From the moment the Poison Resistance Skill appeared, I had to keep myself quite busy.
At first, my day started just like the other mercenaries.
Preparing meals for over 300 people with only five slaves was a task that took an enormous amount of time.
Naturally, the mercenaries began to help out as well.
Although our meals consisted solely of thin soup and a hard piece of multigrain bread, the mercenaries couldn’t be satisfied with that alone—they added jerky or dried fruits they had brought along to make the taste a bit better.
Some of the hunter mercenaries even woke up before breakfast to catch wild game and add fresh meat to their meals.
As for me, since I was riding at the front of the carriage, I ate with Alcars, the Mercenary Guild Branch Leader, who sat beside me. While I prepared the food, Alcars was responsible for gathering all the ingredients.
Every meal, we sourced various materials to create a slightly different flavor.
Thanks to this variety, it was enjoyable to savor different tastes, but it was undeniably a hassle.
After breakfast ended, we moved out right from where we were.
The journey to the Rivelan Principality took about three days crossing the plains, followed by ten days through the mountains, and then another two days on foot after leaving the mountains before finally arriving.
The flatland trek had ended without much notice, and now we were crossing the mountains.
We finished securing the load, tightened the gear, and started moving.
And from that moment on, my busy time truly began.
“Wonder what today has in store~”
I walked around cheerfully, taking in my surroundings.
At first, the only wild plants I recognized were the poisonous herbs Alcars had told me about, but now that was no longer the case.
My eyes had become exceptionally sharp compared to when I first started trading.
[Morankkot: A fragrant flower, but if ingested, causes vomiting.]
[Sharyu Fran: A rare herb that induces paralysis symptoms upon contact.]
[Roasted Banana: A banana variety that’s hard to digest, causing stomach aches and diarrhea.]
[Sleeping Herb: When ground into powder and inhaled, it causes powerful drowsiness.]
Information about everything around me began to manifest visually.
This was none other than the power of the Skill.
Skill: Observation
The more understanding and interest you have in an object, the better your ability to distinguish it.
Skill: Gathering
A skill that helps maximize the freshness and quality of collected materials.
Thanks to these two skills, my resistance abilities steadily increased.
Poison Resistance (Lv.3) Paralysis Resistance (Lv.2) Sleep Resistance (Lv.2)
These were the highest resistance stats I could achieve here.
Of course, it wasn’t easy to consume these materials.
I had to hide from the gazes of the other mercenaries, merchants, and slaves when eating them, which was quite bothersome.
“But I can’t miss this chance now.”
With so many things to train on all sides, it was impossible to skip.
I sneaked bites here and there and secretly mixed powders into my rations during mealtime.
“Ugh… I’m full.”
That was the problem.
Since I constantly consumed these items, my stomach was bloated, yet I couldn’t just skip meals, so I had to force myself to eat.
But stopping was out of the question.
This character’s trait was unlocking lower-tier skills first, then naturally unlocking higher-tier skills as the skill levels increased.
For now, skills like Poison Resistance and Paralysis Resistance were broken down into subcategories, but eventually, I needed to build many resistances to upgrade into Status Abnormality Resistance.
‘Ah… now that I think about resistance, if I use this method when raising Magic Resistance later, I’ll level it up faster.’
Since my character had no class restrictions, I would be able to learn magic eventually.
By using that magic, I could naturally raise my Magic Resistance, so I was looking forward to that.
‘Though I’ll need a lot of money to learn that magic, so I better earn hard.’
Today as well, I focused on trading and training my resistances with firm determination.
***
About a week later, mercenaries and merchants began showing signs of exhaustion one by one.
While we weren’t yet at the point of fatigue on the plains, since this was mountain travel, exhaustion set in quickly.
The narrow campsite meant frequent night watches, causing a severe shortage of sleep.
“Hey hey, you veterans who call yourselves experts—how can you be collapsing already when even Solo the newcomer is holding out this well?”
Alcars’ words drew complaints from the weary mercenaries one by one.
“Well, the Branch Leader probably got him the good stuffs to eat.”
“You’re right, youth sure is a blessing.”
“Pfft, back in my day, I could’ve walked for days without sleep!”
I heard their grumbles but didn’t pay them much attention.
The reason I was able to keep walking so well was none other than my ‘Walking’ Skill.
My Walking Skill was level 4 now.
That was one level higher than when I first left the village, and thanks to that, walking had become much easier.
As the skill level increased, it reduced fatigue, allowing me to endure longer journeys.
-Transcendent Regeneration doesn’t reduce fatigue:
That’s literally regeneration—quick recovery from wounds—not fatigue reduction.
But the Walking Skill actually reduces fatigue while walking and keeps you from getting tired even after long periods, making it the perfect skill for the current situation.
Alcars’ joke lightened the mood, and even those who were struggling a moment ago found the strength to keep moving.
Our travel speed was quite fast.
Originally, the ten-day mountain passage was a buffer against monster ambushes.
But surprisingly, for four days, we hadn’t encountered a single monster.
“That’s both good and bad.”
For me, fighting monsters was a first-time experience.
Naturally, I was on edge, and after several days of tension, my neck was stiff from holding it.
Living with anxiety without even a campfire was highly uncomfortable.
Of course, my discomfort didn’t affect the travel schedule, and thanks to no monster attacks, we were moving faster than planned.
However, once a monster ambush happened even once, the schedule would undoubtedly be delayed.
“This quietness is making me uneasy…”
The silent mountains without a single monster attack were becoming unsettling.
As we walked on for a while, when the sound of insects and crickets suddenly ceased, both Alcars and I quietly drew our swords from our belts.
I realized.
‘Ah… it’s finally here.’
The monsters were approaching.
From that moment, my heart began pounding wildly with tension.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
It was the first time in my life I felt my heart race so fast.
Maybe because of that, the fine hairs on my arms stood on end, and cold sweat started to bead down my spine.
The once noisy mercenaries had all gone quiet.
If you asked what’s most sensitive in the mountains, it would be the insects and birds.
Those tiny creatures, being prey, had already hidden and stopped making any sounds.
Rustle, rustle.
Over 200 mercenaries drew their weapons as one, and the slaves clung hurriedly to the packhorses.
Horses were extremely skittish creatures.
If they saw a monster appear or fighting and shouting, they’d definitely bolt.
The merchants scrambled to protect the goods loaded on the wagons by holding tightly onto the horses.
Just as all preparations finished, a sound was heard.
“Com com.”
The culprit that quieted the surroundings appeared.
It was none other than a Kobold.
In truth, Kobolds weren’t especially dangerous monsters.
Goblin or Kobold level monsters weren’t strong enough to be a threat to even low-level mercenaries.
But there were times these two monsters could be dangerous—when moving in packs.
Not just five or six, but hundreds at once.
The Xarax Mountains, one of the mountain ranges leading to the Rivelan Principality, was notorious as a Kobold habitat.
The entire mountain was a Kobold territory, so we had expected this, but even Alcars let out a low sigh upon seeing just how many Kobolds were before us.
Unlike him, however, the other mercenaries’ faces were filled with excitement.
The journey had been so tedious and quiet until now, and finally, monsters had appeared in groups—time to make some money.
While the mercenaries were getting excited, I took a deep breath to calm myself and focus.
“Hoo. Stay calm.”
Since this was my first fight against monsters, I stretched out my stiff, tense body and waited.
I was certain this would be a battle.
No matter how much money was at stake, there was no need to rush forward and recklessly charge the Kobolds.
My top priority was my own life.
‘Be safe. Never overexert. Stay calm. Survive until the end.’
I stood behind the carriage.
Protecting the goods was natural, but since I would be defenseless if attacked from behind, I chose the safer spot.
Just then, a sound came again.
“Com com.”
The Kobolds surrounding us all suddenly charged.
And one Kobold dashed straight toward me.
Clang!
The Kobold’s weapon was a blunt, crude club.
Of course, some Kobolds didn’t carry clubs.
Those would be the ones who attacked humans to steal loot, wielding dull knives or axes.
But most wielded clubs.
I raised my shield to block the Kobold’s attack.
Its surprisingly heavy force startled me slightly.
I pushed my shield forward, bracing for the next attack.
“Ugh.”
But the next attack never came.
The Kobold that had attacked me retreated.
Then, suddenly, it charged again, swinging its club wildly.
Clang!
The heavy blow struck my wrist, causing a slight sting, but that was all.
Again, the Kobold retreated.
“Damn, did I overthink fighting just one?”
I realized I had overestimated the Kobold’s threat.
I stabbed the Kobold in the back as it backed away.
“Bang…”
The Kobold collapsed without making a sound.
Before I could even properly appreciate killing one, I saw two Kobolds charging at me.
“Com! Com!”
Blood stained the mouths of the two.
Behind them lay a corpse that showed no movement, surrounded by several Kobolds feasting on its flesh.
Those two had taken a bite and were now heading straight toward me, having killed one of their own kind.
“You rotten bastards…”
With rising fury, I gripped my sword and shield and stepped forward.
I had slightly broken my resolve to stay rational and simply survive by holding my position.
Skill ‘Fury’ has been acquired.
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