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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Who Am I? (2)
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I don't know this body's original name. There was no documentation, no resident registration card like back in Korea.
Especially for a slave. The first thing they'd do is confiscate or destroy your identification.
I, too, had tried to get a handle on the population count in the past, but in the end, I failed.
This was a world of sword and sorcery, after all. Filled with all sorts of bizarre things incomprehensible by Earth's standards.
Even abolishing slavery had been met with such fierce opposition and resistance.
Those bastards... and now they've brought slavery back?
In any case, I managed to get through the gate using the mercenary tag I'd looted from a corpse.
Of course, I'd have to get a new one as soon as the sun rose.
This place was called the gateway city of Rzhev.
A name I had given it, meaning it must never be breached.
Once the front line of a fierce battlefield, it had now become a gateway city to that very front, but its purpose and name remained unchanged.
Its purpose as the foremost bastion protecting the Empire—in the past, from the rival kingdom, and now, from the Demonic Realm.
Just before passing through the gate, Kratos glanced at a guard, committing the man's face to memory. Remembering everything was always helpful.
'His armor is worn. The marks of battle are still there, unerased. Does that mean they're under constant threat? Or is it that support from the capital isn't getting through? He definitely looks exhausted.'
A northern gateway city should have been a very prosperous one. It was also a city that received a great deal of support. Because the north was the Demonic Realm.
The Demonic Realm, where monsters and all sorts of strange phenomena ran rampant. But a place like this felt so destitute?
The state of the city, as I observed it on my way to the inn, was the same. So much so that I felt it wasn't the place I remembered.
***
I needed to wash up before getting a room and eating, so I went to the room the innkeeper showed me, dropped off my meager belongings, and headed for the washroom.
Entering the bathroom filled with warm steam, the first thing I did was wipe the mirror.
I was curious if I really had the blonde hair and black eyes they'd mentioned.
'Damn, he's handsome. Could give DiCaprio in his prime a run for his money.'
Looking in the mirror was just a formality. I'd already confirmed it with this body's strength and healing abilities during the escape.
What species I was didn't matter. What mattered was whether or not I could get revenge on the bastards who killed me.
Soaking in the warm water, my body grew languid, and my frayed nerves seemed to slowly settle.
In that languor, I sorted through my thoughts.
But why, of all things, a member of the Heracles Clan?
"Ten years. A decade."
They said ten years had passed since my death.
They say even mountains and rivers change in ten years, but why did everything seem to have changed for the worse compared to right before I died?
And what was that coded message I picked up during my escape, the one with information about the resistance?
"I should probably head to the capital first."
The most important thing was revenge. Why on earth did they kill me? And who led it, who participated?
But I couldn't just blindly dream of revenge. Not with this body alone.
Sure, this body was from the Heracles Clan, the epitome of natural strength, but even it couldn't take on an army of a million by itself.
Add knights who could use aura into the mix, and the difficulty would skyrocket.
I needed to build my strength. I needed information, too.
However, the situation was in my favor. Because their opponent was none other than me. They wouldn't even know who they were up against.
They wouldn't even know why they were being targeted.
***
After my shower, I threw on my clothes—hastily wiped of blood—and went down to the first floor, where I saw people nursing mugs of beer.
The moment Kratos appeared, the chatter stopped, and everyone turned to look at him.
He was gaunt, but Kratos's face was undeniably handsome.
'Looks like there are locals here, and quite a few mercenaries too. Dammit. This face draws too much attention. Should I wear a mask?'
Aside from that, every face showed the weariness of battle.
The same exhaustion I'd seen on the soldiers at the city gate. Here, of all places, in a gateway city.
"A beer and a meal. A large portion."
The innkeeper took the coin Kratos tossed him and brought out a bowl of stew, some bread, and a mug of beer from the kitchen.
"Ahhh—"
As the sharp carbonation of the beer hit the back of his throat, Kratos let out an involuntary sigh of satisfaction, his thirst instantly quenched.
The beer wasn't half bad. He began to eat without a word, and the inn gradually returned to its noisy state.
"Anyone know what the situation in the north is like these days?"
"What would mercenaries know? The situation up north is so bad, we were all hired to fight monsters."
"We came for the money. Monster corpses fetch a good price, don't they?"
The conversation was being stored away, piece by piece, rapidly cross-referenced and reassembled with the information he already possessed to form the best possible conclusion.
"Heard the monsters are getting more organized."
"Damned beasts."
"They say the north is devastated. Looks like the capital has all but given up on it."
The moment someone who looked like a local mentioned the capital, the atmosphere in the inn shifted dramatically.
"Does anyone know what the hell they're doing in the capital?"
"Those bastards in the capital."
"An investigator came by once, but that was it. No support from the capital."
"They're too busy looking out for themselves. You think they care about what happens in backwaters like this? Whether we live or die?"
People are cursing the capital this openly? Usually, they'd be more careful, if only out of fear.
Especially in a crowded place like this. You never know who's listening. Plus, there's someone who clearly looks like a soldier here.
This must mean it's not the first or second time they've badmouthed the capital here.
A sense of gloom was evident on their faces. A sign of just how bad things were.
"What's the situation in the capital like?"
Several people spoke up in response to Kratos's question.
"Rumors are flying. They say even the meritorious nobles have split into several factions."
"Heard the Emperor hasn't been seen in over five years."
"It's a complete mess, I hear. It's been almost ten years since the Empire was declared. Instead of getting better, things have only gotten worse."
"People are even saying things were better before the Empire. It's not an uncommon sentiment."
As if on cue, complaints erupted from all around.
What in the world happened these past ten years? The Empire I built wasn't so fragile that it would crumble overnight. I'm sure of it.
*Grind—*
Rage toward that bastard Emperor surged through him. It would have been one thing if he'd at least made the Empire prosper.
But everything he was hearing was negative. Extremely so.
And at that moment.
*Clang—clang—clang—clang—*
An urgent bell began to toll.
"Grab your weapons!"
"Don't these bastards ever sleep?!"
"Since when do monsters care about day or night?!"
"But there was no warning!"
"Shit! They must have taken out the lookouts!"
"Time to earn our keep! Let's go!"
The mercenaries, who had just been venting their anger over drinks, grabbed their respective weapons and bolted from the inn.
"Monsters?"
Monsters are attacking the gateway city? But how far is it to the Demonic Realm from here? How many towns are in between?
Besides, the slave trader was definitely heading north.
What in the world was going on?
Kratos, too, ran out of the inn, armed with a crowbar and a sword—if you could call them proper weapons.
***
"Archers to the walls! Swordsmen, take positions between the archers!"
"They're bringing ladders! Get ready!"
By the time he ran toward the sound of the bell, numerous soldiers and mercenaries were already there, gripping their weapons and shaking off their tension.
"What's this? Is this pretty boy a mercenary too? Looks like he belongs somewhere else."
"Hahaha. Did you come to be our cheerleader?"
Someone jeered as Kratos took his place among the mercenaries, but they swallowed hard at the sheer force of the wind from his practice swing with the crowbar.
"If you don't want your skulls cracked by this 'pretty boy,' I'd watch your mouths, friends. This crowbar might just take out something... unfortunate."
"Whoa—my apologies. A skilled mercenary, I see."
"Heh heh. I knew you'd get put in your place one of these days."
*Thump— Thump— Thump— Thump—*
He couldn't see what was happening on the wall, but the ground was shaking as if the enemy was drawing near.
"Grooooooar—!"
The howling of monsters pierced through the walls and assaulted his eardrums.
"Quiet! We're getting a signal. Orcs. Goblins mixed in."
An unknown hand signal was being passed down from the top of the wall, apparently to inform them of the type of enemy attacking.
It was the only way for the mercenaries below to prepare.
"Numbers are, roughly…"
"What is it?"
When the mercenary interpreting the signal hesitated, those around him pressed for an answer.
"Roughly several thousand. Up to ten thousand or more."
"What? Thousands? Are you insane?"
"This wasn't in the contract."
"This isn't a battle! It's a war! How are we supposed to fight thousands of monsters with this many people?!"
Curses erupted from all directions. Thousands, perhaps more than ten thousand monsters. But the knights, soldiers, and mercenaries gathered here numbered less than two thousand in total.
'Ha. Seriously. If you were going to bring me back to life, you could have at least thrown in some perks and put me in a better situation.'
I escape from slave traders only to have to kill thousands of monsters?
And they were what you'd call greenskins. In other words, intelligent monsters.
That meant they were several times harder to deal with than a mindless monster rampage.
If this were a game, it would definitely be on Korean difficulty.
The citizens had long since evacuated to the inner castle in preparation for the attack. Only the combat personnel remained in the outer castle.
The time the monsters took to form their ranks, accompanied by their howling, passed, and the commander's shout echoed from the top of the wall.
"Ready to fire!"
Everyone with a bow, both on and below the wall, nocked an arrow and waited for the signal.
The sound of thousands of monsters charging toward the wall grew louder.
"Fire the cannons!"
First, the cannons and ballistae on the wall began to display their might.
Of course, the monsters didn't flinch, continuing their advance toward the wall.
"Fire—!!!"
At the command, hundreds of arrows shot into the sky simultaneously, followed by the pained screams of monsters.
"They're using crossbows!"
"Fill the gaps! Those of you waiting below, get up here and fill the gaps!"
"Ladders! Ladders! Everyone, prepare!"
"Push the ladders! Push them back!"
The top of the wall grew chaotic, and the mercenaries hesitated, watching the situation unfold.
Everyone values their own life. It was obvious that jumping in recklessly here would mean a dog's death.
Besides, the soldiers were moving to the top of the wall before them anyway.
"Defend the wall!"
"Retreat means death! Hold your positions!"
"Ah, to hell with it."
In that moment, Kratos leaped onto the wall, a crowbar in one hand and a sword in the other.
Smashing the head of an orc climbing the wall would be more helpful to breaking this stalemate than just standing around gawking.
Countless corpses littered the ground below, and the sounds of monsters climbing the ladders on the wall grew closer.
"Draw your swords! Draw your swords! Archers, fall back! Get down!"
As a massive iron ladder was hooked onto the wall, the archers quickly descended, and soldiers with melee weapons filled the space.
An orc's upper body appeared at the top of the ladder.
*Whoosh—*
Before any other soldier could react.
*Gack—!*
Kratos swung the crowbar instead of his sword, smashing the helmeted orc's head.
"What kind of orcs wear armor?!"
As the orc's head exploded and it fell, clumps of red light flew toward him.
"Huh? Lumps of light?"
Along with that cluster of light, another red light shot out from the orc whose skull he'd just crushed and was absorbed into him.
I killed an orc, and these little red lights popped out and got absorbed by me…?
Huh?
"Whoa… what is this? Get away from me!"