Arcane Innovator

"Ugh, what would I give right now to have some convenient inventory system..." I grumbled, lugging a heavy backpack filled to the brim with weeks' worth of food and other necessities since it would be some time before I could refill my stock after we hit the road.

Sighing, I raised my head, looking at the clear, dark sky, and smiled. 'At least it will be a nice weather today.'

It was shortly before dawn the day after I bought my new sword, which was now gently swaying on my hip while I slowly trudged toward a sizeable plot of land right next to the Ostengard's southern gate.

Finally arriving at my destination, I happily lowered my heavy backpack to the ground and looked around, searching for my companions-to-be among the myriad of carriages.

This whole area was mainly used as a carriage parking lot, and right now, dozens of merchants and their escorts were waiting for the gates to be opened.

Vixen, resourceful as always, managed to find us a job guarding a traveling merchant's wagon so we would get a free ride and even get paid for our effort.

At first, I was slightly surprised why would a simple merchant need a whole beast hunter party to protect him, but I soon learned that there were apparently a lot of bandits in the area, so it wasn't as safe traveling on the roads as around Ereneth.

Most merchants nowadays tended to stay on the main highway, which was regularly patrolled by soldiers or traveled as part of a caravan.

Yet our new employer was a pretty shrewd individual keen on visiting all the neighboring villages, buying out their cheap produce, and then selling it back for a huge markup in the city.

He was also bringing with him many essential goods that the neighboring peasants had no other way to get their hands on, like clothes, various tools, and, last but not least, several kegs of mead.

And since he seemed to be among the very few merchants in Ostengard who were brave enough to do something like this, he could charge exorbitant prices for his services, leaving him with a hefty profit even after paying our wages.

We won't be going to Weisberg with him all the way, but we should cover about two-thirds of our journey, which was fine with me.

Noticing Ram, who was waving at me eagerly a short distance away, I quickly walked over, and while greeting my fellow party members, I hopped onto the merchant's wagon, and before long, we were on our way.

Bumping along the winding road, I lazily watched the colorful fields and lush forests as they came into view. I immensely enjoyed this most welcomed respite after those grueling past weeks, which I mainly spent training with the sword.

The sun slowly began rising over the eastern horizon, and the world was bathed in its glorious light. The cloudless sky indicated beyond all doubt that today promised to be another hot summer day.

Thus, while enjoying the pleasant, cool morning breeze while it lasted, we continued riding forward.

Yet our smooth journey didn't last. Shortly before noon, when we were about halfway toward the first village on our itinerary, our wagon came to an abrupt stop when we came across a tree blocking our way right after a sharp bend.

As the merchant was busy reigning in the roused horses, many rugged-looking figures jumped out of the surrounding bushes, instantly surrounding us.

"AHHHH! Bandits!" The merchant's frightened scream echoed through the forest while, at the same time, I couldn't help but sigh.

'Ah! It has to be bandits, won't they? Of all the carriages on the road, they had to pick the one I'm in... again, with this crap luck of mine!'

With a clear annoyance reflecting in my eyes, I jumped off the wagon, joining the startled-looking Ram and Vixen, who were already standing in the middle of the road, their swords at the ready.

One of the bandits then lazily stepped forward, playing with a dagger while smiling menacingly.

"What do we have here? A lone merchant and a bunch of kids... Boys! It looks like we are in luck today!"

""Hahaha!"" The others immediately bursted out laughing, probably already imagining their bountiful loot.

The merchant seemed to finally gather his composure and looked at us, shouting desperately. "Y-You! Defend me! What are you waiting for? Don't you dare to run away!"

""Hahahaha!"" This prompted the bandits to laugh again while slowly creeping forward.

Contrary to my calm observation, Ram and Vixen looked ahead with startled faces, unsure what to do, as this seemed to be the first time they faced other humans.

Seeing their trembling hands, I immediately realized that this would turn ugly and fast if I didn't step in personally.

With yet another sigh, I slowly drew my own weapon while positioning myself to the side at the back end of the wagon.

At first, I was quite surprised that our rookie party could get their hands on such a lucrative job. But now, seeing the dozen or so bandits surrounding us, I finally understood why nobody else wanted to do it.

But I had no time to calmly analyze the situation as the smirking Bandit leader sneered while pointing his knife at us.

"This is your last chance - drop your weapons and give us all you have, or else..."

'What a bother... ' This was one of the reasons I originally wanted to travel alone, as it would be so much easier to avoid these types of troubles.

And in the unlikely event that some bandits would still want to bother me, they would immediately suffer an unfortunate case of an earth spike up their ass.

But now, I would have to defeat them with nothing but a sword and courage. 'Well, not that I wouldn't cheat a little....' I smirked as I carefully moved forward with measured steps.

Being stuck in the wagon all day, I hadn't had the time to do any of my regular exercises, which meant I was overflowing with essence.

Focusing, I quickly began circulating the essence, coursing it through all my muscles, strengthening them.

Then, I coated my blade with compressed air as I stepped forward, eyeing the bandits with cold determination.

"What do you stare at, brat!" An older thug with a large scar across his face barked at me.

But I didn't pay him attention as I wasn't interested in any unnecessary babbling. Before anyone could react, I lunged forward, cleanly bisecting the closest opponent.

The shockwave of my slash traveled forward, causing a sharp whistling sound, making the fallen leaves flutter in the wind. A fountain of blood erupted, showering all who stood in the vicinity with the crimson liquid.

Everyone froze, not being able to believe their own eyes. Looking closely, it was more than obvious that the bandits weren't any battle-hardened warriors, only some rabble from the surrounding villages hoping to get some quick buck.

Despite their previous bravado when they were faced with a scene of such merciless slaughter, they could only stare in horror.

Without wasting a breath, I jumped forward as my blade found another target close by, and in the blink of an eye, I, too, cut him in half.

It was at this precise moment that the bandit leader realized they had picked a fight with someone they shouldn't.

As I furiously dispatched everyone who stood in my way, he quickly began raising his hands while shouting, "Wai-!" Yet I was already next to him, and my sword passed cleanly through his throat, killing him in an instant.

With their leader's death, the rest of the bandits seemed to finally break out of their stupor, as they did the only thing they could think of - dropping their weapons to the ground and bolting in all directions.

Still, they didn't get far as the earth in front of their feet mysteriously caved in, making them trip and fall.

I wasn't planning on letting them escape as that would run the risk of them either getting reinforcements and bothering us again down the road or, even worse, spreading some wild tales about me, directing plenty of unwanted attention my way.

So I promptly finished every last one of them, not giving them any chance to run away.

"Y-You kill them!" Vixen stammered, horrified by the gruesome sight before her.

"Sure I did...." I replied matter-of-factly while cleaning my blade of any residual blood.

"They ambushed us, didn't they? Slaying bandits in self-defense is a perfectly justifiable deed."

"That's true, but still..." Vixen seemed at a loss for words, only able to stare at me with a complicated face.

***

Like that, we continued, visiting the various villages and towns along the way, always spending a day or two until the merchant wrapped up his dealings and we hit the road again.

Luckily, we didn't run into any more trouble, and the rest of our journey was relatively uneventful.

Still, seeing the various goods being bought and sold proved to be quite a helpful learning experience, giving me plenty of tips on exploiting the villagers if I ever found myself short on coins.

Ultimately, it took us almost two weeks before we finally arrived at the small town whose name I didn't bother to remember, where we parted ways with the merchant after he reluctantly paid us our wages.

Given his dejected look, he probably wanted to cheat on us, too, but with me notably touching the hilt of my sword while smiling menacingly, he gulped nervously and didn't dare to.

We then continued northwest along the main highway, quickly leaving the sprawling countryside dotted with fields and meadows, and soon, the vast mountain range that spans the entire range of the Kingdom, effectively splitting it in two, came into view.

We climbed higher and higher, heading straight for the sole mountain pass that connected the eastern parts of the Kingdom with the Capital.

And then, one month after we left Ostengard, we finally laid our eyes upon our target - the royal city of Weisberg.