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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Objectively, this body was indeed worthless.
To get the “Savior of a Fallen Nation” trait, I had chosen “Frail,” “Sickly,” and “Slow Recovery,” the worst possible physical limitations.
Excluding penalties like a crippled arm or leg, these were the worst physical penalties a healthy body could have.
Just trying to pull the buried Lumia out of the ground was enough to tear a ligament in my back.
Damn it, who gets a back injury while rescuing someone and collapses? If it hadn’t been me, I would have laughed my ass off.
The body’s durability was terrible, and my muscle mass was abysmal compared to my original body.
Although there wasn’t a scale to measure the exact numbers, I, who had once received an offer to be a temporary trainer at the gym I used to go to, could roughly estimate just by glancing at my body.
Pathetic stamina that made me tire easily even from simple exercises.
And though it didn’t seem like a problem with clothes on, probably due to being based on a Westerner with a larger frame, my body was practically skin and bones, like someone deemed unfit for active duty.
Naturally, I was underweight.
In contrast, the thugs were clearly well-built. They must have eaten well with the money they extorted from kids. But there was no need to be intimidated.
Street fights weren’t just about size.
“Where’d all that confidence from your big talk go?”
When I provoked them with a grin, the remaining two flinched and stepped back. Even though it was a dead end.
“D, damn it…!”
One of them gritted his teeth and charged at me. It was always the same pattern. Even after witnessing the clear difference in skill, instead of kneeling and begging, they stubbornly charged like moths to a flame.
That was what it meant to have your body controlled by pride.
I slipped my hand inside the charging thug’s arm, blocking his attack, and twisted his joint.
“Kyaaaak!!”
The instantly subdued thug screamed in pain. I could clearly see his muscles trembling.
“This is what martial arts are about.”
Even though my real body and this body were different physically, the way they moved was the same.
That’s why my body naturally remembered the Krav Maga techniques I had learned while being beaten up all day in the military.
“And there are no rules in a street fight.”
Crack!
“Aaack! Aaaack!!!”
With a sickening sound, the thug’s joint twisted outward. I turned and kicked the crying guy in the back, sending him tumbling to the ground.
“Ugh! Sob! My, my arm!!”
“You’ll have a hard time getting that back in place.”
A weak body wasn’t a problem in a fight. Even if you lacked strength, accurately striking vital points or quickly twisting joints would incapacitate the opponent just the same.
“H, hic.”
Finally, the last one remaining lost all fighting spirit and collapsed on the spot.
I had already loosened up. There was no point in continuing to beat up those who were already down. I rotated my stiff shoulder and gently beckoned to the child, who looked startled.
“Are you alright?”
“Ah… Y-yes. I’m okay.”
He was probably around ten years old. Bruises from the beating were all over his body.
‘Those bastards…’
When I glared at the remaining thug, he raised both hands high and repeatedly slammed his head on the ground.
“S, sorry! I won’t do it again! I’ll stay out of your way!!”
Well, that was enough. He had completely lost his will to fight. The other two, having been hit in the temple and jaw, would be unconscious for a while.
I didn’t want to drag them out and take out my anger on them. That could become a real problem.
“Don’t wander around places like this alone.”
“I had to run an errand…”
“Next time, make sure to come with an adult.”
I dusted off the child’s dirt-stained clothes. Sergeant Belle Meyer also quickly approached and reached out to the boy.
The blue mana that unfolded flowed into the child. Water magic, ‘Cure.’ A healing magic that treated minor injuries and bruises.
“You’ll be alright now.”
“Th, thank you…!!!”
“Let’s go before more of them show up.”
I put my coat back on and picked up my bag from the corner. These kinds of thugs usually moved in groups.
It wouldn’t matter how many joined since I could use magic, but using magic on a civilian without reason would definitely lead to disciplinary action.
Even if I could get away with it now, under the pretense of self-defense, using magic would be a different story.
“Yes, sir.”
Understanding my meaning, Sergeant Belle Meyer took the child’s hand and led him out of the alley.
Once we reached the main street filled with pedestrians, the boy carefully let go of Belle’s hand.
“Thank you for helping me. I can go alone from here.”
“Where’s your house?”
“That herb shop over there.”
I looked at the shop the boy pointed to. It seemed to be an alchemy shop that dealt with potions and such.
‘What he was holding must have been alchemy ingredients.’
Since he said he was running an errand, it made sense. Some alchemy ingredients were worth several gold coins per gram. They were a perfect target for thugs.
“Alright, then go in carefully.”
“Yes! Thank you again!”
The boy bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle. His politeness, despite his young age, showed how much emphasis was placed on manners in his upbringing.
As I waved back, the boy scurried into the shop.
“Then shall we head back?”
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“Ugh… Aaaah…”
“Which bastard did this?”
“I, it seems like he was an officer. I’m not sure which unit…”
“You idiot!”
Wham!
“Ugh! Urk!!”
Blood gushed from the nose of the man who had been punched. It looked like his nose was broken.
However, the man didn’t resist or scream in pain. He simply lowered his head in fear.
“You should have found that out, damn it. What were you doing while those kids were getting beaten up?”
“S, sorry.”
The man’s body trembled. Blood dripped from his nose onto the ground.
Lauro, the operations chief. He was the mid-boss of the ‘Gavial,’ the organization that controlled Chernoe City’s back alleys, and the twin brother of the city’s chief guard.
As the operations chief fumed with rage, one of the gang members cautiously spoke,
“Boss, I asked around the merchants, and they said he was with a woman with short hair.”
“A woman?”
“They said she had short black hair and red eyes. Probably a magic non-commissioned officer from the 3rd Battalion. She’s often seen around the city.”
“And what about the man?”
“The merchants said they hadn’t seen him before, so he’s probably a new officer.”
“Damn it, so that’s why he was acting up in the city.”
A new officer from the 3rd Battalion.
Lauro recalled the names of the units stationed near Chernoe City, one by one.
“3rd Battalion… isn’t that where that Rex bastard is?”
“Probably.”
“Talk to him and ask him to find out about that officer. If he did this to our guys, he has to pay the price.”
Generally, the units stationed near the city had a cooperative relationship. However, in terms of actual authority, the city held more power than a typical battalion.
Therefore, if you buttered up the city officials, you could put pressure on the military units.
That was why thugs could act so brazenly, even towards soldiers, in Chernoe City. With the chief guard, practically the second-highest ranking official in the city, backing them, they had nothing to fear.
Of course, since they were technically soldiers, they couldn’t just harass them without reason…
But what happened today crossed the line. Moreover, a newly commissioned officer? This was practically a declaration of war against the Gavial.
Lauro was the type who wouldn’t be satisfied until he had trampled on those who defied him twice as hard as they had defied him.
“Just wait until he comes back. I’ll beat him half to death.”
His eyes burned with fury.
“I’ll also contact the guards. Tell them to inform us as soon as a new officer from the 3rd Battalion shows up.”
“Right. And isn’t that Rex bastard hitting on a girl from the 3rd Battalion as well?”
“Probably.”
“3rd Battalion. Interesting unit. After dealing with that officer, I should put some pressure on the battalion too.”
Beat him senseless, make him a laughingstock for the whole gang, and make an example of him to the others.
And make sure that female non-commissioned officer never sets foot in the city again. It would be perfect if they could even pressure the battalion to transfer him out.
“Let’s show them exactly what happens when they mess with the Gavial.”
Operations Chief Lauro muttered with a cruel smile.
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