Surviving in the Trash Hell Game by Tossing a Coin

Chapter 14 - The Raid(1)

After finding out who the leader is, my job was to take him down for the special reward, but first, I needed to grasp the enemy's scale and strength.

Naturally, I had no intention of risking my life for a special reward.

What I packed was the +1 strengthened Dirt Spoon and the Emergency Firefighting Set I used last time.

The chance to toss a coin for new equipment still remained.

But I decided to save it for later.

I immediately jumped down from the inn and ran blindly towards where a faint light was visible.

The villagers would have turned off their lights to avoid attracting attention, and the attackers, having raided in the dead of night, would have surely brought lights.

Naturally, my prediction was correct.

Not a single light was on in the village, but a faint glow was shining from outside the village.

Fortunately, it seemed they hadn't entered the village yet.

Now that my destination was set, all I had to do was run towards the light.

Luckily, the village wasn't large, so I was able to reach the vicinity of the destination after running for only a dozen or so seconds.

Erin and Maletta were already out on the path just before leaving the village.

“Captain!”

“Maletta, Erin. You were here.”

Maletta was, of course, in full combat stance with the Scythe on her back.

Erin, too, was clutching a Halberd with both hands, blinking her eyes repeatedly as if she hadn't fully woken up.

Actually, Erin coming out was a surprise.

It was a late hour before the crack of dawn, and I didn't think Maletta would have woken her up to use her as part of our forces.

“Erin, you came out too?”

“Ah, yes! I, I thought from now on I have to step up at times like this.”

“Maletta, did you wake her?”

“Nope. She was getting up.”

As expected, Maletta said she hadn't woken her up.

Meaning Erin had gotten up on her own, grabbed her weapon, and joined us.

It was clear that yesterday's event had significantly changed Erin's mind.

It was as if she was proving that her indecisiveness was merely due to a lack of a catalyst.

“Alright. It'll probably be tougher than yesterday.

I'm counting on you.”

“Yes! I'll do my best!”

Given the village's lack of combat personnel, having even one more person would be a help, not a hindrance, so I didn't send her back inside.

Erin, too, seemed to have steeled her resolve, slapping her cheeks and letting out a spirited reply.

I also tossed a coin again to summon my armor and weapon for battle.

Unfortunately, it seemed the damage to the armor from the previous battle hadn't been repaired, but it was a relief just to have gear that could be worn on the front line.

As I grabbed the sledgehammer and started swinging it to warm up, Maletta approached and posed a question.

“Captain, you have a quest, of course, right?”

“Yeah. Fortunately, it's an extra reward, not a penalty. If things go wrong, I'll count on you.”

“Leave it to me. That's what I'm here for!”

What she asked was, of course, about the 'quest'.

It seemed she had also figured out that a quest would accompany this unusual situation.

Upon hearing my answer, Maletta thumped her chest and laughed as if satisfied.

Because if it wasn't a penalty, it just meant the reward would decrease, without any major risks.

Time passed even as we had this simple conversation, and the light was gradually getting closer.

“I didn't expect them to come this soon. Do you think it's revenge?”

The topic of our final conversation before the battle was thus brought up.

Erin muttered, tilting her head as she looked in the direction of the light.

I also thought her question was reasonable.

In fact, it had been two days since the men attacked the village.

It had only been one day since we wiped out the remnants in the tunnel.

Usually, revenge comes after thorough preparation, but the timing was too soon for it to be called thorough preparation.

“You're right. It's likely revenge for what happened before.”

But there was no reason to dig deep into it.

It wasn't a question we could answer by wracking our brains, nor would solving it dramatically change the situation.

“They're almost here.”

Maletta, sensing their approach, reached behind her back and gripped the handle of her Scythe.

As she said, the light spreading from the torches was now completely close, having arrived right in front of us.

It was a group of about 30 men.

A group composed only of individuals who, like the ones we met before, were holding their own weapons and were tense.

A single man walked out confidently from among the group that had stopped at the entrance.

Convinced he was the leader, I briefly examined his appearance.

Short-cropped brown hair.

A face with numerous small scars, and sharp, upturned eyes.

A muscular body with no armor on his upper torso, openly revealing his physique.

And crucially, a giant morningstar resting on his shoulder as if to show it off.

Just as I suspected, everything from his appearance to my instincts pointed to him being the 'Leader' of that group.

My deliberation on how to fight and win was incredibly brief.

The man who had walked out raised his head and began to slowly inspect the three of us.

Then, he snorted, shrugged, and spoke.

“Three of you? That's a bit modest for a welcoming party.”

“Three is more than enough to welcome a bunch of grunts, don't you think?”

To the leader's relaxed provocation, Maletta retorted with a scoff of her own.

As if losing that battle of wills, the leader briefly furrowed his brow.

But a leader is a leader, and he didn't act rashly, but organized the situation and looked back and forth between me and Maletta before speaking.

“You two seem to be outsiders. Reblen Village only had old people and cripples.”

His words were a simple confirmation of information.

In fact, what he said was correct.

But that's what made it strange.

We had definitely sent the enemy we met the day before yesterday back 'alive'.

There was no way the one who fled then hadn't reported about us.

Above all, even if he didn't know Erin, both Maletta and I had very unique appearances.

If he had received a report, he couldn't have been confused.

In this village, Maletta was the only one with red hair, and I was the only one with a shabby appearance.

“You, you've never seen us before?”

“Never. Why was there some connection I wasn't aware of?”

But the leader just raised one eye and let out a hollow laugh.

It seemed he had no information about us.

“There's no way you wouldn't know us. Didn't you even get a report?”

“Hm? Ah, you mean Barkan?”

I wondered if the man hadn't even been able to report because he couldn't make it back.

So I opened my mouth to confirm.

The leader, as if to drive a nail into my question, made a throat-slitting gesture.

With his thumb, very slowly, but surely.

“Is a general who lost a war supposed to come back alive?”

“You killed him, is that it?”

“Losing doesn't matter. I can't tolerate staining my reputation.”

I roughly understood then.

The reason why those guys rushed to retaliate in just two days instead of making thorough preparations.

Their pride must have been incredibly hurt by the fact that they were completely routed by that small village.

So they killed all the returning men and forced a quick, decisive battle to save face.

From there, I found a clue as to how to resolve this battle.

Of course, it wasn't something to talk about right now.

“From what I hear, you're the ones who defeated my men.”

“And quite miserably, at that. You remember how we completely crushed them, just like your reputation, right?”

“What did you say?”

The leader seemed to have grasped the situation, as he processed the information and spoke calmly.

Of course, I had no reason to just watch him maintain that composure.

Indeed, the word 'reputation' was effective, as the man's eyebrow twitched.

“This bastard!”

But it wasn't the leader who stepped forward.

One of the underlings, unable to contain his anger or perhaps to get in the leader's good graces, gripped his weapon tightly and came forward.

However, the man couldn't even reach us.

“Do not act rashly.”

“Keuk!”

As soon as the underling passed by his side, the leader mercilessly smashed his head.

The man collapsed with only that death rattle, his head split open.

Brain matter and other miscellaneous things poured out from the twitching body.

“Tsk, I've lost face.”

“Stop pretending to be a gentleman and just attack already. I'm sleepy.”

“Ha, how insolent.”

The leader then seemed to wipe off the blood that gushed from his subordinate and try to apologize to me.

It clearly smelled of an attempt to recruit me, so I showed my refusal by provoking him again.

The leader didn't linger on it any further and aimed his morningstar at us.

“I am Arges Valtan of Grade 5. Whoever wants to die, come at me first.”

Grade 5.

That was the reason he could be so bold even within a short time.

Grade 5, a level that only the top 3% of humanity, and 10% of mercenaries, could reach.

Even in the game, the very standard that separated beginners from experts was the 'possession of a Grade 5'.

This was because the difficulty of the game varied significantly depending on whether one had a Grade 5 or not.

It also meant that the amount of currency one could gather was worlds apart.

“Captain, what's the extra condition this time?”

“I have to fight the leader one-on-one and win. Without your help.”

“What?”

In preparation for the impending battle, Maletta first asked about the additional condition.

And naturally, at my subsequent answer, Maletta briefly frowned.

But that frown was different from the usual concern she showed me.

It was closer to a worry stemming from 'impossibility' rather than 'danger'.

“He's a Grade 5.

He's not someone a normal person can handle.”

“Even with this equipment?”

“This stuff now? It's not nearly enough.

You need at least +8 Grade advanced equipment.”

Truthfully, I had only ever met a Grade 5 in the game, and because Maletta was so strong, I had thought, 'the others must be weak'.

So I was confident I could somehow defeat even a Grade 5 on my own.

But hearing Maletta's words, it seemed I had been a bit complacent.

Even she, who believed in me, was indirectly telling me it was impossible.

There was no point in being reckless.

It was obvious that her assessment, having rolled and grown in this world, would be more accurate than mine.

Then, it's a shame, but I have to give up on the extra reward here.

I don't think it's such a great reward that I have to obtain it by taking risks.

“Maletta, in that case….”

I responded to Maletta's concerned gaze, nodded, and opened my mouth.

I was about to entrust this battle to Maletta, instead of me or Erin stepping up.

But naturally, there was no way the situation would proceed so smoothly.

A ding sound.

The sound of the ominous quest window updating, as always.

[ Erin's Request ]

You must not give up.

A special reward and a penalty will be added.

Special Reward Condition:

Kang Woon must personally defeat Arges Valtan of Grade 5.

If indirect factors involving Maletta obstructing Arges are included, the special reward cannot be obtained.

Penalty:

The residents of Reblen Village, including Erin, will die of a mysterious illness.

The 'Erin's Request' quest will fail unconditionally.

“You crazy bastard!”

Having confirmed that quest window, I.

Could not hold back the curse.