- So here it is, the combat district.
It has been a very good while since he last was here.
Back then he couldn't properly process much, his mental state considered. Now things are different, he has a clear goal which is to find the outcast berserkers and ask them if he could join them for the time being.
Sage Aerodus whom he spoke with recently back when he was traveling through the druid district told him everything he knew about these berserkers; their numbers tend to be between 10-12 depending on how many tend to desire or are able to hunt at any given time, only a little more than half of them are berserkers while the other half are usually ranger-fighters or ranger-rogues with a couple of pure mono-class rangers, there are no druids nor clerics among them since their lifestyles are anathema to the sacred doctrines of Breizen's religion, and these berserkers are so out there that they don't even have a proper title for their group.
Yet again, they stand out from the peace-loving settled humans of Breizen so much that they don't really need a title anyways. Everyone knows who they're referring to when someone talks about 'the berserkers'.
Rhemurus asked the locals if they happened to know where he could find them, yet every single person he spoke with simply asked him with dumbfounded expressions stuff like "why do you want to find those freaks?" or told him to "just follow the disgusting smell" rather than actually help him find these individuals.
It eventually became nighttime and Rhemurus was still looking, an entire city's district is very big after all.
There were obviously street lights around, but those hardly illuminated enough.
And on top of that, because the combat district had the greatest amount of watchmen patrolling its streets, Rhemurus would look extremely suspicious if he continues to wander around the place so late into the night.
Luckily, among the latest 2nd-tier arcane spells he added to his list were [Darkvision] which he cast as silently as possible so he could have better visibility at night, and [Invisibility] which will allow him to continue his search unseen, a spell he cast into himself the moment he made himself sure that no watchman was looking at him.
Well, unseen by any watchman that could be nearby, since the relatively high-level rogue that has been trailing him all day was so skilled that it could see through Rhemurus' magical invisibility. Not surprising since the human player's arcane spells are only on par with those of a level 14 mage, and [Invisibility] belongs to the illusion school, rather than the evocation school he chose to specialize in.
In any case, he added [Hawkeye] on top since he was actually getting a bit tired himself and wanted to at the very least figure out where the berserkers could be congregating before the day ended so he could sprint back into the merchant district.
All buildings and structures he saw were obviously made for and used by the folk of the city, even the so-called violent combat sports and gladiatorial-like events of this district stood on the foundations of civilization. None of these places seemed like a place where berserkers would be in.
- Berserkers being in a city didn't even make any sense, why are they usually found here in the first place?
That's what even Aerodus confirmed to him as well, that the combat district is the only place of the human city where these wild individuals are seen, and thus the only place where Rhemurus will be able to find them.
One may ask; why does Rhemurus need to join these unruly folk? Why can't he just go hunt monsters on his own and sell their parts himself? He's nearly level 30 after all, the chances of being killed weren't that high.
The answer is simple, it's because Rhemurus didn't have the lifetime of natural knowledge that natives had, which meant that he didn't even know where to find any nearby monsters since the roads he has traveled so far were specifically paved for being monster-free.
Not to mention that almost nobody purchases a monster carcass right after it's killed. The carcass must be properly processed, have its valuable parts extracted in a way that can be useful, and then sell it. Something he likewise has absolutely no idea how to do.
The berserkers are so good at what they do that they are able to both kill a monster and process its body all by themselves. And yet, they only sell them at a moderate price so they can get themselves weapons and armor that they can't craft - since none of them have any production job classes - hence why they either directly trade monster skin or scales with the blacksmiths, sell monster blood or another specific body part to the druids, or sell monster flesh to the occasional cook who wants to try and make a dish with exotic meat.
Another source of profit for the berserkers is the Sky Father temples which occasionally make burnt sacrifices, so they are willing to give a good amount of coin for the corpse of some particular high-level monster.
- Mmm, maybe I could have better luck looking for them outside the gates? Everyone has told me that they prefer being outside anyways.
Only reason they even have a place of their own in the combat district is so that they could have a site to process monsters' carcasses without having to worry about the scent of blood alerting any monster who could be following them.
So without further ado, Rhemurus cast [Longstrider] and ran towards the place where the southwestern gate should be. However, at that time he didn't know that, of all the districts in the human city, the combat district was the only one without a gate that led into or outside the city.
It was a reasonable precaution since this district is the one where their prison is located. Nobody wants criminals to leave the city in the extreme scenario where they manage to escape their confinement.
Rather, what Rhemurus found when he arrived at the place he was running towards was instead the remains of a place where a gate used to be before, but not anymore, for it was now sealed forever.
In its place, he found a somewhat big, one-story structure that resembled something like a big hut of sorts. It was shoddy and half-built, and thanks to his senses of a level 29 human he could tell that the place gave off a quite unpleasant smell.
- Wait...what did some of the people tell me I had to do to find the berserkers? Follow the smell?
This place could be where they congregate. But something was still a bit odd.
- Since there's no gate, and these guys never visit other districts, how do they get in and out of Breizen?
He couldn't afford to spend too much time figuring it out since it was getting a bit late and his stomach was growling. He really should've accepted Aerodus' invitation to have lunch with him and his family.
- Anyhow, let's just get a bit closer then. I see some windows, and thanks to [Darkvision] and [Hawkeye] I should have no issue seeing inside if I get a bit closer.
He couldn't get too close, however, since berserkers, rangers, and rogues have very good perceptive and motion-sensory abilities. If their reputation precedes them, then these guys wouldn't hesitate to unleash their frenzy against him for trying to peek into their place.
As slowly as he could, Rhemurus approached the smelly hut to take a peek inside, hoping that if a berserker was nearby, his invisibility spell would help him remain unnoticed.
- Let's see...through the window I believe I can see some stains, is it blood? Darkvision only sees in shades of black and white so I can't tell.
Walking in a little bit closer, he managed to make out some cutting tools like large knives - or were they small swords? - alongside other iron utensils used for efficiently cutting animal skin and the like.
- This is definitely the place where they process the monster carcasses they obtain. But, where are the berserkers themselves?
Chances are they were sleeping outside city gates or some other place. But in any case, he at least found the place where they congregate when they do decide to be inside the city, so this is a win for him.
Time to go back all the way to the inn so he can eat and take a good rest, he'll come back tomorrow morning.
- Good thing I have more spells now, traveling is already so easy for me!
Now casting [Heart of Air] on himself, Rhemurus joyfully turned back and began to leap forward towards the merchant district.
This spell that decreased his weight considerably combined with [Longstrider] and focusing [Gust of Wind] to be shot from his back allowed the player to jump at incredibly high speeds, making him traverse huge swats of distance in a heartbeat. And thanks to [Invisibility], he could move around in this manner without alerting others of his presence, playfully jumping around house rooftops as if he were a sprite from some children's fairytale.
So fast was this method of travel that the rogue tailing him had a very hard time trying to catch up.
Eventually, he came back to the merchant district, and since it was nighttime it was easy for him to find a place that was dark enough to make sure nobody would notice when he dispelled [Invisibility], then he dispelled [Heart of Air] and [Longstrider] before walking to the Starry Night Inn.
The next day will be quite busy for him.
[Before the dawn of the next day, the central district]
The central district was the heart of the human city in every single meaning of the phrase. Besides the Heaven and Earth Temple that houses the leader and his family, the central district also harbored the places where all forms of art were nourished; masonry, architecture, poetry, glasswork, music, and obviously, acting performances.
Among the theaters that harbored the best bards, the one at the top was the Shelyn Theater which boasted the biggest size and most luxurious accommodations for both the performers and the patrons. And the greatest attraction of the greatest theater was Headmaster Calistria, The Savored Fire.
This particular day began the same as always; the headmaster enjoying a pedicure in her personal room before the first scheduled play of the day begins.
Currently, only Calistria herself and the girl applying the cosmetic care were present in the room, but soon enough a third individual invited himself.
Said third individual didn't walk through the door, nor used a nonexistent window to sneak in. No, this individual simply made himself manifest inside the room through the shadows themselves, a perk of the [Shadowdancer] class, and while the individual could keep himself hidden without putting too much effort, he still decided to make sure the women inside the room could feel its presence.
"Ah~, Zahur, you're back."
The highest-level human rogue in the Argland Council State, Zahur, began to speak in a monotonous tone. An individual from Earth listening to him would assume that he was some sort of robotic automaton, or something like that.
"I secretly trailed this pale-skinned individual you commanded me to through the entirety of the day. I reckon he should be waking up in an hour or so unless he changes his sleep schedule."
"Rrrrgh, that man!" Exclaimed Calistria with clear tints of anger in her voice, breaking down her image of the perfect lady who always smiles all the time. "Who does he think he is, resisting my charms like that!?"
Calistria herself didn't know this, but part of the reason why she had succeeded in seducing every single person she has attempted to seduce up until yesterday wasn't entirely thanks to her natural good looks and charismatic personality, it was mostly thanks to her inborn talent which was dependent on how much self-confidence does the recipient of her seduction attempt has.
Naturally, Calistria only spends the effort to seduce individuals of high profile, like say, a very rich merchant or a particularly influential person, the type of successful individuals that would always have lots of confidence in themselves, thus empowering Calistria's persuasive talent.
Because of her choice of victims, however, Calistria has never once attempted to seduce a 'loser' or pretty much any type of individual who wasn't considered a winner in life, since those individuals wouldn't be of any use to her nor would be able to offer her anything she doesn't already have.
Up until now, her seduction attempts had always worked without exception, always. It never mattered if she was trying to seduce a man or a woman, if this someone was a talented and noteworthy individual, then this someone was guaranteed to fall for Calistria's charms.
Yet, her talent couldn't help her in any way against someone like Rhemurus, someone like Tanaka Ito, someone who was born in - and doomed to remain at - the very bottom of the social hierarchy back in the world he came from. He knew for a confirmed fact that he was a miserable person and nothing would ever change that, and no amount of fantastical power in a dive-in video game would change that either since he and pretty much every single player knew that it was just pretty fantasy.
Even in this world where he can grow far more powerful than any native humanoid alive, far more powerful than even the native demi-humans and heteromorphs alive, doesn't changes the fact that other players like Momonga and who knows who else is around with their complete guild bases full with powerful NPC, so even if he manages to reach level 100 and somehow gets perfect divine-class gear suited specifically for him, he would still be in a very low position of the power hierarchy of the new world.
Hell, not even somehow miraculously breaking his level cap to go beyond level 100 would make him move an inch in that hierarchy since Momonga could still easily bring the full weight of the Great Tomb of Nazarick on top of him to annihilate him without breaking a single sweat. Not like liches could sweat anyways.
And thus, the exotic and 'talented' individual known in the human city as Rhemurus had absolutely no self-confidence to speak off. His self-esteem was likewise so low that his reaction at being approached by a beautiful lady wasn't "wow! A pretty girl is talking to me! I'm so lucky!" it was "why is someone so beautiful talking with a nobody like me? Something strange is going on."
Poor Calistria never had a chance. Someone who loathes himself isn't even capable of processing the idea of someone else being romantically interested in him, even if he tries to.
"This is the first time someone manages to resist your charms, no?" Asked the girl massaging Calistria's feet. "Instead of allowing your little pride to get hurt, why don't you meditate on what you possibly did wrong and take this lesson as a chance to improve your seductive abilities?"
"Oh shut up."
Zahur saw Calistria tell the girl doing her pedicure to shut up in a rude way.
Had Calistria been someone else, Zahur would've been ordered to make an example of her. But it turns out that; of all the pawns under Drulia's control, Calistria is the only one that is allowed to bicker and even occasionally insult the powerful gang leader for Drulia knows that Calistria is by far the most important of her pawns, way too important to discard simply for having an attitude, and Calistria herself knows that as well.
"So, dear Zahur, what can you tell me of this new potential pawn in our city?" Asked the servant girl - the perfect disguise for Drulia - to her best tracker and most loyal pawn.
"This Rhemurus is far more exotic than we anticipated, my lady."
"Really? Do tell."
"He's indeed a druidic spellcaster like our pawns who participated in the hunting games informed us. However, this man is also capable of using arcane spells, just like Erodel and his son Arioch as well as his future daughter-in-law."
"Huh?"
"What!?"
Both Calistria and Drulia showed understandable confusion on their faces, Drulia being able to contain her surprise better than the emotional Calistria.
"And what tier of arcane magic can he use? We were told he can use 3rd-tier druid spells, what about his arcane spells?"
"I saw him cast [Invisibility], which means that at the very least he can use 2nd-tier arcane spells on top of his 3rd-tier druid spells. Something that he was actively putting the effort to conceal from everyone."
The women's disbelief grew even bigger after hearing that. If they weren't receiving this information from Zahur - whom they knew had no sense of humor and was incapable of lying to his mistress - they would be accusing him of being a liar.
"3rd-tier druid spells and 2nd-tier arcane spells simultaneously!? That's even more absurd than reaching the 5th-tier!"
"We know, dear Calistria, so would you lower your voice? The countermeasures against our voices being heard outside this room aren't perfect."
"But Drulia, that's insane! How can anyone be proficient in more than one magical doctrine!? The only ones who can do that are monsters that defy comprehension like that lich from the Sorcerer Empire, or those dragon lords from our country!"
Besides Fluder, Calistria was also referring to the Blue Sky Dragon Lord and the Diamond Dragon Lord as well.
The reason why those two dragons were recognized as [Lord] despite lacking the [Ancient] age category was because of their mastery of druidic and spiritual magic respectively, powers that were considered exotic enough since the only magic that dragons of the new world can innately learn is arcane magic. And is also because dragons naturally learn arcane magic once they reach the [Old] age category that grand councilor Suveria and grand councilor Omnaadsence both eventually added arcane magic on top of the exotic magics they could already use, making them an arcane hierophant and an eldritch theurge, respectively.
However, in the case of the aforementioned grand councilors, it was less an unnatural proficiency on two tier magic systems and more a byproduct of their innate racial abilities combining with their job class abilities that they honed through their long lives.
"If Rhemurus can masterfully use two magical doctrines simultaneously, dear Calistria, then it simply means that my gut feeling was right, this refugee from a faraway land is indeed worthy of being under our control."
"Even so, do you think we can coerce that man into joining us? What if he wasn't kidding me when he said that he still has room to grow? What if he reaches even higher tiers of-"
"Then an even greater reason to have him join us, no? Surely someone like that should be on our side, rather than against us. After all, our contacts keep telling us that he wants to join the watch."
"Huh? Does he want to become a lapdog of the law? What a waste!"
"Now you understand, dear Calistria. Even now, I'm pulling all the strings I have in order to prevent this refugee from being allowed to join the watch. If he becomes disappointed in the law and gives up on joining them, he will have even greater reason to consider joining our side."
"Mmm, not sure how I would feel about having that man around."
"Oh, are you afraid I will end up liking him more than you? Mm?"
"You wish. If everyone learns what this man can do, he will create an even greater ruckus than you. At best, he would be labeled a freak of nature. No wonder he's hiding his arcane abilities, he has a functioning brain, I'll give him that."
"A suggestion, if I may, my lady." Spoke Zahur for the first time since he gave his brief report.
"Of course."
"Now that we have information that Rhemurus is trying to hide, perhaps we could use it as blackmail? Threaten to tell everyone that he can use druidic and arcane magic simultaneously unless he swears allegiance to us."
"That would only work if we had physical evidence, I'm afraid. Unless we can create a scenario where Rhemurus is forced to use arcane spells in front of multiple witnesses, the only thing saying that he can use arcane magic will be our word. It's just like dear Calistria says, a dual-caster is a creature of legend, and nobody would believe this refugee is one just because we say so."
"I see...I retract my suggestion. Do forgive me for laying out a useless idea."
"It's quite alright dear Zahur. You're so smart and perceptive, but you sometimes forget to think. Every time you have an idea you want to share, just say it out loud and I will tell you if it's good or not. That's why I'm here." Replied Drulia to Zahur with the warmest smile on her otherwise emotionless face.
"That said, I do believe that blackmail could still be a reliable way to-"
Knock knock "Hello? Headmaster Calistria?"
Right after the sounds of the door being knocked were heard, Zahur immediately disappeared back into the shadows and both Calistria and Drulia returned to their spoiled actress and loyal servant persona.
"Yes, come in." Said Calistria in her haughtiest tone possible.
"Excuse me."
The one who opened the door was an assistant in charge of helping the headmaster organize the plays.
"The main actress of today's first play just arrived and is ready for rehearsal. Are you going to personally supervise it?"
"Who else will? Just give us ten more minutes, Raziya here still has some toenails to paint."
"Of course, I will let the actors know."
After the assistant left, Zahur manifested out of nowhere once again and their gang business continued where they left off.
"Like I was saying, blackmail could still be a good way to have some influence on this mysterious refugee. Did you learn anything that could be of use, Zahur? Had he made any close friends or he has someone who could eventually become a significant other?"
"I'm afraid he didn't interact with many individuals for prolonged periods the day before today besides with the sage Aerodus in the druid district, but it appears as if their relationship isn't really a friendly one."
"Sage Aerodus? He's in cahoots with the royal family?"
"That's unlikely, dear Calistria. My contacts sustain that the only reason Erodel and his kin interact with him is merely because of his position as the city's official leader and Rhemurus' position as a political refugee."
Both Calistria and Zahur showed somewhat mocking expressions on their faces when Drulia said Erodel was the 'official leader', since as far as they were concerned, their gang leader mistress is the true ruling power of the city of Breizen, the human populace simply didn't know it yet.
"So what do we do? Just keep looking at this man from a distance?"
"Patience. Everyone eventually slips their secrets, especially the ones that are trying the hardest to conceal them. Would you mind continuing your trailing of our person of interest, dear Zahur?"
"Yes. I will keep track of him for the rest of eternity if that's what you need, my lady."
"So precious you are, dear Zahur. You're dismissed, continue your mission."
Zahur bowed to his mistress and disappeared back into the dark, returning back to the merchant district to make sure he will be there when Rhemurus wakes up.
"Let's go, dear Calistria. We have a public image to keep."
And so headmaster Calistria with her faithful servant 'Raziya' behind her exited the room, ready to start their day.
[Later that day]
The combat district was as noisy as it always was, Rhemurus allowed the place's energy to stick to him since he had a good feeling about today.
When he finally reached the hut he saw the night before he noticed that it seemed as empty as the first time he saw it, and when he cast [Hawkeye] to see if he could find any detail he couldn't see yesterday - since [Darkvision] only allows to see in shades of black and white - he noticed that right behind the hut there were a few marks of deterioration on the wall, in the place where the southwestern gate used to be.
Said marks moved upwards in a straight line all the way to the top of the wall, giving the impression that someone or something has been using the wall as a road of sorts.
"Don't tell me, do the berserkers exit and get back to this portion of the city by literally climbing the walls?"
At first glance, it sounded ridiculous. But...these hunters are berserkers, their base physical strength is on par with fighters, and their stamina surpasses any other base class as well. Even a mid-level berserk would have no issue climbing a rugged stone wall, even one as tall as this one.
"Well, worth a shot!"
With a joyful smile plastered over his face, Rhemurus cast [Longstrider], [Heart of Air], and [Spider Climb] before jumping towards the wall and running all the way up to the top.
Thanks to the isolated distance that the berserker hut was from the rest of the buildings - and the people's habit of ignoring this portion of the district in the first place - nobody noticed the refugee doing this crazy thing besides Zahur who was so done trying to catch up with Rhemurus that he simply used his shadow merging ability to manifest himself at the other side of the wall before the player reaches it.
- Now this is awesome! I can't wait to actually learn how to fly!
It was indeed quite incredible, the feeling of liberation, being one with the wind and sky. This feeling could only be surpassed by genuinely flying through the skies once he obtains just one more level to add the 3rd-tier arcane spell [Fly] to his arsenal.
Being so close to being able to do such an incredible thing only made him even more excited to meet and join these berserkers in their monster hunts, so he sporadically used [Gust of Wind] to propel himself further and further upwards, eventually reaching the very top of the wall and gaining a beautiful aerial view of the lands surrounding the human city.
Thanks to [Heart of Air]'s added benefit of having the [Feather Fall] effect constantly active, he didn't have to worry about finding a way to slow down his fall. But still, he felt that he was falling way too slowly, so he dispelled [Heart of Air] so he could fall at a regular speed. And it was when he was close enough to the ground that he once again cast [Heart of Air] to have a gentle fall.
But the closer he got to the ground, the more he could make out something that appeared to be large tents of sorts, at least from above.
- This place, must be where they actually stay most of the time.
So to not fall right on top of their place, he used [Gust of Wind] to move out of the way and land somewhere far enough, that way he avoids making a bad impression should the berserkers be sleeping in their tents.
- What can I tell them? I'm not sure how to make a good first impression if I'm honest.
Tanaka only knows how to interact with civilized individuals, so he would be hard-pressed to know how to be in the good graces of legit berserkers who dislike civilization.
"Huh, hello? My name is Rhemurus! I'm an outsider who civilized folk don't trust! I was wondering if I could learn your ways!"
No response. Is very likely that the tents were empty, but he wasn't going to approach them to verify.
- Should I wait until they wake up or return from wherever they are? I'm pretty sure they're not in their hut, I was just there a minute ago.
As he was debating about what he could do, Rhemurus felt as if his [Nature Sense] was stabbing a large sharp knife at the very back of his skull, which could only mean one thing.
- A projectile attack from behind!
He moved his head sideways as fast as he could to barely dodge an arrow that was aimed at his head.
Then he turned around, cast [Produce Flame] in one hand, and prepared to cast [Sandblast] in the other hand. Since he wasn't allowed to use weapons inside the city, his attack spells were the only thing he could use in combat for the time being.
Yet, even though he directed his view in the direction where the arrow came from, he didn't see anyone, not even with [Hawkeye].
"Who's there!?"
There were no trees around, only a few wooden poles that were way too thin to actually serve as a place to hide behind. At least, a human wouldn't be able to hide behind said poles.
It took a few seconds of dead silence, but eventually, a male voice could be heard.
"Not so bad, you managed to dodge my arrow. And you can use magic stuff? Mmm, that is magic stuff in your hands, right?"
To the player's surprise, the individual who shot him was indeed hiding behind one of those thin wooden poles, a man that had similar hair, skin, and eye color as the rest of the council state humans, but he had quite a rugged appearance with a long hair, mustache, and beard that seemed to never have been shaved, and was wearing a withered chain shirt that was obviously quite old but was still kept well-maintained.
Rhemurus couldn't explain how the man was hiding since he had a bulky frame and the composite bow he used was likewise quite large, no doubt a bow with a very large poundage considering the speed of the arrows it shoots.
Every single aspect of this man's appearance screamed 'barbarian'.
Since it appeared like he found one of the individuals he has been looking for, Rhemurus began to try to use diplomacy instead, but without dispelling the spell on his hand, for the man was still pointing his bow toward him.
"Uh, hello. My name is-"
"Rhemurus, yes, I heard you. What is this about being an outsider? What's someone like you doing in a human city?"
"I, I was sent here for asylum by Seliaxhala because-"
"Who's that?"
"-I was, ah, Seliaxhala is a sage, from Guraxus."
"What's Guraxus?"
"Ah...the capital of this country, the Argland Council State?"
"In any case, why were you sent to a human city? You couldn't find a place with others of your kind?"
"My kind...?"
Ah, of course. Civilized folk have something called common courtesy, hence why almost nobody called out his strange appearance anymore. But if these are berserkers, then the lack of manners would make perfect sense.
It was still quite rude, though.
"Actually, I may not look like it, but I'm in fact a human, just like the people who live in this city are."
"You're a human? You sure?"
"Yeah...I'm pretty sure."
"Huh."
The man lowered his bow, it appeared like he had no intention of shooting the player again.
In response to that, Rhemurus dispelled his own flame spell and lowered his hands as well.
"What you said before. What do you mean when you say 'learning our ways'?"
"What I meant is that I currently need to learn what you guys do. From what I heard of the people that live inside the wall, you slay and sell monster bodies for a living. And since I'm an outsider without the people's trust, I'm not able to make a living anywhere else."
"And just because the softskins that need to cage themselves up in a stone wall don't trust you, does that mean that we should trust you?"
"No, of course not. You don't know me, but that doesn't change the fact that I still need to make a living somehow, hence why I need you."
"And you think that we need to make a living out of trading some of our game with the softskins? We truefolk live out of the land, as nature intended. If we occasionally enter the stone cage, it's simply because it's more convenient for us."
Of course, that much made sense. Berserkers are the result of a brutal and pragmatic environment that forces individuals to adapt or die.
It was still so strange, though, that a city as peaceful as Breizen could produce berserkers, even if they were as few as less than a dozen.
"What we can teach you is how to live off the land itself. Hunt your own food, forage your own supplies, learn how to listen to the heart of the land itself. But if you only need coins, then surely your magic stuff could help you with that."
- I'm going nowhere with this. Perhaps I was too hasty, coming here so soon.
"Well, I also understand that your circle doesn't has individuals that are proficient at using magic, no? If so, then hopefully I could give you extra aid during your hunts?"
"You think us so feeble that we need your magic stuff?"
"No. I know how strong berserkers are, I saw firsthand their strength back in my homeland."
Rhemurus wasn't lying. Even if dual-casters and tri-casters weren't allowed in Mercenary Magicians, arcane mages that multi-classed into fighters and other melee classes definitely were, and among them were berserker multi-class players that took levels in a powerful prestige class known as [Rage Prophet].
They were quite a sight to behold, the rage prophets, being able to use their [Frenzy] and throw spells simultaneously. And the special skill they obtained once they reached the tenth level of their prestige class - [Furious Spell] - allowed them to add both [Maximize Magic] and [Empower Magic] at the same time to any attack spell without extra MP cost as long as their frenzy was active!
"If you know how dangerous we are, then you shouldn't have come here demanding to join our side, softskin."
The man was throwing a clearly aggressive stare at Rhemurus. It was actually something in the new world known as 'killing intent', but because the player was actually of a higher level than the berserker throwing a death stare in his direction, Rhemurus didn't feel threatened at all.
Still, he has no confidence in his ability to defeat a berserker as he currently is, so he should abandon his plan of joining them in their monster hunts for the time being.
Perhaps he should instead concentrate on trying to make a good reputation for himself, the reputation of someone who's strong and resilient, and that way maybe he could obtain the berserkers' trust.
But it turns out that, Rhemurus already did that, back in the brutal hunting games. It just happens that this berserker wasn't present to see it, but some of his comrades were.
In the distance, the player could see what appeared to be a large birdlike creature with a round and plump body with four legs. The creature wasn't walking, it was being dragged around by several individuals who were strong enough to easily drag a huge-sized creature around. Most likely the rest of the berserker hunters.
As it got closer, the berserker man turned around to have a look at his comrades, and Rhemurus could now see that the dead birdlike creature was an achaierai, a level 35 or so avian monster, at least that's what it was back in Yggdrasil. But what actually caught his attention was the one who was leading the returning berserkers.
"Is that...Solangus?"
Besides him, he could also spot other individuals who likewise participated in the hunting games. Most likely the few members of the berserker hunters who don't actually have the [Berserker] job class.
"Huh?" The man turned around to look at Rhemurus again. "You know the leader?"
"Yes! He's Solangus, the best ranger of Breizen and a key participant in the hunting games. I had no idea he was part of the berserkers."
"You, you participated in the hunting games!?"
"Yes, I guess I did."
- Damn it, I should've started the conversation with that!
"Hey, Solangus!" Screamed the man.
"Yeah? Dolok, what is it?"
"This softskin here says that he participated in the hunting games, you remember him?"
"Why...yes, yes he's the wild wolf we spoke to you about! The one who went from the 1st-tier to the 3rd-tier of druidic magic in less than three days!"
Hearing that made all the berserkers present quite amazed, especially the ones that likewise saw Rhemurus before during the hunt. It appears as Solangus and the ones who accompanied him to the games spoke about the refugee's performance in the hunt to their berserker comrades, but for some reason, they forgot to mention his name or his peculiar appearance.
Solangus began to run toward Rhemurus and Dolok, a bit excited to see the refugee who made such a big impression once again.
"What are you doing here?"
"I could ask the same. I had no idea you were a member of the berserkers, but now that I think about it, makes perfect sense."
"What can I say? I'm a wilder at heart, the unclaimed plains and forests are my real home."
- Like a true ranger.
"So, what are you doing here, Rhemurus? I think I heard you say on the way back to the city that you needed to find a job?"
"Yes, but I'm not sure I would be accepted anywhere else if I'm honest."
"What do you mean? Everyone in the city should now know that you're something of a prodigy, reaching the 3rd-tier so fast. Have you asked the watch again? Or seen if the druid district needs a 3rd-tier caster?"
- Maybe, but I wouldn't be killing stuff in any other type of job, and I kinda don't feel like waiting another year to hunt bulettes again.
Actually, he could indeed wait another year, but he just doesn't feel like it. He could be quite impatient, after all.
"The truth is that I doubt I would have the opportunity to hone my combat skills in other jobs, and also-"
"Oh yes, I forgot! The druid circle you came from demands that you kill living beings to progress further."
"-there's the thing with, yeah that, the druid circle I come from."
"Progress? You mean to go beyond the 3rd-tier?" Another berserk joined the convention, one of the individuals who was dragging the achaierai corpse. "Isn't that the realm of the royal family you have told us about, Solangus?"
"I think so. Yeah, the only 4th-tier spellcasters in our history have been members of the royal family so far."
"Then, wouldn't this wild wolf create some sort of friction? I imagine the chieftain guy I've heard about may consider this man a rival."
"Me? A rival to Lord Erodel? That's ridiculous."
"Yeah, Belka. That's quite ridiculous." Solangus agreed with what Rhemurus just said.
"It's not Erodel's magical power that the people of the city follow, it's his peerless wisdom. Even if an unrelated 4th-tier or even 5th-tier spellcaster appears, at most our fellow humans may be awed, but they're not gonna drop to their knees and swear loyalty to this stranger. That's not how civilization works."
- Ah, so the berserkers believe that everyone should follow the rule of the one with the most metaphysical power being the one who calls the shots. I should've figured.
But wait, if the berserkers believe that only the strongest should rule, and they recognize Solangus as their leader, then...
"So our wild wolf friend here has no reason to fear becoming more powerful than Lord Erodel. If anything, I imagine that would open more opportunities beyond this city."
That's a given, Rhemurus now had plenty of reasons to travel abroad if what Nomom and Phenia told him about the Sorcerer Empire was true.
"Ah, the wild wolf wants to become stronger so he can go hunt in faraway lands? I guess I can understand that desire." Said another berserker, throwing a somewhat sympathetic look at the human player.
"In any case, before anything else, we should start working on this achaierai carcass. Forgive us, Rhemurus, we can pick up this conversation later if you want."
"Gladly. I can see that you're busy so I won't slow you down any longer."
Solangus gave a nod and commanded the other berserkers to pick up some long and sturdy ropes they had stored in their tents.
Rhemurus for his part simply stepped a good distance away so he wouldn't get in the way of whatever they were doing.
The berserkers tied up the achaierai corpse with their ropes and then tied them to themselves. He had a rough idea of what they were going to do, but it seemed quite ridiculous to believe.
- Don't tell me...are they actually going to...?
Yes, they are. When Solangus gave the order, the berserkers used their bodies' strength to drag the dead achaierai closer to the wall, and then - with a display of strength and stubbornness fitting of berserkers - they began to climb up the wall with the achaierai carcass tied up to them, the monster body's weight being redistributed between all the berserkers. Even so, that didn't take away from their incredible strength and stamina, for the player knew that they most likely did stuff like this on a nearly daily basis.
"Just what are those ropes made of!?"
Even more impressive than the gear they're using, he imagines, must be the raw physical stats of those individuals since neither was using the [Frenzy] to boost their stats.
- If my rough assessment of Solangus' possible level was at least somewhat accurate after I used [Omen of Peril] on the march back to this city, then he would be close to level 20, or at least level 15, give or take.
Seeing how he wasn't among the human elites who teamed up against the bulette lords, he still shouldn't be on par with a 3rd-tier spellcaster.
- So that would mean that the other members of the berserkers should be a bit lower than that. Yet, they make climbing up a gigantic stone wall with a huge-sized monster tied to them so easy.
It was only natural for a player like him to be impressed. After all, as of that moment, he still had no idea about the fact that the new world natives had the ability to bypass certain restrictions to obtain relatively powerful prestige classes that they would normally be unable to obtain, making them stronger than Yggdrasil beings of similar level.
He knew he was of a higher-level than each of them, but he was still very unsure if he would actually succeed in defeating them should he have to fight them.
- What if the right of entry into their group is a one-on-one duel or something like that?
Rhemurus would be hard-pressed to win without revealing his arcane spells, he feels. But hopefully, the connection he made with their leader could help things ease up a bit.
And it was after the berserkers and their achaierai carcass disappeared from his view that the player once again cast the movement and climbing spells on himself to see if he could catch up with them on the other side.
Zahur, for his part, was so incredibly DONE with having to trail this wild refugee who was running around like a magical goose, but he had to suck it up and continue his mission, for he knew this could be the perfect chance.
If he reports to his mistress that their person of interest is finally making close friendships, then they will finally have room for coercion since pretty much nobody in the human city would miss the berserkers should Drulia's gang make them disappear forever, something that they would be more than happy to let the refugee know should he refuse their invitation to join their side.