Episode 22: Interlude – Old Man Torba
This is a story from a human perspective.
We will return to the protagonist’s perspective from the next episode.
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“Hmm, seems I couldn’t finish it off,”
The old man muttered softly after unleashing a palm strike that permeated with impact, 〖Pervade Fist〗.
Despite letting his enemy escape, there was no hint of disappointment in his voice.
That was because he had no intention of killing it in the first place.
If the old man had been serious, he could have pursued it, or even sealed off its escape.
But he didn’t because the Demon Beast wasn’t a dangerous species.
Knowing the nature of Jewel Slimes, he didn’t pursue it further.
Jewel Slimes, which yield a lot of 〖Soul Shard (Experience)〗 when defeated, should be left to the younger generation rather than an old man like himself.
That was his reasoning.
“Although, if I could have finished it off, I would have,”
That being said, a 〖Greater Beast〗-class Jewel Slime, which was even more valuable than a regular Jewel Slime, was something he would have defeated if he could.
However, the slime had withstood the 〖Weapon Skill〗 that the old man had unleashed.
Therefore, he had no intention of interfering any further.
“Besides, even if it’s a Jewel Slime, a 〖Greater Beast〗 isn’t enough to increase my 〖Level〗,”
Muttering such a lament, the old man continued his walk deeper into the Forest.
The Forest where Fuetou Kouya resided was called the Dwazov Great Forest by humans.
This was because the legendary 〖Feral Beast〗, Dwazov, who was said to have lived for a thousand years, reigned as its master. However, Dwazov himself was unaware of such a name. In fact, he hadn’t even lived for a thousand years.
One of the towns adjacent to the Dwazov Great Forest was Wooton.
In its back alley, a young girl was surrounded by men.
“T-These are things I gathered myself! Please stop making false accusations!”
“Heh, how could a girl like you have gone deep into the Forest by yourself? Besides, you’re a dropout who can’t even use magic.”
“W-Well… I was careful not to encounter other Demon Beasts…”
“Bwahahaha! If you’re going to lie, make it more believable! There’s no way you could have gone all the way to where those Herbs grow without encountering a single Demon Beast! I don’t know how you got them, but we’ll make good use of them. Hand them over now!”
At the man’s threat, the girl with light blue hair hugged her basket protectively.
Just as the thugs were reaching out to forcefully snatch the basket from her,
“Now, now, stop that, young men. The young lady is in distress.”
“Huh?”
It was an old man who had spoken.
Although he had a gentle smile, his eyes were fixed directly on the men.
The thugs sneered at his thin, twig-like arms.
“Hey, old man, are you trying to be a hero? You should stop playing the fool at your age.”
“Ho ho, no need to worry. More importantly, what happened? Why don’t you tell this old man?”
“Tch, fine.”
One of the men began to explain the situation, looking annoyed.
“This girl here, she had some expensive Herbs. But she’s a useless nobody who can’t even use magic. She must have stolen them from somewhere.”
“Ho ho, and where is this ‘somewhere’?”
“Huh? I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter. We can just search later.”
“Then, if the young lady gathered them herself, wouldn’t that make you the thieves?”
The old man said in a teasing tone.
The men’s cheeks twitched at his words.
“Are you saying we’re wrong?”
“I’m saying there’s a possibility,”
“Please believe me! I didn’t steal anything!”
“Indeed, there’s no proof that she stole them.”
“You’re a stubborn old geezer!”
Thud!
One of the thugs slammed his fist against the wall, interrupting the old man.
“If you keep talking nonsense, we’ll beat you up too. Choose, either leave quietly or get your ass kicked here.”
“Ho ho, how scary. I just want to resolve this with a discussion.”
“If you want to get beaten up that badly, we’ll give you a good thrashing!”
One of the men stepped forward, cracking his knuckles.
“If you resort to violence, then it’s a 〖Duel Declaration〗. The penalty for defeat is a ban on harming the young lady.”
A wave of 〖Mana〗 light spread out from the old man, and was absorbed by the thugs.
They flinched, but after confirming that nothing was wrong with their bodies, they regained their composure.
“…Heh, trying to scare us. We won’t fall for such childish tricks!”
“P-Please, it’s okay, just run away!”
“Ho ho ho, unfortunately, I don’t have a back to show to such youngsters.”
“Then don’t expect us to hold back!”
“Since you attacked first, the duel is forcibly established.”
The man threw a punch, the girl screamed, and the old man raised one hand.
His thin arm looked far too frail to stop the man’s fist.
But the moment the fist made contact, the man’s body spun around.
“Gah!”
The man, who had slammed his back hard against the ground, was forced to expel air from his lungs.
The man, who had little combat experience, could only grimace in pain and gasp for air on the ground.
“Your martial arts are lacking. Your body is being swayed by your 〖Stats〗. You wouldn’t even be a match for a low-ranking 〖Greater Beast〗.”
“You did it, you old geezer!”
“I’ll kill you!”
“Oh dear, oh dear, you’re being so merciless to an old man.”
Two more thugs charged, but they were easily knocked down, leaving only one standing next to the girl.
“H-Hee hee hee, Hii!? If you move even one step from there! This girl won’t get away unharmed!”
“Kyaa!?”
The last thug created a fireball with magic and held it up to the girl’s face.
“Oh dear, oh dear, this means I can’t move an inch.”
“Y-Yeah, if you don’t move, then this girl will be—”
“Don’t you dare go back on your word. 〖Wave Fist〗.”
The old man clenched his fist and thrust it towards the man.
Of course, the man was out of range of a bare-handed attack.
“Heguh!?”
But 〖Skills〗 were different.
A shockwave that traveled at high speed struck the thug’s jaw. He lost consciousness, and the magic disappeared.
“Well then, I’m sorry for scaring you. You don’t have to worry about those guys bothering you anymore.”
“…H-Hey, um… thank you very much!”
“It’s nothing. More importantly, do you know where the Guild is? I just arrived and got lost.”
“Ah, I was just about to head there myself! I’ll show you the way.”
“That’s a great help.”
And so, the old man and the girl left the alley, leaving the groaning thugs behind.
“Ho ho, so the young lady also has a dud Attribute. That’s why they were picking a fight with you.”
“Yes, it was terrible… wait, ‘also’? Does that mean you have a dud Attribute too, Old Man, even though you’re so strong?”
“That’s right. Ninety-nine percent of my strength comes from martial arts.”
“Wow, that’s amazing… oh, and this is the Guild!”
“Oh, thank you.”
Led by the girl with light blue hair, the old man arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild.
“Excuse me, I’d like to sell these Herbs, and… Guild Master!?”
The girl, who was about to take care of her business, froze when she saw a person who shouldn’t have been there.
The imposing man, reacting to her voice, stood up from the reception desk and walked over.
“Ah, ah, ah, I’m so sorry, I was being rude…”
“Thank you very much for accepting our investigation request.”
The Guild Master, who had come to her side, bowed deeply.
Next to the flustered girl, the old man who had come with her nodded magnanimously and replied.
“No need for thanks. I was just passing by, and if I can fight 〖Feral Beasts〗, then I’m satisfied. More importantly, about the 〖Mana〗 clash, it was probably a fight between 〖Feral Beasts〗. There were traces of a 〖Zone Control〗 clash. But they’re not near the town, so there’s no need to worry. And then there was one rare Demon Beast—”
The old man continued his explanation in a sonorous voice. The Guild Master listened intently.
The girl was completely confused by the situation.
However, she managed to ask a question when the conversation paused.
“Um, w-what are you, Old Man…?”
“Oh, it seems I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Torba.”
“Eh, that’s…”
“It’s better known as ‘War Demon’, one of the Hero-Class Adventurers.”
One of the world’s greatest talents. The highest rank of Adventurer.
The girl screamed when she realized that the old man in front of her was such a person.