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 âIndomitableâ has been created.]
[You have successfully performed a surprise attack to an opponent stronger than yourself.]
[Trait âBackstabâ has been created.]
They were all positive messages.
âHmmâŠâ
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.
âWhatâs all this?â
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.
âŠWhy 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.
âItâs your ability, though.â
Raon raised his hand to push away Wrath, who was emanating coldness and wrath at the same time.
Damn it! I didnât realize when I was using it, but thatâs seriouslyâŠ
Wrath didnât finish his sentence, but Raon could understand him nonetheless.
âThis is certainly a cheat.â
Raon slowly nodded and opened the status window.
Status Window
Name: Raon Zieghart.
Title: âIndomitableâ
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).
â
Strength: 57
Agility: 58
Stamina: 59
Energy: 42
Perception: 64
The first thing he noticed was the title. It had changed from the âFirst Victoryâ to âIndomitableâ. 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.
âIs this for real?â
Raon furrowed his brows. A three percent increase didnât 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 titleâs effect could also be considered semi-permanent.
âThen nextâŠâ
He then checked the new trait, âBackstabâ.
Backstab (One-Star)
Upon performing a surprise attack or assassination, your presence decreases and the chance to inflict critical injury increases.
âItâs a trait specialized for assassination.â
It was a trait that decreased his presence and increased the chance of a critical hit.
âIf only I had this beforeâŠâ
The Green War Demon had noticed his presence before he had started to attack him.
If only he had the trait beforehand, he mightâve been able to finish him off in a single strike.
âWell, I wouldnât have been able to obtain those abilities in that case.â
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.
âIâm getting stronger day by day thanks to you. Thank you.â
KeuhâŠ
Wrath, who couldnât see the status window, was glaring at him with his blue eyes.
You wonât be able to die peacefully. Iâm going to chew on your body over and over and over, then make you suffer for eternity.
âDo it if you can.â
Since Raon was on his second life, after having already experienced the worst death ever, Wrathâs anger and threats were something he could scoff at.
âUghâŠâ
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.
âItâs rebuilt.â
The villageâs wooden fence was rebuilt, sturdier and higher than before. It looked like all the trainees had worked together.
âRaon?â
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.
âAre you okay?â
âYes.â
Raon nodded. His condition had returned to normal after a long sleep.
âLetâs go, then.â
âWhere?â
âDinner. Everyoneâs gathered.â
She pointed to her back with her finger.
âHmmâŠâ
Raon rubbed his stomach. He was indeed hungry since he didnât eat anything for over an entire day.
âAlright.â
âMhm.â
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 couldnât be seenâthey mustâve been standing guard.
âHuh? Raon!â
âSir Raon!â
âRaon Zieghart!â
âTh-the benefactor woke up!â
âBenefactor!â
The trainees and the villagers, who were sitting in a circle around the brazier, stood up at once and shouted.
âH-howâs your body? Are you okay?â
âAre you hurt anywhere?â
âIâm glad you woke up!â
Burren ran up to him with wide eyes first, the other trainees following and examining him with worried gazes.
âBenefactor!â
âThank you for saving the village! Benefactor!â
âYouâve fought so much for the sake of our villageâŠâ
The villagers, including the village chief, also ran up to him and knelt to express their gratitude.
ââŠâŠâ
Raon swallowed, watching them all.
Everyoneâs gazesâŠ
He could see the emotions contained in those eyes. Thanks, gratitude, repayment, awe.
From the traineesâ 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.
ââŠâŠâ
Raon received the peopleâs 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 peopleâlike 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.
âYes, from now onâŠ.â
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 futureâŠ
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator â Kyangi]
[Proofreader â Harley]
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
* * *
Raon visited the village chief after finishing his meal. The village chief was flustered, bending forward significantly to bow.
âCan I talk to you for a moment?â
âO-of course!â
He raised the village chiefâs body, which was rolled up like a larva, and brought him to a corner.
âAre you already aware of the identity of those who attacked the village?â
âAh, yes. I know that they are a group called Eden, who can control monsters.â
The village chief nodded. Even a small village like that was aware of Eden's infamy.
âBut I donât understand why we became their target. Itâs a small village with nothing to gain for themâŠâ
The village chief shook his head, murmuring that it was weird.
âI heard about it while fighting against them, but didnât you obtain a red gem from Cebu Mountain in the past?â
âRed 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!â
âYes, that gem was their target.â
The village chiefâs eyes widened at hearing Raonâs words.
âTh-then, all of this happened because of that pebbleâŠâ
âThatâs right.â
He nodded. He needed to tell him honestly so that he would give him the gem of his own accord.
âTh-the village was almost destroyed because of me! Oh, no! It was all my fault!â
The village chief sank on his knees and started hitting the ground.
âEdenâs demons will keep coming to the village as long as the gem remains here.â
âIâve 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 thatâŠâ
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 mustâve been warming up the village.
âTh-then what shall I do? Shall I throw away the gem nowâŠ?â
âIâll take it with me.â
âPardon? Is the benefactor really going to?â
âEden 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 Iâll bring it to Zieghart.â
âI canât commit another offense to you like that.â
âThatâs fine. Thatâs what Zieghart does.â
âAah!â
Raon said something Burren would say. The village chief seemed to be impressed, his eyes glittering like morning dew.
âZieghart is granting us another favor that we canât return.â
âAnother?â
âYes. 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.â
The village chief raised his chin as if he were reminiscing about the past, looking up at the starry sky.
âThe head of house did?â
âYes. He saved the entire village just like the benefactor and treated us kindly with a smile.â
âHmmâŠâ
Raon tilted his head.
âKindness and a smile, huhâŠâ
It was impossible to imagine, considering how Glenn looked currently.
âAww, this old man just blabbered about the past. Come this way, Iâll hand it over right now.â
The village chief scratched his head in embarrassment and went to his house, located to the east.
âSo even that person used to be like that.â
Raon imagined Glennâs smile, who was now like a block of ice, and followed the village chief.
***
The village chiefâs house was at the western end, where Raon had woken up. Since the village chiefâs house was usually located at the center, it was unusual for it to be at the end.
âSo, this was the village chiefâs house. Please excuse me.â
âOh, it was nothing!â
The village chief waved his hand at Raon.
âBut donât village chiefs usually live at the center?â
âSince Iâve been living here all along, I grew attached to it and didnât really want to leave.â
The village chief scratched his chin and went to the yard.
âIâve buried it here. I thought it was a blessing since it was warming up the village, but it was actually a curse.â
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.
ââŠWhat is that fabric?â
âItâs a wrapping cloth passed down for generations in my family. Since this pebble was shining so intensely, I wrapped it so it wouldnât be noticed.â
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.
âThis is the goblin kingâs magic stoneâŠâ
If Eden managed to obtain that magic stone, they wouldâve created a new monster possessing the goblin kingâs abilities.
âSir, wrap it back in that cloth for noâŠâ
âThat was why.â
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.
âHuh!â
Raon raised his head, standing in front of the village chief.
A general in a battlefield wouldâve 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.
âI couldnât even sense him, though?â
Since he didnât even manage to perceive him despite his huge build, he wasnât just an expert.
âWho are you?â
âMe? I wonder?â
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.