Wandering Mercenary in an Open World
chapter-107

The soldiers pushed the enemy back with relentless force.

They were out of breath, their limbs numb, but they didn’t stop. They knew that if they faltered, their comrades next to them would die, and then they would be next.

The shield-bearers barely blocked the savage onslaught of the barbarians, and the spear-bearers seized the brief opportunity to thrust their spears. The ones with the lightest feet would slash or stab the enemy’s head with their spears.

It was simple, but one mistake could lead to death. How many times had they crossed the thin ice of life and death?

At some point, the soldiers on the wall realized that they were only surrounded by their fellow warriors, gasping for air.

One soldier, who collapsed from exhaustion, raised his voice as he saw the barbarians retreating beyond the wall.

“We won!”

At the same time, all the survivors shouted in unison.

Excitement, joy, relief, anger, sorrow.

All those emotions mixed in the hot roar that made the sky boil red, coloring the cityscape in crimson.

As if to comfort the blood-soaked survivors.

“Damn, how did we survive?”

Colin muttered weakly and slumped on the spot. Kyle, who was catching his breath with both hands on the end of the handle, chuckled.

“Good job.”

Colin smiled silently at the plain words. Blood and flesh stuck to his beard fell on his pants, but he didn’t bother to wipe them off. His whole body was already covered in blood.

He glanced sideways and saw a giant warrior surrounded by the lord and the soldiers.

He looked around with a dull face, as if he didn’t care about the people who praised his name and looked at him with envy.

Soon, the warrior, Ruon, who had been watching him, raised his hand quietly.

He burst into a hearty laugh.

“Brother, see? Ruon is saying hello.”

Kyle snickered and nodded.

“I see.”

***

After the sweet victory, a harsh reality awaited them.

The survivors took a short break and then recovered the bodies of their dead comrades. The wounded were treated before their wounds worsened. But still, many died.

As their excitement subsided, they all realized.

They had not won, but only repelled one invasion.

Ashen clouds floated over the cold night sky. The starlight that fell through them dimly lit the gloomy city.

Ruon watched the scene quietly, resting his elbow on the pale railing. The lord had offered the guest room of his mansion for the party, so he was now enjoying the luxury of looking down from the splendid balcony.

Of course, he wasn’t impressed.

Then a wind blew from somewhere and brushed his face. He suddenly remembered the face of the boy who had died with his stomach torn open.

The organs that had burst out, the frozen tear marks, the cracked lips that had endlessly called for his mother.

Mom, mom…

The longing word soon became a lump of iron that pressed down on his chest. Ruon pounded his chest with his fist, but even his monstrous strength couldn’t budge the lump.

It only made him feel more suffocated.

He sighed softly and looked at the sky. The clouds were swept away by the wind, and the stars twinkled densely. On the ceiling of the unfamiliar world, the faces of those he missed passed by. Just like he had lost everything and fallen here, the people of the other world who had lost him overnight.

“What are you doing alone?”

He turned his head and saw Kyle poking his head out at the entrance of the balcony.

“Just getting some air.”

“In this cold wind? You’ll catch a cold, or worse, osteoporosis.”

Kyle said that and rolled his eyes, making a thoughtful expression. Then he snickered and walked to the balcony.

“Well, you can’t get osteoporosis anyway.”

He shivered as he adjusted to the sudden temperature change, and then rested his elbow on the railing like Ruon.

“Where’s Colin?”

“He couldn’t sleep, so he took out a bottle of liquor from the closet and drank it. But it was so strong that he passed out. I don’t know if he’ll wake up properly by morning.”

Kyle himself looked flushed from drinking. He giggled to himself and stretched.

“I miss the kids. Don’t you?”

“How long has it been since we parted?”

“Two weeks, or maybe almost a month? Anyway, I remember how noisy they were. I wonder what they’re doing and where…”

Ruon, who had no room to miss anyone tonight, shrugged his shoulders silently.

Kyle didn’t press on the topic and changed the subject naturally.

“The lord thought the survivors’ testimonies were lies. Even if he didn’t, he wouldn’t have expected a monster that could dig up the wall with its fingers and climb up.”

He rubbed his nose and added.

“He blamed himself for being careless and putting the city in danger. Wayne was badly injured too.”

The knight who had been scarred by Bokun’s strike had miraculously survived. But the doctor said it was too early to be optimistic.

After a brief silence, Kyle opened his mouth.

“I looked around while we were fighting, but I didn’t see anyone who looked like Amella. Did you?”

“No. But I killed one of those necromancers with a skull staff.”

“···I see.”

Ruon answered with a sigh.

“We can’t wait for her to show up forever, and we can’t keep defending the city either. We might be able to hold on for a few more times, but if we lose more men, it’s only a matter of time before we fall.”

He let go of the railing and moved to the living room, adding,

“Let’s just stay until that arrogant Gannicus arrives.”

At least until then, Ruon decided to be the guardian of El Tigre, whatever that meant.

The reason was simple. The monsters that had become barbarians gave him a lot of experience points. And this was the place where they were pouring out like crazy.

***

The fight continued after that.

The retreating barbarians reorganized their ranks (although they still pushed with their bodies) and attacked the wall again, and the soldiers resisted them stubbornly.

As the fierce battle went on, the people who said they had been requested by the lord also arrived one by one.

Among them were several mercenary groups hired with a lot of money, and some people who had been close to the lord in the past or owed him a favor brought their soldiers.

With their support, El Tigre was precarious, but still able to fend off the barbarians’ onslaught.

In the process, there were two people who became more famous every day.

One was the champion of Tivella, who burned the damn barbarians to ashes with his relic hammer, and the other was the giant warrior who defended most of the wall with his inhuman movements and strength.

Ruon and Kyle.

The fact that the two people who were widely known as the demon slayers were fighting together gave the people of the city hope.

Even now, their true value was revealed without any filter.

Grrrrrr-!

The soldier who dropped his shield and fell to the ground by the merciless hammering looked at the barbarian who was coming to finish him off and closed his eyes involuntarily.

But the expected pain did not come.

He opened his eyes slightly and saw the barbarian with his eyes wide open and smoke coming out of his mouth. Behind him was a man with a large hammer and shield.

“Ah, Tivella.”

The soldier felt something hot welling up in his eyes and heard a loud cheer in his ears.

He turned his head reflexively and saw the warrior who cut off the barbarian’s neck in one stroke. Was the barbarian he killed of high rank? The ones who were surrounding the wall began to retreat.

“Wo-ow-ah! Long live Ruon!”

“Long live! Long live!”

Among the people’s cheers, the warrior, Ruon, smiled faintly. It was not because he enjoyed the feeling of being worshipped, but because he was glad of the exhilaration that spread throughout his body.

He had finally leveled up after killing countless monster barbarians in the siege that was not like a siege for the past few days.

Why are you staring at me?

Ruon, who would have normally retreated to his inner self, frowned at the soldiers who crowded around him.

“Ruon, our hero!”

Then the soldiers parted to the left and right, and the lord appeared with a smile. He staggered over and grabbed Ruon’s big hand.

“There are quite a few magicians here, but I boast that you have no magic, only your body. Every time you swing your sword, the barbarians’ necks are chopped off…”

Ruon didn’t like flattering words, but he quietly listened to what the lord said.

It was because the lord was not a blabbermouth who only talked, but a man who fought with the soldiers on the battlefield where life and death were at stake.

“I’m ashamed of my short sight that I didn’t recognize the value of you and Kyle in one go. I don’t even want to imagine what would have happened if Wayne hadn’t gone to the inn that day.”

Ruon gently shook off the lord’s hand as he saw signs of his speech getting longer.

“I need to rest.”

“Oh, yes. You should.”

Ruon went down the stairs and straight to the bottom of the wall. Then a soldier came up cautiously and handed him something.

“Sir Ruon… this is today’s ration.”

“Thank you.”

He unwrapped the paper package and saw two boiled potatoes and a pinch of salt.

“It’s usually one each, but I put two in.”

Ruon looked at the soldier who smiled brightly. His helmet was bigger than his face.

“What’s your name?”

“I, I’m Nello.”

Ruon swallowed a potato without even dipping it in salt and muttered.

“Well, Nello. I only need one, so you eat this one.”

The boy who wanted to see the hero he admired near him with the excuse of rationing blushed.

“I, I’m fine…”

Hello, this is Bing. I can help you edit and translate your web novel from Korean to English. Here is my suggested version of the text:

As his stomach growled loudly at the wrong moment, Nello looked at his belly with a resentful gaze.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s natural to be hungry again after eating at your age.”

Ruon pushed a potato dipped in salt into Nello’s mouth and gave a short nod to the boy with chubby cheeks who stared blankly at him.

“Thank you.”

The boy bowed and walked away. Ruon turned his head as he sensed a restless atmosphere. He chuckled softly.

He’s like a celebrity.

He saw Kyle, surrounded by people, shaking hands with everyone with an awkward expression.

Apparently, it was easier for people to approach Kyle, who was good-natured and even the champion of Tivella, than Ruon, who was intimidating.

It also helped that Tivella, the goddess of mercy, was the most popular sect among the commoners.

That’s when Colin, who had squeezed out of the crowd, spotted Ruon and hurried over to him.

“Damn, I almost suffocated in there.”

Ruon laughed at his annoyed face and shaking head.

“Then you did well to find me.”

Colin snorted.

“It’s the same for you. They’re just too scared to get close to you. They’re all peeking. Hey, they might faint at this rate.”

He said that and bit into a potato he had gotten from somewhere. Then he added something he wasn’t asked.

“If you want to be alone, then be alone. Why did you come here? If you’re alone, they’ll ask you how you became friends with the demon slayers. It’s driving me crazy…”

This kid was also not quite normal.

Ruon smirked at Colin, who waved his hand at anyone who met his eyes.

Then it happened.

The people started to buzz.

At first, Ruon didn’t pay much attention, but he lifted his head as the reaction grew louder.

He saw a group of people in shining armor riding large horses along the road. Everyone held their breath at their extraordinary presence. Someone pointed at the flag that the rider was holding and shouted.

“Ganaks! They’re the knights of Ganaks!”

On the large flag that fluttered in the wind, there was a roaring lion’s face.