Chapter 221: Who are you?

The confusion lasted only a moment.

I had withstood that earlier strike, but only because I had held back.

If I put real strength into it, the glass would shatter for certain.

Still, I didn’t particularly want to do that.

If the glass is this tough, everything changes.

Whatever product I made with it would be far superior to anything currently available.

I decided to set this piece aside for research and track down whoever had created it.

“Come out.”

—No! Our clubs didn’t work on it. This is a disgrace. We have to smash it!

“What nonsense are you spouting? I’m not breaking it, so get out of the way.”

—Hiiing.

I shoved the half-demons aside and swung Hector Punisher again.

This time I aimed at the wall beside the glass rather than the glass itself.

Kwaaaang!

I struck with roughly the same force as before, and the rock crumbled at once.

Yes.

That was how it was supposed to react.

Something that could endure an impact this strong was, no matter how I looked at it, an extraordinary material.

“I hope the production cost isn’t too high.”

I knew the basic process for making glass.

Actually realizing it, however, was an entirely different matter.

A couple of half-remembered videos watched in passing were nowhere near enough.

Still, with enough time and manpower it should be possible.

Mix the silicon dioxide contained in sand with sodium carbonate and lime, then heat the mixture……

Ah, for fuck’s sake. Don’t expect this kind of thing from a humanities major.

This world was not Minecraft, and technology did not appear fully formed overnight.

But if someone had already acquired the know-how?

Refining it a little and putting it into mass production was something I could manage without difficulty—especially with the power of the Dapan Group behind me.

Before that, though, punishment came first.

I needed to round up every last bastard disrupting the order of the eastern waterways and throw them in a cell.

Kwaang! Psss…

“Ugh!”

When I struck the wall a second time, a scream tore through the air.

The gatekeepers who had come to their senses and tried to flee collapsed on the spot.

Being hit by flying rock fragments had clearly hurt a great deal.

• Interest

“All right. Clean them up.”

―Yeeeeah!

—This is the good stuff!

Puh-buh-buh-buk!

Shugl and Feltron charged forward with pure joy.

Watching two creatures far smaller than their own clubs swinging those massive weapons made the gatekeepers’ faces go deathly pale.

It felt exactly like watching a Tom and Jerry cartoon.

I should check what’s behind this door.

The iron door was massively heavy.

Its frame was sunk deep into the rock, and the hinges were thick enough that even a skilled thief would have struggled to force it open.

“Huh. What kind of thieves prepare this thoroughly?”

I let out a short, incredulous laugh and lifted Hector Punisher again.

No matter how sturdy a door might be, it still had a limit.

Hit hard enough and it would break.

“Haaap!”

Whoooosh! Jjeoeoeong!

As expected, a single blow reinforced with Beast’s Heart punched straight through the iron.

I tore away the shattered lock mechanism and pushed the door open without hesitation.

Cheolkeong! Srrrk!

The true face of the water bandits’ hideout revealed itself.

A fairly wide clearing had been prepared in the space between thickly overgrown vines.

This was clearly where they laundered their stolen goods.

I found the right place.

Even now the bandits were busy sorting items.

The moment I stepped through the broken doorway, the harsh scrape of steel leaving scabbards and a chorus of shouts filled the air.

Chyaang! Chachang!

“Who the hell are you?”

Their weapons and armor looked decent as well.

Typical reaction for professionals.

I spun Hector Punisher in a lazy circle.

“Answer my questions properly and I’ll take you in quietly. I won’t even beat you.”

My completely unbothered attitude left the bandits exchanging uncertain glances.

Their eyes all seemed to ask the same question: What is this crazy bastard?

I ignored them and continued.

“There’s some extremely hard glass further inside. Can any of you tell me who made it? First person only. First come, first served.”

I fully expected no one to answer.

Normally they would have cursed and charged.

Instead, a man standing off to one side suddenly sprinted toward me.

Dadadadat! Thud!

He dropped flat on the ground at my feet.

“I’ll talk!”

This was a first even for me.

For a second I was speechless, but the next step was obvious.

“First come, first served. One person selected. Club guys?”

-Kiiiiihihihihi!

─Nothing beats Whack-a-Mole for stress relief!

The white and black blurs shot across the clearing.

Bandits were being cleaned up at terrifying speed.

Their swings had already improved; the half-demons had clearly figured out how to make the blows hurt more.

“Yeah. This is how it should be. How long am I supposed to handle the small fries myself?”

This level of work ought to take care of itself.

Still, the half-demons were enjoying themselves a little too much, so I decided to rein them in.

The clubs only caused pain; they weren’t going to kill anyone.

For some reason I just feel like being petty right now.

Dopamine addiction is bad for education.

I called them back immediately.

How do you stop two creatures currently lost in pure chaos?

Simple.

“Five hundred vitality points to whichever half-demon reaches me first.”

Shashashashak!

Before the sentence even finished, both of them were already standing in front of me.

—Yes! I was faster than the senior!

ᅳUwee… Half-assed flight ability is so unfair. Hgyu.

Looking at them side by side, Feltron was clearly the quicker of the two.

Those wings weren’t just for show after all. Mildly disappointing.

I handed over the vitality.

“Go tie the rest of them up.”

—Of course. Providing that level of service is only natural.

Feltron flew off toward the remaining bandits, tail twitching with satisfaction.

I quietly transferred another portion of vitality to the dejected-looking Shugl.

“Good work. Four hundred for you.”

ᅳR-really?

“Keep it a secret from him.”

ᅳ! As expected, the human duke is the best. Hgyugyu.

Shugl tucked the vitality away and dashed straight after Feltron.

I half-expected him to start bragging, but even he wasn’t completely lacking in sense.

He immediately began helping with the bindings of his own accord.

I smirked down at the man still pressed flat against the ground.

“You set that glass up in plain sight, so you didn’t steal it. Who made it?”

There had to be a separate craftsman.

If the glass had been stolen goods they would have sold it immediately rather than using it for defense.

Sure enough, an interesting answer came out of the bandit’s mouth.

“I don’t know the details, but the executives visit that rocky mountain over there quite often.”

“What do they do there?”

“At first I thought they were only hiding the money from selling stolen goods. Then they started bringing back all sorts of strange items.”

“Anything else?”

“Of course. The iron door, the equipment we’re wearing, even our weapons—all of it came from the executives.”

Looking more carefully, the armor’s form was slightly different from ordinary plate.

It felt less like hammered metal and more like clay that had been pressed into shape.

The surface even bore what looked like faint handprints.

No normal metalwork would show something like that.

Well, unless they had deliberately chosen such an ugly design.

“Good. Can you guide me there?”

“Of course. But in exchange……”

“In exchange?”

“Please take me in, Your Highness!”

For a moment I was left speechless.

I hadn’t expected anyone here to recognize me.

On top of that, he had surrendered before a single blow was exchanged.

Judging by the stunned expressions around us, no one else had seen this coming either.

Well then, let’s see what kind of person he is.

[Character Information]

Name: Clark Faulkner

Identity: Fallen Noble

Position: Water Bandit Underling

Relationship: No prior acquaintance

Status: Carries deep guilt over the things he has done; constantly watching for a chance to escape; currently excited at having met a savior

Trait: King of Survival

Skill: Ultra-Fast Instinct

Overall Ability: A

I had more or less expected something like this.

He was clearly no ordinary person, and he had almost certainly been forced into the bandit group.

There was no other way he could have surrendered so quickly.

Even knowing my face, stepping forward like that was dangerous—he could easily have been stabbed in the back while running.

The fact that he still did it meant he was certain of his choice.

Interesting guy.

I smirked and pulled Clark to his feet.

“You’ll have to prove you’re useful. That’s the only way you avoid standing trial as a water-bandit underling.”

“R-really?”

“Mitigating circumstances exist. Recognize merit and reduce the sentence—something like that.”

Plea bargains were nearly unheard of back in Korea.

But this was the Enpher Empire.

As long as the confession hadn’t been obtained through deception, I could accept it without issue.

“Understood. Then please follow me this way.”

Clark led me toward the rocky mountain.

From a distance it hadn’t looked like much, but up close the terrain was extremely rugged—difficult enough that casual approach was almost impossible.

That explained why a place so close to the capital region had gone undiscovered until now.

“Here it is.”

“Huh.”

I couldn’t help a short, incredulous laugh.

These water bandits were completely insane.

They had hollowed out the inside of the rock and turned it into a maze.

Even someone walking right past the entrance would never realize what lay beyond.

Who would ever think to enter this far?

On top of that, vines and undergrowth completely concealed the opening.

Even knowing it existed, finding the entrance would have been nearly impossible.

“Interesting bunch.”

“I’m sorry, but I actually don’t know what’s inside either. Only the executives are allowed to enter.”

“Then how do you know about this place?”

“I spied on them in secret. Gathering information is the only way to stay alive.”

In many ways he was a solid talent.

The trait King of Survival combined with the skill Ultra-Fast Instinct made him look perfect for intelligence work.

At the same time, Clark was fundamentally a coward.

Even now he was clearly reluctant to go inside.

Yet he still wasn’t trying to run.

Why?

He instinctively knows that the safest place is right next to me.

A man who truly deserved the title King of Survival.

“All right. Stay a little behind me and follow carefully. Don’t even think about running.”

“O-of course.”

The moment we stepped into the maze-like passage, an oppressive feeling settled over me.

If I had designed this place I would have drilled holes in the walls and filled them with spikes.

In a space this narrow there would be almost no way to dodge.

Apparently the bandits hadn’t been quite that clever.

We had already gone quite deep without any reaction.

Let’s finish this. You creepy bastards.

I strode forward without hesitation.

The reason I could walk so confidently was simple.

Wooong—

「Select ‘Defense’」

「You enter the ‘Water Fist’ state.」

Extreme Choice activated.

No matter what hit me, I would not die.

We continued deeper through the twisting passages.

The layout was complicated, but as long as I kept one hand against the wall I would eventually reach the end.

After a while a dark open space appeared ahead.

It seemed the maze was finally over.

“Hmm?”

What waited for me there was not a group of fierce-looking bandits.

It was a cluster of small children whose heads barely reached my knee.

“Eh?”

“Ing?”

We stared at each other in mutual disbelief and spoke at the exact same time.

“Who are you?”

“And who are you?”