New Start (2)
Ryu Han-bin and Artis left Onpros City.
The “solution” Artis proposed was impossible to do in Onpros.
“You need to start in a new place with a new identity.”
He already had enough money anyway. He had no reason left to stay.
It took ten days for the duo to reach their destination– the dungeon City of Highten.
The city was located in the middle of the Xrad Kingdom.
It was at least far enough for his identity as Eric Garoon to be left behind.
Ryu Han-bin murmured as he looked at the sceneries of Highten.
“Isn’t this a strange-looking neighborhood?”
A huge canyon ran through the middle of the city. Both sides were used as part of it.
Pointing to the bottom of the Canyon, Artis explained.
“That’s the Crete Valley. It’s a dungeon hunting area.”
Originally, Highten was the estate of Count Veretti, and it wasn’t the same bustling place that it was now.
However, a few years ago, dungeons began to appear in the Crete Valley frequently. It had become a major hunting spot for hunters.
Han-bin clicked his tongue.
“Are there dungeon entrances in the city? Isn’t that dangerous?”
It might have been better to build a city a little further away, considering how there was no way to predict when the monsters would pop out.
Artis shook his head.
“They didn’t really plan to build a city.”
Unlike in the vast Efen Plains, In Crete Valley, people didn’t have to wander far because dungeon entrances only appeared at the bottom of the canyon.
To make their lives easier, the hunters built their base above the relatively safe gorge and periodically explored dungeons.
Since it lasted for years, it became the cause of urbanization.
“The citizens don’t seem to feel threatened. Count Veretti set up a tight watch from the bottom of the canyon to the city’s entrance.
For Count Veretti, the dungeon city of Highten was a goldmine.
As such, the city was carefully managed to avoid its collapse.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"}) At the end of the explanation, Artis shrugged.
“You can start over here, Han-bin.”
* * *
When Artis arrived at Highten, he first bought a house near the canyon.
The closer a property was to the canyon in the dungeon city, the cheaper the house was.
“The closer it is, the more likely it is to be attacked when monsters pop out. But the closer we are, the more comfortable it is anyway.”
Due to the people’s collective fear, he was able to buy a great house for a low price.
It was even complete with magical tools and items for everyday use.
Looking around the house, Ryu Han-bin felt a bit concerned.
“Aren’t you spending too much money, Artis?”
He spent a good deal of funds buying the house.
He also spent a considerable amount of money during their 10-day trip.
Because of their expenses, Artis’s savings was starting to run out.
“Let me buy this house. It’s not like I don’t have any money.”
Artis refused.
“I owe you my life, Han-bin. I hate living with debt, so I plan to pay that off as soon as possible.”
Seeing how Artis kept helping Han-bin with everything he’s got, Han-bin felt like a Dragon’s debt of life was more important than he imagined.
Suddenly another thought came up, causing Han-bin to laugh.
“If I were a real Level 5 Swordsman, how severely would I be in debt?”
If Artis had saved him, how much would he have to work to pay off his life debt?
“Am I going to have to pay you back for the rest of my life?”
He didn’t think so.
“The cost of life from person to person. It’s up to you to determine its value. If you’re a humble person who considers your life cheap, you won’t even have to worry about life debt.”
He didn’t intend to get paid for such a man’s life.
“Of course, I find my life extremely valuable, so this isn’t enough to repay you..”
“What an arrogant thing to say.”
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"}) Artis replied with a smile.
“It really isn’t a problem. Earning the money I’ve spent isn’t that hard..”
It wasn’t that he was spending money mindlessly.
He had plans of his own.
Crete Valley was also a like the Efen Plains.
“Han-bin, with power, we can earn a lot.”
They came to that city to be able to maximize the usage of their power, after all.
“Now, let’s get ready for a fresh start.”
* * *
It had been 15 days since then.
Two outsiders entered the hall on the first floor of the Highten Hunter Guild.
The hunters who were staying in the hall looked at them with slightly surprised expressions.
‘Hoh!’
‘That’s a very conspicuous party.’
At the front was a handsome young man sporting red hair.
He wore a red robe that made him look like a mage, but his appearance was unusual.
However, the hunters’ main focus was on the individual standing behind the young man.
‘And that guy?’
‘I’ve never seen a guy like that around here.’
He had a massive 190 cm body, broad triangular shoulders, and rigorous muscles covered by his copper skin.
Both the chest and the back were well-defined, revealing their presence.
The tendons on the shoulders and forearms were thick and strong like ropes.
His body looked as if it was purely made of muscles.
‘That’s overkill.’
‘Wow, look at those muscles. I’m so envious.’
‘How can a human body achieve that?’
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"}) The hunters had a reason to look at his body so closely.
He had no top and only wore fur shorts and boots.
His upper body and his thighs were left completely exposed.
A rugged leather belt circled around his wide waist, and a gigantic black sword was attached to his back.
He was the perfect embodiment of the word “strong.”
The duo headed straight to the reception desk.
A slick-looking teenage boy greeted them cheerfully.
“Welcome to the Highten Hunters Guild. I’m Newk, the guild receptionist. How may I help you?”
The young man handed over a document.
“Artis Venetian, Level 36 Mage. I came to register as a hunter.”
After receiving and reading the papers, Newk’s eyes brightened.
“You were originally in the Onpros Hunters Guild? Advanced Hunters are always welcome.”
He then pointed at the measuring stone.
“I’ll check the current level of Mr. Artis as part of the procedure. Please put your hand on the measuring stone.”
Soon the black stone emitted letters made out of light.
[Occupation: Mage. Lv. 36]
Newk immediately processed the documents needed for Artis’s recruitment, then addressed the giant behind him.
“Please put your hand on the measuring stone as well.”
The man reached out to the measuring stone.
Underneath her matted black hair, her black eyes shone brightly.
A few moments passed.
“Rejected!”
He crushed the measurement stone in his hand.
Dang! Dang! Dang!
The hard measuring stone quickly turned into powder.
With a loud crack, the fragments of the magic tool flew all over the hall.
Newk turned pale.
“Gasp!”
The hunters in the hall stood up out of fear.
“What the hell?”
“Are you here to pick a fight?”
However, no one dared to attack.
He just smashed a measuring stone with the same hardness level as granite, with his bare hands.
His strength was beyond that of a human’s.
With the tension rising, the man shook his hand as he spoke in a cold manner.
“That stone is evil. I have no intention of playing around with filthy demon tricks.”
The atmosphere began to calm down.
The fierce eyes of hunters became stained with astonishment and fear.
“Wait a minute, did you say that measuring stone is evil?”
“N-no way…”
“An extremely hardened body…”
“and power that transcends humans!”
Looking back at the big guy, Artis clicked his tongue.
“Hey, Felard. Can you stop breaking other people’s properties?”
“I got too excited. I’ll be careful in the future.”
The man nodded bluntly.
Artis smiled bitterly as he returned his gaze to Newk.
“I’m sorry. I will pay for what he broke.”
Newk didn’t even care about the broken measuring stone.
The existence of the giant in front of him was a lot more important.
Newk asked a question in disbelief, his eyes still looking at the man called Felard.
“Is this man the legendary……?”
“Yes.”
Smiling, Artis nodded.
“He is a warrior of the Valtara Clan.”
* * *
There was a story that had been passed down as a legend on the Latna Continent.
At the far end of the continent, on an island in the southern archipelago, there was a minority called ‘Valtara.’
According to legends, even the children of Valtara possessed power that surpassed bulls.
It was said that slender women from that clan could destroy trees with a single blow and that their old men could cut through boulders using swords.
Valtara’s trained adult warriors exerted power comparable to Aura users through pure brute strength alone, and that the strongest warrior among them that broke through his limits could cause natural disasters with a single swing of his sword.
They were the strongest barbarians in this world.
Despite their incredible power, the Valtara Clan kept themselves isolated from the rest of the world.
They never interacted with the world and lived only by themselves in the remote southern regions.
Only a few of their warriors left their hometowns for the sake of training.
They were all strong, warlike, and violent.
Their barbaric warriors had left countless legends across the continent with their sturdy bodies and beastly spirits.
Latnains regarded the Valtara warriors in awe.
* * *
‘Oh my God, the legendary Valtara warrior……’
Newk looked at the giant in front of him, Felard Bean.
He immediately understood why he was wearing such an outfit.
He also understood why he broke the measuring stone.
The Valtara Clan, in their pursuit of the path of a true warrior, considered it an act of cowardice to wear armor like shields and helmets.
It was why they never wore anything more than what’s necessary.
The use of magic tools was considered an evil act and was actively avoided in their culture.
They believe that their soul would be corrupted if they used such equipment.
Their beliefs weren’t without basis, however.
Latna’s magic tools were made based on the magic tools from dungeons.
The dungeons’ magic tools all came from the Devil Omphalos.
The magic of a Mage was from the Goddesses’ grace, but it was the firm belief of the Valtara warriors that magic tools were curses made by demons.
‘Yes, if he is a Valtara warrior, he can’t use a measuring stone. The measuring stone is also a magic tool.’
Convinced of everything, Newk carefully raised his head.
He felt a little scared during the whole ordeal, but he was starting to relax.
There was no way a Valtara warrior who pursued the path of a “real warrior” would harm a child like him.
He plucked up his courage and talked to him.
“Sorry, but according to the guild rules, you cannot register as a hunter unless you measure your level.”
Artis replied as he knew about it already.
“I’m going to register him as my escort. Would that be possible?”
“Oh, of course!”
Sometimes young nobles played as hunters for fun.
During those times, the knights who served the nobleman would register separately as guards.
Knights who served noble families weren’t allowed to register as actual hunters according to the laws of Latna.
The procedure was completed without any problem.
After a while, Newk came out with two IDs.
Highten Hunters Guild: Advanced Hunter, Lv. 36 Mage, Artis Venetian
Highten Hunters Guild: Felard Bean, Guardian Knight of Artis Venetian
“Mr. Felard has been registered as an escort of Mr. Artis.”
“Good!”
The barbarian man nodded, laughing briskly.
Valtara barbarian warrior, Felard Bean.
Of course, his identity was Ryu Han-bin, a young Korean man who abandoned his old identity of Eric Garoon to start a new life.
Han-bin sighed while acting as violently as possible.
‘Ah, what a waste. Measurement stones are very expensive…’
