Savage Ascension: Starting with God-Tier Plunder Ability-Chapter 79: Only a Knight Can Catch It

Rowan taught them the bare minimum of practical combat techniques. Secret techniques? Not even close. He just taught them a few ways to handle Handless Sendabil’s practical weapons. These were situational or basic techniques.

"Unfortunately, I’ve never used a crossbow myself."

Crossbows weren’t part of Sendabil’s practical weapon skills either. Crossbows had what you could call mechanical parts, and you had to replace parts more often than you’d think. Even if you kept the frame the same, you had to swap out the small parts, so it wasn’t something bandits liked to use.

Not applicable. Instead, he taught them daggers pretty thoroughly.

Also, Bearded Doren and Large Shield Espin got lucky. Rowan favored swords and shields. They could receive better teaching. He taught them a few things about what to do in actual combat and demanded they master them.

Just by giving that much, Rowan stood tall as the mercenary captain of the Rowan Mercenary Group. It wasn’t powerful influence, but at least during normal times the greenhorn mercenaries watched Rowan’s face.

With the donkey pulling the cart and one person pushing, it took less than a day and a half for the Rowan Mercenary Group to reach Spring Dusk Village. From here, if you go 1-2 days you’ll reach Three River Valley.

There, the Rowan Mercenary Group had to catch a red-furred bear. It wasn’t an ordinary bear. It was a bear covered in human blood. Its bulk got bigger, its ferocity grew. Most of all, traps didn’t work on red-furred bears.

’I should be able to get information about it here.’

The village’s defenses weren’t all that impressive. Because there was Torch Fortress nearby, the patrol came by often, so there wasn’t even a palisade, just a simple fence. But two pretty tough-looking guys were guarding the entrance like it was Fort Knox.

’They’ve got good cover too. Means they know how to handle a bow.’

Or they’ve taken a few arrows themselves.

"You a mercenary group?"

"Rowan Mercenary Group. Just formed recently."

Information brings a sense of security and lowers people’s guard. Rowan especially told them they were a new mercenary group. The militiaman’s lips curled up right away.

"There are bears that show up around here a lot. You picked a dangerous road. New mercenary group."

But the militiaman next to him looked at Rowan and asked.

"You a hunter?"

Rowan obviously looked young, so both militiamen were speaking informally. Rowan didn’t bother making an issue of it. He figured he could just snap back when needed. That hasty informal speech would shine at important moments.

Being looked down on could sometimes be a good weapon. Modern people’s politicking had a pretty scary side. Because even when the other person screws up, you act like you’re letting it slide, but then at a moment that’s important to them, you cut that part out like with a knife.

"Yeah. In Black Mountain Village they called me a deep forest hunter."

"That’s a grand name."

"I think I’ve heard of it somewhere..."

There was no separate inspection. All they said was don’t cause trouble. They seemed to firmly believe in Torch Fortress’s presence. The Rowan Mercenary Group headed to the village chief’s house. They needed to get an empty house.

In this world where death was scattered everywhere, saying a village had no empty houses was like a bad joke.

"Nice to meet you. I’m Kareth, the village chief of Spring Dusk Village."

The soft silk clothes that looked pretty expensive were blue and immediately caught your eye. Despite looking like he was in his 50s, his build was sturdy. He was someone who ran a lumber mill by the water wheel that was impressively large.

Seeing two workers, he seemed to be eating and living pretty well.

’That level wouldn’t satisfy me.’

After facing the black dream, Rowan’s desires were growing day by day. He wanted to succeed enough to have magical equipment that worked like air conditioning in summer, even if it cost him several gold coins.

"Feel free to use the empty house."

"You’re not charging separately? I’ve seen quite a few villages that do."

Kareth laughed at that.

"Hahaha. Mercenaries stop coming to villages like that. And then eventually merchants don’t come either. Roads where mercenary groups come and go have good security. Those villages usually disappear at some point."

It was pretty good talk, but Rowan knew well there were no villages around here. It wasn’t a village that would disappear just from charging a few coins. Any mercenary would want to rest inside a fence.

"I see. Good advice."

"If you want to buy food, go to the village center. There’ll be women chatting. The price is 1 copper coin for enough to fill one person, so it’s really cheap."

Rowan said thank you and headed to the empty house the chief designated. The condition was pretty bad, but they weren’t in a position to be picky.

"Let’s just roughly push the dust outside with our hands. Just this living room. We need to sleep and if dust gets in our mouths it’ll feel gritty."

At Rowan’s words, everyone moved. Bearded Doren worked honestly, Crossbowman Bedri was half-assed. Large Shield Espin used tricks and dawdled but wasn’t that different from Doren.

"Not even one broom."

Borrowing one seemed like too much. It was just to get rid of the dust in the living room. With four people it was quick. Everyone sat down and Rowan looked at Bearded Doren with a grin.

"You can relax."

Doren made a small laugh and immediately put his back against the wall.

"We’ll gather information about the red-furred bear here. How big its bulk is, how many it’s killed. You should collect things like this. It’s still early afternoon so there should be enough time."

"What about food?"

"We’ll gather and eat in the evening. This village sells ingredients cheap. 1 copper coin. Each of you can buy some when you come."

"What if they say more than 1 coin?"

"Just come. We’re not short on food."

A few more questions went back and forth. Rowan answered right away. After the Rowan Mercenary Group rested for about 30 minutes rubbing their feet, they headed outside. Rowan looked for a restaurant first. He thought there must be one in a village with quite a few households.

Rough Cup Tavern

’No restaurant, just a tavern.’

Rowan went inside. No answer. At one table, several men were gathered gambling. He could see cards. He approached the owner sitting at the counter.

"First time seeing that face."

"Yeah. I’m Rowan, mercenary captain of the Rowan Mercenary Group."

"What a sense for names. My name is Klerk. I’m called Booze Boss Klerk."

Looking at Rowan’s young-looking face, Booze Boss Klerk continued.

"You look too young to be a mercenary captain. Your age?"

"Fifteen."

Rowan said it honestly. With this baby-faced look, even 17 would be counted as a lie. The white peach fuzz on his cheeks hadn’t even disappeared.

"Huh... starting early."

Fruit wine was placed in front of Rowan. It was a world where even kids drank hard liquor. If a family had enough money to buy cigarettes, they put cigarettes in their kids’ mouths from age 5. Just by serving fruit wine with a sweet taste, you could feel Booze Boss Klerk’s consideration.

Most would serve hard liquor and play tricks.

"I’m looking for information about the red-furred bear that was appearing at Three River Valley. You must have heard a lot..."

At those words, Booze Boss Klerk nodded.

"There was quite an uproar. It’s only a day away from here. Depending on walking pace it could be 2 days, but the news comes in vividly."

"How red was its fur?"

At those words, Klerk made a face like ’not bad.’ He was somewhat impressed too.

"For fifteen you know about red-furred bears well. Did you grow up under a beast hunter?"

"No. I trained under a retired veteran. I picked up this and that."

"I see."

Klerk let out a sigh. Because a young punk like Rowan was saying he’d catch a red-furred bear, worry came first.

"The commission didn’t go out for nothing. Mercenary captain friend. Does your mercenary group have a lot of experience?"

"This is the first time. But I don’t think it’s something we can’t catch."

"There’ll be casualties. How about turning back? There are lots of other commissions."

"Why are you so worried?"

Klerk scratched the back of his head. Then his eyes just went to the gamblers and back to Rowan. He approached and whispered.

"Aiming for the commission fee, quite a few hunters went out from the village. Half didn’t come back."

After saying that, he gave Rowan the information he wanted.

"They say the bear’s fur is dyed completely bright red."

"Completely... to do that it would have had to eat at least a hundred people..."

Red-furred bears are originally ordinary bears. But as they eat humans, their fur gradually turns bright red like blood. They turn even more bright red than autumn maple leaves, with a very artificial color. But for the whole body’s fur to turn red, it would have to eat a hundred humans.

"500 copper coins isn’t the problem. Now even the survival of surrounding villages is at risk."

"You didn’t know at all before? That a beast was appearing?"

"We didn’t know. Most of the people heading to Torch Fortress are people we’re seeing for the first time. They say the people we knew traveled pretty grouped up so they weren’t attacked until now. The reason it was confirmed this time is also because a group of 8 people were attacked and it was confirmed."

"And that was in broad daylight too."

Rowan swallowed. The black wolf used darkness, but the red-furred bear attacked 8 people in broad daylight. You could tell how powerful it was.

"Give up. Soon the Lord of Medio will send a knight. Then the village men will be conscripted on a large scale to kill the red-furred bear."

"..."

Rowan spent time conflicted, drinking fruit wine, then came out after paying 1 copper coin. Most of the villagers described the red-furred bear as incredible. Some said it was as big as a house, others said it could smash a log in one blow.

’How did things turn out like this.’

It was absurd. When evening came and Rowan brought back food for 1 copper coin, a handful in one hand, he could see the other mercenary members’ faces. Everyone looked serious.

’Tsk.’

"You all must have heard."

Rowan opened his mouth while cooking. The three mercenary members nodded slightly. It was a village with few incidents. The appearance of a bear with all its fur red was a big issue, and they took pleasure in talking about it to everyone and making it an even bigger incident.

Because a Knight would appear because of it.

"The talk about the knight is really hot."

Bearded Doren said.

"They say it ate a hundred people. It’s a beast that can’t be caught unless you’re a knight."

Crossbowman Bedri trembled.

Large Shield Espin didn’t seem to want to give his opinion much.

"Going back is the right answer. Because we only have one life."

At Rowan’s words, everyone just nodded. The atmosphere was heavy.

"Everyone go back to Torch Fortress tomorrow."

The nuance was strange. Large Shield Espin was pretty good at sensing nuances in people’s words while being a thug.

"Captain, you’re not going?"

Rowan nodded.

A beast that only a knight could catch meant it was a powerful beast. And that would definitely let him have the black dream. And after meeting Gulliver Alastor, Rowan’s stats had increased overall.

’If a knight catches it, that means I can catch it too.’

Of course, catching it alone was ridiculous.