Clint Misinil was born from two farmers who owned a small farm near Lockinge city. He had grown up working on that farm and helping his family get by.
Taxes were heavy for people like them who didn't have a lord they worked under. Since they used land tied to the Empire, it was required to pay taxes.
As such, after taxes, their finances were barely enough to get by.
He always ate hard bread with vegetable soup. It was horrible but they had no choice in the matter. They repeated the same thing daily.
Work, eat and sleep. Only to get the bare minimum of what is required for survival.
Clint hated that.
He hated the fact that they couldn't live in luxury like those fancy nobles.
At the age of ten years old, Clint started hunting monsters in the forest. He started with slimes first, then he hunted goblins and when he was strong enough, orcs.
He showed tremendous strength growing up. So much so that the noble who lived near their village and ruled a domain would request Clint to work as an escort. The noble grew fond of Clint after many times of him working as a guard.
Clint was even invited to dine with them a few times. Of course, he brought his family as well and they got along with the noble's family as well.
One day, the noble said something which shocked Clint:
Why not marry my daughter?
It was a rather unexpected question.
Although she wasn't of age yet, she was still a beautiful young lady. With her looks, she would've been able to charm many people. Perhaps her father would've married her to a noble of higher status.
To her father's question, the girl didn't disapprove of what he said. Rather, she also seemed eager.
Clint was handsome, strong and a kind soul. It was the ideal man for many women.
Since the matter was decided, Clint had vowed to take her hand in marriage once the time came.
He had to do something before that.
He had to become a strong adventurer and make a name for himself.
**
The Raid Party had arrived in the forest that led to the city of Whitage. It wasn't the section where the dragon was spotted.
The group moved through the thick vegetation while on the lookout for any enemies who might ambush them.
"You think what the Guild Master said was true?"
Clint's teammate, Sylphiala spoke next to him. To her words, he smiled wryly.
"I've known the Guild Master for years by now, I'm sure what he said wasn't a complete lie."
"So you don't believe it either?"
"Well…"
'The reason I even asked him to join my side in the battle was to see if he was really that strong.'
"I want to see if what mister Flord said was true."
"If this affects the raid, many will die, you know?"
"I'm aware of that. However, I will take full responsibility."
Sylphiala looked at him silently as they walked through the dense vegetation.
"I'm actually curious as well which is why I didn't stop you."
"Oh?"
"I've heard about how powerful [Transcendents] are from my elders who actually saw them. The peak of humanity—9 star powerhouses—are already a level people like us can't reach. Yet an average kid from the countryside can? I find that ridiculous."
"Well, you're not wrong."
Clint also doubted the Guild Master's words. Perhaps there was a problem with the Runestone in the first place which was why it broke. Besides, he had never heard of Transcendents before.
Why would one appear out of nowhere?
"—What are you two talking about?" Another voice called out to them.
It was Lucia.
"Oh. We're talking about that kid, Nova."
"I see. Him, huh? It's a little hard making him open up to me~"
"I don't think he'll do that since it's you…"
"Eeh~? Sylphy, are you saying there's something wrong with me? Have I lost my feminine charms?"
"On the contrary. You're too eager to use them on people. Don't you take whatever strong guy you can find to bed?"
Using her body and seduction, Lucia had slept with many men during her time as an adventurer. At one point, even Clint slept with her in a drunken state. Of course, to her it didn't matter who the person was, as long as he was a strong warrior.
Clint had lost his mother after a epidemic struck the region around their village. To forget about her death, even for just one night, Clint resorted to drinking alcohol for the first time in his life. Of course, he wasn't accustomed to drinking much so he asked Lucia to stop him if he has too many drinks. Lucia was the bartender, after all. She did that job before becoming an adventurer.
The two had bonded a lot that night until they did it at the inn the party stayed at.
'Although she's a simple and lustful woman, she's a very kind person.'
The two had only met for the first time that night yet they bonded that much. As such, he considers her a very close friend of his.
"Isn't he the one for me!? I've finally found my one true love!" Lucia said with hearts in her eyes.
She swayed her body from left to right while squirming.
"Slow down your horses, Lucia." Sylphy face-palmed herself. "Isn't it a little dangerous for you to just throw yourself at him? I saw what you did earlier. Pushing your gigantic utters on his arm."
There was a bit of venom in her voice when Sylphy said that last part as she gazed at Lucia's chest.
"I can't help it~"
Since her words weren't getting through to her, Sylphy looked at Clint for help.
He was whistling while pretending to be on alert for any monsters. Since he had also fallen into her clutches before, he had no right to tell Lucia what to do.
"Ahhh, you're useless even though you're our leader." Sylphy squinted her eyes when she spotted something beyond the trees. "Oh, we're reaching the city." Sylphy saw ahead of everyone else through the forest's trees and could see the city.
For an Elf like her, seeing that far wasn't hard.
"Everyone! Gather! We're entering the city in minus ten minutes!"
Clint shouted an order to everyone.
The group gave their affirmation in the form of nods to each other. Although they were a large party, there was still a worry over monsters ambushing them so the group had to stay alert when leaving the forest.
Even a group like this was at risk of being attacked.
Clint considered this in his mind as he signalled for everyone to regroup.
"Anything?"
"Yes."
To Clint's question, Sylphy nodded her head and pointed towards the entrance of the forest which they were approaching.
"There are orcs hiding underneath those bushes. I can smell them."
Orcs. They were one of the strongest primates of the forest. Possessing bodies with thick skin which could protect them from the cold, and large builds to terrify prey, Orcs were considered one of the hardest mid-level monsters to beat.
Unlike trolls which had weaker bodies but stronger regeneration abilities, Orcs were built like tanks and could overwhelm at least five trolls at once. They might be dumb creatures, however, the fact stands that they can threaten many of the monsters which usually lived in forests.
They'd usually enslave goblins to make them weapons and clean their armour since they themselves couldn't do it. It was a known fact that: if you see an orc, chances are that a goblin or two aren't far behind it.
"Orcs, huh. Those of you who are not at least C rank, stay back! I'll handle them." Clint's words made everyone halt their steps.
"The fact that they are out here means the news of the dragon wasn't false, right Sylphy?"
"Yes. Orcs usually live around the mountains in the caves. Since the dragon was spotted going there, it's no wonder they ran away."
"Hmm…It'll be troublesome if we don't get rid of them. Since they're here, it means none of them know that there are villages around the city?"
"Exactly." Sylphy confirmed Clint's words.
"Crull."
The warrior who was silently walking behind the three of them raised his head.
"We need to show the others how powerful we are. It's important to leave an impression on them. Can you help me kill those Orcs?"
Crull smirked and flexed his muscles. The veins bulged under his skin.
"You already know my answer."
"Alright. Let's do this!"
Crull and Clint both got ready for combat before running towards the entrance of the forest.
◇
'What are these dumb idiots doing?'
Arnold couldn't help but shake his head when he saw Clint and Crull rush the Orcs.
"Why aren't the orcs fighting back? Isn't the reason they were hiding to attack us?" Lucri asked with a blank expression on his face. The same could be said for everyone else. All of them looked confused.
"They aren't hiding to ambush us, but to hide from whatever they ran from."
"Really? How do you know, sir Nova?"
Lucri and Arnold stood at an angle where they could see Clint and Crull attack the orcs.
"Orcs are usually very violent creatures. They crush any living thing they see to flaunt their strength. Yet, these Orcs didn't even rush the humans that neared them. Don't you find it strange?"
Arnold pointed at the Orcs that were running away or protecting themselves instead of fighting.
"They lost the will to fight. The dragon must've been some monster to even make these guys docile."
"Ah!"
"So you get it?"
"Yes! So even if we walked past them, they would've chosen to stay hidden?"
"Precisely. Anything they do that attracts the dragon's attention would mean suicide. It was unnecessary for Clint to charge at them."
Liam had frequently seen this behaviour in monsters during his time as an adventurer in the game. He also researched as to why such monsters would react this way in front of a foe stronger than themselves.
For monsters, the stronger one was above them. If it showed that it'll kill them without hesitation then they'd run away. However, if the monster chose to rule over them, then they'd gladly follow it.
Such was the lives of demihumans. The strongest is always at the top.
'These idiots also know and are using the Orcs' fears against them.'
However, such things had limits.
"Watch out, sir Crull!" One adventurer shouted to the Barbarian warrior who was choking an Orc.
Another one was running towards him from behind. It swung down its mace and hit Crull on the shoulder.
"Kuuk!" Crull, who was struck directly on the bone, roared in pain. He twisted the neck of the one he was holding onto and attacked the one who hit him.
Although their morals were low, seeing their own kin killed like this would cause some to get angry.
'If all of them attacked at once then those two are done for. What a troublesome situation this dragon caused.'
Arnold unsheathed his sword and left Lucri's side.
"S-Sir Nova? Are you going to fight too?"
"Yeah. I can't let the leader die, can I?"
He had also noticed everyone looking at him with sparkling eyes.
They must really want to see his strength.
"Support me with magic, alright? I'll give the signal."
"Yes!"
Lucri got his staff ready and began chanting a mantra. Mana gathered around his body and turned into multiple magic circles.
Arnold approached the two who were fighting the orcs.
"He shortened his chant to be ready when I call for him to shoot the magic. What an interesting kid."
Arnold approached the two and muttered.
'This kid can grow into a fine magic caster if I show him the ropes. Question is: how should I ask him to teach me magic?'
He decided to leave that for his future self as he walked.
"What are you doing here? I ordered for everyone to stay back!"
Clint shouted when he saw Arnold approach.
"Even the two of you can't handle these many Orcs. You'll only end up dying if they fight back."
"What? You undermining our strength? Huh is that it?"
Arnold ignored Crull's rambling and looked at Clint.
"I'll weaken those who attack you two. All you two have to do is strike the finishing blows. I'll signal for when you can attack."
"What? Who are you to—"
Ignoring Clint as well, Arnold ran towards one of the approaching Orcs and swung his sword at its kneecap.
Of course, their bodies had thick skin that were very hard to slice through so Arnold used Sword Intent.
Sword Intent.
It was known to be a technique only those that had become one with their swords could achieve. A kind of aura-type power. It was like a kind of counter for Master Swordsman Ki which Flora could use.
She was able to crush her enemies using brute strength alone. The reason for that was because she could use Ki. Unlike Arnold who used aura, Flora used Ki to fight.
The two concepts were completely different. To simplify it; it was like the difference between mana and spirits.
Ki could boost a user's overall combat strength and their agility. Like aura, it depended on the individual's vessel(body).
As Flora had an extremely special vessel, she could heal faster than the average human. That was how she could recover so fast from her emaciated state. As long as there was energy in the body, there would be Ki as well.
It was usually a martial artist's main form of combat, however, Flora was able to use it. That made her and Sebas the perfect duo to train Luke.
As for Sword Intent, it was the will of the user shaped into a weapon. If Arnold wanted to use a sword but had no weapon, he could use his palm and surround it in Sword Intent.
Even a dull sword like he was using at that moment could become a deadly weapon.
"Uoookk!" The orc's knee was slashed apart and it fell on the other knee.
Arnold pierced the sword through its cheeks and signalled for Lucri to fire.
A giant ball of flames was shot in his direction. The Orc's body was bathed in fire. Of course, they were resistant to fire to a certain degree, but that didn't mean it couldn't weaken them.
"Now!"
When the flames disappeared, the Orc's body was ash black. Arnold shouted to Crull who swung his war axe and destroyed the Orc's head.
"Good! There's another one!"
Another orc was trying to attack a female adventurer who was frozen in front of it.
Arnold shot out and kicked it in the back of the head. He thrust his sword through its back.
The orc wasn't dead yet. He struck the sword down that was in its back.
Something snapped and then the orc's head fell down, immobile. He had severed its spine.
'Crap. I killed it instead of leaving it to Crull and Clint.'
He shrugged and attacked another orc that was fleeing. At this point, they were hunting monsters even before they combated the dragon.
If one thought about it, it was a waste of energy to fight right now. However, only three people were actually slaughtering the orcs.
"A-Amazing…"
"They're so strong…This is crazy…"
The three of them seemed to be able to work together perfectly. Arnold weakened the orcs then Crull or Clint would finish it.
Lucri would only attack if the orcs could still move.
The battle continued for half an hour before it finally concluded.
◇
"Haa…Haaa…" Clint leaned against a tree while out of breath.
A few adventurers gathered around him and offered him healing potions, cloths to wipe his sweat and water.
Crull was the same, he was basically the most tired from the three. He was a big man who swung around a giant axe so it was obvious that he would be tired.
As for Arnold…
"….."
Arnold was busy cutting the cores out of the orcs' bodies. Lucri followed behind him while holding a bag. They were collecting all the spoils in that bag.
"Sir Nova, h-here."
"Ah, thanks Lucri."
When Arnold closed the bag, Lucri wiped his sweat with a towel.
"Let's give this to Clint. He'll have to distribute it evenly among the others."
Arnold knew that the adventurers would be bitter if he took everything even though they did nothing but watch.
Adventurers were selfish people like that.
"You were amazing out there, sir Nova! I can't believe how fast and strong you are!"
"Ahem. I am a swordsman hoping to polish his skills after all. To do that, I must always train my body and my mind. It is plain ridiculous for one to wish to fight strong opponents yet you are weak."
Lucri looked at Arnold with sparkling eyes. He seemed to be admired by Arnold's strength. Arnold liked those eyes. His acting skills paid off. He was acting the part off a righteous swordsman who will go to great lengths to attain power.
This was how others viewed Alecs after all.
The type of person she was inspired them to follow her.
"I'd like to address everyone as well." Arnold looked at the other adventurers who were standing nearby. "You, who have joined this quest: why did you not help us when we slayed these Orcs?"
"We only came to slay the dragon!" Someone shouted that shamelessly. "Why waste our time with Orcs? Plus, the leader told us not to interfere!"
"I see. But don't you think it's better to kill these monsters now before they become a problem?"
"What does that mean?"
Sylphy, who was standing nearby asked that question.
"Imagine this; the dragon is on its last legs. It has nowhere to turn to and will inevitably die. What do you think it'll do?"
Arnold pointed to a random person.
"Err, run away?"
"No. Wrong. Dragons are a prideful race. Running away means shaming their god. The dragon will call for the monsters in the forest to come to its aide. Many of you may not know this but dragons, when they roar at a certain volume, can charm or dominate the minds of any living thing weaker than it. Imagine being invaded from all sides by these kinds of monsters and many others."
Everyone was silent.
It seemed no one knew about this.
In STAR FANTASY, when they reached a certain age, Dragons are able to use magic. Although their magic arsenal aren't exactly stronger than that of humans—lower than 4th rank magic. Dragon Lords were capable of 5th rank magic which was their species' limits. Despite all of this, their charm magic was indeed an annoying ability. Arnold had fought countless breeds of dragons before so he knew first-hand how annoying their ability was.
"Do all of you understand now why I joined the fight and even killed those orcs that flee?"
Many nodded with clueless expressions on their faces. It seemed that they didn't even think about that at all.
'Thinking that they'll use their brains is probably too much to ask.' Arnold smiled wryly.
"A great person once said to me: what I value in a person is their experience in battle. It can serve to be a weapon or a troublesome foe. It might sound like I want to use them for my own gain, however, that's not the case at all. If both of us had many experiences in battle then we can help fill each other's gaps. The filling of those gaps could determine if we win or lose. We may not have much to win, however, we have a lot to lose."
"""""...."""""
Arnold was surrounded by quiet gazes. Some of the adventurers only opened and closed their mouths with clueless expressions.
He was actually referring to Alecs' words that day she kicked his ass in their PvP fight. The gains she spoke of was getting the top spot on the leaderboards and the losses referred to valuable players like Lufulur and the rest of the core members of the guild.
"I apologize if it sounds like I'm talking down to you. I was only quoting someone I knew because I find this situation familiar."
Arnold was about to bow his head.
"No." Clint appeared in front of Arnold and put his hand on Arnold's shoulder. "You've educated us. If we didn't have you then who knows what would've happened to us?"
"Yes! Sir Nova saved our lives basically!" Lucri chimed in.
"Ah, that isn't…" Arnold tried to speak, however, Clint addressed the adventurers.
"Everyone! As of now, Nova will be sub-leader. No one questions his decisions from now on!"
"Huh?"
That exclamation came from the person in question.
'This bastard.'