Auterica’s Free City Dracal.
Located in the border area where the Azerion Empire in the central Ion Continent meets the eastern Zephia Republic and the southern desert, this big city was bustling with many people today.
Although the city was built on barren land where even farming was impossible, its strategic location as a transport hub and being the headquarters of the mercenary guild spread across the continent provided enough merits to offset those drawbacks.
‘Indeed, is this Dracal!’
One such group that had just entered the city was influenced by this.
Merchants who had traveled long distances with a few carts for trade, along with numerous hired mercenaries.
‘It’s huge! It’s on a whole new dimension compared to the cities I’ve seen!’
Among them, rookie mercenary Billy, who had just left his hometown for the first time through this trade, was admiring the scenery of Dracal he had only heard about.
Cities near his village were nothing compared to this, and even the considerably large cities he had passed through on the way were laughable in comparison.
“Hey, Billy! This is your first time in Dracal, right?”
“Eh? Yes, yes!”
At that moment, a fellow mercenary, who was incredibly big and strong among their peers, came up and nudged him on the shoulder as Billy was lost in admiration.
If it weren’t for this guy, who had filled his mind with tales of the outside world, Billy would have been feeding cows and plowing fields back in the village.
‘If it weren’t for my senior, I wouldn’t have even gotten hired for this long-distance trade job.’
Of course, being inexperienced, he wasn’t a proper mercenary but had taken a contract as a lowly errand runner. However, isn’t it how one learns and starts everything?
Thanks to that, he could broaden his horizons in the vast world, so it wasn’t a bad deal for him.
“This guy’s completely spaced out. Come this way! The trade escort’s done, and we got paid, so I’m treating everyone to a feast!”
“Thank you, senior!”
Moreover, feeling some sort of responsibility since they were from the same village, his senior took care of Billy in many ways, allowing him to adapt to the work faster than expected.
Just like leading him to famous restaurants from various places and buying him meals.
He was a bit full of himself, but he wasn’t a bad person.
“If you’re in Dracal, you gotta check this place out!”
Thus, following his senior, they entered the meat specialty restaurant ‘Ogre’s Table.’
As boasted, it was indeed a very satisfying meal…
As Billy’s belly became somewhat full, he started to look around leisurely and noticed a disturbing group.
Four men and women occupying a table and inhaling meat at an incredible speed.
Unable to resist his curiosity, he whispered to his senior, “Hey, senior. Who are those people…?”
In fact, he had been too overwhelmed to think about it since he arrived in the city, but he had wanted to ask this since the beginning.
He had never seen anyone dressed so uniquely on his way to Dracal, and they were casually wandering around the city.
“…Oh? Ah, those are southern warriors. Don’t stare at them; it’ll just cause trouble.”
“Southern warriors?”
Billy glanced at them again with newfound curiosity at his senior’s nonchalant reply.
Men and women alike exposed their muscular upper bodies and tattoos, adorned with the hides and teeth of beasts they seemed to have hunted.
They looked like the kind of barbarians he had only heard about in stories.
“Hey, just in case, don’t call them barbarians in front of them.”
Billy, feeling a bit uneasy, turned to his senior in that instant.
“Oh, these dirty barbarians are ruining my appetite.”
“Ugh, the smell of country folk.”
“Heh heh, it’s so funny—what could these barbarians possibly eat to come all the way here…”
Thud—! Crash—!
“Cough!”
“What the hell!”
“Hey, hit him!”
A commotion broke out where the southern warriors were eating.
Four southern warriors collided with more than ten mercenaries, turning part of the restaurant into chaos.
“…See that?”
With a sigh, his senior slowly began to rise from his seat.
Having wrapped up their meal and wanting to avoid getting dragged into trouble, he thought to leave the area.
“Pft! Ah, finally caught them after waiting so long! Let’s end this once and for all!”
“Who the hell do these barbarians think they are, roaming around here! Get your asses back to your country!”
“Shut it; where’s your country or mine in Dracal?”
“I’ll make you shit blood!”
With more than ten people tangled up exchanging harsh curses in that brawl, the reactions of those around were surprisingly calm.
They merely shook their heads and moved away as if it were an everyday occurrence.
After all, Dracal was practically a ‘mercenary nation,’ so conflicts like this were not uncommon.
The chaotic scene was not just rough but also intensified as mercenaries gathered who could easily turn into thieves in secluded areas.
A daily event born from uncontrollable vitality, overflowing pride, and excess energy intertwined.
“Let’s go. But wow, those guys have huge balls. If they fight inside the shop, the losers have to pay for everything.”
As long as it wasn’t a one-sided beating, that was an unwritten rule regarding disputes in Dracal.
‘No use of weapons’ and ‘don’t intentionally kill your opponent’ were things the mercenary guild cared about, so they couldn’t just ignore it.
It seemed the staff shared that sentiment, as they regarded the fight as no big deal.
Some even watched with interest, placing bets on who would win.
The restaurant owner paused for a moment to closely watch which side would end up paying for the costs of broken utensils.
Creeeak—
But just before Billy and his senior could escape their seats.
Suddenly, the restaurant’s door swung open, and in walked another barbarian… no, a southern warrior.
“Huh? What’s going on? Why’s the atmosphere like this?”
*
A man with a massive frame, towering over ordinary-sized men, and adorned in splendid tattoos that dominated any southern warrior.
“tsk, what’s going on in a restaurant, kicking up dust like this?”
He squinted at the ongoing brawl with displeasure, shaking his head.
That was all he thought about the fight.
“Hey, owner! 30 servings of the special mixed grill!”
He casually tossed his order to the restaurant owner, who was watching from the side, and waddled over to the fight.
Then, using his numerical advantage, he gently tapped the shoulder of one mercenary who was gaining the upper hand, kindly speaking to him.
“Hey, friend? It’s nice that you’re having fun, but I need to eat now, so can you wrap this up…”
“What are you? …Wait a second! You’re also a barbarian!”
But the response to his kindness was sheer rudeness.
The mercenary, whose adrenaline was at its peak during the fight, threw a punch at the person who spoke to him without a second thought.
Whack!
Though unarmed, the blow was potent enough to break bones in an ordinary person, imbued with aura.
It connected squarely with his exposed abs.
Crunch—
Immediately, a horrifying sound resonated from the attacker’s arm.
“…Agh!”
“What the hell? What!”
“There’s a barbarian behind us! Rob’s hurt!”
“Is this their backup?!”
Responding to the scream, some of the mercenary’s comrades turned around.
Thanks to the threefold advantage in numbers, they still felt relatively safe.
With this many mercenaries around, taking on one sneaky barbarian wouldn’t be a problem at all.
“…Is this guy, by any chance?”
“Yes? Do you know him, senior?”
However, unlike the mercenaries themselves, those watching from a distance felt something was off about the escalating situation.
They could see with their own eyes what had crushed the aura-imbued mercenary’s arm.
“…Is it possible through sheer physical strength? Ha, what is this, some kind of giant monster…? ”
That mercenary wasn’t weak either.
Having been treated as elite in large mercenary groups while hunting many monsters, he was instantly incapacitated by a single counterattack.
“Ugh!”
“Uck, what the hell!”
“Stop! Hold it!”
And that fate befell not just him but those mercenaries who charged in right after to finish the opponent off.
After attacking someone standing in confusion amidst the excitement of battle, as if it was a routine, they all grasped their shattered body parts and rolled on the floor.
One among them, who had gone all-out with their aura, even coughed up blood due to internal injuries.
As the scene devolved to that extent, those engaged in the fierce fight would inevitably turn their attention toward it.
The furious exchanges of blows became a bit more subdued, and soon faded into a standstill with both sides keeping their distance.
They eyed each other warily, glancing at the ruckus in subtle apprehension.
Recognizing variables in a combat situation was a matter of survival.
“…Engraving of the Great Warrior?”
“No, that’s not it!”
The ones who grasped the situation first were the southern warriors who shared the same origin as him.
An insignia far more splendid than their own ‘Engraving of the Warrior’ adorned their chests.
Having seen it firsthand for the first time, they knew exactly what it was, as they had been informed before coming here.
“Engraving of the Dragon King!”
“The King of Calcos…?”
The king of the south, born after hundreds of years, who revitalized traditional garb of the past that had been lost.
Dragon King Harley.
That was the identity of the one who had appeared out of nowhere.
‘Damn… Not now of all times.’
And though a bit late, the leader of the mercenaries also recognized the opponent.
Though his outfit resembled that of other barbarians, the dazzling tattoos, massive physique, and distinctive odd-eyed feature were something no one could mimic.
He had been missing for a while, and then to suddenly show up like this… his eyes froze in panic and cold sweat dripped down his face.
Then his gaze fell upon his companions, who had yet to comprehend the situation and were rolling their eyes in confusion.
“Uh, what do we do? Do we just rush him?”
“…Are you crazy? If you want to die, do it alone.”
Naturally, there would be no fighting anymore.
*
The ruckus of battle, which had been ongoing, ended abruptly when one side began to retreat.
“Uh, sorry for disrupting your meal. We had a little misunderstanding that led to this…”
“Misunderstanding? You guys started it first…!”
“Of course! We’ll take full responsibility and cover the damages! Not just for the restaurant’s repair costs but for those meals too… Ah! And of course, for interrupting Mr. Harley’s meal as well!”
The representative of the mercenaries, practically begging and forcing a smile, while the southern warriors stood proudly and raised their voices behind Harley.
Seeing their desperate attitude, Harley nodded nonchalantly.
“Really? Are you sure it’s okay? I eat a lot, you know?”
“Of course! Ha-ha…”
Naturally, he had no intention of rejecting what was offered.
Considering they dared cross paths with the ‘Dragon King Harley,’ it was an exceedingly merciful judgment, but his inner thoughts rated their worth to that of buzzing flies.
He was about to enjoy a delicious meal and couldn’t be bothered to deal with them.
Of course, if they continued to be a nuisance, he would just crush and kill them, but since they were willing to offer tribute and back off, there was no need to shed more blood.
‘If it were in the past, I’d have destroyed everything without a thought.’
Once a manifestation of endless madness and conflict, Harley had undergone some discernment since returning from the Ganghwan Realm and learning the 「Tyrant of Madness」 skill.
Moreover, he had learned to control the overwhelming vigor that had been emitted carelessly outside.
‘Now that I think about it, in the past, I wouldn’t have even thought of holding back.’
The moment he appeared, every gaze would be forcibly drawn to him, and his presence would instill fear.
Though even now, his boiling point remained significantly lower than that of ordinary people…
‘But those guys are just…’
Billy was drooling as he watched Harley lick his lips at those who were only concerned about him.
Their level was so inadequate that they couldn’t even satisfy that.
Worrying about whether roasted or boiled meat was better was far more constructive.
“Here comes the special mixed grill!”
“Oooh! The aroma is exquisite. Next, the special mixed boiled meat!”
“Yessir!”
Of course, there was only one answer to that dilemma.
Simply, to eat both.
‘I had no intention of worrying about the price anyway.’
Most importantly, wasn’t he in a position to be treated today?
Food that is free tastes the best in the world.
“Let’s add another 20 servings…”
“Hm, splendid! Make it 30 servings…”
“Talking is annoying. Just bring everything you have!”
The faces of the mercenaries left at the scene began to gradually lose their color as they realized they wouldn’t be going after Harley.
And after a considerable amount of time passed, by the time their faces turned pale as corpses.
Dracal’s meat specialty restaurant, ‘Ogre’s Table,’ had set a record for the highest sales ever, running out of all its meat, and the mercenaries found themselves indebted, needing to pay off with their bodies.
“Hmm, it’s still a bit lacking, but let’s wrap it up here. I had a good meal, friends! Hahaha!”
“Ah… Ahh…”
And that incident spread like a splendid firework announcing the king’s return throughout all of Dracal, as witnessed by those present.
