"Good job. You can go now."
"Bye bye!"
Erwen didn't refuse and quickly prepared to leave. It seemed the half-day she'd spent studying her abilities had taken its toll…
"I'll be back!"
Will you come back? Oh, I forgot to mention that.
"You no longer have to make time to come here."
"Huh?"
Why are you surprised? This is normal. You're not my teammate anymore.
"You'll need some time to get used to your new ability. You'd be better off using your time more productively until the maze opens again."
Strictly speaking, that also applied to me.
Yesterday I set myself a new goal: to become a middle-class explorer and get into the 8th floor.
Therefore, there was much work to be done going forward. First, I had to use three million stones to develop my abilities. If possible, I also wanted to receive professional combat training. I hadn't yet been able to fully utilize the potential of this monstrous body. In addition, I needed to gain common sense and knowledge of this world by reading more books, and spend as much time as possible wandering around the city to familiarize myself with the prices and culture.
In short, I had nothing to do with Erwen.
"Yes is true?"
"You said you had a younger brother. You should spend time with them since you'll be returning to the maze in three weeks."
"TRUE..."
Erwen nodded, his face grim.
Could it be because I was his first comrade?
He seemed to have strange fantasies about me. To be honest, I could predict what kind of fantasies they were. But a business relationship lasted longer.
"I plan to stay here until then, so if anything goes wrong, don't hesitate to come see me here. I'll help you in any way I can."
"Oh really?"
"Aren't we comrades?"
"Hehe, we are! Okay!"
As soon as I let slip that extra bit of gossip, Erwen left with a smug look on his face. Even so, he was easy to handle.
Since that's how things had turned out, I decided to maintain this friendship with Erwen. It was also a kind of networking tool. I might not have had blood ties here, but I could build relationships with the locals.
Perhaps someday they would be useful to me.
"Does this make me a snob?"
So be it. It wasn't the time to be fussy. After a quick shower, I went straight to the library. I read for about five or six hours after the lazy librarian I'd seen the day before worked her magic on me.
Are there any restaurants here that sell beef soup?
It was a bit late, but for lunch I went to a cheap-looking restaurant and had a bland stew and some slices of bread. The price was 450 stones. I thought it would be more economical to eat at the inn.
"This is Bjorn, son of Yandel, the Greatest Warrior!"
After eating, I visited the Furious Rhinos inn where Ainar was staying. Surprisingly, it was infested with barbarians.
«Are you also coming to stay at this inn? Well thought out, man! It's only 300 stones a day!»
What, 300 stones?
Surprised by the incredible price, I did my research and there was certainly a reason for that figure. As soon as you enter the room with five narrow beds, the thick sweat that has been ripening for several days pierces your nose.
«Five people share a room?»
«No! Ten warriors stay together!»
«... But there are only five beds?»
«We set a time and take turns sleeping!»
It's not that it was cheap, it's that several people paid for it. Although, these guys have been earning thirty or forty thousand stones at most, so they probably had no choice.
«But what brings you here?»
«I'm looking for Fenelin's third daughter, Ainar.»
«Fenelin's second daughter, Ainar, came out in the morning!»
True. Second daughter.
In the end I shouldn't have changed it. Anyway, after waiting for an hour, Ainar returned.
«Bjorn, son of Yandel? Something happened?»
As a barbarian, she got straight to the point.
«I want to fight with you».
«Are you talking about a fight?»
«Sí.»
What I needed was training. In the maze, he had accomplished more than any other barbarian, but in combat skills alone, he was no match for them.
«How strange».
Ainar tilted his head. Although, I don't think it's because it's a difficult request...
«If so, why don't you go out to the patio instead of asking me?».
¿Al patio?
Soon Ainar led me through the back door of the inn. About fifteen barbarians were already gathered there, sweating as they threw punches at each other and rolled on the ground... even spilling some blood.
«Ha ha ha! Your fist from just now was quite heavy!»
«Yours too!»
No wonder there had been so much noise all this time. While the fairies only chatted about the voices of the spirits, this was just the daily life of the barbarians. As he watched the barbarians, smiling bitterly and fighting viciously as if they had encountered a lifelong enemy, Ainar asked,
«Is there any reason you have to face me?»
In fact, there wasn't. I just thought Ainar would agree to my request. But if he said no here, it would seem strange.
«Because you're the only one who uses a sword.»
«Do you want to learn how to fight with a swordsman?»
«Sí.»
«If that's the reason, okay. I have to learn alphabets in the morning, so come at this time and I will face you all you want».
In other words, his schedule was free from 5 in the afternoon. From now on, I would visit this place every day.
«Do you want to start today?»
«Of course.»
After waiting for a while, Ainar returned to his room and returned with his sword.
«Ainar and Bjorn will face each other!»
The other barbarians stopped fighting and came to watch.
I had come here to learn, but I had no intention of losing in vain, so I took my shield and prepared myself.
However, the result was...
«Then here I come!»
She hit me completely. It took me about three minutes to release the shield after taking a beating.
Ainar fought very well. Still, it was a good experience in many ways.
«Bjorn, son of Yandel, was not the greatest warrior of all time!»
«Now Ainar is the greatest warrior of all time!»
«Ahhhhhh!»
Except for these bastards.
***
How many more hits had he received since then? Soon the sky darkened.
«Do you want to do more? I would like a break soon».
«No. Today's fight will end here.»
The other barbarians had already left the courtyard. After much deliberation, I made a decision.
«Ainar.»
«What's happening?»
Ainar was walking towards the building and then stopped and stretched.
«Are you planning to enter the maze alone next time too?»
«Yeah. I don't have enough money to form a team. I want to try the second floor if possible this time».
Once again, I realized how tough these barbarians are.
A compass and a torch. With just these two things, they could advance to the second floor. But earn money to buy consumables at the first entrance, and go directly to the next floor with that money...
«Wouldn't it be difficult on your own?»
«I have no choice.»
No choice, huh...
Perhaps, this was the reason why the lower floor was packed only with humans. The otherworldly races, whose taxes are several times higher than those of humans, could not pay their annual taxes simply by working on the first and second floors. My barbarian colleagues were clear about that. The one who had won the most of them all had won just over 20,000 stones.
«If I'm lucky, maybe I can meet other barbarians on the first floor and form a team».
«Ya veo.»
«So what did you mean?»
As my point was getting longer, Ainar immediately went to it.
Like a barbarian, I said bluntly,
«Ainar, would you like to be my comrade?»
«¿Cams?»
«I will bear the costs of creating the team».
He had felt it after competing against her several times today. Ainar was strong.
Judging by what the others were saying, it seemed like she was the first of the class among the barbarians. Above all, he was quite intelligent.
«Thanks for the suggestion, but why?»
After all, you needed a teammate. It was hard work to find a night partner every night, and having a partner increased your earnings.
However, Ainar not only had great combat power, but he also had the advantage of not having to worry about being betrayed due to the nature of the barbarians.
Classes overlapped, but... Since Erwen was gone, Ainar was the best choice he had.
Of course, there was no need for a long explanation.
«I just wanted to do it».
«Ya veo».
Ainar nodded and immediately made a decision.
«Good. Entering the maze with an intelligent warrior like you is what all warriors want».
This was a much more positive response than I expected. Could I be a little greedier?
«However, there is a condition».
«Which is?»
«Tomo el 80%. »
«....?»
Ainar frowned at my abuse of power.
Had he offended her?
I opened my mouth again and continued with the explanation.
«I will pay the cost of forming a team. And I promise you that even with that ratio, you will make a lot more money than if you went to the maze alone. Plus, I pay for all other supplies-«.
«Enough, there are no more explanations».
«....?»
«Even if you explain it to me, I won't understand it. So pay me however you want. I trust you».
«...Ya veo.»
I had no choice but to admit that I had underestimated the barbarians.
«I will be indebted to you. Bjorn, son of Yandel.»
Shortly after, Ainar came over and patted me hard on the back. He was too strong to consider it goodwill, but...
Well, I better get used to it quickly.
«I'll do what I can».
Now he had a trusted barbarian comrade.
***
The next morning. I visited the holy land with Ainar.
The holy land was a kind of community nursery. The barbarians who left for the city sent their children here. Since they had to be warriors until the day they died, they did not have the capacity to raise children. And once those barbarians went to the city as adults, this was repeated like a cycle.
Although that wasn't something to worry about now.
«Bjorn, son of Yandel».
When we arrived, the boss came to greet us.
Shit, this is why I had wanted to avoid coming here as much as possible...
«It is rare for a warrior who has left the nest to come to visit. Have you come to learn to read like Ainar, Fenelin's second daughter?».
Calming my racing heart, I shook my head.
«No. Boss, the reason I have come to the holy land is another».
«A different reason...»
The boss looked at me with curious eyes.
Don't get nervous.
Hadn't he learned things like the tone of voice and titles of barbarians from Ainar beforehand?
Don't make any mistakes.
"Dime qué es".
I took a deep breath and said calmly,
«I want to print a soul».
Different races had different characteristics. For example, fairies dealt with spirits and dwarves with artifacts.
Likewise, the barbarians had the «Soul Impression».
It was a way to gain power that couldn't be used at first because it required a lot of money in the game... But luckily, it now had a whopping one million stones. So, after much thought, I made a decision.
It's still scary being in front of this fucking bastard boss though...
«To be precise, I want to receive the 'Imprint of Immortality'.»
There was no doubt. This was the best way to spend that money.