Wandering Mercenary in an Open World

Mee-ee-ee-eee!

It seemed as if the brash voice of the man had provoked the creature, as the fearsome goat-headed monster let out a long bellow, ramming the cart with its ruggedly curled horns.

The cart was shattered by its fearsome charge, and the iron cage inside it made a dull thud as it hit the ground. From within, screams erupted. 

“Aargh! My back! You son of a bitch!”

‘He’s peculiar.’

Looking down from above, Ruon couldn’t help but chuckle.

The man, trapped on the ground with the ferocious creature breathing heavily right in front of him, was shouting fearlessly.

“You useless goat! If I weren’t tied up, I’d knock off that miserable head of yours… Anyway, hey, brothers! Aren’t you going to help me? Why are you just standing there gawking?”

In response to the audacious plea for rescue, Igor scratched his head.

“I’m strangely not feeling any urgency.”

“Same.”

Seeing the man fearlessly swear amidst the scattered corpses and the horrifying monster made it feel like they were watching a comedian’s act.

However, they couldn’t just stand and watch. If they did, the enraged goat-headed monster would undoubtedly tear the man apart with its powerful horns.

Ruon spoke. 

“Let’s take care of that thing first.”

He quickly descended the cliffside, drawing his Holy Sword.

Noticing that the clouds had parted just in time to allow sunlight to shine through them, he held his sword at an angle.

The goat-headed monster, about to charge at the iron cage, turned its head wildly, seemingly bothered by the glimmering light in its eyes.

As the sunlight reflected off the sword’s surface, Ruon snapped his fingers.

“Come at me.”

Mee-ee-ee-ee!

The taunt seemed to work, as the monster let out a scream and charged towards Ruon with reckless abandon.

Facing the creature, which was closing in with overwhelming momentum, Ruon swung his Holy Sword downward.

The monster’s horns clashed fiercely against the sword as it forcefully raised its lowered head.

Clang!

The creature’s power far exceeded Ruon’s expectations. Pushed back by its strength, he gritted his teeth and forced his arm forward, holding the Holy Sword firmly.

The Holy Sword, loaded to the brim with his fearsome strength, sliced through the monster’s steel horns in an instant.

Mee-ee-ee!

The hornless creature reacted angrily, veering sideways and kicking Luon with one of its hind legs.

Swiftly leaning backward to dodge the massive hoof, Ruon quickly rose to his feet and swung the Holy Sword upwards.

As he slashed through the creature’s extended leg, it let out a pitiful cry and turned around, fleeing.

It seemed to have lost its fighting spirit after just a single exchange.

Of course, there was no way Ruon would let it go that easily.

He sheathed the Holy Sword and sped forward, kicking off the ground and leaping into the air.

Mee-eek!

With a swift landing, he landed on the limping monster’s back, wrapping his arms around its thick neck.

Instinctively sensing what was to come, the monster slammed its back against a large boulder.

Crash!

The impact caused a tremendous noise, and although parts of the rock shattered, Ruon, surprisingly, remained firmly on the monster’s back unharmed.

Feeling Holy Power from Igor envelop his body, Ruon tightened his arms around the monster’s neck.

Crrk, crrkrk.

Eerie sounds echoed from the creature’s throat, gripped in Ruon’s log-like arms.

Before it suffocated, the creature’s neck bone snapped and it crashed to the ground face first.

After strangling the creature for some time, Luon felt a surge of fulfillment wash over him, and he released his grip and stood up.

“Holy hell! Could there be a giant among your ancestors? I never thought someone would be able to strangle that bloody sheep!”

Luon rubbed his stiff back and moved toward the iron bars from where the gruff voice was coming.

On the other side of the bars, a man was smiling refreshingly.

“Glory to Duermur! I guess I really haven’t been abandoned, judging by our fortunate meeting!”

The man speaking like that had a smooth, bald head and an impressively twisted beard.

Although he was short in stature, he had a robust body, and not only were his hands and ankles bound by shackles, but chains were also wrapped around his elbows and knees.

Ruon asked, “Who are you?”

“I am Stravo, a dwarf who knows the romance of adventure. Thanks to you guys, I can finally escape from this wretched cage!”

Ruon raised an eyebrow. 

“When did I say I’d set you free?”

Stravo widened his eyes and replied. 

“Huh? Didn’t you kill that monster to save me?”

“You must have been drinking too much sake.”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“Never mind that. Why should I set free a criminal locked behind iron bars?”

Upon Ruon’s nonchalant remark, Stravo ruffled his bushy beard and responded.

“Looks like I’ll have to explain! I’m not a criminal. Those bastards lying dead on the floor are far more deserving of the word.”

Saying that, he spat in the direction of the corpses.

“Those bastards! They deserved to die!”

At that moment, Igor spoke. 

“So, what got you dragged into this mess?”

“Oh! You were radiating a faint light from your body! It was quite beautiful.”

“T-Thank you.”

Surprised by the sudden compliment, Igor scratched his head with a pleased expression.

Stravo spoke. 

“Those fuckers over there were part of the Iron Fist gang, a bunch of thugs occupying the back alleys of the city of Halen. They’re parasites, picking the pockets of the poor under the guise of care and protection and all sorts of other bullshit.”

“Why did they drag you along?” Ruon asked.

Stravo replied without hesitation. 

“Because I killed their leader!”

He clenched his fists tightly as he spoke. 

“During my three months in Halen, I saw them pull their bullshit at least a hundred times. I couldn’t stand to watch their atrocities any longer, so I stormed into their hideout and killed their leader with my teeth.”

“You killed him how?” 

Luon wondered if he’d misheard, but Stravo just shrugged.

“I bit him to death. Oh, I forgot to mention, I have the ability to transform into a beast! See, I’m a druid.”

Igor’s eyes widened, astonished by the revelation. 

“A dwarf druid? Is that even possible? I heard only certain special individuals among the elves could become druids.”

Stravo chuckled and snorted. 

“You only imagine dwarves wielding hammers and doing blacksmith work, don’t you? Well, I don’t want to waste my life like that. I’m a dwarf who knows the romance of adventure!

“Anyway! After I killed that punk, I thought peace would finally come to the back alleys. In fact, I even worried about what I’d do if human women fell for me. But guess what? When people saw me transforming back into my original form, they screamed that a demon had appeared.”

He shook his head as if he couldn’t understand. 

“No matter how many times I explained that I was just reshaping my physical body into the image of a beast using the essence of nature, no one believed me. Those idiots started accusing me of being a devil worshiper, and began hunting me. I had to flee in a hurry… and ended up getting caught by those Iron Fist bastards.”

Having finished his explanation, Stravo began scratching his head against the iron bars, as if his scalp itched.

Looking at him, Ruon asked, “Alright, let’s assume there was a misunderstanding… with such impressive abilities, how did you get captured?”

Stravo snorted before replying. 

“Whenever I transform into a beast and then revert back, my body feels burdened for a while, and I need a good two or three days of rest. It’s just one of the damn side effects I have to deal with because I’m a dwarf…”

‘Then why is he a druid?’

Ruon raised an amused eyebrow. 

While he wasn’t entirely sure what a druid was, he knew for sure that it wasn’t a profession that typically went hand in hand with dwarves.

“That’s the end of my story. Gentlemen, if you understand the romance of adventure, won’t you release me from here? I can’t just die like this.”

Seeing his cheerful smile, Ruon almost unconsciously nodded before stopping himself, letting out a sigh.

“Regardless of your intentions or how you got here, right now, you seem to be branded as a devil worshiper. Letting you go in this situation might cause trouble for us in the future.”

Stravo blinked blankly at Ruon’s words. 

“Oh, is that so?”

‘Why is this guy with such a bushy beard so naive?’

Adding to his point, Ruon said, “Even if we release you, what will you do? Will you spend your whole life on the run?”

“That… well…”

Seeing Stravo struggling to find words, it was clear that he hadn’t thought that far ahead.

After a while of stammering, Stravo finally spoke with a determined face.

“Listening to what you said, I now realize how shortsighted I was! Damn, I can’t cause trouble for you. Just go ahead. I’ll try to find my own way to survive.”

With those words, Stravo plopped down on the ground, looking defeated, and Ruon scratched his head, feeling puzzled.

‘What a strange man.’

For some inexplicable reason, Ruon found himself fond of this reckless dwarf. 

In this world full of dreadful events, finding someone romanticizing adventure was revitalizing, even if he was a little odd.

It seemed that Igor felt the same way, as he alternated his gaze between Stravo and Ruon before finally speaking up. 

“Is there no way we can help?”

“If he’s just wanted for suspicion of being a devil worshiper, there might be a way,” Ruon replied.

“What would that be?”

Looking at Igor’s widened eyes, Ruon explained. 

“As a priest of Tibella, you could testify that this dwarf has nothing to do with devils.”

“Oh, right.”

While the two were discussing, Stravo, who had been observing them silently, asked, “Huh? You’ll help me?”

Igor shrugged and replied.

“If it’s a testimony for an innocent person, Mother Tibella would surely appreciate it.”

Startled by the offer, Stravo stood up abruptly, looking surprised.

“Oh, thank you! You two truly understand the romance of adventure!”

“Enough with the flattery, step back.”

Deciding that getting involved with this intriguing dwarf wouldn’t be a bad idea, Ruon grasped the iron bars of the cage.

“Trying to open the door? If you search the red-haired guy’s waist, you’ll find the key to the cell.”

Stravo, who was pointing towards the fallen corpse on the ground, stopped talking, watching in disbelief as Ruon effortlessly bent the iron bars with his bare hands as if they were mere twigs.

“Is he… a descendant of giants?” Stravo asked, his eyes widening with astonishment.

Igor shook his head and replied with a serious expression.

“No. He is a true champion of Tiberla, on the noble journey of vanquishing evil.”

Upon hearing Igor’s explanation, Stravo opened his eyes wide and exclaimed.

“Wow, what a badass big brother!”