Chapter 8: Why Are You Here Right Now?

The NPC who gave quests for [Regeneration] and [Toughness] was…

"Jamil, I didn't expect to meet you here."

"Oh, Theodore! I heard you went to Solen but I never imagined we'd meet like this."

It was Jamil, the action captain of Karl's mercenary group.

To be precise, Arturo "Jamil" Azar.

Damn, I should have asked for his full name before.

Arturo Azar.

It was the name of the mercenary king who would later lead the fearsome and notorious <Red Bear Mercenaries>.

Little did I know he was only using his middle name when I met him.

If I hadn't checked the common skill quests, I would have missed connecting with such an important figure.

"Maybe he's only using the name Jamil because he doesn't have his own mercenary group yet."

Mercenaries usually don't take much interest in each other.

In a job where one never knows when and where someone might die, are names really that important?

Mercenaries with troubled pasts were common, so not prying into each other's affairs was an unspoken rule of courtesy.

Anyway, since he's going to be a mercenary king someday, it would be best to start building a connection with him now…

It was all thanks to Jamil that Karl's mercenary group, which was almost a ragtag group, was able to get by.

I thought he was skilled, but I never dreamed that this guy was that "Arturo Azar".

After all, the Arturo Azar I knew was based in Roshan.

So, it wasn't strange that I hadn't recognized him earlier.

"Wasn't Karl's mercenary group heading to the imperial capital?"

"That's right."

"Then why are you here?"

"Karl disbanded the mercenary group."

"What?"

"To be precise, he fired all the young mercenaries. Without even paying them properly."

"Why?"

"That merchant hired new mercenaries."

"He must have been really scared."

"As you know, messing up that job on the golden road is a fatal stain on one's reputation."

"...."

If the merchant had terminated the contract midway and found new mercenaries in Dask, Karl would have been left with little money. Naturally, he would have fired the young mercenaries. This kind of deception wasn't uncommon.

"But Karl wouldn't have let you go as well."

"I quit. I didn't want to stay under someone like him."

Jamil had already been displeased with Karl for exploiting young mercenaries at such low rates. While it was normal for young mercenaries to be cheap, Karl's extent was excessively so.

"So you came to Solen?"

"I heard there was a caravan leaving for Roshan soon."

"Planning to go to Roshan?"

"Yes. I have some money, so I'm thinking of gathering some decent guys in Roshan to form my own mercenary corps."

"The same…"

"The same?"

"Nothing, never mind. Have you thought of a name for your mercenary group?"

"Not yet."

"How about the Red Bear Mercenaries?"

"The Red Bear Mercenaries…"

Could my memory be wrong?

"That's a great idea!"

I was right. This guy would indeed create the fearsome Red Bear Mercenary group.

"I'm also planning to head to Roshan. How about we go together?"

"What? Really?! Theodore, if you're coming along, I'd be more than grateful!"

He laughed heartily and patted my shoulder.

I should be the one thanking you in advance, future king of mercenaries.

Anyway, I needed to receive a quest from this guy to obtain [Regeneration] and [Toughness]…

"The road to Roshan is much more dangerous than the road to the imperial capital."

"…Hmm?"

"Theodore, how about training with me before we go?"

This must be it. The quest to obtain [Regeneration] and [Toughness].

According to what was written in the book, if I succeeded in the training, I would gain [Regeneration] and [Toughness], and as a bonus, even increase Jamil's favorability.

Of course, I had to accept, but…

It won't be as easy as I thought.

There was a reason for my hesitation.

This brute, literally like a 'Red Bear', only knew about brutal training.

But for both the common skills and the favorability, it's best to acquire them when I can.

"…Alright."

I nodded reluctantly.

I thought the common skills would be easy to acquire, but the difficulty was no joke, was it?

That's how the hellish camp training with Jamil began.

***

[Regeneration] was the ability to heal and rejuvenate a tired and wounded body, while [Toughness] increased resistance to damage from external sources.

The monsters of the cursed lands were all strong and tenacious. To deal with such creatures, these two abilities were absolutely necessary.

However…

Jamil's training was excruciatingly hard.

Damn it… I'd rather rejoin the military.

I lay collapsed among the dense bushes, staring blankly at the sky.

Jamil, with his monstrous stamina, was still running around with thick logs slung one by one over his shoulders.

This was how Jamil destroyed his body.

And the destroyed body would regenerate and become stronger.

This was the foundation of [Regeneration] and [Toughness].

I had no idea the skills were acquired through such a brutish method…

If this were a game, it might have ended with a task like [Move 100 logs], but reality was different.

During the day, I suffered the pain of tearing muscles, and at night, the agony of them knitting back together. Was that all? Fleeing from Jamil who used "training" as an excuse to "hunt" me was also mentally excruciating.

But…

Due to that extreme suffering, I was able to acquire [Regeneration] and [Toughness] in just three days.

Once I gained [Regeneration] and [Toughness], my body completely transformed.

Even from the outside, my physique became more robust and I no longer easily tired when training with Jamil.

This made it clear that acquiring [Poison Resistance] and [Cold Resistance] would be much easier.

After all, gaining the remaining two abilities would still demand a considerable amount of stamina.

"Theodore! Wake up! I found bear tracks! Let's catch it today and have it for dinner!"

"…No, I have other plans starting today."

"What?"

Jamil was visibly disappointed by my answer and he set down the logs he was carrying on his shoulder.

Thud! The sound was so loud that all the surrounding birds flew away.

"You can catch a bear by yourself."

"That's true but…"

"Let's meet at the inn for dinner."

Exhausted, I picked myself up, gathered my belongings, and left the forest.

"Haah…"

After spending several days with the musclehead idiot, I started feeling as if my brain was turning into muscle too.

Yet I felt more refreshed than before, and my strength seemed to have increased.

To build poison resistance, one needed to eat Poison Berries from <Fruits of the Dreadful Night> in the Solen Marketplace for three days.

Today was the third day.

"Another poison berry today?"

The merchant recognized me and spoke to me first.

"Yes, just one."

I handed the merchant a coin and received a poison berry wrapped in soft cloth.

The poison berry was ripe and purple and it resembled a grape at first glance.

It even smelled similar. The only difference was that each one was as big as a fist.

Without hesitation, I bit into the poison berry.

Unlike the skin, the bright lime-green flesh overflowed with sweet and sour juice.

The only consolation was that it tasted good.

"Goodness…"

The merchant was looking at me in astonishment.

And understandably so.

Who in their right mind would snack on a poisonous fruit after all?

True to its name, the poison berry was extremely poisonous. Unlike sweet berries consuming it could immediately cause severe hives, breathing difficulties, convulsions, and in extreme cases, even death.

A dangerous fruit avoided by beasts and monsters alike; it usually only interests wizards.

Yet here I was, casually munching on a poison berry.

Even I think I'm crazy.

Ignoring the merchant's shocked face, I diligently chewed on the poison berry and eventually I ended up swallowing even its almond-sized seed.

"Hoo…"

My throat burned slightly but there were no other symptoms.

This was thanks to my abilities [Regeneration] and [Toughness], and having cast [Nature's Healing] on myself beforehand.

Normally, one would continuously consume health potions to withstand the poison's effects, but as a druid, I didn't need them.

I only felt a bit of discomfort on the first day; now, I could even enjoy the taste.

In fact, even though it was poisonous, the poison berry was actually quite delicious and I even started to consider eating it more often in the future.

Three poison berries.

That's what it took to acquire [Poison Resistance].

Now, all that was left was [Cold Resistance].

This will be the trickiest one.

To gain [Cold Resistance], I first needed "ice".

However, acquiring "ice" in this quasi-medieval land was not an easy task.

Moreover, it was incredibly expensive.

The cost of a sack of ice was higher than that of a sack of barley.

After buying the ice, it looks like I'll be back to eating hard-grain bread.

But I wasn't too bothered about it.

After all, I could always earn more money.

I went to see Aisilla, a renowned wizard in Solen.

She was more of a merchant than a wizard though and mainly focused on selling the ice she produced using her abilities, rather than on magical research.

Well, she had her reasons for this approach.

Her skills weren't sufficient to take on monsters but she couldn't just sit idly by either.

To make a living, she started "ice business" and surprisingly, it turned into a booming business….

Although it was sad to be ridiculed as more of a merchant than a wizard, it was certainly better than starving to death.

In this world, ice was a luxury item that enabled Aisilla to become quite wealthy despite her weaker abilities.

I remember back in the game, unless it was in the polar regions, you had to visit Aisilla to buy ice.

For players heading to Roshan, purchasing ice was an essential task.

Anyway, I ended up buying a sack of ice from Aisilla's laboratory, or rather, her ice shop.

"Oh my, it's been cool lately, so there haven't been many customers."

"Is that so?"

"Buying this much, looks like you're hosting a party somewhere?"

"Well, that could be the case."

I replied nonchalantly and handed her 50 silver coins.

The ice I bought was stored in the space ring to prevent it from melting.

Noticing that my ring was no ordinary item, Aisilla's eyes narrowed.

"That is…"

"Well then, I must go now."

I hurriedly gathered my belongings and left before she could ask further. This was because it would become troublesome if rumors related to Khalid spread among the wizards.

When I returned to the inn, I poured most of the ice I brought into a small bathtub and set aside some on a plate to eat.

Continuously lowering the body's temperature to the point of steadily draining stamina creates the conditions to acquire [Cold Resistance].

Normally, [Cold Resistance] is a skill naturally gained while staying in snowy mountains or glacial areas. However, since I was not in such locations, I had to resort to this method.

"Shit…"

I thought it would be bearable, but as soon as I submerged myself in the bathtub, curses escaped my lips. It felt like the intense cold was piercing deep into my bones as if tearing my skin apart.

To make matters worse, having to hold ice in my mouth made me feel like I wanted to die.

I could feel my body temperature dropping rapidly. Staying like this would only lead to a miserable death.

Whether it was [Poison Resistance] or [Cold Resistance], the key was to endure until the resistance was acquired even as health steadily declined.

Just as I had used [Nature's Healing] when acquiring [Poison Resistance], I used it again this time. Although I had [Regeneration] and [Toughness], my health was depleting quickly due to the excessively low temperature, so my body had to heal at the same time.

"Ugh…"

Fortunately, my muscles that were torn and healed repeatedly over time were holding up well.

After my body temperature had dropped to a certain level, it began to stabilize. I didn't miss that moment and went into meditation. This cycle of my stamina being depleted and then replenished continued for several hours.

"Theodore!"

How much time has passed? I didn't how much had passed when I was awakened by Jamil bursting through the door.

Wait, what about [Cold Resistance]?

I moved my fingers to check. They responded well and hadn't lost sensation, so this meant I succeeded.

Ah, I've successfully acquired it…

It was only after I felt relieved that the cold set in. I looked at Jamil while shivering and my teeth chattering.

"Ice bath in this weather?"

"It-it's, complicated to explain; just help me, help me out."

I got out of the hellish ice bath with Jamil's help.

With this, my preparations to venture into the cursed lands were complete.