Chapter 252
Chapter 252: An Incredibly Awesome Place (2)
The Kingdom of Turian is a land beyond the Seiron Kingdom, where Claude was. Though it was as small as Seiron, it had many outstanding knights, earning it the title of ‘Land of Knights.’
Not only the knights were exceptional, but everyone in the kingdom was resilient and valued martial arts.
There was a reason for this. An incredible number of monsters lived in the ‘Shadow Mountain Range’ that stretched across the kingdom.
Just as Perdium had fought against barbarians for a long time, the Kingdom of Turian had been engaged in an endless battle with monsters for ages.
However, they alone struggled to face the countless monsters descending from the mountains. The more they fought the monsters, the more the kingdom’s resources and manpower dwindled.
So, the Kingdom of Turian devised another way.
[Anyone can come here freely to hunt monsters. Nobility or commoners, it doesn’t matter. Criminals, adventurers, mercenaries—anyone can participate. You will be granted rights to all the byproducts that come from the monsters you hunt.]
As the royal decree was announced, countless people flocked from all over the continent. With just a little tax, they could earn a fortune.
It was a win-win strategy: the kingdom reduced its damage while others earned money.
Thus, those specializing in hunting monsters in the ‘Shadow Mountain Range’ were referred to as ‘Monster Hunters.’
Ghislaine was also planning to go there to hunt monsters and acquire leather.
Claude agreed that Ghislaine’s plan was the best course of action. However, the lord was frequently absent, which wasn’t ideal.
“How long do you intend to be gone? Count Desmond is reportedly gathering his army and inspecting their readiness. It seems he wants to resolve things with force now.”
“And what about Amelia?”
“She’s still in a siege war with Baron Valua. However, it seems they’re being cautious about damage, as they remain in a standoff and are passive in their attacks.”
At that, Ghislaine chuckled.
Amelia’s style was to hit hard enough that her foes wouldn’t know what hit them. It was clear she was waiting for something.
And it was easy to guess what she was after.
“For now, I’m keeping an eye on both sides. I’ll just be gone for a moment.”
“You need a continuous supply of leather. Will a quick trip resolve that? There aren’t many who can yield lots of leather in one go like the barbarians. Are you planning to take all the leather from the hunters out there?”
“I’ll guide them a bit at first, and afterward I’ll leave it to others. I’ll take about 50 knights with me too, the ones with the least skills.”
“Who are you planning to leave it to?”
Claude tilted his head. The only person capable of handling the knights in the lord’s absence was Gillian.
But surprisingly, Gillian was very busy, managing not just the knights, but also training the soldiers.
Such a person couldn’t be absent for long. The lord could substitute training, but he was even busier than Gillian.
Besides, he couldn’t leave such a dangerous task to the still green knights.
As Claude pondered, he surprisingly quickly thought of a suitable candidate.
“Aha! That guy who’s good for nothing but fighting and utterly useless for territory development! I should entrust it to him.”
Ghislaine smirked at Claude’s assessment.
“Right, that’s who I plan to leave it with.”
*
“Damn it! This is so annoying.”
Kaor kicked a stone in frustration. He had been feeling quite irritated lately.
“It was fun fighting the barbarians. Aren’t we going to fight again?”
After muttering a few times, he plopped down and scratched his head.
The truth is, Kaor had been feeling rather anxious these days.
His rival in spirit, Gillian, seemed to be getting stronger by the day. It was like a whole new level when fighting the barbarians. Honestly, he felt he would lose if he fought Gillian now.
Was it just Gillian? Belinda was the same. If she struck from behind like she did during the war, he felt he would simply be defeated.
That alone was unsettling, especially since those who had been weaker than him were also growing rapidly. Lucas, in particular, displayed an incredible pace of growth.
“Ugh, am I going to end up being the weakest? That can’t happen!”
He knew he had become stronger thanks to Ghislaine’s help. And he was still improving bit by bit.
But it was not progressing as quickly as he hoped, so anxiety took the lead. At this rate, he felt he might even lose to Alfoy.
“Tsk, I’m good for nothing but fighting.”
He thought to himself that this was the only strength he had. If that were to be surpassed as well, he would feel utterly terrible.
He was of no help in territory development.
While others were busy with training and developing, he was just ragging on the ‘Labor Assault Corps’ kids to do his bidding. Other than that, he just occasionally helped the public order team.
As the situation continued, his sense of alienation grew deeper.
“I’m bored; is there anything else I can do to help the territory… I want to be of some use…”
Kaor unexpectedly blurted that out and suddenly shut his mouth in surprise.
Here he was, the famed ‘Mad Dog’ of the North, a fantastic whirlwind—making such gentle and kind declarations!
Having lived by the motto ‘Bad guys are cool,’ he could never accept becoming such a diligent person.
“Ugh! I should just go drink!”
With that, Kaor sprang up and began to harangue the members of the Labor Assault Corps.
“Hey! Are you moving? Why so slow? Especially you three! Your bodies are good, so why the hell can’t you work properly, you idiots!”
The three spies from Count Desmond, who were clearing a large rock, looked around nervously and tried to slip away. But Kaor was faster.
Kaor dashed forward like lightning and began to beat them.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
“Ugh! Why are you doing this again?”
“What’s bothering you this time?”
“You lunatic! You can’t just act like this out of nowhere!”
To the cries of the three, Kaor huffed and said.
“I just can’t shake the feeling that you guys give me the creeps! You’re definitely spies, right? That’s right; I’m sure you are. Your eyes rub me the wrong way, and everything about you bugs me. So, starting today, you’re definitely spies! Got it?”
Kaor was just being irrational as a form of venting. The three of them, slightly taken aback, continued to insist they weren’t anything of the sort, emphasizing their innocence.
“We aren’t those kinds of people!”
“We just work honestly for a living!”
“You lunatic! Aren’t you taking this too far?”
Kaor pretended not to hear.
“Ugh, shut up! If I say so, then that’s that!”
This was how his irritation continued to grow day by day. Not leveling up as quickly as he wished was the main cause.
The stress of potentially being left behind in skill competitions, coupled with feelings of inadequacy regarding his lack of contribution to territory development, began to torment him.
‘Even that idiot Alfoy is working like crazy!’
In truth, he wouldn’t be as stressed if it were any other territory. In other places, knights merely trained and consumed funds without much purpose.
But the Penris Territory was different; capable individuals juggled many tasks.
While others had no thoughts on the matter, Kaor thought of himself as a key figure in the territory. Thus, he couldn’t help but compare himself to others like Belinda, Gillian, Vanessa, and Claude.
“Ugh, should I go ask the lord for more guidance?”
After beating the three, Kaor once again fell into his thoughts.
He had already received special benefits. But asking for something more was an affront to his pride.
Still, he had joined around the same time as Gillian, and he absolutely didn’t want to lose to him. The rising stars beneath him were getting on his nerves too.
Ultimately, Kaor strolled over to Ghislaine’s office in a laid-back manner. And he stood there silently, as if staging a protest.
“…….”
“What’s wrong?”
“…….”
“Speak up.”
“…….”
“I guess it’s time for some special training after a long time.”
As Ghislaine rolled up her sleeves and stood up, Kaor finally opened his mouth.
“Is there…. nothing?”
“What do you mean?”
“Uh, just something good…”
Although he had boldly sought Ghislaine out, he found it hard to spill the beans when it came to the actual reason.
Having survived on venom and pride in the North, it was embarrassing and irritating to ask for something good.
‘It would be great if she just offered it like last time.’
Yet Ghislaine replied inconsolably.
“If your body isn’t feeling well, just go ask Claude for some Mandragora root or ask Piote to heal you with divine power. But do you really need to receive anything? You look quite healthy to me.”
‘Geez…’
Kaor pouted and turned his head.
He was annoyed. He didn’t want to ask, but inside he felt as if he might lose it.
As he sat there, not wanting to leave nor speak, his lips just twitching like a child, Ghislaine chuckled.
“What’s wrong? Feeling frustrated?”
“……?”
“Frustrated that your skills aren’t improving as quickly as you’d like? But it’s hard to say that out loud because it bruises your pride?”
“Seriously.”
Kaor’s eyes widened as he stared at Ghislaine. How did she know before he even spoke? Did it show that obviously?
Ghislaine nodded a few times before continuing.
“That’s normal. I’ve been through that myself.”
‘What kinds of experiences have you had at that age?’
It was hard to believe, but Kaor didn’t think too deeply. What mattered to him was resolving his issues quickly.
“So please teach me something better!”
If the other person knew, it became easier to speak. Kaor gained confidence and asked shamelessly.
But Ghislaine shook her head.
“Given your current state, even if I teach you the world’s best Mana Circulation Method or swordsmanship, it won’t help.”
“What?! If you don’t want to teach me, just say so!”
Kaor snapped back.
It was only logical that learning something good would make him stronger. Wasn’t Gillian rapidly becoming stronger right now?
He was growing slower because he learned something worse than that.
Ghislaine calmly ignored Kaor’s reaction and replied objectively.
“Gillian has already carved out his own path. He’s built up skills quietly over time, so once he finds direction, he can develop easily. But you’re not there yet. You’re too light.”
“What do you mean light?”
“You’ve been living on improvised tactics without solidifying your foundation. The fact that you’ve survived this long suggests you have talent, but you lack a solid buildup of time. So, moving forward is difficult, which naturally leads to a sense of urgency.”
Ghislaine had experienced similar struggles to Kaor before in her past life. Being consumed by revenge made her solely focused on improving her skills.
Yet, the more she did that, the more confused she became, and her skills regressed. She only sought shortcuts without considering the gradual build-up.
Of course, quick paths could also be good routes. There wasn’t just one correct answer in the world. But haste would prevent finding that ‘good path’ properly.
Right now, Kaor was exactly in that state.
“That’s what the fundamentals are about. In order to discard the bad habits you’ve accumulated and build anew, it could take a lot of time. However, once completed, you can become stronger than anyone.”
“I want to be strong right now!”
By the time he reached Gillian’s age, he might be even stronger than him. No, he definitely would be.
But what was the use? He wasn’t someone who cared about age.
In a world where you never know when death might come, being stronger now was what mattered.
He had surely gotten stronger when he initially learned what Ghislaine taught him. It filled in many of his gaps.
Yet now, it had become dull repetition. So, his skill improvements were bound to slow down.
He had been breaking through small walls, only to face a massive and solid one.
Thus, Kaor, in a fit of impatience, shouted once more.
“There must be something better!”
“There isn’t. Even if there were, it wouldn’t be of use to you right now. You’d get stuck again soon. Now is the time to build up gradually over time.”
“Damn it! The lord is younger than I am, yet incredibly strong! How did he become strong like that without such methods? Did he have some extra time?”
That disrespectful comment made Ghislaine click her tongue. Under normal circumstances, she would’ve launched right into physical therapy, but she decided to let it slide just this once. She understood how frustrated Kaor must feel.
Since she had returned to life, it was true that he’d gained time in that sense.
However, when he rose to the top seven on the continent in his previous life, that wasn’t the case. He had truly endured grueling effort and spent a long time building up his skills.
There was, however, one special technique he had used.
“There is a way to shorten the time.”
Kaor’s expression brightened at Ghislaine’s response.
“Really? There is? Don’t keep it to yourself—share it with me!”
“Your life.”
“Huh?”
“Build up your skills with your life on the line.”
“So… do I need to revolve around the battlefield?”
“Yeah. But just running from battlefield to battlefield wouldn’t be as effective as you think. To quickly increase your skills, you need to fight without taking a break, day in and day out.”
“Then what do I do?”
“Catch a lot of monsters.”
At that statement, Kaor scoffed.
“I’ve caught plenty of monsters. Didn’t I go to the Forest of Monsters before?”
“How many have you caught in your life?”
“Well… it should be around a thousand!”
Kaor exaggerated a bit. Including everything from mercenary work to his time in the Forest of Monsters, it felt like he had hunted several hundred monsters at least.
Ghislaine looked at Kaor as if to say he was cute.
“That’s far from enough.”
“How many do I need to catch?”
Ghislaine replied with a wicked grin.
“About… 100,000?”
