Sitting by the fountain, I ate from my lunch box. The menu was potato stew, bread and vegetable salad with beef. Missha sat next to me.
«Bjorrrn, come a poco de esto».
«Can you give me the meat?».
«I ate a lot while making it before».
In that case, I chewed and swallowed the meat Missha gave me. How long had it been since I had eaten meat? It melted in my mouth. However, the only negative was that it was difficult to fully enjoy the taste due to the looks coming from all over.
«Did Bjorn just call you?»
«Then that man must be Little Balkan.»
«Hmm, it doesn't look that special on the outside...»
At some point, wherever I went, people started recognizing me from time to time. Invitations to join a clan, offers to join a team, I could overlook these things, but...
«Hey, are you really little Balkan?».
There were also those who approached me just to pick a fight or bother me to tell about the incident.
Hey, can't you see I'm eating? I may just finish, but still.
«Missha, levantate.»
«¿Eh?»
«Since we finish eating, let's go.»
We hurriedly cleaned ourselves and left the fountain. I could hear some murmurs from behind, but they didn't cross the line following us.
Missha looked behind her and muttered: «Cool. I thought people only recognized the really famous ones».
What is this? Are you looking for a fight?
But I understood what he meant. It must be uncomfortable for someone around you to suddenly become famous.
Little Balkan, huh?
In the game, there was nothing to lose by raising the reputation level. You could unexpectedly receive quests that were not available before or assignments with great rewards. Above all, if your reputation level was low, it was impossible to enter District 1, the Royal Capital of Karnon, so it was essential for the game to move forward.
But I don't know if this is a good thing or not.
Right now I wasn't in a game. In a world where players were treated like evil spirits and taken to the guillotine as soon as they were discovered, it was clear that the more my name became known, the more it would attract unwanted interest. But I had no choice if I wanted to live. To win something, you had to give up something. I obtained the essence of an Orc Hero, saved lives, and gained several other benefits, so, I would have to endure this a lot.
«So I think we're done with today's tasks».
After receiving the equipment we had entrusted to repair, purchasing several necessary items, and visiting the auction house while we were in the area to see if there were any items worth purchasing, the sun began to set.
I'll have to go back to my bedroom and come up with a training plan.
«I'm going back now, what are you going to do?» i asked. Translation: let's go back now.
But Missha started interrupting his words for some reason. «Ah well...» What was this? I was getting anxious. As he silently urged her, Missha opened her mouth cautiously. «...I'm going to visit my family for a while.»
«¿Family?»
«Yeah. I'll probably be there until tomorrow or the day after tomorrowaa».
«Ya veo.»
Why do you say it like you're doing something wrong? If you have plans, so be it. It's a family matter, so it's not my area to interfere.
She was a little worried, but she was sure she could take care of it herself. «Cheer up». Still, I decided to give her a few words of support because I also knew what her family meant to her.
Missha chuckled. «That cheers me up a little...».
Oh really? Because his voice still lacks strength.
It looked like I would have to give him a push on the back. In the barbaric way, of course.
¡A slap!
«Agh! Ignorant barbarian!» Missha screamed in surprise, but it doesn't matter.
«Much better.»
«I'll be back in two days, so make sure you eat well until then, okay?».
I smiled with satisfaction and said: «Okay». This was a change that occurred after returning to the city. He said he would treat me like a benefactor. Maybe that's what he meant. These days, I was acting like my mother.
***
Missha and I separated on the carriage platform. She headed to her family home and I got into the carriage heading to District 8, where my inn was located. My body trembled every time the carriage creaked. I had nothing to do, so I closed my eyes and started thinking as if I was entrusting myself to the waves.
For now, it will be a good idea to stay on this team.
When I ate the Orc Hero essence, my stats took a big leap. In fact, if I applied to advance to level 6 explorer, I would be accepted immediately. He even had the reputation of Little Balkan, so he might be able to jump to level 5. In other words, I could find a better team if I wanted to.
Except it would be hard to bring Missha with me.
Misha's combat power was nothing more and nothing less than that of a level 7 scout. There was, of course, a lot of potential to go to the higher ranks. Now she not only had a Spiritual Beast, but also Strength, her transformation superpower and the decisive reason why I decided to raise her as a comrade.
So, in that sense, the first task is to level it up.
I made my final decision. It would be effective to focus on Missha's growth for a while.
First, we should raise the contract level of his Spiritual Beast and, if possible, choose the next expedition for it. That way, an essence could come out. Oh, I think it would also be better to change your main weapon if possible...
While planning Missha's training process in detail, the carriage arrived at its destination.
Ugh, next time, I have to find an inn closer to the platform or something.
It was the advantage of living near a station. Although the price would be just as expensive.
Step.
I got out of the car, skillfully found my way and headed home. Go straight and turn left at the candy store. Then, at the Immortal King statue, take the fork on the right. After another five minutes, you should reach the central square...
«We will begin the execution!»
Damn, no wonder it had been quiet for a few days. I could see crowds gathered in the usually empty square. Everyone raised their heads to look at the guillotine.
Cut!
The sight didn't seem so scary anymore, but I had no desire to pay attention to it. Ignoring the chilling sounds, I hurried my steps, but still my subconscious perceived a strangeness based on visual information.
... Why are there so few people today?
He was not thinking of the crowd gathered under the guillotine, but of those sentenced to death whose execution was scheduled. It was common to carry out sentences of dozens upon dozens, but today there were only four.
For some reason, I don't see people waiting at the front for the blood to flow today either.
At the same time I began to question this, the murmur, which was blurry like a background sound, became clearer.
«I expected something more from an evil spirit, but there is nothing special».
«You're right. His blood is also red».
«Isn't it disgusting that these evil spirits are among us, posing as humans?».
That? Evil spirits? My feet stood up on their own. When I turned my head to check the guillotine, I saw the death row inmates trembling and waiting their turn.
«It's not me! I'm not one of them!»
«What are you doing? Gag her again».
There were three left: a young fairy, a dwarf male who seemed to be the same age as Hikurod, and a barbarian with a familiar face.
Cut!
The fairy's head rolled down and fell into the prepared barrel, and the dwarf was pushed in front of the guillotine. However, my eyes were fixed on one place.
Tarikan, hijo de Riyen.
Yes, that was the name of that barbarian who was there, trembling with terrified eyes.
Damn, I knew his behavior was risky.
The barbarian's clumsy speech and fearful personality, weakness and wanting to trust someone. There were too many things that would have given him away that he couldn't even pinpoint exactly what had gone wrong. But for some reason, I had that feeling.
I guess he didn't use the money I gave him to buy a gun.
He had no basis for that claim, as his gun would have been taken away before he was taken to death row. But, for some reason, he kept thinking that this time he would not have entered the labyrinth again.
But why?
I was seriously thinking about what the origin of my unfounded intuition might be when the man who had been trembling calmly suddenly began to squirm. His gagged mouth kept moving as if he were trying to say something, and his wide eyes looked in my direction. It probably wasn't a coincidence.
«Mmmm! Mmmmmm!»
Did he recognize me from so far away? Well, I was the only barbarian in the crowd, so I must have stood out from afar.
«What are you doing? Bring him to his knees!»
Finally, dominated, he put his neck under the blade of the guillotine. Meanwhile, he kept trying to say something, staring at me, mixed in the crowd.
« ¡Mm, hmm! »
He couldn't know what that crushed cry could mean. Was he asking for help? Hmm, but his eyes seemed too poisonous for that.
«M-mmm!»
Although my heart sank as I saw that he couldn't leave as he pleased, I also felt a little relief.
Thank goodness I kept my distance.
If I hadn't ended our meeting by giving him 150,000 stones, if I had made a different judgment and revealed that I was in the same situation, if we had depended on each other...
«¡La de Yandel! »
... I could have been there with him.
Cut!
In the end, the gag broke and he shouted something, but the cold blade fell and crushed his voice. I immediately turned my back on him and headed where I was going. Still, a lesson stuck in my heart.
Next time, I had to remember that I shouldn't even do that.
I had to be more careful. In this fucking world, it wasn't just looters and scouts who were after my life. Who could really sympathize with whom? I should take care of myself and act cautiously in the future.
«Bjorn, son of Yandel, right?» Someone shouted my name from behind. When I turned around, a neat-looking man was looking at me.
«Don't bother me and get lost». Lately many strangers were approaching me, so I ignored him and continued on my way. But...
«Don't be so on guard. Because I am in a similar situation». The nuance of his speech was very strange. I accidentally stopped walking and turned to look at the man. «America? Taiwan? Europe? Where do you come from?»
What the hell was this now?
After gaining fame, I thought about the possibility that something like this could happen.
I didn't expect it to happen so soon.
My head cooled like an ice cube. Of course, my next action was already decided. Whether this guy was a real player or someone posing as one, nothing changed. I just had to do what I had prepared. I already knew that evil spirits existed apart from me from the moment I awakened in this body.
The other day, I asked myself: Do I need to commit to them even at risk?
My conclusion then was simple. They had absolutely no value. What was I going to do with that player? Share information? Maybe to a certain extent, but in the end it would only give me the assurance that I was not alone in this unknown world. It was foolish to risk so much just to feel comfortable.
Whoever it is, I don't have to show him my cards.
There was a thing in this world called a poker face. There were times when psychological warfare was waged using it, but in the end it basically meant a deadpan face. As such, the face was the part of the body that best reflected the human mind. However, I decided that what I had to do now was not show a deadpan expression.
As soon as he finished asking, I answered: «What are you talking about?».
Of course, this wasn't perfect either. So, as I answered in a barbaric tone, I thought to myself: «If I were Ainar, what would your reaction be to that?».
Since the time we spent together was quite long, the answer came easily: «Don't say difficult words and speak clearly». Yes, this was it. The barbarians did not know much and were not ashamed of what they did not know. Furthermore, if the stranger was a human, they showed a bit of vigilance and aggressiveness.
Step.
Therefore, I stepped forward with a slightly threatening look. Plus, they snorted like they were going to open your head if you said the wrong thing.
Despite my actions, the man only spat out a strange exclamation. «Wow, you almost fooled me. You are very good at acting. Haven't you only been there three months?».
»Act»? I said don't use difficult words, right?».
«Ah, no need to keep your guard up. I'm from America. I shouldn't have even touched this damn game». His voice dripped with regret and sorrow, and information that no one other than a player could know. This gave me some confidence. «Anyway, you are amazing. You've earned a nickname in three months. It took me three years. I just had to be human...»
This bastard wasn't a player.