Clearing away the notice board right in front of me, I surprisingly found myself unusually calm.
Normally, when people commit their first murder unexpectedly, they suffer mental trauma that triggers actions like vomiting, but I was completely unfazed.
“Ah… is it because of that Skill?”
The Skill called Mental Strength that I had gained upon arriving here came to mind.
There was no other explanation.
Rather, I was already thinking about looting the pockets of those dead thugs.
But there was something I needed to do first.
“Let’s see, I leveled up, huh.”
Honestly, I was surprised that I leveled up.
Not from killing monsters, but from killing a person.
And wielding a sword in a fight wasn’t all that difficult either.
No, on the contrary, it felt surprisingly natural.
I wondered if my hidden aptitude was actually for this kind of combat.
“No, no. First, I need to allocate the stat points.”
More important than thinking about that now were the tasks I had to complete here.
I pondered how to distribute the five stat points I had.
In the game I used to play, I couldn’t afford to waste any of the four stats—they were all precious.
So, I invested one point each in Strength, Agility, Endurance, and Magic, then put the last one into Endurance again.
All were important, but I knew that having low Endurance meant dying easily, so I gave it an extra point.
Once I finished distributing the stat points, my gaze fell on the corpses of the dead thugs.
“Well, just like you guys, I’m not any different, huh?”
Surely, if I had died here, they would have looted everything from me as well.
That’s how this world worked.
Order and patrol meant nothing here; the strong took what belonged to the weak.
I looted the three thugs’ pockets.
All I got were two Gold Coins and thirty Copper Coins.
I stored the swords they were wielding in my Inventory, then quietly slipped away down the alley, even picking up my own belongings last.
Though I stepped outside, the world hadn’t changed at all.
If this were modern society, someone nearby might have reported it through CCTV, the police would have rushed out, and all hell would have broken loose.
But here, everything flowed quietly and naturally as if nothing had happened.
“Such a harsh world.”
With that thought, I moved on to finish my conversation with the Innkeeper.
On the way, I passed by where mercenaries were selling monster parts.
“Mercenaries…”
Thinking back to the earlier fight, I thought that becoming a mercenary might not be a bad idea.
No need to painfully earn money learning crafting skills—just fight and get paid.
“I’ll think about it.”
I hurried my steps to arrive before sunset.
***
That night, I drank some beer and reflected.
About the jobs I could choose in this world.
And the one who helped me decide was the Innkeeper.
“Hahaha. When I was young, I had a lot of worries like you.”
He was now in his sixties but had made his fortune as a mercenary in his youth, enough to open this inn.
He said he had tried many jobs before.
According to him, those in everyday trades like cooks or bakers earned less than one Gold Coin a month on average.
Unlike them, production jobs like blacksmiths or alchemists earned depending on skill, but since it took so long to develop those skills, their income was unpredictable.
That left knights, mages, and mercenaries.
Knights had been trained from youth in their family’s swordsmanship or traditional swordsmanship, recognized by the country, and earned high salaries while belonging to the nobility.
They were dispatched to battles between territories or countries, and winning was the only way to survive.
“Since I’m not noble, I’ll pass on that.”
Next, mages.
Even if you had magical talent, the most important thing was finding a master to teach you.
Just like a talented disciple emerges under a capable master, it wasn’t a job anyone could randomly enter.
“I don’t have a master either.”
That left mercenaries.
The Innkeeper said that even the lowest rank, a Grade D mercenary, could earn 3 Gold Coins a month.
Given the risks involved—putting your life on the line—the pay was quite good.
Plus, when hunting monsters, ownership belonged to the hunter, allowing for additional income.
Of course, mercenaries typically avoided monsters unless it was a bounty hunt.
“And if you listen to the news, there’s no better job than being a mercenary.”
Mercenary Guilds and taverns where mercenaries gathered were always buzzing with information.
I had gained a lot from those places, making it easier to adapt to this world.
Though I wondered whether a meek lamb like me could survive among the rough mercenaries, the most important thing was this.
“Mercenary is the best for making money!”
The Innkeeper had been a Grade B mercenary for 20 years before opening this inn and said he made a lot of money.
As a character with abilities like in a game, I could certainly earn more and level up faster.
With that resolve, the first thing wasn’t to rush into mercenary work.
“My growth comes first.”
I was still lacking in many ways.
At least I had to protect my own life and not become a burden to others.
“For now, I’ll stay here and focus on growing. And I’ll absorb the Innkeeper’s knowledge as well.”
So, I approached the Innkeeper and paid him in advance for my stay.
Then I went to the training grounds behind the inn to swing my sword.
By day, I trained; by night, I clung to the Innkeeper, asking him about mercenary work and learning the basics.
At first, the Innkeeper was reluctant, but after seeing me train with my sword daily, he eventually came to me first and shared various tips.
Thus, my goal was set, and I repeated work and training.
***
Training continued.
On the third day, it finally rained.
Shaaah.
The rain poured relentlessly all day long like the midsummer monsoon, washing over the County of Veric clean.
The rain also cleansed the ground where I trained, flowing over my body.
‘Could it be that my mind is also being cleansed along with my body in the rain?’
With my head clear, I felt refreshed as if something within me had been honed.
-You have acquired the advanced Skill Sword and Shield Technique.
This notice came when my One-Handed Swordsmanship and Shield Technique both reached level 3.
“Oh, finally!”
My mind felt as cool as the pouring rain.
The awkwardness I felt using One-Handed Swordsmanship and Shield Technique together was resolved.
If my skills or aptitude had been better, I might have learned to use them smoothly by now.
But as a modern person, the only reason I could get this far was thanks to the game system, which helped me acquire this advanced Skill.
“Let’s do this.”
I closed my eyes and imagined the thug I had faced before.
The thug swung his sword at me, and I raised my Shield to block.
Clang!
A sharp sound echoed as I twisted the Shield to deflect the attack, then thrust my sword forward.
Swish.
My blade sliced through the air.
I imagined myself much stronger than when I faced that thug in reality.
As the thug swung his sword again, I raised my Shield to block and countered with my sword.
Clang! Ching! Clang!
Though only in my imagination, I was locked in a fierce battle with the thug, moving faster and faster as I accelerated his movements in my mind.
Shaaah.
Amid the falling rain, my sword and Shield clashed endlessly, and only when my blade reached the thug’s neck did the intense motion stop.
“Hah… hah… hah…”
When the fight in my mind ended, my body was drenched in sweat.
I had been so focused I forgot I was still standing in the rain.
-Successfully pushed yourself to your limit using High Concentration.
-You have acquired the Skill High Concentration.
-High Concentration increases your focus in any task and boosts the efficiency of the work you’re concentrating on.
Reading the notice, I sat down heavily on the ground and sprawled out.
Shaaah.
The pouring rain bathed my face.
It didn’t hurt.
It was actually very refreshing.
‘Is this the first time?’
Had I ever focused and moved my body this passionately before?
I was so exhausted I couldn’t sit still and even breathing felt hard.
I realized I had never truly put in any real effort until now.
‘If I put in effort, I can do it. Anything.’
I felt it clearly under the rain.
I could definitely make it.
Not only survive here by growing stronger, but someday find the reason why I came to this place.
Just as I finished gathering my resolve and slowly got up, a voice came from beside me.
“Hey hey. Come inside quickly, change your clothes, and come back down. I’ll prepare a warm drink for you.”
“I will.”
I didn’t know when he had been there, but the Innkeeper had been quietly watching.
He probably came out intending to teach me something but ended up just observing.
Though I was exhausted, I slowly stood up.
If I caught a cold now, it would only harm me.
I hurried inside the inn, changed out of my wet clothes, then came down to drink the warm tea the Innkeeper prepared.
That day, the Innkeeper said nothing.
He simply gave me approving glances from time to time.
Alone, I quietly reflected on today’s training and repeated my thoughts over and over.
***
A week had passed since I began training alone.
My efforts did not betray me, and I trained diligently.
One-Handed Swordsmanship (Lv. 5)
Shield Technique (Lv. 5)
Sword and Shield Technique (Lv. 3)
I had leveled up my Skills enough to feel confident I wouldn’t be a burden to others.
The Innkeeper, who had watched my swordsmanship progress, praised me, saying I was more than ready to be welcomed into mercenary work.
Now it was time to take on mercenary jobs.
My funds were slowly running low, so I had to do something.
Of course, the Innkeeper said he could extend my stay on credit for a few days, but a man’s pride wouldn’t allow that.
According to the Innkeeper, since I was a rookie mercenary who hadn’t accepted any contracts yet, I would be placed under the mercenary guild’s banner and gain experience gradually.
Right now, the Countdom of Veric was post-harvest season.
Barley, of course, and the time to release stored beer.
There would be plenty of jobs.
To receive contracts, I headed toward the Mercenary Office.
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