here really are strange people.”
…….It hadn’t even begun yet.
Sid jumped and quietly avoided that area. It wouldn’t be good for a crazy person to notice him. So he once again rushed to the road that headed towards Giran. He had left the village for 10 minutes.
Grrrrrrr.
The village was so remote that there was no path for Sid to walk along. So he was walking in the woods when a low cry was audible from a distant place.
‘Huk, gnoll!’
Sid panicked and jumped behind some bushes to hide his body. Soon enough, four monsters with a dog’s head approached.
‘Grrrrrr, strange. I thought it was in this area…..”
“No, I heard it too.”
“Maybe it’s that crazy merchant?”
At those words, the gnoll flinched and looked around with anxious faces. However, one gnoll shook his head and muttered.
“No, I would be able to smell him from a distance. Hold still. Kung kung kung, this is a different person. I think somewhere in the vicinity? It’s faint but obviously near.”
The gnoll sniffed and approached the bush.
‘Ugh, why is it coming here? Huk, don’t tell me…..?’
Sid quickly checked the information window frantically. After confirming that there was no lasting effects, his heart fell.
‘Oh my god, has the effect of the [Safe Travel] scroll worn off?’
Even if they were highly ranked, a merchant had no combat abilities. Even a level 300 merchant wouldn’t be able to beat a gnoll. That’s why merchants always needed mercenaries when travelling a long distance. However, hiring mercenaries for a low level area didn’t fit. He would obtain a loss instead of a profit if he hired mercenaries. That’s why the Merchants Guild developed the special scroll [Safe Travel]. The effect lasted 2 hours and there was a low probability of being attacked by monsters. Even if they were right around the corner, a monster with a keen sense of smell wouldn’t be able to notice him. Because of that, merchants only hired mercenaries when going to high levelled areas and just used the [Safe Travel] scroll in low areas. Sid was level 200. When he used the scroll, it was impossible for him to be discovered by level 100 gnolls. However, the duration was 2 hours so he had used it once and forgot about it.
‘I need to quickly use the scroll before being discovered!’
Sid hurriedly opened his bag. But he couldn’t see the scroll no matter how much he looked.
‘T-this is….I was so busy applying for a loan in Selebrid that I forgot to buy a scroll!’
“Grrrrr, hiding in a place like this!”
“Ohh, how long has it been since we saw a hobbit?”
“Hehe, you’ve done excellently.”
The eerie voices surrounded the hobbit who looked up fearfully. Sid got up, screamed and tried to run away.
“Grrrrrr, do you think we will miss?”
“Take this!”
One of the gnolls threw his club. Pakak, the club collided with Sid’s back with a heavy sound.
-You have received a critical hit to your head. 400 damage!
Kung kung kung kung!
The merchant became caught in a stunned state. He couldn’t see the approaching monsters but it was obvious. The gnoll swarmed around the stunned Sid and was about to beat him up. The stun lasted 10 seconds but Sid wouldn’t even last 10 seconds against the gnolls.
‘Damn…..my resurrection place is Selebrid…..’
Sid swallowed his bitterness. It was incredibly difficult for a merchant to reach level 200 and of course he didn’t want to die.
‘There’s nothing good about selecting a merchant. First I get treated like a bag by Ark-nim, then exploited because of my debt and now I’m about to become a dog’s food…..’
He was so miserable that he couldn’t even cry anymore. It was at that time. Just as he was in a critical condition, a voice singing ridiculous lyrics was unexpectedly heard in his ears.
“Where do you stand~ someone~ when anything happens.”
“…..?”
Sid turned his head puzzled. One man was slowly approaching with crossed arms.
‘Eh? That man is…..?’
The gnoll and Sid all gaped at that person. Sid had seen him before. It was Isyuram who had been exercising in the moonlight. Sid looked dismayed and sighed with disappointment.
‘Damn, I thought it was a warrior passing by…..but it’s just that strange man? I’m going crazy. That merchant just came here to be eaten……’
Yes, there should be two bowls of dog food. However, Isyuram was still humming and didn’t grasp the mood.
“This, this, this, this, Isyuram~ tremendous energy~.”
In this situation, singing a 70s theme song……he was indeed insane. But the gnolls’ reaction was surprising. The gnolls winced and retreated from the merchant.
“Grrrrrrr. T-that guy…..?”
“The Mad Merchant! The Crazy Merchant!”
“Dammit, we didn’t see him for a few days so I had hoped he went somewhere else…..”
“He is still a merchant. Kill him!”
Kung kung kung kung!
Sid wasn’t in a shape where he could run away so he just watched. The gnolls flocked to Isyuram and swung their clubs. Isyuram just curled his lips and said.
“Heh, these guys aren’t going to run away. Okay, then I’ll show you the results of my training!”
Then……Sid witnessed an incredible scene.
“Haaayaahh, Shoryuken! Adododo, jumping kick! Somersault kick!”
Merchant. No matter how much Sid looked, he saw a merchant. Nevertheless, he was almost equal to the gnolls! No, he was overwhelming. He was a merchant so he lacked defense and attack, but he avoided their attacks with amazing timing and counterattacked which had a high probability of being a critical hit. It was also surprising that he was able to use techniques such as shoryuken and jumping kick.
“Take that, Pile driver (wrestling technique)!”
Kueeeeeek!
He even grabbed the gnoll, jumped and drove it into the ground upside down. After 3 minutes, Isyuram had taken care of all 4 gnolls. Then Isyuram approached Sid who was making a ridiculous expression.
“Boy, are you okay?”
“Huh? Ah, yes…..”
Sid looked at him stunned before asking.
“But aren’t you a merchant?”
“Well, unfortunately I have such a shape.”
“But a merchant against gnolls…..and four of them…..?”
“Huhuhu, Ryu and Ken, Chun Li and Zangief are all my teachers so of course the gnolls can’t compare to me.”
Isyuram rattled on in a smug voice. But after a moment, Isyuram’s body stiffened and he paled. Then he flopped onto the ground as sweat dripped down his face.
“Ugh, d-damn…..indeed….this pain….can’t get used to it……”
“W-what’s wrong?”
“I-I’m okay…..this much….. I’ll be fine after a little bit……”
Isyuram clenched his teeth and shook his head. No matter how he looked at the situation, it clearly wasn’t normal. He appeared suddenly humming a 70s theme song, said that Ryu and Ken were his masters and then suddenly he looked like he was having a seizure? Sid didn’t want to hang out with these sorts of people, but he couldn’t just ignore him after being helped. Sid hesitated before sitting in front of him and waiting for the attack to end. Fortunately, Isyuram returned to normal after 10 minutes.
“Phew…..I’ve survived. Aye, you shouldn’t have seen that in our first meeting.”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
Sid shook his head and asked with uneasy eyes.
“But what was that just then?”
“Heh, a hero’s ordeal.”