Chapter 6: Leveling Up Amid Kobold Carnage

The notification window that had appeared before my eyes—I didn’t even know what it was—didn’t stop me as I charged straight at the two kobolds, blood smeared across my mouth and drool dripping down.

Clang!

One of the kobolds swung its club in time with my movement, but instead of blocking it with my shield, I twisted my body and deflected the club away.

Then I swung my sword across its exposed chest.

Screech.

Blood gushed from the wound the sword had made.

I absorbed the impact with my entire body and slammed my shield into the head of the kobold beside it.

Thud!

The severely staggered kobold twisted, and I shouted as I stabbed it with my sword.

“Die!”

Snap.

“Gurgle…”

The kobold’s neck twisted, and before it could even let out a proper scream, it crumpled, choking on its own blood.

Only after killing the two kobolds did my briefly excited mind cool down.

“Hah, hah…”

The bodies of the kobolds were right in front of me.

And I was covered in their blood.

But there was no mental shock whatsoever.

Just like the day I made my first kill.

“Hahaha.”

A ridiculous laugh escaped me.

When I lived my modern life, I never killed even a single chicken with my own hands, yet now, killing monsters or people stirred no feelings at all.

“Mental Strength skill really is something.”

I even started to find the Mental Strength skill a little frightening.

“Click!”

A sudden sound came from above, and I hurriedly moved to the side.

Clang!

With a heavy noise, dust rose.

There was a kobold up there that had fallen while swinging its club, and its club was shattered.

Its legs and arms were numb from the recoil, so it couldn’t move.

“Damn, I almost died.”

Because I wasn’t wearing a helmet, such an attack could have been fatal.

If this were a game, maybe, but for me, helmets were annoying because they blocked vision, so I didn’t wear one.

I stabbed the sword into the head of the immobilized kobold.

Squelch.

Blood splattered, and white brain matter dripped down the sword.

I watched the grotesque sight clearly with my own eyes.

Still, no change came to my nerves.

That only made me more afraid.

“Wow, Mental Strength skill… am I going to go insane or become a total lunatic?”

That thought suddenly crossed my mind.

But then I imagined the alternative version of myself.

The one who cried like a baby out of fear of monsters and pissed his pants.

“Better this way than that.”

Only then did I have the luxury to look around.

The place was a complete battlefield.

The fight between the mercenaries and the kobolds was brutal.

If the mercenaries killed a kobold, another kobold would immediately take its place and kill the mercenary.

Several kobolds clung to the corpses of fallen mercenaries, tearing off flesh to eat.

Kobolds didn’t just target mercenaries.

They charged at the horses tied to the caravan and attacked the slaves guarding them.

Merchants huddled together, protected by their capable escorts, fiercely wielding weapons to guard them.

Blood splattered everywhere, screams filled the air, and injured kobolds lay collapsed on the floor.

It was an hell-like chaos where no one could hear or recognize anyone’s groans or cries.

“Damn it, this is really shitty.”

Amidst the dying people and kobolds, I moved again to kill even one more kobold.

“Click!”

The kobolds clung even more desperately to the humans.

The carnage only ended when I had killed the seventh kobold.

Roar! Clang Clang!

A wailing sound echoed through the entire battlefield from somewhere.

The kobolds stopped to look back but didn’t hesitate and scattered in all directions.

There was no sign of caution in their retreat, only pure survival instinct.

“Huff, huff, huff…”

Rough breathing echoed in the chamber.

No one said anything else.

The only sound in the silence was that heavy breathing.

I was one of the people panting hard.

But even in such exhaustion, my gaze remained fixed on the air, on the notification window.

Looking at the notification window full enough to block my vision, I changed my previous thoughts.

‘Wow, I think I’m going to die.’

My limbs were shaking, and I couldn’t even stand properly.

It reminded me of the part-time job I did briefly before joining the military, the hardest physical memory I had: working as a delivery loader on my first day.

That day was probably the toughest day of my life.

Recalling that day, I instinctively compared it to my current state.

‘No, what kind of comparison is that? I’m just fucking tired…’

I poured all the bonus stats I had just received into Stamina.

Then the heavy breathing that had been so fierce began to settle, as if it were a lie.

I had simply increased my Stamina stat, but that boosted my overall endurance.

Thanks to the increased stamina, my energy, which had been completely drained just moments ago, steadied a bit, making it easier to breathe.

I opened my status window.

My stats and skills were showing steady growth.

‘Well, compared to how low-level I was at the start, this is incredible growth… but what’s this Fury?’

I checked the description of the Fury skill that had mysteriously appeared without my knowing.

‘Let’s see… Fury, when it reaches its peak, allows you to unleash greater strength than usual, but at the cost of losing control. Huh, sounds like a curse.’

It was all good except for the fatal flaw of losing control.

Now I had a reason to keep calm during fights.

Every action I took would require mental effort and control.

A bothersome character trait.

“Damn it.”

A curse slipped out of my mouth, and those words shattered the tension of everyone around.

“Let’s quickly pack up and get out of here.”

Alcars’ command came down, and with someone’s reply, the mercenaries hurriedly started moving.

The mercenaries were divided into two groups.

One group carried out tasks to continue the trade caravan, such as removing dead horses, tying or leading living ones, or moving the goods of those who lost their horses.

The other group gathered the bodies of their fallen comrades.

Some knew the faces, others didn’t, but they always made sure to remember the names of their companions.

There was only one reason.

To prepare for their deaths.

If they collected the names, belongings, and money of the dead and handed them to the Mercenary Guild, the guild would deliver them to their families.

The corpses were buried in a pit and burned.

It was pointless to bury them here, as monsters or pack animals would inevitably find them.

A total of sixteen people had died in this battle.

Twelve were mercenaries killed by kobolds, and the remaining four were slaves.

Sixteen corpses were set on fire and soon began to burn.

Crackle, snap, snap.

The fire gradually grew louder, and they all looked at the burning bodies, silently praying that they found peace in a better place.

“Let’s go.”

Alcars said this as the flames died down.

We hurriedly moved out.

It was to avoid other beasts attracted by the scent of kobold blood.

That night’s rest was inevitably later than usual.

It was a night filled with loud snoring.

***

The trade caravan I joined continued without major problems, crossing the mountains.

When we arrived at the territory of the Rivelan Principality—the Jennyck Barony—we each received payment.

Originally, the contract was for a 15-day caravan, paying 10 silver per day.

But since we had only been attacked by monsters once, we arrived two days early, after 13 days.

Still, the merchants paid for all 15 days.

That was 1 gold and 50 silver.

That was just the base pay.

What we had to settle next was the payment for the kobolds I had killed.

Monster corpses were used in more ways than expected.

Most of all, they were valuable materials for armor.

Basic leather armor commonly seen at blacksmiths was usually made from kobold or goblin hides.

One tier higher were armors made from orc or lizardman hides, and the most expensive armors used the hides of ogres or trolls.

Just as important as monster hides were their claws, teeth, and fangs—sharp appendages.

Additionally, monster corpses were precious materials for mages’ experiments; nothing was wasted.

That meant a single kobold corpse was worth 10 silver.

“Alright, that’s your share.”

I received an additional 70 silver.

Combined with the base pay of 1 gold 50 silver, I had earned a total of 2 gold 20 silver over these 13 days.

I pretended to put the money in my pocket but instead placed it in my inventory.

Pockets could easily be robbed, but items in the inventory couldn’t be taken unless I chose to take them out.

After gathering the money, I looked for an inn to rest.

“Hey! Rookie. This way.”

Someone called me, and wondering what it was about, I saw the mercenaries who had come with me gathering and moving somewhere.

“There are plenty of cheap, decent inns this way. If you don’t have a place to go, come here.”

Someone shouted, and I nodded, following them.

Who would refuse cheap and good accommodations?

The tasks ahead of me would require a lot of money.

‘I’ll have to live frugally for a while.’

I followed them to an inn and finally got some sleep.

‘Leaving home is a dog’s life.’

It wasn’t the softest bed, but after sleeping on the bare ground for days, this felt like heaven.

“Zzz, zzz!”