4 Thirteenth Hero

~Chapter 4: Thirteenth Hero

A notification abruptly appeared as soon as Kirin entered the city.

...

System Notification— You've entered a [Human] settlement

-Name: Vani City of Heron Kingdom

...

Kirin frantically looked around. 'Eh?' seeing that no one reacted to the floating blue screen in front of him, Kirin sighed in relief. 'Hmmm, is no one really seeing this?' he waited for a few more seconds. 'I guess they don't, huh? It might be that everyone around is just too busy to even care?' he thought.

Seeing that the screen didn't matter, Kirin shrugged and inspected the notification instead.

The screen looked different from usual, however, it was understandable. A city is a city, difficulty level and other specifications would only apply to dungeons and monster-infested areas. Without sparing another thought, Kirin closed the notification. He looked around with wonder and curiosity.

"This place is huge!" Kirin exclaimed. Even though he didn't expect much, Kirin was quite surprised as to what he saw the moment he entered the city. Perhaps because of the unimpressive wall, his expectation of the city architecture was low, but seeing houses and roads not falling short to those modern housing back on Earth, Kirin wondered, 'Was all this possible because of magic? Hmmm, it seems plausible? Improving the quality of life is a higher priority than combat.'

That was Kirin's personal preference, however, it might not be entirely true. If magic was indeed applied and focused on life improvement, things like walled cities wouldn't even be a thing. It was an obvious sign— People with magical abilities still prioritize combat and mass warfare.

After marveling at the sight of the city, Kirin made his way to the central district. He was unsure where to start, so he decided to explore the city first, 'Perhaps, I should look for a stall which I could temporarily rent or something' Kirin carefully pondered upon what to do next.

Although he had a plethora of experience regarding different businesses, it would not simply translate to him being incredibly masterful —doing the same thing— in this world where the economy differs a lot from modern Earth. Things needed learning and familiarizing first.

Kirin keenly looked around the central district as soon as he arrived.

The wide brick road making up a roundabout which surrounded a massive fountain was the most eye-catching thing in the district. Around the majestic fountain, groups of people casually carrying various weapons could be seen. Judging from their uncoordinated clothes, Kirin would not mistake them as city guards or some military personnel. "Adventurers?" Kirin murmured.

The term in itself held no meaning for Kirin. As fancy as it sounds, the word 'adventurer' was something no one in the modern society of Earth would use, or rather, would speak outside the context of make belief and fantasy— perhaps, the only exception would be; a financial "adventure"

'Not that I call those daredevils as "adventurers". They're nothing but calculative risk takers,' Kirin shrugged. Of course, what he meant were financial speculators; or 'adventurers' in the business world. Of course, Kirin doesn't despise these speculators. Despite they're overt pickiness, these people were still investors. No business would grow without their presence.

Just when Kirin's thoughts were about drift aimlessly, another scene caught his attention-

Another group of people arrived and crowded in the central district. They flocked around the group of adventurers. These newcomers drag with them various carts filled with sacks of dried food and barrels water. If the latter group which carried weapons were adventurer, then these people with luggage are undoubtedly: 'porters'. 'That would make sense,' Kirin caressed his chin.

From that scene alone, Kirin concluded that besides tangible products, the city was also engaging in various money-making services; such as hiring mercenaries/adventurers. "Is being an adventurer really that profitable though?" Kirin wondered, however, he unconsciously spoke his thoughts aloud -

"You think it isn't? Huh, guess I'm not the only who thought the same." a subtle voice suddenly spoke. Kirin turned his head to see who it was; if not for his sharp senses, it would've taken him ages to know who the person was in such a crowded place, "And you are?" Kirin asked.

The person responsible was nonchalantly standing a good distance away, around ten feet or so- it was no wonder why his voice was low and feeble. He was too far for his mutterings to even reach a normal person's hearing range. "You heard what I said just now?" the man asked.

Kirin only nodded in reply. The man then walked towards Kirin.

As a force of habit, Kirin unconsciously used the 'System's Eye' as he stared at the tall man walking towards him. From his intricate black armor lined with silver, Kirin would not mistake the man as a simple adventurer. His looks, from his armor and weapon, were simply too extravagant compared to the meek appearance of a standard adventurer. —

...

Heron's 13th Hero - Jeremiah Bretwald (LV 12)

Class: Shadow Paladin

Race: Human

Health: 13,000

Mana: 2,000

Mana Color: Black - Gold

Strength: 180

Agility: 180

Sense: 80

Vitality: 120

Intelligence: 40

...

System's Assessment: Person's threat level is [barely significant] to the host.

...

'I was right. He's not an adventurer, but a hero instead.' Kirin murmured as he inspected the man's status page. 'Shadow Paladin. It sounds something out of a fantasy book. Indeed, this is truly a fantastical world.' Kirin became curious. In his own status page, he lacks a few things that he often sees others have, namely; a 'Class' and a 'Race' tab, however, he also has slots that are not present from others; a 'Job' and a 'Titles' tab.

Kirin assumed the 'Job' tab was similar to a 'Class' tab, albeit, he doesn't have anything to prove this. On the other hand, having no 'Race' tab only made him feel slightly...weird. As for the 'Titles', he could only guess that they're things he'll acquire in the future.

Jeremiah soon stood in front of Kirin.

Although Kirin wasn't short, Jeremiah was a lot taller than him, perhaps around three to four inches taller. The renowned hero stood proudly as he sized up the young man in front of him. However, as soon as he saw the clothes Kirin wore and the dirty sack beside him, Jeremiah's expression changed, "Hmph! And here I thought I heard a fellow noble mocking the jobs of those adventurers. But a commoner actually dared question them instead? Are you delusional, young man?"

Kirin was confused as to what Jeremiah suddenly babbled about. He briefly replied, "I was just wondering whether they really earn much." He shrugged and paid no attention to Jeremiah anymore. He resumed observing the group of adventurers that were being followed by multiple porters, he was rather curious, 'Should I just try becoming a temporary porter? That way, I could supply those adventurers back-up weapons by selling my swords. Hmmm, will it work?'

'I— Is this commoner serious!? He dares to ignore me!? Does he not know who I am!?' Jeremiah inwardly retorted, his expression becoming worse, 'I'll teach you a lesson then'. Impulsively, he attempted to grab Kirin by the shoulder. However, the latter suddenly turned around, a choking atmosphere suddenly enveloped Jeremiah, "What are you trying to do?" Kirin's voice brought chills to Jeremiah. A tinge of indifference could be seen in the eyes of the young man.

Beads of sweat uncontrollably trickled down Jeremiah's face. He immediately moved a few steps back, 'H— How could a commoner have such oppressive aura!? Tsk… No, that's impossible. Tricks? Yes… yes, perhaps a skill that fakes his strength?— Yes, that's it!' Jeremiah racked his brain to find an answer. He mustered up the courage once more and smirked. Everything was just a sham, a trick, an illusion to make him think a commoner was possibly stronger than him, a hero.

Jeremiah took his first step, however, Kirin already made the initiative and walked towards him. 'He's making a move? Good, now I don't have to worry about tainting my image.' Jeremiah thought.

Kirin, on the other hand, just wanted to know why the strange hero was directing killing intent towards him. He did nothing wrong, as far as he could tell. Kirin calmly placed the sack of swords, making a subtle 'clink' sound as it hit the ground; the sack's tie lay loose and the collection of iron swords laid bare- the dark silver sword hilt, engraved with unique markings, glinted under the bright sunlight.

Jeremiah curiously glanced at the contents of the sack, however, he still kept his focus. Although the bastard commoner was bold, yet foolish, to disrespect him, Jeremiah could somehow feel the confidence coming from the simple man. It was apparent that the commoner was quite strong as well. However, what was inside the sack fully diverted his attention.

'T— Those swords! Aren't those the ones used by the old army of the fallen Aishkafel Kingdom!?' Jeremiah inwardly exclaimed, 'How did this commoner get his hand on these legendary weapons?' A look of confusion befell on Jeremiah's face.

Kirin, noticing Jeremiah's puzzled look, said, "Are you curious about those swords? These are all for sale. I am currently peddling in this city. Would you like to purchase some?" of course, Kirin was just jesting when he inquired. He knew that a hero would never have the need for obsolete weapons.

"How much for each?" Jeremiah hurriedly asked.

Kirin raised a brow in confusion, 'Did I hear it right? He's seriously asking for a price?' Even though it may be a joke— a bogus inquiry, as an honest and reliable businessman, Kirin could not help but answer to the needs of his 'customer'. "The price varies," Kirin briefly replied.

The previous atmosphere that the two had just a few moments ago somehow… disappeared. Kirin picked a random iron sword from the bunch. The item's stat page then appeared, including the price that the system "suggested". 'You can't call it a suggested retail price when you have to force it as a fixed price item anyway,' Kirin thought as he shrugged. He then inspected the iron sword.

...

Iron Sword (Damaged)

-Type: Equipment

-Class: Pseudo-Rare

-Effect: None

-Description: Sword of the Fallen Aishkafel Kingdom

...

System's Retail Price: — 43 Gold

...

"Like… like this one, this costs 43 gold" Kirin said, stuttering.

He swallowed his saliva and thought, 'What a ridiculous pricing…' If it weren't for the fact that he trusts the system's judgment, Kirin would've thought that it was drunk right now. He then picked another one and inspected its pricing, it had the same things written in it, including the (Damaged) status, but with a different retail price—

"This one, however, is just 30 gold" Kirin added.

Jeremiah was silent all this time, however, his face wasn't that of shock, but rather… it was as if he was thinking— pondering whether to purchase the swords or not. This caught Kirin off guard, 'This man is seriously thinking of buying these swords?' Kirin thought as he examined the swords once more. This time, he wasn't focusing on the things mentioned in the status page, but rather, the details the sword has in itself—

Intricate engravings on the hilt were the first thing that one would notice, as it was the part with the least damage. The blade, however, needed keener inspection before one would notice 'special' things in it. Even with the passing of time; rust, dirt, and all things that could damage a sword, the blade remained intact— unbent in the slightest. Knowing nothing about forging nor swords, Kirin could confidently guess that if a master blacksmith could just remove the gunk and rust coating its surface, all these iron swords would look a lot better.

'Perhaps the ridiculous pricing is, somewhat, reasonable,' Kirin thought. Not just the overall quality of the sword, but its rarity as well, makes the iron sword from the refuse of the invasion— special. Accounting both things, the high price could actually be sensible.

"How many of these swords do you have right now?" Jeremiah asked once more.

"In total, I have around forty of them," Kirin replied.

Jeremiah pondered, caressing his chin. It was apparent that this person, a 'commoner', in front of him was no ordinary person. Just from the fact that he has possession of iron swords meant that he was either; in cahoots with the demon race on the far lands, or that he was living in the isolated region of the fallen Aishkafel Kingdom, either thing was incredibly terrifying.

Being in collusion with the demon race, as a human, would mean that the person was someone with terrifying strength that even the demon, could not help but show their respect to such person and accept him/her as their comrade. 'This theory… is very unlikely,' Jeremiah dismissed the thought. If the young man was really cooperating with the demons, why is he… selling swords instead of plotting a diabolic plan against all of humanity?

The latter guess was more plausible, but nothing less terrifying.

A person residing in the refuse of the demon invasion— a place infested by monstrous creatures that are beyond human comprehension— 'How the hell could a normal person survive there!?' Jeremiah inwardly rebuked. It was ludicrous. 'And he dared collect swords in that area? I'd rather worry about my life than collecting treasure if I ever get lost in that place.'

Jeremiah could not help but retract his hostile approach towards the young man.