Wandering Mercenary in an Open World

When Ruon arrived near the communal cemetery it was late evening, the sun beginning to set. As Median had mentioned, the road leading to the cemetery was surrounded by stakes and boards, with armored soldiers standing guard in front.

It was to prevent the ghouls that appeared in the cemetery from moving into the nearby villages. Naturally, it also served to prohibit the entry of ordinary people.

As Ruon surveyed the surroundings, he spotted a tall tree that provided a clear view of the road. He swiftly climbed up to a sturdy branch and observed two soldiers conversing casually in front of the barricade.

‘Is there anything worth investigating?’

Ruon closed his eyes slowly.

Unlike in conventional games, there was no concept of a status window in this world. Although it might have existed in simpler games, for Ruon, who had become his character, that was meaningless.

However, that didn’t mean he had absolutely nothing. If that were the case, he would have died instantly.

Although there was no intuitive status window, countless pieces of information were schematically organized within Ruon’s mind. Even though experience points, stats, and skills couldn’t be seen, he could still sense them.

It was sensory perception and a concept exclusively granted to Ruon. Only he could utilize it. Like now, when he closed his eyes and heightened his concentration.

[Fairy’s Hearing]

The ability slowly emerged in his consciousness. It was a skill that allowed both passive and active utilization when the sensory threshold exceeded a certain value.

As Ruon’s hearing began to enhance, he started to hear sounds from a range that normal humans couldn’t perceive. The sound of grasshoppers brushing against the ground became audible and the soldiers’ casual chatter sounded as clear as if they were standing right beside him.

“The more I think about it, the more fucked up it seems. Why do those damn ghouls suddenly appear and prevent people from resting? I should be on vacation, buried in Essien’s soft, fragrant embrace.”

“Damn it. Even in the midst of the impending expedition, where our lives might be at stake, you’re still thinking about women?”

“Of course. The reason I go on those vacations is because of booze and women.”

“You crazy bastard.”

In response to the confident reply, the soldier who had been grumbling muttered something and raised his head.

“Agh, now is not the time for that. Didn’t you hear? Yan, who was guarding the border yesterday, was attacked by a ghoul. The flesh on his chest was ripped off, and the wound rotted in less than half a day. That bastard had a miserable death too.”

“Hey, what was that talk about him spouting nonsense?”

“Oh, that? As he was nearing his last breath, he kept blabbering about how the ghoul that attacked him a few weeks ago looked exactly like his dead friend.”

“Damn, that’s creepy.”

“That’s why I’m telling you to get your act together if you don’t want to end up like Yan. Forget about the scent of Essien’s embrace and focus on keeping your sanity.”

“Alright, enough of your nagging. You’re not my mom…”

Since the conversation that followed was trivial and unimportant, Ruon deactivated [Fairy’s Hearing]. While having enhanced hearing was useful, maintaining heightened senses consumed a significant amount of mental energy.

There’s definitely something going on. The soldiers discussing the matter without knowing the full context might seem like casual conversation, but it wasn’t something Ruon, who knew that this incident was related to the witch’s curse, could easily dismiss.

The lord’s deceased lover, the witch, the curse, the cemetery, the ghouls, a ghoul with the face of his friend.

Recalling fragmented pieces of information, Ruon nervously bit his lip. There was something significant, but he wouldn’t know what it was until he confronted it directly.

‘Well, I guess I’ll find out soon enough.’

Having finished his thoughts, Ruon lightly leaped across the trees. Not a single leaf fell, and the soldiers didn’t even raise their heads as Ruon passed above them.

After a while, as he was leaping tree to tree, Ruon was left without another tree to jump to. So, he descended to the ground. As his vision started to clear, he noticed a row of evenly spaced gravestones. 

‘There they are.’

Ruon adjusted his posture as he walked along the path, enveloped in an eerie silence. Despite possessing night vision that could pierce through the darkness, it didn’t hurt to be cautious.

At that moment, a gust of wind blew from the front. In the midst of that gust, which was accompanied by a foul stench, Ruon unsheathed his sword without hesitation.

“I’ve arrived.”

As if responding to his muttered words, the sound of boiling liquid erupted from the darkness.

“Gyarrurururururp!”

“Krrrrrrrk!”

“Krrrrrkrrrrrkrrrk!”

Simultaneously, several four-legged creatures with dripping saliva emerged, their sharp fangs tearing apart corpses. Ghouls.

“Krararararap!”

The ghouls roared fiercely and rushed towards Ruon. Despite the intense malice pouring down on him, Ruon charged head-on without retreating.

Maintaining his running speed, Ruon rolled forward, avoiding the ghouls’ claws, and swiftly swung his sword diagonally before the other attackers could concentrate their assault. One of them, with its face half torn apart, let out a horrifying scream and contorted its body.

“Eek!”

As the agonizing creature writhed in pain, Ruon kicked its head, sending it flying. He dodged the lunging hands that came at him from the side, aiming for his entrails, and swiftly slit one ghoul’s throat. Disgusting black blood gushed out from the severed surface.

“Where are you going?”

Anticipating the ghoul’s attempt to bite his ankle by pouncing on him, Ruon lifted his leg and brought it down with force. With a crunching sound, the ghoul’s face burst apart.

Meanwhile, two ghouls approached him from behind and simultaneously attacked. Just before his exposed back was torn apart, Ruon rotated his body with tremendous agility and swung his sword, tearing the heads of the creatures from their bodies.

After that, various attacks poured onto Ruon, but he skillfully blocked or evaded each one, promptly delivering a devastating counterattack to his enemies. None of the ghouls that were hit by his attacks managed to rise again.

Having dealt with nearly ten ghouls, Ruon swayed slightly, feeling the adrenaline, and smiled faintly. Indeed, the experience points earned from these ferocious and unparalleled monsters did not disappoint his expectations. At that moment, he saw another group of ghouls rushing in from a distance. With a strange certainty that tonight would be long, Ruon tightened his grip on the sword handle. 

‘Come at me. You little experience point bastards.’