-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Kanta Village (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In that moment, he was a sight that overwhelmed all else. Blood and flesh dripped from him as he stood atop the mangled corpses of monsters.
Even those who considered themselves his allies couldn't help but swallow dryly.
Smash—!
He brought his hammer down again on the skull of a still-breathing monster, decisively snuffing out its life.
Over thirty orange particles were absorbed at once. And there were still so many monsters around, too many to count.
Whoosh—
The heavy hammer cut through the air, and another monster's head was reduced to a bloody pulp.
The monsters, ruled by instinct, took a few steps back, intimidated by Kratos's appearance.
"Where do you think you're going? You should be charging at me like you charged the village!"
Kratos deliberately ran toward the largest group of monsters and swung his hammer.
It was a moment that defied the typical characteristic of a hammer—a weapon meant to incapacitate foes.
He wasn't merely incapacitating them; he was crushing and tearing apart everything in his path.
A continuous series of rather grotesque scenes.
Of course, Kratos was more concerned with the light particles being absorbed from the monsters than with his surroundings.
'So I have to get the last hit to get the particles, huh? It's like I'm farming CS in a game.'
Seamus, who had disappeared from view, shook the blood from his blade and watched the blood-soaked Kratos, shaking his head.
"Such a brute!"
"These ones are mine."
"Ugh, fine. Go ahead and kill them all yourself!"
"Of course!"
Kratos was talking about the light particles he gained from killing them. But his image had already solidified into that of a brutish, savage warrior.
Seamus took his words at face value, thinking Kratos simply wanted to kill more enemies.
Of course, that was exactly what Kratos had intended.
"Just give me your heads quietly!"
The type of monster didn't matter. It was as if Kratos saw only two kinds of monsters before him: the dead and the soon-to-be-dead. He swung his hammer again and again.
His body trembled minutely with the thrill of battle. There was the fear that he could die at any moment, but at the same time, a conviction that the monsters before him could not kill him.
The thick stench of blood, the piles of corpses strewn everywhere.
The battlefield erupted every time Kratos's hammer fell.
"Uh. Doesn't look like there's anything for us to do."
"I know, right? Ugh, did he just tear that thing's throat out with his bare hands?"
"Hmm, am I the only one who feels sorry for the monsters?"
"I don't know. Ha. Seriously. I knew he was a brute, but I never thought his fighting style would be this savage."
"Shut up and kill these things. Just ignore him. Just pretend you don't see it."
The mercenaries of the 10th squad, watching Kratos's rampage, awkwardly cleaned up the small fry nearby.
Of course, Kratos was rampaging even more ferociously to keep them from stealing his CS.
But they were free to misunderstand.
Creeeak—
The tightly shut gates of Kanta Village opened.
"Engage! Open the stockade! We fight with the White Mercenary Corps!"
"Uwaaaah—! Kill them! Kill them!"
"Wipe them all out!"
And as if venting their pent-up rage, the mercenaries began to slaughter the monsters.
How many of their comrades had been killed by these creatures? This was a chance to unleash even a fraction of that fury.
"Hey, hey! That last hit is mine!"
Of course, Kratos shamelessly stole kills to land even one more final blow.
If this were a game, there'd be hell to pay, but this wasn't a game; it was reality. As long as the enemy was dead, who cared who got the last hit?
Ah, what a beautiful fantasy world.
"Uwaaaah—!"
Kratos roared as he smashed the skull of one of the last remaining monsters.
A brilliant orange light enveloped his body, and a voice echoed in his ears.
[Stamina has increased by 1.]
Along with the sound.
***
After the system notification that my Stamina stat had increased, the new light particles I absorbed were yellow.
After red, orange. And after that, yellow.
It was like it was going through the colors of the rainbow.
And with the yellow particles, a new vision played out. Yes, just like Harry Potter's Pensieve.
"We're at our limit. We must begin the sealing."
It was a completely new vision. If the previous memories were of this body's childhood, the protagonists of this vision were entirely different people.
Still, they had one thing in common: they all had blonde hair and black eyes. They were of the Heracles Clan.
A very small number of them, at that.
"…have advanced right to our doorstep."
"Those persistent bastards."
But the vision wasn't entirely clear. It was like watching an old tape, filled with static, and even the dialogue was indistinct.
"This is our duty and our mission. Our past and our future. The calling of our clan."
"Sealing has commenced in all regions."
"Once all seals are complete, shut down the facility. Deep underground."
***
The situation was resolved along with the memory. Of course, I had drifted into the memory as it concluded.
"First, get settled in your quarters. I'm going to assess the village's situation, so unpack and wait for me."
"Understood."
After dropping their gear at the mercenary quarters, Lando and his second-in-command, Gaude, headed for the Kanta Village hall.
Outside, restoration efforts were in full swing. The stockade was being repaired and guards were posted. There was no telling when they might be attacked again.
That was the job of the hired mercenaries and the villagers.
Even though Kanta Village had been attacked, the 10th squad's mission was to explore the desert.
And since they had fired a signal flare and sent a message, reinforcements from the mercenary corps would arrive soon.
"Man, what is all this?"
"Seriously. This seems more serious than I thought."
"Hah. I wonder if we'll even be able to scout properly."
Still, the interior of the village, which they saw on their way to the quarters, was relatively intact. Fortunately, it seemed the monsters hadn't managed to breach the inner village.
"Alright, everyone. Unpack your things and wait for the captain. Parman, go out and get a feel for the village's situation. The rest of you, get some rest for now."
"You should get some rest too, Kratos. Once the real mission starts, there won't be any time to relax. Um, and wash up. Definitely. Yeah, you really need to wash up."
Seamus nodded slowly as he looked at Kratos, who was covered in blood from head to toe.
He hoped Kratos wasn't planning on staying like that.
Kratos stepped into the bathroom and soaked in the tub to wash off the caked blood, closing his eyes as he brought up his status window.
'512. The stat increase definitely happened at 512.'
The news of a stat-up had come out of nowhere. He had naturally assumed it would take 1,000 particles, just like the Strength stat.
'My Stamina was 51. So does that mean it took 510? Then for Dexterity or Spiritual Power, would I only need one particle to level up?'
It was a huge relief. He wouldn't have to gather 1,000 particles for every single stat increase.
As his thoughts on stats subsided, the memory he had seen after obtaining the yellow light particle—the Dexterity stat—came to mind.
The setting was clearly a desert. What was this memory trying to show him now?
What was the mission of the Heracles Clan? What had they sealed there?
And what connection did it have to the current phenomenon?
One thing was certain: he had to find that place during this desert reconnaissance.
And if he went there, he felt that some of the small questions nagging at him would surely be answered.
***
"Assemble! Meeting!"
Not long after he finished his shower, Lando's voice came from outside the door. It seemed he had quickly returned from the village hall.
"The situation is not good. They say this is the first time, but it means monsters have advanced right to our doorstep."
With all the squad members gathered, Lando began to speak, his expression grim.
The information from the village hall was far from positive. For a horde of monsters to have reached this border village meant the desert was already in chaos.
Even if today was the first time they had attacked the village itself. If so, the other squads on desert scouting missions were likely in a terrible situation as well.
"Reinforcements are on their way from the garrison. Our mission is, and remains, to scout the desert and identify the cause of this. We will proceed with the mission."
Lando believed it was better to press on with the mission and eliminate the source of the problem rather than stay to defend the village. He spread out a map of the desert.
"First, we'll exclude the routes taken by previous scouting parties."
It had taken a full day's ride to reach Kanta Village. Lando drew large X's over several areas on the map that had already been reconnoitered.
"It will be difficult to receive outside help. Of course, it would be great if we find an oasis or a tribe in the middle of the desert. Until then, we'll continue the search while preserving our strength as much as possible."
A long line was drawn on the map. A long line that extended to the center of the Ashar Desert.
"If there are no interruptions, it will take at least two weeks to reach the center."
And that was if there were no interruptions. With monsters pouring out like they were now, the mission would take at least that long, one way.
A deep sigh spread among the squad members. They all felt it.
"This is our minimum objective. If we find the cause of this phenomenon along the way, we can return immediately. As you all know, this is a dangerous and important mission. More so than usual."
Seeing how he cared for his members, Lando was a captain with a lot of heart.
The way he delivered the mission briefing suggested a rather horizontal relationship with his squad.
The composition of the squad wasn't bad either. At a glance, their relationships seemed good.
This kind of atmosphere was good for me. It meant I could act out a little more depending on the situation.
Right now, my credibility was rock bottom. The new guy who's just a bit too strong. That was about it.
Of course, today's battle might have changed their perception of me slightly, but the fact that I was a rookie remained unchanged.
"It's late, so we'll rest for tonight and receive supplies tomorrow. If you have personal items to pack, do so."
Once all the members had acknowledged the mission, Lando spoke one last time.
"This will be a more difficult mission than any other. Honestly, I have no idea when or how this mission will end."
"…"
"But if possible, I'd like for us to return with the same number of people we have now. So, do not let your guard down during the mission. Always be cautious. We depart at dawn the day after tomorrow. At sunrise. Until then, you're free."
"Understood."
As the mercenaries began to disperse to settle in for the night.
"Kratos, you stay behind for a moment."
What, is he going to try and discipline me before my first mission?
Huh? Me! I may be a rookie in this body, but I created this mercenary corps! I recruited Mike Hoare! I built the Empire! I did it all!
Besides, I was the one who played the biggest role in the battle for Kanta Village today! How dare he!
After all the other mercenaries had left, Lando took a small pouch from his bag and handed it to him.
"This is your advance for the mission. The other members pitched in a little, too. Normally, we settle up after we return, but this is your first mission."
Ahem. Ahem. Lando rubbed the back of his neck, seemingly embarrassed, cleared his throat, and continued.
"Buy anything you need with this. I know your first impression back in Rzhev might not have been the best, but you're one of us now. Let's put the past behind us and do well."
Hmph, to think they'd give me such a heavy pouch just for tracking one person.
Feeling its weight, it seemed to be at least 10 gold. Not a small amount.
I mean, it's only natural to track someone suspicious. Of course, I'm not just saying this because he gave me money. Absolutely not.
Rando really is a good captain.
Me from a few minutes ago, you should be ashamed of yourself