Episode 5

As expected, Flag’s training was tough. He hadn’t puked as the man had been concerned, but his entire body was drenched in sweat near the end.

“Huh, can’t believe you actually pulled that off.”

However, as the sweat of today would lessen the bloodshed of tomorrow, he didn’t complain about how tired he felt. Instead, Odysseus wrapped his body with a towel to make sure the sweat didn’t cool and downed an electrolyte drink.

“Well, good work today. Make sure to do the stretches I taught you and get some rest. We’ll be doing this in intervals from morning to night starting tomorrow, so get up early.”
“Okay.”

One thing he liked about the current era was that they had many safer ways of developing one’s muscles. His times did have stretches to a certain degree, but nothing systemized as they were today.

“Don’t forget to stay hydrated.”
“Understood.”

More importantly, his main concern was about how he was going to train this body that was already drenched in sweat after a short twenty-minute run. As he contemplated this, Odysseus forced his wobbly legs to move. It was time to meet Horn.

“Haah.”

Albeit slowly, Yul walked down the hallway while circulating the mana in his body. He’d come to the realization that just like training one’s muscles, his control of mana also improved with more usage.

‘To be more exact, the nerves in my body that control the mana are becoming sharper…’

But details such as these did not matter much. He wasn’t a scholar, and knowing this didn’t change the fact that he had to continue training his mana.

Knock, knock.
“Horn, I’m here.”
“Yul, is that you?”

Odysseus opened the door as soon as he heard Horn’s voice. He executed the action with care, making sure that it didn’t swing open brashly.

“You’re late.”
“I just came from training.”
“…Word has it that you’re going out on the odysseys¹. I assume that’s true, then?”
“Yes.”

Odysseus gave the man a firm answer, hiding any sign of a smile. Horn put down the metal piece that he’d been holding and harshly massaged his face.

“Odysseys aren’t just a walk around a park, you know.”
“Yes, I know that.”
“And do you know just how many people die on their first odyssey?”
“I’ve been around here long enough to figure that out.”

He didn’t even need to experience it himself to know that. Just looking at the reason why Yul holed up in his room two years ago was more than enough to tell that odysseys were really, incredibly, truly shitty.

“You know all that, and you still want to go?”
“Yes.”

But so what? Odysseus spent ten years of his life on the battlefield and the ten years following that wandering the lands to return home.
In other words, there was no reason for him to get scared of a little hunting trip that lasted only a few days at most. He’d already experienced the extreme end of such situations.

“You…”
“For your information, I’ve already made my decision and don’t plan on changing my mind. So can we just move on from this topic?”

It would just be a waste of time for them to dawdle on this matter any longer. The boy sat down at his workspace consisted of a crafting bench used to make alchemy products.

“How many magick bullets do I need to make today?”
“…There are the ones you missed from yesterday and some that were used, so at least two hundred.”

Well, that’s a fuckton to make. Odysseus let out a small sigh, faced with a number that doubled his usual quota. Considering that he had to be at Aran’s room by ten, he would barely manage to finish, even if he were to start right away.

“What about filters and the other things?”

Not only that, but magick bullets were not the only product he was in charge of making, as many products were the result of alchemy.

“Nothing else. Just the bullets today.”
“You said you wouldn’t go easy on me, but here you are now.”
“…Yeah, bud. Try to act grateful while you’re at it.”
“Yessir.”

Alchemy was able to replicate most existing objects, including not just magick bullets but also various firearms, armor, and even processed materials like thread and dye.
A minor setback was that such production was impossible without possessing the proper calculation formula or recipe. But as that was only a natural process of creating something, it wasn’t something to complain about. After all, nothing can be made easily, until a recipe is made.

‘It’s hard to make engravings on a magick bullet because of how small they are. Making the circuit that includes randomized numbers isn’t that hard, actually.’

Anyhow, coming back to the beginning, there was something called a ‘magick circuit’ that had to be engraved in order to create alchemy products. It was only when mana passed through these circuits that a certain effect was activated.

Clank. Clank. Clank.
The process of engraving circuits was exactly like how one would engrave letters into stone. Odysseus placed a chisel onto the bullet, an empty casing without any gunpowder that only replicated its exterior.

Clank. Clank. Clank.
For reference, there wasn’t a complicated reason as to why the bullet was empty. Gunpowder was not producible through alchemy, and the United City of Tessenia was very strict about the distribution and outflow of gunpowder.

Clank.
“Ugh. My eyes feel like they’re going to pop out.”
“Complaining already?”

Of course, unlike regular bullets, which could be machine-made, magick bullets had the disadvantage that they could only be made by hand. The reason for this was that an alchemy product could not be made unless mana was used from the moment the engraving process began.

“Cut me some slack. I’ve put my body through a lot today.”
“Hmph. That sounds like a problem you should be dealing with, not me.”

The only thing he could blame was the fact that he was born in an age where labor was cheaper than gunpowder. He had to appreciate that this labor was also available only to a select few with sufficient magick capabilities.

“Ah, I’m out of solder.”
“Here’s some more.”
“Thank you, Horn.”

Once the grooves were engraved, they were then filled with another metal. This technique included the work of pounding thin, string-like metal into the grooves and then grinding the surface to smooth it out.

“There.”
When that step was over, the bullet was practically done. All that was left to do was imbue the vessel with mana.

“…And I thought you said your eyes were going to pop out.”
“I only finished one, though.”

Odysseus put the finished bullet into the basket. He now had a hundred-ninety-nine more bullets left. There was still a long way to go.

“Right, Horn.”
“What?”
“Do you know any magick? Preferably combat magick.”
“Hah, are you really asking me that?”
“It’s not like I can ask Captain or Flag Hyung about this.”

Neither Captain nor Flag were magicks users. They only used the mana to enhance their physical strength.

‘Well, although some people are declaring physical enhancements as a sort of magick, calling it combat or strengthening spells or something…’

But that wasn’t the majority’s opinion. Even if combat spells were considered magick, those who could only enhance their bodies could not be considered full-fledged magicks users.
This could be seen from how those people were called biomancers. In this era, biomancers were different from magicks users.

“…If I had something I could teach you, I would have already taught it to you by now, you little brat.”
“That is true… but do you really not know anything?”
“Yeah, dammit! I don’t know a thing!”
“Wow, I’m a little disappointed…”
“Why, you little!!!”

Horn paused from making the bullet in his hand and snapped at him. However, it wasn’t scary since he knew the man was not the type to raise his hand at a child. Even if he did hit him… It didn’t matter as long as he wasn’t stabbed in the heart. He’d already lived through too much to get scared over a little beating.

“…Come over to my room when you get the time.”
“Why?”
“You’re the one who asked!”

Huh, what’s wrong with him?
Odysseus just drummed on the chisel as he watched Horn snap at him again. It was true that he was acting like an annoying brat on purpose, but it still felt like the man was being a little too sensitive. From Yul’s memories, Horn seemed a bit more… mature than this.
To the eyes of someone the same age, he just seemed like a butthurt child.

“You said you didn’t know any magick.”
“Ugh, you’re such a little…”

After letting out a bit more steam, Horn finally finished his thought.

“I don’t have any proper knowledge, but there are some studies I’ve done.”
“Oh?”
“You’re smarter than I am… So maybe you’ll get something out of it.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be there after my class today.”
“Class?”
“The Vice-Captain told me that she’ll teach me the things I need for odysseys. It starts at 10 pm.”
“…Won’t it be past midnight when you’re done? Scram! Don’t come!”
“By all due respect, Mr. Horn, don’t be so stingy.”
“You only use that phrase in situations like these! And it doesn’t sound like you’re respecting me at all!”

He’d already be asleep by midnight anyway. Ignoring Horn’s continued nagging, Odysseus got back to work. He had mechanically crafted ten bullets while they’d been talking, so he had to get to it.

Taking her race into consideration, Vice-Captain Aran’s room was located on the highest floor. Because of a harpy’s base height and wingspan, her room was even larger than Captain Songha’s.

“You’re here.”

However, seeing the nest in the corner and the Vice-Captain herself walking around the room, the space felt small in comparison. This felt even more so true because she currently had her wings spread for preening.

“Sit down.”
“Yes, ma’am.”

Feeling slight awe from the sight, Odysseus sat down on the provided cushion. This was his best option as there was nothing that could be used as a chair in this room.
On the other hand, the Vice-Captain squatted down instead of sitting. It seemed that she’d done this because sitting down would damage her long wing feathers and tail feathers. The fact that a harpy’s leg joints did not do well with the cross-legged posture probably also played a part in this.

“Do you know what the purpose of an odyssey is?”

Well, anyway, once they were settled down, Vice-Captain Aran asked him a question. Having most of the basic knowledge of this new world sorted through, the question wasn’t difficult for Odysseus to answer.

“It’s to venture outside of the city and collect resources that cannot be produced within the city.”
“You’re right. That’s exactly what we do.”

Odyssey was the term used to define the action of leaving the city for hunting and gathering.

“I’m an odyss, you know.”²
“Yes, you’re an odyss. But in today’s class, I will not be treating you as an official odyss.”
“Hm, what do you mean by that?”
“No matter how much you know, I’ll be teaching you like I would a new recruit.”
“Ah.”
“If you understand, let’s begin the lesson.”

As someone who preferred to do things by the book, Aran did not skip any steps.
It was quite different from Odysseus’s preferred ways of flexibility, but he did like these types of people. They could be a little too rigid at times, but rarely did they cause pointless conflict.

“In order to know the origin of this system, you must first learn the history of this world.”

The young boy was still sorting through his random thoughts when Vice-Captain Aran handed him a book. The title of the book was [Let’s Learn History 3 -Era of Darkness-].

“The world fell into turmoil after World War IV had hit, and in addition, the pollutants that spread throughout the world during the war changed the Earth and all life that lived on it in the most horrid and harsh way possible.”

She extended one of her feet and used the two smallest of her six toes to turn the page delicately.
It was like using the thumb and index finger of a human’s hand to flip a page.

“Those who survived these times constructed a safe zone on a city-wide level for the future generations to come. Tessenia, the city we live in right now, is also one of those cities.”

Vice-Captain Aran skipped over a couple of pages, then glanced up at the young boy. The feathers on her head that took the stead of hair swayed in the air with her movements.

“Later, the humans decided to call the region outside of cities the ‘Contaminated Zones,’ and the creatures who reside in those Contaminated Zones as ‘mutants’… And for the sake of safety, have decided to refrain from leaving the cities.”
“I see.”
“Now, I’ll ask you this. Do you think those who have once ruled over the entire world would be satisfied cooped up in mere cities? Do you think that man-made cities would have been enough to satisfy the greed of humans?”
“Of course not. That would be impossible.”
“Right. As you said, that was not what happened. This is why the concept of odyssias³ and odysseys were created.”

Some became desperate for resources that could not be produced inside the cities, and some considered the value of money to outweigh human lives.
Therefore, the result of the two groups’ compromise was the odyssia, those who ventured out of the cities with their lives on the line in order to collect resources or find ancient treasures.

“The objectives and tasks of odyssia vary by each odyssia and the city they are associated with. In our case, our main job is to hunt mutants and sell the byproducts.”

However, at this point, Odysseus began to feel a bit strange every time he read a certain word written on the pages. He’d skimmed over this part on his first day, but now that he was here, he couldn’t help but think that ‘Odyssey’ and ‘Odyssia’ sounded similar to his name.

‘I guess that can’t be helped since they originate from my name.’

Well, that still didn’t change the fact that it felt weird. On one hand, it was quite an honor, but when thinking about the name’s origin, it just irritated him.

“We also do sometimes sell the products that you and Horn make, but most are consumed within our odyssia. You should know this, though.”
“Yes, I do.”

It was Captain Songha’s rule that there must always be a reserve of resources, so whenever a fight broke out, he would undoubtedly work overtime for that week to replenish the consumed amount.

“What’s important here is that the outside, the Contaminated Zones, are so dangerous that the humans have made it into a separate region. But they are also our main stage.”
“Yes, and that’s what makes odysseys very dangerous. I know. I’ve made up my mind already.”
“Right. I won’t mention that part since you wouldn’t have volunteered without knowing this.”

After taking in a deep breath, Vice-Captain Aran closed the history book. There probably wasn’t much more recorded in the textbooks that related to the creation of odyssias.

“Then—”
“But did you make up your mind about killing someone? Will you be able to kill without hesitation for the sake of you and your comrades when an enemy appears?”

Almost in a harshly cold tone, the woman cut off Odysseus. The young boy’s mouth parted for a moment but then closed into a small frown.

“Yes.”
“Anyone can say that.”

This was true, but he actually meant it. He could absolutely kill someone.
Odysseus attempted to count the number of people he’d killed in his past life. He couldn’t get an exact number, but it should be at least a three-digit number.

“Then shoot.”

However, oblivious to this, the Vice-Captain handed a new object to the boy. It was a pistol as big as the hand of a twelve-year-old boy.
His lips curved into a strange shape seeing the weapon that he’d only knew of from memory.

“What about the target?”
“Shoot me.”

After handing him the gun, Vice-Captain Aran flew out to the veranda that served both as a window and door for her. The order that she gave him as she’d done so was quite shocking.

“Are you sure?”
“Did you forget that I am a harpy? I know how to control the winds and, as a biomancer, possess the ability to enhance my body.”
“Hm. But that doesn’t mean you can block a bullet that’s shot from such a close distance, does it?”
“Don’t worry. I won’t blame you even if I’m wounded.”

I see. Odysseus shrugged, hearing Aran’s confident response.

Bang!
“Then excuse me.”

The bullet that left the barrel even before he spoke dissipated just before piercing Aran’s chest.
Had it not been for the wind that stopped its path and the five meters of distance between the two of them, things might have ended differently.

“…You have no hesitation.”
“You said to shoot the gun.”
“Yes, I was the one who ordered you.”

Well, Aran wouldn’t have died even if the wind hadn’t stopped the bullet. The bullet that he’d just shot was a blank.

“More importantly… I thought you would have just left the chamber empty, but you actually put in blanks?”
“…You expected it not to be a real bullet?”
“Putting everything else aside, you said, ‘even if I’m wounded’, not ‘even if I die’. So it could only either be a blank or an empty chamber.”

If it were a subsonic bullet, it wouldn’t have completely pierced through the body, but it would still be a severe wound in the sense that it entered the body. That wasn’t a matter that one could gamble on.

“Well, I would have still shot even if it were a real bullet.”
“You say that with a bright voice.”
“You’re the one who gave the order, Vice-Captain.”

Why would there be any reason to say no when he was given permission already?
Vice-Captain Aran laughed wryly, hearing such a comment from a boy who hadn’t even reached his teens yet.

“You passed. Tomorrow, I’ll begin to teach you what happens in a hunt and some other rules and organizations you should keep note of.”
“Oh, we’re already done?”
“I didn’t plan to push you on the first day. Go to sleep now.”
“Well, all right. Have a good night.”
“You too.”

With that, he’d taken his first step to go on an odyssey.
Odysseus returned the gun to its owner and left the room. Lastly, it was now time to go and get the research papers from Horn. His long night was finally coming to an end.