Shadowed Gaze: The Highserk War Saga - Chapter 110

Having completed his information gathering, Walm was about to take his first steps into the city through its entrance gate. He blended into the line at the gate, which doubled as a checkpoint. The line was short enough that even if the person waiting were a toddler, they wouldn’t have to dig the ground with their toes out of boredom or look up at the sky in impatience. When it was Walm’s turn, he felt the scrutinizing gaze of the guards, but there was no need to be on edge. It was similar to an immigration check at an airport in his previous world. There were no passports, metal detectors for security purposes, or X-ray machines. If such things appeared, Walm would be genuinely astonished, but aside from the weapons that had tasted flesh and blood, he had nothing to hide.

“What is your purpose for visiting?”

“This is the labyrinth city, so I came to dive into the labyrinth.”

“You don’t seem to be wearing an adventurer’s tag.”

“I’m a mercenary, not an adventurer.”

“Where are you from?”

It was a rather dishonorable matter, but it seemed Walm was under suspicion. Though it was a false accusation, Walm answered confidently.

“From Dalimarcus.”

“Dalimarcus… Ah, there was a war there recently.”

“The war ended quickly, so perhaps he’s just a drifter looking for a way to earn a living.”

The guards exchanged opinions about Walm’s identity, implying he was a vagabond without principles. Unlike a demon mask that craved blood and malice indiscriminately, Walm wasn’t someone who would tremble in any situation, no matter the place. It was frustrating to claim, but Walm was a man of pragmatism.

“He’s just another typical ex-mercenary. Let him through.”

“One small silver coin. We don’t accept bad coins.”

“You can drink several ales just for the price of passing through…”

When Walm lamented the harsh world, the soldier retorted sharply.

“Shut up. Should I search through your underwear and all your provisions and add taxes?”

“I don’t mind, but you’ll only find dust and dirt.”

The soldier examined the small silver coin he received with his naked eye, rubbed it with his fingers, and then put it into a small pouch.

“Move along. You’re blocking the way.”

Without any further words from the guards, Walm, who had been shooed away, proceeded down the main street, relying on the information he had gathered. His goal was to sell the items he had acquired on the battlefield, but finding a well-known shop in a back alley wasn’t easy.

The store Walm visited was frequented by novice to mid-level adventurers and mercenaries. The information he had obtained from the mouths of drunken adventurers, further loosened with ale, led him here. It was not just a sword shop, but a store that handled a wide range of items, including weapons and armor. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. The brass doorbell fixed to the door echoed through the store, announcing Walm’s presence.

The shop had an ample supply of swords and spears, as well as a variety of blunt weapons. The armor ranged from leather to metal, including styles unfamiliar to Walm from the battlefield and some ancient-looking pieces. They might have been procured from the labyrinth. Boldly, Walm approached the man presumed to be the weapons dealer, who was leaning on the counter with his elbows. Noticing Walm’s approach, the man straightened his posture.

“What can I do for you?”

“I want to sell some weapons.”

“The longsword at your waist?”

Walm shook his head at the shopkeeper’s inquiry, which he had made while eyeing the sheathed sword.

“No, it’s something else. I have a fair amount. Is it okay if I place them here?”

“Sure.”

As Walm began laying out weapons from his magic bag in front of the merchant, who wore a suspicious expression, the merchant’s eyes widened in surprise. The magic bag was something Walm preferred to keep hidden. However, carrying a large number of weapons around the city would have attracted the attention of the patrolling soldiers, even if he looked like a mercenary or adventurer.

“Oh my, oh my.”

The eyes of the weapons dealer gleamed as more weapons emerged from the magic bag. He didn’t ask any intrusive questions about the magic; instead, he quietly and methodically inspected the craftsmanship and materials of each weapon.

“They’re not something from the labyrinth, hmm?”

Some of the spearheads had deformations where the rivets and nails that secured them to the shafts were bent. In his haste, Walm had avoided the metal spearheads and instead cut off the wooden shafts.

“It looks like they were collected from the battlefield, and only the ones in good condition.”

“Can you buy them? If they were picked up from the battlefield, that is.”

“Whether from the labyrinth or the battlefield, a weapon is still a weapon. I don’t care where or from whom they came. Quality is all that matters to me.”

“That’s a good attitude. If you’re true to your word, I’ll sell you these.”

Walm placed a small bag in the corner of the counter, which was nearly buried under weapons. The bag contained rings, bracelets, and necklaces Walm had collected from the corpses of mercenaries. It seemed mercenaries couldn’t rest easy without wearing all their wealth, turning precious metals into various forms to carry with them.

Even Walm, who was meticulous, had taken care to collect these without mutilating fingers or arms. He didn’t want to dishonor them after death, and it would be troublesome if they turned into undead. The only things he left behind were gold teeth or glass eyes that would require damaging the bodies to retrieve.

Given the quantity and quality of the items, they weren’t something to be haggled over like cheap vegetables. While waiting for the appraisal to be completed, Walm started browsing the store. What first caught his eye were battle axes and maces made from monster bones. They were treated on the surface and dyed black like tar. As far as Walm knew, bones could be processed into everyday items, but he doubted their strength if used as weapons.

The owner was busy appraising the items Walm had brought, and the only other employee in the store was dealing with a group of adventurers. There was no one he could ask for an explanation.

“So, what should I do?”

Walm pondered whether to casually ask about the surface coating when he left the store. Then, he noticed bottles of liquid labeled “for preservation and repair” next to the weapons. The label also mentioned “Dark Slime.”

“Ah, it’s a type of slime.”

Walm had seen slimes before. They were omnivorous, eating moss and insects. In his hometown, they boiled slimes and mixed them with tree sap and various chemicals to waterproof canteens and water bottles. Walm wasn’t sure how it worked, but it seemed to have a preservation and strengthening effect on bones. The fact that all bone weapons were blunt indicated either a compromise in sharpness or difficulty in processing.

He couldn’t tell how durable they were, but the prices were significantly lower than those for metal weapons. For commoners with little money, these might’ve been an option for a temporary weapon. One of the adventurers in the store was also carrying a black mace. Their equipment was subpar, even by Walm’s generous standards, suggesting they were low-rank adventurers from rural areas or beginners.

“Armor made of wild boar hide and a bone mace. I wish I could use metal sometimes.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You keep chipping your blades, so it’s better to stick with bone. At least it’s not stone.”

“You broke a spear the other day. You’re too rough with them.”

“At least get me a mace made from processed Horned Grizzly bones. This is just an orc thigh bone used for meat. Even labyrinth goblins have better weapons.”

“Don’t look at me. I’m not lending you my spear.”

“You can’t have my sword either.”

Walm regretted eavesdropping on their conversation. It seemed beginner adventurers had quite limited funds. The boy, who had been staring enviously at his companions’ gear, sighed and turned his eyes to the weapons piled on the counter.

“There’s plenty for those who have it. But for me, it’s bones.”

In the end, the boy was dragged out of the store by his companions. Walm frowned at the bitter aftertaste. Regardless of his feelings, their presence and the dark slime kept him occupied until the owner finished the appraisal. The offered amount was fair, and Walm agreed without haggling. He pocketed three small silver coins, two large gold coins, and one small gold coin and then returned to the main street.

“It might be a considerable amount, but still.”

For a commoner, it was enough to live modestly for decades without worrying about food or shelter, but it didn’t cover the cost of the eye drops he bought from a healing mage. Compared to the adventurers scraping by with limited funds, how greedy he seemed. Yet Walm had no choice but to dive into the labyrinth. With his decaying eyes, the urgency weighed heavily on him.

Translator – Lyxxna