Although Missha Karlstein came from a pureblood family, she was a five-year-old explorer treated as an outsider by her family because she had failed to contract a Spirit Beast.
Your father wants to see me, okay?
I had expected it to some extent. Through Missha, I could now understand how the Red Cat Tribe operated. "Why aren't you saying anything? What time do we have to leave?"
"Uh... I don't think it'll work tomorrow. I also have to prepare... And I have to tell my father in advance."
"What? What do you mean by that? You were the one who asked me to come tomorrow."
When I asked her incredulously, Missha looked away and waved her hands. "Well... honestly, I didn't think you'd agree so easily..."
"Is that why you asked me to come tomorrow?"
"Yes, you said that's how you negotiate, right?"
I wasn't sure if she'd said it, but Missha's plan was plausible in its own way. If she'd said she didn't have time, Missha would naturally have pretended to postpone the meeting.
"Ugh, you always say you're busy whenever I ask to hang out. What's your whim this time?"
"Your father is asking me to. Of course I should go see him."
"Huh? Is that so?" Missha looked away at my made-up excuse. "Y-you're so... how could you say something so embarrassing?"
Weren't you the one who said that barbarians and beastly people are like family?
"If you have a date, let me know. Now go. I need to sleep more. Oh, and don't come tomorrow. I have to leave early."
"What? You slept all day and you're going to sleep again?"
"Keep this up and I won't go..."
"No! I won't bother you, go and rest!"
After Missha ran out the door, I resumed my interrupted sleep. Only after sleeping a whopping 36 hours did I finally feel a little refreshed.
I feel much better now.
In the future, I should refrain from using deadly energy. Anyway, after quickly washing up, I headed to the sacred ground, where the old man greeted me.
"It's been so long since I've seen you, Bjorn, son of Yandel."
Where has the chief gone? Curious, I asked the old man, and the answer he gave me was unexpected.
"The chief went to the city on business. He will probably return tomorrow."
"The chieftain left the holy land? What a surprise."
"It's certainly not common. If you have business with him, why not meet with some of the young warriors while you wait? You'll be a good influence on them."
I politely declined the old man's expectant offer. It wasn't bad being recognized as one of the barbarians' top prospects, but I had other matters to attend to today. "Could you summon the shaman?"
After a short wait, the shaman's apprentice came to guide me to the tent. The shaman, bald and wrinkled, was blowing smoke from the large pipe he held in his mouth.
«Kekeke, warrior, you're back. What talent you have». His voice sounded higher than normal today and his speech was a little slurred, which made him look like a drug addict.
«Can I get the Soul Footprint today?»
«If you have the money, kekeke».
I was just asking if it could be done while high...
I was worried inside, but I just opened my wallet.
Clink, clink.
Every time I introduced a million-dollar mana stone, a corner of my heart ached.
With this, I'm broke again.
The cost to receive the fifth level engraving was 8 million stones. After paying this, there were only about 700,000 stones left in my hand. There were still 2 million stones left in the account shared with Missha, but that fund was not for personal use.
«Warrior, one missing».
«...i'm about to put it on.»
Soon, the calculation ended with one more mana stone worth 500,000 stones. Dang, I was hoping it could work this time.
I guess I can stop worrying about any errors during engraving.
I lie down on the bed, concentrating as much as possible on the positive.
«Uhhhhh...»
«Keke, warrior! Shout louder!»
«¡Aaaaaah!»
Soon, a family pain took over me.
[You have activated the Phase 5 Immortality Imprint. Your energy will increase significantly. The physique has increased +30. Spirit stat has increased +30.]
***
In Dungeon and Stone, energy was an important statistic. It didn't have much of an effect on combat power, but running out of energy left you incapacitated. Auxiliary energy regeneration scroll was considered an essential consumable even during raids that lasted for hours.
I didn't expect it to be a useful statistic in real life.
In the past, I felt the limits of fatigue in the Witch Forest. Just yesterday, my mental strength was exhausted and I fell into a state of half-hibernation. That's why I felt the change of body and mind more clearly.
«Keke, you look better than usual today».
Normally he should already be half dead, but today, the accumulated fatigue of body and mind was felt less. I would have to check the details later, but I figured it would be nice to stay awake for two nights with this effect. Of course, if you asked me if this effect was worth 8 million stones, I would say definitely not.
...As expected, the profitability of a print is poor.
In the middle and late phases of the game, statistics were more valuable than money. But in the first half, buying equipment or essences with money was more efficient. The way to shorten the growth time was to improve as quickly as possible and make money to take the imprint further, which was why I originally planned to record just the first stage and leave it that way for a while. I didn't know I would achieve Gigantization so quickly.
Ugh, but after having gone all out in printing, there is only one more step left.
The despondency I felt over the decline in my wealth was short-lived. A feeling of pride blossomed again. By the time he recorded the sixth stage, he would be rewarded with compensation for all the expenses he had invested several times until then.
«Warrior, why are you blank? I'm tired, so get out of here».
After being deep in thought for a while, the shaman ordered me to leave, so I left the tent. The day was getting dark. I looked through the bushes as I walked in case Ainar was waiting for me like last time.
Was not here.
Although I arrived on the outskirts of the city, Ainar was nowhere to be found. Well, as training was nearing its end, she must have been busy.
Come to think of it, there's only one month left.
As I passed through a more deserted street than usual, I smiled. Time passed so quickly and, at the same time, so slowly. It seemed like just yesterday that he was setting traps for not having leather boots.
***
Bjorn Candle
Level: 4
Physical: 330 (New +30) /Spirit: 154 (New +30) /Special ability: 128
Item level: 868
General Combat Power: 941 (New +60)
Acquired Essences: Corpse Golem – Rank 7 / Vampire (B) – Rank 5 /Orc Hero – Rank 5
***
Three days later, Missha and I got into a large car heading to District 13. That was because the sacred land of the beast tribe did not touch District 7, where we lived.
«Are you from district 13? Do you want some water?»
«I'm fine.»
«You're hungry? Are you already hungry? I brought a lot of things just in case, do you want some?».
I laughed in disbelief at Missha's disastrous attitude. «Enough is enough. I'm not going to change my mind halfway or anything».
«I'm just worried. It's going to be an uncomfortable place for you. You're going there for me, so at least you should...»
«That does not matter. Wake me up when we get there».
«Okay... It will take about three hours, so get some rest.»
Before I could bother anymore, I closed my eyes. How much time had passed? As Missha had said, it was not until noon that the carriage reached its destination.
Six hours round trip... No wonder I always spend the night there.
It wasn't that far in terms of straight-line travel, but it took longer than expected because it had to go around District 14, which prohibited passage.
Well, that must be why it was established here. You want to be as far away from home as possible.
«Bjorn, why are you still? You're tired? Do you want me to take you on a horse?»
«Shut up, just take the lead.»
«¡Wale!»
I followed Missha, who was arguably a native of this place, and took a look at the streets. It wasn't much different from District 7. Only the roads were a little more complicated, and there were many more beastmen and dwarves.
«Well, we have arrived.»
The sacred land of the beast people was very different from that of the barbarians.
I had heard of it, but I didn't expect it to be that different...
The holy land was located outside the city, but that was all they had in common. Instead of shanties or tents among the undergrowth, there were mostly stone buildings and even roads between them.
«Dad, there's a barbarian. Barbarian!»
Plus, there were shops open and several families walking the streets here and there, as if they lived here instead of in the city.
We were all kicked out when we became adults...
The sacred land of the beast people was literally like a town outside the city. I guess I seemed strange just staring at him blankly.
«What's up...? Something happens? Even if there is, you can't go back!»
«...It's just fascinating.»
«Hey? Fascinating?» Missha tilted her head as if she didn't understand.
There were many things I wanted to say, but I kept quiet. Venting about the poor living conditions of the barbarians would only be like spitting in my face. So I just asked: «Are all sacred places like that?».
«Uh, I don't know what you mean...»
«Shouldn't beast people raise cattle in the woods or something?»
In fact, that was their sacred land in the game, so maybe 150 years ago?
«Oh, uh, I think I heard that people lived like this in the past to maintain traditions... But it's been so long, I don't know much».
«I see...» Huh, why were only barbarians equal? As I walked down the street, suppressing my discontent, a huge mansion appeared in front of us.
«This is my house.»
Damn. Our boss still sleeps in a tent.
As soon as I let out a big sigh, Missha started watching me again. «You don't have to be nervous. Nothing will happen. You are little Balkan, Bjorn, son of Yandel, right? My father likes famous explorers. Hmm?» Missha spoke as if she wanted to calm me down, but it was clear that she was the one who was nervous.
«You should calm down. We're at your house, why are you nervous?».
«Hey? Am I perfectly fine?»
«Then open the door. How long are we going to stand here?»
At my words, Missha calmed her breathing and rang the doorbell to call a servant. «I want to enter. Can you open the door?».
The servant did not respond to Missha's request. He looked at her once, opened the door and left.
What the hell...?
It was a very strange sight. Missha was out of the mediocre days.
Have I heard that your father knows that you have signed with a Spiritual Beast?
I looked at Missha accidentally and our eyes met, as she was also watching me. The emotion in his eyes was familiar to me. My ex-girlfriend often looked at me like that when she discovered something she wanted to keep a secret.
«Um... you know, Bjorrrn. There's something I haven't told you yet».
«Tell me quickly».
Missha swallowed at my words and continued carefully. «Only my father knows that I signed a contract with the Spiritual Beast. So whatever happens inside, don't be angry. Understood?»
«That depends on what happens inside».
«It's nothing. That person just got a little tough.»
"In more detail. Shouldn't I know more in order to respond accordingly?"
Missha hesitated for a moment, but spoke with a resigned expression about the verbal abuse from her brothers, the bullying disguised as teasing, and the servants who whispered behind her back while she could hear. There were no serious incidents. I assumed that was because she had chosen to tell me only the milder ones. In reality, it must have been much worse.
"Oh, of course, nobody will do that to you. So don't worry too much about…"
For some reason my lips twisted on their own.
"B-Bjorn? Why are you smiling? Don't smile. You look scared like that… It will all be over when my father reveals it later. I-I just have to be patient a little longer."
Missha looked uncomfortable, like her father, but I felt that was the biggest problem. The man who was supposed to be her father was neglecting her despite knowing everything. Regardless of whether there was a reason for his silence, he let his daughter suffer for her own good. And yet he dared to call me at his house?
He must have thought I was a piece of shit.
Suddenly, I sensed a dark malice emanating from this enormous mansion, as if I were looking into a dungeon filled with monsters. Was that why?
"Behell-ahhhhhhhhh!" The scream came from nowhere.
At the same time, the servant who had disappeared without so much as a glance reappeared. "What are you doing, you barbarian?! Mind your manners!"
"Manners, eh?" I approached him, thinking about what he'd said. "You must have a problem in your head." Where in the world was there a barbarian who was polite to his enemies?