Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Western City (1)

Anagin had answered that he wanted to become a God for a good reason.

“……”

The Old Man fell silent, perhaps at a loss for words.

But that was only for a moment. After some time passed, the Old Man spoke up.

“I don’t know the way to become a God myself. However, I do know about two methods of Asceticism. Though I only heard them secondhand.”

The Old Man emphasized that last part.

He explained the two methods of Asceticism.

The first, he said, was to go to the ‘Delphi Temple.’

If you were lucky, you could immediately catch a god’s eye and be chosen, and even if you were unlucky, you could at least gain the opportunity to be chosen by a god.

He said that if you went to the Delphi Temple and were chosen by a god, the god would give you a task, and if you succeeded in that task, the god would bestow a blessing upon you.

“Blessings come in many forms. There are various kinds—powerful strength, rare magic, health and youth, a long lifespan, good fortune.”

He said that some Ascetics, having received such blessings, founded nations under a god’s patronage and became kings, or left their names in history as heroes or great figures.

“Of course, you could become a god yourself. Granted divinity by a god, becoming a star in the heavens. We call this ‘Cheoncheon.’”

Cheoncheon—reaching the heavens through another’s help.

Anagin nodded.

“I see.”

His reaction was somehow odd. He seemed indifferent, as if uninterested.

This was because Anagin had already heard this from his Master.

No—more precisely, it would be more accurate to say he simply had no interest in a method of becoming a god that relied on someone else’s hand.

Anagin had already been ignored by his prayers, so he had no intention of begging a god any longer.

Therefore, Cheoncheon was out.

“The second method is faster, more evil, and more dangerous.”

The Old Man turned his head and looked at the sack on one side that held the Serpent’s head.

That method was none other than devouring people.

By devouring humans born of a god’s hand and blessed by a god, one raised one’s rank……

An immoral method of stealing a god’s blessing to accumulate rank.

Incidentally, he said that the Monsters and villains who spread chaos throughout the world were all born through this method.

A beast devours a person. A person devours a person.

It was an obvious enough story, but Anagin had no interest in this method either. Devouring people? Wasn’t that a bit shameful?

The Old Man seemed to think the same.

“It’s called Yeokcheon. Defying heaven. Honestly, it’s questionable to even call it a method of Asceticism. It’s closer to corruption than asceticism. That’s why whenever Monsters appear, kings and Ascetics try to hunt them down. Because they’re dangerous and evil beings.”

“Do you only hunt them because they’re evil?”

Anagin tossed the question out casually.

The Old Man furrowed his brow slightly.

“……The fact that Monsters are valuable is also a reason. A Monster’s corpse has nothing to waste—it can be used for medicine or as material for magic tools.”

This was also something he already knew.

Magic tools like subspace bags that could hold abnormally large amounts of cargo, belts that enhanced strength, ropes that extended, and shoes that moved on their own were all made from Monster byproducts.

Bones became magic weapons, organs and flesh became elixirs, leather and sinew became all sorts of tools……

That was why magic tools were mostly treated as expensive treasures. They were difficult to make and required rare materials.

“So those are the two methods of Asceticism.”

“I see……. But isn’t there one more?”

“……”

“I know of three, not two. What was it called again—ja, ja—”

“You mean Jacheon?”

“Ah! So you do know.”

Anagin pointed at the Old Man with his finger.

“But why didn’t you mention it?”

“Because it’s not a properly understood method, and I don’t know if it’s even possible.”

The Old Man’s reaction was skeptical.

And rightly so, because Jacheon—unlike Cheoncheon and Yeokcheon—was a vague method of Asceticism that was neither well-known nor clearly explained.

Using one’s own conviction as a compass, ascending to the heavens. Unlike Cheoncheon, which received a god’s blessing, or Yeokcheon, which stole a god’s blessing, it was an utterly ambiguous and incomprehensible method.

Because of this, even though there were quite a few Ascetics in the world, those who practiced Jacheon could be counted on one hand.

“Moreover, the ones who practice that method are all……”

The Old Man trailed off, looking uneasy.

Just as Anagin was about to ask why, he felt eyes on him and turned his head toward the inside of the carriage.

Everyone in the carriage was silently staring at him.

They had been sitting quietly, worn down by life, but at some point they had become absorbed in the conversation between Anagin and the Old Man.

The Old Man quickly changed the subject, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

“Hmm, anyway, I believe Jacheon is impossible. But it seems you already know all of this…… Who taught you?”

“My Master.”

“Haha, I don’t know who he is, but he sounds like a proper Ascetic. There are quite a few frauds who pretend to be Ascetics.”

“……?”

“What’s the matter?”

“No, it’s just—I don’t know if my Master is actually an Ascetic.”

“……?”

“He’s not the kind of person to talk about himself, so I have no idea whether he’s an Ascetic or not.”

Anagin thought anew that he knew nothing about his Master. Well, he didn’t even know the man’s name, so it wasn’t exactly surprising.

“Is he stronger than you, big brother?”

The Old Man’s grandson cut in, eyes sparkling.

A familiar look. The boy had developed feelings of admiration for Anagin, who had caught a house-sized Serpent.

The boy’s older sister bowed her head in apology, embarrassed that he had interrupted the adults’ conversation, but Anagin waved his hand to say it was fine.

Kids. Boys especially, admired strength.

The children in his hometown had all admired Anagin for the same reason.

“Yeah, stronger.”

“Whoaah!”

The boy exclaimed in awe. Someone stronger than Anagin, who had caught a Monster Serpent with nothing but a single sword—he couldn’t hide his excitement.

At that moment, the boy asked if he could become strong too by becoming that person’s disciple.

“No. He’s even more of a brute than I am, so you’d probably die before you got strong. Don’t do it, don’t do it.”

“A brute?”

The boy’s older sister asked, pretending to be uninterested out of politeness, but clearly curious inside.

“He’s smart, but a brute. He’s the kind of person who says you learn to fight by getting hit, and instead of teaching properly, he just beats you senseless.”

Anagin recalled the days of training he had done with his Master.

Could that even be called training?

He hit you saying you learn how to hit by getting hit, hit you saying you learn how to dodge by getting hit, hit you saying you learn how to block by getting hit, and also just hit you for no reason at all.

“He’s also the one who threw me all the way out here with no plan whatsoever……. Wait, it’s a miracle I’m even alive.”

Anagin marveled anew at the fact that he was still alive.

Whether or not they understood what he was feeling, everyone around him tilted their heads, as if they had heard something incomprehensible.

“Is he…… a scary person?”

“Well, he’s not scary. He was just a bit of a bastard to me. He was kind to everyone else. He was talented, knowledgeable, and popular too. Though he did look a bit unusual.”

“How was he unusual?”

“His hair and beard were golden, and shinier than mine—”

—Hiiing!!

The horses, which had been walking, suddenly reared again.

Wondering what was going on, Anagin saw that the Old Man had pulled the reins and brought the horses to an abrupt stop.

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing. The horses seem tired. It’s a bit early, but shall we make camp here? Would that be all right?”

No one objected. The horses did look tired, just as the Old Man said, and more than anything, the Old Man owned the carriage.

If the owner wanted to rest, they rested.

Once the decision to camp was made, everyone found a suitable spot and lit campfires.

“Let’s prepare to camp here too.”

Was it a coincidence?

Many of the other travelers who had been held up by the Monster Serpent also began preparing to camp.

Except for the Merchant, who continued on, apparently in a hurry.

“It’s a bit early to camp. For merchants, time is money.”

The Old Man spoke as he boiled a hodgepodge porridge made with barley, dried meat, and dried vegetables thrown together.

“I see.”

Anagin answered, scanning the surroundings with narrowed eyes.

The Old Man asked him.

“What’s the matter?”

“It seems like people are gathering on this side.”

He wasn’t speaking idly.

A large number of people were preparing to camp around the carriage, as if surrounding it.

It wasn’t a particularly pleasant sight. People in shabby clothes, carrying bundles, setting up around them.

“It’s probably because of you.”

“Me?”

“The road is full of dangers. Bandits, beasts, or things like that Monster from earlier……. So instinctively, when they see a strong person, they follow.”

“Interesting. Why would they think I’d help them?”

Anagin expressed genuine confusion.

Because he caught a snake? He had only caught it because it was in his way. He couldn’t understand the logic by which following him meant they’d be protected.

“People exposed to danger can’t think that deeply.”

“Then why did they come out on such a dangerous road?”

“Probably because staying put is harder and more dangerous. Most people who come to Anapic are like that. The majority are already backed into a corner by heavy taxes, debt, war, and bandits.”

“Hmm……”

“You don’t seem interested.”

The Old Man ladled the porridge into a bowl and held it out to Anagin.

Anagin gulped down the hot porridge.

“No, I’m not interested.”

It was true that Anagin had been the one asking the Old Man all sorts of questions, but that didn’t mean he cared about such trivial stories. They didn’t seem particularly useful anyway.

“You’d do well to take an interest. If you want to play the part of an Ascetic.”

The Old Man served porridge to his grandson and granddaughter, then shared it with the people who had hitched a ride on the carriage as well.

The amount of porridge he had made was fairly generous, but with so many mouths to feed, each person’s portion wasn’t very large.

For Anagin, who had a hearty appetite, this was a shame.

“Why is that?”

Anagin asked, scraping his bowl clean.

“Because Ascetics must accumulate good karma.”

The Old Man scooped a generous ladleful to refill Anagin’s empty bowl.

“Defeating villains, slaying Monsters, stopping disasters, providing shelter to travelers……. All of it is helping people and building up your Karma.”

Anagin gulped down the porridge again.

“I don’t like doing the obvious thing.”

“That’s what’s normally called the Righteous Path. And you need to properly understand the Righteous Path before you can seek other paths.”

“The Righteous Path……. That shouldn’t be hard. I’ve already been doing something similar.”

If slaying villains and beasts was the orthodox method of Asceticism, as the Old Man said, then Anagin had already been practicing it.

After all, it was Anagin who had protected his village by hunting the beasts that prowled around it.

Of course, it was closer to him hunting beasts instead of doing the petty farm work that didn’t suit his temper, rather than any feeling of helping people, but still.

“More than that, you really know a lot.”

Anagin expressed admiration for the Old Man, who had told him far more than he had expected.

“I’ve just picked up a lot from wandering the world for a long time.”

“Then why settle down now?”

“I’m getting old, and I don’t want to raise children as wanderers. Especially my granddaughter—I need to get her married too.”

The face of the girl who had been quietly staying by the Old Man’s side and helping him turned red.

“Are you planning to live in the city?”

“No, the city is just a place to pass through. I’ll be going back to my hometown. It’s in Hellas.”

“Ah, right, you mentioned that. That’s a shame. Then we’ll have to part ways once we reach the city.”

“We could go together!”

The Old Man’s grandson shouted. It hadn’t even been a full day, but he seemed to have grown attached to Anagin.

However, Anagin was skeptical.

From the looks of it, the Old Man planned to stay in the city only briefly before leaving, while Anagin intended to stay a while longer.

To gather information and rumors needed for his Asceticism, and various other things.

More than anything, he doubted they were even heading in the same direction.

If he could get useful information the moment he arrived in the city, he might be able to move on immediately, but such convenient luck was hard to come by.

---

The next day. The sun rose.

Anagin and everyone else finished a simple meal and immediately boarded the carriage.

Once the carriage began to move, the other travelers who had stopped also hurriedly followed. Just as the Old Man had said, they were following Anagin.

Anagin paid them no mind and asked about this and that. There was nothing else to do.

Not that he was asking anything significant.

It was at the level of confirming stories he had heard from his Master.

The land of civilization, ‘Hellas,’ the land of darkness and barbarism, ‘Babaland,’ and ‘Anapic’ caught between them.

The Old Man said the world was divided into these three.

“Incidentally, this is western Anapic. It’s one of the better parts.”

“Is that so?”

“It is.”

While they were talking, the carriage arrived at the city before they knew it.

“Huh?”

Anagin let out a deflated sound as he looked at the first city he had ever seen in his life.

It was considerably different from what he had heard a city was like from his Master. No—frankly, it was an eyesore.

He had been told that cities had massive walls built from neatly cut stone, and that roads were paved rather than dirt—but the city before Anagin’s eyes had none of that.

The wall surrounding it was nothing more than upright logs, and the road was just dirt.

It wasn’t Anagin’s place as a foreigner to complain, but having heard about cities before, his disappointment was immense.

“Most cities here are like this.”

The Old Man, having read Anagin’s thoughts, considerately explained.

Most cities built in Anapic were like this.

“Most of them haven’t been around for long. This ‘Disis Polis’ is no different.”

“Disis Polis?”

“That’s the name of this city. It means ‘western city.’ Because from the Hellas perspective, this is the west.”

“Oh.”

While they were talking, their turn at the checkpoint came.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

The Old Man politely greeted the guards, who were holding only spears. The guards gave a light nod, but then their expressions changed.

A light came into their tired, bored faces.

The senior guard said something to the junior guard, and the junior guard immediately ran inside the wall.

“Is there a problem?”

At the Old Man’s question, the guard answered with respect.

“It’s nothing. Please wait a moment.”

Not long after the guard answered, the guard who had gone earlier returned. Behind him was a familiar face.

It was the Merchant who had promised to pay them for killing the Serpent blocking the road.

He saw the carriage Anagin was riding and greeted them politely.

“Welcome, welcome! We’ve been waiting for you. Our mayor has been looking forward to meeting you!”