Chapter 27. fight or prepare to fight

The soft pillow and blanket felt very nice and cozy. In fact, even though Ivan woke up a long time ago, he liked this warm feeling, so he forcibly closed his eyes and tossed around.
A moment of laziness, and a feeling of shame. He wanted to do something after lying down like this, so he finally got up.
Bang!
He pounded on the bed with some regret. He decided to take a break for himself, so he got an expensive room, and the bed was different.
It felt like yesterday that he slept under a blanket of rice straw, and he felt successful. This is all thanks to the bloody money that he earned with blood all over his body.
Ivan hurriedly took off his clothes and headed to the bathroom. As it was an expensive accommodation, the room had a private toilet and shower. A wonderful facility that even uses magic craftsmanship to spurt out hot water.
Thanks to that, the price was very murderous. The price per night was in silver coins, not coins.
It was usually a residence for wealthy merchants or nobles. In other words, Ivan was in properly luxuries.
After washing in hot water, Ivan called his staff member and asked for breakfast to be delivered to his room.
Usually, he went down to a restaurant to eat, but since he was staying in an expensive inn, he wanted to enjoy it even a little bit more.
Ivan, who opened the basic magic book elegantly as if learning culture after eating, couldn’t stand it for less than an hour and spit out abusive language.
“Damn it, it’s so hard.”
No matter how many times he read it, he couldn’t understand it. It seemed as if he was thinking about how to explain the dog sounds to be more complicated.
All of their life, they have only seen things like this, that’s why all the wizards are crazy.
He stopped reading and left the inn. The first place Ivan stopped by was the Mercenary Guild. He had no intention of taking on the quest. However, there was no place like this place for him to find out what was going on in the world.
squeak-.
As I opened the old door with a creaking hinge, the mercenaries inside looked at Ivan’s face with a glance. Usually, our gazes dispersed immediately after that, but strangely, it seemed that it stayed for a long time today.
‘What?’
Ivan sat down in front of the guild receptionist, hiding his puzzled look. Again, there was no such thing as a friendly and pretty smiling female employee, and it was a bald macho male employee with a single cut on his face.
Usually, veteran mercenaries retire and become receptionists in many cases, but it seems the same this time as well. It was the contemplation of a skilled killer that looked ugly even at first look.
‘It’s a face that make people uneasy.’
As soon as he saw Ivan’s face, he spat out words.
“The one from the rumor these days has arrived.”
“Rumor? What does that mean?”
When Ivan asked, he added an explanation as if he didn’t know.
“I recently heard that a mercenary was staying at the Rimune Hotel. It’s a very expensive place, so mercenaries rarely stay there. That’s what it means.”
“It’s so sad if I can’t even pay for this. Do you have to keep an eye out for spending the money you risked your life for?”
“Heh, actually, it’s not just because the mercenary is staying there. It’s because of you. Ivan Esirsson.”
At that, Ivan let out a bitter laugh.
‘I didn’t even have a single follower when I was on social media like Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, but I’m getting famous here.’
It felt strange that someone recognized him even though he didn’t introduce himself. Because fame wasn’t just good.
How much less did Ivan’s fame come from swinging his sword? A high reputation means a lot of bad ties. He wasn’t the main character in the boy’s cartoon, because it means the bounty hung around his neck will be high.
“They said they smashed the orc warriors in pieces on the Eastern Front. You killed the son of the orc lord Karthak? I think his name was probably Valkrun, right?”
It was Hydra’s cub before, this time the Orc Lord’s.
Ivan laughed at the thought.
It was not a trophy, but it felt like the titles were increasing one by one. Fame, titles, things like that.
It’s not something that can be replaced with additional stats attached, but it grows well one by one. It’s just making people uncomfortable.
Hell, he didn’t even practice holed in a mountain somewhere, so rumors are bound to spread. (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com)
“Well, I can’t remember the name of the dead already. He says he’s the twenty-first or thirty-third son of Kartak, and probably the father doesn’t even know his name. I can’t believe you’re bragging about it, you idiot.”
“Heh, unfortunately, but I don’t think that’s the case. The Orc Lord, who lost his son, is knocking on the east side with fiery anger. He must have been a son he loved very much.”
After Ivan left, it is said that the battle escalated even more. Thanks to that, all the mercenaries who were nearby rushed to that place, and he said that there were only a few quests here.
“Would you like to take one request with you? It’s okay if you pick one. It’s good that you have a lot of hands right now.”
“I’m not here for a request. I’m here for information.”
“Uhm, is that so? Too bad, I was looking forward for you.”
The guild staff flipped the list of requests to the side while showing their blatant disappointment. And he asked with a sullen expression.
“What information do you need?”
“Is there any useful information around here, and what is the situation in the North these days?”
“North? Aha, come to think of it, you were from the Nord.”
The guild employee nodded his head and rolled his fingers to form a circle. it’s asking for money
Nothing is free in the world.
Ivan put up some coppers pretending he couldn’t win, so he took them when he coughed.
“Ah, at least I should get a silver coin…”
“If it’s worth it, I’m willing to pay.”
“Heh, I’m going to have to get it right. All right. Come on in. If you don’t want others to know what information you want.”
The guild staff who guided him to a small room on the second floor of the office sat on the sofa. He did not show any sincerity to offer a glass of water while receiving money.
“As I said, the biggest thing is the war with the Greenskins in the east. They say it’s serious enough to say whether or not the Eastern Front will expand elsewhere. You’re from there, so you won’t know the mood.”
“Yes. So, how about security in this town? I met a bandit on the way.”
“It’s a mess. In the east, the green skins are making a mess, and the criminals who were hiding are also going out together. I heard even warlock go around. It’s not just a rumor, but information that some mercenaries have checked with their own eyes.”
They were the ones who went around openly like that. It doesn’t make sense if people don’t know.
“How’s the reaction of the tower or the temple?”
“Well, it seems that the Magic Tower doesn’t seem to care much, and the temple has already been turned upside down. Some say that paladins or exorcists are moving, some say that Sanctus Populi’s heretical interrogators are being dispatched, and that a combat nun is under investigation, but I don’t know the details. I don’t know the details.” (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com)
“The lords?”
“Well, everyone is pretending to move soldiers to investigate. But you know? If it’s a real warlock they have to move a knight, and then it’s all money. The temple will take care of it anyway, so there’s no reason to be active.”
“I see.”
Ivan nodded slowly.
It seemed that the situation here was more messed up than he had seen. Perhaps some of the lords were colluding with the warlock. It didn’t seem like a problem that could be solved in a short time.
“How about up north? Is it quiet?”
“Well, there doesn’t seem to be anything special there… Oh, I heard that Greenskins are starting to expand their power in earnest, so they are also quite nervous. It must be everywhere.”
Besides that, he made other noises.
Some were quite useful information, others were nonsense that made no sense at all.
“Stop, stop there.”
Ivan shook his hand and covered his mouth with a tired look. He couldn’t figure out why he had to listen to the story of an aristocratic wife having an affair.
“I can add…”
“That’s enough. I hear it well.”
Ivan took a silver coin from his bosom and held it out. Then, the guild staff who was licking his lips took it with a satisfied expression.
“Look here.”
gang! gang! gang!
The sound of a hammer hitting the iron resounded. Each time the hammer was swung, sparks sprang up, and the blunt iron rod gradually changed into the shape of a sword.
Ivan, who came into the store quietly, looked at it for a while, and the old man put down the hammer with a dissatisfied expression.
“What is the big guy looking at so much? It bothers me when I work.”
“Can’t you keep hitting on it?”
“This is already ruined. I’ll have to pick up a blade next time and make a new one.”
The old man with the tools in place came out, wiping off the sweat. He had been hammering for a long time in front of a hot fire, and his face was burning hot as if it were ripe.
“I think I got in the way. You worked so hard.”
“It’s okay. I was drinking, and hit the wrong way.”
alcohol? Wasn’t his face ripe from the hot heat, not drunk?
Ivan continued speaking while hiding his trembling expression.
“I’ve been coming here for a few days, but you haven’t been there. Have you been busy?”
“I’m busy, I’m busy drinking alcohol. So what’s your business? What are you going to entrust to me?”
The old man was quite a famous artisan around here.
He has a very picky personality and his location is not that great, but his skills were clear.
He had some connection with Ivan. It was because this old man was the one who made the armor when Ivan once captured the Hydra in the West.
Of course, even then, he took a lot of money.
“Can you fix this for me?”
The old man’s expression distorted as Ivan pulled out the messed up hydra leather armor from his inventory.
“Why is it like this? Did you die a couple of times and then come back to life?”
The arrow crossed and tore, and the Orc warrior’s axe swept and split. Some places dealt with the undead, some dealt with the tree spirit, and with the mad wizard.
As the damage was accumulated one by one, the leather armor was completely raged. Now, it was to the extent that it could not play the role of a defense at all.
“Ugh, this can’t be done. The condition is so bad that it is not easy to repair it, and even if you force it to repair, it will not be as good as it used to be.”
“really?”
Ivan looked at the Hydra leather armor as if regretfull.
It wasn’t that great of armor because it was made from the skin of a guy with only three heads, but thanks to this guy, he was able to get over the crisis several times. He felt empty for nothing that he had to throw away it now.
“Do you have any hydra skin left?”
“No way. You sold them all back then. There’s no reason to carry them around until now. And, I can do nothing. You don’t even like those made of ordinary leather.”
“Give me that for now. I can’t fight with just my bare body.”
Ivan sold the miscellaneous weapons he had captured and re-equipped his equipment. He replaced the badly worn sword with a new one, replaced the axe, and bought a piece of leather armor to protect his chest, though he didn’t like it. (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com)
After that, he wondered if he had bought almost everything in the little shop.
“I bought too many dirty things.”
Ivan trembled his hand and handed over his money.
Money coming in is difficult, but going out instantly.
“If this is the case, how many bowls of soup are left?”
Still, he couldn’t save money on equipment. With the highest possible performance and highest quality. You can earn money back, but life doesn’t come back.
“If you find another good leather somewhere, come and find me. I’ll make it cheaper.”
cheap shit. If you need to drink, you’ll make it expensive again.
Ivan thought to himself, but he nodded his head without showing it.
“By the way, can’t I just take a dagger as a service?”
“..Take it.”
The funny thing about people is that even after spending so much money, I felt like I had somehow benefited from taking a dagger as a bonus.
While fiddling with the dagger like that, he returned to the dormitory, and felt someone standing at the entrance and staring intently at him.
Even though Ivan noticed it and gave him a glance, he didn’t avert his eyes. Rather, he drew closer to Ivan.
“Are you Ivan Esirsson, a Norse warrior who solved an abandoned monastery that had recently been turned into a dungeon?”
“I am.”
“I’m glad. I came here to entrust you with a quest.”
Ivan had no intention of accepting the quest. Because it was more important to become stronger than to earn a few pennies right away.
But he couldn’t refuse immediately. This is because the quest window popped up as if to stop him from saying that.
[Quest: Warlock’s Conspiracy]
[Stop the evil warlock’s plan]
‘Damn quest. You’re trying to control me again.’
Ivan frowned. It was disappointing that he was powerless to say no to this.
Ivan, who had passed the message roughly, struggled to control his emotions and looked at the other person.
“Come inside. I need to hear the story.”
Crackle!
Whiing!
There were weak sparks and the wind blew. Seeing the gods reveal themselves and get excited even though he didn’t call, it seems that another fight is not far off.
‘Damn it, vacation is already over.’
If he had known this would happen, he would have overslept while lying in bed.