Dawn Traveler

Stories of the Fathers

Part 1

The Earth 12 years ago.

“Soon my second child will be born. Huhu.”

The salary man Yeon-Chul smiled with a slight grin.

The firstborn was growing up like weed, but even more warmth will surround the family with the second child’s birth.

Yeon-Chul spoke to the child inside his wife’s belly.

“When you are born you must grow up healthy.”

40 weeks spent inside her mother’s belly.

The baby would never know how much time the father and mother spent just hoping for the baby to be born safely.

It was difficult to even eat for the mother and she couldn’t even sleep well due to baby sickness. She was fatigued from exhaustion, but she held on with the single wish of the baby being born healthy.

“Don’t worry your mom too much……. It would be great if I can be sick in your stead.”

Yeon-Chul thought about the thousands of things he could do together with the baby, and how will he will raise him as a proud father. (Zix: I guess this didn’t work out so well because Yeonwoo spends practically no time with this world’s parents.)

Then the birth!

The baby was born at the obstetrics.

It was the happiest moment as a father.

However the baby’s facial expression began to become weird after a few days.

“The baby looks like he is scared……”

“What do you mean?”

“He also made the same expression few days ago. It is as if he knew he was getting a shot today.”

“Eh, no way~”

The wife did not think that was possible.

Usually the mother’s opinions were correct since the baby spends all it’s time in the mother’s arm.

However mothers sometimes miss things because of this same reason.

It was a motherly nature to think of their kids to be normal even if they were a little abnormal, and believe they are geniuses  if they are just a little bit smarter.

“It looks like the baby is even understanding what we are saying.”

“There is no wa…… No, I guess it is possible. Since he is a baby, he may be even more sensitive and perceptive.”

Other than the fact that the baby seemed very perceptive, there was nothing else very different about him.

Even if his diaper was changed late, he didn’t cry as if he was being understanding and he didn’t complain about what food he ate either.

‘Is this because the firstborn was too difficult? People say there are some kids that are hard to raise but this is making me worried because he is too easy to raise.’

It was difficult for Yeon-Chul to pay much attention to his kids because he was too busy working at the office.

He was able to pay even less attention when the third and the fourth were born.

Since Yeonwoo also grew up not causing any trouble like other kids, the parents even completely forgot about how he was special when he was a baby.

Then the parents noticed Yeonwoo was sighing a lot when he was seven. He was being evasive and looked surprised when they tried to talk to him.

‘Is this some new trend amongst kids?’

Raising children was a difficult world to understand for adults.

When Yeonwoo became 10, he felt extremely mature regardless of being the 2nd born.

Through his mannerisms and his actions, he showed much more maturity than the firstborn Yeon-Jungsoo. His physical attributes were more kid-like, but even his thought processes were much deeper.

“Hey Yeonwoo. About allowances. You now have times when you need to spend money right.”

“It must be difficult for mother and father to raise four children in this day and age. Please decide on a manageable amount for me.”

“O…okay.”

Even when traveling.

“Is there somewhere you want to go this holiday?”

All the kids rushed to say where they wanted to go when Yeon-Chul asked.

“Let’s go eat pizza.”

“Ocean, Ocean, Ocean!”

Yeonwoo always sighed before speaking.

“It’s all same same regardless of where you go in South Korea. And Yool. The ocean is off limits. It’s a complete rip off.”

“But Oppa-nim. I still want to go.”

“Yeon-Yool. What did I say you have to look out for the most as you live your life?”

“Th….the census?”

“Yea. If you go to the beach now you will be completely blocked out. From the very entrance, it will be filled with people and parking will be difficult as well.”

“How about delicious food?”

“This is not a good season for seafood. The ocean will also be half people and half piss.”

He had a tight grip on his young siblings.

This year he had become 12.

Yeonwoo’s television channel choices have changed vastly.

He watched the 8 o’clock news together with the parents in the living room and he preferred to watch play-writing shows.

One time an episode on rural families came on the television.

“The air must be fresh in the countryside. They also should be less stressed, since they are living in nature.”

“Your body will also get stronger as you diligently farm and raise flowers and trees.”

Yeonwoo then said something.

“But farming is all hard manual labor. You have to work long in a seated position, and carry heavy things with your back bent. It’s not something a city person can do easily. You can’t endure it for long when your bones start to ache in pain. You will suffer arthritis.”

“……..”

It was a correct statement but this wasn’t something an elementary student should be able to concoct.

– His teacher must have told him stories of farmers.

He also spoke bitterly when watching a documentary on miners.

“You can tell right away that is the wrong place. You need to find the vein of the ore properly. Eehuu. It looks like they will accomplish nothing for about a month.”

Story of a blacksmith making kitchen knives using traditional method came on as well.

“Look at that hammering skill. A novice. A complete novice. He must have stopped learning midway.”

“……..”

“Hammering is strength, location, and rhythm. Without embedding the skills into your body, how would anything be accomplished half-assedly like that. Like that, the steel will just shatter after just a few strong hits.”

Raising four children, Yeon-Chul witnessed all sorts of spectacle when he arrived home.

The running around Yeon-Jungsoo, running away Yeon-Taejin, and Yeon-Yool would completely make a mess out of the house after playing with dolls.

Compared to them, all Yeonwoo did was eat and roll around on the floor. His crave for meat was so high, it was to an extent his diet was becoming worrisome.

“Mom. What are we having for dinner today?”

“We are going to eat Bulgogi, one of your favorites.” (Zix: Bulgogi is a Korean meat dish. It is thinly sliced rib-eye marinated in soy-sauce based sauce.)

“Yes! Finally Bulgogi in three months. How long has it been since I had meat.”

“Didn’t you eat it last week?”

“Ah…. you are right.”

His mother looked at Yeonwoo with worry. There were times when he was a little weird.

“You are just a kid, how do you have bad memories.”

“You know. Time travels so fast.”

Other than the fact that he sometimes said weary things, she was glad he was growing up well intelligently.

When she arrived home, she found joy of living in raising her four children.

“Manager Yeon!  What kind of shoddy work is this!”

“I apologize. Director-nim. I will submit after revising it.”

“If you do not properly submit the export results this time, the team 3 might face personal adjustments. Don’t regret later and do well now.”

Yeon-Chul was a manager at an export company.

He had to suffer for company performance and he had to take care of his team members as well as his family at home.

When he arrived home after working until he was about to collapse from exhaustion, he believed only person that knew how he truly felt was his wife, who was also working a full-time job.

Part 2

Marka Continent 13 years ago.

When Rendall heard his wife was pregnant, he almost flew with happiness.

“Finally I am becoming a father too.”

He already had many things he wanted to do when the child was born.

“I must teach swordsmanship. A swordsman strong enough to even slay a knight with a single strike……..!”

He was absolutely no help during the pregnancy.

Because Laurelle was a priestess, she was able to just bless herself anytime there was something wrong with her body.

She even had the might to slay a couple goblins even during morning sickness.

Of all times possible, Jiss was born amidst a dungeon hunt.

“It’s a son.”

A daughter would have to be married off to a merchant or a noble, but he would be able to teach him swordsmanship since it was a son.

“Hurry and grow up fast.”

Jiss grew up like a weed.

Rendall and Laurelle did not know much about infant care.

– Kids grow up on their own if you leave them alone.

Rendall focused on advancing his own swordsmanship.

It was still fortunate for Jiss because some villages raised their children with a leash tied to their necks.

He felt Jiss’s intelligence when he was 3 years old. He was proficient at conversations and he good at handling objects.

– It seems he can’t be a dumb simple-minded swordsman like me.

He taught him swordsmanship, and thankfully Jiss was able to learn other difficult topics such as magic and archery as well.

Hereseh and Lishiansus were great teachers.

– If I had opportunities like this when  I young was too…… I would have been able to become a stronger warrior than I am now. But I am still not jealous. Since I have Laurelle.

Part 3

Rendall was from a small village named Rodox, where he learned swordsmanship from a retired mercenary.

“You absorb all the lessons very well.”

“Will I be able to become a knight with my skills?”

The mercenary made a slight frown with his scar filled face.

“Puhaat. Absolutely impossible. Though you will be able to fill the stomachs of crows on the battlefield well.”

The mercenary evaluated his own swordsmanship as mediocre. However he was still teaching Rendall various skills he had accumulated from 20 years of experience as a mercenary.

“Do you want to become a mercenary as well?”

“Yes sir. All men want to live a life of glory after all.”

“Mercenary? There is no such thing as glory in this job. You would be fortunate to retire early after making a big sum of money.”

“How about you sir?”

“I failed during my youth due to women and money. By the time I set myself straight, my physique was just not the same….. I have many enemies as well, so I am also currently living unable to easily even reveal my name.”

When Rendall reached 17 years old, his father spoke to him.

“I have no land I can leave you behind. It is regretful but you will have to find your own path.”

There were 8 children in that household.

It was time for him to become independent from his father, who barely scraped by farming.

He had to leave the household but he had no animosity towards his father. It was already impressive hard work he had done, not letting his 8 children starve.

Rendall traveled around the Refrea empire while taking on security jobs during harvest celebration seasons  or monster extermination jobs.

“New recruit. Don’t you know how to stand properly? Make sure you stop the enemy for a bit, even if you are going to die. Withstand at least 3 sword strikes! This is why I brought you here after all.”

He had to work through naggings from his mercenary seniors, even for small 1~2 gold jobs that barely covered a month worth a meal.

After a year had passed and he gained combat skills and experience, the amount of insults he received from his seniors decreased.

Since many new recruits chose to be a mercenary as last resort, about ⅓ of the new recruits died within the first year.

Mercenaries were also not well recognized since there were frequent cases of mercenaries killing their client and running away.

As a mercenary who survived the first year, he was now able to do his share and was given real tasks.

Rendall spent 3 years in the Refrea dukedom doing nothing but monster exterminations.

Spring, Fall, Winter.

Excluding summer, under the blazing sun, there was work to be done everywhere.

Since the homeland was mostly consisted of mountains, many monsters thrived since mountains were typically their habitat.

During summer he usually took on merchant escort jobs, and sometimes even accompanied nobles vacationing by the beach.

Rendall did any work available vigorously, and work that he had to put his life on the line provided even more ransom and experience.

After 3 years had passed, he visited home for a short while.

His father, mother, and siblings’ financial situation was not all that different from when he had left.

“This is 140 gold. Father. Please distribute it amongst the kids.”

“…….This is your life’s worth. I understand.”

Rendall then left the Refrea dukedom.

Mercenary work was always available, however he did not want to do monster extermination all his life.

He started his new life as a mercenary, escorting high nobles who had lost in the wide continent to the Gratess empire.

In the dukedom, mercenaries were often equipped with axes or maces since they mostly fought monsters.

However in the empire, even though there were sometimes monsters, most work consisted of dealing with people thus mercenaries typically carried a sword and a small shield.

The nightlife was also quite developed in the empire, since there were many mercenaries who lived drunk on women and alcohol.

“Fourth year as a mercenary. You are clearly skilled since you are of the Refrea dukedom…… Is there a specific type of work you want to do? There is quite of a big proportion difference of money and danger.”

“I desire to travel the world sir.”

“If you can turn a blind eye just for a moment, there is a job where you can make a lot more money…..”

“I appreciate the offer but that is not what I currently want sir.”

“Contact me anytime you have a change of heart.”

He received various task through the mercenary guild.

Solving a dispute between nobles, ancient dungeon exploration, thief extermination, were some of the unique jobs Rendall completed.

A big commission opportunity appeared by the lake side.

Rendall’s current monthly income was 16 gold.

“You will have to go a little far for this one. The commission is three times the normal amount.”

“Is this dangerous work?”

“There is always danger here and there for mercenary jobs. I am asking you because I want trustworthy people for this job. Since the Blue Sail Top gets plenty of applications.”

“I will do it.”

The Blue Sail Top was a giant group who traded all over the world.

Rendall traveled the world for two years with the Blue Sail Top group.

He explored the desert with camels, and also successfully traded with the inhabitants who lived in extremely cold climates.

As he traveled from the far north to south, wherever it was habitable for humans, his dreams grew even though he was just a mercenary.

Many fellow mercenaries and merchant guards also lost their lives.

These years were different from when he was fighting monsters by the city.

There were no castle walls and battle supplies were also not plentiful.

Nothing was more dangerous than encountering a hungry wolf pack in the desert.

This was because the encounter did not end with just a single pack. There were hundreds of wolf pack in the desert. After the first encounter, the group would have to travel while the smell of blood continuously attract more wolf packs.

The final territory Rendall visited with the group was the Earl Mallatte’s territory.

At that time the Blue Sail group had expanded almost recklessly and loaned big sums of money to nobles.

As a civil war broke out in the Lama empire and the loans were not paid back to the Blue Sail group, the group’s operation became difficult.

The wealthy Earl Mallatte took over the Blue Sail Top and kicked out all the contracted mercenaries.

Rendall traveled the continent a bit more when his contracted ended and he arrived at the Gratess empire’s city, Elden.

There was many mercenary work in Elden, since it was a trading central.

“You were with the Blue Sail Top group? You are lucky.”

“What sir?”

“It seems you didn’t hear the news concerning the Mallatte Earl’s family. The Earl executed all of the previous core members of the Blue Sail group and killed all the left over mercenaries as well.”

“How can that be. Isn’t it illegal to execute mercenaries or independent merchants licensed by the empire?”

“Law is a tool the nobles use as their hearts desire and it seems this was the crown’s will as well. This is all because the Blue Sail group barged into Lama empire’s business, where they shouldn’t have.”

“But they had no choice but to lend the Lama empire money to expand their trading……”

“That is why I am saying they were unlucky. And you are considered lucky.”

Rendall found some work during time through personal requests.

There were regular jobs in the mercenary world, as there were dishonest work as well.

Danger always followed liked a shadow, thus work had to be chosen wisely.

7 years of mercenary life.

Just the fact that he never had big injuries such as losing an arm or a leg, Rendall was considered a skilled veteran in the trade.

There were even some mercenary groups that wanted to recruit Rendall.

“I apologize. Sorry but I am just too accustomed to traveling alone.”

“You won’t have any regrets joining a group of our caliber. You can never receive a big recognition without building a den.”

“For now, I would like to travel alone freely.”

“It seems you are not a real mercenary yet. Opportunity isn’t something that come around often, so you will end up regretting later on.”

The might of mercenary groups consisted of 100 to 200 members was no laughing matter.

Through negotiations they were usually commissioned twice the normal amount mercenaries were given, four times if time sensitive, and sometimes even up to 5 times.

However the amount of danger was proportional to the commission as well.

When two nobles fought they usually stopped after superiority was determined, but sometimes the two fought with purpose to completely rid of each other.

As it is said even the mercenaries of the losing side are all executed if unlucky, the Gwyn Co. Mercenary group that was trying to recruit Rendall was recently annihilated.

The retired mercenary that taught Rendall the sword long ago, always said this as if it was a habit.

“It is good to stop doing mercenary work as soon as possible. If you think you earned enough money, get your hands off it right away. As you endure losing a limb or two, you will end up losing your neck as well. No, for a mercenary that may even be a blessing. Since there are mercenaries who end up becoming human experiments for magicians.”

1600 gold.

He made enough money to retire for the rest of his life if he were to live frugally.

He worked hard following merchants around, and saved the money he earned instead of spending them.

Rendall’s age is now 24. Physically he was at his peak, but he saw a wall when it came to mercenary work.

He had to see blood and death, and even comrades and requests couldn’t be completely trusted.

“I should decide which city I want to settle in. It should be a great place if I have to live there forever.”

To choose what city he wanted to settle in, he chose nothing but Gratess empire transit jobs.

He was able to earn a decent amount of wage thanks to his large mercenary experience.

But then tragically, when he just arrived at the Barikade castle, a mass of hungry monsters attacked the castle.

A small castle with only a feeble population of 5000, just a recent addition to the Gratess empire.

It was there, where Rendall met Nedhand.

“You bastards. Come have a taste of my axe!”

Part 4

Rendall and Nedhand’s first impressions of each other weren’t very good.

‘It’s a short dwarf. He has a lot of mustache.”

‘Skinny feeble looking human. How would a common mercenary wooden stick be of any help in a battle.’

Three thousand monsters from the Metice mountain range stormed the Barikade castle.

Every year monster population needed to be kept in check through extermination, however it was ignored for the last few years due to a quarrel between the two nearby nobles.

Three cities have already fallen to the monsters due to this quarrel.

So now even Barikade castle, which hasn’t been sieged for over 100 years, was being attacked.

The captain of security yelled with a loud voice.

“Hold for a bit longer. One day, at most in two days, Earl Basad’s reinforcements will arrive! These pathetic monsters will be easily repelled!”

Rendall nose laughed.

‘There is no way that will happen.’

From the captain of security’s point of view, he had only said this to calm the soldiers and the residents.

However there was no way 3000 monster army would not instill fear in a person.

The Gelko!

They were 2 meter tall lizard like monsters that ran on top of two feet.

They were much smarter than regular hunting dogs and was much faster than them. They traveled in packs and ate anything in their path.

As they laid hundreds of eggs at a time, they sometimes ate each other because they hated being hungry.

If they were not cannibalistic, there probably wouldn’t be anything left on the continent except the Gelkos.

If there was a pack of Gelkos attacking the Barikade castle, there was also a big chance that the surrounding cities were being attacked as well.

The situation was practically a mass catastrophe.

Rendall did not spoke out loud but he prepared for his last moments.

‘I didn’t think today was going to be my last day. I finally wanted to stop doing mercenary work and settle down…….’

The mercenary guild had a record of the Gelko attack 24 years ago, and it was written 7 cities and 31 villages were completely destroyed.

‘There isn’t going to be any reinforcement. We will have to hold by ourselves for a week in the least. This is futile.’

All of the adult male residents of Barikade castle were turned into foot soldiers.

It was the same case for Rendall who came with the merchant.

“A mercenary. Do you know how to use the sword?”

“Yes sir.”

“How long have you been a mercenary?”

“7 years sir.”

“Really? Where are you from?

“The Refrea dukedom sir.”

“That area is an area famous for its monster population…… It is fine if I check your mercenary card to confirm your speaking the truth yes?”

Mercenary guilds used magic to leave some marks on the mercenary cards. The card holder’s name, experience, illegal activities, referrals and such were recorded on the card.

It acted as identification when the owner traveled to other territories.

“So it is true. Your commission cost is high as well. You seem like you probably made more money than me as well?”

Rendall was a mercenary but he was a given a role of a 100 man commander.

He was given 30 regular soldiers, and the rest were drafted residents equipped with a spear.

“Support the easy side. Just remember the fact all will be lost if we lose the castle walls.”

It was a task given by force but if the castle wall fell, everyone would be in danger.

Rendall fought the Gelkos on the east wall with the soldiers like he was going to die.

Every time a soldier died, he has to fill in the gap.

Only thing he trusted was his physique and swordsmanship. He swung his sword coldly with focus even when he was just by the death’s doorstep.

‘This might be the place I will die, but right now is not that moment. I will protect the residents even if it is just one more I can kill.’

When a battle breaks out, the fate of many lives depend on the commander.

The leader of security was a reasonable competent person.

He asked Rendall of the tendencies of the Gelko.

“I don’t know much about them as well. However due to their voracious appetite, it is said their only objective is to eat.”

“Hm. If that is the case. If we give them our food, will they go away?”

“No sir. Even though they are intelligent, the way they think is different that of a human’s”

“What do you mean?”

“To them it will look like food is giving them food. They will have no reason to go away.”

“Haa~. Still, I should try to utilize something.”

Every time the battle ended, the inhabitants threw the corpses outside the castle wall.

Gelko devoured anything and everything.

The inhabitants were able to rest thanks to the Gelkos fighting amongst each other while eating the corpses, and it weakened the Gelkos’ cohesion as well.

Even so, even with the forcefully drafted soldiers, the fighting force of the castle was merely about 2000 and the Gelkos easily outnumbered that amount.

Taking the fact that a single Gelko can fight 3 soldiers in an open plain or the forest, even with the advantage of having the castle wall, there were simply too many of them.

Rendall slew over 40 Gelkos on his own.

He was a godly figure no other soldiers could possibly emulate.

The captain of security who was covered in blood gave an order.

“Throw the consumables outside of the castle walls.”

“Captain!”

The soldiers were shocked by the order but the captain had a plan.

“Brew a fight amongst the monsters by throwing food amongst them. This is to make the monsters fight each other for food and deter them from attacking the castle walls.”

The women and even the children started to cook food.

“Kuhuhu. There is no way I, Nedhand, will become Gelko food! Though I am tough and untasty…… Yea, the scent of beer must be deeply soaked into my skin. Either way the dwarven God Woogendal-nim will not allow me to die.”

By using the contraption that was rapidly created by the dwarf Nedhand, the inhabitants launched the food outside the castle walls.

Lots of spices were used to cook the food to maximize the strategy’s efficiency.

When would a monster have a chance to eat a properly cooked food. The strategy stopped the monsters’ charge, and it caused them to fight amongst each other for food.

Two weeks since the showdown.

The food within the walls were all depleted and the Gelko army was still 1200 strong.

The people were barely able to sleep and had to always fight.

They had to chase down 10 Gelkos that made within the castle walls one time, and the castle door was also almost destroyed once before.

Soldier injury assessment 80%.

Even soldiers with an arm missing ran into battle, after only receiving simple first aid treatment to protect their family.

The captain, whose hair had turned white, tenaciously commanded the soldiers.

“Lift up your swords. Die while fighting! Even if you were to enter the Gelko’s mouth……. Protect your family!”

It was then when the reinforcements arrived.

The Earl Basad’s family.

5 Magic Armors and 120 knights came and swept away the Gelkos like the autumn leaves.

Every time the Magic Armors swung their swords, five to six heads of the Gelkos exploded.

Rendall couldn’t do anything else but to stare at the ordeal with the leftover soldiers dumbfounded.

“Shining Blade!”

The Magic Armor’s monster extermination magic activation.

The giant blade of light rotated on the plain and cut the Gelkos in two.

With the chase of the Knights, the ruthless monsters were completely terminated in mere two hours.

“We..we won.”

“We are alive!”

Rendall and the soldiers sat as their legs gave out.

They had just barely, survived by a thread.

The following probation measures.

As Rendall was a mercenary and was drafted only due to emergency measures, he was not compensated for anything.

The visiting merchants had huge loss in profit as well.

The horses and the carriages were destroyed, and about half of the male merchants also lost their lives.

Asking the Earl for compensation was a pointless act as well. Not only he won’t grant you an audience, you had to take care of yourself to survive afterwards anyways.

The losses were great but people were glad just for the fact that they still had their lives, and they were able to move onto the next city.

Before leaving, Rendall observed the probation process of the knights.

The captain who led the soldiers for two weeks and led them to victory was beheaded, and his head was hung high on the gate of the castle.

“Hear me citizens. Not only this fool threw away food to the monsters, he was not able to prepare the defenses in advance so the city was heavily harmed. If it wasn’t for this bastard the monsters would have never charged in like this, and the glorious knights would have arrived earlier as well.”

One of the Earl’s knight confidently declared.

“How can this be………!”

The merchant knocked on Rendall’s shoulder when he saw his shocked expression.

“This is how everything is. From the Earl’s point of view, wouldn’t he have to calm down the situation as fast as possible. It seems he is trying to relieve the rage of the citizens this way.”

“But that man was a hero.”

“It turns out he had a knight background.”

“If he was a knight, isn’t there all the more reason for him to be honored?”

“That’s all in the past. Nowadays knights without a magic armors are as same as the expendable peace keeping police. Since all wars between the empires are determined by the magic armor.”

This was the first time Rendall had seen a magic armor.

The actual number of magic armors was top secret, however it was known the Gratess empire had at least a thousand or so.

More than half of the amount was dispatched at the empire’s main force, and there were considerable amount within the king’s personal army as well.

The rest of the armors that the nobles had weren’t that many.

Earl Barad’s family was also just barely able to borrow 5 magic armors through their resourcefulness.

“Forget about it. I don’t know if there is justice in this world but the nobles are the law here.”

Even after Rendall left the castle following the merchants, that day’s event kept crawling into his mind.

There was a limit to how high commoners can climb, no matter how hard they tried.
“To have a stable life in this world……. Is this privilege only given to the nobles who own land and soldiers, or knights who ride the magic armor?”