Chapter 75

Raon opened his eyes, feeling refreshed after his long slumber.

[You have surpassed your limits in an extreme battle.]

[All stats have increased by 1.]

[You have defeated an opponent at a higher level than yourself.]

[Title 'Indomitable' has been created.]

[You have successfully performed a surprise attack to an opponent stronger than yourself.]

[Trait 'Backstab' has been created.]

They were all positive messages.

"Hmm…"

Raon blinked and raised his body. He was inside a log house that he had never seen before. It looked like he was still in Cebu village.

"What's all this?"

He checked the messages once again. They were about the ability, title, and trait that he had obtained through his fight against the Green War Demon.

…Why are you getting so many rewards for defeating such a weakling?

Wrath ground his teeth. He seemed displeased about the fact that he was getting rewarded.

He was just a tenacious idiot. And yet, you are getting stats, a title, and even a trait. This is ridiculous.

'It's your ability, though.'

Raon raised his hand to push away Wrath, who was emanating coldness and wrath at the same time.

Damn it! I didn't realize when I was using it, but that's seriously…

Wrath didn't finish his sentence, but Raon could understand him nonetheless.

'This is certainly a cheat.'

Raon slowly nodded and opened the status window.

Status Window

Name: Raon Zieghart.

Title: 'Indomitable'

State: Curse of Frost (Five Strands)

Trait: Wrath, Ring of Fire (Four-Stars), Water Resistance (Four-Stars), Perception of the Snow Flower (Three-Stars), Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation (Three-Stars), Coldness of the Frost (Three-Stars), Fire Resistance (Three-Stars), Bleeding Curse (One-Stars), Backstab (One-Star).

—

Strength: 57

Agility: 58

Stamina: 59

Energy: 42

Perception: 64

The first thing he noticed was the title. It had changed from the 'First Victory' to 'Indomitable'. He noticed despite the title having changed, the effect of the previous title still remained. He checked the new title.

Indomitable

Title given to one who has displayed their unyielding spirit during a fight against a stronger opponent.

Effect: All stats increase by 3% upon fighting a stronger opponent.

'Is this for real?'

Raon furrowed his brows. A three percent increase didn't look like a big deal, but it was an ability that got better the stronger he was.

Since most of the opponents he was going to face in the future would be stronger than him, the title's effect could also be considered semi-permanent.

'Then next…'

He then checked the new trait, 'Backstab'.

Backstab (One-Star)

Upon performing a surprise attack or assassination, your presence decreases and the chance to inflict critical injury increases.

'It's a trait specialized for assassination.'

It was a trait that decreased his presence and increased the chance of a critical hit.

'If only I had this before…'

The Green War Demon had noticed his presence before he had started to attack him.

If only he had the trait beforehand, he might've been able to finish him off in a single strike.

'Well, I wouldn't have been able to obtain those abilities in that case.'

Since he had gotten stronger after a difficult battle, it was a misfortune turned into a blessing.

Raon closed the status window after checking the increased stats.

'I'm getting stronger day by day thanks to you. Thank you.'

Keuh…

Wrath, who couldn't see the status window, was glaring at him with his blue eyes.

You won't be able to die peacefully. I'm going to chew on your body over and over and over, then make you suffer for eternity.

'Do it if you can.'

Since Raon was on his second life, after having already experienced the worst death ever, Wrath's anger and threats were something he could scoff at.

"Ugh…"

Raon stretched his body and stood up. The muscle pain and headache that he was suffering from had disappeared, probably thanks to the increased stats.

Rattle.

Once he opened the door and went outside, he could see the black sky, just like when he collapsed. It seemed he had slept for an entire day.

"It's rebuilt."

The village's wooden fence was rebuilt, sturdier and higher than before. It looked like all the trainees had worked together.

"Raon?"

He turned upon hearing a surprised voice, only to see Runaan standing there. Judging from how she was holding a washbasin, it looked like she was on her way to his room.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

Raon nodded. His condition had returned to normal after a long sleep.

"Let's go, then."

"Where?"

"Dinner. Everyone's gathered."

She pointed to her back with her finger.

"Hmm…"

Raon rubbed his stomach. He was indeed hungry since he didn't eat anything for over an entire day.

"Alright."

"Mhm."

Raon followed Runaan to the center of the village. Fire was burning from a big brazier at the center, and the villagers and the trainees were gathered around it.

A few people couldn't be seen—they must've been standing guard.

"Huh? Raon!"

"Sir Raon!"

"Raon Zieghart!"

"Th-the benefactor woke up!"

"Benefactor!"

The trainees and the villagers, who were sitting in a circle around the brazier, stood up at once and shouted.

"H-how's your body? Are you okay?"

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm glad you woke up!"

Burren ran up to him with wide eyes first, the other trainees following and examining him with worried gazes.

"Benefactor!"

"Thank you for saving the village! Benefactor!"

"You've fought so much for the sake of our village…"

The villagers, including the village chief, also ran up to him and knelt to express their gratitude.

"..."

Raon swallowed, watching them all.

Everyone's gazes…

He could see the emotions contained in those eyes. Thanks, gratitude, repayment, awe.

From the trainees' eyes, he could see embarrassment, gratitude, awe, aspiration, yearning, etc.

They had decided that Raon would be their role model, and they would follow and pursue his swordsmanship.

"..."

Raon received the people's gazes, the ones that were touching his heart deeply.

His heart fluttered.

An emotion he had never felt before was enveloping his heart.

When he was an assassin in his previous life, he had never received emotions of gratitude, acknowledgement, and yearning.

Life and death were the only things that existed then.

He put his life on the line to kill people and gather information for the sake of House Robert, yet the acknowledgement and reward all went to the public people—like Derus Robert.

It was his first time in either of his lives getting acknowledged like that.

He was thrilled, in a different way than when he felt accomplished from training his swordsmanship or aura.

He looked at everyone once again.

The villagers were shouting out their gratitude, and the trainees were worrying about him with gazes full of yearning and awe.

'Yes, from now on….'

Raon clenched his fist. Since he was going to live as a swordsman instead of an assassin, it was a sight he was going to behold countless times in the future.

He wanted more.

The desire to become acknowledged even more and receive more yearning gazes was born inside him.

Even more in the future…

Raon visited the village chief after finishing his meal. The village chief was flustered, bending forward significantly to bow.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"O-of course!"

He raised the village chief's body, which was rolled up like a larva, and brought him to a corner.

"Are you already aware of the identity of those who attacked the village?"

"Ah, yes. I know that they are a group called Eden, who can control monsters."

The village chief nodded. Even a small village like that was aware of Eden's infamy.

"But I don't understand why we became their target. It's a small village with nothing to gain for them…"

The village chief shook his head, murmuring that it was weird.

"I heard about it while fighting against them, but didn't you obtain a red gem from Cebu Mountain in the past?"

"Red gem? Ah, I have one. I found it in the mountains when I was young and brought it to the village… W-wait, no way!"

"Yes, that gem was their target."

The village chief's eyes widened at hearing Raon's words.

"Th-then, all of this happened because of that pebble…"

"That's right."

He nodded. He needed to tell him honestly so that he would give him the gem of his own accord.

"Th-the village was almost destroyed because of me! Oh, no! It was all my fault!"

The village chief sank on his knees and started hitting the ground.

"Eden's demons will keep coming to the village as long as the gem remains here."

"I've been treating it like a guardian deity, since the soil had become fertile, and the cold had subsided ever since I buried the gem underground. Something like that…"

Raon became more certain after hearing it from the village chief. The goblin king was a monster with a powerful fire attribute. Since it was a gem left behind by him, it must've been warming up the village.

"Th-then what shall I do? Shall I throw away the gem now…?"

"I'll take it with me."

"Pardon? Is the benefactor really going to?"

"Eden is an extremely evil group that tries to erase humanity from the continent. They will most likely end up obtaining it if you throw it away, so I'll bring it to Zieghart."

"I can't commit another offense to you like that."

"That's fine. That's what Zieghart does."

"Aah!"

Raon said something Burren would say. The village chief seemed to be impressed, his eyes glittering like morning dew.

"Zieghart is granting us another favor that we can't return."

"Another?"

"Yes. The current head of house, Glenn Zieghart, saved our village a few decades ago. I think it was when I was slightly older than the benefactor."

The village chief raised his chin as if he were reminiscing about the past, looking up at the starry sky.

"The head of house did?"

"Yes. He saved the entire village just like the benefactor and treated us kindly with a smile."

"Hmm…"

Raon tilted his head.

'Kindness and a smile, huh…'

It was impossible to imagine, considering how Glenn looked currently.

"Aww, this old man just blabbered about the past. Come this way, I'll hand it over right now."

The village chief scratched his head in embarrassment and went to his house, located to the east.

'So even that person used to be like that.'

Raon imagined Glenn's smile, who was now like a block of ice, and followed the village chief.

***

The village chief's house was at the western end, where Raon had woken up. Since the village chief's house was usually located at the center, it was unusual for it to be at the end.

"So, this was the village chief's house. Please excuse me."

"Oh, it was nothing!"

The village chief waved his hand at Raon.

"But don't village chiefs usually live at the center?"

"Since I've been living here all along, I grew attached to it and didn't really want to leave."

The village chief scratched his chin and went to the yard.

"I've buried it here. I thought it was a blessing since it was warming up the village, but it was actually a curse."

He started digging a small field in the yard. After digging for about thirty minutes, he finally took out something wrapped in a black fabric.

"…What is that fabric?"

"It's a wrapping cloth passed down for generations in my family. Since this pebble was shining so intensely, I wrapped it so it wouldn't be noticed."

While saying that, the village chief unraveled the fabric.

Whir!

Along with an intense heat, a powerful red light shone upon the dim garden. It seemed like the whole world had become bright with an enormous fire.

'This is the goblin king's magic stone…'

If Eden managed to obtain that magic stone, they would've created a new monster possessing the goblin king's abilities.

"Sir, wrap it back in that cloth for no…"

"That was why."

As Raon was about to tell him to hide the gem once again, a calm and deep voice could be heard from the right side.

"Huh!"

Raon raised his head, standing in front of the village chief.

A general in a battlefield would've looked like him.

He looked rough and fierce, his body full of scars. He had an extremely large build, and the way he was standing on a thin wooden fence with that big body of his looked out of this world.

The most distinct feature was his eyes. Madness could be seen in his yellow eyes, making the hair on his neck stand on end.

'I couldn't even sense him, though?'

Since he didn't even manage to perceive him despite his huge build, he wasn't just an expert.

"Who are you?"

"Me? I wonder?"

As he flicked his finger, a green helmet appeared in front of his eyes. It had a round shape with buck teeth protruding to top and bottom, and a single horn existed on its head.

Ogre.

The helmet was in the shape of a monster known as the tyrant of the mountains, and the man was spinning it on his finger.

"Guess who I am."