Barbarian in a Failed Game

014: The Guide (2)

Roaming the Western Great Mountains without a guide was practically impossible. This was because the territories of various monstrous creatures were densely packed throughout the area.

Blindly pushing forward would only lead to being surrounded and killed by countless beasts in short order.

In fact, there were frequent instances in Act 5 where adventurers perishing while navigating the Western Great Mountains, and the NPC that needed to be recruited to solve this issue was none other than ‘Guide Ron.’

A ruthless avenger who had devoted his life solely to revenge against Darkin Pereyas…

‘Or so it should have been…’

“Your name is Ron, right?”

“Indeed. The mightiest man of the Nordics. Ron Ironhammer, at your service!”

“Hmm.”

Is this guy really him? Khan, looking at Ron who was laughing heartily with his chin up, recalled with a cold expression.

The guide from Act 5 was described as having bushy beards and sunken eyes, giving off a serious impression…

But the man before him seemed no more than a frivolous uncle, nothing more, nothing less. Could it be just a matter of expression?

Upon closer inspection, his expressions and demeanor did somewhat overlap with the face Khan had seen on the screen…

Not to mention, the significant detail of wielding a large hammer and his verbose nature were consistent.

‘Could it really be…?’

“Stop smiling for a moment, and keep a poker face.”

“Like this?”

“…It’s really him.”

Khan sighed quietly upon seeing Ron awkwardly lower his mouth corners.

This meant that his hatred for Darkin was indeed profound enough to transform this frivolous chatterbox into a somber avenging spirit.

Had Darkin not targeted Khan as his prey first…? Khan would have undoubtedly circumvented Necar Mountain, where Darkin was presumed to be, and ventured into the Western Great Mountains.

His policy was to never get entangled with the main quest.

If that had happened, Darkin would have survived, and Ron would have become an avenger in this world as well, burning his life away for vengeance.

‘It was expected the moment I decided to take down Darkin.’

In this world, Khan was an overly significant variable.

His single decision could alter countless futures.

The death of Darkin meant preventing the downfall of the Argon Kingdom, naturally twisting the story significantly from the future he knew.

Countless lives would be saved or lost following his decision, much like the protagonist of a game.

Whether Khan intended such outcomes or not.

‘It’s meaningless to think about it now…’

Forcing his thoughts aside, Khan slightly relaxed his frown and spoke up.

“Right. Iron Hammer…. If you’ve been serving as a mercenary in this region for twenty years, it would be hard to find anyone more knowledgeable about Necar Mountain than you.”

“Of course! How many mercenaries do you think are as experienced as me?”

Certainly more than one or two. Khan noted internally without verbalizing it. Instead, he appeased Ron with some flattering words, making him burst into laughter, pleased.

“Hahaha! In truth, there aren’t many mercenaries stronger than me in the Nordics!”

“That foul mouth of yours…!”

“Hey. Ron! If you don’t want to die, take back what you said!”

Ron’s face flushed with a moderate amount of intoxication. Despite the angry jeers from others, his casual laughter didn’t seem to dampen his spirits.

It might have been an act to lighten the mood after a serious conversation.

‘He’s not quite the typical mercenary. In several ways. Though he lacks awareness.’

“That kind of experience must make your rate quite high, doesn’t it?”

“Well, yes. In this business, there’s nothing more reliable than experience for proving one’s worth. Depending on the job… but at the very least, I receive half a gold coin as my daily rate.”

Half a gold coin shared a rough equivalence with the salary of a lower-tier knight. Indeed, for the wage of a single mercenary, it was a considerable amount, implying he had skills worth tolerating his disastrous speech.

“How much do you charge for assignments that are more time-consuming and risky?”

“Hmm. Well, I’d have to calculate it precisely, but… depending on the risk, it could be up to double. Truth be told, I often turn down really dangerous jobs even if they offer a heap of gold.”

“I see…”

A gold coin a day. Khan seemed contemplative for a moment, unconsciously scratching the scar that stretched from his neckline to his lower left cheek.

Misinterpreting his action as shock at the high fee, Ron chuckled and filled his cup.

“Well, no need to be so surprised. I command such a fee due to my long career. Compared to mages, who can earn a fortune even as newcomers, the earnings of a mercenary like me are rather modest.”

“I see. I’ve made up my mind.”

“Huh? What have you decided…?”

As Khan rummaged through his backpack for a moment, he suddenly thrust out his fist.

Unaware of what that meant, Ron looked perplexed, but then the fist opened slowly, revealing a cascade of golden lumps.

The sound of the gold hitting the surface made someone involuntarily swallow their saliva, as eyes watching the golden lumps ignited with fiery greed. The items Khan dropped on the table held such compelling power.

“As an advance, five gold coins. Daily payment will be two gold coins. If the job is safely completed, I’ll top it up with an amount equal to the advance.”

“…”

“…”

Ron, unable to close his gaping mouth, watched as the corners of Khan’s mouth wickedly curled upwards.

The notion that no job is too dangerous to accept for the right price, could only be said by those who have never been offered such a sum.

‘How’s the taste of a 21st-century negotiation, oh medieval one?’

***

As the night deepened, the tavern, once bustling with people, was now empty.

Unlike most taverns which typically rearrange their tables against the walls to make room for lodging at night, this place was practically a private lodging thanks to Khan’s generous bribe.

Clatter. Clatter.

Inside, Khan aimlessly fiddled with a salad that had gone off due to being neglected for too long.

The sight of a massive barbarian playing with his food like a sulky child was peculiar, but his scowling face asserted the reality of the situation.

“Quiet down.”

Unable to bear it any longer, Aries spoke up, her eyes chastising him as if asking how long he intended to keep this up.

But the response she received was the sound of even more vigorous clattering, as if in defiance.

“…”

Despite receiving a contemptuous look from someone younger than himself, Khan did not stop, feeling extremely irritable.

‘This isn’t working?’

The reason was simple. Ron had declined his offer.

Initially thinking Ron was holding out for more money, Khan was willing to offer more, but Ron’s outright refusal without even a moment’s hesitation seemed to suggest otherwise.

Honestly, rejecting the amount of money that could easily hire a knight – does that even make sense?

By Khan’s standards, a mercenary turning down money was as absurd as a mage swearing off lies.

And yet, the most needed person in the current predicament was doing exactly that, frustratingly so.

“Should I have just given him the whole purse?”

“Not my money.”

“Hey, don’t be so stingy over a few pennies.”

“No.”

Aries ignited with indignation at the mention of using up her personal savings—which were few silver coins in Khan’s purse—to fund the plan.

‘I told you I’d save it for you and give it back later.’

Aries didn’t understand the beautiful Korean tradition of adults holding onto children’s money to return it later, dodging her hand as Khan picked the purse back up.

“Anyhow. Things have gotten complicated. Seems like there isn’t another guide quite like that friend. Spending more time here is also problematic.”

It might have seemed like a casual remark, but in reality, Khan was internally dealing with a complex situation.

Without a guide, the difficulty of the plan significantly increased. If money was of no use, then perhaps…

‘I might have no choice but to use that.’

Khan’s expression, as he pondered over his last recourse—a method that had rarely failed him—was ominously serious.

As if he was ready to barge into wherever Ron was staying at any moment.

“Don’t bother with useless thoughts. At least not for today.”

“Hm? Oh, that’s right. It’s almost time for that appointment. The name was…”

“Norman. The deputy abbot of the monastery.”

“Ah. Right. That was the name.”Khan recalled the information he had heard from the old rat Bethel and the words relayed just a few hours ago by a young deputy abbot from the monastery.

deputy abbot Norman. One of the influential figures virtually leading the Nordic monastery.

There were rumors that even the deputy abbots of the imperial church could learn a thing or two from his devoutness.

Aries had arranged a separate meeting after hearing that he had returned yesterday from a business trip to the neighboring city until recently.

“I do wonder if it’s really necessary to meet the deputy abbot at the crack of dawn.”

“That man. He was a knight aspirant.”

“So?”

“It would be good to meet him.”

Khan was utterly perplexed.

That the old authority was once a knight aspirant. Whether it really was something for Aries to go out of her way to greet him from dawn. Because an obvious cause and effect were not springing to mind.

“Khan, you think of a way to persuade him.”

“Well… I have roughly thought of a method.”

“Stay put until I return.”

Aries substituted her unreliable confidence with a look, then tightened her robe and stepped out of the tavern. Khan felt the dawn breeze enter through the slightly opened door and thought,

‘Looking at her roam around sleeplessly from dawn, she surely won’t grow any taller.’

Left alone, Khan casually spread a blanket on the floor, and then Ron’s words suddenly came to mind.

“How could one buy and sell lives with money. Let alone someone else’s, my own life. Consider that request as if you never heard it.”

People’s lives cannot be traded for money. Life is more precious than anything…

‘Are there actually people who don’t know that?’

Yes. It was rather a common sense too mundane.

After all, in this damned world, a person’s life was just an item that could be bought and sold for a few silver coins.

Moreover, the price tag varied so much from person to person that for nobles or knights, it could jump from a few gold coins to dozens.

He once thought long ago,

The way meat is priced in a butcher shop based on its origin and quality is not so different from how lives are valued in this world. What do these barbaric fantasy folks think of human lives?

‘That was what I thought, once…’

But a life that teetered on the edge of death overnight and was constantly under threat over a few years was enough to change him.

An amateur, who once trembled with a sword in hand, came to first think of the experience and rewards to follow.

It was because he couldn’t act as nonchalantly to any words as usual. It was as if he was being pointed out basic common sense by a native of this fantasy world.

‘Foul mood.’

It was questionable how he had managed to survive this harsh medieval fantasy with such soft thoughts.

In fact, he even suspected whether that guy could be a ‘transmigrator’ from Earth.

Thinking such thoughts only made Khan feel even more disgusted, so he decided to just go to sleep.

He resolved to rest until Aries returned and then go to persuade Ron again.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

If someone hadn’t started banging on the tavern door so harshly, he would have done so.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As if fanning flames in a burning house. As Khan murmured with gritted teeth and the banging grew louder, veins popped on his forehead.

‘What kind of jerk is it?’

With sudden rage flaring up, Khan hesitated as he was about to grab an axe.

The words of Aries, telling him to stay put until she returned, and Ron talking about the value of life, both flashed through his mind simultaneously.

‘Damn it, I’ll have to send them back nicely by persuading them.’

Eventually retracting his hand from the axe, Khan grasped his fist and approached the still thunderously knocking door. Then, as if noticing someone inside, the violent knocking suddenly stopped.

“Who the hell is it at this hour, making such a fuss.”

Let’s see who the heck it is. Suppressing his boiling anger, Khan opened the tavern’s door.

And the presumed culprits behind the knocking, three ugly guys, immediately smiled cheekily upon making eye contact.

‘Ah, wanna split?’

The moment Khan, barely holding onto his reason, was about to intimidate them with a glare. Something flashed and emitted light from the wrists of the unsightly trio.

Accustomed to darkness, his vision was blurred by the white light, and Khan almost reflexively raised his arm to block the light. At the same time,

Sshhh───!

A sharp sound of cutting air filled his ears.