MAEPG: Episode 61
Episode 61 The Calm Before the Storm (2)
“Wahahaha—! This is great! I love it!”
Harley burst into a satisfied laugh, stroking his new helmet.
<Grizzly Bear Head Helmet>
-A helmet made by a skilled craftsman by processing the head of a Gray Bear monster. The extra space is filled with shock-absorbing material, making it excellent at mitigating external impact. It’s made as a single piece with tough leather that can cover the shoulders and back.
It was a specially made item using the monster head he had set aside right before rescuing Cecily and returning to the city, replacing the broken Black Panther helmet.
The craftsmanship of the artisans in Tarak, where the mercenary industry was developed, was also excellent, so a very good item was created.
This was also the result of Hubert’s efforts in searching for a skilled craftsman and commissioning him.
He also bought new beast teeth ornaments, returning to the perfect barbarian warrior look.
“But he says he won’t sell the weapon unless the person who will use it comes directly. Artisans are picky.”
The only thing he hadn’t obtained yet was the weapon Harley would use.
Hubert had found a pretty good weapon while walking through the blacksmith district, but the artisan who made it refused to sell it unless the person who would use it came directly.
‘Actually, it’s not a big deal to go there myself. I really like it.’
So Harley was once again walking through the streets of Tarak, receiving everyone’s attention.
Everyone was whispering, but no one dared to say anything to him and just avoided his gaze.
But that didn’t last long.
“Ugh, what’s with that tacky getup? He’s single-handedly ruining the reputation of southerners.”
A complaint, spoken without even lowering his voice, as if deliberately for him to hear.
Harley’s steps stopped.
His gaze slowly turned towards where the voice came from.
‘This is a new situation.’
To think someone would say that after seeing this intimidating appearance.
Just who was this brave soul?
Three men were gathered on the side of the road, frowning at him, where Harley’s gaze landed.
They all had above-average physiques, broad shoulders, and solid muscles, giving off the impression of seasoned warriors.
The commonality was that they all had various tattoos on their bodies.
Judging by what they were saying, they seemed to be real southern warriors.
It wasn’t strange to meet those who came from other regions in Tarak, where the mercenary industry was developed.
He had changed his face shape to resemble southerners based on the information he had gathered in advance, but the locals must have felt a sense of dissonance.
‘What’s needed in this situation is shamelessness.’
He straightened his shoulders and walked towards them with confident steps.
Harley, a manly man, didn’t avoid approaching trouble.
“Are you insulting me! I have no shame as a warrior! You guys seem like southern warriors too, so what’s the reason for criticizing this wonderful appearance?”
He naturally glossed over the suspicion of being a fake southerner and shifted the focus to the issue of his attire, standing in front of the warriors and looking down at them.
They weren’t small either, but when they stood in front of Harley, there was a height difference of more than half a head.
“Ha! It’s because of guys like you that all southerners are ridiculed!”
“Wear those clothes at traditional festivals. Don’t strut around in them here!”
“There’s no way you can fight properly in such an inefficient outfit. Seeing that you don’t have a single scratch on your body, you’re just a muscle-bound clown?”
Their attire was ordinary armor with metal partially reinforced on leather, the typical appearance of mercenaries.
It was a very unfortunate reality.
‘I already knew, but it’s disappointing. To think the era of the barbarian warrior’s romance is over.’
The gap in their opinions didn’t narrow even after several exchanges.
“We can’t communicate! Then there’s only one way to solve this! Hahaha!”
There was one thing he found particularly impressive among the information about the south he had gathered in advance.
A custom where warriors, when faced with conflict, asserted their claims through bare-handed brawls.
It was a tough method of fighting with only the power of their bodies, without using weapons or aura.
“If you’re not satisfied, don’t just talk, prove it with your skills.”
“You eight-bit punk without even a single tattoo…!”
One of them gritted his teeth at his blatant provocation.
He handed his weapon to his companion and stepped forward, and a fighting ring formed around Harley and him in an instant.
“I don’t mind if all three of you come at me at once.”
“Do you think a warrior’s honor is a joke! I’m enough alone!”
“Oh? Really?”
A ferocious smile appeared on Harley’s lips, and his muscles slowly bulged.
His muscles, clearly visible because of his attire, twitched violently, as if each strand was alive.
Flinch!
The southerner standing opposite him unconsciously flinched, but he didn’t back down, as if he was confident in his skills.
Of course, his confidence didn’t last long.
Thud!
“Ugh.”
“Next—!”
One down.
“Ugh—!”
“Next!”
Two down.
Crack!
“Ugh… You, you’re not a southerner! To think you don’t have a single warrior’s tattoo with that level of skill!”
And finally, the last one.
There was no way they, who were human, could defeat him with just physical strength.
Their fists couldn’t inflict any significant damage on Harley’s tough muscles, and the difference in strength was so vast that it was incomparable…
‘It was an unfair fight from the beginning.’
His body, which was practically a monster, was already constantly strengthened by the naturally flowing life force, even without using aura.
‘But this might actually be a good opportunity.’
He looked down at the southerners lying on the ground.
He had unexpectedly picked up real southern warriors on the street.
It was a meeting between Harley, the fake southerner, and the locals.
‘These guys, I think I can use them…’
He immediately softened his expression and burst into a hearty laugh.
“Hahaha! Brothers, your skills are pretty good!”
“B-brothers?”
“We might have had a little disagreement, but to meet fellow countrymen with the same blood flowing through us in this faraway land, this is fate! Can’t we call each other brothers! Haha!”
“What nonsen…”
“Ahem!”
He glared at the rude guys who kept interrupting him, and they subtly looked away.
“Ahem! As you might have already guessed, I’m not actually a pure southerner.”
“Then why are you dressed like that…”
“Shh—!”
He had a brief physical conversation with the guys who kept interrupting him, and their bodies became healthier.
And he took the now obedient guys to an alley and was able to have a serious conversation again.
“There’s a deep reason for all this. Where should I even begin…”
And he started to lay the groundwork, talking and setting the stage to justify his origin and persuade them.
“I heard that our father was a renowned warrior even in the south. Ah, don’t ask who he was. I only heard about it, so I don’t know the details. Anyway…”
A sudden confession about his past.
The warriors were dubious, but they couldn’t say anything and just listened quietly because the hierarchy had already been established.
And so, a long and winding love story began.
A story that began with a fateful encounter between a southern warrior and a woman from a foreign land.
Their first impression of each other was the worst, but fate kept them together…
Misunderstandings and conflicts arising from differences in values, and then reconciliation.
They experienced various events and fell in love, overcoming their differences in status.
But their trials didn’t end there…
The daughter of the tribe leader, who had taken a liking to the warrior, started to interfere with their relationship.
In the end, the warrior rejected the tribe leader’s daughter’s advances and chose to elope with his destined love.
The woman, hurt and humiliated by his rejection, sent pursuers after them…
After overcoming all sorts of hardships, they finally found refuge in a small farming village in the west.
By then, the fruit of their love had already been conceived…
“Yes, that was this body.”
Harley finished speaking and looked around.
Gulp—
“…S-so what happened?”
“Hey, brother, hurry up and tell us.”
The southern men, who had been listening with frowns at first, were already engrossed in his story.
‘It’s just a story I cobbled together by mixing clichés. But it’s working better than I thought.’
Well, it might be a common trope on Earth, but it would be an exciting story here.
And since the south was a collection of numerous tribes, it was also a plausible scenario.
“Ahem… But the tragedy didn’t end there. The tenacious villainess, the tribe leader’s daughter, reached even there. The family of three, who dreamed of a happy life…”
And of course, ‘K-melodrama’ couldn’t be missing from the story.
Harley closed his eyes tightly and continued the story with emotion.
The relentless pursuers closing in, the father’s tearful struggle to save his wife and child.
After escaping and fighting repeatedly, they finally defeated all the pursuers, but the warrior eventually collapsed from a serious injury.
The child, smiling brightly in his mother’s arms, unaware of anything.
The warrior… the father, with trembling hands, placed the beast teeth ornament he was wearing around the child’s neck.
‘If I’m gone, you have to protect your mother. I… will always be with you, along with this necklace…’
The father collapsing before he could finish speaking, the mother wailing.
And… the warrior’s will inherited by the child.
There were no more pursuers after that, but it wasn’t easy for the woman to raise the child alone.
But she persevered and proudly raised her child.
She found solace in reminiscing about her deceased husband every night and telling her child stories about their memories.
‘Mommy! What kind of person was Daddy?’
‘He was a wonderful man. A true warrior. Once, something happened…’
The child listened to his mother’s stories with sparkling eyes, clutching his father’s keepsake, and dreamed of becoming a great warrior.
And… tragedy struck again.
“…I buried that ornament with my mother. I thought she needed it more, as she had loved him all her life and missed him until the end. I was content with just inheriting my father’s will.”
That’s why I’m dressed like this, even though I’ve never even been to the south…
Harley closed his eyes again, speaking in a serious voice, filled with emotion.
The long story came to an end with a moment of silence.
And…
“Sob… Sob!”
“Brother… brother! You’re a proud son of the south!”
“Of course! As long as that will is inherited, he’s already a true southerner. We’ll teach you the things you lack, in place of your father… Sob…!”
The warriors, unable to control their tears, overwhelmed by the spicy taste of ‘K-melodrama’ with its long history and tradition.
They barely managed to calm down, but then they looked at Harley’s face and started wailing again.
‘Was it too effective? This is a problem.’
“Hahaha! There’s no need to worry so much! This body has already become a great warrior!”
Harley burst into a hearty laugh to lighten the mood, but…
“You’ve… grown well. You’ve really grown well.”
“Of course, what does it matter if you don’t have tattoos? He’s already a great warrior!”
The warriors looked at him with proud smiles.
Like true men, they seemed to have already forgotten that they were beaten by him a while ago.
‘These guys are too immersed.’
They were looking at him as if he were their son.
These young warriors who looked to be in their thirties at most…
“Ahem, anyway. So I have a lot of fantasies about the south, but I don’t really know anything. I’m here because I’m not ready yet, but I’m planning to head to the south, my spiritual homeland, someday.”
The southern warriors all nodded seriously at his words.
“It must have been a problem because you didn’t have anyone to teach you.”
“But don’t worry, brother! We met by fate, so we’ll teach you the true spirit of the south!”
“Yes, we’ll make you someone your father would be proud of.”
‘Done. I can get private lessons from local instructors.’
He was going to try to persuade them by force if they didn’t believe his story, but they were simpler than he thought.
Harley chuckled proudly and nodded.
“Hahaha! I’d appreciate that! Come to think of it, we haven’t even introduced ourselves. My name is Harley!”
And so, he was able to make new subordinates… no, friends.
He could also make them help Hubert, ‘Harley’s best friend’, with his work whenever they had time.
A friend of a friend was also a friend!
‘I should also think about the part where Hubert meets Harley during his journey.’
Harley in Tarak, Hubert busy preparing for business, and Heinz managing Heterosis on Earth.
Their time was flowing at the same pace.
The situation of the remaining two avatars was coming to a head.
“Wahahaha—! This is great! I love it!”
Harley burst into a satisfied laugh, stroking his new helmet.
<Grizzly Bear Head Helmet>
-A helmet made by a skilled craftsman by processing the head of a Gray Bear monster. The extra space is filled with shock-absorbing material, making it excellent at mitigating external impact. It’s made as a single piece with tough leather that can cover the shoulders and back.
It was a specially made item using the monster head he had set aside right before rescuing Cecily and returning to the city, replacing the broken Black Panther helmet.
The craftsmanship of the artisans in Tarak, where the mercenary industry was developed, was also excellent, so a very good item was created.
This was also the result of Hubert’s efforts in searching for a skilled craftsman and commissioning him.
He also bought new beast teeth ornaments, returning to the perfect barbarian warrior look.
“But he says he won’t sell the weapon unless the person who will use it comes directly. Artisans are picky.”
The only thing he hadn’t obtained yet was the weapon Harley would use.
Hubert had found a pretty good weapon while walking through the blacksmith district, but the artisan who made it refused to sell it unless the person who would use it came directly.
‘Actually, it’s not a big deal to go there myself. I really like it.’
So Harley was once again walking through the streets of Tarak, receiving everyone’s attention.
Everyone was whispering, but no one dared to say anything to him and just avoided his gaze.
But that didn’t last long.
“Ugh, what’s with that tacky getup? He’s single-handedly ruining the reputation of southerners.”
A complaint, spoken without even lowering his voice, as if deliberately for him to hear.
Harley’s steps stopped.
His gaze slowly turned towards where the voice came from.
‘This is a new situation.’
To think someone would say that after seeing this intimidating appearance.
Just who was this brave soul?
Three men were gathered on the side of the road, frowning at him, where Harley’s gaze landed.
They all had above-average physiques, broad shoulders, and solid muscles, giving off the impression of seasoned warriors.
The commonality was that they all had various tattoos on their bodies.
Judging by what they were saying, they seemed to be real southern warriors.
It wasn’t strange to meet those who came from other regions in Tarak, where the mercenary industry was developed.
He had changed his face shape to resemble southerners based on the information he had gathered in advance, but the locals must have felt a sense of dissonance.
‘What’s needed in this situation is shamelessness.’
He straightened his shoulders and walked towards them with confident steps.
Harley, a manly man, didn’t avoid approaching trouble.
“Are you insulting me! I have no shame as a warrior! You guys seem like southern warriors too, so what’s the reason for criticizing this wonderful appearance?”
He naturally glossed over the suspicion of being a fake southerner and shifted the focus to the issue of his attire, standing in front of the warriors and looking down at them.
They weren’t small either, but when they stood in front of Harley, there was a height difference of more than half a head.
“Ha! It’s because of guys like you that all southerners are ridiculed!”
“Wear those clothes at traditional festivals. Don’t strut around in them here!”
“There’s no way you can fight properly in such an inefficient outfit. Seeing that you don’t have a single scratch on your body, you’re just a muscle-bound clown?”
Their attire was ordinary armor with metal partially reinforced on leather, the typical appearance of mercenaries.
It was a very unfortunate reality.
‘I already knew, but it’s disappointing. To think the era of the barbarian warrior’s romance is over.’
The gap in their opinions didn’t narrow even after several exchanges.
“We can’t communicate! Then there’s only one way to solve this! Hahaha!”
There was one thing he found particularly impressive among the information about the south he had gathered in advance.
A custom where warriors, when faced with conflict, asserted their claims through bare-handed brawls.
It was a tough method of fighting with only the power of their bodies, without using weapons or aura.
“If you’re not satisfied, don’t just talk, prove it with your skills.”
“You eight-bit punk without even a single tattoo…!”
One of them gritted his teeth at his blatant provocation.
He handed his weapon to his companion and stepped forward, and a fighting ring formed around Harley and him in an instant.
“I don’t mind if all three of you come at me at once.”
“Do you think a warrior’s honor is a joke! I’m enough alone!”
“Oh? Really?”
A ferocious smile appeared on Harley’s lips, and his muscles slowly bulged.
His muscles, clearly visible because of his attire, twitched violently, as if each strand was alive.
Flinch!
The southerner standing opposite him unconsciously flinched, but he didn’t back down, as if he was confident in his skills.
Of course, his confidence didn’t last long.
Thud!
“Ugh.”
“Next—!”
One down.
“Ugh—!”
“Next!”
Two down.
Crack!
“Ugh… You, you’re not a southerner! To think you don’t have a single warrior’s tattoo with that level of skill!”
And finally, the last one.
There was no way they, who were human, could defeat him with just physical strength.
Their fists couldn’t inflict any significant damage on Harley’s tough muscles, and the difference in strength was so vast that it was incomparable…
‘It was an unfair fight from the beginning.’
His body, which was practically a monster, was already constantly strengthened by the naturally flowing life force, even without using aura.
‘But this might actually be a good opportunity.’
He looked down at the southerners lying on the ground.
He had unexpectedly picked up real southern warriors on the street.
It was a meeting between Harley, the fake southerner, and the locals.
‘These guys, I think I can use them…’
He immediately softened his expression and burst into a hearty laugh.
“Hahaha! Brothers, your skills are pretty good!”
“B-brothers?”
“We might have had a little disagreement, but to meet fellow countrymen with the same blood flowing through us in this faraway land, this is fate! Can’t we call each other brothers! Haha!”
“What nonsen…”
“Ahem!”
He glared at the rude guys who kept interrupting him, and they subtly looked away.
“Ahem! As you might have already guessed, I’m not actually a pure southerner.”
“Then why are you dressed like that…”
“Shh—!”
He had a brief physical conversation with the guys who kept interrupting him, and their bodies became healthier.
And he took the now obedient guys to an alley and was able to have a serious conversation again.
“There’s a deep reason for all this. Where should I even begin…”
And he started to lay the groundwork, talking and setting the stage to justify his origin and persuade them.
“I heard that our father was a renowned warrior even in the south. Ah, don’t ask who he was. I only heard about it, so I don’t know the details. Anyway…”
A sudden confession about his past.
The warriors were dubious, but they couldn’t say anything and just listened quietly because the hierarchy had already been established.
And so, a long and winding love story began.
A story that began with a fateful encounter between a southern warrior and a woman from a foreign land.
Their first impression of each other was the worst, but fate kept them together…
Misunderstandings and conflicts arising from differences in values, and then reconciliation.
They experienced various events and fell in love, overcoming their differences in status.
But their trials didn’t end there…
The daughter of the tribe leader, who had taken a liking to the warrior, started to interfere with their relationship.
In the end, the warrior rejected the tribe leader’s daughter’s advances and chose to elope with his destined love.
The woman, hurt and humiliated by his rejection, sent pursuers after them…
After overcoming all sorts of hardships, they finally found refuge in a small farming village in the west.
By then, the fruit of their love had already been conceived…
“Yes, that was this body.”
Harley finished speaking and looked around.
Gulp—
“…S-so what happened?”
“Hey, brother, hurry up and tell us.”
The southern men, who had been listening with frowns at first, were already engrossed in his story.
‘It’s just a story I cobbled together by mixing clichés. But it’s working better than I thought.’
Well, it might be a common trope on Earth, but it would be an exciting story here.
And since the south was a collection of numerous tribes, it was also a plausible scenario.
“Ahem… But the tragedy didn’t end there. The tenacious villainess, the tribe leader’s daughter, reached even there. The family of three, who dreamed of a happy life…”
And of course, ‘K-melodrama’ couldn’t be missing from the story.
Harley closed his eyes tightly and continued the story with emotion.
The relentless pursuers closing in, the father’s tearful struggle to save his wife and child.
After escaping and fighting repeatedly, they finally defeated all the pursuers, but the warrior eventually collapsed from a serious injury.
The child, smiling brightly in his mother’s arms, unaware of anything.
The warrior… the father, with trembling hands, placed the beast teeth ornament he was wearing around the child’s neck.
‘If I’m gone, you have to protect your mother. I… will always be with you, along with this necklace…’
The father collapsing before he could finish speaking, the mother wailing.
And… the warrior’s will inherited by the child.
There were no more pursuers after that, but it wasn’t easy for the woman to raise the child alone.
But she persevered and proudly raised her child.
She found solace in reminiscing about her deceased husband every night and telling her child stories about their memories.
‘Mommy! What kind of person was Daddy?’
‘He was a wonderful man. A true warrior. Once, something happened…’
The child listened to his mother’s stories with sparkling eyes, clutching his father’s keepsake, and dreamed of becoming a great warrior.
And… tragedy struck again.
“…I buried that ornament with my mother. I thought she needed it more, as she had loved him all her life and missed him until the end. I was content with just inheriting my father’s will.”
That’s why I’m dressed like this, even though I’ve never even been to the south…
Harley closed his eyes again, speaking in a serious voice, filled with emotion.
The long story came to an end with a moment of silence.
And…
“Sob… Sob!”
“Brother… brother! You’re a proud son of the south!”
“Of course! As long as that will is inherited, he’s already a true southerner. We’ll teach you the things you lack, in place of your father… Sob…!”
The warriors, unable to control their tears, overwhelmed by the spicy taste of ‘K-melodrama’ with its long history and tradition.
They barely managed to calm down, but then they looked at Harley’s face and started wailing again.
‘Was it too effective? This is a problem.’
“Hahaha! There’s no need to worry so much! This body has already become a great warrior!”
Harley burst into a hearty laugh to lighten the mood, but…
“You’ve… grown well. You’ve really grown well.”
“Of course, what does it matter if you don’t have tattoos? He’s already a great warrior!”
The warriors looked at him with proud smiles.
Like true men, they seemed to have already forgotten that they were beaten by him a while ago.
‘These guys are too immersed.’
They were looking at him as if he were their son.
These young warriors who looked to be in their thirties at most…
“Ahem, anyway. So I have a lot of fantasies about the south, but I don’t really know anything. I’m here because I’m not ready yet, but I’m planning to head to the south, my spiritual homeland, someday.”
The southern warriors all nodded seriously at his words.
“It must have been a problem because you didn’t have anyone to teach you.”
“But don’t worry, brother! We met by fate, so we’ll teach you the true spirit of the south!”
“Yes, we’ll make you someone your father would be proud of.”
‘Done. I can get private lessons from local instructors.’
He was going to try to persuade them by force if they didn’t believe his story, but they were simpler than he thought.
Harley chuckled proudly and nodded.
“Hahaha! I’d appreciate that! Come to think of it, we haven’t even introduced ourselves. My name is Harley!”
And so, he was able to make new subordinates… no, friends.
He could also make them help Hubert, ‘Harley’s best friend’, with his work whenever they had time.
A friend of a friend was also a friend!
‘I should also think about the part where Hubert meets Harley during his journey.’
Harley in Tarak, Hubert busy preparing for business, and Heinz managing Heterosis on Earth.
Their time was flowing at the same pace.
The situation of the remaining two avatars was coming to a head.
_____________________
Hans organized the laboratory he had grown attached to after staying there for months.
The High Elf’s search in this area would begin soon.
He could avoid the search by removing the surrounding trees in advance or dismissing himself at the right time, but he didn’t prepare to avoid it.
[Hehehe, there’s no need for that anymore.]
But even after the scheduled time passed, he didn’t feel anything.
He should be sensing something by now…
‘Did the schedule change? Are they searching another place first?’
Perhaps they couldn’t find him because he was inside the cave’s barrier.
He had been nervous, but he felt relieved.
But…
It was a bit early to make such a judgment.
At the same time,
Roselia Cathedral.
High Elf Rapori summoned those involved in the operation.
“I found him.”
The eyes of the Church members widened.
Of course, Heinrich, who was also present, was no exception.
‘I didn’t feel anything, even though I was on high alert. When?’
He hadn’t sensed any signs, but it seemed like the search was already over.
‘He’s more amazing than I thought.’
Rapori spoke in a serious voice, looking at the excited people.
“The west of the continent, the monster forest. The Immortal King’s energy was detected there.”
Hans’s location was finally discovered.
Hans organized the laboratory he had grown attached to after staying there for months.
The High Elf’s search in this area would begin soon.
He could avoid the search by removing the surrounding trees in advance or dismissing himself at the right time, but he didn’t prepare to avoid it.
[Hehehe, there’s no need for that anymore.]
But even after the scheduled time passed, he didn’t feel anything.
He should be sensing something by now…
‘Did the schedule change? Are they searching another place first?’
Perhaps they couldn’t find him because he was inside the cave’s barrier.
He had been nervous, but he felt relieved.
But…
It was a bit early to make such a judgment.
At the same time,
Roselia Cathedral.
High Elf Rapori summoned those involved in the operation.
“I found him.”
The eyes of the Church members widened.
Of course, Heinrich, who was also present, was no exception.
‘I didn’t feel anything, even though I was on high alert. When?’
He hadn’t sensed any signs, but it seemed like the search was already over.
‘He’s more amazing than I thought.’
Rapori spoke in a serious voice, looking at the excited people.
“The west of the continent, the monster forest. The Immortal King’s energy was detected there.”
Hans’s location was finally discovered.
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