Chapter 182 – Slayer Maker (2)
Crockta wondered why a member of the Golden Anvil Clan would be standing here like this, but he didn’t dare ask. Tiyo released his frustration as he asked, “Then why are you begging here dot?”
“I’m not begging, you gnome son of a bitch!”
“Do you want to experience my fist dot?”
Two short people with a similar height growled at each other. Zakiro was bigger than the gnome, but Tiyo didn’t budge one bit. Zakiro stared at Tiyo before looking towards Crockta and saying, “At any rate, Warrior, if you continue to use Ogre Slayer like this, it will break one day.”
“……!”
“Since it seems like you have been using it for a long time, it is good to get a new weapon, which is fine.”
Crockta looked at Ogre Slayer. It was a weapon that fit his hands. The shape, the center of gravity, the familiar pressure in his hands, everything about Ogre Slayer was the best! But no matter how close it was to him, it was unavoidable if its retirement time was approaching. He was willing to let it go!
Crockta nodded and said, “Thank you. I will get a new weapon.”
“New wine should be put in a new bottle.”
“I’m envious dot. My General is so strong that I can’t change it.”
Crockta’s group congratulated him. To them, equipment was disposable. Everyone received new and better equipment as time passed. Crockta’s heart pounded as he anticipated the new weapon.
“Huhu, let’s design a better weapon this time…”
As they tried to enter the inn with bright faces…
Zakiro hurriedly blocked them again as he said, “No, Warrior! That weapon, don’t you have any affection for it?”
“……?”
“How can you just throw Ogre Slayer away!”
“A sword is just a sword, what are you talking about? It is reasonable to let it go when the time comes.”
“You shouldn’t be like this! Ogre Slayer will be sad!”
“I’m not a pampered person who personifies tools, Zakiro!” Crockta puffed up his chest and proclaimed, “Zakiro, keep this in mind. A weapon is a weapon, people are people! Don’t give too much meaning to lifeless things. It is a fleeting impression. A warrior doesn’t blame the tool or use it as an excuse.”
It was a hard mindset of practical materialism!
“Only those who are weak care about such meaningless superstitions!”
Crockta didn’t believe in superstitions. When he was a soldier, he saw many people giving meaning to minor things. They would tremble in fear, saying someone was cursed. This fear was a self-fulfilling prophecy, leading many people to a tragedy. So he didn’t believe in such things. A sword was a sword. He only believed in himself during battle!
“Like this…a warrior with no romance…”
“Don’t worry. Many of those romantic warriors have already died at my hands, and they met their weapon friends in the afterlife.”
“Cough!” Zakiro dropped his head. “My sword is in the hands of such a heartless orc…”
“Kulkul, didn’t you hear it from Thompson?”
At the time, Thompson had a deal with the Golden Anvil Clan. Zakiro might be Thompson’s friend.
“I make weapons but I don’t care who uses them. It is my philosophy.”
“Then you didn’t know who I was?”
Zakiro looked at Crocka and laughed. “An orc warrior is holding my weapon, that is all I know. I am called the ‘Slayer Maker!’ There are many warriors who want my sword. I can’t afford to remember them one by one.”
He appeared to have his own pride as a craftsman.
Crockta nodded, “I see.”
It had nothing to do with him.
“Anyway, it was good to meet you. Then I’m going…”
“Wait!”
“Why do you keep blocking me?”
Now Zakiro was very close to the inn’s door as he blocked them.
“Anyway, this is the relationship between us so I will accompany you to Geherad.”
“We don’t need company…”
“Warrior, are you thinking of making your own weapon?” Zakiro looked at him with sad eyes. “I didn’t know you were so cold-blooded to have no affection for your weapon. I made the weapon for you and Thompson without any consideration.”
“I heard it was in return for saving your life…”
“So! Instead of the production cost! The debt will be cleared if you accompany me to Geherad.”
Zakiro was trying to get to Geherad at all cost. Crockta looked at Tiyo and Anor in turn. Tiyo’s face was saying ‘absolutely not’ while Anor had no thoughts.
“Do you know the way to Geherad?” Zakiro asked.
“There is a map.”
“A map isn’t enough when trying to get through the great forest. You guys don’t know anything about Geherad. Do you know why Geherad is called Geherad?”
“I know. It means the last fire.”
“What is the last fire?”
“I don’t know.”
“Look. You don’t know anything. I will guide you.”
“Hrmm…”
Crockta nodded. He heard there was only one road but due to the danger zones in the forest, it could be hard to find another city. Crockta replied, “I understand. Then tomorrow, meet here…”
“Cough, I should stay here with you today…”
“……”
“The value of your weapon…”
Thus, Crockta was accompanied by Zakiro, the craftsman of the Golden Anvil Clan who made his sword.
***
They left early. The route to Geherad required going through several rough areas. The first thing they encountered were goblins.
“Goblins…”
“Umm…”
Crockta and Tiyo had goblins friends so they looked uncomfortable. The goblins didn’t know who their opponent was and were mocking Crockta with their typical sneering faces. One of them showed his ass and laughed.
Crockta held down his rising anger and said, “Hey, goblin friends.”
The goblins understood the language to a certain extent, so they listened to Crockta’s voice.
“We don’t want to fight, so can’t you just let us go?”
The goblins looked at each other. They discussed something and nodded. They started talking.
“Kyak kyak! Kyaak!”
One goblin stepped forward. It was the one who laughed at them and shook his ass. He bowed like he was apologizing for his rudeness.
Crockta laughed, “Huhu. It is okay, goblin friend. You are trying to make a living…”
The goblin put his hand in his pocket. Was he planning to give an apology gift? Crockta watched him. The goblin pulled out something from his pocket.
“……!”
He pushed it towards Crockta. It was nothing other than his own middle finger. Against his expectations, it wasn’t a gift but an insult! Crockta’s face stiffened while the goblins’ laugh became louder.
“Kyak kyak kyak! Kyaak!”
“Kiyok kiyak? Kyaak! Kya kya kyak!”
“Kyaak!”
The goblins laughed and pointed towards Crockta. Then they looked around with hateful expressions. Crockta decided to forget about friendship with the goblins. Ogre Slayer shook.
“Kyaaaaak!”
The goblins felt a breeze pass by their cheeks.
Patter.
Then a hot liquid was splattered on their bodies. The goblins, who were pointing at each other and laughing at Crockta, turned their heads with blank faces. A goblin’s head and body had been split apart. It was his blood that had splattered.
“Kyaaaaak!”
“Kyaak!”
The goblins stepped back in surprise. The confused goblins started to swing their shabby weapons towards Crockta. But the opponent was Crockta. He dealt with an army of the empire’s elite knights alone, so the goblins couldn’t hit him.
Every time the greatsword moved, a goblin would fall to the ground. The surroundings soon became filled with blood. An overwhelming slaughter!
“Hoh…”
Zakiro watched from behind and nodded. The warrior was stronger than he thought. He wasn’t aware of a warrior’s skills since he made weapons all day long in the Golden Anvil Clan’s workshop, but this orc warrior clearly had a great talent. Ogre Slayer danced playfully in his hands.
“Not bad.”
It was a strange feeling. His sword was showing its worth in the hands of a great warrior.
His only goal when hammering metal was the finished weapon. He never thought about what his weapons would be used for once they left his possession. He thought that other craftsmen who were strict about the owners were stupid.
But now he could understand to a certain extent. How sad would it be if his sword was in the hands of a fool?
“Beautiful.”
Now Crockta had taken care of most of the goblins. The one remaining goblin trembled as he sat down and bowed to Crockta. Then he bumped his head against the ground, asking for forgiveness.
“Kyaaakyack…”
The goblin left his forehead on the ground as he begged for mercy. The greatsword descended above his head. The goblin’s head was cut off.
“That stinger in your mouth won’t work.”
The goblin’s head had a small pipe in it, its favorite stinger.
“These goblins… Kiao is much better dot.”
“He is someone who transcended beyond the limits of his species.”
Tiyo shook his head as he remembered Kiao, the goblin who used spatiotemporal storm arrows at Gushantimur’s lair. Then Crockta spoke to the stupefied dwarf, “Zakiro. Let’s keep going.”
“Huh? Umm.” Zakiro regained his mind.
Anor prayed for the dead. An unknown power flowed from his hands. It was the power of the necromancer to scatter the spirits of the dead.
“Enter nirvana.”
Zakiro looked at Anor while moving after Crockta. He thought Anor was a magician or elementalist, but he was a necromancer. It was a class that he didn’t often see. A powerful warrior and a necromancer.
“What are you going dot? Keep going!”
And a noisy gnome. It was a strange combination.
***
After repelling the goblins, they soon came across new enemies. This time it was a troll encounter, with three trolls drooling as they surrounded the group.
“Should I show my skills this time dot?”
Tiyo grinned while placing General on his shoulder. It was the appearance of a small gnome walking towards three trolls.
Zakiro glanced at Crockta, “Warrior, is it okay? That gnome…”
“Watch. Kulkul.”
Once the fight started, Tiyo fired General indiscriminately. Zakiro thought it was a rifle made of magic engineering, but its shape changed and it emitted a lot of energy. The trolls couldn’t get close and were hit by the bullets.
“That is an artifact!”
“It is said to be a dragon’s legacy.”
“Indeed…”
General was a dragon slayer weapon! The artifact that grew with the user was now exercising the power of its name. Now that Tiyo’s strength had increased further, the magic bullets could penetrate the trolls’ thick skin.
“Aaaaack!”
“Kuooh!”
They tried to repair the injured areas, but General was currently in the form of Vulcan! The trolls ended up riddled with bullets. Zakiro revised his assessment of Crockta’s group. They weren’t adventurers but real powerhouses.
This thought reached its climax when the party met a group of ogres.
“Ogres are easy opponents.”
The territory of the ogres was often called the tomb of adventurers. They were monstrous and challenging opponents. Adventurers either escaped or die. However, Crockta easily took care of such huge monsters. As the name suggested, he slaughtered the ogres with Ogre Slayer.
The ogres screamed but the result was the same. The forest turned red every time he wielded it. Crockta moved beautifully in the heavy rain of blood, dancing with his sword. It was an organic swordsmanship that combined attack and defense. Not long after that, all the ogres died.
Crockta grinned at Zakiro, “How is it, my skills?”
“……” Zakiro nodded. “Amazing. Really…”
When he first got the blueprints for a really big sword, he wondered if the owner could even deal with an ogre. He made the sword anyway. But he changing his mind after meeting the owner of Ogre Slayer.
He was wrong. Ogres weren’t a match for this warrior.
“I did well to follow…”
He formed a fist. He wanted to pound on iron right now.
