Chapter 36: Rumors After Dark

Gedren tirelessly took the lead in guiding us, never showing signs of fatigue.

Other than me, he was clearly the most skilled among our group, so it was obvious why he was assigned to watch over me.

The anxiety was clear on his face—he was worried I might try to escape. My guess was correct. Not that it mattered; if I really wanted to run, I could do so at any time.

‘It’s about time, isn’t it?’

Over the past three days, I’d scouted the entire village and its surroundings. The problem was, that was all I had managed. There was no worthwhile information, no interesting stories to be heard.

“Where would you like to go today, Young Lord?”

It couldn’t be helped with Gedren glued to my side, refusing to leave me alone.

Even a Mercenary who lives on the edge has some sense. Unlike the Mercenaries, Gedren’s presence as a Knight was obvious even if he stood still.

Reading that presence, few Mercenaries dared to pick a fight, and even fewer were bold enough to chat with him.

Even if they were having a good conversation, at the sight of Gedren, their voices would lower or they would move further away.

Their message was clear: dealing with a Knight was more trouble than it was worth, so they’d best not get involved.

“Hmmm……”

“Is something wrong?”

“It’s just not much fun when you’re my guide.”

“Huh… Are you serious?”

“Yeah.”

Dragging Gedren around with me was nothing but a waste of time. He looked a bit hurt by my words, but what could I do? What’s impossible is simply impossible.

‘I’ll have to change my approach.’

I’d finished exploring, so it was time to start moving alone again. For that, what I needed was a small change.

“So, I’m thinking of resting today.”

“Will you be staying at home?”

“Probably?”

“You’ve made a wise decision! You haven’t even recovered from your travels yet. That’s for the best!”

Gedren looked genuinely pleased at my suggestion to rest. He’d had a tough time since the day he returned, so I suppose he was secretly hoping for a break.

“Then I’ll head in first. Bring my meal to my room.”

“Of course.”

It had been a while since I’d seen Gedren looking so happy.

Clatter, clatter. Even until dinner, I just stayed quietly in my room.

I passed the time with meditation, drawing in Mana. Before I knew it, evening had given way to night.

When I first holed up in my room, Gedren had seemed worried, as if I might be up to something again.

But as I quietly stayed put until nightfall, he appeared a bit relieved.

“Then, I’ll turn in for the night.”

“Sleep well.”

“Don’t worry about security. I’ll put a Lock Magic on the door.”

“Even so, I’ll have someone stand guard outside.”

“Suit yourself.”

It was a night when I would normally be asleep. Up to this point, nothing was out of the ordinary.

‘Now it begins.’

For me, it was time to start something new. There had been no gains during the day, so I planned to reap what I could at night.

Whoom—

I pulled out a robe I’d prepared earlier from my Dimensional Pouch.

In an instant, the robe enveloped my entire body.

I wasn’t short for my age. I’d grown quickly ever since I began practicing Mugong.

Compared to a fully grown adult, I might look a bit small, but not enough to draw attention.

“This should be enough.”

Click. With my robe wrapped around me, I opened the window and jumped out. A single leap.

Thud. I landed softly on the ground below. My movement was so stealthy, not even a sound was made.

Ssssh. Silencing my presence, I melted into the night.

***

‘There were a lot of pubs up north.’

The northern part of the Village of Villad was full of inns. Many of those inns doubled as taverns.

I headed for the one I’d scouted in advance.

Bobpub (BOBPUB). A simple name, its signboard was made from a rotting tree trunk.

Simple, yet larger than any other tavern—Bobpub was the biggest in the area.

‘Where people gather, rumors gather as well. Gossip grows. Let’s check it out.’

I carefully stepped inside.

Immediately, the atmosphere was completely different from outside.

“Wahaha! Another round here!”

“Hey, hey. That’s enough for you. You’ve had plenty.”

“Shut up! If not tonight, when am I supposed to drink?”

The place was lively and rowdy. With plenty of drink flowing, the mood was cheerful. Not bad at all—the kind of atmosphere Kim Seonggeon used to love in his previous life.

Blending right in, I scanned my surroundings.

‘That spot looks perfect.’

I found a seat tucked away in a corner—so cramped and out of the way that no one spared it a glance.

As soon as I sat down, a server naturally approached, and I slipped them a silver coin.

“One large mug is enough.”

“That’s a bit much, isn’t it?”

He was speaking informally. Then again, that was probably normal here.

“Then bring something good to eat, too.”

“Alright. I’ll tell the kitchen to show off their skills for the first time in a while.”

“Sounds good.”

After our dry exchange, the server completely ignored me. He didn’t care who I was or what I was doing. That was all I needed.

“One drink here!”

“Quick service.”

Slurp. I drank the beer I’d just been served while surveying the room.

‘Let’s see what kind of stories come up.’

The kinds of tales traded in a tavern this large were obvious.

Bragging Mercenaries would boast about their latest hunt. Sometimes, a fight would break out over these boasts—a clash of pride.

And sometimes—

‘Bingo.’

Useless rumors would start swirling.

“Isn’t the Dungeon acting strange lately?”

“It’s been odd, yeah. But when has a Dungeon ever been normal?”

Rumors have wings—they travel far and fast.

Most rumors are baseless, yet they spread easily. Or a tiny sliver of truth gets buried under a mountain of lies and becomes a rumor.

This was a village with a Dungeon. Mercenaries came and went, monsters rampaged, and deaths were not uncommon. The setting was perfect for spawning new rumors out of thin air.

‘That’s what I was looking for.’

I sought out such rumors—not because I naively believed them. With my memories from my past life, I was far too jaded for that.

Instead, I intended to use those rumors.

‘A simple plan, really.’

You could call it hiding the truth within a lie.

‘Didn’t I say it was time to reveal my strength?’

If I was going to do that, I’d need a convincing story. I couldn’t exactly reveal my past life’s secret to the world.

I couldn’t claim my Mugong was thanks to memories of my previous life. So instead, I needed a plausible tale.

A naturally occurring Dungeon, the rumors swirling within. The youngest son of a noble family, the Third Young Lord, takes an interest in those rumors.

Now, that’s a story.

The Third Young Lord investigates the Dungeon after hearing the rumors, and then discovers a hidden power there. That’s believable enough, isn’t it?

‘Even if it’s a little awkward, that’s fine.’

I knew the plan was a bit clumsy.

But the world’s like that—if you package even the clumsiest plan well enough, it can seem more real than the truth.

And if I could find a convincing rumor to act on, I could make an even more convincing truth.

That’s why I was listening for a believable rumor.

‘In the end, it’ll be up to me to make it convincing… I’ll have to dress it up with some Magic.’

It was hard to catch these rumors during the day. But at night, with just enough alcohol flowing—

“Come on, that’s complete nonsense, isn’t it? I heard something different.”

“Different how?”

“There’s talk of an entirely new monster appearing.”

“What? Really? I haven’t heard that.”

“You’re so behind the times. Haven’t heard it yet?”

“What’s going on?”

“Buy me a drink and I’ll tell you.”

Truth or lie, all sorts of rumors were being made up and blown out of proportion. I planned to weave them into my own narrative.

Once that was done, I’d dive into the Dungeon to create or find a convincing place.

Then, I could claim I’d obtained an ancient Auran Yeongongbeop similar to, but different from, the existing ones.

Inside, it would be a fake Auran Yeongongbeop filled with Mugong. But it would actually be usable Mugong.

That would be enough.

I’d even prepared a Mugong manual rewritten in the local style for this very moment.

‘And if it turns out useful, all the better.’

You could call it a fake artifact, meticulously crafted with Decay Magic. It looked precious enough to fool anyone.

“Now, how many rumors should I inflate?”

As I listened to these wild stories being spun as truth—

‘Hmm?’

Three Mercenaries sitting at a secluded table on the opposite side of the tavern caught my eye. More precisely, I could overhear their conversation.

‘Oh…’

Normally, their voices should’ve been drowned out by the pub’s din. But with my energy focused, it sounded as if they were right beside me.

Their conversation didn’t seem like idle rumors.

“Should we just hand it over to the Information Guild?”

“As if they’d pay a proper price! Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Still, how are we supposed to break through?”

“Wasn’t it easy?”

“That was just the entrance. But it was completely different already.”

“Hmmm. What now?”

Two men and one woman made up the party.

The man with cropped hair looked like the tank, clad in thick armor with a shield at his side. The other man had a massive greatsword leaning against him.

The woman, oddly enough for a monster hunter, wielded a thin rapier.

‘I can guess exactly how they operate.’

Throughout their conversation, they were utterly serious. And within that seriousness, something drew me in.

‘Interesting.’