Harun

《Relationship on the atlas》

 The compounding process took quite a long time .

 At the beginning of the process Haroon interestedly observed the old men working to see if he could learn anything from them, but it was too complicated and they used too many ingredients for him to remember .

 ‘I’ll just read books . ’

 Haroon sat in a corner of the bas.e.m.e.nt, and started reading books that Kaltz wrote or collected . It was his first time reading a book written in the language of the Teronn Empire, but one of the users’ special abilities was that they could read any language . He had no problem reading the book .

 Haroon started reading the book about external trauma . The basic knowledge he learned from the legacy of the Ra empire helped him a lot . He wouldn’t have understood a thing otherwise .

 He learned first aid methods in the Mercenaries Academy, but the book that he was reading was on another level . It started with how to properly disinfect wounds, and went into detail on how to reattach broken bones and reconnect snapped muscles . Anything about treating external wounds was written in great details .

 He read the book several times, memorizing any part he couldn’t understand . It was when he thought he understood a good amount of the book .

[You have learned a new skill – Traumateraphy’!
Now you can treat external wounds yourself . ]

 Haroon could see how valuable books that teach skills to whomever reads them were . Being proud of learning something new, Haroon stood up and looked at the old men . They were still busy working on the antidotes . They knew what each other needed, how, and when they should help just by looking at each other . It seems that they’ve been working for a long time .

 The next book he picked up was about compounding medical remedies . He opened the book and flipped through a few pages then put it back on the shelf . It wasn’t about understanding but memorizing the whole recipe, and each recipe was two or three pages long .

 Giving up on that book, he pulled out a book about herbology . It was five or six times thicker than other books, but it had many ill.u.s.trations in it so Haroon thought it would be a good read .

 Instructor Hector of the Mercenaries Academy taught Haroon quite a lot of herbs, which were present in the book as well, mostly in earlier pages . But what he learned was basically nothing compared to the detail of the book . Back then he learned knowledge focused on common herbs, and the book was describing the same herbs in better detail, it was two or three times more detailed than what he’d learned .

 The ill.u.s.trations were about the herbs’ appearance and their differences in seasons, roots, stems, leaves and fruits . It had examples on how they are used and in which circ.u.mstances . It wasn’t only about theoretical but practical uses .

 Haroon slowly became absorbed in the book, forgetting the old men were present with him . It was even more interesting as it was about herbology which he thought he knew the basics of . Unlike the traumateraphy one he read, he could easily understand the contents if he read it a few times . He eventually finished the last page, and closed the book .

 ‘This is a precious book . ’

 The writing style and handwriting was different on each type of herb, as it was written by tens of authors . Also it had many sentences interpolated between the sentences, which meant the book was written over several generations .

 Soon a U . I . sound was heard in his ears that amplified the joy of learning .

[Focus, Intelligence, Wisdom are increased by a point each . ]
[You have mastered Level 1 of Emergency Treatment . ]
[You have mastered Level 1 of Compound Remedy . ]
[You have been granted the t.i.tle “Novice Medic . ”
As a reward, All of your stats have gained a point . ]

 He wasn’t sure if he would use it, but it still felt great .

 “Hahaha! And I thought this pal was an ignorant pal only good at fights when you said he was the merc who killed an ironsnake, but he can read books all day!”

 He looked over . The four old men were resting .

 “You idiot . You think a good fighter can kill an ironsnake? He was able to kill an ironsnake because he also likes reading . What do you say, Kaltz?”

 “Pero’s right . I knew he wasn’t just an ordinary all brawn and no brain merc at first glance . That’s why I had to ask him, explaining the full story . ”

 “Haha! Well, aren’t you hungry, though? You’ve spent a full day reading that book . ”

 Only after listening to the old men did Haroon realized he’d spent a whole day reading the book . He thought that such concentration was a good ability to have, but he was afraid that it might damage his body . ‘What if it happens again and someone decides to attack me?’

  “I lost track of time as the book was such a good read . I learned herbology from Hector, and I realized how little I knew after reading this book . ”

  “You’re a student of Hector? Really?”

 Pero jumped up to his feet and came to Haroon .

 “Yes . I met him in the Mercenaries Academy . He was a great teacher to me . ”

 “What a coincidence! Hector is my savior . And you’re a student of my savior . I can’t believe this!”

 “Really?”

 The world was strange . A mercenary and a herbalist became friends just like that .

 They headed upstairs and greeted the bright sunlight . Having a nice meal together, they spent time talking to each other . They talked about Hector, and the kid who was saved with the antidotes they’d just compound, and back to the herbs . It was mostly Haroon asking and the old men answering him .

 They went back to the bas.e.m.e.nt after the talk . Kaltz handed Haroon thirty sealed gla.s.s bottles and another thirty bottles .

 “So these are the antidotes . ”

 “Mmhm . Those thirty bottles are the antidotes that you asked for . Also, these are ten bottles of external wound treatments, and another ten are for internal wounds . The rest are potions that boosts your power to three times by drawing out your latent potential . But you’ll have to rest for a week after the effect ends, so be careful when using them . ”

 Surprised, Haroon looked at the potions and Kaltz’s face back and forth . It was surprising enough to see treatments that are used separately for external and internal wounds unlike potions, but he never thought power boosting medicine existed .

 “Those are made with our secret recipes, don’t even say a word about them . Otherwise you’re killing us before we naturally return to earth soon . ”

 Haroon couldn’t thank the old men enough after seeing how tired their faces were after the complex process of compounding antidotes .

 “That’s really kind of you . I really appreciate it . And also…… . ”

 Haroon took out a pocket and handed it to them . It was a pocket of jewels and mana stones that were worth ten thousand Gold, half of the reward that Seryu gave him . That was something Haroon separated from the reward earlier to give to them .

 “What is this?”

 Kaltz looked at Haroon, waiting for further explanation .

 “To be honest with you, I earned some money using your map . ”

 Then he explained everything . They understood why Haroon was doing so, and smiled back .

 “I wouldn’t have been able to get there if it wasn’t for your map . ”

 “I see . But it still would have been hard with our map . ”

 Kaltz didn’t receive the pocket, smiling .

 “We moved by seeing the map you gave me and the map my client had . Thanks to the maps we were able to bypa.s.s dangerous places, and move safely and fast . Fortunately enough the place my client was looking for was only five days away from the last point the map lead . ”

 “Hahaha! I don’t think I can receive it though . This isn’t something you have to give us . ”

 Kaltz laughed broadly seeing his friends . It seemed they didn’t want the money, but they liked how commendable Haroon was .

 “Yes, I have to . That’s the money I earned with your map . And I want to help those herb gathers who can’t go to Huk’rans because of the monsters enraged by people . They’re worth ten thousand Gold so it should be enough to cover the damage . ”

 “Ten thousand Gold? You’re giving us that much?”

 Only after Haroon mentioned covering the damage did Kaltz accept the pocket and saw the contents . Well refined items were shining inside . If they were really worth ten thousand Gold, it was more than enough to help the herbalists and their families who couldn’t enter the Huk’ran Mountains because of the enraged monsters .

 “What about you?”

 “I have my cut . You gave me antidotes and other precious potions, what more can I ask for? I don’t need more, and seeing Namirae smile was good enough for me . ”

 Kaltz and his friends delightedly looked at each other . Their faces that were wrinkled by time while exploring every corner of the Empire to find rare herbs were full of smiles .

 “Hahaha! You’re making me receive it if you put it like that . ”

 Kaltz picked up the skin of the ironsnake that he rolled and put aside, mumbling as if he found it too valuable just to spare .

 “This is harder than any leather I’ve seen or heard of . That incapable Tarim wouldn’t even dare to put his hands on it . If you happen to explore the northern part of the Empire, visit Talent Meister Village . Only the dwarfs or the meisters of that village would know how to properly handle it . ”

 “Kaltz, I’ve already been given enough, honestly”

 “Nah, just put this in your bag . I was just messing with you when I picked it up . Why would this old man need an ironsnake’s skin? Just keep it well . An armor set made with it would easily be worth thousands of Gold . ”

 Haroon hesitated for a bit, then took the skin from Kaltz’ hands .

 “Thank you . Well, then I-”

 “Wait . We’re not done yet . ”

 Kaltz stopped Haroon leaving, and sat him on a chair .

 “Have you ever heard of the Herbal Guild?”

 “No . ”

 “The Herbal Guild was never known to the public . It’s a guild we herbalists established, but we don’t have our own forces to protect us, so we were concerned that we might get wrongly used for political reasons . That’s why we’ve been hiding the guild from the world . ”

 “What do you mean you’ll get used?”

 Haroon couldn’t think of any special reason to use herbalists .

 “We’re people who go to dangerous places full of monsters and beasts . So of course, we’d have information on geographical features of the Empire . Our knowledge doesn’t end there but to monsters’ habitats and climates . ”

 Haroon’s eyes lit up on Kaltz’s words .

 “Which means…… . ?”

 “Which means they could use our intelligence to fight wars in their favor . Even though the wars in the Empire only break out during the Golden Battles or territory wars . ”

 Haroon realized he’d underappreciated the value of the herbalists .

 The herbalists even knew a great deal of geographical information on The Huk’ran Mountains when it was infamous for being one of the forbidden areas . Their intelligence was far more valuable than that of the hunters or explorers .

 “The history of our guild is so long that n.o.body knows exactly how far back it goes . Though we aren’t as organized as the other guilds, the senior herbalists who visit this castle twice a year have extensive knowledge on the area they were born and raised in . The information that previous herbalists collected over thousands of years is still being improved even now . ”

 In other words, the herbalists were sharing what they found and were collecting it into one giant encyclopedia of some sort . The information that countless herbalists collected for a very long time would be impressive in terms of both quality and quant.i.ty .

 “The most important thing for us herbalists would be where the herbs are found, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need anything else . Great instinct for avoiding monsters, a swift body, stamina and survival skills, these are all needed to be a good herbalist, and as for material things, the ability to make an antidote that can detoxify any poison would be the most precious one . The ironsnake that you brought to us was not something that can be easily obtained . And thanks to you, we were able to make the best antidotes which haven’t been possible to make for the last thousand years . So we decided to share the information the Herbal guild has . We’re sure that you wouldn’t misuse it . I hope you can find a good use for it . ”

 Kaltz handed Haroon something . It was a very thick book . Haroon flipped through some pages to find out it was an atlas made with hundreds of maps . He hesitated to receive the atlas knowing its value .

 “I really appreciate it that you’re giving this to me, but maybe this is too much for a mercenary who simply worked on your request . ”

 “Haha . Maybe . But we know what we’re doing . You’re certainly a special person with great abilities . With things becoming chaotic in the Empire, wouldn’t the Herbal Guild need a trustworthy fighter friend? In the history of the Herbal Guild, there was a record saying that a thousand years ago a guy who people called the legendary throwing knife master had protected the Herbal guild in the chaotic age when the Empire was established . ”

 “The legendary throwing knife master?”

 Haroon’s face changed when he heard Kaltz .

 “Who was legendary . Some say they aren’t real or it’s an exaggerated legend, but we know very well who they were . They were one of the greatest fighters, and many sword masters and great magicians fell before their a.s.sa.s.sination skills like the falling leaves in the autumn winds . They say not even the best knights nor magicians could fight them . Some say their father was a herbalist as well . We heard that’s how they joined the herbal guild, protecting the guild from the front or back, and they were the one who killed an ironsnake for the first time . At the time, the herbal guild was able to make the greatest medicines with the ironsnakes they killed, which helped the herbalists in the times of wars . ”

 “Who was legendary . Some say they aren’t real or it’s an exaggerated legend, but we know very well who they were . They were one of the greatest fighters, and many sword masters and great magicians fell before their a.s.sa.s.sination skills like the falling leaves in the autumn winds . They say not even the best knights nor magicians could fight them . Some say their father was a herbalist as well . We heard that’s how they joined the herbal guild, protecting the guild from the front or back, and they were the one who killed an ironsnake for the first time . At the time, the herbal guild was able to make the greatest medicines with the ironsnakes they killed, which helped the herbalists in the times of wars . ”

 Haroon never imagined the legendary throwing knife master whom he revered would be related to the Herbal guild . He figured that the legendary throwing knife master was trying to kill the ironsnakes seeing how he’d found a legacy from them from the dead ironsnake, but never thought it was related to the herbalists .

 He imagined that the legendary throwing knife master deliberately didn’t retrieve the knowledge fragment and their knife for their successor to find . There was no way that they wouldn’t have been able to retrieve them .

 “This atlas is one of many magical atlases that Wartz the magician made for the Herbal guild as a gift for saving his life from a fatal wound . These atlases made with the most invaluable materials and his 8-circle master spells contain every bit of information the herbalists record . New records can also be entered or updated . They are the most precious things the guild has . ”

 “Then why are you giving me this?”

 It was a much appreciated gift, but too much to receive . He wasn’t a resident of Beyond, and he wasn’t going to be a herbalist . It would be useful, but it wasn’t like he absolutely needed it .

 “We’re living in chaotic days . This is the first chaotic age after the rise of the Teronn Empire . Not to mention the outlanders who appeared as the oracles told, we have the most imperial successors in history . Many young men were drafted for the Golden Battle, and its changed the life of common people like us or farmers . ”

 It was Elser’s father Piel who was first to tell Haroon they were facing the most chaotic age, and now it was Kaltz who was thinking the same . Haroon started to think that it all started because of the emergence of the outlanders, but he was interrupted as Kaltz continued .

 “We decided to give you this as we saw what you can do and what kind of person you are . We’re not forcing you to promise to protect us . We’re giving this to you because we believe that you’ll use it for a good purpose . If there’s anything we want from you, it would be filling in informations that we couldn’t get because we aren’t as strong as you who killed an ironsnake in that h.e.l.l-like place . We also want you to be our friend whom we weak herbalists can rely on, just like how the legendary throwing knife master befriended our ancestors . ”

 Haroon was moved by how they trusted him even though he only met them twice . He didn’t want to betray their trust . And since the legendary throwing knife master was a friend of the Herbal guild, it felt like they weren’t any strangers to him .

 “I don’t need the atlas to be your friend . I won’t turn my back on the people whom I can help . But the atlas, it’s too mu-”

 “Don’t worry about it . Take it . It was the unanimous decision of us who don’t have much time until we return to the earth . You know, unanimous decisions don’t happen between us that often . To be honest with you, we considered giving this away to heroes or high-ranking n.o.bles several times . But we didn’t, because it was our rule to act on unanimous decisions . ”

 Haroon took the atlas, feeling both grat.i.tude and the heavy responsibility . On the cover, there was a small drawing of five leaves with red fruits . He inspected the book .

Atlas: Teronn Empire

Cla.s.s: Unregistered

An atlas written by the Herbal guild over thousands of years . It has information about: terrains, geographical information, monster types and their habitats, herb locations etc . It can be updated real-time through other atlases .

Having 20 points or more on E . S . P . allows the holder to access the data by thinking without opening the atlas .

 Kaltz explained how to use the atlas .

 “First you have to put a drop of blood on the root of the herb on the drawing . That’ll let the atlas know that you’re a friend of the Herbal guild and the new owner of the atlas . Long ago, the legendary throwing knife master returned it instead of giving it to their successor so the new rite has to be done . ”

 Haroon emotionally looked at the atlas . It wasn’t simply an atlas, but the atlas that the legendary throwing knife master used . It was like a strong relation being established between them and him . . So it felt like some kind of energy was being absorbed through his hands when receiving it .

 As Kaltz said, Haroon made a small cut at the tip of his finger with his dagger, and dropped a drop of blood on the point mentioned . Interestingly, the color became vivid from the root, to the stem, leaves and fruits . Haroon couldn’t repress the amazement he felt as the atlas felt like a living thing .

 “If you want to know the route to your destination, simply put your finger on the desired location and the map will zoom in and show your current location and the route to the destinations . Detailed information between two points will be shown as well, such as geographical information, monsters’ habitat and registered herb locations . If you find anything new, put your finger on that mouth drawing and say the information, and the atlas will record it for you . The atlas will update the other five . That’s how we’ve been filling that atlas . ”

 ‘Ho! That’s amazing!’ Haroon thought to himself, amazed .

 Beyond had a strange civilization that has items that work in such way that were beyond imagination . But such item didn’t even exist in the real world, where the technology was advanced enough to develop virtual reality games .

 Just like the map he received prior to the journey to The Huk’ran Mountains, the map had such detailed information, only better by showing it with the image magic similar to the hologram technology in the real world .

 “Thank you . I promise I won’t misuse it, and I’ll do my best to protect you, my friends . ”

 “Farewell, my pal . I’ll pray for your well-being . ”

 Haroon left Kaltz’s herb shop with great joy . Now it was time for him to visit Tarim’s leather workshop .

 “So, what do you think?”

 Kaltz asked his friends, sadly looking at Haroon leaving .

 Kaltz asked his friends, sadly looking at Haroon leaving .

 “I found him trustworthy . He’s survived The Huk’ran Mountains, the Devil’s land which took the lives of countless herbalists, knights and magicians . Like the legendary throwing knife master was a good friend to our ancestors, he’ll be a good friend of us . ”

 “Indeed . ”

 “I think the same . I don’t like how he seems to be hiding somethings from us, but he’s honest and talented . ”

 “Well, I knew he was a good person at first glance . That’s why I took him to Kaltz . We made a good decision . Anyways, we gotta let our guild members know we’ve made a good new friend!”

 The old men went back to their work . They still had a lot of things left to do . They’d gotten the best medical material, so they had many medicines to make . They also had to go around saving people with the antidotes .

 “Father! He’s here!”

 The workshop went all noisy at the news Tarim’s oldest son spread as he happened to be watching over the street . Haroon entered the shop and greeted Tarim who came running to see him, and his sons .

  “Have you been well?”

 “Hahaha! For what reason wouldn’t we have been well? We were worried about you going to the Devil Orcs though . So, have you got the lumps?”

 Tarim and his sons looked at him with expectations in their eyes .

 “Yes, fortunately . ”

 Haroon took out the lumps that he’d luckily

 “Woah! You really got twenty of them . I knew you were an amazing guy . ”

 They showed their thumbs up to Haroon, and inspected the lumps he’d luckily gotten .

 “Alright . That’ll do! They’re in great condition . Well, you may go if you want . It’ll take half a month to enchant, so come back to us after that . . We’ll make something so amazing that your eyes will pop out . Be ready for it . ”

 Haroon was perplexed to hear that, but didn’t express it and thanked him .

 “Thank you . ”

 “Nah, we should thank you . Anyways, it seems like we’ve got enough lumps to make more armor sets . Just take a rest and don’t worry about the armors, we’ll take good care of them . ”

 They dismissed Haroon and went into their workshop as if they feared Haroon taking more of their time . They seemed to be excited about the lumps . Haroon smiled seeing their professional mindset, and left the workshop .

 He heard the U . I . sound that alerts the completion of the quest as he left .

“It’s gonna take two weeks? What should I do then?”

 Haroon sighed deeply at the news he just got from the workshop . He thought they would have gotten everything ready so that it wouldn’t take long after he got the lumps, but that wasn’t really how it went . He was sure that enchanting wouldn’t really take more than two weeks, so they must have been waiting for him just in case Haroon couldn’t get the lumps .

 ‘Now my members will be really angry at me . ’

 He’d promised a month, and now it was going to be two months .

 ‘Ha, I should go somewhere and logout for now . ’

 Haroon headed to the square which would be full of users . He was sure there would be somewhere where he could logout with ease .

 The weight of his eyelids were no joke, as he’s spent a night awake reading the book . His body wasn’t tired, but he was mentally exhausted from the focus .

 Still, he couldn’t hide his smile at the thought he’d be able to see Brat again .

Translator: Channy
Editor: Kmatt