Chapter 307: Surprise

A giant man emerged from the depths of the forest with a hammer in hand. If the stories from the front line base were to be believed, then he should be Glen, an S-rank adventurer. A formidable individual who has earned the moniker, Rampaging Dragon. A man who accumulated a long history of success and achievements just by relying on his sheer strength.

I only know as much as I heard from the adults during our adventure at the Town of Departed Spirits. But Schieber-san said this back then, ‘I was once called the strongest knight in history, but that man is most likely the strongest in the present.’

Apparently, Schieber-san was Glen-san’s opponent for Glen-san’s match before the promotion, and he lost. He said that it was then that he felt his age affecting him and was one of the reasons why he started to consider retirement.

If you ask me, you can’t really compare them so simply since the way one fight’s is bound to be different with a different weapon, though there’s still no doubting that he’s definitely stronger than the Schieber-san I faced recently.

I’m meeting an S Ranker like that for the second time. What should I do?

“Did you hunt that snake?” [Glen]

The first thing he did was to look at the corpse by my legs.

“It attacked me. Were you chasing after it?” [Ryouma]

“No, it’s just that this thing normally refuses to die. I’ve fought it plenty of times myself, and it’s always such a hassle. If you want to kill it, you’d have to turn it into minced meat, and the meat and the hide will be a mess, so you can’t even sell it for much. So I was just thinking how impressive it was that you were able to kill it so cleanly.” [Glen]

He seemed to mean that just that. He even walked around the corpse and observed it from different directions.

“Alright, anyway, you mind if I hit you?” [Glen]

“You think I wouldn’t?” [Ryouma]

I found myself snapping back when he brought up that ridiculous proposal as though it were common sense. I’m genuinely curious how he thought it was a good idea to ask something like that. I might have offended him somehow, or maybe my curse is at work here.

So, I quickly used the chant of restraining and explained the curse to him.

“Curses don’t have anything to do with this. Besides, I don’t hate you. If anything, I’d say I like you.” [Glen]

“Really?” [Ryouma]

“Yep. So let me hit you.” [Glen]

“…You hit people you like?” [Ryouma]

“It’s fun to fight strong people, right?” [Glen]

“Don’t tell me that as if it’s perfectly natural.” [Ryouma]

I can understand his words, but I can’t understand his perspective. Regardless, he just smiled at me without a care in the world. There was no malice or hostility in it either. It was a good smile that sincerely said he found me interesting.

I see, this guy must be one of those people, the so-called battle fanatic. I’ve gotten along with people from various walks of life, but it’s my first time seeing a battle fanatic in the flesh. I’m surprised to know that they even exist.

“Why do I have to happen into a person as troublesome as this, and above all, in a place with no one around.” [Ryouma]

“Hey, you said that out loud.” [Glen]

Oops, excuse me.

“You didn’t look so interested a few days ago, though.” [Ryouma]

“What’s the point of someone who’s just wandering aimlessly at an area like that?” [Glen]

I see. So by his standards, the people from that base were all small-fries with no worth. That included me too, at least, until today that is. After all, I was able to make it this far, and I was even able to slay an immortal snake.

“So you renewed your opinion of this small fry?” [Ryouma]

“It’s good that you understand. Let’s do this!” [Glen]

“I didn’t say I’d fight you.” [Ryouma]

“What’s wrong with you, man. Is your head screwed on right? Tsk, just one time. Just one time is fine, right?” [Glen]

Can’t he pick a topic with a bit more common sense?

“You don’t mind if I fight back, right?” [Ryouma]

While I do wonder if there’s a need to engage in such a one-sided encounter, dealing with the situation directly also seems like a hassle. I might as well fight him a little to satisfy him and get him to go home. If he attacks me seriously, then I’ll treat him like any monster or human. Being an S Rank changes nothing. There’s a part of me that’s not satisfied with that, but let’s just get this over with.

That’s what I had in mind when I said that, but apparently, what I said resonated with him more than I thought.

“But of course! I didn’t tell you to stand there, do nothing, and get hit. How’s that any fun?” [Glen]

“There’s no other way, huh.” [Ryouma]

Exasperated, I threw away the spear I had in hand.

“You’re not going to use it?” [Glen]

“What use is a spear in a brawl?” [Ryouma]

“I wouldn’t have minded if you’d used it, but this is even better!” [Glen]

He happily threw away the hammer in his hands and swung his big arms and shoulders, then he picked up a small twig by his feet.

“Let’s make the start signal simple. I’ll throw this thing up, and when it falls, we’ll fight, okay?” [Glen]

“Okay.” [Ryouma]

“Let’s go!” [Glen]

Glen only casually threw the twig straight up, but it soared into the sky and reached the dense branches of a towering tree that must have been at least 40 meters tall before falling.

As soon as it touched the ground, a fist descended from right in front of me.

“!?” [Ryouma]

My body moved on its own.

He came straight at me with his right. He might have used ki to reinforce his body, but that was all. There were no other tricks. Despite that, that single blow felt unusually heavy.

I tried to deflect it with my right, but it quickly became apparent that I didn’t have enough strength. My left made it in time to help, but even then I failed to completely deflect his attack, and it was only by pivoting my entire body that I narrowly succeeded at parrying it.

A cold sweat slid down my cheek as I sent a powerful kick toward his stomach which he left exposed when he pulled his fist back.

“!” [Ryouma]

I didn’t hold back and sent that kick with all of my strength, but I could tell from the sensation that my kick had no effect.

His skin seemed to deflect my leg all on its own. Somehow, I managed to get away by jumping off of his stomach, but there was no denying the numbness that lingered on my limbs.

I was shocked, but that wasn’t all.

“Is that really the strength of a human body?” [Ryouma]

The punch just now was swung too wide. It was your typical haymaker, and while he seemed experienced with combat, the vulnerability he left was too big. He felt less like a martial artist and more like a brawler that’s good at fighting.

That attack earlier probably relied purely on ki body reinforcement to achieve that speed and power. Yet even with just that, it felt like he could crush me. So an S Rank adventurer is this strong, huh. I was surprised, but above all, I was impressed.

“Dah! Damn it! I messed up!” [Glen]

――When I was about to attack him, Glen cried out. Is he going to go on a rampage?

“It would have been a lot more fun if I said two or three, but I just had to say one! Arrgh! But it’s my fault, so that’s that. We’re done here.” [Glen]

So he’s not going on a rampage then. Also, from the way he’s talking, he doesn’t seem to have a bad impression of me. Looks like he’s the kind of person who doesn’t listen to others but protects his principles and promises.

He’s a troublesome person no doubt, but he’s not as bad as the people from the front line base. I can’t help but wonder why he wants to fight me so badly that he’s making such a frustrated face.

“You want to fight me that much?” [Ryouma]

“Huh? Duh. Most people I fight get done in with one blow. They can’t dodge, they just fly. Some guys can endure the hit, but it’s rare for anyone to be able to fight after. There are even less people who can fight back. So of course I have to fight if I find someone so rare, right?” [Glen]

“Ahh…” [Ryouma]

The disappointment and boredom in his voice was palpable. He was too strong.

His strength was too abnormal compared to normal people and even those who made a living through fighting. That’s why most people lose after just one blow. Perhaps that’s why he asked if it was okay to hit me. Because a ‘brawl’ was too rare of a thing for him.

“There are your eyes too. Most people become docile after getting hit by me even if they endure it. They give up immediately when they realize they can’t win. Of course, people like that were always weak. Remember those guys when we first met? Those annoying ones?” [Glen]

“Yeah, at the front line base.” [Ryouma]

“They haven’t picked a fight with me since I knocked them down. They might talk big and say stuff like how S Rank doesn’t matter, but they’re all talk, and they’ll just run with their tail between their legs if a fight were to break out. They won’t seriously try to fight me.” [Glen]

Those guys weren’t weak, though. They were on the stronger side when compared to the thugs of the towns outside the forest. Yet they’re just putty in front of him. I think that’s what he’s trying to say is that once they’ve recognized someone to be stronger than them, they won’t try to defy them anymore.

“But you braced yourself when I yelled. Those guys’ legs turned into jelly, but you were planning on fighting back. You were calm. So, I’m thinking, that if we were to fight, you’d still have something on your sleeve. Am I right?”

…That’s a surprise. Despite appearing carefree and sometimes even reckless, he can actually be so insightful. As expected of an S Rank. It’s true that he’s strong, but I think there’s a strategy that can work against him.

I can get the Slime’s Spear of Blood Sucking back with dimension magic at any time. I haven’t retrieved the mud slime that I used for transport too, so I can use slime magic to manipulate the mud. And even if I couldn’t beat him, I could still create an opening to flee via Dimension Magic.

“You’re very interesting, aren’t you? Not only do you look like you can fight me, you look like you can kill me too given an opening. Ah! If only we could’ve fought longer!” [Glen]

He scratched his head that was covered in grit and grim and yelled at the sky obscured by branches. In the next moment, his eyes snapped back to me like a prawn jumping.

His eyes were sparkling. I have a bad feeling about this.

“By the way, what was your name again?” [Glen]

“…Ryouma Takebayashi.” [Ryouma]

“Then, Ryouma! I’ve decided! I’m going to tag along with you!” [Glen]

“Hah!?” [Ryouma]

I was right! I didn’t even have time to run away! Now what!?