Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World - Chapter 46

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Chapter 46 – Prestige (3)

“A new mercenary badge will be issued. It’s scheduled to be made specifically for you Ketal, so it might take a little time.”

“Oh, I see. Is the mercenary badge being made exclusively for me?”

“From C-rank onwards, they’re genuine mercenaries. They receive proper treatment. Let me tell you about some of the changes. Now you’ll be able to go to most places.”

The restrictions on movement were almost gone.

Even the capitals of most kingdoms would allow entry after inspection.

The Mercenary Guild, a massive organization, vouched for Ketal.

“It varies by faction, but even churches will accept you without much trouble. The capital of the empire is tough, though.”

“The empire is strict, I see.”

“Regular citizens can’t go at all. Only those approved by the empire’s nobility can set foot in the capital.”

It wasn’t just about skill.

Different from that, one needed recognition from truly noble individuals to enter the empire’s capital.

Rosa lowered her voice as if speaking of something dangerous.

“To be honest, no one really knows what’s in the empire’s capital. Only ominous rumors circulate.”

“Is it that severe? Still, people live there, so there must be some interaction with the outside world, right?”

“No.”

Rosa shook her head.

“People who live there hardly ever come out. Even when they do, they don’t talk about the capital at all. Frankly, it’s more secretive than the Forbidden Land.”

“Interesting.”

Ketal rubbed his chin as if intrigued.

Rosa cleared her throat and continued in an enthusiastic tone.

“Also, there have been many requests! If you’re C-rank, you can basically take on any request. You can even form a party and tackle A-rank dungeons!”

Dungeon conquests.

Verification of unexplored dungeons.

Various other requests.

You could take on all of it.

Rosa scratched her head proudly.

“However… the Barkan Territory is located on the frontier, so there are hardly any high-rank requests.”

“Are there not quite a few unexplored dungeons in this area?”

“There are, but their difficulty level is low. It’s not that the dungeons are difficult; it’s just that there are many unverified ones due to a simple lack of manpower.”

The unexplored dungeon Ketal had cleared before was quite unusual.

Such A-rank dungeons rarely appeared in these border territories.

But to say the least, it meant that there were no dungeons he couldn’t enter in this area.

“In that case, I’m curious. How do you reach ranks beyond C?”

As Ketal had heard before, beyond C-rank were B, A, and S ranks.

There were still three more levels to go.

Rosa spoke up.

“B-rank isn’t much different from C-rank in terms of skill. It’s just that they have sponsorship.”

“Sponsorship? Is it different from the Mercenary Guild’s sponsorship?”

“Yes.”

Rosa scratched her cheek.

“Frankly speaking… being a mercenary isn’t such a glamorous job.”

Even up to E-rank, they were essentially errand runners.

D-rank wasn’t much different.

If an E-rank accumulated enough experience over time, they could reach D-rank.

C-rank was a real mercenary recognized by the guild.

But even so, due to the nature of mercenaries, there were also those whose identities were uncertain.

Even if they proved their skills, they couldn’t gain the recognition of nobles or factions.

Yet among mercenaries, there were those who built trust and gained recognition from such factions or nobles.

Those were the ones who became B-rank.

“I see.”

Ketal nodded understandingly.

“It’s like a double sieve.”

“Yes. Unlike C-rank, B-rank can receive requests related to factions or nobles. That’s the difference. Although the number itself is very small.”

Usually, if they gained the recognition of nobles, they often entered their service outright.

It was much easier to live under someone else’s protection than as a wanderer.

That’s why only a handful of rare individuals stayed at B-rank.

“And A-rank consists of those with real skills.”

Skills that didn’t care about others’ recognition.

Whether it was exploration, alchemy, labyrinth navigation, or simply brute force, they were individuals who excelled in one aspect to the extreme.

“There are even superhumans among them!”

“Is that so?”

Ketal murmured calmly.

Rosa was taken aback by his reaction.

“S-Superhumans!”

Superhumans.

A level not so common even in kingdoms.

It was truly remarkable for such individuals to work as mercenaries.

Of course, Ketal had no particular reaction.

‘Seems there are more superhumans than I thought.’

It wasn’t the reaction Rosa expected, but she soon regained her composure and continued her explanation.

“When you reach A-rank, honor naturally follows. You can also receive requests related to nobles.”

Sponsorship doesn’t matter.

Their skill alone was the guarantee.

“Of course, there are quite a few unique individuals among them… but generally, that’s how it is. And the biggest feature is that you gain the right to challenge S-rank dungeons.”

“S-rank?”

Ketal’s eyes spark with interest.

“What’s that?”

“Literal translation, it’s the highest difficulty dungeon. No one has ever conquered it. There are only about twenty of them in the whole world.”

Unexplored dungeons were almost confirmed due to lack of manpower.

The difficulty level itself wasn’t the issue.

Rosa spoke calmly.

“Entering an S-rank dungeon is solely your responsibility. You won’t be held accountable for death. Nor will you be compensated for losses. If you don’t return from the dungeon, you’ll be declared missing.”

“…I see.”

“The most notable one is the Tower of Abyss. It’s an S-rank dungeon, a massive tower. Its end hasn’t been discovered yet. Several A-rank mercenaries have attempted it, but no one has cleared it. Some have even gone missing.”

“Is that so?”

Ketal’s lips curved upward.

This world truly amused him.

And on that night.

After a long time, Ketal held a drinking party.

The attendees were the thief, paladin, and priest who had formed a party with him.

The purpose of the drinking party was to celebrate Ketal’s promotion to C-rank.

This time, Ketal had personally gathered them.

As their resistance against Ketal had significantly diminished during the process of clearing the unexplored dungeon once, they accepted it without much resistance.

The paladin, who had heard about the clash with the demon, murmured with a serious expression.

“I never thought such a thing would happen… Was everything dealt with smoothly?”

“We defeated the demon. The Inquisitor said there were no issues, so it should be fine.”

“I-I see. That’s a relief.”

A palpable sense of relief showed on the paladin’s face.

Soon, he chuckled and raised his voice.

“It’s a shame though. This paladin should have gone and vanquished the evil himself.”

“You’re just lazy.”

The thief chuckled.

He glanced at Heize.

“You’ve been through a lot too. Facing off against a demon.”

“Ah, yes…”

Heize nodded nervously.

Though her attitude seemed a bit odd, the thief didn’t pay much attention to it.

“By the way… It’s truly remarkable to withstand a demon.”

There was awe in the thief’s face as he looked at Ketal.

To withstand a demon.

The value of that statement was not small.

It was an extraordinary feat, made possible by the presence of the Inquisitor of the Sun, but it was still a remarkable achievement.

“I’m sure you’ve been through a lot. Facing off against a demon with a name.”

“It was nothing. It was something I had to do.”

“Anyway, the Inquisitor of the Sun is indeed powerful… To defeat a demon with a name.”

The thief murmured with awe.

Though he heard of the inquisitor’s fame before, even facing a powerful being with a name, it was still remarkable.

It was indeed the Inquisitor of the Sun.

The paladin also nodded.

And Heize screamed inwardly.

‘No!’

As everyone fainted.

She didn’t faint.

She watched Ketal’s fight with the demon until the end.

Because of that, she could tell.

She could tell what level of strength Ketal possessed.

Ashetiar.

The demon with a name.

Even though there were hostages, even Aquaz, the youngest Inquisitor, couldn’t resist her and was defeated by her overwhelming power.

And against such Ashetiar, Ketal brought her down.

And not just brought down, but overwhelmingly so.

He played with her like a toy.

He crushed her head, split her torso in half, and severed her limbs.

Aquaz simply raised a fork on a well-prepared table.

Ketal couldn’t simply be described as strong.

It seemed like a being from another world.

His strength was such that even if it was said that a dragon came for amusement, it wouldn’t be strange.

While moderate strength garnered respect and trust, once it exceeded a certain level, it appeared as an extraterrestrial being.

Above all, the alien values ​​that Ketal showed her.

She became even more unable to understand the existence called Ketal.

The thief spoke up.

“Now that you’ve reached C-rank, what do you plan to do?”

As he asked, a waiter approached.

The waiter trembled at the sight of Ketal but slowly approached and set down the dishes.

“Hm? I didn’t order this.”

“It-it’s on the house. Um… One of the soldiers who came with you this time is my brother.”

The waiter bowed his head repeatedly.

“Thank you.”

“…Ah, no. It’s something I should do anyway, so don’t worry about it.”

The waiter bowed his head again and left.

Ketal smiled.

“Nothing changes. As a C-rank mercenary, and as a demon nemesis, I’ll just do what needs to be done.”

“Is that so?”

The thief found his demeanor a bit strange.

The Ketal he had seen didn’t seem to care much about honor or fame.

But now, he seemed to attach quite a bit of significance to the reputation he received.

Like an ordinary person.

Ketal began to look more and more human.

‘Don’t be fooled!’

And Heize screamed inwardly as she looked into the thief’s eyes.

This human is a monster!

Such honor means nothing at all!

With just the will, he could destroy the entire kingdom!

All of this is an act.

No one knows the true intentions of this being.

She was the only one who knew that fact.

But she couldn’t say it.

It felt suffocating, like she would die.

“What are you guys going to do?”

“We’re still F-rank. Well, there’s nothing we can do. We’ll have to think about it once we reach E-rank.”

The thief scratched his head.

“Actually, I used to live day by day like a bum, planning to die someday. But after seeing Ketal, I changed my mind a bit. I felt like trying my best to live.”

“I’ve always been like that. I can’t believe you just realized that. It’s truly a life in the lower class.”

The thief completely ignored the paladin’s words.

Ketal turned his gaze.

“What about you?”

“Y-yes!”

Heize, suddenly the center of attention, let out a shrill scream.

She panicked and bent over at the waist.

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