ITDG 06

Chapter 6

Dermo walked down the dirt path after leaving the inn.
A half-step ahead of him was James.

James said he had someone to introduce and told Dermo to follow him.
Watching the direction they were heading, Dermo could roughly guess where they were going.

“Is it okay for the owner to leave the shop unattended?”
“My wife’s watching the place, so it’s fine,” James replied, holding a lantern that lit up the road ahead.

That was the last bit of conversation.

After that, an awkward silence fell between them until they arrived in front of a house.
From the light leaking through the window, it seemed someone was inside.

Bang! Bang!

“Village chief! Open the door, will you!”

James pounded hard on the door.

Before long, sounds of movement came from beyond it — heavy breathing, followed by a grumbling voice.

“How many times have I told you? Knock gently! The door’s about to fall off as it is, and you’ll be the one who breaks it, damn it!”

The door soon opened.
Through the narrow gap appeared the bald-headed village chief, Bruno.

“You could just build a new one…”

“Unless you’re paying for it, don’t start. Anyway, what’s going on at this hour? And who’s that young man covered head to toe in dirt?”

Bruno glanced at Dermo.

James immediately answered, his tone full of excitement.

“Chief, we’ve finally found him — the mercenary who’ll hunt the demons for us.”

The deep frown that had been etched on Bruno’s face instantly disappeared, replaced by a bright smile.

“The night air’s cold. Come in, come in!”

He opened the door wide and ushered Dermo inside.

The interior was tidy. There wasn’t much clutter — the kind of neatness expected from someone living alone.
On the table were dishes still steaming; Bruno must have been in the middle of dinner.

“Have you eaten yet? If not, would you like to join me?”
“It looks like you’ve only made enough for one person.”

Dermo shook his head politely.

Bruno, however, waved him off as he moved toward the kitchen.

“I cooked enough for tomorrow too, so don’t worry about portions. Take a seat. James, you eating?”
“I’m fine, thanks.”

Dermo sat down at the table, and soon Bruno returned with a warm bowl of soup.

Unlike his own bowl, which had almost no meat, the one he gave Dermo was filled with it.

“Thank you,” Dermo said, and immediately dipped his spoon into the soup.
He hadn’t eaten a proper meal all day, so there was no way he could sit still before filling his stomach.

“You must be very hungry,” Bruno said, smiling faintly as he watched Dermo eat in haste.

As he did, his eyes carefully studied the mercenary.

“How many demons have you slain so far, Mercenary?”

Dermo knew perfectly well that Bruno was testing him.

Without pausing his spoon, he replied,
“I’ve never counted, but… quite a few.”

It wasn’t a lie.

He had slain countless demons before —
Though since being trapped in this world, only two.

“And my name is Dermo,” he added.
“No need for formal speech — talk to me as you would with James.”
“Ah, if you insist.”

James folded his arms and chimed in,
“He’s the real deal, Chief. Don’t worry. He brought back a demon’s corpse today, after all.”

“What? Which one?”
“Bolgor.”

“Bolgor, you say? So even that one’s appeared… Why are demons showing up so frequently all of a sudden…”

Bruno’s expression darkened.

Dermo, who had already eaten half his soup, joined in on the conversation.

“So, what kind of demons am I supposed to deal with?”

Bruno answered immediately.

“First-class demons — Pirovis and Darnuk.”

Pirovis was a flying creature that constantly spewed fire.
It would be easier to face with flame-resistant armor or an artifact imbued with that effect,
but there was no way to obtain one right now.

Darnuk, on the other hand, had skin as hard as stone — a troublesome brute in its own way.

“There’s one more, isn’t there?” Dermo asked.

“Well…” Bruno hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“There isn’t much information. A traveler entering the village claimed to have seen something with a demon’s eyes in the distance. It could be one of the two I mentioned earlier… or just a trick of the imagination.”

Dermo stroked his chin, deep in thought.

Pirovis and Darnuk — both of them were difficult opponents.

But what he truly feared was the unknown one.

That one… could it be…

He was pulled from his thoughts by Bruno’s voice.

“The pay is one gold per demon. Will you take the job?”

Right then, a translucent window appeared before Dermo’s eyes.

[Sub Quest: Eliminate all demons near Silverrook.]
Reward: “Increased Favor with Silverrook Residents,” “+5 Reputation”
Refusal: –5 Reputation
Failure: Death

‘So basically… no choice but to accept.’

Reputation was an essential factor for survival and progress.
With high reputation, people would treat you better, and recruiting skilled allies would become easier.

But if it dropped below zero, even being treated as a person could become difficult.

“Alright. I’ll take the job. But I’m keeping ownership of the soul stones.”
“Agreed.”

“By any chance, do you have a hammer?”
“A hammer? I can lend you one, sure… but what for?”
“It’ll come in handy when I deal with Darnuk.”

Among the known demons, Dermo decided to take down Darnuk first.
A flying enemy like Pirovis would be too much for him right now.

But more importantly, defeating Darnuk could grant him a skill useful against Pirovis later.

“Hold on, I’ll fetch one,” Bruno said and quickly stepped outside.

He soon returned with a hammer in hand.

“Here you go.”
“I’ll return it when I’m done.”

Dermo took it and stored it in his inventory.

Both men’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

“Spatial magic? You can use magic too?”
“A magician, huh! Seems James wasn’t exaggerating about your skill!”

They had mistaken the inventory for magic, but Dermo didn’t bother correcting them.
There was no need to explain the system to them anyway.

Clatter, clatter.

Dermo finished the rest of his meal quickly.
Compared to the berries he’d been surviving on, this was truly satisfying.

Looking around for a drink, he caught Bruno’s quick glance — the old man immediately handed him a cup of water.

After drinking, Dermo rose from his seat and grabbed the lantern James had brought.

“I’ll borrow this, James.”
“Where are you going?”
“To hunt demons.”

“Now? At this hour? The sun’s down — wouldn’t it be safer to go in the morning? It’s dark, your vision’s limited, and there’s no harm in being cautious.”

He wasn’t wrong.

But Dermo had already made up his mind.

Time was precious —
Every moment mattered if he wanted to grow stronger by hunting demons.

“Chief, could you walk me to the village entrance and explain where Darnuk was last seen?”
“How about you listen to James and wait until morning?”
“I’m going now.”

Bruno let out a quiet sigh.

Looking into Dermo’s eyes, he realized there was no changing his mind.