Book 2: Chapter 149

Lukas was shocked. Was this guy joking? That didn’t seem to be the case.

Then what was he up to?

Lukas looked down at him for a while before speaking.

“Stand up first.”

“Yes.”

“…what’s your name?”

“Bargan.”

It was at that moment.

[You’ve earned the loyalty of wandering Dragon Man Fighter, ‘Bargan’.]

[Current Loyalty: 51]

Once again, the mechanical voice sounded in his ears. What did it mean for him to hear the voice at that moment?

More importantly, could he trust it?

Lukas thought for a moment before finally opening his mouth.

“Why are you swearing your allegiance to me?”

“I am a wandering Fighter.”

“What does that matter?”

Bargain tilted his head to the side at those words.

“…do you not know about Dragonman fighters?”

“I don’t know anything.”

“I see. Mm…”

After contemplating for a while, Bargain turned to him and said.

“Before I speak, may I ask for your name?”

Lukas thought for a moment.

He wondered if he should use his real name or a pseudonym.

Each had its own pros and cons.

A pro of using his real name was that all the members of his team would be able to find him if this news spread.

A con would be the fact that those rumors might attract his enemies as well.

“Lukas.”

In the end, Lukas decided to stick to his real name. His team needed someone to serve as the central point, and he was the only one who could fill this role. He had to do it even if there was a bit of risk.

“May I ask where you are from, My Lord?”

“Do I have to tell you that as well?”

“You don’t. However, if you tell me where you are from, I will be able to summarise everything better.”

“There’s no need to summarise. Explain everything in detail.”

“Understood.”

Bargan nodded and started talking.

“This place is Combat Island, one of the Seven Floating Islands.”

“Combat Island?”

“Yes. All Dragonmen here are natural-born Fighters, and we all enjoy fighting.”

“…”

Fighters.

Lukas knew a bit about those who called themselves Fighters. Those who only took defeat to mean death. Bargan seemed to be a particularly extreme case, but they were all somewhat similar.

Lukas nodded before deciding to state his purpose.

“I’m looking for a statue.”

“A statue…? What kind of statue?”

“They were called the four most special statues. Do you know of them?”

“Mm…”

Bargain closed his eyes and seemed to scour his memories for a while, but he eventually shook his head.

“I’m sorry. I fear this is also my first time hearing about them.”

Lukas wasn’t disappointed. After all, he never expected the statues to be easy to find.

Bargan then continued.

“However, someone in ‘Herui’ might know something.”

“Are you talking about that city?”

“Yes. It’s a Fighter City. There are many skilled blacksmiths there, so you might be able to get some clues if you ask them.”

That made sense.

Of course, the only thing blacksmiths and sculptors had in common was the fact that they made things. However, they were more likely to know more than the random Fighter.

“…unfortunately, the blacksmiths in this area are rather snobbish. Unless one is a powerful Fighter, they won’t even bother to talk to you, let alone make a weapon. Of course, if they knew Lord’s true strength, their attitudes would certainly be better.”

It would be better to deal with such problems in person, so Lukas decided to not waste time.

“First things first, let’s head to Herui. But won’t I be barred from entering? You were able to immediately tell that I was an outsider.”

“That’s because your skin is too pale and your complexion is unique. Nevertheless, there are quite a few outsiders here on Combat Island… Mm. Once we get into the city, the first thing we’ll do is get you some new clothes. No matter how you look, there should be a bit less suspicion if your clothes don’t stand out as much.”

Of course, before then, there wasn’t really anything they could do.

Bargan then added something.

* * *

At first, the city guards all looked at Lukas with suspicion, but their expressions soon changed to surprise and awe.

“Did this outsider really defeat ‘Headsmasher Bargan’?”

“I really can’t believe it. He’s so skinny that it doesn’t look like he could harm a fly.”

Bargan didn’t show any displeasure at their words, he simply shook his head and said.

“It was a complete defeat. So, can we enter?”

“Of course you can. Herui always welcomes new Fighters.”

Suddenly, the guard standing to the left spoke with a suspicious expression on his face.

“Are you really sure he’s not from the Thunder Archipelago?”

“Of course, if that were the case, I never would have sworn allegiance to him.”

“That’s true.”

The guards all nodded before looking at Lukas with much friendlier expressions. Thanks to that, Lukas was able to successfully enter the Fighter City of the Heavenly Realm, Herui.

After passing through the gates, he was immediately greeted by the sight of an enormous city.

The first thing he saw was a large road. This road was so large that ten carriages would easily be able to pass side by side. The buildings stood on either side of the road in an orderly manner, creating a clean image. These many stores were all of different kinds. From restaurants to clothing stores, to weapon stores.

The people walking on the street all looked different. Especially their skins.

There were people with black, brown, yellow, and even some with reddish skin like Bargan.

But after observing them for a while, Lukas realised that Bargan was right.

There were hardly any people with white skin in the crowd.

Finally, his eyes landed on a large building at the end of the road. In fact, it was this building that drew most of his attention after he entered the city.

“This way.”

Nevertheless, following Bargan was his current priority.

“Headsmasher Bargan. It seems you’re pretty famous.”

“Among the wandering Fighters in the city, I am a bit famous.”

Bargan replied calmly.

“The easiest way to prove yourself on Combat Island is to be strong. Lord has managed to make me submit, that in itself is some proof.”

“Where is the Thunder Archipelago?”

For some reason, everyone seemed to think that Lukas came from that place. A bit of emotion appeared on Bargan’s otherwise expressionless face.

It was the same disdain he’d displayed when they first met.

“There is an in the heart of the Great Ocean when thunder and lightning continuously strike without ceasing.”

“It seems that you all don’t get along with people from that place.”

“They’re just a bunch of garbage with no respect or honour. One day, we will wipe those bastards out.”

Lukas nodded for a moment before pointing towards the large building in the distance.

“What’s that?”

“That’s the arena. Its value and importance are almost unparalleled in the entirety of Combat Island. We should probably go there soon.”

As he said, the first place Bargan took him to was a clothing store.

There, Lukas was able to buy clothes similar to Bargan’s. The clothes were large and loose. In particular, the way the sleeves flapped with every movement bothered him greatly.

“Do I really have to wear this?”

“If it bothers you, we could always get you a belt and some straps.”

“I would appreciate that.”

“Understood.”

After a while, a clerk from the clothing store returned with a black belt and some wrappings for the wrist and ankles. The forearms and thighs still flapped, but at the very least, it wasn’t as bad as before.

The clothes that Lukas had been wearing when he entered this world were all sold to the clothing store. Nevertheless, since it wasn’t the type of clothes that Dragonmen preferred, they weren’t able to get much from the sale.

“100 eru. It should be 125 eru, but I’ll give you a small discount for the weird clothes.”

“Thank you.”

This price was naturally paid by Bargan.

Lukas turned to him and said.

“I owe you.”

“Everything I have belongs to you. Would you prefer to hold the money instead?”

As he said that, Bargan shook the money bag he’d just taken out.

“Of course, I’m just a wandering Fighter who lives day by day. So I don’t really have a lot of money…”

“…are all Fighters like this?”

“Huh?”

“All I did was defeat you once, but you truly intend to give everything you have to me.”

“You didn’t just win, you also showed me mercy. From the moment you spared my life, it became yours.”

“…”

After hearing this response that Bargan said as if it was natural, Lukas became speechless for a while. Even if he expected their way of thinking to be different, this was too different.

Dragonman… Come to think of it, Bargan said he was a Dragonman.

Did that mean that all Dragonmen were like this?

‘There are so many things that I don’t know.’

This was a new world, so this was natural. And Lukas also had the bad habit of being curious about everything whenever he entered a new world.

“I think it would be better for you to keep the money. After all, I have no idea of how money works in the Heavenly Realm.”

“Understood. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to inform me.”

After that conversation, they left the clothing store.

Lukas was immediately able to notice that the suspicious gazes he received were reduced by a considerable amount.

“I know a blacksmith near here. We should look for him first and find out about the statue.”

Just as Lukas nodded and moved to follow him, the street suddenly became noisy.

“It’s a Champion.”

“A Champion is here.”

Lukas was easily able to see the excitement in their eyes. Even Bargan was the same.

“The Champion is making her journey. Now that I think about it, she did have a match scheduled for tonight.”