Chapter 53 | Sentinel’s Gate

Sentinel’s Gate, the single most populous bastion-city on the entire planet, was bustling with energy as always. It was right at the south-eastern tip of the human part of the continent. With the northern passage being closed by the Aetherveil Wall, it was now the only way of getting past the Dragon’s Rest Mountain Range.

This made it a natural convergence point for all kinds of travellers. Also, as the City was right at the edge of the Grimfang Plateau, at least a third of the population were beastkin.

Beyond its massive, twenty-meter-tall stone walls lived millions. Countless buildings sprawled from a central point like the arms of a spiral galaxy. There wasn’t a distinct, singular architectural style to those buildings. Instead, they were grouped together with several of their kind. Some places had wooden huts. Some had gray-ish stone. They had all been designed according to the needs and wants of the different species.

Kazuma walked a narrow street of the city with his shoulders slouched. His eyes had lost their initial luster from the time he was first transferred to this world. With a sigh, he raised his gaze and looked around.

It was possible to see all kinds of humanoids. Goblins, lizardmen, even cat-girls. Especially cat-girls. They were the ones he hated the most. Because they represented a dream he couldn’t achieve.

What kind of garbage isekai is this?

Finally, he made eye contact with a burly orc sitting in front of an inn, and immediately averted his gaze, a terrified expression on his face. It was too late, unfortunately. The orc got up from his chair, slurring some stuff. He had clearly been day-drinking.

“What are you looking at?” he said in a half-shout. Kazuma put on his most amiable smile and turned his face back.

“I was just surprised how muscly you were!” He said in a sheepish tone. The Orc didn’t exactly accept that explanation. He brought up his massive beer mug and brought it down on Kazuma’s head, full strength.

The mug exploded against his head, splattering ale everywhere. Kazuma was drenched in smelly, sticky ale. He slowly raised his gaze and looked at the pig-like nose of the orc.

Then, with a swing of his fist, he knocked him out. He stomped on his head, making the orc squeal.

“What the hell do you think you are doing, huh? You think my day isn’t bad enough!? You think I will just sit and take this shit?”

“I’m- I’m sorry!”

Kazuma stopped stomping down on the orc’s head and kicked him away toward the inn. Hopefully, the captain wouldn’t get angry at him for beating up a nobody like this.

Just as he was about to continue on his way, he found himself facing a strange group of people.

“Hi there,” one of them said. The person wore white mage robes and had a buzz-cut. He looked strangely like a Buddhist monk, a knowing smile hanging from his lips. If he wasn’t distinctly caucasian, of course. “That was quite something there. Why did you let him smash you with that mug if you were so strong?”

“Senior Theo, that might have been a bit of a presumptuous question,” the person next to him said. This person looked straight out of a historical C-Drama, wearing what seemed to be Daoist robes. He had long hair tied into a ponytail and sickly-white skin.

Then came a sigh from the only girl in the group. She was a stunning beauty, making Kazuma grit his teeth. He hated beautiful women the most. That, and people stronger than him.

“I think we should get to the point,” Another person said, stepping forward. He was slightly shorter than Kazuma himself and looked like he might be from the Western Kingdoms. Or rather, the features were distinctly Eastern, like a Japanese from Kazuma’s old world. He was wearing a long cape that concealed most of his features other than his face.

“Umm…” Kazuma didn’t even know what to say. He was facing a truly overwhelming group, and the last thing he wanted that day was to deal with this bullshit.

“Greetings. We are looking for a person called Tatsuya. Is there any chance you might know him?” The Japanese-looking person said. Kazuma shivered at the mention of the name.

They are looking for the captain? He frowned. Tatsuya was the person leading them, and the only way someone like Kazuma could survive in this god-forsaken world.

“I don’t kno-”

“Think again,” The caucasian guy said, a wry smile on his face. Kazuma was about to raise his brow when he felt an arm wrap around his nape, and the cold touch of something sharp against his chest.

Before he, a person with 10x attributes, could even realize, the Japanese-looking guy had managed to step to his side and put a dagger up to his heart. If he were to give it even a slight push, Kazuma would have a gaping hole in his heart.

“Umm… On a second thought. I might know where he is…”

[Time left: 0:16:07:00:19]

Theo checked the time left on the Bandittide mission as they followed the guy they had just threatened. It was quite the journey to reach Sentinel’s Gate, as they had had to pass through the frontlines of the Bandittide.

Sentinel’s Gate wasn’t a part of some minor kingdom. It directly belonged to the Emperor who resided in the North, and was protected by several Master-Grade warriors at all times. There was no way the bandits would dare mess with it. They didn’t even come close, starting their attacks a good few hundred kilometers away from it.

Hell, there was even a mage tower, specifically the Red Tower, which mainly dealt in fire magic. It loomed on the horizon, its crimson stones catching the light like a pillar of flame, which didn’t fail in attracting Theo’s gaze every now and then. If they angered the guys up there, Theo doubted it would end well for the bandits.

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“What’s up with this guy? He makes me feel creeped out,” Emma whispered as she rubbed her arms.

“This guy makes you feel creeped out?” Theo asked with a raised brow. “How? He has the presence of a brick in a wall.”

As Emma chuckled, Theo looked at the guy, who had clearly heard their words and was busy sulking, to check the archetype once again.

[Archetype: I Have Gained The 10x Attribute Talent In Another World, So Now I Will Live As I Want!]

As soon as Theo had seen the title floating above his head, he had understood that this guy was from Earth.

Hm? Now that I think of it, haven’t I seen this archetype somewhere before?

Bringing up his old notifications, he checked them one by one. Finally, he saw one from a couple of weeks ago, right when they had left the Tower of Fracture.

Oh? Was he one of those people who were fighting in that chaos?

“Hey. Have you been to The Tower of Fracture recently?” Theo asked with a frown. The guy’s shoulders shook as he gave Theo a side-eye.

“Yeah. About a month ago, I think. My boss took a job.”

“Your boss, huh..?” Theo muttered.

Their goal in coming to Sentinel’s Gate and sneaking past the frontline was to find a person called Tatsuya. Tatsuya was the leader of a famous mercenary company called the Tatsuya Mercenary Company.

How creative.

This mercenary company was famous for all of its members being abnormals. No matter the hardships, abnormals weren’t directly discriminated against. They weren’t persecuted or executed on sight. With a really strong first-rate warrior abnormal leading them, these weaker abnormals could work in relative safety from slavers.

Eyeing the strange guy, Theo smiled wryly. He looked average. And not Satou average. Sure, Satou looked normal, but he didn’t feel average. This guy, however?

Mr. Nobody over here. He was pretty strong while dealing with that orc, early second-rate, maybe.

Unfortunately, being strong had to be accompanied by a certain amount of presence. Theo had witnessed the entirety of the event with the orc. If the one looking at the orc was Satou, the green-skin would have probably felt that something was wrong with The Assassin and kept to himself.

Sighing, he decided to keep the conversation going.

“Tell us your name.”

“Given name Kazuma, surname Ito,” he responded.