Survival Story of a Sword King in a Fantasy World

Wearing Helmet, Heading to the Ground (3)

In the Latna Continent, ‘treating a monster’s corpse’ had a special meaning. Buckman’s Team dug through the dead bodies of the Devolks and pulled out black beads from within.

Ryu Han-bin looked closely at the scene unfolding before him.

“So that’s what they call the Devil’s Spirit Stone.”

Unlike the native monsters of the Latna Continent, dungeon monsters had magic cores. It was called the Devil’s Spirit Stone and was used as an essential material in magical tools and brewing healing potions.

The magic cores’ value was high simply because it was in high demand. They could receive 5X each from the Devil’s Spirit Stones of lower-class monsters like the Devolks alone, and hundreds from higher-level monsters.

The black beads were the hunters’ main source of income rather than the commission fees. It was the reason why quests requesting to slay native monsters weren’t as popular as dealing with dungeon monsters. The money offered by those quests simply wasn’t enough to make the hunters interested. He already had that information due to the guidelines, but it was still quite perplexing for him to see such a scene unfolding before him.

‘People get money and items from killing monsters. Isn’t that how it is in games?’

However, they weren’t in a game. In games, clicking on the money would automatically transfer it to the character’s wallet.

However, they were in reality.

Flop! Flop! Floop!

Everyone had a serious expression on their faces as they dug through the Devolks’ bodies with the daggers in their hands. There was no exception. Even Ewynn, who had an innocent look, was smiling with her face covered in blood as she threw away monster innards. It was as if he was looking at a scene comparable to Hell itself.

Han-bin couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Ugh, I might have vomited if I were still the old me.”

He had been drinking the blood of Demon Dogs like soft drinks for over 20 years. He had become immune to nausea. He helped the others to dig up Devil’s Spirit Stones without any trouble.

* * *

After their looting session, Buckman’s Team set up camp on a strategic location and took a break. During that time, Ryu Han-bin was able to get in touch with Latna’s commonalities thanks to Buckman’s personality, who liked to advise him on numerous subjects.

According to him, hunters at Levels 1 to 20 were classified as Beginner Hunters. They had little experience and weren’t exactly powerful. An Intermediate Hunter certification could be obtained by passing level 20. The members of Buckman’s team all held that title. From level 30, they would be recognized as Advanced Hunters and would become eligible to participate in dungeon exploration and the extermination of high-ranking monsters.

Hunters belonging to levels 40 to 50 were Top Hunters, and they were famous throughout the Xrad Kingdom.

“What if you’re above level 50?”

Buckman laughed at Ryu Han-bin’s question.

“Why would a powerful individual like that be stuck in a place like this?”

Hunters above level 50 targeted more powerful dungeons in the continent’s center.

“I see.”

Ryu Han-bin continued to ask Buckman questions. “What is the standard used to determine our levels?”

He didn’t dare ask that question before out of fear of being caught, but the atmosphere felt right to do it then.

Luckily, no one became suspicious of him.

“My friends who just started their hunter careers wonder about it too.”

Hubert closed the book he was reading as he began explaining.

“Level is the number that the magic in the measuring stone identifies. It represents the soul of the subject.”

In essence, the measuring stone calculated the strength of the soul, which grew through the accumulation of experiences and skills. This was the principle of measurement magic.

“Eric, you haven’t properly mastered martial arts or fighting in general, which is why even with such a great body, you’re still only a Level 5 Swordsman.”

The measuring stone knew the strength of the soul. No matter how excellent the body was, if the person’s experience was lacking, their level would not increase. It was a bit different in Ryu Han-bin’s case, but Hubert didn’t know that.

“It roughly fits with actual skills. In a battle between a big farmer who has never fought even once in his life and a dwarf warrior who has lived on the battlefield all his life, who do you think would win?”

“Obviously, the farmer would have higher physical abilities, but the dwarf warrior with a lot of combat experience would still emerge victoriously.”

“There are certainly cases in the world where the farmer unexpectedly won, which is why you shouldn’t be too focused on levels. Even in the Hunter Guild, those who are 5 levels above and below are essentially viewed as equals.”

“I see.”

Ryu Han-bin nodded.

He could roughly understand the concept of levels in that world.

“Level is not the perfect measure of strength, but those who are high-leveled are definitely strong.”

The night grew deeper as their conversations lengthened. Buckman added more firewood to keep the campfire alive, then waved to get everyone’s attention.

“Let’s all get some sleep. We have to move before dawn.”

* * *

The Devolks’ nest was located in a village that’s been abandoned after they plundered and took it for themselves.

Just before the sun rose to the sky, Buckman’s Team silently approached the outskirts of the village to scout out the situation. The village was only composed of around ten houses, all of which could be seen at a single glance.

They estimated around 70 Devolks roaming all over the place. The majority of them were sleeping, while some remained awake as lookouts.

Buckman grinned.

“As expected, most of them are fast asleep.”

Taking advantage of the darkness before dawn, the Buckman team moved secretly. They stood hidden in the shadows as best as they could while they moved towards the sleeping Devolks. When they narrowed down their distance to the Devolks standing guard to 10 meters, Ewynn put her hands together and cast a spell quietly.

“Sand of Sorondi, please heal their weary bodies.”

The heads of the Devolks who remained awake lulled down as they fell into a state of deep slumber. Not wasting the opportunity, Buckman and Amber moved quickly. They covered the mouths of the sleeping Devolks and stabbed their blades precisely into their opponents’ vital spots.

Tuff! Tuff! Tuff!

In an instant, dozens of Devolks died.

They naturally didn’t expect they could continue their strategy until they’ve wiped the Devolks out. The lookouts on the other side of the village soon discovered them and began to create noises.

Eek? Eek eek eek!

Most of the Devolks who were asleep woke up screaming.

Buckman laughed loudly as he stared at the incoming monsters.

“Are we starting with fewer than eleven? Not bad.”

The Buckman Team stood with one of the village’s abandoned wooden structures behind them as part of their strategy on eliminating the Devolks.

Buckman roared an order as he stepped forward with Amber.

“Ewynn! Barriers!”

“Yes, Brother!”

Ewynn replied and chanted the incantation.

“Veil of Altia, give me the protection of light!”

An invisible barrier was erected on the left side of the party around her. The Devolks who were aiming for Ewynn and Hubert were immediately blocked by it.

Keek? Eeeeek!

Behind the party’s back was the building’s wall. With this, the Devolks were only able to attack from the front. No longer needing to worry about their backs being wide open, the two warriors began to run wild.

“Hahaha! Die, you monsters!”

“Taaats!”

Trusting the defense line of the two in front of him, Hubert also began to cast a series of magic.

“Fire Hammer! Fire hammer! Fire hammer!”

Blades danced once more as fiery hammers were brought down upon those who opposed them. They maintained their steadfast formation and slaughtered the Devolks in the same essence they dealt with the scouts last night.

There was another factor that was different from last night as well.

Ryu Han-bin was also participating in the battle.

-How much do you know about the real thing? Let’s practice fighting in harmony this time. But don’t take the lead and run wild.

Mr. Buckman had a really good heart. He even gave the novice team member the best consideration.

Holding his greatsword, Han-bin stepped forward.

He struck his sword into the Devolk in front of him.

Gaaarrgh!

Even though he swung it gently, the whole spine of Devolk still got crushed, and blood splattered all over the place again.

In the eyes of others, it was an intense blow that only seemed to make him exhausted. Not surprisingly, the nagging came right back.

“Save your strength, Eric! The battle is long!”

“It’s not just about doing the best! You have to control your stamina!”

Buckman and Amber worried about Ryu Han-bin so much that they couldn’t help but scold him.

Han-bin smiled bitterly.

“Do I look like I’m already doing my best even if I’m only swinging weakly?”

He had the sudden urge to wipe out the Devolk crowd in front of him right away just to prove himself. It would take less than a minute to kill all of them, even if he only used a small percentage of his abilities.

However, Han-bin already made up his mind.

“I’ll just take this opportunity to practice controlling my power.”

He never had to train how to control his power. It had always been a struggle for his life.

“But since the situation has changed, it’s become necessary to practice not to exert too much power against any opponent, right?”

Ryu Han-bin began to see the fight against the Devolks as a form of training.

“Now, take it easy ……”

He concentrated and swung his sword.

Eeeek!

The Devolk’s limb was brutally amputated, soaring high in the sky, and it began juggling with blood dripping from its cut veins.

“Eek! Too strong! A little bit gentler this time…”

He swung his sword again. It was too weak this time. It was more of a slap than a cut.

‘… … Clack?’

The wounded Devolk was staring at Ryu Han-bin with a look that said something along the lines of ‘Is this kid just toying with me now?’

It was a strange experience for him to have the monster’s emotions in his palms. With an extra hit, he blew away the monster’s leg and focused on it again.

“Just a bit harder now…”

It was rather tiring. Ryu Han-bin frowned while swinging his sword.

“Wow, this is also difficult in its own way.”

As Ryu Han-bin trained, Buckman’s team steadily reduced the number of Devolks.

As their defeat became more certain, the remaining Devolks started to flee.

Yikes! Eek eek!

Hubert prepared the final blow, which he aimed behind the Devolks’ ranks.

Like a conductor of an orchestra, he made elegant gestures and pointed to the air.

“Burn! Explosion!”

Boom!

As the flames burned down their enemies, the remains of Devolks scattered into the air, ending the battle.

“Sigh…”

Buckman approached Ryu Han-bin, who was catching his breath.

“How was it? Real combat is hard, isn’t it?

Ryu Han-bin replied with a strange expression.

“…Well, it’s not easy.”

The meaning was different, but he was sincere. Hitting gently required more mental power than he thought.

With a big smile, Buckman patted his back.

“Haha, you still need to get used to it. That’s the secret to living for a long time.”

Ryu Han-bin’s first hunter request ended without a hitch.

The battles ended with victory on their side and without anyone getting injured or damage.

Ewynn looked at Buckman proudly.

“As expected, brother. You never take reckless requests.”