected.
When I was a bodyguard, I always moved according to Eliya’s schedule.
Here, I don’t have to do that.
I can act however I want.
I search for quests to meet their conditions, and quests pop up just by working.
Currently, I’m working as a mercenary in Jericho.
When I came to the city, the head of the information guild, Yurideke, and her husband, Orphe, guided me here and even helped with my mercenary registration.
Due to the harsh surroundings, there’s an abundance of work.
Because of that, every time I go out, quests arrive.
I clear them all, and I’ve been growing at an alarming rate.
Most notably, my magic stat jumped from 1 to 65.
Thanks to a trait that triples magic growth, any time magic rewards come up, I shoot up dramatically.
“Plus, I don’t have to worry about Eliya stealing my magic.”
That’s not all.
[Trait List]
– Silent Steps, Weaponizing Objects, Swordplay (Lv.27), Hunter’s Sense, Survival Expert, Horsemanship, Archery (Lv.6), Carpentry, Revelation Discovery, Guiding Moon.
A few traits have been added.
With so much free time on my hands, I picked up carpentry as a hobby.
Making furniture like chairs, desks, bookshelves, drawers, and doghouses, etc.
Because of this, I now have the ‘Carpentry’ trait.
I learned archery from the city guards.
At first, they were wary of me, a former knight, but we became friends in a few days.
There are only a few skilled people in this city, and all of them have a few screws loose.
They tend to be overly pompous or something like that.
Compared to them, I seemed like a pretty grounded person.
Thanks to that, I gained a lot of favor with the captain of the guards and learned to use a bow.
My skills are still lacking, though.
The most noticeable change is ‘Guiding Moon.’
I found and absorbed items that enhance attributes and magic scattered around the demon realm.
As a result, I got that trait a few days ago.
To be exact, ‘Lured Moon’ changed to ‘Guiding Moon.’
However, aside from the name change, there’s not much difference in reality.
The effects remain the same as before.
[Guiding Moon.]
– Enhances the effect of ‘Revelation Discovery.’
– User’s magic growth speed (from 2x > to 3x).
In the end, the only thing that changed was the name.
“Would it hurt if something good came my way?”
I happened to find a unique dagger outside.
A dagger that temporarily puts the target in a state of inertia.
Its activation conditions are a bit tricky, making it not very useful, but I kept it for memento’s sake.
Amidst this peaceful life, I occasionally find myself thinking about tragic and comedic moments.
The second tragedy.
Eliya hurling fireballs at me.
And Eliya’s comedy.
Me, lying there heavily injured.
“Guess it doesn’t matter now.”
I even disguised myself as a corpse to escape.
To those who knew me, I’m dead.
Moreover, Jericho is far from Eliya’s Mansion.
Eliya is preoccupied with the war.
For various reasons, that tragedy is unlikely to find me.
It’s all just past events now.
I know that, yet I find it hard to shake the habit of checking my window sill every morning.
There’s not even a flowerpot there.
*
I prepared breakfast in the kitchen.
A two-story house with a small yard.
Since the necessary furniture and facilities were all prepared by the information guild, I just moved in.
The diet consists of ingredients bought from nearby shops.
It’s modest compared to what I used to eat, but it has all the necessary nutrients.
A simple sandwich based on rye bread.
I came down to the living room, absentmindedly chewing and looking outside.
The yard has nice greenery growing beautifully.
Wildflowers bloom in the corners, reaching unknown names.
And one dog lay curled up and sleeping.
It’s a dog that roams around this area.
It doesn’t have a specific owner or house, wandering from place to place.
“Looks like it plans to get a meal at my place today.”
Being a friendly dog, it doesn’t chase people away or get beaten up and is well taken care of.
I’m one of those people too.
I made the doghouse out of wood because of it.
I made it for him, but the problem is, he doesn’t use it.
He’s always rolling around on the ground.
Seeing the nameless dog reminded me of Yuel.
The Moon Deer I brought along.
“I wonder if they’re doing well.”
Even though Jericho is so isolated, I often hear news.
The Anti-Empire Coalition led by Eliya.
The Imperial Army opposing them.
It’s said that the Bevel Family is fighting mainly.
In essence, it’s a civil war in the Bevel Family.
Rumor has it that the Bevel Family is on the brink due to Eliya’s feats.
Meanwhile, the Helios Empire is reaping the benefits with no actual troop losses, just using the name of the Imperial Army.
Regardless of who wins, the Bevel Family’s power will waver, predicting a future where the Empire monopolizes the power.
According to others, not me.
As for me… I’m not sure.
No matter who wins, it won’t really affect me.
Still, I’d prefer it if Eliya’s side won.
Hopefully without casualties.
Just… for various reasons.
“What good does it do to think about it?”
I finished my meal and stepped into the yard.
Despite the war going on outside, the weather is peaceful.
“Maybe I’ll take a break today and not go out to work.”
The dog raised its head when it heard me come out.
It approached, wagging its tail.
“Looks like I’ve got to take it for a walk later.”
Peaceful weekdays pass by without any work.
When I returned from walking the dog, it was late evening, the sun had set.
“Ah, Judas. You came back.”
Just then, the captain of Jericho’s guards came looking for me.
It’s pretty rare for him to come armed all the way to my house.
“Can you lend me a hand for a moment?”
That’s his way of asking for help.
His expression is serious.
“Is there something wrong?”
“Can I explain on the way? The situation is quite urgent.”
*
I moved towards Jericho’s southern gate while listening to his explanation.
He got straight to the point as usual.
“A Gigantic Drake has appeared.”
“……”
A Drake.
A four-legged beast resembling a wingless dragon.
Among those who make a living wielding swords, it’s called a lizard.
Despite the nickname, it’s a highly dangerous entity.
Its average height exceeds 2m, covered with hardened and sharp scales, making its entire body a weapon.
It’s not something you can even touch with ordinary weapons.
But among them, the Gigantic Drake.
Its minimum height is over 4m.
To be precise, the Gigantic Drake is the original type, and smaller Drakes are its descendants.
It’s not just the size that’s a problem.
They’ve been around since the mythological era and can breathe various elements.
Sand, rocks, fire, poison.
Occasionally, very rare types can breathe sunlight or moonlight attributes.
“Is it coming this way?”
“Yes. It’s just one entity, but our city’s military cannot stop it.”
“If we’re not careful, the city might collapse.”
That’s how powerful an enemy it is.
News seems to have spread already, as the path to the southern gate is chaotic.
It’s crowded with people trying to escape the city.
Meanwhile, I felt a bit perplexed.
As far as I know, there was never such a threat to Jericho at this point.
“Was there ever a Gigantic Drake around here?”
“There shouldn’t have been. If there were such a dangerous entity, we would have known in advance. We guess it might have been driven out of its habitat due to the outside war, or it wandered here.”
“Hmmm….”
I learned the cause, but the solution is distant.
I’ve gotten stronger, but a Gigantic Drake is a dangerous enemy.
It’s one of the few powerful monsters in this world.
I’ve hunted them before.
To fully realize the ‘attributes’ given to a character, one must hunt a Gigantic Drake of the same attribute.
“But it’s usually a target you can only hunt at the very end…. With my current stats and traits, it’s impossible.”
It’d be fine if my gear were good.
Right now, my equipment is not significantly different from an ordinary mercenary.
The dagger that puts targets into a state of inertia activates only when it pierces the heart, but there’s no way I can reach the Drake’s heart with such a short blade.
“I could very well die if I’m not careful.”
That’s no surprise.
Being a mercenary always puts your life at stake.
Even if I’ve grown significantly, that fact hasn’t changed.
I’m not even sure why I jumped headfirst into this dangerous mercenary life.
I have enough money to eat comfortably without working.
Maybe I was just getting restless sitting still, or maybe there’s another reason altogether.
“Furthermore, it’s a kind of Gigantic Drake that hasn’t been reported before….”
“It hasn’t been reported?”
“Right. It’s recorded only historically. I don’t know much about its details yet, but I’ve heard it has ivory-colored scales, making it resemble the moon….”
“…….”
I have a guess now.
A moon-attributed Gigantic Drake.
There aren’t many of those, and they’re covered in softly glowing ivory scales.
“Could it be…?”
Hunting a Gigantic Drake can complete the attributes.
The attribute I possess is the moon.
The opponent is presumed to be a moon-attributed Gigantic Drake.
“Can I… complete it with this?”
According to the scriptures, the moon is a fragmented and imperfect being.
“If I complete it… what will happen?”
With complex questions in mind, I followed the captain of the guards to the southern gate.
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