Episode 355: My left eye can’t open (3)
“Berserk…”
I guess it was because I couldn’t see the Weapon Master for some reason.
No… Of course, I thought it was a bit strange, but we had no contact and we broke up not long after we met, so I didn’t have time to notice. This is a bit shocking.
“Then do you know where she lives?”
“I know.”
“hmm. “Are we from the same background?”
“That’s not true… I just know that she is the only warrior who has overcome the glacial ordeal twenty times.”
“…Glacier trials?”
Separately, these guys… I thought they were quite annoying when I realized their existence, but now I see that they are perfect as purveyors of local information. If we heard something we didn’t understand, we immediately asked a question.
“Hmm… I shouldn’t tell this to people who aren’t from Norda…”
“Yeah, I’m a little thirsty after all the hard work I’ve had. “Why don’t you say something like this?”
“…!”
The price of the information was also not that expensive. As soon as they saw some of the snacks I had personally brought with them, they sold their souls.
“Hyung…”
“Now wait a minute.”
To be exact, the two guys who barely spoke had their eyes shining, and the guy who was talking on behalf of them showed intense agony. It was like the eldest child taking care of his younger siblings.
“I’ll tell you.”
“Nari, you’re really good at persuading people…”
Still, if it’s mutually beneficial, isn’t that okay? I ended the transaction very peacefully.
“Oh no. “I think I’ve been starving for a while, but if I eat food with concentrated nutrients in that state, I’ll get sick.”
“to?”
“…my thoughts were short.”
“For now, let’s just make porridge and feed it. “It’s time for us to eat anyway.”
“Then this…”
“I won’t take it away, so don’t worry. However, it would be better to eat it later rather than right away. “You wouldn’t want to have a stomach ache when you’re leaving soon, right?”
Of course, Daniel intervened in the middle, but it also ended amicably. They didn’t take the food out of their hands, and even said they would give them additional porridge, so it was only natural.
We swept and cleaned the fire pit, which had been neglected for a long time, and then lit it.
“It’s more interesting than that… the oven is this big. What is this space? “I think there’s enough space for one person to lie down.”
“Oh, that’s… it’s a butteul.”
“Butteul?”
“Uh, so… Butteul is Butteul… Ah, it’s probably called Butteul because it’s a place where fire is built. yes. Maybe…”
“Ah.”
Whatever the origin, the locals roughly explained that it is a heating stove rather than a stove used for cooking, but it is closer to a place where you can cook.
In their hands, they are holding firewood made by splitting furniture from other houses. The aftermath was that they told us not to stay still but to at least pick up kindling.
“The wide part over there is a place where people can lie down. Usually, the elderly or children of the family are lying down…”
However, their explanation caught our attention. “What you looking at.” While the embers stayed in the furnace, a person was chosen to lie down there.
“So what is the glacier ordeal?”
Was the meal completed in no time, with the grumbling Meister placed on a hot stone and the Deathbringer as the mainstay?
As always, Erutalc went out and ate what he had brought with him—he had to eat only what was determined in the aftermath of the experiment—and took his share of the rest in order.
The only thing I participated in was carrying firewood and setting the table, so I just poured water. I also asked a question.
Local people are already full of bribes that prevent them from going through with the deal.
“Roughly… something like a crevasse appears in the air and monsters jump out of it… something like that. “It rarely goes away naturally and we know we have to go inside and do something.”
In the end, those who could not overcome their gluttony held their bowls of porridge and spoke out. Although it was difficult at first, everything went smoothly after that.
“It doesn’t happen often, but every time it explodes, several warriors die, so all tribes living in Norda are on guard against the ordeal of the glacier.”
“The glacier ordeal is a test to prove your qualifications as a great warrior!”
“Gainir, I told you to stay still…!”
Although the reason why one person was in charge of all the conversation was revealed in the middle.
“Hmm. Those who have passed the glacial ordeal are called Daejeonsa, and the more Daejeonsa there are, the greater the power of the tribe, so in the past, there were some places that targeted them. “It’s impossible now that we don’t have the capacity to raise the warriors themselves.”
“That’s right. Me indeed. “There are such ugly phenomena in the world…”
“What is that monster? “Is it different from the devil?”
“Yeah, well… the warriors say it’s very different. “We don’t know for sure whether it’s a demon or a trial monster because we’ve never seen it in person.”
“okay.”
Are they also some kind of ancient beast? No, I think it’s closer to the gate that appears in Gate Water Panso.
I ate soup made with biscuits and dried vegetables without thinking about other things. I need pepper. It was a moment when I really missed the pure peppercorns that used to cost 5,000 won for 100g.
“But why is that a secret to anyone other than Norda?”
The Meister, who was standing with his back on the stove, asked. This was the part that everyone was puzzled about.
“If the devil or anything else poses a threat to humanity, support will come as much as possible. “If the Norda region falls, the northern front will also be in danger.”
“Uh…”
The three locals trailed off, probably because they hadn’t thought about that part before. Behind the Northern expressionless expression, there is a bit of embarrassment lurking.
“Because we often looted…?”
“It sounds like a criminal is being shameful.”
If the glacial ordeal is such a threatening problem, there are many people who would say that they are just predators and that they should put out the fire that has fallen on their feet first. Instead of giving them food, let’s tell them to solve their problems on their own like we have done so far. Well, there are definitely people who come out with that kind of mindset.
“Are the Nordans stupid? “We dealt with monsters to the point of forgetting about the warriors, so you’re keeping all of that credit hidden?”
That’s the most important thing.
The moment this matter is revealed, the number of people who will say, ‘Why do those bastards settle in shit land and plunder like parasites?’ decreases. Because the act of not leaving the shit land gives rise to the justification of the glacial ordeal.
“No matter how hard you work, to ordinary people you are just plunderers. He’s a criminal that has no reason to be looked at. But why are you hiding something that could be an excuse for you in this situation? “Aren’t you a nerd?”
I didn’t have time to become self-sufficient because I was dealing with looting and other things. sorry. There’s nothing you can’t overcome if you just force it like that. The problem is that they keep it to themselves and keep quiet.
“moore. Because we don’t know much about that. Since it is a custom that has been handed down since the time of our ancestors, the question itself has never crossed my mind.”
“…Is it true that wherever you go, there are only bastards infested with bastards? “It’s so frustrating that I feel like I’m going to cry.”
The Meister pounded his chest as if he was really frustrated.
“Who knows, there may have been unavoidable circumstances.”
“what. “Are you defending your race?”
“….”
Daniel, who had been digging up snow to boil water for the horses, gathered some of it in silence.
Pow!
“evil!”
The snowball that flew over the furnace hit Meister squarely in the face.
“It was a perfect parabola.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“…These bastards?”
The angry Meister clenched his fists, but neither Daniel nor I paid any attention. If it was a surprise attack, Daniel might be a little dangerous, but if we were prepared, we would win.
“Oh, if only I were a little stronger.”
“Well, is it only a matter of strength?”
“….”
Ah, I thought about it while working out. Even that bastard Lee Jang-hwa was worse at punching than he was at opening mouths. I bet on a punch machine and even lost to Park Seon-rim…
I smiled faintly as I reminisced about my friends after a long time. Perhaps because I had hope that I would be able to go back, every moment I thought of them was not that painful. I just miss it a lot.
“So she passed that glacial ordeal twenty times.”
“Yes.”
Anyway, now it’s time to get back to the main topic.
After regaining my mind from the sideways, I resumed my investigation into Berserk. There was nothing special. For us who didn’t know exactly what the ordeal of a glacier was, saying that we had passed it 20 times did not make much sense.
In other words, it is not shocking and therefore cannot be treated as important.
“Then what tribe does she belong to?”
What was more important to us and to me was this part. where is she now The local person answered without much hesitation.
“It would be the Moonshadow tribe led by Birgir the Wise.”
“Where is it?”
“Well, it’s probably going to be northwest from here. “It’s close to conquering the fifth peak of Yeonggwan.”
“crown?”
“It is the name given to the highest mountain peak and its surrounding area.”
He added that when the weather is really nice, you can sometimes see it if you go up to a high enough place and look towards the north. It was a sound that made me frown.
“…Is the residence close to here?”
“That can’t be right.”
The locals denied it, saying that even if they decided to walk without stopping at the village, it would take them 20 days.
In other words, the distance between this place and the mountain is a whopping 400km, assuming you march 20km a day. Even though it was a simple calculation that excluded variables, it was like observing a mountain in Seoul from Busan or Jeju Island.
How high does the mountain have to be for that to happen? A chill went down my spine.
“…Hey, if you want to go to the end of the world, do you have to overcome that crown?”
Perhaps sensing a similar anxiety as mine, Deathbringer asked back in an urgent manner.
“Did you say it’s the end of the world…?”
“Why are you going there? “Are you trying to die?”
The expected answer did not come right away. They were even more scared of where we were going. It was the most passionate reaction I’ve ever had—except, of course, when my life was at stake.
“I heard that it exists beyond the Yeonggwan… but why on earth do you go there? “If you’re looking for a place to die, there are plenty here.”
“…Is it that much?”
“Of course.”
As the inquisitor asked in a confused tone, the locals simultaneously shook their heads. It was overwhelmingly positive.
“It is unclear whether the end of the world exists, but beyond the realm of death is the land of death. So much so that not even the Daejeon warriors would bother to cover that place. “I don’t know why you’re aiming for the end of the world, but why don’t you think again now?”
“Uhm… but we have to go.”
“Is that so. If you do, I’ll just say one thing. “Only five people have ever returned alive after stepping on the frozen ground beyond Yeonggwan.”
“That means five people succeeded.”
“If you understand it that way, I have nothing to say…”
However, his dissuasion only gave Inquisitor confidence. The person who suddenly became one of the people who gave the gift of hope raised his eyebrows.
How do I stop this? A feeling of pity is welling up in the eyes, as if looking at someone wishing to commit suicide.
“Those five were the best great warriors of their time, and I think it would be better to tell you that not only five were produced in the current era, but that only five were produced throughout the ages.”
“Ah… different eras?”
“yes.”
“…That Sannim. “Isn’t this an issue that needs to be looked into?”
Still, this advice instilled quite a bit of awareness. The weak Deathbringer was the first to stand up.
“So in modern times, no one has gone beyond that?”
However, even though the Inquisitor thought about it carefully, he did not look like he would give in. She looked away from the Deathbringer and asked more questions.
“That’s… no. If the rumors I heard are correct, the current generation Berserk must have been to the other side of the territory. “I don’t know if it went to the end of the world.”
“Berserk went there and came back.”
Well then, can’t we go there too? Although Berserk is billions of light years away from ordinary people… it’s the same for us. So, just for me and the Inquisitor.
“Then it’s okay. “Please give me other information.”
“Hmm…”
Separately, if this happens, the Inquisitor may ask Berserk to accompany him temporarily. Whether that person is an official guide or not, there is a world of difference between having an experienced person in the party and not.
Considering Berserk’s personality, there’s no way she would refuse. At least she left the party because of something bad.
“What are we going to do?”
“yes?”
“If she really has been there, it would be convenient to ask her to join us, at least temporarily.”
“Oh, that’s right. But…”
I quietly asked the inquisitor while the locals were conflicted. Then she also started to look at me secretly. There was no need to worry about what I was thinking.
“Don’t worry about me.”
It takes time to ask what kind of weapon Berserk needs and prepare the right weapon. Also, if Berserk wants to join me in the meantime…
“After coming all this way, it would be nice to see the end of the world and then go.”
“Adventurer…!”
There is a lot of affection built up and the situation has improved, so an extension like this is possible.
If you look at the Earth, there are people who are willing to sacrifice their money and lives to climb Mount Everest. In a situation like that, wouldn’t it be a bit of a shame if I just left? If this is a different world that we have come to, wouldn’t it be right to just wander around and look around so we don’t have any left?
In the first place, the end of the world was a place I wanted to visit at least once, even if it wasn’t for my group. Anyway, doesn’t the name sound too sweet? It’s the end of the world.
Gamers tend to try to climb up to the top of the map, so they can’t miss out on such a cool place. If the environment and situation allow it, I definitely want to stop by.
“You really, really want to go.”
“yes. “Because that is our mission.”
“It’s definitely dangerous…”
“Thank you for your concern. However, this decision will not be reversed. If you want to help us, please give us some other information about the end of the world.”
Regardless, the locals were astonished by the inquisitor’s polite explanation. This was especially true because her tone was not that of someone who would break his will.
“All right. “I’ll tell you everything I know.”
If something cannot be prevented, it is better to provide information to increase the chances of survival.
The locals seemed to have made that decision as well and provided all the information they knew. This was information that could not have been obtained if they had not been captured alive.
“…?”
“Sir Adventurer? “Aren’t you sleeping?”
And after all this conversation, everyone except the watchman was about to go to bed.
I woke up to the feeling of a presence from afar. Squeak. The cold air flowing through the open door is not much different from the refrigerator opened on a midsummer night. I stuck my head out, feeling cool.
“…Suzaku?”
From the distant southern sky, we could see the flame of Suzaku. It was a flame that would take us far away.