A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 171

Thanks to the kind gentlemen, I was able to take on the request I wanted, but I didn’t start right away.

The gentlemen insisted on introducing me to the villagers and dragged me around here and there. They were almost excessively kind.

I wasn’t exactly pressed for time, so I let myself be led around. As it turned out, these gentlemen were adventurers based in this village.

In other words, they were what you’d call connections. For me, my connections were none other than the Sword Saint and the Fist Saintess, but I let it slide.

The more connections, the better. Especially since people like these adventurer gentlemen, who work on the front lines, have plenty of field experience.

Rod, on the other hand, is… how should I put it? He’s older and has taken a step back from the front lines, so he’s more of a “back in my day” type.

Of course, his stories of experience are not to be dismissed. He’s the man who single-handedly took down a Blue Demon.

“Demons are different from humans; you have to start slowly with the red ones first.”

Except for those who were purple from the beginning and the indigo ones standing by their side, all demons start with the red color.

Moreover, there’s a clear gap even among the blue ones, so they can’t be underestimated. The one I’m after is also blue for now.

“Wow, this guy is insanely strong! Just looking at his face, you wouldn’t think so, but his body is solid!”

“Thank you.”

“Rex recommended you, and it seems he was right to trust you!”

For now, I’m doing manual labor. Let me emphasize again: manual labor.

While the adventurer gentlemen dragged me around, I naturally started on the request. It was the lowest rank—manual labor.

Literally, it involved carrying various items at a construction site. And when it comes to strength, I’m confident I can beat anyone.

“It’s rare to find someone who can lift logs with their bare hands. Thanks to you, today’s work finished quickly. Here’s your pay.”

“Thank you.”

“You did such a great job that I added a little extra. Let me know anytime if you want more work!”

I received silver coins from the supervisor, whose mustache left quite an impression. Judging by the weight, it seemed like a lot.

Somehow, I ended up taking on a manual labor request, but I didn’t feel too bad about it. I have plenty of time, after all.

More importantly, thanks to my hard work, the job finished early. It’s about time I moved on to another request.

“Wow, you’re already done? I knew I had an eye for people. Polite kids are always diligent.”

“··· ···”

“So, what’s the next request? I’ll tell you where to go.”

But as soon as the request ended, they came rushing to find me. Could they have been watching from a distance?

That thought left me speechless. Still, you can’t argue with a smiling face, and they were so kind that I just went along with it.

After that, I did simple part-time jobs at the general store, found a lost cat, organized a warehouse, and so on.

I managed to complete all the Red Rank Requests. And I did it before sunset, no less.

“The part-time job took the longest.”

Up until then, there hadn’t been any customers, but as soon as I stood there, they came flooding in. Especially women.

Thanks to that, the owner said they made a lot of profit today and gave me a generous bonus. Earning money directly through work instead of stocks felt oddly satisfying.

“No, wait. I’ve worked before, haven’t I?”

I had the money I earned from subjugating Usk. But that felt more like a part of daily life than actual work, so it didn’t leave much of an impression.

Anyway, after completing all the requests the gentlemen recommended, I returned to the guild for some rest.

And as soon as I got back, the gentlemen welcomed me warmly, saying I had completed the requests perfectly.

“Is there anything you want to eat?”

“Hmm······ sweets?”

“Yeah. After hard work, sweets are the best. Should I buy you a cake?”

“··· ···”

His face and demeanor screamed “tough guy,” yet he liked cake.

The combination was oddly mismatched, leaving me slightly bewildered.

Still, since they were offering free cake, I accepted without complaint. It wasn’t like I was losing anything.

“We misjudged. You could probably start with orange instead of red. Though due to regulations, anything higher would be difficult.”

“But weren’t there people making a fuss about getting green earlier?”

“That was probably those guys from yesterday. We might have to deal with them soon.”

It seemed something had happened while I was busy with the requests. Not that it concerned me.

“Oh, by the way, what’s your name?”

The man who seemed to be the leader asked me. I figured this must be Rex.

His muscles, honed through practical combat, and his short-cropped hair, along with the scar running across his lips, exuded intimidation.

But I knew. Beneath that toughness lay hidden warmth. Otherwise, all these people wouldn’t be following him.

“Sivar.”

“Sivar? That’s an unusual name.”

“What? You’re not an Easterner?”

“Look at his eyes. How does he look like an Easterner? He seems like a hybrid.”

When did the atmosphere become so lively? I wasn’t sure.

The gentlemen then began introducing themselves one by one. As expected, the leader’s name was Rex.

As for the rest… well, it didn’t seem to matter whether I remembered them or not, so I only half-listened. But I probably wouldn’t forget.

They were such a uniquely eccentric group. You might wonder what’s so unique about sweaty gentlemen, but that’s precisely their charm.

“By the way, can I try holding that axe of yours?”

“It’ll be tough.”

“What do you mean, tough······”

Crack!

“Aaaagh!!”

I kindly let anyone who coveted Ragnarok have a taste of it. This should make everyone lose interest in the axe.

“Sivar, I don’t know what kind of work you’ll end up doing later, but if you ever come into this line of work, I can give you some advice.”

“What advice?”

“It’s a saying from the East. In the blade work field, beware of old men, children, and women.”

“··· ···”

It was advice I could deeply relate to. There were plenty of strong people around me.

The old man was Rod, the women were Rize and Kara, and as for children… I wasn’t sure. If someone had a child, it’d probably turn into a Taken situation.

Anyway, it was advice with substance, so I nodded in agreement. Having been beaten down by Rod and Rize countless times, I could relate.

“Especially be wary of women. Otherwise, you’ll end up completely ensnared.”

“······?”

What was that supposed to mean? I looked at Rex with a puzzled expression.

Rex’s face was deadly serious, which only made it more confusing. Was he saying that because women were strong?

“Oh, come on, brother. Don’t go saying stuff like that to a kid with his whole future ahead of him.”

“Yeah, just because you got ensnared doesn’t mean he will.”

“And you’ve got three kids, so why are you even saying that?”

The criticisms came pouring in all at once. Most of them seemed to be reactions like “Here we go again.”

“Shut up, you brats! I gave up my freedom for this! What would you guys, who’ve never even held a woman’s hand, know?!”

“Ha, really hitting where it hurts, huh.”

“I’m not single because I can’t date. It’s because I choose not to.”

It seemed the reason he’d settled down here was because of marriage. He did seem to have a sense of responsibility.

And judging by the fact that his subordinates were still with him, he must have earned their respect. Otherwise, they would’ve left long ago.

When it came to human relationships, he was an exceptional person. In a harsh world like this, finding someone like him wasn’t easy.

“Anyway, take it to heart. Across all times and places, women are above men. You never know what might happen without you realizing it.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t just brush it off. Even if they act meek in front of you, they might be scheming all sorts of things behind your back.”

Hmm. Hearing that, I thought about the women around me.

Each one was a uniquely charming individual. If anything, they were straightforward, not the scheming type.

Well, everyone has their own life experiences, so I didn’t completely dismiss it. Rex did say he had three kids, so his married life probably wasn’t bad.

“Enough of that. Let’s get to work. We can’t just sit around here.”

“That’s true. Keep working hard.”

With Rex’s half-nonsense advice over, the gentlemen stood up. It seemed they were off to handle a request.

I saw them off with a cheerful farewell and then looked at the map. I needed to find a place where a demon might reside.

“That thing is probably living in a large cave. Which means I’ll have to go into the forest······”

Without a compass, I would’ve been in trouble. Without it, I’d have definitely gotten lost again.

After roughly figuring things out with the map, I stood up. I decided to start with the place where traces had been found.

For now, it’s probably growing stronger by preying on the beasts and monsters in the forest. But soon, it’s likely to extend its evil influence to humans.

‘It doesn’t matter if I live in the forest for a while anyway.’

Unity Village would serve as my base, but it was nothing more than a base. I planned to stay in the forest for some time, piecing together clues.

No matter how tough it gets, it won’t be harder than the Forest of Chaos. Even the squirrels there were absurdly strong, but here, it’s ordinary.

Without delay, I headed toward the forest in the northwest. I did see some men along the way, but I passed them with ease.

‘Northwest. Northwest. Northwest.’

I moved steadily, following the traces.

*******

Rex’s group was an adventurer collective based out of Unity Village.

In truth, they were closer to a vigilante group, largely influenced by Rex’s family life.

After all, being married with many children meant he couldn’t roam around aimlessly.

Even so, they were fairly skilled and resourceful, so they had never been short on money.

“Hey, did anyone see that guy yesterday? Wasn’t his name Sivar?”

“You mean the red-eyed guy? I didn’t see him.”

“I saw him heading into the forest, though.”

Unity Village was a settlement built near the Academy. Thanks to that, Academy students frequently visited the village.

Additionally, the well-maintained natural environment nearby made it ideal for handling simple requests.

The problem was that Academy students occasionally acted recklessly. Cleaning up after them usually fell to Rex’s group.

While it wasn’t as bad as the Forest of Chaos, nature was always dangerous. No one ever knew when or where a dangerous monster or beast might appear.

Sometimes, even monsters as formidable as ogres would show up. In such cases, swift action was necessary.

“You don’t think the guy’s stuck in the forest, do you?”

“We gave him a compass and a map, didn’t we?”

“They say even with a compass, people with no sense of direction still can’t find their way.”

Because of that, they naturally started worrying about Sivar. A rare young man in today’s world.

Unlike the arrogant Academy students, he was polite and spoke kindly. Thanks to that, Rex’s group had a favorable impression of Sivar.

Thinking that someone like him might be in trouble······ it sent chills down their spines. Rex’s group’s expressions hardened.

“······Let’s head into the forest for now. He went toward the northwest entrance, right?”

First, they decided to search for Sivar. Rex’s group packed their gear and headed in the direction Sivar had gone.

The northwest forest had recently gained a bad reputation. Not only were the monsters behaving strangely, but the number of corpses had also increased.

Of course, it could have been a territorial war between monsters. But for that, there were far too many corpses lying around.

If Sivar became one of them······ the thought alone was horrifying.

“It’s only been a day, so we should start seeing signs of him soon······”

Just as Rex was muttering to himself.

-Kuaaaaahhh!!!

A massive roar shook the forest. It was so loud that even the birds perched on the trees took off in fright.

Rex’s group froze for a moment at the sound but soon exchanged glances. Instinctively, they knew.

That’s the place. The person they were looking for was likely there.

Even if he wasn’t, it didn’t matter. It was better to deal with dangerous monsters sooner rather than later.

“Hurry up! You turtles!”

“Please, let him still be in one piece!”

Rex’s group ran without hesitation toward the direction of the sound, fervently hoping Sivar was unharmed.

As they pushed through the forest and pressed on, they eventually found what they were looking for.

Sivar, holding an axe in one hand, and a massive monster standing before him.

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary ogre, but its bulk was far larger than usual.

“Damn it. A Forest Ogre? What’s that thing doing here?”

“Hey! Run! It’s dangerous!”

Just as Rex’s group was about to shout urgently.

Sivar suddenly leapt onto the ogre’s back. The ogre, on the other hand, allowed him to approach far too easily.

Upon closer inspection, the ogre’s condition was a mess. It was riddled with axe wounds and looked utterly exhausted.

Crunch!

“Graaaahhh!”

Sivar drove his axe into the ogre’s mouth. The agonized scream echoed throughout the forest.

Then, with a powerful jump, Sivar landed on the ground. He applied even more force to the axe embedded in the ogre’s mouth.

Thud!

The ogre, unable to maintain its balance, toppled over, its massive body collapsing ungracefully.

Crunch!!

Sivar retrieved the axe lodged in its mouth and swung it forcefully once more. This time, it struck the ogre squarely in the head.

Ragnarok buried itself more than halfway into the ogre’s skull. No matter how tough an ogre was, it couldn’t survive with its brain turned to mush.

Squelch-

After confirming the ogre’s death, Sivar retrieved his axe. Blood dripped steadily from the razor-sharp blade.

Rex’s group, who witnessed the scene in real time, couldn’t utter a single word. There’s a saying that goes like this:

If someone does something too easily, they’re likely an expert in that field.

When it came to monster subjugation, Sivar could indeed be called an expert.

“······Huh?”

As Sivar casually wiped the blood off his axe, he noticed Rex’s group.

His pure, innocent face, now splattered with blood, created an oddly unsettling atmosphere.

For a brief moment, Sivar tilted his head in curiosity, then bowed politely while still holding his axe.

“Hello.”

He truly was a polite young man.